Getting Fit In Today's America - 14 Observations

The BODY-SHAPING SCHOOL is committed to disseminating affordable, Holistic, principle based Programs that build better health and fitness, and provide personal empowerment opportunities for everybody.

My Philosophy ...We need KARMA 'cos it's not that easy to be fit, lean, 'balanced' and vibrant with a positive attitude towards life's challenges, in today's America.

As a world traveled Personal Trainer and Life-Style Coach, as I see it ...it's my job to always tell the truth. What follows is my opinion based on 14 observations as I have experienced them. I have the utmost respect for conventional medicine, but as you'll see, there is much room for more understanding  -  PeterAnthony Bird  KKA KKLSA  NFPT LVKD


1. AS A PERSONAL TRAINER, I KNOW FUNCTIONAL FITNESS IS LITERALLY FIRST ON THE LIST
Here at The BODY-SHAPING SCHOOL TM  we teach, Functional Life Fitness TM, meaning, we teach our clients how to correctly combine the best of  the appropriate classic body shaping exercises, using correct sports-science mechanics, and ancient martial art wisdom, to create the best results in the least amount of time, so adhering to our mission statement  -  Providing real empowerment for every body TM. We recommend complementary 'clean eating' nutrition as a foundation of what we do. By blending the knowledge of today;s sports-science with the wisdom of ancient empowerment and healing traditions, we facilitate our clients to minimize their use of conventional medicine (drugs and surgery) and when appropriate, we embrace the complementary approach, e.g. Holistic Eastern medicine encompassing 'clean eating' nutrition, meditation, supplementary bodywork (Complete-Breath TM, and Parameters TM Joint Care) along with the techniques of Personal Empowerment Systems USA TM.

We use the same principles, but different therapeutic and empowerment techniques for different clients. We always take into account the clients's belief systems, their attitudes, feelings, social relationships and the environment they surround themselves in. We also look at the 'patterns' of present and past eating habits, the 'work' environment, the 'resting activities', the quality of sleeping, and past and present supplementary exercising (sports, hobbies etc.) as part of their prescription, and the designing of their workout programs. We never lose sight of the body's ability to heal itself and the need for abundant nourishment, regular strength building,  and regular suppleness treatments and cardio training. Our 'work' is based on three simple truths... 


(1) You become what you consume. 


(2) What you put your mind 'on' expands in your life. 


(3) Today, is the 'Present'.

Old technology is quaint, but today, it's about taking control and being heard

2. AS A PERSONAL TRAINER , I'M  ALSO A FACILITATOR
A large part of what I do is teach clients how to get well, get fit, and stay healthy, fit and happy. I find both education and encouragement are of paramount importance in promoting self care and positive lifestyle changes, including a healthy diet and introducing moderate exercise to keep the body active and balanced, which are essential to functioning, robust health. In addition, I teach clients the ways to support their health and fitness life-style by the recommended use of herbs, nutrients and meditations which boost the immune system and/or improve functioning of the organs.


3. AS A PERSONAL TRAINER I'M  ALSO A PARTNER
I see myself as a partner in my client's health journey as I encourage them to be autonomous and to take responsibility for their own health and wellbeing.

4. AS A PERSONAL TRAINER I'M  ALSO A GARDENER
Holistic Medicine, see the body as a garden, and myself, the Personal Trainer, as a gardener. When a plant is sick or not doing well, it is crucial to look at the environment within which the plant is growing, what is the quality of the soil, is it getting enough nutrients, does it have enough sun, water, etc, which is exactly how I see the body. The Functional Fitness approach looks at dis-ease and dysfunction the same way.


5. AS A PERSONAL TRAINER I'M  ALSO A SUB-OPTIMAL-FUNCTION IDENTIFIER
There is a continuum between optimal healthy fitness, and disease, where different grades of sub-optimal functioning can appear. For example, before your car's brake pads give in and your brakes fail, sometimes after many years of wear and tear that has been slowly and steadily eroding the pads. The same thing happens with our mind, body and health. Before we develop a dis-ease, or even symptoms, there have usually been months or even many years of progressive 'wearing down' of optimal functioning. 


