It's New Year's Eve, so we are suppose to make resolutions right? So what's it going to be this year? Lose weight? Quit smoking? Start exercising? Have you made this resolution before? If you are making it again I assume that is because it didn't keep. According to Forbes.com only 8% of people achieve their New Years resolutions. Why is that?
1) You have to first ask yourself is this something I want and I am going to take serious. I think a large number of people say a resolution but know before they make it that they aren't going to keep it. 
                                           2) Am I creating a support system or some kind of avenue to help achieve my goal. Ie if your goal is to lose weight, are you hiring a personal trainer or nutrition coach?
                                           3) Is this something that is worth it? Is this better for my health, they people around me. There has to be a big reason why you are wanting to do this. Typically that reason has to be bigger than ourselves. That's what truly motivates people. Getting healthy impacts others. Your family would like to keep you around as long as they can.
                                           4) Am I willing to accept failure? You will fail at your resolution at some point, I guarantee it. The question is how are you going to respond. Are you going to get back on track and fight for it, or will it be another failed resolution? 

   Think hard about your resolution, 2014 is a chance to make yourself better.

I think there are a few life lessons that can be taken from this, so I will let you decide on how it applies to you...

I have gotten salads at Chipotle for years, salads not burritos, mostly because of their hormone free meats and more recently their pledge to remove GMO's. Oh yea, and they taste great. And I always get a big scoop of nature's perfect food avocado at the end on top of my salad. Which they never fail to mention that it's gonna be an extra charge. But for years I would mix up the guacamole in the salad to try to spread it around for every bite, logical right? But then one day, I decided not to. just to eat it all straight from the top. You know what I found out? That every bite I took when the guac was mixed was good. On the other hand when I ate it without mixing it up there were bites not nearly as good at the bottom without any guac. BUT the ones at the top, when I didn't mix it, were GREAT!

   After a workout today, i ran to Whole Foods to grab an after workout protein shake. I didnt have any of my usually Designs for Health PaleoMeal with me. When I went to the refrigerated section, I found a lot of single serving protein shakes. And a lot of them looked good, sounded good, key words like High Protein! All natural! or even Organic! The one thing I was having a hrad time finding though, was one not made with soy protein and soymilk. I have blogged many times on why you should soy. First off as a male, I'm not particularly found on increasing my estrogen levels. But even if you are a female, you shouldnt be either. Some of the top cancers killing females are all estrogenic, meaning they feed off estrogen. Breast cancer, cervical, ovarian, to name a few. Another point is that over 93 percent of all soy is genetically modified. If you live under a rock and havent heard what a GMO is, than click on the media show tab on AdjustDallas.com and listen to my past radio show on it. GMO's cause cancer, bottom line. So if it's not organic, you can pretty much guarantee it's GM. My advice, just avoid it all together. The other thing i was having a hard time finding, is a shake without 28g of sugar! I wanted a shake, not a soda. Finally settled on one with 11g. Moral of the story, dont just grab something off the shelf by the front label, turn it around, read it. It will tell you more than the front will. 

   Last night my family and I went to our favorite Italian restaurant Penne Pomodoro. People are often shocked when they find out that I am a regular at an Italian restaurant. I think the thing that immediately comes to people's minds are pizza and spaghetti. There is huge misconception that Italian food has to be unhealthy and full of carbs. Now I have blogged before on good pasta replacements to cook at home but in this blog I want to give you easy step by step directions to survive eating out.
   Like when I blogged about surviving a Mexican restaurant, the absolute first thing you need to do is avoid the free stuff on the table. With Mexican it's the chips, with Italian it's the bread. There's a reason it's free, it's cheap and straight carbohydrates. When asked if you would like some bread, just simply pass. It is much easier to avoid if it isn't starring you in the face on your table, trust me. 
   Now comes the drink orders, and now I never promote the consumption of alcohol, but I also wasn't born yesterday and know it's being drank. So at an Italian restaurant, stick to red wine, in moderation. It's lower in sugar than white wine, and it is higher in antioxidants and polyphenols. Even though you can find studies saying there are health benefits from drinking wine due to the antioxidants. Or studies showing that consuming regular alcohol cuts your risk of stroke and heart disease. And most recently a study showing that drinkers have an overall lower risk of morbidity than non drinkers. Or my professional observation that people who enjoy an occasional drink are overall just more fun than non drinkers...JK. But Im not going to tell you that it's "healthy", you can find just as many studies showing the ill effects of drinking alcohol. But I do think drinking in moderation isn't going to kill you, and I base that predominately on the fact that it is "time tested", been around for thousands of years. Some of the same reasons I have formed my opinion on coffee.
   When it is time to order an appetizer, try splitting a salad. Stay away from Caesar's, try to pick a salad that is loaded with dark leafy greens instead of Romaine and uses an Olive Oil as dressing. One of my favorite at Penne Pomodoro is an Arugula salad that has bacon, tomatoes, mozzarella, and uses Olive Oil as the only dressing. Arugula flies under the radar, and isn't as well known as other greens, but it is a very healthy green to throw in to a salad. Olive Oil has tremendous health benefits, and since it is in a salad it isn't heated.(Heating olive Oil past a certain temperature makes it go rancid) This salad is so good, that you will not miss the fried calamari. 
    When selecting a main course, the rules are pretty basic. We want to avoid starchy carbohydrates, stuff that is covered in bread crumbs, and stuff that is fried. Pick a protein, I recommend sticking to chicken or fish. One of the great things about Penne is they often have line caught or wild caught fish. Simply asked your waiter if any of the fish is wild caught and not farm raised. If they don't know, generally the chef will know, and they can ask for you. Most of the time, if salmon is wild caught it will say right on the menu, look for something like Wild Alaskan, or Fresh Alaskan, Line caught, Freshly caught, or Wild caught. Those are some key terms. If you are choosing chicken, stay away from battered and fried. My favorite is chicken Marsala, chicken covered in sauteed mushrooms and Marsala wine sauce. Italian restaurants often have an herb chicken or lemon type chicken that isn't fried. If the menu doesn't explain well enough, than again just ask the waiter or waitress. (And maybe look in to finding a better restaurant :) ) If you want avoid meat, then try to go for something like eggplant Parmesan or eggplant lasagna. We are trying to avoid the pasta!
   Here is the number one rule! Most dishes at an Italian restaurant come with a side of pasta, for example if I ordered chicken Marsala it would come over pasta. SUB it! Sub the pasta for spinach, asparagus, mixed vegetables, something green and healthy. 
   Last but not least when it comes to dessert... Just kidding, there is NO DESSERT. Sorry. :)


