Coach RJ Health e-News! (November.2008)

Coach RJ Health e-News!

Thanksgiving.2008

"When health is absent, wisdom cannot reveal itself, art cannot manifest, strength cannot fight, wealth becomes useless and joy cannot be felt."
--Herophilies (Physician to Alexander the Great, 300 BC)

Ron Jones, MS-LLC

Corporate Wellness. Consulting. Health Promotion.

I'm back--and stronger than ever! Despite my delay, I am alive and WELL my fitness friends. I've been busy! But make no mistake--this is a time for our ACTION, so let's get it on!

Wow...the whole world has changed since my last e-News in August! I had to take a TEMPORARY hiatus from my beloved e-News. Why? Because I had to put myself first. I believe before you can take care of others, you first must take care of yourself. My business has exploded as the economy has imploded. Not a surprise to me. Companies and employees can less afford to waste money now on healthcare and injuries. With the increased interest with my primary corporate account, time and energy was limited. I had to make sure my health and workouts were preserved while I also stabilized from the increased demands. So I'm back...and here's what I think about our new world order...

Looking Forward: It can be easy in trying times like these to be depressed, negative, and fearful. I'd like to encourage my readers, all of which must be fitness warriors to read my straight up approach, that this is a time for opportunity and CHANGE. America and the world really needs changes. Even though it was no secret that American health has been failing, most refused to be proactive and do anything about it. Sometimes it takes PAIN to motivate someone to change. People are suffering and bleeding. What good can come out of this? Change. More emphasis upon health, which like Emerson told us over 100 years ago and the Greeks before him, IS the first wealth. Without our health, we don't have a damn thing of real value. Health needs to quickly move into the forefront and priority. With retirement funds drained and people needing to work longer into life, this health thing is getting VERY important! I've been training my whole life for the moment of truth. Guess what? The moment of truth has arrived! The time is NOW! We must be part of the solution. It's quite simple and cost effective in so many ways. Regular exercise and healthy eating. Cliche'? Maybe. The truth? Absolutely. Go move and eat some "real food" not processed with chemicals then see for yourselves. Let's go!

Readership: It's been brought to my attention that I have readers outside the U.S. now. WELLcome! I reference "Americans" a lot because like I said above, I believe you have to take care of yourself first...after that comes your own family, neighbors, co-workers, and native country. Beyond is the world in general. I've had contacts with many since I launched my website in 2001. I'm happy to help everyone be healthy--but focused on American health first since this is where I live. Obesity is a global crisis though--not just American problem. To my friends in Canada, UK, Australia, India, Italy, Germany, and beyond...at the end of our days, let's ALL make the world a better place through health my friends. Health--it's all good and goes beyond national, religious, and ethnic boundaries.

The Lean Berets Avengers of Health!

We have finally landed! Join the LEAN Revolution, and get on the hard rockin' side of health. We are building an army of action-oriented fitness warriors. NO EXCUSES. NO BS. Just straight up fitness and health the way it should be. We still have some media links to complete, but our basic site is up and running. Expansion plans for 2009 include e-Newsletter, Podcasts, Community Forum, and much more.

Give us Freedom through FITNESS, or give us death! See y'all on the front!

MOVE front and center with some Lean Berets ACTION!

30X30 NO EXCUSES New Year's Challenge!

Nearly 80% of Americans are overweight, out of shape, or both. This is a time for strength and immediate action-the future of America depends upon it!

We have a serious New Year's 2009 challenge and simple solution to America's decreasing health-30 days in a row of exercising for at least 30 minutes a day. It can change your life for the better-mentally, physically, and even spiritually. Prerequisite? Dedicate then execute after you declare NO EXCUSES for yourself.

1) 30 Minutes Per Day Minimum
2) 30 Consecutive Days in a Row
3) NO EXCUSES!
4) NO Minimum Pace Required-Just Move!
5) Must Be "Dedicated Time" for Exercise

Interested? Report for duty NOW and get started!

"McHealth Education, Canada's One Person-One Fare, & Texting Food Diaries to Kids"

My Today's News: I do my best to find health news that might not be on the major radar screens of everyone--but is worthy of our attention and reflection. Usually there is something different here...if not mind-blowing. When possible, I also highlight positive health news; however, positive increases in health and wellness today is not exactly the norm. It is what it is. I didn't make the health problems, but I'm here to help fix them!

