I mentioned in the last e-mail that I burn rather easily when I get out in the sun. I guess I am sun-tan challenged if I had to make up a politically correct word for it. The last time I had a tan was in 2000. That was a big moment for me, so of course I still remember it. In fact I would lie out in the sun just about every day. I was never really tan before that, and unfortunately I haven’t been tan since. In fact every year at this time I talk about getting a tan before the end of the summer. And every August I wonder what happened and why I’m still the same pale color I was during the winter.
I was a little excited about visiting the Sunshine State during our honeymoon. I just knew it was my chance to get an early start on a suntan. We rented a house for our honeymoon instead of staying in a hotel. They have them on VRBO.com and make wonderful getaways. I was really excited because this house had a private pool. It was going to be great. I could lay out by the pool, relax, and work on my tan. It doesn’t get any better than that. It was a great idea. I think we used the swimming pool 2 or 3 times and I started to see a little sun tan developing. I was quite proud.
Here’s the thing about getting a tan. It takes persistence. You have to slowly work up to having a tan so you won’t burn when you go outside. You can’t take a rapid approach to getting a tan. It’s just not that easy. If I sold you a pill that promised rapid suntan results in a week, you would look at me like I was crazy. (Some of you would still try it though.) But we all know that it just doesn’t work that way. Last time I mentioned about the infomercials, weight loss pills, and the magazines that promise rapid results. Why do we fall for those types of things? I guess we always hope it’s true, but we know better.
Here’s the thing. We know that getting a tan takes time and persistence and the same is true for your fitness level and health. I want you to realize the same thing about your results.
Jessica and I are newlyweds. We have so much to learn about marriage and each other. We vowed that we would never stop the honeymoon. Our plan is to continue to learn and grow every year. We’ve gone through 3 or 4 books already during our engagement, honeymoon, and wedding phase. We plan to read 2 books a year together in order to keep growing and learning as a couple. We plan to make our bond stronger over time with persistence and hard work. Personally, I think it will work.
What are you doing for your health though? Are you reading things that are written just to sell you a magazine or are you really reading and researching about your health? I know it’s confusing out there, but I know if you try, you will find some quality information on your health.
Next time I want to tell you about something I brought with me on my trip that made everything easier. I will also share with you some books that I think will make your trip to health easier as well.

Friday, March 28th Newsletter

Persistence

March 28, 2008

Upcoming Guest Writer
Many of you know from my last e-mail that I will be getting married very soon, April 5th to be exact. Since I'm late on this e-mail, and I don't anticipate being able to send another e-mail out again next week, I convinced a very good friend of mine, Mirna Betancourt, to write the next newsletter while I am gone. She is a cardiovascular specialist, and will be writing about how to get the most out of your cardiovascular training. Look for that e-mail to be sometime around April 7th. You are in for a real treat.

The Art of Persistence

Persistence is what separates those who make it to their results in life and those who don't. Anything you have ever accomplished in life, was accomplished due to you not giving up no matter what. Looking back at the highlights in your life, you will probably find that the things that mean the most to you, were probable those things that you had to face the most obstacles. Walter Elliot once said, "Perseverance is not a long race; it is many short races one after another." When you begin your journey to a goal, I can guarantee that you will always have the same experience. I was once a youth pastor at a Korean church, and I recall one of the students telling me that he no longer watched Kung Fu movies because they were always the same. He said that the student's Father/Brother/Master was killed in a fight by the bad guy, the student goes off into the mountains and trains hard for a period of time, and then comes back and kills the bad guy in the end of the movie. I thought that was interesting insight from a 16 year old, so I'm going to see if I can give you some insight into what happens when you decide to accomplish a goal in the gym.

The Goal - You finally decide that you have had enough and you are going to get serious about working out this time. You have battled this goal in the past, but this time you are going to make changes and see this thing through. You may try to do some of the things you tried before because they seemed to work in the past. The only problem last time was something major happened in life that threw you off. It may have been an injury, a family problem, moving to a new location, etc.... But it was more than likely very significant. But that was in the past and you decide that this time will be different. You get a routine down, you focus on your goal, and you are on your way to success.

The Bump in the Road - Just like in the past, something comes up again. Now, I want to state that I am not making light of those things that happen to people and causes them to be thrown off. This e-mail is not to judge anyone or what goes on in their life, but merely to give you a different perspective so that you can think about it. So you have something that comes up. Maybe you miss one of your days of working out, you have company, or you get sick for a day or two. But you don't let it stop you. The next week you are back at it and everything is going great. You are proud of what you have accomplished by not being thrown off of your routine, and you should be proud of that accomplishment.

