I  have a secret, something that only a few people know. 

I sometimes workout at another gym besides the one I own. 

I know, it's crazy. 

I've been involved in a specific type of athletic training and strength and conditioning for so long that I've forgotten there is another world of exercise out there. One I actually came from when I started this journey years ago. 

This world is populated by a group of people who aimlessly wail on machines and free weights,  pulling movements they've learned from magazines and websites, in an effort to look something like the videos they see online and in print. They work for the sake of work, and while admirable, it is a gerbil wheel. Doomed to forever spin and get nowhere. 

That, in essence,  is the difference between training and exercise. Exercise gives you something to do. It makes you hot and sweaty, and  it can be fun. Truthfully, there are a lot of people who have gotten in good shape by exercising. Training, however, has one key difference: direction. 

The first day I train with a new client I ask "what is your goal?" Most of the time I get responses along the lines of getting fitter or losing weight. Occasionally I get a more specific answer; "I want to do a pull-up" or "I want to run a 5k in under 30 minutes". It's those quantifiable goals which distinguishes training from just "working out".  

Attached to this distinction are the trainers and coaches of the world.  You see them leading groups of men and women. Engaging their clients and classes to do movements they wouldn't normally do, leading them outside their comfort zones, and helping them discover something within themselves. This is a very important interaction.

When you exercise you just need someone with a clipboard and pre-written routine to walk you around the gym and make small talk.

When you train, you need someone to objectively evaluate your performance, offer improvements in technique, and provide "tough love" when you need it most. You need someone who can speak to you from experience, someone who provides insight not only into the bio-mechanical aspects of training, but also the mental and emotional states of motivation and training. You need someone you feel comfortable around, trust, and is invested in your success.

That, brings us to the second key difference, between a coach and a trainer.  

A coach will see in you the best person you can be, and will work together with you to achieve that goal.  You will see in you something you've never seen in yourself. 

A coach will be supportive, and realistic.  Whatever your goal, is their goal.  At the same time if it is unrealistic or unsafe they will call you on it or work to make an appropriate adjustment.

A coach will know their passion and their limitations.  If a goal is outside their limitations, they should have no problem bowing out and directing you to someone more appropriate. 

Lastly, a coach should empower, and bring up the people around them to the highest of levels. Bettering the world with every movement, and word of encouragement.

The subtle differences between trainers and coaches, exercising and training are elusively obvious, and run through the under current of the entirety of the exercise world.  Learn the distinctions now, to provide a better path in the future.


Best,
Evan Chelini

ABOUT EVAN
Evan Chelini is the owner of Sand Dunes CrossFit and Strength Coach in Miramar Beach, FL. He is also the owner of a great spirit and passion for helping others.


Please visit his page at Sand Dunes Strength and Conditioning


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Your back hurts, so you log onto your computer and Google back pain. Next thing you know you have cancer, right?Researchers found errors and inaccurate assertions in 9 out of 10 Wikipedia entries on the costliest medical conditions which was recently published by the Journal of the American Osteopathic Association. 
A team of U.S. scientists said they found “many errors” in Wikipedia articles concerning the 10 costliest medical conditions. The researchers cross-checked Wikipedia entries on coronary disease, lung cancer, hypertension and back pain, among other ailments, against the latest research from peer-reviewed journals. 
So, please be careful when doing your own research. I encourage you to be your biggest advocate when it comes to your health, but be careful of the garbage on the internet!
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Quick update about the message behind this website. I answered the phone at work today from a gentleman with a Long Island accent. He says, "where are you located?". I tell him directions as if he was a local trying to get to our location in Sandestin Resort, you know, go around the circle, make a left, blah blah. He says, "is that in Florida?". I laugh and say yes not knowing that he was calling from New York. Well, he found my website on Google by typing in Piezo Wave 2 and sciatic pain and was directed to 850Health.com where he read my blog post! His wife is in terrible pain and he heard about the new technology that is providing amazing relief to people like his wife who have undergone surgery, rehab, pain meds, etc. and are running out of options. He couldn't find anyone with the Piezo Wave 2. I told him I will get a hold of our rep who sold us the Piezo Wave 2 to find a location on Long Island so his wife can get treatment. Thank you again for sharing my posts, it's working!


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I would like to share a little about the best book I have ever read. It is called The Untethered Soul the Journey Beyond Yourself by Michael A. Singer. There is a quote on the cover of the book by Deepak Chopra that says "Read this book carefully and you get more than a glimpse of eternity." I read that quote before starting the book and said "yeah, whatever". Maybe he was right. I have highlighted half of the book for future reference and will share some of it with you. 
Singer challenges the reader to take a step back and observe the mental noise that is the conversation you hear in your head all day, every day. The observer of that conversation is the real you, your soul. He says "come to know the one who watches the voice, and you will come to know one of the great mysteries of creation.". That is quite a statement and it is something we need to explore further. The problem is that "if you can't get the world the way you like it, you internally verbalize it, judge it, complain about it, and then decide what to do about it.". What if you could control that voice? The good news is that you can! "Your inner growth is completely dependent upon the realization that the only way to find peace and contentment is to stop thinking about yourself. You're ready to grow when you finally realize that the "I" who is always talking inside will never be content".  He goes on to describe the problem with the common way of approaching life and that is the idea that by changing the world, the "things outside", we will find our solution. Real happiness comes from objectively watching your problems instead of being lost in them. Ramana Maharshi (1879-1950), a great teacher in the yogic tradition, used to say that to attain inner freedom one must continuously and sincerely ask the question "Who am I?". I had chills after reading that because I have a photo of The Shroud of Turin in my bedroom with a quote under it stating "Who do you say that I am?". These quotes are repeated continuously throughout time and are the premise of the Buddhist Self, the Hindu Atman and the Judeo-Christian Soul.  When you really ask these questions and truly search, it's amazing what you will find. Stop being "so preoccupied with controlling your world of thoughts, emotions, and physical sensations that you don't even know you're in there." Change the way you observe the Self and it will change the world you live in!
"As you pull back into the consciousness, this world ceases to be a problem. It's just something you're watching. It keeps changing, but there is no sense of that being a problem. The more you are willing to just let the world be something you're aware of, the more it will let you be who you are - the awareness, the Self, the Atman, the Soul."

