When we fall into the habit of overeating or eating junk when we’re stressed, it gets easier to repeat that behavior.

One episode of late night emotional eating can lead to a whole week of late night emotional eating.

When our brain is under stress there is a vicious cycle that gets created. In a study of chronically stressed rats the brains atrophied in the areas of decision making, while becoming overly developed in the area of habit formation.

Scientists note that behaviors can stick more quickly in stressed animals than in the controls, and worse, the stressed animals can’t shift back to long term thinking, rational behaviors when that would, of course, be the better approach. <— A.K.A. a vicious cycle.

This might explain why when we’re under stress we abandon all that we know – and all that we consciously want to do, and fall back into old habits.

Scientists note that we’re lousy at recognizing when our normal coping mechanisms aren’t working.

Our response is usually to do it five times more, instead of thinking, maybe it’s time to try something new. <— A.K.A. the definition of insanity –> Doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different outcome.

So, even though eating junk doesn’t really help us feel better, we can’t stop ourselves from continuing to do it. Why? Because we’re used to doing that when we’re stressed. It’s simply how our brains are wired to act when we’re under stress.

Although stress is a huge killer, it’s also necessary for us to survive.

Fortunately, we no longer stress about what our ancestors did.

Our bodies have the most complex systems on Earth.

What’s the benefit of our brain being prone to habit formation anyway?

Perhaps to help shift as many behaviors as possible over to automatic pilot so we can better focus on the crisis at hand.

And even if the crisis at hand is our boss yelling at us or our kids being disrespectful – if we feel stressed, we’re stressed. Perception IS reality!

What do we do???

Besides, taking a vacation and changing up our routine for a bit which can rewire our brain there is also a big opportunity for us to change…

IF we plan ahead what we’ll do before we’re stressed.

If we do that, it’ll increase the likelihood that we’ll actually start doing it when we’re stressed. Lucky for us our new behaviors will become a habit more quickly as well!

Our biggest opportunities for growth are always when we’re most uncomfortable.

Here are 5 ideas for you to use next time you’re stressed:

1. Listen to music.

2. Gather a few favorite emails and read them when you’re stressed. Be sure to save them all in one place so they’re easy to get to.

3. Get up. Take a big deep breath and go for a 10 minute walk.

4. Read a juicy gossip blog that might make you feel otherwise guilty for doing so. (We’ll feel way less guilty reading than eating!)

5. Call your favorite person.

Pick one and try it next time you feel stressed.

Though it might be feel uncomfortable at first (doing anything different, especially when we’re stressed WILL feel uncomfortable), if we focus on just doing it the very next time we’re stressed, it’ll be a tad easier to do it again.

If we look at each stressful situation as an opportunity to create new habits (and it is), it makes it less daunting.

And if you don’t like the ideas above (totally fine by me) it’s worth thinking of other ways you can calm yourself down. The key, of course, is to think about what we’re going to do…before we get stressed.

##

It’s so easy to just say, “Eat less!” The critical and often neglected part of losing weight is the mental aspect of it. The psychology of weight loss.

Most “experts” ignore it because it’s way easier to just write articles with top ten lists telling us what foods to eat and what foods to avoid. C’mon now. We’re better than that!

For the most part, we all know what to do! It’s about actually doing it day in and day out. That’s the hard part! There are reasons why we can’t stick with it, though. MyBodyTutor will help you understand those reasons to ensure you stay consistent which guarantees YOU results.

We’re all emotional eaters. Some more than others, of course, but we all eat emotionally.

Emotional eating is simply eating to change the way we feel. And many of us eat when we feel stressed or happy or sad.

But what happens when we’re nothing but a big tlgenad (<—-Win a prize! Read below.) ball of emotions and we suddenly feel crazy because we can’t identify what we’re feeling at all?

We hate our job. Our spouse is giving us the cold shoulder. We’re lonely. We got into a fight with a coworker. Our kids are being unappreciative. The laundry is piling up…

Unfortunately, there’s no escape button.

