[USA Today] Is child obesity child abuse?

That was on the front page of yesterday’s USA Today’s Life section. A headline like that sparks immediate attention.

Jerry Gray of Travelers Rest, South Carolina is being charged with criminal neglect of her 14 year old, 555 pound son Alexander. This is a HUGE case (no pun intended) given childhood obesity has been on the rise and this could set a precedent for criminal action against parents with morbidly obese kids.

I’m not going to get into the legality of an issue like this. I’ll leave that for your opinion and the courts. But with most issues like this, the problem is to the left.

According to the CDC 40% of kids 12-15 years old, and 50% of teenagers 16-19 years old have been told by a doctor or health care professional that they are too heavy. THIS is a serious problem. And in the case of Alexander it’s gone way too far.
Obesity and in this case, morbid obesity, is a gushing wound with no bandage. At what point does it become a concern? A child weighing 555 pounds is absurd. This is a child’s life we’re talking about. And to me, the worst part of this is Alexander’s future. Aside from the teasing and taunting I’m sure he’s getting, his health and quality of life will suffer tremendously as he ages.

Something MUST be done now!

Sorry if I’m going on a bit of a tirade. But seeing this on the front page just fires me up. I work with women and men that want to lose weight and improve their health. Sue D. joined the FT family yesterday morning by deciding to lose weight and get back into shape. Her choice to make a change in her life will pay off. BIG time. I know that becasue our FT clients prove that day in and day out.

But there’s so much more to losing weight and improving health. Not only do you change your body but you transform your life in the process. You become alive and more energetic. You’re able to give more of yourself to family and friends. You’ll work with more passion and productivity. Everything in life becomes richer, fuller, and more enjoyable when you look and feel fantastic!

Alexander is now in foster care while the case waits to be heard. I hope, for his sake, he’s on a proper nutrition and exercise plan. Whether it’s you or your child, you must sit and take a good serious look at reality. You’re either moving closer or farther from good health. That’s an everyday move. Eating a twinkie moves you farther. Eating fruits and veggies moves you closer. Where are you going? Where is your child going? If you need help or information please request a consultation here. There is also a ton of free info at our site you can get your hands on.

If your child needs help losing weight, being active, or improving his or her health please let me know. If there’s enough interest I’d like to have a kid’s fitness class before school starts. Send me an email and tell me about your kid(s) and their situation. Or feel free to call the studio, 314.863.7799, so we can talk by phone. Regardless, decide today – one little choice – to lose weight, get in shape, and live a healthy life.

To your health,

Tim Chudy

P.S. Click here to request a consultation. We can talk about your situation and what it’s going to take for you to reach your goals.

P.P.S. A lot of times people struggle to lose weight because of their nutrition. Specifically with stress eating. Keep your eye out for specific steps to stop that emotional and sometimes uncontrollable urge to eat.

Posted under Fitness Tips, Weight Loss Tips

Summer is here! And it’s never too late to get that beach bod.

We’re half way through 2009. Can you believe it?! Did you have a New Year’s resolution? If you’re like 90% of Americans you had a resolution to lose weight and get in shape. But if you’re like 90% of Americans, that resolution went bye-bye long ago.

But do not fear. Boot camp is your answer! Women are getting fantastic body changing results faster than ever. And they’re having a blast while doing it! Just look at what some of them have to say…

“I really look foward to class. My body craves the feeling! My clothes are fitting differently. I’m seeing and feeling muscles in place I never have before.” Kilinyaa, St. Louis, MO

“I had tried to lose weight and start working out on my own, but had been unable to stick to a plan. I feel better overall. I love the supportive environment and my clothes are fitting better!                          Cindy – St. Louis, MO

“I love the variety and the positive attitude of everyone. I’m seeing my body change into a more toned and healthy one!                               Anne – Frontenac, MO

The fact is, boot camp is a FAST, FUN way to get FIT!

Now it’s your turn. Register for Summer Boot Camp here. But you must be proactive about this. Spots are limited and you’ll want to claim yours before they’re gone! Click here to register.

To your beach bod,

Tim

P.S. We added an evening time slot too. You can workout at 5:30am OR 5:30pm. Click here to register.

