"Human on a stick"

That is what the first ever company to offer Segway tours is called. A Segway (pictured below) is a new 'mode' (i.e. LAZY) of transportation. The 'on-a-stick' hails as a spin-off to everything Minnesota-state-fair where every food item you could ever imagine is on a stick (skewer). We are talking...

Pickles on-a-stick

Corndogs on-a-stick

Cookies on-a-stick

Candy Bars on-a-stick (Snickers with Funnel Cake batter deep fried...only 600 calories per bite!)

French Fries on-a-stick

Newspaper on-a-stick

and last but not least new to this year's fair SALMON on-a-stick. Wow!




(for all you Z people...notice the cervical lateral glide ROM, uh-huh someone's been practicing his Z! :)

I needed a fun, entertaining "fast-paced for 2 ADD folk" activity for my girlfriend's birthday and so I sought out this company in Minneapolis who did Segway tours around a very prominent historical area through parks and trails and a lot of old buildings. They are located 4 blocks from the 35W bridge collapse so their business has been demanding the last couple of weeks.

I must add that the 'Safety Video' that we were required to view for 30 minutes prior to our little trip was the cheesiest thing I have ever seen...animations and re-inactments galore that had us all laughing more at the people on the video than actually paying attention the hazards of a machine that moves at a whopping 4.5 mph! However, as you will read later, there is always ONE in the group who needs a 'special' reminder.

What does any of this have to do with the theme of my blog you ask?

Everything when it comes to the downfall of society moving their bodyweight through space. Now we have a machine, granted they are $5000 each new, that will port us around doing nothing more than creating more hyperlordosis (which our low backs bothered us both for two days following riding these things...Z definitely helped pre-bed) and packing on the weight. Not a good direction for society as we know it (especially when you read the follow-up to this post.)

The first highlight of my night was when we were on a trail in a single-file line with 15 other Segwayers and a guy rides by and says in the most smart-ass voice possible (which I can appreciate) "Exercising on your left" meaning he's going to pass on our left for you non-Minnesotan trail goers. I cracked up! I said to my girlfriend "if he thinks he's exercising, he should come to my (kettlebell) class in the morning and he'll see what exercise really is" ...yet he was right in my world. What is the world coming to that we need to add motors to mechanical devices that used to be fueled by human power.

The second highlight? My gf biffs it into a cement divider showing off when we were allowed to graduate to the 2nd key which put us at a whopping 8 miles per hour...in front of Guthrie Theatre goers (think suits and ties). We had a great laugh and she came away with only a bruise to her leg...and her pride :) Really I was glad that she did it first because I'm usually the graceful one!

Z Health Client Results

I thought I would update all of you on two clients from radically different situations and different speeds of outcomes.

Client #1
Female / mid thirties
I have known her for about 6 years. At one point about a year and half ago, she was teaching a spinning class, a step aerobics class, and also strength training with a personal trainer. Very fit person who loves to workout and live a health lifestyle.

She came to me today for her 1st Z appt and the first time ever working with me 1 on 1.

Complaint: R medial and lateral knee pain level 7 (scale of 1-10) and low back pain level 2. Knee hurts when most descending stairs and also doing lunges and sometimes squats. For someone who is dedicated to health and fitness the pain has reduced her activity to swimming 3 days per week and that is about it (and she says she is 'ornery' :) She's been to two Physical Therapists, 2 other trainers, 1 orthopedic, and 2 other 'specialists' all of who basically said they could not do anything for her other than a cortizone shot (and we all know how I FEEL about that!...of course she made the correct decision and declined :)

Z Eval: I started doing some drills with her seeking the highest payoffs in the order that her body likes. I find 5 drills that are perfect for her. Test visual system and find 2 discrepancies. Re-test the R phase drills with the rehab eye positions to solidify the work.

Result: Knee pain level 7 to 0.
Time: 1 hour.

*Disclaimer...is it always this easy? No. Is it this easy 80% of the time? Yes.