So, when we’re faced with emotions that we can’t pinpoint, food can seem like an easy way out. And while food will provide us an escape, sitting with this big ball of feelings – although uncomfortable – can help us sort through things so we can really see what our reality is.

When there’s a lot going on, the key is to sorta act like Vanilla Ice (wow, never thought I’d write that in a inspiration) and instead of, “Stopping, collaborating and listening” we want to slow down, look, listen and feel.

Because if we don’t, this overwhelming feeling can create so much “noise” in our head that the idea of going into what I call a ‘food trance’ seems so appealing.

When we’re tempted to overeat because we feel overwhelmed, it’s helpful that we:

1. Slow down

2. Talk to a friend

3. Write it out and get clarity

4. Wait before acting

5. Think things through

6. Take each stressful situation and give it a feeling. The more specific we can be, the better. Then —> think of three things we can do to help this situation.

While food gives us momentary escape (and this is why our short term, irrational mind is so drawn to this), it blocks us from reaching a long-term solution.

When we work to understand what we’re actually feeling, there is always so much clarity, insight and possibility, and that feels very exciting.

##

Win a prize! The first person to message me with what that bolded word is really supposed to be wins a special prize. I will announce the winner and prize in the next inspiration. Good luck and hurry up!

According to economists we will choose what’s best for us.

HAHAH! Do they live in THIS world?

Clearly, this is not the case.

Research in psychology and behavioral economics proves we are very, very irrational creatures.

On one hand (I like to call this our long term self / rational mind) we know what’s best for us. We know we shouldn’t overeat, drink and smoke.

On the other hand (I like to call this our short term self / irrational mind) we’re highly impulsive and succumb to temptations all the time.

A temptation then is anything we consume more of when we’re hot/irrational/short sighted.

My definition of a temptation is anything that makes us think irrationally.

Here’s the challenge: Right now (5:07 EST on Friday), I feel pretty good. No cravings. I plan on going to the gym later on, and I feel focused and on point.

However, in 3 hours when I plan on going to the gym, I might feel tired. Being tired helps our irrational mind get louder. So does being hungry. So does being anxious.

Research has proven, and I’m supremely confident we don’t need research to prove this, we grossly underestimate how we’ll feel and act when we’re tempted – which in turn, wakes up the irrational part of our brain.

Right now, junk food isn’t in front of me. I’m thinking rationally. I’m good to go.

But, if you put my favorite treats in front of me (I’m not even going to write them) it would be an entirely different ball game.

A few lessons can be learned:

1. Don’t have any temptations near you. In your house, car, desk, whatever. Sounds obvious but it’s amazing how many people keep junk around.

2. Tell your loved ones / friends / etc., that you’re on a mission and that you’d appreciate if they didn’t bring you your favorite treats or keep them around.

3. Protect yourself from getting irrational. Remember: Hungry (eating every 3-4 hours), tired (sleeping, AND counterintuitively exercising – exercise GIVES us energy), and anxious (figuring out what’s REALLY bothering us, and choosing TO bother with it!) are the 3 killers.

4. Don’t go where there will be temptations! “Thanks, Captain Obvious!”

Sometimes we can’t control this but many times we can! A client just told me how she read an article about doughnuts this morning, and all day long she’s been thinking about doughnuts. Why do that to ourselves?

If we’ve decided that the junk at the party we’re going to isn’t worth it…why bother even looking?

Don’t underestimate how hot you can really get!

But see, right now, we’re cold so we’ll rationalize and say things like “Na, I’m good! I’ll be fine!”

Remember: #3 above, and let’s protect ourselves!

##
It’s not only ME saying amazing things about MyBodyTutor. Check out all of the press and testimonials we’ve gotten because of the amazing results we’re getting for our clients.

DAMN! What to do?

Well, I began adjusting my schedule so I could make it happen. However, I’d be squeezing it in between two things I couldn’t miss.

Until…

My friend suggested I do it the next day!

“TOMORROW?!?!”

I was so caught up in the moment, that didn’t even occur to me. I was so pumped up! I HAD to ride the Segway THAT day. NOT the following day.

