• The 2001 New England Patriots – In some ways this team had a horseshoe in it’s lower intestine. The team, coming off a disappointing 5-11 record, lost it’s star quarterback and had to go with a 6th round draft pick for most of the season. They started off by losing the first two games of the season. However, they plugged along with no offensive star players and bunch of guys acquired in free agency. Suddenly they had a win streak, score just a little more than their opponents.With 3 games left in the season, I remember plotting with my roommate how they might actually earn a bye in the playoffs. It’s absurd to think of an 8-5 team has the ability to win a bye in any season, but as things unfolded the 1 in million scenario occurred and the Patriots had the second best seeding with an 11-5 record. In one notable game they won against Buffalo, with a play by a literally unconscious player. And in the first round, the famous tuck rule saved the Patriots season (as well as some impossible field goals by Adam Vinatieri). After that, the Patriots won the next two playoff games (including the Super Bowl) despite Vegas having them 14 point underdogs.Moral: If the Patriots can win that Super Bowl, anything is possible.
• Dustin Pedroia: AL MVP – Yep that guy above won the AL MVP this year. He doesn’t even look like a baseball player does he? Well, he worked his hindquarters off all season, earned himself a gold glove at second base and lead the Red Sox to the playoffs. He’s only 5’8″ and obviously not the most muscular person on the planet. Oh and he won the Rookie of the Year last year.
  

  Pedroia also knows how to party

  Moral: If Dustin Pedroia can not only make the major leagues, but win prestigious awards, what is your excuse?

• The 2004 Red Sox – It’s game against the Boston’s biggest rival, the New York Yankees. Things get ugly as the Red Sox lose 19-8. Facing elimination, down 3 games to none (a deficit no one has ever come back from), the Red Sox took the field in game 4. Playing tough, they are down 4-3 in the bottom of the ninth with the best closer in the history on the mound for the Yankees (Mariano Rivera), the Red Sox improbably scrap out a run to tie the game and extend the Red Sox season. In the 12th inning, a home run ensures that the team will play a game 5 in the best of 7 series.In game 5, the Red Sox are down 4-2 in the 8th inning when the Red Sox manage to tie up the game. The game stays tied until the 14th inning when the Red Sox won in the longest postseason game at the time (11 minutes shy of 6 hours). Game 6 brought out the famous Bloody Sock Game. Curt Schilling pitched with the ankle injury that was likely the reason for his horrible game 1 performance. Doctors had experimental sutures to keep it together as long as they could, but by the end the game the sock was a bloody mess. You can find the sock in the Hall of Fame.In game 7 the Red Sox without too much drama. Then they went on to sweep the Cardinals for their first title in some 86 years.

  Moral: If you think things look dark now, you have an easy road compared to the 2004 Red Sox.

• Wes Welker – This is a player who is barely 5’9″ and probably doesn’t weigh an ounce over 180 (yes he’s listed at 185). He wasn’t drafted out of college and his first team cut him. Add that his goofy New Kids on the Block Right Stuff kicks:
  and you’ve got a player set up to be the laughing stock of a physical game like the NFL. You would be wrong to assume such things.

  Last year he finished with a league-high 112 receptions, setting the a Patriots’ team record. This year he became the first player to catch a ball for each of his first 9 games. The streak is still at 11 games and counting.

  Moral: If you didn’t get motivated by Pedroia, Wes Welker should seal the deal.

I’m pretty sure not everyone can relate to Boston sports like I can, but that’s not the point. It’s not important where you find your motivation – just that you find it.

I'm going to kick your blocks off

While most of us understand that exercise is vital, particularly if you want to lose weight, it’s getting there that can be the problem. Whether you can’t find the right motivation or you are simply stuck wondering what exercises are right for you, there are many stumbling blocks they can keep us from reaching our goals. Regardless of the reasons you aren’t exercising there are ways you can demolish those stumbling blocks, and start reaping the benefits that exercise can bring you.

