Two years ago, I did a 12-day Cool Whip experiment to demonstrate to my daughter the impact of chemicals on food…and on us.

The outcome was so bizarre, it left quite an impression.

And, I shared the results in this very post. But, I felt the need to “refresh” the post and revisit the experiment after what unfolded yesterday.

Talk about the power of “seeing is believing,” last night—two years later—we were out a restaurant with the family. When our waiter brought my daughter a glass of hot chocolate with whipped cream on top, she gleefully dove in with a spoon. Scooping up a dollop, she noticed it was unusually thick. She tasted a bit.

Then turned to me and whispered,

“daddy, this tastes like Cool Whip”

…and promptly slid the glass away.

To understand why, you’ve got to see what unfolded in the original experiment…

It all started as a simple way to demonstrate to my daughter the difference between real-food and fake food. But, man-oh-man, did this thing go horribly wrong!

As the son of a mad-baker, I had a lot off whipped-cream growing up. But, not the kind you get from a can or a plastic tub. Mom used to whip it up fresh from heavy cream, vanilla and sugar. Okay, so we know that’s not the best thing for your body these day…but wait’ll you see this!

The Great 12-day Cool Whip experiment…documented in photos!

I decided to do a little experiment to see just how fake some food was and show my daughter, because pictures speak so much louder than words. So, I picked up a small tub of Cool Whip Lite whipped “topping,” and I also made up a quick batch of fresh whipped-cream. I dropped a big scoop of each into two little bowls and set them on the table.

Not surprising, within minutes, the real stuff began to melt away to nothing. An hour later, it was just a puddle of cream and sugar.

But, what unfolded next not only shocked, but horrified us…

The Cool Whip appeared unchanged…for 12 straight days!

Don’t believe me? See for yourself.

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4

Day 5

Day 6

Day 7

Day 8

Day 9

Day 10

Day 11

Day 12

After Day 12, I finally got the guts to touch it and found that it had begun to harden into a plastic-like substance…

So, I decided to run two final tests on it…

The sideways gravitational-pull study…

and, the drawing-a-smiley-face-on-it study…

Sufficed to say…my little girl won’t be eating Cool Whip anytime soon!

So, can I get a nice, juicy, collective YYYUUUCCCKKKK in the comments?

Tony’s new book, The Way We’re Working Isn’t Working is available everywhere. Buy it, take it out from the library, whatever fits your budget, I know I’ll be referring to it as I lay out some changes in the way I work over the next few months.

And, you can find out about all the other cool stuff he’s working on at TheEnergyProject.com

[As always, I must disclose that (a) Tony's a friend, (b) he plays tennis, a word I also know how to spell, (c) he gave me a copy of the book, we met on the corner and I didn't pay him a dime because, well, I was wearing speedos and had nowhere to keep my wallet (I often stroll the Bronx in speedos), and (d) the link above is an affiliate link, so if a billion of you buy the book with it, I get rich, rich, rich!]

So, here we are at the final stop in our three part series.

In Daily Practices That Fuel Epic Journeys, we learned how powerful Building-In Space away from a challenge is in finding a breakout solutions. In part two, we discovered the power of Attentional Training, a tool that allows you to master stress, cultivate your professional edge and boost critical thinking and problem solving abilities. Now, it’s time for the final “A.”

Time to get “A”ctive!

Huh? That’s right. The final piece in the peak-performance puzzle is exercise…but, not for the reasons you might think.

Sure, we all know we’re supposed to be exercising for our health, to lose and keep of weight, to stop bone loss, to decrease risk of a host of life-limiting disease and to look better naked. But, what you may not know is that certain types of exercise actually have a profound impact on your cognitive and creative processes. One type even grows new brain cells, something thought impossible until just a few years ago.

Put another way, the right kinds of exercise can make you smarter and add to your ability to cultivate and maintain your business edge. But, before we get there, lets take a quick look at two often missed professional benefit of exercise.

Exercise lets you work longer and harder than your competition

The ancient sages of Aristotle’s time knew the impact of exercise on intellect. In fact, back then, a critical element of your training as a scholar was intense daily exercise. Why? Because thinking critically and solving problems, pondering complex mathematical equations or philosophical issues was grueling work. It took a toll on both the body and the mind. And, here is where the connection comes in.

When you are out of shape, inactive, overweight, overtired or physically compromised, your physical state crushes your ability to excel intellectually in two distinct ways.

One, pain and discomfort become a constant distraction to your ability to fully engage your mind in the process of thinking. We all know this to be true through own experience. Think about it. If your back is constantly aching, if your weight is drenching you in sweat, if something hurts from the time you open your eyes until the moment you go to bed, those sensations become constant distractions to the work that needs to get done.

The great yogic sages of India knew this, too, though the process was a bit different. In yoga the quest is more for enlightenment or unification with your divine self. One of the most effective ways to attain this ultimate state was through increasing bouts of daily meditation, often for extended periods of time.

To be able to sit for that long, though, was extremely difficult. Because, within minutes, every previously minor nagging discomfort would blossom into full blown, hugely distracting pain and discomfort. So, they created a system of physical practices that included exercise in order to better prepare the body to no longer distract the mind for the process of evolving. Which bring us to the second realization about exercise and the thinking process…

Two – Just as an out-of-shape, pained body becomes a constant distraction to hard intellectual work, a fit, able body becomes bio-chemical, structural and emotional support system that allows you to work harder, longer and more intensely than most others around you. Your “physical” abilities actually translate to an increased ability to develop your intellectual capacity.

This is especially true because you will likely be competing against many others who do not take care of their bodies and are likely battling the thought-distracting impact of their unconditioned state. Don’t expect this to last long, though, because more and more professionals, especially at the highest levels are becoming hip to the professional impact of exercise. So, if you are looking to compete on their level, exercise is simply a mandatory part of the equation.

Exercise “biggifies” your brain (and makes you hotter, but that’s for another post)!

For those not convinced by the wisdom of the sages and the growing experience of high-level exec’s all over the world, there is a growing body of science that now proves the impact of exercise on your brain’s everyday and “executive” functions—complex problem-solving, decision-making and planning.

