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Fitness Test 2016

January 3, 2016 By Leave a Comment

Happy New Year!!!

Take the test along with Jenn and Peter to track your progress over the first 90 days of the new year.

#TeamJenn • #TeamPetah

Here’s how it works:

Warm up with some mobility and a few, light practice reps of the following exercises.

The 4 Exercises

Barbell Back Squat Choose a weight you think you can do approximately 12-15 reps with and do a set aiming for 20.
Push-ups  You have 60 seconds to do as many push-ups as possible.  Time yourself and go!  You can pike your butt into the air or sag in the middle to rest during the 60 second, BUT you can’t rest your body on the floor.
Deadlifts
Choose a weight you think you can do approximately 12-15 reps with and do a set aiming for 20.
Plank  Plank as long as you can and record your time.

When it comes to the Squats and Deadlifts, once you’ve reached 20 reps with the weight you’ve designated, add 5 or 10 pounds and work your way up to 20 again.  Everytime you make it to 20 reps add a small amount of weight.  Next month we’ll take the test again and see how far you’ve come!

Good Luck!

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Call Me a Liar #1: Lose Weight Fast (Warning!)

November 9, 2015 By Leave a Comment
“Call Me A Liar” #1:  Rapid Fat Loss (Warning!)
Understanding Metabolism.  It’s not exactly what you think it is. 

If you want to lose weight fast, and I mean really fast then you NEED to read this!

Let this serve as a friendly warning to those seeking rapid weight loss.  Please before you decide which path you’ll travel to get health, lose weight, speed up your metabolism or reach any other health and fitness goal take this information I’m about to present to you into consideration before moving forward. 

Everyone refers to weight loss as a means of getting healthy.  IT IS NOT!  Look, I’m not telling you you have to be happy with the fat that you’ve accrued over the years, I’m just saying you’re placing blame in the wrong spot.  It’s confusing because we have been told for decades that in order to be healthy we must maintain a certain body fat percentage or BMI (body mass index).  Even as a country we have declared war on obesity.  We listen to the evening news anchor reporting the new highs the our country is hitting as the sickest, fattest country in the world while displaying clips of crowds of fat Americans from the neck down walking down the sidewalks.  
You know the one’s I’m talking about…
obesity on the street

image source http://bbc.com

Now here’s an interesting statistic.  The based on consumer reviews the US is on of the most health conscious countries in the world.  In 2009 over 75% of americans were more concerned about their health when purchasing foods compared to poles in 2007 and it’s only been growing since.  We’ve also been battling Mexico for the #1 spot for the fattest country in the world.  So how does one of the most health conscious countries in the world maintain a status as one of the sickest, fattest countries in the world?  That answer, in my opinion, is pretty simple… WE’RE DOING IT WRONG! Guys, really… we’re doing it wrong.  We’ve being targeting fat as the enemy for years and it’s not.  Fat is a symptom of metabolic disfunction, like low energy, hair and skin problems, and constipation.  If we just focus on the fat, if we only focus on losing weight as the end-all way of measuring how healthy a person is we degrade the quality of our lives far more than you could ever expect.  Fat is the result of when your day to day bodily functions are being fueled improperly and therefore your metabolism has to literally rescue you from malnourishment and low blood-sugar levels.

What is metabolism?
Your body is a giant ball of energy.  How efficiently your body creates energy on a daily basis is what determines whether you’re benefiting from a fast metabolism or suffering from a slow one.  When most people think of metabolism they think of calories in, calories out or displacement of water, etc.  And when these so-called “fitness professionals” discuss metabolism they do so by describing short and easy ways to boost your metabolism.  For example…

“Drink 20oz of ice cold water first thing in the morning and you’ll boost your metabolism by blah-blah percentage for the next 24 hours!”

“Fasted exercise before eating breakfast can speed up your metabolism by over 30% each day”

“Drink green tea and lemon juice by the bucket!”

