"Whole-estic" approach to good health

For years I have seen organizations try and put a program together for people who are trying to get into better health only to see those programs not work as they think they should. I have seen people go to these programs with great expectations only to be let down after a while. Companies like Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig and the like have tried to convey a message that in the end it is all about portion control and where as they are right on some fronts, they don’t give people the full picture of what good, solid, respectable health looks and feels like.
There are three real major components that make up our total picture when it comes to having just not good health but great health and it is; Diet, Rest and Activity. When you look at each one of these categories and understand their meaning in our lives, if all three of these in balance there we will find good health. Why is that? Are these the only things that are important? Where does working and social time fall into place?
On January 7th 2015 at 6:30pm, Parkers Place is starting a 10 week series on the “Whole-estic” approach to good health, where Mark McCarthy will explore the answers to the question, what does it take to finally be in good health. I have known Mark for years and his knowledge and experience in this field has brought him to a point where now he wants to share what he has found out with the world.
Have you ever asked yourself what it would take to finally get in better health? Have you ever tried to find accountability partners only to fail at the attempt? Have you ever what to be an accountability partner. At Parkers Place we strive for results for all our members and this class will get you to your results. You don’t have to be overweight to attend this class, all are welcomed. Come learn, experience and share. There is no charge for the first initial session.
Parkers Place N48 W36105 East Wisconsin Ave, Oconomowoc WI and the phone number is 262-567-0362. Call for more information.

Resentment

Resentment

I have thought about this for some time now and after what has happened to me and my sister just recently, I believe that I need to say something.
As some of you all know, I lost my dad recently and while at the funeral I noticed something that really made me stand up and take notice. You see my cousin and his dad have been at odds with each other for some time now and my hopes were that this funeral would bring them back together or at least civil enough to want to talk to each other and begin the process of mending old hurts. Well, what I saw made me even more sad than the funeral itself and I know my dad (God rest his soul) felt the same way.
Without boring anyone with detail let me just say this, “Holding resentment against another is the same as you living constantly in the past.” Your life becomes stuck in that moment of time that brought about misery that you just didn’t want to get over. For some reason we feel as though that if we hold this resentment we will be showing that other person how we really feel, when in essence all we are doing is holding ourselves back from truly feeling and experiencing the Love that God has given us to share with all mankind.
Ok, look at it this way… a kid gets shot and killed by a police officer. The police officer goes on trial and he is found not guilty and to top things off, given a promotion with a raise. We get so upset that we decide that we are going to show that %^&* police officer. So we go into our own house and burn it down. Or better yet we all go into our homes and burn them all down. Now what did we do? Yea we have sent a massage and that police officer and he now knows that we are upset, but he is still going to go home and have a good meal in a warm place while we are now standing outside freezing to death with no place to live. This may sound funny but this is what resentment or holding a grudge does to us in our lives. We think that it builds us up but it doesn’t. We think that it will make us better people but it won’t. Resentment holds us back and pushes us down and keeps us in the past.
Remember one other thing, we all only have one set of parents ( not including in-laws), if we stop talking to them what good does that really do anyone? One day they will be gone and you WILL resent not telling them something. "IF THEY WERE ALIVE I WOULD TELL THEM......." Do you really want to have to say that when they are gone?"
To all those who hold a grudge or resentment against another person, let it go. Give it up and watch how you feel afterwards. I know I use to be one of those people and I held a grudge for over 30 years and once I finally let it go, I felt a weight leave me and I am now able to move on and face life in a whole new and different way.
Just think about it. Will you?

Giver or Taker

Are you a giver or taker?
Most people think that they are givers, however most really are not. Here is a few quick questions that if you answer them honestly will tell you who you are.
1) When someone gives you something, a gift or a compliment, do you think you have to reciprocate or do you just thank them and move on?
2) In the middle of your day, when you are at your busiest, is your spouse or significant other ever on your mind?
3) Do you feel as though you are entitled to be taken care of and pampered?
4) Do you ever ask yourself, what can I do to make another person happy or satisfied?
5) Do you ask yourself, what can that other person do to make you satisfied?
6) Have you ever sent a simple text to the person in your life, “Just wanted to say hello” and expect nothing back?
7) Have you ever surprised another person (throwing a party in their honor, drawing a bath, fixing dinner, etc) and gotten satisfaction from just their response? And expect nothing in return?
8) Are you the first one or the last one to eat at the table?
9) If there is only enough food for one of you, do you fight over it or do you just give it to your companion or friend because you feel as though their needs are if not as important as yours, they are more important than yours?
Now, I am not referring to parent to child relationship, but I am referring to husband to wife or boyfriend to girlfriend. I have asked a number of older aged couples these questions and I have found out that those that have been married a long time (30+ years) are both givers in their relationships.
What are you? Be honest with yourself.

#14 You are always on a diet

You’re on a diet all the time
Webster defines diets as a special course of food to which one restricts oneself, either to lose weight or for medical reasons. Here are some known facts about dieting;
1) Diets do not work in the long term
2) Diets only restrict you from eating certain foods that ultimately you will end up eating again and gaining all the weight you had lost while on that diet.
3) Any diet you try and sustain will only lead you to ruin
4) America has more diets than the rest of the world and yet we are one of the fattest places to live
5) What works for one person doesn’t necessarily mean it will work for another
6) By stopping your dieting and now making your eating a life style your body will thank you and work much more efficiently

Imagine if your employer told you that you were going to get paid but never told you the day or time that would happen. Now imagine that same employer paying you on a specific day the first month but then every month after changing that date without telling you. What would you do with the money he gives you when you get it? That’s right, you would deposit it right away in the bank and not spend much of it because you really would never know when you will get more. Well think of you as the employer and your body as the employee. The food you eat is the reward that your body needs to keep going. Now go on that diet and stay on a diet. How do you think your body will react? Feel?
Enough said…

Wellness

Wellness

Wellness, one of those words that, well, has such a broad definition. Webster defines it as; the quality or state of being healthy in body and mind, especially as the result of deliberate effort or an approach to healthcare that emphasizes preventing illness and prolonging life, as opposed to emphasizing treating diseases.
I like the second definition because it emphasizes a pro-active approach. But do we really understand what is meant when you say wellness? Most people think sub-consciously that if they are in a wellness program that they are getting healthy or are already healthy, even though that have not changed a thing about their dietary habits or activity.
Health insurance companies get it though. In all their research they have concluded that people that take care of themselves have fewer incidences of major claims. In their research they have concluded that these people tend to have less sick days and fewer workers comp claims. Insurance companies are beginning to get it so much that some are even paying their insureds to go to gyms and work out. Here is the kicker though, some people are so lazy that they choose not to participate in their companies wellness programs. They would rather get sick and have the insurance company pay for that than for them to work out hard so that they can play even harder.
I look at it this way, if an insurance company told me that they would be paying for me to work out, I would make it a priority. I only see an up-side for both parties. First off I am getting paid to have fun and secondly the insurance company is collecting more from me than they are spending out. As an example, this year I believe the insurance company only spent $300 on me and that was because I got my annual physical. Now take into consideration a single premium of $150 a month which is $1800 a year and then take into consideration the $20 per month they gave me for working out, they still net $1250 for the year. Now I know that sounds really simple but I look at it this way, for the year they had my money for them to give me back $550, I win also.
Now take into consideration that some people have their companies pay for most if not all of their health care, however, the insurance company will only reimburse the member, which is a clear $240 a year (at least) given to you just to play after work. REALLY! Why aren’t more people taking advantage of this? The answer… WE’RE LAZY!
In this next year, let’s try and get off our butts and get in the game of wellness and get in better shape. It could benefit you physically and monetarily. Think about it.

Time to think about next year!!!!!!

So we are quickly approaching the end of the year and the question is have you achieved the fitness goal you told yourself you wanted to achieve by this time? If not, why not?
For most it is really because you lost your focus and you went back to your old way of doing things. For others it is because you did not have the strength to quit your old habits and still for some it was a choice that you made to follow your friends instead of having them follow you.
Now, what is going to make next year different? What are you going to do that will change your end of year outcome? For most, you will start out real strong and focused but then fizz out somewhere around March and others might make it till end of May before falling off the wagon. So, the question still remains… what will make your next year different than your previous years.

The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different result every time. Now here is a very profound thought, maybe next year you do something different and maybe there might be a different result. Or better yet just be honest with yourself, really honest with yourself and don’t do anything different and don’t get upset at the lack of results you will get.

So here are some tips that I want to pass onto you that may, no will, piss some people off but maybe you need to get mad before you will make some real changes in your life.