Client #2
Female / Early Forties
This one has been long-term. We are now in our 20th week of working together 3x/week. In great shape, is going to begin training for a Half Ironman which her friend talked her into (I have explained the consequences...and sometimes that is all I can do :)

Complaint: Low back pain most of the time directly above Left hip. Acute problem happened picking up her son and has lived with this for 7 YEARS. Pain level as high as 8 initially 20 weeks ago. Since then other things have unraveled and manifested as the back pain has decreased. So we do something different almost every day. (She is diligent with her rehab drills at home).

Z Eval: I started with attempting to find high payoffs. This has definitely a work in progress. August 1st marked the first time in 7 YEARS that she was without back pain. I have played with all types of things and sought out other Z trainers for advice. This has challenged me to a much higher level of trusting my intuition based on what I see at a gut level each day she comes in. Have learned a lot by means of the term "anything can cause anything" (because some day there is no 'explainable' reason why a specific drill decides to be 'the one' that eliminates the pain that day.)

I'm just glad that she is in it for the long haul and has more patience with herself than I am with not being able to 'fix it' immediately.

**Not all clients are 'fixed' in under an hour. This particular client still has some mobility work to do and solidify her current state, yet we have come a long way.

When you are serious about a Z Private Session to eliminate pain or improve performance contact me at info@keperformance.com

Today Show Friday August 10th

Major debate on Friday's edition of the Today Show. This was very interesting to me and hopefully it will be to you.

What I am about to explain (you can search the msnbc.com website and find the actual video) may offend you. This topic is not about 'touchy feely' it is about the pathetic state of health and fitness in our country. I know you are amazed that you are reading yet another one of my blogs addressing this issue :)

Here goes.

Paying people to get in shape or Charging people to get in shape?

About 3 years ago was when I first heard of insurance companies paying a portion of an individual's health club membership. A step in the right direction, in my opinion, to enhance the health of this country and the insurance companies beginning to switch their focus to 'health' rather than 'sickness.' I also do some consulting with a very progressive corporation when it comes to health & fitness program offerings to employees and have seen some major changes some of the people.

This is different and something I have yet to hear of prior to Friday (I am very fond of this idea).

The CEO of Clarian Health Partners in Indiana (an entire statewide hospital system) was interviewed on the Today Show discussing his new policy:
Employees will pay the company for smoking and the degree to which they are overweight due to the rising health care costs of the employer. Now many people are appalled at this idea. Let's look at both sides.

For years, our country has stood for freedom in all shapes and forms. The minority of the people respond to this. People overwhelmingly respond to a 'fear of loss' rather than a 'desire for gain'. This means there will be more program adherence if they have to PAY instead of receiving it for free. The CEO of this company took it a step further and is penalizing those in poor health to pay even more to offset their health care costs.

Penalty vs Rewards
Penalties seem to bring the best in most people. Rewards only bring it out in the few.
Some people need a hug. Most need a KICK IN THE ASS.
This is why I am for this type of program. It gets people moving, because they don't want to pay out of their own pocket. Therefore, they are benifitting in a host of ways: paying less, getting in shape, having more energy, losing weight, feeling great, setting an example to their kids, and on and on.

What is the downside to any of those? I don't see any.

Now the debate was that is invading people's personal lives. Get past the group hug. Seriously. These people will not do anything until FORCED to do so. They aren't going to willingly start tomorrow, next week, and for sure not on January 1st (which might be the biggest lie ever told!)

Face it. In this country, Money = commitment, money = accountability. Commitment & Accountability rule the world. If they did not exist, not much would get done. Most people need to pay in order to be committed and they need to pay to be accountable. That's just the way it is. I myself have a business coach that I pay monthly consulting fee in order to hold me accountable to my goals and business ideas.

Do you have a coach? If not, get one. When you begin to pay for something, suddenly your demeanor changes for the better, and most likely so will A LOT of other aspects of your life.

