This may be one of the most important posts I have made so far in my brief foray into blogging.
Recently I had a very good friend of mine move to the USA to "find herself". A Pilates teacher for over 5 years, she wanted to learn more about anatomy and just get exposure from a different perspective. I think that what she has undertaken is incredibly courageous and proactive ... and I am guilty of giving her tons of unsolicited advice.
Why? Because I really want to see her take things to the next level ... and because I know she won't take offense when I am direct. She knows me well enough to know I don't ever try to run for mayor!
You see, my friend is a seasoned trainer who really knows her stuff. But she is a smoker. The two are not congruent. I have always maintained that we can only help others in our industry properly if we strive to be authentic. Deep down inside, we all know this.
I salute anyone in our industry who invests in becoming a better, more complete, more competent trainer. That for me, is truly exciting.
So here is an excerpt from a conversation I had with her by email recently.
"Re: your smoking. I'll talk straight with you 'cause you are the kind of person who will appreciate that and I think I know you well enough that you won't get pissed off at me. So here goes:
You can't build a business in the health profession if you smoke. That simple. It's like me trying to be a credible trainer when I am 120kg's. Ludicrous!
You (and all of us in the industry) have to be authentic. You have to quit ... cold turkey ... no chemical (medical) "assistance" ... and accept that you will never smoke again in this lifetime. That, I'm sure, is terrifying. I know, trust me, I've been there ... with interest!
But that's the nature of addiction. I had withdrawals for years, not weeks. But now I am free I realise that it was crucial for me on every level.
When you go through this you will realise you can't possibly help other people if you haven't internalised the wisdom of what I'm saying here.
Health can only exist in the absence of non-contributing stressors. Smoking only loads your body ... it contributes nothing. It's like over-training. Just costs too much with zero benefit."
The rest of my letter was far more innocuous.
I hope that there are other people out there who may read this and be touched enough to quit for life. Just one person will make a difference. I'm sure people may think my approach is harsh or impractical. It's not. It's just how it is. Sorry.
I also fully accept that it is not the only way to quit smoking.
Have a wonderful week ... and please, let me know your opinions. I always value feedback and will do my best to respond honestly and comprehensively.
Friday, 10 July 2009
Wednesday, 8 July 2009
Sperm Grown In Lab
At what point will we as human beings realise we have overstepped all boundaries?
The big news over the last few days is the "achievement" by scientists in a Newcastle lab to grow sperm from stem cells. The idea is that down the road infertile men may be able to still have kids.
Funny, isn't infertility Nature's way of telling us we are not reproductively viable? People honestly believe they can ignore fundamental natural laws because, as a human being, they have the right to reproduce.
How incredibly selfish!
At what point in time will we as a species do the math and realise that 6 billion humans reproducing recklessly will mean 9 billion, then 15, 25 etc ... exponentially adding to the mess we have already created?
And will these people be independant contributors?
I'm 47 years old. I cannot imagine the chaos I will live in if I am "lucky" enough to make it to 80 years. Pollution. Crime. And even more bogus regulations than we have today.
And more people refusing to take responsibility for anything. All on a planet designed for no more than 3 million human inhabitants (and that's generous).
I can't wait!
The big news over the last few days is the "achievement" by scientists in a Newcastle lab to grow sperm from stem cells. The idea is that down the road infertile men may be able to still have kids.
Funny, isn't infertility Nature's way of telling us we are not reproductively viable? People honestly believe they can ignore fundamental natural laws because, as a human being, they have the right to reproduce.
How incredibly selfish!
At what point in time will we as a species do the math and realise that 6 billion humans reproducing recklessly will mean 9 billion, then 15, 25 etc ... exponentially adding to the mess we have already created?
And will these people be independant contributors?
I'm 47 years old. I cannot imagine the chaos I will live in if I am "lucky" enough to make it to 80 years. Pollution. Crime. And even more bogus regulations than we have today.
And more people refusing to take responsibility for anything. All on a planet designed for no more than 3 million human inhabitants (and that's generous).
I can't wait!
Sunday, 5 July 2009
Federer Wins 15th Major Title
After over 4 hours of gutwrenching struggle against a tenacious Andy Roddick, Roger Federer made history this afternoon, winning his 15th Major tennis title.
