10 Ways Meditation Can Improve Your Life

Many people see meditation as something that is 'new age' or 'alternative.' Nothing could be further from the truth. Meditation, which has become more and more popular in recent years, is actually a lost art form, which has been practiced for thousands and thousands of years. So, how can the lost art of meditation improve your life?

1.Through meditation, you can build confidence. The best way to build confidence with meditation is through guided meditation, which means that you use a recording to lead you through the meditation process. While this is happening, the recorded messages are actually building up your self confidence. It's absolutely amazing.

2.With meditation, you can seriously increase your energy and your strength. Because stress has so many profound effects on us mentally and physically, when we use meditation to eliminate or better control stress, we almost instantly have more energy - because our minds aren't weighed down with problems, and more strength, because stress can literally affect your immune system, which affects everything else.

3.Meditation has proven to reduce stress, and many find that they experience less instances of stress when they practice meditation on a regular basis. It's a proven tension reliever.

4.Meditation helps to keep you in a positive frame of mind, by actually increasing the levels of serotonin produced by the brain. This will alleviate headaches, tension, depression, and numerous other problems, and give you a great sense of well-being as well.

5.With regular meditation, your blood pressure will remain normal. This is largely due to the stress relief that meditation provides, but there is also an impact on how blood moves through the body, and how the blood vessels react in such a positive way to meditation. So, in this sense, the result of normal blood pressure has both mental and physical origins.

6.Through regular meditation, you will find that you are better able to focus, that your memory is better, and that your mind simply 'feels' stronger and better able to handle the trials of everyday life.

7.Meditation helps you to reach a higher plane, where you are able to see things much clearer. No matter what problems you may have, when you meditate, solutions for those problems simply become clearer in your mind, and then you are able to take action to clear away the problems.

8.Studies have shown that meditation helps you to lose weight. Those who diet and exercise, in an effort to lose weight find that they get greater results faster, and with permanent results, when they throw regular meditation into the mix. Stress has always been a hindrance to losing weight, which is probably why meditation does indeed help.

9.Other studies have also shown that meditation lowers the risk of heart disease. The research done at the Georgia Prevention Institute found that the blood vessel lining was better able to relax in subjects who included meditation on a regular basis. This relaxation of the blood vessel lining can be achieved with medication as well, which is how heart disease patients are currently treated.

10.People who start out the day with fifteen to thirty minutes of meditation find that they statistically have a better, happier day. They are able to handle anything that comes up with ease, with no stress - or at the very least minimal short term stress, and move easily from task to task, with complete focus.

The numerous mental and physical benefits of meditation should be enough to convince everyone that meditation is one of the elements of a healthy, happy, peaceful life. Unfortunately, there are many people who feel that they are too busy to learn meditation, much less to practice it. The good news is that meditation isn't at all hard to learn - and if you really take a look at the benefits, the real question should be how can you afford not to make time for daily - or at least weekly - meditation?

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When You Feel Like Giving Up...Watch This!

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Organic Food FAQ

How can I tell whether something is organic?

Organic is a legal definition when applied to food, so for a food to be labeled or sold as organic it must have been produced according to national organic farming and processing standards, and this is true worldwide. In the case of processed foods, such as cookies US standards state that at least 95 per cent of all ingredients must be certified organic. The other 5 per cent can be non-organic only if approved by the certifier - this occurs only if there is difficulty finding an organic version of the ingredient and may be only a temporary measure.

What stops producers calling their produce organic anyway?

Certifiers in every country carry out regular inspections to ensure that organic standards are being met and will give products that meet these standards a mark or number as a guarantee of authenticity. If you want to be sure that the food you are buying is organic then look out for either of these on a label or, if buying unpackaged products, ask the retailer for proof.

Are all organic foods healthy?

Yes and no. Organic foods are less likely to contain chemical and antibiotic residues, and they are not allowed to contain hydrogenated fats, artificial additives, flavorings or preservatives, so in this respect they are healthier. However, they are not 'health foods'. You can buy organic ice cream, biscuits and chocolate, for example, none of which should be eaten to excess if you are concerned about your health. But organic foods are definitely healthy for the environment.

With so much organic food coming from overseas, how green can it be?

Organic imports feature heavily in many countries around the world, and there are clearly environmental costs to transporting food in this way. However, the environmental benefits of organic farming are so great that anyone serious about green living should buy organic. In addition, the more people that buy organic the more likely it is that farmers will convert their farms to organic production and that governments will help by subsidizing these farmers during the conversion process (up to three years).

