THOSE WHO STAY WILL BE CHAMPIONS. This is a sign that hung in my college football weight room.  It meant a lot to me. It's what motivated me to put in extra work and ultimately become a scholarship athlete and starting offensive guard on the football team.  It wasn't always like that though.  My life could have been drastically different - and not for the better.  Here's how it began... My dream to play college football started after a disappointing senior year of high school. We started 4-1 and then proceeded to lose 5 straight games because half of our team thought partying was…

Today marks Day 11 of the 2024 Summer Olympic Games in Paris. Ever since I was a kid, these games have been awe inspiring to watch. In second grade, I was so inspired that I wanted to be just like Nadia Comaneci. I begged my mom to sign me up for gymnastics. Aside from some random cartwheels on the playground, a failed attempt at the uneven bars was my first and last stab at gymnastics! Since then, the closest I've ever come to being in the Olympics is running a marathon. Here's what I mean- Running a marathon is the biggest athletic event I've…

Inflammation is not always bad. We need some inflammation Inflammation is actually a process that helps the body fight things that could cause harm like infections and injuries. It's a healing process that is completely normal and healthy. However, too much inflammation over time keeps the body in a constant state of alert and can begin to negatively impact organs and tissues. Like many things, inflammation is good to a point and when it crosses the line and becomes chronic and excessive, you now have a problem. That problem is not just stiffness and soreness. It is much more than that. It is a…

One of my favorite teachings in the Bible is from Jesus's legendary sermon on the mount.  In Matthew 7:3-5 he says "Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?  How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's"

Proverbs 22:13: The lazy man says, "there is a lion without, I shall be killed in the streets."  Too often we let the imaginary "lions" in our life keep us in the "playing it safe" zone.  Playing it safe is one of the riskiest things we can do.  I can't think of many worse things than being 3, 5...10 years down the road and seeing ZERO progress in life.

Too often people sell themselves short or let limiting beliefs stop them in their tracks. I love this passage from Proverbs 18:21: "Death and life are in the power of the tongue."   As you put limitations on yourself, you are really speaking death over yourself.

When someone like Joe Mauer makes it into the Baseball Hall of Fame on the first ballot, that’s worth talking about.  I've had the privilege of knowing him when he was a kid!

As one of my old coaches used to say: "There is no such thing as maintenance. Maintenance means you are coasting and coasting means you are going downhill."

I've got an interesting thought for you today.  "To do" or "To be."  We all tend to go through our days with a "To Do" list.  Executing tasks all throughout the day...work, home...some of them just mindless busy work that's not really serving a purpose in our lives. It's a wonder we tend to feel empty and unfulfilled at the end of each day. What if we changed our thinking....

Last week I talked about doing an honest review and assessment of 2023 as a crucial first step to setting goals in the upcoming year.  Hopefully you have had time to do this since last week's email.  If not DO NOT DO THIS STEP UNTIL YOU REVIEW YOUR PREVIOUS YEAR.  You can't put the cart before the horse!

Yesterday at church our pastor had us stand up to do the Hokey Pokey! Remember that from when you were a kid?Where in life do you have one foot in and one foot out?   Hmmm. Good question.

I am a lifelong Vikings fan.  There have been a lot of ups and downs as well as disappointments throughout the years (please don't mention the 1998 NFC championship game), but I continue to cheer them on regardless of what kind of season they're having. Last Sunday might have been one of the BEST Vikings games I ever watched.

The other day a friend of mine was shocked to learn I get up at 4AM.  "How can you do that?"  One simple answer. PURPOSE over PLEASURE.  I say this because I have a clear purpose bigger than myself.

I saw a saying once that said "The trees are about to show us how lovely it is to let things go."  I like that imagery.

The Twin Cities Marathon was on the calendar yesterday. Known as The Most Beautiful Urban Marathon in America...this always falls on the first Sunday in October. For 41 years that has been the case. This time of year is absolutely perfect for a marathon - especially in Minnesota. Blue skies, crisp cool temps and colorful leaves are among the many, many highlights along the 26.2 mile course.

Playing it safe is one of the riskiest things we can do.  I can't think of many worse things than being 3,5...10 years down the road and seeing ZERO progress in life.  We were not created to be mediocre. But unfortunately many people choose to stay in the "safe zone."  Not smart.

Relying on online videos simply doesn't work as a solid workout strategy.

The first step to achieving massive success in any area of your life is COMMITMENT. 

Not just part of the way but ALL of the way.

Years ago I had a very wise trainer named Chris Giesking.  It is no surprise he is now teaching at a local college because he was full of wisdom.  One of the coolest lessons he taught me was that fitness is like BINGO. 

At the beginning of July, I got word that the dog belonging to a friend of one of my friends went missing.  He got spooked by fireworks while staying at a home other than his own and took off. I didn't know the owner, but my heart for dogs is larger than life and my dog Rosey had such a fear of fireworks she could barely leave the house on July 4.  This dog was lost in Burnsville, not far from where I live, so I knew I needed to help.