Thursday, April 28, 2011

What About...

Hello Folks,
Here some recent email questions that I have received. The questions were good so I thought they would be good to share with you all.

Hi Daryl,


I have read a lot about PX90 and Crossfit and wanted to know what you thought of these programs before I invest in one of them. 


Thanks 
Steve P.


Hi Steve,


There is no real secret to the success of the PX90 program. It is an eclectic program that incorporates a variety of different training methods.  From what I have seen of it, it is nothing more than a controlled intensity program that uses your own body weight, some weights and cardiovascular equipment. It is designed to be done at home.  There is nothing wrong with the program design.  Again, there is no real magic to the program. It is a simple formula of great marketing, good motivating instructing and goal setting.  For some guys they don't have the ability to design their own program or have the motivation to exercise on their own, so they resort to these types of complete "all in one" programs.  If you aren't interested in bodybuilding and aren't concerned with symmetry then this sounds like a good program for you.  I have found that when you train in a functional manner, doing many different exercises during a workout, symmetry and overall muscle size is affected. But if that is not a concern and you just want to exercise at a high intensity just to "lose weight", like the ad suggests, then it is a good fit for you. 


Crossfit is another fancy high intensity fitness class. Again there is no real magic or "secret formula" to this program.  It is basically a room filled with all the different tools, medicine balls, kettle bells, ropes, weights, etc..  The program design is much like the PX90 program, it is high intensity with many different methodics.  For some guys this type of training is great for them. They get a great workout and are in a motivating class-- if you are in to that type of class. Like PX90, some folks need the added motivation to achieve their goals.  Crossfit and classes like this are great for developing overall muscular endurance, cardiovascular endurance and strength, and fat loss.  I offer classes like this at my gym and have seen some great progress among the participants.  It is not a bodybuilding program, so if you are interested in packing on quality muscle size then this type of class might not get you that.  I still believe that pure isolated bodybuilding exercises are the best for developing overall muscle size and definition.  Unfortunately, many people get bored with pure bodybuilding techniques so they need something different to stay motivated.  


Overall, both of these non-bodybuilding type programs are good for improving overall fitness.  Good luck!


Daryl




Hi Daryl,


I have been weight training for over two years now and have made some good progress.  However, my biceps are lacking in size compared to all the other parts of my physique.  Is there anything I can do to balance out my arms?


David 


Hi David,


You can specialize in the biceps to help balance them out.  To do this you must train a little differently. I suggest that you try this for the next 3 weeks.  Mon, Wed, Fri, Arms;  Tuesday, Thursday; Legs; Saturday, Chest and Back. Sunday off


Monday / Wednesday / Friday
Exercises:
Kneeling Tricep Extension 5 Sets 5 Reps
Power Pushdowns 5 Sets 5 Reps
Overhead bent bar Extension 5 Sets 5 Reps


Body Drag 5 Sets 5 Reps 
Low Preacher Curl (wide grip) 5 Sets 5 Reps
Incline Dumbbell Alternating Curl 4 Sets 12 Reps




The cadence of each rep is 6 seconds concentric, 6 seconds eccentric. Use a weight that you can perform all the sets with. The weight will be easier for the first couple of sets, but should be a struggle by the last set.  You must go slow and controlled to achieve maximum myofibral tension. You don't want the stretch reflex to relax. 


Add two pounds to the bar once a week.


Tuesday/Thursday
Squats 5 Sets 5 Reps
Prone Hamstring Push Up Curl 5 Sets 5 Reps


Saturday
Neck Press 4 Sets 12 Reps (65% max)
Latpulldown 4 Sets 12 Reps (65% max)


NO ABDOMINALS! over stimulating abdominals can decrease bicep size.  Perhaps this is the reason why your biceps are small. Many guys overwork abdominals. 


Nutrition: Take plenty of Aminos and livers. Eat red meat!


You should see a change in a your arms by the end of the three weeks. If you don't then you might have a higher concentration of slow twitch muscle fibers in the arms than fast twitch fibers.  But try this program for three weeks then get back to me with your results.


Daryl




Hi Daryl,


I am having trouble losing weight.  I have done many different programs, some of which worked for a little weight loss, but when I stopped the program I gained more weight back. Is there anything I can do or am I just doomed to be fat forever.


Susan


P.S. I enjoy reading your blog. Thanks for posting.


Hi Susan,


I have written many blogs discussing my annoyance about the idea of "weight loss." This is the first concern. You mentioned that you can't lose weight.  You can't lose weight because the body is not designed to lose weight.  Losing weight simply means "cell death."  Our DNA is coded to help protect against the premature death of cells. The physiological systems all have a certain amount of cells that are required to sustain life. Hormones are used to help support the activation and balance of the cells.  When the cells are being destroyed and not replicated the physiological systems and hormones are altered. This altercation causes the body to defend against the loss of cells.  This defense mechanism is set in our DNA. The body is a great machine and is the most efficient organism on the planet.  The reason why the human species has survived for so many years is because of the innate protective coding in our DNA.  Without this defense mode, the human species would not survive.  


