Most people are surprised to find that I really never played baseball at a high level.  While I was super active in it growing up (my mother jokes that I actually taught myself to read with baseball cards), I actually had to give baseball up at the end of eighth grade so that I could focus on tennis, my “stronger” spring sport.  And, to take it a step further, when high school ended, I went off to college in 1999 fully expecting to become an accountant.  Seriously.

Around that same time, though, I had some health problems – and my shoulder was already a wreck from tennis.  Those factors “beckoned” me to a healthy lifestyle – and that’s when I made the decision to transfer to an exercise science program and focus on my new passion as a career.  I did a double major in exercise science and sports/fitness management, and took part in internships in everything from personal training to cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation.

When I headed off to graduate school in 2003, I anticipated going in to the research world.  About a month after I arrived on campus at UCONN, though, I caught the strength and conditioning bug and was hooked – for life.  Interestingly, though, in those first few years, I really didn’t work with baseball much at all.

It wasn’t until I got out in to the “real world” that I just happened to start working with a few high school baseball players when I first moved to Boston.  They were great kids, and I had a lot of fun training them – and they got great results that drew a lot of attention to the work I did with them.  I was already a big baseball fan, and given my history of shoulder problems, I really enjoyed learning everything I possibly could about arm care – so it was a great fit.

The rest, as they say, is history.  We now have 44 professional baseball players from all over the country here to train with us at Cressey Performance because they believe our expertise, environment, systems, and passion give them the best opportunity on the planet to be successful in their baseball careers. I have guys who swear by my resistance training, medicine ball, mobility, soft tissue, movement training, and throwing programs even though I never even played a single game of high school – let alone collegiate or professional – baseball.  I’ve found my niche – but as you can tell, I never forced it.

What do you think I would have said if you had asked me in 1999 what my ten-year plan was?  I would have told you that I’d be filing tax returns in early April, not following all our athletes on opening day around the country.

And, if you had asked me in 2004 what my five-year plan was, I’d have told you that it was to become a great muscle physiology research.  I probably would have commented on how cool it was that the Red Sox won the World Series for the first time in 86 years – but wouldn’t have had the foresight to note that I’d someday go on to train two guys from that roster who have 2004 world championship rings.

My point is that you can’t force a fitness niche; you have to discover and then develop it.  A lot of stars had to line up the right way for me to get to where I am with working with a baseball population, but as Thomas Jefferson once said, “I find that the harder I work, the more luck I seem to have.”

Getting sick forced me to learn how to better take care of my body – and that led me to the fitness industry and strength and conditioning.

Having shoulder pain motivated me to learn more about shoulder health.

Being a “non-baseball guy” growing up forced me to do a lot more listening than talking with our athletes early-on, as I had to learn their culture.  It also put me in a position to never accept stupid training principles (like distance running for pitchers) simply because they were “tradition” – because crappy training was never a “tradition” that I’d learned.

If I’d purposely gotten sick, whacked myself in the shoulder with a sledgehammer, and then read every book on baseball tradition that I could, do you think I’d be where I am today?  If you answered “yes,” put down the glue you’re sniffing and start reading this again from the top.

Every business consultant in the fitness industry raves about how important it is nowadays to get a niche.  Train middle-aged female fat loss clients only.  Or, maybe it’s 9-12 year-old kids.  My buddy Eric Chessen even works exclusively with fitness for kids in the autism spectrum. I agree completely with these consultants’ advice – but your appropriate niche won’t magically appear unless you experience a lot of different settings and find the right fit for you, then follow up on it by educating yourself as much as possible by reading/watching everything you can, expanding your network of colleagues, and finding solutions to problems others haven’t been able to solve.

If you are going to do something exclusively, you better be:

a) passionate about it

b) good at it

c) sure that it alone can financially support you

d) excited about the possibility of becoming an expert and contributing to the existing body of knowledge in that realm

e) willing to potentially pass up on opportunities in other realms

To be very candid, I just don’t think that having specific 5- and 10-year plans is necessarily a good idea.  Sure, it’s okay if we are talking about financial planning, marriage, etc. – but when it comes to professional goals, there are just too many factors that can change things on a dime and turn you in a new direction.  I love what I do now, but couldn’t tell you for the life of me where I’ll be in 5-10 years – and I happen to think that I have a pretty good grasp on where I’m going, as compared to the rest of the fitness industry.  If I was just leaving college today, I’d definitely be taking it one day at a time!

