From Pastor Joseph Prince:

Isaiah 53:4

“Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows…”

Imagine the dreadful disease of leprosy eating a man alive.  The poor leper in Matthew 8:2 could stand his suffering no longer, so he came out into the open to look for Jesus.  He needed to know if Jesus was willing to heal him.  When he saw Jesus, he fell at His feet and said, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.” (Matthew 8:2)  The Son of God looked at the outcast with love in His eyes, reached out His hand, touched him and said, “I am willing; be cleansed.” (Matthew 8:3)

Perhaps you are suffering from some disease and wondering if God is willing to heal you?  You are not sure if He is willing because just as you have seen people get healed, you have also seen people not get healed.  My friend, don’t look to people’s experiences.  Look to the cross!  As surely as Jesus bore away your sins, He also bore away your diseases!

I want to give you a solid foundation today for believing this truth.  In Isaiah 53, the chapter on our Lord’s crucifixion, it says in verse four: “Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows.”  Now, let’s learn a little Hebrew.  The words “griefs” and “sorrows” here mean “sicknesses” and “pains” in the original Hebrew text.  So Isaiah was referring to physical healing.

Once I asked a Jewish friend to read this verse in Hebrew bible and tell me what it means.  He told me that his Bible says clearly that Jesus has borne our sicknesses and carried our pains.

If that is not enough, look at Matthew 8:16-17: “…they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed.  And He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying: ‘He Himself took our infirmities and bore our sicknesses.”’ Matthew quotes Isaiah 53:4, saying that Jesus took our “infirmities” and bore our “sicknesses”.  The context here refers to physical healing.

My friend, if you will just believe this truth, your days of sickness will be over.  You will walk in greater health because the One who has surely borne your sicknesses and carried your pains says to you, “I am willing, be cleansed.”

Thought for the day

As surely as Jesus bore away your sins, He also bore away your diseases!

It’s been a while and I apologize.  With some major changes happening in my life, I did not have the time to post anything, but worse, I’ve been neglecting my health.  I wake up in the morning and my allergies are going haywire and around my eye, I started getting a little eczema.  I would like to say I am perfect, but like all of us, we sometimes slip and fall.  But true champions pick themselves up and go at it again and again and learn from their failures. 

So, to get back to where I was and where I should be health wise, I will be doing a 4 day detox/cleanse.  Unfortunately, I have put things in my body that shouldn’t be in there and I need to get them out.  My plan? Get my blood clean, get my lymph moving and get myself alkaline again.  Why?

The great lymphatic system:

• This is the golden key to detox
• 75% of body fluid
• Lipid based
• Designed to handle acids
• Interstitial lymphatic constipation
• Bacteria help in nodes

The lymphatic system is like your body’s sewer system.  If we don’t have a good clean sewer system in our body, everything backs up, and sickness and diseases start to happen.

The alkalarian approach to diet offers a simple, basic understanding of what causes the body to become ‘out of balance’. Through what has become the typical Western diet largely based around industrial farmed meat, dairy, sugars, alcohol, saturated fats and caffeine, millions of us have created a hostile, acidic environment within our bodies. The pH level of our internal fluids affects every living cell in our bodies and the effect that over-acidification can have upon the health of our bodies is immense, with a chronically over acidic pH creating an extremely negative environment which affects all cellular functions from the beatings of the heart to the neural workings of the brain. When our pH level is unbalanced, almost any area of our bodies can be negatively affected.  An acidic environment breeds bacteria, yeast and many disease processes.  Acidity creates poor cell function long term and results in cancer, heart disease, obesity, weight problems, allergies, rheumatoid arthritis, autoimmune diseases, fatigue and premature aging as well as problems with our nervous system, cardiovascular system and muscles.

Game plan for next 4 days:

·        Eat only fruits and a few vegetables

·        Drink plenty water

·        Drink hibiscus water

·        Drink blue/green algae water

·        Sit in sauna every night

·        Coconut oil 3.5 tbsp daily

By doing this, I will be alkalizing my body and I will get my lymph moving, helping me detox and helping me feel a major improvement in body.  My morning allergies should be gone and my I should feel a major difference in my eczema, in only four days.

