Tag: discipline

02.05.2020 /

Live your dream, NOW

” Those times when you get up early and you work hard, those times when you stay up late and you work hard, those times when you don’t feel like working, you’re too tired and you don’t want to push yourself, but you do it anyway.

That is actually the dream.“

-Kobe Bryant
Retirement speech

My personal training client, Frank Veert is the embodiment of just that. When we met 4 years ago his dream was to be GM of a car dealership. 4 years later he is now partner of a dealership. Youngest in Canadian history. He’s been putting in work since he was a young teen, for years. He had a vision since he was young, he believed in himself and put in work, everyday. He is living proof that anything is possible. And he is living the dream, now. Beyond proud and grateful for him.

I’ve been watching Kobe’s retirement speech, and all of his other videos, over and over. Reminiscing and learning from the greatest of all time. The legacy he has left the world is forever cemented in history. His hard work, lessons and wisdom he has shared with the world makes me feel so sad for him and his family but also makes me extremely proud to have grown up in his era. Idolizing Kobe for the athlete he was but more so, for the man he became.

I wake up every morning. 5am. It’s pitch black outside. I meditate, journal, train. And I struggle, a lot. Everyday. But I keep doing it. However, lately I’ve caught myself complaining:

“What is this all for? Does anyone even care? I feel so alone.”

Listening to him talk about how he would wake up at 4 am, train, build the fundamentals, work on his weaknesses, and put in work while everyone was still sleeping, everyday, honestly made me feel so much better about my path and makes me feel not alone. Knowing that he did this for himself and look at the impact he has left around the world. It makes me want to work harder.

Instead of complaining about what I’m doing, I need to enjoy it. Enjoy the struggle. Know that it is part of the process of becoming who I always wished of becoming. And know that this is all for something, for someone out there, who can maybe be inspired by my discipline and relentless work. Just like Kobe has and will continue to, for millions out there.

By consistently putting in the work, over time, greatness will happen. Not by what we accomplish but just like Kobe said – Who we become in the process that is the dream. That is greatness.

We all wish we could be in a certain position, or make a certain amount of money and have this and that. But in the end it has nothing to do with that. It’s the path – the dirt road, the smooth road, the ups, the downs, the good, the bad, ALL OF IT –  that builds, makes and moulds who we are. Our character. Our spirit of who we always wished to be. The crazy thing is, that can be NOW. If actively decide and we honour the struggle. The times we wake up and don’t want to do it. But push through and do it anyway. If we continue to put in the work, everyday. We can live OUR DREAM, NOW.

Just like Kobe taught us. If you do the work and work hard enough. Dreams do come true.

So I am going to challenge myself, and challenge YOU – Honour the struggle. Truly enjoy it. Learn from every experience to be better. Work hard, everyday. Believe in yourself and know it is for something or someone out there, that need YOU.

” It’s not the destination it’s the journey… You won’t accomplish your dreams. Something greater will happen.“

-Kobe Bryant
RIP forever my friend

I am truly grateful for you. Your legacy lives on forever.

LIVE YOUR DREAM, NOW.

Love,
Stephen Albert Ramos

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01.14.2020 /

7 things I learned after my 5 day fast

I learned so much from this experience. More than I could’ve imagined:

1. Discipline and will power is the foundation of achieving anything I (we) want in life.
If one is motivated enough to do something, they will find a way to do it. No matter how hard the circumstances are. Just like the old saying goes,

“Where there’s a will, there’s a way”

2. My internal acceptance is not based on my external (physical) appearance.
I’ve been a prisoner to this for almost all my life. Growing up my family was not wealthy. But my parents did everything in their power to provide for us the best they could, even sacrificing their own needs.

In my teens, I had no money, no job, no car. I compared myself to my friends and others who had all of that. I didn’t think I was good enough, plain and simple (and still to this day). I was ashamed of my upbringing and felt I had something to prove. I wanted to feel like I belonged.

15 years ago, when I  came across physical training I found something that I absolutely loved. So I did it over and over and over – you get the point – and my body responded. 7 days a week, 3 hours a day (no joke) for years. Too much? Probably but I didn’t care. It was medicine for me. It was a form of therapy (another journal entry). I felt like I had an edge over others in this one area of my life because I started gaining respect from others. So from that point on, in my head, I had to work even harder. I had uphold such an image, no matter the cost.

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t regret it one bit, but know I realize there’s so much more to training then the physical. Behind that is the mental which is the foundation of everything. Having the discipline to do the thing consistently, even when you don’t want to do it. That’s why this means so much to me. Not the fact that I didn’t eat for 5 days, but the discipline to tell myself that I’m going to do it, AND DO IT.

