The 4 Minutes That Will Prolong Your Life

Everyone says that life is too short, so cherish it. Once you lose a minute, or an hour of your life, you’ll never get it back. I totally agree with that. Carpe diem; Seize the day.

What if I told you that you can extend your life? Well maybe not extend it, but you can make it seem longer. What I'm about to share with you is a secret. Okay, it's not secret because many people know about it, but it's DEFINITELY something that is overlooked.
I’m going to discuss High Intensity Training (HIT) for a second. Now, when I mention HIT training, many people get a bad taste in their mouth and start to tune out. For those of you who are still with me, I’m going to discuss a very effective HIT workout, which is called Tabata training. This is a 4 minute workout that will undoubtedly extend your life. Why do I say that? Because while you are doing it, you will think that this is the longest 4 minutes of your life. So what is the Tabata workout, why is it so beneficial and how come it’s so tough?

Any exercise can be incorporated into Tabata training. However the basic outline of the Tabata training method is as follows:
• 4 minutes long (whole Tabata Session)
• 20 seconds of intense training
• 10 seconds of rest
• Total of 8 sessions or rounds

Typically this is used for cardio sessions such as a bike or an elliptical. But to make things extremely intense and fun, try to incorporate it into your weight training or even calisthenics.

To prove to you how much your life can be prolonged, try doing the Tabata workout with the front squat exercise. Only use 95 lbs on the bar. Do not get too eager and go heavier, especially the first time doing it. Follow the basic rules of Tabata with the additional rule of keeping your score. In the 20 seconds of work, count how many reps you perform for each round. The goal is to get as many reps as possible. Then record the total reps for the work out. Next time you work out, try to beat that score. There are other ways to keep score as well, but this is the simplest way. Trying to beat your total score will definitely be a great challenge.

Hope that you guys enjoy this because I just prolonged your life by quite some time.
Here is a video of my client Chris doing the work out. Check it out

To learn more about Tabata training and its origins check out http://tabatatraining.org/?p=18
Questions or comments email me at yuri@absolutefitnj.com

How Nutrition Has Direct Influence on Performance

Anyone who is serious about their health and fitness goals realizes by now that nutrition is what drives their progress. This is what sets you up for success or failure. How you prepare your meals and what you put into your system has a huge and direct effect on the work out. For example, I have a new client who is out of shape and overweight. I’ll call this client Bob. I discussed the importance of nutrition with him and everyone in his life that wants him to succeed. We have been training for 3 months now and slow, steady progression has been shown in both strength and in weight loss. Where this turned into an experiment is when I had Bob do burpees for time. Remember this is the first time that my client was introduced to this exercise, so it was expected that his first time should be the slowest, with the assumption that as this exercise is performed more often, the times should improve. So here is the work out as follows:

On Wednesday, 45 burpees took 16:45; first attempt at the exercise.
He ate a good breakfast, consisting of eggs and sausage.

The following Monday, 50 burpees took 22:06. Only 5 more burpees than the first workout and it took almost 6 minutes longer.
He felt lightheaded throughout the exercise.
He ate a poor breakfast; only had potatoes and orange juice.

Then Wednesday he performed 80 burpees for time. And since he was doing well, I decided to record the times for the 45 and 50 reps as well.
So for 45 reps, his time was 11:36, which is a great improvement from the first time doing it.
For 50 reps, it was 12:51 which is a 10 minute difference from the 50 reps 2 days prior. Finally, 80 reps for. 19:49; which crushed his time from the Monday work out by 3 minutes less with 30 extra reps of burpees.
His breakfast consisted of eggs and bacon with orange juice. A complete breakfast. All the macronutrients were present; protein, fats and carbs. This breakfast was exactly what his body needed to outperform his previous workouts, which is what’s to be expected when eating well and exercising: Improvement.

Many people exercise, but they don't realize how important nutrition is to their performance and results. Anyone can go to the gym and throw weights around, but for it to be an effective exercise program, many other aspects need to be filtered in, such as flexibly and mobility, nutrition, rest and recovery and the actual set up of the exercise program.

Train for success; don't waste your valuable time and effort at the gym.
This little experiment was a great way to demonstrate that what we do outside the gym such as sleep, rest, food and nourishment for the body is what gets us the most results especially when it comes to training at the gym.

Always go back to the basics. For a good basic guide on nutrition check out Nutrition101.

Choices We Make....

Many people dislike me for my ability to always stay slim. No matter what I eat, it’s extremely difficult for me to gain weight. Back when I was younger, I was on a "see food diet". For those of you that don't know what that means; it means that any food I saw I ate it. I was never much into junk food or fast food, because my parents raised me well by keeping me away from it, and I thank them for that, but I did have a huge sweet tooth. I used to eat lots of sweets, and so my dentist thanked me for that. Now even though I did not gain any fat, my slim appearance did not mean I was healthy. I used to get sick a lot in the winter and walk around looking sickeningly pale during those months. Not the best look.

Finally, when I started making changes in my lifestyle; sleeping better, recovering and stretching from workouts better and most importantly, eating better, my health began to improve. I stopped getting sick, and if I did, it was an extremely mild case and I would bounce back in a couple of days without using any medications. The reason I started thinking about this is because people are always looking at me and calling me a health nut or say I’m extremely lucky because of my genetics. What people don't realize is that I'm just like them. I too, love sweet things and junk food or whatever else that is bad for us, but I CHOOSE to stay away from it because I enjoy my health and my vitality MORE than the crap food. I also found out that there are many alternative ways to substitute things that I love. It has improved my performance tremendously and gives me way more energy through out the day. So I get to live a healthy lifestyle and still enjoy myself. Now that's the type of "diet" I can get behind.



To learn more about living a healthy lifestyle check out Nutrition 101.


Questions or comments email me at yuri@absolutefitnj.com

Peer Pressure

Peer-pressure is a serious thing, especially since it does not stop at the childhood or teenage years, it continues on into our adulthood. Most peer pressure is on young girls and women who see all of the magazines, the beauty products, the commercials and bulletin boards on how to stay young and good looking. Men and women in general are always bombarded with images from the media that make them feel inadequate. For a person who is out of shape and overweight, it is tough enough to be starting on the journey to better health and the look that they desire. So as soon as they start eating better, exercising and making some real progress, they go out with their friends and choose to get a healthy dish from the menu, and are looked at as a "health nut" and pretty much ridiculed or made fun of by their friends for making the healthy choice. For someone who has just begun this long journey, it can be extremely easy to succumb to the peer pressure and give into eating bad for one day, then two, then three, and before they know it they are back to where they started.

