Van Spell, An Inspiration to All Over 50

It's my pleasure to introduce you to one of natural bodybuilding's best competitors, Van Spell.  Van recently placed second in a regional professional natural bodybuilding show, competing against contestants much younger than he.  This is a recent interview I had with Van, he dispels the myth that you're over the hill after your 40s.  Enjoy.

Darvis: Where were you born?
 
Van: I was born and raised in eastern N.C. in Wilson

Darvis: What's the greatest influence in your life?

Van: Well to be honest, I would have to say no one except God alone, but I do give a lot of credit to my mother for the hardship she encounter from raising 9 kids by herself.

Darvis: What's your profession?

Van: My profession most of my adult life is automotive. I went into the military in that field and once I discharged I was able to get hired by the Postal Service and later continue in the automotive department. I guess you can thank me, for I fix the vehicles that brings your bills.

Darvis: What got you into bodybuilding?

Van:  Bodybuilding has been a dream of mine, but back in the 80s and before, I thought places like California and New York only had competitions until I went to see the states in downtown Raleigh. I was blown away with the beauty of the sport so it was then I sought to know everything about it



Darvis: When did you participate in your first competition?

Van:  I first did my novice show back in 86 I believe, and quickly found out that it takes time and a lifestyle of hard work to be successful at this sport.

Darvis: Tell me a little about your first time on stage.  What was going through your mind?
 
Van: Well, the first time was alot different than  posing in front of the mirror. It's understandable, but the audience don't cut you any slack if you look like blank!!! Not to mention the judges also, but I did well even though I beat out one guy for third place, but I was pleased and didn't quit.


Darvis:  What's your age?

Van: I'm presently 54 years young

Darvis: How do you stay in  such great shape in your 50s?

Van:  Love for fitness and I believe its a gift from God not only to myself but to anyone who choose to believe and accept!

Darvis: What advice would you give someone who's trying to get fit over the age of 50?


Van:  Well, I would suggest to judge your body with realistic expectation in regards to your goals and the time limit and level. Keep it simple at all possible because the fitness world makes a lot to cash on people being ignorant and just plain stupid. Stay on food as much as possible and only turn to supplements when you can't prepare your meals or eat out healthy. You get out of fitness what you put into it, so working out and talking on your cell phone at the same time will not get it. Don't join a gym right off, but work out with a program like P90X or less intense. Many people make the mistake every year joining a gym and only giving it a month or 2 and its back on the couch. But what ever you do DON'T GIVE UP!


 Darvis: You compete in All Natural bodybuilding competitions, what does that mean?

Van:  Well, it means alot to me for I can honestly say I have never taken a steroid for muscle growth, just plain determination and learning as the years went by. It's been a tough road but a blessing also. I'm still having fun with this, so the sky's the limit.

Darvis: How do you get ready for competition? When do you start training?

Van: Well, I choose and commit to the show that I want to do and question myself how long do I believe it would take me to get in contest shape? I have to say that's been my biggest challenge of leaning out, so my learning is I would recommend to any one that's natural, don't get no more than 3% or 10 pounds over your competition shape for I found in my 50s just looking at a stack of pancakes I can gain 5 lbs.or more. My training is basically the same year round unless I discover something that helps me improve. Other than that it's either watch the mirror closely and cutting back on just enough carbs to train with high protein and low fats of course.

Darvis: What's your training program in competition mode?

Van:  Training mode is basically the same but one other thing, if at all possible I train twice a day if I can and go at a time when I'm not around people that I know well. Conversation is a killer !!!


Darvis:  What's your program like off-season?

Van:  My training program off season really doesn't change. People, or some gain 20 or more pounds and maybe power lift to add more muscle but mine is intense all year long, so I feel its stress free by keeping it simple and realistic.

Darvis: What's your diet like in competition mode?

