AGGRESSIVE STRENGTH MAGAZINE

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ISSUE 116 - 12/14/2006

1. AGGRESSIVE STRENGTH QUOTE OF THE WEEK

"Most of us have developed a persona or social mask quite different from, and in fact often the polar opposite of, what we feel inside. Such masks lead to misunderstandings and make it difficult for people to connect with one another at an authentic level; these masks have a clear impact on our health, relationships, and work."
- Dan Millman

In many ways as a society we are more and more shut off from each other. Many people consider socializing to be a nuisance and prefer to watch TV for four hours rather than engage in real conversations with others. Others use the internet as their social medium spending hours on message boards, chat rooms, and sites such as Myspace. While there is nothing wrong with networking with others online, it is hardly a substitute for real interactions with others. Moreover, due to the anonymity factor of he internet people often turn into the opposite of what they are or perhaps they are acting out what they would genuinely like to be. Either way socializing on the internet is hardly a substitute for real world interactions. It is too easy and as a result not even close to being as exciting and fulfilling as life in the real world. The less we interact in the real world and the more we rely on the internet for our social needs the more shut off we become as a society. Not a good thing at all to say the least.

We are getting so closed off from each other that simple curtseys are almost non-existent. A few weeks ago I was at Target (Yes I know I am a high roller) picking up a few things. On the way out their was an elderly couple making their way out of the store. The man was trying to push his wife in her wheel chair and pull his shopping cart at the same time. He was having a very hard time. Several people passed the couple as if they did not exist. I approached the man and gave him a hand. At first he looked at me like I was crazy. Then to his relief it clicked that I was genuinely helping him. He was extremely grateful and thanked me several times. Now I do not think the people passing him by were not good people (well maybe some of them were). I just think it is a combination of people being too preoccupied with their own thoughts and being too used to being closed off from each other that we do not feel comfortable offering assistance to others. Moreover, many people have a hard time accepting help from others as we often think there is an angle such as an network marketing pitch (I hate quixstar!). Man, I have had that happen one too many times!

One of my business goals is to develop more passive income and do less workshops each year. In fact I am putting the finishing touches on a new e-book, Aggressive Strength Solution For Size And Strength that will be out next week and have three DVD projects planned for 2007. Passive income is income that is earned while you are doing other things. For example, as I am writing this people are visiting my site and purchasing my products and products that are offered via the affiliate relationships I have.

In 2002 I started by business and did around ten workshops. In 2003 I did around twenty workshop. In 2004 I did around 20 workshops as well. Last year I did 15 workshop and this year I did 11 workshops. Next year I will probably do around 11 again. Down the road I would like to get the workshops down to no more than five and have most of them where I live. In other words get more people to come to me rather than me traveling to them. I have already taken several previous workshop locations off of my list and will continue to do so in the years to come.

One thing I do not plan on doing is stopping workshops all together. Since I do not offer private lessons the only time I am in front of people in the real world with my business is via workshops. I enjoy working with people in person. It is both healthy for my business and healthy personally as I like interacting with others. If too much time is spent on the internet you lose your edge and the pulse with the marketplace. Getting in front of people also keeps you honest. You cannot let yourself go physically and deteriorate into an arm chair expert when you are in front of people several times per year. The rush and fulfillment that comes from working with people in person cannot be duplicated by working with people online. Sure I enjoy working with my online customers and helping them with their goals as well. However, nothing takes the place of real world interaction.

Doing workshops keeps me sharp and keeps my brain working. You have to have it together to motivate and lead people for 6-8 hours and you will not develop those skills by reading about it or hearing about it from others. You get good at workshops by doing workshops. Not be practicing in front of the mirror or lame ass public speaking support groups. One of the many benefits of doing workshops is I get a lot of ideas for articles and products. You see first hand what exercises people are having problems with and how to instruct more efficiently. These skills are critical when developing instructional DVD's as you need to know what people need. Being in front of people also provides an opportunity to express my personality in a way that articles and even DVD's cannot come close to duplicating.

No doubt about it public speaking is a valuable skill and I want to continue to get better at it. Thus, While my goal is to develop more passive income I want to keep a healthy balance between real world interaction and internet interaction. No need to choose one over the other as both are valuable.

