Pursuit of awareness through movement and diet

Mobility: Squat to Stand

2011-09-25T13:30:00.000-07:00

This is one of my favorite warm ups. It does not take more than 2 minutes and can drastically improve your mobility. Enjoy!

Running For Fat Loss?

2011-09-16T05:27:00.000-07:00

I have been in the field of health and fitness for going on 17 years now. The amount of misinformation on how to lose body fat has only grown more with the onset of the internet. Most people treat health and fitness like mob bosses and hit-men treat spirituality; they do horrible crimes during the week, but as long as they show up to church on Sunday and repent, every thing should be fine. Just as this is not spirituality, eating a hundred calorie snack pack, and then spending 2 hours on the treadmill trying to burn more calories than you consumed is not health. Health is about balance, not counter balance. This is the first notion to understand if you want to permanently drop body fat. The second biggest belief mistake that most people make is that more cardio = less body fat. To lose body fat, one must first balance their hormonal system and get their body functioning optimally. This means eating a diet high in vegetables and animal protein, getting to bed by 9pm, sleeping in darkness, and exercising smartly; i.e. using exercise to promote greater production of anabolic hormones such as growth hormone, testosterone, and estradiol, and not using exercise to induce greater stress and create a more catabolic environment by inducing the body to produce more cortisol. Anabolism is the building of metabolic pathways (production and repair of lean muscle tissue, and a more efficient metabolism). Catabolism is the breakdown of metabolic pathways ( the tearing down of muscle tissue). To get a lean, toned, muscular frame, we want to create an environment that promotes greater anabolism. So the question at hand is: does more cardio equal a leaner more toned body, and more importantly, does it lead to greater health? People who do the most cardio are marathon runners. Research into the physiological effects of marathon running, suggests the possibility of maladaptive consequences including: dehydration, gastrointestinal bleeding, muscle damage, immune suppression, and even sudden cardiac death have all been reported (see Uchakin, Gotovtseva, & Stray-Gundersen, 2003). Marathon running also greatly increases production of cortisol and norepinephrine; hormones that are elevated by physiological and emotional stress. Marathon runners’ cortisol levels have been documented (Cook, Ng, Read, Harris, & Riad-Fahmy, 1987) to rise fourfold above the highest levels induced by the most common laboratory-based stress task, the Trier Social Stress Task (Kirschbaum, Pirke, & Hellhammer, 1993). Indeed, cortisol levels recorded 30 min after completion of a marathon rival those reported in military training and interrogation (Taylor et al., 2007), rape victims being treated acutely (Resnick, Yehuda, Pitman, & Foy, 1995), severe burn injury patients (Norbury, Herndon, Branski, Chinkes, & Jeschke, 2008), and first-time parachute jumpers (Aloe et al., 1994). Other neurotransmitters, such as norepinephrine, are similarly elevated in marathon running (Demers, Harrison, Halbert, & Santen, 1981). Leading experts have concluded that marathon running is one of the most stressful activities in which normal, neurologically intact humans engage (Sapolsky, 2004, p. 104). The affective valence of marathon running is, of course, quite different from that of the traumatic situations referenced above. However, the physiological response is on a par with these events. Sounds healthy right?! If this is true, which it is, I don’t like to just make things up, we know to create a healthy, lean, toned body we must create an environment that induces anabolism. (This information comes from: Eich, T and Metcalfe, J. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review 2009, 16 (3), Effects of the Stress of Marathon Running on Implicit and Explicit Memory Columbia University, New York, NY. 475-479.) High amounts of cardio conditioning induce the exact opposite. They produce an abnormal amount of stress and put the body into a fight or flight state which will hinder the loss of body fat and lead to the destruction of muscle tissue and malabsorption of nutrients. This is the exact opposite of what you would want to do if you want a lean more toned body! This is the solution to loosing those stubborn love handles: 1. Eliminate all sugar, alcohol, grains, legumes and dairy from your diet. All of these foods will stress your immune system and leading eventually to a higher amount of body fat storage, or at the very least a stagnation in fat loss. 2. Every meal should include animal proteins (Eggs, poultry, pork, beef, or seafood) and vegetables. One green vegetable (spinach, kale, asparagus etc…), and one colored vegetable (yams, carrots, beets). 3. Keep your fruit intake to 1 small apple a day. No More! Sugar is sugar; even if it is fructose. 4. Lift weights. The purpose of strength training is to teach the body to recruit more muscle fibers at once. This leads to great muscle tone and definition, not necessarily size. 5. 45 minutes to 1 hour of weight training 3-4 times per week will create a positive growth Hormone surge in the body. After one hour of training growth hormone declines and the fat loss benefits of conditioning decline. 6. Sleep! All of your anabolic (anti-aging) hormones are produced between the hours of 12am and 4am. Getting to bed by 10pm is crucial for a healthy lean body. Contact Bill Esch bill@smithandesch.com

Land Mine

2011-09-13T17:47:00.000-07:00

We got New Toys at Smith and Esch! Supper excited! The Land Mine Is a very versitile tool which we will be using all the time. Enjoy!

Video 52

2011-09-06T13:37:00.000-07:00

The Metabolic Conditioning challenge 1 for the week:

Tire flip length of the gym down and back followed by reverse sled drag length of the gym. Repeat 3 times.
Enjoy!

Injinji Socks

2010-12-26T16:36:00.000-08:00

Check out the Injinji socks for the Vibram Five fingers. They are great. I got mine at citysports.com.

Kettlebell Training for November 22-26th

2010-11-23T05:35:00.000-08:00

Day 1

Warm up: repeat 2 times
Squat to hamstring stretch x 10
Dive bomber push ups x 10
2handed kettle bell swings x 10

Work:
Snatch 3x20 each hand
Single arm rdl 3 x 30 with 24 kg bell

Day 2

Warm up: repeat 2 times
Squat to hamstring stretch x 10
Dive bomber push ups x 10
2handed kettle bell swings x 10

Work:
Jerk 3x20
Roll outs 3 x 15 keep glutes squeezed

Day 3

Warm up: repeat 2 times
Squat to hamstring stretch x 10
Dive bomber push ups x 10
2handed kettle bell swings x 10

Work:
Single arm swing 3x30

Carrot Juice! The Mirracle Drink!!!

2010-10-17T09:06:00.000-07:00

At the age of ten I suffered from Colitis. Colitis is swelling (inflammation) of the large intestine (colon). This is typically a disease reserved for the elderly. I had the standard American diet (also known as the "sad" diet), I had Cheerios for breakfast, Peanut butter and Jelly for lunch, and usually chicken, some type of vegetable and starch for dinner. I always had a desert after dinner, usually ice cream. I love ice cream!
My doctor put me on a high fiber drink, and I was instructed to eat more whole grains. This helped a little. The problem was not the advice of getting more fiber into my diet, but I was never instructed on what to exit from my diet.
About 1 year later, my mother rushed me to the emergency room at midnight because I was doubled over in pain and could not move. I had not gone to the bathroom in 2 weeks. In the ER the docs took care of me, they gave me an enema, and relieved the back up I had going on in my large intestine. What a horrible night. Pooping is embarrassing for an 11 year old, and having two nurses, a doc and your mother there could not be more humiliating.
After this I made sure to drink my Metamucil everyday!
By the age of 16 I started to suffer from eczema. Eczema is a chronic skin disorder that involves scaly and itchy rashes. I have used copious amounts of topical creams, Cortizone 10 and lotions. Nothing has ever fully cured the disease. I would have remissions, but I still suffer from it.
I recently had one of the worst breakouts that I have ever had. I spent the last two weeks using Cortizone 10, Vanicreme, and a concoction a doc had prescribed for me and none of my symptoms would go into remission. I had recently picked up the book "The Fungus Link" by Doug A. Kaufmann. In his book he says that all of these symptoms could be a result of a fungal infection. He recommends taking all sugars, potatoes, corn, beans, pastas and grains out of your diet for one month. You can eat meat, poultry, eggs, vegetables, green apples, grapefruit, nuts (not peanuts) and seeds. Next, you must have 10 oz fresh squeezed carrot juice, with one table spoon of apple cider vinegar mixed in, two times per day. and finally take two caprylic acid tablets three times per day.
I started doing this a week ago and my symptoms are almost completely gone! I am pretty amazed!

