Making an Investment in your Health, Part 1-Fitness

Everyone is concerned now a days (as they should) about money. Actually even more now than usual. We worry about this week, next paycheck and our future. We think of what is the proper way to invest in our futures for our dreams and retirement.

Did anyone ever think about making an investment in your and your families health? I have many patients/clients that I work with now who wish that they did just that. Made the proper investment in their health before it was too late. Before they became overweight from a poor diet and not exercising, before their bodies began to make compensations for this excess weight and poor movement, before their bodies began to break down structurally due to the excess stress on certain joints and not enough stress on the other joints. Now they are recovering from a total joint surgery and have a huge uphill battle to get themselves back to health. If you think about it, those people may have saved more earlier by not investing in their health, but now they have all these health problems and insurance bills to boot. They end up losing money! To make matters much worse they will never totally get back what they have lost. The damage has already been done. Their health may deteriorate due to not taking time and spending some money towards themselves and their health.

In all actuality many studies have shown that many of the cancers today can be PREVENTED by a proper diet and exercise. So I see all these people that have made changes because now they have to so they can try to lead a somewhat normal life.

MAKE A TRUE INVESTMENT that will totally give you the types of rewards you are looking for. This investment won't come back and haunt you if you make the investment wisely. This investment can bring you happiness, energy, strength and self esteem. Start making your investment now, you will thank yourself in the future.

Different types of investments you can make in your health

1. MOVE MORE

I highly recommend that you hire someone QUALIFIED to help you get into or keep you physically fit. I would recommend anyone who has a certification in the FMS (functional movement screen) or RKC/HKC (russian kettlebell certification) because not only do they know how to train movement correctly, but they emphasize form and function. Getting ripped while getting injured in the process is not an investment at all. You want to think on the long haul and be able to be in tip top shape when you get older, not end up in surgery or having chronic pain.

Experts can help us get the goals we want not only sooner but safer. I even have a trainer of my very own if that tells you anything. If I ever wanted to run a marathon, I would meet with a running coach. A triathalon? You guessed it. Swim to get in shape? Then you better bet I will meet with a swim coach to get the absolute most out of my body and my performance in whatever aspect I want to exercise.

Joining a gym is good just as long as there is a PLAN that comes with the gym membership. Walking around and picking out a machine here or there does not mean you are on the right track. For a few more bucks you can hire someone to have a PLAN for you.

If this particular investment is not in the cards then just MOVE MORE. Play with your kids for crying out loud. Put the playstation away and play flag football, tag, baseball, basketball, or just make up your own games. Try to incorporate body weight exercises, and running into your games. You will benefit, your kids will benefit and you will help to strengthen your bond with your children. Childhood obesity is crazy high and we are the ones to blame. We are the ones that teach habits to our youth about everything, including our health.

Don't have time to exercise? Really? Don't have 5 minutes? How much TV do you watch? If you spent those little tibits of time doing SOMETHING it could pay off. Here are some examples:

• while you are waiting for the microwave or stove/oven to finish cooking your meals. Do push ups against the counter. Maybe even some squats or lunges in the kitchen?


• commercial break during the game or favorite tv show? Perform a plank for time and see how long you can hold it with PERFECT form.


• stressed out? Go for a walk with someone or by yourself. The exercise will help your stress immensly

Next time I will talk a bit more about investing in your health through your diet....

Football Sunday

So we got the chance today to get a ton of stuff done today.  Nikki and I went grocery shopping and got all the supplies we needed for the week.  We came home and worked like a team cooking and cleaning for the next 4 hours.  We made chicken enchilada casserole, protein bars, cut fruit and put them in containers, and made an AWESOME healthy Pumpkin Dessert Squares (yummmm!).  (Recipe coming!)

