Archive for the ‘Personal Development’ Category

In the past, you would often see me downing an entire tub of Haagen Dazs ice cream.  The calories, the sugar… I could easily get away with it.  Now that it’s catching up to me, I’m finding I have to resist it for the first time.  One of the most difficult things a person could accomplish is mastery over his/her addictions.  And, except for one minor slip up…for the most part, I’m winning over mine.

How you can gain power over your addictions if you choose to

The old me would have downed these two faster than you can say "Haagen Dazs"

I went to a buddy’s place and he put these two tubs right in front of me, because he is such a gracious host and loving friend.  Immediately, as the urge started rushing through my body and attempted to take over my mind, I woke up and sat back and started to observe my physiological reactions to the visual stimulus.  Tell me if this sounds familiar to you:

My heart rate slightly increased.  My eyes became focussed and alert to the ice cream.  My pupils dilated…The salivary glands started churning and making my mouth water.

“Interesting how my body is reacting,” I thought.  I’ve become like Pavlov’s dog.  Visual stimulus, body reacts.  All unconsciously, without any effort.  The moment I awakened to it, I wasn’t feeling the pain.  I was tuning in and out… Whenever I thought of the body fat composition scan I had earlier this week, it made it that much easier for me not to indulge.  (More on this scan later).

You see, the reason why we reach for our addictions, be they cigarettes, alcohol, sex, gambling, or sugar, even over-exercising—is because we are trying to cover up some form of emptiness… there’s something we are running away from.  Most of the time, we’re unconcious.  There’s a drink in your hand and you don’t remember how it got there, or you just finished a few puffs of your cigarette and you don’t remember even lighting up.  Addictions can only take hold when you’re unconscious.

The moment you snap out of it and get in the moment and become an observer to your cravings—you are in the “now” where you realize that you are more powerful than your body.  Some use meditation.  Others exercise.  Most just transform one addiction to another… All I know is… I was craving and it was starting to hurt.

Chiropractic and addictions?

Nerve system interference = Increased Stress hormone secretion. Adjustment = less stress hormones = overall sense of well-being = one of many tools to help with your addictions!

My gracious host, Dan, who also happens to be a Chiropractor, checked my spine and found some subluxations (nerve interference) in my neck and upper back… from all the traveling and work I do, it puts quite a strain every day… not to mention sitting in front of a computer and writing… Like all Olympic and pro athletes, I’m a regular chiropractic patient because I know I can’t be at optimum performance in my life if my nervous system is out of wack.  As soon as he adjusted me, my body felt so much more relaxed and calm.  I could feel my stress hormones decrease.  That just killed my cravings—in an indirect way.  Less stress hormones in your bloodstream—less the need to crave and produce more fat and sugar (building blocks of stress hormones).  I always knew there was a connection.  I was just able to FEEL it right then and there.  Awesome stuff.

If you are trying to overcome an addiction, the best way is to come up with a good enough reason, and then step back and observe your physiology every time you feel the cravings.  Chances are, you are Pavlov’s dog as well.  It also just seems that whatever challenge you’re going through, or want to be at your peak performance physically and mentally, you want to have a clear nervous system.  These carb withdrawl symptoms are quite challenging, and getting adjusted is making it easier for me.

Throw away your home body fat scale!

If you’ve been following my body fat loss challenge with Paul, you would have known that I started with 172.2 pounds, and 21.9% body fat.  After a couple of weeks I managed to crawl down to 163-165 pounds and 18-20% body fat depending on the time of day.  But how accurate are these numbers?

I’ve been using a bioelectric impedance scale.  The video on day 1 shows my first weigh-in.  The way it works is that it sends a low voltage electrical current from one end into the body and measures the time it takes to reach the other end.  Not very accurate.  So Paul and I were invited to get an accurate measurement done.

Peter from Bodycomp Imaging here in Vancouver measured our height and put us on a machine that is now

Minutes before he broke me the bad news...

considered the gold standard of body composition testing.  You can check the link and see a quick video on the whole process I went through… but here’s a pic of what it looks like.

My Scan: Notice where most of the fat is-- the ever so attractive over-sized mid section.

It’s called a DXA scan.  This stands for “Dual energy x-ray absorptiometry”.  Long story short it sends an x-ray through your body and measures how well it passes through certain tissues.  This way it calculates how much of your body is comprised of muscle, fat, and bone.

In a nutshell, the results were shocking.  FRIKKING 28.5% body fat!  28.5!  This is not a joke!  This is almost 9-10 percentage points higher than that crappy scale I have at home.  If you have one… just throw it out—it’s pretty much useless.

The saddest part is the summary that came with my results:

“For males under the age of 40 a body fat value of greater than 23% is suggestive of increased health risks. You may want to discuss this with you health care provider. We encourage you to take active steps to decrease your body fat and look forward to retesting you in the future to help you monitor your progress as you move towards your goal.”

Discuss with my health care provider?  I AM A HEALTH CARE PROVIDER!  You encourage me to take active steps to decrease my body fat?  Gee, thanks.  What a kick in the pants that was. I had to cry myself to sleep after that one.

Peter, who could tell I was quite upset, said that most people who estimate their body fat are under-estimating.  Seeing that he was in better shape than us, I asked what his body fat percentage is… He said it was 19%.  He then proceeded to lift up his shirt to show off his abs.

Peter is 19% Body Fat. Looks pretty good to me... Maybe that's why he's got that smirk on his face as if to say "hey fattie, don't you wish you were me???"

The ride home was very sobering.  I was downright depressed.  Peter gave me some ground breaking advice:  Exercise in bursts (which I’m already doing), eat a paleolithic hunter gatherer diet (which I’m doing), and…. You guessed it…. cut out all carbs.  Thanks a lot for the advice Mr. Flatstomach.  You can see Paul’s results and scan on his blog.  He was at 38%.  Again– about a 9-10 percentage points higher than what he thought.

I wish I did this scan in the beginning, not 2 and a half weeks into the competition, but it’s given me even more drive than ever to work my ass (literally) off and to see the “after” scan in several weeks with an accurate difference.

I am still at the 8-10 pounds loss point since the beginning, and I’ve posted this DXA scan on my fridge as inspiration.

If you feel like you need to get motivation to exercise and change your food plan to something more healthy, and you’re in the Greater Vancouver Area, contact Peter and have a consult with him.  He’ll set you on the right path.  He’s good at what he does and he’s well versed in giving you the proper advice.  I’m going gangbusters now baby.

Summary (Tips):

1) To help you reach your goal, start with an accurate body composition scan.  This way, you can track and monitor changes to your physiology.  You want to be able to quantify your progress. Be aware of your starting point.

2)  Be aware of how stressed you are and nip it in the bud.  Keep nervous system stress on the down-low by (shameless self plug) getting adjusted… and regularly.  I didn’t even realize this week how badly I needed to get adjusted until after the adjustment.

3)  Be aware from a 3^rd person’s perspective of your cravings.  When you feel them, step out of your body and observe them.  Hold this awareness for as long as you can—because that’s the key to overcoming them.

