A friend of mine presented me with a news clipping from the Denver Daily News yesterday which had within it a quote from a noted fitness expert regarding the recent study on the collective rise of obesity in America.

He had a pretty good chuckle as he read part of the quote to me, “The best thing people can do to fight obesity is to stay fit.”… no shit, he said.

And indeed it certainly doesn’t take a “expert” to know that.  But here’s the thing – the truth in the simplicity of that statement cannot be denied.  Why should it take volumes of written information and billions of dollars in pharmaceuticals, and medical procedures to put that fact into practice.

Yes, it doesn’t take an expert to know the formula – so the real question becomes why are we as a nation not following it?

Well let me ask you this – how do you know when you really know something?  It is my experience that you only really know something when you put it into practice – when you do it.  If all the majority of American have done is read or heard about it and have not introduced it to the cells of their body through the actual doing of it – it’s no wonder they don’t know it yet!

If people really knew the truth in that quote on a cellular level they would be far more compelled to act upon it.  Perhaps a shift in our collective motivation psychology from avoiding or “fighting obesity” to achieving and staying fit may help in becoming at least a little more acquainted with the truth… although we may not fully “know it” yet.

But what the hell do I know? After all I was the “expert” being quoted in the paper.

You tell me – what can we do to change the direction obesity is going in this country… or should I say fitness is not going.

This whole ego business is pretty interesting. On one hand, the ego is often responsible for not allowing us to admit our own limitations and for the cocky arrogance that is the greatest obstacle to our own success.

On the other hand, our ego is responsible for our protection and safety – in doing so it often acts like an overzealous park ranger. It sit’s up in the tower with its binoculars and shouts DANGER–LOOK OUT every time someone lights a match or a little possum pokes its head out of a hole.

The ego is also what’s responsible for our anger and rage. Think about it. The last time you got cut off on the highway or someone wouldn’t let you in the merge lane from the on ramp… “F-U – you freaking son of a bitch!”   You got pissed, didn’t you?   WHY?

What threatens your ego?

Were you really at risk of life and limb? Or was it that your space, power, and sense of control were being threatened?

I had an interesting experience tonight that put a spotlight on the part of my ego I thought I had under control. My wife and I spent the last 90 minutes alongside our two 9 month old Schnauzers at a group dog training class. I was in charge of our little female, Tootsie while Dawn had the beast, Bosco. As the training progressed and the drills got increasingly complex Tootsie began challenging me more and more. She simply refused to lie-down and getting her to stay was impossible. She knows the verbal commands but with over twenty dogs in the class I am quite sure she was as distracted – as was I.

There was one incident where we were all instructed to have our dogs lie-down and stay while we backed away. All the dogs except Tootsie complied. I must have spent 10 minutes while everyone watched trying to get her to obey the command. As the seconds ticked by I could feel myself becoming more and more frustrated and angry– (here’s the interesting part) not because she wasn’t getting it, but rather because I was being disobeyed. I could feel my power and command of the situation being challenged even taken away… in front of a group of strangers. It was that delicate part of my ego that I had long since thought I had conquered that was being threatened… by a dog no less.

What threatens your ego?

How delicate is your sense or power and control? Could a driver cutting you off, a partner rejecting your advances, the loss of a job, or some worldly possession cause you to freaking lose it? Why would something or someone else’s attempt to steel your power invoke such contempt and even rage?

As I said one of the ego’s jobs is protection and keeping you safe. It does that by maintaining the statuesque. Anything that threatens that statuesque is met with fear and often disguised as anger or rage. Whatever power it thinks you have it will fight to keep. Because we don’t recognize that power and control is nothing more than an illusion our ego can go on full action alert as soon at the illusion is threatened.

Tootsie would testify to that – if she could talk. She was able to shatter my illusion of control and power with a single “I don’t think so” attitude. As I was fighting with her and losing – it dawned on me that it was my fear, frustration, and anger that was actually causing the situation. I stopped, took a deep breath, gave Tootsie a big hug and started all over – this time from a place of love and a desire to help her learn and grow.

