next level performance » Ladders http://nxtlevelnow.com cutting edge high intensity strength & conditioning Thu, 09 Feb 2012 06:04:43 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 ROD 120511 http://nxtlevelnow.com/2011/12/rod-120511/ http://nxtlevelnow.com/2011/12/rod-120511/#comments Mon, 05 Dec 2011 05:29:51 +0000 Coach D http://nxtlevelnow.com/?p=7973 ROD

Monday, 05Dec11

 

Monday Masher

This will be a timed set of 40 sec work & 20 sec rest for 4 rounds

  • Reclines
  • DB Thrusters
  • Dbl squat jump burpees
  • Box jumps
  • Agility ladder drill

Men use the heavy DB’s for the Thrusters and for the  ladder drills all participants will use lite dumbbells in hand (3-5#’s)

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The Alzheimer’s Generation: What We’ve Learned in 30 Years 

 Rita Altman, R.N. Vice President, Memory Care and Programming for Sunrise Senior Living

In the early 1980s, most people with Alzheimer’s disease would have simply been labeled as “senile.” Spouses and adult children would take on the responsibility of providing care until it was time for a nursing home, where they received care in an institutional setting.

Since then, there have been remarkable strides forward in the diagnosis, understanding and care for those with Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of memory loss. Reflecting on the progress we’ve made in the last 30 years helps us to prioritize new advances in the decades ahead.

Diagnosis, Treatment and Education

Every 69 seconds, someone develops Alzheimer’s disease and one out of every eight seniors over the age of 65 has the disease. Yet 30 years ago, no one knew its name. If you search the New York Times archives from 1850 through 1977 for “Alzheimer’s disease,” only one story refers to the disease, although it was first diagnosed back in 1907.

The Alzheimer’s Association, whose resources are invaluable to so many today, was not even founded until 1980, and it was not until 1982 that Ronald Reagan declared an official “Alzheimer’s Awareness” week. Many people regarded the symptoms of confusion and memory loss as just a reality of getting older. The result was that little attention was given to treatment, diagnosis, and more importantly, care and caregivers.

While a definitive cure for Alzheimer’s is still elusive, there are five FDA-approved drug treatments that help relieve the symptoms of the disease. These have all been developed in the past few decades and there are numerous new therapies in the research pipeline.

Care Settings

Prior to the 1970s, resources and services for people with memory loss were virtually non-existent, and care was given either at home or in nursing homes. Fortunately, a major shift occurred in the 1980s when the institutionalized medical model of care provided in nursing homes transitioned to the resident-centered social model provided in assisted living communities.

It was during this period in time that assisted living pioneers Paul and Terry Klaassen, founders of Sunrise Senior Living, designed the type of care and services that would always put the resident first, whether or not they have memory loss. This approach not only champions quality of life, but also honors the residents’ wishes and promotes identity, independence and dignity.

As the assisted living industry grew, dedicated wings or free-standing buildings were built specially for residents with memory impairment. These homelike neighborhoods provided a secure, non-restricting environment and promoted a sense of community. Architects then began to focus on the design elements which give residents with memory loss a sense of orientation through built-in environmental cues that helped them find their way and reduce feelings of insecurity. Design innovations included automatic sensor lights and contrasting colors in bathrooms, tableware designed to be bright and contrasting — all of which further promote dignity and independence.

By the early 2000s, a few assisted living companies identified a need for specialized programs and services specifically designed for residents with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) or early stages of Alzheimer’s disease. These programs were designed to assist seniors with early signs of memory loss to engage in activities that promote cognitive stimulation, social engagement, mutual support and stress reduction with a goal of delaying memory loss. Not until recently did studies suggest that lifelong learning, mental and physical exercise, continuing social engagement, stress reduction and proper nutrition may be important factors in promoting cognitive vitality.

Care Provision

Thirty years ago, there was little consensus about how best to help those who were disoriented and seemed to live in a different time and place because of Alzheimer’s or other forms of memory loss. That changed in 1982, when internationally renowned social worker Naomi Feil published her seminal work, “Validation: The Feil Method, “which introduced caregivers to an empathetic way of communicating with disoriented seniors. Today, thousands of professional caregivers are trained to use validation techniques, through which they are able to tune into the inner reality of the person with dementia. This method helps build trust and restore the person’s dignity.

Activities in memory care have also transitioned away from the large group, one-size-fits-all approach to more intimate small groups that focus on shared interests and promoting a sense of purpose and belonging. Most care also now centers around social engagement with well-designed activities to increase quality of life.

The Future

As progressive as the last 30 years has been to improve care for those with Alzheimer’s and other forms of memory loss, the future looks even more promising, especially in the area of technology. The safety-oriented devices such as motion sensor alerting and GPS shoes will continue to proliferate and enable greater independence. Scientists are also testing brain imaging tools and blood tests that may allow for earlier interventions. Computer-based brain fitness products and remote communication with family members are also promising to flourish and help keep those with memory loss connected socially.

Everyone is hopeful that this generation will be the one where a cure is found. While the search continues, there will be even more emphasis on prevention and controlling contributing risk factors. Until then, one of the most important advances we can make is to continue educating, training and supporting everyone who is touched by Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of memory loss.

 

 

]]> http://nxtlevelnow.com/2011/12/rod-120511/feed/ 0 ROD 091511 http://nxtlevelnow.com/2011/09/rod091511/ http://nxtlevelnow.com/2011/09/rod091511/#comments Thu, 15 Sep 2011 00:56:53 +0000 Becerra http://nxtlevelnow.com/?p=7388 ROD

Thursday, 15Sept11

 

Ready for Anything Training!!!!!

This class is a 1 hour ass kicking circuit that will leave you in a puddle of sweat.

Your cardiorespiratory and muscle strength will benefit from our motivational, challenging and fun circuit training set to energetic music.

Let’s see what you’ve got!!!!

Please RSVP by clicking on Class Sign Up ….. each class is limited to 13 participants.

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60 Small Ways to Improve Your Life in the Next 100 Days

by Marelisa |

    Contrary to popular belief, you don’t have to make drastic changes in order to notice an improvement in the quality of your life. At the same time, you don’t need to wait a long time in order to see the measurable results that come from taking positive action. All you have to do is take small steps, and take them consistently, for a period of 100 days.

Below you’ll find 60 small ways to improve all areas of your life in the next 100 days.

Home

1. Create a “100 Days to Conquer Clutter Calendar” by penciling in one group of items you plan to declutter every day, for the next 100 days. Here’s an example:

  • Day 1: Declutter Magazines
  • Day 2: Declutter DVD’s
  • Day 3: Declutter books
  • Day 4: Declutter kitchen appliances

2. Live by the mantra: a place for everything and everything in its place. For the next 100 days follow these four rules to keep your house in order:

  • If you take it out, put it back.
  • If you open it, close it.
  • If you throw it down, pick it up.
  • If you take it off, hang it up.

