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Being overweight or continually gaining weight is not caused by how much we eat, rather by what we eat! Olive Oil and Salmon for instance are calorie bombs and neither are good for you! Quit listening to the media. Learn how to eat for weightless and health here!

The Amazing Nutrient-Rich Program for Fast and Sustained Weight Loss

Amazon:

The Eat To Live 2011 revised edition includes updated scientific research supporting Dr. Fuhrman’s revolutionary six-week plan and a brand new chapter highlighting Dr. Fuhrman’s discovery of toxic hunger and the role of food addiction in weight issues.  This new chapter provides novel and important insights into weight gain. It explains how and why eating the wrong foods causes toxic hunger and the desire to over consume calories; whereas a diet of high micronutrient quality causes true hunger which decreases the sensations leading to food cravings and overeating behaviors.  It instructs readers on how to leave behind the discomfort of toxic hunger, cravings, and addictions to unhealthy foods.

New recipes and menus are included as well as new and updated Frequently Asked Questions.

This is a book that will let you live longer, reduce your need for medications, and improve your health dramatically. It is a book that will change the way you want to eat. Most importantly, if you follow the Eat To Live™ diet, you will lose weight faster than you ever thought possible.

http://www.amazon.com/Eat-Live-Amazing-Nutrient-Rich-Sustained/dp/031612091X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1454079523&sr=8-1&keywords=eat+to+live

Are the personal trainers you’re looking at going to be a trainer a year from now? Were they even trainers a year ago? Staying power is a big deal when you’re looking to build a relationship to help you stay the course. Over 10 years in the same location, over 20 full time years as a Fitness Expert and Personal Trainer! That’s staying power!

On average, the majority of doctors know as much about nutrition and exercise as the average uninformed and misinformed patient visiting their office. This is not how they make their income, office visits, surgery, drug prescriptions, etc. are their revenue generators. They don’t know this information because it’s not a part of their training, nor does it need to be. Even if they did know something about these subjects, they wouldn’t have the time or incentive to teach it to you.

Within any subject or field there will be many who do not understand it well enough to discern the good information from the bad; certainly this is forgivable, there simply isn’t enough time and motivation to know everything about all the various fields of endeavor. This is easily understood and widely accepted. But, for those to claim to be experts, instructors, trainers, teachers, leaders and authors within a given field of expertise, who simply do not know what the hell they’re talking about, is simply inexcusable, dishonest and negligent, especially when you’re taking someone’s trust, time, money and most importantly… maybe even their health!

A New Paradigm in Conscious Communication

FINALIST ― SOCIAL CHANGE ― USA Best Books Award 2015

Your reactions to conflict are subconscious, scripted, and for the good of the group.

Conflict happens everywhere: at work, with friends and family, among strangers, and certainly in violence. Why did your boss ignore a suggestion that could save millions of dollars? Why do you have the same argument again and again with your spouse? When someone insults you, why do you get angry? Why do bad guys beat up the weak?

You have three brains.
• Lizard brain (survival)
• Monkey brain (emotion / social status)
• Human brain (reason)

Each “brain” has a different priority and evolved to deal with different kinds of conflict. They work using different scripts and have a very clear seniority system.

Conflict Communication (ConCom) presents a functional taxonomy to see, understand, and manipulate the roots of life’s conflicts. You will have the background, the principles, and a collection of tricks to manage and ideally avoid dangerous conflicts.

No going back. After reading this book, you can never go back. Even if you reject everything in the program, even if you refuse to admit how often your monkey brain has controlled your life, escalations toward conflict will never again be invisible to you.

http://www.amazon.com/Conflict-Communication-ConCom-Paradigm-Conscious/dp/1594393311/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1452978768&sr=8-1&keywords=conflict+communication

NUTRITION is the master key to health! Obesity, disability, disease and premature death are all avoidable through proper nutrition. The problem is, most of us have NO idea what proper nutrition is. Eating massive amounts of one macronutrient (protein) is simply unwise!

The antioxidant activity of an apple is 263 times more powerful than the amount of vitamin C contained in the apple would suggest. In other words, the attempt to engineer food (supplements) that’s better in health than the real thing is laughable and disastrous when depended on. Quit wasting your money! That includes the supplement you think is the exception to what I’m saying here.

We have a responsibility to those we love and care for, as well as to those who depend on us, to take care of ourselves. Get with it!

