Ahwatukee StrengthLab Personal Training 480-612-7726

Whenever you behave responsibly with others, treat them with dignity and respect, you build trust and good faith.  Whenever you become short-tempered, judgemental, insensitive or irresponsible in their presence, you breakdown that same trust and good faith.  So… remember to work on trust and good faith every chance you get.

For more information on Ralph Waldo Emerson follow the link below to Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Emerson-among-Eccentrics-Group-Portrait/dp/0140260293

Another good book is “Emerson:  the Mind on Fire”

http://www.amazon.com/Emerson-Mind-Fire-Centennial-Books/dp/0520206894/ref=pd_cp_b_2

If the terrain you frequent is rocky, strewn with boulders, wet and slippery or even steep… than a specific trail shoe is a better option for training and hiking.  Dedicated trail shoes offer more traction, improved stability and better protection from ground hazards and weather elements.  Check out the Brooks Cascadia 4 for a great trail shoe!

If you’re going to buy fitness equipment don’t go cheap!  Good fitness equipment is expensive and it doesn’t come from Sports Authority, Dick’s Sporting Goods or Costco.  Do your research!  If you have no idea where to begin go to Fitness4HomeSuperstore (they have 3 locations) and start asking questions.  They only sell quality fitness equipment products and they have solid follow through and service.

www.fitness4homesuperstore.com

Bananas are a great food, packaged in their own natural wrapper to protect against myriad pesticides and bacteria.  They’re inexpensive and plentiful as well.  Pick the right sized banana for your needs and enjoy the fiber and nutrients it provides.

I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter!® SPRAY gives you that great butter taste in an easy to use spray bottle that contains NO fat and NO calories (NO trans fat as well).  It can be used for topping and cooking guilt free!  Use it to drop some weight… and use to keep the weight off.

• Serving Size:
• 1 Spray(0.20g) For Cooking Spray, 5 Sprays(1g) for topping
• Calories: 0
• Total Fat: o
• Saturated Fat: 0
• Cholesterol: 0
• Sodium: 0
• Total Carbohydrate: 0
• Trans Fat: 0

Tanning bed users are 74 percent more likely to develop melanoma than those who have never tanned indoors.  Additionally, the more time a person has spent tanning indoors, using a tanning bed or booth, the higher their risk for melanoma! 

Growing concerns about the dangers of indoor tanning beds are leading to new taxes and possibly new restrictions, designed to curb the practice among highly impressionable young people.

Bottom Line – do not use indoor tanning beds; there’s NO such thing as a safe indoor tan!

Perfection doesn’t exist – even with dedicated exercise and nutrition!

Don’t let Photoshop technology be your standard for health, fitness and happiness! 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YP31r70_QNM&feature=channel

Great for a snack or quick breakfast!  (Chocolate Chip or Banana Walnut)

Available at Costco!

Product Description:

Exercise intensity should vary throughout the week.  There’s an inverse relationship between intensity and duration (e.g., increase your intensity and the duration of activity will decrease; decrease your intensity and the duration of activity will increase).  Hitting every workout with high intensity is a common mistake among men… and hitting every workout with lower intensity is a common mistake among women.  Vary your duration of physical activity, as well as your intensity level throughout the week and you’re more likely to adhere to your exercise program – as well as achieve improved results.

UPDATE: South Mountain Cycles has SOLD and they are Global Bikes now (the following review is obsolete).

I personally have purchased 3 bikes from South Mountain Cycles and through clients another 16 bikes in the previous 3 years.  They carry the best bicycle product line available today in the bike market (“Specialized”) which is SMC’s finest quality.  In addition, SMC has fairly aggressive on-going price reductions as well on a variety of bike models throughout the year, making them a good place to pick up a new bike.

However, their good points end here!  Their service is consistently incompetent!  I personally don’t enjoy taking a product back for the same basic problem more the once and this is a consistent on going problem experienced by dozens of people associated with StrengthLab, as well as myself.  Rather, I recommend going to Landis in (south) Tempe for improved competence in service!  When looking for value in accessories and clothes SMC continues to fall short… they’re simply over priced.  I recommend using Performance Bikes in Tempe for best dollar value in accessories, clothes and parts.

South Mountain Cycles overall Grade: C-

Television worth watching:  http://bostonmed.abcnews.go.com/

Boston Med picks up where the Peabody Award-winning Hopkins left off, going even deeper into the lives of caregivers and the cutting edge medical cases they confront inside the walls of America’s top hospitals. In this original eight-hour series, the unforgettable stories of doctors, nurses and patients are adeptly woven to give each hour the pace and intensity of a drama. Whether it’s the young resident in crisis doubting that she’s good enough to become a Harvard-trained doctor, or the deployed soldier’s pregnant wife praying for a miracle surgery to save her baby, Boston Med is sure to touch your heart.