Our body has a large reserve, which it uses to maintain health, but it can be depleted or worn down over time, either gradually or suddenly. Only then do we experience disease, it doesn't just happen out of the blue everything happens for a reason. My role as a Personal Trainer is to help wake-up, improve and restore the body's reserves and to help it become more resilient. To use the car analogy, starting to build the body's reserve is like installing new wheels. better seats, a better carburetor and a kick ass brake system.

6. AS A PERSONAL TRAINER I'M  ALSO A RE-DEFINER
I believe that health is much more than the absence of disease. I believe, it is an enlightened state of, physical, mental, emotional, spiritual and social well-being.


7. AS A PERSONAL TRAINER I KNOW EACH CLIENT IS UNIQUE
We all have unique physical features and personalities and we are unique internally and biochemically. Each of us is distinctive in how we each digest foods, which particular foods nourish us, which harm us: how our livers break down drugs or detoxify pollutants, for example. Our systems are as unique to each person as their fingerprints. This explains why some people react badly to certain foods, or why some people get side effects from drugs and others don't and why certain exercises, workout times and quantities of drinking water is more or less effective for different folk.


8. AS A PERSONAL TRAINER I KNOW  MIND BODY AND EMOTIONS ALL CONNECTED
There is no separation of mind, body and emotions. Thoughts, feelings, attitudes, and belief systems obviously affect your physical well being, as does dysfunction in the body affect your mind and emotions. In addition, all the body parts are connected and influence each other.

9. AS A PERSONAL TRAINER I KNOW THE BODY HAS AN INNATE CAPACITY TO HEAL ITSELF, UP TO A POINT
Expecting the body to heal itself when it's 'out of balance' is just not understanding how 'the game' works. It's true, the body is engaged in self-healing all the time. The question is, are you in 'surviving' mode, or Thriving' mode? Without 'balance' you can't 'thrive' (Positive Anabolic Mode TM) and the quality of your 'life-condition' will be naturally suppressed. When you cut yourself, your body heals the cut. When you get a cold, the body's immune system usually fights it off after a few days. Your body is continually healing and repairing itself. 


The 2 mindful questions I ask myself when looking to facilitate empowerment in a particular client is firstly, what factors need to be removed for healing, wellness and fitness to occur? and second, what needs are NOT being met, preventing self healing, wellness and fitness to take place?


10. AS A PERSONAL TRAINER I KNOW THE CAUSE AND TREATMENT OF MOST DIS-EASE IS USUALLY MULTI-FACTORIAL.
Due to the success of antibiotics in treating most infectious diseases, 'modern medicine' has taken that model and extrapolated it for most diseases, in effect, producing 'the standard', "single Magic Bullet* cure the disease attitude. In my opinion, if you believe you should take all the pills pharmaceutical companies say you should, then you're already on drugs..! I believe many of us won;t stop being sick, until they STOP making themselves sick..!

Contrary to what many people's belief, the government is NOT your nanny, it's your dealer..!  ...and they subsidize illness in America, they HAVE to, 'co there's so much money in it  ...you see, there's 'no' money in healthy people, and there's no money in dead people. The money;s in the 'middle' ...people who're alive? ...sort of. 


Thanks to the scare tactic bombardment and juicy bonus gifts by the pharmaceutical corporations, we now have 'main-stream' diseases that, use to be relatively unheard of a few years ago, I'm talking about Asthma, Autism, Acid reflux, Arthritis, Allergies, Adult acne, Attention deficit disorder  ...and THAT'S JUST the 'A's..!     In my opinion, a clean eating diet and moderate, regular exercise is just as good, if not better than any over the counter drug, any day   


 " ...So ask you're doctor, if getting OFF YOUR ASS ..is RIGHT FOR YOU..! "  
The answer isn't another pill...!


Are you starting to see why it's not that easy to be fit, lean, 'balanced' and vibrant with a positive attitude towards life's challenges, in today's America. 