Once I realized that I’d be cutting it very close with my schedule, I decided the following morning would have to suffice.

**

I’m a big believer in scheduling events or creating things to look forward to. Anticipation is a HUGE key to happiness. When it comes to happiness there are four stages: Anticipation, savoring the actual event or moment as we experience it, expressing our pleasure to ourselves or those with us, and reflecting on the fun and happy memory.

I think my favorite stage of happiness is…wait for it….hold on….give me a second…anticipation. (See what I just did there?)

Anticipation can make our lives better. And sometimes, I enjoy the anticipation of an event MORE so than the actual event I’m anticipating! (And I’m okay with that!)

Whether it’s planning trips or figuring out fun plans for the week or weekend, setting things up for ourselves to look forward to will absolutely make us happier.

I try to create anticipation in my life as often as possible. (In fact, I’ve been looking forward to writing this VERY piece for a few weeks now. But I purposely waited.)

**

Question: If you had the chance to go to your favorite Tropical Paradise this weekend or in four weeks, what would you choose?

I’d choose going away in four weeks. Want to know why? This way, I get to look forward to the vacation for FOUR WHOLE weeks! It’s like a four week vacation PLUS the vacation itself.

Question: If you had the chance to go to your favorite restaurant today or in two weeks from now, what would you choose?

I’d choose going in two weeks from now. Why? Because I get to look forward to my favorite meal for two whole weeks!

Question: If you had the chance to indulge in your favorite junk food today or this weekend, what would you choose?

I’d choose this weekend. Why? Because I can anticipate how tasty that junk food will be all week long!

**

I’m an idea guy. I have binders full of ideas. And before I started MyBodyTutor back in February of 2007, I was constantly thinking about ideas I wanted to pursue. But only one kept popping up again and again and again. Only one actually caused me to not be able to sleep because I was SO excited by it. The others? If it wasn’t for my binder, they’d be long gone out of my memory.

The point? Sometimes, ideas don’t seem all that compelling after we noodle on them for a while. And it’s a wise idea to noodle on them – otherwise, we’ll do things without really thinking it through.

**

When I finally went on the Segway that following day – I was thrilled. I had an absolute blast. And the best part was that I got to look forward to it the whole day before.

Sometimes, we gotta delay instant gratification for future happiness!

**

Feel like eating your favorite unhealthy food because it’s been a long day?

What if you decide that you’ll strategically allow yourself (I say strategically because this is a conscious choice, not an impulsive one) to indulge in a few days time?

In fact, planning ahead when you’re going to eat your favorite junk is a very strategic move. It allows us to anticipate eating it AND it also allows us to PAUSE before we give in. Plus, knowing that we’ll be indulging soon makes the temporary discomfort more tolerable.

The coolest part is that by then we’ll have so much momentum on our side, that we usually don’t even want to indulge. And what if we still really want to? At least it was a mindful choice that gave us an extra boost of happiness (having something to look forward to) and a compelling reason to not give in right away.

So next time you want to indulge why not “Segway It,” until later on. (ALERT! Yes, that is the new term to help us get over cravings.)

I anticipate reading it on my clients’ feedbacks already. “I really wanted those cookies but I decided to “Segway It” until this weekend and if I still really want them, I’ll allow myself to have a few, guilt free.”

**

Like this post? Why not forward it those in your life that could benefit from it. There’s no extra postage, and the best part is you get to anticipate their reaction to it.

Let’s explore:

First off, let’s ask ourselves this question while we’re thinking rationally: Is it possible to be hungry all the time?

Rationally, we know that it’s not possible to be hungry all the time. So what gives?

Well, most of the time it’s emotional hunger.

Real/physical hunger comes on gradually. Emotional hunger comes on suddenly. Real hunger can be satisfied with any food. Yes, that’s right – if an apple doesn’t satisfy our hunger, we’re not truly physically hungry.

Emotional hunger comes with a craving for a specific food. And, unfortunately, it’s usually not for apples. Ever have those times when you eat snack after snack and nothing seems to be hitting the spot? Well, that’s because you’re not physically hungry. You’re emotionally hungry.

