"It's really easy - here is all you have to do"

 Have you ever heard that before? Yeah, I have.....millions of times. 

Truth is, nothing is easy. Everything you want in life requires hard work, discipline and commitment and if you don't implement each of those, chances are, you will never really get where you want to be. 

There is a scripture in the Bible that says, "Obedience is greater than sacrifice" but I am here to tell you that with every act of obedience, there is a sacrifice that must be made. That sacrifice might come in the form of setting aside some time to study or even rest. It might come from spending time with meal planning, or setting up your workout schedule for the week. It might come in the form of telling friends that you can go out with them but you aren't going to eat and drink what they do. 

Everything you want in life you can get IF you sacrifice something. You have to choose the best over the good. 

One of the biggest misconceptions I believe I have ever heard is that going to a fitness class is the best thing to do and it makes getting in shape easier. NOT! That's an out right lie. Nothing will make getting in shape easier except for you making the decision that you are going to do what it takes to get there. 

Now granted, having friends in a class can "help" to encourage you but you still have to show up and do the work. So if you are successful, you get the credit for it, not some class. Heck not even the trainer gets the credit and I am a trainer. YOU did the work, not me. 

"People that are successful don't have workouts they have systems" JR Smith

My BioFit System is a well put together program that all you have to do is implement the program. But you still have to do the work and prepare the foods but the system is put together in such a way that all the guess work is removed and that is what I am supposed to do - remove the guess work. That's my job. 

Here is a link to my Facebook page for more information:

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100086001764775

The fact is, hard work will always trump talent. So if you are looking to get in the best shape of your life for 2023, then you need to reconcile with yourself that you need to make a serious commitment and decide early on that this won't be easy, but it is so doable. And it is my job to keep you going strong and to support you during those times you find it difficult to do the right thing. And those days will come, I assure you. 

You see, I'm not going to tell you that it's all sunshine and roses. It's not. As the movie character Rocky said once, "Life will knock you down and keep you there if you let it". I can speak from experience but I kept getting back up and I am sure there are going to be days that life will try to knock me back down again. 

The Bible says that "No weapon formed against you will prosper". Weapons will be formed and there will be some fighting but those weapons will not prosper against you. You will win.

Until next time, stay strong! 

 

The Obesity Report

“How to protect yourself against soon coming health Armageddon”
JR Smith, MES, NBFE Board Registered Trainer
Founder and Medical Exercise Program Director – BioFit Exercise Technologies

It’s coming. It is projected to fully arrive by 2030. And it could be sooner. Do you know what it is? It is a health catastrophe and it’s heading our way and the COVID-19 hasn’t helped things in anyway. If anything, it has magnified the problem in ways we simply could not have imagined.

That’s what our government is telling us. In addition, we may see even greater challenges to our health if the COVID-19 isn’t contained by then. But then again, we may see more infections from new viruses than ever before. This is why we must protect our health now.

By the year 2030, it is projected that 60.1% of Kentucky’s population will be obese. For the medical community, that means anyone with a BMI (body mass index) over 30 or more. For fitness professionals it is a body fat percent level of over 25%. Currently 34% of Kentuckians are considered obese.

But that’s not the whole story. It gets more frightening than that.

Here is an overview of what Kentuckian’s health is now and what it is projected to be in just 7 short years.

Disease:.....................Now Population and Cases.....................…..2030 Cases

Diabetes...................13.1% or 394,029 cases...….........................594,058 cases

Cardiovascular disease.......264,958 cases.....................................1,278,342 cases

Obesity related cancers.......68,075 cases......................................176,342 cases

Hypertension......................39% or 881,343 cases........................1,175,750 cases

Kentucky Department of Health and Human Services

·       These are staggering numbers!

Now here is the frightening thing about this.

The government does not have a clear path forward. They only have programs.

That’s right. The government has absolutely no idea on a clear path forward. I know. I met with the Kentucky Governor’s cabinet for Health and Human Services back in January 2018. After a one hour meeting discussing these issues, I found out that their approach is superficial, to add and maintain biking and hiking trails, educate about breast feeding programs, supporting Farmers Markets, and having a place in which to play basketball. In addition to promoting the US government “Healthy Food Pyramid” there is little else other than making sure your physician is involved if you have developed the disease.

