BodyForTheAges.org Blog

I know that when I’m implementing Pax’s nutrition system, I lose weight. And I miss pasta.

So, I was excited to find this morning a recipes for zucchini pasta as a substitute in the New York Times.

Here you go:

2 pounds zucchini (or a combination of yellow and green zucchini)

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

3/4 cup tomato sauce(optional)

1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan, for serving (more to taste)

1. Using a vegetable peeler, cut the zucchini into lengthwise ribbons. Peel off several from one side, then turn the zucchini and peel off more. Continue to turn and peel away ribbons until you get to the seeds at the core of the zucchini. Discard the core. You can also do this on a mandolin, adjusted to a very thin slice.

2. Cook the zucchini strips in two batches. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. When it is hot, add the zucchini ribbons and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt. Cook, tossing and stirring the zucchini, for two to three minutes, until softened and beginning to turn translucent. Adjust salt and add freshly ground pepper to taste, and transfer to a serving dish. Repeat with the remaining olive oil and zucchini. Serve, topping with tomato sauce and freshly grated Parmesan if desired.

Serves four

Let’s examine a core element of the Total Commitment Motivational, Wellness Philosophy concept.

The Total Commitment Motivational, Wellness Philosophy involves effort.  Effort and motivation are not as difficult to come by as most would expect.  You just have to understand how to get the maximum effort and motivation out of yourself and you are on your way.

Nature does not afford us the luxury of inactivity; to live is a series of self-sustaining actions, so inactivity spells failure and death.  Life can be maintained by meeting the challenges of existence through never-ending effort. If you want to advance the art of wellness, these principles are pivotal.

Allow me to share a true story with you involving something that seems innocuous, but shaped my life.  I hope the message can shape your life as well.

I was sort of a flop in Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts, and not much of a student.  Then I won the shotput championship after putting forth my first Total Commitment…a three year effort to be the best I could be.

I remember the day I won the championship.  I had won most every competition that year, so I was the favorite.  Yet I was dead last in the championship meet due to a seriously injured hand and wrist.  I had the fingers taped to hold the right hand rigid so it would not hurt.  However, it hindered my ability.  On the last throw I figured the season was over and I had nothing to lose, so I removed all the tape.  The hand and fingers had to remain in a specific plane of motion not to have excruciating pain.  I gave it my all on that last throw.  As I unloaded with all my effort, the iron ball miraculously rolled from the palm of my hand up to the end of my fingertips, where the shotput flipped forward in a perfect arc.

As soon as the shotput left my fingers, I knew I had won.  I was in the groove.  The entire movement just flowed effortlessly.  The art of the shotput is how it explodes off the end of your fingertips, so the sport is more sophisticated than it appears to be.  Previously without tape I had always lost control, and pain followed.  I guess the moral of the story is that the good ones always seem effortless, be it putting the shot, hitting a golf ball or whatever.  I found out right there that the Total Commitment Motivational, Wellness Philosophy in everything you do in life was the best tonic for psychological fulfillment!

Subsequently my grades improved.  I enjoyed the “chase” in life in both athletics and business, whether I won or lost.  I decided it was important to aim my effort towards victory, at the risk of experiencing defeat. I had friends who claimed they periodically got depressed or did not try for fear of losing, but once I experienced the Total Commitment Motivational, Wellness Philosophy, I never became depressed or had the fear of losing.  My shot put experience, combining Total Commitment over three years of effort, seemed to be a vital point in my life.

Confront your “shotput,” whatever it is.  Put forth Total Commitment, and win or lose, you are on your way to rejuvenating your psyche into a positive direction.

Pax Beale says “Medicine isn’t a dysfunctional system… it’s a non-system!”

“Imagine,” he says, “if Cardiologists, Kinesiologists, Physiologists, Nutritionists, and Psychologists all worked together to shape a customized plan for your health.”

Pax saw this need, and with his Body for the Ages Wellness Philosophy, he filled it. The Wellness Philosophy integrates all aspects of health synergistically.

With his Body for the Ages Online Wellness Program, Pax guides you in taking control of your heart health, shaping your body, losing weight (eating “clean”), and building self confidence. Each of these aspects of personal health should come together in a system tailored to your unique needs.

Click here to learn more about the synergistic effect of Pax Beale’s Wellness Philosophy: SYNERGY

Lot’s of people ask how to get great abs. One of the important aspects of having great “anything” is to exercise it properly.

For your enjoyment, here’s Pax’s descripton of how to do a proper trunk curl, an exercise that targets the upper abdominals.

There is an art to the trunk curl or crunch exercise (frequently, but improperly called a sit-up). You curl your upper torso toward your feet. The full range of motion is only a short distance. You don’t keep the upper body rigid above the hip. It’s a curling action, not a bending from the hip joint. Optionally doing a slightly different curling motion, you can alternately crossover left elbow to right knee and then right elbow to left knee to target your obloquies.

Shown on the machine below is Helen Bentley, the original Ms. Romper Room, and former news anchor.

Do you want to learn more? Then visit http://www.bodyfortheages.org, and sign up for the Body for the Ages Online Wellness Program.

