The good old days of bodybuilding… when every boy and man marveled at the physiques of Arnold Schwarzenegger, Franco Columbu, Frank Zane, Lee Haney, Samir Bannout and other greats of the 70’s and 80’s. These men were legends and were revered by some almost as gods. The old school bodybuilders were ambassadors of physical culture and beacons of inspiration. They motivated generations of fans to start lifting weights and strive to become their best selves.

Throughout my career in fitness, I’ve witnessed countless people fail to get the results they wanted. They stayed the same size, same shape, and same fitness level no matter what they tried. Or, they made great progress for a few weeks, maybe a few months if they were lucky, and then they lost it all. This cycle can repeat itself for years. The ups and downs lead to overwhelming frustration, which ends with falling off the wagon and swearing you’ll start all over again someday.

One of the curses of being human is that we are hard-wired for delusion.  The good news is that not only is it perfectly normal, but our misbeliefs are the very thing that have, in large part, kept us around for many generations.  In any given moment, millions of thoughts pervade our brains, effecting the day-to-day moment-by-moment decisions we make.  We are under the false impression, however that we are beings of pure logic: Whether it’s a decision to play candy crush rather than hit the gym or flip through another top 20 Buzzfeed article rather than chopping up some veggies to take to work, we falter in many ways that effect our productivity, which in turn prevents us from our goals. 

Admit it. You’re waiting for it—for a pill that fills your being with a river of flowing motivation and the glorious desire to excel. Don’t feel bad. We all are seeking more motivation, some, if not most of the time. And in the absence of motivation, perhaps another cup of coffee or 5-Hour Energy will sustain the illusion long enough to dutifully complete another workout…

Most of us worry about our weight, personal appearance, and much more. But these are not the only reasons for concern. Excess body fat has profound metabolic consequences, putting us at risk for heart disease, diabetes, stroke, cancer, and possibly depression. Nonetheless, the prevalence of obesity, a Body Mass Index of 30 or more, continues to rise in this country. Today, 33% of American adults are obese, compared with 15% in the late 1970s (1). Not to mention, kids are on the horizon for obesity, along with many health problems at such young ages.

“Terror from within”… “What if our entire approach has been dead wrong”… “If a foreign nation were doing that to our children we would defend our families”… These are just some of the incendiary quotes from “Fed UP”, the documentary film directed by Stephanie Soechtig.

Strength training can benefit absolutely anyone, but it can be even more important, and perhaps even beneficial, the older we get. Before we proceed, I must tell you I’m not 40. Heck, I’m not even 30 (but I will be next year). However, I do have an amazing mom who’s a beautiful 53 years of age and strength trains regularly, and, she too is a personal trainer. In fact, she specializes in senior wellness; her oldest client is 90 years old and she strength trains three days per week, and has done so for over two decades….

Calories have become a perfect target for diet book authors and gurus alike to play on the emotions of those who struggle with weight.  In the typical diet book and health blog world, calorie (and any mention of counting them) is met with an illogical amount of hostility.  It has become one of the greatest sources of confusion in the world of fat loss and has undoubtedly led to much frustration for those looking to shed pounds.  Rest assured you are not alone if you are befuddled by the whole thing…

If I told everyone who walked into my offices that if they exercised 30 minutes a day they’d double their weight losses, I have no doubt that no one would so much as blink, and many a gym shoe would be sold. Yet when I tell people that in order to double their losses they’ll need to spend no more than 3 minutes a day keeping a food diary, I might as well be putting needles in their eyes given the pain and anguish I regularly see flash across their faces.

“Do you believe in Paleo?”  (or, insert Atkins, Pritikin, the Zone, South Beach, etc.) It’s a somewhat loaded question to those of us who work in the fitness business. Do I believe it exists? Like Santa Claus or the Tooth Fairy? But that’s not the real question I’m being asked. The question is really,  “Do I believe that someone should eat this way?” And while my answer is a definitive “maybe”, I think the “Paleo, Atkins, South Beach” question misses the point; because it doesn’t answer what the REAL issues are that prevent ANY eating plan from working…