The body is not designed to lose weight, it is designed to metabolize nutrients and to have efficient physiological systems to help maintain body composition.  The organs are designed to work synergistically to help keep the body operating. When an organ system is compromised ill effects occur within and out of the body.  If your organs are healthy and clean of toxins and harmful free radicals then your body can metabolize off extra fat.  The muscles are the engines that burn the fuel.  If you exercise and utilize muscle tissue effectively you can maintain a proper body composition. Fat can only be metabolized through the muscle tissue.  If you are not activating enough muscle tissue then you will not be able to metabolize fat effectively.  You must increase the size and activation of the aerobic and anaerobic enzymes to be able to burn more fat.  You also have to increase the number of mitochondria in the muscle cells.  The mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell and is where ATP is manufactured. ATP is a high energy compound that is essential in producing energy for the body. The more ATP you produce the more energy you have. The more energy the greater the output of muscle can be. The greater the output of muscle the more fat can be burned.  


Losing weight is not good because it usually means that you are losing muscle tissue.  If you lose muscle then you lose the ability to metabolize fat.  You where seeing results while you were on the weight loss program, but then gained it back once you stopped the program. You gained the weight back, and a little more, because you lost muscle tissue in the process. So when you went back eating "normal." your body held onto the fat because the muscle was not active enough to metabolize off the excess fat. 


Depending on the inflammatory damage you have inflicted upon your physiological systems will depend on how much you can get your body back to a healthy body composition.  Unfortunately, it sounds like you have been battling with your body composition for many years.  Once the physiological system becomes damaged it is very difficult to maintain a healthy body composition. I don't want to be a downer or make it seem hopeless but I speak the truth and facts.  You will have to be very disciplined with your nutrition and exercise.  


Here is an example of what I am saying.  If you have ever watched that show "The Biggest Loser" then you can understand my point.  That show is about taking grossly obese people and transforming them into half their size. The main focus is losing large amounts of weight.  Many of the contestants lose a tremendous amount of weight. They exercise vigorously throughout the duration of the show and gain muscle in the process, which is good.  However, the problem is that when they return back to their normal lifestyle and don't have the ranch hands to keep them on track, they end up resorting back to their bad habits and gaining all the weight back.  Some of the people stick with the vigorous regime of diet and exercise and continue to keep the weight off, but this is rare.  As long as they stay extremely disciplined they will succeed, but it is a struggle every day.  The struggle is within the hormone structure of their body.  


Chronic fluctuations of fat gain and loss will damage the hunger hormone regulatory system. Hunger hormones are important and help balance satiety and hunger.  However, when these hormones get out of balance they can cause problems.  Unlike other hormones that decrease as we age, hunger hormones can increase and remain in our bloodstream as we age.  What this means is that the brain doesn't have the balance to regulate hunger.  The person who has a damaged hunger hormone regulatory system will suffer from intense hunger cravings. They will have to continuously eat to satisfy the cravings.  In my opinion I believe that this is the reason why obesity is so high in our country.  Hunger hormones are to blame.  


So my advice to you is to clean out your system of toxic chemicals and to re-establish a healthy nutrition plan loaded with dense useable nutrients.  Then once have a good nutritional plan in place, you should start to exercise.  


I highly recommend that you purchase my book "diet EARTH."  In this book I discuss in detail how food works in your body, why you need to eat, how to eat, what to eat and when to eat. You can go to my website and order it or go to amazon.com


Once you establish a plan. Contact me so that I can help guide you further with your exercise program.


Don't get discouraged! You reverse the inflammatory processes. How much you can reverse, I can't answer that. But I know that you will feel better once you get a handle on a healthy meal plan and stop worrying about the silly weight loss concept.  Good luck!


Daryl






Tags: Vince Gironda, Ron Kosloff, bodybuilding, muscle, increase muscle size, nutrition, obesity, fat loss, muscle gain







Hello Folks

Hi Everyone,

I was away on vacation with my family. That is the reason why I haven't posted in a while.  When I go on vacation I leave the computer home.  We had a great time in Florida.  Now I am back and ready to get back at it.  In the next week I hope to have a special announcement for you.  NO my wife is not pregnant, if that is what you are thinking.  Though I love kids, that is not the special announcement. You will have to check in later to find out.

daryl

Friday, April 15, 2011

Not Designed To Sit

I believe that the human body is not designed to sit for long periods of time.  Many people come to me each year suffering from low back pain.  S1-L5 Vertebraes seem to be the culprit for most of the discomfort. The most common problem is disc degeneration and herniated discs.