Potholes ahead - As you continue to go along you may see that the results start to slow down. You find yourself getting tired of making sacrifices and not seeing the results you were hoping for. Even the infomercials don't look as interesting, but bring about frustration instead. Then something else happens in life that throws you off. It could be one of the same things as last time or it may be something new. But this time you aren't as anxious to get back in the gym. You could sacrifice and make it back, but for some reason the motivation isn't quite the same. Before you know it you have missed a week or two weeks at the gym, and maybe you are finding that it's nice to take a break from driving all the way up to the gym, wasting an hour walking on a treadmill, and then having to clean up again just to so you can do the things you really need to get done later on that day. It's not as happy of an ending as the Kung Fu movie, but often times, it's what happens.

The Alternative Ending - Let's say that the potholes in the road don't throw you off. Let's say that you found a way to make the activity you chose to do is something that you would do for the rest of your life. Be honest with yourself for one moment. If the activities that you chose to do, are not things you can imagine doing for the rest of your life, do you really think it was a good choice to begin with? Those that make it find activities that really enjoy doing. They find things that they can be persistant in,even when the road gets rough. Without that desire to get back to an activity that you will enjoy doing even if you don't see results every single week, it will be hard to keep it up. Do you know anyone who you have watched change every single week for 52 straight weeks? I have a few clients that see results almost every week as long as there are not interruptions in their life, but even they are going to hit snags at times. They may have to travel for a few days, get sick for a week, or they may just have an off week. You have to realize that you can't expect results every single week that you are working towards your goal. The key is persistence though, and not giving up when you hit that time that doesn't go as planned.

The gyms in the area are seeing a surge from people who want to get in shape before the summer gets here. They are going to pick up from where they left off from February, and try again before they have to put on the swimsuit. I hope I have prepared you a little better than the rest of the population though. Here's some quick tips to keep in mind:

1. Find the goal you are trying to achieve.
2. Write down a schedule for working out in a worst case scenario. If you want to workout 5 days a week, but you know you are only guaranteed 3 days, make your workout schedule for 3 days and make the other 2 days as bonus days.
3. Have someone hold you accountable.
4. Your plan should include a nutrition plan/goal, cardiovascular plan/goal, and a strength training plan/goal. Studies have shown that those who include all 3 components have a higher rate of success than those that only include 1 or 2 of the components. (If you aren't sure what your plan should look like, please contact me.)
5. Be patient and don't give up. Persistence is the key.

I hope this has helped you retrace your steps if you have ever had trouble accomplishing your results in the past. If you found this article helpful, feel free to forward it to a friend (the link is at the bottom of the newsletter). If someone forwarded this to you, you can subscribe to my newsletter at www.JasonHodge.org

Out of the Office
I will not be available from Friday, April 4th to Sunday, April 13th because of my wedding and honeymoon. Like I mentioned at the beginning though, you should expect to see a wonderful article on Cardiovascular training from Mirna Betancourt while I'm away. I know you will enjoy it. In my next e-mail I hope to share some exciting news about the future of fitness in the Katy area.

The Top 9 Fitness Myths

Take a look at the Top 9 Fitness Myths according to WebMD. They make some great points that are good to know.

This is Stupidity at it's Finest!

Health Economist, Eric Finkelstein, published a book this month, "The Fattening of America", in which he states that obesity is not a "lifestyle choice". He states that it's expected that an advancing nation would cause more people to become overweight. He goes so far as to state that, "the side effects of obesity aren't as nasty as they use to be."

Wait one second.

Children today have a lower life expectancy than their parents. More people are having health complications than ever before due to obesity. Diabetics are losing limbs, younger people are having heart attacks, and more and more people die every day of diseases that are preventable if they will just lose their weight.

Based on what I just stated, I have no idea how he could think that obesity is not a "nasty" thing. He goes on to say that people don't chose to be obese. That if they had the choice, they would chose to be thinner.

"But you can't say if you quit going to the drive-through, exercise more and eat more vegetables, you'll lose weight. There are so many more factors involved."

Let me just say that if I had a choice to be in shape without having to exercise, eat all of my fruits and vegetables, and avoiding the drive-through restaurants, I would. However, every day I make a conscious effort to work hard to stay in the shape I want to be in.

"If you knew that you could be what society considers normal, why would you not choose to do that?" English told AFP.

