Lane 8.org

Master's Athlete of the Year, Rita Hanscom

Rita Hanscom was selected as Master’s Track and Field Athlete of the Year for 2009.

Rita Hanscom (San Diego, Calif.): Named World Masters Athlete of 2009 by the IAAF and World Masters Athletics after winning five gold medals in Lahti and setting a world record in the W55 heptathlon. She’s a deputy attorney general for the state of California.

The photo above is from the 2009 Master’s Track & Field Outdoor World Championships in Lahti, Finland. It was a privilege to meet Rita and her son and daughter.

In Finland, there was a sense of community and fellowship among the 5,300 athletes from 80 countries. It’s challenging to explain. It was unique, competitive, healthy and vibrant, supportive.  Amazingly supportive.

Who couldn’t use as much of that that the law will allow, in pursuing and maintaining a healthy lifestyle?

Shot Put

USATF Press Release, February 8, 2010: United States Largest Master’s Track & Field Indoor World Championships Ever, heading to Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada.

Click here to read the official USATF Press Release.

The past few weeks have been a painful reminder how challenging it is to stay motivated. Most of us can eventually find a compelling reason(s) to get healthy.

Few of us find compelling, long-term reasons.

That is why it is essential to figure out a million ways to stay motivated. A million.  Are ya with me.  Succeed or fail.  There is no middle ground.

USA Track and Field does it for me.  For now.

What’s doing it for you?

Lane 8 In Finland 2009

Last night I experimented with a WordPress front page “sticky post”. This allows bloggers to indefinitely keep a certain blog post as the very first post. Like a sticky note.

If it works, regular Lane 8 readers will see the same “Welcome to Lane 8″ post indefinitely. This is really for first time readers to give them a quick look at what Lane 8 is about.  All you’ll have to do is simply scroll past it each time you visit, to get the daily Lane 8 post.

Do you experiment?  At work?  At home?  With your diet? With your exercise routine? With your rest? With your motivation?

We all know that experimentation and creativity are the keys to innovation. What grade do you give yourself for practicing what you preach?

Anyone on the honor roll this semester?

USA Team Jersey...Priceless

Last night at Gold’s Gym Orlando in the Dr Phillips area, I meet Pleasant Lewis, the owner of several Central Florida Gold’s Gym facilities.

As a 50-year old, I struggle like everyone else, to find time and motivation to exercise.

This is one of life’s big truths.  We all are given the same amount of time. Successful people figure it out, plan for set backs, never give up and they find a million ways to motivate themselves.

And sometimes, if not more often, the thought of, “Is this worth it?”, enters their mind.

Gold’s Gym, Lifestyle Litness, Bally’s, YMCA’s, all struggle too – with finding a way to inspire people to make a lifetime commitment of healthy living.

I proposed to Pleasant that I could help.  We’ll see if “Goliath” has any interest in “David”.

Gym owners have the same challenge as their customers – finding time to do the important things that make a difference.

Mirror, Mirror, On The Wall

As we heard yesterday, humans need a million reasons (fuel) to stay motivated with their health and wellness goals. It would be great if the motivation we so desperately need could also be found at our workplace.

However, even if our companies offer health and wellness programs, odds are, in reality, few will take action.

Does your organization have wellness programs and initiatives?

Do they:

1. Inspire you?
2. Motivate you?
3. Reward you?
4. Make a difference for you?

How well do they work?

Been thinking about a reader’s question, “How to keep employees healthy in an unhealthy environment?”

The bottom line reason people aren’t motivated is because they haven’t found a personal, compelling reason.

And, the personal, compelling reason is different for each of us.  Common themes to be sure, but different personal reasons.

Try some of these on for size:

Be the change.

Action not words.

Do it for someone else.

Lead by example.

Are you an example or a warning?

Fear of regret is greater than fear of failure.

Take personal responsibility.

The greatest fear is the fear of living.

Live, before you die.

Your people are not using the tools you provide because no one wants to work hard. Every company struggles with this. Programs do not address root issues – motivation, barriers, fear.

The reason no one wants to work hard is because they are not motivated enough. They are looking in the wrong places for motivation.

They should not look in the mirror. They should look in their heart, which a mirror does not recognize.

These are the “sound bite” summary ideas around a reader’s question. Thought it would benefit everyone.

But it probably will only benefit a few, the ones who know that the mirror is the enemy.

Yesterday I shared the favorite motivation tip:

• Find a million ways

Today, a second favorite:

• Pay attention

In August, I had the privilege to watch a 70-year old man do the equivalent of Roger Bannister breaking the four-minute mile barrier (1956).  Do you trust me enough to click here?

Please know up front that clicking will take you to an August 2009 Lane 8 blog post, which includes my You Tube video of a world record being broken.

Here’s a third motivation tip, as a bonus:

• You must find time and reason to do things you don’t what to do

“Impossible is just a big word thrown around by small people who find it easier to live in the world they’ve been given than to explore the power they have to change it. Impossible is not a fact. It’s not an opinion. Impossible is not a declaration. It’s a dare. Impossible is potential. Impossible is temporary… Impossible is nothing.” - Adidas

“If your goal isn’t impossible, you’re not reaching high enough”.   – jeff noel

Good luck today with your health goals.  Set ‘em high.  Carpe diem.

Wellness Challenge?  Today.  Tomorrow. Next week.  Next month. Next year.

Huh?  Exactly.  I need to remind myself of this every single day.

Wellness – physical well being – is not something that I can take lightly. Most people understand this.  And yet, the pressures of our lives can make it so challenging to be well, that we succumb to the pressure.

What happens next? We all know the answer to this, don’t we?

So, knowing the answer, what are we going to do about it?  What am I gonna do about it?  What are you going to do about it?  Today, I mean. Seriously.

What will your wellness challenge be today?  Carpe diem.