Getting What You Want

Q. How do you reach a goal?

A. Never, never, never give up.

Those words – "Never, never, never give up" – declared by Winston Churchill to rally England during World War II can be found on inspirational greeting cards and T-shirts today. But his words out of context really don’t express the utter desperation of a country ready to surrender to an invading army.

His words worked. England prevailed. Ah, the magic of a powerful mantra and a single focus.

Kids have this mantra instinctively. Somewhere deep inside all of us exists this rhythmic beat.  Maybe it’s more like go - go - go. Anyway, how would any of us be walking on two feet instead of crawling without that determination and obsession? Watch them, kids are up for a second and then ker-plunk… followed by weeping for the sheer joy of the experience.

The Ker-plunk Factor

You’ll be surprised to know that the ker-plunk factor is one of the most important training programs our brains can experience. To quote John Medina from his book – Brain Rules – on how the brain learns:  “What we pay attention to is profoundly influenced by memory. “

Memory of a ker-plunk teaches us how not to do something. Our onboard computer kicks in and looks for new strategies. Achievement and success get logged in too. So look at one of our first ker-plunks and first brilliant victory – learning to walk. Take that determination right into your fitness quest and routine. Not getting what you want fast enough? Don’t give up. Learn what works and what doesn’t. Be vicious with anything that takes your determination away.

Double Memory Imprint

When I learned to walk, I also learned how to take off my clothes and for some odd reason, my parents didn’t make the effort to help me distinguish between the two. This resulted in me sneaking out of the one room apartment my parents had in downtown Portland, Oregon to visit all the neighbors – naked. Wow, what a memory imprint. I guess that’s what landed me on the cover of Playgirl a few years ago.

Cute little toddlers make you smile, don’t they?  They don’t require a “gym body” to have total fearlessness that comes from belief in possibility. Not giving up is having belief in yourself – and belief is the mind’s most powerful creative tool.

Slicing & Dicing Attention

Kids brains aren’t trying to multi-task learning to walk. By multi-task I’m referring to the “attention” directed at a task. They give just one thing total focus, and then they move on to the next thing. I used to think I was pretty good at mutli-tasking, until I realized that each task was happening slower. I was exhausted at the end of the day and my efficiency was poor.  Studies show that when you interrupt a task, it can take up to 50% longer to complete it.

Wandering Eyes

If you want to achieve something, be committed, believe in yourself and your process, and stay focused on the task at hand. I don’t let my client’s eyes and mind wander at the gym (just another form of multi-tasking). If they start to, I may have them repeat a phrase “mind in my muscle” or something that works for them in order to keep attention focused on the muscle and form.

Burn & Build a New You
The Burn & Build Body 14-Day Anti-Aging Detox is almost magical in it's ease of use and ability to focus attention on healthy transformation. The 14-Day Detox guide book "has your back" and keeps you inspired.

My clients who have wanted to lose body fat or those "last 8 pounds" have immediate success when they follow the program. It's the perfect foundation program to achieve your New Year's body composition goals. You'll Burn Fat and become stronger – the program requires eating, it's NOT a fasting diet -- and it is designed to maintain lean muscle so you don't rebound at the end of the 14-Days. There's even a Detox Maintenance Kit that you can use to continue with the "feel good" results of the 14-Days.

If you’re having difficulty reaching your goals, just remember that with razor sharp attention, you once stood up and defied gravity against huge odds and never, never, never gave up.

Train your body. Train your mind. Tame your tongue.

Information n this site is not a substitute for consulting a licensed medical professional, health care provider or nutritionist. Never begin an exercise or nutritional regime without consulting your wellness professional.

Protein Lean Power

Power-up your workouts by adding lean protein to your breakfast

Warm Gluten Free Cereals: 

Buckwheat, Gluten Free Oatmeal and Organic Brown Rice Cereals

Cook as directed on the label and just before the cereal is completely cooked add pre-mixed protein powder to the cereal. Continue to cook on low heat for a few more minutes, or until the protein liquid is mostly absorbed. This will give you a creamy breakfast cereal with complex carbohydrates and protein.

