Archive for Fitness
Pimpin’ for Profit: Any difference between a drug dealer and a personal trainer?
Posted by: | CommentsThis is a true story…nothing I write is fabricated and I always bring the real! What’s the difference between a drug dealer and a personal trainer? I say there is no difference and here’s why.
The Metamorphosis
Posted by: | Comments“Everyone wants change but few people want to change.” -Dan Kennedy
I started my fitness journey after my mother died in 2005. I remember it like it was yesterday because she passed away the day after Thanksgiving. The reason why I remember it so well was because my mother was the organizer of the family. She told everyone what to cook and what time we would eat and made sure the dinner ran smoothly. I’m sure I wasn’t the only one who felt unorganized on Thanksgiving day with her not being there. I looked around at my other family members and something just wasn’t right. I could only think to myself, “My mother is in the hospital and she’s not doing well.” The day after a day which was supposed to be filled with gratitude I couldn’t seem to be thankful for anything because my mother was taken away from me. I’ve always been one of those people who believe things happen for a reason and now that I look back on it, I firmly believe my mother’s dying wasn’t in vain.
I am perfect… you should be too!
Posted by: | Comments“When you aim for perfection, you discover it’s a moving target.” ~George Fisher
This post is inspired by a recent email I received from Sarah Ripple. Sarah is the owner of Ripple Effect Fitness in Baton Rouge Louisiana. You can take a look at Sarah’s BLOG. Sarah tells it like it is and doesn’t sugarcoat anything so consider yourself warned!
Me at my Perfect Weight
Is perfection attainable or is it just marketable? I happen to think it is marketable and I’ll tell you exactly why. If you look on the cover of magazines, you’ll find a society obsessed with perfection. Things just look better perfect, don’t they? For instance, have you ever seen a celebrity and your image of them is what you see on the cover of a magazine? You finally get a chance to meet them and they look nothing like the magazine. They are either too short or had tons of blemishes on their face that were “photoshopped” out. How did you feel? I have experienced this myself and I can tell you I was thoroughly disappointed. Do you see now why I say perfection is a marketable thing? People want to believe things are perfect but if you’ve spent any amount of time on this earth you know nothing is. I like to say things are perfectly “imperfect.”
The perfect trap
Yup… nothing is perfect and if it is, we spend loads of time looking for the one imperfection. For instance, Chris Brown was the apple of every female’s eye until they found out he allegedly beat Rhianna. The tabloids had a field day with this because they could finally poke a hole in his gold plated armor. I don’t condone what he did, but I think it made him human. To be human is to be flawed either physically or emotionally. The same can be said about Tiger Woods and any other star. The question should be why do we promote perfection and
why do we buy into it?
The Perfect Trainer in 2004
The perfect trainer
Is their a perfect fitness trainer out there? People would like to think so but I don’t. I’ll never lie to a client and tell them I eat “clean” all the time. I like cakes, cookies, and pies just like they do and at times, I do indulge. I want people to see me as human and vulnerable just like them. Oh, and your superhuman personal trainer might be on steroids or might be going home “scarfing” down pizza like it is going out of style. This is just the reality of it, but keep this in mind: you are what you do consistently! I don’t consistently eat alot of junk food and I don’t consistently play into the “perfect” trainer image although those around me perceive me that way. Hell… I have seen people gasped when I pick up a cookie like the world was “gonna” end. I ‘m sorry I had to blow their image of me but I prefer to be human and I gots to have my cookies! 
. Be careful of the “superhuman” trainer because it can lead to issues. In my opinion, if a trainer can’t see himself or herself as imperfect, they will have a hard time relating to a client who is. This leaves the client feeling less than good enough and ensures the client- trainer connection will be “short circuited” before it even begins. Everyone likes to know a person walked a day in their shoes and can relate to them.
Pushback from Perfection
My take on perfection is twofold. The illusion of perfection will always keep you from taking action. It will keep you paralyzed! I talk to people all the time who want the perfect diet and workout. There is none. The object is to get going and take action! My other issue with perfectionism is it can kill someone’s self esteem because they can’t and won’t live up to being perfect. The idea is to build up and not tear down. Here’s an idea : accept your flaws as they bring confidence and make you wonderfully human. It’s as simple as that. Accept your imperfections as they are uniquely yours and what might be looked at as a “flaw” by you might be a strength in another eyes and you never know who’s watching you. This can be said for client and trainer. Until next time, see you on the lean side!
