If they can't have it, then neither can you?

Every one of us is reaching for success in at least one area of our life.

Right?

And if you're like me and my family you're aiming for excellence in all areas of your life.

How do you feel when you see someone close to you make the climb up the ladder of success?

Happiness or Envy?

This reminds me of the Crab bucket story. You know this story?

If you don't, listen up. If you do, best to hear it again to make sure it sinks in.

A son and father are walking down the beach when the son sees a fisherman close to the boardwalk selling some of the day's catch.

The son sees a crab bucket next to the man and it doesn't have a lid on it. The son turns to his dad and asks why the crabs were not able to escape.

The father said, "If there was only one crab in the bucket it would certainly escape. However, when there is more than one crab in the bucket, if one tries to crawl out, the other crabs would grab hold and pull it back down so that it would share the same fate as the rest of them."

"You must ignore the crabs if you want to be a success in life."

This is true with people. If you attempt to better yourself, other people might attempt to drag you back down to share their fate.

Do you know crab people? Have you attempted to better yourself only to have family and friends to discourage you?

Surprisingly, in our line of work, even some competing martial art school owners engage in this kind of crab behavior. You would think that this thinking would be non existent in the martial art industry.

We are supposed to work together in a common goal of helping people reach their goals through the wonders of martial art training. Still, some would prefer to try to tarnish our image or attempt to destroy what we've spent the past 30 years building just because they might be less successful than we are or because we don't hold the same credentials as they do, maybe even just because we practice a different style all together.

The crab schools can stay together in the bucket. We made it out of there a long time ago.

You might share the same experience in your life. Some people around you might have the mentality that: "If they can't have it, then neither can you"

You can be slim, toned, strong, confident and happy.

You can be the most successful person in your field.

You can be in a relationship, madly in love and enjoying every minute of it.

You can have the nicest house on the block.

Aim for excellence in all areas of your life and watch out for the crab syndrome, it's contagious.

If you're on my list I'm gathering you're an independent self-starter, motivated and ready to jump out of the bucket?

Let me warn you, you must be physically fit to do so. Those crabs are clingy little suckers.

Let me suggest you start with our Basic Fitness System to get you started on your ascension.

Master Yourself,

Sifu Martin

Stretching the Brain?

Yesterday I was reading an interesting article by Robert Ringer and he was talking about and referencing some new findings from a cognitive science expert on what has to be THE biggest Wonder of the World.

Something we still don't know enough about...

Our Brain

As Ringer put it: "In his book The New Brain, Dr. Richard Restak uses the term "plasticity of the new brain" to refer to the capacity of the brain to transform itself. This is an incredibly exciting notion, and one that has endless positive ramifications."

"Until recently, it was generally believed that the brain's plasticity peaked out at young adulthood, if not earlier. But researchers now believe the brain is subject to transformation throughout life, which is why Restak appropriately refers to it as a "lifetime work in progress."

This falls right in line with the Fang Shen Do mentality of "Learning should be a life long Journey not a trip to the corner store."

For years I've been getting the excuse from potential students that they might be too old (coming from a 30 year old!) to start martial arts or to just start training and get physically fit.

Some people still have the mentality of "You can't teach an old dog new tricks"

Bull.

I thought it to be very cool of knowing there is no DEADLINE for starting something new or challenging. Your mind will expand and grow to the extent you push it.

He went on to say: "The plasticity of the brain is why you can accomplish great things without being born with superior intelligence or natural talent. And Dr. Restak maintains that a transformation of the brain can be achieved by sheer determination."

Repetition makes repeated impressions on your brain so you eventually master what you're trying to get good at. It doesn't mean you just blindly repeat, you study your results and make adjustments along the way as you gain more experience, staying determined and focused every step of the way.

Restak's main point is that regardless of how much of success is due to genetics and how much is due to practice, the level of success one achieves is based on the plasticity of the brain.

Which begs the question: "If you know your mind is capable of adapting itself to anything you subject it to, and becoming physically fit is one of them, what are you waiting for?"

Wherever you are fitness wise, we have something in store for you. Whether you're just starting out or you've been at it for a while and you need to step it up a bit, give your mind a new challenge, find it right here.

Master Yourself,

Sifu Martin

P.S. Another way to expand your mind and open it to the endless possibilities is to witness Masters in movement. We're almost out of room for our Shaolin Monks seminar tomorrow in Montreal, you can register for it here:

FSD Members go here.

Non-members go here.

Make it through the pain

I work with alot of students on a weekly basis and want to make sure to offer the best possible advice so they and most importantly, YOU, stick with your fitness plan this year.

Whenever you start something new and especially something fitness related, there is a certain amount of pain you have to endure a few days following your workout.

Gage the amount of pain you feel after your workouts to determine your level of fitness.

If it takes you 1 day to recover you're in very good shape and next time, you need to push yourself harder.