I guess he doesn't realize that "normal" today means watching tv, playing on the computer, not exercising, eating out often, and gaining weight on a consistent basis.

I'm done talking about the article. It makes my blood boil just thinking about it.

What has happened to us? Have we really gotten this lazy? Well, it only cost us our life. It's amazing how we have so much money to spend, and we waste it on things that eventually kill us.

Take a look at this graph so you can see what I mean.

As a nation, we have so much money. And we think that all of this money will buy us better medicine and technology, and allow us to live longer. After looking at the chart, do you have any second thoughts?

Good news for Women in Menopause

A new article suggest that exercise eases some menopause symptoms. If you have an interests in reading the article, I've provided the link. I think it just goes to show that exercise is a great thing for you. Don't keep waiting around, start today!

The High Price of Pharmaceuticals

We all know the high price of pharmaceuticals. They are very expensive in the US, and in my opinion, way over prescribed. Why do so many people need so many medications? And how many people are on medications because of a different medication they are taking? Something doesn't seem right about that. Well, one reason that pharmaceuticals are expensive in the US has to be because they are allowed to advertise the drugs. And advertising works. I remember when they were first allowed to start advertising, and since that time, there are more people on more drugs. Again, advertising works. But how much are pharmaceutical companies spending on advertising? We have always been told that it's expensive to develop new drugs, but has advertising cut into their budget?

A recent article shows that pharmaceutical companies spend more on advertising than research. In fact, according to the article, they spend almost twice as much on adverstising as they do on research. And I have no idea what percent of their budget they spend lobbying......

Do You Smoke?

Do You Smoke? U Got To Watch This... - More free videos are here

Overweight Kids are at a Higher Risk of Developing Heart Disease

This may or may not seem like common sense, but it's important none the less. If a child is overweight they are automatically at a higher risk of developing heart disease.

Did you know that the children that are born today have a lower life expectancy than their parents?

I'll let that sink in. You can read more of this story when you get a chance.

Can you be fat and fit?

This is something that I am a big believer in......you don't have to have a perfect shape to be in good health. It turns out that if you have healthy habits, even if you are a little overweight, you cut your chance of dying in half. You don't have to be perfect. You just have to do healthy things and you will find yourself healthier with time.

Related Stories:
Being Fat is ok as Long as you are fit

Cardiovascular Fitness Outdoes BMI as a Mortality Predictor

Fit Beats Fat for a Longer Life

Whose fault is it if the kids don't like vegetables?

This is an interesting story that I am sure will have many people who will protest it's accuracy. Studies are showing that the foods that mothers eat when pregnancy or during breast feeding will determine what foods their child will develop a taste for later in life. If you are eating broccoli and brussel sprouts when the child is absorbing the nutrients, they will end up enjoying the same types of foods. I would really like to see this study done on twins to see just how accurate it really is. Read more

Houston is among the top Walk Friendly cities in the United States

It's interesting how we always hear that Houston was one of the fattest cities in the United States, but here is something a little easier to swallow. Houston was #21 on the most Pedestrian Friendly cities in the US.


METRO-AREA RANKINGSA Brookings Institution survey ranks the 30 biggest metropolitan areas according to the number of "walkable urban places" relative to the area's population:
1. Washington
2. Boston
3. San Francisco
4. Denver
5. Portland, Ore.
6. Seattle
7. Chicago
8. Miami
9. Pittsburgh
10. New York
11. San Diego
12. Los Angeles
13. Philadelphia
14. Atlanta
15. Baltimore
16. St. Louis
17. Minneapolis
18. Detroit
19. Columbus, Ohio
20. Las Vegas
21. Houston
22. San Antonio
23. Kansas City, Mo.
24. Orlando, Fla.
25. Dallas
26. Phoenix
27. Sacramento, Calif.
28. Cincinnati
29. Cleveland
30. Tampa, Fla.
— Associated Press


More Information

Pedometers will encourage you to walk further

Sometimes it amazes me that there are stories that state the obvious. Pedometers are designed to encourage you to walk more, and it turns out.......it's true. Two published articles explain a little more about it. The New York Times and the San Francisco Chronicle.

The stories state that they found that people walked an average of 2,000 steps more when they wear a pedometer than when they don't. It's basically about accountability and pedometers are a great way to keep yourself accountable. I have one that I wear every day and it's fun to see how you do. Take a look at the stories, and if you get a pedometer, I highly suggest the accusplit. It's been extremely reliable, sturdy, and doesn't fall off or move around a lot. If you are looking for a way to be more active, this is a great for you to get started.

