Merry Christmas

Keeping it short today, but I hope you have a Merry Christmas!

Remember that this day isn't about presents, it's about celebrating the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 

It's about the fellowship we share with each other. 

Enjoy the time with your families. 

PR Appeal

As we approach the end of 2017 and the beginning of 2018, I wanted to discuss with you the lure of the Personal Record (PR).  This past year, I have only set a single PR, and that was in an unbelted deadlift.  Something that I used to do, however, was chase the PR and that would get me into trouble. 

I bring this up because once you hit a PR, and especially if you do it fairly
regularly (which is common for novice exercisers), you're apt to keep chasing it.  It's kind of like a heroin addict chasing the high.  Once you reach the first PR, it's onto the next one and to the next one.  While this can be a very positive thing, it also comes with a risk, and that risk may be overtraining, excessive overreaching, burnout, or injury. 

While we are exiting 2017, think about the PR's you've set, if you've set any.  Looking to the future, think about the PR's you'd like to set for 2018.  Dedicating your training to reaching the PR's is more effective at facilitating a positive change for your entire well-being rather than attempting to dedicate your exercise with the sole intent to change your image. 

The PR can identify how you train, how you think, and how you feel.  You'll train harder, smarter, and with greater purpose.  You'll think clearer, with focus, and purpose.  You'll feel stronger, leaner, and tighter.  PR's are made with hard work.  They're made with a sound strategy. And they're only made by those ready to make them. 

As we enter 2018, what PR's are important to you?  How will you go about achieving those PR's?  And what will you do to reach them? 

The chase is on!

Conquer.

In 2017, is there anything that stood out as a triumph in your life?  Can you look back upon the year and know that you've given it all?  What is it that you could've done differently (that is, if you wanted to do it differently.)?

What about 2018?  What goals have you set aside for yourself to accomplish?  What more do you feel that you need to do?  Set aside the framework now, before 2018, to realize that your goals are accomplishable.  Here are some of mine, which may give you a launch pad for your own goals:

1.  Positively impact at least 1 new person per month.
2.  Become proficient at speaking and understanding Russian.
3.  Become 4/5 complete with my MBA requirements. 
4.  Exercise at least 3x per week, vigorously.
5.  Watch a movie, go to the park, anything my kids want at least 1x per week. 
6.  Have a date with my wife at least 1x per month. 

As you can see, these are pretty general, but nevertheless they can open up to more specific goals.  They each reflect something about my personality and life that I can accomplish with just a slight change in my behavior.  As I announce this to the world (via this post), I hope that you as my readers hold me accountable for my actions.

I look now and realize that it's never a bad thing to always try to be a good person.  Thus, many of my goals are about become a better person, citizen, disciple, husband, and father.  Each day that I do good for someone, the better place I leave this world. 

Think about what you'll conquer in 2018.  Think about the goals that you've set aside and announce them to the world, or at least write them down and place them in front of you to see each and every day. 

Go and conquer your goals and let the world know!

What does health mean to you?

What does health mean to you?  This is a question I pose to my students as part of their final exam.  I ask this question rather than bring up several multiple choice questions because this one is personal to each and every one of us. 

So what does health mean to you?  Can you answer this question in multiple domains such as physical health, mental or emotional health, and spiritual health? 

My own viewpoint is multifaceted.  I've had varying degrees of influenc
e upon my life which has ultimately changed me, for the better I think.  I'd like to go into my own journey through health and what it means to me. 

Beginning with spiritual health, because in all honesty it's the most important element, I'd like to acknowledge my wife's influence here.  The Lord had influenced her to influence me.  Without her, I am unsure of how my path with Him would be, but what I know is that it wouldn't be where it is and where I believe it to be going.  Growing up Catholic, I don't believe I had a relationship with the Lord in the sense that I should've.  I imagine that I am not the only one, hence the various denominations that are in existence.  Now, I would consider myself Presbyterian, especially since we do belong to the local Presbyterian Church.  One thing that I would like to do to help fill a spiritual void is to undergo mission work at some point in my life.  Until then, the Lord has granted and privileged me with a different mission. 

Next, I'd like to touch on a sensitive subject, which is mental and emotional health.  Much of my life, I would consider myself to be a normal person.  Most of the time I'm even keeled, without any inkling of a disorder underneath.  However, with the knowledge, or should I say wisdom, that I've gained over my life thus far, I realize that I've battled some degree of mental health disorders throughout my life.  When I was young, we moved from New York to Pennsylvania, and when this occurred I spiraled into a depression.  Looking back, it was very strictly depression.  I'd isolate myself into my room and basically avoid any kind of social construct that would've inevitably removed the depression. 

