This is so true on many levels of human endeavor. Competition is not destructive but absolutely necessary for real growth. Without it we remain linear and stagnant, which in reality means we deteriorate and die.
Read this blog post to get a pretty accurate perspective on the value of competition:
I challenge you to find your external motivator that will push you beyond you self-imposed, debilitating limitations. This is a universal requirement for anyone to reach their true full potential. It could be your friends, training partners or a carefully chosen coach. Don't neglect this important aspect of your training.
There is an incredible
growing conflict that is spreading all over this country and its time for
everyone to take action.
This is what we
are fighting for -
Freedom from:
-Immobility, Lethargy, Physical Stagnancy
-Sensory Motor Amnesia and Fear Reactivity
-Overweight/Overfat
-the downward spiral of physical and mental
deterioration
Freedom to:
-Move without pain
-Have abundant vitality and energy
-Have a body you are comfortable with
-Be able to recover quickly from whatever life
may throw at you
Through a destiny I can’t fully
explain I have found myself involved in this fight.Studying and training in CST has given me the
insight to not only detect the obstacles we all face but also supplied the
tools to victoriously overcome them.
I have taken upon myself the
mission to be fully engaged in the struggle for all people to achieve their
optimal physical wellness and performance.As a member of the military the word ‘mission’ has a particular
significance for me.To me it means an
objective to which I am prepared to commit all the resources at my command and
devoting my life to seeing it through.
I
have not assumed this commitment lightly nor do I seek personal glory.My wish is to expend my life for the service
of others.There is a great work happening
right now in this country and around the world as more and more people are
turning toward health-first fitness and optimal physical performance.I will continue to put myself on the front
lines of that charge and by doing so hope to inspire others to join this
expanding movement.
This will not happen overnight
and not all at once.It happens one
person at a time.It starts with you making
a choice for your personal freedom.You
are the one that can make a difference - first in your own life, then radiating
outward to positively affect those around you.
In
a wide-ranging look at eating habits, David Kessler, the former head of
the Food and Drug Administration, addresses America's ever-increasing
waistlines in his new book, "The End of Overeating: Taking Control of
the Insatiable American Appetite."
Former FDA Commissioner David Kessler speaks to WSJ's Jeffrey Trachtenberg about eating habits to avoid.
He
interviews the overweight, who say that just the sight of a favorite
snack food is enough to make them feel hungry, as well anonymous food
executives who admit that fat, salt and sugar are often the building
blocks of successful food products. The book was prompted by a question
that had long nagged Dr. Kessler: Why is it that Americans continue to
crave such foods as potato chips and candy bars long after they feel
full? "No one has ever explained what's happening to them and how they
can control their eating," he writes. "That's my goal in this book."
Dr. Kessler, a 57-year-old pediatrician, was commissioner of the FDA
from 1990 to 1997. He is probably best known for his opposition to
tobacco interests and efforts to better label food products. He is
currently a professor of pediatrics at the University of California,
San Francisco.
The Wall Street Journal:What most surprised you while researching this book?
David Kessler:
I wanted to understand why it was so hard to control what we eat. I
thought I was going to end up in the world of nutrition and
endocrinology. I ended up inside the brain and inside the food
industry. The metaphor for the book was: Why did the chocolate chip
cookie have such power over me? I saw a woman on Oprah who said she ate
when she was happy, when she was sad, before her husband left for work
and then after he left. I wanted to understand what was driving her
behavior. It was not just that she was eating too much -- she was
eating when she didn't want to eat. And nobody could explain why. I
wanted to know, how could we help her? What was driving her? The
greatest surprise was understanding how highly palatable foods had
hijacked her brain.
WSJ:Early on in the book, you suggest that that major food companies know what motivates shoppers.
Dr. Kessler: They know what
drives demand, and they were able to design foods to be hot stimuli.
The food industry says they only give consumers what they want. But
what they want excessively activates the rewards circuits of the brain.
They aren't selling just any commodity. They've designed highly
stimulating products, and consumers come back for more. Nothing sells
as much as something that stimulates the rewards-circuitry of the
brain. It's all about selling product.
WSJ:What about restaurant eating?
Dr. Kessler: Much of what we eat
in restaurants is fat on fat on sugar on fat with salt. Pick any dish
in any mid-American restaurant. What is spinach dip? Fat on salt with
green stuff. Look at the average salad we're eating. If you look at the
bacon, the croutons, the cheese…it's fats, salts and a little lettuce.
