Tag Archives: fitness

Diets, Fitness, Inspiration

Swing for the fences and have a great life

By DAVID TEPERA | Posted: Wednesday, October 14, 2015 

Have you not reached your diet and fitness goals? Are you still not making enough money?

What’s the problem and why are you still giving excuses?

Just know people around you know the truth. You can fool people and yourself for a while, but after time, your current occupational and health status is obvious.

Be honest, the only thing holding you back — is you. The best investment you can ever make is in yourself.

When it’s for better health, get a gym membership, hire a trainer or take cooking and nutrition classes.

If it’s time to increase income, then maybe you should take night classes, become an apprentice or research the path for the occupation you most desire.

What skill or skills are you good at? It could be sports, music, puzzles or a particular hobby. You should apply that same intense excitement to improve other areas of life.

Write down your income and health goals because they are important to reach quality and longevity. Be clear and realistic in order to be obtainable from your current position.

I’ve been following the baseball playoffs watching players make millions of dollars by only hitting the ball 20 to 30 percent of the time. How much more could they make by increasing batting averages?

Maybe your low wages and bad health is because you only give 30 percent effort. How would your life change if you increased focus and effort by an additional 50 percent? Only you can answer that question honestly.

We are all born with the capability to become successful. Embrace life and take full control of your destiny. Laugh at the challenges and turn them into opportunities.

Now, let’s all swing for the fences and have the life we truly deserve

Fitness

With cooler weather, time to exercise outdoors

 By DAVID TEPERA | Posted: Wednesday, October 7, 2015

Finally, we have “no excuses” weather to exercise outdoors.

All summer long, you’ve been whining about it being too hot and humid in this Texas heat. Well, now it’s time to enjoy the cooler weather and get your bodies in motion. 

I typically ride my bike for at least an hour or so, but this past weekend, I took a 2-hour ride with energy to spare. I barely broke a sweat with the cool breeze against my body. Mother Nature was serenity, and I was one happy fella. 

Grab your spouse or friend and take a brisk walk through the neighborhood or drive to the Galveston seawall to walk 45 minutes in one direction so it takes 45 minutes to get back. 

Also, it’s time to get those outdoor chores taken care of. I’m sure your flower beds, trees and bushes need grooming. It’s amazing how much better your house looks when yard work is completed. 

I know retired people who won’t hire a lawn service because they use mowing grass and weed eating as their outside exercise, so maybe you should, too. 

As I’m getting older, I seem to appreciate my physical body. I’m slowing down, but at the same time, I’m making sure to stay in decent shape to enjoy life. 

Making excuses and being lazy is the easiest thing we can all do. Developing good habits takes time, but the reward is a longer and better quality of life.

Our bodies are designed for physical activity, and that’s how our ancestors built this country. Don’t be part of the obese epidemic of 34.9 percent or 76 million Americans.

Now, get your booty outside, play some music, dance around the yard and make the neighbors think you’ve gone crazy. It’s a great way to keep them away, but you might find yourself on YouTube.

Inspiration

What will you do on 4th-and-1?

 By DAVID TEPERA | Posted: Wednesday, September 30, 2015

Every football team has faced the situation of fourth down and 1 yard to go to get a first down. The decision of going for it or punting is based on a few factors like the score, time on the clock and field position. Sometimes the outcome can determine a win or not.

How many times in our lives have we faced fourth-and-1? Sometimes we develop issues, problems or important situations, and we have to make life-changing decisions. 

The choice is to either punt and take the path of least resistance or create a strategy and go for it. This outcome most likely will be life-altering.  

You might be in a bad relationship, and something needs to change. It might be time to ask for a pay raise or position advancement. Maybe you’ve made too many bad decisions and need professional or spiritual help. 

Years ago I was working in the biotech industry making a decent living, and another startup company made me an offer with less money, but the future potential was huge. 

I had to make a decision to continue with my comfortable life or to go for it and challenge myself to become more successful. Believe me, I wanted to punt, but with only seconds left on the clock, I chose to grip the ball hard and go for the win. 