If it takes you 2-3 days to recover you need to take training very seriously and stick with your program, this is your bodies way of alerting you, confirming that you're not using your muscles on a regular basis, remember the old saying: "Use it or lose it".

If it takes you a week to recover, you need to look at yourself in the mirror and say: "Get your ass in shape because your life depends on it".

Most people get discouraged at that point, the point where they wake up the next morning feeling stiff and sore, deciding they are just out of shape and call it quits.

This is exactly the point where you need to double your efforts, your focus and determination.

You don't want to dig for gold and fall short of hitting the jackpot because you gave up just a few feet away from uncovering the prize.

Typically the prize is found around the 5 th workout. You feel yourself getting stronger. You have more endurance. You're less out of breath. And the muscle soreness you feel the day after your workout slowly diminishes. Instead of dreading the next morning you're looking forward to it, kinda like a scale to measure the degree of intensity you brought to your workout.

Progression is so much easier when you follow a system that was designed with that in mind.

Start with your very first step to top physical fitness. Partner with us and make week long soreness a thing of the past.

Get started NOW.

Master Yourself,

Sifu Martin

Biggest tragedy to plague human kind

Yesterday my parents brought me an article from the Journal de Montreal that I thought I'd share with you today.

I'm compelled to share it with you because I know it touches so many of us.

What I'm about to cover today has to be one of the biggest tragedies to plague human kind.

I still don't know why people, young and old, are engaging in something so destructive in the 21st Century. An age where technology and research is at an all time high.

Information, surveys, and statistics concerning it prove its deadly without a shadow of a doubt.

A highly evolved society that willfully engages in something that kills you slowly.

A decision that makes absolutely no sense and defies logic.

SMOKING

Do you smoke?

Know someone who smokes?

I'm sure you do.

If you're not a smoker, maybe you're like me, I want to over-saturate myself with as many reasons as possible to not smoke so I never, ever start. I found the following facts very interesting even as a non-smoker.

And if you do smoke, what the hell are you waiting for? QUIT.

There was this little section at the bottom of the article that caught my eye.

What happens if you stop smoking?

NOW: You cease to be a threat to your spouse, family, and friends.

In 20 minutes: Your heart rate returns to normal

In 24 hours:

Your breath doesn't stink so much.

Your risk of suffering a myocardial infarction has already dropped

There are no longer traces of carbon monoxide in your system

In 48 hours: You no longer have nicotine in your blood

In 2 weeks:

Your clothes no longer reek the stench of smoke and tobacco

The food you eat is more flavorful

Your skin tone is brighter

In 3 mths: Your breathing has improved and will continue that way

In 1 year: Your risk of cardio-vascular disease has dropped by half

In 5 years:

Your risk of a stroke drops 50%

Your risk of developing a cancer of the mouth, esophagus, and bladder also drop 50%

Your risk of suffering an infarction (loss of adequate blood supply to an organ) is equivalent to a non-smoker

In 10 years:

Your risk of lung cancer drops by half

Your risk of a stroke returns to non-smoker levels

In 15 years: Your risk of cardio vascular disease also returns to non-smoker levels.

Smoking is the first preventable cause of death on the planet with the yearly death rate totalling 5 million. That number is said to double in the next 20 years.

I guess some people do not value their life. They haven't realized the importance of taking care of their most precious asset, allowing something so insignificant to threaten simultaneously our level of intelligence and physical well-being.

The most important gift that you and I possess is Consciousness.

Are we conscious beings or easily manipulated pawns?

It takes discipline to smoke. Why not shift that discipline to something that actually extends your life rather than shorten it?

Discover the joy of martial art training, put your health and your family's health first.

Experience our unique Fitness System today and literally KICK the habit.

Master Yourself,

Sifu Martin

YOU are the Master

That's what Martial Arts is supposed to teach you.

Nothing ever happens if you don't put love and effort into it.

No one is coming for you.

You can pray all you want, that won't help get rid of that belly fat around your waist.

It won't save your marriage.

It won't make your kids love you.

It won't attract good friends.

It won't protect you in a self-defense situation.

The only thing you can count on is ACTION.

The right action, making the right choices at the right moment.

Let's take for example the right "Fitness Action".

Mastering what you eat and strengthening your body through daily activity and progressive improvements which you can measure and track are crucial.

That's why our Fitness System takes you through different levels of difficulty (White = Basic, Yellow = Intermediate, Blue = Advanced, etc...) so you gradually improve over time.

Nobody wants to keep on doing the same exercises at the same pace with the same reps all the time. Going that route is a dead end.

Solution: Structured Progresssion

Every exercise needs to grow into something else, to keep up with your growth, more challenging exercises have to be integrated to prepare you for the next step. Once your body has adapted, we can push its limits to a whole other level, starting the process all over again.