Consuming animal proteins is linked to chronic disorders, disease and premature death. Eating vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes and beans as well as raw nuts and seeds is associated with staying healthy, maintaining proper bodyweight and longevity. Don’t agree with it? Don’t want to listen to or follow the evidence? Suit yourself. But I’ve watched many people change their minds once they get sick, especially the tough talking men. Be smart. Protect your health!

Mental toughness is essential for elite human performance and especially in high stress situations. While mental toughness is a singular value in both military and law enforcement training and missions, too often, there is a disconnect between talking about and actually training it. Warrior Mindset defines mental toughness and describes its critical need and function in the face of the performance degrading effects of combat, mission or response stress. Warrior Mindset provides the psychological skills that comprise mental toughness to optimize performance, success, safety and survival in the field.

http://www.amazon.com/Warrior-Mindset-Dr-Michael-Asken/dp/0964920557/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1452055892&sr=8-1&keywords=warrior+mindset

The science in human nutrition is now overwhelmingly clear that there is a fundamental dietary pattern of eating that causes the majority of diseases, and a pattern that nearly eliminates them all! In other words, there is an almost magical approach to weight-loss and health; but it’s not through pills, supplements, low carb diets or surgeries!!! It’s eating a whole food – PLANT BASED DIET – free of animal proteins and processed food that will prevent, arrest, reverse and even cure the majority of disabling conditions and diseases.

We must all suffer one of two things in life, the discomfort and sometimes pain of discipline or the discomfort and sometimes pain of regret. We have all experienced both, which do you prefer?

The Psychology and Physiology of Deadly Conflict in War and in Peace

Book Description:

On Combat looks at what happens to the human body under the stresses of deadly battle the impact on the nervous system, heart, breathing, visual and auditory perception, memory – then discusses new research findings as to what measures warriors can take to prevent such debilitations so they can stay in the fight, survive, and win. A brief, but insightful look at history shows the evolution of combat, the development of the physical and psychological leverage that enables humans to kill other humans, followed by an objective examination of domestic violence in America. The authors reveal the nature of the warrior, brave men and women who train their minds and bodies to go to that place from which others flee. After examining the incredible impact of a few true warriors in battle, On Combat presents new and exciting research as to how to train the mind to become inoculated to stress, fear and even pain. Expanding on Lt. Col. Grossman s popular “Bulletproof mind” presentation, the book explores what really happens to the warrior after the battle, and shows how emotions, such as relief and self-blame, are natural and healthy ways to feel about having survived combat. A fresh and highly informative look at post traumatic stress syndrome (PTSD) details how to prevent it, how to survive it should it happen, how to come out of it stronger, and how to help others who are experiencing it. On Combat looks at the critical importance of the debriefing, when warriors gather after the battle to share what happened, critique, learn from each other and, for some, begin to heal from the horror. The reader will learn a highly effective breathing technique that not only steadies the warrior s mind and body before and during the battle, but can also be used afterwards as a powerful healing device to help separate the emotion from the memory. Concluding chapters discuss the Christian/Judeo view of killing in combat and offers powerful insight that Lt. Col. Grossman has imparted over the years to help thousands of warriors understand and come to terms with their actions in battle. A final chapter encourages warriors to always fight for justice, not vengeance, so that their remaining days will be healthy ones filled with pride for having performed their duty morally and ethically. This information-packed book ploughs new ground in its vision, in its extensive new research and startling findings, and in its powerful, revealing quotes and anecdotes from top people in the warrior community, people who have faced the toxic environment of deadly combat and now share their wisdom to help others.  On Combat is easy to read and powerful in scope. It is a true classic that will be read by new and veteran warriors for years to come.

http://www.amazon.com/Combat-Psychology-Physiology-Deadly-Conflict/dp/0964920549/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1385487989&sr=8-1&keywords=on+combat

This class was offered by “Latent Force” down at C2 Tactical in Tempe.

Course Description:

Once a class is complete the excitement of what was just accomplished makes everyone ready for the next class – that is our hope anyways.  Shooters soon learn that the first introductory or basic weapon classes were truly designed to teach the basics and were not intended to prepare them for the “tactical handgun” classes that are out on the market.  The reality is there is a major gap in the training available to properly prepare students for that next big training step.

