Star Client: Marie Dibart

Well, we've been in business for about a year now, and I feel like it's about time to begin a "Star Client" profile feature.

The first Star Client client of all is the unstoppable Marie Dibart from Peekskill, NY.


Marie's first email to me contained a quote that went something like, "I hope you can get me in shape."

I am pleased to say that Marie is absolutely in shape now! After around six months of dedicated training, she has lost nearly 50 lbs and gone from an "I don't run" attitude to casually running 4 miles. Even more impressive, she recently finished a Duathlon consisting of a 1 mile run, 14 mile bike, and a 3 mile run. This is not something the average person just wakes up and does. Her commitment to fitness and a strong dedication to her training regimen definitely paid off.

That's Marie and me after the race (left). Yes, she got balloons and a party hat, but somehow I ended up wearing the tiara.

Marie is a shining example of what can be accomplished simply by choosing a goal and letting nothing deter you. Starting the exercise program is easy, it's finishing and maintaining it that is the tough part.

Marie and her sister, Lenora, are both wonderful clients and our relationship has grown into something great, even though they grumble at me alot during the workouts... I am kind of brother from another mother, I guess.

Great job, Marie. I am proud of you. Keep working hard!

Damon

Women's Fitness Quiz

This should be a breeze...

Women's Fitness Quiz : Diet and Fitness Center : Discovery Health

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Interval Training... Why?

I've included an article below that discusses the benefits of interval training. This is not new information. The study was conducted two years ago, but athletes and trainers have known about the benefits of high intensity bursts followed by moderate or low instensity rest periods for decades. It just recently hit the main stream media, however.

Anyone who has trained with me definitely knows how effective circuits and intervals can be. I use the TRI-circuit system, which is an integrated interval/circuit type routine that combines strength and cardiovascular aspects into one quick, efficient program.

I find it interesting that every study conducted on interval training confirms its effectiveness, yet many people insist on sticking to moderate to low intensity cardiorespiratory exercise as their sole means for developing fitness.

Interval Training Burns More Fat, Increases Fitness, Study Finds

ScienceDaily (June 29, 2007) — Interval training burns fat and improves fitness more quickly than constant but moderately intensive physical activity, according to research by a University of Guelph researcher.

The study by Jason Talanian, a PhD student in the Department of Human Health and Nutritional Sciences, was published recently in the Journal of Applied Physiology. It found that after interval training, the amount of fat burned in an hour of continuous moderate cycling increased by 36 percent and cardiovascular fitness increased by 13 per cent.

Fitness buffs and athletes have long used interval training — short bursts of intensive effort interspersed with more moderate stretches — to improve performance. But Talanian’s study shows that the practice also improves cardiovascular fitness and helps the body burn more fat, even during low-intensity or moderate workouts.

Talanian studied women riding stationary bikes in hard-easy intervals in the training lab of his supervisor, Guelph Prof. Lawrence Spriet. The eight subjects included moderately fit women in their 20s as well as borderline sedentary subjects and an active soccer player. They trained every other day for two weeks. They alternated 10 sets of four-minute bursts of riding at 90-per-cent effort with two-minute rest intervals.

It did not matter how fit the subjects were before. After interval training, they experienced not only an increase in fat used and in aerobic capacity, but also an increase of enzyme activity in the muscle

Talanian notes that faster fat burning and greater overall fitness may not necessarily mean immediate weight loss. The technique may improve someone’s potential to burn more fat, “but for weight loss, you need to consider a balance of exercise and a healthy diet,” he said.

The message from his studies is to mix interval training into an exercise routine once or twice a week, particularly in running, swimming or cycling.

For his follow-up study, Talanian plans to look at about a dozen women over a six-week training period. “We will look at muscle transporters that carry fatty acids into the cell that might help explain those earlier results,” he said.

ARTICLE

Phys Ed: Can Vitamin D Improve Your Athletic Performance? - Well Blog - NYTimes.com

Read this article, then get yourself a USP grade multivitamin with plenty of vitamin D.

Article from NY Times:

Phys Ed: Can Vitamin D Improve Your Athletic Performance? - Well Blog - NYTimes.com

Coreplex Multivitamin:

COREPLEX

Demonizing, and/or Taxing, Soda

Should the government be telling people what to drink? ....Damon

By Edward L. Glaeser
New York City Department of
Health and Mental Hygiene
Today's Economist


Over the past 30 years, Americans have gotten a lot heavier thanks primarily to technological progress in the food industry, which has provided an abundance of tasty, caloric treats. The champions of public health are now fighting fat with the same tools that helped turn the smoky city of the Mad Men-era into the clean-aired boroughs of Bloomberg.

