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Reach For Greatness

Every Sunday, my 3 year old son Hunter and I walk through the woods and talk about life. It originally began because I wanted to share my thoughts on the world with him and educate him on the endless possibilities available to him. What I never imagined is that my own small son would become a powerful teacher for me.

Hunter is passionate, focused and driven in everything he does. He lives in the moment and expresses his emotions, joyful, sad or frustrated. He loves learning, growing and developing. To me Hunter is the perfect example of someone who is “Reaching for Greatness.” He chooses everyday to be the best he can be, no matter the outcome. In my book this is the definition of Success.

Now look around you... Look at the children you know, you will see each of them “Reaching for Greatness” in their own way. We were all once children and we all once did exactly the same thing. The question I ask is this, are you still “Reaching for Greatness”? I would assume that most of us feel at times we aren't.

The next question is Why? I used to feel that life just kept getting busier, more stressful, more complicated and more challenging. I felt that this was the way of the world, and part of being an Adult. I felt that getting older meant living with more pressure...

Then one Sunday, I was watching Hunter throw rocks into a creek and I saw the sheer Joy and Excitement he felt from such a "simple" act and it dawned on me, I wanted to feel the Greatness he felt. I realized I was choosing to let the stress get the best of me, I was choosing not to live in the moment, and I was simply choosing to let life become complicated. That day, I made a choice, I chose to “Reach for Greatness”. If you think about it, it's that easy. It all comes down to a choice…. Now, if you are ready to make that same choice, here are the Three Simple Actions I took to “Reach for Greatness”

1. Breathe Passion: Your Passion is your fire and your fuel. Whatever you choose to do in life, do it with passion. It will be your driving force and it will bring you to life.

2. Show Emotion: So many times we choose to bottle up our feelings. Why do we do this? Children express their thoughts and feelings and then move on... What a great idea. Bottled up emotions cause so much internal havoc. Showing Emotion will give you the sense of freedom you desire.

3. Live in the Moment: There is a great movie called, “Peaceful Warrior”. The movie is about Living in the Moment and there are three questions I continually ask myself that I learned from this movie:

• What time is it? Now

• Where are you? Here

• What are you? This Moment

We spend so much time living for the Destination that we forget about the Journey... I always picture Hunter throwing rocks into the Creek, completely present in the moment and living it to the fullest. Doing this makes life so much more pleasurable and real.

My invitation to you is look around and see the magic children possess, then ask yourself: "Do I want to 'Reach for Greatness'?" If the answer is yes, then take action, make a choice, and become Great!

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Culinary Corner

by head chef Valerie Cogswell

Greek Chicken Pita with Creamy Cucumber Yogurt Sauce

If you're like me, you're probably tired of having boneless, skinless chicken breasts day after day. Sure, chicken is low in fat and a great source of protein, unfortunately plain old chicken can be pretty dull in flavor too! The good news is, with a few creative tips from our kitchen, your next chicken dish will be far from boring!

If you are ready for a change and like traditional Greek flavors, you’ll really enjoy this healthy Greek Chicken Pita. Chicken breasts are marinated in garlic, lemon, fruity olive oil and oregano, topped with crisp lettuce, tomato and onion and smothered in a creamy cucumber, garlic and yogurt sauce. The star of this dish is Fage Greek Yogurt which can be found in any specialty food market and often at your local grocery store. This sour-cream like yogurt makes for a thick and creamy sauce that is amazingly fat free. Greek Chicken Pita with Creamy Cucumber Yogurt Sauce is healthy, easy-to-make and anything but boring. Enjoy!

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Exercise Efficiency and Diversity – Making the Most with the Time you have through Education written by Mark Macdonald, Creator and CEO of Venice Nutrition

Have you ever started an exercise program and attained great results right off the bat? How long did they last? When did you start seeing yourself begin to plateau? What were your solutions to keep the momentum going with your Results?

These kind of results are typical. It’s the typical cycle we’ve all experienced. You see, one of the greatest tools the body possesses is adaptation. It will quickly adapt to new situations and make them the norm. This is why with every new fitness program you will achieve initial results and as you continue with the same movements & intensity your body will adapt, arriving at a plateau. Many people try to break through this plateau by adding more cardio, more reps, and more weight…. Unfortunately by doing this, they’re just adding more of the same, and it never yields the desired results.

So the million dollar question is: “How can you prevent this?” As always, the answer to that is to become educated on how your body works. The key to achieving permanent results is to learn how to be better at your exercise through Education, Efficiency and Diversity. It is rarely about giving more time, it is more about maximizing the time you have.

The Muscular & Cardiovascular systems have different muscle fibers and fuel pathways, each responding to different stimuli. Stored Body fat burns mostly in your Muscle, which means the more muscle you activate with your training the more you burn your body fat and the more Lean Body Mass you build. Each pound of your Skeletal Muscle burns approximately 30-50 calories per day. Each Pound of Stored Fat is equivalent to 3500 calories. Keeping on top of your Sleep and Nutrition (two parts of our blood sugar stabilization system) will release the Stored Fat. Then when you implement proper Exercise on top of those other elements, you’ll ensure activation of all of your muscle fibers and maximize fat burning.

