What choice do we really have?

Imagine you have been given a choice to make for someone you love.  One choice gives the person a productive happy life, and though its filled with challenges and hard work, the benefits will allow them to extend their time on this rolling ball of dirt. The other, while given to indulgence and a lack of struggle everyday, will gradually erode the quality of life and shorten it, taking them away from the people they love. Pretty easy choice right? K so let me ask you a question, if its easy to make that choice for someone you love, why arent we making these choices for ourselves?

Now of course I dont think people go and make the choice to be a bloated couch potato with pizza and chinese on speed dial. I sure didnt. But its not doing anything. Its simply letting this lifestyle engulf you and take over. It keeps you from achieving anything but a bigger waist. The slope to mediocrity is very slippery and its worse when the people around you are doing the same. And the deck is assuredly stacked against us from childhood on. Society seems to embrace the mediocrity of existance, making going to a fast food restaurant and watching a movie on the fiercest of enemies the couch seem like an exciting existance.

But there is another way. as sure as I am typing this. I can tell you about having the living hell scared out of me and changing every single facet of what I do. Alcoholics that ive talked to who have been sober for an extended period of time equate getting to the lowest point of their existance as the only time they were able to change, and i had my own low point right there.  And now 85 pounds lighter, stronger than Ive ever been and decidedly more optimistic about life and the state of the world, Im here to be an ambassador for whoever wants to come over to this side. Im offering you empowerment, struggle, challenges galore, victories and failures along the way and a real chance to make your life better than you thought it might be. There are alot of people like me out there, and if you arent anywhere near NYC itll have to be someone else but me(for now bwahahahhaahaha) but help is there.

Nows the time for a "checkup from the neckup" as my jiu-jitsu professor likes to say. Its a decidedly simple question. Are you happy? Then decide what to do.....

I triple dog dare ya!

K Im not promoting sticking your tongue to a pole, but daring someone or getting dared can be hard to resist, even if they are...well....stupid.

I have a guilty habit of checking on shows like the Biggest Loser and Extreme Makeover to see amazingly overweight people make changes in their lives. Sure the shows are mostly just fluff, but underneath, these people for the most part put themselves out there in front of millions and come out better in the end.

BUT..... the amount of people who are fortunate enough to recieve this intense help is miniscule compared to those who need it. And its not just the morbidly obese. Lots of other things get in the way of living an amzing life. The worst of it, as I have come to realize is Mediocrity.

And thats the real life sucking killer. We lose track of the amazing, the wonderful in and around us. We miss the awesome life while watching tv, overeating, or just doing nothing.

So here is my dare to you.  And I hope you take it. Go be brilliant, pick something, anything and go out and do it. Lose some weight, start a new hobby, go back to school, realize a passion that you have whether it be feeding lepers in mongolia or starting a garden.

And the worst part of this is, its not going to happen immediately.  My instructors at Brooklyn Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu always stress the "inch by inch" concept. The process to Black Belt or achieving anything worthwhile is a long process, filled with peaks and valleys. Its the trip and not necessarily the destination ya know?

Dont do it yourself, there is someone out there to help. Inspire, motivate, kick you in the ass if you will. Teacher, Trainer, family, friend, boss,  muppet whatever. They get it, and probably can help you get it too. And we are offering a better way, filled with sweat and effort, and some pain and a whole lotta reward.

Talk to yall soon!!!

Who are we exercising for?

Hi all!! I'm going a little philosophical this week,(pausing for the groan, cmon Brian stop babbling and lets lift something!!). I get it really I do. Every time we work out its for the goal to make our lives better in many ways. Our motives are varied, fro some its losing weight, improving at an athletic activity, to make ourselves irisistable at the beach etc. You can easily get the idea that this is a self serving act in every way no?

And we are in a image conscious world arent we? We are assaulted in the media by men with abs of steel and biceps that could crush tanks and women who are so thin a strong breeze would blow them out the window.  But as a society we are getting bigger. Super sized bigger. With extra fries.... So where is the explanation? Our celebrities, athletes, heck even our comic book characters that people adore and emulate are all "in shape" but the vast majority are .....expanding.

Can we as a people, all the fitness professionals, athletes, regular Joes and Josephines collectively change this? Can health and excellence be as infectious as apathy, obesity, and disease. Because that is where we are leaning.  Its worse out there now than ever before, which is ridiculous because of the advances in medicine and the availability of every method of improving oneself. Apathy and ignorance, seeking the easy way out with the quick fix has made the health of us and society more fragile than ever.

K so thats the bad news. The good news? OF COURSE WE CAN FIX THIS. And we dont need anyone but ourselves. Of course an awesome trainer cant hurt(lol). It can be infectious. Imagine one person, part of a family or group deciding to change their life for the better. Maybe by losing weight by exercsing more, changing the way that they eat, or stopping smoking.  But they get there, and their loved ones notice. And they are curious. So maybe they work out together, or they start their own changes. They get active. Maybe even read a book. (I know, its a hope I have, deal with it). And their bodies and minds start getting better. And Descartes was wrong, a strong mind is nothing without the body feeding it. (find the book and tell me what you think, yep homework....)

