Visit any local bookstore or do a simple Amazon search and you'll find endless lists of diet books from the favorite fad of some celebrity to the guy who swears fast food is the answer.  In the end, most of these books provide little true effect.  They allow for quick progress that is quickly forgotten because the diet 1) was never going to be something you could maintain long term or 2) was nonsense to begin with and based off of bad advice.  

Of course, this goes well with our desire for big results and minimal effort.  It does little to actually make any true change or achieve any degree of actual progress.  

So here are 3 tips that you can use (however you may choose) to start building habits and a lifestyle of eating well and having that restore the health and vitality of your body.  No fads or gimmicks.  Making real choices and real change to serve a higher purpose is the goal......but you'll also get that slimmer but and sexy abs ;-)

1. Stock the Fridge - Simple yes?  Good!  After a trip to the grocery store our fridge looks like the produce department.  Kale, broccoli, carrots, apples, oranges, pears, cucumbers, tomatoes, etc. have to share time sitting on shelves since the drawers are filled.  The reason it works?  You'll eat what's in front of you and readily available.  Make these healthy foods easy to find and easy to eat.  They'll start finding their way into your daily regimen quickly.

2. Pack a Snack - Mid day munchies are the bane of even great diets.  That after lunch craving for something both salty and sweet leads you to candy bars and potato chips loaded with crap.  Having a snack handy can stop that cycle.  My favorite is a trail mix that has some mixed nuts, raisins or other dried fruit, pumpkin seeds, fresh blueberries (if possible), and chocolate chips.  Yes, I like the sweetness and this gives it a little power to curb the cravings.  A close second is apples with almond butter.   It's very easy and something that will also save you $$$$.

3. Add something into a dish you already enjoy - This was huge for me and my family.  Take something you like, say scrambled eggs, and then add something healthy to the meal to give that little extra.  I started by adding mushrooms, progressed to spinach, and now rotate in green onion, red bell peppers, kale, and others.  It's a power meal loaded with great nutrients that gives me the energy I need to win the day.  You can follow the same principle whether it be on pizza, in stir fry, or even a sandwich.  You may also find that you like foods you never believed you'd enjoy.  So just try it out.

There you go.  Three simple ways to begin.  Take you eating to another level of healthy and regain the energy and youth you need to play with your kids, work in the garden, go for walks, or have that dream vacation.    Cheers!

Seem impossible, unreasonable, maybe even irresponsible?  I get it.  But you know what?  I'm so thrilled to say I haven't been to a medical doctor in over 10 years.  Woohoo!

Ok, you may be saying "well that's great but you are a doctor and your wife is a doctor so you get treated regularly by a doctor."  And you're right.  I get adjusted regularly and have a wife who is extremely intelligent and very good at what she does.  No doubt I benefit from this greatly.  Yet in that time I still haven't had to go for major illness, chronic conditions, and frankly don't care about going for my "wellness" visits.  

This isn't something I'd generally recommend for everyone.  I have years of experience learning about my body, becoming very in-tune with it, understanding its big and subtle messages, and then making the appropriate changes to correct any issues that arise.  Most don't have that level of knowing with their body's so having some help is critical.  

Just how have I done this?  It's been easy, really.  Far easier than repeatedly waiting in doctor's offices and counting my pills every morning.  But it does take a commitment and lifestyle.  I don't try, I actually make a direct effort to have LOTS of fruits and veggies.  We fill our fridge with a plethora of colors in peppers, lettuces, squashes, cabbage, and more.  It isn't a "diet", it's what we do.

Same goes for exercise.  I still get to the gym or do yoga 3 or 4 times a week.  Finding time isn't the goal, creating time is.  Which means I make it work somehow...even if I have to do it quickly.  

See, it doesn't have to be hard.  We don't have to rely on doctors to give us their input for a clean bill of health.  We can follow simple rules and principles and achieve tremendous results.  

Doctors are there when and if you need them.  Trust me, if I'm in major trouble I'll seek them out.  But I'll do it cautiously with my eyes wide open.  Because I know that visiting a medical office isn't about achieving wellness but about recovering from illness.  That difference is subtle, but it has made all the difference.

My search for wellness has paid off, literally and figuratively, because I haven't been in to a doctor for over 10 years.  And I'm planning on making that at least 10 more.  Here's to your health!

In my Toastmasters meeting last Friday we held the annual International Speech Contest.  It begins at the club level and progressively includes greater areas much like a state high school basketball tournament.  This year I competed....you can probably guess the result from the title of this post.

But I'm incredibly grateful for the loss and the lessons it put before me.  My confidence in speaking, even off the cuff with little preparation, had increased dramatically.  With this confidence in tow I spoke at that contest half expecting to win just by showing up.  So I didn't plan, prepare, or practice my speech.  And it showed.  

Three minutes in I know I was in trouble.  I had zipped through the bits of info that I had strung together the few hours before the competition and was bound by the rules to continue on for at least 5 total minutes.  Which meant I was thrust into BS mode.  Not that it was horrible BS and it did relate to my speech.  But the flow, feel, and continuity of the presentation was off.  I could feel it while I was in the middle of it.  Obviously the judges could as well.

Why is this such a timely lesson?  Largely because within the next month I'm speaking at 2 different events with potential crowds in the several hundreds.  The challenge that will present on my nerves is significant and will be calmed by doing three things....plan, prepare, and practice.

Are there losses in your life that actually became huge victories?  Are there moments when it seemed like the worst had happened yet a silver lining quickly shown through?  