Posted under Fitness Tips

I bet if I were to take a look at a couple areas in your life, I know how successful you’d be at accomplishing your health and fitness goals.

If you read anything on personal development, experts will say that if they look at the 5 people you surround yourself with and the last 5 books you’ve read, they’d be able to determine your success. Financially, mentally, emotionally, etc…

I think that’s true. One of my favorite authors and speakers Nido Qubein says, “Trash in, trash stay in.” He’s talking about head trash. And it’s not a matter of IFyou have it, but how much. The right people and information, i.e. friends, coworkers, books, TV, will either lead you toward success or failure.

So what does that have to do with me knowing how successful you’ll be with health and fitness results? A lot really. Keep in mind I get to work in a health and fitness laboratory. I see what works and what doesn’t on a daily basis. And I’ve been doing it for awhile now. So here are the 4 areas I would look at to determine if you’ll be successful or not.

1. Commitment. It begins and ends here. When I sit down in a consultation I don’t take this step lightly. It’s everything. I always say, if you’re interested you’ll fail. But if you’re committed you’ll succeed.

Think about it. Everyone wants to look and feel better. Everyone is interested in losing weight and feeling stronger. Who doesn’t want to be proud looking in the mirror every morning? But not everyone is committed to it. Ann Hynes, our Client of the Month, gave this advice, “I’d say the struggle is hard, but the results are worth it.” The struggle IS hard. If it wasn’t, everyone would do it.

So what gets YOU committed? Are you sick and tired of being sick and tired? Or just a little bothered by it. Think about this and get emotional with yourself. Sit down and have a little private talk with yourself. But for Pete’s sake, GET COMMITTED!

2. Your friends and family. Support is key. That’s one of the reasons why clients of Fitness Together do so well with losing weight and getting in shape. Every time they workout they step into a positive and supportive environment. We’re constantly reinforcing they’re good behaviors and helping them fix the bad ones.  Further, we help get their friends and family on board.

Peggy is in her 6th week of training. Her spring vacation hit right after the third week. This is a slippery slope for some. But Peggy’s husband has been supporting her every step since she started training with the FT family. From her nutrition to her cardio he has helped her stay committed. And it shows. She’s down 12 pounds in 5 weeks and can’t keep her pants from falling down!

3. Nutrition. You are what you eat. And it’s true. If you eat well, you’ll do well. If you eat like crap, you’ll feel like crap. As we tell our clients, nutrition is the foundation. It must support your exercise.

4. Your inner voice. Just like head trash we all have an inner voice. Sometimes it’s the devil on our left and sometimes it’s the angel on our right. But it’s constantly talking. And whether you realize it or not, we listen to it!

I believe we create our own environments. And we do so through the power of our minds. Picture your mind like a garden. You’re constantly planting seeds of thought in your subconscious. Most of the time you don’t even know you’re doing so because of habitual thinking. But sure enough you reap what you sow. Good or bad. So if you’re constantly saying to yourself, “I’ll never lose this weight.” then you will outwardly live that thought and never lose weight.

If you want to be your best, you need to plant positive seeds. Keep a positive affirmation at the top of your mind throughout the day. Since nutrition is your foundation, start there. Try saying to yourself ‘Nothing tastes as good as fit feels!’ Reinforcing your behaviors with positive beliefs is a secret of the successful. And if done consistently, there is no telling what you can accomplish!

Take a look at these four areas and rate yourself. You probably have room to improve in at least one of them. And that’s good. We should always always strive for constant improvement. Pursue progress, not perfection.

To your fitness results,

Tim

P.S. I’d love to hear your thoughts on this. Do you have any affirmations you like to use?
Would I win the bet? Post a comment below.

Posted under Fitness Tips, Nutrition Tips, Weight Loss Tips

Less in, more out. Weight loss should be that
simple right? But its not. There are many other
factors that play into your fitness and weight
loss goals.

And one of those factors is your stress level. And
more specifically the stress hormone cortisol.
You’ve probably heard of it. Or at least some of
the pills that claim to control it. It’s a vital
area to control to achieve your health and fitness
goals.

Non-exercise factors, such as lack of sleep,
inadequate nutrition, and high stress levels are
being looked at more closely by researchers
to determine their affects on fitness, weight loss,
and health. They’re finding these non-exercise
factors can affect levels of cortisol which in
turn will affect your weight loss and health.