To mix the protein powder: Add two scoops of protein powder to about 7-10 ounces of water (or non-dairy “milk”). Shake or blend until dissolved. Do not put the powder directly into the cereal without mixing, it will probably curdle and get lumpy without blending into the cereal.

Gluten Free Cold Cereals:

Blend protein powder in 8-10 ounces of almond, rice, oat or hemp milk. Shake or blend well. Add to your cereal bowl. You can combine this with fruit in season. 


Best Bet:

I recommend Protein Lean from Burn & Build Body to add to your warm or cold cereals and protein smoothies. It will add 17 grams of brown rice and green pea protein to your breakfast and won't cause bloating the way whey and casein protein powders can.

Protein plus Fruit Smoothies:

Mix fresh or frozen fruit with protein powder and about 8 ounces of water or almond milk. If you are allergic to nuts – use rice, oat or hemp milk.  

Eggs:

Look for organic, free range (as opposed to cage free), antibiotic free eggs. Buy them from farmers markets, or if you’re lucky enough to live in the country, go right to the farmer.

Best hard or soft boiled. Tasty scrambled eggs oxidize the cholesterol in the yolk. 

Combine your eggs with a slice of gluten free toast and steamed vegetables.

Meats:

Stay with leaner meats (turkey, chicken). Avoid sausage and fatty meats like bacon. Turkey bacon is processed, it just promotes itself as healthy, don’t be fooled.

6 to 8 ounces of is good for a serving. If you’re on a lean down and build fitness quest, meat at breakfast might be a short-term option. However, our morning metabolism isn’t usually ready for this kind of heavy protein. Stay with organic meats, or at least certified meats, free of growth hormones and antibiotics.

Combine your meat with a slice of gluten free toast, brown rice or quinoa and steamed vegetables.

McFriedBreakfasts:

This isn’t part of a healthy lifestyle or diet. No fast food breakfasts.

Know your egg, know your meat, don’t even think about dunkin a donut.

While you're at it, put these foods on your unhealthy list and  eliminate them from your diet:

Dairy including milk, cheese, yogurt, cottage cheese

Gluten containing grains, pastas and baked goods

Refined sugar and chemical sugar substitutes

Peanuts and peanut butters

Shell fish and shrimp

Deli meats and processed meats

Hydrogenated oils and oils heated to frying 

Soy products

Train your Mind,Train your Body,Tame your Tongue

Information on this site is not a substitute for consulting a licensed medical professional or nutritionist. Never begin an exercise or nutritional regime without consulting your health care provider.

Burn & Build Body with your Detox

More than Squeezing Lemons

I remember my first “detox experiment” when I was in my 30’s. Some friends were doing a fasting cleanse with water, lemon juice, maple syrup and cayenne pepper. What did I know? It sounded good to me, and since we were all engaged in similar spiritual pursuits and taking breath work classes together, I figured someone knew what they were doing. As it turned out, all we were really good at was squeezing the lemons and getting the cayenne pepper mix just right. In the end, we all went back to our old eating habits.

That wasn’t my last adventure into detoxification and I’m glad that I’ve had various experiences which have included a guided juice and vegetable liquid fast and Panchakarma, the Ayurvedic cleansing program. The goal of all of the various programs is always physical cleansing and rejuvenation.

Since then I’ve learned a lot, and since I’m working with my training clients on anti-aging and lifestyle changes in addition to pumping iron, I thought I’d share some of the information here. 

Metabolic Slow Down

Most people think that a detoxification is necessary only after you’ve binged excessively on drugs, alcohol or prescription medications. They also think that a detoxification has to be in a “fasting” form.  But that isn’t the case. Our bodies accumulate toxins through the ingestion of pesticides, breathing polluted air, drinking chlorinated water laced with fluoride and from the toxic by-products of digesting food, or only partially digesting food and from working out– as well as from drugs and alcohol. These toxic substances slow our metabolism - we get fat, decrease our energy and chip away at the vital life forces that keep us young, strong and confident.

Toxic Congestion

When toxins build up, our body looses the ability to function at its peak, opening the door for chronic, degenerative and non-specific diseases.  Our natural state of health and wellness is lost. Like Superman around kryptonite, we’re weaker everywhere… that includes mental functions and emotions that should be calm and happy – in addition to the physical dangers.