Van:  Well I hate to say but I really don't like to cook. So to keep from spending much time in the kitchen I eat almost the same thing each day which consist of Oatmeal, Chicken breast (broiled), mix vegetable bag from Sam's and water.When I cheat its pancakes with lots of helpings. I do add some lean cuts of beef from time to time and my supplements in the form of  Isopure protein powder, Universal Animal Pak, and Qivana's Prime Nitric Oxide Activator.

Darvis: What's your diet like off-season?

Van:  Its the same off season, I just eat out more and play in the candy store

Darvis: You won your Pro Card in natural bodybuilding, what does that mean?

Van:  Winning my pro card is a great accomplishment for I can compete for cash and prices along with possible endorsements.  I know I'm long in the tooth but I'm having fun with this and I plan to take it as far as I can because God wants me to be the best I can be. Actually I have 2 pro cards(NPA and NGA) and I'm going for the ultimate WNBF hopefully in 2013.


Darvis: What do you consider your greatest accomplishment?

Van:  Not to change the subject, but the biggest and always will be, is what God's done for me through his son Jesus which made it possible for me to become a child of His. Winning my pro card in bodybuilding is just the start for I believe there are greater accomplishments still to come and I'm willing to work hard for it. As long as I'm healthy and this sport presents a challenge and fun, I'll compete. But bodybuilding is in my blood, meaning its a gift and it benefits the human body so I'm hooked for life and proud to say so.           

Darvis Simms Receives An Outstanding Book Review

Darvis Simms Receives An Outstanding Book Review

The Hottest Fitness Trends of 2013

The Hottest Fitness Trends of 2013

Qivana is Bringing the Best Nutraceutical Products to Market

 

If a scientist creates a drug that treats or prevents any disease, he or she can easily find a channel for the mass manufacture and distribution of that drug by pharmaceutical companies. Most people can very easily name the top pharmaceutical companies such as Johnson&Johnson, Pfizer, and Roche. On the contrary, if a doctor or scientist discovers a nutraceutical product there are no established channels for the manufacture and distribution of that product to bring in into the market place.

What's the difference between a pharmaceutical drug and a nutraceutical product you ask?  Well, a pharmaceutical drug is defined as any chemical substance intended for use in the medical diagnosis, cure, treatment, or prevention of disease. And, Dr. Stephen L. DeFelices, MD, founder and chairman of  the Foundation for Innovation in Medicine has coined the term nutraceutical to mean any food or parts of food that provide medical or health benefits, including the prevention and treatment of disease. Thus, pharmaceuticals are man-made chemical substances while nutraceuticals are natural food substances and both are intended to provide health benefits.

Today people are starting to feel like the pharmaceutical industry is flooding the market place with so many chemicals that you need one drug in order to treat the side-affects of another drug.  On the other hand, people are looking for natural solutions to their health, but find it very confusing in the nutraceutical industry to know what products are beneficial for their well being.  Well, a company called Qivana has come-up with an answer to this situation.

Qivana is the first company to organize natural nutritional products into easy to understand and follow systems that promote optimum health and wellness.  Qivana is poised to revolutionize the natural nutraceuticals industry by collaborating with the brightest doctors and scientists in natural medicine and providing a channel for them to bring their best products into the market place.

Just click here if you want to know more about this company and it's great health systems.

Lean Muscle is the Key to Looking Tight and Tone

I see it all the time, people who spend hours doing cardio and still have a high percentage of body fat.  To burn body fat and to look tight and tone you must build lean muscle.  This is especially true as you approach your 40s and beyond.

Strength training is the best way to build and maintain healthy muscle.  While cardiovascular exercise is an important part of your fitness program, maximizing lean muscle should be the the foundation of your exercise routine.  Strength training is important because around the age of 40 you start to experience muscle loss. "If you don't do anything to replace the lean muscle you lose, you'll increase the percentage of fat in your body," says Dr. Edward Laskowski, a physical medicine and rehabilitation specialist at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.  Left unabated, you can lose up to 10 pounds of muscle each decade starting at age 40.