The simple fact is, most people have been hood-winked and fed misleading information by corporations who's only ultimate goal focus is 'capitol gain' (and stay out of jail, no doubt), as apposed to making available correct, accurate information for your good health and well-being, hence, people are confused, and some, have just simply given up, their birth-right has gotten kicked to the curb. Some gallantly soldier on ...just look at how many good people go on bad diets (I say bad 'cos all diets, create secondary problems). Look at how many sweat and groan with frustration in gyms, and get injured in overcrowded classes, and even pay big bucks to some clipboard-clown with a 'talk-down' attitude, to count their reps for them, only to end up, with marginal results at best, and their emotional issues untreated. 


Most dis-eases are a result of multiple, complex, interacting factors which are not addressed when we look for a single cause and a magic bullet treatment. Imagine yourself as a ship, floating on the high seas. Depending on the load you're carrying, you're either happily riding high above the waterline, or you're sinking beneath each wave, and taking on water. Here comes another 'stressful big wave, and another.  Just as you can save a sinking ship by tossing some weight overboard and lightening it's load, many people, feel and look a whole lot better just, 'tossing overboard' one or two burdens that are weighing them down (belly bulge, swollen ankles, head-aching stress anyone ?). These burdens all added together, are known as your life-style 'Total Load' ...if day after day, month after month, year in, year out, your body, mind, and spirit are 'under burden', something is gonna snap, or begin to sag, droop, or just turn to mush.


Here's few examples of burdens:
a. Negative environmental factors, like indoor pollutants :-  stale A.C. systems, wall-to-wall carpeting, paint fumes that you use as convenience.
b. Ingesting excess chemicals, processed sugar and 'artery clogging trans fats that you consume as 'food'.
c. Prolonged micronutrient deficiencies (because of sub-optimal diets and 'living' on junk food, junk coffee and soda).
d. Medicating with drugs (prescriptions - for anti-depression, high blood pressure, allergies etc, and recreational drugs)
e. Suffering 'food' sensitivities or allergies
f. Experiencing a lack of compassion for oneself and others
g. Experiencing a lack of love or meaning in one's life

11. AS A PERSONAL TRAINER I SEE THE VALUE OF CREATING BALANCE, RATHER THAN SUPPRESSING THE SYMPTOMS
Firstly, you need to know, in conventional medicine, doctors are trained (for seven years). They are trained to learn how to identify ways to suppress, or eliminate symptoms and become professional certified doctors. During a conversation with a 'top' doctor, I was told that during those 7 years of training, doctors are provided with 4 hours of electective study of nutrition, which most pass on because of time restraints. Looking for the underlying cause or dysfunction, although preferable is not what they practice for those 7 years, or in there business 'practice'. Treating symptoms is 'where the money is' and usually makes the patients (...and doctors) feel better 'temporarily'.


Think of this, when you're driving your car and the oil light goes on, sensible people don't put a Band-Aid over the oil light and drive on with a smile and a hand-shake. You make sure you get your car to the mechanic to see why the oil light went on. In my opinion, symptoms should be seen this way. When your body is gives you 'a message' that something is off, that there, is an imbalance in the system. 
In the world of REAL HEALTH looking for the underlying cause of the imbalance and creating balance are more important than simply treating the symptoms.


Here's an example of what is often recommend in Conventional Medicine
a. If you have a headache, take Tylenol
b. If you have heartburn, take Nexium
c. If you are depressed, take Prozac
This kind of 'pharmaceutical company' approach can lead one to begin to think that headaches are Tylenol deficiencies, heartburn a Nexium deficiency and depression, a Prozac deficiency. Yes sometimes it IS necessary and helpful to treat symptoms, but it is always more important to realize that by doing so, we are more than likely masking some underlying problem (sometimes for years, and profit providing years).

12. AS A PERSONAL TRAINER I SEE THE EXTRAORDINARY HEALING POWER OF ORDINARY THINGS
Music, movement, relaxation, food, plants, optimism, having meaning in one's life, karma, connection with others, pets ...and many other things most take for granted, that have extra-ordinary healing powers. It's the low cost 'ordinary things' that we can do for ourselves to improve our quality of life-condition and overall health that we should be focussing on and not the 'instant and convenient  high-tech, expensive options that are advertised EVERYWHERE. (I find this offensive...and I'm not easily offended).


