Human E.C.O. System

New Email for Tony

2009-10-31T08:48:00.000-07:00

Hi there my new email for sending me questions and queries is tonyfindlay2008@gmail.com

I will be designing a 8-12 week challenge and also hope to have my E-Book for sale shortly.

Tony

Saturday 26th September 2009 - My stars for the week ahead ... how prophetic

2009-09-26T22:55:00.000-07:00

Quote .... The amount of stuff you've had to put up with from others over the last year or so (in general) and the last few weekas (in particular) would be enough to give a saint a hernia. Both in work and in your personal life, its been challenging. Good news: most of the madness is over. Now just show you've grown as a result of the mayhem. End quote.

Now how do I put that into my plan for the week ahead ... No matter how true the past is ... I focus on a positive outcome to completing the journey I started :-)

Friday 25th September 2008 - The journey continues ... FULL SPEED

2009-09-25T22:55:00.000-07:00

I have been remiss in my postings for a while and hope that this finds you all well and I will try to be more viligent :-))

Life is certainly about a series of ever constant changes and my last six months is no different. I have experienced some pretty turbulent moments in my business and personal life. While all have come from different directions and to be honest have totally caught me off guard, I find myself constantly relying on elements of inner strength.

Self doubt will always slip into your thought process when you struggle to find a way forward to combat an unseen force that is working against you, whether it is fate, timing, another person or just circumstance.

And yes, even the very positive person that I am would be foolish not to question these moments I have endured to seek inner solace when confronted by what could seem to others like failures. I think the last few months have definitely caused me to remember the importance of strength in mind and body. I try to use this as self belief.

I have constantly made a point in my life of focusing on positives and the most amazing support network we have is family and some friends, that for me has been my "rock" and for that I am ever grateful.

There is no question that being healthy has definitely served to help me combat this challenge and allow me to bounce back - which I am and continue to plan huge things for the next adventure LIFE takes me on. The Health Warrior is back and not taking prisoners.

Work for me has always been a passion project where I get to assist others feel the amazing changes that I do and are possible when the Human ECO System is working optimally. That sometimes means being the trainer, sometimes the nutrient advisor and sometimes just an ear to talk too when things aren't going right. In LIFE there are no experts because that is what being human is all about. Making mistakes, learning from them and trying to move forward.

I would say my greatest challenge is making the intangible - tangible.
A passion focus like fitness that I have can be all consuming and this was reminded to me recently when talking to a friend about how he would describe me. He said "when I think of you I always think of big challenges you try to conquer". I asked him if that was a good thing. He replied "not always but it's a pleasure to see someone who believes in their self confidence and works hard to make it happen".

I guess that sums me up pretty well. While I do believe in nothing ventured, nothing gained, I also found a quote when I was training for the Hawaii Ironman back in 2000 that is my inner mantra.

"Have the courage to finish what you start".

For me this means NEVER, ever quitting on anything or anyone !
Quitting is the easy road whereas being persistent and resilient is much more difficult but more often then not - WORTH IT by a long way.

You can't always expect others to be part of that journey as it can be long and testing, so try to find some balance in the part you play in the lives of others. They may not have signed up for all the twists and turns. For me I will always be there to help, it's what I do and it's what I am.

If I have learned anything over the last six months it is this - the destination and who comes with you on it - may not be who you thought it should be - but those that value you the most will always love and forgive errors as you after all .... only human.

Next post is all about Nutrient Absorption so get ready to blast into Summer (or Winter for the northern hemisphere readers) ..... there is no end in sight to the war on Obesity - but we can make an impact. It's YOUR body and it's YOUR Life.

Tuesday 18th August 2008 - How do we fix what isnt broken

2009-08-18T23:28:00.000-07:00

Ok so over the last week I have seen quite a few news articles on various health stories ranging from complaints in a lot of countries about their health care systems and a lack of possible solutions, to young school age children eating badly with poor food options from their school canteens, to the availability of "stimulant drinks" now becoming the basic form of low quality nutrient intake in mornings and of course obesity numbers rising.

It got me to thinking. Do people really care about their own lives ?
Contrary to the best intentions of fitness and health professionals, who are trying to restore the health of their populations, it would appear that no they don't care.

You see to make positive health changes means taking action which would then require people to take personal responsibility.

This seems to be an unlikely result and more importantly a sad reality for the future. The number of overweight / obese members of the global population are continuing to increase and this is not exclusive to adults but the number of children around the world has not decreased meaning a future of overweight adults filled with preventable diseases.

These "weight" situations brought about by too much body fat lead to other health conditions which sadly can be fatal. So I guess there is no disputing from the research that is currently available, that the root cause of a lot of "preventable deaths" could be changed if only the majority didn't have an "over-eating disorder".

Why would anyone willingly choose a life that is fraught with pain through disease to then further exacerbate that discomfort by indulging in supposed "comfort food". Now that is a roller coaster ride that only has one outcome - bad. Talk about food being a short term fix.

In reply to an article in TIME magazine on another professional networking site, one of the groups I am a member of, there was debate about the pro's and con's of exercise being used as a way to get thin. I think that a lot of people believe this to be possible.

This was part of my response - "For the record exercise doesn't make you thin nor should we care. Rather let's learn how to show exercise as a human benefit then we can stop worrying about how we look, and focus on how we better perform in the human race called life."

If we take time to focus on the exercise aspect, then we should equally also address how food plays a role in our lives. It began as a source of nourishment while we avoided dinosaurs - so I hear. Then with time and through "marketing" it seems to have evolved through the ages to the point now, where multi-billion dollar weight loss companies overlook the nutrient value and only stress calories to validate using weight values from standing on scales as the net sum of who we are as people. And don't even get me started about TV shows that use "edited emotional footage" to supposedly inspire others.

Compounding this is the marketing by food and drink companies who only "push the good times" in adverts in these shows, but, while it is true they provide low quality versions that appeal to the masses, there is no one pushing each of us to purchase these products.

So we have now come full circle in this blog - back to personal responsibility.

If no one believes that they are at risk, as being fat isn't an issue until the Doctor says that it is and with Diabetes II on the increase (oh yeah that is the preventable and if caught early, the reversable one), how we can stimulate people to focus on this simple fact.
Eat less and Move more.

We the fitness industry members seem to have been unsuccessful in our efforts so far but if we don't begin to have more luck then it seems that there is nothing but pain on the way for the health systems of every country all over the world. It certainly has inspired medical options as the alternative source of creating a healthy change but sadly none of these have been proven to beat the original concept of using calories through movement and only eating what we need to survive.

Start today - be responsible for your own "weight" and lower your fat levels.

Sunday 2nd August 2009 - A Simple Workout

2009-08-02T01:39:00.000-07:00

It has been such a gorgeous couple of days here that I thought I would show a simple workout that I use whenever I am so inclined to head outdoors (or travel away on business).

The picture shows that you need just a few pieces of equipment to do this which can all be packed in your suitcase and cost less than $65.

It consists of a jump rope or skipping rope which provides the basis for the cardiovascular component.

The ExerBand is for lean muscle conditioning exercises AND you can do the whole body with it. Also a great point about this piece is that it can either be used as a straight bar with band PLUS it breaks in half and allows you to work independent arms for exercises like alternate arm curls or shoulder exercises.

Then I picked up the wheel at a friends backyard sale and have been using it for core training and it is awesome.

So the workout consists of the following :

Skipping (50-75 rotations)

Jump Squats (12-15 reps)

Lunges (10-15 reps then do the other leg)

I do this sequence through three times for lower body

THEN I ADD ONE EXERCISE FROM LIST BELOW EACH TIME THOUGH AFTER THE LUNGES ...

Side Raises (8-12 reps)

Upright Rows (10-15 reps)

Bicep Curls (12-15 reps)

THEN TO FINISH I DO 5 SETS OF THE FOLLOWING TWO EXERCISES ...

Pushups (10-15 reps)

Dips (10-15 reps)

TO FINISH MYSELF TOTALLY I DO THREE SETS FOR CORE WORK ...

Wheel Rolls (on knees 6-10 reps - technique is really important here !)

Start off with the lower number of reps if you are new to exercise or get a fitness professional to check your technique. Enjoy

Sunday 26th July 2009 - The Essence of Life - quality nutrients

2009-07-26T18:08:00.000-07:00

The picture I have added is how my day normally begins. An Energy Shake, Cup of Coffee and Nutritional Support.

My energy shake is made up of 250g water mixed with 100g of skim milk, added to that is 45g of Protein (Whey) and two scoops of Barley Grass (Greens).

Yes, like a lot of fitness professionals I need a vice and my choice is coffee. Love the smell, love the taste and also it has beneficially effects for releasing FFA's (free fatty acids) from the fat cell if your levels of insulin are low and your system is not flooded with carbs (sugars).

The tablets you can see are my Multi-vitamin/mineral plus Anti-oxidants and the yellow ones are a Glucosamine/Chrondoitin blend that offsets joint discomfort from years spent training and playing sport.

I often get asked "should we take a vitamin tablet?"

Yes I believe that WE ALL need to be taking "nutritional support" as not only are the quality of foods nowadays not as high as when base daily levels of required intakes were set but also the levels of pollution we ingest causing damage need to be minimized.

Initially each morning I try to do some exercise which will depend on the phase of training that I am in, but mostly it's a health regime that I can do anywhere or anytime and involves both cardio and lean muscle conditioning. It's not designed to be a body building regime but rather an all body workout to promote a healthy life.

To support that activity I ensure that I drink adequate levels of H2O and for me it is about 2-3 litres per day. The Rainbow Eating Plan I created to adopt is based upon Nutrients and NOT calories. I am happy for you to look back through my entries on here and find it and use it.

During the day I re-fuel about every three hours and make sure that there is adequate portions of protein (including plant types but mostly fish, chicken or meat or nuts). I do this as it forms the basis for the elements of our Human ECO System and breaks down into amino acids that form our RNA and DNA. I eat mostly salads and vegetables and occassionally supplement that carbohydrate intake with brown rice or cous cous.

Reducing the processed foods most people consume will lower the intake of unnecessary total calories and move your body from a permanent "storage" mode into a more friendly position for decreasing levels of bodyfat when you add in activity with intensity.

I think that explains the genesis of the Human ECO System and how it all came about. Having been a fitness and health professional advocate for over 20 years I still remain fascinated in the human body and all it's functional forms. Whether female or male you can't help but be impressed by the effort that some people show in achieving what to other's is a "work of art".

In all it's simplicity that artwork involves dedication, commitment, persistence and sacrifice which all amount to the ability to not only set goals but achieve them. If you see someone and think that you would like to have their commitment it will only take you moving forward and allowing yourself to become a priority.

I lead a life that has moments of downtime but mostly it's a constantly evolving pace and while I love the challenges that come my way, as I mentioned in my previous blog, I ensure that the inner aspects of my human eco system are fed and watered. Then when you add the nuturing and respect aspect of "SELF" and these are supportive of self love over self loathing and self belief over self doubt, you are on the road to success.

Are you doing everything you can to HELP YOURSELF ?

If not, then I suggest you make a plan and commit to it and if you are not sure what to do - ask and I will try to assist.

Sunday 26th July 2009 - Bridging The Gap

2009-07-26T02:27:00.000-07:00

A few days ago a friend was telling me about some personal issues that he was facing that really weren't all that serious in the big scheme of things and he laughed and said .. "all I need to do is build a bridge .... and then get over it".

We then both laughed because he meant that he had to get on with life and not let "the small stuff" that he had been focusing on, allow it to get him down as none were life threatening and none were substantial.

Later that day, I was thinking about the saying that he had used and how I'm sure that there are times when we all have been in similar situations, that at the time seem insurmountable but in reality don't affect us physically but can and do limit us emotionally.

So when we are "inside the emotional situation", we often find ourselves going through the aspects of our problem with internal dialogue or those voices in your head that don't appear to be too friendly. Sadly they seem to talk us down and can add to our feelings of negativity. Imagine if we treated our friends the way we treat ourselves, I'm pretty sure that the friendship wouldn't last very long and in fact you wouldn't want them as a friend.

Now back to building bridges.

This kind of follows on from my last blog about movement and action. Often we are limited in our understanding of the reason we are sad, upset or "damaged" so the normal reaction is to lock ourselves away and limit human contact. That way we don't have to explain what has or is happening and equally we don't have to listen to the "experts" on our lives.

My personal bridge to recovery is always to focus on what I am doing right at that moment that is healthy for me. Positive thoughts, lead to positive actions, and for that I need a positive plan. I know that we all can't change factors of our lives such as our job or our money situation but there is ONE factor that we can always work on improving. That is our HEALTH.

I tell people all the time in my Spin classes and anyone who asks me about fitness and health topics, that fitness is earned and fat loss becomes the bi-product. For example if you are actively burning more calories than you are consuming, then there is a greater chance that you are contributing to your fat loss goals.

Now with an eating plan that is complimentary to those activity efforts, you are moving positively forward for YOU. Remember that the only true aspect of your life that you control every minute of every day, is what you put in your mouth. That is the personal responsibility part of the plan and we all need to do this.

More often than not when you "shift the focus" from negative problems to positive steps with a focus on healthier living, you will find that it will reflect on the outside (ie your body). It also has been proven to improve mental attitudes and reduce depression, which is what we feel like when we are in those dark places.

So what is my bridge ?

It's taking personal health steps that are focused on ME.

The first step to leading a full and generous life is to actually like who you are, what you are and what you do.

I encourage you all to try this and not only that - show the same amount of empathy to yourself that you would a friend because YOU are not a stranger in the mirror.

Monday 20th July 2009 - Man walks on Moon 40 years ago

2009-07-20T18:28:00.000-07:00

I thought that a post on today of all days needed to be worthy and filled with such significance to be relevant for our lives.

The day man walked on the Moon is without doubt one of the greatest achievement of mankind. I can still remember it happening, of course I was very very young (*smiles) and without doubt there would be few people who have not been impressed at one time in their life when looking upwards at night at it's majesty.

To launch a rocket into space in 1969 filled with men who will walk on the Moon, and then to be able to bring it back to Earth, must have seemed like the biggest challenge when it was conceived, and I'm sure there were the doubters.

Of course as an Australian I hold special pride in the fact that we assisted this process to happen in a place called Parkes, for those that don't know the story of our involvement, there is a movie called The Dish that is worth watching. There is a very large telescope there that tracked the moon landing for about two hours and beamed that around the world - so yes we were integral to that moment in time.

It was a time for action and discovery.

So for me I started to wonder about this - if action speaks louder than a thousand words - how many words does inaction speak of ?

When in your life have you faced the prospect of such a journey that the very thought of "change" caused you to become immobile or plagued with fear?

I think that human nature is governed by the fear of the unknown, which is why we seem to be impressed when someone succeeds at anything. We offer praise and hold their efforts up as an example to others of bravery, which as a fan of anyone who "tries to succeed", I am a supporter of these efforts.

More often then not humans find the option to stay in a place of pain is less fearful than that point of decision where we decide to move forward. There is a saying "it's better the devil you know, then the devil you don't" but I would ask the question, why do we mostly assume movement is a bad thing and it will cause us pain.

And it doesn't necessarily have to be forward. It can be sideways or even backwards to move forwards in life. I personally have done more than my share of "movement", some forward, some sideways and definitley some backwards but ultimately I think that has led to constant growth of me as a person.

The ability to make a change is put into motion by that first step, whether it be the decision or the movement but there is no doubt that just sitting and contemplating movement is inaction. We often fear what we think may or could happen is going to be bad and so seem stuck either in a rut, on a treadmill, or in a hole based upon our worst fear scenario's.

I find strength in talking with or being around positive energy. It fuels me and fills me with a sense of purpose or drive to attempt or achieve any obstacle. I can recall when I was invited to compete in the Hawaii Ironman Triathlon in 2000 and only had 13 weeks to prepare that so many people I know informed me that I wouldn't succeed and it was impossible to think I could do it that to someone like me it was like waving a red flag at a bull.

My philosophy for this life event was simple. This was a life experience I could only dream of attempting after watching the race live the year before and so while I was unsure of how I would go I had no doubt I would finish which was my only goal.

I remember one "friend" telling me that it was a waste of time to compete and not try to win and inwardly I just laughed. That to me is a defeatist attitude. Sorry but in following his belief it appears there is nothing in life to do unless it's about winning, well, I was never that desperate to be first, however he is known for being desperate which is his cross to burden.

I finished that race and take great pride each time I recall how hard it was and holding the medal at the finish line, but believe me there are not many people who have done the race that would tell you it is easy. That is why it is such an honour to be called an "Ironman" I guess.

Another example is two years ago I was invited to undertake a 24 Hour Spin Challenge in New York's Grand Central Station with a charity called HealthCorps. Not only is this one of my favorite charities dealing with teen obesity it was started by a friend (Dr Mehmet Oz) who is truly inspirational and continues to give to this cause even though he is quite busy.

The people who were organizing the event were so motivating and helpful during those moments when I was really being pushed to continue that I did and completed the total 24 hours and felt amazing for at least 30 minutes after the event when I fell asleep upon reaching my hotel room.

Each person has a different motivating factor for doing what they do but it takes "action" to make that happen. My point is that action and movement are linked to success.

No one hands you anything in life that is truly earned and to support this there needs to be a high level of commitment, passion, dedication and drive. We all have it and once your move from fear to positive light there is 9 times out of 10 = personal growth.

So today - think of one aspect of your life, and it doesn't have to be nutrition or activity related that has you hitting the "pause" button and try to see if you can move forward, sideways or even backwards into a better place.

I promise you that the elation of victory is worth any challenge.

It's your life - take charge and own your actions.

Tuesday 14th July 2009 - Latest Studies State the obvious

2009-07-14T18:13:00.000-07:00

It seems that over the last few weeks there have been some "HEALTH' relevations that I'm sorry just seem to be obvious and if logic was applied then our Australian (and Global) obesity crisis could be "reduced".

I won't say stopped because there is really no way we can help everyone. Some people just don't care and so as a Fitness and Health Professional it has taken me a long long time to realise that sad but true fact.

Why is it that the Government want us to be committed to being a member of a Health Fund YET don't support our initiatives to improve our health when we make the "pro-active decision to join a Fitness Centre or Health Club.

There suggestion of seeking financially supported consideration to allow people to have "lapband surgery as a medical procedure for losing weight" is a poor choice. This is not only insulting to the fitness industry and any efforts to change lifestyles to healthy ones but it also removes any PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY from those that figure - what the heck I can do nothing and then when I'm dying from obesity, I can get a lap-band.

Is this a poor view for the fitness industry ........... ???

AUSTRALIA'S obesity "timebomb" has already gone off, with more than half the population overweight, a health expert says.

"There is no obesity timebomb. The bomb has already gone off," Associate Professor Katherine Samaras told a federal parliamentary health committee inquiry today.

An obesity expert from St Vincent's Hospital in Sydney, Prof Samaras said 60 per cent of Australians were overweight or obese. Obesity was the "underlying cause" of many individual health complaints treated by public hospitals, including "a majority of non-genetic breast cancers", heart conditions, diabetes and birth complications.

THEN THERE WAS THIS .......

A Monash University study has proven a critical link between obesity and the onset of Type 2 diabetes, a discovery which could lead to the design of a drug to prevent the disease.

The findings were published July 8 in the journal Cell Metabolism.

The team, led by Associate Professor Matthew Watt, discovered that fat cells release a novel protein called PEDF (pigment epithelium-derived factor), which triggers a chain of events and interactions that lead to development of Type 2 diabetes. "When PEDF is released into the bloodstream, it causes the muscle and liver to become desensitised to insulin. The pancreas then produces more insulin to counteract these negative effects, " Associate Professor Watt said.

This insulin release causes the pancreas to become overworked, eventually slowing or stopping insulin release from the pancreas, leading to Type 2 diabetes. It appears that the more fat tissue a person has the less sensitive they become to insulin. Therefore a greater amount of insulin is required to maintain the body's regulation of blood-glucose," Associate Professor Watt said.

"Our research was able to show that increasing PEDF not only causes Type 2 diabetes like complications but that blocking PEDF reverses these effects. The body again returned to being insulin-sensitive and therefore did not need excess insulin to remain regulated."

Associate Professor Watt said identifying the link is a significant breakthrough in explaining the reasons why obesity triggers the onset of Type 2 Diabetes.

PRO-ACTIVE SOLUTION - Dont get overweight and unhealthy !! There is now proof that the complications of obesity CAN KILL you .... I mean apart from the already known complications that happen with various Cancers we now find that obesity can lead you down the path of Diabetes II which can send you blind and can cause you to lose limbs.

So how can we help ourselves.

It STILL isn't rocket science.

1. You need to consume less total calories

2. Reduce the amount of fats (especially saturated)

3. Reduce your intake of alcohol - which is a major calorific aspect most people don't take into account when contemplating their nutritional deficiencies.

AND

4. Get ACTIVE to the point where you are using more calories then you are consuming.

NOTE - If you want to get healthier - not just maintain your current fitness and weight levels, then YOU MUST challenge the INTENSITY that you are training at.

Sunday 14th June 2009 - Are we losing the childhood obesity war ?

2009-06-14T19:05:00.000-07:00

I saw this article this morning in the Daily Telegraph and had to repost it as there seems to be a real difference between the problems and the solutions relating to childhood obesity.

In this article it seems that profits for schools have a greater focus then the health of children attending them which bodes well for the future of our country.

With so many "experts" out there telling us we are doing well it seems this is just more rhetoric unless you buy their programs and plans. Then we have the former sports idols of kids who have now become the health experts in the media. I guess they get coverage from media outlets keenn to get people to watch their programs - poor practice I would say as a life long health professional.

The Australian government has a lot to answer for when it allows the content of this article to be its front line approach.

I did however see another article on the weekend that the American First Lady has made a commitment to reducing childhood obesity, so have contacted well known Dr to ask for assistance on this.

Let's hope that Michele Obama will be more successful at making strategic and purposeful change than either of the last two administrations in the US or Australia.

Health nazis losing obesity war as pies return to school canteens

http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,25636029-5001021,00.html

THE Aussie pie, pizzas and sausage rolls are back in school canteens as the war against child obesity falters and threatens to collapse.

Lollies, ice creams, chips and even banned sports drinks have also re-emerged on school menus because thousands of families are snubbing healthier foods. Nutritionists and dietitians are desperately trying to rescue the $750,000 school health campaign launched five years ago by former Premier Bob Carr.

They are offering "low fat" Aussie beef pies, pizzas made with wholemeal pita bread and vegetables and chicken burgers to children who turn their noses up at salads and wraps. The anti-health push is greatest at secondary level where students leave school grounds to eat at local fast food outlets or order in takeaway pizza on their mobile phones.

Dietitians have told The Daily Telegraph some schools are offering pies to children three times a day - at breakfast, recess and lunch. In a bid to reverse the trend the Healthy Kids School Canteen Association is taking over some school food operations. Low fat pies, pizzas and sausage rolls, with ingredients that meet health guidelines and home-made lasagne are now the front line items aimed at winning customers back.

Friday is pie and pizza day at Holy Cross Primary School at Glenwood in Sydney's west - portion sizes limited to healthy amounts - and the kids are lining up to get their orders. Canteen Association dietitian Jennifer Madz said Holy Cross would become a template across the state.

"The problem is parents see the canteen as a treat and expect treat food there. We are trying to change the behaviour," Ms Madz said. "High schools are a special problem where students with money in their pockets go off campus to lunch in local fast food outlets. We are working on a plan to combat that."

Canteens hit by the global recession claim profits have been eroded as students resist low-fat menus.

While most sugary drinks are banned from school canteens, the food industry has manipulated some products to get around the rules. To get a non-milk-based gelato accepted the manufacturer added calcium and reduced the portion size.

Banned Powerade became "Powerade Light" and juice was carbonated and sold in a can so children would think it was a softdrink. Under the nutrition rules foods are divided into red (no more than twice a term), amber (to be selected carefully and in smaller servings) and green (fill the menu) categories. But enforcement has been almost non-existent and the Catholic and independent school sectors are not bound by them

Sunday 14th June 2009 - Stumbling Blocks or Stepping Stones

2009-06-14T05:00:00.000-07:00

I saw this headline posted on a billboard yesterday and at the time I was driving to teach my Spin class. I had nearly 30 minutes to contemplate how I would use this saying as part of my motivation in the training session with the gym members.

In life we often see obstacles or hurdles that may present in our lives as problems. They can manifest into situations where we seem to have no option or alternative which makes them insurmountable.

Now let's take a different approach this perceived problem by adjusting our attitude. If you think of those "tough" moments during training sessions when you believe you can't do anymore or improve the result, often the first response is to give up or quit. In this example they are a "stumbling block".

However when those times or situations arise during our training sessions, what will happen if we try to push through that perceived barrier? Probably we will surprise ourselves by achieving success. Of course you will not succeed everytime but there will be times when you cross the line in the sand or break through that barrier. This success was only made possible by "trying". In this example they are a "stepping stone" on the road to improved health.

So it got me to try that with the class. First I spoke of my sighting of the sign. Then I mentioned that I added the next part.

Stumbling Blocks or Stepping Stones = Perception + Attitude - YOU can make a difference.

At the time we were beginning on a hard hill climb and I wanted them to try harder then their own perceptions of their personal abilities. I really took them on a challenge, I knew that as my heart rate was high and breathing was tough.

I looked around at the class and they were not only working hard but they were also smiling. We all got to the top of the hill and there was a different feeling in the room. A lot of these people were regulars in my class and know that my Saturday morning Hour of Power is not for the faint hearted so I knew that they would be fine but today there was a new lady in the class, who did the climb and also achieved a new high level of personal best effort.

After the class during cool down we spoke of personal experiences and many felt that it was their best effort in a workout. I felt priveleged to have been part of that, because reality is that as the "instructor" we really are only a facilitator to motivate them to work out and it is up to the individual in a Spin class to keep increasing the dial intensity so they really become "their own trainer".

The new lady in my class approached me afterwards, happy because she hadn't ever worked that hard before and was both pleased and surprised. I then congratulated her on her amazing effort. I smiled and asked if she would be back and she held up the timetable with my class circled and said "of course".

Another happy customer on the life path to greater health.

I am still smiling from that class and their effort and can't wait to be back in the saddle.

Days like yesterday is why I am a Fitness Professional !

Saturday 6th June 2009 - The journey continues

2009-06-06T22:11:00.000-07:00

I haven't been as regular with writing my health blog lately but that doesn't mean that I have forgotten about it as I really do enjoy trying to make a difference to the lives of others. I'm still attempting to live by example and so am still working out hard and teaching Spin regularly. The one constant in my life is nutrient filled eating habits and living an active lifestyle.

Another aspect I covet apart from changing lives through health awareness is my interest in the entertainment business (scriptwriting + producing both movies and television shows). My last three years have been spent developing script content and now with two completed scripts that are seeking funding, what I have found is that it's definitely easier to write movies then it is to raise funds for them.

One is the animated project (about the MOB) and the others is about a female serial killer (this has also been getting great reviews from peers so if you know a Producer looking for slate content then get them to contact me). I have three other scripts in various stages of writing development in different genre's that keeps my writing fresh (I hope).

While the funding has been taking place it has been a challenge over the last four months to . I have been working to find the "best film Producer" to work with on the animated project and I think that I have one of the most capable people in the Australian movie industry to now work with so that is moving along slowly - but it's moving.

Having been so close earlier this year to raise the funds with our budget of AUD$40M ... then sadly the Global Financial Crisis happened and as a result - I'm now still looking ... looking ... looking ... but hope to have good news in the near future.

So as a result I then had to adjust my "life compass direction" as all my movie contacts in the United States "went quiet" and I was told to be patient as this happens in the movie business all the time but there is no doubt that I have at times felt disappointed that having been so close to raising the money then now feel that I am back at the start line.

Luckily there has been wide spread support for my animated movie project with industry professionals all aware and advising me that this project is worth continuing as it has global audience appeal. Of course that doesn't help me right now so I have had to make drastic living changes to "follow my dreams".

My passion for health is as strong as it ever was but reality is that in a recession filled world it is harder to encourage others to part with their limited income to get healthier and so while I am still teaching my cycle classes this doesn't allow me enough money to focus 100% on my writing so I am now also looking at undertaking some part time Navy Reserve as a Physical Trainer. I was in the Navy some years ago in this role and have applied so hope for news soon.

In the meantime while I wait for that process to happen, it has involved me moving out of my apartment in Sydney and down to Wollongong (an hour south for those who haven't heard of it) to be closer to the family who have been an amazing support network and also will be rewarded when the movie side of my life takes off. Without them and Brooke it would have been so much harder to deal with all the changes.

Now that I'm settling in here and waiting for the Navy to advise me of a "join up date" I will be doing some filming of my Afterburner Workouts and also adding Nutrient Stategies from the Human ECO System Program so keep an eye out for that.

It will also allow me time to focus on writing two of the next scripts - one is a comedy that could be termed a "chick flick" and the other is a co-write of an animated adaption of a published children's short story that seems to be growing all on it's own.

Stay tuned for more updates and information on life changing health strategies.

Tuesday 19th May 2009 - Follow YOUR dream ??

2009-05-19T17:51:00.000-07:00

I am constantly hearing those words spoken by motivational leaders and TV experts and to be fair it's mostly by people who are not facing any current life or financial challenges. Personally I think this applies to all of us when times are going well. You see most people who work hard and find "success" either personal, professional or financial are then in a position to be able "to make a choice" about how they spend their time and so advocate following your passion for "inner peace". I support this but also temper that with a strong dose of reality about "needing to pay your bills and support your family".

One of the best examples of this explanation comes from a book titled "The One Minute Millionaire" and it was this book that inspired me to try a variety of life passion pursuits for elements of my career over the last ten years which has been varied and fulfilling for my soul. In the book it states that there are five (5) Freedoms

1. Financial Freedom - the ability to not only meet all your financial commitments but also save and spend it on your leisure pursuits
2. Time Freedom - now you have the first one covered you can choose how you wish to spend your time and with whom as there is no reason to be anywhere you don'w want or have to be
3. Relationship Freedom - now you are meeting all your financial commitments and spending your time the way you wish, there is no outside stress and your time and energy can be devoted to your loved ones
4. Spiritual Freedom - with the other three met you spend time exploring who you are and what you want your life to be about adding context
5. Ultimate Freedom - now that you have met the first four then it is a fulfilling life you are now leading that makes you a whole person.

It is definitely a life I would "choose" and plan to work towards.

For example over the last 10 years my career path has been :

Fitness Instructor - which has been my passion for over 25 years. I have tried to always learn more about the human body and the net result is that over time my body has reflected what I have learned to the point where I still teach Spin classes in Sydney and train nearly every day as it is part of my lifestyle habits now. Life is about constant evolution of both the body and the mind so I believe. This morning I had blood work taken by my Doctor of 12 years who commented I had never looked fitter or healthier. NOTE - he asked for my latest program content about The Human ECO System :-)

TV Show Creator, Producer and Host - in response to the childhood obesity issue back in 1999 a fitness instructor colleague and I created a lifestyle show for kids on Saturday mornings in Australia on the national network which rated very well called The GYM JAM Club. So good was the concept that the network created a similar program to ours and we were dropped after our initial 13 week series .... is there karma in that ? Regardless I continued to believe that solutions need to include education for change so I went back to the drawing board continuing to plot adventures.

Author of two healthy lifestyle books dedicated to changing your life in 8 week plans - there were two as I am constantly striving to find more effective ways to lose bodyfat and improve health. With time and knowledge you find steps change so I am always learning and sharing that knowledge and the last one Human ECO System moved from macro-nutrients such as Fat Protein and Carbs to more important nutrients that get the body to function more efficiently. It also was the genesis of this ongoing Blog.

Nutrition Supplement Consultant - with so many different health issues plaguing us it began to be clear that our nutrient profiles from food were seriously lacking. In response to this I also was aware that I had a profound interest in ways to assist with my own nutritional support. The most obvious and easy was to take nutrition supplements. I spent nearly researching what would work and what was just "marketing hype" and it become clear I needed to be taking a broad spectrum Multi Vitamin and Mineral compound. I contacted the US company Twinlab and sought their assistance to bring a limited range to Australia. They had just partnered with the IRONMAN brand to launch a new series of products specifically for Joe and Jill Average or better known as the Weekend Warriors. This partnership led me to be invited to compete in the 2000 IRONMAN World Triathlon Championships in Hawaii which I contested with only 12 weeks of training and completed (no easy feat let me tell you haha) in 15 hours 36 minutes 24 seconds and it seemed longer.

Epiphany - While I was disappointed for sure that the TV network had excluded us from the new venture and adopted most of our ideas and concepts I never felt that they had approached the children in a way that would do anything for most of them once they reached school age as these programs were more aimed at the "under 5 market". One market I thought the Wiggles had a pretty good strangle hold on :-)

However due to the ongoing issue of childhood obesity I occured to me that most fitness professionals sought to get children more active (which I fully support), with programs either in school or after school and the education experts tried to provide nutritional knowledge in ways such as the 5-a-Day Programs of Vegetables and Fruit or just expecting Parents to cope with the barrage of Marketing that multi-billion dollar food and drink companies spent to over-ride the best choices.

There seemed little cohesive steps to marry these two elements of fitness and nutrition together in a way that would "engage the children". I was always a fan of cartoons, comic books, video games, the internet and of course with technology moving at lightspeed the cool animated movies and their "instant adoption by children to imitate their heroes" so in this "space" is where I chose to develop my content using my A.K.A. principles of Awareness / Knowledge / Action.

Writer / Producer / Director Animated Movie and Interactive DVD Game (http://www.bodymechanics.tv/) - Study of these key elements mentioned above led me to realize that a TV show only had the power to engage children if they saw it, and took action but more importantly only if the networks replayed the key messages. You see what I learned during my journey of discovery during 2003/4/5 in my development of my animated movie and interactive game from childhood learning cognitative professionals is that we try to repeat a key message three (3) times consecutively for it to be remembered. I recalled and it was explained to me in easy to get examples - learning my maths times tables or tying up my shoelaces - long before velcro :-)

From my original concept for the Body Mechanics I was lucky to work with some of the world's leading medical, health and fitness professionals who eagerly wished to participate and be part of the Body Mechanics Advisory Board and included the calibre of Dr Mehmet Oz (Oprah Show and America's Favorite Doctor), Dr Francine Kaufman (worlds leading Diabetes professional) plus many others who all saw the value in this innovative concept.

