“Milon, this fine statue of a fine man, he won seven times at Pisa and never dropped to his knees.”
Simonides, 556 BC – 468 BC
This dual-volume, 20-book manuscript takes its readers on an epic odyssey into the life of the greatest Olympian combatant of all-time, Milo of Croton.
March 12th marks the date that changes our time clocks, and to varying degrees, changes our internal body clocks as well.
For some, springing ahead is often easier on the body than falling back. Warmer temps and longer days (available sunlight) are two of the reasons.
As you’re approaching warmer days it’s important to revise your life plan. Simple adjustments that factor in a higher level of motivation, being able to perform more outdoor activities, warming up faster, feeling more flexible, sweating more, drinking more water, eating different foods and meals, and others you need to consider and plan for.
Follow basic principles, considering all elements, and I bet many of you will be proudly posting selfies wearing your sexiest bathing suits!
As best you can, look closely at the attached pictures. The first is a package, amongst many, containing two chicken breasts displayed in a ‘popular grocery stores’ freezer. Focus in and you will see humungous breasts, virtually bursting out of the wrapping. Ironically, I wouldn’t consider these fowl giants obese as they exhibit a low fat percentage especially in comparison to bovine and swine compositions. Beef and pork sources typically possess denser, thicker and heavier concentrations of both subcutaneous and intra-muscular fat. So basically, the breasts you’re observing at are juiced up muscle-bound freaks, literally.
Fowl Arithmetic
According to some, an Average chicken breast weighs between 5.25 oz.– 8.0 oz.1, 2, or roughly 0.50 lb. (½ pound). However, the two chicken breasts in this photo are weighing in at 40.96 oz., or 2.56 lbs. Divided in half, the weight for a single chicken breast weighs 20.48 oz., or 1.28 lbs.
Compare 20.48 oz. to the Average of 8.0 oz., and, wallah, we calculate a 256% weight differential.
Plumping Up *
With a smidgen of sarcasm, of course there’s restrictions on intentional bloating of animal products, specifically known as plumping. And to prove these chicken breasts have met appropriate health and safety regulations, (clearing my throat) the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and possibly many other trustworthy regulating bodies, stamp a Passed Meat ‘seal of approval’ directly onto packaging labels after inspection. So the chicken breasts you’re looking at here have been (I’m choking) officially inspected, passed, and legally approved, ‘Inspected and Passed Meat and/or Poultry’.
FLAVORITE WARNINGS
But wait, there’s more! To uncover further disappointment to my ‘roid raging’ fit here is that you’d, at least, hope these breasts tasted good, but not even close. Hyper-hypertrophied animal food sources taste awful, exhibiting a leather-like consistency. To maintain consumer consumption; i.e., sales, the unpleasant taste must be disguised. Especially pertinent for restaurant goers, many never recognize the (real) taste of these ‘Passed’ chicken breasts because they’re smothered in creams, gravies, sauces and/or crispy crusts. Regarding the recognition of their Herculean sizes, the fowl is chopped into smaller chunks or strips before serving in salads, pasta, casseroles and soups.
For those of you who vote in favor of naturally raised food sources, hypertrophic augmentation is also prevalent with Free Range chickens. See attached; a single breast from this package weighs 12.64 ounces or 0.79 lbs. That’s a whopping 150% bigger than the 8 oz. Average. And to heed a closing warning, many of these Free Ranging breasts also have nasty flavors.
In any event, bet you didn’t guess, I’ve been chickening out lately. Quite disappointing since chicken has maintained a good percentage of my overall protein intake. Welcome to the age of engineered foods.
Always Make the Healthiest Choice!
John Abdo
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* Plumped or plumping, terms that refer to agricultural practices implemented to enhance and/or enlarge poultry, and other meat products, by injecting fluids into the tissues producing swelling and bloating while concurrently increasing heftiness and heavier weights.