When we get “hungry” it’s worth asking ourselves a few questions:

1. How long has it been since I’ve eaten?

2. What am I really hungry for?

3. Is anything bothering me?

4. If I had an ‘EASY’ button to magically help me with what I’m dealing with, right now, what would I use it for?

Perhaps, what you’re really hungry for is affection, assistance, rest, excitement, peace of mind…

Is it possible to have the need met by someone? How about by yourself?

Here’s the challenge: Many times we feel like our needs can’t or won’t get met – so food becomes our escape.

When we’re “hungry” that is a need we feel like we can actually control.

Sometimes, it can be very helpful to explore what it feels like to have the need go unmet by simply writing about it. Many clients have reported that this eases the discomfort tremendously.

This is also how you can find out what you might really want out of your life because typically we’d shovel food into our mouth so we don’t have to experience or face the feelings.

Because when we’re not suppressing feelings, they’ll come to the surface, and we’ll be able to see what it is we really want.

Food is ONLY love when it is used to feed our true physical hunger and we actually enjoy and relish and savor the experience. Otherwise, we’re using food to cover up feelings.

Feelings that are preventing us from becoming the person we really want to be.

How do you like them apples?

**
Let’s talk more about apples.

Have you read through all of our testimonials and success stories? Here, read some of the testimonials by clicking right here, and some of the success stories by clicking here.

And then tell me how you like them apples, okay?!

If we can work on ways to become happier and figure out ways to make ourselves happier, we’ll be setting ourselves up for success.

Here’s the challenge we face though:

All we ever heard as a kid was “stop crying,” or “relax,” or “calm down,” or “everything will be alright!” But no one ever told us how to deal with complex emotions.

When our mind floods with emotions we might feel panicky or upset or anxious or angry. How about feelings like rage, loneliness, abandonment, shame? These feelings can be horrifying.

The challenge with feelings and thoughts is that we can’t control them. There are a lot of new-agey books that are sorta goofy, in my opinion. Many suggest that we just ‘let go of our ego’ and all sorts of things.

The reality is I can’t control my thoughts. They just pop into my head. As do my feelings.

BUTTTTT…….

If we were all going to a gorgeous island that was beaming with sun, we’d go prepared with sunscreen, right? (One day I hope this is the case, as one of my dreams is to have an annual MBT retreat.)

Well, what if we prepared ourselves for when we’re sad or anxious or unhappy?

Besides, it’s not our thoughts that make us sad, anxious or unhappy. It’s our reactions to the thoughts.

What if we had a stash of things to do or look at or read or people to call when certain reactions arise? The idea here is to figure out ways to positively deal with our emotions.

The goal is to actually face them head on because we have a bunch of ways we can soothe ourselves that don’t require food. Unfortunately, we can’t just eat our emotions. Because they always come back up. And that’s what emotional eating is simply doing: delaying the inevitable.

It’s also important to remember that like clouds, feelings and emotions do pass! We must remember this.

So let’s create your stash of things to do or look at or read or people to call, shall we?

Your template: Whenever I’m feeling down…

I will (in no particular order):

1. Go for a run or jog or a walk

2. Call a friend

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

##

If MBT was able to help Irene lose 35 pounds why can’t MBT help you? (Insert your excuse here.) What are you waiting for? Join today or ask ask me any questions you might have. I’m here to help! (Actually, I live to help!)

What is emotional eating anyway?

Emotional eating is when we eat to change the way we feel. We’re not physically hungry, we’re hungry for something else.

We eat because we’re bored, lonely, miserable, uncomfortable, tired, or any one of a number of reasons – none of which has ANYTHING to do with real physical hunger.

Remember: Physical hunger comes on gradually. Emotional hunger comes on suddenly.

If we eat based on emotional/habitual/mindless hunger, our body will never feel satisfied by food. This is why emotional eaters never feel full. They never get the signal to stop eating because they weren’t hungry for food in the first place.