Starting a Detox

We can scrub our skin, but what about our internal organs? To look and feel our best, we have to make a conscious decision and take action to clear toxic substances from our system. Because a healthy, well functioning body is critical to gains made while strength training, I have about 70% of my new clients start with a cleanse. If you’re looking for a program, you’ll want to make sure you have guidance and support, someone to modify your program depending on your level of detoxification. Burn & Build Body was created to support my clients and Dr. Margolin's patients. Dr. Margolin and I co-founded Burn & Build Body and have been testing the Detox Kit for the last 5 years, it's user friendly, uncomplicated and has proven results.

Detox on the Run

On the run? Well, not really. But unless you can drop out of life for a week or two, you’ll be managing a detoxification program while you’re working, and dealing with everyday life. Since a program that detoxes the liver, kidneys, lymph system and supports intestinal function along with providing digestive enzymes is important to start with, I use the 14-Day Anti-Aging Detox Kit that has a specific diet, doesn’t’ crash your body and leaves everyone feeling more energetic and usually lighter.

My favorite thing is that the Burn & Build Body 14- Day Anti-Aging Detox program has a defined beginning and end, a specific and manageable diet, re-focuses eating patterns and while eliminating toxins, brings calm and change to both body and mind.

14-Day Detox vs "Fasting"

A fasting vs. food based detox. Both types of detoxification programs have benefits. When I "fast", it’ll be a fruit and vegetable juice fast, I’ll drop out of life for the duration and be in a place that prepares the juices and supports me spiritually as well as physically. The benefits of the Burn & Build Body cleanse – a cleanse that with a modified food diet include: being able to  choose to stay in your daily activities and having food to absorb and carry released toxins out of your system. 

Detox to Retox

I’m not sure if I made that word up, but it does happen. We slip into some of our old eating habits after a while. Confront your daily stresses and toxins start to build up again. So one detox gets us started, and repeated ones keep us healthy and vibrant. The New York Times (T-Magazine) recommends getting a detox Kit in December to detox after the holidays. (T-Magazine - see December 18)

Subversion Assault

It’s not just alcohol, sugar, dairy, gluten, heavy metals, pesticides and pollutants that are out to bring us down. (Translate that as “accelerate our aging process”), it’s people we know, even “friends” who want us on the same binge as them. Detoxification can also mean cleaning up our relationships and choosing healthy ones instead.

Burn to Build

Once I’ve completed this 14-Day Detox program, I find my results at the gym to multiply quicker than they have in the months before. Everything is building on a clean strong base, and nutrients are being absorbed and used as they were meant to. Because my liver is performing well, my hormone levels are better.

If you’re a guy reading this, know that a poorly functioning liver also affects your prostate health adversely. My post-detox leaner body affects my spirit as well, and I have more creativity when I’m writing or painting.

Adam Razak, an elite fitness trainer and martial artist uses and recommends these products to his clients to stay fit and get cut. On the Burn & Build Body cleanse, you'll burn body fat but not lean muscle.

This is what Rich Fitter, editor of Men's Exercise had to say about his experience:

"I plan on repeating this program every six months to ensure I stay healthy and fight father time. Given my experience with the (Burn & Build Body) 14-Day Anti-Aging Detox Kit, I highly recommend it to our (Men's Exercise) readers."

See the Anti-Aging Detox article from Men's Exercise.

Choose Anti-Aging

We get to choose what we put in our body. Choose foods that heal, nourish it and promote anti-aging. Tune-up your engine twice a year. You’ll be another chronological year older in 12 months, but your body won’t have biologically aged more than a few days.  See Burn & Build Lifestyle for food, shopping, cooking and recipe suggestions.

Train your Body. Train your Mind. Tame your Tongue.

Information on this site is not a substitute for consulting a licensed medical professional or nutritionist. You should never begin an exercise or nutritional regime without consulting your health care provider.

MetroSource Magazine Article – The Pre-Travel Workouts

GETTING IN SHAPE FOR TRAVEL

As published in MetroSource Magazine, April-May 2011

Growing up in Portland Oregon in the 50’s, long distance travel was never high on my family’s agenda. Somehow I got a travel itch that started in high school and it hasn’t stopped. It’s not as easy now. I used to hitchhike and we all used to be able to walk on and off planes to see our friends off on their trips.