1) If you have a real fat stomach and you are sick of seeing it and not your feet or other parts of your anatomy then stop drinking those beers and mixed drinks. Don’t lie to yourself; yes even one drink leaves a mark. Now multiply that one drink over years and you see how all that adds up. Or stop eating late night snacks then going to bed. Food is fuel and we all eat like we are going to run a ultramarathon tomorrow when in essence we are going to sit at are desks and watch Facebook, I mean work. Most Americans eat the majority of their food after work and at night. This is bad because at that time you are more at rest than you are at motion, so all that food will do is sit and be stored in those areas of your body that you don’t want it to be stored in.
2) If you have fat hips or legs, lady’s unless you just had a baby (up to 3 months ago), stop blaming your kids for your lack of control and out-of-shapeness (an Ellis word). So what your little darlings are playing sports and you have to get them to their practices, do you have to sit there and watch them run around for hours? Hey why not get up off your butts and do some exercise yourself. Give yourself 30 minutes after you drop them off. I doubt they will miss you much and then guess what… you will still have time to socialize with your other friends who are thinking that they should also be exercising. I love dropping off my kids at their practices and then parking my car and while they are exercising and learning their sport I too am exercising and helping my body work much more efficiently. I remember once while my son was at soccer practice I told myself that I would run around the track until his practice was almost over. His coach went up to my son and told him that he was impressed with the fact that I could do so many wind sprints. He told him that it motivated the team to work harder. Hey it motivated the team to work harder. HELLO!!!!! Instead of sitting there for hours not really talking about much of any importance… GET UP AND GET GOING!!!!!! Or you can sit there and talk about snacks after the practice, the decision is your.
3) If you have II diabetes and your doctor has put you on medications, please note, medications will not cure you. I will repeat. Medications don’t cure you. They will only artificially keep your body in an order where it can survive. Oh you don’t believe me? Then stop taking the medications. If you really want to get off those meds, then really change your life habits. If you choose not to change your life habits then stop complaining and take your pills every day.
4) Don’t go to a gym and speak to a personal trainer all emotional. The next day you will just get up and begin to second guess yourself and not give a full effort. Get thru the emotion and meet up with your trainer with a plan of what you want to see happen and then once you give you’re your goals, shut up and listen. If you begin to second guess them, find another trainer and don’t stress them out.

Well, here are my first suggestions and there will be more over the next several weeks. Enjoy your day.

The final equation

Just the other day I had someone come into my office and tell me that due to the fact that a specific weight loss clinic was cancelling their Wednesday class and moving it to Thursdays, they were not going to be able to make Thursdays exercising anymore. I thought about that and after knocking it around in my head I want to share my response with you all.

My question to her was, “If I understand you proper, do to the fact that _____ has changed their hours of operations because of lack of participation, you feel as though you need to switch your exercise regiment to compensate for the change in their schedule. Do I have that right?” and she stated that I was right? So I asked her the following:

“What was the initial purpose for joining that organization and what purpose does it serve now?” Her answer was as follows:

“They have taught me how to eat and in proper portion sizes and for the past several years I have taken those lessons and applied them to my life. Now they are just more of a support group but I seem to be the only one going lately.”

Then there was silence in the room and she looked at me waiting for my response. It must have been quite for several seconds and then I stated, “Well then, let me ask you a question. What is the purpose of food? What does it do for us?” She answered the question right by stating that food is a fuel that gives us the energy to do what we do. Then I stated, “So can I say that not eating is out of the question?” (Laughter). “We know that if we don’t eat we will die so we need food, however, the missing part of the equation for so many is not as much the food as it is with what we do with the fuel we have consumed. Most do nothing but just consume more. They will eat and then think that if they eat ‘healthier’ (whatever that means) they will ultimately lose weight. Regardless if we eat healthier or not it won’t matter. It is still fuel and the body will just save it if not used. Are you getting my drift?”

She thought about it for a second and then agreed.

Guys, we have the equation wrong on so many levels. The food we eat will not make us thinner or in better shape. However the activity we do daily will. The food we consume will only give use the fire we need to get going. The activity we do will burn the food we have consumed. For my math majors out there if:

X= proper food
Y=proper activity
Z= healthy living

Then X-Y=Z. Look at it this way, for us to have healthy living “Z” has to always equal “0”. If we are trying to lose weight then we need to increase “Y” and decrease “X” so that the final number still equals zero. If we increase “X” then we will need to increase “Y” to counter act the effects of “X”. Are you getting it yet? Once you do, all the eating sensation programs in the world will not matter. My next blog will be on #16 of why we cannot lose weight and it is we don’t eat 3 square meals a day.

#12 You hang around overweight people

Well does this make sense? Who we hang around complement who we are or want to be. If we are looking to lose weight, why would we hang around people who may not have your same goals in mind? If a person wants to become a world class sprinter, do they hang around high school distance runners? If you want to get fit and trim, why hang around people who are out of shape and overweight?
When someone wants to make lifestyle changes, believe it or not, there is one of the elements of change that is hard to break, our old friendships. Unless they have been pushing you to change, as you achieve your goals you may find yourself distancing away from those friends. If this doesn’t happen, even as strong as we think we are, they will wear us down and we will lose our focus. So, if we are trying to lose weight or get in better shape, find some people that have our same similar goals and hang out with them and watch what happens.

Three Special People

September of 2004 something happened in the town of Oconomowoc, Parkers Place opened its doors at 125 North Fowler Street. Here I was in a new city and the people did not know me or what I was about. I needed to find some good people and fast to get my business going. Then one day while I was sitting in my office a gentleman comes in and introduces himself and states to me that his wife was looking and that she had been in fitness for a while. After all the information he gave me about her, was really stoked to meet her. A few days later she came walking in and we must have talked for hours.
I have always considered myself a judge of good character and when I met Joni Boelkow I knew from that moment that she would be the perfect person for Parkers Place. She is friendly and caring. She goes the extra mile and is very loyal to those she cares about. She has a great sense of humor and very hard working. She has had a lot of life experiences that, when I think about, it humbles me because of her attitude towards life. She is a strong Christian woman with great values. Her knowledge in senior fitness is second to none and it shows by her following. To this day she still has the same people as she did 10 years ago. Here is the kicker… she has added more people to her Monday thru Wednesday Senior classes. She is one of a kind and she is very special to me. I could not run my business without her.
Then there is Tony Hilbert. I met tony just as he was entering High School. I remember him coming into Parkers Place and asking me for a job. I told him no at first because he was so young and I was looking for responsible people. But he kept insisting that I hire him. Finally, to get him off my back, I told him that I needed a note from his mother. I remember him leaving and I thought I would never see him again. Well I was wrong. 30 minutes later here he comes walking in with a note that he stated to me was from his mother. I did not believe him at first but then I locked outside and there she was waiting for him in the car. Well ten years later, he is my weekend man. I have all the faith and trust in Tony’s abilities. He is by far the most intelligent man I know and I respect his loyalty and faithfulness to Parkers Place.
Finally there is Mark Skumatz. At the same time that I met Joni, I met Mark. I remember having a conversation with him and his wife about the prospects of him joining me here. He told me that he always wanted to do something like this for a living. I was skeptical at first but I decided to give him a chance. It was the best move I made. Mark is by far the most loyal, most friendly person I know. He exemplifies everything an Eagle Scout is supposed to. He is very honest and hardworking. People love him and he is well respected in the community. He cares for Parkers Place I think even more than I do sometimes. When I am having a bad day he knows just how to motivate me to get out of my slump. When I just want to give up he knows just what to say or do to get me back on the right track. He cares for the members and is willing to do whatever is necessary for their ultimate fitness success.
These three people are my pride and joy. I am glad we met and I am glad that, after 10 years, we all still work together. They truly are Parkers Place. Thanks guys!!!!!!!!

Great News!!!!!!!!!

Great News!!!!! It’s about time!!!!

I was watching my favorite show on television Mad Men (Sterling, Cooper, Draper & Price) and in the latest episode the agency decides to never work with cigarette manufacturers (Lucky Strike American Tobacco). According to their reasoning, it was mainly because of the health risks associated with cigarette smoking and they could no longer feel good about helping tobacco companies make money, while understanding that tobacco smoking caused cancer. Good for them!

Now I know that Mad Men is not the reality of the world as we know it today however my wife tells me today that CVS has decided to STOP selling cigarettes in all of their stores. Their reasoning was that if they are going to be known as a health and wellness place they cannot sell something that is known to be the opposite. Good for them! They also went on to say that the profits associated with the selling of cancer sticks is not worth it. Well I can tell you that I have a lot of respect for them and will go out of my way to spend my money at the local CVS stores.

OK so let’s get some facts out of the way here:
Fact: Cigarette smoking does cause cancer.
Fact: Cigarette smoking ruins your teeth.
Fact: Cigarette smoking ages your skin.
Fact: If everyone who smoked saved those dollars, they would save over $2000 a year and this is for a one pack a day person.
Fact: If someone stops smoking they WILL gain at least 40 pounds in 6 months regardless of who much exercise they do.
Fact: Nicotine has a half life in our bodies and it takes much longer than just 6 months to get rid of in our bodies.

CVS is doing something that I am hoping many more corporations do. They are understanding that they can still make money and do well for the public and they don’t need to sell their soul to do so. My hope and my prayers are that soon enough no corporations will sell cigarettes and tobacco companies will have to go out of business. For years they have killed billions of people and regardless of how much good they say they are trying to do, their main profit come from cancer sticks and they are not willing to give that up.

Good for you CVS!

You don't value your health enough to make it your number one priority

HELLO!!!!! This one is a wakeup call for so many. You think that you really value your health, but a wise man once told me that if you really wanted to see what you valued, look at your bank account. Where you spend your money tells what you value the most. Is it vacations or movies or cars? Is it retirement plans or bigger homes? Is it food or other forms of entertainment? What is it for you?

