More importantly, today I’ve got a video for you which shares 3 lessons from this past weekend and how they direct apply to your ability to your reach your health and fitness goals.

If you’re making these 3 mistakes, then you can kiss your dreams goodbye…

P.S. Let me know what you think of these 3 lessons. What are the 3 “painful triggers” that will keep you on track?

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.

And today, I’d like to share my big physique goal for 2011 with you.

Actually, this goal of mine is really a 3-month goal and I’ll be building upon this throughout the rest of the year.

Drum roll please…

My physique goal for 2011 (accomplished by April 10, 2011) is to put on 20 lbs of muscle (well mostly muscle) while maintaining my body fat below 10%.

And…

To accomplish this by eating a natural whole foods diet (no crap) which will be predominantly vegan. However, I will be including eggs and meat occasionally throughout.

This is part of a 90-day my friends and I put together and yesterday we took our initial measurements, weighed in, and took our before pictures.

Here are my BEFORE pictures and measurements (as of January 9, 2011):

Weight = 160 lbs (goal weight will be 180 lbs)

Body Fat = 10.5%

Right upper arm = 11.5 inches

Left upper arm = 11 inches

Right thigh = 21 inches

Left thigh = 21.75 inches

Waist = 31.5 inches (at belly button)

Chest = 34.75 inches

Now, for the most powerful part…

I decided that in order to really and truly be accountable to these goals, my friends and I would have to not only establish a reward for the transformation but more importantly consequences for not achieving our goals.

The truth of the matter is that “pain” is a much greater motivator than “pleasure”.

For instance, would you be more motivated to win $1000 or prevent losing $1000 of your own money. Most of us would choose the latter.

Anyways, I decided that 2 things would really bother me, and thus I chose the following as my consequences for not achieving my goal of packing on 20 lbs of muscle by April 10, 2011.

1. I will have to run a half-marathon (as close to April 10) as possible and with no training.

2. I will have to sell my car!

Amy freaked out when I mentioned the 2nd one. And to be honest, that’s the kind of leverage we ALL need to really push us to achieve incredible results. As soon as I committed to selling our car I got this bad feeling in my gut.

I got an immediate emotional response to that consequence and that’s good because I know that losing my car will be a huge motivator to whatever it takes to achieve my goals.

Here’s what I said to Amy with absolute conviction…

“Don’t worry, we’re not selling the car. I WILL achieve my goal – no matter what! In my head, it’s already done!”

See, the thing with me (and most of us for that matter), is that when I put my mind to something I make it happen. That’s just the way I roll. That’s how I pursued pro soccer and everything else in my life.

Building muscle was never something of interest to me but this year, after reading Tim Ferriss’ 4-Hour Body, something clinched in my head and I felt and immediate challenge that was willing to take on. If you haven’t read the book I would highly recommend it – it’s awesome.

So there we go. That’s my big 90-day goal to kick-off the New Year. I think it should be a fun process especially considering that we’re moving tomorrow and that Amy is due to give birth in less than 3 weeks.

And I’ll be using this blog to journal my progress each week. So be sure to come back each Monday for new updates and what how my body transforms. Hopefully it inspires you to achieve your goals as well!

It’s time to step of my game!

How about you?

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

I know I do. In fact, my brother was the bigger concern for my parents. I seemed to just do my own thing.

But the reason that our parents made sure we weren’t getting into trouble by hanging around the wrong crowd is because deep down they knew that environment shapes us!

We become who we spend our time with.

I’m going to take that one step further by saying that you also become who influences you.

That means listening to trashy radio, watching the news (all the time), and reading newspapers and magazines (which pretty much all have negative foci) shape you and your subconscious mind.

Conversely, listening to empowering audios, reading uplifting information (like this blog), and watching videos/shows/presentations/movies that build you up can be amazing!

In fact, I’d say 50% of my peer group consists of audios and books from mentors I’ve never even met. I probably spend more time with them than I do most of my friends. And I love it that way!

As I mentioned up top, I’ve never been one to have a large group of friends. Instead, I have always had a tight group of close friends. I’ve never been into gossiping or wasting time sitting around talking about girls with a bunch of guys who have nothing better to do with their time.

Back in the day…when I spent most of my days in the gym (training clients up to 14 hours a day) I would purposely remove myself from my fellow trainers because I DID NOT WANT TO BE LIKE THEM!

