What’s your favorite?

I was asked the other day from a friend what is my favorite piece of equipment. I think he was thinking I was going to have the answer right on the tip of my tongue. My answer surprised him.

I answered him with a question. The question was, what exercise are you performing? Being caught off guard he said, what do you mean?

What I mean is this… I think there are many tools in a toolbox for a reason. Certain pieces of equipment are better for some things then other. That doesn’t mean that you can’t use the other pieces of equipment, it just means I prefer one above another for specific movements.

One thing I will say is I prefer functional pieces of equipment to fixed equipment any day of the week. An example of a functional piece would be a kettlebell or TRX. A fixed piece would be a bicep curl machine or leg extension machine. Functional pieces are self correcting, meaning that if you are performing a movement incorrectly, they will give you immediate response if you are doing the exercise wrong. Fixed pieces allow you to get away with poor mechanics and posture.

If you don’t know how to use functional pieces of equipment like medicine balls, bands, kettlebells, ropes, dumbbells, chains, stability balls, etc. ask someone who does. Don’t be scared of them because ultimately they are the pieces that will lead you to a greater level of success.

What is your story?

Everyone has a story to tell. They live their story everyday. The story could be I’m a champion or it could be I’m a great parent or it could be I’m fat and lazy.

Have you ever caught yourself saying the following or something similar, “I’m such an idiot!” or “Losing weight is so tough for me.” in other words, what are you telling yourself? If you are telling yourself it is always hard or this is tough, you will find everything tough and hard about it which will ultimately stop you from ever reaching what you truly want.

You may be saying, “Take it easy Dr. Phil, this is a health and fitness email not some mental session” Well if you are not in the right state of mind you will not be in the right physical state to accomplish your health and fitness goals.

Tony Robbins says to “divorce your story and come up with a new one.” Come up with a inspiring story. One that you want to live. One that you are proud to live.

How you create a story you are proud of is the easy part, living it is the challenge. Find like minded people. Sign up for classes with people that inspire you. Only do and invest in things that bring you closer to your desired story.

What can you do right now that will bring you closer to what you truly want? Is it go tot he gym? Is it putting down that cookie in your hand? Is it signing up for a gym membership? Is it getting a group of friends together to create a exercise group?

Tell me what you are doing today to make tomorrow better.

Are you ready for Speedo season?

Without realizing it, summer is a few weeks away and you know what that means… Pools, vacations, slip and slides, beaches (although I think calling the shores of Lake Michigan a beach is a sad statement), boats, lakes and the inevitable swimsuit! Duh duh dun!

For some it is nothing and no big deal, for others it is a HUGE deal. Ask my wife! This is when the kids my be getting done with exams but us adults are cramming in every last bit of effort for the swimsuit. So in hopes of helping you with your last minute cram session I thought I would share some tips with you about how to make a difference in the next 3 weeks to a month.

1. Drink plenty of water. Now with the heat being more regular and often make sure you are staying hydrated. I like to use half your body weight in ounces as a gauge but during the warmer months it may have to be more. (Let your pee tell you. The clearer the better)
2. Eat throughout the day. Again it is heat related. Our bodies demand more during the warmer months because we are typically doing more. Eating throughout the day will help you stay satisfied and keep energy levels even throughout the day.
3. Be active. Take advantage of the weather and do things that you normally would not or could not. Swim. Bike. Run. Walk. Golf. Play tennis, etc. Get your families involved and do something together. It is a great way to get exercise and spend time with the people you love. If you want a suggestion, sign up for the 2nd Annual Lace Up for Learning 5k, http://www.signmeup.com/D128laceupforlearning. It is a great cause and you are getting active.
4. Watch the alcohol. This can be a big one for people at pools and cookouts. Alcohol does more than just add empty calories. It effects your metabolism, hormones and sleep. Have fun but be aware of the quantity.

Here is a to a great summer and swimsuit season!

Can you make it this Saturday?

Last Friday my wife gave me word that a friend had suffered a massive heart attack at the age of 35. They were going about life as usual and it just hit. We are all hoping and praying that they recover but it will be a long treacherous road before we truly know for sure. Their life will never be the same. My wife and I agreed that it is a shame that it takes something like this to remind us just how fortunate we are to have our health. It also is a real wake up call for people that don’t take their health seriously.

This Saturday at 930am is a great way to get a great work out and support a great cause, Save-A-Pet Organization.

As you know we do a number of charitable works at the gym in support of great and well respected organizations. This Saturday is another one of those. Please come out and support your health and the Save-A-Pet Organization. The entry to the workout is a donation to the organization.

What is worse, sugar or crack?

The title question is almost like asking someone would they rather die by a gun or a knife. Both not good.

This post will make the argument that sugar is the deadliest substance available. It is based on accessibility, quantity, cost and addictiveness.

Accessibility- Sugar is everywhere and available to everyone no matter age or socioeconomic status. Children can walk into any store an buy things with sugar in it. Sugar is not prejudice and is available whether you live in depressed neighborhoods or in a wealthy community. In fact, it is probably more available in the depressed communities because of convenient stores and quick stops. The scary part is that is is open season for any age. If my 1 year old knew how to talk she could buy a candy bar.

Quantity- Sugar is in most everything whether you know it or not. Things that you think may be healthy have sugar in it. Breads, natural peanut butter and salad dressings all have some derivative of sugar in its many forms. Then you have the more obvious foods that need not to be mentioned.

Cost- Sugar is cheap. If you went to the store and just wanted to buy a pound of sugar it is only a couple bucks. If you wanted a quick sugar fix candy bars and soda are very cheap at less then a dollar a serving.

Addictiveness- I saved this for last because this is the most eye opening of them all. There was a medical study done that studied the brain’s reaction to sugar and cocaine. It was identical! Yes that’s right our body reacts the same way to sugar as it does cocaine.
Check it out here: http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=7403942n
The real scary part is that you take all the above, accessibility, quantity and cost and add in the addictiveness on the body and you have a absolute recipe for disaster. Think of all the ways we use sugar in our social life. Birthdays, holidays, desserts for eating well, etc. We use it as a reward. It is like putting crack on the table with a candle and singing happy birthday. Well maybe not that extreme, but you get the idea.

Moreover, it gets worse over time because we desensitize ourselves. Sorry dad, but we were out to dinner a month ago when they were in town and we both ordered iced tea. We both reached for the sugar but them he grabbed another one. I said to him, “really another one? I thought you only used one.” he said I started with one then went to one and a half and then I just figured to use the rest. I like it sweet. That is the perfect example of how we get more and more desensitized overtime with it. Not many people I know can have just one piece of Halloween candy, which is a whole other story centering candy as the theme.

Let’s make one thing clear before I conclude, anyone who knows me knows I love the sweets and have a sweet tooth. I am not the guy that is eating wheat grass all day long. I love my desserts. I am just like most of all of you reading this. I am writing this in hopes that you look at the foods in your house and really sift through the junk and even check out what you think is healthy and make sure it does not have any derivates of sugar in it. That way if you do splurge it is not daily. It is once in a while and you keep the sugar to a minimum. I like to use the 5 gram rule. If it has more than 5 grams of sugar per serving it is no good.