This Ain't Nothin' to Die For

I remember tearing this cartoon, dated 2005, out of a local newspaper (Newsday, for all my Long Islanders reading this entry) when I was in high school.  Most of my peers thought absolutely nothing of having a few beers on the Mini Bridge and then driving home on any given Friday; that "It'll never happen to me!" magical thinking could've gotten many people into a tough spot, but I'd never EVER let it happen to me.

In the early hours of 11/30/2008, Jason Shein was killed by a drunk driver in Farmingdale, NY, on his way home from Applebees with a few friends.  He was heading back to school in Miami the next morning, and he had come home for Thanksgiving to surprise his family.  He was going to school for neuroscience and he was going to become a doctor and change the world someday.  The 21-year-old with a happy life, tons of friends, and immense promise was taken down by a man who already had 3 DWIs to his name and was supposed to have a court-ordered ignition lock on his car.

Jay was always that guy who would IM me at 2 AM when we were in high school yelling me to go to bed; I'd tell him I had homework to finish and he'd tell me that no form of work is worth staying up that late for.  The one I would happily take a call from at midnight on a Tuesday because he'd be worried about something or someone.  He worked at Target in the photo department and I would always stop by just to say hi to him while I was there because he made my day better just by seeing him being happy and smiley.  ...The one who always told me I needed to slow down because I never had any free time.

I never knew just how much this one cartoon would stick in my mind when I first learned that Jay had been killed.  I also never dreamed that it would have such a profound influence on my life just a few years later.  This past summer at a party at a friend's house, "Friend A" had way too much to drink.  Everyone knew it, and laughed when I told them he was planning on driving himself home because clearly nobody was going to let him drive himself home.  To make a long story short, I ended up having a panic attack and he needed to be tackled to the ground to get his keys from him, ensuring that he would not be driving himself anywhere.

"Friend A" was really mad at me at the time, telling me I was overreacting and that I was being ridiculous; I was really mad at him too--all I could think of was Jay and how he was killed by someone who probably thought the exact same thing, that he was "fine to drive" and nothing would happen.  A lot of people would back down when faced with a tough situation like this, caving and not wanting to risk a huge argument.  Knowing my friend the way I do, I knew he was worth the fight.  Not only was his life worth the argument, but people's lives who could've been taken due to nobody standing up for them were worth the argument too.  "Friend A" was over it by the next day and eventually thanked me for "overreacting." 

The moral of this story is, your life is not the only one that is affected by your actions.  As the holiday season approaches, it's easy to go to lots of parties and not realize just how much you consume.  Do the world a favor--if you have more than one drink, let someone else drive.  Don't let your ego be responsible for taking innocent people's lives...the people who love them will never forgive you.  Jay was an exceptional person and I think about him every day; it's my mission to not let his death be in vain.  You may not know Jay, but please take his story to heart as if you did--I promise it will change your life.

Rest in Peace, Jay...you are loved and missed more than you can imagine. <3

In Memory of Jason Shein

July 4, 1987-November 30, 2008

"To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty; to find the best in others; to leave the world a bit better whether by healthy child, a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived.  This is to have succeeded."  ~Ralph Waldo Emerson (found on the back of Jay's memorial card)

I'm Yours...Alllllllllllllll Yours!

Ever since I became a Beachbody coach, I've (appropriately) been asked by countless people exactly what it is they "should" be doing.  Expecting a cookie-cutter response like "Well, you should work out and eat healthy!," I'm not entirely sure people truly understand what it takes to live a fit lifestyle.

"Ya gotta get an education!"

 

I signed up as a Beachbody coach in March of 2009.  I knew the jist of what it was--represent the products, help other people figure out what's right for them, etc.  What I didn't know was how much this concept would change me as a person.  I went from not knowing anything, to knowing a lot but not knowing how to use the knowledge, to having a perfectly clear mission that I plan to accomplish whether or not it's the last thing I do.

 

I want to educate people.  Honestly, it's what I've been doing most of my life; I've got a solid client base as a swim instructor (I've been teaching swim since I was 14 in 2002), I tutored in high school, and as a babysitter/nanny/tutor to two very energetic kids, I've learned a thing or two about successful ways to ..er.. "train" people to do what they need to do ;)  By passing on all the tidbits I've learned from my fitness friends--exercise tips, nutritional tips, personal development habits, etc--I can pay it forward to those I truly care about and those who really do want to take steps to better themselves and live a more fulfilling life.

 

What does this have to do with you?  I've decided to start doing private consultations for anyone SERIOUS about getting in shape!  Whether you're looking to get in shape physically, mentally, or financially, I am here to help you One-on-One.  Let me help you achieve your goals once and for all!

