“Change comes from with-in”

It’s time! No not in five minutes… No not tomorrow… NOW!

Life is always moving and no matter how much money you have in the end we are all only given a set time in this world. And you’re throwing it away by choosing to commit a type of suicide. Your dieing people “INSIDE” your letting your lack of control and your desire for self and instant gratification take away the minute you have to share with your love ones! I have lost to many people in my life due to obesity and health related issues and I am sick and tired of it! Children are being diagnosed with liver failure now due to unhealthy eating while the obesity rate for the U.S. is so high I get sad just thinking about all those poor people trap in those bodies and being slaves to food and a non active lifestyle. Look I am tired of trying to justify my life style to people whom don’t get it but in the end I want them to take from me something, and not just a diet or but the knowledge to know anyone can change and passion comes from with in! I refuse to be the fallen, I refuse give in, I refuse to wake up again and truly be disappointed in who I am. I am proud of what I have accomplished and even though I never talk about it or even say it, now I am no longer going to let those whom don’t believe enough in them selves to cause me to box up my feelings!

The greatest words even spoken:

“GET BUSY LIVING OR GET BUSY DYING” The Shawshank Redemption (1994)

~Kyle 

Well I know it’s been a while I updated my Body space but a lot has been going on and “time is money”. Well I was having a great start to a serious lean down when tragedy stuck me in two forms and it been a real headache and disappointment! I was on my fourth week of a strict lean down where I was at about 8-9% BF and dropping steadily and loving it! I was still strong and my muscle loss was very minimal. Bu then I hurt my left foot doing sprints and it caused me to cut my running down to a minimum due to pain. Than about two weeks ago I was in a car accident; were I pushed into another car by a safari mini van struck an F-150 ford truck and hit my car which in turn pushed me into another car. This hurt my neck really bad and just when I thought I was getting better I had a shoulder day and BAM my left trap basically tore. I was so much pain and never realized how much your traps are used in almost all upper body activities. Well now it’s been two weeks and my body is still recovering and no to mention College “FINALS” which had my brain wrecked from studying!
Well I have gained up to maybe 3% BF and my abs definition is completely gone and I feel really lazy and unmotivated! I find it had to go to the gym and really push myself like I was a few weeks ago… I know set backs happen and I am not one to usually get out of focus but all this stuff and one time has really gotten to me and I just wish I could get that “eye of the tiger” back!  

MSN’s “Eat Your Way Slim in 20 Simple Steps” and why there a JOKE!!!!!

I was surfing through www.MSN.com when I happened on this article in the health/weight loss section (which I will link below). After reading through it I realized it was all a huge waste of time and space and perhaps the worst advice I have every read towards weight loss and I will explain why on each one!

1. Always eat dessert = Yes, always. “A small amount can signal that the meal is over,” says Barbara Rolls, PhD, author of The Volumetrics Eating Plan. She ends her meals with a piece of quality chocolate — and she’s a doctor. Other options include mini-cupcakes or fruit.

The reality = OK why don’t we just tell people that it ok to stuff down a bowl of ice cream after they have eaten a healthy meal! I mean seriously come on chances are the person looking to loose weight has the will power of a piece of paper in a hurricane!

2. Blot out the fat = You can use a napkin to blot a teaspoon of fat off a pizza slice. That may not sound like a lot, but multiply it by a slice a week, and that’s more than a whole cup of fat you won’t eat — or wear — this year.

The reality = First off where in any health book is a pizza healthy (I mean ones you get from major chains)! I means seriously why not put the napkin down and the plate and not eat this in the first place! Even if you can remove a “CUP” of fat from a few slices of pizza chances are you have already consumed enough calories from that to last you the whole day! Oh and I doubt that all your going to eat all day!

3. Take the beltway = When junk food beckons, tighten your belt a notch. Not so you can’t breathe, but so you have a gentle reminder of the size you’d like to be. “The scale isn’t the only measure of weight,” says Roberta Anding, RD, a spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association.

The reality = Tighten your belt???!!! WTF! Most people don’t where their pants on the stomach unless your 70 years old and look like Steve Urkel, beside fat doesn’t happen in 60 seconds or less! And your actually stomach is located more towards you chest then you think so perhaps may you should start shopping at the places your grand father goes and BAM thin in seconds! COME ON PLEASE!

4. Go public = Enlist the help of coworkers, friends, and family — and know they’re watching. “The power of embarrassment is greater than will-power,” says Stephen Gullo, PhD, author of The Thin Commandments.