Many of us have the habit of eating when we feel upset, lonely, bored or just want to escape reality for a few minutes. This habit stems from a misunderstanding of why we feel what we feel.

Let’s think of an emotion as someone knocking on your door to deliver a message.

If the message is urgent the knock is loud. If it’s very urgent, it’s very loud. But if it’s very urgent and we don’t answer the door, the knock will get louder and louder until we open the door OR the door gets broken down! (AKA, we’re forced to deal with our reality because we’ve neglected it for so long.)

Either way, the messenger will keep trying until the job is done, and the message is delivered. Just like our emotions will continue to come up until we finally pay attention to them.

And as soon as we ‘open the door’ by listening to the emotional message, and taking action, the emotion will go away. And if it comes back, it won’t be nearly as loud.

You don’t have to be a victim anymore IF you’re willing to open the door.

So onto one of the most powerful questions you can ever ask yourself when it comes to food:

Drum roll please!

Actually…

Let’s do an experiment. If you want to know the question my most successful clients ask themselves shoot me an email with the subject line, ‘What is the question your most successful clients ask themselves before they eat?’

Why am I doing this?

Because what I’m going to share with you is very, very good. And because I’m obsessed with getting my clients results, I want to know that you’re at least willing to take some action and email me.

It turns out that 95% of the time when we eat poorly, we’re eating because of the way we feel.

The scary part is that when we actually open the door, and listen to the message, we may not like what we hear. We may get scared, we may want to crawl up under the covers, and we may want to do a lot of things. That’s okay! At least you faced the monster! (Remember: the monster is never as scary as it seems!)

The only way to overcome emotional eating is to engage in some self-discovery. To listen to what you really want (hint: it’s not food). And the more you tell us on your feedback, the sooner we can identify triggers and come up with strategies that work for you.

I’ve helped so many people who are lifelong emotional eaters overcome their emotional eating. And as rewarding as it is for me, it’s even more rewarding for them. As scary as it might seem, it’s worth ‘opening the door’. It really is.

I’m right here for you. In fact, I’ll be right next to you when you open the door.

So, next time you hear that door knocking, think of the knock knock jokes…

Instead of running away, let’s say “Who’s there?” because you’re more powerful than you think you are! (And no, that’s not the question.)

Once again, if you’d like to know the question my most successful clients ask themselves before they eat email me at adam [at] mybodytutor [dot] com right now with the subject line “What is the question your most successful clients ask themselves before they eat?”

##
If MBT was able to help Stephanie lose over 87 pounds, why can’t MBT help you? (Insert your excuse here.)

So I watched an old 20/20 episode featuring actor/comedian Jeff Garlin, who is best known for playing Larry David’s best friend in Curb Your Enthusiasm.

If you’ve ever seen the show (I think it’s freegin’ hilarious) or know of him, you know that he is overweight.

I was excited to watch the interview because 1) I thought he might shed some insight on the cause of his weight issues and 2) I like him and think he’s funny.

I 100% agree with Jeff when he says overeating has nothing to do with a lack of will power. (This is why I HATE when people say, “Just eat less and move more!”)

He says food addiction is all about pushing down feelings…

And when we do that, we NEVER feel full.

How many times have you reached for food and nothing seems to satisfy you? (Ya know, you eat a little of this and a little of that and you just can’t seem to find that one snack that’ll do it for you. It’s kinda like trying to find that comfortable position to sleep in while on a plane – it ain’t happening!)

That’s because we’re not eating for anything but to suppress feelings and to change the way we feel.

But here’s where will power does come in:

We CAN acknowledge how we feel; either by journaling, calling a friend, emailing me or just shouting out loud (weird YES, but surprisingly effective).

We can also take action on how we feel, most of the time. Let’s say we’re stressed about work. Eating Bon Bon’s isn’t going to make our work problems actually go away, is it?

The challenge is that eating is so damn easy. It’s reliable. And it doesn’t require any effort at all.

Anytime we want to suppress feelings, we eat. That’s a habit.