Our health is the most important thing we have. Without it we have nothing and I mean nothing. In this country we spend more money on medications just to keep us alive. Our health is declining so fast that not even modern science can keep up with it. If we go to the doctor and something is found to be wrong with us, the first thing we ask him is whether or not they have a pill to help us. Even doctors know that if we took better care of our health and exercised regularly we would not have at least 80% of the issues we now have. High blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol, heart disease, and even cancer are all at all-time highs. My personal opinion is that all this would go away if we could get one thing under control, obesity. Obesity leads to more issues then we really realize. I have seen so many people lose weight and then go back to their doctors and because of their weight loss they are taken off of the medications they were on. This has happened time and time again too many of the people I have personally trained.

We abuse our health on so many levels. We drink and smoke way too much. We don’t get the proper night sleep. Then we put ourselves on these ridicules diet plans thinking that it will get us back to the way we once were, only to find out that in the end we have gained an extra 10 to 15 pounds minimum. So many of us need to put our lives back into balance and we must first start with taking control of our health. This needs to be first in our lives. Put this first and everything else will fall into place.

Children in sports

Now your little darling is in at least 4 sports. He or She is in a winter sport and a summer sport, 2 spring sports and a fall sport and you wonder why they are so tired. Most of us believe that if we keep our kids busy that they will become well rounded athletes and that they will stay out of trouble. Whereas the latter may be true, the part about becoming a well-rounded athlete is just not true.
I truly believe that sports can and does play an important role in a child’s development. They learn team work, how to work hard, how to put team before self, they learn selfless play, they learn that for a team to succeed they must do their part, they also learn how to interact with all people whether they like them or not. They learn how to focus on the common goal and put emotion aside. I believe that every child should play some sort of a sport or be part of some team.
The problem that I see is that we have our kids in way too many things. In the winter Junior is playing basketball. In the spring Junior is playing soccer or playing baseball or both. In the summer Junior is part of the swim team and volleyball. In the fall Junior is on the cheerleading squad or playing football. What is wrong with this picture? What are we teaching our children? Don’t you know that because they are in so many activities they are more prone to injury and burnout? I believe the only thing we are teaching our children is that busyness is more important than achievement.
Ok so that last statement I made is a loaded one because I have a lot of parents that truly believe that their darling needs to be in all those activities. So let me further explain. Have you heard of the saying, “Jack of all trades master of none”? Well that’s what we would be developing if Junior stayed in all those activities. The average middle school child is in at least three different sports (this is a study done by me 2 years ago. My population group was both 7th and 8th graders from three different middle schools and I asked their parents about Junior’s participation in sports. My population sample totaled 386 families) and by the time they get to high school they are just burnt out. Most of them don’t even think about going out for a sport.
If you really want to see your son or daughters thrive in the area of sports, have them only go out for one or two sports. Why? Because then they can become the very best at what they do. They won’t find themselves overly stretched. They will give their bodies time to develop and keep from lots of injuries. It will allow them to concentrate on other parts of their life such as school work (education) and social development. I know that in my household my kids are only allowed to do two sports and each sport complements each other. I do this because I want their very best efforts on the field of play. They get it and it shows. Try it with your kid and see what happens.

9) You don’t get enough Veggies

9) You don’t get enough Veggies
Vegetables need to be a very important part of our daily diet. Vegetables are our best source of nutrients such as vitamin C. I know this sounds really bad but vegetables give us the roughage we need so that we don’t become constipated.
In the American diet today we have become a very starchy society. We love our potatoes, rice and pasta. We love our red meats and poultry and then on some rare occasion we may just sneak some fish in our diet. Whereas these food groups are not bad for us without our vegetables we are missing something important. Vegetables give our bodies the vitamins and nutrients that we just can’t get from eating our starches and meats. But most important, without them, well… can you say “constipation?” That’s right, if we ate more vegetables we would not need over the counter medications when we get constipated.
Vegetables need to be a main part of our daily consumption of food. We should be eating more vegetable and less starch. I truly believe that if we did that, we would see a huge difference even in our waist sizes. We eat too many simple carbs and not enough fiber and vegetables are very fibrous. I tell all my clients that at night we need to eat less carbs and more vegetables. My reasoning for that is because our body knows what to do with the veggies but with the starches, all our bodies will do is store them for later use.
Do you want more energy? Do you want to lose weight? Are you constipated sometimes? Do you feel run down or your stomach just doesn’t feel right? Eat those veggies and watch what happens.

Detoxification? Is it time?

Ok, I know that you think that you have heard this before. How many of us have either had a friend tell us that they have done some sort of detoxification or have tried to sell us on the idea or product to do some sort of a cleansing? How many of us have spent money on doing a detoxification only to find ourselves no better off than we were before we started it? How many of us have thrown hundreds of dollars away thinking that “this one is the right one for me”?

Well I am not going to sell you anything. My goal is simple, it is to help us simplify our lives, give us healthier bodies and bring back the energy we may have lost.

The average adult today consumes way too much soda and alcohol. We consume way too much junk food and processed foods. We eat way too much and way too late. The average adult is at least 50 pounds overweight. We spend way too much time on our electronic devises and not enough time with face to face communication. Our lives are very noisy. We have noise all around us from the moment we wake up to the moment we go to sleep and to make sure that we don’t go to sleep in quite we keep the television on. My hopes are that after reading this I can motivate those who have read it join me in the fight a get our health back.

The average adult spends way too much time on our cell phones and computers. We spend way too much time in our cars traveling from one place to another. Our cell phones have become our life and in some situations we feel as though we can do nothing without them. You don’t believe me? Ever leave your cell phone at home? How do you feel when you realize that you left it at home? Kind of naked hay? Like you’re missing something “important”? Then what is the first thing you do when you get home? Exactly, find your cell phone and check your messages. Or have you ever text someone and if they don’t respond right away you feel as though they don’t care about you? Think about it.

So what is a detoxification any way? Well I believe it is a way to rid the body of the poisons that consume us on a daily bases. I believe that we need to help our bodies fight off disease and infections and by detoxifying ourselves, in the en , we will have stronger immune systems and much more energy to do those things that are most meaningful in our lives and much more time to do the things we have always wanted to do.

I must say that this is not a game. This is meant to begin the process of healing our bodies and our lives. My ultimate goal is to make whatever we do a lifestyle change. My goals is for us to get to a point where we begin to realize that most of the stuff we do, we eat, or we think we need, we really don’t need. So here we go…

The best way for me to describe my detoxification plan is to tell you what I have done in the past and what I am doing for myself now. Ten years ago I had a huge problem. When I looked at my diet, it was clearly obvious that I was spending way too much time at fast food restaurants and especially one in particular, McDonalds. My breakfast and lunch would revolve around McDonalds. I was eating at McDonalds at least 14 times a week. When I looked at it monetarily I was spending almost $20 per day just on fast food. I knew that this had to stop, so I made a conscious decision to stop all McDonalds fast food eating and for the last 10 years, I have not eaten at a McDonalds nor have I had a desire to. Even when I go on road trips I have not and I pride myself in saying that I have not eaten at a McDonalds in 10 years. I have found that I don’t need to spend that money and that there are better alternatives and because of that I have saved loads of money.

Now I have another problem, I spend way too much time with my electronic devises. I am on mu cell phone constantly texting one person or another. In one month I can accumulate over 10,000 text messages. Then there is facebook, well let’s not go there. I need to lesson my time on these devises and spend more time with my family and friends face to face. So effective on September 1st I will be reducing my time on these devises. Will you join me?

What are you willing to give up to better your health and total wellbeing? Will you join me on September 1? Your detoxification does not have to be the same as mine nor do I expect it to be. But why not get healthier with me in some way.

#8 You don’t sleep enough

Now this is one of the most over looked problems we have here in the States. We are so worried about keeping up with the Jones, that we forget that our sleep is a very important time in our life. Why? Your sleep is where the body repairs itself. It cannot do it while you are awake because at that time it is working. While sleeping your brain surveys your whole body and send our friends the red blood cells there to help mend any issues. This is the only time healing truly happens.
During the 1950’s scientists got to do in depth studies on sleep and what they found out is that we have four stages of sleep and they are:
Stage 1: This is the beginning stage of the sleep cycle and lasts around 5 to 10 minutes. In this stage we are between being awake and sleeping. Ever have your eyes closed and still hear things around you like the television or radio? This is that first stage. If a person is awoke at this stage they might report that they were never sleeping to begin with.
Stage 2: This stage lasts for about 20 minutes and your brain begins to slow your system down. Your heart rate begins to slow down and you’re the temperature of your body begins to drop.
Stage 3: In this stage our brain waves begin to slow down. During this phase of sleep we become less responsive to our environment and exterior noises. This stages acts as a go between from your light sleep to your heavy sleep or fast REM sleep. There is no time limit on how long you can be in this stage.
Stage 4: This is also known as the dream state. This state is also known as fast REM (rapid eye movement). This is when you will have rapid eye movement, increased respiration and increased brain activity. This is also the time when the body repairs itself and gets ready for the next day. In this stated our muscles are none responsive (paralyzed) to voluntary motion.
Now here is the kicker, we do not progress thru each stage of sleep and end up in the REM sleep and then stay there for the rest of the night. No we actually cycle thru each stage several times during our whole period of sleep. It is not uncommon to go from stage 1 to stage 2 and 3 and then back to stage 2 before finally entering into stage 4. This cycle takes an average of 90 minutes to go thru.
Don’t take your sleep for granted, it is really the most important part of your whole day.

