There aren’t any!

Business’s don’t have ethics, people do!

OK, OK you can probably tell this is going to be a rant…  and it is!  

The Bible says that an unequal balance is an abomination to the Lord. Back in biblical times business people would sell their wears to people on the street by weight. Poor people didn’t have a scale to check the vendor but rich people did, so the vendors were careful with those who had the means to check them and took advantage of those who didn’t.  The same is true today. I don’t care what your business is, you should have one price for the service or product being offered, if you don’t people will find out and you will be known for the crook that you are.

How about this… do you ever hear, “It’s just my job,” or “It’s company policy,” or “I just work here,” what you’ve done is given responsibility–to no one.  If you are not willing to take responsibility for your companies polices maybe you shouldn’t be working for that company.  But John, the economy is tough, jobs don’t grow on trees, bla, bla, bla.  Go out and do what God created you to do!  You do what you can and let God do what you can’t.  Is it scary…YEP  Is it worth it…YEP Is it easy…NOPE.  But it is easier then dieing a slow death and someone else’s hand, business plan and ethics.

The answer: Take responsibility for what you do and where you do it! Personally I am a lousy employee because as soon as I go to work for someone I know I can do it better and I start looking for the opportunity to open my own business….which I eventually do! I personally think that the next 25 years will be the re emergence of the entrepreneur.  The hard working people of this country are going to take what is rightfully theirs.

Have an idea?  Do something about it!  Put together a plan and start acting on it.  That is what many of today’s large corporations are doing…. and guess what????  Your future may not be part of their plan!

The very same tools that are available to large corporations and now available to you and me.  This is an incredible time in history.  With todays technology you can have phone systems, web sites and systems that can put you right in the game for a very small investment.

I guess the question is: will we stand up and be counted or just complain about the system we created.  Me?  I’ve been bucking the system for almost 30 years so I guess I won’t stop now.   Big corporations aren’t the problem, they are just entities on paper.  I bet you think you can do it better then your boss anyway!  I bet you can!  Now go out and conquer your world…..

I know corporations are big but they don’t have heart!  People do!  You do!

BE THE BRAVEHEART OF THE BUSINSS WORLD!

You are going to talk to yourself we all do !  The question is which voice are you going to listen to.  We have voices coming at us from all directions, from past experiences, other people, the TV and radio… we are bombarded.   So it is a good idea for you to control your inner dialog because if you don’t someone else will.

One of the best ways to do this is to find out what the bible says about you and memorize those scriptures.  Then when you are facing your own giants in life…and we all do,  you can direct your internal dialog with the truth of Gods word.

Back to School, Back to Fitness..

TUNE IN to “WHOLE LIVING” on Martha Stewart Radio (Sirius 112, XM 157) Wed 8/25 @ 10am East, 7a West to hear John live! Phone lines will be open. Tell us how YOU get motivated this time of year to get into shape. Call 866.675.6675.

Ah, summer is almost over.  You and the kids have been enjoying all the summer activities and summer foods together.  The pool, a relaxing vacation, BBQ’s and best of all, no alarm clock!

Snap out of it, soon your alarm clock will be going off at 5:30 AM and you will be frantic again.  The kids are late for school, your husband can’t find his briefcase, and the dog has to go outside before everyone crams into your car to be shuttled to their respective locations.  School has just begun, and your daily routine is already bursting with homework, projects, Girl Scout meetings and soccer practice.  The last thing you want to think about is how to keep up with your fitness routine!

Well, throw that “I just don’t have the time” excuse out the window.  We’ve got your Back to School-Back to Fitness guidelines to help make it easy to  get fit even if you have a jam packed fall schedule.

Back to School – Back to Fitness

The key to making fitness a priority is to simply make it part of your lifestyle.  Here are some tips:

-    Move and burn calories. Yes, you may look a little crazy jogging in place while you make the kids lunch and feed the dog, but the good news is you’re burning calories doing it!  Need some milk for breakfast, walk to the store if possible.  Turn daily activites into exercise.

-    Be realistic. Ok, so you don’t have hours on end to spend in the gym working out, so what?   You can get into fantastic shape working out just 30 minutes a day.  If  you skip a day that is ok just pick up where you left off.  Consistency is the key to being fit.

-    Brown bag it. This isn’t just for the kids! Running around all day?  Pack a healthy brown bag lunch to eat.  By keeping your blood sugar levels steady you will be lest apt to eat fast food and you will have more energy for the rest of the day.

