I just found this article on MSNBC from 2006 about KFC getting sued by a guy who was shocked to find out that their food has transfats in it.  Wow … shocker.  Who could possibly have suspected that?

There are two things that bother me about this kind of thing (ie. people suing companies over trivial crap – like the woman who sued McDonalds because she spilled hot coffee on herself.  Coffee? hot? Amazing).

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First, this man who’s suing KFC, Dr. Arthur Hoyte, is a … DOCTOR!!  You telling me it never occurred to this idiot that KFC sells food that’s bad for you?  Really?  Bull shit. 

Either he’s the worlds dumbest and worst educated doctor in history, or he scammed them for the money. 

In the 1950’s, doctors were telling the public that smoking was good for you, so it was understandable that many people got hooked to the highly addictive drug nicotine and then wanted to blame the companies that lied to them.  Fine.

But, we’ve taken this whole sue-nation thing way too far.  No one in America has thought fast-food was good for you since … well … ever!  It’s called fast food for a reason, people.  It is absolute crap.  It tastes good because it’s scientifically designed to taste good.  But, that’s it.  Eat at your own risk. 

Had I known that KFC uses an unnatural frying oil, and that their food was so high in trans fat, I would have reconsidered my choices,” Hoyte said.

Sure, dude.  Never in your years of medical school did it ever cross your feeble little mind that a big chain fast-food joint might use the cheapest (and unhealthiest) oils around? 

If an adult wants to eat fast-food all the time, that’s their business.  However, while I’m not against labeling (full discretion is always good), anyone who tricks themselves into believing that eating at a fast-food joint is a healthy idea is moronic.

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The second (and most important) reason for finding this disturbing is that it is part of the American victim-complex that we’ve all seemed to have collectively fallen into. 

We hate, as a people, to take responsibility for our actions or our mistakes.  Everything is someone else’s fault.  Everything.

Are you Fat?  It’s all the advertising on TV, or the easy access to fast-food.  An Alcoholic?  My parents were alcoholics.  How about a Rapist?  She wore a short skirt in a park, it’s not your fault.

The most successful people in the history of the planet have always known a simple fact of life that the rest seem to want to forget:  You have to own your own shit – good and bad.

There is no doubt that bad parenting can add a lot of hurdles to a persons life-path.  If you got fat as a kid, then it WAS your parents fault. Period.   If you saw your parents constantly drinking, then you are far more likely to head down that path. 

However, at some point, as an adult, you have to ACT like an adult.  If you are an adult alcoholic, that’s all you.  It has nothing to do with your parents anymore.  You have the choice.  It’s a hard choice, and you’re an addict – no doubt – but, it’s still a choice.

We have the fattest nation on earth because adults act like children.  They don’t take seriously the fact that their weight is in their control.  It is not the responsibility of the government or big corporations to keep you lean and healthy.  It’s your own responsibility.

If you don’t like the way your body is right now, you can change it.  If you don’t want to, cool. But, if you do, don’t go whining and crying about all the outside factors “holding you down”.  Only you are holding you down. 

We are not victims of everything and everyone.  We’re all adults … except this guy:

My friend Mike (2010 National Champion in his age/weight class in Olympic Weightlifting -  he’s the buff dude in the above video) sent me this great list of Viking laws for success to share with you. 

They remind me a bit of what you might find in the Hagakura, the Japanese book of the Samurai.  Succinct and clear, and surprisingly relevant to your real life and to your fitness life.

OK, here we go:

VIKING LAWS

BE BRAVE AND AGGRESSIVE

BE DIRECT

GRAB ALL OPPORTUNITIES

USE VARYING METHODS OF ATTACK

BE VERSATILE AND AGILE

ATTACK ONE TARGET AT A TIME

DON’T PLAN EVERYTHING IN DETAIL

USE TOP QUALITY WEAPONS

BE PREPARED

KEEP WEAPONS IN GOOD CONDITION

KEEP IN SHAPE

FIND GOOD BATTLE COMRADES

AGREE ON IMPORTANT POINTS

CHOOSE ONE CHIEF

BE A GOOD MERCHANT

FIND OUT WHAT THE MARKET NEEDS

DON’T PROMISE WHAT YOU CANNOT DELIEVER

DON’T DEMAND OVERPAYMENT

AGRRANGE THINGS SO THAT YOU CAN RETURN

KEEP THE CAMP IN ORDER

KEEP THINGS TIDY AND ORGANIZED

ARRANGE ENJOYABLE ACTIVITIES WHICH STRENGTHEN THE GROUP

MAKE SURE EVERYBODY DOES USEFUL WORK

CONSULT ALL MEMBERS OF THE GROUP FOR ADVICE

The fact is, not everyone succeeds at sticking to a new fitness plan.  In fact, most don’t.  They might stick to it for a while, and even see some nice results.  But, at some point, the ball drops.

