A Few Recent Client Successes You Might Want To Hear About

I love sharing success stories from my clients. I have a few here today that don't have to do with any weight loss or gain successes. These stories are about injuries and how exercise helped to heal those injuries and get them back to doing their normal activities they love to do in their life.

The first story is about Bob. He had an issue in his forearm, around the elbow area. It could have been some tendinitis, but whatever it was it was hard for him to do some of his normal exercises. So what we did was cut out all the exercises that caused him discomfort. Then we instituted some wrist curls in the hopes of strengthening that area and reducing the strain that was causing him some pain. Not as young as he used to be, this healing process was going to take awhile, but sure enough after about 5 months, he is pain free in that area. He is back to doing the normal exercises we do for arms and not having any issues whatsoever.

Connie was having some discomfort in her rhomboids (right in the middle of her upper back). Usually, a result of tightness or weakness, we did a few exercises that deviated from the norm, but hit those areas particularly well. In a matter of weeks, she was pain free. No issues whatsoever, and we routinely do exercises to hit that area so it doesn't happen again.

Finally, there is Doug. Doug likes to golf, but his lower back was killing him. He always had to take a cart and really struggled to play well with his lower back being the way it was. We instituted a total body workout that included a special focus on strengthening his core and stretching out the posterior chain of his legs, lower back, etc. In a span of 6 weeks, he was feeling great and not only could he WALK 18 holes, but he could also walk another 9 afterwards relatively pain free.

These are some good examples of what exercise can do for you. Hopefully, I will be able to tell more in the upcoming months.

Eating 2700 Calories A Day And Still Losing Fat

One of our clients who participated in our Metabolic Assessment program had some fabulous results. I wanted to share her results with you, so you can see what wonderful progress she made.

Sue White - Pre picture February 3, 2009


Post picture, April 4, 2009


Here were her measurements for that time as well.

Weight - Pre: 126, Post: 118
Bodyfat - Pre: 31.1%, Post: 27.2%
Fat Mass - Pre: 39.2 lbs., Post: 32.1 lbs.
Lean Mass - Pre: 86.8 lbs., Post: 85.9 lbs.
Shoulders - Pre: 41.5", Post: 40.88"
Chest - Pre: 38", Post: 35.125"
Waist - Pre: 32.75", Post: 29.88"
Hips - Pre: 37.5", Post: 35.5"
Arms - Pre: 11.5", Post: 11"
Thighs - Pre: 23", Post: 21.5"
Calves - Pre: 13.75", Post: 13.25"

How did she achieve these results? Well, Sue originally came to us to help improve her conditioning for her marathon running and shed some bodyfat. She wanted to tone up. So, we had to give her a caloric amount to eat that would provide her for the energy she needed and burn bodyfat at the same time.

For her, that amount was 2700 calories a day. She participated in our Training Camp classes 3 times a week and then ran 3 other times a week as well to prepare for her marathons.

Not only does she look GREAT, but she feels great. She has a lot more energy for her conditioning and recovers a lot better.

Think about how doing our Metabolic Assessment could help YOU achieve your fitness goals. You could have wonderful results, just like Sue did.

Hydroxycut BAD!!

I read an article this past weekend that I've been meaning to comment on and have been pretty busy until now. It was an article that stated the FDA is urging consumers to stop using any Hydroxycut products.

Anyone who has had problems losing weight, knows what Hydroxycut is. It is the "super fat-burning" supplement that comes in a pill that will solve all your weight loss problems. People have been running to buy these products, while I have urged my clients to avoid them at all costs.

I had not heard many positive things about Hydroxycut when it came out, but it was tough to convince people it was bad. I'm telling them not to pop these pills, when the alternative to weight loss is...gasp... exercise and eating properly. I was fighting an uphill battle.

But, now the FDA is on board saying these products can be hazardous to your health. Some of the problems that have been linked with Hydroxycut products are liver damage leading to liver transplants, seizures, cardiovascular problems, and kidney failure.

Is trying to lose 20 pounds of fat quickly, really worth all that??

I'm just the messenger, but Hydroxycut is bad. Go ahead and google it and read up on it yourself. The much safer and surer process to weight loss is following a proper nutrition plan and exercise. When people can finally accept that, then it will make the weight loss battle a heck of a lot easier.

6 Week Stunning Transformation

I wanted to post results of one of our clients, Jim Conrad. He was one of the first to try our new nutrition program and it is working perfectly for him. He is getting his exercise and cardio with Jono, and he participated in our nutrition program which is telling him EXACTLY what to eat. He is following it to a "T" and having great results. Enough of my babbling, here it is.

2-4-2009


3-18-2009


This was all in 6 weeks. Here are his Before and After measurements:

Weight - 248, 226
Bodyfat Percentage - 38.1%, 31.1%
Lean Body Mass - 153.51 lbs., 155.71 lbs. (everything but fat)
Fat Mass - 94.49 lbs., 70.29 lbs.
Biceps - 15 1/8", 14 1/4"
Chest - 48", 46"
Shoulders - 57 1/8", 52 1/8"
Waist - 45 1/2", 42 1/4"
Hips - 45 1/2", 42 1/2"
Thighs - 25 1/2", 23 7/8"
Calf - 17 1/2", 17 1/4"

Notice how he last over 24 pounds of fat, but only 22 pounds on the scale. That is because he increased his lean mass (water and muscle), by over 2 pounds. This helps increase his metabolism.

