Success:

“To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children;

to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty;

to find the best in others; to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch

or a redeemed social condition; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived.

This is to have succeeded.”

by Ralph Waldo Emerson

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Short and sweet!

Stay strong,

Joey

]]> http://joeysgymclass.com/?feed=rss2&p=877 http://joeysgymclass.com/?p=871 http://joeysgymclass.com/?p=871#comments Tue, 03 Aug 2010 20:05:28 +0000 Joey http://joeysgymclass.com/?p=871 Nike has always had great campaigns for their products. This one that they just released is probably one of the best I have ever seen  . . . for a number of reasons. I mean it is really about time that ads targeted towards females start getting away from that emaciated looking “I only eat lettuce and smoke a pack a day” model and start promoting a healthier looking more athletic body type.

The days of endless cardio are over, skinny is ok, skinny fat is not. For ladies who work with e, I always select workouts that will develop a firm, lean body type, with strength that you can use. A body that looks as good as it feels. I mean some women are stuck in cardio mode and eat away all muscle tissue, leaving them skinny but soft, same body, but a smaller version, learn to lift some weights and add density to your muscle tissue so you can change your shape and the way you look. I mean even Marilyn Monroe knew the importance of weight training, and mind you this was waaaaaay before the modern gym existed. There were no machines, just dumbells and barbells . . . good job Marilyn!

Nike has taken this to another level, below is a post writen by fellow strength coach Tony Gentilcore, he also works out of Cressey Performance in Massachussettes. His blog is definitely one of the funniest, informative fitness blogs out there. Check him out at tonygentilcore.com.

Read on, enjoy!!!!

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Back in 2005, Nike ran an unprecedented ad campaign demonstrating to the world that it’s A-okay to have a badonkadonk; and, what’s more, anyone who happened to disagree, should kiss said badonkadonk.  I thought it was brilliant, and exactly the type of message that women need to hear and see.

Well, it’s back - bigger and better than ever.  Just this week, Nike released their 2010 version, and it’s freakin glorious.

I’m not gonna call this the best ad campaign ever, but it pretty much is.  Whoever walked into Nike headquarters and pitched this idea needs to be handed a Medal of Honor or something.  Whoever he or she is, they’re an American hero.  At a time when women are constantly told by mainstream media and douchehole celebrity trainers that lifting anything heavier than three lbs will turn them into Chewbacca, and that eating celery sticks is a treat, this is definitely a breath of fresh air.  I mean, I’m so sick and tired of seeing models with no ass, no muscle, and no shape being touted as the ideal “look” for women to aspire for.  Why not just get a 2×4 and put a dress on it?

Nevertheless, kudos to Nike for an awesome job.  Here’s hoping that it catches on……..

Stay Strong,

Joey

On the other hand, using a massage therapist regularly can cost quite a bit. Yes the benefits far outweigh the costs - so let’s talk about why you need it, and what you can do to keep your muscles pliable and in tip top shape without the hefty price tag!

Why massage?

Your muscle tissue is prone to developing what are commonly referred to as “knots”, or muscle adhesions, or trigger points.  (You know, those “tight” spots you feel when someone massages your back . . . those are “knots”!) Not only do you get them in your back, but you can get them in spots all over your body, from your calves and legs, even into your arms, hands and feet.

The jury is still out as to what exactly these “knots” are or what causes them. Some say they are simply muscle fibers that tend to tighten up in certain areas of the body, others think different. What we do know is that these knots respond to pressure. Once under pressure and some cross friction, they seem to break up. Once the knots are gone, you will have improved movement throughout the muscle tissue.

Why do you need to clear up these adhesions?

Clearing up muscle adhesions will improve mobility, and cause significantly less stress on your joints. You might be surprised to see many aches and pains just disappear after some solid soft tissue work! Beyond that, the imprtant factor is injury prevention due to having more pliable muscle tissue. If you move better, you look better. All of the aforementioned are huge benefits to soft tissue therapy to improve the quality of your body.

What is next?