These methods can be effective in your efforts to lose weight, but here’s the thing… they are also very effective methods of stressing your body out,  driving your metabolism into the ground, forcing you into the dreaded “yo-yo” pattern, and causing long term health problems.  That’s not how your metabolism works!
In the graphic below (fig 1) you’ll see the two means in which your body makes energy.
The 1st and most efficient way your body makes energy is through what’s called oxidative metabolism. Your body uses glucose (sugar) within the cell, combines it with oxygen and so begins the process of glucose oxidation.  The result of this is energy production and carbon dioxide.  It is this process that allows us organisms to co-exist so well on this planet.  We inhale and utilize oxygen to create energy and exhale carbon dioxide which then plant life consumes and through the process of photosynthesis results in oxygen production.  It’s a nice planetary balance we’re able to maintain.Metabolism graphic
When your body experiences stress (which is described in greater detail in another article in this series) the requirement for energy production increases.  Your body will rapidly burn through glucose in your blood stream causing low blood sugar which the medical community refers to as hypoglycemia.  If your blood sugar gets too low you can pass out, go into shock, and possibly die.  Luckily for us we have a back-up system for this.  Your body can actually break down pieces of itself to create more of the nutrients our cells need to replenish sugars in your blood stream and continue making energy.  Most of us know this, yet we take for granted the reality of this degenerative process if we rely on it for long periods of time.
Let’s talk about this degenerative, yet life saving process.  We call it “gluconeogenesis”.  GLUCO = sugar,  NEO = new, GENESIS = creation.  There is a sea-saw like balancing act your body is able to maintain going back and forth between oxidative metabolism and gluconeogenisis.  The problem lies in how much stress we present to our body on a daily basis by eating the wrong types of foods, not eating enough food, eating foods in the wrong macronutrient (protein, fat, carb) ratio, or just not eating frequently enough throughout the day.  Instead of maintaining a happy balance in your energy production your body has to hormonally regulate your blood-sugar. Here’s the process:
Your blood sugar begins to run low and you begin to make the following hormones:
1. Adrenaline – this hormone references your liver for glycogen (back-up sugars).
2. Cortisol – breaks down tissue in your body like muscle and fat to bring them to the liver which acts like a magic machine turning them into sugar.
  • The following hormones, just to mention a few, are designed to inflame and steal nutrients like vitamins and minerals to keep the energy process going:
    • Estrogen
    • Aldosterone
    • Serotonin
    • Prolactin
3.  Parathyroid Hormone – breaks down bone in order to get calcium out of them.  Calcium is also an important piece in cellular metabolism.
Now call me a liar, BUT… if you look up “effects of prolonged, excess (fill in the blank here with any of the above mentioned hormones)” you won’t find many positive symptoms.  
So here’s the moral of the story. 
The rapid fat loss tips people are being fed by these self proclaimed fitness gurus are forcing you into hypoglycemia resulting in the secretion of a boat load of hormones which break your body down.  You’ll lose weight alright, but at what cost?
Think about it.  Just about any method a person uses to lose weight fast is just a series of different ways to make you drop in blood sugar so their body has to compensate by eating itself.  Drinking ice cold water first thing in the morning before you eat breakfast for instance adds stress on your body by making it work hard to warm up the water in your stomach before you can utilize it.  Then take into consideration that you haven’t eaten anything for the last 6 to 8 hours and you have a situation where you have an increased need for energy production (draw blood to your stomach to warm the water) and a decrease intake of fuel (sugar from foods).  Fasted exercise in the morning achieves the same thing.  Eating low carb achieves the same thing.  Eating a diet high in polyunsaturated fat achieves the same thing.  And people do practice such habits to months and even years in belief that they support a healthy lifestyle.  Over time it stresses your metabolism out so greatly that your body’s response to all the stress is to slow down the speed at which is operates.  This is what we call hypothyroidism, or low metabolism. 
How do you know if this has happened to you?  Well here are a few of the symptoms of a low metabolism:
  • Low body temperature (lower than 97.9 F in the morning and below 98.6 mid-day)
  • Low pulse rate (below 75)
  • Feel cold often.  Cold hands, fee, or nose.
  • Low or dragging energy.  Energy highs and lows.  Mid-day energy crash. Tired, but wired at night.
  • Chronic thirst
  • Urinating often (if you’re peeing more that 4 or 5 times per day, it’s a problem, especially if you’re waking up to pee in the middle of the night)
  • Constipation, bloating, gas, diarrhea (1-3 bowel movements per day is healthy)
  • Sleep is restless, interrupted, feel exhausted when you wake up
  • Low libido, lack sex drive
  • Overwhelming PMS symptoms
  • Infertility
  • Get sick often (suppressed immune system)
  • Never get sick (overactive immune system)
  • Skin problems like eczema, psoriasis, rashes,Hair thinning, falling out, brittle nails, slow growing
  • Anxiety, depression, irritable, sad
  • Gain weight easily
  • Edema, swelling, inflammation issues
  • Difficulty losing weight even with diet and exercise
I don’t know about you, but knowing this makes me mad.  I mean really MAD!  To think that you may have paid someone to teach you how to slowly murder your metabolism… it’s infuriating!  
You’ll only be able to keep this stuff up for so long.  We all know that when we are young our youthful metabolism is very resilient.  What we don’t realize is that our resiliency begins to crap out on us around 25 years old or so; especially if we’re stressing our bodies out from an early age with bad foods, overtraining, lack of sleep, and so on.  
The signs of a healthy and high metabolic rate are:
  • Feel warm all day (not hot)
  • Pulse rate between 75-90 bpm
  • Good energy consistently throughout your day
  • Restful, interrupted Seep
  • Healthy skin, strong nails, shiny hair
  • Healthy sex drive, no PMS, fertile
  • Regular bowel movements
  • Urinating 4 or 5 times per day, not at night
  • Maintain weight with exercising and dieting like crazy
  • Feel calm, happy, relaxed, focused
“So what do I have to know about my IMG_1519metabolism???”
The healthiest way of thinking about metabolism is by asking yourself, “Am I giving my body the right amount of materials, specific to me, that it needs to go through the many processes of metabolism?”  If you’re not, you’re likely on a path of illness, a laundry list medications, and pain problems for the majority of the second half of your life.
Keep this stuff in mind in the following articles.  This is the platform from which we’ll be discussing everything nutritionally.  Whenever we talk about food types, ratios of macronutrients (protein,fat,sugar) or frequency of meals look at it from a perspective of whether or not you’re giving your body the materials it needs to function optimally.  Optimal function may not mean rapid fat loss in the beginning for most people due to the years of damage done to their metabolism so don’t look at it from a weight loss perspective at first.  Depending on the state of your metabolism you may need to do some repair work, but think about it for a second.  What if your were able to have and maintain a youthful, protective metabolism through most of your life?  In a sense just by using food, sleep, and the right amount of exercise you become more effective than your physician at keeping yourself healthy, happy and mobile.    
Main points to take away:
  • 2 Methods of Energy Production:
    • Oxidative Metabolism = efficient/regenerative
    • Glycolysis & Gluconeogenesis = very inefficient/degenerative
  • In the efficient means of making energy your body maintains level blood sugar throughout the day avoiding the overproduction of degenerative (but lifesaving) hormones.
  • Rapid fat loss methods used by trainers far and wide are really just ways of forcing your body into hypoglycemia resulting in loss of tissue to include fat, muscle and even bone density.  THIS IS NOT HEALTHY WEIGHT LOSS!
  • Figure out whether or not you need to repair your metabolism before setting out to lose weight.
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FitLife Fusion Fights MSA with Chef Kerry Simon

