And while I was watching the 2nd half of yesterday’s Super Bowl game a couple things occurred to me about how football and life are very similar.

And today I want to share 3 inspiring life lessons that I know will help inspire and give you some perspective this week.

Progress is What’s Most Important

Football’s a unique sport in that it requires a team to continually progress up the field toward scoring a touchdown. To facilitate this task, the team is constantly driving for small gains and seeking that 1st down in order to continue it’s path to the end zone.

Life, and your health and fitness, is very similar. Sure we want to reach the all mighty touchdown with 50 yard “hail marry” pass but the reality is that most BIG goals in life are simply a culmination of smaller successes.

In most games, a touchdown doesn’t usually happen in just one play. It might…however, the majority of scoring occurs as a result of smaller plays that have progressed the team down the field.

We live in a culture that has engrained “instant success” in our minds. We want to lose 20 pounds today, and yesterday would be better.

We want success now.

A classic example of this is all the “overnight” successes we hear about in sports, in hollywood, and in business. The media portrays these people as having appeared out of the wood works when in reality they’ve been busting their butts their entire life – only now they’ve been recognized on a bigger level.

Success is like a duck on water…

It looks calm on the surface but, underneath, that duck is working non-stop!

So take time and appreciate that small improvements are great (and necessary) and they required continued hard-work.

Strive for those 10-yard gains and reward your small accomplishments en route to your ultimate goals! And hey, sometimes a field goal is good enough – at least for now.

Remember, progress, not achievement, is the key to happiness!!!

You Can’t Win If You Don’t Take Risks (And Even Then, Sometimes You Lose)

Although the Steelers lost yesterday’s game, they took a big gamble in the 3rd quarter to narrow the score. After Mike Wallace scored a great touchdown, they took a risk and went for the 2-point conversion instead of the standard (and easier) 1-point conversion field goal.

And that gamble paid off as they scored the 2 points and narrowed the gap between them and Green Bay to within striking distance.

Sure they didn’t win the game but they took an incredible risk that put them in a position to make it a possibility. Because you never know, had the Steelers scored a touchdown on their last possession of the game they may have looked back at that 2-point conversion as the turning point!

Rewards come to those who take risks. I don’t know much about the football or the Green Bay Packers but I’m sure they took many risks during their season.

I think I also heard one of their players say after the game that they had battled adversity all year-long and finally it paid off.

Sometimes you get to a fork in the road that requires you to make a tough decision. Do you go with the 1-point or 2-point conversion? Do you get up at 6am and hit the gym or use the lack of time in your day as an excuse not to workout?

You get the point.

Risk doesn’t have to involve mortgaging your house because even smaller things that get you out of your comfort zone can lead to fantastic rewards.

And, even if you don’t get what you want, at least you’ll have grown as a person for trying.

Life Will Knock You Down So Get Back Up And Keep Going for That Touchdown

Obviously, hard hitting tackles are a hallmark feature of football. And sometimes life as well.

At some point in our lives, we have (or will) come across great adversity that will make us feel as though we’ve been pummeled by a 300-lb defensive linesman.

But, like any great football player, you just have to pick yourself up and keep on running for that touchdown.

In every day life, “defensive lineman” might appear as:

- people who tell you that you CAN”T achieve your goals,

- an unsupportive spouse or loved one,

- a stressful job that makes you cringe when the alarm clocks goes off.

These are just a few examples of how millions of people are held back from their goals every single day!

But you’re stronger that that. I know you are!

If you get hit down, get back up because NO ONE can hold you back from scoring your touchdown. It might take you longer but you’ll still reach that end zone.

And in the process you’ll have become such a better “player” for having overcome the obstacles and adversity along the way!

So keep your head up and keep on truckin’!

Your friend and coach,

Yuri

P.S. On a personal note, I’m up 5 pounds of muscle mass! Only 15 more to go.

P.P.S. And, we’re just about (and FINALLY) ready to move into our house. You can catch a sneak peak video tour of our new place on my Facebook page here.

