It was while standing in line for our first grade photos when, for reasons I have never known, the little girl in front of me whom will call Rhonda (because that's her name) windmilled her old-fashioned steel lunch pail up, over and around, slamming it smack down between my eyes. I was caught completely off guard—blind-sided right between the eyes.
When the bleeding stopped, the teachers cleaned me up as best they could and the photographer snapped my class photo. I can still feel the pain when I see that photo of this little blond haired boy in a blue button up, with a red bleeding bump on his forehead.
But all these years later it's not the pain of the lunch pail but that I still feel but the embarrassment. Sure, from an adult view I can argue that logically there's nothing to be embarrassed about but at the tender age of six... well, you know how far that logic would get you.
I share that story to help you recall your own experiences with embarrassing life moments. We all have had them and we will continue to—on some level.
Welcome to The 20-day Tokyo Joe's Great Food + Great Fitness FREE giveaway.
We're doubling up today!
Today it'll be FREE Book + FREE Meal at 2 locations for the first three people to ask! (locations below)
Here's The Deal
My favorite restaurant for quick, delicious, nutritious eats; Tokyo Joes is helping me "Share the Strength."
We're giving awaya limited number of autographed copies of my book, Strength for LIFE, each day for lunch.
With each FREE book you also get a FREE LUNCH!
No kidding. How awesome is that?
All you do is stop in to the right location on the right day (See today's location below),be one of the first and you win.
That's a great way to fuel your body and mind today and kick start your fitness for 2010, fast. If you only get One thing from Strength for LIFE, the 12-Day Reboot for your body and mind will get you going strong, fast!
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?
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.
Failed your last diet attempt? Tired of trying to lose those last 10 pounds? Frustrated by your lack of discipline and motivation? Can’t get the appetite under control? Feel like you’re in a constant struggle with yourself, like there’s two of you—one who wants to be lean and fit and the other who wants to eat deep fried cake for breakfast? You’re struggles are over. Now you can get the sort of rock solid, unshakable discipline that dieting will never provide, that only the most skilled experts in behavior modification can create. Step up to the big time for real and lasting Transformation… Hire your own personal Lion Tamer! If you’re serious about making a change, a professional lion tamer will take you from struggling to freedom in a few short months.
Think about it.
Is there anyone in the world more skilled at behavior modification on a more critical stage? Failure for their profession is deadly so the shear fact that your trainer will be alive is nearly a guarantee you’ll achieve your desired results.
Sure, they’re not cheap but then there’s no price tag on your life, is there? Of course, you’ll deal with nominal public ridicule when your friends find out but hey, in a few months you’ll be the lean, fit one who can poke fun at their fat asses.
And after they get a look at your amazing results you can bet they’re going to find a lion tamer of their own.
You’ll know when the time is right for you to give it a shot. I wouldn’t use the word desperation that’s just me—you can feel free to use it. And hey, if that doesn’t work you can always try the path to Nutritional Freedom.
Nutritional Freedom may not be as risky and exciting as having a live-in lion trainer but it's every bit as effective in helping you gain your freedom to eat the foods that are best for you the most.
If the Lion Tamer is too costly and perahps a little extreme, step up to the Full Strength 2-Week Challenge, and feel the energy and freedom, fast. Guaranteed.
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.
I've been in the performance nutrition field for nearly 20 years now and that is inclusive of the invention of the very first ever nutrition shake--or "Meal replacement shake" if you prefer. I don't. Never have liked that term--sounds so technical.
As you might guess, I'm a fan of nutrition shakes. They've played a vital role in my life, and health, strength and fitness levels. I believe and rely on them. And I encourage others to do the same--to embrace the benefit of complete, balanced, integrated, convenient and hopefully delicious nutrition.
The down-side or challenge with this commitment to nutrition shakes is that there's a hell of lot more imitation nutrition shakes out there. Those profit focused people and companies that tell a story but can't back an ounce of truth up. In fact, they are more the norm than the exception.
As you might imagine my problem had become clear: How can I support a form of nutrition / food that is more crap them cream? I could not do it. A few years ago I was left without a decent quality, great tasting nutrition shake to either support or enjoy.
That's when I decided: If I can't find it, if not one else is willing to invest in excellence, I will make it. What began with the code name, "The $5 Nutrition Shake," in reference to my "nothing but the absolute best" approach, became Full Strength, without question the world's finest and only Premium Nutrition Shake.
