Life coaching is a confidential process. It is a secret. As a coach, I am in the unique position of being your confidante, because I am holding you accountable for the change you have asked for. You would not allow anyone in your life to tell you what I will tell you. I will hold you accountable for the confidential transformational promises you have made to yourself, and me, as your coach.

Here's one of the secrets that the 500 wealthiest and most influential people of the 20th Century revealed to "Think and Grow Rich" author, Napolean Hill. They all said that they relied on a "Mastermind" for their success. This included such greats as Henry Ford, Franklin Roosevelt and Thomas Edison.

A "Mastermind" is created when two or more people gather together to succeed in a common mission. A synergy arises. A spontaneous and intangible phenomenom occurs. It is like the physics of combining several car batteries together. The combined energy of the system of batteries exceeds the individual energy of each separate battery added together. Similarly when people unify around a common mission, a collective force, intelligence or energy becomes available. This synergestic energy is more powerful than the sum of the separate individuals added together, and allows possibilities that would otherwise be unavailable.

 By employing a Life Coach you are co-creating a unique "Mastermind" around your mission or goals.  Because I am there  to support you in YOUR mission to succeed, we are starting YOUR Mastermind. Who you choose to be in your "Mastermind" is absolutely critical to its success. Your goal or mission may be:

• Improving a relationship;
• Losing weight, getting fit;
• Becoming an olympian;
• Changing careers;
• Overcoming the loss of a loved one;
• elping your children succeed at school
• Seeking peace of mind
• You name it!

Check here for more information and details on Core-Strength Life Coaching.

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I have a good friend in Australia whose son was recently diagnosed with diabetes. Initially he was devastated. He, himself, has been an example of strength and fitness all his life. He raised his family on an ethic of respect for fitness and health and has two strapping boys and a healthy strong wife. So the news that one of his boys has diabetes forced a reckoning in their lives, to never , ever take life, strength and health for granted.

As a school teacher I come across many students with diabetes. While a few of them are, like my friend's son in Australia, examples of fitness and vitality, the majority are not. Many have obesity problems, low energy and are extremely unmotivated to manage their disease. This shocked me.

Given the enormous amount of information and education around diabetes on how to manage or prevent it, I am struck dumb by the way people flirt with their strength and vitality. Many become overweight and weak, then are prone to UNNECESSARY diseases, such as diabetes.

The other, often forgotten piece to this UNNECESSARY nightmare, is the high financial cost to not only the victims and their families, but also to the  nation as a whole. It is estimated that the current national medical bill to maintain, treat and regulate diabetes annually is in the vicinity of between $92 billion to $112 billion.

In the light of recent world disasters such as the devastation in Haiti from an earthquake, or the ongoing poverty in Africa and China the planet's medical bill is looking more and more unmanageable. Given how vast a problem the next generation is facing in terms of health alone, I cannot but reflect on how much each one of us, alone, has a responsibility to change things at the micro or personal level, in order to affect change in the macro or system level.

You alone must make the difference. We no longer have the luxury of waiting for someone else to change the way things are. Each one of us must become a revolutionary in our own lives, changing poor and costly habits. Take your health into your own hands, manage it as best as you can, look for and get support from others, and we can start to turn things around.

There is no time. Start now.

Stay Strong,

Lawrence

PS. Click here for a workout system recommended by the American Diabetes Association to help manage diabetes and pre-diabetes.

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I was driving to Boston along the Mass Pike to attend a Team Beachbody coaching conference when I popped in my ipod to the radio receiver to listen to a podcast. It was called Fitness Rocks whose mission is to change the health and fitness of the world.  Doctor Monty interviews various scientists, doctors and health professionals about the current health crisis and what is going. Monty has a curious mind and pulls out some subtle distinctions that helped me appreciate the extremity of the calamity we face as a nation  through ill health.

Speaking to one Doctor from Stanford University Monty mentioned that the younger generation today will suffer from heart disease, diabetes and brain disorders at earlier ages than ever before in human history because we have created a toxic environment for ourselves.

At first I thought he meant from polluted air and water but it was much closer and more insidious than that. It was from the choices we are all making every day. We are actually creating a toxic environment based on the the activites we choose to do or not do, and the food we decide to consume or not.

This toxic environment is supported in gross and subtle ways by the media, the food industry, the pharmaceutical industry and even the Health Industry! But, despite all of these influential and powerful groups trying to woo or sway us to adopt toxic habits, in the end you and I have the power to say no. We have the ultimate power. We can make different choices.

Now before I go further, I want you to know that, like Dr Monty, I am passionate about helping people regain their vibrance and thrive in their lives and bodies through physical, mental, emotional and spiritual means. I have a unique life coaching system to help people achieve success in all of these dimensions in order to go forward to achieve their goals (more info).

In this blog I will make some suggestions for you about the choices I have tried that work regarding nutrition. I mean really work based on my own results. There is a plethora of other choices out there. They range from those that work wonders  to  out right deceptions.

