Author Archive
Rich in Wealth or Rich in Health?
Posted by: | CommentsIf you had a choice between a million dollars and being healthy which would you chose?
Last week, I received a call from a friend and got some bad news. He called me to tell me another friend of ours was getting a piece of his foot amputated from complications due to diabetes. At first, I was in shock, but I am slowly realizing I am approaching the age where health complications can arise. Its easy to get fooled by the invincibility of youth but turning the big “four o” can firmly plant your feet back on the ground. I personally think 40 is the “make it or break it” age and you can either add years to your life or drastically reduce it.
A Family Affair
Family can play a large part in your health. For instance, my friend who recently got part of his foot amputated parents had diabetes. His father died from gangrene which is the one of the complications of the disease. If you knew both your parents suffered from a life threatening condition, what’s your excuse for not taking better care of yourself? Family medical history is one of the greatest predictors of health issues which could arise as someone gets older. I have seen many people ignore their family medical history only to have it kick them in their pants.
Change what you do
If you know your family medical history, you can immediately change some of the things you do. For instance, my family has a history of hypertension, so I stay away from foods high in salt content and I reduce my stress by exercising.Yup… exercising does reduce stress. I also know my mother had a heart problem and I have a heart murmur, so I make sure I do my “cardio”. It helps to keep my heart in shape. Did you know the heart is a muscle?
For the Health of it
Is exercising just for the “look” of it? You’re probably wondering what I mean by that, right? There are some real health benefits to exercise and not just to have a firm “booty” or a six pack. For example, I had the pleasure of hearing some good news from a client of mine the other day. She recently had a doctor’s visit and found out her cholesterol count was lowered and she avoided having to take medication for her heart. I was thrilled about it and so was she!!!
Problems Problems
Health problems can be avoided. If you know your family history, take advantage of it. You can use it to change your eating habits and start exercising. No one has to suffer from disease unless you’re just a “glutton” for punishment. If you know your risks firsthand, you can significantly reduce your odds for potential problems. Have you avoided any health problems yourself as a result of family history? Are you changing your exercise and eating habits because of this? Any comments?
The Worst Food You can Eat
Posted by: | CommentsI thought I might have a little fun today. I scanned the internet for the worst foods I could find and came up with three. Have you heard of any of these?
Luther Burger– Named after the famous R&B singer Luther Vandross. Here’s what’s on it: beef, cheese, bacon, krispy kreme doughnuts for buns. I first heard about this one on a show called the Boondocks. I couldn’t believe it was real
Hamdog – Hotdog wrapped in a beef patty and deep fried with chili and a fried egg on top. This is a heart attack waiting to happen!
Frito Pie – consisting of Fritos ( yeah the chips), beef, beans, onion, cheese, lettuce, and tomato. My stomach gets queasy just thinking about this one.
If you are trying to lose weight please avoid these dishes at all costs!!!! ( smile)
Luther Burger
Hamdog
FritoPie
Darren McDuffie
Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist
Certified Nutrition and Weight Management Specialist
Certified Exercise Foundations Specialist
Certified Fitness Testing Specialist
It Takes Two to Tango and Exercise!
Posted by: | Comments“It takes two to make a thang go right. It takes two to make it outta sight!”
If you are from the “old school” like me, you know the lyrics to the song. Why am I quoting a song from Rob Base and DJ EZ Rock? I wanted to talk a little bit about exercising as a couple. Do you think this can help or hurt your fitness goals?
Play Together…Stay Together
I’m sure you heard this before, “couples that play together, stay together”? I have heard it many times and always wondered if it was true. I think it is true to a certain degree and I’ll explain my reasoning for saying it. It’s good for couples to spend time together but spending all their time together can be detrimental to the relationship. We all need our guy and girl’s night out to clear our heads and “shoot the breeze” with members of the same sex. It also gives you space and everyone needs it at one time or another, right? I have witnessed many couples who choose to exercise their “me” time when they go to the gym. You’re probably asking yourself, “what does he mean by that?” See if this sounds familiar: you enter the gym with your significant other and she/he goes to the treadmill section while you go to pump iron. You meet up when it’s time to leave. I see this all the time when I enter gyms and it’s very discouraging because you might be sabotaging your fitness goals! On a different note, if you don’t like your “sig” then you might be wise to separate when going to the gym just to keep the peace. 
So why don’t couples like to work out together?
Ego Trippin’
The couple who play together stay together!
I have heard male friends complain constantly about their girlfriend or wife and the gym. The guys complain the women don’t like lifting weights or they don’t know how to use the machines. From the perspective of a male, I can see these are valid points. There are hordes of women out there who still believe strength training makes them look bulky and muscular. A very small percentage of women who are genetic freaks build too much muscle when they lift, but as a whole this doesn’t happen. In addition, men have a distinct advantage in the weight machine category because we are a little bit more mechanically inclined than women. Guys look at the weight machine and it looks just like one whereas it may look like a contraption with gears and gizmos to women. I can see how women can get confused, can you? If you can’t, think about this. Most guys can’t cook and don’t know their way around the kitchen like a woman. This is exactly the way most women feel when they enter a gym for the first time and you don’t help them by “ego trippin”. I have seen some men load up the bar with heavy weights and then command their wife or girlfriend to “lift” and in that instant she is scarred for life. She never wants to lift weights again because the weight was too heavy for her and she failed on her first attempt. You have to start light before you can go heavy but the “ego trippin” boyfriend didn’t know this.