4) Be grateful for everything you have.  Be grateful for your body.  Be good to it… it’s the only place you have to live.

Confession:  I had my first slip-up since starting this challenge.  This is probably one of the most difficult things for me to admit.   I’m not that comfortable with failure.  Just ask anyone who knows me well.

I went to Los Angeles to visit with friends and have a getaway, as well as speak to the students at the Los Angeles Chiropractic College to give them some words of wisdom in the transition they are about to face between student and health care practitioner.  More on this later….  This trip was business and pleasure.

Why it’s so difficult for you to stick to your food plan on your trips

Your success in your day and often depends on routine and rhythm.  When I’m at home, I have all my fruits and veggies ready for the next day.  Meals are planned in advance, and everyone who’s made a lifestyle change knows that healthy eating is all about planning.  If you don’t plan your meals, you are at the mercy of your cravings and there’s an over-abundance of fast food options to screw you all up.  For me, it’s all about starting strong—I usually make myself a green smoothie with a table spoon of almond butter.  Yummy, filling, nutritious.  It controls my cravings, and the day goes a lot smoother with it.

When you’re on holidays, you don’t have a kitchen, you don’t have your VitaMix blender, and especially if you’re in the good ol’ US and A…(As Borat likes to say), there aren’t too many easy-to-find raw food options.  I admit, California is good that way—lots of Raw food restaurant choices, one which we went to—we were good the first night—but in retrospect, we didn’t think this through enough and plan accordingly.

In a nutshell, we ate too much.  One of my favorite Persian restaurants is in L.A—called Darya… I promised myself I wouldn’t, but I had rice with my meal.  And a bite of dessert.

That night, it felt like I had rocks in my stomach.  Amazing how much carbs weigh you down.  Do you know what I mean?  It immediately gives your tummy that “beer belly” look.  Waking up with a tummy ache and heartburn I knew too well, but hadn’t experienced in a couple weeks. If you haven’t seen it before, on my last trip to New York, I documented what happens to me when I have a world famous Frozen Hot Chocolate.  850 calories!  Too much Sugar! (for those that didn’t see it)

The next day, I was with my friends in Beverly Hills at Jack and Jill Café and Bakery, and this was placed in front of me.  Banana cream pudding.  Would you be able to resist taking a bite?  I just had a bite of this one, that’s all…. I promise.

Louisiana Banana cream pudding.

Quickly I felt the carb cravings that were subsiding start to come back.  I finished the trip off with a visit to PinkBerry, a frozen yogurt joint where you can get all the toppings you need to give your Pancreas a crazy workout.  My diabetic buddy gave himself a shot of insulin just before we went in.  He bragged about how great his blood sugar levels were.  He’s had diabetes for over 20 years, so he’s gotten good at knowing how much insulin he’s got to shoot himself with.  He made me so grateful to have a properly working pancreas, and I made a vow to be a better man to it.

So I had a few moments I gave to myself to beat myself up for re-gaining about 5 pounds back over the weekend.  Wow.  Almost 2 weeks of work almost blown to smithereens in one weekend.  Easy go, easy come back.

The Pleasure/Pain Cycle

The funny thing is that there is just as much pain in gaining the weight back as there is in losing it.  Don’t fool yourself into thinking that you’re avoiding pain by stuffing your face.  It’s painful—the guilt, and then the physical suffering after the fact.  Your stomach feels distended, heartburn starts to kick in, indigestion, tired, lethargic, then the worst part—you get fat.  Very quickly.  That’s painful.  It’s unhealthy, and it’s unsightly.  Extreme pain.

The pain of self control and discipline is much better than the pain of regret.  One evolves you, the other keeps you miserable.  One pain could set you free and increase self esteem, the other keeps you in bondage and lowers your self esteem.

I’m pleased to say I had a great time, but I’m back to my routine and eating healthy again.  I’m not too worried—I appreciate I’m human too, and gave myself permission to learn from the experience.

Why diets don’t work, and who’s really going to capitalize on it

Capitalizing on the fact that you aren't going to want to get to the root cause of your obesity

On my way to LAX airport, I must have seen 75 billboards on the side of the road and bus stops that looked exactly like this one.

This billboard is wrong on so many levels:

Level #1

The fact that it’s offering a quick fix for a problem that is possible for anyone to change if their “why” is big enough.  This is a surgery that has a long list of side effects and complications.  Plus, if you don’t change your lifestyle, the surgery doesn’t work!  I know people who’ve had the surgery and after losing the weight, are slowly starting to gain it back because the lifestyle (food addictions) DIDN’T CHANGE.

Level #2

The affirmation that you are going to fail in your diet.  They’re capitalizing on the fact that most people try to change their food intake without changing who they are, how they think, and their environment and deal with the root cause of their food addiction.

Level #3

The American Flag in front of the photo is a priceless illustration that this is what America has become.  Overspending, overindulging, overdrugging, over-the-top surgeries.   This gluttonous approach to life is what is causing the fall of the United states—in their economy and their health.

It’s my mission to take people, one and many–whoever wants to learn– to where they deserve to be… living their God-given right to a healthy and fulfilling life.  I intend on doing this FIRST by living one myself.

Today, I had an official body scan done in downtown Vancouver with a machine that provides almost pinpoint accuracy what your body fat % is.  It was bad news.  It seems that my scale that uses bioelectrical impedance is grossly incorrect, and it’s not good.  Will post about it later.

I wanted to end off sharing what I was telling the students at LACC.  The principle applies to you as well.  Everyone has their insecurities, their anxieties, their depressions, their challenges, their pain.  Just remember that the more you can appreciate that people will be counting on you to be the solution to all of those issues for them, the more successful you become.  And my job as a Chiropractor in Maple Ridge and a Life Coach and Teacher throughout the world is the same.  And the only way I can be a solution to the challenges of others is to start by clearing up my own challenges, blazing the path, learning from those giants who have gone before me, and teaching with an open heart to those who wish to live healthier, more fulfilling lives.

For those of you who are struggling with your weight—just remember one thing for you to draw strength in the moment you are craving that is helping me tonight:

The pain of regret is far worse than the pain of discipline.  You can’t avoid pain, either way.  Just make your choice where you want to feel it.  Is your “why” big enough to make the healthier choice?  Why not?

My brother is an a-hole.  More on this later.

My weight fluctuates now from 163 pounds to 167.  Pretty huge how much different we weigh in the morning or the afternoon/evening.  I didn’t realize this, because its never been an obsession of mine.  But man, does your weight ever fluctuate!  Has this been your experience?  I’ve lost about 7-9 pounds and almost 2% body fat judging from this “who knows if this is accurate?” digital scale.

To me, it’s not about how much you weigh… Superficial as it sounds, it’s all about how you look.  Think about it… who cares if you weigh little, like if I was 160 pounds, but with no muscle and it was all flabby.  It’s all about body composition to me, so I never payed attention to my weight.  I would weigh myself a few times a year.

Lunch made by Maria: Romaine Lettuce wrap with turkey breast, hummus, cucumbers, carrots, red pepper, onion and cilantro. FREAKIN DELISH.

