Total Conditioning…the Whole Package

Hey, that’s me in my Gladiator Days!  But, just a reminder…Regular strength training is an important part of every Total Conditioning Program. Unfortunately, some people (especially women) avoid strength training for fear of developing enlarged muscles and/or gaining weight. This thought process may certainly have its downfalls since “heavy” strength training promotes the release of the hormones epinephrine and HGH (human growth hormone) which help to accelerate lipolysis, fatty acid oxidation and muscle tissue synthesis. Furthermore, the inability for many people to improve their skills in activities such as tennis, golf, dance, football, baseball, hockey, bowling and other related sports may be directly associated with a lack of muscular strength and coordination resulting from the avoidance of regular strength training. This type of muscular weakness can usually be improved through regular adherence to a properly structured strength-training program.

Some additional benefits accompanied with regular strength training activities include:
Mental and physical vigor
Muscular endurance and strength
Bone strength and density
Connective, ligament and tendon tissue strength
Muscular hypertrophy
lean body mass
Intra-muscular fuel stores
Max VO2
Fatty Acid Oxidation
Neurological Responsiveness

(PS-Don’t Worry-you will not look like me)  However, if you do want to look like me in the picture…contact me at gladiator@intrafitt.com

Visit me any time at www.intrafitt.com

The INTRAFITT Individualized Nutrition and Exercise Program was developed and established in California in 1992 in an effort to educate individuals seeking optimal levels of health, fitness and performance on the effect that diet and exercise has on the major regulatory systems of the human body (Nervous System and the Endocrine System) and their consequential effects on the Re-Programming Aspects of the Human Body.

The INTRAFITT Program concepts and applications are 100% valid and applicable and have been accepted entirely by the Scientific Community currently exploring the dual science of “Diet and Exercise Neuroendocrinology” and “P.N.E.I” (Psycho-Neuro-Endocrino-Immunology) and are supported by a myriad of abstract studies and published excerpts such as the following taken from the text book entitled Principles OF Physiology / General Principles Of Endocrine Physiology.

In strength and honor,

Will Smith AKA Thunder of the American Gladiators

 

Type II Diabetes and Emotional Stress

Hi, I’m Will Smith AKA Thunder of the American Gladiators.

My interest in competing and winning championship titles began to wane as my interest in the scientific discipline of diet and exercise neuroendocrinology intensified. This particular scientific elective was initially the result of my younger brother’s diagnoses and longtime struggle with Type I Diabetes. My determination to research and develop a diet and exercise related curriculum that would improve my brother’s ability to play sports and live a normal life (while also enabling him to achieve optimal levels of health, fitness and performance, minimize the use of insulin and reduce his risk of developing further cardiovascular related diseases and complications) would eventually become my obsession and is known today as the INTRAFITT Individualized Nutrition and Exercise Program.

I’ve written this article in several parts and today I am bringing you Part 1 of the Series.

Abstract: According to the World Health Organization, approximately 220 million people worldwide have type 2 diabetes mellitus. Patients with type 2 diabetes not only have a chronic disease to cope with, they are also at increased risk for coronary heart disease, peripheral vascular disease, retinopathy, nephropathy, and neuropathy.

The exact causes of type 2 diabetes are still not clear. Since the 17th century, it has been suggested that emotional stress plays a role in the etiology of type 2 diabetes mellitus. So far, review studies have mainly focused on depression as a risk factor for the development of type 2 diabetes mellitus. Yet, chronic emotional stress is an established risk factor for the development of depression.

The present review provides an overview of mainly prospective epidemiological studies that have investigated the associations between different forms of emotional stress and the development of type 2 diabetes mellitus. Results of longitudinal studies suggest that not only depression but also general emotional stress and anxiety, sleeping problems, anger, and hostility are associated with an increased risk for the development of type 2 diabetes. Conflicting results were found regarding childhood neglect, life events, and work stress. It is important to emphasize that publication-bias may have occurred, resulting from “fishing-expeditions,” where authors search their data for significant associations. Publication bias may also be caused by the tendency of reviewers and Editors to reject manuscripts with negative results for publication. It is therefore essential that research groups, who aim to conduct a new epidemiological cohort study, prospectively describe and publish the design of their study. Future research should focus on identifying mechanisms linking different forms of stress and incident type 2 diabetes.

Part 2 of this article to follow. Email me any time at gladiator@intrafitt.com

For your very own Individual Nutrition Plan click here NOW!

