Summer Time Highlights!

Here are just a few pictures of my family's vacation in Maine and NH! Just click one of the pictures to see a larger view.

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Michael Moore Challenge

"Top Fitness Professionals Are Teaming Up To Present A Very Unique Challenge To Filmmaker Michael Moore!"

I am forwarding this email from my friends Ryan Lee and Jim Labadie to you. Take part with us to change America! -Dave

Dear concerned citizen,

Love him or hate him, Michael Moore carries a lot of influence. He is a national figure and the amount of publicity he generates can undoubtedly do a great deal of good for the United States and the world.

His recent film "Sicko" takes a very strong look at the current healthcare insurance situation in the United States. Whatever your feelings about the film or your political affiliation, please put them aside. In fact, the purpose of this challenge is not to take issue with the cost or unavailability of health insurance.

The purpose of this challenge is very simple: Currently Mr. Moore is a walking advertisement for heart disease and diabetes. Among other health issues. This is not to bash him. This is not to be viewed as an attack on him. This is not about aesthetics. This is not about looking good in a bathing suit. This is about Michael Moore exercising regularly and improving his diet so he can become a better role model for preventative care.

If Michael Moore really wants do something - if we ALL want to do something - about making changes in the health of the citizens of the United States then we believe he should focus on the prevention of illnesses by taking his health into his own hands.

As the issuers of this challenge we do not know anything about Mr. Moore's personal health history. We do not know if there are any underlying causes for his current physical condition other than lack of exercise and poor eating habits. Again, it is not our intention to condemn or condone Michael Moore's stance on any subject other than his own current physical condition. The challenge is sincerely meant to have a strong positive impact on the health of the nation.

So this is how you can play a big role in the Michael Moore Health Challenge:

Please send an email expressing your desire for Mr. Moore to accept this challenge. And please be sure to keep it short, sweet and positive. There is no reason to ask anything of him except a positive change in his health so he can serve as a role model for others. If you'd like a form letter to send you can scroll down to the bottom of this page to find one. Just add your name and city and state to the end of it.

Send your email to: healthychallenge@gmail.com

Put "Michael Moore Health Challenge" as the subject of it.

And please forward the email you received about this or this website address to as many people as you possibly can. Our goal is to receive tens of thousands, if not HUNDREDS of thousands of letters and emails and present them to the media so we can be sure Michael Moore hears about it. Of course the ultimate goal is to create positive social change. The message of prevention is what we want to spread. We'd like the citizens of this great nation to take a proactive approach to their healthcare. And while we know that exercise and proper nutrition will not eliminate the need for health insurance, it can a long way towards improving the overall health of the public.
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Here is an EXAMPLE you can use in your email. If you do not use this, be respectful and positive!

Dear Mr. Moore,

As a concerned citizen I am writing you today to ask you to accept the Michael Moore Healthy Challenge. Regardless of whether or not I agree with your views or opinions, I do know your fame and notoriety can help the health of this great nation.
I would love to see you become a positive role model for others to embody. It is my opinion that by accepting this challenge you will do a great deal to promote the message of preventative healthcare which will, in turn, help millions do the same.

Sincerely,

First and Last nameCity, State

Is it Worth the Weight?

Lose 6 pounds in 3 days! Take off 10 pounds by summer guaranteed! The 5 secrets to shedding unwanted pounds for good!

Familiar headlines?

Spend a bit of time at the magazine section in any store and count how many headlines grab you because they depict an article about losing weight. After all, the weight loss industry (yes it is an industry now) is a multi-billion dollar entity.

Most of us have heard that muscle weighs more than fat. But what does that mean. Does the general public really care? Do you care?

The scale is an easy way to judge ourselves and how we are fairing on the battle against the bulge. The scale is of no value by itself because it is only telling you part of the picture and there are much better ways to deal with your progress that will help ensure the “stick-to-itiveness” needed to change your body.