Now here’s the tricky part: I’m usually not reaching for a piece of fish and brown rice when I’m upset. No. I crave the infamous trio of ‘SSF’.

What’s that?

Sugary, salty and fatty foods.

And when we reach for ‘SSF’ foods – that can override our brain’s natural ability to regulate itself.

Studies have proven this over and over. Give rats what they typically eat, and they eventually feel full and stop eating. Give rats Fruit Loops and they can’t stop eating them. They will even incur DANGER! to get the Fruit Loops or any other highly sugary, fatty and salty food!

“But I’m not a rat!” you shout.

Well, it’s true in humans, too.

So by reaching for highly salty/sugary/fatty snacks when we want to suppress feelings, we’re asking for double trouble, trouble (see what I did there?).

This doesn’t have to do with will power…

As Jeff Garlin noted, once he eats one doughnut, he can’t stop!

So here’s my slight challenge to those who can use it: Next time you feel out of control and want to use food to change the way you feel, acknowledge what you’re doing – but instead of choosing junk, choose healthy food. (It’s much easier to replace eating junk with healthy food rather than trying not to eat at all.)

Just make that change for now.

(And yes, if you can resist using food altogether, that’s ideal!)

##

Using food to cope with your life is what stops you from losing weight and keeping it off. MBT provides you with the system and unconditional support to permanently give up food as a way to soothe yourself.

MBT works because you’ll finally deal with the true source of your hunger. Instead of counting calories – you’ll learn WHY you overeat or have uncontrollable hunger, and what you can do about it.

We’ve helped countless people break free from emotional eating…

Here’s just one example (with before and after photos). What are you waiting for? Join Now!

When we fall into the habit of overeating or eating junk when we’re stressed, it gets easier to repeat that behavior.

One episode of late night emotional eating can lead to a whole week of late night emotional eating.

When our brain is under stress there is a vicious cycle that gets created. In a study of chronically stressed rats the brains atrophied in the areas of decision making, while becoming overly developed in the area of habit formation.

Scientists note that behaviors can stick more quickly in stressed animals than in the controls, and worse, the stressed animals can’t shift back to long term thinking, rational behaviors when that would be the better approach, of course. <--- A.K.A. a vicious cycle.

This might explain why when we're under stress we abandon all that we know - and all that we consciously want to do, and fall back into old habits. Or, maybe we can't break the bad habits to begin with.

Scientists note that we're lousy at recognizing when our normal coping mechanisms aren't working.

Our response is usually to do it five times more, instead of thinking, maybe it's time to try something new. <--- A.K.A. the definition of insanity --> Doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different outcome.

So, even though eating junk doesn’t really help us feel better, we can’t stop ourselves from continuing to do it because we’re used to doing that when we’re stressed. It’s simply how our brains are wired to act when we’re under stress.

Although stress is a huge killer and leads to many diseases it’s also necessary for us to survive.

Fortunately, we no longer stress about what our ancestors did.

Our bodies have the most complex systems on Earth. What’s the benefit of our brain being prone to habit formation anyway?

Perhaps to help shift as many behaviors as possible over to automatic pilot so we can better focus on the crisis at hand.

And even if the crisis at hand is our boss yelling at us or our kids being disrespectful – if we feel stressed, we’re stressed. Perception IS reality!

What do we do??

Besides, taking a vacation and changing up our routine for a bit which can rewire our brain there is also a big opportunity for us to change…

If we can plan ahead what we’ll do before we’re stressed.

If we do that, it’ll increase the likelihood that we’ll actually start doing it when we’re stressed. Lucky for us our new behaviors will become a habit more quickly as well.

Our biggest opportunities for growth are always when we’re most uncomfortable.

Here are 5 ideas for you to use next time you’re stressed:

1. Listen to music.

2. Gather a few favorite emails or youtube videos that make you smile and read and watch the videos when you’re stressed. Be sure to save them all in one place so they’re easy to get to.

3. Get up. Take a big deep breath and go for a 10 minute walk.

4. Read a juicy gossip blog that might make you feel otherwise guilty for doing so. (We’ll feel way less guilty reading than eating!)