They all had some light to shed on this aspect that allowed me to finish with two products that I still think is way ahead of it's time and will surely get to be a part of changing and possibly improving the health of children globally. Yes it has won 11 awards in the United States from Parenting and Children's Advocacy Groups and had me interviewed in New York by Dr Oz on the Oprah Radio Show which was a very surreal experience, one I loved and will value.

It now has a series of elements written and waiting for funding for development which include Comic and Cartoon adventures featuring the "good" characters such as Soolyn (Insulin), Gluke (Glucagon), Neuro (the Brain), Sara Bellum (Cerebellum) who are constantly battling the "evil" characters like Kortz (Cortisol), Betez II (Diabetes II), Col Esterol (Cholesterol), Free Radz (Free Radicals) who are led by their infamous titan - AG, which stands for Awesome Guy (the Fat Cell) who rules the uncared or unhealthy body where they battle in the movie titled "Escape from OBEEZ CITY".

Global Health Warrior + Writer / Producer (Warrior Media) - while the other media company is seeking to expand the potential exposure of the Body Mechanics brand with further funding I decided to explore other creative outlets. I have continued to promote healthy lifestyles and teach Cycle classes which I can't ever imagine not doing and always learning more about the Human ECO System which is my "PASSION" although it will not currently provide me for the lifestyle I have described above in the Five Freedoms.

I spend equal amounts of time writing new adventure story content for my movies. One is an animated adventure that is currently seeking funding of nearly $40M but has some very keen interest from Australian voice talent with it's unique storyline. It has already been gathering interest and then I have another script which is about a female serial killer that could be from today's gossip magazines which was fun to write - but don't upset this lady :-)

There are three other scripts and a few TV shows concepts I will continue to explore and in the mean time I am like most people. Working to pay for my lifestyle and in today's market place that is not easy but it is my belief in my passion for healthy lifestyles that keeps me both positive and focussed on achieving goals I set myself. That or I really am an undiagnosed ADD child.

Follow your dream but temper it with the reality that many talented people are doing things that they have to, in order to allow them to live. Also failure is not a bad thing and in fact Thomas Edison failed many, many times to achieve his goals but it took only one success to allow him to always be remembered (light goes off over Tony's head)

Sunday 17th May 2009 - LIFE can take you on a wild ride

2009-05-17T18:14:00.000-07:00

For those that have been following along with my Twitter account you would have known that LIFE has a way of presenting a series of challenges and I'm not immune.

But I am nothing if not persistent in my pursuits and when I decide I want to do something - I do it. For example I competed in my first IRONMAN Triathlon with only 13 weeks of training and entered a Half IRONMAN at 6 weeks completing both. I also rode on a Spin Bike for 24 hours for Charity for Dr Oz and HEALTHCORPS after flying from Sydney to New York the night before.

I know that when you put your mind to it there is nothing we can't try. However, I strongly am a believer in the quote "have the courage to finish what you start" so don't give up just because it's going to be hard.

Back to the last 12 months.

The Overview:
I had left my last media company and had decided to further my creative opportunities and wanted to finish work on a NEW 8 week eating and activity which was the genesis of my Human ECO System plan. That completed I wanted then to continue to work on both movie and TV projects while I maintained my passion for changing the world's health issues.

I had five story outlines that I wanted to develop for movies. I wrote two fairly quickly, an animated story and a female serial killer movie plot. The others are still being written and re-written.

The story that I wished to turn into an animated movie I spent a year writing, re-writing and re-writing and then finally re-writing elements to make it stronger. For the unitiated this is standard practice for a movie script. I then had a close friend and very capable Script Doctor add his finesse and we felt we had both unique and compelling content for the movie.

I then attended and won the "Script Pitchfest" competition at the Australian Directors Guild Conference late last September (2008) for the animated feature. I received an amazing amount of support from movie industry people who all liked the project and felt it could be worth pursuing. I needed to gather some momentum to find ways to get the project into production.

Now as it is an animated family movie the budget for this is substantially higher than most movies that get made in Australia at anywhere between $40M and $65M so I was advised to look at the US first. The budget difference ranges from which country it is made in and by whom, who is cast as voice characters, applying and getting subsidies and grants etc, so the process is no easy or fast treatment. I was learning more and more about this as I went and finding out the movie business is alot about keeping things secret - don't ask me why cause that's another secret :-)

Having made my last animated feature for less than $2M and simultaneously making the Interactive DVD Game for another >$1M which all came from a private investor, for this feature having a larger budget and possibly being made as a Movie Studio picture demands that "known or Producers and Directors are required" so I sought to align with other Producers.

In early November the screenplay was forwarded on my behalf by a kind US Agent (as Studios will not accept unsolicited scripts) to two of the major studios (Paramount and Dreamworks) which was very exciting news for me. Then we had the first major credit crunch which slowed down all NEW projects that were currently being made and also stopped any other NEW ones from beginning.

I received my first "PASS" in the middle of December (which wasn't the XMAS present I was hoping for) but very very common in this business. Think of all the people writing and then trying to get movies made and how many actually do.

I had maintained contact with some fantastic Australian Producers who wanted me to meet with an Australian movie company as the Producer felt that this story was uniquely Australian but had worldwide global appeal. We met with them and they wanted to send it to the US Head Office for consideration.

I also had the script logged on an industry website and from that I was approached by a Canadian company looking to make an animated movie with the budget range we had decided upon so they contacted me and asked for the script. It was sent to them but that means it could be 6-12 months before they make a decision so we still wait.

Christmas came and went with no other news which I hoped was a good sign. Then I was contacted by a friend in the US who knew a Producer looking for an animated feature (again within our budget) that wanted to know more about my work. We had a series of emails and phone calls before she asked to read the script and permission to show her contacts.

This happened about six months ago and my animated feature movie was "pretty close to being funded". They had a contact who wished to invest in my movie and certain steps were required to make this happen. The US Producer sought industry guidance from her contacts and felt very strongly that we could get this into production which meant that I was going to be able to live the life that I chose. Buy the home that I had been waiting for and start a famile and then write at my pleasure with other life aspirations.

Then credit crisis part 2 arrived.

The investor was unable to meet the financial obligations and so we went back to the financial blackboard seeking other investors. I was told this was normal and not to worry but this did nothing to alleviate the reality of being an unemployed movie writer / producer who has to face his commitments to living such as eating and living and paying bills.

For the movie I knew was doing everything that I should. I researched the genre to see what was and wasn't getting made and how each was faring at the box office, I then reread the script many times to see if there was anyway to make it more appealing (a constant process until you go into production), I met with other industry contacts to see if there was anyone who could move this onto the next step. I had key Australian voices read the script and guage their interest and all wanted to be involved although none were A-list talent which is another way to get your movie interested by Studios.

After a few months of sporadic communication with my US contacts mostly at my request I decided to again take the initiative and move the project back here to Australia to see if there was anyone or anyway to realize this project. We have an amazing industry pool of talent for making animated feature and if only the budget pool was a large it would be beneficial.

Again two key Australian Producers who had shown interest were very helpful to me on this journey. If and when this project gets made I'm sure it will be in no small part to the roles they both played in assisting me with "movement" so thanks Naomi and Lisa.

With a growing surplus of "bills" mounting I decided to explore all options of being able to provide a "living income" while furthering the movie project for a "life outcome". I met with some friends who had seen me on this journey and knowing my passion for health asked me had I considered undertaking some part-time Defence work. I used to be in the Navy as a Physical Trainer so I began this process. It would provide me income yet still allow me to explore all my creative goals.

I now have two "completed" scripts - well are they ever really complete :-))

The animated one is currently being assessed by a "known Australian Producer" who I believe is possibly the only person capable of getting the necessary funding and also doing the project storyline justice. We are planning on working together on this we her company in the lead role of Producing.

My other script (female serial killer) is being read by two Producers currently but has a much smaller budget of less than $10M so I am hopeful that it will find a Studio or Independent home in the near future but nothing is set in stone. I will continue to write content for the other movie projects that I have planned over the next six months as you never know what will be liked.

In the meantime while I wait for word on the movie projects, over the next few days I hope to be informed of a successful application for re-entering the Navy as a Physical Trainer which I am sure will be an adventure in itself. This will be blogged about as I go so stay tuned for more exciting developments (I hope) that I can share with you.

Yours in Health and Reality .....

Monday 23rd March 2009 - Your LIFE is becoming part of a Global Franchise

2009-03-23T01:48:00.000-07:00

I was talking to a colleague and he was telling me about this original new concept in fitness training that he was impressed with. I listened to his description and thought back to my entry into the fitness industry some 20 years ago and what he had described was at the time known basically as a Circuit.

Now they say that what becomes old will once again become new. This was one of those examples and while I didn't want to discourage his enthusiasm or passion for the "new" fitness regime coming along, I felt that really there aren't many more new modes of training using little to no equipment that can be "invented".

Sure there will always be new equipment but again even some of them are more marketing than fitness based. You see them all the time during the early morning hours of television and promising massive results for minimal effort and all come with payment plans.

There is no doubt that fitness is a hard sell. It requires greater than average effort, applied consistency and personal challenge. You must make lifestyle challenges through nutrition intake that requires reduced calories and increased nutrients to support these fitness efforts and in fact there is proof that just making the change to being active can have limited benefit so don't rely on only making half the necessary steps to fat loss success.

So how does this all affect your Human ECO System?

With today's technology comprising all it's elements from Websites, Blogs, Facebook, MySpace, Twitter and any other form of social media you wish to name I believe that we are all now becoming "products" in a new global franchise called LIFE. You can find out about absolutely anything you desire, you can follow all your friends in their daily existence and even communicate without speaking. Most of these "activities" aren't active living at all as they require levels of inactivity and no movement unless you are part of the mobile phone age that never leaves you "friendless or alone".

I just urge you to take as much enjoyment in your own life as we all seem to revel in the lives of our friends and family. There is no substitute for YOU.

Now how can we still focus on our healthy lifestyle goals. Try to make a deliberate effort to ensure that YOU are as important to your daily habits as watching the lives of others seems to be to us all. I am no exception with my Website, Blog, Twitter and Facebook but I do always get up and go for a walk outside, breathe the fresh air and drink some water as this will ensure at my next nutrient intake (refuelling with food), that it will enhance not limit my health goals.

I also teach Spin cycle classes three times a week and do three weight based workouts to support my Mind Fitness with some Body Fitness.

Remember - it's YOUR Body - it's YOUR Life !!

Tuesday 17th March 2009 - The Importance of Self

2009-03-17T16:06:00.000-07:00

This blog is designed to be more focussed on YOU and the Importance of SELF.

This is the part of you that we don't often speak about as we have been brought up to believe that being aware of one's self is vain, and it's considered egotistical to care about our looks and appearance.

Let's talk about Self Love VS Self Loathe and Self Belief VS Self Doubt.

We often speak about connecting the Mind with the Body, and then in practice do everything to ensure that never happens. We discourage belief and abilities with criticisms of vanity that do more harm than good and in fact can lead to a loathing of the very "home in which we live - our bodies".

Well I'm going to go on the record and say that this "disconnect" directly contributes to affecting our esteem and confidence levels, which are both normally prefaced with the word "self". These false perceptions then perpetuate and lead to our actions most of which present in and lead to our ill health conditions.

Why do we do this?
How do we change it?
Well there is only one person in that conversation and that is YOU.

This came to me the day when I was teaching a Spin class and noticed that there always seems to be a high level of doubt over an individual's fitness level. Most people have little self belief in their ability to work with intensity as it brings on "higher pain levels".

Examples of negative mindspeak are:
"It will hurt if I work that hard"
"I'm pretty sure I can't do that"
"I have never tried that so it's probably too late for me"

So here is what I do. I talk to the class when we are about to work harder about the voices that they will hear in their head. Not the voices of reason but in fact the exact opposite, the voices of doubt.

I tell them to tune them out and I try to encourage them to focus on "positive affirmations" as we start to climb big hills on the bike such as "power, strength and endurance".

This simple mantra is designed to push through their own self held barriers and get them to do the following. TRY IT and then I work to challenge those barriers again with sayings such as "If you can, You Must" and also "Don't just do it - Do It Well".

This shifting from Self Doubt to Self Belief more often than not, empowers them through the difficult parts of the class and there is then a building of Self Confidence in their ability, to do what they previously wouldn't have tried.

I then try to build on that by allowing them a moment of personal congratulations where they need to express inwardly some Self Pride. This is sometimes the first time that many have actually focussed on Self Love, which I think is paramount to a "healthy mind / healthy body".

To put that in perspective, we often guage or assess ourselves by "the stranger in the mirror" (meaning we don't actually see ourselves clearly) with a personal rating of Self Loathe. We will always notice what we don't like, when it comes to the physical presence that we have with our body. No well intentioned comment from a friend or family member will change what WE see unless WE start to believe and covet Self Love.

Then and only then, will we start to begin to make the shift to a healthier place in our heads of Self Belief leading to Self Love that hopefully will increase Self Respect.

Try these strategies with yourself or your friends - It's Your Body - It's Your Life !!

Monday 9th March 2009 - Calories Vs Nutrients

2009-03-09T20:46:00.000-07:00

Calories Vs Nutrients = An EVOLUTION for the Plan to save our Human E.C.O. System.

To build on from the last post of my new plan for "Calorie Manipulation", there is not always a relationship between calories and nutrients which is where I am going with this.

So I thought it would be important to point out that I have no problem with anyone eating food either whole or otherwise to meet their daily intake demands. I'm also not advocating the reduction or replacement of whole foods over shakes, bars or tablets but if you need to make a change - these may be of benefit in your time-poor lives.

My point is that generally most people are eating too many calories (or total volume of food) to ever meet or improve their health goals. You know that life long goal of losing bodyfat that never goes out of fashion. For years it has been touted as a simple equation of Calories In VS Calories Out but with that concept not working with obesity rates soaring, we need to find a way to reconnect with the mass population.

It's a hard battle to win against the multi-billion dollar food and drink companies that spend more than our health budget on marketing strategies to encourage us to consume their products so I think I need to find a way.

The next part of this evolutionary calorie reducing but nutrient increasing plan is that we once we get this knowledge under control our focus needs to move from "Calories In" to a better more Human E.C.O. System friendly plan of "Nutrients In".

We need to stop counting calories but not get complacent, as we move forward and evolve to look at what our body needs to function at it's optimum. Think of the way a team of mechanics address the various aspects of a finely tuned race car. Let's simply look at food as fuel knowing it has important functions we need to meet with nutrients and that the body works like a machine, but when neglected will not run poorly or equally when maintained well leaves us breathless.

I should also point out that we need to be aware and realize that in a day I can eat the recommended amount of calories on ANY weight loss plan, yet still be deficient in the necessary nutrients to adequately optimize both my fat loss and health goals.
Not a great or sensible strategy.

My first recommendation is that food that comes from the earth will be laden with nutrients and also normally be less calorific. Great start as we reset and restore balance to our Human ECO System.

Tomorrow's blog is about .... Fibre vs Nutrient Carbs

Sunday 8th March 2009 - Calories Out Vs Calories In = Calorie Manipulation to Lose Fat

2009-03-08T01:50:00.000-08:00

I have been doing a lot of research lately, nothing new there, but lately it seems to all focus around one thing - what is the amount of calories we "actually" need to consume each day to succeed at fat loss? And also how we seem to be constantly over-eating way past the recommended amount of calories and getting unhealthier.

So let's take a look at how and why a lot of this happened.
What started out nearly a decade ago with the Body For Life program by E.A.S. to promote the education of non-bodybuilders in how nutrition supplements can assist limiting excess calories and increase nutrients continues to sweep the world today.

I even developed my own program that I ran within my Private Training Studio for my clients back in 1997/98 and the following year I designed a larger scale version that I offered to the fitness industry called "Mission Possible - It's all about RESULTS" but only a few clubs adopted it which led to them having renewed success with client retention. Of course any program that has a limited time frame for fat loss success instead of just offering improved fitness will attract the masses.

In the beginning of these "lifestyle programs" it used to be just supplement companies who ran these programs for large amounts of prize money for the "most successful" person who used their products (with the obligatory sad life story). Then there were a number of online programs and companies who after seeing the numbers of people who wanted to do this, which for E.A.S. was in the millions, adopted similar methods. So it has now become a mainstream phenomenum.
To compete and maintain their market share, even the major weight loss companies had trainer educators and nutritionists develop their own versions, to now even the Shopping Channels have versions that you can buy on monthly installments and from there it exploded to the present day where even the corner Chemist shops are promoting these programs that are based around a number of weeks, such as either 6/8/10/ or 12 weeks with a protein supplement.

But with so many of this type of "programs" now on the market today I am consistently challenged and question the people who are putting these programs together. They seem to be targeting the masses and encourage individuals to eat the same amount of calories each day. Why, as I believe this is contributing to the "growth" in the obesity statistics.

Now don't be confused. I will be the biggest advocate that we should be consuming more protein but put simply if you eat the same amount of calories everyday and do not exercise everyday then you may be contributing to your own ill-health. It doesn't make logical sense from a health perspective if we know most people are eating too much for me not to explore this further.

Let's try some basic mathematics.
If a program asks you to try to eat 2000-2400 calories everyday that means you consume between 14,000 and 16,800 calories a week. Is it me or does that seem a lot to then have to balance out with your personal "energy requirements" of daily living and then be supported by your levels of exercise.

Let's go further. If you work out three times a week, which is more than most people workout on average, and I will be generous here with your intensity expenditure, you "could be burning up to 500 calories" a workout, which is rare but means you ONLY account for 1,500 (output) calories of your 14,000 (intake) calories. Not really that many is it ....... which means you need to adjust or manipulate your calorie intake to meet your output.

Now to my latest "evolutionary" plan.
It's termed "Calorie Manipulation".

Remember we should constantly challenge what we are doing for our fat loss goal so that we continue to get better results (and healthier) and forms part of the ongoing education that I think we all need to learn about our Human ECO System. It encourages you to look at the way you adjust your daily intake of calories based upon your needs AND your fat loss goal. Simply if you don't exercise everyday then there seems to be no basis for consuming the same amount of calories or nutrients that would be required to cope with your daily demands on days you DO exercise.

Here is what I do.
My eating plan is simple yet effective.
Knowing that we are all time poor (and I am no exception) I try to look for easy, fast ways to get maximum nutrients. For me this means EVERY morning I do an "energy shake" focussing on 40-45g or protein mixed with water, some form of "Green foods powder" like barley and wheat grass, and I also take a multi-vitamin / multi-mineral tablet.

Mid morning snack can be either handful of almonds or green apple. Lunch is either salad with some form of leftover protein from previous evening meal or tin of tuna. Mid afternoon snack needs to be easy, so I always do another shake. Dinner is mostly salmon and salad or chicken or lean steak and depending on exercise I may have it with brown rice or cous cous.

Mandatory is regular glasses of water which can be anywhere from 8 to 12 depending on heat of day and yes it is normal to have regular toilet breaks (pee) regularly so stop telling me that you can't do it.

I do some form of activity five (5) days a week, so I manipulate my eating plan on exercise days to slightly increase consumption of carbohydrate intake with either brown rice (1 cup during the day and mostly eaten at lunchtime) or small amounts of cous cous.

Which ever I choose to consume it is still supported by my protein intake at EVERY meal as well as a source of good fats (like avocado or nuts or organic coconut oil in shakes) but not exceeding 30g a day. Those days that I don't exercise I maintain my protein and good fats intake with my sources of carbodydrate coming from salads and vegetables but NOT any other source.

Why focus on intensity?
Over the 20+ years I have been involved in changing the lives of others with training and education it is more often than not "those voices in our head" that limit our success by limiting our belief. These voices are very loud when we exercise with intensity - "it hurts", "this is hard", "I can't do it" are all limiting beliefs that can be "tuned out".

Intensity will ensure that no matter how long you exercise for whether it is 30 mins or 60 mins, you will be achieving your best effort every time which will further influence your metabolic results.

This slight reduction in total daily calories is then also supported by the days that I do train where I aim to be consistent with the intensity of my activities. For example on two of the days I teach an hour Spin (cycle) class and I encourage the class to focus on challenging their personal beliefs of what we are capable of doing. I know that personally I am working to the best of my ability to "use or burn" as many calories as I can which is both good for improving fitness levels and also for changing bodyshape.

I also do three days of lean muscle conditioning and this could either be a class (like PUMP or Bodybar) or it could be and all body free weight workout. This increases caloric expenditure both when working out and at all other times when lean muscle influences your metabolism.

Try this plan for one week. Write down what you eat and what exercise you do and see if you are achieving the best outcome for your health goals.

Remember - it's YOUR Body and it's YOUR Life !

March 6th 2009 - Calorie Manipulation

2009-03-05T20:32:00.000-08:00

I am working on this blog to further educate YOU on how just watching what you eat isn't enough to maximize the results you seek.

I plan to have this posted in the next 24 hours so please come back and be ahead of the game when it comes to fat loss.

Thursday 16th October 2008 - I'm Back

2008-10-16T14:14:00.000-07:00

Well after blogging each day for the entire eight (8) weeks of the Human ECO System Health Challenge which was a great experience as not only the creator of the program I also followed along and completed it with the participants - and feel amazing, I took a break to focus on my movie script writing.

That is going really well and in fact I use my active workout sessions to inspire the creative process so there is another reason to do it. Could be some exciting news about one of my scripts (the NEW animated adventure) in the near future.

By the way the information for the health challenge is still on here so if you want to get healthier and leaner and be educated at no cost (YES ITS FREE), then just go back and read over the last eight weeks of entries. There is also about twelve months of health blogs that apply to the physical, mental and spiritual aspects of the Human ECO System.

I never stopped the lessons that I have learned along the way during the 8 weeks and I am still applying that knowledge with my eating and activity on a daily basis. To the point my efforts have inspired me so that I am now back teaching (by demand) Spin classes twice a week at a gym in Sydney Australia. I teach the "calorie killing hour of power class".

Eating is on track to have me constantly ensuring the integrity of my internal ECO system which is the basis for fighting health diseases such as Diabetes, Cancer (most forms) and is wrapped up around the consumption of less processed food and more calorie low and nutrient rich food.

Postings will be more frequent - so I hope you are all actively living your days and remember - "it's YOUR Body - it's YOUR Life!"

Saturday 13th September 2008 - Week Eight Day Six - Global Health Challenge

2008-09-13T19:34:00.000-07:00

There are only the last two days to go of this total 56 days and I guess now it's time to take stock the aspects of change that I have now completed that have become "normal" in my life.

Nutrition summary:
- I have consumed a lot less chicken (this has been a conscious choice as I do hold concerns over the hormones that "could" possibly be added
- For the last 15 years I have been an anti-fat advocate and would not willingly choose to eat as much or total "good fats" in my eating plan each day. Yes I ate avocado but now I feel leaner, stronger and more in control of these actions. I have made Salmon and Tuna my most consumed regular dinner companions
- Salad has become my staple element of eating actions. Whereas many years ago it would have been the potatoes or rice (your basic carbs) that filled my plate now they are the "token" addition based upon my activity levels and feel that the additional fibre from salads has also helped with any GI tract related conditions
- I have significantly reduced my coffee intake but still love have a cup but now don't use it as a "mental break or distraction from work". I think a lot of people need an excuse to leave their desk and this fills that requirement and is now recognized as such
- I have definitely made water a larger part of my daily habit. Some days I don't even notice how much I have consumed but equally on other days I need to remind myself. This is the conscious moments that I want to keep up.

Actvity Summary:
- I knew when I started this I needed to put in more effort than the basic person to see a significant result as I was already a keenly active person. Now I know that certain activities will illicit different responses in me but my goal was (and still is) to stay committed even on days when I was busy to fit in my workout sessions.
- I constantly had to increase the intensity as I got fitter and not "settle" for just showing up as I think a lot of people do when they start a gym membership but then lose the enthusiasm when the "results" aren't as fast coming.

Mental Summary
- This was a way for me to also allow elements of my "creative" side to flourish and they have. It has manifested itself into three completed screenplays, another three potential movie concepts that are now in scripting, a full 56 days of Human ECO System blogs providing I hope not only my daily eating record but also interesting knowledge aspects, the concept creation of two reality TV show pitches (one was dismissed as not good enough - that happens) and one that is still being pitched to networks.

Would I say that I have gained insight from this. Yes and as equally surprizing and exciting for me was that I learned more about the Human ECO System and the way that by nurturing it I can ensure that it remains positively healthy and able to increase my quality of LIFE.

So will I now go back to my old ways - not a chance.
Thank you to the incredible people who have sent me messages of encouragement and support letting me know that THEY also were benefitting from this knowledge and practice.

It's YOUR Body - It's YOUR Life !!

Goal of this last Seven (7) days is to assess and consolidate all of the last 7 weeks including the Human ECO Cleanse to now establish patterns for your new LIFE.

- Assess your eating habits and see what you have re-introduced. Did you re-introduce caffeine or red meat and have you found you can now do without as much of these. The focus now is not to slip back into old habits but recognise them and use your knowledge for better choices.
- Check your workout intensity, your fitness would support increases or even additional days. Are you are planning these in to your routine- Reward yourself with only 7 days to go.
NOTE - this is isn't the end but rather the beginning of YOUR new Human ECO friendly LIFE.

TONY 's DIARY - (Week Eight - Day Six)
New LIFE Begins ..... Recognise Positive Patterns of eating and drinking

Breakfast:
Energy Shake - 400ml Water + 40g Protein Powder + Combination Greens Powder + Organic Coconut Oil. Take a Daily Multi vitamin + Joint Power + 2 x Omega 3 Capsules

Mid Morning Workout - Pump Class

Mid Morning Snack:
Cappuccino and Protein Bar (after Workout)

Lunch:
Tuna + Mixed Leaves + Cucumber + Tomato + Avocado

Mid Afternoon snack:
25g Protein Powder with water + Organic Coconut Oil

Dinner:
2 x Turkey Breast + Large Salad

2 Hours before bed:
300ml water + Protein Shake + Combination Greens + Organic Coconut Oil

Overall - Water consumption = Habit is now committed to action and with only 2 days remaining I feel fantastic.

Daily mantra:
I am totally committed to supporting my Human ECO System with my action

Friday 12th September 2008 - Week Eight Day Five - Global Health Challenge

2008-09-12T21:05:00.000-07:00

Goal of this last Seven (7) days is to assess and consolidate all of the last 7 weeks including the Human ECO Cleanse to now establish patterns for your new LIFE.

- Assess your eating habits and see what you have re-introduced. Did you re-introduce caffeine or red meat and have you found you can now do without as much of these. The focus now is not to slip back into old habits but recognise them and use your knowledge for better choices.

- Check your workout intensity, your fitness would support increases or even additional days. Are you are planning these in to your routine- Reward yourself with only 7 days to go.
NOTE - this is isn't the end but rather the beginning of YOUR new Human ECO friendly LIFE.

TONY 's DIARY - (Week Eight - Day Five)
New LIFE Begins ..... Recognise Positive Patterns of eating and drinking

Breakfast:
Energy Shake - 400ml Water + 40g Protein Powder + Combination Greens Powder + Organic Coconut Oil. Take a Daily Multi vitamin + Joint Power + 2 x Omega 3 Capsules

Mid Morning Snack:
4 x Corn Thins with Avocado + Tomato

Lunch:
Turkey Breast + Mixed Leaves + Cucumber + Tomato + Avocado

Mid Afternoon snack:
25g Protein Powder with water + Organic Coconut Oil

Dinner:
Baked Salmon + Large Salad

2 Hours before bed:
300ml water + Protein Shake + Combination Greens + Organic Coconut Oil

Overall - Water consumption = Habit is now committed to action and with only 4 days remaining I feel fantastic.

Daily mantra:
I am totally committed to supporting my Human ECO System with my action

Thursday 11th September 2008 - Week Eight Day Four - Global Health Challenge

2008-09-11T16:09:00.000-07:00

The second part of our "Accountables" is to understand that we need the other two macro-nutrients of our eating habits to function optimally. Now you will see me write about optimal functioning a lot because it is the way your body is able to achieve it's best and deal with the daily demands YOU place upon it.

PROTEIN.
Now protein is an ESSENTIAL nutrient that we need everyday and MOST people do not eat enough to fill these basic needs. Now protein breaks down into your system as amino acids. These come in two classes - essential and non-essential. That should give you an idea of the importance of eating lean healthy sources (listed below). Protein is the basis of YOUR RNA + DNA or your body's elements.

Now I differ from a lot of nutritionists who may tell you that you can get enough from your current daily intake of foods. This is TRUE if you are eating as I describe in the Human ECO System method of the Rainbow Nutrient Eating Plan, otherwise YOU ARE NOT.

If you want to get lean and be healthy you should check that you are getting enough as this nutrient is not only an essential element it makes you feel less hungry, lowers the GI score of carbohydrates and fills all the body's needs of cellular growth, nerve and brain functioning, tissue repair of hair and nails PLUS it builds calorie burning muscle.

PROTEINS: 1 serve = (12 to 25g protein – approximate value)
Goal is to consume 1g for each kg (2lb) of bodyweight that you have.

125g cooked chicken breast = 22g
125g tuna or salmon = 20g
125g cooked steak = 25g
125g cooked fish fillets = 22g
1 cup cooked minced steak (no fat) = 18g
125g firm tofu or tempeh = 15g
125g lean cooked lamb or veal = 22g
6-8 king prawns, mussels or oysters = 15g
125g sliced ham = 20g
1 cup cooked soybeans = 12g
1 cup low fat cottage or ricotta cheese = 12g
4 rashers cooked bacon (no visible fat) = 15g
2 large eggs = 12g
60g low fat cheddar cheese = 15g
250g plain yogurt = 8-10g (Danone low sugar)
125g shaved turkey or chicken etc. = 20g
2 lean rissoles = 20g
1 grilled lean hamburger patty = 12g
100g of Whey Protein = 15-35g

NOTE - a 100g serving of meat / chicken / fish DOES NOT mean you are getting 100g of protein nutrient value. This is one of the most common misconceptions !

FAT.
The importance of consuming healthy sources of "good fat" was a lesson I have only learned the value of as I got older and realized through self education that this nutrient plays an important role in your Human ECO System and by consuming more of the healthy ones such as monounsaturated, polyunsaturates like omega 3's we can get leaner - yes leaner with less bodyfat.

These good fats, specifically omega 3 fatty acids, form eicosanoids to help regulate bodily functions such as heart rate, blood vessel constriction, blood pressure, blood clotting and nervous system activity. Additionally, fat-soluble vitamins — vitamins A, D, E and K, rely on dietary fats to transport them to the body's tissues.

Although it has been proven as medical fact that dietary fat can have a negative impact on health, but what is not often distinguished is the role certain fats can play in fighting disease, promoting good health and establishing a healthy looking physique.

The accumulation of body fat usually results from poor eating habits, comprised of excess carbohydrates and unhealthy fats. These unhealthy fats - saturated, trans and dietary cholesterol types are the factors to disease and excess weight gain.

FATS: 1 serve = (5 to 7 g fat)
Goal is to limit the daily intake of good fats to 30g if you want to be lean and healthy

1 tsp oil
1 tsp margarine (poly or mono)
1 Tsp light cream cheese
1/8 avocado
6 olives
6 cashews
6 almonds
20 peanuts
20 pistachios
1 Tbsp Hummus
50g pumpkin seeds
1 Tsp sesame or sunflower seeds
2 macadamia
1 Brazil nut
2 tsp peanut butter
2 tsp tahini

NOTE - You will not see any fast food sources there !!!

Goal of this last Seven (7) days is to assess and consolidate all of the last 7 weeks including the Human ECO Cleanse to now establish patterns for your new LIFE.

- Assess your eating habits and see what you have re-introduced. Did you re-introduce caffeine or red meat and have you found you can now do without as much of these. The focus now is not to slip back into old habits but recognise them and use your knowledge for better choices.
- Check your workout intensity, your fitness would support increases or even additional days. Are you are planning these in to your routine
- Reward yourself with only 7 days to go.
NOTE - this is isn't the end but rather the beginning of YOUR new Human ECO friendly LIFE.

TONY 's DIARY - (Week Eight - Day Four)
New LIFE Begins ..... Recognise Positive Patterns of eating and drinking

Breakfast:
Energy Shake - 400ml Water + 40g Protein Powder + Combination Greens Powder + Organic Coconut Oil. Take a Daily Multi vitamin + Joint Power + 2 x Omega 3 Capsules

Mid Morning Snack:
4 x Corn Thins with Avocado + Tomato

Lunch:
Tuna + Mixed Leaves + Cucumber + Tomato + Low Fat Cottage Cheese

Mid Afternoon snack:
25g Protein Powder with water + Organic Coconut Oil

Dinner:
Baked Salmon + Large Salad

2 Hours before bed:
300ml water + Protein Shake + Combination Greens + Organic Coconut Oil

Overall - Water consumption = Habit is now committed to action and with only 4 days remaining I feel fantastic.

Daily mantra:
I am totally committed to supporting my Human ECO System with my action

Because sometimes you need to have a giggle !