Filmed over four months at Massachusetts General, Brigham and Women’s, and Children’s Hospital Boston, this powerfully real series breaks new ground in the documentary landscape. Meet the charismatic Hollywood producer before either he or the filmmakers realize that, through a twist of fate, his face will be transplanted onto a Vietnam veteran badly scarred in an accident. The second face transplant performed in this country and the first anywhere to be so extensively filmed, this operation involved two dozen surgeons and up to a hundred additional doctors and nurses. It’s a stunning example of both the high caliber medicine and the unprecedented and unique access captured by the filmmakers in Boston Med.

Uhmmm… maybe customers who purchase this product can be given a free bowflex to use with it. 

Drink plain water… and save your money for something useful. 

According to yet another study… sitting for long stretches of time (6 hours in this study) only serves to shorten the average life span.

The study found people seemed more likely to die of heart disease than cancer, with women who spent six hours a day sitting having a 37% increased risk of dying, compared to those who sat for less than three hours a day. The increased risk for men was 17%.

The bottom line: don’t just sit and stagnate for long periods of time throughout the day – MOVE! 

Get up and move throughout the day!  (e.g., walk the floor, take the stairs, do some pushups or jumping jacks, etc.)

Read the full study here:

http://health.msn.com/health-topics/articlepage.aspx?cp-documentid=100261497&gt1=31036

Make certain your doctor has the right credentials and NO complaints or board actions against them.

It’s quick and easy – just follow the link below and type in their name: 

http://www.azmd.gov/

Written below by Surly:

“Who should ride a Surly Pugsley? Hunters of all types (animal, mineral, or vegetable), beach/desert riders, snow/ice riders, wilderness explorers, and anybody else in need of a bike that will provide extra stability, traction, and floatation when the terrain gets loose and unpredictable. If you fall into any one of those categories, you should ride a Pugsley.”

Written below by StrengthLab:

“You forgot hardcore fitness enthusiasts!  Lightweight road bikes are for those recreational users (who do not race) who have trouble thinking for themselves.”

http://www.surlybikes.com/bikes/

SUBWAY makes it very easy to eat well on the road.  With over 33,000 shops worldwide it’s easy to get the same turkey sandwich on 9 grain bread, with vegetables of choice, topped with one of their fat free dressings, such as honey mustard, anywhere you go.  Make all the excuses you want when traveling, but the answer can be found in at least 33,000 different locations and 90 different countries!    

FYI – Tuna sandwichs are NOT healthy… way too much fat!  Know your food before you eat it…

SUBWAY’s Nutrition Facts:

http://www.subway.com/applications/NutritionInfo/nutritionlist.aspx?id=sandwich

There’s a contingent of critics who believe dairy products to be unnecessary and even ill-advised as part of a healthy and balanced diet.  The bottom line here is… unless you’re systemically allergic, lactose intolerant, have strong feelings for cows or simply don’t like the taste of dairy products there’s absolutely no reason not to take advantage of it’s many nutritional properties.

This doesn’t cover StrengthLab’s race history very well before 2005… but it appears to be fairly comprehensive since then. 

The following site is available (free of charge) for you as well; it tracks the events you participate in! 

It’s called “Athlinks”

http://www.athlinks.com/myresultsadv.aspx?rid=76609301

The majority of supplements are worthless and waste of your money! 

Various powder blends… items for the landfill.  Various energy drinks… drink coffee instead, it’s abundant and actually good for you.  Meal replacement bars and muscle building shakes… a lack of protein isn’t the problem here (even if you’re a bodybuilder).  Exotic juices and berries in handsome bottles… all garbage!  Juices are generally not healthy, of course the actual whole fruit or vegetable is.  Save your money and buy the real deal at the store; fruits, vegetables and lean proteins.

Scientists who study food and nutrition, at this very moment, don’t fully understand how the colors in fruits and vegetables keep us so healthy… so don’t believe the marketing of someone who knows even less than the scientists who study it. 

We cannot bottle what we don’t understand.

Exceptions… maybe a good multi-vitamin supplement, Udo’s oil or flax oil and a good calcium citrate product with magnesium.  

FACT: There’s NO replacement or substitution for clean, healthy food the way nature intended it.  Man made food and supplements are inferior to the real thing.

Eat better!  Eat Less!  Move More!

For those who don’t watch the evening news – you should. 

