No magic pills, no secret exercise regimen and no fad diet plan can fix you. Here's why. You will ALWAYS rebound. Sooner or later. This is because you aren't addressing the issue of how and why. How did you put on 20 pounds and why? This the proper way to attack the problem and the necessary way to get where you want to go, whatever your reasons. I believe in critical analysis of your inner self combined with a lifestyle change. It works and it lasts. I have a private client that came to me at 192 pounds, overweight, unhealthy and unhappy. Divorced, never cooked a meal for himself. I adjusted his meals to proper nutrition, he ate out 3 times a day at restaurants, and we worked out 3 times a week with him doing another day on his own. He is now 165.5 pounds. We worked on his relationship to food and we spoke about his issues.

I'll talk about the best way to attack the holidays next.... 

In the age of Mixed Martial Arts, UFC, Tapout shirts and wannabe fighters on TV crying after they lose because their 19 year old ass doesn't have a job and can't support their two babies at home because they got knocked out on TUF in one minute after telling everyone they were the toughest fighter in the house, it's frustrating for me because unfortunately today people equate martial arts with that garbage. Now don't get me wrong, I like watching the fights too. As an athletic showcase it's entertaining, but martial arts is more than that. This is why I'm a proponent of traditional kung fu. Having kung fu in your life will fill in the gaps left from just training to be a fighter, or hockey player, football player, baseball etc. Kung Fu is a system; as such it is complete with mental training, personality training, discipline, spirituality as well as everything MMA has to offer. I've fought MMA, my students have fought MMA, I'm not talking out my ass.

I always tell my students that Kung Fu is a way of life. We train hard, we fight in jujitsu, mixed martial arts, kickboxing, sanshou and we do iron mans, and ultra runs. Kung Fu and our training supplements this.

Come try out a class and test my theory.

If you are athletic but are missing the mental training, come try a class and test my theory.

Or if you just want to be stro ger and tougher, come try a class and test my theory.

Traditional Kung Fu has it all. 

Mental training is becoming more of a necessity with professional athletes than ever before, and not just fighters. This past season I worked with young athletes in the fields of professional hockey and soccer. Visualization training through guided meditations were an important part of a professional hockey player that I had been working with for the past few years which produced a substantial benefit to his gameplay. My own mental training began at an early age learning meditation at seven years old so in a way I've taken for granted just how useful in my life it was. The importance of strengthening the mind and tackling your internal baggage is incredibly important to an individual's ability to reach their potential as a person, not just in martial arts or athletics. Over the years I have honed my mental training into a process that I can teach anyone. The level of advancement is up to the individual; how far do you want they want to go, what are their goals? My process combines science with philosophy in a non-religious denomination. It has made many people reach further than they though possible and unleashed their potential. It's made me the person I am today. I've had my own personal struggles, my own baggage, my own mistakes, but the process allowed me to move past it all and become the man I am today, a better man for sure.

With Summertime on its way out and Fall ushering itself in a change of mental attitude occurs. The fun times of summer become the buckling down, hard work ethic that characterizes autumn.  This shift happens in North America obviously in accord with the educational system, but in nature it can be observed. Bears fattening up for a long winter and squirrells burying nuts for later use are examples of this. I was taught by my teachers that it was important to live life according to the seasons, in harmony with nature. This is a natural law and will facilitate a peaceful existence. Take the time to enjoy this last weekend of summer and prepare for autumn. As martial artists we have work to do this fall season, I hope you are ready.

As my students know, I dislocated my knee while sparring 2 weeks ago. I was on crutches for a few days, then used a cane for the rest of the time. I had a referral to see a doctor who is a specialist on knee issues and saw him 2 days ago. He was amazed that I hadn's torn my ACL. based on the nature of the event, the swelling and other symptoms he was sure I would need surgery. I was healing very fast however and upon his examination it was determined that the ACL was intact and I was good to go, no surgery. He said that either I was really lucky, or my training regimen saved me. I like to believe it was a bit of both. After 31 years of stance training, and workouts designed to strengthen functionality I wasn't surprised. It wasn't me, I wasn't special. It was the training. Traditional Kung Fu and our circuit workouts improve the body in a way that is very different from bodybuilding. We train our balance, stability and the smaller muscles just as much. Now I just had tangible proof that our training can improve the quality of your life and reduce the need for medical treatments later in life. Preventative medicine at its best, Wuji systems training.

;)