The Pleasant Paradox

Here’s a thought…

I call it the “Pleasant Paradox”
If you think you have no energy to properly care for yourself, where will you find it? Take a wild Guess…
By taking care of your self..

Think about it..
Much Chi..

Terrence

Pulling vs Pushing

I was listening to NPR the other day and the discussion was about weight loss.

One of the speakers was discussing how much weight they were trying to lose and how difficult it was to stay away from all of the bad foods. Then the other commentator chimed in and agreed that weight loss is definitely a test of will power.

With that said, here lies my point.

Consider the notion that “How you do anything is how you do everything”.

Also consider that everything has a physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual connection to it. In other words it’s all connected to the same “energy” source.

Now ask yourself is it easier to push away or resist temptation than it is to reach for or “pull” towards your goals?

Think about any time you have ever achieved anything in your life. Were you pulling or pushing?

Instead of pushing away from bad food, reach for the food that will help you reach your goal.

We all have applied this strategy to get what we want in other areas of our lives. Now let’s apply it to achieving Physical Excellence.

Food for Thought.

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Motivation-Inspiration

If this don’t light your fire then your wood is wet. 😉

Enjoy…

Be Not Afraid To Die on A Treadmill…

How I missed this when it was first aired is beyond me but I’m glad to have found it now.

If you have ever desired to achieve anything, this video will put it all in perspective.

See Will Smith tell it like it is…

You may need this after watching the video..

Much Chi…

Release Your Fear

“You block your dream when you allow your fear to grow bigger than your faith.”

Mary Manin Morrissey.

A Novel Solution to the US Healthcare Crisis

Imagine yourself walking down the street and you see a crowd of people, let’s say 100 or so in an all out mele battle royal. Fists are flying, blood squirting and no one is having a good time. Many are not making it out alive. You see someone walking about 20 paces ahead of you trying to peek in to take a look and then innocently get sucked into the chaos.

Now at this point, you have a choice. You can let curiosity get the best of you or you can take a complete detour from the entire mess or keep a safe distance at best.

This story is a summary of what’s going on between the government, insurance agencies and the drug companies. They are all fighting to keep their share of the pie and do what they can to maintain the “status quo”. The quo is to deny people the right to decent medical care. Notice I did not say “health” care because there’s nothing healthy about it.

Despite the scare tactics on both sides to convince us one way of the other, there is one viable solution that we all can be apart of. That is the wellness revolution.

What if our senior citizens were not so dependent on prescription drugs because they are healthy and vital enough to be without. What if our children were fed a proper diet so they would not be given ADD meds to “cure” it? What if the six foundational principles of Thoughts, Breathing, Hydration, Food, Exercise and Sleep were mandatory subjects in schools?

What if we starting talking with our hard earned dollars so that junk food companies and big pharma will listen since the language of the mighty greenback is the only thing that they understand. If we don’t buy.. they will listen.

“You may say I’m a dreamer but I’m not the only one”.. (I couldn’t resist) but if we simply pay attention to the huge elephant in the room and stop dealing in BS, we can have the “healthcare” problem solved in 5 years with the above strategy.

Just some food for thought…

please share your thoughts and feelings about this..

Much Chi….

10 Rules Of Permanent Weight Loss

Over the last 20 years, I have had the pleasure of working with a wide variety of people with many of them wanting to lose weight.  With all of the weight loss clients that I have worked with, one or more of the 10 Rules for Permanent Weight Loss were implemented to achieve long lasting results. If you can implement just one of the 10 strategies that you will learn in this report, you will greatly improve your chances of maintaining a healthy and ideal body weight.