The other benefits of pure carrot juice:

* Vitamin A is essential for tissue growth in the body. Carrots contain vitamin A in the form of beta-carotene. Therefore, with daily intake of carrot juice, one doesn't need to take vitamin A supplements.
* Vitamin A in carrot is an excellent natural antioxidant. Antioxidants slow down the process of aging by scavenging on free radicals. These free radicals cause many health problems like eczema, dermatitis, wrinkles and even rashes. Thus, vitamin A in carrot juice plays a major role in skin care.
* One of the most important carrot juice benefits for skin, is that it fights sun damage. Carrots contain carotenoids and powerful antioxidants. Carotenoids help to protect, and condition the skin. Antioxidants in carrots increase the skin's immunity against sun and also help in healing sunburn. Drinking carrot juice in summer will act as a natural sunblock.
* Vitamin C in carrots help in collagen production in the body. Collagen is an essential protein for skin elasticity. Collagen helps to prevent wrinkles and locks the process of aging.
* Lack of potassium can make your skin dry and also cause muscle spasms, which can be prevented by drinking potassium rich carrot juice.
* Carrot juice helps to reduce blemishes. Apply carrot juice regularly on blemishes to see the effect.
* Drinking carrot juice and plenty of water will keep your body and skin well hydrated.
* Carrot is used for the prevention and cure of many skin ailments. So, carrot is used as the main ingredient in many skin products.
* It is a very good alternative medicine for the skin. Regular drinking of carrot juice will keep your skin smooth, soft and supple.
* Carrot juice is also helpful for treating uneven skin tones due to pigmentation.
* Juice of carrots contain essential oils, which help in proper digestion. This helps in eliminating and preventing acne. Thus, carrot juice for acne is one of the best natural acne cures.
* Another known sobriquet for carrot is herbal healer. Carrot juice is beneficial in preventing and curing of scars.
* Carrot has anti-inflammatory property, and helps to revitalize and tone the skin.

American record in long cycle with 24kg

2010-10-12T12:07:00.000-07:00

Back in December of 2009 I started preparing for the 2010 IKFF Kettle Bell Championships in Novi, Michigan. ( I blogged about preparing for this meet in one of my older posts) The Meet was held on September 25th, 2010. The meet director Ken Blackburn and his staff need to be recognized on how smoothly the meet was ran. This was my first Kettle Bell competition, but I have competed in many olympic weightlifting meets, and this was one of the best run tournaments that I have been to. Thanks Ken, and the IKFF staff. Great Job!

Enzymes: How to obtain optimal nutrition from your food

2010-08-22T18:45:00.000-07:00

Enzymes are a key component to our health and vitality. Enzymes are a protien molecule that catalyzes chemical reactions of other substances without itself being destroyed or altered upon completion of the reaction. Enzymes speed up, slow down, or stop all biochemical processes. They are specific in how they work on a substrate( ex: foodstuff). This is a kind of lock and key system. The substrate( foodstuff ) is the lock and the enzyme is the key that precisely fits into the lock. Enzymes are classified into several groups, of which hydrolytic enzymes are the most relevant in nutrition. Hydrolytic enzymes are of three major types:
1. Digestive enzymes are those produced by the digestive organs to assist in digesting food.
2. Food enzymes are those found in raw, uncooked food.
3. Metabolic enzymes are those manufactured by cells to carry out their respective functions.
There are a plethora of sub classes of enzymes, but four general enzymes are relevant for the most common foods:
- Amylase digests starches ( grains and starchy vegetables such as potatoes)
-Cellulase breaks down plant fiber
-Lipase splits apart fats and oils into fatty acids
-Protease breaks down protein into amino acids and small chain peptides
All of the above enzymes with the exception of cellulase are manufactured in the human body. All raw, uncooked foods contain the exact types and amounts of enzymes nesassary for their digestion.
Edward Howell, M.D., of Chicago began studying the effects of over cooked and processed foods on health in the 1940's. He found that cooking food to 118 F for more than 15 minutes destroyed all of the digestive enzymes in the food. It is now known that heating food at higher temperatures for shorter period also destroys all enzymes, as in the flash pasteurization of milk and juice.
Howell posed the question "is chronic disease a matter of severe enzyme deficiency?" Howell's research found that all mammals have a pre
digestive stomach, which he called a " food enzyme stomach." In humans it the uppermost portion of the stomach called the fundus. Enzymes found in raw foods pre-digest the foods in this part of the stomach. Enzymes from saliva and other glands will also pre-digest some of the cooked foods. However, when too much cooked food is eaten, enzymes have to be supplied from the immune system and pancreas. When this happens over a life time, organs begin to display sysptoms of disease and eventually fail.
Dr. Howell found decreased enzyme levels to be associated in a number of chronic ailments, such as allergies, skin diseases, and even serious disease such as diabetes and cancer. In addition, evidence indicates that cooked, enzyme- less diets contribute to the pathological over enlargement of the pituitary gland, which regulates all of the other glands. In his studies he found that accelerated aging could be associated with enzyme deficient diets. Many animal experiments show that an enzyme different didn't produces much more rapid maturation than usual. They found that pigs on a cooked potato diet fatten faster and more ecconimacally than those being fed raw potatoes. Dr. Howell is quoted saying that he found it impossible to get people fat on a raw diet regardless of caloric intake.

Some rules for preserving the enzymes in your food:
1. Sear your meats, leave the inside as pink as you can stand it ( always cook your hamburger, and chicken throughly)
2. Eat your veggies raw or steam them
3. Buy local...... The closer the source of food is to you the more life and enzymes will be present.
4. Don't eat anything with a shelf life always eat fresh

Post workout enzyme blast:
After a good workout my favorite post workout drink is raw milk! It is loaded with enzymes and has a ton of bio available proteins. If you don't have access to raw milk then this is a great recipe for an enzyme blast:
1 kiwi
1/2 mango peeled and diced
1 Cup diced pineapple
Juice of 1 lemon
1 Cup no salt added cottage cheese
1 tablespoon clove honey
Mix together and you have a fantastic post work out snack.

Pineapple and papaya contain bromelian and papain, enzymes that help break down proteins for digestion but are also anti inflammatory. So they help you heal faster and stay more anabolic.
Kiwi contains protease an enzyme that breaks down amino acids.
Mango contains lactase which aids in digestion and it also contains the amino acid tryptophan which helps boost levels of serotonin which is your feel good hormone and helps produce melotonin which aid in sleep.

The Price-Pottenger Story

2010-07-27T03:39:00.000-07:00

Any time you take a food that nature or God has given us and alter it, you make it worse. Chickens have skin, eggs have yolks, milk has butter fat and nature made them that way. If you desire health, stop telling Nature and God that they are stupid. -David Getoff
David Getoff is the vice president of the Price-Pottenger Nutrition Foundation. The Price-Pottenger Nutrition Foundation (PPNF) is a non-profit educational resource providing access to modern scientific validation of ancestral wisdom on nutrition, agriculture, and health for 58 years. Originally known as the Weston A. Price Memorial Foundation, we serve as the guardian for the precious archival material from the research of Weston A. Price, DDS and Francis M. Pottenger, Jr., MD, and most of the great nutrition pioneers of our time, as well as maintaining a library of over 10,000 historical and contemporary references. David is coming August 14th and 15th To Smith And Esch. David Getoff, Board Certified Clinical Nutritionist and Naturpath will be visiting Smith and Esch! David is known nationwide for his 25 years of extensive research on food, health and nutritional counseling and instruction and the 21-day carb depletion plan that many of you have experienced. This is must-go-to event. David will lecturing on why low fat diets are making America fat, supplements, cholesterol, dangers of diet food and pop, heart health, organics and the outdated, food pyramid. The lectures are Saturday and Sunday for 3 hours with a one hour question-answer section. Specific times have not yet been determined. Once you hear David's lecture on Saturday, you will want to attend on Sunday. This will be by reservation only, so mark your calendars!

