Obesity and Our Destiny

"Human beings are meant to be lean, 

muscular, athletic creatures.”

                                         –Charles Poliquin

 The Yardstick
 One day I was listening to the world renowned strength-coach, Charles Poliquin’s pod-cast, and heard a profound statement: “human beings are meant to be lean, muscular, athletic creatures.”  How strange a statement? Since the obesity rate, according to the CDC for 2010 is anywhere between 21-34%, depending upon which state you live in, and that number is rising!  Indiana ranks among the most obese state at 29.6%.  Obesity is measured by the body mass index (BMI) and the calculation is done by taking (weight in pounds x 703) divided by (height in inches squared).  BMI Online Calculation

The Accuracy

               This calculation only tells part of the story. Obesity is linked to an increased risk of many diseases ranging from diabetes to cancer, and from heart disease to gallbladder disease. On the other hand, the BMI calculation cannot read lean mass to fat mass ratios. It does not go any further than a simple calculation. Many athletes today could be considered “obese” because their lean muscle tissues cause them to weigh more than they “should” according to the BMI.  On the same token, many people can weigh the correct amount according to the BMI but have such low amounts of muscle tissue that their fat percentage is above where they should be. Knowing where you stand is an invaluable tool in measuring your health and fitness. Getting a simple skin fold test by a personal trainer can give you much more information about yourself. The procedure is painless and takes only five minutes to complete. Please stop by a training desk or contact me at adossey@lifetimefitness.com so I can schedule a time for the measurement with one of our trainers.

The Issue

               In 1950, the obesity rate in America was only 9.7%. A far cry from today’s 21-34%.  We are meant to be lean, muscular, athletic creatures after all.  What in the world has gone wrong?  Many people start throwing around the “L” word, as in Lazy, but the problem is we are “working” way more hours now than we ever have. There are cell phones, e-mails, texting, Facebook, and deadlines/goals to meet at work.  The bachelor’s degree holds about as much clout as a high school diploma did back in 1950, so we are progressively increasing our work load as time goes on.  I hardly think the word “lazy” should be associated with our culture.  We of course sit more, drive more, and exercise less as a whole, but we have an estimated 100x more stress than our grandparents.  With that stress comes more fat???  What else do we have more of than our grandparents?  Try pollution and toxins exposure, pesticides and antibiotics in our food, as well as hormones added to our meats.  What about less sleep, more work, and less play?  Can all of these factors be leading us to more obesity?   What about the classic food pyramid, starches are at the bottom, and proteins, oils, and dairy are at the top.

The Insanity

               Albert Einstein’s definition of insanity is “doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.”   HELLO! KNOCK KNOCK America!  Eating cereal and bagels for breakfast and pasta for dinner isn’t working!  Ordering a chicken salad “hold the chicken please, I’ve already had my 3 servings of meat for today, but I could use a potato on the side” isn’t working!  How do we become like what Charles Poliquin said we are supposed to be: lean, muscular, athletic creatures.

               Einstein would say do something different.  There was a time when we were lean, muscular, athletic creatures, so why can’t we live like that? “Our culture” you say?  Well of course there are too many external factors effecting our health and fitness such as pollution, toxic chemicals, and stress.  Many of these external factors influence our internal functions. Cancer, heart disease, diabetes, ADHD, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and autism have all been linked to chemicals in our bodies.  Also we are eating an estimated 13 different foods per week, talk about monotony!  We are eating foods that our ancestors did not have access to and many of the foods we eat cause inflammation and allergic responses within our gut.  Many adults have food sensitivities to dairy and 33% of the population is sensitive to gluten.  We are eating foods that cause inflammation and immune responses in our bodies that cause us to be under more stress, feel less motivated to be active, and create sleepless nights which lead to hormonal imbalances, insulin resistance, and sugar cravings. 

The Cure

               Take charge of your health America, and live the life you were supposed to live!  Be happy, lean, muscular, athletic, inspired, motivated, and joyful!  Educate yourself on how to achieve the goals and dreams you have always wanted.  Attend a class, listen to an expert in the field give a lecture, and research things on your own. 

