Author: Justin Luke

As Personal Trainers, we ask every client what their weekly gym schedule will look like and then we map their goals accordingly. If you are working 1-4 body parts, you will typically need 3 days a week, alternating your work out and rest days. Typically with strength training we see these 2 popular scenarios:
Mon, Weds, Fri
Tues, Thurs, Sat
Combination Routines are an excellent way to work two body parts that naturally complement each other in one gym session:
Back & Biceps (Back First then Biceps)

Chest & Triceps (Chest First then Triceps)

Triceps & Biceps (Best in Super Sets)

Chest & Shoulders (Chest First)

Chest, Shoulders & Triceps (Chest First or Super Set Chest w/Shoulders and add triceps)

Thighs & Glutes

Hamstrings & Calves

Now Pair your days with your Training Routines. Example:

Mon = Back & Bi’s

Weds = Chest & Tri’s

Fri = Legs

If you are working more than 4 body parts a 4 Day Split is excellent. Example:
Mon = Back & Bi’s

Tues = Legs

Weds = Day Off

Thurs = Chest & Triceps

Fri = Shoulders & Abs

Utilize your off days for cardio or perform 30 minutes of cardio after your strength training so you can take full advantage of all your strength before fatiguing the muscles with cardio (Power Walk, Elliptical, Bike, Short Run).

You also might chose to perform an overall circuit training regime, Pilates class, or Yoga class 3-4 days a week where you get more of an over all body workout each training day.

These are typically great with a 4 Day Split scenario:
2 Days in a row, one day off, 2 days in a row again

These are the very basic combinations and the combos are endless depending upon your specific workout times, weekly progress, and personal goals. Map it out. Ink it to paper at least 2 weeks at a time. It will help you define your workouts and it will provide you with a solid “Self” Workout Journal to chart your progression.

The last big key for starting your strength training workouts is to be as consistent as you possibly can. The same workout times and training schedules will help your body begin to regulate. Remember every time you workout you are adding fuel to your metabolic furnace. Your metabolism spikes and your system begins to burn calories! When you perform weight resistance exercises which build muscle, not only do you burn calories during the duration of your workout, you also burn about 100 more calories over the next 24hr period. Crucial: Be sure you feed your muscle need within 30 minutes of your workout with a serving of protein. Take a protein shake along with you to the gym for easy access!

Why do we need to detoxify the colon for health? Why do we need to do colon cleansing? Isn’t the body supposed to take care of that for us naturally? So what if we do not have bowel movements everyday, maybe that’s normal. Maybe we are evolving into a species that will only require elimination every week or even every month or so? We take our trash out every two or three days, depending on our family size, so maybe we ought to be eliminating every now and then as well.
Truth be known, we are not far from this hypothetical “evolved” state since statistically the average American has one bowel movement every two to five days. “Whew!” you say as you wipe the sweat from your brow. “Makes me feel better to know I am average.”

At least that was the statistic as quoted five years ago in an article written by Richard Schulze, N.D, and published in the “Well-Being Journal.” We have provided a link to the page, though you should be forewarned that it is not reading matter for the squeamish. We have included it to help you get a feeling for the magnitude of the problem.

So why is it important and critical that we not carry extra fecal matter in the colon for extended periods of time?

“Retained debris in the colon leads to the absorption of toxins, resulting in systemic intoxication (poisoning). Symptoms of this condition can include

mental confusion
depression
irritability
fatigue
gastrointestinal irregularities
and even allergic reactions such as hives, sneezing and coughing.
“Many nutritionists and researchers believe that this toxicity can eventually lead to more serious disorders. Colon cleansing can rid the colon of debris, and help prevent and treat a variety of health problems.” –Excerpt from Prescription for Nutritional Healing (Third Edition) A Practical A-to-Z Reference to Drug-Free Remedies Using Vitamins, Minerals, Herbs & Food Supplements by Phyllis A Balch, CNC and James F. Balch, MD

The authors go on to present a combination of balanced ways to cleanse the colon–through fasting, the use of foods, herbs and enemas, and through the use of various supplements that can aid in the process of cleansing. So make the investment and pick up this book if it is not already in your supplements library.

Dr. Ross Anderson made a similar pronouncement:

“I have been a practicing naturopath doctor for over 20 years and have seen well over 20,000 patients. In that time I have come to realize that autointoxication (re-absorbing your own bowel toxins) is responsible for many of the nagging chronic symptoms that people complain of.”
In his article entitled Are You Clear of Parasites, Dr. Anderson said, “I believe the single most undiagnosed health challenge in the history of the human race is parasites.” Read the article to learn what parasite are and what they do in the body, and how we can detect their presence. Again, this is not an article for the faint of heart.

In fact, the whole topic of colon health and colon cleansing and detoxification, and the possibility that we might harbor parasites in our bodies is an uncomfortable subject, to say the least, and frightening at best. [And to be frank, every time this writer thinks about using a product which promises to rid the body of parasites, she cringes to think what her reaction might be if she actually saw one or more of these creatures in the ‘commode’ (she can’t yet say in her ‘stool’ because that’s at a whole different level which she is not yet ready to confront). So if you are like me, go ahead and take some time to prepare yourself mentally for the task. I have personally committed to be parasite free by J1, 2004. Join me if you will.]

Okay…

We have already given you some recommendations for products that can assist you with your colon cleansing, detoxification and constipation problems, including the excellent book by the Balchs’, and we directed you to two Globe International colon health products as mentioned on our Supplementation page. Still if your budget is tight, you might check out Fiberzon and Fiberzon Plus, two products from Amazon Herb Co. Rainforest Bio-Genetics.

