Last update I mentioned putting together a team of experts who could help me get prepared for my upcoming hip surgery. I needed to start thinking outside of the box regarding my current routine, and putting in other methods of training that would still keep me in peak physical shape. And Since I didn’t want to compromise my current level of strength and fitness, the workouts would still have to be challenging enough to work my entire body and keep me fit.
In May I visited with Ed Le Cara at Sports Plus in Pleasanton, CA where he assessed my body for weaknesses. After an hour of all sorts of tests where I lunged, squatted, and walked over knee high barriers like I was in the Westminster Dog Show, Ed had enough information to put together a program for me to work on for a few weeks.
Here is quick video of Ed’s TRX training studio. I wish I had a studio like Ed’s!
What is a TRX?
I had a lot of people ask me: what is this TRX you speak of? Well, I’ll let this guy tell you all about it… and I betcha your fingers will skip on over to that link below to get your own. And if you’re not convinced by then, well…just keep re looping the video, and at least you’ll get a good ab workout from laughing so much!
You can also check them out here; and yes, I’m an affiliate because I love them so much!!
In the next few months you will learn more exercises as I progress through my pre hab program with ED. And since TRX is the future of fitness NOW, I intend to get certified in the TRX system.
The Power Of The TRX System
The beauty of using the TRX is that it can help strengthen muscle weaknesses as well as build upon the strength and muscle you already have, creating a fit, stronger and better balanced body. So for my Prehab it is challenging enough for all my needs.
With the TRX you can perform 100’s of exercises that enable you to build strength, power, agility, balance, mobility (definitely something I will be working on pre and post hip surgery); as well as lose weight and get that lean green machine you always dreamed of. You can work at the intensity you choose simply by shifting your body position. It’s that simple.
Fitness In A Bag
The TRX is easy to set up, and packed in it’s own small mesh bag it’s no larger than one of The SAK bags I hauled my junk around in the 90’s! Remember those little bags?
And it only takes a few minutes to set up, using the door anchor, wall mount or slinging it over a tree, for instance. You can have your own gym in your home, office, at the park, or even at the gym.
A gym at the gym?
Trust me, it’s not like taking sand to the beach! Because when it’s cold and wet outside simply stow this in your backpack, take it to the gym, loop it over a high bar, and never wait for equipment again!
Let’s get into shape!
The TRX will be the one of the main pieces of equipment that I’ll be implementing into my current exercise program. And not to worry because all of the equipment that I use and the exercises that I do, whether for Pre-hab or for my daily workout, are exercises and routines that you can do too.
So don’t just think that you have to be injured to do these exercises in my videos coming in the next posts. Because believe you me, they can be very challenging. And if you work on weaving these into your routine, or even if you’re just starting a fitness program, these exercises will be more than enough to get you going.
Remember, all of the equipment that I use and the exercises that I do will get you into the best shape of your life. So follow me on my blog so we can get into and stay in the best shape of our lives.
I can’t wait to learn more exercises with the TRX and pass them along to all of you. In fact, I plan to become a TRXher! Get it?!! Ha! Ha!
I hope you’re all enjoying the spring weather. Here in the Bay Area  we’ve had some pretty picture-perfect days. And the days are still getting longer.
Hey! You know what that means, don’t you? More daylight hours… for… ex-er-cising! So no excuses; at least for the next 6 months, anyway.
Go enjoy the great outdoors and make fitness fun. Grab your kids-or someone else’s-and Go Go Go. Visit your National parks, (hurry, while you still time, since many are set to close in September). Play on the swing-sets. Bike the trails, and run in them thar hills!!
Hey! Speaking of running…that’s something I won’t be able to do for a while, and I wanted to give you an update on your trainer’s life.
My Hippy News
In my Part I of Key to Pain Free I mentioned seeing a second surgeon after I was ‘misdiagnosed’ by the first. Â The first surgeon, let’s call him Dr. Compassion (not!), advised Motrin daily; told me to come back in six months if I was still in pain; and, without even looking at an X ray or MRI, told me I was too young for any type of surgery and to come back when I was closer to age 60, and sent me packing.
Huh? Â I see. Â At my HMO it’s obviously all about patient care!
Let me give you a brief synopsis of our email conversations:
Dr. Compassion: (no x-ray to look at, but moves my leg around, taking all of 1 minute) “Yup, just as I thought, you have arthritis.”
Debby: “Gee doc, everyone my age and even younger has a little bit of arthritis. I’m in a lot of pain. It came on suddenly. I had a weight training injury in June of 2010, I train a lot. I really think we should think about stress fracture of hip and/or possible labral tear, seeing that I have been quite an avid runner all my life, as well as a myriad of other sports.”
Dr. C.: “Nope. Even I have it.(he’s sitting back down at his computer now) It’s arthritis. Do you get pain in here?” Â He says, Â talking to his computer screen and pointing to his lower back. I’m assuming the statement is directed towards me, but with no eye contact it’s kind of hard to tell. He keeps scrolling back and forth, up and down looking for something, obviously not my X-ray. I just keep wondering… ‘what’s so much more important than his live patient in front of him?’
Debby: “Huh? No, I don’t. It’ in my hip, the top of my butt. I can’t squat right”, as I get up off the table and hobble two steps over to the door, the only free space in the room.
“Look, watch me squat; look at my right leg, how it doesn’t rotate out like the left. It’s stuck. This makes it hard to work. And look at my hips. I’m like a tea kettle when poured, off kilter. Something isn’t right. I can feel it, look Dr. _…”, I’m pleading. He turns his head around for a split second as I’m squatting, then quickly turns back to the computer screen. What on earth is on that screen? What is so much more interesting to evaluate than his live deformed patient, standing sqautting right in front of him?
Dr. C.: “Yah, arthritis, like I said. That happens.”
Wha..?
Debby: “Listen, I know my body and something is going on here more than a little arthritis. I need this fixed. I need to be able to do my job, teach my boot camp style class that I just licensed, and build out my new fitness website with  my workout videos for online training. I need to be able to move without pain, be nimble…you know, be in good form for presenting great content to my viewers, who depend on me for their workouts. This is my job.”
Dr. C.: “Well, my advice to you is to change your lifestyle. You can stand on the sidelines like the football coaches who yell at the players, and do just like they do. And I’m not going to give you surgery so you can do some You Tube videos and teach a ‘boot camp’. My suggestion is to start thinking about your lifestyle and change it. Do yoga, swim, walk. Now, Â go home, take Motrin. Â Then, Â stretch it when you don’t feel pain, and keep stretching farther and farther, Â and maybe some of that flexibility will come back.”
Huh? Did he just tell me what I think he did? Stretching is his answer? Stand around and yell? Don’t they have a reality show for that?
Debby: “Listen Dr. C.  I’ve been in the fitness industry my entire life. I’m young, strong and extremely athletic. I have many more years. I’m not here to talk about career changes. I’m here to rule out the possibility of a stress fracture or labral tear that could be casuing this malfunctioning hip. [OK?] I need resolution.  And even if I were to take  Motrin-which I will not-how long am I supposed to take it for? What’s your plan? Do you even have a plan?”
Do HMO’s have a plan for patients anyway, or is all the bottom line for the HMO? This is NOT a trick question.
Dr. C.: “I would say come back in six months. And if it’s still the same or worse then we can do an MRI, maybe. But I want to see the X-ray first. And if it’s arthritis, like I’m sure it is, then we wouldn’t fix a labral tear anyway.”
Debby: “Well, I don’t want to take Motrin indefinitely if you have no game plan, and you won’t give me an MRI. That’s ridiculous. I need to know NOW what this is. And if the X-ray doesn’t show a stress fracture then I want an MRI; I am entitled to one.”
Dr. C.: “Get the X-ray. I’m sure I am right. Oh, and don’t bother making another appointment. You can just email me and we can discuss your options online. Â Save your co-pay . Now, I have to get going I’m late.”
And he slid out the door trying to make a getaway.
Late? I waited for over an hour, he spends 15 minutes with me, max, and he’s late? This is my hip.This is my life. ‘I’m in pain here Doc’, I was screaming inside.(I had just started with M.A.T. again)
I shoved all my stuff into my backpack, slung it over my shoulder, half open, and I rushed after him down the hall.
Debby: “Wait, what do you mean I can just email you? What about patient/doctor relationships? Why are you so concerned with my co-pay?” And he was through.
In the big picture, when you want a resolution, that co-pay is insignificant. And emailing your provider at my HMO only allows 1000 characters per email. Now, assuming you’ve been reading my blogs that’s hardly a conversation for this blogger.