April 14, 2015 By Leave a Comment

FitLife Fusion’s owner Peter Pinto was interviewed this month discussing the progress Celebrity Chef Kerry Simon has made with medicinal marijuana…

kerry simon
Here’s the link: http://www.reviewjournal.com/columns-blogs/doug-elfman/medical-marijuana-works-well-celebrity-chef-kerry-simon

First off just let me say “WE LOVE CHEF KERRY SIMON!!!”

Kerry has been a member here at FitLife here in Las Vegas for almost two years and though it’s been a tough battle against a rare disease, Kerry has been one of the hardest working people we’ve ever had in our studio.   We’re happy to have him as a member in our gym and as a leader in our community raising awareness about MSA.

Chef Kerry Simon and coach Peter Pinto rehabilitating walking patterns

Chef Kerry Simon and coach Peter Pinto working on walking patterns

Multiple Systems Atrophy is considered an aggressive form of Parkinson’s Disease.  It’s a degenerative disease which attacks the nervous system.  In our experience with MSA and Chef Kerry we’ve seen some remarkable things happen when using our neurology-driven approach to training.  With recent discoveries in neuroplasticity, we stay hopeful that one day diseases like MSA will be a thing of the past.  Until then we’ll continue to #FIGHTMSA together with Kerry.  We encourage you go on social media and participate in the fight for MSA by following Chef Kerry Simon and his organization, FightMSA!