So what threatens your ego? Share your comment. I would love to hear from you.
TT

A recent study by the Exercise Physiology Department at the University of Wisconsin uncovered some startling facts about what was once believed to be nothing more than a sugary urban legend.

After receiving a $550 million dollar government grant the research team led by Dr. David Sticky, PHD and Dr. Sara Sweet, PHD began clinical trials on Tuesday that included two double blind, placebo controlled studies.

According to Dr. Sweet, “So far the trials have added support to the hypothesis that it takes more than 100 actual licks to get to the Tootsie Roll center of a Tootsie Pop.”

The original studies performed at UCLA involved only 20 patients but was later discredited after further testing revealed that 5 or the 20 test subjects were taking anabolic steroids to enhance their licking ability.

This latest study involved a multi-centric double blind, placebo controlled, and randomized Tootsie Pop administration that aims to objectively assess the scientific communities ability to actually run a credible study.

“If we screw this one up not only will the credibility of the entire scientific community be at risk but more importently we may never have the answer to how many licks it takes to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop… an answer we simply must have.”  Says Sticky and Sweet.

Tom Terwilliger

PS. Happy April Fools Day… in advance.

As I write for more and more fitness related forums, the more I hear from people who remember me from my past bodybuilding success. 

I also get several questions about my twin brother, Mike who was also a champion in his own right.  He’s still working out and looks great and is an artist.  He’s been featured in and on the covers of all sorts of custom bike (Harley) magazines and was even featured on Discovery Channel’s, Biker Build Off. 

He is so well known that when I go to Sturgis for the annual MC rally, I tell people I’m him to get special treatment.

One time however, I was at the Sturgis Rally with Shawn Phillips and we were standing at the end of the bar at One Eyed Jack’s when I started getting some very interesting looks from a group of Hell’s Angels at the other end. 

It started to get a little ominous and threatening so I took a leap of faith went over to see what was up (confront your fears…right). 

Well, one of the Angles who happen to have a swaztika tattooed on his forehead and a machete hanging from his belt, looked me in the eye and asked, “Is your name, Terwilliger?” 

Thinking, “Oh SHIT, what did my brother get me into now…” I answered with more than a little trepidation, “YES.”  He then smiled, through his arm around my shoulder, and said to his bro…” see I told you that f**ker was the guy from the bodybuilding TV show” and then bought me a beer.

I love when life and events take a funny twist from what you might expect.

They were a bunch of great guys, by the way, the kind of “good old folk” you want to bring home and introduce to mom.

         Mike, Me and The Knuckle Head.

Why would my good friend and world renowned nutrition expert, Jonny Bowden say, “He’s just a fraction of the guy who was on the cover of Muscular Development” about your good buddy, Tom Terwilliger (me)?

I’ll give you a hint… it has to do with BIG eating and early mortality.

Check out the rest of the story at ‘Eat Big Die Young’

I was just visiting my Facebook and Twitter pages and it got me wondering, “What da hell am I doing here?”

That’s a ligitimate question.

With little time and all the work I have on my plate what compells me to return again and again to these and other social networking sites?

Granted, part of the draw is the marketing possiblities.  After all my intention is to reach as many people as possible with the information I have to share. 

I can’t help change lives if I can’t reach them. 

But that is only part of it.  There is something deeper.  There are afterall thousands even millions of people visiting these sites daily with absolutely no marketing agenda what so ever.  

Why?

Then I got to thinking about what I teach.  We are all universally connected on a spiritual and energetic level.  You and I are connected with every human being on the planet and yet most of us feel extemely disconeected the majority of the time; some to the point of depression.

It has been said that the internet has brought us all closer together… so I won’t repeat it.  (Oops already did).

Hell you can get closer with people, a lot of people, as I did for years by cramming yourself into a New York City subway car during rush hour without ever feeling connected to a single person.

So it dawned on me that it’s the connection I am after.  I want to touch in some way that man or women in Indonesia, Great Britain, Nebraska, and even New York.  I want to feel that connection, not simply know it’s there.