I want one-to-one interaction; I’m entitled to one-to-one interaction with my provider; And, hey! I pay my HMO membership!
Well, I didn’t wait for him to email me, nor did I set up that one to one with him. I high tailed it online to my former shoulder surgeon, and in under 1000 characters she was able to find me a wonderful, compassionate, caring female orthopedic surgeon who happened to be a competitive runner, skier, swimmer herself, and was privy to my pleas for help. Let’s call her Dr. Yours Truly Compassionate.
But I wasn’t going to see Dr. Yours Truly until I made sure I had my MRI. And getting that was like finding water on Mars.
The Expansion Of Black Holes
Sometimes, trying to get through the HMO system is like falling into a black hole. And once you get stuck in their vortex you have to be pretty strong to pull yourself out to get something done, and in a timely manner.
Well, since I was stuck in the HMO vortex, for now, I had to resort to their emailing system. Â And since I could only write 1000 characters at a time, I was usually cut off mid sentence, even half word. So it took me quite a few emails to finally get through to that first doc and get my MRI.
Here’s how that conversation went:
Debby: “O.K. Dr.C., so you say I have moderate arthritis. But I am entitled to an MRI, and I’m entitled to a second opinion. And I’d like to have the MRI first. I need to see exactly what is going on inside my body so I can move forward, make a plan, and visualize the healing and get on with the process.”
Doc: “Like I said, take the Motrin and if that doesn’t work then we can go in a different direction. There is nothing you can do about the arthritis. Change your lifestyle. You may have to give up some things”
Debby: ” I’m telling you, something is wrong with the structure of my body. I can tell. And I can’t move forward if I don’t know what’s wrong. Â I can’t start my group exercise camps. At least if I have an MRI we can rule out what it’s not. I use my body to make my income. People are depending on me to provide workouts on my website. I depend on my body like you do on your hands for surgery. Please, I want my MRI.”
Am I actually begging my HMO?!
Doc: ” I am 100% sure that it is only arthritis as we see it in the X-ray. And it’s moderate arthritis at that. You are not a candidate for surgery with moderate arthritis. There is no reason for an MRI. Â ”
Debby: “Listen, nobody is 100% sure unless they are God!. Just please order the MRI. Look at it this way, if there is nothing in the MRI then you can pat yourself on the back, and you were right. But if something else shows up then we will all be happy, and we can move forward and fix the problem. But I can’t wait 6 months to find out. And you should not make me wait six months. Well, if you don’t order the MRI now, then I might have to hold my HMO accountable for anything that happens to my body from the day that I saw you.”
You’ve Got Mail
Almost as slow as Snail Mail
Well, the next day I had, in my HMO Patient Inbox, a referral to the NMRI department. (The N stands for Nuclear, by the way). I finally got my MRI. Then I had a second opinion from the compassionate female orthopedist. Just for the record I’ll rate her a 10 on the scale of 1-5!.  Well, that was the visit where the  Dr. yours Truly  read the MRI.
And folks, it doesn’t look good. I’d include the actual MRI but it’s a bit too graphic for this G-rated blog. But here’s what the X-ray looked like:
What do YOU see?
Cool, Huh?
Now, if you’re like me you have no idea what you’re looking at.
What’s not so cool is that I don’t have many options, and not a lot of time to decide, given my age and progression of the osteoarthritis. and the pain and lack freedom it causes me.
Options:
Do nothing and become a cripple
Learn how to hop on one leg. Great for training but not very convenient in the real world day to day existence.
Get the top of my femur chopped off and replaced with ceramic total hip replacement, THR, which is great for the avid golfer but not the active multi sport fitness gu-ress and trainer like moi.
Go with the new innovative technology of hip resurfacing,HR, which saves most of your bone, the head of your femur and allows for full activities after a year of rehab (Weight training, running, skiing, martial arts, surfing, splits, and all other sports).I can basically do everything except skydiving. Â Note to self: Set up sky dive session before surgery.
What would you do? This is NOT another trick question.:)
It’s kind of a no brainer, wouldn’t ya think?
Although the HR is a more complicated, it saves most of the bone so there is more to work with in case of a revision down the road (ie. chop off the head of my femur, lots of thigh bone, and replace it with total hip). However, if the HR is done with precision, and by the right surgeon, who has logged 1000’s of procedures, and uses the correct prosthesis best suited for women, especially on small framed women such as your princess of fitness here, the chance for the best possible outcome is optimal.
Just My Luck
Well, not only did my HMO ‘mis diagnose’ me as having just some arthritis, they didn’t even notice in the MRI that I had congenital hip displasia-or they forgot to tell me-which of course changes the playing field when considering what device to place in my hip, not to mention the experience of the surgeon placing it.
So before even consulting with a possible surgeon-who is NO. 3 below-I logged about 60 hours online researching procedures, prostheses, and the top surgeons around the world who had performed thousands of hip resurfacing, with a high percentage of them on female patients like me.
And when I finally talked to a Surgeon No. 3 , I came prepared with a file busting at the seems with documentation on the pros and cons of the two most commonly used devices: the BHR and the Conserve Plus. The research for the Conserve Plus shows that it is better suited for small women with hip displasia cases; it comes in many size increments; and there is less potential for rubbing and leaking ions.
The research shows that the BHR is suited for larger men; or women who are 5ft 8 inches and heavy boned. I am 5ft, 6 inches, if that.
And I am small boned. The BHR is large and bulky and does not have as many of the smaller sized options suited for women my size.
There is also documentation showing a higher number of cases of ions being created when the particular metals that are used in the manufacturing of the BHR ball and socket are rubbed together. These ions would leak into my bloodstream. They can never be cleared.
My life’s work is about keeping the body toxin free and creating a life free of disease for others as well as myself; not creating a potential breeding ground for cancer, or…whatever else. The goal is to create environments that are not potential breeding grounds for issues like cancer and other health concerns. As part of this commitment, mycotoxin testing kits play a crucial role in ensuring the safety of living spaces. These kits are invaluable tools for assessing the presence of mycotoxins, which are harmful substances produced by certain molds. By identifying and addressing these potential hazards, we contribute to the creation of healthier living spaces and a preventive approach to overall well-being
Compared to the Conserve Plus device, the BHR has also been documented to show more groin pain after full recovery from surgery, limiting activities. The point of the hip resurfacing is to restore my lifestyle back to a fully active one… pain free!.
These potential problems, Â as well as ions streaming through my body, is not my idea of fixing the problem.
And based on a report written by Dr. Koen De Smet, who is one of the top-five leading hip resurfacing surgeons in the world, (and speaking with him through extensive emails, where, by the way, I was allowed as many characters as I could possibly write), I am NOT a candidate for the BHR.
Guess what folks?
My HMO only uses the BHR.
Synopsis:
I saw three doctors. The first told me to go home. The second told me I had to have surgery, but did not perform that particular type. The third looked at my X ray, told me I hip resurfacing was difficult on women, that he had not done manywomen out of his 300 surgeries, and after looking at my MRI forgot to mention I had a congenital hip displasia. On top of that, even though I had shown him the report comparing the two devices and the how the Conserve Plus had a better track record for women he could only use the BHR.
It’s quite obvious that it’s not in the best interest of my only right hip, and my future as a fitness professional, to use my HMO’s one option, or even their surgeons.
What would you do?
Make Lemons out of Lemonade
Well, that’s what Dr. Koen De Smet, the surgeon who wrote the comparison report, and the doctor who I have picked to do my surgery, can apparently do. Make the lemons whole again. Kind of like putting Humpty back together again!
Who doesn’t like Lemonade?!
As for me, I’ll stick to making lemonade out of lemons and take this as an opportunity to find a silver lining.
I have spent thirty plus years of honing my body and mind and, well… I was born with my spirit! So now, I must take on another great challenge in this life of mine. (If you know me personally you know the others).
But I think of it like this: I will take it on like any other challenging leg day sat the gym; attack it with a plan and put in max effort.
And while I am still fairly mobile and can control the pain I’ll prepare for the battle and have the best positive experience that I can doing it.
Yup! You heard me right. Stay positive. Look towards the future. Make lemonade. Â And here’s how…
The Plan
Anyone going into battle has to have a plan. And this woman warrior is no different. So from May until September’s surgery I will work on getting into the best PREHAB shape of my life, given the limitations with my hip and the pain, of course.
Since I’m a girl who likes to lift heavy objects with my legs, and since that is no longer an option I am learning new methods of training for my lower body.
(And NOTE to all the ladies out there: lifting weights does help keep body fat off your body).