Then I was lucky enough to have time to get to sit down and watch an awesome cardinal/cowboy game.  Then I got to enjoy the best part of the fall (if you ask me), I switched from the Dodger/Philly game and the Charger/Patriot game.  My wife, bless her heart, was a little burned out from football all day (we only have one TV) and made a terrific suggestion.  Lets go down to our apartment and workout?  We went down there and she watched "brothers and sisters" and I switched between the baseball and football game on the other TV in the workout room.  

I brought my 15lb. kettlebell with me and my heart rate monitor.  I decided to do a little walking on an incline to get my glutes activated for a while.  Walked with the kettlebell in my right hand for a while and then with my left hand for a while.  (I noticed that I had a lot more trouble walking with the kettlebell in my L hand so I made an effort to work on my imbalance by walking with it the majority of the time in my L hand).  I did that for 20 minutes while watching TV.  Then did some mild cable exercises (chops with the cable) and some deadlifts.  At the end of it all, I worked out for 30 minutes and it really did not feel like much.  I looked at my heart rate monitor and it said I burned 383 calories!

That is an important thing when you are trying to lose weight.  Create a deficit!  Find ways that you can do more in your day to help burn more calories that you take in.  I think we are going to make this a regular Sunday tradition.  So for all of you Sunday football watchers out there try doing some things during commercials.  Here are a few ideas:

• push ups
• pull ups
• front planks
• side planks
• stretching
• lunges
• squats to the couch and back up
• grab a band and do curls and presses and squats
• grab some dumbbells and do arm curls to presses, single leg stance exercises.
• BE CREATIVE, it makes a big difference!

Love yourself

I have exercised, lifted, dieted, and taken supplements when I was an athlete in high school and college and now as an individual for almost 20 years now. At some time during my quest for the ultimate body, I felt that I always would hit a wall and could never get the results I wanted. If I did get some results, then they were short lived. I would get so frustrated with myself, I would look in the mirror and see someone I did not like very much. I hated the way I looked and I hated the way I felt...

Then, I read the book and watched the DVD titled "The Secret". I finally figured out that I was surrounding myself with way too much negativity, I was being too hard on myself and I was blaming others for my misfortunes as well. I realized I was working very hard on the physical me but not the emotional me.

I believe the point is true that no one will ever love you for who truly are until you love yourself first. Instead of pointing out all of your faults, point out your positive points (what you are good at). Put a positive spin on things and situations. Don't sweat the small little things in life that piss us off. I realized that you cannot be negative all the time. Make a point to have a positive effect on your life and the lives of others and your life will feel way more fulfilled. Then working out, eating right and/or getting those injured areas back to healthy is just icing on the cake.

So work on the physical and the emotional you (you will see better benefits if you tackle these together). Forgive yourself for your mistakes in the past and forgive others for the emotional scars that have been made on your heart and let them heal. Enjoy life for every minute that you have it, live for the now and not the future. You will thank me for it.

Now that you love yourself the journey can truly begin and it is going to be one wild ride!

Greetings to SGHP!

First of all we are extremely excited to post the very first blog for Snow-Gargano Human Performance. Nikki and I are sooooo excited to get started telling everyone all that we know about in one of the most important things in everyones life, their human performance. We could have called is sports performance since I have a background in getting athletes to perform better in their field of play, but that would take out so much of us that just want to live our lives healthier.

This blog spot is for everyone out their that wants to improve or maintain their quality of life. Whether it be the individual that wants to be able to go for walks, garden and play with their grandchildren to those individuals who need help training for triathlons and half marathons. Whether it is that young athlete who wants to train for an upcoming high school basketball season or the recreational athlete that wants to get prepared for a fun and injury free coed softball season. This is for everyone that wants to learn more about injury prevention, rehabilitation, fitness for all ages, sports medicine, athletic injuries, nutrition, recipes and so much more!

Nikki and I will post (at least weekly) cool information to all of you. And without further blabbing my me (Mark), WELCOME TO SGHP!

PS. I want to thank my BEAUTIFUL wife Nikki for giving me the idea for our blog! (she is such an inspiration! "moment")