Granted, all of these steps are important but they don’t address the real problems and they aren’t solutions. It’s a confusing band aid approach and nothing more.

I literally sat there dumbfounded. Here I am surrounded by some very smart individuals with Masters Degrees, Ph.D.’s, and physicians and this is all they could come up with? I felt like they were looking at me like I had lobsters crawling out of my ears when I offered suggestions that have worked for decades, nearly a century of keeping people healthy, fit and strong. I was completely brushed off.

But that’s okay because we all learn. I believe there is no failure, only opportunities to learn and this was one big learning experience. It also proved to me that just because these highly educated individuals have advanced degrees and are highly paid government employees, they aren’t experts and they don’t have the answers to the problems we are facing (just like the COVID pandemic we are dealing with). Unfortunately these highly educated individuals are totally oblivious to real solutions. They were quite happy to go to their meetings to maintain their government jobs and keep the money coming in for their programs, just don’t upset their apple cart. Of which I guess I must have looked like I was attempting to do.

So how do I know their programs aren’t going to work? How do I know their programs are total failures? Just go back and read the health and disease projections for 2030 on the first page. Does that sound to you like the government has a clear path forward to you? No they don’t. They are saying THIS IS WHAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN – they are predicting it, despite their suggestions.

But there is hope.

For nearly a century, at least in “our current modern time”, since the early 1900’s, America was healthy, strong and fit. We were beginning to make great strides in medicine and people were living healthier even in the midst of worldwide pandemics such as the Spanish Flu. While medicine had been around for long time, the supplemental vitamin wasn’t even developed until 1913. The world had yet been given its first vitamin supplement. Can you imagine if Vitamin D3 had existed then? Chances are good that 50 million people may not have lost their lives to the Spanish Flu.

Granted, there was still a lot of disease to deal with but what you didn’t hear about back then was heart disease, hypertension, cancer, and obesity. According to a vast many physicians today, those types of diseases are considered lifestyle diseases. You aren’t typically born with them but you develop them over the course of your life based on your lifestyle choices. And we see those disease increasing more and more every day because of how sedentary our society has become.

COVID-19 is especially harmful to individuals that suffer with multiple comorbidities. But do you know of all the comorbidities, diabetes, hypertension, obesity and COPD, which one of these put most of the people at risk?

So let’s take a look at how obesity is going to affect Kentucky which now, can create greater susceptibility to being hospitalized with COVID if contracted and obese.

According to The Lane Report, in the 1990’s, no state in the US had a population obesity level above 15%. And currently Kentucky high schoolers have the worst obesity levels in the nation at 18%. And kids that are heavy tend to be heavy adults. This not only creates more health issues but the cost to our health care system is heavily taxed (no pun intended). In other words, it is going to cost each of us more money in taxes and we will pay more for health insurance and co-pays will increase. Although you and I might be healthy, we will pay more because we live in a state where more people are unhealthy than healthy. It costs us all dearly.

Again, according to The Lane Report, by the year 2030, there will be a 51% increase of people with diabetes, hypertension will increase by 34%, there will be a whopping 382% increase in heart disease (no, that’s not a typo), and a 158% increase in obesity related disease. These statistics come from Trust for America’s Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

The Scramble

Our government knows that each state is in trouble and they are scrambling for solutions. Every state is becoming increasingly unhealthy and it is costing billions and billions of dollars in combined health costs and placing greater financial and medical burdens on society and industry attempting to deal with this health epidemic. What the government is doing in seeking solutions and pouring money into programs which is the equivalent to losing a quarter in a dark room but looking for it in another room because the other room has more light. Yes, it’s like that! And now, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, the health in the United States is in even greater peril.

Unfortunately, instead of relying on those who have trusted and proven practices and methods to help combat this obesity epidemic the government politicizes the situation.