Later, while in the Marine Corps, I had what I would look at now as acute Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).  Part of it was the combat experience, and part of it wasn't.  The reason I say acute, rather than your more "traditional" chronic would be that I don't battle this norm
ally.  There are occasions to where I'm more triggered than normal, but in recent times, this is becoming increasingly rare.  Truth be told, without the physical component, I'm not sure if the battle would've been "won."

Physical health, the thing that we most often associate with health above all things.  Generally speaking, our physical health ties into our mental health, and our spiritual health is the glue that holds the whole thing together.  The Marine Corps began my love/hate relationship with exercise.  Without that experience, I doubt I'd be anywhere I am right now.  My physical fitness is tied into my mental/emotional health and my relationship with Jesus ties it all together.  I attest that physical fitness helped for me to be where I am, and that place is much better than I'm sure the alternative would be. 

I consciously acknowledge that my genetics play a role in my decision to exercise and eat generally healthy.  My dad has had heart disease and is a Type II Diabetic, as was my grandfather.  With this knowledge, I don't want to undergo any of those.  So I lift, and I fight.  This helps for me to avoid these potential futures, and it helps my mental health as well. 

So what does health mean to you?  Does this help to guide you to answer this question for yourself?  Try to figure out how these elements of health fit into your life and you'll be all the better for it.  Just remember, your health is yours and yours alone. 

Injuries happen, and when they do.

Right now, I'm dealing with a wrist sprain.  It's on my non-dominant arm, but nevertheless it made me realize how much I use this arm in my day-to-day activities.  I also realized how stubborn I was in that it took about 3-5 people to basically convince me to get it checked out.  In the end, after some x-rays, it's sprained and not broken.

Seeing how stubborn I am regarding being injured leads me to my next point, what happens when we're injured.  If you're like I am, and injure your arm/hand/wrist, and you use it in your daily life as part of it, you need to rehab and heal quickly.  Another trainer at the gym is dealing with a similar injury, except that his is a rib injury; and, like myself, he's stubborn in resting it. 

Rest, rehab, and recovery are all important.  To some extent we can train through
or around some of it, but we don't fully recover from our injuries this way.  Sometimes we need to recover in order to rise from it better than we were before.  I am fortunately not stubborn in this area. 

I am at the point now to where my lifting is non-existent, because it hurts the wrist, and my sparring is limited.  Fortunately there, I can develop my kicks and use my dominant arm in a much greater capacity than I do, so there is a positive.  However, it still is a buzzkill because I'm limited in my choices. 

So, when you're injured, don't be stubborn like I am and wait to get it checked out.  Go ahead and take care of it as soon as you can so that you're not in a position to wait longer to get back to doing what you do.  Rest the injury, rehab (if necessary), and recover from the injury so that you may rise from it better than you were before.  

Laying the foundation. An approach to life.

In the coming weeks, I promise you that you'll begin to see "experts" on how to improve your health, fitness, nutrition, and whatever else your New Years Resolution is concerned.  However, the issue with these "experts" is that they often don't live the lives we live.  They may not have 2+ kids, work one or two jobs, own a house, etc.,  They often don't live anywhere remotely to the life that you live. 

Often on Good Morning America, Live, etc., they highlight these trainers, instructors, nutritionists, and any other health or fitness related "guru" and their "methods" in getting people back in shape after indulging themselves for a month (or the year).  Often, these exercises are complex, ballistic, or something that shouldn't be done except by the very trained.  You wouldn't think that simply jumping could be detrimental, but it often is for many people, especially if you have a few extra pounds to lose. 

Supporting your weight management, health, fitness, nutrition, etc., comes from understanding the foundatinot complicated stuff wins out in the end.  Take exercise for example, the squat is one of the simplest to perform but can move to nearly unlimited potential.  Sets of 5 feel radically different than sets of 25, and racking the bar across the front is radically different than in the back.  Nevertheless most good, if not great, training programs include this exercise. 
on and basics of each.  Simply put, the simple,

Nutritionally we talk a big game like superfoods, non-GMO, etc., but do we know what that truly means?  More often than not, the superfoods that you're not eating are plain ol' vegetables.  And the non-GMO, depending on how original it is, it's hard to define whether it legitimately is or isn't.  Take watermelon for example, we've modified it genetically by cross-breeding it over and over again with variations of it so that we get the moder
n incarnation of watermelon.  Thus, it's been genetically modified.  Did you know that?  I doubt it, because it's not common knowledge.  Take a look at the picture and see what I mean. 

