Jeremy Koerber

At the beginning of my career I wasn’t unlike any other personal trainer who thought they would spend the majority of their work days training athletes and bikini models.  Well, there have only been a handful of “athletes” in my repertoire and 18 years later I have yet to work with my first bikini model.  I have made a career out of training regular people; many in the 55-85 age range.  In the beginning, I was simply trying to help them fend off old age.  Now that I am in my 4th decade and have experienced for myself the cruel jokes of Father Time, I now help both men and women of a certain age judo chop the traditional views of old age into submission.

The only thing certain in life is death and taxes right?  Wrong.  What we know with absolute certainty is that after the age of 30 you stop being able to build bone density.  After 40 you will start to lose ½ pound of muscle per year (which slows metabolism and encourages weight gain).  Around age 40-45 women will go through a wild hormone induced ride that will lead to fluffy arms and a rounder mid-
section.  And based upon your numbers (blood pressure, cholesterol and blood glucose) if you ignore your doctor’s advice to take action you are looking at possible heart disease, diabetes and stroke. I have witnessed family members who have had all the opportunity in the world to take control of their health ignore their doctor’s warnings and then feel victimized by having to go on insulin or choke down a 
regimen of pills morning, noon and night.   If you fail to use it, you lose it.

And there was a time when I would train people in fear.  Fear that if they exerted themselves they would…I don’t know…pop or something.  What I have learned is that while you must take age and medical history into consideration, there are many baby boomers that can run circles around some of the 20 and 30 year olds in the gym.  I have folks in their 60’s who can run further and faster than people half their age.  They can do squats, push-ups and the mere thought of falling and not being able to get up doesn’t even cross their minds.  I have now realized I was wrong; I have been training athletes all along.  I just didn’t realize it.

The functional fitness trend is here to stay.  We just need to embrace the concept that functional fitness isn’t just for the youngsters; when done the right way it will allow a person to do real life things because their training centers on activities to prepare them for real life.  And it is okay to exert themselves.  There is no rule that says after 50 you are regulated to the pink hand weights.  Pick something up heavy and lift it!

I have had the pleasure of training a 95 year old who year after year won his age group in the Missouri Senior Games.  He said it was by default because he was the only one competing (or alive to compete) to which I maintained that wasn’t his fault.  He showed up.  Then we had an 83 year old who was able to travel to Egypt, Italy, Vietnam and more.  A 75 year old who hiked up a volcano in South America.  And 
now, a 70 year old who is hitting the golf ball further than she did at 60, a 64 year old who ran in a Zombie 5K and a 60 year old who climbed a mountain.  

I have long maintained that what you do at 30 will directly affect your physical health at 60 and beyond, so for you youngsters reading this take action now.  You may be able to do everything you want carrying that extra 50 pounds right now but I promise it will catch up with you.  If you are further down the road (40’s and 50’s) we can develop a plan that will knock 10-15 years off your chronological age and give you back your physical freedom.  In that 60+ category and feeling like there is no hope?  Bring it on.  If you are willing to put in the work, we can develop a personalized system that will allow you to do things you thought were long past you.

So why isn’t there any “how to” tips in this blog?  Because this blog isn’t about the process; it’s about changing your mindset!  Age happens.  Sit too long and the fight to regain your health and freedom will be a little more challenging, but not impossible.  In fact, I love seeing the smiles of those who felt there was no hope learn their belief was nothing more but a silly, silly myth.

I fully realize there are some who feel there is so much weight to lose that why bother.  I know there are some who have heard every year for many years that their blood pressure is too high, they need to lose 30 pounds or their blood sugar is borderline; if that is you, I implore you to take action.  If your doctor is telling you being put on medication is probable if you don’t make lifestyle changes please don’t be shocked or upset if you fail to make those changes and get put on medication.  We also know there are some people who simply do not like to exercise.  Believe me, there is a way for every person out there to move their wellness needle a little closer to healthy if they have the right program and the mindset; and it may or may not even include exercise.

