For those of you who’ve been following my blog for any length of time you know my affinity for coconut oil. I use it on just about everything from cooking to baking to moisturizing my skin. It’s one of the most versatile oils out there and it’s also healthy for you. In case you don’t know why coconut oil is healthy for you take a look at an old post called Cuckoo for Coconut Oil.

Today, I wanted to discuss some uses of coconut oil you may not know about and then give you a chance to sign up for my Tropical Traditions Coconut Oil Giveaway. I won’t bore you anymore let’s get right down to some not so well know uses of coconut oil:

•  Lubricant – For those of you wanting a paraben-free personal lubricant, coconut oil is it but it isn’t compatible with latex condoms.

•  Nose Bleed – Nose bleeds can occur in people who are sensitive to extremes in hot or cold weather. The nasal passages can become dry and the result is a nosebleed. This can be prevented by lightly coating the nostrils with coconut oil thus preventing the condition.

• Weight Reduction – Coconut oil has been proven to rev up the metabolism, improve thyroid function, and increase energy levels

•  Stress Reduction – Just a little dab of coconut oil rubbed into the head in a circular motion can reduce stress. Everyone could use that!

• Parasites – Regular use of coconut oil can kill digestive parasites in the body

• Cellulite – Rubbing a little CoCo oil in topically has the ability to fade cellulite.

• Toothpaste – Yup… mix a little baking soda with it and brush away!

• Deodorant – It can be used alone or mixed with other natural products to provide protection from unwanted body odor

• Eye Cream – Just place the oil under the eye to reduce bags, wrinkles, and the occasional puffiness.

• Chapstick – Are your lips dry? Put some coconut oil on them and they become moist so they remain smoochable.

• Preshave and Aftershave – coconut oil prepares your body or face for shaving and also protects the same areas after shaving. How cool is that?

• Massage Oil – After a strenuous workout, grab your significant other and tell them to rub you down in what else…coconut oil

• Make up Remover – Put some c. oil on a cotton swab and it takes makeup right off.

•  Food Cravings – Yes, when taken it can help reduce food cravings.

•  Blood Sugar – It helps stabilize blood sugar levels…good news for those with diabetes

• Skin Conditions – Coconut oil can provide relief for skin conditions like Eczema and Psoriasis .

• Alzheimer’s – Ketones in coconut oil help brain functioning in those suffering from Alzheimer’s

• Adrenal Fatigue – Coconut Oil can help alleviate some of the symptoms of adrenal fatigue.

• Herpes – Coconut oil is antimicrobial and can assist in aiding those suffering from the herpes virus

• Digestion – The fats in coconut oil aid in the absorption of nutrients into the body.

Coconut Oil is versatile isn’t it? Now for the fun part! In order to win your own jar of Tropical Traditions Gold Label Coconut Oil 32 oz, you’ll need to do a few things.

Follow the rafflecopter widget  located below this post to add your entries to win.  In addition to the entries in the rafflecopter you’ll also need to “like” the watchyourtrainer fanpage my clicking like on the fan widget located on the right hand side of the blog.

Disclaimer: Tropical Traditions provided me with a free sample of this product to review, and I was under no obligation to review it if I so chose. Nor was I under any obligation to write a positive review or sponsor a product giveaway in return for the free product. If you order by clicking on any of my links and have never ordered from Tropical Traditions in the past, you will receive a free book on Coconut Oil, and I will receive a discount coupon for referring you.

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I can’t deny it, I’m sensitive to food but I know I’m not the only one! For those of you who have been reading this blog for any length of time, you know my personal battles with gluten and milk. I thought I would forever be able to gouge myself on Papa John’s Pizza and Frosty’s from Wendy’s but all “unhealthy” good things come to an end. I don’t miss them but I do miss the convenience of having it delivered to the door or pulling in the drive thru and saying, “I’ll have a #2.”

Yes, the convenience thing was a killer for me literally and figuratively! I got over it soon enough when my body felt a thousand times better becauseI wasn’t indulging in wheat and milk containing products.

I made a really smart decision to do this and it probably saved me from some inflammatory disease.

I bet you didn’t know food sensitivities can be genetic in nature and you’re more likely to have them if you have allergies. They also have a propensity to occur in the foods you eat all the time but can even happen from foods you eat on an occasional basis like apples, onions, or garlic.

