On Monday I had the great privilege of sharing some information about fitness and nutrition with some summer camp kids. These students were great and had lots of great questions.

We went over the best types of exercise and discussed the pro’s and cons of all exercise styles. Teaching them about Isometrics and Resistance training was fun and I hope they remember their form. When we went over body weight exercises, they were very interested in knowing that they could achieve such great results with
just their body weight. “You don’t need a gym?” That’s right you can take your workout anywhere!

You can take some great information away from this too! I shared with them that they could work out anywhere and that really opened there eyes. You should know that if you have floor space you have your gym. “But I don’t wanna do pushups!” that is fine, pack one resistance band and get busy! I know it maybe a little more complicated than that but it can be done. If you know a trainer (right here) they can usually give you some ideas for little of nothing when it comes to $$.

Discussing organic foods with them, and going over what raw, easily digestible foods were, the students looked a little puzzled. No worries though, we worked it out. It’s amazing to see these kids so receptive to eating healthy, they just lack the information. Someday I will change that, but for now we can make a conscious effort to share tips for healthy eating with our kids or our nieces and nephews.

Live it!

If you know this stuff please share it. What good is it if you are the healthiest of all? It’s life giving info and it needs to be shared. Just remember you can’t change anyone, I have to remind myself of this all the time. They have to want to change, this desire usually comes after they recognize that they are to blame for where they are. If you get this, then you can help a lot, just don’t be pushy!

Together we can help the world….Or something like that.

I have been asked about burst training more than once this last week. I assume that it is gaining in popularity, but given the fact that I don’t follow trends I am not surprised that I haven’t heard about it. After doing some research I learned all I need to know on the matter. I have found that burst training, although effective is not a complete source of exercise for the body. It is however a great addition to a strength training regimen and a nice addition to resistance training.

The one thing I can’t stand, especially in the my field is “a one size fits all” approach to anything but especially to fitness. Your workouts should have a great amount of variety both to effectively stimulate your muscles and also to keep you motivated towards your goals. Burst training is, going all out for as long as 15 minutes or as little as 5 minutes. It is an intense style of cardio that would work great with your other workouts.

Just remember to never subscribe to any fitness machine or fashion that claims to be the “new standard” in the industry. Stick with things that have stood the test of time, like body weight training (pushups, pull-ups and the like), isometrics and weight lifting. Throw in some boxing or jump rope for cardio and you are on your way. If you need a customized plan then you need a personal trainer. You are in luck! I can help you there…

There will always be a new device that is designed to woo the public but nothing can replace forcing a physical fitness habit. You can achieve the same results if you just make a healthy habit out of your exercise. You just have to get up and get to it. No one has to remind you to brush your teeth or close the car door behind you, they are good habits and you need more of those.

Over the years, many people have asked me why I think push-ups are one of the best all-around exercises for fitness and strength. Here are ten solid reasons.

1. In the multi-variations that are possible, push-ups work every major muscle group in the entire body and on both sides of the body—no other exercise can do this!

2. Push-ups are totally free! You already have everything you need within arm’s reach (pun intended) to achieve a world-class body sculpting strength and fitness training program.

3. Push-ups can be done virtually anywhere—all you need is a few square feet and you’re off to the races.

4. Push-ups solve time-constraint issues. Once you’re in the groove, you’ll be able to perform an entire workout in less time than it would take to drive to a gym and change into gym clothes.

5. Push-ups have almost no risk of injury. This is especially true as you integrate a number of variations into your routine that challenge, sculpt, and strengthen your entire musculature from multiple angles.

6. Push-ups are the key to a sound and healthy heart and a powerful pair of lungs. They integrate both cardio endurance and cardio interval training into one series of exercises.

7. Push-ups build lithe, perfectly sculpted muscles from your neck to toes. The result is a sculpted physique that is always proportionate to your body’s natural frame, muscle and bone structure.

8. Push-ups are the key to dynamic lifelong weight management, because as they build muscle, they automatically accelerate your body’s fat-burning engines. One pound of muscle burns 35 calories a day, in contrast to just 2 calories burned by one pound of fat per day. Your muscles thus reset your metabolism, burning fat twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week.

9. Push-ups are the foundation of a fitness lifestyle that will keep you young, vibrant, energized, and totally strong for life!

10. Push-ups reinforce your personal willpower and self-determination to do and accomplish great things. They are the ultimate self-fulfilling prophecy for lifelong strength and fitness.

By: John Peterson
http://www.transformetrics.com

If you know us here at Life Fitness Academy, then you know that we enjoy great places that serve great things. Like what?… you ask!?! Well, like Kombucha, organic fair trade coffee, and great foods! It doesn’t hurt to have great service, a wonderful atmosphere, and community all wrapped up into one nice place.

