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Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Push Ups For Charity Highlights

Check out this little video we made from last Saturday's Push Ups For Charity event. It's short and sweet!

Sunday, March 21, 2010

Push Ups For Charity Huge Success At Least $7,144 Raised For Wounded Warriors!!

Push Ups For Charity Raises Over $7,144 in 30 minutes for Wounded Warriors!

This past Saturday 24 clients and trainers from Puravida Fitness did push ups to raise money for the Wounded Warriors Project which helps wounded veterans when they return home. It was a great way to say thank you to our vets for their service and dedication to our country.  The total number of push ups was 1,719 and so far we have raised over $7,000 just by looking a the pledge sheets we had. There are some more we need to collect so we anticipate this to be a much higher total. This was all accomplished in about 30 minutes.  It goes to show you what a few people dedicating a bit of their time and working together can accomplish! We posted some pictures below and will have a video up later this week. If you missed this one don't worry we'll be doing many more in the future.
 

Erik leading the warm up




                                                 
Participants cranking out the push ups,  boy 90 seconds is a long time!










Good friend and Iraq veteran Jeff Dexter gives a powerful opening speech








Social time afterwards always

the best part. Goodies
provided by Jimmy Johns
and our friends at Max Muscle


                                                            





 Relief!! Trainers were on hand to stretch out tight pecs and shoulders afterwards

Thursday, March 18, 2010

Forget prozac! Exercise works better!

Our society has become so dependent on drugs that it scares me. It seems to me anitdepressants are being given out like candy.  It seems like for many people it's the only way they cope with the stresses of life.

Just take a pill and it will be all better. 


Before those of you who are on them decide to lynch me please read on.

I know there is a place for them but they can't be the only answer. I find many people who are stressed or depressed do not have an outlet. They just keep grinding away never really knowing how to release all that crap built up inside of them.

Here's a suggestion....exercise.

I can't tell you how many times people have come into our studio in a bad state and left feeling better because they released those inner demons on the weight and the punching bags. It happens akmost  daily here.

The other day I was in a funk. I was having a pity party and begrudgingly started working out. The more I got into the workout the better I felt. After the workout I felt 100% better and had a better outlook the rest of the day.

My brother who suffers from depression and takes meds has told me that exercise has helped him and he  feels the combination is really what makes it all work. 

You don't have to do psycho workouts like me but find something. It kight be power walk ,biking or bootcamp. It's different for everybody.   The next time you are feeling in the dumps force yourself to do somehting physical.  I guarentee it will be just as effective as popping a pill.

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Paying the price!!

When I was in college I was a "walk on" to play football. I had two goals #1- to earn a scholarship and #2 to be a starter. God did not give me the greatest talent as he had others but he did give me discipline and the drive to work hard!

I still vividly recall buying these strength shoes which were basically running shoes on platforms that were supposed to make you jump higher, run faster and build your calves.  I would be out there in the rain at night with my cheap ghetto blaster running while my roommates and teammates were out drinking beer and partying.

Well, needless to say I accomplished those goals and it has helped me to this day.

I look back on those nights frequently and at first I didn't know why. I now realize that it was the beginning of something that would propel me forward the rest of my life. It was the willingness to pay the price!

Many people say they want to lose weight, earn a lot of money, be successful etc.  Sadly though, only a few are willing to pay the price it takes to have those things happen.  I truly believe the sweetest rewards are the ones you work the hardest for. Just look at the Olympians and their overwhelming joy when they win a medal.  All that hard work, all that "paying the price" and it has this awesome end result. 

When it comes to being successful at whatever you do, it means you have to pay the price! That might mean saying no to that piece of cake or glass of wine if you're goal is to lose weight.  It might mean getting out bed earlier to get your workout in because it is the only time you can get it done. In the business world it might mean working at an event on Saturday instead of goofing off so you can build your business.  These are just a few examples but you could apply to anything including your relationships, your spiritual growth or learning something new.

Please believe this.  Whatever big goal you want to accomplish, you need to realize that there is a price to be paid to get there. That price includes allocating time to accomplish this goal, discipline to stay focused and the willingness to endure and overcome challenges that come with the journey to get there.


When you do get there you will look back on that journey and realize that the price you paid was well worth it!

Begin the journey

Erik

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

The final frontier-Sleep

I know many people who do great at eating right and exercising regularly. However, one of the things many of us Ameicans skimp on is good, old fashioned sleep.  Here are some great reasons to get enough sleep each night. I'm one of these people, so I did some digging to research it's importance. 

According to the National Sleep Foundation (NSF), sleep is essential for a person’s health and wellbeing,  yet millions of people do not get enough sleep and many suffer from lack of sleep. For example, surveys conducted by the NSF (1999-2004) reveal that at least 40 million Americans suffer from over 70 different sleep disorders and 60 percent of adults report having sleep problems a few nights a week or more. Most of these problems go undiagnosed and untreated.  In addition, more than 40 percent of adults experience daytime sleepiness severe enough to interfere with their daily activities at least a few days each month, with 20 percent reporting problem sleepiness a few days a week or more.  Furthermore, 69 percent of children experience one or more sleep problems a few nights or more during a week.

The Harvard Women’s Health Watch suggests six reasons to get enough sleep:

Learning and memory: Sleep helps the brain commit new information to memory through a process called memory consolidation. In studies, people who had slept after learning a task did better on tests later.

Metabolism and weight: Chronic sleep deprivation may cause weight gain by affecting the way our bodies process and store carbohydrates, and by altering levels of hormones that affect our appetite.

Safety: Sleep debt contributes to a greater tendency to fall asleep during the daytime. These lapses may cause falls and mistakes such as medical errors, air traffic mishaps and road accidents.

Mood: Sleep loss may result in irritability, impatience, inability to concentrate and moodiness. Too little sleep can also leave you too tired to do the things you like to do.

Cardiovascular health: Serious sleep disorders have been linked to hypertension, increased stress hormone levels, and irregular heartbeat.

Disease: Sleep deprivation alters immune function, including the activity of the body’s killer cells. Keeping up with sleep may also help fight cancer.

INFANTS
(0–2 months) 10.5–18 hours*
(2–12 months) 14–15 hours*

TODDLERS/CHILDREN
(12–18 months) 13–15 hours*
(18 months–3 years) 12–14 hours*
(3–5 years) 11–13 hours*
(5–12 years) 9–11 hours

ADOLESCENTS
8.5–9.5 hours

ADULTS
7–9 hours
(Taken from the National Sleep Foundation Web site)