Local Examples make the Point!

I saw this point over and over myself this weekend at all levels of football! Beginning Friday night, the LCA Eagles with a narrow lead of 28-20 held off a tough Rockwall Christian team for 8 downs at the end of the 4^th Quarter. Over and over near and in the red zone this LCA defense kept Rockwall from scoring. There was no reason why Rockwall should not have converted. They had 8 shots at it.

Rockwall even put up 225 passing yards to Legacy’s 86 during this game. The reason Legacy won the game: DEFENSE! LCA held on to win the game 28-20.

And, you might not know this, but LCA has the best record of any high school varsity football team in Frisco. They are Division Champions. And, can I just say, I am so proud of these guys. I was there at the first game of the season and worry set in as they did not look very good at all. That loss was the only one! These guys united, worked hard, listened to their Coaches, and they deserve some recognition for their efforts!

Let’s go to Saturday…Frisco Football League 7-year-old Colts dominated the Saints. They played they way they practiced by excellent offensive execution and defense that did not let up.

This pee-wee football team is ranked #1 in defense and #1 in offense for their division. But, check this out…this team in their first year of playing tackle football is ranked #1 in defense in all of FFL. They tied with the 9-year-old Gators for this honor. Both the Colts and the Gators only allowed 12 points scored against them during regular season play.

These little guys have been Coached well on this principle of defense winning football games. They understand stopping the run and not allowing anyone to the outside.

Sunday, the rookies and veterans of the Dallas Cowboys united defensively with some better energy and better execution to win the game 13-9. We all know the offense was struggling and the Boys lost most of their first string secondary. So, the question was out there…can these young players without any or much experience get the job done?

The Buccaneers final drive against the nickel defense included these guys who would not normally be there. And, what happened? This ‘newbie’ defense got it done enough to hold on to the small lead for victory. Now granted, we did not see many fades or deep passes to really challenge the Corners, but the young DB’s were put to the test and managed to secure a win. Garcia, I don’t think, found too many opportunities deep. And, with the majority of short passes delivered, the young Cowboys defense made the stops necessary. And, one more thing, it was nice to see former Buckeye Bobby Carpenter recover a fumble! Awesome!

All that said, I still have to make a quick comment on the Diamonds. It wouldn’t be right without a mention. Go back to the Diamonds Championship Victory over Chicago. We had an amazing goal line stand that enabled us to stay in this game and win in overtime. That ‘wall’ was not penetrated. The Force could not score at the goal line…not up the middle and not on the outside. Diamonds win!

I understand the Championship DVD should be out soon at www.iwflsports.com. Yeah, kinda late, but better late than never.

Stay inspired,

Kip #45 

Sleep is a necessary component for the body to recover from all the hard work you are doing. In fact, no sleep = no healthy body or mind. And, scientists will tell you that if you are struggling to sleep, exercise is a great way to naturally induce sleep. At the end of your hectic day from weight training to your job and family obligations, you should feel a normal ‘tiredness’ and sleep should come very naturally to you. This the body’s way of speaking to you. Muscle tissue repair and recuperation comes during sleep.

Another important reason for sleep is the Human Growth Hormone (HGH) rises during deep sleep. The HGH is an amino acid produced by the pituitary gland. It has an important role in our skeletal development in our early years and continues to regulate our metabolism during our lifecycle. So, no sleep = messed up metabolism.

Now, having said all that, we all know each one of us has a unique sleep cycle and unique sleep needs. Most of us, however, need 6-12 hours of sleep each night. Yes, that is a broad range. If you consistently wake up after 6 hours of sleep and feel rested, then perhaps 6 hours is all you need. I know, for instance, I need around 7 to 8 hours of sleep to feel renewed. Any less than that and I am a sluggard and I can tell my body has not fully recovered from all the hard work I did the day before.

If you absolutely stay up too late, then try taking a 20 minute nap sometime during the next day. Some say a 20 minute daytime nap is the equivalent of 2 hours of nighttime sleep. I’m not sure I believe that, but one source I checked out said it’s true. And, I had a ‘second’ on that from my husband who actually put a couch in his conference room at work for naps. He says he needs his 20 minute nap everyday to be productive. And, he allows his employees to do the same! Now there’s a great employee benefit!

Maybe for you, rest is not the hard principle…maybe it is the clean eating…or exercise. For me, rest is hard. I am a night owl by nature. I feel the most productive around 9pm to 2:00am. But, my life starts early with two kids, workouts, and household management. This school year, I vowed to get to bed by 11:00pm. Most of the time, I have made it. I’ll get nestled in around 10:45 after prepping for the next morning. I read for about 15 minutes, then lights out.

Recently, however, it has been more like midnight or 12:30am. You’ll see posts from me around that hour. I keep thinking ‘I can get one more thing done.’ But, I suffer because of that choice. I can tell that lost hour to hour and a half makes a difference. I am less energetic and more irritable. I am less motivated and more ‘going through the motions’.