The most common types of sensitivities are:

• Wheat – A whopping 7 out of 10 people are sensitive to gluten in wheat

• Cow’s Milk – Commercial Milk has been pasteurized and therefore the enzymes are destroyed in the process making it hard to digest

• Soy – Soy is a toxic food and happens to be in an additive in many other foods

• Sugar – Yes… you can be sensitive to processed sugar, who knew?

[Random Stat: Everyone has 10 to 15 problematic foods in their diet right now]

You can be sensitive to meats you’re eating all the time such as lamb, chicken, fish, pork etc. Nothing is off limits.

In a scene from the movie “Hitch” (starring Will Smith), Alex Hitchens, the main character, eats some shellfish and has an immediate reaction. The reaction he had was more of a food allergy.

Allergies are different from sensitivities as allergies happen almost immediately whereas sensitivities can take hours or even days.

That’s what makes diagnosing food sensitivities all the more tricky and exactly why it pays to be a conscious eater!

[Being a conscious eater means paying close attention to what your put into your mouth!}

More often than not, when you’re eating consciously you can catch signs such as coughing after eating, nasal stuffiness, and rashes. If you’re not, you always can opt to do food sensitivity (allergy) testing.

These tests can tell you which foods you should avoid and/or eliminate from your diet.

What’s the Big Deal about repeatedly eating foods you’re sensitive to?

If you’re sensitive to food and continuously indulge in them you run the risk of damaging the immune system and developing autoimmunity. Over 60% of the immune system is located in the gut…just think of the war the immune system wages as a result of eating foods which don’t agree with you.

In addition to fighting that war, it also has to protect you against things like the common cold, sore throat, and flu. That’s a helluva a lot of fighting!

If the IS has to battle food and germs it’s like taking a knife to a gunfight! You may think it isn’t a big deal and you’ll eat what you wanna eat but food sensitivities have been linked to 40 different conditions including:

• Irritable Bowel Syndrome

• Migraines

• Arthritis

• Autism

• Hyperactivity

• Fibromyalgia

One of the biggest hazards sensitivities to food may cause is the development of inflammation. Inflammation is the starting point for other forms of debilitating disease. See the chart below.

Many people think they have free reign to eat anything and everything. This isn’t necessarily so.

Food has the power to heal but it also has the power to hurt.

It’s up to you to find out if you’re sensitive to food and take action to eliminate it from your diet so you can be truly healthy.

Action Step: Pay close attention to what you eat over the next couple of days and notice if you’re coughing, getting sleepy, etc… these are tell tale signs of food sensitivities. You may also want to look into getting a food allergy test.

Contact me at Darren@WatchYourTrainerBlog.com for help.

For more information on Food Sensitivities pick up the Dark Side of Fat Loss…I highly recommend it!

Now it’s your turn..drop me a line and let me know if you suspect you have sensitivity to any foods and how you figured it out. I would love to hear from you!

I know what you’re thinking, what is working in? I didn’t know what working in was myself until I heard fitness guru Paul Chek mention it on a radio show I was listening to a couple of months ago. In that interview, Paul described how he would have power lifters go through the motion of lifting without any weight. He would stress that they breathe correctly and really concentrate on what they were doing.

He also talked about how he did Tai Chi as his way of “working in.”

It sounded like a great concept but I thought to myself, “Why do I need to do it if I’m working out?”

At a very early age, we become familiar with the physicality of our being but rarely are we introduced to the mentality of it. Our physical being is what’s formed on the outside and are those things which we can touch, taste, or feel.

After all, we have sayings like, “Seeing is believing,” and “Can I touch it, to see if it’s real?” But, what about those things we can’t see…are they real and how do we connect with them? The question plagued me constantly as an adult especially after losing my mother to breast cancer in 2005.

I carried an extreme amount of guilt with me for two years after my mother passed away.

It sounds silly to me now because I finally forgave myself but it was nothing short of heart wrenching while I was going through it. I placed an incredible amount of blame on myself because I elected to leave South Carolina to move back to South Florida.

When I made that decision and moved back, my mother got sick. I thought if I would have stayed in South Carolina, then none of it would have happened and if it did, maybe I could have saved her.

It took me a long time to quit beating myself up about it and finally forgive myself and let go.

