How about a FREE COKE?!

Here are a few facts you may not have known:

WHAT CAN BEAT A COOL, REFRESHING BOTTLE OF COKE?

1. The active ingredient in Coke is phosphoric acid. Its pH is 2.8. It will dissolve a nail in about four days. Phosphoric acid also leaches calcium from bones and is a major contributor to the rising increase in osteoporosis.

2. To carry Coca-Cola syrup (the concentrate), commercial trucks must use the Hazardous Material placards, required by the government for highly corrosive materials.

3. For years distributors of coke have been known to use it to clean the engines of their trucks.

4. In many states (in the USA) the highway patrol carries two gallons of Coke in the trunk to remove blood from streets and highways after automobile accidents.

5. You can put a T-bone steak in a bowl of coke and it will be gone in about two days.

6. To clean a toilet: pour a can of Coca-Cola into the toilet bowl and let the "real thing" sit for one hour, then flush clean. The citric acid in Coke removes stains from vitreous china.

7. To remove rust spots from chrome car bumpers: Rub the bumper with a rumpled-up piece of Reynolds Wrap aluminum foil dipped in Coca-Cola.

8. To clean corrosion from car battery terminals: Pour a can of Coca-Cola over the terminals to bubble away the corrosion.

9. To loosen a rusted bolt: Applying a cloth soaked in Coca-Cola to the rusted bolt for several minutes.

10. To bake a moist ham: Empty a can of Coca-Cola into the baking pan, wrap the ham in aluminum foil, and bake. Thirty minutes before the ham is finished, remove the foil,
allowing the drippings to mix with the Coke for a sumptuous brown gravy (with a high pH balance).

11. To remove grease from clothes: Empty a can of coke into a load of greasy clothes,
add detergent, and run through a regular cycle. The Coca-Cola will help loosen grease stains.

12. It will clean road haze from your windshield like nobody’s business. Try it and see. You’ll have the best vision out of your vehicle you have EVER had.

Now imagine the effect of the stuff on your stomach and intestinal lining! And this isn’t even touching on the high concentrations of sugar found in Coke. Scroll down to "older posts" & read “Sugar, sugar everywhere” if you want to be disgusted just a little bit more.

FREE WEEK of Wholly Fit Kids!

The spring semester of Wholly Fit Kids! is almost here!! Official go-time is January 3rd - just a week away. The radio & print ads have been running, the phones have been ringing, and we're almost there! As an added bonus blessing for southern Colorado's homeschoooling families, we've decided to make the first week of workouts FREE!

So if you are a homeschooler or know of someone who is - get those kids in for a fun, exciting, action-packed hour of games, drills and fun at Play it Now Sports on the corner of N. Academy & Union Blvd. Call 719.266.8040 for registration information and reserve a spot for your kiddos before they're all gone!

Kids Bonez

The federal government says 64 percent of teenage boys and 86 percent of teenage girls aren't getting enough calcium. A poll of California doctors says that nearly half of them think kids' bones are getting weaker because they're drinking soft drinks instead of milk.

A study by the Mayo Clinic says doctors are seeing 42 percent more arm fractures in children then they did 30 years ago. "Fractures beget fractures," said Laura Tosi, an orthopedic surgeon at Children's National Medical Center. "If you start fracturing that tells us you're likely going to have more — and that therefore your probability of needing a walker or a cane or ending up in a nursing home is going to be far, far greater."

In a New Zealand study, researchers said it might not be just weak bones that cause the breaks, but all the extra weight kids are packing on these days. According to the U.S. government, 18 percent of kids are overweight, and that number more than doubled between 1980 and 2000.

And when kids do exercise, it's not just an easy game of kickball that they're playing. That's the final reason blamed for extra bone breaks in the Mayo Clinic study: Kids are playing extreme sports without enough protective equipment.

You probably never thought that elementary school kids would have to worry about osteoporosis. But nearly all of people's bone mass is formed before puberty, so that's exactly when kids — and parents — can do something about it.

Win the Power Struggle!

The season of deck-your-waist-with-extra-pounds is officially here. So what are you going to do about it? Will you join the masses who faithfully gain 5 to 8 pounds between November and January? Or will you do something different this year? It is entirely possible to avoid the dreaded holiday chub by following this simple strategy:

All About Power
To begin, it's important that you approach your goal from a place of I can rather than I can't.