Simple, get yourself a FOAM ROLLER! They are inexpensive, and give you the same benefits of a massage using your own bodyweight as pressure. Mike Boyle refers to the foam rolling as the “Poor Man’s Massage Tool”. They work great, get the job done, and will make a significant increase in your performance and training.

The video below is from Cressey Performance out in Massachusetts - There are many methods to foam rolling, this is a great foam roller series to start off with - so, find yourself a foam roller and give it a shot!

Eric Cressey’s Foam Roller Series

When to add foam rolling to your workouts?

For your workouts, foam roll before you begin and after you finish. Especially if you have serious knots throughout your body. Spend a good 5-10 minutes working out those knots, I guaruntee you will be impressed with the improvements you will see!

Try it out!

Stay strong,

Joey

Today’s post contains some very motivating and insightful words from Nassim Nicolas Taleb, he is the author of “The Black Swan” a book on philosophy and life that topped the New York Times Bestseller list in 2007.

He definitely makes some very profound points in the below excerpt which can apply to almost any area of your life whether it is love, work, family, or just lifting heavy things and training yourself hard. See what you take home from his points!

132- Life’s Barbells

(Barbells are more robust than monomodal strategies.)

Walk most of the time, sprint as fast as you can on the occasion; never jog.

Fast for long periods of famine, then feast; never diet.

Endorse Nick Clegg & David Cameron, in combination, never labor.

For social life, a linear combination of Fat Tony & philosophers outperforms the frequentation of middle brows.

Go for city-states under loose empires, never nation-states.

Be a flåneur, lounging most of the time; then work as intensely as possible for a maximum of one hour; never work at low intensity –the 4-Hour Workweek.

Do nothing most of the time, then workout like a nut as intensely & unpredictably as possible.

Invest mostly in close to no-risk, (cash inflation protected, 80-90%), and maximal risk securities (10-20%); never in medium risk.

Read trashy gossip magazines and classics or sophisticated works; never the New York Times (or something even more aberrant, Newsweek).

Talk to graduate students or the highest caliber scholars; never, never, never medium academics.

Lose all your money, never half of it.

Respect those who make a living lying down or standing up, never those who do so sitting down.

Separate the holy and the profane.

Do crazy things (break furniture once in a while), like the Greeks and stay “rational” in larger decisions.

If you dislike someone, leave him alone or eliminate him; don’t attack him verbally.

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Hope you enjoyed it and that you learned a thing or two!

Stay strong,

Joey

First of all, Providence ROCKS! The food was great, the people were friendly, and it is a small good old slice of New England American culture. You could literally feel the history in the city itself. It was great to be able to see a beautiful place like that only a couple of hours from home. I would definitely go up for another weekend, just to try the lobster and shrimp again!

Special Thank You’s

Special thanks to Perform Better for putting on an awesome seminar weekend! It was very organized, the workers were very helpful with everything, and the entire weekend was smooth. It is hard to do a seminar of this caliber, and it is evident that to get all of the high-level speakers to attend this seminar under the same roof took quite an effort! You could tell that they put in a ton of work to make this happen. It was totally worth it!

Also a very special thanks to StrengthCoach.com for really bringing the trainers, coaches and the rest of the online-community together. A BIG, BIG THANKS to Mike Boyle and Anthony Renna for setting up and putting on the great social on Friday night at Trinity that really kicked the weekend off for everyone.

Thomas Plummer said that we as an industry are very isolated as workers, we work in our own world but do not get to interact very much with each other. Just because of the nature of this business, we have very little camaraderie. I felt as if after this weekend we are more tightly knit as a community than ever before. This was something that was truly needed in the industry, to get to know one another, to see each other face-to-face and share one, two . . a few drinks and laughs! You guys are awesome and thanks for the love! It was a pleasure to finally meet and chat with everyone!

Review of the Seminar

I almost filled up an entire notebook with notes, trying to write furiously fast in between sets of burpees and some new TRX exercises I have never seen. Just so you get an idea of the caliber of the coaches who were presenting and what they spoke about, here is a review of just a handful of what went on! -

1. Al Vermeil - “Speed: The Ultimate Weapon”- He did a killer presentation and hands-on segment about spoke about speed development. If you do not know who he is, he is the ONLY strength coach to have championship rings in BOTH the NBA and NFL.

