Blurry Vision Or Something More??

Ok! Time to come clean. How many of us ate too much over the Christmas holiday? I'll be the first to say that I did. I had the best intentions of eating pretty good, but my family likes to cook and I like to eat. That's a bad combination just waiting to happen. :-) After making it through the New Year, I looked at my body in a mirror one morning and I could see that I needed to make some changes. I had lost a lot of the definition in my body and just didn't feel good about the way I looked. I told someone close to me that I wanted to drop about 30 pounds. They looked at me like I was crazy. They asked where I wanted to lose it from and told me I was already looking pretty fit. At this point I realized that one of us wasn't seeing something correctly. At that moment I realized that maybe it could be me. I deal with clients all the time that complain about the way they look but they look pretty damn nice by our societies standards. Here are a few examples of what I mean. Just recently I was talking with one of my clients and she was talking about how bad she had been over the Christmas holiday and how she needed to look good and as soon as she got it out of her mouth one of her neighbors looked at her with her mouth wide open and said "Wow, you look so skinny!" She looked at me confused and asked if the lady was talking about me. Another example is one client who swears her butt is a big as a house, but in reality this lady could finish in the top 5 in a fitness show easily. Or, one client who swears she is so obese, but realized after visiting with old high school friends that she is the same size she was in high school and she looked great back then. Just as people see themselves as being overweight it works in the same way with people actually being overweight and seeing themselves as being petite. Have you ever seen someone wear something (male or female) that you know they should not have walked out of the house wearing that was fitting way too tight? I know I have!

I had the opportunity to pick the brain of a psychiatric professional and we discussed these issues and we came to the conclusion that these may be some small traits of Body Dysmorphic Disorder. In layman's terms it means an individual with a skewed perception of their body image. The extreme cases of BDD are those who develop anorexia nervosa or like Michael Jackson and his multiple plastic surgeries.

 I asked the psychiatric professional how does one end up with these symptoms and how can one combat these symptoms. She explained that there is usually a direct correlation with one's self-esteem  in general. Causes of low self esteem often stem back to childhood and adolescence and how one was parented or if one was bullied. Working on self esteem or subsequent body dysmorphia symptoms is not an easy or swift process. It may involve taking a look at people in your life and assessing if they lift you up or keep you down. It may involve enlisting the help of a therapist to assist you in changing the way you think about yourself. But mostly it's engaging in a reality check with yourself that may require assistance from someone who loves you and whom you trust.

After writing about this subject and learning more about this, it really made me take a long hard look at the way I see myself. I realized that I never really gave myself any credit for what I have accomplished with my body thus far. Coming from a background of being extremely overweight to being fit is a massive change. Sometimes, I still look in the mirror and still see that overweight guy. I guess I am still a work in progress like most of us are. If you find that you can relate to this try some of the strategies mentioned in this. Until next time people!

A Long Hiatus

It's been a long time since I've posted anything to my blog. I've had so many things to deal with in the past year that it's a miracle that I'm here now to even write anything. I know most of what I am going to say in this entry has very little to do with what I normally write about but I feel the need to get this out anyway. Please excuse me if it gets too long. You'll have to use your imagination and probably a lot of visualization too to kind of understand this.