Do buy as much of your produce locally as you can and eat seasonally. The organic community encourages both.

So if you are thinking about green living, organic foods are a good start. More about going green on agreenliving.net

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Answering a Good Question

On my last post, someone asked if walking or running would be just as beneficial and here is my answer:

Walking and running will NOT build the muscle you need to increase your metabolism, but the walking/running itself WILL help reduce body fat.

If walking and running is all you do, when you stop exercising, the weight will come back faster than if you were to build muscle from muscle bound resistance training which will allow your metabolism to keep that body fat off. For example, if you watch the Biggest Loser, what happens to all the contestants who leave the show that don't keep the same intensity? They gain the weight back quickly because throughout the show, along with their running, they do more high intensity training (low weight-high reps) and not as much muscle building training (high weight-low reps).

Plus, too much running and no resistance training at all will actually cause your body to burn off muscle. That is why you see a lot of endurance athletes, such as runners or cyclist, have very slim body frames with very little body fat and very little muscle too.

My best advice is to do your running and walking, but never neglect keeping your muscles strong with muscle building exercises because when you are not able to workout (injuries, vacation or old age), you will decrease the amount of body fat that will accumulate and increase the length of your life. Also, make sure you always increase your intensity of your runs/walks because our bodies adapt to the workouts quicker than your think and you will plateau (not get results). Change up all of your workouts every month and you will continue to make progress.

Train Hard!

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Build the Muscle, Burn the Fat...Right?

The world of physical fitness centers itself on muscle building for weight loss. Men are constantly fed more and more information telling them that them more muscle you build, the more weight you will be able to lose. But, how accurate is that statement really? Does muscle really effectively burn fat from the body without any extra effort?

Studies have been conducted on many occasions related to the amount of caloris burned for every pound of muscle built. These studies have concluded on several occasions a range of 30 to 50 extra calories a day from every pound of muscle that is added to the body. With that fact being said, how long does it take to build a pound of muscle?

For the male species, a pound of muscle takes approximately one month to build. For the female species it can take twice that long or more. Muscle building, without external supplementation, is a slow process of tearing the muscles and allowing the muscle to rebuild. When trying to build muscle to lose weight and burn fat, this tearing and repairing process is the only way to truly see the effects of your workout over an extended period of time.

The Best Way To Build Muscle to Burn Fat

If building muscles is on your short list for your weight loss program, there are tried and true ways to do just that. But, there are also necessary actions that need to take place in order to maximize muscle build and minimize the pain associated with the tearing of the muscle.

When a muscle is worked with weights, the muscle will reach a point where it can not longer lift the amount of weight being pressed. This is called lifting to failure. When the muscle is pushed to this point, tiny tears in the muscle occur. These tiny tears will rebuild over a 48 hour period of rest and gain muscle mass in the process. This is the same muscle that will burn more fat on the body and thus burn more calories.

The key to keeping muscle building a safe and painless (mostly) process is the stretching. After the muscle is torn, lactic acid will rush in and start the healing process. This lactic acid, if left to settle in the muscle, is the reason for pain after a hard workout. Stretching the muscle can help to dissipate the amount of lactic acid in the muscle and lower the chance of that extra, day after, pain that is felt during recovery.

When building muscle to lose weight, it is important to work the one day on, one day off program. While some muscle groups, such as abdominals and triceps, are okay to working on a daily basis, all others need at least 48 hours to recover and rebuild before tearing the muscle again with a workout.

As time passes, the muscles will grow stronger and add bulk. This bulk will be the extra muscle needed to burn those extra calories while watching TV, surfing the Internet or sitting at that business meeting.

How Many Pounds Can Be Lost?

If every pound of muscle burns an extra 50 calories per day, that will add up to 1500 calories a month. An extra 1500 calories burned with no extra effort. And, if the muscle training program continues and within a years time, 10 extra pounds of muscle are added to the frame of the body, that means an extra 15,000 calories burned every month. Not bad for a little tearing and repairing.

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The Truth about Portion Distortion

Over the past 20 years, the portions of food served in restaurants and fast-food eateries have ballooned—as have the waistlines of many Americans. Take this quiz from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute to find out just how many more calories this adds.

1) A bagel 20 years ago was three inches in diameter and had 140 calories. How many calories are in today's typical bagel?

2) A cheeseburger 20 years ago had 333 calories. How many calories are in today's cheeseburger?