JUST SITTING AROUND

The most challenging part of traveling is sitting. Whether we are traveling by car, train or air, our bodies are badly supported with seats that push our shoulders forward and make our lower backs scream with inflammation and stress.  Once we arrive, hotel beds and pillows aren’t always up to the support standards that keep our bodies healthy.

ARRIVING SHARP

Whether we’re traveling for business or vacation, we want to arrive feeling rested and strong, not tired and achy. The time to insure this is prior to travel. Make a plan and perform exercises that target endurance and core muscle groups to achieve this goal.

PRE-TRAVEL PLANS

·      For vacation travel, get committed three weeks before your departure date.

·      If you travel for business, incorporate this formula into your workout regime.

·      Dedicate three days a week to fitness conditioning for travel.

·      Include a yoga or stretch class at least one day a week.

·      Include two 30-40 minute cardio sessions each week between weight workouts.

·      Get a massage every week to work out any existing stiffness.

·      Adjust your diet so it’s low in fats and carbohydrates and heavy in protein and vegetables.

·      Eliminate inflammatory foods: sugar, anything fried, alcohol and excessive salt.

STRENGTH-TEST YOURSELF

On Day 1, you will Test your strength and endurance with this simple (yet challenging) routine outlined below.  Each week, you will perform the strength test and time how long it takes you to complete. At the end of three weeks, your goal is to shave time off your initial performance.

·  Start with 10 Squats

·  Move directly to 10 Push-ups 

·  Then follow with 10 Crunches. 

·  Immediately stand and repeat the sequence 9 more times. 

Stop if you have to, but your goal is to complete all of the movements with no rest between them. This routine targets your legs, abs and upper body and will give you a good cardio workout.

TRAVEL FIT WORKOUTS

Here are 3 days worth of exercises. I recommend doing them Monday, Wednesday, Friday separated with cardio on Tuesday and Thursday.

Perform each exercise 3 times with a goal of 15 repetitions for each – excluding the Strength Test, perform that just once.

Day 1:

1.              Strength test workout

2.              Medicine ball woodchop

3.              Cable side twists

4.              Stability ball dumbbell press

5.              Stability ball dumbbell flyes

6.              Barbell upright rows

7.              Dumbbell bicep curls

Day 2:

1.              One arm dumbbell row

2.              Wide grip cable pull down

3.              Narrow grip cable pull down

4.              Seated leg extensions

5.              Hip dips on stability ball

6.              Dumbbell weighted squats

7.              Stability ball crunches

Day 3:

1.              Medicine ball weighted sit-up

2.              Oblique crunches

3.              Plank on stability ball (hold for 10-60 seconds)

4.              Dumbbell side lateral shoulder raises

5.              Dumbbell single arm shoulder presses

6.              Push-ups, toes on stability ball

7.              Triceps rope push downs

You can find instructional videos to all of the exercises      at Rick Dinihanian's Channel on YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/user/rickdinihanian?feature=mhsn

Train your Mind,Train your Body,Tame your Tongue
Information on this site is not a substitute for consulting a licensed medical professional or nutritionist. Never begin an exercise or nutritional regime without consulting your health care provider. 

Cooking Healthy

Six Simple Tips

This is part 4 of “Living a Detox Lifestyle”.

1. Clean Your Food

Thoroughly rinse all vegetables, lettuce, and greens before using. The use of vegetable and fruit “soap” is recommended to help removing pesticide residues. Grains should also be thoroughly rinsed before being cooked.

2. Cooking Vegetables

The best way to cook vegetables is to steam them. Boiling destroys their nutrient content. Be careful not to over cook them – you’ll destroy valuable enzymes as well as nutrients, vegetables should be a little crunchy, not soggy.

3. Cooking Meat

Ground meat, should be lean and always cooked to well done. Other meat cuts can be cooked to your preference, although medium or medium-rare better preserve nutrients.

4. Cooking Poultry

Remove the skin of all fowl before cooking. Use a thermometer when roasting to determine when poultry is done. Grill, roast or steam, never fry.