3. Walk around your home and identify 100 things you’ve been tolerating; fix one each day. Here are some examples:

  • A burnt light bulb that needs to be changed.
  • A button that’s missing on your favorite shirt.
  • The fact that every time you open your top kitchen cabinet all of the plastic food containers fall out.

Happiness

4. Follow the advice proffered by positive psychologists and write down 5 to 10 things that you’re grateful for, every day.

5. Make a list of 20 small things that you enjoy doing, and make sure that you do at least one of these things every day for the next 100 days. Your list can include things such as the following:

  • Eating your lunch outside.
  • Calling your best friend to chat.
  • Taking the time to sit down and read a novel by your favorite author for a few minutes.

6. Keep a log of your mental chatter, both positive and negative, for ten days. Be as specific as possible:

  • How many times do you beat yourself up during the day?
  • Do you have feelings of inadequacy?
  • Are you constantly thinking critical thoughts of others?
  • How many positive thoughts do you have during the day?

Also, make a note of the emotions that accompany these thoughts. Then, for the next 90 days, begin changing your emotions for the better by modifying your mental chatter.

7. For the next 100 days, have a good laugh at least once a day: get one of those calendars that has a different joke for every day of the year, or stop by a web site that features your favorite cartoons.

Learning/Personal Development

8. Choose a book that requires effort and concentration and read a little of it every day, so that you read it from cover to cover in 100 days.

9. Make it a point to learn at least one new thing each day: the name of a flower that grows in your garden, the capital of a far-off country, or the name of a piece of classical music you hear playing in your favorite clothing boutique as you shop. If it’s time for bed and you can’t identify anything you’ve learned that day, take out your dictionary and learn a new word.

10. Stop complaining for the next 100 days. A couple of years back, Will Bowen gave a purple rubber bracelet to each person in his congregation to remind them to stop complaining. “Negative talk produces negative thoughts; negative thoughts produce negative results”, says Bowen. For the next 100 days, whenever you catch yourself complaining about anything, stop yourself.

11. Set your alarm a minute earlier every day for the next 100 days. Then make sure that you get out of bed as soon as your alarm rings, open the windows to let in some sunlight, and do some light stretching. In 100 days you’ll be waking up an hour and forty minutes earlier than you’re waking up now.

12. For the next 100 days, keep Morning Pages, which is a tool suggested by Julia Cameron. Morning Pages are simply three pages of longhand, stream of consciousness writing, done first thing in the morning.

13. For the next 100 days make it a point to feed your mind with the thoughts, words, and images that are most consistent with who you want to be, what you want to have, and what you want to achieve.

Finances

14. Create a spending plan (also known as a budget). Track every cent that you spend for the next 100 days to make sure that you’re sticking to your spending plan.

15. Scour the internet for frugality tips, choose ten of the tips that you find, and apply them for the next 100 days. Here are some possibilities:

  • Go to the grocery store with cash and a calculator instead of using your debit card.
  • Take inventory before going to the grocery store to avoid buying repeat items.
  • Scale back the cable.
  • Ask yourself if you really need a landline telephone.
  • Consolidate errands into one trip to save on gas.

Keep track of how much money you save over the next 100 days by applying these tips.

16. For the next 100 days, pay for everything with paper money and keep any change that you receive. Then, put all of your change in a jar and see how much money you can accumulate in 100 days.

17. Don’t buy anything that you don’t absolutely need for 100 days. Use any money you save by doing this to do one of the following:

  • Pay down your debt, if you have any.
  • Put it toward your six month emergency fund.
  • Start setting aside money to invest.

18. Set an hour aside every day for the next 100 days to devote to creating one source of passive income.

Time Management

19. For the next 100 days, take a notebook with you everywhere in order to keep your mind decluttered. Record everything, so that it’s safely stored in one place—out of your head—where you can decide what to do with it later. Include things such as the following:

  • Ideas for writing assignments.
  • Appointment dates.
  • To Do list items

20. Track how you spend your time for 5 days. Use the information that you gather in order to create a time budget: the percentage of your time that you want to devote to each activity that you engage in on a regular basis. This can include things such as:

  • Transportation
  • Housework
  • Leisure
  • Income-Generating Activities

Make sure that you stick to your time budget for the remaining 95 days.

21. Identify one low-priority activity which you can stop doing for the next 100 days, and devote that time to a high priority task instead.

22. Identify five ways in which you regularly waste time, and limit the time that you’re going to spend on these activities each day, for the next 100 days. Here are three examples:

  • Watch no more than half-an-hour of television a day.
  • Spend no more than half-an-hour each day on social media sites, such as Facebook, Twitter, and Stumbleupon.
  • Spend no more than twenty minutes a day playing video games.

23. For the next 100 days, stop multi-tasking; do one thing at a time without distractions.

24. For the next 100 days, plan your day the night before.

25. For the next 100 days, do the most important thing on your To-Do list first, before you do anything else.

26. For the next 14 weeks, conduct a review of each week. During your weekly review, answer the following:

  • What did you accomplish?
  • What went wrong?
  • What went right?

27. For the next 100 days, spend a few minutes at the end of each day organizing your desk, filing papers, and making sure that your work area is clean and orderly, so that you can walk in to a neat desk the next day.

28. Make a list of all of the commitments and social obligations that you have in the next 100 days. Then, take out a red pen and cross out anything that does not truly bring you joy or help move you along the path to achieving your main life goals.

29. For the next 100 days, every time that you switch to a new activity throughout the day stop and ask yourself, “Is this the best use of my time at this moment?”

Health

30. Losing a pound of fat requires burning 3500 calories. If you reduce your caloric intake by 175 calories a day for the next 100 days, you’ll have lost 5 pounds in the next 100 days.

31. For the next 100 days, eat five servings of vegetables every day.

32. For the next 100 days, eat three servings of fruit of every day.

33. Choose one food that constantly sabotages your efforts to eat healthier—whether it’s the decadent cheesecake from the bakery around the corner, deep-dish pizza, or your favorite potato chips—and go cold turkey for the next 100 days.

34. For the next 100 days, eat from a smaller plate to help control portion size.

35. For the next 100 days, buy 100% natural juices instead of the kind with added sugar and preservatives.

36. For the next 100 days, instead of carbonated drinks, drink water.

37. Create a list of 10 healthy, easy to fix breakfast meals.

38. Create a list of 20 healthy, easy to fix meals which can be eaten for lunch or dinner.

39. Create a list of 10 healthy, easy to fix snacks.

40. Use your lists of healthy breakfast meals, lunches, dinners, and snacks in order to plan out your meals for the week ahead of time. Do this for the next 14 weeks.

41. For the next 100 days, keep a food log. This will help you to identify where you’re deviating from your planned menu, and where you’re consuming extra calories.

42. For the next 100 days, get at least twenty minutes of daily exercise.

43. Wear a pedometer and walk 10,000 steps, every day, for the next 100 days. Every step you take during the day counts toward the 10,000 steps:

  • When you walk to your car.
  • When you walk from your desk to the bathroom.
  • When you walk over to talk to a co-worker, and so on.