I’m always so impressed with how smart our bodies
are.  Thousands of years ago our body’s mechanisms
for handling stress kept us alive. But our bodies
are exposed to new and different stressors of
today. And in today’s society, people constantly
have stress hormones over-stimulated in their
bodies.

Symptoms of stress and chronically high cortisol
levels are related to many of today’s health
problems including heart disease, hypertension,
cancer, ulcers, lower back and neck pain,
headaches, and the list goes on. Further,
uncontrolled stress may lead to weight gain.

It’s been my experience that lifestyle effects
the progress of your overall program. We’d like to
think if we just start exercising we’ll achieve
our goals. But this isn’t so. Those with
chronically high stress levels, inadequate sleep
and poor nutrition will not be able to recover and
adapt to exercise at the same rate as someone that
had no stress, adequate sleep, and proper
nutrition. And that can make a BIG difference.

This is one possible explanation of why fat loss
and fitness improvement may grind to a halt in
some people, while others continue progressing.
Cortisol can be the  deal-breaker for some fat
loss programs.

That’s not good. Some experts even say elevated
cortisol levels may be as detrimental to overall
health as elevated cholesterol or elevated blood
sugar.

Again, not good. Elevated cortisol levels can also
lead to lowered testosterone, impaired immunity,
vitamin depletion, and increased blood pressure.

As your stress increases, cortisol is released.
And although there are positive effects for it,
this can have a damaging effect on your waistline.

Stress can increase carbohydrate cravings causing
you to eat more and thus gain more. In addition
cortisol tends to promote fat storage,
specifically in the abdominal area. A study found
that stress related cortisol secretion in men is
strongly associated with abnormalities in glucose,
insulin and lipid metabolism, as well as abdominal
obesity.

A lack of sleep can also raise your cortisol
levels and impede carbohydrate metabolism. Sleep
loss has been associated with elevated hormone
levels that regulate appetite and may be a
contributor to obesity.

Ok, so stress raises cortisol. And cortisol
effects your fitness and weight loss. Now what?

Control your stress, sleep more, and eat right.

Well duh. But what else can we do to keep cortisol
at bay? Try following these three steps to help
keep cortisol levels in check.

1. Eat smaller balanced meals throughout the day.
The benefits of eating multiple meals per day are
numerous. Besides ramping up your metabolism, a
diet strategy of smaller and more frequent meals
has been shown to keep cortisol levels lower than
less frequent meals. Multiple meals–at any
calorie level–will result in greater cortisol
control than less frequent meals, and we know
keeping cortisol in check yields less fat, more
muscle, better recovery and more energy. All the
stuff you want, right? Strive to eat five
balanced meals per day throughout all phases of
your training program.

2. Supplement with Vitamin C and E. This will
cushion the negative effects of free radicals,
compounds that are released with training. Free
radicals target tissues such as muscles, weakening
them and increasing inflammation and breakdown.
When this happens, cortisol levels spike. By
providing your body with antioxidants, such as
vitamin C and vitamin E, you can help control
cortisol. Both are contained in Vitalizer, a
multi-vitamin mineral supplement recommended to
all of our clients.

3. Stay on top of your post-workout nutrition. As
mentioned, cortisol rises when you train–it’s a
natural reaction. One of the best ways to avoid
excessively elevated cortisol levels is to be
disciplined with your post workout nutrition. By
supplying your body with exactly what it needs as
soon as the workout is done, you’ll jump-start
your recovery and help blunt cortisol spikes. This
is one of the reasons we have our clients
supplement with Physique, a post workout shake
designed to be taken immediately after their
workout for recovery.

We all know that exercise is good for us. But done
so with proper nutrition, sleep and stress will
help you achieve an OPTIMAL healthy and fit life.

Now go eat something healthy,

Tim

P.S. If you would like help putting together
a COMPLETE program in place, customized
to you request a complimentary consultation
here.
P.P.S. Not ready for a consultation, but want
more info? No problem. Request it here.

