If you have kids, know kids or ever were a kid…we implore you to read this entire entry! Thanks!
We Americans take for granted that our life expectancy will increase from generation to generation.
Each generation can expect to live longer than the ones that came before, right?
Not so fast. America’s children are at risk! Spreading like wildfire, a deadly “disease” has affected nearly 30% of our kids already, and by 2010, nearly 50% could be afflicted with this slow killer!
What’s this exotic virus, bacteria or “bug” striking down our youth? It’s not exotic. It’s not a virus, bacteria or other biotic.
But it is killing our kids…Have you figured out what I’m talking about yet?
The killer I’m talking about is Youth Obesity!
According to the New England Journal of Medicine, life expectancy among those now 6 to 19 years old will fall for the first time since has been measured.
Did you get that? Our kids’ generation will have a shorter life span than ours! 2 to 5 years shorter!
The Surgeon General says it’s nothing less than a “national catastrophe!”
Kids as young as 7 or 8 are turning up in doctor’s offices with Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and cholesterol, painful joint conditions and even gallstones! All typical “adult conditions!”
So what’s the problem? There are many, including:
The “couch potato culture” - Computer use, video games, watching TV & “hanging out” actually discourage movement, and don’t help kids build healthy movement patterns, stay fit, burn off excess calories or manage stress and anxiety! Kids become less coordinated, less mobile and more sedentary.
A “more is better” culture surrounding food – Have you noticed the portion sizes in most restaurants? How about the size of the pizza you get delivered (not to mention the breadsticks and other crap) or the giant gulps, supersizes and megaloads of junk pitched to our kids on radio, internet and TV all day and night?
Recess and Physical Education-free schools – I don’t care who’s to “blame!” Our kids don’t move enough in school! Recess is a thing of the past, or so it seems. Schools can’t find the funds needed for the quality physical fitness education our kids need to grow strong, healthy and vibrant!
Fast foods, pseudo-foods and just plain junk food! - Childhood obesity rates in America continue to soar, and the “lack” of “available” healthy foods isn’t helping! Our kids need to learn good eating habits, and that great tasting, healthy food is always within reach…if they know where and how to look!
Safety Issues - Once upon a time, kids came home from school, did homework and ran out to play without a care in the world. Not anymore. We need to let our kids “go out and play,” somehow!
An exclusionary youth sports and social system - Many kids feel excluded from sports or other activities feeling like they don’t fit in, or can’t compete with athletic kids. Self-esteem suffers, & they lose the desire to be active & try new sports or activities. Of course, this problem only gets worse as kids get fatter, more out of shape and sicker!
What can be done? Can the government save them? Will medicine find a “miracle cure” for this horrifying malaise?
Are we powerless to stop the decline of our children’s health, and their generation?
The answer: No! It’s up to us to keep the next generation from being the one whose lives are shortened by a preventable “disease!”
Ghandi once said “Be the change you would see in the world.”
All-Star Sports Academy intends to be that change, and we’re asking you to join us!
On November 1, 2008, All-Star Sports Academy will launch FitKidz©, an exercise and wellness program designed with a single purpose in mind: “Help America’s Children Rediscover the Joys of Movement, Fitness and Wellness!”
FitKidz© will teach kids that the journey to health and fitness is at least as much fun, and as worthwhile, as the destination of being healthy and fit!
From the basics of functional movement - running, jumping, crawling, throwing, skipping, climbing and moving things around – to the love of healthy foods instead of junk or “pseudo-“ foods, to the simple, healthy benefits of just having fun, FitKidz© will provide a fun, supportive atmosphere for ALL kids!
Athlete or non-athlete, fit or not, boys and girls alike will have the opportunity to “go out and play” (or ‘in’), all while developing the health-building habits that will serve them the rest of their lives!
Twice a week kids will run, jump, skip, throw, crawl, move stuff and learn to move in all directions with ease! They’ll play games as they learn to compete and cooperate, team-build and problem solve.
They will be guided through this terrific experience by a certified, trained youth fitness professional whose mission is to create an enriching, fulfilling and fitness-enhancing environment!
Most important, they’ll have fun! So much fun that they won’t even realize they’re “exercising!”
They won’t even realize that they’re choosing better foods and developing healthy habits! Ssshhhh!
But before you know it, they’ll realize how great they feel!
The best part is that you can give this incredible gift to your child each month for less than the cost of many athletic shoes or newly released video games!
If you’re not in Ocean County, NJ, don’t worry…we’re working to bring a FitKidz© Program to a location near you…SOON!
Call us today at 732-597-3725 or email us at fitkidzusa @ gmail.com!
News, views and special stuff from All-Star Sports Academy!
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
What Shamu taught me
We've all seen it. We've all been amazed by it.
Admit it; the first time you saw it, you were slack-jawed.
The pool is relatively calm, water swirling softly, when 11,000 pounds of sleek, deadly power explodes out of the pool, passes over a bar set ridiculously high above it, and slides back into the water. Gone!
The trainers have developed trust, good will and love with the whales.