5. Cooking Fish

Fish may smell a bit like the sea, but never bad. Do not eat it if it does. Make sure fish is cooked all the way through.

6. Steaming Fish and Poultry

You can easily steam your fish and poultry in a stacking bamboo steamer. If you want to steam vegetables at the same time, put your fish or poultry on the bottom steamer and your vegetables on the top one. Vegetables usually cook faster, simply remove the top steamer and continue cooking the fish or chicken until done. You’ll be surprised at how tender and moist your food will be.

Avoid Cooking This Way

1. Frying

Broil, steam, bake grill, roast or saute instead.

Do not fry anything.

2. With Salt

Do not salt foods, at least until after they have been cooked. Use unbleached, crystal or sea salt.

3. With Microwave Ovens

Microwaving changes the chemical structure of your food. It’s not a form that is beneficial to your body.

4. With Aluminum

Aluminum is a highly toxic metal. Aluminum molecules enter food that is cooked, covered or stored in aluminum pots, cans or foil. Teflon coatings do not prevent aluminum for leaching into food.

5. Scrambling Eggs

Cooking scrambled eggs causes oxidation of the cholesterol contained in the yolks, making it a harmful substance. Poaching eggs is best, followed by boiling.

4. Raw

Unless you have a healthy digestive system, raw vegetables can be difficult to digest. Steaming is the best choice for the first month or two of a health therapy program. If you digest raw vegetables well, disregard this last suggestion.

For more information visit the NPR website. You'll find a vinegar wash formula for cleaning vegetables and fruit as well as other tips. Click Here.

Train your Body. Train your Mind. Tame your Tongue.

Information on this site is not a substitute for consulting a licensed medical professional or nutritionist. You should never begin an exercise or nutritional regime without consulting your health care provider

More Healthy Shopping

Shop Smart

This is part 3 of "Living a Detox Lifestyle". These tips will continue to help you navigate through grocery store items in order to choose the highest quality food.

Produce

Although it is usually more expensive, organic produce is much healthier and has more nutrients than non-organic produce. Ideally, produce should be fresh, ripe, in-season and locally grown. Look for a local farmer’s market or consider mail-ordering organic food if there is none in your area. Color counts too–bring home an entire rainbow of colorful fruits and vegetables if your eating guidelines allow for them.

Meat

Buy only organic and/or free-range, hormone and antibiotic-free meats whenever possible. Lean meat is always healthiest. If it is not available then trim off all excess fat before cooking.

Poultry and Eggs

Poultry and eggs should be organic and/or free-range, hormone and antibiotic-free. Eggs labeled as “High Omega 3” are especially healthy. If the label says "cage free", it doesn't necessarily mean "free range".

Seafood

Buy only smaller varieties of cold water, non-farm-raised fish. Fish should smell a bit like the sea, but fresh. It should not smell bad. Avoid shellfish and scavenger type seafood. Most fish are contaminated with toxic metals and chemicals, farm raised is the least healthy and most contaminated.

Buy Whole Fresh Foods

Read labels carefully and look for foods that contain only one ingredient. Look for the word “whole” before the first ingredient on the label or ingredient list. Fresh food is healthier than packaged, frozen or canned foods. Always buy fresh first. If you do by packaged foods, always check the expiration dates on the labels.

Watch out for These

Non-Domestic Produce

Non-domestic produce is usually out of season for the climate we live in, picked unripe, heavily sprayed and lacking nutrients you’ll get with local, organic produce. If it was picked ripe and unsprayed, do you think it could handle the shipping?

Ground Meat

A patty of ground meat can contain body parts from up to 80 cattle whose health is unknown. That package of ground meat started collecting bacteria on all of its surfaces as soon as it was ground. If you insist, have your butcher grind it fresh for you, or do it yourself. Better– stick with whole meat cuts.

Frozen Poultry

Most frozen poultry is packaged by poultry processors. Most use hormones to maximize bird size and growth rate and must use antibiotics to prevent disease because of the extreme cage-crowding found in a typical poultry farm. The hormones and antibiotics remain in the bird and are passed into your body when you eat them. 