In so doing he eclipsed the seemingly unassailable record of 14 wins, set by tennis icon "Pistol" Pete Sampras.
Roger Federer is again number one in the world, though the victory was probably bitter-sweet as his nemisis Rafael Nadal was unable to defend his title due to injury.
Andy Roddick came agonisingly close, losing a string of rallies in the second set tie-breaker. Had Roddick held his nerve at this crucial stage, he would in all likelihood have spoilt the Federer party.
But he didn't and can hold his head up high. Roddick hopefully will still have his day. Certainly he proved he has both the skills and the character to compete with the game's very best.
Tennis fans can now rest a few months until the US Open. Hopefully Rafa will have returned, Roddick will have recouped, Jokovitch will have found his rhythm again ... and Murray will have continued his meteoric rise in pedigree!
On the ladies' side, Serena triumphed over sister Venus, who appeared injured and only luke warm. The dominance of the Williams sisters continues as both Dementieva and Safina were made to look almost pedestrian in the semis.
Safina may have number one ranking ... but Serena is unquestionably the current queen of ladies tennis.
In so doing he eclipsed the seemingly unassailable record of 14 wins, set by tennis icon "Pistol" Pete Sampras.
Roger Federer is again number one in the world, though the victory was probably bitter-sweet as his nemisis Rafael Nadal was unable to defend his title due to injury.
Andy Roddick came agonisingly close, losing a string of rallies in the second set tie-breaker. Had Roddick held his nerve at this crucial stage, he would in all likelihood have spoilt the Federer party.
But he didn't and can hold his head up high. Roddick hopefully will still have his day. Certainly he proved he has both the skills and the character to compete with the game's very best.
Tennis fans can now rest a few months until the US Open. Hopefully Rafa will have returned, Roddick will have recouped, Jokovitch will have found his rhythm again ... and Murray will have continued his meteoric rise in pedigree!
On the ladies' side, Serena triumphed over sister Venus, who appeared injured and only luke warm. The dominance of the Williams sisters continues as both Dementieva and Safina were made to look almost pedestrian in the semis.
Safina may have number one ranking ... but Serena is unquestionably the current queen of ladies tennis.
Thursday, 2 July 2009
Quit Smoking And Get Paid
I must apologize to my legions of fans (all 3 of you) for not posting recently.
I know, it's inexcusable. I have violated the unspoken code of professional blogging ... and inconvenienced people. I'm truly sorry.
My instincts tell me never to make excuses, so I won't.
I thought I'd rejoin the fray with a commentary on a clip I came across on BBC Breakfast.
Our illustrious NHS is now using public money to incentivise people to quit smoking in Dundee. That's right folks ... 12.50 GBP per week for twelve weeks if you can prove you haven't succumbed to temptation ... at a weekly "smoking cessation group" no less.
And how is this justified? Well we are all supposed to feel sorry for the poor souls who are battling to meet bills, daily commitments and responsibilities (that dirty word again) and who are therefore unable to prioritise quiting smoking. Twenty first century mathematicians have then extrapolated that ultimately this saves the NHS money down the road.
Why don't we just start situating parasite pods in every major city so that people can abrogate all responsibility and just plug in to the support they so richly deserve? We can feed them, clothe them, keep them entertained and medicated. And we can give them money on demand when the lifestyle becomes too onerous.
I was also fascinated to see that some of these iron-willed gladiators were spending their windfall bucks on white bread, soft drinks and processed meats. A sure-fire recipe for longevity and quality of life! And a curve ball for the statisticians, no doubt.
Add in the sage words of a local doctor who points out that this is working better than other approaches and who knows, maybe we can adopt it nationwide.
This has to be about as bizarre as the concept of mandatory polypills!
I know, it's inexcusable. I have violated the unspoken code of professional blogging ... and inconvenienced people. I'm truly sorry.
My instincts tell me never to make excuses, so I won't.
I thought I'd rejoin the fray with a commentary on a clip I came across on BBC Breakfast.