44. Set up a weight chart and post it up in your bathroom. Every week for the next 14 weeks, keep track of the following:

  • Your weight.
  • Your percentage of body fat.
  • Your waist circumference.

45. For the next 100 days, set your watch to beep once an hour, or set up a computer reminder, to make sure that you drink water on a regular basis throughout the day.

46. For the next 100 days, make it a daily ritual to mediate, breath, or visualize every day in order to calm your mind.

Your Relationship

47. For the next 100 days, actively look for something positive in your partner every day, and write it down.

48. Create a scrapbook of all the things you and your partner do together during the next 100 days. At the end of the 100 days, give your partner the list you created of positive things you observed about them each day, as well as the scrapbook you created.

49. Identify 3 actions that you’re going to take each day, for the next 100 days, in order to strengthen your relationship. These can include the following:

  • Say “I love you” and “Have a good day” to your significant other every morning.
  • Hug your significant other as soon as you see each other after work.
  • Go for a twenty minute walk together every day after dinner; hold hands.

Social

50. Connect with someone new every day for the next 100 days, whether it’s by greeting a neighbor you’ve never spoken to before, following someone new on Twitter, leaving a comment on a blog you’ve never commented on before, and so on.

51. For the next 100 days, make it a point to associate with people you admire, respect and want to be like.

52. For the next 100 days, when someone does or says something that upsets you, take a minute to think over your response instead of answering right away.

53. For the next 100 days, don’t even think of passing judgment until you’ve heard both sides of the story.

54. For the next 100 days do one kind deed for someone every day, however small, even if it’s just sending a silent blessing their way.

55. For the next 100 days, make it a point to give praise and approval to those who deserve it.

56. For the next 100 days, practice active listening. When someone is talking to you, remain focused on what they’re saying, instead of rehearsing in your head what you’re going to say next. Paraphrase what you think you heard them say to make sure that you haven’t misinterpreted them, and encourage them to elaborate on any points you’re still not clear about.

57. Practice empathy for the next 100 days. If you disagree with someone, try to see the world from their perspective; put yourself in their shoes. Be curious about the other person, about their beliefs and their life experience, and about the thinking process that they followed to reach their conclusions.

58. For the next 100 days, stay in your own life and don’t compare yourself to anyone else.

59. For the next 100 days, place the best possible interpretation on the actions of others.

60. For the next 100 days, keep reminding yourself that everyone is doing the best that they can.

 

]]> http://nxtlevelnow.com/2011/09/rod091511/feed/ 0 ROD 070111 http://nxtlevelnow.com/2011/06/rod-070111/ http://nxtlevelnow.com/2011/06/rod-070111/#comments Fri, 01 Jul 2011 03:36:07 +0000 Coach D http://nxtlevelnow.com/?p=7014  

Chris wrote: If there is sufficient interest I will do a class at 9am Saturday morning. But I need a definitive confirmation of who will be attending.  Please RSVP by going to CLASS SIGN UP (the same process as signig up for boxing).  If you sign up you BETTER show up.

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ROD

Friday, 01Jul11

 

Conditioning Ladder

10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1 reps

  • Kettlebell swings
  • KB Rows (10 r/l, 9 r/l, 8 r/l…)  
  • Walkouts
  • Dbl KB deadlifts
  • Push-ups 

Get through as fast as possible!

 

Do this circuit style from 10 down to 1 rep. Everyone should prepare their own station.
 
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Rest And Recovery From Workouts: Are
You REALLY Getting Optimal Results?

by Joshua Tapp

Rest and recovery from workouts is a VITAL piece of the muscle building and fat burning equation.

Many people ignore proper rest and recovery and wonder why they haven’t achieved any significant results in years of weight training and exercise.

Inside the gym is where you apply the proper stimulus you need to get results. You actually break muscle tissue down when you’re at the gym.

Your body repairs that same muscle tissue and builds it up during the rest periods between your workouts. You need to know what you should be doing to speed up that recovery process.

The better job you do at rest and recovery from workouts… the better results you achieve.

It’s Tough Finding Good Information On Proper
Rest And Recovery From Workouts… Until Now:

In this section of the website, we’re going to tell you everything you should be doing to recover properly from each workout.

You really won’t find information like this on any other website. You might find bits and pieces here and there BUT it’s difficult to put it all together.

We’re sharing all of our secrets to proper rest and recovery from workouts so you build muscle and burn fat faster than ever before.

The recovery techniques you’re going to learn here today are simple and easy to implement… You just have to put the effort forth.

For example, it’s pretty simple to drink more water throughout the day. Just get a good water bottle to carry around with you and drink water all day. Many people have trouble doing this simple task… just do it.

Put forth the effort and you will be rewarded. That’s a guarantee.

How Long Do You Really Need to Rest Between Weight Lifting Workouts… 7 Days? Nope. Here’s the Answer:

Has anyone ever told you that you should only work each muscle group once per week? I’m sure you’ve heard this before.

Well, that is total nonsense, BS, crud, or whatever else you want to call it. Here’s the TRUTH…

I’m going to give you a FACT right now that will save you thousands of wasted hours each and every year…

Your muscles DO NOT NEED a full week to recover from a weight lifting workout. Science has proven that the vast majority of the muscle building process is complete within 48 hours post workout.

So you have people out there wasting 120 hours each week waiting for a muscle to ‘fully recover’ … for what they call proper rest and recovery from workouts.

I’ve got news for you…

A muscle could take weeks to ‘fully recover’ from any given workout. The muscle building process is mostly complete within 48 hours, so WHY WAIT another 120 hours to work the muscle again?

If you do, you are wasting time. Plain and simple.

Why not choose a workout plan that works each muscle group more often so you get more muscle building opportunities.

Stop wasting time with all these other programs and choose a program designed to help you build muscle and burn fat faster than ever before.

Do You Know How To Enhance The Muscle Building Process Before Full Recovery Of A Muscle Group?
This Is AMAZING…

Did you know that working a muscle before it is fully recovered actually enhances the muscle building process?

I mean come on. The people out there that say a muscle needs to fully recover before working it again bases this on what? Do you really believe the human body can’t build muscle if that muscle isn’t fully recovered?

If you do, you’re wrong. The human body is AMAZING. If you work a muscle before it’s fully recovered, the human body will even reward you!

Now that doesn’t mean to trash a muscle group every day with endless drop sets, supersets, rest/pause sets, and more. The body takes time to adapt to that kind of torture. It eventually would, but you’d be hurting your progress beyond comprehension.

If a muscle is trying to recover, why would sending it extra nutrients hurt the recovery process? It won’t IF you do it the right way.

You’ve got to be smart about your weight training, and that’s why Weight Lifting Complete exists.

Here’s What You’ll Learn Within The WLC System
For Optimal Rest and Recovery From Workouts…
Build Muscle and Burn Fat FAST

The WLC System is a COMPLETE muscle building and fat burning system. We don’t just tell you what to do in the gym… We tell you EXACTLY what to do out of the gym too.