The typical breakfast I could eat at White spot. The waiter was so confused at the substitues-- Tomatoes and fruit cup. This whole meal came out to $18.50. Can you freakin believe it? Oh and I had to take them back to request REAL eggs. Newsflash. Most scrambled eggs are processed, ASK FOR THE REAL STUFF!

But oh, the lovehandles.  Confession time:  I always looked at my increasing belly every day, but this competition makes me look at them carefully now as I have been obsessively looking at my hairy-but- nicely trimmed shirtless body every single chance I get. The lovehandles are fading away.  Funny, aside from that, I’d be pretty happy with the rest of it (maybe bigger legs).  It’s just those damn lovehandles.  Just ask any guy who’s working to improve himself physically.  Chances are, he obsesses about them.

You gals think you have it so rough, and there’s immense pressure on just YOU to look a certain way.  Well, I have news for you.  We obsess about it too.  Just look at every guy who hits the gym regularly.  He’s obsessed.  Why?  Because it’s hard to look lean and fit.  You can’t really fake it.  With only a few exceptions, in order to be healthy, lean, fit… there’s a lot of work involved.  If you invested that much time and money and sacrifice eating addictive foods… you’re damn straight you want to see results.

And when we KNOW we can look better, and we don’t look as good as our potential… we get frustrated, depressed, and it effects our self-esteem as well.  Most guys just hide behind it better than you ladies do.

I’m watching a show on TV right now talk about Obesity.  It’s called “Super Size vs. Super Skinny” where a fat girl and a skinny girl get put in a home for 1 week together and have to eat the diets of the other girl—one obese, one almost anorexic.  This is forcing both of them to look closely at their eating issues.  There was a feature on a woman who was so obese, she was now immobile and getting help to breathe from an oxygen mask.  She was miserable.  I will share her words of wisdom for you procrastinators at the end.  I hope it inspires you the way it inspired me.

Wow.  I never realized how prevalent are the emotional issues surrounding eating.  I’m going to explore this more.  I’m so interested.  I’m going to report you what I find… because either you are an emotional eater, or you stop eating during emotional times.  Take your pick…. And I am willing to bet that although you might know which type you are—you probably 1) have no idea why you became this way, or 2) have no idea what you can do to resolve the specific triggers for your over-eating or starving yourself.  I want to help those people become conscious.

I’m not saying I’m going to become an eating disorder shrink.  I’m saying I want to coach people in the process of overcoming their food issues—either starvation or binge eating.  I’m willing to bet that there are some principle causes.  This challenge, which has forced me to face my food addictions and their connections to my stress, has been one of the most educational personal development seminars I have ever gone through (other than being married).    Please stay tuned for upcoming insights on food and your emotions and share your story if you want to.

The Bakhlava-Stress connection.

On Sunday, I went to a family dinner.  My parents were visiting from Seattle, and quite honestly, despite the love we all have with each other—when we love each other too much the way we do, we tend to have many spirited debates.  As I approached my grandparents home, I felt the cravings start to surge.

I had a chicken salad.  My mom follows my blog and knew not to serve me any rice or “tah-deeg”.  That’s the delicious, golden brown, crusty flatbread at the bottom of the pan of rice.  The way my grandmother makes it, my wife and I usually fight for it, sometimes to the point of physical violence. To not swallow the tah-deeg was the toughest pill to swallow— but I made it.  My why is big enough, remember?

Afterwards, she did the worst possible threat to me overcoming my sugar cravings:  She broke out her world famous Bakhlava.  Oh dear lord.  Look at these pieces of heaven.  Enough said.  Ingredients include (other than sugar):  Phyllo, butter, sugar, almonds, butter, sugar, butter, sugar, and cardamon, and more butter and sugar.  When you combine stress with fat and sugar, you have the secret ingredients of obesity.

Do YOU think you could resist these bad boys?

I made it through.  My brother and I went to a movie later on.  Late show.  After dinner.  My brother’s food cravings were insane at the theater.  (He’s an addict like me… I guess it must be genetic).  He realized that if he was to go on a no-processed food diet, no sugar, no grain… there’s nothing to eat at a Theater except water.  He proceeded to order a Whopper Jr. (he said the fact that he got a junior whopper should make it ok).   During the movie, the smell of the burger was making my mouth water.  I was going crazy, feeling the hunger pains surge… I said no.  My brother offers me a bite.  I said no.  He then proceeds to waft the burger right under my nose.  That’s right. My brother is an a- hole.

But I guess that’s what a loving brother does.  Tests my will.  And I thank him, because I passed.  It IS possible if you want to.  You just have to have a reason why.

For those who love McDonalds, here’s an eye-opening video about the Bionic Burger.  I imagine that Burger King is the same.

And by the way…. The quote from the obese lady?

“You can save yourself, if you really think about it.  Never believe that evil little voice in your head that says ‘you can start eating well tomorrow’.  Never listen to it.  That voice is trying to kill you.”

See how you feel about an hour and a half after you finish some of this stuff. But damn, it looks good.

Mid afternoon…  You start to feel fatigue, cranky… You stare at your watch, wishing time would travel faster so you can get home to have dinner.  Only 3pm!  You don’t think you can make it.  You start to feel jittery, can’t focus or concentrate on your work, irritable… Gotta go to Starbucks or Tim Horton’s.  You get your latte or coffee with something to sweeten the bitter taste… and maybe a muffin (or my old favorite—Oat Fudge Bar from Starbucks, Boston Cream donut from Tim Horton’s, even McDonaldland cookies would do).

In the summer, I would take a break and have an ice cream cone from Baskin Robbins each day.  I would go months to years without it… But it just took one simple Gold Medal Ribbon cone, and it was over.  I needed it daily or I’d get cranky—classic example of an addiction. My cousin Ben makes fun of me all the time.  He says I like sweets so much that he was certain I had a vagina.  (FYI, Burt Baskin weighed over 240 pounds at his death, linked in part with a high consumption of ice cream over his lifetime, according to those who were close to him.  He died at the age of 54.  Irv Robbins was apparently more moderate with the ice cream and died at 90.)

Insulin and Blood Sugar Cycles….

Back to our lazy afternoon…. After you reload on the carbs that had crashed prior to that—only a couple hours after you finish lunch—you suddenly feel high and happy again.  Just in time for your insulin to kick in and bring the blood sugar levels back down to beneath comfortable levels.  And the unconscious desire to bring them back up becomes so strong, we aren’t even aware of it.  That’s the danger.  And add on a stressful day—an argument with your boss (or staff), run of the mill marital issues, and you are powerless over the yearning. No offence, but if you are fat, there’s a really good chance that you fall into this trap every day.  Do this over months to years and you’ve gained weight.  Make this your lifestyle for years and you have high chances of obesity.  If you’ve seen someone you haven’t seen in a long time and they’ve gained a significant amount of weight– chances are they are stressed if an injury hasn’t incapacitated them or they’re aren’t pregnant.  If the stress isn’t conscious, then chances are they have something buried deep inside and are using their fat to “cushion” themselves from the world.  This is not a conscious decision but can manifest itself as a food addiction or obesity.