Listen to Dr. Kessler read from his book, "The End of Overeating."
WSJ:At times I couldn't decide whether you felt that the overweight were victims or undisciplined. Which is it?
Dr. Kessler: The answer is
probably neither. Nobody has explained to people what is going on with
them, or given them the tools to cool stimuli. Yes, you are bombarded
throughout the day. You respond. And that creates torment for people.
But just because we are activated and stimulated doesn't mean that that
there aren't things we can do. Yes, their brains are being hijacked.
But once we understand what is going on, we can change.
WSJ:What are the most important signs that people can recognize before they eat something they actually may not want?
Dr. Kessler: The fundamental
question, when you look at food, is this: Is it real food, or is it
food that is layered and loaded? It's easy to look at food and see what
else is being layered on top of protein. I don't have a problem with a
plain hamburger -- it's adding cheese and bacon. Also, you want a
reasonable amount of food that you can control. Today if you put large
amounts of food in front of me, I don't want it. But I used to go
through big portions in an instant. We each have to decide what we find
rewarding, and then decide how we control it.
WSJ:Regarding
visual food cues, are you suggesting that the sight of a bowl of
innocent M&Ms is enough to make us want to eat them?
Dr. Kessler: It depends on your
past experience and what stimulates you. Everybody is different. For me
it may be chocolate-covered pretzels. The one thing I can assure you:
At the core, it's fat, sugar and salt. Not everything activates each of
us the same. Here's the fundamental point: We are wired to focus on the
most salient stimuli in our environment. If your kid is sick today,
that's what you think about. For some people it's sex, gambling,
alcohol. For many of us it's food. And within that category, different
types of food are salient. You have to condition yourself to take the
power out of the stimulus.
Dr. David Kessler
WSJ:Are we then all victims of subtle cravings whose genesis we're doomed never to understand?
Dr. Kessler: This syndrome of
conditioned hyper-eating, which is what this is -- the loss of control
in the face of highly palatable foods, lack of feeling full -- is
reward-based eating. Not all are equally susceptible. Those obese and
overweight have a greater incidence. But even 20% of the healthy report
occasional loss of control. You will find people for whom food doesn't
capture their interest, but it's probably a small percentage of the
population. For the rest of us, it's a continuum. It's not only
conditioned behavior. It's the learning and motivational circuits of
the brain being captured. Is it nurture or nature? You expose children
who are eating fat, sugar and salt all day. They've never been hungry a
day in their lives. Once you lay down that neuro-circuitry, it's there
for life. The actual act of consumption isn't as strong as
anticipation. It's the conditioning associated with a cue. Once you are
cued and you're activated, it amplifies the reward value. It torments
you. You want it more.
WSJ:There
is a lot of concern about obesity and children. What is the biggest
cause? It is portions that are too large, or the wrong types of food?
Dr. Kessler: They are getting
huge portions of very stimulating foods, hyper-palatable foods. You
have huge portions of sugar, fat and salt. Every time they eat those
foods it strengthens their neuro-circuitry to eat that food again. It
activates them. Once these cues are laid down, and the information is
in your brain, it stays there and drives behavior. This isn't a
disease. But we've been captured by these stimuli. In the past, it
allowed us to survive. Now we have health consequences because it's
available 24/7 and we've added the emotional gloss of advertising.
WSJ:Is nutrition too difficult a concept to regulate?
Dr. Kessler: In the end it's not
about regulation. Government can play a role. It's about how we as a
country view the product. What was the real success of tobacco? We
changed how we viewed the product. It was a critical perceptual shift.
That's the key.
The
physical challenges and demands of participating in a competitive high
school marching band are similar to those experienced by athletes who
compete in sports like football, according to research presented at the
American College of Sports Medicine's annual meeting in Seattle.
Today, marching bands no longer just march in precision formation,
study presenter Gary Granata, told Reuters Health. "In the past 20
years, marching bands have gone to these highly choreographed visual
shows, where performers are literally running around the field at very
high velocities with heavy instruments while playing very difficult
passages."
"At the top levels of marching band and drum corps, you get a level
of competition and athleticism that is equal to a division I athletic
program," added Granata, an exercise physiologist, registered dietitian
and owner of the New Orleans-based company PerformWell.