Turkey Sausage Soup

Ingredients 

1 lb ground free range turkey
1 lb free range chicken sausage
2 Onions minced
3 garlic’s minced 
1 Red bell pepper minced
4 Cabbage cut into 1 /2” squares
10 zucchini minced 
1/2 bunch Celery minced
2 carrots minced 
3 C turnips
1 bunch spinach
Bragg’s Liquid Aminos
Salt and pepper to taste
2 Bay leaves
1 bunch fresh basil

Instructions

Sauté free range turkey in a small amount of coconut oil adding garlic, salt and pepper.  Combine all ingredients excluding your spinach and fresh basil.  Cook well for 10-15 minutes, turn off your stove and finally stir in your spinach and basil.

Kale Coleslaw Salad

Ingredients 

Green Cabbage
Red Cabbage
Kale

Sauce

1 C Cashews
2 TBSP garlic powder
2 TBSP onion powder
4 TBSP lemon juice
2 Tomatoes
1 Tbsp Apple cider vinegar
2 Tbsp Raw Honey
salt to taste
3 TBSP fresh dill minced
h20

Instructions

Cut veggies into fine slices.  Blend sauce ingredients into a blender and fold into veggie mix.  Chill and serve

Lemon-Garlic Broccoli

Ingredients 

1 bunch broccoli pulsed in a food processer
1/2 C extra virgin olive oil
3 Tbsp minced Garlic 
2 Tbsp lemon juice
3/4 C pine nuts
Salt to taste

Instructions

Saute Extra virgin olive oil and garlic on low in a pan for 15 minutes to take the sting out of the garlic and to flavor the oil.  Combine oil and garlic with the rest of  the ingredients and fold well in a bowl and serve.

Mung Bean Spaghetti

Ingredients

3 Lbs grass fed ground beef
4 garlic cloves, chopped
2 medium onions, chopped
2 large cans (28 oz) organic crushed tomatoes
3 large carrots
3 stalks celery
1 bunch broccoli 
8 oz. fresh spinach 
3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 bunch Thai basil added at the end
1-2 tsp sea salt (to taste)
black pepper (to taste) 
purified water

Instructions
In a large stock pot (at least 16 - 20 qt.) Mince the garlic; sauté in 3 tablespoons of Coconut oil on medium heat for 30 second; and stir until the onion becomes translucent.  Add the meat and stir until browned.  Add spices, except pepper and sea salt

Add the tomatoes, chopped onion and broccoli, stir and simmer on low for 10 min, stirring occasionally.  Add the raw apple cider vinegar.  Add sea salt and pepper to taste.  Simmer for another 5-10 min.  Using a food processor shred the carrots and place into the stew.  Add spinach and basil at the end and turn stove off. 

Cook Your mung bean noodles separately and you may add all together or upon serving.

Veggie-tastic Organic Salad

swiss chard, kale, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, carrots, celery, bell peppers, sunchokes, cucumber, jicama, raw beets, spinach, baby greens, all kinds of sprouts! Fresh herbs

Hand cut all hard or crunchy vegetables into Small flat thumbnail size.  You may also use a food processor too.  Cut all bitter vegetables very finely – Kale, chard etc.)  You may also chop all vegetables roughly, including stems and all. Combine and toss all vegetables together except for the lettuce and organic baby greens.  (Store the entire mixture in your refrigerator in a large container for use throughout the next coming days.  You may sprinkle with lemon, lime, or vitamin c powder to keep it fresh for a few days.)  Use GIANT salad bowls for each person in your family!  Put some organic greens and chopped lettuce in each individual bowl and then top with a large portion of the vegetable mix.  You may also top with sprouts (alfalfa/bean/garlic/clover/broccoli), avocado, and/or sunflower seeds if you desire.  Drizzle you’re your favorite dressing toss and enjoy.

