Hit by a Mac Truck

Do you have days when you feel--and look-- like you've been hit by a Mac truck?
Lets face it, we all get older...but we don't have to feel or look older.

Biological age was a term coined to describe how old your lifestyle makes you in terms of being closer or further from death. Happy thought right?

In fact, as this blog discusses over and over again, what we do and eat makes a profound difference in our quality of life, our health, and how quickly we age in appearance. There are assessments found all over the web that claim to calculate a biological age. The main flaw I have found in most of them is that they weight certain food intake behaviors against a person regardless of their metabolic type. In fact, some foods considered good for everyone in these surveys can be not so good for certain metabolic types.

That said, the surveys can be a fun way to raise the general awareness of how our habits and lifestyle truly dictate how quickly we age and lose vitality...or, conversely, stay young and vibrant.

So, click over to one of the best surveys I have found and have fun discovering your biological age...it may just inspire you to take that next step toward a healthier and younger you!

Grow Youthful Biological Age Survey

A New life--Want to Play?

Stop and think just for a moment about where you are in your life and in your fitness program. Where you are is so much more important than where you have been or where you are going and yet most of us spend so much time living in the past or the worrying about the future that we never experience “Now.”

Consider for a minute that right now is a culmination of everything you have created in your life. If you are broke, you created that. If you are over weight, you created that too. Other conditions become more difficult and “woo-woo” to talk about creating but many people (myself included) believe that most of our degenerative disease is self-created as well.

How could I be so senseless and cruel as to say something like that? Nobody wants cancer, nobody wants their bodies to rebel against them! Right?

There is a lot of amazing research being done around quantum physics and how our frontal lobe actually enables us as humans to create the reality in which we live. It is not so important that you believe this…in fact, you can even scoff and call this sheer foolishness. I am not arguing with anyone about quantum physics but lets suppose, just pretend, that it IS true. If we imagine that we DO manifest the good and bad in our lives and we can just sit in the now and evaluate what we have created for ourselves. IMAGINE THE POWER WE HAVE TO CHANGE?

If we are merely puppets at the hands of fate and can only react to whatever the universe throws at us, then what a sad life we all must truly live…unless we are just lucky. However, imagine playing a game in which our words and thoughts and beliefs are responsible for forming our very lives…and bodies. What if, just by changing what we are creating, we can heal ourselves and create a greater existence for ourselves? Wouldn’t that be an amazing life to live?

I, for one, choose to play this game and invite my clients to as we transform their lives and bodies. I’m not sure if it is “right” or “correct” or “real” but it is a game that is a hell of a lot fun to play. And a game with a hell of a pay-off…I life worth living, A body worth loving, and the ability to create anything I want in my life. Sound fun? There is always room for one more in this game and YOU are invited.

My favorite resources for this type of thinking…teaching you the rules of the game:
Personal Life Resource: Landmark Forum


Business Resource: One Coach (From John Assaraf of "The Secret")

A Holistic Medicine Approach to HIV Treatment

Click below for an interesting article regarding alternative treatments which work in conjunction with traditional HIV therapies. I wonder why more information is not available about this even 2 years later?I predict that holistic approaches which support the immune system and work in conjunction with the traditional medications will be a stepping stone for the legitimization of holistic medicine. That is, until we start to truly understand the inter-relatedness of our bodies' complex chemical systems and how our modern environment and lifestyle is CAUSING a majority of these chronic diseases...just my prediction.
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Knee Pain? Your Flat Butt is Likely the Problem

So you know that your knees are bothering you but did you know that your knee pain is likely originating from your butt?
The problem all starts out with two gluteus muscles, particularly your glute medius. There are a lot of great articles out there on the function and action of these muscles but I won’t bore you with that here. In lay terms, the glutes are responsible for stabilizing your hip and legs…depending on if you are standing on that leg or not.
When we sit all day at a desk or in a car, our glutes gets turned off and your body really forgets how to turn them on effectively while you stand, walk or run. Is this a problem? Yes, a very big problem. When you Glute Medius in inactive, it can cause your knees to fold inward in a condition called “valgas knees”.