My question is when did being called a "health nut" become such a bad thing? And why do people consider being called a "health nut" a negative label? Let me tell you something; because you CHOSE to eat better and healthier, to train regularly and improve your health, you should be proud of the label "health nut". Think of it as a badge of honor that you worked really hard to get. The people that are calling you that recognize your hard work and that is why they say it. But they are a little jealous because it is really hard for them to turn down that piece of cake or the 7th cocktail that they are having at the office party. You do what you intended to do. Stay the course. Keep your goal in mind, which is getting healthier, living a better and longer life. Every time you are called a "health nut", take it as the highest compliment. Once you see things from this perspective there won't be any peer pressure for you and you will only do what you choose to do. Don't get me wrong, the peer pressure is for both women and men. For men it's mostly about looking macho and most of it stems from drinking. Who can out drink who? You would think that this behavior would be over in college. But that is just wishful thinking.

The bottom line is that no matter what kind of peer pressure you are exposed to, know that you are the one who is in control, because you are the one who chooses what to eat and what to drink. Make the right choice.

Questions or comments please contact me at yuri@absolutefitnj.com

What Am I Doing Wrong?....

I eat right and exercise a ton but I still cannot lose weight. What am I doing wrong? Sound familiar to anyone? I have been asked this question countless times and I always respond by asking some of my own questions. Everyone’s definition of eating healthy and working out properly is different. To see what my definition of health is check out my blog called “Different levels of health”. So I need to understand what their definition of healthy is. Most likely it is not what my definition is, and that is the "Aha" moment when we pinpoint the issue and can now hone in on it and fix it. What I'm getting at is that if you have been doing something for a very long time and you are not getting the results you want, the obvious answer is that it's not working for you. Whether you think you are working out hard or eating healthy, your body is telling you otherwise. Listen to it, your body does not lie. The simplest way to make a difference in your goals is to apply change in your life. That could mean better eating habits, workout routines, recovery, etc. etc. Books and well known health websites are great sources to use, (notice I did not say bodybuilding magazines because all they do is promote supplements that will magically turn you into hulk or a playboy bunny or both). If the amount of information is too much, then work with a professional who can narrow down your goals for you.

A great place to start on your nutrition is “Nutrition 101” and “Different Levels Of Health?”

Questions or comments email at yuri@absolutefitnj.com

Who Do We Need to Listen to About Health Advice...

In our society, celebrities are looked at as role models. In general, male athletes are role models for young boys and female celebrities are role models for women of all ages. Since these celebrities are looked up to, when they become a spokesperson for some sort of diet or product, or do a "health cleanse", many people follow in their footsteps.

Celebrities are just regular people who are fortunate enough to be in the spotlight. Just because they have all this money does not mean they are the healthiest, or that they make proper decisions. Oprah is a great example. She is a great person who has done so much with her life. She built a huge company from the bottom up, and has been a tremendous voice that has reached out to people for years. However, this does not mean she is the person to look to or listen to about nutrition. She has battled weight issues all of her life, always going from one diet to the next, or trying different master cleanses and exercise programs. Now mind you, this is Oprah. She has the best doctors money can buy, the best nutritionists and the best personal trainers. Yet still, for some reason, it's difficult for her to stay healthy and keep the unwanted weight off. Most of us are not fortunate enough to have all the money and help that she has, which is why we should not try to imitate the crazy diet fads that the celebrities are trying.



Keep it simple. Eating whole fresh foods is all you have to do to start your journey toward a healthier lifestyle. Do not follow crazy diets and master cleanses, because they do a lot of damage to the body. Adopt a diet that you can use for the rest of your life, and make it a part of your healthy lifestyle.

Check out Nutrition 101 and Different Levels of Health

Questions or comments eamil me at yuri@absolutefitnj.com

Malnourished

These two images have something in common. Can you guess what it is? Both of these images are of malnourished kids. They both have severe health issues, and the only way to get them healthy is by getting them nourished. Now you’re asking yourself, if they are malnourished, then why is one overweight and the other one extremely skinny?

In order to answer these questions, I will need to define a couple of words.

Nutrient- A substance that provides nourishment essential for growth and the maintenance of life. Ex, vitamins, minerals, water, etc.

Calorie- (definition that many people are familiar with) a unit equal to the kilocalorie, used to express the heat output of an organism and the fuel or energy value of food.

Every food that we eat has a specified amount of calories, but not necessarily nutrients. (Ex: processed floury and sugary foods). So the issue with overweight kids is that they are not getting enough nutrients into their body and their body is asking for more nourishment. Because they are eating crap food, such as fast food and junk food, their bodies are only receiving calories with little to no nourishment. The end result being, they gain extreme weight.

On the other hand, not only are the starving children not receiving any nutrients, but they are not receiving any calories either. This leads the body to cannibalize (eat away) its own tissues. Both of these are cases of malnourishment.

Before I defined these terms and explained how both children are malnourished, many people would never look at an overweight child or person and say they are malnourished. They would automatically say that the overweight person needs to stop eating so much and cut down on calories etc. etc.

The last thing we want to do with anyone who is overweight is to cut calories. For anyone who is trying to lose weight, listen up!! Instead of cutting calories, how about we start eating better by focusing on getting NUTRIENTS into our bodies. The most simple and most popular lifestyle out there now is the Paleo lifestyle. This lifestyle consists of meat, vegetables, fruits and....... that’s it. All of these foods are loaded with nutrients. For better nutrient content, seek out organic foods and grass fed meats.

Do the math. Let’s just say you wanted to eat a doughnut. It has 100 calories and 0 nutrients. Since the first thing we decided to do is cut calories, we now eat only half of the doughnut. Now we take in 50 calories but still 0 nutrients. There is absolutely NO nourishment for your body. Half of nothing is still nothing. So when you are trying to lose weight, don't focus on the calories. Focus on eating more nourishing food.

For more nutrition help take a look at Nutrition101Comments or questions contact at yuri@absolutefitnj.com

Live Well and Prosper

Let’s create an addictive substance, get people hooked on it and then find an expensive solution to fix it. For every health issue that we have created, others have found a solution for it, and are making a fortune off of their products and or drugs. Here is an example: smoking is an addictive substance and when people decide to quit this unhealthy habit, they have many options available to them. They can go into any local pharmacy and use many different drugs to get off the drug they are currently on, which is nicotine. There are so many different products out there; you know people are making a huge profit off of them. The same goes for illegal drugs; although rehab treatments for drug addicts and alcoholics are much more expensive. And the new epidemic/problem that many people are facing nowadays is obesity. Some treatments for obesity are: surgery to staple the stomach, liposuction, and many different diet pills and supplements.

For those who do not understand what I'm trying to get at. MANY HEALTH ISSUES AND PROBLEMS THAT WE HAVE IN THIS WORLD TODAY ARE SELF INFLICTED! People are making money off of your bad habits, and then they are making money of off you trying to get your health back. Think about that for a second. Some great advice for people who are trying to get in shape is "don’t’ get fat in the first place". This is the best advice I have ever read.

