Nextform Fitness

What’s NEXT for one of us may not necessarily be what’s next for another, but I do believe that we should all try to evolve and do what we can to prepare for all that life has to offer. is someone that I’d like to give a moment of recognition and a major shout out to. Not only has James been an amazing individual to work with, he has become an incredible example of dedication and commitment. Everyone’s purpose, everyone’s journey is their own. It can be difficult to summarize all that goes in to making a major change in life. Personal, professional, spiritual, relational, whatever that change may be, it’s a process and the path is littered with trials, tribulations, small victories, and sometimes monumental shifts.

NextForm’s mission is to HELP, SUPPORT, DRIVE, CHALLENGE, EMPOWER others to live resiliently and become better prepared for whatever is NEXT. Here is what James had to share about his time with us in working towards that mutual goal.

Big shoutout to two of the newest members of our NextForm 5:30am crew and Farris Abuneel. Welcome to the team fellas!

I am so fortunate and so THANKFUL to be surrounded by people who work to be the best versions of themselves in an effort to be at their best for those AROUND THEM. Looking forward to what’s Next! 👊🏼 Chris Delfs, Mike Wilgus

“The quality of your life is determined by the quality of your thoughts.” -Marcus Aurelius.

A great friend and mentor of mine introduced me to the concept of framing the day. The idea is to develop a daily practice that enables you to begin and/or end your day with intention and perspective.

and I worked through a few different exercises over the span of about a year that ultimately shaped my personal morning routine and it continues to evolve over time. What I will say is that framing the day has changed my life for the better in more ways than one. I believe it makes me a better father, husband, coach, friend, neighbor…a better person.

My practice consists of a several key components including reviewing my “oath to self”, my guiding principles, personal development reading, daily planning, movement, and coffee. It takes about an hour and it sets the tone for my day. That’s what my practice has become, that is not where it started. Framing the day has no concrete time frame, no specifically defined elements. The goal is to develop a practice that helps you set a positive and intentional state of mind at the beginning of your day.

Key Concepts:
1. It should be YOUR practice. Personalize it so that it works for you.
2. It should take place in the very beginning of your day. Maybe not the first thing but definitely one of the first things.
3. It should be focused and uninterrupted.
4. It should be done ritually. Every day.
5. It can and likely will evolve with time, as you do.

“THIS is why we train!” Not from a coaching perspective but as people who prioritizes exercise, diet, recovery, and a growth mindset. Being capable of making the most out of our time on this giant rock!

Can you complete 4 miles 45 Minutes??? The challenge is max distance in 45 minutes.

1. Start with 15 degree incline.
2. Try to complete 1 mile as fast as you can.
3. If you can complete 1 mile in less than 15 minutes, drop incline to 0 degrees and increase speed as much as you like to get as far ahead as you can on your next mile before the 15 minute window is complete.
4. Once the 15 minute window is complete you have to bring the incline back up to 15 degrees and complete another 15 minute window following the same protocol.
5. Repeat the process until 45 minutes (three 15 minute blocks) are complete.

*4mph = 1 mile in 15 minutes.
*if you are unable to complete a mile before a 1 minute window closes, then your incline remains at 15 degrees.
*remember that the goal is max distance in 45 minutes so adjust your speed as needed to keep working until the entire 45 minutes is complete.

You are what you eat. The problem is if you don’t know what foods could be causing you significant and/or chronic systemic inflammation then you don’t know what foods YOU should truly be going out of your way to avoid. Most illness and disease stems from unchecked inflammation and most inflammation stems from the gut. A food sensitivity, not a full blown food allergy, but a sensitivity can ultimately cause real issues. The only way to know for sure is through testing. The company Viome (who I have no affiliation with) makes an affordable home screening kit.

***GIVE AWAY- personalized 4 week training program. If you have not already, listen to the podcast from the previous post. Once you have answer the following questions on the comments.

Each correct answer will earn you an additional raffle entry. Winner will be chosen and announced Saturday morning 1.01.2022!

1. How many stages are there in a sleep cycle?

2. True or False? Alcohol improves our ability to achieve REM Sleep.

3. On average we need to decrease core body temperature by how many degrees Fahrenheit in order to achieve quality sleep.

4. True or false? Melatonin supplementation is most beneficial for older individuals who have calcification of the Pineal Gland.

5. Which substance appears to have the most significant impact on sleep melatonin, valerian root, or tart cherry juice?

***Give Away: Free Personalized 4 Week Training Program.

1. Listen to the podcast. There is so much research and a rapidly growing body of literature that shows SLEEP is the single most influential factor in both length and quality of life. Link: https://open.spotify.com/episode/4KNsmuCgX6lz8GE2J3393Y?si=eGiudqBPQragi1vru20FJg&context=spotify%3Ashow%3A79CkJF3UJTHFV8Dse3Oy0P

2. Watch out for tomorrows post and submit your answers in order to enter the drawing. Each correct answer will earn you an entry.

