Gravity Fx Fitness

This past week we have been working on primitive movement patterns like rocking, rolling and crawling – the movements that infants develop naturally, after coming into this world with a LOT of mobility (like being able to put toes to mouth).  These patterns give your nervous system a lot of stimulus and can be useful to regain the mobility of your youth.

As we mature, go out into the stressful workplace, spend much more time sitting than we are designed for, move too little or do the same movements over and over (overuse/repetitive motion injuries), we tend to get stiff and need to reconnect our bodies and brain, providing proper stimulus for efficient movement.

In the last couple years, I have been exposed to some videos and articles on using these developmental patterns for improved fitness and/or rehab.  This is based partly on a rehab system out of the Czech Republic called DNS, which will be presented in Davenport this April.  I recently came across a fitness website that presented a simple way to make use of this for your own improvement called Pressing Reset.

So as you can see in the video above there are examples of simple but effective movements to help with mobility.  In the rocking portion I should have had a little more arch in my lower back.  This is a simple way to help loosen up your hips.  The rolling patterns are actually harder than they look if you do them right.  You want to “lead” with your arm or leg and let the rest of your body kind of fall into place – trickier than it sounds.

The rope climber finally arrived!!

Rope climbing is a very good exercise but very few people can climb a rope, so this machine has 7 different resistance levels, making rope climbing available to almost anyone.  You can go shorter work periods for strength work or longer to work more on cardio.  Its joint friendly and can help with shoulder ROM (range of motion).  You can reach higher one hand at a time if that is your goal.  Hey, its just fun to use and it provides a little more variety.

A client asked me a couple weeks ago about the inversion table at the studio and what it did.  I wrote an article on this a year ago called Gravity, Posture and Inversion which does a good job of explaining the benefits, including neutralizing the negative effects of prolonged sitting.  A study in the ’70’s by Nachemson et al, measured the pressure on the spine in various positions.

In sitting with good posture, there was 40% more pressure on the spine than there was while standing.  Sitting with poor posture was even worse for your back.  We are designed for movement and the less movement we get in our daily lives, the worse off most of us are.

I use the inversion table at least 3 times a week and it helps me out quite a bit.  Yes, there are contraindications and you don’t need to be fully inverted to receive benefits – 20 to 30 degrees is a good starting place for those who are able to do this.

Finally, I wanted to comment on various people who walk into my gym from time to time.  Monday, the truck driver who delivered the rope climber saw my Power Plate vibration platform and said he wishes he had one of them.  He then said he had a piece of home weight equipment that he was looking to sell.  He said it had multiple stations and cost him over $2000 but it didn’t fit in his house and he couldn’t use all the functions.

He told me he was going to start going to the gym to work on losing weight.  I told him briefly about what I do but many people don’t have a clue about the benefits of the simple tools I use (mostly).  They don’t see any pieces of cardio equipment and somehow aren’t aware that you can get a cardiovascular training effect without a treadmill or elliptical machine?

Yet these people are not slim and no where near the shape that myself and many of my clients are in.  Unfortunately, the cardio strength training that we focus on here doesn’t get much publicity in the mainstream media.  Which is sad because so many people don’t bother going to the gym because they think it takes 2 hours of exercise to get results.

They’ve obviously never done kettlebell swings, battling ropes or sandbag exercises.  They would change their mind very quick.

Get moving!

Brian Morgan

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By Todd Durkin, MA, C.S.C.S., Owner, Fitness Quest 10 (SD, CA)

It’s funny how life works. Sometimes people appear just when they’re supposed to. Just when you need them. Sometimes things happen that you don’t understand as they occur, but later make a lot of sense. Sometimes the bleakest news leads to a transformation that sets your world on fire. Sometimes the unluckiest moment of your life is the luckiest. Let me explain.

I recently met with a young man and his father who came to me looking for some help. Spencer Stein is 20, and had suffered an extremely serious skydiving accident. He broke 3 of his vertebrae and did a ton of damage to his back when his chute malfunctioned about 150 feet above the body of water targeted for landing. He hit the water at nearly full speed.

Spencer’s dad caught the whole thing on video and showed it to me. It was horrific to watch, and helped me to appreciate what a miracle it was that Spencer survived.

But, what happened following the accident was even more miraculous. With all of the X-rays and MRIs Spencer endured post-injury, something else was discovered – Cavernous Malformation – a devastating congenital condition best understood as a hole in the spine that could erupt at any time and lead to sudden death.

Sometimes “accidents” are blessings in disguise.

So, after major surgery in June 2011 to repair this condition, and countless physical therapy and rehabilitation sessions later, Spencer is ready to move to the “next level” in his training and begin “training like an athlete again.” I love it.

We started last week and it was great. We’re addressing the mind, body, and spirit with a total, comprehensive, “IMPACT” approach to get Spencer’s body strong and his mind confident again. And this is where the story takes yet another interesting twist.