In good health,
Will AKA THUNDER of the American Gladiators

INTRAFITT Sports Performance & Training Info

Folks,  I can’t wait to share this information with you…

Welcome to the INTRAFITT Sports Performance Nutrition & Training Curriculum!  We are elated to offer this new and improved conditioning package as the basis and foundation for education and results in the world of sports performance!  In order to excel in this world, you must be able to visualize victory because losing is not an option!  In order to achieve and maintain this level of focus and expectancy, you must adopt the proper attitude!   If you intend to rise up and become the very best you can be; you must learn to overcome mental and physical weakness while exchanging “complacency” for “commitment“, “excuses“ for “excellence“ and “disregard“ for “discipline” and “determination“....no matter what!

If you feel you have what it takes to engage in the INTRAFITT Sports Performance Nutrition & Training Curriculum, shoot me an email… will@intrafitt.com

Looking forward to hearing from you.

In strength and honor,
Will Smith, aka Thunder of American Gladiators

www.intrafitt.com

 

For Better Health, Fitness & Performance, Lesson #3

Lesson #3:“Understanding the Importance of Controlling Your Conscious Thought and it’s Direct Impact on Chronic Disease!

Of all the valuable lessons I’ve ever learned in my life, I believe that understanding the importance of controlling our conscious thought is perhaps the most significant of all as it truly can and does impact every single aspect of our lives (as well as every single cell for that matter)!

Think about it; what kind of thoughts enter and fill your mind from the time you wake up in the morning until you close your eyes to go to sleep at night? Are they filled with joy, happiness and expectations of victory and success?! Do you hold perpetual thoughts that are true, honest, just, pure, lovely, of good report; virtuous, and praiseworthy? If so, you are way ahead of the game and I would venture to say that you are probably living the life of your dreams and know only a life of health, happiness and prosperity! If however, you’re like most people today, living a busy and perhaps even hectic lifestyle, working long hours to make ends meet and trying to balance all of life’s responsibilities, you will probably more often than not find yourself holding thoughts of fear, anger, worry, resentment and grief; not to mention all of the subconscious thoughts that your mind is still processing daily from all of your childhood years.

While many have come to accept the challenging day to day thoughts and emotions associated with a hectic lifestyle and a turbulent childhood; what you may not realize however, is that your thoughts, feelings and emotions emit a very powerful form of calculable energy that can and does influence the expression of genes in your DNA. The process is referred to as “Cellular Differentiation” and takes place when a less specialized cell becomes a more specialized cell type. Even though there is no change in the underlying sequence of the actual DNA the cells are influenced to behave differently because of the adverse impact that our thoughts, feeling and emotions have on the expression of the gene code.  This is extremely important to recognize because it is basically saying that any and all adverse thoughts feelings and emotions that we maintain on a regular and consistent basis are ultimately triggering a cascade of psycho-neuroendocrinological events that cause for phenotypic changes in the cells DNA and is therefore producing “dis-ease” or ill health. Knowing this should immediately inspire each of us to follow the scriptural recommendations in the book of Philippians as Paul is suggesting that we put forth a perpetual and tenacious effort each and every day, all day to stay focused” ONLY” on the things in our lives which are true, honest, just, pure, lovely, of good report; virtuous & praiseworthy.  (Phillipians 4:8)

Friends, I have hit on the basic three factors needed to increase our health, fitness and performance levels.  If you have not read the other two Lessons (#1) Stable Blood Sugar and (#2) Exercise, please find them and read them.  I cannot stress to you the importance of these three elements being a major factor in your every day life.  Combine this with your individual fitness nutrition program designed just for you and you will be on the right track.  If you are looking for a discount on your nutrition program, just email me at gladiator@intrafitt.com and I will provide you with a great discount.  I want for you to have it and use it in your daily life.  You only need it one time and you will have it for life.

In strength and honor,

William Smith (aka) Thunder of the American Gladiators

www.intrafitt.com

Nutrition: Are All Calories The Same?