Do not contribute to drug companies, when trying to improve on your health. Seek out a professional who will work WITH you, and not just throw expensive medication AT you.
This saying by a very wise Dalai Lama sums up humanity pretty well:

Questions or comments email me at yuri@absolutefitnj.com

Nutrition 101

This article is the Holy Grail to health. For many people, just following these guidelines can make huge changes in their bodies and their health. So the first thing to eat is water. What did I just say? Eat water? Yes water is extremely important for our overall health and is important for our digestion of food, as well as the absorption and transportation of nutrients. For more details on water, check out Secret to Looking Ageless
So make sure you hydrate well.
 A good rule to follow is to drink half your bodyweight in ounces of water a day.
The second, and most important piece of advice, listen up people; make sure you only eat food that spoils within a week if not eaten.

 

The image on the left is the food you should eat. The image on the right is the food you should stay away from. Most things that come in a box are severely packaged and have a ton of preservatives in them to make sure they don’t spoil. A definite game changer; going from eating packaged foods to foods that actually have life in them.
The third piece of advice is movement or exercise. Now many might say that this is not nutrition advice, but it is. Your food is being moved around in the digestive tract, such as your small intestine and the colon, by smooth muscles. They are the peristalsis muscles that pump our food through our digestive tract, turning and mixing it so that we can absorb it. This action works best with our own natural body movement. Unfortunately, in our sedentary society, we don't move enough and our food does not get digested as much as we would like. After your meal, go for a nice calm walk for about 30 minutes. This will aid in the digestion of your food.


Follow this simple advice and you will start seeing and feeling results. If you have mastered these basics and would like to take it a step further, contact a professional and start working with them.

To get more information on how to progress even further then the basic results contact me at yuri@absolutefitnj.com

HOW TO STOP BULLYING FOR EVER!!!

This message goes out to everyone. To the kids who get bullied, to the bullies, the teachers, the parents, the coaches, the bus drivers, the janitors and anyone else I forgot to mention. When I say everyone, I mean EVERYONE! This is more of a rant than a message, but there is only so much I can take!

Here goes...
There is a new movement that started recently to stop bullying. What is that about? There was bullying back in my day, how about yours? Everyone has been or will be bullied at least once in their life. It’s part of growing up, it builds character, and it makes you who you are today. More often than not, it makes you a stronger person. What is now completely new and unheard of from back in my day (and I'm not that old) is kids committing suicide because they are bullied too much.

Are you kidding me!? Suicide? That is the solution kids are choosing because they are being picked on at school? "But you don't know how hard it is for little Timmy or little Jimmy. He is always being picked on." I hope no one tries to defend the act of suicide. As I said before we have all had to deal with bullies and some of us still do. Some people have to call their bully “boss”.

First off, if you have enough balls/guts/will power/ planning to commit suicide, you better have enough balls/guts/will power/ planning to stand up to the bully. Take self defense classes, karate, wrestling, or pay a bodyguard to walk around with you. Anything is way better than the alternative (which was suicide). Fight the bully back, run away, tell a grown up, I don't know, but live another day and you will figure out what to do.

So stop bullying? Really? It's like saying stop breathing. It's the natural selection, Darwinism. The strong dominate the weak, you don't like being the weak become the strong. What we need to do is stop babying the kids.

What is this bullshit of everyone who plays a sport gets a trophy? When I grew up you worked your ass off to get a medal or a trophy and you were proud as hell of it to! You remember the day you got it, who was hurt, how you did, what you ate, where you were and how the weather was. You remember every detail of that day because you worked hard for that medal and you earned it. Now kids get medals just for showing up? Really? What does that teach them? That if you show up in life and you get a medal? That does not teach them lessons in life such as motivation, determination, hard work, sacrifice or any other lessons, and there are many more. You are robbing your kids of self confidence and self esteem. They don't cherish those trophies. Get them to compete and make it matter. You would be surprised at how much kids understand.
We just watched the Super Bowl. How great would it have been if both teams had won? If they all got trophies and rings? Did you see how happy the winning team was after meeting their goal? After getting what they had worked so hard for? You are robbing these kids of success in their younger years. Then when they get to middle school, when grades and scores actually matter, they are in for a rude awakening.

This brings me to another part discipline. There is no discipline at school, no discipline on a playing field, and no discipline at home, but hey, let's stop bullying because that is the problem. Discipline these kids; teach them that there are consequences for their actions. You won first place, you get a medal; positive action, positive reinforcement. You got in trouble, you need to be punished. My definition of punished was getting a beating by my parents. Then while I was wiping away my tears and my snot, I had to stand in the corner of the room, still most likely crying, until they told me otherwise. Did that happen often? No. But the fear of that stayed with me forever and made me think twice before I decided to do something bad. Definition of present America’s punishment is to send them to the room, where they have TV, video games, computers, you name it, and they have it. That's NOT punishment. Let's take it a step further. You take away their TV, video games, and computer for a week. Wow what discipline that is! What did they learn from that experience? They learn that if they get in trouble, you will just take away some of the luxuries that you gave them.

A great example: a kid graduates high school; his parents buy him an expensive car. He crashes the car. His parents go and buy the kid a less expensive car. LESSON LEARNED. Unbelievable! This may or may not have been someone I knew.

Stop bullying? .............

Well, my rant made me feel a little better. But every time I see the stop bullying thing I get mad again. Is it because I was bullied and I have some underlying issues that I need to resolve? Or is it the fact that this soft society is fighting the wrong battles and is making things worse?

All I know is that if I see posts or comments about stopping bullying, I'm posting my rant right underneath.

Comments? Email me at yuri@absolutefitnj.com

Mysteries of Cholesterol (Part 3)

In Part Two of the Mysteries of Cholesterol, we discovered that the actual culprit of heart disease and many other major illnesses is chronic inflammation. Inflammation is our bodies’ protective mechanism that is activated anytime any tissue sustains any type of damage.

What causes inflammation and how do we treat it/diminish it?


Causes of inflammation include:

Food allergies and sensitivities that may not present with heavy symptoms.

Having bacterial, viral, fungal infections.

Stress is a major contributor of inflammation;

Mental, psychological, chemical, and environmental.

Physical stress- too little exercise: such as lack of movement, or too much exercise: overtraining.

Exercise always leads to a mild case of inflammation because you break down and tear your muscles while exercising, and then repair to make the muscle bigger and stronger. That is why overtraining is extremely counterproductive. When there is too much inflammation, the muscle tissue is not repaired and the organism stops progressing, usually leading to illness or injury.

Nutrition- Too little good sugar, protein and fat and too much of bad sugar, fat and protein.

Let’s not forget all the processed foods/grains and sugars.

Lifestyle- drinking, smoking, too much consumption of sodas and other caffeinated drinks, too much caffeine.

Most if not all the inflammation processes is from the choices that we make. Which is great news means that we have the power to lower the inflammation ourselves without any help from drugs.

Now a couple of ways to lower inflammation the natural way:

Get good quality sleep!