Regardless of who you are, you probably have something stressful going on in your life right now. It may be physical, emotional, or spiritual but I am sure there is something. It's basically your own personal hell. Sure you may know people whose situation is a lot worse than yours, but still your own personal hell is specific to you. It's your worst nightmare coming to reality. I was so bad at one point I recall myself being face down on the floor completely naked praying to God for a little help. My prayers went unanswered. As a matter of fact my situation got worse. Anytime someone said they were going to pray for me everything got worse. Use your imagination here with me. Imagine walking along with your best friend in the entire world. All of a sudden you look at your friend and they snarl at you and push you into the deepest darkest pit. On the way down you see the look of utter disgust on your companion's face. The fall seems like it lasts forever. When you finally hit the bottom you are hurt and hurt bad. You are dazed and confused and slowly maneuver your wounded body to the standing position. You think your vision is blurry, but it's so dark you actually can't see a thing. There are small flashes of light here and there but you have no clue what they are so you ignore them and try to figure out why you got pushed down there and second how in the hell you are going to get yourself out. As you stand there quietly you begin to hear voices. You realize that you are not alone and that there are others in the pit with you. Some have been pushed in by people, some have fallen by themselves, and some just woke up and found themselves there. No matter why they are there you decide you are getting out and taking everyone with you out of this pit. Some people have given up and decide they are just going to stay there and wait for someone to get them out, and some decide they are with you on trying to get out on their own. So, you have different ideas on how to get out and they all end like this. Fail, FAil, FAIl, FAIL, FAILL, FAILLL!!! After all the fails, most people give up on you and stop believing in you. Hell, even you stop believing that you are going to make it out. Your heart fills with sadness as tears stream down your face. You are not even sure what is causing the tears. Is it because your are stuck in this pit or that you got pushed in there by someone you cared the world for?

After throwing your own personal pity party and wiping away the tears you realize that the tears cleared your vision. The flashes of light you were seeing earlier were not just flashes of light. They were actually ropes. Ropes from friends who were trying to help get you out. Your vision was blurry because of a little thing called "Pride". All of a sudden you hear a little voice that tells you that you can make it out if you climb with everything you have. Your climb is tough but you can't give up. You stumble a little, slip a little, and even some of the people who are in the pit try to drag you back down in there but you can't give up. The more you climb the more the voice of positivity gets louder in your ear. To cut the rest of this little tale short I can tell you that I am not out of the pit. The good news is I can see the light at the top and I can see the faces of the people with the ropes that have been there the whole time trying to get me out. I have to say thank you to them for all their support and what they have done to keep me going strong. They've taught me some things about life. Some you'll understand and some you won't, and some will be just an inside thing that only they and I will understand.


LESSONS FROM FRIENDS
1. Even in this world full of aliens there is at least 1 human left. (inside thing)
2. It's ok to be a little crazy as long as you make it through the day and don't harm anyone.. Haha (inside thing)
3. If you know someone that you are friends with that is in need of help, help them. Regardless of how proud they are you help them anyway. Even if it's shoving a bag of food at them when they get ready to leave your house, or telling them to shut the hell up when they say something negative.
4. Never let someone with a lot of potential down talk themselves. Always try to lift them and let them know that you believe in them, even if no one else does.
5. Support your friend any way you can in a time of need and help them talk through the issue. You'll be surprised at what good some conversation might do. You never know, you may end up getting your kitchen painted in the process ;-) (inside thing)
6. A true friend will be there through ups and downs and won't leave your side until everything is better.
7. Even if your prayers don't get answered, try to keep some form of spirituality.

8. Last but not least an important lesson from my dog. (see image below)

My long hiatus from this blog is over. Spending time in this pit has drained me. I've struggled a lot but hopefully I'm a better man for it.

Until next time you guys take care.

 

 

 

Go Green

You can go to any grocery store, pharmacy, or health food store and you will see the words green tea everywhere. Over the past few years we have been experiencing a green tea craze. From actual drinking tea to gum, it is all over the place. People in Asia have been utilizing green tea for centuries, and now I myself may want to “GO GREEN”. Before I do, I have to know what this stuff is, and how can it benefit me?

  Green tea is said to be an accidental discovery by the Chinese emperor Shen Nung in 2737 BC . However, it was not until several thousand years later that Buddhist monks introduced green tea to Japan. Ever since then it has been a common drink in South East Asia – popular because of its taste and health benefits. In some parts of Asia tea drinking has even evolved into a religious ceremony. Even though we in the Western world have known about tea for centuries we have not really used it for anything but a drink. It is not until now that green tea – with its distinct color and flavor - finally caught on in our part of the world. It is the least processed tea and the flavors, antioxidants etc. are therefore much better preserved in the tea leaves.