-    Schedule your day. Get everyone off to school on time and you can probably find some “me time”.  In fact if you are dressed and ready for the gym once you get everyone off for the day, you can head straight to the gym and take care of yourself before the day gets away from you.  This will also give you more energy and make you more productive the rest of the day.

This is an exciting time of year, a time of new beginnings.  So why not use this enthusiasm to help get you back into shape?  Who knows, these simple tips may even help you stay in bathing-suit shape year round.

John Rowley is a lifestyle and fitness expert, author, speaker, and Wellness Director for the International Sports Science Association. He focuses on combining peak performance principles with physical and spiritual disciplines for complete and lasting success. Visit him at peakperformancelifestyle.com

Want to have a delicious, guilt free desert?  Try fat free, sugar free high protein pudding.   This has all the pudding flavor with the added bonus of protein you can’t taste.

This is a delicious way to ensure that you are getting enough protein in during the day or a great treat for the kids.  My children and grandchildren love my pudding even though it is good for them.  I personally like butterscotch but you can use any flavor you like.  Give it a try and let me know what you think.

Follow these simple steps for a dessert that you’ll love!

Things You’ll Need:

1. Jello Instant Pudding mix, Fat Free, Sugar Free
2. Fat Free Milk
3. Protein Powder
4. Fat Free, Sugar Free, Whipped Cream

Instructions

1. Place 2 cups of fat free milk in a bowl or blender.
2. Add package of Fat Free, Sugar Free, JELLO instant pudding
3. Add 2 or more scoops of your favorite protein powder. The amount is up to you, I usually want 100 grams of protein in mine but it is up to you.

1. Mix with a whisk or blend in your blender until creamy.
2. Pour into bowl and refrigerate for about 5-10 minutes to thicken.

You now have a desert that is tasty and good for you!

I just returned from New Orleans.  I was invited to attend The Great American Cook off  and got to meet some incredible people and eat some fabulous food.   This is the seafood capital of the world!  You know us New Yorkers we think that the best food is in the Big Apple.  Well I must give New Orleans the thumbs up for the best seafood I have ever tasted and I can’t wait to get back!!  The only thing more inspiring then the food were the people.

During The Great American Cook Off we announced The Great American Seafood Health & Fitness Challenge which will start in early 2011.  I believe this will be the largest fitness event the nation has ever seen.

I will keep you posted.

This is a pictue of me with Chef Dean Max who won the Great American Cook Off and my buddy Ewell Smith the Executive Director of the Louisiana Seafood Promotion and Marketing Board.

This is going to be very brief.  If you want to get and stay fit you simply need to replace some bad habits with some good.

1. Lift weights. Muscle = Metabolism
2. Do cardiovascular exercise.  Burns fat and good for your health.
3. Eat protein.  At least 1 gram per lb of body weight.  Look at my protein made simple blog that has an easy chart
4. Eat all the green veggies you want.
5. Cut back on or eliminate starchy carbs, sweets, etc.  If it isn’t green don’t eat it.
6. The exception to eating the greens is fruit.  You can eat fruit but don’t over do it if you are trying to loose fat.
7. You can have one victory day or meal a week depending on your goals.  For this you can eat anything you want.
8. Eat at least 5 or 6 meals a day.
9. Drink 1/2 your bodyweight in ounces of water.
10. Be consistent.

Do this and you are well on your way to being lean, fit, vibrant and healthy.

The Power of Goals

(reprinted from Martha Stewarts Whole Living)

Your Road Map to Success

“My philosophy of life is that if we make up our mind what we are going to make of our lives, then work hard toward that goal, we never lose – somehow we win out.” - Ronald Reagan

The world just seems to work for those who know what their goals in life are.  A goal is a success magnet.  Once you set a goal worthy of your life, you will some how be pulled toward that objective.  People, circumstances and events will all seem to work for you and for your good.  This is true of any goal and fitness is no exception.

Unleash the Power of Goals

Goals are the road map to your future.   Walking through life with no goals is like driving cross country with no road map, you will get somewhere but it may not be where you wanted to go.  Set your path with goals and see your dreams come true.  Yogi Berra, the famous Yankee put it this way.  “You’ve got to be very careful if you don’t know where you are going, because you might not get there.” That Yogi sure had a way with words, didn’t he?

“If you’re bored with life — you don’t get up every morning with a burning desire to do things — you don’t have enough goals.” – Lou Holtz

How to Set Goals

Action Step 1:
List your passions.  Remember energy is the fuel to ignite passion and passion is the engine of success. I am living the life of my dreams when I am… (Begin each with a verb relating to being, doing or having)  (Example: Helping people to live the life of their dreams.)