Nutritional supplementation in its simplest form involves adding to your diet essential nutrients, such as vitamins, minerals, herbs or other botanicals primarily for the purpose of health maintenance, disease prevention or to cure illness. In its fullest form, supplementation can also create an overall sense of well-being and mental clarity.
When we understand the root cause of disease, then we begin to comprehend why nutritional supplementation is needed. Perhaps this quote from the 1800s will shed some light:

“When highly skilled physicians shall fully examine this matter, thoroughly and perseveringly, it will be clearly seen that the incursion of disease is due to a disturbance in the relative amounts of the body’s component substances, and that treatment consisteth in adjusting these relative amounts, and that this can be apprehended and made possible by means of foods. It is certain that in this wonderful age the development of medical science will lead to the doctor’s healing their patients with foods.”1

If this is true, then the goal of nutritional supplementation is to bring this disturbance of the body’s component substances back to a state of equilibrium through the use of foods, in the broadest sense of the word. We can say that a supplement—whether it be in pill, capsule, tablet, powder or liquid form, or in the form of a homeopathic remedy, concentrate, metabolite, extract or a combination thereof—has worked when it succeeds in balancing the body’s elemental substances.

According to the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994 (DSHEA), in addition to the forms of supplementation as outlined above, dietary supplements may include such substances as ginseng, garlic, fish oils, psyllium, enzymes, glandulars or a mixture of these. It goes on to say that supplements are not represented for use as a conventional food or as the sole item of a meal or diet. Dietary supplements must also be labeled “dietary supplements”.

The DSHEA provides that retail outlets may make available materials to help inform consumers about any health-related benefits of dietary supplements. The Act also established the Office of Dietary Supplements within the National Institutes of Health to promote, among other things, the scientific study of supplements and their value in preventing chronic diseases. A database of scientific research on supplements and individual nutrients was directed to be created. Click on supplements to see which are currently under study and recruiting volunteers. Once on the page, type in “nutritional supplements” in the search field box.

“…Congress stated that there may be a positive relationship between sound dietary practice and good health, … there may be a connection between dietary supplement use, reduced health-care expenses, and disease prevention.” –Excerpt from Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994

It is encouraging to learn that the government is playing a role in estimating the value of nutritional supplements in our diets. Still, our role is equally as important as we seek out knowledge on how to improve our health, vitality and general well-being using nutritional supplementation. The art of supplementation has existed throughout the ages and we now need to do our part in turning the art into a science, or if you will, turning it into a major component inherent in the science of medicine.

While our grandparents and great grandparents gathered the herbs and other plants directly from the countrysides, in some ways we stand at a considerable advantage because we will not necessarily have to go out and the raw ingredients ourselves; however, we are still charged with putting forth the effort required to search out the products that are of the best quality, that are most compatible with our body’s natural components, and that work in harmony and synergy to aid us in recalling our health.

One Company We Know…
Awareness Life Corporation has a full line of all-natural nutritional supplementation products that we recommend** you investigate. Their products achieve results and their approach to health and nutrition can aid you in learning more about the fundamentals of health. Pill Free Vitamins, a Life Force International entity, is another solid company which carries a full range of nutritional supplements which are worth checking out.

Such is the unfortunate case with many of the shiny, colorful fruits and vegetables we choose at the grocery store in an effort to eat healthy – they are riddled with pesticides to prolong shelf life and keep insects from ruining their appearance. While no one wants to bite into an apple and eat half of a worm with it, nor find a six-legged family living in their head of lettuce, the side effects of heavy pesticide exposure are even more serious.

According to livestrong.com, these toxic chemicals can cause learning disabilities, negatively affect the nervous system, weaken the immune system and may even be linked to breast cancer. Fortunately https://www.thecarparkman.co.uk/ recommends a few simple steps you can take to greatly reduce your exposure to pesticides and therefore decrease your risk of suffering from negative side effects.

1. Buy Organic

Some fruits and vegetables already have very low pesticide content and are safe to buy in the normal produce section, such as those included in the Clean 15. But many staples in our diets are members of the Dirty Dozen, the twelve types of produce with the highest pesticide content, and should only be eaten in organic form to reduce pesticide ingestion.

2. Grow Your Own

If buying organic seems difficult and expensive, why not cultivate your own produce? Not only does gardening provide a fun hobby and even exercise, it assures you that there are no pesticides in your food because you grew it yourself. TLC has a great list of 66 different fruits and veggies you can grow at, or even in, your own home.

3. Eliminate Pests Without Using Pesticide

Chemicals are a convenient way to keep unwanted guests out of your home and garden and food, but you may be sacrificing your health in using them. Taking natural measures to keep your home clean and bug-free, such as following this helpful guide from grist.org, will help keep your home free of pests and pesticides.

4. Detoxify Your Diet

In addition to avoiding pesticides in your diet and your methods of pest control, you can counteract pesticides you may unknowingly ingest by eating foods that act as natural detoxifiers. Make sure you still purchase these items organic if they are part of the Dirty Dozen.

5. No Shoes In the House

Incorporating all of these safety measures into your lifestyle will greatly reduce your risk of exposure to harmful pesticides, but you can only control so much. You may not use pesticides and harmful chemicals on your lawn and garden, but anywhere else you go you can’t be sure what you’re stepping in. Having a no-shoe rule in the house keeps toxic chemicals from being tracked in to your home and cultivates a cleaner, safer living space. This is especially important if you have small children or pets that crawl on (or eat things off of) the floor.