Why I like adversity

When I think back on my life to experiences that changed me and gave character I always think of mt football career.

You see I started out playing as a young kid and when I got to high school I was a freshman screw off. Luckily I had a coach who encouraged me and got me focused on something other than being a royal pain in the butt.  In 9th grade I was on the B team and didn't take football seriously but in 10th grade that special coach came in and gave me a shot. It was that year of my life where I learned to focus and work hard towards a goal. Well when I got into my junior year it was the big step up to varsity where I played a back up role behind someone who wasn't getting the job done but nevertheless he remained the starter.

That didn't stop me I was more determined to start my senior year. Well after another  year of hard work I became a starter as a senior and had a decent season. I felt I had more in me so I walked on at Mankato State where I had 2 goals
1.)Earn a scholarship
2.)Become a starter on a college team.

For the first 3 years I toiled on the scout team taking my lumps from the starting defense who were all borderline psychotics. Anyway the same scenario came up as in high school. I was working my butt off beating up on scholarship players who were playing ahead of me. At one point I decided to quit but that only lasted until the next morning when I showed up for the morning workouts without my teammates.

That spring I earned my scholarship and that following fall I became a starter. Had I quit I would have missed out on some special times and the privilege of playing college football and even the honor of making the national playoffs. Wow that was a crossroads in my life!

When I am having challenges in my business or life in general I think back to those days.  The ironic thing is I don't think about the scholarship or starting. No I think about the extra hard work and dedication it took to accomplish those goals and see them through.  I think about the journey to get there.

Here are some of the times I remember most..

• The nights running on track in rain with my special strength shoes that made me jump higher and run faster
• The extra hours I logged in the weight room after most of my teammates were long gone
• The strict attention I paid to nutrition an supplementation while others subsisted on beer and fast food
• The  extra reps I would take in practice so I could get better

My point is that adversity is what makes character. Today I face it all the time running a small business and raising a family. I often wonder had I had given up and quit back then how would I have ended up. Maybe I would be where I am at but I doubt it.

Adversity and challenges are part of life. Sadly many people cave when it comes up while others deal with it and come out stronger.  That one decision to stick out football and see my goals through I feel has shaped the rest of my life.  Had I not gone through those challenges back then I know I would not be able to be where I am today.

So my question is what challenges are you facing and how will you deal with them. Will you cave in and take the easy road out or will you face them head on and develop true character.

4 Foods You Should NEVER Eat

You know what foods are good for you… but do you know what foods you should absolutely, never eat? These foods aren’t just artery-clogging… they’re horrible for your overall health and well-being. So do whatever you can to stay clear.



Trans-Fat. This is known as a complete heart killer. It’s a man made fat (hydrogenated oils) originally designed to increase the shelf-life of most foods (think peanut butter, margarine, cookies, etc.) Health organizations all agree that no more than 2 grams of trans fats should be consumed per day. Why? It’s linked to increasing LDL or “bad” cholesterol… it increases triglycerides… and causes inflammation. Basically, it’s a power-packed artery blocker. So make sure you read ALL food labels. Make sure there are no trans fats. Also, look in the ingredients. If it says “hydrogenated oil” then don’t buy it. Even though the label says it is free of trans fats, it still contains them due to the hydrogenated oils in the ingredients.

Margarine. Avoid this one, since it has trans fats and is not good for you. You’re better off eating real butter. Avoid the marketing hype that it’s good for your heart. It’s not.

“Chinese” Food. What we here in America call Chinese food is absolutely horrible for you. It’s loaded with MSG (a form of salt) and boatloads of fat. The sodium content alone will provide you with about a week’s worth of the recommended daily allowance. If you absolutely love it, I’d recommend having it no more than once a month.

Diet Soda. Believe it or not, these calorie-free concoctions can actually make you fat! A study at Purdue University found evidence that the artificial sweeteners used may mess with your body’s metabolism, inducing you to overeat! Either way, you should probably just stick to water and tea. And if you absolutely must have soda, have the sugary kind… but sparingly!

How Many Of These Toxins Are In YOUR Body?



Did you know that your body gets exposed to HUNDREDS of toxins every day?




If you’ve ever wondered where that headache came from… or why your mood sometimes swings… or why you can’t seem to think clearly, it’s probably because these toxins made their way into your bloodstream — without you even realizing it.