When we developed Defensive Pistol 150 we did it to create gunfighters and to bridge the gap between introductory courses and those that focus on tactics.  This is accomplished by developing the foundational weapon manipulation skills to a level that sets you up for success in future classes ensuring that you are not working beyond your abilities.  This in-depth motor skill development course will challenge shooters of all levels and expose them to concepts that will become more prevalent in future classes.

The fundamentals of marksmanship and proper weapon manipulation skills are the basis for the tactics used to successfully use a firearm to defend oneself in a defensive encounter with a criminal threat.   With a strong focus on marksmanship and weapon manipulations under stress, Defensive Pistol 150 will help you find areas to improve accuracy and gun handling skills while simultaneously performing the needed repetitions to begin developing motor skills that must be performed subconsciously in a defensive encounter.

Make no mistake – this is a faced paced and physically demanding class that will challenge shooters of all skill levels.  You will test your skills and identify failure points through high repetitions and both mental and physical stress.   If you have been looking for the next best step to take in your development as a gunfighter then Critical Defensive Pistol 150 is for you.

A great benefit of this transitional weapon skills class is that it is not just valuable for newer shooters but it is also perfect for those that may be struggling in certain area of their training or have been away from shooting for an extended period of time and could use the refresher.  However, this is not a new shooter class.  You should already understand and be able to perform the basic weapon manipulations such as holster presentation, loading and unloading, speed reloads, tactical reloads, and stage 1-3 malfunction clearance procedures.  This class should not be the first time you have been exposed to these concepts.

National statistics state that the majority of encounters with a criminal threat happen within 3 yds, involve three shots and are over in three seconds or less.  In fact 91% of all engagements happen within 20 feet and 80% of those happen during the hours of darkness.  For this reason we will introduce you to CQB and Extreme CQB techniques that are rarely covered in depth and low light shooting.  You will begin understanding how this change in your environment impacts combat effectiveness.

Drawing from the holster presents unique challenges for the shooter.  Doing it correctly not only aids in threat engagement but also minimizes your exposure to potential serious injury.  For this reason the vast majority of the class will be taught from the holster since this is likely the way you will fight.

Due to the pace of this course only minimal review time will be spent working on the fundamental of marksmanship since this should have been part of your introductory or basic firearms course.  Class time will be spent developing and advancing skills you’ve already learned.  However, corrections will be made as they apply to the concepts being learned in this class.

Marksmanship Skills Covered

• Sight Management
  
• Trigger Management
  
• Recoil Management
  
• One Handed performance
  
• Low Light Techniques

Manipulation Skills Covered

• Press checks
  
• Administrative unloads
  
• Draw
  
• Reload
  
• Malfunction Clearance
  
• Injured shooter manipulations
  
• Bi-Lateral Transitions

Tactics Introduction

• Movement off the “X”
  
• CQB and Extreme CQB techniques
  
• Failure to stop

More about Latent Force: http://www.latentforce.com/home.html

The more we look at the research coming out of nutrition science today, by reputable, unbiased researchers and well executed, long term studies, the clearer it becomes in how we should eat to avoid, arrest, reverse and even cure disease, and that’s a plant based diet! Not high protein! Not high fat! Not low carb!

Important to Note: French fries, pizza, donuts, potato chips, cookies, etc. are frequently considered “carbs” and they are not! They are fats! When the majority of the calories come from fat, it makes it a fat, not a carb. Fruits and veggies are carbs and you should be eating loads of them, in all their variety!

If you are going to carry a weapon, or own a weapon – train with that weapon! Otherwise, don’t have the weapon around, and certainly don’t carry it on you!

This is the 3rd of 5 Practical Pistol Shooting Courses down at C2 Tactical – enjoyed it and recommend it!

Check it out here:

http://www.c2tactical.com/handgun-courses/

Living A Life of Excellence

Modern Bushido is all about living a life of excellence. In this enlightening prose, Dr. Bohdi Sanders covers 30 essential traits that will change your life. Modern Bushido expands on the standards and principles needed to live a life of excellence and applies these traits directly to life in today’s world.

Readers will be motivated and inspired by the straightforward lessons and wisdom in this exceptionally unique book. If you want to live a life of excellence, this book is for you. This is a guidebook to living life to the fullest, with the character that defines the true human being. The advice discussed in Modern Bushido is sure to benefit your life in a positive way and lead you to a deeper understanding of what it means to live a successful life of honor and integrity.