		Hi Everyone,
		I wanted to continue on today talking about Nutrition in the  Simplest Form. Basically, there are six essential nutrients that the human   body requires to keep it nourished and healthy. These include Protein,   Carbohydrates, Fats, Vitamins, Minerals and Walter. The term “essential” is   used to describe these nutrients because they must be provided to the body in   order to sustain life and to prevent a deficient or diseased state. Of the   six nutrients listed, only three provide energy to the body, while the other   three help to release energy inside the cells. Typically, these two   categories of essential nutrients are referred to as the Macro-Nutrients (energy   providing nutrients needed by the body in larger amounts)and Micro-Nutrients (energy   releasing nutrients needed by the body in smaller amounts).  The Macro-Nutrients, when metabolized provide energy and   heat, which are used to support all of the metabolic functions (heart   beat, digestion, muscle contraction, concentration and comprehension) of   the body and mind. The fuel potential of the energy nutrients is expressed   in calories Just as a meter is a measure of distance, a calorie   is a measure of energy and is defined as the amount of heat needed to raise   one milliliter of water one degree centigrade. Therefore foods that are high   in calories (dried fruits and nuts) are also high in energy, whereas foods   that are low in calories (strawberries, melons and vegetables) are low in   energy as well. Perhaps this is one reason why people who eat low-calorie   foods to lose weight have little to no energy to exercise in the course of   their day.  You might wonder where calories are derived from. If you look   at this question from the standpoint that a calorie is defined as the total   amount of heat energy needed to raise one milliliter of water one degree   Celsius, then YES all calories when oxidized yield the same amount of heat   energy. Perhaps the question should be “are all calorie sources the   same?”  Take for example the two individuals illustrated below. Each   individual has a recommended calorie intake of 520 calories per meal and both   eat the exact same foods within the meal. The difference however, is that   they each eat varying amounts of the food items listed and as a result end up   producing a very different endocrinological response. In other words, the   regulatory effect associated with the different amount and types of food   eaten can have a favorable or unfavorable influence on the metabolic process   and can last for three to six hours after a meal.  Individual #1 (500 Calories per meal)  6 oz Chicken breast: 186 7 oz Yams: 210 1 Tbs Peanut butter: 100 3 oz Broccoli 24  Total: 520     Individual #1 (500 Calories per meal)  8 oz Chicken breast: 248 2oz Yams: 60 2 Tbs Peanut butter: 200 1.5 oz Broccoli 12  Total: 520   Now lets assume that the same two individuals perform   cardiovascular exercise for thirty minutes later that evening. As illustrated   below, Individual #1 exercises within his/her target heart rate while   Individual #2 exercises above his/her target heart rate. Although Individual   #2 likely burned more total calories than Individual #1 at the end of the   thirty minute session, they both theoretically burned the same amount of fat   calories.  Some would argue that exercising at an intensity that is above   the recommended training sensitive zone (for fat burning) is more beneficial   because a higher number of calories are burned at the end of an equivalent   exercise duration. This is perhaps true, however, exercising at high   intensity, although may burn more calories, will more than likely train the   body to become more efficient at burning sugar than fat and may very well   promote hypoglycemic (low blood sugar) symptoms that can ensue for up to   twelve hours after the exercise session has ended. That is one of the reasons   I always recommend wearing a heart rate monitor when exercising.   Individual #1 Calories Burned: 1000 Fat Burned: 60% @600/cal Sugar Burned: 40% @400/cal  Individual #2 Calories Burned: 1500 Fat Burned: 40% @ 600/cal Sugar Burned: 60% @900/cal  For your own Individualized Nutrition and Exercise Program,   please visit us at www.intrafitt.com In good health, William Smith, AKA Thunder of the American Gladiators

For Health, Fitness & Performance…Lesson #1

Dear Friends, yesterday I suggested to you that the most important thing you could do to begin to be fit and lean for life is to stabilize your blood sugar.  Well, allow me to explain further:

IN ORDER TO REPORGRAM YOUR MIND, BODY & SPIRIT TO BE FIT, HEALTHY & STRONG FOR LIFE…HERE IS

Lesson #1:

“Stable Blood Sugar is “The Limiting Factor” associated with the Acquisition and Maintenance of Any and All Health, Fitness and Performance Related Goals!”

No matter what your Health, Fitness and/or Performance related goals happen to be, you must first learn how to achieve and maintain stable blood sugar from the time you wake up in the morning until the time you go to bed at night! Why?! The answer is simple. Your brain and nervous system is considered the “Paramount” regulatory system of your body. This simply means that every organ, system and cell in your body is directly controlled and influenced by your brain and nervous system.

What makes this process so unique is the fact that the nerve cells (also referred to as “neurons”) that comprise the nervous system can only use glucose (also referred to as “blood sugar” which is derived primarily from the carbohydrates in your meals throughout the day), as a source of fuel to power its minute by minute vital need for energy. Consequently, if your blood sugar levels rise above or fall below the normal values (80mg/dl – 120 mg/dl) needed to maintain optimal neurological performance, your ability to think, walk, talk and control your emotions will be immediately compromised! This is to say nothing of the fact that when your blood sugar is erratic, every psycho-physiological system in your body is being programmed to work as inefficiently as possible; therefore accelerating and exacerbating the following processes:

Systemic fat storage, Loss of lean body mass, Fat burning enzymes and metabolism, Hyperinsulinemia, Hypercholesterolemia and Hypertension just to name a few!

