Giving Thanks: My Favorite Holiday

Teammates – I’m not one for re-running posts but sometimes I find repeating a post instead of rewriting one to say the same thing can be more beneficial. Below is last year’s post – my attitude about it and about Attitude in general hasn’t changed one bit, in fact, during this challenging year, I think it’s more important than ever to understand the importance of Attitude and how it can change your outlook, your direction….your life. The number one thing to remember is that your life is your responsibility – what you accomplish is totally and completely up to you.

While you’re thinking about this on what is my favorite holiday of the year, remember to give thanks to the people in your life that you care about – by giving thanks you’ll be gaining perspective, and by doing this you’ll be setting the cornerstone for one Fired UP Attitude to live the life YOU WANT!

Happy Thanksgiving Teammates!

CHARLIE MIKE – ALDEN

Here’s last year’s post: Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Giving Thanks -- My Favorite Holiday

My favorite holiday of the year - Thanksgiving, it just edges out Fourth of July in my book because of what it stands for – Giving Thanks. Teammates ask me all time – what gives with the constant Fired Up Attitude Alden??? Some who don’t know me throw the bullshit flag at me and call it false motivation until we spend about 2 minutes together – which should be about how long it takes you to read what I’m about to write…in my book Attitude is the number one thing you need to control before you tackle any goal you have in mind – especially if you’re looking to work on your body – Attitude is 100% up to you – no matter how powerfully positive or miserably negative you are – you’ve made that decision and you’ve made it based on a perspective that you’ve allowed your brain to accept. Your perspective in life fuels your Attitude – think you’re gonna fail, then you will; think you’re fat, then no matter what anyone tells you – you’ll remained focused on being fat; conversely, think about winning, then you’ll be thinking about how to win, and you’ll be on your way to victory; want to lose 10lbs, then you’ll determine how to lose it, and make it happen…no matter what it is, how you view your challenge is directly dependent on what perspective you adopt, and that perspective is your Attitude’s foundation.

So what’s this got to do with Thanksgiving? Everything! It’s about everything that’s TRULY important about your perspective in life – I give thanks for being able to move, to see, to feel, and especially to love my family and friends. We ALL get caught up in the rat race of life and when we do, we usually lose our perspective on the things that REALLY matter versus the things that seem to matter at the moment.

This Thanksgiving – take a moment to give thanks to the things that matter most in your life, and once you do, you’ll realize that you’ve discovered the power source to your own Fired UP Attitude…and if you’re struggling to figure out what thanks you should give – drop down and push’em out – then give thanks to the fact you can do a push-up – I know a whole bunch of veterans that wish they could do what you CAN do.

Happy ThanksGiving – CHARLIE MIKE - ALDEN

How to Continue Your Mission

In the Special Operations world, CHARLIE MIKE is phonetic shorthand or code for Continue Mission when speaking on the radio to higher command or other teammates. Whether you're about to jump from an airplane, dive from a boat or assault a target -- CHARLIE MIKE is all about making the mission happen -- it's about Never Giving Up until you hear the words MIKE CHARLIE: Mission Complete. That's what our blog is all about -- encouraging folks to find their mission, whether it's a better body or a better life.

CHARLIE MIKE blog is code for an attitude of action, and the people that post and comment [getfit@perfectpushup.com] are committed to taking action and encouraging others to do the same. You will never fail if you take action toward your goal, but you are guaranteed to fail if you never act.

If these posts inspire you to set your sights on bigger, more daring missions, post your journey so you can inspire others. WE'RE ON A MISSION -- ARE YOU?

CHARLIE MIKE -- ALDEN

Teammates, I'm reprising this blog today to give a big HOOYAH to some teammates on an impressive 2,500 Perfect Pushups in one 5-day week mission! Bravo Zulu Jim!!

Picture of US Navy SEAL trident

CHARLIE MIKE SITREP: May 2009

Teammates – Check out our SITREP (Situation Report) for May - highlighting the depth and breadth of the CM SEAL Team bloggers. Click on their names to read more.


CM SEAL Team blogger: Mike Ryan
Title: Secret Weapon #1
"Cowards never got started and the weak died along the way. Truer words were never spoken. The first time I read this quote I was standing at parade-rest waiting to begin my first day of SEAL training. The words were carved into a wooden bench that stood just inside the doors of the Naval Special Warfare Center. At my feet, just in front of the bench, stood a perfect line of about 30 helmets - the last remnants of students who had reached their mental and physical limits and quit training. Predictably, my initial reaction was a mix of skepticism and sarcasm. “Yea” I thought, “that’s a little bit over-the-top.” About twenty minutes later I realized my worst nightmare had just begun.



