Contraindicated Exercise

Contraindicated Exercise is one of the most over-used terms leading to a lot of misconstrued information in the fitness industry. In reality, there are very few exercises that are truly too high risk to perform. Rather the contention is caused by people incorrectly performing exercises, biomechanical defeciencies, and chronic diseases that creates the greatest risk of performing most exercises. But the epidemic decline of good health in the U.S. has prompted many industry authorities in the fitness & health field to label a number of valid exercises as contraindicated. This is often done under the pretense that if there is a significant number of persons that can't properly perform an exercise without pain, than it should be scraped. A perpetuated example of this line of thinking is communicated by trainers who routinely tell their clients that sit-ups are bad for their back, and performing abdominal crunches should be opted for instead. How much sense does this make when the human body is clearly well designed to perform hip flexion movement? The reasoning for this poor advice stems from the knowledge that many people experience lower back pain while attempting to perform sit-ups. But what these trainers fail to realize is that the exercise in of itself is not bad. More times than not; the result of lower back pain is simply exsposing the fact those afflicted participants performing the sit-up exercise have weak lower back muscles, tight hamstrings, poor core conditioning, and or a skeletal, nuerological, or muscular injuries.

Understandably, it is humanistic yet erroneous to assume that if a person gets hurt while excuting a particular exercise, than the exercise is bad. Though past injuries are a good predictor of future injuries; a different person performing the same exercise under different circumstances could successfully complete the movement without injury, and derive benefits from the exercise.

The human body not only thrives, but needs healthy amounts of applied physical stress in all full range planes of motion to survive well. Therefore, very few exercise movements are dangerous and out of bounds. The most inherent risk of exercises comes from contraindicated people attempting to execute them.

Do You Run 2 Box, Or Box 2 Run?

The bell has just rung ending the second round of an eight round bout. Each step you take towards your corner is like a death march through quicksand. Finally, you drop down on a stool that emerges from under the bottom rope of the ring and slump your back against the corner pad. Your lungs are on fire seared by your own heavy heated breaths that neither let you hear nor speak. Sweat pours down your brow, blurs your vision and stings your eyes, while your heart pounds in your chest like a Morse code for an S.O.S. The few drops of water provided to you evaporate on your tongue. Simply put, you’ve hit the wall.

Even the most talented and skilled athletes will find themselves at a loss for energy without the right training applicable to their sport. Boxers like the one described above are no exception to this fact. What I’m about to say next will probably raise the eyebrows of a few boxers and their coaches. If you’re a competitive fighter running daily distances of over five miles as part of your conditioning work you’re wasting your time and effort. Right about now, you may be thinking to yourself that some of the greatest boxers in the sport ran long distances. This may be true, but it doesn’t mean they were conditioning their bodies in the best possible way. One of the objectives of most athletes is to have their bodies perform at the optimal level needed for their sport; how an athlete trains has a lot to do with that. While running long distances may help a boxer “float like a butterfly,” it definitely won’t make him “sting like a bee.”

Let me ask a question, and then answer it. Is boxing an aerobic sport or an anaerobic sport? It’s both. Casually stated, aerobic exercise is repetitive movement over a long period of time in which working muscles burn glucose with the presence of oxygen. In contrast, anaerobic exercise involves explosive movement over a short period of time in which working muscles burn glucose without oxygen. A fighter has to be in a constant state of readiness able to attack or defend in a split second. Bobbing, weaving and stepping around the ring reflect a boxer’s aerobic capacity. Quick flurries, power punching, and shoulder butts reflect a boxer’s anaerobic capacity. Fighters fluctuate between these two energy systems during the course of a bout at a furious and rapid pace for extended periods of time with just brief rest between confrontations. So a vital key to success is to be able to maintain high energy expenditures without prematurely exhausting before the conclusion of each round. The solution is to interval train at high intensities to increase the fighter’s Anaerobic Threshold (AT). Thus, boxers running marathon distances is no more helpful to them than a figure skater taking batting practice. I’m not saying that a boxer shouldn’t run at all, rather they should run short distances at a fast pace. And as a side thought, somewhere there might be a figure skater that plays in a recreation softball league, able to switch hit and bat .357.