Amusement Park Musings

Sad, very sad. The state of health in Minnesota (and our nation). Friday afternoon landed me and my girlfriend at Valleyfair (Minnesota's version of Six Flags) for some R&R...and the ultimate in people watching and human behavior. WOW. That word says it all. After 4 hours of people watching and some time to reflect it is time for a rant.

There is only one thing that pisses me off more than adults being so lazy that they are beyond apathy when it comes to taking care of themselves. What is that ONE thing that is worse? They are living examples to their children who are now severely overweight because their parents are too frickin' lazy to take control of their own lives along with taking responsibility for their kids' future health. The environment that kids today are growing up in is atrocious. Get off your rear end and DO SOMETHING. I don't care if it is walking around the block, playing catch with your kid, going for a bike ride, just do SOMETHING!

I have yet to see very many overweight kids with thin, in shape parents. But I see HUNDREDS of obese kids with obese parents. Why is this? My number one conclusion comes down to NUTRITION. Parents eat like crap so kids eat like crap because CRAP is what is in the house. WAKE UP! Packaged food is KILLING YOU. I am in disbelief what I witnessed at this amusement park.

At each ride there is a sign that explains how tall you have to be, the 'thrill rating' of the ride, and who SHOULD NOT ride including pregnant women, back & neck problem people. OK that is all normal ...yet NOW THEY HAVE ADDED IN A SPECIAL BOX AT THE TOP OF THE SIGN and I quote...

"NOT DESIGNED FOR LARGER PEOPLE"

Are you kiddin' me? This is such an epidemic that we now have to address this on a sign at the amusement park?

Folks this is affecting YOU and those around you A LOT more than maybe your pigeon-holed belief system is allowing you to think. If you are overweight, be offended enough by this post to do something. If you need help, I will help you. I will not tolerate your B.S excuses, but I will help you change your mind and your body. Most of all it is affecting your children and future generations. STOP. Change. It's not difficult, but it will require some discipline.

I am not saying you have to be a supermodel (which most of them are very unhealthy at the other end of the spectrum) I am asking you to take responsibility for yourself and your family and CHOOSE to change the health concerns of those closest to you.

That's it I'm done.

BTW, I did have a GREAT time at VF going on every serious ride the park had to offer and laughing the entire time my girlfriend was getting nauseated...and SHE was the one who suggested we go which was the best part of the entire day :).

What we do at Kinetic Edge

Everyone who is not 'in' the kettlebell community wonders what type of things we do with minimal equipment. Here is a sampling...more videos like this to come.

Mental Training

"You are what you decide to be." -Maxwell Maltz

This is a POWERFUL idea. This is my latest study through a CD series.

We are pre-programmed from the moment we are conceived in mom's tummy with garbage in our head. Neuro-science says that every person is a genetic predisposition to the state of both parents at the moment of conception...this means that whatever 'state' your parents were in at the moment you were conceived you are doing your best to survive those circumstances.

However, you can change EVERYTHING you've been taught because let's face it...almost everything is learned behavior. Self-talk is the X-factor between the person you are and the person you want to be. People have been telling you what you 'should' be your entire life. This is where most people stall in a rut and do what other people tell them instead of exploring their own wants, needs and desires.

Most of what I have accomplished in my life has been the exact opposite of what people tell me I should do. In your life journey, you will have many people who want to offer their "OPINION" ...that's OK because that is what makes the world go around. In 99% of those cases, I have found that doing the exact opposite of what 'they' are saying has served me well. Find a mentor who you can really really trust to speak into your life. This person will not have a personal agenda towards you. He/she exists as an 'intuition' guide to mold you into a better person.

The other people who offer you advice usually...
1 have a personal agenda
2 do not want you to out grow them
3 have never really accomplished anything great themselves

*these are just personal observations from my short existence on the planet.

Let's dive into this further...