NOTE:

All INTRAFITT Online / Custom Nutrition and Exercise Programs are Fully Designed to Enable You to Achieve and Maintain Stable Blood Sugar by Providing You with the:

Proper Number of Calories (per meal), The Proper Nutrient Ratio (per meal) and The Proper Meal Intervals That You Will Need to Maintain on a Day to Day Basis to Ensure Your Immediate and Long Term Success!

To Learn More about the 6 Elemenst of Fitness or to Access a Complimentary Nutrition & Fitness Assessment visit us at http://www.intrafitt.com

 If you would Like To Speak with a Certified INTRAFITT Technician, Simply Email us at successguaranteed@intrafitt.com or call toll free 888.212.6622.

I LOOK FORWARD TO HEARING FROM YOU.

In strength and honor,
William Smith, aka (Thunder of the American Gladiators)

Devotional

Change Your Heart, Change Your Mind, Change your Life

Think about it.

Are you willing to change your mind?

Are you focused on the most positive outcome of any given situation?

What is the true motive of your desired outcome?

According to our belief system as followers of Jesus Christ, Taken from the Holy Bible,

Matthew 6:21 says, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also,…”

In agreement with our belief system;

We are made up of three parts,

1. Spirit- The Supernatural part, the depth of our creative being.

2. Soul- Our mind, will and emotions.

3.Body- The vehicle that houses our Spirit and Soul.

With that in mind, What is and what has been, the influence of your belief system?

I encourage you to evaluate each area. And let’s be honest, we all want the best results for ourselves. So let’s start from the core of our being and build from there. “ You cannot Conquer what you do not Confront”.

Consider this, according to , “Proverbs 23:7, “As he thinks in his heart, so is he…”.

In efforts to achieve a healthy belief system, Who is in your drivers seat?

I leave you with this:

John 10:10 “The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I(Jesus) came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows).

If you suffer form a chronic and degenerative disease such as CHD, Diabetes, Cancer, etc…know this….YOU CAN HEAL YOUR BODY!!!  The first step however is that you must heal your SPIRIT!  Check out this video: Cancer IS Curable NOW!!!

 

National Health Survey Results

Finally, a Scientifically Based Nutrition & Exercise Program Created to Retract all of the Misleading Testimonials, Wrong Headed Concepts and Most Importantly the Central Dogma That has for Years So Tightly Bound the Industry of Human Health,
Fitness and Performance.

I was recently reading through a Nutrition Journal and found this article that I wanted to share with all of you:

The researchers, from the National Cancer Institute and the National Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion, examined 2001-2004 NHANES (National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey) data including 16,338 individuals’ dietary habits.

They found that more than 80 percent of those aged 71 and above, and more than 90 percent of all other age groups of both sexes, overconsumed discretionary calories – those that come from solid fats, added sugars and alcohol. A majority did not meet MyPyramid recommendations for every food group except total grains and meat and beans, the researchers found.

“Nearly everyone” failed to meet recommendations for dark green vegetables, orange vegetables, legumes, and whole grains, which were the groups with the lowest adherence to recommendations.

“In conclusion, nearly the entire US population consumes a diet that is not on par with recommendations. These findings add another piece to the rather disturbing picture that is emerging of a nation’s diet in crisis,” the authors wrote.

Young adults were most likely to fall short of recommendations for fruits, milk and oils, and those aged 31 to 50 were most likely to drink too much alcohol.

The authors did not examine energy balance in their research, but they wrote that nutrient-poor energy sources seemed to be displacing nutrient-rich ones.

“The poor quality of Americans’ diets evident from this analysis is consistent not only with high rates of obesity and overweight but also food insecurity, which is characterized by compromises in diet quality and variety,” they wrote.

Moreover, the researchers applied their findings to the US food supply, which they said has oversupplied solid fats, added sugars, and sodium, and undersupplied fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and milk over at least the past several decades.

“The stark contrasts observed between the diets of Americans as well as the US food supply and current dietary guidance underscore the need for individual- and environmental-level interventions to facilitate healthier dietary intake patterns,” the authors concluded. “Without such interventions, the diets of most U.S. adults and children will continue to be markedly divergent from recommendations, a worrisome state in the context of the obesity epidemic and alarming rates of other diet-related chronic diseases.”

Source: The Journal of Nutrition

140: 1832–1838, 2010

“Americans Do Not Meet Federal Dietary Recommendations”

Any questions on diet, nutrition, or exercise protocol, please contact me at dorad@intrafitt.com

Looking forward to hearing from you.

