New Year's Fitness Resolution ACCOUNTABILITY: The missing key ingredient that may be sabotaging your progress!

     Well it’s that time of year again, when everyone starts failing miserably at their New Year’s resolution to be fitter and healthier.  The missing ingredient almost always causing the failure, is lack of accountability.  Without somebody or something to be accountable to, who is going to call you out when you no-show to the gym, or start drinking 4 beers a night instead of just two?  We all need somebody to call us out when we steer off course, or something to at least raise awareness.  Now I’m not saying you have to go out and drop fifty bucks an hour on a Personal Trainer, all though that would be ideal.  There are in fact many fun, inexpensive ways to incorporate accountability into your fitness and health plan if you cannot afford to hire a Trainer:

1.      Sign up for a race: Most races come with an ideal 12 week preparation plan that you can easily find online for free. (Try Active.com)  The looming race deadline is what will be holding you metaphorically accountable, and it is physically impossible to train for 12 weeks and not become fitter and leaner!  Most of San Diego’s fun races are in April, May and June – perfect timing to begin!

2.      Book a tropical vacation:  Not only will you score major points with your date if you invite one to come along, but just knowing you will be seen poolside or beachfront in your board-shorts will motivate you to buff up to some degree, even if only subconsciously.

3.      Wear a personal activity tracker or fitness bracelet:  You know, one of those FitBit things that track your daily fitness data on a basic, approximate level.  They synch up with an app on your smartphone and at the very least raise awareness and in some sense create accountability, by telling you how many steps you took, how many calories you burned, and much more depending how involved you want to get with the application.  These bracelets and trying to improve daily, become surprisingly addicting!  They’re simple to use, provide real-time feedback yet are very personal at the same time.

4.      Post your goal or resolution on social media:  Post a ‘before’ picture, or state your goal publically and very loudly on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram for all to see.  Your followers will hold you accountable and even heckle you!  Seriously though, aside from the unsolicited advice you will receive from all of the fitness ‘experts’ spamming your newsfeed, you will also get a lot of encouragement and don’t be surprised if you motivate some of your friends to join you on your journey!

5.      Buy a home scale:  I actually wrote and entire article about this a few months ago.  And while many Trainers and weight-loss ‘experts’ advocate against weighing yourself daily, I am all for it and have done this for years.  While it is true that most weight fluctuations are temporary or are ‘water weight’, stepping on the scale daily, (along with looking at yourself naked in the mirror), raises awareness, provides the most basic sense of accountability and helps you get a head start on tracking trends in weight changes.  Also the home scales these days are very reliable and affordable and many even come with bio-electric impedance to measure your body composition and body fat level.

6.      Join a sports team or group:  It doesn’t matter what your sport is – there is a team, league or group of guys out there, at your level, who love to play too.  Find them and join them – this is San Diego, America’s 8^th Fittest City – how hard can it be?  Because when you start regularly competing in a sport you love, you’ve truly discovered a secret path to long lasting fitness.  As soon as you make it fun, you’re winning!
7.   Book a Photo Shoot!  Hey I know we aren't all vain, Zoolander model-types, but I'm going to share something personal with you:  NOTHING motivates me to whip myself into tip-top shape more than a booked shoot date coming up.  Because it's game on, as my reputation is on the line, every time I step in front of the camera.  This sounds so shallow to write, but it's truth.  And it doesn't have to be a professional photo shoot or commercial print job either.  Just booking a photo shoot for yourself and or your family for social media use, as 'progress pics' or for just your personal, keepin-it-real, check will suffice.  Selfies just aren't quite the same!

     What you should NOT do as part of your healthy New Year’s resolution strategy:  Buy a detox kit, start a weight-loss or diet plan, or do a juice cleanse.  Detox, Juice Cleanse, Diet Plan are all red flags to steer clear of.  These are fads and gimmicks by folks trying to take your money.  You must learn to take a long term, holistic approach to your fitness and health and evolve it into a lifestyle.

Tribute to Fitness Icon Greg Plitt: R.I.P. - 'Be Remembered'

Tribute to Greg Plitt - R.I.P.

     I'll never forget the day I met Greg Plitt.  We were both booked to shoot some workout editorials for a fitness magazine in Laguna Beach in 2006.  You hear the term 'Adonis' thrown around a lot in the fitness model world, but Greg truly stood out among all the others.  He wasn't that huge or massive - only 6'1, but his proportions and body structure were that of a comic book super hero.  You couldn't help but stare at his physique, and it didn't matter if you were man or woman, gay or straight.  What seemed to set him apart was his very large collarbones and shoulder width, which then perfectly tapered into a 32" waist.  I saw him as genetically gifted.  Because while many others had to try and re-proportion their bodies through bodybuilding, then diet, or take steroids to even have a chance at landing a magazine cover, Greg had the underlying genetic, skeletal structure that would always make him stand out.  Of course on top of that perfect frame, he trained like an animal, with discipline of an Army Ranger.  Greg was the full package.  Everybody that ever booked a job with him and was simultaneously on set shooting with him, were envious and even jealous of his amazing physique, yet he was cool and such a stud that we all had a man-crush on him at the same time.  Because during the post-shoot after hours he was an absolute blast to hang out with...the life of the party, like only an Army Ranger can party.  Fitness models couldn't even hang with him off set in the club either.