Action Step 2:
Take the above list and take one at a time and compare them to the other passions you listed and narrow it down to your top 5 passions. Then take this top 5 and write it down on a 3X5 card and carry it with you and read it all the time to remind you of your passions in life.

Action Step 3:
Write down “why” next to the top 5 things on your list and write a paragraph why you are committed to achieving it.  “Why” is very powerful.

Action Step 4:  This is where we put the plan together.
For your top 5 passions put together an action list of things you would need to do to achieve them in your life.  You will need to use another piece of paper to do this or do it on the back of this paper.  These are your goals.  It is easier to set goals once you know what your passions are.  Goals are the rungs in the ladder of success!

Action Step 5:
For the above goals, divide them into three categories:  Short range (1 month or less), Mid range (1 month to 1 year) and Long range (1 year or more) goals.  Again you may need another piece of paper.

Action Step 6:
For each of your top 5 passions, write down one action you can do today to get started on your goals.  The most important thing is to take action and start today then adjust your goals as needed.

Action Step 7.
For each of your top 5 passions, write down one or more habits you will need to develop to support your ultimate outcome.  Imagine if you exchanged 2 limiting habits for 2 empowering habits every year.  In five years, that would be 10 empowering habits that you do without effort.    That is with only 2 a year.  What if you did 6 a year?  In five years, you would have thirty empowering habits.  Do you think your life would be different with 30 empowering habits?

Master your habits or they WILL master you! The key is to start today and adjust your goals as needed.  Once you start doing what you know you have to do, it will become a habit.

Did you do it?  Why not?  It’s your life and it should be a fantastic one!

John Rowley is a lifestyle and fitness expert, author, speaker, and Wellness Director for the International Sports Science Association. He focuses on combining peak performance principles with physical and spiritual disciplines for complete and lasting success. Visit him at peakperformancelifestyle.com

CARPINTERIA, Calif., June 17 /PRNewswire/ — A peak performance and fitness expert, international speaker, best-selling author, entrepreneur, and television and radio personality, John Rowley has been named Director of Wellness for the International Sports Sciences Association (ISSA), a provider of nationally accredited distance education programs.

John is the pioneer in combining peak performance principles with physical and spiritual disciplines for complete and lasting success. He has authored Climb Your Ladder of Success Without Running Out of Gas! – which shares the powerful lessons he learned while having one foot in the business world and the other in the fitness arena.

John’s amazing rise to the top has become the stuff of legend and inspiration. A college athlete whose career was cut short by a near fatal car accident, he studied kinesiology, exercise, anatomy, fitness and nutrition in order to get his body healthy again. After his devastating accident, John began a career as a janitor before tackling the high-powered world of Manhattan real estate as well as the dynamic international field of fitness.

Despite his entrepreneurial success, John has always been convinced that his savviest investment was in himself and the people around him. He is the world’s leading lifestyle strategist, helping people revitalize their bodies and energy through diet, exercise, and a well-balanced emotional and spiritual life for lifelong success. An internationally recognized motivational and fitness expert, John writes for Martha Stewart’s Whole Living and has recently appeared on Martha Stewart Radio and Fox News.

“John’s message that the key to success is energy is nothing less than life changing,” says Dr. Sal Arria, CEO/Co-founder of ISSA, “The incredible experience and energy that he brings as a speaker galvanizes people to action. John radiates exactly what we hope to inspire in our students – the passion to positively impact the quality of life of each individual with whom he comes in contact.”

For more information on John, please visit: http://peakperformancelifestyle.com/

About ISSA
Founded in 1988, the International Sports Sciences Association (ISSA) is the industry-leading first fitness organization in the U.S. to be accredited by the Accrediting Commission of the Distance Education and Training Council (DETC), which is listed by the U.S. Department of Education (USDE) as a nationally recognized accrediting agency and is a recognized member of the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA). www.ISSAonline.edu
SOURCE International Sports Sciences Association

Dmitriy Chekhovskiy brought my wife Cathy and myself to a baby grand piano in the lobby of one of my events to sing this song to us.  He said it was inspired by reading my first book, Climb YOUR Ladder of Success Without Running Out of Gas!  Tears ran down my face as I listned to this young man sing to me.  What an incredible honor to have your work touch and inspire someone!  This was a blessing from God to me and I want to share it with you.  We all need encouragement to move forward with our work and I am no exception.

Dmitriy, thank you for taking the time to put your words to song!  And for your friendship.

Click Here to here - The Song of Your Life!