I am also finding alternatives to running too. Plus, this will be a good time to explore other new ways to keep my body and mind strong and centered.
Eating healthy whole foods and maintaining my 23 years of an unprocessed and sugar free diet to fuel my body is a no brainer!
The Team
Back to the lemonade!
I decided to compile a team of experts who could help me get into the best shape of my life pre surgery, as well as post rehab conditioning.
And here’s where the new experiences come into play!
It’s obvious that I am limited in my mobility now, and I will not be able to go to the gym right after surgery. But it’s paramount that I be able to stay in shape and do progressive athletic prehab and rehab. Â So setting up a system that I can use at home, or even in my backyard, or anywhere for that matter, is really important.
So to date, with the help from sponsorships by TRX,
TRX Suspension Training Pro Pack
Kangoo Jumps
and Kangoojumps, as well as pre and post rehab conditioning programs from Josh Henkin of Ultimate Sandbag Systems, and Ed Le Cara of Sports Plus, I’ll be ready for battle.
What You Get!
Remember, this is a team effort and you are part of it. If I don’t win, you don’t win. So, I will be chronicling my experience through this blog and You Tube channel Your Fit Day , pre and post surgery.  All of the workouts I do with the Ninja equipment will be workouts that YOU, too, can do. Right now. At home. Anywhere. No excuses!!
So I want all of you to workout along with me. I plan to incorporate all of the prehab and post rehab exercises into exciting kick-butt workouts, show you knew techniques, and post periodic updates and videos…all to help you get in and stay in the best shape of your life.
And as I bring you along on my journey I hope to be an inspiration to all of you out there who may have limiting beliefs around getting into the best shape of your life. You can do it. Trust me. Â But you may have to dig down a little deeper this time.
Remember, I’ll be working out as hard as I can to stay in shape. I’m not going to let hip surgery steer me off course. Not for a minute. I’ll just be working smart, and around the pain of my hip.
But I will never give up what I have achieved and I don’t want you to give up on reaching your fitness goals either. We can do this together.
What It’s All About
Although I’m a super fit chick, remember this:Â I still have to work hard at it every day. It doesn’t come easy. I live and breathe health and fitness every day. Every minute!
But know this too: Â being in the best shape of my life every day will make it easier both physically and mentally to get through this challenge and bounce back.
And that is why it is so important for you to get in and stay in the best shape of your life, every day. Nobody has a crystal ball, and you don’t know what curve balls life will bring.
Be prepared. Be Strong. Both physically and mentally. Be ready to play ball.
And that is what this blog is all about: To inspire YOU to stay on a path that will lead you to a lifestyle of health and fitness where you will never give up on yourself in becoming the best YOU.
You Give Me Inspiration
And while I’m rehabbing, I want you to inspire me.
Tell me about your workouts and your accomplishments and how YOU feel. I’ll be here to cheer you on in your quest for your bad ass bod.
Tell me, what is your greatest challenge right now?
Last spring I decided to take my fitness business to a new level. With over 25 years experience in the fitness industry as a personal trainer; four years as a wellness coach; my experience in writing, producing and hosting my own fitness segments for ABC7 news in San Francisco; and along with my experience in sales as a life insurance agent (while also helping clients get fit for better rates), I knew it was time.
For what?
Well…to put it all together into my own global brand –YourFit Day withDebbyK!
I needed some help with my vision so I sought out the help some coached, one which was John Spencer Ellis.
Who?
John Spencer Ellis
John Spencer Ellis! He is the owner of a fitness business coaching program called Fitness Fortunes. If you’re a fitness trainer – or maybe you’re super-fit but unfulfilled in your current job and that little voice keeps popping into your head saying: “hmmm, should I make that leap and live the life that I’ve been dreaming of, owning my own fitness business?” – you can check them out at www.fitnessfortunes.com
In order to launch all my innovative ideas and systems that will help the world stay healthy and fit I needed some help from those in the industry who had big brains, who were already successful, and who had made all of the mistakes for me! So I hopped on Google, got on some email lists of movers and shakers in the fitness industry, and started doing my research.
What I found was that there are a ton of fitness marketing kings out there claiming to be expert coaches and gurus who, in the end, don’t live up to their word.
Show me the money, right?
Well, not really. I mean yes, I want abundance and security, and trips to Fiji in my lifetime, don’t you? But not at the expense of selling health and fitness products or concepts that, I hate to admit, are mostly crap.
Who you gonna call?
So I needed someone who was great at shameless self promotion, could teach these subtle skills to me, and was on top of how to market the industry’s most current trends. John Spencer Ellis seemed like the ‘go to’ guy. I mean he has three multi-million dollar companies, so he’s obviously doing something right.
But I also had my laundry list of what I wanted in a coach. I wanted someone who had a down to earth presence; who, through the inflection in their voice, I could tell cared about you and your success;Â someone who was honest; someone who understood your challenges; and frankly someone who had a long history in the fitness industry and was an innovator. (JSE has been in the industry as long as I have, which is a very long time!).
What I liked about John is that after reading his story we had many similar qualities and life experiences. I could relate to him.
There are a lot of newbies in the industry who look great with their ripped abs, sign you up, super-sell their systems, and then leave you hanging, without any options to opt out.
So after my Google-ing and gabbing with others who had used fitness business coaches – some who paid close to $10,000 dollars without the support they expected – I settled on JSE .
1$ Buck signs you up!
Just click on anything remotely related to boot camps or fitness coaching and John Spencer Ellis pops up on the first page of Google. He does a great job of using the internet to promote his empire. I know, because as a certified trainer with the American College of Sports Medicine I was always getting his promotional links in my in-box.
So one day back in the spring of 2010 I decided to click on the link. John was offering a series of free videos that he promised would change my life and bring me to the next level of creating ‘my empire’. I think I must have trashed about six months of these offers before I decided to give him a try. I mean for $1 Buck I could get all this useful ‘free’ information on how to brand and grow my fitness business.
The first month was basically free with no obligation. So I gave up my buck and watched the videos. I had enough good information from that $1 Buck investment to quit the program then. But I didn’t.
You might ask, ‘Gee, if you got so much info from the $1 buck why continue?’
Now that’s a great question.
And here’s my main answer:
In that first month I really received so much useful information and support from John. Even though John new that I had only payed one dollar, and there was a 50% chance that I would take my info and run, he treated me like any other paying monthly Fitness Fortunes member.
In that first month John was able to tap into one of my main challenges. And with a few provoking questions John got down to my core, made me focus, and made me face my fears. All in that first month..for a dollar…that 1$ buck.
Do you find yourself bombarded with so much information out there that you don’t even know where to start?
John has put together a one stop shop of resources for the fitness professional that helps you chart your own path down river without all the debris mucking up your engine.
Aside from the group coaching calls each month, and with webinars and tele-classes added each week, there’s a clear, self paced, step-by-step guide made available to all members. This makes it much easier to chart my path to success.
I want to see how far I can go in building my own fitness empire with the right support; with less flats and the wheels always rolling.
Grab Your Mindset…Ready, Set, Go!
Just like getting into shape and staying fit, at some point if you want to expand and challenge yourself you need to step out of your comfort zone and train your brain. John Spencer Ellis is that coach; that cheerleader; that mentor; and that friend who everyone needs at some point in their lives. In my case it was to learn and acquire the skills needed to grow my business, as well as my mind, and bring abundance into my life as well as yours.
So follow me on my journey to creating my own ‘Fitness Fortune’.
Everything I learn from John and the programs that JSE offers will benefit YOU, my local and global ‘YourFit Day‘ friends.
For now I will stay the course with Coach John Spencer Ellis and continually update you on my progress for the launch of my new Your Fit Day website.
Tell Me,… What Will Be Your Fitness Fortune?
Have you ever worked with a life, business or fitness or wellness coach? Maybe it was to start a fitness program, lose weight, train for an event, or start your own business.
Or maybe you’re a life or wellness coach or a personal trainer, and have some experiences you’d like to share?
I’d love to hear from you. Please leave your comments below.
I have to admit, this warrior woman had been suffering pain for the past 3 months or so. It started back in June 2010 when I pulled my inner thigh muscles (called adductors in fitness speak) most likely doing dead lifts. After rolling it out using the foam roller, and taking it easy on the lifting for a couple weeks, I was soon back to running, as well as training hard for a figure competition I had penciled into my schedule for the June of 2011.
The show must go on you know!
But by the time August 2010 rolled around I was starting to feel tightness in my glutes (called the butt in plain speak) and I noticed that running stairs (a great plyometric and fat burning workout by the way) were becoming a little painful with the high – knee lifts. So, in September I decided to lay off the stair-running for a few weeks.