3) A plate of spaghetti and meatballs 20 years ago had 500 calories. How many are there today?

4) A 6.5 ounce portion of soda had 85 calories. How many calories are in today's 20-ounce portion?

5) Twenty years ago, a serving of French fries was 2.4 ounces and had 210 calories. How many calories are in today's 6.9 ounce serving?

6) A turkey sandwich 20 years ago had two slices of bread and 320 calories. How many calories are in today's 10-inch turkey sandwich?

7) A standard cup of coffee 20 years ago was 8 ounces and had 45 calories with whole milk and sugar added. How many calories are in today's 16-ounce mocha coffee with steamed whole milk and mocha syrup?

8) A blueberry muffin 20 years ago was 1.5 ounces and had 210 calories. How many muffins are in today's 5 ounce muffin?

9) Twenty years ago, two slices of pepperoni pizza had 500 calories. How many calories are in today's large pizza slices?

10) A chicken Caesar salad was 1 ½ cups and had 390 calories 20 years ago. How many calories are in today's 3 cup chicken Caesar salad?


ANSWERS:

1) 350 calories
2) 590 calories
3) 1025 calories
4) 250 calories
5) 610 calories
6) 820 calories
7) 350 calories
8) 500 calories
9) 850 calories
10) 790 calories

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Adam Freeman's Testimonials

The latest O2 Members who have had great results with Adam Freeman!


Bo Dean - Lost 98 pounds and no longer takes blood pressure, cholesterol or diabetes medication.

Starting Weight - 350 lbs

Now - 252 lbs

“I could not walk up a flight of stairs without completely losing my breath. I literally felt like I had someone standing on my chest almost all the time. I was 350 lbs, a 54 inch waist, and I was eating everything on the go. I was on heart, diabetes and cholesterol medicine and it was spiraling out of control.

My life was running me and I wanted desperately to change and did not know how or where to start. All of the attempts I had were done in extremes and overdoing it. I just did not have the direction and understanding that was needed to get me to a place where I could find health. Through a series of events that have blessed my life in ways that I am more grateful for than you can fully understand, I was introduced to a personal trainer named Adam Freeman.

Adam’s firm but compassionate approach gave me the reassurance and encouragement that I needed to begin a journey to change my life. By starting me out with improving the small muscles in my body, working on stabilizing me and ensuring that I could build towards greater efforts, explaining each step of the way the why and how of what we were doing, Adam has taken me from not being able to walk up a flight of stairs to being able to bike 17 miles, run those stairs with weights, balance on a Bosu ball while doing squats and doing pull-ups and push-ups.

The feeling of accomplishment is extraordinary. But what is even more incredible is the way I feel: ALIVE! I have not felt this good in years. I am awake, driven, breathing and full of life! Adam insisted that I get a dietician and working with a change in eating habits with this extraordinary training has literally created a new me.

I have lost over 98 pounds to date. I am down to a size 41 inch waist and I am off ALL three of my medications for diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol. I cannot say enough about how much Adam’s guidance, professionalism, compassion, encouragement, and shear caring have made a difference in my life. I wince when I call him my trainer because he is much more; he is my friend and my brother and I hope everyone has the chance to work with and know someone that can bring so much goodness into one’s life!”

-L.S. Bo Dean

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Jospeh Daughtry - Model/Actor, Gained Muscle and Lost Weight for last minute photo shoots and commercials.


I am an admitted workout fanatic. I love pushing myself and eating healthy in order to get to the next level of fitness. If you're checking out Adam's website you may find yourself in any number of fitness levels. There's probably some of you that were like me in that I have been an athlete since childhood. I've always worked out and have never even given thought to needing a trainer. I knew what I was doing.

Several years ago I began to train for endurance races, mostly distance running. I found myself really getting bored with my workouts and wasting time because my body would get used to the same old routine day in and day out. I hit a tremendous plateau and began to get really frustrated. I asked Adam if he would help me with a plan to get out of the rut I was in. Adam took the time to see what level I was at, what my likes and dislikes were, what I had found to work for me or not. He did a full evaluation and we began to work.

Immediately I was impressed. I actually began to enjoy my workouts again and he took me to a whole other level. He introduced me to exercises that I had never seen before and within weeks I was on track to achieving my goals. I found Adam to be able to push me with the intensity that worked for me. I was quickly able to see that he had an extreme amount of nutritional and physical knowledge and was excited to share his passion for fitness.