Answer me this: Why in the world would you want to work 40+ hours a week till you are in your 60’s only to retire and be sick, weak, frail or disabled?  Isn’t that the time when you should be out enjoying 40 years of hard work?  Playing with grandkids, traveling and living life on your terms?  To work that hard to swallow down a handful of pills and sit in a chair makes no sense.  

You have the power to kick old age to the curb.  All you have to do is decide when you want to begin.

Jeremy Koerber

I had an impromptu consultation last week with a client who has been training with us since October to discuss her results.  I could tell she was uneasy about where she is in her training and was expecting more than she has seen through her training.  So I started asking questions.

Have you lost any weight? No.

Have you cut out sugar like we talked about? No.

Are you going to cut out sugar? Yes.  Since the beginning of January I have cut out sugar.

Have you weighed yourself since then? No.

Have you increased the time of your walking sessions since your last progression? No.

Are you still walking on your non-strength training days? Yes; 6 minutes in the morning and 5 minutes at night.

Are you stronger and have more stamina? Yes.

My reply to these questions was this: Then you are ready to lose weight.

For the record, this is a client who has tried everything to lose weight.  Every diet, book and program known to man and she has had success in the past only to regain the weight plus more.  The two things missing in every attempt was physical activity and a coach.  This client also has a health history and list of surgeries that would make your head spin so when we say “baby steps” we mean it.  Her walking sessions began at 2 minutes twice per day and her 30 minute training sessions twice a week started with only eight sets.  In that time she has progressed to longer walking sessions and more sets in her strength training sessions and has improved her base conditioning and balance.

The holidays are an impossible time to lose weight and for this client, reversing 40 years of bad choices isn’t as simple as waiving a wand and PRESTO you are thin.  Due to physical limitations, medications and her initial level of conditioning, the first three months of training was to get her to the point where we can start adding more concepts, exercises, volume and intensities.  Something she wasn’t ready for 
when she came to us in October. 

If this approach still doesn’t make sense to you understand that we build muscle and lose weight from the inside out.  It starts at the cellular level and any attempt to rush the process will result in serious muscle soreness or injury.  This results in a negative outcome and most often that person quitting.  For the client in the story above, it was paramount that she feel:

A. Safe
B. Supported
C. Positive

If any of these three components failed to make the grade she was gone.  Therefore a workout volume that slowly conditioned her muscles without soreness or pain was a must.  Explaining to her that 2 minutes on a treadmill is better than no minutes on a treadmill and that tiny increments are indeed a success (remember she has gone from 4 minutes a day to 11 minutes a day), and making the sessions enjoyable by providing a pleasant atmosphere where she wants to go is everything.  Despite the fact the scale hasn’t moved, this client is ready to lose weight because she has conditioned her body to the level where she now can accept workouts with greater volumes and intensities.  Her recovery is better but most importantly, so is her confidence.

Will your program start this slowly?  That is a question we cannot answer.  Each individual is wildly different but what we can say with 100% certainty is that the slow change process, while not as glamorous as the massive change programs being touted in multiple media outlets, works and has a track record of keeping weight off permanently.

If you are interested in how our training or coaching works, please call us at 314-807-8634 to discuss how we can assist you.  Whether one-on-one, semi-private or online, we have programs, services and products that can help you improve your health and wellness for the long haul.

​I haven’t always been a coach, motivator or mentor.  In fact there was a time when I was cynical, negative and someone who gave just enough effort to get by in life and if it weren’t for the help of a few key people throughout the years, there would be no Integrated Wellness Concepts, Fit To Hunt or BJC WellAware Center.  Their influence on me was pivotal in who I became, how I manage, coach and look at life so it is high time they receive some praise.  Naturally, you have to have mom and dad at the top of the heap but this list is a little different and like any good story, it all begins with a girl.