I literally thought I would shrink if I did not eat every 2-3 hours. Shovelling food down my throat. Never present while I was eating, just getting it in so that my muscles could grow. Sounds ridiculous I know. But that was my thought process behind it. But after not eating it was a huge mental hurdle for me to get over. I did lose weight, muscle mass and fat. I feel skinny but I think I’m okay with it. It’s letting go of my ego. I know that it will be a constant hurdle but with time I know it will get better as it already has.

3. I have a true appreciation for food as I used to take food for granted.
Visiting my hometown, the Philippines, with my family a few years ago was a complete culture shock. I saw two extremes – the wealthy and the poor. The poor had nothing. They lived in open shacks made of wood and mud. I saw two kids playing in knee high mud, splashing around, having the time of their life. The crazy thing, they were smiling. They seemed so happy. And here I am complaining about everything I don’t have. Why is it that we have so much but only focus on everything that’s missing. They would die to be in our shoes. Why can’t we see that?

There are people out there starving not knowing where their next meal is going to come from. It makes me sad just to think about it. But now having felt complete starvation, it  gives me a tiny bit of insight on how they feel, everyday.

4. I am even more cautious about what I will put in my body.
Don’t get me wrong, I still believe that we should still live life and enjoy the foods/drinks we want to, but within reason. There needs to be structure so that will allow you the freedom to indulge, a bit. “Structure gives you freedom.”

What we put (or not put) in our body affects how we function and feel, physically and mentally for days. Think about that in the long term and how that can determine the quality of our life. The one life we have.

Taking away everything and then bringing it back makes me realize the types of food that make me feel like shit or make me feel better. Again, It’s all about moderation and giving yourself the respect to not just inhale everything around you. Your body deserves better.

5. Practice self control over things I want vs things I actually need.
Not to say that we don’t need food because we do. But more in a sense of wanting vs needing – applicable to (junk) food and pretty much everything else in life. Always wanting more of this, more of that, but when does it end? Stop and ask yourself, “Do I actually NEED this?” “Will this make my life better or worse?” If not, don’t eat (drink) it. Don’t buy it. Simple as that. You’ll most likely feel better and It’ll save you the money in the long run. Live with less and have a more simple fulfilled life.

6. I can’t let myself (others) down.
As Don Miguel Ruiz states in his book – The Four Agreements:
Be impeccable with your word.

Do what you say. Say what you do. Because our word is sacred. This applies to all that you do in your life. Keep your word and be reliable to yourself and others.

7. We all need a break.
Taking this break has given me a full reset. Just like you would turn off or reset your computer, I feel I have done that with my body and mind. Giving my gut a break: from eating, drinking coffee, supplements and alcohol. Also a break from smoking weed and giving my muscles a break from intense training (still did light workouts 2/5 days) was exactly what my body and mind needed.

It forced me to slow down. Literally, if I didn’t I felt light-headed. Otherwise, I don’t think I would’ve especially from physical training. I came back revitalized. My workouts now feel stronger and I feel re-motivated with my work and life in general. It was exactly what my mind needed.

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Not to mention all the other benefits associated to fasting (in previous journal entry) Well worth the 5 days. And I’ll gladly do it all over again, every year for the rest of my life. Remember, longevity is the name of the game. So we can do the things we love, with those that we love, for the rest of our lives. Because if we can’t, what’s the point?

Thanks for reading. Come back, anytime. Grateful for you.

With love,
Steve Ramos

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01.06.2020 /

5 day fast. Here’s what I found.

DISCLAIMER* This is NOT medical advice. Do not do without consulting your doctor or support from others who are experienced in this manner.

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I started the year with a bang. A 5 day fast. Yes, you got that right.
No food. Just water.

Water – with a pinch of himalayan sea salt and (unflavoured San Pellegrino. Along with herbal tea – rooibos, peppermint and chamomile.

Side note: I have been practicing intermittent fasting for a while now and have done 1 day fasts in the past.

Why the F would you do that? Let me explain.
Mental resiliency! I wanted a full reset of my body and mind. I didn’t want to be ruled by my hunger anymore. If I didn’t eat every 2-3 hours I would legit get ‘hangry’. I also wanted to mentally test my discipline and will power by doing something so extreme. It goes against everything that I (we) were taught growing up. You have to eat every day, minimum 3 meals a day, 365 days a year. But do we? Think of primitive times where they had to hunt for their food and would fast until their next meal, assuming that they made the kill.

Also, I’ve been recommended by a handful of friends who have done and continue to do 5 day fasts multiple times a year.