Eight years have passed, and it was one of the best decisions I made in my working career. 

Now, next time you’re facing fourth-and-1, go for it by putting a winning strategy together, and score in the game of life. No matter the outcome, you’ll never have to say “if only I would’ve.”

If we all learn to embrace confidence, then winning championships will become a way of life

Inspiration

Life’s law of reaction

by DAVID TEPERA | Posted: Wednesday, September 23, 2015 

Newton’s third law of motion is “for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.” As stated in the definition, this is pertaining to objects in motion.

To me, you can spin this law and apply to all parts of life.

For example: you eat fat foods and don’t exercise — you get fat and out of shape. You excessively smoke, drink alcohol and use drugs — you destroy your life.

You’re kind to all people — good things will come to you. You become spiritual — happiness and fulfillment will follow.  

Whatever your situation is right now and whatever shape your body is in is from every decision you’ve made to date. 

If you’re not happy with current status quo, start producing positive actions to create positive reactions. This is the one area in life that you have full control.

Once you’ve become an adult, your life will shape under every decision you make — good and bad. When you take an action, you are taking responsibility for the possible reactions. 

I told my children that sometimes it seems like bad people are receiving all the riches, but eventually “bad” catches up and they’ll lose everything. And, sometimes it seems like good people are getting bad breaks, but eventually “great” will come into their lives and stay there. 

Just think, if we all produced positive and loving actions then wonderful amazing reactions would drown the negatives in our lives.  

Start today by making better diet and exercise choices. Try to be the kindest and gentlest person in the room and watch how uplifting and happy you’ll become.

“If you want your life to be different, you have to start reacting to life differently,” by Bryant McGill.

Fitness, Inspiration

Use fitness to reach new levels in life

By DAVID TEPERA | Posted: Wednesday, September 16, 2015

Recently, I was grocery shopping and ran into my friend Natasha Reyes, the owner and personal trainer of Fitt Life Fitness in League City.

We spoke and shared inspirational stories for about 30 minutes. But, what became apparent to me was how fitness and training builds confidence in people to take their lives to another level.

Natasha has helped countless people accomplish their goals through diet and fitness. And now, she is taking all the steps and learning to bring her experiences to whole new levels as a life coach. 

Because of my busy schedule, I only personally train one or two people at a time. Through the years, almost every one of these people built confidence to pursue higher levels in other areas in their lives. 

For example, one gentleman fixed air conditioners during the day, started taking college classes at night and now owns his own business. Another lady with low self-esteem lost over 30 pounds and built the confidence to pursue executive positions within her company. 

I could write about countless stories that would take up my column through the rest of the year, but I want to help focus on your current situation. 

Now, I’m not saying you need to be extreme or try to reach an elite physical level, but I am telling you to start a regular consistent exercise program. Pushing your body past its comfort zone will produce a natural high of endorphins in the brain.

Once you’ve progressed to one level of fitness, your body will crave more frequency and intensity to reach another level. The endorphins will overflow through your nervous system, which creates a desire to improve other areas in your life.

You’ll have the passion to move up in your company and find ways of increasing income. You’ll become more energetic, which leads to better quality of time with the spouse and kids. 

So, as Natasha has discovered and so will you, there are no boundaries and limits to keep reaching higher levels in life.    

Diets, Fitness, Inspiration

Who is the hero saving your life?

By DAVID TEPERA | Posted: Wednesday, August 26, 2015

If you’ve been following my column, you’re familiar with my work in the medical industry. I’ve been involved with well over 1,000 knee replacements, plus I work with some outstanding medical professionals.

Recently, there was a situation where a patient went into cardiac arrest and my friend Ramon, who is a physician assistant, performed chest compressions for about 15 minutes and saved this man’s life.

Ramon was very humble over the situation and thought of it as another day on the job. 

Of course, we commend all other non-doctors who save lives like firefighters, EMS, nurses, policemen and women, and many others.

But, since this column is about “Simple Fitness,” it made me think about other professions that help save lives.

