I recently came across Dave Kekich – a millionaire businessman and entrepeneur who is also completely paralyzed from the waist down. He has published Kekich’s Credo – A List Of 100 Nuggets Of Wisdom To Help You Live Better And Be More Successful In Life And In Business.

Here Are A Few Of The Ideas From The Credo Adapted To Help You In Your Journey Towards Fat Loss And A Healthier Body.

People Will Do Almost Anything To Stay In Their Comfort Zone

If you want to accomplish anything get out of your comfort zone. Strive to increase order and discipline in your life. Discipline usually means doing the opposite of what you feel like doing( exercising , packing a healthy lunch are good examples) The easy roads to discipline are:

1. Set Deadlines – When will you start that new exercise class you’ve been wanting to try?
2. Discover What You Do Best And What’s Enjoyable And Important To You.
3. Replacing Bad Habits And Thought Patterns Gradually Over Time, With Good Habits And Thought Patterns.
4. Real Regrets Come From Not Doing Your Best. All else is out of your control. You’re measured by results only. Eliminate the word “TRYING” from your vocabulary. Half hearted efforts create half hearted results. Trade excuses for taking action. Do more than is expected of you. Life is easier when you live it the hard way…and hard if you try to live it the easy way.
5. Find Out What Works For You And Do More Of It. What type of eating program has worked best for your lifestyle in the past? Being on a cookie cutter diet or exercise program that is not individually designed for you is like trying to fit a square peg into a round hole. Go with your strengths and master what feels right for you – not what some diet guru or exercise infomercial says you should be doing.
6. Always Have Lofty Explicit Goals And Visualize Them Intensely. Assume that if you don’t reach your goals you will literally die! This type of “gun to the head focus” stimulates your mind, forces you to use your time effectively and illuminates new ways of getting things done.
7. Stress Kills. No matter how painful it may be in the short term, remove all chronically stressful situations, environments and people from your life. Physical manifestations are poor sleep, overeating , muscle wasting and fat gain.
8. No Dream Is Too Big. It takes the same amount of effort, time and energy to create a small goal as it does to manage a loftier one. Bigger goals = bigger results. Why settle for weight loss when you can run a race, join a team and inspire others to turn around their lives.
9. Enjoy Life Treat it as an adventure. Care passionately about the outcome, but keep it in perspective. Things are seldom as bleak as they seem when things are going wrong. Lighten up, laugh and have a sense of humor about the whole thing and you’ll live a lot longer!
10. The Foundation Of Achievement Is Intense Desire. The world’s highest achievers have the highest levels of dissatisfaction. How badly do you want that fat loss goal? What sacrifices are you willing to make?
11. You Get What You Expect Not What You Want. Fill your life with positive expectations. Demand the best. Attitude and desire contribute to 90% of your achievenment
12. The Best Way To Get Started Is To Get Started. Life rewards action- not reaction.Wait for nothing. Attack life ferociously. Don’t plan things to death or wait for permission, act now and apologize later.

Image by Ezzz

15 Years Ago I Came Face To Face With Death

I was diagnosed with a potentially fatal immune disease – and at the time there were no drugs to cure it. I wasn’t expecting a 40th birthday. I was shocked and dazed, despite all the years I had immersed myself in self help psychological counseling and spirituality, nothing prepared me for that kind of trauma.

Miraculously within a few weeks my perspective and outlook changed dramatically. Life was a rare and precious thing to be celebrated and enjoyed everyday. The disease was a gift that helped to change my perspective about life.

Right Before All This Happened I Was Going Through A Rough Time

I had to close my catering business, I was $44,000 in debt, my partner had passed away, I had no clear career path and was driving around the city as a courier. I was stress eating and gaining weight as well as partying and drinking to excess. I was diagnosed with depression, a family trait that I wasn’t aware of at the time.

