Got a Light? I Hope So!
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I have a question for you. What is more important:
1. Shining your light to inspire hundreds
or
2. Worrying about things out of your control because you think it is justified?
It is not more virtuous to worry. After all, you rob us all of your magnificence when you do that. And frankly, we prefer you when you glow!
How do you make the biggest difference in the world? Well, you make the biggest difference not by feeling bad for others, but by using the struggles of others (in the Third World, in your family, on the streets) to inspire you more to Get Out of Your Own Way.
For you see, until you know for yourself that you can shine, live in ease, generate joy, and find a new path, you can never know that reality is possible for another. In fact, without knowing that you can do it for yourself, you will not be able to truly lift another up to their potential because you will have little to teach.
When you shine the light of your purpose, you ignite the lights of hundreds around you. When you worry about those around you who are not yet ready to be lit up, you rob hundreds of others of your light. Look for those who are ready to be lit up; don’t be dimmed by those who have yet to be plugged in.
Did you know that when you feel down, worried, or sorry for another, you are feeding into the concept of powerlessness on the Planet? You don’t want to do that, do you? Shine, my friend—it’s time to shine!
(P.S. That doesn’t mean don’t comfort or soothe your loved ones. Just be conscious of where you are coming from when you do that.)
No one can ever dim your light without your distinct permission. Do the world a favor, and wake up to who you are: incredible, magnificent, powerful, loved, adored, juicy, special. After all, you wouldn’t want to rob us all of that, would you?
Jennifer Hough
Citrus Power
Filed Under Clean Quick and Green | Leave a Comment
I hope I have shown you throughout my blogs how we can create clean and safe homes—naturally. Often what we find in the fridge and pantry is all we need to clean our homes.
Orange oil is amazing for tackling greasy jobs. For example, when we are faced with a client’s greasy exhaust vent above a stove, we use orange oil as our saving grace. It is a natural degreaser, which means it is perfect for kitchen use.
Orange oil is created by pressing the peels of the orange and separating the oil. During this process, a compound called d-limonene (the beneficial cleaning property) is created. Be careful to not inhale this, because although eco-friendly, it can cause more sensitive people discomfort.
There are many orange oil products on the market; be sure to purchase an eco-friendly brand or else you get harmful contaminants in the mix.
The best way to use orange oil is to find the area with grease or other sticky residue, apply the product (always testing in a small and inconspicuous area first), and then let it sit for about 15 minutes. Afterwards a quick wipe should remove all residue. Follow it up with a water rinse.
Orange oil products work well even at removing adhesive stuck on glass or a price tag stuck on a vase. Dab a bit onto the affected area, let it sit for a while, and then rub the residue away.
I hope this has enlightened you to yet another very cool aspect of the orange!
Melissa
On TV!
Filed Under Natural Athlete | Leave a Comment
I was recently featured as the lead segment in a CBS News Sunday Morning program. Here is the transcript.
Fighting the Passage of Time with Fitness: An Exercise Old-Timer Shares Some of His Secrets
With Sunday Morning’s Emily Senay
Aired: April 13, 2008(CBS) Forget frail old age: A growing number of aging baby boomers have discovered the world of serious weight-training. From overweight folks who just want to feel better to dedicated 60-plus bodybuilders, the weight machine has become the new rocking chair. In a report by Sunday Morning correspondent Dr. Emily Senay, we meet the current senior National Bodybuilding Champion, a Manhattan gerontologist who preached a healthy lifestyle for years and is now taking her own medicine, and the legendary figure behind the modern fitness industry, Jack LaLanne.
——————————————————————————–
We’ve heard the old saw about how you’re never too old to get started. Truth is, most Americans tend to avoid heavy workouts, BUT there is a growing number of seniors who seem to live for them.
Ten years ago, Scott Hults was a Navy Reserve captain, and a prime candidate for serious illness.
“I was told I had some symptoms of diabetes,” Hults said. “That kind of worried me because my father and grandfather died of diabetes at early ages.”
So Hults hit the gym … hard. Before long, he began to look like a competitive bodybuilder and, at the urging of his wife, Hults became one. The former sailor, who was often the oldest guy on the stage, became known as “Old Navy.”
Last year, at the age of 64, Scott Hults won a championship in the over-60 division.