2008-09-11T06:07:00.000-07:00

A friend in the US emailed this to me from our Tourism Website. After I stopped laughing I decided to re-post it on here - please pass it on. Its hill-air-eouusssss

These were posted on an Australian Tourism Website and the answers are the actual responses by the website officials, who obviously have a sense of humour
__________________________________________________
Q: Does it ever get windy in Australia ? I have never seen it rain on TV, how do the plants grow? (UK).
A: We import all plants fully grown and then just sit around watching them die.
__________________________________________________
Q: Will I be able to see kangaroos in the street? (USA)
A: Depends how much you've been drinking.
__________________________________________________
Q: I want to walk from Perth to Sydney - can I follow the railroad tracks? (Sweden)
A: Sure, it's only three thousand miles, take lots of water. __________________________________________________
Q: Are there any ATMs (cash machines) in Australia? Can you send me a list of them in Brisbane, Cairns, Townsville and Hervey Bay? (UK)
A: What did your last slave die of?__________________________________________________
Q: Can you give me some information about hippo racing in Australia? (USA)
A: A-fri-ca is the big triangle shaped continent south of Europe. Aus-tra-lia is that big island in the middle of the Pacific which does not... oh forget it. Sure, the hippo racing is every Tuesday night in Kings Cross. Come naked. __________________________________________________
Q: Which direction is North in Australia? (USA)
A: Face south and then turn 180 degrees. Contact us when you get here and we'll send the rest of the directions.
_________________________________________________
Q: Can I bring cutlery into Australia? (UK)
A: Why? Just use your fingers like we do. __________________________________________________
Q: Can you send me the Vienna Boys' Choir schedule? (USA)
A: Aus-tri-a is that quaint little country bordering Ger-man-y, which is ... oh forget it. Sure, the Vienna Boys Choir plays every Tuesday night in Kings Cross, straight after the hippo races. Come naked.
__________________________________________________
Q: Can I wear high heels in Australia? (UK)
A: You are a British politician, right?__________________________________________________
Q: Are there supermarkets in Sydney and is milk available all year round?
A: No, we are a peaceful civilization of vegan hunter/gatherers. Milk is illegal.
__________________________________________________
Q: Please send a list of all doctors in Australia who can dispense rattlesnake serum. (USA)
A: Rattlesnakes live in A-meri-ca which is where YOU come from. All Australian snakes are perfectly harmless, can be safely handled and ma ke good pets. __________________________________________________
Q: I have a question about a famous animal in Australia, but I forget its name. It's a kind of bear and lives in trees. (USA)
A: It's called a Drop Bear. They are so called because they drop out of Gum trees and eat the brains of anyone walking underneath them. You can scare them off by spraying yourself with human urine before you go out walking. __________________________________________________
Q: I have developed a new product that is the fountain of youth. Can you tell me where I can sell it in Australia? (USA)
A: Anywhere significant numbers of Americans gather. __________________________________________________
Q: Can you tell me the regions in Tasmania where the female population is smaller than the male population? (Italy)
A: Yes, gay night clubs.
__________________________________________________
Q: Do you celebrate Christmas in Australia? (France)
A: Only at Christmas.
__________________________________________________
Q: I was in Australia in 1969 on R+R, and I want to contact the girl I dated while I was staying in Kings Cross. Can you help? (USA)
A: Yes, and you will still have to pay her by the hour. __________________________________________________
Q: Will I be able to speak English most places I go? (USA)
A: Yes, but you'll have to learn it first.

Wednesday 10th September 2008 - Week Eight Day Three - Global Health Challenge

2008-09-10T17:19:00.000-07:00

I received an email question asking me about my "allowables" list of carbohydrates the other day and would I then include a list of "accountables". Here is what I use with everyone I advise.

“ACCOUNTABLE” - CARBOHYDRATES 1 serve = (15 to 18g carbs)
(Men aim for 4-5 serves per day - Women aim for 4 serves per day = Both should have a goal of 80-100g). I try to rationalize it this way to create understanding .. think of it as able to spend $100 (100g) per day from this list. Then use the "allowables" to fill your nutrient needs.

4 “Vita Weet” type biscuits
1 slice bread
1/2 bread roll
1 pita pocket
1 crumpet
½ English muffin
1/2 cup muesli
1/3 cup raw oats
1/3 cup cracked wheat
½ Muesli bar
1/2 cup baked beans
½ cup cooked chickpeas
1/2 cup cooked lentils
½ cup cooked jasmine or brown rice
1/2 cup cooked pasta
1 small to medium potato
1 small to medium sweet potato
1 small banana
1 medium red apple
1 medium pear
1 medium orange
6 dried apricot halves
6 small dates or prunes
20g sultanas
20 grapes
1 mango
2 medium nectarines or plums
1 large grapefruit
1/2 medium rockmelon
2 kiwi fruit
1 small fruit salad (1 cup)
½ cup fruit juice
1-2 glasses of skim milk
600ml Gatorade or like
2 scoops plain ice cream
½ tub low fat fruit yogurt
Corn – As Your body doesn’t break down all the kernels it’s not too bad.

NB: All of the above are low to moderate G.I. carbs. Now you’ve the ability to place these in your eating plans. As previously advised by adding a "lean protein" or a "good fat" we can lower our G.I. score. Enjoy.

Tomorrow the Proteins and Fats Lists.

Goal of this last Seven (7) days is to assess and consolidate all of the last 7 weeks including the Human ECO Cleanse to now establish patterns for your new LIFE.

- Assess your eating habits and see what you have re-introduced. Did you re-introduce caffeine or red meat and have you found you can now do without as much of these. The focus now is not to slip back into old habits but recognise them and use your knowledge for better choices.
- Check your workout intensity, your fitness would support increases or even additional days. Are you are planning these in to your routine- Reward yourself with only 7 days to go.
NOTE - this is isn't the end but rather the beginning of YOUR new Human ECO friendly LIFE.

TONY 's DIARY - (Week Eight - Day Three)
New LIFE Begins ..... Recognise Positive Patterns of eating and drinking

Breakfast:
Energy Shake - 400ml Water + 40g Protein Powder + Combination Greens Powder + Organic Coconut Oil. Take a Daily Multi vitamin + Joint Power + 2 x Omega 3 Capsules

Mid Morning workout - 5k run - this was hard

Mid Morning Snack:
Green Tea + Protein Bar

Lunch:
6 x Corn Thins with Lean Ham + Avocado + Tomato

Mid Afternoon snack:
25g Protein Powder with water + Organic Coconut Oil

Dinner:
Baked Salmon + Large Salad

2 Hours before bed:
300ml water + Protein Shake + Combination Greens + Organic Coconut Oil

Overall - Water consumption = Habit is now committed to action and with only 4 days remaining I feel fantastic.

Daily mantra:
I am totally committed to supporting my Human ECO System with my action

Tuesday 9th September 2008 - Week Eight Day Two - Global Health Challenge

2008-09-09T16:42:00.000-07:00

Training for Fat Loss success

An equally important way to assist our goal of fat loss to compliment the nutritional intake is to increase the burning of calories. We can do this by increasing our daily caloric expenditure through being active and this includes any form of physical movement not just going to a fitness centre.

How does training play a role in our fat loss goal ?
There is no doubt that being more active will assist us to increase our metabolism, and an increased metabolism means more calories used. This combined with a smarter intake of calories will allow us to gain greater levels of access to your stored energy (glycogen + bodyfat). Now it is not a substitute for a combination of these.

By that I mean you can't use exercise as a means to consume unhealthy nutrients !

An important factor is WHAT you do and HOW you do it.
Training or being active to maximize calorie use is our goal. With nutrition we have been limiting the total excess calories (that were part of our old habits) and replacing these high density, low nutrient calories for high quality nutrients that assist our Human ECO System to function optimally. By doing this we start to re-align and restore our bodies efforts for "self-health".

The time you should train is best determined by what other factors play key roles in your life.
Have you not exercised for a long period of time through injury, illness or laziness?
Do your family commitments take up most of your spare time?

These need to be answered and understood.
Not for guilt over what you haven't done in the past but rather for recognition of what factors have caused you to limit your success. For example - if you know that you are not a morning person but work long hours late in the day then you will need to adjust your "attitood" compass and get up and work out early. Plan for success.

Whatever the reason and whenever will be decided at the time you make yourself - important and a priority. Once that has been established the time that you train will be self evident.

There are numerous benefits of participating in a regular training routine such as:
Decreases the levels of obesity
Decreases the incidence of heart disease
Decreases the levels of type II diabetes
Lowers your cholesterol
Lowers your blood pressure
Increases self esteem
Builds lean muscle – assisting to aid fat loss
Helps you build a strong healthy heart

All of these individual components are elements for SUCCESS. Combined they are a nuclear weapon on OBESITY levels.

So let's find a workout routine – and Let’s Get Active !

Goal of this last Seven (7) days is to assess and consolidate all of the last 7 weeks including the Human ECO Cleanse to now establish patterns for your new LIFE.

- Assess your eating habits and see what you have re-introduced. Did you re-introduce caffeine or red meat and have you found you can now do without as much of these. The focus now is not to slip back into old habits but recognise them and use your knowledge for better choices.
- Check your workout intensity, your fitness would support increases or even additional days. Are you are planning these in to your routine- Reward yourself with only 7 days to go.
NOTE - this is isn't the end but rather the beginning of YOUR new Human ECO friendly LIFE.

TONY 's DIARY - (Week Eight - Day Two)
New LIFE Begins ..... Recognise Positive Patterns of eating and drinking

Breakfast:
Energy Shake - 400ml Water + 40g Protein Powder + Combination Greens Powder + Organic Coconut Oil. Take a Daily Multi vitamin + Joint Power + 2 x Omega 3 Capsules

Mid Morning workout - Pump Class

Mid Morning Snack:
Green Tea + Protein Bar

Lunch:
Tuna + Huge Salad + Low Fat Cottage Cheese

Mid Afternoon snack:
25g Protein Powder with water + Organic Coconut Oil

Evening Workout - Taught Spin Class - Worked my butt off

Dinner:
500ml water + Protein Shake + Combination Greens + Organic Coconut Oil

Overall - Water consumption = Habit is now committed to action and with only 7 days remaining I feel fantastic.

Daily mantra:
I am totally committed to supporting my Human ECO System with my action

Monday 8th September 2008 - Week Eight Day One - Global Health Challenge

2008-09-08T15:13:00.000-07:00

With my eating plan I always include a lise of high quality / low calorie nutrients that are known as “ALLOWABLES” or GREEN LIGHT FOODS to encourage you to consume them over low quality nutrients. Any combination of these are your “Allowables” 1 SERVE per meal = 2 cups

Asparagus
Artichoke hearts
Bamboo shoots
Bean sprouts
Broccoli
Brussels sprouts
Carrots
Cabbage
Cauliflower
Celery
Chillies
Choko
Courgette
Cucumber
Green Apples
Strawberries
Egg plant
Garlic
Leeks
Lettuce
Mushrooms
Onions
Peas
Pumpkin
Radish
Shallots
Silverbeet
Snow peas
Spinach
Tomato
Water cress
Zucchini

So now we know what type of quality nutrients (fuel / energy) should be our basics to eat, how many meals should we eat each day ?

The basis for choosing how many meals to have each day should be determined by how active we are not what our goal is. I think part of the confusion and problem with the high caloric intake that has contributed to the obesity issue has been the “expert advice” that is being given.

It’s suggested by experts that we should eat five meals a day. There can be a problem with this in that most people consume “five meals” instead of three high quality low calorie meals with two small snacks. I admit that until I started to work on this plan I needed to take into account the role I played.

Having trained clients for over 20 years a common excuse I’ve heard is although eating five meals a day is recommended (possibly six depending on activity levels), most clients struggle to eat three as they are busy and "forget".

They also say they couldn’t eat that much food when they had only been eating one to two meals a day. Instead they were prone to eating fewer meals that are higher in caloric density and not always quality. This we know will be ineffective for fat loss.

So if we all believe that we must take responsibility then it requires a level of both personal commitment + basic understanding to succeed.

Examples of large intake of calories that isn’t realized - BUT is often consumed.

-----------------10 years ago ---------Today
Bread / Toast-- 100-150 cals ---------200-250 cals
Banana Bread ------------------------ 300 cals - 400 cals (plus butter)
Muffin ----------80-100 cals ----------200-300 cals
Chocolate Bars --100-150 cals ---------250-350 cals

As you can see there has been an increase in the portion size which results in an increase in the number of calories we are consuming. This doesn’t even take into the "forgotten" excess calories from alcohol!

Be aware - it's YOUR Body - it's YOUR Life !!

Goal of this last Seven (7) days is to assess and consolidate all of the last 7 weeks including the Human ECO Cleanse to now establish patterns for your new LIFE.

- Assess your eating habits and see what you have re-introduced. Did you re-introduce caffeine or red meat and have you found you can now do without as much of these. The focus now is not to slip back into old habits but recognise them and use your knowledge for better choices.

- Check your workout intensity, your fitness would support increases or even additional days. Are you are planning these in to your routine- Reward yourself with only 7 days to go.
NOTE - this is isn't the end but rather the beginning of YOUR new Human ECO friendly LIFE.

TONY 's DIARY - (Week Eight - Day One)
New LIFE Begins ..... Recognise Positive Patterns of eating and drinking

Breakfast:
Energy Shake - 400ml Water + 40g Protein Powder + Combination Greens Powder + Organic Coconut Oil. Take a Daily Multi vitamin + Joint Power + 2 x Omega 3 Capsules

Mid Morning workout - Spin Class

Mid Morning Snack:
Green Tea + Protein Bar

Lunch:
Tuna + Salad + Low Fat Cottage Cheese

Mid Afternoon snack:
25g Protein Powder with water + Organic Coconut Oil

Evening Workout - Pump Class

Dinner:
Lamb + HUGE Mixed Salad + Tomato + Cucumber + Pear + Strawberries

2 Hours before Bed:
400ml water + Fibre Shake + Combination Greens + Organic Coconut Oil

Overall - Water consumption = Habit is now committed to action and with only 7 days remaining I feel fantastic.

Daily mantra:
I am totally committed to supporting my Human ECO System with my action

Sunday 7th September - Week Seven Day Seven - Global Health Challenge

2008-09-07T19:44:00.000-07:00

Now with only 7 days to go I know that we have increased your awareness of the issues surrounding the bad habit forming lifestyles affecting your eating patterns and increased your personal Knowledge of the body;

You need to put this into practice and continue to do so. We have now nearly completed the total 56 days of our ACTION phase of the plan and we started with one goal in mind - to achieve our goal of a NEW HEALTHIER YOU !

It’s always hard to make a commitment to yourself as there are always life experiences that will get in the way.

NOTE - this Diagram - I want you to imagine the word below "LIFE" with eyes peeking over top because things will always get in YOUR way.

..00..
L I F E

The Importance of Quality Nutrition.
When it comes to our goal of improving health by losing excess body-fat there are more excuses for not doing this plan then fish in the sea. So, eating the right amount of quality fuel can’t be something you “kind of” do for fat loss or this will be another plan that hasn’t worked for you. You have to be committed to making changes.

Everything worth having takes extra effort. Your body is no exception!

I’ve also made this lifestyle program part of my life. When I’m asked by friends if I have to think “to eat healthy”, I can honestly answer “No,” its just part of my life. If I had to think about it then it may seem to be a chore but being healthy is WHO I AM, not WHAT I AM.

When I’m asked how I make time to be regularly active I again honestly answer “it has just always been part of my life. I think how can I move more and be active” and make that a daily habit forming practice.

You don’t realize that eating healthy and being active aren’t “the norm” when you make this part of your personal life commitment. With focus and determination it is said that a lot can be achieved. Possibly, but I think that a clearly defined plan combined with focus and determination is MORE likely to succeed.

This is what we want YOU to have achieved in the last eight (8) weeks which is only 56 days. Hardly a long time to be able to make changes to your life which will be life changing !

Like any real life situation whether it is a business dealing with an institution or the relationship of a marriage, there is a requirement of commitment; so for times in your life when you want to make a change make it a big deal and use it like a PERSONAL CONTRACT. From YOU with YOU !

Goal of this final fourteen (14) days or two (2) weeks is designed to consolidate all of the last 6 weeks including the Human ECO Cleanse and to now establish patterns for your new LIFE.

- Assess your eating habits and see what you have re-introduced. Did you re-introduce caffeine or red meat and have you found you can now do without as much of these. The focus now is not to slip back into old habits but recognise them and use your knowledge for better choices.
- Check your workout intensity, your fitness would support increases or even additional days. Are you are planning these in to your routine- Reward yourself with only 14 days to go.
NOTE - this is isn't the end but rather the beginning of YOUR new Human ECO friendly LIFE.

TONY 's DIARY - (Week Seven - Day Seven)
Protein Re-introduced - Increased Good Fats

Breakfast:
Energy Shake - 400ml Water + 40g Protein Powder + Combination Greens Powder + Organic Coconut Oil. Take a Daily Multi vitamin + Joint Power + 2 x Omega 3 Capsules

Mid Morning Snack:
Green Tea + Protein Bar

Lunch:
Salmon + Salad + Low Fat Cottage Cheese

Mid Afternoon snack:
25g Protein Powder with water + Organic Coconut Oil

Evening Workout - Pump Class

Dinner:
Lamb + HUGE Mixed Salad + Tomato + Cucumber + Pear + Strawberries

2 Hours before Bed:
400ml water + Fibre Shake + Combination Greens + Organic Coconut Oil

Overall - Water consumption = Habit is now committed to action and with only 7 days to go I feel fantastic.

Daily mantra:
I am totally committed to supporting my Human ECO System with my action

Saturday 6th September 2008 - Week Seven Day Six - Global Health Challenge

2008-09-06T18:57:00.001-07:00

For me to be able to provide you with the latest information, I’ve spent the last few years not living in a test tube but both experiencing and personally researching, as well as working with qualified nutritionists on a regular basis both in Australia and the United States to effectively harvest a workable solution that is the nutritional component. Notice I didn’t say give you a perfect plan. They don’t exist mucl like the fictional "Pot of Gold" at the end of the Rainbow.

Why have I done this ?
This data was required for me to understand how best to develop the Human ECO System plan and also then on my last childhood obesity project I’d be able to get children to understand complex human interactions inside their body to dialogue this in conversations or presentations.
Bottom line - if it didn’t make sense to me and I didn’t believe it then I wasn’t likely to encourage anyone else to believe it either.

Here is a summary list of the pro's and con's of the macro-nutrients.

What does Carbohydrate do in the body ?

Positive =
Supplies the body with energy
Affects an INSULIN response causing the uptake of nutrients (for use and storage)
Converts to glucose in the blood which aids brain function
Converts to glycogen for storage in the muscles and the liver
Assists performance and endurance activities
Assists muscles to work

**KEY POINT for Fat Loss - carbohydrates are stored with water in the body. Your body stores approximately 400-700grams of carbs in the blood, muscles and liver. They store with it up to 1500ml water with equates to regular carb eaters adding 2kgs of bodyweight (NOT FAT) to their scales.

Negative =
Makes you feel tired
Makes you feel hungry
Makes you feel bloated / full
The uptake of nutrients limits potential fat loss as it is a preferred energy source

What does Protein do in the body ?

Positive =
Supplies the body with Amino Acids
Has only 4 cals per gram
Assists with levels of satiety (so you don't feel hungry)
Assists muscle development, turning you into calorie burning machine
Select sources that are lean or low-fat
Lowers the Glycaemic Index score
Amino Acids break down to aid the immune system, brain and nerve functions plus assists with tissue repair and growth

**KEY POINT for Fat Loss is that we need amino acids daily to function optimally. These are best achieved from lean sources and can aid fat loss substantially.

Negative =
If you have a pre-existing kidney condition then medical advice should be adhered to
Portions need to be limited so that excess calories are NOT stored as fat
NO INSULIN response – whey is very good but casein may impact on insulin
Supplies energy to assist fat loss – if carbs are limited and glycogen levels are lowered

What does Fat do in the body ?

Positive =
If good fat is consumed it will assist the body to function optimally
Limiting daily intake to less than 30-40g of good fats will assist fat loss goal
Allows fat cells to release free fatty acids for conversion to available energy
Provides energy and at 9 cals per gram is very abundent
Lowers the Glycaemic Index score

**KEY POINT for Fat Loss is that "good fats" aid your body to utilize stored fat for energy in active sessions if it is NOT in a fat deprived state.

Negative =
Very calorific or energy dense
Tastes bad so is often disguised with sugar
Stores easily in the body and increases fat stores
When eaten with other nutrients is stored first
Too much of either good or bad fat is unhealthy

Goal of this final fourteen (14) days or two (2) weeks is designed to consolidate all of the last 6 weeks including the Human ECO Cleanse and to now establish patterns for your new LIFE.

- Assess your eating habits and see what you have re-introduced. Did you re-introduce caffeine or red meat and have you found you can now do without as much of these. The focus now is not to slip back into old habits but recognise them and use your knowledge for better choices.
- Check your workout intensity, your fitness would support increases or even additional days. Are you are planning these in to your routine- Reward yourself with only 14 days to go.
NOTE - this is isn't the end but rather the beginning of YOUR new Human ECO friendly LIFE.

TONY 's DIARY - (Week Seven - Day Six)
Protein Re-introduced - Increased Good Fats

Breakfast:
Energy Shake - 400ml Water + 40g Protein Powder + Combination Greens Powder + Organic Coconut Oil. Take a Daily Multi vitamin + Joint Power + 2 x Omega 3 Capsules

Mid Morning Workout - Pump Class

Mid Morning Snack:
Green Tea + Protein Bar

Lunch:
Tuna + Salad + Low Fat Cottage Cheese

Mid Afternoon snack:
25g Protein Powder with water + Organic Coconut Oil

Dinner:
Salmon + HUGE Mixed Salad + Tomato + Cucumber + Pear + Strawberries

2 Hours before Bed:
400ml water + Fibre Shake + Combination Greens + Organic Coconut Oil

Overall - Water consumption = Habit is now committed to action.

Daily mantra:
I am totally committed to supporting my Human ECO System with my action

Friday 5th September 2008 - Week Seven Day Five - Global Health Challenge

2008-09-05T19:12:00.000-07:00

Did I mention the body is a really incredible machine ?

Fact :
Your Heart produces around 40 million beats every year
Fact :
There are 45 miles of nerves in the skin of a human
Fact :
There are over 100,000 miles of blood vessels inside an adults body
Fact :
30 percent of your body heat is lost through your head
Fact :
Nerve impulses travel to the brain at speeds up to 170 miles per hour
Fact :
There are 206 bones in the adult human body. Babies have 270 bones but as you grow some of your bones join together (eg Head + Spine)
Fact :
Imagine a square on your skin that is one inch long and one inch wide. In that area, there are 3 million cells, 4 yards of nerve fibres, and eighteen yards of blood vessels.

I want to give you a little background so that you understand how I have gained this knowledge and it’s purpose for YOU. As a fitness trainer and former owner of a private fitness studio in Sydney (Australia) who wanted to be more of a role model to his clients with possibly a little vanity rolled up in that, I was constantly being asked by my clients “what should I eat, how much and when?”

I found that the eating plans that were being taught by many expert nutritionists at the time seemed to be less effective on me and so I started to challenge what was my learned belief as it surely wasn't getting what my clients wanted. I found what I was being taught was failing to get me as lean as promised, so why did I expect it to work on others, who obviously were less active then I was ?

This was my conundrum all through the late 90’s. Yet I tried to stay committed to what they were telling me. You are probably realizing that what I was doing was just a “pattern or habit” that I should have recognized. If you said this you are right, and that means that you are learning already.

At the time, I would say to these experts “I know I’m not a nutritionist or dietician, but the current philosophies on what is effective for fat loss are constantly changing. We’ve had the low-fat / high carbohydrate era and that has now been evaluated as less then effective so what else can we do to help my clients?”

I got lucky. I met a lady who was a switched on nutritionist that seemed to not only be getting great results with her clients but also strongly believed in replacing our largely disproportionate intake of carbs with lean proteins. What a blessing for me to find someone whose philosophy I not only believed in but was working on me.

I decided to make some changes with my clients and with her input I created my first 8 Week Challenge in the Studio to get members leaner. It worked and as they say the rest is history. But along the way I had many detractors who coincidentally are now marketing their own version of my style of program. Is flattery really all that satisfying ? Who cares is people are getting the results they seek !

I found our new belief of trying to limit the excessive intake of total carbohydrates that most people consume, logical and very practical. Then the results started to kick in and so I then underwent the next phase of the strategy. Convincing non-clients who were totally focused on low fat foods which tended to have a higher level of carbohydrates in different / varying form of sugars to try this way of eating. No easy task let me tell you.

The joint plan that I instigated with my staff we had developed was to focus on increasing lean sources of protein as most people weren’t eating enough. Then at the same time, address the excessive amount of carbohydrates everyone was consuming and going from refined to more “earth based” such as vegetables and salads. Then I set about getting the word out to everyone I met, in person and on the internet.

At this suggestion, one of my friends and some clients still weren't convinced and said “yeah but what about people such as (insert any world class elite level athletes name here), they eat lots of rice and pasta and carbo load before events. They also drink lots of sports drinks, promote soft drinks and they are really lean so it must work …………”

This was the most common feedback that I would get and I would reply “you are correct. They are very lean. They have controlled eating habits and drink very little alcohol. Apart from it being their career, they are also active and/or working out four (4) to six (6) hours per DAY. How close to that do you think you are with your effort to train here with me for three (3) hours per WEEK, which is still very good and can achieve your result if we adjust your FUEL type”

The typical subdued response was often “yeah, I guess that does put things into perspective”. Perspective, what an interesting word. I took a look at a few dictionary’s to find out the exact meaning was and found this - “the ability to see all the relevant data in a meaningful relationship”. I would translate that to mean “relevant data in it’s context”.

We forget that marketing companies use our “celebrities and sports heroes” to entice us (especially the teen market and young children) to purchase their product because it makes them profits (BIG PROFITS). Does it improve our health to believe and then do what our “heroes” are saying this product does or could provide. Can we really blame our sports heroes as part of their obligation to their Sponsors for trying to make a living ?

Probably not; but they need to be mindful of their “responsibility” and it’s contribution to children’s global health. Should the products come with a warning such as other products that aren’t proven do such as :

“By consuming this amount of product (which I mostly likely don’t), it will NOT guarantee any health benefit UNLESS you live the exact same gruelling lifestyle and training regime I do and have the exact same nutrient restriction that allows me to perform at my best - cheers”.

I’m probably being a little dramatic and hard on them here, but I think YOU get what I mean. We need to be able to “silence the noise” that marketers throw at us. By having a better and more informed understanding of how our bodies work to assess what is important for our long term health, we can maximize and enjoy our time here on EARTH.

So back to my nutrition issues.
In discussions with nutritionists and dieticians I found even they were expressing opposing views on what was the best nutrient profile for getting lean and healthy. In the last two years I have attended national conferences in both Australia and the United States for the Nutrition / Dietetic industry and STILL it’s like no one is really keen or confidently able to state emphatically that any one plan or nutrient profile will work. That makes sense just think of the political football that it is.

Then you have some industry bodies are supported by donations from various food foundations which could then be seen as a non-committal endorsement for their products. Other leading food companies are able to cite their “in-house nutrition experts” who tell us that there really has been study after study to show you the benefit of their food. Again, this is most likely correct. I am not disputing that there is value in quality nutritional research but I always have this question:

“Do the research subjects involved in these studies all live the exact same lives while on the study as they did before they began ? Or is it like the reality shows on TV, where they take someone away from their normal “out of control” life with bad eating habits and minimal or no activity, introduce a “perfect situation in a controlled environment” and then get incredible results.

It’s not rocket science.
Anyone who lives in a “test tube” can change their lives, but it’s the reintroduction back to society that then causes issues with long term results and sustainability.

Unless you can validate that “useable” knowledge has been gained, such as the “workable solutions” I am trying to provide you with; then it’s like most other weight loss programs which could lead you to failure again. So what we trying to do is plan for SUCCESS, not just do it for FAILURE.

I understand why this issue of what to eat, how much and when is so confusing for those people who are challenged anyway. So to that I will add that I have good news and bad news.

First the BAD News – I know that with this lifestyle plan there will be those who will want to voice their own opinion on habits for eating and that is fine. Everyone is entitled to their opinion and there are lots of them so I respect that.

Now, the GOOD News – having tried and tested this (and now living it full-time myself) with the support of key members of the nutrition / dietetic communities who do agree, and who are also “volunteer” advisory board members, I know it works but it’s like having the recipe to your favourite cake.

If you don’t prepare and cook it the way that it is listed – you get what you get. By that I mean it may not taste exactly the same way you anticipated. Don’t skip on either the elements of awareness gained through recognizing habits and patterns, but rather try to learn and improve your Human ECO System Knowledge and then dive straight into the Action Plan.

Now why have I don’t this; I have advised and trained many thousands of clients over the last 20+ years and they all seemed to gain a better more effective understanding of how their bodies work to achieve a more life-changing result for better health.

For me it's simple .... My Goal is to give you the Knowledge = POSITIVE RESULT achieved.

Goal of this final fourteen (14) days or two (2) weeks is designed to consolidate all of the last 6 weeks including the Human ECO Cleanse and to now establish patterns for your new LIFE.

- Assess your eating habits and see what you have re-introduced. Did you re-introduce caffeine or red meat and have you found you can now do without as much of these. The focus now is not to slip back into old habits but recognise them and use your knowledge for better choices.
- Check your workout intensity, your fitness would support increases or even additional days. Are you are planning these in to your routine- Reward yourself with only 14 days to go.
NOTE - this is isn't the end but rather the beginning of YOUR new Human ECO friendly LIFE.

TONY 's DIARY - (Week Seven - Day Five)
Protein Re-introduced - Increased Good Fats

Breakfast:
Energy Shake - 400ml Water + 40g Protein Powder + Combination Greens Powder + Organic Coconut Oil. Take a Daily Multi vitamin + Joint Power + 2 x Omega 3 Capsules

Mid Morning Snack:
Cappuccino + Protein Bar

Lunch:
Tuna and Salad Wrap

Mid Afternoon snack:
25g Protein Powder with water + Organic Coconut Oil

Dinner:
Tuna + HUGE Mixed Salad + Tomato + Cucumber + Pear + Strawberries

2 Hours before Bed:
400ml water + Fibre Shake + Combination Greens + Organic Coconut Oil

Overall - Water consumption = Habit is now committed to action.

Daily mantra:
I am totally committed to supporting my Human ECO System with my action

Thursday 4th September 2008 - Week Seven Day Four - Global Health Challenge

2008-09-04T16:23:00.000-07:00

The Blog on Hormones is still being worked on so today I am going to add this one.

Your intake of food comes mostly from carbohydrates, proteins, or fats. Then the breakdown of various types of foods allows nutrients to be absorbed. If you are unsure of the type of food its probably either carbohydrate or fat but remember the food and ask yourself this; “did it taste sweet when I ate it ?” If so, it probably was mostly carbohydrate (sugars). With a lot of fatty foods they add sugar so you will eat them. For example if it was a “treat” then you need to assess how much fat was in it as well such as a chocolate bar or cookie.

Here is some more help:
If your food came from the ground and was one of the recommended colours other than white it’s most likely a good source of nutrients and vitamins, regardless of whether it’s carbohydrate or not. We are looking to increase this intake of quality nutrients (which make up our RAINBOW Nutrient Eating Plan to assist and maximize OUR new training efforts we shoudl have been implementing for the last 7 weeks.

Think of it this way - the RAINBOW is broken up into its true colours of: red, orange, yellow, blue, and violet (Purple). If you look at our Eating Plan you will notice that we are aiming for multiple colours on our plates at meal times as this increases our levels of vitamins, minerals and phyto-nutrients = very good for the Human ECO System.

If your food came from an animal (meat source including fish but could also include dairy like cheese, milk, yoghurt) our goal is to aim to ensure it was lean (or low fat) and healthy. You see we need the protein but we don't need any saturated fats. We need this protein and so we should assess if you need to consume more or less than you are.

For example - some very active people don’t consume enough quality protein; and a large number of women (and some men) don’t like to eat red meat although for women it’s a great source of Haem iron (good for the blood).

If the majority of your food (nutrient or fuel intake) is “white”, ie pasta, bread, rice, crackers etc, it’s highly refined so has had many of it’s naturally occurring nutrients removed. We need to replace these with wholegrain options and possibly reduce the total percentage of these overall.

If your food came from either a plastic or paper container it was most likely a take-away option and the likelihood of it being high quality is low, it’s possible but I doubt it and we want to promote eating habits you can control. We want to limit the low quality food by replacing, and not just removing those calories, with quality nutrients that your body needs to function at it’s optimum levels.

Imagine putting low quality fuel in your car / vehicle that would intentionally do it damage causing you additional cost and annoyance, you would be outraged if that happened. Notice my deliberate repetition of the “Machine and Fuel analogy” over the total 8 weeks of the program. This is designed to reinforce to you that the high regard you have for your vehicle should also be given to your body.

No one forces you to eat unhealthy food and no forces you to be inactive – it is a choice. Hopefully by completing this plan I will provide an insight or form of education that motivates and inspires YOU to make the best choice. Everyone seems confused by what is right and what is wrong so they do nothing. In doing personal research and speaking to people from all over the world during the last few years it appears that there exists a lot of confusion for the average person on all things health related.

This confusion is exacerbated by millions and millions of marketing dollars being spent through all the various mediums that we are faced with each day from TV to print and now to the internet overloading your inbox but also contributing to your waistlines. What about if someone invented a SPAM Filter (not the canned meat kind) but rather a blocker of bad information. Well you have that ability. You know what is not true and you know when you are using knowledge to justify a bad choice (anti-oxidants in wine ... pleaseee)

Then there are the fast food options that appear healthy but are really just “hooks” to get us in the door. You know what I am talking about. Honestly, how many people do you know go into a fast food store for a “salad” and then get tempted with the smiling face saying “do you want fries with that?” And they say yes. This confusion also eases our guilt by allowing us to feel less responsible as “it wasn’t my fault, they came with the meal” etc.

Add to this the Super Large Soda (Soft Drink) and you have consumed enough calories to complete your first marathon. What, are you not training for a marathon because if the answer to that is NO, then you need to look at your portion size.

Don’t be fooled YOU are the person responsible for your own actions.

It’s convenient to use this confusion as a “mask” to shield us from personal blame but this doesn’t take away any of the health issues we will face if we don’t improve our current global health state. How can we get through the clutter (noise) ?

Learn more about your Human ECO System.
We need to care about own “human machines” and not wait until we are facing a health issue. Then perhaps instead of being faced with a health crisis and them become a zealot in our intentional choice to be active and eat eco-friendly with their new internal strategies we could be protective of our body.

Why should it take “crashing our machine” to realize their was NO WARRANTY on our bodies to invoke personally focussed intent?

Goal of this final fourteen (14) days or two (2) weeks is designed to consolidate all of the last 6 weeks including the Human ECO Cleanse and to now establish patterns for your new LIFE.

