Happy New Year!

"..it can achieve."

 
 

This quote by Henry Ford is so powerful, but I think a lot of people are hindered in their understanding of it's concept due to one simple mistake...

 
 

They allow themselves to be defined by what they have been.  

 
 

Try not to be one of those people who thinks that just because you are a particular way now, or have been in the past, that is who you are or what you must always be.  It is simply not the case.  To change all you have to do is make a commitment to what you want to be and take action on it.

 
 

The past is behind us.

Decide what you want to be, and become it.  

 
 

 Wishing you health, courage, strength & happiness in 2009!

 

Til next time…

What does it mean- Christmas

I suppose it could mean many different things to many different people - it may honestly just be a matter of one's perspective. For some it means the birth of Christ, for some it means presents and Santa Claus, for some it means good food shared with good friends, and for others it means depression, isolation and loneliness.

Aside from the religious aspects of the holiday, which I was (as I suspect were most of us) taught as a child, Christmas most definitely seems to have other meanings. Or should I say has come to mean other things to people. People the world over, celebrate Christmas, look forward to Christmas, devote endless hours to Christmas preparations - entire industries have been built on Christmas. So, I'd have to say that Christmas is a big deal.

I guess what I'm getting at is why is it such a big deal to people? Is it just because it's nice to get presents, paid time off from work and to eat rich and delicious foods? Or does it go deeper than that? I have been thinking a lot lately about why Christmas is such a big deal to me. As far back as I can remember it has been important to me, and I've been trying to figure out how the importance was conveyed to me. Was it all the many old Christmas movies I've watched again and again since childhood, the pretty Christmas light displays, the Christmas music, the big party of it all? Actually, I don't think so.

While all or most of those things have served to reinforce my love of Christmas there has (for me) always been one resounding theme to it. That theme is, our best. The thing about Christmas that makes me really love it is that it seems to inspire people to be at their best, do their best, show their best. It is the one time of year when people can be kind, happy, cheerful, etc. for no reason other than the season. People just seem to try harder to be happy and kind then. And I think that even as a small child I felt that, I sensed it and I loved it. I never quite understood why it seemed to disappear not long after Christmas but it was always something to look forward to for me.

I admit it, I am a closet optimist - which likely accounts for much of my cynicism - I really just want everyone to be happy - and somehow believe it is my job to bring that about. Silly as it sounds when I type the words out here on the screen and debate whether or not I'll publish them, it's true.

So I guess I will just say that Christmas means a special kind of time out, from the stresses and disappointments of life - it means a new opportunity to be happy, to show our happy selves, to share ourselves with others and to be nice for no reason at all. Yes, that's what it means to me…what does it mean to you?

Til next time….

The Nine…

In honor of 2009 I think I will make top 9 lists for the rest of the year. Today list is the top 9 weight loss truths for the New Year. This list was compiled from several articles I read during the year… Even if you're not trying to lose weight, chances are you've seen some "interesting" ideas on the TV or the internet of how to do so:

"Eat what you want and lose weight!"
"Lose thirty pounds in thirty days!"
"Finally, a diet that really works!"
"Lose one jean size every seven days!"
"Top three fat burners revealed"
"Ten minutes to a tighter tummy!" 

But these claims are readily rebuked by anyone who's tried to lose five, ten, or one hundred pounds. Losing weight ain't that easy. It's not in a pill, (sorry Alli) it doesn't (usually) happen in thirty days, and judging from the myriad plans out there, there is no one diet that works for everyone.

Looking past the outrageous claims, there are a few hard truths the diet/food industry isn't going to tell you, but might just help you take a more realistic approach to sustained weight loss for this upcoming year. Without further a-do…

1. You have to exercise more than you think.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends getting at least thirty minutes of moderate exercise most days of the week; this includes things like shoveling snow and gardening. And while this is great for improving heart health and staying active, research indicates that those looking to lose weight or maintain weight loss have to do more—about twice as much.

For instance, members of the National Weight Control Registry (NWCR)—a group of over 5,000 individuals who have lost an average of sixty-six pounds and kept it off for five and a half years—exercise for about an hour, every day.

A study published in the July 28, 2008 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine supports this observational finding. The researchers enrolled 200 overweight and obese women on a diet and exercise regimen and followed them for two years. Compared with those that gained some of their weight back, the women who were able to sustain a weight loss of 10 percent of their initial weight for two years exercised consistently and regularly—about 275 minutes a week, or fifty-five minutes of exercise at least five days a week.

In other words, things like taking the stairs, walking to the store, and gardening are great ways to boost activity level, but losing serious weight means exercising regularly for an hour or so. However, this doesn't mean you have to start running or kickboxing—the most frequently reported form of activity in the NWCR group is walking.

2. A half-hour walk doesn't equal a brownie.
I remember going out to eat with some friends after a bike ride. Someone commented on how we deserved dessert because we had just spent the day exercising; in fact, we had taken a leisurely twenty-minute ride through the park. This probably burned the calories in a slice of our French bread, but definitely not those in the caramel fudge brownie dessert. Bummer.

