Combat Endurance Training

There are many roads that lead to success. One of the proven ones is to take some time to write down your goals and visit them often.
That being said there’s much more to it than that. Getting clear what you want is a good first step but after you get clear on your goals it’s time to get on the road to making them happen.
The first and most obvious one is to get going in the direction of the thing that you want the most. Remember, it’s many small steps that eventually lead to victory.
The mistake that many make is to expect too much too fast and then become impatient and eventually give up.
Once the goal is clear then it’s important to add some emotion from past successes to the equation.
Everyone has experienced success at some point. It’s important to feel how good that felt and then bring that good feeling to your next project.
Give yourself a chance to allow the feeling and emotion of a past success to influence the likelihood of success with your next goal.
As you start your new project picture yourself with the goal already accomplished. Remember, your brain thinks in pictures. The clearer you make that picture the more likely it is to happen.
If your goal is in the fitness realm than get a clear picture in your mind of how that will look and feel. Remember to bring passion and emotion to it so that it keeps you fired up and moving on even through the times when it may be coming slow.

Fred Nicklaus

It’s a fact. We all do it in every part of our lives.

We move away from pain towards pleasure. Take a moment to analyze and you’ll see that you’re no different

So why is it that some people are willing to accept pain longer and more often than others in order to reach their goals.

It must be in the way that a person is wired that gives them the ability to stay longer, hurt more, and not give up until the goal is achieved. Those that are really good at understanding this pain/pleasure principle usually look for some other pain that will improve their lives after they’ve conquered the original.

Let’s be honest. Anyone willing to grow and put him/herself out there is going to experience pain. The only way not to experience this pain is to lock oneself in a closet and never challenge ourselves. I’m sure that locking oneself in a closet has a set of pains all its own.

So let’s stick to a pain that I’m very familiar with and teach others to incorporate into their daily lives.

It’s the pain of healthy living. It includes making choices about the food we eat, the thoughts that we think, and the movement that we incorporate into our lives.

It’s hard to do it right. It’s tough to set ourselves on a path that requires discipline and continuous effort to get better.

Why bother?

It would be much easier to eat what we want, stay on the couch, and let whatever thought might enter our minds come right in.

I’m sure this isn’t the way to go.

Taking care of ourselves gives us a direction and a commitment. Continually striving to better ourselves also gives us a much higher level of self esteem and confidence.

We are in charge. It matters what we do and think. We have control over what happens to us.

Reach for your own personal power and it can be yours.

There is a value in having daily pain in our lives. It holds us accountable and it makes life worth living.

Fred Nicklaus

It’s all about building the foundation and being satisfied with little victories
It’s a simple formula but a formula that has helped pave the road to many successes.

I’ve been getting some great questions lately from e mail readers and I’m going to spend some time in e mails going over the answers to some of these.

Here goes…

Question-” I’ve lived a sedentary life style over the past 10 years. It’s given me a poor fitness level and lots of extra weight. I’m afraid to get started and unsure where to begin. Can you give me a few simple ideas to move forward to get myself back into shape?”

This is a great question. I wonder how many people are in the same boat and because of fear and not knowing what to do or who to turn to they continue to live their lives without giving themselves a chance to be healthier.

There are a few simple things that can help get you up and running.

Becoming healthy is often times a matter of getting 3 things in check. They are your diet, your exercise, and your mindset.

Let’s take diet first. If you continue to add more and more lbs over the years then it’s important that you change your diet.

The easiest steps to take are to write down what you are eating and have some way to measure your calorie intake everyday. Losing weight is about burning more calories than you take in.

Another important part of your successful weight loss plan is to drink lots of water each day. In addition to drinking water make it a point to cut back on sugar drinks and alcohol.

When starting any exercise program it’s a good idea to start slowly and give yourself a chance to experience some success. That success may come in the form of weight loss, more strength, more energy, fitting into your clothes better.

Look for these small changes and be happy for your effort.

A great option for starting a workout program is to begin walking on a daily basis. Walking for as little as 10 minutes is a good start. Just get moving and once you start to feel better add some time and some speed to your walking regimen

Why is mindset so important. There’s a few reasons that you’ll want to understand.