For more info about MSA awareness visit:

http://www.msaawareness.org/

 

Keep Moving and join in the fight! #FIGHTMSA

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Enter our Monthly Giveaway!

May 14, 2014 By Leave a Comment

Every month we’re giving away cool stuff to keep you healthy on our Facebook page!  facebook.com/thefitlabs

All you need to do is visit our facebook page and click on the tab labeled “Enter to win”.  “Like”, enter your email address, and SHARE A LOT to increase your chances to win.  At the end of the month we’ll choose the person with the most shares/comments/likes in the contest.

Enter The Fit Labs monthly giveaway contest on our facebook page!

Enter The Fit Labs monthly giveaway contest on our facebook page!

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Hypothyroidism… what the $@%^ is that?

December 16, 2013 By Leave a Comment

HYPOTHYROIDISM… WHAT THE H#%L IS THAT???hypothyroid woman

Hypothyroidism seems to be the new catchy phrase people like to use to sell you MORE STUFF.  Doctors and pharmaceutical companies want to sell you meds.  Chiropractors, trainers and nutritionists want to sell you “all natural” supplements.  For those of you who follow my work and know me, you know this bother’s the hell outta me.  I just don’t trust anyone who sells a product that will cure you of all of your ailments. Many conditions out there used to scare people into thinking they need these products and medications are usually, as I said before, catchy marketing phrases, BUT… Hypothyroidism or a slow acting thyroid gland is very, very real.

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“Am I Hypo-whatever that is?” 

Most likely you are.  There are many things that can contribute to having a low acting thyroid.  Here’s the logic:

If you have a weight problem then you have a metabolism problem, right? and so…

If you have a metabolism problem then you have a thyroid problem, and here’s why!

Your thyroid controls your metabolism by acting as the foreman on the construction site that is your body.  It regulates the hormones your body produces and the rate at which they are produced, but weight gain isn’t the only symptom.  More and more people are suffering from symptoms of hypothyroidism and being diagnosed with some sort of thyroid issue now a days.

Symptoms can include:

  • fatigue
  • depression
  • rheumatic pain
  • low body temperature
  • brittle nails
  • dry & coarse hair
  • hair loss/thinning hair
  • decreased stamina
  • low libido
  • sleep disturbances
  • cold extremities (hands, feet, nose, or maybe all over)
  • puffy eyes/face
  • decreased sweating
  • PMS
  • infertility
  • constipation
  • possible autoimmune disease

Now that’s a lot of stuff and you may suffer from one or many of these symptoms, but that doesn’t mean the root of the problem is any different!

“Hey Peter!  I eat healthy!  I exercise regularly!  Don’t accuse me of not treating my body well!”

Look.  I’m not accusing you of eating poorly, or not exercising enough, or correctly.  There’s much more to it, in fact.  Here are a few causes of hypothyroidism:

Causes of Hypothyroidism:

  • Nutrient Deficiency – not enough protein, quality of protein,  soils depleted of minerals and vitamins.
  • Types of Foods – like soy, grain (whole or not), PUFA, food additives,
  • Heavy Metal Toxicity – fish and mercury, FILLINGS and mercury, cigarettes smoke, environments if you work with or around paints and metals.
  • Liver Damage/Toxicity – the liver is a magic machine, and responsible for most of the filtration system.  Leaky gut.  Stress on the liver can inhibit the conversion of T4 to T3 conversion.
  • Increased Cortisol/Low Cortisol (if fatigued)
  • Hormones: Increase/decreased testosterone cause thyroid disfunction.  High Estrogen, Low Progesterone.
  • Medications – like Lithium blocks conversion of Thyroid hormones. Antidepressants, Birth Control, Statin drugs.
  • HPTA problem – Gonad, gut, adrenal all work on the Hypothalamus – Pituitary – Thyroid – Axis.

It seems like EVERYTHING causes hypothyroidism!  No, that’s not true.  It can seem complex as there is no one-way to heal everyone of this issue, but there is a path for every individual to achieve their own optimal health – the path to EFFICIENCY.

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When you describe a machine that works “efficiently” you would think of a machine that works well at a high rate taking the least amount of energy to do so.  If you were to envision a machine does not operate efficiently it would take a lot of energy to operate, break easily, and have a short lifespan before it broke down completely.