And while it's easy to underestimate how many calories something has, it's also easy to overestimate how many calories we burn while exercising. Growl.

Even if you exercise a fair amount, it's not carte blanche to eat whatever you want. (Unless you exercise a ton, have the metabolism of a sixteen-year-old boy, and really can eat whatever you want). A report investigating the commonly-held beliefs about exercising, published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, concludes that although exercise does burn calories during and after exercise, for overweight persons, "excessive caloric expenditure has limited implications for substantially reducing body weight independent of nutritional modifications." In other words, to lose weight, you have to cut calories and increase exercise. Calories in vs. calories out…

3. You have time to exercise.
If you have time to check email, watch a sitcom or two, surf the internet, have drinks/coffee/dinner with friends, go clothes shopping, and on and on, then you have time to exercise. Yes, sometimes you have to sacrifice sleep, TV, or leisure time to fit it in. Yes, sometimes you have to prioritize your exercise time over other things. But your health and the feeling you get after having worked out is well worth it.

4. Eating more of something won't help you lose weight.
The food industry is keen to latch onto weight loss research and spin it for their sales purposes. A prime example is the widespread claim that eating more dairy products will help you lose weight. However, a recent review of forty-nine clinical trials from 1966 to 2007 showed that "neither dairy nor calcium supplements helped people lose weight."

This idea—that eating more of a certain type of product will help you lose weight—is constantly regurgitated on supermarket shelves (think low-fat cake, low-carb crackers, high in whole grain cookies, and trans fat-free chips), but is in direct opposition to the basic idea behind weight loss—eating is not the problem for most of us, we should be thinking that we have to eat less, not more.

5. Calories in = calories out?
There is a fair amount of controversy over the basic question of how people gain weight. Is it simply a matter of energy intake being greater than energy expenditure? Or is there more too it; do the type of calories we eat matter and can avoiding certain types help to lose or prevent weight? The low-fat, low-carb, and glycemic index advocates can't seem to agree on which it is.

However, most can agree, and logical sense would tell us, that drinking 500 calories of soda is not equal to eating 500 calories of chicken and broccoli. One is simply "empty" calories—those that provide no real nutritional benefit and don't do much to combat hunger. Whether you ascribe to the simple idea of trying to burn more calories than you take in or focus on avoiding certain types of calories, you want to minimize intake of empty calories, and maximize nutrient-dense calories.

6. Your body is working against you.
Most people have noticed that it's hard to lose weight, but easy to gain it. This is a relic of harder times, when food was not as abundant as it is today. Our genetic taste buds made energy-dense food desirable because it was necessary to pack away calories so we could make it through the thin times. We feasted when we could, in preparation for the famine.

But now that we live in a time of abundance, that system predisposes many of us for weight gain and retention. And for obese dieters, this system is even harder to overcome; after weight loss, they become better at using fuel and storing fat, making it harder to keep weight off. However, this isn't to say that many haven't lost weight and kept it off successfully. It just means you have to be diligent.

7. Our cultural environment is also working against you.
Let's face it, American society does not make it easy on those trying to eat healthfully and exercise. According to Linda Bacon, associate professor of nutrition at UC Davis, "We get a tremendous amount of pressure to eat for reasons other than nurturing ourselves, and over time, people lose sensitivity to hunger/fullness/appetite signals meant to keep them healthy and well nourished. (I'll be honest, that's me) It's hard for people to come to a healthy sense of themselves given the cultural climate, and nutritious and pleasurable options for healthy food are not as easily accessible as less nutritious."

That doesn't mean this can't be overcome, but it does require maybe putting other parts of your life on a "diet." TV would be the biggest culprit, since many food advertisements, especially for children's junk food, come during this time. Other areas to put on a "diet" are chain and fast food restaurants (where portion sizes are distorted), a bad-influence friend, or driving, which may help increase walking and biking.

8. Maybe you don't need to lose weight.
Some feel that the medical problems associated with excess weight are exaggerated. Gina Kolata, a New York Times science writer questions the notion that thin is a realistic or necessary objective for most. In her book, Rethinking Thin, she asserts that weight loss is an unachievable goal for many, and that losing weight isn't so much about health as it is about money, trends, and impossible ideals. Recent research also challenges the idea that being overweight is bad. A study in JAMA found that being twenty-five pounds overweight did not increase the risk of heart disease and cancer, and may even help stave off infections.

It's true that people can be fit and healthy and not necessarily be thin, just as it's true that thin people may not necessarily be healthy. Good health, rather than weight, should be our focus for this next year; too often health is not the priority. Striving for an unhealthy level of thinness may be detrimental to our health, but understanding the health repercussions of obesity is also critical.

9. This is not a diet; this is your life.
The diet industry would have us all think that we can lose weight fast, and that's that. But most people who maintain their weight understand that eating and exercising are not temporary conditions, to be dumped once a pair of jeans fit. Instead, they are lifestyle choices, and ones to be made for the long haul.