Trail running, however, didn’t seem to bother me. Thank the universe, since I live for those East Bay trails!
Then, when even long strides started to be uncomfortable, and my butt muscles and Tensor Fasciae Latae ( no, this is not a cup of coffee) were burning when I walked, and Mr. Sandman wasn’t coming at night, I decided that it was time for a visit to my Muscle Activation Technique guru, Paul Ciske to relieve the pain.
Who Is Paul ?
Paul Ciske
I had known Paul back in the 90’s where he worked as a fitness trainer at the now defunct Courthouse Athletic Club, in Oakland CA. Even back then he was very innovative in the fitness movement, designing and teaching fitness classes and certifications.
What makes Paul different from most other practitioners and fitness trainers is that he knows body mechanics down to a ‘T’. Something I find that most fitness trainers and other ‘healers’ in our industry don’t have a good grasp of.
Paul applies his in-depth knowledge of joint and exercise mechanics – which, in a nutshell, is how the system of joints and muscles responds to both internal and external forces- as viewed through the lenses of Resistance Training Specialist (RST) and Muscle Activation Technique (MAT).
How I Discovered ‘Magic’ MAT
My first visit to Paul for some MAT work was in 2007. It was through a suggestion of a mutual friend of ours, the great Ultra Running Man Mike Palmer, who I literally ran into one day on Strawberry Canyon trail in Berkeley, CA. We trotted along for a while, catching up.
Strawberry Canyon Trail
I told Mike of a weird foot ache I was having. He told me about Paul and this MAT ‘magic’ that got him back to running after a major knee injury.
Now, Mike is an anomaly of his own. I don’t know how old Mike is, and I don’t want to ‘insert running shoe in mouth’, but if I had to guess I’d say that Mike is in his late fifties. And what’s not so normal about Mike is that a normal week of running for Mike is around 100 miles. Did I already mention Mike is an ultra marathon runner?!
Now, I love running as much as Mike. I live for the trails. And for a long time I have been fantasizing about completing an ultra (Note: it is still just a fantasy!).
But to be felled by pain and unable to run can be a hard knock to a runner. However, with MAT, Paul had literally saved Mikes career as an Ultra Runner. Check out his incredible testimonial here. (Scroll down to bottom).
I knew MAT existed as a certification for trainers, and I knew Paul was highly respected in the industry among other trainers and wellness practitioners, so I finally decided to give Paul, and MAT, a try.
What Does MAT Do?
“MAT gets to the root of pain or injury by addressing muscle weakness rather than muscle tightness. This helps to restore normal body alignment, thereby, decreasing pain and reducing the risk of injury.”
I Do Believe… In Magic
Wow! All I can say is that first visit back in 2007 for MAT work with Paul blew my mind.
Deb falling asleep while Paul works his magic_Elton Lobas Photo
One of the best parts about visiting Paul is that you get to lie on this really comfortable, cushioned, heated massage table. In fact, one whiff of the sheets made me nuzzle right into them. (Make note to ask him what he uses on them!) I felt like asking for a down comforter to pull up over my shoulders, and going to bed instead of the session.
But I digress…
Doing His Craft
On that visit Paul identified weaknesses in specific muscles by positioning my legs and feet in all the different planes of the body. In each position he would apply a force, have me resist, and see if that muscle could hold that position.
Test for Glute_Elton Lobas Photo
Applying a force in each position allows Paul to identify a muscle, or group of muscles, that may not be firing (working to stabilize, in plain speak). Once he finds a weakness he stimulates those muscles fibers to fire again by applying pressure with his fingertips along the muscle fibers. (That part felt kind of like massage!)
Then came the retests; he would apply force in same positions; have me walk around; then retest once again. It was like this crazy giant loop of testing!
YUP! Paul is very thorough. And he has even created a system which basically double checks his work, making sure the correct muscles are doing their designated job.
And what was amazing is that Paul also found weaknesses in other parts of my body that had everything to do with the ache in my foot. He corrected for those, and I was back on the trail, even faster than before, lighter on my feet, with more pep in my step.
After about an hour and a quarter I left Paul’s office with a few isometrics to do on my own.
Sidebar: I was so impressed with MAT that I signed up for the Jump Start program for fitness trainers and completed the Lower Body portion (which by the way, was instructed by Paul).
Oh! Did I forget to mention that Paul is a Master Trainer for MAT?
Back To The Future
So now it’s September 2010 and I’m having a hard time walking without some pain and tightness in my front thigh, hip flexors and my butt. My thoughts are that it’s got to be from the pulled groin muscles. My intuition tells me that it’s time for a visit to Paul. So I hopped to it- almost quite literally on my good leg! – and after 1 1/2 hours of working his ‘magic’ I walked out of his office, again pain free, and feeling much better.
Pain free… that was in September. In fact I was feeling so great that I was able to lift heavier and really get into my training for a figure competition. So after about 6 weeks I backed off from doing my MAT isometrics…
And then they dwindled…
To a stop.
I was feeling great, so why continue the exercises?
Wasn’t I healed?
Well, sometimes maintenance is the key.
MAT helps keep the muscles around your joints stable. So, without continuing with the isometrics, by November the discomfort was getting to the point where I could not sleep. I was getting weaker in the gym, and I was feeling more discomfort within a day or two after my Sunday trail runs.
Physical Therapy: Beyond My Better Judgment ?
Apparently so in this instance. After three visits to PT at Kaiser in October, November, and December, I was actually worse. He couldn’t figure it out. But he did think the MAT exercises, which I had brought with me from September’s session with Paul, were helping. Yes they were!
So. since PT didn’t help I decided a visit to an Orthopedic surgeon was in order, to rule out anything more serious. However, with Kaiser I had to continue to suffer a few more weeks before I could get in to see the first doc in January.
Ouch!
But by late December the pain was getting so I couldn’t walk or sleep. My range of motion in my right hip had decreased considerably and I was having a hard time with squatting down evenly, so I decided to see Paul again to see if he could work his ninja magic. Check out Debby in wide squat. NOTE: Videos are sideways, sorry!!
When I revisited Paul that first time in January-the 18th to be exact- I strategically parked my car very close to Paul’s door so I wouldn’t have to walk very far. But even walking across the street was more akin to a hobble.
He spent almost 2 hours with me. I walked out 80% pain free. Six days later, to work more on my hip mobility and to address any lingering pain, I saw him again.
I made sure to capture what Paul does on video so you can see there is no sleight of hand!
Really, check out these videos NOTE: They are sideways, sorry!
The Takeaway
After Paul is all done (and it’s not about the clock, but more about when you are out of pain) the isometric exercises he gives you for the first time seem a bit strange. You will find yourself lying on the floor, rotating your feet and legs in or out; sometimes raised; pulling or pushing, using straps and bolsters; lightly pushing against a barriers for 6 seconds, resting a few, pushing for 6, and repeating 6 times with each exercise he gives you.
Like I said before, it seems crazy but it works.
The Economies of MAT
One of the great benefits of using MAT is that you only have to go once or twice to get to the root of the problem. And typically you should perform the isometrics to keep your body in check.
Some people back off from continuing the isometrics-like I did- once they are feeling less, or no pain at all. But if you do find yourself feeling tweaks of pain creeping back you can sometimes ‘Jump Start’ your muscles into a pain free state by going back to the isometric exercises.
But you know what?
MAT works. I mean I train hard; and I’ve been known to be called the ‘Super-Human Woman’ at the gym! So I’m bound to get out of whack once in a while. Yet every time I have visited Paul for pain or tightness in my muscles or joints I have walked away just about pain free.
My first orthopedic doctor’s solution was to pump me full of anti inflammatory drugs and stretch, stretch, stretch. Based on the principles of MAT both were the wrong approach.
Why?
Drugs cost money; are a band-aid approach; and don’t get to the root of the pain. Not to mention the countless times back and forth to PT that can drain your pocket book.
MAT…The New Motrin
MAT is great news for anyone who doesn’t like to take pain killers or spend their hard earned money on prescriptions and insurance co-pays month after month, or give in to the pharmaceutical companies and Western medicine.
With Paul’s help and with some new exercises I now have the pain in my hip at bay. I make sure to do them before I go to bed and sometimes before and even during my workouts. With less pain in my hip, I also sleep much better. And if I’ve been remiss in my isometric duties my body will tell me that I need to get down on the floor again!
The Key To Pain Free
I really urge anyone who is feeling tightness or pain to go see Paul Ciske; or seek out a MAT specialist in your area. Generally you’re given less than 10 minutes of exercises to do 2-3 X’s a day.
