Ahwatukee StrengthLab Personal Training 480-612-7726

All the resistance pieces received new custom covers! Here’s a few examples:

Great for lower body strength and cardiovascular training!

Intelligent weight training is the most important fitness component that you can have in your program if you are over the age of 40, more important than cardiovascular training if you want to maintain control of your health and body as you age.

“Nothing is miserable unless you think it so; and on the other hand, nothing brings happiness unless you are content with it.” – Buddha

“What we are today comes from our thoughts of yesterday, and our present thoughts build our life of tomorrow; our life is the creation of our mind.” – Buddha

In other words, the life experiences that we have, primarily affect us only through our interpretations of them; if we control our negative interpretations, we constructively control our lives. – StrengthLab

For the best in exercise and fitness equipment, coupled with the best long-term warranty and service in Arizona, I recommend Fitness 4 Home Superstore.

http://www.fitness4home.com/

I find the majority of us are busy finding fault in others while being perfectly content in ignoring our own short-comings, mistakes and imperfections; it’s probably best, in most cases, to remain humble and focus strictly on our own improvements.

The newest edition to the StrengthLab fitness equipment is the Power Systems Cambered Bar!

Not only is this bar more comfortable for many clients due to range-of-motion issues in their shoulders, it helps to maintain form in novice lifters as well.

In addition, it’s a viable alternative to traditional squats and lunges because the weight of the resistance is moved slightly forward, emphasizing the quadriceps or thighs a bit more than the traditional barbell on traps.

StrengthLab has more resistance training accessories than the largest health clubs in town; it’s just part of keeping your fitness program varied and keeping it fresh.

Although not exhaustive, here’s a few examples:

There are frequently psychologically based impediments that get in the way of our personal health, fitness and life success; characteristics such as negative self-talk and low self-esteem. As an exercise professional, I’ve developed a sensitivity to these conditions and have coping mechanisms, strategies and social support for them. We can work on that here.

Although Stress, Anxiety and Depression (SAD) can be experienced singly or in conjunction with one another, the role of exercise as an affective intervention in preventing and managing any or all of them is well documented.

Moreover, Cognitive Behavior Therapy and/or Cognitive Talk Therapy (CBT/CTT) are useful tools as well in controlling negative, dysfunctional thoughts, feelings and behaviors and replacing them with more positive, constructive thoughts, feelings and behaviors.

(SAD) Loosely Defined:

Stress: the amount of subjective pressure we perceive ourselves to be under at any given time, as well as our ability to cope with it.

Anxiety: anticipatory worry or feeling of fear (real or imagined) in the immediate or distant future.

Depression: marked by feelings of sadness, often accompanied with low self-esteem and lethargy.

SAD is documented to increase with age, especially when accompanied with discomfort or disease.

We can work on Stress, Anxiety and Depression (SAD) here.

CVD is the most prevalent disease and cause of death in the United States; it encompasses diseases of the heart and/or the circulatory system.

The role of exercise as an affective intervention in preventing and managing CVD is well documented!

We can work on this here.

Dysthymia (dis-THIE-me-uh) is a chronic type of mild depression and it’s frequently undiagnosed. Symptoms usually last for at least two years in which a person’s moods are regularly or habitually low; being cynical, critical, apathetic and unable to enjoy life in general. Although symptoms are not as severe as with major depression, this condition interferes with one’s ability to function smoothly and enjoy life; many cope with this condition by using drugs and/or alcohol.

We can work on this here.

Dysthymia symptoms in adults may include:

• Loss of interest in daily activities
• Sadness or feeling down
• Hopelessness
• Tiredness and lack of energy
• Low self-esteem, self-criticism or feeling incapable
• Trouble concentrating and trouble making decisions
• Irritability or excessive anger
• Decreased activity, effectiveness and productivity
• Avoidance of social activities
• Feelings of guilt and worries over the past
• Poor appetite or overeating
• Sleep problems

Construct an appropriate on-going exercise program that educates their client, maximizes their health benefits, minimizes their personal risk, all while increasing the likelihood of their adherence.