In Modern Bushido, you will learn:
*  How to live a life of character
*  How your thoughts affect your life
*  What it means to be a true friend
*  The true meaning of honor
*  The benefits of meditation
*  What true respect means
*  Your ultimate responsibility in life
*  How to balance your life
*  How to be at peace with death
*  What true courage is
*  And much, much more…

Modern Bushido is a must read for every martial artist and anyone who seeks to live life as it was meant to be lived – with honor, character and integrity.

Medicine and What Matters in the End

In Being Mortal, bestselling author Atul Gawande tackles the hardest challenge of his profession: how medicine can not only improve life but also the process of its ending

Medicine has triumphed in modern times, transforming birth, injury, and infectious disease from harrowing to manageable. But in the inevitable condition of aging and death, the goals of medicine seem too frequently to run counter to the interest of the human spirit. Nursing homes, preoccupied with safety, pin patients into railed beds and wheelchairs. Hospitals isolate the dying, checking for vital signs long after the goals of cure have become moot. Doctors, committed to extending life, continue to carry out devastating procedures that in the end extend suffering.

Gawande, a practicing surgeon, addresses his profession’s ultimate limitation, arguing that quality of life is the desired goal for patients and families. Gawande offers examples of freer, more socially fulfilling models for assisting the infirm and dependent elderly, and he explores the varieties of hospice care to demonstrate that a person’s last weeks or months may be rich and dignified.

Full of eye-opening research and riveting storytelling, Being Mortal asserts that medicine can comfort and enhance our experience even to the end, providing not only a good life but also a good end.

http://www.amazon.com/Being-Mortal-Medicine-What-Matters/dp/0805095152/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1448514094&sr=8-1&keywords=being+mortal

The vast majority of us, regardless of genetics, can all but eliminate the risk of disease and premature death through adequate exercise, a healthy diet and a wise lifestyle. Most doctors and their patients simply put their faith in pills, procedures and surgeries after the problems have already begun.

Eating animal products is directly linked to the majority of diseases that make us fat and sick while eating plant based products are directly linked to lean body mass and good health! Choose wisely!

“Common knowledge” is a disaster when it comes to health, fitness and nutrition; everyone thinks they’re an expert! What they’re an expert in, is reciting the media and marketing they’ve consistently been exposed to for years and parroting what others are doing in their direct proximity. However! There’s plenty of good science available to guide and direct your goals… and you should be using it.

Generally speaking, the typical doctor (M.D.) knows as much about health, fitness and nutrition as the average American; and what they do know they learned from the same place as the average American. Doctors Know Disease and Prescriptions… not health, fitness or nutrition!

A poor diet consisting of animal products and processed food, all of which consist of low fiber, is generally the culprit.

I’m a firm believer that the best way to raise a child, or children for that matter, is to be the adult you want your child or children to be. What we are… is far more important than what we say. It’s never too late to improve!

How Our Obsession with Meat Is Killing Us and What We Can Do About It

An acclaimed surgeon specializing in weight loss delivers a paradigm-shifting examination of the diet and health industry’s focus on protein, explaining why it is detrimental to our health, and can prevent us from losing weight.

Whether you are seeing a doctor, nutritionist, or a trainer, all of them advise to eat more protein. Foods, drinks, and supplements are loaded with extra protein. Many people use protein for weight control, to gain or lose pounds, while others believe it gives them more energy and is essential for a longer, healthier life. Now, Dr. Garth Davis, an expert in weight loss asks, “Is all this protein making us healthier?”

The answer, he emphatically argues, is NO. Too much protein is actually making us sick, fat, and tired, according to Dr. Davis. If you are getting adequate calories in your diet, there is no such thing as protein deficiency. The healthiest countries in the world eat far less protein than we do and yet we have an entire nation on a protein binge getting sicker by the day.

As a surgeon treating obese patients, Dr. Davis was frustrated by the ever-increasing number of sick and overweight patients, but it wasn’t until his own health scare that he realized he could do something about it. Combining cutting-edge research, with his hands-on patient experience and his years dedicated to analyzing studies of the world’s longest-lived populations, this explosive, groundbreaking book reveals the truth about the dangers of protein and shares a proven approach to weight loss, health, and longevity.

http://www.amazon.com/Proteinaholic-Obsession-Meat-Killing-About/dp/0062279300/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1445657560&sr=8-1&keywords=proteinaholic

The Infernos are having a great season; deep into the schedule and they’ve only suffered one loss.

