The Spirit of “Busyness”

“It is not enough to be busy; so are the ants. The question is: what are we busy about?” – Henry David Thoreau



“I don’t have time – I’m too busy.” “There are just not enough hours in the day.” Sound familiar? I’ve often thought about counting the number of times I’ve heard people refer to some aspect of their lives as “busy.” Of course, with all the people I interact with directly each day, whether by phone, in person or online, I’m sure I would lose count very quickly! What is it about that word that we seem to always feel the need to include in our vocabulary? Do we use it to validate our actions or our lack of actions?

The truth is, and we’ve all heard it – everyone seems to make time for the things that are most important to them, or is that entirely true? Your family is important, right? What about your job? I’m sure we would all agree on the importance of those things, yet often we neglect the very people closest to us – whether it is a parent, child, sibling or even spouse with all of our other “busy” activities. We assume they will always be around, and take them for granted, while we place our priorities elsewhere. We become toxic in our own relationships with the very people we should be nurturing.

What about your job – very important, right? This is an understatement in this job market! However, many employees spend so much time talking about how busy they are in the workplace that the time they spend complaining could be used to be productive, thereby increasing the bottom line of the company and contributing to their own job security.

Now let’s talk health. Many people, especially those who have never experienced a debilitating illness, just keep trucking along thinking they don’t really need to take the time to nurture their health. They may count on their “good luck genes” to get them through. No matter how wonderful your genes are, there is good chance that a time will come when your health may be challenged, and then it may or may not be too late to turn things around.

Life is about balance, and maybe as you are reading this, a cord is being struck in you and you’re realizing that you have busy with the wrong things in your own life. Yes, there is definitely a “spirit of busyness” running rampant in our society, but I believe that today can be a day where you draw a line in the sand. Nurture your relationships by giving and receiving love, practicing gratitude, forgiveness and acceptance. On your job, work like it’s the day before your vacation. (I once heard Zig Ziglar say that.) Think about how hard you work to make sure everything is in place before you set out to leave on holiday. If we worked with that kind of productivity daily, imagine what could be accomplished!

Lastly, treat your body like the temple it was created to be. Nourish it with whole foods and nutritional supplements and exercise! An investment in a fitness program will not only make you look and feel better, but can also help you become a better mother, father, parent, spouse or even employee! I want to motivate you to become a better you. Let me know how I can help, or are you too busy?

Enthusiastically,

Joe Gigantino Jr.

Owning Your Life

It’s your life – Own it!

”True freedom begins and ends with personal accountability.” - Dan Zadra

“It’s not my fault - if only I had grown up living with both parents, I wouldn’t be the way I am.”

“If only I had more education, I would have gotten that promotion at work.”

“I don’t have good genes – so there’s nothing I can do about my weight.”

Sound like excuses? All of us at one time or another make similar comments, usually to justify a situation or a place we are in our lives. To say that you can always control situations is certainly not true, but you alone are responsible for your thoughts, emotions, and actions in regards to that situation.

Don’t allow a label to define who you are

The truth is – you are not a victim. You have full ownership of your life, and it is up to you to make the most of it. Take your health for example. You own full rights to your body – you can choose what you eat, how much or little you exercise, and even how much risk you subject yourself to. Your parents may have raised you on Twinkies and potato chips, but you can change those bad habits by making appropriate lifestyle choices today. You may have been labeled with a particular ailment or disorder. The diagnosis may be true, but try not to use that particular “label” as a crutch to excuse or justify your behavior or lifestyle choices.

Emotions must be managed

The same holds true for spiritual and emotional matters. You can choose to be happy regardless of a comment someone makes in passing or whether your friends remember your birthday or not. If you choose to be sad, that’s fine, but don’t blame others for your emotions. Feelings need to be managed, and although emotions are part of life, it’s your decision as to how you translate those emotions into actions. You are not entitled to blame others. No one can make you feel or react in a certain way. By accepting your emotions as part of who you are, you are empowered to control those emotions and actions.

Perfect timing is generally a myth

You often hear people use the term “perfect timing.” Maybe they’ll say they’ll stop smoking when their stress level goes down, or will exercise when it’s cooler/warmer outside. These are all examples of people waiting for just the right day and time when their “cosmos” align. The truth is, if you’re waiting for “perfect timing” to make important changes in your life, whether it be a relationship, a job move, a good time to stop smoking or start exercising, you’ll wait forever. There will never be the perfect moment as making choices always involve risk.