As I mentioned earlier in this report, I personally met with the Governor’s officials of the Health and Human Services Department back in January 2018. They are a distinguished group of individuals that have worked hard to obtain their degrees and get to where they are. And I applaud them for their achievements. But with all that knowledge and education sitting in that room, not a single one of them had a solution to Kentucky’s obesity and related health issues problem. And Kentucky’s obesity problem is also my problem and yours because it is going to affect us in more ways than you can imagine.

The programs that the department was supporting had absolutely nothing to do with the population as a whole. Hiking trails won’t work for people with orthopedic problems and the elderly; breast feeding doesn’t work for men; Farmers Markets aren’t year round and in many communities they simply don’t have them or they don’t have enough food to supply the entire community; and, indoor gym activity for shooting hoops is limited for the working population and those that don’t have access to a local gymnasium or for a community that doesn’t participate in a government program.

The entire approach isn’t just fragmented – IT’S BROKEN…PERIOD.

The Solution – It’s not for everyone

Dr. Len Kravitz, a professor at the University of New Mexico has said that the entire underlying cause of obesity is not enough movement and eating too many calories. In a nutshell, he is absolutely right. Dr. John Berardi, founder of Science Link, inc. and Precision Nutrition, along with Dr. Todd Miller, associate professor at the George Washington School of Public Health both pretty much agree that weight loss is mathematical. But looking at the solution requires a bit more than that. But thankfully, Dr. Kravitz has expounded upon that as well with his research.

In addition, slowing the advancement of poor health and skyrocketing obesity and its related diseases requires knowledge and a deep desire to change. For many it will require an “Aha” moment, an “epiphany”. And when that occurs, long term, positive change can occur.

We know we need to change. The average individual knows if he or she is unhealthy and obese. Unfortunately, due to social media and the culture of change, when we do attempt to address these issues, many cry out they are being bullied or body shamed. Nothing could be further from the truth. Much like telling a speeding driver that the bridge around the next turn is out and they should turn around, we must warn our neighbors how important it is to have good health and positive body image. We aren’t attempting to shame anyone or make anyone feel bullied. We simply want them to be their best and of course, if they choose not to follow that advice, that is their choice and we hope the best for them.

Psychology Today, reported in 2013 that 92% of those individuals that attempted a lifestyle change failed in the first 4-5 weeks. We in the wellness industry understand why they failed. PT went on to say that most of those that failed attempted to change too much at one time. The human mind can generally handle one big change at a time. Imagine someone wanting to lose 30 pounds in 6 weeks, to stop smoking, go on a diet, change their entire lifestyle, join a gym and go to every class offered, all within the first few weeks of making the decision to change. And this is a typical representation of New Year’s resolutions. That is a prescription to total failure. There is no common sense thinking in making decisions like this. Nearly every time those are New Year’s Resolutions, which are made based on emotion and not a firm understanding of what needs to take place. As the astronauts so famously said on Apollo 13, “Houston, we have a problem”.

Education is Critical

Wellness education, not program indoctrination, is what we need today to save lives. We don’t need the government telling us about all their wonderful programs funded by grants. We need someone to help us develop a systematic approach that will address the situation before we all get sick and die. Literally this is a real concern.

 Many already know they have a problem, but few know how to deal with it. The solution is available and we need to get it out to the public at large. And with the right support, coaching and encouragement, we can begin to turn the tide against the oncoming Health Armageddon.

Knowledge is Power!

This statement is true and we must get people turned on to the truth that gives them knowledge and that gives them the power to change.

Zig Ziglar once said that “hope in the future gives us power in the present”. That’s what knowledge does. For some, having the knowledge will cause immediate action to change. For others, they may contemplate change for a while before acting on it. But the information must get out to everyone in order to empower them to make the changes necessary in their life.

 The Obesity Report is one way that BioFit Exercise Technologies, the leader in Fitness, Nutrition and Wellness Sciences, is attempting to help get Kentuckians healthy and fit and slow down the 2030 projections.

Over the years, I have developed a simple strategy that I call the BioFit System. The System is a very simple way to catalogue the information we get on everything we need to change and stay healthy and fit. The Core System Method is broken down into these three categories.