Saturday August 14th 12-3pm
Sunday August 15th 10am- 1pm

$25.00 per day for Smith and Esch Members
$50.00 per day for Non-members

To reserve your spot contact Bill at (402) 681-6874 or at smithandesch@gmail.com

David Getoff is Coming to Omaha!

2010-07-22T20:01:00.000-07:00

Watch the Video. He is A fantastic teacher who lives what he is teaching! He is coming August 14th and 15th, David Getoff, Board Certified Clinical Nutritionist and Naturpath will be visiting Smith and Esch! David is known nationwide for his 25 years of extensive research on food, health and nutritional counseling and instruction and the 21-day carb depletion plan that many of you have experienced. This is must-go-to event. David will lecturing on why low fat diets are making America fat, supplements, cholesterol, dangers of diet food and pop, heart health, organics and the outdated, food pyramid. The lectures are Saturday and Sunday for 3 hours with a one hour question-answer section. Specific times have not yet been determined. Once you hear David's lecture on Saturday, you will want to attend on Sunday. This will be by reservation only, so mark your calendars!

$25.00 per day for Smith and Esch Members
$50.00 per day for Non-members

To reserve your spot contact Bill at (402) 681-6874 or at smithandesch@gmail.com

Sugar is Poison!!

2010-07-22T09:22:00.000-07:00

The average American consumes 2-3lbs of Sugar per person per week. That is 156lbs of sugar per person per year!!
-Sugar Suppress the immune system.
-Sugar Can upset the Body's Mineral Balance, Leading to periodontal disease and osteoporosis.
-Sugar can contribute to hyperactivity, anxiety, depression, and concentration difficulties.
-Sugar can cause a significant rise in triglycerides.
-Sugar can cause decreased activity in children.
-Sugar reduces help full High density cholesterol (HDL).
-Sugar contributes to a weakened defence against bacterial infection.
-Sugar can cause kidney damage.
-Sugar interferes with the absorbtion of calcium and magnesium.
-Sugar increases total cholesterol levels.
- Sugar increases the chances of weight gain, Diabetes, and Obesity.
-Sugar increases the risk of Coronary Heart Disease.
-Sugar cusses hormone imbalances.
-Sugar increases bacterial infection in the colon.
-Sugar compromises the lining of the Capillaries.
-Sugar increases the amount of fat in the liver.
-sugar can cause liver cells to divide, increasing the size of the liver.
-sugar can cause headaches, including migraines.
-Sugar can lead to Crohn's disease
-Sugar causes an increase in platelet adhesion which increases the risk of blood clots and strokes.
To find out more about what you can do to lead a healthier life attend the David Getoff Seminar. August 14th and 15th, David Getoff, Board Certified Clinical Nutritionist and Naturpath will be visiting Smith and Esch! David is known nationwide for his 25 years of extensive research on food, health and nutritional counseling and instruction and the 21-day carb depletion plan that many of you have experienced. This is must-go-to event. David will lecturing on why low fat diets are making America fat, supplements, cholesterol, dangers of diet food and pop, heart health, organics and the outdated, food pyramid. The lectures are Saturday and Sunday for 3 hours with a one hour question-answer section. Specific times have not yet been determined. Once you hear David's lecture on Saturday, you will want to attend on Sunday. This will be by reservation only, so mark your calendars!

$25.00 per day for Smith and Esch Members
$50.00 per day for Non-members

To reserve your spot contact Bill at (402) 681-6874 or at smithandesch@gmail.com

Smith and Esch 5min of Yoga

2010-07-19T08:34:00.000-07:00

Here is the 10 min routine that I have been promising to put out for a couple of weeks now. This is a ten minute yoga routine that you can do everyday. We only filmed half of it so you will need to repeat the movements on the other side to get the full routine. It is a very simple way to release stress, create stronger joints and greater flexabilty in just 10 minutes a day! You have the time to do this. No excuses!

The Truth about Organic Food: David Getoff Seminar

2010-07-07T18:42:00.000-07:00

Coming August 14th and 15th, David Getoff, Board Certified Clinical Nutritionist and Naturpath will be visiting Smith and Esch! David is known nationwide for his 25 years of extensive research on food, health and nutritional counseling and instruction and the 21-day carb depletion plan that many of you have experienced. This is must-go-to event. David will lecturing on why low fat diets are making America fat, supplements, cholesterol, dangers of diet food and pop, heart health, organics and the outdated, food pyramid. The lectures are Saturday and Sunday for 3 hours with a one hour question-answer section. Specific times have not yet been determined. Once you hear David's lecture on Saturday, you will want to attend on Sunday. This will be by reservation only, so mark your calendars!

$25.00 per day for Smith and Esch Members
$50.00 per day for Non-members

To reserve your spot contact Bill at (402) 681-6874 or at smithandesch@gmail.com

Sleep

2010-06-30T11:00:00.000-07:00

Body transformation happens with three key ingredients: 1) Exercise 2) nutrition and 3) Sleep. Of these three ingredients sleep and nutrition are often overlooked. For this discussion we will focus on sleep.
During exercise; muscle and connective tissue is stretched, and torn. Ligaments, cartilage, and bone withstand incredible trauma and torsion force up to eight times body weight. The anaerobic and aerobic energy systems are called upon to supply a consistent source of fuel to the brain, muscles, and organs. The cardiopulmonary system works at a deficit to provide a ready source of oxygen laden blood to prevent ischemia (death though oxygen starvation). The neuromuscular, central, and peripheral nervous systems are required to interpret, adapt to, and react to minute, sometime novel internal and external data & stimuli within milliseconds. The end result of all of this tremendous stress and strain on each and every bodily system is tissue damage. The act of repairing and rebuilding this damaged tissue takes place primarily during sleep. Although tissue damage occurs in everyone as a result of life and performance of daily activities, in those who exercise vigorously these processes are accelerated and the need for sleep is that much higher.

Sleep stages: the sleep cycle
How we fall a sleep
How do our bodies know when it is time to sleep? We all have an internal circadian clock that provides cues for when it is time to sleep and time to wake. This clock is sensitive to light and time of day, which is why having a good bedtime routine and a quiet dark place to sleep is so important. At the same time, a chemical messenger called adenosine builds up during the day as our bodies are busy using energy. The more adenosine builds up in the brain, the sleepier you will feel. Adenosine combined with the circadian clock sends a powerful message of sleepiness to your body.
Understanding sleep stages and the sleep cycle can help you get better sleep. Your sleep is regulated by an internal body clock, sensitive to light, time of day and other cues for sleep and awakening. When you fall asleep, your sleep goes in cycles throughout the night, moving back and forth between deep restorative sleep and more alert stages and dreaming. As the night progresses, you spend more time in dream sleep and lighter sleep.
There are two main types of sleep. REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep is when you do most active dreaming. Your eyes actually move back and forth during this stage, which is why it is called REM sleep. Non-REM (NREM) sleep consists of four stages of deeper and deeper sleep. Each sleep stage is important for overall quality sleep, but deep sleep and REM sleep are especially vital.
A typical night of sleep follows this pattern:

• Sleep stages and brain activity
Why we sleep (Scientific American) provides a detailed description of brain activity during the stages of sleep and wakefulness. Includes excellent diagrams.
Stage 1 (Drowsiness) - Stage 1 lasts just five or ten minutes. Eyes move slowly under the eyelids, muscle activity slows down, and you are easily awakened.
• Stage 2 (Light Sleep) - Eye movements stop, heart rate slows, and body temperature decreases.
• Stages 3 & 4 (Deep Sleep) - You’re difficult to awaken, and if you are awakened, you do not adjust immediately and often feel groggy and disoriented for several minutes. Deep sleep allows the brain to go on a little vacation needed to restore the energy we expend during our waking hours. Blood flow decreases to the brain in this stage, and redirects itself towards the muscles, restoring physical energy. Research also shows that immune functions increase during deep sleep.
• REM sleep (Dream Sleep) – At about 70 to 90 minutes into your sleep cycle, you enter REM sleep. You usually have three to five REM episodes per night. This stage is associated with processing emotions, retaining memories and relieving stress. Breathing is rapid, irregular and shallow, the heart rate increases, blood pressure rises, males may have penile erections, and females may have clitoral enlargement.
Importance of deep sleep and REM sleep
Deep Sleep
Each stage of sleep offers benefits to the sleeper. However, deep sleep is perhaps the most vital stage. It is the first stage that the brain attempts to recover when sleep deprived, and the strongest effects of sleep deprivation are from inadequate deep sleep. What might disrupt deep sleep? If you are caring for someone around the clock, whether it is a small infant or an elderly relative with a serious illness, you might need to attend to them suddenly in the middle of the night. Loud noise outside or inside the home might wake you. If you work the night shift, sleeping during the day may be difficult, due to light and excess noise during the day. Substances like alcohol and nicotine also disrupt deep sleep.
Maximize your deep sleep. Make sure your sleep environment is as comfortable as possible and minimize outside noise. If you are being awakened as a caregiver, make sure that you get some time of uninterrupted sleep, especially if you have had some unusually disruptive nights. Don’t be afraid to ask for help.

REM sleep
REM sleep, or dream sleep, is essential to our minds for processing and consolidating emotions, memories and stress. It is also thought to be vital to learning, stimulating the brain regions used in learning and developing new skills. Most of dreaming occurs during REM sleep, although it can happen during other sleep stages as well. There are different theories as to why you dream. Freud thought that dreams were the processing of unconscious desires. Today, researchers wonder if it may be the brain’s way of processing random fragments of information received during the day. Much of dreaming is still a mystery. If REM sleep is disrupted one night, your body will go through more REM the next to catch up on this sleep stage.

Getting more REM sleep
Studies have shown that better REM sleep helps boost your mood during the day. How can you get more REM sleep? One simple way is to try to sleep a little more in the morning. As your sleep cycles through the night, it starts with longer periods of deep sleep. By the morning, the REM sleep stage is longer. Try sleeping an extra half hour to hour and see if your mood improves.
Improving your overall sleep will also increase your REM sleep. If your body is deprived of deep sleep, it will try to make that up first- at the expense of REM sleep.

Sleep Requirements
Everyone needs 7 to 10 hours sleep. Children (ages 1 – 10) require at least 10 hours, Adolescents (ages 11 – 22) need an average of 9.25 hours, and adults (23+ years) require 8.25 hours of sleep, on average, each night. Athletes in each age group have been shown to have a greater need for sleep than the non athletes. There fore if you are working out vigorously your sleep requirements go up. Only fifteen percent of American adolescents report getting 8 or more hours of sleep. Therefore, 85% of American adolescents are operating at a sleep deficit.

Sleep Deficit
A sleep deficit is defined as the sum of all night in which you sleep less than your sleep needs (» 8-10 hrs). The average American adolescent is operating at about a 25 hour deficit. At a 19 hour sleep deficit, athletes perform on cognitive and coordination tests, worst than someone with a .08 blood alcohol level. In the United States, a .08 blood alcohol level is considered legally drunk in 42 states. In clinical trials, no one has ever been able to stay awake at greater than a fifty hour sleep deficit Some of the reported effects of a sleep deficit are: impaired motor skills, impaired cognition, impaired memory, inhibited creativity, higher stress levels, increased body fat, depressed immune system, anxiety, impeded growth, irritability, depression, mood swings, decreased life expectancy, and difficulty maintaining interpersonal relationships. Participation in Vigorous work outs, places greater-than-average stress on the human body. Those participating in vigorous exercise programs have above average requirements for proper sleep, nutrition, strength, flexibility, balance and coordination.
Paying off your sleep debt
Your body can’t just bounce back from not sleeping enough. Sleep deprivation adds up to what is called a sleep debt. A sleep debt can range from one night’s very poor sleep to the accumulation of many days of not enough sleep. Although you won’t be getting letters from creditors if you ignore this sleep debt, not paying it off leads to decreased mental and physical health.
Paying off your sleep debt and getting your body back to normal may seem difficult or impossible with work and family responsibilities. However, making up for lost sleep and improving future sleep habits will increase your productivity and health in the long run.

Short term sleep debt
For a short term sleep debt, like a night or two of little sleep, you may just need a day or two of increased sleep to make it up. However, try not to make it a habit. Making up sleep on the weekends so you can sleep less during the week, for example, can disrupt overall sleep quality. Your sleep will be better if you go to bed and wake up at roughly the same time each day.
Long term sleep debt
If you have been chronically sleep deprived, you might need a longer time to make up your sleep debt. You may even need to take a sleep vacation, where you devote a few days to sleeping as long as needed. Although it may seem excessive at first, soon your body will revert to your optimum sleep needs.

Inspiration

2010-06-16T05:22:00.000-07:00

I am constantly Looking for people who inspire me. I believe that it is important to find others to motivate you, push you, and stretch you imagination. People that make you believe that you can overcome all odds, and that anything is possible.
I was an Art major for most of my 5 year college career. My favorite artist of all time is Chuck Close. Chuck Thomas Close (born July 5, 1940, Monroe, Washington) is an American painter and photographer who achieved fame as a photo realist, through his massive-scale portraits. Close would constantly try and challenge himself by doing enormous photo realistic portraits but only allow himself 1 tube of paint to cover a 15ft by 15ft portrait. His realism and photo like quality of his work is unparalleled. Close pushed the doors of creativity through restriction. He forced himself to create new and better techniques because he had to think about every brush stroke to not waist paint. Close forced himself through restriction to become better, to prove to himself that nothing could limit him.
Then, what at the time seemed to be the peak of his career, Close through a catastrophic spinal artery collapse in 1988 left him severely paralyzed. Now wheel chair bond and have had lost the majority of function of his limbs, Close finds himself with what would seem to be a career ending injury.
Close did not look at it this way. Close was used to restrictions, and has an unbelievably creative mind. He devised a system of portrait painting where he holds the brush in his mouth and paints small individual squares. Each small square looks like a piece of modern art, colors swirled on top of colors, each square radiating with it's own energy. Viewing all of the squares together reveals some of the most incredible portraits of the 21st century.
Close was handed a challenge that seemed insurmountable, he not only took the challenge on but he changed the entire art community and exceeded his previous work. He has continued to paint and produce work which remains sought after by museums and collectors.
This is a reminder to us all that no challenge is to great, and that which does not kill us only makes us stronger. Embrace the challenges of life and be thankful that they are there, for a kite could never fly with out the resistance of the wind, We can never know what we are capable of if we are not challenged.