  It has long been believed by Asian cultures that green tea prolongs life, prevents diseases and slows aging. Therefore green tea has also long been used in traditional Chinese medicine to cure various diseases from irregularity and slow metabolism to heart diseases and cancer. Companies selling green tea products here in the United States have used these beliefs and claims – especially about its weight management properties - to promote their products. Creating an entirely new industry where even giants like Lipton have made a new line of Lipton Iced Tea with various green tea flavors.

 Green tea is known for its high levels of polyphenols - a known agent for protecting against cardiovascular diseases by preventing the oxidation of cholesterol and build up of plaque in the arteries. Green tea also contains a polyphenol called epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) which is one of the most powerful antioxidants. Some claim that EGCG might explain or prove why green tea could have cancer fighting properties. The question however remains, is there scientific research and evidence to back up the claims about green tea.

 Several studies have now been done on the effects of green tea. The result of one such study was published last year in The Journal of Nutrition. Researchers found that participants who consumed green tea beverages during an exercise-induced weight loss program lost more abdominal fat than those who did not drink the tea. They therefore concluded that their results suggest that consumption of green tea can enhance fat loss . These results would back up green tea being sold solely as a weight loss supplement. Another study was conducted by the School of Sport and Exercise Sciences at the University of Birmingham, U.K. on some of the health-promoting benefits of green tea consumption. The university found that the subjects’ average fat oxidation rates increased by 17% when using green tea as a supplement as well as a 13% increase in insulin sensitivity. Based on this they concluded that green tea can be used to increase fat oxidation and improve insulin sensitivity and glucose tolerance .

 Several other studies have been done citing that green tea can decrease muscle necrosis (University of Lausanne, Switzerland), prevent and fight skin cancer (University of Alabama) and help prevent periodontal disease (Kyushu University Faculty of Dental Science, Japan). However, despite these studies green tea does not seem to be getting much serious attention in the medical field. Instead is seems to be regarded as part of the alternative medicine field and over the counter weight loss/health industry.

 The effect of green tea to today’s athlete or fitness enthusiast is quite obvious. During their pre-season when athletes are getting ready to compete green tea could be used as a safe way to assist in shedding adipose tissue. This will help them compete at a higher level without compromising their health or ingesting artificial or synthetic drugs. Also, taking green tea as a supplement will help prevent free radical damage. Studies done in Tochigi, Japan also suggest that consumption of green tea help endurance athletes. The results show that supplementing with green tea improved the athletes’ endurance capacity by as much as 24%. Based on this alone green tea should be a supplement taken by every endurance athlete out there. What runner or swimmer would not like to improve endurance and thereby performance by 24%?

 In general green tea is to be preferred over a drug with similar effects simply due to the fact that it is a 100% natural product. If green tea – even when consumed in high doses – had any serious side effects chances are we would know about them by now since it has been around for centuries. As of today the only side effects reported are mild and restricted to e.g. diarrhea and restlessness (due to the caffeine). As Americans get more health and environmentally conscious, as we search for natural remedies and look more to nature for solutions the market for products like green is sure to grow.

 The problem remains; how do you convince the average American, athletes and the medical field that green tea is not just that – a tea. If the claims about green tea hold to be true (more research is surely needed). Then we could have found our miracle drug of the 21st century and a natural one at that. One thing is for sure. With the mounting evidence green tea is on my list next time I shop for supplements.

SUPER BOWL!!!