Now, what is AT, and what does it have to do with stamina in the ring? Let me begin with a very simple review of physiology. I’ve already explained that muscles can systematically burn glucose for energy through aerobic and anaerobic processes. These systems produce a temporary energy store called Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP), which is the only fuel a muscle can use to produce work. In comparison, the anaerobic system provides energy for heavy short-term work while the aerobic system fuels light to moderate long-term work. A fighter going for a knockout with an all-out barrage of punches requires a great deal of power output; this type of effort uses the anaerobic system. In an anaerobic state energy is quickly available but rapidly depleted, and lactic acid builds up as a waste product in the muscle (often referred to as the burn). This in turn inhibits muscle contraction and the assault comes to a halt. The working muscles will recover after a brief period of rest; that’s the good news. The bad news is that boxers aren’t afforded rest during a round, unless they’re given an eight count or get knocked out. Movement around the ring requires a steady output of power using the aerobic system. Aerobic pathways don’t generate the explosive power of the anaerobic but they do operate at a higher level of efficiency and endurance. Throughout the course of a bout a fighter’s body uses different proportions of both these systems. As the tempo and intensity of punches and movements shift often the production of energy is right at the cross-over between aerobic and anaerobic. AT is the point at which lactate (lactic acid) begins to accumulate in the bloodstream. Boxing at a moderate pace utilizes both systems. The anaerobic: aerobic ratio is low enough that lactate in the muscle is easily removed and doesn’t build up. As the action speeds up eventually the production of lactate produced by the anaerobic system becomes greater than its removal.

The AT varies from person to person. Untrained individuals have a low AT (approximately 55% of VO2 max), while elite endurance athletes enjoy a high AT (approximately 80-90 % VO2 max). VO2 max refers to your maximal rate of oxygen consumption. The disparity between trained and untrained individuals can be summed up by this statement: your body will function the way you train it. The human body is very adaptive and resilient in dealing with healthy amounts of applied stress. The body needs and thrives off of meeting the challenges of continual physical conditioning. Now, just being fit won’t guarantee victory inside the ring but it will give you a better chance to succeed. As the saying goes, “the more you sweat, the less you bleed.” With hard work you can train your body to remove lactate more efficiently from the muscles and super-charge the aerobic mitochondrial enzymes, thus raising the AT.

Interval training (which is a repeated series of high intensity exercises alternated with rest periods), is one of the best ways to push yourself into a lactate burden state, forcing your body to adapt. Now, before you say, “Great! I’ll interval train everyday,” let me dispel that notion. Over-training is just as bad as under-training, and this type of exercise should not be done everyday. High intensity interval work is tiring. I have seen athletes lose the contents of their stomach over the matter, myself included. In other words, incorporate interval training into your workouts with common sense and at a slow to moderate progression. Just be consistent and determined, and you should have no trouble elevating your AT. With six to eight weeks of training you should be able to box at higher level intensities for longer periods of time than you ever did before. Eventually, you’ll still reach your AT, but the ceiling of opportunity will be a lot higher.

When it comes to selecting the exercises in your interval training, there is a lot of room for diversity and creativity. Just remember the exercises you select should reflect the skills and movements you need to excel in your sport; in this case, boxing. If you take the fundamentals of boxing (i.e. punching, skipping, bobbing, stepping weaving, ducking, sliding, slipping and blocking) and incorporate dynamic explosive movement to it, you can create many different interval drills.

One of my favorite interval exercises for boxers is as follows. Take an aerobic step and make it one to three risers high. Then straddle the step short-side, your feet should be about shoulder width apart. Jump up to the top of the step with both feet taking off and landing at the same time, then immediately jump back down to the floor in straddle position again. Follow your landing with a straight left punch and a straight right punch. Repeat this sequence ten to twenty-four times for two to five sets, and rest thirty seconds between sets. Try to transition through the exercise as quickly as possible without sacrificing form. To add variety and intensity to this exercise there are at least a couple things you can do. Do the exercise with sixteen- or eighteen-ounce gloves and hand wraps, and have someone stand in front of you to receive your punches with a pair of mitts. Or try throwing different punches or punch combinations for every set (set one: jabs, set two: hooks, set three: upper-cuts, set four: crosses, set five: jabs, hooks, upper-cuts, crosses combination). It’s that simple to create interval drills. Just think about the skills you want to develop and choose exercises that cater to your specific needs. Remember to select exercises that are safe and appropriate for your fitness level and make sure they are bio-mechanically executed correctly.

