What Is A Seizure?

This is something very close to home for me.

I have lived with epilepsy my entire life. People are "familiar" with epilepsy or know a little about it while others have done extensive research on it.

Several years ago, when the Walk For Epilepsy was created, the purpose of the walk was to support and encourage people with seizures. The slogan was "not another moment lost to seizures", hoping that there will be a cure so people who live with epilepsy every day will be able to live a seizure-free life.

I have been seizure-free since 1996 and I have lived a seizure-free life.

Katie Couric of CBS did a story on 60 Minutes on Sunday, October 25. This video is approximately 90 seconds long, but it hit home for me because THIS is a brief description of what happens during a seizure. If you have 90 seconds to take a look at it, please do.

Education is important. We stress that upon our children. I believe we should also educate ourselves as well.


Watch CBS News Videos Online

Repetition

Reading something silently is one thing, saying it outloud is something different. Reading it several times and speaking it out loud is completely different. The reason I say this is because it relates to something that Anthony Robbins spoke about in the program “Unlimited Power”. People learn differently. The order in which people learn things will affect the way they understand things, or react to them.

I attended boarding school at age 15. They principle they taught was – read, recite, review. This principle helped me do so many different things in high school ranging from memorization, learning names, learning directions, and familiarizing myself with them later on.

Now it’s time to return to the basics of what worked. If these three basic principles worked for me at age fifteen, I’m confident they will work for me at age thirty nine. I'm already utilizing these principles when working out (repeating the schedule of the exercises, getting good at it, changing it up. But when returning to the workout, I've already familiarized myself with it, so I have an easier time doing it).

Enough talking.
Time for doing.

P90X weeks 10 & 11

I have read various updates this week on Facebook from people who have both received and started the new Beachbody workout program, Rev Abs, by trainer Brett Hovel. Intriguing, distracting, but I had to stay on my current program, P90X.

Weeks 10 and 11 became easier with the red resistance band. I know, you’re probably thinking “go to the next level band”. I didn’t have it, yet. To compensate, I used both the red AND purple bands together. I thought the red band was tough at first, but combining the red and purple bands pushed me, and I liked that.

My eating has remained clean, I’m drinking 72+ounces of water daily, and I’m getting enough sleep, and feel great!!!

When I complete this round of P90X, I’ll take the fit test again, post new photos, and new measurements. Then I’ll create another post with the side-by-side photos for this round of P90X. Underneath, I will post the measurements (day 1, 30, 60, and 90).

For motivation, I’ve posted the words “I refuse to quit” on my alarm clock, mirror, car visor, computer at work, computer at home – whenever I am the most so that those words are constant and consistent reminder of my goal.

My TeamBeachbody Coaching Page

Hey folks! Beachbody revised all the coaching pages the past few days, and I've made a few modifications of my own (photo, phone number).

This is my NEW TeamBeachbody Coaching Page:
www.beachbodycoach.com/irefusetoquit

Please check it out when you can, let me know what you think.

Thanks,
James

The Game Plan

Anyone interested in becoming an Independent TeamBeachbody coach, you may want to take a look at this video from Beachbody CEO, Carl Daikeler.

This will explain a little more about Beachbody, his history, and about the Beachbody Coaching Opportunity.


If you are intersted in it, send me a message, and I'll be happy to answer any of your questions.
--James

Procrastination vs. Motivation

This has been a topic that has been on my mind for the longest time, and I wanted to post about it.

When it came to business, I did whatever was necessary to get the job accomplished. I was goal-oriented, focused, and determined. I did not like loose ends nor did I like unresolved situations. I was a perfectionist in making sure things were done, but they did not have to be done “perfectly”.

In my personal life, I was not that focused. There were certain aspects of my life where I was focused and determined on accomplishing different tasks. Paying bills, doing laundry, going food shopping – the basic necessities. But when it came to organizing my desk, getting clutter off of my dresser and night tables, that’s a different story. I’ve had stuff sitting on there months.

What is the definition of “procrastination” or “procrastinate”:
1. to put off intentionally and habitually
2. to put off intentionally the doing of something that should be done

I’m human. We all have our moments. There are times when we’re so into something that we’re running 120 miles an hour and nothing can stop us. Also, there are times when we’re just exhausted, low on energy, and we want to give up because “I don’t feel like doing it today”, or any variation of an excuse that we will provide.

During the weekend at the Tony Horton Fitness Camp, I said that when it came to my health and taking care of myself that “I refuse to quit.” As I was listening to the Anthony Robbins audio cd, I realized that my strongest point to sum up who I am as a person was that “I refuse to quit”.

If I refused to quit, why was my room so disorganized? Why weren’t things put away properly.