13. AS A PERSONAL TRAINER I REALIZE MY CLIENT'S 'WORLD' REFLECTS THEIR HEALTH
Health is affected by and closely connected to the health of our environment. We humans are a microcosm of the universe, the macrocosm. So if our world is polluted, we become polluted, if our family around us is not happy, we are not happy.

14. AS A PERSONAL TRAINER I SEE THE VALUE OF HARMONIZING WITH THE LAW OF KARMA
What makes us human is the humanity we show each other. Karma, the universal law of action/reaction serves as the spiritual foundation of balanced societies. It articulates a basic understanding, caring, respect and compassion for others. Karma is an awareness of a universal bond of sharing that unites all of humanity, it's having the conviction that no person can be truly full while his neighbor remains empty. It represents a world-view that sees humanity as a family web, rather than a mass of individuals. This philosophy affirms that a person is a person through other people. In other words, what makes us human is the humanity we show each other. The compassion and kindness we show ourselves, our families, our community, nourishes our global community, the earth, and throughout the universe
.

As always I welcome your comments,       questions or suggestions
'till next time
Peace & Blessings
                 PETE the TRAINER

What You Need To Know To Look and Feel Your Best in 2010

WANT RESULTS?

Before You Do Anything, 
READ THIS... 

If you've been following The PETEtheTRAINER Blog for a while, you know one of my favorite words is, ORGANIZE. This is crucial when learning to eat to lose fat, get 6 pack abs, and improve your health.  When I sit down with a NEW CLIENT, one of the topics we talk about is their diet, Very often they enthusiastically name off a few 'health foods' and various other things that are on their *do not eat list*. Most NEW CLIENTS have no idea that the, so called 'health foods' that they are chomping on are, actualy sabotaging their fat loss efforts and ruining their health.

While most people are generally aware then eating certain types of foods can make them gain weight, they often do not realize that these same foods can also significantly increase their risk of developing degenerative diseases like arthritis, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, and diabetes.

Now you may say to yourself, 'but Pete, there is a huge variety of food in the health food store how will I ever know what to buy?' It's a lot easier to decide if you just take along your copy of The EAT CLEAN DIET by Tosca Reno.

Here's MY rule of thumb when organizing a Fit and Healthy diet plan ...and this is a good principle to live by..Think of foods that grow, as living foods (aka - not man made), and think of foods that do not grow as dead food (man made foods). Living foods will improve your health and dead foods will take away from your health.

Now don*t get me wrong, food is meant to be enjoyed, but certain foods can definitely take years off your life and cause you to get fatter. Don't live to eat, eat to live. The consistent consumption of man-made foods wreaks havoc on the human body. Not only are these foods generally very toxic, but they are almost instantly stored as fat. Your body also views substances like bleaching agents, food additives, preservatives, and chemicals as foreign invaders and processing these foods puts an intense burden on your liver. If your liver isn't functioning at its peak your fat loss efforts will be in vain. Therefore it is essential to avoid foods that put additional stress on the liver so it can function properly and keep you healthy. If the stress on your liver wasn't bad enough, these dead foods contain few if any nutrients, and if your diet contains too much of these food types you are at a high risk of being overfed, overweight, AND undernourished.

So be sure to eat foods that are alive and unaltered by man. Your body can use the natural antioxidants, phytonutrients, fiber, vitamins, and minerals found in unaltered foods to keep you healthy as well as keep your body functioning at its peak.

The foods you should avoid at all costs

1. Processed Foods  These top my list of foods to avoid because not only will they make you fat, but they can cause a variety of deadly health problems. Processed foods contain no natural antioxidants, phytonutrients, fiber, vitamins, or minerals, and eating them puts a strain on your digestive system. Processed foods are also very high in sugar, salt, food additives, and toxic fats. The human body was not designed to be able to fully process and digest this type of man-made food so avoid processed foods at all costs for a healthy and lean body. Some examples of processed foods are, white bread, 'modern' breakfast cereal, chips, white rice ...AND MANY OTHERS.