Cauliflower “Rice” Pilaf 

Ingredients
head cauliflower broken into small florets, 1 tbsp coconut oil, 1 carrot peeled and diced, 1 C Peas, 1/2 red pepper diced, 1 C Shredded Coconut, 1/2 C currants, 1 celery stalk diced, 1/2 diced onion, 1/2 C cilantro, 2 tsp fresh grated ginger, 3 garlic cloves finely chopped, 1 cup chicken stock you may require more depending on how much cauliflower you have, 1/2 C raw cashews (optional)

Directions
Place 1/3 of the cauliflower in food processor and process until it is a rice like consistency.  Remove and set aside.  Repeat step with remaining cauliflower until all has been processed into a rice like consistency.  Heat coconut oil in large saucepan over medium heat.  Add onion, garlic, ginger, carrot, celery and red pepper and sauté until softened ~ 5 minutes.  Add chicken stock and bring to boil, turn down and simmer for 2 minutes.  Add cauliflower “rice”, shredded coconut and currants to stock mixture and stir to combine.  Simmer over medium-low heat until cauliflower is tender.   Fluff with fork and serve.
Note:  Most of the liquid should evaporate during cooking however, if you find that you have excess liquid, use a sieve to drain the cauliflower.  Return to saucepan, fluff with fork and serve.

Mediterranean Hamburger Stew

Ingredients

1 Large eggplant cut lengthwise into thin small slices
1 lb free range ground beef
1 C olive
1 medium yellow onion chopped finely
3 medium tomatoes finely chopped
1 Can tomato paste
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup chopped cilantro (or parsley)
1 tbsp tomato paste
2 Tbsp minced garlic
1 Tbsp raw honey
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
2 Tbsp Bragg’s Liquid Amino
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste
Chili sauce Optional

Instructions

Sauté onions in about 2 tbsp olive oil over medium heat. Add beef and spices, mix well and sauté until it turns light brown. Add all other ingredients cover and cook on low heat another 20-25 minutes or until fully cooked.  Garnish with chopped cilantro.

Raw Chocolate Cheesecake

For the crust 

2 C Pecans, 4-6 Dates, pinch of salt
For the cheesecake:
4 C Cashews soaked, 3/4 C raw honey
3/4 C raw Cocoa powder
1 C  raw Cocoa Butter (or coconut oil)
1/2 C  Water, 1 tsp Vanilla
1 dropper full of Chocolate stevia

Equipment needs

Food processor, spring form pan or pie plate, high speed blender

Instructions

 Starting with the crust, dump your pecans into your food processor and let them process into a fine meal.  Add in the salt and give it a quick pulse.  Add in your dates and continue to process until it forms a ball and everything is combined.  If you are using a pie plate, you might want to take a moment to grease the plate by rubbing some coconut oil or cocoa butter on it.  Remove the ‘dough’ from the processor and spread out evenly in your pan or plate.   Place your crust into the freezer to set while you make the cheesecake filling.

For the chocolate cheesecake goodness, it is important that your cocoa butter (or coconut oil) is in liquid form.  I place mine into a shallow dish and stick it into the dehydrator for a few minutes (at about 110 degrees.) When ready, pour the raw honey, stevia, cocoa powder, cocoa butter (or coconut oil), vanilla, 1/2 cup of water and the cashews into your processor (or high speed blender). 

As promised, here are 7 different workouts, each will definitely make you sweat, pant and gasping for air as long as you push yourself.  Remember to pick an appropriate weight you know you can use and always maintain good form.  As we push ourselves and get tired, we tend to forget about our form while trying to bust out a few more reps.  Go at your own pace, don’t injure yourself, and move move move!!

If you have any questions on how to do an exercise, just email me at:

DrQuocHo@gmail.com

Enjoy!

Day 1

Warm-up: 2 Rounds

• 10 Box jumps
• 10 Supermans
• 10 Mountain climbers

Workout: 5 Rounds

• 10 Thrusters
• 10 Side plank drops (10 on each side)
• 20 Push-ups

Challenge: As long as possible

• Static leg raise on back

Day 2

Warm-up: 2 Rounds

• 10 Burpees
• 5 Reverse wood chops with dumbbell(5 on each side)
• 10 Kettle bell swings (with kettle bell or dumbbell)