Because I procrastinated.
“Yeah, I’m too tired…” “I’ll do it tomorrow….” Or I’ll look at it and think “maybe later…”

I have experienced too many of those over the past few years.

It’s the equivalent of when you ask someone to join you for an event and they give responses such as: “I’ll get back to you”; “I’ll let you know”; or the popular “I don’t know”.

Non-committal.

I wasn’t truly committing to myself and what I believed in. That’s extremely counter-productive when you have goals to achieve.

What is the definition of “motivate”: to provide with a motive.
1. something (as a need or desire) that causes a person to act
2. a recurrant phase or figure that is developed through the course of a musical composition

Synonyms for motive include: impulse, incentive.....

When people think of the term "motive" it's usually used when watching a mystery movie or determinining the reasoning behind someone's thoughts. "Impulse" is always related to shopping for some reason "he's an impulse buyer". "Incentive" gives the implication that people are doing something because they want something out of it.

A motive, or a goal. What happens when you don’t have a goal? You don’t have something you want to pursue or achieve. If you don’t have a goal or a motive, how do you live your life? Without motive, you lose desire; without desire, you lose purpose; and so on. One comment or statement relates to another, and to another. It’s a continuous chain reaction of events. You lose one thing, you can be losing a lot of things. But if you CHANGE one thing, imagine what you can change.

The moment I said out loud, “I refuse to quit”, everything changed. I spent the rest of that night clearing off my dresser, putting stuff away in an organized manner so that it was easier to find. Papers and bills were filed, music CDs were put away, clean clothes were put away and dirty ones were off the floor. When I was finished, I looked around, I was impressed. Yet I KNEW that this was just the beginning of more that needs to be accomplished. If I could accomplish THIS task, I was confident that I could accomplish and complete other goals as well. It’s the same as working out, eating nutritionally, and taking care of yourself daily. I became so good at that, I neglected my room! That night, I went to sleep knowing that I made a huge accomplishment with my room.

The following morning, I woke up, put my workout clothes on, turned on my laptop, filled up my water, grabbed my P90X workout DVDs and off I went! Ninety minutes later, I returned to my room sweating from the workout, but feeling great because I knew THAT workout brought me another step closer to my goal. I made breakfast that morning, and that motivated me for the morning. Plus I ate nutritionally throughout the day, and I drank about 96ounces of water. All healthy things, but it all started from one simple thought. One phrase, one idea. That’s all it took for me.

I’m not a procrastinator anymore. I’m an organizer. I know the way I used to behave and how I used to live my life. I don’t believe in that anymore. My life is different. I like getting stuff done to accomplish the next task, because there’s always going to be something.


I know how it feels to be a procrastinator. I also know how it feels to accomplish your tasks and continue moving forward towards new goals. Just do it and get it over with because if you don’t then the tasks are going to pile up and you’re going to feel overwhelmed. I’ve been through that too.

The first step is always the most difficult. The moment you take the first step, everything will get easier after that because you’ll be doing it and making it happen. Once it’s completed, it will be one accomplishment towards achieving other goals that you have been pursuing! Completing that one goal can be the motivation you’ve been looking for to accomplish your other goals.

Try it out and see how it works. Let me know what happened.

P90X week 9

I got a little off of the P90X classic schedule this week, however I did not divert TOO far from it. I diligently stuck with the weight workouts of P90X, but I mixed up the cardio with a little more yoga, stretching, and One On One’s “Recovery 4 Results”.

The Tony Horton fitness camp refocused my approach towards fitness and nutrition. Instead of viewing my workouts as a “chore”, I now see each workout as another step on the road towards my goal.

I have been eating clean meals and I am seeing the physical changes to my body every single day.

I did not get a chance to ask Tony Horton one question at the fitness camp. In the P90X guide, it mentions that you can take whey protein as a supplement from weeks 1-8. It also says not to take any whey protein or supplemental protein for weeks 9-13.

The first three times that I did P90X, I took whey protein all the way through. I also didn’t eat well, nor did I stick with the program guide well enough.

Now, I am doing that. I admit, I was used to having the whey protein daily. My body became accustomed to it during this round of P90X (my fourth round). I started to “bonk” or lose energy.

So I changed my focus.

Instead of focusing on supplemental whey protein, I researched foods (not supplements) which naturally have protein in them. Now I’m a finicky eater and always have been. I know, you may be asking “how can you get in good shape if you’re finicky about the foods that you eat and you’re neglecting healthy foods?”

Well, I love vegetables both raw and cooked. Throughout my life, I’ve had a lactose intolerance making it difficult to digest any milk products (though I have tried). About a year ago, my body changed. I could eat ANY milk products that I wanted. Cheese, milk, ice cream – no problem. But I could no longer eat beef. Beef, steak, or any variation of it – ribs, pork. However I CAN eat chicken. If I have pasta, it has to be whole wheat pasta. I have pasta once a week and meat once a week.