Let me know what you think…

Til next time…

6 Myths For The Holidays

Hey everybody, I came across a cool article in The New York Times that I wanted to share with you. It talks about 6 Medical Myths For The Holiday Season and exactly why they are just that… myths. My favorite part of this article was this:

“Studies show an association between obesity and eating more meals late in the day, but that doesn’t mean eating at night causes obesity, the doctors point out. Eating more at any time of day will cause weight gain if it results in ingesting more calories than you need.”

THANK YOU!!

Finally, a major syndication says it! “Eating more at any time of day will cause weight gain”, no need to sugar coat it, that’s the way it is! They also talk about the issue of the Holiday Hangover, sugar-hyperactivity in kids (I’m not suggesting you should give kids more sugar!) and more but you’ll have to read it to find out what they say. Check it out and let me know what you think.

Til next time...

Now IS the time…

I'm sitting in my living room procrastinating. I have finished buying gifts for the holidays and now it's time to wrap, I'm staring out the window watching the snow and figuring which paper to use on what gift. The news is on in the background and got me thinking.

You can't flip channels without the talk of cut-backs and recession and disappearing capital and suicidal brokers but I just keep thinking…isn't this a wonderful, purifying, catalytic time! A time to create and re-create, a time to produce and re-produce, a time to burn off the redundant and the spent as we rocket through the white hot stratosphere of new possibilities.

People are worried.
Good! Worry is a fuel, it can be utilized.

People are frightened...
Great! There's nothing like fright to shake up the complacent norm and add a little umph to positive action.

People are terrified.

Terror? Wow! Now we are talking. Now we are cooking up new possibilities on high! Nothing stirs the soul and fires the spirit like a sprinkle of terror on your morning cornflakes. It gets people off their chairs, it gets people out of their made-for-the-bigger-person comfy-chair, it places a rocket up the arse of their old, tired, uninspired lives.

Man what a f***ing amazing time this is.
We are watching history unfold. And we are history unfolding.

Recessionary times create revolutionary ideas. Recessionary times give birth to revolutionary people. Recession is the pre-curser to great innovation.

Did you know that the entire multi-billion film industry in the US was born out of the twenties depression?

To Henry Ford's credit, his car empire only started because people did not have any money. Did you know that? Ford was passionate (driven even) about manufacturing a vehicle that was affordable for everyone.

You (yep you!) have been looking for a burst of energy for a very long time, you have wanted out of your spent existence for as long as you can remember and wasn't it only last New Years (and the New Yeas before add infinitum) that you announced 'it is time to change!' only to abandon the notion on Jan 2nd when the 'entrepreneurial spirit' got mugged and left for dead by the hangover of New Years past?

Man this could be such an amazing time. There has never been a better time to brush the cobwebs off your old dreams and air them in the light of new possibilities. There has never been a better time to stifle the cry of woe and instead channel the cry in battle against those mind-forged handcuffs. For the resigned man there has never been a better time for Renaissance.

The good life is not a lottery! The good life is a choice, and that choice is often made in times of inferno and furry. And the current climate is offering all the start-up energy and all the incentive and all the fear that you need to make it so.

I don't think there has ever been a better time.

And with 'the inferno' still very much in mind, let me leave you with the words of Dante because you need to hear them and you need to hear them today because there was never a better time.

'Now is the time to rouse yourself'!

Til next time…

Lark or Owl?

It's one of the most hotly debated and simultaneously inane topics in fitness:

 

What time of day is the best time to workout?

 

For most people existing in the normal sphere, the answer aligns with Columbia University's ask-me-your-most-embarrassing-questions provocateur Go Ask Alice. In addition to having her to thank for filling in the gaps in my sex education (even grown-ups wonder about... things) , she is also good at spouting the party line by succinctly stating the current scientific consensus. Which in this case is - say it with me now - "The best time to exercise is the time that's right for you."

Good, now that we've got that out of the way we can agree that since a) I'm not normal and b) I schedule my day around my workout(s) rather than the other way around, there is some merit in discussing this further. Even if it is just to have you all comment, "I can't believe you schedule your day around your workouts! It's OK to say to me "Go get a life, you nut!!"

So what is the best time of day to workout?
It depends on what you are doing. According to research published in Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, human beings are actually at their weakest first thing in the morning with muscular strength peaking in the late afternoon and early evening. Our muscles burn glycogen and glycogen stores are running low due to our overnight fasting. Also, apparently our muscles work better when our body temperature is higher which naturally peaks later in the day.

A disturbing little study cited in the same article studied male college students for 10 weeks. The group of 16 men did 45 minutes of weights followed by 45 minutes of cardio. Half the group did this workout at 10 am and the other half did it at 6 pm. What happened is either very disturbing or very indicative of the crazy lives of college males:

 

"The PM group had a 3.2% increase in lean mass, compared with a 0.6% gain in the AM group. Body fat dropped by 4% in the PM group, while it actually increased by nearly 5% in the AM group."