The Frothy Monkey is such a place. We like Frothy because of their commitment to quality, the attention to detail, and they sell delicious kombucha! It’s a great pick-me-up kind of place, especially for me, between clients at the gym on Music Row, or a central meeting place for clients and friends alike. Frothy has recently made some upgrades to their building, like: more seating in an attached breezeway, as well as a new bar situated on the back wall.

I have to admit that what has drawn me to this place in the beginning was their name. “The Frothy Monkey”, it sounds fun and worth exploring. So I did, and every time I come in for a kombucha I am greeted by a staff that is truly warm, as I am sure a frothy monkey would be. Being in the fitness and nutrition business, I must say that I would love to see some healthier breakfast pastries, like maybe some spelt flour danishes, spelt cookies, spelt cinnamon rolls and local dairy yogurt with soaked almonds and berries. I know what your thinking, “spelt flour?” Yes! It’s easier to digest and unlike all-purpose flour or even whole wheat flour it will allow you to keep your energy up in the morning. Just a suggestion…

I am thankful there is a place where I can unwind or get a quick “pick me up” during my day. Thanks Frothy Monkey, you inspire community!

Here is a word from a good friend and client (in that order) who achieved success working with us. I hope you enjoy her story and that inspires you to get moving and put in the HARD work!

What a year can do, let me tell you.

My journey for change in my eating/nutrition habits and physical fitness began a little over a year ago. It was a change that I had been searching for some time. Nothing I was currently doing or tried was making any difference than the occasional 5 pounds shed (but would always gain back at some point). I always wanted to be in good shape and eat healthy. I wasn’t horribly overweight but I didn’t like how I looked and I just plain wanted to be fit. I felt like I was never going to see a change and prayed to God that He would provide a solution that would work.

I did not know or have that much knowledge about nutrition and I certainly did not take fitness that seriously. I would eat what I liked, tried to make the best choices that I knew how. I would read articles online and try to incorporate some of what I read into what I chose to eat. But let‚Äôs face it I just ate what I enjoyed and what tasted good. It was how I had always eaten and what I knew at the time. Getting myself to exercise on a consistent basis was a chore. I could not get myself motivated to stay on a routine. About 3-4 years ago we had a weight loss challenge at work and I started my weekday mornings off with a 30 minute walk. I’ve been doing that ever since, somewhat of a routine, but still not doing anything very active or different to see a noticeable physical change in tone or shape of my body. I had no accountability to keep me going and just felt like I was stuck in a cycle repeating itself over and over every year. It was just tiring and frustrating.

I then met my friends Tim and Nate in the fall of 2008. In getting to know them, I noticed that they ate differently and paid more attention to the types of food they ate. I came to learn they ate according to the Maker’s Diet, which I knew nothing about. Through them, I met their friend Terry in early 2009 and became friends with his family who also ate the same way. Being around them, I was able to observe what they ate and learn about the types of food I should be eating; eating sprouted breads, using spelt flour, using raw cane sugar, and just other good foods for your body that would be recognized and easily absorbed. I began to make small changes in my diet by substituting certain foods with more organic ones. And after a few short months, I began to lose a noticeable amount of weight. My clothes began to feel big on me which got me really excited.

Now all I needed was a better fitness plan to shape and tone myself. Terry started to teach boot camp classes weekly. I started going once a week for a month or so and then soon began attending classes 3 times a week. This really helped me to gain an understanding of the different types of exercises you can do and should be doing to reach all the different areas of your body. Let me tell you that it wasn’t easy first starting out. I wasn’t used to doing all these different types of cardio and strengthening exercises. I was sore in so many areas I never knew could and it was exhausting, but as the weeks went on I could see results happening. I was losing more weight. I could see tone and muscle definition in my arms, legs and stomach. And people started to notice a change, which was a boost of confidence for me and happy about the work I was doing.

It’s been almost a year now of doing boot camps 3 times a week. I’ve lost 20 pounds and went down 2 pant sizes. I could not be more ecstatic about that. I am in the best shape of my life and I’m so glad to have finally reached the point where I wanted to be physically and now nutritionally. I could not have done it without Terry and my friends. Having that accountability and encouragement is what I needed to make this happen and get me through. I know so much more about the types of food to eat and what I need to do physically to keep myself healthy.

I will continue to learn as I go. It can be done and it does take work, but starting in small steps and working towards a bigger goal while having that accountability is what can get you results. I’ve been very blessed and thankful for Terry and all that he does and continues to help me with. If you are looking for a total change, Terry will be a great support and you can see amazing results with the fitness/nutritional support he can provide. It will take time, commitment and determination to see the results, but it CAN be done. It changed my life.