Each year I’m interested in finding out what your new year’s resolutions are. By resolutions I simply mean things that you want to achieve in the 2011.

Some people refer to them as goals or objectives but I don’t think the “nomenclature” is all that important.

What is important, however, is that you set aside some time to look back and acknowledge your successes during this past year and that you look ahead to 2011 and figure out exactly what it is you want to accomplish.

The reason for doing this comes down to 2 underlying factors that motivate us humans – reward and moving towards a worthy goal.

Let’s start with the latter…

We are all goal-seeking machines. When you set a goal you, automatically prime your subconscious to start figuring out how to make it a reality.

Being rewarded is another important determinant of adherence to any transformation program (ie. diet and exercise). If you don’t reward yourself for what you’ve accomplished you won’t feel very motivated to continue forward. So be sure to take those little successes and celebrate them because each one helps to build you up!

In the comments section below, I want you to tell me the following 2 things about your resolutions:

1. the #1 thing you’re most proud of from this past year (was it one of your new year’s resolutions from last year?), and

2. the #1 new year’s resolution you’ve made for yourself for 2011.

So, why am I asking for this information?

Well, with your answers I’ll be cloning the perfect human being that accomplishes absolutely anything!

Actually, that’s not true.

The real reason is that I want you to publicly celebrate ONE BIG VICTORY and make yourself ACCOUNTABLE by publicly declaring ONE NEW GOAL you have for yourself in 2011.

Then, you can print off this page (with your comments and those of others) and keep it visible. Similarly, you can always come back to this blog for added inspiration or a reality check on your new year’s resolutions a few weeks down the road.

Also, your input will help me develop new articles, videos, and programs that can help you reach your objectives more efficiently.

I’ll start off by telling you my biggest success from 2010 (other than getting Amy pregnant – haha)…

2010 success – Developing meaningful relationships with several mentors of mine and key players in the fitness/nutrition industry.

2011 resolution – To be the best dad I can be, while helping improve the lives of 100,000 people through my programs, services, and inspiration.

How about you?

new year’s resolutions

Well, very simply, TNT stands for “today not tomorrow”. And in this day and age of being overwhelmed with stuff to do, which ultimately leads to procrastination and getting nothing done, the TNT principle couldn’t be more important for you.

In fact, if you apply the TNT principle on a consistent basis, you will get explosive results (pun intended – haha).

Now let’s apply the TNT principle to a common goal – burning fat.

(Note: the following can also be applied to any health or fitness goal).

How often have YOU fallen victim to mental dialogue that goes a little something like this…

“I’ll start eating better tomorrow.”

“I’m too tired today, but I’ll hit the gym first thing tomorrow.”

I know I have and if you’re human you probably have too.

In fact, just the last night, I got home late from our first day of pre-season training with U of T soccer. I knew that I had to get up bright and early this morning which meant that I probably wouldn’t get a chance to make my beloved green juice (because Amy, the dogs, and our neighbours would still be sleeping).

So I said that AFTER watching True Blood I would spend 30-45 minutes to make a green juice. Did it happen?

Nope.

Why?

Cuz I was too tired from 9 hours of soccer – that’s why!

The result – no green juice.

Now if my goal were to lose weight and burn fat, this would be a big no-no because it would likely that I would turn to a less healthy option for breakfast (instead of my green juice).

So let’s STOP the insanity once and for all!!!

The name of the game is DOING THINGS NOW.

Nike says “Just do it” in their campaigns and I take it one step further by saying “Just do it NOW!”

A lot of times we put things off because we feel that they are too overwhelming. We form a mental picture of some grandiose task – a mountain instead of a mole hill – and as a result we don’t take action.

Looking at Your Workouts a Little Differently

I’m not sure what goes in your mind when you “see” your upcoming workout. Maybe you envision pain from the muscle burn or the hassle of having to drive to the gym, or having to weight for equipment because the gym is so busy. Or maybe you workout at home and get seem to get focused with everything going on around you.

We all “see” our lives differently.