 

If I were in that study I'd be ticked. 5% is a lot of body fat to gain in 10 weeks. Of course this type of study often has many variables that cannot be controlled for. To truly analyze the results we'd need to do a follow-up study examining the correlation of late-night frat party keggers/A Shot at Love with Tila Tequila marathons with missed a.m. workouts. – (I'm just saying.)

On the other end of the exercise spectrum however, it appears that if cardio is your goal then the morning might be your best time to workout. Not only do morning exercisers report having greater energy throughout the day, it may also help you burn more fat and continue to burn more fat throughout the day due to a super-charged metabolism.

Another perk of a.m. cardio is that you are more likely to stick with it. Apparently will power is a limited resource and as you spend it over the course of the day on things like not eating your office mate's face cake - then you have less of it to motivate you to workout when you finally get out of said office.

Lark or Owl
One last factor to consider is that scientists have discovered something very exciting: People are different! Huh!! And not just in which locker room they use. (Side note: the men's locker rooms at the J are blue. The women's are pinky-red. This has caused more than one massively embarrassing moment to many an inattentive locker room goer, myself included. My theory is that our maintenance staff has a wicked sense of humor.) Apparently there are two types of folks - larks, or naturally early risers, and owls, or naturally late sleepers. Despite all assertions to the contrary by your high school principal, your body gravitates towards one or the other. I'm a lark.

The other night I got to put my owl tendencies to the test when I joined some Gym Buddies for a near midnight workout - a concept that only the most insane fitness fanatics would be excited about. And excited we were! The night started with an hour-long drive in which Sunshine and I shared the fold-down backseat of a Highlander. I haven't been that close to someone in the backseat of a car since a very awkward double date in college in which all parties have been paid to never mention again. We then did heavy weights and yes this white boy attempted to do a Hip Hop Hustle until the wee hours of the morning – very sad, ending with dinner/breakfast/nausea at the local 24-hour diner. Capping the whole night of fun was the drive home, spent in the back recalling insane stories from a previous work life (NASM) with Sunshine for no apparent reason.

You know what I discovered? Midnight workouts give me really strange dreams. And it was fun to change up my routine. Except for Tuesdays and some Fridays, I workout in the morning because a.m. workouts interfere the least with my son's visitation schedule. I like my a.m. sweat fests – kettle bells at dawn. I find I have more energy and patience throughout the day. I worry less about what I eat. Overall I think this has helped me to convert to my lark schedule. And yet the nighttime workout was a blast as well. So maybe I'm closer to Go Ask Alice then I thought.

So, raise of hands - who's a lark and who's an owl? When is your ideal time to workout? When do you actually work out?

“R-e-s-p-e-ct?!”

Many of you know that I serve as a mentor to "younger" trainers. I recently received an email that got me thinking. First, let me share the email and then my thoughts.

"Larry…I decided at the age of 46 to become a trainer. As I got to the written portion of my practice exam, one of the Essay questions was to research and write about Childhood Obesity.

I googled Childhood Obesity thinking there could not be much out there to choose from. What I found literally broke my heart. The Washington Post ran a headline: "Obesity threatens a Generation" Stated in the Post article was a line that struck me and should strike every parent reading it. "Young bodies are much more vulnerable to the toxic effects of fat." Wikipedia even has an entry for Childhood Obesity! Describing it as "A condition where excess body fat negatively affects a child's health or well being." According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 16 percent of children (over 9 million) 6-19 years old are overweight or obese — a number that has TRIPLED since 1980.

In addition to the 16 percent of children and teens ages 6 to 19 who were overweight in 1999-2002, another 15 percent were considered at risk of becoming overweight. Overweight Adolescents have a 70 % Chance of being overweight or obese adults. The one aspect of Childhood Obesity that I never even considered was the social aspect. We all know children can be ridiculed by others that aren't like them. Do you think I am trying to scare you? I am. You are their only hope.

Okay, enough of the scariness—let's fix it! As I searched for the right way to get children up and at it, the answer was at my fingertips the entire time. One of my favorite cardio DVD's is Hip, Hop Abs. What do you think?"

I like to think that everyone who reads this blog is as busy as I am this holiday season. While Hanukkah Hysteria is, far more benign than Christmas CHAOS it's a big ole time suck a lot of time & effort none the less.

I appreciate you dropping by and reading this post so as a reward; I'll make an effort to be brief. Her email started me thinking not just about kids & exercise, but about adults & how we role model. And then I started pondering the concept of RESPECT.

Respect isn't often a word I often associate with exercise.

In my world, dealing with a 12 year old it usually used more in reference tone of voice or poor word choices. Respect is a word kids hear often and yet it often *isn't* what we model for them in the realm of fitness & health.

Sure, we model the please & thank you niceties, but how many of us respect our bodies in front of our children or grandchildren?

(Want to sit with that for a moment to see if it resonates with you?)

We (the royal. the plural.) talk at them about the importance of respect while, simultaneously, we disrespect our bodies with poor food choices & not making time in our day to exercise.