The Girl: High school was a rough time for me.  I had zero confidence and to say I did not apply myself is an understatement.  In my senior year I somehow managed to catch the eye of “The Older Woman.”  Not that much older but she was a freshman in college.  That alone caused my confidence to skyrocket but watching how she handled her business with her classes also showed me that school was important.  Being smart and applying yourself wasn’t lame; it was actually cool.  Very, very cool.  We only dated for a cup of coffee but I don’t think she ever knew the influence she had on me and how it served as the base for the future Jeremy.  It completely changed the course of my life and for that, I am forever grateful.  

The Client: As a fitness professional, it’s my job to help people but sometimes, they end up helping me.  Case in point a year after graduation I was working a low paying job in the fitness industry and was whining (yes, a cardinal sin in the fitness industry) to a client about my job, life and whatever he would listen to me complain about.  An extremely successful business man, he had the grace and patience to mentor me in the way one might teach a little one how to walk.  He took baby steps.  Instead of saying suck it up he spoke these words: “God has you here for a reason.  You may not understand it now but you are here in this moment to learn something or help someone.  That someone might be me or it could be someone in the future but rest assured, you are here because he needs you to be.”  I think he was right but in this case, it wasn’t for me to help anyone.  It was to learn patience and big picture thinking.  For that simple piece of advice which I have passed on to many, I am grateful.

The Professor: When I met Bob in my master’s program I did not like him one bit.  He was aloof, never appeared to take anything seriously and a bit weird.  He became one of my favorite professors of all time.  An adjunct instructor at Webster University, Bob had come from big business where he brought a wealth of information.  In the classroom, he treated us like adults.  This meant if we acted like grown-ups he treated us like grown-ups.  If we acted like children, we were treated as such.  He is also the reason I am always looking for opportunities in life.  A big fan of multiple revenue streams it was his wisdom that helped me decide to create Integrated Wellness Concepts and eventually Fit To Hunt.  His take?  I might lose my job at company XYZ but if I have other irons in the fire, I’ll never fall on my face.  I took that to heart so for my financial know how, three businesses and the future of my 401K, I am forever grateful to Bob.

The Colleague: Come on, who hasn’t done a network marketing business?  Nobody wants to talk about it….but we have all done it.  I partnered up with Jeff to change the world in 2009 and we did pretty good for ourselves.  We never hit the mother load when it came to only working 10 hours a week and jet setting around the globe but the time spent working to develop a team, being told no, stepping outside our comfort zones and learning how to really talk to people served as a testing ground for the businesses we each created ourselves and are running today.  Quite successfully I might add.  Jeff was the heart and to this day is someone I look at when I need a metaphoric kick in the pants.  Thank you Black Lion.

You are a few days away from opening some pretty cool Christmas presents and spending time with family and friends.  Make sure you let them know you are grateful for their influence on you.  Then if possible, share it on with the next generation.  It’s part of the circle.

Also know I am extremely grateful for you.  For the fact you read our blogs, follow us on social media and for the ability to be a tiny piece of the puzzle on your journey to better health and wellness.  
​
Thank you, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!  We appreciate each and every one of you!

Jeremy

by: Jeremy Koerber

I recently read an article by finance expert Dave Ramsey on holiday finances that asked three important questions we need to ask ourselves before buying ourselves a gift this holiday season.

1. Will this purchase strain my budget?
2. Would someone else like to gift this to me?
3. Am I robbing myself of greater joy?

As I read this blog I started to think about how the same principles can be applied to how we snack this holiday season.  You already know there are going to be a lot of opportunities to eat holiday junk food at every turn so use these three tips to help keep your consumption in moderation over the next five weeks.

Before you mindlessly grab another sugar cookie ponder these three questions:

1. Will eating this strain my calorie budget: We all have a calorie budget.  Go over and we gain weight.  All foods fit in moderation.  One treat is no big deal.  Five or six treats and your budget is blown.