2. Mike Boyle - “Preparing to Workout”- He is currently the strength coach to the Boston Bruins, and Boston University’s hockey team. It was an honor to have him there and see his lecture and hands-on about “Preparing to Workout”, he literally put us through the same warm up of his high level athletes - needless to say,but I took a lot away from this one!

3. Martin Rooney - “The Art of Exceptional Training” - excellent lecture, he is highly motivating and really makes you put in that extra effort. Rooney has over 20 NFL football players that have run under a 4.3 in the 40-yd dash for their combines. He knows how to get that level of effort out of the people he works with.

One thing I got from him was - “Are you in it? Or are you INTO it?” - In other words, stop with the BS and start giving your best at everything you do. The results will show at the end, but only if you put in your best effort always!

4. Todd Durkin - “3-D Approach to Program Design” - Todd has to be one of the greatest motivators I have ever seen! His hands on was Saturday morning, although everyone was tired, he really got us going and drove everyone to do their best. He mentioned how it is all mental, as he starts screaming to  “GET YOUR MIND RIGHT!” the group just lit up and went to town on the workout.

This workout was a tough 6 station circuit with 3-minute periods at each station. He literally put the 200 trainers and coaches in that room through the WALL! When we left he had us all fired up, I was ready to go to war and felt great the rest of the day!

5. Alwyn Cosgrove - “Designing Effective Semi-Private Programs”

Great stuff from Alwyn as always. He is a great presenter and smart as hell when it comes to designing programs and the set up of the workout. Alwyn writes for various magazines, including Men’s Health, and has various books out including “The New Rules of Lifting” for both men and women. His hands on wrecked us as well, and his lecture definitely gave me some exciting new insights on creating programs for my group classes.

I learned a ton of new concepts and ideas that has kicked up my game to the next level. After I spend some time digesting these thoughts, there will be an onslaught of new techniques for everyone!

Thanks again to all for the excellent experience!

My biggest take away from this weekend to all of you is - We should all be setting ourselves to a higher standard, expect more and be more everyday . . . and everyday be at least 1% better!

Stay strong,

Joey

Until then - I wrote this top 10 list for a radio show that wanted me to do a segment, but unfortunately I could not attend this week because of the Summit. SO, here is my first ever TOP 10 LIST!!!!

Top 10 Tips for Latinos Living Healthy

Saludos!,

1. Better Breakfasts – This is important, most latinos consider breakfast to be only “pan y café” y nada mas! That is not breakfast – to live a healthier lifestyle, to have more energy throughout the day you need to add more nutrition to your morning. “Pan y café” will only lead you to be hungrier later and leave you dragging by the end of the day.

a. SOLUTION – Try adding a fruit to your morning meal, any fruit will do I prefer apples or oranges for breakfast. For another quick breakfast option try 1-2 hard-boiled eggs seasoned with some adobo to eat with your “pan y café” – eggs are full of great nutrition, easy to make, and will add some energy to your morning!

2. Variety – Most latino households lack variety in their diet. We typically eat the same things for dinner from day to day – rice and beans, tortillas, platanos etc. Try different grains, like quinoa, or wild rice from time to time. Try skipping the rice and beans and using roasted vegetables as a side dish instead. You will survive, nothing bad will happen to you, you will not lose your “Latino Card” if you skip the rice and beans for a meal!

3. Frutas – All Latin American countries are known for their exotic fruits. They are delicious, juicy and full of vitamins and nutrients! Take advantage of the fruits when they are available and in season - Try to eat 2-4 pieces a day and see how much better you will look and feel!

4. Batidas - These are staples in many Hispanic cultures. Batidas con leche and fresh fruits are one of the healthiest options that latinos have as a culture. Use batidas in the morning for a quick breakfast, or as a snack later in the day. They are a great way to get in a good serving of fresh fruits and are a much better option than going to the vending machine for a snack!