Before starting anything it’s important to believe that you can do it and also spend some time seeing the goal already accomplished.

Let your mind help you achieve your goal by feeding it something positive to work on. It’s amazing to watch as your mind takes your positive outlook and pictures and creates the reality that you desire.

Try these simple ideas to give you success with your healthy living goals.

Fred Nicklaus

Every destination has its start and finishing point. Reaching the destination also comes with a plan.

Over time I’ve heard many people tell me about their destination. Some have wanted to become Black Belts. Some have wanted to become healthy and stronger. Some has wanted to lose weight and change their eating habits. All have wanted to live a more fulfilled life.

I’m privileged to see kids and adults who want to achieve and make themselves better physically and mentally in both my Karate school and in my fitness classes.

I’ve gotta hand it to these people. Many of them have set a goal and are doing something about reaching that goal.

Here’s a case in point.

A few months back a gentleman came to my Combat class with a goal of losing weight and changing his life. This was not a 5 or 10 lb goal. It was a much bigger goal.

He came with the realization that not only would he have to exercise but he would also have to completely change his eating regimen.

To his credit he’s been willing to do both.

He’s lost over 20 lbs and every week he’s noticing his life changing. He has more energy, feels healthier, and is proud of the progress. He’s also recording his progress in a diary that I hope to share more with you over time.

It’s a great story. It’s a story that I’ve seen replayed so many times over the past 30 plus years of helping people realize that there is a better way to live life.

Here’s what I’ve found to be the most important thing that makes people finally go for it.

It’s simple. They’re sick of living the life that they are living. They know that there is a better way and they are willing to do what is necessary to make it happen.

It takes passion, commitment, and a willingness to get through the pain because you can bet there will be pain.

My friend has a ways to go to reach his goal. I’m sure he will get there. He wants it badly enough.

Fred Nicklaus

This past weekend I had a chance to visit with my mom. She turned 91 years old this past weekend and even though she is slowing down in some ways she still gives me great life lessons.

My mom is a cat person and it seems that whenever there is a stray cat in the hood it seems to find it’s way over to my mom’s house.

This past weekend in one of our conversations she told me that she was worried about her latest addition to her cat family, a young cat, who had gone missing for a day or so.

Lo and behold the little cat showed up but it was crawling around on her garage roof. So what’s a gal to do but go rescue the cat.

So mom grabs the ladder and makes the ascent up to the garage roof. When she gets to the top of the ladder she turns around to see that the cat has already found its way to the ground.

I’ve seen many people give up on life way before 91. For whatever reason they feel that the fight is not worth fighting. It’s just too dan hard.

91 years old and still climbing ladders to help a cat friend.

I’ve tried to tell her to be careful but it’s like talking to the wall. She’s going to do what she wants to do and God Bless her for it.

I only hope that I can have as much spunk and as much meaning in my life if I make it to that age.

Life is what you make of it. Make it special and you too can be climbing ladders when other people your age have long sentenced themselves to the boredom of a life with no more adventure.

Keep climbing mom

Fred Nicklaus

I know I have sent this out before and it is worth resending.

1. First Important Lesson – Learn a Name:

During my second month of college, our professor gave us a pop quiz. I was a conscientious student and had breezed through the questions until I read the last one:
“What is the first name of the woman who cleans the school?”
Surely this was some kind of joke. I had seen the cleaning woman several times. She was tall, dark-haired and in her 50’s, but how would I know her name?
I handed in my paper, leaving the last question blank. Just before class ended, one student asked if the last question would count toward our quiz grade. “Absolutely, ” said the professor. “In your careers, you will meet many people. All are significant. They deserve your attention and care, even if all you do is smile and say “Hello.” I’ve never forgotten that lesson. I also learned her name was Dorothy.

