Bobby Whisnand

Wellness Blog #1: Independently Healthy

We all want the long life, but we also want to live it well, right? Although our definitions of wellness may vary from one person to the next, there’s one common denominator for all of us – to always be able to do the things we love to do, on our terms, no matter how many candles end up on our birthday cake. This to me is the ultimate global definition of wellness, and it’s a lot simpler to achieve than it’s made out to be.

In a nutshell, our individual and global wellness efforts can be maximized to reach much higher levels of success, but some big changes are indeed needed.

First, we must understand and apply correct and healthy exercise techniques and methods instead of emulating what we see on TV, social media, and at the gym.

Secondly, we must learn about food instead of diets and avoid the extreme faddish ways of eating.

Thirdly, we must do our homework on health supplements before we take them and understand whether they’re truly healthy and helpful, or unnecessary and overkill.

And lastly, we must improve our wellness vision by recognizing the successes we achieve on the way to our desired goals, and see the journey for what it really is, the ultimate award.

Being independently healthy is the ultimate goal and it brings with it, the biggest prize of all.

Bobby Whisnand has spent nearly three decades using his knowledge, passion, and Texas-sized energy to motivate thousands to live their best lives possible. Endorsed by doctors, surgeons and other specialists across multiple disciplines Whisnand has helped thousands of patients, companies, and associations reach unprecedented levels of wellness.

Wellness Blog #2: From Go to Goal

The 33% Method to Success

Setting a fitness goal is motivating, self-inspiring, and a brand-new start to really make it work this time. The desire, effort, and determination are all there to see this thing through, at least at first. Why is it that so many fitness goals lose their flame after a great start and have such a hard time coming to fruition for many people? The answer is pretty simple considering the complexity of variables that go hand in hand in reaching fitness goals – most of us make it too much about fitness and not near enough about the more important things.

When it comes to setting fitness goals, the best thing anyone can do to give themselves the absolute best shot at reaching them is to use my 33% Method. Basically, for every fitness goal you set, you should set 2 goals that have nothing to do with fitness like improving your career, setting a financial goal, having a goal about your relationship or family, or maybe even a goal about thinking more positively. The fact is, when things are going well for someone outside of fitness, they are much more likely to persevere through the trials and challenges of a healthier fitness journey.

From the word Go, reaching fitness goals are much more about our world outside of fitness, and if we can progress there, the road to reaching our fitness goals will take us to exactly where we want to be, a heck of a lot more often.

Bobby Whisnand has spent nearly three decades using his knowledge, passion, and Texas-sized energy to motivate thousands to live their best lives possible. Endorsed by doctors, surgeons and other specialists across multiple disciplines Whisnand has helped thousands of patients, companies, and associations reach unprecedented levels of wellness.

Wellness Blog #3: Taking your own medicine

How Physicians can Lead the Way to Wellness

Every single day millions of people look to their physicians to help them live their healthiest lives possible, but are doctors taking their own medicine and bettering their own health? It’s no secret, being in the medical industry is one of the most stressful and time-consuming occupations there are. Which leads to many physicians putting their own health on the back burner. Here’s the question: How much better would patient outcomes be if their own doctor was indeed fit and healthy? Here’s my plan for doctors to practice what they preach and teach their patients to follow their lead.

Sharing Their Health – Can you imagine how patients would react if their own doctor pulled out their personal wellness journal and shared it with them? They could show them their food logs, personal wellness goals, and exercise routines.

The Struggle is Real! – Neither physicians nor anyone else is immune to the struggles and challenges of getting healthy. How powerful would it be if physicians were able to talk to their patients about their own struggles in their journey to living a healthy lifestyle?

A Fitness Whiz! – We already know that physicians are pretty dang smart, but how cool would it be if physicians educated themselves on the good vs. bad in the fitness industry? They could save their patients a lot of money, a lot of injuries, and a lot of waisted time by helping them avoid fitness fads, scams, and harmful diets and exercise programs.

Physicians spend the majority of their lives helping everyone else stay healthy, isn’t it about time they shared some of that medicine with themselves?

Bobby Whisnand has spent nearly three decades using his knowledge, passion, and Texas-sized energy to motivate thousands to live their best lives possible. Endorsed by doctors, surgeons and other specialists across multiple disciplines, Whisnand has helped thousands of patients, companies, and associations reach unprecedented levels of wellness.

Wellness Blog #4: Branching Out

The Truth About Branched Chain Amino Acids

From gallon jugs being carried around in the gym to supplement stores, amino acids continue to be a hot item throughout the fitness world. But do they really work or are they unnecessary and overkill? The answer depends on how they’re used. Let’s look at exactly what BCAAs (Branched Chain Amino Acids) are, what they do, and the most effective way to use them.

What Are They? – BCAAs are referred to as essential amino acids meaning we have to ingest them through food to use them. In other words, our body can’t make them without food. There are three specific BCAAs – Leucine, Isoleucine, and Valine.

What Do They Do? – These three amino acids stimulate the building of protein within skeletal muscle and can ward off muscle wasting during intense exercise and when under a very strict diet.

The Best Way to Use Them? – Through my research and my personal use of BCAAs, I have found two ways to use them effectively: First, drink them slowly throughout your workout but make sure you have waited 2-3 hours after your last meal. If you drink your BCAAs too soon with nutrition still being broken down from your last meal, the BCAAs will have a lot less effect. Remember, BCAAs are a source of fuel when your calories are low, but if your body has plenty to use, they will more or less pass on through. Secondly, take them right before sleep. This is a very effective time for BCAAs to do their job, but again, it needs to be 2-3 hours after you’ve eaten.

Although I feel many supplements available to us are unnecessary or overkill, BCAAs are one of the good ones, but only if your timing is right. Oh yeah, and that gallon jug, completely unnecessary!

