Hi Friends!

I wanted to touch base with all of you and speak a little bit to the issue of mind set.  I’m currently working my way through my 19th round of P90X! Its another hybrid round, and this was to be week 5 (as of yesterday). Unfortunately, I suffered an intercostal muscle tear (muscle between the ribs) yesterday during MMA, so I’m going to be hitting only elliptical workouts for at least the next week while I give it time to heal.  I could certainly have become frustrated by this “set back”, but instead, I’m focusing on what I CAN DO to continue to move forward with my fitness goals.

Often times I receive emails from people that express frustration for a setback that happens in the middle of their round. Many feel they need to start over, or that they are a failure because they can’t get through the routine EXACTLY as its written. I NEVER feel that way, and I urge others not to either.  The reason, because we are going to workout for the rest of our LIVES!

Exercise and clean eating is a lifestyle change, not something we do for 90 days and then stop doing.  Life is all about pushing our physical limits and challenging ourselves. For those like me (that love extreme sports), injuries are just a part of the game. If my lower body is injured, I train the upper body. If the upper body is injured, I shift focus to the lower. ALWAYS focus on what you CAN DO, and stop worrying about what you can’t!!

Make sure, if you are in a limited workout mode, to always RECALCULATE your food intake so you at least maintain where you were when you got injured.  It may not be picture perfect, and it may not go exactly the way you want it to, but guess what, NOTHING in life does!  Get your mind right, dust yourself off, and keep working toward your goals – because they belong to YOU!

In 2004 I broke my hand so badly that it required 2 surgeries to repair it. Not ideal, not fun, but I focused on my diet and rode a recumbent exercise bike 6 days a week (and did abs every other day) until my hand had healed (12 weeks!). At the end of those 12 long weeks I had lost muscle mass, but I had maintained my weight, stayed toned, and held onto the 4% bodyfat that I had worked hard to achieve. When I went back to the weights, I gained back my lost muscle mass in 8 weeks.

Life is full of ups, downs, and obstacles, but as long as you keep your mind right, you can overcome anything that pops up in front of you. Never surrender, and never quit – just adjust fire and drive on!!

Mark