2. Second Important Lesson – Pickup in the Rain

One night, at 11:30 p.m., an older African American woman was standing on the side of an Alabama highway trying to endure a lashing rain storm.
Her car had broken down and she desperately needed a ride. Soaking wet, she decided to flag down the next car. A young white man stopped to help her, generally unheard of in those conflict-filled 1960’s.
The man took her to safety, helped her get assistance and put her into a taxicab. She seemed to be in a big hurry, but wrote down his address and thanked him. Seven days went by and a knock came on the man’s door. To his surprise, a giant console color TV was delivered to his home. A special note was attached.
It read:
“Thank you so much for assisting me on the highway the other night. The rain drenched not only my clothes, but also my spirits. Then you came along. Because of you, I was able to make it to my dying husband’s’ bedside just before he passed away. God bless you for helping me and unselfishly serving others.”
Sincerely,
Mrs. Nat King Cole.

3 – Third Important Lesson – Always remember those who serve.

In the days when an ice cream sundae cost much less, a 10-year-old boy entered a hotel coffee shop and sat at a table. A waitress put a glass of water in front of him. “How much is an ice cream sundae?” he asked. “Fifty cents,” replied the waitress.
The little boy pulled his hand out of his pocket and studied the coins in it. “Well, how much is a plain dish of ice cream?” he inquired. By now more people were waiting for a table and the waitress was growing impatient. “Thirty-five cents,” she brusquely replied.
The little boy again counted his coins. “I’ll have the plain ice cream,” he said. The waitress brought the ice cream, put the bill on the table and walked away.
The boy finished the ice cream, paid the cashier and left. When the waitress came back, she began to cry as she wiped down the table. There, placed neatly beside the empty dish, were two nickels and five pennies…
You see, he couldn’t have the sundae, because he had to have enough left to leave her a tip.

4 – Fourth Important Lesson. – The obstacle in Our Path.

In ancient times, a King had a boulder placed on a roadway. Then he hid himself and watched to see if anyone would remove the huge rock. Some of the King’s’ wealthiest merchants and courtiers came by and simply walked around it.
Many loudly blamed the King for not keeping the roads clear, but none did anything about getting the stone out of the way. Then a peasant came along carrying a load of vegetables. Upon approaching the boulder, the peasant laid down his burden and tried to move the stone to the side of the road.
After much pushing and straining, he finally succeeded. After the peasant picked up his load of vegetables, he noticed a purse lying in the road where the boulder had been. The purse contained many gold coins and a note from the King indicating that the gold was for the person who removed the boulder from the roadway.
The peasant learned what many of us never understand! Every obstacle presents an opportunity to improve our condition.

5 – Fifth Important Lesson – Giving When it Counts…

Many years ago, when I worked as a volunteer at a hospital, I got to know a little girl named Liz who was suffering from a rare and serious disease. Her only chance of recovery appeared to be a blood transfusion from her 5-year old brother, who had miraculously survived the same disease and had developed the antibodies needed to combat the illness.
The doctor explained the situation to her little brother, and asked the little boy if he would be willing to give his blood to his sister. I saw him hesitate for only a moment before taking a deep breath and saying, “Yes I’ll do it if it will save her.”
As the transfusion progressed, he lay in bed next to his sister and smiled, as we all did, seeing the color returning to her cheek. Then his face grew pale and his smile faded. He looked up at the doctor and asked with a trembling voice, “Will I start to die right away”. Being young, the little boy had misunderstood the doctor; he thought he was going to have to give his sister all of his blood in order to save her.

Most importantly…. “Work like you don’t need the money, love like you’ve never been hurt, and dance like you do when nobody’s watching.”

NOW more than ever – Please… Pass It On…

You never know how or when you’ll be paid!

Have you ever tried a new workout program and did it as hard as you could on the very first day? Did you feel muscles you didn’t know you had over the next few days?

A while back I invited a friend to come to one of my local Combat classes. This person was in his early 30’s, former collegiate wrestler, current weight lifter, and very health conscious and took great care of himself.

Very strong and very healthy.

Class started and I’m watching my friend and he’s giving it all he’s got. After all that’s how he always worked out.

After class he stopped over to talk and I said that he might feel a bit sore over the next few days. He said that he was still staying quite active and after his workouts he took supplements to speed up the muscle recovery and cut down on any soreness.

He told me that he thought he was going to be fine. I told him that I hoped he was right and let me know how he felt in a few days.

Two days later I got a phone call. It was my young, athletic friend.

