DAY 17

DAY 17 (Friday)

NICK'S BACK

Nick is back in town after making a 2-day visit to his mentor's club in Phoenix, AZ.  Mack Newton (http://www.macknewton.com/) is Nick's Mentor and inspiration, as well as being one of only a small handful of 9th Degree Black Belts in TaeKwon-Do in the country.  Mack trains a lot of professional athletes at his club in Phoenix!  In addition, Nick likes to point out that Mack Newton is 68 years old (age is just a number!), in better shape than anyone else he has ever met, and has only 2.7% bodyfat.  It just goes to show that being in shape is so much more than just a physical state of being.  Mack preaches mental toughness in collaboration with physical fitness.  Your mind is a muscle and it needs just as much exercise as your body.  Mack Newton's philosophy is one of positive thought and uplifting messages.  And that nothing is impossible if you put your mind too it.

Tonight, Nick discussed the many things he was inspired by during his visit to Mack Newton's club.  One point that really stood out was the importance of sustainability.  This relates to how you approach your own physical fitness and making the "life decision" to get in shape, and then having the commitment and strength to SUSTAIN that new course in your life of eating right and getting more exercise.  Nick tells the story of one of Mack Newton's members who has, on several occassions, gone to Mack's Conditioning Class and lost 20-30 pounds while getting into great shape.  And then they disappear for several months because they are in great shape and have a new, slim figure.  The only problem is, that person eventually shows up again several months later - out of shape and back to their original weight!  Does this sound familiar to you?  It does for me.  I've been guilty of the very same experiences in the past.  I make the commitment to get in shape and lose the weight. Once I've completed that goal, it is so easy to start cutting back "just a little bit. Here and there".  I'd start missing the workouts. I would begin to indulge my appetitie for appetizers before dinner; for desserts after dinner.  And before you know it, the weight is back and I get winded going up and down stairs again!

SUSTAINABILITY!  We are all guilty of it to some degree or another.  Me included.  As I take on this "6 Week Fitness Challenge", I have to come up with a plan for Week 7!  Then what?  Right now, my plan is to continue on this new path in my life.  Continue to eat right, all of the time. Not just when it's convenient.  Continue to exercise everyday.  Whether at Nick's Pro Fitness in Evergreen, or hiking, or biking, or skiing any one of the thousands of breathtaking trails that exist in this beautiful State. We are so lucky to live in a State where everyone else in the US comes to visit.  I need to sustain my commitment to get in shape, then stay in shape and live a more healthy life. 

Thank you for reading.
Jeffrey Bowers
Director of Sales
Denver Life Magazine