I think about this a lot, of course, since when a client of mine lets their fitness fall through the floor they stop coming in to see me!  I have a solid retention rate that I’m quite proud of, but no matter what I do, no matter how encouraging I try to be, I can’t keep them all.  That’s life.  You can’t help someone who doesn’t want to help themselves.

Top 7 Reasons People Fail at Fitness

• Unwillingness – I like to say often that Life is about Trade Offs.  You never get to have something without paying a price.  Sometimes the price low, in which case the choice is easy.  But, other times the price is high.   When it comes to fitness, many people see a steep price tag.  You have to watch your diet, consistently come into the gym, and work HARD when you’re in the gym.   That’s the price.  And if you aren’t willing to pay it, you will never succeed. 
• Self Esteem Issues – There are so many ways a coach can hear the words, “I can’t”.  Sometimes it’s simply a whiny sounding sigh.  Other times, it’s explicit, “I can’t do that, I mean it, there is no way that is going to happen.  Not if my LIFE depended on it.”  Truth is, when a client tells me they can’t, they usually can.  But they honestly don’t know it.  I know it, I’ve been doing this long enough to have a pretty good idea about what a person can and can’t take.  But, they don’t.  They have NO experience pushing themselves beyond their comfort zones.  As such, they are convinced they are less than they are.  This goes to more than just lifting in the gym, or doing their interval training.  It is a permeating force of “I can’t” that rules their life.  They’ll be doing something well, get right up near the end … and quit.  You ARE able to do this.  ANYONE can do this.  But, until you truly believe it:  Fake it till you make it.
• Blame-Game – This one is related to the lack of self-esteem.  If you find yourself failing, and your first response is to blame someone else, or some external object or situation, then you’re playing the blame-game.  OK, I know there are always those times in life when things honestly aren’t your fault (like getting hit by a car).  But, most of the time, at least part of the blame is squarely on you.  Take that to heart, don’t let it get you down, learn from it, and do something different the next time.  We all fail in the short term.  But, the people who succeed in the long term OWN their failures. 
• Sheepin’ It Up – This may seem ironic, given the nature of this article, but beware of advice-givers.  Obviously, you need to take advice.  But, make sure it’s good advice given by people who are in a good position to give advice.  For instance, if you are having relationship problems and you need advice, don’t ask your friend who has never been in a relationship that lasted longer than 6 months!  They don’t know what they are talking about.  (I always find it amazing when people hire out-of-shape trainers who clearly don’t practice what they preach.)  You don’t have to spend your life as a sheep.  You have a good brain – use it.  Good advice is education, bad advice is poison.
• Execute – All the good advice in the world is worthless if you don’t put it into action.  A famous coach, Dan John, once said, “Plan the work, work the plan.”  A coach can plan the work, but eventually only you can work the plan.  How many projects around your house do you “plan to get to?”  How often have you told yourself that you were going to start going to the gym.  “This year, man, this is it. This is the year I’m gonna go to the gym and eat right and take back my life!”  Well … that’s the plan, now do it!
• Closed mind – Sometimes you’ll get great advice, but you’re too closed-minded to take it (or even recognize it as good advice).  When I tell people that lifting weights will help them lose fat, I often get quizzical looks.  It goes against the grain (cardio is for fat loss, weight lifting is for muscle building … right?).  When I say that long and slow cardio won’t help them lose fat, I get rolled eyes.  The fact that they’ve been doing long slow cardio with no results for years doesn’t (oddly) occur to them as strange. 
• Over-competitive – This comes in two kinds: competition with others; and competition with yourself.  Both can be great motivators.  But, they can also be major motivation killers!  If you are constantly worried about what others are doing (and doing better than you) then you’ll end up paralyzed by irrational fears like, “I’m not as good as them, so I’ll NEVER be as good as them.”  The other is over-competition with your own self.   Setting unrealistic goals for yourself is a guaranteed way to set yourself up for failure.  Like, “I’m gonna lose 20 pounds in 10 days!” … come on.  A little competition is good, too much is childish.

Take a good hard look at the above 7 problems and ask yourself if you’re suffering from any of them.  I’m sure you are.  We ALL are.  But, the good news is that admitting a behavior is a problem is the first step toward changing that behavior.

If you’re ready to take yourself to the next level, make sure to contact me to get started on a new strength and fitness program today!

From the Dalai Lama

When you entertain evil thoughts like hostility and hatred, there is no joy in your heart and you are a nuisance to others.  On the other hand, if you develop kindness, patience and understanding, then the whole atmosphere changes.

Barry at Weightlifting Epiphanies has a fantastic post on why he decided to be a weightlifter.  It’s really digs into some topics that strike a cord with me.  Here’s a passage:

Weightlifting appeals to my underlying personality. My parents raised me as a lifelong learner and in the twenty months since I gave up rugby to train with the barbell instead, my inner perspective has, and still, continues to evolve. Weightlifting forces me to look at myself as I really am and how I want to be. Do I want the sublime athleticism of Kolecki? The ruthless efficiency of Kakishvilli? The brute power and showmanship of Dimas? No. I want to be myself. The beauty of this journey is that I am continuously discovering what exactly I want to be, and more importantly, what I am. This differentiation is vital for anyone who seeks to progress, adapt and evolve on any front.