It wasn't easy or fast. Over a million dollars and 12 months we're invested in the creation of a product that most companies toss together in a weekend but the results actually exceeded even my lofty expectations. It's a truly amazing, premium product that will have you feeling as great as it tastes in minutes, for hours.
And you don't have to just believe me--as I'm the character who created it. One of the world's most respected institutions for the research of nutrition and the human body, The University of Oklahoma, has confirmed Full Strength. In one of the most comprehensive studies ever done on a nutrition shake, Full Strength added to daily nutrition--with NO DIETING involved--produced stunning results in just 10 weeks.
The results of what has become to be known as "The Oklahoma Study" showed that in just 10 weeks, adding Full Strength every day (with no calorie restrictions) produced results rarely seen in performance supplement research, including:
83% Greater Weight Loss
66% Greater Body Fat Loss
55% Increase In Lean Muscle
44% Greater Energy Levels
* In comparison to exercise alone.
And, so as to ease your mind, this is a study which has undergone the most rigorous of investigation prior to being published in two of the most prestigious (and discriminating) journals in nutrition.
To download the full study on Full Strengthgo here. Warning, this is a big-time real science study in publication--not the common pseudo science stuff that masquerades as clinical research for most.
In the midst of all the hocus-pocus that permeates the supplement business, all the infomercial junk and online trickery, there it has to be affirming that there is a company and people who are willing to make something real, something great and keep on fighting to make a real difference in your life.
In my decades in fitness and nutrition, I’ve seen more diets come and go than I can count, experienced nearly every type of workout you can imagine, worked with all types of people; from those who were hundreds of pounds overweight to world champion athletes, the Hollywood A-list, Fortune 500 CEO’s, Moms, Dads, Sisters, and Brothers…you name it, I’ve seen it, felt it, touched it and may even have tasted it.
What I’ve discovered from all my years may very well come as a surprise to you. In fact, I fully expect most people to dismiss what I’m about to tell you...
In my 23 years of experience the #1 most common road-block to people enjoying robust physical energy, stunning mental clarity and abundant vitality is…improper, out of balance, inconsistent, excessive and downright devastating eating.
Sure, you know exercise is important (or better yet “training”) but you can’t out train poor nutrition. And no, the problem isn’t that people are missing some magic pill or miracle diet. In fact, the way most people undermine their energy and well-being is as ordinary as ordinary gets… most of the errors are seemingly small things repeated day after day.
The Top 7 most common, energy draining, life-robbing errors:
Skipping meals to save time because you’re “too busy”
Eating too much at one meal and not enough at the next
Eating everything on your plate without regard to portion
Consuming “fast-drive-thru-food,” loaded with fats and carbs
Hidden sugars in many “sports drinks” and juices, smoothies
Chronic snacking on junk foods, sweets, chips and …
Unconscious reactive eating when you’re too hungry to choose a healthy meal.
I am sure you’ve seen others make some or all of these mistakes and know some from personal experience. They are real and they are serious. Do any of these and you are literally pressing the “early exit” button on your life.
I’m not suggesting that you’ve got to tow a perfect line or that you can’t afford to miss a meal now and then. The real question is: “How do eat 80% of the time?” Are you fueling your way to wild success or feeding failure?
If you’re seeking a quick, easy and insanely delicious way to fuel your success, consider giving the world’s finest total nutrition shake a try. Clinically proven to increase fat-loss and add lean muscle in addition to lower cholesterol and elevate energy levels by over 40%, Full Strength may be the best thing you can do for yourself in the lest amount of time.
When was the last time you tasted a raspberry? Now, I don’t mean “ate one” but actually tasted it.
What does it taste like? If you had to describe it in writing to a person whose never tasted one what would you say?
I ask for the experience of eating a raspberry is something I’ve been trying to adequately convey for a few years now. It’s not easy and I can now say successfully that I’ve never quite achieved my goal.
You see my son Nathaniel has numerous food allergies—and one of them has been to raspberries. Along with my other foods, he can’t eat raspberries. So at the tender young age of 4 years and five months, he’s never had one single raspberry. Nope, not a one.
Until today…
Today Nathaniel spent half a day at Nathaniel Jewish Hospital where he did what’s called a “food challenge” to see if he could eat raspberries.
And guess what, he did eat them. And all went well. And I’m happy to report, he likes them.
Next time you eat a raspberry, slow down and take in the full experience. Consider if you might be able to share that experience—not because you will be graded on it but because the art of paying this much attention to food can completely transform your relationship to food.
Full Strength is a clinically proven, rich, delicious total nutrition shake that elevates your body, sharpens your mind, and keeps you going strong all day long.
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