10. Establish your principles:
It is important to approach weight loss with the correct mindset. Your mindset will help create your personal principles for achieving your goals. Your principles create the standard that governs your actions.  It determines the line that you can approach but will not cross. It will be your law. You will not go to jail if you break your personal law but it may take you a bit longer to achieve your weight loss goals. This can be just as brutal as going to jail for some as self imprisonment is often times the most difficult to escape.
Principles create confidence and peace of mind. It keeps you centered in your own universe and protects you against outside influences that try to throw you off balance. Once this standard is set, maintain integrity by staying within your standard.
So how do you set your standard? It’s very simple. To create a personal standard, simply make an agreement with yourself and then honor it. For example: I will eat breakfast 5 of 7 days a week. Or I will only have alcohol on the weekends. I recommend that you start small. As you become good at keeping smaller agreements you can then start to increase your personal demands.  For example: I will stay within 5 to 7 pounds of my ideal body weight.
This skill of making and honoring agreements is simply exercising Integrity. This is a very powerful activity and I encourage you to use this exercise to help you lose weight but also in others areas of your life.
Here are some examples of principles that you can use:
i. I will lose weight one pound at a time. Small and consistent steps are the key to long term success.
ii. I will follow the 80/20 rule. Eighty percent of my lifestyle and nutrition efforts will be directed towards my weight loss and the remaining twenty percent will not.
iii. I will approach my weight loss goals with a long term view. There will be ups and downs but as long as I stay on the path I will achieve my goal of PERMANENT WEIGHT LOSS.

9. Prioritize your effort:
Weight loss is very multi-dimensional as there are many reasons people gain weight. The chemical, physical, and mental aspects of weight loss must be considered.

Chemical: there many prescription medications that directly and indirectly cause weight gain i.e. birth control, anti depressants, anti-inflammatory drugs.  If you are currently on any medications, consult with your doctor about how they may affect your weight loss efforts.

Physical: you may not be getting enough exercise or may have a physical problem that prevents you from exercising effectively. If this is the case, I recommend that you schedule a corrective exercise consultation. The information that you’ll gain from this process will pay for itself now and in the future.
Mental: we all have a relationship with food. Our family, lifestyle and culture influence this relationship. Whatever relationship that you have with food as of now, make sure that it is in line with what you are trying to accomplish in terms of weight loss.  I am fully aware of the social pressures that are present today. The need to fit in is a powerful driving force behind our nutrition and lifestyle choices. However to accomplish your goal, you must maintain the integrity in your personal commitments (see rule #1).

Regardless of if the chemical, physical or mental aspects of your health, something has caused you not to be at your ideal weight. To achieve results the most important factors must be addresses first.  First things first! Determine which of the three facets of health and weight loss that you feel require the most attention and start there.

8. Strive for True vs. False Weight loss:
Focus on fat loss instead of weight loss. True weight loss is measured in terms of body composition. The exception is with people who are considered morbidly obese, which is being 100 pounds over what is considered ideal body weight for your height and frame. Those who are between 10 and 30 pounds heavy should focus on losing fat to achieve PERMANENT WEIGHT LOSS.
Have your body composition measured and re-checked every 6 to 8 weeks. This is to determine if you are keeping a favorable fat to muscle ratio. Your eyes will probably tell you even before the body fat caliper will. If you are losing weight and your body shape is changing you are more than likely losing body fat.  If you have lost a significant amount of weight i.e. 5 to 10% of your body weight and your shape has changed very little I would definitely look at your weight loss program a bit closer.

7. Create your Metabolism:
There are certain genetic factors that affect the way we process food. But there are many lifestyle factors that are within our control and they are;
1. Total Calorie intake
2. Meal Frequency
3. Macro-nutrient ratio i.e. Protein: Carbohydrate: Fat ratios.
4. Exercise

It is important to understand that all of the above factors are intimately connected to each other in regards to creating a healthy metabolism. We can control one or all of these variables to help create a metabolism that works for us instead of against us.
So what is the ideal metabolism? Is it being able to eat anything you want and not gain weight? Well not exactly. For weight loss and health purposes, an ideal metabolism is where we can effectively digest and utilize food without excessive conversion of calories to body fat. A healthy metabolism should also allow us to draw upon our body fat reserves when needed. The typical American diet has robbed us of the ability to use our own body fat for energy because of the excessive amounts of carbohydrates available to us. We are relying so heavily on sugar and other forms of sugar substitutes that our bodies see no need to use our own body fat for energy. It is this phenomenon called Syndrome X or Metabolic Syndrome that is causing a large number of health epidemics today, such as heart disease and Type II diabetes.
Food manufactures have spent billions of dollars to brainwash into believing their processed foods are healthy. As a result we as a society now have a misguided and unhealthy relationship with food. They have successfully made us believe that what’s in a box is good and what is not is bad. Just to give you a one cent tip worth a million dollars, avoid boxed foods as much as possible.