·         Knowledge and Education

·         Nutritional management For the Person

·         Movement programs that strengthen and empower the body

The Knowledge and Education category allows us to put everything we learn into a simple and easy to use system. We must understand why we need to change, so we must become aware. Next we need to know something about ourselves and how our behaviors react to change. We also need to know about our body and physiology and how to implement change.

In today’s society, well over 100 million Americans are on a diet at any one time. The weight loss industry combined generates over 60 BILLION dollars per year and yet things are getting worse. On any given day, you can go to the internet and type in weight loss and come back with well over 1 million hits. So we know just “knowledge” isn’t the answer.

Information must be simple and easy to understand. Many believe that the more complicated the information and implementing that program is must make it more effective. This simply is not the truth.

The Nutrition Management for the Person category looks at individual human nutrition and optimum performance levels. We must focus on learning how to eat and understand energy balance and fat loss. We learn what macro and micronutrients are and how they affect our health and longevity. We must have an adult discussion about nutritional supplementation that is vital for building a healthy immune system. For example, in Ireland, a study was performed on individuals supplementing Vitamin D3. Ireland is not known for having an abundance of sunshine and therefore, Vitamin D3, which is produced by the sun, is in short supply. As a result, more people experienced more frequent colds and flu. But by supplementing Vitamin D3, they began to experience less of these. It was then determined that individuals, here in the United States needed to supplement Vitamin D3 to help strengthen their immune system to fight against COVID. How simple is that?

And last but not least is the Movement Program category. In this area we learn about how our body responds to exercise – when to apply certain types of exercise strategies, when to recover, understanding our VO2 max training heart rate and how much oxygen we use when exercise. We also put to rest many myths as well as old school information that we once thought was correct and has been proven wrong due to incredible research and studies being performed throughout the world today. We also learn how exercise not only increases our metabolic system and increased ability to burn fat but how it also enhances our immune system as well.

While many would consider this a simplistic approach to a problem that seems to be overwhelming, I am reminded of a young, 15 year old shepherd boy that once placed a rock in a sling and took down an 11 foot giant and then cut off the giant’s head.

Never underestimate the small and simple things. Goliath was an experienced warrior and had a coat of armor, a shield and a massive sword and an armor bearer. David, a young 14 year old shepherd, had a sling and a promise. And David won.

We must rebuild our foundation if we ever expect to see change. Maybe we need to return to those days in which we knew how to work hard, eat right and enjoy life. It worked for centuries and I believe it will work for us today.

For more information on how you can use the BioFit System, contact JR Smith at 606-305-9362.

Stay Strong Kentucky!

References

·         The Lane Report

·         Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Human Services

·         Dr. Len Kravitz, University of New Mexico

·         Psychology Today

·         International Sports Sciences Association

·         The World Health Organization

·         Trust for America’s Health

·         Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

The Health Coach Group                                                                                            

 

Medical Exercise and why you need it.

The first thing that pops into someone's mind when they hear "medical exercise" is, well, medical. They say, "I'm not sick".....And while that might very well be true, having a medical exercise training program might be the best thing you have done for yourself in a while. And it could be the best thing you do for yourself now and your future self.

You see, medical exercise training can include many things. It isn't just about working with those who have a medical condition or have been released from therapy or some other medical issue. Medical Exercise Training can help you maximize your health and fitness by paying extra attention to how you exercise. And once you get past the age of 40, that is something you really want to pay attention to. 

As we age, our bodies change - a lot. We become more stiff (we lose flexibility) and whether we might realize it or not, our balance is affected to some degree and we find we aren't as sure of our footing as we once were. In addition, our body begins to lose lean muscle and our VO2 max begins to decline. Add to that at some point, most likely, we will begin to see changes in our metabolic health. As we age, there are greater risks for diabetes, cancer, hypertension and obesity. 

So as you can see, we all need to have some Medical Exercise in our lives. I actually practice medical exercise training on myself. I am 66 years old and while I have been highly athletic most all my life and a former competitive athlete, I have some issues that have developed as I have gotten older and, well, I hurt. But I am applying to myself the exact same thing I do for all of my older clients and it works. I feel better and I have more energy and I sleep better. 