Before one of our sessions last week, Spencer’s dad mentioned that he might bring his yoga instructor in to see some of the action. I said it would be no problem and that I’d be delighted for him to watch. After all, with my background, I’m a big believer in adjunctive and complementary therapies… Pilates, yoga, massage/Rolfing, acupuncture, hyperbaric chamber, etc.

So last Wednesday when our scheduled session time arrived, into the center walks my new client, his dad, and his yoga instructor: John Friend. John came in to observe our session and stayed to watch all 60 minutes. Here’s what I saw: healthy looking yogi, early 50s, very vibrant energy about him… but something was different about him too. Although I had no idea who he was, I liked him immediately.

About three-quarters of the way through my session with Spencer, my Fitness Quest 10 yoga instructor, Marilou Ramos, heard that John Friend was in the center and she quickly sought him out. Before you knew it, John, Marilou, and Spencer’s dad were in deep conversation. Hmm… Did I miss something?

Some of you know this of course, but lo and behold, I came to find out who John Friend is and why Marilou arrived at the center like a bullet when she heard that one of her personal and professional “heroes” was visiting her workplace. I later learned that Marilou had actually studied with John in Paris, France, and has followed him for years.

For those of you who do not know, John Friend is one of the most respected and sought-out yoga instructors and gurus in the world (the vibrant energy…). John founded Anusara Yoga (http://www.anusara.com) and has certified thousands of instructors worldwide in his 30+ year career. He is often the keynoter at major yoga conferences and some of his sessions draw 800+ participants.

OK, I’m up to speed now.

After Spencer and I finished, John and I spoke and I learned that he’s building his “yoga sanctuary” in Encinitas, CA (about 30 minutes north west of Fitness Quest 10). John and Spencer’s dad have known each other for years and John will be helping Spencer with his yoga practice throughout the recovery process.

I love moments like this. Call it serendipity. Call it what you will. I called it a WOW moment. Here we are in San Diego, California, able to form a world-class team to positively impact this unlucky yet ultimately very fortunate young man. That is a happy accident.

When I told my yoga instructor wife, Melanie, later that night that I had “met John Friend at Fitness Quest 10,” she didn’t believe me. When she finally realized I wasn’t teasing, she practically flipped out. Confirmation of how awesome my day had been.

Last night, I spent some time thinking about Spencer and John, and couldn’t stop musing about how mysteriously the universe works. Everyday, we come across people with whom we are supposed to connect. People we are supposed to meet. People with whom we are meant to work with. Accidents sometimes happen and they can lead to breakdowns… and breakthroughs.

Spencer is a remarkable young man with a unique story and a very bright future who stepped onto my path as he begins his “chapter” of recovery and great healing.

Marilou has been absolutely radiant since spending time with one of her heroes and being able to share her yoga sanctuary with him.  She would tell you it was just the boost she needed in the New Year.

I got to meet a gifted yogi who is making his new home near mine here in beautiful San Diego. Who knows what the future will hold or what opportunities might exist for us to work together again?

My friend, it’s a brand new year with a new chapter beginning for each one of us. Where’s your story going in 2012? Who might step onto your path? Will you be ready with open eyes and heart? We all wonder what life will bring. What’s next for us… yet, it’s impossible to predict. The only thing that we each can do is embrace today, learn from it, stay open to the people placed on our path, work hard, and pray for the best.

Was it an accident that happened to this young man? I don’t think so. It all happened because it was supposed to be exactly this way. Thank you Spencer for sharing your journey with us and allowing me to be part of this chapter in your life. I don’t believe it was an “accident.” Really, it was written into your story from the beginning.

Peace and love,

Todd

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If you want to increase your metabolism and lose fat but have limits to how much time you spend exercising, there are certain activities that you should focus on. First, what are the determining factors in your metabolism?

According to wikipedia, “metabolism is the set of chemical reactions that occur in living organisms in order to maintain life.  These processes allow organisms to grow and reproduce, maintain their structures and respond to their environments.”  Your resting metabolic rate (RMR) makes up 60-70% of your total metabolism.

This is the amount of calories needed to maintain your basic functions while at complete rest.  This is largely determined by your muscle mass (lean muscle tissue), so any fat loss program should include resistance training to build or maintain lean muscle tissue.  About 20-30% of your daily calorie burn comes from your activity levels.  Strength Training or Cardio Training?

Many people have extremely busy lives, with both work and family commitments that limits the amount of time they have to exercise.  Fat loss expert Alwyn Cosgrove has come up with a Hierarchy of Fat Loss to explain the best options if you fall into this situation.