As we all know the Super Bowl was yesterday evening. I hope everyone enjoyed it. It was a great game. The Super Bowl provides us with entertainment, but also it give us one of our biggest challenges. The Super Bowl Party!! There is always lots of drinks and things for you and your guest to eat. At most parties they  definitely not have the most healthy things. One of my newest clients gave me a call  yesterday. This guy has been on a roll for he past 2 weeks. He has his eating on track and working out like crazy when we train and even when he is on his on. In just this short period of time he has made some crucial changes to be successful at achieving his goal as to one day look as good as a professional bodybuilder. When I answered the phone he asked me how bad was pizza to eat with a few wings and a side salad. I laughed and I told him he might as well go to McDonald's and get a super sized meal and a diet coke...lol Anyone who has trained with me knows exactly how I feel about having pizza in your diet when you are training. I have seen it set people back so bad just from having a few slices. My client really wanted it though. He said "Please don't do this to me man, it's the super bowl!" I told him he needs to put some lettuce leaves in his "Super Bowl". Haha!  Then he went on to say he was having his girlfriend prepare a chocolate lava cake. He went on to describe this thing to me, I must admit it sound delicious, but not good enough to be set back a few weeks. So, instead of continuing to argue with him over this I had him look up the nutrition facts on everything he wanted to eat. By the time we finished calculating we were at about 5,000 calories. I told him he could easily get those calories off. He said just tell me what to do and I'll do it. I told him how I ran 16 miles and burned about 2600 calories.  He didn't like the sound of that at all. Haha! So I met up with him and his girlfriend and showed him a lot healthier options that he could have. Of course he gave me the "STINK FACE." We all know that look. The one where your upper lip curls up to cover the bottom of your nostrils like you just smelled something gross. Haha! He ended with with lean cut steak,(which was grilled) grilled veggies, a vegetable tray, and a fruit tray. His buddies still had their beer, but he stayed away from it. To his surprise everyone was thrilled with the food and said it tasted great. The point of this is that even in the toughest of situations you can make a good choice and not stray too far from your diet and still be on track as this client found out. I know it's tradition sometimes to pig out at certain occasions, but to really make a change you have to do just that. "CHANGE!" I know the Super Bowl is over for this year but there will be another next year. Put yourself to the challenge next year and try to make your Super Bowl a healthy one and throw some green veggies in it. ;-) Until next time..Train hard and be consistent ;-)

No one gives a better stink face than babies!!..LOL

"AGE AIN'T NOTHING BUT A NUMBER"

It's the beginning of the new year and as you can imagine my phone has been ringing off the hook. What has surprised me is the number of older adults I have gotten calls from. I think that is absolutely excellent. I get inspired when I see older adults take an interest in physical fitness. It lets me know that even in my later years of life I can still be energetic. Studies have shown that being more active in your later years can be very beneficial to your health. I asked one of my newest clients why she decided to give me a call. She said that she would go and visit her brother who was 2 years younger than her at his house. She said he took a variety of medications on a daily basis because he had a variety of illnesses. His physicians tried their best to get him to try to make changes in his life. Most of those changes revolved around exercise and activity. Unfortunately, he passed away before he could ever get started. She told me that her doctor was telling her the same things that his doctors had been telling him. She said in memory of her brother she was going to make that change. I am not the most soft hearted person but I had to fight back a tear or two hearing that. The reason for me even writing this blog is to hopefully get someone that you know, that may be in the same situation, to do something before it's too late. Be suppoortive and try to help anyway you can with positive reinforcement.Now, what is the right amount of exercise for an older individual? Me personally, I say what ever your body will allow. What I find most often is that you can do a lot more than what you think you can do. Age is seriously just a number. One of my clients in his 60's, he started with me barely being able to lift a 10lb dumbbell, but he has made a serious change. When I was at his house last week doing a training session I had my camera with me. I told him I just wanted to test out the quality of my camera...haha! Well, I kind of made a little video of this guy working out. If he knew I was posting this for everyone to see he would kill me, but oh well....That is what he gets for not keeping up with my blogs....lol...Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy the video..Haha!

http://youtu.be/K4QKCbRWwq8

"Mental Jihad"

THESE ARE THE EVENTS OF THIS MORNING.