6. Metabolic Typing:
Metabolic Typing is one of the ways that Expert Fitness Solutions helps its clients. Dr. William Wolcott the author of the Metabolic Typing Diet said that One man’s fuel is another man’s poison. The science of nutrition is an ever-evolving topic and is still considered to be in its infancy in regards to its complete understanding. For this reason I will not promote any specific diet or nutritional strategy. We are all unique in the way we process and react to foods. The best way to achieve success with your eating plan is to become aware of how your body is reacting to the foods that you are eating. This will help you find your nutritional niche.

5. Food Allergies:
The subject of food allergies is a 10 tip report in itself. I know what you may be thinking, How can food allergies make you fat  Before I get into the meat and potatoes of this topic, allow me make a point of clarification. The type of allergic reaction that I am speaking of is not the deadly anaphylactic type but a reaction that basically makes the immune system work harder than it needs to. A better term for this is food intolerance. Due to the poor nutrition habits of many people today, food intolerances are very common and we are literally eating ourselves into allergies.
Here is one popular way that we acquire food intolerances. It involves alcohol consumption.  Alcohol is absorbed in the stomach and is also an irritant to the lining of the stomach. This causes the stomach to become inflamed and produce histamine (an immune triggered substance). We typically eat after we drink alcohol and here lies the problem. When you eat when your gut is inflamed your body starts to produce antibodies for the food that you are eating. The food that you eat will be recognized as a foreign substance so the body will make an antibody for the food that you eat after you drink alcohol.  Ok so you still may be asking how this causes weight gain. Here is how it works.
The gut irritation causes poor digestion. When this happens food gets trapped in your gut and causes further inflammation and irritation. So you are getting a double whammy. First is the gut inflammation and secondly you are not able to effectively eliminate what you are eating. If you don’t think that this is major problem, consider that antacid tables and laxatives are one of the highest selling over the counter medications today. In a nutshell, indigestion causes excessive water retention, constipation, and overall toxicity.  When there are excessive toxins in the bloodstream, the body will accumulate body fat to protect the internal organs from being poisoned. These are not signs and symptoms that are conducive for weight loss. Just know that if your liver is too busy fighting off extra toxins, it will be very hard to perform other jobs like make the proper hormones for weight loss.
4. Proper Hydration:
The human body is about 70% water.  If we took all the water out of us we’d fit in a jar. Water has many direct and indirect roles in weight loss and here are just a few.

Digestion and Assimilation: For every gram of carbohydrate that we eat, 3 grams of water is needed to absorb it. Protein’s water requirement is very similar. If you are dehydrated, you will not be able to properly utilize your nutrients. Why is this important? See tip #5 on gut irritation and poor digestion.

Fluid Balance: When the body is in a state of dehydration, the brain releases a hormone called ADH a.k.a. (anti-diuretic hormone). This hormone prevents the body from getting rid of water thus causing WATER RETENTION. So the act of drinking water will help the body maintain a normal fluid balance.
Here are some guidelines to help you maintain proper hydration:
a. Drink ½ of your body weight in ounces of water.
b. Drink the highest quality water possible. The water should preferably be mineral water. Dr. Royal Lee, states that if the water we drink does not have a mineral content, our body will release or expend minerals to properly utilize the water. This intern will create mineral and electrolyte imbalances. Any mineral deficiencies will cause uncontrollable food cravings.
c. Avoid drinking water contained in the opaque (smokey) water jugs as they leak toxins into the water.
d. Drink a glass or 2 of water upon awakening in the morning and/or about 15 minutes before you eat. This helps with digestion.

3. Exercise: Form follows function.
There is a universal law that is represented by the acronym S.A.I.D., which stands for Specific Adaptations to Imposed Demands. The body will respond precisely to the type and magnitude of demand placed upon it, therefore exercise can be view like a drug.  Not enough medicine produces no results. Too much creates unhealthy stress on the system. The wrong drug can kill you. With that said knowing the best type of exercise for your current needs is critical. As a general rule the focus needs to be on strength exercise to achieve long-term weight loss. Why? See rule #7.