- Assess your eating habits and see what you have re-introduced. Did you re-introduce caffeine or red meat and have you found you can now do without as much of these. The focus now is not to slip back into old habits but recognise them and use your knowledge for better choices.

- Check your workout intensity, your fitness would support increases or even additional days. Are you are planning these in to your routine- Reward yourself with only 14 days to go.
NOTE - this is isn't the end but rather the beginning of YOUR new Human ECO friendly LIFE.

TONY 's DIARY - (Week Seven - Day Four)
Protein Re-introduced - Increased Good Fats

Breakfast:
Energy Shake - 400ml Water + 40g Protein Powder + Combination Greens Powder + Organic Coconut Oil. Take a Daily Multi vitamin + Joint Power + 2 x Omega 3 Capsules

Mid Morning Snack:
Cappuccino + Protein Bar

Lunch:
Tuna + Broccolli and Salad + Low Fat Cottage Cheese

Mid Afternoon snack:
25g Protein Powder with water + Organic Coconut Oil

Dinner:
Tuna + HUGE Mixed Salad + Tomato + Cucumber + Pear + Strawberries

2 Hours before Bed:
400ml water + Fibre Shake + Combination Greens + Organic Coconut Oil

Overall - Water consumption = Habit is now committed to action.

Daily mantra:
I am totally committed to supporting my Human ECO System with my action

Wednesday 3rd September 2008 - Week Seven Day Three - Global Health Challenge

2008-09-03T18:17:00.000-07:00

Daily Total Caloric Intake VS Recommended Activity Levels

I know that with the obesity levels of today’s society rising it would only seem prudent to make every effort to find solutions. But here is where I think we do ourselves no favours. We take a few solutions (mostly out of context) then try to get them to work as one “whole” solution (that has no chance of success) but from experience I can tell you that these combined will provide a different outcome to the one you want. End Result = failure.

Let me give you an example. It’s fairly much accepted that everyone should be eating less and moving more – agreed, but how much less should we be eating and how much more should we be active. No one seems able to agree and in fact few want to hold their hands on their hearts and tell this will work. Why, because then they might be responsible and what if they are wrong ? Will this affect their jobs or careers or worse their client retention.

In researching these issues, I found that even the most well-intentioned health professionals could be adding to these issues by their lack of commitment. Well I plan to change that. I'm going to tell you the truth and give you solutions I try first. I will then give you a prescriptive method to achieve the same result, but if you only take the parts you like .. then it will not be as effective.

My research indicates that in providing solutions for the obesity issues, even the experts aren’t looking at how their overall advice is impacting and adding to the daily total caloric intake of a person. Again this is an example and not a researched study. The “average” person can tell you what the benefits of wine and chocolate are - especially when they have a glass in their hand cause we hear about these all the time. You dont hear that the alcohol, fat and sugars are going to STOP and limit your fat loss goals. It's a fool's plan.

Let's look at calories. This is my biggest issue with a lot of nutritionists although some of them I look up to as not only cutting edge but also as walking their talk as role models. They know who they are. Now for the remainder who study a course that doesn't appear to be current and mostly outdated with information then spread that same message - sadly they show their own lack of ability to do what they ask others to do. I think we encourage most inactive people to over-eat and this is part of the problem with our current obese nations.

They say we are facing an epidemic. Simple solution to lose body fat is you have to use more calories than you consume, so if you are eating more calories than you use, you simply will not lose fat, no matter what type of foods or food combinations you eat. It seems logical but .... certain types of foods put your body into storage mode and load up your fat stores more easily than others, such as carbohydrates and excess calories do. But always bear in mind that too much of anything, even "healthy food," will get stored as fat.

You cannot override the laws of thermodynamics and energy balance. You must be in a calorie deficit to burn energy (which isn't always the fat you want to lose) BUT your hormonal system is the regulator or "judge and jury". Bottom line - use (burn) more energy than you consume but eat better quality of nutrients and know how to manipulate your hormones to help.

Tomorrow we talk about the hormones involved.

Goal of this final fourteen (14) days or two (2) weeks is designed to consolidate all of the last 6 weeks including the Human ECO Cleanse and to now establish patterns for your new LIFE.

- Assess your eating habits and see what you have re-introduced. Did you re-introduce caffeine or red meat and have you found you can now do without as much of these. The focus now is not to slip back into old habits but recognise them and use your knowledge for better choices.
- Check your workout intensity, your fitness would support increases or even additional days. Are you are planning these in to your routine- Reward yourself with only 14 days to go.
NOTE - this is isn't the end but rather the beginning of YOUR new Human ECO friendly LIFE.

TONY 's DIARY - (Week Seven - Day Three)
Protein Re-introduced - Increased Good Fats

Breakfast:
Energy Shake - 400ml Water + 40g Protein Powder + Combination Greens Powder + Organic Coconut Oil. Take a Daily Multi vitamin + Joint Power + 2 x Omega 3 Capsules

Mid Morning Snack:
Cappuccino + Protein Bar

Lunch:
Tuna + Broccolli and Salad + Low Fat Cottage Cheese

Mid Afternoon snack:
25g Protein Powder with water + Organic Coconut Oil

Evening Workout:
Pump Class

Dinner:
Baked Salmon + HUGE Mixed Salad + Tomato + Cucumber + Pear + Strawberries + Shaved Parmesan Cheese

2 Hours before Bed:
400ml water + Fibre Shake + Combination Greens + Organic Coconut Oil

Overall - Water consumption = Habit is now committed to action. Fantastic training session tonight and worked HARD.

Daily mantra:
I am totally committed to supporting my Human ECO System with my action

Tuesday 2nd September 2008 - Week Seven Day Two - Global Health Challenge

2008-09-02T15:23:00.000-07:00

To get lean and healthy for LIFE you need to how your Body works?

During the research and development of this plan I found that the more I learn about the mechanics of the body the more fascinated with it I become. It’s a combination of incredible machinery with a complex array of electrics that rival the most sophisticated computer hardware. Added to this are these unknown mysterious elements that we know as disease and the harm each one causes.

Inside the body every day there is an internal battle of good VS evil. By adopting life habits of quality nutrition and increased activity we do the right thing. Equally, we can contribute to the harm or the wrong thing being caused with an unhealthy lifestyle and then get distressed when this happens. Other factors of course play a part such as smoking and drinking alcohol but we’re going to leave them alone here.

There is enough to learn about the body and focus with here. By creating a better understanding what body parts need to work efficiently will assist us to get lean and healthy. I’ve chosen to share this information and increase your awareness of the body in an effort to create more interest in your future.

Think about this. Medical students undertake more than six years of study to become qualified to offer advice and then choose or need to become specialists. So let's not be fooled. This won't make you a Doctor and we won’t be assuming their level of knowledge, so I will aim to keep this at a level that allows us ALL to understand the mechanics of the body. This is not a medical text but more a “How To” or “Self Help” style of knowledge.

In a few earlier blogs I pointed out that this is more a "SELF HEALTH" guide.

When we’re in pain or faced with a health crisis issue we normally go to a Doctor to seek a remedy and this is normally a “quick solution” to remove the pain aspect. We seek a life with a lower level of pain and so often it's a more prescriptive remedy and is mostly given in some form of medication or treatment.

This of course makes sense. However, what if we decided to be pro-active and focus on a more prevention based strategy by being healthier before we got sick or experienced pain. Knowing how best to do this and understanding what is required would seem to make sense.

Most of us take the body for granted that we will continue to function although we rarely or never seem to do maintenance on ourselves except for events or seasonal changes. Think of it this way you probably wouldn’t treat your vehicle with such a lack of regard.

For them we undertake periodic maintenance with scheduled policies for changing engine oil and other lubricants. We supply water to cool the engine and ensure that there is adequate air for the tyres with enough quality fuel to get the automobile to run. Imagine that same care and respect shown to our automobile was a strategy that we adopted as a health maintenance policy.

It could look something like this.
We make regular visits to the doctor (20,000 mile check-up) to ensure that we are working optimally, and as required follow any advice. Ensure that we got adequate good fats (engine oil) for lubrication. Consume enough water (H2O) for our system to keep your body hydrated (cool and functioning), undertook regular cardiovascular exercise so that air is circulating through the body and finally consume adequate quality nutrients that are plant based, whole grains and lean proteins to support this healthy Human ECO System of hardware and machinery.

Seems easy doesn’t it.
You see that is the strategy I developed for the 56 Days of the Action. Now, don’t jump ahead and think that you are ready until you’ve finished reading this and getting familiar with yourself. The more you understand what is inside of your body, the more you will be able to stay focused on the plan.

Remember this is YOUR new “Instruction Booklet” for the human body so let’s consider this part the Reference Manual.

Goal of this final fourteen (14) days or two (2) weeks is designed to consolidate all of the last 6 weeks including the Human ECO Cleanse and to now establish patterns for your new LIFE.

- Assess your eating habits and see what you have re-introduced. Did you re-introduce caffeine or red meat and have you found you can now do without as much of these. The focus now is not to slip back into old habits but recognise them and use your knowledge for better choices.
- Check your workout intensity, your fitness would support increases or even additional days. Are you are planning these in to your routine- Reward yourself with only 14 days to go.
NOTE - this is isn't the end but rather the beginning of YOUR new Human ECO friendly LIFE.

TONY 's DIARY - (Week Seven - Day Two)
Protein Re-introduced - Increased Good Fats

Breakfast:
Energy Shake - 400ml Water + 40g Protein Powder + Combination Greens Powder + Organic Coconut Oil. Take a Daily Multi vitamin + Joint Power + 2 x Omega 3 Capsules

Mid Morning Snack:
Cappuccino + Protein Bar

Lunch:
Tuna + Broccolli and Salad + Low Fat Cottage Cheese

Mid Afternoon snack:
25g Protein Powder with water + Organic Coconut Oil

Evening Workout:
Taught Spin Class - feeling great !!!!

Dinner:
Baked Salmon + HUGE Mixed Salad + Tomato + Cucumber + Pear + Strawberries + Shaved Parmesan Cheese

2 Hours before Bed:
400ml water + Fibre Shake + Combination Greens + Organic Coconut Oil

Overall - Water consumption = Habit is now committed to action. Fantastic training session tonight and really worked HARD.

Daily mantra:
I am totally committed to supporting my Human ECO System with my action

Monday 1st September - Week Seven Day One - Global Health Challenge - 14 days to go

2008-09-01T16:01:00.000-07:00

WE ONLY HAVE 14 DAYS TO GO !!

Yesterday we looked at habits of Women and now for the Men.

Let’s look at what “habit syndromes” they often adopt to lose weight as their main objective. As I mentioned in an earlier blog, men seem to think that just by getting active and not changing their intake of nutrients too much, that any plan or strategy will work. First mistake.

They normally rely on their life experiences from their youth (the old days - who hasn't heard that one) and this serves as the guide to both exercise frequency and intensity levels and even their ability. However time has passed. Late night sessions of social drinking and excessive calories compounded by a less active lifestyle is the catalyst for obesity and conditions of ill health.

The person described below is not that same youthful active individual from the past. Could lose his life because he doesn’t live in the present with regard to his health.

Average Joe The Event Guy – In the past he could have been a good sportsman but “life” has interrupted this focus. He is most likely overweight and could have other possible health risks, but still thinks of himself as the same young sports star from his youth. He will be able to tell you great stories about “back in the day” when he was fit. Now years later when finding out that there is an event such as a “City Marathon” he enters without any training plans as if he was still fit. This is his weight loss regime and could lead to possible health dangers with his intensity.

This person sees less need to monitor caloric intake and his social activities normally include alcohol. This will limit success because these "empty calories" add up significantly.

The Weekend Warrior – Like Average Joe he most likely had an active past and likes the social aspect of “the team”. He regularly undertakes weekend activity for the social and psychological benefits and less about weight loss. He mostly does what is required with activity levels to “manage his weight” and allow for those “refreshments after the game”. He will increase his activity levels to adjust for weight issues when they are raised.

This person sees no need to monitor caloric intake because he is active – a plan most likely to lead to failure.

The Try-Athlete – Unlike the other two he leads an active lifestyle and would probably be classified as an over-trainer. He eats as much as he can, based on his activity levels. He trains every day and is active on the weekends. He will compete in any event and voluntarily seeks out more to do with challenge being the key. He has all the latest gear for his activity and can tell you what his “splits” are the last few events he entered whether you wish to listen or not. He may not have a weight issue but could have other health issues due to excessive behaviours of activity. When people over-exercise they suppress their immune system which can lead to frequent colds etc.

In doing the same comparative research discussion with male friends and colleagues, I tried to find out which one they thought that they were. Their responses were quite different to the females. Most guys wanted to know which “syndrome” I thought that they were.

It was like their chests puffed up and felt that this “habit syndrome” condition was a good thing. Again this type of confusion about optimal personal health comes from a total lack of understanding of how the body works. We all know one or more of these types of guys. But as you can see there really is a distinct difference in mind shift from women to men.

So now we see that both Women AND Men have body issues and it may indicate why there is a requirement to learn more about how our bodies work to be able to create a healthier future.

Goal of this final fourteen (14) days or two (2) weeks is designed to consolidate all of the last 6 weeks including the Human ECO Cleanse and to now establish patterns for your new LIFE.

- Assess your eating habits and see what you have re-introduced. Did you re-introduce caffeine or red meat and have you found you can now do without as much of these. The focus now is not to slip back into old habits but recognise them and use your knowledge for better choices.
- Check your workout intensity, your fitness would support increases or even additional days. Are you are planning these in to your routine- Reward yourself with only 14 days to go.
NOTE - this is isn't the end but rather the beginning of YOUR new Human ECO friendly LIFE.

TONY 's DIARY - (Week Seven - Day One)
Protein Re-introduced - Increased Good Fats

Breakfast:
Energy Shake - 400ml Water + 40g Protein Powder + Combination Greens Powder + Organic Coconut Oil. Take a Daily Multi vitamin + Joint Power + 2 x Omega 3 Capsules

Mid Morning Snack:
Cappuccino + Protein Bar

Lunch:
Tuna + Broccolli and Salad

Mid Afternoon snack:
25g Protein Powder with water + Organic Coconut Oil

Evening Workout:
Pump Class - did heaviest chest track (ever) - feeling great

Dinner:
Baked Salmon + Mixed Salad + Tomato + Cucumber + Low Fat Cottage Cheese

2 Hours before Bed:
400ml water + Fibre Shake + Combination Greens + Organic Coconut Oil

Overall - Water consumption = Habit is now committed to action. Good training session today and writing of the screenplay so less active during day.

Daily mantra:
I am totally committed to supporting my Human ECO System with my action

Sunday 31st August 2008 - Week Six Day Seven - Global Health Challenge

2008-08-31T15:25:00.000-07:00

So yesterday I was explaining the difference between men and women and how they relate to losing bodyfat. Which type of the following syndromes do you most relate to ?

The lady below is a person that knows what to do but doesn’t do it herself.

The Educated Derelict – she is a very astute and intelligent individual. Most likely is successful in her professional life. Finds time to do all that’s required in her world and in fact has a hunger for knowledge. Her application of this knowledge however is less than fastidious. As “her life” often gets in the way. Social life plays a big role complicating training time. When questioned by friends about what are the best ways or optimal solutions for losing weight she will be able to pretty much give you ALL the correct answers. Also she may from time to time exhibit traits of the other two syndromes.

The lady below has frustrating eating patterns that begin and end weekly.

The Impatient Perfectionist – she is a detail oriented person who can’t wait for the result. Has a voracious thirst for knowledge and will read anything and everything that has the words “fast fat loss guaranteed” in the title but has little patience for the time required. She can quote word for word what the latest diet plan a celebrity is on and in fact establishes her “wish list” of body change desires from these. She stops eating certain nutrients (such as carbs after 3pm because it’s trendy etc, drinks red wine and eats chocolate for the anti-oxidants) and if a movie actress has successfully done it for her role in a film she will try it – this week. Often begins her “diets” on a Monday or Tuesday as that is when the latest version of these “gossip magazines” is released. If her life changes will most likely move into the Educated Derelict capacity as she will always be up to date with the latest “in-thing”.

The lady below is on a merry-go-round that works until she gets off.

The Repeat Offender – she is serious about losing body fat - again. Has most likely done a “weight loss program” at least twice successfully. These are usually more restrictive by limiting social exposure and having controlled regimens that she must follow. Upon gaining her desired success and reaching a “maintenance” level she will continue to adopt these habits until she begins to re-enter the social side of life again. Then she will experience the frustration of noticing the weight gain paradox return. This causes her to feel guilty for recent life choices but knows she will find comfort and solace back inside the “controlled lifestyle”.

So which one are you?
When I described these to female friends and colleagues I was often watching their heads nod in agreement and smiles appear as I described each “habit syndrome”. I would then ask which one they thought they most related to. Often there was a pause as some soul-searching went on as they picked one, and some even said they did them all.

I was trying to make the point to emphasis that you are not the only one who acts this way, contrary to what you are probably thinking. We all form habits and I have found that females tend to beat themselves up over weight issues when they are less than successful from their efforts. They then guage their self esteem based upon their failure rate.

Don’t despair our new plan for a DIET EVOLUTION is here.
I’m telling you that there are many people doing the wrong thing, but this doesn’t make it right. We need to change our “stinking thinking”. By now being aware of these habits, you can recognize it when it’s happening and re-establish positive steps forward with our plan.

I provide these steps for nutrient intake and also provide the required active habits to adopt so this is a total package for correcting your eating, moving and thought patterns.

Tomorrow - the Men.

Goal of this twenty one (21) days or three (3) weeks is designed to consolidate the first 5 weeks including the Human ECO Cleanse and to now establish patterns for your new LIFE.

- Assess your eating habits and see what you have re-introduced. Did you re-introduce caffeine or red meat and have you found you can now do without as much of these
- Check your workout intensity and now see if you are planning these in to your routine- Reward yourself with only 21 days to go.
NOTE - this is isn't the end but rather the beginning of YOUR new Human ECO friendly LIFE.

TONY 's DIARY - (Week Six - Day Seven)
Protein Re-introduced - Increased Good Fats

Breakfast:
Energy Shake - 400ml Water + 40g Protein Powder + Combination Greens Powder + Organic Coconut Oil. Take a Daily Multi vitamin + Joint Power + 2 x Omega 3 Capsules

Morning Workout:
45 mins of Cardio - medium intensity

Mid Morning Snack:
Cappuccino + Protein Bar

Lunch:
Turkey Mince with Carrot/Beans/Broccolli/Potato cooked in a Stew + 4 x Corn Thins

Mid Afternoon snack:
25g Protein Powder with water + Organic Coconut Oil

Dinner:
Tuna + Mixed Salad + Tomato + Cucumber + Low Fat Cottage Cheese

2 Hours before Bed:
400ml water + Fibre Shake + Combination Greens + Organic Coconut Oil

Overall - Water consumption = Habit is now committed to action. Good training session today and writing of the screenplay nearly complete.

Daily mantra:
I am totally committed to supporting my Human ECO System with my actions.

Saturday 30th August 2008 - Week Six Day Six - Global Health Challenge

2008-08-30T21:00:00.000-07:00

There different patterns that Women and Men use for weight control.

I know there and I’ve really enjoyed my career path over the years and that has been largely because of the unique style of relationships that I’ve experienced with clients, and while some have been as friends it is learning about human behaviours that has me more often than not fascinated.

Having undertaken many courses that have taught me to be a fitness trainer and trainer of trainers, what I have learned over the years with clients is that I have also needed to be an educator, part-time therapist, counsellor, advisor, nutritionist, a role model and friend. If only they all contributed to my income – just kidding, who wants to make money doing something they love - (**drifts off into dreamland).

With over 20 years of client training experience and working in many different fitness facilities over those years, and even in just talking with people, I’ve found that we really are from two different world’s. We’ve come to recognize, even in jest that Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus and has never been truer when it comes to losing weight successfully and unfortunately often points to the fact that we BOTH seem to end up at Pluto. By that I mean we often fail or give up.

You see dieting patterns are the habitual eating choices we make and due to our lack of knowledge of the human body or taking any personal responsibility, we find don’t often bring us joy. They are called patterns or habits because unless we keep following them, like a design for dressmaking or building or a recipe for cooking, and like those examples, if we don’t get the ratio or ingredients correct we are then disappointed when it doesn't work.

More often than not my experience with clients and friends has been that when it comes to losing weight (body fat), women and men really do think about it from such different perspectives. An example I’ve found for you of how Women and Men are very different is that when it comes to losing weight my research indicates that our gender approaches are this :- Women go on diet. Men join a gym.

It appears to me that there is a negative life aspect from women wanting to lose something with their choice of foods, limiting their taste, restriction of desires, as they try to lose this weight, whereas most men look at this as a positive life aspect of gaining something such as improved fitness, increasing their muscles, and fuelling their ego's.

Why is that ?
Don’t we both want to achieve the same goal?
Or, do we just see different things when we look in the mirror?

I deliberately used the word “weight” in the last paragraph instead of body-fat because I can’t recall one single client over the 20+ years that asked to lose body-fat. “I want to lose weight”, “I want to get healthier”, “I want to get more toned”, “I want to lose 10lbs”. When we sat down and discussed this nearly every one wanted to actually lose body-fat. In fact losing body-fat would achieve ALL of these goals so if you desire any of these changes then losing excess body-fat will net you the result you seek.

From experience with clients, women are more aware of the negative aspects of their physique and attribute that to eating habits. Whereas men seem to notice the positive aspects of their physique, whether they’re there or not, and want to build on this. Simple Fact : We are BOTH under-active and over-fed if our goal is weight (fat) loss. You are going to see me make this point a lot, as it is the fundamental driver for obesity all over the world.

To fix this fuel intake and lack of movement we need to gain more effective knowledge about how to lose body fat.

We need to eat less, but how much less?
We need to move more, but how much more?
Both of these answers are determined by how active your lifestyle is.
Why would you believe that you can eat like an elite level athlete if you are desk bound most of the day? That answer brings us to the simple logic that would suggest that you will “use less calories” meaning your intake of FUEL (food) should be less.

So our NEW workable strategy must have a combination of both of these elements to provide us with a greater understanding of how our bodies work. This will definitely make this process for change easier and more likely to succeed for the long term.

Again, this plan comes from my personal experience, so I want you to know that what I teach is not a research based study so it won't come in any medical journals soon but don't . It’s both an observational description of encounters that I have had with clients and many friends and also I've been living this plan myself.

There will be examples of unsuccessful habits that I want you to think about and see if any of these “syndromes” have been experienced by you. Don’t be surprised if you recognize past traits of your life in more than one example. Awareness or recognition is the first step to gaining more knowledge in our plan for life changing success.

Tomorrow the examples.

Goal of this twenty one (21) days or three (3) weeks is designed to consolidate the first 5 weeks including the Human ECO Cleanse and to now establish patterns for your new LIFE.

- Assess your eating habits and see what you have re-introduced. Did you re-introduce caffeine or red meat and have you found you can now do without as much of these
- Check your workout intensity and now see if you are planning these in to your routine- Reward yourself with only 21 days to go.
NOTE - this is isn't the end but rather the beginning of YOUR new Human ECO friendly LIFE.

TONY 's DIARY - (Week Six - Day Six)
Protein Re-introduced - Increased Good Fats

Breakfast:
Energy Shake - 400ml Water + 40g Protein Powder + Combination Greens Powder + Organic Coconut Oil. Take a Daily Multi vitamin + Joint Power + 2 x Omega 3 Capsules

Mid Morning Snack:
Green Tea + Protein Bar

Lunch:
Turkey Mince with Carrot/Beans/Broccolli/Potato cooked in a Stew + 4 x Corn Thins

Mid Afternoon snack:
2 slices Soy Linseed Bread with Avocado + Tomato + 20g Protein Powder with water + Organic Coconut Oil

Dinner:Tuna + Mixed Salad + Tomato + Cucumber + Low Fat Cottage Cheese

2 Hours before Bed:
400ml water + Fibre Shake + Combination Greens + Organic Coconut Oil

Overall - Water consumption = Habit is now committed to action. Good training session today and writing of the screenplay nearly complete.

Daily mantra:
I am totally committed to supporting my Human ECO System with my actions.

Friday 29th August 2008 - Week Six Day Five - Global Health Challenge

2008-08-29T20:43:00.000-07:00

So is your body really a Human ECO System ?
How does it really compare for a basis of understanding of the Earth and your body. I have listed some examples below of the harm we do to ourselves, then compared it to some of the damage that we are doing to the EARTH !

1. On the Planet - we are polluting our rivers, waterways limiting the available drinking water and pollute the oceans killing the sea life limiting food sources for not only us but other creatures that need them to survive.

In the Body – we drink sugar laden drinks that supply energy dense, low quality nutrients and in fact make us even more dehydrated and add additional empty calories to our daily intake.

RESULT = DIABETES OR POLLUTION - Solution – drink more water to hydrate the body and less soda (soft drink) to limit the excess calories

2. On the Planet - we continue to produce more and more waste and need to find places to dump this which create environmental issues causing potential health problems

In the Body – we consume an excessive amount of low quality, high calorie nutrients placing our body in a toxic state and requiring more storage space which causes potential health problems.

RESULT = OBESITY OR TOXIC ENVIRONMENTS - Solution – eat less total calories and find ways to be more active to use those calories consumed to enhance the body working to grow NOT working to cope.

3. On the Planet – we now produce poor quality nutrients in our everyday foods and have even introduced trans-fats to increase shelf storage capabilities of foods but are now aware that these contribute to obesity, health issues, behaviorial and learning problems

In the Body – our intake of low quality nutrients such as these trans-fats and excess saturated fats from our current food sources such as fast foods, process products that limit proper cellular functioning

RESULT = CHOLESTEROL DAMAGE OR WASTE REDUCTION- Solution – consume quality calories like good fats such as fish, nuts, oils and plant sources to reduce the damage and enhance the bodies requirement for this essential nutrient.

4. On the Planet - we are heating up the planet with green house gases and this is killing the soils and damaging the planets eco systems. As a result the land becomes drier and adds to the reduction of quality nutrients we are eating.

In the Body – we often fail to include enough water on a daily basis (not coffee or tea) which overloads our bodies organs, thickens up your blood streams and causes headaches and constipation. None of these are good for functional living.

RESULT = DEHYDRATION or GLOBAL WARMING IN THE BODY - Solution – Drink at least 6-8 glasses of water everyday and the amount you drink when exercising or active is not included in this amount.

5. On the Planet - we are constantly polluting the air with toxic gases from vehicle emissions which harm everyone when we breathe in these toxic chemicals which does more harm to humans

In the Body – by breathing in this toxic combination of chemicals we produce more free radicals which then cause more cell damage

RESULT = UNHEALTHY ORGANS - Solution – whilst we must keep breathing – WE MUST increase our intake of green leafy vegetables and high quality nutrient dense food to supply our bodies with Anti-Oxidants to fight the Free Radicals.

Goal of this twenty one (21) days or three (3) weeks is designed to consolidate the first 5 weeks including the Human ECO Cleanse and to now establish patterns for your new LIFE.

- Assess your eating habits and see what you have re-introduced. Did you re-introduce caffeine or red meat and have you found you can now do without as much of these
- Check your workout intensity and now see if you are planning these in to your routine- Reward yourself with only 21 days to go.
NOTE - this is isn't the end but rather the beginning of YOUR new Human ECO friendly LIFE.

TONY 's DIARY - (Week Six - Day Five)
Protein Re-introduced - Increased Good Fats

Breakfast:
Energy Shake - 400ml Water + 40g Protein Powder + Combination Greens Powder + Organic Coconut Oil. Take a Daily Multi vitamin + Joint Power + 2 x Omega 3 Capsules

Mid Morning Snack:
2 x Pieces of Soy Linseed Toast + Avocado + Tomato + Lean Ham

Lunch:
Turkey Mince with Carrot/Beans/Broccolli/Potato cooked in a Stew

Mid Afternoon snack:
2 slices Soy Linseed Bread with Avocado + Tomato + 20g Protein Powder with water + Organic Coconut Oil

Dinner:
Tuna + Mixed Salad + Tomato + Cucumber + Low Fat Cottage Cheese

2 Hours before Bed:
400ml water + Fibre Shake + Combination Greens + Organic Coconut Oil

Overall - Water consumption = Habit is now committed to action. No Training session again today as I was writing all day.

Daily mantra:
I am totally committed to supporting my Human ECO System with my actions.

Thursday 28th August 2008 - Week Six Day Four - Global Health Challenge

2008-08-28T14:56:00.000-07:00

Let's see if we can get more knowledge on how your Body works.
Your body is a very intelligent machine. When learning how best to understand this I found value that this knowledge will make us ALL better at taking care of our Human ECO System.

How can this improve our health ?
Good question. This knowledge has limited value unless we put it into practice. Part of the problem we have identified was confusion and lack of knowledge so we are already better off once we start to apply this knowledge.

The reference to the “ECO” part of my title is that I wanted to point out that “ecology is the study of living things and how they interact with their environment”. We are now hearing and seeing a lot of media about how the interaction of human's with the EARTH is damaging it’s ecology. This seems “illogical”. Why damage the place we can live ?

When you say that out loud it almost brings a visceral response of “yeah why would we do that ?” from nearly everyone that I spoke to. We all know of the frantic efforts and worldwide alarm that has been raised about what WE are causing with Global Warming and Carbon Emissions and it occurred to me that the body is much like the EARTH.

The body is a complex human eco-system that exists by us both absorbing certain chemicals and nutrients from foods we eat and then using those chemicals and nutrients provided for the production of life serving energy, hormones, building blocks of repair, waste removal, movement and brain function.

To provide us with energy, we ingest nutritional fuel (food and / or liquids). This Energy in the body is used to assist us to move, breathe, live and ultimately survive. Imagine your blood stream is a river and when you eat foods that are unhealthy it is like taking a bag of rubbish and throwing into the river. Think of it as "pollution". How many times a day do you pollute your human eco-system and what damage is being done?

That "pollution" that YOU have introduced will now have a direct impact on the eco-system environment in which it travels. Your "polluted river" (bloodstream) now travels around your whole body and goes to places that it then further pollutes. You have no idea where that rubbish will end up or of the problems it will cause. In the body when this pollution gets out of control we get diseases that present with conditions like Obesity, Diabetes, Hypertension, Coronary Heart Disease and none of those are good.

Another example to think about is that in producing or using energy we give off heat, such as when you are active or moving around a lot, which is then taken to the surface so we can cool down. Much like the EARTH, we seem to be doing ourselves no favours by constantly existing in a dehydrated state causing our bodies damage that presents initially as symptoms, which when ignored for long enough results in disease.

Next time you take a look at your skin and it looks dry it is telling you that it needs more water, think of a dry creek bed and how the similar it is. Inside your body every single day there are interactions with nutrients, chemicals, hormones, bio-organisms. If not maintained in balance you create an unhealthy environment for example; increased acid production, reduced elimination, weight and fat gain, faster ageing (both inside and out), atherosclerotic plaques etc to name only a few.

Are YOU doing everything you can for your Human ECO System or is it slowly being destroyed with Global Warming and Pollution .... Tomorrow I list some examples of the harm we do to ourselves, which sounds a lot like the damage that we are doing to the EARTH !

Goal of this twenty one (21) days or three (3) weeks is designed to consolidate the first 5 weeks including the Human ECO Cleanse and to now establish patterns for your new LIFE.

- Assess your eating habits and see what you have re-introduced. Did you re-introduce caffeine or red meat and have you found you can now do without as much of these
- Check your workout intensity and now see if you are planning these in to your routine- Reward yourself with only 21 days to go.
NOTE - this is isn't the end but rather the beginning of YOUR new Human ECO friendly LIFE.

TONY 's DIARY - (Week Six - Day Four)
Protein Re-introduced - Increased Good Fats

Breakfast:
Energy Shake - 400ml Water + 40g Protein Powder + Combination Greens Powder + Organic Coconut Oil. Take a Daily Multi vitamin + Joint Power + 2 x Omega 3 Capsules

Mid Morning Snack:
2 x Pieces of Soy Linseed Toast + Avocado + Tomato

Lunch:
Turkey Mince with assorted Vegetables (Carrot/Beans/Broccolli/Potato) cooked in a Stew with 2 pieces of Soy Linseed Toast

Mid Afternoon snack:2 slices Soy Linseed Bread with Avocado + Tomato + 20g Protein Powder with water + Organic Coconut Oil

Dinner:
100g Lamb + Mixed Salad + 1/2 Cup of Brown Rice

2 Hours before Bed:
400ml water + Fibre Shake + Combination Greens + Organic Coconut Oil

Overall - Water consumption = Habit is now committed to action. No Training session today as I was writing all day.

Daily mantra:
I am totally committed to supporting my Human ECO System with my actions.

Wednesday 27th August 2008 - Week Six Day Three - Global Health Challenge

2008-08-27T15:50:00.000-07:00

After the Blog yesterday on Fruit vs Fruit Juice I wanted to get back to consumption of whole foods and for me this means eating more salads, vegetables and certain fruits.
Personally, I would rather you ate more salads and vegetables everyday as it provides a greater chance of getting the nutrients you require to assist dealing with the internal conflict (war against diseases such as obesity).

Again, I said greater chance because as we are often reminded everyone is different. By choosing to be healthier through pro-active knowledge based choice, we have the option to take action and start walking the path to better health and greater energy/vitality.

Now how does the Human Body have similarities to the Earth. Like the Earth your body is constantly under attack. Whether it is from pollutants in the air we breathe, or from the poor nutritional choices we make, combined with your own body producing **free radicals nearly every minute of every day we need to act now.

Sadly, our body is poorly equipped to deal with this onslaught of damage due to the modern times we live in and the damage we do without conscious effort. We need to breathe in order to survive but unfortunately that action alone produces these “scavenging cells” known as **free radicals who then attack healthy ones.

In response to this your body needs to produce a defence network which it needs to be aided by you eating nutrients such as vitamins and minerals and these we derive from a range of coloured foods such as vegetables and fruit assisting to form ***anti-oxidants.

We have all heard that we should eat more fruits and vegetables but few people know or understand why. A common answer is that we need to eat them because they are good for us. This is true !