Travel travel travel

Here I am getting ready to go to New Jersey. It's 914 miles of road that, without thinking about Pennsylvania in the mix, it would be a pleasant ride. Pennsylvania is over 340 miles long and it doesn't matter how fast you drive it takes you 4 hours to get thru.

Have you ever driven a long way, over 400 miles in a day, and gotten out of your car and felt tight and tired? I know that happens to me a lot and the question I wanted to finally answer is, what can I do to stop that feeling. So I did my own study on the way out to New Jersey.

First, we decided to drive as we (my wife and I) would normally. The only stops we were going to make were for gas and food and because I was driving the Camry I knew that I would not be making many stops for gas (maybe one. The night before I got good sleep and hit the road right after church. I drove thru Illinois, Indiana and then stopped in Ohio to fuel up and get something to eat. After fueling up and eating we then hit the road and struggled thru Pennsylvania. Once we made it over the Delaware Water Gap we then continued on to my dads house where we finally parked the car and got out and staggered inside and fell asleep. Throughout that trip, especially at the end, my back and neck really hurt and my legs, well they weren't liking me at all. They were stiff and sore. It took that all of Monday to get back to normal. By Tuesday I was able to get back to my normal activities.

Well, not to make a long story longer. On my way home I decided to do something different. I decided to try and fit exercise into my travels home. Here is the catch, I did not want to use any additional time nor did I want to get sweaty and tired. So this is what I did...

After driving thru Pennsylvania we stopped in Ohio to get gas. While the pump was on I went for a walk, exactly 200 steps and then I did two deep knee bends and then got back into the car and went on. A few hours later I stopped to get some food. After ordering I knew that I was going to have a few minutes so I got up and walked around the building a few times. It took 10 minutes and when I came back I was not sweaty nor tired. I sat down and a few minutes later my food was ready. Then my final stop was in Indiana and I got out for 5 minutes and repeated the 200 steps as I had done before. By this time we were into the trip for over 11 hours and by then I would be feeling tired and sore. However something strange was happening, I was feeling really good. My bones weren't hurting, my back felt great and my knees were yelling at me. My neck felt great and I wasn't even a little tired.

Well we still had a few hours left so I got into the car and hammered thru the rest of the ride. When I got home to my shock I was not tired at all and my body felt really good. I now believe that there is something to that whole notion that even a little exercise makes the body feel good. Next time you go on long trips think about incorporating exercise into the trip. You will feel so much better for it.

#6 Your Partner is not on the same page as you

Oh boy this is an issue. Everyone that I have ever trained has had this issue.
For years Mary has been unhappy with her health. She understands that if she gets healthier she will feel better about herself on so many levels. She is sick and tired of going for her annual physical and having her doctor tell her that she needs to lose weight. She is tired of getting her medications increased every time she goes to him. She is tired of always feeling tired and not being able to climb a flight of stairs without taking a 10 minute break. She is sick and tired of not being able to do things with her kids. She doesn’t feel sexy and has no sex drive.
Mary’s husband is just as out of shape as she is but really doesn’t care. He knows that he could stand to lose “a little weight” but what is his incentive? He has a good job and provides for his family. He too has to take several medications in the morning for his diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol but once he takes those medications he’s fine right? His testosterone level is 250 and his doctor tells him that he needs to get that into the 450 range to be average. But what is his motivation? His sex drive is, well, Viagra which once worked no longer works. However, he doesn’t really care.
One day Mary decides to finally get her health back in order and runs to the local gym and signs up for personal training. Her trainer is known for taking a no-non-sense approach to getting results. He doesn’t believe in political correctness and holds people accountable. Most people don’t like that but Mary is desperate. She sees her children going down the same path and she knows that she needs to do something about it now.
At first her husband approves of her passion for getting healthier and “losing the weight” and she does really well. Within the first 6 months she losses 50 pounds and she just feels really good about herself. She is now able to do things that she thought she was never going to be able to ever do again. She is now running and workouts have become fun and she looks for new challenges. Her doctor is impressed with her results and begins to remove some of the medications she was taking daily. After one year all she is taking is a multi vitamin. She looks and feels great.
One day her husband, who hasn’t changed a bit, sits Mary down and tells her that he is beginning to have a problem with her going to that local gym. “Why do you have to go everyday and for hours at a time? You have responsibilities here and the membership fees are not cheap. I think you need to think about quitting the gym and besides you can probably do those things on your own now and it would save us money.” He says to her.
Now she has found a new freedom and finds a new happiness in her new life, but she is now beginning to feel her husband fight back by requesting that she quits. Why is he doing that, especially when she is taking care of her responsibilities and the $35 that comes out once a month from their checking account is really not a lot when you consider the hundreds of dollars he spends every month on beer and cigarettes? Well the answer is simple, he feels uneasy with his wife’s new life. He feels inferior to her on so many levels, whereas before he didn’t. She wants to go for walks and he physically cannot keep up. She wants to go on bike rides and he physically cannot ride. She is finding a new fire in her and wants intimacy and he cannot perform on any level. He is feeling the pressure to put an end to this so that he can “feel better” about himself.
For him to “feel better about himself” he either has to step out of his comfort zone and begin to change his life to match hers or he needs to stop her from pursuing things that frankly he doesn’t feel comfortable with. He likes his life the way it is and so what he is a little over weight, they have medications that make him better right?
This struggle goes on for months. She is improving everyday and his health is getting worse and worse. As much as many may not realize it, Mary too has a decision to make. She can make her husband happy and lower the stress in the family if she quits or she can continue down her path of better health and let the chips fall where they may. She knows that her old life brought her depression and misery and she doesn’t want to go back down that path. Life has gotten good to her in her new. She no longer shops in the big and tall stores but goes to regular department stores to shop. She has lost 14 sizes and now is wearing sizes that she only wore in her high school years. She feels and looks sexy and many have told her that. Now why does she want to go back to her old ways? A huge decision has to be made here, a life changing decision for both parties.
What Mary did is confidential and I won’t tell you but know this, the hardest thing for one to do when they are pursuing better health and fitness is have a spouse that is not on the same page as you.

#5 Exercise you do on an empty stomach…

Bad bad bad! Did I say bad? Have you ever worked out or done anything on an empty stomach and in the middle of what you were doing felt a sick feeling? There is this belief that if you work out on an empty stomach you will lose weight faster. That can’t be any further from the truth. It is quite the opposite, by eating regularly in right portions, your body will lose the excess weight faster than if you did not eat before a strenuous activity. Why is that?
In the many years of working with people I could always tell when someone had not eaten before a work out with me. How I could tell is that their body would literally shut down on them and they would feel sick to their stomach, dizzy or just plain ill. When you are doing any type of intense activity the body needs to be able to tap into the fuel source when needed. Without that source the body begins the shut down process because it thinks it needs to survive. You would think that it the body would just go to those extra storage units to get the fuel it needs but quit the opposite. The stomach finishes the breakdown process and the small intestine distributes the fuel to where it needs to go. If there is no fuel there, we will feel sick and weak
A few weeks ago I was working with a person and I noticed that they began to get really slow and the color was really leaving their face. I stopped them in the middle of the workout and asked them if they had eaten and they told me no. I immediately stopped the work out and gave them something to eat. After eating the pretzels I gave them they told me that they felt better and could finish the workout and they did with no problem. They asked me why they had that nauseous feeling and I told them that the body needed some fuel to get thru the intense activity and there was none to be had so it began to shut you down. By eating the pretzels I gave them, it gave the body the ability to tap into some fuel to continue and feel confident that it could finish the activity. Look at it this way. Even if you fill your car up and then fill the canisters and put those in the trunk of your car. If you drive your tank dry your car will still stop running, even if you have excess gas in the trunk of your car. Without it being in the tank (the stomach) the car really has no way to utilize it.
Always have something before your do any intense activity. You will get much better results than if you didn’t.

#4 You only do cardio work

Only doing cardio is not such a bad idea. The problem however is that most people don’t do enough cardio to make it stand for anything. People have a tendency to just go until it feels a little uncomfortable then they quit, when in essence the workout really doesn’t start until you reach that point of exhaustion.
At first when you are trying to lose weight, cardio is your best friend but what happens after a short while is that your body gets accustomed to the amount of cardio you are doing and the results you were once getting you are no longer able to achieve. Why is that?
Once you start a workout program, especially when you haven’t done one in a long time, your body goes into panic mode and puts every bit of resources it has to fend against the loss of energy it was experiencing. This excitement causes your body to us its reserves to “just stay alive”, when in essence your body isn’t dying but it is becoming more efficient at metabolizing the fuel that it has stored. As an example, take the person who is really over weight and they start just walking daily. For that first week the probability of them losing a lot of weight is great. Why was that? Because their body thought that it needed to throw that extra fuel into the mix to keep going. Now, if that person, in their second week, kept everything the same (activity and diet), they would still notice a weight loss but that weight loss would be much smaller than the week prior. Why? Because their body is beginning to learn the routine and beginning to understand that the extra fuel that it felt was necessary to stay live was now not as necessary as it thought it was. After a few weeks there may be no weight loss at all. Why? The body now understands your new routine and understands that it doesn’t need to release any extra fuel for you to complete your latest activity.
There needs to be a mixture of weight training (anaerobic) as well as cardio (aerobic) training to get the results that one may be looking for. This will strengthen your muscular and cardiovascular systems and cause the body to utilize more fuel than if you just did cardio.

