Solid Conditioning For Life

One of the main purposes of today's fitness industry is to develop bodies and build athletic performance along with over the top equipment, supplements and routines that are endless and don't have any real value for life-long health. 100 years ago, Physical Culturists demanded and commanded the components of living life as long as possible and in the best condition as possible regardless of age. It was written in countless texts, books and audio tapes for decades that you should have as great of health physically, emotionally and mentally long into your golden years. Very few trainers and fitness enthusiasts do this today.

There are 2 sides to every person (or more if you have MPD) and it's the same with fitness, you either teach health that lasts and conditioned bodies that last or you drive men and women to the brink of injuries to the point where whether they're 18 or 80, they won't be able to do what they're bodies were meant to have. I believe in the basic elements of old school style training where you can still manage a great ideal of exercise regardless of age, sure you may change it up a bit as you get older but the principles stay the same. It doesn't matter if you lift weights, do bodyweight training, Primal Movement or circuit training; if you can stay in enough shape and you keep your tendons, muscles and ligaments in tact even at an older age and practice the moderation of being leveled and challenged, you can live pretty damn long.

The main reason I love Animal Exercises is because, it involves everything and it takes you into a world where you can do it at any age even with modifications. Fitness is a universal entity where you don't know which program works best and you have a plethora of information so long it'll make your head spin. The truth is even you researched every single form info on exercise, diet, tempo, practices daily and anything, how much of it will you really need? The answer, only a fraction that makes the biggest difference. I can almost certain guarantee that if some 20-something crossfit maniac keeps up with his WOD's and tries to the same thing at 60, he'd be most likely dead. 

Everybody is different and not everyone trains the same exact way but overall, if you can adapt and adjust to how your body reacts and feels, you can still go strong at 80 or older. You can condition your body to burn fat as you get older too and should because as you know, testosterone and other hormones tend to drop hard every year starting at minimum of 30. You don't have to be a Usain Bolt to be sprint good, you don't have to be a Paul Hamm to still be fit for gymnastics and you certainly don't need to have the extreme flexibility of a yogi to do Yoga, it's all about how you approach it with bing able to control how your body works and understand when to back off and when to go hard. 

Conditioning is the basis for all sports and activity, it's to keep going even when fatigue sets in. Play your cards right, you can apply this to your lifestyle and be able to handle certain amounts of stress even later on in life. Mentally, it can be a great challenge because as we age, our brains tend to go haywire from time to time and we aren't as sharp as we used to be but it doesn't have to be that way. You play games that get your brain going, you exercise through compound movements and holds, you stay consistent on your flexibility. When it comes to looks, you can still look like a pretty boy or hot chick but still have no brains or any real valued attributes in terms of real strength, agility, endurance and flexibility. 

Conditioning can take you far in life and that' figurative and literal. Yes I do believe in challenging yourself but I also believe in solid consistency and the ability to recover naturally. I don't try to do hour long workouts everyday because why would I want to, what's the purpose? For starters I get bored as hell after a while and two, I want to have great energy before, during and after training so when I spend time with the people I love and want to be around, I have that energy to have conversations, laugh, play, enjoying phenomenal moments. If you don't have great energy to do things because you pushed yourself so damn hard, you're losing out on things that make life worth living and for what? One glorious moment where everything is taken out of you? 

Live the way you want but know that solid conditioning for life brings great treasures beyond the physical.   

Why I Could Never Have Real Depression

Millions Of people around the world have some major severities of Depression and regardless of how they're treated, some things just never seem to go away. It is sad that these poor souls have to go through this. Depression can come from anywhere from severe trauma physically, emotionally, mentally and so on and a cure for it isn't in a pill or a hypnotic cd or what have you but it's merely a case of curing the SELF.

I never understood this until I was slightly older (mid 20's) but I have found how grateful I Am to have this amazing and unique memory that came from trauma as a baby. I still to this day don't get how it happens but at any point in the day regardless of how I feel and what my thoughts wrap on, something always triggers my memory somehow and I end up randomly laughing whether a little or full on screaming at the top of my lungs and crying hard of joy.

Granted I may never know true hard times compared to most people but I know what it's like to be forced out of places whether mentally or physically and I have coped with death to one of the best people I ever loved and cared about. I was pushed out of a relationship, sacrificed my way of living and leaving everyone I cared about near me behind and being in a situation where I came damn near close to not doing what I love and that's training everyday.

Growing up, I was always a movie buff especially action & comedy and whether anybody noticed this or not even myself, it had a profound effect on my psyche and the way movies, certain shows and even real life made things seem pleasant because of  how funny it was. I've seen plenty of dramas, tear-jerkers and some awful acting but I always felt drawn to comedies because if it made me laugh, the world was a much better place. There's more to this but that's for another time.

