Several years ago I learned that the human being is comprised of 4 parts - Body / Soul / Mind / Spirit, and that in order for us to be balanced, harmonious, content, powerful, and at peace we need to keep all 4 connected. At the time this information was shared with me I couldn’t have been any more disconnected from my mind and more notably my spirit. For me it was all about the physical -my ego had basically taken over my life - I was motivated by vanity - I worked out so I would like what I saw in the mirror and would better attract the opposite sex - I was in full speed pursuit of fame, fortune, and everything that comes with it - expensive cars, fast woman, wild parties, ceaseless entertainment, and the never ending vacation - I was your quintessential pleasure seeker - Despite having attained many of the aforementioned pursuits the irony of it all was that I was miserable - depressed and completely disgusted with the person I had become. There was good news that came with learning why/how this was happening - if I wanted to I could do something to change my situation and the way I was feeling.

What needed to change or stop was the way I had been neglecting my spirit. Soon after the lesson there was more good news - it wasn’t going to be a difficult thing to do. All I needed to do was make some small adjustments on how I thought about life - the who, what, where questions needed to be asked - who am I? - what’s my purpose? - where do I go when I leave this earth? When we begin our search for the answers to these questions that’s how we call on our spirit which will direct us to the actions that will promote inner peace and happiness. I wish you all a safe and enlightening journey.

Purium Health Products supplement of the week - REVIVE_IT_ALL It is no secret that more and more Americans are classified as baby boomers, the “aging population.”  However, getting older does not mean you have to have less energy, poor memory, slow down, and move aside for the “next generation.”  We say no way!  Our turn back the clock formula was inspired by the research of doctors - yet contains ingredients that make it unique to PHP. If you are tired of feeling tired, you must try this easy to use product! According to a study at the University of California, Berkeley, dated February 19, 2002; two dietary supplements put the spark into aging rats and might do the same for people.  Doctor and Researcher Bruce Ames, and others observed reversal in memory loss, increased vigor, and increased energy in the animals that were taking Acetyl L-Carnitine with Alpha Lipoic Acid.  Their conclusion, if you tune up the mitochondria you may have a means of delaying at least the onset of a number of age-related problems that we encounter, and we can in some ways, hopefully, reverse what has already taken place. At PHP we have taken this one-step further by adding two proven ingredients, Ginkgo Biloba to increase circulation and Glisodin, an antioxidant with great anti-aging properties, because we believe it is never too late to “revive it all.” Ingredients: Acytle L-Carnitine: has been shown to protect brain cells against aging-related degeneration and improve mood, memory, and cognition.  People use acetyl-L-carnitine to maintain their immune competence and reduce the formation of the aging pigment lipofuscin.  The most important effect of acetyl L-carnitine, however, is to maintain the function of the cell’s energy powerhouse, the mitochondria.  Published research continues to substantiate the multi-faceted benefits of this critical amino acid supplement. Alpha Lipoic Acid: neutralize the effects of free radicals in the body by enhancing the antioxidant functions of Vitamin C, Vitamin E, and glutathione.  It also ensures the proper functioning of two key enzymes that convert food into energy. Ginkgo Biloba: best known for its ability to enhance circulation.  It has the ability to squeeze through even the narrowest of blood vessels to increase the supply of oxygen to the heart, brain, and all other body parts.  This aids in mental functioning and helps to relieve muscle pain.  Also lowers blood pressure, inhibits blood clotting, and has anti-aging properties. Glisodin SOD: super oxide dismutase functions as an antioxidant and is used by every cell in the body.  Decreased production of SOD contributes to aging and possible development of degenerative concerns. * Buy 1 bottle of Revive-It-All and get 1 bottle half price * To order please go to phporder.com/johnnies

I volunteered to help coach my 7 year old son who is playing tackle football for the first time - yesterday was his first game and something very interesting happened that is worth sharing. We arrived at the field early and none of the players from the other team were out on the field. As they arrived they assembled at the far end of the complex and came out onto the field as one unit. As they walked toward their bench I noticed my son staring at them with a look of concern on his face. I disregarded it and went about my business- 10 minutes later he came up to me saying he had a stomach ache and wanted to sit down - I asked him if he was nervous and he said he wasn’t - he said he felt nauseous and that he didn’t feel well enough to play - It soon became obvious to me that he had a common case of the pre-game jitters - he was in fact nervous.