My beliefs...

What do I believe?

1) Failure is not an option in any way shape or form
2) I always look at the end result never the present situation
3) There is no room for average in my life
4) I lead the crowd, I don’t follow it
5) I Treat others as I would want to be treated
6) I always go the extra mile for a true friend
7) “I can’t” is never thought of or uttered
8) The words “I quit” do not exist in my vocabulary
9) I don’t associate with negative people or situations
10) I believe that pain is truly weakens leaving the body
11) I believe that true success always comes at a price. The question is… what am I willing to pay?
12) I always hold my children to a very high standard
13) I always lead by example
14) I never consider myself any better than others
15) God is always first in my life
16) I am true to my friends
17) I love my friends unconditionally
18) Everything I do… I do unconditionally
19) I will let nothing come between the success of my family, nothing
20) I will protect my family at all costs
21) Age is only a number, only a number
22) Anything you put your mind to you can accomplish
23) Patients wins out over anxiety
24) Hard work, persistency and focus always wins out
25) I accept no one who says I can’t do something
26) Quitting is failing, go to number 1 again.
27) I will never stop pushing and trying to improve myself in all that I do

You think that walking your dog is enough

Well maybe you have been doing that for a long time… How’s it working for you? Lose any weight? Lose any inches? Feel better about your physical conditioning?
In my block there are two women that I see everyday walking their little tiny dogs. If these dogs are as big as my left foot I would be shocked. One day one of them stops me in the street and asks me what she needed to do to get in better shape. You see both of them could stand to lose about 50 pounds. Well I asked her what she had been doing and she told me that every morning she goes out for a walk with her dog and friend. After listening to her for a few minutes I told her that I understood that she was thinking she was exercising but in essence she was exercising her mouth more than her body. I would see her talking up a storm and making frequent stops for Fighto to tinkle.
The problem with using Fighto as your excuse to go out and “exercise” is that Fighto probably makes frequent stops to relieve himself. What this does is never get your heart rate up to a point where the exercise you are doing is beneficial for your cardiovascular system. Studies have shown that the average person does not begin to perspire for 12-15 minutes. If Fighto is stopping every 2 minutes to smell that latest flower or relieve himself, how can you get that heart rate up and then hold it there for 15 minutes. Yes, for exercise to be truly beneficial you must hold that heart rate up for 30 minutes at a constant pace. Once that heart rate gets up to its maximum (which is about 120bpm for the average person) then when it naturally comes down there is where the results are.
If you ever want to measure how fit you are, it is actually in the way your body recovers not how hard you push. The quicker your body recovers after interval training the better conditioned you are. After a hard interval, if your heart rate comes down relatively quickly, within 30 seconds, back to normal to start again then you are in really good condition. If after a hard workout it takes you hours to recover, well then you have work to do.
The human body is wonderfully made. The harder we push it, the more it compensates for the stress. The harder we challenge it, the more it responds in a positive manner. Don’t be afraid to leave Fighto home for a few minutes and go for a run or a real fast walk. Your body will thank you and you may just lose a few inches and get in better shape.

25 reasons why we may not lose weight

Here is a list I have compiled referring to the reasons why a person cannot lose weight and then their ability to keep that weight they have lost off.

1) You don’t drink enough water
2) You think walking your dog is enough
3) You over eat healthy foods
4) You only do cardio
5) You exercise on an empty stomach
6) Your partner is not on the same page as you
7) You leave out entire food groups
8) You don’t sleep enough
9) You don’t get enough veggies
10) You eat while standing up
11) You really don’t value your health enough to make it your top priority
12) You hang around overweight people
13) You hang around skinny people
14) You’re on a diet all the time
15) You’re addicted to toppings and extras
16) You don’t eat three square meals especially lunch
17) You don’t practice portion control
18) You eat without thinking
19) You drink too much soda
20) You don’t eat enough
21) You don’t leave time for fun
22) You are always eating out
23) You never indulge
24) You eat the wrong post workout meals
25) You lose your focus and drive for success

Over the next 25 weeks I will be visit each one of these reasons and giving you my opinion on why I think they are valid or not so valid. So let’s just start with number 1 right now.
• You don’t drink enough water.
There are some valid points to this. Too many of us think of soda or beer as a substitute to the purest form of liquid there is and that is water. Our body needs this substance to flush out and clean out our system. Water also dilutes any foreign matter that may harm us in some way. The average person drinks more carbonated beverages than just plain water and this is one of the factors on why we have the health problems we have today. Our body can only go without water for 3 days before we start to shut down.
Now with that said, I know that there are people that just cannot drink water in its purest form. I know because I am one of them. I cannot drink just plain water and especially in the morning hours. So what is the alternative? Well it is not soda or alcohol but what I do is add just a little pure sugar to it. This gives the water a little taste and it doesn’t upset my stomach.
Now I can get really scientific on you here but what would be the point. The issue is that we drink too much bubbly stuff and not enough of that life sustaining liquid call water. If we began to drink more of that it would really help our bodies out and we may just lose a few inches as a bonus.

Dear Kevin

Dear Kevin,
I just want you to know that I really appreciate the effort you put forth in trying to keep me healthy and fit. I know that sometimes it seems as though you are spinning your wheels but you are not and thank you for your efforts.
By what you have done it allows me to fight off colds and foreign matter that may try and present itself into your system. Allergies are non-existent. Because you are so diligent in your exercise it allows me to keep your blood vessels clean and clear and this allows me to reduce your heart rate in a big way. Because of your consistent working out it allows me to keep control of your other systems. I don’t have to work so hard every day to keep you alive.
Thank you for not putting poisons in your body. Just fighting the daily foreign bodies is hard enough, now when you add poisons such and tobacco and alcohol into the mix, it makes my job of keeping all your systems working properly twice as hard. Thank you so much.
I know that it could be real easy to quit what you do and join the rank and file but in the end, because of your diligence, I can give you the best quality of life possible. I can give you the ability to do anything you would like. I can give you the ability to try and succeed at so many things that others just cannot dream of doing. Your age biologically is at least 20 years younger than your chronological and it stays at a constant.
Doesn’t it feel great that when you go to a beach or a pool you can relax and not worry about who’s looking at you? Doesn’t it feel great to be able to climb just not one floor but 25 to 50 floors and not get tired or out of breath? Didn’t it feel go to be able to teach your kids how to ride their bikes and how to run as fast as they do? Doesn’t it feel good to know that your wife is not embarrassed to tell her friends that you are her husband? Doesn’t it feel good to see that your children are just as fit as you and there are no lingering health issues with any of them?
You have set an example that your children will follow for the rest of their lives. What you do your kids see and will follow in their later years. Who you are today… your kids will someday be. Thank you Kevin for everything you have done.

Your Body

Misleading again.....

A friend was watching television the other day and asked me a question about a statement Dr Oz made on one of his shows. Dr Oz stated that if a person wanted to lose weight and rev up their metabolism all they had to do is put their hands on hips, stand tall and feet shoulder width apart. I watched him do this stance and then I said, “So how’s it working?” He looked at me and said, “He’s misleading me again?” my response, “Yup”.
I really am getting sick and tired of this so called doctor misleading the public. If I mislead the public as much as him I could not sleep at night. I understand that congress just tore him a new one a few weeks ago. Well, now is my turn.
Dr Oz, and I use that term really lightly, I think that you really have only one thing on your mind, making as much money as you possibly can. You don’t really care about the health of others or you would be more careful about what you put on the air. Just because it may seem like the flavor of the day does not make it right. Just because it may seem like it is cutting edge doesn’t make it right to spread thru the media. How can you say that if a person eats a specific food that they could lose tons of weight? That is a big lie on so many levels. The food we eat is there for the purpose of fueling our bodies and nothing more. It is our activity that helps us lose weight and get us healthy.
Dr Oz, you are a con artist. You tell lies to people and give them false hope and security. I wonder about your morals and if you truly know right from wrong, the truth from lies. You cannot be trusted nor should you be trusted. In this great country of ours, yes we do have the right to say anything thru freedom of expression and freedom of speech. But does that give any one person the right to lie to the public? You spread many false truths and give false hope to the needy. You, in effect, steal people’s money by giving them false hope in the products that you endorse and sell.
I have been a Certified Personal trainer for over ten years now and I have always looked up to the medical community and I must say you, to me, are nothing more than a clown. If I needed to have surgery for an illness and you were the only surgeon available and the only one that could do the surgery, I would rather die first then let you near me.
Do you not do your own research? Do you really believe everything you say? Do you hear everything you are saying? I know that it is great to be on the cutting edge of new and innovative ideas, but what you are conveying to your audience is just not, well, it’s a big lie.
There are people that are so desperate to believe in something that they will follow every word that comes out of your so called PhD mouth. This is not time to lie or tell half truths, but to give them something that is going to benefit them into their future. You can have such a great influence on so many in a positive way, why are you killing it by spreading lies. I could give you examples of the lies that you have told but this letter would read like a novel and that is not my point, you know what lies you have told.
You say you do research, but where is it based and what is your population size and is that population size big enough to really make a good conclusions.
As an example, by putting your hands on your hips, you cannot raise your metabolism. Where the heck did you get that? Really? Drinking Green Bean Coffee Extract will not help you reduce weight. Do I have to give you a lesson in the real purpose of food? Is it only about making money with you? I believe it is and that you will do and say whatever you need to in order to make the millions you want to make. I would ask how you sleep at night but I already know that answer.
Dr. Oz I am calling you out to a debate. I only have a BS degree from Rutgers University but enough is enough. I dear you to debate me on the topic of weight loss and what it really takes to just not get off that unwanted weight but to keep it off for life. I dear you to debate me! However, I don’t think you will because in the end all you are is phony and mere shell of a man. DEBATE ME!

