Sharon Simmons, Former Dallas Cowboy Cheerleader Hopeful, Gives 8 Lessons On Aging Well

Sharon Simmons, Former Dallas Cowboy Cheerleader Hopeful, Gives 8 Lessons On Aging Well

A very inspiring article from the Huffington Post written by Anthonia Akitunde.  Below is an excerpt.

Last year as hundreds of beautiful and talented women auditioned for a spot on the Dallas Cowboys’ cheerleading team, only one warranted a number of stunned headlines: Sharon Simmons.

Simmons, then 55, tried out for a spot as a Dallas Cowboys’ cheerleader. “I thought, that’s something I never tried,” she told CBS DFW at the time. “I always wanted to try out. I got real close in my early 20s, but got busy raising my daughter. And I thought, why not now?”

Balanced Life Living Life From Within

 A must read if you feel like getting ahead in your life is a losing battle.

Introduction

Ever feel as if there is no purpose to your life and each day is just the same as yesterday? Do you feel you struggle through life while others have it so easy? Ever ask yourself why am I trying so hard and nothing seems to go right for me? What about that empty feeling you have and nothing you do seems to satisfy it? Ever watch the news and think that if God is real why is the world so messed up?

If you’ve ever felt any of these things you are not alone. Everyone struggles at times to find meaning in their life. If you’ve ever felt like you are on a journey and you have no idea of where it will end, then this book is for you.

Some people seem to breeze through life as if they have a guide that’s always showing them the easy way. There is such a life force.  This way of living will bring you peace and harmony in all aspects of your life and if that is what you seek, then read on.

As early as I can remember I always felt a presence with me something within me that was an internal guide. Whenever I would follow that internal guidance things would turn out well for me no matter the circumstance I found myself in. For instance, when I was around age seven, being rambunctious as kids are at that age, I was playing with a pair of scissors and accidently punctured a hole in my mother’s brand new sofa. I was so afraid to tell my mother what had happened that I made up all kinds of stories in my head of what to say to her. Then this inner guide gently said, “Tell your mother the truth and all will be okay.” So I did. My mother was understandably upset at seeing the hole in her new sofa, but she assured me that everyone makes mistakes and that she loved me far more than a sofa. She was proud of me for telling the truth. Ever since that day I have sought that internal guidance in all that I do.

I now know the internal guide in me is Divine Love and Divine Love loves me in spite of the mistakes I make. It understands just as my mother did when I put a hole in her brand new sofa. This same Divine Love resides in everyone and is simply awaiting our recognition of It.

The Divine Love I’m talking about permeates all life. It is the Invisible Life Force that animates and governs all we see—from the movement of the heavenly bodies, to the changing of the seasons, to the beating of one’s heart. Some call this Life Force God, some call it Spirit, and others call it Universal Life. No matter what you call it, you must realize it is Everywhere Present, All Knowing, and All Powerful in order to fully benefit from It in your life. This Life Force created, maintains, and sustains you. It is the intelligence that orchestrates the billions of interactions that happen in your body each day that keeps you alive.

You have unlimited access to this awesome Life Force through your consciousness. As a matter of fact, this Life Force beckons you to recognize it. It stands always ready to come to your aid, but it will not come unless invited. It knows how to guide you easily and harmoniously in accomplishing all your tasks, both great and small.

You exist as an expression of this great Life Force as spirit, mind, and body. In order to live a fulfilled and joyful life you need to recognize and balance these three dimensions. There is a rhythm to life that once entered and maintained, makes things flow easily and harmoniously with little stress.

The object of this book is to help you understand this Life Force, and how to be in tune with It to create the life you truly desire. Take a journey with me and transform your body, mind, and spirit. We will explore balance from the inside out starting with spiritual energy, the spiritual laws and mental energy. Then my co-author, Alisha Lalji, will share the healing modalities that completely transformed her life. The latter part of the book will start a conversation about health, fitness and nutrition—all subjects especially dear to me since I’m a personal trainer. Alisha and I thank you for taking this journey of health and well-being with us and can’t wait to hear about your results.

“All things were made by Him; and without Him was not any thing made that was made. In Him was life; and the life was the light of men.” —John 1:3-4.