Let’s take nutritionists and personal trainers who do their best to change lives, but for some people, they’ve saved them or at least prolonged their lives.

There are people with diabetes, obesity and unhealthy lifestyles that are on the brink of catastrophe. They desperately needed guidance, planning, training and education to start or return to a healthier lifestyle.

But really, who is the biggest hero when it comes to saving your life? That person is you.

You’re the one who recognized that there’s a problem with what’s happened to your body. You realized that you no longer have control and a quicker death is inevitable. And now, you’re taking positive steps in seeking help.

You only have one life, take control for not only you, but for all the people who count on you. They deserve it and so do you.

Fitness

Which cardio exercise is best for you?

By DAVID TEPERA | Posted: Tuesday, August 18, 2015

I frequently get asked which cardio exercise is best. I always answer with, “which one do you like the most?”

By far, the two most popular cardio machines are treadmills and ellipticals. Typically, there are more of these machines than any other in most gyms. They both provide effective cardiovascular workouts and caloric burning. 

There have been multiple studies comparing the benefits of each. A Mayo Clinic study shows ellipticals burns 50-75 more calories per hour than walking on treadmills. The Medical College of Wisconsin shows running on a treadmill burns more calories per hour than ellipticals.  

The benefits of treadmills create natural running mechanics with compound movements. This is useful for strengthening bones and muscles, which is important for people with osteoporosis. 

Treadmills can be uncomfortable for people with severe osteoarthritis due to joint pain.

The benefits of ellipticals are that it is non-weight bearing and much easier on joints, which is better for people with osteoarthritis. Also, with the use of handles, it includes an upper body workout.

But, let’s be for real. If you don’t like any of these exercises, you won’t spend an hour on them, if ever at all. That’s why I tell people, “which exercise do you like the most?”

Experiment with all the different types of cardio equipment. Maybe, you like several types, so mix it up and have fun. 

For me, I rarely ever get on treadmills or ellipticals. My cardio of choice has always been my bicycle. I love being outdoors, listening to music, feeling the breeze, and sight-seeing through all the neighborhoods and trails. Plus, it still makes me feel like a kid again — “look ma, no hands.”

The late Robin Williams was an avid bike rider. He said bicycle riding was the closest thing to flying. 

Fitness

Be smart but make the most of the summer heat

By DAVID TEPERA | Posted: Wednesday, June 10, 2015

Back in the 1990s, I was an assistant football coach for La Marque High School. During one of those years, another coach rented a room out of my house. Throughout the whole summer, he refused to go outside during the day. He spent most of his “off-time” on the couch, watching TV, and basically being lazy.

All summer, I kept telling him to exercise outside and get acclimatized to the heat. He would laugh at me as he chugged down another liter of soda.

Well, the first day of practice started in August, and after about three hours in the sun, two football players had to carry him off the field from heat exhaustion. I just shook my head as I watched him vomiting with wet towels wrapped around his head and neck.

Of course, there’s a lesson here, but I’m not going into detail about Texas summer heat common sense. We all have heard numerous times to wear hats and sunblock, stay hydrated, and only exercise outside early or later in the day. Hopefully, you’ve figured that out by now. 

But, I am telling you to go outside, feel the heat, and make your body sweat. We are human beings and should be a part of nature.

How did our grandparents survive the heat? They were in it every day in order to make a living. My dad was a football coach, and starting in June or July, would jog in the heat to prepare for two-a-days. 

What has happened is we are too caught up with all the indoor lazy activities and entertainment. Our children don’t play outside like we did. Growing up, all the kids in my neighborhood were riding bikes and playing sandlot football. I didn’t want to go home, mainly because my dad would just give me a bunch of chores.

Create outside projects because I’m sure there’s something that needs fixing or painting, do your own lawn work and gardening, chase your spouse or kids with a garden hose, help a neighbor, ride a bike. The list is endless to each individual’s situation.

Enjoy the beautiful sun radiating on your skin and let the sweat cleanse the impurities built up from the winter. Be ecstatic and happy with the ability to flow along nature’s path