The “oxygen debt” that’s generally accrued in an exercise participate, and thought to contribute to extra calories burned after the cessation of exercise (post exercise metabolism) is greatest when the exercise bout is either high intensity or longer in duration.

This stand alone machine works the anterior tibialis muscles (as well as other muscles located within the front of your lower leg); this muscle group is the opposite muscle group of your calf muscles (gastrocnemius and soleus) and they’re NOT insignificant as most gyms would have you believe.

Shin splints and various ankle injuries, as well as, but to a lesser extent, some knee conditions and injuries, are prevented by using this machine regularly; especially for athletes, walkers, hikers and runners.

I have this piece in my training studio, while it’s unlikely to be found in your local gyms.

This is a professional book that any health and fitness “expert” should know and study slowly; every time there’s a new edition, I buy it, and I read it carefully – ALL 900 pages!

ACSM’s Resource Manual for Guidelines for Exercise Testing and Prescription was created as a complement to ACSM’s Guidelines for Exercise Testing and Prescription  and elaborates on all major aspects of preventative rehabilitation and fitness programs and the major position stands of the ACSM.  The 7th edition provides information necessary to address the knowledge, skills, and abilities set forth in the new edition of Guidelines, and  explains the science behind the exercise testing and prescription. ACSM’s Resource Manual is a comprehensive resource for those working in the fitness and clinical exercise fields, as well as those in academic training.

Polling shows that fewer than one-eighth of patient visits to physicians include any nutrition counseling and fewer than 25 percent of physicians believe they have sufficient education to talk to patients about their diet or physical activity.

The number of hours devoted to teaching future physicians about nutrition in medical school has actually declined, from 22.3  in 2004 to 19.6 in 2009, and the number of hours devoted to teaching future physicians about exercise and fitness is negligible.

StrengthLab Comment:

In the last 2-3 years endurance training has come under “credible” fire when it comes to longevity and your health; this article is generated from some of that research.

By Kathleen Doheny – HealthDay Reporter

TUESDAY, April 1, 2014 (HealthDay News) — Running regularly has long been linked to a host of health benefits, including weight control, stress reduction, better blood pressure and cholesterol.

However, recent research suggests there may a point of diminishing returns with running.

A number of studies have suggested that a “moderate” running regimen — a total of two to three hours per week, according to one expert — appears best for longevity, refuting the typical “more is better” mantra for physical activity.

The researchers behind the newest study on the issue say people who get either no exercise or high-mileage runners both tend to have shorter lifespans than moderate runners. But the reasons why remain unclear, they added.

The new study seems to rule out cardiac risk or the use of certain medications as factors.

“Our study didn’t find any differences that could explain these longevity differences,” said Dr. Martin Matsumura, co-director of the Cardiovascular Research Institute at the Lehigh Valley Health Network in Allentown, Pa.

Matsumura presented the findings Sunday at the American College of Cardiology’s annual meeting in Washington, D.C. Studies presented at medical meetings are typically viewed as preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal.

Matsumura and his colleagues evaluated data from more than 3,800 men and women runners, average age 46. They were involved in the Masters Running Study, a web-based study of training and health information on runners aged 35 and above. Nearly 70 percent reported running more than 20 miles a week.

The runners supplied information on their use of common painkillers called NSAIDs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications such as ibuprofen and naproxen/Aleve), which have been linked with heart problems, as well as aspirin, known to be heart-protective. The runners also reported on known heart risk factors such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, family history of heart disease and smoking history.

None of these factors explained the shorter lives of high-mileage runners, the researchers said. Use of NSAIDs was actually more common in runners who ran less than 20 miles weekly, Matsumura’s team noted. “The study negates the theory that excessive use of NSAIDs may be causing this loss of longevity among high-mileage runners,” Matsumura said.

