Top 10 ab exercises

Everybody want to look good on the beach. Everybody want to look good in mirror selfies. Everybody wants to feel good about what happens to their shirt when they lift their hand over their heads.

Everybody wants abs.

The problem is that when you go to the beach or the volleyball courts you don't see a lot of abs. The last time you went to the beach did you did as many hot abs as you saw people doing crunches at the gym? Somehow I don't think so. Likely you saw a lot of this....

Hold on to your hats because today I am going to give you the top 10 ab exercises to help YOU get those flab abs that you have always wanted! 

Are you ready? Are you ready for those killer abs that you thought only the girls in the bikini magazine could have? Here you go. The top 10 ab exercises based on my 15 years experience as a personal trainer and fitness coach! 

Super secret special EXERCISE #1: BURPEES. Wait. What... What? How do burpees work the abs? What about crunches? 

TRUTH: You can't spot reduce. You can only bust your ass to burn calories so you can eliminate fat. Most people will drop fat all over and the fatty layer on top of your abs may be stubborn but it will come off. 

Check out Teresa's abs! NO CRUNCHES!

Burpees are the best exercise out there to get your heart rate up, help you develop functional strength and flexibility and get you super fit. 

The process to developing killer abs is SIMPLE: Lower your body fat. Burpees are the best way to do that.

Here is a video showing you how to modify a burbee:

EXERCISE #2: Thrusters. This is also know as a squat to press. You can use kettlebells, a barbell or dumb bells.It really doesn't matter as long as you have weight in both hands and do a full squat and lock your arms out overhead when you come up.

This is a great core stability exercise and a real leg burner. You utilize the biggest muscles in your body (glutes) and well as your shoulders and arms. Make sure that you start with light weight and progress in weight a reps slowly. Here is a short video showing you how:

EXERCISE #3: Running (or walking FAST and HARD) with INTERVALS. Don't forget the intervals part. What is an interval? It's a period of hard work followed by a period of period of rest. The interval time doesn't matter as long as the rest is no more than double the work. If the work is 30 second then the rest should be 30-60 seconds. 

A great interval workout is: 20 minutes of minute HARD, minute easy. Simple and efficient. Here is another: Each hard interval is followed by rest of the same amount of time. 1-1-2-1-1-3-1-1-2-1-1. The time combinations are almost limitless. You can do this on grass, on the roads on hills, on trails or on a treadmill. 

Don't get sucked into the concept of long easy run all the time. They are OK but if you want to shed fat you need to do intervals.

EXERCISE #4: Kettlebell swings. I love kettlebell swings. We were just doing some last night and they were really killer. Swings can be a little technical but with some good instruction and a low starting weight they can be really beneficial. Before doing swing with challenging weights MAKE SURE you get some instruction from a qualified coach. If you do these wrong you can get hurt. 

If you do them right you will prevent injury, have a strong back and sexy abs. SO DO THEM RIGHT!

EXERCISE #5: Sumo deadlift high-pull. (SDHP) I joke because when I write SDHP on the board I have people that have been working out with me for years that STILL ask what it is. Really...?!

The SDHP is great exercise that is easy to learn and easy to transition into during a quick metabolic workout. Just like the swings it is important to use good form and to be careful when you add weight. Make sure to challenge yourself as you get more proficient but don't be too aggressive. You doing want to get hurt! 

EXERCISE #6: Push-ups. We do hand release push-ups which most everybody can do. Here is quick video showing you that those are: 

 

A lot of people shy away from push-ups because they are hard. That is exactly WHY your SHOULD be doing them., The modification for the hand release push-up is to simply come up on your knees then lift your knees off the ground at the end. You will be amazing how many people can do this when they think they can't! 

EXERCISE #7: Jump rope. Jump rope for on minute without stopping and see if you are out of breath. I dare you! 

EXERCISE #8: Box jump. Same as number 7. Do 60 seconds of box jumps and your body fat will be running for the hills.

NOTE: If you are VERY overweight (i.e. 100+ lbs) you should avoid #7 and #8. The impact if you are very heavy is going to likely do more hard then good. Advice from a qualified professional is ALWAYS a good idea. 