And sure there will be peoplewho do nothing. Everyone wont buy into it until its way late, and thats sad. But its not a reason to get out there and try. And its tough as hell. Today I was sitting in a room full of EMS professionals. Folks whose careers are taking care of the sick and injured. And the tables were littered with soda cans, potato chips, and candy. and the biggest movement was outside for smoke breaks. It makes you scratch your head, but it also inspires me, cuz I know I could help.

So whats stopping you? Today, can you go for a walk, or a swim, lift a weight, or play catch with your kid? Can you skip the drive thru and make a salad instead? Because the secret is, if you can do it today, you can do it tomorrow. If you drop a pebble in a pond the pebble sinks in the spot but the ripples extend out as far as the pond goes. Get out and be effective!!

Fitness in the modern world....or fighting the good fight

Hi all!  open a new window on your computer right now. Go on, yes ill miss you but you will be back in a minute. Type in "fitness" and hit search........something like 1500000000 hits right? you can choose from a multitude of exercise styles,nutrition plans, boot camps, hideous outfits, machines soon to be used as clothes hangars......

So why arent we fit?  Why did i have a patient last night under the age of 30, who was 70 pounds overweight, whose diet over the past 2 days consisted of bagels, cupcakes, nachos, and thank god, diet soda?  And what was this person calling an ambulance for.....Stomach pain!!!!!

I dont pretend to have all the answers, but I believe we all have had to deal with this is some small or huge way. All those trainers you see in the tv shows, magazines, videos didnt come out of the womb with rippling abs and biceps that could crush a buick. But they all made a conscious choice to take better care fo themselves and then push all boudaries to make them exceptional.

Im still in that learning curve. Finally at the age of 40 I had the nonsense scared out of me due to health problems and HAD to get healthier. So started my journey and almost 80 pounds later, im here babbling on a blog. Yep kids, im not any more special or capable than everyone out there, i just drank the water (no kool-aid here) and committed myself to being a hell of alot more than I ever thought I could be.

SO, the rest of my life is going to be paying this amazing gift forward and helping every single person I can feel better about themselves and maybe even about the world in general.  But its gonna take work, sleeves rolled up, bust yer butt, no thanks to ring dings and triple mocha frappucinos. In the jiu-jitsu school i go to, its believed the hardest part of class is actually getting there, everything else gets easier.  So can you get there? can you get outside for a walk, or to the gym, or call a trainer(hint hint)?

The 3 things I ask each new client that comes to me are so simple itll make yer eyes numb;
1) What do you want for yourself?
2)  What are you willing to do to make it happen?
3) How can I help?

Thats it. The whole rosetta stone for what can happen is right there. Trust me, from this end, im never ever going back to the way I was cuz I cant imagine not feeling this awesome. Come join me???

Exercise tip of the week- How did the walking go? Wanna try one of the most complete exercises you can do? TIme to Squat baby!!!! Feet should width apart, knees slightly bent, back straight, hands in prayer position and bend at the hips like you are sitting in a chair, keeping your back straight. Then rise back up. Thats it, You are hitting alot of core muscles there and keeps your joints moving. Try 10-20 and see how you feel.....

Have a great week everyone. Remember Sunday is Fathers day, be sure to tell your Dad how awesome he is, maybe go for a run or have a catch....

Updating your Resume....

Hi All!! Most of us, when entering the job market have to put together a resume, listing all our vital history as it applies to work and our experiences with it.  Looking at mine, its interesting what different jobs ive held in the past 20 plus years, all of them combining to make the "experienced guy" thats typing to you now.

But what about the rest? Our jobs, with some exceptions are only a part of what makes up our life experience.  How helpful would it be to have a resume for the other histories in our lives? Id like to concentrate (unsurprisingly) on fitness and eating.

Wed all start hopefully as happy healthy kids, running , jumping riding our bikes or boards til we were called in at night, eating what our families fed us. As we got older, high school had gym class (insert joke here), after school sports and the nutritionally exempt school lunches. I still remember the fake cheese and ragu pizza squares.......

Now as adults, what does your resume show? Are you active? What brand of "food" are you shoving down your gullet?  Try this, for the next week, write down what you eat and drink, and also what kind and how much exercise you do. Id love to read what you write down, but the real question is, would you? And are you shoving a Twinkie in your mouth as you do? Is this resume something you'd be proud to show your friends and family, or something that you'd rather line your birdcage with?

If you do this little bit of homework, and you arent happy at the end, thats great! That means that you arent happy with your life now and might be ready to do something about it. Profound differences are started with a little step in the right direction.  Take your resume, and start to change it for the better and watch as your life does the same.........

Exercise tip of the week.- If you are starting from scratch, try walking! All over the world, people walk a whole lot more daily than folks in this country do in a week. Try 30 minutes a day, even if you have to break it up into 10 minute intervals. Get outside, get some air into the lungs. Better yet get someone to go with you. Having someone to participate with gives you another reason to stick with it.

Shameless self promotion of the week- I want to be your trainer! I love working with clients of all experience and fitness level. And im more than happy to come to you! Able to work around your schedule also, Contact me at 347-720-9747, or at fitmedic68@yahoo.com. Have an amzing week everyone.