Workout: 5 Rounds

• Single arm lunge (10 on each side)
  • Hold weight in one hand over head, lunge with opposite side leg
• Reverse plank leg raise (10 each side)
• Single arm bent over row (10 each side)
• Half seated leg circle (10 each direction)

Challenge: As many reps as possible nonstop (try for at least 150)

• Jumping Jacks

Day 3

Warm-up: 2 Rounds

• 10 Lateral leap and reach (10 each side)
• 10 Rotation swings (10 each side)
  • Hold single dumbbell with both hands in front of body with straight arms, rotate to each side
• 10 Glute bridge march (10 each side)

Workout: 5 Rounds

• 10 Spiders each side
  • Get down on all fours, knees and hands, with dumbbell in hand
  • Laterally raise dumbbell to right side while laterally raising leg of opposite side (imagine a dog using a fire hydrant), repeat other side
• 5 two down and one back (5 on each side)
  • Get down in a squat position, laterally lunge right twice, then back to left once
• 10 Wood choppers on each side
• 10 Spiderman pushups

Challenge: Stop when needed, but go till you hit 100 

• 100 Pushups

Day 4

Warm-up: 2 Rounds

• 10 Bicep curls
• 20 Ab bicycles
• 10 Tricep extensions
• 10 Seated Russian twist
• 10 shoulder presses

Workout: 5 Rounds

• 10 Burpees
• 10 Oblique crunches on each side
• 10 Jump lunges with each leg
• 10 Side drops
  • Lie on back with legs extended in air, body should be in 90 degree angle
  • Keeping legs straight, drop feet down to one side, bring back up and drop down to other side, that’s one rep

Challenge: Stop when needed, but go till you hit 100 

• 100 Prisoner squats

Day 5

Warm-up: 2 Rounds

• 1 Minute jump rope
• 10 Mountain climbers
• 20 Leg raises

Workout: 5 Rounds

• 15 Goblet squats
• 10 Spiderman push-ups
• 10 Kettle bell swings

Challenge: As many reps as possible

• Hand stand pushups

Day 6

Warm-up: 2 Rounds

• 10 Box jumps
• 10 Ab rockers
• 10 Mountain climbers

Workout: 5 Rounds

• 10 Thrusters
• 10 Burpees
• 20 Push-ups

Challenge: Stop when needed, but do at least 100 situps

• 100 Sit-ups

Day 7

Warm-up: 2 Rounds

• 1 Minute Jump rope
• 10 Ab rockers
• 10 Jump twist
  • Stand facing one direction, jump and twist to face other direction
  • Jump and twist to each side 10 times

Workout: 5 Rounds, as many reps as possible in 30 seconds, jump to next exercise right away without resting

• Pushups
• Back extension with feet on chair/bench
  • Lie on your back with feet on the chair/bench
  • Drive your hips up until your body makes a straight line
• Goblet squats
• Burpees

Challenge: Stop when needed, but do at least 100 Jack knives

• 100 Jack knives

1.  Artificial Sweeteners (Aspartame, Nutrasweet, Sucralose, Spleda, Saccharin, Equal)

Aspartame is the most widely used artificial sweetener that is found in over 6,000 products consumed by more than 250 million people in soda pop, sugarless gum, “sugar-free” foods.  Today we have Frappuccinos, Diet Coke, Monster Energy drinks and other unnatural processed foods made with chemical ingredients that taste great due to their ability to hyper-stimulate pleasure centers in the brain and lead to a myriad of health conditions including diabetes, heart disease, cancer, obesity, senile dementia and osteoporosis.   Scientific scrutiny in journal articles reported the following neurophysiologic effects following digestion and metabolism of aspartame into the bloodstream:

“Neurological and behavioral disturbances, headaches, insomnia and seizures, compromised learning and emotional functioning, neurodegeneration leading to senile dementia (i.e. Alzheimer’s And Parkinson’s Disease), and inhibition of normal brain chemistry function.”