Being an athlete myself I knew exactly how he was feeling - I used to literally shake in my cleats before football games and it wasn’t until after the first hit that I would calm down - so I knew I had to figure a way to get him to relax enough to convince him to get out on the field with hopes that he would be okay after his first hit - I decided to have him do a deep breathing RELAXATION technique - I had him take in a deep breath, hold it for a second or two and let it out - we did this ten times - he immediately started to feel better but not good enough to play just yet - I left him alone for 5 minutes and went back over and repeated another 10 deep breathes - 5 minutes later he came out onto the field to say: “Dad I feel a little better but I only want to play defense” - I laughed to myself and knew what he was saying and I couldn’t blame him - it’s always easier to be the one delivering the hit as opposed to the one receiving it.

Luckily the first hit was all he needed and he practically played the entire game on both offense and defense - After the game he admitted that seeing those “big boys” walking onto the field made him nervous. I told him that was normal and okay, that most players get nervous even the pro’s. That made him happy to know that but more importantly we now know what to do to help calms his nerves before a big game.

Purium Health Products is the company I trust and go to for most of my SUPER-FOODS. For anyone not familiar with Super-Foods they are foods that come in powder, capsule, pill, or liquid form that are loaded with a multitude of nutrients that we just don’t get from our everyday meals  - some of the foods have live enzyme activity which is important for absorption and assimilation - some nourish at a cellular level - others will activate the body’s metabolism - most do an exceptional job at supporting and strengthening the immune system. Making them a part of your daily food intake is not only essential for optimal health it is an easy add to the diet.

I personally use several PHP’s products and have been recommending them to my clients, friends and family for years. My two favorites are the MASTER AMINO COMPLEX, which I find to be the ultimate energy booster/lean muscle builder and the POWER SHAKE, natures ultimate nutritionally-packed cocktail . I encourage everyone to try them - if you want to improve your health, increase your energy, and feel better then go to www.phporder.com/johnnies to learn more and to make your purchases.

Some of the phenomenal results that I’ve seen these products render are major weight loss, lowered cholesterol, decreased stress, improved sleep, eliminate drug addiction, increased energy, balanced blood sugar levels, increased lean muscle mass, curbed cravings, and much, much more.

The owner of the company, Dave Sandoval has formulated nutritional protocols that he refers to as “Battleplans” that are designed to help fight many diseases and disorders; Diabetes, Cancer, MS, ADD, Fibromyalgia, Osteoporosis, Prostate cancer, and Parkinson’s disease to name a few.

In order to give ourselves a fighting chance against a life-threatening disease or to prevent one from taking up residence in our body PHP products are a surefire way to go. Try them! You’ll love what they will do for your health! If you have any questions about the products or the the battle plans please don’t hesitate to contact me at powercenter1@aol.com.

I’m still on vacation out West in Tucson, Arizona and being here has brought back a flood of memories of the three years spent living here, going to school and playing football. Way back then I think the earliest I had ever gotten out of bed before 8 am was when I had injured my hip flexor and my trainer thought it would be a good idea for me to come to her anatomy class at 7:00 so she could show me the tendon I hurt on a cadaver. I lasted about three minutes and ran out of the room gaging thanks to my notoriously queasy stomach. I was more accustomed to staying up to all hours of the night followed by 10 to 12 hours of sleep. I had zero interest in anything the early morning had to offer.

