Andy Core - Award winning life balance speaker, expert in health, stress and peak performance.

*It’s so cold that the local flasher was caught describing himself*

Speaking of exposed skin and the cold, I often get asked, “Andy, when is it too cold to exercise outdoors?” I respond with, “Never.” The reaction starts with surprise, then disbelief, and finally, three concerns.  I will address these concerns with excerpts from a great January 2008 article from the New York Times, then I will give you some tips that you can use to whip Old Man Winter.

“But Andy, won’t the cold air hurt my lungs?”
“…lungs are not damaged by cold, said Kenneth Rundell, the director of respiratory research and the human physiology laboratory at Marywood University in Scranton, Pennsylvania. No matter how cold the air is, by the time it reaches your lungs, it is body temperature, he explained. Some people complain that they get exercise-induced asthma from the cold. But that sort of irritation of the respiratory tract is caused by dryness, not cold, Rundell said. “Cold air just happens not to hold much water and is quite dry,” he said. You’d have the same effect exercising in air that was equally dry but warm.”
BOTTOM LINE: Your lungs will not know the difference!

“But Andy, I’m from the south. I cannot handle the cold.”
“Another myth is that you have to acclimatize to cold, just as you do to heat. It’s true that peoples’ bodies adapt to hot weather and that adaptation makes people feel better when they exercise in the heat. It also improves performance. With heat adaptation, you sweat more profusely, your sweat is less salty and your blood volume increases. But exercise physiologists find only modest adaptation to cold.”
BOTTOM LINE: If you live in Alaska and go to Arkansas in July, be careful, but a southerner can go north with no problem.

“But Andy, won’t wearing enough clothes make me look like the Michelin Man?
“That means, Noakes said, that even in temperatures as low as 10 to minus-20 degrees, a runner probably needs to wear no more than a track suit, mittens or gloves and a hat.”
BOTTOM LINE: You are more likely to overdress.

Here is a list of cold weather clothing tips that are Andy Core tested and approved:

• A light stocking cap large enough to cover your ears is a must.  Considering that more than 25% of your body’s heat loss escapes from your head, a good hat can go a long way in keeping your entire body warm.
• A good set of gloves are worth their weight in gold. If it is very cold and the activity does not need the use of your fingers, as in working with small dials, shifting gears, etc., then mittens will do a better job of keeping your hands warm than fingered gloves.
• Which are better? Thin or thick socks? Thin is usually better, but what really counts is that your toes have wiggle room.  Shoe packed too tight with socks reduce circulation, which drastically reduces your body’s ability to keep your feet warm.  Thinner socks made from synthetic-fibers that move the sweat away from your feet can keep your feet warm on the nastiest of days.
• I usually wear a jacket for hikes, but opt for a wind breaker type vest when running or doing more vigorous activities.
• It is easy to forget what you wore last season on that moderately windy, cloudy, 34 degree day. It is a good idea to keep a cold weather gear log for at least the first season or two. By taking a minute to write down what you wore during different temperatures and conditions and how will the combination performed will keep you from possibly painful mistakes and give you a head start on next season.

Most world record marathons have been run at temperatures in the mid to lower 40’s. What did these bone thin (read: no insulation!) runners typically wear during their record setting runs? Rarely more than a pair of skimpy shorts, a thin long sleeve t-shirt and light gloves.  Don’t the let cold spoil your winter workouts.  Instead, gear up, get out and have fun.  If you have questions about activity, clothing and the cold, post them in the comments section and I will answer ASAP.

Have you ever known someone who was anti-motivated?

Anti-Motivated [an-tee moh-tuh-veyt·ed]: to be motivated to make fun of those who are motivated.

A common example is the unheatlhy person who pokes fun at people who eat healthy or exercise. I bet you know someone like this, but I also bet you know someone who was like that, but then shocked everyone, including themselves, by starting to live healthy. Oh, it gets even better. The new convert soon starts feeling so good that they become what I affectionately call annoyingly motivated.