2. Before purchasing holiday junk food, what is the likelihood someone will buy this for me: Even though I am not a huge consumer of sweet treats I always seem to come home with many variations of holiday candies, cookies, cakes, etc. from clients, co-workers and friends.  You will as well so before buying holiday treats know you will come home with a lot more than your fair share of the same holiday goodies you are contemplating buying yourself.  

3. Is instant gratification robbing me of achieving my long term goal: This is where mindless eating comes into play and it can happen before you realize it.  There will be a lot of delicious options available to you at home, at work and at social events so be mindful of how you eat throughout the day and at parties.  Don’t make the excuse that it’s the holidays.  You can still enjoy foods in moderation and not blow your goals.

Remember the 85% Rule: Eat clean 85% of the time leaving 15% of your calories to be used any way you choose.  This concept works the other 10 ½ months a year.  It will work throughout the holiday season as well!

By: Jeremy Koerber

We all know Christmas decorations will be in Wal-Mart before Halloween.  Apparently major retailers feel we need to get a jump on exterior illumination.  I feel the same way about preventing holiday weight gain!  Our challenge to you is to lose the weight often gained between Thanksgiving and New Years now instead of waiting for the New Year and here's how!

1. Drink more water: One the easiest things you can do to jump start weight loss is increase water consumption.  Start with 20-40 ounces a day and slowly increase until you are are knocking back 2-3 20 ounce water bottles each day.

2. Eat breakfast: Your body has been on a 8 hour fast since the last time you ate.  If you routinely rise at 6am and don't fuel until 9am, you just increased your fast to 11 hours.  Your body needs fuel and it will break down muscle and store fat if you don't give it what it needs. This is the opposite of what you want to happen.  If you are pressed for time a protein or meal 
replacement shake is perfect!

3. Consume 20 grams of protein at each meal: Many eat very little protein at breakfast and 50 grams or more at dinner.  The body needs protein but can only handle so much at a time.  Spread it out over the course of the day.  Your body will absorb it better and you will feel fuller reducing the risk of binge eating.

4. Ditch the simple sugars: Avoid cookies, cake, candy bars, soda and processed breads and pasta.  This may be the number one thing you can do to jump start your weight loss and get off the carb roller coaster.

5. Exercise: Strength train, walk, jog, take a zumba class...just move and do it on a regular basis. 

If you want lean, toned muscles you will need to lift weights and there is a formula that will yield faster results, but in the end, just be more physically active!

Why is exercise #5?  Because as good as exercise is for you, weight loss happens when you combine exercise with good eating habits.  You cannot out train a bad diet.

Most recently, one of our clients dropped over 40 pounds following these five tips.  They aren't complicated but they are powerful tools that can help you prevent holiday pounds before they start!

What are your plans to prevent holiday weight gain?

Jeremy Koerber

I make it a point of professional pride to tell others about the accomplishments of our clients for two reasons. 

1. I am proud of them
2. I want their stories to empower others to take control of their health

There is this great myth that at some point in life, a person gets too old to exercise.  Puzzling because I 
have yet to see anyone become too old for chocolate cake, wine or naps… but back to our clients. Many 
of our clients range in age from 48-69+, take no medications and act/do things that people 20 years younger than they are don’t even do.  The common denominator: exercise.

We cannot stop the aging process but we can darn sure slow it down and in most cases, turn back the clock a few years.  And we can do it safely.  Our oldest client was 96 years old when he passed away and he didn’t start exercising until his 70’s.  His workouts weren’t dangerous, strenuous or lengthy.  Most were 30-35 minutes start to finish.   Wouldn’t you like to be playing golf 3 days a week (at a high level) well into your 90’s vs. taking meds and dealing with an achy back?  This guy did it and we are seeing 
more people like him every day. In fact, most all of the people that are highly functional well into their golden years are physically active.   Exercise is the key.