During those two years of carrying the guilt , I did an extreme amount of working out to relieve the added stress I was undergoing. I lost 35 pounds and it was great but it didn’t do anything to silence the whispers in my head.

I wonder if “working in” could have gotten me there sooner and with a lot less effort? It probably would’ve but like everyone else I focused on the physical without giving much thought to the mind-body connection.

That was almost 7 years ago. It took me that long for it to finally register.

It finally “clicked” when listening to the Underground Wellness Show during the “Ask Paul Check” interview. I mentioned this earlier remember?

I realized what Paul had his athletes going through was just a form of meditation! I always thought meditation was closing the eyes and sitting in a cross legged position.

It can be, but doesn’t have to. Meditation is focus, clearing the mind, and concentrating on breath. This can be done with the eyes opened or closed.

Tai Chi is a form of meditating and even walking is, when you focus and clear the mind. This was my “aha” moment!

I happened to be turned onto a book called Unlimited Futures which made realize how meditation is essential to creating my life the way I want it to be.

I’m not sure about you but I spent most of my adult life “forcing” things from a physical aspect. If there was a job I wanted, I forced my way into it instead of “working in” and letting my intuition lead the way.

If my relationship was bad, I thought I had to force the other person to change. There were things I forced myself to do while working out which weren’t necessarily advantageous to my body.

I was always good at working out but honestly I sucked at working in!

We all know our own bliss but few of us sit still long enough to go within ourselves to listen to it. We’d rather do the physical (action) first because that’s what we think produces the results.

We never really make the connection that it’s the mind pushing the buttons. So why do we always take action first when the mind ultimately dictates our success or failure?

Because no one teaches us to do the mind work first and as a result, large sums of money, time and frustration looking for an answer. The answer is often within. And…who knows better than you, what you want and how to get there effortlessly?

The truth is most people don’t trust themselves enough to “work in” because it requires effort to calm the mind and just be with what is. The physical part is easy and always will be, but the physical is where life’s noises get in the way and lead to stress which deters us from living a better quality of life and thus realizing our dreams.

I encourage you to learn to “work in” first to achieve any goal you have in your life..it will make it a whole lot easier.

The truth is there are countless ads in fitness magazines for protein. Why?

Well, for starters everybody knows protein builds muscle and the more protein you take in the bigger the muscles, right? That is what the fitness magazines want you to think. If you don’t believe me, then ask yourself this: why do their ads always contain a big bodybuilder dude with a big breasted female model?

These companies know what sells and how to evoke an emotional response to make a consumer buy…they have it down to a science. Whey protein and bars are also pretty cheap to make.

Ok, so we established you need protein to build muscle. It’s true we do need protein to build muscle but is their such a thing as too much protein? Some people would argue there is and some would not but I’m not going to choose sides.

The question is moot at this point. What is not moot is the correlation between protein consumption and vitamin A.

Contrary to popular belief, protein isn’t the only thing needed to build muscle, Vitamin A is pretty dang important as well. Its quite funny how the two are more related than one might think. They’re kinda like kissing cousins.

The Marriage of Protein and Vitamin A

What is the interdependence of protein consumption and vitamin A? To put it simply, high levels of protein can deplete vitamin A stores in the body. In order for our bodies to properly use dietary protein, there must be an adequate supply of vitamin A. Are you seeing the paradox?

In most fitness and health magazines, protein supplements are sold exclusively while there is little importance given to this important vitamin. Not only is vitamin A needed to utilize protein, it’s also a  major player in assisting the body to synthesize new protein.

So… if vitamin A stores are already depleted from high protein intake, how will the body be able to synthesize new protein being consumed?

Wow…these two are totally dependent on the other…who would have thought?

The Big Deal With Vitamin A

Vitamin A is essential to testosterone production. Testosterone is the hormone which helps build muscle. Try to build muscle without it and see what happens. In experiments done with both animals and humans, lack of Vitamin A showed a decrease in testosterone production.

More notably in experiments done on teenage boys, it was found that deficient vitamin a levels were enough to delay the onset of puberty and growth. When the boy’s vitamin levels were supplemented many of them grew and had no problem undergoing puberty.

Are you convinced about the importance of vitamin A yet?

In other experiments involving Vitamin A and prostate cancer, more positive results were found. Subjects who received adequate amounts of vitamin A had lower incidences of prostate cancer compared to those who were deficient.