But Hults is the exception: There are 78 million baby boomers, with 8,000 turning 60 every day, or about 330 every hour. And most can’t even come CLOSE to Hults’ level of fitness, says Dr. Roseanne Leipzig, a professor of geriatrics at Mount Sinai School of Medicine.“Nobody exercises enough, okay? Seniors are no different in that way,” Dr. Leipzig said. “But the other thing that happens as we get older is that our body compositions change. And we become, unfortunately, more fat and less lean body mass. Most of us know this personally, okay? So that men go from being about 18 percent fat to 33 percent fat. Women, unfortunately, start at about 33 percent and go to almost 50 percent. So what is lean body mass? It’s your muscles and your bone. And that’s what you’re losing as you get older.”
And exercise can help you keep it. At Manhattan’s 92nd Street Y, Dr, Leipzig practices what she preaches:
“I’d say I’m a convert. I think I grew up in a generation where doing exercise, doing anything physical was thought as if it were something not to be desired, okay? And now I feel pride in the strength that I have, in the way my body looks, in how I feel.”
Leipzig says that, in general, her fellow baby boomers are taking better care of themselves.“I think in general, the boomers are starting to recognize that it’s ‘move it or lose it.’ And they’re gonna be moving it and trying to make sure that their bodies stay in the best shape possible,” Dr. Leipzig said.
And that desire to be physically fit might have been inspired by something boomers saw on black and white TV many years ago.
The fitness revolution WAS televised, and Jack LaLanne was the firebrand with a vision of a fitter world.
Now 93, Jack LaLanne still works out two hours every morning, mostly on equipment he designed, like the device in his home pool that allows to him to swim against a current.
Lalanne and his wife Elaine were married in 1959. She’s 82, and healthier now than when they met.
“She was skinny, just terrible,” he recalled. “She was smoking cigarettes and all that stuff.
“I had two fried eggs! No bustline!” Elaine said.
Today, the LaLanne empire is built on things like health food machines and books, including the latest one, “Fiscal Fitness: 8 Steps to Wealth and Health from America’s Leaders of Fitness and Finance,” about how to keep your finances in order if you really do get in shape and live longer than you expected.
But Jack LaLanne’s message is unchanged since those first days on TV: Whatever your age or condition, start moving now.
“You’ve got to work at it!” Lalanne said. “Dying is easy. Living is an athletic event. You’ve got to train for it. But the time you put in taking care of this wonderful body and your health is minimal compared to the results you’re gonna get.”
And to those slightly older Americans who say aches and pains prevent them from exercising? Jack says, “You show me somebody over 40 or 50 who doesn’t have an ache or a pain, I’ll show you a liar!”
Jack LaLanne will turn 94 in September. His goal, quite literally, is to be living proof that his philosophy of diet and exercise was right all along.
“It’s an ego thing. Here I’m going to be 94. I want to see how long I can keep this up, using me as an example, right? But the average person if they would work out 20 or 30 minutes three times a week, that’s plenty - if it’s vigorous.”
If you think you can’t achieve any level of fitness, let alone be like Jack, you’re probably wrong. Here are some tips:
• Check with your doctor first.
• Start low and go slow, set small goals - baby steps. One of the biggest reasons people throw in the towel is they expect too much too soon, so take it easy.
• Aerobics doesn’t have to mean a bone crunching, Jane Fonda-style, braided headband sweat-o-thon. Studies have shown simply walking a total of 30 minutes a day can reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke, and you don’t have to do it all at once.
• Once you’re on track, consider adding resistance training or weightlifting into your routine. If you don’t know how to do it, check out the local Y, gym or senior center.The goal is to feel good so you WANT to keep up your routine, and that can be as simple as walking the mall in Minnesota, teeing off in California, or hitting the pool in Florida.
Jack LaLanne says he wants to stay active as long as he’s physically able, and for the relatively youthful Scott Hults, there is no finish line, either:
“As far as I’m concerned, I’m gonna keep doing push-ups and sit-ups and pull-ups and bicep curls until I’m dead. And I hope one of these days, when I do die, I’ll be dying in the middle of record-setting bench press,” he laughs, “right here in the gym!”
© MMVIII, CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Saying Yes to Jean-Pierre LeBlanc
Filed Under Holistic Law | Leave a Comment
Every day I make it a habit to focus on something that I am really grateful for. Today the subject of my focus is my life coach, mentor, and best friend: Jean-Pierre LeBlanc.
