Sport Fitness & Physique

Have you ever shopped for some new shoes, a particular new outfit, a piece of furniture or a new vehicle?

Let’s say a fancy new Volkswagen Beetle has caught your attention… (I don’t know why you like it -but hey, it’s your desire…not mine)

You saw one, you liked it and now you want one -Good for you!

Nice Ride!

But then have you noticed what happens next…?

What used to be a rare occurrence (spotting a VW Beetle) is now an overwhelming reality

…They are EVERYWHERE!

…But are they really?

Are there really THAT many more VW Beetles than there were BEFORE you became interested in them???

No, not really…

You stumbled upon something and that ’something’  spurred an interest in you. You initiated what’s called the Reticular Activating System (RAS) in your brain and because your RAS has been engaged -you are now predisposed to notice whatever it is that your mind has now fixated upon -namely -crazy looking little cars with rounded corners and freakish features. -Now you see them everywhere!

We can use this very same brain functioning system to change our habits and our lives.

All we need do is focus upon that which we intensely desire….fixate upon it…and envision it as our reality.
Imagine living that life -the life that you desire

Forget your bad habits….in fact, forget them all together. They will do you no good here

Just let your Reticular Activating System (RAS) seek out and find everything you could ever possibly need to make your vision a reality!

I know it sounds absurd…..But I have seen this very same system succeed time after time ~in situation after situation….it really works!

Where I see most people fail, is sadly, within themselves.  Most people lack the self confidence to boldly stand up to their old habits and proclaim “No Thank You! – I choose not to participate in this any longer!”

This not a ‘one day fix’ -No not at all…

I don’t even expect my clients to make any notable, measurable progress for the first 4 weeks on this program (although most certainly do).

But the attitude adjustment that takes place in those 4 weeks….now that is priceless

So grab yourself some Attitude
-Make a substantial change….Decide what it is that you want to adjust in your life and fix your focus upon it…

We cannot achieve that which we do not believe….

Believe it!

Then achieve that which you believe….

To Your Good Health!

Paul D'Arcy NSCA, CPT, Poliquin certified BioSignature Practitioner

In one of the largest studies to date, researchers from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) have found yet another great reason to complement our nutrition with a quality vitamin D supplement.

While examining large cross sections of the population, researchers found that persons with higher circulating levels of vitamin D were 40% less likely to contract various forms of cancer (1).

According to EPIC coordinator Dr. Elio Riboli of Imperial College, London: “There is consistent scientific evidence that low circulating vitamin D concentration is a marker of increased risk for developing cancer.”

(1) SOURCE: British Medical Journal Online First, Jan 22, 2010

In addition to our dietary intake of vitamin D rich foods, such as Herring, Sardine, Catfish and Mackerel  -vitamin D is also synthesized in our skin as a result of our natural exposure to sunlight.

However, with our modern industrial, primarily indoor and sheltered lifestyles -and because very few of us rely upon fish as a staple in our daily diets …most of us are sadly deficient in this essential nutrient.

“Okay, so I’m deficient.  What can I expect to experience when I supplement with vitamin D?”

Well, my personal experience echoes the experience of my clients: Supplementing with vitamin D gives one a sense of increased energy, an improved mood and an overall feeling of well-being.  It’s not unlike spending a relaxing day in the sun, to be honest.

And that’s just the subjective experience.

Clinically, we know that adequate vitamin D levels improve immune system function, balance blood pressure, resist Alzheimer’s disease, prevent late-life dementia and help prevent osteoporosis. Vitamin D also helps abate Diabetes, Multiple Sclerosis and Rheumatoid Arthritis.

So how much vitamin D do I need?

Coach Charles Poliquin suggests, that you should shoot for vitamin D levels between 80 and 100 ng/mL.

In order to accomplish this, you could supplement with 5,000 IU of quality vitamin D3 every day.  At this rate it’s likely that levels will be at least in the normal range within about three months.  However, you should expect to supplement for another couple of months to reach the high normal range.