He has the necessary drive of a coach and the patience of a saint. No matter what level of fitness you are at, you will achieve your goals by choosing to let Adam lead you there. It's one of the best moves I've ever made in all my efforts to make myself a better athlete.

-Joseph Daughtry

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Patrick Pittman - Lost 20lbs and reduced blood pressure/diabetes medication by half in just four months.



"Before joining O2 Fitness, I was overweight and taking multiple medications for high blood pressure, diabetes, and cholesterol. My goal in joining O2 was to lose 10 pounds, reduce my blood pressure medications and to improve the appearance of my body. Having little experience in personal fitness, I was very apprehensive and nervous about joining. Shortly after joining, I took advantage of the free assessment and met Adam Freeman. What impressed me about Adam, the other staff members, and the O2 center members was the nonjudgmental, friendly, and supportive atmosphere of the center.

Now, 4 months later, I am 20 pounds lighter and have reduced not only my blood pressure medication, but my diabetes medications by half. This is mainly due to the environment and facilities of O2 Fitness along with training and assistance from Adam Freeman. The weight loss and reduction in medications along with my improved body appearance has greatly exceeded my expectations. My stomach is flat and my jeans are 4 inches smaller!"

-Patrick Pittman

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Exercise - Top 10 Reasons to Start!

Everyone wants the benefits of exercise, but it's just so hard to start. We always seem to make excuses. One of the most popular excuses is we don't have enough time, but in reality if we don't make time now we might just have less time later.

You are the only one who can improve your health; no one else can do it for you, so make time today.

Take a short walk and get your heart pumping. I lift weights and run on a daily basis.

Exercise has so many great benefits, and it's free. Start doing something for yourself and watch everyone around you appreciate it.

Here are 10 reasons to start exercising:

1. Exercise improves your mood. Exercise releases endorphins, the body's own mood-elevating compounds. Most doctors prescribe exercise for depression. After exercising, your mood will become less tense, stressed and depressed. You will feel better and start looking better, too.

2. Exercise boosts self-confidence. Exercise provides a feeling of accomplishment and boosts self-esteem.

3. Exercise improves strength and stamina. The human body is evolved to be physically active. Exercise builds muscle strength, flexibility and stamina. Studies show people who exercise can slow down the effects of aging and memory.

4. Exercise improves memory. Those in the best shapes have the best memories. Exercising your brain is as easy as playing a game of cards. You've probably played memory games where you put all the cards down and you match the two pictures or cards together, and the one with the most sets wins. This is a simple game that can help improve your memory.

5. Exercise improves resistance to colds. By exercising you boost your immune system and help prevent colds.

6. Exercise improves reaction time. Quick reflexes can help prevent an accident. By being alert you can brake in time when someone suddenly stops or turns in front of you.

7. Exercise improves sleep and minimizes insomnia. Exercise feels invigorating, but several hours later it helps the body wind down to sleep. Getting plenty of rest is important to keep our bodies in shape.

8. Exercise helps manage pain. Low to moderate exercise releases endorphins. In addition to their antidepressant value, endorphins are also the body's own pain relievers.

9. Exercise reduces the risk of many serious diseases. Research shows that regular exercise helps prevent heart disease, high blood pressure, elevated cholesterol and other diseases that affect our health as we age.

10. Exercise will keep you looking young and healthy. Everyone wants to look better than they did 10 years ago. By exercising we can help our bodies last longer and improve ourselves physically and emotionally.

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Get Motivated!

Sometimes it takes a good video to get you motivated. Here are some of my favorites. Enjoy!

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Bo's 1st 5k Race

Wow what a night! I am just so proud of my client and very great friend, Bo Dean, for the strength and determination to push through his first 5K race.

Let me tell you that I stayed right by his side the whole way and Bo did not even stop to walk for one second during that race. It was quite an emotional time because Bo has come so far from where he started. If you asked Bo 8 months ago if he ever thought he'd be able to run over 3 miles without stopping, he probably would have laughed at you.

Watch Bo cross the finish line:



"It was so wonderful and I am so proud! We love you so much brother! Congratulations! Now let's get ready for the race next month" :)

Adam Freeman
Master Trainer
O2 Fitness Clubs
AdamFreemanPT@yahoo.com

More than an Inspiration!

I woke up early this morning and headed in to the gym. I had JoAnne as my first client and then Bo, but now I have a break for an hour before I train Janet and Ken. I couldn't wait to sit down in front of the computer to post. I had something on my mind that I just wanted to share with everyone.