• Exercise doubles late-day efficiency – A classic NASA study contrasted the work-efficiency of employees who exercised versus that of those who did not. During the last two-hours of an eight-hour day, the non-exercisers efficiency dropped dramatically by 50%. At the same time, those employees who exercised maintained near 100% efficiency, allowing them to accomplish twice the amount of work in the final two hours of the day. Exercise actually breeds efficiency.

• Fittest bodies yield the fittest brains – In a 2007 study of 259 third and fourth graders, kids who were the fittest, as measured by a variety of flexibility, strength and cardiovascular benchmarks, scored higher in math and reading than their less fit counterparts in statewide standardized tests, even controlling for socio-economic and other outside factors.

• Exercise has immediate impact on productivity and interpersonal performance at work – A 2005 study of 210 workers by Professor Jim McKenna at Leeds Metropolitan University revealed that, on the day that employees exercise, not only their mood, but their work performance was substantially improved, as measured by their ability to manage their time, increase output, and improve mental and interpersonal performance.

• Aerobic exercise grows brain cells responsible for executive function – According to an October 2007 Newsweek article, a series of recent studies by Professor Arthur Kramer, a psychologist at the University of Illinois and others, show daily aerobic exercise can actually grow new brain cells, especially in the hippocampus, the area that controls memory and learning, and the frontal lobes, which are chiefly responsible for executive functions. Dozens of studies back this up, yielding improved performance on psychological tests, the ability to answer question more quickly and accurately. Interestingly, the research also seems to show that there is a use it or lose effect once you are well into adulthood. Stop exercising and the increases quickly fade.

Top executives turn to exercise to keep their edge

Beyond the research and history of exercise and its impact upon professional performance, you only need to look at the make-up of the executive suite these days to know the critical nature of exercise in professional excellence. Increasingly, those who aspire to professional greatness hold their daily workout sacred and those seeking to hold onto their seats at the table view fitness not just as a way to look and feel better, but a mission-critical business tool.

So, now the ball’s in your court

If you are not yet exercising or it’s been a while, now is the time to get back into the active flow. Added to Building-in Space and Training Your Attention—you have three powerful daily practices whose impact will quickly compound to yield some pretty astonishing changes in your thought-processes and professional performance.

“Stepping Away” from challenges and Building-in Space is a practice that you can deliberately integrate into the way you approach your professional problem-solving strategy. You can begin it today and see it’s affect nearly immediately.

“Training Your Attention” will take a bit more time, but is eminently worth the effort. 

“Getting Active” will require you to do a number of things. One, if you’ve been inactive for more than a few months or you have any other medical or orthopedic conditions that might weigh on your choice of and approach to getting active, you’ll need to make a quick visit to your qualified health care provider to get her/his input.

Once approved, you’ll need to make time in your day. And, as we’ve seen above, carving out this time will make you so much more efficient that the process of exercising, itself, literally creates the extra time needed to exercise. It’s a gorgeous positive reinforcement cycle, once you’ve begun.

Next, and this will likely be your greatest challenge, you’ll need to explore activities, setting and guides/trainers/instructors to find what works best for you and inspires not boredom, hatred and drop-out, but joy, comradery and a enjoyment. If that sounds like a mega-challenge, honestly, it is.

But, IT IS POSSIBLE to love exercise if you know how to approach the process. In fact, done right, you may even learn to love exercise more than sex!

Please share your comments, questions and thoughts in the comment section below.

Back in my corporate lawyer days, there was one guy who everyone hated. Not because he was mean or underhanded or cut-throat. He was actually quite nice and always willing to help. People hated him because he was good. Superstar good.

While everyone else fretted and froze under the dizzying pace and pressure of the job, he seemed to always keep it together, to thrive and even come alive as the fire got hotter.

He wasn’t an adrenaline junkie or cowboy. He was actually a pretty level-headed guy. But he just seemed to process things faster, do things differently and see things everyone else missed. And that gave him an edge. An edge everyone else wished they had.

I used to wonder what he was doing differently. Whether he was just wired that way. Maybe it was genetic. Or perhaps there was something else going on. All I knew is I wanted an answer.

Because if it wasn’t genetic, if it was something that could be learned, I wanted to know.

I never figured it out before I left the law. But I also never gave up the quest, because I began to see this phenomenon across all professions and all industries. A handful of seemingly bright, but regular people regularly dusted everyone around them. And, it wouldn’t be long until my experience as an entrepreneur in the lifestyle and wellness industry and my exposure to certain Eastern-derived practices began to fill in the gaps.

Turns out, there are a handful of things most super-performers do different that underlie or, at least substantially accelerate their success.

Time for Mindset Domination Strategy #2.

In part 1 of this series, we introduced the first of three little-known practices that turbo-charge your creativity, productivity and develop breakout problem-solving ability—Building In Space. We showed how completely removing yourself from the creative or problem solving process can often be the fastest path to an innovative, revolutionary solution.

Now, it’s time to add to our arsenal with strategy #2 – – Attentional Training

There’s one very special thing that many do, religiously, that really helps push them over the edge from good to professional super-power good. And while many do it intentionally, far more don’t even realize they do it. Or, they don’t realize how or why it works or how critical it is to their success.

I wonder when the last time you felt any of these was?

• Stressed,
• Anxious,
• Tired,
• Unfocused,
• Depressed,
• Moody or
• Burned-out.

Reality is, everyone experiences these on some level virtually every day, but your ability to handle, quickly recover from and master these states so often makes the difference between worker-bee and executive suite in the high stakes world of business. Think about it, what is the corollary to the above states?

• Calm
• Content
• Energized
• Highly-focused
• Upbeat
• Even-keeled and
• Optimistic

There is a simple daily practice that has the ability to not only make the dramatic changes in mindset and operating state noted above, but alter your “attentional” abilities to literally allow you to see things others miss.

This hugely-beneficial daily practice is called Attentional Training (AT) and it comes in many formats, both active and seated (heck, even lying down). Regardless of how it pursed, though, the critical elements always include the cultivation of high-levels of sustained focus that are required either by instruction or by the intrinsic nature of the activity.