Smoking Ban Decreases Heart Attacks!

There's a county in Indiana that banned smoking to see what kind of effect it would have on heart attacks in the area. In just a short 22 months, there were statistically lower amounts of heart attacks. It's a pretty interesting story. If you would like more information, here is the article.

Heart Disease is Increasing for Those Under 45

America, we need to wakeup! Do we not see the signs of an increase in deaths due to heart disease? It's amazing how we think we are "fixing" the problem of cardiovascular disease and diabetes by medicating people, but it doesn't seem to be working for some reason. It's very simple why it doesn't work. It's putting a band-aid on something that needs to be completely redone. We have to take personal responsibility for ourselves and start doing things that we know reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease. Why aren't we promoting being physically active and eating proper foods? Genetics, obesity, and high cholesterol are the main reasons they say that 700,000 people die from heart disease in America every year. I'm sorry, but I feel that genetics are used as an excuse way too often for people. I know that genetics play a role, but most of the people that use genetics as an excuse, really have bad lifestyle habits that people that they learned from their parents. Heart disease is preventable. Heart disease is preventable. Did I mention that heart disease is preventable? It's not about overmedicating. It's about taking personal responsibility for our health and doing what we need to do to reverse our risk of developing the often fatal, heart disease.

I'm sorry, but there's no reason for me to sugar-coat the truth. If you care about your health, it is truly your responsibility to make sure you take care of it. I can tell you that if you take care of yourself, you can lower your chance of developing heart disease. I can even tell you what to do to take care of your health. The question is, what responsibility are you willing to take for your health?

The Meaning of Life

I have moments when I can't help but think about why I am here on this earth, and what my purpose really is. Some people never discover it. I thank God that He has directed me to knowing what my purpose in life is.

I see so many people that are hurting or dying and they sometimes don't see a way out. They really don't see any chance of changing their life, and that's where I have the opportunity to come in and help. I can't help everyone, and I realize that. I also know that it's not me that helps them, but the power of God that does it. I'm just merely there to be used by God. It's hard when you see some people who seem to have just given up on life. They have reached the end of their rope, and they don't see any hope. As long as there is breath within your body, there is hope. The greatest thing that can happen to an individual who is struggling is to realize that there really is hope for them. They need to know they are not alone, and that there is a path that can rescue them. It saddens me when I see people who are slowly killing their body. They either don't know, don't care, or have no clue how to be different than the way they are. There are so many lies floating around the Health and Fitness industry. It's absolutely horrible how many people are in it just to make a buck. But it's not just the people in my industry that are the problem. We have companies that make junk food and fast food and promote it like crazy while our kids are developing diabetes and high blood pressure. We have politicians that want to find the best way to line their pocket in the midst of laws that are passed or not passed that could save lives. We have drug companies that do nothing but promote medicating and doctors push the pills of the best compensating drug companies. But no matter what kind of corruption is out there, it still depends on the person to step and take responsibility for their own health. Learn what you are eating. Understand how lifestyle affects your kids.

If I am remembered for nothing else in life, I hope I impact people in a way that will change their view of their health and that they influence at least one other life as well. I believe lives can be changed. I believe more memories can be created as more people live longer. I believe more Christians can witness to and help more people the better they take care of themselves, and therefore live longer. Did you realize that some people never go to fast food restaurants? That's a shock to a lot of people. Can you imagine if everyone only visited the fast food restaurants 2 times a year? I live for the day that the fast food restaurants begin to hurt like the smoking industry now hurts. It would show that people are taking responsibility for their own health.

I don't like that the writers are having to strike in CA to get paid, but in a way I'm really glad it's happening. With shows going to re-runs. I really hope that more people begin to turn off their televisions and take care of their body. That would be great!

I want to make an impact on someone every day. I pray that the day that I die, that people will remember the things I have taught them, and that they have the oppotunity to do the things that I taught them.

The order of doing exercises. Is it important?

There are so many people that don't realize that the order in which you do physical activity makes a big difference on the success (or lack thereof) of your results. Take for instant something like posture deviations in our body, which occur over time causing/resulting from incorrect movement patterns. So I always suggest people start with a foam roller, followed up by stretching, some basic corrective exercises, and then a warmup. This is so important because if you start warming up before you have stretched the proper muscles, it could cause you to use the wrong muscles the entire workout, thus limiting your desired results.