Most diet and weight loss plans begin by outlining everything that you can't (eat). You can't enjoy the buffet at your office holiday party. You can't taste the fudge that your aunt Frances made. You can't partake in the seasonal coffee drinks. You can't, you can't, you can't.

It shouldn't be surprising when the diet only last a few days before your inner rebel breaks out and defies all the rules by mowing through an entire plate of Christmas cookies in one sitting.
When you begin from a place of can't, you forfeit all of the power.

On the other hand, when you approach your goal from a place of I can, the power swings back into your favor. Use these 3 steps to re-gain your power:

Focus on positive action.
Rather than obsess over what you can't eat this holiday season, I want you to take the positive action of exercising into your own hands. Every time that you complete a workout feel the surge of empowerment that comes with the accomplishment.

Schedule positive action.
The next step is to concretely schedule your workout sessions. I advise that you exercise even more during the holiday season than normal, since you will be taking in more calories. If you normally exercise 3 times each week for 30 minutes, then plan to exercise 5 times each week for 45 minutes.

Reward yourself for positive action.
At the end of each week take the time to reward yourself for successfully completing each scheduled workout. Don't use food as a reward, since you'll be taking in extra calories as it is. A massage, a new outfit, a leisurely hour spent at a coffee shop, or even a well deserved nap are all great ways to reward yourself.

Change what you believe
The people who won't gain any weight this holiday season already know it. How? They've decided not to gain weight, and they believe it. Do you believe you won't gain weight this year? Or are your past failures keeping you less than confident?

Let's create a strong belief that you won't be powerless to holiday pounds. In his book, Awaken the Giant Within, Anthony Robbins explains 4 steps needed to create a belief:

Step One: Identify the basic belief. I won't gain weight this holiday season.

Step Two: Reinforce your belief by adding new and more powerful references. This means focusing on the reasons that you don't want to gain the weight. Get out a sheet of paper and list all of the cons to you gaining an extra 5 or 10 pounds over the holidays. Spend a lot of time on this step. Reiterate to yourself over and over why you don't want to gain the weight.

Step Three: Find a triggering event, or create one of your own. Disturb yourself. Try on your bathing suit, or better yet go out and try on bathing suits in dressing rooms with that awful lighting. Try on your skinny jeans. Try on last year's cocktail dress. Try on that outfit at the back of your closet that you still can't fit into.

Step Four: Take action. Get started on your exercise program – right now. Taking action is the most important step, and the most rewarding.

Call or email me right now, I'll help you get started on an exercise program and guide you step-by-step all the way to success. Who knows? I may even get you to your New Year's Resolution before January even starts.

Give yourself the power to overcome holiday pounds – get started now.

Wholly Fit Kids! .....is BACK!!!

Wholly Fit Kids!, P.E classes for home schoolers is BACK!

In 2004 Wholly Fit Kids! began fulfilling a unique role in the Colorado Springs home school community by providing an exercise program specifically for home schooling families. Featured in the C/S Gazette, on KRDO Channel 13 news, 102.7 KBIQ radio and other local news outlets, the program grew to become a staple to local home schoolers. Then in 2008 we lost our building.

We’ve now located a new facility & are preparing to re-launch of WFK! in January of 2011. We're in the process of forming weekday classes for children ages 5 to 18 years old and are accepting new enrollments for the next 5 weeks - then the doors open for fun, games & workouts in January.

We use games (like medicine ball golf) & fun activities to promote teamwork, develop coordination, abdominal strength and cardio-vascular fitness, all while improving balance, eye-to-hand and eye-to- foot motor skills. All WFK! classes are instructed by certified, fully insured fitness professionals with CPR, and are held in a secure building with soft turf flooring.

For more information or to be added to a roster, call 719-266-8040,
email whollyfit1@earthlink.net or visit www.afusa-cs.com.

