i am mahler

2011-03-18T04:36:00.000-07:00

Good morning to all. I have an apology to make for not having updated this blog in forever. I hope to get things started again and keep up with the posts. A friend of mine on a fitness forum had this blog link in his own blog and I realized that I had really dropped the ball on this one. Thanks for the kick in the pants, papabear. More to come as I get my act together.

# 255 – The Gym According to Dr. Seuss

2009-04-06T10:00:00.000-07:00

The Gym According to Dr. Seuss (04-06-09)

Good morning, all. I wrote the first few lines of this as a response to a post a while back and as a little joke. But it stuck in my mind and I finally took a little time to extend it. I hope it adds a little humor while getting across the message.

Stanley Lifts A Weight

I am Stan.Stan the man.
Can you liftthe weight I can.
Can you lift it overhead.
Can you lift it with a dead.
Can you lift it with a squat.
Bet I can, and you cannot.

Can you lift it in the air.
Can you lift it anywhere.
Can you lift it, no he shrugs
I can’t lift it without drugs.

Can you squat front, rear and hacks.
Do you know your one rep max.
Can you do a power clean.
Nope not on a Smith Machine.

Do your lifts impress the girls
Can’t do that with biceps curls.
The ladies just might notice you
If you don’t lift just like they do.

Is your gym a place to play,
A stop within your busy day
Do you go to be a jerk
Or is it where you go to work.

When you go there what do you do
I hope not just what comes to you
And while you’re there don’t be a clown
Lift weights and put that cell phone down.

Do you lift heavy, break a sweat.
If you don’t you’re not there yet.
Can you get strong like Stan the man,
With some hard work, of course you can.

If you’re consistent, lifting weights
And work real hard, and add some plates.
Then you’ll get strong, I know you can,
Like me, I’m Stan, I’m Stan the man

___________________
Copyright 2004-2009 John R. Gesselberty. Mahler's Monday Morning Motivators (MMMM) may not be copied or used without permission of the author. All rights reserved.

# 254 – Another Mountain

2009-03-30T10:00:00.000-07:00

Another Mountain (03-30-09)

The darkness of pre-dawn was gradually, imperceptibly illumined by the, as yet, clandestine morning, creating a half-light as the rising sun reached up over the edge of the horizon to cast the sky in a band of crimson. It was as though the dome of the heavens was pouring out its life’s blood over the earth in sacrifice to renew the world for yet another day.

He stood there in the chill morning air and looked up to see it towering above him, black and ominous as it was silhouetted against the dawn. This was his destination. This was his direction. This was his goal. This was his mountain to climb. The journey would take days, perhaps weeks, but he had prepared well and the task ahead was both foreboding and welcoming.

He set out into the foothills for what was initially an easy climb, all the while knowing that there would be trials and difficulties ahead. As the day wore on, that knowledge proved to be singularly true when the agreeable slope steepened and the grassy terrain gave way to rock and ravine. And yet, this did not deter him. This was the reason for the climb. This was the challenge. The exhilaration of that first day carried him far and as night began to assert its dominion, he settled down for a well-deserved meal and rest, pleased with his progress and confident in his abilities to continue on in the morning.

Morning came all too soon and day followed day, with arduous progress and disappointing setbacks. He waged a constant battle with the cold, the pain, the exhaustion and the loneliness. More than once he had reached a ledge or plateau, only to look up, see the peak rising above him, and realize how far he had yet to climb. But, looking down to the distant valley below, he would realize, as well, how far he had come, how much of the journey he had already completed. And that knowledge gave him the strength to move on, and move on he did. Before long the day came, the moment arrived, when the summit was within reach. He had merely to take those last few steps. All the hard work and the trials were but a memory, the stuff of stories to be told to friends and companions around a warm fire someday.

As he made that last effort he was urged on with a sense of pride and of accomplishment, but troubled as well. The journey would be over and the trophy won, but mixed with his supreme elation was the nagging disappointment that it was ended and done with. The descent would be routine, almost mundane. Standing now at the apex of a journey that had consumed his energies for so many days, what, now, was there for him?

As the mists of dawn were dispelled and the air became clear, there in the distance, was his answer. Reaching up to catch the first rays of the morning sun and crowned in its glow, was . . . another mountain.

___________________
Copyright 2004-2009 John R. Gesselberty. Mahler's Monday Morning Motivators (MMMM) may not be copied or used without permission of the author. All rights reserved.