Deceptive Labeling

The word “natural” does not mean healthy or safe. Insect parts and rodent droppings are also “natural”. If the ingredients say "hydrogenated oil" (of any kind) or "partially hydrogenated oil" then the food contains trans-fats – even if the "Food Facts" say zero trans-fats. Our watchdog government allows up to .5 grams of trans-fats to be in foods without declaring it. A few servings of deceptively labeled processed foods and you are taking your trans-fat consumption into the danger zone.   Click for more trans-fat information.

10 Things to Avoid

1.  Non-domestic produce

2.  Ground Meat

3.  Frozen Poultry

4.  Farm Raised Fish

5.  Food with Additives

6.  Processed Foods

7.  Deceptive Labeling

8.  Hydrogenated Fats

9.  Artificial Sweeteners

10 High-Fructose Corn Syrup

Train your Body. Train your Mind. Tame your Tongue.

Information on this site is not a substitute for consulting a licensed medical professional or nutritionist. You should never begin an exercise or nutritional regime without consulting your health care provider

Healthy Shopping

Shop Well – Eat Well
This is the second part of a series about living a "detoxification lifestyle". For an  overview of detoxification read this blog – click here. My  detox program starts with a metabolic detox and targets the liver, kidneys and helps restore function to the lymph system and intestines. It also includes probiotics and digestive enzymes. The 10-day diet does not include grains of any kind, red meat, alcohol, coffee, dairy or sugar. You'll find versions of some of those items on the healthy food shopping list even though they are eliminated in the detox program. We can’t eat well without having healthy foods around and having a shopping list keeps me from wandering down the bright isles lined with Twinkies and Doritos.

Shop Green

Buy everything organic if you can. But if you have to budget, or if organic simply isn't available, here's a list of foods containing the most toxins which you’ll definitely want to buy organic – and those foods that are safer and can come from from conventional sources. The Environmental Working Group lists the most chemically treated foods, and also provides information on those foods that are safer to eat non-organic.

Buy Organic

White Potatoes

Grapes 

Leafy Greens

Spinach

Kale

Carrots

Pears

Tomatoes

Bell Peppers

Celery

Peaches

Apples

Strawberies

Blueberries 

Cherries

Nectarines

OK Non-Organic

Onions

Avocados

Sweet Corn

Pineapple

Mango

Bananas

Asparagus

Sweet Peas

Kiwi

Cabbage

Eggplant

Papaya

Watermelon

Honeydew

Broccoli

Sweet Potato

Grapefruit

Count the Numbers

Blueberries are rated by as the most polluted berries on the market, containing up to 52 different pesticides. Conventional spinach has up to 48 different pesticides, cherries 42, carrots 26 and pears 28. The extra buzz you get in your non-organic coffee can come from pesticides. Look for coffee beans that say USDA Organic and Fair Trade Certified, or Rainforest Alliance (or bird friendly). No washing can clean the pesticide residue from grapes, which can harbor as many as 34 different pesticides – and remember, wine is made from grapes.

Beefy Toxins

Meats contain most of their toxins in the fat, beef muscle is fairly clean but beef fat contains up to 10 different pesticides and both meat and fat can contain growth hormones. Look for grass fed organic.

Grainy Poisons

Animals fed on non-organic grains absorb the toxins of the grains. Conventionally farmed produce and grains are frequently grown with fertilizers that contain cadmium. Cadmium is a known human carcinogen, it damages DNA and also disrupts a DNA repair system that helps to prevent cancer. Cadmium accumulates in and can also damage the kidneys. Two other common toxins that are found in non-organic grains and foods are arsenic and lead.

PCB Salmon

Polychlorinated biphenyls also known as PCBs interfere with our thyroid – the gland most important to our energy and metabolism. While PCBs are no longer used in the USA, they are still in the environment, and found particularly in "farmed" salmon – another reason to choose wild salmon. Enough exposure to these and you end up with a poorly functioning thyroid, or hypothyroid, causing weight gain, depression and low energy.

Whey This

This is a good place to mention that the whey protein you drink to support your gym workouts can contain cadmium, lead, arsenic, mercury and bovine growth hormones. Look for Non-BGH (bovine growth hormone) and organic, or from grass fed cows on the labels. You really don't want rat poison in your protein shake do you?