Bobby Whisnand has spent nearly three decades using his knowledge, passion, and Texas-sized energy to motivate thousands to live their best lives possible. Endorsed by doctors, surgeons and other specialists across multiple disciplines Whisnand has helped thousands of patients, companies, and associations reach unprecedented levels of wellness.

Interview with Bobby Whisnand

How and when did you first become interested in fitness, health and wellness?

My first interest was definitely in fitness, or more specifically, weight training. When I was in high school I actually was very embarrassed about the way I looked, which was very skinny. I was too embarrassed to go to a gym to work out so at 17 years old I built my own gym, out of wood. I went and collected wood from scrap piles all over town and I built a bench press, multi-station pulley system, squat rack, and shoulder press bench out of 2x4s, plywood, and steel wire. I used a boat anchor, car battery, and burlap sacks full of rocks as my weights because I couldn’t afford to buy any equipment. That’s where it all started for me, in my little gym I built from wood.

Now that I look back, I was building something much more profound than a gym; I was building integrity, character, toughness, perseverance, and most importantly, passion. Not only the passion for improving my own health and wellness, but the passion to help others build theirs. As a result, I now see fitness and wellness as the same exact thing.

What are 3 daily habits for increased wellness?

In my opinion, wellness is 10 times more about what and how we think than what we do from a physical standpoint. Therefore, the 3 daily habits I would encourage everyone to adopt to improve their wellness would be…

• Commit to #1 – To be the absolute best we can be to others, in our career, in our social lives, in our spirituality, and in our health, we must first and foremost commit to ourselves.
• Recognize Success – It’s amazingly motivating when we reach a health and wellness goal, a career milestone, a level of financial security, or other personal achievements, but what happens when we fall a little short? Success is most commonly measured by whether or not we achieved what we set out to accomplish, but it’s the journey itself where the biggest successes are made. The journey is the reward and we grow much faster when we recognize the successes we make in route to our goals. Instead of looking at unfulfilled goals as a failed attempt, we should look at them as a new launching point.
• See What You Want to Be and Bring it to Life – Visualization is the most powerful yet underused ability we have as humans. Our minds love pictures, that’s why we have dreams and visual memories. So, why not give our minds what it wants and lead the way. I challenge all of my audiences to take 1 minute a day and visualize something empowering and positive: a happy experience, a positive image of how they want to look physically, an image of great energy and well-being, or an image of them reaching a career goal or achievement.

What are common misconceptions with regards to fitness?

There are many misconceptions in fitness, but the biggest are those we see in fitness advertisements. We see a particular exercise program, diet, health supplement, or piece of exercise equipment being advertised with amazingly fit individuals which misleads many people into thinking they can look just like those in the ads if they use their products, with three easy payments of course. But, there’s a lot going on behind the smoke and mirrors of many fitness advertisements that most people do not see. But not to worry, I’ll show you how to determine what’s real and what’s fake, in a heartbeat.

Another huge misconception in fitness is that you have to exercise 9 days a week and eat like a rabbit to truly be fit. Believe it or not, there are a lot of fit looking people who are a total wreck on the inside. I’m talking about physical injuries from incorrect or over exercising, and a mental dependency on exercise as well. Healthy, productive, and functional exercise along with healthy eating can be accomplished in a lot less time with a lot less worry and stress.

What would be your ideal type of event to speak at?

All I need in an event is an audience willing to improve their lives. I’ve spoken at over 500 events ranging from 10 people to 3,000, and I loved every one of them. From medical conventions to elementary schools, I’ve left all of my audiences with the desire and motivation to live their best lives possible. So, I guess you could say my ideal event would be one full of open eyes and ears, big hearts, and a desire to live as long and well as they can.

What unique experiences have you had as a result of your profession?

One of the most spectacular experiences I’ve ever had in speaking was in a church in a very run down and crime ridden area of Dallas. It was Valentines Day, and I had an audience of about 150. And once I was done, every single person lined up in single file to shake my hand or give me a hug. They even invited me to stay and have lunch with them, which I did and had one of the best times of my life, laughing and telling stories.

I’ve had many amazing experiences helping people live healthy lives as a personal trainer as well; I’ve worked with professional athletes, kids, older folks, younger folks, and people from all walks of life. But, there’s one which I think about the most. I received a call from a cardiologist with whom I work, and he said “I’ve got a big challenge for you Bobby. I’ve got an 83-year-old female patient who has a rod in each leg, both hips and both knees have been replaced, she has severe scoliosis, she’s a cancer survivor, she has severe asthma, and she can barely walk, even with a walker. Do you want to work with her?” Of course, I said yes.

When we first started, she could only exercise for 3 minutes sitting in a chair but by 6 weeks, she was doing 25 minutes with half of it standing. By three months, she was exercising for 40 minutes all standing up, even doing kick boxing. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone smile so big during a workout, be she smiled from ear to ear the whole time.

After about 9 months, her cancer had returned and she told me that no matter what, we’re not going to miss any workouts, and that’s exactly what we did. We worked out up until 3 days before she passed, and after her last workout with me, she said, “Bobby, you’ve made me feel more alive than I have in my last 40 years, you made my life great again”. I told her it was the other way around, it was her who made my life the best it’s ever been. Her name was Wanda Wright and the example she set should be emulated by all.

Who or what inspires you most?

Being alive and having opportunities to do great things inspires me the most because I know how short life can be at any given moment. But, at the same time, having immense passion and ability to add time and quality to other’s lives inspires the heck out of me as well. I always tell my audiences to “Live Their Lives in Dog Years”. You see, dogs have it figured out: They live their lives by following their heart, staying loyal, staying committed, appreciating the little things, and they live for the day. This, my friends, is the true definition of wellness.