So, if you see a post from me past the 11:30pm mark, then call me out! It’s time for me to get back to 11:00pm!!

Stay inspired,

Kip #45

Is it a Health Crisis or Self-Esteem issue? That was the debate recently on a television talk show about obesity among our young people. Really….? While I was not in a place to hear this entire show, I was puzzled as to why it was even a question? It seems we continue to misunderstand the real issues here.

One obese young guest revealed how she had confidence and great esteem in her size since it resulted in male attention. She apparently felt it was wrong for others to advise her to lose the weight. She was fine with her big body.

I felt greatly disturbed by this young woman’s Mother. She was also obese. Mom supported the lifestyle of a high fat diet. She made it very clear she disliked healthy foods like vegetables and did not exercise. Furthermore, she made it equally clear she used her size to gain the male attention she expected and desired. She had been married three times ‘so far’ she said.

Clearly this daughter is following in the footsteps of Mom. Their size yields them what they want and desire: male attention. Take that away and size will not hold such a place of esteem. Health concerns are not even on the radar screen.

This morning I heard it again. The ‘Fat Movement’, helping people to be okay with being fat and stop the insanity of trying to change it.

Let me make a few things clear. I don’t believe the obesity/overweight issue is a self-esteem issue. Do they impact each other? They can, but they don’t have to. You can be obese and feel okay with self. You can be overweight and have confidence. Plenty of people big and small have healthy esteem. And, there are plenty of skinny folks who struggle to have a healthy esteem.

From my years Counseling eating disorders of all varieties, I can report to you most people in this situation whether big or small, do NOT have a healthy view of self. This view of self impacts and often drives behavior. Perhaps we will address some of these issues in later blogs.

I definitely can see I will need to get on my ‘soap box’ about self-esteem and the whole self-esteem movement. So, know there will be a blog coming about that. With that said, however, I am all for anyone no matter what their size having a healthy view of self. It is possible. And, I think the point the ‘Fat Movement’ is to esteem self no matter your size. My fight is not with that.

My fight is over health concerns associated with obesity and being overweight long term. There are clear health concerns associated with being overweight and obese. And, while some of those concerns will not show up in a young person, living a lifestyle of little exercise and a high fat diet can have serious health consequences with age. And, let’s not forget the 14-year-old who needed a liver transplant for this exact scenario.

Stay inspired,

Kip #45

All of this may sounds like too much. Some of you may already have the excuses in mind as to how you can’t possibly do this. Stop it! In fact, the mind is the final Principle we will address. The next one, however, is focused on Rest. There…rest…that’s something you can do, right?

Don't forget Dallas Diamonds open tryouts this Sunday from 1-4pm at Pennington Field.

www.dallasdiamondsfootball.com 

www.eatcleandiet.com 

Stay inspired,

These things are huge! Have you ever seen a Super Bowl Ring up close? Holy Moly! I actually got to try on the 1992 Cowboys’ Super Bowl Ring…yeah, you know it…it felt good!!

The folks at Balfour sat each of us down and had us review the examples in front of us. I couldn’t resist slipping the Cowboy Ring on my finger! There was one of the Diamonds’ Championship Rings from a couple of years ago. I tried that one too! Then we tried on sample rings to get the right size.

I decided to fit my largest finger knowing that as the years creep onward, I’ll have choices in the fingers it will fit! So, size 9 is it!

Next came verification of the spelling of my name and my jersey number. After that, I signed off on the dotted line! That was it! It took about five minutes!

Dawn Berndt, the Diamonds’ Owner, says Balfour has the artwork and they are fine tuning things. Balfour has been doing Championship Rings since 1943 so obviously they know what they are doing. They’ve created these huge beauties for hundreds of Championship Teams over the years including the Cowboys, the NY Yankees, the Ryder Cup Teams, collegiate Champions, NBA  Champions, and even some Olympic Teams.

Dawn indicates our Ring is ‘huge’. I can’t even imagine…well, I can…after seeing the other examples, but wow, I’m actually going to have a Championship football ring! To me it is more of this fantasy life becoming reality!

Once the World Championship Rings are ordered, it takes about 90 days before we see them. It looks like they will be just in time for Christmas! That will make a perfect present to celebrate the hard work on and off the field it took to secure the victory. The Ring celebrates that accomplishment for a lifetime. More importantly, it celebrates the process of the accomplishment and all the ‘blood, sweat, and tears’ that went into it. And, once I’m gone, it will be passed down to my kids for lots of laughs and great stories. I suppose they will have this blog to go with it.

We wait now! In the meantime, it’s back to work! Off-season training is in full swing and the first round of open tryouts has finished. More on that still ahead…plus simple principle #2 to a healthy life and the body you want!

Stay inspired,

Kip #45

DALLAS DIAMONDS OPEN TRYOUTS: Sunday, October 19th, 1-4pm at Pennington Field! $50 Registration fee payable online at www.dallasdiamondsfootball.com