Full Strength LIFE

When The Soul is Murdered in Search of Profit

You’ve felt it—we’ve all had the experience, more often than we care to admit. 

Perhaps it was a favorite local eatery that after a decade of perfection one day become every bit as mediocre as Denny’s. It could have been a favorite line of shoes that you were excited to finally find on sale at Walmart, only to find it wasn’t the same shoe at all.

“It,” invisible to the naked eye, is the soul sucking sound of the move from passion and purpose to profit. And it’s happening right now to shoes, clothing, hair salons, tires, coffee shops, and in all manner of business large and small.

I suspect “it” may even be happening to Facebook as we speak.

In the beginning businesses are less a cunning strategy than an expression of passion by a person on fire and on purpose. Plans are often drawn after to justify the insanity.

On the extremely rare occasions when everything goes according to plan you and I get to touch and feel the products or services, we like them. They are new, fresh (even when they often aren’t really) and authentic.

There’s an energy and aliveness that is exciting.

5 Things That Strangely Don't Require Refrigeration

I was talking with a friend the other day and he sheepishly mentioned he'd tried that Nutri-System for Men weight-loss food program. Honestly, I was a little shocked that he'd not just asked me about it first, but that's testament to good marketing.

When I asked him about why he didn't just try Full Strength, take the 14-day "Feel Great" Challenge, he said that at 40 lbs. overweight he thought it was "above me."

"I'm just a dude needing to lose this gut and you've fueled the greatest athletes in the world. Why would Full Strength be for me?," he pondered aloud.

Trust me, I was taking notes. I get that his perception is real, although not accurate. As I created Full Strength to be daily nutrition for the "man in the middle" of life. Sure, it's nutrition for better performance but in this case, more performance in life than on the field.

More on that later... 

Weird Food

When I asked him about his experience he said the weirdest, most unsettling part of the Nutrisystem food was that it would be sitting on his porch all day when he got home, and that it didn't require any refrigeration.

In an effort to make him feel better about this odd (and unsettling) fact, I started listing other things in life that, strangely, don't require refrigeration.

Here are a few that popped for me. Please share your additions to this list below:

5 Things That Strangely Don't Require Refrigeration:

1. Soy Milk - No, soy milk does not require the fridge. Placing it in the fridge section of stores is just brilliant marketing. Feel free to stick the soy milk where the light don't shine.

2. Bud - in contrast to Coors, which is not pasteurized and thus cold along every step, from bottling to shipment, to delivery (hopefully) I've always been somewhat aghast at the fact that Bud is as good with room temp as Nutrisystem. Not that either or a favorite beverage for me. :-) (yes, I am native to Golden, CO)

3. Road Kill - that is unless you've dressed it properly and salvaged the remaining good meat.

4. NutriSystem boxed meals - This is a mystery I don't really want the answer to. I'm not sure I could handle this truth. I know that beef jerky, and some cured meats, don't require refrigeration so maybe they're selling jerky burgers and such. 

5. Baseballs - unless of course you're on a Major League team where they're maintained in a giant chilled, humidor like fridge.

That's five. Runner-ups for the list included Twinkies (but we know these aren't food because bugs won't eat them), my PC (long story), Ted Williams head (that's on ice, thank goodness), non-dairy creamer...

What can you think of that doesn't belong in your fridge?

Red-Hot Fat-Loss, Literally!

Get Ready for a Hot, Spicy Bowl of Weight-Loss Coming Your Way Soon.

In the continuing search for the weight-loss magic-bullet, a New Study suggests that the compound that gives red pepper it’s signature heat, capsaicin, may help prevent diabetes like symptoms in obese people.

“Our data suggest that dietary capsaicin may reduce obesity-induced glucose intolerance by not only suppressing inflammatory responses but also enhancing fatty acid oxidation in adipose tissue and/or liver, both of which are important peripheral tissues affecting insulin resistance,” wrote the researchers, led by Rina Yu from The University of Ulsan in South Korea.