We have seen that there are 5 types of exercise. You should incorporate each type into your exercise routine. The goal here is to incorporate the most efficient movements into each type of exercise. Below you‘ll see that each type of exercise has Optimal movements and Secondary movements. The Optimal Movements will incorporate many more muscle fibers during your workout than the Secondary movements, so if possible, you are always better off implementing the Optimal Movements.

1. Standard Cardio (Fat Burning) – Any Movement where Oxygen is present will ensure steady consistent Fat burning. A typical Fat Burning Heart Rate is 130-140 Beats Per Minute. Standard Cardio works your Type 1 Skeletal Muscle Fibers.

Optimal Exercises:

• Walking on an Incline (Treadmill or Hills)
• Stair Climbing
• Jogging

Secondary Movements:

• Elliptical Trainer
• Rowing
• Stationary Bike

2. Stretching – Your muscle shortens as you train, which makes it crucial to consistently Perform a stretching routine 4-5 days per week. The tighter your muscles, the greater the risk of injury.

3. Interval Training (Explosive Work) – A movement where you perform bursts of speed (High HR) followed by a period of recovery (low HR). Interval Training works your Type II Skeletal Muscle Fibers.

Optimal Exercises:

• Sprinting
• Stair Climbing

Secondary Exercises:

• Spinning
• Elliptical Trainer
• Rowing

4. Core Work – You are only as strong as your weakest link. Your Core encompasses your whole Abdominal and Pelvic region. Every movement you perform recruits muscle fibers in your core. The stronger the core, the faster your metabolism.

Optimal Exercises

• Pilates
• Stabilizing Movements (ex. Exercise ball, balance board, etc.)
• Yoga

5. Resistance Training – More Muscle equals a faster metabolism. 1 pound of Muscle is Three times smaller than 1 pound of Fat, so if you put on 5 pounds of Muscle and lost 5 pounds of fat, your weight would stay the same, but your body would become smaller and tighter. Resistance training overloads the Muscle fibers, creating minor tears in the tissue (what causes Muscle Soreness 24-48 hours after a workout). Afterwords, if the body’s fed correctly, the fiber rebuilds itself stronger than before. Resistance training increases Muscle Mass, Strength and Bone Density.

Optimal Exercises

• Body Through Space – Push Ups, Pull Ups, Squats
• Dumbbells
• Barbells

Secondary Exercises

• Plate Loaded Machines
• Cables
• All Machines

Now that you’re educated on the Types of Exercise, let’s discuss the best way to structure a routine. The most important rule is that Standard Cardio should always follow Interval Training, Core Work or Resistance Training during the same workout. People often overlook this rule for structuring exercise. The reason to structure your workout this way is because of the way energy is created in the body and how it’s distributed along your fuel pathways. Your body has a limited sugar supply and for the most part, high intensity movements consume that sugar supply. If you perform fat burning cardio before any other movement, that supply diminishes, causing your body to convert muscle into sugar during the high intensity exercise. It’s the opposite affect you want. By doing your high intensity exercise to begin with, you’ll have enough sugar for those movements and your body will burn more fat during the cardio because your fuel pathways will be optimized. We’ve seen that consistently working out 4-6 hours Per Week while utilizing the correct structure will provide you with the necessary tools to permanently achieve your goals.

You now have the Tools & Education to Dial in your exercise and make it efficient and productive. Now it’s time for you to take on a personal challenge. We’ve created a simple test that shows how many muscle fibers are active and consistently utilized. If you can successfully perform this test, your body is conditioned to achieve any physical goal you want. Here is the challenge:

Females:

Perform:

• 20 Full Range Push Ups
• 10 Full Range Pull Ups
• 30 Minutes of Interval Training, 15 1 minute sprints during that 30 minutes

Males:

Perform:

• 50 Full Range Push Ups
• 20 Full Range Pull Ups
• 30 Minutes of Interval Training, 15 1 minute sprints during that 30 minutes

If you successfully pass the Challenge, well done. If not, keep working at it. This Challenge provides excellent insight on what to improve and adjust in your current training so that the right muscle fibers are trained for maximum results.

We all live busy lifestyles. We all have fitness goals. It’s our choices that make a difference. Becoming educated on exercise efficiency and diversity will help you make the right choices in your fitness regimen and take your physique to another level!

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You Asked | We Answered

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Q:I’m having trouble finding snacks that are balanced in protein, carbohydrates and fat. I usually just end up grabbing a handful of nuts and a piece of fruit. Do you have any fast and balanced snack ideas for work or on the go?

A:It is important to make sure your meals and snacks are balanced to stabilize your blood sugar and help you to burn fat and boost your metabolism. Luckily, there are many quick and balanced snacks that are perfect for work or travel:

• Protein bars such as Balance Bars, Zone Bars, Think Thin, and Detour are all excellent choices and have a great balance of protein, carbohydrates and fat.
• Pair fruit with lean deli turkey and nuts.
• Cottage cheese, fruit and nuts is an easy combo that can be mixed together and stored in a container.
• The Greek Yogurt Parfait (found in your recipe tab)
• Even a turkey and wheat wrap in foil works.

We recommend that you pack a few snacks at night for the next day so you can grab and go in the morning.

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