I know for me the notion of BODY AS TEMPLE isn't one I've spent much time mulling. Yet that concept melds perfectly with the idea of conveying bodily-respect to our children / spouses / partners *wordlessly* through our behaviors.

So tell me what you think, has the Mexican completely lost his mind with this post or does the notion of leading by example through respecting one's body give you a JOLT! as well?

Children-filled or child-free I long to know. Please to hit us all up in the comments.

Til next time…

F-18 Crash Victim Grieves

(The video is sad, don't watch unless you are ready to get misty eyed)

A jet plane crashed into a San Diego home, killing a mom, two children, and her mother. The dad, Dong Yun Yoon, was not home when it happened. He left with everything right in the world and came back to find everything gone…

He really needs our prayers right now. In another video, he talked about how he knew God was keeping his wife and children safe in heaven. He also said he that doesn’t blame the pilot, but hopes people will pray for the pilot to not be overcome with guilt.

That’s pretty amazing. Honestly, there is no way I would handle a situation like that with the same grace as this man has. What is amazing as how he has managed to hold on to his faith. And then to forgive so quickly! Some might say he’s just in shock, but if you watch the videos you can see that the shock has already worn off.

His wife was 36 and one baby girl had just been born in October and the other one, Grace, was 15 months old. The was around the same age as I when my son was born - I just cannot even imagine at that I would have had the reserves to tackle this at that age let alone have such faith. In a press conference, the husband had only two requests. One was to pray for the pilot (wow). The other was that he knows there are people who have gone through worse than this, and he hopes they can tell him how.

I’m posting this for three reasons. One is that I’m amazed at how he has already forgiven the pilot. So many of us hold grudges over things that are far, far less important. Second, is that life is short. Don’t ever take one second for granted, and don’t put off until tomorrow what you could do today. And finally from a human side and perhaps most importantly, I’m posting this to ask anyone who reads this to keep him in your prayers. Pray that he finds people who can provide him with comfort and the advice he’s seeking.

Sadly, the only way to get through something like this is to walk through the pain. As a wise friend of mine once said, “You can’t move on - you can never move on. But at some point, you can find the strength to move forward.”

Til next time...

Ye of little faith…

I was up to my forearms in cleaning supplies this past weekend - getting ready for company on Christmas. But when you are cleaning everything in sight, you - well at least I allow my mind to wonder. So here is what de-stressed, mindless tasks do to a Espinoodle brain while cleaning the cupboards.

Did you ever want to walk on water? (I told you my mind was wondering!), perhaps moving mountains like Mohammad, or perhaps parting the seas with a flick of a Charleston Heston type hand?

So hypothetically let's agree that nothing is impossible if you have faith. But to gain faith one has to eliminate any traces of doubt. The million dollar question is just how do we do that?

Remember the story in the bible about Jesus of Nazareth, and the disciple Peter, when they walked on water. It is a great example of faith!

Some people think that the story is parabolic or a fancy allegory or an imaginary figment of some historical imagination. I choose to believe that it is one of the true miracles of the bible and my faith in that legend is important to me. The story goes;

Peter and the disciples of Jesus Christ are on a ship out at sea. This was when they were still men of the world, casting nets for a fishy catch, before they because fishers of men. On this occasion the sea - as it is prone to do in biblical lore – took a stormy turn for the worse and started tossing the ship around like a toothpick. The waves were raging and the disciples feared for their very lives. But the fear of the contrary sea was nothing next to the terror they felt when across the tumultuous waves walked Jesus as casual as you or I on our Sunday stroll.

He was walking on the water.

The men were terrified and thought Jesus was a ghost, and when he spoke to them their terror doubled. When Jesus saw their fright he begged them to 'fear not, it is I, Jesus.' He tried to reassure them that he was no sprit, but they were not convinced.

'If it is really you Jesus' a doubting Peter said, 'then bid me to walk beside you on the water'. So Jesus bid him out from the boat and Peter - filled with faith – was able to walk on the sea too. But, as he walked across the waves towards Jesus and he saw the rage of the water beneath his feet and all around him Peter suddenly erred. That split second of doubt became a crippling loss of faith and he quickly started to sink into ocean. He cried out; 'save me Jesus, save me.' Jesus held out his hand and lifted Peter out of the water and said 'why dids't though doubt me of thou of little faith?'

Faith had enabled Peter to walk on water. Lack of faith saw seen him sinking faster that the Euro against the dollar.

When he asked Jesus for help, Peter called upon the power of ten thousand angels.

We can all do this, any time we want. We can all close our eyes and ask our God or the universe to help us, to guide us and when necessary…save us. (I ask for help every single day. Trust me I need it.)

The two men returned to the ship, where the storm suddenly and miraculously calmed.

What I love about this story is what it represents to me. Whether you believe in Jesus or miracles are of little consequence, what is important is that you see the literal meaning of this story. To me, the ship that the disciples find themselves on represents the world of comfort and safety; the known. Your safe comfortable world, your job, your house, your relationships, and your beliefs. It represents what you know. The stormy water of course, represents discomfort, the dangerous unknown, the big world out there.