This is your WORLD – this is where you live.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032619/ 

For those who don’t watch the local news – you should. 

This is your CITY – this is where you live.

http://www.abc15.com/ 

For those who think the “News” is too depressing, sensationalized, unfair or biased… so what, 

you can still learn and form better opinions from it while staying involved and current.

Easily the best and most digestible website to find the next local running event:

www.arizonaroadracers.com

Distributed by Magicshine (out of Hillside, Colorado) these bike lights are the best bang-for-the-buck in bike lights currently!

1400 lumens of light in the front headlights for only $129.00 and a very bright rear light (that can be connected to the same front light battery) for only $29.00 (shipping is quick and very inexpensive) 

www.GeoManGear.com has QUICK service and will support you with any problems.  The lights are high quality! 

FYI – NightRider bike lights (and other popular and easy to find brands) are expensive per lumen and NOT worth the expense.

Personally, I daydream about getting out on the road for the next run, the steady bike ride on one of my favorite routes, the resistance training that’s due to be done or the organized event that I’ve been looking forward to.  Whether at the grocery store or merely getting ready for the next day… my daydreaming never ceases.

Simple – yes.  Predictable – yes.  Committed – yes. 

But I am certain… there’s worse things to daydream about.

I feel so fortunate to have a wife that I enjoy being loyal to, a beautiful daughter that I enjoy spending time with, quality clients that I enjoy working for and a home in an area of the world I thrive in.  I even appreciate our dog… most of the time anyway.  

If you’re old enough to care less about being “cool” and more about being safe… this is a great mirror to have installed on your bike. 

It works with flat handle bars found on mountain, recumbent and hybrid bikes (as well as road bikes) and it costs less than $15.00 while being very quick and easy to install.

See everything behind you (at anytime) with just a glance!

http://www.amazon.com/Mirrycle-MTB-Mountain-Bicycle-Mirror/dp/B0009R96YK/ref=pd_sim_sg_1

Two decades of personal training has taught me that people have strong habits and favored lifestyles… and those habits lead to weight-gain or weight-loss.  Generally speaking and for the majority of people… eat less of whatever you habitually consume and move more while doing it and you’re going to lose weight.  For instance, if you drink too much, drink less and move more!  If you eat fast food too much, eat out less and move more!  If you eat too many carbohydrates or too much fat, eat less of them and move more!  The majority of people eat too much and move too little.  Weight-loss is personal… start by simply eating less of what you eat the most and moving more!

Probably the most popular novel on running ever written by John L. Parker

http://www.amazon.com/Once-Runner-Novel-John-Parker/dp/1416597891/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1278778884&sr=8-1

Many fitness instructors and personal trainers have their clients do the latest and greatest exercise modalities, such as core training, functional training, kettlebell training, bodyweight training, even pilates and yoga training.  Although these myriad training methods can find their way into an effective and balanced exercise routine, not one of these methods is a complete training system by itself. 

Traditional resistance equipment, using traditional methods of training and supplemented with the aforementioned methods makes for a complete program.  Build your fitness foundation upon the basics – they’re still the best.

Alcohol works as a mental and physical depressant and its influence is magnified by the amount we consume. 

Physical Consequences:

• A Decrease of accuracy, balance, and reaction time
• Slowing of visual tracking and information processing during activities 
• A Decrease of strength, power and muscle endurance during activites 
• And fluid Dehydration of the body

Furthermore, it has NO significant beneficial effects on any organ of the body.

Moreover, alcohol is a highly concentrated source of calories containing 7 calories per gram (compared to 4 calories per gram for protein and 4 calories per gram for carbohydrates).

Importantly, the negative consequences of alcohol consumption… depression of vital physical skills and high energy for motivation, does NOT clear out of the body immediately.  Don’t think just in hours, but in days!  The more we drink… the longer it takes to gain back our full physical and mental faculities. 

If you enjoy physical training or even racing – this is a supplement that you can do with out!

Sidenote: Marijuana is NOT harmless and has many of the same side affects as alcohol depending upon the amount inhaled or consumed, as well as the strength of the THC molecule (the mind altering ingredient contained in marijuana).  

High-fructose corn syrup is a common sweetener and preservative used in a variety of consumable products since the 1970’s.  It’s created by changing a particular type of sugar known as glucose in cornstarch to another form of sugar known as fructose.  The end product is a combination of fructose and glucose which is then called high fructose corn syrup.  It’s cheap, it’s easy and it’s abundant! 

So what’s the big deal with high fructose corn syrup?  There is NO big deal – it’s just another sugar!