Granata and colleagues had 172 band members of the Avon (Indiana)
High School Marching Band — the Grand National Champion at the 2008
Bands of America competition — complete an anonymous questionnaire on
the physical demands, challenges and injuries of participating in a
marching band.
Fatigue, muscle soreness, and injuries — often associated with
competitive sports and athletics — were commonly reported by band
members.
More than 95 percent of surveyed band members reported muscle
soreness or stiffness after practice, and nearly half said they were
"frequently tired" after band practice. Nearly a quarter said they felt
faint or sick to their stomach after marching band participation and
more than half experienced heat-related illness.
In addition, more than 38 percent said they had suffered an injury as a direct result of participating in marching band.
The wealth of research conducted on traditional sports has led to
guidelines that help ensure the safety of participants and proper
methods to enhance training regimens, Granata noted. "Yet, there is
essentially no researchon marching bands," he told Reuters Health, "a
sport where kids participate in the heat at very high intensity levels
that are incurring injuries."
Safety guidelines and effective training regimens are needed for
marching band and drum corps — a "strenuous physical activity that has
rates of both participation and injury similar to competitive sports"—
he concluded.
A new “map” for exercising the body that is Health-First, Holistic, Functional and Fun.
The
Circular Strength Training® Tri-Ring Integration allows you to balance
work and recovery so that you maximize the effectiveness of your
exercise, while accelerating recovery so that you prevent injuries,
pain and soreness. Uncover how specifically programming your warm-up,
work-out and cool-down determines the percentage of successful results
you achieve, and the painful injuries you sustain.
Through life, injury, and attitude, you develop compensations which
impede your performance. But also through each and every movement you
train. Every exercise is subject to “specific adaptation” - and unless
specifically compensated creates first - diminishing returns, then
plateau, then regress, followed by pain, injury, illness and eventually
death: a process that can happen at an imperceptible crawl, or swiftly
and acutely.
Scott Sonnon called upon the work of Dr. Stephen Levin’s biotensegrity, Dr. Nikolai Berstein’s biomechanics, and Drs. Vladimir Frolov’s and Konstantine Buteyko’s
respiratory science, when he developed Circular Strength Training to
seamlessly integrate joint mobility, multi-planar progressive
resistance and compensatory movement. What began as a means for Scott
to overcome the genetical obstacles he faced during childhood physical
and learning disabilities, has grown exponentially over the past 14
years to become a well-supported system to inform the next generation
of exercise physiologists and strength conditioning specialists. The
system is supported with books, technique DVDs, computer resources and
a dynamic website.
A revolution in “health-first fitness”, Circular Strength Training®
is rapidly becoming accepted as a highly useful alternative view of
movement exercise. The books and DVDs have won awards, inductions to
the hall of fame, and are widely used by universities and colleges,
group fitness instructors and personal trainers, strength coaches and
professional athletes, martial arts, yoga and pilates schools,
celebrities, actors and performers, doctors, therapists and
chiropractors, federal agents, special forces and secret service. Over
18,000 students have joined us and our numbers continue to grow.
Training in movement mastery is necessary for today’s trainer, but
it’s hardly their favorite subject. Our courses bring motor development
to life with lavishly demonstrated “errorless” steps, full of practical
applications and skill-building exercises. Our regular feedback is, “I
never knew that I could move so well in such a short time, and not only
feel no pain, but have fun while doing it!” We hear it weekly from
students all over the world.
Circular Strength Training® courses teach six main points:
The “map” of the 6 Degrees of Freedom: the joint motions, the function and the significance of each movement.
The 7 Key Component Learning Technique™: to dissect the 7 key
biomechanics of a skill in order to maximize motor mastery through
incremental steps.
The Breath Mastery Scale™ of the 5 levels of respiratory
efficiency: using breath as the objective verification of progress and
warning flag of regress.
Poise Anaylsis™ (client assessment): to determine the 4
compensation impediments to performance act as the starting point for
program design.
Tri-Ring Integration™ (program design): to specifically interweave
warm-up, work-out and cool-down from a mechanical, energetic and
coordinative perspective.
Training Hierarchy Pyramid™ (periodization model): to coalesce
seasonal and annual progress into one contiguous approach to “peak”
optimal performance, not merely in sport and vocations, but in life.
Get on board! Your students are hearing about our courses and seeing
the articles. Bring Circular Strength Training courses to your group!