1.  Correct nutrition

2.  See number 1

3.  Activities that burn calories, maintain/build muscle mass and elevate metabolism

4.  Activities that burn calories and elevate metabolism

5.  Activities that burn calories but don’t necessarily maintain muscle or elevate metabolism

Four Factors for Fat loss Training

1.  TIED -

Metabolic resistance training

Strength training

2.  High intensity anaerobic interval training

3.  High intensity aerobic training

4.  Low intensity aerobic training

For a more detailed look at this read Alwyn’s article on the Hierarchy of Fat Loss.  Many of my clients are extremely busy and only have 3 or 4 hours per week to exercise.  So for them to get the biggest bang for their buck, I focus on strength training and/or metabolic conditioning training.

The resistance or strength training focuses on building or maintaining lean muscle tissue with complex exercises – meaning multiple joint movements such as pushing and pulling where several muscles are used with each exercise.  For the lower body this means various squat, lunge and step-up patterns where the large muscles of the leg and hip are working together.

An example of a “big bang” exercise is sled pushing.  Almost every muscle in your body is working to some extent when pushing the Prowler sled.   Not just for football players, it works well for women too, as you can see by the shape of these two.

Metabolic conditioning training uses total body workouts that are more about strength endurance or conditioning, often using timed intervals, such as the TRX Rip trainer and battling ropes class at my studio.

After about 15 minutes of dynamic warmup you then alternate between 30 seconds of work and 30 seconds of rest for 20 minutes.  This is one type of interval training and it compliments the strength training that is done on the other days.  The first 5 minutes doesn’t feel so bad but in the last 10 minutes that 30 second break seems to get shorter.  Heavy breathing and plenty of sweat is par for the course with this type of training.

Alwyn provides plenty of research and real world results in his articles and at his gym Results Fitness in southern California.  How you train for a marathon or strength competition is obviously different than what we are talking about here, but marathoners, triathletes or endurance cyclists not only spend numerous hours preparing for competition but exercise at a higher intensity level in most cases than the average person (hi vs. low intensity aerobic).

So if your goal is losing fat and we know that maintaining or building lean muscle tissue is crucial to your success, than walking at a leisurely pace, while still being good for your health, is not going to be your first exercise option.  At least it shouldn’t be.

You can take leisurely walks to relax, de-stress and catch up with friends or family and do other low intensity activities like mowing the grass, raking leaves, etc. for additional calorie burning, as long as you remember what your primary focus is.  If you only have 20 or 30 minutes to workout you can still get a boost in your metabolism by choosing 3 or 4 exercises and going from one to the other with little rest, choosing an upper body pushing and pulling movement and a squat or lunge pattern.

Now that you know how important muscles are to keeping your metabolism elevated you can better understand how men can sometimes seem to get away with eating whatever they want, at least while they are young, but it will catch up to them some day.  Remember, you can’t out-train a bad diet and nutrition is at the top of the list.

Get moving!

Brian Morgan

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Recently I’ve seen women on the internet wearing shirts that read “Strong is the New Skinny”, meaning that having strength is desirable.

I couldn’t agree more.  Besides making most of life’s tasks easier, working your muscles with resistance training gives you an appealing shape, as well.

A highschool friend recently celebrated a mid – 40’s birthday by running a half marathon.  Doing basic strength exercises helped her overcome some nagging injuries and increased her running efficiency.  She stopped in to see me briefly a while back and I showed her some simple but effective exercises.

A client recently took up jogging again as a supplement to our strength training sessions.  Several years ago she dislocated her kneecap and had been cautious when doing any type of exercise for fear of re-injuring her knee.

After taking our time to work the muscles of her leg and hip, making sure she had a good foundation, she now is one of the strongest women I work with, pushing a sled with 200 pounds of weights no problem.  The overall strength she has built also comes in handy while working as a nurses’ aide, frequently being asked to help move large patients.

Another client in her 50’s was recently moving some furniture at her parents’ apartment with one of her brothers.  They were going to move a chair when he said something about being careful of his sore back so she just picked up the chair herself and put it where she wanted.

I think you get the picture, that building lean muscle tissue is a good thing, if for no other reason than to make your daily activities that much easier…and since lean muscle tissue is important for your metabolism, that’s another important reason to do resistance training.

Some women always say that they don’t want to get too big or bulky but I just haven’t seen that myself.  In fact, most women get smaller with a proper program.  It takes a lot of effort to build muscle and most people aren’t willing to do the work.  If it was so easy to get big, athletes wouldn’t resort to taking illegal substances.

Not long ago I started working with a woman in her early 50’s who had been taking exercise classes elsewhere and not received the results she wanted.  I had her do a basic exercise for the upper back with 15 pounds and she thought it was too much weight, saying they had been using 8-10 pounds in the other class.  I replied that was one of the reasons she ended up at my door.

