.

.

This blog has been, for me, a great opportunity to share my thoughts, connect with a huge number of amazing people, and also a way to look back and reflect on the things I knew (or thought I knew) in the past.  But today that all changes and this will officially be the last post on MarkYoungTrainingSystems.com

.

Today marks the start of a new chapter for me and I am excited to announce that I’m now exclusively going to be providing services as a brand new coach at Lean Bodies Consulting which is owned and operated by my good friend Erik Ledin.  The LBC track record for physique transformations is nothing short of incredible (for those who need proof go HERE) and it is an amazing honor to be asked to be a part of this company.

.

Of course, I’ll be posting on the LBC site, blog and Facebook page and covering many of the same topics (and up to the same antics) you’re used to as well new things I haven’t covered in the past.  I sincerely want to thank you so much for following me to this point and I look forward to providing you with great content and coaching in the future.  Please join me as I turn the page to the next chapter in my fitness career.

.

www.leanbodiesconsulting.com

.

Also, don’t forget to join us on Facebook because (as many of you know) I’m a social media addict.

.

LBC Facebook Page

.

.

On June 27th the FDA approved Arena Pharmaceuticals’ new drug Belviq (lorcaserin) making it the first weight loss drug to be approved by the FDA in 13 years.  Following this announcement I wrote an excited post on Facebook and Twitter with a link to the press release.

.

Not surprisingly, people responded with a variety of thoughts and opinions and, of course, asked for mine….which I withheld…at least until I had a context/framework for the discussion.  Now I do.

.

Yesterday I wrote a post (one of my most popular ever) about the fact that I think the process of losing weight and becoming healthy is like attempting to swim up a raging river.  The river represents the current of our society pushing us towards eating too much, exercising too little, and generally everything that is the complete opposite of living a healthy lifestyle.  Upstream we have the factors creating that current which obviously need to be addressed and this is most certainly something we all need to start becoming concerned about if we are to ever conquer obesity and fat gain.

.

But caught in the current are a variety of different people at different distances down the river.  There are those who have only been moderately affected.  This constitutes what I would guess is the majority of the population.  Through either good genetics, a little effort in the kitchen and the gym, or some combination of the two they’ve managed to either be in good shape or only moderately overweight.  It might be argued that these folks could/should be encouraged to continue what they’re doing or make lifestyle changes respectively.  Generally speaking, I would agree with this.

.

Further downstream, however, there are a growing number of people who are at a desperate point where, if not helped, they might reach the end of the river…the waterfall.  While exercise and dietary change are most certainly needed, these folks are in urgent need of a life jacket and a pharmaceutical intervention like Belviq (or Qnexa which is up for approval on July 17th) is exactly that.

.

The research on Belviq suggests that it represents the likelihood of a reduction of 5% body weight which has been shown to have meaningful effects in people who have health issues related to their weight.  It gives them an edge…like a life jacket in a river, but it doesn’t do the swimming for the people that take it.  It is NOT meant to be a replacement for lifestyle change, but used in conjunction with it.

.

Like any drug, of course, there are potential side effects which is why treatment must be limited only to those who actually need it.  If the risks of not treating the problem outweigh the risks of treating, then you treat (just like any other medication).  A person who wants to drop 20 pounds for his highschool reunion would likely not be a good candidate.  Another person who was bordering on being diagnosed as Diabetic and carrying a little extra weight might be considered.  THAT is what it is for.

.

And looking even further down the stream might be the place where I’d say it is appropriate to consider gastric bypass.  Again, without lifestyle change the benefits of gastric surgery are limited and weight/health issues will return in many who don’t make them.  But for some, the risks of the surgery are less than those of not treating so for them this is a last safety net before the water fall.  At least this way we’re still giving them a chance to swim.

.

What do you think?

.

.

There are a ton of proposed reasons why society as a whole is getting fatter and less healthy.  People have speculated that it could be due to carbs, chemicals, drugs, hormones, genetics, and a whole host of other things.  Most interestingly to me is that most people tend to focus almost exclusively on one of these things and, as a result, think the solution to helping the world get leaner and healthier is to simply fix that one thing.  (Not so coincidentally, these same people are often willing to sell you a book or product geared towards fixing that singular issue for the one time price of $29.95)

.