So what’s the advice to fitness-oriented Americans?

“I certainly don’t tell patients ‘Don’t run,’ ” Matsumura said. But, he does tell high-mileage runners to stay informed about new research into the mileage-lifespan link as more becomes known.

“What we still don’t understand is defining the optimal dose of running for health and longevity,” he said.

Even though the heart disease risk factors couldn’t explain the shorter longevity of high-mileage runners, there do seem to be potentially life-shortening ill effects from that amount of running, said Dr. James O’Keefe, director of preventive cardiology at the Mid-American Heart Institute in Kansas City.

O’Keefe, who reviewed the findings, believes there may simply be “too much wear and tear” on the bodies of high-mileage runners. He has researched the issue and is an advocate of moderate running for the best health benefits. Chronic extreme exercise, O’Keefe said, may induce a “remodeling” of the heart, and that could undermine some of the benefits that moderate activity provides.

In O’Keefe’s view, the “sweet spot” for jogging for health benefits is a slow to moderate pace, about two or three times per week, for a total of one to 2.5 hours.

“If you want to run a marathon,” he said, “run one and cross it off your bucket list.” But as a general rule, O’Keefe advises runners to avoid strenuous exercise for more than an hour at a time.

1. Eat MORE and primarily Vegetables! (list below)

2. Eat MORE extra lean to moderately lean Animal Proteins (some higher fat options are included below but extra to moderately lean preferred).

3. Minimize or Avoid fruit, beans, nuts, seeds and whole grains (these foods have the most nutritional calories and are suitable for kids, teenagers, young adults and athletes; not for those wanting to lose weight)

4. AVOID Refined Sugars or Refined Carbohydrates! (Beverages included)

5. AVOID Alcohol!

6. Drink Water, Coffee and/or Tea only.

Best Vegetables List:

Artichoke, Artichoke hearts, Asparagus, Baby corn, Bamboo shoots, Beans (green, wax, Italian) Bean sprouts, Brussels sprouts, Broccoli, Cabbage (green, bok choy, Chinese) Carrots (raw), Cauliflower, Celery, Cucumber, Eggplant, Greens (collard, kale, mustard, turnip) Hearts of palm, Jicama, Leeks, Mushrooms, Okra, Onions, Pea pods, Peppers (sweet or hot), Radishes, Rutabaga, Salad greens (chicory, endive, escarole, lettuce, romaine, spinach, arugula, radicchio, watercress) Sprouts, Squash (cushaw, summer, crookneck, spaghetti, zucchini) Sugar snap peas, Swiss chard, Tomato, Turnips, Water chestnuts, Yard-long beans.

Protein Sources:

*Fish and Seafood: Albacore tuna, herring, mackerel, rainbow trout, sardines, salmon, catfish, cod, flounder, haddock, halibut, orange roughy and tilapia; Shellfish including clams, crab, imitation shellfish, lobster, scallops, shrimp, oysters.  *Poultry (without the skin) and Eggs: Chicken, turkey, egg whites or whole eggs. *Beef trimmed of fat including: chuck, rib, rump roast, round, sirloin, cubed, flank, porterhouse, T-bone steak, tenderloin *Lamb chop, leg, or roast. *Pork tenderloin or chop.

Best Fruits List: (snack between meals, if necessary, for those with a sweet tooth)

Berries, cherries, pears, apples, grapefruits, peaches, apricots and plums.

Many exercise participants, as well as personal trainers who train them, believe that intense workouts lead to success, but unfortunately for those who subscribe to this precept, it’s frequently incorrect; it’s not how much, or how hard, we can exercise at one time that matters, it’s what we can recover from consistently (physically and mentally) that really matters to our long-term success.

Reading this book will make you less sure of yourself—and that’s a good thing. In The Invisible Gorilla, Christopher Chabris and Daniel Simons, creators of one of psychology’s most famous experiments, use remarkable stories and counterintuitive scientific findings to demonstrate an important truth: Our minds don’t work the way we think they do. We think we see ourselves and the world as they really are, but we’re actually missing a whole lot.