What if you could drop 1, 2 or 3 sizes…only to see the scale move in your favor by a few pounds? Would know, or would you just be accepting the compliments as they come rolling in? Better yet – would you tell anyone?

What actually happens to real people needs to be explained so the endless cycle of start, discouragement, stop, restart with a new plan, discouragement, stop, etc. - ceases once and for all.

Here is the deal:

Roughly 80% of you muscle tissue is made up of water. Muscle loves water. When a muscle is used on a regular basis (i.e., exercise program) it tends to hold a bit more water compared to the muscle tissue of a couch potato. With that said, we all know that water is heavy. Don’t believe me…go pick up a gallon of water which is coincidently about the amount of water you should consume per day.

Now, let me share a very real life experience with you. Suppose someone you know has been doing everything right for 4 weeks.

That includes:

Eating soundly
Resistance training
Cardiovascular exercise
Rest

At the completion of the 4 weeks your very excited friend steps on the scale for the first time…”I ONLY LOST 1 POUND!” I knew it wouldn’t work - again!

Little does you friend know that the likely scenario is as follows: 4 pounds of fat have vanished from their body and their now healthier muscle tissue is holding 3 pounds of water. That is a 7 pound change in 4 weeks and that is a great accomplishment. Sure it doesn’t stack up to the “guaranteed 20 pound loss” to join your gym or if you buy that be-all end-all exercise machine…but that’s my point.

A seven pound change will elicit a change in the way one’s clothes look and feel!

Now some people will lose more than others due to too many factors to list here (an article for another time). I will say this…the percentage of the population that has medically related issues, metabolic or otherwise, is very small. For most of us – we create our metabolism we are not victims of it.

It’s time we are honest with ourselves and start celebrating every change we make.

4 ways to evaluate your own progress:

1.) How do your clothes fit? Are they getting loose? Are you tightening to another belt loop? If so, you are losing FAT!

2.) Scale weight – Weigh yourself once a week at most. Take an average every 4 weeks. You are looking for 1-2 lbs. of scale weight on average…that means some weeks you are down and some even up!

3.) How do you feel? Are you full of energy? Are you feeling stronger? Are you sleeping better? If so, you are on the right track.

4.) Do you feel hungrier now that you have begun to exercise consistently? If so, most likely you have already begun to increase your metabolism. Do yourself a favor and DO NOT eat more unless you are feeling more fatigued and or your workouts are becoming more difficult without adding any intensity (weight, reps, speed, base of support, angle etc.).

Take these tools and celebrate your successes no matter how small they may seem. There is more that meets the eye when it comes to judging ourselves by only stepping on the scale.

I think you will agree that when you: look better, have more energy, reduce the risk of many diseases, can do the things you want to do…pain free, look younger, have more strength, have more flexibility (need I go on?) weight loss on the scale will be a nice fringe benefit!

I know prevention and intangibles are a tough sell compared to straight weight loss…but I had to try!

Peace,

Dave

Have a Magazine Cover Body in Seconds

At the risk of sounding like a slug for a parent – now that our kids are 6 ½ and 2 ½ years old we finally had our first family pictures taken about 6 weeks ago on the beach in Hull, Massachusetts.

Just this past week we met with the photographer to see the proof on her computer. As you know…everything is digital now!

The first sets of shots were taken with the four of us on top of a huge rock with cliffs and ocean as the backdrop. We were all sitting on a big navy blue towel as to protect our “nice” clothes and be a bit more comfortable.

As our photographer was about to open the file to show us this set of pictures she remarked, “So I took the towel out.”

The opening the next file of pictures that depicted a totally different angle and backdrop she says, “On this one I took out the condos that were behind you, brightened your jewelry and oh Andrea you had a hair across your face because of the wind so I got rid of that too”.

Next Shot – the boys are walking down the beach toward the sun while holding hands. “I took the people on the beach out of the picture as to leave just the boys”.

These pictures came out absolutely amazing!