How do you determine when your workouts are pushing your AT? With a few workouts under your belt you’ll start to feel stronger when approaching and being in your anaerobic zone, and it won’t be just your imagination. However, there are exercise tests such as the Conconi test that estimate your AT, and hand-held devices that with a pinprick of blood can measure the exact concentration of lactate in your bloodstream. But here is how I determine my AT. When I can punch sixty minutes straight on the heavy bag only stopping briefly for water every fifteenth minute to avoid dehydration; I know I’m hitting it on all cylinders. That’s the equivalent of twenty consecutive rounds at three minutes a piece. This way I’m ready for a war; even if it turns out to be just a battle.

Exercise Your Music Muscle

It's been said that music soothes the savage beast. But when it comes to working out, it can help unleash the dragon. There is a human tendency to workout harder and longer when people exercise to their favorite tunes. Music helps distract people from the physical discomfort of a strenous workout. But not all types of music will red-line your engine; only the tunes and genre of music you really like. For example, the only thing a folk song is going to do for me in the gym is have me call it a day and roll out.


Here are 20 of my favorite tunes I like to bump in my ipod when I'm about to "Tear The Roof Off The Sucka!"

1. Rock Star - N*E*R*D
2. Knuckle Up - Sammy Sam
3. We Ready - Archie Eversole
4. 99 Problems - Jay-Z
5. Harder To Breathe - Maroon 5
6. Troublesome 96' - 2Pac
7. Fighter - Christina Aguilera
8. Shackles - Mary Mary
9. Unleash The Dragon - Sisqo
10. Burn Rubber - Gap Band
11. This Is The New Shit - Marilyn Manson
12. The Slave Who Became A Gladiator - Hans Zimmer & Lisa Gerrard (Gladiator)
13. Thunder - Prince
14. Lose Yourself - Eminem
15. Trina Moe - DMX
16. Da Rockwilder - Method Man & Redman
17. Home Alone - R. Kelly
18. Some Like It Hot - Power Station
19. Baby Got Back - Sir-Mix-A-Lot
20. Five Minutes Of Funk - Whodini

New Year's Weight Loss

If You're Planning To Lose Weight In The New Year, Experts Say "Think Sleep"

By Tracee Cornforth

If you are like millions of other Americans, your number one New Year's Resolution is probably to lose weight; however, whether you succeed or not may depend on how much good sleep you get each night. According to recent studies published in the Journal of the American Medical Association and the Lancet, sleep loss tends to increase hunger and affects the body's metabolism making it difficult to maintain weight loss or lose weight.

A hormone called cortisol which controls appetite has been shown to be affected by sleep loss. This causes you to still feel hungry despite the fact that you have consumed an adequate amount of food. Other ways that sleep loss affects your ability to lose and maintain weight loss include:

Interference with carbohydrate metabolism which may cause high blood glucose levels.
Excess amounts of glucose encourages the overproduction of insulin which leads to the storage of excess body fat, as well as lead to insulin resistance (a significant sign of adult-onset diabetes.
According to Michael Thorpy, MD, director of the Sleep-Wake Disorders Center at Montefiore Medical Center in New York, "Sleep loss is associated with striking alterations in hormone levels that regulate the appetite and may be a contributing factor to obesity. Any American making a resolution to lose weight in the New Year should probably consider a parallel commitment for getting more sleep."

An estimated 40 percent of Americans promise to lose weight in the New Year; however, almost 90 percent of those who responded to a nationwide survey reported either occasional or no success losing weight. In fact, nearly half of the respondents reported losing very little weight or, unfortunately, gaining weight instead.

How Sleep Loss Affects Body Weight

Not only does quanity of sleep affect weight, loss of sleep quality can also affect your weight. An example of this is seen in the fact that decreased amounts of restorative deep or slow-wave sleep have been associated with significantly reduced levels of growth hormone. Growth hormone is a protein that helps the body regulate the proportions of fat and muscle in adults.

