Baby Reunion

We brought our 10 week old daughter to a baby care class reunion this past weekend. We got to meet all of the new offspring of the parents who took a pre-natal course with us.

Kaitlyn was on her best behaviour, and seemed to enjoy the attention and photos. It was great to see all of the different babies, each with their own unique personalities already developing! The party was a big success, and we hope to meet up with these parents again soon.

Check out the photos... more will be on my Facebook soon.

Josh

Juice Plus+ Whole Food Nutrition

Nearly every health care professional, fitness expert, and nutrition plan emphasizes the importance of including more fruits and vegetables in your diet. These foods are the most nutrient dense, very high in antioxidants, high in fiber, shown to prevent disease, and still more health benefits are being discovered for them all the time.

Despite this few of us actually get the recommended 5 to 10 servings of fresh, raw fruits and vegetables each day. There are many reasons for this, but I'm more concerned with a solution. Taking vitamin and mineral supplements won't cut it, because it is not as bio-available as real food. "Greens" products have some health benefit, but most of them still consist of several extracted and processed nutrients from different sources mixed into one product, and we assume our body will know what to do with it.

I was introduced to a product called Juice Plus+ by Dr. Michael Hardy (who I will introduce in another issue). This is a whole food concentrate of only fruits and vegetables, in capsule form. Note that I said it is a whole food product, not a vitamin supplement. What sets it apart from any other "whole food" product on the market, is that it has a huge number of independant laboratory studies done by recognized universities which have demonstrated not only it's bio-availability, but it's effectiveness at providing the same health benefits of eating fresh, raw fruits and vegies. I may not be able to explain the significance of this as well as a doctor, but I recommend you check it out here: www.StayFitWithJuicePlus.com, and watch this short clip:

JuicePlus+ is the only nutritional product I am a distributor of (and I have been offered to sell MANY products!), because it is the only one I KNOW everyone will benefit from. Let me know if you have questions about it.

Stay Fit (and eat your vegies!),

Josh

Happy New Year!

Hello again!

I haven't blogged in a while, as I took a little time off over the holidays. We hosted Christmas this year, and had some family staying with us for a couple of weeks. We had a great time, and Kaitlyn got to meet many relatives and celebrate her first Christmas and New Years Eve! I also got a couple of nice "training" accessories as gifts (Power Wheel, JumpStretch bands, resistance belt), as well as a Blackberry. Yes, I am now a Crackberry addict... but it sure is a great business tool!

Over the last few weeks I've done alot of thinking about my plans for 2009 and reflecting on the year gone by. In my opinion making resolutions is not an ideal way to make constructive changes in one's life. Setting goals and resolutions can be useful in some ways, and I still encourage my clients to write down their goals, but when you're choosing a direction for your life this may feel like there is a negative "pressure" to follow these resolutions / goals, or else!

A more affirmative approach is to focus on making positive "choices" going forward, that involve pursuing what you really "want" (rather than "should"). If you really consider what you are passionate about, and decide to take action in that direction, you are not only more likely to succeed, but more likely to be happy. The context should ALWAYS be positive. This means focusing on what you want, NOT what you "don't" want. For example, instead of choosing to quit a bad habit, decide to adopt a new, healthier activity! Another way to look at it is to think of who you want to BE, rather than what you should DO.

I hope that makes sense to you.

Considering this, I am choosing to take charge of my fitness and physical potential , by making my own workout time a priority again. Physical and personal development is what I'm passionate about, and why I got into this industry, so I'm going to do more of what I enjoy myself! I also resolve to help as many people as possible improve their own health, fitness, and performance. I will do this by improving my knowledge base (more courses, seminars, etc), producing more of my resources (ebooks, DVD's, newsletters, clinics, etc), and fueling my own energy and enthusiasm for what I do so that I can continue to motivate those I come into contact with. Of course, my first priority is to be the best father and husband I can be!

This is my choice for 2009 and beyond, and it will drive my success and guide the projects I take on. What do you choose for yourself?

For your inspiration, I've included a great clip from Rocky Balboa... this short speech alone makes it worth watching the movie! Enjoy.

Wishing you great health and success.

Josh Hewett

Nutrition Fuels Performance

What you eat, when you eat, and how much you eat is not only important in relation to maintaining a healthy body weight and overall health, but nutrition also plays a key role in how your body will perform in sport or other activity. Your nutrition plan, and especially the quality of the food you eat, will directly influence how well you will recover from exercise, how strong your muscles and joints can become, and how stable your energy levels will be. For athletes at any level this is an important consideration.

For optimum nutrition you need to ensure you are consuming nutrient dense foods. This means that calorie for calorie, these foods have more nutritional value. (Avoid empty calories such as sugar). Some of the most nutrient dense foods include fruits and vegetables. I cannot emphasize enough the importance of eating enough fruits and vegetables in your diet.

However, I also acknowledge that it is often challenging to consume as many servings as is recommended each day (7 to 10 or more), and I recognize that if you are trying to lose bodyfat you may want to reduce all sugars, even from fruit sources (at least for 3 days per week, as suggested in my Top Form Fitness System). This is where whole food supplementation becomes a God-send. Check out my article here:
http://www.selfgrowth.com/articles/Whole_Food_Nutrition_for_Athletes.html

Eat smart and stay fit!

Training Log

I missed my Wednesday workout post, so here it is: I did Clean and Press for 5 supersets of 5 reps with Chinups. Great workout, and took very little time.
Todays workout was 5 supersets of 5-8 reps with Back Squats and Gluteham Raises. I'll feel my legs tomorrow!

With Kaitlyn having a bit of colic lately, I've had limited time free, so these workouts are perfect. And trust me, they will still get you strong! You don't need to train for hours to build muscle and become stronger. Intensity and correct exercise choice are key.
No excuses... you can always find the time!

Stay Fit Tip: Muscle Means Metabolism!

Did you know that statistically our basal metabolic rate decreases by approximately 5% for every decade of life after 20? People who have a sedentary life have a significant loss of muscle mass as they age.

Weight training and other resistance exercise will increase your muscle mass, which raises your metabolic rate and burns fat.

Diet alone won't cut it. If you are only using a diet plan to get lean, you are more likely to regain your bodyfat when you "go off" the diet. According to the National Weight Control Registry, 90% of successful dieters use exercise to maintain weight loss.

I'll be posting a quick bodyweight circuit training workout video on here in the near future.