2. Planned Layoffs:

Over training can be just as counterproductive as being sedentary given the right circumstances. Exercise is a form of stress on the body. Too much stress causes abnormal chemical responses in the body such as excessive cortisol in the blood. Cortisol is the body’s stress hormone and is produced by the adrenal glands. It is counterproductive to building muscle because it causes protein break down in the body. It can cause some other undesirable effects like sugar cravings and mood swings. This definitely will not help if you are trying to lose weight or improve your health. Some other signs of over training are:

• Soreness that lasts longer than five days.
• Inability to sleep soundly
• Fatigue during the day.
• Loss of appetite

With this in mind, it is important that you do not exercise excessively in order to substitute for poor nutrition. The reality is that a one hour exercise class will not undo the effects of the nutrition that is flowing through your bloodstream 24 hours a day.  If you are not eating properly exercising may be doing you more harm than good. This same rule applies to those who do not allow adequate rest between training sessions. The body does not progress during exercise. It is only when it is allowed to fully recover from an exercise session that the body will become stronger and fit. The bottom line is to stimulate not annihilate.

1. More Food in your Food. “Concentrated Nutrition for Appetite Control
Food quality is the single most important variable in achieving permanent weight loss. You are what you eat.  If you are going to make your body out of coffee, muffins and salads made of iceberg lettuce, your body will be in a constant state of hungry. There is a little mechanism in your brain that controls your appetite called the appestat. The purpose of the appestat is to determine if all of your nutritional requirements are being met. Unfortunately the prevalence of processed foods deprived of nutrition has sent most of our appetite systems  into complete chaos. This is why obesity has become an epidemic in America today. Ironically, those who suffer from obesity are probably the most under nourished.  This is because their appestat tells them to keep eating because the food in their diet lacks nutritional value.  Therefore too many calories are consumed in an effort to get the proper daily nutrients. The best way to control your appetite is to EAT ORGANIC WHOLE FOOD. Organic food has the highest concentration of nutrients per calorie.

Chakra Heal Your Way To Financial Success

It was a great run but we knew it had to end. The recent decline in real estate and the volatility of the stock market is eliciting bona fide “root chakra” stress.
The word chakra is a Sanskrit word that means wheel.  Liz Simpson in her book Chakra Healing says, “These spinning vortices of energy are a part of the subtle energy system which forms the ancient Indian approach to healing our physical, mental, emotional and spiritual selves”.
You may be asking “What do chakras have to do with you losing your shirt on Wall Street or real estate”? Keep reading for the answer.
At the least common denominator, everything in the universe is energy. The chakra system allows one to use energy to their advantage and help them heal and evolve in any area of their lives (this includes finances). Liz Simpson also said that “Each of the seven chakras deal with different parts of a bigger picture and directs us to those areas where we may be functioning out of balance.

There is a strong connection between the chakras and our physical body. The human body is a dynamic energy channel and all parts are associated with the 7 main chakras. The root chakra is located right in the “nether region” between anus and genitals. Structures associated with the root chakra are bones (specifically the pelvis, legs and feet). Common physical problems associated with root chakra imbalance are lower back pain and “sciatica” (pain that radiates down the leg). If you look at the structure of the sciatic nerve you will notice that it looks very similar to the “roots” of a tree”. Symbolically and emotionally, the root chakra is associated with safety and security and anything that could be a threat to it such as a sudden drop in income or any of threat to one’s livelihood.
A very important organ connected with the root chakra is the adrenal glands. These are the “flight or fight” organs in the body and play a major role maintaining normal body metabolism. Typical signs of adrenal stress are; poor sleep quality, Inability or difficulty losing weight, not having enough energy unless stimulants such as coffee and sugar are consumed. Root chakra stress in any form places a stress on the adrenals. Chronic adrenal stress leads to adrenal fatigue. One of the most common symptoms and or complaints associated with adrenal stress is chronic fatigue.

