Monday, January 10, 2011

FITNESS INDUSTRY CREDENTIALS - Thursday January 6th 2010

In the fitness business we shouldn't fall into the trap of complicating the simple, making the cheap expensive and being judged by our qualifications. That would make us like the medical industry which is the last bastion of the highly qualified and highly ineffective. The heath of Australians continues to get worse, despite the medical industry being protected to the tune of $100B (yep, that $100,000,000,000) each year.

Teaching and motivating people to keep themselves fit and healthy is neither rocket nor medical science. In fact it's so easy that most of the people working in this industry worked it out for themselves and are mad keen to pass their advice on.

With apologies to Alexander Pope, a little learning is definitely not a bad thing, but the evidence suggests that too much education may well be.

It does not take a lot of training to grasp the principles of how to diagnose and treat some of the major causes of metabolic and musculo-skeletal dysunction. In this respect we are streets ahead of the medical industry where huge amounts of time spent in education churns out graduates who lack the ability to diagnose the cause of these dysfunctions and are thereby more than likely to prescribe a drug to mask a symptom, rather than getting people to do the things themselves which restore poor function to good.

It's just time we told the world about it.

We will be recognised for our ability to produce favourable outcomes, not by our certificates.

We are just scratching the surface. Our future will be in becoming recognised as primary health care centres for the treatment of the metabolic and musculo-skeletal dysfunctions.

If you reckon you're up to it, start touting for the sort of business that directs people with metabolic and musculo-skeletal dysfunction into your centre, rather than into a surgery or pharmacy. You may have to modify your programs to suit them.

If you're not yet up to it, start educating yourself to the point where you are.

It won't take people long to feel better and recognise that they're better off keeping themselves fit, rather than swallowing pills. It will save them money.

If you're feeling bold you'll also make a difference to people with some of the psychological dysfunctions, particularly depression, where 12 months of regular vigorous exercise stands head and shoulders above 12 months of Prozac.

In the meantime stay tuned, highly tuned and keep in mind that the chances of Fitness Australia supporting you in this quest for greater status of our industry is remote.

On the track
Went to the gym.


John Miller

www.fitandhealthyonline.com

www.crookback.com.au

www.globalbackcare.com

Thursday, January 6, 2011

ASPARTAME - Wednesday January 5th 2011

Mercola is also hot on aspartame, the artificial sweetener. Here's what he has to say.

'There are over 92 different health side effects associated with aspartame consumption including brain tumors, birth defects, diabetes, emotional disorders and epilepsy/seizures. Further, when aspartame is stored for long periods of time or kept in warm areas it changes to methanol, an alcohol that converts to formaldehyde and formic acid, which are known carcinogens.'

From my own experience it causes itchiness.

If you want to know more, just go to www.mercola.com and search for 'aspartame'. There's stacks of stuff there that obviously hasn't been read by the Minister for Health or the Head of the NH&MRC.

I reckon one of the first challenges for the new Preventive Health Agency is to ban fructose and aspartame from cool drinks.

Actually, to be fair, I understand that Australian soft drinks don't contain a high proportion of HFCS - but I'll check it out. But I certainly know that Coke contains 11% sugar and Fanta 13%. A litre of that a day is going to end up in one place!

The next task is to reduce the sugar content of cool drinks to below 5%.

And that's just for starters.

One the track
Went back up to the grass track at Stromlo this morning. We haven't been there for well over 6 months and it's looking good. Ran for 2 and a half kilometres and then walked another 1.5 for good measure. Calves feeling good.

In the evening Christine and I went to the gym.

In the meantime stay tuned, highly tuned and lay off cool drink.

Regards

John Miller

www.fitandhealthyonline.com

Wednesday, January 5, 2011

HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP - Tuesday January 4th 2011

For some years now I've been a subscriber to the newsletters of Robert Mercola.

http://www.mercola.com/

Today he forwarded some particularly useful information on the fattening of Americans, principally through the addition of high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) to soft (soda) drinks.

Mercola writes:

'... research has shown fructose to be particularly harmful to human health. Unlike excess glucose, which passes through our digestive tract and is excreted, 100 percent of fructose that's consumed is taken up by the liver. Once there, fructose causes increased fat deposition in the abdominal cavity and increased blood levels of triglycerides -- both of which are risk factors for heart disease and diabetes.'

On average, Americans drink around 200 litres of high fructose corn syrup containing soft drink a year which makes it probably the most likely source of obesity.

When is the number one source of calories in the United States, and it is very likely the primary cause of the obesity epidemic.

On the track

No track.

In the meantime stay tuned, highly tuned and drink less soft drink. If you're thirsty, drink water.