Follow these simple rules, and you can incorporate Italian restaurants in to your healthy eating habits.     

   Friday the 13th is considered an unlucky day in Western superstition. Several theories have been proposed about the origin of the Friday the 13th superstition. One theory states that it is a modern amalgamation of two older superstitions: that thirteen is an unlucky number and that Friday is an unlucky day. In numerology, the number twelve is considered the number of completeness, as reflected in the twelve months of the year, twelve hours of the clock, twelve gods of Olympus, twelve tribes of Israel, twelve Apostles of Jesus, twelve signs of the Zodiac, etc., whereas the number thirteen was considered irregular, transgressing this completeness. There is also a superstition, thought by some to derive from the Last Supper or a Norse myth, that having thirteen people seated at a table results in the death of one of the diners. Friday is also the day when Jesus Christ was crucified making it through folklore and adding to its unpopularity.
   I don't believe in luck. I believe you make your own luck, by preparation, dedication, and hard work. Sometimes things unfold very nicely for ourselves, but I believe that is because we were actively pursuing and open to the outcome. I talk to so many people that feel their health problems have been just unlucky, or it was their fate. They think it was just the hand that they have been dealt. The most common one I hear is it's in my genes, or it runs in my family. We can no longer blame our genes for our health problems, science won't let us anymore.
   Stanford University is putting out groundbreaking research in the field of epigenetics. They are proving that predisposition does not equal predetermined. They have shown that yes you get certain DNA markers from your parents but to be expressed they have to be turned on by lifestyle choices. They compare them to a loaded gun, that it can be loaded (predisposed) but you still have to pull the trigger with lifestyle choices. 
   One hundred percent of heart disease is avoidable by lifestyle choices. Heart disease is the number one killer in America, killing over 850k people every year. So what's the number two killer, cancer. According to Dr. Samuel Epstein, a leading oncologist, he says less than 2 percent of cancers have a hereditary component. That means 98 percent is avoidable by lifestyle choices! 
   So you see you can no longer blame your genes for your situation, can't blame your bad luck. Start today on changing your luck, start today by choosing to take back your health. YOU are in control.

I ran across this quote today from Dr. Marcia Angell MD who was the first woman to serve as Editor-in-Chief for the New England Journal of Medicine. If you are not familiar with the journal, it is one of the most respected medical journals in the world, if the most. Read this quote, and think hard next time you trust a study from a pharmaceutical company. Or point to studies that show that drugs or vaccines or safe. Make your own conclusions...

“It is simply no longer possible to believe much of the clinical research that is published, or to rely on the judgment of trusted physicians or authoritative medical guidelines. I take no pleasure in this conclusion, which I reached slowly and reluctantly over my two decades as an editor of The New England Journal of Medicine.”