I was taught by Dr. Eric Cobb of Z Health from a neurological standpoint how important efficiency in movement is for success in strength training, pain rehabilitation and the development of many other valuable fitness attributes.  In my year of experience applying this to my clients I have found it to be the best, most advanced method of training athletes and non-athletes alike.  Nutrition can be looked at in the same light.

Energy production in the body down to the very smallest form of life at the cellular level should happen very efficiently.  Our cells combine oxygen and glucose within the mitochondria and through an oxidation process create energy.  When in a stressful event (of any kind) there is a higher demand for energy.  If there is a lack of good, immediate fuel source (glucose) from the foods you eat then you’re body will have to begin releasing adaptive hormones in order to break down parts of your body in order to  continue to produce energy.  Not only does this method of producing energy break down fat, muscle and bone, it’s also a very in-efficient way of producing energy.

This is a very useful survival mechanism int the body that can save your life if you were in a life threatening situation.  The problem is, in the American society we live in today there are so many stresses affecting our bodies that we end up living in this survival state where our bodies are constantly having to break itself down to produce energy.  It’s no wonder America is the fattest country in the world with one of the highest rates of mortality due to degenerative diseases!

Heart disease, cancer, chronic lower respiratory diseases, stroke, alzheimer’s, diabetes, nephritis, nephrotic syndrome, and nephrosis (degenerative kidney diseases), suicide.  These are all leading causes of death in America and all duet to some sort of degeneration of the human body.

“Ok, well what can I do about it then!?”

Duh!  Fix it with diet!…  Oh, wait a sec.  It isn’t just that easy.  How do you know what’s right for you? Who should you listen to out there preaching about their “scientifically proven” method of dieting. What kind of diet should you follow?  Paleo? Atkins? SouthBeach? WeightWatchers? Vegetarian?  Well, everyone’s individual and different things work for different people, right?  But how do you know which one is really working for you?  Is weight loss the only key to better health?  These are the questions capable of causing so much confusion and frustration that giving up seems to be the one and only thing within your control.

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Paying attention to your body can make the difference.  Knowing what to look for can set your experience apart from all the other’s you may have had with crash diets and personal trainers of your past.  Here at The Fit Labs we help our clients monitor all the the symptoms listed at the beginning of this article, along with heart rate, temperature and blood work in order to deem wether what your eating or how your training is right for you.  Every time you put food in your mouth your body responds with physical signs telling you how the food is reacting.  Every time you perform an exercise there are ways you can tell if your body finds it to be safe and productive or too stressful and threatening.

Why hasn’t anyone told you about this?  Well, it’s not something taught in mainstream medicine or in the average personal training certification.  It took me over 10 years of deciphering studies and research along with the help of the brilliant coaches I have been very fortunate to find and work with such as Dr. Eric Cobb, Coach Charles Poliquin, Dr. Freddys Garcia, Z-Heatlh Master Trainer Zachariah Salazar, Josh Rubin and others to discover the truth about the ways in which our body communicates these things to us.

Why trust me?  Well, you don’t have to.  Allow me to prove it to you.  I am a coach.  I help people become healthy, get strong and enjoy a higher quality of life and that is why I established The Fit Labs along with my partner James Wong here in Las Vegas.  I am not selling supplements, cleanses, or magic products that promise you will lose loads of fat in no time.  We offer a philosophy and a path that will only move you forward using the information your body is providing in response to the starting points we provide at the beginning of your trek to optimum health.  And that is what shapes your individual program.

Again the symptoms of Hypothyroidism are:

  • fatigue
  • depression
  • rheumatic pain
  • low body temperature
  • brittle nails
  • dry & coarse hair
  • hair loss/thinning hair
  • decreased stamina
  • low libido
  • sleep disturbances
  • cold extremities (hands, feet, nose, or maybe all over)
  • puffy eyes/face
  • decreased sweating
  • PMS
  • infertility
  • constipation
  • possible autoimmune disease

If you are experiencing any of these symptoms CALL TODAY @ 702-220-8222 and schedule a FREE, NO OBLIGATION CONSULTATION over the phone or in person with me.  Recognizing there is a problem and reaching out for help is the first step on your path to better health, weight loss, more energy, better sleep and an overall greater quality of life… and in my opinion, it’s the biggest.