Jumping up onto a "box" doesn't have to scare you. Start but jumping up onto something just a few inches off the ground then stepping down. Slowing add height and jump down on two feet as you get stronger and feel more confident. Box jumps are a REAL heart rate shocker. LOVE THESE! 

EXERCISE #9: Pull-ups. Another body weight movement that will rock your world. I am OK with assisted pull-ups because most people can't do full on pull-ups. Make it a habit of doing full range on motion (chin over bar, elbows locked at the bottom) on each rep and CHALLENGE yourself. 

EXERCISE #10: Air squats. My suggestion on air (body weight) squats is to do a lot of them and the touch your but to something. A bench or a medicine ball work great. Don't sit (Unless you are just staring off. If you are then that is a great modification!) 

Why not weighted squats? I really truly believe that for weighted squats to be of benefit you need to be really strong and most people are not. Air squats are easy to perform and you can do them anywhere. No equipment is required and they are super easy to transition into. 

Did you notice something about this list?

No crunches. No ab machine. No bicep curls. No elliptical trainer. 

Why do people continue to go to the gym and focus on exercises that don't do them any good? I just don't know. 

The real question SHOULD be this: How do you use these 10 exercises to get abs?

Do them as much as you can with varied weight, varied reps, varied order and shock the crap out of your body. 

Do you want to see that we do for workouts? I post my daily workouts on Instagram. You can find me @RICKCOPLEY. I also post a lot of my workouts on my other blog. CLICK HERE to jump over to my "No Excuses" blog. (ricksnoexcusesbolg.blogspot.com)

ONLY 6 DAYS left to register for the 30 Day Clean Eating Challenge. This program was so popular in July that we decided to open it up for August. Time is limited. As soon as you register you will have access to the program and to the accountability group.

Register TODAY ---> https://www.eventbrite.com/e/30-day-clean-eating-challenge-august-tickets-12434448771

If you have any questions PLEASE contact me and I will help you. My personal cell number is 352-989-6795. 

If you got value from this post please share. THANK YOU!

To your success! 

Rick Copley | Your Best Fitness Coach  | "Empowering YOU to be a champion" 

 Your Best Fitness Coach Facebook Page |Rick's No Excuses Blog

Instagram: @rickcopley 

352-989-6795 | rick@yourbestfitnesscoach.com

p.s. Did you hear that Rich Froning is the fittest man on earth for the 4th straight year! Guess what supplements he uses?

What say you?

Went to beach today.

As a trainer and general fitness nut I tend to observe people from a fitness mindset. Are they fit? Do they look fit? Are they doing fit person things?

I admit that I was little disgusted at the way people look at the beach.

Not a lot of clothes for people to cover up a lack of good eating and exercise.

While laying in the sun I made an  observation about people in general. Please don't try to fact check these stats because, frankly, I completely made them up.

People at the beach or anywhere else for that matter. Let's assume this is a cross-section of society. Let's break them into categories. I know. Labels are for jars. Relax. It's just an observation.

Category #1: The "don't care and it shows" crowd. You know this type. Gut hanging out. Smoking cigarettes. Drinking soda. Red Bull. These are the people that don't go to the gym and don't really care to. They eat whatever makes them happy at the time. They are on medication. They generally don't feel or look good at the beach.

Not gonna lie. This is 60-70% of the people. Don't believe me? Look up the real stats. Last I heard over 60% of people are over-weight or obese. 6-7 out of every 10 people at the beach look terrible. Let's call a spade a spade.

Category #2: The pretenders. This is 20-25% of the people. Come on. You know there people. They go to the gym a couple of days per week and don't sweat. They walk with the ladies once or twice a month and claim to walk all the time. They eat "salads" every day (or actually once or twice a week) yet hit the drive through on a regular basis.

These people may or may not look pretty good. More often then not they are "skinny" fat. This might be a lady that is 115 lbs yet 30% body fat. We see it ALL THE TIME. At the YMCA we called these people the "start stoppers". They join the gym (in January) and end up cancelling their membership in July (they stopped coming in February).

The pretenders aren't really fit but they aren't super unhealthy looking either. They may even do a 5k everyone in a while just to fit in with the athlete crown.

Category #3: The fit and it shoes. This is where Teresa and I find ourselves. Sadly this is less than 10% of the people now a days. Our society is so fixated on the quick fix and the "easy" way that we have forgotten how to work hard and empower ourselves.