New York City is running anti-soda ads where a brown liquid streaming out of a bottle turns into fat in a glass. The New York Times editorial page wants sterner stuff. They suggest that these ads are distinctly inferior to “the best move when it comes to soft drinks — a tax on sodas and other sugary beverages.”

Many public interventions can be readily dismissed because they are costly and ineffective. Yet the battle against cigarettes has taught us that taxes and advertising can together dramatically reduce an unhealthy habit. The public sector could indeed dramatically drive down the consumption of sugary sodas, but should it? Is public paternalism appropriate? If the state wants to champion health, should it use stomach-churning public service messages or sin taxes?

The economist’s perspective differs from the perspective of the public health advocate.

Public health advocates champion health. Economists don’t exactly champion illness, but they don’t usually think that health trumps all. For die-hard cola lovers, the pleasure of sugary soda may just be more important than the health consequences of a few extra calories. That perspective, combined with a respect for individual decision-making, leads many economists to question the merits of public paternalism.

Cola taxes and unpleasant ads are only appropriate if soda sippers are making bad decisions and drinking when they shouldn’t. One reason why consumers might err is that they ignore the impact of their behavior on others. Advocates of a penny-per-ounce soda tax argue that “because of the contribution of the consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages to obesity, as well as the health consequences that are independent of weight, the consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages generates excess health care costs.”

But if soda is to be taxed because of the costs that obesity and diabetes impose on taxpayers, then the tax’s supporters should document that those costs are near a penny for each ounce of soda.

An alternative justification for paternalism is that out of ignorance or an absence of self-control, people don’t make decisions that are in their own best interest. Every cola can has so much dietary information that it is hard to imagine that anyone thinks that soda is slimming. Public information campaigns can provide knowledge without repulsive images. And if self-control is the problem, then soda-drinkers themselves should be leading the campaign for a soda tax. I haven’t seen much of that.

But if we are indeed convinced that soda consumption needs to fall, then should the government use taxes or psychologically savvy advertisements?

Both approaches try to reduce soda consumption by making it less pleasant to drink soda. One approach hits you in the wallet; the other hits you in the stomach.

Some fans of limited government think that public service advertisements represent a more modest, and hence preferable, intervention, but that rationale doesn’t seem right to me. A tiny tax can actually be far less intrusive than a constant barrage of disgusting ads. If these ads lead to warning pictures showing globules of fat on every can of Coke, then the intervention will have become enormously intrusive and probably effective as well.

The big difference between ads and taxes is not intrusiveness or effectiveness, but that taxes raise revenues and ads don’t.

Both interventions make it more costly to drink a glass of Coke, but in one case (the tax) this cost is transferred to the government. In the other case (the ad), the cost is just pure loss. An effective ad that makes drinking soda less psychologically pleasant is essentially a tax without revenues.

The case for taxes and against ads is that if we are going to impose costs on cola drinkers, it is better to get some revenue back. Of course, the problem with those revenues is that they create an incentive for the tax-hungry government to make taxes higher than they should be. Just as an inefficient Medicare system could make expanding public health care less politically appealing, an inefficient means of taxing soda makes it less appealing to excessively boost the tax.

Obesity is a serious problem and high calorie sodas contribute to that problem. But that doesn’t make the case for giving soda the same treatment that was earlier given to cigarettes. All soda drinkers, even the rail-thin ones, suffer when soda consumption is either taxed or vilified. The costs imposed on them need to be weighed against the benefits of reducing obesity.

Crunch time for fad fitness

Some of you will enjoy the reference to stability balls that pop...

Crunch time for fad fitness

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Boot Camp 4 October 2009

FREE Boot Camp in Peekskill! OK, guys we are running a free boot camp class every Sunday in October. This class is for anyone. Any age, any fitness level, any weight. We would love for everyone to bring a friend and make this a great, energetic event.

Please visit the link to the right and get signed up ASAP.

Take Charge of Holiday Health

Take Charge of Holiday Health: “Plump” and “Round” are for Turkeys and Pumpkins!

Author: Andrea Wells

“Plump” and “Round” are for Turkeys and Pumpkins!