I want to give people the opportunity to find what makes them chuckle because even the slightest form of laughter can change the entire day or week or month in a single moment. The irony is some of the most depressed people on the planet are the ones that try to make others laugh because they don't want them to live with their pain and suffering. Depression can be just as debilitating if not equalled to a severe physically injuries or set of injuries. I truly hate the sight of pain of others and I feel for them and at times I just want to give them a hug. The more laughter we have in this world, the greater it will be.

Now there is a difference between positive laughter and negative laughter; the negative is through people who have cruel intentions and laugh at other people's pain and suffering, that's not loving and compassionate but a downright asshole. The positive is by finding laughter that feeds that energy and surrounding it with humor that makes others feel good or good within yourself. Laughter can be contagious and it feeds energy onto people, believe me if you could hear someone laugh whether 3ft away or 100,000 miles away and for some reason it clicks into your brain, there might be a case where you'll start to chuckle up and you'll either know why or have no clue but you'll end up laughing. That's the beauty of how powerful it can be.

I have been known to have a contagious laugh and a lot of times I can't really hide it. Something randomly can trigger me or have the most ridiculous thought and I start laughing and it has made some people around me uncomfortable but hey it's better to laugh than to be sad and depressed. We are all emotional in some form or another, we may not show it and hold it in but it's there but the question is, which one would you rather feed? Laughter or Sadness? Our connective energies feed emotions and whether we realize it or not, the path we follow will channel that energy. Somebody can have the worst things ever done to them but those very few have learned or are learning to channel that part about them and live their life the complete opposite.

There are over 7 billion people in this world, you're not alone and somewhere out there, someone will feed you the energy of laughter, you just have to find it.

He became healthier at 52 than he was at 30 (here's how)

I think you're about to be blown away by this man's story.

It's one that unfortunately too many aging men experience. He had:

... low energy, low sex drive.

... hormones out of balance.

... had little to no energy or motivation to work out.

... bad sleep...

And then he figured it all out.

He reversed his health challenges and experienced a radical transformation in his energy levels and well being.

I hope this gives you hope and motivation to tackle your goals this year.

(There is a lot of hope!)

Here's Joe's story:

"At 52 I felt and looked like crap. Low energy, low sex drive, no motivation and felt mentally fatigued.

I decided to start working out again after being lazy for years but had a hard time getting started.

I knew my hormones were out of balance just by the way I felt.

After doing research I stumbled upon Lost Empire Herbs (which was Superman at the time) and started taking Pine Pollen, He Shou Wu, Ashwagandha, Eleuthero, Rhodiola, Nettle, Shilajit, Tongkat Ali, Maral Root and Schisandra.

Wow. Within a month's time I felt completely transformed.

My physical energy increased, I didn't need as much sleep to feel rested, and my libido was better than it had been in years. But the biggest change is how I felt mentally. I have such a sense of well being and always just feel good.

I was working out hard and in years past when I was training I still always felt tired and it took me a long time to recover after workouts. And I would always require so much more sleep when I worked out.

This time around it was different.

It's been over a year since I started the herbs and I'm still working out strong, I recover quickly and I don't need as much sleep as I used to. I wake up at 7 a.m. instead of 10 a.m.

I still can't believe I'm the same person.

I feel I'm healthier at 52 than I was at 30.

I have cut down on which herbs I take just because of cost. But I still take on a regular basis the Pine Pollen, Eleuthero, Ashwagandha, Rhodiola, Nettle and Schisandra. I've also played around with the Bacopa, Horny Goat Weed, Lion's Mane, Cordyceps, Cistanche, and Hercules. I'm currently trying out the Blue Vervain and the Albizia. The adaptogens are what I feel really help with my mental state.

I had my hormones checked at the start of this and about 6 months later and my estrogen levels went down, my testosterone and DHEA went up, and my cortisol went down.

Another big plus is that last winter was the first winter I didn't get sick with anything- not even a sniffle. I cannot remember a winter in which I didn't get sick. I'm a firm believer in these herbs and what they can do."

Woooh! Good job Joe!

It's really challenging to turn your health around.

... especially when you're stuck in a rut.

However, with a little help from mother nature... you can quickly turn that around.

Some of the herbs Joe took have been proven to upgrade older men's hormones... and FAST.

Like Tongkat Ali... it's been proven to boost T levels by up to 440%. That helps with your energy, sex drive and mojo/passion for life. This is a critical herb to test if you've got low T.

>> Read more about Tongkat Ali HERE

Then there's Pine Pollen Powder. It's our best seller. That's because it's filled with 200 bioavailable nutrients that fight free radicals, gets your blood flowing where it needs to to get "things" up, and even has naturally occurring plant steroids to boost androgens (your male hormones).

>> Read more about Pine Pollen HERE

And another herb worth highlighting which Joe took is Ashwagandha. This herb is made to reduce stress levels. In studies it reduced stressed out individual's cortisol levels (the stress hormone) by 30%, in as little as 2 months. As a byproduct it's also been proven to RAISE men's T levels because of that reduction in cortisol.