Another approach, and the approach that Coach Poliquin and the most knowledgeable nutrition clinicians prefer, is to supplement twice per week with about 30,000 to 100,000 IU of D3. Based on research and clinical evidence, this method seems to accelerate the increase of D3 in blood levels at the fastest and most efficient rate.

The real ‘take-home’ message here is -unless you are eating your fill of fatty-D3 rich fish such as Herring, Sardine, Catfish and Mackerel -and getting at least 8 hours of bright, warm sunshine upon your skin on a daily basis….You really ought to consider improving your moods, your energy, your health and your immune system by supplementing your diet with twice weekly infusions of a quality vitamin D-3 nutritional supplement.

Your health is one of the few things you control….

Don’t leave it to chance.
Let me help you be your best.

Click Here to get started.

To Your Good Health!

Paul D'Arcy NSCA, CPT, Poliquin certified BioSignature Practitioner

Are  you where you would like to be?

Did you envision this for your life -for your health?
Are you right where you wanted to be?

Did you see your future? Have you been confident and strong in your life decisions thus far?

Things are Looking Up? -Are you?

We create it, you know?
We create our future.

It’s strange -but it’s so true.

Our dreams are simply unrealized goals -our unrealized potential.

I have met so many successful people who are successful -simply because they want to be -simply because they believe they can do whatever it is that they want to do.

That is their only qualification -a steadfast belief in themselves.

They are not highly educated, not particularly gifted -didn’t get any ‘breaks’  -The only ‘breaks’ these people got were the honest advantages they created for themselves through hard work, determination and a burning desire to be who they believed themselves to be.

Looking back at our lives….we can clearly see that everything we have ever dreamed, has become realized -to one extent or another.  We are living everything that we ever thought or believed about ourselves in some capacity or another -are we not?

Think about it…..

Look back five years.
Are you now, where you believed you would be -five years into the future? -Are you close?

Did you even have a vision five years ago?

Did you not have a vision?

If not, then is it any wonder that you have bounced along in haphazard fashion until now find yourself in life situations that keep you off balance, unhappy, unhealthy and out of alignment?

You’re not supposed to be unhappy -unhealthy or out of balance.

Each one of us has the infinite potential to become more.

What will you become?

Focus your attention on that which you will become.

Erase the negative thoughts -ignore the negative feedback -refuse to accept anything but that which you desire.

Try this:
Take 10 minutes each and every day and visualize your future. Really focus and believe that the universe will conspire to propel you into your ultimate state of being. -Repeat this simple affirmation as your vision achieves realization in your mind.

“I am an instrument of infinite creation. Abundance flows to me -through me and beyond me into the infinite abundance of all creation. I am at one with all that I desire. I attract goodness and share all the goodness I attract with others.”

See your future in rich, glowing detail as you repeat this mantra to yourself.  Write down what it is that you will achieve by 2015.
Write it down and read it daily.

You are responsible for the creation of your life.

Take control of that wonderful responsibility -and enjoy the process of making all your unrealized potential -a glowing reality.

To your Best Life Ever!

Paul D'Arcy NSCA, CPT, Poliquin certified BioSignature Practitioner

What makes us hungry in the first place?

Don't we have anything good to eat?

Have you ever wondered why we get cravings?

When you’re hungry….do you know what you’re really hungry for?

Are you hungry for magnesium?  -for L-lysine? -for niacin? -for eicosapentaenoic acid?

See -your body need all sorts of fatty acids, vitamins, minerals, water and nutrients to do its job.  And, when the blood stream is lacking the necessary ingredients for nourishment, the brain releases a flood of hormones to prepare the digestive system for food.  This preparatory period is when we typically say our ’stomach is growling.’

The hormones initiated in the hypothalamus prime your stomach and your intestines to begin secreting digestive fluids. These digestive fluids are absolutely necessary for proper digestion and nutrient absorption because without them…. whatever food is eaten isn’t properly digested and the body never gets the nutrition it really needs.