Here’s just a few of the rest and recovery techniques within the WLC System:

  • Drink plenty of water to keep you fully hydrated
  • Eat only the best sources of food
  • Perform cardio exercise to improve circulation
  • Adjust intensity of weight lifting accordingly
  • Pre, during, and post workout meal protocols
  • Supplementation to improve recovery
  • Increasing quality of sleep each night
  • How to easily reduce stress
  • Slowly increase level of conditioning
  • Improve digestion of foods
  • Secret stretching protocols
  • Huge increase in muscle building and fat burning nutrients

And that’s not all… the entire WLC System is designed to increase rest and recovery from workouts.

The WLC System enhances the muscle building and fat burning process within your body BECAUSE the system is designed to WORK WITH YOUR BODY.

Some of the Rest and Recovery Tricks
You’ll Find Within the WLC System…

We’re not afraid to give away some of the secrets within the WLC System Manual.

We want you to know that the WLC System is for REAL. You WILL — without any doubt — get the best results of your life.

Fast, hard-hitting, and permanent results… That is what the WLC System delivers for you.

Now, let’s take a look at some of the secrets for ‘OPTIMAL’ rest and recovery from workouts. You’re going to love these secrets:

  1. The EXACT amount of time your body needs to build muscle between workouts.
    Your body does not need a full 7 days to recover from a workout if you learn how to properly work each muscle group.You can enhance the muscle building process by working a muscle group once every 48 hours. BUT, you need the WLC System that teaches you how to find the optimal intensity for YOU.The WLC System is totally different than anything you’ve tried before, and it actually works unlike all the other programs you’ve ever tried.
  2. How to give yourself a full body massage with all the muscle building and fat burning benefits.
    Your body needs deep tissue massage because of the weight lifting workouts and fat burning cardio workouts you should be doing.Your muscles are encased with fascia and sometimes ‘fascia’ gets tight from working out. Your muscles need room to grow and massage loosens fascia and brings nutrients to the massaged area.A foam roller is exactly what you need to give yourself a full body massage for almost no cost at all.
  3. How to relax, release tension, decrease stress, and even improve circulation within your body.
    You MUST learn how to relax, sleep better, and decrease the amount of stress in your life.When you do learn how, your results will vastly improve. The WLC System teaches you how.One of the tricks we use within the WLC System is frequent hot baths or the use of a hot tub, spa, or jacuzzi. You learn how to relax and release tension so you create the BEST environment for building muscle and burning fat.
]]> http://nxtlevelnow.com/2011/06/rod-070111/feed/ 1 ROD 052411 http://nxtlevelnow.com/2011/05/rod-052411/ http://nxtlevelnow.com/2011/05/rod-052411/#comments Tue, 24 May 2011 09:57:09 +0000 Coach D http://nxtlevelnow.com/?p=6722 ROD

Tuesday, 24May11

 

Ladder Time

Climb down the ladder from 10 – 1 reps in the following order for time…

Circuit through this. Use a challenging load, not light.

  • Kettlebell half snatch l/r  (10/10,9/9,8/8 etc….)
  • Kettlebell clean long cycle l/r
  • Kettlebell push press l/r

Post time to comments…

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Unleash The Power Of Heavy Kettlebell Training  by Mike Mahler

Many people believe light to moderate kettlebell training is ideal, 53lb kettlebells for men and 26lb kettlebells for women. This line of thinking is a great way to miss out on the benefits of heavy kettlebell training.

For example, 53lb kettlebells are not challenging to me at all and if I based my training on 53lb kettlebells, I would not have the strength, size, endurance, and explosive power that I currently have. Moreover, my clients would not make the improvements that they have made if they stuck to light bells.

Even if your goals are cardio and muscular endurance, why not work up to heavier kettlebells for reps? Do you really think that knocking off ten double swings with two 88lb kettlebells will not be beneficial? Do you think that ten clean and presses with the 70s will not benefit you as an athlete? Of course both will. An athlete would clearly do better with do twelve clean and presses with two 70s than thirty clean and presses with two 53s.

If you can do thirty reps with a weight, it is too easy to have any dramatic benefit for athletic activities and strength (unless your sport is GS, a kettlebell sport), especially, for combat athletes. The heavier the kettlebells you can handle for muscular endurance, the more benefit you will have for your sport. Using Olympic lifting as a back drop, an athlete who can Power Clean 315lbs five times is going to have much more explosive power than an athlete who can Power Clean 135lbs fifteen times. Moreover, the athlete who can Power Clean 315lbs will be able to do far more than fifteen reps with 135lbs.

Heavy training improves light training, but not the other way around. So why even bother with light training? With the exception of working on form and back-off weeks, I would say do not bother. Personally, 70lb bells are the lightest ones I own and I only use them for GTG (Pavel’s Greasing the Groove in which you practice an exercise daily for neurological facilitation) for presses and sometimes high-rep Front Squats.

Recently someone asked me how many reps I can do for the ten-minute Snatch test with a 53lb kettlebell. I have no idea as I have never done the test. With all due respect to the test and the great people who have participated in the test (lots of impressive numbers by people who have taken the test), I’d rather have an athlete knock off twenty Snatches left and right with an 88lb kettlebell and eventually the 105lb bell. Sounds like too much? I can do 17 Snatches left and right with a 105lb kettlebell and I am far from a gifted athlete.

A few months ago I knocked off 50 reps per arm on One-arm Snatches with a 53lb bell. I am not breaking any records, and there are a few things you should know. I never train with light kettlebells; I rarely work on high reps (over ten reps per set), and the 50 reps left and right was easy for me. The power and endurance that I built with heavy kettlebells carried over very well to light weights for high reps. However, take a man or woman who can do 50 snatches with a 53lb kettlebell who has never trained with a heavier kettlebell and I promise you that he or she will not be able to do more than a few reps with a 105lb kettlebell. More than likely, he or she will not even be able to do one rep. If you are an athlete, light training it is not ideal for the majority of your workouts.

Once you have the technique down, ramp up the intensity. Heavy kettlebell training will do far more for explosive power and when done in high reps will develop muscular endurance that will transfer to your sport.

Now I am not blowing my own horn here or trying to convey what a great athlete I am. Again I am not a great athlete and certainly not a genetic freak. My anabolic hormone levels are good, but certainly not exceptional. Thus, I do not have tremendous recovery abilities either. I did not even start lifting weights until I was 18 and got pinned with 100lbs on the bench press when I first got started. I never played sports in high school or college. Thus, if I can work up to the numbers above, it should be no problem for gifted athletes. I am just an average guy who learned how to train smart, recruit the CNS, and use my own leverage points to handle heavier bells – more about leverage points later.

My point to drive home is that heavy kettlebell training is not just beneficial for size and strength, but for muscular endurance as well. The muscular endurance you build with heavy kettlebells is much more beneficial than light kettlebells for athletes. In addition, heavy kettlebell training engages the CNS more efficiently, teaches you how to master your own leverage points, and if used correctly, probably has a great benefit to optimizing anabolic hormones. Of course this is far more complicated than just training.