The Balance of Protein And Vitamin A

How do you balance the protein you consume while maintaining enough vitamin A? Adopt a “less is more” strategy and boost foods which provide adequate levels of vitamin A.

I prefer to get my protein from real food and elect not to do whey protein shakes and protein bars. You may elect to decrease your use of protein shakes and bars.

I honestly think protein supplements are overused, over marketed and some are of very poor quality. That’s just my opinion.

If you must use a protein powder or bar make sure it is high quality and non-rgbh based (no growth hormone). Now, in order to add balance you’ll need to eat foods high in vitamin A. Those foods are:

• Liver

• Dark Leafy Greens ( Lettuce. Collards, Kale)

• Broccoli

• Cabbage

• Cod Liver Oil

In conclusion, protein is needed to build muscle, no doubt about it. But extra protein doesn’t always equal extra muscle and can deplete vitamin A.

For those of us who really want to be healthy or aspire to be healthy the protein consumption and vitamin A connection can’t be ignored.

It’s your turn now. What do you think about dietary protein and vitamin a? Want to know more about what it takes to really be healthy? Check out DSFL. It’s the real deal on health not fitness!

It wasn’t until I decided to take a proactive approach to my health that I realized this wasn’t the case. If you’re a reader of this blog, you heard me mention something called a Bio Meridian Assessment (BMA). The BMA is how I initially learned about the importance of enzymes.

As I mentioned before, there was a time when everything I ate seemed to disagree with me. I found out the culprit happened to be undigested protein. My BMA practitioner was kind enough to prescribe enzymes for me to help my body breakdown undigested protein.

The undigested protein was causing me to suffer from the gas and bloating. After using the protease enzymes, I felt like a million bucks and I still continue to take them to this day. This was my initial education into the importance of enzymes.

I knew little about them before my experience so it doesn’t surprise me that you may not know much about them. Prepare to be educated and this is the cliff notes version!

If you’re a reader of my blog, by now you know I’m African American. If you don’t know it, take a look at the header above and you’ll see.

I say this to make a point. I, like many other African Americans lose the ability to tolerate dairy products. This also happens to those of Jewish descent as well.

Why ? Its a direct result of losing an enzyme called Lactase. Lactase is an enzyme responsible for breaking down the lactose molecule in milk, cheese etc.

You’ve heard the term lactose intolerant, right?

I’m not entirely sure why the enzyme is lost but I’d be willing to say genetics plays a part. There are 3 types of enzymes:

• Metabolic

• Digestive

• Food

The largest subset of enzymes occur in food and they are as follows:

• Lipase – breaks down fat

• Protease – breaks down protein

• Cellulase – breaks down fiber

• Amylase – breaks down starch

• Lactase – breaks down dairy

• Sucrase – breaks down sugars

• Maltase – breaks down grains

 I decided to break out the subset of food enzymes to make a point. Nature knows what’s best and supplies enzymes in the food we eat. This was until food became an overly processed, lab project.

When food doesn’t supply the necessary enzymes, our body has to work overtime especially the pancreas. It is the job of the pancreas to secrete the enzymes not supplied by overly cooked, processed foods.

Could this be a hidden contributing factor to Diabetes and Pancreatic Cancer and…could it be a reason to include more raw foods like salads in your diet? You be the judge.

 Dr. Edward Howell, a leading pioneer in the study of enzymes says, “The length of life is inversely proportional to the rate of exhaustion of the enzyme potential of an organism. The increased use of food enzymes promotes a decreased rate of exhaustion of the enzyme potential.”

Translated this means your life can be shortened if you don’t have adequate enzymes. Good news is there are enzyme supplements you can use if your body doesn’t/isn’t making them.

How do you know if you’re body has poor enzymatic functioning? Symptoms may include:

• Gas

• Bloating

• Indigestion

• Flatulence

• HeartBurn

Speaking from prior experience, my symptoms always occurred 30 minutes to an hour after eating. Your body will let you know!

Enzymes are found in small quantities within the body but they are extremely powerful. How powerful? Think about this…you can have the best diet and nutritional practices but without enzymes they won’t be absorbed.

Pretty important, huh? It is imperative for your health to find out if you are enzyme function is deficient and use a high quality supplement. Remember…you have the power to shorten or extend your life and that’s the whole truth and nothing but the truth about enzymes.