5. Call your favorite person.

Pick one and try it next time you feel stressed.

Though it might be feel uncomfortable at first (doing anything different, especially when we’re stressed will feel uncomfortable), if we do it the next time we’re stressed, it’ll be a tad easier to do it again and again.

If we look at each stressful situation as an opportunity to create new habits (and it is), it makes it less daunting.

And if you don’t like the ideas above (totally fine by me) it’s worth thinking of other ways you can calm yourself down. The key, of course, is to think about what we’re going to do…before we get stressed.

##
Is being overweight and out of shape causing you stress? Let’s change that! MyBodyTutor, the proven program, has helped 100’s and 100’s of people get the body they want with our proven methods.

I’m so sure of our program, I even offer a 100% money back gaurantee. That’s how confident I am!

So what are you waiting for? Join MBT today! (Got a question about MBT? Ask away here, and we’ll get back to you right away.)

Larry LaPrise, the man who wrote the “Hokey Pokey,” died peacefully at age 84 – fifteen years ago this April. The most traumatic part for his family was getting him into the coffin. They put his left leg in…and then the trouble started.

In all seriousness, I think a little (or A LOT of) goofiness is important. A little (or A LOT) of fun is important too. After all, that’s what this is all about.

As much fun as eating junk and lounging around is, it’s way more fun to eat healthfully and to be active. It really and truly is, and I know we all agree.

So that’s my assignment for us this weekend.

Let’s aim for fun!

What do you love to do? If you don’t know what you love to do, it’s worth thinking about it. (And no, eating doesn’t count.)

When our mind isn’t occupied, usually our mouth is, or at least, it wants to be.

So tell me, what do you do for fun? And when will you do it this weekend?

Talk to me.

P.S. My nephew, Landon, turns 2 today! So, I’ll be hanging out with him all weekend. That’s what I’m doing for fun.

#####

Here was the inspiration I wrote for Jack Lalanne…

I’ll never forget watching Jack Lalanne on TV when I was little kid. Whether it was his juicer infomercials, his exercise segments on talk shows or his insane feats of strength like towing boats while shackled, I was always so inspired by him.

I vividly remember watching him on talk shows and TV thinking how unbelievable he was. I remember getting so inspired after watching him, I’d exercise right then and there.

I mean if HE could do a gazillion push ups (a 70+ year young man at the time), how can’t I at least do some?

Jack LaLanne was known as “The Godfather of Fitness.” He believed that our health account is our wealth account.

He often said, “I can’t die, it would ruin my image.”

Ernest Becker’s classic, The Denial of Death reminds us that when it comes to our mortality, there is no uncertainty principle. We will die, he reminded us. We cannot not die.

Yet, it is what we do in a doomed attempt to refute the irrefutable first principle that defines us and gives our lives meaning.

Becker believed that each of us makes sense of our existence through an “immortality project” – a personal mission that allows us to cheat death. Whether it is by turning out babies or books or blog posts or students, creating companies or helping to build them, or collecting model trains or Facebook friends – whatever they might be – we all have our immorality project(s).

If anyone wanted to be immortal and believed they actually could be; it was him. Jack was doing things in his late 80’s that many of us can only dream of.

But because, sadly, even Jack isn’t immortal – the only thing we can do to keep him living on is to spread his work.

In honor of Jack, and from what I know about him (having read his last book), he’d be thrilled if we all exercised today.

However, not just exercise because Jack wasn’t about just exercising. He was about going above and beyond. I mean, his feats of strength are amazing!

So, if you were planning on exercising, I’d like you to do a little extra for Jack. And if you weren’t, let’s make time – even if it’s for 5 minutes. On your feedback tonight, write, “And in honor of Jack, I did…”

I bet Jack would get a kick out of it. After all, if we want to honor those we loved and admired and were impacted by, we have to keep their memory alive.

Jack, no one pulled off a track suit quite like you. Your enthusiasm and belief in what you do will always inspire me. Thank you!