You can purchase this book by following this link: Balanced Life

Or download as an ebook by clicking here: Balanced Life Ebook 

Powerlifting at 57, I've Selected a Competition

After deciding to do a powerlifting competition, I've done a lot of research this past week on different organizations and the meet I want to compete in.  I found an organization called USA Powerlifting that caters to natural lifters (competitors who don't use anabolic steriods, growth hormones, and other performance enhancing drugs).  After reading the USA Powerlifting Organization's rules and guidelines I feel good that's I've selected an association in which the competition will be fair.  There's nothing more dis-heartening than competing against someone who uses performance enhancing drugs.

Good news is I've found a good organization in which to compete, not so good, is the the meet is in 8 weeks and it's The North Carolina State Powerlifting Championships (not the small local show in which  I wanted get my feet wet).  However, I've always believed that if you are going to do something, you may as well do it big, thus, I'm jumping into this competition with both feet!  So, this morning I signed-up to become a member of the USA Powerlifting Association and registered to compete in the meet. The competition is Saturday, June 6th in Apex, North Carolina.

Now I'm off to find a good coach and a good powerlifting program!  I will keep you updated on my progress.  Thanks for following me.

PS, someone overheard me talking about competing in a powerlifting meet and they asked me why I wanted to do such a thing being that I'm in my late 50s?  To which my reply was, that I want to be an inspiration to people and show them that they are never too old to dream and accomplish great things.

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Inspirational People Over 50 - The Incredible Ray Crumpler

It's my pleasure to introduce you to one of the most inspiring people I know, Ray Crumpler. I first met Ray as a competitor at my first natural bodybuilding competition.  He walked into the pump-up room as all the competitors were getting ready to go on stage and everyone was thinking "I hope he's not in my class!".  Unfortunately for me Ray was in my Masters Class and I had to follow his routine on stage!  After the audience saw Ray, it was as if I didn't exist.  That was over 15 years ago and we've been friends ever since.

Ray hasn't let the fact of being over 50 slow him down in his incredible bodybuilding career and in his personal life.  Here is one of two interviews I did with Ray.

Me: Ray, where were you born and where did you grow-up?

Ray: I was born in a small town in North Carolina called Clinton, but I was raised in a farming community 9 miles from town called Keener.

Me: What is your profession?

Ray: I'm a truck driver by profession and also a Fitness Expert.

Me: What got you into bodybuilding?

Ray: When I was in the Marines we went on a 6 month deployment to the Mediterranean Sea!  We went to countries like Spain, Italy, Turkey, Greece, etc...  I did a lot of calisthenics while on the ship.  My workout partner Adam Monterio, and I would go through 2 decks of cards doing push-ups for every card number that flipped up.  The next night we would do 900 straight sit-ups.  Although I at one point did 1500 sit-ups straight, people on the ship looked up the record and some guy did 10,000!  When we got back to Camp Lejeune, North Carolina from my last deployment a friend told me to try bodybuilding and I haven't looked back since.

Me: How old are you now?

Ray: I'm 55 years old and I will be 56 August 9th of this year.

Me: You are a natural bodybuilder, how is that different from bodybuilding in general?

Ray: I pride myself in being 100 percent Natural.  Having never tried steroids or HGH.  That's the reason I've been around so long because I've stayed true to not only myself, but to the sport of natural bodybuilding.

Me: You are a professional bodybuilder. That's quite an accomplishment.  How does that make you feel?

Ray: I was a WNBF Professional for 5 years but the politics was just too much.  I always placed high enough to win money in the shows, but the sad thing is the money wasn't that good.  Since 2006 I've been competing in shows from New York to California, and as far away as Australia just having fun.

Be on the look-out for my second interview with the Incredible Ray Crumpler as he shares with you what it takes to be a competitive bodybuilder and the biggest inspiration in his life.  Believe me, you don't want to miss it!

Mental Mastery Part 2, You Are the Thinker

This is the first truth you must realize in your quest to control your mind. Most people feel powerless as to the thoughts they entertain. However, you are the thinker before the thought and you have the power to scan every thought and choose whether or not you will allow it into your mind. In other words, you are the gatekeeper to you mind and thus you choose which thoughts you let in and which thoughts you keep out.

This is not an easy task, but it is necessary if you want to change your life. Not only are you the gatekeeper for the thoughts you allow in your mind, you have to examine your mind for the false ideas that have already taken root and are producing fruit in your life now. Some of these false ideas you got from your parents, grandparents, and other loved ones who taught you the things about life they learned. While well-meaning, some of the things they taught you may now be causing some of your biggest limitations in life. These ideas are hard to let go of because you have trusted and believed them to be true for so long.