I have a quote that I use with every client over the age of 60 which states “we’re going to train you to improve strength and balance so you won’t trip or fall, but let’s face it, we are all going to trip and fall.  So, we are going to build joint integrity and bone density so that if you do fall, you don’t break anything and enough strength that you can get up off the ground by yourself.” Yes, looking and feeling good is a major reason we exercise but being able to move your body weight out of a chair or have the balance and agility to traverse icy conditions in the winter time is a premium that may keep you upright and out 
of a hospital.

What does an exercise session look like for those Baby Boomers looking to beat back father time?  It is really not much different than a workout for anyone else with the main difference being volume, intensity and exercise selection.   Each exercise session will include components of:

1. Warm-up
2. Aerobic exercise
3. Strength or resistance training
4. Balance exercises
5. Cool-down

Don’t want to be in a gym for hours at a time?  Good, I don’t either.  If you are in your workout facility longer than 60 minutes, something is wrong.  We spot a lot of inefficiencies, useless exercises and areas that can turn a 60 minute exercise session into a 30-35 minute session.

Worried about getting hurt?  Many clients who come to us have bad experiences where a trainer did something that caused an injury and now they are a little gun shy which is a valid concern.  Our main philosophy for building exercise programs is “do no harm.”  This doesn’t mean you won’t get injured exercising.  It does happen but when you put the right components together, the risk of injury is small and you are more likely to get hurt lifting a box in your basement or working in your garden.   In reality, 
the risk of being weak as we age is far greater and something I wish more people would be concerned with.  For every person who tells me they don’t want to put on too much muscle or get too strong I tell them “you’re going to want that muscle when you are 80.”

Are you still nervous about exercise?  Let one of our trainers develop a plan that will help you improve balance, flexibility and strength and you will see very quickly that you are never too old to exercise!

Jeremy Koerber

It’s funny.  As I look back over the last 18 years in the fitness industry it doesn’t seem like it should have gone that fast, but here we are.  As I prepare to ramble on for the next few moments, I’ll hope you’ll indulge me as I look back on where I came from, where I’ve been and where I think I’m heading.  It’s been fun and there is a whole lot of gas left in the tank.

I can’t be certain but I am pretty sure I started lifting weights to impress girls.  Vanity, while shallow, has always been a big reason I worked out but it’s funny how the mind works in a kind, gracious way.  I am still fairly vain but over the last few years I have become more concerned about cholesterol and blood sugar than body fat (although if you are keeping a low level of body fat there is a pretty darn good chance you’ll have decent cholesterol and blood sugar numbers).  

And while longevity is important, I would rather feel good than look good at this stage in the game.  Nutritionally, I have always stuck to the plan of eating clean Monday thru Friday then let loose on the weekends and within 5 pounds, I have maintained the same weight I was when I graduated college.  Yet somewhere around age 36 I decided fruits, vegetables and water were good for me and son of a gun, my physique improved.  I wonder how far I could have taken it if I ate as clean as I do now when I was in college, had the testosterone of an 18 year old and wasn’t drinking a 12-pack every Saturday night?  We’ll never know but I will tell you that eating clean and healthy 85% of the time while indulging the other 15% is a great way to live and very liberating.  I also supplement well using products from trusted 
companies such as Designs for Health and Wilderness Athlete; companies I market in my fitness businesses to my friends, family and clients.  I have become a product of the product and it works.

I have learned that while sugar and fried foods do taste good, I feel terrible after consuming them and it simply isn’t worth the pain.  I still indulge a little (see 15% above) but nothing like I used to do in my younger days.  The same can be said for the lite beers as well.  Again, I like feeling good so I avoid over consumption of foods a lot of folks are scarfing down on a daily basis.  It works for me.

About ten years ago my focus switched from biceps and washboard abs and more to overall health and prevention.  That epiphany coincided with the birth of my sons.  I plan to be around to harass those two knuckle- butts until I am a very old and cranky man.  

