Habit #1

Habit #2

Habit #3

Habit #4

Habit #5

Habit #6

Habit #7

Flexibility
With our fast pace culture and family packed schedules, how do we set up our families to succeed? We learn how to be flexible.

Flexibility equates to strength. The more flexible you are, the stronger you'll be. I believe this is true of families, as well.

Try these stretches for your family relationships:

• Lengthen the time it takes you to get angry
• Lengthen the time you spend with your children and parents
• Lengthen the time you praise your children and spouse in front of their peers and other adults
• Lengthen your patience, kindness, gentleness, self-control and forgiveness

If you focus on increasing your flexibility in these areas, you'll have one of the strongest families around!

Physical Flexibility
In 1999, I started really focusing on my flexibility leading up the Sydney Olympic Games. I stretched after every practice for about 40 minutes. The following year, I broke the American record.

Flexibility is the hidden training that produces the strength you need to be the BEST!

If you want to live a quality life, you must focus on aligning your body in the way that it was designed. Keep your muscles long and maintain good posture.

To find out if you're flexible enough to function optimally, you should be able to do the following with ease:

• While seated in the driver's seat, turn your neck to see the passenger directly behind you without moving your shoulders.
• Standing straight, lean to the side without bending your knees and touch well below the knee.
• Touch one heel to your buttocks maintaining the body straight and knee pointed down.
• Reach one hand up behind your neck and clasp the other hand from the under direction between the shoulder blades.
• Touch your toes.
• Breath in so that your chest expands without your shoulders going up.

This week, don't be afraid to stretch yourself emotionally, mentally and physically.

Your Olympian,