When you are standing, and draw a line from your hip to the center of your knee cap, does that line point straight down at your toes or does it point inward? If it points Inward, you likely have valgas knees and an inactive gluteal complex. The force of every step is then transferred not through your knee and down into your foot but rather through the interior portion of your knee thus causing pain and potentially damaging the tissue in your knees.
Now, things get worse if you are a runner because most of the running motion is spent suspended on one leg. The exact function of the glute medius is to stabilize on one foot so when it is inactive, you get a LOT of instability through the knee. I would venture to say that almost every running injury analysis should begin with assessment of glute medius strength.

Now look down at what else that internally rotated knee effects…yup, your foot. Valgas knees can also cause you to roll inward on your foot and big toe causing bunions over time.

So, What can you do about it? A great exercise for this muscle group is the old fashioned “Jane Fonda” leg lifts. Yup, old Jane had the right idea. Lay on your side and raise that leg toward the ceiling between 20-50 times. If it burns like heck, you know that those glutes haven’t been doing their job when you walk or run. You can also hit all three fibers efficiently be pointing you toe down, straight, and then up during the exercise. Try doing 30-40 per segment for a total of 90-120 repetitions per leg to really get those muscles activated and strong enough to correct your valgas knees. As a bonus, it will also tone up your rear.

Of course, this is just one exercise and most postural and structural problems are very complex and should be assessed by a professional corrective exercise specialist. However, this one tip has the potential to save many people the frustration of knee surgery.

3 Steps for Acheiving ANY Fitness Goal: The Ripple Effect

See my 3 tips for acheiving any fitness goal. This approach is bound to help even the most jaded people. If you can help others while acheiving your goals, NOTHING will stand in your way!

Ditch Your Annoying Trainer-- 7 steps for hiring someone who will get results!

There are all kinds of fluffy criteria to apply to picking a trainer. I will not be addressing those here. There are a lot of “nice,” “fun,” and “likable” personal trainers out there who can not train. In fact, many of the most likable celebrity trainers are, in my opinion not, the greatest trainers for actually affecting change in their clients. As a client, you must realize that you are purchasing a GOOD, not a SERVICE. The “good” you are purchasing is your results and it just doesn’t really matter if the guy or gal you hire is the nicest person on earth if they never deliver the goods. So, here is my advice for choosing a trainer who will make a difference in your health and in your life:

1) Of course, they must be certified.
Certifications are becoming easier to obtain than a driver’s license so you have to be careful. My personal favorites are ACSM, NASM,NSCA, ACE. Of course, for the best of the best (and yes, I am completely biased here, CHEK). A CHEK practitioner will never disappoint and is equipped to show you amazing things about your body.

2) Ask for proof of insurance.
Only true professionals will have their own insurance. The occasional trainer will not bother and it is a sign that he or she does not take their career or the safety of their clients seriously.

3) Ask them to name all of the muscles that comprise your core.
Base knowledge of anatomy is incredibly important in designing programs, if your potential trainer does not know the muscles they are working, and their function, how can they hope to correct any kind of dysfunction or design a program to train them efficiently?

4) Ask to see a program for an existing client.
A true professional writes everything down. The essence of a real program is to get measured adaptation of your body for strength, growth, or whatever you wish to obtain. If the trainer is keeping that information in their head, or do not have the skills or discipline to write a program, you will be wasting both your time and money.

5) Ask what kind of assessment they do.
If they take body fat and measurements, great but it won’t tell them anything about the strength or weakness of your muscle groups. Without this knowledge, the best exercise prescription that they can give you is something generic and non customized to your body. How would you feel about getting heart surgery without the doctor so much as pulling out a stethoscope? At the least, you should be given flexibility and strength tests as well as visual assessment for postural issues. In addition, medical history, and informed consent forms are a must.