And Jesus walking on the water represents the seemingly impossible.

And let us be in no doubt of one thing; the impossible is never really impossible, it is just an opportunity that we have yet to find a solution for.

Jesus himself in the story represents faith.

And what Jesus is saying is 'I am doing something that you believe is impossible to prove to you the possibility of the impossible.'

When Peter has faith he walks on water, the same as Jesus, when he allows doubt to enter into his mind he starts to sink. It is his faith that creates the miracle and his lack of faith that make impossibility out of the possible.

For Peter to achieve his miracle (in this case to walk on water) he has to leave the safety of the known, the safety of the ship, and step out into the unfamiliar (or the frightening), Jesus is acting as a man of congruence, he is saying 'I can do it, I am showing you that it can be done, now you do it.' By walking on water he demonstrates the miracle in order to make it possible for all. He is the embodiment of his message, he is his own gospel. He is not just saying it can be done and simply expecting you to believe, he is showing that it can be done so that believing is easier.

I re-read the story of Jesus walking on water again yesterday – it something that my son is reading for CCD. Truth is that I sometimes like to re-visit the miracles periodically. I find them to be an inspirational reminder of my heritage. Especially in these so called recessionary times. The first thing I did after I closed his study guide was look at my own life, my own beliefs, my own safe boats and my own impossible dreams. And I reassessed them. And while I don't plan to make a literal attempt at walking on the sea any time soon, J I definitely and unequivocally am going to break my comfort zones and re-classify my list of impossible things. And more that anything else I am going to ask for a little more faith so that, even if water walking and mountain moving and the parting of large expanses of sea are not at the top of my to-do list, all those other impossible dreams will be. Because…. (Because, because, because…) nothing is impossible if you have faith!

Til next time…

Anti-aging my arse

I'm annoyed. Just zoom over to this article about a recent study on antioxidants and aging I read.

Why so grumpy?

Because I didn't like the results, damnit!

Hey, They Promised Me, If I Ate All Those Antioxidants I'd Be Young Forever! And now look… a study comes along and dashes my hopes for eternal life. Yes, I know no one has guaranteed that the right combination of nutrition and exercise will keep me young forever. (And a quick glance in the mirror reveals there's definitely a flaw in this theory).

But… it was kind of implied that if I down enough blueberries, red wine, broccoli (I hate broccoli – and those brussle sprouts – please) and dark chocolate, etc, that all those antioxidants would fight off the nasty free radicals that would otherwise cause me to age faster. I will feel thirty or forty-ish, I was hoping, until I'm actually ninety-ish.

Perfectly Good Aging Theory Spoiled by Worms…Blame Denham Harman for my false hopes. It was his theory that said that aging is due to "an accumulation of molecular damage "caused by "oxidative stress." This theory has apparently been popular for over fifty years, so I had a good excuse for believing it and scarfing up all the antioxidants I could. Did I say I hate collie flower?

But alas, it turns out that a guy named David Gems and some stupid worms are trying to ruin my plans to never grow old.

In this new study, Gems and his colleagues fiddled around with a bunch of nematode worms and beefed up their ability to "mop up" surplus superoxide and limit oxidative damage. Unfortunately, "the lifespan of the worm was relatively unaffected by its ability to tackle the surplus superoxide." This casts serious doubt on the theory that antioxidants will make you live longer. Gems thinks "other factors, such as chemical reactions involving sugars in our body, clearly play a role."

Crap.

Since this kind of research is far beyond my ability to understand or critique, I'll just have to hope more studies come out and contradict it.

Or, even better, I hope that they figure out a new key to staying young, and that it involves a daily regimen of watching HBO and Showtime series on DVD, eating cupcakes and cheeseburgers, drinking margaritas, and sitting in a massage chair to relieve stress. C'mon scientists, get crackin'!

You Still Have to Eat Your Fruit and Vegetables… Just because antioxidants may not halt aging itself, they are still potent disease fighters so you're not off the hook. Gems concluded: "a healthy, balanced diet is very important for reducing the risk of developing many diseases associated with old age, such as cancer, diabetes and osteoporosis. But there is no clear evidence that dietary antioxidants can slow or prevent aging. There is even less evidence to support the claims of most anti-aging products."

Darn it. Guess I'll go eat worms.

Anyone else disappointed that there might not be a dietary "magic bullet" to prevent aging? Got any good anti-aging suggestions, or are you perfectly happy to grow old gracefully?

Cruciferous foods, here I come…

Til next time – I've got to go burp now….

Thoughts... make you or break you.

Of all the thoughts you have in your mind, how many of them are yours? How many are someone else's?

You may be surprised at your answer when you really (and honestly) explore this question. Many people are under the illusion that all their thoughts are their own. But I don't think this is the case. Think about it, when you were born you came into the world as an empty slate - and right from the start other people began feeding you their beliefs, thoughts, ideas, goals, agendas, habits and so on.