The human body is designed to be upright with all the muscles working synergistically to support the spine.  If you go back in history you will notice that low back and postural disorders were not as prevalent.  This is due to the fact that most people worked the land. They were working on farms and were always using their body and standing up.  It wasn't until the technological age that problems started to develop among the masses.  People had to leave the farm and start working in offices.  Sitting at a desk for 8 hours is disastrous to the posture and health of the body.

Sitting at a chair in a 90 degree hip flexed position is not what the human body is designed to do for sustained periods of time.  Driving in a car, sitting at a desk, watching television etc.  for long periods will deteriorate the function of the back and the supporting muscles.  The gluteus maximus is designed to work all day and to help support the hip and back. When you sit on your butt all day, this causes the glutes to turn off resulting in lack of blood and oxygen flow.  The quadriceps and hamstrings shorten and also have poor circulation. The erector spinae muscles have to work harder in trying to support the torso.  Since the glutes and hamstrings are not firing the erector spinae act as the primary stabilizers.  Unfortunately, the erector spinae are not strong enough to support the torso for long periods  of time.  They are long and slender in composition and only provide a supporting roll.

Over time the muscles will fatigue and the discs will become vulnerable to damage.  Sitting goes against the normal spinal curve position.  The more you sit the worse it gets.

Another problem with sitting all day is that you increase your risk of heart disease.  This is because sitting blocks the flow of blood of the main arteries of the heart.  The big femoral artery delivers most of the blood supply to the lower body. When we are sitting for long periods blood circulation is slowed down. This can weaken the walls of the arteries.  Also, blood pools in the lower abdominal region which makes the heart work harder in trying to pump the blood throughout the body. Over time this poor circulation will begin to weaken the integrity of the arteries and blood clotting factors (arteriolsclerosis) can develop. Once the artery is occuled then a myocardial infarction (heart attack) can occur.  It doesn't matter how good of shape you are in. If you are sitting behind a desk all day you increase the risk of having an heart attack is greater than those that stand up all day.

Sitting all day also reduces the body's energy output.  The resting metabolic rate is slow. Meaning that caloric output is at a minimum.  Standing up and moving around will activate more muscle in the legs and therefore will increase the resting metabolic rate.  More calories are burned.

If you are sitting all day I suggest the following.

1.  Stand up every fifteen minutes and walk around for a few minutes.
2. Perform 5 repetition of squats.  Hold hands straight out from body and squat down.
3. Stretch the quadriceps
4. Return to sitting.  Do this every 15 minutes for every hour you sit.
5. Drink plenty of water throughout the day.
6. Avoid smoking.

tags: back care, sitting, daryl conant, vince gironda, ron kosloff, nutrition, strength and conditioning, building muscle

Thursday, April 14, 2011

10 Weirdest Ways that People Manage Stress

Here is an interesting article that was sent by Katina Solomon. She is a regular reader of my blog. Thanks Katina for your article. 

Stress is a normal human reaction to life's pressures and challenges. We spend most of our lives trying to figure out the best ways to avoid stress and keep it under control with exercise, sleep, a balanced diet and deep breathing exercises. But when those traditional stress relievers no longer work, people will find alternative and often unhealthy methods to cope with their stress. Here are the 10 weirdest ways that people manage stress:
  1. Gambling: Gambling may seem like a weird way to handle stress, but many people find comfort in playing against the odds. Those who have an insatiable urge to gamble, despite potentially negative consequences, are often classified as gambling addicts. Gambling provides an adrenaline rush and sense of euphoria when you win, therefore, someone who is depressed or burdened by a lot of stress might find solace in gambling.
  2. Self-Injury/Cutting: Some people relieve stress by deliberately hurting themselves. This self-induced pain is often done by cutting or burning the skin and engaging in dangerous activities. People who injure themselves aren't trying to commit suicide, but it could be fatal if the injuries are serious enough. Self-injury is often accompanied by several mental illnesses, such as depression, bipolar disorder and eating disorders. No matter the circumstance, deliberately harming oneself is an unhealthy way to cope with stress, emotional pain and anger.
  3. Hoarding: Hoarding is a symptom of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), in which individuals collect an excessive amount of items that are generally useless or of little value. Hoarding can also involve collecting animals. For many individuals, hoarding things is a way to relieve stress and overcome other issues. Hoarders feel safe and secure when they have their belongings nearby, yet it becomes an additional source of stress when it starts to interfere with their safety, health and social life.
  4. Hair Pulling: Hair pulling, also known as trichotillomania, is a disorder that causes people to excessively pull out their hair. This irresistible urge to pluck out hair from the scalp, eyebrows, eyelashes and other parts of the body can be a form of stress relief for certain individuals. Although the cause of trichotillomania is not clear, it's often associated with genetic and environmental factors or chemical imbalances. This disorder is not a normal way of managing stress and should not be taken lightly.
  5. Vomiting: Some people feel a sense of relief to vomit when they're stressed. Whether the stress has been brought on by nerves, an eating disorder or another form of pressure, forcing yourself to vomit is not a healthy way of coping with stress. Those who engage in self-induced vomiting may feel temporary relief, but this disordered behavior may lead to more sever eating disorders, malnutrition, extreme weight loss and other serious health problems.
  6. Tattoos: Getting tattoos is another odd way that people manage stress. Whether it's the touch of the needle, immense pain or increase of endorphins to the brain, the experience of getting tattoos can be very soothing to stressed individuals. Tattooing may also be a less obvious form of self-mutilation, which can be a cause for concern.
  7. Overworking: It's not uncommon for stressed individuals to try to manage their stress by increasing their workload and working overtime. Many people think they can manage their stress and that things will get easier if they just work longer and harder than normal. However, overworked people may end up making more mistakes and increasing their stress levels because they haven't allowed themselves to relax and get an adequate amount of rest needed to be efficient throughout the day.
  8. Not Dealing With It at All: Many people manage their stress by not dealing with it at all. These people turn a blind eye when they are faced with something stressful and put their problems on the back burner, hoping their issues will disappear or resolve themselves. Others may shut down completely and go into a catatonic state. Ignoring stress will only make it worse, and could lead to further problems.
  9. Spending: Compulsive shopping and spending is another weird way people manage their stress. Treating yourself to a nice bracelet or new pair of shoes may seem innocent enough, but this compulsive desire to regularly spend money that you probably don't have can become a very serious problem. Compulsive shoppers face several negative consequences, such as extreme debt, strained relationships, ruined credit history, anxiety and additional stress.
  10. Physically Fighting: Today, more and more people cope with their stress by physically fighting. Exercising is simply not enough for these adrenaline junkies, who need to let out their aggression on someone else or feel the pain of being hit. These people may be hotheads who are always picking fights, or an unsuspecting coworker who's a member of an underground fight club. No matter their preference, fighting is not a normal or healthy way of managing your stress. Not only are you inflicting injury on someone else, but you too could get severely hurt.
tags: stress, managing stress, daryl conant, vince gironda, ron kosloff, kobe bryant, red sox

