On the Verge of Something Big!

Today I celebrate my birthday. To all of you who took the time to remember, I say, “Thank you!”

I feel extremely energized and excited about the upcoming coming year – no years! I haven’t had this type of feeling since 1999/2000. During that period I retired all of my debt, got rid of most of my stuff (including my TV), and got a job with State Street Japan. This allowed me to explore Asia, the place where I met my wife and rekindled my desire to have my own business.

So here I am in 2011. I have a magical feeling that I am on the verge of some really cool and explosive times. What excites me most about the future is that I’ve finally become “outwardly” focused. I finally realize that the only way I am going to succeed is by helping others do the same. Any goal worth achieving requires the help of others and that pulling a solo “all nighter” just doesn’t cut it anymore (not that it, truly ever did.)

So what’s in store?

As far as Ibuki Wellness is concerned, I’ll be making some big changes. I’m changing the name of the company to reflect many of the personal changes I’ve been going through that ultimately are helping me be a better business person. I’m working with a designer to come up with a new corporate identity to match the new name and vibe.

I’ve also scaled back my short-term business goals and strategy. I still have every intention of expanding my health and wellness business into all 16 international markets where my partner company does business (United States, Canada, Puerto Rico, US Virgin Islands, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, China, Macau, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Korea, Australia, New Zealand, United Kingdom, Ireland, and the Netherlands) . However, in the near future I’ll focus on serving the local domestic market along with the expat communities located here. Along the way I’ll help my customers here and abroad live healthier and, hopefully, longer lives. I’ll keep you posted on the changes over the next few weeks.

For now I wish you best of luck with your own fitness goals and to ponder the photo above. It captures the spirit of my personal and business focus on health and wellness. More than that, I’m just happy to be back in Cambridge. During my time in Asia, whenever I got home sick and thought of my “happy place” it was always of me running along the Charles.

Under Construction

Please check back later.

You’ve already had a hard day at work.

Do you need MORE ENERGY for the

“2nd SHIFT”… 

… or even just for YOUR time?

As the father of an energetic 4-year-old and the husband of a hard-working wife I understand how you feel. I’m the 42-year-old owner of Ibuki Wellness, a health and wellness company I started in order to help busy families live healthier and more active lives.

We have a wide selection of products of exceptional value that

will help you get more out of what you are already doing.

Haven't started your fitness program yet?

We can help you craft a plan that will get you going and then
set you up with a support team that will help you reach your goals.

Contact me, Philip, for a FREE consultation!

857-253-8750  philip.harris@ibukiwellness.com

Tracy Gets Ready for First 5K!

Below is the success story from one of the members of the Ibuki Wellness Fitness Team. I met Tracy way back when I was a college freshman. We reconnected at our 20^th reunion last summer. Her story is inspiring because she never was a runner. She got into shape using the Couch to 5K program and as a result, she’ll run her first race, the 5K portion of the Eugene (Oregon) Marathon, on April 30. Out of all the members on the Fitness Team she has shown the most dedication and has made the most progress.

Below is an update she sent me:

I completed the final workout of the 9 week "Couch to 5k" program this morning.  I am now running 30 minutes, and I'm planning to keep increasing my distance until I get to about 3.3 miles running.  I want to be comfortable going a little more than 5k.  I'm still not fast, but I'll work on that later.  I am planning to run a 5k in 2 weeks, but we're having a little difficulty with the sign up and I'm hoping it's not canceled. :( 

For my workout today, my running buddy and I ran the course for the upcoming race.  I'm SO glad we checked it out ahead of time, because I was expecting a nice, flat course.  Actually, it is very hilly, with lots of little (but steep) hills.  We've decided to do a couple more runs there to prepare us for the race.

The key to my success was having a buddy to run with.  She pushes my pace a little and we cheer each other on.  Most importantly, I know I can't skip a workout because I won't be able to keep up next time!  That has kept me going on those solo treadmill nights.

After a couple weeks at the 5k distance, we will start the "Bridge to 10k" program, with the goal of running the Steve Prefontaine Memorial run in September.  It is a very challenging course with long hills.  My goal is just to finish--which will still be a personal record for me!

Tracy, good luck!

Philip

Fitness Team: End of Week 6

Last Sunday April 10, 2011 marks the end of week 6 in my 12-week fitness program.