You decide what you want to be or the universe will decide for you!
You have the power to work in the job you want.
You have the power to receive compensation for what you are worth.
You have the power to develop the body you want.
You have the power to have the family life/relationships you want.
and on and on and on.

When you decide, your universe was just set in motion. The key is to ensure there is congruency between the goal that you set and the person you want to be. Ask yourself the question...

"Who would I have to 'be' in order to accomplish this specific goal?"

That is a HUGE key in our world where we throw out random things that we want. Think about the person you must become in order to achieve that goal and work on the little things to 'being' a different person. The goals will follow.

"You are what you decide to be."

The opposite end of the spectrum

The other day I posted about an up and coming ELITE high school athlete. Today, I am headed to the opposite end of the spectrum after viewing a TV show on The Learning Channel called 'Big Medicine' which is a show about a father/son surgeon team who perform beriatric surgeries.

Let's begin.
Disclaimer #1 This could be long.
Disclaimer #2 I will not hold back.

This show begins with a story about a 500lb+ woman and a 730lb man who want gastric bypass and through the show they find out that their insurance will not cover their surgeries.

The woman was figured out to be consuming 6000 calories PER DAY. I repeat 6000 CALORIES PER DAY. This is not a physical issue, this a mental and emotional issue.
Newsflash #1: Having a surgery to shrink the size of your stomach will not solve the ROOT issue!!! The person will not be any different mentally or emotionally in the next 48 hours after the surgery because there was NO PROCESS. The process is what changes people. With no process, there is no change...only quick fixes (which are the easy way out and to readily available today). By the way, the doctor made an interesting statement..."whatever the client tells you they are consuming, they are most likely consuming 75% MORE calories than they are telling you." WOW. How does this happen? Denial. Depression. In the above cases, food becomes more than addiction...it becomes a MEDICATION.

All of these patients need to have a psychological evaluation. Newsflash #2: They are ALL messed up psychologically. Newsflash #3: The doctors who perform these surgeries need to have a psych evaluation!!

In this case, TRUE mental and physical transformation will be FORGED ONLY through physical transformation which is through hiring a trainer to change habit patterns and be held to EXTREME accountability. Will this be hard? IT WILL BE THE MOST DIFFICULT FRIGGIN' THING YOU WILL EVER DO. Will it be worth it? YOU'RE DANG RIGHT IT WILL BE WORTH IT. Take away: The only way to OWN transformation is to go through it.
Without a doubt, I believe that a person who is not willing to learn the meaning of accountability and discipline and apply it to their lives, will not be truly transformed.

American society has become extremely pathetic and apathetic. People just refuse to care of themselves anymore. Looking back at our ancestors--only in the last 30-40 years has our health spiraled out of control. What are the causes of this? Some of this is my opinion and some of this is fact.

1) sugar -- fake sugar / candy / low fat (they have to put something in it to make it taste good)
2) white flour
*these two alone eliminated from your diet would solve most of the problems.

3) nutrient value in food declining at an astronomical rate due to less crop rotation and therefore depleted soil. You would have to eat 20 heads of lettuce today to equal the nutrient value of 1 head of lettuce 25 years ago. WOW!

4) technology -- information age part 1. Majority of the population commutes to work in a car for 30-60 minutes SITTING, 4-5 hours at work minimum in the morning SITTING , 30-60 minutes eating lunch SITTING, 4-5 more hours at work in the afternoon SITTING, commutes home 30-60 minutes SITTING, eats dinner 30 minutes SITTING, moves to the couch to watch on average 3-4 hours of TV per night SITTING, then moves to bed for 7-8 hours of SLEEPING. Things that make you go hmmmmmm.

And 'they' say that 'exercising' (I will define exercise in two different terms shortly) 30 minutes 3x per week is going to off set all of THAT? LET'S GET REAL PEOPLE!!

This is where that algebra I learned may come in handy...
Using the MININUMS of what I stated above:

20 hours of the average person's day is spent completely SEDENTARY / NOT MOVING / BARELY ALIVE / NON VIGOROUS ACTIVITY ...you get the picture

The other 4 hours per day may be spent who knows doing what.