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

No Regulations

One of the biggest problems I see with Americans is that they have no regulations on how much food they consume.  Next time you go to a restaurant observe how much food the average person consumes.  It is truly amazing how we are all conditioned to have to eat everything that is served to us.  I believe this "eat everything on your plate" mentality was instilled in our grand parents during the The Great Depression.  During the Great Depression food was scarce and the supply was rationed.  What was served on the plates during meal time were small in amount and lacked in taste.  Many of the kids didn't want to eat the food, but they were hungry and were forced to eat.  The parents would demand that they eat "everything on their plate", because they couldn't afford to waste food. They had to be thankful for every crumb.

As the country progressed beyond the depressed years and became more prosperous, the food supply increased. However, the "eat all" mentality has stuck throughout the generations.  It was undesirable not to eat everything on your plate.  In some cases, not eating all of your food resulted in an early bed time or no dessert. Or in severe cases, not eating all your food for dinner meant that you had to finish eating it for breakfast the next day-- YUCK!

Today, many people still uphold the "eat everything on your plate" mentality.  Even though as adults we are no longer threatened by an over bearing grandmother or parent forcing us to eat, we are held captive to our subconscious encoding.  When we were younger and going through the torture of having to eat everything on our plates until our stomach exploded, we stored this information into our subconscious mind. Feelings of guilt, fear and the thought of letting someone down are the reasons why we end up forcing the food down our throat.  Not only is this a physical trauma to the body it is also sets up an emotional dysfunction.  A dysfunction is a cramp in consciousness that is not resolved. When a thought, memory or experience is not resolved, they are disconnected. If a disconnected thought gets into the subconscious mind, unresolved,  it will stay controlling our behavior.

The subconscious mind is a sort of subliminal network of thoughts that is transferred off the stream of consciousness. We often times are unaware of our subconscious thought patterns. However, much of our behavior is associated with the subconscious mind.

Eating food is a necessary act of human living.  Without food we die.  Food becomes a means of survival and emotional comfort for many people.  The more food we eat the more content we feel.  Many people eat to satisfy a broken feedback loop in there subconsciousness without even realizing it. Going back to the earlier years of life when the person is being traumatized into eating all the food that was on their plate, this is when the dysfunction started.  The person is damaged physically and emotionally. This dysfunctional pattern continues throughout their life.

Our society is based on "getting our money's worth."  "I paid $20.00 for your dinner and I expect you to eat every bit of it, or else I will never take you out to dinner again." This is usually the threat that many parents tell their kids when they go out to eat.  So obviously the kid doesn't want to let their parent down so they end up eating everything on their plate.

The problem with this scenario is that it reinforces the child to not have any idea of food regulation.  Just because the parent spent hours cooking, or a spent a lot of money for the meal, it doesn't justify forcing the child to be force fed. Believe it or not the body is designed to only take in a certain amount of food per feeding. Over-consuming food is dangerous and sets off a series of body system dysfunction.  Physical illness, digestive stress, cardiovascular disease, blood imbalances, ph imbalances, central nervous system dysfunction are only some of the negative effects from over-consuming food.