Posted under Fitness Tips, Nutrition Tips, Weight Loss Tips

The economy stinks. The Dow is a downer. Layoffs left and right. I can only imagine what 1930 must have felt like. I stopped watching the news because it was leaving me with a negative frame of mind. I think the media heavily reports doom and gloom, so I don’t believe it’s as bad as we all perceive it to be. There is plenty good going on. But I’m also realistic.

Money and the economy are in the top 5, if not the top 3 lists of personal importance for most Americans. Relationships and purpose fall up there too. But exercise and diet…not so much. For some it’s lucky to squeeze into the top 20! But it IS important. Now more than ever. Which brings us to this post today.

You see, now more than ever your health, fitness, and nutrition are important. Because it’s the foundation for handling everything else in life. If you can’t take care of yourself, you can’t take care of others and the other stuff in your life.

Think of flying. When you’re on the runway ready for takeoff, the flight attendant tells you to put the oxygen mask on yourself FIRST. Then the child. As a kid I remember thinking that was backwards. Children should be protected first I thought. But the airline knows better. They know if you get the mask on the child and aren’t able to get it on yourself, you’re in big trouble.

The same goes with your health. It MUST be taken care of first. BEFORE you can take care of anyone or anything else.

Today I give you the top 5 reasons to exercise and eat right in a down economy. I think they’ll resonate with you. Maybe not all, but some. Pay attention to them. I’m sure you can picture someone you know that ‘has it all’. They’re calm, cool, and collected. They’re always in control no matter what happens. These are the people that own their health and fitness. And you can and should too. OK, enough all ready. Here they are.
Confidence and charisma. Exercise breeds both. When you’re fit, lean and toned; when your blood pressure and heart rate are low and steady; when stress is decreased or eliminated altogether; when your focus is razor sharp; when you feel really good – not just healthy – but also proud of your appearance… that’s when you are at your best.  In today’s environment a healthy resume is not the only thing needed. You, and the perception of you, must impress the potential employer that you’re THE best one for the job. Being overweight, out of shape, and lethargic does not present you in that light.

Your best medicine. According to the American Psychological Association, nearly half of Americans said their stress increased in 2008. With money and the economy topping worry lists. Exercise is the best cure for mental and emotional stress. And right now, in this economy, there’s a lot. The APA also reports three quarters of people experience physical problems such as upset stomach and headaches because of stress. When you’re stressed you become more susceptible to sickness and disease.  You tire quicker and frustrate easier.  Some would have you believe that the answers to all your health concerns are contained in little pills. That’s misleading.  And it’s dangerous. If there is a panacea, it’s exercise and a nutritionally sound diet.

Depression is at an all time high. Studies have shown those with a sense of personal control – that which exercise can create – is a characteristic of happy people. Plenty of research points to exercise being the best cure for mild depression. Mild depression is the gateway to an unhealthy lifestyle. It leads to unhealthy behaviors such as smoking, drinking, and eating poorly. It’s a viscous cycle that is hard to escape. In all my years of talking to men and women struggling to achieve health and fitness results, the hardest part is getting started or re-started. Breaking the cycle of depression takes a massive amount of effort. But once you make that one decision, and with each passing day, it gets easier and easier.

“An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” Being sick is expensive. And it’s not good to miss work, especially if your job is on the line. But it is good to save money on doctor’s visits, medications, and other costs associated with your health. This begs the age old question, if you don’t have your health what do you really have? Nothing. Nada. Zilch.

Exercise and a healthy diet improves your health, stimulates your immune system, increases productivity and energy, increases self esteem, improves mental focus, decreases risk of heart disease, osteoporosis, and diabetes to name just a few. It increases strength and stamina, reduces depression, decreases stress levels… should I keep going? I think you get the point. But I could easily add another fifty benefits.  

A healthy lifestyle makes you rich in spirit. It would be ignorant of you to put your head in the sand and ignore the financial mess we’re in. But at the end of the day, you and your relationships are what are most important. Exercise and a sound diet give you the framework for a rich spirit. No one wants to be around a ‘Debbie Downer’. Being rich in spirit means stepping back and taking stock of what’s really important. And being able to appreciate that.

If you’re exercising now then you know the benefits and have seen and felt them. if you’re not, you need to jump on this wagon now. And fast. Trust me; it’ll take you for the ride of your life!