Six Holiday Foods to be Cautious of this Year

It's estimated the average American Thanksgiving dinner is about 4500 calories! That's more than double most people's caloric intake for an entire day. While portion control is always a major consideration, the types of seasonal foods consumed can add up quickly, so exercise caution this year. It's good to enjoy holiday foods, but be conscious of serving sizes particularly with these foods:

1. Stuffing
(Serving size 1 cup) Calories 354, Carbs 43 g, Protein 6.4 g, Fat 17 g, Sodium 1048 mg. The surprise with stuffing is the serving size; one cup of stuffing is about 3-4 mouthfuls. It's very easy to double the serving size without knowing it, and what's worse is it contains over 1000 mg. of sodium!!!

2. Gravy
(Serving size 3/4 cup) Calories 375, (Macro nutrients can vary based on ingredients). If you want accurate numbers for gravy, use commercially prepared gravy. Unfortunately, most homemade gravy contains drippings from the meat (turkey, chicken, etc...). Using drippings only increases the fat content which increases calories...SUBSTANTIALLY!!! In addition, stuffing can absorb large amounts of gravy, which will increase the serving size.

3. Mashed Potatoes
(Serving size 1 cup) Calories 237-450, Carbs 35 g, Protein 4 g, Fat 9-22g. As with the gravy example, the numbers change based on the recipe. Most homemade recipes include vast amounts of butter and cream. Adding the 3/4 cup of gravy to the mashed potatoes will yield a 700+ calorie side dish.

4. Pumpkin Pie
Serving size 1/8 slice of 8" pie) Calories 316, Carbs 41 g, Protein 7 g, Fat 14.41 g. Pumpkin pie is a seasonal favorite, but be aware of the fat calories. Adding whip cream to this treat will tack on an additional 40-80 calories.

5. Pecan Pie
(Serving size 1/8 slice of 8" pie) Calories 503, Carbs 64 g. Protein 6 g, Fat 27 g. This is one of the highest calorie items on the holiday menu. Remember, nuts are high in fat so balance your macronutrients through the other meal throughout the day. A larger serving can easily add up to 800 calories!!!

6. Eggnog
(Serving size 1 1/2 cups) Calories 335, Carbs 31 g, Protein 17.34 Fat 16 g. This holiday treat is full of fat, most of which is saturated. This one is sure to pack on the pounds and clog your arteries.

This is the short list of holiday foods that wreck havoc on your scale and wardrobe, but there are many baked foods not listed above that can have the same results. Cookies should be at the top of that list, because many holiday favorites can be as much as 140 cal each!!!

Bon Appetite...and Happy Holidays (if I didn't just ruin it for you!).

Sugar, sugar, everywhere

More than just a few research scientists have made the statement in recent years that “Refined sugar is doing more damage to the general state of health in America than any other poison, drug or narcotic.” This is a statement I whole-heartedly agree with.

What, exactly, is it?

The white crystalline substance we know of as sugar is an unnatural substance produced by industrial processes (mostly from sugar cane or sugar beets) by chemically refining it down to pure sucrose, after stripping away all the vitamins, minerals, proteins, enzymes and other beneficial nutrients.

What is left is a concentrated unnatural substance which the human body is not able to handle, at least not in anywhere near the quantities that is now ingested in today's accepted lifestyle. Why is sugar so devastating to our health? One reason is it is pure chemical and (like heroin) through refining has been stripped of all the natural food nutrition that it originally had in the plant itself.

Heroin and sugar are arrived at by very similar processes of refinement. In producing heroin, the opium is first extracted from the poppy: The opium is then refined into morphine. Chemists then went to work on morphine and further refined it into heroin. (Proclaiming, at the time, they had "discovered" a wonderful new pain-killer that was non-addictive. So they said.)

Similarly, sugar is first pressed as a juice from the cane (or beet) and refined into molasses. Then it is refined into brown sugar, and finally into strange white crystals, C12H22O, that are an alien chemical to the human system.

Americans consume 152 pounds of sweeteners per year, a figure that has been increasing, (along with our collective waistline), since the early 1800s. "During the last decade, Americans have reduced their fat intake at least two percent but we have also become 30% more overweight in almost the same time," writes Ann Louise Gittleman, MS, CNS, in her book Get the Sugar Out.

Oddly enough, though we have, for about 15 years, been removing the fat from our diets, we’re becoming fatter! The culprits – serving sizes and sugar.

Why is it so damaging?