McHealth Education?! Now I've heard it all! Yes health warriors, McDonald's has realized that Moms are stopping their flow of fat into the mouths of children so have decided to "educate them" on the health and safety benefits of their food--including the infamous french fries that refused to decompose in the Super Size Me movie after a full 10 weeks! Are Moms really this stupid? Sounds like most are NOT. Surely we have learned by now after ruining a generation or more of youth! Read full article here.

Canada's One Person-One Fare Airline Ruling: One of my Canadian friends shot this one up The Lean Beret flag pole last week--now quickly on the way to our Firing Squad! The Canadian Transportation Agency just ruled that even morbidly obese passengers can purchase ONE seat ticket even though they airlines will be FORCED to give them TWO seats! As if the airline industry did not have enough problems, now they have to give revenue seats away for free! So who pays? We do. If you're normal weight, there are NO discounts even though we have less mass per square inch of seat and are the most cost-efficient passengers to transport. From a physics standpoint alone, airlines have been crippled by the extra mass they have to carry per seat. Because of this, we have higher ticket prices and more baggage weight limits. It's unfair when a person pays for a seat just to have part of someone else's ass sticking over or under the armrest! My seat is MY seat! No amount of political correctness is going to make me accept morbid obesity as normal or condone giving away FREE seats to people too big for one. Talk about a something NOT Eco-friendly! A few decades ago this would have been a public outrage...now it barely ripples the news pond. Progress? Hardly. If you need two seats--fine. Buy them. I'll gladly give you the space you PAY FOR.

Think you can't lose enough weight to fit in ONE seat--bull! I have a friend that faced this seat issue. He decided to kick his one butt and lost 100 pounds--and still counting! How? Eating better, interval training, and pumping iron--DAILY. He's kicking the skinny people's butts at the office, so NO EXCUSES Bucko!

Texting Food Diaries to Kids: In an effort to reach today's youthful health consumers, health experts are running food diary pilots that are text messaged to kids instead of using the traditional pen and paper. Initial studies look positive. While it would drive me crazy to do that much text messaging, for some, this is the preferred mode of communication. Whatever works! Read the full story.

Gut Check! "Bar Wars"

This month's Gut Check! by Kevin Rail explores the rapidly increasing world of energy bars, or in Kevin's terms, "Bar Wars" as many of these companies fight for duping rights in yet another "health food" rip off. There are some healthy energy bars out there too--make sure to get the latest bottom line on these quick snacks from Kevin Rail--a Lean Beret name you can trust your health to Comrades!

Read "Bar Wars" by Lean Beret Kevin Rail--Avenger of Health!

Fit-4-Life Kids:
"Physical Culture=Quality Families"

Like most people, I'm busy. I travel a lot on business, and our family time is limited. I'm convinced that one of the key factors to my own family being able to survive my travel schedule is how we spend time together when I'm home from work. We get OUT--as in outside in nature as much as possible. We take our twins hiking in the mountains, biking at the parks, play Frisbee, and walk the neighborhood. When we are at home, we are often in our basement gym exercising as a family. These are QUALITY family experiences that give us the most bang per minute for our time spent together. Healthy activities have so much more value than sitting around watching a TV sitcom together or playing some violent video game. Creating the "Physical Culture" at home with your kids is truly quality living. Join the party! Health...it's ALL Good!!!

Fat Attack! "Chili's Pepper Pals Country-Fried Chicken Crispers Kid Meal"

I'm continually disgusted with the food choices for children at restaurants! Even restaurants that have decent adult meals seem to have the same old crap for kids like the dreaded chicken fingers, fried this and fried that. I'll admit, even we have been trapped by chicken fingers a few times. Sadly, most adults still don't realize just how many calories they are shoving into their kids today, so sit down before you get this eye opener!

The Chili's Pepper Pals Country-Fried Chicken Crispers with ranch and homestyle fries packs a disgusting 1,100 calories, 82 grams of fat (15 g saturated), and 1,800 of sodium!!!

I'll leave you with a direct quote from my source to drive home the point--Keep this one AWAY from your kids!

"With half a day's calories and more than a full day's worth of fat trapped on the plate, this qualifies as one of the worst kids' meals in America." (Source: Eat This, Not That! For Kids!)