Loosing muscle is detrimental to your fitness because muscle is the component of your body that burns the majority of the calories you consume each day.  Therefore, when you lose muscle your body requires less calories to function.  Consequently, those extra calories you consume are stored as fat around your waist, hips, and other places.

Your body constantly burn calories, even when you’re doing nothing. This resting metabolic rate is much higher in people with more muscle. Every pound of muscle uses about six calories a day to sustain itself, while each pound of fat burns only two calories daily. This small difference can add up over time. In addition, after a bout of resistance training, muscles are activated all over your body, increasing your average daily metabolic rate.

Fortunately, strength training can mitigate, and even reverse the loss of muscle at any age.  Thus, increasing the amount of calories needed to function.  That’s why you hear some people say that their appetites increase after they have been strength training for awhile.  This is a sign that they are starting to build muscle.

As with any fitness program, a well balanced diet is a key component to seeing the best results.  Qivana's Metaboliq Weight Maintenance System is the best I've see in my 20 years in the health and fitness industry at teaching you balance in your diet in order for your body to burn body fat at it's maximum efficiency.  You can checkout this system by following this link: Metaboliq

Dr. Donald Layman Talks About The Importance of Protein

Here is a very informative video by Dr. Donald Layman about the importance of protein in your daily diet.  Dr. Layman is one of the top minds in the world on the subject of nutrition and obesity.

The New Macro Balanced Diet - Part 3, Carbohydrates

 Controlling the insulin level in your blood is very important in your effort to control your weight.  Most food cravings and hunger pains originate from quick rises in your blood sugar level and consequently, spikes in your insulin level.  What causes this rise and fall in your blood sugar level ?  The answer is, your body digesting the carbohydrates in your diet.

When you understand what carbohydrates are and how your body digest them then you can begin to balance them in your diet and therefore control the insulin level in your blood.  Once you know how to do this controlling your weight becomes a lot easier.

Carbohydrates are essential nutrients that are excellent sources of energy (measured as calories) for your body; they are the preferred fuel for your brain and nervous system.  Most carbohydrates come from plant sources and are in the form of sugars, starches, and fibers. Sugars, also called simple carbohydrates, include fruit sugar (fructose), corn or grape sugar (dextrose or glucose), and table sugar (sucrose). Starches, also known as complex carbohydrates, include everything made of three or more linked sugars. Starches include foods such as breads, cereals, grains, pasta, rice, and flour. Fibers are technically classified as a starch because they are complex carbohydrates that your body cannot breakdown into sugar molecules. Fibers are more abundant in whole grains, legumes, and vegetables.

 The basic building block of every carbohydrate is a sugar molecule, a simple union of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. Starches and fibers forms of carbohydrates are essentially chains of sugar molecules, some containing hundreds.  Your body breaks down all carbohydrates, except for fibers, into single sugar molecules regardless of their source. These simple sugars are further converted into glucose, also known as blood sugar. Your body is designed to use blood sugar as a universal source of fuel for energy.

 Here’s what happens when you eat a food containing carbohydrates. Your digestive system breaks down the digestible ones into sugar, which then enters your blood. As your blood sugar level rises, specials cells in your pancreas churn out insulin, a hormone that signals your cells to absorb the blood sugar for energy or for storage. As your cells soak-up the blood sugar, its level in your bloodstream begins to fall. Now, your pancreas starts making another hormone called glucagon, which signals your liver to start releasing stored blood sugar. This interplay of insulin and glucagon ensures that cells throughout your body have a steady supply of blood sugar.

As I mentioned earlier, carbohydrates are an important part of your diet.  The problem is that most people get the majority of their carbohydrates form easily digested sources such as white bread, white rice, pastries, sugared sodas, and other highly processed foods.  These kind of foods are quickly converted into blood sugar, thus causing a rapid rise in your insulin level.  Insulin takes the blood sugar and stores it in your muscles for fuel and the remainder of it is stored as fat in your body.  This rapid rise and fall of insulin in your blood stream also causes energy highs and lows and food cravings. Thus, you can see that having a constant and  consistent blood sugar level is very important.