Toward a Common Goal
Its easy to achieve a goal if you have support and hard as hell if you don’t! If you want to eat right, but your wife wants you to buy cakes, cookies, and other junk food it defeats the purpose. I have read numerous articles on weight loss and the people who are successful are the ones who have a support system. It’s easy to reach your fitness goals if both of you are on the same page. This is why couples do great in weight loss transformation contests…both are moving toward the same goal.
Challenge Challenge
When I started working out with my girlfriend, it was a new experience with a new person. I had a bad experience in a past relationship working out as a couple and I didn’t want to repeat it. I quickly realized it had nothing to do with working out but it was the person I was working out with at the time. I no longer have the hesitation I had in the previous relationship because I really enjoy the person and that makes a big difference. If you work out with someone you really enjoy, it makes it easier and you can challenge each other to become better and more fit in the process. It also keeps you motivated as you are feeding off each other. If you have to spend time with the one you love, why not spend it getting fit and having fun ????
Darren McDuffie
Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist
Certified Nutrition and Weight Management Specialist
Certified Exercise Foundations Specialist
Certified Fitness Testing Specialist
Conditioned to Eat
Posted by: | CommentsI have been doing a lot of thinking lately about eating! You might be thinking it has something to do with being hungry and stuffing my face but it really doesn’t, let me clear the air. If we are conditioned with eating habits from any early age, is it really our fault we overeat? I’ll dig a little deeper into this in my post, but keep this question in your mind’s eye.
My sister and friend taught me eating (but I didn’t get it)
When I was younger, we had a terrible time getting my sister to eat. My mother and I tried everything to get her to eat and she would sit right there in front of the plate and stare at us like “ya’ll expect me to eat all this food?” This went on for a long time when she was about 3 or 4 years old. When we finally gave up on getting her to eat, she started eating. A strange thing happened once she started, my mom would force her to finish the whole plate. I wonder if my little sister somehow instinctively knew to stop eating. Was my mother pushing her beyond her eating threshold to force her to finish that plate? I have heard many parents in restaurants shout at their kids something like this,“finish your food”! I look over at the kid’s food and there is a mammoth sized portion an elephant would have a problem eating! I have observed kids and it seems kids have it right because they know when to eat and when to stop eating. Most adults don’t, but maybe a few do.
I have a friend who I have known for years and to this day, I have never seen this guy finish a plate of food. I use to think this was odd, but I am beginning to think Chris is a pure unadulterated genius! In a world, where adults “scarf” down food at alarming rates my buddy always “chicken pecks” through his food and never finishes it and guess what? He has never had a problem with his weight and the guy is damn fit at 40. I know he never gave any thought to it but he has pretty much cracked the code to maintaining a healthy weight. Could it be all so simple?
Does it have to be a struggle?
Are you struggling with your weight right now? Is it because you were forced to clean your plate and then “conditioned” to eat large portions? Here’s another question for you. Do you eat to satisfy your hunger or do you eat to get full? The majority of us eat to get full and it shows in our waistlines. I’ll tell you why I think this is true. I read a book called “Food Rules” and it stated the best part of your food is the first bite! I tested this theory myself and sure enough it held true. I didn’t really taste my food after the first bite so it made it that much easier to stop the “stuffing” after eating a very small amount . So why can’t everyone do what I did? In actuality, everyone can do what I did, but it begins in the mind. In most cases, it is your mind controlling the body. If we all listened to our bodies, it wouldn’t be such a struggle.
Undoing what’s done
How do you undo what’s done? When I speak to people, I suggest some ways to control eating but the suggestions always fall on deaf ears. People are creatures of habit, but aren’t your present habits the reason for your demise? I know breaking bad habits are easier said then done, but most people never commit out of fear of missing out on something. You’re not missing out on anything and you’ll take your health back in the process! If you really want to change your eating habits just do what kids do: stop eating when you feel the hunger subside then go out and play! It is just that simple!
Darren McDuffie
Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist
Certified Nutrition and Weight Management Specialist
Certified Exercise Foundations Specialist
Certified Fitness Testing Specialist
Exercise Training : Go Paleo… Forbidden Grains
Posted by: | CommentsI was going to write a post today explaining why grains are forbidden on the Paleo diet. I ended up finding a video which explains it way better that I might have…Enjoy!
Darren McDuffie
Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist
Certified Nutrition and Weight Management Specialist
Certified Exercise Foundations Specialist
Certified Fitness Testing Specialist