I Changed My Mind About A Lot Of Things

I challenged old thinking patterns and made decisions based on “now or never.” I grabbed at every opportunity to try new things, travel and meet new people. I No longer gave into depression and moods that plagued me before. I stopped worrying and developed an attitude of optimism in all situations. I adknowledged fear but didn’t invite it in.

For The First Time In My Life I Had Washboard Abs

I didn’t let food cravings, people or situations rule my diet. I just let go of the stories, the complaints about my life and focused on enjoying myself and making the best of it. I even did three bodybuilding shows, ran a marathon and biked like a maniac. I started a personal training business, a massage practice and eventually went on to become one of the top 100 trainers in America with appearances on TV and print media.

As we travel through the middle passage of life into our 50’s and 60’s we start to question what we’ve done so far and what we’ll do with the precious time we have left.

Ask Yourself:

Is What I Am Going To Do Next Something That Will Allow Me To Live Life To The Max Or Will I Regret Not Having Tried?

According to Izzo most people don’t fear death as much as they do regret.

This Applies To Changing Your Body

If you are on the fat loss journey, maintaining weight, trying to develop a new exercise habit or striving to change old habits, write this down as your “Prime Directive.”

Is What I Am About To Do, Or Not Do (As In Blowing Off Your Morning Exercise) Going To Move Me Ahead Or Leave Me With Regret?

Here are a few key points from the book to motivate you:

1. Move towards what you want rather than away from what you fear.
2. The scariest thing is not death but the words “I Wish I Had”
3. Take risks- No one is guaranteed success, but mistakes and failures turn out to be the greatest moments of learning
4. You guarantee failure if you don’t try at all. Playing it safe moves you away from your truest self.
5. Picture yourself in a rocking chair 30 years from now – what will you be saying about your life during your 40’s 50’s and 60’s?

I am writing this not to be morbid or scare you, but as a wake up call to action. If you have tried to lose weight, be healthier or make changes in the past, don’t be afraid to give it one more shot. Jim Hart’s motto – You’re Never Too Late, You’re Never Too Old To Be The Best You Can Be! Don’t go it alone! If you need guidance contact me or get one of the programs I have to support your efforts. What are you waiting for? Live the dream now – have no regrets! The party is just beginning.

[Possessing enough energy to walk up stairs without getting winded, lift heavy boxes without straining, and take long walks without tiring are key components of “functionality” as we age.]

Functionality – A Key To Living Each Day To Its Fullest

Who wants to reach the apex of financial and career success and be stuck using a cane, walker, or wheelchair? Yet, many men who ignore exercise and good eating habits find themselves physically limited at a shockingly early age, while their exercising counterparts are running, playing tennis, and taking hiking vacations in the hill country of Tuscany. Get active now – don’t miss out on the fun!

Our Joints, Muscles, And Vital Internal Organs Need Extra Care And Attention

…if we are to keep them well-oiled and running at maximum efficiency throughout the length of our active lives. Our joints and muscles tell us when we’re overdoing it and give us fair warnings through mild aches and pains. By stretching, resting, and following the techniques discussed later, you will understand how to maximize your longevity and maintain the look of muscular fitness and good health well into the advanced years.

Minor Injuries Are No Reason To Cease Playing Sports, Lifting Weights, Or Doing Aerobics

It’s just part of the game and part of maturing gracefully. Sometimes an injury provides an opportunity to try different activities like yoga, Pilates, biking, hiking, swimming, karate, or Tae Bo. Plus, trying new activities makes life more fun and interesting.

Anti-Aging Medicine Could Make A 100 Years A New Standard Of Longevity For Men Over The Next Thirty Years

Many of us will live to that ripe old age in perfect health, enjoying fulfilling work, leisure activities, and healthy sexual relations. The future holds so much promise it would be foolish not to take control of our life now by exercising, eating right, and living a peaceful existence that supports happiness and fulfillment. Our lives can be ideal if we work at it now. Many of us may need to take advantage of the services of experts who can help us reach these goals. Personal trainers, nutritionists, anti-aging physicians, life coaches, personal chefs, and mental health professionals can help us to reach and maintain a long life of quality we never dreamed possible twenty years ago.

