Note: Yesterday, I published an article about how a 54-year old man just broke the world record for holding the abdominal plank for over 1 hour and 20 minutes. I know, I know. It’s really impressive, and I talked all about this incredible feat in the other article, so I’m not going to rehash anything here.
But when I published that article, I knew something was missing, and I couldn’t quite put my finger on it. I clicked “Publish” anyways, for fear of allowing this story to slip into the dreaded archives of Physical Living drafts, which is fast approaching nearly 100 unfinished blogposts. So, I published it in it’s not-yet-perfect condition because I wanted to ship it regardless.
Well, lucky for you and I, the “missing element” just hit me a few minutes ago. This is a brain fart that actually smells good, and here it is…
How to Use and Benefit From Inspirational Stories
I hear about remarkable people all the time: people who dare greatly, defy the odds, break rules, and achieve success that most “normal” people only dream of. In fact, I’ve read hundreds of very inspiring stories over the years. By now, you’d think my inspiration meter would be maxed out and that I would be ultra-successful in everything I do as a result. Of course, this isn’t the case. Somehow, the inspiration always seems to run dry eventually. Maybe you can relate.
Fortunately, all you have to do is look around to be inspired these days, and the hard truth is that there are lots of people who are undergoing much harder circumstances than I am and still finding a way to succeed. While there is certainly no shortage of inspiration to be had, the problem is that when we hear about these remarkable people, we automatically assume that they are somehow superhuman and their accomplishments are nowhere within our own reach. How could we possibly compare ourselves to super-athletes and world record holders anyways? They’re just on a completely different level, right?
I mean, come on, how can a former Marine who is now a personal trainer who exercises for 5-7 hours a day and just did a plank for an hour and 20 minutes possibly supposed to inspire us mere mortals who don’t strive for world records and eternal glory?
I’ll tell you what I do. You see, I can’t imagine in my wildest dreams ever trying to do a plank for an hour and 20 minutes or longer. It’s not that feeling like a rock star isn’t cool or anything. It’s just that earth-shattering performance is not my cup of tea – doesn’t interest me in the least. And that’s a fact. But that doesn’t mean I will simply dismiss this story, archive it in the depths of my mind, and never again use it to inspire myself or others.
The fact of the matter is that if this old Geezer can hold a plank for an hour and 20 minutes, then I most certainly will not settle for mediocrity, and I will, so help me God, be able to nail at least a 5 minute plank for the rest of my life. Even though that’s considered an above average performance in fitness circles, it should be a cakewalk compared to what that guy went through. He probably hadn’t even broken a sweat after five minutes, and that’s why he’s inspiring to me. He has shown the world that he can do a plank for an hour and 20 minutes, so why can’t we hold a plank for a little longer than we thought we could? Why can’t we do a little better?
I mean seriously, a five minute plank is about 1/16th the amount of time that this guy did it for, and that doesn’t seem all that outrageous now, does it? Said another way, you’d have to do a 5 minute plank over 16 times in a row to match his performance. Surely, you and I can do just ONE five minute set!
George Hood. That’s the name of the man who will be entered into the Guinness Book of World Records after holding the plank exercise longer than anyone else ever has – obliterating the world record by nearly 30 seconds…wait…I mean minutes – 30 minutes.
Maybe you’ve done a plank before, and maybe you thought you’ve done pretty well. Depending on who you talk to, a three minute plank hold is generally considered the gold standard – and anything beyond that is just gravy. Once you’ve hit 3 minutes and beyond, your core is already plenty strong – or so they say. However, I think a growing number of people have already proven that much of successful planking is all in your head. Mental toughness was certainly a deciding factor with the 5 minute plank challenge I posted last year. And I mean, come on, once you’ve done it for 5 minutes, you’re in the elite club, right?
Well, don’t tell that to George Hood, a former Marine and now 54-year old personal trainer from a small city in Illinois. This man is a multiple world record holder and added one more feat to his list of accomplishments after he held a plank for over an hour and twenty minutes – coming in with an official time of 1 hour, 20 minutes, and 5.01 seconds. Hood fought every minute to capture that record, too. It was not a walk in the park, but an act of sheer effort and uncompromising willpower.
Take a look at some of the clips taken during the event. He noted that it started to get difficult around 50 minutes, and the last 8 minutes were brutal. I’d rather walk the plank than try to endure this – har har har.
We all have days when the motivation meter is running low, and for whatever reason, the last thing on Earth you’d like to do is subject your body to exercise – or move at all, for that matter.
There’s something I’ve done over the years to get my [...]
Nate Damm on the Golden Gate Bridge. (click for larger)
From sea to shining sea. That’s where one man walked, departing from Cape Henlopen State Park in Delaware and ending on Ocean Beach in San Francisco, CA. Nate Damm, a 23 year old from Maine, crossed the USA on foot, walking a total of 3400 miles in less than 8 months. He just finished on Saturday (Oct 15). I could blab on and on about what I think about such a grand adventure, but I’m going to let Nate do all the talking. It turns out that walking across America comes with a little bit of life wisdom, and Nate shares a wealth of it in this interview.