As we were driving home I thought to myself – what the heck do they do to all those models on the covers of magazines?!

Sure we all know this but we still strive to look like what we see on the covers of fitness and beauty magazines. Is that realistic? Are we not setting ourselves up for failure? It is human nature to compare ourselves to the person sitting next us or the person on the other side of the gym.

We don’t need to be striving for perfection when in reality it does not exist.

I want to encourage you to take what God gave you and make it the best you can. Be proud for starting and sticking with it. Celebrate each and every milestone no matter how small it may seem to you.

We are all at a disadvantage because we can't jump into a photoshop program on our computer and then jump back out seconds later looking the way we think others want to see us or like any magazine cover model.
Don’t give in and don’t give up! YOU will be an example for others and they will be inspired to be consistently exercising and eating well.

Blessings,

Dave

The Weight Loss Wonder Drug

The new FDA-approved weight loss drug Alli will become available to the public by June 15th 2007. Perhaps by the time you read this article you will have already heard about it or even seen it on the shelves. This product may be purchased without a prescription from a physician. That’s right - an over the counter weight loss drug.

How does it work?

Alli is a 60mg orlistat capsule that essentially blocks up to 25% the fat you eat from being absorbed into your body. The claim is that combining Alli with a low calorie, low fat diet one can lose up to 50% more weight loss than through dieting alone. In short, if the fat from food is not broken down and absorbed into your body, it passes through instead of eventually adding to your waistline.

The example they give is “instead of losing 10 pounds with diet alone, you can lose 15 pounds with the Alli program.”

What are the side effects?

Of course the first question I had as a fitness professional, and a human being, was what are the side effects of such a product?

My ill will toward this product instantly grew as I learned that not only are the side effects, in my humble opinion, not worth the benefit of sparing some time it would normally take to lose the same amount of weight if you ate sensibly anyway – but the side effects are conveniently renamed “treatment effects”.

Maybe a treatment effect is the new P.C. way of verbalizing side effects.

An extreme, yet accurate analogy would be if ephedra was put back in to certain weight loss and energy aids and the possible “treatment effects” were that of abnormal changes in blood pressure and heart attack.

The following side effect information can be found in the marketing literature and on the Alli website.

1. gas with oily spotting
2. loose stools
3. more frequent stools that may be hard to control

More explanation is offered with:

“You may not usually get gassy, but it's a possibility when you take Alli. The bathroom is really the best place to go when that happens.”

“The excess fat that passes out of your body is not harmful. In fact, you may recognize it as something that looks like the oil on top of a pizza.”

Here are my top 6 questions about Alli:

1. Who wants those side effects if they are dieting anyway and can avoid them?
2. What happens if someone does reach their weight loss goals with Alli and then proceed to stop? Do they gain the weight back 50% faster?
3. Does this program not give free license to over eaters or people with poor nutritional habits to continue the same self defeating behaviors…if they don’t mind a little “pizza oil” in their pants?
4. Could this drug not be abused by people suffering with laxative bulimia?
5. Why should we play into the hands of our fast paced, quick fix, I want it all and I want it yesterday society?
6. What is stopping kids from getting their hands on this and overusing Alli to drop weight for high school athletics or to fit into that prom dress?

Those are just a few of my concerns. Although this article has a negative vibe toward Alli, I do believe it could help some people. I believe a drug like this, although FDA-approved, should be a prescription medication only.

Over the past 15+ years of training, logging in thousands of hours helping people just like you reach their weight loss goals – there has NEVER been a short cut that has a.) Been worth it or b.) Lasted over time.

There is no substitute for hard ward and eating soundly. Having sound nutrition does not have to be a chore and we are always coming up with new and innovative ways to train more effectively.

Please take this article for what it is – informative. I trust you will make the right decision and I am confident that when you do you will reach your fitness goals.

Stay Strong and may God Bless you!