For all you Doers! Here’s the routines for the new AbDoer 360. If you’re a new Doer and/or haven’t used these programs before, please start by watching the following videos in the order in which they appear.
Also, I encourage you to record and post your own ABDOBIC motions or routines on YouTube.
An esteemed group ofProfessional Fitness Trainersvisit withOlympic Strength & Conditioning Coach, John Abdo, to learn alternative methods they can incorporate into the routines for their fitness students and athletes, and gain greaterunderstanding of howAbDoer® technology can be utilized to accomplish the following objectives…
Achieve six-pack abs, trimmer obliques, a stronger shapely back, and MORE!
John Abdo’s worldwide sensation, AbDoer®, was released in 1997 and is still being used by millions around the world to trim off waistline fat, improve back strength and flexibility, and provide dynamic aerobic workouts with the exclusive fat-burning muscle-toning system called ABDOBICS™, Abdominal Aerobics™!
Some Features & Benefits
Burns Abdominal Fat, Fast!
Boosts Aerobic Stamina!
Enhances Muscle Tone & Coordination!
Improves Spinal/Core Strength & Flexibility!
Provides Exhilarating Massage!
Removes Pressure Off The Spinal Column, Hips & Knees!
Award-Winning, Clinically-Proven Fitness System!
AbDoer® 360 is an incredibly fun, diverse and challenging fitness system. Just sit on the
newly engineered Dynamic Fluidity Seat and wiggle your body into its best shape EVER
Obtaining great abdominals is not only about training the abdominals. The Central Nervous System radiates out from the spinal column, located in the back region of the core/torso areas, which sends bio-electrical impulses necessary to stimulate and contract all of the muscles in and surrounding the midsection. Instead of focusing totally on the frontal abdominals, like so many do with over-emphasis on crunch-like or torso flexion motions, etc., it’s wise to focus on total midsection training, 360º, with first emphasis on the lower-middle back region which is a significant portion of the waistline. Once the lower back region; or posterior portion of the waistline is trained, then the applicant can (should) apply motions that target the sides (obliques) then continue to transition into the lower and upper abdominals.
There are a myriad of motions, routines, devices and systems designed to target the abs. So pick and choose which ones are best for you but always consider the back portion of your midsection even though it’s a long way from the frontal region, and mostly out of sight when looking into a mirror.
Getting, and keeping yourself motivated to consistently improve in life; whether it’s in business, fitness, family, or all of life, is often a wrestling match even the elite experience from time to time. But don’t ever consider throwing in the towel when ‘tough’ times are upon you, as there are plenty of proven solutions that ensure success, and they’re closer than you think!
Tough times don’t last, but tough people do!
As a health, fitness and Olympic Strength & Conditioning Coach my profession extends beyond instructing physical exercises and sports performance skills. Great coaches must also integrate a variety of mental conditioning tools that inspire, educate, and motivate each of their athletes. These mental instruments are designed to train the MIND so the athletes (and students) can then train their bodies for higher and higher levels of achievement. These techniques are not confined to athletic enhancement; they apply to all goal-driven motives. However, in today’s fast-paced society too many people are approaching their transformational quests with an incorrect frame of mind, and this leads to failure.
As a prime example, let’s take two people who come into my gym to workout. Both are the same age, sex, and bodyweight, and have similar skill-sets and lifestyles. One guy approaches me “John, I have to get into shape. My doctor is demanding it”. The other fellow says, “Hey John, I want to get into great shape! Just tell me everything I need to do?”
Of the two, the ‘have to’ guy or the ‘want to’ one, which ‘mindset’ would you place your bets on?
Body, sports, business or life, mental fuel comes in a variety of grades. And if a person desires high levels of achievement they must function with ‘high-performance fuel’ as the ‘mental’ energy charging their exertions, and this ‘between-the-ears’ focus is what makes a dramatic difference between success and failure. The ‘high-performance fuel’ I’m referring to is ambition, desire, and passion! Want to, not have to!