Dossey Training Systems has the answers and tools you seek. We will create a customized plan for you to reach all of your goals. A customized nutrition plan will help to create a healthy life style. Anaerobic (weight lifting) and aerobic exercises such as basketball, racquetball, swimming, Zumba, kickboxing, Pilates, and yoga can be wonderful cardio strengthening activities to incorporate exercise into your everyday life. DTS will provide you with all of the tools to meet your goals. DTS will support you and help guide you while you begin to adjust and see the benefits of your new life style. Life time health and fitness is the goal that we want all of our clients to experience. Let Dossey Training Systems help and support you while you work to meet your goal. With us you will succeed.  

PeriWorkout Explanation

It is a well known fact that exercise improves all functions of fitness and health.  It also improves cognitive function and the sense of well being.  Understanding what is happening physiologically can lead to better recovery methods and greater results; hence, the invention of the Peri-Workout Protocol.

The first area of interest is preparing for exercise.  The goal is to keep energy levels high and minimize blood sugar.  In order to optimize the workout the trainee will need to be well fed and properly energized as well as primed for better overall recovery from exercise.  This process starts with a solid well balanced meal approximately 2 hours pre workout.  Well balanced meals are meals that contain whole foods, vegetables, animal proteins, fruits, starches, and smart fats.  The proper balance is highly individualized to what each person’s goals are and their ability to process nutrients.

The next step in pre workout nutrition will happen 30 minutes post eating.  The body will have already begun the digestive process.  At this point we need to focus on priming the mind for exercise as well as increasing certain hormone levels (acetylcholine/growth hormone) to optimize fat usage, focus, and post exercise recovery.  I choose alpha GPC because it increases the acetylcholine in your brain, which is responsible for focus, as well as heightening the motor neurons in your muscles.  Another beautiful side effect of alpha GPC is its ability to increase Growth Hormone output post exercise.  Although the jury is still out on if it leads to chronic GH increases.  Acutely, GH increases fat burning and creates muscular anabolism (growth) all of which are desired results from any client, regardless of their goals.  According to studies performed, the timing of the GPC needs to be 90 minutes pre workout.

The final step in pre workout nutrition will take place 30 minutes pre workout. Increasing blood flow and stroke volume is essential to the delivery of oxygen and other nutrients to the muscles as well as removing toxins and carbon dioxide.  We can enhance this effect by taking an L-arginine supplement such as Perfusia-SR which will greatly increase work capacity.  Perfusia-SR will also improve the body’s ability to store glycogen in the muscles, which is essential for post workout recovery.  Another optional supplement to add is an herbal stimulant drink with natural caffeine, ginkgo balboa, or coffee.  Caffeine and other herbal stimulants have been clinically shown to decrease RPE (rate of perceived exertion) as well as increase power output.  Warning: Keep in mind that anybody sensitive to stimulants or anybody with preexisting heart conditions should NOT take any stimulants at any time.

Physiologically during the workout the body is being drained of its energy stores as well as being “stressed” in many different ways.  This stress will correspond with an increase of DHEA and Cortisol, which is temporarily a good thing.  However after 45 minutes of exercise the body will slow down and actually decrease its DHEA output while significantly increasing its Cortisol output.  This is not at all desired.  There needs to be a proper ratio of DHEA to Cortisol.  There is, however, a desirable hormonal response happening at the same time.  Growth Hormone is spiking, which is responsible for burning fat and saving muscle.  If all things were perfect we would have elevated GH, elevated DHEA, and suppressed cortisol.  The post workout protocol can produce just that!