CST is a deep well that allows you to reach your own personal mental and physical maximum potential.
The path to optimal health and fitness is NOT about being a gym rat and using expensive, complicated equipment in an endless series of sets and reps. It is about discovering flow in life. So now that summer is here there is no excuse for you to confine yourself to an indoor artificial environment - get out into the real world! You can simultaneously feed your soul and energize your body.
In every part of the country there are outside spaces to explore somewhere. Since moving here to Kentucky we have made it a point to seek out and visit some of the many municipal and state parks in the region. Its easy to do a quick internet search and find a plethora of nearby opportunities to walk a new trail or two in a day.
It doesn't have to be a huge commitment. Maybe just a half-mile stroll by a lake or a nature trail at a botanical garden or park. Of course you can always take it to the next level and pack some provisions in a backpack and take a day-long journey through a remote forest. You don't have to walk fast. Just take your own comfortable pace. Part of the benefit is being able to look around you and take in the scenery, you'll never know what you might see.
Another tremendous benefit is the opportunity to spend some quality time with those who are hiking along with you. The freedom from technological distractions and the solitary nature of the environment will allow you to focus more on the people around you. You will find that conversation begins to flow easier and smiles and laughter bubbles up spontaneously. Be sure to turn your cell phone off.
Find a park or forest or lake near you to explore this weekend. Then get out there and MOVE. Walk, run or even skip - whatever. Just get out there.
I found the following on Mike Sanders' Tactical Physiology blog and found it to be an excellent exposition of this topic. This is why in CST we stress the importance of technique over and over again. You must groove the technique before you turn on the juice. If your form is consistently incorrect your practice will make IM-perfect and your results when you raise the exertion level will be unpredictable and perhaps even lead to injury. This article is a bit lengthy but it reads fast. Check it out and think about how your movements are becoming ingrained in your brain and neuromuscular system.
There's an old military creed that says, "Slow is smooth. Smooth is
fast." I'm sure most of you have heard it. Well, I got to thinking
about that particular phrase the other day and thought it sounded
pretty good, but what exactly does it mean? Unfortunately, these are
the things that keep me up at night.
I'm
currently reading a book entitled, "The Mind & the Brain:
Neuroplasticity and the Power of Mental Force" by Jeffery M. Schwartz,
M.D., and Sharon Begley. I'm finding this book extremely interesting as
it speaks about the human brain, how it develops and what it's capable
of. As I was reading this book, I started putting some of the issues
the authors discuss into the realm of tactical physiology and strength
and conditioning...more issues that keep me up at night.
Before
we get too far into this article, I need to shed some light on
neuroplasticity and the human brain. In short, the human brain is full
of neurons. Neurons are little nerve cells that are responsible for a
whole plethora of functions. They help us taste, hear, see, jump, run,
drive, shoot stuff, etc. Each neuron looks a lot like a creature from
the blue lagoon. On one end of the neuron, there is a bunch of little
arms sprouting out that are called dendrites. These arms look a lot
like the roots of a tree and are responsible for picking up incoming
messages. On the other end of the neuron is an arm called an axon which
is responsible for sending messages on to other neurons. In essence,
there is a communication process going on between the axon and the
dendrite called a synapse. These synapses are the communication point
between one neuron and the next neuron down the line.
I'll use
the metaphor of a train and all its cars. Visualize a train with all
its cars lined up on the track. Now visualize that each car of the
train is very close to one another but not quite touching. The car is
the neuron, that little gap between the non-touching cars is
representative of the synapse between successive neurons. The command
to do something (i.e. jump, taste, sit, feel) starts at one car and
sends the signal down the line to the rest of the cars on the track.
This communication makes it possible for all the feelings, senses and
movement that we as human beings enjoy.
Neuroplasticity is the
scientific verbiage for a phenomenon called brain mapping. Brain
mapping is what happens when we learn a new skill, smell a new smell,
learn a different language, etc. In order to explain this further,
let's use the example of learning a new skill. As some of you know,
I've been writing a lot lately about explosive strength. This is
something that can and needs to be developed in the tactical athlete.
By doing a systematic program, the neurons (among other physiological
changes) will actually begin to change the map of the brain. What that
means to the neuroplasticity scientist is that your brain will develop
and look different after you train for explosive strength. The pathway
that is responsible for such a movement will be created. In other
words, it will start developing highways in the brain that are
responsible for making the warrior more explosive. Pretty amazing stuff!