In the past, I never did aerobic exercise. I still don't. But I do use a method of training called H.I.I.T. or Tabata. Both are pretty challenging methods of cardio fitness training. On some exercises, I use an air bike and on others I do big circuit training with little to no rest. The bike training takes me between 5 minutes and on some days, 20 minutes to do. The big circuit training takes about as long but I never do them both on the same day. 

Your body needs a very specific type of training as you get older and Medical Exercise Training can be that for you. Because of the advanced training an MES (Medical Exercise Specialist) must go through in order to earn the MES certification, you can place your trust in the care of such a professional. 

Want to know more? Call me at 606-305-9362. 

Stay strong! 

Medical Exercise Training is important and you need it!

 

While Medical Exercise Training is relatively the "new kid" on the block it is a vital form of exercise that many people should take advantage of. Especially if you are over the age of 45. 

MET, or Medical Exercise Training is a very specific type of exercise training and it is not delivered by your typical personal trainer. The Medical Exercise Specialist or MES, must enroll with the Medical Exercise Training Institute and plan on studying for a minimum of 9 months in a rather rigorous curriculum that covers strength training, cardiovascular exercise, flexibility, balance training while gaining an understanding of the medical conditions that may have given them medical problems that have affected their ability to have functional movement and thus requiring medical attention. 

In addition, the MES must be familiar with medical terminology as well as understand their "Scope of Practice". The MES does not diagnose nor does the MES treat any form of disease. Medical Exercise helps to manage medical conditions through correspondence with the individual's doctor so as to deliver them a safe and effective Medical Exercise program. 

High on the list of learning is kinesiology, biomechanics, physiology, cardiovascular health and function, metabolism, functional anatomy, medical communications as well as knowing how to take an in-depth medical health history. During the 9 months there will be case studies to complete, and understanding how to address issues such as Achilles Tendon ruptures, Impingement Syndrome, ACL tears, Meniscus tears and much, much more. 

These are not your typical studies that a personal trainer gains with a certification program. And the founder of the Medical Exercise Training Institute is a Doctor of Physical Therapy with over 30 years of experience and has worked with hundreds of pro, Olympic and Elite College athletes. And he wanted elite personal trainers to know how to address the needs of individuals once they were released from physical therapy. Thus the medical exercise profession was born in 1994. I graduated the METI and became a Certified Medical Exercise Specialist in 2008 and I have practiced in Somerset as an MES since 2008 but I have been a Board Registered Trainer since 2005 and a Certified Personal Trainer since 1983 in addition to holding numerous other elite certifications.

So the question is, why is Medical Exercise important to you? 

Well, I am going to address that issue over the next few blogs. I have learned that if you put down too much in one sitting, you will lose most people, so I like to keep my blogs short and interesting. 

So next issue I am going to cover that all important question as to why MET is right for you.

Until then,

Stay healthy, Stay Strong and Stay Functional!

Tell Me I'm Pretty

I don't need validation of any kind especially being pretty. I'm a guy. I"m not supposed to be pretty. I'm a rugged guy, a male. Some say I suffer with toxic masculinity. It's called being a man that God created. And I don't need validation in that area. I'm very secure with that.

But I digress.

But the title speaks volumes about our society and it's insecurities today. Everyone is looking for validation in some way, shape, fashion or form. I'm not saying that we shouldn't validate others. We need to lift up others, encourage them, come along side of them and help them. But just to validate someone for the sake of doing so goes against my grain. Sorry but I am not here to give you a participation trophy. If you want it, earn it.

Please understand, I'm not being mean or cold hearted. But our society today is handing out validation as if it was Halloween candy. People want to be validated without working for it and if you don't give it to them they get angry.

To be validated, in anything, you need to prove your worth and demonstrate some determination that you are working towards your goals, giving it your best without compromise.

Which brings me to my blog post today. Tell me I'm pretty.