Mental Skills Training:"High Intensity & Focus"

The greatest benefit of my kettlebell training has not been physical and biomechanics--it's been increasing my mental focus to a razor's edge during training and beyond. We multi-task to the point of being dysfunctional. In American culture, multi-tasking is viewed as a virtue of success. However, from a performance psychology standpoint, excessive multi-tasking can DECREASE performance. I see this daily in my life. Rarely can I have a conversation with anyone that is 100% focused and in the moment--unless of course I'm with my kettlebell comrades or equivalent. I've been guilty too! Talking on the phone while doing e-mails, etc. Okay, sometimes it might be necessary--but not as the norm.

So what does all this have to do with a kettlebell? Because unlike balls, tubing, balance toys, and even Olympic weights, it's virtually impossible to use a kettlebell at high intensity for any length of time without extreme focus. If you try KBs without focus, you'll quickly be on the injured reserve list. It is extremely cleansing to the mind, body, and soul to have 100% focus on a healthy task that is rebuilding your body--and MIND. Over and over again my corporate clients talk about how much better they feel after a HARD kettlebell workout. Related to KBs, we also get great "mental" benefits from our other High Intensity Interval Training although it's not nearly as significant.

So, you want focus? Want to clear your mind of life's BS? Grab a kettlebell HARD STYLE and FEEL the difference. The difference will be laser focus and a clear mind. Enjoy!

Amazing Body Fact! "Hair"

The average scalp has 100,000 hairs. Humans lose an average of 40-100 strands of hair per day. Beards are the fastest growing hairs on the human body. If the average man never trimmed his beard, it would grow to nearly 30 feet long in his lifetime! (Source: Bodies...The Exhibition)

Wellness @ Work: "Why Wait on Wellness?"

I was reading the November 10th 2008 issue of Newsweek the other day. What I read was frightening. What amazes me even more than the paraphrased summary below is that there are still people in corporate America that don't think wellness and prevention are good for business. HELLO! Unless you think that going bankrupt over healthcare is actually a good business decision, everyone else "should be" clear on this by now, and if not, then read below and ask companies like General Motors how devastating healthcare costs can be:

"...by the year 2030, there will be 50% tax rates and Draconian budget cuts with massive unsustainable deficits caused by rises in Social Security and Medicare."

*Newsweek's source for the above came from the Congressional Budget Office.

"Think Root Cause. Act Prevention." --Ron Jones

WELLaware: "BS Billboard of the Month"

I was rolling down the Interstate and couldn't help but notice yet another ad campaign designed to lead the fattened sheep of America. I like working on billboard awareness as health education to get people to THINK instead of just "believe and buy."

Sara Lee has a national campaign called "Joy of Eating." On the back of the truck was the photo of a beautifully healthy looking young girl. On the side? A huge piece of cheesecake. Now I love some cheesecake in moderation too! Gee...do you think their message is really moderation? I mean we do have epidemics of child and adult obesity and diabetes. Surely they are thinking of our health and our county's WELLfare first and foremost...or are they? This program spins off "High School Musical" in our schools using their "whole wheat" breads as a springboard. Hmmm...gets me thinking about creative marketing like the McHealth Education above!

Here's some homework. Check out all their foods they want you to associate with Joy--then logically examine how many will increase your health and drive you away from horrible diseases like diabetes. I have NEVER talked to a client with diabetes, heart disease, or cancer that said their conditions were "joyful." Think about it--literally. Being healthy gives me joy. Being sick does not. Manufactured food full of preservatives and chemicals we can't pronounce won't make you healthier. I'll let you do all the logical equations from here.

Kettlebell Korner

I continue to improve on a weekly basis with my KB training. I've learned a couple of things along the way from some of my own stupid mistakes--it was MY fault! Learn from my pain to save your own when it comes to hand care and managing calluses and skin. Caring for my hands as I began KB training was one of the most elusive and confusing areas to learn and understand. A hand injury can cost you a couple of weeks of quality training, and it's really not necessary if you know what to do. I've got some great new pages linked below to help anyone new to KB training figure it out. I've also done a thorough review of the official RKC 24kg kettlebell. A lot of people have asked me what the difference is between various brands of kettlebells. Iron is iron right? Not really. See all this below and more below:

Hand Care Tools & Tips

For more solid info on getting into the world of kettlebell training, check out my Kettlebell section below. Pavel's Enter the Kettlebell is a great place to start with DVDs. Other references are listed to help too. Enjoy Comrades! Learn more about kettlebell safety and training.