Annoyingly Motivated [an-noy-ing-ly moh-tuh-veyt·ed]: to be so motivated that you are compelled to try to motivate others, regardless if they want to hear it.

The video in the previous post is a great example of this in action.  What’s the message? What does this tell us about human nature?  Simple.  You can change in amazing and positive ways regardless of your age, stage of life, circumstances… and the only person standing in your way is yourself.

Video Summary:
Ever wonder if massive change is possible for you personally? Here I challenge the 700 attendees at TN Public Health Association’s Annual Meeting to think about what it really takes to spread healthier choices in their communities and in their lives.

Ideas for Action:

• Capitalize on the power of positive choices, especially the power to choose an optimistic attitude.
• Understand that your body and attitude are capable amazing levels of regeneration, regardless of your age or how badly you have abused them.
• Believe that change is not an intellectual learn, but rather an experiential one.  In other words: You won’t really “get it” until you do it. You keep it as long as you do it. You lose it when you stop, but you get it back when you restart.

Questions to Ask:

• Is my attitude toward my ability to make amazing progress in life limiting that progress?
• Should I wait until I am ready or am I already ready, but just need a little momentum?
• Could I become a more persuasive leader at work and with my loved ones if I choose to live a more balanced life?

This morning one of my favorite people said, “Andy, I know you prefer to do Keynote speeches, but seriously, what can be accomplished in a one hour speech?  Shouldn’t you focus be on delivering your ideas in a workshop format where you can give people more meat and less fluff?”

I understand his feeling.  I’ve attended terrible Keynote speeches that left me with little to do or even think about afterward.  I have also attended Keynotes that I reflect upon almost daily.

Six years ago I attended a speech by Larry Winget, “The Pitbull of Personal Development.”  He was hilarious.  At the time, because it was so funny, I discounted the presentation as purely entertainment.  Little did I know that I would be thinking about his speech ever since.  During the presentation he said, “If you life sucks, it’s because you suck.”

Every time I am not getting what I want from life, those 8 words pop into my mind.  Anytime I start to think that my current situation is not my fault, I cannot escape those 8 words.  The truth is those 8 words have motivated me to accomplish more professionally and personally than the 11 workbooks in my bookshelf that I received from multiple day workshops. What is the value of taking personal responsibility for your situation no matter the circumstances?

Last week at the National Speakers Association annual convention, I had the honor of hearing Nando Parrado, one of the survivors of the famous Uruguayan plane crash of 1972.  They crashed in an environment often colder than -27 degrees F.  At this temperature, the average human can survive for 24-72 hours.  Parrado and many of his teammates survived for 72 days.  What is the value of you believing that you can do far more than you ever thought possible?  He also mentioned many times that it would have been far easier to lie down and die.  What kept him going was that he wanted to see his father’s face, that he wanted to have a life, a wife and a family.  What is the value of having a family and renewing your commitment to them?

Five years ago I attended a Keynote program by Jim Stovall.  Less than 15 minutes into his speech I had already learned and relearned more than I had during the previous three full days of the conference.  He described how he lost his sight and overcame that disadvantage to later win an Emmy, a gold medal in weightlifting and built a record braking company that truly serves humankind.  As he said, “you do not have to have sight to see,” I started to see what is really possible in my life.  I saw the barriers in my life for what they truly were, very small speed bumps.  What is the value of a clearer and brighter perspective on what is possible for you?

This morning, in response to my skeptical friend, I was able to recount the above examples.  He then asked me, “Well, what do you do for your audiences?”  Simply, I help people answer one question, “Why do I not do what I know I should?”  What would happen in your life or business if you overcame the obstacles sabotaging your motivation and started doing more of what really counts?

Concise and motivating messages have made a profound and measurable difference in my life.  What about you?  Has a Keynote presentation made a difference in your life?

According to a 2005 article in Computing Canada entitled “Statistically Speaking,” allowing frequent email interruptions causes a drop in performance equivalent to losing 10 IQ points.  (Source: The Age of Speed, NY Times Best Selling Book)

Stated another way, responding to emails as they “ding” into your inbox reduces your performance two and a half times more than smoking weed.