Then, Time increments are changed, rest periods change, and on and on you go. All you need to do is follow the system and everything else takes care of itself.

Our Fitness System is something we're particularly proud of, The Dinosaur version we used to teach 30 years ago is a thing of the past. We've had about 30 years to fine tune it and test our results on thousands of students.

Result?

It friggin' works.

Want to start building your dream body? Look no further. Get started now.

Master Yourself,

Sifu Martin

It's Louse Time! It's not MY responsibility?

If you're new to my list of focused, motivated, self- starters, Welcome.

(if you're not new jump right away to today's lesson below)

Every day I communicate to you the best ways to train and the kind of mindset it takes to get results either in your physical fitness or martial art training.

Friday is always what I call: "Louse Time". Modeled after Bruce Lee's strategy in Enter the Dragon.

You know that part where he's having tea with the government agent but he's disturbed by one of his students and Bruce Lee tells the agent: It's Louse Time! The agent replies with his British accent: "yes of course".

Since I'm 6 years old that scene has always stuck with me and I'll be using that same strategy with YOU every week.

Friday is where I share with you Life Lessons and Direction given to me by my dad (and Sifu) every Friday.

Today's lesson is: It's not MY responsibility?

Huh, yes it is.

We all have Freedom of Choice. Why are so many people making the wrong one when it comes to health?

I think it's the comfort of knowing the good ol' health care system is there for them.

I try to live my life as if there was none.

I believe it's not the government's job or the hospital's to fix someone's bad choices.

The choice of smoking

The choice of doing drugs

The choice of deliberate inactivity

The choice of eating junk food

The choice of not drinking enough water

The choice of consuming too much alcohol

The choice of not getting enough sleep

The choice of.....

You get the picture?

You're not made to be sick, weak and stagnant.

Obviously, some health issues are out of our control but most of them can be avoided with a little common sense.

Choices we make and the responsibility we assume today will pay great dividends in the future.

At least get the fitness and weight loss under control once and for all so you can focus on all the other important things you want to accomplish in your life.

Get started today.

Master Yourself and the choices you make,

Sifu Martin

Knock Out Stress

What seems to be a hot topic nowadays is Aging.

Most importantly Anti-Aging, Reverse Aging or Curing Aging which some experts say is a disease like any other which is totally unnatural. With enough research maybe one day we'll say goodbye to Aging all together.

If we are to slow down the aging process you and I need to have a handle on the stress we expose ourselves to.

Recent research from the University of California shows stress can cut off, at a bare minimum 10 years off our life span.

10 years!

Imagine all the things you can do in a year, let alone 10 years.

What I found interesting about the study was, simply being exposed to stress doesn't automatically accelerate the aging process. It depends how you react to it, how much power you give it. What kind of attitude you have towards it. That's what played at difference in the end.

Are you indifferent towards your stress and choose to place the most important priorities first like your kids, your spouse and the gratitude to be here, alive and kicking.

Or do you let it eat away at you, worry you, overwhelm you. Do you keep it bottled up inside of you?

Our first line of defense is Mental Attitude.

The second weapon you can arm yourself with is...Martial Arts.

I'm ready to bet if you walk into the MA school stressed out, you'll have a totally different feeling when you walk out.

You'll feel empty, released, but at the same time filled up with new, bright energy and a new found gusto to find a solution to your challenges.

One of the best ways we've found to purge your system of stress is through Intense, Interval Training with a Martial Art twist.

Each session leaves you stripped of any worries, a deep feeling of accomplishment, and a general sense of happiness.

It has worked wonders for me and I guarantee it will feel right for you too.

Get our Basic Fitness Kit and knock out stress once and for all.

Master Yourself,

Sibok Martin

Make Me Fit Now

I was happy to see so many of you taking action yesterday and decide to take control of your fitness by picking up one of our strength training fitness systems.

Let's face it, if you can't find the will power or the motivation to start taking care of yourself fitness wise during this time of year, you never will.

In a recent study of New Year's resolutions, 55 percent promised to eat healthier, 50 percent resolved to exercise more, and 38 percent wanted to lose weight.

Fitness related goals account for most people's resolutions, and i'm sure it's a big part of yours, the only question is will you follow through on it?

"If it's simple and you get results quickly" you might answer.

The training system we use follows a principle.

"Quality not Quantity"

Most workouts can be done and crossed off your calendar in 10 minutes flat.

One of the secrets lies in the "Intensity" you bring to your workout.

It's that Intensity that fires up your metabolism and gives you an adrenaline rush that helps boost your energy levels for the rest of the day.

If you only felt what I feel after training the way we do, you would never think about your weight ever again.

Can you imagine that?

Eat what you want , when you want.

No counting calories.

The energy to complete daily tasks with ease.

Improved posture and confidence when you walk.

Feeling Strong and vibrant to tackle the goals you've set for the new year.