I knew that wasting my time with was NOT going to help me get to where I wanted to go.

I knew (and still know) that humans are very impressionable. Think about how babies learn – by modelling their parents and other influences!

But not much changes as we age.

In order to fit in and be accepted by our peers, we “sacrifice” our uniqueness and give less importance to what makes us US. We simply want to be part of the group.

It’s only as we mature and become more conscious of who we really are and what we have to offer this world that we allow our true potential to really shine through.

But let’s get a little more specific…

If Your Peer Group is Fat You Probably Are Too!

I’m not kidding!

This has actually been shown scientifically. I recall learning of a recent study that showed that even having a friend (who is not overweight) who has a friend who IS overweight (ie. 2 degrees of separation) increases your chances of being fat by 20%!

And this is a 3rd party friend you don’t even know!!!

The power of proximity, or your peer group, or your environment – whatever you want to call it – is one of the greatest influences on all areas of your life.

That’s one of the reasons I’m so grateful for this blog (and for my company) – it’s given US a platform to provide a positive, empowering, and healthy environment for everyone to benefit from. That’s one of the reasons that I also require that you participate in the comment section.

You play a big role in your health AND that of your “virtual friends”.

Anyways, to elaborate on this topic and provide you with some more important on the power of your peer group, please watch this video…

Your Mission…

Has your peer group empowered you or been a limiting factor in your progress to a healthier and fitter life?

At least 150 comments and I’ll have an INCREDIBLE GIFT  (a 34-page report) for YOU on Tuesday morning!!!

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?

There’s a bitter reality in this world…

Most of us know what to do BUT we don’t necessarily achieve the results we want!

How often has this been true for you?

And why does this happen?

Why is it that even if we know what to eat, how to workout, and know all the other “technical” details, there are still so many people who fail to meet their health and fitness goals?

And why does it seem so easy for a small percentage of others?

These are a few questions and concerns I’ve encountered in my years and many people have often asked these same questions.

The reality is that…

97% of people don’t achieve the success they are after!

And one of the biggest reasons why is that they are either not setting goals or not setting their goals properly.

I want you to succeed!

So, to help you out, I’ve put together this video which will give the 2 most important ingredients to goal setting, as well as the step-by-step on how to put them into action!

Enjoy!

=> What is your #1 health and fitness goal?

I need at least 75 comments to crack open the “vault” to another great surprise!

It was put on by Ryan Lee – a real nice guy and probably the first pioneer for bringing fitness online.

Although this 3-day event featured some great speakers and was packed full of great learning, the real benefit to me was being surrounded by other fitness professionals who are doing really well online.

I talk a lot about the power of proximity and it basically means that your environment shapes you. When you surround yourself with people that are “better” than you (I use this term loosely as no one is really better than anyone else), you are forced to raise your game.

Not only do you learn a tremendous amount from others who have already blazed a trail before you but you can also develop some great friendships which inevitably benefit you and hopefully the other party as well.

I use this example from this past weekend but it can be applied to any area of your life. For instance, I love tennis. Therefore, for me to become a better tennis player I would be smart to play against players that are better than me.

Sure I’d get my butt whooped, but that’s how you improve.

If your goal is to lose weight, then you want hang around people who have already done so. They most likely know and do things that you don’t. You can learn from them and most importantly you can start to emulate what they do.

Let ‘s say you want to eat more raw foods. I know I do.

Wouldn’t it make sense to spend more of your time around people who are predominantly raw? Instead of going for brunch where you’re options would be pancakes, eggs, french toast, etc…hanging around “raw foodists” would open your eyes to many other food options in a similar situation.

I could give you example after example but the take home message is the same…

Surround yourself (and befriend) with those that have achieved the goals you’re striving toward.

That’s the power of proximity!

NOTE: In the picture above, I’m not implying that by hanging out with someone who has a serious head of hair, that will rub off on me! Cool picture nonetheless.

Just put together a little holiday message for you.

PRESS PLAY to see the message and my ridiculous Santa Claus hat!

[flashvideo file=http://www.yurielkaim.com/video/christmas.m4v /]

BEFORE YOU GO…

What are you doing for the holidays?

Any holiday wishes or goals for the New Year?

Leave a quick comment to let me know.