When I first started this journey with Bo Dean around 8 months ago, I sat across from this very large man who had doubt in his mind that he would ever hit his goals of losing 100 pounds by January 2011. I told him over and over that we would hit that goal and then some, but I didn't really know when or if I could do it in the time frame he wanted. It really depended on his will and drive to motivate himself to not only work his tail off during our sessions, but to follow through with the plan that I have set out for him during the off days when I am not around.

Bo is such an inspiration to all because he works just as hard, if not harder, when I am not there pushing him to push out one extra rep or to go one extra minute. He posts about his journey on his blog (www.BoWilmington.blogspot.com), not to brag about his accomplishments, but to let everyone know that they can do it too. He is such a caring person that he not only busts his butt to be a success story, but he is doing it for you so that you can become a success story too.

I am pleased to say that Bo weighed in the other day and he has lost 94 pounds since our journey first started. His pant size dropped from a 54 to a 40 and he is about to take on his first 5k race. You have to remember when Bo first came to see me, he could barely walk up a flight of stairs here at the gym and was out of breath for at least 5 minutes after taking that trip.

After all the years I have been in and around fitness, I have never seen such a transformation like this that it truly inspires me as a trainer to help as many people as I possibly can and because Bo has documented his whole journey, it allows me to share his story to help motivate others that they can do it too.

Root, Cheer, Scream and Shout for Bo tomorrow night at 6:30 as we start our run and shortly after, we will be crossing that finish line together with smiles on our faces. I am so proud of Bo and the accomplishments he has made and I just hope and pray that you find his story will motivate you just as it has motivated so many others along the way.

Go visit Bo Dean on his blog and see how he does for his first race. You will see great videos like this one where he ran the (2.5 miles) loop.



"Bo, I am so proud of you. You are certainly more than an inspiration. Keep it going and I love you brother!"


Adam Freeman
Master Trainer
O2 Fitness Clubs
AdamFreemanPT@yahoo.com

Hurricane Earl Training Program

Hurricane Earl is going to make landfall sometime soon over the next day. Some say it is not going to hit us here in Wilmington, but the storm has barely changed directions through it's whole journey and there is no hint that it will. It reminds me a lot of Hugo's path.

Anyhow, I figured I would prepare you all for the worse, have a little fun and share a great exercise program you can do during Hurricane Earl. It will spice things up and help you get a great workout during the intensity Mother Nature is about to bring.

As the winds start to pick up, make sure you are hydrated and you haven't just filled your belly with an enormous amounts of food. Call this your warm up and prepare for a kick butt workout.

Everyone knows I am a huge fan of squats and there is no better way to prepare for this when Earl breaks the glass window in your living room and you quickly have to get out of the way. Once the glass passes over head and you have dodged the devastation, quickly do some walking lunges out of the way from any other windows in your house.

OH NO!!! The room just caved in...BURPEES...and you have to get over it to get out of the house quickly and move to an area that is more safe. SQUAT JUMP right over it and continue to do this until you are clearly out of the house and able start your interval sprint workout.

As the wind is blistering your face and you can't see. Sprint as fast as you can against the wind until you reach the nearest obstacle that will block the wind and rain, giving you better sight to see where the safest location is locked in. Sprint again and put more effort forth until you feel the burning in your legs like never before...FLYING COWS....SQUAT!!!!! GREAT!!! NOW GO-GO-GO!!!

Okay, your about 50 yards from the next wind blocking obstacle, "SPRINT!!!" Halfway there, you see a tree being ripped to shreds and a branch is coming right for you, all you have to do is focus on your core stability and hold your ground until it gets closer. The tree branch just happens to stop right in front of you. Don't Panic!! Grab the branch with both hands, CURL it with all the strength in your biceps and SHOULDER PRESS that damn thing right over your head. Now Run!!!

You're almost there and all you have to do is make it 25 more yards. Oh CRAP!!! A power line just fell, leaving you an obstacle course right in front of you. The LADDER DRILL comes quite handy at this point, so pick up your feet and don't touch the crackling wire! Ins and Outs & Back and Forths! GREAT!!!

Now you're at the bottom step of your destination and all you have to do is STAIRS!!! GO-GO-GO!!!

Way to go! You did it!!! Your Hurricane Earl workout is complete.

But wait! The doors locked...Crap!


Train Hard,

Adam Freeman
Master Trainer
O2 Fitness Clubs
AdamFreemanPT@yahoo.com