With the latest reports indicating over 300 million obese adults worldwide, and over 25% of the US population, the market potential for drugs and nutritionals interventions which can lessen the damaging impact of obesity related inflammation disorders, which include  type-2 diabetes, heart disease, insulin resistance and liver disease is, for lack of a better word, enormous.

What does this mean to you?
For starters, expect to see a radical increase in the use and marketing of “natural red chilly pepper” (aka capsaicin) in weight-loss supplements. It’s the sort of natural ingredient that can create good traction in the minds of people because it’s “natural” and the connection to “heat” or being “red hot” plays on the strong correlation we have with “burning” away fat; however inaccurate this connection is.

You can also expect to see the miracle red-pepper power leak into food positioning, with an added emphasis on anything even remotely spicy, like chili. Yes, I think you’re likely to see, if not a full-on “chili weight loss diet,” a strong hint that eating chili (and similar foods) is conducive to weight loss.

All this will occur even though this study was not about weight-loss nor done in humans. It was a mice study and the results have not recreated in humans.

My Advice on How to Apply This…
I’m sharing this for both your entertainment and to strengthen your “marketing deflector shield” for the onslaught which is likely to follow. I find that more informed means more rational and less likely to be caught in the trap of a skillful marketer.

As for red-hot peppers, I like spicy food—especially after a “big night out” or when I have a cold—and I’m prone to believe there is something in red peppers that’s good for us. Just the same, I really doubt that eating a load of dried rep-pepper extract is going to lead to radical weight loss or instant good health.

My advice for overcoming or resisting excess body fat is to eat well, exercise and create a powerful, life enhancing relationship with food. Diets may be necessary along with various levels of intervention along the way. A Lifestyle, the ultimate destination for us all, is earned not purchased.

More Facts About Red Chili Extract  
Used in folk medicine as a remedy for rheumatism for centuries, capsaicin intake has been linked to inhibiting the growth of pancreatic cancer cells, as well as a growing body of science suggesting it may cut fat and energy intake when added to the diet. Some experts recommend caution, however, as high intake of hot chilies has been linked with increased risk of stomach cancers in the populations of India and Mexico.

How Passion Fuels Your Fitness and Financial Freedom

Nothing makes life more intensely enjoyable than the presence of Passion and nothing more dull and difficult than its absence.

This hit me today as I was reading a terrific Blog about “what makes a premium brand.” In response to a recent tour of an inspired company, blogging juggernaut, Chris Brogan says, something I’ve long known true, “You can’t fake passion.”

Chris Brogan’s quote was: “What I came away with was…a very strong sense that you can’t fake the level of passion that they put into their brand. It’s not advertising. It’s not a slapped on after-effect. It’s built in… brand is human passion… bottled and shipped.”

A profound and universal truth this is. Think about it…

You can’t fake passion in art, in speaking, in relationship, in sex, in acting, in life. Just the same, you can’t fake passion in your work—and real Passion is coveted and demands a premium

Actors don’t fake it—the great ones receive big money because they aren’t faking passion but rather accessing it on demand. They feel it. It’s passion we covet in our athletes, in our performers at every level. Ever seen music done without passion? Probably not since Milli Vanilli. Pretty painful. 

Yet Fake Passion is Everywhere

The fact that you can’t fake passion doesn’t prevent people from trying—early and often. Fake passion is all over the place—especially on TV. A notorious source of passion faked is infomercials. That news anchor worthy big-tooth smile and orgasmic energy over a toaster oven is over-the-top.

And really, how many people actually believe Chuck Norris is truly passionate about that sliding gym thingy? 

Not me. It’s clearly a profit gig. Not wrong, just is.

On stage or on the field, passion is much easier to spot—to experience—than in less “live” things like a book or a meal. For “live” performances demand little from you and I—we can remain passive. On the other hand, the written word requires you to read as a meal requires your involvement. Still, it’s common to hear people refer to “tasting the chef’s passion for food” in a meal.

Passion Drives Performance and Results

My passion for helping people live fuller, stronger, freer and more vibrant lives is manifested in everything I do, from the books or articles I write to the Full Strength Premium Nutrition Shake.