I’m eating five smaller meals a day. Five meals a day for seven days, that’s thirty-five meals a week. I have meat/chicken/fish at a maximum of two meals a week, that 6% of my meals. I refuse to have a “cheat” meal because I know from experience that cheating once with meals turns into a bad habit, so I am avoiding that completely.

Now that I had my meals under control, I needed to find healthier snacks, and I received an excellent suggestion online – raw unsalted almonds. When I looked into it, this has 6ozof natural protein and NO sugar. In addition to this, a friend recommended adding a piece of string cheese to make “the perfect protein” (thank you Yami). I snack on the almonds daily and add a piece of string cheese every other day just to mix things up.

This morning, I worked out to P90X’s Chest/Shoulders/Triceps. My breakfast was ¾ cup of whole oats; ½ cup of unsweetened almond milk; two strawberries, two raspberries, two black berries (washed and cut finely); ½ a pack of Splenda for sweetness, and a dash of cinnamon on top.

When my girlfriend came downstairs, I made the same thing for her, but I changed it around. ¾ cup whole oats, 1 scoop of chocolate whey protein, 1 cup unsweetened almond milk, four strawberries cut up, splenda, and a dash of cinnamon. She loved it!!

In addition, I am drinking 72oz of water daily, sometimes more. I am remaining as hydrated as possible.

I also changed up my resistance workouts. For weeks 1-8, I used the Bowflex Selecttech dumbbells, which worked great. But I hit a plateau at 30 pounds because I felt a twinge in my lower back whenever I lifted. So I started using fitness bands. I started with purple (20-25pounds), now I’m using red (30-40pounds). I’m sure I’ll use heavier bands soon, but I am enjoying using the bands because of the variation.

The weights are downstairs and the bands are in my room. I have a yoga mat and blocks both upstairs and downstairs. Now, there is no excuse for missing a workout. I do a resistance workout in the morning and vary between cardio, stretching, and yoga at night. It makes for a nice combination. I am seeing results quicker with the bands.

Week 9 is completed.

Today begins week 10.

Four Words

Earlier this year, after the TeamBeachbody Coach Dream Extreme Summit in California, I purchased several motivational books. Some of which were suggested, some weren’t, but I found them in the self-help section of the bookstore. Some of these titles include: Eat That Frog; Think and Grow Rich; Make It Stick; The One Minute Manager; The One Minute Sales Manager; 150 Ways to Get Your Point Across In 30 Seconds or Less; Failing Forward; and How To Win Friends and Alienate People. True, these are a lot of books, but some of them are thin books while others are thick. But my reason for getting them was to help broaden my knowledge in learning more about myself and how I can use what I learned to expand my coaching business.

In addition to the books, I picked up an audio CD by Anthony Robbins titled “Unlimited Power”. I’ve listened to this CD in my car every single day since the summit. I’ve listened to it so many times that I know pretty much what he’s going to discuss from one section to the next. So I had to change it up. I bought three of Anthony Robbins’ books: Awaken The Giant Within; Giant Steps; and Unlimited Power. The reason I bought them is to use them in conjunction with the audio cd. In addition, I bought a multi-cd set from him titled “Lessons In Mastery”.

Last night, I was at my desk paying some bills, and I put on the first CD for Lessons In Mastery. As I’m paying bills, I’m hearing Anthony Robbins talk and I completely understand exactly what he’s discussing and how he’s motivating you to take that first step. Then he said something profound and I stopped everything that I was doing. He said (and I have to get the exact quote), “What is it that you can say to yourself today that will motivate you for the rest of the day and the rest of your life?”

I thought of the Coach Summit when Beachbody CEO Carl Daikeler asked, “What is your WHY? What is your reason for working out, for getting in shape and taking care of yourself? Why are you doing this?” At the time, my reason simply was – my future. I’m working out for my future because I want to be in good shape for the future. I am in ok shape now but I know that I can do better. I used that to motivate me throughout the first half of P90X, and that was extremely helpful. But then I reached a point where it wasn’t enough, and I started to slack off a little bit. I lost my motivation.

So I posted my day one photo on my mirror with the caption “do you want to go back to THIS again?” That motivated me for a week or two, but it stopped. I took the photo down and revised the text with motivation words. The words were: inspiration; dedication; persistence; consistency; diligence; supplementation; and hydration. These words will help me to continue working out. But they aren’t the WHY.

