Can HitchFit Help Me Take Bite Out of the Elephant?

There is an old saying I've heard many times in my life: "How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time."

Apparently, the elephant that I am trying to eat is exercise.  To start working out regularly.  And I certainly have not been very good about taking bites.  In fact, I'm only a week and a half away from competing in Ruckus St. Louis and I'm not even close to being ready.  Work and family life is still trumping my fitness goals. It's clearly time to get some help.  Professional help.

I wanna look like that (can you
blame me?)! 

Entrepreneurs perennially take on more than they should. It isn’t always just the “bright shiny object” syndrome. With me, it is that I am part of an organization that wants to change the world...yesterday. Call me impatient. Call me stubborn. But you can’t call me one for sitting around when I should take action and execute. The truth is, I seem to keep putting my fitness goals off in pursuit of checking off other milestones to change the world of entrepreneurship and help people turn ideas into profitable companies. 


Who would possibly be willing to beat some sense into me?

Enter HitchFit.


Just going to their website makes me feel better. These people not only look amazing, but they preach a healthy mind, body and spirit. Besides the fact that this is a great Midwestern company that is transforming people (like me) around the country, they are also really nice people. They just happen to be really nice,  REALLY IN SHAPE people. Just look at them. Is this my new bright, shiny object or can I really commit myself to do what I need to do for my family, my fitness and for myself?

Micah LaCerte and Diana Chaloux have been transforming even the most stubborn fitness-minded holdouts for many years. As I realize that the Ruckus obstacle race is just weeks away now, I need to get with the program. This race is going to be great fun, but only if I finish.

It's time for me to put on my entrepreneur hat (as if I'm not already wearing it!): It's time for me to set a goal, create a deadline and develop a plan to get there. Kind of sounds like building a startup company…why didn’t I think of this earlier? It’s always about execution.  Can I execute on this challenge? Anyone want to place their bets?


Stay tuned as I really get serious about my fitness, and take my first real bite of this elephant.

The Lunch Break Workout (And How to Avoid Being Sweaty When You Return to the Office!)

Here at Think Big Partners, we love lunch.  We love ordering in from awesome Kansas City restaurants like The Mixx, Nica's 320, the Art of Pizza and even Grinder's.  But if you sit back and think about it, lunch takes up a lot of time every single day.  It takes 5 minutes to decide what you want for lunch, 5 minutes to drive to the restaurant, 45 minutes to eat, and 5 minutes to drive back.  Over an hour of your day was wasted (unless you happened to meet with someone important over your lunch hour!).


So how can you take advantage of your lunch hour?  Why not work out instead?  Nix sitting down at the local restaurant and try eating lunch at your desk instead.  Use that lunch hour for something good--a full-body workout!

Working out over the lunch hour does require a little bit of planning and coordination.  But once you get into the swing of things, you may never go back to those late-night or early-morning workouts again.  Here are some of my quick tips for working out over the lunch hour:


1.  Find a local gym near the office.  If your current gym is located closer to your home, it may be time to switch!


2.  Beef up the intensity.  Quick workouts are proven to be more effective than long, slow paced workouts.  Research proves that just 15 minutes of exercise can get you nearly the same effect as a 60 minute workout.  So if you're going on a walk during the lunch hour, pick up the pace (or carry something heavy with you!).


3.  Lift weights instead of cardio.  If you decide to try the lunch hour workout, try lifting weights instead of hopping on the treadmill.  When lifting weights, our bodies do not produce as much sweat as when we perform cardio workouts.  That means you may not have to shower before you head back to the office (bonus!).


4.  Have your coworkers work out with you.  It's more motivational and more fun.


5.  Try circuit training.  Short bursts of resistance exercise with moderate weights and frequent repetitions are perfect for the lunch hour workout.  This type of exercise allows for muscle confusion and allows for a full-body workout in a short amount of time.


What do you have to lose (other than maybe a few inches!)?  Try the lunch hour workout today.  Let's see what you're made of!


Follow me! @thinkbigKC

What Triggers My Workout Plan? Hope!

I need to make time for the gym!

