Guide to the Better you

  Each year, on the last Monday of May, we celebrate Memorial Day.   Originally instituted as a day of honoring those who died during the Civil War, it eventually became a day to remember any soldier who died fighting in the United States Armed Forces. Memorial Day is the perfect time to pause and consider how much we owe to those men and women who have given up their lives in the pursuit and defense of freedom.   We are so accustomed to living with this freedom in our country, that it is easy to take it for granted.   It is hard to appreciate it when we do not know anything different.   Just like a fish who doesn’t realize it is wet (because it has never been anything else but wet), we tend to not realize the magnitude of privilege that is ours. It takes warriors to build a country where freedom is the rule, rather than the exception.   And Memorial Day is a time to honor those wounded warriors who have made our lives of freedom possible. But we can honor those wounded warriors

  There is one common thing among new trainees...   They all go over the different exercises in the gym because somebody else told them to do so.   However, they don’t know the logic behind it. They lack knowledge.   As a matter of fact, most people DO NOT know what they are doing in the gym before they start doing it...   In order to be efficient with your time and progress in the gym, you have to understand why you are doing specific movements, resting for specific time frames, etc.   Have you ever wondered what the fundamentals behind a successful fitness plan are?   Why are the exercises ordered in a specific way?   What are the fundamentals in creating the perfect fitness plan, which fits your goals?   To learn the answer to all of these questions and more, continue reading.   What Does The Perfect Fitness Plan Consist Of?   It might surprise many of you, BUT a random training program from the internet and diet might not be enough to achieve y

  It’s happened to all of us.   You know the feeling - you are away from home running errands, or you are out late because you had to stay at work longer.   And you realize that you are hungry.   Not just a little hungry though.   You haven’t eaten for hours, your head is starting to throb, and you can’t even think straight. Bottom line:   you have to eat.   Now! As you survey your options, you realize that getting something to eat that is even remotely healthy is going to be nearly impossible. But you have little choice, so you grab a burger or a salad with “grilled chicken.” (Do you have any idea how much that piece of ‘grilled chicken’ has been processed and soaked and manipulated and transformed before it arrives in front of you?) Or a small order of fries just to get you through.   And just like that you have put food into your body that will lower your immune response, raise your blood sugar, reduce your energy and contribute to weight gain. It is a tough situation, and l

Fitness starts in your mind.   Ask any athlete or fit person what the number one secret is to his success at fitness, and he will tell you it is commitment.   Commitment means that you are in it for the long haul.   Commitment rises above bad days, hectic schedules and volatile emotions.   Commitment hangs in there when you don’t want to do it, when you don’t feel like doing it and when you don’t have time to do it. True commitment doesn’t depend on how you feel.   It depends on your integrity and on living for the purpose you have set for yourself. Are you committed to get fit? No Weekend Warriors Committing to be fit eliminates the weekend warrior syndrome.   You may know a weekend warrior.   He is the person who does little physical exercise during the week, but when the weekend arrives, he blasts out of the gate like a stallion on Derby Day.   In a desperate attempt to make up for his sedentary behavior all week, he goes to the gym or hits the pavement, pushing himself to

This is for you, Moms.   In fact, whether you are a mom or not, this is for all the women out there who feel trapped in a cycle of, “One day, I am going to eat healthy, lose weight and really take care of myself.” It’s time to get un-stuck, and we are here to help. We know that it is hard to find time to focus on you.   And when you finally do take some time for yourself, you probably have a vague sense of guilt that there are other things more worthy of whatever effort or sacrifice you are making to work on you. That’s part of being a mom.   You put others first. But consider this .   Neglecting yourself is not good for you or those people who depend on you. The only way you can keep attending to your many responsibilities and joys is if your health is optimum. Once your health starts declining, you will have no choice but to focus on yourself.   Wouldn’t you rather do it now and know what it feels like to be fit and full of energy and still be there for those people who d