To your health,

Tim

P.S. I’m going deeper into stress, cortisol, and how it affects your weight in my next post. Stress is rampant in our lives today and we must do our best to keep it in control. Be on the lookout.

Posted under Fitness Tips

Did you see President Obama address the nation
last night? I hope you did. Because he had a
wonderful message for your fitness and
weight loss goals.

Here’s what he said:

“Now, it’s important to remember that this crisis
didn’t happen overnight and it didn’t result from
any one action or decision. It took many years and
many failures to lead us here. And it will take
many months and many different solutions to lead
us out. There are no quick fixes, and there are no
silver bullets.”

Ok, I lied. He was addressing the economy, not
your fitness and weight loss goals.

But he’s dead on accurate.

Because permanent and lasting fitness and weight
loss results take time. Doesn’t matter if you’ve
gained 30 pounds or just got a little softer over
time. As Obama said, “…it didn’t happen
overnight and it didn’t result from any one action
or decision.”

You didn’t get where you are by eating one big
meal or skipping one week of exercise. He goes on,
“It took many years and many failures to lead us
here.” Months or years, setbacks or failures, he’s
right. You are where you are today due to action
and decisions you’ve made over time.

The fact is, things don’t just happen overnight.
You don’t gain 10 pounds in a day by eating one
bad meal. Or fall out of shape by taking off 2
weeks from exercising. No, no. “It took many years
and many failures” to get where we are.

So where do we begin?

Something quick. Something easy.

Well, again, just as Obama says, “…it will take
many months and many different solutions to lead
us out. There are no quick fixes, and there are no
silver bullets.”

Thank you, thank you, thank you!!

There is rarely, if ever, a quick and easy
solution.

You canNOT do it by using a supplement. You canNOT
do it by walking more. You canNOT do it by going
on the newest fad diet.

Obama not only points out the problem, but offers
this solution:

“That’s why we’ve put in place a comprehensive
strategy designed to attack this crisis on all
fronts.”

Great strategy Mr. President! A comprehensive
health and fitness program with accountability and
support.

That plan is what I call the 3-Legged Stool of
Body Transformation. Strength training, cardio
training, and supportive nutrition. A stool can’t
stand on one leg. It can’t stand on two. It needs
all three. And so do you.

Obama even had a 3-legged stool; jobs,
home ownership, and lending. “It’s a strategy to
create jobs, to help responsible homeowners, to
restart lending, and to grow our economy over the
long term.”

When I heard this sound bite on the radio driving
home from the studio last night it was uncanny how
analogous it was to our health and fitness.

Your health, fitness, and weight don’t happen
overnight. It all takes time. You won’t reach your
goal in one week or one month. If you’re expecting
quick results you’ll only set yourself up for
frustration and failure.

Take action with a comprehensive plan utilizing
the 3-Legged stool of Body Transformation. Attack
it on all fronts and you will start seeing
progress.

==============================
A Final Note About the Economy
==============================

I’m no economist. And I can’t say that I have
years and years of life experience under my belt.
But I do have an attitude toward our economy. And
I think it’s synonymous to our health.

You see, there are plenty of factors happening in
our economy right now that are completely out of
our control. The stock market, bailouts, lending,
etc… But there are certain things that we CAN
control. Things like our work ethic, our spending,
and our perspective and attitude. Those are the
things that will pull us out of these bad times.
I’m not ignorant enough to believe the other stuff
doesn’t matter. It does. But I will do everything
in my control to better the situation.

The same goes for our health. You can’t control
your family history, genetics, the sun, and second
hand smoke. But you CAN control the calories you
consume, your alcohol intake, and the amount of
exercise you get.

Taking responsibility for what you can control
empowers you and gives you the framework for a
successful life. It doesn’t matter if it’s the
economy or your health.

In health,

Tim

P.S. Controlling your perspective and attitude is
directly correlated with how you think and what
you surround yourself with. In this month’s issue
of our Richly Rewarding Living, our Special Insert
addresses this and shows you scientific proof. If
you’re not receiving the newsletter each month you
can subscribe by clicking here.

Posted under Fitness Tips, Weight Loss Tips

Your last chance to register for ‘Bring on Spring’ Boot Camp is about here.  If you want to Lose Weight, Tighten, Tone and Firm Your Body, and Drop Dress Sizes Fast then this might be for you!