Chabris and Simons combine the work of other researchers with their own findings on attention, perception, memory, and reasoning to reveal how faulty intuitions often get us into trouble. In the process, they explain:

• Why a company would spend billions to launch a product that its own analysts know will fail
• How a police officer could run right past a brutal assault without seeing it
• Why award-winning movies are full of editing mistakes
• What criminals have in common with chess masters
• Why measles and other childhood diseases are making a comeback
• Why money managers could learn a lot from weather forecasters

Again and again, we think we experience and understand the world as it is, but our thoughts are beset by everyday illusions. We write traffic laws and build criminal cases on the assumption that people will notice when something unusual happens right in front of them. We’re sure we know where we were on 9/11, falsely believing that vivid memories are seared into our minds with perfect fidelity. And as a society, we spend billions on devices to train our brains because we’re continually tempted by the lure of quick fixes and effortless self-improvement.

The Invisible Gorilla reveals the myriad ways that our intuitions can deceive us, but it’s much more than a catalog of human failings. Chabris and Simons explain why we succumb to these everyday illusions and what we can do to inoculate ourselves against their effects. Ultimately, the book provides a kind of x-ray vision into our own minds, making it possible to pierce the veil of illusions that clouds our thoughts and to think clearly for perhaps the first time.

Conversations between a professional personal trainer and client, that will gradually change a client’s behavior and lifestyle, through accurate health and fitness information, is one example of the dialogic process; it’s a combination of dialogue and logic, that informs and continues to inform over time, altering a client’s current and sometimes negative trajectory.

I have yet to experience a client who hasn’t enjoyed a challenging “striking” drill from time to time using Focus Mitts, Thai pads or a Heavy Bag.

The route to weight-loss is not as muddy as many opinions would have you believe; controlling your carbs is indeed the answer, but an extreme commitment to carb restriction is not what’s being alluded to here or what’s necessary; consume colorful vegetables with lean proteins and exercise moderately – simple enough.  Some individuals, athletes or kids for instance, will make adjustments to these recommendations dependent upon their current condition, age, physical activity levels and personal goals; we can fine-tune that here.

Note: If high fat proteins are desired, such as cheese or steak, they should be consumed as a snack without carbohydrates, and alcohol is a complete disaster for weight-loss!

Grit, Curiosity, and the Hidden Power of Character

Why do some children succeed while others fail? The story we usually tell about childhood and success is the one about intelligence: success comes to those who score highest on tests, from preschool admissions to SATs. But in How Children Succeed, Paul Tough argues that the qualities that matter more have to do with character: skills like perseverance, curiosity, optimism, and self-control.

How Children Succeed introduces us to a new generation of researchers and educators, who, for the first time, are using the tools of science to peel back the mysteries of character. Through their stories—and the stories of the children they are trying to help—Tough reveals how this new knowledge can transform young people’s lives. He uncovers the surprising ways in which parents do—and do not—prepare their children for adulthood. And he provides us with new insights into how to improve the lives of children growing up in poverty. This provocative and profoundly hopeful book will not only inspire and engage readers, it will also change our understanding of childhood itself.

“Illuminates the extremes of American childhood: for rich kids, a safety net drawn so tight it’s a harness; for poor kids, almost nothing to break their fall.”—New York Times

“I learned so much reading this book and I came away full of hope about how we can make life better for all kinds of kids.”—Slate

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.

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.

Our daughter enjoying a water break at Jay Pages MMA in Chandler.

Our 6 year old daughter growing into “intelligent” physical activity!

What to eat, what not to eat, and how to think about health: a manifesto for our times

“Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.” These simple words go to the heart of Michael Pollan’s In Defense of Food, the well-considered answers he provides to the questions posed in the bestselling The Omnivore’s Dilemma.

