MESSAGE #625 YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT…

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“Don’t dig your grave with your own knife and fork.”
-English Proverb

Today’s message is especially dedicated to the great Agata Andrevski in London, England.

You get out of your body, what you put in to your body.

Many health problems occur because of poor nutrition.

Many athletes perform poorly because of poor nutrition.

Many people are often tired because of poor nutrition.

In my own experience with nutrition for the last 15 years, I can tell a difference in my body and energy levels when I don’t eat properly, or if I don’t drink enough water.

Now, I know what you’re thinking, “But Ed, I’m always on the go – I don’t have time to eat well.”

Well, guess what?

I’m telling you right now that you do. If you’re too busy to take care of yourself, you’re too busy!

A great way to eat well and watch the number of calories you consume is to always take food with you when you leave the house.

The next time you go grocery shopping, stock up on: fruits and vegetables, nutrition bars (I like Soyjoy), almonds, raisins, whole wheat bread, eggs, lean turkey, oatmeal, brown rice and whole wheat pasta. Then, when you leave the house, bring food with you.

For breakfast, have an orange, a couple of eggs, and/or some oatmeal. If you’re pressed on time, just grab an apple and a nutrition bar.

For lunch, bring your own: turkey on whole wheat with mustard is healthy and will give you good energy. Or you can make some whole wheat pasta with tomato sauce the night before and bring it to school/work.

For dinner, my ideal is salmon or grilled chicken with broccoli, but you can do a combination or add brown rice.

Additional tips:

Always have snacks with you – a nutrition bar, fruit, or a handful of nuts will keep you satisfied and keep your metabolism going between meals. Snacks will also help you make better decisions if your next meal wasn’t planned.

Drink a lot of water! Always have a bottle with you.

PIZZA! I love pizza just as much as the next person, possibly more. But did you know that a plain cheese pizza is about 26% fat? Here’s what you can do: order half the amount of cheese (or no cheese) and twice the amount of sauce (a good source of lycopene, which can prevent cancer). More and more pizza places are offering whole wheat crust and pick a topping that is a vegetable instead of a meat topping. If you do this, your pizza will have less than 10% fat versus close to 30%.

Okay, time for me to make an egg sandwich on whole wheat sesame sourdough, with an orange first (if you eat your fruit first, your body will absorb more of the nutrients).

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Thanks for reading.

MESSAGE #624 WOW…

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Susan Boyle isn’t a supermodel.

Susan Boyle has never been kissed and lives alone with her cat, Peebles.

Susan Boyle was bullied when she was younger because of a disability.

Watch the video above and get ready to be blown away.

A great singer, athlete, student, and/or musician is already inside of you.

Thanks for checking in.

MESSAGE #623 THE MASTERS…

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“I get nervous before every shot.”
-TIGER WOODS

One thing I love to do is listen to interviews after peak performances by athletes.

The Masters was won yesterday by Angel Cabrera, after a three-way, sudden-death playoff. In his interview, he made some great comments.

Q. It looked like you were having a lot of fun out there, especially as things got particularly tense; is that true?

ANGEL CABRERA: Yes, you’re right, I was happy with my game and I had confidence. I was just trying to enjoy the moment.

Q. Any nerves?

ANGEL CABRERA: Oh, at this stage of the Tournament, any player who says he does not feel nerves, he’s not human.

Q. What do you think of your chances to actually win this Tournament, when you were two shots down with two holes to play?

ANGEL CABRERA: I told my caddie, you know, “It’s a birdie against a bogey, two holes left, I still have a good chance.”

Why did Angel Cabrera win the Masters?

1. He was having fun and stayed in the moment.
2. He was nervous, but didn’t act nervous.
3. He was optimistic even when he was down.

It doesn’t matter who you are, or what you do…you can still use the mental skills that the world’s top athletes, like Angel Cabrera have.


Thanks for reading.

MESSAGE #621 HERE’S THE SECRET…

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“I try and keep my strategy simple, I stay very intense during a match and completely focused. I never think about an opponent until the moment we play, and then my focus is on where to serve and how to hit cross-court and down the line. I try not to complicate my life by spending too much time analyzing a player in advance.”
-PETE SAMPRAS

That’s the secret.

The beauty of Sampras’ simple strategy is that when you focus on your strategy, it is impossible to think about all the negative things, like the last point you lost, or “What will happen if I lose?” We often are victims of paralysis by analysis.

Focus is critical, but make sure you focus on the right things – the things you can control.

And be like Pete.



Thanks for reading.

MESSAGE #620 HOW TO BECOME HAPPY…

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“Look up and not down. Look forward and not back. Look out and not in, and lend a hand.”
-EDWARD EVERETT HALE

“When you cease to make a contribution,you begin to die.”
-ELEANOR ROOSEVELT

“Success has nothing to do with what you gain in life or accomplish for yourself. It’s what you do for others.”
-DANNY THOMAS

They say that the quickest way to become happy is to make someone else happy.

I agree.

Last night I took my mentee, Amish to the Trenton Thunder (Yankees AA affiliate minor league team) game. Before we went, I called the Thunder and told them that I was bringing my mentee, who lost his mother in 9/11 and was wondering if he could meet the team before the game. A very nice young lady called back and said that they didn’t do that sort of thing, but that they could make him “Fan of the Game” and he would be able to throw out the first pitch, get on the diamond vision, and be in the Trenton Times this week! Wow.