Everyday we see these people. Everyday we either envy them or we join them. Sometimes we decide to become one of them.

It's always up to us.

Let me say that another way.

We DECIDE what category that we want to fit into. WE DECIDE.

Our bodies and our health are our responsibility. You decide the category. Which is most appealing to you?

What say you?

Hope that you are having a great weekend. If you want to help motivate some of your friends would you please share this post on your Facebook wall. We would appreciate that!

I will finish with a final thought on this Saturday.

Every blog post that I do has one theme. Have you noticed that? The theme is that regardless of who you are, where you are, what you are or any other factor you can think of... you are responsibly for you and your health is YOUR CHOICE.

I hope to help you make the right choice; that's all. Let me know if you need help. We are here for you.

To your success!

Rick Copley, Your Best Fitness Coach 

"Empowering YOU to be a champion" 

rick@yourbestfitnesscoach.com

Instagram: @rickcopley 

352-989-6795

Your Best Fitness Coach Facebook Page 

The Mirror

When you look in the mirror what do you see?

Hold up a second. I'm not talking about the rear view mirror of your car or your makeup mirror. I'm talking about the bathroom mirror. The big one. The one that you look at when you are naked.

Yeah... I went there.

How do you look naked?

I guess the more important questions is how do you REALLY look once you strip away all the excuses like you stripped away you clothes.

When you look at the excess fat which direction do you look?

Meaning: Do you look to the past and make up excuses for "why" or "how" or "when"? Or do you look to the future and say, "Holy crap I need to dial in my eating and get my butt to the gym!"

Do you buy clothes that flatter what you have, put on extra makeup, get a tattoo or maybe new hair style or do you get disgusted by what you see and get to the kitchen to make a healthy breakfast and go to the gym?

Sadly most people just shrug it off and accept the excuses that they make for themselves.

I am going to keep this post super short today.

It is a potentially powerful and life changing action plan that I am about to give you. It is going to require you to get a little uncomfortable and a lot naked.


Positive change ALWAYS happens outside out comfort zone.

STEP 1: Go to your bathroom or wherever there is a full length mirror. 
STEP 2: Get naked.
STEP 3: Look at your whole naked self in the mirror.
STEP 4: Decide if you are 100% happy with what you see.
STEP 5: Do something. NOW. 

Jumping jacks naked are a bit awkward. Put your clothes on then do something. If you are at work or driving please wait till you get home.

Your body is your responsibility.  The past is no longer something that you can control.

You can control your future. What are you going to do? Are you disgusted? Then get to work.

If you aren't clear where you start your journey then we would love to help. We have a couple of different options. Shoot me a quick email and I can set up a time to talk about your goals and how we can help.

Teresa and I change lives. It's awesome.

If you got value out of today's short message please share with your friends. They will thank you for it.

To your success!

Rick Copley, Your Best Fitness Coach 

"Empowering YOU to be a champion" 

rick@yourbestfitnesscoach.com

Instagram: @rickcopley 

352-989-6795

Your Best Fitness Coach Facebook Page 

My Top 7 Rules for Eating Out

Who doesn't LOVE to eat out. We all do. It's so easy to go out and not have to worry about the dishes and the food press or anything for that matter.

Getting waited on is an added bonus.

"Would you like more water?"

"Why yes...I believe I do want that bad boy topped off."

But there is a catch.

Eating out is SOOOO unhealthy.

Or at least it can be.

In today's short blog post I am going to tell you what my top 7 rules are for eating out. Do whatever you want but if you are trying to maintain or enhance your physical results then you need to stick with these 7 rules. Or just be over weight and unhealthy. Your choice.

RULE #1: Stay away from fast food and buffets. You may NOT ever pass through the doors of Long John Silvers, KFC, McDonalds, Burger King, Golden Coral, 5 Guys etc. If you EVER do pass though those doors you CAN NOT make any good choices. I would say this also goes for the chains like Applebees, Red Lobster and Outback. Go to local places to get better food.

As a matter of fact, if you frequent the "franchise" establishments then you have already make up your mind that health is not a concern for you or your family. Harsh? Yes. Truth? Yes. Is 2/3's of America fat because they are getting burgers at Burger King instead of salad. No. We are fat because our mindsets are wrong.