There are at least 4 dimensions you need to adopt to regain a strong core foundation and clean up the toxic habits that you may have started. This radio podcast on Fitness Rocks mentioned eating right, exercise, not smoking and weight management as signifcant life-enhancing, or life-detracting choices in our own hands. Shockingly their research showed a mere 3% of the nation lived within the zone of all 4 indicators: were non smokers; within the right mass body index for their height, gender and age; eating at least 5 servings of fruit or vegetables daily; and working out at a moderate level 3-6 times per week for 1/2 an hour. Only 3% of people are following these 4 simple steps to create more opportunities to grow old gracefully and relatively free from pain and chronic disorders. 3%!

I want to look at one dimension with you today in this blog – nutrition. Nutrition is foundational to your longevity, daily vibrance, sustained energy flows and greater number of pain-free years.

Are you or your friends and family eating the right food, every day? Are you creating a toxic waste dump inside your bodies for fats, sugars, and low return calories? Are you eating foods which don't sustain your energy throughout the day?

What if I said to you that within a few days you would notice a completely new and energized feeling if you started to change your eating habits? Would you believe it? Would you care? Would you be grateful to know you have a choice? Would it help you help your family get on the right track? Would you put it off to the future? Would you be skeptical?

I want you to consider changing your perspective on food as a precursor to changing your food. Consider the truth of the research that your children, or their children, are likely to have their first heart attack in their twenties instead of their forties or fifties. This is primarily, in most cases, based on their food and exercise habits – not genetic. While genetics plays a role in all of this it is important to understand that our main genetic disposition, that has helped us survive for 100 000 years as a species, depended upon food and exercise as essential components for them to work.

What is the right food? Fruit and vegetables are essential components for our bodies. They are not always cheap or easy to get but they are worth the cost and effort to include within your diet. You may pay some extra for good food, but, and this is important, you will pay the price for cheap, bad food as you grow older. And that price is getting more and more expensive every year.

As a busy professional and dedicated to becoming and staying fit I have researched food extensively to find the right sources to remain energetic and vibrant throughout my day. I start with a big breakfast incorporating protein and complex carbohydrates (usually eggs (as I am vegetarian) on multi grain toast). See my article on big breakfasts for more details.

One amazing source of protein, vegetables, fruit, digestive enzymes, minerals and probiotics I have come across is shakeology. It has simplified my daily search for fruits and vegetables as in this one drink alone I get more fruit and vegatable servings than I could even eat in a day. My energy and vitality has increased remarkably and the price is comparable to a late per day! As I use it to replace a meal a day it ends up being my most economical meal for the day and yet my most nutritious. I recommend this to anyone reading this as an assured source of energy and nutrition no matter how busy you are.

…. know this.  I have no stock in the company. No one at Beachbody has ever even asked me  to talk about it. I have no relationship with Shakeology, other than  since we met, I have a deep appreciation for the love and care that has gone into it by the manufacturers. As a TBB coach  I do receive a commission from people who buy it from my website but I only recommend it because it is of the highest nutritional value you will come across.

Here is something Chalene Johnston says about it Chalene is unparalleled in the fitness industry for her care for people's health : "Beachbody has several protein and meal replacement shakes. I've tried and used them all. You've never seen me blog about them. I've been in the fitness profession for 20 years. I've tried every shake, vitamin and protein supplement. You can imagine because of the huge network of intstructors and customers of my company http://www.turbokick.com, on a monthlly basis I'm sent samples of every miracle nutrient, drink, vitamin, water, protein source, and shake you can imagine. I've tried them all. You've NEVER heard me encourage people to try them. I've talked about things I find yummy or tasty with decent nutrients. But Shakeology is in a class of it's own. Period."

Stay Strong,

Laurie

More details

WHATS IN IT

More than 70 different ingredients were chosen from around the world for their potency and bioavailability (the ability to deliver the nutrients your body needs). Here are the key nutrient groups that these ingredients deliver:*

Protein and Essential Amino Acids to help build long, lean muscles and reduce food cravings

Prebiotics and Digestive Enzymes, which aid in improving digestion, regularity, and nutrient absorption

Antioxidants and Phytonutrients to help counteract free radical damage that can lead to degenerative diseases

Vitamins and Minerals your body needs to function for optimal health.

A TESTIMONIAL LIKE NO OTHER Dr Mark Cheng gives blistering praise and acknowledgement to Shakeology. Check it out.

check it out – it is the real deal www.shakeology.com

 It's a gorgeous  winter's afternoon here in Massachusetts. I am trying to get outdoors to enjoy the brief winter sunshine. The unusually warmer  temperature, and the fact it is my last day of vacation before returning to school, make the outdoors look like the perfect place to be.

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However, I have just read two stimulating posts, written by friends of mine, which triggered me to think about a number of things. At first I was struck by the differences between health on the one hand, and strength and fitness on the other. Questions like: Is health the same as fitness and strength? Can someone be healthy but not fit and strong? And vice -versa. The more I contemplated this, the more it dawned on me how these terms are thrown around the Internet in a profoundly confusing and often, misleading way. The other matter was more to do with what is the relationship between strength/fitness and spirituality? I have been deeply convinced for a long time that the Mind, Body and Spirit are all integrated parts of who we are, each affecting the other.