One of Pax’s most important anti-aging secrets? An active lifestyle, of course. He’s living proof that those who stay active enjoy longer, healthier lives. This isn’t just about the physical benefits we reap from a fit lifestyle. It’s about the mental, as well. When our bodies are happy, we’re happy.

With the excitement of the Olympics opening today, it’s a good time to think about the amazing results we feel when we’re pushing our bodies to perform at their very best. Here’s an inspiring article about some athletes who prove there’s never an age limit when it comes making the most of our health and happiness:

http://bulletin.aarp.org/yourworld/reinventing/articles/too_old_to_compete.html

Source: Keosha Johnson, Intern at the AARP Bulletin.

Key concepts can be quite useful in inspiring our training. One of my favorites is the acronym FIT.

F stands for frequency. Working out once a week will not get you fit. A minimum commitment of at least three times a week is required to maintain our bodies. We are all familiar with the suggestions to take the stairs instead of the elevator, park several blocks away from your destination, and add to that three workouts a week to improve the functioning of your body.

I stands for intensity. We may go into the gym, do a couple of sets, and talk with other gym buddies. However, to utilize workout time efficiently, the number of sets, reps, and which muscles are to be worked needs to be determined before you start your workout to get the most out of it. If you have ever gone to the supermarket without a list, and wandered around and bought things you didn’t need, you know how inefficient we all can be.

Alternating muscle groups, allowing 45 seconds in between sets, or running the weight stack will get you moving and your mind focused. The weight needs to be heavy enough so you can’t do more than 12 repetitions after your warm-up set.

Several years ago there was a study done testing muscle fibers while the person focused on the working muscle compared to those who would look around and talk to others while training. Those who focused on the working muscle recruited more muscle fibers and were able to increase their strength in a shorter amount of time—not surprising.

T stands for time. Time needs to be dedicated to your workout sessions. In your personal calendar, your workouts require a time slot in your day, just like any other appointment. However, the time can be reduced to 45 minutes if you keep the intensity going.

A friend once commented to me,” We have to work out twice as hard, and eat half as much!” The reality may not be quite that harsh and there is also some truth to it. So plan your workout, work your plan and have a great workout!

Great article from the New York Times about how we’ve stopped trusting our doctors.

Thinking about it myself; I currently have a doctor I trust. However, I’ve had doctors in the past I thought might kill me if there was anything I required actual medical attention for.

I think our discontent stems from two aspects of our medical system: HMO’s and prescription drug advertising.

In the past, you were a doctor’s patient. You were their customer. There was an incentive for the doctor to be attentive to your needs because you could go somewhere else.

Now most doctors work for an HMO. The HMO is the customer, not you. Doctors make their pay by who many ailments they cure, not by the return visits that rapport with a patient might encourage. Doctors then have no incentive to build a warm fuzzy relationships with their patients, only to treat them and get them out of the room. In fact, the time it takes to establish the warm-and-fuzzies keeps the doctor away from patients, meaning less in the HMO’s pocket for his salary.

Perhaps, it’s time to look at the HMO system…

Here in the Bay Area we have some of the best restaurants in the world. Add this to a hectic schedule, and for most of us, it’s hard to resist the allure of dining out.

In Pax’s Delectable Basic Nutrition Program, Step Three of the Body for the Ages Wellness Philosophy, he tells us to “eat clean”. Pax reminds us that we don’t need to burden ourselves with the prospect of being “on a diet” for life. Rather, we should educate ourselves on what the food we eat contains. This way, we know how to avoid the bad and seek out the good. After we’ve learned how to do that, we can eat more, not less, because the foods we choose nourish our body, and don’t add unnecessary fat and calories.

This is easy enough when we’re shopping for our own groceries, but how can we make healthy choices when dining at restaurants?

The National Restaurant Association has provided us with a few tips on how to eat clean, even when eating out.

• Even before going out to eat, identify healthier choices at all kinds of restaurants and view corresponding nutrition information at HealthyDiningFinder.com.

• Order salad dressings and other sauces on the side. This way, you have control over how much or how little you add.

• When ordering grilled fish or vegetables, ask that the food either be grilled without butter or oil, or prepared “light,” with little oil or butter.

• When ordering pasta dishes, look for tomato-based sauces rather than cream-based sauces. Tomato-based sauces are much lower in fat and calories. In addition, the tomato sauce (or marinara sauce) can count as a vegetable!

• Drink water, diet soda, or unsweetened tea or coffee instead of regular soda or alcoholic beverages. This will save a lot of calories each day.

• Share a dessert with a friend. Half the dessert equals half the calories.

• Order steamed vegetables as a side dish instead of starch.

• Stop eating when you are full — listen to the cues your body gives you.

• Order sandwiches with mustard rather than mayonnaise or “special sauce.” Mustard adds flavor with virtually no calories.

• Don’t be afraid to ask for special low-calorie or low-fat preparation of a menu item. The restaurant industry is one of hospitality and customer choice. We aim to please.

• Remember, don’t deprive yourself of the foods you love. All foods can fit into a well-balanced diet.

• Take half of your meal home. The second half can serve as a second meal! (Two meals for the price of one: What a deal!)

Source: National Restaurant Association, Tableservice Restaurant Trends