The Post Workout Recovery Goal:

1. Stop muscular catabolism (breakdown)
2. Continue fat catabolism (burning)
3. Increase nutrient uptake potential (insulin sensitivity)
4. Create muscular anabolism (growth and repair)
5. Keep GH Increased
6. Lower cortisol
7. Increase DHEA 

Many post workout protocols call for high carbohydrates immediately after which will increase insulin. The Issue is insulin will kill GH and DHEA, and stop fat burning dead in its tracks.  However it will kill cortisol and start muscular anabolism, which is desired.  Is there a way to get the best of both worlds?  Yes!  Achieving the best of both worlds starts by supplementing with glutamine which will increase your ability to store glycogen, increase GH, and stop catabolism without spiking insulin.  Also supplementing with Reds and Greens will alkalize the body and prime it for nutrient intake as well as stop catabolism.  Add in BCAAs (branch chain amino acids) and it will stop catabolism and actually stimulate anabolism; another added benefit is that once carbohydrates are introduced it will increase insulin, the most anabolic hormone of them all. This is good but we can still make things better!  By taking 1 Relora-Plex or 2 Phosphotidylserine you will decrease cortisol and increase DHEA, and add Glukokine or R-ALA which will start to increase insulin sensitivity and promote faster more efficient recovery!  Now this is a cocktail that will lead to less fat and more muscle!  Please keep in mind that if low blood sugar is an issue that this step should be skipped for the following step.

The post workout “meal” should be the actual caloric recovery that the body needs.  Keep in mind that it will also spike insulin and kill your fat burning processes.  So timing it properly will be crucial.  Wait too long and the body will stop being so receptive to the nutrients, go too soon and there will not be optimized fat burning.   Wait 30-60 minutes before consuming this meal.  I suggest for optimal fat loss to have a serving (4 scoops) of Cytogainer or following the post workout meal of the peri workout protocol.  If healthy body fat levels are achieved and a person is looking to add lean mass then they can add more carbohydrates from Glycomaize (35g per scoop). With people trying to add lean mass, make sure to give them 1 scoop per 75 lbs of lean body mass. 

Optimizing your workout recovery will lead to optimized results. Enjoy!


PeriWorkout Nutrition Protocol

120 min. Pre-Workout:

·        Have a solid well balanced meal.

90 min. Pre-Workout:

·        Consume 900-1200mg of Alpha-GPC

·        Prepare and start drinking 1 liter of Water

30 min. Pre-Workout:

·        Take 3 N.O. Pills with water

·        Finish your liter of water and start on a new bottle

·        Optional: Stimulant drink or pills

Intra-Workout:

·        Consume the rest of the liter of water with the option of adding more

0 min. Post-Workout:

·        Take 1-3 R-ALA (200-600mg)

·        Take 1 gram L-Carnitine-L-Tartrate

·        Scoop 1-2 servings of ORAC or Phyto Supplement Greens or Reds into 6-8oz. water

·        Add 20-30g BCAA’s to the drink

·        Add 1 tbsp. Glutamine to the drink

·        Optional: 2 capsules of Phosphotidylserine

30 min. Post-Workout:

·        Consume 1 Scoop of Hydrowhey or Hydrobuilder

·        Consume 50 grams Liquid form Carbohydrates (Glycomaze or blended up rice cakes)

·        Consume 5g Creatine

60 min. Post-Workout:

·        Start with a well balanced meal and continue on for the rest of the day as usual

Stress and Sleep Numbers

“Stress is not what happens to us. It's our response TO what happens. And RESPONSE is something we can choose” ~ Maureen Killoran 

About 75% of the people I speak with about nutrition have some pretty serious stress and sleep issues. 100% of the people I speak to have had, at one time or another, some stress and sleep issues. Totally normal, right? Wrong! Sleep is the single most important thing we can do to correct our health issues.  When we sleep our bodies do some pretty amazing things with recovery, rejuvenation, regulation, and fat burning. Without this proper sleeping pattern we cannot completely do all of those things.  People ask “What should I take to make me sleep?” Immediately, they think of prescription drugs like Lunista, or Ambien, but the issue isn’t that they have a Lunista deficiency! It is something else that is not functioning properly. Maybe they have a magnesium deficiency or zinc deficiency. Maybe their body is so stressed out that they have a cortisol imbalance, maybe they do not regulate blood sugar properly, or maybe they do not produce melatonin as they should.

Listen folks, as much as we all admire Evil Knievel, we can’t just build a ramp to jump over the Grand Canyon when the bridge is out. We need to smooth our body’s sleep-wake cycle process instead of relying on a caffeine jolt to ramp us up and a prescription sleeping pill to zonk us into a bad dream. Given enough attempts of ramping over the Grand Canyon, everybody will, sooner or later, fall.  Simply take the time to bridge the gap. Sure it sounds plain, boring perhaps, but it’s safer and a much smoother ride. 