Humans used to know how to eat well, Pollan argues. But the balanced dietary lessons that were once passed down through generations have been confused, complicated, and distorted by food industry marketers, nutritional scientists, and journalists-all of whom have much to gain from our dietary confusion. As a result, we face today a complex culinary landscape dense with bad advice and foods that are not “real.” These “edible foodlike substances” are often packaged with labels bearing health claims that are typically false or misleading. Indeed, real food is fast disappearing from the marketplace, to be replaced by “nutrients,” and plain old eating by an obsession with nutrition that is, paradoxically, ruining our health, not to mention our meals. Michael Pollan’s sensible and decidedly counterintuitive advice is: “Don’t eat anything that your great-great grandmother would not recognize as food.”

Writing In Defense of Food, and affirming the joy of eating, Pollan suggests that if we would pay more for better, well-grown food, but buy less of it, we’ll benefit ourselves, our communities, and the environment at large. Taking a clear-eyed look at what science does and does not know about the links between diet and health, he proposes a new way to think about the question of what to eat that is informed by ecology and tradition rather than by the prevailing nutrient-by-nutrient approach.

In Defense of Food reminds us that, despite the daunting dietary landscape Americans confront in the modern supermarket, the solutions to the current omnivore’s dilemma can be found all around us.

In looking toward traditional diets the world over, as well as the foods our families-and regions-historically enjoyed, we can recover a more balanced, reasonable, and pleasurable approach to food. Michael Pollan’s bracing and eloquent manifesto shows us how we might start making thoughtful food choices that will enrich our lives and enlarge our sense of what it means to be healthy.

I’ve personally used this waterproof iPod for about two years now (in fact, I have 2 of them) and it works flawlessly in the water while swimming.

Product Description

Underwater Audio’s waterproof iPod shuffle will go with you from land to sea and everywhere in between. Designed for swimmers, water lovers, and runners in the rain, this sleek and lightweight music player has all the features of the latest 2 GB iPod Shuffle, with the added bonus of being waterproof! Underwater Audio uses a proprietary process that is unique to the industry to waterproof your iPod from the inside out, giving you a 100% watertight music player.

What you get:

• One genuine Apple iPod (4th Gen, 2 GB) waterproofed by Underwater Audio
• Original Apple USB cable and earbuds
• One pair of Extra-Short Cord Waterproof Headphones by Swimbuds*
• 4 sets of interchangeable waterproof earbuds to create a custom fit
• 1 set of earbuds to use for out of the water
• 1 white 39-inch waterproof extension cord for Swimbuds
• 0.35oz (9.92g) Vaseline® to help earbuds form a watertight seal
• Hours of underwater audio listening

Waterproof iPod Shuffle

There are a wide variety of fitness programs and training venues available today for your participation; make sure that you select the one that corresponds best with your age, goals and abilities.

Protein supplements are widely popular in the United States, but they shouldn’t be… protein consumption is already quite high and protein is plentiful in every restaurant and grocery store throughout the nation. Furthermore, it’s expensive per serving and there’s absolutely no health benefits to consuming “excess” protein. In most cases, protein supplements are sold as meal replacements or marketed as necessary for muscle stimulation and/or growth… neither are viable options for purchase, it’s purely marketing hype.

Meal replacement? Eat a healthy colorful salad that provides more nutrition per ounce than any supplement could ever provide, as well as the benefits of healthy weight-loss.

Muscle growth? Follow a quality weight training program and put in the yearly “sweat equity” that’s required to move you toward your physical goals; you already get enough protein, more will not assist in reaching your objectives.

Important to note here: Expensive shampoos and lotions that provide protein in their products are a waste of money as well. You cannot strengthen your hair, nails, or skin through the surface of your body… the improvement starts from the inside by what you consume.

Building upon his critical work in Good Calories, Bad Calories and presenting fresh evidence for his claim, Gary Taubes revisits the urgent question of what’s making us fat—and how we can change.