Ads Make Us Fat 

According to “The Daily Green”, the food industry spends $25 Billion a year marketing their products. With processed foods, for example, that kind of advertising power can create enough brand identities to make a whole nation confused and fat. In fact, it has. In 1978, 45% of the population was overweight. Today that number is 67% with increasing consumption of processed foods and obesity comes cancer, liver disease, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, kidney disorders and more.

When you’re shopping, you want to look for locally grown, in season produce and vegetables. In order for a food item to be shipped, it has to be picked before it’s ripe and full of the complete set of nutrients a ripe fruit has. Don’t cheat yourself.

Shopping Suggestions

Here’s a starter list of foods to help you stay healthy, energetic and lean:

Greens and Fresh Vegetables:

Romaine, Arugula, Watercress, Endive, Mustard Greens, Bok Choy, Spinach, Kohlrabi, Swiss Chard, Kale, Parsley, Cilantro, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Cabbage, Brussels Sprouts, Asparagus, Peppers, Green Beans, Celery, Carrots, Cucumber, Zucchini and Sea Vegetables.

Fruits and Vegetables

Lemons, Limes, Apples, Pears, Bananas, Melons, Strawberries, Raspberries and all fruits and berries in season.

Beans, Legumes, Grains, Seeds and Nuts

Lentils, all varieties of Beans, Quinoa, Wild and Brown Rice, Amaranth, Buckwheat, Gluten Free Oatmeal, Millet, Almonds and other Nuts (except peanuts), Sunflower and other seeds. Include hummus and almond butters. Avoid gluten containing grains.

Meat, Poultry and Tofu

Lean cuts of Chicken and Turkey, wild Salmon (not farmed) and white fish, organic, free range eggs and grass fed beef. Make sure you only consume organic and non-gmo Tofu.

Beverages

Almond and Rice Milk (avoiding soy milk), distilled and spring water, diluted organic fresh juices, herbal teas, green and white teas. Milk is not your friend.

Sweeteners

Vermont Maple Syrup, Raw Honey, Turbanado Sugar, Sucinat, Stevia and Agave. Please read the three part series on sugars from January 2010 starting with Sugar Baby - Part 1.

Seasonings and Condiments

Cayenne Pepper, Garlic, Basil, Celery Seed, Chives, Dill, Marjoram, Oregano, Rosemary, Sage, Tarragon, Thyme, Anise, Bay Leaves, Cinnamon, Corrander, Cumin, Curry, Turmeric, Fennel, Ginger, Natural Ketsup, Celtic Sea Salt (the unbleached, grey salt), Miso (in moderation), Braggs Liquid Aminos and Wheat free, low sodium Tamari.

Dan Alexander, a celebrated health writer wrote about processed foods  in his 1960 book  Good Health and Common Sense:

“Many “modern-day” diseases were unknown centuries ago. The types of illness that afflicted 

mankind 5,000 years ago were far different from the ailments of today.

Early men, and primitive people today were dependent on natural foods. They did not eat any 

processed foodstuffs, which lack certain needed elements and contain other needed elements – but in strange combinations that are unfamiliar to the body and possibly unworkable. Examples are whipped butter, hydrogenated peanut butter, processed cheeses. When we began to consume vast quantities of highly refined foods, we became victims of a flood of “new” diseases.”

Good Health and Common Sense was written half a century ago, but it didn't make us wake up. The changes since then have been an exponential increase in chemically treated and processed foods and a corresponding increase in diseases. But we can make a difference in our own lives; start with a personal shopping list, detoxify your body and diet, enjoy eating and live greener.

Train your Body. Train your Mind. Tame your Tongue.

Information on this site is not a substitute for consulting a licensed medical professional or nutritionist. You should never begin an exercise or nutritional regime without consulting your health care provider

Bad Days Happen

Sometimes I have to sidestep the activity of training, responsibilities and life in general to get a perspective on “what I’m doing now, and why?” Just the movement of getting from one place to another in Manhattan can distort my “well-intended reality”. There are days when a walk down 6th Avenue to 23rd Street feels claustrophobic, almost like there’s no room physically or energetically for me.