From where I sit though, it is more than just one issue.  To my clients I’ve described the process of losing weight as being very much like swimming up a raging river.  The current is driving us towards fat gain, disease, and inactivity and when we become motivated to lose weight we must choose to swim against the violent current…forever.  As soon as our motivation wanes and simply “stop swimming” for a short period of time we are swept back up by the river only to lose the forward progress we have made.

.

That river is what some have called our “obesogenic environment”.  By default, our culture sets us up for lives where we’re too busy, too stressed, too tired, too sedentary, too lonely, and a bunch of other “too’s” which leads to the consumption of poorer food choices, general lack of exercise, and altered physiological responses to those things.

.

While some might be quick to suggest that people are lazy and that losing weight is simply a matter of choosing to behave differently, I get where you’re coming from.  I’ve been there and I used to feel the same.  I said things like “nothing tastes as good as it feels to have abs” or “you don’t want it bad enough”, but that was a bunch of shit.  The reality is that most people ARE willing to put in some effort.  In fact, many people HAVE…several times.  But they got tired of swimming.  They got swept backwards.  They got frustrated and maybe they’re afraid to try again.  And who can blame them?  It is damn hard…and it isn’t getting any easier.

.

The past couple of years my blog has been rather sparse with writing and a large part of that was because I didn’t feel like I knew how to pull everything together.  I tried several times to start again, but I always found that my the vision I started writing with was too limited and that I wasn’t actually going to make a real difference in the sense that I’d just be teaching people to swim and invariably be setting them up for potential failure in the long term when they got tired of battling the current of society.

.

Now I think I have a vision that pulls it all together and will enable me to tackle various angles while truly creating a change and helping people from novice to advanced win the war on fat, disease, and inactivity.  I’ll first aim to help those who are drowning in the current.  I hope to throw them a life line and teach them how to swim upstream by cutting through the BS, answering questions, and giving them practical tips so they can learn to lose fat, get strong, and get healthy.

.

The next step involves helping other trainers to follow the same path and help people to swim as well as becoming aware of the bigger picture of the battle against obesity and fat gain (see below).  In truth, I never started writing this blog with any expectation that I’d ever have trainers coming to me for advice, but I really appreciate that some have and I’m going to do my absolute best to help them.

.

And finally, even though it is beyond training and nutrition (and far beyond the scope of where I ever thought I’d be considering “my place in the industry”) I am beginning to take focus on the many forces creating the raging current leading to weight gain and a sedentary lifestyle.  This means looking into food politics, food production, health policy, and a whole bunch of stuff that sounds boring as hell, but NEEDS to be done by people who are passionate enough to create real change.  It needs to be done by people who have been on the front lines fighting the battles…teaching people to swim…and are getting pissed of at losing so many to the raging waters.

.

We need to STOP THE CURRENT!

.

So the reason we’re fat may have to do with what we eat, or hormones, or drugs, or all of them.  But at the end of the day, ALL of those things can contribute to sweeping us all in the wrong direction.  We can teach people to swim…but most can’t swim forever.

.

We need to fight back against the upstream forces!

.

Part of my mission will be to continue to make this blog a place to learn to swim, a place to ask questions, and a place for discussion.  But a large part will also be to create a meaningful change to the obesogenic current of society even if it means becoming unpopular with some.  I believe that this message will resonate with many and that a growing army of passionate fat fighting soldiers (from regular peeps to fitness pros) will begin to emerge and fight this battle with me.

.

So that’s where I’m at.  I’m tired of swimming.  And people always talk about a chance to REALLY make a difference.  For me, this is it.  Follow me on Facebook and Twitter to join the battle.

.

Let’s change the world!

.

.

A manifesto is bigger than fitness. It is bigger than your career. Instead, it is a written declaration of your values and intentions in life and I’d like to share mine with you and finally help you to create your own.
.

But first a little backstory…

.