"Sleep loss disrupts a complex and interwoven series of metabolic and hormonal processes and may be a contributing factor to obesity," said John Winkelman, MD, Ph.D., medical director of the Sleep Health Center at Brigham and Women's Hospital and assistant professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. "What most people do not realize is that better sleep habits may be instrumental to the success of any weight management plan."

Sleeplessness in America

Are you getting enough sleep? If you are not, you are not alone. According to a poll sponsored by the National Sleep Foundation, only 30 percent of adults reported getting eight or more hours of sleep on weeknights; while 52 percent reported getting eight or more hours of sleep on weekend nights. For many of you, this lack of adequate sleep may be elective in order to increase your work or free time. A majority of respondents to the poll also suffer from sleep disorders which affect both the quantify and quality of their sleep. Almost three quarters (74 percent) experienced at least one symptom of a sleep disorder on two or more nights each week. Insomnia was defined as having any one of the following symptoms:

difficulty falling asleep
waking often during the night
waking up to early in the morning and being unable to go back to sleep
waking up in the morning feeling unrested
Over half (58 percent) of the poll respondents reported at least one symptom of insomnia on two or more nights of the week.

"People who experience sleep disturbances for more than a few weeks should see their doctor," said Thorpy. "In addition to making behavioral and lifestyle modifications, there are newer prescription sleep medications that can help individuals fall asleep quickly and increase their total sleep time with minimal next-day effects."

Adjusting your sleep habits will help you to lose weight in the New Year, or anytime, according to sleep experts. Here are a few tips that can help you keep your weight loss resolution.

1. Don't eat right before bed, but make sure you've eaten a good dinner so you don't go to bed hungry.

2. Regular exercise is key to weight loss; however, make sure you exercise at least three hours before you go to bed.

3. Find a relaxing bedtime routine and stick with it--it could be something as simple as a warm bath or reading a book (a really boring book such as a how-to manual is almost guaranteed to put you to sleep fast).

4. Caffeine, cigarettes, and alcoholic beverages don't help you sleep, in fact they may actually make sleep impossible, so avoid these substances late in the afternoon and evening.

5. Don't take a daytime nap if you have trouble sleeping at night.

6. Make your bedroom a pleasant place for sleeping. Set your thermostat to a temperature you find comfortable and make your room as dark and quiet as possible.

7. If you have been trying to sleep for 30 minutes and are still awake, get out of bed. Go in another room and do something relaxing until you feel like you are sleepy enough to go to sleep.

8. See your health care provider if sleep problems continue for more than a few weeks, or if sleep loss interferes with your daily life.

Source: PR Newswire

The Joy Of XBOX

XBOX HALO 2

There is nothing better than throwing away precious hours of my life, by allowing my intellect to take refuge in the blissfully mindless task of playing video games on my XBOX. Few things compare to the joy of parking myself in front of the television screen with controller in hand preparing to due battle with aliens that threaten to wipe out the existence of all mankind. Thanks to me and my highly evolved combat skills, Earth is a better place to live. You can't imagine how many times I've had to save middle class suburbia from extinction. But it is probably best I didn't tell you, the truth would only scare you. For instance, last Friday we came pretty damn close from not seeing Saturday. Would that have been a tragedy to work all week, just to have your weekend go flat-line? But not to worry, I opened up a six-pack of whoop-ass, and laid into their mutant behinds quite nicely. It wasn't easy though, those over-sized lizards came by the billions. You would think that with all their technology, they would have developed some means of birth control. Oh well, they're 10 million short now, I don't expect another attack until June. When they do come back, I will be ready for them, and armed with the latest in rapid-fire wireless controllers. I see no reason why I should not be able to preserve the sanctity of the free-world from the comfort of my bed. This way I'll be able to enjoy good lovin' and video games at the same time.

Nothing beats the XBOX except the XBOX 360!