He reveals the bad nutritional science of the last century—none more damaging or misguided than the “calories-in, calories-out” model of why we get fat—and the good science that has been ignored. He also answers the most persistent questions: Why are some people thin and others fat? What roles do exercise and genetics play in our weight? What foods should we eat, and what foods should we avoid? Persuasive, straightforward, and practical, Why We Get Fat is an essential guide to nutrition and weight management.

The superior man seeks what is right; the inferior one, what is profitable. Confucius

Think about what is right, rather than what is best for you personally; put your ethics before your comfort.

It’s certainly a viable method of exercise for a select niche of the population, the majority of which are young with forgiving bodies and spare energy to burn. For the rest of the aging population, with physical limitations, bodies that are increasingly less forgiving with little energy to throw away, CrossFit is generally inappropriate with a significant rate of injury and failure to adhere.

Increases in physical strength and fitness is something that happens over time as you practice good technique, with the proper exercises, at just the right amount of intensity, duration and frequency; the problem is that most, including personal trainers, have no idea how to apply these principles, when in fact they believe they do. It’s not how hard you workout that leads to success, it’s what can you recover from consistently, that is your key.

6 DVD Set — Self-Defense (Beginner to Advanced)

Mastering Krav Maga (Vol. I), Israeli Krav Maga Association U.S. Chief Instructor David Kahn teaches essential techniques to defend against all manners of unarmed attack from the yellow, orange, and green belt levels of the Israeli krav maga curriculum (beginner to advanced). The DVDs are companions to David’s two books (St. Martins Press), Krav Maga and Advanced Krav Maga.

Many of these latest-evolution techniques have not seen outside of Israel; the most up-to-date, authoritative and comprehensive unarmed krav maga instruction available.

DVD 1 – Upper Body Combatives

DVD 2 – Upper Body Defenses

DVD 3 – Lower Body Combatives and Defenses

DVD 4 – Retzev (“Continuous Combat Motion”), Choke, and Grab Releases

DVD 5 – Takedowns, Controls, Clinches and Multiple Opponents

DVD 6 – Ground fighting

Instructor: David Kahn received his advanced blackbelt teaching certifications from Grandmaster Haim Gidon, 10th dan. David trains the public, celebrities and federal, state and municipal law enforcement agencies along with the U.S. and British militaries in the Israeli method.

There’s no problem with having a weak thought, it’s certainly the behavior that may soon follow that weak thought that matters most.

Primary emotions and impulses originate in our lower “automatic brain” called the cerebellum, and frequently, if not most of the time, without our personal volition.

The cerebrum (the higher brain) is where we decide to give merit and eventual action to these emotions and impulses or to redirect them in a more positive and constructive pattern of thought or simply ignore them.

We can’t always control the initial emotion (or impulse) but we certainly have the capacity to decide what to do with it.

The Revolutionary Way To Swim Better, Faster, and Easier

Swim better—and enjoy every lap—with Total Immersion, a guide to improving your swimming from an expert with more than thirty years of experience in the water.

Terry Laughlin, the world’s #1 authority on swimming success, has made his unique approach even easier for anyone to master. Whether you’re an accomplished swimmer or have always found swimming to be a struggle, Total Immersion will show you that it’s mindful fluid movement—not athletic ability—that will turn you into an efficient swimmer. This new edition of the bestselling Total Immersion features:

· A thoughtfully choreographed series of skill drills—practiced in the mindful spirit of yoga—that can help anyone swim more enjoyably
· A holistic approach to becoming one with the water and to developing a swimming style that’s always comfortable
· Simple but thorough guidance on how to improve fitness and form
· A complementary land-and-water program for achieving a strong and supple body at any age

Based on more than thirty years of teaching, coaching, and research, Total Immersion has dramatically improved the physical and mental experience of swimming for thousands of people of all ages and abilities.

The personal view that we set for ourselves greatly affects our lives; it determines who we are currently, who we will become and what we will accomplish.