Life on the entrepreneurial road...sometimes less traveled, often less exercised.

Being an entrepreneur means a lot of things. Between goals, deadlines, stresses of building your company, managing employees and finding some type of work-life balance, it often means hitting the road to attend meetings and conferences.

I recently attended InvestMidwest in St Louis. This is a great event for entrepreneurs, startup companies, service providers, community leaders and investors, all hoping to connect.

The downfall of being on the road is that exercise seems to be sacrificed in the name of big business dinners, cocktail-driven networking meetings and late-night hotel office time.

I am on day 9 of my April Fool's fitness revelation/realization, also known as the Think Big Fitness Challenge. The realization was that I am out of shape, like many other startup entrepreneurs that forget to make time for the gym.

Hmmm..haven't found time for the gym yet. Not good.

I need to rethink my workout strategy of hope and start thinking in terms of a workout plan.

I need to remove the mental obstacles and find a way to accomplish my goal. And finish on top.

Stay tuned. 

Follow me on Twitter! @ThinkBigKC

The 6 Hottest Apps to Help You Train for Ruckus

This month, I'm taking some major advice from Ruckus, since that's the event I'm training for.  I recently read an article from the Ruckus blog all about different mobile apps to use while training for the big day.  Check out what Ruckus has to say about these 6 hot apps for training:

Sometimes a dirt road, a pair of old tennis shoes and mental strength just isn’t enough. As human beings, we need support, we need advice and we need guidance when training for physical challenges like Ruckus. But what if you can’t afford a nutritionist, a coach or even a gym membership? That doesn’t mean you can’t get in tip-top Ruckus shape! There are dozens of cheap (and some free!) apps out there that will help you get in training-mode—even in time for Ruckus St. Louis on May 5^th!

iMAPMYRUN

Free: iPhone

iMapMyRUN (the app version of MapMyRUN) may be the best app to log aworkout—it even finds running courses for you! Record your workouts, find a great running route, plug in nutrition and connect with your running friends with iMapMyRUN.

MYFITNESSPAL

Free: iPhone

MyFitnessPal keep track of both your nutrition as well as your day-to-day activity. Simply plug theword “apple” into your daily intake and your calorie tracker will subtract 80 calories. Type in that you ran for 60 minutes and the calorie tracker will add an additional 600 calories to your daily caloric intake. It’s easy and it keeps health-conscious people on track.

INSTANT HEART RATE

Free: Android, iPhone

This app is a smartphone camera plus an instant heart-rate monitor that, according to many doctors, is one of the most accurate heart-rate monitor apps out there!

INFLICT TRAINING

$1.99: iPhone

This app, developed by Lance Armstrong’s conditioning coach, utilizes video to show you how to perform certain exercises and movements. Get inside the gym and turn on Inflict Training to learn more about which exercises are for you. This app shows moves that center around agility and balance, Pilates, interval training and much, much more.

GAZELLE

Free: Android, Blackberry, iPhone

Gazelle stores all medical records for later viewing. Need to log your Quest Diagnostics lab results? Need help remembering medication names? Not sure how many doses you may need? Gazelle helps with that!

HEART DISEASE RISKCALCULATOR

Free: iPhone

Scare yourself off the couch! The Heart Disease Risk Calculator estimates your odds of having a heart attack, stroke or heart failure within the next ten years! Talk about encouragement to put down the potato chips and sign up for Ruckus!

Our phones seem to do it all—they have become our coaches, our motivators and even our doctors. Start purchasing these cool training apps to and get ready for your upcoming Ruckus challenge!

Read the full article here: http://runruckus.blogspot.com/2012/03/6-hottest-apps-to-help-you-train-for.html

Top 10 Tips for Working Out on Vacation for Entrepreneurs

Although entrepreneurs tend to work 70-80 hour weeks, they do have an advantage that other corporate employees may not...extra vacation.  After all, entrepreneurs create their own hours (even if it is until 3:00AM), determine their own vacation blocks and design their own day-to-day schedules.  It's one of the perks!