But more importantly we know they contain vitamins, minerals, fibre and water to help our bodies function better along with these anti-oxidants and phyto-chemicals – more of which are being discovered everyday to protect and balance our internal human eco-system from harm.

We will learn more about both free radicals and anti-oxidants in another blog. Now why do we need to know about them?

The industrial revolution has led to so many advances in our civilisation, yet has also contributed to our internal destruction with the polluted air we breathe, the processed food we eat and the unhealthy sedentary lives we lead.

So in response do we stop breathing, or do we begin living attached to oxygen tanks ?
Neither option is not only costly it is not practical. On the other hand, if we load up our body daily, notice I said daily and not every couple of days or on a particular day each week, with the range of quality nutrients it requires for optimum health, we would be better able to handle this constant attack on the inside trying to kill our Human ECO System.

Provided we take this option, we can not only manage and take control of, but also assist by taking personal responsibility for our own lives.

Just think about this for a second.
If you don’t supply your body with the required “essentials” everyday, what’s happening by the end of that week, month or year ?

By the end of the week, maybe you are a little tired.
By the end of the month maybe you have a cold and have added a kilo or two.
By the end of the year your body is so overwhelmed it is already beginning to break down.
Do you really want to know the consequences after a couple of years ?

Would you consider ignoring the “red flashing oil guage light” on the dashboard of your motor vehicle for that long ?
Would you consider ignoring the signs indicating the destruction of the planet and not do anything ?

Not likely, so you shouldn’t ignore these warning signs for yourself !
FACT: Regular daily intake of quality nutrients give your body what it needs to protect itself and function efficiently.

Goal of this twenty one (21) days or three (3) weeks is designed to consolidate the first 5 weeks including the Human ECO Cleanse and to now establish patterns for your new LIFE.

- Assess your eating habits and see what you have re-introduced. Did you re-introduce caffeine or red meat and have you found you can now do without as much of these
- Check your workout intensity and now see if you are planning these in to your routine- Reward yourself with only 21 days to go.
NOTE - this is isn't the end but rather the beginning of YOUR new Human ECO friendly LIFE.

TONY 's DIARY - (Week Six - Day Three)
Protein Re-introduced - Increased Good Fats

Breakfast:
Energy Shake - 400ml Water + 40g Protein Powder + Combination Greens Powder + Organic Coconut Oil. Take a Daily Multi vitamin + Joint Power + 2 x Omega 3 Capsules

Mid Morning Snack:
2 x Green Tea + 4 x Corn Thins with Peanut Butter + Mandarin + Apple

Lunch:
Tuna + Mixed Leaf Salad + Tomato + Cucumber + Pear + Sweet Potato + Strawberries + Low Fat Dressing + 2 x Omega 3 Capsules

Mid Afternoon snack:
2 slices Soy Linseed Bread with Avocado + Tomato + 20g Protein Powder with water + Organic Coconut Oil

Dinner:
Turkey Mince with assorted Vegetables (Carrot/Beans/Broccolli/Potato) cooked in a Stew

2 Hours before Bed:
400ml water + Fibre Shake + Combination Greens + Organic Coconut Oil

Overall - Water consumption = Habit is now committed to action. No Training session today as I was writing all day.

Daily mantra:
I am totally committed to supporting my Human ECO System with my actions.

Tuesday 26th August 2008 - Week Six Day Two - Global Health Challenge

2008-08-27T15:23:00.001-07:00

Now for Mothers one of the greatest challenges that face them daily is the requirement to ensure that their childrern get enough nutrients including essential vitamins etc.

A common example of this is how to get children to consume more fruit. We know the benefit of this is that they get not only nutrients but also great sources of fibre. In response to this constant promotion in the media of "2 fruit and 5 vegetables" being an important element of their daily eating habits, clever marketing companies are now developing juices that are more like fruit flavored sugar drinks. This is NOT good.

In researching information I found that there is typically a higher sugar content in Apple Juice (approx 11.5g per 100g) in comparison to Orange Juice (approx 10.5g per 100). I found this interesting as most Mothers that I have spoken to would instinctively choose Apple Juice over Orange Juice for their children without realizing that they were further increasing their child’s sugar intake and in fact were loading the child up on “sugar”.

* Nutrition Almanac Fourth Edition

The numbers above are worked out on 100ml but a can of soda (soft drink) is 375ml and a glass of Orange Juice from a retail juice bar ranges in size from approximately 350ml to 750ml. Do the math and a large “Juice” is not such a great health option for weight or waist for child or parent.

A common way to adjust this “excess loading” of sugar is to dilute the juice with water which nearly all mothers admitted to doing at home. However it is when they were out buying the commercial products that this rarely happened but where it is probably needed the most. Again the Marketing teams at these companies are smart and have begun putting the kids favorite TV show characters on them and so stand in a store and listen to the kids order "Superman or Spiderman" instead of even knowing or caring what they are getting.

One way to cope with this is to buy an additional bottle of water and tip some of the commercial product out and top it up with water. At home start with half juice and half water and then over time lower the juice content so that it becomes “the additive of choice” (a splash of flavour /taste) instead of the base so kids get used the "non-sweet" taste of water.

There has been worldwide attention drawn to the removal of sugary drinks from school vending machines in the United States and now happening in other parts of the world too. They have been replaced with “healthy” juices but when you look at these numbers, it really indicates how plain old water really is our greatest health resource but again we are lacking the important fibre from just plain fruit..

When it comes to the children. They are yours so look after them and start their healthy habits at a young age.

Goal of this twenty one (21) days or three (3) weeks is designed to consolidate the first 5 weeks including the Human ECO Cleanse and to now establish patterns for your new LIFE.

- Assess your eating habits and see what you have re-introduced. Did you re-introduce caffeine or red meat and have you found you can now do without as much of these
- Check your workout intensity and now see if you are planning these in to your routine- Reward yourself with only 21 days to go.
NOTE - this is isn't the end but rather the beginning of YOUR new Human ECO friendly LIFE.

TONY 's DIARY - (Week Six - Day Two)
Protein Re-introduced - Increased Good Fats

Breakfast:
Energy Shake - 400ml Water + 40g Protein Powder + Combination Greens Powder + Organic Coconut Oil. Take a Daily Multi vitamin + Joint Power + 2 x Omega 3 Capsules

Mid Morning Workout - Pump Class

Mid Morning Snack:
2 x Green Tea + Protein Bar + Apple

Lunch:
Tuna + Mixed Leaf Salad + Tomato + Cucumber + Pear + Sweet Potato + Strawberries + Low Fat Dressing + 2 x Omega 3 Capsules

Mid Afternoon snack:
2 slices Soy Linseed Bread with Lean Ham + 20g Protein Powder with water + Organic Coconut Oil

Evening Workout - Taught Spin Class

Dinner:
Tuna + Mixed Leaf Salad + Capsicum (Red pepper) + Tomato + Pear + Celery + Strawberries + Low Fat Cottage Cheese

2 Hours before Bed:
400ml water + Fibre Shake + Combination Greens + Organic Coconut Oil

Overall - Water consumption = Habit is now committed to action. Training session intensity 100% and really pushed hard in the Spin Class.

Daily mantra:
I am totally committed to supporting my Human ECO System with my actions.

Monday 25th August 2008 - Week Six Day One - Global Health Challenge

2008-08-25T14:43:00.000-07:00

From years of training clients and advising other trainers when I became an instructor trainer, a key nutritional health message that I tried to get across to everyone was that everyone needs to eat more salads and vegetables. Notice, I said salads and vegetables and not just fruit and vegetables.

All too often we use Salads as just a Summer meal option when in fact it is a fantastic element to most of my meals. This will do me no favours with those that push the benefits or sell fruit but I want to qualify my advice and reasoning. Again, I’m trying to give you knowledge for these workable solutions as well as “insider secrets” to getting lean.

Most people I have met and talked to that are already lean and healthy, and these range from fitness professionals, health educators, professional athletes and models seem to have two schools of thought on this issue:
1. You can eat as much fruit as you like if you exercise everyday = Partly True; if you exercise everyday with a reasonable level of intensity to use the additional calories consumed then this would seem to be acceptable (within reason but I would rather )
2. You can eat lots of low G.I. fruits and this is part of a healthy food intake = Partly True, but finding out which fruits are low G.I. is a key element to this concept.

Again, I think that there is truth in both examples, so I want to give you the knowledge to make your own life decisions easier and eliminate some of the confusion I often hear from parent’s of children I know and those that I have met over the last few years.

You see I would also promote the benefit of increased nutrients such as anti-oxidants, phyto-chemicals etc that will support a low insulin response and these come from coloured fruits and the higher the anti-oxidant content the better.

Why is this important to understand?
When you eat carbohydrates YOUR body secretes Insulin in response to the elevated blood sugars and this has a "measure or score" known as G.I. which stands for Glycaemic Index is an indicator of how fast your body releases Insulin (the storage hormone) in response to elevated blood sugar levels and is based up a standard of glucose of 100.

This has been shown to impact on fat loss success if the numbers you eat are always above 50 and there are two interesting points we also need to be aware of:
1) when you add a few low G.I. scores together it can raise or elevate the overall effect from good to not so good. This is known as Glycaemic Loading.
2) when you eat protein or fat with carbohydrates this lowers the Insulin response which is good so eating foods that have protein or "good fats" is definitely a benefit for this.

Tomorrow the Fruit vs Juice vs Soft Drink (Soda) debate.

Goal of this next twenty one (21) days or three (3) weeks is designed to consolidate the first 5 weeks including the Human ECO Cleanse and to now establish patterns for your new LIFE.

- Assess your eating habits and see what you have re-introduced. Did you re-introduce caffeine or red meat and have you found you can now do without as much of these
- Check your workout intensity and now see if you are planning these in to your routine
- Reward yourself with only 21 days to go.

NOTE - this is isn't the end but rather the beginning of YOUR new Human ECO friendly LIFE.

TONY 's DIARY - (Week Six - Day One)
Protein Re-introduced but still increased Good Fats

Breakfast:
Energy Shake - 400ml Water + 40g Protein Powder + Combination Greens Powder + Organic Coconut Oil. Take a Daily Multi vitamin + Joint Power + 2 x Omega 3 Capsules

Mid Morning Workout - Spin Class

Mid Morning Snack:
6 x Corn Thins + Peanut Butter

Lunch:
Tuna + Mixed Leaf Salad + Tomato + Cucumber + Pear + Sweet Potato + Strawberries + Low Fat Dressing + 2 x Omega 3 Capsules

Mid Afternoon snack:
2 slices Soy Linseed Bread with Lean Ham + 20g Protein Powder with water + Organic Coconut Oil

Evening Workout - Trained Cardio and Weights

Dinner:
Tuna + Mixed Leaf Salad + Capsicum (Red pepper) + Tomato + Pear + Celery + Strawberries + Low Fat Cottage Cheese

2 Hours before Bed:
400ml water + Fibre Shake + Combination Greens + Organic Coconut Oil

Overall - Water consumption = It's been colder and I am only getting in 8 glasses apart from when I work out when I add more. Training session intensity back up to 100%.

Daily mantra:
I am totally committed to supporting my Human ECO System with my actions.

Sunday 24th August 2008 - Week Five Day Seven - Global Health Challenge

2008-08-24T15:52:00.000-07:00

What are Micro-Nutrients like Vitamins and Minerals?
Vitamins and minerals make people's bodies work properly. Although you get vitamins and minerals from the foods you eat every day, some foods have more vitamins and minerals than others which is why we need a broad range of them to get the nutrients our Human ECO System needs. Vitamins are organic substances (made by plants or animals), minerals are inorganic elements that come from the soil and water and are absorbed by plants or eaten by animals.

The fat-soluble vitamins — A, D, E, and K — dissolve in fat and can be stored in your body. The water-soluble vitamins — C and the B-complex vitamins (such as vitamins B6, B12, niacin, riboflavin, and folate) — need to dissolve in water before your body can absorb them. Because of this, your body can't store these vitamins. Any vitamin C or B that your body doesn't use as it passes through your system is lost (mostly when you pee). So you need a fresh supply of these vitamins every day.

Why do we need vitamins?
You get Vitamins from foods that you consume. They are a soluble nutrient solution that travels around the body in either water or fat and broken into two groups.

The two types are:
- Fat soluble vitamins are A, D, E, K.
- Water soluble vitamins are B Group, C, (P = Bioflavonoids)
- Plus other nutritional elements such as Carotenoids, Polyphenols and Phytochemicals.
FACT: The human body can’t make its own vitamins. For Water Soluble ones we have to consume (eat, drink or take via supplements) them on a daily basis hence the need for healthy eating habits.

NOTE: I take a multi-vitamin/multi-mineral everyday as insurance against the pollutants that I breathe in, activity levels that I undertake and just a general optimal health policy.

What are Minerals ?
Minerals exist in the body and comprise 4-5% of human body weight. Approximately 17 are essential to human nutrition. Minerals co-exist with vitamins as they work together (like teamwork) which is why we need a complimentary ratio of each instead of just loading up on ONE because you read about it in a magazine or newspaper:
- Vitamin C improves the absorption of iron
- Calcium can’t be absorbed without vitamin D
- B12 (cyanocobalamin) contains cobalt
- B1 (thiamine) contains sulphur
- Beta-carotene is the water soluble form of vitamin A and is also and anti-oxidant

If the colour of a fruit or vegetable is quite bright, it is likely to contain a greater amount of anti-oxidants, think of our Rainbow Nutrient Eating Plan.

What stops minerals from being absorbed ?
Minerals are absorbed most effectively with amino acids (which come from protein so is a great reason to have a good quality protein with each meal or snack). Minerals attach with an amino acid during digestion (this is called chelation), then the amino acid carries the mineral with it into the bloodstream.

If a mineral can’t attach to an amino acid it can become bound with phytic acids (found in whole grains, nuts, seeds and corn / maize) which then carry the minerals out of the body or they don’t get absorbed and get passed along the G.I. Tract (whole “pipe” system from entry to exit) straight out of the body.

Phytochemicals – are thought to have evolved originally within plants to protect them from the excessive sunlight. In humans, although many are still being discovered and isolated, those on the radar so far seem to block the pathways / processes to developing cancer by neutralizing carcinogens. In those already suffering disease, phyto-chemicals seem to stop it deteriorating further.

Some sources include blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, grapes, carrots, cauliflower, broccoli, brussel sprouts, chillies, garlic, onions, peppers (capsicums), tomatoes.

Polyphenols – are anti-oxidants found mostly in tea, coffee and wine. They’ve been shown to reduce stress and may help prevent cancer and heart disease. This has been shown to be a “great marketing tool” for justification for drinking wine but the reality is that it’s not a great strategy for fat loss because of both the high caloric content of alcohol = 7 calories per gram and the body using that fuel as energy in preference to stored bodyfat.

Tomorrow more insider secrets.

Global Health Challenge - Week Five - Human ECO Cleanse Week
(8 week Overview reposted in earlier blog)

Goal of this week is to use the next seven (7) days as the “detox period for an internal eco-cleanse” to allow your Liver and Kidney to get some rest from the unhealthy habits. These 7 Days are important and supplied in earlier blog. NOTE - They say it takes only 21 days to form a life changing habit. Then this is your time as that is how many days are left after this week.

TONY 's DIARY - (Week Five - Day Seven)
Protein Re-introduced but still increased Good Fats

Breakfast:
Energy Shake - 400ml Water + 40g Protein Powder + Combination Greens Powder + Organic Coconut Oil. Take a Daily Multi vitamin + Joint Power + 2 x Omega 3 Capsules

Lunch:
Tuna + Mixed Leaf Salad + Tomato + Cucumber + Pear + Sweet Potato + Strawberries + Low Fat Dressing + 2 x Omega 3 Capsules

Mid Afternoon snack:
6 x Corn Thins with Peanut Butter + 20g Protein Powder with water + Organic Coconut Oil

Dinner:
Baked Salmon + Mixed Leaf Salad + Capsicum (Red pepper) + Tomato + Pear + Celery + Strawberries + 2 x Omega 3 Capsules

2 Hours before Bed:
400ml water + Fibre Shake + Combination Greens + Organic Coconut Oil

Overall - Water consumption = It's been colder and I am only getting in 8 glasses apart from when I work out when I add more. Training session intensity back up to 100%. Added protein back into my eating plan but haven't re-introduced any red meat yet. I'm definitely going to be eating less but I do like the occassional steak or lamb loin.

Daily mantra:
I am totally committed to supporting my Human ECO System with my actions.

Saturday 23rd August 2008 - Week Five Day Six - Global Health Challenge

2008-08-23T17:08:00.000-07:00

So let’s see how we are doing so far on our Challenge.

From what we have learned yesterday about "eating green" I want you to think about your last meal and what you consumed. Were there three (or more) different colours on your plate? “If you said Yes – well done”.

You are already on the path to greater inner Human ECO health. If not, don’t worry. Our aim is for you to achieve that at your next meal. This change is NOT going to happen overnight which is why we are committed to a 56 Day Challenge. Remember, this is a progressive learning experience and as such needs to serve as a constant part of your daily life. That is what habit-forming is all about.

Why is this “multi-coloured nutrient mentality” important?
From an Internal Human ECO-Cleansing point of view, by choosing a range of different colours with our food intake we supply our body with a greater range of vitamins, minerals, phyto-chemicals and of equal importance a higher fibre content. This assists the body to fight disease, function more efficiently, and also perform more effectively. Now that is a positive step to optimal health.

Additionally, these foods all supply small amounts of water which assists both digestion and elimination (bowel function) which is also very important for changing shape and inner health. I covered this topic more in the Waist VS Waste blog.

So, what are these micro-nutrients and what do they do that’s so important?

In society today, it’s hard not to know someone with cancer or know someone who knows someone with cancer. This disease seems to be attacking our bodies from every angle. So we need to arm and load up our bodies with a defence network. These nutrients are our first line of defence against cancer and other diseases and in fact in some cases are the only means to defeat illness. Now that is an important fact that YOU must know and as good a reason as any I can think of to take notice.

Most people today have an idea of what Carbohydrates, Proteins and Fats are, where they get them, and some people even know what they do, which is a bonus.

However I, like a lot of people today, have only recently begun to become aware of how much more important these micro-nutrients are than just working out the optimum percentage ratios of carbohydrates / proteins / fats for our body for looking good in the mirror. We must, and I repeat must start to understand how our bodies work.

Tomorrow we learn about the Micro-Nutrients.

Global Health Challenge - Week Five - Human ECO Cleanse Week
(8 week Overview reposted in earlier blog)

Goal of this week is to use the next seven (7) days as the “detox period for an internal eco-cleanse” to allow your Liver and Kidney to get some rest from the unhealthy habits. These 7 Days are important and supplied in earlier blog. NOTE - They say it takes only 21 days to form a life changing habit. Then this is your time as that is how many days are left after this week.

TONY 's DIARY - (Week Five - Day Six)
Protein Re-introduced but still increased Good Fats

Breakfast:
Energy Shake - 400ml Water + 40g Protein Powder + Combination Greens Powder + Organic Coconut Oil. Take a Daily Multi vitamin + Joint Power + 2 x Omega 3 Capsules

Morning Workout - Pump Class

Mid Morning Snack:
2 x Cappucino's + Protein Bar (after workout)

Lunch:
Tuna + Mixed Leaf Salad + Tomato + Cucumber + Strawberries + Egg + Low Fat Dressing + 2 x Omega 3 Capsules

Mid Afternoon snack:
6 x Corn Thins with Peanut Butter

Dinner:
Baked Salmon + Mixed Leaf Salad + Capsicum (Red pepper) + Tomato + Pear + Celery + Strawberries + 2 x Omega 3 Capsules

2 Hours before Bed:
400ml water + Fibre Shake + Combination Greens + Organic Coconut Oil

Overall - Water consumption = It's been colder and I am only getting in 8 glasses apart from when I work out when I add more. Changed up training session and kept my intensity back up to 100%. Added protein back into my eating plan but haven't re-introduced any red meat yet. I'm definitely going to be eating less but I do like the occassional steak or lamb loin.

Daily mantra:
I am totally committed to supporting my Human ECO System with my actions.

Friday 22nd August 2008 - Week Five Day Five - Global Health Challenge

2008-08-23T00:08:00.000-07:00

If You Want To Be Lean Start with GREEN ……… And Then What ?

This plan is about your body and what you put into it. We always think of GREEN as thinking ECO and good for the Earth and see this as a positive step which it is. But this ECO friendly mentality should also apply to the body too.

To get some clarity of the importance of this relationship I’m going to create examples of our responsibility for the damage we do in our bodies as it is similar to the damage we do to the Earth. These examples are to create understanding that in order to change your health and save your life (by comparing it to the planet), we need to begin to “go eco and get green from within”.

Think of the media coverage and the reports that “call for change” by politicians and celebrities on how the wilful damage we do to the planet is causing moral outrage and how we must do something now before it's too late. All of this is true but shouldn’t this same outrage be expressed for the wilful damage we do to our bodies and the greater problems we face.

One is the destruction of the planet ON which we live and the other is the destruction of the body IN which we live. Both are precious resources !

I’ll give you an example to start you thinking about this link.
I used this one a lot with former clients and also now with children to understand the benefit of drinking water or the importance of hydration.

When you don’t consume enough water, your body becomes dehydrated. The water content in your body drops below optimum for normal functioning and that means that the cells in the body are less efficient and don’t work as well as the body heats up and becomes drier. Doesn’t this sound similar to the Earth going through climate change and droughts by experiencing Global Warming?

Get up right now. Get a large glass of water – and drink it while you read on!
See we are already thinking GREEN or ECO and helping our “internal planet”.

There is a lot of media attention brought up on various environmental issues and now we know that with less rainfall combined with excess water wastage, the planet is getting warmer – which is a very bad thing for the future of the planet and mankind both as the implications of this are catastrophic.

From personal experience of using this analogy and the seriousness of what is happening, it seems to create a greater willingness through understanding of the need to drink more water – so from an educational aspect, the importance and knowledge is understood and so my goal to get people to drink more water is achieved.

Before taking you on other journey’s of similarities to the damage and consequence of the Earth and the human body, I want to explain the effects of how what you eat impacts on your “internal environment” because this week during the Global Health Challenge or Week 5 we have undertaken an internal “Human ECO-Cleanse” to re-establish a more “environmentally friendly state” within your body.

I have personally found this to be amazing. I feel great with loads of energy and my strength during my workouts has been phenominal. If you were to do this you would also feel fantastic.
You learn that the decisions you make about what goes onto your plate and into your mouth has a direct impact on your inner health and ultimately your fat loss goals to get leaner.

To put into context for establishing good nutritional habits, I have a personal saying of “if you want to be lean, then start with green” when choosing what I am about to eat. I think of what goes onto my plate and I apply this habit forming statement when I’m hungry and need refuelling. Notice I never said eat.

Food has for a long time been used as an emotional crutch for life issues.
I don’t want to make this a psychological point or debate but again try to establish positive nutritional habits that we use that are drawn from my personal experience with many thousands of clients.

This negative “emotional” state of refuelling creates a whole different set of reasons for eating but for us to become our own "Human Machine Mechanic" and improve our health, I urge you to start thinking of your food intake as nutrient re-fuelling for the body.

Again, to change this negative process, we need to “re-boot the software” to realize that nutrients supply energy and we need energy to live. That should be why food is consumed.

I can hear the complaints and excuses for NOT changing beginning now.
“But I love food”;
“I can’t survive on shakes and no meals”;
“I’m not like you Tony I really like the taste of food”;
“If I have to go on a diet then this plan won’t work for me”.
"I can't not drink alcohol with clients or what will they think of me?"

Do you notice the negativity of those thoughts and objections?
Let’s again remember that this better level of nutrient dense FUEL will enhance the quality of our LIFE by improving our HEALTH. It makes us “internally green and ECO”.

So let’s address those negative statements with what I would reply to clients.
“But I love food”
TONY– so do I and accordingly I pick foods that will not only taste good but be good for me so that I not only feel healthy on the inside but look good on the outside too.

“I can’t survive on shakes and no meals” –
TONY - I totally agree but if you are telling me that you can’t find the time to stop to eat then you will never succeed. What about if in the morning when you are time challenged we create a healthy fast food option such as an ENERGY POWER SHAKE almost like a booster “FUEL CELL” that will satisfy both your taste buds and serve as a nutritious on the go option. Then for the rest of the day you can eat what you consider real meals that fit in with our nutrient dense eating profile.

“I’m not like you I really like the taste of food”
TONY - this is my favourite excuse. Sure I would rather eat dirt and cardboard then enjoy the taste of my food. Wrong, I love the taste of my food however I choose the foods that NOT ONLY taste good but are good for me. There are some amazing recipes now for foods that can taste amazing and also help me to combat disease conditions.

“If I have to go on a diet then this plan won’t work for me”
TONY – Alright, so what you are telling me is you would rather continue to eat foods that are not only unhealthy to your internal eco-environment and going to ensure that as you get unhealthy you will most likely go through agonizing pain but this option is more attractive than having a little structure with your eating habits.
What are YOU thinking !!!

Aren’t these more positive based thought patterns that would assist our goal and could form part of the change process?

Okay, so now we know that this does involve YOU wanting to make changes and become part of the process. YOU will have to let go of some old habits that are doing you no health favours. However, look to the positive as I know that choosing a better quality and range of nutrients that we will assist our body to function more efficiently. It’s your personal choice.

I was out at dinner one evening recently when a friend questioned me (which happens a lot with friends) about my habit forming statement of “if you want to be lean, then start with green” as it’s kind of like a standing joke but then he said “but then what”, to which I thought for a minute and replied “then you see how many other colours you can get on the plate as well.”

Everyone smiled and so we then made it a game with everyone at the table to see how many colours they could get on their plates. We had to draw the line (and hand out a technical foul) at the girls trying to convince us that their glasses of “red and white” wine was a legitimate entry into the game.

If you do this with your friends (and I suggest you try it) remember HUMAN ECO MECHANIC LAW ONE - this game applies to the plate.

Additionally our overall goal will be to replace the “white” or less nutrient dense foods that are heavy on carbohydrate content on our plates with “other colours” that are filled with life-serving vitamins, mineral and phyto-chemicals. I will cover the alcohol (wine) debate later.

At the dinner for example we aimed to achieve a greater range of colours such as “greens”, “reds”, “yellows” and “oranges”. Notice how now it added a FUN, game based element to it, which made it less tedious and boring. If we make more things FUN in our lives we are likely to try them. And this is one game where “playing with your food is encouraged” and will be supported by your Mother.

You can find out more about this as I’ve got a chart of what those colours and foods are and how they benefit us that I will add to this blog tomorrow.

When it comes to eating habits what does “green” mean to you ?
The answers I always get are that :
- it could mean you eat organic,
- it could mean you only eat vegetarian,
- it could mean you aim to get daily intake of nutrients

Whatever your response to that question was, I want you to start thinking of the “wider sense of the word – GREEN – in relation to the planet and the environment for a moment. We are all now encouraged to do everything we can to limit the ongoing damage to the planet and I want YOU to think of the same responsibility when it comes to your body.

Aim for Human ECO-Cleansing of our Internal Environment. Sign up to save yourself.

Global Health Challenge - Week Five - Human ECO Cleanse Week
(8 week Overview reposted in earlier blog)

Goal of this week is to use the next seven (7) days as the “detox period for an internal eco-cleanse” to allow your Liver and Kidney to get some rest from the unhealthy habits. These 7 Days are important and supplied in earlier blog. NOTE - They say it takes only 21 days to form a life changing habit. Then this is your time as that is how many days are left after this week.

TONY 's DIARY - (Week Five - Day Five)
Protein Re-introduced but still increased Good Fats

Breakfast:
Energy Shake - 400ml Water + 40g Protein Powder + Combination Greens Powder + Organic Coconut Oil. Take a Daily Multi vitamin + Joint Power + 2 x Omega 3 Capsules

Mid Morning Snack:
2 x Green Tea + Apple

Lunch:
Tuna + Mixed Leaf Salad + Tomato + Cucumber + Strawberries + Egg + Low Fat Dressing + 2 x Omega 3 Capsules

Mid Afternoon snack:
6 x Corn Thins with Peanut Butter

Dinner:
Baked Salmon + Mixed Leaf Salad + Capsicum (Red pepper) + Tomato + Pear + Celery + Strawberries + 2 x Omega 3 Capsules

2 Hours before Bed:
400ml water + Fibre Shake + Combination Greens + Organic Coconut Oil

Overall - Water consumption = Increased it again for today. Changed up training session and kept my intensity below 100%. Added certain proteins back into my eating plan consisting of egg, whey powder, tuna.

Daily mantra:
I am totally committed to supporting my Human ECO System with my actions.

Thursday 21st August 2008 - Week Five Day Four - Global Health Challenge - Human ECO Cleanse Week

2008-08-21T16:11:00.000-07:00

The next step in our plan is Re-Learning - We often recognize and become aware of bad habits more than good habits because of the damage they do. To fix this thought process, we need to start forming strategies for success that involve acknowledging good habits and seek others to add.

How often do you think of yourself in a positive light? Sadly, we don’t encourage this enough and from personal experience when I spoke with friends and clients about how they felt when they began to be “PRO-ACTIVE” with their health, I would notice they “felt better”. Their confidence seemed to be more abundant and self forgiveness was nearly always present. This is the path of Re-learning.

A more rounded example of Re–learning would be doing something healthy that enriches your life, such as eating foods full of life-enhancing nutrients and/or being active on a regular basis to improve cardiovascular health. That sounds like what WE all know we should do - but don't.

Now we need you to notice and acknowledge this positive or pro-active step by becoming aware of “healthier habits” to assist us change our Human ECO environment. For us to make a further transition we need more knowledge and this with part of the plan will be added over the next three weeks.

This information on your body and how it works to get healthier (and leaner) is planned to educate and inspire YOU to make permanent positive changes.

Think of this next part as a NEW version of software for your machine (human body). We need to install and re-boot your hard-drive so let’s review your past nutrition habits to create an understanding of why we are changing them to set YOU up to have a better chance of success in these 56 days. This should be easy. Look at the record of your daily eating and just notice the changes you have made. If there are none YOU now know what you need to focus on with the next 21 days of your NEW positive habit forming life.

This process is sometimes annoying. You’re a grown adult and have your own set of thoughts and rules you live by. I don’t want to stop you from that but I do want to add to them by enlightening and inspiring you to try to think differently. Let’s set up NEW pro-active healthy life patterns, habits or trigger points that not only work but when you recognize them you see them as positives.

From personal experience I have learnt that in order to motivate, inspire and create change in an individual sometimes it’s best to lead by example.

I want you to know that I do live my life this way, so let me explain why I’ve developed this program. Unlike other authors that write books after their "healthy life changing epiphany" I have never been overweight and had incredible fat loss that changed my life. However, just because I can’t understand how an overweight person has felt or that they have been subjected to difficulty doesn’t mean that I don’t care. I do care.

In fact I care so much that I am constantly working on ways to provide better and more useable knowledge. I have always been active. I am healthy, lean and fit. I choose to do this and I love being this way. I’m sharing this with YOU because you can be exactly the same way.

If you don’t believe me talk with the authors who’ve created changes in their lives and they will tell you the same thing. What they did was to take a step in the direction of positive choice to be healthy. YOU are next !

My role is to assist YOU to transition from where you are to where you want to be. Are you ready to take a positive step?

Tomorrow learn more of my “insider secrets”.

Global Health Challenge - Week Five - Human ECO Cleanse Week
(8 week Overview reposted in earlier blog)

Goal of this week is to use the next seven (7) days as the “detox period for an internal eco-cleanse” to allow your Liver and Kidney to get some rest from the unhealthy habits. These 7 Days are important and supplied in earlier blog.
NOTE - They say it takes only 21 days to form a life changing habit. Then this is your time as that is how many days are left after this week.

TONY 's DIARY - (Week Five - Day Four)
Protein Re-introduced but still increased Good Fats

Breakfast:
Energy Shake - 400ml Water + 40g Protein Powder + Combination Greens Powder + Organic Coconut Oil. Take a Daily Multi vitamin + Joint Power + 2 x Omega 3 Capsules

Mid Morning Snack:
Green Tea + Apple

Workout - 7km Run

Lunch:
Mixed Leaf Salad + Tomato + Cucumber + Strawberries + Egg + Low Fat Dressing + 2 x Omega 3 Capsules

Mid Afternoon snack:
Green Tea + Energy Shake = 250ml Water + 25g Protein Powder + Organic Coconut Oil + Combination Greens Powder

Dinner:
Mixed Leaf Salad + Capsicum (Red pepper) + Tomato + Pear + Celery + Strawberries + 2 x Omega 3 Capsules

2 Hours before Bed:
400ml water + Fibre Shake + Combination Greens + Organic Coconut Oil

Overall - Water consumption = Increased it again for today. Changed up training session and kept my intensity below 100%. Added certain proteins back into my eating plan consisting of egg, whey powder, tuna.

Daily mantra:
I am totally committed to supporting my Human ECO System with my actions.

Wednesday 20th August - Week Five Day Three - Global Health Challenge - Human ECO Challenge DAY

2008-08-20T16:47:00.001-07:00

To make LIFE changes you need to change your LIFE.

The first step in this is Un-Learning – it’s a made up word and refers to the habit-breaking that we need to undertake. Before we can do that we have to recognize that an unhealthy habit, pattern, or trigger point is something that you do on a regular basis that you then need to become aware of, as it could be hampering your success in certain aspects of your life.

Then we can experience success with this new strategy to implement life-long health benefits that require you committing to change and to recognize those habits, patterns or trigger points that have failed YOU in the past.

They say that to continuously repeat a habit that doesn’t succeed is the definition of insanity or in our diet obsessed lifestyles = failure. This consistency to do something failing us becomes a bad thing if it causes you concern or does you harm. Basically, we need to implement NEW more pro-active changes in order to succeed with our new plan.

Why would you repeat something you know is going to fail?
Could it be because you are not aware of the reasons for continuing?
Is it because “change” would mean acknowledging a pattern of defeat from your past?
Whatever your answer, you cannot change this habit, pattern, or trigger point if you don’t become aware of it and acknowledge YOU want to change it. NOW is the time.