This is how most North Americans live.  I lived this way for years and got away with it because I never gained weight.  I would only suffer mentally/ emotionally and have mood swings… a small price to pay for the wicked rush.

Now that the evidence is there (although I can hide it well most times), and thanks to Paul and his fatness, it’s time to make a change.

I’ve been getting emails and messages from people asking for my “diet” because they want to do it too.  I still have a hard time calling this a diet.  I eat everything I used to—I just stopped refined, processed and white carbs.  I eat salads all the time, make spinach and banana/blueberry smoothies, I have spoonfuls of yummy almond butter, I eat traditional Persian stews that Maria or my relatives make, and I just don’t eat it with the rice anymore.  By the way– I suggest all of you try a Persian meal with Persian people, and DON’T eat rice or bread with the meal.  And watch their reaction.  They look at you like you’re committing heresy.  They get uncomfortable and try to talk you out of it… Half of them out of concern that you’re not getting enough food and you’ll grow hungry.  This is the point of view of my cute little grandparents.  Rice and bread is a staple for them.  The other half of the critics know they should be staying away from the carbs, and they feel guilty—but they want to drag you down with them so they push it on you.  That’s pretty much the way it works.  Has this ever happened to anyone… Or is it just me?

The problem with that is that even though it tastes good– creating an environment whereby insulin has to be secreted to bring blood sugar down is causing excess insulin in our bloodstream  (hyperinsulinemia).  And high insulin levels have been associated with advanced aging, heart disease, diabetes, and cancer, among a variety of other things.  It’s bad news.   Sugar fits relatively well on the receptors for opioid in the body.  That’s why it’s insanely addictive.  That’s why heavy drug users are frequently sugar maniacs too.

The path to becoming more consciously aware– everyone’s journey.

Now that I just simply refrain from buying and consuming refined carbs and can sit and observe my cravings, I’m feeling how much writing about them helps me.  It’s like I’m looking inside at them and staring them in the face.  And the more I look the cravings in the eyes and say “so what?” I feel them fade away, and I go to bed, and the gut just keeps getting flatter.  I guess this is what Eckhart Tolle means when he says to use your suffering as an access point for the Now.  And I’m also enjoying this process– how I self reflect each day.  It makes the day become more of a spiritual experience.  Just being more present because I know I will have to be writing about it.  I think most of us suffer in general because we’ve lost the ability to pay attention to our lives and become observers.  Our lives are on autopilot and we don’t live in the moment.  It’s all unconscious. Imagine you lived every day like you were acutely aware of everything that was happening to you.  How much more conscious would you be?

“Do you look any different?”

The love handles you ask?  Still just chilling a bit.  They still wanna hang out and aren’t in any hurry.  Even still…Today, I weighed in at 166 pounds and 20.4% body fat.  6 pounds lost and 1.5% body fat loss, and it’s now only my fifth day.

I was hungry for quite a large part of the day.  I think I’m going to start snacking on veggies throughout the day—maybe an “elevate me” bar.  That should help.  Unless anyone else has any other suggestions that won’t wake up my sleeping pancreas?

Seeing that the holidays are fast approaching, I figure I’ll give you a tool for understanding your cravings throughout the day.  If you haven’t yet seen the video on my last blog post, please do so.  I can’t watch that video without my mouth watering.  If you want to cut on your carbs, then watch this following video and try to get connected with yourself and ask yourself where you think you are at with reference to this video.  Then, as you are aware, if your “why” is big enough, your resistance will go up.  You start to regain control of your own body.  “No, thank you” becomes way easier.  And you start to look better, feel better (I’m sure that eventually this carb monster will go away—will keep you updated on it).  Watch this video carefully.  It’s awesome.

Since I missed my flight to San Fran, I took it as a sign that I have to stay in town and be productive in other ways.  Will keep you posted.  Hope you like the video.

Please don’t hesitate to re-tweet, share, and recommend.  Will any more of you be joining in to make a change to the man/woman in the mirror?

So it’s now Thursday night… Day 4 almost over—and I’ve lost 4 pounds and one percentage of body fat.  On Paul’s Blog he’s been saying I’ve been secretive with my progress… Not at all… I just have never weighed myself so much, and I never realized how much your weight and body fat% can fluctuate in one day.  So we decided to count it first thing in the morning.  All week, I’ve been teased by my patients and staff who say I’m crazy for trying to lose weight… people who think “I look just fine”.

Allow me to explain:  I’m not trying to lose weight.  That’s not my goal.  In fact I’m choked I lost 4 pounds.  I am trying to lose the spare tire in my gut, love handles and butt and turn it into the lean, muscular Adonis that is yearning to get out.  Again—I’m no stranger to doing exercise…. Heck I can keep up with anyone–I’ve just been more disciplined, and I’m doing a form of burst training which is ideal for fat burn.  And again… I AM NOT ON A DIET.  I have exactly the same amazing diet as I’ve always had… only one very simple difference.   I’m overcoming my carb and sugar cravings.  I’m doing it.  I’m taking the plunge and virtually eliminating almost everything white in my diet. I’m not trying to be racist here—but if it’s white, it ain’t right.

My hunter-gatherer lunch. Chicken salad and wild salmon sashimi.

Only one small problem:  You can’t eat anything outside of your home that doesn’t contain sugar and carbs in it.  I’m not even talking about desserts and fries…It’s everywhere.  Look at the salad dressing, look at the tempura batter, look at the macchiato, even your sushi is rolled in it (rice).   You can hardly eat anything.  I went to breakfast after my workout, I ordered eggs and bacon… I wanted some veggies and fruit.  I didn’t want the pancakes, hashbrowns, or toast.  The waitress looked at me like I was from another planet.  They didn’t even have it in the restaurant.

The problem with our collective health in society is mainly due to raised insulin levels in our bloodstream (hyperinsulinemia) due to the carbs and sugar.  Never before in our hunter-gatherer days have our bodies had to adapt to so much of it—because it didn’t exist.  Our diets consisted of organic meats from grass-fed animals, plants, vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds.  That’s it.  Period.  No dairy, wheat, potatoes, or processed foods.  We used to die of infections (mainly due to poor sanitation and no refrigeration for food) or traumas.

The agricultural revolution changed everything for us, and now we’re fat, sick, and dying fast.

There’s a carbohydrate dispensary at every corner.  Look around your vicinity right now.  Starbucks, Tim Horton’s (in Canada,) ice cream shops, convenience stores, vending machines…  It’s tough to miss.  Why are they there?  Simple.  Because we’re all addicted.

What? No carbs?

Can you imagine if the Health Gods snapped their fingers and instantly removed anything carb?  All processed sugars, sodas, all desserts, everything that wasn’t available 100,000 years ago is now gone in a snap?  Every human in North America would be found on the floor in the fetal position within 72 hours.