Benefits:
1. Prevent cancer – My mom had breast cancer and beat it with a mastectomy. My father passed away from stage 4 kidney cancer that spread to both lungs.
2. Longevity of life – Some of the people that have lived the longest have had some form of fasting protocol throughout their life.
3. Improve heart health, blood pressure, cholesterol levels – reduce risk of heart disease.
4. Boost brain function – Mental alertness and clarity.
5. Boost Metabolism – Amazing reset to metabolism for me.
6. Increase Growth Hormone – Increased muscle strength.
7. Reduce Inflammation – I train a lot so this is great for muscle and joint inflammation. Also foods I eat – healthy and unhealthy – could have caused inflammation within my body.

Day 1
I started the fast midnight of NYE which was a bad idea. Since the next day we had a family get together with ALL the food. My mother thought I was mad at her because I didn’t eat. I sat on the couch while my family and friends ate dinner at the dinner table. It was brutal. Hearing them eat and talk about how good the food was killed me. The first day was a huge test. But I passed it!

Day 2
Woke up feeling insanely hungry. I stood up from bed and immediately felt like I was going to fall over. I woke up from a dream of waterfalls. Makes sense since I’ve been chugging water up until this point. Had water with a bit of himalayan sea salt and peppermint tea.

My first client was at 6:30 am. As soon as I did some movement and mobility with him I felt amazing. I did a light training session. And felt pretty good. I wanted to do more but realized I needed to take it easy. I had a full day of clients and surprisingly felt amazing. I felt super focused and dialed in. Very energetic and felt the mental clarity that I was informed I would feel. Just didn’t expect to feel it this fast.

Had a crazy leg day. I pushed the limit on what I could do. I went lighted on the weights but had high volume. I told myself I was going to take it easy during the fast but I felt really good and pushed the envelope. Towards the end I felt a bit nauseous.

Had a podcast that night with the Brain Jiu Jitsu fellas – Ryan Caligiuri, Arlin Grey, Shawn Henry, Enrico De Thomasis, James Nakonechny – who are all experienced fast(ers). They all do it 2-4 times a year. I felt I was in good hands. As the podcast went on I felt fine as I was distracted with amazing conversation, also got golden advice and motivation to keep on going.

In the evening I had some chamomile tea and foam rolled. Felt AMAZING going to bed. Minus my heart pounding out of my chest. I noticed that my heart rate increased dramatically on day 1.

Day 3
I woke up with a surprise. I was thinking that I would feel better as my body would be getting into ketosis – body uses fat as fuel – but I woke up feeling extremely drained. I almost fell over as I got out of bed to go to the washroom. I had to snooze after (which I rarely do).

Training my clients felt okay as I did the movement and mobility with them. Did not feel hungry as I was focused on being present with them.

However as I got home, the smell of a candle set me off. I immediately got extremely hungry. Had some chamomile tea and thought I would feel better but my stomach was very uneasy. Felt like I could have thrown up or passed out.

When I went to bed I was having a hard time sleeping as my heart beat literally felt like it was going to pop out of my chest.

Day 4
This was the worst day of how I felt. I was very thrown off as I thought for sure my body would be in ketosis and I would feel the best the last 2 days. However that was not the case. I felt very sick: Stomach hurt, nauseous, very light headed, my body felt drained.

I had a class at the Community Gym that morning at 9am. I honestly questioned how I would get through it as it requires a lot of mental and physical energy to train and motivate 20 people. But as I did the warmup and went through the session I felt immediately better. As I was coaching I was a bit out of breathe but still pulled through.

Took it easy the rest of the day. Felt okay.

Day 5
Woke up knowing I had only one day left was a huge relief. I felt the same as day 4 but not as bad. Sluggish, very slow, lightheaded and stomach a still a bit uneasy.

Today was my last test as my family went to a Pizzeria. I sat there while they enjoyed amazing pizza. Again I felt I had come this far which I had more pride from.

I broke my fast with bone broth soup made by my #1 supporter, my fiance, Meaghen. It was worth the wait! She truly understood why I was doing it and helped me a ton. I am beyond grateful for her through this journey (and everyday). I love you babe.

How did I feel?
Not gonna lie. It was way harder than I thought. It was super challenging. My sense of smell was insane. The slightest smell would set off urges to eat everything insight. Even the smell of a vanilla candle set me off.

I lost weight (did not weigh myself) But could feel it and see it in the mirror. My clothes felt baggier. I don’t think I lost too much weight and nothing that I know I can’t get back to.