The pictures in this post are enzymes I’ve had experience with…before buying any I would urge you seek out someone who treats by natural means to consult before taking any enzymes. If you’re in the South Florida area, I’ll be glad to recommend someone for you.

If you’re interested in moving from a fitness focused mindset to a health mindset, I recommend reading the Dark Side Of FatLoss. Is everything you need to know about having awesome health.

Every once and a while life sends you something to let you know that its precious and shouldn’t be taken for granted. I got life’s message loud and clear this weekend. I was enjoying the NCAA Tournament games this past Saturday evening and decided to check my cell phone. I have a bad habit of putting my phone on vibrate because I hate my ringer. Every now and then I’ll pick it up to see if I received a call or text and when I picked it up this Saturday evening, I had received two phone calls.

One was from a friend who I keep it touch with regularly and the other friend was someone whom I talk to every now and then.

I immediately dialed back the first friend who called me. He asked me if I heard anything from one of my best friend’s lately. I told him we talked about two weeks ago and I hadn’t spoken to him since that time. The friend on the line with me preceded to tell me that he heard from someone else that my best friend’s wife had passed away.

I was taken by surprise and immediately hung up the phone to call my best friend. The call went straight to voicemail and I left a message. I was in a frantic state of mind and I hoped he called me back soon…thirty minutes passed and my phone rang. He confirmed that his wife had passed away from a stroke.

I was in shock! She was approaching her late thirties and there had been no previous history of illness. How could it happen?

My mind drifted back to last summer, when my girlfriend and I met his family in Key West. We had a great time hanging out on the beach and just talking about our college years.

I think we spent 3 or 4 days down there but it seems like it was only one since the time flew by so quickly. I’m still having a tough time believing it. It seems like it just happened so suddenly and without warning but I got life’s message.

It said to me there is no tomorrow.

It reminded me of a scene from Rocky where he loses his title to Clubber Lang and starts to work out with Apollo Creed to regain the title belt. In that scene, Rocky and Apollo are sparring.

Apollo keeps hitting Rocky because Rocky won’t duck or throw any punches because he’s scared. Apollo then gets angry with Rocky and Rocky says “tomorrow” to which Apollo replies,”there is no tomorrow.”

What do you want to do with your life but keep putting it off until tomorrow? I meet so many people who are either living for someday or tomorrow.

I’ll eat better tomorrow or I’ll work out tomorrow. What if that tomorrow never comes?

I would like to say its guaranteed but it isn’t. You can’t keep putting things off waiting on a tomorrow which may not get here.

I don’t want to use this as a post to persuade you to join a gym but what I want to do is inspire you to get off your ass and do something to move forward in your life before its too late. Time waits for no one.

Here are some things you might be waiting to do tomorrow:

• Start a business

• Tell someone you love them

• Forgive Someone

• Get out of a bad relationship

• Ask the girl or guy out you really like

• Find a new job because you hate the one you have now

• Take better care of your health

• Eat better

I can go on and on with these but the bottom line is tomorrow isn’t promised. Don’t live your life in fear of what might happen because you want to be safe. The only time we grow as human being is when we’re uncomfortable and take risks. The risk we take reaps big rewards. Life can be taken away from you without warning and most people die with regrets. Don’t be one of them. Do the things you have been wanting to do and live like there is no tomorrow. Now is all you have. See the scene below.

How to go gluten free? I asked myself the very same question a couple of months ago. I ‘m still learning about nutrition but the one gripe I have with the experts is they never tell you how. I don’t know about you but it helps to know the how every once and a while…it makes things easier. Today, unlike many of the experts, I’m going to tell you how I went gluten free for 7 days with ease.

If you don’t know what the big deal is about gluten you may want to read my “are you gluten intolerant blogpost“. It will give you the whole story on why I decided to go gluten free.

Alright, here’s how I did it and its step by step so even a baby could follow it.

• Plan – I just didn’t decide to go gluten free forever. I’ve failed before with diets and meal plans by thinking too long term. My philosophy is its easier to eat an elephant piece by piece then it is to try and eat it whole. I knew if I broke it down into a week, it would be easier for me to do then just going cold turkey. I’m not a crack addict but the thought of giving up cakes, cookies, and those hot buttered rolls at restaurants was a major downer for me When I broke it down to 7 days, It made it seem achievable. I can always commit to things I can achieve.