"Trying" and "Being"

2010-06-10T14:45:00.000-07:00

The other day I found myself very disheartened because of how I am running my business. I find myself jumping from idea to idea and task to task with out ever fully finishing the one before it. I find myself constantly saying, "Well I am trying real hard to......." Basically what I am saying by "trying" is that I am wining and I am not doing what it takes to reach my goals. I am acting like a spoiled ten year old who doesn't want to clean their room because the task seems to daunting, so they just procrastinate and complain instead of fully addressing and taking on the task at hand. I believe that everyone knows this feeling. I believe that most people feel this way about body transformation and weight loss, the task just seems to daunting. Wining, complaining and self pity seem like the ease solution. Well it is time we all made our half way through the year resolution and set some new goals and demanded some higher standards for our life.
It is time we start "Being". When You really want to change your body and live a healthier life style you must start adapting the habits of a person who is healthy. You must start "being" healthy, not just trying to be healthy. Healthy people are up beat, vibrant,and they have lots of energy. We often wonder what it is that they are doing? Well here are the four secrets to health, energy, and over all well being:
Food and Supplementation: You are what you eat! If you eat the junk and wannabe food, you will end up performing like junk and always wanting to “be” who you are not . You know what to do, so do it! It's not Weight Watcher or Slim-Fast® or fast food or soft drinks or fried food or candy bars or doughnuts or liquid diets or any of the misleading ways of consuming wannabe food products. Demand more for your yourself! Every 18 months every cell in your body is new, and because matter just doesn't magically appear your are literally made of what you eat! Do you want to be made of grass fed beef, fish, and organically raised vegetables or do you want to be made of some processed crap like rice cakes,energy drinks, nutrition bars and fast food.
Sleep: This probably seems like the most obvious and simple component of the four. But it's often the most abused. Recent statistics have shown that the leading cause of traffic accidents in this country is NOT alcohol, but sleep deprivation. If we don't have enough energy to stay awake while driving a car, how will we have enough energy for the Smith and Esch fitness program or the Smith and Esch Body Revolution Classes?

We're not sleeping enough hours at night, and even when we do, they're often filled with so much mind chatter that we don't get the proper rest we need. Sleep is the natural periodic suspension of consciousness during which the powers of the body are restored. In Taoist philosophy, there's the yin and the yang. These are opposing energies that create balance. Smith and Esch is yang. Sleep and rest are yin. There must be proper balance between vigor (yang) and inward calm (yin). If you don't get enough sleep and rest, your body will not receive the proper restoration it needs to complete or succeed with the Smith and Esch program, or anything else in life, for that matter.
Stress management: Do you realize that if you took the fear, worry, and anxiety out of every "stressful" situation in your life, the end result of that situation would still occur? You can panic and freak out all you want, but time will still pass and the end of that moment will still happen, whether you freak out or not. So why not choose something different? When do fear, worry, and anxiety ever really help a situation?

Stress is the inability to move through a situation logically, peacefully, positively, productively, and gracefully. To be stressed out takes lots of energy. Being stressed out can severely affect how well you'll sleep at night. Stress is when you assess blame and don't take responsibility
Don't waste your time on gossip, ridicule, envy, self-pity, anger, guilt, arrogance, need, impatience, regret, manipulation, jealousy, fear, worry, and anxiety, because they'll zap your energy and cause you stress! Don’t “Try” “Be” Be the person you want to Be!

Choose understanding, truth, clarity, patience, devotion, gratitude, vulnerability, acceptance, wisdom, hope, forgiveness, empathy, discipline, perseverance, community, and peace. Because if you do, you will get rid of stress and experiance all the energy you'll need.

Purpose: Purpose is the driving force to get you from here to there. If you don't have purpose, all the best food, supplementation, sleep, and stress-free days won't help you one bit. You have to have a powerful burning desire to want it.

"Purpose" is "seeking resolution." Searching for answers to solve a problem. An intention. This all goes to the core of . . . why? Why do I want to work this hard, dedicate many hours per week, completely changing how you eat and live.

You're looking for resolution. You're searching for answers to help solve this problem. And most importantly, you must be clear about your intention. There's always some intention behind everything we do. Different kinds of behavior have different levels of intention and purpose. Eating fast food and and skipping work outs is one level. Following the Smith and Esch program the way it was designed is another.

I know I've said this before, but if your intention and purpose are based exclusively on aesthetics and bragging rights, you miss the whole point of Smith and Esch fitness systems and the Body Revolution Classes. If your intention and purpose are based on good health, quality of life, athleticism, flexibility, strength, and cardiovascular endurance, you're doing Smith and Esch fitness systems for all the right reasons. If your intention and purpose are based on lifestyle, you will have plenty of energy to succeed with Smith Esch You will also have the energy to be everything you always knew you could be.

The Barefoot Professor: by Nature Video

2010-06-01T04:34:00.000-07:00

I don't know what it is about human nature that makes us believe that the human body is flawed. Maybe we do it to have an excuse to not take responsibility for ourselves, our health or our environment. This belief that we need to compensate for it's "imperfections". We do this with everything, all of nature, our food, our environment, our joints, and our health. This belief in the end always is wrong.
This video is a fantastic example of this. Barefoot running. Enjoy.

Weekend in Sandiego with Steve Cotter

2010-05-14T04:49:00.000-07:00

Every year I make 2 to 3 trips to meet the people that inspire me. This March I went out to San Diego and spent 3 days training with Steve Cotter. Steve is the president of the international Kettlebell and Fitness federation. Steve Cotter began formal training in physical development when he was 12 years old with the Internal Chinese Martial Arts system called hsing-I ch’uan (xingyiquan). He then trained tae kwon do full time throughout high school and into his mid twenties. Although Cotter loved physical development, his mother never allowed him to play any organized sports. Cotter’s last competition in point fighting was in 1996 in Taiwan. He fought for the USA Full Contact Kuoshu team in the World Championships, after he won two USA titles, in 1995 and 1996. In early 1997 Cotter began college full time and eventually received his degree in Kinesiology. In 2005 he began competing in Girevoy Sport Competitions(kettlebell)and was the captain of the first ever USA team to compete in an international competition in Moscow, Russia. He is a strength and conditioning instructor for the NFL's San Francisco 49ers and San Diego Chargers, NHL's Anaheim Ducks, MLB's Texas Rangers, Seattle Mariners and Los Angeles Dodger as well as other professional sports teams, and the US NAVY SEALS in Virginia Beach and the US Marines at Quantico Marine Corps Base.
I learned a lot of technique on kettlebell lifting. Steve is a fantastic instructor and impresive athlete. I have come away inspired and refreshed.
On a side note San Diego is Amazing! When you come from having the longest winter ever in Omaha Nebraska, San Diego California is heaven.

Dr. Weston A. Price

2010-02-01T05:00:00.000-08:00

I have always found it interesting that most of our studies on health and nutrition have been focused on observing sick people to figure out how to get healthy. Finding irregularities in their physical make up and blaming it on a genetic flaw, like being predisposed to high cholesterol no mater how well you take care of yourself. The obvious answer is that this person needs to be put on Lipitor or some other statin for the rest of their life. It does not make sense to me how the human race ever evolved with out medication to counter our genetic flaws. I believe the real problem with our observations of health is that our focus of study is in the completely wrong place. Our base of logic is off. Studying sick people to figure out how to be healthy is kind of like learning how to drive by going down to the DMV and asking to be instructed by the person with the worst driving record.

In the mid 1920's and 30's a Dr. and Clinical nutritionist named Weston A. Price had an ingenious idea, he was going to study healthy people to figure out how to be healthy! Price travelled the world over in order to study isolated human groups, including sequestered villages in Switzerland, Gaelic communities in the Outer Hebrides, Eskimos and Indians of North America, Melanesian and Polynesian South Sea Islanders, African tribes, Australian Aborigines, New Zealand Maori and the Indians of South America. Wherever he went, Dr. Price found that beautiful straight teeth, freedom from decay, stalwart bodies, resistance to disease and fine characters were typical of primitives on their traditional diets, rich in essential food factors.

When Dr. Price analyzed the foods used by isolated primitive peoples he found that they provided at least four times the calcium and other minerals, and at least TEN times the fat-soluble vitamins from animal foods such as butter, fish eggs, shellfish and organ meats.

The importance of good nutrition for mothers during pregnancy has long been recognized, but Dr. Price's investigation showed that primitives understood and practiced preconception nutritional programs for both parents. Many tribes required a period of premarital nutrition, and children were spaced to permit the mother to maintain her full health and strength, thus assuring subsequent offspring of physical excellence. Special foods were often given to pregnant and lactating women, as well as to the maturing boys and girls in preparation for future parenthood. Dr. Price found these foods to be very rich in fat soluble vitamins A and D nutrients found only in animal fats.