6) Do NOT choose your trainer on price alone.
Good trainer are paid well and deliver the results they promise...that is why they can charge more. It is not necessarily the case that high price equals high quality however. Make sure that your trainer passes all of the other criteria and decide if the price works for you but remember that lower-priced trainers are generally lower priced because their services are worth what they charge. I know coaches who charge $160-$200/hr and are booked for months in advance. Can you imagine the amazing things a coach like that could do for your body? Do not fall into the trap of paying ANYTHING for NOTHING…choose a trainer who will get you results and reward him or her with an applicable fee for changing your life.

7) Pull the plug quickly if you are not getting what you are paying for.
Some facilities, especially some commercial clubs, bank on the fact that you may purchase huge training packages and then decide not to finish the training. Great deal! The club gets your money and they don’t have to pay the trainer to provide it. Paying anything for a service you do not use is simply foolish. Or worse, you choose a poor trainer and then give the guy access to your body because you have a lot of money sunk into a package. Buy a small package at first or pay from session to session until you are sure that this is the trainer you want then purchase more when you are

There are a lot of phenomenal trainers and coaches out there and you can choose to use these steps to find yourself one. If you do, you have an amazing experience ahead of you that can redefine the way you view yourself and your body. If you do not, you can always take consolation in telling yourself that nobody really gets results with a trainer.

Is Your Fad Diet Making You Age?

It seems that many of us are obsessed with our weight and nobody relishes the idea of getting older. However, insight into our hormonal system is revealing that our quest for a thin waist is likely prematurely aging us.
A simple review of biology tells us that our unconscious body systems are run by the autonomic nervous system (ANS). This nervous system is equally regulated by a sympathetic (dominated by the adrenal glands) and parasympathetic branch (dominated by the thyroid). These two branches regulate the “break-down” and “repair” cycles of our body. In a balanced, healthy individual, the sympathetic system functions during the day to give us energy and stamina for metal clarity and activity throughout the day. When night falls, the parasympathetic branch kicks in delivering a cocktail of hormones to help us repair the damage done by the activity during the day and replenish brain chemicals. In other words, when we have a balanced ANS, we repair at night what we break down during the day and our systems remain healthy and vibrant with plenty of energy.
So, you may ask, what does this have to do w with dieting? The preferred route for dieters seeking a smaller pant size is the calorie deficit; cutting down calories and eating less to create a deficit in the body to burn fat. Sounds great right? If someone is clearly eating too much, then the calorie intake will clearly have to decrease to obtain an ideal weight. However, most people who are consuming too many calories are entirely malnourished. This means that they are eating the wrong kinds of foods in too great a quantity. Instead of staying satiated, their hunger increases so that it can obtain the needed nutrients in the next meal. This kicks off a vicious cycle of malnourishment with over-consumption of calories and weight-gain.
When your body is malnourished, it unbalances the autonomic nervous system. If this person decided to cut calories without improving the nutrient values in the food, then he or she is getting even LESS of the bad food and LESS of the little nutrition they were getting before. The body becomes even more malnourished and more unbalanced. This is particularly true, in my opinion, when people use the popular diet foods like Slimfast and other ultra-processed alternatives. At what point in human evolution have we ever consumed food like that and how can we justify them being “good for us” simply because it helps us lose a dress or pant size for a week? Compounding the problem is the fact that our bodies produce more cortisol through the adrenal glands when we are in a calorie deficit and under stress. Cortisol is our breakdown hormone and this level raises and remains elevated until the original weight is gained back again.
Too much cortisol results in a sympathetic over-dominance (meaning that our “break down” cycle is greater than our repair cycle.) Add the weight of smoking, drinking, lack of sleep, stress, excessive cardio exercise, and poor food quality to the load already put on the nervous system and we get severe cortisol/adrenal dominance in our ANS. This dominance of our breakdown cycle is a little like driving your car 3000 miles and then only swapping out half of the oil when you get it changed. Over time, the oil becomes very dirty and the car stops running so great. This happens to your body. It is like having an ever-increasing list of deferred maintenance issues that your body cannot hope to repair because you are always breaking down more than you are repairing.
This imbalance can manifest itself as anything from skin problems, loss of muscle tone, increased body fat, or disease. It is, in effect, a cycle of continual degeneration and rapid aging.