This is the Polish weightlifter Szymon Kołecki

From the great Japanese Haiku poet Basho:

“I hear the unblown flute, In the deep summer shadows, Of the Temple of Suma.”

A new paper in the Archives of Internal Medicine found that women who strength train score higher on cognitive tests.

Older women who did an hour or two of strength training exercises each week had improved cognitive function a year later, scoring higher on tests of the brain processes responsible for planning and executing tasks, a new study has found.

The Women (ages 65 to 75) were all put on a strength training program for a full year.

A year later, the women who did strength training had improved their performance on tests of so-called executive function by 10.9 percent to 12.6 percent, while those assigned to balance and toning exercises experienced a slight deterioration — 0.5 percent. The improvements in the strength training group included an enhanced ability to make decisions, resolve conflicts and focus on subjects without being distracted by competing stimuli.

Notice that the control group still exercised, but only did “toning” and “balance” work and saw a slight deterioration in cognitive function.  This is the kind of stuff you’d do in a Yoga class, or even an aerobics class.  Those things are great (even essential).  But, without a dedicated strength training program, you’re selling yourself short – apparently even your brain!

From the Hagakure, The Book of the Samurai by Yamamoto Tsunetomo:

In one’s life, there are levels in the pursuit of study.  In the lowest level, a person studies but nothing comes of it, and he feels that both he and others are unskillful.  At this point he is worthless.  In the middle level he is still useless but is aware of his own insufficiencies and can also see the insufficiencies of others.  In a higher level he has pride concerning his own ability, rejoices in praise from others, and laments the lack of ability in his fellows.  This man has worth.  In the highest level a man has the look of knowing nothing.

These are the levels in general.  But there is one transcending level, and this is the most excellent of all.  This person is aware of the endlessness of entering deeply into a certain Way and never thinks of himself as having finished.  he truly knows his own insufficiencies and never in his whole life thinks that he has succeeded.  he has no thoughts of pride but with self-abasement knows the Way to the end.  It is said that Master Yagyu once remarked, “I do not know that way to defeat others, but the way to defeat myself.”

Throughout your life advance daily, becoming more skillful than yesterday, more skillful than today.  This is never ending.

BBC Health news reports that the cold sore virus may be linked to an increase in Alzheimer’s risk.  So, be careful who you’re smoochin’ on.

How would you feel if I told you that you could eat anything you want, and still lose weight … so long as you prayed?  I’m not joking.  I’ve now heard everything …

In August 2002, the couple was married and they soon made a decision that would forever change their lives.
Before getting married, a friend introduced Maggie to The Weigh Down Workshop, a faith-based weight loss program, which teaches people to conquer their addiction to food, as well as other substances and vices, by turning to God.

Maggie says she was never consistent or committed enough to stick with the program. But shortly after their wedding, the couple started packing on the pounds and while Andy tried another diet, Maggie gave Weigh Down another try.

“At the end of 2002 and the beginning of 2003, I called Weigh Down and started taking the classes,” says Maggie. “My whole life, I had always wanted somebody to [lose weight] with me. But I knew if I wanted it bad enough, I would have to do it alone.”

She began to lose weight.

“I ate whatever I craved, but only when I was truly hungry and then I ate a lot more slowly, so I could tell when to stop,” Maggie says.

In February 2003, after seeing his wife’s results, Andy stopped counting calories, gave up the low-fat foods and reduced his portion sizes. Fifteen months later, he had lost 257 pounds.

“Once I started this program, it changed my outlook on my entire life. I realized that being happy is a choice. I can either be filled with hate and despair or I can be happy,” says Andy, who realized he no longer needed the anti-depressants.

Don’t get me wrong, the placebo effect is AMAZING, and I’m all for it.  So, if this works for them, great!  In fact, I don’t care if you worship a teddy bear, so long as it causes you to do what you actually have to do:

 “I ate whatever I craved, but only when I was truly hungry and then I ate a lot more slowly, so I could tell when to stop,” Maggie says.

That line is crucial.  “I ONLY ate when i was TRULY hungry … so I could tell when to STOP …”

In other words … she was dieting.  She just didn’t know it.  It wasn’t a massive, kill you kind of diet.  But, it was a diet.  The prayer enabled her to focus on something else, beyond herself, and beyond her own out-of-control appetite.  It’s about behavioral modification.

The mind is a powerful tool.  And it is the NUMBER 1 key to your success in any endeavor in life.  Fat loss, and physique transformation are no different.  So … get to praying, or meditating, or anything else that suits your cultural comfort levels.  Because, honestly, it does work.