Bora Bora

Do you have a Life List?  A list of all the things you want to accomplish in your life before you “pass on”?  (Also known as a “Bucket List” or “BAHGs – Big-Ass Hairy Goals”, a term coined by one of my earlier business advisors, marketing genius Glen Hunt, who wrote THIS.)

I was inspired to do this list after reading this post by Chris Gillebeau of The Art of Non-Conformity.

According to Gillebeau, “A life list is simply a list of long-term personal goals, often expressed as “X things to do before I die.” Life lists are related to, but also different from the Ideal World (how things are in your world now) scenario, the Annual Review (as in monetary or business related goals), and your ongoing list of active projects.”

So, for example, one my major goals is to get out of debt.  And although this may be a HUGE achievement on my end when it does happen, it wouldn’t be included in my life list because of it’s practicality.

The purpose of this list to show myself how wild I can dream or to challenge myself…

1. To do things that will make me feel alive,
2. To do things for the betterment of human kind that I can have direct influence on
3. To do things for those that I love because, well, I love’em.
4. To experience life as a child again.

So based on that criteria, here is a list of things that I’d like to do before I leave this world and enter the next…
Chris Lopez’ Life List

1. Learn how to surf in Maui.

2. Take my wife to Bora-Bora and stay in one of those private huts in the middle of the water.

3. Take my wife and each of my daughters to Paris individually.

4. Build a school in Africa with my family (that’d be Me, Rozanne & our 5 kids…obviously when everyone’s grown up).

5. Take my parents, my brother and my in-laws to Disney World for a week (Purely selfish. I want them around so that they can babysit and Rozanne and I can get on some rides!  J/K.  My parents & my brother have never been!)

6. Go to a soccer game in Spain.

7. Go to the Summer Olympics.

8. Meet Michael Jordan.

9. Get a tatoo.

10. Play beach volleyball at Manhattan Beach, California (the Mecca of beach volleyball).

11. Open an Organic Espresso shop (espresso is another passion of mine).

12. Drive the entire Pacific Coast Highway (Route 1 in California) in a convertable staying at really cool B&Bs and watching the sunset.

13. Train with The Harlem Seals.

14. Do what I love for a living. check!

15. Publish a book on Fatherhood.

16. Spend a month in a Shaolin temple learning from monks (I’ll obviously need more than a month, but I’m thinking practically here).

A Fixie: No gears, no brakes, no nonsense. Simple.

17. Build my own fixie.

18. Watch the EBC at Rucker Park in NYC (I was going to say “Play in the EBC at Rucker Park”, but I’m not stupid).

19. “Semi-retire” for a year (a la Tim Ferriss) to give myself time to do all of the above.

Now, it’s your turn….

So what’s on your life list?  Is there anything that you’d do differently or anything wild and crazy that you’d like to do?  Write it down, focus on it, and it’ll happen.

…and please share some of your Big-Audacious-Hairy-Goals!

As you saw in the previous post, I’m doing a complete lifestyle purge.

The truth is, I have too much stuff, and not enough time.

There are certain things – values – that I hold true to, and in my decision making process on what to get rid of, I look to these values for answers.

Rozanne and I recently came up with our family Mission Statement -

Live simply. Live healthy. Celebrate relationships. Value the Present.  Learn Continuously.

This pretty much sums my value system up (with honesty, responsibility and integrity being obvious values that I’m sure everyone has).

That said, when it comes to living healthy, eating REAL FOOD and getting my workouts in are the most important things to me.

The only problem was that with Baby #5 on the way, trying to run 2 businesses and coach 2 teams, even driving or riding my bike to the gym was using up valuable time.

So even though FitAndBusyDad workouts are short in duration, but high in effectiveness, they still at times required some extra “gym” equipment or something that you wouldn’t normally have at home.

In an effort to living a simpler and more meaningful life, I quit the gym and took up kettlebell training on a full time basis.

Kettlebells originated in Russia and were the training tool of choice for the military & martial artists.  They’ve just recently become a little more popular in the mainstream and look like a canon ball with a handle on it.

Turning to KBs was the BEST training decision I have ever made for myself.

There are 3 Main Reasons for this…

Read the rest of Exercise Simplicity – Kettlebell Workouts

Espresso, Notebook, Pen. Perfect.

There’s a change going on in my life.

I’ve noticed it a couple of years ago, but it’s only really taken a more aggressive course in the past few months.