How powerful is this practice?

Done right, AT induces a psycho-physiological state where your heart-rate, blood pressure and levels of stressor hormones all drop precipitously, while your attention becomes highly-focused. And, inducing this state on a regular basis not only helps your mindset, it dramatically lowers your risk for heart-disease, diabetes, and various other life-limiting conditions. It helps you sleep deeper, longer and wake fewer times at night and it can lower anxiety, stress and depression. That’s where the focus has been in most of the research.

More recently, though, we’ve discovered these practices have a monumental impact on professional performance.

Back in 2007, a team of researchers from China and the University of Oregon reported a study that showed improvements in a person’s attention and response to stress after only 5-days of practicing their specialized IBMT protocol (more on this later). The lead investigator’s wrote, “after training the experimental group showed less cortisol release, indicating a greater improvement stress regulation. The experimental group also showed lower levels of anxiety, depression, anger and fatigue than was the case in the control group.”

Other studies back up these conclusions and one fascinating study reported in Live Science even revealed improvement in what has been termed “attentional blink” after 3-months of a more intensive form of training.

How to see what everyone else misses…

Apparently when we’re shown two images in rapid succession, most of us don’t see the second image, because we are busy processing the first. It’s almost as if we had blinked. That means, all day long, we are literally not seeing things that are right in front of us. In fact, most of the time, we don’t even see a good part of the first image. Don’t believe me?

Take a look back at the photo of the monkeys above and see if there’s something, oh, just a bit unusual about the one on the left.

Researchers studying a very intensive form of AT called insight meditation discovered that, after three months of training, people were able to see far more of the “second” images than those who were not similarly trained.

With Attentional Training, they could literally see what everyone around them missed.

I wonder how much of an edge that would give you in business and life?

The C-Suite climbs on board

Constantly driven to be better at what they do, the mounting research has led more and more C-suite leaders and thinkers to engage in this practice.

According to an article in Fortune Magazine:

Devotees include junk-bond-king-turned-philanthropist Mike Milken; Bill George, the former Medtronic CEO; ad industry mogul Renetta McCann; and NBA coach Phil Jackson. Silicon Valley is full of meditators, such as Marc Benioff, the CEO of Salesforce.com, and Larry Brilliant, head of Google’s philanthropic efforts. Naturally, a crew of Google employees has organized twice-weekly open meditation hours, at which it has hosted Tibetan monks and a team of mind-science researchers….Particularly hard-core is Bob Shapiro, the former CEO of Monsanto, who has done three ten-day silent retreats and is considering a 30-day tour.

In that same article, bestselling author of Never Eat Alone and master business networker, Keith Ferrazzi, reveals the key to connecting is “not being an asshole” and cites the most effective path to be AT.

It works, whether you want it to or not

Well, that sounds interesting, comes the reply, but I don’t go for that namby-pamby mindset voodoo crap. Plus, I can tell you that most of the people I know with that magical professional edge don’t do all of the things mentioned above.

Maybe not, at least in the formalized way I just laid out. But, here’s the interesting thing—though few people have a dedicated AT practice, many super-performers actually do bring the critical elements of this practice into their lives every day without even knowing it. And, it’s those unwitting AT practitioners who tend to lead the professional pack. As you pour through the variety of ways to access the AT state below, this will become much clearer.

Okay, so that’s the what, now let’s get into the how…

AT takes many forms and, different approaches tend to work better with different people. So, here are 7 different approaches, each studied and considered to be highly-effective.

• Active-AT – This I how the vast majority of business super-performers get their AT in. In fact, many of us invoke the major elements of AT during specific types of sports, serious hobbies like painting, composing or playing music, knitting or outdoor activities without even realizing it. Look for activities that either: (a) by their intrinsic nature, require an intense state of concentration for an extended period of time, or (b) are repetitive and deliberate, allowing you melt into that elusive “zone” state. So, trail-running, which requires intense observation, concentration and adjustment would be example of the first, while track running would be an example of the second. The point is, the right kind of physical activity can induce the relaxation-response state. And, over time that psycho-physiological training filters past health to business performance. Ask any top-level executive who runs every day and they’ll tell you. It’s not just about fitness, but about the effect on mindset and creation of the “edge.”

• Mindfullness-based stress reduction™ – Developed by now world-famous psychologist and bestselling author of Full Catastrophe Living, Jon Kabat-Zinn, more than 20,000 people, from all walks of life have now completed this training with remarkable results. This is an 8-week program that can either be done live in Massachussetts, though trained affiliates or at home with Kabat-Zinn’s book and audio CDs (or mp3s). I have done it and highly recommend it, though, the 45-minutes a day required can be a bit of a struggle in the beginning.
  • iTunes – Mindfulness Meditations for Tranquility and Insight
  • App - Mindfulness Meditation

• Insight Training/Meditation – this is the technique that was studied with regard to reducing the attentional blink. It is a specialized form of meditation/AT that grows out of Buddhism (though you do not need to be a Buddhist to practice or benefit from it) and is highly effective at delivering a wide range of benefits. But the training can be fairly intensive, even requiring 10 hours a day for weeks at a time. So, though it is incredibly powerful, for most, it is not an easily accessible first-step. Interestingly, though, it appears similar benefits are derived from the other forms of AT and, upon further study, the reduction in attentional blink may, in fact, be a benefit of most sustained AT practices. Future research will tell. Insight resources include:
  • Insight Meditation Audio Course (aff)
  • Seeking The Heart Of Wisdom (book) (aff)
  • Wiki on Vipassana or Insight meditation
  • Insight retreats and centers
  • Apps – Guided Insight (iphone & Android)

• Biofeedback – Biofeedback has been around for decades and has been well-studied as a form of stress-management and state-change. It is a great tool for those more “science” oriented who want immediate, objective feedback. There are many approaches, but, generally, you use a simple machine that reads various biological markers, like pulse, galvanic skin response, temperature, and then direct your focus on changing those markers to bring them into a target range. Biofeedback machines and audio program are now very inexpensive and can be learned and used at home. Some resources include:
  • Stress Eraser – very cool, iPod-size, high-tech biofeedback device
  • BioMedical.com – online clearinghouse for devices, information and audio/video