If you are having any recurring problems or conditions you can’t seem to overcome it may be that you have a deep-rooted belief that you are unconsciously aware of in your mental garden. This belief was probably planted in your childhood by some well-meaning people in your life, or it could be a result of some deep hurt you have experienced. However, you must get rid of this false idea if you are to change the condition. For example, when I was a child my older brother was very outgoing and I was completely the opposite. Consequently, my brother got all the attention at my expense and I was deeply hurt. As a result, I learned to guard my heart and not to let people get very close to me. This belief carried over into my relationships as an adult and I could never let anyone get really close to me no matter how hard I tried. It wasn’t until I realized that subconsciously I was still carrying the same belief from my childhood that I could change my relationships. I had to uproot that old belief before I could let people get close to me again.

You also allow false ideas to subconsciously enter your mind through conversation with friends, things you read, and what you hear in the news. You have to be vigilant of what you consciously allow to be planted in your mental garden, for a thought will always produce fruit in the form of conditions after its kind.

The above information is from my new book called Balanced Life Living Life From Within. It's available for purchase on Amazon.  Click here to review and purchase a copy.

Balanced Life

The following is an excerpt from my new book, Balanced Life, Living Life From Within.

Do you ever feel that life is a struggle? It appears that no matter what you do or what you try, you seem to be going against the current. Have you noticed how some people breeze through life effortlessly and most things seem to simply fall into their laps? How wonderful would it be to have a GPS for your life guiding you to your purpose, love, happiness, fulfillment and abundance?

There is a way of living called the top down approach in which things flow easily and harmoniously in your life. Your life can fundamentally change through an understanding of the scientific principle that you are an energy being and there is more to you than just your physical body.

Take a journey with us as we transform your body, mind and spirit through understanding the laws of the universe, different energetic planes in your body, proper nutrition and exercise, and applying healing modalities to propel your transformation. We reveal secrets to effortlessly become the creator of your life to truly manifest what you desire, and much much more.

Available for purchase online at Lulu Press, Inc.

The Power of a Dream

Here's a presentation I made a few weeks ago about the power of a dream!
Dropbox - Darvis Simms.mp4

Inspitation over 50, Walt

Recently while working out, I looked across the gym and  I saw a guy doing hand stand pushups.  This has always amazed me, so I walked over to compliment this guy on the total body strength that it took to perform that movement.  I was even more amazed when I found out that he was over 50 years old!  So, let me introduce you to Walt, a great inspiration to all the Baby Boomers.

 

Me: Where were you born and where did you grow-up?

Walt:. I was born in Pittsburgh,Pa,but moved to Ambler,Pa when I was around 2. I grew up in Ambler,and moved to North Carolina in 1976.
Me: What's your age? Walt: 55


Me: How do you stay in such great physical condition?Walt: I routinely do core exercises like pull-ups,sit ups,leg lifts,hand stand push-ups,and dips.I supplement those exercises with some cable work ,and bench press.I also stay in shape through the warm months by waterskiing.

Me: What advice would you give someone in their 50s trying to get in-shape?
Walt: My advice for someone in their 50's is just get up and do something! Push ups are a great way to start an exercise regimen.Then progress to weights if so inclined ,or stay with core like pull ups. Stretching is also a necessary key to a successful,and safe exercise regimen.
 
Me: What would be your advice to anyone who wants to start an exercise program on matter their age? Walt: I would say the same thing for anyone as above.
 
Me: Who has been the greatest influence in your life and why? Walt: The greatest influence in my life would be Richard Landis. I grew up with,and was best friends with his son Rick. He was a Naval fighter pilot in the Korean war,and I have always respected him for everything that he is. I have learned so much from him,and have him to thank for getting me on track to be fit for life. When I was a freshman in college,I put on a few pounds.He noticed it ,and commented on that fact. I respected him so much,and did not want to disappoint him in any way. I went back to school and hit the gym hard 5-7 days a week. I haven't looked back since then,and never stopped working out

Me: What is your profession?
Walt: I am a Pharmacist.
 
Me: What's your biggest dream? Walt: My biggest dream is for my wife and I to be the best grandparents we can be for my son's kids one day.


Me; What's your greatest accomplishment?
Walt: My biggest accomplishment is my son. I could not be prouder of him as he is an accomplished athlete,scholar,and just an outstanding person through and through.


Walt, thanks for the interview and for being an inspiration to everyone.