I only eat what I want because of the foundation I've laid with our fitness system. I trust the system. If I didn't train the way I do I would certainly be over weight. I use food as fuel not as comfort. Although I prefer to eat healthy food, if I slip off my plan, I do so guilt free because I know our fitness system will take care of me.

It can do the same for you.

Be one of the few that actually follow through on their fitness goals this year. Get your own
Fitness kit by following this link: "Make me fit now"

Master Yourself,

Sifu Martin

A Silent Killer

You've been given a vessel, take care of it.

Do not wait until it is completely deteriorated to start maintenance on it.

Your most prized asset: Your body.

And still millions will be diagnosed with heart disease, lung cancer, and diabetes this year.

All because of mal nutrition, smoking and lack of exercise.

A real shame when you consider body weight exercises are the simplest and easiest forms of exercise.

They can be done by anyone, anywhere, anytime.

1 minute of exercise is better than any vitamin.

Mastering your body is the most rewarding activity of all yet very few dedicate any substantial time to it compared to how much time spent watching countless hours of useless TV.

Obesity and Inactivity is a silent killer, the worse virus to ever plague our modern society.

Information abound, latest technologies all around us but unable to control the gem that's located between our ears.

Our fitness kits are easy to use, simple, fun and challenging no matter what level you're at.

Instead of buying useless gifts this holiday season, invest in something that will extend your family member's life, so you can enjoy more quality time together.

You can pick yours up here.

Master Yourself,

Sifu Martin

We're really serious about this

If you're not already training what are you waiting for?

When is NOW a good time to start?

What needs to happen for you to start strength training?

Let me tell you, there's no secret pill or flashy gadget that's going to save you when it comes to your fitness.

It just needs to get done.

And it doesn't have to be complicated either. I have to admit I read a lot about the subject and review many different strength building courses and articles.

With our strength training kits it's just so simple and easy to use compared to what's out there. There are no thick manuals to read or a dozen audio CDs to listen to. When you receive our stuff it's like: "Drop the cards, put on the music and just start".

Some fitness industry experts turn everything in such a complex science it totally turns off the common person who just wants to get fit and lose that stubborn fat around the waistline.

What's also impressive is you feel it right away. That gentle burn that has your muscles saying: "Hey, you've been neglecting me a-hole, make sure I'm strong so I don't feel like this next time". Every subsequent workout after that you build trust in your body and in your abilities. It becomes something you're proud of.

You tell yourself: "This week I'll be able to do my Leg-Ins non-stop. Then it'll be Squat kicks. Shortly after I'll do Single Leg Squats. After I'll be able to do Handstands."

You're laying strength building blocks for yourself and using each one as a stepping stone to reach higher levels of strength and fitness.

If you stay consistent there's only one direction you're going: UP.

If you don't start, then you're just on idle, waiting but nothing ever comes. You deserve to be fit and strong. Let us show you the way.

Click here to claim your strength training kit.

Challenge Yourself,

Sibok Martin

Body says: you're fired!

Are you overwhelmed by today's hectic living?

Would your body fire you if it could, based on the times you missed work - outs.

When it comes to physical fitness you might think it would be easier to live in a monastery like monks and train all day every day to get results. Very few of us have that privilege.

We all seem to have less and less time to enjoy the things that make us happy.

You need results FAST and that's where we come in.

Station Training was created to keep you in peak physical and emotional shape in the least time possible.

If in one hand, I guaranteed you results with a 2 hour workout, a trip to the gym and a personal trainer while in the other offered you our Strength Training Program with the same results at a fraction of the time with no commute, while in the comfort of your own home or office.

What would you choose?

The answer is obvious.

It doesn't take complex workouts or routines to get results. Shuffle your cards, pick 15 of them, lay them down, put the music on (or download to your i-pod) and go!

You have the luxury of choosing within 50 different exercises in your stack.

As you progress your workout will get easier and so will your desire to do more.

Next, you'll need to set a number of reps for each exercise.

Still too easy?

Work your way up to 2 minute stations instead.

Still not enough, take your intermediate stack (85 exercises) and choose from those.

The versatility of the kits are incredible. But the best part has to be it's SIMPLICITY.

We all have too many things to juggle: Kids, businesses, employees, relationships, AND our physical fitness? Might as well make fitness the easy, fun part.

15 stations equals 15 minutes. You can take only 5 stations and make those the hardest ones you've ever done and still have a sense of accomplishment at the end and it only took you 5 minutes.

The secret is in the Intensity.

The emotion you bring to your workout. Don't leave your problems at the door bring them with you and burn them right out of your mind and body. Use them as fuel to take your physical fitness levels to all time highs.

Your body will feel refreshed and pleasantly satisfied.

Avoid getting a Pink Slip, get your strength training kit now.

Master Yourself,

Sibok Martin