• Classical meditation – A vast array of approaches to meditation abound, with the similar element of requiring you to train your attention on anything from your breath to a prayer, phrase, candle-flame, set of numbers and more. While highly-effective over time, many people find it extremely challenging to keep focus, get frustrated and give up on a practice that could have become hugely impactful. Reality is, it takes a long time before you feel any level of mastery and impact with this approach, which makes it important to find a technique, tool or teacher that really resonates with and supports your quest. Some resources include:
  • HealthJourneys.com – offers an extensive library of audio, video and downloads, plus detailed information on a wide variety of techniques.
  • Shambala Meditation Centers – directory of worldwide locations
  • Kripalu – one of the largest destination mindbody centers in the world with an extensive catalog or courses
  • Apps – Zen Timer, Relax with Andrew Johnson

• Psychoacoustics – In the 1970s, neuroscientists developed a technology that delivered slightly different, often inaudible tones into each ear simultaneously and found that by manipulating the frequency different between these tones, they were able to entrain brain waves in specific states. It was hailed by many as meditation for those who couldn’t meditate, because it seemed to work without the participant having to maintain a rigid point of focus. Since then, A number of researchers have build goal-specific audio programs and tools around this technology in an effort to allow more people to use these tools. Resources include:
  • Centerpointe Research Institute
  • Learning Strategies Paraliminals
  • Apps – AmbiScience Pure Meditation, Brainwave Entrainment Binaural Beats

• Integrative body mind training (IBMT) – This is the form of AT that was used in the University Oregon study discussed above. You can learn more about the science and the practice at Dr. Yi Yuan’s website. It seems to offer all of the benefits of AT, but three unique features may, in fact, lead this to become amongst the fastest adopted and most widely form of AT to hit the U.S. in a long time.
  • One, it does not require rigid focusing of the mind on one thing for an extended period of time, a practice that most people find extremely difficult.
  • Two, it appears the benefits can be experienced extremely quickly, in as little as 5-days, and
  • Three, the practice can be done fairly quickly, allowing almost anyone to fit it into their day.

Wanna jump right in today?

Here’s a simple technique and to get you started with a very basic, accessible 10-minute daily seated practice.

1. Find a quiet place
2. Sit in a comfortable upright position with your hands on your knees
3. Close your eyes and take 10 breaths, letting your exhale get longer and longe with each one
4. Starting at a very gentle pace, begin to count backwards from 100 by threes, saying each number softly or just sub-lingualizing them with every inhale and exhale. So, for example, inhale and think and say 100, exhale, think and say 97, inhale, think and say 94 and so on. If you get a number wrong, just let it go, say the right one and move one.
5. When this becomes easy or a few days or week in, pick up the pace a little bit until it becomes easy again. Then, bump the top number by 25 and keep practicing and bumping pace until it gets easy again. Keep at this until the whole practice takes about 20-minutes and give it a few weeks.
6. Let go of any expectations and see what unfolds…we’re all meant to suck at it in the beginning!

There are so many ways to explore AT and access the states that it creates. And, it is important to note that, while the focus of this article is on the “professional” impact of these practice, there is also a very clear and profound impact that reaches deeply into all aspects of your life. That discussion is for a future article.

If you’ve found value in this post, feel free to share it…

So, I was sweating, panting and grunting my way through an indoor cycling class the other day…

When, amidst the sea of exertion, our teacher, Christine Dercole, who’s pretty damn close to a walking, talking conduit of inspiration (and provider of great tribal beats), says to the class:

I want you to ask yourselves a question. When you hear me say there are only 5 seconds left in a climb, or a sprint, or a ride…do you let up and coast from 5 down to 0…or do you dig in and hammer home? Because, the difference isn’t just 5 seconds…it’s life immortal.

Well, actually, I may have added that last part, but she said something like it.

Point being, in nearly every element of life, the ability to push hard through the final 1% of an already limit-shredding experience doesn’t give you a 1% advantage…it delivers you into the realm of greatness, of transcendence. Of revelation.

The final 1% is where winners are born. Where magic unfolds…

Because you’re there, refusing to give up when everyone else is throwing in the towel and saying, “screw it, I’m done.” You’re rising up and taking full ownership of the outcome of your efforts. And, that’s something astonishingly rare in a time defined increasingly by the quest for “good enough.”

It’s just so much easier to relent, to coast, to say you don’t really care…to blame.

And, I’m not even talking about the physical manifestation of your efforts during the final push. Your body may or not rise to the challenge of your will. The weather may turn, your friends may fall away, circumstances may disappoint. Those are things you work to corral and empower, but truth is, they’re not always within your control.

What I’m talking about is what happens within that mass of matter, electricity and spirit between your ears, that thumping source of life that beats within your chest. Your ability to sustain them at concert pitch to the absolute end of the road, all to often, defines the difference between “life immortal” and a life of envy.

So, the question is…

What do YOU do in the final 1%?

Stores: Stop selling stuff like this

Mortals: Stop eating stuff like this

Savings: $1,000,000,000,000

Politicians: Next!

So many individuals and businesses see innovation not as an opportunity, but a burden.

People are always asking me about business strategy and business models…

“What’s the best one?” they ask. And, because I was a brick and mortar entrepreneur in the membership-driven fitness world and now operate largely online, membership websites, continuity and recurring income strategies tend to come up a lot.

Folks just love the idea of set it and forget it monthly income.

No doubt, there is something nice about knowing what’s coming in each month. But, there’s also a lot of myth about the certainty of recurring income, along with a dastardy underbelly that nobody ever talks about. Instead of starting online, though, let’s start with an offline example—health clubs, since they represent a multibillion dollar industry run almost entirely on automated monthly billing. Then, we’ll apply those lessons to the online world, more specifically, to membership websites.

Recurring income business strategy and the fitness industry.