Just one thing to keep in mind: Nate offers up more than a dozen nuggets of wisdom in this interview (at least that I caught), and each one could have an entire book devoted to it. Actually, many books have been written on the subjects Nate touches on in both success and personal development literature. But Nate doesn’t beat around the bush and doesn’t need a whole volume to make his point. He just comes out and says what he’s learned in a very matter-of-fact style – sometimes in just one sentence. So, my advice to you is to take your time reading through his responses and pay attention to the way he speaks to better understand the transformation that has taken place in his life. The choice of his words will give you an inside peek into the mindset of a master.
I’m the oldest of five boys. God bless my mother. Something you may not know about the Sifferman clan is that everyone in my family has a natural talent for music – except yours truly. My four brothers all play a variety of instruments including the drums, electric, acoustic and bass guitars. With all the raw talent, you wouldn’t be surprised to hear that they’ve also dabbled with other instruments in the past. Each one has their own style and individual skills, but they’re all talented. On top of that, my father is an accomplished, lifelong pianist who has performed live in front of an audience, almost weekly, for more than two decades.
I have both fond and not-so-fond memories of all the music we experienced as a family when I was growing up. It was just a regular part of life to be playing music. Dad would play the piano every night after coming home from work, and at least one brother was always practicing something new. A day just wasn’t complete without someone passionately playing music – sometimes mind-numbingly loud. I even remember being awoken from jam sessions after midnight on several occasions. There’s nothing like having an entire musical ensemble with a professional sound system setup in the living room – including a full drum set. I can still hear the bass drum ringing in my ears several years later.
Now, I mentioned earlier that I do not have a natural affinity for music. Sadly, I don’t think I’ve thoroughly expressed the full magnitude of that statement. It just doesn’t do it justice…
“A New Year’s resolution is something that goes in one Year and out the other.” Unknown
“May all your troubles last as long as your New Year’s resolutions!” Joey Adams
“I made no resolutions for the New Year. The habit of making plans, of criticizing, sanctioning and molding my life, is too much of a daily event for me.” Anais Nin
Why I Don’t Make New Year’s Resolutions
My wife will be the first to admit that I have a bad memory, but I honestly can’t remember EVER making a New Year’s resolution. Maybe I just don’t like commitment, or I’m a non-conformist rebel, but there has always been something about New Year’s resolutions that didn’t agree with me.
It’s probably because our culture gets so infatuated with New Year’s resolutions every year. It’s in the news, on talk radio, daily shows and night shows. Fitness blogs and websites are among some of the most common places to read about New Year’s resolution strategies because of all the weight loss goals people usually have after the holidays. All those parties, special events, and family get-togethers create a social recipe of excess and undesirable weight gain.
Now, since so much attention is given to New Year’s resolutions and we have access to such an abundance of information, you would think that we’d see dramatic changes in people’s lives throughout each year. I know this may come as a shock, but this isn’t the case. In my experience, New Year’s resolutions amount to little or no actual change in someone’s life. A New Year’s resolution is likened to a wish or a dream that can be ignored, forgotten or easily discarded at any time.
So, every year, I’m faced with the decision about whether to set a New Year’s resolution, and every year I make the same choice. It’s a no-brainer. If it’s not working for the majority of people, then it’s probably not the best strategy. I’ll pass, thank you.
I Need My Info-Fix Man!
Our modern culture, and in particular, the widespread growth of the Internet, has spawned a new type of problem: infoholism. This disorder feeds on New Year’s resolutions. Like alcoholism, infoholism is an addiction, and once you get addicted, it’s hard to quit.
Infoholism: (n) a chronic disorder marked by excessive and usually compulsive absorption of exorbitant amounts of information leading to psychological and physical dependence or addiction.
Infoholic:(n) someone who is suffering from infoholism.
I’ve been around fitness circles both online and offline for long enough to know an infoholic when I see one. It’s the guy or gal who has been on what seems like a life-long journey to discover the next best thing that can help them reach their health, fitness, or athletic goals. They read books, magazines, blogs and forums to get all the latest info – leaving no stone unturned. They can tell you all about the latest diets and fitness programs that were just released, along with the most promising upcoming supplement lines. An infoholic is a textbook know-it-all.
This sounds like a special gift indeed. After all, who wouldn’t want to experience a greater acquisition of information? But there’s a dark side to the infoholism addiction. One of the side-effects of infoholism includes excessive and prolonged procrastination. This form of internal resistance does wonders for the infoholic, making it nearly impossible to apply all that information. Basically, an infoholic is someone with a mind brimming with ideas, but who cannot put those ideas to practical use. It’s the ADHD of knowledge. Infoholics are all talk, but no walk. All theory, no practice. Inert. Inept.
Procrastination (I’ll Think of a More Specific Title Later)
Both infoholics and New Year resolvers are facing the same problem. These people are wishful dreamers. While, they may not lack desire or access to information or resources, they lack action. They’ve probably also nurtured a habit of procrastination until it becomes an art form.
I’m the oldest of five boys. God bless my mother. Something you may not know about the Sifferman clan is that everyone in my family has a natural talent for music – except yours truly. My four brothers all play a variety of instruments including the drums, electric, acoustic and bass guitars. With all the raw talent, you wouldn’t be surprised to hear that they’ve also dabbled with other instruments in the past. Each one has their own style and individual skills, but they’re all talented. On top of that, my father is an accomplished, lifelong pianist who has performed live in front of an audience, almost weekly, for more than two decades.