Simply put, you want to change your life?  You need to change your thinking.  It doesn't have to be complex, it only has to work.  Set aside some time to do some exercise, not enough to practically kill you, but enough to start working.  Go ahead and add a vegetable to each meal, and eat it first rather than last; this will save you from eating the more calorie dense foods later.  Lastly, eat slower than you already do.  So what you can do in this case is time how long it takes for you from start to finish.  When you try to eat slower, begin with 25% slower, and work from there. 

It's the little, foundational changes, that matter.  Not any of those complex, flashy changes that last a week and you're back in your old habits.  Take the time to plan the best way for you to modify your existing habits, nothing crazy, but enough to start to make the change.  Focus on the foundation and you're in for a life of change!

Challenge Accepted: A public declaration of fitness

A week or so ago I posted about the challenge that is December.  With all of the Christmas parties, unhealthy meals, alcohol, and only God knows what, we tend to fall off the wagon and gain a pound or two.  I won't lie to you and say that I'm off the hook.  I love the deserts and foods that are associated with the holidays.

I battle my weight just like many other people.  I go through those periods to where I don't want to work out or eat well, and I basically let myself go.  Now, the one thing that I do which is unlike many, is to plan my eating and my workouts several weeks in advance.

Now with this being said, I want to publicly acknowledge of a few things I'll be doing in the forthcoming months.  With this admission, I expect you to hold me accountable as well and if I fall off the wagon, hold me to it.

First, I plan on doing some sort of bodyweight or barbell exercise every single day.

Second, I plan on improving mine and my family's eating by focusing more on vegetables and less on starchy carbohydrates (I'm pretty sure my wife's on board with this).

Finally, I plan on sharing with you at least every other week either what I've done dietary-wise or fitness-wise.

All of this helps to hold onto accountability.  By publicly declaring my intention, I now have you to help me stick to it.

I won't lie to you, this won't be easy.  There are days that we come home from work late and Chick Fil A is the easiest choice.

This was my declaration to you and the challenge to myself.  What is it that you'll be declaring to the world as a challenge to you.

The power of being nice.

The other day I was in a store getting a Christmas gift for someone special in my life and I had the opportunity to witness some really piss poor customer service.  There seemed to be only two working in the store and one of them proceeded to step in front of me without so much of an "excuse me," and then proceeded to vent to her colleague about whatever the insurmountable stress she was undergoing at that particular point.

After her vent, which I'm sure was heard by many in the store, she proceeded into the back of the store (like the back, where they store everything they need to stock; you retail people would understand that better than I can explain it).  Then the line grew.  The one woman who was particularly apologetic to those of us in line, and in the meantime she made an attempt to get the other wo
man (girl) to come out and help.  Fortunately, there were a few of us who in line with a very small amount of items.  In any case, this girl didn't know how much she showed her ass.

I bring up this story because I had witnessed some piss-poor customer service and some good customer-service.  The girl who essentially abandoned her colleague during a time when her support was vitally needed.  The woman who was helping the customers was extremely apologetic and making a wholehearted attempt to satisfy the needs of the customers. 

This story serves to give you my perspective on how the customer service industry runs.  Working in the customer service industry, this is something that we have to do all of the time.  A good rule of thumb is that we don't air our dirty laundry in the middle of the workplace.  Yes, we all have our bad times, but to allow for those whom we need to interact with for our livelihood is definitely unprofessional.

Being nice isn't all that hard.  As much as I tend to come across as an asshole (initially), I believe that I'm genuinely nice (most of the time).  I believe in going out of my way to make the members and clientele feel welcome and genuinely cared for.  Niceness can go a long way in changing a person's life. 

Even if you're having a bad day, fake it until you make it.  At some point you'll be from having a bad day to a good one, once nice thing at a time. 

Advice from a Navy SEAL? Why Not?

First of all, I'm not a Navy SEAL, which I'm pretty sure you knew that if you go back in time to one of my first blog posts.  I am a Marine, which is a different swagger altogether. 

I'm writing about this because something I've noticed a lot lately are titles like "Secrets to
success, according to a former Navy SEAL," etc.  Why is it that we are so infatuated with Navy SEALs? 

Now, I get it.  They are what we consider "elite" and an exemplary example of what we can strive to be.  But, what many do not realize is that the strength of the SEAL is in it's unit cohesion.  I admire Navy SEALs, but their "secrets" aren't really "secrets" they are just what we veterans do.  The major difference between us non-Navy SEALS (and I'm including you, the rest of the special operations community), and Navy SEALs is the specialized training that we go through. 

