You're an instant celebrity, a hot, young actor or actress, a rising pop singer, or perhaps an emerging filmmaker. Success looms large, and so do the choices you have to make. With success comes pressure, pressure creates stress, stress breeds doubt-in yourself and those around you.
That's how it starts. One day you wake up on top of the world, but in a fog, unable to put your finger on right choices. The choices have gotten easier, but that's when you're hooked.
As a Personal Trainer, I've worked in health and fitness for over 25 years, in Sin City, the OC, and the last ten years in Hollywood. I've seen my fill of "users." I've been around deteriorating health, relapses and suicides. Alcoholics, meth addicts, coke-heads, sex addicts, speed-freaks, and drugs simply identified with a single large letter. I've also witnessed addicts turn it around and become spiritually fit and mentally sound. How do some users make the change?
Get physical. Make exercise your new addiction.
Here are ten sober choices you can make to change your habit:
1. Exercise and add years to your life; or have your life stolen from you by your addiction
2. Impress yourself by getting physical; or depress yourself by remaining inert
3. Exercise can help prevent illnesses; or become a breeding ground for constant mystery sicknesses
4. Use your body wisely and be admired; or abuse your body and become a joke
5. Breath or choke
6. Finely tune your machine; or become a Pick-a-Part
7. Sleep well; or sit in front of the mirror and watch your face (and life) melt away
8. Exercise and feel good about yourself; or remain in an addiction that doesn't give a damn about you
9. Exercise and prevent neuromuscular diseases; or invite strokes, heart attacks, palsies, and other disabilities
10. If you are in recovery, which if you are you always will be, you need to exercise because it will add quality to your life; or you can search the word "Depression" on the internet and see your picture come up.
Get back to making the right choices you're capable of making. I say you need to re-train your addiction. But then what do I know, I've never had one.
Erik Flowers is a Personal Trainer and co-owner of Body Builders Gym, Los Angeles. He has been called "The Athlete Whisperer," and the L.A. Times named him one of L.A.'s most innovative trainers. Reach him at: http://www.athletewhisperer.com
Thursday, August 30, 2007
The Mental Game Of Blackjack
What if I told you I know what's inside the minds of the world's best tournament blackjack players? You want to win like the pros, you have to think like the pros! You're going to need all your book knowledge, skill, experience and more to compete professional blackjack tournaments.
To be a top professional tournament blackjack player you have to control your emotions, minimize drama, use effective systems, employ flawless strategy, enjoy competitiveness, rely on unerring money-management skills, and absorb the bad-beats.
I know you. I know your bookshelves are stuffed with expert blackjack books: "Big" books, "Secrets of..." books, "Theory" books. You must have a brain for numbers. Likely you play chess or Sudoku. You are a visual-analytical thinker who stores information up and to the left. That's where your eyes go when you are ruminating. You remember vividly your first love--what he/she looked like. You don't have time for heavy breathing, so likely don't do yoga. You prefer action sports. You speak in clips or bursts. You'll agree their are X-factors in the game, but not the thing called luck.
Here are the mental skills needed to be a top pro tournament blackjack player:
1. Relaxation (comes with hours and hours of experience in mini-tournaments, not with the game on your cell phone)
2. Concentration (so many important decisions to be made in brief spans of time)
3. Risk play (be comfortable losing because most of the time you will)
4. Fear (don't--it's only a game)
5. Pressure (it's your money you're losing)
6. Distractions (waitresses dressed like cheetahs, drinks, noise, stares, jabbering players)
7. Confidence (start small win big, start big win nothing)
8. Optimal play (not perfect play)
9. Post-performance review (all pros in any sport do it)
10. Control factors (stay in your zone, play your game)
Even after all that training, how much of the game can you really control? Maybe only 20% say some of the pros--same as any other high-stakes game.
Erik Flowers is a Certified Mental Game Coach. He has been called "The Athlete Whisperer" and was taught tournament blackjack in his mid-20s by players who are now considered the world's best. Contact him at: http://www.athletewhisperer.com
To be a top professional tournament blackjack player you have to control your emotions, minimize drama, use effective systems, employ flawless strategy, enjoy competitiveness, rely on unerring money-management skills, and absorb the bad-beats.
I know you. I know your bookshelves are stuffed with expert blackjack books: "Big" books, "Secrets of..." books, "Theory" books. You must have a brain for numbers. Likely you play chess or Sudoku. You are a visual-analytical thinker who stores information up and to the left. That's where your eyes go when you are ruminating. You remember vividly your first love--what he/she looked like. You don't have time for heavy breathing, so likely don't do yoga. You prefer action sports. You speak in clips or bursts. You'll agree their are X-factors in the game, but not the thing called luck.