To make this more simple....let's say you are doing a normal workout and have a desire to tone up and lose weight. The best solution is to begin with a simple warmup, followed up by your strength training. Begin with the large muscle groups and work down to the smaller muscle groups. Follow that up with your cardio and use that to focus on your fat burning. Taking it out of order can make it harder to see your results over time.

I'll try to do an article on this on katyfitness.com in the near future.

NYC's Calorie Rule

NYC has an amazing plan, in my opinion. They just set up restaurants to post the number of calories in their meals so that everyone can see what they are going to be ingesting before they ingest it. Take a look at the article from the NY Times.

If you would like to learn more about calories, take a glance at the article on KatyFitness.com

KatyFitness.com

Well I've been working on my website KatyFitness.com and it's been a challenge. I have so many things that I am working on, and writing for my blog, my website, Katy Magazine, and various other projects has been tough. I will find a balance one day though.

I am hoping to start working on a book soon. For those that know me, you know how long I have been talking about that now. It's one of those things that I know is important, but it seems like there are a lot of things that I am working on that are important. Prioritizing can be tough sometimes.

I work really well when I have requests though. If there is something you would like to see or learn more about, let me know. I'd love to see what everyone is looking for and meet that need.

This is all for now. Stay tuned and I hope to post again sooner than I have in the past.

Soft Drinks May Seriously Harm Your Health

Caution: Some soft drinks may seriously harm your health
Expert links additive to cell damage
By Martin Hickman, Consumer Affairs Correspondent
Published: 27 May 2007

A new health scare erupted over soft drinks last night amid evidence they may cause serious cell damage. Research from a British university suggests a common preservative found in drinks such as Fanta and Pepsi Max has the ability to switch off vital parts of DNA.

The problem - more usually associated with ageing and alcohol abuse - can eventually lead to cirrhosis of the liver and degenerative diseases such as Parkinson's.

The findings could have serious consequences for the hundreds of millions of people worldwide who consume fizzy drinks. They will also intensify the controversy about food additives, which have been linked to hyperactivity in children.

Concerns centre on the safety of E211, known as sodium benzoate, a preservative used for decades by the £74bn global carbonated drinks industry. Sodium benzoate derives from benzoic acid. It occurs naturally in berries, but is used in large quantities to prevent mould in soft drinks such as Sprite, Oasis and Dr Pepper. It is also added to pickles and sauces.Sodium benzoate has already been the subject of concern about cancer because when mixed with the additive vitamin C in soft drinks, it causes benzene, a carcinogenic substance. A Food Standards Agency survey of benzene in drinks last year found high levels in four brands which were removed from sale.

Now, an expert in ageing at Sheffield University, who has been working on sodium benzoate since publishing a research paper in 1999, has decided to speak out about another danger. Professor Peter Piper, a professor of molecular biology and biotechnology, tested the impact of sodium benzoate on living yeast cells in his laboratory. What he found alarmed him: the benzoate was damaging an important area of DNA in the "power station" of cells known as the mitochondria.

He told The Independent on Sunday: "These chemicals have the ability to cause severe damage to DNA in the mitochondria to the point that they totally inactivate it: they knock it out altogether.

"The mitochondria consumes the oxygen to give you energy and if you damage it - as happens in a number if diseased states - then the cell starts to malfunction very seriously. And there is a whole array of diseases that are now being tied to damage to this DNA - Parkinson's and quite a lot of neuro-degenerative diseases, but above all the whole process of ageing.

"The Food Standards Agency (FSA) backs the use of sodium benzoate in the UK and it has been approved by the European Union but last night, MPs called for it to investigate urgently.

Norman Baker, the Liberal Democrat chair of Parliament's all-party environment group said: "Many additives are relatively new and their long-term impact cannot be certain. This preservative clearly needs to be investigated further by the FSA."

A review of sodium benzoate by the World Health Organisation in 2000 concluded that it was safe, but it noted that the available science supporting its safety was "limited".

Professor Piper, whose work has been funded by a government research council, said tests conducted by the US Food and Drug Administration were out of date.

"The food industry will say these compounds have been tested and they are complete safe," he said. "By the criteria of modern safety testing, the safety tests were inadequate. Like all things, safety testing moves forward and you can conduct a much more rigorous safety test than you could 50 years ago."

He advised parents to think carefully about buying drinks with preservatives until the quantities in products were proved safe by new tests. "

My concern is for children who are drinking large amounts," he said.

Coca-Cola and Britvic's Pepsi Max and Diet Pepsi all contain sodium benzoate. Their makers and the British Soft Drinks Association said they entrusted the safety of additives to the Government.