When I graduated Southeast Missouri State University in 1999 I was chock full of useful stats and statistics about health and fitness.  I could recite the entire values standards for total cholesterol by heart and tell you exactly how many sets and reps you should be performing three days a week in order to build muscle.  I could also calculate fancy metabolic equations that would tell you how many liters of oxygen you were consuming per minute of exercise along with the subsequent calorie burn estimation.  This knowledge made me a very well informed trainer but not the best trainer I could be.

Truthfully, and for all of those who worked with me back then, my apologies, I don’t think I became a good trainer until age 35.  It was about that time that I realized it was less about the programming and more about connecting with that person that helped them have a life-changing breakthrough.  In the beginning I wanted to tell every client everything I knew in session #1.   Time has taught me that slow 
change is always better than fast change.  Fitness and nutrition should never be a “rip the band aid off fast” approach.  Once I learned that, I started seeing clients improving more.   Drastically improving.  

Exercise and nutrition programming is important.  Having the trust of a client who has bought into your philosophy because they like you and know you care is more important.

I enjoy building things.  If someone asks my professional goal I reply to “be the Oprah of fitness.”  It’s lofty but something I think about all the time.  Between my role managing the BJC WellAware Center and running Integrated Wellness Concepts and Fit To Hunt, you would think I would be overwhelmed, but I am not.  I am kind of ticked that I didn’t build these great things when I was 15 years younger and 
didn’t have kids yet but truthfully, I wasn’t ready to be an entrepreneur or manager.  I do work hard with my team members to help mentor them so they don’t have to stumble and bumble like I did those first years in the work force.  Who knows?  I may call on them for a job one day?  Besides, Richard Branson has his hand in hundreds of companies.  Surely I can manage three businesses, right?

Do I really want to be the “Oprah of fitness?”  I don’t think I need that title.  In the end, if I can create something that helps people and perhaps a legacy in case my kids decide they want to hop into the family business, it will be all good.  All I really need is about 500 acres….maybe in Montana with a trout stream running through it and a lot of elk to hunt.  I don’t pretend that I am going to keep this grind going forever and ever.  One day I’ll fade away to a ranch where I can hunt, fish, plant trees and do the things that make me happy with the people who make me happy.  But that is a few years off.

There are 101 things I could have done differently.  Hindsight is always 20/20.  But, I have always figured God put me in the positions or situations I was in for a purpose.  Perhaps to teach me a lesson or to be there for a person who needed my help?  Either way, it made me the trainer and man I am today so there isn’t a much use in thinking about what might have been.  I’m more excited to see what the next 
40 years brings.

Forward Fitness

by: Nick Lape 

Anyone who knows me knows that I love to lift heavy weights. I have fought gravity and won many times. I have also fought gravity and lost just as many; probably twice as often as I have succeeded. If I didn't fail from time to time, I would get bored with lifting weights. Failure allows me to have something to compete with myself for. In my mind and even in the minds of some of my clients, not hitting a lift creates the excitement of, “How far can I push my body?” While heavy lifting should be done in moderation, there are some great benefits to testing your body and making it stronger. 

First, there is a myth that lifting heavy weights is dangerous. And while true if done improperly, this belief only increases the fear of lifting heavy. Every time I lift heavy weights, I view it as practice. Put your body under that much stress and your body begins to learn how to move heavier loads, move properly and how to stabilize certain muscles/joints and mobilize others. When all of these things come together, you turn your body into a one-piece machine by connecting your brain with every muscle fiber.  But if the brain and the body don’t work together, you put yourself at risk of injury. Now you can read everything above, but the biggest part to take away is the teaching. You are teaching your body how to take on an obstacle that requires the entirety of your body and mind to overcome. 