Let me make it clear by stating that I do not think heavy weight low-rep training takes the place of muscular endurance. That is not what this article is about. Of course you need to work with high reps and lots of volume or frequency to ramp up endurance, but you should not be afraid of heavy kettlebell training. If muscular endurance is your thing, have a goal of working up to some high reps with some heavy kettlebells on the Double Clean and Press, Double Swing, Double Front Squat (or Double Clean and Front Squat), Double Clean and Jerk (or Clean and Push Press), Double Snatches, One-arm Swings, and One-arm Snatches.

Heavy kettlebells are bells you can only do a few reps with, say 2-4. Start with low reps to get used to the heavier kettlebells. For example, if you can Clean and Press two 53lb bells ten times, do a few sets of two reps when you start working with the 70lb bells. Make each rep perfect. Once that gets easy, start building the reps. When you can do ten Clean and Presses with the 70s, get a pair of 88s and do the same thing.

One important thing to keep in mind is that training form needs to be modified as the bells get heavier. Let’s use the Clean and Press as an example. With light kettlebells, you can keep the body fairly loose and still maintain proper technique. You can easily keep your body upright as leverage is not a necessity. However, once you start doing Clean and Presses with heavy kettlebells, you are playing in a whole new ball game. You have to tighten up and apply more tension to have a solid foundation. You will have to let your back “sit back” and push your hips as far forward as possible for optimal leverage. Your breathing will change. Now you have to hold your breath or apply “power breathing” to keep the tension high to get the bells moving.

An another example is the One-arm Snatch: When I do Snatches with a 105lb bell my form is much different than my form with a 70lb kettlebell. I drive through with much more power and pop the pelvis through and let my back sit back for more explosive power and leverage similar to what Olympic lifters do. As the bell goes overhead, I bend my knees slightly to get under the weight and catch it. When I return the bell to the starting position, I keep it close to my body for maximum control. I also do not swing the bell back as far between my feet as that also throws off the leverage. It is almost a completely different exercise all together than a One-arm Snatch with a lighter bell.

One final example is the One-arm Military Press with a 105lb kettlebell. At my bodyweight of 193, I can One-arm Military Press a 70lb kettlebell easily without having to shift my weight at all for optimal leverage. When I press an 88lb bell, I shift my weight a little bit. However, when I press a 105lb kettlebell, I need every leverage point that I can take advantage of. I kick my hip out under the bell; I take the bell behind my back so I can engage the lat more and acquire more leverage and stability. Then I shift my weight in the opposite direction similar to a side press to keep the bell moving, and once I have the bell moving, I shift my weight under the bell to finish the move.

I saw Steve Cotter, founder of Full Kontact Kettlebells, One-arm Military Press a 105lb kettlebell recently and it almost looked like a Kettlebell Windmill. Steve started the press from under the chin and quickly got the bell behind his back to reach the optimal leverage point. Some of you may feel that this is cheating. To retort I say you either weigh a lot more than Steve and do not need leverage to press a 105lb kettlebell, or you are not even close to pressing a 105lb. Do you really feel that mastering leverage with a heavy kettlebell is not beneficial to athletes? Isn’t that what athletes do all of the time? Judo and wrestling have a lot of techniques in which the ideal leverage is used to take the opponent down efficiently. In football you do not just ram into your opponent haphazardly, you go for a particular spot to do the most damage.

One of the strong benefits of heavy kettlebell training is that you ultimately have to master all of your leverage points to get the job done. Right now, I am working on the Double Clean and Press with two 105lb kettlebells. The only way that it is going to happen is if I apply my ideal leverage points. These are points I have not found yet as I have not needed to apply them with 88lb kettlebells and below. Regardless, I will find these points and I will press the 105lb kettlebells. It is only a matter of time and the learning process in and of itself is a lot of fun. I really enjoy the challenge. When I work up to a Clean and Press with the 105lb kettlebells for reps, you better believe that it will improve my numbers with the 88s and 70s. No doubt about it.

I will leave you with this. Even if you do not want to train with heavy kettlebells, if you want to improve your numbers with the bells you are currently using, get some heavier kettlebells. The 88lb kettlebells always felt heavy to me until I started training with 105lb kettlebells. Now they feel light and the 70s feel so light that when I went to do a Double Clean and Press yesterday, I almost ended up doing a Double Snatch by accident!

]]> http://nxtlevelnow.com/2011/05/rod-052411/feed/ 1 ROD 032611 http://nxtlevelnow.com/2011/03/rod-032611/ http://nxtlevelnow.com/2011/03/rod-032611/#comments Fri, 25 Mar 2011 21:53:55 +0000 Coach D http://nxtlevelnow.com/?p=6144 ROD

Saturday, 26Mar11

 

Saturday Ladder

For time:

  • 15 DB Hang Squat Cleans      1 Pushup
  • 14 DB Hang Squat Cleans      2 Pushups
  • 13 DB Hang Squat Cleans      3 Pushups
  • 12 DB Hang Squat Cleans      4 Pushups

Keep the Hang Squats descending & Pushups ascending until you reach…

  •   1 DB Hang Squat Clean      15 Pushups

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For your Musical enjoyment!!!!

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Blood Sugar Foods and Herbs that Decreases Diabetes

Diabetes is disease which has become very common these days. It is also known as diabetes mellitus. It is caused by accumulation of glucose or sugar in blood. Generally the carbohydrates we eat are converted in to glucose. The glucose is burnt down by a hormone called insulin secreted by our pancreas.

The burnt glucose enters the body cells, supplying the body with energy. When this process does not take place properly, glucose builds up in the blood stream leading to diabetes. Diabetes is of three major types: Type 1 diabetes is caused due to insufficient supply of insulin, Type 2 diabetes is caused due to cells becoming insulin-resistant and Gestational diabetes attacks women during pregnancy.

Foods and Supplements that Decreases Blood Sugar Levels
Cinnamon:

Studies are finding that cinnamon reduces blood sugar levels naturally when taken daily. If you completely love cinnamon you can shower the recommended six grams of cinnamon on your food throughout the day to attain the desired effect. If you are not that big a fan of cinnamon there is another substitute cinnamon capsules. This gives you the suggested cinnamon dose all in one tidy capsule.

Chromium:

To help your body’s cells counter correctly to insulin you can use Chromium. There are researches that are finding that people with diabetes have lower Chromium levels than people who do not suffer from diabetes. But here question arises that how do you add Chromium to your diet? Well it is a trace mineral so the best stake it to take a Chromium Picolinate dietary supplement.

Zinc:

 The mineral Zinc plays a enormous role in your body’s production and storage of insulin. It is now being brought to light that people with diabetes mellitus have a Zinc deficiency. You can go about raising the Zinc in your diet by either taking a supplement or by eating foods that are high in Zinc value. This would include of lamb, oysters, pecans, almonds (badaam), chicken and sardines.

Herbs can control diabetes

Cinnamon has insulin like properties-

 It also reduces blood cholesterol and triglycerides which are also important factors for Type 2 Diabetes. A half teaspoon of cinnamon powder daily in diet can reduce the blood glucose level.