If you do not exercise, start to do so, preferably strength training. If you currently exercise, then take a look at your training regiment and make sure you are not over training.

(Signs of overtraining: lack of energy throughout the day, not enough sleep, training 7 days a week unless you are a professional athlete is way too much, getting ill all the time, not making progress in the gym etc...)

Start making healthy lifestyle choices: cutting down on alcohol consumption, smoking etc… Tackle one lifestyle choice at a time because too much change is a huge stress on the body. Start with adding whole foods back into your diet; such as vegetables, fruits and meat. Increase your intake of good quality fats. Lower the consumption of processed grains and sugars. And learn to deal with life stresses by either meditating, breathing techniques, massages, etc...

What happens when cholesterol levels are lowered to low? Lots of body functions cannot proceed the way they are supposed to, since cholesterol is needed for every cell in the body. There are also numerous cases that show that with a cholesterol level that’s too low, there are more incidences of cancer. So do not be afraid of the yolk in the egg, or red meat, and coconut oil. This food has helped us survive for thousands of years before the chemists decided to make our food "better" by processing everything.

Finally, let’s discuss what to get tested for when getting your blood work done.

Obviously they will look at your total Cholesterol and your LDL and your HDL. If the number is above three hundred, that is a definite indication of severe inflammation in the body and time to make lifestyle changes to fix that. The other thing that will be tested is the triglycerides. That is a great test because if triglycerides are too high, anything above 200, and that number is not the best approximation, that means that you are consuming way too much processed food in your diet and it’s time to start limiting it or taking it out of your diet altogether. High Triglycerides have been shown to increase the risk of heart issues, which is definitely something to look at. And a great test that many physicians neglect to test for is the actual test for inflammation in the body. The test usually used to determine if you have chronic inflammation is a C-reactive protein (CRP) blood test. Your CRP level is used as a marker of inflammation in your arteries.

Generally speaking:

A CRP level less than 1 milligram per liter of blood means you have a low risk for cardiovascular disease; 1 to 3 milligrams means your risk is intermediate; and more than 3 milligrams is high risk. There are a couple of things that can raise this test level, such as being pregnant and birth control pills. This is a great test, but again all it will tell you is whether or not you have huge amount of inflammation in the body. It will not tell you where and what is inflamed. This test needs to be asked for, since most of the time it is not offered unless the physician suspects tissue damage or bacterial infections.

To sum up: When getting tested, take a look at your Triglyceride levels and get the CRP blood test. These will be an indication of the inflammation in your body. When the physician decides to prescribe you a cholesterol lowering drug, remember whether the risk is worth the reward, and whether this drug will help in lowering the inflammation in the body. Begin with making positive lifestyle changes and start lowering the stress in your life, or learn how to deal with the stress.

If you know of anyone who is on cholesterol medication, please share these articles with them:


Mysteries of Cholesterol Part 1 Click Here
Mysteries of Cholesterol Part 2 Click Here


Resources

http://labtestsonline.org/understanding/analytes/crp/tab/test

http://bodyecology.com/articles/inflammation_cause_of_disease_how_to_prevent.php

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/08/10/making-sense-of-your-cholesterol-numbers.aspx

http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/08_04/b4068052092994_page_2.htm



Comments or questions contact me at yuri@absolutefitnj.com

Mysteries Of Cholesterol (Part 2)

Now that we know what cholesterol is from Part One of my cholesterol article, lets discuss why it’s so important and how we should treat it, if at all.


Unlike the popular belief of modern medicine, cholesterol is not the bad guy. As mentioned before, cholesterol is part of every cell. We need it for our survival.

A prime example of how important cholesterol is; breast milk. From the first day that babies are born, they start consuming their mother’s breast milk. That is their sole food source for the first 4-5 months of their life, until they can start eating baby foods. So what is actually in breast milk? Water, carbohydrates, protein, vitamins and minerals, and more than half of it is fat. Fat that is loaded with cholesterol. This cholesterol is needed for proper brain development and for all the other cells in the body. As you can see, in the evolutionary process, we as humans have adapted the highest possible way to survive. Everything that is provided in a mother’s breast milk is there in order to make sure that infants grow into a big strong babies or toddlers ready to consume regular food.

Question: Why is cholesterol viewed as the enemy and often lowered with medication?

There are a couple of answers to that question. The first being that it is a great scapegoat for physicians and a great profit making machine for drug companies. Why is it such a profitable market? Because we all produce cholesterol, and since we all have it, it is extremely easy to test for it in our blood and set a "norm" for what the total cholesterol should be, then start lowering it with medication.

Here is a history of normal cholesterol levels and how they were established:

As stated by medical world, the normal cholesterol levels should be lower than 200; With LDL "bad" levels being lower than 100 and HDL "good" being higher than 60. These are the new stats after they changed them in 2004, when the LDL level was 130. This change was voted on by a board or doctors to lower the standard, with 8 out of 9 of those doctors also making money from the drug companies that were making statin cholesterol-lowering drugs. This brings us to our current state: Our war on cholesterol. Let's lower this evil substance until there is nothing left. Now let's see if the cholesterol lowering drugs help in preventing heart attacks.

"The second crucial point is hiding in plain sight in Pfizer's own Lipitor newspaper ad. The dramatic 36% figure has an asterisk. Read the smaller type. It says: "That means in a large clinical study, 3% of patients taking a sugar pill or placebo had a heart attack compared to 2% of patients taking Lipitor.

The numbers in that sentence mean that for every 100 people in the trial, which lasted 3 1/3 years, three people on placebos and two people on Lipitor had heart attacks. The difference credited to the drug? There was one less heart attack per 100 people. So to spare one person a heart attack, 100 people had to take Lipitor for more than three years. The other 99 got no measurable benefit. Or to put it in terms of a little-known but useful statistic, the number needed to treat (or NNT) for one person to benefit is 100.

Compare that with say, today's standard antibiotic therapy to eradicate ulcer-causing H. pylori stomach bacteria. The NNT is 1.1. Give the drugs to 11 people, and 10 will be cured." One out of 100 people is helped by taking this drug! And the commercial on tv claims that it is 36% effective? Wow that is something.

A great question comes to mind. "Is the risk worth the reward"? In this instance, no it is not.

What is the connection of High Cholesterol and inflammation of the body?
Definition of inflammation - the reaction of living tissue to injury or infection characterized by heat, redness, swelling, and pain.

Chronic levels of Inflammation are now being recognized as one of the leading causes of heart disease. Cholesterol is being blamed for this.

An example that best describes inflammation is when you get a cut. The inflammation process is activated, and that is what helps us heal.

Specifically during inflammation:

-- Your blood vessels constrict to keep you from bleeding to death.

-- Your blood becomes thicker so it can clot.

-- Your immune system sends cells and chemicals to fight viruses, bacteria and other "bad guys" that could infect the area.

-- Cells multiply to repair the damage.