These primitives with their fine bodies, homogeneous reproduction, emotional stability and freedom from degenerative ills stand forth in sharp contrast to those subsisting on the impoverished foods of civilization-sugar, white flour, pasteurized milk and convenience foods filled with extenders and additives.

Characteristics of Traditional Diets

The diets of healthy primitive and nonindustrialized peoples contain no refined or denatured foods such as refined sugar or corn syrup; white flour; canned foods; pasteurized, homogenized, skim or low-fat milk; refined or hydrogenated vegetable oils; artificial vitamins or toxic additives and colorings.
All traditional cultures consume some sort of animal protein and fat from fish and other seafood; water and land fowl; land animals; eggs; milk and milk products; reptiles; and insects.
Primitive diets contain at least four times the calcium and other minerals and TEN times the fat soluble vitamins from animal fats (vitamin A, vitamin D and the Price Factor--now believed to be vitamin K₂) as the average American diet.
In all traditional cultures, some animal products are eaten raw.
Primitive and traditional diets have a high food-enzyme content from raw dairy products, raw meat and fish; raw honey; tropical fruits; cold-pressed oils; wine and unpasteurized beer; and naturally preserved, lacto-fermented vegetables, fruits, beverages, meats and condiments.
Seeds, grains and nuts are soaked, sprouted, fermented or naturally leavened in order to neutralize naturally occuring antinutrients in these foods, such as phytic acid, enzyme inhibitors, tannins and complex carbohydrates.
Total fat content of traditional diets varies from 30% to 80% but only about 4% of calories come from polyunsaturated oils naturally occurring in grains, pulses, nuts, fish, animal fats and vegetables. The balance of fat calories is in the form of saturated and monounsaturated fatty acids.
Traditional diets contain nearly equal amounts of omega-6 and omega-3 essential fatty acids.
All primitive diets contain some salt.
Traditional cultures consume animal bones, usually in the form of gelatin-rich bone broths.
Traditional cultures make provisions for the health of future generations by providing special nutrient-rich foods for parents-to-be, pregnant women and growing children; by proper spacing of children; and by teaching the principles of right diet to the young.

Dietary Dangers

Don't eat commercially processed foods such as cookies, cakes, crackers, TV dinners, soft drinks, packaged sauce mixes, etc.
Avoid all refined sweeteners such as sugar, dextrose, glucose and high fructose corn syrup.
Avoid white flour, white flour products and white rice.
Avoid all hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated fats and oils.
Avoid all vegetable oils made from soy, corn, safflower, canola or cottonseed.
Do not use polyunsaturated oils for cooking, sauteing or baking.
Avoid fried foods.
Do not practice veganism; animal products provide vital nutrients not found in plant foods.
Avoid pasteurized milk; do not consume lowfat milk, skim milk, powdered milk or imitation milk products.
Avoid battery-produced eggs and factory-farmed meats.
Avoid highly processed luncheon meats and sausage containing MSG and other additives.
Avoid rancid and improperly prepared seeds, nuts and grains found in granolas, quick rise breads and extruded breakfast cereals, as they block mineral absorption and cause intestinal distress.
Avoid canned, sprayed, waxed, bioengineered or irradiated fruits and vegetables.
Avoid artificial food additives, especially MSG, hydrolyzed vegetable protein and aspartame, which are neurotoxins. Most soups, sauce and broth mixes and commercial condiments contain MSG, even if not so labeled.
Avoid caffeine-containing beverages such as coffee, tea and soft drinks. Avoid chocolate.
Avoid aluminum-containing foods such as commercial salt, baking powder and antacids. Do not use aluminum cookware or aluminum-containing deodorants.
Do not drink fluoridated water.
Avoid synthetic vitamins and foods containing them.
Do not drink distilled liquors.
Do not use a microwave oven.

King Corn

2010-01-24T16:16:00.000-08:00

Today I sat down and re-watched one of my favorite documentaries KING CORN. The documentary is about two college buddies Ian Cheney and Curt Ellis who return to their ancestral home of Greene, Iowa, to find out how the modest corn kernel conquered the American food system. In the opening scene of the movie the two young men have the carbon make up of their hair tested to find out that the majority of their carbon make up is corn.

Almost everything Americans eat contains corn: high fructose corn syrup, corn-fed meat, and

corn-based processed foods are the staples of the modern diet. This is an amazing feet for a plant that can not grow or reproduce on it's own. Corn as we know it today would not exist if it weren't for the humans that cultivated and developed it. It is a human invention, a plant that does not exist naturally in the wild. It can only survive if planted and protected by humans.

Now corn is the nation’s most-planted, most-processed, most-subsidized crop. More than 80 million

acres of the heartland are planted in corn each year, and delivered to our tables:

“If you take a McDonald’s meal, you don’t realize it when you eat it, but you’re eating corn. Beef has been

corn-fed. Soda is corn. Even the French fries. Half the calories in the French fries come from the fat they’re fried in, which is liable to be either corn oil or soy oil. So when you’re at McDonald’s, you’re eating Iowa food. Everything on your plate is corn.” -- Michael Pollan, UC Berkeley, in King Corn

There is legislative logic to the flood of cheap corn-based foods. In 2005, federal subsidies spent

$9.4 billion in taxpayer money to promote corn production. For Iowa farmers, these payments

often mean the difference between profit and loss on a given acre. With subsidies promoting

production beyond market demand, the raw materials for an obesity epidemic are readily at hand.

For further reading on corn, consult Michael Pollan’s The Omnivore’s Dilemma, the Farm

Subsidies Database at www.ewg.org/farm, or www.kingcorn.net.

This movie gives us an incredible insight in to our food system, our health, and our society and were we put our values. At one time the average American spent 36% of their income on food, now we spend 16%. The majority of American farmers produce crops of which they can not feed themselves with, the corn they raise is just a raw material for making processed foods and additives. It becomes very clear that our agricultural system has been pushed to focus on quantity and not quality, and our health as a nation has suffered from it. This is a powerful documentary that I believe everyone should see.

Corn by the Numbers

On the farm…

Number of acres planted in corn in the U.S. in 1970i: 66.9 million

Number of acres planted in 2004ii: 80.9 million

Number in 2007iii: 92.9 million

Percent change since 1970: +39

Number of acres planted in corn in Iowa in 1970iv: 10.8 million

Number of acres planted in 2007v: 14.3 million

Iowa’s average yield, in bushels per acre, of corn in 1970: 86

Iowa’s average yield, in bushels per acre, in 2007: 180

Percent change since 1970: +109

Number of acres planted in vegetables in the U.S. last yearvi: 2 million

Number of acres planted in vegetables in Iowa last yearvii: 2,800

Number if acres planted in sweet corn—for corn in the cob—in the U.S. last yearviii: 253,500

Percentage of those acres that are in Florida, the number-one sweet-corn-growing stateix: 13

Rank of New York among top sweet-corn-growing statesx: 3

Last year in which a record was set in the U.S. for corn production, in bushelsxi: 2004

Percentage points by which 2007 corn production is projectexiiNumber of bushels to be harvested in 2007xiii: 13.1 billion

In your body:

Rank of refined sugar, or sucrose, among most-used sweeteners in the U.S. in 1966xiv: 1

Rank in 2007: 2

Rank of high-fructose corn syrup in 2007: 1

Estimated percentage of high-fructose corn syrup consumed from beveragesxv: 66

Rank of soft drinks among top beverages consumed by Americansxvi: 1

Minimum percentage of a soda that is made up of high-fructose corn syrupxvii: 7

Maximum percentage: 14

Percentage by which high-fructose corn syrup is cheaper than sugarxviii: 60

Average, in pounds, of high-fructose corn syrup consumed by an American in 1970xix: 0.6