Again you ask, “How can this information help me make more of the green stuff?” Finally we get to the point at hand.
The Sure Fire Investment
In these times of economic uncertainty, investing in one’s health and wellness will always pay major dividends in the future. The universal law of attraction says that to get what we want in life, we must first be in alignment with our goal. The higher your level of health and vitality, the greater likelihood that you will become an “energy channel” to receive all that you want.

As we become out of balance with the stress of everyday life, we create blockages that literally block our ability to bring into reality what we want. When we lack vitality our energy channels are blocked on all levels (physical, mental, emotional and spiritual).
Whether it be the teachings of Napoleon Hill or through Hindu healing philosophy, these principles hold true in helping you achieve optimal health, vitality and personal success in whatever form you choose. To have more we must first become more and living a Holistic Lifestyle will help you along this journey.

The 6 Foundational Principles of Holistic Living
1.    Thoughts:
In the popular documentary “The Secret”, Bob Proctor stated that the laws of the universe dictate that we become what we think about the most. It is from your thoughts that everything in your life is created. This holds true for positive or negative events. When you can fully wrap your head around this concept, you will control your life like a puppet on a string.

2.    Breathe:
Life begins with breath. Proper breathing sets the rhythm for all other body functions. Daily breathing exercise will make you efficient at bringing energy into your body.
3.    Hydration:
Adequate hydration is the foundation of good metabolic functions. The body is predominantly made of protein and water therefore the body is very sensitive to dehydration.
4.    Food:
Eating according to one’s metabolic type will allow the body to achieve optimal levels of health and vitality. Metabolic Typing has proven effective in weight loss and improving chronic health challenges.
5. Exercise:
Life is movement and a corrective exercise program will teach you how to be a master of your physical body.
6.    Sleep:
Sleep is vital to maintaining normal biological rhythms, which can affect weight loss, pain management and even hormone levels. The closer our body ‘s natural rhythms are to that of the earth and nature, the better we can fully express ourselves as healthy and evolved human beings.

What is your dream? Whatever it is, these six principles are your ticket to achieving them. Embrace the Holistic Lifestyle philosophy and use it to take charge of your destiny. ###

Physical Excellence From The Ground Up

Among the Fitness gadgets and fad diets, inactivity, obesity and chronic illness are still on the rise.  The exercise equipment and diet companies have made billions by taking advantage of knowing that most people will try anything once. If the latest infomercial “do-dad” doesn’t work then it’s just one more piece of junk to add to the collection.
The reality is that there are no quick fixes to achieving optimal health and vitality. It violates the laws of nature. Can a seed skip steps in evolving into a beautiful redwood tree? Neither is the case in creating a healthy, strong and resilient body.

The Seeds of Physical Excellence…

1. Posture is the foundation for total health and fitness.  A body that is properly aligned will look, feel and function better.
2. Flexibility exercise is needed to maintain proper length and tone to your muscles and connective tissues and also to prevent injury.  You cannot exercise if you are injured.
3. Proper body mechanics. The quality of human movement plays a very important role in the maintenance of optimal health and fitness. Ideal body mechanics during exercise and daily living maintains the health of the joints, muscles and connective tissues.
4. Strength is dependent on flexibility. A muscle that is short and tight will not have optimal strength and the likelihood of injury increases. Strength also allows one to perform more physical work if the need be.
5. Conditioning: Not to be confused with cardio, physical conditioning is the ability to perform one’s desire task effectively and repeatedly. Conditioning is the ability to apply strength and power a given amount of time.
6. Nutrition is what ties all of the fitness components together. A proper diet according to one’s Metabolic Type is paramount to all of your fitness efforts.
7. Ideal weight and body composition. Weight loss is a concern for many people however body composition is often overlooked when determining one’s ideal weight. Pay special attention to monitoring body composition so that it can be determined if weight loss is from fat or muscle.
8. Stress Management prevents physical and mental burnout. The body will not function optimally in a state of chronic stress and or fatigue.

Health & Fitness is a journey not a destination. If you use these seeds as your guide, your journey towards physical excellence will be one of positive self-discovery and personal evolution. ##

Transform Your Body With Kettlebells

Coming Soon!

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