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It’s no surprise that there really is a mind-body-life connection. So when I declare the solutions are closer than you think, the answers that yield ultimate levels of achievement and success are (literally) located inside your (intangible) Mind; while your body and your manifested life can be regarded as the (tangible) Matter.
When the mind is properly conditioned; energized with ‘want to’ motivational powers and desires, one can enthusiastically, and confidently, approach their tasks, challenges, obstacles and goals with that “For Sure” attitude. They literally engineer their lives from the Inside-Out, and nothing stands in their way. Over time, that person continuously unleashes their truest potentials, a gift they always possessed but just needed to stay-the-course until it was set free.
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5-Step Success Plan that REALLY WORKS!
STEP 1: Define your mental attitude. Do you resemble the ‘have to’ person or a ‘want to’ one? This is the first thing step you MUST establish, because it really is Mind over Matter. Once this seed principle is firmly implanted into your consciousness the success you’ve been striving for, and deserve, is not only possible, it’s inevitable!
STEP 2: Everyday—literally, you must write out your goals onto a sheet of paper. Make certain you write from an ‘already-acquired’ viewpoint, such as “I am a strong person” or “Everyday, in every way, I am better and better!” Something magical happens when the brain can generate a thought that physically, and visually, gets recorded onto paper.
STEP 3: Everyday, after you write down your goals, you must read them out loud. Again, there’s a phenomenon that occurs when you profess what you’re envisioning to manifest in your life. Simply hoping, or silently thinking or wishing for a goal to manifest has little or no stimulating power. Stand up, assume the role of your own coach and motivator, and say aloud, with conviction, “Everyday, in every way, I am better and better!” Affirmational vibrations connect with, and influence Universal Consciousness.
STEP 4: Write out two more lists; the first itemizes all of the things you need to do to obtain your goals, and the second list outlines all of the things you must avoid and/or eliminate that are standing in your way.
STEP 5: Make a date with yourself: Treat yourself every week to a positive engagement. Donate time to a pet adoption center. Visit a nursing home and hug an elderly person. Reach out and counsel confused kids and their parents. As you continue to improve in your own life you must ‘give back’ by inspiring, motivating and guiding others along their own life’s journey.
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Epilogue
Everybody, even the elite, experience tough times and often fall off track. It’s not that they fell off track that matters but how fast they get back up and move onward that counts. Be a champion. People love and admire success stories and heroes. Prove to yourself that you possess the skills, drive and motivation to obtain your goals, in spite of any setbacks. Develop the confidence; ego if you may, that failure is not an option. If you do fall off track, don’t stay there long. Just stand back up, dust yourself off, lift your chin and chest, kick yourself in the buttocks, then re-GO for it all over again. Remember, you are your own coach, motivator, and disciplinarian. Nobody is going to do it for you, that’s you’re responsibility. You are a success that’s always in the making!
Finally, investing in yourself pays huge dividends now and forever. Make up you ‘mind’ then watch your body and life (‘matter’) mold into the image your thoughts have impressed into your psyche. You and the world surrounding you are a much greater place because of YOU! Do it!
Think Up™ – Keep the Passion!
John Abdo
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John Abdo is an Olympic Strength & Conditioning Coach, Master Fitness Trainer, Life Motivator and author of numerous books and articles. For more information please visit www.JohnAbdo.com.
Hello! My name is John Abdo. I am the author of ‘Wolves of Croton – The Untold Story of Milo.’ My book describes the wrestling prowess, military career, and unusual death of the greatest Olympiad combatant of all-time and the undisputed strongest man who has ever lived, Milo of Croton.
Also known as ‘The man who could carry a bull,’ Milo’s story is supported by numerous historical accounts, tales in Greek mythology and ancient culture, and inspiring stories that are truly motivating, educational, and entertaining.
A truly inspiring book from cover-to-cover…
You can obtain a copy of John Abdo’s book, Wolves of Croton – The Untold Story of Milo at DISCOUNTED PRICESat AMAZON Kindle