P90X on Parade

If I've leaned anything in my 52 years it's that most of these stories about P90X have a shelf life of 20 minutes. This is TV fodder for entertainment, not a solution for tackling big picture issues. When they say "don't sweat the small stuff" this is what they're talking about. We might be better off spending less time on Opinion TV and more time on how to make our lives better. Everybody has an opinion but does their purpose on Earth have long term value for people other than themselves? This is where the rubber hits the road in my opinion. You, me, congressmen, our military - who cares how we learn about getting healthy, as long as we figure out ways to rely less on pharmaceutical companies to solve our problems, so that all of us will be less of a burden on our health care system.

Food Wars

Recently I posted a news story about a professional tennis player who started winning shortly after he switched to a gluten free diet. The article was asking if the wins were connected to the diet. What a shock that all ends of the dietary spectrum came out in force to defend their way to eat. The lesson here in my opinion is that no single food philosophy can possibly apply to everyone. How can anyone think that the 22 year old Kenyan marathon runner and the 38 year mother of 4 should have the same diet? It's ridiculous. I've been to Japan, Italy and France - all three nations eat massive amounts of "good" carbohydrates at every meal yet it's very hard to find fat Italian, French and Japanese people - unless they live here.

I'm a gluten "lite" - tons of veggies, free range chicken and wild salmon eatin' dude these days. I'm discovering the less gluten the better for my body chemistry. I was vegan for years and recently I added free range chicken and wild salmon. Universal black and white mandates for all is short-sighted. I lost some weight eating just veggies, fruit and beans so I've upped the protein and calories. Making adjusts based on ever changing needs (especially as I get older) is perfectly normal. The diet guide in P90X and the one in my book are different. So what? Both ask you to eat HEALTHY FOOD! Some people can be vegan for a lifetime while others fluctuate from one healthy diet to another. The key word here is healthy. My weight will go up and down 10 pounds but as long as the food I'm eating is healthy and whole I'll probably be okay.

Being Perfect

Perfectionism is not an attribute in my opinion so don't beat yourself up when you miss a few workouts or eat some Easter candy. The goal is to have far more good days than bad. Exercise for the joy of feeling good and getting better. Eat right with the intention of fueling your body with the things it needs to perform.