Not too much to ask of if you want to be pain free.
What About You?
Is pain cramping your lifestyle? (No pun intended)
Tell me your story…
Maybe MAT can help you, too.
Oh Ya, Forgot...
BTW: Did I mention I saw a second orthopedic surgeon?
So I’ve been making my rounds of holiday parties over the past few weeks. I really love this time of year. And you know what? I don’t stress about food or workouts. Instead I focus on being the most fit I’ve ever been in my life. And I do this every year. Actually I do this every day!! Is that humanly possible you ask? Well, it gives me another excuse to don my best apparel of tight sexy tops and jeans. I mean look, I’m a fitness diva who loves fine classic clothes down to their finest threads…which don’t come cheap. And in this economy who wants to have two or maybe even three sets of wardrobe sizes? Not me, and probably not you either.
And I love this time of year because it’s great for my business. In fact this past week I’ve gotten a tonne of the usual emails asking how not to gain weight over the holidays. But my favorite question was from college student Nikky Raney asking me advice on how to get in shape for the holidays.
Well, I’m glad you asked me Nikky, because it just shows me that there are some peeps out there who are paying attention to their waistlines and want to do something about it now, not on New Years Day.
JustThe FactsMa’am
We’ve all heard the dreaded numbers: most people gain between 5-7 lbs of body fat between Thanksgiving and New Years Day. This fact is bad… but it’s not really that bad. A study done by the National Institutes of Health and the Medical University of South Carolina found that people in their study gained an average of about 1 pound from Thanksgiving through New Year’s Day. And less than 10 percent of the subjects gained 5 pounds or more over the holidays. But here’s the bad news: “That extra pound, on average, was still there for {a large number of }the group of participants who came back to be weighed almost a year later”.
And what do you think will happen the following holiday season? Just another 1 lb right? Well in five years that’s 5 lbs of accumulated fat. And that’s not even counting any other weight you might put on during the rest of the year. Sound familiar?
How many different sized pairs of ‘skinny jeans’ do you actually own?
What’sTheProblem?
Excuses. That’s what I hear around the holiday season.
Family is in town
Family leaving town
I’m going away
holiday parties
No time, I have to Xmas shop
No time, I have to make my dreidel out of clay
Everyone gains weight during this time of year
It’s a lost cause this time of year
I’ll just instead wait for after the New Year to start Debby’s IMPACT group training.
The Grinch stole my work out. Whaaaaat?!!
The Grinch Who Stole Workouts
Listen, anyone can make excuses. But why let excuses run your life and rule your waistline when what it is you really want is to enjoy the holidays and feel great.
Well, I came up with a plan for all of you to jump start your New Year’s fitness plan. It’s really no different than how I plan each day of my Fit Day life:
That is, to get in the best shape of my life EVERY DAY. So let’s make it Your Fit Day so you can do the same.
MindOverMatter
We all have our struggles that we go through. Hey, I’m not perfect. I’m human too. Now although I don’t eat sugar or pastries, candy or cream pies, I can relate to what you are going through. You see, starting from the age of 16 through age 21 I had an eating disorder where I barely ate enough to fuel my athletic achievements. And from age 21 to about age 27 I had a sugar addiction. I’m sure some of you can relate.
My pleasure was sugar gumballs.
My Gumball Addiction
I would be -line for the bubble gum bins and load up on bag fulls, making excuses to myself why I couldn’t do without. And once that sugar touched my tongue, and I’d eaten so much that I was in sugar-high heaven, I’d throw in the towel and just devour the entire bag. I mean, I had already done the damage so there was nothing I could do at that point, right? Sound familiar? Wait, there’s more.
Then I would set a date to stop this behavior. I’d say, ‘Tomorrow I won’t buy any more. Tomorrow I’ll start my new program’. But another excuse would find me, I’d rationalize it, and I’d push the change date to the ‘Really, I’m gonna change this behavior’ date… whenever that was. But this didn’t do me any good. It just made me ‘fat-fit’ in the belly, sluggish, tired and depressed.
Finally, (thank the Universe for providing me clarity), I just got tired of being sick and tired. I wanted to be strong and I didn’t want to stress about what I put in my mouth. I didn’t want to count all my calories – or lack there of- when I ate; I didn’t want to be tired and depressed. Without energy I knew my body was not strong and that it lacked the muscle to stoke my metabolism.
FromBonesToBrawn
So when I was 21 I just woke up one morning and set out for one of the greatest challenges of my life: to become strong and fit. No, let me rephrase that: to be the strongest and fittest I could be, every day of my life. I just said to myself, ‘Today I am a bodybuilder and I am going to be up on stage, and I’m going to have the body of Gladys Portugues, and everything that goes into my mouth will build my body and mind and spirit. And I will not stop until I get there. And when I get there I will keep going…’
Well, if you’ve seen a picture of Gladys,
Gladys Portugues
and then you saw me (I’m still looking for the picture), that was a huge challenge that I was committing to. But I believed that I could do it. There was no limit. I was always athletic and ‘fit’ and determined. So I set my goals and changed my ways.
I believed in a new reality.
What I did, right then, was change my own perception of who I was. In my minds eye I had the body that I dreamed of, and I was lifting really heavy objects, and I was taking control. Every day was a new challenge in the gym, kitchen, socially, and especially in regards to self discovery; and I made this all a priority in my life. I let go of my limiting belief that I was bound to this addiction of surrendering to sugar.
And whatever it is that you are surrendering to during the holiday season you too can rise to the challenge and change your belief system.
Do Not Surrender!
IChallengeYou
So, I’m going to challenge you to get in the best shape of your life every single day from now until January first. That’s right. EVERY DAY! Change your belief system and become that fit, energetic, youthful, stress-less person. And then just keep going.
ThePlan
Disclaimer: Please consult with your doctor before starting a workout plan. With that being said:
Commit To Be Fit: Start a journal. On the cover write ‘Your Fit Day‘. Under that write: ‘Everyday is the first day of the rest of my fitness life’. This is your new mantra. Now, say the Your Fit Day Mantra every morning upon waking, and again upon going to sleep.
Work OutEverydayeven on Xmas day and New Years day for 10-30 minutes, with some high intensity training. For Beginners: Start by warming up with 5 minutes of walking, then every other minute walk briskly for a minute or for as long as you can and then go back to walking. Start with 10 minutes and increase by 1-2 minutes each day. Intermediate and Advanced: Pep up your step and do interval training using your entire body. Do a circuit of exercises like skipping rope, burpees, one legged jumps, bicycles, pull-ups, sumo jump squats, V-ups, plank variations, side to side lunges. This is just an example of a circuit. You can make these time challenges, or intervals of 50 seconds max effort, and 10 seconds rest. Be creative. Have fun. Play. Be sure to check out The Ultimate Sandbag Systems workouts that you can do in your home. I just bought the combo package and I’ll soon be posting some of my own workouts on my blog using the Sandbag, so keep checking back. P90 and P90x are also good home fitness solutions.
Eat Wholesome and Lean Foods and good fats up until Xmas eve.
Go to be social. Change your limiting beliefs around ‘parties’. Nobody says you have to eat sweets and fatty carbohydrates at holiday parties in order to be social. Save it for the big family meal on Xmas and New Years. Enjoy a light protein snack or a handful of nuts before you go to the holiday parties. When you’re there forage the room for the veggie platter and opt for lemon with water instead of fruit punches and alcohol.
Pick Your Pies Prudently: Limit yourself to tasting 2 deserts and only have a couple bites of each. Chances are you’re not hungry anyway and after savoring the first couple of bites you’ll have satisfied your sweet tooth.
Say the YFDMantra
Repeat
You have the next TEN days to make it Your Fit Day, every day, for the rest of your life.
I’ve been getting a bunch of emails lately asking what to do over the Holidays to stay on track with diet and exercise and how NOT to gain weight. You’re probably wondering what can possibly be done from now until Jan 1st to help fight the battle of the bulge that is about to take place.
A LOT…. But Start NOW! And then keep going….
Here are my tips and resources that will help you stay on track over Thanksgiving weekend, and the holidays, and may actually help you burn the fat while eating your apple pie:
DO THE ZIG ZAG
What? Some kind of new workout move? Not really. It’s more like a shuffle…of your calories.
Back when I was bodybuilding, and counting calories, it was common to cycle the amount of carbs and calories we would eat during the week, eating a few days of calories below our baseline metabolic rate, and then a ‘cheat’ day way above, and then back to our baseline. As the contest got closer and we needed to make weight class the baseline would be lowered, but always fluctuating the daily calories with highs and lows on different days of the week, to balance out the total calories for that week.