239 Ways To Burn Calories & Reduce Fat

• 
  
  
  
  
  Activity & Calories/Hour
  
  1. Archery 266
  2. Auto Racing 610
  3. Backpacking w/0 load 495
  4. Backpacking w/11 lb 528
  5. Backpacking w/22 lb 573
  6. Backpacking w/44 lb 601
  7. Badminton casual 401
  8. Badminton vigorous 597
  9. Baking 143
  10. Barbequing 180
  11. Baseball Fielder 229
  12. Baseball Outfielder 241
  13. Baseball Pitcher 344
  14. Baseball Catcher 327
  15. Baseball Practice 565
  16. Baseball Game 600
  17. Baton Twirling 556
  18. Billards (Pool) 172
  19. Bookbinding 155
  20. Bowling 393
  21. Boxing - competition 908 (my personal favorite)
  22. Boxing - sparring 589
  23. Calisthenics Warm-ups 303
  24. Calistneics Stretching 286
  25. Canoeing - 2.5 mph 180
  26. Canoeing - racing 450
  27. Car Washing 286
  28. Card playing 102
  29. Carpentry general 221
  30. Coal Mining - drilling 385
  31. Coal Mining - supports 360
  32. Coal Mining - shovel 442
  33. Cooking 192
  34. Cricket Batting 340
  35. Cricket Bowling 368
  36. Cricket Fielding 314
  37. Croquet 245
  38. Cycling - 5.5 mph 259
  39. Cycling - 9.4 mph 421
  40. Cycling - racing 700
  41. Dancing - casual 393
  42. Dancing - moderate 425
  43. Dancing - extreme 548
  44. Dancing - ballroom 213
  45. Dancing - choreographed 425
  46. Dancing - lambada 687
  47. Dancing - modern 348
  48. Diggin Trenches 593
  49. Drawing - standing 147
  50. Eating - sitting 94
  51. Electrical Work 232
  52. Farm - barn cleaning 552
  53. Farm - driving tractor 560
  54. Farm - feeding cattle 348
  55. Farm - feeding animals 266
  56. Farm - forking straw 565
  57. Farm - milking by hand 221
  58. Farm - milk by Mach. 94
  59. Farm - shoveling grain 356
  60. Fencing - practice 319
  61. Fencing - competition 622
  62. Field Hockey 548
  63. Fishing 254
  64. Food Shopping 278
  65. Football Competition 540
  66. Forestry - ax chop - slow 348
  67. Forestry - ax chop - fast 1215
  68. Forestry - bark trees 503
  69. Forestry - carry logs 761
  70. Forestry - fell trees 540
  71. Forestry - hoeing 372
  72. Forestry - hand plant 446
  73. Forestry - saw by hand 499
  74. Forestry - power saw 307
  75. Forestry - stack wood 364
  76. Forestry - trim trees 528
  77. Forestry - weeding 295
  78. Frisbie 413
  79. Furriery 344
  80. Gardening - digging 515
  81. Gardening - hedging 315
  82. Gardening - mowing 499
  83. Gardening - raking 221
  84. Golf - with cart 311
  85. Golf - carry clubs 356
  86. Gymnastics 295
  87. Handball 589
  88. Horse Grooming 524
  89. Horseback - galloping 560
  90. Horseback - trotting 454
  91. Horseback - walk 176
  92. Horseshoes 278
  93. Housework - floor mop 254
  94. Housework - dusting 250
  95. Housework - laundry 254
  96. Housework - windows 290
  97. Housework - vacuuming 250
  98. Hunting 360
  99. Ice Hockey 655
  100. Ironing Clothes 155
  101. Jazzercise - casual 397
  102. Jazzercise - moderate 450
  103. Jassercise - extreme 556
  104. Jog (17 min/mile) 397
  105. Jog (16 min/mile) 421
  106. Jog (15 min/mile) 438
  107. Jog (14 min/mile) 470
  108. Jog (13 min/mile) 507
  109. Jog (12 min/mile) 544
  110. Judo 802
  111. Jump Rope (70 min) 663
  112. Jump Rope (80 min) 671
  113. Jump Rope (125 min) 724
  114. Jump Rope (145 min) 806
  115. Jump Rope (110 rpm) 524
  116. Jump Rope (120 rpm) 556
  117. Jump Rope (130 rpm) 581
  118. Karate 802
  119. Kendo 794
  120. Knitting/Sewing 90
  121. Lacrose 614
  122. Locksmithing 241
  123. Lying at ease 90