How much time do you spend in the real world? Has your social life fallen to inline message boards and chat rooms? make some changes not and get back to the real world before your life passes your by.

Live Life Aggressively!

Mike Mahler

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2. HELP THE KATRINA VICTIMS

My friend and top body worker Dianna Linden recently sent me a list of non-profit organizations for helping out the Katrina Victims. Here is the list:

• Operation USA http://www.opusa.org
• Mercy Corps http://www.mercycorps.org
• Oxfam America http://www.oxfamamerica.org
• America's Second Harvest http://www.secondharvest.org

I encourage you to take a look at the above organizations and make a donation to the one that sits well with you. Also if you want to help out animals, make a donation to http://www.bestfriends.org.

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3. RECOMMENDED LAS VEGAS MASSAGE THERAPIST

"I was in Vegas preparing for my own wedding. I was stressed to the max and the only thing I could think of to relax me temporarily get my mind off of things (other than wine) was Carol. Carol was so professional and so attuned to my needs. I believe it was the best massage I have ever experienced. Needless to say, with Carol's help I wasn't so stressed and the wedding went smoothly. Thank you Carol, you have a life-long client! The wedding did go very smoothly and we had a wonderful time. We plan to return to Vegas in June and we'll be back for another massage appt. Thanks again Carol!"
- Tonya Taylor, Lafayette, LA

My girlfriend Carol is now available for therapeutic massages in the Las Vegas area. We have a great massage room at our house that will help you unwind right away. Check out her web page today at: Las Vegas Massage

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4. 2007 AGGRESSIVE STRENGTH KETTLEBELL WORKSHOPS

Interested in hosting or sponsoring an Aggressive Strength Kettlebell Training Workshop?
» Click Here for More Information

Attention: I will no longer be doing workshops in Northern VA/DC, Denver, and Northern CA.

February 24, 2007:

Mahler Level 1 Beginner Kettlebell Workshop in Los Angeles, CA
» Click Here for More Information (Only 2007 LA Workshop)

March 10, 2007:

Mahler Level 1 Beginner Kettlebell Workshop in Las Vegas, NV
» Click Here for More Information

March 11, 2007:

Mahler Level 2 Advanced Kettlebell Workshop in Las Vegas, NV
» Click Here for More Information

May 12, 2007:

Mahler Level 1 Beginner Kettlebell Workshop in New York City, NY
» Click Here for More Information

May 13, 2007:

Mahler Level 2 Advanced Kettlebell Workshop in New York City, NY
» Click Here for More Information

May 20, 2007:

Mahler Level 1 Plus Kettlebell Training Workshop in Miami, FL
» Click Here For More Info (Only 2007 Miami Workshop)

September 15, 2007:

Mahler-Shaffer Level 1 PLus Kettlebell Workshop In Dallas, TX
» Click Here For More Information (Only 2007 Dallas Workshop)

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5. AGGRESSIVE STRENGTH NUTRITION ARTICLE

Eating on the Road: Nutritional Travel Strategies

By Dr. John M Berardi, CSCS

More and more the biggest challenge my clients face is sticking to their nutritional plan while on the road. Therefore in this article, I’ve compiled a list of my top 10 favorite strategies for maintaining your nutritional discipline when traveling.

Strategy #1 — Location, Location, Location

If you’re planning to take to the road for sport or for business, your first item of business is this—ensure that everything you need is in close proximity to where you’ll be working or playing. Location is key.

So let’s say you’re going to a week long conference at the Indiana Convention Centre and RCA Dome. Well first, get on the internet and find all the hotels nearest the Convention Centre. Next, give these hotels a call to find out where the nearest grocery stores, restaurants and gyms are located. Pick the hotel with the best combination of nearby resources. This way, even if you don’t get a rental car, you can easily walk or cab to your fitness and nutritional havens.

Skip this strategy and you’re giving yourself big excuses to skip workouts, miss meals, and make poor food selections while on the road.

Strategy #2 — The Penthouse Suite?