# 253 – Let Them Eat Cake

2009-03-23T10:00:00.000-07:00

Let Them Eat Cake (03-23-09)

Back in the latter part of the eighteenth century, France was ruled by Louis XVI and his wife, an Austrian import, named Marie Antoinette. Let us just say that she was not well received by the populace, who already just about had it with the aristocracy and the monarchy in particular. And the arrival of a foreign model fresh off the assembly line didn’t make matters any better. Marie was extravagant almost beyond belief and the press of that era painted her with words that even the media of today would balk at when talking about a public figure, as difficult as that might be to believe. France was in a pretty bad situation financially and Marie was the cause of it all, or at least that is what they made her out to be. She was even dubbed with the sobriquet of “Madame Deficit.”

There were widespread famines and shortages throughout the reign of her husband, Louis and things were not looking good. It is reported that one day, upon being informed that the populace was suffering greatly due to the shortage of bread, she replied with the now famous phrase, “Then let them eat cake.”

Now, it is questionable as to whether or not she actually said such a thing, but from the very beginning of his reign, Louis was painted as incompetent and somewhat naïve. Adding Marie to the mix, with her excesses just made it easier for the average citizen to believe when the country was in turmoil, recession and on the brink of revolution.

Fast forward to the twenty first century. You, yes you, are Marie Antoinette. I know, I know, most of you just aren’t pretty enough, but some of the gals are. Hopefully, in the current economy, you are a little more reserved in your spending. When it’s someone else’s money, it is somehow easier to be extravagant. Now, unlike the real Marie, you have a desire to satisfy the populace and yourself at the same time. And, again, unlike her, you may be regretting the excesses of a winter of food and frolic. With the warmer weather coming, you will be ready for wearing less clothing and exposing a little more flesh. You will be rummaging through the closets and drawers to pull out those bathing suits, short sleeved tops and shorts. And, when you go out among the crowd, what will your subjects, your public, be expected to feast upon? Will you present them with a meal that is gross and unpalatable? Will that extra flesh be a little more than they can handle? Or, will you give them something more pleasing to the palate, and a little easier on the eyes? It’s time to put in the extra effort; to get to work. Marie neglected her job and lost her head over it. Will you? Oh, make no mistake, you can be arrogant and say “let them eat cake.” But, will it be pound cake or beefcake?

___________________
Copyright 2004-2009 John R. Gesselberty. Mahler's Monday Morning Motivators (MMMM) may not be copied or used without permission of the author. All rights reserved.

# 252 – Peripheral Vision

2009-03-16T10:00:00.000-07:00

Peripheral Vision (03-16-09)

If you have ever been to an optometrist, one of the tests that will be given for your eyes is to check your peripheral vision. The test will gauge how far outside of your normal central area of vision you are able to see. For lack of better words, it checks your side vision or those fringe areas where you are just able to see light or motion, but not necessarily distinct images.

Peripheral vision can be a wonderful thing and even a lifesaver. It helps you to duck out of the way of that wayward baseball coming at you almost from behind that you hadn’t expected. It helps you to avoid that car coming out of the side street as you are about to step off the curb. Hell, it even gives you a heads up on that mischievous friend of yours who is making his move to dump that beer on your head. Quite simply, peripheral vision allows us to keep tabs on the world around us while we are focusing on the world in front of us.

Recently, I went to a concert with a group of friends. It was loads of fun with plenty of music and laughter. But, as I was sitting there, taking it all in, I couldn’t help but notice the eerie glow of the many screens from cell phones and other electronic devices in the crowd seated in the rows in front of me. And that glow was not intermittent. For some, it was constant throughout the three hours of entertainment. One hoped at some point that the batteries would give out, but that was not to be. And, while there was no phone use allowed, in the sense of having phones ring during the concert, there was plenty of activity taking place. There was the ongoing checking for important messages by people who did not look in the least to me like brain surgeons waiting for that report on their patient. There was the constant text messaging, no doubt telling friends what a great concert this was, all the while they were so engrossed in their phone that they were actually experiencing as much of the concert as the friend on the other end of that text message. And, there was the ever-popular web browsing, I can only conjecture, to entertain themselves while they were, uh, being entertained.

All of these people, in a very real sense, were using peripheral vision. They had surrendered their eyesight for the events in front of them and were devoting the lion’s share of their attention to the fringe areas of their lives. In the same sense, just in noticing them, I was guilty of that peripheral vision, too, even though they were pretty hard to ignore.