This can be we a problem for many of us.

Remember the old saying… ‘Use it or Lose it?’

Because of the lack of fresh, whole foods in the typical western diet -and because of the abundant processed foods that many consume, people have grown deficient in the appropriate digestive fluids…. and that’s a real problem!

Remember…. when the body is lacking nutrients in the blood stream, the brain sends out the ‘hunger signal’ and that rumbling in your tummy begins. You start foraging for food because you think your belly is empty ...Not True!

You don’t need that slice of (whatever you just grabbed)!  You might only be deficient in a few key nutrients….

You don’t need more food!  -You simply need to digest the fresh, whole food you’ve just eaten more efficiently!

Do you see how this can easily spiral out of control?

You think you’re hungry, so you eat what’s close or what’s convenient ….and maybe that’s enough …and maybe it’s not.  Most likely, it’s not. Most likely, whatever you just ate is not what you need -but rather what ’sounded good’ at the moment.  Soon you will be hungry again -because your body is still lacking the essential nutrients it needs.

If our diets lack what we need ….then we will always feel hungry, dissatisfied, sick, tired, cranky, moody ….and we’ll have cravings for food that isn’t what we need –but food that temporarily makes us ‘feel better.’

Food can do both….

Food can make us happy, healthy, energetic and satisfied…

Or….food can make us ‘feel good’ ….but only temporarily…then we feel guilty, fat, ugly, kind of sick, tired and eventually ….unhappy, unsatisfied and the cycle begins again.

Without the appropriate digestive fluids, the body is not receiving the nutrition it needs to function optimally.

But of course -we have the solution!

Let’s repair your digestive system so you are able to absorb all the nutrients your body needs.

Complete our Assessment Survey and I will send you a FREE Test Kit.

The test is simple, painless and quick.

In just a few days you will know if your digestive system is working properly and the simple action you can take to repair it.

Click here to take the SportFit Assessment survey

I look forward to helping you achieve the good health you need and deserve.

To your Good Health!

Paul D'Arcy NSCA, CPT, Poliquin certified BioSignature Practitioner

How much change is needed in your habits -to improve your health? – in your exercise routine -to improve your physique?  How much change is needed in your spending habits -to increase your wealth? And how much change is needed in your attitude -to increase your happiness?
Or here’s a better question…How much change is needed in your life -to increase your positive impact on the world?

How much?

How much change -is enough?

~~Not as much change as you think!

Just as a steady drip -becomes a trickle…

And a trickle -slowly becomes a stream..

Small Consistent Effort over Time...

And a stream -slowly and steadily carves its way through soil, sand and stone to become its own riverbed…

You too -only need  make small, simple and manageable changes to become your own raging river of health, wealth and happiness…leaving a sea of positive change in your wake and upon this earth.

What one small thing  -what one small change are you willing to make today -that will begin to carve the path of your own unique -yet mighty riverbed?

How much is Enough?

Just enough….that’s all    -Just enough.

Change just a little -change just enough…to begin carving your own unique path.

You can do it…and I am waiting here to help you.

Let me help.

To Your Good Health!

Paul D'Arcy NSCA, CPT, Poliquin certified BioSignature Practitioner

Maybe you know this….

Fish Stories

Maybe you’ve heard it -but you just aren’t convinced yet.

Or maybe you have no idea…

In any case -I’m going to say it again… Because it really is that important.
You really need to eat more fish!

And if fish really isn’t that appealing to you, simply supplement your diet with a high quality fish oil to receive the same benefits .

Long life and good health depend on it!

Regular fish consumption has long been associated with long life and good health.  Adopting a Mediterranean Diet has proven to be a very effective dietary strategy for those seeking to lower their blood pressure and reduce their overall cholesterol.  Obviously, not everyone is going to be able to tolerate eating fish on a regular basis. Luckily, we can receive the same benefits without the fish.  After all, it isn’t the fish as much as what the fish provides.