It’s scary, I know. The worst part is these toxins can be found everywhere. In the water you drink… the food you eat… even on the clothes you wear. Where do they come from? Practically everything — the chemicals used to make plastics… vinyl… laundry detergent… household cleaners, you name it.



Seeing how big of a problem this is, the Environmental Working Group (EWG) set out to see just how big a threat these toxins are…



And in one study, they analyzed the blood of newborns in American Hospitals. The scanned these newborn blood samples for KNOWN and hazardous metals and chemicals (some used in “heavy” industries)…



They found 287 DIFFERENT toxic metals and chemicals in the newborns’ blood.



Of course, the babies got it through their mom’s bloodstreams… which means that toxic pollutants are everywhere. What’s more, they have a very easy time getting absorbed through your skin.



The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also knows how prevalent these toxins are. In one study, they took blood and urine samples of 2,400 people. They found around 215 toxic pollutants in

These pollutants include everything from lead, mercury, pesticides, to aluminum and the fire retardant BDE-47.



That’s why it’s so important to detox your body on a regular basis. Detoxing leads to increased energy, a strengthened immune system, less allergies and more efficient fat-burning.



Here are 4 ways you can detox naturally and avoid getting these toxins in your bloodstream in the first place...



1, Reduce your exposure to plastics and heavy cleaners. Heating your food in plastic containers, for example causes the release of PCBs which then leak into your food. If you’re cleaning the house, use “natural” cleaners that are not laden with heavy chemicals to do the job, as these can seep into your skin.



2. Eat cruciferous veggies. These are veggies like broccoli, kale, cauliflower and bok-choy. They contain compounds that help regulate the negative hormonal effects toxins can have on your body.



3. Milk thistle. You can find this at any health food store. It is believed to help cleanse your liver (which is highly important for great overall health.)



4. Chlorella. This usually comes in powder form. You can find it at your local health food store as well. Chlorella is special, in that it literally “grabs” onto heavy, toxic metals in your bloodstream and “flushes” them out, through a process known as chelation.



This Spring, don’t just clean your house. Clean out your body!

The straight truth and nothing but the truth about gaining muscle part 3



Here is the final piece on my gaining muscle series. 

You are eating right and hitting the gym hard but is that all there is to it??

No you also have to make sure you are doing everything possible to maximize recovery which equals maximum muscle gain. 

So here is a quick laundry list of other activities to help you improve your results.


Sleep at least 7 hours a night-Sleep is where the majority of recovery occurs. Too many Americans lack in this department.   This is where you can optimize your hormonal environment for muscle growth. Deep sleep promotes increased growth hormone production. Higher growth hormone leads to more muscle mass and less bodyfat.    Lack of sleep affects performance on the gym and increases cortisol levels which will sabotage your muscle gaining efforts.

Here are some tips to help you enjoy a more restful sleep

• Not TV or computer near bed time they stimulate your brain to relax it.  Try reading before bed instead.
•  Eliminate noise and light
• Take in some protein before bed to keep blood sugar stable. When blood sugar drops it can cause you to wake up.
•   Use a ZMA supplement which will research show induces deep sleep and increases natural testosterone production.  I recommend Adovocare's nighttime recovery.
• Create a ritual nightly and try to go to bed and rise at similar times each day

Do static stretching post workout-After an intense workout muscles it is essential to get muscles into a relaxed state so they can begin to recover. An easy way to do this is throughly stretch the muscles you worked out holding each stretch in for 30 seconds or until the muscles relax. This will help improve circulation to the muscles that will basically help blood get rid of metabolic waste in the tissue and pump in nutrients for recovery.

Post Workout Hot Cold Shower Technique-This is an old eatern bloc technique used create a natural pump in the blood. Similar to contrasting which is used in sports medicine.  It helps get your body into a relaxed state as well.  Here is the sequence Cold-Hot-Cold-Hot-Cold do cold for 30 seconds and hot for 1 minute. Sounds silly but it really works I've done it and felt super relaxed afterwards. That is one of the keys to recovery is getting your body into a relaxed state ASAP after an intense workout.

Take a good multivitamin/mineral and fish oil supplement- I hear it all the time "I can get all I need from my diet." Well the truth is most people don't have time or put the effort in it takes to do this optimunally.  So taking good supplements is a good insurance policy that makes sure your body is getting everything it needs for optimum health, recovery and muscle growth. I won't go into all the science but these should be foundational supplements everyone should take.  Vitamins and minerals help your body use nutrients much like spark plugs help your engine run.  They also alleviate free radical damge that occurs from intense exercise as well.   So in a nutshell by taking these you are focused on keeping all the cells in your body healthy. A healthy body is one that doesn't hurt or breakdown and is one that performs well in the gym.