In
the past, scientist believed that the human brain didn't change at all
after a certain age of human development. Research is now showing that
that may not be true. We may still be able to change the make-up of our
brains by applying proper training and learning.
There are many
studies that have been performed over the years to show that brain
re-mapping is actually possible. Scientists have incorporated the use
of monkey's, dyslexic children, stroke patients, amputees and musicians
to basically prove that neural re-mapping is possible. Although we
don't have time to cover them all, I think it's important to our cause
to at least mention a few of the many studies that are mentioned.
For
example, scientists placed food wells outside of monkey's cages that
contained banana flavored food pellets. The scientists designed each
food well to be a different size. There were 4 different size food
wells that the monkeys had available to recieve the pellets. In order
to retrieve the food pellets, the monkeys had to extend their arms,
stick a finger or two into the food well, find the pellet, scrape it
out and put it in their mouth. As you can imagine, the monkeys had an
easier time getting the food pellets out of the larger wells compared
to the smaller ones. At first, the monkeys struggled to pick the food
up but were later flawless at eating this way once they practiced it a
couple hundred times.
Sounds believable enough. Practice makes
perfect, right? The important part was that the scientists went back to
study the brain of the monkeys and found that they had changed. The
nerve cells that were responsible for grabbing the food actually
increased (1). This means the brain adapted to the training in order to
become more proficient at eating a certain way. They learned the
movements slowly and became faster and more efficient at it later.
The
next example is actually even more interesting. Scientists had a group
of people practice a five-finger piano exercise. The subjects of the
study were randomly assigned to a group that physically practiced the
exercise, a group that only mentally practiced the exercise, and, as
all good studies do, had a control group that didn't practice at all.
Each group was tested daily for brain re-mapping. Over the course of 5
days, mental practice alone led to significant improvement in the
performance of the exercise but was significantly less than that
produced by the physical practice alone. In other words, thinking about
moving a certain way actually improved the movement patterns, just not
as much as the actual physical practice. The interesting thing was that
the mental practice still led to the same plastic changes in the motor
system as those occurring with the physical practice. This suggests
that mental practice helps lay the ground work for further development
of skills through physical practice (2).
So, what does this have
to do with the old military mantra of, "Slow is smooth. Smooth is
fast?" It seems to me, looking at the above mentioned studies, the
human brain is capable of making specific changes in order to master
certain types of movements. This is a learned response and very
specific to the movement. If you are an Explosive Ordnance Disposal
Technician, it would be pretty beneficial not to fumble around inside
an explosive. That is what training is for. Learn the movements under a
controlled environment to develop the correct neural network that you
need so that it becomes second nature. Learn it slow, mentally rehearse
it, and become more efficient at it later.
If you're learning to
clear a room with hostiles and friendlies in the room, it would make
sense to learn the skill slowly and mentally rehearse the tactics to
develop the nervous pathways. Once the pathways are developed, let
speed take over in order to be effective and flat out dangerous. Slow
is good for learning smooth movements. Smooth movements are the way to
speed. Attacking with speed and efficiency makes it almost impossible
for the enemy to answer back to your attacks. That's good for you-bad
for them.
And that's my take on "Slow is smooth. Smooth is fast."
God bless,
Mike Sanders
Nudo,
R.J., G.W. Milliken, W.M. Jenkins, M.M. Mezenich. Use-dependent
alterations of movement representations in primary motor cortex of
adult squirrel monkeys. J Neurosci. 16(2): 785-807. 1996.
Pascual-Leone,
A., N. Dang, L.G. Cohen, J.P. Brasil-Neto, A. Cammarota, M. Hallet.
Modulation of Muscle Responses Evoked by Transcranial Magnetic
Stimulation During the Acquisition of New Fine Motor Skills. J Neurosci. 74(3): 1037-1045. 1995.
Swimming can be great fun and a fantastic workout. But even more importantly, swimming can be a life saving skill. I have always considered the sidestroke a 'resting' stroke or even a survival stroke because you can cover a significant distance without much energy expenditure. Apparently the US Navy Seals agree with me. Check out this article from military.com
The Combat Swim
The Combat Swimmer Stroke
is a relaxing and super efficient swim stroke that is an updated
version of the traditional sidestroke. Watch the following videos for a
full demonstration.