And perhaps most importently I want to reconnect with those dear friends and acquaintances from all those lives I had in the past.  It’s a tremendous thrill to visit my Facebook page to find that someone from my old biker of bodybuilding days has stopped by to say hi and share a memory.

And so I keep going back.  I hope you’ll stop by and say “HEY!”  It will make my next visit worth the trip.

Ya know this always happens… and I’ll bet it happens to you as well.  As soon as I think I have a free minute something comes along that I just can’t refuse.  My good friend, Jeff Behar of Muscle Mag Fitness has asked me to contribute to the site as a writer and member of the advisory board.

After taking a look and seeing the value of the information and the way it is being disseminated, I simply could not say no.  Jeff is a really amazing guy and our friendship goes way back to my bodybuilding days in the late 80’s.  The guy’s still has an amazing physique but more importantly he has a passion for helping others avoid disease and build strong healthy and good looking bodies.

I hope you stop by, become part of the community, and join the likes of Jeff, Lenda Murray, Bill Grant, Eddie Robinson, myself and many others and remember to contribute some of your own experience and wisdom.  See you there.

I’m in mourning today.

As I sit here in a small hotel room in Seattle preparing to emcee an event that celebrates life I mourn the passing of two great men. One you have come to know just as I have through the big screen, our television sets, and perhaps over a bowl of his own popcorn.

He almost talked himself out of it…

A few weeks ago one of my coaching clients had traveled to the Big Apple on what was designed to be a reconnaissance mission.  The goal was to scout out the right location for a customer and client reception party that was going to take place in conjunction with big media conference going on at the Jacob Javits Center in July. 

He owns a mid size media production company here in Denver that produces some absolutely amazing digital work.  I’m not going to mention the name of the company but you have seen their work on Discovery, History, and several other cable channels. 

We’ll my client felt that as long as he was going to be in New York he might as well see if he can set up a few meetings with some of the networks headquarterd there.  As a result of his efforts he was able to schedule several meetings… turning his rocon mission into a full fledged business trip.  He arrived in NY with a day and a half to spare before the first meeting so he could relax and do some scouting along with his assistant.

What happend that first day took him by supprise and almost sent him packing.  He found himself looking out the window of his 34th story hotel window at the biggest and most intimidating city on the plannet with his thoughts turning to the belief that he was from the small “cow town” of Denver.   He began thinking about all the big players in Manhatten who do similer work to what his company does.  With those thoughts his little inner voice began to present doubts about his ability to compete with the big dogs in the Big Apple.  Those doubts soon manafested into full blown fears.  He could feel his heart begining to race and palms sweat as looked out at the skyscrapers filled with competetors seeking only to make him look like an amature fool… or so he thought.

Have you ever had one of those moments when you doubted yourself and your ability and maybe even thought everybody else had the advantage over you?  Have you ever felt a little small when compard to the competition?  I sure have!

Although his company already had several established succeses in their portfollio he himself was feeling very small and insignificant at that moment.  A man of action, he picked up the phone to call his first appointment and CANCEL.  He had already worked out in his mind the reason why he couldn’t make the appointment and was convinced that they would understand.  The phone on the other end rang and as the receptionist gave her hello greeting, he hesitated for a moment and then hung up the phone.

Understanding the importance of “state change” from our coaching he got up through on his running shoes and went over to Central Park to pump some oxygen into his blood thirsty grey matter.  While he was running he began to “reframe” his thoughts, review his past successes, and muster the courage needed to face the Goliath. 

The next day he met with the network executive and they hit it off, as the brits would say, “smashingly.”  As it turned he was also from Denver and had several other things in common with my client.  The first meeting was a success as were the following three meetings.

He shared this story with me for the first time yesterday some two months later because just yesterday he received a call from the the executive from Denver who he met with in New York.  Evidently overcomming his fears and doubts and taiming that little inner voice paid off.  He was contracted for a new television advertising campaign with hundreds of thousands of dollors but more importantly he opened the door to a relationship that may turn out to be worth millions.

…But it almost didn’t happen.