Now, as Marines, we have the warri
or ethos ingrained into us from before we go in.  We learn the history of the Marine Corps, the lessons of those who fought before us, and the battles that we are known for.  We are modern Spartans, which you can see by our living conditions and our tenacity to fight.  We are warriors from the beginning, we are only trained later to do other things. 

Navy SEALs are warriors too, but not before their job/rating.  Regular Navy has ratings and their mission isn't a warrior's mission.  Again, not to disrespect, but we put these sailors (yes, that's what they are) on a pedestal and we forget that there are others who live the life as well.

So now, will you read articles that says "Drivers to success, from a Marine" or will it be a turn-off?  Will you still gravitate towards the appeal of a small unit, such as a Navy SEAL or Special Forces soldier?  In the end, the difference is the mission and how it's conducted, not about the guys in the fight.  

Is 2018 the year for change?

What will your goals be in 2018? 

Will you begin 2018 with a "New Years Resolution" to lose weight, live healthier, eat better, etc.?

If you answered "Yes" to the previous question, what is your way of accomplishing these goals? 

Who will hold you accountable?

How will you be held accountable? 

How will you be guided to your goals?

What is your motivation?

What steps will you take in accomplishing your goals?

Why are you thinking of doing this?   

Who is designing your plan?  

These are all questions that you should be thinking about if you honestly plan on a change for 2018.  Do you think that the habits that you generated in 2017 (and likely prior) would just vanish for 2018?  I can honestly doubt it. 

Self reflection is something that we often do not consider, but is important nonetheless.  Look within yourself and decide whether you are truly committed to change, or if you need extra assistance.  No journey is to be taken alone.  

Why do you need a fire extinguisher?

Recently, I posted about the when we fight.  This post has more to do with the ability and use of fighting and weapons than previously. 

I bring up the example of a fire extinguisher because its something we have in our homes that we want on standby but don't actually want to ever use, because you know things aren't going well.  The ability to fight and use weapons is kind of like that, you want to have the ability but never actually want to use them. 

A fire extinguisher is there in case of emergencies, so is the ability to battle.  Many of us are complacent, content, and mindless.  The ability to fight allows for us to remain vigilant, sharp, and mindful.  The ability waits to be used, even only in practice, much like the fire extinguisher. 

So, how do we generate the motivation to learn to fight?  My reasons, and these are personal, is the thrill of the challenge.  Freestyle sparring is like working a dynamic puzzle, or high-speed chess match.  Not only are you physically challenging yourself, but mentally as well.  This type of practice can improve your fitness, body composition, cognition and problem solving. 

Each time you freestyle spar, it's like charging the fire extinguisher.  You become more prepared for what is hopefully not going to happen.  So why do you need this?  It can provide you with a fitness outlet that empowers you rather than makes you feel as if you are suffering each time. 

What is it about fitness that we succumb to the monotony of what is out there.  Try something new and charge your fire extinguisher
.  

A new challenge arises.

Last week was Thanksgiving and therefore most of us ate until we couldn't' eat anymore.  But, this was only the gateway to what we are about to contend with in December, and that is Christmas Parties (I cannot bring myself to say "Holiday" parties).  Just when you think that the eating is over, more and more come out of the woodwork to remind you of temptation.

Resisting these parties are next to impossible, there are just too many.  Between work ones, family ones, and sometimes just small get-togethers with friends, Christmas parties will be in abundance.  So we must ask, how do I stay the course on not gaining 10 lbs by 2018?  Most of the work will have to be done around those parties and around the weekends, if you're bad at
those like I am.

I alluded to a low-carb dominant diet in my previous post.  This will set the stage best for when you do have to encounter all that rich and savory food from the parties that you'll be attending.  Especially when you exercise, your body will be depleted of it's carb stores and is more likely to store those incoming ones as carbs rather than fat.  Probably the best overall strategy.

In my experience, if you attempt to resist, it will win.  Low carb diets are the best way to maneuver around those without feeling too bad about yourself later.  For myself, with the leftover Thanksgiving turkey, I can use it in a variety of ways that support a low-carb life. 

This is my strategy to embrace the inevitable eating that I will do at these parties and on the weekends when we entertain for the duration of the month.  How do you think you'll go about the month of December and it's abundant Christmas parties without increasing weight?  

How are you feeling?

It is the Monday after Thanksgiving, and, if you're like many Americans you ate more than you should on Thanksgiving Day, and perhaps the days after. 

Today is a new day.  A day to re-ignite your goals, to re-think your process.  Something to consider is, how did you feel after eating what you did?  Is is the what? or is it the how much? did I eat that matters more? 