CM SEAL Team blogger: Tom Rancich
Title: A Debt of Memory to Brothers and Sisters, Gratefully Paid
Memorial Day has always had an identity crisis. Even in the very beginning, it was only for Union soldiers, not merging all "Decoration Day" activities until after World War One. In 1971, Memorial Day became the last Monday in May instead of May 30. This move, designed to create a three-day weekend, irritated many by adding to the day an air of celebration instead of reflection: picnics, parades, ballgames, sales -- the start of the summer party. That doesn't bother me: somewhere in the 1.5 million soldiers remembered every Memorial Day there is certainly someone who would have really enjoyed another picnic, parade, ball game or day shopping. Some of those sacrificed would have liked one more party or one more prayer. It's all good.

CM SEAL Team blogger: Marcus Colburn
Title: MMA Fighters: Modern Day Gladiators
They entered the ring to the sound of rap, rock, old-school hip-hop, reggae, and even country-and-western, but the one thing every fighter at Saturday’s UFC (mixed martial arts fighting) event had in common was a powerful athletic physique built from metabolic resistance training. These modern-day warriors know better than to do bodybuilding, because those workouts just take too long and leave you puffed up, slow, and inflexible. That’s not how modern man should be – or look.



CM SEAL Team blogger: Stew Smith
Title: Stew Smith's Bodyweight Exercise Plan: Part I
Calisthenics, or bodyweight exercises, originated thousands of years ago in ancient Greece and have been a major component of fitness in athletics, military, law enforcement, and daily fitness for home workouts without equipment. Here is a request from a Perfect Pushup user in our YouTube group seeking to do more exercises without having to go to a gym.

"I need help in making a full body bodyweight routine. Any advice/sample that you can offer? I am seventeen and have been using the Perfect Pushup on and off for a year now."
CM SEAL Team blogger: Tim Grizzell
Title: Completing a Marathon: IV (a): The TAPER
Hello Charlie Mike teammates – I was initially going to cover just the day of the race in the final post of my marathon series. After reviewing a previous answer to CM teammate, Joe G., regarding tapering, it was suggested that I should cover this topic and break up the blog up into two parts: tapering and the day of the race. It was a great idea!

Tapering is very important if you want to post a good marathon time. It gives your body the opportunity to recover from all of the hard training you put in leading up to the race. You can replenish energy, rejuvenate muscles and possibly kick any nagging injuries you might have up to this point.

Teammates -- Mike, Tom, Marcus, Stew, Tim, Sav -- all of them get the meaning of CHARLIE MIKE -- that it's "An Attitude of Action" and they're preaching what they practice. Drop on Down and Get Fired UP for pushing out and pulling up after you read what my Teammates have to say.

CHARLIE MIKE – ALDEN

CHARLIE MIKE: An Attitude of Action

What does the term “CHARLIE MIKE” mean?

In the Special Operations world – Navy SEALs, Delta Force, Green Berets, Rangers, Marine Force Recon, Air Force CCT/Para-Rescue, to name a few, we use the term CHARLIE MIKE as a code for Continue Mission when speaking on the radio to higher command or other teammates. Whether you’re about to jump from an airplane, dive from a boat or assault a target – CHARLIE MIKE is all about making the mission happen – it’s about Never Giving Up until you have completed the mission and hearing the words MIKE CHARLIE: Mission Complete.

Though very few folks will ever endure the training and missions of Special Operations teams, the lessons learned from these special warriors can be applied to anyone, and that’s what our blog CHARLIE MIKE is all about – encouraging folks to find their mission, whether it’s a better body or a better life, and Never Giving Up on their mission. CHARLIE MIKE blog is code for an attitude of action, and the people that post to CHARLIE MIKE are committed to taking action and encouraging others to do the same. You will never fail if you take action toward your goal, but you are guaranteed to fail if you never act. We hope those that post inspire you to set your sights on bigger, more daring, missions, and if they do, we hope you’ll post your journey so you can inspire others to do the same.

We’re on a mission – are you?

CHARLIE MIKE - ALDEN