Some days would be base metabolic rate, while others would dip 300-500 below or 300-500 above that rate over the course of 5-7 days. The overall weekly caloric intake would average out to what our goal base metabolic rate was determined to be in order to lose body fat while maintaining lean muscle -Â and get those ripped abs.
Holiday Abs_Elton Lobos Photography
The great thing was there was always one big’cheat’ day where we could eat anything we wanted. For me it was like Thanksgiving day, but of Pancakes…a lot of pancakes!
Although our diets were precisely manipulated during competitions, the same principal can be used around the holiday season. I mean, what’s the first thing on most of our minds for the next 6 weeks? OK, besides the holiday gifts! You guessed it……..Not gaining weight during the Holidays, right?
HAVE YOUR CAKE AND EAT IT TOO
Zig Zag , or Calorie Cycling, is similar.
In a nutshell: Since our bodies are meant to survive famine and hold on to fat when it thinks it is is starving – like when we diet – it will also lower it’s metabolism. And if your metabolism slows down then your body will not burn fat for fuel, but rather store it instead. (Note: Future blog…make sure to check back soon).
Hey! Isn’t that the exact opposite of what we want?
Yes, my friend it is. But here’s the concept…
FEAST WITHOUT THE FAMINE
With Zig Zag, or what’s called calorie cycling, the theory is that your body never has a chance to store the extra calories as fat if you cycle your calories. Some days are higher and some are lower, but all adding up to meet your target caloric intake for that week. You are tricking your body into thinking it’s not dieting, so there is less chance of holding on to fat. This is not the case if you lower your calories for too long a period and maintain them at that low number while also continuing a weight/fat loss program . (Hmmm! Make Note: Another follow up blog, so check back soon).
There is very little research done on this and it is all very much anecdotal in evidence but I can swear from my own experience and that of many of my client’s, including Paul Piotrowski, (who was on it for a short period and did see some results), that cycling calories, if done correctly, will trick your metabolism into a fat burning machine. And psychologically, I think it’s easier to stick to a diet when there is a ‘cheat’ day.
According to my friend Mike O’Donnell,, over at The IF Life, you can.  It’s called Intermittent Fasting. He even wrote a book on it. Basically you’re eating less around the days you are partaking in pumpkin and cream pies.
Eat this and lose fat?
Here’s what Mike, over at IF says:
So if you know a party is coming up, eat a little less the day before(focus more on low calorie foods like leaner proteins, fruits and vegetables) and the day after so you do not have a calorie surplus over the long run! Eat less meals to get there, such as 2 meals. This is the simple strategy that you can also apply to your year-round lifestyle. Using intermittent days to eat lessand and still enjoy foods you like while losing weight.
And, of course, the trick for the long term with any meal plan is to stay on track with Real Whole Foods.
YOU REALLY ARE WHAT YOU EAT
Counting calories is not for everyone. You have to be quite dedicated on a plan like this. But even if you don’t stick to a program such as this one it’s a great place to start. Now is a good time to get to know the true amount of what’s going down your gullet daily.
Do you really think you eat at your baseline metabolic rate to maintain your current weight?
Have you ever wondered why you are not losing weight? Or are you losing weight but your body has turned all squishy?
Have you noticed you now are 2 pants sizes larger?
Is this YOU?
Did you know that research has shown that most people eat 25% more than what they think is their baseline. So that can add up week after week, year after year, especially over the holidays if you don’t balance it out.
So fear not my friends. With some careful planning and some useful online tools you can still eat your treats for the holiday while warding off the unwanted weight and trick out your metabolism to make your body look and feel sweet.
HERE’S HOW IT WORKS
Let’s use me as an example. I weigh 124 lbs and I’m 5’6″. Using this online calculator we come up with these numbers in the chart below. Keep in mind that I am choosing to maintain my current weight. As you can see from the table below on Wednesday I would be able to eat 2506 calories; over 500 calories more from my target base of 2088. YUM! YUM!
Ex Fat Loss
Fat Loss
Maintain
Monday
1253
1671
2088
Tuesday
1003
1337
1671
Wednesday
1504
2005
2506
Thursday
1253
1671
2088
Friday
1128
1504
1880
Saturday
1379
1838
2297
Sunday
1253
1671
2088
*Calorie cycling provides same amount of calories per week, but ‘tricks’ your body by constantly changing daily calories. This helps to prevent or break plateaus. Guideline only.This is also taking my activity level into consideration. Get get the point? I can sample some sweets while I still attack fat!
And You Can Too!
You may have to do a little bit of homework over the holidays and work out the math.
But go ahead and gulp some eggnog guilt free.
It might be a challenge for some of you. But I recommend you read up on IF and give calorie cycling a try over the next 6 weeks. You may even lose weight and burn fat while your at it.
So, I’ve been remiss in my writing. I know. But so much has been going on since my last post. So let me explain and bring you up to date.
This is a lesson in Serendipity and Law of Attraction. It’s about two people who had never met each other, had never even heard of each other, but who became connected, each with a click of their mouse. And because they both listened to their gut, and believed, one is losing his gut and changing his life, and the other, Me, is becoming gutless in the pursuit of one of her dreams.
Curious? Continue reading….
WHO IS DEBBY K?
Some of you know me as your fitness trainer and wellness coach. Others know me as your life and health insurance agent/wellness coach who is always there to help you get in shape to lower your rates. Some of you are my friends and family. And I’m assuming there are a few of you out there who are getting my emails and blogs but are not quite sure why, or even remembering who I am. To tell you the truth you guys just happened to be in my address book and for some reason or another have not opted out. That’s good for you, if you stick with me long enough to find out why.
LET’S GET FIT
I recently decided to take my fitness business global. With Facebook, Twitter, and all of the other forms of social networking at our fingertips, I am able to connect with people from all over the world who are in need of my ninja knowledge and energy…to help them ‘get fit and stay fit for life’ â„¢.
I have attained what many of you out there in the world need: a vibrant and healthy lifestyle, along with a strong sound body that works like the machine it was built to be – and usually pretty well on most days, for my age, which we won’t get into right now – and the knowledge to help you achieve this.
I’LL BUST MY BUTT… SO YOU CAN BUST YOURS
OK. Here’s something you should know about me: I think big…Yup, globally. In fact, I want to conquer the world; one soon-to-be-healthy body at a time, but with economies of scale. And I can only do that through the technological wonder which that guy Al Gore claims to have created: The World Wide Web.
This brings me to my next point:
To do all of this I need a great website. One where I can present to my readers and subscribers:
Quick and effective workout videos (you will see me actually working out and breaking a sweat)
Tutorials: It’s not about just watching me in cute outfits breaking a sweat and busting my butt. You get step by step instructions so there are NO excuses
Diet and nutrition tips
Recipes for healthy whole foods meals: some are pack up and go, while others are sit down and slow!
Tricks of the trade food choices that have kept me youthful, strong and lean, while also making me feel like one of the Incredibles.
Up to date information and research on the best ways to lose fat and get in shape.
Nope, my motivation for you will come in the form of:
Helping you create your vision of the ‘perfect’ YOU
goal setting
overcoming obstacles
Ongoing support
I will do this authentically, and always with a smile 🙂
OUT OF THE GATES
In this savvy world of social media having a great website and getting known in cyberspace is like running the Kentucky Derby.
www.kaplangallery.com
You want the best horse, the right starting gate, and a great coach to get you to the finish line, usually first. (For you horse aficionados disregard the fact that these horses are actually going the wrong way around the track).
But there’s so much information out there.
In fact I have been feeling like how many of you feel when starting a fitness program, or losing body fat:
What is the best way to start
What information should I put in my ‘cart’
What should I ‘trash’.
Honestly, I thought, ‘how am I ever going to pull this off’. I know myself too well to think that I was going to go on WordPress and just build a website myself. No way. And although I had sought out SEO specialists, I still did not have that warm and fuzzy feeling that these guys were the right choice at this time.
So, like most of you who want to start a fitness program or lose the extra 30 lbs of fat you’ve accumulated since college, I sat on the thought of just having a nice website. And so I sat on it…and sat on it and sat… Well, actually for me it was more like pondering while I was running, biking or swimming… Until….well, I actually started visualizing the working website that I wanted.
And guess what happened?
KAJABI!
KAJABI?
Let me explain…
You see, I visualized my website being built and while helping millions of people around the world reach their daily fitness challenges. And then a couple nights ago before falling asleep I asked the cyber – computing angel to send me a sign from that big cloud computer in the sky.