I was having a discussion with my Pastor two weeks ago and I was sharing with him how difficult it was to get people to pursue a healthy lifestyle and to get fit, healthy and lean. He said to me that I experienced the same problems that he did when people came to him for counseling. They expected him to waive a magic wand over them and all their problems would be fixed. His counseling as with my health coaching, both require personal effort, dedication, sacrifice and discipline in order to see change and breakthrough. Not a magic wand.

The commercial diet industry is no different. Well, that is, they want you to believe they have a magic wand. Just eat the food and lose the weight. Sounds great, right? They send you all the food, you just microwave it, eat it and PRESTO CHANGO, you have lost the weight and you are healthy!

Uh, not so fast there bub.

Weight loss is not typically healthy. For most every single commercial weight loss diet you see, the weight you lose is going to be from muscle and water, not fat. The first week you are going to be placed on a diet plan BELOW 1,000 calories per day. That's starvation - that's not healthy.

Next the food is processed in a factory and full of preservatives and additives. And that's not all. The food quality itself isn't any better. You might as well go and purchase some Little Debbie snack cakes and just cut them into quarters because the food quality is no better than that.

And the celebrity spokespeople are not exactly telling you the truth either. They typically get paid huge sums of money just to push their diets. Some to the tune of $1 million dollars. They also have personal trainers, personal chefs to prepare their foods along with personal stylists, make up artists and some great cosmetic surgery. That would be nice if all that was in the fine print of these commercial diets, wouldn't it?

But they hammer you with advertising..millions of dollars of advertising. They are going to do their best to get their message of "You are pretty", all you need to do is go on their diet plan. And it will be so easy, no hassle, no work, no preparation. There is your magic wand!

THE HARD COLD TRUTH

Diets don't work. At least in the long term. That's why each year, every single commercial diet program comes out with a "New and Improved"...whatever plan. The question you need to ask yourself is, "If the diet plan was so good last year then why do you need to have a new and improved version of it?"

That's because they diets simply don't work. They know it and sooner or later you will too.

But do you know what does work? Science works. Nutritional science to be exact.

We know exactly how food works with the body and in the body. We know how it works with exercise and without. We know that it can cause disease and prevent disease and in many cases reverse disease.

We know what it takes to lose fat and to restore healthy, lean, fat free muscle tissue. We know that it takes to burn calories in order to lose fat and not just weight. And we know that fat loss is better served when it is combined with a structured strength resistance training program and not aerobics.

And we know this. It takes effort, not a magic wand.

But if you want it bad enough, you will do what you have to do to get it. But if you are one of those individuals that have decided to do something about it, just know that you are in a minority. The majority of people don't want it. They don't want to make the effort. They want the participation trophy; they want to be told they are pretty; they want to glorify obesity. And typically that translates into millions and millions of Americans.

Hopefully you will be one of the few that will step out and step up and take charge of your life, health and fitness. And when you do, it won't just be pretty. It will be pretty awesome.

Stay Healty - Stay Strong!
JR

Lessons I learned while washing my car

Just this past Saturday, I decided it was time to wash my Toyota FJ. It was dirty....I mean really, really dirty, both inside and out. But hey, it's not your typical SUV..this is a bad boy, off road vehicle that is designed to handle the abuse I can dish out to it. Only problem is, I have never taken it off road and the most abusive thing I have done to my FJ is that I took it to Houston Texas last year and we survived Hurricane Harvey. 

Anyway, back to my story.

When I decided to clean the ol' girl, there she sat, never once complaining that she was dirty. Afterall, this is a mechanical machine, not a human but as a man, we have a tendency to assign certain human values to inanimate objects, such as our cars and trucks. 

But when I tell you this vehicle was dirty, I mean it was dirty. I had given my FJ a total overhaul in cleaning and a mechincal checkup just prior to leaving for Houston last June, so I knew she was looking great and highway ready....then.

So off I went. And came back to Kentucky about 10 months later. And I hadn't washed my FJ one time during that extended stay in Texas. I went through the Texas heat and dust, followed by a lengthy and nasty winter only to find that my FJ had gotten as dirty as I believe I have ever seen it. I mean, the grit and grime on the floor was just "stuck" there...it wouldn't budge with a vacuum cleaner. It was like glue. And the wheels, wow, I know black wheels are all the rage right now, but my wheels are a beautiful chrome type magnesium wheel that are supposed to be a bit shiney when clean. 