This can take several weeks. After this, the bar the whales will jump over is placed at the bottom of the pool. That's right; the bottom of the pool!
Slowly, over time, the bar is raised off the bottom. As the whales continue to swim over it, they are praised and rewarded by the trainers. These rewards include pats on the head and flippers, fin rubs, fish treats and even a simple spray with a cold water hose.
If the whales swim under the bar during training, that behavior is ignored! The trainers, you see, always want to accentuate the positive!
As the bar is raised to the top of the water level, what do you think happens? That's right; the whales swim or slide over the top of the bar!
Guess what the trainers do. They praise and reward the whales with gusto! And the whales respond! They seem to feel excited, happy and fulfilled at the reaction of the trainers!
When the bar is raised to 6 or 8 feet above the pool, well...you know what happens then. That's showtime!
So let's review how you can get 11,000 lbs of the deadliest predator in the ocean to jump out of a pool and over a bar for you:
Admit it; the first time you saw it, you were slack-jawed.
The pool is relatively calm, water swirling softly, when 11,000 pounds of sleek, deadly power explodes out of the pool, passes over a bar set ridiculously high above it, and slides back into the water. Gone!
If you're a thinking person, you asked yourself "How do they get a 5 ton Killer Whale to do that?" Or perhaps, "Why doesn't that killing machine just eat the trainer already?"
I know how they do it, and it doesn't really surprise me.
The trainers at Sea World use a training "process" that begins with spending time getting to know the whale. From there they spend time in and around the water, letting the whales get used to them and lose their fear of the trainers.
You read that right; the whales have fear of the trainers. But once that fear is gone, the positive vibes between trainer and whale create an environment for learning and improvement like no other!
The trainers have developed trust, good will and love with the whales.This can take several weeks. After this, the bar the whales will jump over is placed at the bottom of the pool. That's right; the bottom of the pool!
Slowly, over time, the bar is raised off the bottom. As the whales continue to swim over it, they are praised and rewarded by the trainers. These rewards include pats on the head and flippers, fin rubs, fish treats and even a simple spray with a cold water hose.
If the whales swim under the bar during training, that behavior is ignored! The trainers, you see, always want to accentuate the positive!
As the bar is raised to the top of the water level, what do you think happens? That's right; the whales swim or slide over the top of the bar!
Guess what the trainers do. They praise and reward the whales with gusto! And the whales respond! They seem to feel excited, happy and fulfilled at the reaction of the trainers!
When the bar is raised to 6 or 8 feet above the pool, well...you know what happens then. That's showtime!So let's review how you can get 11,000 lbs of the deadliest predator in the ocean to jump out of a pool and over a bar for you:
- Develop trust, good will and love with them.
- Start at the bottom of the pool.
- Raise the bar steadily and consistently, until you reach the level at which you want them to "swim."
- Accentuate the positive, de-emphasize or ignore the negative (behaviors.)
- Praise and reward with gusto! Make sure they know you mean it! Celebrate every small progression like a victory along the way!
Now, would you like to know a secret? Training youth athletes and working with kids in fitness programs is exactly the same!!
They have to know you love and respect them!
They have to understand that progress is made from a definable starting point (bottom of the pool!)
They need to have the bar raised steadily and consistently, and they have to have an idea of where it's going!
They crave structure, discipline, direction and accentuation of the positives!
They live for praise, recognition, celebration of progress and reward! Just like the rest of us!
At the risk of sounding like a broken record, that's why we spend so much time talking about the journey, instead of the destination.
The process instead of the product.
The path to the goal instead of reaching it "by any means necessary."
All-Star Sports Academy builds better athletes and better people.
Find out why and how today! Call us at 732-597-3725 or email allstarsportsacademy @ gmail.com!
We'll see YOU at All-Star Sports Academy!
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
This is just dumb...be smarter!!
Are you a baseball fan? A "true" fan?
Someone who goes to MLB games, buys gear and pays attention?
Then you're getting robbed. That's right, you are being swindled.
Not to mention you're supporting what is apparently an incredibly hazardous sport.
OK, enough of the cryptic stuff...here's the real scoop.
A 15 minute research project today revealed the following interesting information regarding Major League Baseball and injuries.
As of today, Sept. 17, in the American League alone, there are 36 pitchers on the disabled list. 36!
That's just pitchers. In only one half of Major League Baseball. These guys are being paid over $86 million dollars to not throw a baseball.
There are some notables. For example, Curt Schilling (Red Sox) is being paid $10 million to sit on the DL for the entire season!
Chien Min Wang (Yankees) has been sitting since June 15, but getting paid $4 million.
Danys Baez (Orioles) and Jose Contreras (White Sox) are both out for the season, to the tune of $16.17 million.
Over in Cleveland, the Indians paid Jake Westbrook $10 million this year. In exchange, they got all of 3 games out of him, and one win. That's $10 million for ONE WIN!
Now, I don't fault the players for the salaries they get. However, if you or I went "out for the season" at work with a biceps injury or a strained elbow ligament, I'm pretty sure we wouldn't get paid our full salary, if at all!
