I had the pleasure of attending the 2005 Canadian Classic in Toronto (Canada) yesterday and I must say I was very impressed by the physiques I saw. I can see why Natural Bodybuilding is making some inroads into the traditional bodybuilding community. It was my first time attending such an event and I must say its far better in person then on TV.

I talked to one of the competitors after the show and he told me it was his first show, he laughed when I asked him his pre-contest weight (weight bodybuilders are during regular training before dieting for a show). You see, 3 years earlier - he was 270lbs, overweight and out of shape- he showed up on stage at a very muscular 200lbs. This goes to show you, you are never too “out of shape” to get “into shape”- I left the evening quite happy I had attended and will definitely be attending more of these events. I encourage everybody to attend these shows, natural or not, its quite nice to see the human body at its peak.

Just about everybody played tag when they where kids, it’s a fun game that even adults jump into sometimes. I have no clue where this fun game began but it is often used as an analogy to educate people how disease spreads within a population. As an kid not knowing any better, we touch everything no matter where it came from - it’s a vital part of immune system education 101 but as adults we are taught to wash our hands and limit physical contact. I am not here to list all the diseases, viruses or other effects that are easily transmissible by day to day contact but one thing is for sure, neither type 1 diabetes nor type 2 diabetes are contagious.

Next time your kid wants to play tag with somebody suffering from diabetes, don’t worry- they can’t catch it.

Ever hear the saying “you are what you eat”? No, it doesn’t mean if you eat carrots all day that you will become a carrot (although your skin may pick an orange tint to it). What it usually refers to is that if you eat a good diet that somehow it will be shown in your physical appearance and general health. Believe it or not, there is some limited truth to this - let me explain. If you take the time to monitor your diet, then most likely you are also taking time out of your day to monitor your own health and more inclined to have a physically active life. When your personal health becomes a priority in your life, that’s when dramatic changes will occur that lead you down a path of continuous self-improvement.

The problem with this saying is that it doesn’t take into account “how much” you eat, truth is, you can become over weight by eating vegetables and “healthy foods” all day and look like the people who don’t take their diet seriously. Need proof? Look at Sumo wrestlers in Japan, their diet is lots of rice, a little meat and abundant quantities of veggies yet to any layman they look like they need a serious diet. Sumo wrestlers do try to pack on the weight but they are also incredible athletes whose exercise regiment could tax even elite athletes in other fields. As a result, the saying should be rephrased to say “you are what & how much you eat”.

This is a common myths that people trying to struggle with their obesity use as an excuse for not seeing the results they want and not making REAL lifestyle changes in their life.

Your next question will be - how come the smaller guy isn’t obese then? Often it comes down to diet and exercise, its no secret that many obese people lead a sedentary life with an unhealthy diet. You see, gaining and loosing weight is the same for almost everybody, you gain weight if you eat more then you burn and you loose weight if you burn more then you eat. Obese people just have habits that cause them to eat more then they burn. Of course, there are medications, health conditions and a host of other reasons why obesity exists which cannot nor should not be discounted but visit your doctor and develop a plan you can live with within your health goals.

Although I am by no way the exception, I am part of a small club of people who have never had a job in their life! No- I wasn’t blessed with rich parents or a huge inheritance - my parents gave me something far more powerful- something that everybody in this world has but few use- ambition to choose your own destiny.

For entrepreneurs, your income is tied directly with your success. It is a constant struggle that employees never see and would drive many to go insane. One month you can be up, the other your down with very little warning. For instance, you may have payroll due tomorrow but the clients whose money you where counting on won’t be in until next week- what do you do? Telling your employees “I can’t pay you this week but I can next week” will cause 3 sets of even bigger problems:

1. it’s illegal, last thing entrepreneurs need is government / social agencies after them
2. employee morale will drop, affecting future productivity
3. your personal reputation will suffer (word of mouth travels fast)

Easiest solution is to go into your War Chest, borrow against your assets or use credit cards. I hope this gives you a glimpse into the other side of life - sure it can be stressful but at the end of the day, I would prefer to have power over my destiny.