Ultimately, the cut is healed and a protective scar may form over the area.

The image below shows how inflammation is the first and second step of the healing process.

The process of inflammation is activated when our arteries sustain damage, forming scar tissue called plague. The reason why cholesterol is called upon is to repair the damaged cells. Remember that without cholesterol no repairing can be done.

Finally we get to the root of the problem; inflammation. It would be a better idea to lower the inflammation, since that is the cause of high cholesterol, instead of taking medication to lower cholesterol which is causing more inflammation in the body.

In my next article, I will discuss how to lower the inflammation of the body and what to test for when getting blood drawn.

For those who missed Mysteries of Cholesterol (Part 1) CLICK HERE.

Resources.

http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/08_04/b4068052092994_page_2.htm

Sally Fallon. Nourishing Traditions

http://www.crestor.com/c/your-arteries/manage-cholesterol.aspx?WT.mc_id=CRTCC13181&source=CRTCC13181&utm_medium=cpc&utm_source=google&umedium=cpc&uadpub=google&utm_campaign=U_Cholesterol&ucampaign=U_Cholesterol&utm_content=Levels/Numbers&ucreative=Levels/Numbers&utm_term=cholesterol%20levels_Phrase&pkw=cholesterol%20levels_Phrase

www.articles.mercola.com


Questions or comments email me at yuri@absolutefitnj.com

Mysteries Of Cholesterol (Part 1)

The topic of cholesterol is widely misunderstood but is a major concern for people. Since it’s such a huge topic, I’m going to discuss it in a series of articles. I want everyone to understand the information, but don’t want to overload you with it all at once. I will keep these articles short and to the point so that they are less confusing.


What is cholesterol? And why is it around if it’s so bad for us? As modern medicine will tell you, there are 2 types of cholesterol:

High-density lipoprotein, or HDL: This is the "good" cholesterol that helps to keep cholesterol away from your arteries and remove any excess arterial plaque, which may help to prevent heart disease.

Low-density lipoprotein, or LDL: This "bad" cholesterol circulates in your blood and, according to conventional thinking, may build up in your arteries, forming plaque that makes your arteries narrow and less flexible (a condition called atherosclerosis).

Triglycerides and lipoproteins also make up the total count of your cholesterol.

Triglycerides: Elevated levels of this dangerous fat have been linked to heart disease and diabetes. Triglyceride levels are known to rise from eating too many grains and sugars, being physically inactive, smoking cigarettes, drinking alcohol excessively and being overweight or obese. (Do any of these symptoms sound familiar in this day and age?)

Lipoprotein (a), or Lp(a): Lp(a): is a substance that is made up of an LDL "bad cholesterol" part plus a protein. Elevated Lp(a) levels are a very strong risk factor for heart disease. This has been well established, yet very few physicians check for it in their patients.

So now that you know the definitions, where does cholesterol come from? Well 75% of cholesterol is made in the liver. It's found in the bloodstream and is responsible for every hormonal change in our body. Cholesterol is also part of any cell membrane repair, and is extremely important for neurons.

So then when more then 3/4 of our cholesterol is produced in our own body, why do most physicians tell you to limit eggs? Is there more cholesterol in that egg than we produce in our bodies? Instead they would recommend eating processed cereal that will magically lower your cholesterol levels (we will discuss why we may not want to lower the cholesterol in the first place, most likely in the next blog).

Myth number one, BUSTED! According to the way conventional medicine defines it, there is no good or bad cholesterol.

Ron Rosedale, MD, who is widely considered to be one of the leading anti-aging doctors in the United States, does an excellent job of explaining how the cholesterol differs.

"Notice please that LDL and HDL are lipoproteins -- fats combined with proteins. There is only one cholesterol. There is no such thing as 'good' or 'bad' cholesterol.
Cholesterol is just cholesterol.
It combines with other fats and proteins, to be carried through the bloodstream, since fat and our watery blood do not mix very well.
Fatty substances therefore must be shuttled to and from our tissues and cells using proteins. LDL and HDL are forms of proteins and are far from being just cholesterol.
In fact we now know there are many types of these fat and protein particles. LDL particles come in many sizes and large LDL particles are not a problem. Only the so-called small dense LDL particles can potentially be a problem, because they can squeeze through the lining of the arteries and if they oxidize, which means they turn rancid, they can cause damage and inflammation.
Thus, you might say that there is 'good LDL' and 'bad LDL.'
Also, some HDL particles are better than others. Knowing just your total cholesterol tells you very little. Even knowing your LDL and HDL levels will not tell you very much."

So the total score of your cholesterol levels and your LDL and HDL do not tell you the whole story. In my next blog, I will discuss how to read your medical test and what to get tested for.


Questions or comments email at yuri@absolutefitnj.com

Happy Valentines Day. My Gift to You...

Valentine’s Day: a day of love; of sharing and caring. Well I have some love and some sharing to spread, and a gift to give to all of you. That gift is knowledge. And my dear friends, knowledge is power (if it is applied). After the information I present to you today, I'm sure that you will apply this power. In my search for better health, I have come across a bunch of fun facts on how the food industry, how to put this lightly, does not give a damn about the well being of anyone, as long as they make money. Here is an example of what I'm talking about.


"Another unpublished experiment was carried out in 1960. Researchers at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor were given eighteen laboratory rats. These were divided into three groups: one group received cornflakes and water; a second group was given the cardboard box that the cornflakes came in and water; the control group received rat chow and water. The rats in the control group remained in good health throughout the experiment. The rats eating the box became lethargic and eventually died of malnutrition. The rats receiving the cornflakes and water died before the rats that were eating the box! (The first box rat died the day the last cornflake rat died.) Furthermore, before death, the cornflakes-eating rats developed aberrant behavior, threw fits, bit each other and finally went into convulsions. Autopsy revealed dysfunction of the pancreas, liver and kidneys and degeneration of the nerves of the spine, all signs of insulin shock. The startling conclusion of this study was that there was more nourishment in the box than in the cornflakes. This experiment was designed as a joke, but the results were far from funny." for the rest of this article Click Here.



For those of you who did not want to read the lengthy article, I will sum it up for you. There were three groups of rats. One group was given cereal, the second the cardboard the cereal came from and the third, rat chow. All three groups were given water as well. The group that received the cereal died the fastest. This basically means that the cardboard has more nutritional value than the cereal that is in the box. BOOM! That's some heavy knowledge being dropped on you. Digest this for a minute. Now you will look twice at the box of Cheerios that claims that it lowers cholesterol. Or is it heart disease? They can claim anything they like on these boxes, and they do.



Here’s more information that some of you may enjoy; most breads, muffins and other processed packaged floury substances that people buy have cellulose added to it. Cellulose is wood chips. So basically we are eating the cardboard that the cereal came from. Here is a great article on Cellulose that was in the Wall Street Journal.
There are tons of others, just type in ‘cellulose in food’ in your favorite search engine and you will get tons of hits.