Think of something you have done in the past in a situation where you didn’t succeed but you know why. You are now aware of what caused the failure and hopefully you don’t make that same mistake again. This is learning from our mistakes, we do this with work and relationships so let's be sensible.

We need to apply that same analogy for our bodies and health plan because we make a lot of mistakes. We fail to learn from a young age how our bodies work. We then add to this lack of knowledge and confusion or “myth-information”, with unrealistic plans and goals that consistently cause us to fail and dislike ourselves.

I’m not a psychologist but I have listened to thousands of my clients who have told me that they dislike themselves but in fact when we spoke further, I found out what they really dislike is their appearance. It’s kind of like hating your clothes, we just need to change this so you like what you see !

We need to learn to apply “knowledge based awareness” to achieve success for our health. This could help us to be more forgiving of our mistakes and allow us to feel better about who we are. Your body does not define who or what you are as it is merely a machine or vessel that we travel around in.

Now with this NEW Human ECO System plan can begin to allow yourselves to see healthy pattern forming habits. Learning the correct information and then applying it should provide a different and more positive outcome (in the mirror too).

Tomorrow we take the next step in our plan which is Re-Learning.

Global Health Challenge - Week Five - Human ECO Cleanse Week
(8 week Overview reposted in earlier blog)

Goal of this week is to use the next seven (7) days as the “detox period for an internal eco-cleanse” to allow your Liver and Kidney to get some rest from the unhealthy habits. These 7 Days are important and supplied in earlier blog.

NOTE - They say it takes only 21 days to form a life changing habit. Then this is your time as that is how many days are left after this week.

TONY 's DIARY - (Week Five - Day Three - Human ECO Cleanse Day - NO Protein day so increased Good Fats)

Breakfast:
Energy Shake - 400ml Water + Combination Greens Powder + Organic Coconut Oil. Take a Daily Multi vitamin + Joint Power + 2 x Omega 3 Capsules

Mid Morning Workout - Spin Class

Mid Morning Snack:
2 x Green Tea + Green Apple + Carrot + Mandarin

Lunch:
Huge Mixed Leaf Salad + Tomato + Cucumber + Strawberries + Almonds + Dressing + 2 x Omega 3 Capsules

Mid Afternoon snack:
Green Tea + Energy Shake = 250ml Water + Organic Coconut Oil + Combination Greens Powder

Evening Workout - Pump Class - took it easy on the intensity for today

Dinner:
Mixed Vegetable Bake + 2 x Omega 3 Capsules

2 Hours before Bed:
400ml water + Fibre Shake + Combination Greens + Organic Coconut Oil

Overall - Water consumption = Increased it for today. Good training sessions and kept my intensity a little lower to see how I would cope - but did good. Back to adding certain proteins into my eating plan tomorrow consisting of white fish, whey powder, almonds, low fat cottage cheese (optional)

Daily mantra:
I am totally committed to supporting my Human ECO System with my actions.

Tuesday 19th August 2008 - Week Five Day Two - Global Health Challenge - Human ECO Cleanse Week

2008-08-19T15:07:00.000-07:00

Definition of Obesity
Over the last few years the problem of obesity has been increasing yet there is still confusion about what is and what isn't obesity and who it affects.

The debates seem to centre around whether people are obese or clinically obese. This is a matter of medical assistance because when you are clinically obese you have greater access to health services. Pity we have to get to that stage before anyone helps themselves.

With obesity there are many different health definitions which only adds to the confusion of the masses, so there needs to be a simple understanding. Here is one I use of Obesity. It can be defined as :

“Any level of excessive weight that causes health issues for an individual”

This definition is easy to understand.
It also takes into account; gender, height, weight and has been simplified into one sentence about health. Note this has nothing to do with body image, aesthetics or any other esteem related issues.

This is about stopping health issues which is where obesity really presents itself. That’s what this plan is designed to do. It’s an adult’s guide to the Human Body. To provide guidance through aspiration and not just inspiration is my goal.

Watching an overweight person lose a lot of weight and hear their story is “inspirational” and you are emotionally moved when you watch it on the TV shows which by the way are edited to make compulsive viewing. But by showing you how you can be “aspirational”, or complete this plan yourself is not only a way for you to be physically moved, but also set a health standard for family and friends.

It provides a conversation tool that becomes less about “what YOU aren't doing right” and more about role-modelling behaviours "what you ARE doing right". We want to work on adding to the positives instead of just dealing with negative aspects of body fat.

Obesity is a preventable condition and it is your personal responsibility to ensure you begin to be “pro-active” to ensure you have a better quality of LIFE.

Global Health Challenge - Week Five - Human ECO Cleanse Week
(8 week Overview reposted in earlier blog)

Goal of this week is to use the next seven (7) days as the “detox period for an internal eco-cleanse” to allow your Liver and Kidney to get some rest from the unhealthy habits. These 7 Days are important and supplied in earlier blog. NOTE - They say it takes only 21 days to form a life changing habit. Then this is your time as that is how many days are left after this week.

TONY 's DIARY - (Week Five - Day Two)

Breakfast:
Energy Shake - 400ml Water + 45g Protein Powder + Combination Greens Powder. Take a Daily Multi vitamin + Joint Power

Mid Morning Workout - Spin Class

Mid Morning Snack:
2 x Green Tea + Green Apple with low fat yoghurt

Lunch:
Salmon + Huge Mixed Leaf Salad + Tomato + Cucumber + Strawberries + Dressing

Mid Afternoon snack:
Green Tea + Energy Shake = 30g Protein + Combination Greens Powder

Dinner:
Tuna + Mixed Vegetable Bake = Yum.

2 Hours before Bed:
400ml water + Fibre Shake + 20g Protein Powder + Combination Greens

Overall - Water consumption = good. Good training session. Think I'm on track with the ECO Cleanse but did notice my energy levels start to dip a little which could be from no caffeine, I'll keep it monitored and adjust any training intensity accordingly.

Daily mantra:
I am totally committed to supporting my Human ECO System with my actions.

Monday August 18th 2008 - Week Five Day One - Global Health Challenge - Human ECO Cleanse Week

2008-08-19T02:40:00.000-07:00

Here is the 12 Step Plan for Internal Cleansing with Suggested Guidelines and Rules:

What would a NEW eating and lifestyle plan be without parameters ?
Having completed this myself on two occassions, I'm able to give personal experiences that I encountered and from this and so the Nutritionist team and I have made modifications so that we are happy that it can be completed by most people.

We have our plan over 7 days for you to ease into and out of it so that your life isn’t totally put on hold BUT you will experience some discomfort. It’s needs to be LIFE CHALLENGING if it's going to be LIFE CHANGING.

One : Limit Caffeinated Drinks + NO Alcohol
NO coffee or tea, caffeinated soft drinks or soda’s. No alcohol. This doesn’t mean you can have one glass it means NONE.

NOTE: If you are a large coffee or tea drinker you will most likely experience headaches and feel lethargic on the first 2-3 days. This is normal. Try to reduce the amount of caffeinated drinks you consume in the week prior to limit this impact. Herbal Teas such as Ginger, Dandelion, Peppermint etc are okay BUT be aware that Green Tea DOES contain some caffeine.

Two : Focus on Hydration
Add a squeeze of fresh lemon or lime juice to water if you need a taste sensation - a minimum of 3 litres. Hydration is a large factor and you probably have been using Coffee and Tea or Soft drink (Soda) as your main source of water. Nothing replaces the benefit of water like pure water – as I taught the children to say “go, go, go, with H2O”.

Note – a 2% dehydration means a large decrease in energy levels, it may also cause headaches, constipation etc.

Three : Ensure you don’t just “eliminate” nutrients
Most detox / elimination eating plans ask you to remove many forms of nutrients. We believe that this strategy is flawed and that including the benefit of including E.F.A.'s (or Essential Fatty Acids required for “Omega 3 and 6”) will serve more good than harm. So, have 1 avocado each day - divide across at least 2-3 of the meals (or 4 meals would be better).

Four : Increase GOOD sources of Fat
As well as the Avocado, you could also add 6 raw almonds (highest in calcium, slightly lower in fat), or walnuts (higher in Vitamin E + Omega 6) to a low fat and combined with some diet yoghurt as a snack option with up calcium.

Five : Reduce all Grains for the challenge
We are advising you in these 5 key days not to eat any type of grain-based foods such as rice, pasta, cereal, bread or any other staple food that fills most people’s eating habits.

Six : Snack on Salads and Vegetables
If you feel hungry then snack on unlimited cucumber, capsicum / peppers (all colours), cherry or grape tomatoes, celery, baby spinach, lettuce (all types), snow or sugar snap peas, green beans, asparagus, asian greens, broccoli and broccollini.

Note: This will not only add roughage (fibre) to your system but increase nutrients too.

Seven : Reduce “sweet fruits”
With this plan we are going to focus on low G.I. fruit. Our plan encourages you to eat mainly berries (all sorts), cherries, peaches, nectarines, plums, pears, and apples (green is my suggestion). Also note that we are trying to limit very sweet fruits for the G.I. response but still give you some options.

Note: (G.I. stands for Glycaemic Index or the Insulin response you get from eating carbs. Our G.I. goal on this challenge is to keep it = low)

Eight : Reduce Dairy Intake
Dairy intake needs to be reduced during the key three days. Now I am not advocating eliminating it from your eating habits unless you have medical advice to do so. If you feel like you need to include some then I would encourage eating low fat cottage cheese or plain low fat or organic yoghurt sparingly.

Nine : Afterburner Workouts
Now what health / rejuvenation / lifestyle changing plan would be complete without getting you to adjust your intake of nutrients by giving you some suggestions of ways to increase your nutrient burning potential. Having made exercise a regular part of my life what I have tried to do was adjust and provide some options and these are included with the Afterburner Workouts that I have designed.

Ten : Adjust Activity Intensity
If you’re exercising it’s important to remember that you will need to lower your expectation of your personal effort on the “day 4 of your ECO Challenge”. You will feel that you have less energy and also it will seem “harder”, this is exactly what we’re hoping to achieve and is normal so don’t be alarmed.

Eleven : Nutritional Support
This is always frowned upon by people who just don’t seem to get it. I am not going to mix my words here. If you are living today in a “bubble or a test tube” this doesn’t apply to you. If however you are not, and you are breathing various pollutants very day or have a less then perfect eating regime then YOU have a responsibility to ensure that your body is not only working to it’s optimal but YOU are assisting that process.

Note : You can choose the brand but be aware that you get what you pay for when it comes to quality. Two types that I recommend (one of which I use but have tried both), is Juice Plus and Amway Double X. For those that baulk at this cost are you NOT worth $2 per day ?

Twelve : Praise for YOUR Efforts
Praise yourself each day – this is your new life and “changing habits - saves lives” because this is the NEW YOU.

This experience will alert you to what foods you should normally eat, when you eat them and possibly why. Remember this is YOUR body and YOUR life.

Global Health Challenge - Week Five - Human ECO Cleanse Week
(8 week Overview reposted in earlier blog)

Goal of this week is to use the next seven (7) days as the “detox period for an internal eco-cleanse” to allow your Liver and Kidney to get some rest from the unhealthy habits. These 7 Days are important and supplied in earlier blog. NOTE - They say it takes only 21 days to form a life changing habit. Then this is your time as that is how many days are left after this week.

TONY 's DIARY - (Week Five - Day One)

Breakfast:
Energy Shake - 400ml Water + 45g Protein Powder + Combination Greens Powder. Take a Daily Multi vitamin + Joint Power

Mid Morning Workout - Spin Class

Mid Morning Snack:
2 x Green Tea + Green Apple with low fat yoghurt

Lunch:
Salmon + Huge Mixed Leaf Salad + Tomato + Cucumber + Strawberries + Dressing

Mid Afternoon snack:
Green Tea + Energy Shake - 30g Protein + Combination Greens Powder

Evening Workout:
Pump Class - worked really hard cause I felt strong

Dinner:
Baked Salmon + Mixed Leaf Salad + Capsicum (Red Pepper) + Tomato + Cucumber + Low Fat Cottage Cheese + Celery + Strawberries + Dressing.

2 Hours before Bed:
400ml water + Fibre Shake + 20g Protein Powder + Combination Greens

Overall - Water consumption = good. Good training session. Think I'm on track with the ECO Cleanse - yep I'm ready

Daily mantra:
I am totally committed to supporting my Human ECO System with my actions.

The Power Shake product that I use

2008-08-17T20:24:00.000-07:00

I have been asked in numerous emails what is the basis for my morning energy shake and here is the link to the U.S. company that I order from - yes it is that good I get it sent all the way down to Australia.

https://www.phporder.com/ProductPage.aspx?ItemID=595&ID=www

The Power Shake was created so that you can easily consume several “power foods” that have ancient roots as potent fuels for energizing the human body. The powerful foods include Kamut Wheatgrass juice, Oat grass juice, alfalfa leaf juice, Hawaiian Spirulina, Aktivated Barley, carrot juice and soluble Rice-bran. When combined, they create long term sustained energy, endurance, and strength. These foods provide protection from catabolic damage making this all-natural whole food alternative tacitly anabolic.

This product was inspired from the PHP’s fasting protocols. Many customers had asked for the five ingredients in the shake recipe to be simplified into one product. Now we offer the Power Shake as a convenient cost effective way to make your shakes while fasting, for working out, dieting or as your nutritional staple.

The Power Shake contains:
Organic Kamut
Carrot Juice Plus
Rice Bran Solubles
Aktivated Barley
Hawaiian Spirulina

I also get their Fibre Shake and use that everyday too.

Sunday 17th August 2008 - Week Four Day Seven - Global Health Challenge

2008-08-17T15:26:00.000-07:00

What is the upcoming “7 Day ECO-CLEANSE Challenge”

I created this element as week (5) five of the 56 Day Plan as there is a need for a period where most people have their old habits tested and for their new habits developing to become the focus. It's also not a bad way to show how you can feel differently when YOU do things correctly for your Human E.C.O. System.

This challenge was designed with my nutrition team taking into account how this will work and then by supplying you a far healthier option than most other programs with nutritional intake. It is spread over a week and not just a weekend as many popular versions are, so that you aren’t just focussed for one weekend and then go back to your unhealthy habits.

With an important health benefit of restoration and replenishment, I want you to rest your body’s digestive system by removing the “toxic chemicals” we add on a daily basis. To achieve this I have modified with “expert nutritional input” a “7 day challenge” which has a focus for one week of the eight (8) week plan.

The goal is that you should try this new lifestyle of eating well and being active to see how your life could be if you make the necessary changes. Will it test you ? I think so having completed it myself.

The main focus or the eliminating phase is achieved by reducing total excess energy for this 7 day period. This will mostly consist of removing a lot of the “white foods” you over-consume and replacing them with an ECO Friendly plan of vegetables, salads and fruit in the middle three days out of our seven day ECO Cleanse week.

This modified seven day plan has a focus on the middle three days with a reduction lead-in and option to add things back towards the end. Having done this myself on two other occassions I think this works better than others as you are able to still function in your current life unlike putting you inside the “test tube” environment of just a weekend as people in the real world don’t exist inside a tube.

You have been lead in gently over the previous four weeks. Unlike any other type of detox plan I’ve examined, you get educated on how to change YOUR bad habits instead of just eliminating most nutrients. This will allow YOU to re-introduce foods back into your eating patterns to notice the difference and then begin better eating to form healthy long term nutritional habits.

We also do this to allow your body (mostly your digestive system) to have a rest, get rid of the toxic environment that you have built up, and then provide a recovery period so you’re not just going “cold turkey” which could lead to failure of the plan.

From years of experience training clients, failure is likely if you don’t get an understanding of this knowledge and be able to recognize the “old bad patterns” should they reappear in the future. Fundamentally, most of us are not good at eating what is sensible and healthy for our internal eco-system but instead we look for convenient but unfortunately lower quality foods that are cheap in both nutrition and cost.

Normally the first thing I find talking with nutritionists about obesity issues is that they generally find most people have limited our intake of vitamins, minerals, and other essential elements such as phyto-nutrients.

Guess where those ALL come from ?
Mostly, plant-based foods that are grown in the ground and part of the planet’s eco-system.

Guess how many of these life enriching nutrients are found “naturally” in products in packages or fast food options ?
You know that I am going to say – “little to none !”

If you already know these facts why would you be willing to “POLLUTE” your human eco-system causing harm ?

We seem to have forgotten that a lot of disease today appears to be through our bad habits of eating too much and moving too little or as I say “under-active and over-fed”.
Don't forget obesity, diabetes type II, certain cancers, are all preventable.

I’m told that to grow we need to be more in tune with ourselves. My goal is to help YOU get personally “tuned up” and provide you the necessary “tools”. Now don’t scream at your computer “I thought this was going to be a good way to learn about my body but it’s just another self help plan”.

I promise you it’s not self help but more self health. The purpose in writing this section was to show that everyone can make changes for better health. Back to the plan and why I changed my personal philosophy.

During this learning process what I found was that I had become “comfortable” with my eating plans as I believed that I was eating with a sensible proportion or percentage of about 80 / 20. I ate healthy 80% of the time and 20% less healthy the remaining time. I have always allowed myself certain treats. I have never really been a bad eater but do like “treats” and feel that it’s fair to reward myself for this 80% consistency.

I am now less focussed on the percentage numbers and more focussed on ensuring that I supply a full spectrum of quality nutrients that will save my Human ECO System. Having lost my father to obesity-related ill health (heart attack), I’m very conscious and aware that what I eat affects what is happening on the inside at a cellular level that is fascinating me the most.
TIP: Healthy eating means better health.

Part of my consistency plan now is to ensure that I train regularly and continue to accrue the greatest knowledge by understanding that nutrition intake should be modified to suit activity levels. An example is athletes who get older, yet continued to eat large amounts of calories (habit), suddenly realize that they are “unhealthy” as their activity levels have been lowered substantially or stopped all together.

To allow for my 20% (occasional ice cream, pizza, chocolate etc) I planned to consistently challenge myself on training days to either do more work (train longer) or push myself harder. History, combined with knowledge and experience has taught me that a few things often pop up to limit the effectiveness of this strategy.

Firstly, like nearly everyone else on the planet, time constraints with life getting in the way consistently hamper me doing the longer option meaning that failure is likely.

Secondly, my body telling me that it hurts; or is just plain tired is another issue that I have faced in the past, and so I have tried to address those to give better advice but again as a result failure is likely.

Tomorrow - the 12 steps for the Human ECO Cleanse and the beginning of Week 5.

Global Health Challenge - Week Four (8 week Overview reposted in earlier blog)

Goal of this week is to consolidate the first three (3) weeks of life changing habits – Half way !
- Reduce your dairy intake
- Reduce intake of red meat and replace to white fish
- Maintain the three (3) days of activity – add an additional “family fun day” on the weekend
- Maintain H20 (water) intake to 8 glasses per day

TONY 's DIARY - (Week Four - Day Seven)

Breakfast:
Energy Shake - 400ml Water + 45g Protein Powder + Combination Greens Powder + 1/2 cup Frozen Banana. Take a Daily Multi vitamin + Joint Power

Lunch:
Tuna + Huge Mixed Leaf Salad + Tomato + Cucumber + Strawberries + Dressing

Mid Afternoon snack:
Green Tea + Energy Shake - 30g Protein + Combination Greens Powder

Evening Workout: Pump Class - worked really hard cause I felt strong

Dinner:
Baked Salmon + Mixed Leaf Salad + Capsicum (Red Pepper) + Tomato + Cucumber + Low Fat Cottage Cheese + Celery + Strawberries + Dressing.

2 Hours before Bed:
400ml water + Fibre Shake + 20g Protein Powder + Combination Greens

Overall - Water consumption = good. Good training session. Think I'm on track leading into next week (ECO Cleanse) which I know will be tough but I'm ready

Daily mantra:
I am totally committed to supporting my Human ECO System with my actions.

Saturday 16th August 2008 - Week Four Day Six - Global Health Challenge

2008-08-16T17:32:00.000-07:00

What is the “Evolution” part of this Plan and why do we need it?
In most other aspects of life from business to relationships to financial success we encourage the review of past failures as an “evolutionary process”. Similarly before we can begin to make health changes in our lives, we need to recognize that we have certain bad habits, repeating patterns or trigger points that consistently hamper our health success.

Just like in all other forms of our lives, once we become aware of them, we need to implement more effective knowledge based strategies if we are going to change. When it comes to decreasing body fat and improving health, I’ve found after 20+ years of training clients that there are always recurring themes such as, I’m too tired to train; I’m too busy with family; I’m too busy with friends; it costs too much; I hate gyms, the list goes on and on.

However, once we begin to recognize that these excuses or limiting beliefs are causing potential harm to our bodies, either physical or mental, we need to re-establish a clear path to help us make the necessary changes in our compass direction. In fact we need to re-establish your “true north”.

Answer this simple question.
Do you understand how your body works to lose body-fat and get healthy?
Most likely you said “No”.
By adopting this method I've created, and making the necessary changes, you will hopefully be able to better comprehend what a wonderful machine the human body is - and how it should function optimally.

Do you want to lose body fat?
Do you want to feel more energetic?
Do you need to improve your health?
Do you want to be a good example for others such as your children, family and friends?

If you answered YES to any of these, for whatever reason(s) you’ve decided you’re beginning this plan, they form part of YOUR “evolution” strategy.

You are not alone. We are facing an obesity and health crisis.
How have we become a world that is so unhealthy?
It seems that society today has become filled with excuses.
You are too busy, too tired, too young, too old, too poor, too lazy.

There is always an excuse for you to use to stop doing what needs to be done. However, when we find ourselves face to face with a medical crisis, we find the necessary focus time, energy and the resources to create health changes in our lives.

But, why do let ourselves get unhealthy and reach this crisis?
I don’t think that anyone intentionally chooses to be unhealthy. Part of the problem is you can’t see health issues until they present as a condition. We all take our health and subsequently our bodies for granted and so place no value on them. It’s like trying to sell fitness, you can’t see it and so we take it for granted too. Having been a trainer for many years I know you can’t see fitness or cardiovascular benefits so it’s hard to sell which means others aren’t interested in “buying it”.

Weight loss marketing experts who sell you “fat loss dreams” know this, which is why you can’t watch a TV info-mercial without seeing “before” and “after” photo’s showing how much “weight” someone lost. This is the perception of success for an overweight world.

Even the most well intentioned fitness instructors are starting to catch the marketing frenzy as they are promoting health through fitness with their latest products and workout DVD’s using the “selling point” of fat loss as a benefit. Do I think this is bad? No, I think it’s smart marketing for them. Humans are visual creatures and often respond to the dream that looking better will make you a better person and improve your life.

The Human ECO System is designed to change what is happening on the inside and then you will also affect the outside (visually) so by giving this a go, YOU have nothing to lose - but unwanted bodyfat.

Why does being personally responsible for our health seem so hard for us to adopt?
Is it because we can always find someone in society worse off than ourselves, so we really “aren’t that bad”? If this excuse is your first line of self-defence you really need to begin to get healthy. Why would YOU willingly allow yourself (or your children) to get sick from something that you could be actively responsible for and subsequently know, will improve the quality of you and your families lives.

We look at people in society who find time to exercise regularly and eat healthy nutritional plans as “freaks” or not normal. When did being healthy mean you are NOT normal? Is this because these healthy individuals are now the minority or is it because their life choice is harder than sitting on the couch and ordering in take-out food.

YOU decide – it’s your life.

Global Health Challenge - Week Four (8 week Overview reposted in earlier blog)

Goal of this week is to consolidate the first three (3) weeks of life changing habits – Half way !
- Reduce your dairy intake
- Reduce intake of red meat and replace to white fish
- Maintain the three (3) days of activity – add an additional “family fun day” on the weekend
- Maintain H20 (water) intake to 8 glasses per day

TONY 's DIARY - (Week Four - Day Six)

Breakfast:Energy Shake - 400ml Water + 45g Protein Powder + Combination Greens Powder + 1/2 cup Frozen Banana. Take a Daily Multi vitamin + Joint Power

Mid Morning Workout: Pump Class - worked really hard cause I felt strong

Mid Morning Snack:
Capuccino + Protein Bar (after workout)

Lunch:
Turkey Mince and CousCous Rissoles + Mixed Leaf Salad + Tomato + Cucumber + Strawberries + Dressing

Mid Afternoon snack:
2 x Green Tea + 4 x Corn Thins with Peanut Butter

Dinner:
Mixed Leaf Salad + Capsicum (Red Pepper) + Tomato + Cucumber + Low Fat Cottage Cheese + Celery + Strawberries + Dressing.

2 Hours before Bed:
400ml water + Fibre Shake + 20g Protein Powder + Combination Greens

Overall - Water consumption = good. Good training session. Think I'm on track leading into next week (ECO Cleanse) which I know will be tough but I am mentally ready - I hope :-)))

Daily mantra:
I am totally committed to supporting my Human ECO System with my actions.

Friday 15th August 2008 - Week Four Day Five - Global Health Challenge

2008-08-15T20:12:00.000-07:00

For years I've been teaching clients that “this incredible machine", the human body that you have, doesn't have an Instruction Manual, you get no Service Warranty on parts, so we really only get one shot to do your best to be healthy.

This is fundamentally true. We need to learn about “health maintenance”, especially with so many preventable health related illnesses today, just as much as we do for aesthetics or the way you look in the mirror.

After achieving many successes with this knowledge, I’ve decided to share the elements of learning about your Human E.C.O. System here. I don't class myself an expert or educator but I think I ‘ve become a “translator” of understanding the human body.

The more people learn about their health to cope with preventable disease, the more we create awareness of the dangers and issues surrounding them. Some people just want to be told what to do, some want to learn but I think that if I can get the majority to “learn the right tools” then they will be better “armed to fight this war on obesity”.

A plan to be successful must be realistic and practical if it is going to work.

So why is this NEW “EVOLUTION” plan going to work?
My E.C.O. method helps YOU to see how the Human systems relate and then give you the tools to become a Mechanic of the body to personal goals. Even a number of small goals add up to a large goal. Result = better health.

I will show you how to implement this method of learning with these “tools” replacing bad habits (unhealthy) with good habits (healthy). In doing so, YOU strengthen your self esteem bank through positive effort of your spiritual and mental side, and also heighten your nutritional health by making better choices – and most importantly, know why YOU are doing this.

YOU will not only see your body-shape change on the outside and in the mirror, but I have no doubt you will start to feel all the benefits that are happening on the inside. Every day we are faced with nutritional challenges that test us. These include each corner we turn to see a vending machine that can be friend or foe depending on our hunger state at the time and the food content within.

Mostly due to being hungry it’s a foe scenario as the contents aren’t normally healthy. Added to this is the prevalence of low cost, low quality, unhealthy fast food options that contribute to this obesity issue and are found on nearly every corner. I’ve designed it to test your resolve and commitment to going back to your old habits, but I urge you to resist.

Being healthy is no harder than being unhealthy – it’s a choice we make. So don’t be afraid of the challenge, and in fact embrace this as part of your formation of long term changes for a healthier YOU. I guarantee you that during this 56 day period, the “little voices” you hear in your head that insist “it’s too hard" or "but it tastes good” will be very loud at times and almost constant.

But when you “tune the voices out” and use these tools I provide, then you will already be moving out of the confusion that you may currently face and begin to get off the diet and self-esteem rollercoaster.

The purpose of the 56 day challenge is not only to help those that are overweight and trying to find a way to change that health issue, but equally, to provide a better sense of understanding of how our bodies work for everyone so that we can ALL be pro-active in our own health.

Are you ready to begin to change your habits and save your life?
It’s time to go from being a Health Worrier to a Health Warrior !

Global Health Challenge - Week Four (8 week Overview reposted in earlier blog)

Goal of this week is to consolidate the first three (3) weeks of life changing habits – Half way !
- Reduce your dairy intake
- Reduce intake of red meat and replace to white fish
- Maintain the three (3) days of activity – add an additional “family fun day” on the weekend
- Maintain H20 (water) intake to 8 glasses per day

TONY 's DIARY - (Week Four - Day Five)

Breakfast:
Energy Shake - 400ml Water + 45g Protein Powder + Combination Greens Powder + 1/2 cup Frozen Banana. Take a Daily Multi vitamin + Joint Power

Mid Morning Snack:
Green Tea + 2 x Wholemeal Soy Linseed Toast with Peanut Butter

Lunch:
Turkey Mince and CousCous Rissoles + Mixed Leaf Salad + Tomato + Cucumber + Strawberries + Dressing

Mid Afternoon snack:
Cappuccino + Protein Bar

Dinner:
Grilled Salmon + Mixed Leaf Salad + Capsicum (Red Pepper) + Tomato + Cucumber + Strawberries + Dressing.

2 Hours before Bed:
400ml water + Fibre Shake + 20g Protein Powder + Combination Greens

Overall - Water consumption = good. No Workout today - was writing again. Think I am on track leading into next week (ECO Cleanse) which I know will be tough but I am mentally ready - I hope :-)))

Daily mantra:
I am totally committed to supporting my Human ECO System with my actions.

Thursday 14th August 2008 - Week Four Day Four - Global Health Challenge

2008-08-14T17:52:00.000-07:00

Taking control of YOUR life isn't always easy. If it was we would all be in amazing shape.

Designing the Global Health Challenge I had so much information to pass on and wasn't sure what would best serve the majority of the people who would try this. So I have done the best I can from all the experience that I have gained over the 20+ years of being a fitness and health professional.

What do you hope to get out of this plan - to learn how your body eco-system works?
Is a change required for your busy stress filled lifestyle to improve your health?
Whatever it was is not important but these 56 Days will be.

Now that you have made the decision to begin, read on as YOU are about to learn more about your body and the way the eco-systems need to work together to achieve a healthier YOU!

This is NOT a “detox or liver cleanse” where you follow an “elimination of everything except lemon water” plan to a NEW YOU; there is ample evidence that they have little to no effect on our lives once we return to “our old habits” so it becomes another failure.

It’s not a cookbook masquerading as a Lifestyle Plan that is filled with recipes and a few exercises; and it’s definitely not a workout book masquerading as a life changing book that has you eliminate certain nutrients from your diet - the bookstores are full of those which is why publishers keep searching for the next big hit.

So now we know what it’s not, then what is it?
It’s a catalyst for getting your body healthy and understanding how that happens.
Translating this habit breaking method using steps that I’ve developed so that knowledge about your body and how it works to get you healthy is FINALLY understood.

It’s not a DIET REVOLUTION either but rather an EATING AND ACTIVITY EVOLUTION.

Learning how to eat smarter and move more will lead to a healthier life with a better understanding for YOUR body.

The first book that I wrote “DIETS SUCK” was designed to be simple and was borne out of frustration at what I called the Monday morning clients. They were the ones who had read the latest gossip magazine over the weekend and wanted to change their eating (each week) to match that of the latest movie star's "crash course diet" .

Now of course they forgot the person probably had a salary of millions of dollars on the line which provides plenty of incentive and had taken months to get into shape, with a trainer preparing sessions, chef preparing meals, plenty of downtime and THAT was their job for the months leading up to the "latest pics" shown.

Well after I gave them a short sharp reality check (yeah I was a tough trainer BUT honesty is my calling card), we then got back onto the plan but by Monday nights, my head was filled with hating diets (hence the title).

So now with more education I am able to update and improve my original plan from those days. I’ve added that earlier valuable content to elements of this plan with some exciting new “updates” of knowledge about both eating and activity that I have learned, and personally trialled in the last four years.

The purpose of the plan is to feel more in control of your life through understanding why you haven’t succeeded in past efforts to attain better health. With more effective quality nutritional habits and an activity based training regime that you modify as you need to when LIFE gets in the way – you are in control.

I focus on giving you “tools” that you can use because YOU and I are different people but that doesn’t mean we aren’t similar in our intention to be healthy and live a better life or desire that lean healthy look to our bodies.

So, it doesn’t matter what you think is the reason for not being healthy currently, it’s enough that you desire to make a change. With this insight provided into ways you can do that, I’m sure you’ll be feeling like you have more energy, more control in your life and be healthier on the inside which will definitely make you look different (leaner through fat loss) on the outside.

Bottom line - it is ONLY 56 days to a NEW YOU.
I put this program online so that you can do it whenever you need to.
YOU become the pilot of your own plane to where the destination is one you want - a much healthier, leaner and knowledgable YOU.

Tomorrow - Patterns, Habits and Trigger Points for failure.

Global Health Challenge - Week Four (8 week Overview reposted in earlier blog)

Goal of this week is to consolidate the first three (3) weeks of life changing habits – Half way !
- Reduce your dairy intake
- Reduce intake of red meat and replace to white fish
- Maintain the three (3) days of activity – add an additional “family fun day” on the weekend
- Maintain H20 (water) intake to 8 glasses per day

TONY 's DIARY - (Week Four - Day Four)

Breakfast:
Energy Shake - 400ml Water + 45g Protein Powder + Combination Greens Powder + 1/2 cup Frozen Banana. Take a Daily Multi vitamin + Joint Power

Mid Morning Snack:
Green Tea + 6 x Corn Thins + avocado + Lean Ham

Lunch:
Turkey Mince and CousCous Rissoles + Mixed Leaf Salad + Low Fat Cottage Cheese + Tomato + Cucumber + Strawberries + Dressing

Mid Afternoon snack:
Cappuccino + Protein Bar

Dinner:
Grilled Salmon + Mixed Leaf Salad + Capsicum (Red Pepper) + Tomato + Cucumber + Strawberries + Dressing.

2 Hours before Bed:
400ml water + Fibre Shake + 20g Protein Powder + Combination Greens

Overall - Water consumption = done. No Workout today - was writing again.

Daily mantra:
I am totally committed to supporting my Human ECO System with my actions.

Wednesday 13th August 2008 - Week Four Day Three - Global Health Challenge

2008-08-13T17:35:00.000-07:00

I have found that this week I have completed more cardio sessions than lean muscle due to my teaching Cycle classes and have found that I am both motivated by the results and also the incredible Olympic athletes that I have seen.