The Gaping Hole in Cheerios Cholesterol Health Claim

Boldly emblazoned on the front panel of a Cheerios box you will see the claim: “Clinically Proven to Reduce Your Cholesterol”

Next time you’re walking (or running) down the cereal isle of your grocery store get a good look at a box of Cheerios for it’ll be the last time you see any such aggressive words across the front—for this health claim is about to change.

General Mills, the maker of the breakfast classic, Cheerios (and the 8 other candy-coated varieties) just received a letter from the FDA demanding they remove all product claims regarding cholesterol reduction for these are statements which positions Cheerios as a drug.

“Failure to correct the products marketing may result in injunction or product seizure.” The letter goes on to add.

    The label includes the statements:

• "you can Lower Your Cholesterol 4% in 6 weeks"

• "Did you know that in just 6 weeks Cheerios can reduce bad cholesterol by an average of 4 percent? Cheerios is ... clinically proven to lower cholesterol…”

While as you can imagine, this is no joking matter if you’re General Mills, I find myself a wee bit gleeful for I’ve been wondering when someone was going to drop the hammer on Cheerios for this obviously aggressive marketing stance.

After two decades in the nutrition industry I know the difference between scientifically substantiated structure function statements and desperate marketing that makes drug like claims—and this is the latter; a drug claim.

Now, I’m all for health promoting nutrition and would prefer the government have a minimalist role in regulation—as little as is reasonable—but this sort of wordsmithing is careless and cavalier. This is dangerous territory they’re treading in here making such bold claims.

Is the “G” boosting your “P” or just making you “F”?

Have you seen the hot, new super-performance energy drink called simple “G”?

What? It's not new at all!

Just the same ol’ "C"alorie packing, "S"ugar loaded, "Sa"lt lick of a drink formerly known as Gatorade!

That's right... The same tub of colored sugar water that many people pretend is a performance enhancing, energy drink when their performance is walking from their desk to the elevator.

The same Gatorade the millions of people rely on the neutralize their half hearted exercise attempts, as they consume more liquid calories in 10 seconds then they burned off in an hour.

Yep, it’s the same ol’ “G” pretending to give you “P” when it’s really just making you “F”[at].

GO Ahead, Drink One...

I know... "G" is such a powerhouse brand it's almost sacriligious to suggest it's not the sauce of the peak performer. Hence, in an attempt to mitigate any heavy backlash, I'll give you the same advice I offered readers in my latest book, Strength for Life. 

Go ahead, enjoy a Gatorade at half time of the Superbowl... that you're playing in. Fact is you can get away with ingesting these sort of calories when you're athlete active and 20-30 something... but for the typical fitness enthusiast or person trying to get in better shape, this brightly colored sauce is just the right size to ensure you stay the same size or larger.

Energy and The Big Fat Egg-xaggeration...

I love eggs. I love ‘em soft, over, up, scrambled, hard boiled and even *raw.

I’m a fan of eggs the way some people are a fan of U2. Hence, it’s hard for me to rough them up like this but they’ve got this one coming... 

I just watched a new advertising campaign for the Egg about eggs being “Energy for Body and Mind” and I think it’s rotten.

Seems the Egg Council —who came up with the winning, “the incredible edible egg”—is hitching their white wagons to two the mega-trend of Energy. It’s all about energy these days. Doesn’t matter if your selling energy drinks, pills or laundry detergent—everyone would have you believe their product is going boost your energy.  

Eggs are a brilliant source of protein. Dang right. They’re packed with vital nutrients, and healthy fats (Omega 3’s and 6’s) and are a great food, even with the yolk.

Got it. But energy? Yeah and beer has protein.

Come on folks.

In marketing, “energy” is the sexy word used in place of CARBS, CARBS… carbs for sale. And while carbs do provide cellular energy, at the rate most bring them in they turn you into a fat storage tank.

Eating more carbs doesn’t give you more energy any more than
adding 5 gallons of water to a 1 gallon bucket will give it more water.