2. Toxic Fats  You don*t have to go far these days to hear people talk about the dangers of killer trans fats and saturated fats. In case you have been on the moon for the past few years I will share a few facts about these deadly fats. Trans fats are basically just chemically altered fats and oils. A few examples of foods laden with toxic fats are: snack bars, 'modern' breakfast cereals, rolls, pastries, crackers, and many other packaged and processed foods. While grocery shopping, be sure to shop the perimeter of the store because most of the garbage food is in the aisles.

3. Sugary Foods & Drinks  Lets face it, sugar tastes great, but it WILL make you fat and unhealthy. I call sugar the most powerful drug in the world because it has the most addicts across the world than most other drugs combined! Here's the thing. When you eat sugar, your body creates a cycle that constantly demands more and more sugar. Not only that, but sugar also raises insulin levels! If you are not familiar with insulin, it is a very powerful hormone that tells your body to store fat. Over time, if you continue to eat sugary foods, your cells will become resistant to this over-production of insulin and you could end up with type 2 diabetes.

4. Processed Meats  Now I have to admit, I love a great deli sandwich or hot dog, but buyer beware. Packaged meats and cold cuts contain nitrates and nitrites which many experts believe cause deadly cancers. Processed meats also contain insanely high amounts of salt and saturated fats, which can lead to hypertension, high cholesterol, and heart disease. If that wasn't bad enough, eating these foods is guaranteed to cause you to gain weight. So avoid foods like bacon, hot dogs, sausage, salami, bologna, and any other processed deli meat like the plague and cook your meat yourself.

5. White Flour  White bread and white flour products will make you fat. Plain and simple. Not only do they have no nutritional value, but they are converted to sugar by your body just as fast as cake and ice cream. Eating foods made with white or refined flour is definitely a sure-fire way to add some quick pounds of blubber! 

NOTE: Be sure to read all bread labels carefully because many clever food manufacturers try to disguise white bread as wheat bread by adding molasses to it so it looks darker. Don*t fall for this trick!

6. Chemically Laden Foods  Do you have any idea how many toxic chemicals are in our food supply? Do you realize that these toxins are keeping you fat and unhealthy? If you are one of the millions of people across the planet eating processed foods, chances are you are also consuming bleaching agents, flavoring agents, chemical preservatives, texturizers, emulsifiers, as well as synthetic dyes. If that isn't enough to gross you out, get this, most chemical food additives are made from coal tar or petroleum products! Most foods that are grown non-organically are likely tainted with harmful toxic chemicals, as well as herbicides and pesticides. These toxins overwhelm the liver, increase your risk of disease, and can make you fat. If you value your health and want to be fit, steer clear of foods containing dangerous chemicals.

7. Artificial Sweeteners  If you are like the rest of us, you see food products everywhere in flashy boxes that read *Sugar Free* and think 'awesome', I can eat this and not gain weight. 
Not so fast my friend! 

Most people don't realize this because artificial sweeteners generally have zero calories, but artificial sweeteners will make you fat. How is this possible?

First, these fake sweeteners increase your appetite by sending false signals to the brain that sweet food is on the way. Your brain subsequently becomes confused when sweet food never arrives and so it never gives the signal that you are satisfied. You will develop a nasty sweet tooth, and have sugar cravings throughout the day. Not what you want if your goal is to lose stubborn body fat!

Artificial sweeteners are well, artificial, so the body typically sees this *food* as a foreign invader and treats it as such, thus overwhelming the liver with an intense workload.

Understanding the function of your liver is important because it filters and removes dangerous or unnecessary substances from the body, but when the liver is overwhelmed with toxins like artificial sweeteners it can no longer process the essential nutrients that your body needs to function at its peak. An overworked liver can't break down fats properly, so you will have a very tough time losing any weight at all if your liver is already tired. If you want to lose fat, you need to keep your liver functioning at the top of it's game.

Hopefully today's post has empowered YOU, and opened your eyes about the types of foods you need to avoid to get, and keep your body, lean, healthy and strong for life. So eliminate toxic processed, man-made foods, fast foods, toxic fats, and sugar from your diet ASAP and you will live a robust, healthy life as well as get the rock hard body and the 6 pack abs you deserve in the process.

Thank you for your visit

I hope today's post has empowered you to keep dis-covering your potential

Let me know if you have questions
PETEtheTRAINER1@gmail.com
Peace & Blessings
P.