A reasonable question you might have is how are my results?

In 2 short months, I’ve made great progress. I can once again run along the Charles River at the same pace I ran when I was in high school in 1986. My jeans are getting looser in the waist and my shirts are getting tighter in the chest and shoulders. I have more energy to run up and down the playground equipment with my 4-year-old daughter.

I accomplished my results through a combination of:

- moral support from my wife and daughter

- having a plan to get fit (I used the Body for Life)

- high-intensity weight and cardio workouts,

- eating healthier home cooked meals,

- taking nutritional supplements, and

- being accountable to the Ibuki Wellness Fitness Team.

One thing I've noticed is that the people on the team who have done the best have a clear goal of what they want to accomplish and a plan to get there. The good news is that the plans aren't even complicated and it doesn't even have to be something you've created from scratch. For example Tracy, who is not a runner undertook a Couch to 5K program. After 9 weeks of training that gradually got more difficult, she is now ready to run her first race. Then there's my wife Junko who always wanted to learn how to dance ballet. She signed up for a 10-week beginner's course and never missed a class.

So in reviewing how I did for weeks 1-6, there are a couple of areas where I need to focus for weeks 7-12.

Timing

I generally completed my workouts in the afternoon, but there were a few times when I worked out at 10:00 pm or later, followed by the final meal of the day. Obivously late night eating is not what I need to be doing. Going forward, I need to plan on always working out before 6 am, but if that's not possible, then I need to complete my workout and eat my last meal by 8:00 pm

Nutrition

This part is the hardest. Now that I'm working out more my appetite is increasing. Great! But over the last couple of weeks I find myself cheating here and there with cookies on non-cheat days. Not great. I need to make sure I'm not gorging myself with junk food. Going forward I need to plan my meals the night before, eat proper portions, and eat all 6 meals (averging 4-5). This means more coordination with the family on what we can eat and better timing with my work calendar.

Over the next week I’ll post some of the Team members’ success stories on my blog so stay tuned.

If you want support with your own fitness goals, feel free to participate in the weekly conference call. The call this week is cancelled but we’ll be back on track April 19 at 8 pm EDT. Drop me an email at philip.harris@ibukiwellness.com and I’ll send you the dial in details and how to access the call on Skype.

Philip

Starlight Skiing

Philip

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This afternoon I finished the bulk of a 1,500-word feature for Business New Hampshire Magazine and had to get out for some fresh air. I’ve skied at night on occasion, but only beneath bright lights at a ski resort. Tonight was different. Tonight I cross-country skied beneath a star-studded sky across a wide-open pasture and into the forest down to frozen Lake Massabesic at the Audobon Center in Auburn.

While gliding back from Battery Point, my headlamp light got dimmer as my batteries lost juice (Always pack extra batteries!) so I relied on the pristine snow reflection to guide me. I remembered the tall man I passed on my way out to meet the group. He was was skiing without any light and startled me when he suddenly appeared from the pasture’s darkness. “I’ve skied this path so many times that I don’t need any light,” he said.

While following the glowing headlamp light from Will, our Four Season’s group leader, our skiis hissed as we slid across hard packed snow. Looking up, I noticed the Little Dipper appearing in the opening above the parallel lines of towering trees along the trail path and other bright stars twinkling through the branches. All of us appreciated the quiet, peaceful silence of the forest that you find only in the deep freeze of winter when everything is still.

Johanna Knapschaefer is a freelance writer in Manchester, New Hampshire. Starlight Skiing was originally published in Johanna’s Blog http://jknap.wordpress.com/2011/01/25/starlight-skiing/

Johanna Knapschafer, a fellow member of the Gaijin Group, reminded me of the more subtle joys of winter. She wrote an eloquent piece in her blog about skiing under the stars. Below is a reprint. I offer it as a final push to get active and savor the final weeks of winter.

Fitness Team: End of Week 4

It was a good week.

The team had a good discussion on the weekly conference call about what members are trying to accomplish with their own fitness plans and how we can support each other. The big request was for people to call and remind each other to get out and exercise!! As you might expect we all know what to do but we need to put that knowledge into practice. Sometimes we just need a helping kick.

The big tip of the week was - egg whites. One person told how she uses them to create quick meals in the morning that are high in protein. Just remember to cook them since your body can't fully digest raw egg whites.