The key to addressing this problem lies in providing your body with the nutrition it needs and avoiding calorie deficits like the plague. When you begin to feed your body the nutrients it needs to balance itself, your body returns naturally to an ideal weight and vigor. I recommend metabolic eating and organic and hormone-free food sources to achieve this maximum balance. Perseverance and starvation is NOT the answer; play the game intelligently and maintain your youth, energy AND ideal body weight. Go for the quick fix and you are bound to pay the price of increased aging.

The Three worst Exercised for Your Lower Back

If you have low-back pain...don't miss this list of common exercises sure to kill your lower back Killer Back Exercises

Please! Not Another Diet Challenge.

I believe that reading an article in Reuters entitled Soup or salad before a meal helps weight loss-study will definitely help me lose weight...by making me sick.
It seems that this study puts 6 diets to the test for weight loss The big winner here : SOUP AND SALAD. Good, more veggies...I love it. Now what about the runners up? From a holistic point of view, the foods supplied by most of the commercial diets such as Slim Fast and Jenni Craig are abhorrent, over-processed, quasi-foods. Eating sawdust for 6 weeks might get you similar results but that doesn't mean that it is providing the live, nutrient-rich foods our systems need for optimal health.
Here again seems to be an example of our society missing the forest for the trees. At what point do we start to repair our love/hate relationship with food and realize that we are little eating machines put on earth biologically to eat and have sex? We really are not made to deny ourselves all of the things that make life grand. We can still eat and be healthy and weigh what we want to weigh but you aren't going to get any of that by starving yourself or eating tiny packages of pseudo-food!
I think we need to wake up and start viewing optimal health as a PREREQUISITE to optimal weight...hummm earth shattering concept right? Unfortunately we rarely look at this and weight loss together. We look instead at that scale each day and think to ourselves: "What can I possibly do to make myself happy when I look at that? Umm...I mean, what can I do that is going to be Quick and EASY?
I'm picking up the banner here...in this blog and in my practice...follow if you feel as passionately about this as I do. I am picking up that banner and marching resolutely away from the throngs of pre-processed, diet-pill pushin, crappy-food-eatin, no-neck-havin, miracle-cure-totin "GURUS" out there who want a juicy piece of that $5 billion fad diet market. I'm marching my ass up that steeper, longer and higher road called "lifestyle change" and "metabolic eating". Sure it isn't as glamorous but at some point I want to be traveling around the world in my 90s not traveling back and forth across the cold, hard linoleum of my local nursing home because I was only concerned about looking good fast

Yes! Score One For Biochemical Individuality!

Scientist are struggling to map the human metabolism with a project called the Metabolome (click here for full article). They hope to map the precursors of all of the complex chemical processes that make up our individual metabolisms and thereby understand better why medications and foods effect people in different ways. In fact, they see a day when we take our metabolic barcode to the grocery store with us for a high-tech, customized shopping experience.
In my eyes, striking thing about this project is not the Jetsonian view of grocery shopping but rather that mainstream science accepts the fact that everyone is different metabolically...that foods DO affect different people in different ways. SO the question that begs to be answered is "Why do we still have the FOOD PYRAMID?" Why are we still treating everyone as if they should eat the SAME? The answer, in my opinion, is that so many people are married to the idea and bureaucracies are slow to change paradigms. Fortunately, we have William Wolcotts work in "The Metabolic Typing Diet" to rely on as a map for determining our unique food profiles until these guys in the Metabolome project get it all sorted out. With the help of current metabolic typing and holistic lifestyle change we really don't need a lot of research to tell us what our bodies need...OUR BODIES WILL TELL US! Imagine that, our bodies actually have feedback devices to let us know what it wants and when...humm...that mother nature sure is a clever one isn't she? The key is to get all of the junk out of our diets and lives so that we can trust that our feedback signals haven't been hijacked by parasites, blood sugar issues, or fungus. With those issues out of the way, we can learn to trust our bodies and give it what it needs when it needs it. Ahh simplicity...no calorie counting, no stressing, just giving your body the good stuff it asks for when it asks for it. Isn't that nice?