(Translation - a batida is a milkshake - my favorite is a cup of strawberries and some sliced mango blended with milk cinammon, honey and ice! . . . you will thank me later!!!)

5. Eat a few times a day - This is important! Most latinos have “Pan y café” por la manana and then a huge meal later on and THAT IS IT for the day! To jumpstart your weight loss, or to improve your energy levels simply eat AT LEAST 3 meals a day. Have a breakfast, lunch and a dinner. Try to have smaller meals more frequently throughout the day and your energy will drastically improve.

6. Portion control - Rice is also a staple in most latino households – so are 4 cucharadas of rice on one plate! Watch your portions, 1-2 cucharadas of anything is OK. 3-4 cucharadas is overkill and it will add a ton of excess un-needed calories. Figure each cucharada of rice adds about 120 calories per scoop!

If you want to lose weight, then watch your portions for 4 weeks. Also, try cutting down on second helpings and it will go a long way. I know the food is delicious, but try it out and see what happens!

8. EXERCISE - You know what you have to do. Stop “thinking” about getting in shape and get out there and do SOMETHING! Go for a walk, join a gym, play ball with your kids, just get yourself moving. It is important for you and your health!

9. Bebidas/Refrescos - Watch drinks that have too many calories. Water is really the ONLY drink you ever need. All of your drinks should have 0 calories, any added calories just put more on top of what you are already eating. If you are at a party then have some juice or soda, but to keep yourself healthy 90% of the time your main drink should be water.

10. ITS NOT COMPLICATED – Do not make it harder than it is. You do not need to count calories, or stop eating after 5pm. Just eat fresh fruits and vegetables more often throughout the day and with meals. Add some variety to your diet and drink a lot of water more frequently.

I can guarantee that by following these tips, you will be one fit healthy latino and you will be energetic for your family and be absolutely ready for anything!

Stay strong,

Joey

P.S. Here is the link for the radio show, definitely check it out!

Event: Radio Capicu: Living A Healthier (Latino) Lifestyle
Start Time: Saturday, June 5 at 10:00pm
End Time: Sunday, June 6 at 12:00am
Where: http://www.facebook.com/l/27274;www.urbanlatinoradio.fm 

When it comes to seasoning food, salt and pepper are the most frequently used seasonings in American cooking - most people never think to give a second thought as to the quality of the salt they use in their cooking because it is so common. You probably eat more salt in a day than you might think! What are the differences in the quality of salt? Can you actually use a better salt in your diet? Where the hell do you get it????

Why you need salt -

• Salt aids in balancing blood sugar levels

• Salt is needed for the absorption of food particles through the intestinal tract

• Salt can aid in the prevention of muscle cramps

• Salt clears th lungs of mucus and sticky phlegm, particulary in those suffering from asthma and cystic fibrosis

• Salt is vital to the extraction of acidity from the cells of the body, particularly the brain cells!

• Salt is needed in order to make the structure of the bones firm!

According to a recent article on the topic; “The sodium and chlorine in salt are electrolytes, minerals that conduct electricity in our fluids and tissues. The other main electrolytes are potassium, calcium and magnesium. Our kidneys maintain the balance of electrolytes and water by regulating the fluids that we take in and pass out of our bodies. If this balance is disturbed, our muscles, nerves and organs won’t function correctly because the cells can’t generate muscle contractions and nerve impulses.

Too little salt, or hyponatrameia, is one of the most common electrolyte disturbances. You can lose sodium when you sweat or urinate excessively, experience severe vomiting or diarrhea, or when you drink a lot of water (which is why sports drinks contain electrolytes). Ultimately, hyponatremia can lead to brain swelling and death.

If you have very strong cravings for salt, you may be dehydrated or lacking one of the minerals in salt. But an extreme salt craving can be a symptom of Addison’s disease (a hormonal disorder) or Barrter’s syndrome (a rare kidney disorder).”

So, yes there is definitely a physiological need for this in our systems that we must keep balanced! We definitely have to make sure we are getting the right type of salt when we eat.