It’s truly amazing how time changes things. Fast forward to present day and there’s no question my sleeping habits and responsibilities have both changed considerably. Early mornings that were once my enemy are now my favorite time of day. In my opinion waking up early and heading outside for some fresh air, and the peace and quiet that the morning offers is the best way to start a day. Watching the splendor of a sunrise, meditating, reciting affirmations, or some light exercise are all great ways to get the day started. No matter what you choose to do as long as your focused on revitalizing yourself and relaxing it sure beats jumping out of bed and getting right to work even if it’s just the mind reviewing the days schedule.

Here’s a challenge for those of you that don’t consider yourselves morning people - for one week try going to go bed an hour earlier and rise an hour earlier and see if an early morning routine can rival your trusted cup of coffee or whatever it is you do to get your day started. I’ll put my money on the early-bird special.

Growing up on the Jersey Shore made it easy for a young boy to become obsessed with wanting big muscles - I’d be shocked if the term “muscle-head” wasn’t spawned during the Summer somewhere on one of New Jersey’s boardwalks. I was one of the many skinny, pre-testosterone kids that envied and admired the bulky meatheads that walked the boards flexing their overgrown, and often times synthetic muscles. It wasn’t until I was much older, much bulkier, and in chronic pain when I realized that the misperception I had formulated as a kid couldn’t have been any further from the truth. I thought having big muscles equated to power, strength, better athleticism, more confidence, and more attention from the opposite sex. Man was I wrong!

What I eventually realized was that my body, especially my joints were taking a beating from pushing and pulling hundreds of pounds of weights for so many years. My shoulders, hips, back, knees and ankles would need a 20 minute hot shower after rolling out of bed and shuffling to the bathroom as if I were an 85 year old man - I was 28. Fortunately I met someone that showed me a better way and thankfully it didn’t involve anything weighing more than 12 pounds. In fact most of the exercises were done using my very own BODY-WEIGHT. Within a year my pains were virtually gone and I was in the best shape of my life, which ironically meant shedding about 20 pounds of unnecessary muscle.

Today I train with very little resistance other than my own body weight and the workouts are intense, super-effective, diverse, ultra challenging, and never boring. Take todays workout for example - I decided to do 10 exercises each for one hundred reps as fast as I could. It was just me, the Arizona desert, the hot sun and 10 ass-kicking exercises. 100 Power Kicks (per leg) - 100 Power Palms - 100 Power Punches - 100 Hindu Squats - 100 Hindu Pushups - 100 Skaters - 100 Mountain Climbers - 100 Frog Jumps - 100 pushups - 100 Bicycle abs. By the time I finished I was soaked from head to toe - and every muscle in my body felt worked. So my answer to today’s question is ABSOLUTELY! If you’re not familiar with body-weight workouts I highly suggest trying them for a few weeks and see for yourself what great shape you’ll start to get in and how amazing you’ll start to feel - Do me a favor and let me know how it goes by leaving a comment. Good luck and you better be mentally prepared to take a good old fashioned beating. Have fun!

Tomorrow my family and I are heading West for a small Vaycay. My old man has finally decided to retire after 28 years of officiating for the NBA. In 1990 my Dad relocated to Tucson Az, to watch my senior year playing football for the Arizona Wildcats. Attending The University of Arizona was an amazing experience. I fell in love with Arizona the minute I laid eyes on the mountains that shrouded the outskirts of town - the love affair began before the plane even touched down. I found something very magical about the dessert and the unfamiliar surroundings - The contrast of colors - all the spiny vegetation - the creepy crawlers - the mind-bending sunsets, and even the relentless heat quickly became my home away from home.

I haven’t been back there for 10 years and I’m very excited about my return. We haven’t been on many vacations but the older I get the more I appreciate and understand the value of taking a break from the grind, which leads me to the word of the day: Rejuvenate - The machine is never going to stop so it’s up to us to break away - take some time to recharge the mind and the body’s depleted energy - to reflect on what we’re doing and where we want to go- Even if it’s just for a day taking a break helps to open the mind and allows the creative juices to flow a little smoother. Everyone deserves a break and can benefit in many ways by getting themselves rejuvenated. Indulge yourselves! Bon Voyage.