75% of the nation is considered obese.  Of the 25% that is not obese, more than half are considered unfit.  90% of the nation is considered unfit.People can look healthy based on their natural metabolism.  There are a good number of people whose stomachs do not stick out, but their stomach area is roll-y.  It’s a challenge to tone your body across all areas, but a huge factor in how your body appears is your body type.

Tall, lanky body types are ectomorphs.  Square, box body shapes are mesomorphs.  Pear-shaped bodies are endomorphs.  Each of these body shapes has the ability to tone, but your body type and your workout regimen dictates how your body will appear.I’m a mesomorph.  However, if you look at me compared to marathon runners or aerobics instructors, they appear thinner than me even though I have a lower body fat percentage than them.  Building muscle creates a thicker looking body, and building for power and strength negates the opportunity for your body to get “chiseled.”  In that respect, looks can be deceiving depending on the body you are looking at.

Nutrition is huge, but your nutrition will vary based on the type of workouts you are doing, the same way the look of your body will change based on the type of workout you are doing.  For someone who runs 5 miles a day, they need more fat in their diet, whereas someone who leg presses 900 pounds needs more carbs because of the level of exertion being utilized.

It all has a way of coming together, but the fact remains that only 1 out of every 10 are actually considered fit individuals.  There are a lot of adjustments we need to make to help others live healthier and HAPPIER lives.  But it all starts with what motivates you and what elicits your own determination.  Hold onto it and let it fuel you.  I promise you’ll be amazed at how far it will carry you.

How incredible of a feeling is it when you are being recognized and admired for what you do routinely?  That is apparently what is happening at my gym.  While I feel like I am methodically going about my routine, I’m apparently impressing and inspiring a lot of people by maxing out the fly machine, leg pressing 3 sets at a minimum of 720 pounds and just blasting through cycles at a consistent pace without rest.

One guy who I knew growing up has been coming into the gym in the mornings.  He used to lift in the mornings, but now he does cardio in the mornings and then comes back in the evening for another round of gym doing weights.  He’s a big guy, told me he is 20 pounds from his high school football playing weight, but man is he pushing his butt to get there.  He’s dripping in sweat and stinking up a storm in his sweatshirt that is soaked more than three quarters of the way down.

Just another person I have inspired to go beyond maximum effort to get to where he wants to be.  It’s amazing to be recognized and I don’t plan on slowing down my pace anytime soon.  People will still be watching because I have so much more of a show to put on.  Have a great weekend everybody!

I woke up well this morning, got out of bed without feeling groggy and caught the early bus up to the gym.  (Thursdays tend to be long days at work, so I get in early to leave early.)  The bus drives up in town and stops just next to the shopping center in town.  He pulls over and stops the bus.  Now I know that the drivers are watched via satellite and get in trouble if they get too far ahead of schedule, but they never stop just outside Weis, so I was confused along with the two other people on the bus with me at that time.

The driver runs down outside the grocery store and seems to return a movie to Red Box.  He then takes a little time and fumbles through, looking as though he may be taking time looking for a movie and then casually walks back to the bus.  The gym is not that far of a walk from the gym, but after watching and wondering what the heck the Ride-On bus driver was doing, I decided that it’ll be faster to just wait for him to get back at that point.

He returns carrying a Coca-Cola and a Sprite, says nothing to any of us on the bus and then drives on as though the route hadn’t stopped at all.  Just the latest of a growing list of things I have seen on the bus.  Maybe I wrote the wrong style of book.  Mishaps and Routine Happenings Aboard The Bus: Metro and Subway Access Not Needed Whatsoever.  Hmmm, it’s a thought…

I read somewhere that you won’t feel the effect of not going to the gym if you miss a day or two.  I disagree entirely.  You may not think you feel it that day, but when you turn around the next time you do go to the gym and try executing the workout you were supposed to do yesterday, the day before or—for most of us out there— last week, you hopefully realize the immediacy in which you feel your body being impacted.

In a way I am lucky to be so aware of the impact my workouts have on my body.  I can feel myself weaken if I miss the gym even after a couple days due to how pervasively my disability will impair my body if I don’t go.  I’m convinced that this same detriment happens inside everyone; we either choose to ignore it or don’t realize it right away because we just aren’t aware.

Nerve damage is a frustrating limitation to live with, but being so aware of how my body feels is an amazing gauge to know when I am on track.  My friend told me yesterday that he wears straps when he does pulling motions because he loses his grip.  I feel him because my right hand would slip off the lat pulldown bar, but through the way I embrace and doggedly pursue my workouts, I can grip the bar, pull 20 bricks for 15 reps and not lose my grips.  I’ve had two consecutive workouts with that as the outcome.  Strength is coming in the tiniest of doses with each additional pull I do.  We all need to keep that in mind over the “relaxation” of skipping a workout.

Think about it, which feels better…the premature rest from skipping your workout or the ability to rest after you finish a workout?  The first makes you weaker and the second, at the very least with an effort put in, will allow you to maintain where you are.  We need to quit hurting ourselves.  Here’s hoping this year brings about my chance to help others achieve this end.

At opposite ends of my paper today were two related stories with polarized perspectives.  Rep. Giffords is starting to speak now (probably no more than “the car is blue” and “That’s a square in your left hand.”) and is lip syncing to Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star.  Her recovery is daunting and I, as many do, continue to pray for her and wish her as full of a recovery as she can receive.  These months are critical and it appears that not only are the doctors pushing her, but Giffords herself is pushing herself beyond her limit.  That’s Determination for you…

On the flip side, what do you do when neurological blips suddenly occur out of the blue—like in the case of Serene Branson, a reporter for CBS2.  A 20-second introduction was completely garbled and gibberish, queuing the teasing and mockery alike from narrow-minded individuals and the masses who view it on the Internet.

Sometimes I just really hate YouTube.  I mean, there is a “remix” rap version of Branson’s clip, highlighting an uncontrollable event and absolutely disgracing her in the most inappropriate way you can—over something she has no control over.  The distance between compassion and humiliation is incredible, even more so the amount who flock to and exacerbate the wrongdoing in the latter situation.

People need to think about how they act and how what they are doing affects and influences others.  There is value in watching what happened to Serene Branson…medical value and DEFINITELY NOT YouTube posting value.  You think it’s so fun to witness a stroke, go have one and see where you are afterwards.

I’m nearly 23 years removed from mine, and let me tell you I have been through a lot.  It still hurts to this day, but I am where I am due to love and determination, not ridicule and laughter.  Clearly, this can happen to anyone.  Think about that before a hoard of others laugh if it happens to you.