On a fitness infomercial set with Greg circa 2009

QOR Men's Performance Apparel - My new client!

     QOR (pronounced 'core') is a new, cutting age men's performance clothing company.  I am honored to get in on the ground floor as one of their 'core' models!  A little back-story, the smart people behind QOR are also the same ones who started the Athleta brand for women.  Athleta, recently acquired by Gap, grew up and so big it kind of lost their interest so they are now channeling their passion into launching a high-performance, sophisticated men's clothing line aimed to inspire men of all ages.  QOR is based up in the San Francisco area.  My last shoot took place in Petaluma in Sonoma County, and I believe they have a corporate office there.

     Besides the amazing clothing which looks great whether you're climbing a mountain, biking to the office, or in an office meeting, (it's discrete, sophisticated, high performing, active wear in a nutshell), this type of client is what inspires me lately because, it matches where I'm at in my life, and, those who know me, know my wardrobe must be functional first, or I'm not wearing it!  Function is my style haha!  But QOR let's you have both while keeping things simple for guys who are too busy to shop.
     The shoots are indeed physically demanding, and outdoors much of the time, which suits me perfectly.  (This coming from a 12 year fitness-model veteran...) You can take the model out of the fitness industry but you can't take the fitness out of the model.  Does that make sense?  What I mean is, sometimes I don't do very well on shoots if there is no physical challenge or outdoor adventure associated with it.  Training nonstop and being uber fit is in my blood and I can't stop/won't stop, but alas now in my forties my fitness goals have shifted to more of a longevity and holistic health frame of mind, and besides, clothing fits better and looks better with less (muscle) bulk!

Learn more about QOR men's performance clothing at their website: QORKit.com!  Follow them on FB, Twitter and Insta too!

Prostate Health and Prostate Cancer Awareness - It's 'Movember'!

Since it is ‘No shave November’, AKA Movember, I thought I would make this month’s nutrition topic about foods that promote a healthy prostate!  But in addition to some healthy food choices, I can’t help but also give you some lifestyle tips as well, to maintain a healthy prostate as you age into your forties, fifties and beyond.  For example, did you know that regular ejaculation is absolutely one of the healthiest things you can do for your prostate?  To be more specific, a recent study (don’t ask me how they studied this), showed that men age 40 and over who ejaculated at least 21 times per month were at 33% lower risk for developing enlarged prostate gland, or prostate cancer than those who ejaculated less frequently.  Obviously the safest but least fun way to accomplish this is through masturbation, because increasing sex partners will increase your risk of exposure to many other STDs which could be more way more life threatening than prostate cancer!

Why should you be so concerned with your prostate anyway?  Well doctors recommend at age 40 that you get your first prostate check, by having your rectum probed with the finger of a medical expert.  This type of check will allow a doctor to manually feel your prostate gland and see if it is enlarged or has any lumps, or hard spots.  At age 50 doctors recommend a prostate check every year, by either manual check through the rectum or a blood lab PSA test (Prostate Specific Antigen test).  The problem with blood PSA tests is they are really only useful when several tests are taken over a period of time detect a trend.  Because your PSA levels can acutely rise into a risk-alert level through many activities such as sexual intercourse, bicycling or any other kind of trauma near that area of your body.  Even a sitting too long during a road trip can spike your PSA levels, possibly alarming you and your doctor for no reason.  So as unpleasant and as violating as it may be, many experts feel that the manual finger-insertion check is more accurate and reliable than a blood PSA test.  What all these tests are trying to check for is early onset of enlarged prostate gland, medically known as ‘Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia’ or BPH.  BPH can then be a precursor to prostate cancer, which at least is considered very curable and isn’t likely to kill you.  But still nobody wants cancer!

The Value of Hiring a Professional Fitness Model vs. a Pro Athlete.

     I used to make fun of my own kind ('fitness' models), because we have so much emphasis put upon our appearance and aren't perceived as true athletes, however after doing this gig for 14 years I've come to value this title again, because when you need a fit body to exercise literally all day long with no whining or pampering, and make your prototype product or apparel look flawless, and be able to basically reproduce any sport or fake it pretty darn well with zero rehearsal, the pro Fitness Model will kick the pro athlete's ass 9 times out of 10.  Making the client's product look amazing is our sport!
     Not trying to take away anything from the professional athlete.  In fact many of you know I have always tried to draw parallels between myself and what I do as a working fitness model with professional athletes.  I've always advocated and almost preached, "function over aesthetics", "performance over aesthetics", and claimed I was in a sense a 'holistic athlete'.