While you don’t necessarily have to stay at a 5 star hotel or choose the penthouse suite, one great strategy for you road warriors is to choose a hotel chain that offers rooms/suites with kitchens or kitchenettes. If you know a nice kitchen set-up is waiting for you, you won’t have much difficulty sticking to your meal plan.

Just have your cabbie drop you at the grocery store on your way from the airport. Once you get to your hotel room you can rest assured that you’ll be able to eat as well as when you’re at home.

If you’re looking for a good hotel chain, Marriott Residence Inns are a nice choice. You can find other hotels that meet your needs as well. I recommend Marriott because my clients have always had great experiences with them.

Now, if you absolutely can’t find or afford a hotel that has a kitchen or kitchenette, make sure that your hotel room has, at the very least, a refrigerator (most do). As long as you’ve got a refrigerator, you can stock your hotel room with good snacks. My athletes and I pick up fresh fruits and vegetables, bottled water, cottage cheese, plain yogurt, regular cheese, natural peanut butter, whole grain breads and mixed nuts on our way into town and snack on these during our weeks on the road.

Strategy #3 — Can You Ship Egg Whites Next Day?

Here’s a great strategy I picked up former client and current good friend, Austin. This guy is a bona fide road warrior himself and has a ton of great strategies for eating on the road. Instead of going shopping when he gets to town, Austin actually ships his food and supplements via UPS or Fed Ex.

He gets a medium sized cold shipping box, loads it up with ice, protein powders, fruits and veggies, mixed nuts, legumes, meat, eggs, cottage cheese, yogurt, cooking pans, utensils, shaker bottles and non-stick cooking spray and ships it to his hotel before leaving home.

By doing this, Austin doesn’t need to worry about where grocery stores and restaurants are located. As soon as he arrives in town, he’s good to go—nutritionally, at least. All he needs to find is a gym and he’s set. Again, although the shipping option may seem a bit pricey, you’ll end up saving money on restaurants and the price may work out in the end.

Strategy #4 — The Big Cooler

Here’s another strategy I picked up from my buddy Austin that helps ya’ transport both luggage and groceries simultaneously for shorter trips that might last only a day or two.

Pick up a big cooler with an extendible handle and wheels (much like the wheeled luggage so popular nowadays), put a little partition down the middle, and you’ve got a ready made combined cooler/suitcase that can act as a carry-on. Put your cottage cheese on one side and your drawers on the other!

Strategy #5 — What’s On The Menu?

If you decide to have others prepare your meals for you when on the road, make sure you use Strategy #1 above to find out where the restaurants nearest your hotel are located. Next, visit them on the web for downloadable menus. If they don’t have downloadable menus, call them and ask them to send a menu over to your hotel for when you arrive.

By having the restaurant menus, you’ll know exactly what types of food you can have access to at all times. Also, when dining with a group, you’ll be able to suggest places that conform to your nutritional requirements.

Strategy #6 — You Don’t Have To Order From The Menu

Here’s a hot tip that most people fail to realize. Most restaurants can easily provide a meal custom to your specifications even if it’s not on the menu. So don’t become a slave to the menu offerings. Ordering a specific number from the menu is almost always a recipe for disaster unless the menu is designed for "healthy eating" or whatever the restaurant is calling it. Most normal dishes have too much fat and too many processed carbohydrates for most body-conscious individuals.

Instead of ordering an item directly from the menu, either ask for an item that you like prepared without the sauces or high carbohydrate portions or simply ask for a portion of protein and a few servings of vegetables and fruit on the side. Remember, you’re paying top dollar for your meal and you’re about to tip your waitress. So don’t feel bad asking them to meet your needs, uh, nutritionally, that is.

Strategy #7 —Protein and Energy Supplements

Using some combination of the strategies above, you should be able to ensure that good meal options are always around the corner. But sometimes when you’re on the road it’s impossible to slip back to your room or to get to a restaurant.

For times like this, you’ll need to consider a few supplement options.

Typically, when at home I only use 1-2 scoops of protein powder per day, but when on the road, I may use up to 6 scoops if necessary. Protein choices are both hard to come by and more expensive than other options. So increasing your dietary energy with protein powders is a good fall-back option.