Well, I decided Saturday that it was time to do something. So I embarked on a 5 hour journey of washing and cleaning. I mean, under the hood was so filthy as well and that was going to require some tender loving care as well.

I won't go into detail all that I had to do - but I was sweaty and nasty after I was finished - I kinda looked like what my FJ looked before I started cleaning it, only it was me afterwards. 

Now when you see my FJ, she is beautiful and gleaming and it smells great inside and all the gunk and grime is gone. She looks nearly new. Except......

There are places on the FJ that will never be the same. For one, my beautiful wheels. Inside the wheels, in between the spokes, there is a deep oxidizing that has occured due to brake dust and road salt from the winter that sat there for over a year. These places are nearly black and simply will not return to it's normal luster as when I first bought my FJ brand new in 2008. 

Then there is the small matter of a few places that had I seen it, I could have eliminated small body dings and scratches. Nothing bad, but they are there.

The interior is doing great, and while the floor is clean and all the grit and grime is gone, there are discolorations from the dirt and mud that sat there too long. Now don't get me wrong, these things aren't major issues but they do distract, at least to me, from the beauty of this vehicle. And all because I neglected to keep it clean for over a year. I did perform regularly scheduled maintenance as required but the body and wheels have suffered due to my neglect. 

It was during this time, when I was trying to clean these wheels that the Lord began to speak to me about health and wellness. It was like He was saying, that while our bodies seem to be doing well, even when we neglect them, there is irreversible damage taking place. 

This was an A-ha moment for me as a health professional. The Lord was giving me a wonderful example of how we all tend to neglect the care and maintenance of our body and as long as we do the basic stuff, we think all is well. Until one day we decide to clean up our act. We begin to clean off the gunk and dirt only to findout that we have become hypertensive, or diabetic, or our weight has gotten out of control. You can problably think of any number of things...but I hope you get the point.

Unfortunately, when we decide to do something about it, it could be too late for a complete restoration. It may be that at this point we have to include using medication to manage our health, whereas before, we had no such problems. And it just might be, that we can never return to our previous state of health. That's the result of neglect, a lack of discipline and most certainly a lack of conviction. We chose what we wanted instead of what we needed. 

Immediate gratification is a pyria to our society. It destroys our conviction; it eats away our discipline and wreaks havoc on our future. Its a cancer that starts slowly and works its way through every aspect of our life. It doesn't just show up one day in a big way - if it did, we would be more apt to face it and fight it but unfortunately, our desire to give in to our flesh starts small and grows a little bit every day. We think, well, that wasn't so bad so I will do it again. We never realize that its the little things, done on a daily basis that becomes the big things in our life. 

I had many beautiful and warm days that I could have washed my FJ and really cleaned it up but I wanted to enjoy those warm days because in my mind, I thought, it will be warm tomorrow and I will wash the FJ tomorrow. But you know Kentucky weather, warm one day, snow the next. And I just kept putting it off and all that salt built up on my wheels and oxidized the brake dust and ate into my wheels forever discoloring them.

That's what a lack of conviction does - it breeds a lack of discipline. It makes slackers of us all and we end up paying a big price for it.

Now my wheels still look good and the oxidation won't affect the overall performance and life of those wheels. And if it did, I could buy new wheels I guess. But that's not being a good steward of what God has given me. I did not respect that gift. And it was a gift of sorts because for years I had wanted an SUV - a good SUV and at the time, I was financially able to purchase my FJ. Oh and my intentions were grand at the time; never let it get dirty, always perform maintenance on it, keep it well groomed, etc. But did I? No, I didn't.

Don't get me wrong, I didn't blatantly abuse my FJ, I just didn't care for it like I should have. God gave me a wonderful gift because, trust me on this, it came in handy during Hurricane Harvey in Texas. This FJ can go through about 33 inches of standing water and it proved itself during that time and it did so wonderfully. But I became complacent with my gift. I became a bad steward with it. And it suffered. 