The first post came as an email from a new client of mine, Saniel Bonder. Saniel is a respected  author and Spiritual Teacher from the Bay area in California. He wrote "Healing the Spirit/Matter Split" as well as other leading-edge books on integrating spirituality with everyday life. This was probably what resonated with me at an unconscious level when we met. As it is my passion  to study and practice the connection between mind, body and spirit, Saniel's thinking and work is of great interest to me. Saniel is also the founder of the international Waking Down in Mutuality personal transformation movement. I recently met Saniel at a Conference on Integral Spirituality in California. As soon as we met I felt a resonance and liked him. He was friendly and interested in everything, it seemed.

When I told him I was a Life Coach and used the P90X system to help people gain strength and fitness he immediately told me he had purchased it over a year ago but decided it was way beyond his fitness level. I immediately encouraged him to start again with my guidance, assuring him it was the perfect Strength vehicle for men and women, young and old. Only later on did he reveal to me he was approaching his 60th birthday when he wrote: "Just dawned on me … for my 60th birthday, I'm giving myself … a dramatically remade body!  Thanks to you!  I'm a grateful and proud P90X practitioner, now a full month into the program". But there was more. Saniel revealed health problems as well.……..”- yesterday morning I woke up with a bit of what a doc told me is bursitis in my left hip. It’s chronic but thankfully has been more and more occasional since I started exercising in August ‘08. Same btw with the sense of weakness and occasional pain in my right knee. And I’ve got a slightly weak tendon or ligament, I sense, in my left shoulder, from a popping that occurred one day I think 4 years. ago when I went into a ‘Hindu push-up’ sequence without properly warming up. That initial injury took a while to heal then and since then that spot can get a bit weak and sore."

So here I was working with a highly motivated older man who had every reason to not be trying a program this intense. But as Saniel continued in his email I could start to understand subtle differences between health and strength/fitness. I also appreciated the relationship between the spirit and the body he was describing at both a healing and energetic level: " So I had some or  (pains) all these after the workout the previous night, noticeably through the whole day yesterday. Felt them (pains) just a bit during plyo (plyo is a reference to one of the 12 workouts in P90X called Plyometrics – or jump training – a high intensity cardio vascular training session). Afterward … today … those pains are pretty much gone. I can just feel the slightest sensitivity, little tightness and soreness when first getting up.  Gotta be something about running  that  much  energy    and  breath-force  in that  particular  workout that  healed  through the exercise and strengthening".

Prompted by Saniel's results I re-read Doug McGuff's definition of fitness and health from  his book, "Body by Science". McGuff makes a clear distinction between them. He breaks the myth that one means the other, or that they are necessarily even related to each other. He writes "Health is a physiological state in which there is an absence of disease or pathology and that maintains the necessary biological balance between the catabolic and anabolic states. Fitness is the bodily state of being physiologically capable of handling challenges that exist above a resting threshold of activity." Contemplating these definitions can help you understand, and therefore start to make better choices to be able to reach your goals.

  The myriad of "health and fitness" talk out there is very confusing if you are not clear. Gyms, food companies, drug companies, health professionals and even candy and soda companies are ludicrously and misleadingly making claims and statements about your health and fitness. In many cases they blur the distinctions between them to such an extreme, that pizza and coke can sound like health food. Health and Fitness are not the same thing, and you need to be clear about this.

A Facebook friend, Terrence Thomas, recently wrote a simple but enlightening article that helps you cut  directly to the chase. In it he asks are you moving toward your goals through "Pushing or Pulling?". In essence he asks are you pushing away from the negative, or pulling yourself toward the positive. In my own approach to achieving goals, it has become clear to me that these two approaches will generally yield different results. Pushing away from negatives ultimately has you focus on your problems. Mental focus on a negative tends to create the thing you are trying to push away. Have you ever noticed this? So those who are trying to overcome a problem by constantly thinking or dwelling on it, often lose motivation and rarely achieve results. On the other hand focusing on the pull, the goal, the reward, (like  Saniel Bonder is doing) stimulates creativity and will power you forward like nothing else can. Pulling toward your goal is a truly autonomous way to  achieve your goals. Try it and see. Fitness is earned through commitment. Getting the right perspective is the first, and I believe, the most important step. Once you are clear about what you want, you have amazing tools and friends at hand to help you move toward your goals.

The more I am involved in the process of getting and staying strong, and helping others do the same,  the more I see the interrelatedness between the Mind, Body and Spirit. There is no escape from the hard truth that getting and staying strong is a commitment on all levels and its benefits flood all dimensions of who we are.

Stay Strong and check out some great information on my Website on these topics: Nutrition, Workouts, Meditation, Life Coaching.

In Strength and Fitness,

Lawrence

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