Knowledge is power. How will you use yours? Share this with your loved ones. Prevent them from eating cardboard.



Comments and questions contact me at yuri@absolutefitnj.com

Life Lessons

Found this great story thought I would share.

When things in your life seem, almost too much to handle,
When 24 Hours in a day is not enough,
Remember the mayonnaise jar and 2 cups of coffee.

A professor stood before his philosophy class 
and had some items in front of him.
When the class began, wordlessly,
He picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar
And proceeded to fill it with golf balls.

He then asked the students, if the jar was full.
They agreed that it was.

The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured
them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly.
The pebbles rolled into the open Areas between the golf balls.

He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.

The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar.
Of course, the sand filled up everything else.
He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous 'yes.'

The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar, effectively
filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.

'Now,' said the professor, as the laughter subsided,
'I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life.
The golf balls are the important things - family,
children, health, Friends, and Favorite passions – 
Things that if everything else was lost and only they remained, Your life would still be full.

The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, house, and car.

The sand is everything else --The small stuff.

'If you put the sand into the jar first,' He continued,
there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls.
The same goes for life.

If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff,
You will never have room for the things that are important to you.

So...

Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness.
Play With your children.
Take time to get medical checkups.
Take your partner out to dinner.

There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal.

'Take care of the golf balls first --
The things that really matter.
Set your priorities. The rest is just sand.

One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the coffee represented.

The professor smiled
'I'm glad you asked'.

It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem,
There’s always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend.'

Prepare For The Super Bowl

Are you ready for some football? Super Bowl Sunday is almost here! That means junk food, fast food, and all the beer you can handle. Meanwhile, Monday morning, you wake up with a food and alcohol hangover and you don’t even remember the game.

Well I have a couple of ideas to make your Super Bowl experience more enjoyable. You can host it at your house and still serve all your favorite foods, but just make it a healthier version of them.


For your main dish, which is most likely chicken wings, make them yourself instead of buying them fried in God knows what. You can either bake them or grill them, and top it off with the sauce of your choice. Make sure the sauce does not have too many ingredients on the label and that it is not too calorie dense, because that's how calories sneak up on most people.



What kind of super bowl party would it be without chips? Here is a recipe to make your own. Take sweet potatoes or yams and slice them up extremely thin. Coat a baking pan with coconut oil and then place the slices in the pan. Make sure that each yam is making direct contact with the pan. This will take lots of surface area, so it would be better to have more than one pan in the oven, otherwise you will be making many batches. Preheat oven to 400 degrees and place the pans in the oven. They should not cook for more than 10 min. If you want a bit more flavor, sprinkle Celtic sea salt on top of them. MAKE SURE TO KEEP A CLOSE EYE ON THEM BECAUSE THEY WILL BURN QUICKLY IF YOU DONT TAKE THEM OUT IN TIME. They come out delicious because of the coconut oil. You won't be able to buy anything of that quality and taste at the store.



For the dip, good old guacamole will do. The better and fresher the ingredients, the better the food tastes.



If the weather is nice and you decide to grill, you can grill up some burgers, and use eggplant slices in place of the buns. Slice them up thick enough for you to hold it as a bun, throw them on the grill and enjoy a nice tasty burger. (It really does taste great).



Baby carrots and celery sticks are always a crowd pleaser. As for the dip, good quality humus will do.



For dessert, make a party fruit platter. If you don’t have the time to make one, then you can always buy one.



Now since this is the Super Bowl, I know that there will be drinking involved and the most common beverage consumed is beer. Since I know nothing about beer, I have included a great link to an expert on the subject. She wrote a specific blog for the Super Bowl so that you can enjoy the best tasting beers during the big game. Check out this blog entry “It's Better with Beer”. This blog has lots of beer information and lots of good healthy recipes as well.


If anyone has any other great ideas on what to make for the Super Bowl, please comment below.



Questions or comments email at yuri@absolutefitnj.com

Fail Proof Way To Achieve Success

How much closer are you to achieving your New Year’s resolution or the goal that you set on January 1st? I ask because it's February 1st, which means, one month has gone by since you made your New Year’s resolutions. That's 31 days, 744 hours or 44640 minutes. Now that's a lot of time!

If you are still in the same predicament as you were in a month ago, then it's time to ACT. STOP PROCRASTINATING!! If it’s extremely difficult to start on your own, then seek out professional help. It's always easier to start something new with a professional who has been there and has done what you are trying to do.



The most typical New Year’s resolution is to lose weight or get in shape. A month has now gone by, and if all you did was join the cheapest gym in the neighborhood, but have failed to go, then it’s time to switch up your tactics. Work out with a friend who can get you motivated, or find a privately owned gym or studio near you, where you can work out with professionals either one on one, or in a group setting. Begin educating yourself on the subjects that will help you achieve your goal. Whatever it is that you choose to do, ACT now.



For a great motivational story read, “Which Wolf Do You Feed”.



As for me, I have done what I said I was going to do. I have been growing my business and learning more and more in my field. I have cut down on watching television, which gives me more time to expand my knowledge. I kept up my promise of blogging at least once a week, and I still keep my work area and my room clean (which is still the hardest thing by far).



The best thing about achieving a goal is that you can always create a new goal to reach for. This makes life more exciting and at the same time, you continue to evolve.



Any questions or comments contact me at yuri@absolutefitnj.com

Different Levels of Health

Here are some levels of health from the worst to the best. Be truthful with yourself and find out exactly which health category you are in. Once you have the answer, your goal should be to get to a better, healthier level.




Fast food and junk food. Eating out at fast food places or when eating at home, eating meals out of a bag, such as chips, frozen dinners, cookies, everything extremely processed. In this category huge alcohol consumption may be added.



Junk food. This level means that you’ve limited your fast food to a couple times a year. But you still have your junk food at home. Ex: cakes, pies, cookies, candy, chocolate, sodas, store bought juice.



Processed food, but without junk food. This means that the junk food from the previous category is gone, but you are still eating lots of processed foods. Processed foods are any foods that come in a box. For example: cereals, breads, pastas or foods that most people consider carbohydrates. (There is more to carbohydrates than these processed ones, look below for answers.)



Switching off to whole foods. You’re starting to eat mostly whole food. This means eating whole vegetables and fruits, meat and fish. Everything is cooked and prepared at home.



Whole foods Raw. Eating mostly whole foods, but instead of cooking your vegetables, you’re eating them raw. Same goes for the fruit. Raw vegetables have a much higher nutrient content than cooked, making it more nutritious for the body.



Whole foods organic. Same as eating whole foods, but you’re slowly switching to organic.



Whole foods organic raw. You’re eating mostly organic with all of the vegetables and fruits raw. Meat can be raw if you choose.