This post is not a preface to my launching a Weed in the Workplace productivity improvement program.  Can you imagine incentive trips to Amsterdam?  Grateful Dead elevator music?  USB powered Hookah pipes? No, me either.

What I am suggesting, is that you need the guts to click the big red box on the top right of your email inbox or power down your PDA as you do your most important activities.

Don’t get me wrong, I know that email is the life blood of business communication, especially for road warriors like myself.  That some people are “on call” or that answering email is their job.  But for most of us, email is only a means to an end.  You only have so much energy and willpower.  If you do not direct it at your most important activities, then interruptions will steal your day from you.  Have you looked up at the end of the day wondered, “What did I really get accomplished today?”

Especially for mentally challenging tasks, allowing interruptions is like turning the lights out in a gymnasium.  After you flip the switch back on, it takes a frustratingly long time for the lights to actually return to full power.

OK, I am sure you get the idea.  Let’s put it to work.  Here are some step-by-steps ideas for More Great Days at Work:

1. Define your Peak Moments.  If you could only work two hours a day, but your coworkers or competitors could work full days, what would you do in those two hours to keep up or keep your job?  These are your Peak Moments.

2. When you are doing #1, turn off everything that could distract you.

Is this idea overly simple?  Maybe.  Is it something you have heard before?  Probably.  Is this a good reminder?  I hope so.  When you do it, will it help you in amazing ways?  You bet.

I read a good profile in the Wall Street Journal this morning.  A busy executive in LA, who travels extensively and is also a single mother, exercises twice a day averaging over two hours a day in total.  She also spends over $480/month on her gym membership and personal training.

That amount of exercise (and definitely that level of monthly spending) is not necessary to live a healthy and energized life.  The sad truth, however, is that most people will not “get” this story (see the article comments). It would be easy to jump to the conclusion that because she spends so much time exercising she must be neglecting her daughter and/or her job. More often than not, however, people who fit this profile are amazing at their jobs and have  relationships. Two quick observations:

1. Did you notice she does not do caffeine? How can she do all that exercise and live a high stress, jet lagging lifestyle and do it without caffeine? And why do people who do not exercise need massive amounts of caffeine just to keep their eyes open? Exercise energizes everyone, every time (if done appropriately).  Also, see how caffeine can be a healthy part of your diet.

2. The amount of exercise she does is not necessary, but exercising almost every day is.  Exercise motivation is not an intellectual learn, it is experiential. You will not “get” it until you do it. You will keep it as long as you do it. You will lose it as soon as you stop. It will come back when you restart.

To do: Set up your calendar to exercise almost every day - even if that means cutting out exercise time to do so.  Exercising 5x week is easier to do (motivation wise) than 3x.

Recently, the Wall Street Journal did a great video interview of Jake Burton, the founder of Burton Snowboards.  The interview’s purpose was to give insight into Mr. Burton’s journey from starting his company to becoming an international business success story.

Soon after starting his business, Mr. Burton found himself “broke and really down.”  Now, he is the most successful person in his field and still makes time to snowboard over a 100 days a year.  How did he do it?  Simply, he switched from focusing on himself, “When I started it was very much a get rich quick scheme,” to focusing on something bigger “When I started taking care of the sport, it started taking care of me.”

His story is a great reminder of a Core Truth - The only way to be financially and personally successful in the long run is to focus on giving.  In an overly busy life, it is easy to forget this lesson.  Each and every time I relearn it, it’s a gift.  These moments of clarity have felt so good that they have motivated me to learn how to tap into that feeling more often.

If you can answer this focusing question, then you are well on your way:

As a ______________, my job is to ______________, so _____________ can ____________________.

Every morning, before I open my email client, touch the computer keyboard or even look at my to-do list, I reread my answer.

As a work/life balance expert, my job is to answer the universal question, “why do I not do what I know I should,” so you (the busy person who wants more from life) can improve your professional success, health and happiness.