I can say, without any doubt that I didn't eat the best over the long weekend.  We started out on Thanksgiving with a fairly hearty breakfast and concluded the day over several meats, plus the sweet and savory side dishes associated with Thanksgiving dinner, and finally capping it off with some desserts, which we had in abundance.  This doesn't even include all the alcohol, which I consumed but in far less quantities then in past years.

After a weekend full of eating, I can honestly say that I feel sluggish and sort of tired.  I only say "sort of" because I did have the opportunity to sleep in and enjoy myself, but my eating wasn't all that.

With that, my eating habits will be modified throughout the remainder of November and much of December, especially during the week.  Much of my work week will be low-carb to help accommodate and facilitate fat loss.  I'll also be spending much of the month doing as much outdoor related cardio as I can, because once winter really kicks in, there's not much time spent outdoors at that point. 

My goal is to maintain what I've worked on for much of the year.  It's not about trying to improve at this point.  Rather than fight the waves of food, I'll just ride them in and work on keeping myself upright and steady through this course.  In the end, I want to enter 2018 at a good point physically and only improve from there.  

What are you thankful for?

This will be a short post to recognize the holiday that is tomorrow.  It is the greatest eating holiday in the world, and we do it well. 

I want to just say that I'm thankful for you, my readers, for giving me the motivation and determination to continue to blog and improve my writing.  This give's me a chance to reach a broader audience in the quest to help improve lives.

I'm thankful for my clients.  Without you I don't have a purpose in my career.  What I do is for you and I thank you for allowing me to practice my craft with you. 

I'm thankful for my friends.  From those of the past to those of the present, you help me to be a better person.

I'm thankful for my family.  You motivate me and drive me to do better.  I love you.

I'm thankful for my relationship with the Lord.  My relationship has grown significantly through the past several years and without it, I am nothing and everything that I've listed before this is unattainable.  He is my rock and foundation. 

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Invoking the 80-20 rule

This week is Thanksgiving week.  Something that we all do, if you're American, is eat a lot of food in a short amount of time.  It's the epitome of excess in this country, but at the same time, many of us do reflect on what we are thankful for as well. 

Before I go into the excess and how it relates to my title, I want to say that I'm thankful for my family, my friends, my career, and my faith.  Without all of these, I believe I would not be who and what I am today.  I know that I'm still growing in all of those areas, but I also have grown a lot in
all of those areas as well. 

The 80-20 rule.  In business, this would illustrate that 80% of the results comes from 20% of the effort.  In health & fitness, this is really similar as well.  Think about how much you exercise and how many of those aesthetic (how you look) results you get from i
t.  There's not a lot is there?  For many of us, at least appearance-wise, most of the work comes from diet.  So 80% diet, 20% exercise would indicate a positive result. 

There are definite exceptions to this.  Many of the athletes I have the privilege to work with typically invoke the opposite of this, 80% exercise and 20% diet.  This is often because of the nature of the sport that they participate in, such as basketball or wrestling, in which there is a tremendous amount of exercise daily in terms of practices or competitive events (I'm reluctant to say "game" due to some of them being more appropriately entitled "match").  Obviously these individuals are an exception, but they are still there.

The rest of us though, could use the 80-20 rule to establish our physical changes.  If we spent more time devoted into identifying the foods that we eat and what we should be consuming, and less time spent mindlessly going through exercises that only allow for us to "break even" then we would reach our goals that much faster.  I cannot say that I'm innocent in this area, clearly not, but I am like most dads and married men, trying to make a living and do what's best for the family. 

Meal planning can go a long way.  It takes some work to get started, but once you have a system built, it can easily be maintained.  For those with families, this may take longer to build, but you can still get one done.  A good approach would be a protein, a starch, and 2 vegetables (not potatoes or similar, but green) at each meal.  This is simple enough, right?  So basically per person, you're looking at a chicken breast, a cup of rice or a sweet potato, a cup of broccoli and several asparagus spears. 

If you can break down your family meals this way, you can back up and begin working on the remainder.  Most of the time, my lunches are what we had for dinner either the night before or from previous nights.  I also don't usually eat breakfast, not anymore.  I find that I function better on 2 meals per day rather than a bunch.  I also don't feel hungry all that often, which isn't something that's too bad for me. 

In any case, invoke the 80-20 rule in your life.  Spend more time figuring out your meal preparation
than your exercise and you'll find the success that you need.  

Where do we go from here?