Unfortunately for us, however, vacation usually means a lot of sleeping, a lot of eating and a lot of drinking.  Unless we stay active on vacation, these random breaks from work life can make us feel less refreshed and more sluggish upon our return home.


This week, I'm in Florida on Spring Break with my family.  The beach is crystal blue, the sky is clear and the drinks are cold.  But, with my Think Big Fitness Challenge and Ruckus St. Louis in mind, it's also important for me to get off the chaise lounge and work out.  With that, here are my top 10 tips for working out on vacation: 


1.  Pack up your gear
One of the best ways to get in a good work out while on vacation is to actually pack up your gear!  Throw your lightweight work out equipment in your suitcase before you leave (try 5 pound dumbbells, jump ropes or resistance bands).


2.  Carry on
Getting to the airport alone can be a workout!  Carry on your bags so you get a workout while walking to your gate, off the plane, into your cab and eventually, into your hotel room.  Rolling your suitcase is a way to burn more calories while walking!  


3.  Wear a pedometer 
While on vacation, attach a pedometer to your side to watch how many steps you're taking each day.  The more you walk, the more fitness points you get! 


4.  Take the stairs
Try taking the stairs (yes, even in the airport) while on vacation.  These extra steps can add up fast and your calves will be burning in no time.  


5.  Plan activities in advance
Although many of us like to fly by the seat of our pants while on vacation, it may be best to create a schedule, or at least a list of things you'd like to do while on vacation.  Map out when you want to go to swimming, hiking, kayaking or skiing.  Creating a schedule will ensure that you don't sit on a couch all vacation!  


6.  Take detours 
On a bike ride?  Try taking a detour and make the activity last just a little bit longer.  This tactic can also be implemented when on a walk or run.  


7.  Go swimming
Don't just sit by the pool all day...dive in!  Swimming works every muscle in the human body and is one of the best exercises during vacation.  Plus, it will feel refreshing.  


8.  Catch up actively
If you want to simply sit down and chat with friends or family while on vacation, why not propose a walk instead?  Walking in the evening can help you burn off those french fries you ate during lunch and you can still catch up with loved ones.  


9.  Wake up early
Get your exercise out of the way in the morning before anybody else wakes up.  Chances are, if you don't work out in the morning while on vacation, you probably won't work out at all.


10. Make reservations 
It's important to make reservations well in advance (we're talking weeks!) when going on vacation. Book your golf reservation, kayaking reservation, tennis reservation and others before going on vacation.  If you don't, you may miss out on these great activities.


Follow me! @thinkbigKC

The 10 Second Lunch

I know, I know.  There's never enough time in the day.  At one moment you look at the clock and it's 8:00AM and the next, it's 6:00PM and it's time to head home for dinner with family.  When you drive home, you may realize that your stomach is grumbling and completely empty.  Then it hits you: you didn't even have time for lunch. 

I'll be honest.  I skip lunch all the time.  Most of the time, I'm too busy to even realize that it's lunchtime in the first place.  So, in order to kick-start my new healthy lifestyle, I have found a cure for any lunch-skipping entrepreneur.  I like to call it "The 10 Second Lunch".  

Many people think that Ensure is for old, cranky men who have lost all of their teeth.  Nay, I say!  Ensure is for the on-the-go, never-enough-time-in-the-day serial entrepreneur! 

The other day, I had one of my partners at Think Big (Allison Way, pictured to the left, below) time how long it took me to drink an Ensure nutrition shake.  The result?  Exactly 10 seconds.  Hence the name "The 10 Second Lunch".

That means that in 10 seconds I was able to consume 350 calories, 13 grams of protein, 24 different essential vitamins and minerals and Omega-3s (which supports heart health!).  Talk about packing in the nutrients in a short amount of time!  

My employees weren't too impressed with my all-liquid lunch the other day.
But it's better than eating no lunch at all! 