However, what I can suggest is that no matter which you way you mentally view your upcoming workout do your best to focus on making it a pleasurable experience that is chunked down into bite size pieces.

See only ONE element of your workout at a time. Don’t allow yourself to get overwhelmed with all the little details of your workout or things you need to during the rest of your day.

As you know, I’m a huge fan of visualization – and you should be too. Because whether you realize it or not, you are projecting mental images that ultimately create your reality. So might as well choose the ones that will empower you.

Here are a 5 things that I do to keep me on track with my workouts:

• Review my goals on a daily basis (first thing in the morning and before going to bed),

• Visualize my ideal body, especially before going to bed and on my way to the gym,

• Create a VERY clear and precise workout plan – if I’m not using one of my Fitter U Fitness workouts, then I’m creating new ones, writing them down (on paper) in detail, and taking that plan with me to the gym.

• Revisit my core values to help prioritize my day – One of my top core values is health and vitality so that means that my workouts get done FIRST – before anything else. So now, most of my workouts take place 7-9 am. Then I get the rest of my day’s work done.

• Plan for days off to avoid burnout – My goal is to workout 5-6 times per week. But I also look forward to those off days where I do absolutely nothing because I know that’s when my body is getting stronger. It also allows me to recover mentally from all the hard work.

I hope you can take some valuable tips from what has helped me stay consistent with working out.

And remember, perhaps more important than anything else is your ability to do things now (not tomorrow) and to do so consistently. You need to “flex” your habit-forming muscles and the only way to do that is through repetition. Get used to doing things (big and small) that you don’t necessarily FEEL like doing (like getting up early) and get in the habit of doing them.

Pretty soon, what was once uncomfortable will now become second nature.

Now, here’s my favourite green juice of all time courtesy of Eating for Energy!

1 head of kale
1 bunch parsley
2 carrots
1 apple
6 stalks celery
1/4 cucumber
1/2 lemon
1 inch cube  fresh ginger

Throw all these ingredients through a juicer and get ready for ultimate energy. This recipe will give you about 500 ml.

=> What’s your most powerful strategy for doings things now?

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In today’s fast-paced society we’re bombarded by a thousand different things at once. As such, it’s often difficult to get anything done. And the same goes for your workouts.

I’ll explain what I mean in just a second but let me first clarify why focus – not multi-tasking – needs to be your modus operandi if you want to reach your fitness goals.

For some reason, we’ve been told that multi-tasking is good and that if we can juggle several “plates” at once, then we’ll get more done. But the reality is that mulit-tasking can take a toll on your brain – and your results.

In a study of 14 participants who underwent fMRI, researchers at Vanderbilt University found that when people try to juggle two tasks at once, a bottleneck occurs in information processing. The posterior lateral prefrontal cortex, a part of the brain that is involved in decision making, delayed one task until the other was complete.

Another study, by researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles, involved 14 participants (mean age 26) who were asked to learn a task under two conditions. They learned one task without any distractions. Then they learned another task while listening to, and trying to count, a series of beeps. Not surprisingly, their ability to recall how to do the task later on was much better when they learned it without distraction.

Preliminary research also suggests that maintaining focus, on the other hand, might help build brain tissue. Researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital conducted MRI studies of people who regularly practice meditation, and found that compared with controls, they had more gray matter (brain cells) in areas associated with attention and sensory processing.

Okay, so what does all this have to do with you achieving your health and fitness goals?

Well, everything really!

Let me give you an example of a typical person working out in the gym. They show up with no plan. Wander around trying to improvise their workout as they go. Become distracted by talking to other people, reading a magazine, or watching TV – remember we’re still in the gym here.

The result – a sub-par workout. And if this continues….sub-par results!

You see, when most people go workout they don’t have a specific workout that they’re going to follow. So they do a little bit of everything. Their workout is not focused – it is scattered.

As a result, they don’t achieve much other than being able to brag to their friends that they “went to the gym”.

I don’t know about you…

But for me, results speak louder than words any day of the week.