There is no question that learning from others is necessary.
We need parents, teachers, helpers and so on. It takes a village -right? Yet, at the same time when we're adults, (or sooner) we would be wise to distinguish between what we truly think and believe and what other people have told us to think and believe.

There is a profound difference - and once you know what YOU think and believe - once you know who you truly are - then you find within yourself immense power and endurance to go after what you want in life.

So long as you are bound by fear, worry, self-doubt depression and so on, you are not truly thinking your own thoughts - nor are you swimming in an energy field that is 100% yours.

Children don't come into the world with worries, phobias, anxiety attacks, depression and so on. Most either learn these ways of being - or they are subjected to negative attacks from others. These negative attacks not only enter your mind - but your being as well. Changing your thoughts and mental pictures is an important step in the right direction.

New self-talk and mental pictures, in and of itself, can and does change who you are on the inside - and this leads to changes on the outside. At the same time though learning how to change the energy field that surrounds your body is also very important because there are times when you don't feel right and it has nothing to do with what YOU were thinking.

For example, last summer I entered a bar with a couple friends. As soon as we took a seat I looked at the others and said, "Let's go."

"Why. What's up," came the reply.

"I'll tell you when we get outside," I said. Once outside I explained to my friends that the bar "just didn't feel right" that something bad was going to happen. We went across the parking lot and ate at another restaurant. Just as we were sitting down, several police cars came pulling up to the drinking establishment and officers went running in with their guns drawn.

"How did you know that something was going to happen," one person asked.

"I knew because I felt sick to my stomach as soon as I sat down. Once we're outside and I felt fine." What does that tell you?

Life give's us clues and most people are not as sensitive as I am to the negative - I believe that this is one of the reasons why people are so easily influenced from a positive mental state to one that is not life affirming. Just look at the news, and then follow the stock market the next day!

I know it sounds a bit far fetched, but I believe that your energy field is much bigger than you are. And it sends out a signal to others, before you even utter a word. When you are positive this field is vibrant and large. When you are in a rut your field shrinks considerably - offering you almost no psychic protection from the negative thoughts, emotions and attacks of others.

I know this is a departure from what I usually talk about, but think for a moment... How often are you influenced by the thoughts and actions of others vs acting on your own thoughts and intuitions.

Til next time....

Wisdom from 1891

I came across a quote the other day, actually I was meandering in Borders figuring out who was going to get what for the holidays and came across an interesting book, a compilation of quotations and poetry. Anyway, picked the book up and turned the page, and the first thing I read was....

"You can't cross the sea merely by standing and staring at the water"

-Rabindranath Tagore

Who? He was the first Asian Nobel Laureate and according to wikipedia quite a political figure in India. None the less there seems to be some wisdom in those words.

Too many of us have great ideas... and great intentions.
But that's what they end up being - just ideas. Intentions, NOT results.

In the fitness world, you might say, "I was thinking about getting started on a better nutrition plan real soon". Or, "I'd like to start getting up early and going for a morning run". Or, "I've been planning for a while on going to get a massage in order to release the tension in my upper back..." And, more often than not, the statement, the intention fizzles out with no action behind it.

Ideas and intentions without action are worthless. Yes, it's good to dream and it's good to create targets for which you'd like to reach. But how helpful is it if you never finish what you intend to accomplish? And what if you never even start?!!

The things we want most in life take time and effort and consistent action. They are huge endeavors that require us to make consistent changes in our behaviors. Like crossing a large body of water to get to your intended destination, it takes time and effort and consistent action to arrive.

So, you can't just look at the water and continually wish you already arrived.

Similarly, you can't just think about your goals/intentions/ideas and just hope for them to happen.

Don't be afraid and just look at the sea! Get in and get wet! (In Larry speak. "Take some frickin' action already!") Do something every day that will bring you closer to your destination...

Til next time...

Oh boy.... I believe

I know that this writing thing can be viewed as an "illness" since I add to this blog almost every other day of the week. My goal in writing was to give advice and if lucky try to motivate. My intention was and is to educate, and for the most part albeit with varying degrees of success I attempt to live my life in the same fashion that I suggest for my readers.

But, even though this past year I have had the opportunity to share these little tidbits of myself with you... I feel like I haven't divulged my core beliefs about what it means to me to be a fitness professional. The notion that I have been doing this for nearly a quarter of a century might give you a clue - or just confirm that I'm just really lost and afraid to do something else :-) - ... But I don't know if many of you really know what I truly believe concerning health, fitness, nutrition, and wellness.

To use the latest media term - I want to be "transparent" and honest with all my readers. So, I've compiled a list of my basic beliefs. I want to share my opinions and I encourage your comments at the end of this blog.

I believe that almost every common health problem can be linked back to insufficient activity and poor diet (I mean... joint pain, muscle pain, weight issues, metabolic disturbances, heart problems, digestive problems, sleep issues, skin problems, etc, etc.)