In good health and honor,

William Smith (President/INTRAFITT Ent.) 

The Adverse Effects of Inactivity

William Smith is the President / CEO and Founder of the INTRAFITT Corporation which was established in California in 1992. Will has won more than twenty-eight bodybuilding championships and is also known for his role as “THUNDER” on television’s American Gladiator between 1990 – 1992. He is a National and International Speaker on Performance Nutrition and Exercise Science.

 It should now be clear that regular and consistent prolonged exercise performed at a moderate level of intensity is intrinsically involved in favorably altering the body’s chemistry.  Unfortunately, when regular and consistent exercise is not maintained, unfavorable biochemical changes are likely to occur.  Insulin  Resistance (the inability of the cells of the body to take up and use glucose efficiently) for example, is a condition that may result from years of inactivity combined with poor eating habits.  Although insulin is a hormone that is essential to live, prolonged and excess exposure to the peripheral tissues can actually inhibit lipolysis and accelerate fat stores within the body.  In fact, laboratory experiments have shown that animals injected with insulin became fatter even with no extra eating involved.

People suffering from insulin resistance may often encounter symptoms associated with hypoglycemia such as sugar cravings and lethargy because the glucose is not being used efficiently in their bodies.  In order to compensate for this metabolic aberration, the pancreatic cells will  often over-secrete insulin in an attempt to force the much-needed glucose into the target cells.  As a result, hyperinsulinemia can initiate two processes that may occur simultaneously:

1.  An increase of blood plasma lipogenesis (conversion of blood glucose to blood lipids).
2.  Non-reactive hypoglycemia resulting in unacceptably low levels of blood sugar, thus creating extreme hunger, lethargy, and acute headaches.

Most people who have extremely high levels of body fat usually have some degree of insulin resistance, which may predispose these individuals toward type II diabetes.  Insulin resistance can be exacerbated by inactivity, loss of lean tissue and as mentioned earlier, being extremely overweight.  In order to control the amount of insulin secreted by the body, proper diet and exercise must become a regular part of day-to-day activities.

Visit us any time at www.intrafitt.com to reprogram your body to be fit and lean for life.  Learn about our certification programs and lots of additional information available on our site.

In honor and strength,

Will Smith/aka Thunder of the American Gladiators

Email me any time at info@intrafitt.com

DIETARY FATS…

William Smith is the President / CEO and Founder of the INTRAFITT Corporation which was established in California in 1992. Will has won more than twenty-eight bodybuilding championships and is also known for his role as “THUNDER” on television’s American Gladiator between 1990 – 1992. He is a National and International Speaker on Performance Nutrition and Exercise Science.

Dietary fat is perhaps the most complex of the three energy nutrients in terms of its diversity and function in human metabolism.  In order to truly understand the role that this essential nutrient plays in health, fitness and performance, it is important to understand the varying types of dietary fat as well as the different biological forms of fat that is stored and used within the body.  To begin our discussion, lets review some of the reasons why fat has received so much bad press over the last decade.  As mentioned earlier, the United States currently has the highest incidence of obesity compared to any other country in the world.  Furthermore, heart disease, diabetes and colon cancer as well as a number of other chronic and degenerative diseases have continued to escalate among the American population.  Due to the prevalence of these alleged preventable diseases, health organizations such as the American Heart Association and the American Cancer Society have produced a number of reports to help educate people about the risk factors associated with the excessive consumption of certain types of dietary fats.

Interestingly enough, there is now a considerable amount of controversy among the scientific community as to whether or not problems such as high cholesterol, heart disease, diabetes and obesity are truly a direct result of consuming and/or over consuming dietary fat, sugar, or a combination of both.

So, should we eliminate fats completely? 
Aside from the many reasons that we have been told to minimize and/or avoid the use of fats, there are just as many reasons, if not more, to consider re-introducing them into our regular meal plans  For example, not only are lipids (fats) necessary for the absorption of the fat soluble vitamins, A, D, E, & K, they also help to regulate and control blood sugar (by controlling the emptying time of the stomach), and help to prolong a satisfied feeling of fullness after a meal.

You may ask what other benefits do dietary fats provide.   Well, in our next column  we will begin discussing the different types of dietary fats and the characteristics they possess.

In health and honor,
William Smith aka/Thunder

TO REPROGRAM YOUR BODY TO BE FIT AND LEAN FOR LIFE………..visit our website at www.intrafitt.com
Contact me with any questions to gladiator@intrafitt.com

Till next time……………….remember your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit and is on loan only.