Splenda, the newest poison, is found in nearly 5,000 food products as well as pharmaceutical drugs and chewing gum.  The makers of Splenda claim sucralose is made from sugar and is therefore ‘natural’. Yes, Splenda is made from sugar, but contrary to these claims, it is not natural.  It seems obvious when the final product is five to six hundred times sweeter than sugar, that it couldn’t be ‘natural’ or healthy.  Chemically, Splenda is a chlorinated artificial sugar.  Sucralose is made by switching out three naturally occurring hydrogen-oxygen groups with three chlorine atoms on a sucrose molecule, forming a chlorocarbon – when this is done, it is no longer natural or healthy.

“…chlorocarbons are never nutritionally compatible with our metabolic processes and are wholly incompatible with normal human metabolic functioning.” - James Bowden, MD2 

Some of the side effects include: 

• Skin irritation (redness, itching, swelling, blistering, eruptions, rashes) 
• Lung irritation (wheezing, tightness, cough or shortness of breath) 
• Head: dry mouth and sinuses; swelling or inflammation of the face, eyelids, lips, tongue or throat
• Headaches and migraines
• Nose: congestion, runny nose, sneezing
• Eyes: bloodshot, itchy, swollen or watery
• Stomach: bloating, gas, pain, constipation, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea
• Heart: chest pains, palpitations or fluttering
• Joints: joint pains or aches
• Neurological: seizures, anxiety, anger, panic, insomnia, dizziness, mood swings, depression
• Other: blood in urine, menstrual irregularity, night sweats, numbness of the limbs

2.  Hydrogenated oils, partially hydrogenated oils

So far, hydrogenated fats don’t have to be listed on the nutrition panel as saturated fats do, but the Center for Science in the Public Interest is campaigning hard for the FDA to require it.  Trans fatty acids affect more than just our cardiovascular health.  According to a study reported by Mary Enig, Ph.D., when monkeys were fed trans fat containing margarine in their diets, their red blood cells did not bind insulin as well as when they were not fed trans.  This suggests a link with diabetes.  Trans fatty acids have been linked with a variety of adverse health effects which include: cancer, ischemic heart disease, multiple sclerosis diverticulitis, diabetes, and other degenerative conditions.”

Examples:

• 40% of all foods in a grocery store
• 95% of all cookies
• 75% of chips and crackers
• 70% of all cold cereals and cake mixes
• 80% of all frozen breakfast foods
• in most microwave popcorn
• in many salted peanuts and other nuts
• in most candies
• most restaurants that fry foods including donut shops
• shortenings
• and the list goes on and on

3.  Fried foods

Heating vegetable oil above 300 degrees Fahrenheit damages the oil causing toxin formation.  The nutritional value of browned food is poor. Proteins turn into acrolein a known carcinogen.  Frying food is an unhealthy practice and should be avoided.  Saturated fats are the most stable to heat.  Monounsaturated are the second most stable.  Polyunsaturated fats are unstable to heat.  Canola oil, corn oil and other liquid vegetable oils form the most toxins when heated.  This is because they are damaged the quickest with heat and air.  Never fry with Canola oil.

4.  Sugar & High fructose corn syrup

It’s contained in many, many foods; it wreaks havoc with many of the body’s physiologic systems and plays a central role in the current heart disease, cancer, diabetes and obesity epidemics.  Sugar is a super-concentrated unnatural food – the fact that it comes from something natural doesn’t make it natural to the body.  Added to this … after the Jesuits’ introduction of sugar in 1751, sugar became less expensive to produce (thanks in large part to slavery), sugar/sweetener consumption has risen steadily (per person/per year):

a.     1821:     10lbs

b.     1880:     38lbs

c.     1970:  119lbs

d.     1990:  132lbs

e.     2007:  158lbs

In nature, fruit sugar (strawberries, bananas, etc.) is in the form of a complex carbohydrate bound to fiber which functions to slow down or inhibit the breakdown and absorption of the sugars into the blood stream, creating a gradual flow of sugar (glucose) into the blood stream.  Refined sugars (simple carbohydrates) such as sugar (versus sugar cane) or apple juice (versus an apple), have been stripped of their natural fibers allowing for rapid digestion into the blood stream, which causes blood glucose levels to spike. This results in over-secretion of insulin, the carrier hormone that transports glucose from the blood to the cells and tissues.