The reality = Ok chances are if your overweight your friends and family are not Olympic athletes and/or personal trainers; in fact most likely the reason your big is because your friends are big and you all eat the same crap! So maybe this is no a good idea to rile on their weaknesses  to help you in any way!

5. Get spicy with it = Capsaicin, the substance that puts the hot in hot pepper, temporarily boosts your metabolism. Just make sure you’re drinking a yogurt lassi with that searing-hot chicken vindaloo. Dairy blocks capsaicin’s sweat-inducing signals better than water.

The reality = Alright ulcers for everyone!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

6. Milk it = Consuming 1,800 mg of calcium a day could block the absorption of about 80 calories, according to a recent University of Tennessee study. Jump-start your calcium intake by filling your coffee mug with fat-free or 1% milk, drinking it down to the level you want in your coffee, then pouring in your caffeine fix. That’s 300 mg down, 1,500 to go.

The reality = Why consume any calories period from milk which contains a lot of glucose (or simple sugars) which spike your insulin and cause the body to creak FAT! Just take a DAMN vitamin C pill!

7. Go organic = That’s where you’re likely to find bread and cereal with fiber counts that put the conventional choices to shame. Thought you were doing well with your 3-g-per-serving Cheerios? Nature’s Path Slim blows it away with 10 g. (And it really doesn’t taste like a shredded shoebox.)

The reality = Although I do agree with organic as a better path then all the “processed” product coated with enough chemical to kill all the buffalo, but perhaps the real question here “how” organic is the so called ORGANIC food you buy from local Wal-Mart! Chances are pretyy much it like old Simpson’s episode where all the different kinds of Beer (Duff light, Duff Draft, and regular Duff) where all coming from the same DAMN tub! Unless you have a Make your own bread oven I highly doubt your getting a completely organic piece of WHEAT Bread or bowl of OATS!

8. Splurge on precut veggies at the supermarket = Sure, they cost more, but you’re more likely to eat them. “Make low-energy snacks as easy as possible,” Rolls says. “Keep vegetables as near to hand as you can. Make it so you have no excuse.”

The reality = OK so let me get this straight, your expecting someone who has lived off of potato chips and milk dudds to put those down for a ear of broccoli as a snack?? Yeah right!!!!!!!!!!! You might as well ask a used car sales men to stop lying about the history of the cars they sell!

9. Practice fine dining = Pick a restaurant where you’ll actually want to linger. “When the meals are not hurried, the presentation is beautiful and the portions are reasonable so you can regulate your attitude,” Anding says. That means your body — not the empty plate — will tell you when to stop.

The reality = OK this just speaks for its self!!! Olive garden here I come!!!!!! WOW this whole time I was mistaken, I mean they have a great atmosphere and nice presentation and VERY SLOW SERCVICE!!!!!! I am well on my way to weight loss now!!!!!!!!!!!!

10. Don’t skip your 3 pm feeding = “Have a 150 calorie snack [now], and it can save you 400 calories later,” Anding says. An ounce of nuts or two sticks of string cheese weigh in at about 170 calories.

The reality = Please refer to my answer on #8!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

11. Increase your a-peel = Speaking of fiber, a lot of it’s in the peel, whether it’s potatoes, apples, or pears. Even oranges — don’t eat the whole peel, but keep the pith, that white stringy stuff; it’s packed with flavonoids. More nutrients, more fiber, less labor.

The reality = WHAT does this have to do with a “Slimmer YOU”! Just because you eat a potato peel will in no way cause to suddenly become full from the .02 ounces of extra fiber you have consumed from an orange! Perhaps this should be under a section of how to eat a little healthier because the truth is fiber can help you get full fats but it need to be consumed in a decent amount not a potato peal! Although the sad part is someone somewhere is saying to himself “well I eat the French fries with the peals on them so I must be on the right track”! LAMO!

12. Drink with your dominant hand = If you’re circulating at a party, Rolls suggests keeping your glass in the hand you eat with. If you’re drinking with it, you can’t eat with it, can you?

The reality = Yes because 99% of the human population can do even the simplest task of using there other hand to grab food and put it to their mouths!

13. Plate it = Whatever it is, don’t eat it out of the container and don’t bring the container to the couch. “Part of satiety is visual,” Anding says. “Your brain actually has to see the food on the plate, and when you reach into the jar, or the box, or the bag, you don’t see it.” If it’s worth eating, put it on a plate. Eat what’s there, then stop.

