staying slim helps the planet

We all know that controlling our bodyweight is good for our personal health, but now there is evidence that it is good for the planet as well. Check it out here.

10 things you should do to stay healthy

Can you guess what they are....see if you are correct right here

do sports drinks really do anything?

According to a new study, they can improve athletic performance. For the full story, click here.

Physical Activity Helps Children Pay Attention Better

A recent study from the University of Illinois supports a positive connection between physical activity and students' performance in the classroom. Published in the journal, Neuroscience, the study found that physical activity can help to focus students' ability to pay attention and result in improved performance on academic tests. The study tested cognitive control of 20 nine-year-old children both after a 20-minute resting period and after walking for 20 minutes.

more proof on best way to burn fat

High Intensity Interval Training Increases Fat Metabolic Capacities in Skeletal Muscle

High intensity interval training has recently received a
lot of attention for being a time efficient method of training.
With high intensity interval training all out efforts are
repeated. Recently researchers for Canada examined the
effects of high intensity interval training on fat oxidation.
Using untrained subjects they examined the effects of
6-weeks of high intensity interval training consisting of
1-hour of 10 x 4 minute intervals performed at 90% of peak
oxygen consumption separated by 2-minutes of rest. The
interval training regime was performed 3-days per week.
After the completion of the 6-week training program the
subject’s peak oxygen consumption was increased by 9%
and their power output was elevated by 21%. Additionally,
it was noted that after training there was a reduction
in glycogen metabolism, a decrease in lactate accumulation,
a 2-fold increase in time to exhaustion, a significant
increase in fat oxidation. Ultimately this study demonstrated
that 6-weeks of high intensity interval training has
a powerful effect on the muscles ability to oxidize fat. The
results of this study lend support to the idea that high intensity
interval training is an effective method for increasing
oxidative capacity and fat oxidation.

Perry CG, Heigenhauser GL, Bonen A, and Spriet LL.
High-intensity aerobic interval training increases fat and
carbohydrate metabolic capacities in human skeletal
muscle. Appl Physiol Nutr Metab 33:1112 – 1123. 2008.

softball pitching and injury risk

That big, around-the-world, underhand windup that fast-pitch softball pitchers use to overwhelm their opponents actually makes their biceps muscle work harder than an overhand throw, researchers said.
For the rest of the story, click here

are you wishing or doing?

The Difference Between Wishing and Believing
by Napoleon Hill
The majority of people never discover the difference between wishing and believing; nor do they recognize that there are six steps which people usually follow in using their mind-power for the attainment of their desires. These steps are:

First: The vast majority of people go through life by merely wishing for things the percentage of people who stop at wishing is estimates at: 70%

Second: A much smaller percentage of the people develop their wishes into desires. These are estimated at: 10%

Third: A still smaller percentage of the people develop their wishes and desires into hopes. These are estimated at: 8%

Fourth: A still smaller percentage of the people step their mind-power up to where it becomes belief. These are estimated at: 6%

Fifth: And yet a very much smaller percentage of the people crystallize wishes, desires and hopes into belief, and then into burning desire, and finally faith. This percentage is estimated at: 4%

Sixth: And last, a very small percentage of the people take the last two steps, putting their faith into action by (1) planning and (2) acting to carry out their plans. This percentage is estimated at only: 2%

The outstanding leaders in every walk of life are the ones in the sixth group. They recognize the power of their own minds, take possession of that power and direct it to whatever ends they choose. To these people the word impossible has no meaning. To them everything they want or need is possible and they manage to get it. The only trait which differentiates them from most of the others who accept failure as their lot, is that they recognize and use their mind-power for the attainment of the circumstances and things they want while the other do not.

Source: PMA Science of Success. Pgs. 232 & 233.

20 years of fitness: 20 nuggets of wisdom

20 years of fitness: 20 nuggets of wisdom

1. Heather (my daughter) squats and deadlifts correctly...every time....better than 90% of everyone else I know :) See picture at right ---->
2. The vast majority of people don't like to exercise, yet we continue to push it down their throats. Only 14% belong to a health club...
3. Gaining weight is really easy; losing weight is really hard. But not impossible!
4. People will likely do business with you if they like you, trust you and realize you care about them.
5. Kids playing, while the numbers have fallen, will never go away. It is a time when a great deal is learned about activity and they do not even know it. The years I spent all my free time playing literally made me the person I am today.
6. When you realize what you are here for, it is a wonderful revelation.
7. All the degrees, fancy initials, certifications don't mean a thing if you cannot communicate effectively, using both your heart and mind. No one cares how much you know until they know how much you care.
8. Morality is largely based on what you do when no one is watching.
9. Never pass up an opportunity to make someone's day better, or to make them smile if you can.
10. Live your life every day being fully aware that you are writing your legacy.
11. Lift one more pound, run one more step, jump one more inch, try one more time; but don't give up.
12. You never know when or where you may make a friend. Two of the three groomsmen in my wedding were personal training clients of mine before we became friends.
13. Adversity presents two options: Give up or move forward. Giving up is way too easy, that is why most people do it. Moving forward will always reveal true strength.
14. If you have to pick just one physical aspect to improve, pick strength. Strength will make you a better athlete, make the activities of daily living easier to do, reduce joint pain, burn more body fat in the long run and can be performed anywhere, sometimes with little to no equipment.
15. Never stop learning. Know what you know, but more importantly, know what you don't know. Life is your only school after a certain age. Know at least 5 people who are smarter and wiser than you. Learn from your parents and grandparents - they have lived a helluva lot longer than you.
16. Nutrition is responsible for at least 75% of the changes to your body, whether you trying to gain weight, lose weight or just feel good. 75% may even be too low! When I was competing in bodybuilding, the only difference was my nutrition that allowed me to get to a minimum of 5% body fat on a regular basis.
17. Marry your best friend.
18. Fitness never stops evolving. There are things today that were irrelevant 10 years ago, such as kettlebells, but have been around for decades. Fads certainly come and go. Pieces of equipment are just tools, but the one constant is HARD WORK.
19. There are no secrets...to anything. The majority of us have the same access to the same information.
20. I realized in my teens that I just want to help as many people as I can in any way I can. That path has lead me to fitness, athlete training, nutrition and motivation. I am nobody special. But I do know what I want to do each and every day, and that is powerful. The meaning in life is have a purpose; the purpose is to live a life with meaning.

college athlete's and heart problems - greater than you might think

"Athlete's heart", or an enlarged heart, are more common than previously thought. Over 30% showed some sign of cardiac abnormality. If you are in college, or even high school, this study is very applicable. Check it out.