Some of these categories may overlap. That’s fine. The whole goal is to get as much nutritional value out of your food as possible; well that’s my goal anyway. What is yours? To learn more about why nutrients are important, read Surviving or Thriving.



Any questions contact me at yuri@absolutefitnj.com

I Go On Vacation 12 Times A DAY...

How often does an average American go on vacation per year? One week? Two weeks? Maybe a month, if you’re lucky. How would you like to go on vacation multiple times a day? This is not some fast scheme marketing program, this is for real. Watch this 2 MINUTE VIDEO. If you don't have 2 minutes then you can fast forward to the 1 min and 30 second mark.

Now I know that is not the vacation you were thinking of, but this vacation may be even better for you than most vacations you take now. It does not require any packing, traveling, money expenditure or anything else that comes along with going on vacation. Don't get me wrong, I'm not knocking going on vacation, I'm just saying there is now a better way for you to do it all the time. Mental vacations are a must, especially if you have a stressful job. And I know we all have stressful jobs at one point or another. This vacation will help us cope with those stresses. One of my favorite vacations is a 2-3 day outdoor camping trip where I unplug from the world. I turn off my phone, throw it in the back of the tent, read a book and relax. Gathering wood for the fire, catching fish so that we have food to eat, and preparing food over a real fire also helps me relax. I go to sleep when it gets dark and I wake up when it gets light. This recharges me mentally so I can get back to the real world and tackle all the things I need to get done. EVERYONE needs their own daily mental vacation. Come up with a great mental vacation and comment below to give other readers some great ideas.



P.S. this mental vacation can be used to help you relax before going to sleep.

Contact me with any questions at yuri@absolutefitnj.com

Difference between surviving and thriving.

All living creatures do whatever they can to survive. Lions hunt and kill for survival, not knowing when they will feed again. This goes for many other predators as well, even herbivores, which eat plants in order to survive. The sole intent of all living creatures is to survive, and to do so long enough to reproduce. Come to think of it, this is our basic need as well. Survive and have offspring. But since we are humans and are on top of the food chain, shouldn’t we want more than just the need to just survive and reproduce? Our goal is to survive and to thrive while doing it. That means that we should not be eating processed foods that shorten our life span and that are linked to certain diseases. To top it all off, low sperm counts in males are at an all time high. Now this maybe embarrassing for some people to discuss, but it's a huge problem when you cannot reproduce. Not only are you not thriving you are not even surviving.

So which do you prefer?

To survive (dictionary definition):

1. To remain alive or in existence;
2. To carry on despite hardships or trauma;
3. To remain functional or usable.

We as a society have started failing to meet criteria 1 and 3 of the definition.

To thrive (dictionary definition):

1. To make steady progress; prosper;
2. To grow vigorously; flourish.

Next time you are presented with a choice of working longer hours so that you can buy that fancy car, or picking up fast food because it's more convenient, ask yourself if that is helping you to survive or to thrive?

Start living your life so that you can thrive. Wake up every morning pain free. Have more energy throughout the day. Enjoy physical activity that requires you to move, such as walking, hiking, snowboarding, surfing or any other activity that you choose. Start enjoying life. Make it your priority to thrive in this world.

Contact me at yuri@absolutefitnj.com

Distractions And Excuses

We all have things that we must do daily that sometimes we are not so eager to do. That something for me is chores. Today I had to vacuum and mop the floors in my house, a task that should have taken about an hour. I managed to prolong this grueling ordeal, taking 2 to 2.5 hours to finish it. It took me so long to complete this task because I got distracted way too easily. In the time that I was doing my chores I checked my emails 3 times, and answered some of them. Then I checked my texts and phone calls about 4 times. I found any and every excuse to distract myself from the task at hand. I’d rather answer my emails then finish the chores. I found distraction everywhere. It was way too easy.

At the end of last year I had said that I would increase my blogging to at least once a week, and so far I have more then delivered. I used to find it difficult to come up with my blog topics and it was hard to find the time to sit down and write them. I have been doing it for about a month now, and it's become part of my pattern to sit down and get my thoughts down on paper. Ever since then, the topics are coming to me more easily. The only thing that changed from then until now is the fact that I apply all of my energy to writing my blog while I'm writing it. That keeps me focused, and prevents me from becoming easily distracted. Now I enjoy doing something that not even a month ago I found so difficult.

How do you minimize the distractions and excuses that you come up with? No matter what task you are doing; whether it's cooking, shopping, working, training, your nutrition, even chores, put 100 % of your energy into whatever your task is. If you do this for 2 weeks, it will become part of your daily pattern. My dad always says "if you are going to do something, fully commit to it and do it right" (this was spoken to me in Russian but carried the same message). This advice comes easy to us for the things that we like to do, but extremely difficult when we need to get out of our comfort zone and do the things that we don’t like to do.

Get out of your comfort zone more often. That is the only time that we grow as human beings.


Contact me with any questions at yuri@absolutefitnj.com

F*ck Calories

How easily are you offended by bad language? How interested are you in learning the proper way to view food and how to eat? The reason I ask these questions is because I recently read the EBook called Fuck Calories. The author uses a bit of profanity, but I think that it portrays the message more than taking away from it.

This EBook is a great read, and should only take you an hour or so to read. I’m a slow reader because I take my time reading and digesting everything that I read, taking in as much information as possible. Also, English is my fourth language, so reading and writing takes me longer than most. What does that have to do with anything? The point that I'm trying to make is that if an immigrant like me can read this EBook in one hour, then all of you at home should have no problem polishing off this easy to read guide book. No Excuses! Even if you read 5 minutes each night before you go to sleep, you will be done by the end of the week. Take the time to learn, take the time to better yourself. Those 5 minutes spent reading can be more important than anything else you might be doing at that time.

Follow the link; give them your email address, and bam! Download and learn. Once you’ve downloaded the EBook you can unsubscribe from any future emails from them if you choose to do so.

Enjoy the read. I’m looking forward to hearing your opinions on this EBook.
http://www.stumptuous.com/fuck-calories

Contact me at yuri@absolutefitnj.com

SOPA and PIPA Fail!

I would like to take a second to thank the Internet. Do you know how lucky you all are to have this wonderful invention at the tip of your fingers? Think about this, not even 20 years ago, if you needed to find information on something, you went to your local library. Now anything you need is on the web, all you have to do is type what you’re looking for into a search engine. Books can be downloaded right to your computer or delivered straight to your door. That way of life was threatened recently by the SOPA and the PIPA. I just want to say thank you to all of you that fought to make sure that this information remains free.

But just like anything else, when something good happens, there is always the bad that comes along with it. Since the internet is so readily available to everyone, everyone has an opinion. Now, that's not necessarily bad, but then we are bombarded with a ton of information and it's extremely difficult for us to figure out which is a reliable source and which is not.

So it is my job to sift through all the material that’s out there and provide you with the best sources. But don't just take my word for it. Do your own research. Question everything and everyone. Form your own opinion.