There are several military swimming-related tests most military
members must be able to pass. Usually, these tests are either performed
at the various military indoctrination training programs throughout the
branches or in advanced training such as that performed in special
forces. However, in the Navy and Coast Guard the swim test is part of
the physical testing members receive bi-annually, usually a 500m or
12:00 swim test.
If you have never learned to swim or feel anxious in the water I strongly encourage you to seek instruction and learn this basic stroke. Our military teaches this technique for a reason - its efficiency and effectiveness are proven under the most adverse conditions.
Ryan's segment begins around 10:50, right after the Gwen Stefani piece. You can jump right to it or go ahead and get caught up on the latest Hollywood gossip first - your choice.
This is a great segment and fantastic national exposure for CST. Congratulations Ryan!
But wait, there's more!
Ryan has just released an amazing new workout series for musicians!
Here is some more info:
RMAX Faculty Coach Ryan Murdock and legendary glass-shattering Vocal Coach Jaime Vendera are at it again!
12 Minute Stage Crazy may just be the best kept secret in a musician’s performance enhancing arsenal.
This
dynamic duo of Rock Docs was first brought together by Metal Monster
Jim Gillette of Nitro, who sought out Ryan’s experience in developing
fight-specific Circular Strength Training® conditioning programs to
enhance his Gracie Jiujitsu practice. The connection they forged was
immediate and lasting.
Ryan and Jaime together discovered the
keys to a powerful stage performance—specific vocal development
techniques built on a carefully designed platform of physical power,
stamina and longevity. Their collaboration eventually developed into
Vocal Flow—possibly the most ambitious multi-volume project ever
attempted in the annals of rock performance enhancement.
Wait a minute! Musicians need to exercise?
Do
you want to be able to sing louder and longer, perform more intensely,
and do it all again the next day? Then yeah, I’m sorry but you need to
exercise. Performers are athletes, and the axe, drum kit, and your
voice are your implements. Cranking it out at a high level for the
duration of a two-hour concert is no joke. If you want to belt it out,
shred that axe, and jump all over the damned place while looking cool
and not getting out of breath, you need to prepare the ground with a
solid cardio routine.
12 Minute Stage Crazy is the first
installment in the Vocal Flow series. In it Ryan has taken cutting edge
techniques from Circular Strength Training® (CST) bodyweight exercise
and crafted them into a 6 Degree cardio routine that you can do
backstage or in your hotel room, with no equipment, and with minimal
time. The circuit has been carefully designed to fire up your stage
performance, boost your stamina to unheard of levels, and sculpt the
body of a rock god. Why 6 Degrees? Because it’ll kick your ass faster
than any other conditioning method on the market today. And if it ain’t
about an ass kicking, it ain’t gonna rock.
Every exercise in the
ebook is carefully illustrated with color photos so you can nail each
move the way it’s intended. We’ve also included two video tutorials—one
that explains the details of each exercise, and one that demonstrates
the complete circuit. All you’ve gotta do is plug and play (and keep a
roadie handy to mop up the sweat).
Pop by the products page of Ryan’s website and grab your copy of 12 Minute Stage Crazy for the ridiculously low price of $17.50.
Why is it that when we have the best intentions to get healthier, more fit, or loose weight, we fail to achieve our goals? The number one cause for failure is a lack of accountability. We might make plans and "resolutions". Maybe we even go so far as to put our goals down on paper.
We need an external, independent, impartial entity to make us go just that little bit farther than we can go on our own. This is crucial because its that "going the extra mile" that is necessary for us to make true, lasting change. This is why we need a coach.
Don't have access locally to a personal coach who is certified in the state-of-the-art strength and conditioning system? Go HERE to find an answer to this dilemma.
Of course a live person that you can meet with regularly face-to-face is always the best option. But in many parts of the country it is very hard to find a trainer with authentic credentials in the world only health-first fitness system - CST. You will get much more value from Distance Coaching from a CST professional than you will even from live person who is merely counting your sets and reps.
Making a positive change in your life take more than a personal resolution. You must have a guide to help you along the way. A CST Coach is one who has traveled along that road already and has the experience to take you where you with to go. You also must have an external accountability system to keep you from deluding yourself into giving up. A coach will motivate you to stick to the path.
So don't put it off any longer. Start now! If you delay you only find more excuses to fail. Get on your path to personal physical mastery right now through my Distance Coaching Program.