How can anyone not be inspired by the amazing accomplishments of Michael Phelps (sure he is an American) but what a testimony to effort. I was telling my Spin Class last night that he never seems to quit or give up because it is "too hard" or "too difficult" so we used that mentality to draw on when I had them do a 7 minute mountain climb. What an amazing feeling when you complete something so challenging.

The commitment and dedication to completing tasks are what set truly gifted athletes apart from the rest of us. Sure, this is their career and they have to succeed to earn sponsorship dollars but there is an inherent level of pain for endurance goals that most of us don't and can't imagine that they do on a daily basis.

Now I have personally completed some amazing personal fitness challenges when I finished the Hawaii Ironman in 2000 and also finished the 24 hour Spin Charity Event in New York this year but my level of intensity was no where near that of the elite level athletes. Don't get me wrong I worked my butt off but there is a difference from that of my intensity to that of the professional athlete - now that I am in awe of.

So I have no doubt that many people will be inspired to get fit after watching all of the Olympic sports for the 14 or so days of the Olympics and I applaud anyone who makes the decision to improve their health but let's take a moment to put this into context for YOU.

While there is nothing wrong with aspiring to be your personal best also remember to do a reality check with that desire when you set goals. This level of athlete that you are watching each day is training 5-6 hours per DAY, and then doing that for 7 days a week, for months on end, to achieve both their incredible level of fitness and also their incredible dynamic physiques.

It is an unrealistic goal to want to look like this calibre of athlete if you are not able to do what they do or spare the time to make it happen. However YOU can be better than you are now.
It's YOUR Body, it's YOUR Life.

Global Health Challenge - Week Four (8 week Overview reposted in earlier blog)

Goal of this week is to consolidate the first three (3) weeks of life changing habits – Half way !
- Reduce your dairy intake
- Reduce intake of red meat and replace to white fish
- Maintain the three (3) days of activity – add an additional “family fun day” on the weekend
- Maintain H20 (water) intake to 8 glasses per day

TONY 's DIARY - (Week Four - Day Three)

Breakfast:
Energy Shake - 400ml Water + 45g Protein Powder + Combination Greens Powder + 1/2 cup Frozen Banana. Take a Daily Multi vitamin + Joint Power

Mid Morning Snack:
Green Tea x 2 + Protein Bar

Lunch:
Mixed Leaf Salad + Low Fat Cottage Cheese + Lean Ham + Tomato + Cucumber + Strawberries + Dressing

Mid Afternoon snack:
Cappuccino + 6 x Corn Thins with Peanut Butter + 25g Protein with 250ml water

Evening Workout - Taught Spin Class - and worked really hard ... intensity high !

Dinner:
Huge Mixed Leaf Salad + Capsicum (Red Pepper) + Tomato + Cucumber + Strawberries + Dressing.

2 Hours before Bed:
400ml water + Fibre Shake + 20g Protein Powder + Combination Greens

Overall - Water consumption = done. Workouts are intense with focus for the fourth week -I am feeling really strong and now pushing cardio to match muscle conditioning sessions.

Daily mantra:
I am totally committed to supporting my Human ECO System with my actions.

Tuesday 12th August 2008 - Week Four Day Two - Global Health Challenge

2008-08-13T04:53:00.000-07:00

Do YOU have the Power to take control ?
I wanted to share this with you after a conversation I had with a friend today. She was very happy with her results to date and felt that she was back in charge of her life. I was really pleased because I know that there is an unusual feeling of power when you start to take control of the decisions in your life and no greater decision is made than what goes into your body via nutritional intake.

YOU are what YOU eat ... on the inside.

Once you begin to influence your choices with committed dedication the results to get healthier come much easier. Numerous studies have shown there is still a great benefit to this even for people who don't exercise but I personally believe and advocate a greater wholistic approach. One that requires the necessary elements of physical activity at least three times per week for an hour to increase fitness and improve cardiovascular health and offset the preventable diseases that are over-running society today.

This program of the Global Health Challenge sets in place better habits, life patterns and educates you on trigger points that have been a problem in the past and then through YOUR efforts and knowledge re-introduces a more sound approach to achieving your goals with nutrition and activity which equals leaner, healthier bodies.

All too often we rely on the activity component of our lives such as gym memberships combined with a diet to cure the ills (fat gain) that we bring upon ourselves. The game becomes how many calories from food and alcohol abuse can my body take before I have to repent and pay for my sins. While in the back of your mind you tell yourself that I'm not that bad or I don't need to worry about this till summer and then I will just go to the Gym everyday to lose the fat. If that is YOUR plan then let me tell you this - It won't work!

Would you do that to your child or your best friend ?
Fill them with unhealthy calories from nutritionally poor food and excess sugar intake (and for adults alcohol abuse) and then let them not exercise until their bellies hang over their pants?

Imagine you have the power to help them.
What would you do?
And when would you do it?
When it's to late or would you try to set them on the right path as soon as you found out a better way and leading by example.

Get a family member or friend to try this Challenge.
It will only save their life.

Global Health Challenge - Week Four (8 week Overview reposted in earlier blog)

Goal of this week is to consolidate the first three (3) weeks of life changing habits – Half way !
- Reduce your dairy intake
- Reduce intake of red meat and replace to white fish
- Maintain the three (3) days of activity – add an additional “family fun day” on the weekend
- Maintain H20 (water) intake to 8 glasses per day

TONY 's DIARY - (Week Four - Day Two)

Breakfast:
Energy Shake - 400ml Water + 45g Protein Powder + Combination Greens Powder + 1/2 cup Frozen Banana. Take a Daily Multi vitamin + Joint Power

Mid Morning Workout - Pump Class - worked really hard

Mid Morning Snack:
Green Tea + Protein Bar

Lunch:
Mixed Leaf Salad + Tuna + Tomato + Cucumber + Strawberries + Dressing

Mid Afternoon snack:
Cappuccino + 6 x Corn Thins with Peanut Butter + 20g Protein with 250ml water

Evening Workout - Spin Class - and worked really hard ... intensity high !

Dinner:
Grilled Salmon + Huge Mixed Leaf Salad + Capsicum (Red Pepper) + Tomato + Cucumber + Strawberries + Dressing.

2 Hours before Bed:
400ml water + Fibre Shake + 20g Protein Powder + Combination Greens

Overall - Water consumption = done. Workouts are intense with focus for the fourth week -I am feeling really strong and now pushing cardio to match muscle conditioning sessions.

Daily mantra:
I am totally committed to supporting my Human ECO System with my actions.

Monday August 2008 - Week Four Day One - Global Health Challenge

2008-08-11T20:04:00.000-07:00

Now we are entering the fourth week we should be in control of our eating habits and more importantly be making conscious choices. For me personally, my challenge is still the caffeine intake but I am allowing myself a little leeway as on the front end of the week I am doing two workouts a day.

I got an email asking me why I was doing this. Being leaner than most people to start with it takes a greater effort for me to see change - and I do want to see change. My ego is as dominant as it is with anyone in my position so I won't lie and say anything else and to get the result I want I need to work that bit harder.

Also I am back teaching Spin classes which I am LOVING !
Talk about wanting to get motivation and an incredibly challenging cardio workout all at once, then if you haven't tried a class, you should. It is not just sitting on a bike but "riding" with a group of people to inspirational music. PLUS you get to burn up around 500 calories which is more than most workouts by far.

This week is my preparation for the real test - week 5 - when I will be very focussed as it is designed to be a "cleanse" and not like the commercial products on the market which are just a limiting intake of food but rather this is a sound and result orientated balance of quality nutrients and pure foods which will get a much better result.

Surely YOU all realize that by only drinking lemon or tea you are "depriving" your human eco system of quality nutrients. Not only that you are not losing any fat !!!

Think about it - then read my blog on the Human ECO Cleanse and why it is so much better.

Global Health Challenge - Week Four (8 week Overview reposted in earlier blog)

Goal of this week is to consolidate the first three (3) weeks of life changing habits – Half way !
- Reduce your dairy intake
- Reduce intake of red meat and replace to white fish
- Maintain the three (3) days of activity – add an additional “family fun day” on the weekend
- Maintain H20 (water) intake to 8 glasses per day

TONY 's DIARY - (Week Four - Day One)

Breakfast:
Energy Shake - 400ml Water + 45g Protein Powder + Combination Greens Powder + 1/2 cup Frozen Banana. Take a Daily Multi vitamin + Joint Power

Mid Morning Workout - Spin Cycle Class - worked really hard

Mid Morning Snack:
Cappuccino + Protein Bar

Lunch:
Mixed Leaf Salad + Thai Salmon Fishcakes + Green Tea x 2

Mid Afternoon snack:
Cappuccino + 6 x Corn Thins with Peanut Butter + 20g Protein with 250ml water

Evening Workout - Pump Class

Dinner:
Grilled Salmon + Huge Mixed Leaf Salad + Capsicum (Red Pepper) + Tomato + Cucumber + Strawberries + Dressing.

2 Hours before Bed:
400ml water + Fibre Shake + 20g Protein Powder + Combination Greens

Overall - Water consumption = done. Workouts were intense with the start of the fourth week -am back focussed on hard sessions as I am feeling really strong.

Daily mantra:
I am totally committed to supporting my Human ECO System with my actions.

Sunday 10th August - Week Three Day Seven - Global Health Challenge

2008-08-11T04:43:00.000-07:00

So today was spent writing at home. And I'm pleased to say I finished the serial killer story. It was a moral battle for me when I was writing this as although it's fiction I wasn't sure how it would end until I started to type the pages. Sadly YOU will have to either watch the movie or read the book to find out :-))))

Yesterday while over 70,000 individuals battled the largest run in the world from City to Surf, I stayed indoors to finish the story I have been writing. I only took breaks to scan the Olympics which left me feeling a little slack for not running or working out but also inspired me to focus on tomorrow's workout with fever.

It is so amazing to see so many talented and obviously deserving people who have made untold sacrifices to be there to compete on the worlds largest sporting platform and be viewed by more people than ever. I am now a fan of the Australian Hockeyroos (ladies) team who played a fantastic match to come from behind 4-1 at half time to win 5-4. Now that is absolute commitment to finish what you start. GO AUSSIES !!!!

I wish our Australian athletes untold glory but also personal courage and hope they get time to appreciate their efforts regardless of their final result. We sit in awe of the amazing efforts that all the teams are making.

For those thinking about starting their fitness regime's - Do it NOW ....

Global Health Challenge - Week Three (8 week Overview reposted in earlier blog)

Goal of this week - consolidate the first two (2) weeks of life changing habits – Well done so far.
- Reduce caffeine intake to green tea or better yet none
- Reduce your intake of starch and grains to wholemeal versions
- Maintain H20 (water) intake to 8 glasses per day
- Maintain the three (3) days of activity

TONY 's DIARY - (Week Three - Day Seven)

Breakfast:
Energy Shake - 400ml Water + 45g Protein Powder + Combination Greens Powder + 1/2 cup Frozen Banana. Take a Daily Multi vitamin + Joint Power

Mid Morning Snack:
Cappuccino + 2 piecs of Wholemeal Soy Linseed Toast + Avocado + Tomato

Lunch:
Turkey Mince and Vegetables + Mixed Leaf Salad + 2 pieces Wholemeal Soy Linseed Toast + Avocado

Mid Afternoon snack:
Cappuccino + 4 x Corn Thins with Peanut Butter

Dinner:
Grilled Salmon + Huge Mixed Leaf Salad + Capsicum (Red Pepper) + Tomato + 100g Almonds + Sliced Pear + Dressing.

2 Hours before Bed:
400ml water + Fibre Shake + 20g Protein Powder + Combination Greens

Overall - Water consumption = done. No Workout - took another day off

Daily mantra:
I am totally committed to supporting my Human ECO System with my actions.

Saturday 9th August - Week Three Day Six - Global Health Challenge

2008-08-10T06:07:00.000-07:00

Took a day off yesterday so I wanted to workout hard today. Pushed harder on the Rower as well and felt good.

Body is getting leaner and so I know the plan is working. With nearly three weeks complete and the big week at Week Five I plan to be ready.

Global Health Challenge - Week Three (8 week Overview reposted in earlier blog)

Goal of this week - consolidate the first two (2) weeks of life changing habits – Well done so far.
- Reduce caffeine intake to green tea or better yet none
- Reduce your intake of starch and grains to wholemeal versions
- Maintain H20 (water) intake to 8 glasses per day
- Maintain the three (3) days of activity

TONY 's DIARY - (Week Three - Day Six)

Breakfast:
Energy Shake - 400ml Water + 45g Protein Powder + Combination Greens Powder + 1/2 cup Frozen Banana. Take a Daily Multi vitamin + Joint Power

Mid Morning Workout - Pump Class + 10 Mins Rower

Mid Morning Snack:
Small Cappuccino + Protein Bar

Lunch:
Grilled Salmon and Vegetables + Mixed Leaf Salad + 2 pieces Wholemeal Soy Linseed Bread + Avocado

Mid Afternoon snack:
Cappuccino + 30g Protein Bar

Dinner:
Grilled Salmon + Huge Mixed Leaf Salad + Capsicum (Red Pepper) + Tomato + 100g Almonds + Sliced Pear + Dressing.

2 Hours before Bed:
400ml water + Fibre Shake + 20g Protein Powder + Combination Greens

Overall - Water consumption = done. Worked out today after taking day off yesterday

Daily mantra:
I am totally committed to supporting my Human ECO System with my actions.

Friday 8th August 2008 - Week Three Day Five - Global Health Challenge

2008-08-09T05:39:00.000-07:00

Today was one of those days when I look back and kind of let myself get caught up in excuses. I was writing at home alot today so I didn't practice my conscious effort as well. Plus I knew I wasn't going to workout so it seemed that I was being "challenged" and stumbled.

Now while I write this I see that there were ways that I could have stayed more in control but also it was one of those days that I decided to cut myself some slack and "drop the ball". Now I am aware that some people reading this will be saying to themselves, well it wasn't that bad, and in fact I'm honestly not troubled but I want to share with you how I regained my focus for today.

The first step of what I did was - at the end of the day I spent a few minutes (which is part of my usual routine) to "review the day" and I noticed that I had decided the night before not to workout and stay at home writing, which made my plans for the day a little more flexible. That flexibility stretched into laziness of thought and action.

When I realized this I also decided that should this happen again, I would have strategies in place. This is how we change conscious thought to allow the necessary action of achieving a positive result to eventuate.

Now first off I was craving that Crunchie Bar so I'm glad I ate it but found that really I was just eating it as a "filler. You know those things that you either eat or drink cause you are seeking distraction (for me it was from my writing), or you might be bored, or even tired, or just wanting to be lazy.

So from now on I am going to be prepared and have "better" options on hand. This is a tool you can use also. Now I have to get back onto the plan, week 3 is drawing to a close.

Global Health Challenge - Week Three (8 week Overview reposted in earlier blog)

Goal of this week - consolidate the first two (2) weeks of life changing habits – Well done so far.
- Reduce caffeine intake to green tea or better yet none
- Reduce your intake of starch and grains to wholemeal versions
- Maintain H20 (water) intake to 8 glasses per day
- Maintain the three (3) days of activity

TONY 's DIARY - (Week Three - Day Five)

Breakfast:
Energy Shake - 400ml Water + 45g Protein Powder + Combination Greens Powder + 1/2 cup Frozen Banana. Take a Daily Multi vitamin + Joint Power + 1 cup Cappuccino

Mid Morning Snack:
1 cup of Green Tea + Green Apple + Small Crunchie Bar

Lunch:
Turkey Mince and Vegetables + Mixed Leaf Salad

Mid Afternoon snack:
2 x Skim Cappuccino + 30g Protein Bar

Dinner:
Grilled Salmon + Huge Mixed Leaf Salad + Capsicum (Red Pepper) + Tomato + 100g Almonds + Sliced Pear + Dressing.

2 Hours before Bed:
400ml water + Fibre Shake + 20g Protein Powder + Combination Greens

Overall - Water consumption = done.

Daily mantra:
I am totally committed to supporting my Human ECO System with my actions.

Thursday 7th August 2008 - Week Three Day Four - Global Health Challenge - Why do you need to do this ?

2008-08-07T19:47:00.000-07:00

I wanted to give an overview of why the fifty six (56) days or eight (8) weeks of life changing habits with the Global Health Challenge is undertaken. This forms part of your knowledge by developing greater awareness.

Instead of just implementing a life stopping plan as most DIETS are, that will most likely only have short term potential for your health goal, I wanted to explore how we could actually make life changing habits that last and teach why they work.

My issue with any plan that just has short term gains is that when you ‘re-enter” YOUR LIFE, you know what I mean such as come out of "hibernation" and then go back to being social, it’s possible you could adopt your old unhealthy habits and you will have wasted your time (probably your money as most quick fix schemes are designed to make someone else rich).

They also aren't designed to teach you any skills or their future money making potential is lost. This is how they get "repeat business" or as the marketers put it "customers for life". Pharmaceutical industries thrive on this.

It’s time for a change and a more successful strategic path.
Unless you start to understand and, just as important, start to relate to your body and how it functions, you will continue to make the same errors, mistakes and failures that have plagued your fat loss goals from the past but I want that to change – and change that for good.

So what did I do ?
I met and worked with some of the leading behaviour change experts from around the world and they all have the same issue. Any “elimination diet plan” that doesn’t create behaviour change isn’t going to last which means it’s a short term solution (like most diets).

Taking that understanding of their points onboard, I wanted to create a plan that used sensible and sustainable ways to increase knowledge that will change your life and give you greater understanding like using the ecological issues of our planet to learn how your body works that hopefully increases your ability to have options to make better choices.

So what is our plan ?
It is a 56 day program. Much like an 8 Step Life Changing Plan.
By taking the first four (4) weeks to reduce and replace the elements of your life that impact your health or are detrimental to your goal and slowly replacing them with better options YOU begin to not only notice the changes but YOU are responsible for them.

Is this plan easy ?
If you are asking this question you are not ready to do this. The reason that some plans fail to work for you is that you don’t stay committed. You don’t finish them and then wonder why they didn’t work. It’s like only completing half the race and wondering why you don’t get a “finishing medal”.

This plan is not meant to be easy, it is meant to work and last.
The duration is 56 days (8 weeks) which isn’t a long time to see fantastic results and save YOUR own life by making changes you can understand and always implement.

Are you worth it ?

Global Health Challenge - Week Three (8 week Overview reposted in earlier blog)

Goal of this week - consolidate the first two (2) weeks of life changing habits – Well done so far.
- Reduce caffeine intake to green tea or better yet none
- Reduce your intake of starch and grains to wholemeal versions
- Maintain H20 (water) intake to 8 glasses per day
- Maintain the three (3) days of activity

TONY 's DIARY - (Week Three - Day Four)

Breakfast:
Energy Shake - 400ml Water + 45g Protein Powder + Combination Greens Powder + 1/2 cup Frozen Banana. Take a Daily Multi vitamin + Joint Power

Mid Morning Workout:
Pump Class 45 mins (Hard)

Mid Morning Snack:
Green Tea + Protein Bar (after workout)

Lunch:
Turkey Mince and Vegetables + Mixed Leaf Salad + 4 x Corn Thins

Mid Afternoon snack:
Energy Smoothie - 400ml water + 30g Protein Powder

Dinner:
Grilled Salmon + Huge Mixed Leaf Salad + Capsicum (Red Pepper) + Tomato + 100g Almonds + Sliced Pear + Dressing.

2 Hours before Bed:
400ml water + Fibre Shake + 20g Protein Powder + Combination Greens

Overall - Water consumption = done and will start to up it a little now on days that I am pushing myself. Am trying to mix up the times that I do my workouts to see if that affects my performance at all - stay tuned for updates

Daily mantra:
I am totally committed to supporting my Human ECO System with my actions.

Wednesday 6th August 2008 - Global Health Challenge - Knowledge VS Application

2008-08-06T19:02:00.000-07:00

What benefit is health and fitness knowledge if you are unable to apply it?

Very little I believe. You are then just an "educated derelict". Your brain is smart but your body still gets fatter - so my goal is to help you understand the logic behind the plans I provide and "lead you not into temptation".

I was at the gym this morning and was asked when I was working out, how I could be able to be there for the mid morning class. I smiled and said that I was lucky, as I am a "storyteller and writer" so my time is pretty much mine to use it as I see fit.

The lady smiled and said I thought you were an fitness instructor cause she had taken my cycle classes. I told her that I was that too with my blogs, teaching classes and helping educate others with the global health challenge. She asked how I fitted it all in and I thought that was a great question.

"Fitting things in" becomes easier when you have a committed plan and objectives. I know what I need to do by understanding the outcome and then I'm able apply that knowledge. Many talk about how to do things and write books and make DVD's but I would also like to think that my point of difference is that I can apply strategies personally and prove they work. I don't understand the overweight nutritionist or unfit trainer.

This isn't a personal attack on them but rather an observation.
If they're giving out life changing plans or advice, just how good is that when they aren't able to apply it themselves? Now I know me saying that will upset some people but that is their issue to deal with.

I've been upfront from the time I started this blog. YOU will only get the truth the whole truth and nothing but. Also I'm not in this business to make a quick buck. Why not, it isnt what Im about Believe me I get approached by a lot of people telling me that my information is interesting so why don't I charge for it and make millions. I laugh when I hear this cause it truly is not the reason for me doing what I love.

I look at it this way. If we all were able to learn how our bodies work and strengthen the human eco system, then diseases would be less common, there would be less people dying from preventable conditions and so I guess the "global health warrior" mission is simple. Save lives.

Now I don't begrudge anyone from making money but I do have strong opinions about those that rip people off because they have less knowledge and also are desperately seeking happiness. I have seen so many people unhappy with their bodies that it makes their whole life sad, so I want to "lead by example" and assist others achieve a healthier mindset.

This insight here gives a truer reflection of my income challenged life working as a "yet to be discovered" screenplay writer of which there are many out there I'm sure. Sure I have written, produced and directed an Animated Movie and also at the same time produced and directed an Interactive DVD Game for a pack set (no easy task I can assure) which was 10 months of total work and dedication.

This has won 11 awards but unlike many others on the market my point of difference was that I sought a private funder for this. As such I wasn't working with an agent, manager or studio and so a lot of the pressure and responsibility was borne by me and we never hit the entertainment radars. Equally their were accolades and these were achieved through perserverance, hard work and diligence by ALL the team.

So much like my personal focus with getting healthy a lot of my life is intertwined.

This year I have now written and completed three screenplays and working on a fourth one and any or all of them are open to be optioned and none are about health and purely entertainment as I enjoyed the process I went through.

A goal is that I am able to get a movie made which will allow me to follow that pursuit of success like so many others and the "universe" tells me that is coming - hopefully soon :-))

Writing is lot like life and fitness. It can be a demanding taskmaster but also it can be a bliss when you get into a "groove". I'm a little lucky as creative ideas often come to me when I am working out which is my mental stress relief and how good is that. The time that I leave the computer to focus on my health allows me to open up creatively and get the juices flowing. Instead of sitting at the desk pondering, I'm getting and letting the bloodflow inspire me.

Global Health Challenge - Week Three (8 week Overview reposted in earlier blog)

Goal of this week - consolidate the first two (2) weeks of life changing habits – Well done so far.
- Reduce caffeine intake to green tea or better yet none
- Reduce your intake of starch and grains to wholemeal versions
- Maintain H20 (water) intake to 8 glasses per day
- Maintain the three (3) days of activity

TONY 's DIARY - (Week Three - Day Three)

Breakfast:
Energy Shake - 400ml Water + 45g Protein Powder + Combination Greens Powder + 1/2 cup Frozen Berries. Take a Daily Multi vitamin + Joint Power

Mid Morning Workout:
Spin Class 45 mins (Hard)

Mid Morning Snack:
Green Tea + Protein Bar (after workout)

Lunch:
Baked Salmon Fillet + Mixed Leaf Salad + Green Beans + Carrot + Tomato + Cucumber + Low Fat Cottage Cheese + 4 x Corn Thins + Dressing

Mid Afternoon snack:
Energy Smoothie - 400ml water + 30g Protein Powder
Green Apple and Low Fat Yoghurt

Evening Workout:
Pump Class - pushed myself

Dinner:
Grilled Salmon + Huge Mixed Leaf Salad + Carrot + Cucumber + Tomato + 100g Almonds.

2 Hours before Bed:
400ml water + Fibre Shake + 20g Protein Powder + Combination Greens

Overall - Water consumption = done and will start to up it a little now on days that I am pushing myself. Am trying to mix up the times that I do my workouts to see if that affects my performance at all - stay tuned for updates

Daily mantra:
I am totally committed to supporting my Human ECO System with my actions.

Tuesday 5th August 2008 - Week Three Day Two - Global Health Challenge

2008-08-05T17:56:00.000-07:00

The topic for today's knowledge session is CALORIE OVERLOAD.

I was talking with a friend this morning and they were saying that they are a little frustrated with the "results train being parked at the same station". Now I hear this alot. Probably more than I should with all the latest health awareness information that is available for everyone either on the net or in the books lining bookstore shelves.

For most people it's a case of getting into a "success rut or failure box" which then moves into boredom and frustration before finally thinking they have failed again and checking into the "Give Up Hotel". There you have room service, unlimited alcohol, loads of calorific food and of course NO activity is required.

This location aka "Excuse City" has different names .... such as Winter, I failed again, I'm Bored with the Gym, Nothing works for me and of course I've tried everything and they all suck.

So how do we overcome these issues without addressing the ultimate problem.
Your intake of calories is FAR greater than your output or use of them. This will be a combination of what you eat AND what you drink. Yes they all count towards the success tally.

With the Olympics starting this weekend it it likely to be a catalyst for a lot of people to "start to think about exercising again". GREAT so let's make a plan.

Now how can we achieve success in the long term. Well if you are reading this for the first time go back to the start of challenge and read what you need to do - then start = simple.

To address some easy mistakes that are commonly made.
1. Anyone who is on a calorie restrictive eating plan needs to check that it is high nutrient value and if not = change to high nutrient
2. Anyone who is on a calorie counting plan make sure that you don't eat the same amount of calories everyday as your needs = change this
3. Anyone who is using exercise as a way to maintain their weight or lose bodyfat has an uphill battle if they are not doing it everyday = change one or the other

These few steps we will build on over the rest of this week.

TONYS PROGRESS UPDATE.
I don't think that I am yet ready to lower my total caffeine intake to zero. I do know that I will do that in Week Five - which is the ECO Cleanse for 7 days - so will definitely note how I feel during those first two to three days.

All in all I am feeling strong with my workouts and the combination of cardio (with intensity) sessions through the Spin classes and also doing my Afterburner Workouts is definitely challenging. The lean muscle components with Pump are NOT designed for a bodybuilding regime (obviously) but rather so that I can continue to challenge myself with the all body workout but increase the metabolism and achieve a "double bonus". This is achieved because the more lean muscle tissue you add to your human eco system the greater the caloric demand to "fuel it" which means you are burning calories 24/7.

Entering the third week of the challenge the nutrition aspect is becoming less and less of a dilemna. Breakfast is perfect, it's quick easy and filled with nutrients. The filming of that is coming. With rotation of main evening meals I'm trying to learn to cook at the same time as I am doing this challenge - can someone say A.D.D.

In first week I tried to do some baking which went really and surprizingly well (*grins). In the second week I tried to make a Lamb Stew which again went well although it wasn't my favorite, I guess that it is hard to appreciate the limited taste when I realize the work that is required. So this week I will try to again do some baking as it also serves as "treats" for when I am getting cravings (which I do).

Global Health Challenge - Week Three (8 week Overview reposted in earlier blog)

Goal of this week - consolidate the first two (2) weeks of life changing habits – Well done so far.
- Reduce caffeine intake to green tea or better yet none
- Reduce your intake of starch and grains to wholemeal versions
- Maintain H20 (water) intake to 8 glasses per day
- Maintain the three (3) days of activity

TONY 's DIARY - (Week Three - Day Two)

Breakfast:
Energy Shake - 400ml Water + 45g Protein Powder + Combination Greens Powder + 1/2 cup Frozen Berries. Take a Daily Multi vitamin + Joint Power

Mid Morning Workout:
Pump Class 45 mins + 15 Mins Rower (Hard)

Mid Morning Snack:
Green Tea + 4 x Corn Thins with lean Ham + Avocado

Lunch:
Baked Salmon Fillet + Mixed Leaf Salad + Green Beans + Carrot + Tomato + Cucumber + Low Fat Cottage Cheese + 4 x Corn Thins + Dressing

Mid Afternoon snack:
Energy Smoothie - 400ml water + 30g Protein Powder
Small Crunchie Bar - felt like it - so I had it.

Dinner:
Grilled Salmon + Huge Mixed Leaf Salad + Carrot + Cucumber + Tomato + 100g Almonds.

2 Hours before Bed:
400ml water + Fibre Shake + 20g Protein Powder + Combination Greens

Overall - Water consumption now is not even thought of so I guess I have adopted that habit = LIFE BONUS. Am trying to mix up the times that I do my workouts to see if that affects my performance at all - stay tuned for updates

Daily mantra:
I am totally committed to supporting my Human ECO System with my actions.

Monday 4th August - Week Three Day One - Global Health Challenge

2008-08-04T20:29:00.000-07:00

So now that we have begun the third week it would seem that positive patterns or habits that are more in line with achieving your goals should be coming a little easier. Note that I never said it will be easy, but it will always be a conscious choice AND knowledge learned is best applied to maximise the outcome we want.

You will also see that I have already had a challenge to my first day. One of the goals this week is to reduce caffeine intake to NIL. I was at a meeting and they never had any green tea as I am willing to try to reduce my caffeine intake ... now those that know me personally will tell you I LOVE MY COFFEE .... and while it isn't bad for you, I am trying to follow the path that I have set you all. Again not easy but we can only do our best.

I have spent years telling people that coffee can be a catalyst to getting lean.
Take a look at any of the "real fat loss" products on the market. They will have a caffeine type base (could be guarana or similar) but we know that it works. I was involved in the supplement industry as a national distributor and before taking the position I did a lot of research into what would and what wouldn't work. If there is interest I will do a seperate blog on just supplements.

So let me educate you on a few misconceptions that coffee has.

It is often said to be bad for you - WRONG - unless you have a caffeine intolerance or are on any medications that may be impacted by this - always check with your doctor when getting a prescription to see if it will impact on other medications or social habits.

It is often said to be a diuretic - NOT TOTALLY CORRECT - it is part of the family known as methylxanthine (meth'ilzan'thēn) which works like a Diuretic agent (eg, aminophylline, caffeine, or theophylline) that serves as a relaxant for your smooth muscles which is what your bowel is made up of. This means that if you have a strong cup of brewed coffee (high caffeine content) you may actually "poop" more - not a bad thing for most people.

It is NOT effective when it is mixed with SUGAR or any carbohydrate sources. So those people that are drinking the "energy drinks" to help their fat loss - BU BOOWW. It is totally ineffective as a source for increasing your metabolism when mixed with carbs / sugar. The only thing that you will get is tired after your workout from an over taxed adrenalin system.

Used sparingly to maximize the effects it can be a great source of additional assistance to getting lean BUT make sure that the rest of your nutritional habits are in order or else this will only be another element to add to the bodies issues and overload your human eco system.

Global Health Challenge - Week Three (8 week Overview reposted in earlier blog)

Goal of this week - consolidate the first two (2) weeks of life changing habits – Well done so far.
- Reduce caffeine intake to green tea or better yet none
- Reduce your intake of starch and grains to wholemeal versions
- Maintain H20 (water) intake to 8 glasses per day
- Maintain the three (3) days of activity

TONY 's DIARY - (Week Three - Day One)

Breakfast:
Energy Shake - 400ml Water + 45g Protein Powder + Combination Greens Powder + 1/2 cup Frozen Berries. Take a Daily Multi vitamin + Joint Power

Mid Morning Snack:
Skim Latte + Protein Bar (was out at a business meeting)

Lunch:
Tuna + Mixed Leaf Salad + Green Beans + Carrot + Tomato + Cucumber + Low Fat Cottage Cheese + 4 x Corn Thins + Dressing

Mid Afternoon snack:
Energy Smoothie - 400ml water + 30g Protein Powder

Afternoon Workout - 45 mins Pump Class + 15 mins Cardio on Rower

Dinner:
Grilled Salmon + Huge Mixed Leaf Salad + Carrot + Cucumber + Tomato + Low Fat Cottage Cheese.

2 Hours before Bed:400ml water + Fibre Shake + 20g Protein Powder + Combination Greens

Overall - I consumed enough water during the day. This is the beginning of the third week so for me personnally I not only completed my workout for lean muscle conditioning and cardio fitness in the afternoon but I have planned to increase the intensity for two of the days workouts.

Daily mantra:
I am totally committed to supporting my Human ECO System with my actions.

Sunday 3rd August 2008 - Week Two Day Seven - Global Health Challenge

2008-08-03T17:34:00.000-07:00

I decided to sleep in today after a late night and few hard weeks of training so I planned to adjust how many meals during the day I would need. There is no requirement to try to get in all the meals when I didn't need them so just ensure quality nutrients are consumed.

However I did ensure that I ate well and still achieved my workout to be on the plan. I am sitting at 73.5kgs (162 lbs) which for my height of 5'7" sits well. Confirmation that I was looking good was pleasant to hear last night when I was out as people were asking me about the Challenge and so of course this pumped up my commitment too.

All in all with two weeks complete I am getting ready for Week 5 which is the Human ECO System Cleanse which will really ensure that this plan is in overdrive and the results are acheived.

Global Health Challenge - Week Two (8 week Overview reposted in earlier blog)

Points to focus on for Week Two :
Goal of this week is to begin to fine tune the Plan and focus on the end result – New YOU
- Reduce alcohol completely from your life for the duration of the E.C.O. System Plan
- Reduce your caffeine intake to one cup per day (if applicable)
- Increase your fibre intake with salads and vegetables
- Increase H20 (water) to 8 glasses per day- Maintain the three (3) days of activity

TONY 's DIARY - (Week Two - Day Seven)

Brunch (late start to day - slept in):
Energy Shake - 400ml Water + 45g Protein Powder + Combination Greens Powder + 1/2 cup Frozen Berries. Take a Daily Multi vitamin + Joint Power

Lunch:
Mixed Leaf Salad + Green Beans + Carrot + Tomato + Cucumber + Low Fat Cottage Cheese + 4 x Corn Thins + Dressing

Mid Afternoon snack:
Energy Smoothie - 400ml water + 30g Protein Powder

Afternoon Workout - 45 mins Pump Class + 15 mins Cardio on Rower

Dinner:
Huge Mixed Leaf Salad + Low Fat Cottage Cheese.

