What It Means to Live the Vigor Life – Part 1

Late last week at the end of our Team Training (Boot Camp) session, I brought everyone into our traditional “team huddle” as we do at the conclusion of every workout. Everyone was, as I like to say, 'Sweatin' & Smilin''!Bodies were glistening from head to toe as a result of their hard work, effort and perseverance to finish strong! Hard, deep breathes echoed from across the room as bodies starved to get more oxygen due to the amazing feat of a 3-min. finisher that challenged the mental as well as the physical self!

Personal goals and PR’s were reached, some PR’s were broken, but one thing was truly evident for everyone there. They all became 1% better that evening than they were the previous one.As we were getting ready to bring the hands up for the huddle break, I mentioned and challenged everyone to do one thing – to walk out the doors of the gym, into the real world and live the "Vigor Life" to their upmost potential!That's right...#vigorlife - the hashtag that I use when describing the essence of one of the Core Values at Vigor Ground Fitness & Performance. So what exactly does that mean?What benefits are associated to living this so-called "lifestyle"?Is it easy to do?

What is "Vigor Life" all about?

Before I get into the gist of what living the "Vigor Life" is about, I firmly believe it’s important to understand and comprehend what it isn’t first and foremost. Doing so will give you a better analysis, understanding, and a clearer picture in identifying some of the parameters of what doesn’t flow with the lifestyle we're promoting.Some of you may even have an “Aha! moment” and realize that some of these things that you shouldn't be doing are currently happening, prevailing, superseding and outweighing the things that are optimal to living a productive, healthier and happier life.With that being said, here’s the lowdown on what "Vigor Life" IS NOT about:A“fad”or a temporary short-lived “craze”! Fads are just that – something you do for a brief and/or temporary amount of time which may give you a small window of satisfaction before boredom sets in and then move on to the next thing that comes along.

• A "fad" or a temporary short-lived "craze"! Fads are just that – something you do for a brief and/or temporary amount of time which may give you a small window of satisfaction before boredom sets in and then move on to the next thing that comes along.
• Having cheat meals or eating whatever you want every single day of the week is not part of theprogram! We sometimes hear of people who eat clean for 8 hours a day and have a cheat meal, dessert or eat crap every single night! The so-called "anomaly" is just what I mentioned – not sticking to a clean eating plan for the long haul. Another way of putting it - if your shopping cart doesn't align or match with your desired health & fitness goals, you may need to "check yo self"!
• Skipping workouts is a definite no-no when it comes to living the Vigor Life. Why? Quite simply, it'll delay the process that much longer from being/creating the best version of YOU! Not to mention the possibility of health issues that may arise from physical inactivity may occur – obesity, diabetes, weight gain, chronic inflammation, injuries, etc.

• Inviting toxicity into your life. The ramifications of doing just that will put you on the opposite side of awesomeness without a doubt! This will result in negative behaviors and decisions that can impact everything from self-esteem, social interactions, nutrition, training, finances, spiritual enrichment, relationships, you name it!
• Blaming others! I think Rock Balboa said it best during the scene when he speaks to his son about the trial and tribulations of life and how "winning" is achieved. Rather than pointing fingers at others for being in the current state of affairs within your life, maybe you should look in the mirror first! We often hear "excuses" as to why people aren't seeing results, why they're constantly struggling to make progress, why they're always stressed out, why they can't make ends meet, blah, blah, blah! Do me a favor, click on the link above, watch the short 1:32 video, absorb the message and apply it to your life and take massive ACTION!
• Following the crowd. This can sometimes get you into some serious trouble, especially when and if the crowd is planning to jump off a cliff! I firmly believe that many people are victims of this because they simply don't know any better and/or have never been taught any other alternative to give them a better result or outcome. Why be a follower when you can create your own path for others to follow?
• The inability or desire to not want to learn new things. Being a "know it all" is dangerous (in terms of ignorance) and quite honestly, unattractive! I've been around people who think they know everything there is to know about the world, life, politics, religion, etc. and I'm sure you'll all agree that they're annoying, energy vampires who don't know jack!
• Lacking the self discipline to do the right thing each and every time, even if/when no one is watching. This relates to various situations in life when you find yourself asking, "Should I or shouldn't I?" Whether it's finding a wallet on the sidewalk full of cash, gossiping about a neighbor, cheating on your taxes, letting a family member and/or friend down who's counting on you, helping that elderly lady cross the street, saving a super model from a burning building or saving a cat from a tree...whoa, wait a minute...how tall is this tree?! No...wait...heck no! At least call somebody! Quite simply, are you living the code of integrity? Do the right thing!

• Lacking preparation for anything that life throws at you. Life has a tendency to throw curveballs and breaking balls at you every single day. How you react to them is the determining factor of how you'll proceed about your day thus impacting your choices and decisions. Ever heard of the "5 P's"? Proper preparation produces peak performance. Why do athletes practice at their sport/skill? Why take the time to take 1/2 of your Sunday to prepare your meals for the coming week? Why do you train? What are your preparing for in life – personal and professional?
• Being a negative person. Let's keep it real! Are there truly any benefits that can be gained by being around people who are negative? You know the ones! They're the ones who constantly complain, see flaws in just about everything, have nothing nice to say about anything or anyone, are almost always in a "bad mood", are what most of us call "haters"? I don’t know about you but being around people like this is like trying to pull a 4x4 pickup truck out of the mud with dental floss – you won't get anywhere and you'll be stuck in the process.

• Always saying "YES" to everything, anything, and anyone. I know most of us are eager to do as much as we can to help others when that time comes. But how about taking care of priority #1 first? YOU? We don't want to let others down in our efforts to give our best but when we start spreading ourselves out too thin, we're more than likely to not follow through 100% as we may let a few things on the agenda slip through the cracks.

As you can see, I can keep going on & on as to what living the Vigor Life is not about. There's more to this than just looking at the "DO NOT's" in everything that's associated with life – nutrition, training, lifestyle, spiritual enrichment, finances, relationships, personal & professional growth, social interaction, etc.So, what is the "Vigor Life" all about?How can I start implementing the ultimate plan to make strides in life and start reaping the rewards from all that I do?What are the DO's that I need to take ACTION on?Well...hang on to the edge of your seat and keep those seatbelts buckled because I'm going to share the goods of the "Vigor Life" in Part II of this post.Until then, eat like a champion, train hard & train smart, get your recovery in, do the right thing for yourself and others, get your mind right, and live a life worth telling a story about!