>> Discover Ashwagandha's HERE

Hoping this has been inspiring for you.

Being Bored During A Workout Is Something Nobody Should Do

Don't get wrong, it's certainly better than nothing but from a deeper standpoint, the fact that you're bored during a workout to me means something is wrong and you need to fix it. I've seen this happen to people and I've done it myself; when you act so uninterested but try to push things on anyway, you're setting yourself up for disaster.

Always found that when you're bored, your mind and body are unenergetic and you have almost a depressed element going on but also, when you're bored, that's saying you're not being challenged or you are energetic but you don't know what to do because nothing else seems there at the time or you've done everything else and something just isn't sparking. If you exercise and your body and mind just isn't into it, your form can become sloppy and with such emotional numbness, you're putting yourself more in the crossfire of injury next to adding insults to your own mind.

I love putting out recommendations for specific programs but that doesn't mean I always do those things. People love certain things and I want to find things that can spark their mind and body to do something worthwhile. Take circuit training for example: Putting multiple exercises together and doing them one after the other and then resting and repeat; there are so many different exercises you can do for any form of conditioning, agility, strength endurance and other attributes. I do like them to a degree and depending on the exercises and amount of rounds. I don't do them often anymore, even doing animal exercises because I do get bored repeating an exercise too much regardless of the amount of rounds. Can I do them, yes depending on intensity and repetitions. I use to love doing them often but when you are on a certain path and your mind just isn't there, it's not worth pushing it even for a round or 2. I do believe circuits work extremely well in specific formats but they're not for everyone.

There are even certain exercises that I get bored with often these days and that's mainly stationary exercises like regular push-ups, squats and sit-ups. I'm not knocking the basics, those are important and should be done every now and then, however; they are so generic that they don't have major value for imagination (unless you come up with a scenario in your head) and doing hundreds upon hundreds of being in the same spot and the same up and down movements, often gets boring really fast. Yes it is amazing someone can do 500 push-ups, 1000 squats and over 500 sit-ups in a single workout or even a day but variety has its place too. I once did 600 Push-ups in a single workout that took me an hour and a half to do, granted it had multiple variations and doing pyramids for each but I could never do that every day, why would I want to, where's the fun in that?

Workouts or playouts should be adventurous, something exciting to do, move and play plus having a creative idea of what YOU would like to do. Be resourceful but don't be generic. Go beyond the norm and do things that appeal to you and challenge you. Being bored is torturous, it's not worth your time. Make time to be happy in your training and have a blast, spark your imagination, find ways to make boring exercises fun and awesome. Be bold and don't ever get bored, it makes you miss out on life.

This Man 30X His Sperm Count!

A few weeks ago my friends at Lost Empire Herbs held a contest...

It was for people to submit their top case studies having used their herbs.

Now, why am I sharing this with you?

Well, I'm hoping this inspires you and shows you there's hope.

... especially if you're dealing with low T, low sperm count, and infertility.

There IS hope! And there ARE natural solutions.

Here's what Shawn, of 43 years of age, did to solve his low sperm count.

"I had very low sperm count due to excessive smoking and taking 2 warm baths a day for years to help with muscle recovery.

About 6 months ago I tested for less than 1 million sperm.

Upon the news, I immediately stopped smoking and the baths and started on a herbal regiment of pine pollen, Tongkat Ali, Maca, macuna purines, shilajit and ashwagandha. My sperm count began a steady come back.

My last test was Nov. 1 it was 30 million! I have no doubt that the herbs helped me make a come back."

This is incredible! Good job on taking massive action, Shawn.

It's well known by doctors that smoking negatively affects sperm count. So quitting smoking was a smart move... and it's no easy feat.

Shawn's next power move came from taking the specific herbs which he did. Let's look at them and see how they help with sperm health.

- Tongkat ali has been proven to be effective for "treating fertility conditions where there is testosterone deficiency or estrogen excess.” It does this by increasing men's testosterone levels by as much as 440% in studies... to fight estrogen excess.

- Pine pollen, maca, and tongkat ali are all powerhouses of ANTIOXIDANTS. This is crucial because antioxidants fight off the terrorist cells called "free radicals" that are causing infertility in men. "30% to 40% of infertile men have elevated levels of ROS in their seminal plasma". These 3 herbs target ROS and free radicals and destroy them.

- Ashwagandha helps lower stress and cortisol levels. This has proven on studies done on humans. In as fast as 60 days, people's cortisol levels dropped by 30%. The best part... as a byproduct this also helps men boost their T levels.

 Shawn's case study also illustrates how important it is to find the RIGHT herbs for your problems. Because if he had picked other herbs, chances are his sperm count may not have 30X'd that fast.

***DISCLAIMER: Product reviews are provided for informational purposes only and reflect solely the views and opinions expressed by the contributors and not those of the Lost Empire Herbs. Lost Empire Herbs does not verify or endorse any claims made in these reviews.