Soft drink manufacturers produce enough for every American to drink 54 gallons per year.  Equaling 576, 12oz. cans per year.  That’s 1.6 cans per day, over 15 teaspoons of sugar (150 calories) per day.  Totaling 50 extra calories per day is equal to 10 lbs a year or 50 lbs in 5 years! 12 oz soda pop: 10 teaspoons of sugar.  64 oz Big Gulps®: 53 teaspoons of sugar.

Soda is up to 200 times more acidic than water.  The erosive potential of colas is 10 times that of fruit juices in just the first three minutes of drinking, a study showed in 2006.  To avoid catastrophic breakdown in physiological function, the body neutralizes acidity by pulling minerals such as calcium out of the blood.  Fructose is converted into fat by the liver and the consumption increases LDL lipids (“bad cholesterol”) and decreases HDL.  Plaque within arteries narrows blood vessels leading directly to high blood pressure, heart attacks and strokes.

5.   MSG (monosodium glutamate – i.e. hydrolyzed yeast extract, etc.)

MSG is an excitotoxin used as a flavor enhancer that destroys nerve cells in the brain.  It causes cardiac, blood, muscular, respiratory, neurological, visual, gastrointestinal, urological, and skin disorders.  We now have foods seasoned with a group of chemicals called neuroexcitotoxins such as MSG, which literally hijack the pleasure centers of the brain creating unnatural neuroadaptive responses leading to inappropriate lifestyle behavior choices driven by unnatural cravings.  FDA reports amount of MSG added to our processed foods has doubled every 10 years since 1945?  MSG is not just used in East Asian restaurants, but in most restaurants and most bagged, bottled, frozen, boxed, canned, or commercially prepared foods.

Some hidden names for MSG:

•         Hydrolyzed  / Textured Protein: (plant, vegetable, any kind) = 40% MSG

•         Monosodium glutamate

•         Monopotassium glutamate

•         Glutamate

•         Autolyzed Plant Protein

•         Sodium or Calcium Caseinate

•         Autolyzed Yeast, Yeast Extract

•         Yeast Food,  Yeast Nutrient

•         Glutamic Acid

Q.O.D.

“Keep away from those who try to belittle your ambitions.  Small people always do that, but the really great make you believe that you too can become great.”

The people you surround yourself with really determines who you are.  Surround yourself with great become and you too fill find a way to become great.  Surround yourself with people complacent with their life and you too will become complacent with your life.  Don’t do that to yourself.  We all were created to be great! 

W.O.D

Warm-up: 2 Rounds

• 15 push-ups, 15 sit-ups, 15 squats

 Workout: 4 Rounds

• 10 Dumbell presses, 10 Burpees, 20 Supermans, 10 Mountain Climbers

 Challenge:

• 100 Jack Knives
  • Do as many as possible, with short breaks if needed, until you reach 100

 Cool Down:

• 5 minutes of stretching, lower and upper body

M.O.D

Mexican Lime Chicken Soup

Ingredients:
3 Tablespoons olive oil or organic butter, 1 yellow onion chopped, 2 gloves garlic minced, 4 carrots chopped, 3 celery stalks chopped, 1 large broccoli crown chopped, 1 bunch of spinach washed and chopped, 4 fresh tomatoes diced or 1 large can diced tomatoes, 1 teaspoon sea salt, 1 teaspoon fresh ground pepper, 6 cups chicken broth, 3 cups water, 1 bunch cilantro
6 whole chicken legs, cooked and pulled from bone, Chili Pepper Sauce (whatever your favorite is – such as Tabasco or whatever; we like the one from Trader Joe’s)
Directions:
In large stock pot, heat olive oil over medium – add  onion and garlic and cook 1 minute.
Add carrots, celery, broccoli, tomatoes, salt and pepper, and cook about 5 minutes.
Add chicken broth, water, cilantro, spinach, and chicken – bring to boil, reduce heat, and simmer 20-30 minutes or longer.
Garnish:
Lime juice, Lime zest, Cilantro, Bragg’s, Hawaiian Chili Peppers

Happy New Year!

It’s that time of the year again. The time when everyone wants to lose weight, exercise more, eat healthy, and get that summer body to fit into those jeans from 2001. And after about two months of moaning, groaning, complaining and snapping at all your friends and family, it’s time to give it up and try again next year. Sound familiar to you?

