I hope you enjoyed the women’s push up variation, I posted last week. Men, don’t worry I have something coming up for you, too. I’ll be posting it on the blog, so look for it. I happened to be watching “Lost” which is my favorite show on television and saw a trailer for the new movie , “Hot Tub, Time Machine”. Yes… I am going to go see it! It might be a bit cheesy for some, but I love to laugh and I know it is going to be a funny movie. After I saw the trailer, I couldn’t help but entertain the thought of what it would be like to go back in time. Hmmm…. I think I will do that right now.

The year was 1995 and two years prior, I had just finished up my college basketball career. I had been playing basketball since I was 10 years old and never thought the “air” would go out of the ball and I would stop playing. Basketball had been a part of me for most of my life and it took me to some wonderful places and introduced me to some great people. I couldn’t believe it was all gone. I knew I could still play for fun, but it is something about playing competively that brings out the best in you. I still liked to play, but I noticed after time my interest in playing became less and then something happened.

When I was in high school and college, I was significantly underweight for someone my size. I was 6’6 and weighed a whopping 170lbs and that was on a good day. I remember how I got pushed around under the basket, because I didn’t have any strength. It was through that experience, that I became obsessed with gaining weight. That’s right, gaining weight! I would consume weight gain shakes and eat loads of food just to put on pounds, and none of it ever worked. It just succeeded in giving me “gas” and frequent bathroom trips. I know too much info, right? ( smile) I finally gave up my quest to gain weight and just chalked it up to a fast metabolism, but one thing always sticks out in my mind. What was it? I remember people telling me as I got older I would gain weight easily and I thought, “nah that could never happen to me!”

Ok… fast forward to 1998 and the kid who couldn’t gain weight was almost 240lbs! I am 6’7 now but 240lbs was alot of weight for my frame and it took its toll on me. I had frequent back and knee problems and couldn’t understand why this was happening. I could only guess it had something to do with giving up the gym and exercise all together. I had this notion I would be forever young. Have you ever had the same thought? I remember my turning point vividly and it came during a pickup basketball game at the local “Y” in my hometown during a vacation. I use to dominate the court and not to brag or boast, but I had great leaping ability. I started playing and living on a memory of “ what was”, but here was the truth. I was overweight, slow, and could barely get down the court. I can remember all the comments from the guys I grew up with and all of them said, “ you are living the good life down there in Florida”. They were really telling me I had gotten fat but in a round about way. It hit me to my heart while I was sitting there with ice on knees and my heart beating faster than a hummingbird’s wings. What could I do?

I drove back to Florida a couple of days later, and I knew things had to change. How was I going to change them? I was determined to change and this was coming from a guy who stopped at just about every Burger King from South Carolina to the Florida border. I didn’t know it at the time but that would be my last fast food binge. I got home and started to do some research on the internet and came across the “Body for Life” website and dove into it. I wanted to buy the book and I remember it being 20 bucks, at the local book store. I was on a budget at the time, and couldn’t afford it, but I didn’t give up. I went to a flea market in South Florida and I remember going to a booth and saw the “Body for Life” book. I asked the guy in charge of the booth how much he wanted for the book and he replied, “a dollar”. I bought the book and went home and immediately dove into it. This was a Saturday and by Monday I was at the gym starting the program. I stuck with the program and got down to 205lbs and never felt better. I noticed my knee pain and back pain disappeared and I felt better than I ever did. I felt athletic again and it showed when I ventured back to playing “pickup” basketball. I guess you might be feeling that I’m “tooting” my own horn, but that is not the point. The point is to take action and quit waiting on the perfect time, the perfect day, the perfect training program, or even the perfect trainer because perfection doesn’t really exist. The important thing is to start where you are and expect help along the way. There is power in a made up mind. See you on lean side.

Darren McDuffie
Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist
Certified Fitness Testing Specialist
Certified Exercise Foundations Specialist
Certified Nutrition and Weight Management Specialist

On my last blog post, I promised to talk more about the Master Cleanse. So what is the Master Cleanse aka the Lemonade diet? Its a detoxification method invented by Stanley Burroughs using the following items: Maple Syrup, Organic Lemons, Cayenne Pepper, and Salt. You also have the option of using a herbal laxative if you can’t do the salt water flush. The salt water flush takes a bit of getting use to and not many can do it but, if you can do the salt water flush, I would recommend it!