Scientists and researchers have found that docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) -two fatty acids which are found in abundance in the oil of fish  -are the keys to lowering  high blood pressure, preventing  heart disease, balancing unhealthy cholesterol and lowering resting heart rate.

So if eating fish regularly isn’t your ‘thing’  -all we need to do is add a quality fish oil supplement to our diet that contains these two beneficial fatty acids to reap the benefits of a diet high in fish consumption.

Fish oil has gone from ‘alternative’ to mainstream medicine these last few years, but surprisingly many people are still not taking advantage of this wonderful health supplement.

People are either unaware of the many benefits of fish oil -or they have just not made the leap to actually incorporate this supplement into their daily routine. And that’s a real shame, because fish oil has so many wonderful benefits that are just too good to pass up.

In addition to all the heart-healthy benefits associated with regular fish consumption, numerous clinical studies involving hundreds of thousands of patients have found that daily consumption of fish -or just a high quality fish oil supplement -can delay or even reverse the effects of Alzheimer’s Disease and late-life dementia.

In my own experience and from the experience of my family, friends and clients -I can also attest to the wonderfully ‘brain boosting’ effects of daily DHA and EPA consumption.  In addition, we find that our moods are generally more cheery and our outlook is much more positive.

So how much fish is enough?

In a typical Mediterranean diet, fish is a staple food source -eaten daily and with seasonal variety.

If you can’t handle that, simply add a quality fish oil supplement to your daily routine. It’s simple, affordable and quite easy to do.

I recommend that my clients keep a bottle of quality fish oil refrigerated at home. Then, after each meal, simply take a teaspoon or two -more if you’re battling inflammation, high blood pressure or arthritis. This is the most cost effective method and it actually tastes pretty good too. Most bottled fish oils are available in either orange or lemon flavor.

Fish oil capsules -portable and more convenient

The second option is to keep a bottle of high quality fish oil capsules with you or at your place of business. The capsules generally do not need refrigeration and they are very convenient. Then, during or immediately after each meal, simply swallow two to three capsules (generally 3-5 grams total) and follow that with a tall glass of water.

That’s all it takes!

Of course you can combine these options in a multitude of ways…

You can -and really should -try to eat more fish. Fish is good food and there are so many different varieties you may have never tried.

You can also combine -eating more fish -keeping a quality fish oil at home -and keeping a container of high quality fish oil capsules at your office or place of business as well.  This way, you’re always covered and you greatly increase your chances of living a long, healthy, satisfying life.

A word of Caution:
When you purchase your fish oil, be sure to look for brands that have been “Molecularly Distilled.”

Molecular distillation is the very lowest acceptable purity grade you should accept. There are higher qualities, but of course with high quality comes cost. So if cost is an issue, be sure to demand molecular distillation in your fish oil supplements.

Molecular distillation removes the greatest amount of toxins (our oceans are polluted -and so are our fish!) without using solvents or other dangerous chemical processes.

In fact, a high quality, molecularly distilled, fish oil supplement may be the safest and most effective alternative to consuming a diet high in fish -while reaping all the wonderful benefits that the fatty acids DHA and EPA provide!

To your Good Health!

Paul D'Arcy, NSCA, CPT, Poliquin BioSignature Practitioner

Full Range of Motion Movements Relieve Pain and Muscular Tightness

If you spend a lot of time at a desk or do a lot of driving (some of you do both!) -you probably suffer from muscular stiffness, lower back pain, neck pain, headaches, poor sleep and low energy.  You may be cranky, irritable, short tempered and generally in a ‘bad mood’ for most of the day.

Doesn’t sound like a very good time.

Well, there is a solution and it doesn’t involve narcotics, surgery, over-the-counter medications or even all that much work.   In fact, the relatively small amount of effort that this solution requires can actually be a lot of fun.   You can do it at the office, at home, in the morning, in the evening, at lunch -anytime!   You don’t need any special equipment and you don’t need much room either.

You see, although muscular stiffness, lower back pain, neck pain, headaches, poor sleep and low energy all sound like separate issues stemming from different problems …they are most likely the result of  only one of two things:

Pain and Sufferring? We can help!