Go weigh yourself right now. How will this weight compare to your weight on New Year’s Day 2010? Before you go wild this holiday season, let’s take a look at some strategies that can help you “skip” into the winter months and not “roll” your way into Christmas. Many people spend the colder months indoors and gaining weight that they will have to fight to lose at the beginning of summer. This year, take a vow that you will maintain your weight (or even lose some) throughout the Yule-tide season, and your obligatory New Year’s resolution will stick! The best strategies for preventing holiday weight gain are carefully watching and monitoring your food intake, sticking to an exercise program that isn’t compromised in poor weather, and allowing yourself some disciplined “wiggle-room.”

Even though there are lots of delicious holiday foods, treats, candies, etc., doesn’t mean you have to eat your fill on all of them. The absolute best strategy for those of us that gain weight easily is to avoid the high calorie, sugary and fatty foods altogether. Unfortunately, this is not always possible. If you find yourself in a “must eat” situation, shoot for healthier options. This Halloween, get some sugar free candies to hold you over while you hand out buckets of the high-octane stuff to the kids. Throw some healthy treats their way, too. Their parents will appreciate it! Also, don’t keep loads of candy sitting around the house. That is ripe for the picking and we tend to consume lots of little stuff without thinking about it. These calories can quickly escalate into the thousands. While you prepare your thanksgiving feast, avoid the temptation to sample everything before it is ready. Have a light breakfast and keep your hands to yourself. When shopping for your Thanksgiving dinner food, try to pick healthier options. Cheese, butter, stuffing, and many more items now come in lower calorie and fat versions, and they taste nearly the same. At dinner, eat lots of the turkey breast, which is a great source of protein. Have a couple spoonfuls of some side dishes and maybe a taste of the pumpkin pie, and call it a day. You can have a small turkey sandwich later. Also, go for a walk or get some exercise later that day rather than taking a nap. Have someone help you clean up and since you are already active, take the dog for a walk or take the kids to the park. Finally, give yourself no room for regret. Think about what you are about to eat, and if you are going to feel bad about it, put it back. Make an effort to feel good about your eating at the end of the day.

Exercising your way through winter is a great way to keep weight off and to prevent seasonal affective depression. Whatever your choice of fitness activities, make sure that you have a way to perform it during the winter months. For example, if your gym is 30 minutes away from home and the roads are covered in snow or closed, the workout is shot. This can happen a few times a week and before you know it, you have lost your momentum and are on the downhill slope to weight gain. Some options are home workouts with or without videos, “in home” personal trainers that will come to your residence, choosing a gym that is walking distance, or picking an outdoor winter activity as your cold weather fitness program. The keys here are to pick something you enjoy and have ready access to. Make a schedule and stick to it. Ensure that you have a holiday plan and enlist your friends and family to help you enforce. When you show them how important this stuff is to you, they will help.

Finally, you should allow yourself some “wiggle-room” during the holiday months. There will be opportunities to miss workouts and pig-out. None of us can be perfect all the time. It is important that you acknowledge that you can slip off the program once (maybe twice) a week and still be alright. The key is that you not lose confidence in your plans and abandon the whole thing. Do you absolute best to be as rigid and disciplined as you can, and when you slip, give yourself a demerit (make sure you are aware so you don’t lose track) and just continue on. A positive attitude will do more good than being an ultimate disciplinarian. Be careful not to be too relaxed on this. Two slip-ups during the week is all most people can handle.

If you are committed to keeping yourself healthy over the holidays, you can do it. Hold yourself accountable. Weigh yourself now and track yourself through the holidays. If you need extra help or motivation, take a trip down to the MWR Fitness Center and ask to speak with one of the personal trainers. They are all very knowledgeable and experienced and the prices are reasonable.

Have a wonderful Halloween and a happy Thanksgiving!

About the Author:

Damon is currently the Assistant Course Director for Strength Development, the Officer-in-Charge of the West Point powerlifting team, and an instructor at the United States Military Academy at West Point. He has a BS in Psychology and an MS in Kinesiology from Texas A&M University.

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com - Take Charge of Holiday Health: “Plump” and “Round” are for Turkeys and Pumpkins!

Weight Loss Secret Weapon

There is a weapon that is incredibly effective for weight loss. You need to keep this weapon in your arsenal!

Weight Loss Secret Weapon

Web Addiction Cure = $14,000?

Pay me $14,000. I can cure you. I thought sex addiction was ridiculous, but now web addiction? Come on! Isn't it more likely that these people are NOT addicted to a little self control? Maybe they just weren't slapped around enough as a kid? I don't know, but if you tell me you have failed in life because of your "web-addiction" I am going to hit you in the head with tack hammer. Period.