As fans, we're getting hosed. We shell out serious money to see these big-shot, high paid players perform! When they sit on the bench, we get to see, well, we don't see the guys we're paying to see.
If you went to see the Batman movie, The Dark Knight, and the theater showed you The Little Mermaid instead, how long would you put up with it?
What's my point here? Let's try a simple exercise and see if you can figure it out.
I'm going to list the players injuries, without their names, but with the simple, science-based training techniques or concepts that absolutely will prevent these injuries! No maybes here...just solutions! Here goes:
Lisfranc fracture/peroneus longus (foot/ankle muscle) tear.............Ankle mobility/stability training
Biceps strain/degeneration...........................Functional strength training/active flexibility & shoulder stabilization training
Elbow ligament tear (Tommy John).............Shoulder stability/dynamic stability & flexibility
Strained intercostal muscle.........................Functional Core Training/rotation training
Shoulder Inflammation.................................Functional Shoulder stability/Scapular stability
Amazingly enough, the other aspects of functional training that would help prevent these injuries include:
Core Stabilization, strength and power
Hip stability and mobility
Deceleration training (if you have no idea what we're talking about, call us NOW!)
Single leg training
Reactive neuromuscular training
You probably get it by now. Notice what's not on the list? Bench presses, leg presses and seated anything presses, rows or pulls.
These guys can afford the very best sports fitness training available, and they should take advantage of it!
Here's a secret: you can afford the best sports fitness training available, too!! All-Star Sports Academy can show you how to get the best training you can find anywhere, at a rate that will shock you!
Now, the question is: Are you smarter and more dedicated to your sports performance than a Major League Pitcher on the Disabled List?
These guys are willing to sit around injured and be absolutely no good to their team. How about you?
Step in, step up and do it right! Hundreds of athletes just like you already have.
Call us at 732-597-3725 and arrange to come in for your 1 week trial. Find out why All-Star Sports Academy athletes don't even know what the "disabled list" is!
Then you're getting robbed. That's right, you are being swindled.
Not to mention you're supporting what is apparently an incredibly hazardous sport.
OK, enough of the cryptic stuff...here's the real scoop.
A 15 minute research project today revealed the following interesting information regarding Major League Baseball and injuries.
As of today, Sept. 17, in the American League alone, there are 36 pitchers on the disabled list. 36!
That's just pitchers. In only one half of Major League Baseball. These guys are being paid over $86 million dollars to not throw a baseball.
There are some notables. For example, Curt Schilling (Red Sox) is being paid $10 million to sit on the DL for the entire season!
Chien Min Wang (Yankees) has been sitting since June 15, but getting paid $4 million.
Danys Baez (Orioles) and Jose Contreras (White Sox) are both out for the season, to the tune of $16.17 million.
Over in Cleveland, the Indians paid Jake Westbrook $10 million this year. In exchange, they got all of 3 games out of him, and one win. That's $10 million for ONE WIN!
Now, I don't fault the players for the salaries they get. However, if you or I went "out for the season" at work with a biceps injury or a strained elbow ligament, I'm pretty sure we wouldn't get paid our full salary, if at all!
As fans, we're getting hosed. We shell out serious money to see these big-shot, high paid players perform! When they sit on the bench, we get to see, well, we don't see the guys we're paying to see.
If you went to see the Batman movie, The Dark Knight, and the theater showed you The Little Mermaid instead, how long would you put up with it?
What's my point here? Let's try a simple exercise and see if you can figure it out.
I'm going to list the players injuries, without their names, but with the simple, science-based training techniques or concepts that absolutely will prevent these injuries! No maybes here...just solutions! Here goes:
Lisfranc fracture/peroneus longus (foot/ankle muscle) tear.............Ankle mobility/stability training
Biceps strain/degeneration...........................Functional strength training/active flexibility & shoulder stabilization training
Elbow ligament tear (Tommy John).............Shoulder stability/dynamic stability & flexibility
Strained intercostal muscle.........................Functional Core Training/rotation training
Shoulder Inflammation.................................Functional Shoulder stability/Scapular stability
Amazingly enough, the other aspects of functional training that would help prevent these injuries include:
Core Stabilization, strength and power
Hip stability and mobility
Deceleration training (if you have no idea what we're talking about, call us NOW!)
Single leg training
Reactive neuromuscular training
You probably get it by now. Notice what's not on the list? Bench presses, leg presses and seated anything presses, rows or pulls.
These guys can afford the very best sports fitness training available, and they should take advantage of it!
Here's a secret: you can afford the best sports fitness training available, too!! All-Star Sports Academy can show you how to get the best training you can find anywhere, at a rate that will shock you!
Now, the question is: Are you smarter and more dedicated to your sports performance than a Major League Pitcher on the Disabled List?
These guys are willing to sit around injured and be absolutely no good to their team. How about you?
Step in, step up and do it right! Hundreds of athletes just like you already have.
Call us at 732-597-3725 and arrange to come in for your 1 week trial. Find out why All-Star Sports Academy athletes don't even know what the "disabled list" is!
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