The American population is about 54-75% deficient in magnesium levels and if not properly supplementing and properly exercising that number increases to near 100%.  Add that on top of a stressful career, multiple children, a mortgage, car payments, wars, violence, and stock market collapses streaming at them on the news, and you will have one stressed out person. Our stress and the size of our gut are directly related. We live in a highly indulgent society where much of the nutrition we need is in our food, yet we are highly overweight and highly nutrient deficient. Well, guess what, stress decreases our ability to absorb many of our essential nutrients. Many essential nutrients are needed to produce stomach acids that absorb themselves. So what do we get? A cycle of overeating and malnourishment! Stress causes nutrient deficiencies. Nutrient deficiencies cause digestive problems, and stress along with digestive issues causes cortisol levels to rise and then we cannot sleep to regulate any of those issues. Our bodies start freaking out at this point. We eat more, caffeinate more, sleep less, eat more, caffeinate more and sleep even less. We become malnourished, overweight, stressed out, tired, hungry, and insomniacs. 

Wow, that’s a negative spiral! We have basically ramped our cars attempting to get over the Grand Canyon but are now realizing that we aren’t going to make it! You see, there is a gap, something is missing, and it needs to be filled in order to move forward. 75% of all people have stress and sleep issues to some degree, 75% of people are magnesium deficient.  Here are some other statistics that may shock you: ~30% of all Americans are obese, and about 68% are considered overweight. Seriously, numbers that mirror each other like that aren’t just coincidental; they are related! Magnesium is emerging as a great choice to help manage diabetes by regulating blood sugar levels. It is also a key player in metabolizing cortisol and fatty acids. Magnesium actually has over 300 metabolic roles in our bodies. It is often times unabsorbed because it actually creates stomach enzymes to digest itself. Try this on for size: in 1996 the U.S. Department of Agriculture found that more than 70% of all foods tested had at least one form of pesticide on it! Do you think that messes with your digestive systems? 

Statistics:

75% of Americans have Stress and Sleep Issues
68% of Americans are Overweight (~30% Obese)
75% of Americans are Magnesium Deficient
70% of Foods have one or more pesticides on them

In the famous words of Austin Powers, “Whoopie-dee-doo. What does it all mean Basil?” It means that approaching your health and fitness is about understanding all the different roles your environment can play on your physiology. This also includes understanding how your physiology is supposed to work. Our bodies produce a hormone called cortisol. Cortisol, when elevated, can increase alertness, excitability, and hunger. When cortisol is too high it can manifest itself as feelings of anxiety, irritability, and panicking. When cortisol is low the body will feel very calm, relaxed, tired, and satisfied (not hungry). Physiologically speaking, the body should awake on its own because it is alert and hungry. As the day draws to an end the body should feel tired and not hungry. Unfortunately, that is actually a rare occurrence with most people struggling to lose body fat. In fact, as I stated earlier, it’s about 75% not happening as it should be. Many of us hit snooze a few times, struggle to flop out of bed and open our eyes. If we eat breakfast, it is generally because we know we are supposed to and not because we feel ravenous. When we get home from work and finally settle down for bed, we are suddenly starving and tired but wired all at the same time. Some of us eat ourselves into an insulin induced coma so that we can fall asleep, others simply toss and turn, while others may fall asleep but awake frequently.

To help one achieve a better night sleep make sure to turn off all artificial lights in your room. Unplug or cover your cell phone lights and make sure the window curtains keep your room pitch black. Do not watch television while trying to sleep. Do not surf the internet while you lay in bed. Artificial lights will stop the production of the key hormone for sleep, melatonin.  In a research study, subjects who were asleep were woken just by someone shining a flashlight on their feet! If you awake for more than 3 seconds your sleep is considered interrupted. Now, during the day we rely on caffeine and sugar to keep us alert because we crave it.  Then in turn, the sugar and caffeine create more stress on our system, create stomach acid imbalances, insulin resistance, disrupt sleep even further, and thus the cycle builds upon itself. The root of this cause is most likely elevated cortisol levels in the evening and low cortisol levels in the morning.  We must work to reverse that curve.  It is as fixable as a 6-8 step process.