If you want lean muscle tissue you have to challenge the muscles with some effort.  If you also want to insure proper bone density you better use enough resistance to stimulate that, as well.  Most women are so much stronger than they realize.  I have a 68 year old woman doing that same exercise with a 20 pound dumbbell.  We didn’t start with that much but she has progressed to that point gradually.

You want to think of Progressive Resistance Exercise – gradually giving the body more of a challenge in order for it to adapt, making sure you have built a good foundation.  If you are in a rehab setting than a 3 or 4 pound weight might be what you need but if healthy and you want to force your body to make a change.

A few years ago I saw a special on CNN on aging and they interviewed a 101 year old woman who was still active, independent and exercised regularly, looking more like she was 80.  They showed her lifting what appeared to be 6 or 8 pound dumbbells and she was lifting them with decent form.  So if she wasn’t lifting the pink dumbbells than why should you??!!

Mothers routinely lift their 30, 40 or even 50 pound children so lifting weights should seem pretty natural.  Some women lift fairly heavy barbells or kettlebells and I admire that but you can use dumbbells, sandbags, flex bands, suspension trainers and the weight of your own body as resistance.  The key is to work hard and gradually progress to using more resistance.

If you want to give yourself the best odds of living long, being healthy and feeling youthful and energetic, strength training should be a part of your life.  A leaner, shapelier you is a nice “side effect” of this training.

Get moving!

Brian Morgan

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There’s been a lot of discussion lately on whether or not you should be doing crunches or situps if you want a healthy spine.  Spine researcher Stuart McGill has been at the forefront of much of this debate and if you haven’t heard, he doesn’t believe that most people need to include these exercises, especially if you have a past history of low back pain.

I don’t have my clients do them for two reasons :

first, most people over 40 already have some slight posture issues going on and don’t need to spend any more time in a flexed position and second, they are just too inefficient – they take too much time for what you get.

I recently attended the Midwest Performance Enhancement seminar and the strength coaches and physical therapists who were the speakers, were all against doing repeated spinal flexion in an exercise or rehab program.  Abdominal “bracing” is their preference (like bracing for a punch to the stomach).

The article 3 Surprisingly Strong Ab Exercises talks about doing an estimated 250,000 crunches to burn a pound of bodyfat, bringing up the point that its a waste of time to try and trim your waistline this way.  Last week I had a man who looked to be in his mid to late 40’s stop in while I was training some clients.

I didn’t have time to talk to him for very long but gave him a brochure and he gave me a business card.  I called him to see what he was looking for in an exercise program and he stated that he had been doing 1000 situps a day and not gotten rid of his belly. I told him that this was not the best way to solve this problem and that he might have been putting his back at risk of injury.

He didn’t seem to get my point but this man DID NOT have a flat stomach despite his routine.  In fact, he looked like he hadn’t been doing any work for his belly at all.

Strength coach Mike Robertson addressed this issue recently in his article Should You Crunch? part 2.  One of the points that he brings up is the effect on the upper body and shoulder function.  While standing, lean your upper body forward in the position that you end up in while doing crunches.  Now, raise your arm overhead and see how far it goes.  Then, stand completely upright and see how much higher you can reach.

A long-time massage client of mine passed away two months ago at the age of 79.  She routinely did about 700 situps daily when I first met her in a chiropractic clinic.  She had painful neck spasms then and dealt with chronic neck issues thereafter.  I tried to get her to break this habit but the last 3-4 years she also had a lot of shoulder issues which I believe was related to all that spinal flexion exercise.

If you would like to listen to an interview with Dr. Stuart McGill click on this link McGill Takes on Crunches…Again and here is a review of a one day seminar with McGill that I attended at Palmer Chiropractic College about four years ago Are Situps Causing Your Back Pain?

Also, if you have had some back or posture issues one of the first places to start is with diaphragmatic breathing.

Get moving!

Brian Morgan

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Two weekends ago I was fortunate enough to attend a presentation from nutrition expert Dr. Mike Roussell.  He discussed Fat Loss Without Diet Plans, aimed at personal trainers working with weight loss clients.

He gave some simple but effective tips which I will share with you soon, but here is a link to his article 3 Lean Body Secrets Noone Has Told You.  By the way, his friend Joe that he talks about in the first section was an attendee at this weekend seminar.

He is extremely lean and in great shape.  The kind of shape that comes not just from hard work in the gym but by being VERY disciplined with his eating.  Here is that link again 3 Lean Body Secrets.

Get moving!

Brian Morgan

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Meir Schneider PhD, LMT might be one of the most interesting people you have ever met.  While the personal transformation of achieving enough sight to be granted a California driver’s license would be amazing for most people, it pales when compared to the number of lives that he has impacted.

When I saw a local ad promoting a program of eye exercises, massage, mobility, relaxation and visualization exercises, it caught my attention.  Upon learning it was to be taught by a former blind man who had improved his vision naturally, after being born with cataracts, glaucoma and astigmatism, I was intrigued.