It happens, more than we would like to admit, that we get caught up in the peripherals of our lives or in the peripherals of our training and forget what the hell we are really out to accomplish. We get so involved in picking the perfect program, the right shoes, the best moisture wicking gear. We obsess about micronutrients and macronutrients and percentages of proteins, carbs and fats that we eat. We try to get that perfect mix loaded on the iPod, or look constantly for that magic piece of equipment that will complete our training arsenal. And in all of this, sometimes we forget that the real purpose of what we do is to lift the damned weight and get stronger, run the damned course and get faster and eat the damned food and get healthier. We let our peripheral vision direct our actions and literally close our eyes to the goal right in front of us as we try to perfect the fringe areas of our training. If you are one of those people using your peripheral vision more than you need to, and I am as guilty as the next guy, then it’s time to look ahead. The only thing you want to use peripheral vision for is to stay out in front of that other guy coming up from behind, because he is the you of yesterday, and you don’t want him catching up while you’re not paying attention.

___________________
Copyright 2004-2009 John R. Gesselberty. Mahler's Monday Morning Motivators (MMMM) may not be copied or used without permission of the author. All rights reserved.

# 251 – Daylight Slaving Time

2009-03-09T10:00:00.000-07:00

Daylight Slaving Time (03-09-09)

Well I hope all of you are recovering from that loss of a single hour of sleep over the weekend. That loss, like some universal jet lag, is the scapegoat for any number of issues in our lives from missing church on Sunday to missing a workout the following Wednesday. We have, of course, just entered into that controversial time of year governed by Daylight Saving Time. (Note that there is no “s” after the word “saving.”) I say controversial, because you will probably find as many people in favor of it as you will those who would just prefer that we stop giving Father Time an annual goose.

While the idea has been attributed to, or one might say blamed on, any number of people, including good old Ben Franklin, the annual adjustment, much like the work of some temporal chiropractor, was the doing of one William Willet an English builder and sportsman. Bill, you see, took a morning ride on his horse each day and was simply appalled at the number of his fellow countrymen who were still sleeping away the daylight hours. He was also an avid golfer and got very much put out when he had to put away the clubs at dusk. He came up with the idea and lobbied for it until his death in 1915. It was not implemented during his lifetime, but the idea struck a chord with the Germans in 1916 and the music made its way to the United States by 1918 when it was adopted. Adopted is a good word, because it was much like a wayward stepchild, loved by some and summarily ignored by others.

Of course, in 1918, the process involved nothing more than moving the hands of the mantel clock in the living room ahead one hour and perhaps grandpa adjusting his pocket watch. Today, the greater part of a day can be spent adjusting everything from clocks, to microwave ovens, video recorders, telephone message machines, GPS units, the stove, the refrigerator, the coffee maker, and that new digital toilet you just had to have for the bathroom.

Initially used as a way to cut power usage for a newly electrified nation, its purpose has changed much over the years and has come full circle to return to Willet’s original idea of providing some extra daylight for afternoon and evening activities. In our modern world, often those activities have little to do with the outdoors, in the sense that Willet had in mind. If you own a home, for instance, that extra hour is just something that can be used to clear another item off the “honey do” list. As spring approaches there are weeds to be pulled, mulch to be spread, windows to be washed, screens to be installed, shutters to be painted, and decks to be scrubbed. In short, it’s Daylight Slaving Time.

Now, even with all the work ahead of me, I actually look forward to the extra daylight and generally take on and get into the “get ‘er done” mode of operation and I am sure a lot of you do too. What I would like to suggest, however, is that we all put a little hold on Daylight Slaving Time once in awhile, by taking the opportunity, if only once or twice a week, to use that extra daylight to do something that good old Mr. Willet had in mind for us. After all, there are trails to be hiked, roads to be biked, tracks to be run, hills to be climbed, games to be played and bodies to be challenged.
___________________
Copyright 2004-2009 John R. Gesselberty. Mahler's Monday Morning Motivators (MMMM) may not be copied or used without permission of the author. All rights reserved.

The Complete Maher's Monday Morning Motivators

2009-02-10T14:36:00.000-08:00

To date I have written 255 Monday Morning Motivators. Until I can organize and post them here, you can view the entire set at http://www.jpfitness.com/
They are in a sticky post at the top of the Training forum.

Keep watching this blog for updates and additional material.

Thanks to Jonathan Fass for the mention and link to this blog.