The business model for your average mainstream gym revolves around automated monthly billing (some facilities have other profit centers, but we’ll exclude them for now to keep things clean). New members sign up, often pay an up front fee, then agree to have their credit cards hit every month in advance. Depending on the contract, they may also agree to a minimum commitment (classically, a year) or a simple monthly payment structure. To end the monthly billing, a member must (a) wait until their commitment, if any, has run, then (b) send notice of termination by the precise channels laid out in the contract.

The alleged beauty of this model is that it shifts the burden of reselling and re-earning the membership fee away from the club and, instead, places the burden of termination on the member. Put another way, instead of the club having to resell members every month, the billing only stops when the member proactively says, “no more.”

Sounds like a killer business model, right?

Automatic monthly credit cards payments that are charged in advance keep cash flow not only smooth and predictable, but actually leave most clubs in a cash-flow positive position. That’s rare in any industry. And, tons of clubs have gotten by with a 10% – 20% bottom line for years.

But, here’s where it gets a bit ugly.

This same model also fosters:

• Widespread lack of innovation,
• Declining emphasis on remarkability and delight
• Exceptionally poor differentiation that requires non-stop aggressive marketing
• Uninspired, disengaged staff working for unsatisfactory pay, and
• A 40% annual drop-out that keeps the sales burden exceptionally high

Why?

Because, with automated monthly payments almost always comes institutionalized complacency.

The sense that you don’t have to consistently blow peoples’ minds, because they’re locked in. It makes you LAZY!

This sorry side-effect often manifests itself in ways that aren’t in-your-face apparent, yet slowly and methodically degrade not only the quality of the business (as seen above), but the joy that anyone at any level gets from working in the business.

And, the myth of a reduced “recurring” sales burden is largely offset by the fact that so many people quit the moment their commitments expire that there is a constant demand for “new money” in the funnel. It’s not easy to replace 40% of your clients every year.

Automated member billing, often hailed as the single most brilliant element of the health club model, has, in truth, become a massive crutch.

Those who care to look under the hood will realize this business strategy all too often undermines the innovation, differentation and impact, the very elements needed to keep members so delighted they’ll continue to pay and make the business model actually work.

But, nobody wants to own up to what’s really going on.

Because, facing up to the fact that automated monthly fees most often institutionalize complacency and lead to a downward innovation spiral would mean one very, VERY scary thing…

Clubs would have to start earning their fees again. I mean really earning their fees.

Getting innovative, relevant, impactful on a level most walked away from years, if not decades ago.

And, the sad fact is, not just in the fitness industry…

Most individuals and businesses see the opportunity to innovate as a burden, not as a gift.

THAT is truly tragic!

Because spending your time and energy relentlessly dreaming up solutions and experiences that blow peoples’ minds is an opportunity that not only fuels massive loyalty and record sales, it makes the journey about a billion times more fun.

In part 2 of this series, we’re going to zoom in on a renegade player in the fitness industry who’s bucked the trend, shunned monthly membership fees, innovated relentlessly…and continually crushed the competition.

Then, in Part 3, we’ll take a closer look at that brick and mortar business’ online presence and see how they’ve built two powerful sales drivers—social proof and scarcity—into their business and marketing models through their websites in a very innovative way and leveraged them to propel sales. And, we’ll look at how their model is so much more powerful from a PR and word of mouth standpoint…and how you can leverage these same strategies.

Finally, in Part 4, we’ll take all this knowledge, translate it to the world of online business strategies, membership sites and automated billing and explore some pretty fascinating options.

So, be sure to keep a lookout out for the next part in this series (make sure you’re subscribed, so you don’t miss it).

Curious what you’re thoughts are so far…

——————–Awakened Shout Outs——————-

• My friend and career innovator, Penelope Trunk of Brazen Careerist, is leading a cool video chat called  SELF-EMPLOYMENT: How to get the guts to take the leap on Tuesday, February 16, 9PM EST. You’ll learn how to: Know when the timing is right, decide when your idea for a business is good and make self-employment feel less risky. Check it out at http://bit.ly/aJcwLR

• Another friend, Brian Clark, who you guys may know as the Copyblogger dude, just launched something pretty neat called SEOScribe, which is a plug-in for WordPress bloggers that helps make sure your posts kick some serious SEO ass, get more google juice and organic search traffic. And, he’s got a giant discount offer running this week. You can check it out at SEOScribe (that’s an affiliate link btw, if you sign up, I’ll make enough money to move to Bali and drive a trendy scooter)

• Check out yet another friend (trust me, they’re my only 3 friends, lol), Sarah Robinson’s Gamechanger’s Roundtable conversations. I was on one with Pam Slim, Reese Spykerman and Chris Guillebeau yesterday afternoon, the conversation was a blast and we shared some solid brand-building strategy (well, at least they did, I was busy walking around my home office in my catsuit and stilettos).

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This is the 4th in a series of weekly posts about reclaiming your health, fitness and body when you’re a little further into life and a little bit broken. Be sure to check out the first 3 posts in this series, too:

• Fat Bottom Bloggers: Is Your Blog Killing You?
• 6 Key Elements and 7 Critical Steps to Reclaim Your 40-Something Body
• How to Get In Shape When You’re Over 40 and Injured

If you’re interested in the specifics of how I’m implementing this comeback plan on a daily basis, follow along with my Daily Comeback Journal on Posterous

In part 1 of this series, I revealed what I called my Freedom Framework, a 7-phase approach to reclaiming your body, health and mindset. Every Monday, in the weeks that unfold, I’ll be detailing the 6 key elements that need to be integrated into the 7 phases:

• Exercise,
• Nutrition,
• Mindset,
• Sleep,
• Workflow, and
• Lifeflow

And, once a month, I’ll be adding in my own personal progress updates.

Please note, too, that while I laid out the Freedom Framework as 7 discrete phases, as a few people noted in the comments last week, the reality is that certain of these phases will co-mingle/crossover and certain others will require tight integration between critical elements as well (like exercise and nutrition). Don’t worry, it’ll all get clear as this adventure unfolds over the next few weeks.

This week, I’m sharing how to work the first key element—exercise—into the Freedom Framework.

So, why am I starting with exercise?

Because exercise is life’s magic bullet!