It all started out nice….but…

Today I woke up to the sunrise.  Instead of a workout, I opted for a meditation.  I felt like I needed it.  Running a busy practice with a lot of responsibility, if you don’t take the time to check in and reconnect to your higher self and your soul purpose, you will burn out.  I’ve been there.  It gets ugly.  This was the view I was awoke to this morning.  Amazing.  Meditation becomes easy when you are surrounded by beauty.View from my balcony this morning taken with my Iphone. Mount Baker in the distance.  Too bad this picture doesn’t do it justice..

I’m glad I did—because today was one of those days…

When I was 13 years old I had my first chiropractic adjustment that changed my life.  I knew then and there that’s what I wanted to do.  I would always be amazed at how I felt after my adjustments.  I would talk to the other patients at my Chiropractor’s office and they would tell me about the life-changing results they had.

There are some days where it seems that every one of my patients have miraculous results… and egotistically, I would take credit for the results.  Today was the opposite.  It seemed from my perception that every patient was progressing extremely slowly, or going backwards– and I took the blame.

The conscious, awakened Life Coach in me would say “Nima, where there is challenge, look for support”, but I didn’t want to look at it that way.  I wanted to see the glass as being half empty today.  As far as I was concerned, nobody was doing well, lots of no-shows, and one challenge after another—Calgon, take me away.  Must have been the carb- detox?

Funny cuz it's true.

On my way home, I felt the most insane sugar cravings I’ve felt in a long time.  All I wanted to do was to go to McDonald’s or get cookies… just something.  I needed a fix.  I believe this is what any addiction is like… could be cigarettes, could be alcohol, could be crystal meth, lapdances and a trip to the casino.  In my case—I needed sugar.

When you are stressed, Adrenaline and Cortisol (stress hormones) are being pumped into your bloodstream to prepare your body for an attack.  These changes are for your survival.  What are the building blocks of adrenaline and cortisol?  FAT and SUGAR. What do we crave when we’re in our “fight or flight” state?   Did you say fat and sugar?  Very good!  You’re so clever.

As I was driving home, I became acutely aware of my cravings.  Because my “Why” happens to be big enough ($500 is just the sting I need), I can make healthier choices.  Most people don’t have a big enough why.  In fact, when you sit and talk to them and pay attention, they reveal that they actually have a “why the hell not?”.

I had another chicken salad for dinner, and as I sit here and write, I’m still aware of my cravings, and it’s satisfying knowing I am much more powerful than my addictions if I can simply create a reason why I have to be.

It’s so simple yet difficult:  It all ties back to purpose.  If you don’t have a reason or purpose behind doing what you do every day, you fall victim to your addictions, you live unconsciously, and all sorts of anxieties and depressions will kick in.  Your health deteriorates.

I’m realizing this process is a lot more than shedding some body fat around my gut.

At this point, I really don’t care about losing the money anymore.  Even if I don’t reach my target, the amount I’ve grown in these 4 days is worth the $500 bucks.  But then again, I do want to beat Paul into the ground  :)

I’m looking forward to this weekend.  I’m going to San Francisco for a seminar with my buddy.  Oh Great.  I’m expecting it’s going to be harder because I’m not in my element, I don’t have my supportive wife to prepare a salad for me when I’m working, I’ll be inactive sitting in a seminar all weekend long, and in the United States, no offence my American friends… It’s damn near impossible to find something that ISN’T processed, or carb loaded.  Another challenge to overcome.

For your entertainment purposes I’m going to explore this Sugar Craving thing more on my next blog (stay tuned), because I know chances are if you are reading this, you have a carbohydrate addiction as well.  For your entertainment purposes as well, on my recent trip to New York, I happened to stop by Serendipity’s to have the famous Frozen Hot Chocolate and did an experiment.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. Once again, thanks to Maria for putting the video together. Muah!

And by the way.  I gotta tell you guys…. I am humbled by the fact that so many of you have emailed and commented, put in your 2 cents (funny how everyone’s an expert), and most humbling for me—that you’ve let me know that you are inspired by my journey and have made a decision to change your lifestyle with me.  I love and appreciate you for it.  I thank you so much for spreading the word about this Challenge too.  My goal is to inspire even more people.

My legs feel like Jello.  Shane of Gymnos Evolution did a number on us today.  Like I said before, I’m no stranger to exercise, but this style of callisthenic (Nazi) military burst training—I haven’t done before.  It’s intense.  And worst of all—did I mention I have to wake up at 5:30?  Are you kidding me?  I’m turning in to someone I used to resent (but secretly admire because I was jealous).

Stretching has never been so grueling.

No I'm not a hip hop dancer here. This is an actual exercise.

This TACFIT business is something neat… the principles are simple:  Bursts of intense activity, focusing on form rather than numbers, followed by short periods of rest before we go on to the next exercise.  Repeat.  Over and over again until you are about to puke.

Both a stretch and an exercise at the same time. It's as uncomfortable as it looks.

Tobin from PhoTobin Photography brought his camera to snap some photos… From the pics you can see that the sun is just about to peek out.  There’s something very soothing about watching the sun rise.  I highly recommend it.  I don’t quite know how to put the experience into words.  Stressbuster tip:  Just try it.

I’m getting emails and facebook messages… “What are you eating?”  Basically, everything I used to eat before… minus anything with sugar in it… or any other carb.  That means no rice, no potatoes, no cookies, no, caramel macciato’s, no chocolate bars, no popcorn.  It’s not rocket science, people.  We all know what’s good and not good for us.  Carbs and grains like rice and corn– not really good for us.  ”Whole Grain” is not a health food.  Grains turn into sugar and raise insulin levels.  We eat way too much of them.

Now I realize there are many delicious raw food desserts that are sugar free, but I don’t have the time to go all the way downtown every day to Vancouver’s only raw food restaurant—Organic Lives.

I’ve never had a problem with exercise and eating healthy… I just really like carbs, and I am aware that evenings are tough for me with those damn cravings.

But oddly enough, as I’m aware they are still going strong, I’m not compelled to eat carbs.  And it’s quite simple why I’m so certain I’m going to be successful.  I’m not being cocky here—I’m just certain — it’s simply because my “Why” is big enough.

I sit here writing this blog and my wife is watching “Friends” and “Sex in the City”… her favorite shows… (even though they’re all re-runs).  I’m watching Courtney Cox, and Jennifer Aniston and Sarah Jessica Parker among all the other actors on the screen and I acknowledge something:  They all are in great shape, but it’s not because they’re anything more special than the rest of us… It’s just that their “Why” is much bigger.  Like… would 1 million dollars per episode entice you to say no to the cheesecake?  Hell ya, it would.

I happen to know that these actors are militant with portion control and eat extremely well 99% of the time.  Why?  It’s their JOB.  They lose their job if they don’t.  So I guess a $500 penalty and risking public humiliation is a big enough “Why” for me.  If you can’t come up with a reason big enough for you, then you won’t do it.  You’ve lost the weight– when you had to look good for your wedding… for your high school reunion, for a beach vacation.  That’s the importance of having goals that you can think about each and every day.  Every moment you make decisions to help you reach it.  My suggestion to all of you guys who’ve emailed me and told me you’re joining in the “program” (even though it’s not a specific program) is to create a “Why” that’s big enough.  Then the “How’s” will take care of themselves.