Darren McDuffie
Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist
Certified Nutrition and Weight Management Specialist
Certified Exercise Foundations Specialist
Certified Fitness Testing Specialist
Exercise Training: Goat Milk?
Posted by: | CommentsI have heard the saying, “don’t say what you won’t do”. Have you ever heard it? I have some well defined boundaries about things I won’t eat or drink. I am sure there are things you just won’t eat or drink as well. For example, when I was a kid I had a tough time eating liver and when my grandmother would make it, guess who would run and hide? She told me many times how good it was for me, but I really didn’t care to hear it especially at the age of 10. I did have a cousin who loved liver and I would sit and gag as I watched him pour ketchup on it and eat it like it was his last meal before the electric chair. I have fallen in and out of love with different foods and drinks on my journey from a boy to a man. I still have my list of things I will absolutely not touch, but I have learned to open up to new and difference experiences as I have matured. Why am I telling you this? Stay with me… there is a method to my madness. I happen to have picked up an ebook from a fitness guru who happens to be a little off the cuff. What do I mean by that? This guys doesn’t follow the mainstream when it comes to fitness and he has some definite ideas about what people should be eating and drinking to rid their bodies of fat. I am half way through the book right now and I can tell you my ideas about eating were flipped upside down and turned inside out. It was like I was Neo from the Matrix trilogies and Morpheus was asking me if I wanted to take the red or green pill. You ever felt like that?
I wrote a blog post sometime ago on milk. Do you remember it? If not you can go HERE . Two Fox News Reporters wanted to expose the milk industry for the unfit milk they were producing and selling for human consumption. The reporters were later fired because they were tampering with corporate america’s cash and that just can’t happen… corporate america controls everything and they care little about what is healthy for you. I’ll say it again, its all about profit. Ok… let me slide down off my soapbox and give you the real “diggy” about the post and why I am talking about milk! At the urging of the fitness guru I told you about earlier, I finally tried goat milk and I absolutely loved it! Hmmm… you might be saying goat milk, yuck! Well doesn’t your other milk come from a cow? I know we are “conditioned” to love cow’s milk but here are some bet you didn’t “knows” about goat milk:
- Goat’s milk closely resembles mother’s milk in human beings
- It can be digested in 20 minutes while it takes 2-3 hours for cow’s milk
- It contains trace elements, enzymes, and electrolyte
- It alkalinizes the digestive system
These are just some of the benefits of consuming goat’s milk. The main benefit for me was not gettting bloated and having gas like I do when I drink cow’s milk! If you have access to goat’s milk, open yourself up and try it… you’ll like it.
Darren McDuffie
Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist
Certified Nutrition and Weight Management Specialist
Certified Exercise Foundations Specialist
Certified Fitness Testing Specialist
Exercise Training: Is Walking Enough?
Posted by: | CommentsI live in paradise. South Florida is warm almost all year round and its a great place to live if you are health conscious like I am. One of the things I notice in my neighborhood every morning before I head to work are people walking. I see them walking along the street, walking in the parks, walking everywhere. Get the picture? I had a thought the other day and I wanted to share it with you. Is walking enough? What do you think?
The body can adapt to exercise very quickly. You have to vary the stimulus on your body over time to see results. If you are walking at the same pace every day, chances are you aren’t varying the stimulus enough to see greater results. I see most “walkers” going the same pace all the time and over a period of weeks they still look the same. There is no fat loss and there is no overall improvement in cardiovascular health. Walking at the same pace every day is just “maintenance” at best, but at least it is exercise. If you want to vary the stimulus on the body, then walk a further distance and vary your walking speed or even your weight. How can you vary your weight when you walk? You can carry a set of dumbbells or even buy a weight vest to increase your weight. You might also try varying your walking elevation by walking up hills or if on a treadmill changing the incline. Walking is enough if all you want to maintain is your present levels of fitness, but if you want to improve you need to add something to it. Until next time, see you on the lean side.
Darren McDuffie
Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist
Certified Nutrition and Weight Management Specialist
Certified Exercise Foundations Specialist
Certified Fitness Testing Specialist