# 237 The Need to be Stupid

2008-11-17T08:00:00.000-08:00

Mahler’s Monday Morning Motivator # 237

The Need to be Stupid (11-17-08)

Have you ever watched one of those shows on television where a series of videos are aired of people doing things that only morons or complete jackasses would attempt? You know the ones. A couple of guys decide to imitate a wrestling show they saw and one guy body slams the other down on a table with the intention of breaking it, only to find that the human body is slightly more breakable than a table, especially when said table is real and not a prop.

I happened across one this weekend of a group of college kids at a party who set shot glasses of vodka on fire and then attempted to drink them. This, by the way, is supposed to be the new craze at frat parties. One guy caught his clothes on fire and suffered serious burns on his leg. Another fired the shot into his mouth and missed setting the side of his face on fire and belching a three-foot plume of flame at his companion revelers while running to the bathroom to extinguish his bright idea. He, too, suffered some burns, but both survived. It is rather disturbing to think that these guys actually had the intelligence to gain entrance to any college or university, and even more disturbing to realize that here, in all their flaming glory, were our future doctors, lawyers and engineers.

Well, I had to sit back and have a good laugh, because in my own way this past week, I was doing something stupid. No I was not body-slamming friends into tables, although there are a few people I can readily think of that I wouldn’t mind trying that with. And, no I was not performing a Joan of Arc on myself with a flaming shot of vodka. Hey, I’m no saint. What I was doing was deadlifting. Yes, deadlifting. . . and deadlifting . . . and deadlifting. I started out on Monday and by Sunday I had deadlifted a 225 pound weight an even 700 times. Now, if that isn’t stupid, I don’t know what is. And, what is more insane is that I am not even close to being finished. You see, I joined this challenge to see how long it would take to lift a million pounds. As friends will tell you, I am pretty conservative and not one to throw caution to the wind. In this case however, my curiosity and my ego were prodded and poked to the point of no return and I wondered if I could even make a dent in the goal.

When I look back on my brief lifting career, it could have seemed pretty stupid for a 52 year old guy to suddenly decide to start lifting weights. What the hell was I thinking? There are easier and less stressful ways to lose a few pounds or get back into shape, but I threw myself into it wholeheartedly. And where did it get me? Here I am 8 years later, on the cusp of turning 60, and doing something stupid again. By my calculations, I’ve already lifted a good-sized locomotive, albeit a piece at a time. With that in mind, I cannot find it within me to quit, regardless of how stupid it might seem.

I wonder how many things we take for granted today were the result of someone just going ahead and doing something stupid. Hell, while not major accomplishments, the Guiness Book of Records is full of people who found the need to do something stupid, to beat the other stupid guy who did the stupid thing before they got the stupid idea to beat his stupid record. And when they beat it, I can bet you they didn’t feel stupid at all.

I’m going to try to be careful. I am going to try to keep as much common sense about this challenge as I can. But, I am also going to try to finish, even if I don’t make it to one million first. Why? Because no matter how knowledgeable we may be; no matter how intelligent we fancy ourselves to be; no matter how much pride we take in our good sense, every so often, life presents us with an opportunity, an opportunity that we cannot ignore. At that point, we need to become ignorant of all that we know. We need to throw common sense out the window. We need to let that inner voice be heard telling us to go for it. And we need to be stupid.
____________________
Copyright 2004-2008 John R. Gesselberty. Mahler's Monday Morning Motivators (MMMM) may not be copied or used without permission of the author. All rights reserved.

Hit the Road

2008-11-10T19:00:00.000-08:00

Mahler’s Monday Morning Motivator # 236 – Hit the Road

Hit the Road (11-10-08)

A friend, who knows my passion for fitness, sent me an funny list of questions and answers that brought a few smiles to my face because I truly get the impression that some people actually think this way. Let me give you just one example. The first question asks, “Is exercise good for you?” The amusing answer is “Your heart is only good for so many beats, and that's it... don't waste them on exercise. Everything wears out eventually. Speeding up your heart will not make you live longer. That's like saying you can extend the life of your car by driving it faster. Want to live longer? Take a nap.” I got a good laugh out of that one, because I know people who rationalize their inactivity in just such terms.

Now, it may not be the idea about the finite number of heartbeats, but it is a familiar anthem and I am sure you have heard one or all of the variations. Suffice it to say that some people see anything that raises their heart rate, promotes a bout of heavy breathing or causes them to break a sweat as detrimental to their health and wellbeing. After all, these things are not normal occurrences in their lives and must surely take a toll.

