Author Archive

Dear Friend,

Your mental health is just as important as your physical health. In fact, as you’ll see, the two go hand in hand.

Because of that, and the importance a healthy brain has on your quality of life, today I am going to share with you 3 ways to reverse the effects of aging on your brain so you can enjoy life well into your 80’s, 90’s and beyond!

Also, I’ve got a super tasty recipe for you today. Let’s call it an early Valentine’s Day treat. I’m sure you’ll like it if you have a sweet tooth. We always try to eliminate as much sugar as we can, but we all get cravings from time to time!

Yours in Health,

Dimitri


How To Reverse The Effects of Aging On Your Brain

Here’s a few tips on how to keep your brain sharp into your 80’s and beyond…

#1. Exercise – Surprise, surprise! A recent study published in a Neurology journal found that people who exercise or get active at least once a week have a longer lasting memory.

#2. Be Friendly – If you live with someone, or do volunteer work, you improve your memory by almost 25% by being hospitable and engaging. Presumably because you keep the mind stimulated, by meeting and speaking to other people.

#3. Do Puzzles – Those newspaper puzzles like Sudoku and crosswords improve your memory, brain speed and vocabulary too! Plus, they’re fun and a great way to pass time productively if you commute to work by public transport.

Your brain is very much like your body, if you look after it, you’ll receive years of healthy, happy living. Start today!


Quote Corner

“The brain is a wonderful organ; it starts working the moment you get up in the morning and does not stop until you get into the office.” – Robert Frost

America is ranked 30th in the world for life expectancy, behind Puerto Rico, Netherlands, and Canada to name a few. Right up there in the top 3 is Japan! Here’s their secret to a lengthy life:

Why The Japanese Live Longer Than Us

According to the 2008 CIA World Factbook, right now the average American will live to be 78, while the average person in Japan will live to be 82… That’s the an extra 4 years of time with the grandkids you could have!

Here’s how…

The Japanese Diet – In Japan meals consist of fish, rice, noodles and vegetables. It’s a high energy, low fat diet that we’d do well to copy. Plus they don’t tend to process their food as much either (which kills a lot of the goodness). Sushi is a well known example of food served as natural as possible.

The Japanese Walk More – Because there’s a lot of “open space” in America, there’s a car culture which makes for the bad habit of getting used to driving everywhere… even when it only takes 10 minutes to walk. Meanwhile in Japan, where the majority of the population live in cities, people are more inclined to walk.

I think it’s time to model the Japanese.

And yes, you’re right, you’ve heard all this from me a million times before – eat healthily and exercise – but if you still don’t have the body you desire, then you’re still not getting the message… The time to act is now.

Dear Friend,

Lots of Christmas excitement in my household, probably in yours too. This is such a great time of year, but it can also be stressful with so much to do.

With all the holiday activities, it can be really hard to start or maintain an exercise program. Working out ends up taking a backseat to everything else.

So if you’re having trouble getting started or fitting in your workouts this holiday season, I’m going to expose a fitness myth below that’ll help you a lot.

Read on, because you’re going to like what I have to say…

Yours in Health,

Dimitri

Fitness Myths Exposed (Part II)

The Myth of All or Nothing – Whether you’re trying to get started with a workout program or trying to stick with the one you’ve already started, this myth can be a back-breaker.

The biggest “newbie” mistake I see with folks just starting out is being too aggressive. Sure, everybody want’s results…ummm…yesterday. That’s natural. But if you’re being too aggressive with your workouts in the early stages, chances are you’ll quit. Why? Pain during the workout (it’s hard work) and soreness after the workout (to be expected) are certainly culprits. But the BIG problem is an “all or nothing” attitude.

Here’s how it happens. You start your new program and the first couple workouts are great. You go hard, feel good about yourself (despite the soreness) and build some momentum. Then something happens. A scheduling conflict, or something comes up last minute, and you miss a workout. AARGHH! Then one missed workout leads to another, and your desperation and sense of futility grows. And you think, “why bother, I can’t make this work!” and you quit.

Maybe a few months later, the cycle begins again. New goals, new commitment. “This time will be different,” you tell yourself. But it isn’t. Same result, different month. (This is why the BEST results – and in some cases, the ONLY results – are achieved when you have external accountability from a coach and trainer, like me. Yes, self-serving, I know, but also the truth.)

You don’t always have to spend 30 minutes on the treadmill or 40 minutes lifting weights every time. If you’ve got a conflict, fine. Stuff happens. But still do something and move past the “all or nothing” mentality.

Let’s say you’ve got a conflict and can’t get your regular workout in. What do you do to sustain the momentum and to ensure you get your “personal victory” that day? The answer is simple. Just bang out a couple sets of body weight squats and push-ups. Takes five minutes. Or do some walking lunges and sit-ups, right there in your house or office…or wherever. Run a couple sprints. Heck, you can even tighten (flex) your abdominal muscles and hold for 20-30 seconds while you’re sitting at your desk. Do that ten times and tell me if you don’t feel it!

The point is this: DO SOMETHING! (Sorry to “yell” but it’s that important.)

And here’s one more quick, but VERY important tip: do not sabotage your diet. Even if you must miss a workout and can’t even fit in a 5 minute “tune-up” workout, don’t throw in the towel and hit Wendy’s for a triple with cheese. Don’t do it. Because even if you miss your workout, you can still stick to your supportive eating diet. And conquering that urge to give up reinforces your commitment to yourself and keeps you on track for results…on track for the body you want.

“All or nothing” is a dangerous mental state. Don’t fall for it. Daily progression, in some form or fashion, and sustained commitment give you the confidence that you can achieve your goal. And I’m always just a phone call or email away in case you need external motivation, support and instruction!

Merry Christmas!

Please tell us what you think about this Newsletter topic. Is it helpful? Did it inspire you? Provide your comments below.

What do you know? You know you should be doing some form of cardio 3 to 6 days a week. You know you should be doing resistance training 2 to 3 times a week. You know you should be taking your multivitamin every day. You know you should be drinking half your bodyweight in ounces of water per day. You know you should be getting 6 to 8 hours of sleep every night. You know that you know a lot more than you give yourself credit for. So what’s stopping you for making the progress that you would like to make. The answer is not in what you know but in what you do. Today I will identify 3 secrets to bridge that gap, in future posts we will break them down more in depth. The 3 secrets are strategy, stimulus and support. Strategy -the step by step approach to behavior modification. Stimulus – knowing why you want what you want. Support – the environment that will fuel you to success.