Average, in pounds, consumed in 2000xx: 73.5

Size, in ounces, of McDonald’s Supersize soda, discontinued in 2004: 42

Size, in ouces, of McDonald’s new extra-large soda, Hugo, introduced in 2007xxi: 42

Percentage of Americans categorized as overweight or obese in 1971xxii: 47.7

Percentage in 2004xxiii: 66

Percentage of American children categorized as overweight or obese in 1971xxiv: 4

Percentage in 2004xxv: 17.5

In our Wallets:

Rank of Iowa among states receiving the most money in corn subsidies: 1

Rank of New York: 16

Rank of corn growers among farmers receiving the most farm subsidies in Iowa: 1

Rank of corn growers among farmers receiving the most farm subsidies in New York: 1

Amount, in dollars, that Iowa corn farmers received in subsidies, 2003-2005: 3.4 billion

Amount that New York corn farmers received: 173 million

Amount, in dollars, received by Floyd County, IA corn farmers, 2003-2005: 37.5 million

Amount, in dollars, received by Greene, IA’s top recipient of subsidies: 364,693

Number of farm subsidy recipients in Greene, Iowa: 317

Population of Greene, Iowa: 1,015

Amount, in dollars, that the top 20% of subsidy recipients received, 2003-2005: 29.1 billion

Amount, in dollars, that the remaining 80% of recipients received: 5.6 billion

Amount, in dollars, received by the subsidy program’s single top recipient: 7.9 millionxxvii

USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service, Quick Stats, “U.S. & All States Data—Crops: Corn for Grain, 1970”.

ii USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service, Quick Stats, “U.S. & All States Data—Crops: Corn for Grain, 2004”.

iii USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service, Quick Stats, “U.S. & All States Data—Crops: Corn for Grain, 2007”.

iv USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service, Quick Stats, “U.S. & All States Data—Crops: Corn for Grain, 1970”.

v USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service, Quick Stats, “U.S. & All States Data—Crops: Corn for Grain, 2007”.

vi USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service, Quick Stats, “U.S. & All States Data—Vegetables, 2006”.

vii USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service, Quick Stats, “U.S. & All States Data—Vegetables, 2006”.

viii USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service, Quick Stats, “U.S. & All States Data—Vegetables: Sweet Corn-Fresh, 2006”.

ix USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service, Quick Stats, “U.S. & All States Data—Vegetables: Sweet Corn-Fresh, 2006”.

x USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service, Quick Stats, “U.S. & All States Data—Vegetables: Sweet Corn-Fresh, 2006”.

xi USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service, “USDA Forecasts Record-Setting Corn Crop for 2007,” August 10, 2007.

xii USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service, “USDA Forecasts Record-Setting Corn Crop for 2007,” August 10, 2007.

xiii USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service, “USDA Forecasts Record-Setting Corn Crop for 2007,” August 10, 2007.

xiv Sally Squires, Washington Post, March 11, 2003, “Sweet but Not So Innocent?

xv George A Bray, Samara Joy Nielsen and Barry M Popkin, American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol. 79, No. 4, 537-543, April 2004

xvi American Beverage Association, “ What America Drinks: Our Favorite Beverages—Total U.S. Beverage Consumption 2005”.

xvii American Beverage Association, “What's Inside Carbonated Soft Drinks,” 2007.

xviii Business Week, April 2, 2007, “Will Soda Makers Shuck Corn for Sugar?”

xix George A Bray, Samara Joy Nielsen and Barry M Popkin, American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol. 79, No. 4, 537-543, April 2004

xx George A Bray, et al, American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol. 79, No. 4, 537-543, April 2004

xxi Martin, Andrew, The New York Times, July 22, 2007, “ Did McDonald’s Give In to Temptation?”

xxii United States Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics, “Health, United

States, 2006, With Chartbook on Trends in the Health of Americans—Table 73: Overweight, obesity, and healthy weight among persons 20 years of age and over by

sex, age, race, and Hispanic origin, and poverty level: United States, 1960-1962 through 2001-2004”, p. 287.

xxiii United States Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics, “Health, United

States, 2006, With Chartbook on Trends in the Health of Americans—Table 73: Overweight, obesity, and healthy weight among persons 20 years of age and over by

sex, age, race, and Hispanic origin, and poverty level: United States, 1960-1962 through 2001-2004”, p. 287.

xxiv United States Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics, “Health, United

States, 2006, With Chartbook on Trends in the Health of Americans—Table 73: Overweight among children and adolescents 6-19 years of age by sex, age, race, and

Hispanic origin, and poverty level: United States, 1963-1965 through 2001-2004”, p. 291.

xxv United States Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics, “Health, United

States, 2006, With Chartbook on Trends in the Health of Americans—Table 73: Overweight among children and adolescents 6-19 years of age by sex, age, race, and

Hispanic origin, and poverty level: United States, 1963-1965 through 2001-2004”, p. 291.

xxvi Farm Subsidy Database, Environmental Working Group, 2007

How you can change your genes (epigenetics)

2010-01-12T02:40:00.000-08:00

In biology, epigenetics refers to a phenotype (appearance) or gene expression caused by mechanisms other than changes in the underlying DNA sequence, hence the name epi(Greek: over or above)* genetics. These changes may remain through cell divisions for the remainder of the cell's life and may also last for multiple generations. However there is no change to the underlying DNA sequence of the organism; Instead non genetic factors cause the organism's genes to behave (express themselves) differently.
How epigenetics can change your genes:

The Cell Structure: The human body has trillions of cells, each one with a nucleus, DNA is tightly coiled around proteins called histones that work as support structures for the genes.
The role of DNA and Genes: Genes contain the codes for cells to produce the various proteins that organisms need to function. Humans have approximately 25,000 genes. Darwin and his followers taught us that it takes many generations to rewrite this basic genetic code.
Where to find epigenetic marks: Just as genes provide codes for producing proteins, various chemicals called epigenetic marks sit atop genes and offer basic instructions to them, telling them to switch on or off.
Epigentic marks define cell types: All Cell types-Muscle cells, nerve cells,etc.-contain the exact same DNA. Epigenetic marks silent certain gene sequences and activate others so that nascent cells can differentiate. If the marks don't work properly, cancer or cell death is possible.
How environment changes the marks: Stressors like a diet loaded with, additives, and processed food can activate epigenetic marks, modifying histones or adding methyl groups to DNA strands. These changes can turn genes on or off and may affect what gets passed down to your offspring.
What Epigenetic changes can mean: If you overstimulate genes for, say, obesity or a shortened life span, your kids can inherit these over activated sequences.

Science is finding out that we have more control over our health and well being than what we once thought. Our environment, food and actions play such a strong role in our health that it can activate or deactivate our genes. We can do amazing things for ourselves and our families by being conscious about our environment and what we eat. I think that this is very exciting, and it opens up a world of possibilities.
If you would like to find out more about epigenetics, TIME magazine has a concise article that does a good job of giving the basics. A video to check out is at: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/sciencenow/3411/02.html

Taste'n Copper

2010-01-09T12:28:00.000-08:00

When you really push yourself and see how hard you can go, many times you will get a copper taste in your mouth. It will seem as if you are sucking on pennies. This is good sign that you are pushing it to the limit. Here is a routine that will make you taste copper.
Taste'n Copper
a)Kettle Bell Push Press 20 times @45#
a2)Kettle Bell Up Right row 20 times @45#
a3) Kettle Bell single arm high pull 20 times @ 45#
Wash and Repeat 5 times.

6 Weeks of Enduring..........

2010-01-08T03:54:00.000-08:00

I have been inspired by the weather. The bitter cold has made my heart grow cold, and question how long can one's spirit endure this bitter cold. This coming Monday we are going to challenge ourselves physically and mentally. It has been a while since we have worked endurance strength, this will be a fantastic shock to the body and a fantastic challenge for our spirit. We will realize through this process that we are not paper dolls, that we can endure and that our spirits are strong! Welcome to 6 Weeks of Enduring!