I’ve written and talked about it before, but never has it taken over me the way it has now.

It’s an OBSESSION.

It is MINIMALISM.

It’s my sudden and intense realization that having too much of anything sucks.

Too much food results in too much fat stored and is one reason why our society is in the unhealthy state that it’s in.

Too much information results in mass confusion and lack of action due to paralysis from over-analysis.

Too much stuff/things/posessions results in individuals finding their definition of self from those posessions thus never really filling or dealing with the void in their lives.

Even having too much money (without the right set of values), although I don’t have that “problem”, can tear families apart and make some people ignorant towards what really matters in life.

So here’s what I’ve done so far to clear out the excess in my life…
Read the rest of On Minimalism

You can't juice a banana.

Without a doubt, every party, family gathering, shin-dig, barbecue or picnic that I go to, I get asked, at least once…

“How do I lose this?”

“This”, of course, refers to a trouble spot on someone’s body that seems to be accumulating excessive amounts of fat.

It’s most often the mid-section, but there are times when people will show me the jiggle under their arms or excess fat between their butt and their thighs (women call these saddlebags, I think) or, if they’re feeling extra desperate, they’ll just shove their butt in my face while I’m trying to finish my salad.

When they get my response, they always look somewhat disappointed. For some reason, they think I’m going to give them some miracle exercise or tell them about some underground Chinese herb that is the cure-all for their ailments.

Sorry to say, but the best way to clear up that tire around your waist that is causing you to buy bigger and bigger pants every year, is to CLEAN UP YOUR DIET.

I can sense the disappointment already.

It is true, though. Diet accounts for the majority of your results. Exercise and lifestyle obviously will contribute to you living a lean and healthy life, but rest assured, as the saying in the fitness industry goes…

You can’t out-train a crappy diet.

In saying that, here are 4 things that you can do NOW to get on the right track. Mind you, these aren’t quick-fixes and they won’t be the solution to your weight loss problems, but they will help. And if you’re having trouble with losing weight because you can’t get your diet under control, then this is where you should start….

Read the rest of Diet Hacks: 4 Actions You Can Take NOW To Improve The Way You Eat (or Not Eat)

Real Food: "She likes it! Hey, Mikey!"

There are a lot of so-called “Rules” on how to be healthy.

It can get pretty confusing, especially when you can type a simple phrase into Google and get 100, 000 responses.

So, over the 12-13 years that I’ve been in practice and the 17+ years that I’ve been training and obsessed with health & performance, I came up with…

The 7 Essential Rules to Optimum Health & Weight Loss

It got picked up and published by one of my favorite blogs, ZenHabits.net over the weekend.  Last I looked there were over 90 comments on the topic.

I’d love if you could head over there, read the article and leave a comment as well.

You can check that article out HERE…

The 7 Essential Rules to Optimum Health & Weight Loss on ZenHabits.net

Enjoy your day!

Chris

AJ at 8yrs old (circa 2006) - Baggy shorts & basketball kicks...stay that way forever and stop growing up!

*****Listen, if any of you have had any experience with this, I’d appreciate it if you left a comment and let me know.  I’m freakin’ out here!!! -CL*****

Well, it happened again.

With Rozanne and the kids home, there’s been a lot to do around this city to keep the kids stimulated and occupied.

Last week was no exception and much to my dismay, an event that I had written about a few months ago happened again…

…some 13-year-old punk asked my (just turned) 11-year-old daughter for her phone number!!!

So what’s the deal?  Is this going to be a common occurrence?  A sign of things to come?

I guess, given the fact that I’ve got 4 daughters, it’s bound to happen sometime in my lifetime.

So, I’m taking matters into my own hands.  I’ve dropped some fat since I last weighed myself (I’m 172lbs w/10% BF now), but still don’t think I’ve got that intimidating look to me.  So, I’ve enlisted the advice of the Baddest Man in Strength & Conditioning, my buddy, Jason Ferruggia from New Jersey.

In a panic, I dropped Jay an email with a bunch of questions and here’s what he had to say…

Read the rest of The Moment EVERY Father Dreads…

Scott S, The Modern Day Dad.

I wanted to share a really nice email that I got back in May from a client that I’ve been interacting with a lot on the FitAndBusyDad Community for the past year.  He’s a busy and dedicated dad with a crazy work schedule.  He’s also a model example of what a modern day dad is and should strive to be – staying active, contributing to his community and being there for his son….