The amusing, if twisted, rationale of comparing the body to an automobile is actually closer to the mark than you might think. For example, what if I own a car and use it for short hops to the store, never take it out on the highway, and fill it with cheap gasoline. And, because I use it so infrequently, I rarely take it in for an oil change or a tune-up, or any regular maintenance. This sucker is going to last me forever, right?

On the other hand, what if my car is used for highway driving, and I take it out on the road a few times a year for a long trip. I keep it filled with a good recommended grade of gasoline, change the oil frequently, as well as getting regular tune-ups and maintenance. There is a better than good chance that this baby is going to last just as long, if not longer. And, you know what? I have actually gone somewhere with it.

Like the first ever-so-cautious car owner, some people are content with using their body at the basic minimum. A few short trips a day, perhaps to the refrigerator, keep it parked on the sofa, and don’t exert it. At the same time, they may ignore giving that body the right grade of fuel with poor nutrition. And, of course, there is no maintenance plan for keeping muscles, bones, joints and heart in good working order.

I think I much rather prefer to treat my body like that second car owner and get out on the road and make a few long trips. I like to rev the engine once in a while and watch the tachometer needle climb a bit. I will give my body some decent fuel and provide regular maintenance to make sure I am in good working order and will stay that way for a long time to come. And, what’s more, I will have actually taken it somewhere, beyond what I thought was possible.

So if someone ever poses the question about why you work out or asks if exercise is good for you, why not just tell them to hit the road.
____________________
Copyright 2004-2008 John R. Gesselberty. Mahler's Monday Morning Motivators (MMMM) may not be copied or used without permission of the author. All rights reserved.

The Season of Excess

2008-11-03T05:46:00.000-08:00

Mahler’s Monday Morning Motivator # 235 – The Season of Excess

The Season of Excess (11-03-08)

Over the past weekend and with a simple step on the scale this morning, I am reminded that we have entered what I like to call “The Season of Excess.” Yes, excess, as in too much, more than what is needed, indulgence, intemperance, or just plain gluttony. A good example, on a broad scale, might be the presidential election campaign. I don’t think there is a person I have talked to or corresponded with, regardless of their political stance, who is not just plain sick and tired of the campaign and cannot wait until it’s over. It has been a long and grueling feed at the trough of posturing for both sides. I am reminded of a little joke I once heard that it is so appropriate, that elections are held in November in the United States, since it is the month of Thanksgiving and voters elect the next group of turkeys.

On a more personal level and bringing the idea of this season of excess closer to home, it seems as though with the end of summer and the change of seasons a lot of our healthy eating and fit living habits tend to take a hike. Yes, they take a hike, but we don’t. In the summer months, the outdoors seems to bring out the best in us. There are so many activities and we seem to be just a bit more conscious of our physiques, what with the lighter and more revealing clothing we wear. As autumn approaches, the calendar presents us with so many opportunities to ditch all the work and effort we have put in during the warm weather. First comes Oktoberfest, prompting us to indulge in our favorite brews. Then Halloween, my personal challenge, where we are tempted with more empty carbohydrates than the most clever of wizards could ever conjure. There is something inherently evil about a peanut, covered in chocolate and topped off with a candy shell. Closely following on its heels is Thanksgiving Day where family and friends gather in love and comradeship to see who has to loosen their belt first before the football game comes on. Then Christmas sneaks up on us and we find ourselves neck deep in cookies, candy, eggnog, cheese balls, and goodies of all kinds. It seems the only thing we don’t eat is the damned fruitcake. I don’t think I have ever actually seen anyone consume fruitcake. It’s always there, but never gone. We finish off the season with more excess as we ring in the New Year with enough liquor to put a salty sailor to shame and literally brining many of us to our knees in homage to the porcelain god that sits stoically in the bathroom. And, after all is said and done, we resolve never to do it again and to get in shape in the coming year, until, of course, the next Season of Excess.

There may not be much that you can do about the holidays. They are what they are and I love each and every one of them. The Season of Excess is one of my favorite times of the year. But, with that said, I think I will try to also turn it into a different season, by keeping up with my workouts, by trying as much as possible to eat and drink in moderation, by making wise choices while reveling in the company of friends and family. It is possible, dare I say, to change The Season of Excess into The Season of Success. Well, at least I am going to give it a try. How about you?