Understanding the why is much more powerful that simply knowing the what.

GIVE AWAY!!!
Free Personalized 4 Week Training Program. Your goals, your limitations, your access to equipment, etc.

Request Access NextForm Fitness For All and see today's post for details.

“Happy Thanksgiving!”

You will undoubtedly say, type, share those words many times over the course of the day. When you do, stop for a moment and really think about those 3 things “happy”, “thanks”, “giving”.

Happy. Is it not the one feeling that we are all searching for? The one thing we all strive to attain. We work and sacrifice a lot in order to provide ourselves the opportunity to feel happiness, even if only for a moment.

Thanks. Taking time to reflect on the things that you are thankful for, no matter how big or small those things may seem, can shift the focus from that which brings us anxiety, frustration, and anger to those things that make us feel accomplished, blessed, and fortunate…happy.

Giving. The joy of giving is arguably the greatest source of happiness there is. I have heard it said that there are only 2 things that make people genuinely happy. Personal growth and helping others.

“Happiness cannot be traveled to owned, earned, worn or consumed. Happiness is the spiritual experience of living every minute with love, grace, and gratitude.” – Denis Waitley

HAPPY THANKS GIVING to each and every one of you.

If you have questions for me, or want any more info about services and coaching options please shoot me a message.

What is the single most important muscle you can train and why?

My answer: Willpower . Bear with me…

We are all constantly confronted with choices. When we make good decisions, good things are more likely to happen. So why would anyone willingly make poor decisions…ever?

Because it feels good! It feels good to do things that bring us temporary pleasure. We all do it, no matter how disciplined we are. We decide to sacrifice whatever is at stake for a moment of pleasure.

“Discipline is Freedom” and Discipline is nothing more than a decision.

Willpower aka discipline acts very much like a muscle. When you work it it becomes stronger, able to withstand greater challenges with time. Making the tough decisions, the ones that are UNCOMFORTABLE…those are reps. Those moments are your opportunity to train your will.

When you take the path of least resistance, make the easy and comfortable decisions, those are off days, missed training sessions. Those do not move the needle in the right direction. Don’t get me wrong, every now and then a little time off is warranted and even necessary.

If you continuously miss opportunities to train, what happens? The progress you have made inevitably begins to reverse. Muscles atrophy, strength diminishes, and before you know if you are back at square one.

There are no guarantees that any of us will achieve the things that you are after. However, one thing is for certain. If you want to accomplish anything, let alone something exceptional, you must cultivate willpower. The greater the goal the greater the will must be because the greater the goal, the more adversity there will be along the way.

When clients ask what they should eat, there is ONE and only one rule of thumb that I think can be applied across the board to yield improvements in body composition and internal health.

If you can find it in nature, it is probably okay.

That does not mean that you must eat a raw diet, or go foraging for you food. I simply mean that if you stick to a diet that consists primarily of foods and ingredients that can be grown or caught, you will benefit.

💪🏼For those who are trying to maximize hypertrophy (muscle tissue growth) and strength gains simultaneously with resistance training.

🤔Unless you know your stuff or work with someone who does, it can be confusing to try to design effective workouts, regardless of your goal(s). A lot of people actually sabotage themselves by training in ways that are ineffective or even counterproductive to achieving the goal(s).

🧐Everyone is different and context has to be considered BUT there are some principles and concepts that can be applied to most scenarios and produce great results.

✴️IF you want to MAXIMIZE MUSCLE GROWTH AND STRENGTH you need:

1. INTENSITY (challenging loads)
2. VOLUME (relatively high sets/reps).

Both of the above are relative based on training experience, training cycle, and vary. Here is a really good place to start, even if you have experience with resistance training (“advanced training age”):

✴️For EACH MAJOR MUSCLE GROUP
try the following:

Exercise Selection: Compound movements!
Load: Start at 80% of your 1 Rep Max.
Sets and Reps: 6 sets of 10 Reps!
Rest Periods: 2 minutes!
Frequency: 2 times per week.

🔑Warm-up first!
🔑Adjust the weight on subsequent sets as needed to ensure you achieve 10 Reps

🧐The Glymphatic System is and EXTREMELY important part of the recovery process, specifically for the brain.

🧠Unlike other tissues in our bodies, the Central Nervous System (CNS) does not have LYMPHATIC vessels (a component of our lymphatic system-a major component of our immune system). Instead, it is the GLYMPHATIC system is largely responsible for the waste removal process in the brain.