Change you mindset first. Make good decisions second.

RULE #2: Drink only water. Quick trivia. You order Coke. How many calories? Answer: Who the hell knows because likely you will have like 6.

Drink water only. That right there is a rule that you must abide by. Again, do you want or need to be more healthy. Suck it up. Drink water.

RULE #3: Don't order anything that is "creamy", "breaded" or "fried" or has the word "pasta". These are horrible food choices. When you are eating out your good choices are going to be hard to make. Look for chicken and fish. Look for veggies.  Speaking of dressing....

RULE 4: Dressing on the side. Don't get salads unless the dressing can be on the side. Oil and vinegar or Red Wine Vinaigrette are good choices. Ranch and thousand island are not. Do I need to list the ingredients of salad dressing? Or the calories. I think not.

RULE #5: Pass on the appetizers and the bread. Yeah.... it's gonna be tough at the OG. Nachos are out. Remember number 4? The words "fried" and "breaded" are going to be in a lot of appetizers.

Want to get ill? CHICK HERE to see the calorie content of Applebee's foods. Yeah, Cheeseburger Sliders 1200+ calories. Gross. Just gross.

RULE #6: Pass on desserts. The meal choices are hard enough. Why flub everything up by ordering a pricey dessert that is 4 bites and 1000 calories? That is dumb. Enjoy your meal. Dessert does nothing for you but add fat to your butt. Trust me.

RULE #7: Eat out no more than once every 2 weeks. Repeat after me: "I WILL EAT OUT NO MORE THAN ONCE EVERY TWO WEEKS."

Can you make decent choices eating out? Sure. Are there good choices. Well.... kinda.

Who needs that kind of pressure? Seriously. Who else goes into a restaurant with the best of intentions then some waiter walks by with Supreme Nachos.

"I'll have what they are having...." 

Don't get me wrong. I love eating out. You know what? Check this out. For the last few months we have gone out MAYBE once every three weeks and we notice a difference in the way we feel. 

It's the God's honest truth.

Eating out every so often isn't going to kill you. Enjoy yourself and enjoy the company. Make good choices but don't beat yourself up over bad ones. Proactive the 80/20 rule. Do your best and in the end you will be fit and healthy if you live a fit and healthy lifestlye.

Going out to eat every so often can, and will, fit into that lifestyle. 

While going out to eat can be tasty and fun so can eating in! 

The challenge that many of us face is that we just don't know what to make for meals at home. 

Actually MOST of us face this dilemma. 

Well, Teresa has done something for you that can change your life if you do it. She has created the "30 Day Clean Eating Challenge." Let me tell you. It is awesome. 

Here is the lunch that we had today:

She has created a 30 day meal plan that is out of this world. We had originally released this program and closed the registration. Because of the popularity and the amazing feedback from those in the program we have opened it up for a limited time. 

DETAILS HERE. http://yourbestfitnesscoach.blogspot.com/2014/06/30-day-clean-eating-challenge.html

LINK TO REGISTER HERE. https://www.eventbrite.com/e/30-day-clean-eating-challenge-tickets-12176164235

If you see value in any part of this blog with you please do us the honor of sharing. There might be someone out there in your world that is in desperate need of help that we can provide! 

Remember on Independence Day that freedom isn't free. 

Thank you and Happy Independence Day! 

Rick Copley, Your Best Fitness Coach 

JOIN OUR TEAM! 

"Empowering YOU to be a champion" 

rick@yourbestfitnesscoach.com

352-989-6795

Your Best Fitness Coach Facebook Page 

P.S. Have you had a chance to visit's Teresa's blog? She posted a new powerful post yesterday. CLICK HERE to read Lady Gurus Fit Kitchen! 

Who you are is who you are with

Most of us don't like to go to far from our comfort zone.

This is the truth. Most people don't want to feel inferior and most people generally want to feel accepted. Most people are not massively successful either.

Could there be a correlation?

How could there not be?

I once heard that you are the sum total of the books you read and the people that you hang out with. This is 100% truth.

So, who do you hang out with?

Do you hang out with the doers and the dreamers or the whiners and complainers?