Strategy #8 — Powdered Veggies

Normally, at home, I get about 10 servings of fruits and veggies per day. But when I’m on the road that amount is usually reduced to somewhere around 2-4 servings unless I’m very conscious of my intake. A great way to make up for this reduction in my micronutrient intake is to use a powdered vegetable supplement such as Greens+.

If I’m on the road, these products help make up for the deficit I may be experiencing. An added bonus is that I seem to better digest my protein supplements when adding some greens+ to my protein shakes.

Strategy #9 — Homemade Bars

If you’re not into drinking numerous protein shakes per day, another great option is to bring some homemade snacks with you. In fact, homemade protein/energy bars are a fantastic alternative to the mostly crappy, store bought, sugar laden, artificial ingredient containin’, protein bars.

Strategy #10 — Sleep Pills

Jet lag, time zone changes, unfamiliar sleeping environments, poor nutrition, altered exercise habits, and the stress associated with big business meetings or competitions can all really impair your ability to get adequate rest when on the road.

Following the previous nine steps will help you take care of your nutritional intake. Making sure not to skip workouts will also help. So will the addition of a ZMA supplement. While research hasn’t provided direct evidence to support a relationship between zinc and/or magnesium status and sleep quality, most ZMA users find dramatically improved sleep quality when taking this supplement. Three capsules before bed should do the trick.

If you’re going to be successful in maintaining a good nutritional plan, no matter what the circumstances, you’re going to have to plan for the unplanned and display adaptability to all circumstances. The guidelines included in this article should help get you thinking about how to become a successful road warrior.

Recommended John Berardi Nutrition Products

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6. AGGRESSIVE STRENGTH TRAINING ARTICLE

How Professional Women and College Ladies Can Stay In Shape

By Carmen Garcia

A female business professional can stay in shape all year round despite a hectic work or study schedule. If you are a female business professional or a college student with high demands and have very little time or energy left to engage in an exercise routine, don't fret. There are many options to attack each and every obstacle despite work deadlines. What you eat (or don?t eat), how often you eat and exercise has much more to do with pre-planning, discipline and better time management. There are countless measures you can take to make a good exercise program work for you.

First of all, you need to figure out what you work schedule is and understand that you're not working 24/7 so you know there is a minimum of at least 45-1 hour in each day to squeeze an effective exercise session. More than likely, you may be on an 8-12 (max) hour "shift" about 5-6 days per week. We also know how important sleep is to repair muscle tissue, maintain a healthy cell turnover in the body, skin and many other health benefits that follow adequate sleep. I suggest an average of 7 hours is always a good recommended amount of time to feel energetic the next day.

I like to start all of my clients on a customized workout/diet program on Mondays. Keep in mind that Sundays are a great start for ?prep day? to get your groceries done, food prepped, cooked and stored in plastic containers to re-heat. The one important thing that I do ask you do for yourself is to invest in a journal to write recipes, workout sessions, times and portions of meals, additional notes on energy levels, weight loss, results etc. The more precise (and honest) your wellness program is, the more effective your results will become.

There are several effective methods of staying in shape, especially for professional business women who are limited on their daily hours. If you don't (or care to) invest in a gym membership, then I suggest investing in a few inexpensive travel light weight items such as a jump rope, a few resistance bands, med-balls and an inflatable/deflatable (for better storage) exercise ball to do some crunches if you have a private space/area in your office or home. If you have over an hour in the middle of the day to hit the gym, do it. Always bring a change of clothes and trial size toiletries in your gym bag for your car/office. If you have to return to the office after a long break, it can be stressful to drive to the gym in mid-day traffic to find parking, train, shower up again and get ready all over to return to the office. Not to mention, you must not forget to eat post-workout. Personally, I suggest you are better off training before or after your work shift. I promise you that if you just simply wake up earlier and get that run or spin class out of the way, your mind will be sharper and you'll have a better attitude because you'll feel good about yourself and accomplished. The key to a workout program that is effective is finding the right time for YOU to exercise no matter what type of job/hours you have. You may want to hire an in-home trainer. I find that most of my female professional clients would much rather train with an In-Home or In-Office trainer up to 4X per week because of their hectic schedule and lack of focus on an excellent training program. Make sure you stretch every day properly to avoid injury and keep those limbs limber!