How the 10 Second Lunch can help: 

• It saves you time!  Don't have time to sit down at a restaurant, swing through a fast food place or even put a Lean Cuisine in the microwave?  The 10 Second Lunch is a healthier, faster way to get the nutrients you need.
• Skipping lunch has proven to slow metabolism, which can lead to weight gain.  Grab an Ensure and drink your lunch to speed up your metabolism.
• The 10 Second Lunch will give you that boost of energy in the afternoon (I know you need it!).
• Eating lunch can actually increase your levels of concentration and focus...so stop skipping and dedicate 10 seconds of your day to lunch!  

Follow me for more tips and tricks! @thinkbigKC

And join me in my healthy journey!  Check out Ruckus St. Louis, the event that's motivating me to get back into shape. 

Let the Think Big Fitness Challenge Begin!

If there is one thing that I'm going to need during the revamp of my exercise regimen, it's support.  I'll need support from my friends, support from my family and even support from the people I surround myself with most during the weekday: my employees, partners and coworkers.  


That's one of the reasons that I started the Think Big Fitness Challenge.  I'm proposing that my company goes above and beyond in the world of fitness during the month of April, not only to support me, but to become advocates of the healthy entrepreneur.


So, from April 1st until April 30th, my family, my employees, my coworkers, my partners and even some of our brave coworking space tenants will be taking part in the Think Big Fitness Challenge.  Some of my employees are even going to participate in Ruckus St. Louis on May 5th with me.


Here's how YOU can get involved, too: 

• Set your goal for the month: how much will you work out from April 1 until April 30?  Every 20 minutes of exercise equals 1 point.  One hour workout, therefore, equals 3 points.  The Think Big goal range seems to be between 30 and 80 points (here's a hint: my goal is 50 points this month!).
• Give yourself a handicap if you already work out quite a bit.  For example, Blake Miller, a partner at Think Big Partners, has a -9 point handicap because he is involved with Crossfit.  This will help the workout-aholics challenge themselves, too! 
• Keep track of your points throughout the month.  Be sure to stay on track (and be sure to eat healthy!).
• Check back on this Startup Your Fitness blog for tips, tricks and his inside story. 
• At the end of the month, let us know if you reached your goal by commenting on our blog.  If you did, we will give you a special shout-out and celebrate with you!  

On Friday, I explained to the Think Big team that we were starting a new fitness challenge. 

The Think Big Fitness Challenge has begun!  Our goals have been displayed on the glass of my office--where all of my best ideas are displayed.

Get ready to startup your fitness, entrepreneurs!  

Follow me on Twitter too! @ThinkBigKC

It's No Joke: How This Entrepreneur Plans to Lead a Healthy Lifestyle with Help from Ruckus

As an entrepreneur, I only know two speeds:  stop and go.


Unfortunately, one of the things I stopped when I started building my latest dream and venture, Think Big Partners, was exercising on a regular basis.  Regular exercise, I know, is a good thing.  But it's the one thing that I've always seemed to put at the very bottom of my list.


But can you blame me? Between countless meetings, gaining new customers, playing with new ideas, and spending time with my family, exercise just hasn't fit into my everyday routine.  And with that, I've quite frankly been a fool.


So, with that in mind, I am going to take the month of April, on April Fool's Day, to admit that I've been a fool when it comes to fitness.  I am going to take on a brand new attitude toward exercise and start getting back into shape.


I know that many other entrepreneurs are in the same boat.  They're passionate and committed to their dreams, but struggle finding time for exercise and engaging in a healthy lifestyle.  So, I'm challenging to join me in my next venture in building an exercise regimen that works for entrepreneurs just like me.


From April 1st until April 30th, I am going to beef up my exercise regimen in preparation for an event in St. Louis known as Ruckus.  For a little extra motivation and inspiration, I'm inviting my family as well as a few of my coworkers to join me in preparation for Ruckus on May 5th.  The Ruckus race will allow me to spend both time with my family and also spend time with myself exercising.  It's really the best of both worlds.


With that, I'm challenging other entrepreneurs to join me in the month of April to "startup your fitness". That means it's time to put yourself first and get committed to your exercise plan.


Don't be a foolish entrepreneur any longer.  It's time to think big, work out and join me in the start of a better entrepreneurial lifestyle.  Are you ready to Startup Your Fitness?