Refined vs Natural Salt

There is a BIG difference between refined white salt found in the grocery store, and unrefined natural sea salt. You can see the differences in the pictures below.

Refined salts typically contain aluminum based anti-caking agents. Aluminum is linked with heavy metal toxicity and is a possible cause of Alzheimer’s disease. Other additives to plain old white table salt include dextrose (sugar) and sodium silico-aluminate. Believe it or not, these are added to prevent the refined salt from changing color through the chemical processing. These additives have been scientifically linked to kidney problems, hypertension and mineral malabsorption.

Natural salt . . . no chemicals, also full of trace minerals that are typically stripped out by the bleaching process of table salt. So you get more for your seasoning with a natural salt!

WHAT DO YOU DO?

Okay so processed salt has some issues and additives that can cause you some trouble down the line. Natural salt is way better anyway you look at it.

According to another article I came across, famed strength coach Charles Poliquin has noted that salt is a lot like bread: there’s the over-processed, chemical-laden, overly-refined white stuff you should avoid (table salt), and the natural healthier stuff (sea salt). Poliquin thinks that those of us who train hard and eat lots protein need more salt, not less, in our diets, as long as that salt is the good stuff, full of minerals.

Suffice it to say, I personally don’t avoid salt anymore, but have definitely learned a lesson and only buy the good stuff. The “good stuff” is always colored instead of being bleached white. The pigmentation comes from those natural trace minerals that are essential for good health, it’s real salt.

Going with that, I have been using some Redmond Real Salt. This is a kosher pink sea salt that fits all the guidelines outlined by Poliquin and has none of the additives.

This Real Salt is extracted in Redmond Utah from deep within the earth. These deposits came from evaporated sea beds that had been covered over and protected by volcanic ash about, oh, a bajillion, years ago. It’s crushed and screened, but unbleached, unheated, and otherwise unrefined, containing OVER 50 trace minerals.

The taste is great, not bitter and not overly salty. (Cooking with salt isn’t supposed to make food salty anyway; rather, salt enhances and brings out the natural flavor or foods.)

I picked up a 16oz bag for about $6 on Amazon.com. You can also probably find it at your local health food stores as well.

I have been using it for over a year, I took the taste test and was wowed by the difference between the typical table salt and the Redmond Real Salt. . . BIG DIFFERENCE!

Try it out!

Stay strong,

Joey

If you want to look like a superhero - train like a superhero!

I came across these videos of some pretty impressive bad-ass women training pretty hard - Superwomen to say the least!

Check them out!

1) Zuzanna - Fast Death Workout

2) Pushups with a Vengance - A Woman\’s Touch

3) Renegade Woman - 13 Perfect Pullups

Nope - no pink dumbells here . . .

=)   Have a great day, and keep up the motivation!

Stay strong,

Joey

P.S. - Guys, you don’t get away with it either - I got one coming up for you all REAL soon! Stay tuned!

I almost gagged on some almonds, and spewed some chunks on my screen as I read this. (I know, too much info! LOL!) As I proceeded to spray and wipe my screen down and read the article further, I found myself getting angrier as I read the authors post.

The post mentions that people who exercise in hot weather get really hot and tired easily. (Duh!)  So a new research study states that they have found a way to optimize performance in the heat.  - Here is an excerpt -

“In a new study, he reports that young male recreational athletes who drank a syrup-flavored ice slurry just before running on a treadmill in hot room could keep going for an average of 50 minutes before they had to stop. When they drank only syrup-flavored cold water, they could run for an average of 40 minutes.”

So, in other words, a certain someone took the time to actually test this theory out. . .

. . . That certain someone needs to get an elbow drop from the top ropes, old school WWF style!

I totally want the last 5 minutes of my life back for reading that article. There is enough misinformation out there, can they print something more newsworthy for their health section?

Maybe they should let people know that reading Cosmo on the treadmill wont help you lose belly fat!

Or they can mention that too much talking between sets will hinder progress! JUST GIVE ME SOMETHING WORTH READING!