Well, I’ve been there, done that and was sick of doing the same thing over and over only to fail again and again. Albert Einstein put it best:

“Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”

According to Einstein, I must have been insane all those previous years in my life. I’ve done fasts, and cleanses and even tried starving myself. I feel like I’ve done it all and nothing worked. That is, until I found the truth and the best way to approach getting healthy, losing weight and exercising more.

The first thing you have to do is change the way you think. You shouldn’t look at it as dieting or exercising to lose weight. When you have that goal in mind and you accomplish it, you usually revert back to your old lifestyle habits and right back to where you started with all that weight. Instead, make your aim to get healthy. Your goal should be to get as healthy as possible this next year. You should be asking yourself: What do I need to do to be healthy? What exercises should I do and how is the best way to do them? What foods do I need to eat and what thoughts should I be putting in my head? Basically, you need to ask yourself what is required for health. And as you get healthier, you’ll actually start to lose weight, your eating habits will change and if you have any pain, that will usually go away too. Getting healthy requires making good health a lifestyle, not just a season. Once you commit to that idea, there’s no stopping you!

I also always remind myself that it is all about progression, not perfection. There have been plenty of times where I did a radical diet and completely changed my lifestyle overnight, only to find myself back to square one a few months later. Instead, I slowly added one healthy meal a day to my diet. I continued to do this until all three of my meals were healthy. By continuing to slowly add the good things, I slowly had less room for the bad things. Currently, I’m still progressing towards perfection, but I know if I fail, I won’t be mad or disappointed and quit. All I have to do is make sure I’m continuing to progress. This year, I’ve decided to add more cardio into my exercise program. Currently, I’ve added running to a couple mornings throughout the week. Slowly, I want to work up to running every morning. By slowly progressing, I won’t get burnt out and it allows me to actually enjoy what I’m doing.

Don’t forget to find yourself an accountability partner. Having someone to push you and encourage you can really help to accomplish your goal. Also, having a little friendly competition can go a long way. Just make sure you pick the right one because your partner can be the best person to help you towards your goal or the one person keeping you from your goal. Choose wisely.

So remember:

1. Commit to being healthy, instead of just losing weight.

2. Remind yourself it is about progression, not perfection. Baby steps.

3. Find yourself an accountability partner.

I encourage you to think about these ideas and continue to follow me on my blog for more tips coming soon. This year, I’ll start to add some recipes and more workouts and some of my daily devotions to my blog. I’ve also been receiving a lot of good feedback and questions, so keep those coming. Email me at drquocho@gmail.com.

Quote of the day:

“The man who removes a mountain begins by carrying away small stones.”

Quote of the day:

“A dream doesn’t become reality through magic; it takes sweat, determination and hard work.”    - Colin Powell

W.O.D (Workout of the day):

The most common answer to why most people don’t workout is because they don’t have enough time.  If you have 15 minutes in your day, you have time.  This is my workout of the day and it only takes about 15 minutes.

Warm-up: 2 rounds

• 20 Alternating Lunges, 20 Jumping Jacks, 20 Push-Ups
  

Workout: 5 Rounds

• 20 One Arm Kettle bell swings, 10 each side

• 20 Box Jumps

• 10 Mountain Climbers

Challenge: As many in two minutes

• Handstand Push-ups

Cool Down: 5 Minutes

• Yoga or stretch

Lunch of the Day:

• Big salad: spinach, purple cabbage, green, cabbage, carrots, cucumber, homemade dressing
• Whole foods rotisserie chicken with homemade dipping sauce

- Dipping sauce: lime, lime zest, cilantro, bragg’s liquid amino, Hawaiian chili pepper

Sauce is great for everything, soups, meats, vegetables, etc.

Follow me for more workouts and food tips and recipes.  God Bless!

