One of the Human Performance Consultations (thanks Ida!) for Longevity Studios recommended me for an “on the job” interview in the Maryland Independent Newspaper. The interview was published yesterday, Friday 20th, 2009. The article, Going beyond getting in shape, tells the story of my work at the studio. As a friend of mine said, any article that starts with the classic Star Trek line, “live long and prosper”, has to be good.
I also want to thank Grethchen Phillips for the interview and taking the time to come to the studio and really find out what I do. She very nicely conveys the essence of what I want people to know about Longevity Studios, our services, and who we are.
They … whoever they are … keep comparing these days to that of the Great Depression … and maybe with 20/20 hindsight, I will look back and say, “Wow that was a bad time!” But for the most part I don’t think so!!! I enjoy my life and what I’m doing in it. I have a supportive family, a phenomenal daughter, and a business that affords me, not everything I want, but most of what I need. I also get to help people, by doing the thing I love to do. There have been some hard times as I have navigated through the business world. Maybe they will get harder … maybe I’ll just get stronger!
As I grew up, I was a movie fiend. As people around me can verify, I love to take movie quotes and make them mean something more than they meant in the context of the movie. When I was the heaviest into my own training for sports and powerlifting, Rocky III was a movie that helped fuel my own workouts. Now that I’m older and life is not as simple, it always nice when something new, and yet old, can bring that same feeling that fuels your passion.
I recently saw Rocky Balboa. It’s not a great movie, but there are some things you can take away from it. I went out on YouTube and found the clip, “It ain’t about how hard you hit…”
If that clip isn’t your cup of tea, then maybe this will be. I got sent this a bit ago, but was reminded of it, when I watched the Rocky movie. This is the type of stuff that makes me wonder what I’m thinking when I think I have it tough. Watch the clip, Get Back Up.
You’re probably tired of seeing me write about High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS), but I got sent the YouTube spoof clip of the HFCS industry ads and had to pass it on to you. First, to give you relevance, for those of you who haven’t seen the ads or just have no idea what I’m talking about, here is High Fructose Corn Syrup Ad 1and High Fructose Corn Syrup Ad 2. It makes everything seem OK!!!
This what I was sent recently - High Fructose Corn Syrup Commercial (Spoof). It gave me a laugh, because it makes everything seem OK!!!
I’ll include this fourth YouTube clip - High-Fructose Corn Syrup Truth, Still Not Sexy, HFCS – because educate is always key. Watch all the clips and then you can make up your own mind … and hopefully laugh about it!
Let me know what side you fall on … sugar or HFCS or Nazi-ism!
In case you’re spending your Valentine’s Day sitting around wondering how it got started or just thinking maybe that it is a day manifested by Hallmark or flower shops, here’s an article from SixWise entitled, Fun Facts About Valentine’s Day, Plus Seven Romantic Ways to Spend It. It’s gives the speculated start to this day and some interesting facts.
For instance, the top ways to celebrate the day are (speaking of Hallmark):
* Greeting cards, 65%
* Date night, 44%
* Candy, 38%
* Flowers, 32%
* Gift cards, 29%
* Plush, 21%
* Other gifts 17%
* Perfume/Cologne 12%
* Jewelry, 11%
The article also recommends 7 things you can do to celebrate Valentine’s Day. I’m a man, so I know I need all the help I can to make the day right. For my 2 cents … maybe you can even add a little health and fitness to it …and working out together! At least a romantic walk may be in order.
Give it a read and let me know what you think.
There’s a ton of funny, witty, and ingenious commercials that were done for the Superbowl. The one that stuck in my mind for a couple of reasons was What G means? It was definitely my fav.
While I’m not a big Gatorade drinker, the commercial to me represents what separates the successful athletes or fitness enthusiasts from those that don’t make it. I also like the commercial because it doesn’t focus on one kind of “athlete”, but alludes to the fact that you can be an athlete even if others don’t necessarily see you that way.
For all of you who New Year’s resolution has started to wane, watch the clip and see if you can pump up your motivation and keep you progress going.
My question of the day for you: what is your best way to motivate yourself to keep working out?
The rumors of my death have greatly exaggerated! So what have I been doing for the past month? … growing!!! It’s the busy time of year for the fitness industry. Hopefully, if you are reading this, you’ve notice our website is completely different. If not, take a look!!! As the Outkast song says, “it’s so fresh and so clean”. We have added new sections, like the exercise library and fitness calculators. These will help you get better results without having to read my rants or hear my annoying voice!
We have also been working on our infrastructure and making changes at both our physical sites. These changes will make a better experience for our clients that come to see us. Not to mention we have created some new services for the La Plata Fitness location and done work to feature our Partnered Training, to help clients affected by the economy to still get to their fitness goals.
Plus … I just needed a break for the writing side! As my idol, Dirty Harry says, “a man’s got to know his limitations!” I feel eager to get back to writing, instead of the dread that it had become towards the end of last year.
So now I’m back ready to tackle this new year!!! Happy New Year … and New Me!
Sometimes the obviousness of the research is …uh…OBVIOUS! Researchers have found a link between the nations that have the highest levels of “active transportation” (biking, walking, or public transit) and the lowest rates of obesity. This was reported on MSNBC in the article, Leaner nations, bike, walk, and use mass transit.