A mountain of research over the last 3 decades reveals that exercise is, in fact, the master key, the catalyst to forward movement in nearly all the critical areas of life. It improves:

• Mood – While not a cure,, studies show exercise helps lessen the effects of depression, anxiety and help reduce chronic stress which can often lead to depression and anxiety disorders.
• Eating urges - Certain types of exercise can help alter your physiology and change your brain chemistry to reduce cravings for food (but research suggests other types of exercise may actually increase appetite). And, through it’s effect on depression, anxiety and stress, it goes straight to the source of many compulsions to eat as a way to self-treat.
• Weight - Exercise burns calories, especially cardiovascular exercise performed at a high level of intensity over a longer period of time. This calorie-burning effect can be further enhanced with something called “interval training” which alternates bursts of high-intensity bouts with gentler recovery periods. There has been evidence to suggest interval training also creates an “afterburn” effect (‘excess post-exercise oxygen consumption’ or EPOC), leaving your metabolism higher for hours after working out. Also, as mentioned above, by changing your mental outlook, it may diminish the desire to overeat. And, exercise also has the ability to add lean body mass or muscle, the most metabolically active tissue in the body. Translation – muscle burns more calories, so it is essentially the bodys fat-burning engine. The more you have, the more you burn 24-7, even while you sleep, though there is increasing debate about just how big the impact is. We’ll go into the different ways to train to have the maximum impact of weight and metabolism in Part 2 of this. topic.
• Sleep – Exercise may help improve both the duration and quality of your sleep in a number of different ways, both through it’s role as a stress-reducer, chemistry-resetter and, if timed right, by raising your body temperature, then dropping it just as you’re ready to dose off to sleep.
• Productivity – Exercise actually makes you more productive. A classic NASA study revealed that during the 7th hour of an 8-hour day, employees who exercised on a regular basis were able to continue to work at nearly 100% efficiency, while non-exercisers’ productivity dropped a whopping 50%. Now, imagine if you carried that out to the now common 10 or 12 hour day.
• Creativity/Cognitive Function – Research now shows that what was once thought impossible, daily aerobic exercise actually has the ability to grow new brain cells and restore a certain amount of cognitive function as we age. But, even at a younger age, regular exercise creates chemical and electrical changes that increase creativity, problem-solving and cognitive function
• Disease risk – A wealth of research now shows strong reductions in the risk for not only heart-disease and stroke, but a variety of types of cancer, diabetes, Parkinsons and more.
• Pain – Similarly, it’s now well established that the right approach to movement can not only be highly-effective in helping to reduce chronic pain, but also keep it at bay. The reasons range from correcting postural dysfunction and alleviating muscle strain to reducing inflammation, altering the nervous system’s pain pathways and changing the chemistry associated with pain.

And, here’s the critical thing, I have a confession to make…I was wrong about something!

A while back I published what went on to become a huge post on exercise that argued for adopting an approach to movement that was driven by the need to find activities that engaged your mind and, in doing so, make exercise fun. After working with thousands of clients, I still believe that with all my heart.

But, when you’re over 40, out of shape and coming back from a largely sedentary existence/injuries, you can’t approach it the same way you did when you were 20. Trust me, I know. I did. Many times. And I’ve paid the price…many times.

So, when integrating mind-engaging movement into the Freedom Framework, I’ve slotted it into the middle phases to allow for adequate time and attention to building a foundation and beginning to fix what’s broken, before diving into more mind-engaging, yet often more “freestyle” movement that requires a real base.

Say Bye-bye to the cookie cutter…

Also, you won’t find any formulaic 8, 12 or 16 week programs here or the classic 3-pronged—Strength, Flexibility and Cardiovascular—approach. Those work great as cookie cutter systems, especially when you’re younger, but once you’re into your 30s or beyond and grappling with injuries or chronic pain, simply addressing these three elements in a standardized protocol just isn’t enough (or intelligent) for most people.

Which is why what I am sharing in this series of posts is not a standardized “system,” but rather a dynamic big picture “framework” that could take anywhere from a few months to a few years to move through. It’s not so much about providing all the answers as it is about telling you what you think about and when, then pointing you to resources that’ll let you find the most intelligent answers for your own body, mind and health at each step along the journey.

I’m guessing my adventure will take around a year just to get to a pain-free, lean, relatively fit state. And, I’m good with that, if it sets me up to wildly more capable, alive, healthy and pain-free for the remaining 200 years of my life.

With that in mind, let’s dive into what’s important for each phase as it pertains to exercise.

Exercise Phase 1 | Foundation: The purpose of this phase is to clear the decks, remove obstacles, do a bit of research, set up your physical setting, see doctors or other health care professionals to both rule out causes of pain and discomfort that need medical intervention and diagnose what needs diagnosing if needed and set daily actions in motion for each of the 6 critical elements. This is also a time to do a bit of research on the different types of offerings available to you in your local area.

• For me: I’ve also begun to integrate basic cardiovascular and range of movement exercises. At this point, they are more about beginning to establish the regular habit of movement, prepare my joints and connective and benefit from the mindset, brain-power and other broader wellness benefits of moderate, gentle cardiovascular exercise. Strengthening and calorie-burning on a level that makes a real difference will come later.

Exercise Phase 2 | Repattern, Rebalance & Rebuild: Over the years, I’ve studied a wide array of approaches to movement, exercise, conditioning, postural assessment and rebalancing and pain reduction. And, I’ve become trained in certified in a bunch of them, from being an Egoscue Method Postural Alignment Specialist to an American College of Sports Medicine Health/Fitness Instructor and even a Yoga Instructor.

Throughout all of this, one common theme keeps emerging, especially when you’re dealing with a “grown up” (translation “pained in some way”) body. When at all possible, rebalance your body’s posture and repattern the connective tissue (tendon, ligaments and fascia) to remove the dysfunctional posture BEFORE moving into a more intense strengthening phase.

