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• Is Exercise and Nutrition #1 for losing weight?

  Tuesday, Oct 28, 2008 7:15AM / Standard Entry

  
  Video: http://hk.youtube.com/watch?v=Pen1isLmIP
  

  
  As a personal trainer about 90% of the people my industry come to me to lose weight.  After six year of experience and countless hours of schooling, I am convinced about one thing.  In today’s world exercise and nutrition are not the only thing necessary for weight loss
  
  Most trainers go to school, or take certification programs to educate themselves on how to educate others.  Those interested in nutrition also do the same.  Exercise itself isn’t powerful enough for people to lose weight.  Thus many trainers or exercise practitioners start to learn nutrition.  Nutrition and exercises have one thing in common.  There are millions of different opinions and egos in each one.  Which is why it is hard to keep track of what works and what doesn’t.  The key to both is to learn from many and listen to what the client’s body is telling them.  But, yet even with exercise and nutrition there is still a missing link.
  
  What many people fail to realize is that animals store toxins as fat.  What this means is that if you are consuming toxins you are likely to store more body fat.  Toxins can be given in many different forms.  Stress is a perfect example of a toxin that the human body creates chemically.  Food toxins such as pesticides, parasites, fungus, or heavy metals can also cause an animal to store fat.  This is why Organic foods have been so affective to help people lose weight.
  
  Foods are not the only way humans consume toxins.  We can be exposed to radiation or breath toxins into our bodies.  Chemical paints, cleaners, glue, and other synthetic products can be inspired, digested, or applied onto or into our bodies.  Mold though thought of as rare, often grows in many houses across the world.  The spores are then spun into the air and breathed into our bodies.  Misquotes, ticks, spiders, flees, and just about any other bug that can bite you, can pass off other toxin into your body as well.  With so much exposure out there, why isn’t everyone living in a bubble?
  
  Something that I have to tell myself time and time again is that “Exposure does not mean infection.”  In other words just because you get exposed to it doesn’t mean that you are going to get it.  But, what happens to the body is that, as the immune system gets weaker from battling more and more of these toxins it becomes stressed.  This overall stress on top of the 9-5 or for some people, 12-12, workday causes the body to go into exhaustion.  But, we are humans so we do everything we can to survive.  That is why many people that is exhausted and have a sad excuse for an immune system.
  
  Let it not be misunderstood, that just because you don’t get sick, doesn’t mean that your immune system is good.  Think about it for a second.  Ask yourself the question, “What causes me to have signs and symptoms, the bug, or my body?”  If you said your body, you are 100% correct.  Signs and symptoms are merely messages that your body is sending to you that it’s doing some work.  Coughs, colds, soar throats, allergies, itchy eyes, bloating, hell even constipation are all symptoms.
  
  Getting drugs to turn these symptoms off is like going to a mechanic to get your check engine light turned off.  Would you think it was insane if your gardener came to your house and painted your garden as opposed to watering it and giving the soil nutrients?  This is what is going on, and these biotoxins and other stressors are what cause signs and symptoms.
  
  Being overweight or having excessive abdominal fat is an indicator that a person’s body is stressed.  To diet, or get liposuction is just like turning off the symptom with a pill.  The right nutrients, the right exercise, and the right food are necessary for a person to get healthy and lose weight.  What is the right food/nutrient/exercise? To tell you something that is completely general would be again addressing the symptom.  Many people can do little things like cut out certain food allergies such as gluten, milk, cork, and soy.  But even that is just a head start for what is to come.
  
  So how do you keep your immunity high? Get enough rest! Relax your body! Eat the right foods! Move your body! Enjoy life! And if you have been exposed to toxins (metal fillings, mold, foreign bug bites, or parasite/fungus) find a specialist who can deal with these issues.  Or at least someone who can identify it.  I’m not going to lie, it will cost you money, but what is the point of money if you are not happy?
  
  The average American spends 10% of their income on food and maybe 5% on health (not health care).  The rest of the world is not far off.  Isn’t the order of importance “Water, food, shelter?”  When did we start paying so much for shelter, and so little for food and water?  Organic food, healing a person from biotoxins, parasites, or other hormonal metabolic diseases might just be the key to open the magic castle.  It’s time people start looking for that key!
  
  
  
  

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• Nap your way to health

  Tuesday, Oct 21, 2008 6:41AM / Standard Entry

  
  

  
  Every time I go to HK I'm always disturbed about something, this time I understood what it was.  The whole city is sleep deprived, to include myself when I am in it.  How do people survive with out sleep? Not very well.  I see quite a bit of issues with people's health because they do not sleep properly.  It amazes me because ordinarily when I am in SF I sleep a perfect 8hrs a night between 1030 and 630.  In HK most people find that sleep schedule insane.  HK action packed with events and things to do.  The city doesn't really stop till about 12am, and even then that is just a toned down version.
  