Also, It really messed with me mentally, in a sense that I felt I had to uphold a certain image (size) to feel accepted. As I have for the last 15 years of my physical training career. But that is definitely not the case. I am not valued by my body. I am valued and accepted by the way I accept myself and how I treat and add value to others.

I feel extremely proud of myself knowing that I had done something most people haven’t or won’t in their lifetime.

Lessons
Next time, I will not tell anyone  that I am doing a fast, other than those that have fasted and/or who support me 100% and understand why I’m doing a fast. It is so foreign to people that they don’t understand it. I found myself constantly having to justify myself to other people why I was doing it. Almost felt like people were offended that I was fasting (or maybe just in my head). So for next time (or anytime) I will fast in silence and only tell them once I’m done. Talk less, just DO.

Should you do it?
I’m not going to tell you to do it. But if you do your research and feel that this will benefit you, all you! First, consult with a Dr and have proper support and guidance through the process, then it is up to you to see how it can help you. Do at your own risk.

Verdict
I loved it. For the simple fact that it was hard as F. I’ve decided that I will do a 5 day fast, a minimum of once per year and supplement it with 1-3 day fasts twice per year. I find there is a true benefit for the body and the mind. I love testing my discipline and this is one way to do it.

I also realized that I took food for granted. To have food readily available to us at the click of a finger. I was rarely present when I ate. Just always tried to shovel it down my mouth like I haven’t eaten for weeks (almost every meal). But instead actually smell the food, chew it, savour it and thank god for granting me a beautiful life to eat anything I want, whenever I want.

My friend Aman Sidhu brought this to ligth as he finished his 5 day fast –

“Think about the billions of people out there starving. Not knowing when their next meal will be. We have food so readily available to us. We are SO BLESSED.”

It was hard as F. But I did it! I want to be able to incorporate this into my yearly routine as I know the benefits will help me long term. I want to live a long healthy life to be able to support my future family to the best of my ability both mentally and physically. I will continue to try other life “hacks” to continue to push the envelope of what I think (know) my body and mind can do.

As my friend and experienced guide, Arlin Gray, through this process told me:

Brother. You did it. ??
You just did something that >95% of people can’t do. Most wouldn’t even try it because it’s so far beyond their capabilities. Your brain just denied your body the second most important thing in this world for it’s survival because your brain knows the benefits and has that much fucking power to take the wheel when it matters. I’m GLAD it was harder than you thought. And you still did it. That’s discipline.Now tell me, if you can do that, what can’t you do?
Love,
Steve Ramos
Grateful for you.

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01.03.2020 /

How to achieve your goals in 2020

First off, the foundation behind all of this, is your WHY.

Your purpose, your mission in life. Your big-picture goal. Or guiding northstar. The thing that will keep you going even when you don’t want to.

“If you don’t understand your why, then goals become easy to discard” – Aubrey Marcus

For me, my mission in life is to live and share my store to empower others to be better versions of themselves mentally and physically. It took me a while to figure it out but with the help of some friends and the “Go For Your Win” Course by Aubrey Marcus, I was able to nail down and refine my Why. Not to say it’ll change but it’s a great start to get me on my way.

It helps if your mission / purpose is bigger than you. To me, that means I have no option not to do it. God/Universe has blessed me with a unique gift that I must dig deep to find and share that with the world. Most importantly, I can’t let my clients, friends, and supporters down. It is my duty to uphold each and every day to put in the work that is necessary to achieve my goals so that I can help as many people as I possibly can. That’s what helps me do the thing, when I don’t want to do the thing. It is my northstar.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not perfect and definitely not always 100% productive. I’m human, just like we all are. We are not perfect. But what we can do is strive for excellence to help us learn, get better and refine our approach at whatever it is we’re trying to do.

So before anything, do what you can to figure out what your WHY is. It doesn’t have to be perfect but it can be a start.

1. Find your WHY

The next step is to ask yourself the right questions:

2. What did I learn in 2019 about myself? Good and bad
3. What can I have done better?
4. What goal(s) do I want to achieve?
5. What habits and discipline will I implement in 2020 to help me grow towards my goal? (Can be broken into different categories: professional, personal, finance, relationships, health, spiritual)
6. Make a plan of action with a narrowed focus.
7. Take action. EVERYDAY.

Self introspection / self reflection is a must if you want to make change in your life and to achieve your goals.

Most importantly, have unwavering faith in yourself. Surround yourself with people that support and elevate you to a higher level. Cut out the rest. AND PUT IN THE F*CKING WORK.

You got this. I believe in you.

Much love,
Steve Ramos
TEAMFITPAK

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