I met Jean-Pierre in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California on New Year’s Eve 2002. His family and my family were staying at the same resort and they accepted our invitation to attend the same New Year’s Eve celebration. Our families really hit it off that night, and we spent most of the rest of our stay in Mexico doing wonderful things together. Our families have been close ever since.
In August of 2003, Jean-Pierre invited me to attend a weekend workshop he was hosting in Vancouver, British Columbia. At the time I felt really stuck and just going through the motions as a small town business lawyer. There was not much gratitude in my life. At my wife Heidi’s urging, I said yes to Jean-Pierre’s invitation, bought a plane ticket, and flew up to Canada with my 13-year-old son, Trevor. Trevor spent the weekend with Jean-Pierre’s wife and daughter, Kate and Kiara, enjoying Vancouver. I did the workshop, suspicious and curious at the time about what I could or would learn from this process.
Well, I learned a lot! This was where I was introduced to Jean-Pierre’s concept of Gender Synergy, and I made a number of really useful observations about who I was and how I operated in this world. At the end of the workshop, I decided to say yes to another invitation from Jean-Pierre, and I hired him as my coach. We have had a coaching relationship every since.
I recently got on another airplane to fly to Vancouver for another of Jean-Pierre’s weekend workshops. I think it was my 10th. Every time I go, I learn something new and I have the feeling that I am taking my life and life skills to a higher level.
When I look back at who I was on that plane to Vancouver almost five years ago compared to who I am today, I am astounded and deeply grateful for all of the personal growth and positive change that I have experienced. I am grateful for all I have learned from Jean-Pierre as well as from the other coaches, mentors, and thought leaders I have worked with over the last five years because I said yes to Jean-Pierre’s initial invitation to fly to that first workshop in BC.
When was the last time you said yes to an invitation to try something new, to do something that might stretch you and cause you to change and grow? I suggest that you consider becoming proactive and that you seek out these opportunities for personal growth and positive change. I guarantee you will be glad you did.
Philip J. Daunt, Esq.
Earth Day 2008—What About the Airlines?
Filed Under In Our Opinion - Naturally Savvy Guides | Leave a Comment
Randy and I recently flew to NYC for an Earth Day event sponsored by Hachette Filipacchi. We were asked to be the guests of honor on that particular day to talk to the media and general public about living a natural and organic lifestyle and how this lifestyle has a positive impact on the environment. The event was super successful and it was great to see how an entire city came to life to celebrate this special day. I left the Big Apple that day feeling optimistic about doing something “good” for our planet.
On our way home, immediately after boarding our flight, the pilot started the engine and we were excited by the possibility of being on schedule for take-off. As our plane headed for the runway, the pilot announced our plane was 30th in line for take off and we would be airborn in approximately 30 minutes from that time. I looked out the window to a sea of airplanes waiting to take off—all with their engines idling.
I was pretty amazed at the irony of it all. I had just come from an event where we talked about how making small changes in our everyday lives can have a big impact on our overall health and enviroment. However, sitting on the runway that day among mega doses of CO2 emissions made me realize how much more needs to be done right here in our own backyard.
I have to believe the airlines can come up with a better way to schedule take-offs in order to minimize their impact on the environment—if not for always, then at least for Earth Day!
Andrea
Essential Oils for Fibrocystic Breast Disease
Filed Under Breast Health | Leave a Comment
My good friend Dr. Janet Greene MD in Santa Fe, New Mexico (who also happens to be a fellow Board Certified Clinical Thermographer) sees many patients with fibrocystic breast disease. In conjunction with other treatments, essential oils are very beneficial to many of her patients.
Dr. Greene uses a combination of frankincense, sandalwood, lavender, green myrtle, and a touch of grapefruit in a base of jojoba oil. She explains that frankincense and sandalwood are anti-tumorals and help create an environment high in oxygen, thus making it impossible or difficult for bacteria and viruses to survive. Green myrtle supports the thyroid, while lavender is the universally beneficial oil.
Dr. Alex Mostovoy
Taking the Fad Out of Abs for New Moms
Filed Under Fitmom Wellness | Leave a Comment
Does any new mom like her post-baby belly? Whether you call it your muffin-top or belly jelly or have some other name for the roll that your new baby has left around your waist, we know you are not happy about it being there.