For the last several weeks I've been posting on my story, how I began my fitness journey to where I am now as a fitness & kickboxing coach.  The story was to describe my path to where I am and to perhaps guide where I'll be going, within my career that is.  Some of it was for me to lay down as a self-reflection, and it was also to tell you that no road is identical.  Many of my friends took a different path and they have their own lives, lives that they love.  Make no mistake, I love where I am now, but what happens? 

What is the next stage? 
Where do I go from here?
Who can I impact and change for the better?

These are the questions that always assault my life, at least my career life.  So for the next chapter of my career I want to focus more than I have in the years past.  Some difficulties remain where we are in the world, literally, in that we need to be adaptive and to cater to a variety of clientele.  The beauty in this is that it has given myself and my colleagues time to grow and refine our training approach and what we do well and what we don't. 

On November 27th, 2017, at 9:15 a.m., I'll be launching a group training program to bring out the inner warrior.  Unlike many programs, this is designed for women, to bring out the inner warrior. 

The program is called Amazon Fit.  Amazons are legendary warriors of mythology, an all female race of warriors. 

In this program, we'll hit everything like weights, combat training, and high intensity cardio.  In addition, we'll have supplemental workouts, in the event you cannot make the in-person workouts.  There will be dietary suggestions constructed by a Registered Dietitian.  You're health, your strength, your physique, and your mental clarity will improve. 

The combat training, the elephant in the room, will not be full contact.  It will be partner based, but more technical rather than forceful.  It will allow for you to hone your skills and learn to defend yourself against an attacker, but in a safe environment. 

We launch on 11/27.  For more information, please contact me by either martinlhiii83@gmail.com or mhubner@apprhs.org.   

Put the food in the blender and what do you get?

For the last few weeks, I've been writing about the various macronutrients, carbohydrates, fats, and proteins.  Something that many do not consider is how these things interact when th
ey enter your body, or better yet, when you start the planning process to eat them. 

When you start planning your meals, how do you begin?   Do you begin with your starchy carbohydrates?  Do you begin with your fats?  What about protein, do you lead off with this under appreciated macro? 

I'm sure, if you're anything like my family and I, you plan meals that you and your kids (if you have them) will eat.  You don't look at macros and assume that you need certain things at certain points.  Now, this approach is valuable especially when you are looking to compete or to have a more fine tuned weight management program.  Generally though, most of us think something along the lines of "I want Chipotle for supper," or "I've had a rough day and I think we're just going to make spaghetti then get the kids ready for bed."  I know in my house this is something we routinely do.

My focal point is usually the protein source.  Everything around it is secondary.  So most of the time we plan our meals our according to the meat, which is usually chicken, pork, or beef. 

This leads me to my next point, what happens when you combine foods, like normal people?  Generally speaking, your food is combined as you chew it and it enters your body (hence the "blender" in the title).  Carbohydrates begin digesting by your saliva whereas fats and proteins do not.  Once in the stomach, these foods are emulsified even further by your stomach acid (hydrochloric acid).   From your stomach, these foods enter your small intestine of which each molecule enters your blood stream by passing through the walls of the small intestine.  This a really brief version of what happens, but it's necessary to understand. 

Next, fats and carbs, both energy sources, are digested more quickly than proteins.  Fats are larger molecules than carbohydrates, plus they need assistance from the liver to be digested, whereas carbs don't need this extra assistance.  Therefore, you can see that carbs are digested first and much more quickly than proteins and fats.   These are more regularly used as energy and used quickly and efficitently. 

Fats on the other hand, take longer than carbs to digest, though not much.  These enter the blood stream next and are used as energy.  However, this energy isn't always immediately needed and likely is stored as energy for later, or our favorite thing, subcutaneous fat (the fat beneath the skin that no one likes).  In the absence of carbs, or in an energy deficit, this happens to a much lesser extent. 

Proteins, finally, are the longest to digest and when they enter the blood they are transported to where they are needed.  Proteins are much more important for structure and transport of other molecules than carbohydrates and fats.  So their overall function is radically different than the function of carbs and fats. 

To summarize, all the macronutrients are of critical importance.  Fats and carbs are energy providers, all at different times, and proteins are structural/transportation providers.  Each need to be regularly a part of your diet to be at optimal health.  Prolonged eradication of one from your diet can potentially have consequences that may be difficult to reverse.  Our foods combine to fuel and build us, not for any other reason.  

When do we fight?

If you've been following for some time, you know that I teach boxing and kickboxing.  Having the ability to fight, or better yet, to determine whether or not to fight, is a critical skill that many of us have and many of us have lost.