Effective approaches to “self-treating” in this phase may include:

• Certain types of yoga (primarily Iyengar, Bikram (super-heated environment, may not be appropriate for all), Anusara and some gentler “hatha” approaches)
• Tai Chi to a lesser extent
• Trigger point/myofascial self-massage/therapy
• Certain approaches to stretching (though aggressive stretching may actually exacerbate trigger points and primary areas of dysfunction)
• MELT™ and other types of therapies that integrate rollers and balls for pressure
• Feel free to add others you may know of in the comments (without spamming)

For more intensive solutions guided by qualified therapists, check out (Note: the quality of any of these approaches will be heavily dependent upon the skill, training and ability of the individual rendering services, so take the time to investigate who’s really good):

• Structural Integration a/k/a Rolfing, Hellerwork, and Kinesis Myofascial Integration
  
• Neuromuscular/Myofascial Therapy – highly specific type of bodywork
• Postural Alignment Therapy – Egoscue is one of the most popular
• Osteopathy – more traditional Doctors of Osteopathy use primarily manipulation
• Chiropractic
  
• Acupuncture Physical Medicine – specialized approach to acupuncture for the fascia
• Feel free to add others you may know of in the comments (without spamming)

For me: I know enough to know (a) what I don’t know, and (b) that I need help. So, prefer a combination of outside and self-treatment. My body’s been through the ringer over the last 5 years with major shoulder surgery, two broken feet and a huge shift to being sedentary. And, even though I am unusually well versed in modalities to correct what’s happened, I know that I need help to do it right.

So, I am exploring a mix of self-treatment, neuromuscular therapy, yoga, tai chi and possibly osteopathy into my adventure with the goal of settling on a small number of activities that’ll work in a complimentary manner, along with my daily gentle base-building, brain-power and mood boosting cardio.

Executive decision time – Splitting this post.

Okay, so I’m realizing now that this post is getting really long and it’s only halfway through. Plus, if you’re like me, you need to take some time to explore the first two stages before you can even think about what’s coming next.

So, I’m gonna end this post here and share Part 2 with you guys next week. That part will layout my approach to movement and exercise for the final 5 phases of the Freedom Framework:

• Exercise Phase 3 | Explore
• Exercise Phase 4 | Expand
• Exercise Phase 5 | Demand
• Exercise Phase 6 | Overcome
• Exercise Phase 7 |Manifest

Be sure you’re subscribed below so you don’t miss Part 2 or any of the upcoming parts of this series.

Oh, and one last thing, as always, please feel free to leave your thoughts and questions and recommendations in the comments. Especially if there’s something you want to make sure I address in next week’s post.

Don’t miss the other articles in this series:

• #1 – Fat Bottom Bloggers: Is Your Blog Killing You?
  
• #2 – 6 Key Elements and 7 Critical Steps to Reclaim Your 40-Something Body
• #3 – How to Get in Shape When You’re Over 40 and Injured
• #4 – How to Exercise When You’re Over 40 [Part 2]

Comment away…

Last Monday, I came clean about the state of my 40-plus, partly broken body and health…

A lot of folks commented on my Fat Bottom Blogger (aka “The Comeback Part 1) post and e-mailed me privately. Seems I’m not the only one who needs to mount a mind-body comeback.

And, though, I’m already in the very early stages, it’s become apparent I can’t just do what I’ve always done.

A decade ago, I’d have committed to some standardized 8, 12 or 16-week plan of action to get myself back into phenomenal shape. But, I’ve now reached both an age and a level broken-ness that cry out for something far more intelligent than a fixed timeframe and a standardized approach. Still, I know I need structure and accountability or else another year will fly by and I’ll find myself in deeper pain, huffing up the stairs and comparing the size of my ass not to farm animals, but to state capitals.

I owe myself more. I owe my wife and daughter more.

So, I’ve spent a solid chunk of time over the last few weeks thinking about how to draw upon my experience in the health and fitness world to become my own client and formulate not a program, but a “framework” that will:

• Integrate all of the critical elements required to get an over-40, partly-broken dude back to health and balance,
• Deliver the dynamic structure needed to accomodate my current physical challenges, but, at the same time, keep me taking action, and
• Provide the internal and external accountability I need to make it all happen.

Step 1: Define the Critical Elements:

The first step was to determine what elements I’d need to include in this framework to make it as powerful and effective as possible. After making a bunch of lists, then forgetting where they were along with my keys, and starting over, I boiled it down to these…

6 Critical Comeback Elements:

• Exercise: how to move your body when your over 40 and partly broken
• Nutrition: how to fuel your body for recovery, then optimal health & vitality
• Mindset: How to develop a highly focused, stress-free mindset
• Sleep: How to recapture a full, deeply restorative night’s sleep
• Workflow: How to build your work flow around your optimal lifestyle
• LifeFlow™: How to align your time and energy with what you hold dear

Okay, step 1 done. But, c’mon, we all know nothing ends with a Step 1. These 6 steps gave me the “content” of my comeback, they let me know what areas I needed to focus on. But they didn’t really give me a solid roadmap, an intelligent “process.” So, it was time for Step 2.

Step 2: Create a bigger-picture comeback framework

In Step 2, I created a 7 stage framework that was intelligent, incremental and dynamic enough to allow me to respond to whatever feedback my body, mind and lifestyle throw at me, without derailing my quest…or causing me to swap my lifestyle comeback for a Miami Ink baseball cap with a built in ponytail and a candy-apple red Ferrari. Two different kinds of feel-good.

I’ve laid out these 7 phases below, along with the purpose of each and shown what my personal goals are for each of the 6 critical elements during each phase.