Schneider had five unsuccessful operations on his eyes before the age of 10, leaving his lenses almost completely destroyed.  About the age of 16, someone introduced him to the Bates method of eye exercises.

He spent numerous hours working on improving his vision and after several  months’ time, saw some improvement, which further motivated him to keep working on this.  I’ll be honest, after spending a weekend with Meir it becomes clear that you CAN improve your vision naturally, but it takes a LOT of effort, time and discipline.

For 16 year old Meir the motivation was obvious – not only did he want to fit in but he had another strong desire to see – he wanted to look at girls, like most boys his age.

I’ll write more about his book at another time but will now focus on the workshop.  One of the things we worked on was self-massage with a tennis ball, starting with the feet and working our way up the leg and hip, and then the back.

Nothing new for me, as a massage therapist I believe strongly in self-massage for injury prevention and maintenance of the soft tissues.  We worked on various exercises for the feet, trying to strengthen the toes one at a time.  We did simple exercises to strengthen the muscles on the front of the shins, along with ankle circles, both seated and lying face down.

At the same time that Schneider had been working on eye exercises in his youth, he was introduced to massage, yoga and breathing/visualization exercises – kind of a “perfect storm” of events that led him down the path of assisting others in their pursuit of health.

He believes as I do, that sitting for too long has a negative impact on posture and flexibility, advising that every 20 minutes you should stand up and grab an ankle, pulling your leg behind you and stretching your upper body toward the ceiling, tipping your neck back – without straining, of course.

One of the relaxation exercises we did was “palming,” which consists of sitting in a dark room with your eyes covered gently with the palms of your hands, with almost no pressure on the tissues surrounding your eyes.  In addition to letting your eyes relax, this should be done with deep abdominal (diaphragm) breathing.  You can also use visualization exercises at this time to further the overall relaxation process.

Excess tension can prohibit deep breathing.  Meir believes that we need a balance between the subtle, mind-body exercise and vigorous training, such as resistance training.  I couldn’t agree more.

We did various stretches and rotational movements on the floor.  He thinks that most of us tend to focus on strengthening our already strong muscles and neglecting our weak points.

After finding out that I was an exercise trainer he mentioned that most people focus on shortening their abdominal wall with flexion exercises, which he feels is a negative.  I put my focus on bracing, based on Stuart McGill’s work, which advises to contract the entire midsection, without pulling your stomach in or flexing it.

Most of the eye exercises were done outside.  With our contacts and glasses removed, he had us look at the distance for about 7 minutes, to help “stretch” our eyes.  Kind of similar to the concept of long toss in baseball.  Most of us spend the majority of our time staring at computer screens and rarely stare at the horizon any longer, which used to be an important survival skill.

This particular exercise was done while waving our hands on either side of our heads to stimulate our peripheries.  The people driving by must have thought we were crazy at some of the things we were doing but nobody in white coats came by to round us up, so it was all good.

Meir also believes in focusing our vision on details, something we don’t do much of.  At the end of the workshop I took a walk along the Mississippi river and tried to focus on the distance and look at the details.  I’ll admit, my vision seemed sharper after two days of the various exercises and using my contact lenses only sparingly throughout the weekend.

After spending this time with him and reading much of his book I believe that it is possible to improve your vision naturally but it doesn’t happen overnight or even in a few weeks.  It takes a lot of discipline, time and effort and most of us aren’t interested in putting in the work.

Meir has been working with muscular dystrophy, MS, polio, arthritis and back pain patients for 40 years, using a combination of massage, breathing, visualization, mobility and strengthening exercises.  He states that he has helped 300 people in wheelchairs get up and walk.

Lest you think that he is some kind of faith healer or charlatan, believe me, he is not – this isn’t like the movie character Fletch trying to remove a migraine demon.  His work requires some time and requires the client to do their “homework”, in some cases taking a period of months to achieve results, not necessarily curing the person but making a big change in their ability to move and to minimize pain.  This also requires an open mind and the right attitude.

While much of the exercise and flexibility work we did was very familiar to me, focusing on an entire weekend of the various elements definitely provided a synergistic effect and I was moving much easier afterwards, with a greater feeling of overall relaxation.

If you want more information on Meir Schneider and his San Francisco school/clinic  go to School for Self-Healing.

Get moving!

Brian Morgan

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Featured Article

“Live A Life Worth Telling A Story About”

By Todd Durkin, MA, C.S.C.S., Owner, Fitness Quest 10 (SD, CA)

Excellence. Greatness. Passion. What are you pursuing each and everyday of your life? Maybe your purpose is:

• To be a great parent by offering your children the gift of your time
• To give back to your community through philanthropic activities
• To do well in school, in sports, or the game of life
• To develop a product to revolutionize your industry
• To inspire greatness everyday in clients, co-workers, family, and friends
• To create IMPACT physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually for the people whose lives you touch

I believe it’s important to be dedicated to a meaningful purpose in life, and to live it everyday. But experience has taught me that a life purpose isn’t so clear to everyone. Some of you might be confused about exactly what you want to do. Or, maybe your work doesn’t align with your interests. Maybe you feel like you haven’t had the right opportunities yet. Or, maybe you haven’t CREATED the right opportunities for yourself…yet.