Working toward personal improvement is the best we can do, and it can be a very enjoyable lifelong process; improvement and growth are far more realistic goals as well.

How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead

The #1 New York Times bestseller, now in paperback. From thought leader Dr. Brené Brown, a transformative new vision for the way we lead, love, work, parent, and educate that teaches us the power of vulnerability.

“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; . . . who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly.”—Theodore Roosevelt

Every day we experience the uncertainty, risks, and emotional exposure that define what it means to be vulnerable or to dare greatly. Based on twelve years of pioneering research, Dr. Brené Brown dispels the cultural myth that vulnerability is weakness and argues that it is, in truth, our most accurate measure of courage.

Brown explains how vulnerability is both the core of difficult emotions like fear, grief, and disappointment, and the birthplace of love, belonging, joy, empathy, innovation, and creativity. She writes: “When we shut ourselves off from vulnerability, we distance ourselves from the experiences that bring purpose and meaning to our lives.”

Daring Greatly is not about winning or losing. It’s about courage. In a world where “never enough” dominates and feeling afraid has become second nature, vulnerability is subversive. Uncomfortable. It’s even a little dangerous at times. And, without question, putting ourselves out there means there’s a far greater risk of getting criticized or feeling hurt. But when we step back and examine our lives, we will find that nothing is as uncomfortable, dangerous, and hurtful as standing on the outside of our lives looking in and wondering what it would be like if we had the courage to step into the arena—whether it’s a new relationship, an important meeting, the creative process, or a difficult family conversation. Daring Greatly is a practice and a powerful new vision for letting ourselves be seen.

http://www.amazon.com/Daring-Greatly-Courage-Vulnerable-Transforms/dp/1592408419

Socially, we want and NEED to CONNECT with others for our health and happiness; although there are many who pretend otherwise, it’s best to acknowledge and work with this concept rather than against it. We all want to feel valued, accepted, validated and heard. One of the best ways to receive and experience these qualities, from others who are important to us, is simply to give them.

Third year as a sponsor; another great team with great coaches!

Professional (One on One) Personal Training at StrengthLab is specifically geared toward your goals! There’s no other trainers and no other clients during your session. Just the right approach, tailored to your needs. Sometimes more instruction is necessary and sometimes better listening skills are necessary; it’s all about you, here.

StrengthLab: In an attempt to be well read and able to go wherever a conversation needs to go, I read widely on many subjects that pertain to my clients.

Researcher and thought leader Dr. Brené Brown offers a liberating study on the importance of our imperfections—both to our relationships and to our own sense of self.

The quest for perfection is exhausting and unrelenting. There is a constant barrage of social expectations that teach us that being imperfect is synonymous with being inadequate. Everywhere we turn, there are messages that tell us who, what and how we’re supposed to be. So, we learn to hide our struggles and protect ourselves from shame, judgment, criticism and blame by seeking safety in pretending and perfection.

Dr. Brené Brown, Ph.D., LMSW, is the leading authority on the power of vulnerability, and has inspired thousands through her top-selling book The Gifts of Imperfection, wildly popular TEDx talk, and a PBS special. Based on seven years of her ground-breaking research and hundreds of interviews, I Thought It Was Just Me shines a long-overdue light on an important truth: Our imperfections are what connect us to each other and to our humanity. Our vulnerabilities are not weaknesses; they are powerful reminders to keep our hearts and minds open to the reality that we’re all in this together.

Dr. Brown writes, “We need our lives back. It’s time to reclaim the gifts of imperfection—the courage to be real, the compassion we need to love ourselves and others, and the connection that gives true purpose and meaning to life. These are the gifts that bring love, laughter, gratitude, empathy and joy into our lives.”

http://www.amazon.com/Thought-Was-Just-but-isnt/dp/1592403352/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1445921924&sr=8-1&keywords=i+thought+it+was+just+me

Although this research has been proven to be true countless times, there are many more animal products that cause cancer as well. Reduce your animal product intake and increase fresh vegetables and to a lesser extend fruits, legumes, raw nuts and whole grains.

Ham, Sausages Cause Cancer; Red Meat Probably Does, Too, WHO Group Says

Processed meat, such as bacon or hot dogs, causes cancer, a World Health Organization group said in a long-awaited determination on Monday. The group said red meat, including beef, pork and lamb, probably causes cancer, too.

Many studies show the links, both in populations of people and in tests that show how eating these foods can cause cancer, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) said in its report, released in the Lancet Medical Journal.