With no regulation on how much food a person consumes will alter body composition.  People are constantly battling fluctuations with body fat percentage and muscle because they are out of balance.  One of the big reasons for a person to change their body composition so much is because they lack regulation on how much food they should eat.  Also, they consume way too much junk food and not enough good nutrients.  Even if the food is organic and pure, eating too much will cause problems.  Once you over fill the stomach and digestive tract, dysfunction occurs.  

Many people are not taking in the recommended daily allowance of healthy nutrients. Instead they are consuming way too much of the wrong things each day, or in some cases are ingesting nutrients beyond what their daily recommended allowance permits. I wonder if folks how many nutrients they are supposed to take in per day. My guess is that only a handful of people know.

Heart disease, cancer, and obesity,  in my opinion, are all related to poor nutrition. Not having a shut off valve and eating whenever, whatever, and in large quantities will spell disaster for the health of the body systems.

tags: heart disease, cancer, obesity, tiger woods, the masters, red sox, dancing with the stars, daryl conant, vince gironda, ron kosloff, NSP products, Libya, nutrition, fitness, muscle, steroids, taking steroids, the fitness nut

Monday, April 11, 2011

Here's a link from one of the readers of my blog

Dear Daryl,

Hope this email finds you well. My name is Roxanne and I manage content for Nursingschools.net. Just wanted to express my sincere interest in your site. It's not often that one comes across a site that is so well-written and creatively expressed.

Since we write in a similar niche, thought you might want to share a recent article of ours, "50 Natural 20 Incredible I Phone Apps for Troubled Sleepers with your readers. Here's the link : (http://www.nursingschools.net/blog/2011/04/20-incredible-iphone-apps-for-troubled-sleepers/).

If there's anything else on our site that interests you, please feel free to let me know. Thanks again for the great content!


Sincerely,
Roxanne McAnn



Sunday, April 10, 2011

Selling Hype To The American Public

Over the past week I have conducted a private study.  I wanted to see how much advertising emphasizing silly "weight loss" and fitness gimmickry there was out there.  To my amazement everywhere I turned there was some ad selling weight loss and fitness hype.  I am really not surprised by this.  If I owned a company that sold magazines I would hire the best advertisers and marketers to help me sell many copies so I could get rich.  It is no wonder why advertisers and marketers make so much money working for the big corporations and magazine companies. I can just hear them in the board meeting now.

"So ladies and gentlemen of this big magazine company, how do we sell more magazines?" Then Eugene, a Harvard graduate, would raise his hand and suggest, " I think that the best way to sell magazines is to sell the idea of weight loss regardless if it makes sense or not. Most Americans are suckers and if we put "weight loss" on the front cover of the magazine then we will sell millions and we all become richer." "Margaret, from house keeping says, " Why don't you put "fat loss" instead of "weight loss.?" NO! a despondent Eugene exclaims, that won't sell magazines! Most people don't know what fat-loss means, and besides fat loss suggests that the reader is fat, and they won't buy a magazine that suggests that they are fat. So we must put "weight loss" on the cover. Margaret you should stick with doing what you do best--house keeping and leave the real work to us college graduates, says Eugene--arrogantly.

Then the CEO speaks up and says, "that is a brilliant idea! Let's do it.  Matter of fact let's put "weight loss" on the cover as well as a picture of some skinny chic. Now we are selling sex and weight loss. Two of the biggest psychological concerns for most men and woman on the planet. If we pitch the idea that you will look like this chic on the cover from following some silly unrealistic nutrition and exercise program, guaranteeing that  the reader will lose 50-100 pounds of weight in a month, thousands of people will purchase the magazine and we will be even more rich." Then Suzy from accounting speaks up and adds, " since I know the profit margin of this company, how about we continue this weight loss myth idea each month, and rather than getting an unknown skinny 18 year old girls let's try to convince celebrities to join in. I have noticed that Kirstie Allen gains a ton of weight and then loses hundreds of pounds, and then sells nutri system programs and weight watchers programs. She usually will get a magazine cover.Since most people recognize her they will buy the magazine in hopes that if they follow what she did then they are bound to lose weight themselves. Or we can get Marie Osmond who is selling weight loss programs all over the nation. She states that you will lose 50-100 pounds of weight on the program that she endorses.  She even goes as far as getting television air time promoting her sensational weight loss. Showing her self in her tiny black dress. She also shows people that have lost weight and are all extremely lean, healthy, beautiful, and muscularly defined-- the way every woman in the world wants to be.  And it is amazing her program guarantees this. This is what we need, we need to sell hype to the American public so that they will go out and spend all of their hard earned money on magazines and programs that sell the concept of "weight loss."  Then the fearless leader replies, "Suzy you are absolutely correct just like all of you high achieving, highly intelligent college graduates that get paid hundreds of thousands of dollars a year to make this company a butt load of money."