Holiday Special!  Click Here to see the offer.

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Peter’s Fit Labs Vlog: Kids’ Athletic Development and Bad Coaches

June 22, 2013 By Leave a Comment

The way coaches are training youth athletes makes it nearly impossible for kids to reach their full potential. Their intentions are normally good and learning to push yourself to your limits is a good quality to have at a higher level, but the kids get overworked! Kids are pushed too hard at practice and the exercises they are doing are designed to get them tired instead of improve specific skills.

Watch Peter’s video and learn why what we do here in The Labs can change everything for your son or daughter.

Click here to learn more about The Fit Labs Kids Athletic Development Program!

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What is Holding Your Child Back From Their True Potential.

June 8, 2013 By Leave a Comment

badcoach

What do you really want from your kids athletic program?

For over 15 years I have trained kids to get better at their sport, learn muay thai, develop athletic skills such as speed, strength, agility, balance and coordination.   I’ve also worked with kids on developmental issues that kept them from playing the sports they love with their peers.   The largest obstacle in my way as their coach is…

OTHER COACHES!

The way coaches are training youth athletes makes it nearly impossible for kids to reach their full potential.   Their intentions are normally good, but the kids get overworked.   Kids are pushed too hard at practice and the exercises they are doing are designed to get them tired instead of improve specific skills.

To give you an example, I met with one of my ten year old athletes not long ago.   He’s a young stud on the soccer field who broke his foot last year and making progress on his foot speed isn’t as simple as it was prior to the injury.   On this particular day his legs were so sore he hobbled into the gym asking me if he could just train his upper body.   Now, I understand when you work hard you can get pretty sore, and that’s fine if the exercises and drills the athlete has done are building specific skills he or she needs to become the best player on the field, but being so sore you can hardly walk is only a sign of one thing… being over trained.

So I asked him what he did.   He said he was at running practice for soccer and he was “doing a lot of these”.   He proceeded to demonstrate some skier-type motions with his feet together hopping side to side with hands up and behind his head.   After making him do that until his calves began to burn, his coach would have him react to a whistle with a full sprint across the field.

This is the kind of stuff that drives me absolutely, off the wall, CRAZY!   I just want to approach these coaches and say, “Hey!   You’re an awesome soccer coach.   TEACH HIM HOW TO PLAY SOCCER, DAMN IT!”

Youth athletes are trained to “Work hard!   And then work even harder!”   They’re trained as if the best quality a kid can have on the playing field is mental toughness or maybe perseverance.   Of course, it’s a necessary part of the game and this mentality isn’t something new.   It’s been around for a while, even when you played high school sports.   Yet this is exactly what will keep a young athlete from ever finding his or her true potential.

In The Fit Labs we teach every athlete young and old (and we consider life a sport so everyone is an athlete in our eyes) about one core principle the human body always follows no matter what:   the S.A.I.D. Principle.

Specific
Adaptation to
Imposed
Demand

This means your body is ALWAYS learning EXACTLY what it’s doing.   If you are performing high quality repetitions of whatever it is you are trying to get better at then you will get better at exactly that, but if you are doing something incorrectly, you will get better at performing that movement incorrectly.

To bring this into perspective in relation to my 10 year old athlete, his coach had him do what he believed to be a useful agility drill combined with a sprint.   Now just think a bit about the game of soccer.   You don’t have to be a seasoned soccer player or even a soccer fan to know that at no point in the game of soccer does a player of any position put his feet together and hop side to side down the field with his hands interlocked behind his head.   Maybe this might be closer to something an angry coach might do on the side line when his team is losing, but again, doesn’t even relate to something one of the players would be doing.

Instead, the only thing this “agility drill” did was make him tired before he performed the truly important part which was running.   His form was affected due to the fatigue set in by the agility drill and not only was his form off, but his run was slower than it would have been if he hadn’t performed a useless exercise before hand.   So the end result was my ten year old soccer player spent a good portion of his soccer practice practicing to run less efficiently and slower!

And when the kids seem slower than what they are normally capable of, what do you think team coaches do?   They make them do it over and over and over again, getter better at getting WORSE.   Anyone who has played team sports or has a son or daughter in a sport has experienced this.

This is the sad reality of what is happening to so many kids who are trying to be the best young athletes they can be.   Young athletes who may want to play at a higher level one day in college or professionally are stumped in their development because the focus is on just working hard and putting your time in, but the quality of the repetitions is neglected.