It’s recommended that we eat less of it, to lose weight or maintain ideal body weight, but the ingredient itself is not dangerous or evil.  It’s just another sugar molecule, meaning more calories consumed, meaning more weight gain… but that can be said about all calories. 

Remember: eat less, eat better and move more!

Halo Headbands are technically designed to keep sweat out of your eyes and off your sunglasses while training or racing. 

Although I think they fall short of perfection for heavy sweaters they still work quite well. 

And for only $12.95 this headband is a steal in my opinion.  Halo, also makes visors, caps, bandanas and more with the same technology. 

What to learn more?  Just follow the link below:

http://store.haloheadband.com/

The multi-purpose Bar that tastes good; the Chocolate Z Bar made by Cliff Bar.

Need a healthy snack?  Does it.  Need a chocolate fix?  Does it.  Need quick and portable?  Does it.

Buy them by the box and keep them handy – they can keep you out of nutritional trouble when nothing else is available!

“Freestyle: Made Easy” by Terry Laughlin is a great instructional DVD especially for those of you desiring to swim longer distances outside of a pool.  From novice swimmers to veterans… many have gleaned some great teachniques from this video.  Clients are more than welcome to borrow and view the StrengthLab copy at any time. 

There’s also an accompanying book available for purchase at Amazon –  just follow the link below.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000FDK78W/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_sr_2?pf_rd_p=486539851&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=1931009015&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=0Y635VRE1C3QC7FA20GE

Strengthlab is Cleaned and Sanitized on a scheduled routine! 

The floor is vacuumed and cleaned with antibacterial sanitizer every other day – or more if needed! 

Antibacterial XL Gym Wipes ( www.gymwipes.com ) are used on all of the fitness equipment throughout the training day and are available for all clients to use (at any time) before and throughout their training sessions. 

Hand sanitizer is available for clients (at any time) before and during their sessions as well – so is a bathroom and sink for the use of good ol’ fashioned hand soap. 

Moreover, if anyone shows up to use the training studio feeling sick or looking under-the-weather, they’re asked to leave, to comeback and try it another day.  Protecting the health and vitality of all users is paramount here. 

Bottom line: StrengthLab is cleaner than any health club or gym you’ve ever used! 

You will not find a less expensive – better tasting bread – with 5 grams of fiber per slice – with no artificial ingredients!

Kirkland Signature (Costco Brand) Multi-Grain Bread

Life-long fitness is often most rewarding and successful when “subjective training” is intelligently employed.  Subjective training being best defined by daily exercise goals that are determined primarily upon how you feel; coupled of course with pre-established longer term goals and plans.  For instance, just because you’re scheduled to execute a long endurance run on a particular day doesn’t mean that you necessarily should.  Perhaps your body is presenting signs that a shorter day is in order or discarding the run altogether is most needed.  And re-working muscles for instance that are sore and damaged from a previous workout, just because they’re scheduled again, is often a recipe for setback or worse.  These are subjective decisions based upon biofeedback that no long-term plan can account for; but certainly can accommodate with the right amount of afterthought.  Granted this type of training is not for everyone.  Those who have trouble sticking to training plans in the first place don’t do well with too much discretion here… and those who lack fitness experience often misread the signs of biofeedback. 

But if you know your body and you really know your stuff… there’s no better way to stay healthy, motivated and fit for a lifetime!

This is a free national service brought to you by law enforcement called RAIDS Online.

Type in your location and it will provide you with daily feedback on all the crimes in your area (up to 5 miles).

Stay involved in your community and be aware. 

As provided on the site:

http://raidsonline.com/

***A well established local way to see what’s going on in your neighborhood can be found below.  It’s provided by the Arizona Republic Newspaper for free on their website:  http://www.azcentral.com/CrimeMaps/

Costco now has Chobani Greek Yogurt available in a 12 pack. 

All natural and twice the protein as regular yogurts!

http://www.chobani.com/products/c/nonfat

From the hand selected commercial machines… to the myriad cable attachments… to the varied bar designs, StrengthLab has the best fitness equipment and accessories available today.  Researched carefully and maintained meticulously, StrengthLab Personal Training Services takes fitness and the tools necessary, to get the job done, to a higher standard than any club of any size.   Furthermore, when purchasing fitness equipment and related accessories, no short-cuts are ever taken or even considered.  All of the equipment is purchased brand new, from the best vendors in the industry, with the necessary requirements and correct specifications to meet the needs of the owner and his long-term clients. 

Fitness and exercise may not be serious business to many – but it is to StrengthLab.