• No more excuses – The first word that you have to take out your vocabulary is “but.” Every time you find yourself saying “but I…”, stop yourself and demolish that stumbling block. One of the main keys to a successful exercise program is cutting out the negative thinking. By realizing that you can and that there are no excuses you can find that inner motivation that will help you stay committed to getting fit.
• Find the time – Another common reason that people fail to exercise, is simply due to their busy schedules. However, even the busiest person can spare half an hour or even three blocks of 10 minutes every day. Think of how much time you waste and compare that to the time that could be spent getting healthy. It’s a good idea to keep a logbook of your entire day and see just how much time you to waste. Chances are you be surprised at how much free time you could have for exercise.
• Get past body image issues – If you are out of shape the thought of going to a gym can be incredibly embarrassing. No one wants to be the center of attention and it is easy to think that if you do go everyone will be staring at you. The truth is most people are there for the same reasons you are and everyone has to start somewhere. If this is truly a problem for you consider finding ways to exercise at home until you get to that point where you are comfortable exercising in front of people at the gym
• Set attainable goals – No matter how much weight you need to lose is easy to get a little discouraged thinking that you will never reach your goals. One way to get around this stumbling block is to work on setting smaller goals that are much easier to attain. Try to avoid basing these small goals on numbers on the scale. If you can start small, chances are you will notice that results you may be surprised at how quickly they occur.

Once you get over your stumbling blocks the rest of the pieces of the puzzle will fall into place when it comes to exercising. In fact, if you get a chance, you may even find that you actually like exercising, especially when you start to see the results and you start to feel better. The endorphins should definitely kick in at some point. The first step however is getting rid of all the reasons you use to avoid getting to that place.

Photo Credit: Yogi

Wii Tennis is a good workout

My favorite game is Wii Sports Tennis. This is the only game where my wife and I can play on the same team. (When we are on opposing teams, we get a little too competitive and it doesn’t end up well). I focus about 90% of my time on this game. After a day or just a couple games a day, my wife and I noticed that we had a case of Wii Tennis Elbow (Wiibow?). We took a day off and have been fine since.

So what about burning calories? My wife really puts her arm into every shot. She says she builds up quite a sweat that way. (I build up a sweat from trying to dodge her swings.) However, if you want a scientific study, this study showed that Wii Tennis burns 92 calories in 15 minutes – nearly 400 an hour.

Wii Boxing is a great workout

For awhile Wii Sports Boxing was up there with Wii Sports Tennis, but I got more involved with Tennis. I simply didn’t want to plug and unplug the nunchuck controller. This game has a punching component which is a little like Tae-bo workout. It adds a dodging and blocking component, so I’m moving everything from the waist up. I winded afterwards and realize that I clearly am getting a great workout. The previously mentioned article measured Wii Boxing as burning 500 calories an hour.

The Key to the Wii is Motivation

As great as I feel after I get back from the gym, I often don’t feel like going. It seems like I have too many other things to do and it gets pushed off. However, with the Wii our entertainment has become our exercise. This is a great way to not only be productive, but motivate ourselves into shape.

Bonus: Wii Tennis Tips

I am a 1700 skill level (2000 is near the top) tennis player now and it goes up a little with each game I play. I’m sure there are better people out there than me, but for beginners this may help

• Fast Serve – I found that I can fast serve more often when I press A to toss the ball up in the air. It’s worth trying if you can’t get the swing timing right.
• Net Guy – If I can hit it with the net guy I do. He rarely hits the ball out and if you miss you get a second chance with the back guy.
• Swing Early – This is especially true with the net guy. If you swing early you can often spike the ball in such a way that the computer had to dive out of bounce just to return it. This sets you up to slam it on the other side of the court.
• Tire Them Out – The computer players start to sweat after awhile. Their abilities goes down and you can take advantage of that. Annoyingly they are very good at slow lobs when they are tired, so they can get back into position. This leads to a drawn out game. I’m happy with that because it means more exercise.

That’s all I have for now. I haven’t worked on any spin shots or anything of nature. Maybe in the next two weeks I’ll get that down.

Photo Credit: Thivierr

I get a lot of energy from some very well written scenes in movies. The Rocky series of movies is probably the best example. When Rocky gets his workout going or is in a huge fight, I simply can’t stop the flow of adrenaline – not that I’d want to. Another movie with this formula is the first Matrix. I get similarly pumped when Morpheus asks Neo, “You think that’s air you’re breathing now?” What about when he says, “What are you waiting for? You’re faster than this. Don’t think you are, know you are…. Come on. Stop trying to hit me and hit me” during their training fight? I can’t sit still.

There’s a whole David vs. Goliath feel to these movies that makes me feel like if Rocky or Neo can do it, I can do it. I realize they are fictional characters, but the story is crafted in such a way to make it believable. You can usually catch clips of these movies on YouTube. Why not give it a shot before your next workout?

What movies have similar motivating moments for you? Let me know in the comments.

Today, I saw one of my biggest motivators. FX showed the series finale of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. It has the big chill moments and the underdog feel that you might find in the Rocky series. If I’m getting tired on the treadmill, simply thinking about it brings me the extra adrenaline that will boost me for another mile or more.

What motivates you?