Justin G. Walls, Certified Personal Athletic Trainer

Act of Valor star Lt. Cmdr. Rorke explained some basic rules for Men's Health Magazine to create a mentality and lifestyle that sets you up to not only achieve fitness goals, but also some life goals. Strive for something - set a plan on reaching for an achievement, whether an amount of weight to lose, a distance to run, or a weight to lift. This can prepare you for getting up and completing your task, as long as you believe in completing it. Then strive for more- always challenge yourself to believe that you can accomplish more than what you are doing right now Don't set limits- just keep trying until you can't go any further. You could be surprised at how much you can do if you just let yourself Work with someone better than you- that's right, you know they are better than you. Now try to beat them. With the attitude that you can always be better than where you are right now, you can make great strides and changes in your life. It's about the attitude. ...

I haven't put a new workout up in a while. This is really just a vanity muscle workout for tone and muscle development, but done quickly can break out a major sweat. That means- don't stop to chat between sets, but just crush this workout! 15 minute arm work out- crush 'em!!! Super fast tricep and bicep workout: First round: Preacher curls and triceps dips 10 tricep dips- works long head of tricep You can also use an assistance machine or bench like this picture 10 preacher curls - this will work long head of the bicep   Repeat these two exercises as a superset (dips then curls) for three sets Second Round: Standing bicep curls and posterior tricep extenstions 10 standing bicep curls Try to keep your elbows down at your side for this exercise. It will work the short head of the bicep 10 tricep extensions- works short head of the tricep Keep your back straight and extend both arms back on this exercise. Squeeze your arm at full exte...

It requires some thought in to why we do and don't do things. Exercise was not really much expected of the average person when there was so much labor to do around the home and job. Our evolution from labor based to service based industries has created a need for us to generate time for activity. Hence- our need for motivation. Exercise in ancient Greece, for example, was an ingrained part of the religion and culture. The Gymnasium was dedicated to physical perfection, but also developed into a meeting place of philosophers and educators. In some ways, exercise is a motivator today for people to look attractive, impress their friends, potential friends, or just to make people notice them. Vanity can motivate. Sometimes, it's just about pride. The thought of having to buy new clothes to make room for more of you is just not pleasant (especially when you see the selection available). In fact, some studies have demonstrated that monetary incentives have helped people lose...

The average American diet simply does not have enough fiber. White enriched flour has almost no fiber content. The most popular veggies are tomatoes, iceberg lettuce, and cucumbers, which have almost no fiber content (or vitamin content for that matter). Fiber helps regulate the digestive system (especially soluble fiber) by moving lipids (i.e. fats) through the blood stream and helping regulate sugar absorption. Insoluble fiber helps move bulk through the intestines, easing constipation and maintaining healthy acid levels. You should also try to manage the sugar and fiber intake, especially for weight loss. Less sugar equals fewer calories which always contributes to weight loss. Check out the chart below for examples Other great ideas are some of the whole fruit smoothies such as Bolthouse Farm products which use whole fruits and not juices. Fiber in your diet is an easy way to lose weight without making huge changes, so get started!

In today's New York Times Health section , the author quotes studies challenging the First Ladies' assertion of poor neighborhoods being 'food deserts', meaning that they are bereft of any produce and people have no options besides a big mac and fries. From the article: Dr. Sturm’s study , published in February in The American Journal of Preventive Medicine, had a different design. With financing from the National Institutes of Health, he used data on the self-reported heights, weights, and diets of more than 13,000 California children and teenagers in the California Health Interview Survey. The survey included the students’ addresses and the addresses of their schools. He used a different data set to see what food outlets were nearby. Dr. Sturm found no relationship between what type of food students said they ate, what they weighed, and the type of food within a mile and a half of their homes. He has also completed a national study of middle sch...

Have you either tried, thought about trying, or read about these running protocols to get you running a mile or a five thousand meter (5K) race? If you are not familiar with these types of schedules, then follow this link to see a selection  of programs that commonly are offered to get you running that first mile or 5K. You could follow those programs, but end up like this: Just because you've decided to start running doesn't mean that your body is ready to run. Furthermore, even if your body can tolerate the running now, it doesn't mean that it's having a positive effect on you. Running is one of the best exercises for cardiovascular health, but like all powers, it must be used wisely. To achieve your goal of successfully running, you need to understand oxygen deficit As you work in an aerobic phase, your body is using oxygen to get rid of lactic acid that is building up and making you feel hot and sore. There is a certain pH in which your muscles are able to fu...

The Washington Post  was kind enough to mention the top five NOT health foods on the market. It's important to note that the sweeping condemnation isn't totally on the mark. For example: Energy Bars Yeah most of them are from palm kernel oil and soy garbage. I wouldn't feed this stuff to a pet, and I wouldn't recommend it to you. If the ingredients have any more than 8 letters, it's probably not natural. Stick to Natural Food Bars or Larabars which are certified organic (and kosher!). Raw food bars are pretty good too. Energy Drinks Unless you feel drained, don't drink Gatorade or Powerade. Add some flavor to your water because taste helps your body feel more satisfied.  The tounge and brain work against you with this one, so mix up the flavors with natural juices like lemon, lime, or other citrus slices of fruit in your water bottle. You can experiment with other fruits like pears and apples, but they take longer to infuse flavor. Whole Grains Make sur...