Health is a constant reminder of this.  Our bodies remind us every moment of the fine tuning and intricate details being carried out by having us feel hungry, tired, satisfied, energetic, joyful, stressed, sad, grateful and loved.  Tapping into awareness of those messages has huge upside.  Even a diagnosis can be positive.

Consider getting a diagnosis of heart disease.  The initial shock and fear feel like a giant loss.  But just on the other side of that is an opportunity, a lesson for growth.  With knowledge in hand you change your diet and eat more fruits and veggies.  TV marathons are transformed into evening walks and a habit of 3 sodas a day is converted into 3 liters of water.  

Suddenly, even after a diagnosis of a "dis-ease", you feel better then you had in years!  More energy and vibrancy, greater self-esteem and confidence, a heightened sense of the positive, and a zeal for living.  It can be done.  I've seen it happen on numerous occasions.

Our world teaches us that losses are embarrassing.  We avoid competition to avoid negative feelings and emotions.  While the intention may be hopeful, the outcome I feel is far less effective.  Because losses contain lessons.  

I got cocky with my speaking.  My over-confidence exceeded my abilities and I paid the price.  But the value of that lesson will carry far greater reward when sharing my message with a massive audience in need of healing than I needed it to for a single competition.  

It is quite possible that people waste more time at the gym than many other places in their lives.  Sure, scrolling through Facebook or watching another show on television get in the way and waste plenty of time.  But I'm talking about the effort that gets put out to show, move, and be at the gym rewarded with almost zero effectiveness.  

Right now is the time to figure out how you can squeeze in a great workout, see dramatic results, and still get out of the gym in under 30 minutes!!!  Think it can't be done?  Guess what I did today.

The key is combination movements and putting real attention on what you're doing.  No hour on the treadmill running at the same speed day after day.  Get rid of sitting at the machines haphazardly lifting that weight.  Engage a number of muscles by combining different exercises into one full movement.  This not only works many muscle groups, but also directly activates core muscles which are the key to showing real, significant progress in changing your strength and endurance.  

You'll also benefit from this combo concept in that your workouts will speed up dramatically.  Pushing yourself even a little challenges every muscle and brings you to a deep level of fatigue fast.  I did 3 groups of 3 exercises at 3 sets each.  That totaled 27 sets of muscle engaging, core activating, calorie burning exercise completed in just under 30 minutes.  

So what does this look like?  Here are 2 examples.  You can see videos of some of these combo moves by looking at the resources/more section of our webpage giving you a great idea of just how this works.

1: Squat, Curl, Press - Exactly like it sounds, holding dumbells with your feet shoulder width apart you do a squat for the lower body, bicep curl, and then shoulder press.  Lower the weights back to your side and repeat.  You'll feel it in your legs and butt, biceps, and shoulders.

2. Burpee - I have a love/hate relationship with these.  They are really a great exercise that I think many people avoid because they're hard.  But start slowly, doing maybe even just 1 or 2 in your home, and you'll start to see some real strength and endurance develop.  Here's how you do it.

From a standing position drop down to belly in a push-up position.  Then complete a full push up (it's totally fine to do this on your knees if need be).  After the push up jump your feet up towards your hands and stand straight up.  If you're feel particularly spicy that day, you can add a jump at the top of the standing.

What does it work?  Um....a lot!  Push-ups are amazing because they engage so many muscle groups in the chest, shoulders, arms, and core.  I encourage their usage greatly.  And if you have to start on your knees to strengthen your core first, then do it!  It's all about the step by step improvements.  Go at your pace!!!

If you want to make gym time really have an impact try this concept.  You'll be in and out of the gym in about 30 minutes after getting a hardcore workout that challenged and build muscle while incinerating fat in your cellular furnace.  Get to it!

Comparing family lineage in regards to health is a senseless game.  Today the list of conditions suffered by a great number of the Earth's civilization seems endless.  With this information by our side, it becomes incredibly easy to blame your genes for your problems.  But are they actually the real problem?

I come at this from a very personal point of view.  My genetic health would appear to be a nightmare.  Heart disease, strokes, dementia, macular degeneration, diabetes, and depression are prevalent on my dad's side of the family.  My mom's is another field of disaster waiting to happen with cancers and social anxiety present.  In other words, yikes.

At any doctor's office they would put me under the "HIGH RISK" category.  A disease waiting to happen.  I can choose from any among those available above after all.  So I might as well resign myself to developing some combination of these conditions...or heaven forbid all of them!!!

Can I out live my genetics?  Is it possible to really step beyond the genetic profile we are born with to achieve greater health?  Is this just wishful thinking?

Yes, Yes, and NO.  Because most of those conditions are lifestyle based, it turns out that even my genetic disposition to them can be outdone by my choices.  Yes, those same healthy choices of eating right (fruits and veggies), exercise, meditation, chiropractic adjustments, sleep, and so on.  

Which begs another question...is it that easy?  Why, Yes it is!  I know most people will tell you that's not the case. Which is the entire reason we have such a problem.  You want to change your health, then do the simple things that achieve real change.  No magic bullets, quick fixes, or fancy gimmicks. Eat good food, move your body, laugh, rest, smile, relax, and live.  

I haven't been to a doctor in over a decade!  That's right, it's been OVER 10 YEARS SINCE I'VE SEEN A "REGULAR" DOCTOR.  How do I do it?  Read above and read on.  Scroll through our site and watch our videos.  It can be that simple.  Really!