A couple months ago I came across a post on the internet about creating a personal manifesto and the concept totally resonated with me.  All too often we get busy with life and it is easy to lose sight of what really matters to us.  Instead we find ourselves driven by different things on different days and we don’t have a predetermined course through life. We get lazy, complacent, and generally end up wasting our lives away with things that truly don’t matter to us. We become subject to the control of our ever-changing thoughts and feelings.  Having a clearly defined set of values gives us the ability to reflect on them and assess if we’re on track in our lives.  As a result, I set aside a couple of hours over a few days and pulled together my own personal manifesto.

.
Note:  Below is MY personal manifesto and it represents MY beliefs and values. While the specifics of these are very relevant to me personally, they may not be YOUR beliefs and values. I have shared them here to give you an example of what a manifesto looks like. I don’t intend to entertain any discussion about whether or not you agree with my beliefs and values. My hope, instead, is that taking a look at mine will inspire you to create your own.
.

My Personal Manifesto

.

I am a man of God.
.
I will spend time with him daily by reading his word, and through worship, and prayer. I will allow HIS love to flow through me to all those around me. I will act in faith and believe in his promises. I will behave at all times in a way that is pure and holy. I will make God a priority in our home. I will seek to serve others with a joyful and willing heart.
.
I am a family man.
.
I will put the needs of my family above my own.  I will lead my family in faith and finance and be strong in times of trial. I will actively love my wife unconditionally, respect her feelings, and work in partnership with her to build a lasting relationship of trust, intimacy, and happiness.
.
I will be a patient and kind father and love my daughter unconditionally. I will make time to play when I’m tired and teach her through example and instruction about faith, love, relationships, health, and effort.  I value my family and I put my phone aside when I am with them.
.

I value my health.

.
I will nourish my body only with nutrients and limit consumption of foods and beverages that jeopardize my health. I will not be a slave to any substance. I will exercise at a challenging intensity no less than two times per week and seek opportunities to be active. I will limit sedentary behavior.

.

I always do my best.

.

I will seek excellence in all that I do. My time will be spent on things that I value and I will limit time spent on things that serve as distractions.

.
I care about my planet.

.

I will consider impact to the earth in my decisions about food and products on which I spend my money. I will seek used before new. I will reduce waste, reuse items when possible, and recycle what can be recycled. I will limit accumulation of unnecessary things.

.

My life will be an example for others to follow.

.

Creating YOUR Personal Manifesto

.

Step 1 – Create a List

.

The first step in creating a manifesto is to list all of the things that you value in your life.  At this point you don’t need to spend a lot of time figuring out which are the most important, just get them all out on paper (or on the screen if you’re a computer junkie like me).  Take some time to do this.  Ask yourself what you’d like to accomplish before you die.  Think about what you’d like for your family, friends, and colleagues to say about you at your funeral.  Decide what kind of legacy you want to leave.  Make the list as big as you can.

.

Step 2 – Pick Your Top 5

.

At some point you’re going to need to cut down the list of all the things you’ve listed to the top 5 or 6 things you truly value.  I’d suggest beginning by crossing out the stuff that obviously doesn’t make your top 5 first.  That should narrow things down a bit.  From there, spend some time (even if it takes a few days) to cut away at the list until only the final few remain.

.

Step 3 – Expand on Your Values

.

Once you’ve narrowed it down to your most important points you’ll want to expand on them so they remind you each time you read them what they really mean to you.  Most importantly, make sure the points tell you what actions you should take or how you should behave to be in line with these values.  And make sure to state everything in the present.  Don’t say “I want to have integrity”.  Say “I have integrity”.

.

Step 4 – Read it Every Day

.

A personal manifesto is useless if you don’t read it often.  I have mine as a document on my computer desktop and I generally read it the first time I open my computer each day.  I also have a copy in my email so I can read in on my phone and a printed paper copy I can access easily.

.

I’ll be the first to admit that I am not even close to being the person I’ve presented in my manifesto, but that is the person I want to become.  And each time I read it and there is some kind of discrepancy between who I am and what I’ve written it highlights for me the changes I need to make in my life.  Most importantly, it keeps me focused on what really matters to me and reminds me when I’ve gotten off track.  I know exactly what my values are so I know exactly where to spend my time.

.

I’ve only just begun this process and my life is already beginning to change.  I challenge you to step out and create your own personal manifesto.

.

Define and become the person you are meant to be.

.