Worst Enemies

2008-10-27T00:03:00.000-07:00

Mahler’s Monday Morning Motivator # 234 – Worst Enemies

Worst Enemies (10-27-08)

It was a bright, clear sunny day, with temperatures predicted to be in the mid-sixties and no rain in sight. In short, it was a most wondrous day to play pretend and make haste to the Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire. My wife and I donned our costumes, or garb as the faire regulars call it, and headed for Manheim, Pennsylvania to partake in the revels. We stopped on the way for breakfast at one of our favorite spots and got more than a few good natured looks from the patrons from the area who knew that we had either materialized from a time warp somewhere out on route 442 or we were going to the faire. The latter was the general consensus.

When we entered the gates, we felt as we always do; that we were in a little world away from it all and most importantly, among friends, even if we did not know their names. It was a little step back in time where people seemed kinder, friendlier and smiles abounded. We picked up a schedule for the day’s activities and stepped to one side, just inside the portal, to decide which venues we would be visiting that day. Not a few visitors stopped and asked us questions, thinking that we were part of the cast of the faire. We gave them no reason to think otherwise and answered their questions and gave directions freely.

While standing there, I noticed a family all gathered together, also looking at the schedule and making decisions. One member, a man who looked to be in his late forties or early fifties, was seated in a motorized chair with a tank of oxygen mounted on the back and a tube leading to a small mask on his face. My heart went out to him as I remembered my own father who died in his late fifties, the result of a lifetime of smoking.

As we stood there, I saw something that utterly shocked me. This man, incapacitated by respiratory ailments and unable to even walk, had enemies. And these enemies were close at hand. And they were his worst enemies. As I watched in disbelief, one of the group produced a wrench from his pocket, applied it to the valve of the oxygen tank and turned it off, while another assisted the helpless man to remove the oxygen mask. The man in the chair then proceeded to light a cigarette. At this point, I simply could not leave, but stayed, fixed there by that morbid curiosity that we all have from time to time, like slowing down to see an accident on the highway. I waited until he finished his smoke and members of the family then restored the mask and turned on the oxygen. I thought to myself that I might as well have been a witness to a murder as this man and his family, all his worst enemies, assisted in his eventual demise.

While not as obvious as this little scenario that played out before me, I thought how often it is that we become our own worst enemies, sabotaging our goals and our aspirations, sacrificing our ideals and our principles, laying waste to our future to satisfy the mundane needs or pleasures of the present and often assisted by those whom we call friends and family. As I think back, how much I wanted to be a friend to that stranger and tell him and his family how wrong they were, but I think we all know what the result of that would have been.

Examine the things that you do for yourself and for others on a regular basis. If you find yourself making excuses, taking the easy way out or simply living for the present without regard for the future, you may be a participant, a co-conspirator in being yours or someone else’s worst enemy.
____________________

Copyright 2004-2008 John R. Gesselberty. Mahler's Monday Morning Motivators (MMMM) may not be copied or used without permission of the author. All rights reserved.

Stop Looking

2008-10-20T20:15:00.000-07:00

Mahler’s Monday Morning Motivator # 233 – Stop Looking

Stop Looking (10-20-08)

Just the other day I was browsing my computer files looking for a form I had created for use in the office. I must have spent an hour opening up folders, scanning file lists, and doing searches on likely file names. All this produced nothing but wasted time and some real frustration. Finally, I gave up and took a paper copy of the document from my file cabinet and went to work recreating the form. Of course, no sooner had I spent another hour or more in this endeavor, did I then happen upon the file that I was looking for all along. Pissed would be a mild expression for what I was feeling at that moment.

How often have you had that experience in one form or another? You lose something or you start looking for something that you need to complete a task. You are quite sure where you put it or know when and where you used it last. You go confidently to the desk drawer, the tool chest or the closet where you are sure you left it, but low and behold, it just isn’t there. Sure, it must be. You rifle through the other items occupying the space, absolutely positive that one of them is concealing what you seek from sight. Sometimes you even close a drawer, walk away and come back and open it again, thinking that somehow that thing, that object you seek will magically be there, because you must have been mistaken or your mind was playing tricks on you. You came up empty, didn’t you?

Next, you spend hours looking in all the likely places, formulating blame and terrible retribution on others who you are sure must have taken it, the thing, the object of your quest, and moved it without telling you. You hurl painful epithets at those who try to tell you where to look, and you contemplate a horrible demise for those who ask that inevitable question, “well, where did you put it last?” Next, you begin to look in all the unlikely places, places where it could not possibly be, but where some other fool, certainly not you, may have left it. Hell, I have even looked in the refrigerator for items that no one in a sane state would put there.