• Harm’s way – I took myself out of harm’s way by making sure I had plenty of things to eat which didn’t require bread. Have you ever given any thought to how easy it is to overdose on gluten? Think about it…I’m exaggerating her but there are about 7 million sandwich shops in any city. Its so easy to walk into one and order a sandwich. If you’re part of corporate america, how many lunch and learn meetings do you have where pizza and sandwiches are the norm? Taking yourself out of harm’s way means bringing your own lunch or finding alternatives. When in doubt, always get a salad but watch it…the dressings because sometimes they can contain gluten. Remember, bread is cheap and its plentiful.

• Find Alternatives – One of the things I absolutely hated to give up when I went gluten free was pizza and cookies. I scoured the internet and blogs looking for alternative recipes and I found them. I was able to find a pizza recipe where the crust was made from almond flour. I was even able to find a cheese that was nondairy that actually melted and didn’t taste like cardboard. By the way, coconut flour and almond flour have been absolute saviors in my quest to remain gluten free. You can make so many things from these gluten free flours!

• Ask – Ask and ye shall receive. You would think that not partaking in the pleasantries of wheat anymore would limit my going to restaurants, right? Well it didn’t. I learned how to ask my server how the food was prepared. If the server doesn’t know then they check with the chef. This has been invaluable to me in not giving up the things I love to eat. For instance, I went to the Outback Steakhouse and I happen to love their Kookaburra wings but I knew they added flour to them before they cooked them. I asked my server could they prepare them without the flour and he asked the chef and they said yes. I was able to get my wing on! You can add this into your own 7 day strategy.

• Cook – I cooked my own food so I know exactly what it contained .This is not often the case when you order out. Anyone can cook for 7 days, right?

• Scout – Scout for gluten free friendly restaurants in your area. I was a bit down in the dumps because I had to give up burritos due to the wrap but I was able to find a great Mexican place near me that has corn tortillas. Now I can still enjoy my guacamole and mexican food. This actually came after the seven days but its good to know you can still enjoy your favorites if you’re able to find restaurants in your area.

• Read Labels – I read labels on everything I ate and had in my refrigerator. I was horrified when I saw soups and sauces in my refrigerator contained gluten. I ended up throwing them all out. I just didn’t need the temptation.

These are tactics I used to go gluten free with ease. It took preparation and taking it day by day. I didn’t focus on what I gave up…I focus on what I gained. After 7 days, I was convinced gluten wasn’t for me because my arthritic knees just weren’t bothering me anymore. I also had much less bloating and gas in my stomach. I plan to steer clear of gluten forever. Take this post and formulate your own plan on how to go gluten free in 7 days…it just might change your health!

Don’t forget to watch my VIDEO on Youtube and please give it a thumbs up!!!

It wasn’t until I got involved in fitness that I realized you can be fit and healthy at any age. It just takes a little bit more effort but it can be achieved.

As we get older, it’s even more important to pay attention to proper nutrition as food can trigger inflammatory responses in the body which cause disease.

There are other factors but processed food is the biggest one most people struggle with. If you practice proper nutrition and add in resistance training you could very well find yourself resembling Peter Mensah!

I’m a big fan of the TV show, Spartacus. Every Friday at 10pm, it’s my release from a week of stressful living. The show lasts an hour and for that hour, I am transformed into an Alpha Male with primal urges.

For that hour, I’m sucked into all the sex and violence but unlike the characters, I don’t have to worry about finding food and escaping death.

I get goose bumps just thinking about it! But the strange thing is, women like the show too. My girlfriend is just as taken with it as I am and my sister told me she likes it as well.

So ladies, its not just a man thing.

Spartacus has gone through some changes as the main character of the show was diagnosed with cancer during the first season. Andy Whitfied eventually passed away but he will always be the true Spartacus in my book… although I like his replacement.

If it wasn’t for Andy Whitfield’s illness, I think Peter Mensah wouldn’t have gotten much “shine” at all.

Due to Whitfield’s cancer diagnosis and subsequent absence from the show, the second season was a prequel in which viewers got a glimpse of what happened before Spartacus entered the picture. During the first season of Spartacus, I didn’t know who Peter Mensah was but I knew of his character, Oenomaus (An-uh-may-us.)