Do hang out with the people that accept you for "who you are" or the people that hold you to a higher standard? Are you envious and jealous of the success of certain people or do you ask them how they do it?

Do you act out and think it is OK because all your friends act out?

I'm sure you get my drift.

If your goal and mission is to get healthy and fit are you hanging our with smokers and people that go to the bar and watch football games all weekend?

or....

Are you working out everyday and hanging out with your workout partners, going to bed early on Friday nights so you can get up early to go to a race on Saturday? 

Do you ever look at your friends and say, "who these people are losers?"


That's not a good sign.

Actually it is a sign that you need new friends.

Why don't most of us change? That one is simple. It's hard. It's hard to find new friends that are doing things that make us uncomfortable. It's hard to find new friends that are different.

It's easy to fall into the same old trap of hanging with people that make you feel good.

I absolutely love hanging out with my friends that are more successful than I am. My attitude is that maybe they will rub off on me!

So what do you do?

My suggestion is to start hanging out with with people that empower, support and stretch you. If the people that you hang out with currently what to grow with you then cool.

If not then is it worth it to keep them around?

Before we got together Teresa used to love to go out dancing and to the bars on the weekends. The people we hang out with now don't do that. Teresa has found more joy and success in the last 3 years of her life then in the entire previous 30 years.

Is that a coincidence? I think not.

Hopeful you got my message today. I am trying to help and if you take it the wrong way I am sorry. I just know that if you want more from life then you need to BE MORE.

If you got value from this and want to get some physical results please shoot me an email at rick@yourbestfitnesscoach.com . We have some BIG things going on in the couple of weeks. You are going to want to be part of what is going on! Changes are coming and they are changes for the best.

Super excited!

As always, please share if you think others may find value in this daily blog. We always appreciate that!

To your success,

Rick Copley, Your Best Fitness Coach

"Empowering YOU to be a champion" 

rick@yourbestfitnesscoach.com

352-989-5795

3 words to change your life

I believe in the simple things.

Really.

SO MANY people make things so complicated to serve their own good. So many people try to make themselves seem so smart that you have to buy their product just because it sounds so fascinating and the person talking about it is SO SMART.

I am not that way.

I am the opposite. I think it is simple.

Daily disciplines make long term success. Period.

Today we are going to keep it super simple with a 2 minute message.

Want to lose weight? Here are 3 simple words that will change your life.

Really folks. It is this simple. No smoke and mirrors here. 2 minute video message today. 3 words that will change your life if weight loss is your goal.

 If you got value out of this post then please share this with someone that you feel may also see the value in it. If you want coaching in your weight loss journey then feel free to shoot me an email: rick@yourbestfitnesscoach.com . We offer a couple of options that may benefit you.

To your success,

Rick Copley, Your Best Fitness Coach

"Empowering YOU to be a champion" 

rick@yourbestfitnesscoach.com

352-989-5795

What is for breakfast?

Have you ever heard that breakfast is the most important meal of the day? Of course you have. How many people have a healthy breakfast most days? Who cares.

Do you have a healthy breakfast each day? Well you should.

In this article today I am going to talk about what you should be eating for breakfast.

But first lets look at WHY you should eat a healthy breakfast and why we do not.

First of all. Why? Well let's look at the word "breakfast". The first word is "break" and the second part is "fast". First thing in the morning you need to "break" your "fast". Your body needs to heal and rejuvenate itself so we sleep. What happens when we wake? That's right! It's time to get going again. This is why we need food. We need energy to get going!

When we eat a good breakfast we gain energy, we feel better, we feel more motivated, we start cranking up our metabolism and provide the body with the nutrients that it needs to function on all levels.

Sadly many simply have a cup of coffee and a quick hit of sugar and think this is breakfast. It feels good for a while then your body crashes and you are worse off. You are better of not eating then doing this.

So after a long break from food what DOES the body need? It needs QUALITY carbohydrates (energy) and QUALITY protein to help assist the energy for the rest of the day.

Is this a good breakfast?

Sugar and caffeine are going to fire up your adrenals and are going to make you feel pretty up for a while. Will this last? No! What do most people do when they crash an hour or two later? Yep. More coffee. 

Not a wise choice. 

Hoe about this classic breakfast?