In my next post in this series I will explain how to balance protein and carbohydrates in your diet to reset your metabolism to optimize body fat as it's major fuel source.

Good behaviours for weight loss - Nutrition and Fitness - C-Health

What a good article!  Losing weight and keeping it off is about developing healthy habits.
Good behaviours for weight loss - Nutrition and Fitness - C-Health

The New Marcro Balanced Diet - Part 2, Protein

Protein is a necessary part of every living cell in your body. Next to water, protein comprises the greatest portion of your body weight. Protein substances make up your muscles, ligaments, tendons, organs, glands, nails, hair, and many vital body fluids. It is essential for growth, repair, and healing of your bones, tissues, and cells. So, you can see the proper amount of protein in your diet is vital for your health and well-being.

Protein is comprised of building-blocks called amino acids. There are approximately twenty-eight commonly know amino acids that your body uses to create all the various combinations of proteins needed for survival. These commonly known amino acids are further classified as essential and nonessential amino acids. Nonessential amino acids can be produced in your body, while essential amino acids cannot be produced in your body and must be obtained from the foods you eat.

The sources of protein in your diet are classified as complete or incomplete. Complete proteins contain all the essential amino acids and are mostly from animal sources such as meat, fish, poultry, eggs, and dairy products. Incomplete proteins lack one or more essential amino acids that your body cannot make itself. Incomplete protein usually come from plant based sources such as fruits, vegetables, grains, and nuts. you must eat incomplete sources of protein in a combination that contains all the essential amino acids in order for your body to use them.

Dr. Donald Layman's research of protein metabolism has revealed that the amino acid leucine triggers protein synthesis in your muscles and that you need at least 21 grams of protein in order for this trigger to happen. This is very important in your quest for weight control because if protein synthesis doesn't happen in the muscles they are not regenerated as efficiently as possible.

Muscle is the active component of your body that burn most of the calories that you consume.  Thus, it's very important to maintain healthy muscle mass in order to convert the food you eat into active energy instead of inactive fat storage.  Dr. Layman's research has also revealed that you need 30 grams of protein at each of your staple meals of breakfast, lunch, and dinner in order to build and maintain healthy muscle mass.

In my next post I will explain how to balance the proper amount of carbohydrates with protein in your meals in order for you body to burn fat more efficiently.

The New Macro Balanced Diet - Part 1

I'm a personal trainer with nearly 20 years of experience in the health and fitness industry.  The most challenging part of my profession is educating my clients about nutrition.  A healthy diet is one of the most important parts of any fitness program.  No amount of exercise can compensate for a poor diet.

I've been searching for years for a system that I could recommend to my clients that they can understand and easily incorporate into their lives.  I recently came across such a system a few months ago developed by Dr. Donald K Layman, a professor at the University of Illinois who is a pioneer in the study of human metabolic research.  Dr. Layman is a world renown expert in diet, obesity, diabetes, and sports nutrition.  He has published over 90 peer-review articles in his field of study during the last 30 years.  Thus, Dr. Layman seems very credible to me.

Dr. Layman has developed a weight management system that vitalizes and activates healthy muscle mass to burn body fat.  His system is based on the following easy to understand principles.

1. The correct macro balance of protein, fat, and carbohydrates in your diet will vitalize your muscle causing your body to burn body fat.
2. You should have 30 grams of protein at your staple meals, which are breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
3. You should keep your carbohydrate to protein ratio 1 to 1 at your meals in order to control your blood sugar level and minimize insulin spikes and consequently food cravings.
4. Your carbohydrate to fiber ratio in your diet should be less than 6.  These are called Smart carbohydrates and they take longer for your body to convert to blood sugar, thus also controlling insulin spikes.