And, in order to get results, you need to be focused – not only on your ultimate goal – but also on the process that will take you there.

Focus is one of the qualities that will help you achieve tremendous health and fitness success.

In fact, it’s one of the greatest qualities of the world’s top fitness pros.

If it works for them, it can work for you too!

To help you get started (if you’re a little scattered)…

Here a few practical tips for fostering focus, even in distracting environments such as the gym or your home (if that’s where you workout):

1. Turn off the cell phone or e-mail

2. Review your goals before working out.

3. Write down your workout plan before you even begin to workout.

4. Visualize yourself going through your workout successfully.

5. Stay in the moment. Don’t allow your mind to drift about what you need to do after your workouts. Just enjoy the process.

Want more great tips for building the body of your dreams? Why not learn from the pros themselves?

=> CLICK HERE to discover their secrets (if you haven’t yet downloaded your FREE report. HURRY…expires Thursday July 29th).

Talk about success!

So after listening to the interview, I thought it was time to put together this post and share yet another “success” video with you.

As you can tell, the theme this week has been on mindset, success, and achieving your goals.

The neat part about this stuff is that it doesn’t matter what your goals are – everyone can benefit from the “fundamentals”. And since I’m a big believer that what goes on “inside” eventually happens “outside”, it’s important to spend the time to develop who you are as a person.

The more you learn about yourself and develop yourself, the easier it will be to reach and maintain your health and fitness goals.

If you don’t believe me just have a look at the hundreds of comments on the previous blog posts this week where many of you have talked about lacking motivation, feeling frustrated, not having time, and many other challenges that have stood in your way of your success.

Now, I completely understand that life can get crazy, making it tough to follow through on what you start.

But I’m also here – as your coach – to tell you that that’s not good enough (at least in most cases)!

I believe that with proper planning, support, and the right tools you can accomplish anything – NO MATTER WHAT!

But you need to start by developing a success mindset. And, in today’s video I show you how to start doing just that.

I’ll also reveal many things that separate the most successful people in the world from everyone else.

I highly recommend you get out a note pad and a pen and take a few notes. I know you’ll be moved!

Enjoy!

Ok, comment time…

What are some “success habits” that you’ve noticed in yourself and other successful people? What habits DO YOU need to develop to reach your goals?

In fact, it’s been a part of yours as well, even if you don’t know it. After all, you did crawl, then learn how to walk, ride a bike, run every now and then, and so forth, right?

As human beings, our bodies were designed for movement. That’s one of the primary reasons that we have the muscles that we do.

Because of my passion for being fit and living an active life I decided a long time ago that I would dedicate my life to inspiring and helping to do the same. Over the past 12 years, I’ve worked with over 1,200 personal clients and hundreds of athletes of all levels.

And today, I want to share 2 lessons that exercise has taught me about people. I’m sure you’ll find some value in these lessons.

As always, if you have anything you’d like to add just drop your thoughts in the comments below.

Alright, here we go…

LESSON #1 – How you do anything is how you do everything

I first heard this saying from personal development guru, T Harv Eker. And when I heard it, it really got me thinking about some of my clients and how they worked out and lived their lives.

What do I mean?

Well, I started to wonder whether my clients who were able to push themselves through grueling workouts (even when the didn’t feel like it) lived life in the same way?

Were they able to get out of their comfort zone in other areas of life and stretch their limits? My intuition told me YES. And so too did my findings.

On the flipside,  I also had clients who would give up when they were tired, when their muscles were burning, or when they simply didn’t feel like like working out on that particular day.

Well, you know what? These same clients were also doing this in their life!

That’s when it hit me – HOW YOU DO ANYTHING IS HOW YOU DO EVERYTHING!!!

Because of this, I can almost predict how successful someone will be in their life based on how they workout. I know that may sound pretty limited and I know it’s not cause and effect. But there is definitely a strong correlation.

Let me highlight this point with one of the players that recently graduated from our soccer program at the University of Toronto. His name is Nevin and he’s now in medical school after having played 5 years between our program and that of Queens’ University (in Kingston).