How does the master cleanse work? You mix the above ingredients into a drink ( lemonade some call it) and have this mixture every time you are hungry for the next ten days. That’s it! No pills… no powders… and it really detoxifies your body. Detoxification is an important process as our bodies encounter toxins in the air and food we eat. A body full of toxins is a hotbed for disease. I have personally done the Master Cleanse and I would recommend it to anyone looking to rid there body of unwanted toxins. In addition to cleansing the body, one of the most obvious benefits is weight loss.Yes, you will lose weight but you’ll have to maintain healthy eating habits once you start eating solid food again to maintain it. Here are some more benefits to the cleanse:

• More energy

• You are happier

• Gives the digestive system a break

When I did my first Master Cleanse, I never felt better and as a result of the cleanse I had a flat stomach and more energy! I didn’t even have to quit exercising while on the cleanse as the “Lemonade” was enough to sustain my body. If you haven’t tried the Master Cleanse, I urge you to do so as it can jumpstart fitness success. If you have health problems please consult your doctor before doing the cleanse. Check out the pictures below for ingredients and one well known celebrity that did the master cleanse. You can pick the cleanse up free by clicking HERE . For more answers regarding the Master Cleanse please visit http://therawfoodsite.com. If you tried the Master Cleanse before I want to hear from you! What were your results and how did you feel? I would love to hear from you!!!! Until Next time…. See you on the lean side!

Check out the pics below. Guess what celebrity did the Master Cleanse to prepare for her movie role????

Beyonce's before...Beyonce's after the Master Cleanse

Master Cleanse Ingredients

Darren McDuffie
Certified Fitness Testing Specialist
Certified Exercise Foundations Specialist
Certified Nutrition Education and Weight Management Specialist

Hey… I saw an interesting movie during the Thanksgiving Holiday called Food Inc. It really solidified the decision I made years ago to eat organic foods. Did you know there are secrets the food industry is not telling you? Are you aware of the inhumane things being done to animals to produce meat quicker and cheaper? Did you know that your food may not be food at all, but some genetically modified substance that was made in a lab?

It was disturbing to see how Chickens were full grown within 49 days using antibiotics and growth hormones. In one scene, a contractor for one of the chicken processors was walking through the place where the chickens were raised, and you could see numerous dead chickens. Do you think these dead chickens, which might be full of disease, might end up on your plate? I encourage you to buy organic food if possible, you’ll be glad you did! Check out the trailer for Food Inc. below. See you on the lean side…Dee

Darren McDuffie
Certified Fitness Testing Specialist
Certified Exercise Foundations Specialist
Certified Nutrition Education and Weight Management Specialist

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving! Have you gotten the Thanksgiving food out of your system, yet? If you haven’t, take some time to pick up my free ebook ( Master Cleanse magic). It is the best detoxification system you can do without having to purchase any pills or powders. I’ll be writing a post soon about detoxifying with the Master Cleanse… look for it!

What do you believe is possible? I asked myself that very question two years ago when I saw Les Brown speak at an expo in Fort Lauderdale. For those who do not know,  Les Brown is a motivational speaker who overcame overwhelming odds to be a success and is stil very successful today as he does speaking engagements throughout the world. I remember sitting in the audience and hanging on every word he spoke. He talked about many things and they all seemed to be relevant to my situation at the time, but one thing he said really stuck with me long after I left the expo. He kept repeating the phrase ,” It’s possible!” I remember him saying people give up on their dreams because they don’t believe its possible. Are you one of those people? If you are, please change your thinking to, It’s possible” because in reality anything truly is! You just gotta believe! Do you think its possible to get a “flat stomach” in only two months? Guess what?  It’s possible and I have the photos to prove it. I purposely ate what I wanted to and eased up on my exercise during the month of August.  In September, I changed my eating habits and began to exercise and guess what… my stomach is now flat. It may take a bit longer for some of you or it could be a shorter amount of time but “its possible”… you just gotta believe. Do you think you could do what I did? Leave me a comment on my blog and let me know. See you on the lean side…Dee

Before

After

Darren McDuffie
Certified Fitness Testing Specialist
Certified Exercise Foundations Specialist
Certified Nutrition Education and Weight Management Specialist

I came across this quote, while I was looking for a product on the Internet the other day. It was in a tagline and I thought to myself, “how true!”. I have conversations with people all the time wanting to get back into shape or lose a few pounds but more often than not they never do, why? I guess its because most folks concentrate on why they “cannot” do something moreso than why they “can” do something. Hmmm.. I wonder if I am making a fair assessment?