Getting better. I love eggs. Bacon I avoid like the plague. A whole another issue from another article.

Why is this not a good breakfast? This is basically nothing but protein. Is this going to give you energy? No. Are you getting the nutrition that your body needs? Some but not what you truly need.

As a general rule of thumb you should eat more carbohydrates (energy) in the morning and more protein (recovery and muscle building) in the evening. 

Sorry. The classic bacon and eggs in not a great breakfast. 

Here is what I LOVE to make and eat at breakfast....

What do you see here. This is an actual picture that I took of a breakfast that I made. It was delicious if I don't say so myself.

What do you see here?

Eggs and turkey bacon. Yes there is protein but notice the fruit? This day it was mango, blueberries and tomatoes. (Tomatoes and botanically a fruit but legally a vegetable. The crazy things you learn over the years as a personal trainer. http://www.organicgardening.com/learn-and-grow/tomato-fruit-or-vegetable) 

What should you avoid as your first meal? Here are list of things that I would stay away from. Remember you want to eat food in the morning that is as natural as possible to set your body up the right way!

- Milk

- Pastries 

- Candy 

- Bacon

- White bread

- Low grade sugary cereal

What should you eat for breakfast?

First of all, if you say, "I don't have time for a good breakfast..." with all do respect you are a full of crap. Get up 10 minutes earlier. There. You have time!

Simple. High qualify food. Some protein some carbohydrate. Virtually any fruit or vegetable will do for the qualify carb part. For the protein I LOVE eggs and turkey bacon. We have eggs and fruit 75% of mornings in my house. Oatmeal is good also. ALWAYS mix fruit in with the oatmeal. We like to add some Advocare Muscle Gain powder to our oatmeal to give it flavor and add some extra protein. So tasty! 

What if you are going to a workout or are on the go? Bananas are pretty cool because they come in their own little wrapper! Yeah! Try grabbing some almonds to go with your bananas or apple and anything else that you grab on the do! 

Meal replacement shakes can be OK as well. The Advocare Meal Replacement Shake is really good. Be careful with MRS's. MAKE SURE that they are at least 200 calories! You really can't get to many calories at breakfast! 

Let's summarize. 

* When you eat breakfast you feel better, have more energy and set a good example for your family and co-workers to follow. You lose fat and gain muscle. You become a better person. Who does't want that?

* There are no good excuses for skipping breakfast which ironically most Americans do. Most Americans are also overweight and unhealthy. Go figure. 

* The simple step of taking a few minutes to have some eggs or oatmeal and fruit will solve many of the health issues that many of you are having.

This is fact. 

Hope you got some value out of today's blog post. Please share with your friends if you want to help us make a difference in the health of our country. We always appreciate that!

To your continued health! 

Rick Copley, AdvoCare Gold 3-Star Independent Distributor

"Empowering YOU to be a champion" 

rick@yourbestfitnesscoach.com

352-989-5795

Your Best Fitness Coach Facebook Page 

Torture Chamber

It's funny the things I hear that stick in my mind.

I really wish that I could report that I heard more good things. I guess that is why obesity is going up every year and our society is getting more and more apathetic.

I was walking through the bank today. It was like a campus library during spring break, you could hear a pin drop.

The teller asks me what I was up to. I told her, "Just doing my banking then going for a run".

Of course another teller jumps into the conversation. "THAT is what what I am doing. I am working then going to my personal trainer."

I wish she had stopped at that but... she. Did. Not.

"It's like going to a torture chamber, when I go I feel like I am going to die."

Why don't you tell us how you really feel?

Honestly, it really, really, REALLY drives me nuts to hear people speak like this.

I went for a run. During my run I got sweaty, my legs hurt and I can even admit that I was tired. But how did I feel about it? I was proud of myself for doing it. I know that I just helped my body to process toxins, burn calories and build muscle  I loved that I went for a run. I loved that I was going to go for a run before the run started. RIGHT NOW I am happy that I did it and I am GRATEFUL for the experience.

Maybe my mindset is part of the reason that I look and feel better than ever even though I'm a couple clicks this side of 40.

Back to the lady with the bad attitude.

If you speak negatively about a situation in the future guess what that experience is going to be like? It's going to be a train wreck. It's going to be something that you despise doing and..guess what? Wait for it... WAIT FOR IT... you are going to QUIT.