Almost all women come to Fitmom asking “How (the *&%#@!) do I get my abs back?” Many women weep that they’ve been doing 100 sit-ups a day and nothing is changing. We know it’s frustrating that there is no quick-fix (unless you’ve got incredible genes), but it is possible to nibble away at that muffin-top and bid farewell to it (before baby #2 comes!!).
Here are the key things you need to know on your journey to flat stomach-ville.
1. Use Your Big Engines
Your big engines are large muscles that not only require a lot of energy to be active, but can also burn fat long after your workout is over. When these muscles, like your quads and glutes, are worked to exhaustion, the body must rebuild small tears that occur in the muscle tissue. This work not only requires body energy long after the workout is over, but also makes the muscles require more energy to function and workout the next time. This means that at rest and during work, your muscle is working and burning fat all over more effectively! The more toned the muscle, the more effecient the machine. Do lunges, squats and other exercises that really use these big muscle groups.
2. Know/Reduce the Deterrants to Abdominal Fat Loss
a. Lack of sleep. We know this is NOT good news for new moms. A recent Swiss study has confirmed that sleeplessness and stubborn belly jelly go hand in hand. Do not despair, but take control. There are times when baby will wake you in the night. Know this and go to bed earlier and ask for help when baby does not need to be fed. The average adult needs seven hours of sleep. Make it a priority to get yours, even if it’s interrupted time.
b. Poor diet. Diet is an enormous challenge for a lot of women we work with. Stressed by their new role, at home with access to food more than they are used to, and spending time at mommy groups where brownies abound can make this an uphill battle. In addition, many new moms skip meals and then find themselves desperate for energy and grabbing a sugary muffin instead of a complex meal. An hour later, the sugar is gone and you are hungry again. If this describes you, do some self-intervention and clearly plan meals and snacks to ensure you are ingesting healthy foods regularly throughout the day. Try to eliminate simple sugars from your diet. They provide little benefit and a lot of calories and can lead to sugar addiction, mood swings, and midsection fat retention.
c. Genetic disposition. Your belly may be linked to a family curse (some ethnic groups also have a greater disposition to midsection weight gain). That doesn’t mean you are off the hook. It might actually mean that your best bet is to hire a professional trainer to help guide you through the kind of rigorous and planned workouts that will help you overcome your genes and get back into your jeans.
3. Reduce Excessive Weight Gain During Pregnancy
What’s done is done. Your job now is to try to unring this bell. As soon as you get permission from your caregiver, begin an exercise program with someone trained in postnatal fitness. Dieting if you are breastfeeding is not safe, but you can choose to eat better right away. Your baby will benefit from better milk and you will see a reduction in your midsection weight. The longer the weight sits there, the harder it is to get off. Also, make a mental note for your next pregnancy: choose to exercise. You won’t see an excessive weight gain and won’t have such an uphill battle after baby is born.
4. Cardio—and Not Just Any Cardio
Most women jog at a pace that is about 50-60 per cent of their maximum. They may do this for 30 minutes. They believe that because they are working in the fat-burning zone, this regimen should make them skinny. However, if you are jogging for 90 minutes a week at this rate (10-12 minute miles), your total calorie expenditure (which of course varies with weight) would be somewhere between 750 and 950 calories total. If you take the same amount of time and run at 7.5- or 8-minute miles for 24 of those minutes and power walk for 6 of those minutes, your average number of calories burned a week will be between 1150 and 1350. Add this total up and it amounts to almost six pounds of fat loss over a year. Put the magazine away while you are on the elliptical trainer and work up a sweat. Make it worth your while. As your build your cardiovascular endurance, you will bring more energy and capability to your all-important resistance-training workouts.
5. Build Core Strength
It’s clear that you don’t get flat abs by doing crunches. Burning fat with intense cardiovascular activity and resistance/interval training that uses big muscle groups are your keys to losing the fat. However, core strength is a key component to every exercise program and toning this muscle area can help it appear flatter. The following five exercises are adapted from the American Council on Exercise’s recent study of the most effective abdominal exercises. These can all be done in your home and with your baby.
a. Bicycle: Lie on your back with your feet in the air and place your arms behind your head. Imagining that you have a grapefruit under your chin, lift up your shoulders, and crunch your abs. Slowly lift and twist from side to side as your bring your knees in and out (like riding a bike) and bring your right shoulder to your left knee and left shoulder to right knee.
