Ed came to the Ultimate-Body program 16 weeks ago and said that he wanted to lose weight and get healthy. He had a wife at home with a newborn soon to arrive. Ed said that he wanted to get healthy and not continue living the life of an overweight, unfit person. It seems to me that he was probably very motivated -not just for himself, but also for his soon to be born child.

In the short time Ed has been in the class he has done a superb job of transforming himself. He has cut his bodyfat in half (plus some) and has added muscle like crazy. Ed looks more like someone who has been lifting weights for years, not weeks. Ed has also been excellent for his training partner, Richard.

Congratulations, Ed. You have outdone yourself. Everyone I meet at city events that know both you and I can't stop complimenting your success. More importantly though, congratulations on recently becoming a dad! -Ron

Monday the 24th of April marks the next official cycle start date of the Ultimate-Body Transformation classes. If you have ever considered engaging yourself in one of the best, most effective training programs to completely transform yourself, here is your opportunity. Don't forget,there is a coupon for a savings of $125 at the bottom of the newsletter.

There are classes at 5:30, 6:30, 7:30 and 9:30 AM at Frisco as well as 5:45, 6:45 and 7:55 PM. In Plano there are 5:30 & 6:30 AM as well as 5:45 and 6:45 PM classes. With this schedule and two locations to serve you, your excuses are diminishing! Don't delay any longer. Let the comprehensive nature of the Ultimate-Body program lead you to a better, healthier life. Through specific weight training, cardio and nutrition accountability, you can reach some incredible personal goals.

Call today to either reserve a space or to get onto the waiting list for one of the already filled classes. 214-232-0730 or contact us through the website link below.

“No, you can’t cut your sandwich from the top left corner to the bottom right, you’ve got to cut it from the top right to the bottom left” said Michael’s mom. This was quite confusing to him since just a few days before his father had told him that cutting the sandwich from top left to bottom right was the perfect way to do it.

Seeking a third opinion, Michael found a group of kids at school having lunch. “With this many kids eating sandwiches, surely they know how to cut one the right way,” he thought to himself. Upon approaching them, he asked if any of them knew the right way to cut a sandwich.

“Of course” said the first boy, “you cut it from the middle left to the middle right.” “No, that’s not right,” replied the next little boy at the table. “You cut it from the top middle to the bottom middle.” Perplexed even further, Michael walked away. “I’ll never figure out how to cut my sandwiches,” he thought. Over the years, Michael would hear a tidbit here and there about some new way to cut a sandwich, but overall, he grew to distrust that there was any hope for him to get it right. Ultimately, he gave up and ate whole sandwiches all his life.

What does Michael’s sandwich cutting dilemma have to do with fitness? Well, a lot actually. How many ways have you heard purporting to be the “right way” to get fit and healthy? One “professional” will come out and say it should be done this way and then you will certainly find another person who will say that you should do it the opposite way. One after another, trainers, fitness experts, doctors and everyone in-between comes forward with their own ways to achieve health and fitness success and many times these ways contradict each other.

Finally, people get incredibly confused and disillusioned about improving their health and fitness thanks to the seemingly endless supply of contradictions and opposing views on how to accomplish such a task. So, is there hope? Could Michael have learned to cut a sandwich and be happy? Sure, he could. Moreover, so can you. Not cut a sandwich, but get fit and healthy that is.

The reality of how to cut the sandwich is that there are many ways to do it. None of them is the ultimate “right” way and all of them work. In the end, they all get the job accomplished, whether it is cutting top left to bottom right, middle to middle or any other way, the result is the same. Therefore, I suggest that of the many, many ways that you have probably heard of over the years to get fit and healthy, most of them work. Mind you, not every way works, but it is easy to eliminate the ones that will not get you the success you want.

A relative of mine went on the “green diet” once. The premise was simple; eat all you want of anything that is green. Green M&Ms, broccoli, moldy bread, anything green and you were supposed to lose weight. I was not into fitness at the time, but I did not have to be to know that this plan was not a good way to reach your goals. Therefore, obviously, one should exclude the obviously wrong and unhealthy ways of going about getting fit. However, that being said, every other way probably deserves at least some thought and consideration.

Being in the health and fitness industry, I know of many ways to cut the proverbial sandwich now and I have even developed my own unique way to get the job done. However, besides my own 20 Week Ultimate Body Transformation program, many others work very well too.

The idea is to choose a plan or a program that you like and then do it. Don’t worry yourself with all of the contradictory views that you will certainly hear. Listen to your own instincts and let them be your guide. It is completely possible to want to change your program after you start. All I am saying is to change because you want to, not because some short blurb in a gossip magazine says that this or that actress is now doing XYZ program and therefore you should too.

If Michael had just chosen a way to cut his sandwich that he liked, he could have moved on with his life and focused on so many other things, like having fun and making friends. Interestingly, we too have the ability to choose a path to health and fitness. By choosing a way to “cut the sandwich”, we too will have the ability to move on and focus on so many other important things.

Q: I recently began weight training, and I’ve been having a lot of soreness for a couple days after my workouts. Is there anyway to treat this?

My New name is my real claim to fame, (or some might argue that it is a woman with her old flame). However, there was a day when I was known by a name more similar to a place in a nether far away land. What was my name and who should I blame?

A: The soreness you’ve described is probably DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness), which typically occurs 12 to 48 hours after a workout that includes eccentric work. Eccentric work is the “negative” work you get when doing something like lowering a weight or walking downhill. DOMS normally worsens over the first two days post-workout, and then gradually improves. However, if you have concern that it may be something other than DOMS, please see your health care provider. There are several theories as to what happens during eccentric work to cause DOMS. These include microtearing in the muscle fibers, microtearing in the surrounding ligature, or causing the surrounding supporting structures to swell. Probably a little bit of all the above is true. You may already know, though, that normal muscle and strength building requires those microtears to take place—then the muscle rebuilds itself, creating a stronger muscle. DOMS would occur, however, when those tears are more severe. As far as how to treat DOMS, research is not conclusive. According to studies, what shows the most promise for reducing soreness is post-exercise massage done two hours after the workout. Obviously, this is not realistic for most of us! Many believe static stretching works, but research at this time doesn’t support this belief. Other experts promote light activity to get the blood flowing to those areas. Suggestions include a non-steroidal anti- inflammatory agent, such as ibuprofen or even vitamin C, which promotes collagen growth.

Owen in the Frisco 6:45 PM class won the t-shirt by being first to send the correct answer to last month's hidden question.

Last months hidden clue and answer: I wasn't the father that had three sons, but I was the father of two - though one of them could have been an animal, in name at least. But before you knew me as a father, I worked for the Father. Who am I and what did I do for the Father? My son would have said that I was "swell." Answer: Hugh Beaumont (Ward Cleaver on Leave it to Beaver) was an ordained minister before he became the famous TV dad.