1. Take responsibility for your feelings. Circumstances in life will present themselves as stressors, but it is up to you to choose the feeling of stress or the feeling of peace.

2.  Take time to be a human being, not a human doing:
            -Meditate
            - Stretch
            - Breathe deeply
            - Do yoga or tai chi
            - Pray or use positive self-talk

3. Avoid foods with added pesticides, artificial sweeteners, or animal products that are grain fed, and non-organic

4. Take a high quality multivitamin that is formulated using whole foods

5. Follow the yin and yang nutritional protocol (The Meat Continuum)

6. Supplement with high quality magnesium products, especially if you are active

Bonus Stuff:

7.  If you have very high stress use Relora-Plex at night

8.  If you are still having issues supplementing with Phosphotidylserine is a tremendous help in lowering cortisol

There is nothing better than “me time” for calming the system. Science has shown that simply breathing deeply can reduce stress hormones.  It can also help to release 70% of all our toxins. Take just a moment every day to fill your lungs with air. The benefits will go beyond just physical relaxation.  Your sleep will be much better, your mood will be more positive and the benefits of both will amaze you! Post-exercise is a great time to stretch. It has been proven to repair your muscles and loosen your tendons, but it also has a tremendous effect on lowering cortisol levels, which are elevated post exercise. Add in the use of positive self-talk, gratefulness for all things you have in your life, the use of prayer and your stress will just melt away. Life will be good, because life is good!  Yoga and Tai Chi are two forms of exercise that take advantage of all of those aspects of stress relief.

Our bodies are designed to eat natural, organic foods. Unfortunately, today our world has produced all kinds of crop protecting pesticides and fertilizers that make them much larger in size but much less in nutrients. We have also learned how to make cattle yield much more tender meat by feeding cattle grains and estrogens.  This produces a much greater bang-for-your-buck product and no doubt, will improve sales for the farmer. However, these products are not well tested for their safety and can cause some serious health issues, starting with the gut. Our digestive systems will become wrecked from all the pesticides and artificial sweeteners, thus making us less likely to absorb the nutrients our bodies need to function. It also turns our detoxifying system into hyperdrive which stresses our whole system. This produces an even greater problem because our bodies are unable to absorb the nutrients needed to detoxify our system, generate the proper stomach acids, and deal with the added stress. Eating foods high in probiotics, or supplementing with a full spectrum probiotic can help reverse this trend of poor digestion.

Taking a naturally derived multivitamin, multi-mineral can drastically improve your body’s ability to deal with stress.  It gives you thrival, not survival, levels of nutrients.  Many people argue they can get all the vitamins and minerals their bodies need by eating food. This can be true but the issue is 2 things. One: our crops and soil are producing about 85% less nutrients than they were 100 years ago.  Two: the RDI (recommended daily intake) of vitamins is created to prevent disease, not to create optimal health. There are many progressive nutrition coaches and progressive supplement companies that want you to have levels of nutrients for optimal living. It’s called thriving, and you deserve to do just that!

Statistics:

75% Have Stress and Sleep Issues
68% Overweight (~30% Obese)
75% Magnesium Deficient
70% Foods having one or more pesticides on them
70% Of toxins are released through breathing
85% North American soil is depleted of nutrients

The good news is now we know. Knowledge is power. You now have the power to change your life! We cannot control what happened to us via stress. We cannot control the pesticides farmers put on foods, or the percentage of nutrient depletion in our soils, but we can choose to actively de-stress, or choose to feel peace. We can choose to buy organic foods. We can choose to supplement with adequate amounts of nutrients we may be missing from our food, and we can choose to eat foods high in probiotics. We can choose to supplement with a quality Probiotic, and we can choose to eat foods high in nutrients like magnesium.  We can choose to turn off all artificial light sources for sleep. We choose to exercise for our health. We choose what we love the most. Love your health, educate yourself, and take action.