Freedom to do what?

Hi all. Its Memorial day, a day set aside to honor our armed forces. For most of us its a 3 day weekend to go to BBQ's, the beach or what have you. Which is fine, as we all need to decompress and its good to be away from work now and again.

But I got to thinking, many people say we should take a moment to remember all who have served or are serving, and those who gave their lives to preserve our freedom, or our way of life. But honestly, what are we doing with that freedom?

Do we celebrate our freedoms by going out and living each day to its fullest? Or punch into that sex and the city marathon with a pint of ben and jerry's and a pizza? Enjoy a day with our families, some of which see us a couple of hours a day and on weekends? Or is dinner out of a bucket or from a drive-thru?

If you take a minute to think about what it might be like for a Marine, Navy Seal or Army warrior, either in Iraq, Afghanistan, or anywhere in the world away from their home, knowing that they could be killed today, far away from the comforts that we all enjoy. Now you need to put aside your politics, and your anti-war position, as I think that most people would agree (including the above mentioned warriors) that war is not on their top ten list of things to do. But they are there, performing in ways that most of us(myself included) can't fathom.

So what is your way of appreciating that hard won freedom? Will you fritter it away doing mindless, wasteful activities or will you make your life matter? It can be anything you know? Yes, exercising and eating right are amazing ways to make the most of your existance, but it doesnt stop there. Connect with people who you havent spoken to in forever, volunteer at a senior center or a soup kitchen( dont wait for a holiday to do it). Get out and have a catch with your kid, and listen to what they have to say Mom and Dad.

This probably sounds like a lecture, and I guess in a way it is. (Dont worry I promise I wont do alot of these) I have a friend whose brother is coming home minus a leg, and I dont think either of them would have alot of dilemmas on what they would do from here on in. We have a great opportunity to make our lives awesome, and in that way, honor these incredible men and women.

PS. This blog owes alot to Martin Rooney, a world-class trainer and human being, as he is a huge inspiration. Thanks Martin for everything.

Shameless self promotion- Im off the DL and back to work. Look forward to seeing YOU(YES YOU) at 79th and shore parkway in Brooklyn for the Bad Ass Academy Training Class at 730. And sign up for the Bad Ass Brooklyn Run.

Have an amazing week everyone.

Hey we are still here! Whats for dinner?

Hi all! Glad to see everyone is still on the planet. Amazing what people put themselves through no? On that note I wanted to touch on one of my favorite topics..eating.  IM not saying nutrition, I find when I do that, alot of peoples eyes glaze over and they look for the nearest cliff.  No Im referring to what we all do multiple times a day, eating.  Simple right? But for many people this simple function which is supposed to fuel us to live to our maximum ability is doing the exact opposite. Our nation as a whole has a serious case of the love handles. I cant fix the entire nation, (yet,bwahahaha) but maybe I can point out a few glaring issues that will get ya thinking.
1. Quality- im going for the hardest part first. Its not easy to eat quality food for a number of reasons, but one of the main reasons is that the crap is cheaper! Our fast food empires have deviously packaged "food" into affordable packaged meals that are quick and easy....and gut expanding. The hardest step that any of us need to do is to step out of that comfort zone and seek out quality food. and it can be everywhere after you start looking.

2. Portion- We seem our happiest when a plate is put in front of us, and the size would feed a family of t-rexs for a week. then we either leave what we cant finish or take it home and let it sit and sit and sit...... Wasting food is a shame, especially when its really good. And its not only in restaurants.  We can control our size of our bodies as we control the amount of food we have on our plate.

3. Reason- Why are you eating? Are you really hungry? Or bored? Or angry? or just in the middle of that Honeymooners marathon? Imagine how much you eat while not thinking about it. scary...........

These admittedly are broad ranging topics and Im sure some are out there going,"hey dumbass! you dont know my situation!" And thats true, But, I do know that unless you take care of what you can, right now, your "situation" is only going to get worse. Id really like to help keep this nation from being overrun with rascals and gastric bypass surgeries. ANd there are alot of people to help including me. But you can do soooooo much.  Open a book, get online and find sites that give healtier recipe ideas. You can research almost anything about food or eating, Just dont have a plate of ring dings by the computer. Oh and get out of the dam  house. Go for a walk.... The simple idea of burning more calories than you take in is surprisingly effective. Hope this helps, maybe even inspires a couple of you. See you at the salad bar..........

Shameless Self Promotion section.- On wednesdays at 730 at the park on 79th and shore road in Brooklyn, Fitmedic, in partnership with Bad Ass Academy (Badassacademy.com) will be conducting workouts in preparation for the Bay Ridge BadAss on June 25th. These are free!!!!! The guys at Bad Ass are a wonderful sadistic bunch of guys whose goal is to get you fit in the funnest way possible.  The races they conduct are amazing and you should look into and enter whatever they set up. Cmon down and sweat with us and get your fitness on.

SSPs Part 2- The site Fitmedic.net should be up this week and hope to fill it with interesting info. Clients or perspective ones are welcome to write in and say hi! And set up a workout of course.....