b. Plank: Put your body in the hands and knees position. Place head in neutral position by looking straight down at the floor. Extend your arms out slightly, shift your weight forward and drop to your elbows. Contracting your abdominal muscles, lift your hips, relax your shoulders slightly and bring your weight forward until it is evenly distributed on your toes and elbows. Hold this contraction for 20-40 seconds.
c. ABC Abdominals: Lie on your back and bend your knees. Carefully place your baby so that her tummy is lying on your shins and her head peeks over your knees and you make eye contact. Slowly (holding on to her), lift your legs so that your chins are parallel to the ground. Sing the ABC song slowly and bring your knees towards your shoulder and your shoulders towards your knees at the same time.
d. Side Plank: Lie on your side with your legs extended and place your elbow under your shoulder. Lift your hips off the ground as pictured and try to extend your top arm into the air. Keep top hip over bottom hip. Can be modified to knees.
e. Kegels: Every time you feed your baby (breast or bottle), focus on contracting your pelvic floor muscles by squeezing you vagina as hard as you can. You need to do 100 of these a day to rehabilitate these muscles and keep them strong and tight.
Remember, ridding your body of the muffin-top takes energy, commitment, and focus. But if you’ve had a baby, we already know you have all of these things in droves.
Cheers,
Andrea Page
Difference of Opinion About What Is Best
Filed Under Law of Attraction | Leave a Comment
I’ve been busy teaching two Get Out of Your Own Way™ courses, and I am just feeling so blessed. It truly is a privilege to help people wake up to their magnificence and just radiate who they really are. Which brings me to my point…
My Get Out of Your Own Way™ course really is for the people who don’t want to read or talk about their dreams anymore; they are ready to soar, to live in full connection and transcend all self-sabotage. Have you noticed that some people aren’t ready yet though?
There are many paths to well-being. This week I talked with a wonderful woman who wanted to help her Mom, who is in some serious pain. The issue is that this woman had ideas about what her mother should do (with alternative health and all sorts of visits to RMT’s and chiros). But her mother was wanting to take medications and put up with a certain level of suffering, which the woman did not accept as ok. The woman got more and more frustrated that her Mom would not do things her way.
Isn’t it great to know that you are always right? Problems come when you try to be right for another person. You have your Divine Connection and they have theirs. The best way to help another is to guide them to what their heart says—not to what your heart says. Or say nothing; at least then, they can hear.
When someone is not receiving what you are giving, it’s not because they are “daft.” It’s because you are not giving what they are willing to receive! Love, hugs, laughter, and drives to the doctor are what her Mom was open to receive. So for her Mom, Doctor + Unconditional Love = Healing. And for the daughter, Alternative Health + Freedom = Healing. Who is right? Both of them.
It is not your job to determine what someone else needs (unless they ask, but even then, give them the right to say no). Like you, others have their own connection to Divine Wisdom. Just because one way worked for you doesn’t mean another way can’t work perfectly well for someone else. How can someone else (including your children) listen to their own guidance if they are being bombarded with someone elses? Just a thought.
If you’re on the receiving end of someone trying to give you unsolicited advice, simply smile and thank them so very much for caring about you. Then allow your heart to point the way. Be kind, as you are teaching them that you are right for you!
Jennifer Hough
Old Navy Is in the News
Filed Under Natural Athlete | Leave a Comment
I was recently interviewed by The New York Times. Here is my Times story:
60-Plus, Ripped, and Natural Competitors
By Jessica Kourkounis for The New York Times
Published: April 3, 2008
Until nine years ago, Dr. Neal Grossman didn’t make a habit of parading around his bedroom in his skivvies and admiring his physique in the mirror. Nor did he ever imagine that his oldest son, then a teenager, would take one look at his father midflex and cry out, “Dad, put your clothes back on!”
But now that Dr. Grossman, a 60-year-old Baltimore dentist, is a competitive amateur bodybuilder, an extra ounce of flab makes the difference between a sizable trophy and going home empty-handed. “The minute you start winning, that’s all the validation people need to accept what you do as legitimate and something to be appreciated,” said Dr. Grossman, who is 5-foot-2 and a chiseled 121 pounds.