Oenomaus was also the Doctore ( Doc-tor-ray) . The Doctore is the head gladiator and responsible for teaching the other gladiators how to fight. In one scene from the show, you really see how “ripped” or cut he is.

It’s impressive! I’m not one to guy gaze but I can appreciate the amount of work it takes to be ripped. Many people want the ripped look, but few have the discipline to achieve it. You have to be dedicated in your nutrition and training…and few people are.

I didn’t know the actor’s real name so I googled,”black guy on Spartacus” and Peter Mensah came up. Yup… I really did google that.:) I then went to his “wiki” page and found out he was 52! I didn’t believe it. I couldn’t think of one person I know in their fifties who was in the shape he was in.

What was this guy doing to get so ripped?

A couple of years back, there was a movie called 300. Remember that movie? Peter Mensah was in that film too but had a bit of a lesser role. The movie 300 sparked interest in what everyone began calling the Spartacus workout. It’s a combination of cardio and strength training which literally builds lean muscle and torches fat.

Peter Mensah used the cardio-strength training method to prep him for his role in Spartacus.

How to be fit at 50 – The Peter Mensah Elements of Training

Mensah trained in martial arts for many years but describes the training he went through in Gladiator Camp as “Olympic level training”. It consisted of 4 hours a day for two weeks and included the following things:

•  Pullups

• Deadlifts

• SandBags

• Rowing

• Medicine Ball Training

• Gymnastics and Flexibility

• Sprinting

• Sword Fighting

• Tire Flipping

These exercises were interwoven into a cardio-strength training routine in which the primary focus was to get Mensah lean and cut for his role as Oenomaus.

This is quite demanding for someone who’s fifty, wouldn’t you say? Yes, demanding, but possible if you’re willing to do the work.

Cardio strength training, though challenging, can be a useful, time saving tool for those looking to be fit at 50.

If you want to know more, check out Cardio Strength Training. Its a great book!

PS.. I wanted to tell you about a great product that will help you get the lean, cut look  if that’s what you want. Visual Impact can help you achieve the lean Hollywood look at any age. Check it out. There’s even Visual Impact for Women.

Magnesium benefits the body in a big way! There is no doubt about it but the strange thing is nearly everyone is deficient in this important mineral. It use to be that we got adequate amounts of it when we food but this isn’t the case anymore. Nearly half of the population is deficient in magnesium, and that’s not a good thing.

At present, we’re not getting enough vitamins and minerals from the foods we eat. This is partly due to aggressive farming practices which strip vital nutrients from the soil.

Plants need nutrients just as we do to grow and thrive. So, its a domino effect. This is why we can have an abundance of food but still be nutritionally malnourished.

Makes no sense, huh?

I began supplementing with magnesium six years ago. I didn’t know a thing about it but I am very glad my Biomeridian Assessment Practitioner decided to prescribe it.

She did me a huge favor.

I still continue to take it today along with potassium. Potassium in another vital mineral the body needs.

I am amazed at the large role minerals play in the body particularly magnesium. It plays a major role in the stability of DNA and RNA.  It is also a cofactor in over 300 enzyme functions within our bodies. I’d say that’s pretty important, how about you?

Why is magnesium so important to us?

Take a brief look of how magnesium benefits the body:

• Maintains the health of the cell’s membranes

• Helps with bone and teeth formation

•  Assists in relaxing the body and helping with heart health

•  Regulates the metabolism of nutrients such as protein, fats and carbohydrates

•  Regulates Cholesterol Production

•  Helps with energy production

•  Assists the nerves in sending messages to the brain and nervous systems

Now…What can insufficient amounts of magnesium cause?

Nearly half of Americans are deficient in magnesium, which has been linked to the following diseases or conditions:

• Heart Issues

• High Blood Pressure

• Diabetes

• Osteoporosis

• Asthma

• Depression

• Insomnia

[Because Magnesium is linked to so many things in supplementing with it may translate into lowered blood pressure, reduced incidences of diabetes, reduction in asthma symptoms, memory improvement, reduction in migraines, depression, etc.]

If you think you aren’t getting enough magnesium in your diet just add some supplements.

Magnesium is usually paired with other minerals such as magnesium/potassium or magnesium/calcium as it creates a synergistic effect which helps the mineral it is paired with work better.

I’ve been using a high quality supplement made by Solaray called Magnesium and Potassium Asporotates for years and I am happy with it.