I credit boxing & kickboxing to controlling my emotions, specifically the anger that had built up inside of me (post Marine Corps).  It provided a laser-like focus to my energy and over time I've easily resolved many of my adverse emotions.  I've spent the better part of the last 10-15 years working on my own athleticism and technique.

My coaching is the more recent part of my life.  I've spent the last 2 years or so learning how to coach and while at times I feel effective, others I feel grossly unprepared.  Fortunately, my educational background does help in this area, as we need to evaluate mechanically a variety of movements.

Coaching boxing & kickboxing has been rewarding.  I've met some awesome people and have had some awesome opportunities to learn to coach and to coach.

Now, why do we fight?  We fight to make us better than we were.  Combat can bring out some of the best in humanity and some of the worst.  Our understanding of combat and it's application and our response to it can be applied to all situations, from a stressful presentation to an assault in the street.

The ability to fight allows for us to project our physicality, our mental toughness, and our evaluation of ourselves.  We fight to test us.  We fight to show the world that it cannot push us around.

The ability to fight is like having a fire extinguisher.  I want one around, but not to use it.  The ability to fight is the same, I want the ability to but never want to use that ability.  By not displaying the ability, we can blend into the noise that is the world.

Why do you fight?  What do you gain by fighting?  What do you learn about yourself from it?  

I have the brains..

After the Marine Corps, I attended the University of North Carolina at Wilmington pursuing a degree in Physical Education.  My original plan was to be a PE teacher and to transform young minds.  Fortunately and unfortunately I was an idealist at the time.  My intentions were great, and with the growing childhood obesity rate, my intentions were noble, but I quickly learned that it was not the smartest decision. 

From start to finish, I was in college for 3 years.  The addition of summer classes helped to speed it up.  Midway-late through my junio
r year, I was on an observation at a middle
school.  We were also given some freedom to "assist" the PE teacher.  This was the moment I learned that this was not the right route for me.  I was pretty sure that nothing good would come of me being a teacher in the conventional sense, and so I changed my major from PE to Exercise Science.  Fortunately, it was only the addition/substitution of a few classes and I was still en route to graduate when planned. 

I applied to three universities for graduate school, at this point realizing that a Master's Degree was the only correct choice.  The 3 universities that I applied to was the University of Georgia, East Carolina University, and Appalachian State University.  I was eventually accepted to all three, with a different focus at each, but my heart was to attend Appalachian State, which I ended up doing.  My original "plan" was to be a strength & conditioning coach, and in the end I"m happy that I didn't end up being one. 

Graduate school was intense but necessary.  My first year was a constant "whiskey, tango, foxtrot" of dealing with the academic rigors.  Midway through my first and second years, I was given an internship where I currently work, and it was though some family connections that allowed for it to be.  My own work ethic then allowed for me to push through and eventually become who I am today. 

I am happy that the trials and tribulations that were in my life were there.  Without these, I wouldn't be in the position that I am in today.  Without these, I cannot imagine where I'd be and I honestly don't like that idea.  My education is what brought me to my life, to my wife, my kids, and my friends.  It's an important chapter in my life and without it I wouldn't' be who I am today. 

Next week, I'll be discussing my post-academic career and how it's shaped my training style, my approach, and my philosophy.  

Fried Butter?

Mmmmmmm......butter.  In my previous posts, I've discussed carbohydrates and proteins, which leads to the third, very misunderstood, macronutrient that we all know and love, fats. 

Fats are fairly complex molecular chains that provide substantial energy to the human body.  More often than not, it's vilified because of the amount of energy that it provides, the subsequent storage of that energy, and the prevalence of it in our society.  Fats are largely built up of hydrogen and carbon atoms, much like carbohydrates, except that the chains are larger and are usually attached to a glycerol molecule. 

Depending on the type of fat, either unsaturated or saturated (or the really terrible, trans-fat), there are either double bonds in place or not.  Unsaturated fats have at least one double bond on it's molecular structure and are often liquid at room temperature (~70 degrees F).  This would mean that almost all oils such as olive oil or corn oil are some form of unsaturated fats.  Saturated fats however have no double bonds and are solid at room temperature.  Things like natural butter or coconut oil would largely consist of saturated fats.  Finally a third type of fat, one that is widely considered to be the worst kind, are trans-fats.  Trans-fats are essentially man-made fats.  It's basically taking a liquid fat, such as corn oil, and turning it into a solid fat, like butter.  Margarine is an excellent example of a trans-fat. 