Fitness Safety: "Predator Awareness"

I have a client who lives in a very small town in the mountains of Southern California. This is the kind of town where everyone knows someone. An artsy place with nice retreats, tourists, and special events. Pleasant weather and a wonderful place to live. The town had an annual parade recently. She attended with her neighbor. They had the kids at the local park playing and were literally right there with them. In the blink of an eye, her friend's little boy was GONE! Within minutes, the predator walked into the supermarket to buy the candy that he promised to give the boy if he went along. The checker realized this boy did NOT belong to the man, called police, and the predator was arrested. The little boy was not harmed beyond the confusion of the situation.

A predator from Los Angeles over an hour away heard about the event and decided it was a great place to abduct a young child. He was right. A small town. Relaxed and friendly parade event. Pleasant weather--a great and healthy day for kids playing at the park. The bastard took advantage of good people. Let us all take note! My family spends a lot of time at the park. Our twins love the park for riding bikes, playing on equipment, attending special events, playing Frisbee, etc. Places where children are in abundance are also places where predators can target. Our kids desperately need to be active! We must get them OUT to play. This is so healthy for them. But let us not forget to stay focused and keep the eagle eyes on our children. I too have been guilty of chatting on my phone and getting temporally distracted while they played--until I heard my client's personal story. It gave me chills...enough to tighten my grip when my kids are in public.

Across America from the story about SoCal above to Georgia on last New Year's Day 2008, a beautiful, educated, and physically fit young woman named Meredith 'Hope' Emerson was hiking in North Georgia where my family also routinely hikes. It was New Year's Day--a time for "hope" that this will be a better year. A time for renewal. A time to dream. Meredith was hiking alone with her dog. Another man had a dog--a serial murderer and predator. Dog people like other dog people, so they struck up some small talk. He got Meredith's trust then clubbed her from the rear knocking her unconscious. For the next two days she was tortured and kept barely alive until he finally beheaded her and left her in a shallow grave. The predator knew all the above. He knew someone would have their guard down--maybe even a dog person. Meredith was exercising on New Year's--being healthy--being part of the solution. Doing the right thing.

As we approach another New Year where we 'hope' for the best, fight for your RIGHT to hike and take your children to the park so we can build a healthy future. Believe in the good while preparing for those that are not like us (I suggest combative fitness with a Russian Kettlebell of course!). I'll see y'all on the trails, in the parks, and anywhere else I feel like exercising with my family and friends.

Learn more about Meredith "Hope" Emerson and her Right to Hike organization...then hit the trail with safety and awareness!

Cool Tools: "Frisbees"

You've heard me talk about kettlebells, dumbbells, interval training, balls, bands, and a host of other fitness tools, but my all-time favorite fitness tool is the simple Frisbee. Why? Because it's FUN! And it's FUNctional! I've used Frisbees with after-school programs, adult exercisers, and even senior fitness programs. They are scalable...if you want more fitness, throw them a long ways and sprint. If you are not as fit, stay close and gently toss. Foam discs are available for young children or seniors with arthritis or hand/eye coordination issues. They are ALL good! Here's my summary:

FUN! People don't have enough fun with exercise anymore--especially adults. Frisbees let adults be kids--and kids be kids! Just play!
FUNctional: All of those complex "multi-planar" biomechanical exercises we try to do in the gym can be performed at some level by chasing around a Frisbee! You will reach, twist, turn, accelerate, decelerate, use your core, use your joint stabilizers, use your balance and proprioception just by chasing around your Frisbee!
Everyone Can Play: From competitive Frisbee to senior fitness and rehab, Frisbees are cool tools that are easy to learn. When my wife was pregnant with the twins, she would stay on top of hill and toss the Frisbee down. I would sprint off the bottom of the hill, retrieve like a dog, then bring it back to her ready to go again. We would do this for 30 minutes. She got to move a bit without running or getting her heart rate too high, and I got a great interval and FUNctional workout!
Cost Efficient: You can pick up an authentic Frisbee $8.00-12.00 depending upon weight and quality. How's that for a cool fitness tool that can be used for the whole family! You can't beat it!