Regards

John Miller

Achilles tendonitis - Moinday 3rd January 2011

If you're a runner or competitive sportsperson there's a good chance you may have or have had Achilles tendonitis. It's frustrating in the extreme and hard to overcome - particularly if you want to keep on running.

In 2010 I conducted a study into the cause and treatment of Achilles tenbdonitis. I had first hand experience.

In my case tight calves and weak calves seemed to be the immediate cause - but a tight left buttock and a twisted pelvis also played a significant role in placing too much pressure on my right calf.

I tried a variety of treatments but the best effect was gained by using The Stick and if you follow this link you'll be able to read more about it and purchase this essential piece of equipment.

http://www.globalbackcare.com/back-pain-relief-products/index.html

I've also tried a magnet strap, and think ( I say 'think' advisedly) that that may have helped.

Over Christmas I noticed that wearing thongs with a higher than normal heel brought relief to tight calves.

You can read more about it on this link.

http://www.globalbackcare.com/achilles-tendon-pain/index.html

On the track
Out with the boys this morning. Just walking, but it's better to have walked than not to have walked at all.

Weight - 85.4 Kg.

In the meantime stay tuned, highly tuned and remember if you want to get on top of Achilles tendonitis it's going to take a multi-modal approach - The Stick, icing, flexibility exercises and the magnet strap.

John Miller
http://www.globalbackcare.com/achilles-tendon-pain/index.html

lower back pain- January 2nd 2011

There's a plague of lower back pain. In fact it is a plague and from what I see on the internet and in chat rooms and forums few people can pinpoint the cause and few people have a good grasp of what they need to do to restore poor function to good.

The medical industry is making a killing. In the USA it costs upwards of $90,000 for a back operation. That's gouging.

The pity is that the radiologists and medical practitioners are poorly equipped to diagnose the cause of the problem which, in a nutshell is a body that's out of alignment. And as Newton might have said, a body that's out of alignment will stay out of alignment unless acted upon by a force.

That force is a regime of simple strengthening and loosening exercises. It's pretty simple really and takes a few hours a night on the floor.

A few hours you say? Well maybe not that long but certainly long enough to complete a set of exercises that will loosen of calf, hamstring and buttock muscles and get your pelvis back into better alignment.

Think of it like this. As likely as not , over the years you haven't had a regular and systematic strength and flexibility training program. Because of that, your pelvis and vertebrae have gradually moved out of alignment. The big question is, 'Would you be prepared to play catch up for a couple of months?'

You'd be a mug if you didn't answer in the affirmative.

Travelled home from Newcastle today after spending an evening with brother Geoff and his wife Christine. Geoff's a metallurgist (rtd) but with a keen interest in health, particularly metabolic health and in the months ahead I'll let you in on some of his insights. Not many people are treating Old Timers disease as a symptom of metabolic dysfunction. Being a metabolic dysfunction there's a reasonable chance that it's either diet or exercise related.

On the track
No track today, travelling.

In the meantime stay tuned, highly tuned and if you're suffering from low back pain go to www.globalbackcare.com If you live in Canberra give me a call on (02) 6288 7703.

Regards

John Miller
www.fitandhealthyonline.com
www.globalbackcare.,com
www.crookback.com.au

HAPPY NEW YEAR January 1st 2011

I'm back.

Last blog, 20th June.

Twelve months ago I promised myself I'd blog every day for a year. Didn't quite make it. Got to six months the ran out of puff. Started helping Christine renovate her son's home, plus travelled with work and the rest as they say is history. However the physicality of the hard yakka at the house did wonders for my upper body. I enjoyed the opportunity to be involved in vigorous physical work for 3 months.

I promised myself I'd lose 10Kg. Lost 3.

Didn't exercise as much due to the physical work on the house at Hacket, but kept up the three mornings a week with the boys.

Was plagued with sore Achilles and calves, but hopefully have managed to get on top of it.

Spent a lot of time toward the end of the year working on the www.globalbackcare website with webmeister Gavin. We reckon we'll crack the internet code this year. I'm really pleased with the way we work together.

As I write Christine and I are in Ballina coming back from Christmas in Noosa with daughter Lisa her husband Ian and the two little fellas Jackson and Harry - where it bucketed down most of the time.

This years goals
Let's set the weight loss at 8 kg. I'd be happy with that.

Internet mastery with the Global Back Care and Fit and Healthy Online Sites working smoothly: high search rankings for key words thereby attracting huge search volume, building our list, selling our own products as well as those of affiliates.

On the track
No track today. Slept in and then drove to Newcastle.