Now here is the kicker, he did this by eating around 2141 calories a day. That shows our program works. If you want to understand why he can eat so much and lose fat, contact me.

Another Fat Loss Testimonial

Morgan Murphy was one of our 14 Week Fitness participants and I've finally put together her 2 1/2 minute testimonial. The video isn't the greatest, but I think you can hear her answers well enough to understand what she did to accomplish her goals.



Here were her final results. The pre-measurements were taken September 8, 2008 and the post-measurements were taken December 23, 2008.

Weight: Pre - 176, Post - 168
Bodyfat: Pre - 32.1%, Post - 31.1%
Shoulders: Pre - 45.5", Post 43"
Chest: Pre - 42.25", Post 40.5"
Waist: Pre - 37.75", Post 36.125"
Hips: Pre - 44", Post 41.5"
Arm: Pre - 13", Post 11.75"
Thigh: Pre - 25.75", Post 25"
Calf: Pre - 15", Post 14.875"

I Don't Think A-Rod Did Anything Wrong

Maybe I'm getting more numb to this whole steroid issue as I get older and more athletes are doing it, but I don't think he did anything wrong in taking them.

Do I condone it? I can safely say no! But, I can say no from not being in their shoes. I haven't played major league baseball, or even sniffed the big leagues. I don't know what pressure they are under to perform well. I don't know the pressure they feel that if they don't take steroids, they will lose their job. I don't have the competitive drive the have to be the very best at whatever cost.

A-Rod is arguably the best player in baseball and if HE is taking steroids, I'm sure there are a lot of other people that are taking them. I'm also tired of all these people getting on their high horse about how he lied to us and has disgraced the game, blah, blah, blah!

I'm sure all those people NEVER lied about anything in their lives. I'm sure if they did lie, they eventually told the truth on their own, NOT when they got caught.
I would have loved for A-Rod to say this, "I took steroids from 2001- 2003. I felt a lot of pressure to live up to my contract, so I took steroids. I don't feel it was a mistake because a lot of other players were taking them, MLB didn't have a steroid policy at the time, I won several MVP's, and quite honestly this information wasn't supposed to be leaked out to anyone, ever. I do not condone the use of steroids. This was my personal decision to use these drugs."

If we as the public were really that concerned about baseball players taking steroids, then attendance would NOT be at an all-time high in baseball parks.
What kind of message is this sending to the kids? Well, that is discussion each parent should be talking with their own children. I would say this:

The reality of the situation is at the highest level, there will be athletes taking these drugs. The cheaters will always be miles ahead of the testers. Understand, though, that these professionals are still very gifted athletes to be at this level. Your average schmo can't take this stuff and become A-Rod. You have to be gifted and lucky to even get to that level. If you are lucky enough to even make it to that highest level, you will have to have someone get the facts for you about this stuff to make your own decision.

I don't think any of us can sit here and say we would definitely not use the stuff, if we were faced with obtaining a multi-year contract that could set you up for life. Or finally making the big leagues or going back to the minors for another year. We can be mad that another baseball player has chosen that path and ruining the game, but I don't think we should say we wouldn't do it.

If you had asked me did A-Rod do anything wrong 10 or 15 years ago, I would have said heck yes. But, this box is open and is never shutting. I think he did something wrong, it just doesn't bother as much as it used to.

4 Nutrition Tips For A Healthy Heart

It is American Heart Month and a healthy heart is a lot simpler to obtain than you think. It won't help you mend a broken heart from a rotten Valentine's Day, but it might help you live long enough to have a lot more happier Valentine's Days.

Adam Kessler, Columbus health and fitness expert explains: "If you eat the right foods and can really correct a lot of health problems you may have, but helping your heart is probably the number one issue. That is your motor that keeps you going and it HAS to be strong."

Kessler offers these four nutrition tips that will make your heart healthier and stronger.

1. Eat a lot of omega-3 fatty acids. "There is no question about the benefit of omega-3's. They help lower the chances of heart attacks and double your survival rate."

2. Avoid processed foods. "Food processing zaps 60-90% of heart healthy vitamins in foods. Hydrogenated oils, which are in many processed foods, destroy omega-3's by turning them into trans fats. Trans fats have become more dangerous to you then saturated fats."

3. Pick foods high in fiber. "High fiber foods help clear your body of cholesterol. The less cholesterol you have, the better chance that you won't have a heart attack. High cholesterol clogs your arteries and prevents blood flow to the body. This is bad."

4. Take a multi-vitamin. "Food processing also strips foods of many vitamins and minerals that help your heart. Adding a good multi-vitamin supplement can help replenish those lost nutrients and make your heart a lot healthier."

Kessler concludes, "Nutrition is the hardest thing for people to follow. I'm a firm believer that if you can eat healthy the majority of time, your body will reap the benefits and you can live a long, fruitful life."

If you would like to find out more about developing health eating habits for weight loss, Adam Kessler is holding a Nutrition Workshop right here in Gahanna very shortly. All are welcome. For more information visit http://fitnessplanning.com/ybf.htm.