In my next post I'll explain the significance of each of the above principles.  Learn more about this life changing and revolutionary weight management system at :Qivana

Dr Donald K. Layman Interview

I'm reposting an article published by LIVINAVIDALOWCARB.COM/Blog.  I would like to thank them for this very informative interview with one of the brightest minds in nutrition and human metabolism, Dr. Donald K Layman.

 

 

Layman: Low-Carb Diets Need Protein For Maximum Health Benefits

Dr. Layman's research focuses on the vital role of protein in the diet

Another one of America's best and brightest researchers in the field of low-carb research is nutrition professor Dr. Donald K. Layman. His work on the low-carbohydrate nutritional approach that you will hear about in my interview with him today is making a clear difference in the way people view diet and nutrition well into the future just as Dr. Eric Westman, Dr. Jeff Volek, and Dr. Richard Feinman already are as well, just to name a few.

Dr. Layman was kind enough to share a few moments with us today talking about his research on the low-carb approach as it relates to exercise and protein consumption. Prepare to be amazed by all the positive research that just keeps coming out about this miraculous way of eating.

1. Appearing at the "Livin' La Vida Low-Carb" blog today is yet another one of the behind-the-scenes people regarding the science behind low-carbohydrate diets. His name is Dr. Donald Layman from The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Dr. Layman, we are privileged and honored to have you with us today. Your studies into this incredible dietary approach that has helped so many people lose weight and get healthy is indeed fascinating. How and why did you become so interested in nutritional science?

My interest in nutrition has always focused on muscle development and physical activity. I have studied growth, sports nutrition and muscle wasting during starvation and malnutrition. It has been this work with skeletal muscle that got me interested in the optimum ratios of dietary protein and carbohydrates for life long health. Skeletal muscle needs protein to stay healthy.

2. It's probably not very glamorous doing studies about low-carb. Share with my readers just a little of what your daily work specifically entails.

I guess you’re correct that it’s not very glamorous, but I really enjoy the process of research. I enjoy the search for new ideas and I enjoy training students. My job description says that I spend 50% of my time on research and 50% on teaching.

I think what would surprise your readers is how long it takes to do good research. Even a relatively small study can take 3-4 years from initial concept and planning, through writing proposals for research funding, training research staff, conducting the experiments, frequently repeating experiments to prove reliability, evaluating data, preparing research papers and finally publishing the results. Good research takes a lot of time and often appears to move very slowly.

3. The primary focus of your research is on how changes in diet and exercise can help prevent the onset of health problems such as obesity, Type 2 diabetes, and metabolic syndrome, aka Syndrome X. Preventable disease is a growing problem not only in the United States but around the world now. Why do think people are so unwilling to make the necessary changes with what they eat and how much physical activity they get to keep themselves healthy? Who and/or what is to blame for these problems getting worse and worse?

I think there are lots of reasons people don’t (or can’t) change including time, knowledge, environment and motivation. The question about blame sounds too much like media hype. Why does someone have to be blamed?

As a society we now live longer healthier lives than any time in history. We have modern conveniences that save us time and effort and we have a wonderful food supply that provides us virtually any type of food at any time or during any season. Frankly, we are still learning how to handle our success.

We really do not know what diet is best for life spans that routinely reach into the 80’s and 90’s. But with that said, there is simply no question that we eat too much and exercise too little.

4. Your field of research has been focused on the role of exercise in preserving lean body mass, energy expenditure and maintaining weight. We often hear critics of the low-carb lifestyle talk about how you can't exercise on a low-carb program without "carb-loading." Is this true? If not, then please explain for us how the body functions and fuels itself during a workout for someone on a low-carb diet.

Carb-loading is definitely not required for exercise. Our muscles use two primary fuels, fats (or fatty acids) and carbs, specificially glucose. Think about exercise as a continuum from very low-intensity activity such as walking up to extreme- intensity exercise such as a world class 100-meter sprinter.