Before:

After:

After:

I want to personally tell you about the benefits of this product. It is Wobenzym N by Garden of life. It has a blend of enzymes that provides temporary relief from aches, pain and muscle soreness due to everyday activity, supports the body’s natural inflammation response, and leads to increased flexibility and mobility and supports overall joint and tendon health as well.

I have been using it for only 1 week and can tell a major difference. My shoulder had been giving me problems during my workouts, causing everyday activities to be painful.
The enzyme blend contains the following, clinically studied enzymes: pancreatin, papain, bromelain, trypsin, and chymotrypsin. Each one of these is a protease, which simply means that they break down proteins. When I am working out 6 days a week my body needs all the protein it can get. With this product my body is able to receive it easier. It also helps balance the inflammation response in normal activity. It has also increased my flexibility and the mobility of my shoulder, and the temporary relief from aches, pains, and muscle soreness.

If you have any sort of muscle or joint inflammation, this product will definitely help. I personally recommend this product. If you have any questions about these product or any Garden of Life products, please contact us and we are willing to help.

Well, let me tell you a little bit more about me, for years I was under weight and didn’t think a thing about it. I ate what I wanted when I wanted to and rarely ever ate healthy. I was working out but without any knowledge of what I was doing. Besides not knowing what I was doing, I sure didn’t know how to eat. I persisted to ask every guy that looked semi-in-shape for advice, but to no avail! If they knew, they sure weren’t telling me anything. After I got married, (nearly 10 years ago) I switched jobs and left my electrical and maintenance background and opted for the life of landscaping.

This change was inspired by the overwhelming need for sunlight, being trapped in a dark factory wasn’t the life for me. My wife and I (Carissa) were happy to be together. One day after a doctors appointment my wife told me that the doctor was worried about her breast health. She had a high probability for cancer, that certainly got our attention! But we did nothing for two years, after which we had our first child. At this time, my best friend’s mothers’ health had failed her and after several strokes and many prayers she passed. My best friend, Tim from www.ettlt.com handed me a book, the book was the Maker’s Diet by Jordan Rubin. This was the first book of its kind that I had seen, but after I had read it and conversed with Tim he said these words that echoed in my head for days after ‘if I had read this book years ago I believe my mom would still be alive”.

This was the beginning of something new for me as I started removing things from my family’s diet… starting with conventional, pasteurized dairy. This was significant because at the time our 1 year old was dealing with chronic ear infections and was up against ear canal surgery. We changed milk and saw a chiropractor, problem solved. He hasn’t had a problem with his ears since, he is now 6 years old! The hard masses that my wife was dealing with in her breast tissue had diminished so much that she hasn’t had any problems at all since the switch.

It wasn’t soon after that, I started questioning everything and doing lots of research on whole, organic, and raw foods. I spent a lot of time in my basement office reading and searching out content. I received my certification as a nutrition specialist and personal trainer around this time as well. It started out as just a way for me to better understand what I needed to do in my boring workouts and escalated into a full desire to teach. I pursued this passion by leaving my job of now 5 years trying to make my passion an income. I failed, then retried in a new state. Once I started in Nashville TN, I soon accumulated clients, but I was still under weight mind you.

This is where I began my whole health transition, I came up with a plan right around october of 2008. This plan was to gain weight without any “gainers”, whey proteins “mass builders”, or anything else that was unnatural. I wanted to gain weight using the Maker’s Diet “phase 3″ the way I have been eating for 4 years at this time. My goal in gaining weight was to:

1) get to my perfect weight
2) gain and sculpt my body
3) use this as an example of weight control for education

So off I went from November 1st to April 29th I ate 6 meals a day, followed by a tough 6 day a week training schedule which included marathon training. I would get up in the morning and have.
3 eggs
2 pieces of turkey bacon
2 pieces of sprouted cinnamon and raison Ezekiel toast
Mid-morning
2 egg protein shake
Lunch
2 Applegate Farms all beef hot dogs on yet more Ezekiel bread
Mid- afternoon
banana and maybe another protein shake
Dinner
Protein (chicken, fish or beef)
Vegetable (anything green
Starch (white or sweet potato)

Before bed
2 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches on sprouted Ezekiel bread

I went from 145 to 205 pounds like it was my job… because it was my job. I did all that with training for a half marathon, eating nothing but organic all natural whole foods, a lot of those foods mind you. That is 60 pounds in 6 months! On purpose! Well, here is the kicker, after I ran the half marathon (pictured below) I went on the Maker’s Diet and started at the bottom “phase one” and it wasn’t long before I had dropped 20 pounds. Long, being, 3 weeks!!!