A.) Limited Movement and Limited Range of Motion or
B.) Chronic Overuse

-and both of these issues can be corrected simply and effectively with very little space, very little time and zero equipment.

Ready?

Let’s lay out  just one simple plan to heal your aching body.
Here is a 6 step plan to do just that.

Step one:
Take a few minutes, at least four days a week (higher frequency would be better). Lay down flat on the floor.  Just relax and feel your body settle into position. Focus on relaxing your body and relax your breathing. You should begin to feel your spine find its own neutrality.  Allow your spine to settle into alignment.

Step two:
With your hands relaxed at your sides, draw your knees up until your feet are flat on the floor.

Step three:
Keeping your back, butt and feet -flat on the floor -flex your abdominal musculature, tilting your pelvis upward towards the ceiling (or sky).  As you flex your abdominals, pinch your shoulder blades together and roll your shoulders back into the floor.  Try to completely flatten your spine using only the muscles of your trunk.  Try not to use your arms to stabilize yourself.  Hold this position for a count of 10. Relax, breathe deeply and repeat this sequence until fatigued.

Floor Work

Hip Extension - Lumbar Spinal flexion and stretch

Step four:
Keeping your back, butt and shoulder blades flat on the floor, lift your feet and draw your knees up towards your chest.  Now turn your toes up towards the sky and slowly lower your feet back to starting position (to the floor -and under control).

Step five:
Keeping your back, butt and shoulder blades flat on the floor -extend your right leg, touch your heel to the floor and then slowly raise your leg up towards the sky as far as comfortably possible. Lower your right leg and repeat the exercise with your left leg. Repeat this sequence until fatigued. All movements should be slow and controlled.

Step six:
Roll over and get up on all fours. Relax your spine, let it sway down towards the floor and stretch it out.  Then, roll your spine up and arch your back up into a hump-like position.  Allow your spine to stretch and elongate in this position. Repeat this process until fatigued.

Stretching and Rehabbing the Lumbar Spine

So that’s it….Simple, Time Saving and Effective.
You can do this short routine at home -first thing in the morning…
You can take a break at work and do this short and invigorating routine during your lunch break…
You can also relieve and revive yourself when you get home by following these simple, back saving exercises any time…night or day.

Richard Carmona, former United States Surgeon General, has stated that nearly 40-50% of cancers could be avoided by following better lifestyle and nutrition practices.

There is also a growing body of research suggesting that only 5-10% of cancers in humans are caused by genetic defects. This would seem to indicate that the vast majority of cancers are caused by environmental situations, nutritional  and behavioral patterns.

Whoa…

So what does that really mean?

Well, the good news is that this means that we can really fight cancer…on a very personal level.

We can beat cancer, we can save ourselves, our friends and our family members from the ravaging effects of that nauseously devastating, absolutely incapacitating, depressing and deadly disease of cellular corruption -(cancer) …90 to 95% of the time.

How empowering  is that, huh?

So, how do we do that?

Well, the first thing we do is avoid all the  behaviors that we know darn well increase our cancer risk:

• Avoid tobacco and tobacco products
• Avoid second-hand smoke
• Avoid alcohol in excess (daily alcohol consumption has been found to increase cancer risk by over 40%)
• Avoid processed meats (hot dogs, lunch meats etc..) and foods containing nitrates
• Avoid trans-fats and hydrogenated oils (chips, fries and fried foods)
• Avoid sugars and simple starches (cancer cells thrive is glucose-rich environments and depend on simple sugars to grow and to spread)
• Avoid excessive sun exposure (use sunscreen) and exposure to tanning beds (in 2009, the World Health Organization elevated tanning beds to its highest cancer risk category)

Next, we fortify our bodies with valuable antioxidants,  fiber,  lingans,  monoterpenes  and phytochemicals that boost our immune system -fight off disease -strengthen our cells and fight free-radicals which are known to cause cancer.

And just how do we fortify our bodies with these magical, disease fighting compounds?

Cancer Fighting Goodness

Why, by consuming copious amounts of fresh fruits and vegetables -of course! Fresh fruits and vegetables contain all of these wonderful compounds as well as plenty of water, essential minerals, nutrients and valuable fiber.

How much fruit and how many vegetables?

It’s really kind of tough to overeat fruits and especially vegetables -they are so full of goodness that they tend to fill us up pretty quickly.  However, do your best to eat servings of each at every meal. And, it is certainly a good idea to balance your consumption of both -don’t favor one over the other.

A good rule of thumb suggests that children need 4 – 6 servings of fresh fruits and vegetables a day, while adults should enjoy at least 6-8 servings  -even more for athletes and physically active individuals.

Here’s a simple strategy to remember. – It’s called the 4-P’s of cancer prevention:

1. Plants -eat more plant based foods -Like fruits and vegetables
2. Physical activity -as little as 30 minutes of brisk activity a day can greatly improve your health, shrink your waistline and reduce your risk of cancer by as much as 40%
3. Portion control -eating smaller portions throughout the day instead of a few large meals has been shown to reduce stress, balance blood glucose and help curb appetite and cravings for sweets.
4. Practical -none of these habits are going to come easily or become part of your routine unless they can be maintained. Work on the 4-P’s consistently -and over time, you will find that your life and your health have improved, while your risk of cancer has greatly decreased.

New habits are never easy to implement -but you can do it -you know you can.

Start simply and stay with it.

Decrease your odds of developing cancer -and win the battle before you have to ever fight it.

-To your Good Health!

Can you truly change your mind?

Do you even have a mind to change?

Are you sure?

Neuroscientists, neurosurgeons, brain researchers and psychologists have long held that the “mind” is simply what the brain does -that there is no separate, independent ‘thinking substance’ that we call the “I” or “me” in which (or from where) we are ultimately in control.

Our actions, attitudes, behaviors and beliefs are nothing more than neuro-chemical reactions, electronic pulsing and neurons firing (or not firing) over and over and over again.

A look inside your "mind"

Our mind is not separate from our body.

Our brain is indeed very much connected to our body (we would really be in trouble if it were not) and the brain is all we have to think with.

But does that adequately explain our experience?

I don’t know…you tell me.

If your mind really is in control of your body…can you tell me why we make some of the unhealthy choices we make?

Shouldn’t our minds ‘know better’ and do a better job of controlling our actions?

Isn’t it more likely that we eat that milk chocolate because we have come to expect and to crave the pleasurable sensations it provides?

Don’t we really eat that milk chocolate (or insert your guilty pleasure here) because of the chemical reactions that take place –namely the release of the  ‘feel good’ hormone serotonin?  I think it is.

We could probably argue about this for hours….but that’s not my point.

My point is….that real and lasting change is more about repetitive effort than it is about having some sort of magical thing called “Will Power.”

Ask anyone who has ever succeeded…at anything…and you will find that the decision to succeed was just the beginning. The work, the trial, the error, the tiny successes and the huge failures  that occur after the decision to succeed….that’s the secret to real success.

‘Changing your mind’ and changing your life -really is a change -a physical, neurological change.  And that kind of thing just doesn’t happen overnight. It takes a multiplicity of efforts to re-wire your brain and your psychology in order to succeed.

So….you’ve heard it before, but it still bears repeating:

If at first you don’t succeed -Try -Try -Again!

To your good health!

Get Stronger - Live Longer

Researchers from the University of South Carolina have found that total body strength correlates to longer life and better health.

Cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, bad cholesterol and insulin resistance are all far less likely to develop in strong, healthy bodies.

Eat Well: Fortify your body with fresh fruits, vegetables, lean meats, nuts and seeds.

Train Hard: Engage in strength training three to four days a week. Train your cardiovascular system with interval training at least twice a week.

Follow these simple tips to live a longer, healthier and happier life.

To your Good Health!