He is one of a small but growing number of 60- and 70-year-old bodybuilders stripping down to Speedos, slathering on bronzer, and strutting their stuff onstage in natural, or drug-free, competitions. The season for amateur and pro-level events begins this month.
Last year, the World Natural Sports Organization, one of about a dozen bodybuilding groups devoted to drug-free contests, had 44 competitors older than 60, up from two in 2000, said Jeffrey Kippel, a founder.
Many bodybuilding contestants are not tested and steroids use is rampant. But most natural bodybuilding contests require participants to complete urinalysis and polygraph tests before events.
In the last five years, the number of men and women in their 60’s and 70’s competing in United States Bodybuilding Federation shows has doubled to 16, said Brian Washington, the commissioner of the federation, another drug-free group. Those figures will not put senior softball leagues out of business any time soon, but in an age in which athletes are publicly flogged for using steroids and human growth hormones, it is heartening to find a cohort of older Americans hellbent on getting cut the old-fashioned way. Or so they say.
Skeptics believe that natural bodybuilders may not be entirely drug-free.
Still, the oldest age group of natural bodybuilders has drawn enough interest that last year the Fame World Tour, a series of physique competitions sanctioned by Mr. Kippel’s organization, hired Scott Hults, a retired Naval officer-turned-bodybuilder to be in charge of promotions for the 60-plus division.
“Age is a statistic, not a burden and there is no reason a man or woman can’t get into and maintain the best shape of their lives at any age,” said Mr. Hults, 64, who has competed in 26 shows since 2005 and last year won an age-group title.
Some older bodybuilders were weight lifters or wrestlers in their youth; others are fitness buffs who want to test their mettle; still others are retirees who refuse to go gently anywhere.
Although it is harder to build muscle later in life — 18 to 35 are considered the prime muscle-building years — it is possible, said Jose Antonio, the vice president of the National Strength and Conditioning Association.
Take Ed Cole, who entered his first bodybuilding contest last year at age 71. After retiring in 1992, Mr. Cole, who is 5-5, ballooned to 195 pounds. In 2000, he resolved to start weight training, which he had not done since he was a gymnast in his youth. He spent 90 minutes a day hoisting weights in the fitness center he built in his basement, and by 2004, he was 50 pounds lighter, and a certified personal trainer to boot.
He overhauled his diet, too. But after roughly seven years of diligent eating “for nutrition only,” he was ready to grease up his muscles and join the brawny and drug-free. To this day, he said, nothing stronger than magnesium has passed his lips.
Older bodybuilders tend to be disciplined purists. Younger competitors might want to push the envelope and beef up as much as possible, said Dr. Antonio, who has a Ph.D in muscle physiology. “Older individuals just want to improve their physique.”
Mr. Hults said: “Maybe if I had started bodybuilding in my 20’s instead of my 60’s, I might have used steroids. But since I did get into the game later in life, it made sense for me to go the natural route. I’m glad I did. I have been able to achieve much on my own, without illegal muscle enhancements. That in itself is very satisfying.”
But he does acknowledge knowing several senior athletes now on steroids, human growth hormone or testosterone replacement therapy.
For the most part, the senior bodybuilders say they take great pride that their amped-up pectorals are strictly the result of diet, exercise and vitamins and supplements.
Prized supplements include creatine for strength, glutamine for muscle recovery, branch chain amino acids for muscle development, all of which Dr. Antonio, who is also the chief executive of International Society of Sports Nutrition, recommends for bodybuilders.
Mr. Kippel’s group, along with the International Natural Bodybuilding Federation, the amateur arm of the World Natural Bodybuilding Federation, randomly test during the year. Still, antidoping experts wonder just how natural “natural” bodybuilding is.
Neither the World Natural Sports Organization nor the International Natural Bodybuilding Federation perform blood tests, which is the only way to test for human growth hormone, said Dr. Gary Wadler, an internist and a member of the World Anti-Doping Agency.
There are also certain so-called natural supplements that can contain traces of banned substances.
“We saw for many years that dietary supplements were contaminated with androstenedione, which is converted in the body to testosterone, but many people were not knowingly taking it,” Dr. Wadler said. “That problem has been diminished, but whether it’s been totally eliminated I have no way of knowing.”
The athletes insist they are clean.
“The older guys despise the drug scene,” said Len Bosland, 82, from Glen Rock, N.J., who has been a bodybuilder for decades, still competes and was Mr. New Jersey in 1952.