Second, I want to reiterate how competitive lifting heavy weights can be. Both inter- and intra-personally. Being able to compete with yourself can set the bar so high, failure is no longer an option. It's always fun to watch the numbers on your lift card or program card go up. When it happens you begin to wonder what it might take in order to get to the next level.  The adrenaline soars when you add 
a crowd, a weight lifting buddy, or simply someone you are quietly competing with from across the gym. It starts a fire; a fire that can't be extinguished easily by simply lifting alone.  Lifting buddies can fuel both your motivational fire and competition. 

Lastly, and probably most obvious is sheer strength. If you aren't challenging the body then there is a good chance you aren't getting stronger. When you aren't getting stronger, you aren't building lean muscle fibers and when you aren't building muscle fibers, you aren't revving up your metabolism to burn fat. Lifting heavy things can be the ultimate test of your strength.  Now for some disclaimers:

LADIES, I will put this fear to rest:  yes, some of you are genetically programmed to gain more muscle mass than others but it is scientifically impossible, without the help of anabolic boosters and an extremely high calorie diet, for you to get bulky. It cannot happen.

GENTLEMEN, if you desire big, attractive legs, arms, back, etc., and you are NOT lifting heavy weights, you are wasting your time in the gym. Physically, you cannot lift heavy everyday but if you aren’t lifting heavy at least 1…maybe 2 days a week, you will get stronger but you will never fill out a t-shirt in the right places. 

For years I've lifted heavy weights. I have learned so much from training myself and others. That is exactly how you start heavy weightlifting. You learn. You teach. And you learn and teach some more. If you aren't challenging your body, how can you possibly make it better? You can't! Lifting heavy weights can be fun, competitive, and beneficial to your overall health. If someone says, “But it's 
dangerous,” reply with, “So is being weak.” Our bodies don't last forever. While we still have the ability, challenging it to do more ( in moderation) is the only way that we find our limits. It is the only way we can learn to set goals in the gym. It is the only way to guarantee that we have a strong healthy body for years to come. That is why we lift heavy things.

Do you want to experience the full benefits of strength training but aren’t sure where to start, intimidated or scared of injury?  Nick is a phenomenal teacher and can help you experience the full benefits of lifting weights.  Contact him at 314-FORWARD and find out what strength training can do to change your life!

By: Jeremy Koerber

Sharks were a hot topic on our vacation the last two weeks.  Mom and Dad enjoyed watching the kids splash in the gulf (while cautiously watching for dorsal fins in the surf) and the kids were full of questions:

 Where to sharks live?
 How big do sharks get?
 What do they eat?
 When do they eat?
 How much do they eat?

The question “why do they eat” popped up and the answer is simple; because they’re hungry.  Answering these questions helped seem to calm the kids fears about playing in the ocean but it prompted another thought in our heads that sharks apparently have this whole eating thing down to a science.  When they are hungry, they eat.

One of the first things I will ask a new client is to describe their eating habits.  Almost 100% of the time the answer begins with “I don’t think my eating habits are that bad; I’d say they are pretty good.”  With that statement I begin to ask more questions and quickly determine that what the client describes as “pretty good” is actually pretty bad and the number one culprit is mindless eating or eating when they are not hungry.

I am no expert but I do watch Shark Week on Discovery Channel and to my knowledge, I have never watched any program that leads me to believe that sharks eat due to boredom or emotion.  It is simply to put fuel in their body so they can swim, go shark poo, make baby sharks and ultimately, find more food.  No self-respecting great white is going to gorge themselves on a seal because they had a bad day 
or they can’t think of anything to do.  Humans on the other hand are masters of this craft.

For many, food is comfort or entertainment and it is a dangerous mindset.  You should absolutely enjoy your food but think of what you consume for what it really is; fuel to keep your body going and you doing the things you love to do.

I cannot tell you the number of clients who have dropped weight rather quickly when they understood, embraced and put in to practice the concept of eating only when hungry.  99% of people wanting to lose weight believe exercise will be the vehicle to smaller waistlines but truthfully, it is food intake.  Understanding that food is fuel seems to be the catalyst that jump starts their weight loss and keeps the 
weight off permanently.