With very low-intensity walking the muscles should be using almost 100% fatty acids as the fuel, while the elite sprinter will be almost 100% glucose. Without carbs the sprinter will finish last, but without glucose the walker will simply burn more fats.

So for world class sprinters or marathon runners, carbs are an important fuel, but for the rest of us trying to maintain a healthy adult life, carbs do little more than prevent us from burning fats.

5. In fact, your research study published in the August 2005 issue of The Journal of Nutrition found that eating a low-carb/high-protein diet lead to increased fat-burning in the body as well as the creation of more muscle mass than those you observed on a low-protein, low-fat, high-carb diet. Although weight loss can still happen following a low-carb/high-protein nutritional approach, what are the health advantages of adding exercise to that routine?

I think the J. Nutrition paper was important because it demonstrated the interaction of dietary protein with exercise. The paper showed that the combination of a higher protein diet and exercise increased weight loss and targeted the weight loss to body fat while protecting lean tissues like muscles.

You’re right both diet groups lost weight and exercise helped both groups but there were differences in the amount of fat the was burned by each group.

For example, we had two groups that were diet-only treatment and two groups that were diet-plus-daily exercise. After 16 weeks of dieting, the group receiving the high-carb diet lost about 11 pounds of body fat, while the group consuming the low-carb, high-protein diet lost 13 pounds of body fat. The group that had the high-carb-diet-plus exercise lost 12 pound of body fat while the low-carb, high-protein diet plus exercise lost an amazing 19.5 pounds of fat!

So, the individuals eating a high-carb diet did 16 weeks of daily exercise and lost 1 pound of body fat more than just the diet effect, while the low-carb, high-protein subjects lost an additional 6.5 pounds of body fat doing the same exercise program. The higher protein diet maximizes the benefits of doing exercise.

6. A popular myth that floats around out there about livin' la vida low-carb is that your body hits a certain point during exercise when it stops burning fat for fuel and starts using lean muscle mass instead. Why do people believe they will lose muscle while on a low-carb diet and what really happens to muscle when people eat low-carb?

The answer to this question is a bit complex. This statement is derived from studies of long-term starvation. The body always needs some carbohydrates (glucose). The exact amount varies depending on specific conditions. During total starvation with no food being eaten, the body must rely on its own tissues to provide the essential mixture of fuels to sustain life.

The primary fuel is stored fat and fortunately (or unfortunately as the case may be) most of us could live at least 6 weeks without another meal. However, we also need a continuous supply of glucose. The body has a very small store of glycogen that can provide glucose for about 36 hours, then the body must make its glucose.

The body has three sources of glucose, one is the diet (but our person is starving), a second is glycogen (but this is all gone) and the third is a process called gluconeogenesis where the body makes glucose from amino acids. During starvation, the body must rely on body proteins for the amino acids. But under normal conditions, the body makes glucose from amino acids coming in from the diet.

This is one of the reasons that a low-carb diet must also be high-protein. The high-protein diet allows the body to make the necessary glucose from dietary amino acids and not rely on breaking down body proteins.

7. New research on protein and the effect it has on hunger has become the latest craze that food companies have attempted to take advantage of in the marketing of their foods over the past year. Your research looks closely at protein not just for satiety purposes, but also on the amino acids (especially leucine) it provides for other health benefits. What are some of theadditional reasons for eating more protein, how much should people be eating daily, and what are the best sources for protein that people can purchase?

Our research has shown that people lose more weight, they lose more body fat and less lean tissue, and they have more energy and feel less hungry when they consume protein. Specific mechanisms to explain each of these are not clear.

We think that the increase in the amino acid leucine along with the decrease in the levels of insulin produce the important changes in body composition. Mechanisms to explain the feelings of greater energy and reduced hunger are much more speculative.