While an egg does have a fraction of a carb (~ 0.3 - 0.5 gm) they’re no more a source of energy than a piece of salmon. And even if they’ve opted to leverage the relatively high fat content of the whole egg as the energy source, we both know it’s a major stretch.

I appreciated when the egg council made protein a case—for I knew that they too were supporting the awareness of protein as a part of a diet. But “energy?” It’s bad enough that every sugar peddling mega-company is pushing energy down American’s throats to the point that we have the largest reserve of excess energy on the planet around our waistlines.

What’s wrong with some nice version of the truth? Something like, “Eggs are a wonderful source of protein and when consumed as a part of balanced meal, they help you sustain your energy longer, and keep you going stronger.”

There I go again expecting the high-road when it’s all about trends and reacting to gain market share at all costs. Perhaps I’m disappointed that one of my nutritional hero’s is for sale—that the egg has stooped to the lowest form of nutritional prostitution. It says we’ll do anything to move one.

Coming Clean on Egg Whites

While I’m on the egg rant, I’ve got a confession to make. I made an error in my book, Strength for Life. In the nutrition section, Chapter 11, I list foods that are “approved” or good foods and in this list it notes “egg whites.” This statement seems to support the myth that it’s only the whites that are good for you.

That is wrong and I know it. I’ve mentioned this error before but it’s worth noting that it’s an oversight. I let one slip. In the vast depth of wisdom in this book, it’s not much of a slip but I’ve been reminded of it a few times and want to keep on correcting it.

Eggs, the Right Way

When I eat eggs, which is no where near what it used to be, I usually go for 3 whole eggs and 3 whites—a 50-50 blend whites and whole yolkful eggs.

The Strong Forge on Fueled by Belief, Passion…

In this lifetime you will come across an infinite number of easy roads, you will be offered millions of short-cuts, easy ways… there’s always another one promising you a way around the real hard work that stands between you and your vision or dream.

And guess what? You got it… take any of them and you’ll find yourself back to square one eventually, hopefully wiser, certainly more exhausted.

In order to achieve anything worthy of your valuable time on earth you will find passion and purpose indispensable co-pilots. Only when you’ve found a vision, have a purpose and are filled with passion will you have a chance in hell of making it through the long road to a worthy achievement.

When I built the world’s first and only true premium nutrition shake I never fantasized that there would be anything easy about sharing it with others. I recognized in a time when MRP’s and numerous average nutrition shakes have become an interchangeable commodity and people have learned to buy price alone, that creating a off the scale top-end passion driven product was anything but a wise business move.

The Mythic God of Mediocrity

Apollo, Aphrodite, Hercules, Zeus,… the Greeks revered their many, mighty, mythic gods. For all that our modern lives owe to this fertile civilization it’s not a stretch to assume that the heroic tales of these iconic gods may have provided the people with an inspiration for excellence. 

Today, in America, it seems that we’ve taken to aspiring to the mythic god of Mediocrity—the patron saint of “good ‘nuff.”

You see it everywhere you look… it’s in our food—nearly every restaurant a chain, it’s in our clothes and same stores in every mall, in our media; magazines, news, movies, it’s even in our water (take a good look and taste of the largest water brands and you may go back to your own tap). 

It’s this dilution of nearly everything, the copy-cat, me too, average, vanilla world product offerings that marketing guru Seth Godin so eloquently captured in his blog, “Dumbing Down.”

Brady Quinn: Don’t Call Him Dumb

Ill-informed, careless or even ignorant on nutrition, sure… but “dumb” is a little harsh. Even when I know he meant “stupid” not dumb.

If you’ve caught any of the NFL playoffs you may have seen the EAS TV commercial featuring Brady Quinn.

On one hand, I’m happy to see the company formerly known as "the leader" doing something—anything—rather than embrace complete collapse. Still, it feels a bit like a team down by 24 points with three seconds to go  in the game throwing a hail-Mary pass: somewhere between pointless and in denial.