Whatever your purpose is or will be in life, I know you are meant to search for it. And once you find it… embrace it and LIVE it to the max!

This subject has been on my mind a lot lately and I can’t think of a better example of young men and women right in the middle of their search than what’s happening seven days a week at my San Diego gym, Fitness Quest 10. This summer, I have thirteen interns (yes – thirteen!), searching, discovering, and learning about their calling, their passion – their future profession. We call them the Dirty Dozen & Then Some. Their quest is to find their niche in the industry – to figure out if it’s fitness, strength and conditioning, group exercise instruction, boot camps, Pilates, youth programs, or another specialty in the field.

How do they do this? By immersing themselves 100% in the work. The interns have committed to our program for three months. Ninety days. Grueling hours. Hot sun. Many camps, many kids, and many classes. They assist with pro athlete sessions, with Joes and Janes and with every aspect of the behind-the-scenes activity at FQ10. Their compensation? It’s more like an honorarium than an income.

What does it take? Sacrifice. Commitment. Oh yeah, and A LOT OF ENERGY!

Why do they do it? I believe every one of them is fueled by the desire to find their life purpose. It is an honor (and a heck of a lot of fun) to be one of their teachers, and I applaud their work ethic, their stamina, their enthusiasm and their good nature.

Let me introduce you to our Dirty Dozen & Then Some – all thirteen – kicking butt and taking names:

• Kai-Uwe Aescht …(Passau/Bavaria, Germany)
• Maria Arana …(Imperial Beach, CA)
• Christopher Javier Carranza …(San Diego, CA)
• Tony Cates …(Monroe, Wisconsin)
• Sean Conaty …(Monticello, NY)
• Kelsey Crooks …(San Diego, CA)
• Charleston Dela Cruz …(San Diego, CA)
• Lucas Timothy Mok …(Hong Kong, Hong Kong)
• Lisa Parsons …(West Chester, PA)
• Justin Russ …(Buffalo, NY)
• Ryan Roberts …(Greensboro, NC)
• Demi Scaife …(New York, NY)
• Adrian Vera …(Fullerton, CA)

About now, you could be wondering how this might pertain to you. My friend, it’s never too late to find your life purpose and to discover your passion – that natural high that comes from knowing you’re in the right role in the right place. In other words, find out if you’re walking the right path – the one that was meant for you. Here’s how:

1.    Discover your purpose. Stop and look around you. Make sure you are on the right path for happiness and harmony in your life. If not, change your path.
2.    Be willing to sacrifice what you have for what you want. As the saying goes, “if you keep doing what you’ve always done, you will keep getting what you always got.”
3.    Focus on the WHY, not the HOW. Don’t let fear, excuses, negativity, or doubt hold you back. If you want something bad enough, say “YES!!!” and then figure out how to get it done. Know WHY you want it done and the HOW will follow.
4.    Pay the price for greatness. Everyone who plays at a top level (athletes, executives, leaders, entrepreneurs, etc.) has faced adversity. There is no doubt you will too. It’s how you respond to adversity and overcome a challenge that will ultimately determine your success.

Over the last few weeks, I have had the opportunity to speak at two different youth football camps hosted by NFL players. A couple weeks ago, I was in Olathe, Kansas for the Darren Sproles’ Football Camp. And this past week, I spoke at Antoine Cason’s Football Camp here in San Diego. I had the chance to work with kids ranging in age from 7 to 18 and I left every participant with the same message: “LIVE A LIFE WORTH TELLING A STORY ABOUT.”

Each of us was created with unique gifts, but it isn’t always immediately obvious what our gifts are. That’s why we call life a journey… a journey to discover the truth about our gifts and ourselves. Once we find them, we’re meant to share them with others. And that’s a life purpose worth our dedication. So get out there, discover your gifts and use them everyday to IMPACT those around you. When you do, you truly will LIVE A LIFE WORTH TELLING A STORY ABOUT.

Peace and love,

Todd 

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“You can’t out-train a bad diet”. Without a doubt, it’s one of my all time favorite quotes. My clients hear it daily. I will not stop using it. It rings true and I need my clients to hear my voice in their head stating that phrase when they consider hitting up the fast food joint for lunch instead of packing a healthier option beforehand. Nutrition is an extremely popular and extremely important topic; and it is one of the main factors in helping clients achieve their goals. Want to lose 20 pounds? You better eat right. Want to be full of energy and not gas out during your next fight? You better eat right. Want to look good at the beach this summer and show off that 6-pack? You better eat right. In my short list of “must-haves” in order to achieve your goals; I rank proper nutrition as the #2 piece of the puzzle. Conditioning (strength/cardio/mobility) ranks #3 and having the proper mind-set (you have to want to change) is #1. Train the mind and the body will follow.