And….then…
There was….
Kajabi!
What the hey? What’s this?… What’s a Kajabi?
And what does this Kajabi have to do with fitness?
AND SO KAJABI IS…?
Kajabi is the platform that I kept hearing in about in recurring emails. Some schmartzy marketing scheme, and how it would change my life as a fitness professional. In fact Kajabi claims that it will change the life of any internet business that is launching a product or program. So I got online and Googled Kajabi and my life did in fact change.
Not because I decided to buy the Kajabi website platform…yet.
But, through what has come to be known as the Law of Attraction I met Paul Piotrowski.
Paul Piotrowski
He needed my help as much as I needed his. You see Paul is an expert pro – blogging coach with neat ninja knowledge who happened on that first page of my Google search (take note all of you who need Search Engine Optimization help), where we all want to be if we want anyone to notice us on line.
BLAST YOUR FAT
So I Facebooked Paul and asked him for his help. I just had that warm fuzzy feeling after checking out his website. Paul ‘friended’ me and after learning that I was an expert in fitness and wellness he told me of his recent 8 Week Body Makeover Weight-Loss Challenge that he had just embarked upon with his Doctor friend, Nima. We had some delightful phone conversations and Paul hired me as his trainer/coach to make sure he stuck to his plan. I was to be his secret weapon in order to win the contest.
One thing that I am good at is providing my clients with all sorts of references to help them on their journey. And there is a super duper one that, although I don’t claim to be an expert in it’s research, I highly recommend it to my clients. It  promotes your body to actually KILL FAT CELLS. Well, imagine that.
And with Paul’s Ninja Blogging Breakthroughs I will be looking forward to a new sexy  and lean website that will inspire all of you to achieve whatever it is that makes it Your Fit Day™.
LET THE COMPETITION BEGIN
So, stay tuned for some gritty competition as I take you through Paul’s transformation. Along the way you will learn of some of what Paul refers to as my Ninja Know-How, which will transform him into a lean green fighting machine.
Brad Pitt in Fight Club
OK, well maybe more like this guy, below.
Paul Piotrowski
I will be dedicating an entire page just for Paul’s progress, including some of Deb’s Secret Food Fixes, Wicked Workouts, and Motivational Maneuversâ„¢, and updates on how he is doing on The Carb Nite Solution: The Physicist’s Guide to Power Dieting
And throughout the challenge we will reveal more of the Wanna-Have Secret Weapons that will help Paul win this challenge of losing his unwanted fat and change his lifestyle.
And if you start from Day 1 of Paul’s Makeover you’ll get to see some of our tasty meals and recipes, which are all based on an organic whole foods diet.
Be sure to subscribe to my blog feed to get the latest updates on the new website launch, and to follow Paul’s journey from fat to fit.
You’ll be sure to get all the motivational tips and strategies that are helping Paul transform and make-over his body.
I was a lucky kid. Nope, I didn’t belong to a country club, or have extravagant birthday parties, or fly around the country for vacations, or inherit lots of money like some of my friends. Where I lucked out was that I had a dad who had a passion for staying fit. Where I might not have been so lucky is that he pretty much plunged me – along with the rest of my siblings, at a very young age – into the frigid North Atlantic waters of Rockport, Massachusetts…before I could barely walk!
Oops! A bit too far North
OK, well I might not remember that part exactly. But I do remember quite a bit of time spent in our upstairs bathroom, sitting on the edge of the big standing basin, learning how to blow bubbles and breathe bilaterally out of the side of my mouth, at about age 3. Then he threw me into the ocean!
This is more like it, Rockport, MA, our summer swim center
I never looked back.
Swimming became my passion.
Passion Begets Passion!
I was lucky that my dad had found his passion for fitness and was able to instill his passion in us kids. My dad had found the elixir of health and longevity. Before coming down to breakfast he did his habitual 45 minutes of exercise every morning in his room. He’d pull up the shades, open up the window to let the breeze come through (or in response to the complaints from my mom of the room smelling like a Grecian Roman spa), and set out his towel and weights, and go about his business of doing his version of Pilates: butt kicks, push-ups and pliets, along with various forms of leg lifts that would give even Joseph Pilates and Arnold abs of steel. He really worked up a good sweat.
I was not yet in grade school when I first started watching. Most of the time he never new I was there, crouched low at the door, getting my keyhole perspective on what would become my future career. And if it was my lucky day he’d let me in and hoist me up to the pull-up bar so I could show him my stuff, always eying those dumbbells on the floor.  Sometimes, but not often, he’d let me lift the 5lb weights. So when he wasn’t home I’d sneak back upstairs and pull out those dumbbells and go to town. (Those were the old-school, black painted, real-iron-dumbbells. You know the ones that actually looked like dumbbells).
I got plenty of Iron growing up
My father was a real Jack Lelane-type guy. Although he didn’t know it then, I had found my passion, just like him, in fitness.
Unlike most kids today, I was lucky. I had a Dad who was fit, I had parents who cared about our health, and I inherited the ‘Passion for Fitness’ gene.
Why I do it
I was exposed to all sorts of sports at a young age. I competed in age group and high school swimming, took up running at age 14, and tried many other sport as well: Horseback riding, tennis, sailing, gymnastics, riding my bike. But even at the University of Michigan, while competing in cycling, triathlons, and nationally in Taekwondo, I still continued to participate with the Intra Mural water polo club and swim team. I loved the feeling I got every time I entered and exited the water. With all of the sports and activities that I have done throughout the years there is none that I feel as passionate about as swimming. Why? Because it makes me feel great down to my core.
Exercise is my habit. But Swimming is my passion.
Finding your Passion
What if you could find a physical activity to do that made you feel invigorated, warm and fuzzy inside?  Or, after completing your morning or evening workout, something that recharged your batteries and made you feel centered?
Now, what if that activity became a habit you couldn’t live without?
What would you be doing?
When you have found ‘that’, you have found your passion for fitness.
Loving it
It’s about finding something that you are passionate about that will make you move, give you energy and make you feel great. That’s what it’s all about isn’t it?
Feeling great?
It may take you some time to figure it out. But the journey begins with trying out new sports, classes, and groups. I guarantee you this:  there is something out there you will fall in love with. And when that happens, you will create your passion for fitness. And maybe, just maybe, you’ll be able to pass along your ‘passion for fitness’ genes too!
Please watch this video.
Every word from each of these swimmers truly explains my passion for this one sport and why I cannot live without it. I think this sums it up for my Dad too!
I still find it inspiring and I hope you do too. And I hope it will inspire you to find your passion and live a healthy lifestyle and of course, feel great!
It’s why I do it!
So I put you to the challenge to find your passion.
And when you do, let me know…leave your comments.
HI
Many of you have emailed me with questions about fructose and agave nectar. Based on the questions, I’m not sure you were able to access Dr. Robert H. Lustig’s video, or maybe your fingers were too tired to cut and paste it into your browser!! So I’m going to make it easy for you…
Hi Fitness fans,
If your reading my blog you most likely are here to get the most up to date information of health and fitness, which of course includes nutrition. Now, although I don’t claim to be a doctor or nutritionist, I do have a background in exercise physiology and a certificate in sports nutrition so I feel comfortable talking about healthy alternatives to what most of you are choosing to put in your mouths on a daily basis.
As some of you know I send out a bi monthly fitness newsletter.(Send me an email to subscribe) My last issue, June 15, had a recipe for grilled salmon that used Agave nectar as a sweetener for the glaze, along with the alternative, honey. I hemmed and hawed whether or not to include the recipe. However as it was coming down to the wire to hit ‘send’ I didn’t have the time to research an alternative for the syrup while also including the nutritional values, so I left the recipe as it was. As it turns out I made a huge mistake. I received an email from a subscriber, who happens to be my cousin, who just happens to live in that beautiful healthy paradise, Sedona AZ, reminding me why fructose is poison to our bodies. Cousin Dan sent me a video on the research done by Dr.Robert H. Lustig, Professor at UCSF, Division of Endocrinology. I felt it was my duty to get this information out to you ASAP. I have based much of this blog on his video so make sure you watch it.
So why should most of us we steer clear of fructose?
Fructose can only be metabolized by the liver and the liver is used to process poisons, which then wreak havoc on our bodies causing disease. Don’t get me wrong. A highly trained athlete like a marathon runner is able to use the fructose and replete their glycogen stores faster than with glucose alone, eg. Powerbar drinks and bars. But if you are using it other that consuming it for athletic training then you are most likely doing damage to your body. Without getting too technical when you take in fructose you generate certain enzymes that are bad for your body. And when you take a compound into your body and in the process it generates various problems, you are basically left with poison.