Hey Chris,

I wanted to send a quick note to thank you for the FitAndBusyDad program.    

Because of my work schedule, I have the chance to work out during lunch,
which is great because I can maximize my time at home with my family.
Before this program, I had been keeping my workouts to 30 minutes or less
out of necessity, but I never really felt like I was making any progress
toward my goals of losing fat and gaining muscle mass.  

Since the beginning of the year, I have dropped 10lbs and several fat % points.
My jeans are 2 inches too big now, and I'm replacing my XL t-shirts (bought to
hide my flabby chest and belly) with more fitted shirts to show off my more
defined arms and chest.  

I've accomplished all of this while only spending about 20 minutes at a time
in the gym, by following your effective workouts and diet advice.

I just bought your full program, and I'll never feel obligated to spend more
than 20 minutes in the gym again!  I picked up my first kettlebell last week,
and I can't wait to get started on your new Kettlebell Crusher program!  The
recipes you included with the program look surprisingly simple and I'll be
giving those a try soon.

I should also mention that I've enjoyed being a part of the FitAndBusyDad Community Site
since you created it.  There are some great guys on there who are quick to
offer advice, support, and to let each other know that we share many common issues. 

Thanks for all of the information you give away on
your web site, and for all of the work you've put into this great
program!  Oh, and congratulations on the new addition to your family...
I'm sure you're excited about having another male in the house!

Scott S.
Sumter, SC

A gift from above?

Given that I’m pretty busy on most days, one of the things I don’t really like is wasting my time in the morning.  I’ve got a very set routine now that includes…

1. Making a cup of my favorite Organic Jasmine Green Tea.

2. Reviewing a series of Daily Affirmations.

3. Reviewing my BAHGs (Big Audacious Hairy Goals).

4. Reviewing my Tasks & Calendar for the day.

5. Writing either an Article, Newsletter of Blog Post.

That said, even though I always enjoy my bacon & eggs, I usually have to opt for a quicker alternative.

Enter The FitAndBusyDad NEW Breakfast of Champions.

This isn’t your average “Wheaties & Skim Milk” type of breakfast.  It is amazingly nutrient dense.  It contains 2 “Super Foods”.  It’s got a ton of healthy fats.  And it tastes great WITHOUT the use of added sugars or sweeteners.

Check it out and let me know what you think…

Chris
the FitAndBusyDad

P.S. I’ll give away my KB Crusher Bonus Program to anyone who can tell me

what the 2 Super Foods are in my breakfast! Just leave your answer in the comment section

below!

The ULTIMATE outdoor training tool.

With the summer months upon us and the weather being absolutely beautiful, I’ve noticed that everywhere I go, people just seem to be in a better mood.

Maybe it’s because being outside just makes people more pleasant.

Or that dreary winter weather seems to suck the life out of you.

With the sun out and the weather being more favorable for outdoor activity, I’ve noticed a change even in me!  I’ve got more energy, I’ve dropped a couple percentage points on the bodyfat scale and I’m just happier.  I’m sure there are a lot of factors that have contributed to this – I don’t work as long hours anymore, I’ve gotten rid of a lot of toxic relationships in my life and I focus more on doing things that I’m passionate about.

But there are 4 major changes that I’ve made and that I do NOW that I wasn’t doing in the winter.

The days are still long enough and the weather will remain great for a few more months, so I highly suggest you try incorporating these 4 things into your busy family life too…

1. Eating more fruits & veggies. I’m able to do this simply because of availability.  Every Tuesday, Rozanne and the girls walk to the farmer’s market down the street (it’s about 5 or 6 blocks away) and they stock up for the week on every fresh fruit and vegetable they can find.  Yesterday we had a HUGE bowl full of berries that were sweeter than sugar, I made a cucumber & tomato salad to go with dinner and the day before that I roasted peppers on the barbeque.  All of that came from local farmers that sell their products at the farmers market.  Remember, shopping local allows you to support the local economy, cut down on freight costs (and reducing your carbon footprint) and gives you the choice of buying only from farmers who ethically raise their crops (with out the use of herbicides, pesticides and GMOs).

Read the rest of 4 Steps to Summer Health: Add These 4 Habits Into Your Summer Routine and Watch The Fat Melt Off

I haven’t blogged in a couple of weeks and for that, I’m sorry.  Here’s why…

Have a GREAT WEEKEND!

Chris