Now that the mind is right, let’s fuel that body properly so we can reach our true potential.

What type of “diet” are you currently on? There are so many fad diets out there these days that I can’t keep track anymore. Do you follow a Paleo diet? Are you an ovo-lacto-vegan? How many points are you allowed to consume today? I get asked about the best diets frequently and I have a hard time keeping them all straight. With all the options out there today, I typically refer out to a more qualified nutritional expert. I’m confident in giving educated, sound advice on the subject; however, when individuals want specific diet plans and exact calorie counts, I’m not even going to try to act like I know all the answers. Remember, one size does not fit all when talking about nutrition. Have a couple nutrition experts at your disposal and recommend them to your clients. Your clients will appreciate you more in the long run for having a solid referral network. Remember – when in doubt, refer out.

I wanted to give you a look at what I typically consume during an average week so you can see what works for me. My personal goals are simply to maintain my current weight, correct a few imbalances (structural not chemical), and stay as healthy as possible. I’m not saying this diet will help you achieve your specific goals, I’m just frequently asked about my nutritional habits and wanted to share my daily food log.

Overview
I recommend eating a clean, balanced diet that is full of nutrient-dense protein sources (the less legs the better), loads of various vegetables (eat a rainbow), fibrous whole grains (at certain time of the day), and healthy fats such as raw nuts and fish oils.

Animal Protein Sources
• Wild caught fish (primarily salmon, tuna, halibut, bass)
• Organic chicken breast
• Organic ground turkey meat
• Grass fed red meat
• Organic eggs
• Whey protein powder (not all powders are created equally!)

Complex Carbohydrate Sources
• Steel-cut oats
• Brown rice
• Sweet Potatoes
• Amaranth
• Buckwheat

Fat Sources
• Coconut oil
• Macadamia nut oil
• Avocado
• EVOO
• Cod liver oil
• Almond butter

Misc. Foods
• “Other” Carbs: Local, organic veggies – staples include: peppers, broccoli, asparagus, tomatoes, spinach, squash, zucchini
• Organic fruits – staples include: banana, blueberries
• Variety of herbs & spices – staples include: basil, cinnamon, tarragon
• Black beans
• Raw nuts – staples include: almonds, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, chia seeds
• Green tea extract
• Almond milk
• Probiotic greens

Let’s look at what is not recommended. If you want to reach your goals, then these foods are out.
• High salt foods – frozen dinners, pre-packed ready-made meals
• Highly processed foods – take out, fast food
• High sugary foods – candy and sodas
• No processed, white flour
• Alcohol – limited to 1-2 glasses of red wine, except for your “cheat day/meal”

Sample diet for 1 typical week day
Upon waking
16 oz of cold water

First feeding (breakfast)
½ tablespoon of Cod Liver Oil
Scrambled eggs (typically 3 whole & 3 just whites: 6 total) with multiple veggies (common: tomato, avocado, spinach, basil), 2 pieces organic, multi-grain toast with cinnamon and agave. Eggs are cooked in coconut oil. I have water w/lemon with most meals.

Mid-morning feeding
One of the following:
Larabar with a bag of raw mixed nuts or
2 tablespoons of almond butter on celery sticks

Pre-workout cocktail (about 20-30 minutes prior to exercise)
BCAA and caffeine (~140mg) – I’ve tried a number of brands…currently trying “Black Powder”

Post-workout cocktail (during my stretch)
Recovery drink…ideally a 3:1 carb to protein ratio…fruit, protein powder, & almond milk

Afternoon feeding (within 1 hour of workout)
1 grilled chicken breast w/herbs, sweet potato, and veggies (broccoli, red peppers, & yellow squash)

2nd afternoon feeding
Whatever I didn’t eat for my mid-morning snack…
Larabar with a bag of raw mixed nuts or
2 tablespoons of almond butter on celery sticks

Evening feeding
Baked Salmon w/lemon, large salad with lettuce, spinach, tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots, (dressing: balsamic vinegar & EVOO)

Last feeding
½ tablespoon fish oil and, if anything else, a shake with ice, greens, protein powder, almond butter, and a little almond milk