  Really in health there is no substitute for sleep, especially during the hours of 10-6.  Between 10pm-2am is when your bodies physical system recovers itself and between 2 and 6 is the psychological system.  This is why people who have long periods of poor sleep patterns often see things such as Bi-polar disorder, depression, or other psychological issues.  In the short term when a person doesn't sleep their 8hrs of sleep, weight gain is often the side affect.  In the long term it can be anything from more weight gain, to weight loss, it all pends on how a person's body functions on health.
  
  I get plenty of people telling me that it is impossible for them to sleep 8 hrs a day and even more impossible, to sleep between 10pm-6am.  Naps are really the alternative solution.  You know those little breaks that they made you do in kindergarten that we all hated.  But when I talk about naps I talk about power naps.  The difference between a nap and a power nap is the duration of the nap.  It is very important to make sure that one's naps are about 15-20min long.  Usually a nap that is any longer will stimulate the release of melatonin.  Melatonin known as your "sleepy hormone," when you feel groggy when you wake up that is because there is too much melatonin in your blood.  If you feel groggy after your nap, try to take a shorter nap.
  
  It is said that these little 15-20 min naps can be equivalent to 2hrs of sleep.  But, lets not forget the golden rule that there is nothing to truly substitute for 8hrs of good wholesome sleep.  The 15-20 min power nap is great if 8 hrs is impossible, or your sleep was interrupted.
  
  Why are people not doing this? (I've generated a couple of excuses for you)
  
  I'm oblivious about naps and how good they are for a person.
  I think naps are socially unacceptable
  I'm not a "good napper."
  I don't have time
  
  For those that were oblivious, congradulations you have just been Nap Elightened!
  
  If you think naps are socially unacceptable I would really highly suggest you grow up and do what's right for you body.  Obviously there are some huge underlying issues if society dictates what you are doing with your time.
  
  Okay, the not good napper excuse is one that I have herd many a time.  Naps sometimes really take work, and if you don't work at it you can't be good at it.  If you are a "poor napper" chances are your body really needs a nap, it has a hard time deregulating the amount of cortisol that is produced.  This is not so good, and you will literally have to work on taking a nap.  In the end I promise it will be worth it.  Obviously there is another solution, get 8 hours of sleep.
  
  If you don't have 15-20 min to recharge your batteries and distress your body you are lying to yourself.  There is no way anyone cannot contribute 15-20 min to their day.  It will make you more efficient and affective, keep you healthy, and add years to your life.  But hey, if you don't have time to make this free and easy health consideration, you might not have enough time to live.
  
  Next time you are in sleep rut, try and take a nap, it might just save you from your body crashing in the long term.  I know that naps were what saved me on my recent trip to HK, because there was no way I was able to get 8hrs a night.
  
  Be Well,
  H
  
  
  

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• Wu-shu w/ the wu-shu master

  Friday, Oct 3, 2008 1:18AM / Standard Entry

  

  
  Who doesn’t want to be a kung fu fighter? I know I did, and still do.  So in the last couple of months I’ve been training with Bryant Fong a Wushu Shi Fu.  Shi Fu Fong has been practicing and teaching Wushu for the Majority of his life.  I originally was opposed to doing Wushu because it seemed like the current trend.  Also, if I learned a martial arts, I wanted to learn something that I could use in a real life basis.  However, since I decided to pick up acting on the side, I would need a talent that could use on screen if I ever got it.
  
  The dictionary and direct translation of Wushu to English means, “Martial Arts.”  Today, we know Wushu in the term of contemporary or modern Wushu, a fighting style.  Jet Li can be blamed for Wushu’s current popularity, particularly in the Chinese community.  When visiting Hong Kong I often see people practice this style of martial arts in the park.  What makes Wushu so beautiful, and a popular sport/performance art for film is because all movements are exaggerated.  This allows the sport to be more beautiful and less violent.  Lets face it, in a real fight if you exaggerate the movement you are not going to win.  That is something they teach you when you are fighting for combat.
  
  In the past I’ve taken classes in Kung fu, Thai Kick boxing, Qi Gong, Tai Chi, and of course basic self-defense.  Learning Wushu was very different in style and form, however, one thing remained the same; the beginning is always boring.  One must always work on form, this is what Kung Fu, and Wushu’s basics were all about.  Bad form can lead to injury, or in the case of Wushu, a bad look.  I highly recommend everyone get a professional to watch proper form in whatever sport he or she does.  Really I can see 80% of injuries prevented, just by finding an expert in form.
  
  After mastering the form, I was ready to jump into the juicy stuff.  Unlike traditional Kung Fu, movies I did not have to stand in Horse Stance for a month before I got to move.  Each class seemed to advance me to a different level.  I was sure to do my homework. Within the first couple of weeks I had to breeze through the fundamentals.  Soon after I started to do sidekicks, and punching combos, which made the class very interesting.  I felt as if I was doing Tai Chi in the park, except in fast forward.  When practicing I was able to put together some great combinations so that I could practice everything that I have practiced.  But, again as I said before, form is always important, which is why Shi Fu Fong has me perform in front of a mirror.
  
  For anyone out there that is looking to do something a bit more active in life, I recommend doing Wushu, or adding it to your normal routine.  Shi Fu Fung, has a class that he teaches out of Berkeley and he teaches out of the YMCA in SF, feel free to contact him through his website on the bottom.
  
