Entries by Chet Zelasko

Who’s in Charge?

“Make sure you define the disease; it doesn’t define you.” That quote is from physician Dr. Louis Papa in a video I recently watched. What a powerful statement. While the discussion was about heart disease, he said it applies to any disease. We all have health challenges; you won’t escape. Even if you have the best […]

Training Pays Off

Tom Brady is the best quarterback in the history of the National Football League. Ouch—that’s tough for a guy from Buffalo to say, but after this past weekend, it’s true. I talked about how his dedication to training and attention to detail give him the energy and focus to perform. But after all the training, […]

Energy Thieves: Medications

Another class of energy thieves is medications. This may not apply to everyone but based on the latest CDC stats, close to 50% of all American adults take at least one prescription drug and almost one-quarter take three medications or more. There are three ways medications can steal your energy when you need it to […]

Energy Thieves: Food

This week I’m focusing on potential energy thieves, and I’ve identified three areas that can hinder performance; one of those is the foods we eat. The two primary food thieves that affect me and many others are refined carbohydrates and deep-fat fried food, but the reasons are polar opposites: Refined carbohydrates and some starchy foods […]

Personal Productivity: Improving Performance

The study of time management began before the turn of the last century, but technology has changed dramatically since then; from home to the office, we have more timesaving devices than ever before. So why are we not more productive? Why do we still not have the time to eat better and exercise?

You could go the blame route and say you need to manage time better; there are more books written on that topic than almost anything else on the self-help category. I'm all for reading books that help us think and keep us focusing on our . . .

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Productivity and Technology

Let's look at how technology helps us be productive today. It's important to understand that computers, smart phones, and tablets have been commonplace for at least five years. How're you doing with all this tech to help you be productive? You should have been able to shave some time to prepare better meals and grab a workout.

You have apps that separate and categorize your email. You have calendar apps that can help you schedule your appointments and give you reminders. You have watch apps that will pay for your groceries and even track your steps, heart . . .

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Modern Productivity

Do you feel like you want to eat better and exercise, but you don't have the time? That's why I'm focusing on productivity this week. I always tell you to eat less, eat better, and move more, but those last two may take more time than you're currently able to give them. Where can we get that extra time? That sent me into researching the fascinating field of workplace productivity.

The current state of modern productivity can be traced back to Frederick Taylor in the late 1890s through early 1900s. He was constantly frustrated by co . . .

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Train to Perform

If you’re a Buffalo Bills fan, the one single player you most likely detest is Tom Brady of the New England Patriots. For me, I have to double-down on him because he’s also a Wolverine. But after reading the way he trains to perform, I have a new-found respect for this 39-year-old quarterback.

His attention to detail and his willingness to prepare for every game is legendary. But it doesn’t stop with sports-specific activity. Brady does it better in all ways. For the bulk of the year, he’s a vegan. During . . .

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Exercise to Perform

Keeping with a Steeler theme, Pittsburgh won this past Sunday evening to advance in the NFL playoffs. They landed at about 4 a.m. A couple hours later, James Harrison, a 38-year-old linebacker and a star in the game, posted pictures of himself working out at the Steeler facility at 6 a.m. To say that’s dedication is an understatement.

There aren’t many 38-year-old linebackers in professional football—he’s the only one. He eats clean. He is dedicated to his workouts. He gets treatment from acupuncturists and chiropractors weekly. If it’s legal . . .

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Eat to Perform

With the NFL playoffs going on, there have been some amazing performances. Do these men have talent? Sure, but talent won't take you far enough. I've accumulated some stories about how athletes prepare to perform and they seemed especially appropriate this week.

Let's begin with what is known in Steeler Lore as The Waffle House Incident. Antonio Brown, late of Dancing with the Stars fame and one of the best wide receivers in football, went out to eat with his wide receiver teammates. He's known for eating only organic food. As the story goes, he grilled . . .

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