Dr. Q

Every morning, I get my mind going in the right direction by reading a quote from Danny Yamashiro’s book, “Winner’s Edge”.  The most powerful single factor to be successful is your beliefs.  Whatever you believe in, whether it be a slight feeling or an intense belief, will become your reality.  Successful people absolutely believe that they will succeed, never thinking, talking or even entertaining the possibility of failure.  Remember, success is rare, yet obtainable.  Whether you want to be financially successful, lose weight, be healthy, have a great family, etc. you have to commit and be serious about your goals.  You must get busy.  You must get active. You must get going.  Remember, everything counts.

My Quote of the Day:

“There are many things in life that will catch your eye, but only a few will catch your heart…pursue those.”  - Michael Nolan

This is what my days have looked like so far this week:

Monday

• 6:45 AM Wake-Up
  • The first thing I do when I wake up every morning, even before getting out of bed, is give thanks to God for another day of life
  • Morning drink: raw organic blue green algae with MSM powder
• 7:15 AM Start work
• 8:00 AM Morning Snack
  • 2 cucumbers & 1 carrot dipped in homemade sauce
• 10:00 AM Morning meal
  • 3 hardboiled eggs & 2 tangerines
• 1:00 PM Lunchtime Workout
  • Warm-up: 2 rounds
    • 1 minute jump rope, 20 sit-ups, 20 pushups
  • Workout: 5 Rounds no rest
    • 2 Sots Press
    • 15 Mountain Climbers
  • Burnouts
    • 100 Jack knives
  • Cool down: 10 minutes of yoga
• Lunch
  • Big salad
    • Romaine lettuce, green cabbage, carrots, cauliflower
    • Homemade dressing
  • Protein
    • Homemade Beef stir-fried with garlic
  • Supplements
    • 10 fish oil capsules, 3 probiotics (1 regular, 2 yc-7), 3 Bioastin capsules
• Drink while adjusting patients
  • Hibiscus water with lemon and MSM powder
• 6:30 PM Done with work
• 7:00 PM Pre workout shake
  • Hibiscus water, lemon juice, coconut shavings, coconut oil, hemp protein, chia seeds, Isotonix joint formula, MSM powder
• 7:30 PM Workout
  • Chest, triceps and core
• 9:30 PM Dinner
  • Big salad
  • Vietnamese Soup with mung bean noodles instead of rice noodles
  • Watch espn to catch up on football
• 10:15 PM
  • Prepare foods and lunch for following day
  • Rest, relax, stretch, traction
• 11:00 PM Bedtime

Tuesday

• 7:45 AM Wake-Up
  • Give thanks to God for another day of life
  • Morning drink: raw organic blue green algae with MSM powder
• 8:15 AM Start work and snack
  • Morning Snack
  • 2 cucumbers & 1 carrot dipped in homemade sauce
• 10:00 AM Morning meal
  • 3 hardboiled eggs & 1 Korean pear
• 1:00 PM Lunchtime Workout
  • 25 Minute swim at the beach
• Lunch
  • Big salad
    • Romaine lettuce, green cabbage, carrots, cauliflower
    • Homemade dressing
  • Supplements
    • 10 fish oil capsules, 3 probiotics (1 regular, 2 yc-7), 3 Bioastin capsules
• Drink while adjusting patients
  • Hibiscus water with lemon and MSM powder
• We had a special workshop today where we baby-sat around 25 kids, played games with them, had face painting, balloon animals, tattoos and Santa came as well
  • Our snack: ants on a log with almond butter and craisins, apples
  • Dinner: Mung bean spaghetti and turkey dogs
• 8:30 PM Done with work
• Rest of the night
  • Prepare foods and lunch for following day
  • Rest, relax, stretch, traction
  • Watch ESPN for my daily sports information
• 11:00 PM Bedtime

It is currently Wednesday morning and this is my workout plan for the day:

• Lunchtime Workout
  • Warm-up: 2 rounds
    • 20 kettlebell swings, 20 jack knives
  • Workout: 5 Rounds no rest
    • 5 Seated press
    • 5 Med ball pushups each side
  • Burnouts
    • 100 Jump lunges
  • Cool down: 10 minutes of yoga
• Evening Workout
  • Back (upper, mid and lower), biceps, core

Stay tuned for more information and details on the supplements I take, why I take them, the different types of foods I eat and the workouts I do.

Dr. Q