Extraordinary Life Challenge #1- Overcome your Obstacles

Alright Normandy Gym fans, seeing you all, day in, day out, over the past nearly ten years, you've become an extended family to us. So, we're on a mission to get you into the BEST shape of your life, both inside and out! So we're pulling out the big guns, and calling on world famous motivator Tony Robbins to see us through a series of Challenges to "Live an Extraordinary Life!"

All breakthroughs spring from one common thing-an insight. Now to have this insight, you've got to be prepared to ask yourself some tough questions (not to mention, muzzle your ego), and be willing to hear and accept the TRUE answers, stripped of excuses and justifications.

Watching Episode I of Tony Robbins' Breakthroughs on NBC (Tuesdays @ 8pm) or on www.hulu.com if you missed it, we saw a newlywed couple have their world devastated on their wedding day, when Frank has an accident at the pool and becomes a quadriplegic. We then see how guilt, exhaustion, anger, and the blame game that ensues, rocks the foundation of their marriage, and how Tony Robbins works with them to overcome these extreme challenges, and turn their lives around.

You know my favorite saying, folks, "perspective is 9/10 of the law" and this episode gave me a shot a reality stronger than an adrenaline shot to the sternum a la "Pulp Fiction." (Remember that scene?) How much about our lives do we complain about every day, how many times do we cry that the sky is falling? How many times do we ask, "Why Me?", that we forget to ask the most important question when life kicks us in the ass, "What now?"

Still, our own problems are REAL to us, and Tony Robbins delivers up the following challenge, #1 of 6 challenges that are meant to help us find breakthroughs in our own patterns, and help us lead extraordinary lives : http://www.breakthroughinsider.com. Please check it the 30 minute video challenge Tony Robbins puts out. It's all about honestly identifying patterns of emotions you live with, and breaking out of the ones that harm you. I look forward to hearing about your own personal breakthrough on this blog's "Comments" section! Remember, you're not alone! See you at the gym! :)

Top 10 Health Hazards of Obesity- Part 3

By now you should see a pattern, or a link between not taking care of your health and maintaining healthy weight, and the potential for illness. If #1-7 were not enough to get you off the couch and into the gym (We started our countdown with the heavies, and you're probably thinking, "really, what are the odds?), here are a few more common and avoidable ailments that can make your life difficult and painful. Not deadly, but still very serious.

8.) Joint Problems- Pain in your knees? Hips? Elbows? Well, that could be excess weight putting extreme pressure on your joints, sometimes causing inflammation-aka arthritis. And the obesity-arthritis link is even stronger for females.

9.) Osteoarthritis- primarily affects the weight- bearing joints of the knees, back. hips, spine, and ankles. This common joint disorder causes the joint bone and cartilage (tissue that protects joints) to wear away. How are these linked to being overweight? Extra weight may place extra pressure on your weight bearing joints and cartilage, like in your knees, causing them to wear away, and hurt when you walk, jog, or jump. Also, if you store more body fat, you may have higher blood levels of substances that cause inflammation. Inflammation at the joints may raise the risk for osteoarthritis. Now, losing just 5% of your body weight may decrease this excessive stress on your knees, hips, and lower back, and lessen overall inflammation in your body. And if you already have osteoarthritis, losing weight may help improve your symptoms.

10.) Back Pain: Excess weight, especially in the abdominal area, can eventually put strain on one of your body's most vulnerable parts- the spine. And of course, ladies, lower back pain is especially common for you if you're overweight. Constant or recurring back pain adversely affects your quality of life. Left unchecked over time, can be very debilitating. And the best treatment for this lower back pain? Yep, you guessed it-weight loss and exercises! As little as 20 lbs (especially around your mid-section) can make a big difference in reducing the heavy load borne by your spine! So the sooner you take off the extra pounds with a slow, sensible weight loss program, the better for your health.

The consensus? You can avoid or eliminate many health ailments by keeping fit and eating right! This is something people think most about at New Year's Resolution time, but taking care of your body is not something you should put off for once per year-or a big event, like a wedding-the quality of your entire life depends on your getting up, getting off that couch, into the gym! Why? Because if you're currently overweight and inactive, you probably don't have the self-motivation to keep you moving. You need an environment that motivates you-pushes you to dig deep and release your inner warrior-think Normandy Gym. And exercising out around other people who are striving towards similar goals can be inspiring- remember the buddy system works! And once you've committed to a regular gym fitness routine, it will be easier then to add on additional activities you might enjoy outside of the gym, like jogging the beach, team sports-whatever you like. Not only will you look amazing in your skinny clothes again, but the most important part of your body (the inside, folks) will thank you.

Top 10 Health Hazards of Being Overweight- Part I

So you can't fit into your "skinny" clothes-that's the least of your troubles if you are overweight. Forget fitting into those jeans, you've got bigger fish to fry (strictly metaphorically speaking, of course-do not eat ANYTHING fried!) Seriously, do you know there are 10 serious health risks for you if you are overweight? Some are manageable- others deadly. And that you can greatly reduce those risks by losing as little as 10 lbs!? So what are you waiting for to get into the gym? Here's a scared straight, Top 10 List you need to stay OFF!

1.) Heart Disease and Stroke-when your arties become clogged or narrowed, your risk for heart attacks and strokes increases greatly. Heart disease and strokes are the #1 and #3 leading causes of death, respectively. And even if you survive a heart attack or stroke, irreparable damage is done to your heart muscle, motor and cognitive skills. If you're overweight, you're more likely to develop high blood pressure, high levels of triglycerides blood fats, LDL cholesterol “bad cholesterol”, and low levels of HDL cholesterol “good cholesterol”. These are all risk factors for heart disease and stroke. In addition, excess body fat—especially belly fat—may produce substances that cause inflammation. Inflammation in blood vessels and throughout the body may raise your risk for heart disease.

2.) Cancer: Your risk of developing this #2 Leading Cause of death may be greater if you're overweight. Why? It may be that fat cells release hormones that adversley affect cell growth, leading to certain types of cancer like those of the colon, esophagus, kidney, and perhaps uterine and post-menopausal breast cancer in women. And poor eating and non-physical activity habits that lead to obesity, may also be contibutors in cancer risk. Remember yesterday's blog about your body being your temple-how do you honor your temple?

Now of course, heredity , genetics, and outright lousy habits such as smoking-the devil that deserves its very own blog entry- play a huge part in whether or not you are at risk for cancer- But the tremendous rewards earned by maintaining a healthy lifestyle are far too many to ignore by maintaining obesity and these poor habits.

3.) Sleep Apnea: Some people who are overweight stop breathing for short periods throughout the night while they sleep. During the day, they are often sleepy and have difficulty concentrating. Why? It's sleep apnea, the risk for which is higher if you're overweight, because more fat is stored around your neck, making your airway smaller, making it hard to breathe, and causing you to snore or stop breathing altogether. And did you know fat stored in your neck and body produces harmful substances that cause inflammation? This inflammation in your neck causes sleep apnea. And excessive snoring can be a tremendous burden on your partner, especially if a light sleeper. So if not for your own health and saftey, consider the one you love!

Please internalize that you owe it to yourself and the people who love and depend on you to protect your health! Stay tuned tomorrow for #4 through 6...