One of my objectives as a fitness trainer and wellness professional is to help fight obesity. Everyone always asks me what they should eat and how much. My answer is: if it falls too far from the tree then don’t eat it. Have you ever seen a bottle of juice hanging from your apple tree in the back yard? How about a carton of fortified orange juice? Have you ever seen an ITZ clinging onto a package of real cheese? I don’t know about you but in my yard their are no glass shards beneath my plum tree, only plums. Nor are their ITZ clinging onto my cheese(Well,I don’t eat cheese, since I don’t consume dairy products, other than whey protein powder as a supplement. Which is another blog all together. But I do gift a nice bleu!). You get the point. So if it’s processed it is most likely not in my house and never on my plate. But one of our problems today is that we as a nation…hmmm, let me rephrase that…a world population, are consuming way too much processed foods, including sweeteners. And if you start reading your labels fructose is in almost everything. And Agave nectar is just that, processed fructose.
Is Agave good for you?
Well, after doing a little research, listening to the above video, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBnniua6-oM, as well as the research done by the sought out raw foods specialist John Kohler, http://www.living-foods.com/articles/agave.html, I’ll let you make that decision. Although I am not a raw foods only gal, whole, raw foods are the building blocks of a healthy vital body, free from disease (notice the word, dis-ease) and including them as the bulk of your diet will allow your body to function at its optimal.
Here is why you want to stay away from Agave nectar as well as honey. This is an excerpt from an article by John Kohler, raw foods specialist( email me if you would like his sitings):
‘1. Agave Syrup is not a “whole†food. It is a fractionated and processed food. Manufacturers take the liquid portion of the agave plant and “boil†it down, thus concentrating the sugar to make it sweet. This is similar to how maple “sap†that comes directly from a tree is heated and concentrated to make maple “syrup.†Agave Syrup is missing many of the nutrients that the original plant had to begin with.2. Agave Syrup was originally used to make tequila. When Agave Syrup ferments, it literally turns into tequila. The enzymatic activity therefore MUST be stopped so that the syrup will not turn into tequila in your cupboard. Raw or not, if there is no enzymatic activity, it is certainly not a “live†food. As Raw Foodists, we want the enzymes intact.
3. According to my research, there are three major producers of agave syrup. Some of these companies also have other divisions that make Tequila. For the most part, agave syrup is produced in the Guadalajara region in Mexico. There are those within the industry who I have spoken to at various trade shows who say that some of the agave syrup is “watered down†with corn syrup in Mexico before it is exported to the USA. Why is this done? Most likely because Agave Syrup is expensive, and corn syrup is cheap.
4. Agave Syrup is advertised as “low glycemic†and marketed towards diabetics. It is true, that agave itself is low glycemic. We have to consider why agave syrup is “low glycemic.†It is due to the unusually high concentration of fructose (90%) compared to the small amount of glucose (10%). Nowhere in nature does this ratio of fructose to glucose occur naturally. One of the next closest foods that contain almost this concentration of glucose to fructose is high fructose corn syrup used in making soda(HFCS 55), which only contains 55% fructose. Even though fructose is low on the glycemic index, there are numerous problems associated with the consumption of fructose in such high concentrations as found in concentrated sweeteners:
A. Fructose appears to interfere with copper metabolism. This causes collagen and elastin being unable to form. Collagen and elastin are connective tissue which essentially hold the body together.1 A deficiency in copper can also lead to bone fragility, anemia, defects of the arteries and bone, infertility, high cholesterol levels, heart attacks and ironically enough an inability to control blood sugar levels.2
B. Research suggests that fructose actually promotes disease more readily than glucose. This is because glucose is metabolized by every cell in the body, and fructose must be metabolized by the liver. 3 Tests on animals show that the livers of animals fed large amounts of fructose develop fatty deposits and cirrohosis of the liver. This is similar to the livers of alcoholics.
C. “Pure†isolated fructose contains no enzymes, vitamins or minerals and may rob the body of these nutrients in order to assimilate itself for physiological use.4
D. Fructose may contribute to diabetic conditions. It reduces the sensitivity of insulin receptors. Insulin receptors are the way glucose enters a cell to be metabolized. As a result, the body needs to make more insulin to handle the same amount of glucose.5
E. Consumption of fructose has been shown to cause a significant increase in uric acid. An increase in uric acid can be an indicator of heart diease.6
F. Fructose consumption has been shown to increase blood lactic acid, especially for people with conditions such as diabetes. Extreme elevations may cause metabolic acidosis.7
G. Consumption of fructose leads to mineral losses, especially excretions of iron, magnesium, calcium and zinc compared to subjects fed sucrose.8
H. Fructose may cause accelerated aging through oxidative damage. Scientists found that rats given fructose had more cross-linking changes in the collagen of their skin than other groups fed glucose. These changes are thought to be markers for aging.9
I. Fructose can make you fat! It is metabolized by the liver and converts to fat more easily than any other sugar. Fructose also raises serum triglycerides (blood fats) significantly.10
5. Agave Syrup and other concentrated sweeteners are addictive, so you end up trading a cooked addiction (eating candy bars or cookies) for a “raw†addiction which is not much better. Eating concentrated sweeteners makes it harder to enjoy the sweet foods we should be eating – whole fresh fruit since they don’t seem as sweet by comparison.
6. Long-time raw foodist and Medical Doctor, Dr. Gabriel Cousens, M.D. says that agave nectar raises blood sugar just like any other sugar. Dr. Cousens wrote a book, “There Is a Cure for Diabetes”.
Whole fruits generally contain a much smaller amount of fructose compared to sucrose and glucose. In addition, fruits contain vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients, fiber, and other nutrients. Our bodies are designed to digest a complete “package†of nutrition that appears in whole, fresh, ripe fruits. Could nature be wrong? For example, it’s always better to eat fruits whole or blend them rather than juice them. When you juice fruits you remove the fiber which helps to slow down the absorption of the sugars. Concentrated sweeteners also contain no fiber and have much greater concentrations of simple sugars than are found in fresh fruit or even juices.
Now that you have a better understanding about Agave Syrup, hopefully the companies selling “raw†agave won’t dupe you. They are out to make a buck, which in this case is unfortunately at the expense of your health. If you are making a “raw†recipe and it does require a concentrated sweetener, I have some recommendations for some better options to use instead of agave: (Listed in order of preference.)
1. Use ripe fresh fruits. Ripe fruits contain nutrients, fiber and water, a complete package, as nature intended. I find that ripe and organic fruits are usually sweetest.
2. Use fresh whole stevia leaves. Stevia is an herb that actually tastes sweet but contains no sugar. This herb can be very hard to find fresh, so I personally grow my own. If fresh leaves are not available, get the whole dried leaves or the whole leaf powder. Avoid the white stevia powder and the stevia liquid drops as they have been highly processed.
3. Use dried fruits. If you need a “syrup†consistency, just soak the dried fruits in some water and blend them up with the same soak water. Dates, figs, and prunes are some of the sweetest dried fruits that tend to work well in recipes. Try wet Barhi dates blended with a little water for an amazing maple syrup substitute. Please note: Since there are no raw labeling standards, some dried fruit may be dried at higher than 118 degrees, and thus, not really raw. If you want to ensure you are eating really raw dried fruit, it is best do dehydrate it yourself.
4. Raw Honey is a concentrated sweetener, and although not recommended, in my opinion it is better than agave syrup because it is a whole food and occurs naturally in nature. Of course, honey is not vegan and that may be a concern for some. I recommend purchasing local honey from a beekeeper.
Other “concentrated sweeteners†that are often seen in raw food recipes include:
1) Maple Syrup which is not raw and heat processed. If it is not organic, it may also contain formaldehyde and other toxic chemicals.
2) Sucanat or evaporated cane juice is pure dried sugar cane juice. Unfortunetly this is processed at a temperature above 118 degrees and therefore can’t be considered raw.
3) Yacon Syrup is a syrup from the root of the yacon plant in South America. It is once again, a concentrated sweetener processed at a temperature of up to 140 degrees farenheight.
The moral of this article: Eat whole fresh fruits and vegetables, they are always best. Always question processed and concentrated foods that are not found in nature, even if “rawâ€.’
And instead of reaching for the processed sweeteners try using instead organic fruits and vegetables to make delicious syrups and glazes for your meals and treats!
If you’d like more on this topic or recipes without processed sweeteners please send me an email.