   

The Human Microbiome: Like it or not, you are host to trillions of bacteria that are integral to everything about you! You need these flora as much as they need you...

     Your microbiome refers to the assemblage of microbes (bacteria) that live in and on our body.  These living bacteria, considered ‘friendly flora’, or commensal for the most part, outnumber our own human cells 10 to 1.  We are more foreign bacteria than we are ‘human’!  Up to 5 lbs. of our body weight is made up of the living, high-functioning bacteria we carry around with us, mostly residing in our colon or gut.  (Remember most of our bodyweight is actually comprised of water.)

            We’ve come a long way in our understanding of microbes, and what distinguishes a good bacteria from a disease causing pathogen.  By now, from a holistic perspective you should understand that while there is a time and place for sanitation, anti-bacterial soaps & cleaners, and antibiotic drugs, to be optimally healthy we must learn to co-exist with bacteria and even nurture and feed our own friendly flora that we are host to.  Culturally we should not associate the word bacteria with dirty or unsanitary.  When we are truly healthy in a holistic sense, we naturally coexist with most types of bacteria, even the disease causing ones – they simply don’t seem to infect us on a day to day basis.  In fact our own colonies of friendly bacteria help us ‘fight off’ the bad bacteria.  It’s an amazing microbial world of checks and balances taking place within our gut and on every surface of our body, established initially from birth, and building onward.

Improper initial bacterial colonization at birth and as infants due to C-section delivery (because vaginal birth is when and where newborns receive their first implantation of bacteria from mom), or chronic disruption of these native flora colonies due to long term use of antibiotic drugs can skew our health so far of course that many systemic inflammatory, and auto-immune diseases can be set in motion, often blamed on other allergic reactions, or lifestyle factors such as poor diet or lack of exercise.  This is because, our native gut flora, also serve to regulate and balance our immune system and prevent it from over-reacting.  Over time, our immune system gets conditioned to the friendly microbes and bacteria living in our gut and learns not to react to them or attack them.  The immune T-cells become regulated.  But when a course of antibiotics disrupts our good bacteria colonies, it can leave a void for bad pathogenic, disease causing bacteria to take up residence or multiply.

               In fact many systemic inflammatory and autoimmune diseases are now being re-thought to be caused or linked to missing or dysfunctional gut flora, such as type-2 diabetes, Crohn’s disease, Celiac’s disease, colitis, even obesity and autism.  Is it possible that the recent surge in folks who claim to have a ‘gluten-sensitivity or allergy’ may actually have an imbalance or lack or healthy bacteria residing in their gut?  This is all based on a relatively new project of research known as The Human Microbiome Project which was commissioned in 2007 and is still ongoing now.  Not only is the research directed at learning more about how we mutually coexist and rely on bacteria, but researchers are also genetically coding the DNA of these bacteria, and linking them to specific human traits or diseases.  These various colonies of bacteria reside all over our body and they can only live in their designated spot and are high-functioning and symbiotic.  And everywhere they exist they are part of a microbiome area of human real estate where they maintain a system of checks and balances and help regulate our immune system, and even produce a myriad of enzymes that are necessary for final digestion and nutrient absorption.

My Protein Bar & Supplement Sponsor, 'Greens Plus'!, AKA, 'Greens+'

Good surfing fuel, both pre or post surf!

Sorry for two blog posts in one day, but I'm way behind in my wish-list of blog topics and critical information I owe to you, and this post is way more personable, and not just a spam or sales-pitch attempt I assure you!  I just wanted to give a shout-out to my relatively new sponsor 'Greens+' pronounced "Greens Plus".  I guess technically I'm an ambassador for them, but they're sending me my favorite products every month so either way I'm stoked.  I'm using their protein and chia bars, and their chia-seed powder blend, and their raw, green, powder blend.

This the bar I like! - Max

     Their products are all non-GMO, certified organic, raw, alkaline, gluten-free, cold-pressed, (I could go on with all the bells and whistles and fancy labels but I won't!)  Many are available in vegan options as well.  My current favorite is their new 'PlusBar' whey protein bar in peanut butter-chocolate flavor with 72% cacao content of course!  The whey is 100% whey isolate for high BV, quick absorbtion.  This bar, although recently re-furbished and re-branded into full super-food status, has been my travel companion for years, (way before this sponsorship began), both on the JetBlue jet and on many fitness shoots, and surf trips!  So tasty, it will also satiate and silence your chocolate-peanut butter craving too!  Here is the direct link to learn more about this fantastic bar, (and NO I am not the one selling it or receiving any points or downline or upline haha!...just looking out for you!): Greens Plus, Whey protein PlusBAR, peanut butter-chocolate!

Have PlusBar will travel!  Healthy snack at cruise altitude!

Thanks for listening, your's truly,
Max
"Optimum health is my method of life!"