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Killer Fungus!

Most holistic practitioners are well aware of the dangers of fungal infections and damage caused by something called mycotoxins (fungal toxins). In reality, we are all aware of the most infamous "black mold" and some of the horrific stories on the news about how it can eat cavernous holes in your face. However, most of us are not aware that there are much more common sources of mycotoxins in corn, peanuts, wheat, alcoholic drinks and other common foods.

Prolonged exposure to these toxins can build up and cause raging fungal infections which become symptomatic causing a myriad of diseases that are traditionally linked to other causes. See the list below for a full list of disease.
Some may be skeptical as to some of the entries on this list and I always encourage my clients to keep a healthy skepticism. However, what if only %50 or even %10 of the disease below where caused by fungal and mycotoxin problems? Isn't it worth investigating and cutting toxin-containing sources in your diet rather than continuously poisoning yourself over time? I will provide you more information over time but recommend you read the article below for a good "beginner's Course" on Fungi.

This list is compiled by David Holland MD.

In an article from Dr. Mercola

You can visit his site at http://www.knowthecause.com for more great information of Fungal toxicity

*Diseases caused by fungi and their mycotoxins (Costantini, A. et al. The Garden of Eden Longevity Diet. Fungalbionics Series. 1998):

AIDS Alcoholic cirrhosis Alzheimer’s Amyloidosis Anorexia Nervosa Atherosclerosis Balkan Nephropathy Bechet’s Biliary cirrhosis Cardiomyopathy Crohn’s disease Cushing’s disease Diabetes DIC Muscular Dystrophy Encephalopathy

Ergotism Familial Mediterranean Fever Gout Heart failure Hyperactivity Syndrome Hyperaldosteronism Hyperlipidemia (high lipids) Hypertension Infertility IgA Nephropathy Kidney stones Leukocytoclastic vasculitis Inflammatory bowel disease Mollaret’s meningitis Multiple Sclerosis Nephritis (kidney inflammation)

Obesity Osteoarthritis Osteoporosis Precocious puberty Psoriasis Pulmonary Hypertension Raynaud’s Syndrome/disease Reye’s syndrome Rheumatoid Arthritis Sarcoidosis Scleroderma Shoulder-hand syndrome Thrombocytopenic purpura (low platelets) Vasculitis

Big Bad Electromagnetic Fields

Today, I am posting a disturbing article from the Daily Mail in the UK .
The woman who needs a veil of protection from modern life
By VICTORIA MOORE
It tells the story of a woman plagued by electrosensitivity--physical symptoms caused by electromagnetic fields from cell phones, wireless connections and appliances.
As our world becomes increasingly complex and our technology increasingly more wireless, we are beginning to fill our airwaves with immense electronic pollution. As this pollution becomes more prevalent, it has become very difficult to deny that it has some impact on our bodies. More people are stepping forward complaining of symptoms such as nausea, headaches, pain and mental confusion due to this "electrosmog." Usually these are people who already have a great deal of stress on their autonomic nervous system and have began to develop chemical toxicity sensitivities as well. Since these types of symptoms are generally brushed aside as hypochondria or chronic fatigue, the patients are often marginalized and rarely receive a proper diagnosis.
Though many of us have plenty of "reserve" to deal with electromagnetic fields, it is wise to limit your exposure as much as possible. This is particularly important in our bedrooms where EM fields can disrupt our sleep. So, to maximize your sleep, it is recommended you remove your television from the bedroom and get an alarm clock that does not plug in and keep it far from your head when you sleep. You may also want to rearrange your bed so that it is away from electrical outlets.
If you still have problems, it may be worth while to hire someone to evaluate the EM fields in your home. If this seems far fetched to you, ask yourself why almost EVERYONE has a reluctance to live under power lines. Then remember that power lines are not the only thing in your home emitting EM fields.