Type AB blood diet

Type AB blood is one of the rarest types of blood that exists today. Less than 5 percent of the population actually have this blood type. People with AB blood share a lot of the characteristics of people with either A type or B type blood. This person lacks enough stomach acid to metabolize meats so for the most part any meat that is eaten is stored as fat in the system somewhere. Type AB people also have the same insulin reaction as B type people have when they eat lima beans, corn, buck wheat, or sesame seeds. Inhibited insulin production results in hypoglycemia, a lowering of blood sugar after meals and leads to fewer metabolisms of the foods we consume.

AB people should avoid Alcohol and caffeine at all costs especially when dealing in stressful situations. Once again AB people have both A and B characteristics in them. For AB people their stomach is much more sensitive to acquiring stomach cancer due to the consumption of alcohol and caffeine. The best foods that AB people should be eating are vegetables, seafood, fruit and some types of dairy. These foods should be the majority of their daily diet. Now this is not to say that they cannot have meats or chicken. they should and can have these things however, in smaller quantities. It is best to have smaller quantities than to have large portions because this way it gives the stomach time to digest what they have consumed.

I have a member that for several years I have been working with. After her initial weight loss, it just seemed that we were making no progress. Everything she did seemed to have no effect on her losing of weight. One day, a few months ago, I asked her the $1,000,000 question, “what is your blood type?” and when she told me she was AB the light went on in my head and we began the process of changing her eating habits. Not to bore you with the details, after changing her diet to higher fruits and veggies and lower meats and starch, she told me that she began to feel more energy and I began to notice that she could finish all the workouts. I noticed an energy in her that did not exist just a few weeks prior. Now, several months later, she is down an additional 40 pounds and she tells me that she feels great. Her goal weight has been met and she is now working on achieving other things outside of that.

Is your blood type AB? Then you have rear blood and the diets that most Americans can eat, you should not. This is not to say that you can have a good steak or hamburger now and then, but what it states is that the steak or hamburger should not be the major part of the diet. I know that some of you are thinking that I am trying to be the party pooper, but I am not, I am trying to free you from all the issues we all have by eating the wrong stuff. I am trying to free you from diabetes, high blood pressure, High cholesterol, Obesity, heart disease, etc.

A person goes to the doctor and tells the doctor that they have a problem with their stomach. After the doctor gives them several tests they conclude that it is a specific food that they are eating. You thank the doctor for their help and they leave. Several weeks later they find yourself back in the doctor’s office complaining about the same issue. The doctor than takes further tests and comes up with the same findings. They thank them and walk away. Several weeks later they find themselves back in the doctor’s office complaining about the same thing and once again more tests and the same diagnosis. They thank them and walk out. Several weeks later they decide to go to another doctor with the same problem and still they tell them the same thing. Over this time period, what really has been accomplished? In a nut shell they have made the doctors richer and they still have the same problem that if they had followed the doctor’s advice the first time, would have saved them all those other trips. Think about it.

Blood type B Diets

Once again, I need to begin by stating I don’t believe in nor do I define diets like most Americans do. What I believe in is a way a person should eat every day. I have become a strong believer in the notion that our blood type can have a significant role in telling us what we should be eating. If you recall “A” type people have low acid in their stomach and small intestines so eating red meats should not be of high priority. Fruits and vegetables should be top on their list. Why? Because their bodies can efficiently use those foods to give them the strength and energy they need everyday. Now I am not saying that they cannot have red meats but what I am saying is that it should not be a priority or a main course.
Now there is “B” type blood. These people are much different than both A and O type people and because of that, can be susceptible to different diseases as well as how they generate their energy. Type B blood does not do well with corn (nobody does actually), wheat, buckwheat (remember the Little Rascals), lentils, tomatoes, peanuts and sesame seeds. Why? Because for their bodies to efficiently metabolize each one of these foods, it has to work twice as hard which spikes our sugar levels, which in turn, once those levels come down, we will crash (a feeling of total fatigue). Another type of food that Type B people should reduce in their diet is chicken. Chicken contains a Blood Type B agglutinating lectin in its muscle tissue. Although chicken for the most part is a lean meat (I guess some have just not had southern barbecue), this lectin can cause havoc in the blood stream of a type B person. By eating these things in your diet, it can lead to weight gain and many other more serious issues.
Things that we should be consuming as a type B are as follows: green vegetables, eggs, beneficial meats (goat, lamb, venison, rabbit, lean ground beef), and low fat dairy but watch the dairy you consume, so much of it has an abundance of estrogen in it. This is important because, well, too much estrogen in a man’s diet can cause physical issues. When these foods replace the ones in the previous paragraph, weight control, more energy and greater overall strength can be achieved much easier.
My next blog will be on Blood type AB.

Blood Type A

As I mentioned a few weeks back I believe that there is a correlation between a person blood type and what type of diets they should be on. Now don’t get me wrong, you know I don’t believe in “diets” as Americans define them, but what I am referring to is the way a person should be eating to get the most out of their every day existence. I have no problem with any of the types of food we consume, I just think that we consume way too much at the wrong times for the wrong reasons and then we do nothing to allow our bodies to use the fuel we have given it. With that said now let’s move onto people with blood type A.
According to Dr. D. Amato people that have this blood type should get their nutrients primarily from carbohydrates sources. People with blood type “A” have low levels of hydrochloric acid in the stomach and high intestinal disaccharide digestive enzyme levels permit the more efficient digestion of carbohydrates. Take also into consideration that these people have low levels of intestinal alkaline phosphatase (which is located in the small intestine), this makes it difficult for Type A’s to digest and metabolize animal proteins and fats.
Now once again I need to make sure that you understand that when I say diets I am not talking about a weight loss program. What I am referring to is the way one should be eating to get the very best out of their bodies. Food is nothing but a fuel to ignite and sustain our bodies. We need to remember that.
Now imagine that we are at a car dealership and we are buying the top of the line sports car. This car is going to cost us in the end over $250,000. Right before we take this car off the lot the dealer gives us instruction on what to do and what not to do. One of the things they tell us not to do is use regular gas. They specifically states that we need to use only high octane fuel. You ask them however, what would happen if we just put in regular gas and they stated that the car would run but not at its peak and did you not pay all that money to feel the power that car has?
So at first for months we follow their advice and we put in the high octane gas but we see that the prices are going up so much that we just can’t see logically spend all that money when we can get a cheaper grade, so we do. At first we see no difference in your sports car so we continue to use that cheaper gas. But then things start to happen. The fuel injector needs replacing, it begins idling funny, it begins to get slow off the line. So because we spent so much money for this car and it now seems as though it is spending more time in the dealership being fixed than out on the road you have a conversation with the dealership about the lemon we were sold. While in the heat of the moment the dealership asks us one question,” what type of fuel are we using?” Of course we lie to them and tell them that we are using high octane but we know the real truth, we stopped using it because there was something cheaper and we did not think it would do anything to the car engine. After repairing all the parts that needed to be replaced we went back to the high octane fuel and low and behold our weekly visits to the dealership stopped and we really began to enjoy our new and now improved sports car.
Our bodies are the same way. The major part of their diet needs to be more vegetarian based and less meat based. This is the kicker if ywe are accustomed to eating meat, we will lose weight and have more energy once we eliminate the toxic foods from our diet. Dr. D. Amato says, "I can't emphasize enough how this critical dietary adjustment can be to the sensitive immune system of Type A. With this diet you can supercharge your immune system and potentially short circuit the development of life threatening diseases." Having said that, the three words I want to leave for you are pure, fresh and organic should be your mato when thinking about what you should be consuming.
Enough said, now my question to you is do you want to be at your most efficient? My next blog will be on type B blood type.