The Limiting Factor II

You invest in televisions, internet, cell phones, computers, vacations, cars, fast food, and much more. Why aren’t you investing in your health and fitness? …just not worth it?

The latest LED 3-D television is well over $4,000, the nicest cars are over $30,000, the best computers are over $2,000. You will save up your money for those items that have to be replaced in a few years. Let me tell you right now, none of those things will help you feel better, live better, and have more confidence. Once you step out of your awesome car, you have to be you. You cannot hide behind your steering wheel or your new sports coat. You must face yourself in the mirror every day and say “I love you man.” If that is difficult to do, maybe it is time you searched your heart and soul for what it is you truly desire. Ask yourself, “Do I deserve to be healthy?” “Do I deserve to feel confident in myself and not my belongings?” “Am I worthy of achieving the body of my dreams, career of my dreams, and the family of my dreams?” Don’t tell me. Do not tell anybody if you deserve those things, convincing others will not make you convinced. You must feel it, walk it, and live it. When you feel that way nobody needs to be told that. People can see that you believe in your own worthiness of the things you desire. The funny thing is, when you project that kind of confidence, the people around you will want to bend over backwards to help you achieve your dreams.

Why are there teachers in this world? We all know they are underpaid and underappreciated. Why then do they do what they do? It is because they love to teach. They are on this earth to teach your children how to achieve their own dreams. Teachers do not teach for the money, they do their jobs because they are paid in love and appreciation. Not just love from their students, but love for themselves. Teachers can go home every night and know that they have positively affected at least one life for the better that day, and they can wake up the next morning knowing they will do it again. Much like a minister or preacher, it is their calling. Those are the teachers that make a difference in the lives of their students.

Being a personal trainer is the same thing. We are not doing this to be rich; that simply won’t happen. It will pay the bills and allow for us to live a somewhat normal life, but if we want to have a family, a house, and car our spouse will need to have a job as well to support that. We are doing our jobs because that is what we are supposed to do with our lives. We will put or hearts and souls into your program to help you achieve your dreams. As long as you show us that you love yourself, and show us that you are willing to do whatever it takes to reach your dreams. You do not have to convince us with your words. Often times the ones who bark about their dedications are the ones hiding behind their steering wheels and sports jackets. Those are the individuals who are trying to convince us they are working hard, or harder than everybody else. Those people are the ones who only show up to their appointments and do not put forth an ounce of effort on their nutrition. Don’t tell us you are “trying.” Show us you are doing! I cannot take another person making excuses for why they “tried, but…” I really don’t care how hard you tried, trying doesn’t do, doing does! If reaching the health and fitness goals you wrote down during your evaluation is not a priority to you then nobody can help it be. Only you can motivate yourself to achieve it. We are not here to force any rules or doctrines upon you, we are only here to bend over backwards for you and provide you the tools and resources YOU NEED TO REACH YOUR GOALS. I have never reached a student’s or client’s goal for them in my entire career. They have reached their goals. They only used my services and knowledge as their guideline. The more effort they put forth the more I could help them.

After reading this line I want you to stand up walk to the nearest mirror and peer into your eyes, stare into your soul and ask yourself a few questions. Do I love me? Do I deserve to feel healthy and confident in my skin? Am I willing to work hard for myself and believe in my ability to achieve what I want, and not just with health and fitness, but in all aspects of my life?

Life does not happen to you, you create what you do in life!

The Limiting Factor

When it comes to strength training, and truly anything else in life, the most challenging and dramatic times… the times when you fail, or times when you need to dig deep into your soul and find a way to prevail, no matter how many times you fall, or get bruised, or cry, you get up, you learn, and you become stronger. 

As a strength coach and fitness professional I deal with these types of issues on a daily basis and I love it! I feel as if a higher source has placed me on this Earth to be doing exactly what I am doing. I understand all too personally the emotional demons that can creep up when people are dealing with body image issues. Thinking about going to the gym should be a highly motivating experience, but for some people it is a miserable and emotional one. They think about what others may think of their appearance or about a time in their life when they were humiliated in regards to their body image such as a gym class, swim team or spring break.  It hits them like a rush of anxiety, and suddenly their world is closing up around them. The demons start to speak words like “can’t,”  “won’t,”  “never,” “impossible,” “too old,” “too young,” “this is how you are,” “not worth it,” or “hate.” The list goes on and on.  Suddenly they feel like they do not deserve to feel good about themselves, or they don’t deserve to feel confident in their own body… because “what’s the point? Everybody else thinks I don’t deserve it”.  They live up to the expectations set by other people… most of those people are not even in their lives anymore, and most of those people do not and did not care one ounce about them. 