Strength Training and Joint Pain

Strength Training May Reduce Joint Pain
From Elizabeth Quinn,
Your Guide to Sports Medicine.FREE Newsletter. Sign Up Now!

Strong Muscles Take the Stress Off Joints
Research published in the Journal of Rheumatology suggests that relief from joint pain is linked to certain simple strength training routines.
In this study individuals with arthritis engaged in a four month-long exercise program consisting of simple weight bearing exercises, such as squats and leg extensions, in their own homes. The exercisers experienced a 43 percent reduction in pain and a 44 percent improvement in physical functioning. The exercisers were able to walk, climb stairs, sit, and stand more easily than their non-exercising counterparts.
The authors comment that exercise is effective because muscles act as shock absorbers for the joints; they are able to spare a person’s joints the impact of their body weight during activity such as walking. The better shape the muscles are in, the better they are able to absorb this shock.
According to the findings, individuals who are self-motivated may be able to manage their arthritis pain with exercise and reduce the pain medication they need. And even though pills help pain and stiffness, they don’t rebuild muscles or protect the joints like exercise can.

_______________Keizer's Comment_______________________

This is not a new concept to Corrective Exercise Specialists but is not often a recommended by many doctors I deal with. In fact, many physicians expressly prohibit weight lifting activities for their clients with joint pain.
I believe that this is largely due to the fact that many trainers simply do not know how to deal with this population and can end up doing more harm than good. I can't count the number of clients I have to had to sort out after injuries caused by another trainer.
Unless one has had specific training in post-rehabilitation, corrective exercise or an advanced Kinisiological approach such as that learned by CHEK Practitioners, joint conditions can be confusing and difficult to work with. Muscle imbalances from under active and overactive muscle groups cascade down the kinetic chain to cause all kinds of different joint dysfunction and pain conditions which are not usually obvious.
So, finding a corrective exercise specialist to assess your condition and write a corrective exercise prescription to address the root problem is essential
Once the initial imbalances are corrected, any good trainer can encourage proper form and prevention of any further exercise-related injury. I would recommend finding a trainer with an ACSM, NASM ACE or comparable certification and experience working with your condition.

Is the Price of Lasting Youth Too High?

I have to admit that I am at a bit of a cross-roads professionally. I had a vision of bringing health and vitality to the masses and have run up against a problem. No, I have a program which is reproducible, effective and comprehensive..in effect, I have busted my hump to learn from the greatest trainers and holistic practitioners in the world so that I can to bring my dream to fruition..I can help people. I even have a team of like-minded, immensely talented, coaches. No, that is not the problem. The problem seems to be that the average person just doesn't want to make the changes necessary to be well.

Yes, you can have a body like mine AND energy AND and sense of well-being..but it takes work and a bit of time. No, I'm not talking about work wasting hours on a treadmill or depriving yourself of calories at every turn. I'm talking about the work it takes mentally to comprehend that SO MUCH of what we do every day is effecting our bodies...almost everything we eat now is garbage, we are stressed to the hilt, sleeping like crap and generally treating our needs and health as afterthoughts in our busy days. This is difficult to hear, every defense mechanism in our brains rails against the idea that what we are doing could actually be CAUSING degeneration and chronic illness that a pill or a cream isn't going to reverse.

Really, it's no so much our fault. Our lifestyles, habits, food supply, and water supply have all changed so drastically over a few short centuries that our slowly evolving bodies simply can not keep up with it. Our systems literally do not recognize so much of the things we eat because they DID NOT exist even 50 years ago!

So do you suppose we are ready to make the changes for better bodies, less disease and more energy? Some are...for those I will pour out every ounce of my knowledge and energy. However, I find these clients hard to come by in the average population.
I find myself straying ever further from the general population and that dream of bringing health to the masses. Instead, an increasing number of people are finding me at a time in their lives when they are ill, desperate, and fully aware that their life needs to change if they are to have a life worth living. Many gifted people at my stage of development work ONLY with these people because it is a gift..they are compliant, appreciative, and make great strides..it gives me a lot of pleasure to help them too.
However, I have this nagging voice in my head that keeps pushing me to make this work more accessible to the average person..to help people eradicate the diet roller coaster that rolls over hundreds of millions of Americans each year...to make Holistic "Sexy". I am committed to finding a way through my clinics or otherwise. There will be a tipping point sometime soon when the AVERAGE person looks at the four rows of fad diet books at Barnes and Noble and scoffs: "WOW..I can't believe anyone still buys those."
Until then, I will spread the word here, enjoy changing lives one at a time, and keep watching for my opportunity to reach the rest of you ...