Our illustrious NHS is now using public money to incentivise people to quit smoking in Dundee. That's right folks ... 12.50 GBP per week for twelve weeks if you can prove you haven't succumbed to temptation ... at a weekly "smoking cessation group" no less.
And how is this justified? Well we are all supposed to feel sorry for the poor souls who are battling to meet bills, daily commitments and responsibilities (that dirty word again) and who are therefore unable to prioritise quiting smoking. Twenty first century mathematicians have then extrapolated that ultimately this saves the NHS money down the road.
Why don't we just start situating parasite pods in every major city so that people can abrogate all responsibility and just plug in to the support they so richly deserve? We can feed them, clothe them, keep them entertained and medicated. And we can give them money on demand when the lifestyle becomes too onerous.
I was also fascinated to see that some of these iron-willed gladiators were spending their windfall bucks on white bread, soft drinks and processed meats. A sure-fire recipe for longevity and quality of life! And a curve ball for the statisticians, no doubt.
Add in the sage words of a local doctor who points out that this is working better than other approaches and who knows, maybe we can adopt it nationwide.
This has to be about as bizarre as the concept of mandatory polypills!
Sunday, 21 June 2009
Depression Soars As Recession Bites
This morning's post will be short and maybe not so sweet.
The Observer reported today that the recession has led to an increase of 2.1 million prescriptions for anti-depressants!
Surprisingly some have voiced the concern that doctors are prescribing chemicals as a quick fix without considering the underlying cause or the potential for long term dependance. Fancy that?
The article even quotes some moron (sorry, gentleman) who shall be nameless ... who says he has "every sympathy" for doctors under pressure to succumb to needy patients because they want to "be liked" ... but what was really needed was "tough love".
Come on!!!
This is the most prolific industry human kind has ever spawned (with a longer shelf-life than petrochemicals), not a flipping popularity contest. Doctors prescribing medications "under pressure" that relieve in the short term and add stress in the long term are part of the problem.
The bigger picture is that, not only do we tolerate this absurdity, we actually hold this part of the machine in great esteem. Any donkey that knows his place will accept the wise counsel of a doctor blindly and without reservation. Doctors are, after all, on the cutting edge of civilized technology. We revere their judgement. And why not? When we are in trouble, they are there to magically make things better.
What makes me even sadder is that people like Oprah, who dare to suggest that prevention is better than cure, are attacked for their alleged ignorance. Why? Because it hurts business. There's less money in prevention than cure. And Oprah galvanises opinion by the million.
What would be nice is if we stopped pretending this wasn't actually the case and just accepted that that's how it is and people don't actually give two hoots about long term health. They just want relief in a painful, imperfect world.
For anybody who hasn't yet figured out the thrust of this post (and just about every other post on this blog) ... chemicals kill. They accumulate. They cause stress ... and you don't need a medical degree to correlate this with increases in disease. And everyone keeps pretending this isn't the case because it's what doctors do!
And, even worse, this is preventable with a simple reassessment of strategic direction. But there's just too much money in not fixing things!
What? Still don't get it? Medications are chemicals our bodies need precious energy to metabolise. This adds further burden to sick people. Even if these remedies come from someone with accepted credibility.
If you "need" Viagra, nature is telling you that your reproductive health sucks! If you "need" a laxative, nature is telling you that your digestion/elimination system is dysfunctional. If you "need" an anti-inflammatory, nature is telling you that something is out of whack. Something is causing these problems, so why just cover them up?
We don't need pills for diarrhoea ... or libido ... or weight loss ... or heartburn ... or any number of ailments. These are all symptoms of declining health. Doctors know this.
Neither do we need botox ... or plastic surgery ... or diets ... or HRT. These are all perceived magic bullets that fill holes in out own wretched lives. And any person that dares to call it like it is ... will be attacked as an under-qualified modern day heretic. We even have to qualify benign advice to drink clean water instead of synthetic garbage as "information", not intended to take the place of medical wah, wah, wah.
Just in case someone decided to take back responsibility for their own health and ceased to be dependant!
We have appointed custodians of our health who are caught up in a machine without even realising it. And if they do, why don't more of them speak up? God knows they have a keener appreciation of the issues at hand.