He continues saying, "Now is there any other way that we can sell more BS to the public so that we can make more money. Remember people it is all about MONEY, MONEY, MONEY!!! That is why you are here, that is why you went to college, that is why we are in this business, don't ever forget that." Joe from advertising jumps into the conversation and suggests, " I have a sure winner! How about we sell the idea of calories?  The American public is so fixated on this stupid concept that it is a no brainer.  All we have to do is to blast in BIG BOLD letters on the front cover of our magazines, "Cut the Calories and lose weight." It is brilliant, we can kill two birds with one stone. We can convince people to eat less calories and they will lose weight.  We put "lose weight" and "calories" in the same sentence and WHAMO we have the American minds sucked right into it."  They will believe that if they eat less calories that they will lose weight? replies Bonnie, with a perplexed optimistic look on her face. Yes! Joe replies. Sounds great, Bonnie confirms.  So, what you are telling us Joe, replies the curiously approving CEO, even though calories are only a measurement of heat, do you think we can convince the American public to buy into this idea, ultimately selling us more magazines." Absolutely sir, I bet my years salary on it, and you know how greedy I am and how that would ruin my life. I am so confident in my idea that I am willing to take my chances, Joe enthusiastically replies.

Harold from the psychology department chimes in-- "So let me get this straight we are going to sell concepts to people that make no sense what so ever and make a lot of money doing it. You people are bad, but I like it.  You are all correct in the fact that most people have no idea what they are doing when it comes to fitness and nutrition and that they will buy just about anything if it tugs on their own psychological insecurities.  I have noticed from years of studying human behavior that most television ads and magazines target the; insecure, lazy, wannabe fit, wish I was better looking, fat, in a bad relationship,  unhappy, unrealistic, weak, uninformed, sheep like mentality, man and woman. It is true that most ads are geared to reach the intelligent level of a five year old.  So by continuing to pump  these negative ideas into the minds of everyone ages 5-100 then you will be selling magazines and silly useless exercise products for many, many years making you all very rich. I am so glad that I am apart of this wonderful company.  The only suggestion that I will make is that you want to really make the covers pop out. Use brilliant colors, fancy advertising tricks like photo shopping the models and celebrities of any fat areas or blemishes they may have. Because remember it is selling the idea of being "perfect."

"When the woman at the check out line at the grocery store is waiting to check out and she  is there surrounded by rows and rows of candy and magazines it is the best time for our advertising to kick in. Being in the presence of candy, even if the person doesn't buy any of it, sets off a sequence in the brain that activates a hunger response.  The receptors in the mouth begin to secrete more saliva and our brain begins to crave sugar. This activation sequence becomes difficult to overcome. The person will then begin looking at the magazines, and will see the covers of half naked women all perfect and pretty staring back at the them.  Since eating sugar, or even thinking about sugar while in the presence of candy, elicits a sympathetic response much like that of fore play or sex.  The visual stimulation of candy and sexy magazine covers take over the thought pattern of the unsuspecting buyer. They become weak and cave in to the overwhelming urge to purchase something-- impulse buying. They will, in a haste, grab the mocking candy bar, in addition grab the magazine. In a split moment they have just produced a "hormonal rush." They have once again fallen victim to another great advertising and marketing scheme. That is how we will continue to sell our magazine, by putting the magazine in areas of stores that people can be manipulated very easily. As being the psychological genius of this company I must come up with great ways to keep these suckers buying our magazine or else I won't have a job."

I would like to add something into this discussion if I may," eagerly says Boris from the history analysis department. It has been proven that the terms, weight loss and calories are the most widely used words on the cover of a fitness, nutrition, nutrition and health magazines. History shows that these terms sell a lot of magazines. Before this meeting I did some research on these words and found that magazines printed covers printed 20 years ago look identical to the magazines sold today, which only proves that the advertising and marketing formula works."


Thanks Harold and Boris! Well done, responds the proud, portly CEO. So, ladies and gentlemen of this beloved well known magazine, this concludes are board meeting.  Thank you all for your input and ideas. We will follow through with the gimmicks and tricks you have all mentioned to help sell more magazines and to make us all rich.  I hope you all have a great weekend and remember to be here on time monday morning so we can make lots and lots of MONEY!  Remember our motto: As long as the American public is naive and keeps believing in these silly gimmicks and ideas, we will all have jobs and will all be rich... God bless ignorance!

So that is how I suspect a board meeting would probably go in a well-to-do-company.