Feel Free to contact me with any topics that you would like to be discussed at
yuri@absolutfitnj.com

What Is Your Excuse?

My grandmother is 86 years old. She still goes out every morning or afternoon for at least a 20 minute walk and soaks up the sun rays if it's sunny out.

Many NEW studies show that if you walk for 20- 30 min a day 3 times a week, your cardiovascular system improves, and the likely- hood of developing other diseases decreases as well.
The reason why I have the word NEW capitalized is that it’s not a new study at all. This information has been around for ages. When you exercise more, you become healthier. This is especially important for the elderly. Walking is a low impact exercise, especially if done outside, and it can recharge the body the mind and the soul. (If you do not know what I'm talking about, take a nice peaceful walk on the beach, in the park, in a forest, or in the mountains. Wherever you think you would enjoy it the most. You will see how at peace you are afterwards). My grandmother does not know about all these new studies. She goes for a walk because she knows that she feels better when she does.

Watch this short 10 min video to see one of the scientific studies. This is beautifully illustrated and simply explained.


Feel Free to contact me with any topics that you would like discussed at
yuri@absolutefitnj.com

What should I eat when I don't have the time?

I have had this question asked of me by many people: What should you eat when you are unable to eat for a long period of time because of the nature of your work? Well, it’s time to give you guys the answer. Here is the exact question I recently received. "Here’s a topic that I would find interesting because of my job schedule. I normally don't eat dinner until 9pm because my normal hours are 2-9 during the week, and I am running around teaching classes or talking to customers. However, on Friday, I eat at around 6 because I work 7am on Saturday morning. How can I work a nutrition schedule into a weird schedule?"

I'm going to answer this question specifically, and then give a general answer to the rest of you out there that also have a tough schedule. Since you do not start work until 2 pm, you should have eaten at least 2 meals at home before going in to work. The next question I will ask is whether or not you have time to go to the bathroom. This sounds silly, but certain jobs don't give you enough time to even do that. If you get bathroom breaks, then take a good bar/shake with you to the bathroom and eat it there. I happen to like Larabars. They taste good and use few ingredients. Any other good organic bar would do the trick also. I would keep away from meal replacement bars or protein bars, because they are all processed garbage with tons of sugar. Basically they consist of all calories and have no nutritional benefit. I also mentioned shakes. Shakes can be bought or made by you. The following is the recipe for the shake that I make myself: I use 2-3 raw eggs, raw milk, and banana. That's the basic recipe. If I feel like adding more flavor to it, I add raw nuts and sunflower seeds, organic strawberries and raw honey if I want it sweeter. I look for the best quality ingredients to add to my shake. If you don't want to go through all the trouble of making your own shake, then buy a good quality organic shake. Read the labels to make sure it's beneficial for your body, not just empty calories and sugar. Again, I would keep away from ALL meal replacement shakes or protein shakes.

Basically this all comes down to preparation. Prepare yourself for success, and you will succeed. Eating a meal late at night is not a problem. The key is to make sure that you are eating throughout the day. If you skip all your meals in the beginning of the day, and then have one huge meal at night, your body will start storing fat.

If anyone has any good suggestions regarding the bars or shakes that you use, please comment below.

If anyone has any specific questions that they would like answered, please ask away at yuri@absolutefitnj.com

Flinch

When someone jumps out at you, do you jump? Do you get scared? Do you flinch? If so, then that is your defense mechanism working, protecting you from harm. This defense mechanism is in our genes. It is what has helped us survive when we were cavemen and cave women. It is what causes our reflexes to adapt to a quick CNANGE in our environment. Although now we tend to flinch at any small CHANGE, this is where the problem lies. We flinch at anything that is out of the norm for us, such as public speaking, talking to a person of the opposite sex, trying new things etc. We are too comfortable in our little bubble that we call a world, and are afraid to take a leap of faith. Anyone who has ever been mentioned in the history of mankind had conquered their flinch and lived their life the way they saw fit.

I got the term flinch from a great book called The Flinch. It's a fantastic read that challenges you mentally to break away from your nervous habits that are holding you back. This book was recommended to me by my friend Rob, who is a coach at Absolute Fitness. As I mentioned in my earlier blogs, make sure you surround yourself with people you admire, people that you can learn from and people that will teach you to achieve greatness.

If for any reason you are not totally 100% happy with the way your life is right now, read this book. It's a brand new year. Dare to make positive changes in your life. Is this book going to solve all your problems? Hell no. It will show you many doorways and many windows, but you yourself will have to do the work in order to walk and climb through them.

This is a free Ebook on amazon. Download, read, and learn.

Feel Free to contact me with any topics that you would like discussed at
yuri@absolutfitnj.com

Definition of Definitions

Much thinking has gone into the creation of the name New Redefined Wellness. The average individual does not know what this stands for. Therefore, I will break down the name into small parts in order to fully explain to you what it means.

New Redefined Wellness

New: something fresh, of an unknown origin. Basically, no one has ever heard of it before.
Redefined: giving a new or different definition.
Wellness: the state or condition of being in good physical and mental health.

These are all dictionary definitions.

Now, what it means to me:

New Redefined Wellness.

New: There is nothing new to what I'm offering. My logic and expertise comes from what is actually old and ancient ways of living. It has become so old that it died off and has been resurrected. Confused? Well, what I advise people on, is how they are supposed to eat. The best diet is one that is filled with whole foods, fresh good quality meat, and very little or no grains. This is how we used to eat before scientists and chemists decided to "improve" on Mother Nature by designing lots of heavy processed foods.

Redefined: I simplify the facts and explain them from many different perspectives in order for you to fully understand how nutrition and exercise should be practiced. Because of the many conflicting diet plans and exercise programs out there, many people become extremely confused as to which is the best and most effective regiment. Being healthy does not mean it has to be difficult. And it is not.

Wellness: Merging the entire body, mind and spirit as one. It is accomplished through stress management, exercise, proper nutrition, sleep/rest and much more.

When these words are defined separately they do not make much sense. But when combined together they form the New Redefined Wellness- Educating on a simpler, more effective, pain-free lifestyle.
Contact me at yuri@absolutefitnj.com with any questions

Positive Thinking Challenge

Positive thinking: I mentioned that everyone should do an exercise to help change the negative thoughts into positive thoughts. I explained that as soon as you get a negative thought; substitute it with an opposing positive thought. If you can do that exercise for 30 consecutive days, you get one on one personal training with me, for a month. You have 90 days to complete this challenge. If at any point you have a negative thought and it's not replaced right away, you restart your count from day zero. Since there is no way for me to track whether or not you did this positive thinking exercise for a full 30 days, I will be using the honor system. Please keep in mind that is extremely difficult to fake being positive.

Trust me, if you do this exercise, whether you do it for 30 consecutive days or not, it will still benefit you. You will start noticing what type of thoughts you are having, and for once in your life you will have control over them.