I believe that the body was meant to move! It was meant to be challenged and pushed within reason. And if we neglect to physically challenge our bodies, we will age more quickly, we will lose the ability to be physical, we will injure ourselves, we will become sick/diseased, and our bodies AND minds will break down.

I believe that taking ibuprofen/advil/aspirin/alleve is NOT a beneficial form of treatment for physical pain. Medicine is simply like a band aid for pain. Soreness does not warrant pain killers. Pain from an injury or an imbalance should be dealt with by finding and treating the source of the pain - through corrective exercise, massage, soft tissue manipulation, chiropractic adjustments, ice/heat, etc. (Pain killers are necessary in certain situations - don't get me wrong - but people use them way too often to cover up the real issue at hand...)

I believe that doctors are important - in instances of emergency and trauma and in the diagnosis/treatment of serious disease/illness. But they should NOT be an important source in general health education. They should not have much involvement in the promotion of fitness and proper nutrition - they are not trained to do that. Most Doctors are amazing at what they do - but very few have sufficient education in nutrition and exercise to give specific beneficial recommendations to the general public. And unfortunately the drug companies have educated physicians in the treatment of disease with medications instead of the medical schools teaching physicians how to use prevention in the treating of a disease.

I also believe that universities need to step up and fulfill a need. They have an opportunity and obligation to produce better qualified, experienced, and knowledgeable fitness professionals to take the lead for the re-education of the general public toward proper health practices.

I believe that it's never too late to become fit. Age is only a factor that determines how quickly you can transform... but it is in no way a deterrent. Physical activity is something that all ages should be involved in!

I believe that there is no limit to what you can accomplish, physically. People tend to put limits on themselves. A well thought out plan that is consistently activated will get most people to and beyond their goals.

I believe that too many women and seniors miss out on the power of being strong because they're afraid to get dirty and afraid to be uncomfortable. Or, they simply label themselves as "unable". I don't understand the act of prematurely labeling yourself before you even try... but I do understand the fear of the unknown. And I am much more willing to respect people that will at least attempt to reach their potential or try something new in the physical world.

I believe that there is no good excuse. Excuses hold you back from accomplishment. They are a way to justify and hide behind your fears. If you really want to accomplish something, no excuse will stand in your way of that pursuit.

I believe that people don't realize how atrocious "normal" nutritious practices have become. When a way of eating becomes common, people don't question it as much or they justify that how they're eating is somehow okay (because everyone else does it). This is an area that where I still struggle - being transparent here.

I believe that too many fitness professionals just regurgitate antiquated ideas. They don't question the common trainer "script" and they don't keep up with current research. Therefore, incorrect methods of training and nutrition are often perpetuated by an army of unqualified personal trainers - and the general public is left confused! BUT I am optimistic - I believe that a new breed of fitness professional is making a stand... I also believe that the role of a fitness professional is one of the most important positions to be in. And one of the most rewarding.And I am really fortunate and grateful to have selected this as my profession and passion.

I believe that it is my responsibility to be the most qualified, most knowledgeable, most experienced, most enthusiastic fitness professional I can be... in order to be deserving of my title and my position as a top fitness pro, AND to be deserving of the trust of my clients and readers.

I believe that true health is only possible through a synergistic combination of activity, physical stimulation, nourishment, hydration, rest, recovery, stress reduction, mental stimulation, and happiness/satisfaction.

I believe that finding an activity you enjoy (and making time to enjoy that activity) feeds your soul. Give yourself the chance to be physical and you'll be much more satisfied with life.

And finally, I believe that attitude is everything!
You create your own experience in life. No, you don't have full control over what happens to you, externally. But you do have complete control over how you react/respond. Life can be hard and usually is, but with a "never give up" attitude and a will to always strive for satisfaction and excellence, life can be enjoyable, happy, fun, and worthwhile.

I could go on, but this is a pretty good start. I'm passionate about my line of work. I trust you can see that. I want to help as many people as I can and I hope you get a sense of that as well. But most of all I'm very lucky to enjoy my line of work and look forward to doing this each day. It was important for me to lay this all out on the line for you so that you can fully understand where I stand on this passion of mine. And If I can help you reach your goals by using these tools (health and fitness) even better!

Over the course of the next year I would like to continue to create a greater sense of community. So I am inviting you to make or share any comments and ask that post them on this blog.

Til next time....

We all have challenges that drop in front of our door, usually when we least expect it! When those trying situations present themselves, I try to continually look for as well as remember the things in life that have given or gave me the great feelings of grace, gratitude, love and enthusiasm.

When I call on those past events and bring those positive feelings that I had to the fore-front of my mind I seem to approach these new tasks/challenges with extra enthusiasm and strength. Lately, I've been recalling them often...but as simple as it seems the technique really does work for me.

I've learned that no matter what life will move forward. Experience has shown me (not so subtly at times) that if I dig my heals in, lock out my arms and try to stop it.... I'll get run over. But IF I go with the flow and draw on the positive feelings from past surceases I ride these unexpected waves much more gracefully.

Just a thought

Til next time....