Who really wants to be tortured?

I sure don't.

My message today is this:

Work out every day. You don't have to like it but at least don't tell people it's "torture". That's stupid. It's empowering.

Your attitude determines your altitude. If your attitude stinks then SO DO YOU.

Sleepworks

I remember the day that my friend Z gave us our first bottle of Sleepworks. Perhaps I am a little biased now because of the first night I tried it but....

WOW.

We were on out second incentive trip that we earned through Advocare. It was at a place called Amelia Island in North Florida. Even though it was July we had the windows to our $400+ per night room WIDE open. As we drifted to sleep we heard the ocean waves crash and we felt so relaxed and just so amazing. Was it the waves? Perhaps. Was it the feeling of knowing that we were building such an amazing business? Maybe. Or was it that this trip was free? Well....

I think it was the Sleepworks...

Ever since that night Teresa and I have used Sleepworks to help us relax at night. 

Don't get me wrong. It doesn't make you sleep. It is not a pharmaceutical drug. It just relaxes you. 

I totally and completely endorse this product. Does it ever make me feel as good as that first night? Nope. What can I say... the ocean waves sealed the deal. 

The cool thing is that Sleepworks is on sale tile April 2nd, 2013. If you haven't tried Sleepworks you don't know what you are missing. 

LEARN MORE BY CLICKING HERE.

Sale ends soon....

Someones growin' a set

Recently I’ve had some spirited discussion on my Facebook page about a new regulation in San Francisco regarding the banning of the McDonalds “start obesity early” a.k.a “Happy” Meal. If you are a friend of mine you can see the comments by CLICKING HERE.

If you are not a friend then you can request to be my friend here.

The link to the article can be found by CLICKING HERE.

OK, done clicking?

This a great argument for which I have to take the side of what’s right and kinda ignore principle and politics.

I am a republican/libertarian and believe in small government. For the most part I don’t want them involved. This cannot be an all or nothing view. The government needs to help in MANY, MANY ways. We can’t just get a bunch of dudes from the bar together to go fight wars. The government does that. We all don’t come running anymore when a house is burning down. We have the government for that.

You get the drift.

Should the government really be restricting what we put into our bodies? Isn’t that our right and our choice? Yes and no.

Let’s look at a perfect example from years past. How about a battle that the government is winning; or at least not losing.

Smoking.

Smoking rates have gone WAY down. Sure there are still many morons that choose to smoke. Has the government helped to lower the rates? You bet they have!

Who else remembers smoking areas in schools, on planes, busses and airplanes? Gone, gone, gone and gone. How about taxes? A pack of smokes used to be wicked cheap. Now it is super expensive.

Do you see ads on TV anymore? Nope. The government made laws against that. I think all these regulations and taxes had the very good benefit of bringing smoking rates WAY DOWN.

I am good with that.

Now what about happy meals? Should be really give toys with a “meal” that only resembles food in smell and sight? These foods do nothing but kill you. Watch Supersize me. That dude gained 17 lbs in 30 days. Gross.

I don’t believe in too many regulations but some are needed to protect the ones that cannot protect themselves.

Sure it’s the job of the parents to feed the kids the right food. People make these mistakes and buy this crap for their kids all the time. It’s wrong. Do they have a choice? Yes. Should we as a people help them make that choice?

Yes!

Parents raise there children not to murder; true? So since the parents “got it” why bother having laws?

The food giants are taking advantage of the consumer at every level. It is a travesty and it needs to stop. What we are doing isn’t working. The government needs to step to the plate. They need to do something.

What will 90% obesity look like in this country? It’s coming if we don’t get some control. Remember the government is US. They represent the people. If these food giants are being money grubbing bullies then WE (yes, the government) need to step up and say enough is enough.

Enough is enough.

The government needs to get out of bed with the food industry and start doing what is right. We need to start outlawing chemicals like high fructose corn syrup, aspartame, and red dye number whatever. Someone needs to grow a set around here.

Kudos to you San Francisco! Thank you for doing SOMETHING. What has Obama done? What did Bush do? What did Clinton do? Nothing, nothing, nothing.

A game is not one on the sidelines. Time to get in the action….