Here was a guy who was always early to practice, always willing to help out, always encouraging and pushing his teammates, and always at the front of the pack when it came to our fitness sessions.

A real leader he was (and still is).

I’ll never forget one fitness session I ran in late October. If you live in Toronto you’ll know just how cold it gets in late October, not to mention that our practice was at 8pm at night!

My fitness session had the team run an all out 12-minute run fitness test. This is a grueling test and requires you to run as fast as you can and cover as much distance as possible in 12 minutes.

Guess who finished first and covered the most distance? That’s right – Nevin!

But it got even better. Check this out.

After completing the 12-minute run, I brought the guys in, congratulated them on their great work, and gave them some time to recover and grab some water.

Then I dropped the bomb on them!

“Guys, get ready because we’re doing it again!”

Their jaws dropped to the floor and the swear words began to fly. Sure, I probably pissed off some of the guys but this second test wasn’t about measuring their fitness. I wanted to see how mentally tough they were.

I even told the guys that if they covered more distance than in the initial 12-minute run test, they would be exempt from fitness the following week!

Once again, the guys pushed themselves and a few of them even surpassed their previous distance. But something made me laugh and appreciate the human spirit, at the same time.

During this second test, I see Nevin running around the track (again in first) without his shirt on! It was freezing outside and here is Nevin running topless and loving it!

Nevin later told me that he loves the feeling of lactic acid building up in his legs. He thrives on it. Imagine that!

Most people associate that feeling with pain and an unpleasant experience. That’s one of the reasons that more people don’t exercise – because it gets them uncomfortable.

So here’s Nevin – loving the pain and even smiling at it.

Do you think he’s the same way in his life? Of course!

He doesn’t necessarily enjoy physical pain but he has learned (perhaps through exercise and soccer) how to push himself out of his comfort and reach new limits. And, as a prospective doctor, I’m sure Nevin is going to go on to do some incredible things for a lot of people in need of his help.

Nevin’s story is just one example of what exercise can do for us. Most people who workout regularly know the benefits that exercise brings them in other areas of their life.

How about you – what have you learned about yourself?

LESSON #2 – We are capable of incredible growth

I’m fascinated by the human body, aren’t you?

It is definitely the most intricate “machine” ever invented – without a doubt!

And one of the amazing things about our body is that when we stress it (with a positive form of stress), it grows and gets stronger. It becomes more resilient to this same stress.

Just as we grow when we get out of comfort zone, so too do our muscles when we push them beyond the status quo.

If you need proof of this, just look at the millions of bodybuilders all the world who have taken the human physique to the limits. Through consistent and specific exercise training, they have enabled their bodies to grow and bring the possibilities of the human body to the forefront.

But maybe bodybuilding isn’t your thing. It isn’t mine but I still respect the incredible discipline these guys and girls have. And the results show. Look at any athlete and you’ll see similar (ok maybe not so similar – lol) physical adaptations.

Growth isn’t just limited to our muscles. When you exercise and have the ability to challenge yourself (maybe through sport or just working out), you also begin to grow as a person.

I can tell you firsthand that playing soccer for the past 30 years has taught me more about myself than any psychology degree!

And the same holds true for any physical endeavour.

For instance, running (which I used to loathe) is now a form of movement I use to clear my mind, push my boundaries, and to feel great.

Tennis – my 2nd love (after soccer) – has helped me grow out of my “John McEnroe phase” of swearing and throwing my racquet across the court to becoming more zen and focusing on the now.

At the end of the day, exercise is an incredible vehicle for helping you reach your true potential. I think this is important because we are not our resumes or what we’ve accomplished in the past, but rather what we are capable of being and doing today and tomorrow!

=> What do you think? Let me know in the comments.

Last night, I was at U of T,  training our soccer team in the Athletic Centre, when one of our guys did something absolutely ridiculous!

I confronted him immediately and there’s a VERY valuable fitness training lesson to be learned from this situation.

I put together a little video describing what happened and how you can learn from this BIG mistake.

Watch it here: