I don’t mind the break from my own personal training routine at all ~because any time I get to spend with my beautiful wife is time well spent!

The both of us have found new inspiration for our diet and training in Tim Ferriss’ new book, The 4-Hour Body.

I’m a huge Tim Ferriss fan and as soon as I had the opportunity to purchase his new book, I jumped at the chance.

I originally purchased a dozen advance copies of Tim’s book to give away as Christmas gifts.

After receiving my purchase, I found myself reading the book not once, but several times over.

In fact, The 4-Hour Body is so fun, interesting and easy to read -that I still pick it up anytime I have an idle moment.

I just flip it open and scan through the pages.

Of course, I already have a few dozen pages tabbed with Post-it® 1-inch page tabs so I have quick access to everything that interests me.

The Post-it® tabs simplify things because I can use the different colored tabs to arrange the book’s content by subject matter, particular ideas or, in this case, my particular goals.

Now, I’ll admit, I’m not so OCD that I remember what each and every colored tab means -but by simply flipping open a tabbed page -I can then recognize what that colored tab represents -and then go from there.

Of all the well-detailed plans laid out in  The 4-Hour Body, there are three that the wife and I will stick to in reaching our goals.

1. Rapid Fat Loss (Losing 20 Pounds in 30 Days)
2. The Perfect Posterior (or How to Lose 100 + pounds)
3. From Geek to Freak -Gaining 34 lbs of Muscle in 28 Days

We’ll both use the principles in the rapid fat loss chapters to begin.

Keylea wants to build her ‘posterior’ (read: J-Lo beware!)
-so she’ll be focusing on the material in that particular chapter.

I, on the other hand, just want to be lean and buff -so I will be concentrating more on Tim’s advice to build muscle in the least amount of time and with the very least effort I need to expend to achieve the maximum results -a Tim Ferriss trademark!.

All in all, the material in The 4-Hour Body is very well thought out and extremely well researched.

I look forward to keeping you all updated with our progress over the next few months.

To Your Good Health!

This is gonna hurt...

You’ve slipped…..and now you’re hanging there –holding tight to a tiny sapling growing out of the craggy rock.

It’s a long way down….and it seems like an even longer way up to where you want to be.

You’re afraid and you’re tired and you don’t want to be here….but here you are.

Now what?

And as you hang there -holding on and afraid to move, two rats show up -a black rat and a white rat -and the rats begin gnawing at the tiny sapling you cling to.  It seems that if you don’t make a decision -and soon -a decision will be made for you and it’s not going to be good.

In fact, you’re going to end up right back where you started -only in much, much worse shape than when you began.

What am I talking about?

It’s an analogy for your life -your health -your career -your choices.

If you’re discontent, unhappy, unhealthy, not where you want to be ….then I’m talking to you.

Life is a struggle -a climb.
It’s our nature to want to improve. We want a better life, more money, more free time, more alone time, better relationships, better health, a better golf swing, better arms, a skinny waist, better hair, whatever…

You are the climber in the story -clinging to whatever you hold dear: your habits, your addictions, your beliefs, your comfort-zone, your group of friends ….whatever it is that you’re afraid to let go of -whatever it is that you are afraid to change. And you know what?

You have to let go!
Because if you don’t let go….you will never move beyond where you are…and you’re not completely happy where you are….are you?

And the rats?

The rats are indecision: -choices.

Willard here is not your friend!

The rats are “This” and “That”

“I should try This.  But what if That would be better?”

“I heard that That works. But I think I’m going to start doing This!”

“This just doesn’t seem to work for me.”

“Oh, I could never do That!”

“I wonder if So and So ever does That?”

“This is the one for me!”

“That looks good. I think I’ll try That -but wait…what’s This?”

And there you hang…undecided and unsure -while the Rats make all the choices for you.

If left up to the Rats –you’re going to fall -and it’s not going to be pretty.

The Rats are going to decide, if you don’t take the initiative and do something for yourself.

So, what’s it going to be?

This?

That?

Some Other thing?

It’s time to decide.

What do YOU want out of life?

Let go! -And get moving!

The mountain isn’t going anywhere….Are you?

I mean it’s strange what students are learning
-or rather …what they’re not learning –in our homes and in our schools.

Is he really ready to write? Would he rather be doing something physical?

Ask yourself this:
What part of the child do we educate?
-What specific element within the child do we chose to enrich in order to give them the greatest possible advantage ?

I would not be the first to say that our traditional education system is completely backwards and absolutely upside-down -or at the very least wildly misguided.

The traditional educational system teaches from the neck up and to the left.  That is to say, our education system tends to focus on the logical side of the brain and little else.

The right side of the brain that controls our synthetic, intuitive and creative expression -is largely ignored -or worse yet …suffocated.  Rarely do students have the opportunity to creatively express themselves through music, art, poetry, drama or dance to any meaningful degree.

But here’s a great question:
How much do our children learn about their physical bodies?

How do our students learn to care for themselves -to care for the biological framework that carries them through life and that will certainly begin to decay and to disintegrate –long before their precious minds ever begin to decay?

Worth more than we're giving her...

We’re missing something there, are we not?

We are letting our children down in many respects.

Why are we not educating the Whole Child? -The Entire Student?
Perhaps we are doing our children a greater disservice than we know.

At the American Heart Association’s 2010 Conference on Nutrition, Physical Activity and Metabolism -Dr. Lesley A. Cottrell presented fascinating new research detailing the relationship between physical fitness and academic performance.

Dr. Cottrell and her pediatric research team from West Virginia University in Morgantown, W.Va. tested 725 fifth grade students and followed them for two years. What Dr. Cottrell’s team found, was that students who began the trial in good physical condition tested higher academically than their obese or less physically fit classmates.

Furthermore, when the same 725 students were tested again in seventh grade, the researchers found that the students who maintained their physical fitness continued to test higher academically than their less physically fit classmates.

The students who worked and improved their physical fitness during the two year trial -also improved their academic performance.

Subsequently, the students whose physical fitness declined, were also found to have declined academically as well.

How fascinating!

Incidentally, the students with the lowest overall academic performance …..well, they were not fit in either the fifth or the seventh grade. That is very telling, I think.

“The take-home message from this study is that we want our kids to be fit as long as possible and it will show in their academic performance,” Cottrell said. “But if we can intervene on those children who are not necessarily fit and get them to physically fit levels, we may also see their academic performance increase.”

Get Out -Get Active -Get Smart!

So, it would seem that educating our children and helping them improve their physical fitness -is just as important as educating our children and helping them improve their cognitive performance. And with childhood obesity climbing to epidemic proportions  -educating our children to be more physically active and nutritionally savvy just makes good sense for us all.

So, how do we accomplish that?

How do we educate the whole child -the entire person?

How do we improve the odds of success in life for our students, both physically and academically?

Well, I have a few ideas…..Do you?

Let me know your thoughts on the matter.
Comment below, join the disussion -reply on Facebook or send me an email.

I have children …in several different age brackets. I have clients with children …and I want the best –For all of them.

To your Good Health! …and to the Good Health of our Beloved Children!

Are we doing our best .......for them?

Let me know!

Only 6 more weeks until Spring -or Spring Break -or Spring Weather -or Warmer Temperatures….or whatever it is that motivates you to get busy, get lean and get healthy for the upcoming warm weather.

6 more weeks…

6 Weeks to Fitness

So what are  you going to do?

What are you prepared to do?

Are you going to starve yourself -deprive  yourself -limit your portions or take it to the extreme?

Are you planning to fast, to restrict, to limit the good and healthy foods your body needs?

It doesn’t have to go that way you know…

You do not have to starve, to sacrifice, to limit or to control what you eat.

We can do better….we can do more.

Give us an opportunity to show you how easy this can be.

Boating -Jet-skiing -Barbequing -Hanging out and Socializing….

Wouldn’t  you like to wear short sleeves -show of your arms? -Show some leg?’

Wouldn’t you like to wear shorts, skirts, anything light, cool and fitting for the season?

Well if so…you’ve got some work to do, right?

Let me help you re-balance your life -re-balance your body and replace your anxiety with a calm and refreshing feeling of control.

Contact me now…

Allow me to give you the life  you deserve.

Be well, be balanced and be blessed!

To Your Good Health!

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

Fit and Flexible -Safe and Sane

What I mean by that is, far too often we get stuck in a rut -doing the same things over and over -trying harder and harder to improve while actually getting very poor results in the process.
That’s no fun ….and it can be downright dangerous too!

So, why would we continue to repeat the same workouts over and over when they are obviously not doing what we want and could potentially lead to injury?

Great question
-But I don’t know the answer, I’m afraid.

Personally, I think we tend to gravitate towards activities that we like -activities that are familiar and activities that are comfortable or that we believe are good for us (whether they actually are or not).

And don’t think that I’m ‘pointing fingers’ here either

….I am guilty of this myself  -believe me!
I have done more damage to my body by performing exercises that I liked -but that were just not applicable to me or exercises that I lacked the flexibility to perform!

Not very bright, was it?

The reason I bring this up is to share a very simple idea with you that has changed the way I train myself and my clients.

Body-weight training!

Learning to control your own body-weight and move our bodies through space is challenging and provides practical strength and fitness.

This is basic strength 101.

In fact, we should really work on developing the strength to control your own body-weight before we ever begin to externally load your body with weights or machines.  It just makes more sense and it’s much, much safer.

Towards this end, I have been experimenting with a really neat training system called the TRX Suspension System.

Check out this video from the Biggest Loser television show:

Now how cool was that?
Pretty nifty, right?

Here’s another, more advanced video:

How cool would it be to be as fit and flexible as a surfer?

Pretty cool right?
Well, you can do that with the TRX Suspension Trainer
It is totally possible and completely fun!

The benefit I appreciate most about the TRX, is that I am completely in control of my client’s comfort level.  I can begin at a very safe and effective level of resistance -even if the client lacks sufficient strength to support their own body-weight!  -The TRX actually assists the client to move their own body-weight through space until they gain the strength necessary to progress to more challenging exercises.

This system is really great!

The TRX Suspension Training System is safe, adjustable, exciting and it’s fun!

Give body-weight training a try. Challenge yourself with some yoga -try the old fashioned Presidential Physical Fitness Challenge of pushups, pullups, situps, shuttle run and the 50 yard dash….and if all that is still out of your reach…give the TRX Suspension Training System a try.

I think you’ll love it!

To your Good Health!

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

Evil versus Adversity: Can you tell the Difference?

Don’t confuse evil with adversity.

Evil (however you might define it), is like a wild animal that you cannot kill.

However, if you don’t feed evil -don’t feed into evil, soon it leaves you ….to stalk other prey.

Adversity …..Adversity is a different animal altogether.

Adversity must be attacked with everything you have …and conquered -no matter the cost.

Do not confuse the two.
~The wasted effort will certainly kill you.