Regardless of the media messages that we may be bombarded with daily… the past was certainly not simpler and the world was not a more peaceful place.  From vastly improved and widely available medical care, to an abundance of nutritional resources and employment opportunities, we’re very lucky to live in the United States and more specifically here in Arizona.  From the open azure skies, to the varied terrain and climate, we certainly have it all.  Excuses don’t hold much credibility when you’re living out here. 

You have two legs and two arms, so if you want it – go get it!

If you don’t read… read one book before the end of this year!  And, even better yet… select a book that’s NOT fiction! 

Non-fiction is more amazing, more weird, more unexpected, more dramatic and more enlightening than any book of fiction.

Read as much as you can, as often as you can, as varied as you can… and let the ideas, precepts, paradigms and epiphanies roll around in your head a while.  Try them on, compare them, tailor them, use them… and at the same time – improve your life.

It’s a Comparision of Martial Arts Training and Real World Violence by Rory Miller

http://www.amazon.com/Meditations-Violence-Comparison-Martial-Training/dp/1594391181/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1277467109&sr=8-1

Eating a piece of pie with real ice cream a la mode, following a fried chicken dinner, is okay once in a while, right?  A large prime rib steak or large hamburger with cheese, matched with a basket of french fries is just fine, “I don’t do it all the time, this is a special occasion.”  Right?  This is where the slippery slope of nutrition now requires a parachute!  The danger is in the acceptance of consuming food that’s so heavily rich with calories and fat, that even an intense bout of exercise that same day will not recover all the calories that were just consumed at this one point in time.  Furthermore, consuming large amounts of fat or calories at one time is enormously taxing on our entire physiological system; potentially leaving trace amounts of damage in our blood vessels each time this occurence is experienced (much like lying in the sun for too long each time we sun bath damages our skin in trace amounts).  In addition, we’re at an increased risk of heart attack and stroke while our body releases all those free fatty acids into the blood stream following the heavy meal.  All those free fatty acids have a tendency to thicken our blood increasing our health risks for an acute time period of 3-5 hours after consumption.  This is much like smoking a cigarette puts us at a higher risk of death for 2-3 hours after their consumption while the drugs affect our physiology.  Avoid the cigarette in the moment – you avoid the acute risk.  Never smoke again – you avoid the long term risk.  Avoid heavy calorie consumption much the same way!

At some point in our lives, the majority of us experience resignation… we simply stop actively trying to improve ourselves.  The continual wave of challenges that we face as human beings can be quite daunting and the accumulation of life-long losses that we’ve suffered along the way can be quite debilitating as well.  Yet the personal challenge for all of us, is to push forward constructively, yielding to nothing less than our very best.

It’s easy to become enthusiastic about fitness for a month, six-months or even a year for that matter.  But to stay enthusiastic about fitness for five years, a decade, even a life-time… is a matter altogether different.  To purposely and intelligently drive yourself through the grind of fitness, at a passioned pitch, with deep dedication and life-long fortitude… well that’s simply where the very serious separate themselves.

It’s been said that pride is the sign of a foolish man… yet, in my opinion, pride used wisely is the sign of a healthy man. 

There’s been plenty of things done in the name of pride that surely were better left undone.  But, when used as a valuable tool and powerful motivator… it’s been the influence behind numerous accomplishments and memorable performances.

The power of pride should never be abused or underestimated… it should only be used to your greatest advantage and treated carefully like a sword.

We all go through changes or phases in our lives.  Sometimes the changes come quickly and sometimes the phases come slowly… but they never fail to materialize.  To effectively deal with change it’s important to know yourself… and to know yourself takes great effort and dedicated discipline.  We have to challenge ourselves and study ourselves with a focused awareness that’s meant to provide and allow for growth.  Regardless of the changes or the phases in our lives, it’s important to be interested in growing mentally, spiritually and physically stronger.  Any other objective – or lack of objective – will only lead to weakness.

I’ve grown to appreciate – if not outright love – high intensity workouts with shorter duration! 

My newest tool in this quest – a bike model called “Pugsley” made by a bicycle company out of Minnesota called “Surly”. 

The wheels and tires of the Pugsley are the biggest in the bicycle industry. 

They were initially made for snow and sand… but I have other plans for them. 

Heavy and really quite cumbersome “Pugsley”will get plenty of exercise out here in the hills of Ahwatukee.

(With the rear bag full of tools, the bike weighs over 50lbs).

Re-visiting a helpful and laconic book on nutrition.

Worth a read at (least once to) understand nutrition in short form.

http://www.amazon.com/Eating-Well-Optimum-Health-Essential/dp/B0006V3Q9U/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1276966018&sr=8-1