My Diet – random notes

• Complex carb – I’m on the record as being “pro-carb”. I typically consume mine 2x per day; once in the morning and once right after my workout.
• I prefer to eat my calories and not drink them. Other than the post-workout cocktail, I try not to drink too many calories
• When talking protein – the less legs it has the better
• I try to eat protein at every single meal I have throughout the day
• I try to eat veggies with as many meals as possible
• I don’t eat a ton of fruit; bananas and blueberries are the only frequent ones
• Supplements – My common supplements include: protein powder, green tea extract, greens, and cod liver (fish) oils
• Water – Try to consume half your bodyweight in fluid ounces every day
• The less ingredients something has the better. Try to consume food with 3 or less ingredients listed. If you can’t pronounce it…it’s probably not good for you.
• Allow yourself 1 “cheat day” per week or a couple “cheat meals” throughout the week

Cheat Day or Cheat Meals
Personally, I don’t really have a complete “cheat day”. I do include a couple cheat meals throughout the week though. Wednesday night is usually a big pasta dinner and then one weekend day I’ll have a couple cocktails, eat some frozen yogurt, and go out to dinner one night and order whatever I want. Other than those 2-3 meals, I stick to a consistent and steady diet of organic animal protein, plenty of veggies and healthy fats, some complex carbs and beans, and lots of water.

Final Thoughts
“Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results” – Einstein

Is it challenging to eat healthy? Not if you make it a priority in your life. In a typical week, I will visit Whole Foods, Trader Joes, Costco, and the Farmer’s Market on the weekend. It does require a commitment, and YOU need to be extremely important to you if you are going to make healthy eating a part of your lifestyle.

About Doug
Doug currently works at Fitness Quest 10 as a personal trainer, strength coach, and Operations Director for Todd Durkin Enterprises (TDE). He is also the strength coach for the Alliance Fight Team in Chula Vista, CA. A Massachusetts native, he earned his Bachelor’s degree in Exercise Science with a minor in Business Management from Westfield State University. Since moving to San Diego he has completed some graduate work in Biomechanics at SDSU, obtained an ACE Personal Trainer certification, the NSCA-CSCS certification, a Spinning certification, TRX instructor training, EFI Gravity instructor training, FMS training, and received his CPR/AED instructor status. He has also appeared in 8 fitness videos, written numerous fitness articles, completed a MMA Conditioning Coach certification program and has competed in multiple grappling tournaments.

Prior to working at Fitness Quest 10, Doug worked for the American Council on Exercise as the Continuing Education Coordinator where he was responsible for managing over 400 continuing education providers.

For more information please visit www.todddurkin.com, www.fq10.com, and www.dbstrength.com.

Get moving!

Brian Morgan

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Craig’s not quite the six million dollar man but he does have some added hardware from two lumbar disc fusions.  More than two years ago he had back surgery to remove not one lumbar disc, but two!

In the two years prior to his surgery, Craig hadn’t done much in the way of exercise because of the back pain.  So when he decided to come in and train it had been at least four years since he had done any sweating.

Because of his past injuries he was eager to try and regain basic muscular function but also had some fears of reinjuring himself, which is understandable.  I was confident we could help him but wanted to take things slow, building a good foundation.

After this kind of surgery it is important to work on core stability to help support his spine.  This would be vital for everyone but especially for someone as tall as Craig.  Most of my clients have to look up at me but I have to look up at him.  Meaning, he has a long torso and more need for spine stability than the average person.

Initially, we split his workouts between the studio and the warm water pool, which is heated to 94 degrees.  The warm water helps loosen up stiff muscles and joints that haven’t seen much movement in a long time.  The water also provides some stability to the joints, taking away the full weight of your body.

There were a few exercises in the studio that he felt some pressure in his back, so we avoided those positions or modified them.  Through use of the vibration platform and doing bodyweight squats on the TRX suspension trainer, Craig was able to greatly increase his range of motion in both his hips and knees.

This is especially important for those with past low back injuries.  If the hips aren’t flexible than you will try to make up for that loss with increased lumbar movement, which isn’t good.

With a back fusion like that, you lose the ability of those joints to move, so his other joints would have to provide more movement, causing them to likely wear out faster.

Obviously, that isn’t a good situation.  Craig has a very busy work schedule and has struggled to make it in for his workouts sometimes, which might have slowed down his progress those first couple of months, but he was determined to stick with it and has seen the benefits.

Exercise is crucial to releasing stress in a healthy manner, instead of relying solely on food, drink or smoking, as so many tend to do.  He has surpassed his expectations of what he could accomplish exercise-wise, but he still has room for improvement.

Being able to do simple things like mowing the grass, using the snow blower and such are no longer an issue.  I showed two exercises in the video; the sled, which he does very well with and enjoys and the ropes, which he really doesn’t care for but does it anyway.

Both of these exercises make you work hard and get your heart rate up, which means they’re good for you.  We didn’t have him do the sled pushing until recently and it might have been too dificult when he first started out.

Craig is proof that a progressive exercise program can provide benefits if you have the discipline, desire and patience to do the work.

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