The amount of protein that we use is approximately 110 to 130 grams each day with not less than 30 grams at each meal. We recommend use of dairy, meats and eggs as our primary sources of protein because they the right balance of amino acids and a high content of leucine.

8. Another one of those popular myths about people on a low-carb diet is that all of that meat they are eating will cause their kidneys to stop functioning and shut down. Why is this argument invalid and how can a low-protein diet be even more detrimental to someone's health?

That is simply not true. While special-interest groups continue to perpetuate this myth, the Food and Nutrition Board of the National Academies of Science reviewed this issue and they concluded that there was no evidence that diets high in protein harmed the kidney.

However, they did find that LOW protein diets resulted in reduced kidney function. So not only is the statement not true, the truth is exactly the opposite--low-protein diets are bad for your kidneys.

The origins of the myth is that individuals with advanced kidney failure need to reduce the work load on the kidneys which is done be reducing dietary intake of salts and protein. It is a totally different question to ask “what is the best way to treat a damaged kidney” versus “what is the best way to keep a healthy kidney healthy?”

9. Gout is a condition that low-carb diets seem to get blamed for as well. In your experience working with people following this way of eating, is this a problem that runs rampant?

We have now studied over 150 adults using high-protein, low-carb diets and we have never seen a single case of gout. Gout is not a problem with protein or amino acids, it is a metabolic problem associated with handling nucleotides which are the building blocks for DNA and RNA.

10. THANK YOU Dr. Layman for sharing your vast knowledge about the low-carb diet with me and my readers today. We are thankful to have someone like you bringing the real science behind low-carb to the forefront of our culture. Do you have any parting words you would like to share?

Never lose your passion for learning the truth.

We won't, Dr. Layman, we DEFINITELY won't! You can e-mail Dr. Donald K. Layman at dlayman@uiuc.edu.

10-27-06 UPDATE: One of my readers had a question about Dr. Layman's research.

What percentage of carbs, protein and fat did they eat? There are lots of studies coming out on low-carb diets but they never tell you how low the carbs are. This would be helpful information. Can you find out?

Well, I went back to Dr. Layman himself and here's what he said:

The carbs in our study diet were reduced but not super low. We required subjects to maintain diets with less than 170 total grams of carbs per day. Most of our subjects averaged about 140 total grams daily (including fiber). The type of carbs and the distribution throughout the day is as important as the absolute amount.

We use a ratio of carbs to protein in our teaching approach. At any meal or snack, the ratio of carbs to protein should be around 1 to 1. Since protein has such high satiety, this creates a self-limiting approach to carb intake.

THANK YOU for the question and hopefully Dr. Layman answered it for you to your satisfaction. Any other questions?

The Power of Positive Thinking On You Health

Cover via AmazonIn my opinion a positive state of mind is the first and most important step in your journey for a more fit and firmer you. You have to clear your mind of all the negative images you have of aging. Your body conforms itself to the mental image you hold of yourself. Imagine yourself becoming weak and frail as you age and this is what you will become. Image yourself strong and full of life and this is what you become.

For example I know certain man I see regularly at the gym working out and every time I speak with him he’s always complaining of the aches and pains of getting old. He is my age but he looks and moves like a typical man 15 years older. He workouts out regularly but his body is conforming to the negative image he has of the aging process.

Your body completely rebuilds itself every 11 months. This means every cell in your body is replaced each year. Whether your body rebuilds itself with strong healthy cells or weak unhealthy cells starts in the way you think about yourself. Thinks of yourself as strong and healthy and your body will replace old weak cells with strong and healthy cells.

Think about this, medications do not heal your body they only aid your body in healing itself. Positive and healthy thoughts are more powerful in the healing process than any medication you can ever take. Thus, a fitness program built around a belief in your continued strength and fitness level as you age is core to you reaching your health and fitness goals.

Positive thinking not only works in your health and fitness it also works in all other areas of your life. You tend to draw those things into your life that you think the most about. Ever notice how people who complain a lot always have more to complain about and on the contrary people who are thankful always have more to be thankful for. It’s called the Law of Attraction.