  124. Mach. Tooling - machining 196
  125. Mach. Tool - lathe 237
  126. Mach. Tool - Press 360
  127. Mach. Tool - drill 266
  128. Mach. Tool - welding 213
  129. Mach. Tool - sheet metal 196
  130. Marching - vigorous 581
  131. Masonry 319
  132. Mopping Floor 245
  133. Mountain Climbing 650
  134. Motorcycle Riding 565
  135. Music - accordian 131
  136. Music - cello - sitting 168
  137. Music - conducting 401
  138. Music - drums - sitting 270
  139. Music - flute - sitting 143
  140. Music - horn - sitting 119
  141. Music - organ - sitting 217
  142. Music - piano - sitting 164
  143. Music - trumpet - sitting 127
  144. Music - violin - sitting 184
  145. Music - woodwind - sitting 131
  146. Paddle Ball 728
  147. Paddle Tennis 704
  148. Painting - inside 139
  149. Painting - outside 319
  150. Painting - scaping 262
  151. Planting Seedlings 286
  152. Plastering 319
  153. Printing Press Work 147
  154. Racquetball 732
  155. Rollerblading - casual 540
  156. Rollerblading - fast 638
  157. Roller Skating - casual 475
  158. Rowing - skull - casual 409
  159. Rowing - skull - vigorous 736
  160. Rowing Machine - moderate 491
  161. Rowing Machine - extreme 736
  162. Running (11 min/mile) 556
  163. Running (9 min/mile) 794
  164. Running (8 min/mile) 884
  165. Running (7 min/mile) 998
  166. Running (6 min/mile) 1137
  167. Running (5 min/mile) 1186
  168. Sailing - casual 180
  169. Scrubbing Floors 450
  170. Scuba Diving 941
  171. Shoe Repair - general 188
  172. Sitting Quietly 90
  173. Skateboarding 475
  174. Skiing - casual 491
  175. Skiing - moderate 589
  176. Skiing - powder - casual 430
  177. Skin Diving - casual 843
  178. Skin Diving - vigorous 1129
  179. Snorkeling - 376
  180. Snowshoeing - powder - 430
  181. Snowmobiling 307
  182. Soccer 556
  183. Softball 286
  184. Squash 867
  185. Stair Step (6" bench) 556
  186. Stair Step (8" bench) 614
  187. Stair Step (10" bench) 663
  188. Stair Step (12" bench) 736
  189. Standing Quietly 115
  190. Steel Mill - felting 364
  191. Steel Mill - forging 409
  192. Steel Mill - hand roll 560
  193. Steel Mill - rolling 593
  194. Steel Mill - remove slag 728
  195. Steel Mill - furnace 515
  196. Steel Mill - tip molds 376
  197. Stock Clerking 221
  198. Surfing 348
  199. Swim - back stroke 691
  200. Swim - breast stroke 663
  201. Swim - butterfly 704
  202. Swim - crawl - casual 524
  203. Swim - crawl - vigorous 638
  204. Swim - side stroke 499
  205. Swim - tread - casual 254
  206. Swim - tread - vigorous 695
  207. Table Tennis 295
  208. Tailor - cutting 168
  209. Tailor - hand sewing 131
  210. Tailor - Mach. sewing 184
  211. Tailor - pressing 254
  212. Tennis - singles 450
  213. Tennis - doubles 385
  214. Tennis - competition 597
  215. Treadmill (2.0 mph) 213
  216. Treadmill (2.5 mph) 262
  217. Treadmill (3.0 mph) 311
  218. Treadmill (3.5 mph) 352
  219. Treadmill (4.0 mph) 401
  220. Typing - word process 115
  221. Typing - manual 131
  222. Volleyball - casual 209
  223. Volleyball - vigorous 597
  224. Walk - road outdoors 327
  225. Walk - field outdoors 335
  226. Walk - grass track 335
  227. Walk - plowed field 323
  228. Walk - on beach 344
  229. Wallpapering 196
  230. Water Skiing 491
  231. Watch Repairring 106
  232. WT. Train - free weight 352
  233. WT. Train - hydraulic 540
  234. WT. Train - Nautilus 376
  235. WT. Train - Universal 475
  236. Window Cleaning 245
  237. Wrestling - competition 794
  238. Writing 123
  239. Yoga 254
  