Sample
Day1 (Chest and Back)
Exercise Sets/ Reps Tempo Rest
Deadlift 3 30 201 <1:00min Incline Bench 3 30 201 <1:00
Day2 (Legs)
Exercise Sets/ Reps Tempo Rest
Squat 3 30 211 <1:00 RDL 3 30 211 <1:00
Day3 (shoulders and Arms)
Exercise Sets/ Reps Tempo Rest
Shoulder Press 3 30 201 <1:00
Bicep Curl 3 30 211 <1:00
Skull Crusher 3 30 211 <1:00

Sugar - The Bitter Truth

2010-01-05T12:42:00.000-08:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBnniua6-oM

This is a fantastic video that everyone who has any interest in their health and well being should take the time to watch. I would Like to thank Stephen Haberman for sending this to me. Stephen and I have had many great discussions on nutrition and he is always digging in deeper and challenging the traditional nutritional thought.

Guts

2010-01-05T02:45:00.000-08:00

There is no replacement for pure determination. Always giving it all that you have and never quitting. This is how progress is made.

Location: Smith and Esch Gym

Work out Type: Endurance

Description: Warm up
Band walk 20ft and 20 BW squat
Series 1
a)KB Swing x20 @50#
a2)Belt squat on box x30 @100#
a3)Leg Curl x10 @ 70#
3 times through no rest
Series 2
b)Box Jump x 20 15inch box
b2)Split squat x 10 @70#
b3) Side ext off of bench x 15 @BW

Series 3
c) Kb Clean and Press x 10 @ 25#
c2) Burpee x 15
c3) Angled calf raise x30 @ 190#

3min drill
30 sec pushing sprint on treadmill/ 30 sec hand walking. 3 times through no rest!

Notes: Inches from puking, gave it his all.

Sunday Work Out !!!

2010-01-03T17:18:00.000-08:00

Sundays are my day to really get after it. I have no distractions. It is my favorite day of the week.

Location: Smith and Esch Gym

Workout type: Strength /Power

Description: Warm up:

20 KB swings/10 halo ea/ 10 DB push up 3x through with a 50# KB

Work out:

a)Squat 4 x8 1 warm up @ 225# working sets @315#

a2) Hinges 4x8 eccentrically loaded with 25#, body weight concentric

a3) Wrist roller 5# 5x 4 sets

Filthy Fifty

b)KB Clean and jerk 5x10 @70# ea

b2) Squat jump 5x10

( this was done for time, no rest)

Calves

Angled calf press: 3x30 @ 210#

Notes: Effort was descent. Time can Improve (10:06), Forearms and calves need extra attention.

Work Out

2010-01-02T18:35:00.000-08:00

Date: January 2nd, 2010

Location: Smith and Esch Gym

Work out: Strength Endurance

Description:

Warm up- Light 10 min jog on treadmill (-10 degrees today a warm up is needed)

Series 1

Kettle Bell Push up to dead lift @ 45#

Then

Bench press 10 reps @ 135#

Then

Ball Slam 15 reps@ 16#

1 min 30 second rest and repeat 4 times

Series 2

T-bar Row 15 reps @ 125#

Then

Lat. Pull Down 15 reps @ 110#

Then

Kettle Bell Swing 20 reps @ 20#

1 min 30 seconds rest and repeat 4 times

Notes: Bench estimated Max 180#

Hard work and a focused effort gets results.

The Secret to Real Strength

2009-12-31T20:20:00.000-08:00

"The Lungs are reservoirs of air, and the air is the lord of strength. Whoever speaks of strength must know air." - Jui Meng, Shaolin Monk, 1692

Man is to air as a fish is to water. We can not live with out air, it is a necessity to our existence. Yet, it is so present in our lives and available that most of us are unaware of it and the power it beholds for us. To increase one's strength, one must first learn to control their breathe.

The secret to real strength lies in creating intra-abdominal pressure. The tighter and harder the abdomen, the more tension that is created everywhere else. There are three areas in the body that sense tension. One is the hands, the tighter they grip the more muscle fibers that are recruited through out the body. The second is the plantar fascia of the foot. The more pressure the plantar fascia senses, the more muscle recruitment that occurs throughout the rest of the body. The third and final place is the abdomen. The muscles surrounding the abdominal cavity act as an amplifier for strength for the rest of the body. They can distribute tension through out the body. The tighter and more stable the abdomen the more power and strength the body can use efficiently. Less waisted energy when you have a stronger base.

To create this tight abdomen one must learn to use their diaphragm, pelvic floor, rib cage, and transverse abdominal. These are all the deep muscles of the torso, these are often hard muscles to feel so it takes time and practice to become aware of them.

To practice you must first activate your pelvic floor. Lightly draw in your naval and act as if you are stopping yourself from going to the bathroom mid stream. This closes off the pelvic floor making the base of your torso stable, and it prevents leaks of power. Next exhale and flatten your abdomen and tighten your ribcage, drawing your ribcage closer together. Doing this activates your body's natural weightlifting belt. Finally inhale deeply and push your breathe all the way down by your belly button, while still keeping a tight abdomen. Doing this drops your diaphragm, creating more tension in your abdomen by increasing intra-abdominal pressure and in turn amplifies your strength. From this point on you need to practice 80-20 breathing. Inhale 80% and only allow a 20% exhale. This will ensure a tight abdomen and will not allow you to deflate the tension held in your abdomen.

Practice this breathing on all of your exercises, I guarantee you will see a drastic increase in your strength.

Learning to Fail

2009-12-20T15:16:00.000-08:00

I have recently been preparing for a kettle bell competition in September put on by the IKFF in Michigan. It has been a very humbling experience. Their is nothing like coming face to face with were you are really at. I always imagine that I am in much better shape than what I really am. When you live in that state of denial, it is hard on your ego to push yourself through failure. You become to comfortable with the lie, and you have trouble pushing yourself through the pain and not necessarily because the physical pain is to much but, because your ego has too much trouble excepting that you are not in world class shape. If you give it your all, everything you have, it will expose where you really are. Your state of conditioning, and mental toughness will be exposed. It is scary....It is a scary truth to come to face with, but it is necessary for growth. If you do not push yourself to that point you will always live in that delusion of what you think you are be scared of who you are. You can not come to that place with out failing.
You can't half ass true failure. To achieve true failure you have to give it your all and not hit your goal. You can have no excuses. Only with this type of failure does it truly allow for personal growth and progress. You must be brave to fail, and you got to be even braver to get up and do it again. With each failure you know what you are truly capable of and have a better understanding of who you are. Progress can be made and self confidence can be built.

Intent

2009-12-01T05:00:00.000-08:00

The most important part of a work out is the intent of which it is approached. Where your mind, heart, and spirit are at is very important to the direction and efficiency of the work out.

Intent is not to be confused with goals; goals are destinations, a place where you are not yet. Intent is how you set your state of “being”. Through that state of “being” you will reach your goals. When a goal is being set it is typically something that you are not right now, in the present. To reach that goal you must “be” all of the qualities of that goal, so that with practice the goal is reached and it is just now apart of your “being”.

Your intent sets all of this up. If you go into your work out with out any intent, you will get pushed in any direction, most likely not the direction that you were hoping to go. If you set your intent and are conscious of your intent, placing it in your mind and on your heart, you have no choice but to “be” on the road to your goal, and you will have already started “being” the person that you want to be.

Bill Esch

Welcome to my blog!

2009-11-26T07:02:00.000-08:00

My name is Bill Esch and for the last 15 years I have been a personal trainer. Since 2007, I have owned and operated my own gym in Omaha, Nebraska. I have devoted myself to helping others find a healthier path. This blog is about my journey, experiences and recommendations for pursuing a life dedicated to health and happiness.