The deadline for registration is tomorrow Saturday, March 14th at 5pm. And we only have a few spots left. So you must act fast! You can register for your FREE class here.

Boot Camps are a FAST and FUN way to get FIT and FIRM. If you’re looking to get started with a health and fitness program then this will give you the kickstart you need. Whether you’re a seasoned athlete or starting from scratch, you’ll find exactly what you’re looking for.

And don’t worry about the weather. We’re holding it inside still. And yes, it’s early in the morning. But that’s because all you’ll have to sacrifice is your sleep. Get up, get in, get out, and get on! What’s 12 measley hours of sleep in exchange for a fit and firm body…energy out the wazoo…and getting back into those old jeans!?

Register today! You have a little more than 24 hours to do it. Don’t delay. Do this now while it’s fresh on your mind.

If you have any questions just give me a call, 314.863.7799. I look forward to seeing you there!

To your health,

Tim

P.S. You can ‘Try Before You Buy’ and see if this is what you’re looking for. Click here to sign up and see if it’s a fit!

Posted under Fitness Tips, health

Time. We all want more of it. And it’s often the
biggest barrier I hear preventing people from
starting an exercise program. So I’ll assume you
could use more too. And today I have a
super speedy workout for you.

Here at Fitness Together, our workouts are 45
minutes. When I first started as a part time
trainer at Fitness Together I thought it was so
cool to train my clients in 45 minutes. I was
use to training hour, even hour and a half
sessions. And my own workouts lasted that long or
longer too!

So you can imagine how refreshing it is for our clients
to be so efficient. And I thought, “Heck, if I’m training
my clients in 45 minutes, I should be able to do
the same.” And so now ALL of my workouts are
efficient. And effective.

But today I want to share a workout I learned
about a year ago. And it’s not 45 minutes. It’s
not 30 minutes. It’s not even 15 minutes!
It’s a mere 4 minutes. (A little longer when you
add in a warm up and cool down which I would
suggest you do.)

It’s called the Tabata Protocol. It comes from
Izumi Tabata, P.h.D., a former researcher at
Japan’s National Institute of Fitness and Sports
in Kanoya. Dr. Tabata worked with Olympic speed
skaters and tested an interval training with six
to seven 20 second sprints followed by 10 second
rest periods.

What’s cool about this is that athletes improved
both their aerobic capacity (needed for distance
and duration) and anaerobic capacity (needed for
sprinting at maximal effort). So the Tabata
workout is rare in that it can benefit both
endurance and sprint athletes.

Tabata protocol can be done with almost any type
of exercise. So here’s the plan for your quickest
workout…EVER!

Beginner
Tabata Squats
20 seconds of body weight squats followed by 10
seconds rest. Repeat for a total of 2 minutes.
Tabata Pushups
20 seconds of pushups followed by 10 seconds rest.
Repeat for a total of 2 minutes.

Intermediate
Same workout but go for 3 minutes on each exercise

Advanced
Same workout but go for 4 minutes on each exercise

Obviously the more advanced you are the longer it
will take. But start slow. And make sure to check
with your physician before you start any exercise
program.

Oh yeah, I almost forgot. There’s a little game
you can play with this workout. During your first
20 seconds, count how many squats/pushups you do.
Whatever that number is becomes your goal for each
20 second interval.

For example, let’s say I do 16 squats in 20
seconds. For each following 20 second interval I
now have to do 16 squats. If I finish early I get
more rest time. If I don’t finish the 16, I have
to do it over. It’s best to have someone time you
or a clock where it’s easily visible.

Now go get in a quick workout!

Tim

P.S. BTW, this is not a silver bullet to exercising.
I wouldn’t suggest only doing 4 minute workouts as your
health and fitness program. This is simply a great way
to get in a workout when you’re absolutely crunched
for time. If you would like to sit down and find out what
should be included in your program click here.

P.P.S  Our Bring on Spring ‘Four Weeks to Freedom’ Bootcamp
for Women starts one week from today, Monday, 3/16. There
are still spots remaining but you must hurry. Register here.

P.P.P.S I’m lovin this weather aren’t you?!

Posted under Fitness Tips