How about you?  Do you know your answer?  Maybe, but do you use that answer to increase your focus, motivation to do what is important and your ability to say no to the unnecessary stress you face?  I don’t, unless I answer that question every day.

Action Step!
Answer that question and then post your answer somewhere that you will see it every morning.  Answering this question may be harder than you expect, but forge onward.  Once you have it, it will help you every day, plus anytime you feel off-track, frustrated with your day or are wondering, “Why I am doing this in the first place?”

Coming up on my next blog post - How to use this same focusing question to achieve more of your short-term goals.

Growing up, my summer job consisted of:

Step one: My grandfather would purchase a partially burned down house.
Step two: My two younger brothers and I were in charge of clearing out the sooty, burned up, weather soaked, disgusting materials so he could begin the restoration.  Wearing a bandanna over our nose and mouth, we would use a snow shovel to scoop up all the black dust covered crap off the floor and dump it into a wheelbarrow.  When the wheelbarrow was full, we would attempt to run the overflowing wheelbarrow up a wood plank that was no more than 8 inches wide, and with any luck, dump it into an industrial dumpster that stood 8 foot high.   Not a fun job… especially when we missed.
Step three: As soon as the floors were clear, we would drop the shovels and grab the sledge hammers.  We would hammer down any walls, sinks, windows and anything else that needed to be replaced.  This was the fun job.  As the destruction began, everyone’s energy and attitude improved.  We would eventually start laughing, heckling each other, and having a total blast.

I had forgotten about how much fun that was until this this morning when I ran across a video on CNN Money.  This video showcases a business that offers a unique way to de-stress.  Basically, you buy things to smash against a brick wall.  Click the image to go to the video.

What is the point of this post?  I am not recommending that the next time you are stressed you throw a fit and start breaking things, but rather that there is a lot more to stress management than deep breathing and counting to 10.  We relieve stress in a number of ways.  Do you relieve stress is an unusual way?  Please hit comment and share.  We would love to hear it.

Like many of my subscribers, eating “on the run” is a necessary evil.  For a work-life balance speaker, however, eating out is research. I am always looking for ideas on how to save calories, choose the healthiest foods and, for the most part, avoid the gut bombs.

Gut Bomb (gŭt bŏm): 1. A food or beverage that when entering your mouth you think “awesome!”, but when reaching your midsection explodes into a gut building, fatigue inspiring, cranky causing mushroom cloud.

This article from Men’s Health and Eat this, Not That! on the worst foods in America is eye opening and fun.

The 20 Worst Foods in America: The U.S. food industry has declared war on your waistline. Here’s how to disarm its weapons of mass inflation

I have eaten the most fattening food in America and it tasted awesome, but it left me feeling awful.  Like most carbohydrates, once you start eating it you find yourself eating faster and faster until you have a forkful of food hovering right outside your mouth as you chew the previous bite.

If you have trouble stopping once you start eating carbs, then try this tip I learned from a biochemist from Australia.  Eating a carbohydrate snack can stop carbohydrate craziness.  Yes, I am serious.  The catch is the snack has to be less than 40 grams of carbohydrates.  Any more than that will throw gas on the french fries.  My favorite example is the Peanut Butter Halfy, and it is also my wife’s favorite “on the run” breakfast.  I have seen her throw a big tablespoon of reduced fat peanut butter on one piece of whole wheat bread, sandwich it over, grab an apple and a bottle of water and be in the car in less than 90 seconds.  Now that, is eating on the run!

Do you sometimes wonder, “Why do I reach for Cheetos when I know I should find some fruit? Why do I stay up to watch Letterman when I know I will wake up tomorrow dog tired? Why do I play Spider Solitare on my computer instead of doing my most important work? Why am I cranky with my family when I know I will regret it someday?”

There are powerful daily barriers keeping you from living as successful, healthy, and connected as you want and deserve to. You can overcome these barriers, but first do you know which barriers you face. Do you recognize this day?