Unlike weight lifting, which depends on brawn, bodybuilders train to look good in swimsuits that leave little to the imagination. They must perfect 8 to 10 poses and are judged on criteria such as grace, muscle symmetry, definition and body shape. A choreographed routine to music is also required.
Melvin Cooper, 64, a father of seven and a Brooklyn pastor, did not expect to be bodybuilding in his twilight years. But two years ago, while working out at a gym, a bodybuilder approached him and said: “ ‘You look good, man. Where do you compete?’ ” Mr. Cooper recalled.
“I said, ‘I don’t,’ and he said, ‘At your age no one would beat you.’ ”
Mr. Cooper, whose strongest stimulant of choice is Red Bull, entered his first competition, the Hercules, in June last year, and won.
“I do one-handed push-ups for my finale,” he said proudly, adding that he goes to the gym up to three hours daily, except Sundays.
“I make a lot of noise so everyone can hear,” he said. “I’m a big show off.”
So is Dr. Don Morse, who won the Natural Physique Association’s Natural Mr. USA bodybuilding championships for men older than 70.
“I love to get in front of a crowd,” said Dr. Morse, 77, a retired endodontist from Cherry Hill, N.J. After all, it is quite a boost when bodybuilders decades his junior gush: “I’d be so happy if I could look as good as you.”
Bodybuilding has helped a lot of competitors conquer demons. Dr. Grossman, who has won more than 200 trophies, used to have stage fright. “But another fellow in the gym had competed and he said: ‘Who cares? You don’t know anyone.’ I said: ‘Yeah, I’m a grown man. What do I care?’ ”
Top 10 Ways to Detoxify: Part 1
Filed Under Dr. Zoltan Rona (MD) | Leave a Comment
“Since 1965, over 4 million distinct chemical compounds have been reported in scientific literature. Over 6000 new chemicals were added to this list between 1965 and 1978. As of 1981, of over 70,000 chemicals in commercial production, 3,000 have been identified as intentionally added to our food supplies and over 700 in drinking water. During food processing and storage 10,000 other compounds can become an integral part of many commonly used foods. Added to this list of potential body toxins, petrochemicals, industrial waste, medical and street drugs, radiation (X-rays, nuclear fallout etc.) and tons of pesticides, herbicides, and insecticides, the result is an incredible chemical avalanche to have befallen the human race in a relatively short period of evolutionary history.”
From: Townsend Letter for Doctors, June 1992, by Zane R. Gard, M.D. & Erma J. Brown, BSN, PhN
This is the first of a three-part series of articles on evidence-based ways to detoxify from the 70,000+ chemicals that find their way into the human body from the foods we eat, the water we drink, and environmental pollution.
Over the past three decades I have observed a large number of both effective and ineffective ways of ridding the body of its stored chemical compounds. Some of these have been well researched while others are nothing more than elaborate scams. From a combination of published research and experience here are my top 10 ways to legitimately detoxify the body:
1. Far infrared sauna
2. Water therapy (hydrotherapy)/alkaline water
3. Phase 1 and phase 2 liver detox–support diet and supplements
4. Detox foods: chlorella, green foods, cilantro, garlic
5. Liver cleanses, kidney cleanses, parasite cleanses
6. Large bowel detox supplements (peroxide, ozone)
7. Aerobic exercise
8. Intravenous vitamin C and glutathione
9. Probiotics and prebiotics
10. Chelation therapy
It’s good to combine several of these techniques for greater efficiency. For example, the far infrared sauna works best if combined with aerobic exercise, drinking alkaline water, eating detoxifying foods, and taking liver and other organ detoxifying supplements. These will be discussed in more detail in Part 2 of this series.
As discussed in a previous blog (”Beware of Some Popular Detoxification Methods”), I don’t consider fasting or colonic irrigation to be safe detox methods. Also, evidence shows that ionic footbaths are ineffective.
Stay tuned for a discussion of detox methods that really work in Parts 2 and 3 of this series.
Dr. Zoltan Rona
I presented this information in a lecture at the Whole Life Expo 2007. You can order a copy of the lecture on CD from http://www.softconference.com/071123.
References re: Ionic Foot Bath Scam:
http://www.denvernaturopathic.com/news/footsoaks.html
http://www.guardian.co.uk/life/badscience/story/0,12980,1294819,00.html