Holistic Lifestyle Confusion!

This post is dedicated to my holistic lifestyle class from last night (and could provide amazing resources for the rest of you too!).
Now that I have thoroughly confused, confounded and contorted your thinking regarding eating, diets, and strategies for remaining fit and healthy, it's time to breath. We have created a space in your brain where you have started to let go of much of the garbage that has been fed into it by the enormous diet economy of our country. Marketing has filled you with garbage and strange thoughts concerning food, lifestyle, supplements...its not your fault but you chose to take the red pill when you stepped into my class and NOW you are deep down the rabbit hole so to speak.
Next week, it gets even crazier but for now sit in that space we created and take this opportunity to re-educate yourself concerning fats, metabolic eating, cholesterol, and calorie deficit diets. Remember that I am not attached to what you conclude, you must make up your mind about what you choose to believe, but I am committed to giving you the information you need to make the right choices for you. Here are a group of links which show the "other side" of the story . The choice is always yours, and there is not real right or wrong but if you are ready to abandon a paradigm which has failed so many (like yourselves), then this is the place to start: My associate Dr. Mercola has a saying on his site it goes like this:

All Truth Goes Through Three Stages

• First it is ridiculed

• Then it is violently opposed

• Finally, it is accepted as self-evident
  

Please note: Dr. Mercola (listed in many links below) takes articles from medical journals and tons of other sources. He has you register to read his articles...DO IT!! You will thank me when you realize that this guy's site is an enormous repository of information..an email address is a small price for access!

Concerning Cholesterol:

Cholesterol is NOT the Cause of Heart Disease by Ron Rosedale, MD

Common Cholesterol Drug Lowers Cholesterol but Not Death Rate

Concerning Dietary Fat:

Moderate-Fat Diet Superior to Low-Fat Diet for Heart Disease

Quality Fat, Not Low-Fat, is the secret to weight loss

Concerning Gluten-Free:

Dangerous Grains

Celiac.com

Concerning Metabolic Eating:

Modify Your Diet so You Feel Terrific

This should get you started. Remember that you are on a journey, take on what you can...the rest will come in it's own time.

The "Pumpod"

I think I have found a tech gadget that I can relate to: The convenience of an i-pod and the know-how of top trainers. Now, several companies have jumped into this format with exercise podcasts and different programs which allow you to customize your exercises before downloading your program onto the ipod. Most show proper biomechanics and feature "famous" trainers in the viewfinder..or hot guys and gals to demonstrate..enough to get me motivated already.

The upside? Convenience and it may help those who would not seek out a trainer to hone their workout skills and avoid injury. If it can get that dude in the corner of the gym to quit doing squats with his knees touching..I'm on board.

The downside? All of these programs treat each client as if they are the same...with predetermined, one-size fits all work outs OR they allow the client to customize their own work outs. The only problem here is that unless a person is able to perform a true exercise assessment on themselves, it is impossible for them to know which exercises or routines will benefit them? The result will probably be guys (with already slumped shoulders and ridiculously out of balance pectorals) choosing even more chest and bicep curls because that is what will make them look good. This is fine until the muscular imbalance reaches a point where it causes shoulder injury or chronic forward head syndrome.

The solution? An assessment by a great exercise coach (yup, I'm pretty partial to CHEK practitioners...with me being one and all..) who can assess postural issues and then CHOOSE your exercises and upload them onto your ipod for you. I think I smell a product idea for my clinic! I am all for anything that makes exercise more accessible and my programs easier to implement! In effect, we can turn this gadget into a tool!