So I know what your thinking, “How could this be? The more we move, the more chance we won’t be fat?!?! What kind of bad science is this?” Well, according to the research, those that used active transportation in Latvia, Sweden, and the Netherlands were 67 %, 62 %, and 52 % respectively. Their rates for obesity were 14 % in Latvia, 11 % in Sweden, and 9 % in the Netherlands. What the heck are they doing over there to only have 9 %?
By comparison, in the U.S., only 12 % use active transit and we have anywhere from one-quarter to one-third of the population falling into the obese range. For those of us who live around the Washington Metropolitan area, as the suburban sprawl make commutes longer and longer, I would agree that we need to move more, but I’m not quite sure we have developed a country infrastructure that supports this.
The county that I live in are now just really getting to the point that bike lanes are readily available and the local area is more setup for active transit. Those that live here, but commute to Washington to work, would have to leave about 3 a.m. to get there on time. Who needs sleep when you can be biking to work for three hours in the morning?
Hopefully, as oil issues become ever more difficult and as the obesity epidemic increases, the new administration will look at developing more of the country’s infrastructure to support active transit and “kill two birds with one stone”.
The Boston Globe reported on December 5th in the article A new reason to be happy: it may go a long way that a study found that our happiness may have extended effects not only to our friends and family, but to people we don’t even know.
Researchers from Harvard University collected data from 4,739 over the course of 2 decades to look at the extent of happiness and their conclusion is that happiness is passed on to more than just your immediate social network. The effect ripples through your extended social network to people who may even be strangers. Just to put some numbers behind this, they say that a happy friend who lives within a mile of you boosts your chance of being happy by 25%, and a sibling by 14%.
Now for many this research is somewhat controversial while for others who look at the way the world works, this falls more under the category of “duh”! If you look at religious or spiritual movements, you’ll see this understanding in place. I had a boss a few years back that talked about our work with developing students and how we were creating a “ripple effect”.
If you want to know more about the ripple effect, you can read about it on Wikipedia. The basic concept is that your intentions and actions you put out into the world spread. They spread outwardly like the ripples in a pond when you thrown in a pebble. At some point, you don’t see the ripples anymore, but they are still there, moving and traveling, to places you may never go and see. Thanks Dave for getting me to understand it!
Even Dr. Nicholas Christakis, a coauthor of the study and a professor of medical sociology at Harvard Medical School, understands the concept:
Your happiness is not just about your own choices and actions and behaviors and thoughts. It’s like there are emotional stampedes that ripple across this infinite fabric of humanity.
While, as most of you who know me really will know, I am not trying to get all “touchy-feely”, but during this holiday season maybe the gift we can give to ours kids …our friends …and the world is a better place in which to live. The first way to start is by clarifying what we are giving to it. To see a little movie on this, you can go to this YouTube video, The Ripple Effect:The Heartbeat to Eternity and give it a watch.
The second step … CLICK HERE!!! You had to know that was coming!
My wish for all of you this holiday season is a life full of joy and happiness!
As New Year’s Day gets closer, some of you may be planning on getting back or starting an exercise routine. In order to keep it as something that doesn’t fade after a couple of weeks, there are some steps that always result in better success. You should create a plan, set some goals, make yourself accountable to someone for those goals, and make the fitness a regular part of your everyday schedule. For some more tips, you can read this article from MedicineNet.
For those of you that are looking to use a gym, fitness center, or studio to workout, you may want to make sure the environment and atmosphere supports your goals and puts you at a comfort level. There are many different types of facilities with many types of fitness environments. Just because your neighbor likes the newest and trendiest health club, doesn’t mean it’s right for you. Investigate your different options by visiting during the time you are most likely to be there. While there is a possibility that your initial perception could be misleading, most times it’s a key indicator to whether it’s right for you.
I was sent this video from WebMD (yes another medical community site…2 in one blog…impressive for me!), entitled Mature Gyms. Take a look and see how one fitness center has geared itself to meet the needs and environment for it’s members. This demonstrates that if you look hard enough, you’ll find just the right atmosphere to help you achieve your goals.
But my question to you today: what do you want in your fitness environment? Post a comment and let me know.
According to a report from the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition that came out this week, high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is no more likely to cause obesity than sugar. I found this on WebMD in the article High-Fructose Corn Syrup’s Bad Rap Unfair?
Evidently, this conclusion was 4 years in the making. A panel was convened in 2004 and found that there was not enough evidence to support that HFCS is more likely to cause you to become obese any more than other sugars. I like the fact that at the end of the article, as if it’s a minor consideration, that it might have a link to causing heart disease and kidney disease. “Oh really! It’s like sugar (only not metabolized like sugar!)… effects my blood sugar levels… could give me heart and kidney disease… and still gives me all the wonderful calories I want to avoid… You’ve sold me!”
You may think I’m being a little unrealistic with this, but have you seen the latest marketing efforts for the HFCS industry? There’s a lot of money being spent in their Sweet Surprise campaign.
All I ask is that you keep an open mind about both sides of the evidence. This entry from CrunchGear may have you questioning the HFCS industry facts: High Fructose Corn Syrup mob tries to take down our own Doug Aamoth.
Let me know what you think: HFCS… safe? healthy? causes weight gain?
Exercise, Fitness, General, Southern Maryland | Cliff Long | 
February 21, 2009 10:49 am | 
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