  For more on Bryant Fong visit: http://www.alivenotdead.com/baguabf  or www.sfwushu.net
  
  
  

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• Broken Ankle

  Monday, Sep 15, 2008 4:05AM / Standard Entry

  This past Thursday, I decided to skateboard down my hill on my block strapped with my 30lb backpack.  Not something I normally do, but hey what the heck.  The outcome was a bit shocking and painful.  If you cannot read gore, I suggest you stop reading right now.
  
  I landed on my right foot, but not with it pointed straight ahead, causing a dislocation to my right ankle.  At the time it looked like the bone was broken, because there was actually a bone sticking out, w/ my foot pointing at a 90degree angle.  Fortunately I could still wiggle my toes (which is a miracle in itself).  As it turns out, there were no broken bones in this accident.  Somehow my bones refused to break, and pushed my joint out of socket and exposed the joint, called a compound dislocation.
  
  Luckily I did not hit my head or any other body part, as my ankle broke (no pun intended :P) my fall.  I had some raspberries from my hand and knee scrapping the ground, but the kicker was the ankle.  The ambulance got on site within 5 minutes, and by then I was cracking jokes.  Looking down at my injury I remember saying "that doesn't look so good."  One of the ambulance members instructed me to lot look at it and tried to cover it.  I assured him, I was fine with looking at it, but it just didn't look so good.  The one thing that our medical association is good at is emergency care, I guess we can blame all the war time casualties for our speedy EMS technology.
  
  Arriving at the hospital, the doctors were certain that I had broken a bone or two.  In surgury they mainly cleaned the wound because they didn't want my bone to get infected.  Reluctantly I agreed to anysteshia, which I knew might not have been the best choice for a speedy recovery.  But, nevertheless it sounded good at the time.  I did make conscious decisions not to take excessive drugs, though, morphine was my best friend, that afternoon.
  
  After an overnight session at the hospital, and 3 iv's full of antibiotics, I was sent home with a splint and doctors orders saying "stay off your feet for 6 weeks."  I looked at the doctor and told her that I would do it in four.  Right now, I'm convicend with the proper healers, and alternative medicine I can probably walk on it in two weeks.  In January I injured my shoulder which I fully recovered in 2 weeks, the exact time that the doctors told me to put it in a brace.  Like I said before, recovery isn't thier expertice, but they are damn good at EMS.  Leave it to me for a speedy recovery.
  
  So now my schedule is full or rest and Chiropracic, Acupuncture, Energetic healing, and Qi Gong masters, to heal my ankle before my trip to Beijing and HK in Oct.  Wish me luck!
  
  H
  
  
  
  

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• Inpiration is Contageous

  Thursday, Sep 4, 2008 2:03PM / Standard Entry

  Tonight I went to a great seminar by Dr. John Demartini.  What was the topic? The Wealth Within.
  Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7KiXJkpfuo
  

  
  I find it humorous that we as humans think that wealth is something that is superficial and unspiritual.  Then again, I guess that is why I liked John's speech so much.  John talked about the seven things that we need to feel complete in life.  The seven things that give us wealth within:
  
  Mental
  Vocational
  Social
  Family
  Finances
  Health
  Spirituality
  
  Anyone can point these things out, but how one explains them is the real talent.  If we look at society we are all mentally blocked! Why because we are expecting others to live by our own virtues.  One of my favorite topics is that of ADD or ADHD.  Which, to my favor John describes as non-existent.  How is it pray tell, when everyone says that there is ADD?  Maybe instead of just perscribing and diagnosing we should get to the root o the problem.
  
  A story of a very famous dance instructor comes to mind.  When she was a child she was told that she had "Learning difficulties."  Because of this her mother and her went to see a psychiatrist.  When talking with the girl, the psychiatrist decided that he needed to speak with the mother.  Before he left the room, he switched the radio on.  Immediately the child started to dance in the room.  The psychiatrist leaned over to the mother and said.  Your daughter doesn't have a learning dissability, she is a dancer.  Now this is child is one of the leading dance coeographers in the world.  Che coeographed cats for god sake!
  
  Do we have psychiatrists like this anymore? Not really, they are few and far between.  People are afraid of telling the truth.  Further, we have distorted illusions of our own virtues that we try to instill upon others.  Relationships are a perfect example.  In this world we have a very fictitious belief that people should love the other person no matter what.  But what is trure is that a balance had to happen for committment to happen.  If something is lacking in the relationship it is not that the person doesn't love the other person, but primarly that something is lacking.  Affairs, desiring others, other stimulation, is all having to do with the lack of something in the relationship.
  
  I was inpired tonight because John is 100% correct in saying that everyone can do anything they want, they just have to believe in themselves.  How do we believe in ourselves if we try to instill our beliefs in others? The only way is to be comfortable under our skin.  Some will get it, and some won't, but what separates the upper and lower class isn't money, but the confidence that one has with one's self.
  
  Be Well,
  
  H
  
  
  

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