I wanted a retreat from everything last week, but I didn’t realize it until after a long grumpy hour at the gym. It was showing up in my body… knee hurt, elbow hurt, no spring in my legs for jumps and I felt really weak.  The scary part is that what I really felt like was “old”.

My brain doesn’t think I’m old, my body’s pretty good, but all last week everything on the outside was hammering away at my favorite commandment: “Never blame anything on your age”. It was a lot of work to stay away from that blame place. I knew the feeling would pass, but not quickly enough for me. There wasn’t a blog posting last week, now you know why.

So I headed up to the Catskills – thinking that alone time in the mountains should turn this around. It was cold, cloudy and rainy. Those kind of creepy dark days just like the middle of winter but without any festive holidays to perk them up. Five wet dark days and then the sun came out like there was never a gloomy day. Everything looked different, my mood slowly shifted, and the reality of handling good and bad days looked a whole lot simpler.

This is how simple it is – I’m not doing the things I do to be 20 again, but to be fully alive, every minute – until I’m not.

Staying fit and strong is a big part of aliveness. If you’re looking for another reason to embrace a healthy, fitness lifestyle, look at your aliveness. Look at it when you’re feeling good – remember that feeling and keep working out… it’ll carry you through the bad times until the sun comes out again.

Train your Body. Train your Mind. Tame your Tongue.

Information on this site is not a substitute for consulting a licensed medical professional or nutritionist. Never begin an exercise or nutritional regime without consulting your health care provider.

Turning 61

May 27, 2010

There are billboards and ads everywhere announcing the release of “Sex in the City 2” on May 27^th. My favorite is one with high heels in the sand and the girls looking as comfortable as if they were walking on a red carpet. No sinking heels in that sand dune. We love Hollywood because it makes the impossible – real. (Photoshop does too) Making the impossible – real is one of my favorite things about California. The whole state lives in the sunny land of possibility. 

May 27^th is also my birthday – I just turned 61 – and I was lucky to spend most of my life in California so that even the last 6 years of living in New York hasn’t changed my mindset. New York is solid, and the city is all about business, no flirting and teasing. But I had to stop for a few minutes and think about my life because it’s always been a combination of California and New York.

Flirting,Teasing & Love

I love the flirting and teasing and the exploration of new ideas and teachings. The concepts that I love get more attention and eventually become part of my life. They become part of the “business of life”.

The same applies to “fitness life”.  For my birthday this year I explored kickboxing and was surprised by how much I loved it. It really helps to love everything we do, even if it’s tough work. Having a “flirt affair” with the treadmill or dumbbells at the gym is a great start. I like to “date “ different kinds of workouts too and then get down to business. The tease comes from watching our bodies change while we’re doing this.

Looking at my body as a business enterprise has been pretty easy. I used to build graphic design projects from a napkin concept to finished campaigns. The ones that were the best always had a special relationship to the businesses that hired me.

If you’re an actor, dancer, or in my case, a lifestyle coach and fitness trainer, it’s obvious that our bodies are important for our careers. But it’s no different for bankers or corporate vice-presidents – a fit body tells the world that you’re focused, strong, and flexible enough to navigate life. No bag of Doritos or financial glitch is going to knock you off course. You’re dependable.

When you believe that you are worth the effort to stay fit and healthy others will believe in your worth as well.

If you can take care of yourself then you can take care of company business… or your client’s – that’s one hidden message. You’ll get promoted instead of someone else – that’s a message that’s not hidden.

Creating our Future

Think of health and exercise this way – working out is like creating a “Fitness 401k”. The more we stock away, the stronger our “F401k” is. The longer we do it, the more we have in reserve. Of course diversity is also security. That means creating strong minds and lifestyle training as much as having a strong body.

If you’re 30, start your “F401k” now. You’ll start compounding the benefits early. If you’re 60 or older, it’s not too late to tap into the unlimited possibilities that a healthy strong body offers you for your future.  If you don’t believe me, maybe it’s time to take a trip to Hollywood.

Train your Body. Train your Mind. Tame your Tongue.

Information on this site is not a substitute for consulting a licensed medical professional or nutritionist. You should never begin an exercise or nutritional regime without consulting your health care provider.