Even more alarming, the other day I got a health update from a government organization about a new guidelines for monitoring high blood pressure in children--as young as 3 YEARS OLD!  Why are we accepting high blood pressure for 3 year olds!  Are you alarmed or concerned about this?  I hope so.  No excuses.  If you're killing your kids with food and sloth--STOP NOW before it's too late.  They are worth the effort!  Maybe all this is a plot...to create obese kids that need surgery later so surgeons can make more money on "sickcare."

Sometimes you wonder what actually transfers into your kids.  By age four, apparently a lot when it comes to teaching them wellness.  They refuse to eat the donut holes and sugary crap at school.  Many times they have chosen fruit at a party over junk food--they decided--not me.  They are already making healthy choices and taking personal responsibility!  A lesson quite a few adults could benefit from!

My corporate client Tim Wren came to me with his wife Theresa a little over a year ago.  They looked like many couples that see me about obesity--somewhere between very concerned and scared.  What happened the next few months was "simply" amazing--and I do mean simple because through simple changes performed consistently over time, Tim and family went from Fat to Fit!  These two lost 98 pounds "so far" and are still counting.  Tim and Theresa are living proof that wellness works!  Read Their Full Story.

Just one serving of Outback's Aussie Cheese Fries "appetizer" has a whopping 2,900 calories and 182 grams of fat!  And that's just the appetizer!  Butt Removal?  798 minutes for a 35 year old female that is 5'7" and 144 pounds.  Unless you've got an extra 13 hours or so to hit the gym, when you see these fries coming, run for your life!

I gained about 4 pounds over the holidays conducting a small personal experiment.  I chose to eat at about 30% capacity of the typical American!  I also wanted to enjoy the holiday turkey, pumpkin pies, and even some candy!  Alas, the party was over on January 1st.  Back in the saddle!  I started looking for ways to trim excess calories.  One method is my salad dressing.  I love the Goddess Dressing even though it's high in fat.  I decided to use 1/2 of the amount of Goddess then use Nikano rice vinegar over the top.  The Nikano has ZERO calories and ZERO fat along with some gentle flavor, and it's thin enough to drizzle all over the Goddess dressing.  The Goddess gets thinned out so it spreads more evenly--thus I need less.  Half the Goddess is half the calories and fat thanks to the ZERO Nikano.  It tastes almost the same--definitely not different enough to feel deprived.  Try the Nikano as a partial substitute instead of full replacement--you might like it!

The terms "Visualization" and "Mental Imagery" are used interchangeably, but they are not the same.  Visualization refers to mental "pictures" that you see in your mind.  The more advanced intervention of Mental Imagery not only uses the sense of "vision or sight" but also other senses of hearing, touch, taste, etc.  The idea with Mental Imagery is that because it is multi-sensory, it is more real.  The more real the mental skills training, the more transfer into the actual activity.  In my Sport Psych workshops, I teach both techniques.  Visualization is better for beginners.  Mental Imagery is more advanced, but also works better.  Learn more on Mental Skills Training.

The lungs are amazing organs!  The total surface area of the alveoli (tiny air sacs in lungs) is the size of a tennis court!  They are the only organs that can float on water.  Lungs also produce a detergent-like substance which reduces surface tension of the fluid lining allowing the air to come in.  Are you lung healthy?  Exercise, being properly hydrated, not smoking, and getting clean air are all great ways to tell your "lungs of life" THANK YOU!  (Source: Bodies...The Exhibition)

Many people do not know how to focus on their workouts.  The truth is that if you are more focused on reading your magazine or messing with your Blackberry during a workout, you are not going to get optimal results!  Some people will limit their heart rates so they can read.  That's fine if reading comprehension is your objective, but not worth a #!*@ if you're attempting to crank your metabolic rate, get fit, and lose fat!  "Think" about it--then attack the workouts and leave the reading at home!

There is a growing movement to completely ban plastic shopping bags.  It's really ridiculous how many bags we use and throw away for no good reason!  Reusable canvas bags can help.  Sometimes I forget the reusable bag, but at least I'm reusing canvas more and more.  Smaller reusable bags can be purchased at many stores now.  Larger ones can be purchased at places like LL Bean.  I ordered a large "Boat & Tote" heavy canvas bag from LL Bean with "green" trim and embroidered with "Groceries" on the sides to remind us to use it!  This type is incredibly strong--and can even hold one of our twins if we're fast enough to bag them!  You can check out the LL Bean Bags Here.

The economy is slowing along with profits.  Some businesses might be hesitant to spend money on corporate wellness because profits are low.  In reality, there is no better time than NOW to spend money on prevention because there are less profits to waste in today's business environment!  Your health claims will not slow down with the economy--if anything they will go up because of economy-related stress!  I've saved so many back and shoulder surgeries and obesity-related health claims at the corporate level I lost count!  Believe in prevention and fixing root cause of health claims--the time is NOW more than ever to be proactive instead of reactive...and it's better for business and productivity!

I was at a cafe counter and noticed the cereal rack last week.  The rack was full of small dry cereal boxes.  NOT ONE of them was healthy!  Every single one of them was a "sugared" cereal full of artificial ingredients.  No wonder people are fat and have diabetes!  BE AWARE when buying cereal because anything labeled "glazed, honey-kissed, touch of sweetness, or frosted" just means one thing--extra sugar is dumped on them adding empty calories.  There is way too much sugar and high fructose corn syrup in our food!  When in doubt, whip the Jack LaLanne quote out, "If man makes it, don't eat it!"

Fitness does not have to be fancy or require expensive gym memberships and "foo foo" equipment!  One of my favorite fitness tools is a fat marine rope!  For a few bucks, you can buy 10' of rope that will never wear out no matter how many recline back rows you do!  I've used it for tug-a-war, marking courses and jump lines, recline rows, and trying to lasso my twins before they destroy my gym.  It works great for everything but containing twins!

I'll be at the IFBB Iron Pro & Fitness Expo on February 16th at the LA Convention Center shooting some photos of the body builders, strong man competition, powerlifting, and general festivities.  Photos and my review will be in March Health e-News!

I would like to acknowledge the passing of two great people in health and fitness.  Dan Mackey, the man that inspired me to exercise 365 days in a row last year died after leaving his gym in late December.  Dan was a pioneer in American fitness and body building.  Meredith Emerson was taken much too young from us by a trail attacker on New Year's Day while hiking in North Georgia.  She was starting the new year with fitness and health...her Trail Goddess spirit now lights the trail for others to follow.  God Speed Dan and M.E.  Vita Brevis...

Next month's WellPRO is my own four year old daughter Ronnie Jones!  Think I'm hard core for wellness and speed?  Ha!  I'm just a mere warm-up for Ronnie Bear!  Ronnie is setting the pace for America's future--and a healthy pace for sure!  This and more to keep y'all moving great in 2008!