Bitter gourd-

Bitter gourd has some compounds that help in lowering blood sugar levels. Taking its juice early morning in empty stomach can give desired results.

Onion-

Onion has a compound that is capable of blocking the breakdown of insulin and also stimulates the pancreas in insulin production. It gives good results whether eaten in raw or boiled form.

Fenugreek seeds-

Fenugreek seeds widely used as spice in different Indian recipes can lower the blood sugar levels. A teaspoonful of the powdered seeds if taken with a glass of water daily helps in the treatment.
Asian ginseng is usually used by the treat Diabetes. This herb stimulates the pancreas to produce insulin and increase the number of insulin receptors. These help in lowering the blood glucose levels.

Blueberry-

Blueberry leaves has given remarkable results in ridding the body of excess blood glucose. Soaking few leaves in hot water and drinking 3 cups a day can produce good results.

Gingko biloba-

Gingko biloba is a popular herb to treat various diseases. Extract of its leaves may have good results in treating diabetes at the early stage.

]]> http://nxtlevelnow.com/2011/03/rod-032611/feed/ 0 ROD 032211 http://nxtlevelnow.com/2011/03/rod-032211/ http://nxtlevelnow.com/2011/03/rod-032211/#comments Tue, 22 Mar 2011 05:53:52 +0000 Coach D http://nxtlevelnow.com/?p=6092 ROD

Tuesday, 22Mar11

  

 

Bad Ass Tabata Tuesday

We are going for 20 seconds work / 10 seconds rest – non-stop 8 rounds at each station

  • Jumping pull-ups (chest 2 bar)
  • Ball Slams (kneeling)
  • Dumbell thrusters (go heavy)
  • KB swings (go heavy)
  • Push-ups (nlp style)
  • MB V-ups

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These 150 Calories Go Straight to Your Bulging Belly – at the Rate of 1 Pound per Week…

 

I’ve been warning readers of the dangers of soda since I started this site, well over a decade ago. Since then, science has caught up; now definitively showing the profound health risks of this popular beverage.

Amazingly, as of 2005, white bread was dethroned by soft drinks as the number one source of calories in the American diet! I keep repeating that statistic because I find it so incredible. According to recent statistics, Americans consume close to 50 billion liters of soda per year, which equates to about 216 liters, or about 57 gallons per person. That equates to a staggering amount of sugar!

Play-By-Play of what Happens in Your Body when You Drink a Soda

Soda is on my list of the five absolute worst foods and drinks you can consume.  The video above offers a compelling illustration of why I make this claim.

In it, reporter Yunji DeNies drinks a 20-ounce glass of cola, which contains the equivalent of 16 teaspoons of sugar in the form of high fructose corn syrup (HFCS). This is nearly three times the maximum daily sugar intake recommended by the American Heart Association.

HFCS typically contains a mixture of 45 percent glucose and 55 percent fructose (although recent investigations have found that many brand-name sodas actually contain 65 percent fructose!).

Once ingested, your pancreas rapidly begins to create insulin in response to the sugar. The rise in blood sugar is quite rapid. Here’s a play-by-play of what happens in your body upon drinking a can of soda:

  • Within 20 minutes, your blood sugar spikes, and your liver responds to the resulting insulin burst by turning massive amounts of sugar into fat.
  • Within 40 minutes, caffeine absorption is complete; your pupils dilate, your blood pressure rises, and your liver dumps more sugar into your bloodstream. As you could see in the report above, DeNies’ blood glucose level was 79 at the outset of the experiment, and after 40 minutes it had risen to 111!
  • Around 45 minutes, your body increases dopamine production, which stimulates the pleasure centers of your brain – a physically identical response to that of heroin, by the way.
  • After 60 minutes, you’ll start to have a blood sugar crash, and you may be tempted to reach for another sweet snack or beverage.

As I’ve discussed on numerous occasions, chronically elevated insulin levels (which you would definitely have if you regularly drink soda) and the subsequent insulin resistance is a foundational factor of most chronic disease, from diabetes to cancer.

Fructose Turns into Fat Far Faster than Other Sugars, and Fats

Lately, the media has finally begun reporting on the science of fructose, which clearly shows it is far worse than other sugars.

Fructose is processed in your liver, and unlike other sugars, most of it gets shuttled into fat storage. This is why fructose is a primary culprit behind obesity—far more so than other sugars. According to the news report above, drinking two bottles of soda per day can make you gain a pound of fat per week!

Aside from the weight gain, eating too much fructose is linked to increased triglyceride levels. In one study, eating fructose raised triglyceride levels by 32 percent in men! Triglycerides, the chemical form of fat found in foods and in your body, are not something you want in excess amounts.

Intense research over the past 40 years has confirmed that elevated blood levels of triglycerides, known as hypertriglyceridemia, puts you at an increased risk of heart disease.

Meanwhile, one of the most thorough scientific analyses published to date on this topic found that fructose consumption not only leads to insulin resistance but also decreases leptin signaling to your central nervous system. Leptin is responsible for controlling your appetite and fat storage, as well as telling your liver what to do with its stored glucose.

When your body can no longer “hear” leptin’s signals, weight gain, diabetes and a host of related conditions may occur. So, as you can see, fructose contributes to poor health through a number of mechanisms…

What Else is in Soda?

Before you grab that next can, take a look at some of the major components found in most sodas:

High fructose corn syrup: When you eat 120 calories of glucose, less than one calorie is stored as fat. 120 calories of fructose, on the other hand, results in 40 calories being stored as fat. Consuming fructose is essentially consuming fat!The metabolism of fructose by your liver creates a long list of waste products and toxins, including a large amount of uric acid, which drives up blood pressure and causes gout.Fructose also interferes with your brain’s communication with leptin, resulting in overeating. Benzene. While the federal limit for benzene in drinking water is 5 parts per billion (ppb), researchers have found benzene levels as high as 79 ppb in some soft drinks, and of 100 brands tested, most had at least some detectable level of benzene present.
About 150 empty calories, most of which will turn into fat Phosphoric acid, which can interfere with your body’s ability to use calcium, leading to osteoporosis or softening of your teeth and bones.
Between 30 to 55 mg of caffeine, which can cause jitters, insomnia, high blood pressure, irregular heartbeat, elevated blood cholesterol levels, vitamin and mineral depletion, breast lumps, birth defects, and perhaps some forms of cancer. Aspartame: This chemical is used as a sugar substitute in diet soda. There are over 92 different health side effects associated with aspartame consumption including brain tumors, birth defects, diabetes, emotional disorders and epilispsy/seizures.
Artificial food colors, including caramel coloring, which has recently been identified as carcinogenic. The artificial brown coloring is made by reacting corn sugar with ammonia and sulfites under high pressures and at high temperatures.This produces the chemicals 2-methylimidazole and 4-methylimidazole, which have been found to cause lung, liver and thyroid cancer in lab rats and mice. Tap Water: I recommend that everyone avoid drinking tap water because it can carry any number of chemicals including chlorine, trihalomethanes, lead, cadmium, and various organic pollutants. Tap water is the main ingredient in bottled soft drinks.
Sulfites. People who are sulfite sensitive can experience headaches, breathing problems, and rashes. In severe cases, sulfites can actually cause death. Sodium benzoate, a common preservative found in many soft drinks, which can cause DNA damage. This could eventually lead to diseases such as cirrhosis of the liver and Parkinson’s.