Dave

Guaranteed Weightloss Success Starts with the Food You Eat

Though it is not customary to begin articles or statements for that matter with a question – it is time to end all the weight and fat loss nightmares by answering the most important one…
What is the number one, self defeating, easy to fix behavior that causes most people to fail and never reach their weight loss goals?

The answer is so obvious it is rhetorical! Yes, you know it is the way that you eat. There are two very powerful factors that add to this problem and now for the first time I can show you how to get rid of it forever!

First, we make bad choices and we eat too much.
Second, there is so much misinformation that we have lost sight of what to eat and how much of it. Low carbs, high protein, low glycemic index foods vs. “bad carbs”, low calorie, high calorie/low fat and on and on and on!

Don’t believe me? Go to your local book store and count how many DIFFERENT books there are on dieting and weight loss that specifically deal with nutrition. I promise you it will make your head spin!

What if you could have someone cook exactly what you want to eat based on what your specific weight loss goals are, and by customizing it to your exact Caloric needs per day?
What if it was not frozen but fresh food prepared for you and delivered right to your door for less than the average American spends on food per day?

I have found an amazing weightloss tool that will do all those things and more!
In the next 10 seconds you could be on your way to losing weight once and for all without any fancy diet that you can’t stick to or hours of preparation that take away from the important things in life like enjoying family and having fun!

At http://www.eatforweightloss.com/ you can experience the weight loss benefits my clients have experienced with custom meals delivered to your doorstep!
Do yourself a favor.

After over 15 years of working with people to help them reach their weight loss goals…my job just became a whole lot easier!

God Bless you,

Dave

Not Your Average Garden Variety Workout

This next statement might get me into some hot water with some of my colleagues…but I’m going to say it anyway!

Sometimes I think personal trainers shouldn’t exist to begin with!

Granted there is a need (especially these days) for someone to safely instruct people how to perform physical tasks in order to achieve a desired outcome quickly and effectively. Or might I say help someone shed unwanted body fat without hurting themselves.

Sometimes I feel like if people would just move, if they would just play, if they would just work around the house they would be much better off!

What if I could tell you about an exercise routine that involves no thought, burns tons of Calories and hits all of the target areas like the core, arms, legs, butt, lower back, upper back AND the heart and lungs?

Could this be a new fitness contraption that sells for 3 easy payments of $29.95?

This unbelievable workout that I rediscovered is called…

PLANT A GARDEN

My wife and I recently planted an 8 x 10 foot vegetable garden and it took 4 hours total. For a beginner exercising for the first time this equates to 8 half hour workouts! That’s more than a week!

For an intermediate to advanced exerciser that is at least 4 hours. For a nut like me it is one crazy marathon of a workout!

This rivaled some of the toughest workouts I have ever experienced! Everything is sore and though I don’t know the exact Calorie count…it must have been massive!

What did we do exactly?

1. Edged a 10 x 8 foot rectangle out of the grass next to our shed in the back yard.
2. Used a pitch fork to lift the sod up and shake out the dirt. Put the remaining grass roots (and weeds) in the wheelbarrow.
3. Repeat until grass and weeds are gone
4. Drove 12 stakes in the ground and attached plastic fencing to keep the “critters” out.
5. Planted Zucchini, peppers, and two types of tomatoes.

Besides the workout this task does so much for my family. It taught my six year old son how to plant a garden and now he gets to watch it grow!

It will provide tons of fresh veggies for my family this summer and save us a lot of money at the grocery store!

It gave my wife and I a sense of accomplishment and gave us an opportunity to do something together!

I could go on and on but I think you get the point.

How much did all this cost?

About $65 dollars total including the plants! I charge $80 per hour for new personal training clients. For 4 hours of training that is $320. Four hours of building a garden from scratch was a mere $16.25 per hour!

I don’t ever want to hear again that someone doesn’t have the time or the resources to exercise!

Happy Gardening and congratulations in advance to reaching your fitness and or weight loss goals!

God Bless!

Dave