Let's talk about the importance of nutrition. I don't believe in strict fad diets because they just don't work! I do believe in 4-5 frequent small portioned meals that are free of chemicals, additives/preservatives and saturated/trans-fats. To increase your metabolism you are better off consuming wholesome & organic/unprocessed and unpackaged fresh foods throughout your day. Pack healthy snacks and meals with you at all times to avoid unnecessary binging. You may want to invest in a small travel cooler to keep in your car or your office kitchen.

A few tips for not putting extra pounds are to always remember never to eat until you're full. Eat slowly. Chew your meals thoroughly for proper digestion and drink plenty of water and herbal teas all day long. Stay away from alcohol, sodas, [excessive] coffee and processed junk/fast foods. Stay away from "white" foods that include dairy, bleached breads, refined sugars, white potato, pasta, flour. Be smarter and choose healthy alternatives such as Ezekiel sprout low carbohydrate bread vs. white bread, sweet potato vs. regular potato or protein plus pasta by Barilla vs. regular pasta. Eat these complex carbohydrates in smaller portions and it's important that you eat them before 2pm for energy and fuel. You don't need to eat bread or pasta every day to survive. Too much of these starchy foods can make you feel sluggish and be stored as fat if not burned in a timely manner.

Overall, in order to make time for staying in shape is simply a combination of time management, pre-planned meals, choosing the right foods and the right exercise program that fit into your schedule. You are now aware of the importance of exercise and proper nutrition and fitting into your schedule. You should also be conscious that you don't need to be at a corporate gym to get an effective workout program tailored to fit your needs and goals. Continue to educate yourself on how to become a healthier you as often as possible. If you are lacking motivation or discipline, it's a good idea to hire a certified in-home/office trainer to help you achieve your fitness goals. Especially if you feel you need some direction to kick off a good health program that can last you a life time. Healthy living is what it's all about and overworking yourself can lead to further fatigue, levels of high stress, cardiovascular disease, obesity, poor circulation and heart problems due to inactivity. Lastly, I congratulate you for being a hard working woman in today's world. Invest in yourself.

Carmen Garcia

Certified Fitness Trainer & Nutrition Advisor

International Fitness Spokesmodel

To inquire in-home personal training services with Carmen Garcia, please e-mail fitbodystar@hotmail.com

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7. GET THE AGGRESSIVE STRENGTH DVD COMBO PACK TODAY

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8. COMING SOON: NEW KETTLEBELL DVD ON FAT LOSS AND MENTAL TOUGHNESS

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9. AGGRESSIVE STRENGTH PERSONALIZED PROGRAM DESIGN SERVICES

"Lost 10 lbs and went down from a size 12 to a size 8 in jeans – that was something I expected not to happen for another 10-15 more lbs! So thanks for your guidelines – they really have helped a lot."
- Michele Milevoi

Tired of trial and error? Want a training program that actually works? Click here for more info!

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10. THE AGGRESSIVE STRENGTH SOLUTION FOR THE ROAD WARRIOR

Tired of terrible hotel gyms and getting out of shape on the road? Tired of doing bodyweight only routines in your hotel room because there are no other options? You need Lifeline's resistance cable products. Not only are they light and portable but they provide enough resistance to humble the strongest athletes around. Click here for more info.

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11. KETTLEBELL TRAINING INFORMATION PAGE (NEW)

http://www.mikemahler.com/kettlebell_info.html

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12. AGGRESSIVE STRENGTH MAGAZINE ARCHIVES

http://www.mikemahler.com/newsletter

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13. AGGRESSIVE STRENGTH ARTICLES

http://www.mikemahler.com/articles.html

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14. AGGRESSIVE STRENGTH TRAINING JOURNAL

http://www.mikemahler.com/journal.html

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15. RECOMMENDED READING LIST

http://www.mikemahler.com/reading.html

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Until next time.

Live Life Aggressively!

Feel free to email me with your comments and feedback at mahler25@yahoo.com

Mike Mahler

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