Health Effects of Soda Consumption

After looking at the list above, is it any wonder that a number of studies have now linked soda consumption with obesity and related health problems?

One such independent, peer-reviewed study published in the British medical journal The Lancet found that 12-year-olds who drank soft drinks regularly were more likely to be overweight than those who didn’t. In fact, for each additional daily serving of sugar-sweetened soft drink consumed during the nearly two-year study, the risk of obesity jumped by 60 percent!

As mentioned earlier, soda clearly elevates your insulin levels, and elevated insulin levels are the foundation of most chronic disease. Not only does drinking just one soda per day increase your risk of diabetes by 85 percent, it also increases your risk of:

  • Heart disease
  • Cancer
  • Arthritis
  • Osteoporosis
  • Gout
  • Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD)

One of the Simplest Ways to Radically Improve Your Health

By now you probably know what that is…

Quit drinking soda.

Eliminating soft drinks is one of the most crucial factors to address many of the health problems you or your children suffer. Again, this is because normalizing your insulin levels is one of the most powerful physical actions you can take to improve your health and lower your risk of disease and long-term chronic health conditions.

Pure water is a much better choice, or if you must drink a carbonated beverage, try sparkling mineral water with some lime or lemon juice.

If you struggle with an addiction to soda, (remember, sugar is actually more addictive than cocaine) I strongly recommend you consider Turbo Tapping as a simple yet highly effective tool to help you stop this health-sucking habit. Turbo Tapping is a simple and clever use of the Emotional Freedom Technique, designed to resolve many aspects of an issue in a concentrated period of time.

]]> http://nxtlevelnow.com/2011/03/rod-032211/feed/ 0 ROD 030711 http://nxtlevelnow.com/2011/03/rod-030711/ http://nxtlevelnow.com/2011/03/rod-030711/#comments Mon, 07 Mar 2011 06:47:58 +0000 Coach D http://nxtlevelnow.com/?p=5948 ROD

Monday, 07Mar11

 

Ladder Down / Level I class 

10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1 reps on of these 4 movements: 220 strict reps for time
  • DB Thrusters 
  • Squat Thrusts (Burpee w/no pushup) 
  • DB Alternating Lunges  (on each leg)
  • Kettlebell swings

Ladder 1/2 way Down/ Up - Level II class

10,9,8,7,6,7,8,9,10 reps on of these 4 movements: 296 strict reps for time
  • DB Thrusters 
  • Burpees 
  • DB Spilt squats  (rep count on each leg i.e. 1r-1l… )
  • Kettlebell swings

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Athlete ROW 

Warm-up 

  • Medball chops
  • MB Squat & push
  • MB Push-ups (both hands on ball)
  • MB Lunge series (foward-side-rear)
  • Isometric (10 sec) and Mobility (10 reps) hip bridge with opp hand on raised knee 
  • Prone Hip Lifts ( Single leg)   
  • Quadraped fire hydrants/foward circles (10 reps)
  • Lateral Low Step shuffles  w/bands 
  • Tight Rope (knee to heel lunge) 

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For those members that have asked me questions on working with injuries or, “am I able to get my back stronger”. Just check out this video.

“I Was Told I Couldn’t” with Euan Robertson - video [wmv]

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Q&A: Training on an Empty Stomach

Amanda Carlson-Phillips September 16, 2010

Q: Is it OK to train on an empty stomach every morning?

A: If you don’t eat before you train, your performance will suffer at higher intensities and longer durations. When you wake up, your body is in a fasted state. You might have trouble just turning on Sports Center without a cup of coffee, so you can’t expect to perform your best without fueling up and hydrating first.

If eating early upsets your stomach, experiment with different foods rather than skipping breakfast entirely. Try food that’s easy to digest like a bowl of cereal, two slices of toast with one tablespoon of peanut butter, a 16-ounce sports drink, or a glass of juice. Aim for 30-60 grams of carbohydrates for breakfast with 10-20 grams of protein and a little healthy fat to balance off your meal.

The body doesn’t care what form the fuel comes in—a meal, gel, bar or drink. What matters is getting the nutrients necessary to support your training session. Make it a habit and you’ll stay focused and power through your workout, increase strength and power, and burn more calories during your session.

  About the author…
 Amanda Carlson-Phillips

Amanda is the Vice President of Nutrition and Research for Athletes’ Performance and Core Performance. A registered dietitian, Amanda earned her bachelor’s degree in nutritional sciences with a minor in chemistry from the University of Arizona, then went on to complete a master’s degree in sports nutrition and exercise physiology from Florida State University.

At Athletes’ Performance, Amanda works directly with the nutrition team and also coordinates research efforts to help Athletes’ Performance stay on the cutting-edge of sports science.

]]> http://nxtlevelnow.com/2011/03/rod-030711/feed/ 0 ROD 022311 http://nxtlevelnow.com/2011/02/rod-022311/ http://nxtlevelnow.com/2011/02/rod-022311/#comments Wed, 23 Feb 2011 06:00:47 +0000 Coach D http://nxtlevelnow.com/?p=5778 ROD

Wednesday, 23Feb11

 

Wednesday Ladder Work

This workout is based on interval ladder ROD. Each exercise will be performed for time in seconds starting from 60-50-40-30-30-40-50-60 seconds with a 10 second rest between exercises and a 30 second rest between rounds.  

  • KB Swings
  • Mtn. Climbers
  • DB Thrusters

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Is ‘Eat Real Food’ Unthinkable?

By MARK BITTMAN

In recent weeks we’ve seen a big, powerful government agency, a big, powerful person and a big, powerful corporation telling us what to eat. Even with all this big, powerful input, we know nothing that we didn’t know last year. We do, however, have a new acronym; unfortunately, it’s not the one we need.

And a little progress. Limited kudos go to the United States Department of Agriculture, whose Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2010 — yes, it’s 2011, but they’re published every five years — are the best to date. We’re told to eat “less food” and more fresh foods; wise advice. But aside from salt, the agency buries mostly vague recommendations about what we should be eating less of: we’re admonished to drink “few or no” sodas — hooray for that — and “refined grains,” Solid Fats and Added Sugars. And there’s our fabulous acronym: SOFAS.

The problem, as usual, is that the agency’s nutrition experts are at odds with its other mission: to promote our bounty in whatever form its processors make it. The U.S.D.A. can succeed at its conflicting goals only by convincing us that eating manufactured food lower in SOFAS is “healthy,” thus implicitly endorsing hyper-engineered junk food with added fiber, reduced and solid fats and so on, “food” that is often unimaginably far from its origins. When it comes to eating more “good” food, the report is clear, because that can’t harm producers. When it comes to eating less of what’s “bad,” the language turns to “science,” because telling us which products to avoid — like a 3,000-calorie fast-food “meal” or a box of low-fat but chemical-laden crackers — would play badly with industry. Instead we’re told to avoid SOFAS. Where’s that SOFAS aisle?