I know everyone has to deal with that little voice inside their head that helps them make decisions. Sometimes the voice inside them is negative, sometimes it's positive. Regardless, it's still there. I, like many of you, had to deal with this sort of situation this morning. My alarm goes off at 5:00 a.m. then.....

Negative me: Hit the snooze button man!
Positive me: You haven't worked out properly in 2 days. Walking your dogs doesn't count. Get up!
Negative me: When you hit the snooze button, it's going to go off again in 9 minutes. Hit the damn thing, we are tired!
(I eventually ended up hitting that snooze button a few times.)

ONE HOUR LATER
(I'm somewhat awake trying to find my training clothes)
Negative me: Damn we are hungry! Let's grab some food and watch some tv.
Positive me: We have slacked off enough. We have goals to meet. Let's get going before your first session.
Negative me: Just think about what you have done over the last 6 months. You have worked our ass off, literally. All your shirts are big, people are telling you that your pants are sagging so bad it looks like you are wearing a diaper. Another day off isn't going to kill you.
Positive me: Now if one of your clients came to you with a tired excuse after taking 2 days off, what would you say to them? You'd most likely tell them to get off their ass and even threaten to come visit them to get them going.
Negative me: When is the last time you've had pizza. That used to be your favorite food. I have an idea. How about we cancel all our sessions for today, call Pizza Hut and order a stuffed crust meat lovers pizza and chill out for the rest of the day. We are stressed! We didn't have a proper cheat day, our whole weekend got messed up because of our car, we spent sooo much money trying to get it fixed and it's still broke! That pizza is sounding better and better huh?
Positive me: Hell, even I have to admit that pizza sounds nice. There is only one problem with that though. How long has it taken your body to recover in the past from eating pizza? Remember how frustrating it is to get back on track? Is it really worth it?

THE RESULT! (I got up and ran 5.99 miles)

My reason for sharing this story is some of the people I train and my readers know that I struggle sometimes also. To be successful at what you want to accomplish, sometimes you have to sacrifice. Would I love to have eaten that pizza and chilled out all day? OF COURSE! But, being set back a few weeks on my goal damn sure would not have been worth it. Also, I would feel totally like crap looking into my clients eyes and knowing what I had done. They've told me story of overcoming stress and food struggles and I cheered them on. What kind of a leader would I be if I couldn't even do it myself. A true leader leads by example and also leads from the front. In your time of struggle on your journey, follow my lead and choose the positive over the negative. Until next time people! Be consistent and train hard!

Super Food

I love to eat! That is just a fact! When it's time for me to eat I don't play. The best thing to do around my feeding time is to stay out of my way. Haha! There are foods that we eat that provide us with certain vitamins and minerals to keep us healthy, give us energy, etc. There are also some that I consider to be super foods. These foods do something that is outside of the ordinary that benefit us. One of my favorite super foods for this time of year is oatmeal. I know some of you may not like oatmeal, but read on and make up your own mind if it is worth giving it a try
Well we all know that oatmeal has alot of fiber. Alot of medical prefessionals will have  patients with high levels of cholesterol use oatmeal to lower it. So, I'm sure you are curious as to how exactly it works right? I'll explain. Oatmeal contains a molecule called Beta-glucan. What this does is bind itself to saturated and trans fat in the body. After it has binded that fat can easily be passed out of your system and not stored to make cholesterol. I've searched but I couldn't find any data that confirms that it could be a catalyst for weight loss. So......I did my own little independent study. I had someone I was training with cut way back on their exercise. I had them keep their diet the same except for one thing. I had them have oatmeal for breakfast every morning. The result was the person lost bodyfat and overall weight. I even tried it myself. I decreased exercise and started having oatmeal for breakfast. The results were exactly the same. A decrease in bodyfat and overall weight. There are products out on the market right now that are supposed to do the same thing. Before you go and invest in something like that. I suggest giving oatmeal a try. It's worth a shot.

Yum,Yum, Yum, give me some :-)