How can you get started?  Our suggestion is to first become aware of:

 When you eat
 What you eat
 Why you eat
 Where you eat

Once you have generated awareness of these questions you can begin to develop a healthier mindset when it comes to food and how you eat.

If you need help figuring out your eating habits, wish to lose weight or just get healthier, we can help.  Call us at 314-807-8634 and start your journey today.

By: Jeremy Koerber

It really doesn’t matter that I am approaching 40.  I still get a kick out of doing things I did as a kid and the fact that I have children affords me the opportunity to play like a kid as much as I want.  So when the head coach of my son’s baseball team asked if we would be open to playing hooky from work to get the kids together for an impromptu game, I arranged to make that happen.  We sent out an e-mail to the other parent’s, offered to provide transportation and sat back waiting for a sandlot game that sadly, never really happened the way we envisioned it.

Let me set the tone by first saying that as a child, if someone invited me to play baseball, ride bikes, go fishing or throw rocks into a creek,  I was there.  True, we didn’t have cable TV and the Atari gaming system was the new thing in technology but that being said, I cannot remember a friend or acquaintance to ever turn down the opportunity to play a pick-up baseball game.  It was an event.  When we arrived at the ball field where we practice on a beautiful Spring afternoon, a day after school was out for Summer, there was not a single child; No one riding bikes, no one playing ball and not a soul on the playground.  It reminded me of the towns in shows like The Walking Dead where the town is still standing but the people are gone.  Never mind the fact the kids are most likely indoors becoming 
zombies by draining their brains on ipads, PS4’s, etc.

We did get a few kids from the team to show up and eventually some neighborhood kids put down their gaming systems to peek out and join the fun but the best we could do is field enough players for a round of Indian Ball.  Pretty sure that’s not the PC term but that’s what we called it growing up.  Now cable TV and gaming systems aside, why aren’t kids out playing?  Here are some potential reasons.

In 2002, 9 million kids between the ages of 7-17 played baseball according to the National Sporting Goods Association but by 2013 that number had dropped to 5.3 million kids.  Likewise, the number of kids participating in youth softball dropped from 5.4 million to 3.2 million over the same time frame but it isn’t just baseball.  Other sports such as soccer and basketball have also declined.  One theory is that with the specialization of sports, select teams and the drive to turn 7 year olds into #1 draft picks,  the emphasis is on performance and not fun or exercise.  In return you have a bunch of pudgy, disinterested kids who aren’t “good enough” to play on a team.  In the drive for excellence is it possible we have sucked the fun out of youth sports?

And let’s go back to technology.  It certainly is a factor and I am just as guilty as the next person as I Facebooked, Tweeted and posted pics of the day on Instagram.  I also think as parents, we are so programmed and distracted in our careers, we fail to see the value of simple play.  If it isn’t important to us, it won’t be important to our kids.  Say what you will about organizations like the NFL but their Play 
60 campaign is doing everything it can to get kids off their duff and outside.  This isn’t about creating professional or even high level amateur athletes.  It is about creating healthy kids and encouraging physical activity.

No, we didn’t have enough kids to field a team, but we played 2 ½ hours and had a blast.  Even Coach Woodrow and Koerber took some at bats which had the kids fired up for more; they relished the idea they could strike us out.  For the record, that did not happen.  And it is doubtful that any of the kids on the field that day will play professional ball.  Maybe only a handful will play into high school but that 
isn’t the point.  The more we lose sight of the value of play and allow busy schedules to use gaming systems and Netflix to raise our kids, the closer we come to failing our kids as parents.

Today, do something different.  Dig your glove out of the basement and ask your kid for a catch.  Can’t find your glove?  Pick up a football. Not into sports at all, go for a walk until you find a creek and throw some rocks.  They may look at you cross-eyed and initially, may even resist.  Stand firm, have a catch and help your kids learn the value of play.