The report might have led with Michael Pollan’s ground-breaking slogan — “Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.” — and then explained details in a few pages. But although the agency’s advisory committee suggested a “shift . . . toward a more plant-based diet,” the report itself backs “a healthy eating pattern,” and then, over 100-plus pages, proceeds to imprecision to avoid offending meat and sugar lobbies. (The salt lobby is evidently puny.)

In its attempts to upset no one powerful, the U.S.D.A. offers a typically contorted message. The advice people need is to cook and eat more real food, at the expense of the junk served in most restaurants and take-out places. In fact, most of the mysterious SOFAS come from so-called “fast” and “convenient” food, as does most sodium. (The salt shaker is not the culprit .)

It isn’t easy to cook with the junk that makes junk food junky, but the agency spends little energy boosting cooking. There is the, “Cook and eat more meals at home . . . include vegetables, fruits, whole grains, fat-free or low-fat dairy products, and protein foods that provide fewer calories and more nutrients.” But it stands almost alone, and could have been far simpler and stronger. Why isn’t it? Because “protein foods that provide fewer calories” doesn’t offend the meat industry, as Pollan’s motto does.

Which brings us to the powerful person: Oprah. Ms. Winfrey, who has been on more diets than the rest of us combined, challenged her staff to “go vegan” for a week. Intriguing, except her idea of surviving without meat and dairy — no explanation given for why we should go from too much to none — is to fill your shopping cart with fake versions of both, like meatless chicken breasts and dairy-less cheese.

Related Blog Post
Beyond the Acronyms, Feb. 9. 201

But the goal is not universal veganism, which is pie-in-the-sky; it’s health and sustainability. And we get there by preparing real food, vegan or not. (Remember: Coke, Tostitos and Reese’s Peanut Butter Puffs — yum! — are all vegan.) The answer is not fake animal products, whose advocates argue that they’re transitional to a kinder-to-animal diet. Indeed, that’s good, but a real food diet is better.

Finally, our powerful corporation — Wal-Mart — whose alliance with Michelle Obama looks pretty good, at least at first. We are promised more affordable produce, which undoubtedly means that Wal-Mart will beat the living daylights out of produce suppliers, crushing a few thousand more small farmers. (In fact, what we need is higher-quality and probably more expensive produce, that which is less damaging to the environment, laborers, and consumers, but that gets into the “how do we afford it?” argument, which must wait for another day. Let’s leave it that we like Wal-Mart’s goal of selling more produce.)

The real problem, again, is Wal-Mart’s other promise: “healthier” packaged foods. And whether baked, low-salt chips are “better” than fried ones, is not only arguable — the baked ones are more likely to be chemical-laden — but misses the point which, again, is that real foods are superior in every way.

The truly healthy alternative to that chip is not a fake chip; it’s a carrot. Likewise, the alternative to sausage is not vegan sausage; it’s less sausage. This is really all pretty simple, and pretty clear. But the messages we’ve heard recently are as clear as . . . well, a SOFA.

You want an acronym? Let’s try ERF: Eat Real Food.

]]> http://nxtlevelnow.com/2011/02/rod-022311/feed/ 4 ROD 112910 http://nxtlevelnow.com/2010/11/rod-112910/ http://nxtlevelnow.com/2010/11/rod-112910/#comments Mon, 29 Nov 2010 05:59:35 +0000 Coach D http://nxtlevelnow.com/?p=5060 ROD

Monday, 29Nov10

 

Slam & Push Alternating Ladder

For time:
Dynamax Ball slams:  1 – 10
Burpees:  10 – 1

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Holiday Healthy Eating Tips From the King of Mindless Munching

By Katherine Hobson

Cornell University scientist Brian Wansink is the king of mindless eating. Not because he permanently has his hand in a box of Junior Mints, but because he has studied, psychoanalyzed, and otherwise tried to crack the code of why we eat so much. He focuses on all the cues in our environment that cause us to overeat without realizing it and gives advice on how to re-engineer our surroundings to encourage better habits.

During a conference call today sponsored by the International Food Information Council, Wansink explained why the holiday period is chock full of unhelpful eating cues. First, no matter the time of year, we are pretty useless at realizing how much the plates and other dishes from which we serve and eat influence how much we eat. Even after being warned that bigger bowls lead to overeating, we will still go ahead and pig out when we’re given a big bowl. Moreover, letting our own appetites—the inner voice that says, “I’m not hungry anymore”—govern how much we eat is a losing battle. Most Americans simply don’t think in those terms, he says. His research has shown that Parisians say they’ll stop eating when they’re no longer hungry or the food no longer tastes good; Chicagoans typically say they stop when the plate is empty, when everyone else is finished, or when the TV show is over(!). Finally, the calories in family recipes have been rising over the years, either because of more calorie-dense ingredients or because a casserole that was once intended to feed six or eight people is now consumed by a smaller family of three or four.

With those realities as a backdrop, you can imagine why the holidays are an absolute minefield for people trying to eat healthfully. You’re surrounded by large platters and spacious plates just waiting to be filled, and the supply of food, usually made from traditional family recipes, never runs out.

To address the problems, use smaller plates and glasses. And don’t have all the casserole and serving dishes on the dinner table—serve in the kitchen. That way, if you want another piece of pecan pie, at least you’ll have to consciously get up and leave the room to fetch it. Also, be wary of falling into the trap of thinking you must eat a lot of food because you spent so much time cooking it. If you’re a guest and think you might offend your host by keeping your serving sizes small, remember that Grandma will be pleased if you go back for seconds on her stuffing, even if the total amount you eat is far less than if you’d just had one heaping plate. Finally, about 10 percent of what we eat on a big holiday may come from pre-meal snacking, says Wansink. So stick to a small napkin for hors d’oeuvres and munchies, or just skip them entirely.

]]> http://nxtlevelnow.com/2010/11/rod-112910/feed/ 0 ROD 102610 http://nxtlevelnow.com/2010/10/rod-102610/ http://nxtlevelnow.com/2010/10/rod-102610/#comments Tue, 26 Oct 2010 05:33:49 +0000 Coach D http://nxtlevelnow.com/?p=4794 ROD

Tuesday, 26Oct10

 

Tuesday Turbulance

5 rounds.
30 reps of each, 25 reps of each, 20 reps, 15 reps, 10 reps.

DB Thrusters
Med Ball Slams 
Sit-outs
Half Burpees

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The only exercise some people get is jumping to conclusions, running down their friends, side-stepping responsibility, and pushing their luck!

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The NLP Get Off Your Ass (G.O.Y.A) Promotion is on the way

If you refer somone and they join our community for 3 months ($180) you get 1 month FREE

 

Go from this to this in 3 months

 

 

 

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