This morning after my workout, I was invited as a guest lecturer to the Boucher Institute of Naturopathic Medicine’s 4^th year class.  My job was to talk to the students about things they should keep in mind during their transition from student to Doctor.  It’s a scary time for any 4^th year of any professional school because at that time, you have so much information crammed in your head, but you don’t have the experience transferring that information to a real live human who’s coming to you with problems.

My message was simple, and it’s the same message I’m working at living up to every single day, which I think is the secret to being a successful Doctor of any sorts:  Be present and aware with every moment.  Be grateful for what you got, because this moment is as good as it gets.  Commit yourself to increasing your self-awareness and your healing consciousness.  Take every opportunity to grow.  Don’t stop learning.  Save your money.

And most importantly, become a role model to your patients.  They’re coming to you mostly because they are not living a healthy lifestyle.  Live one yourself, and be a teacher to them first.

Still working at it.  I’ll let you know when I get there.

This text message I received from Paul today after I posted my first blog early this morning:

“Oh ya, thanks for making me puke in my mouth when I saw that semi-nude pic on your blog.  I’m still nauseated now just thinking about it.  Jeezus it burns my eyes!”

Here is a picture of Paul in 6 months if he didn't BEG me to do this challenge with him.

The gloves are officially off.  Paul, the worst part of my day was looking at your pics on your blog and realizing that I’m only around 6-7% less body fat than THAT.  If that’s not an inspiration to change, I don’t really know what is.

All kidding aside, we both commented on how liberating it is to just make your privates public on those pics and come face to face and share your own imperfections.  I’ve had lots of messages from you guys saying that you’re going to make some changes within your own lives too.  Hey, that gives me a warm fuzzy feeling inside, because it’s my mission to help others heal on different levels and become more self-aware, and self-actualized.  If I’m on this journey, and I can see a little further than a few, it’s because I’ve stood on the shoulders of giants, and want to help point the way.  This journey requires that I get a few “giants” on my team.

If you want to achieve anything great, it’s wise that you understand that you won’t get there nearly as fast if you did it alone.

My first “giant” I’ve hired is Shane Heins of Gymnos Evolution.  His mission is to help transform lives with a specific, unique form of exercises called “TACFIT” and “Circular Strength Training”.  My morning started at 5:30am when I woke up.  Uuuugh.  It was dark out, it was cold, but as I drove from my apartment towards downtown Vancouver, I noticed how peaceful and serene it was.  We met under the Cambie Street Bridge at 6:15 and began the most unique workout I’ve ever had.

I’ve done so many different workouts, with weights, without weights, yoga, pilates, P90X, etc… but I’ve never been pushed to move in these unorthodox ways before.  It was like learning a new dance.  I’ll report more about it as I learn what the heck he’s doing with me, but all I know is that this evening, every joint in my body is sore in the sense that it’s been pushed beyond it’s usual limit– in a good way.  But the exercise isn’t going to be my greatest challenge—I’m not a stranger to regular exercise at all.  There’s something way deeper here.

A Journey to Clear my own “Crap” surrounding my Carb Addiction

This Challenge has also made me become a more present, alert self-observer.  I listen to the cravings of my body from a 3^rd person-perspective, which is the only thing that has been helping me overcome them.  After our workout, I took my photographer buddy Tobin Smith out for breakfast.  I sat there, eating my fruit, bacon and eggs (no toast), watching Tobin down a stack of the most delicious looking pancakes I’ve ever seen.  Slathered with butter, drenched with syrup, he offered me a bite, and it took every single last bit of power out of me not to take one.

My lunch today: Spinach, romaine lettuce, shredded carrots, tomatoes, strawberries, raw beets, red pepper, cucumber, pumpkin seeds, olive oil, balsamic vinegar. To wash it all down? A spinach/banana/blueberry smoothie.

An interesting thing happens when you step out of your cravings and become and observer to them.  You realize that you are not your cravings.  They don’t have any power over you than the power you give them.  Most of us are so uncomfortable being uncomfortable, we go for the first thing we can reach for to fill the emptiness.  For some, it’s gambling.  For others, it’s a relationship.  For most, it’s coffee, alcohol, and carbohydrates.  Why?  Because these addictions are the quickest way to get the reward centers in our brain firing to cover up the emptiness and suffering.  Once we temporarily get our “fix”… it’s only a matter of time before we’re suffering again, and we spend our entire day/ life following this mostly unconscious pattern.  Does this sound familiar?

I made the decision to become conscious and aware of my suffering.  Then I realized that I’m not the one with the cravings.  Only when we are unconscious of them do our addictions run us to the point we can’t stop them.  When we have food addictions, our ego can become so unaware that it defends it’s right to be addicted.

“I deserve to eat this, I just worked out like crazy this morning, I’ll work out harder tomorrow, I’ll start tomorrow, I’ve already cheated today—I’ll just keep going” is what the ego says to justify succumbing to the craving.  I caught myself several times falling into that trap.  This challenge has been extremely enlightening for me.  When I awaken to the presence of the moment and become aware of my self and my body, I realize that I can overcome my cravings not by trying to make them go away, but by simply becoming aware of them.  I can feel them right now as I type, but again… that’s not me.  Who I actually am is the observer of the cravings, therefore I can be more powerful than them.  Interesting how you can use your greatest flaws as an access point for the magnificent present.  Some of you will know exactly what I’m talking about… others won’t have a freakin’ clue.

You just have to come up with a reason for yourself.  $500 is enough for me.  Do YOU have a “why” that’s big enough to make you healthy?  If you don’t, the day will come when you will be FORCED to have a why… and you can pray it won’t be too late.  As always, looking forward to your comments, retweets, share’s and recommends.  Let’s start a health revolution.  As I learn more about myself each day, I realize what someone has to go through to break the habit of being themselves. It’s quite challenging, and it’s quite liberating.

This way to the beach?

Ok, I know I’m not obese, but I’m just like you in that there’s always room for improvement.  After my ChiroMission trip, where you pretty much ate what was put in front of you, and if you didn’t load up on the breads and pasta’s you would starve, I admit that sticking to a healthy diet has been a challenge.  Things have been extremely busy with my many roles—Chiropractor in Maple Ridge, health and wellness coach and speaker in the Greater Vancouver Area, husband, father to my dog Lucy—it can get pretty exhausting…

Now enter my buddy Paul.  Paul is…. well, there’s no other way to put it… Paul is fat.  He’s not obese, but we’re both the same height, and he outweighs me by quite a bit.  Paul is a professional blogger, and makes money online, so he spends a great deal of time sitting on his fat ass (don’t worry– he’s a worse trash talker than me).  He calls me up a couple weeks ago and asks me to do a weight loss challenge.  You see, for Paul, the only thing that would entice him to stop drinking his 45 cans of coke with his 12 pizza’s per day is a competition.  If you look at his blog , dedicated to making money online, along with geeky online gaming stuff, you’ll see he went through a weight-loss challenge several months ago with another buddy, and lost 15 pounds in 10 weeks.  He even posted gruesome before and after pics.  Here’s the problem… Now, 5 months after the end of his challenge, he’s gained it all back, and then some… he’s even 5 pounds heavier than when he began.  So basically, he’s using me to lose weight. http://www.paulymath.com

He’s been texting me and taunting me all week.  We went to lunch yesterday to do our last bit of trash talking in person before the competition.  This is what I ate:

My Meal... Cesar Salad with diced tomatoes and chicken... with water.