  
  
  

Time For Some Action

Well, 2007 is quickly approaching and numerous persons will make promises to themselves to better their lives in some shape, form, or fashion. Undoubtedly, the majority of these promises will be vastly unkeeped. Approximately 80% of all New Year's resolutions are never realized. Among these unfulfilled goals is improving health & fitness. It is the same revolving promise that has taken a backseat to busy work schedules, and hectic family lives for weeks, months and years. Many a determined soul will head to their local gym this January with lofty goals for changing their bodies. But if good intent was enough to get everyone into great physical condition, than approximately 33% of the adult population and 15% of children over the age of six in the U.S. would not be labelled clinically obese. In addition, recent studies suggest that 2/3 of the population may be considered overweight. Not only can obesity lead to well documented chronic diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease; it is a condition often accompanied by emotional and social distress.

As they say, "only the strong survive" and long before 2007 ends, a large portion of the gym population will have dropped off. Bless their hearts for giving it the college try. Maybe it will be of some consolation to know the gym ownership will be thanking them for their monthly donations.

Now, those who manage to persist past the blooming of the Cherry Blossoms will not necessarily be better off. Time in the gym does not always equate to time well spent. The casual gym-user who quits an exercise at the threat of a bead of sweat starting to form is clearly deluding himself or herself into believing that they are actually taking an active role towards their health. Yeah, something is better than nothing, but not by much.

If you are serious about making a commitment to your health, than the first step you need to take is getting your mind right. Getting your mind right means prioritizing yourself. Stop using the excuse that you don't have time to exercise, because of your commitments to work and family. If your health starts to severly fail, you won't be able to direct much attention to either one of those important enities. Taking time to take care of yourself doesn't make you a bad husband/wife, parent, or employee; it makes you a better person emotionally, physically, and mentally. Life is full of important tasks to keep all of us busy around the clock, playing and laughing should be among them. Rest assure no one ever looks back at the end of their life and says, "I should have worked more."

So here is a plan of action for making good on both old and new promises:

Step 1 - Vision

Successful people know what they want out of life. They constantly seek and engage in activites that give passion, purpose, and meaning to their lives. People who are certain about what they want to accomplish are six times more likely to succeed in making positive significant life changes, than those who are not. Thus emphasizing the importance of clarifying one's goals. Conversely, those that are ambivalent and conflicted about their goals are more likely to:

1. Experience depression & anxiety;
2. Be less happy & satified with their lives;
3. Experience more physical illnesses, & doctor's visits;
4. Be indecisive, uncertain & rebellious;
5. Spend more time thinking about their goals; and
6. Spend less time taking action toward their goals.

To uncover the true motivation of a goal, you must answer the question "why?" Keep asking yourself "why" until you have identified a specific reason(s) to act. Then you can establish appropriate goals for modifying your behavior.

Step 2 - Strategy

Throughout the years I have witnessed countless gym members wandering aimlessly through the gym, clueless. They sporadically go from one piece of exercise equipment to the next with no rhyme or rhythm to what they are doing. Consequently, these are the same gym members that have been working out for years, but look the same as they did the first day they walked through the door.

Lofty visions without a compelling strategy to accomplish specific goals can lead to self-pity, hopelessness, and inconsistency. Successful people are flexible thinkers who engage in both higher level visionary thinking, as well as lower level strategic thinking. These people tend to accomplish more than those who think at either level alone. Properly setting your personal goals channels effort in the right direction, thereby boosting motivation while enhancing performance. After setting well refined challenging goals people tend to think longer, harder, and more creatively about how to accomplish them. Believe it or not, there are innovative methods to manage family, work, and other time restraining obstacles and allow time for exercise. Where there is a "will" there is a way.

Goals should be: specific, measureable, aggressive, relevant, time-bound, and approachable.

Many published studies have documented that specific, challenging goals result in better performance than easy goals, no goals, or simply trying to do your best.