The biggest reasons sugar does more damage than any other poison, drug or narcotic are:

a) It is considered a "food" and therefore ingested in such massive quantities. Americans in particular are told how we are the best fed and best nourished people on the face of the earth. If we are talking about processed junk food - this is true.

If you examine the "foods" in any supermarket more closely and start reading labels, you will find just about everything contains sugar. Most of the foods are loaded with it - from cereals, to soups, to ketchup, to hotdogs. Even flue-cured tobacco can contain as much as 20% sugar by weight. Some cereals are as much as 50% sugar.

b) The damaging effects begin early, from the day a baby is born and is fed sugar in its formula. (Even mothers milk is contaminated with it if the mother eats sugar.) And the consumption of this “food” continues with food products continually marketed to us at every stage of life. From Cap’n Crunch to Ensure – it’s every where, every day and in just about every thing.

c) Like heroin, sugar is highly addictive. Some estimates are that as many as 95% of Americans are addicted to sugar. Most, if not all, without the slightest idea this addiction is in place. Ever wonder why sweet foods are so much more appealing than bland? Ever wonder why, despite knowing that you should pass on that piece of cake and despite your best efforts to say, “no’, you eat it anyway? Being delectable and seductive to the taste, sugar is highly habit forming. Humans not only develop a strong taste for sugar but an insatiable craving for it.

Slow but insidious

Perhaps the biggest reason that refined sugar is so dangerous is that the damage sugar does is slow and insidious. It takes years before it ruins your pancreas, your adrenal glands, throws your whole endocrine system out of kilter and produces a huge list of damage. Consuming that donut today, candy bar tomorrow, does little damage at the moment of consumption. But 40 years later, it is going to extract its price.

List of Damages

When we talk about sugar, we are including bad nutrition as a whole, since anyone who indulges in sugar has bad dietary habits per se.

1. Sugar is by far the leading cause of dental deterioration - cavities in teeth, bleeding gums, failure of bone structure, and loss of teeth.

2. Sugar is the main cause of diabetes, hyperglycemia and hypoglycemia.

3. It is either a significant or contributory cause of heart disease, arteriosclerosis, mental illness, depression, senility, hypertension, cancer.

4. It has an extremely harmful effect in unbalancing the endocrine system and injuring its component glands such as the adrenal glands, pancreas and liver, causing the blood sugar level to fluctuate widely. It has a number of other extremely damaging effects on the human body.

Among the many illnesses linked to too much sugar consumption are

* Increases overgrowth of Candida yeast organism
* Increases chronic fatigue
* Can trigger binge eating in those with bulimia
* Increases PMS symptoms
* Increases hyperactivity in about 50% of children
* Increases tooth decay
* Increases anxiety and irritability
* Can increase or intensify symptoms of anxiety and panic in susceptible women
* Can make it difficult to lose weight because of constantly high insulin levels,
which causes the body to store excess carbs as fat.

Want more information?

Information and knowledge are the starting point to victory in The Battle Over Your Body. Contained in my library, I have an excellent article titled “124 Ways That Sugar Ruins Your Health”. Yes, you read correctly – 124!

If you would like to receive a complimentary copy of this article, just email derrick@achievefitnessusa.com and I’d be happy to send it you personally. It’s an eye-opener, and something you’ll want to have nearby the next time a Baby Ruth jones hits you!

The REAL KEY to weight loss!!

Want to know the real way to lose weight, AND KEEP IT OFF? Yes, we need to eat more of the right things and less of the wrong. And yes, we need to exercise regularly. But do you know the correct kind of exercise to be doing?

When they want to begin exercising and losing weight, *most* people start doing cardio. Walking, jogging, riding a stationary bike, etc. And while the cardio work certainly is important – we need to have well conditioned hearts – the real key to losing weight and keeping it off, is resistance training. aka: weight lifting. Resistance bearing exercise is the most important link in the weight loss chain.

The reason why is very simple; its muscle that burns calories. Thus, the more muscle mass you have the more efficient your body is at burning energy. Remember this:

YOUR MUSCLE IS YOUR METABOLISM

Here’s a simple biology class on how this works. At rest, a pound of muscle burns approximately 50 calories per day. Got it? Ok. Once we reach the 'middle-aged' years the body begins losing muscle mass. Through atrophy, dehydration, etc. You literally have less muscle now than you did when you were 23. (Tell me about it, right?)