Not only is it effective but 120 caps usually runs me about $8.00. Small investment for the bigger investment of life long health, eh?

I take two right before bed and after a stressful day it does wonders to relax both my body and mind.

When I’m out of it, I usually go online and order it again. You could do the same.

An ion of magnesium is very small but it does major things within your body. Its the same with your health, making small changes can radically transform how you feel.

I encourage you to take a proactive approach to your health by eating the right foods and using supplements to fill in the gaps missing in your diet. One way to take the proactive approach is realizing magnesium benefits the body in a big way!

I’m not making money off anything I suggest on this post. I just want you to be healthy!

Visit Here to get the Magnesium I use.

Your Health is True Prosperity,

Darren “Health with a Heart” McDuffie

Do you know if you’re gluten intolerant? I had no idea I was until being diagnosed almost a year ago. The sad thing is once I was diagnosed I continued eating it. I didn’t realize the danger I was in by continuing to consume something that my body was sensitive to. I finally decided to give up bread and other products containing gluten after hearing Dr. William Davis talk about it on the Underground Wellness Show.

He talked about gluten and the effect it had on your health but more importantly he said he reversed his diabetes by going gluten free. I took it upon myself to go gluten free for 7 days and the results were nothing short of amazing.

I quit craving carbohydrates and manage to cure my arthritic knees which I thought were due to years of playing basketball. I was thoroughly convinced that I should go gluten free and I have been ever sense.

I thought I was just lucky but after viewing Dr. Davis’s Wheat Belly Blog and seeing all the testimonials, I can see I wasn’t the only lucky one.

If you’re reading this chances are you might suspect that you’re gluten intolerant but just how can you be sure?

How do you know if you’re gluten intolerant?

Your body will tell you if you’re gluten intolerant but you just have to listen and become a conscious eater. The way to do it is to check in with yourself after eating certain foods like bread which contain gluten.

If you get any of the following symptoms chances are you’re gluten intolerant:

•  Weight Gain or Weight Loss – In some people who cannot tolerate gluten, there may be unexplained weight gain or weight loss. In some cases, it may be extremely difficult to lose weight. As a trainer, I work with women and one of first things I recommend if they are having a problem with shedding additional weight is to eliminate gluten from the diet.

• Aching Joints – I thought I had arthritis in my knees but because I was sensitive to gluten my body began attacking itself. This is what is called an autoimmune reaction and can lead to other diseases. If you want to know more about the arthritis- gluten connection click the link.

•  Depression – With the amount of money currently spent on pharmaceutical drugs in this country, is the simple answer just eliminating gluten from the diet? Yes… a symptom of gluten intolerance is depression.

•  Headaches – One of the symptoms of gluten intolerance can be frequent headaches or migraines.

•  Eczema – Intolerance to gluten can show up as skin irritations or rashes. It can also worsen acne.

•  Fatigue – My favorite foods use to be cookies and pizza but when I ate them, I got extremely tired. This was the first thing that tipped me off that something was really wrong.

•  GI Problems – GastroIntestinal problems such as gas, bloating, and constipation. This is one of the first signs of the destruction of the immune system which is located in the gut.

• Thyroid Problems – Most thyroid problems occur in women and now there is a strong connection between gluten sensitivity and thyroid issues. Those who suffer from celiac disease may be predisposed to thyroid disease.

There are many other symptoms for those who are gluten intolerant including infertility.

The seriousness of continuing to consume gluten after being diagnosed with a sensitivity to it can be summed up in this quote by Dr. William Davis of the book Wheat Belly,

 

“Gluten is the component of wheat confidently linked with triggering destructive immune phenomena, whether expressed as celiac disease, cerebellar ataxia, or dementia”.

This means that it can have far reaching implications even into the brain. So, not only does it destroy the immune system located in the gut it also has the potential to reach the brain if left unchecked.

Gluten is a component of wheat which today isn’t processed as it was hundreds of years ago.

7 out of 10 people are sensitive or allergic to gluten and don’t even know it.

After years and years of overexposure to it, the body can become susceptible to serious autoimmune diseases. If you are experiencing any of the above symptoms on a regular basis, you may want ask yourself, “Am I gluten intolerant?”

Do you suspect gluten intolerance might be causing you some problems? Let’s get the word out and get healthy by tweeting, stumbling, and liking this post.