​Hey everybody, hoping all is well with you. It’s been over a year since the 19 crisis hit our nation. People have died. Our way of life has been changed.

When this thing hit, I found myself mostly at home because my business had been shut down by the state. With all the fear and apprehension, I doubt anyone would have come to see me at the clinic anyway.

Like many people I researched from sources from around the world. Having just written ‘Sick & Tired of Being Sick & Tired: Solutions for a Better, Healthier Life’ a year before, the idea of people dying before their time was upsetting to say the least. I mean one of the big takeaways from the book was how to bolster one’s immune system which is in place to fight off hostile invaders.

But after a few weeks in lockdown, I became very uncomfortable with the restrictions on healthy people. In the history of the world, I had never heard of healthy people being isolated & major segments of society totally shut down. Usually it was just the sick.  Yet it seemed like the government medical experts totally believed it was necessary.

Knowing what was being reported and the dire predictions, I couldn’t help but think about what common sense might dictate. I mean over 8,000 of us die every day from a variety of causes. There is no daily death total on our TV screens for all the other causes except for Covid 19. I guess that was because it was new. But the reporting got over-the-top sensational and fed into people’s fears. And the longer we were shut down it seemed that fears grew. It was and still is quite depressing.

Common sense seemed to become quite uncommon. In the past if I came across someone who was coughing and sneezing, seemed feverish and looked horrible, I would keep my distance. I wouldn’t shake their hand or hug & kiss them. After an encounter with someone like that I would use an essential oil mix to clean my hands and spray in my mouth. And if I felt that my immune system needed some help or if I had been in a crowd, I would resort to a simple regimen I use as a type of health insurance that has served me quite well.

Honestly though, I was 2nd guessing myself.  Maybe common sense had to take a backseat to the experts who seemed to be all over the map as to how we should respond. Then I realized that the only experts that were getting air time were those in Sick Care. They were trained to keep people alive after they got sick or injured but now they were front & center telling us how to stay healthy. And the folks who are normally the one’s teaching Health & Wellness were never given a microphone. I mean as the general profile of the people who were dying from 19 became clear there were no clear directives on what we could do to greatly improve out chances of survival. It was just stay home & isolate as much as possible and it you go out wear a mask & keep your distance.

Normally the message for good health is to get outside, soak up sunshine, fill your lungs with fresh air, get physical, socialize with people and get with nature… So as the days, weeks and months of lockdown isolation continued, we as a nation were getting more unhealthy, less fit, less able to fight off all types of disease.

And that’s why what I’m seeing today is so upsetting. People are getting the 19 vaccine & celebrating that they are not going to die or be the one who spreads the virus. Really? Are we sure that’s true? The overall health of our nation has become worse as the lockdowns have continued, yet we are celebrating and relying on a shot?

The way the mainstream news folks were controlling the narrative was alarming. I know that bad news sells but this was bad news on megadoses of steroids. I admit that even though I am usually very optimistic and hopeful about things in general, I found myself self-medicating with alcohol in an attempt to counter all the negativity. Of course, it didn’t work. I went back to what I had written about in Sick & Tired regarding depression & followed my own advice.

And after watching & listening & thinking some more, I came to realize that being ready to fight & ward off this pandemic is what I have been preparing for… Times Like This! I have spent most of my adult life sifting through literature and eating clean and supplementing wisely and exercising with a purpose beyond vanity. And then at age 66 after having overcome all types of illnesses and injuries and not being on any lifetime meds and still able to do hard physical things, I was encouraged to write a book I did not want to write. Co-founder & CEO of Re:Think Tom McVey thought the world would want to know my secrets. Even after writing ‘Sick & Tired of Being Sick & Tired: Solutions for a Better, Healthier Life’, I still disagree with Tom. Sick & Tired is a series of stories that address health issues- Physical, Mental, Emotional, Psychological and Spiritual. But who cares about what I do or my experiences? Most have given up on trying to understand how to be healthy and strong. They’ve quit. They know that they are weak and vulnerable and have no idea what to do about it. Old habits are hard to break. But not impossible.

Yet, with everything else killing people prematurely in far greater numbers, all of a sudden the Government, Pharmaceutical companies, the Media and certain approved Medical experts were going to save us all from the dreaded 19 and all it’s variants that are coming?

I’m not going to get into all the little things you can do today to start bolstering your immune system. But just consider this especially if you are pushing 50 and beyond.

As you get older, you don’t lose as much aerobic capacity compared to how much strength one loses. So as you get older, Intelligent Strength work is way more important than Cardio or Flexibility work. Training strength improves your lean mass as you get older, right? Everybody know that!

But do you know that Intelligent Strength work also improves your metabolic flexibility and your ORGAN RESERVE? If you allow your muscles to atrophy, it dramatically affects your Heart, Lung and Liver function. If you maintain lean muscle mass, then the Heart, the Lungs and the Liver must keep functioning at a very efficient level. So when you are challenged by something like 19, your organs have not been compromised! Please pause and think about that.

So here we are. A line has been drawn. Those who have opted to get the vaccine are being characterized as wise and even heroic. They are protecting not only themselves but their loved ones and all of humanity as well. They will be allowed to travel.

The un-vaccinated are being portrayed as ill-informed anti-vaxxers who care nothing about their fellow citizens of the world. And even though they may appear totally healthy and have no symptoms of 19, they are probably unaware carriers or super-spreaders of the virus.
 