Beginning around age 35 we can lose 1 lb. of muscle mass per year. It just goes away. So let’s do some math. Say you’re around 50 now and it’s been 10 years since you lifted weights on a regular basis. Since we lose a pound a year, and it’s been 10 years – that's 10 lbs. of lost muscle. If a pound of muscle burns 50 calories a day, and you’ve lost 10 lbs. of muscle – you have lost the ability to burn 500 calories PER DAY. Simply because you no longer have the muscle mass with which to burn it. Following this?

Here’s the problem. We now are no longer able to burn 500 calories each day, however, our consumption habits do not take this fact into account! That is, we eat just as much as we always have. And that’s the reason why – as we get older, it gets harder & harder to drop 15 lbs. BECAUSE YOU DIDN’T MAINTAIN YOUR MUSCLE MASS.

So the key – for everyone, including you ladies, is to get on a consistent resistance training program asap!

Coffee or Dessert??

A cup of "Joe" isn't what it used to be. Now don't get me wrong, I loves me some joe. But when was the last time you heard someone go into a coffee shop and actually order a coffee? Coffee shops have expanded their product lines to include Caffe Americano’s, Latte's, Vanilla Latte, Mocha Macchiato, White Chocolate Vanilla Latte, Frappuccino, Cinnamon Gingerbread Macchito (with whipped cream), Vanilla Nut Carmel Frappuccino, Chocolate Chip With Carmel Pepermint Esspresso, Double Choclate Chip Frappuccino With Blended Cream, and literally dozens of other coffee-based drinks - createable by utilizing a dizzying array of coffee and sugary syrup flavorings. These frozen and blended beverages, are nothing more than VERY high calorie/high sugar liquid desserts.

Examining the Starbucks, Corp. web site for nutrition information, reveals some amazing statistics. The smallest frozen coffee item contains 330 calories and 46 grams of sugar - and that item is made with skim milk! The same item in it's largest size is 630 calories and an amazing 84 grams of sugar! For many folks, that constitutes almost 50% of their necessary caloric intake for an entire day.

To put that into perspective; 1 cup of vanilla ice cream contains 145 calories and 15 grams of sugar; 1 slice of Boston Cream Pie contains 232 calories and 33 grams of sugar; and one chocolate glazed doughnut has 250 calories and 19 grams of sugar. One could eat all three of these (nutritionally useless) "foods", and still not reach the calorie count of a single large "dessert" coffee.

If a person averaged just two Starbucks "desserts" per week, it would add an additional 65,000 calories to his or her annual diet. Which, in turn, equals an additional 18 pounds per year! (And how many American's average not two per week, but one or two per day?)

The next time you want a little "pick me up", stick to the old fashioned java. As an example a café Americano (iced or hot) contains 16 calories and NO sugar. Adding 2 tbsp of cream and some Splenda only increases the calorie count by 40 calories.

Lost 61lbs. in 16 weeks!!!!!

As a couple that competes in bodybuilding and fitness my husband and I are constantly watching what we eat and modifying our diets. One year ago, my husband, John, decided he was going to take one year off from leaning out, put on size, and compete in our regions biggest bodybuilding show, The Rocky Mountain, in 12 months. True to what he set out to accomplish, he grew to 259 lbs. at 5'8. 16 weeks out from the show I started him on a very specific diet to lean him out to be stage ready. We had to keep his muscle size on and drop his body fat to 8%.

16 weeks later and 6lbs. lighter he took the stage! It was a long 16 weeks and let me tell you, the diet was not fun. But he stuck to it and reaped the rewards.

Wherever you are at and what your goals are, sticking to your diet can be the hardest. Temptation is all over the place, especially in our society. But it can be done and you can do it. You might not be looking to drop that amount of weight so quickly, but whatever your goals we can help. Check us out at http://www.afusa-cs.com/csp/home.php?N_webcat_id=1

Nutrition

Check out our new "Diet/Nutrition" Tab on our website at:

http://www.afusa-cs.com/csp/inner.php?N_webcat_id=30

Even before exercise, nutrition is the single most important key to our bodies health. Of course, if you don't have your health you don't have anything. So whether you need to lose weight, learn how to eat for your body, or even need to gain weight call us for a consultation.