This has been a fictitious board meeting that I made up.  But I don't think that I am too far off. So back to my study.  Over the past week I have noticed 10 magazine covers that promote "weight loss" programs, have the calorie way of thinking and all have skinny chicks in bikini's. I have watched over 8 informercial on "weight loss" and "lose pounds" programs.  I have watched 4 morning television shows discussing the calorie way of thinking and how you can lose weight and drop 10-20 pounds, and I don't even watch a lot of television.  It is just amazing at how the public is constantly bombarded with the misleading information.  Unbelievable! I just turned on sports center to see the score of the Red Sox game and there is another commercial of a bunch of beautiful, lean, well defined, fit men and women jumping around promoting some sensational exercise program video. The big sales pitch is "lose up to 10-50 pounds on this program.

My question is-- lose 10-50 pounds of WHAT??? The ads don't tell you what you are losing.  Also, what if I want to gain weight.  I don't see any ads for "gain 10 pounds in 10 days." Or "I weighed 150 pounds then, now I weigh 200 pounds of pure muscle."  or, what if I don't want to lose or gain and just want to train. You don't see or hear about programs that promote, " stay exactly where you are in your set point and train."

Weight loss vs. fat loss.  In the front window of my business I have a giant banner that says "fat loss programs."  I thought that many people would come in and sign up for the fat loss program that I offer.  However, in the 13 years that I have been in business, not one person has come in to ask me about my fat loss program.  I find this very interesting. I know that if I put "weight loss programs" then many people would come in and ask about them.  So you might be wondering why I don't do that, put weight loss instead of fat loss.  My answer is simple, I don't sell something I don't believe in.  I have probably lost thousands of dollars because I don't put the catch phrases in my advertising, such as "weight loss", " reduced calories" and so on. But I stand firm in my convictions and beliefs about nutrition and fitness and will not succumb to the false advertising schemes of other companies.

Here is another example.  I put up a sign in my gym and in the newspaper advertising for a "FREE FAT LOSS SEMINAR." I thought that the room would be packed.  Instead no one signed up for the seminar.  Then for the heck of it I changed the wording to say, "FREE WEIGHT LOSS SEMINAR." Guess what?  The room was packed and I had to limit the sign ups because too many people were signing up. The people signed up because it said "weight loss." Very interesting...

I know that I could "sell out"  and follow everyone else in selling BS to the public, but my moral and value system just won't allow me too.  I don't believe in weight loss and calories myths.  What I teach is correct and accurate nutrition physiology.  Though it is hard making a living being honest and telling people the truth, I will always teach in what I believe.  I devoted 2 years of my life writing DIET EARTH to help people learn the truth about nutrition. Remember folks it's all about eating your recommended daily allowance of wholesome nutrients, not calories. And it's about maintaining a healthy body composition of body fat and lean body tissue (muscle) --not weight loss . I hope someday all my rants will eventually get around enough to help change the thinking of the collective unconsciouness of this society. Until then I will have to continue to be annoyed by all the hoopla of weight loss and calorie ads plastered in and on every media outlet.

I just wish folks would understand that it is fat that we want to lose, when the concentrations of it is too high in our body, and that we want to activate and build more muscle.  It really isn't that complicated!

tags: weight loss, fat loss, muscle gain, weight gain, daryl conant, vince gironda, ron kosloff, tiger woods, the masters, day Mclroy, Scott Stallings, Red Sox, Yankees, Manny Ramirez, Vince's Gym, Diet Earth

Monday, April 4, 2011

A True American Hero

Does anyone know what a True Hero is? Some people will say a true hero is a famous sports figure. Others might say that it is a famous celebrity.  As a nation I feel that we have lost sight of what a True Hero is and stands for.

As a gift, Joy bought me the book "Unbroken."  Not knowing what it  was about I began reading it. From the preface on I couldn't put it down.  Every chapter was riveting.  The story is about Louis Zamperini, an American soldier in WWII.  Louis started out as a troubled teenager, trying to find his way in the world.  Eventually he would change his life around. He transferred his rebellious energy into running.  He became a regional, national and Olympic champion.  He competed in the Berlin Olympic Games in 1936. He even shook hands with Hitler. World War Two started a few years later and Louis enlisted in the air force, where he became a bombardier on a B-24.  He had many close calls during some fierce fire attacks and bombing raids.  He survived many near death experiences.



During a rescue mission in the pacific ocean Louis' plan crashed. Louis survived along with two other crew members.  They ended up floating in two rescue rafts (each 2x6 feet). For forty-seven days Louie and Russell Allen Phillips would survive; starvation, intense heat, sun burn, shark attacks, the death of the third survivor, dehydration, an attack from a japanese fighter plane and a typhoon. Only to be captured by a Japanese fisherman. Once captured Louie and Phillips would be subjected to some of the harshest POW camp conditions known to any human being.  What Louie endured was beyond anything any human being could probably withstand.  The brutality of a prison guard known as "the bird" was beyond any nightmare.

After two years of intense torture and hard slave labor, the war ended and Louie was free physically. He was never freed emotionally.  After the war, the nightmares and flashbacks of the brutal beatings and the horrific guard "the Bird" consumed his thoughts and dreams.  Louie ended up running to the bottle to escape from his tortured past.