Fats are needed for our survival, so it's important that we address them.  Brain & nervous system function, metabolism of some vitamins, thermoregulation (heat/cold tolerance), and even energy are all functions of fats.  Clearly, we need fats.  We, especially as Americans, have an over abundance of dietary fats and thus our bodies are predisposed to store the fats rather than use the fats as energy. 

Part of the reason that we can survive for weeks without food and only days without water has a lot to do with fats.  Our subcutaneous fats, the type beneath the surface of the skin, can provide plenty of energy when in a fasted state.  The more fat that we have to draw from, the longer we can survive in a fasted state (this is not to promote on-going starvation). 

Each gram of fat consists of 9 calories, wheras both protein & carbohydrate are 4 calories per gram.  This in-part is the size of each fat molecule, and the resulting amount of energy stored within.  This contributes to our calorie intake with a greater magnitude than both carbs & proteins and should have more attention devoted to. 

Fats are important for human life.  We need them to survive and thrive and this molecule is often misunderstood.  A low/no-fat diet has it's moment of benefit, but there are also plenty of negative ramifications associated with.  Pay attention to the fats that you consume and you'll be all the better for it. 

WrAp-Up, a molecular conclusion.

Other than the annoying way I decided to do my title, I wanted to go ahead and wrap up the whole molecular structure series that I accidentally started.  It wasn't originally my plan to go ahead with all of that, but by the time I started with writing about the various chemical compositions that are important to exercise, I felt I was onto something. 

My purpose was to educate you partially on the complexity of the human body and how it responds via diet and exercise.  Clearly, we have a lot going on that can dictate our body composition, performance, and even our moods.  The intent that I had was to show you the primary hormones and some additional chemicals that can impact what we do on a regular basis.

Going forward, I am planning on describing the end-game of physical training and healthy eating.  What do I bring to the table as a trainer and coach?  What benefits do you receive from coaching, physically, spiritually, emotionally, and mentally? 

These are some of what I plan on covering in the forthcoming weeks, mainly on Fridays, as I wrap up nutrition and my own story on Mondays and Wednesdays. 

I hope you enjoyed and learned from my molecular discussions.  Learning various hormones and compounds that can impact exercise and ultimately body composition may help you in understanding why things are the way they are.  

The path of legends.

Last week, I posted about my initial journey to exercise and what I do now.  I began in middle school and worked my way until I had enlisted in the Marine Corps.  In this post, I want to tell you how the Corps changed my life, in so many ways.

First of all, I'm not a "military brat."  My dad was growing up during the tumultuous time of the Vietnam War and only became of age after it ended.  However, he in-part, and my grandfather who was a WWII veteran did have a profound influence on me.  I chose the Marine Corps for a couple of reasons, first and foremost was that no one in my family had done it before me.  Second, Marines are usually known for their warrior mentality, their physical fitness, and their dedication to each other, all of which I needed in my life (for many reasons, at this point I don't remember them all).  Lastly, the uniform...I mean, have you looked at it?  It's sharp and honestly as a 17 year old, it was for the girls.

When I went into the Marine Corps, the main focus at the

time physically was the Physical Fitness Test or PFT.  As I write this, the Corps has modified the PFT somewhat and has added the Combat Fitness Test to the requirements as well.  The majority of our fitness training consisted of running, seemingly endlessly, pull-ups (especially when we were close to the PFT), and crunches.  If we were fortunate, we'd get some gym time thrown in there as well, but that was rare.

Aside from the platoon level Physical Training (PT), I would spend an additional 1-2 hours daily at the gym.  Looking back, I wish that I could know then what I know now and I'd be much stronger and maybe less dad-bod like than I am.  But what is is what is, and I did what everyone did at that time, consult bodybuilding magazines.  I'd spend endless amounts of time hitting the arms, abs, and chest.  I'd spend some (not much really) time hitting the legs, shoulders, and back.  I usually omitted those areas because I didn't perceive the importance of them and when they hurt, it sucked badly.

One thing that I took on the mantle of, albeit unofficially, was a "personal" trainer to some of my fellow Marines.  The good thing was that I did have some intuition at that point of what was reasonably effective and what wasn't, however it's like a small chip in the ice to what I believe I know now.  I helped my friends improve their PFT, got them dedicated to exercise, and even motivated them to change from the binge drinking and smoking that was so prominent in our lives.  While I would never consider myself as a "personal trainer" at this point in my life, it was essentially what I was doing.

This led me to want to exit the Marine Corps and pursue a college degree in Physical Education, thinking that I could motivate young minds to good fitness and healthy behaviors.  Next week, I'll talk about my undergraduate experience and how that also helped to shape my mindset that I have now.