I stopped the CD and I started brainstorming about it. I thought about what I wanted to achieve, where I wanted to go and what I wanted to look like… my goals, my dreams, and my aspirations. Then I thought about how I was consistent with eating nutritionally and healthy, continuing to eat healthy foods as well as drinking 72 ounces (or more) water daily to keep myself hydrated from the hard workouts that I’m doing. I also reflected on the years that I did theatre, on how I was usually the first person in the theatre making sure that everything was set-up for the night when I was stage managing a show, and how I was always the last one to leave at the end of the night. I thought of how with the family business how I’m persistent with the finances and diligent making sure that the numbers match and everything flows smoothly, and I’m the same way with my personal finances as well.

On the CD, Anthony Robbins said, “Just say it out loud to yourself.”

I said, “I refuse to quit”.

BAM!
Everything came full circle. In an instant, I saw everything that I have been working towards for the past two years - the workouts, constant hydration, eating properly, taking vitamins daily to supplement foods that I am not eating, sleeping enough, working hard during the day, managing the house, managing the business, managing my LIFE… I’m talking EVERYTHING!

I found my why. I found my reason for persisting why I do exactly what it is that I do.

People have asked me questions such as “why do you workout so hard”, “why are you so persistent with your workouts”, “why do you keep doing the things that you do”?

Because I refuse to quit.

I sat there basking in awe, in this profound moment of clarity. I had to call someone and tell them about it. Mind you, this was 9:45pm at night. I called my girlfriend. I told her exactly what happened and precisely what I saw in that instant and how that moment changed my life. She said, “That is amazing!”

Four words put together to form a sentence that truly defines who you are as a person. THAT is intense!!!

Think of the opposite. When you DO quit, what happens? Bad habits slowly start creeping back into your life little by little. If I gave up and quit right now, I already know the consequences – eating bad food, gaining weight, destroying my health results, lack of energy, no motivation… Everything that I would have achieved in the past two years would be destroyed in an instant!

But I will not let that happen, because I refuse to quit.

I logged onto TeamBeachbody and changed that to my WOWY name. In addition, I am making necessary contacts to change my website, youtube page, this blog, coaching business cards, and everything else associated with “scorpionj”.

This one thought, this mantra, is the one single thing that has changed my way of thinking, my lifestyle, and the way I choose to live my life because I’m telling you – so many things are going to change for the better because of this. I am extremely confident about it, and I am anxious to see the positive changes that this will have upon my life.

I know that I have a lot of work ahead of me. I expect it, and I embrace it because I know that once the hard work of making this change has been completed, then all I need to do is continue living my life and be persistent about my goals.

As you may have noticed, I have changed the name of the blog from “scorpionjfitness.blogspot.com” to reflect this change. My new URL for the blog is http://irefuse2quit.blogspot.com and the title of the blog is “I Refuse 2 Quit’s Fitness Blog”.

I refuse to quit.

What is your why?

Name Change

As of today, I am changing the blog name. Anyone who has visited "scorpionjfitness.blogspot.com" will now have to change the blog address to the following:
http://irefuse2quit.blogspot.com

The previous blog posts will be there. Please update your bookmarks accordingly.

In addition, anyone wanting to email or contact me, please do so through this email address: irefuse2quit@gmail.com

Thank you,
James P. Manganiello
Independent TeamBeachbody Fitness Coach

New Youtube Video - October Workout Promo

I just uploaded a new video to youtube. The video is a new promo for our FREE monthly Beachbody workout in New York City. Check out the video for details on the workout:

Rev Abs

Hey folks! I just had to post this link (hope it comes through). Beachbody Network News, or BNN, the video crew for Beachbody that films their videos and posts videos on the web to update members of new information has a NEW promo that I'd like to share.

Check this out.
The name of the program is REV ABS developed by Brett Hobel from NYC. Check out the promo.


If you want more information about Rev Abs, send me a message.

Kick It Up A Notch

Usually, I don't put up a post in the middle of the week. But this has been on my mind for some time.

I'm in my fourth round of P90X, and currently in week 8, and I'm trying something a little different. My morning workout will still be from P90X, but to compensate (for the heavier weight I'm lifting), I'll be adding Yoga Booty Ballet's "Pure and Simple Yoga" at night. I've used it before, and believe me, it's helped stretch me out after a very long day. I really like it. If I want extra cardio, I have two options:
- a Bosu cardio workout
- a 300 workout

A majority of the exercises in the "300 workout" are contained in P90X's Ab Ripper X, but there are some kettlebell exercises in there as well I'd like to dive into. I have done some KB work with a light kettlebell. I'll have to get a heavier one for this workout.

As a quick update to my progress, my eating is clean, I'm drinking 72+ ounces of water daily, and I am feeling fantastic!

I do not have new photos and measurements as of yet. I hope to post them by Sunday. But as a quick preview of what's happening, I did do a body fat check.

When I began this round of P90X, I was at 26%.
It's now at 16%.

P90X works - plain and simple.