2 Hours before Bed:
400ml water + Fibre Shake + 20g Protein Powder + Combination Greens

Overall - I consumed enough water during the day. I got back on the plan of great eating and then ensured that I completed my workout for lean muscle conditioning and cardio fitness in the afternoon.

Daily mantra :
I am totally committed to supporting my Human ECO System with my actions.

Saturday 2nd August 2008 - Week Two Day Six - Global Health Challenge

2008-08-02T22:26:00.000-07:00

When it comes to staying on a plan the addition of a social outing / date / work dinner can often seem to be a challenge for a lot of people.

For example last night I got asked out with friends and decided that while it was easy to remain at home and "be in control" of my nutrient intake it is also not a very good plan if it doesn't allow for a social LIFE to be involved.

Who wants to the life of a hermit - not me - so I was conscious when I built this Human ECO System plan to ensure that I would assist YOU to learn skills to take this plan into your everyday life.

Here are my "insider secrets" to try.

Skill One - if you are going out that night then don't load the body up all day with excess calories that really aren't needed anyway. In fact a great tip is to do a workout (with intensity) before you go out as your metabolism will still be increased. I normally do a hard cardio 20 minute session with a 20 minute set of the Afterburner Workout (See earlier blogs)

Skill Two - to take advantage of this increased metabolism limit your intake of unnecessary "low quality high fat options" like the token fillers on the table. You know what I mean, the fresh crusty bread with either large servings of butter or that virgin olive oil ... both will limit your success of your plan and blow it when added with alcohol.

Skill Three - try not to show up to an evening out starving hungry because you will likely over-eat and probably over-indulge with alcohol. If that happens you will have consumed too many calories from both food and drink which most likely will end up overloading your fat stores. An hour before I go out I normally have a 20g serving of protein energy drink with water. Tops off my hunger pangs and with the Rainbow Nutrient Refuelling Plan is not going to put your daily calorie intake over the limit.

So now you have some insight into strategies to INCREASE your chances at long term success.

Global Health Challenge - Week Two (8 week Overview reposted in earlier blog)

Points to focus on for Week Two :
Goal of this week is to begin to fine tune the Plan and focus on the end result – New YOU
- Reduce alcohol completely from your life for the duration of the E.C.O. System Plan
- Reduce your caffeine intake to one cup per day (if applicable)
- Increase your fibre intake with salads and vegetables
- Increase H20 (water) to 8 glasses per day- Maintain the three (3) days of activity

TONY 's DIARY - (Week Two - Day Six)

Breakfast:
Energy Shake - 400ml Water + 45g Protein Powder + Combination Greens Powder + 1/2 cup Frozen Berries. Take a Daily Multi vitamin + Joint Power

Morning Workout - Pump Class 45 mins + 15 Mins Hard Cardio Rower

Mid morning:
Cup of Coffee + Skim milk + Protein Bar (after workout)

Lunch:
Lamb Stew (that I made)+ Mixed Leaf Salad

Mid Afternoon snack:
Energy Smoothie - 400ml water + 30g Protein Powder

Evening Out at Restaurant:
Grilled Salmon + Broccollini + Green Beans. Dessert - Steamed Chocolate Pudding + Scoop Vanilla Ice Cream. Skim Cappuccino (NO Alcohol but Bottle Sparkling Water)

Overall - I consumed enough water during the day. As I knew I was going out that night I didn't have as many calories which weren't needed in the afternoon. I also had decided to reward myself for the consistent efforts over the last two week with a deserrt ) that was superb but consumed NO alcohol as per the plan.

Again now I was going out I ensured that I completed my workout for lean muscle conditioning and cardio fitness to have huge caloric expenditure for the day.

Daily mantra :
I am totally committed to supporting my Human ECO System with my actions.

Friday 1st August 2008 - Week Two Day Five - Global Health Challenge

2008-08-01T22:23:00.000-07:00

As the second week is drawing to a close I have found that by writing down each day what I am consuming it has served to reinforce to me how valuable this is. It is also a mental accounting system so that I am consciously aware of my nutrient intake.

All too often we eat things (and then forget) them in our daily recollection.

It has also been easy to stay consistent without the excess calories that come from alcohol. Now I am not a huge drinker but still love my champagne and good red wine, but as per the guidelines of this challenge I have decided to limit any alcohol consumption.

For a lot of people I am sure this would be a challenge as a lot of social gatherings - I won't call them activities because there is very little activity when drinking - you might spill some :-)))

A night out drinking could add anywhere from a few hundred calories up to a few thousand additional daily calories. This then makes it that much harder when your goal is to be lean.
No judgements - I'm just trying to add some thought to your actions that affect your results.

Global Health Challenge - Week Two (8 week Overview reposted in earlier blog)

Points to focus on for Week Two :

Goal of this week is to begin to fine tune the Plan and focus on the end result – New YOU
- Reduce alcohol completely from your life for the duration of the E.C.O. System Plan
- Reduce your caffeine intake to one cup per day (if applicable)
- Increase your fibre intake with salads and vegetables
- Increase H20 (water) to 8 glasses per day- Maintain the three (3) days of activity

TONY 's DIARY - (Week Two - Day Five)

Breakfast:
Energy Shake - 400ml Water + 45g Protein Powder + Combination Greens Powder + 1/2 cup Frozen Berries. Take a Daily Multi vitamin + Joint Power

Mid morning:
Cup of Coffee + Skim milk + 150g Almonds

Lunch:
Mixed Leaf Salad + Tuna + Low Fat Cottage Cheese + Tomato + Cucumber + Strawberries + Water

Mid Afternoon snack:
Energy Smoothie - 400ml water + 30g Protein Powder + Comination Greens Powder
4 x Corn Thins with Lean Ham

Evening Workout - Pump Class 45 mins + 15 Mins Hard Cardio Rower

Dinner:
Grilled Salmon + Mixed Leaves + Tomato + Broccolli + Cauliflour + Carrot + Baked Potato Chips. Dessert - Crunchie Bar (Really wanted this)

2 Hours before bed Fibre Shake + 20g Protein Powder

Overall - I again consumed enough water for the day - this is getting easier to do.
Again trying to stay focussed and ensure that I complete my workouts for lean muscle conditioning and cardio fitness.

Daily mantra :
I am totally committed to supporting my Human ECO System with my actions.

Thursday 31st July 2008 - Week Two Day Four Global Health Challenge - Intention VS Action

2008-07-31T18:47:00.000-07:00

I have been discussing with professional friends this week many of the different reasons that seem to appear to be "blocking" others who desire success from reaching that successful outcome with their health results.

Remember that effort = result.
We all have aspects of our lives that need to take a priority at certain times through circumstances that we don't always have control over however this will always happen in our lives. Nothing is set in stone so allow some flexibility but don't just give up.

For most people around the world while the intent to meet their personal health goals is pure, it is the actions they choose that don't always match and sometimes in fact are a hinderance leading to a definite failure.

Here are some examples to think about.

You know the person that trains hard at the gym most days of the week to improve their physique but clearly is not getting the optimum results they could be because of their nutritional intake or social habits. So they train more often or longer. They are probably either eating whatever they desire without regard for its nutrient or caloric value because in their mind "I train so I can eat or drink whatever I want" ... WRONG = Failure.

They lead a highly social life that starts on Friday afternoon and ends on Sunday afternoon. While I don't judge anyone for the life they choose, I do caution you of the impact that it will have on your success result and in fact I have had people do plans before and complain they didn't achieve what had been indicated.

A short conversation with them leads us BOTH to discover and be enlightened that they really hadn't been doing what I had "prescribed" but rather modifying it to suit their social capabilities and desires. To each his own - but don't blame me.

One of my greatest puzzles when it comes to health is the person (male or female) who is totally committed to their cardio training on a daily basis to support their dieting habits but then smokes cigarettes. Really does putting the "poisons" in your Human Eco System that are doing you confirmed harm balance out the exercise to meet calorie intake or deficit ?? Wake up !!!! Wrong = Failure.

So how can you match your intent with your actions?
The first step is to have a plan that outlines all of YOUR responsibilities. Then follow through with ALL the elements and not just the ones that suit you. Those that are too hard shouldn't be dropped but rather find a way to make them less hard and in fact adjust your "attitood compass" to make them palatable.

Remember I have already committed to YOU with this plan to assist get the health results you seek and so YOU need to do what is necessary for YOU to get the results YOU desire.

With minor adjustments all the "perceived" issues can become less of "excuses or personal roadblocks" and more of "personal success achievements" when you confront and concur them.

One of my favorite sayings is "Have the courage to finish what you start !" It's YOUR Body - it's YOUR Life.

Global Health Challenge - Week Two (8 week Overview reposted in earlier blog)

Points to focus on for Week Two :
Goal of this week is to begin to fine tune the Plan and focus on the end result – New YOU
- Reduce alcohol completely from your life for the duration of the E.C.O. System Plan
- Reduce your caffeine intake to one cup per day (if applicable)
- Increase your fibre intake with salads and vegetables
- Increase H20 (water) to 8 glasses per day- Maintain the three (3) days of activity

TONY 's DIARY - (Week Two - Day Four)

Breakfast:
Energy Shake - 400ml Water + 45g Protein Powder + Combination Greens Powder + 1/2 cup Frozen Banana. Take a Daily Multi vitamin + Joint Power

Mid morning:Cup of Coffee + Skim milk

Lunch:
Mixed Leaf Salad + Cottage Cheese + Tomato + Cucumber + Strawberries + Water + 150g Almonds

Mid Afternoon snack:
Energy Smoothie - 400ml water + 30g Protein Powder + Comination Greens Powder

Evening Workout - Pump Class 45 mins + 15 Mins Hard Cardio Rower

Dinner:
Grilled Salmon + Mixed Leaves + Tomato + Broccolli + Cauliflour + Carrot + Baked Potato Chips. Dessert - None

2 Hours before bedFibre Shake + 20g Protein Powder

Overall - I again consumed enough water for the day - this is getting easier to do.
Again completed hard workout for lean muscle conditioning and cardio fitness.

Daily mantra :
I am totally committed to supporting my Human ECO System with my actions.

Wednesday 30th July 2008 - Week Two Day Three - Global Health Challenge

2008-07-31T06:16:00.000-07:00

One thing that I have noticed about this time that I am doing the Challenge is that I am trying to increase my "cooking knowledge" and not just moving from the BBQ to the Grilling Pan but have started to explore the Oven ... yes I know, who would have thought.

Tomorrow I will post a Lamb Stew that I made and it was actually easier than I thought and those who have tasted it say it's good. When you make things for yourself more often than not you will eat them just because you have cooked them but wouldnt serve them to friends but this was good (recipe tomorrow).

So apart from cooking with the oven I am still focussing on baking. Hey I have to have my vices too you know.

With my training, I have definitely noticed a gain in strength with my workouts to the point that next week I am planning on challenging the intensity on some days and the duration on others. Remember your human machine has the ability to adapt to neuromuscular changes quite quickly which means that constant evolution is paramount for increased gains.

Bottom line is that you need to make modifications to the effort to continue to see results !

Global Health Challenge - Week Two (8 week Overview reposted in earlier blog)

Points to focus on for Week Two :
Goal of this week is to begin to fine tune the Plan and focus on the end result – New YOU
- Reduce alcohol completely from your life for the duration of the E.C.O. System Plan
- Reduce your caffeine intake to one cup per day (if applicable)
- Increase your fibre intake with salads and vegetables
- Increase H20 (water) to 8 glasses per day- Maintain the three (3) days of activity

TONY 's DIARY - (Week Two - Day Three)

Breakfast:
Energy Shake - 400ml Water + 45g Protein Powder + Combination Greens Powder + 1/2 cup Frozen Banana. Take a Daily Multi vitamin + Joint Power

Mid morning:
Cup of Coffee + Skim milk + 4 x Corn Thins with Lean Ham

Lunch:
Chicken and Salad + Water + 150g Almonds

Mid Afternoon snack:
Energy Smoothie - 400ml water + 30g Protein Powder + Comination Greens Powder

Evening Workout - Pump Class 45 mins + 15 Mins Hard Cardio Rower

Dinner:
Grilled Salmon + Mixed Leaves + Tomato + Broccolli + Cauliflour + Carrot + Baked Potato Chips. Dessert - None

2 Hours before bed
Fibre Shake + 20g Protein Powder

Overall - I again consumed enough water for the day - this is getting easier to do.
Again completed hard workout for lean muscle conditioning and cardio fitness.

Daily mantra :
I am totally committed to supporting my Human ECO System with my actions.

Tuesday July 2008 - My Diary Week Two Day Two - Global Health Challenge

2008-07-29T17:35:00.000-07:00

I have been getting quite a few emails this week from people who are doing the Global Health Challenge and feeling not only more energy but also seeing a change in their attitude (attitood) to LIFE.

This happens when you commit to yourself on a plan that YOU believe in. It then takes constant management of that new compass direction heading to maintain it and remain on the path as there will be "obstacles" that appear and also try to divert you from success.

For those that are interested I have now dubbed myself NOT the Naked Chef (that is already taken and besides food sometimes splatters - sheeshhh), but rather the Lazy Chef. I am not a trained chef and learning as I go but don't want to be in the kitchen preparing for hours - that is not me, hence the Lazy Chef tag.

I am trying to get recipes that are easy and still taste good. The recipe for the Turkey and CousCous Rissoles will be added tomorrow. This was easy and tasted great so give it a go and if you have any to add then please email me tonyfindlay2008@gmail.com

Global Health Challenge - Week Two (8 week Overview reposted in earlier blog)
Points to focus on for Week Two :

Goal of this week is to begin to fine tune the Plan and focus on the end result – New YOU
- Reduce alcohol completely from your life for the duration of the E.C.O. System Plan
- Reduce your caffeine intake to one cup per day (if applicable)
- Increase your fibre intake with salads and vegetables
- Increase H20 (water) to 8 glasses per day- Maintain the three (3) days of activity

TONY 's DIARY - (Week Two - Day Two)

Breakfast:
Energy Shake - 400ml Water + 45g Protein Powder + Combination Greens Powder + 1/2 cup Frozen Banana / Berries. Take a Daily Multi vitamin + Joint Power

Morning Workout - Pump Class 45 mins

Mid morning:
Cup of Coffee + Skim milk + Protein Bar (40g protein / 8g carbs)

Lunch:
Wrap with Chicken and Salad + Water

Mid Afternoon snack:
Energy Smoothie - 400ml water + 30g Protein Powder + Comination Greens Powder

Dinner:
Grilled Turkey and Cous Cous Rissoles (that I made) + Mixed Leaves + Tomato + Baked Potato Chips. Dessert - Last piece of Citrus Almond Cake that I baked with low fat cream

2 Hours before bedFibre Shake + 20g Protein Powder

Overall - I again consumed enough water for the day.
Again completed hard workout for lean muscle conditioning. Tomorrow focus is on Cardio.

Daily mantra :
I am totally committed to supporting my Human ECO System with my actions.

Monday 28th July 2008 - Week Two Day One - Global Health Challenge

2008-07-28T21:00:00.001-07:00

The simplicity of the program seems to be appealing to a lot of people and that is what it is designed to be. We don't need more confusion but most people want direction with guidelines. That is what this program is designed to provide ... along with awesome results.

Make sure you are doing all the necessary workouts (3 x per week). I was asked by a reader of this blog why I am working out nearly every day. Remember that the minimum effort each week to YOUR "Result Land" is three times but for those that want a bigger result then work out as often as you can. Take a rest day if you need it or lower the intensity on one or two days if you are over three times.

Now for someone who is already lean and healthy, making further improvements is that much harder and requires even more effort and fine-tuning. I say this so that you get a sense of my personal commitment plus it explains why I am doing hard workouts for both lean muscle conditioning and cardio.

I'm also an Spin Instructor and need to fuel up accordingly and also to respect how my body is feeling. This level of challenge works for everyone from the "returning to exercise", or for the "fitness challenged, the "weekend warrior" or even the "professional fitness instructor".

Now to be clear it's not a bodybuilding nutrition or exercise plan. It is designed to prolong life through sound nutrition, increased activity to lower the incidence of diseases like Diabetes, Cancer and Obesity.

Global Health Challenge - Week Two (8 week Overview reposted in earlier blog)

Points to focus on for Week Two :
Goal of this week is to begin to fine tune the Plan and focus on the end result – New YOU
- Reduce alcohol completely from your life for the duration of the E.C.O. System Plan
- Reduce your caffeine intake to one cup per day (if applicable)
- Increase your fibre intake with salads and vegetables
- Increase H20 (water) to 8 glasses per day
- Maintain the three (3) days of activity

TONY 's DIARY - (Start of Week Two)

Breakfast:
Energy Shake - 400ml Water + 45g Protein Powder + Combination Greens Powder + 1/2 cup Frozen Banana / Berries. Take a Daily Multi vitamin + Joint Power

Morning Workout - Spin Class 45 mins Hard Cardio.
Needed to drink loads of water during this class as once we started it got warm real quick !!

Mid morning:
Cup of Coffee + Skim milk + Protein Bar (40g protein / 8g carbs)

Lunch:
Mixed Leaf Salad + Tuna + Cous Cous + Tomato + Cucumber + Pear + 4 x corn thins with hommous

Mid Afternoon snack:
Energy Smoothie - 400ml water + 30g Protein Powder + Comination Greens Powder

Evening Workout - Pump Class - wasn't going to do this but it was so cold in my apartment that I knew that one way to get warm would be to workout - and it was.

Dinner:
Grilled Chicken Breast + Mixed Leaves + Tomato + Broccolli + Cauliflower + Low Fat Cottage Cheese. Dessert - Piece of Citrus Almond Cake (I baked) with low fat cream

2 Hours before bed
Fibre Shake + 20g Protein Powder

Overall - I again consumed enough water for the day. Again completed hard workout with my cardio.

Daily mantra :
I am totally committed to supporting my Human ECO System with my actions.

Why did I develop the Global Health Challenge ?

2008-07-27T21:14:00.001-07:00

I wanted to give an overview of how the next fifty six (56) days or eight (8) weeks of life changing habits is undertaken.

Instead of just implementing a life stopping plan as most DIETS are, that will only have short term potential and limited results, I wanted to explore how we could actually make life changing habits that last and still get you the body you desire.

The issue with any plan that just has short term gains is that when you ‘re-enter” your life patterns, you will probably go back to your old unhealthy habits and you will have wasted your time, and probably your money as most quick fix schemes are designed to make someone else rich.

It’s time for a change.
So this plan is for FREE. All it takes is your commitment and time.

Here is the real reason that it will work like no other plan.
Unless you start to either understand or relate to your body and how it functions you will continue to make the same errors, mistakes and failures that have plagued your fat loss goals from the past. We need to remove, replace and reprogram those failure causing habits.

So what did I do ?
I met and worked with some of the leading behaviour change experts from around the world and they all have the same issues with diets or exercise programs. Any “elimination plan” that doesn’t create behaviour change isn’t going to last.

Taking that understanding onboard I wanted to create a plan that used sensible and sustainable ways that will change your life and give you some knowledge that increases your ability to make better choices. This is the foundation to life changing results and the basis of YOUR Human ECO System.

So what is our plan ?
It is a 56 day program. Much like an 8 Step Life Changing Plan or 12 Step Habit Busting Plan.
By taking the first four (4) weeks of my plan to reduce and replace the elements of your life that impact your health or are detrimental to your goal, and slowly replacing them with better options YOU begin to not only notice the changes but YOU are 100% responsible for making them.

Is this plan easy ?
If you are asking this question you are not ready to do this. The reason that some plans fail to work for you is that you don’t stay committed. You don’t finish them and then wonder why they didn’t work. It’s like only completing half the race and wondering why you don’t get a “finishing medal”.

This plan is not meant to be easy, it is meant to work and last.
The duration is 56 days (8 weeks) which isn’t a long time to see fantastic results and save YOUR own life by making changes you can understand and always implement.

Are you worth it ?

NOTES :

With any suggested lifestyle changing program it is recommended that you seek a full medical clearance before undertaking this or any health program. The information supplied is done on an information basis and not meant to replace any medical advice given by a medical specialist.

If you are unsure whether this will suit you take it to your medical / health specialist and have them see if it is going to be complimentary to your current lifestyle.

Overview of the 8 weeks - Global Health Challenge

2008-07-27T20:58:00.000-07:00

OVERVIEW OF THE EIGHT WEEKS FOR THE HUMAN E.C.O. SYSTEM PLAN

Week One -

Goal of this week is begin to eliminate all the unnecessary elements of your nutrition intake that have been causing the problems to your health status. Let’s GO !

- Reduce alcohol intake to weekend only
- Replace white foods to whole grains
- Reduce fat intake with low fat / no fat options
- Increase H20 (water) intake to 6 glasses per day
- Introduce the three (3) days of activity with the AFTERBURNER Workouts to your routine

Week Two -

Goal of this week is to begin to fine tune the Plan and focus on the end result – New YOU

- Reduce alcohol completely from your life for the duration of the E.C.O. System Plan
- Reduce your caffeine intake to one cup per day (if applicable)
- Increase your fibre intake with salads and vegetables
- Increase H20 (water) to 8 glasses per day
- Maintain the three (3) days of activity

Week Three -

Goal of this week is to consolidate the first two (2) weeks of life changing habits – Well done so far.

- Reduce caffeine intake to green tea or better yet none
- Reduce your intake of starch and grains to wholemeal versions
- Maintain H20 (water) intake to 8 glasses per day
- Maintain the three (3) days of activity

Week Four -

Goal of this week is to consolidate the first three (3) weeks of life changing habits – Half way !

- Reduce your dairy intake
- Reduce intake of red meat and replace to white fish
- Maintain the three (3) days of activity – add an additional “family fun day” on the weekend
- Maintain H20 (water) intake to 8 glasses per day

Week Five – ECO Cleanse Week – the Challenge.

Goal of this week is to use the next seven (7) days as the “detox period for an internal eco-cleanse”

- Day one =

- Day two =

- Day three =

- Day four = These 7 Days are broken down and supplied in earlier blog

- Day five =

- Day six =

- Day seven =

NOTE - They say it takes only 21 days to form a life changing habit. Then this is your time as that is how many days are left.

Goal of this next twenty one (21) days or three (3) weeks are designed to consolidate the first 5 weeks and to now being to establish patterns for your new LIFE.

Week Six – Think of what you want to re-introduce and the impact it will have.

This is the first week after the ECO Cleanse so give yourself credit. YOU are only 21 days from completing a major milestone in your life.

+

Week Seven - Its so close !

This is the last 14 days of the life changing plan. Think how differently you are feeling (and looking) with the choices that you have made and are NOW making.

+

Week Eight - The final few days of your plan – WELL DONE !

This is the last 7 days of the life changing plan and now you must make some decisions. Are you going to go back to your old way of unhealthy eating and living ? This last 56 days can be the catalyst for a NEW YOU or just a slightly improved version – YOU decide.

So now you have everything you need to get started.

Are YOU ready to finally take charge of your health ?
Are YOU ready to get ECO-friendly with your body once and for all ?

Then the Human E.C.O. System Plan has been designed for YOU

ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS TAKE THE NEXT 56 DAYS TO CHANGE YOUR LIFE !!!

Sunday 27th July 2008 - End of Week One aka Day Seven - Global Health Challenge

2008-07-27T20:37:00.000-07:00

Well that went pretty fast and without too much pain involved.

A good point was raised about my blog titles to include the Global Health Challenge for those joining us late. Remember you can start this anytime you choose which is how it has been designed because we don't all arrive at the bus stop / train station / airport of "life change decisions" at the same time.

So it has reinforced to me the value of log keeping. I have been far less inclined to snack or just fill in time with a coffee when my body actually is craving nutrients. I have also been less inclined to make bad choices and although these are rare for me, I am human and they do happen.

The video's are coming for those that have sent me email requests for those so I hope I don't disappoint :-)))

I am shooting and editing this myself on my laptop, is that a multi-tasking skill or just further signs of my A.D.D. personality ? As well as doing this I am also writing my next screenplay for my other business so time is my only enemy but will try to find some focus time for this.

Just wanted to say that was a little sad for Cadell Evans as he is again second in the Tour De France but next year watch out world but the Wallabies Rugby Union team gave the All Blacks a textbook defeat on Saturday night so it's looking good for the return Bledisloe Cup match.

Global Health Challenge - Week Two (I will repost the 8 week Overview today)

Points to focus on for Week Two :
Goal of this week is to begin to fine tune the Plan and focus on the end result – New YOU

- Reduce alcohol completely from your life for the duration of the E.C.O. System Plan
- Reduce your caffeine intake to one cup per day (if applicable)
- Increase your fibre intake with salads and vegetables
- Increase H20 (water) to 8 glasses per day
- Maintain the three (3) days of activity

TONY 's DIARY - Day Six (Sunday or end of Week One)

Breakfast:
Energy Shake - 400ml Water + 45g Protein Powder + Combination Greens Powder + 1/2 cup Frozen Banana. Take a Daily Multi vitamin + Joint Power

Morning Workout - Got up late so I again did the Pump Class (weights were normal) and then did 10 mins (Hard) Cardio on Rower - again focussing on technique and this time did 1 minute Intervals of fast speedwork then 1 minute of slower pace. Needed to drink loads of water after this which is never a bad thing

Mid morning:
2 x Cup of Coffee + Skim milk + Protein Bar (40g protein / 8g carbs)

Lunch:
Mixed Leaf Salad + Tuna + Crushed Almonds + Tomato + Low Fat Cottage Cheese + Cucumber + Pear

Mid Afternoon snack:

Energy Smoothie - 400ml water + 30g Protein Powder + Comination Greens Powder

Dinner:
Grilled Salmon with herbs + Sweet Potato + Zucchini + Broccolli + Cauliflower.
Dessert - Piece of Citrus Almond Cake (I baked again) with low fat cream

2 Hours before bedFibre Shake + 20g Protein Powder

Overall - I again consumed enough water for the day. Again completed hard workout. Energy levels were a little lower today so took it easy. Really looking forward to next week and focussing on result.

Daily mantra :
I am totally committed to supporting my Human ECO System with my actions.

Saturday 26th July 2008 - My Diary Day Six

2008-07-26T21:52:00.000-07:00

After having a day off training yesterday I felt really good when I woke up so walked to the gym for an early morning class. Used this not only as a warm-up but the chance to burn a few extra calories and do my little part for the environment.

I had decided to push myself a little in the class today as I had had yesterday exercise free. This is a great thing to do when you have some recovery time like weekends. You could pick a few exercises and just do a little more effort than normal which is a great way of increasing both fitness and results.

Looking forward to end of first week and knowing that there is just over 49 days to go .......

TONY 's DIARY - Day Six (Saturday)

Breakfast:
Energy Shake - 400ml Water + 45g Protein Powder + Combination Greens Powder + 1/2 cup Frozen Banana. Take a Daily Multi vitamin + Joint Power

Morning Workout - Pump Class (increased weights over normal) and then did 10 mins (Hard) Cardio on Rower

Mid morning:
2 x Cup of Coffee + Skim milk + Protein Bar (40g protein / 8g carbs)

Lunch:
Mixed Leaf Salad + Tuna + Crushed Almonds + Tomato + Low Fat Cottage Cheese + Cucumber + Pear

Mid Afternoon snack:
Energy Smoothie - 400ml water + 30g Protein Powder + Comination Greens Powder

Weekend Treat - Went to the Movies - Consumed large water with my Choc Top Ice Cream

Dinner: Mixed Leaves + Grilled Lamb Loin + Carrots + Tomato + Broccolli + Cauliflower.
Dessert - None tonight as had treat at Movies

2 Hours before bed
Fibre Shake + 20g Protein Powder

Overall - I again consumed enough water for the day but as it was the weekend I did have a few social coffee's and went to the Movies and always have ice cream so no big deal to the plan but also had already completed hard workout. Easy night at home watching football on TV and Tour de France (Go Cadell Evans)

Daily mantra :I am totally committed to supporting my Human ECO System with my actions.

Friday 25th July - My Diary Day Five - No Exercise Day

2008-07-25T21:50:00.000-07:00

Okay now I wanted to show you how that some days just like you - LIFE - will get involved in your plans and change them and before you know you need to be thinking ahead for your goal to maintain quality nutrient intake.

I had planned to spend the day writing content from home on my next movie script and everything was going to be easy. Everything I needed to eat was there and I would write for about four to five hours then do a workout to clear my head, then get back to some more writing.

But at 9am I received a call that requried I attend a business meeting regarding an upcoming proposal which was scheduled for an hour and I knew could easily go over time. I had already consumed my Energy Shake so knew that I had enough quality nutrients in my system for about three (3) hours so I had to plan ahead just in case. Heading into the city I grabbed a Protein Energy Bar and put it in my bag. Lucky because the meeting did go over.

In fact the meeting went much longer than planned and so I got home for a late lunch which I could control and also I had consumed the Energy Bar with some water during the meeting. I wanted to get some writing done so I decided to make today an Exercise Free Day - which meant that I had need to consume any additional calories so instead of my mid afternoon snack energy shake I just ate a green apple.

In discussing with some friends this week about the Challenge I was asked did I ever get sick of the same breakfast each day and as I look at this as setting up a solid base of nutrient foundation for the day - the answer is no. Besides I actually like the taste and feel positive knowing what is happening.

Dinner was the remaining Turkey rissoles so I had better get some cooking done over the weekend and try some new recipes. Stay strong we have nearly done one week.

TONY 's DIARY - Day Five

Breakfast:
Energy Shake - 400ml Water + 45g Protein Powder + Combination Greens Powder + 1/2 cup Frozen Banana. Take a Daily Multi vitamin + Joint Power

Mid morning:
Cup of Coffee + Skim milk + Protein Bar

Lunch:
Mixed Leaf Salad + Hommous + Chicken Breast + Crushed Almonds + Tomato

Mid Afternoon snack:
Green Apple

Workout Free Day

Dinner: Leftover Turkey and CousCous Rissoles + Steamed Vegetables (Broccolli / Carrots / Tomato). Dessert - None tonight

2 Hours before bedFibre Shake + 20g Protein Powder

Overall - I again consumed enough water for the day and have cut down on my social coffee's by carrying around water bottle with me and even drank more than I had planned.

Daily mantra :I am totally committed to supporting my Human ECO System with my actions.

Thursday 24th July 2008 - My Diary Day Four + Almond Citrus Cake Recipe

2008-07-24T20:20:00.000-07:00

Just so that I can allay any concerns about the eating plan that is provided in the Challenge as someone commented on my Diary being different. The plan I have supplied is fine for anyone as it reduces overall unnecessary calories and re-introduces quality nutrients and yes this is fine for everyone !

I have modified my plan to suit both my tastes and also my time-poor lifestyle. I like the ease of a morning shake and so do it cause it works to get me results and it also takes less than a minute. I plan to film that this weekend to show you how easy it is.

I know that I am "quick to act" mentality so for me, once I make a decision staying with it is easy. For others it is a constant battle. If you are like that you will need to adjust what you do to fit in with your plan but for me, monotony of the same foods and types doesn't affect me. If it get's the result I aim for then so be it. That is just me.

I am receiving great feedback from people who are also doing the Global Health Challenge and feeling positive about their efforts to day which is fantastic but get ready for the first test - the weekend.

I find this "test" happens whenever people make a conscious choice regarding making a life changing decision and nothing is more important than your health but being social is hard to do when others want you to be a certain way and do things not on your plan.
It's YOUR BODY -It's YOUR LIFE.

At bottom of blog is the recipe I found for the cake. Now I have a piece each day as reward for ongoing commitment and I love dessert so that is my "sin of preference". This is a Diabetic approved recipe which means that anyone (apart from the Gluten Intolerant can eat it). Enjoy.

TONY 's DIARY - Day Four

Breakfast:
Energy Shake - 400ml Water + 45g Protein Powder + Combination Greens Powder + 1/2 cup Frozen Banana. Take a Daily Multi vitamin + Joint Power

Mid morning:Cup of Coffee + Skim milk + Protein Bar (was out at meetings so planned ahead)

Lunch:
Mixed Leaf Salad + Hommous + Tin of Tuna + Crushed Almonds + Tomato

Mid Afternoon snack - Cup of Coffee + Skim milk
Energy Shake - 400ml Water + 20g Protein Powder + Combination Greens Powder (no fruit)

Afterburner Workout - I did this and tried to work hard on both elements for 30 mins.
Cardio component 20 mins on Treadmill (Intervals) + 10 mins (hard cardio) on Rower

Dinner: Leftover Turkey and CousCous Rissoles + Steamed Vegetables (Broccolli / Carrots / Tomato). Dessert - None tonight

2 Hours before bed
Fibre Shake + 20g Protein Powder

Overall - Workouts are going well and I'm feeling strong. I again consumed enough water for the day and have cut down on my social coffee's by carrying around water bottle with me.

Daily mantra :
I am totally committed to supporting my Human ECO System with my actions.

I cooked this so that I had a treat for the next few days. Recipe for Almond Citrus Cake.

125g low fat spread
1/3 cup castor sugar
2 eggs
1 cup wholemeal self raising flour
1/3 cup almond meal
1/4 cup orange juice
zest of lemon and orange

Preheat Oven to 160 degrees
Spray or line pan (I used a loaf pan and worked okay)
Mix low fat spread, sugar, lemon and orange zest until pale and creamy
Add eggs (1 at a time), mixing well after each one
Fold in flour, almond meal, orange juice until combined
Spread mixture into pan
Bake 20-25 mins

Serve with Low Fat Yoghurt on top. Enjoy

Suggestion - this wasnt in the recipe but I spoke to a friend and she told me to get the juice of four or five oranges and boil up with small amount of brown sugar to form syrup and pour over cake when cooked ... this was so really nice !!!!