I now rest at 180 and after doing the 40 day Maker’s Diet again (as I do do it every year) I am now at 176 but that’s not even the point (recent picture below). The point here is that you have control if you educate yourself. If you are wondering how to do that, that is where I want to help. It is not a great mystery of calorie counting and portion reduction. Those things can help but are not practical for everyday life. As where eating to the “diet”, as it were, you will be able to sustain your weight and balance your pH levels, insulin swings, toxins, immune health, vitality and a whole slew of others that I don’t have the time to list (because my hand is cramping from all this typing).

There are few other trainers out there that will promise you that and guarantee your weight loss and total body change, I can help you because I have done it personally and have seen it through in the life of my family as well as scores of clients!

Here are my numbers

11/01/08
145
16% Body Fat

04/29/09
205
23% Body Fat

03/20/10
176
9% Body Fat

Feeling better than ever and looking like it, if do say so myself.

The Hottest Nutrient Under the Sun

The vitamin D deficiency in this country is growing, and it seems as though you can get a vitamin D supplement anywhere. But why would you? When Garden Of Life has the best on the market?! It’s the best because it has been specially grown, yes! Grown! It is a living product. Now you will be able to break it down more naturally and your cellular delivery will be optimized.

Read on and see!

Vitamin Code RAW Vitamin D3 is different from any other vitamin D nutritional supplement available today. In following with the Vitamin Code philosophy, RAW Vitamin D3 is a whole food vitamin D complex that is gluten- and dairy-free with no soy allergens, binders or fillers, and contains live probiotics and enzymes. More importantly, Vitamin Code RAW D3 is a raw source of vitamin D3.

Why Do I Need Vitamin D?

As vitamin D deficiency has become more prevalent, the attention and focus paid to vitamin D have increased, and for good reason. Most people familiar with vitamin D understand that this nutrient is essential to skeletal system health.† Along with calcium, vitamin D is considered vital for maintaining healthy bones.† Vitamin D actually regulates the use of calcium in the body by dramatically increasing its absorption and utilization.

Much of the interest in vitamin D stems from the fact that it’s found throughout the body in over 600 receptor sites including the brain and the heart. Due to the fact that vitamin D receptors are so prevalent in the body, research has increased on vitamin D, and seemingly everyday new studies tout the health benefits of vitamin D consumption.

Recent studies have also shown that vitamin D supports immune health by helping to regulate the immune system.† The brain is home to dozens of vitamin D receptor sites, and vitamin D has been shown to enhance memory and concentration.† Vitamin D supports healthy digestion, again since receptor sites are found from the mouth all the way through the intestines.† Healthy vitamin D levels support two increasing areas of concern—breast health for women and prostate health for men.†

Why Choose Vitamin Code RAW D3?

Typically found in two forms, D2 and D3, both have been shown to be effective in clinical studies to raising vitamin D levels in the blood. However, vitamin D3 is preferred since it’s metabolized much better in the body and is in the form that comes from the most natural sources possible—the sun and our food.

Vitamin Code RAW D3 is the only RAW, vegetarian, whole food vitamin D3 formulated with RAW Food-Created Nutrients‚Ñ¢. Cultivated with live probiotics, antioxidants, enzymes and nutrient-specific peptides, RAW Food-Created Nutrients provide targeted delivery and natural recognition of nutrients by your body to support:

Healthy Bones & Joints†
Healthy Colon & Digestion†
Memory & Concentration†
Breast & Prostate Health†
Proper Cell Replication†
Immune System†
If you are interested in experiencing extraordinary health — when you want the best — feed your body with Vitamin Code RAW D3 — the hottest nutrient under the sun.

You may ask yourself why I put an emphasis on whole foods or organics. It may well be because these foods promote life, and through that they quite possibly may be responsible for saving life. As far fetched as that may seem to you the truth is in the pudding… or lack there of.

Eating well doesn’t mean zero calorie, zero fat, no sugars… It is the exact opposite. Full whole fats, content over calories, raw sugars over artificial sweeteners. It’s not just a good idea it IS the start to eating for life. Some other ways that you can promote life is by eating as close to raw fruits and vegetables as possible.

Grass fed free range meat, dairy and eggs are also vital to promoting life in the body. These foods are far better for you when they are in their most natural state. Giving you more nutrients that are easier for the body to use unlike foods that are stripped then re-enhanced with often synthetic vitamins.

Supplements are important because you can never have enough of certain nutrients. Such as but not limited to: probiotics, fish oil and low temp, low pressure super green capsules or powder. These aren’t just a good idea, on most occasions they will restore nearly everything your body is lacking.

There is a down side to this style of eating, it’s not a quick fix…. You must rebuild your internal organs as well as your digestive tract. It didn’t get there over night and it will likely take years to run a full strength. Is it worth working for? Only if you treasure life and count it all as a gift from God.

Analyze these things in your life and please do your research, life is worth more then doing whatever feels good.