That means that out of 120 hours Mon-Fri / 100 of them are forming atrocious habits. And if that is happening 5 days/week, I highly doubt there is a different habit on Saturday and Sunday.

sheesh we've only made it to #4.

5) technology -- information age part 2. Computers / home video games / iPods / cell phones and text messaging. This one is mainly directed at the kids' generation. I am GRATEFUL for all of the above. I own all of the above. However, I use them 95% for business purposes. Video games / Computers and DVD players have become the 'new babysitters' for kids. iPods and cell phones ....well this will say it all: a young lady I know sends 4000+ text messages per month. That's just on the sending part, how many is she receiving? I might total around the 500 mark for the YEAR. Not only does this have to do with state of health physically, but what about the state of communication between people in future generations? I thought email was impersonal.

6) The diet industry. Books/infomercials/products anything to hit the hot buttons of overweight consumers...95% of it is MIS-INFORMATION--which means they are not telling you the WHOLE truth.

7) The restaurant industry. What used to be a plate is now a 'platter.' The RDA (which is a joke because it is so outdated) determines serving size. 1 pancake (1 serving) should be the size of a CD. How big and how many pancakes does one get served at IHOP or Perkins? 3 the size of the PLATTER, on top of the omelot with buttered toast and sugar jelly.

8) The snackfood industry. Low fat, low sugar. Low fat = HIGH SUGAR. Low sugar = HIGH SATURATED FAT. Candy bars, chips, pop. 'They' are adding chemicals to these foods to keep you buying more both in quantity per purchase and eat more in quantity per serving. Lay's tag line 'betcha can't eat just one'. You're dang right because they are adding chemicals that alter your brain function to EAT MORE!

9) The magazine / fashion industry. Newsflash #4: The models on the covers of magazines went on extreme diets to attain that body for that specific photoshoot. They DO NOT look like that year around. 99% of all magazine covers are airbrushed as well. Let's look at camera tricks: Lighting can change the way a person 'appears'. Tanning can alter the person's look. Wearing different types of clothing can change the appearance (horizontal stripes vs. vertical stripes). Hey, we all want to look good. Understand though that a lot of times you are aspiring to something that will not be achieved without EXTREME discipline and also sometimes drugs, eating disorders, surgery, make-up artist, professional light and camera crew. Disclaimer: THIS DOES NOT GIVE YOU AN EXCUSE TO AVOID GETTING IN THE BEST SHAPE OF YOUR LIFE.

10) Plain laziness. We have it all. We have it all at our fingertips. From our computers, we would never have to leave our house being able to buy ANYTHING that we need or want via the internet.

I'll stop at 10. 10 is a good round number.

Final thoughts on 'exercise'.

I mentioned above that 'they' say that 'exercising' 30 minutes 3x per week is a good target. I'm here to tell you that will get you JACK SQUAT! The key word being 'exercise' which 'they' usually refer to as WALKING. Sorry folks, walking is the most overrated form of exercise there is. Your body adapts, oh in about 2 days to it. You MUST STRENGTH TRAIN. This does not mean using 3lb pink weights (Ladies you WILL NOT get 'big bulky muscles'). You also must do INTERVAL TRAINING with some type of resistance. If you must walk I recommend purchasing a weighted vest from http://www.x-vest.com/ where you can buy a 40lb vest and incrementally increase the load 1 lb at a time. You see 'their' exercise and my exercise are two COMPLETELY different ideas. Theirs means the absolute minimum to hopefully help you avoid heart attack up until the age of 50. I am talking LABOR that will allow you to put more life into your years and your grand kids and/or future grand kids. If you want to know more you will have to come visit me at my studio Kinetic Edge Fitness in Woodbury Minnesota where 'beatdowns' are delivered without apology (and I say that in the most LOVING way ;).

Saddle up and ride.