Here are the mental skills needed to be a top pro tournament blackjack player:
1. Relaxation (comes with hours and hours of experience in mini-tournaments, not with the game on your cell phone)
2. Concentration (so many important decisions to be made in brief spans of time)
3. Risk play (be comfortable losing because most of the time you will)
4. Fear (don't--it's only a game)
5. Pressure (it's your money you're losing)
6. Distractions (waitresses dressed like cheetahs, drinks, noise, stares, jabbering players)
7. Confidence (start small win big, start big win nothing)
8. Optimal play (not perfect play)
9. Post-performance review (all pros in any sport do it)
10. Control factors (stay in your zone, play your game)
Even after all that training, how much of the game can you really control? Maybe only 20% say some of the pros--same as any other high-stakes game.
Erik Flowers is a Certified Mental Game Coach. He has been called "The Athlete Whisperer" and was taught tournament blackjack in his mid-20s by players who are now considered the world's best. Contact him at: http://www.athletewhisperer.com
How Many Exercises You Can Do With A Chair
Cancel your gym membership. I'm going to list 21 exercises you can do with a common chair. You'll be able to exercise your entire body, for free, with these:
1) hands on the seat, face down, legs stretched out and on your toes--pushups;
2) butt off the seat, hands behind you, raise and lower--back of the arms;
3) sit, put your hands on the insides of your knees, try closing your legs as you resist with your hands--thighs;
4) stand, hold chair, lift up a straight leg to the side, then switch--hips;
5) sit, hold sides of chair, bring knees up, hold for two--abs;
6) sit, straight arms out to sides, rotate in small circles--side shoulders;
7) sit, long arms in front, then hide straight arms behind your back--front/back shoulders;
8) on floor, feet on chair, hands reach for ceiling, bring shoulders off floor then back down--abs;
9) on floor, feet on chair, long legs, lift heels off chair six inches, up and down--lower abs;
10) sit, squeeze your cheeks and hold--butt;
11) sit, knees flared out to the side, raise knees up--side abs;
12) sit, face in, raise shoulders up to your ears and hold for two--neck;
13) stand, curl the chair--biceps;
14) lying on floor, lift chair over head, then all the way over your head until it touches the floor behind you--high back;
15) stand, hands on seat, bring your knee to your chest, then kick back like a donkey--butt;
16) sit down, stand up--front thighs;
17) stand, hold chair, raise only your toes twenty times--shins/ankles;
18) same thing, this time raise your heels and hold for two--calfs;
19) stand, hold chair, kick your heel to your butt--back of legs;
20) hold chair, curl it by flexing your wrists up and down--forearms/wrists;
21) walk around the chair twenty times, then reverse, and hop to make it harder--cardio; Bonus: sit on chair and take a moment for yourself, you did it--meditation.
Just these will help change your attitude, your body and your energy level. Email me your additions to the list.
Erik Flowers is a Personal Trainer and co-owner of Body Builders Gym, Los Angeles. He has been called "The Athlete Whisperer," and the L.A. Times named him one of L.A.'s most innovative trainers. http://www.athletewhisperer.com
1) hands on the seat, face down, legs stretched out and on your toes--pushups;
2) butt off the seat, hands behind you, raise and lower--back of the arms;
3) sit, put your hands on the insides of your knees, try closing your legs as you resist with your hands--thighs;
4) stand, hold chair, lift up a straight leg to the side, then switch--hips;
5) sit, hold sides of chair, bring knees up, hold for two--abs;
6) sit, straight arms out to sides, rotate in small circles--side shoulders;
7) sit, long arms in front, then hide straight arms behind your back--front/back shoulders;
8) on floor, feet on chair, hands reach for ceiling, bring shoulders off floor then back down--abs;
9) on floor, feet on chair, long legs, lift heels off chair six inches, up and down--lower abs;
10) sit, squeeze your cheeks and hold--butt;
11) sit, knees flared out to the side, raise knees up--side abs;
12) sit, face in, raise shoulders up to your ears and hold for two--neck;
13) stand, curl the chair--biceps;
14) lying on floor, lift chair over head, then all the way over your head until it touches the floor behind you--high back;
15) stand, hands on seat, bring your knee to your chest, then kick back like a donkey--butt;
16) sit down, stand up--front thighs;
17) stand, hold chair, raise only your toes twenty times--shins/ankles;
18) same thing, this time raise your heels and hold for two--calfs;
19) stand, hold chair, kick your heel to your butt--back of legs;
20) hold chair, curl it by flexing your wrists up and down--forearms/wrists;
21) walk around the chair twenty times, then reverse, and hop to make it harder--cardio; Bonus: sit on chair and take a moment for yourself, you did it--meditation.
Just these will help change your attitude, your body and your energy level. Email me your additions to the list.
Erik Flowers is a Personal Trainer and co-owner of Body Builders Gym, Los Angeles. He has been called "The Athlete Whisperer," and the L.A. Times named him one of L.A.'s most innovative trainers. http://www.athletewhisperer.com
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