The Law of Attraction works like this. You attract the things and conditions into your life that you believe to be true. If you believe that you catch a cold every year at a certain time you will catch a cold every year on that certain date unerringly until you change your belief about it. Try this experiment. Think of someone you do not like, that person that just rubs you the wrong way. Now, start wishing all the best for that person. Do this every day and watch how your attitude towards that person changes and how their attitude towards you changes also.

This is how I develop and keep a positive outlook in my life. I start each day with what I call my coffee time with God. I spend 15 minutes reading something inspirational while having my coffee and then I spend 15 minutes in silent prayer and meditation. In my prayer I thank God for my life, health, and strength and I ask for His guidance in all my ways. I meditate on all the blessings and the goodness God brings into my life. I release any animosity I have towards anyone and send them my blessings. I can’t put into words how wonderful I feel after this 30 minute ritual. I can only recommend that you try it and see the wonders it will work in your life.

What's Your Plan?

retirement (Photo credit: 401K)If you are an average person working towards living the American Dream here are some sobering facts.

Out of 100 people who start working at the age of 25, by the age 65:

* 1% are wealthy
* 4% have adequate capital stowed away for retirement
* 3% are still working
* 63% are dependent on Social Security, friends, relatives or charity.
* 29% are deceased.
* The average savings of a 50 year old in the U.S. is $2500.

Out of 100 people who start working at the age of 25, by the age 65:

* 62 retire with less than $25,000 in assets and depend on Social Security or family for their retirement.

* Another 35 retire with less than $100,000, have some form of pension in addition to Social Security and are just making it in their retirement. If either Social Security or their pension went away they would have a very difficult time surviving.

* 2 of the 3 remaining retirees have an adequate pension or retirement account. They have assets of between $100,000 and $750,000. They do appreciate having the additional money they receive from Social Security, but could survive without it.

* The last of these 100 retirees, is the only one who is financially independent. This retiree has assets approaching or exceeding $1,000,000. They do not need the income from Social Security at all.

*according to Social Security Administration 2010

As you can see the old plan of going to college and getting a nice job with good benefits does not work these days.  So I ask you, what's your plan?


I've been in the fitness industry for over 20 years now and I make a really good living doing what I love. However, if I'm not in front of a client, I'm not not making money.  I've recently investigated ways to leverage my income. What I found was that network marketing was the best avenue for me to pursue.

"Network marketing" you say! "You mean those pryamid things?"  No, I mean a business model that gives a person of average means an avenue to create wealth with little upfront investment.   The RICHEST man in the world is WARREN BUFFET. He owns 3 Direct Selling Companies and has said "They are the BEST INVESTMENTS I EVER MADE."

By the way,pryamids are illegal and network marketing is not a pyramid. Network marketing has been around for over 50 years. It's kind of like starting your own franchise at a fraction of the cost. You multiply your efforts and income through a network of people you help to build successful businesses.  You share in the profit that everyone on your team makes.  That's called leveraging your income.  Thus, you keep making an income even when you are not working, similar to getting paid a royality.

Since I'm a personal trainer, I chose a company that makes health and wellness products for my network marketing company.  The products I market compliment my personal training business.  Typically I would recommend nutritional products for clients and send them to a nutrition store to purchase them and now I just send them to my online website to buy them.  I now get paid a commission, where as before no one at the nutrition store ever paid me anything.  Not only that, I'm also teaching others in the health and fitness industry to build successful business and I'm getting paid a commission on their efforts and so can you.

But, you say "I'm not good at selling anything".  Think about this, you do network marketing every time you recommend a good restaurant, a good banker, or any other good service you have ever had to a family member or a friend.  Network marketing is just sharing a product or service you believe in with your family and friends, you do it all the time.

If you want to learn more about network marketing click here to visit my website.