Is there a simple solution to overcoming all those anxieties?  Is it motivation, confidence, discipline, knowledge, or structure? It is simpler than having any of those things, and it is the strongest force in the universe… LOVE… Love is the answer.  For anybody to achieve anything they must love themselves and love what they want to do.  Love is what the universe is created of. Some people call it God, some people call it energy, whatever it is, it cannot be created nor destroyed and it always has been and always will be. 

Love is an invisible substance that connects everything together.  If you can allow love to flow through you, then you can achieve anything.  If the person who blames their lacks on not having motivation, confidence, discipline, knowledge, or structure starts to love themselves and the task set before them, then all the things they seemingly lacked will suddenly become a non issue, and they will automatically have them all.   Love… Love your spiritual self, love your physical self, and love your mental self, and keep that love during all the moments that you possibly can and miraculous things will happen.  Those moments of anxiety become obsolete because you love yourself. Those moments of failure are now viewed as moments of learning and strengthening because you love yourself, and with all the loving and learning you are doing, you will find yourself to be a much stronger person than you could ever have imagined. You will achieve all the goals you have set forth in front of you.  You are already beautiful. You are already disserving of love. You are already, in eyes of the universe, a perfect creation, and now all you need to do is allow that love to flow through you. 

To understand how powerful love is, take a look at its counterpart, hate.  If the universe were made of hate it would have never been. Since hate is destructive, it would have destroyed itself before it could have even begun to create.  If the person who has these anxieties, and excuses for why they will start “trying” again on Monday, do they love themselves?  Or do those actions appear to be self destructive in nature?  The feeling of hatred is a form of perfection in itself because of its ability to show us how great love truly is.  Think back to every tragic event in your life or every “failure” and ask yourself, “did that moment have a purpose, did that moment take me someplace else, did it inspire me to do something I was always hesitant to do, what lessons did I learn, and what mountains did I move?”

 Exercise is quite possibly the most metaphorical experience in comparison to life that there is.  You decide to embark on a journey to a place that you know will be paradise, to the body you have always dreamed of owning.  You know the road to paradise will be a tough journey but you know you love yourself and know that you are worthy.

Imagine:  you arrive at the gym with a plan in mind and with self made challenges to overcome.  You walk over to the squat rack with a workout in hand; the goal is to perform 4 sets of 10 repetitions descending for 3 seconds and ascending for 2 seconds in a non-stop fashion until the 10 repetitions are completed, making sure that you get the full range of motion on every single rep. 

Set 1: you know your strength level, and last week you could barely complete 315 pounds for the last set of 10.  The challenge is to be able to do more weight than that with still perfect form this week.  You warm up and then place 315 pounds on the bar… bang 10 perfect repetitions with relative ease in comparison to how it felt last week.

 Rest the given rest period, and the new challenge of 320 pounds for set 2 approaches.  Bam! Ten perfect repetitions, but this time it was more challenging. The last rep was more difficult to get out of the “hole” (bottom of the range of motion during a squat is termed the hole).  That weight feels like it may almost be too heavy for the next set, but “in order to make an omelet you’ve got to break a few eggs.”  Just like in life, you cannot become stronger without first overcoming obstacles. 