One quick sidenote. Make sure you use supplements that are USP Pharmaceutical grade. Don't just grab some botte off the shelf at Wal Mart.  Look on the label and make sure that it is a supplement with this grade to ensure it is made at the same quality as our pharmaceuticals. That way you know you will be absorbing high quality nutrients and not peeing them into the toilet.



So there is a three part blog to get you going. Now you can sit and ponder it or like Yoda said in Star Wars there is no try just DO."  No paralysis by analysis please.  Get going and be consistent. Give yourself 2-3 months and if you implement these strategies you will see a bigger, more muscular you.

The straight truth and nothing but the truth about gaining muscle part 2



When it comes to training let's face it there are a lot of weenies out there.  They make a lot of noise and draw a lot of attention but their training is weak. 

I've talked to many so called hard gainers but really the other problem aside from poor nutrition is a weak training plan. 

So here are some fundamentals you need to have in place if you want to see muscle gain.

Train your legs. Make them a priority.
Doing the leg extension machine supersetting with leg curls does not count.  That's the poser workout.  Do you want to be the stereotypical guy with a big upper body and tooth pick legs.  This means you do squats and I mean real squats not smith machine squats and or hack squats. Real get under the bar , gut buster squats.  No they won't hurt your back and knees if you do them right.  A good flexibility and mobility warm up will make you squat better and safer.

When I was first lifting weights I was 150 pounds soaking wet. My first year I tried to do leg extensions and leg curls with leg press. Yeah I know pathetic. Anyway I gained 15 pounds mostly in my upper body and still had toothpick legs.  I got smart and added squats in my second year of training. I gained 4 inches on my thighs and 25 pounds of solid muscle. 

Squats also stoke up your anabolic hormones in your body.  So you promote muscle growth all over.  Also throw in some unilateral leg work such as single leg- leg press or split squats.  Stiff leg deadlifts are good for hamstring and glute development as well.  I also like to do some plyometrics like hops on one leg holding  a dumbbell along or box jumps for calf development.  After all those things then you can throw in some leg extensions and leg curls as icing on the cake.   Train your legs hard and you'll see your whole body change you will also be able to wear shorts without looking like an asymmetrical freak.

Use split days that promote recovery not overtraining
Another thing that is counterproductive is training back one day and then biceps the next or chest one day and shoulders the next day.  Really your delts get taxed with chest work as do your triceps do so do them all on one day so that they can recover together. 

Remember muscle gain is about putting the hurt on your muscles and allowing them to recover.  Work your biceps with your upper back and delts and triceps with your chest so you are not tearing them down the next day.

Here is a split I like to use:

Day 1- Push(Chest, Delts, Triceps)
Day 2-Legs(Remember make them a priority so give them their own day)
Day 3-Pull(Back, Biceps, Throw in abs as well)


Prioritize Compound Movements Over Isolation Movements
Always start with multi joint movements such as squats, presses, rows and finish with single joint isolation exercises like bicep curls, tricep pushdowns, leg extensions etc.

Increase Training Volume Workout To Workout
Volume is the key to muscle growth to accomplish this use 3-4 sets and 6-12 reps for each exercise.  Keep a training log so you make sure you are always increasing the total volume of the workout.

Here is how you figure out volume for each exercise
Sets x reps x reps= volume for that exercise

Example  Bench press 200 lbs 3 sets of 10=  6,000(total volume)

Add up the total exercises so you can figure out the total volume per exercise. Every workout you should see this number increase.


Limit Cardio
Keep focus on what the goal is. Muscle gain. Don't rob Peter to pay Paul. Too much cardio will work against your muscle development efforts.  If you must do cardio limit it to 3x/week for 20-30 minutes keeping the heart rate under 120 beats per minute.  Intense cardio will break you down and interfere with your body's ability to recover


There you go those are some solid tips to get started. If you need more guidance on setting up this type of  phase you can email me at info@puravidafitness.com  I'll be happy to lay out a routine for you. 

The bottom line is train hard,  allow time for recovery and don't try to skate around the tough exercises. The hardest exercises yield the best results.

Next week I will go over the X-factors in part three of this blog series.