Finally, you give up. You have been brought to your knees. You devise some way to do without or you use an alternate method of completing your task. More often than not, you find yourself running out to the store to buy a replacement for that now lost and never to be recovered object. You have now wasted the greater part of the day, but at least now you can finish what you set out to do in the first place. Returning home you renew your efforts to complete your task. You reach for something and your hand falls upon . . . Damn it.

There is a lot in life and in our training that is so much like one of those days. Often we can spend more time seeking something than we actually spend in accomplishing something. And, of course, as soon as we have given up and moved on, there it is. We even complicate things further by looking for perfection; the perfect scheme, the perfect workout, the perfect nutrition plan, the perfect “whatever.” The important thing is not to spend all your effort looking, but to put more of that effort into doing. Chances are, even if it is not the perfect plan, you are going to make progress, because the easiest way to find something is to stop looking for it and start working for it.
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Copyright 2004-2008 John R. Gesselberty. Mahler's Monday Morning Motivators (MMMM) may not be copied or used without permission of the author. All rights reserved.

The Crack in the Wall

2008-10-13T08:30:00.000-07:00

Mahler’s Monday Morning Motivator # 232 – The Crack in the Wall

The Crack in the Wall (10-13-08)

Every once in a while I have the good fortune to find a little piece that has a message which defies my poor abilities to make any improvements and says something that I wish I had said, but in an interesting way. I stumbled across this little story some time ago and tucked it away, like a squirrel gathering nuts for the winter. While looking through my files for an idea, I happily rediscovered it. It has a great message, but please understand that I did not write it and, unfortunately, do not know the author who so richly deserves the credit. Nevertheless, I hope you will enjoy it.

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A mouse looked through the crack in the wall
to see the farmer and his wife open a package.
"What food might this contain?" The mouse wondered,
and he was devastated to discover it was a mousetrap.

Retreating to the farmyard, the mouse proclaimed the warning.
"There is a mousetrap in the house! There is a mousetrap in the house!
"The chicken clucked and scratched, raised her head and said,
"Mr. Mouse, I can tell this is a grave concern to you,
but it is of no consequence to me. I cannot be bothered by it."

The mouse turned to the pig and told him,
"There is a mousetrap in the house! There is a mousetrap in the house!"
The pig sympathized, but said, "I am so very sorry,Mr. Mouse,
but there is nothing I can do about it but pray. Be assured you are in my prayers."

The mouse turned to the cow and said,
"There is a mousetrap in the house! There is a mousetrap in the house!"
The cow said, "Wow, Mr. Mouse. I'm sorry for you,but it's no skin off my nose."

So, the mouse returned to the house, head down and dejected,
to face the farmer's mousetrap alone.

That very night a sound was heard throughout the house --
like the sound of a mousetrap catching its prey.
The farmer's wife rushed to see what was caught.
In the darkness, she did not see it was a venomous snake
whose tail the trap had caught.
The snake bit the farmer's wife.
The farmer rushed to her side and helped her to bed.

Soon, she came down with a fever.
Everyone knows you treat a fever with fresh chicken soup,
so the farmer took his hatchet to the farmyard for the soup's main ingredient.

But his wife's sickness continued,
so friends and neighbors came to sit with her around the clock.
To feed them, the farmer butchered the pig.

The farmer's wife did not get well; and when she died,
so many people came for her funeral,
that the farmer had the cow slaughtered
to provide enough meat for all of them.

The mouse looked upon it all from his crack in the wall with great sadness.
So, the next time you hear someone is facing a problem
and think it doesn't concern you, remember --
when one of us is threatened, we are all at risk.
We are all involved in this journey called life.
We must keep an eye out for one another
and make an extra effort to encourage one another.
__________

My friends; not one of us rides this big blue ball alone. We may not always have the means to help another financially or physically, which is so true of the internet. What we do have is the ability to offer our understanding, our advice, and our encouragement, so that our fellow passengers can feel the support they need to make it through whatever troubles they see leering at them through the crack in the wall.
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Copyright 2004-2008 John R. Gesselberty. Mahler's Monday Morning Motivators (MMMM) may not be copied or used without permission of the author. All rights reserved.