   I wanted to address a photo that has sparked outrage in the last week. It started after Caroline Berg Eriksen, who is a fitness blogger and wife of famous soccer player Lars-Kristian Eriksen posted a "selfie" 4 days after giving birth. To be honest I don't know who they are, I don't follow soccer, but I guess they are a big deal in Europe. For all of my older readers, a "selfie" is a picture taken of yourself by yourself, and generally posted to some form of social media outlet. The reason this photo has sparked outrage is that she is in a bra and underwear, and like I said earlier 4 days after giving birth. And to be honest, you would never know that she gave birth, she has a flat stomach, and that's why everyone is in uproar. If you didn't see it you can see it here...
http://www.businessinsider.com/caroline-berg-eriksen-picture-2013-12
and here...
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2515971/Footballers-wife-sparks-outrage-Norway-posting-picture-flat-stomach-days-giving-birth.html
and here...
http://www.foxnews.com/health/2013/12/03/new-mom-sparks-controversy-after-posting-selfie-chiseled-post-baby-body/

It's everywhere!!!!
   She has been called everything from insensitive to even a "bully". Now the term "bully" gets thrown around pretty easy these days, heck I even used it in my blog yesterday. But I did it with sarcasm, everyone is a bully! We have became so Politically Correct in our country, and to be honest I think that is one of the problems with our nation. Everyone is scared to hurt anyone's feelings. Eriksen is a bully because she's fit? And proud of it? She's a fitness blogger, shouldn't she be fit? I would hope so.... What if I find it offensive how overweight everyone is? Is that bullying? Do you get my point?
   I think some people aren't taking in to consideration a few things, like first, she probably worked her butt off during her entire pregnancy, eating healthy, exercising, so that she would bounce back quick. What are we mad at her about? If anything I would think that it would be motivating....
   Now if I am coming off as insensitive, I apologize, I know it can be hard to recover post pregnancy. And I am educated enough to know that some people bounce back easier than others. But I will say that from experience, pregnant patients, friends, family members, that many women do not take care of themselves during pregnancy. I also know from experience, what it is like to live with someone who worked their butt off during their pregnancy and post baby to get in the same shape she was before, and I will say that a lot of people have made comments to her like "it just comes easy to you" or "your'e just naturally thin". What they fail to realize is how hard my wife works out, how healthy she eats, and how determined she is. 
    I applaud Eriksen, congrats on the new baby, and congrats on working your butt off and being an inspiration to some and I guess a "bully" to others. With over 2/3's of the US population overweight, is this really what we need? To be worried about hurting people's feelings? News flash: Obesity kills, so does heart disease. And maybe not all of us can look like Eriksen (some of us may not want to either) but no one would argue that is in everyone's best interest to reduce the obesity epidemic in this country. 
   Im also aware of people having body image issues, and that many models starve themselves to get on the runway and can create a negative comparison for women. Along with all the touch ups and photoshop in media. But this wasn't the case with Eriksen. She is a fitness blogger, meaning she works out, she eats, she doesn't starve herself, and this was taken with her cell phone, no photoshop.
   But to call her a "bully"? Please, I think Eriksen is getting bullied, by jealous people. We are so politically correct now, competition is discouraged in school or sports, and we are wondering why our math and science scores are down. We teach to the lowest kid in the classroom, to not leave them out, but what is that doing to our brightest? 25 years ago, you better just catch up, or you will fail out and end up with a job you don't want. Now we push everyone through, graduate everyone to be fair, and no have millions of people with 4 degrees that have no skills. We have removed PE and competition in sports, the object is to win! The object in PE is to do enough pushups and situps to make the Presidents list! There are a lot of life lessons in losing and winning, but now we don't keep score. I know I went off on a rant, but I think it all ties together. When I showed my wife Eriksen's picture, you know what she said? "That's awesome!" Why can't we be happy for this lady? 

   Once in a while I will run in to someone who is a little hostile when the topic of vaccines comes up. I still don't understand why, my guess is they may have some personal issues they need to work out. But sometimes, like today, people will resort to personal attacks. Really coming from a place of hate, instead of open discussion and respect of different opinions. And you probably guessed it by now, it's usually on Facebook. That is one thing I hate about social media, people will type a lot of things that they wouldn't say to your face. This wasn't directed at me though, it was directed at my wife, and if you know my wife she would be the last person to be rude back. Sometimes we will see someone post something and don't want to comment for fear that it will start a never ending Facebook War. But like my wife said today, and I have often felt, what if that one comment or one link, saved a life? What if one person clicked on it, and it impacted them or made them think about something differently? But after my wife's polite comment was met with "If you choose to not vaccinate you kids than keep them away from everyone else" (Nice, huh?) A very simple question came to mind... If your kid's already vaccinated what are you scared about? ... I should be the one scared right? My kid doesn't have the shots....and never will.... But guess what, I'm not scared....... Not one bit. But by the sound of the vaccine bully's tone (if you could hear tone through text) my guess is they are...

Side note: Did you happen to see how the mainstream media attcked Katie Couric after presenting TRUTH on Gardasail? If not here's a link... http://healthimpactnews.com/2013/mainstream-media-attacks-katie-couric-for-publishing-truth-on-gardasil-vaccine/