So I guess I'll start my own web-addiction treatment facility now. I will charge $13,000 per person to undercut the other guys. I lock the "victims" of the horrible disease in a room with no internet access for 45 days, and viola! You are cured! Then I'll go buy $13,000 worth of internet software and quit my job... Damon

FALL CITY, Wash. (AP) — Ben Alexander spent nearly every waking minute playing the video game “World of Warcraft.” As a result, he flunked out of the University of Iowa.

Mr. Alexander, 19, needed help to break an addiction that he called as destructive as alcohol or drugs. He found it in Fall City, where what claims to be the first residential treatment center for Internet addiction in the United States just opened its doors.

The center, called ReSTART, opened in July, and for $14,000 it offers a 45-day program intended to help people wean themselves from pathological computer use.

“We’ve been doing this for years on an outpatient basis,” said Hilarie Cash, a therapist and executive director of the center. “Up until now, we had no place to send them.”

Internet addiction is not recognized as a separate disorder by the American Psychiatric Association, and treatment is not generally covered by insurance. But there are many such treatment centers in China, South Korea and Taiwan, where Internet addiction is taken very seriously, and many psychiatric experts say it is clear that Internet addiction is real and harmful.

Whether such programs work in the long run remains to be seen.

The five-acre center in Fall City, about 30 miles east of Seattle, can handle up to six patients at a time. Mr. Alexander is so far the only patient of the program, which uses a cold-turkey approach. He spends his days in counseling and psychotherapy sessions, doing household chores, working on the grounds, going on outings, exercising and baking cookies.

Cosette Dawna Rae, a psychotherapist, has owned the bucolic retreat center since 1994, and was searching for a new use for it when she teamed up with Ms. Cash. Ms. Cash, co-author of the book “Video Games and Your Kids,” started dealing with Internet addiction in 1994, with a patient she said was so consumed by video games that his marriage ended and he lost two jobs.

Elite FTS Announces LIFT STRONG Line to Support Leukemia and Lymphoma Society

If you've been following the site for the past few months, you're aware we'll be launching the Lift Strong line of apparel, merchandise and seminars on September 1, with all proceeds being donated to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

Here, however, is my problem.

I've been asked to write a letter to promote this line. The letter will either be sent via email or posted as an article on the site. After a full month of trying, I haven't been able to do it. Here's my list of excuses:

Yes, I know I can do this, but it means too much to me to screw it up. See, you can't mix business with emotion, and you can't ever let business become personal. When you do this - when you overstep your bounds - you're both putting your business at risk and potentially killing the project you're trying to support.

Honestly, the prospect of this project failing scares the hell out of me. I've failed more than I've succeeded with products and product lines, but this one is truly getting to me. We're going into this knowing we're not going to make a dime, so fiscal stress isn't the problem. The problem, as I see it, is that this project is bigger than EliteFTS alone. We may be backing it, but it speaks for the entire strength community. This project will show whether we care enough to make a difference. If it fails, what does this say about us?

Please understand me here. I'm not being negative, and I feel like this will be a huge success, but when you own a business, you'd better know the pros and cons of every action you take.

From an emotional standpoint, I've lost far too many people from these diseases. I've watched too many people I care about fight for their lives, and I'm still doing so today. This pisses me off. There will be more, and if you really think about it, we're all targets. There are four people on the EliteFTS Q&A staff alone who've had to battle cancer - one who is doing so now - and several others who've lost multiple loved ones.

It's hard to write awareness or sales copy with this, because I'm constantly in a state of...well...I don't have the words to describe it. That's why we need your help.

I then asked the readers to send me how they would write up what the Lift Strong line means...

Did you know that during 2009, there will be approximately 45,000 new cases of leukemia in the United States alone?

An estimated 44,790 new cases of leukemia will be diagnosed in the United States in 2009.

About 74,490 people living in the United States will be diagnosed with lymphoma in 2009

That means 119,280 people will be told this year that they have a blood cancer.

Think about that number for a minute.

London, Ohio, the town EliteFTS calls home, has about 10,000 residents. Multiply the population of this town by four, and it's still less than the number of Americans who'll be diagnosed with leukemia this year.

In 1960, a diagnosis of leukemia was essentially a death sentence; the five year survival rate was 14% for Americans of European descent. In 2005, the five year survival rate for leukemia ranged from 23.5% to 90.9%, depending on the type of leukemia. This is incredible progress. What makes that progress possible?

In the words of Alwyn Cosgrove, “Advanced medical treatment. Medical treatment discovered by research. Research funded by money. Money sourced from donations”.

I'm proud to announce the EliteFTS Lift Strong line.