The reality = HOT DAMN well what if the mans bowls/dishes are huge as a serving dish’s? So maybe that whole gallon of bluebell ice cream is now “OK”!!!

14. Keep your hands busy = Find a way other than food to work off your nervous energy. “It’s behavior modification,” Anding says. “Instead of grabbing a bag of chips, you pick up your knitting. Art works, woodworking works — anything that occupies your hands.”

The reality = Alright finally justification for “MASTURBATION”! lol Or perhaps you realize that 99% of th trouble starts with have to much time on your hands in the first place! Or in 100% of people homes there is this thing called a TV which suck the brains cells straight from your mind and cause you to stuff your face like a hungry Hippo and soo you turn to a mirrior and one is staring back at you! Hint: GET OUT OF THE HOUSE!!!!!!!!! Go join a GYM, take a walk, play a sport, hell even ride a bicycle!

15. Take 10 = When your mind strays from your desk to the vending machine, it could be hunger — or it could be boredom or irritation with your boss. If you’re still thinking about snacking 10 minutes later, then you’re probably hungry. Think of it as a chance to have one of the nine servings of fruits and vegetables you need each day.

The reality = If your mind stays away from work and has you standing in front of a “VENDING MACHINE” for comfort chances are your have problems only a psychiatrist needs to help you with!

16. Go out for ice cream = Or an eclair. Or even guacamole and chips. Just go out. Don’t keep your danger foods in the house. You can’t eat half of a carton of ice cream that’s not there.

The reality = “You can’t eat half of a carton of ice cream that’s not there!” YEAH Tell that to people at the “MARBLE SLABS”!!!!!!!!!

17. Start with salad = It’s the holy grail of dieting — eat less by eating more. Rolls’s research has found that eating a salad as a first course decreased total lunch calories by 12%. Avoid the croutons and creamy dressings, which have the opposite effect.

The reality = WOW we are so heading to OLIVE GARDEN AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!!! SALADS FOR EVERYONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! OMG! WTF!

18. Just scrape by = Always order your bagel or burger with a plastic knife. Use it to scrape off the excess cream cheese and mayo. You could shave off as many as half the calories.

The reality = A plastic knife perhaps you try and order your food with out that STUFF in the first place! I mean come on people even BURGER KING has the slogan “HAVE IT YOUR WAY”!!!!!!!!!! JUST SAY NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

19. Send back the bread = All it takes is a wave of the hand, a smile, and a “No, thank you.”

The reality = A wave of the hand to say no to freshly baked free rolls are you insane even a are core health nut like myself has trouble saying NO to freshly backed bread! I don’t have an answer for this one but other then to say this is probably the best advice on here and “JUST SAY NO” besides it fills you up to quickly and ruins you main course if you ask me, because you get filled to fast! While you’re at it say NO to the ICE TEA, it contains sugar, unless its unsweetened which we all know how many people get the unsweetened tea! Just ask for water not only will it save you like $3 but it a lot better for you as well!

20. Go crazy — sometimes = Deprivation won’t make you thin — or happy. Designate a meal or two a week when you can eat absolutely anything you want.

The reality = WHAT THE F&@k ??????????  OK I am 100% convinced the writer of this thing should be dragged from his bed and shot, but chances are he is pretty heavy so better brings some strong friends with you!

Well unfortunately for me I got the flu last Tuesday and was down for the count for 4-days straight from the gym and my healthy diet. Which I later came to find out even if I had gotten the flu shot. I still would have contracted this version of the flu I got and still would have got sick since the flu vaccine they were given out here in Houston did have the antibodies for the version that has infected Houston right now. Someone does not know how to do their research.

Steps

1. Forget about what everyone else thinks you should do. The biggest obstacle to finding yourself is feeling like you have to mold yourself to other people’s expectations. While you might not want to disappoint the people
close to you, remember that if they really care about you, they’ll want you to be happy–and who finds happiness as a puppet? As long as you continue to exist to fulfill other people’s ideas of who you should be, you’ll never know who you want to be. Remember, “He who trims himself to suit everyone will soon whittle himself away.” - Raymond Hull

2. Find solitude. Get away from the expectations, the conversations, the noise, the media, and the pressure. Take some time each day to go for a long walk and think. Plant yourself on a park bench and look. Take a long, thoughtful road trip. Whatever you do, move away from anything that distracts you from contemplating your life and where you want it to go.