I encourage you to read this book and please share your thoughts!
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I can't thank everyone enough who has "liked", "shared", "tweeted" or whatever it may be, to my webpage and postings. This has been an amazing experience getting this blog off of the ground and reaching out to others. I hope you find it beneficial and informative. This site has given me a platform to reach out to others and hopefully improve their lives for the better. It has been amazing to see page views surpass 10,000 and have hits from countries all over the world. We live in a world full of misinformation and if I can take what I have learned in order to help you then we both BeneFIT. I've had my frustrations of how healthcare works, how the food industry is deceiving us, how we are getting away from our beliefs and how greed controls our society. The best we can do is to continue to educate and allow people to have access to the correct information. Thank you again for your support and please help me continue to educate others! 

www.ScottRusin.com

Check out the trailer for the documentary FED UP. If you watch it before I do, let me know what you think.

When you're 10,000 feet in the air, the last thing you think about is jumping out the door of a plane. I had no intention of ever skydiving until my friend Jon signed me up after a difficult divorce he was going through. I agreed to go, but I didn't think the plan would follow through. It sure did and I'm so glad that I went. It's the experience of a lifetime and should be on your bucket list if you haven't had the chance to go. It is an amazing feeling hanging at 5,000 feet with nothing below you other than your shoes! 

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E-Cigarettes seem to be the new thing. Nobody seems to know the long term effects, they continue to grow in popularity and stores are popping up everywhere. Research is also starting to emerge. According to a recent  study, e-cigarettes may expose users to increased levels of toxic chemicals, including formaldehyde and acetaldehyde, the same types of toxins found in traditional cigarettes. The study was published online Friday by Nicotine and Tobacco Research, a peer-reviewed journal. The battery-operated e-cigarette devices use heat to create vapor from liquid solutions made with nicotine, flavors and other chemicals.  Though vapors from e-cigarettes operated at lower voltage generated trace amount of such toxic chemicals as formaldehyde, a known carcinogen; acetaldehyde, considered a possible carcinogen to humans; and two chemicals known to irritate nasal, lung and/or mucous tissues, acrolein and acetone. Thought it was too good to be true? Well, it appears that way! 

Something so simple, yet so effective! The foam roller is a great tool in physical therapy and general fitness. It is personally one of my favorite pieces of equipment to improve posture and alleviating neck, shoulder and upper back pain. The number of exercises that can be performed on these rollers are endless. They vary in length, diameter, material, color and firmness. Using a roller breaks up fibrous tissue and boosts circulation so you're less sore making it a cheap alternative to other forms of therapy while assisting in recovery from intense workouts. I've posted an article in the past about shoulder pain resulting from muscular imbalance which you can read here. If you feel that you fit into this category or if you find yourself sitting at your desk job all day this exercise is for you!

This is the "anti" rounded posture exercise and takes the strain off of the neck and shoulders that you feel all day. Do not push into pain when bringing your arms upward and try to keep the backs of your hands on the floor. You will need a roller that is long enough to perform this exercise, 6x36" seems to be the standard. You can find one in the 850HealthStore for around $15. The problem with the cheaper version is that they will start to flatten out from use. If you plan on using it frequently, you may look into spending a little extra and purchase one with plastic reinforcement. There are so many variations now that you can Google "foam roller" and find hundreds of choices. I have the Grid as part of my living room decor and use it frequently to loosen my thoracic spine and free up tight musculature. One of the exercises that I perform at home include the one shown below. You can roll up and down and massage your thoracic spine and shoulders. The Grid works great because of its firmness and ridges that act to massage the musculature while mobilizing a tight thoracic spine.

Find the Grid here...

There are hundreds of exercises that you can perform to better yourself. You can search the internet for exercises that are more specific to your needs and even YouTube them for demonstration! I hope this helps!
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Interesting article in the newspaper today in the Wall Street Journal about the Big Bang Theory and I'm not talking about the television show. I'm talking about the idea of the universe being created from a massive explosion, starting from the size of an atom. An Associated Press poll revealed that 51% of Americans do not believe in the "big bang".  There was a recent announcement on March 17th providing overwhelming evidence that the "big bang" is indeed factual based on the discovery of gravitational waves and cosmic inflation. According to the author, Mr Aczel, "it also fundamentally does not conflict with scripture." Also, "it was Genesis that provided the stimulus for the first mathematical calculations that led to the 'primeval atom'." The first person to come up with the idea of the "big bang" was a Catholic priest in 1927, Georges Lemaitre, who was also a physicist and astronomer. He was able to prove Einstein's idea of the universe wrong despite resistance from the science community and changed Einstein's view on its creation by using the Book of Genesis. Aczel ends his article by saying, "The 51% of Americans who deny the big bang-if they do so because they think the theory conflicts with faith-should come to trust our science." Amir Aczel is a physics writer and author of "Why Science Does Not Disprove God". 
I'm telling those who ask for evidence proving God, it's out there if you look. 

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