POOP!!!!

So I spent about 15 minutes trying to come up with a catchy title for this article and all I could come up with was “POOP.” Since that is what we really need to talk about it seemed a fitting title. Our poop is a very important  indication of the health of our digestive system as well as the rest of our bodies. Nobody likes to talk about POOP, I know. However, if you have been with us at ELITE long enough, you know we talk about POOP a lot.

The chart above gives you some examples of “bad” poops and “good” poops.  The list below explains why our poops look they way they do according to the chart. For more information, ask your favorite trainer. Yeah, right. Like someone would really come up to a trainer and say “Can I talk to you about my poop?” Seriously though, watching your poop is a good way to know what’s going on in your body. Take the picture above and hang it up in your kids bathroom so they can be aware and healthy.

1. Black and “Tarry” Poops– These poops look very dark and almost like tar. They are a result of too many  toxins in your body. These toxins come from foods but also from household cleaners, aluminum cookware, microwave ovens, furniture polish, tobacco smoke, laundry detergents, synthetic carpet, mothballs, dryer sheets, and several other common household items. You want to buy as many “organic” or “natural” cleaners as possible. You can find safer alternatives at stores like Trader Joes and Whole Foods. Fred Meyer has a great organic section as well. Before you tell me it is too expensive consider the average American spends $150 a month on fast food and eating out. This is your health.

2. Fatty Poops– These poops can come from too much grease and fat in the diet. This can also occur if you are   gluten intolerant or have a hard time digesting fats.

3. Pile of mush Poops– This is just what it says. A pile of mush in the toilet bowl. This is commonly found in “bodybuilder” type athletes that are taking in too much protein or too much of a liquid diet.

4. Rabbit Poops– This poop looks like little balls of poop pressed together, like rabbit poops. It can come from dehydration and/or too many processed foods.

5. “Diahrella”– Diarrhea is caused by many things that include food allergies, a virus, or eating foods that upset your digestive system. It’s common for a healthy adult to have diarrhea 2-3 times a year. More than that would suggest you might have some digestion issues.

6. Food Poops– This is when you see pieces of undigested food in your poops. This can occur if your hydrochloric acid levels are low or if you are not chewing your food enough. Remember you should drink your food and chew your drink. Always chew food until it is almost liquefied and every time you take a drink, chomp like you are chewing .

7. The poopy police– This is the ideal poop. You want a 6-8 inch “brown banana” in the toilet. This is the sign of a healthy digestive system. Get a copy of this article and hang it up at home. Your friends will love it!!!

Have you had an identity crisis!?!?!?!?

I have a client named Suzy Schniffleheizer. Suzy started training with me and 4 months later she went from 252 pounds to 256 pounds. No progress. After a tough discussion, she got on track and began seeing results. To get the details of that tough discussion read my article entitled “Forget how you feel, what can you prove?” Anyway, after about 10 weeks and 26 pounds lost, Suzy looked up at me and said “Will I lose all my strength as I lose weight? Because I don’t want to be a skinny weak girl.” My response was “That’s a bunch of bull crap!”

In the 7 months we had been training together, Suzy had never once mentioned a goal of being strong. It never once came up. I identified to her that she had created an identity for herself that was the “Big girl.” I recalled her refer to herself as the “big girl” and would do so in a positive light that suggested that she a big and strong girl. The problem with this “identity” was that it was a crutch that was holding her back. I saw this condition in one of my trainers who was a big guy at about 24% body fat. He always identified himself as the “big football” type guy. This allowed him to justify his excessive body weight and feel ok with it. Even though, he explained to me on several occasions he wanted to be smaller.

Suzy asked me why should create that identity for herself and I said “Simple, if you create that identity for yourself, you can convince people that you are happy with the person you are. If you are happy with the person you are, they have no reason to judge you for being overweight and out of shape. It is a defense mechanism.”

It wasn't until she "killed" her big, strong
 identity, that Suzy was able to break free
 and be phenomenal.

I explained to Suzy that her identity crisis was making her fail. You see, she had told me that in the  past she would do good for a couple of days or have a good workout and reward herself with some pizza or beer.  Her identity allowed herself to do those things because a “big, strong, power lifter” girl would eat pizza and drink beer as a reward. She stopped and thought for a moment and then proclaimed, “Wow, you are totally right. But what do I do? How do I lose that identity?” I told her will have to have a funeral.  We were going to have to “KILL” the big, strong, power lifter girl. We would have to kill her so Suzy’s real desired identity, which was “150 pound, skinny Suzy” could have a chance at survival. So we did just that. I went home and made a headstone. We went out back behind the gym and had a funeral.

Have you created an identity for yourself that is sabotaging your success? If you have, you need to kill it and create a new identity for yourself that is conducive to what you want. Suzy had to kill her “big, strong, power lifter” girl identity because that identity was too accepting of bad behaviors and bad decisions. “Big, strong, power lifter” girl was more than willing to eat pizza and drink beer because it supported her, but to “150 pound, skinny” Suzy, eating pizza and drinking beer as a reward was not acceptable. Pizza and beer as a reward is not possible in the world of “150 pound, skinny” Suzy. “150 pound, skinny” Suzy needed to be disciplined because “150 pound, skinny” Suzy was more interested in buying smaller clothes than the short term gratification some beer and pizza brought. 

Do you need a new identity?