Diet Plans part two

Type O:
According to Dr Michael Lam type O people thrive on intense physical exercise and animal proteins. Unlike other blood types these people have a slightly higher acid base in their stomachs. Type O people can easily metabolize meats because they tend to have high stomach acid content. The success of the Type O Diet depends on the use of lean, chemical-free meats, poultry, and fish. Type Os don't find dairy products and grains quite as user friendly as do most of the other blood types. The initial weight loss on the Type O Diet is by restricting consumption of grains, breads, legumes, and beans. The leading factor in weight gain for Type Os is the gluten found in wheat germ and whole wheat products, which interferes with insulin efficiency and slow down metabolic rate. Another factor that contribute to weight gain is certain beans and legumes (lentils and kidney beans) contain lectins that deposit in the muscle tissues making them less "charged" for physical activity. The third factor in Type O weight gain is that Type Os have a tendency to have low levels of thyroid hormone or unstable thyroid functions, which also cause metabolic problems. Therefore it is good to avoid food that inhibits thyroid hormone (cabbage, brussels sprouts, cauliflower, mustard green) but increase hormone production (kelp, seafood, iodized salt).
Because of the high acidity stomach, Type Os should eat fruits of alkaline nature such as berries and plums..
Type Os should severely restrict the use of dairy products. Their system is not designed for the proper metabolism. If you are a Type O of African ancestry, you should eliminate dairy foods and eggs altogether.
Type A: According to JC Jones and Ryan Wallace After "the cultivation of grains and livestock changed everything" for humanity, this blood type developed based on "the need to fully utilize nutrients from carbohydrate sources." Thus, the type A diet plan emphasizes soy proteins, grains, and vegetables, restricts red meat. Type A people have a lower acid base in their stomachs so trying to break down meats is very difficult. For a type A person to get the best energy and to have the most efficient body they are as close to being a vegetarian than anyone else.
Type B: According to D'Adamo, this blood type possesses "potential for great malleability" and is associated with a flexible digestive system. Type B dieters can tolerate dairy products and can also enjoy meat and most produce. This plan restricts corn, wheat, lentils, tomatoes, and peanuts, while suggesting moderate exercise.

Type AB: As the name implies, this blood type shares characteristics with types A and B. Type AB dieters are encouraged to avoid meats but can safely eat tofu, seafood, dairy, and most produce. This plan suggests a mix of calming and rigorous exercises for a balanced fitness routine. Carbohydrates can be your friend if you have AB type blood.
Well, do you know your blood type? Depending on your blood type should dictate to you how you should be eating. Enjoy!

Diet Plans

Well it’s been a while since I have written anything for you guys to read and I think that this is a great subject to start with, diets.
Here we are getting ready to go into summer and most of you are looking in the mirror and telling yourself that it is time for you get into summer shape. Now you all know that my response to that would be that you should not have waited so long but never the less some of you would have just rolled your eyes at me and told yourself that you will just stop eating for a period of time to lose those extra pounds. UGH! You know just how to get to me, don’t you!
Well, this has been a subject of major concern since the beginning of mankind. (I even think that Adam and Eve struggled with it once they were kicked out of the garden). The question that I wanted to answer was if there is a way a person could eat, without making it a diet plan, but still give their body all the vitamins and nutrient it needs daily. I remember thinking to myself, “There are no two people alike. Some seem to be able to eat one way and it seems to work for them, while others seem to eat in that same way and their body don’t respond in the same way. I know some people whose diet consists of nothing but carbohydrates and they are lean and full of energy. Whereas I know some others that eat that same diet and boy they have problems from digestion to obesity. What makes them different? Is it their exercise levels? No they exercise pretty regularly. Is it their intensity levels? No they really hit it when they are here at Parker’s Place. Is it the time of day they eat? No, I have seen their daily logs and that seems to all be in line. Then what is it?
One day I was talking to a gym member and we started talking about the subject of diets and she brought up something that I thought was very interesting. Depending on your blood type should be the type of daily diet you should be on. WOW! That really makes a lot of sense when you think about it. If you have “O” type blood then your body can take certain things that an “A” or “AB” may not be able to. So I did some research and in my next blog I explain what I discovered.
First let us define what blood types are. Blood types are inherited from our parents and essential to how our bodies perform and react to outside stimuli. There are several forms of blood types and they are O-, O+, A-, A+, B-, B+, AB-, AB+ and each one of those types has specific characteristics that make them unique when it comes to how the body will break down the food that we consume. So in my next blog we will get into how each blood type responses to the food we eat and what your diet should look like given your specific blood type.

Giving Up?

Giving up
Have you given up? Are you giving up?
Just the other day I had a member come into my office and tell me that the large sweat shirt I gave him was too small. He wanted to get an extra large shirt now. At first I was going to give it to him but then I remember, just a year ago he was complaining about his diabetes and that fact that he had to lose some weight and that he was sick and tired of wearing XL’s. What happened? Well in a nut shell, he lost the weight and his medications were reduced and he was feeling good, so little by little his OLD life style began to creep back into the picture. Now he is drinking those beers and soda’s again and over eating just like he did just a year and a half ago.
I asked him to sit down and just as he did that, the excuses began to fly. Everything from hereditary issues to family issues however, the best excuse he gave me was…he was content with being the way he was. I sat back and took a deep breath, as my blood pressure began to rise I got up and went to my closet and took out a XXXL and handed it to him. He looked puzzled and stated, “I wanted a XL not a XXXL.” He began to hand it back and I pulled my hand back and refused to take it from him. I stated, “Why stop at an XL. Soon enough the XL will be too small so let’s not play games here and just go to finished product.” I then wished him a good day and turned my chair around and got back onto my computer.
Ten minutes later he comes storming into my office, “You are a piece of work! Give me my large back! You are right, I was giving up. I have come so far and I have gone back to a lot of my old ways and I need to get back on track. You are right.” I turned around handed his old shirt back to him, took him out to the floor and had a great workout.
Are you giving up and just don’t realize it. Have you gone back to those old bigger cloths thinking that they are just more comfortable? Think about the consequences of you going back to your old habits. Is it really worth it? Think about it.

Time for change!!!!!

In 2003 I was once sitting in the room with a friend and we were talking about what we really wanted to do in this life. What was our dream? What did it look like? How could we make it happen? After talking for just a few minutes it was good to find out that his dream and my dream were practically one in the same. We wanted to open up a place in Central New Jersey that could help people fight the battle of obesity. You see his family was fighting that battle in a big way and so was mine. The problem was that we had good paying jobs and we did not know if we focused enough and dedicated enough time to make this happen. I had felt for years the Lord calling me to do something like this. I remember sitting down with him and going over the details of what this gym would look like and after spending many hours of talking and dreaming, we looked at each other and asked the question, “are we serious or, once I leave your home, will we just go back to our normal mundane lives, really not trying to make a difference in anyone’s life but our own?” That night before leaving we swore an oath that we would follow this dream through to its end where ever we lived.
To make a long story short, a few weeks later I receive a call from my friend’s mother and that call changed my life forever. Tommy (my dear friend), at age 26, had died in a motorcycle accident. He hit a bus head on and died instantly. When I was listening to his mother tell me what happened I was devastated and at a loss for words. This was one of the hardest funerals I ever had to go to. However, while sitting in the audience I remember what we had said and from the moment I got into my car I never looked back at my old self and began the process of transforming my life and live our dream. Thus, Parker’s Place was born.
In the spring of 2004 I opened up Parker's Place and my purpose was to bring a place where people could come and feel accepted as they fight the battle of obesity. I wanted this place to give people the ability to get the personal training they wanted and at a modest cost. I wanted people to feel as though they belong to not just a health club but a place where people really cared for their health and well being and over the last 10 years, according to what I have been told, many feel that this has happened.
There is another segment of the population that are just afraid to enter into a health club because they are just too afraid to face the public. They are the morbid obese and that population is getting larger every year. In 2007 I started a program where I take people 50 pounds or more over weight and help them change their life styles. This program is called the Parker's Place Weight Loss challenge and since its inception it has had 7 classes go through the program totaling 162 people and the retention rate throughout the program has been 95% and the average weight loss has been 70 pounds. Lives have been changed because of that program and on so many levels it has taken a life of its own.
In 2011 Parker’s Place did something that implemented something else that has allow it to help even more people. In 2011 Parker’s Place became a 24/7 gym and through the process of hard knocks we finally understood that we could not be everything to everyone and there are people in the community that did not have 9-5 jobs and could not fit the conventional schedules in their lives and those people still needed a place where they could come and workout. Also in 2011, Parker’s Place opened its doors to other personal trainers and for a nominal fee they bring their people in and train them here. Everyone wins! The trainers get to do what they do best and don’t have that big time costs associated with their business. The member wins because they get that person they always wanted and the club wins because it is being utilized.
In 2013, Parker’s Place increased its presents on social media and began putting positive uplifting messages as well as daily exercises on its Facebook page. With all that going on I began to see an upsurge in the demand that was being put on Parker’s Place and I my vision for expanding became clearer and clearer. In 2013 I began to see that I needed more room for more equipment to satisfy that need but I had no room to put it without getting completely overcrowded and very little room for members to operate comfortably.
Well, to make a long story short and without going into too much detail, effective May 1st, 2014 Parker’s Place will be relocating to a bigger facility in Oconomowoc Wisconsin, so that it can meet the demand it has been given. Whereas through this whole process I have seen God’s hand moving, my prayer is that I can stay in the center of His will. I ask all who pray if they could pray for me as I open at this new location.