Measuring progress allows you to analysis whether the strategy you are employing is significantly moving you toward achieving a specific goal. This in turn encourages steady progress by minimalizing the tendency to measure success in all-or-none terms. It is important to have short-term goals leading up to long-term goals, so that you stay motivated and persistent.

Be aggressive, setting aggresive goals tends to accomplish more than setting modest goals. Setting goals at the upper end of your ability will elicit much more effort, than setting goals that are easily achieved; making success that much sweeter.

Goals should be relevant in that they outline specific actions consistent with your vision or ideal. People strive toward goals with greater enthusiasm, consistency, and confidence, when doing so brings them personal satisfaction. This leads to enchanced performance, perseverance, creativity, and self-esteem.

Achieving a goal is also heightened by setting a specific time-frame in which the various parts of a plan are to be executed and completed, both long-term and short-term. Otherwise, achieving long term success may seem too arduous a task to tackle. This can produce feelings of "why bother, I'll never be able to do that."

Finally, goals should be approachable in that they focus on desired ends to move toward, rather than negative states to avoid. Being desciplined should not be about what you are losing, but what you are gaining.

Step - 3 Belief

You have to believe in yourself and the decisions you make for your life. Pulling from my martial arts experience, I'll share with you this ancient quote. "Destiny is decisions within the space of 7 breaths. It is a matter of being determined and having the spirit to break right through to the other side." However you define belief, it is one of the most powerful prodictors for change and success. If you believe you will be successful, you will be more likely to:

1. Work harder, achieve more and perform better in many different areas such as academics, sports, career, relationships and keeping New Year's resolutions.

2. Be happy, while effectively tackling problems of depression, anxiety, burnout, alcoholism, smoking, and obesity.

3. Set more goals, and set them more effectively.

4. Persist vigorously in the face of adversity and obstacles, while viewing setbacks as a source of motivation.

5. Attribute failures to changeable causes (i.e. poor strategies) rather than unchangeable causes (i.e. not being smart enough).

6. React better to difficult circumstances, including poor grades, career setbacks, stressful life style, paralyzing accidents, and chronic illnesses.

7. Use more effective coping mechanisms, such as humor, regualar exercise, and preventive care.

Step 4 - Persistence

Successful people view setbacks as a temperary state that lets them know there is yet a better course of action to be taken. As I have mentioned before, "if you get knoocked down 9 times, than be ready to get up 10 times." It has been reported that people who successfully maintain their New Year's resolutions for a period of 2 years admitted on average 14 slips. But they used those lapsed moments to strengthen their commitment. Ocassionally someone will be shocked to see me eating food that is clearly far away from the healthy base of the Food Pyramid. So I remind them that I am a trainer, not a saint. It is human to make mistakes and ocassionally give into your vices, so don't beat yourself up over slipping from time to time. Good practice over a period of time will help make it easier to cope with moments of weakness, and incidental slips will occur less frequently.

Reward yourself for success. This can be a powerful tool for aiding in weight loss, smoking cessation, battling depression, boosting self-esteem, and adhering to medical regimes. This can be as simple as treating yourself to a smoothie for not missing any scheduled workouts during the week.

Create a supportive network of friends and family to aid you in your efforts to do well, and help you bounce back quickly when you have setbacks. Successful people readily solicit the support of friends, family, and same interest groups. Consequently, they achieve more, live longer, and derive greater personal satisfaction from life, than those who isolate themselves.

You should expect success, but when setbacks due accur have a coping strategy in place to deal with them. Simply talking to a sympathetic friend that is aware of your struggle can help you get over the hump.

Step 5 - Learning

You should self-monitor yourself, by recording aspects of your behavior and measure the progress towards your goal. It is crucial to know if the strategies you are implementing are causing significant change. If the answer is no, then course correction is needed. Thus, self-monitoring provides valuable feedback on whether a strategy is taking you toward your vision, and lets you know when corrections are needed when they are not.

If you are tired of unfulfilled promises piling up around you, know that it is generally not the result of being lazy, weak, having a lack of will-power, or a fear of success. Rather, it is the result of using flawed strategies to achieve success. Those who achieve more use the best processes for change. These individuals identify more techniques for change, and use those techniques longer, more frequently, more consistently, and more thoughtfully.

So let 2007 be the year that you stop making promises and make a plan instead!