The kids who don’t seem to be affected by this are usually saved by their good genetics which are able to resist the negative effects of what would be detrimental training techniques.   These are the kids who were always the faster, stronger, “gifted” ones who seemed to be better than everyone else without even trying.   But what about the average child who loves the sport, wants to compete and spend every moment in practice sharpening their skills, getting better, growing stronger and faster?   They should have their fair shot at the big leagues if they want.

This is what inspired us to open a kids athletic program.   If there’s one thing in the world of youth sports that really bothers me, it’s watching these young athletes get stripped of their opportunities to play at a higher level or even just be the athletes they could have and should have been by coaches who just don’t realize their lack of attention to detail in the quality of reps their athletes are performing is just the thing that will stump the athletes’ progress.

So what do we do in the lab? We focus on exactly what your child needs to improve on and break it all down step by step. We focus on training the NERVOUS SYSTEM and it is broken down into 3 parts:

1.  Visual System  (much more that just 20/20)
70% or more of everything that we do is in some way dependent on our visual system.  It ranks up at #1 in importance in the neurological hierarchy and training your eyes can have lightning fast results in speed, strength, and improving movement patterns.  This type of trianing is commonly overlooked and may be what is holding your child back fro being the athlete they are meant to be.  Eye training includes, near-far recognition, lateral tracking, hand-eye coordination, foot-eye coordination, convergence and more.

2.  Vestibular System (balance and coordination)
Imbedded in the skull behind the ear canal is your vestibular system.  It is the organ responsible for telling your body what is level and works very closely in conjunction with your visual system to keep your body aware of where it is in space.  This can be sharpened and help your tremendously increase your child’s balance, coordination and reaction time.

3.  Proprioceptive System (body mapping)
This system is your brain’s 3D map of your body.  Through the peripheral nerves in throughout your body it is providing all kinds of information like movement reception, touch/feel, hot/cold, chemical reactions within the body and combines this information with the information it is receiving from your eyes (visual system) and “inner ear” (vestibular system).  This is where we focus on efficiency of movement and training kids proper form for things like  jumping, running, linear speed, lateral movement, etc.

We focus on integrating these systems and this is exactly what will give your child what we like to call “The Unfair Advantage”!  So don’t let your kids get jerked around by coaches who try to teach them things that are outside of expertise.  Seek a real professional who understands body mechanics and sensory integration!  Click the link below for more information about The Fit Labs Kids Athletic Development Program!

For pricing, scheduling and more information on The Fit Labs Youth Athletic Program CLICK HERE!

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They’re Lying to You! Vlog: Motivation (part2)

May 19, 2013 By Leave a Comment

vlog motivation part2

This is part 2 of the Vlog Peter did on Motivation and 2 BIG reasons why people don’t achieve their fitness goals.  Peter discusses how the brain is fed and what most people think is healthy dieting is actually getting in the way of energy production!

(Click on the picture to see the video!)

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2 Big Reasons Why People Don’t Achieve Their Fitness Goals (Part 1)

May 14, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Click here here to WATCH!

What if you were able to achieve your all of your fitness goals?  What if you could see the warning signs your body gives you that lead you down the path to failure?   If you knew what was really going on inside your brain when you attempt to make big changes in your diet and lifestyle you would be able to recognize when your body wants to quit and instead of giving in you would be able to overcome those stresses!

Watch the Video for part 1 of 2 of this Vlog in which Peter discusses the 2 big reasons why people fail.

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Cure Diabetes… with SUGAR???

May 6, 2013 By Leave a Comment

i love sugar

I wanted to share this quick story with you that most people at first don’t like to hear, but always ask me to repeat.

“Wait…. what did he do to get that result?” they’ll ask.

So here goes…

One of our clients has been dealing with what doctors love to call being “prediabetic” which is some new, catchy medical term that is being used everywhere to scare the hell out of people, in my opinion.  People with high blood sugar levels
The doctor told him he needed to lose weight and eat like most of you consider to be healthy now a days; No sugar, more protein, tons of veggies, little to no fruit, lots of fiber…. oh and here, take these pills, these pills and this shake.