If you want to change your life – stop waiting for perfection and act now. You have more freedom than you realize. Where you are in life is based on decisions you made in the past, and where you will be in the future is determined by what you change today. What are you waiting for? If you’ve been thinking of getting fit or even moving to another level in your fitness routine, there’s no time like today. Take responsibility and go - it’s your life, so own it!

Make This Your Season for Renewal

"And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom." – ANAIS NIN

Recently I was walking through some streets in New York City. It seemed quite chilly for April as I adjusted my scarf around my neck. Passing by different Brownstones, I noticed frozen plants everywhere – dead looking vines hanging from window sills and brown foliage around the base of trees hundreds of years old. But then I noticed new plant life spurting up from the ground, seemingly random in the midst of the dead plant life - almost to say, “look at me – I’m new, I am small, but I am full of life.” Turning the corner, I saw trees bursting with beautiful spring blossoms that exploded with color on what seemed like an otherwise bleak morning.

Springtime is my favorite time of year. It represents a time of renewal, rebirth, new life and rejuvenation As Easter just passed, many celebrated a time of new life. A friend of mine recently shared a story about her daughter who just gave birth to her first child. Witnessing new life coming into the world is truly a miracle. A child is nurtured from the time of conception and once he is born, even more nurturing takes place. The cycle of life is interesting - the anticipation builds up throughout the months, and once that new life is brought forth – whether it’s a small plant, a flower, or even a child – it is one of amazement.

We all want to be nurtured to some degree; however, just as much as we want to be nurtured, we must nurture ourselves. You may have fallen behind on resolutions that you made in January and you’re thinking to yourself – “Why bother – it’s already the middle of April.” However, every day you step forward by doing something positive to improve your health, you make a huge difference not only now, but in later life as quality years are added. Just as that new blade breaks through the hardened ground to eventually become a flourishing plant, you too can break through your procrastination of becoming a fitter you.

Let this be your season of new life and new beginnings. As you know by now, it is my passion and purpose to help others in their quest for fitness. You only have one body, but you have lots of opportunities to treat that body as it deserves. I encourage you to “spring forth” to a healthier you – I’m here to help encourage and provide options for a fitness plan that will work uniquely for you.

Enthusiastically,

Joe Gigantino Jr.
"A gym membership is a cheap form of great entertainment."

Attitude - A Life Altering Gift

"If you don't like something, change it; if you can't change it, change the way you think about it." ~Mary Engelbreit

“You need an attitude adjustment!” How many times have you heard those words or spoken them? How true they are, because attitudes are just that – adjustable! There are no set-in-stone rules that tell you how to react as situations unfold in your life. Almost always, you have the choice as to which type of attitude you will have. Suppose someone pulls out in front of you in traffic and you get upset. That person didn’t make you angry – you made the choice to feel angry all by yourself. People or circumstances cannot 'make' you feel anything at all. But many of us often don’t take the time to think things out. We simply react, many times in a negative manner.

Your attitude is the first thing people pick up on. Just as yawning, complaining or even crying can be contagious, so may enthusiasm, excitement, and curiosity be a positive viral condition. Your attitude can 'infect' others and ultimately affect the end result of a situation.

If you want to live a longer, healthier life, then you need to develop and maintain a positive attitude. You have the power in you to change the way you think, what you believe and the choices you will make. In doing so, you are open to changing your life! Yes, you can actually improve your life and your body by having a positive attitude and a positive belief system. What kind of attitude have you had about exercising? Have you felt like you have so far to go that you feel overwhelmed in reaching realistic goals?

Start out by:
1. Making a conscious decision to change your attitude about your exercise program.
2. Write down ‘reachable’ goals and expectations, then share them with others. This helps you become accountable.
3. Stretching yourself to a new level as you reach these goals by doing something you may not be comfortable doing at first. You’ll feel so good about yourself and your body when you accomplish those things.
4. Getting a partner – be accountable to someone else; help motivate each other.
5. Rewarding yourself – once you reach even short term goals, reward yourself

You can make positive changes in your life, but it starts with you. Once you’ve made the conscious decision to make positive changes, whether it is starting an exercise program or changing up your existing fitness plan, the benefits will start rolling in. It is so worth it – remember to think it, speak it, live it, be it! I am here to help inspire and encourage you along the way.