Here is the link to the article, and please try not to mace yourself after reading it. -

To Beat the Heat, Drink a Slushie First

Thanks for listening to me rant!

Stay strong,

Joey

Today’s post is an awesome collection of resources that was sent to me by George Torres of Sofrito For Your Soul -

He has an awesome blog/online magazine that covers many Hispanic events and cultural activities around NY. Definitely check it out!

Below is one of his latest posts that gives some resources for healthy Hispanic cooking. Now if you are from any Latin American country, you already know the issues we face with food. There is way too much and it is way too tasty to pass up a huge bowl of arroz con habichuelas!

(In case the links do not work, click the title to follow this link to the original article and download the info!)

5 Resources to Eat Latino Food And Stay Healthy!

Mi Gente…

I just got back from vacation this week…and my last day, I decided to take my Reina to the Cuba in Flowers Exhibit at the NY Botanical Garden. We had an amazing time but in the final minutes…me di una REVENTAA (translation: a really bad fall) and I ended up fracturing my foot.

So…during my time at home, I have spent the last few days connecting with readers, finding out what you want to see more of on the site and more than once, there has been a call for healthy recipes of Latino dishes we already love (and probably do not prepare in the healthiest ways). So I started researching and the good news is, I did not have to look too far…I found some resources that can help you achieve your health goals without giving up the flavor or your culinary heritage because Latinos can be verrrry passionate about their food.

I would love to hear how some of these resources worked for you…use the comments section to share your thoughts! PS…this picture was taken two minutes after I broke my foot…and I am still smiling.

Special Thanks to Angel Calle, Yvette Matos and Joe Olivo from our Facebook Fan Page for reminding me how important this topic is…and thank you in advance for sharing this with those you love!

Buen Provecho…

George Torres
The Urban Jibaro

1. Delicious Heart Healthy Latino Recipes/Platillos latinos sabrosos y saludables (bilingual English, Spanish) Provides recipes for 26 popular easy to prepare taste-tested Latino dishes created in a heart healthy style (lower in fat and sodium than traditional versions). Includes heart healthy food substitutions, food safety, a glossary of international terms for Latino cuisine, and nutrient analyses. FREE PDF DOWNLOAD

Note: because we have such a large population of Afro-Latinos, I would be remiss if I did not include that guide too for so many of us that love African American cuisine. Free PDF Download

Source: National Heart Lung and Blood Insitute

2. Latino Living – A Guide to Better Health Through Traditional Food and Active Lifestyles – for both consumers and health professionals.

“Latino Living was originally designed for health professionals and dietitians, but it is so user friendly and simple that it’s perfect for consumers from coast to coast,” said Sara Baer-Sinnott, Executive Vice President of Oldways. READ ARTICLE

Source: Target Latino

3. Healthy Latin Cooking Subsitutes by Rosa Alonso

Beef, tortillas, rice, queso, lechon and, yes, flan: how do you keep traditional Latino flavors minus the salt, grease and other artery-clogging ingredients? READ ARTICLE

Source: My Latino Voice

4. Free Recipes From Por Tu Familia / American Diabetes Association

For some people, control of the food is the hardest part of diabetes. But cooking healthy cooking does not mean tasteless. You may be wondering, “what I can eat?”. The good news is that you can still enjoy the foods you like, as seen in the delicious recipes we offer. GET FREE RECIPES

Source: Por Tu Familia

Note: I am the Social Media Manager and heavily involved with awareness in the NYC area. If you are interested in getting involved, please join our Facebook Group | Por Tu Familia NYC

5. The Camino Mágico (”Magic Road”) is our colorful and user-friendly bilingual supermarket shopping guide and meal planner, aimed at helping Latinos make better choices while at the supermarket. It includes general nutrition information, meal ideas, a weekly grocery list and exercise guidelines for leading a healthier lifestyle. FREE PDF DOWNLOAD

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I hope you guys enjoyed this, and got some good tips!

Ahora portate bien - te estoy velando!

Tuyo en fuerza,

Joey