💤The Glymphatic system is essentially non-active during waking hours and does it’s job almost exclusively during sleep. The quality of your sleep greatly impacts how much repairing the Glymphatic System and although there are many things you can do to improve your quality of sleep as well as the activity of your Glymphatic System, here is one that you can try that require less effort than most.

✴️Placing a pillow under your legs to elevate them above heart and head level during sleep has been shown to increase Glymphatic System activity.

👇🏻 here is some science for anyone looking to learn more:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4636982/ #!po=0.537634

We all know it so why don’t we all act accordingly?

Newton’s First Law:
If a body is at rest or moving at a constant speed in a straight line, it will remain at rest or keep moving in a straight line at constant speed unless it is acted upon by a force.

✴️If you allow yourself to become complacent do not expect much to change.

Newton’s Second Law:
Acceleration (gaining speed) happens when a force acts on a mass (object). ... Newton's Second Law also says that the greater the mass of the object being accelerated, the greater the amount of force needed to accelerate the object.

✴️Remain consistent and do your best to build momentum in your endeavors so that when something interferes you have the ability to move through it.

Newton’s Third Law:
When two bodies interact, they apply forces to one another that are equal in magnitude and opposite in direction. The third law is also known as the law of action and reaction.

✴️The harder you work, the more substantial the obstacles become when they arise. Be prepared and remember that it means you and your actions are a force to be reckoned with.

Peaks and Valleys
Life and it’s challenges resemble a mountainous journey. Along the way you will traverse high and low points (peaks and valleys).

At times you might find yourself overwhelmed by the challenges in front of you (the climb ahead). Just start climbing.

Once you are on the path you might find that there are unexpected obstacles. Sometimes you need to double back, course correct, and look for an alternative route. Remain agile and open minded.

When you reach the summit, reflect on what the accomplishment required and the things that you learned along the way. Enjoy the view.

Look out a cross the landscape from your new vantage point. You have elevated your position in the world and given yourself and opportunity to see things from a perspective that you previously could not fully comprehend. Chances are you can see a lot more than you could before you decided to take that first step. The question is whether or not you choose to pursue the next mountain top.

I believe most of us are searching for the key to success and ultimately a greater sense of fulfillment and happiness. For me it starts with laying a solid foundation. If the foundation is sound then your potential to achieve those things becomes exponential.

1️⃣Know what you are working for! Adversity is inevitable in life and if you have a strong sense of purpose and a clear understanding of what the end goal is then you will have the motivation necessary to push forward.

2️⃣Develop the blueprint! Achievement is nothing more than the end result of a process. If you outline the process, step by step, the strategy becomes quite simple.

3️⃣Understand that failure is not a death sentence and without it there can be no success. Failure guides us and helps us navigate the journey AS LONG AS we learn from the missteps taken and do our best not to repeat them. Do not let failure make you feel as though you are moving further from accomplishing the task at hand, instead choose to recognize that it is actually bringing you closer.

4️⃣Recognize that EVERY STEP COUNTS!
There are no shortcuts in life and success takes time. It does not happen over night or as the result of one miraculous event. It is the end result of and accumulation of many decisions made and actions taken over the course of the journey. It requires consistency, sacrifice, lessons learned, and a willingness to proceed knowing that you may never reach your desired destination.

Optimizing physical and mental health is not as easy as it once was. Times are changing faster than ever and unfortunately the humam body is having a hard time keeping up.

You are what you eat! One of the unintended consequences of the overwhelming amount prosperity and technological advancement (particularly in the United States) over the past 100 years is that the quality of our food is diminishing and we are able to put a lot of things into our bodies that make us sick mentally and physically.

The most frustrating part about it all is that even “good” food is not good for everyone. Because of genetic individuality there is no such thing as a one size fits all diet. Green beans might be a perfectly fine option for me while for someone else they might cause an inflammatory response that leads to a massive cortisol (stress hormone) spike which causes a spike in blood sugar, all because they thought green beans were a great low carb option not knowing that they actually have an underlying food sensitivity to green beans.

The best way to determine how you can optimize your nutrition in an effort to optimize your health is to dig a little deeper into your individual genetic predispositions. Here are some simple and relatively cost effective options. If nothing else visit the websites and learn a little bit more about some of the most helpful tools out there.

*I have no affiliation with any of these companies.

Longevity Biomarkers:

WELLNESS FX
https://www.wellnessfx.com/how-it-works

Food Allergies:

CYREX LABS
https://www.joincyrex.com/the-cyrex-system/array-10-multiple-food-immune-reactivity-screens

Gut Health:

VIOME
https://www.viome.com

Genetic Testing:

23 AND ME
https://www.23andme.com
MYHERITAGE
https://www.myheritage.com
STRATAGENE
https://strategene.me
ANCESTRY
https://www.ancestry.com

Genetic Raw Data Assessment and Interpretation:

GENETIC GENE
https://geneticgenie.org