I know many strongly disagree with my perspective. I’m just asking for a little grace and compassion for those of us who can’t get the vaccine. I believe that we are designed to be able to deal with far worse things than this virus. Most of us are going to die prematurely anyway. If you’re on lifetime medications to keep your health ‘numbers’ good, then you haven’t figured out your body yet. Don’t quit on your health. Sick care is way different than Health care. If you’re in poor health or on lifetime meds, you can make changes in your daily routine, your habits… and you at least know from your experience what doesn’t work.

Everybody wants to go to Heaven but nobody wants to Die. So try not to judge. Just own your health. It’s personal. It’s not about government or medical dictates or even a shot. Now please pause, consider your mortality and what you still want to do & see & experience. What are you willing to do to extend the active, vibrant years of your life? I'm guessing that you'll conclude that a few changes are in order or maybe a new resolve. Fear not and don’t give up.

​As my friend David Denotaris always says, “Make it a Great Day!”.

Growing up in New Jersey in the 1950s... We swam in a mercury- laden river along with other toxic waste, we ran in the cloud behind DDT Spraying trucks in our neighborhoods that was for killing mosquitoes, our walls were painted with Lead paint, our buildings were insulated with Asbestos, factories billowed all kinds of smoke over us, there were no Emission standards for gasoline and diesel cars & trucks, we had only 3 different types of vegetables in our house (ever), I only remember 3 different kinds of fruit, we had no idea of the 'source' of our meats, poultry and fish. Tobacco was allowed just about everywhere except Church and school.
I had measles, German measles, mumps, chicken pox, various flu s & asthma when I was a kid. Today I feel fantastic.
Bed rest, aspirin, Vick's VapoRub  & Calamine lotion were used for everything except for the asthma- they put me in an oxygen tent for a few days when it was really bad.  Then my Mom gave up on traditional medicine when they said I was allergic to everything they injected into my arm and they wanted us to get rid of my dog, carpeting, as well as wrap my mattress & pillow in plastic (see BubbleBoy).  
But Mom said No to just about every Drug along with Inhalers & we kept our dog. 
​The Medical/Science/Pharmaceutical industries are as corrupt as Governments-- sadly follow the money... Current Drug regimens & Immunizations DO NOT Strengthen Immune Systems! (Actually just the opposite seems to occur)
Methinks that the current approach to fighting disease is backwards. The Human Body is nothing less than a Miraculous Gift that has incredible capacities to heal. Instead of dumping tons of resources into 'finding cures' in a laboratory, we would be much better served by getting our planet in order- land, water & air. The earth abounds with cures for 'what ails ya'.
Instead of 'science' being so arrogant in thinking they can improve what is naturally provided in this world, the goal should be to return it to its natural state. Of course that would take a Moral Compass which Governments, many Businesses, Educational Institutions, the Medical Community, the Science Community, the Agricultural Community, and Wall Street have not come close to displaying.
It's a shame because no one gets out alive anyway.  And to think we have the God-given tools to greatly decrease Human Suffering yet many would sell their very souls for personal profit at the expense of all humanity. A sad state indeed.
Hoping we can all 'fight the good fight' on all levels with an eye to saving the planet for all generations to follow. I trust there is a Better Life after this! 

​HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!
   

​#Overcoming Injury - At Any Age #RehabilitativePersonalTraining
Before beginning or continuing any exercise program it is critical to understand the role that injury plays in you being able to achieve your fitness goals.

One of the realities of life is that from time to time we all suffer an injury. And if it’s not too traumatic we can actually finish the game or whatever physical thing we are doing. However, injuries not properly dealt with lead to us developing ‘compensation’ patterns that put us at greater risk of further trouble.

For example when I was playing sports as a teenager I had many ankle sprains. Ice them to get the swelling down, tape them up tight and get back in the game or practice… right? That’s what I did but I found out years later that the improperly healed ligaments in my ankle were leading to a myriad of other problems- knees, back, hamstrings, etc.

I kept ‘compensating’ for all of my injuries in a variety of ways until physical activity was not fun anymore.

But this is what I learned a few years back.  What controls your structure is your muscles and what controls your muscles is your nervous system. So it’s critical to see how your nervous system is controlling your muscles.

I use a technique to see if muscles are firing properly. I go around your body and test different muscles but I’m not testing to see how strong you are. I want to see if your muscles are able to turn on and turn off at the right time. This will show us how well your nervous system is controlling that muscle.

That’s important because the way that your muscles support your body and protect all of your joints is by Absorbing Force. So whenever you do an activity- sit in a chair, brush your teeth, walk, run- force is going to be entering your body and your muscles are going to have to be able to turn on in order to absorb that force.

Now if your nervous system is slightly imbalanced or has some kind of abnormal reflex and it’s not able to turn on the muscles at the right time, that muscle is not going to be able to absorb that force and that force is going to travel to another area--- like a tendon or a ligament or a disc in your neck or back or cartilage or meniscus or labrum or bursa, fascia, bone or some other muscle. Most structures are not designed to Absorb Force.

When force is transmitted to an area where it’s not supposed to be, it going to cause damage to that tissue. And that’s when you’re going to start getting sore or developing scar tissue or inflammation or stretching and fraying, degeneration of a disc or a bulge or herniation. You’ll start to develop problems that all stem from the same thing- your body not able to Absorb Force properly.

This is very important to understand because even the simplest movements can be very painful for many of us. Even the doctor’s prescription to ‘walk more it’s good for your health’ can be a very tough assignment. We all need to learn that ‘mind-less’ activity is not the solution to long term health.

More next time… all the best…