Purpose and Passion

Last Thursday I was so inspired after hearing a talk from the CEO of a company called TriVita, that I started writing this blog right there on my yellow pad in the midst of the meeting. “Purpose” and “Passion”, he kept saying it over and over. I knew right then and there what my newest venture would be. I thought to myself, “I have helped thousands of people get into shape over the last 20 years in the health club industry, and now I want to help millions get into shape using the Internet.”

I decided that it was time to launch a new blog site: www.workout.com where I can speak to millions of people about the benefits of exercise and staying in-shape. I will have it up and running in the next 60 days - my commitment to you and to myself.

My Purpose: To help others achieve what they want out of life.

My Passion: To motivate people to start working out.

This new blog will help me accomplish both my purpose and my passion. Have you ever thought about what your purpose and passion is? A great way to start is to ask your self, “Why am I here?” “What special talents did God give me that I can share with others?” For some of you, it might take some time to think through. And for others, it may hit you like a bolt of lightning, as it did me while I sat in the chair listening to Michael Ellison speak. Whenever it comes to you, write it down, look at it, read it to yourself and read it out loud. Put it in a place where you can see it daily.

I have been living my purpose and passion, but it wasn’t until I heard someone else talk about theirs that I took action and wrote mine down on paper. I now have that piece of paper in my wallet and will always carry it with me.

As you read this, I hope you’re also thinking about your purpose and passion. If I can help anyone of you get started on a workout program or help motivate you to keep going with your routine, please let me know. If you are having trouble with your purpose or passion, I have a few things that might be helpful in getting you started.

Enthusiastically,

Joe Gigantino Jr.
"A gym membership is a cheap form of great entertainment."

The Ultimate Equalizer

This past weekend, I had the chance to catch up on some of my reading. After finishing an interesting book on time management, I began jotting down a few notes on some of the tips I learned from the book. In mid-sentence, I had one of those “eureka” moments - One of those rare moments where I have total clarity in my thought process. I immediately wrote down this thought and decided I would include this in my next blog and share it with you.

Time is the ultimate equalizer among all men and women. There is no measurement more accurate to our equality then the number of hours each day.

The more I thought about this, the more sense it made. It’s true that every day provides an opportunity – we can choose to take advantage of this opportunity by being creative and productive, or we can choose to waste that day.

Don’t think for a moment that I’m some eternal optimist who simply always sees the good inside of the bad situations. In the past, I’ve personally had my share of “opportunity doors” close and these doors always represented times in which my progress was halted. What I learned from this eureka moment is that doors or obstacles don’t have to slow us down, they simply redirect our momentum.

If a commitment to working out and living healthier has been an obstacle in the past, I hope you can see that the ultimate equalizer, TIME, would argue that today – right now – marks an opportunity to once again achieve success!

Your Life is Now

So, I have to admit something… I typically don’t look forward to my morning cardio. In fact, it seems more like punishment then anything else. The funny thing is that I know that when I am done, I feel like a million bucks! I expected this Monday morning to be no exception, but it was.

I had forgotten my book at home so I decided to put on my Ipod and pass the tine listening to music. I wasn’t searching for anything in particular, just a beat that I could pedal to. I have a variety of music on my Ipod but the first song that came on was by Michael Buble (not usually a song I would want to do cardio to) but I started to really listen to the lyrics and got me thinking. I guess the song could be interpreted in different ways, but I saw it as an opportunity to re-start or re-commit to something important in my life. It made me start to think about what I was focusing on, and if it was really important at this time in my life. It caused me to recalibrate the way I was thinking about things going on in my life.

What made this morning so much different than the typical Monday morning was that after a half hour of cardio, I made several promises to myself and thought I would share two of them with you. I promised that I would place a higher value on people and their choices; and I promised that I would always attempt to take the highest (and most rewarding) road.

My hope is that after sharing this with you, you will also make a few promises to yourself. For those of you that want to share them, please post them for all of us to read. I would love to hear your story! By doing so, you will make changes to ensure those promises come true. For many of you, I hope the promise will be to re-commit to health, fitness, working out and being more disciplined with your eating habits. To those of you who make this promise; my promise to you is that I will do everything in my power to help! Remember, regardless of how many times we have fallen short or not followed through with something, it’s in the past. The promise we make today is the one you will keep, your life is now!

Remember… “Your gym membership is a cheap form of great entertainment!” - Joe G.

Enthusiastically yours,

Joe Gigantino Jr.