Then one night after much debate with his wife he went to a convention that was in the Los Angeles area. There he heard words that would inspire him to be lifted free of his burdens.  The man speaking was Billy Graham and that night something inside of Louie would change forever.

When Louie was on the raft dying of dehydration, not being a religious man, looked into the sky and asked God for help. He said that "If you help me make it out of here, I will follow you forever."  Then it began to rain and he was able to drink enough water.

The night that he was listening to the words of Billy Graham it began to rain. From that moment on Louie's nightmares faded away and a feeling of forgiveness overcame him.  He was so compelled with his new found faith that he went back to the place where the torture took place and forgave the guards that beat him. Louie continued to teach others of his life events and to share with them his feelings of compassion.  Louie developed a camp for troubled youths. He has told his story to thousands of people all over the world.  At 94 years old, Louie is still inspiring people with his message of faith.

I was so inspired by this great man, that I decided to write him a letter.  I didn't know if he would get it or if he was still alive.  This is the letter I wrote him.

3/28/2011
Dear Mr. Zamperini,
I have just read the book “Unbroken” and never has a book me moved so much.  From the moment I started reading until the last page I was in complete awe.  What you endured during the war and in your life was beyond imaginable. To be face to face with death so many times and you are still alive to talk about it is truly amazing.  I couldn’t imagine what it must have been like to go through those hellish experiences.  I don’t think people realize what a true hero is.  YOU ARE A TRUE HERO.  You are the definition of a True American.  Your strength and endurance is perhaps the best I have read about. Besides the life and death of Jesus, you endured more than anyone should ever have too. You are truly a blessing and an inspiration. I hope that they make a movie about your experiences. Each chapter of the book could be an epic movie-- incredible feats of human strength and endurance. 
Your message needs to be shared with the world.  I have a tremendous respect for who you are.  Thank you for sharing your story.  God bless you. 
Sincerely,
Daryl Conant
45 Portland Road
Kennebunk, Maine 04043
P.S. Mr. Zamperini could you please send me your autograph.  I want to have it framed and put up on my wall along with the book cover.  It would be a great honor...


To my amazement, today April 4th, 2011 I just received a letter from Louie Zamperini. He sent two autographed pictures of himself along with a hand written note thanking me for my letter. He wrote me ending the note "be hardy." Be hardy, he stated, was his trademark. 

I can't tell you how excited I am to have this letter from one of the members of the "greatest generation." These men were the true American heros.  There is nothing that compares to the valor and honor that these men represent.  No sports figure or celebrity will ever match up to these great men and women of World War Two. 

I will cherish this letter from Louie Zamperini the rest of my days on Earth.  He is a true testament to human survival and everlasting compassion. God Bless you Louie.


  






Tags: Louie Zamperini, Unbroken, The Bird, Watanabe, World War Two, Daryl Conant 

Too Tired

Last week I was not sleeping through the night. My little girl (bless her heart) was constantly waking up during the night.  This wore on me out and I was not able to sleep soundly.  I woke up with a stiff back. My body just didn't feel refreshed and energized. I went to work feeling tired. This is a common symptom of sleep deprivation. As the day progressed my back got more stiff.  Feeling that I could work it out and stretch it, I decided to continue with my leg workout.  I was doing my normal routine, when all of a sudden during a set of front squats my back locked up.  I could feel both Ilio Psoas muscles freezing up.  The shortening of these muscles forced the lumbar vertebraes to  shift forward into an anterior slip.  It felt like someone had hit my lower back with a baseball bat.  Fortunately, I was able to hold the weight long enough with my upper body strength to avoid a catastrophic mishap.  I re-racked the weight and walk around the gym.  My back was wrecked. Knowing what I had done, I immediately ceased any further exercise. The one good thing about knowing alot about the muscles is that once I tweak them too much I can do perform the appropriate therapy modalities. Needless to say, I save a ton of money on not having to go to a physical therapy clinic.  After resting and doing a series of self prescribed rehab exercises I am able get back on my feet. 

The moral of this story is, you must listen to your body and avoid over doing it.  I realized that I was tired from the start and probably shouldn't have trained that day. My back was already stiff from poor sleep.  Once my back buckled I knew I had over done it.  But rather than pressing on I stopped.  Sometimes folks will try to push on working through the pain. This is not always the best choice.  If I continued to do another set of front squats,  I probably would have broken my back. Injuries can happen to anyone at anytime, it doesn't necessarily matter if the person is incredibly fit or sedentary.  It is knowing what to do once the injury occurs. You must listen to your body and be aware of the symptoms.  Next time I am that tired and get ready to train, I will choose an exercise that is not so demanding on the central nervous system.  Even after all these years of training I am still learning. 

tags: daryl conant, vince gironda, ron kosloff, phil mickelson, scott stallings,