3. Ask yourself every question in the book, questions that are difficult, that dare to look at the big pictures, such as:
o If I had all the resources in the world - if I didn’t need to make money - what would I be doing with my day to day life and why? Perhaps you’d be painting, or writing, or farming, or exploring the Amazon rainforest. Don’t hold back.
o What do I want to look back on my life and say that I never regretted? Would you regret never having travelled abroad? Would you regret never having asked that person out, even if it meant risking rejection? Would you regret not spending enough time with your family when you could? This question can be particularly difficult for some people.
o If you had to choose three words to describe the kind of person you’d love to be, what would those words be? Adventurous? Loving? Open? Honest? Hilarious? Optimistic? Realistic? Motivated? Resilient? Don’t be afraid to pick up a thesaurus.

4. Write down your answers. Beyond your time alone, it’s easy for these thoughts to slip to the back of your mind and be forgotten. If you have them written down, then every time you reflect, you can review your notes and take it a step further, instead of answering the same questions all over again.

5. Act upon your newly discovered knowledge. Do the things that you want to do! Pick up those water-colors. Write a short story. Plan a trip to Fiji. Have dinner with a family member. Start cracking jokes. Open up. Tell the truth. Whatever it is that you’ve decided you want to be or do, start being and doing it now.

6. Be ready for dead ends. Finding yourself is a journey, not a destination. A lot of it is trial and error. That’s the price you pay in return for the satisfaction you receive: More often than not, you hit a bump in the road, and sometimes you fall flat on your face. Be prepared to understand and accept that this is a part of the process, and commit to getting right back up and starting over. It’s not going to be easy - it never has been for anybody - but if you learn to see that as a chance to prove how much you want to find yourself, then you’ll find fulfilment and security in your pursuit. When you are yourself, then everyone will respect you more and treat you kindly.

Tips
• Resist the urge to feel like you’re the only one going through this:
All my life I had been looking for something, and everywhere I turned someone tried to tell me what it was. I accepted their answers too, though they were often in contradiction and even self-contradictory. I was naïve. I was looking for myself and asking everyone except myself questions which I, and only I, could answer. It took me a long time and much painful boomeranging of my expectations to achieve a realization everyone else appears to have been born with: that I am nobody but myself. ~ Ralph Ellison, “Battle Royal”
• Be yourself and make sure no one influences who you are. It will make finding yourself even harder since people are influencing who you think you are.
• Love you for who you are!

(I actually wrote this in response to another blog but thought it would make a good blog on its own. The guy was talking about how the body-builders of today and how they are so different from those of the past; How symmetry and fitness seems to have lost itself)

Here is the link: http://blog.bodybuilding.com/JamerJay/2008/01/16/a-rant-on-bodybuilders-of-today/

Perception > Reality 

I think the issue here is “perception” and how over time the general publics ideas on physical magnificence has become blurred. What you have pointed out is a prime example of how the lines between the quest for physical perfection and the quest to just be to next hugest thing or what I would like to call “over indulgence” in our sport/lifestyle. It not just about the perfect symmetry or even the pursuit of a well rounded fitness structure, but these days it seems to all about being the hugest, freakiest, most muscular man around with no real quest for actually being an all around athlete, other then their quest for the ability to be to grow as much muscle as possible.

The irony here is yesterday a huge muscle head at my gym, (nice guy I talk to from time to time) came up to me and told me I was doing was too much cardio and that I should not run at all if I want to grow muscle to be like the pro’s! I was like thanks for the info man, but in reality I was like dude I want to be fit as well as swole, why in the world would I want to be as big as house and can’t run five feet without breathing heavy?

The trend does not stop at body building, but actually has spread too many areas; I can remember a time when the ideal women was fit and tone and care about her health, but not these days it seems that 99% of the females on the planet (not to mention the guys they are worse) could care less about the health period. I recently went to local bar to catch up with some old friends and (even though don’t drink I had a grand time) although when it came to the women in the bar I was blown away on how many over weight women there were in the bar period, now I know you probably think well the bar is not the best place to use as an example but its everywhere, the mall, my college, hell even walking around my grocery store. The sad part is my old friends (whom have nothing to do with fitness lifestyle) were checking these women out and tell me how hot they are!?!?! Maybe it just me (not to sound in any way conceded) but when I see a women with a muffin gut; one it’s huge turn off and two it tells me she does not share my same passion for fitness, but if this trend continues my female options are defiantly dropping!
I unfortunately don’t have an answer for these trends, but perhaps the more we bring attention to these growing trends maybe we can change things.