You may think I am going on about how my FJ looks. But in reality this isn't about my FJ; its about you and me and how we take care of our own body.

We are the temple of the Holy Spirit and the body God has given us is HIS gift to us and when we accepted Christ as our savior, we were bought with the price of blood and as such, we became HIS. So He places HIS Holy Spirit in us and that makes us HIS temple and as such we are to care for it and make it a great place for HIM to live. But we are Americans. We have a tendency to chase those things we want and not necessarily what we need. And in the end, we pay a big price for it - compromised health. 

Nobody is perfect, only Christ. But it is through Him, that we gain our strength and endurance. Will that make us perfect? No but hopefully it will help us keep our wheels clean. :) 

Remember, we must be faithful in little if we are going to be faithful in much. There were a lot of men in the Bible that really messed up bad but they were redeemed, repented and got back up on their feet and moved forward in Christ. Granted they had to carry a bit of unwanted baggage with them but that was the price to pay for disobedience and a lack of discipline. Which can sometimes be a strong reminder to us if we get to the point of becoming complacent or lazy in our convictions. 

I hope this has blessed you today. 

Now go wash that car. 

Discipline - Is it Your superpower?

Where there is a lack of conviction, there is no discipline. Where there is no discipline, there is no lack of excuses. (JR Smith)

And there we have the ultimate truth. 

Having a conviction about something, something that really matters requires discipline. I have seen a lot of people who thought they had conviction on social issues, which meant they had no discipline. They want change NOW...they say they will do whatever they have to do to get change NOW...and if they don't get it NOW, well, they just move on to the next social justice cause - depending on how they feel or who is telling them to feel that way. 

Now, this isn't a blog about social justice issues. Rather it is about discipline. 

John Maxwell has said, "Anything in life worthwhile is an uphill climb" 

Climbing indicates there is work ahead. Sometimes challenging work. But if your goal is to reach the peak of that mountain, you are going to do what you need to do to get there. And that requires conviction and discipline. You can't have discipline without conviction. 

(Agent Colson from The Avenger movie)

Social justice warriors typically don't have much conviction, just a lot of emotion and someone to tap into that emotional energy to achieve their goal, not the goal of the social justice warriors. 

To achieve something worthwhile in your life, you must have a vision. The vision, if it is desirable enough, must have conviction to go for it and the discipline to achieve it. And that may take time. 

Too many times I have asked individuals if they want to train with me. And a lot of times I get very similar answers.

* I would like to, but I don't have enough time
( hidden meaning - it doesn't mean enough to me)
 No Conviction

* I would like to but my money is tight
(hidden meaning - other I have other priorities)
No Conviction

* I have a program I am happy with right now
(hidden meaning - don't challenge me to get uncomfortable)
No Conviction

* I'm doing okay right now
(hidden meaning - I don't really care)
No Conviction

Without conviction there is no discipline. Without discipline there is no limit to the excuses we can come up with. And no matter how brilliant those excuses may sound, they mean nothing. Nobody is impressed with them. But they do say a lot about the person making the excuses. 

We as a society have learned to put off what needs to be done today for the things we want to do. And in reality, we settle for less. We accept fun today and complain about pain and sickness tomorrow. 

We have what we tolerate. And all too often, I see people tolerating being overweight, in pain, sick and having a bad life overall. Because they have no conviction. No discipline. 

Dr Mark Hyman has stated that about 97% of all diseases today are lifestyle induced. We have what we tolerate. 

Sometime ago, someone said something very wise.

" The best preparation for tomorrow is the wise use of today"

If you are not preparing for tomorrow by being a good steward with today, don't expect great things to happen. They won't. But you will get what you pay for. And if you are paying for fun and thrills today, then you will earn the dividends on that lifestyle which for the majority, means obesity, diabetes, hypertension, arthritis, heart disease. You get the picture. 

Therefore you could say that the lack of conviction can lead to diseases and having a really bad life. 

"You are free to make choices but you are not free from the consequences of those choices" 

Choose wisely. As we age, it can be great but if you aren't doing what you need to be doing today, then tomorrow is going to really be painful. 

Stay strong - Stay Healthy