Still breathing heavy you step under the bar for your third set of squats at 320 pounds for 10 repetitions.  Reps 1 through 5 are perfect form, not a problem. Rep 6 your legs start to burn and your heart starts to pound. It is going to be a long tough battle to get to 10.  Rep 7 lower and up, whew… rep 8 down and up… little wobble from the hole. You tell yourself you can do this! Rep 9 about 2 seconds in the demons start to creep into your mind and tell you, “It’s ok if you don’t get all the way down, you will still get the benefit from ¾ the range of motion.”  You know that the demon is telling lies, so you push down deep and slowly ascend from the hole. With a surge of adrenaline from overcoming that obstacle, you descend back towards the hole. Now the demons start to speak again from another angle, “Well” they say, “you can get that low you’ve proved that, but that last rep was hard, why don’t you speed up the descent a little so it will help spring you out of the hole. After all the full range of motion is what makes you stronger.”  You are very tempted especially since you are not sure if you can actually complete the repetition without cheating it, but you know that with failure comes growth, and without doing it correctly you will only cheat yourself.  So you stay with the tempo strictly and you squeeze your muscles as hard as you can. They burn. Your heart is racing and you exhale your air with a little grunt of effort, stand up perfectly, and re-rack the bar.  Victory won over the demons. You have achieved your goal. You are already 5 pounds stronger than last week, but you know that you are capable of more! 

With heavy breathing and a new sense of self confidence, you proudly take off the 2 ½ pounds plates and put on 5 pound plates with a little more force than is maybe necessary, but hearing the plates crack together is affirmation that you are becoming stronger. Those demons that tried to create self destructive behaviors are now aggravated. Their hate is now in serious jeopardy of destruction as your love is becoming stronger. You know that they will creep into your thoughts this next set, but you are more confident in your abilities to ignore their plight.

Time is up as you step under your new personal best, and 325 pounds of dead weight is resting upon your shoulders.  You find yourself excited by how heavy it feels, and by the fact that you are not sure if physically you can perform the task, but mentally you know you will push until you are done.  Reps 1 through 3 are fairly easy. Rep 4, rep 5, and rep 6 are extremely tough but no demons yet. They know you are stronger than them at this point, but they will wait for you to become more fatigued.  Rep 7 starts to feel a lot like rep 10 of the last set. The demons start talking again about how “you could defiantly complete this one and you succeeded last time, but that was on that last rep of the set. There is no way you can do it this time with 3 more reps to go. Just do half reps and at a fast pace for the next 3. That will allow you to finish without falling and making noise. 

  “Everyone will look at you and think ‘that idiot thought they could squat 325. Why didn’t they just reduce the weight so they could get 10 reps?’ or say, ‘Why didn’t they put it up when it got hard?’ Everyone will view you as a failure. You are a failure if you don’t listen to us.”  Rep 8, ahhhhh! Barely stuck it out, almost there! Rep 9: wow, you almost fell.  The demons are screaming and they make a lot of sense, “just quit” they say, “you got what you needed out of the set. We both know that if you attempt this last on that you will fall. Your body is not capable of this.”  You overcome them and descend into your next repetition, last rep! You know if you do not attempt this rep you will go home wondering and kicking yourself for not giving it your best.  Lower and lower you go controlling yourself down for 3 seconds. You are in the hole. Here we go… push, push, push, push. You are moving up! 3 inches, then 2 inches then 1 inch. Then you halt just above the hole… “Push!!!”  You scream in your head “push!” The demons scream “we told you so!” You push and push and push, but your body is incapable today… as you lower the bar slowly to the safety catches just below your lowest point on your squat… clank! 

You failed to complete the 10^th repetition of your last set on squat.  As you sit below the bar, staring in the mirror, gasping for air, heart pounding, sweat pouring, and your legs are screaming for mercy. You manage to smirk at yourself, and you fill with a sense of pride because although you failed today to get the reps. You succeeded in teaching your body how to become stronger.  Exercise scientists know that through failure comes adaptation, comes strength.  You know you cheated yourself out of nothing, and that you will defiantly be stronger next week. Next week you know that 325 pounds will not be enough to bury you into that hole, and that it may have conquered you today, but next time, you will bury it!  Maybe the other people think you are dumb for attempting that 10^th rep, but they are not what make you feel good about yourself.  You feel good about yourself because you love yourself. Never mind what anybody else thinks.  Let that love flow though you, and one day they will be inspired by your self-love, and soon they will be making the same progresses you have made.  Through a seemingly tragic situation always comes growth.  What doesn’t kill us makes us stronger!  Love conquers all!