The Power of Nothing

2008-10-09T08:06:00.000-07:00

Mahler’s Monday Morning Motivator # 231 – The Power of Nothing

The Power of Nothing (10-06-08)

As a former teacher of science, I used to challenge my junior high students to go home one night, and while at the dinner table, pick up any object and ask the question, “Why is this more nothing than it is something?” This was a lead in to helping them to understand that while we think of objects as being solid, they are composed of, on the atomic level that is, particles in motion that are held together by forces, and in actuality, having little bits of “nothing” between them. Without that “nothing” a locomotive might be reduced to the size of a thimble. It would weigh as much as a full size locomotive, but with all the sub-atomic “nothings” taken away would not take up the same amount of space. So, there can be tremendous value and power in “nothing.” Imagine what our universe would be like, for instance, without all the vast voids between the planets, stars and galaxies. Those voids, those “nothings” far exceed the “something” of which the universe is fashioned.

Well, enough of my poor attempts at physics and astronomy. I hope I don’t have you thoroughly confused at this point. But, looking back to my days in the classroom, it is sad to say, one of the most disappointing “nothings” that has developed since then is that nothing seems to happen around the dinner table anymore. Families have become fragmented, going off in so many different directions, with so many activities that there is often precious little time for a family meal and everyone tends to eat on the run. So, one might say, the power of nothing that can give substance to matter and the universe can separate and diminish substance within relationships.

Have you ever happened upon a child at play, deep in thought, organizing the toys, playing pretend, engulfed in their own little world of fantasy? You ask them what they are doing and the answer, invariably, is “nothing.” What amazing little “nothings” are going on in that young mind as it develops and grows. Ask that same child, what it has done when something is wrong and you might get the same answer, “nothing.”

There is wondrous power in the many things that we characterize as “nothing.” A thank you from a friend is often met with “oh, it was nothing.” Perhaps someone asks what you did over the weekend. Your answer might be, “oh, nothing.” Was it really? Rest and relaxation can be a powerful “nothing” to propel us to greater achievements.

Our lives are full of actions and events that we often characterize as having little worth. If we have put our minds and bodies on hold with little in the way of mental stimulation and even less in the way of physical activity, then we will most certainly experience the stagnation that is one aspect of “nothing.” It is a power that robs us of vitality and motivation. However, even at rest, if we are learning, growing, and progressing in any way, we have most certainly harnessed the true power that is the power of “nothing.”
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Copyright 2004-2008 John R. Gesselberty. Mahler's Monday Morning Motivators (MMMM) may not be copied or used without permission of the author. All rights reserved.

We've Got You Surrounded!

2008-10-09T08:05:00.000-07:00

Mahler’s Monday Morning Motivator # 230 – We’ve got you Surrounded!

We’ve got you Surrounded (09-29-08)

“You in there! Come out with your hands up! We’ve got you surrounded!”
Now, who has never heard those words called out from behind a rock by some cowboy in a white hat in some old western movie? It was usually shouted at the bank robber or cattle rustler, in the black hat, holed up in the cabin.

Perhaps you heard those very words shouted from the safety of a 20’s era Packard as the G-men in their fedoras tried to flush out the mobsters from their lair and rid the city of crime and corruption.

If westerns and mob movies weren’t your cup of tea, you may have heard those same words blaring out over a megaphone by a police officer, donning his Kevlar vest behind a patrol car trying to convince the drug lord that his number was up.

In any case, this was usually the time that the bad guys were supposed to make a break for it and try to escape their fate, which usually ended in a hail of bullets, a little or a lot of bloodshed, depending on the year of the movie, and a few dead bodies, often, but not always, the bad guys.

In my usual warped pattern of thought, while calling to mind these movie clichés, I was reminded that there are different ways to be surrounded; ways that do not find us trapped like rats waiting to run out to face an uncertain destiny. There are ways to be surrounded that support and strengthen us. A fitness forum community is just one of those ways.

Think about it. As a member of a forum community, you are surrounded by folks that support you with their knowledge and understanding of fitness and training in its many and varied forms. When you want help, you need only post a question and surrounded with people who will offer an answer. When you have problems, someone is always there to offer solutions. When you seek a goal, people are there to offer their encouragement. When you reach that goal, there are always friends to offer their congratulations and give you that much needed pat on the back. When you just need to unwind, you are surrounded by a host of people with whom you can exchange a joke, discuss a topic or just have a chat.

So, my friends, the next time you feel trapped, or as often happens to me, feeling that no one in my immediate world can identify with what I go through with my lifestyle and training, just remember: “You in there! Come out with your hands up (preferably holding a dumbbell or barbell)! We’ve got you surrounded.”
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Copyright 2004-2008 John R. Gesselberty. Mahler's Monday Morning Motivators (MMMM) may not be copied or used without permission of the author. All rights reserved.Mahler’s