He said, ” I just had to call you and tell you this. My wife took me to the grocery store and I was so sore that I had to hang onto the grocery cart just to get up and down the aisles. I’ve never been so sore in my life.”

He went on to say that even though he considered himself a very fit and in shape person that my class showed him that he really was WEAK in the core of his body. He said that he was glad that he now understood the work that he had to do.

Are you interested in making your core stronger? You don’t have to be a 30 year old former wrestler in order to make your core stronger.

Anyone of any age can do it. A stronger core means effortless movement, less body aches and pain, and a stronger, more efficient body.

You can get it all with either my Intermediate or Advanced training programs.
Go here to get your copy of either program today.

http://combatendurancetraining.com/products.html

Whichever one you choose you will like your results.

Fred Nicklaus

After my staff meeting today I was sitting in the lobby of the Karate school doing some paper work.

All of a sudden the door swung open just like one of those old swinging doors in the old classic westerns on t.v.

I looked at the door in anticipation and in comes about 4 ft. tall and all of about 50 lbs slinging this big bag full of Karate stuff. I swear the bag was as big or slightly bigger than the little guy toting it.

I told him he could crawl into the bag if he ever wanted to hide from grandpa or grandma

The little guy drags this monstrosity past me and then heard me talking to his grandparents about dance.

He pipes in and says that he wants to also do dance and baseball. Holy man, how many hours are there in the day?

No matter, this little guy has plenty of energy to fill every minute of every hour.

I tell him that if he starts dance lessons that he’ll have to use his martial arts to fight off all the girls. He chuckles and gets ready for class.

Then class starts and I watch him and his other little buddies and they are pumped up. Their movement is crisp and they all mean business. High energy level with real purpose. There’s a focus and a fire in what they do.

These little guys and gals know how to get after it.

Working with and watching kids gives me a boost of energy. I’ve been told that I’m just a big kid myself and that’s just how I like it. What a tragedy it would be if I was working with people that didn’t help me stay young.

Could it be that all of us adults could use a little more laughter, some wild eyed enthusiasm, along with as many chances to have loads of fun just like these young ones do.

There’s real value in being around these youngsters. High energy level, using our imagination, and dreaming big dreams without any limits are things that we can all benefit from.

Fred Nicklaus

Sometimes everything comes together at once. This past weekend was one of those times.

Often when many things come together at once there’s a mix of things you like to do and things you would rather stay away from.

My wife of 27 years has been putting up with me for quite some time. I always tell her how lucky she is but in reality I know it hasn’t always been all roses. You may find that hard to believe.

This past weekend was a special weekend because my daughter who is a senior in high school was also going to her senior prom. My how time flies. I remember chasing her around the yard making mud pies. Has she ever changed.

These first two things are examples of some of the really nice things that we wish we all could do for the rest of our lives. Spending time with our loved ones and sharing great moments.

But…

Sometimes life and responsibility gets in the way. This past weekend was also one of those times. It was high time for the Karate school to be painted and it was the weekend that would work the best with my schedule.

Hmmm…

Painting. Ranks right up there with a poke in the eye with a sharp stick. Oh well. Needed to get done.

My wife was great about it. She said do what you have to do. I’m thinking after 27 years she might just want me out of her hair for a weekend.

So I got to spend some time with my wife and took a few hours off to see my daughter in her beautiful prom dress and take some pictures and off it was to some more painting.

Thank goodness for some of the students and families at the Karate school who offered to pitch in. Otherwise I would still be pushing that brush for another week or so.

The painting turned out great. After 3 full days it was finally done.

I hope that I won’t have to lift another paint brush for at least another 10 years.

Having told you about my dislike for painting it’s more important to know that the job got done and it looks great

It was worth the effort and current and future families of our Karate program will appreciate having a beautiful facility to practice their art in.

Every day we have to make the same decisions about what we would rather do and what needs to get done.

It’s good to have a balance for the many things that have to happen in our lives. Taking care of the necessary things, whether we want to or not, is essential to a fulfilled life.

Are there any things that you know you should be taking care of but are putting off to the side? Sometimes it’s best to just get it done.

Fred Nicklaus