The game olan

The Game plan

Ok so here you are out many months after you achieving your fitness goal and you haven’t done anything but sit and relax and now you look at yourself and all that weight you had taken off and told yourself that you would never see again has now come back. Wait! It has just not come back but for good measure you have gain an additional amount of weight that well you are telling yourself you need to finally get rid of.
So you try every diet in the world only to find out that they don’t work. Let me repeat, THEY DON’T WORK!!!!! So now what do you do? A year back you had really been in really good shape and you remember how you did it but you are just not motivated to go back to those extremes. So what to do? What to do?
Well, let me first start out and tell you that the only way you are going to lose those unwanted inches is by using the fuel you have consumed and there is no other way to do it but activity. Dear I say exercise? I know I just turned some of you off but there really is no other way to keep it off. If you stop eating eventually you will either die or you’ll start eating again and more than you did prior to your binge. Remember one thing though, it is not the foods fault that you got the way you are. Food is not our enemy. Ok so let’s get to the game plan….
As you all know I keep things simple and this is no different. Exercise should be part of your life, not your life, so I suggest no more than 30 minutes a day in the gym that is all. So here is how I would break it out and I am giving you the formula that has helped may lose hundreds of pounds and get in better shape.
Week 1
Monday: Get to the gym and sit on recumbent bike for 30 minutes and then go home.
Tuesday through Friday: repeat Monday

Week 2: Begin to introduce weights back into your program

Monday: Now get on that recumbent bike for 10 minutes and then go to the treadmill and walk for 5 minutes. Then begin to introduce weights back into your 30 minute program. Today do chest work only.
Tuesday: Same warm up and then today is back work only
Wednesday: Same warm up then do a leg workout
Thursday: Now I want you to do 15 minutes on the bike and then give me 15 minutes on the treadmill. Let’s see if we can’t get a good sweat on the treadmill to make it worth the trip.
Friday: Same warm up as Monday and then abs work for 30 minutes
Saturday and Sunday Take off

1 Month: Now you should be getting into a routine that should last you a while.
Monday: Let’s start with 5 minute warm up on treadmill or bike and then go hit the weights. Today is a great chest day so let’s get that going. After the workout let’s get bake on the treadmill and run for 10-15 minutes then go home. Your chest workout should not take any more time than 15 minutes (without talking to you friends and neighbors)
Tuesday: Let’s start with the same cardio and then let’s get some back work in then finish the same as Monday.
Wednesday: Yes, its legs day!!!!! Make this as enjoyable as possible. Start by getting on treadmill with an incline of at least 10 and go for 10 minutes then hit those legs like they have not been hit before and then end with a 5 minute cool down on treadmill or bike.
Thursday: Great day for Shoulders so go ahead and hit them and first give me 10 minutes warm up and at the end 5 minute cool down.
Friday: Let’s make this your cardio do. Turn on that music, make that television louder, get focused and give me 30 minutes of hard, sweat off the brow, heavy breathing cardio.
Saturday and Sunday: days off. Enjoy your weekend!

That one month routine should last you a few months before we will need to change it up a little. Notice how the gym does not become your second home but just s stop off place to get what your body so needs to do… exercise. Now stop screwing around and go get it done.

The effects of Detraining

I was reading an article the other day that was emailed to me by a friend and after reading the article I thought it best to write my thoughts out and share it with everyone who reads this. Now the article dealt with biking and what physically happens to a person when they physically put the bike up for the season however I want to expand upon that and discuss the implications of what happens when after getting yourself in better shape we decided to take time off or we feel as though we have made it and we decided to relax. In a nut shell there are some good points and some bad points of taking time off after working really hard to get yourself in good shape but let’s just go thru the process that everyone and I mean everyone, goes thru when they stop working out. So here we go.

So here you are, you’ve reached your goal and your feeling pretty good about your success. Now you feel as though you want to take some time off and enjoy your new found freedom and life.

Day 1: This is the day after all of your success. You feel good and strong and self confident. You feel as though you just concord the world and everybody can see that and complements you on your new you. Now your body is now in a repair mode and for the next three days your body is repairing itself. All the muscular damage you may have done is now being repaired and the process of it returning to normal has begun. On the average in three days your muscles have had time to fully recover; muscle carbohydrate stores (glycogen) have been topped up, muscle fibers damaged during hard training is being fully repaired, and favorable metabolic changes in the muscles have had time to occur.

1 week: Now you are thinking about going back into the gym and actually you should or at least get active again. This is important because this is the time when most begin to really fall off the wagon and begin the process of going back to their “other” life. Now you are beginning to forget about the hard work it took for you to get to where you were and in some cases you don’t want to have to revisit there. However I will tell you, your body is use to if not accustomed to that level of activity (exercise).
At this time because of the time you have taken off, you are beginning to put back on some weight. Now not much, no more than 5 to 10 pounds but it is not too noticeable as of yet. Also pertaining to your heart, you begin to feel sluggish and your heart is not pumping as efficiently as it did just a week earlier. This is due to the inactivity and the fact that your heart has not needed to work too hard. But mentally you are thinking that everything is still feeling alright and you have not lost too much of your fitness. Your cloths are still fitting pretty good and mentally you still feel OK.

1 month: Now your old life style is back in force and full in swing. All that working out and all the trimming and all that drive has driven away from you now. You are beginning to see those bulges again and those skinny clothes aren’t fitting as they did just a few weeks ago. Your afraid to get on a scale because you know that you have gained back some of that weight you took off and told yourself that you would never go back to. Well, unfortunately the reverse process has really taken hold now and what you were able to do just a few months ago, you can’t even come close to now. Why is that?

Well, you muscles are no longer as efficient as they once were. The biochemical pathways that you had developed to help your muscles burn the fat efficiently have deteriorated and now they are back to the way they once were. On top of that your muscle mass has deteriorated. This is not good, not good at all.

6 months: At this point you are no longer that person you want to be and you are fully back into your old life. You have gained all if not even more of your weight back. You may have tried to go back to the gym a few times but with no avail, your motivation is just not there and now you have lost all that confidence you once had. You feel embarrassed to tell people what happened to you just 6 months earlier and in some cases you may not even ever bring it up in any conversation and if someone does you are quick to change the subject.

Not good! At this time your circulatory system is even worse than it was before you started exercising the first time. Your heart is working harder than it has ever worked before and your musculature system is depleted to a point where you can do none of the things you could do just six month earlier.
1 year: At this time you want to try again but this time you want to make it stick. ‘THAT’S IT THIS IS FOR LIFE!” I hear a lot but what people don’t realize is that it will be twice as hard to get to the same point as you did one year prior. Your body has put in place some safety features that will not allow it to lose the weight or get yourself in good shape as it once did. Your body is going to hold onto the fat longer and this will be frustrating because you will be putting in the work and seeing little success. All the while you will be putting a huge strain on your heart to pump like it once did a year ago and that in itself can be damaging. When you gained all the weight back and you lost all your fitness, your heart had to work really hard, again, just to keep you alive. Now you’re asking it to push even harder, think about it. Can you say potential stroke?

However, the good point is that at this time, with you coming back, there is hope but you need to be smart about it and have a realistic game plan and most importantly, make this your final time. Finally make this part of your life… forever. In my next blog I will discuss the game plan.

Bad days

We all have them. They are a part of life. The question that we should be asking ourselves is not when will they be going away but, what are we learning in the midst of them. Have you ever heard the phrase, “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger”? There is truth to that on so many levels.

I know of a person who over the last several years had just not had a really good life. According to him there have been glimpses of day light but shortly thereafter to find himself back dealing with issues and pressures that many will probably never have to deal with or understand. He told me that it has gotten to a point now that when he has a good day he almost dreads it because he knows that on the other side of it will be an equally bad day. The question he constantly asks himself however is, “What am I learning from this?” He tells me that in every situation there is a lesson that he needed to learn but the biggest lesson that he is learning is that he is not really in control but God is. I would roll my eyes every time I would hear that but this is what he shared with me…

A few years back his family went through a major health issue, cancer, which almost took the life of his wife but did take the life of his mother. At that same time his financial situation was bleak at best and he almost lost all of his possessions including his house. Just to add insult to injury as his families health was failing and his business was struggling to stay open and he finds out that through an error with his bank his house had the potential of going into foreclosure which destroyed his credit rating and he lost all of his credit. He tells me that at one point he just broke down and cried. He did not like life and really began to feel bad for his kids. Why? Because if his life was this bad for him he could not imagine his kids having to go through this pain and survive.

He then tells me that 15 months later things began to change for no real reason. The bank mailed him a letter and approved his “Making Homes Affordable” application and his family illnesses were getting better. He did lose his mother to the fight but his wife is fine now and his business was saved. When I asked him what he did to get on the other side of these issues all he did was say, “I really did nothing but pray that some people would come along side me and help me through them and every time I prayed… they did.”

At the time I met with him he had just come from achieving another personal mile stone and was very happy with his results. He tells me that when we are happy and have no problems it is easy to praise our Maker but is that real praise or is it selfish and conditional. “Hey God, as long as I am happy and things go my way, I will praise you but if they don’t, are you really in control?” Does this attitude sound familiar? Don’t we all feel that way most of the time? But have we ever learned anything through good times? I know I haven’t.

I just saw him the other day and he tells me that he is now faced with even greater trials. I wonder how God will work him through these and what lessons he will learn while going through them. I can honestly say that as weak as he thinks he is, when many look at him, to them he looks very strong. I can only hope that he gets to the other side of his issues and rejoices at the blessings that have to be on the way. Remember this, for every bad day that we go through there is an equally and opposite effect… a good day.