We're Officially The Worst of the Best

I know, that's not exactly the most optimistic title for a blog post in the world, but right now I really don't care--I'm angry.

Go ahead, ask me what I'm angry about!  I dare ya!

The medical and technological advancements that've been made in the last year are astounding.  Add those in with those made in the last five, ten, twenty, fifty, and 100 years, and forget it, we've lapped centuries in terms of rate of development.  Some of the brightest minds that have ever lived would KILL to see what we've done with the theories, formulas, and ideas they came up with back in the 1500s, and even the late 1800s/early 1900s.  Heck, I'm sure the inventor of the computer's head would be spinning if he knew that we've now made it smaller than pocket-sized!

.....but yet, we've used these advancements to make products that kill people.  The worst uses of the best minds possible.

No, I'm not talking about guns.  I'm talking about products we see and/or use every day.  BPA-laden plastics, which are known carcinogens; artificial sweeteners, which are loaded with false promises of cheated health and have devastating effects on the body; methods of transportation that use more fuel and create more noxious gasses in one day than we should be exposed to in a lifetime; ways to genetically modify our food to make it more easy to reproduce and simultaneously deplete its nutritional content.

It makes me sick knowing what we, as humans, have done to this world.  Life may be easier to live, but is it really?  How many of you microwave food in plastic containers?  Surprise, you may be diagnosed with cancer in a few years.  Oh, and if you were heating up vegetables in that container, they've been officially zapped of all their nutritional value due to the high heat.  Think that apple you just ate will keep the doctor away?  It's only got 25% of the nutritional value it would have had 50 years ago, thanks to the scientists who figured out how to mass-produce them.

It's "thinks" like this that make me want to move to the middle of nowhere, where life has not been touched by science or technology.  The world is clearly moving too quickly for our own good; people are not being properly educated about all the "latest and greatest" advancements and God knows we're not going to look for any danger ourselves--we're gonna wait until someone else points it out for us and then ignore them, dammit!

This entire entry was brought on by a NY statewide ban on the alcohol-spiked energy drink "Four Loko."  For YEARS we've known that mixing alcohol and caffeine is horrible for your body, but the advent of Red Bull made it seem like it's totally okay.  Red Bull and Vodka is the new "It" drink, and all those people saying "NOOOOOOOOOOO, DON'T DO IT!!!!!!" have gone right by the wayside.  Thankfully, the FDA will be putting a ban on creating drinks marrying alcohol and caffeine within the next few days, but really--should they have to?  It's long since been known the devastating effects of this combination, but nobody's listened.

Listen.  Read.  Educate yourself. 

...it's all we've got left--nobody's gonna tell us on their own.

Hard Work Works!!

I have to rant for a second.  I was online the other day pre-ordering Tony Horton's new book, "Bring It!," on Amazon and a link came up for a "buyer's guide" for P90X.

The author planned to delve into all the cracks and crevices of the program to help buyers determine whether or not they're ready for the program.  Team Beachbody has message boards for this exact purpose, but it's a noble attempt to make a buck, right?  I followed the link to the author's site and was shocked by the pro/con list that I saw.

The pro list basically stated that if you follow the program and do the workouts, you would get the results you want.  The con list, on the other hand, was appalling.  It said absolutely nothing about people's usual complaints-the workouts are too hard, they're too long, etc.  What it did have at the top, and was basically the only valid "complaint" to be found on the con list:  "You will only really see the results shown on TV if you eat right."

Why did this make me tick?  Not so much that it's listed as a kind of ultimatum-I'm not stupid, I know there are a lot of people who undervalue their nutritional responsibilities, and I'm one of them on occasion-but that it's listed as a "con" in the first place.  P90X was designed as an extreme FITNESS program, as in a program designed to get you fit.  There is not a single fit person in this world that pays zero attention to what they are eating on a regular basis.  Fitness is not just about how much you exercise.  In fact, 80% of the results you obtain from a fitness plan come from eating properly. 

Statistics aside, why do people see proper nutrition as a chore!  We were given the right to live when we were born and nobody is living to the fullest potential unless they nourish their bodies in the way they were meant to be nourished.  Whole, unprocessed, unrefined foods are the only way to deliver proper nutrition to our bodies and function the way we're supposed to.  I can most certainly not call myself a saint in this arena; nutrition is something I struggle with on an hourly basis and I deal with it as it comes.  Shakeology is, hands down, my biggest ally in this battle.  I never see it as a con, though...it's just something I need to do in order to, well, LIVE!  The body shuts down without proper nutrition, so why shouldn't I do whatever is possible to make sure I'm functioning correctly?  Exactly.

Proper nutrition is never a "con"-it's just necessary.