“These findings further support current public health recommendations to limit intake of meat,” Dr. Christopher Wild, who directs IARC, said in a statement.

Most reports on the links between meat and cancer have been softened with some element of doubt, but the IARC uses clear and direct language in saying processed meat causes cancer. There are no phrases such as “may cause” in the report.

“Overall, the Working Group classified consumption of processed meat as ‘carcinogenic to humans’ on the basis of sufficient evidence for colorectal cancer,” the report reads.

“Additionally, a positive association with the consumption of processed meat was found for stomach cancer. The Working Group classified consumption of red meat as ‘probably carcinogenic to humans’,” it added.

“Consumption of red meat was also positively associated with pancreatic and with prostate cancer.”

“Red meat refers to unprocessed mammalian muscle meat—for example, beef, veal, pork, lamb, mutton, horse, or goat meat—including minced or frozen meat; it is usually consumed cooked,” the IARC said in its report.

“Processed meat refers to meat that has been transformed through salting, curing, fermentation, smoking, or other processes to enhance flavor or improve preservation. Most processed meats contain pork or beef, but might also contain other red meats, poultry, offal (eg, liver), or meat byproducts such as blood.”

The report specifically names ham, hot dogs, sausages and jerky.

It’s not startling news – the evidence has been building for years that eating meat, especially processed and red meat, raises the risk of cancer.

It’s been linked with breast cancer colon cancer and may worsen prostate cancer.

The IARC assembled a team of experts to review all the evidence.

“The experts concluded that each 50 gram portion of processed meat eaten daily increases the risk of colorectal cancer by 18 percent,” the IARC said.

“For an individual, the risk of developing colorectal cancer because of their consumption of processed meat remains small, but this risk increases with the amount of meat consumed,” said IARC’s Dr. Kurt Straif.

“In view of the large number of people who consume processed meat, the global impact on cancer incidence is of public health importance.”

http://www.nbcnews.com/health/cancer/processed-meat-causes-cancer-red-meat-probably-does-group-says-n451396

The majority of us seem to rate the value of our lives by how much we have in things or how widely recognized we are within a social circle or corporate ladder; on a larger scale, fame and fortune seems to be the only thing worthy of real value to most Americans. However, the wise among us, only seem to mention the ordinary moments as extraordinary, indeed, the moments spent with those we care the most about. These are the things we wish we had the most of when time grows short.

Fitness and exercise get more important, rather than less important, as we get older, so we should take a long-term approach to exercise, an approach that’s designed to keep us training for a life-time.  Weight training is the first priority here, not only to increase personal fitness through enhanced muscular strength and muscular endurance but to maintain a dynamic balance between opposing muscle groups; which equates to a healthy range of motion throughout the body and its joints when practiced consistently.  This is how range of motion is maintained or re-acquired as we age – stretching is NOT the answer to maintaining or increasing flexibility!

Consistent and intelligent weight training builds a robust foundation that aerobic exercise can be built upon.  Aerobic exercise persued habitually, without a strategic resistance training program, is a recipe for imbalance, future injury and burn-out.  Furthermore, as we age, imbalances occur naturally (as well as unnaturally) throughout our bodies due to work related repetitive motions, trauma from accidents and muscle tissue loss due to inactivity (which can occur as early as 25 years of age).  As we age time spent resistance training should increase!

No health and fitness program is complete without both elements – weight training and cardiovascular training.  Unfortunately, both are typically not practiced consistently (or at all) and often when they’re executed they’re performed incorrectly by the majority of end users; the selected exercises, technique, frequency, intensity and duration are all keys to long-term progression and success.

In The Gifts of Imperfection, Brené Brown, a leading expert on shame, authenticity, and belonging, shares ten guideposts on the power of Wholehearted living—a way of engaging with the world from a place of worthiness.

Each day we face a barrage of images and messages from society and the media telling us who, what, and how we should be. We are led to believe that if we could only look perfect and lead perfect lives, we’d no longer feel inadequate. So most of us perform, please, and perfect, all the while thinking, “What if I can’t keep all of these balls in the air? Why isn’t everyone else working harder and living up to my expectations? What will people think if I fail or give up? When can I stop proving myself?”