And this was Paul’s meal:

Soup, Chicken Sandwich smothered in Mayo, and a Coke with a Refill.

So, the challenge begins today– this morning.  Now, 8 weeks is not a significant amount of time, but it’s enough to make some noticeable change.  Since we’re both at 2 different starting points, our goal is to lose 6% body fat from first weigh in, using a scale that makes a quick measurement.

The wager?  We’re putting on a $500 bet.  Whoever loses the 6% body fat in 8 weeks gets to keep their money.  It’s that simple.  If I fail and Paul succeeds, I pay him, and vice versa.  If neither of us succeed, then we both lose, but get to keep the money.  So essentially, we’re betting against ourselves.  Which increases our chances of success, because neither of us like to lose our money.  Only way to lose is if the other succeeds if you don’t.  And I have to warn you… Paul is a trash talker.  I’m not much of one, but he could piss me off enough to become one.  I’ve usually kept my blog posts clean and nice but the gloves are coming off.

So why am I doing this?

First of all, I have wanted to get back in shape since my ChiroMission trip and my trip to New York where we indulged in every thing I wanted to because “I was on vacation”.  Sound familiar?   I’ve been slacking on my diet and exercise.  This would be the perfect opportunity.

Second, I’m now pushing 35, and even though I’m not considered as “fat” per se, I have always resented my love handles and belly fat and would like to get some control over it.  The older you get, the tougher it is to shape up. Instead of putting it off to later… why not now?   I have to laugh, because I was always the skinny kid in high school, even in university, and now I’m having to “battle my bulge” publicly.  To give me more of a reason, it’s a fact that high belly fat is a very reliable indicator for heart disease, cancer, and diabetes… a perfect recipe for early death.  If you are reading this and you got a huge gut, there’s a great chance that you’re going to die earlier than you have to.

Next, I have a confession to make.  I, like most people in the world, am addicted to carbs.  I teach people about healthy lifestyles for a living, so I understand the challenges that my patients and clients go through.  This is an opportunity for me to take charge of my addiction, and exercise my self-control, and make a radical improvement to my already active lifestyle.  I’m contemplating having a “cheat day” in the week, vs. cutting bad carbs completely.  I’ll make it up as I go along.  Any suggestions on what’s worked for you?  I’ve never really done this before.

This will also help me with my congruency with my patients.  Life is a struggle sometimes, and so is self improvement.  This will help me understand what my patients and clients are going through, and to help them see that I go through the same challenges they do.  Plus, it’s easier for me to look myself in the mirror in the mornings when I am living what I am teaching.

One of my biggest reasons for doing this is for the Average Joe who’s in the exact same boat as me.  I know that as you are reading this, many of you know me personally… you will say “heck if he can do it, I can do it too” and this might inspire you to make some changes in your life too.  I would encourage you to leave your comments and photos if you’re brave enough.  I want to show you that if the desire is there, and you simply add a few healthy habits, the bad habits will want to fall away.

So here are my gruesome “before” pics.  I realize I’m not going to be on the cover of men’s fitness magazine anytime soon, but we’ll see how much I can do in 8 weeks, and then again how well I do during the holiday season after the competition is over.  Warning.  These pictures are not for the faint of heart.

He is a loathsome, offensive brute, yet admit it... you can't look away.

Gotta look sad in the "Before" pics. For the "After", I might even tan and wax the persian rug off.

I plan on taking you with me during this journey, and teach you as much as I can, as I learn this process from a first-hand perspective.  My goal is to give you tips and strategies on getting healthy, losing body fat, controlling your cravings, and taking control of your health by mastering your own mind and your body.  Please feel free to share with others, enter your email to receive updates in your inbox, and of course “follow” me and “recommend” this blog on twitter and facebook. Results of Day 1 Weigh-in are in the video below.  Let’s get this show on the road.  Game time.  Your fat ass is mine, Paul.

Weight: 172.2 pounds

Body Fat: 21.9%

“Nima, I need you to do a salsa performance demo with me on Sunday the 19^th,” pleaded my friend Alessandra 2 weeks before the event.

“Sure, what’s it for?” I asked.

“It’s for a charity benefit for the Dr. Peter Centre.  It’s kind of a big deal.  You know who Dr. Peter is, don’t you?”

I was too nervous about performing for the first time in months to appreciate her question.

“Sure, I’m up for the challenge”.

The Dr. Peter Centre is a centre dedicated to helping rebuild lives that have been affected by HIV and gender and sexual orientation discrimination, among a variety of other things.  It gives an “integrated” model for individuals to help them cope.

The evening was a blast.  Lots of great food, generous donations, a ton of laughter fom a brilliant-and-unapologetically flamboyantly gay emcee, and the highlight of the evening– shirtless firefighters.  Add our short and sweet salsa demonstration—it was a fun evening.  I was handed a DVD on my way out.

When I got home, I decided to pop the DVD in to see what all the fuss was about.  I didn’t expect to an Oscar-nominated documentary of a life-changing story.  Have you seen it?

Dr. Peter Jepson Young was a family doctor from Vancouver.  Now, if you’ve been keeping up with my blogs, you’ve heard me be very critical of the medical system.  As a passionate chiropractor in Maple Ridge, you’ll often hear me voicing my resentment towards Big Pharma and the way they manipulate doctors and the unconscious public.  I have the utmost respect for Dr. Peter, though… this man wasn’t doling out drugs by the truckloads—he was fighting for his life in a time where AIDS and homosexuality weren’t publicly supported the way they are now.

In 1986, Dr. Peter was diagnosed with HIV.  Forced to retire from practice by his debilitating symptoms, instead of shrinking into obscurity, he began a weekly diary that was broadcast nationally on CBC.  His mission was to educate the public about HIV/AIDS, homosexuality, and “blog” about  the challenges with his downward spiral of health and vitality.  Dr. Peter was raw, courageous and authentic.  He spoke of his discovery of his homosexuality, the denial that his parents went through as a teen, and the conversation about what his wishes would be when he finally passes on.  I was moved to tears on several occasions as I saw how he made the conscious decision to keep going on with his life and living it to the fullest.  Even after going blind (which happened within the first several episodes) you see him gliding down the slopes of Whistler mountain on a pair of skis.

His doctors estimated he had 9-14 months to live.  He refused to let his diagnosis become his identity or reality.

He said “AIDS is not a focus in my life.  It tends to be a bit of a nuisance.”

Tears poured down my face as I saw him describe his symptoms with such courage.  Week after week, you could see his gradual deterioration.  He would talk about what’s going on in his body at the moment, when his blood bacteria counts were dangerously high, when his Kaposi’s Sarcoma would be acting up, when his eyes were losing their sight.

