The Inspiration Behind The Real Fountain of Youth

When you think of yourself aging, how do you imagine yourself? Have you embraced aging or are you having a hard time acknowledging or planning for it? Are you living life to the fullest and feeling the best you’ve ever felt? We all know there’s no such thing as the rumored Fountain of Youth, and we can’t just sit back waiting for doctors and research scientists to find new drugs and therapies to stop the hands of time. After reading my book The Real Fountain of Youth: Simple Lifestyle Changes for Productive Longevity, you will realize that aging doesn’t have to feel dreadful and it is possible to keep living life feeling lively and productive without any medications or therapies. Extended youth – longevity – is available to everyone; however, it doesn’t come easily. In order to feel your best throughout your whole life, you must work for it and keep motivated. It won’t always be easy and at times you may lose focus, but you don’t have to work for it on your own. There are professionals that dedicate their lives to helping others achieve productive longevity, such as personal fitness trainers, nutritionists and chiropractors. USA Today reported that according to recent government statistics, most adults in the USA aren’t meeting the federal physical activity recommendations for both aerobic exercise and muscle-strengthening activity. About 79% of adults don’t meet the physical activity guidelines that advise getting at least 2½ hours a week of moderate-intensity aerobic activity such as brisk walking, or one hour and 15 minutes a week of vigorous-intensity aerobic activity, such as jogging. Plus, the guidelines recommend that adults do muscle-strengthening activities, such as push-ups, sit-ups or exercise using resistance bands or weights. I witnessed how much a lack of physical activity can affect the human body while I was visiting a rehabilitation facility to check up on my friend’s mother after she had knee surgery.  This is also where much of the inspiration to write my book came to me.  As a walked down the hallways, I could not help but notice how many senior citizens were present, and that for some of them, nothing appeared to be physically wrong. While I was waiting for my friend’s mother, I asked one of the nurses about what I had observed. She informed me that many of these people were there because they had either accepted the fact that they were getting old, were unmotivated or had simply neglected themselves. As I thought about what I was told, I couldn’t help but feel sorry for these people. Instead of enjoying their golden years like they should be, they had simply given up because they lacked the motivation to live their lives to the fullest. At that moment, I realized that as a personal fitness trainer, I had an obligation to educate and teach as many people on the enormous benefits of exercise. I could also give them motivation and confidence by showing them that the sad acceptance of aging is not inevitable. That’s when I decided that in addition to training my clients, I was going to...

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No Pain, No Gain? Think Again.

Everyone has heard the motto “No pain, no gain,” which basically means the road to achievement runs only through hardship. It has certainly been a popular saying among competitive professionals for many years. Back in my early days of fitness training, that was all I needed to hear to get pumped up and ready for a workout. Easy enough, right? Well, yes and no. When you develop the knowledge and learn the proper skills of weight training, you are bound to encounter some pain that will lead to a gain. This kind of pain is a natural response the body goes through when you place an overload on the muscles. The first “good pain” you will feel is the one that occurs at the end of a set. It starts as a slow burn when you are about 3/4 of the way done with your set and the pain slowly increases with each subsequent rep until the end when the pain is quite intense. This is actually considered a  good pain caused by the lactic acid buildup in your muscles. The reason this pain is good is that it’s an indicator that you are pushing yourself hard enough to cause muscle growth. Another good pain  is Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS), where tiny tears are formed by your muscles when you lift weights and the repair phase will cause most lifterposis to take the elevator instead of the stairs. On the other side of the spectrum, we have what we call the “no good pain”. Generally speaking, any kind of pain that prevents you from performing at your best should be considered serious. Without overstating the obvious like chest, back and head pain, it’s considered less threatening if you have joint pain and bad muscular pain. This type of mistake can cause serious issues for an individual. Left undiagnosed and untreated, you will most definitely find yourself at the doctor’s office. Therefore, as a rule of thumb, any pain that is persistent and gradually worsening over a two-week period should be considered serious and examined by a physician....

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Get A Great Workout in Less Time

As hard as it may be to believe, spending too much time at the gym is not the answer to a better you. Training is about quality, not quantity. You can actually achieve your goals faster and more efficiently in less time. Generally speaking, the length of a workout session for the average person (not including your warm up or stretching) should vary somewhere between 30 to 40 minutes. Research has found that testosterone and the growth hormone, the hormones responsible for building muscle and burning fat, continue to rise until about the 30-45 minutes mark. After that, cortisol, which is released in response to stress, begins to suppress the immune system, decrease bone formation and aid in fat, protein and carbohydrate metabolism. In other words, it becomes counter productive. Make the most of your training time by focusing on your objectives. Exercise with more intensity, proper technique and progress accordingly. Even professional athletes follow these principles! This is your health we’re talking about, so make every second...

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Give the Gift of Fitness with the TRX Suspension System

Over the years, I have had the opportunity to use many different types of equipment for myself and my clients. Everything from dumbbells to ankle weights. This equipment has always been very effective in my training regimen; however, if I had to choose my favorite piece of equipment it would have to be the TRX Suspension System. I purchased the TRX Suspension System about a year ago and instantly became addicted to it. I use it just about every time I exercise and the results have truly exceeded my expectations. My clients have all had similar results, and many of them have purchased it for themselves or their significant other. Give the gift of fitness this holiday season with the TRX Suspension System!  Here are some of the benefits you get with this product: Easy to read instructions Appropriate for all levels Upper/lower body workouts Increase flexibility and core strength Use anywhere (home, office, park or gym) Easy to carry and store For more information on the TRX Suspension System, visit www.trxtraining.com. If you have any questions about it,  please contact me at 732-618-0849. I wish you the all the best during your holiday...

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How Important is Sleep to Your Body?

I must confess that sleeping is one of my favorite things to do.  However, it was not always this way for me. When I was younger, I found it quite difficult to catch those Zs, as I thought it was a waste of time. But when I turned 18, everything changed. I began training with weights six days a week, played all kinds of sports, had a full-time job and went to school. It was because of my busy lifestyle that I found a new appreciation for my bed. Sleep is perhaps best described as the loss of awareness of what is going on around us. Public awareness of fitness and nutrition has grown over the last few years but sadly, little is known about the very important subject of sleep deprivation. Studies show that those who suffer from sleep deprivation have a reduced ability to handle stress, poor concentration and memory, slower reflexes, difficulty accomplishing tasks and diminished enjoyment of relationships. Though many people think that the human body will be okay with just three to four hours of sleep, the fact is that while sleep requirements are greatly individualized, the majority of people require seven or eight hours to function optimally. Getting at least seven to eight hours of sleep each night is a proven way to improve workout performance and radically improve your physique development efforts. Another very important fact about sleep is that it repairs your muscles, which guarantees a better and stronger physique. So the next time you are thinking about neglecting sleep, think again. Your body and mind will be glad that you did.  ...

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