Here are the 7 Comeback Phases:

• Foundation: The purpose of this phase is to clear the decks, remove obstacles, do a bit of research, set up my physical setting, stock my cupboards, see doctors or other healthcare professionals to both rule out causes of pain and discomfort that need medical intervention and diagnose what needs diagnosing if needed and set daily actions in motion for each of the 6 critical elements. My specific personal goals for this phase are:
  • Exercise: Begin to integrate basic cardiovascular and assisted bodyweight exercises on a very moderate level
  • Nutrition: Decide upon the most intelligent approach for my current health status, stock the kitchen to maximize ease of compliance and commence 10-14 day detox
  • Mindset: Begin a daily early morning mindfulness practice
  • Sleep: Research latest strategies for improving sleep quality & length
  • Workflow: Research technologies that might be used to make it easier for me to integrate work, movement and being outdoors.
  • Life-Flow: Commit to allocating my time in a way that reflects what I hold most dear and create feedback a daily feedback mechanism to ensure this happens
• Repattern, rebalance & rebuild:
  • Exercise: Repattern connective tissue through movement and bodywork, rebalance postural dysfunction and activate stagnant muscle, begin to introduce strength training
  • Nutrition: Move into “clean” fuel phase, more about whole foods than weight loss
  • Mindset: Deepen daily meditation practice
  • Sleep: Commit to bedtime routine. Also impacted by exercise, mindset & nutrition
  • Workflow: Continue testing tech & ergonomics to optimize time spend moving and outdoors
  • Life-Flow: Implement concrete time/energy allocation system
• Explore:
  • Exercise: Explore and try novel ways to integrate cardio, resistance and flexibility training that are both effective and engage the mind
  • Nutrition: With strength training now integrated, begin to focus on weight loss
  • Mindset: Add a second pre-bedtime meditation/visualization
  • Sleep: Continue bedtime routine. Also impacted by exercise, mindset & nutrition
  • Workflow: Select technologies & strategies and practice intgrating them ona daily basis
  • Life-Flow: Sustain time-allocation and feedback systems
• Expand:
  • Exercise: With pain reduced and strength growing, expand the range of exercises to include less controlled, more game-driven activities
  • Nutrition: Continue with dual emphasis on fueling muscle growth while losing fat
  • Mindset: Continue morning & evening meditation, but increase to 25 minutes
  • Sleep: Continue bedtime routine. Also impacted by exercise, mindset & nutrition
  • Workflow: Continue implementing & refining
  • Life-Flow: Continue implementing & refining
• Demand:
  • Exercise: With pain reduced and strength growing, and more comfort with freestyle movement, add higher intensity activities that demand more exertion, coordination and focus.
  • Nutrition: Continue with dual emphasis on fueling muscle growth while losing fat
  • Mindset: Continue morning & evening meditation, but increase to 30 minutes
  • Sleep: Continue bedtime routine. Also impacted by exercise, mindset & nutrition
  • Workflow: Continue implementing & refining
  • Life-Flow: Continue implementing & refining
• Overcome:
  • Exercise: Identify physical resistance points and develop strategies to overcome them
  • Nutrition: Continue with dual emphasis on fueling muscle growth while losing fat
  • Mindset: Continue morning & evening meditation, 30 minutes and add a once a week 3-hour moving meditation retreat
  • Sleep: Continue bedtime routine. Also impacted by exercise, mindset & nutrition
  • Workflow: Continue implementing & refining
  • Life-Flow: Continue implementing & refining
• Manifest:
  • Exercise: Full body, full range-of-motion, strength, flexibility and cardiovascular exercise fully integrated into daily life
  • Nutrition: Shift to sustained health nutrition for life
  • Mindset: Continue morning, evening and once a week meditation retreat
  • Sleep: Integrate routine as second nature
  • Workflow: Build workflow around technologies and strategies for life
  • Life-Flow: Allocate time and energy intrinsically in-balance

Now, if this were a video game, simply getting to level 7 would be reward enough for me. But it ain’t. It’s life. My life. And, I’m not looking for the high score, I’m looking for something much bigger.

As I come out of this process, I want to…

• Become pain-free
• Lose 35 pounds of fat, while adding 10 pounds of lean body mass
• Return my posture to as close to functional model posture as is feasible given injuries
• Return to high-intensity, free-range exercise
• Integrate a substantial amount of my workflow around movement and being outdoors
• Balance my time to honor my love of and commitment to being present for my family

And, after working out each of the 7 phases, I realized the first letter of the each one spelled out the word…FREEDOM.

So, I’ve decided to call it my Freedom Framework.

Within each phase, I’ll address and evolve a set of practices for every one of the major elements (exercise, nutrition, mindset, workflow and life-flow).

For example, in stage 1—Foundation—I’ll explore the fundamental fixes and “set-up” actions needed to deal with my injuries so that I can begin to move my body intelligently, set the stage for incrementally improving the way I fuel my body, hone my mindset, explore work and life-flow. This stage should unfold over the next 10-15 days, depending on how my body responds. Then, I’ll move on to stage two—Repattern, Rebalance & Rebuild.

During each of the 7 phases, I’ll explore a variety of activities and practices to see which works best for my body, my life and my vision of optimal fitness, wellness and peace of mind. Then, I’ll report back to you what’s working, what’s not and why. Partly, because I love to share the knowledge that’s taken decades to amass…but also, because it’ll help keep me publicly accountable to my comeback.

So, here’s what you can expect from the rest of this series.

Over the next handful of Mondays, my posts will include—knowledge & application.

Each week, I’ll lay out an extensive knowledge foundation for a major element. For example, next week will be “How to Exercise When You’re Over 40 and Partly Broken.” I’ll be sharing a lot of information, from breaking research to my experience working with thousands of clients over a dozen years. I’ll lay out how each element needs to evolve through each of the 7 phases and why. When appropriate, I’ll also bring in experts to share their knowledge.

Then, in my Daily Comeback Journal on Posterous, I will reveal what I am personally doing, what phase I’m in, how my body, mind and health are responding every day and, on a monthly basis, yikers…I’ll even publicly update my stats.

So, if you don’t want to miss these parts of the series, be sure to subscribe:

• How to move your body when your over 40 and partly broken
• How to fuel your body for fast recovery and optimal health
• Mindset Tools: How to develop a highly focused, stress-free mindset
• Sleep Mastery: How to rebuild a full, deep night’s sleep
  
• Workflow: How to build your work flow around your optimal lifestyle
• Life-Flow: How to balance workflow with life-flow

And, if you’re inclined…feel free to join me in launching your own comeback and implementing the Freedom Framework as a tool to guide your own personal mind, body, health & fitness comeback.

And, as always, if you have questions thoughts or resources to share, would love you to share them all in the comments…