Why is this left to people without a real voice? There is surely something more sinister going on right under our noses.
And this my friends, is that we are being misinformed by industries that have a vested interest in keeping us in the dark.
Properly informed governments genuinely invested in reducing obesity, heart disease, premature aging, stroke, diabetes, depession, mental illness and the like will move far more aggressively towards education, prevention and enlightenment ... not mandated polypills and more regulations to muzzle outspoken people with brains, but limited recognised qualifications!
Of course, this is unlikely because there is too much money in the current system which creates patients that remain dependant for life.
But please ... can't someone stop all the meaningless drivel and just call it like it is?
The Observer reported today that the recession has led to an increase of 2.1 million prescriptions for anti-depressants!
Surprisingly some have voiced the concern that doctors are prescribing chemicals as a quick fix without considering the underlying cause or the potential for long term dependance. Fancy that?
The article even quotes some moron (sorry, gentleman) who shall be nameless ... who says he has "every sympathy" for doctors under pressure to succumb to needy patients because they want to "be liked" ... but what was really needed was "tough love".
Come on!!!
This is the most prolific industry human kind has ever spawned (with a longer shelf-life than petrochemicals), not a flipping popularity contest. Doctors prescribing medications "under pressure" that relieve in the short term and add stress in the long term are part of the problem.
The bigger picture is that, not only do we tolerate this absurdity, we actually hold this part of the machine in great esteem. Any donkey that knows his place will accept the wise counsel of a doctor blindly and without reservation. Doctors are, after all, on the cutting edge of civilized technology. We revere their judgement. And why not? When we are in trouble, they are there to magically make things better.
What makes me even sadder is that people like Oprah, who dare to suggest that prevention is better than cure, are attacked for their alleged ignorance. Why? Because it hurts business. There's less money in prevention than cure. And Oprah galvanises opinion by the million.
What would be nice is if we stopped pretending this wasn't actually the case and just accepted that that's how it is and people don't actually give two hoots about long term health. They just want relief in a painful, imperfect world.
For anybody who hasn't yet figured out the thrust of this post (and just about every other post on this blog) ... chemicals kill. They accumulate. They cause stress ... and you don't need a medical degree to correlate this with increases in disease. And everyone keeps pretending this isn't the case because it's what doctors do!
And, even worse, this is preventable with a simple reassessment of strategic direction. But there's just too much money in not fixing things!
What? Still don't get it? Medications are chemicals our bodies need precious energy to metabolise. This adds further burden to sick people. Even if these remedies come from someone with accepted credibility.
If you "need" Viagra, nature is telling you that your reproductive health sucks! If you "need" a laxative, nature is telling you that your digestion/elimination system is dysfunctional. If you "need" an anti-inflammatory, nature is telling you that something is out of whack. Something is causing these problems, so why just cover them up?
We don't need pills for diarrhoea ... or libido ... or weight loss ... or heartburn ... or any number of ailments. These are all symptoms of declining health. Doctors know this.
Neither do we need botox ... or plastic surgery ... or diets ... or HRT. These are all perceived magic bullets that fill holes in out own wretched lives. And any person that dares to call it like it is ... will be attacked as an under-qualified modern day heretic. We even have to qualify benign advice to drink clean water instead of synthetic garbage as "information", not intended to take the place of medical wah, wah, wah.
Just in case someone decided to take back responsibility for their own health and ceased to be dependant!
We have appointed custodians of our health who are caught up in a machine without even realising it. And if they do, why don't more of them speak up? God knows they have a keener appreciation of the issues at hand.
Why is this left to people without a real voice? There is surely something more sinister going on right under our noses.
And this my friends, is that we are being misinformed by industries that have a vested interest in keeping us in the dark.
Properly informed governments genuinely invested in reducing obesity, heart disease, premature aging, stroke, diabetes, depession, mental illness and the like will move far more aggressively towards education, prevention and enlightenment ... not mandated polypills and more regulations to muzzle outspoken people with brains, but limited recognised qualifications!
Of course, this is unlikely because there is too much money in the current system which creates patients that remain dependant for life.
But please ... can't someone stop all the meaningless drivel and just call it like it is?
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