At the beginning he’d lost a few pounds and his blood sugar levels began to drop as he exercised 3-5 days per week and eat how the doctor prescribed.  Then it happened…
The PLATEAU!  The weight began to creep back up, the blood sugar levels began to climb, and so the frustration set in.

One day in the gym he approached me and told me what was going on.  I gave him some information on how diabetes used to be treated BEFORE the pharmaceutical campanies came to power in the medical world and boom!!  Within 24 hours of taking a bit of my advice he had experienced a 40 point drop in fasting blood sugar levels and woke up 4 LBS lighter.

… and he did so by eating SUGAR.

“Wait. What did you say!?”  This is normally the point in the story where I realize people weren’t listening and request I repeat how he did it.

I want you to understand this as much as possible.  My father just called last week and told me his doctor diagnosed him prediabetic which in turn inspired me to chose this topic to write about this week.

Diabetes – “The Wasting Disease”

In the late 1800’s, early 1900s we called diabetes the “wasting disease”.  One day a doctor discovered, interestingly enough, that their sick patient’s urine tasted sweet. (Yeah, I know what your thinking, but let’s get past this for a moment and stick to what this discovery led to.)  In testing the urine, the doc realized this person was excreting glucose because his body wasn’t able to utilize it well.

Back then doctors attempted to replace the sugar that was lost in these patients’ urine by feeding them sweet fruit, glutenous breads and even plain white sugar and they had good results.  This I’m sure would surprise most people today because we know diabetes to be a high sugar problem, right?  Too much sugar leads to spikes in our blood sugar levels which leads to tolerance to our own insulin and in the end our body can’t store the sugar and we become diabetic… That’s it, right?

Well then how did those doctor’s way back when get good results from feeding their patients who were dealing with diabetes more sugar?  Pharmaceutical companies have made this a very confusing topic for us in recent years.  Sugar has become demonized, proteins scrutinized, and veggies and fish oils glorified.

Here’s something you probably never heard of.  In 1963 the discovery of the “glucose-fatty acid cycle” was made and since then more and more evidence has linked dietary fat with diabetes.  What we found was fat (primarily unsaturated fats like fish oils, seeds, nuts, seed oils, vegetable oils, etc) inhibit glucose oxidation.  Glucose is what our bodies create when it breaks down carbohydrates and it is what our body uses as its primary source of energy.  This forces our cells to have to turn to things like fat cells and lactic acid as fuel to burn to create energy.

Now that may sound like a good thing, but it’s not.  Fat and lactic acid as sources of fuel, suck!  This is why when people go pure Paleo or Atkins they’re energy is never consistent, their moods swing and their sleep gets all off.

You should sleep 8-9 hours per night uninterrupted somewhere around the hours 10pm-6am. (you know, when it’s dark outside)
You should be calm, curious and mild tempered.
You should not feel like you could take a nap somewhere in the middle of the day.
You should have a sex drive.
You should not deal with pain issues on a daily basis like migraines or sciatica.

If you are not all these things, YOU HAVE A FUEL ISSUE!

Glucose must to be the primary source of energy, especially for brain function.  This is one of the main reasons why people “yo-yo” so often.  It’s super stressful to try to lose weight, get in better shape and maintain that state when you’re body is begging you every waking moment from within to eat the things you love, but are trying to avoid.

Dieting isn’t the easiest thing in the world, yet everyone out there wants you to believe it is.  Other trainers would like you to believe that just because they are are lean and muscular they have it figured out.  Just eat like they do and you’ll be healthy and lean.  Sorry, it just doesn’t work that way.  You can’t just pick up a meal plan and cure yourself of diabetes or expect to magically transform into someone in muscle magazine.  It’s tricky, individual and you need the right information.  Types of foods and amounts can vary for each individual.

So what can you do?

CLICK HERE FOR A FREE CONSULT in person, over the phone, or via Skype.  Whether you are dealing with diabetes, trying to lose a few pounds, or even if you have tried and failed multiple times in the past we offer life long, guaranteed results here at The Fit Labs.  We genuinely care about your well being.  It’s too easy for other fitness companies to set you on a path for fast weight loss results to inevitably have you yo-yo back to where you were (or worse) just to get you back into the gym to buy more training.

Let us show you the path the life long health and happiness.  How nice would it be to know what you’re doing to look good, feel good and eat healthy is the right thing to do?

Bonus article: “How to Chose a Personal Trainer”  Click here to request this free download!

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