In her ten guideposts, Brown engages our minds, hearts, and spirits as she explores how we can cultivate the courage, compassion, and connection to wake up in the morning and think, “No matter what gets done and how much is left undone, I am enough,” and to go to bed at night thinking, “Yes, I am sometimes afraid, but I am also brave. And, yes, I am imperfect and vulnerable, but that doesn’t change the truth that I am worthy of love and belonging.”

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/159285849X?keywords=the%20gifts%20of%20imperfection&qid=1445752068&ref_=sr_1_1&sr=8-1

Named one of the best books of 2013 by Amazon, the Financial Times, and the Wall Street Journal– as well as one of Oprah’s riveting reads, Fortune‘s must-read business books, and the Washington Post‘s books every leader should read.

We enjoyed the camping at Joshua Tree National Park!

Stay active!

Why Our Brains Are Wired to Connect

We are profoundly social creatures – more than we know. 

In Social, renowned psychologist Matthew Lieberman explores groundbreaking research in social neuroscience revealing that our need to connect with other people is even more fundamental, more basic, than our need for food or shelter.  Because of this, our brain uses its spare time to learn about the social world – other people and our relation to them. It is believed that we must commit 10,000 hours to master a skill.  According to Lieberman, each of us has spent 10,000 hours learning to make sense of people and groups by the time we are ten.

Social argues that our need to reach out to and connect with others is a primary driver behind our behavior.  We believe that pain and pleasure alone guide our actions.  Yet, new research using fMRI – including a great deal of original research conducted by Lieberman and his UCLA lab — shows that our brains react to social pain and pleasure in much the same way as they do to physical pain and pleasure.  Fortunately, the brain has evolved sophisticated mechanisms for securing our place in the social world.  We have a unique ability to read other people’s minds, to figure out their hopes, fears, and motivations, allowing us to effectively coordinate our lives with one another.  And our most private sense of who we are is intimately linked to the important people and groups in our lives.  This wiring often leads us to restrain our selfish impulses for the greater good.  These mechanisms lead to behavior that might seem irrational, but is really just the result of our deep social wiring and necessary for our success as a species.

Based on the latest cutting edge research, the findings in Social have important real-world implications.  Our schools and businesses, for example, attempt to minimalize social distractions.  But this is exactly the wrong thing to do to encourage engagement and learning, and literally shuts down the social brain, leaving powerful neuro-cognitive resources untapped.  The insights revealed in this pioneering book suggest ways to improve learning in schools, make the workplace more productive, and improve our overall well-being.

http://www.amazon.com/Social-Why-Brains-Wired-Connect/dp/0307889106/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1443236956&sr=8-1&keywords=social

This is still one of the best text books ever written on the subject, in addition, it’s currently the text book used at Penn University where the subject of Positive Psychology was first established. Penn University is considered the premiere location to learn this branch of Psychology.

Positive psychology is the scientific study of what goes right in life, from birth to death and at all stops in between. It is a newly-christened approach within psychology that takes seriously the examination of that which makes life most worth living. Everyone’s life has peaks and valleys, and positive psychology does not deny the valleys. Its signature premise is more nuanced, but nonetheless important: what is good about life is as genuine as what is bad and, therefore, deserves equal attention from psychologists. Positive psychology as an explicit perspective has existed only since 1998, but enough relevant theory and research now exist to fill a textbook suitable for a semester-long college course.

A Primer in Positive Psychology is thoroughly grounded in scientific research and covers major topics of concern to the field: positive experiences such as pleasure and flow; positive traits such as character strengths, values, and talents; and the social institutions that enable these subjects as well as what recent research might contribute to this knowledge. Every chapter contains exercises that illustrate positive psychology, a glossary, suggestions of articles and books for further reading, and lists of films, websites, and popular songs that embody chapter themes.

A comprehensive overview of positive psychology by one of the acknowledged leaders in the field, this textbook provides students with a thorough introduction to an important area of psychology

http://www.amazon.com/Primer-Positive-Psychology-Oxford/dp/0195188330/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1442101648&sr=1-1&keywords=9780195188332

The combination of Fitness and Nutrition is a larger predictor of health or disease than your genetics!

The third leading cause of death in the United States is prescription drugs (only heart disease and cancer kill more people)! Adverse effects of medicine kill over 100,000 people per year according to the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). Nutrition and Exercise can remove the need for many, if not most, prescriptions!

The “Health Care System” within the United States should be more accurately called the “Disease Care System”.

The combination of Fitness, Nutrition and Mental Health is more appropriately called the Health Care System!

We can work on that here!