We started at the offices, and walked past the clubhouse, where a couple players were walking to the field, so Amish asked them to sign his baseball. We then walked under the stands and out the tunnel to the dugout. As we waited on the field, all of the players started coming into the dugout to warm up for the game. My mentee politely asked them for autographs. I think he left with 18 autographs, including the mascots’! Well, they announced his name, and we walked out to the pitcher’s mound and my main man threw a perfect strike to catcher. The Thunder game him a free hat and the game ball! After that, we thanked everyone and proceeded to our seats in Section L, Row 1 to enjoy America’s Pastime. A great night!

You should have seen Amish’s face – he was so happy. That made me happy. So remember, the quickest way to make yourself happy, is to make someone else happy. You don’t need to have a lot of money, you can give your time and energy.

Homework: Make someone happy today!

Thanks for reading.

MESSAGE #619 ZENNIS…

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Much of sports psychology originated from Eastern philosophy and spirituality. Below is a saying I recently came up with, which was inspired by Chinese Zen Master, Yunmen.

If you walk, just walk.
If you play tennis, just play tennis.
If you work, just work.
If you study, just study.
If you sit, just sit.
But don’t wobble.

What does this saying mean?

It means, do one thing, and do one thing well. Stay in the present moment, and stay focused. Don’t worry about what you’re doing later, what you’re going to have for dinner, or what movie you might want to see.

Stay in the moment, that’s all you need.


Thanks for reading.

MESSAGE #618 GO TO THE DOCTOR…

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“The whole idea of motivation is a trap. Forget motivation. Just do it. Exercise, lose weight, test your blood sugar, or whatever. Do it without motivation. And then, guess what? After you start doing the thing, that’s when the motivation comes and makes it easy for you to keep doing it.”
-JOHN C. MAXWELL

Have you ever not wanted to go to work?

Have you ever not wanted to go to school?

Have you ever not wanted to go to practice?

Many of you are suffering from anal glaucoma.

You can’t see yourself getting your butt to work, school, or practice.

One of the secrets to success is doing what you have to do, when you have to do it…whether you want to or not.

Just because you feel a certain way doesn’t mean you need to act a certain way.

Start taking the correct action today!


*If you missed last night’s radio show with Sandy Mittleman, listen to the recording here…http://www.blogtalkradio.com/Game-Set-Life


Thanks for reading.

MESSAGE #616 THE WINNING EDGE…

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Today’s message is especially dedicated to the great Collin Cadwell.

“The winners edge in self-dimension is to have a worthy destination and look beyond yourself for meaning in life. The greatest example of self-dimension a winner can display is the quality of earning the love and respect of other human beings. Winners create other winners without exploiting them. They know that true immortality for the human race is when a caring, sharing person helps even one other individual.”
-DENIS WAITLEY

MESSAGE #614 I’M NERVOUS…

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“Winners and losers have the same feelings, they just take different action.”
-Rob Gilbert

Well, it’s Saturday morning at 9:32am and in about 28 minutes I will be speaking to the Ferris State Professional Tennis Management students, staff, alumni, and prospective students.

I’m nervous.

But I get nervous before every talk, so I’m fine with it. It’s okay to be nervous, as long as you don’t look or act nervous. Winners get nervous too, but they don’t let it paralyze them. Losers do.

So before a match, musical performance, or presentation before your class or co-workers, remember it’s alright to be nervous. Someone once told me, “If you’re not nervous, you’re not ready.”

Thanks for reading.

MESSAGE #613 A BLAST FROM THE PAST…

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Today’s message is especially dedicated to all the great alumni, Professional Tennis Management students, staff and guests at Ferris State University this weekend for the Annual Banquet and Workshop Weekend.


I am sitting here in the Ferris State University Racquet and Fitness Center in Big Rapids, Michigan. I spent a good part of three years here in Ferris’ Professional Tennis Management Program and graduated in 1997. It is exciting to be back not only an alumni, but as a featured speaker. I look forward to seeing some familiar faces, meeting some new people and presenting to the program.

Christin Thurston, formerly Christin Schumann, USPTA tennis professional and USPTA Executive Director of Northern Division, was in the PTM program at the same time as me and is back for the weekend. Below is a brief interview with her.

ET: How has Ferris State prepared you for your current position in the tennis industry?

CT: This program is unique because it not only shows students how to teach the game, but it also provides a marketing and business , which is one of the challenges in the industry.

ET: How has sports/teaching helped you in other areas of life?
CT: It has helped me stay focused on the task at hand and be more mindful of different options in difficult situations.

ET: What tips can you give to someone who wants to get to the next level in their tennis game?
CT: Practice as often as you can, with whoever you can, it doesn’t matter what level they are.

ET: In your experience teaching, do you believe in the saying, “Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard?” 
CT: I do agree and as I always say, “The harder you work, the luckier you get.” There is no substitute for hard work.

ET: Thank you for your time and enjoy the weekend…
CT: Thank you, it’s great to be back.

Wish me luck on my talk tomorrow.


Thanks for reading.