How about you?  What’s your niche – and how did you discover and develop it?

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A heart attack is known as a myocardial infarction. This occurs when the heart muscle is damaged or does not receive enough oxygen. Many cardiac related problems occur due to blockages in arteries that carry purified blood away from the heart to different parts of the body. Another cause is the formation of blood clots. Very often, it is quite difficult to differentiate between a heart attack and heartburn.

The common signs of a heart attack are a tightness, pain, or discomfort in the chest. Sweating, nausea, and vomiting that are accompanied by intense pressure in the chest. A radiating and intense pain in the chest that extends from the chest to the left arm. A shortness of breath for more than a few minutes. If you have any of the above you must consult the doctor or go to the emergency rooms.

If you even think you are having a heart attack you must call for a cardiac care ambulance, and put under your tongue a sorbitrate or chew an aspirin. If you are allergic to aspirin don’t take one. It is critical to have EMS alerted and on its way as soon as possible. A heart attack victims best chance for survival is an AED and necessary drugs that can only come from medical professionals.

At the hospital care will include rapid thrombolysis, cardiac catheterization, and angioplasty. They will also administer intravenously clot busting medications.

The risk factors for a heart attack include: smoking, diabetes, high levels of cholesterol, hypertension, history of heart diseases, atherosclerosis, lack of exercise, obesity, and fast foods.

Meditation is a practice that will also help you live a healthy lifestyle. By incorporating relaxation and breathing techniques into your life you can lower your stress level. In spite of making lifestyle changes, you will still need to follow up with your doctor in order to be evaluated for your heart?s condition. This is one of the best ways to make sure you are healthy, and to get advise for how much you need to do.

Statistics from the American Heart Association show that heart disease affects 48.8 million people every year. Out of that number, 940,000 will die from heart disease and complications. You can help prevent heart disease by leading a healthy lifestyle. Finding a balance with work and pleasure extends one?s life expectancy. Stop watching those sports! Go outside and play instead. You?ll have the benefit of exercise and interaction with your friends and family.

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You have heard it said that your age is merely a number and in many respects that is true, however when it comes to getting in shape it can play an important role in how. Many people use their age as an excuse not to get in shape or lead a healthy lifestyle including a decent workout regimen.

Age is not a sufficient excuse not to exercise and try to stay fit. When done correctly you can incorporate workouts, weight lifting and healthy diet in such a way that you remain healthy, fit and active for years and it does not matter how old you are when you start.

If you are interested in reshaping your body, becoming healthy and fit, losing weight and or increasing bone density weightlifting and bodybuilding are exactly what you are looking for. Besides everyone knows that people who are fit and trim have better self-esteem and generally feel better about life as a whole.

People who exercise also experience the release of endorphins from the brain, which helps, maintain a sense of happiness and well-being.

To start with a few basics it is understood that at 40 years old you might need to make a concession or two in your workout regimen. That however does not mean you should fall for the lies about aging.

As we get older, our muscles and joints are less limber and this means that adequate stretching and warm up prior to exercising is very important. A 15-minute time allotment that is devoted to necessary stretching and limbering up routines will benefit you by increasing flexibility, and decreasing the chance of muscle or joint sprain or damage. The more completely you stretch the better conditioned your muscles will become.

Next in line is a 15-minute cardiovascular workout. You can do this on an elliptical machine, stair stepper, treadmill or stationary bike. Do not approach this as a marathon, however you should get your heart rate sped up a bit and continue to build on the limbering you have just finished. This point of your routine is to get the blood flowing and put your body on notice that you are serious about getting some work done.

Lightweights should be your next step. When you are using free weight training or circuit training, go through your complete routine without the use of heavy weights. You can then follow up with appropriate weights and repetitions.

Bodybuilders of all levels find a pyramid method very helpful in their weight routines. This technique consists of doing more repetitions with less weights and then lessening the reps as you add more and more weights. The pyramid technique is great for building body mass and more muscle.

One of the most important things to remember is to keep proper form with every move. It is better to cut back on the repetitions or weights than to have poor form. Keep the position of your body foremost in your mind. Proper form not only gives you the best results but also reduces the risk of injury.

Keep your weight routines to a maximum of 30-45 minutes each and focus on working out at least four times every seven days. When you have completed a weight training routine, you can return to a quick cardio session to cool down and further strengthen your lungs and heart.

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