He was on a mission.  He used his misfortunes as an opportunity to educate.  By the last episode, he was wheelchair-bound.  He broadcast 111 episodes and lived for 6 years after he was diagnosed before his body finally succumbed to the deficiencies in his immune system.

I thought about what this man inspired in me:  Staying true to your mission, having courage to speak your truth publicly despite having critics, and being at grace with your vulnerabilities.  We could all learn from him.

On one episode, Dr. Peter shared that his mother, being a religious woman, was having a tough time with the fact that her son would be afraid to die because he had no belief in God.  This got him discussing his spiritual beliefs.  While on a trip to Long Beach in Tofino on the west coast of Vancouver Island he was connected with nature, observing the surf pounding on the beach, when he climbed up on a rock and layed on his back, and suddenly in a moment of grace, came up with the most inspiring affirmation I’ve ever heard in my life in any given context.  For one, the affirmation applies to me and you and everyone on this planet regardless of their religious beliefs, and second, because two weeks ago, I was on that exact same beach (See photos) and I had a similar spiritual experience although not quite as eloquently described as Dr. Peter.  He died in 1992 at the age of 35, less than 1 year away from my own age at the writing of this blog.

I leave you with his affirmation.  I have been saying it every day since Sunday and it brings me inspiration each and time I read it and it puts things into perspective for me.  I know it will do the same for you.

But before I log off, I encourage you to watch his 45 minute documentary and learn from this courageous man what can be accomplished if you come face to face with your own mortality.  There is wisdom to remembering each and every day that your days are numbered before you turn into dust.

What would you do with your life if you knew that you were now living on borrowed time and your quality of life depended on what you ate each and every day?   Would you make time to exercise and go out in nature if you knew the enjoyment of your day (and life expectancy) depended on it?  Would you start to pay attention to your mind and what you thought about?  Would you sweat all the small stuff the way you do now? How would you spend your time?  What fears would you overcome?  What message would you share?  (Feel free to share.)

Thank you Dr. Peter, for inspiring me, and sharing your truth so that others could waken from their unconscious state about HIV/AIDS and homosexuality.  It was an honor to be a part of your benefit sharing our salsa dance, and I look forward to working with the Dr. Peter foundation again in whatever capacity I can in terms of Health and Wellness/Lifestyle education.

Dr. Peter Jepson Young’s affirmation

“I accept and absorb all the strength of the earth to keep my body hard and strong.

I accept and absorb all the energy of the sun to keep my mind sharp and bright.

I accept and absorb all the life force of the ocean to cleanse my body and bring me life.

I accept and absorb all the power of the wind to cleanse my spirit and bring me strength of purpose.

I accept and absorb all the mystery of the heavens, because I am a part of that vast unknown.

I believe God to be all of those elements and the force that unites them.

From these elements I have come.

To these elements I shall return,

But the energy that is me will never be lost.”

-Dr. Peter Jepson Young

please feel free to comment and share.

When was the last time you thought “wouldn’t it be great if I made more, if I just got my degree, if I just got that job, if I could only find a relationship,” and then you got it… only to realize that it wasn’t as glamorous as you thought it was going to be?

This is the entire story:  Even when you get THERE, there will be other factors, consequences, frustrations, challenges, drawbacks you might not have thought about.  That’s why the expression exists.  Because, as Anaxagoras said in 500BC “Nature never experiences one-sided events.”   Nothing is one-sided.  When my intentions came to pass and I experienced the “other” side, I used to think “oh, it’s not what I thought it was– I’m still not happy,”  and then I graduated to something else to desire and my never-ending pursuit of happiness continued.

When we put our dreams into perspective, we would be wise to foresee the downsides of making our dreams a reality.  You may think this is “negative thinking”, but deep down inside, you know there is truth to it.  Think of what your dreams would cost you—what area of your life needs to suffer to make your dreams a reality—and go for it anyway, if it’s TRULY a high priority for you.

Nobody ever accomplished anything magnificent without it costing something.  Remember, if it doesn’t cost you, it’s not valuable.

So you want to be wealthy?  Make it a priority and decide where you would pay the price to be wealthy.  Is your financial health worth the pain of saving?  For most people it’s not—that’s why they live paycheck to paycheck.  The cost of building wealth and saving money is much too high for a great number of people.

So you want to be healthy and vibrant?  Is your health worth the pain of exercising, eating right, making healthier choices (should I eat the watermelon, or the chocolate-chip banana bread my wife just baked for me?)  Is it worth the money for organic foods, the gym pass, the Chiropractic care, The colonics, the massages?  For most people, it’s not worth it—that’s why so few are healthy and chronic illness is on the rise.  The cost of living a healthy lifestyle is much too high for a great number of people.

So you want to be enthusiastic, hopeful, and fulfilled in your life?  Is your mental and emotional fulfillment worth the time and expense it takes to learn life-skills to deal with adversity and stress, to attend seminars that ask some difficult questions that might challenge your beliefs about who you are?  For most people, it’s not worth it—they just can’t seem to make the time to learn and study these tools– that’s why there are so many depressed and anxious people on medications, who aren’t aware of their purpose, who are deteriorating emotionally, who are victims to their environment rather than co-creators of their world.  The cost of emotional magnificence is much too high for a great number of people.

So you want a dream relationship?  Is having a fulfilling relationship worth the effort it takes to nurture, to spend time with your loved one, to plan “date nights”, to learn the priorities and “love language” of your partner, to study and learn communication and consultation skills?  Is it worth the pain of being truthful and authentic with yourself, with your shadow and sharing it with your partner so they understand the real you?  For most, it’s not worth it—that’s why there are so many unfulfilling relationships.  The cost of relationship magnificence is much too high for a great number of people.

If you want it bad enough, you will think about it and see and feel yourself as though you were in the present-time ownership of your dream. There are only a certain number of hours in a day, but you will manifest what’s a high priority for you—whether it’s health, money, or relationship/career fulfillment…. But be careful what you wish for, because you will get it, and it will still present it’s challenges.

Watch this video.  I just came across it from Esther Hicks, who believes that the prophet Abraham speaks through her.  I still think she’s a bit nutty, but again, her explanation here has wisdom, humor, and depth.  And her answer to the question the guy asks about why he’s not rich yet is so bang on.  I would add something to “Abraham’s” answer:

-Acknowledge that the reason why you haven’t made a lot of money yet is because it’s not a priority—you are not prepared to pay the price of becoming wealthy. (Believe me when I say there is a price to pay for it—this is not a limiting belief).

- Change your beliefs and values—and your life changes.

Would you agree or disagree?

Just an FYI—if you want to discover your values and learn how to take control of your emotions and your life—or you are already in the know but want to kick it up a notch or 3, check out my upcoming Stress and Life Skills events and join us if you are in the Greater Vancouver or Maple Ridge Area.  I get a kick out of teaching people how to get what they want and deal with the consequences of actually getting it.

Looking forward to your comments…