Almost Nothing Is More Valuable Than Time

Neither money nor material possessions will go with us into the afterlife. How we spend our time and the way we allocate it to living a life we love determines our level of happiness and how we feel physically, emotionally, mentally, socially, and spiritually.

Carpe Diem -Seize the Day

This becomes more relevant as we age. Mortality is often a dirty word. Most of us don’t think about death often, but we feel the reality when someone close to us is stricken with a fatal illness or a parent dies suddenly. I believe that life gives us reminders that can be used to a positive end. I believe we should focus our time on getting on with living and live each day as if it were our last. We can do the things we know we want in all the major areas of life – spiritually, physically, emotionally, and mentally. We can have more fun and enjoy each day in our work and relationships, both social and intimate and live every day in a body in which we can feel proud. Follow the advice on time in my book and you will always live each day at your optimum level.

Living And Thriving In Our Stressful 21st Century Lifestyles Is Not Easy

We are bombarded with mixed messages from advertising about living the good life. Too often so many of us are striving and working hard with high levels of stress just to maintain this ideal lifestyle. But how much of the Banana Republic-Lexus-Rolex-Crate & Barrel-house-at-the-beach, high-speed, computer-generated-AOL existence is robbing us of an actual LIFE? If you’re stressed to capacity because you need to spend more to support a lifestyle to meet others’ expectations, maybe it’s time to slow down and ask, “Is sacrificing my day-to-day life worth the cost of maintaining this type of lifestyle? What would I really like to do? How can I slow down, adjust, change or do something new and different?

The High-Stress Lifestyle Is Harmful To Many Men

Scientists have proven that enhanced stress leads to lowered testosterone and a higher incidence of heart attacks, strokes, and cancer. We need to slow down and give our bodies a break. Exercise and good eating are two of the best preventative measures to keep physical problems. I aim to arm you for success at a minimum during our prime years.

The ‘I’m Too Old To Change’ Self Deception

I’ve heard this scenario over the years with hundreds of men that have all but given up on hope for changing or creating a better life. The more adventurous men grab life by the neck and swing it around. I admire those who have decided that age means nothing while pursuing a worthwhile fitness goal, whether it’s cosmetic (losing 10 pounds) or a sports achievement (running a marathon, competing in a long cross-country bike tour, or even an over-40 basketball league).

The Rocking Chair Scenario Of Our Grandfathers’ Era Is No Longer Relevant Today

In fact, being sedentary and purposeless in retirement is one of the known factors causing premature death of men over seventy. The days of sitting around and dwelling on the past just won’t cut it for this new generation who demand an ever-increasing level of sports, fitness, and adventure as they retire and move well into the advanced years.

The Definition Of Retirement Has Changed As Well

We now know that men are more productive and capable in their seventies and beyond than ever before. Exercise and diet play a crucial role in the quality and ultimately the quantity of life. So why not invest in the future and prioritize time for fitness today? Like any good investment, the future dividends will help to create a higher quality lifestyle for you to have fun with and enjoy for years to come.

I want to help you to realize your physical fitness goals, to share my experiences, and to tell the stories of other men who have struggled but ultimately triumphed to a happy end. By sharing the knowledge and specialized insight I have gleaned from my twenty-two years in the fitness business, I hope that you will be inspired to take up your own journey to leading a healthier, happier, and ultimately more fun-filled lifestyle.

I advise my clients as they begin this journey to realize that they will have to take small steps at first (baby steps) and gradually build to where they are comfortably challenged on a day-to-day basis. It’s not easy, but as you go along you can see dramatic results. You can begin to see changes in your pant size and the mirror can become less intimidating. When you take small steps and succeed, the motivation magnetizes you to continue moving ahead. Your desire to maintain and improve fitness will feel irresistible. My techniques and advice will give you the desired effects if you follow them carefully and consistently. Now, get to work and enjoy the journey!

Marvelous photo by mikebaird