Good, Great and Unstoppable!

I will always just shake my head at the athletes who tell me "I don't have time to train, I'm too busy, then spend hours at the mall, the beach etc., then countless hours on Facebook posting photos of their "not enough time."

I will always bury my irritation and impatience when they call 1.) lose their varsity spot to some "nobody" who put the time and work in to get there, 2.) pull a hamstring

or otherwise get injured, or 3.) don't get to play on the club team or the college at which they'd like to play.

You know who's busy? Navy SEALs are busy. Force Recon Marines are busy. Secret Service Agents are busy. And you know what?

They train. Hard. Every day.

And when the chips are down, they don't pull a hammy or lose their spot on the team to some rookie. Because they have seen their challenges and risen to them...

Athletes...when you realize that although you may not be able to have everything, you can have the things that matter most...IF you are willing to be and do what it takes to get them.

Before you blow this off, let me share a formula that works EVERY TIME IT'S TRIED...

Desire + hard, smart work + clarity of purpose = SUCCESS

For better or worse, you get what you earn.

If you are in the lineup, making an impact and having fun, you've earned that.

If you're riding the pines, sitting in the trainers' room or feeling the wrath of the coach, you've earned that as well.

I can help an athlete develop a plan for hard, smart work. No gimmicks, no "ooh shiny" high-tech gadgets, no magic bullets. Just the things that always work to improve the athletic skill-set.

I can help an athlete develop clarity of purpose.

To know the "why" that gets them out of a comfortable sleep at 5 AM to get to work building their athletic or academic resume`.

To understand the purpose for giving a little more when it feels like the next breath will be the last and the next rep will make them collapse.

To grasp the truth about why they must lift others around them UP, instead of holding them down, in order to be the leader that everyone NEEDS them to be.

But I cannot grow desire in their hearts and souls. That, my friends is organic.

And THAT is the difference between good, great and unstoppable...

What do you think? Leave a comment below or go here: All-Star on Facebook and join the conversation.

Option 2 - You Have Options!

If your kids are high school juniors and seniors in Toms River, you already know about Option II for Physical Education. Your kids don't have to take HS Phys. Ed. if they participate in 150 minutes of physical activity per week in order to fulfill their P.E. requirement.

All-Star has participated in the Option II program for the last 2 years, and will again in the 2012-2013 school year.

Why let your kids wander around some big-box gym like a magnet for trouble when you can have them work with the best trainers in the area?

For ONLY $79/month, your HS Junior or Senior will get:

• A full 5 Point Movement Assessment designed to identify any muscle imbalances or movement issues that may prevent progress or lead to injury!
• A Personalized fitness training program (3 different workouts per week!) based on your child's assessment, history and goals!
• Trainers assigned to run the Option 2 program. Not some health club numnutz, etiher...and ALL-STAR trainer! 
• A freshly-designed program every 4 weeks
• A 30 minute consult with our in-house Youth Nutritionist to help identify the dietary "land mines" effecting health and wellness!
• Their choice of All-Star Sports Academy t-shirt! Any color, any style!
• A safe, healthy, results-oriented environment!

A scientifically rational, trainer-designed and trainer-supervised fitness program. All for about ont-tenth of what you would invest in a trainer at the "health club."

Of course, you could sign them up for the $19.99/month "Globo-Gym" Big Box McFitness experience. But before you do, here's a quick video describing some of the people your kid will meet while "working out" there:

Get the safe, effective exercise programming your kids need, even if they aren't athletes! Of course, if they are athletes, ask us about Athletic Transformation, the best sports preparation program anywhere!

Call us at 732-597-3725 with questions!

Eating Your Fruits and Veggies? This May Help!

This is a repost of an old and very popular article...

It's recommended that we eat 6-10 fruits and vegetables a day. That's what's been suggested to maximize vitamin, mineral and antioxidant intake to maintain good health, healthy weight and avoid the conditions and diseases associated with poor diet and obesity. Here in the States it is reported the actual average of fruits and veggies eaten each day is just 2.

Yup, just 2.

Now, I don't know where you stand on this, but overall, it really is a sad state of nutritional affairs. We live in a world where we're constantly under time, work, family and other stresses. We often reach for the foods that are most convenient, but not always the ones that are most nutritious.

Unfortunately, potato chips may be made from potatoes (maybe) but they don't count as vegetables. And "drinking" your veggies in the form of some mutated fruit juice is not going to get it done either.

Coffee comes from a plant and beer is made from grains (barley malt, wheat) and "veggies" (hops) but these don't fill the bill, either. It would be nice if they did, but no dice.

But do not despair! It's not that tough to get more fruits and veggies in each day.

Here are some super simple tips to get you started:
1) Buy 'em already chopped
Look, I can be lazy, too;-) There's nothing wrong with not wanting to go through the hassle of having to chop up fruits and veggies. If you want to buy them pre-chopped go ahead. It's much better for you than not eating them. Alternate: Spend an hour a week chopping vegetables and fruits into serving sizes. Then you'll be able to:

2) Carry 'em with you
Load up a plastic baggie with your pre-chopped veggies and bring them to work. Seriously, see how easy this can be! Especially if you've used my suggestion from #1! Bringing the "right number of bags and making sure to eat them all is a great way to ensure maximum fruit and veggie intake, even in a stressful, busy day!

3) Add real fruit to your yogurt
Have some yogurt for breakfast and add some fresh blueberries, raspberries or blackberries. It's that simple! Cherries, bananas, red grapes, chopped plums, chopped nectarines, chopped peaches and chopped pears also work. Whatever fruits you like, use 'em in your yogurt!

You can even crank up the fiber content by adding a few tablespoons of high fiber cereal!

Bonus tip: A great way to provide your body with the nutritional foundation you need each day is a Whole Foods based multi-vitamin. Prograde Nutrition VGF 25+ is one example. It's made from 25 veggies, greens and fruits. There are other great whole-food based multi's on the market and if you know of one, go for it.

This one is a great one, however, providing maximum bang for the buck.

Here's another great article on how to be sure you're getting enough fruits and vegetables each day: Getting Enough Fruits and Veggies?

Be sure to use these tips and let me know how they help you out. Or send me some of your own!