On a personal level, it was a good week for me. I completed my first 6-day workout week and felt physically wiped out - in a hurts-so-good kind of way

For details on how team members did and for some nutrition tips see the discussions on Facebook.
http://www.facebook.com/board.php?uid=172506709432137#!/board.php?uid=172506709432137

Philip

Fitness Team: End of Week 3

Today marks the end of the 3rd week for the Ibuki Wellness Fitness team.

We already have a group of runners and walkers in Cambridge who get together a couple of times per week to do their thing around the Charles River. (Here we are before we set off.)

We also have a weekly call on Tuesdays (7 am EST for participants in Asia and 8 pm EST for participants in the US.) On top of this, some members are posting updates on our Facebook page.

Personally, I’ve done well with running. I’ve been running 3x/week for the last 3 weeks. I’m already feeling the positive impact on my body. I had to go out and shovel snow around my house this morning. Compared to last month’s efforts, I had more energy today and didn’t feel as wiped out when I finished.

In order to hit my fitness goals, though, I need to get the nutrition component right while also hitting the gym. The nutrition part went well this week. I spent more time in the kitchen and created some new recipe. There’s room for improvement, but overall I’m happy with my efforts. My time in the gym, however, didn’t really get off the ground. I haven’t found a gym I like yet so did some push-ups and dips in my house. It was good for what it was, but there’s no substitute for getting a solid weight workout.

What does this mean for week 4? As a group, we need to maintain the check in. Personally I need to get into the gym and continue to eat clean and run with my partners.

I’m looking forward for what results await me at the end of week 4.

Philip

OK. I announced it so I better do it!

Today marks the 3rd week of my efforts to get fit, while simultaneously marking the 3rd week of the Ibuki Wellness Fitness Team.

So far so good. Today (Happy President’s Day!) I bumped up the intensity during my usual 20-minute run. Instead of my usual slow and steady pace, I included some sprints. I felt like I accomplished something today.

I made the change to my routine as a result of a book I found, "Body for Life" written by Bill Phillips. I picked it up at the library last Friday while I was to researching some new recipes. Incredible! The inside flap features a number of "before" and "after" shots of real people who got in shape using the program. The photos impressed me so I decided to give Phillips' advice a try.

The program still has me running 3x/week (M-W-F) but also includes 3x/week weight workouts (T-TH-SA). Plus I get to eat 6x per day. Yum! Obviously I better make sure I do go to the gym otherwise I'll look like South Park's Cartman after his attempts to get buff for Kathie Lee Gifford.

Only 83 more days to go to hit the first major milestone! And like I said, I announced it so I better do it!

Philip

Get in Shape with Ibuki Wellness!

Ibuki Wellness has started a fitness support group for our customers, friends, family members, and anyone else who wants to get in shape. You don't have to be a customer and you don't have to buy anything. We invite anyone who wants to get in shape to take part.

The focus of the group will be on support. You can be anywhere in the world and still participate. We'll keep in touch by Skype and Facebook. We'll hold each other accountable for doing what we say we'll do.

For a little more information check out a video I made describing the goals of the team.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kgR36ktYyrE

Getting Started

1.      Please write down your fitness goals. Include the date by when you want to achieve them.

2.      Post your goals to the Ibuki Wellness Discussion Board. http://www.facebook.com/#!/board.php?uid=172506709432137
Note that what you post is visible to all. If you’re not comfortable posting them on the Facebook page, then alternatively you can send a copy to me or just tape them to your refrigerator.

3.      Sign-up for Skype. With the latest version we can have multi-participant voice calls. Plus it’s free if you already have an internet connection.
If you don’t have Skype you can download the software for PC or Mac here:

http://www.skype.com/intl/en/get-skype/on-your-computer/windows/premium

Live Check In

4.      Participate in at least one of the first check in calls and take advantage of face-to-face communication. 

The first round of calls is on

Mon, Feb 14, 2011 at 6:45 am EST (Valentines Day) (easier for people in Asia and US early risers)

Tues, Feb 15, 2011 at 7:45 pm EST (easier for people in the US)

All participants should call my Skype ID: Area22TMHarris/Philip Harris Jr

That's about it. Good luck with your fitness goals!
Philip