Summer is just around the corner! Are you reaching your goals for the UBC this go around? Do you feel like one more UBC program will help tip you over the edge? Anyhow, it's time to start thinking about it because we are on week 7... Soccer!
Please let us know as soon as you can, regarding your plans for continuing in the program. We are hoping that we can retain our 6 and 9 am classes. Give us your thoughts.
Let's put it in high gear from here to the end! See you in class!!
Respectfully,
Duncan Richardson
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Korean Vs. American
As you know I was in Vegas over the weekend for my Black Belt test. And, while I was there, I observed some pretty interesting things. Things that I knew all along, but when you see it in such a bold fashion, it really drives a point home.
Yesterday, I had the same discussion with 2 individuals. I felt like the words were verbatim between the two people. Here is the concern- "the fat just wants to hang on no matter how hard I work..."
Do you remember the first day when I said, "Who here wants to go extreme and you're not afraid to give up certain foods to have the body you want?" Do you remember what I said? "Cut out all breads and pasta!" Then I said, "...or if you want to feel good, eat 'good', and make smaller improvements, go ahead and eat the breads and pasta, just make sure you keep it in the right proportions." I'm not anti-bread and pasta, but... it's the food that will really make it more difficult to shed that fat at the rate you might like.
I know, I know... bread is so good! We eat it as toast, we use it for sandwiches. It's the staple of an American diet! How can we get rid of two things that are so prominent in our food culture?
When I was at the Black Belt test, and when we broke for lunch, all the Korean officials had food brought in for them. I made it a point to check out what these people were eating. Their plates consisted mainly of vegetables and different meats, and a small portion of rice. Not a single one of them had bread or pasta. This is basically how the Korean people eat.
Then... there were the Americans. They were at the buffet loading their plates up with things like- bread pudding, potato wedges, pasta, self made sandwiches, etc. It was carb after carb, and not the good carbs either. Very few loaded their plate with salad and fish or chicken.
Now, let's talk about what I observed between the two groups of people. On average, the Koreans were older (officials), but they were slim. The ones that were taking the test were slim as well, and very powerful. Their flexibility, force, and execution of their techniques was amazing. Point being, they were slimmer, but they definately weren't weak.
Although, there were plenty of Americans that were in excellent shape, but on average, many of them had spare tires. I'm not talking big spare tires, well some were big, but on average, you can definately tell that there was no six pack behind that uniform.
Cutting out breads and pasta and eating more vegetables seems foreign to us because we're not used to it. As a society, we need to realize that our food, that is widely accepted, is taking us down the wrong path. By the looks of all these Koreans, they don't have the same struggles we do with fat. I don't believe we necessarily need to train harder, we just need to eat smarter.
As for me, I'm Mexican!
See you in class!
Duncan
Yesterday, I had the same discussion with 2 individuals. I felt like the words were verbatim between the two people. Here is the concern- "the fat just wants to hang on no matter how hard I work..."
Do you remember the first day when I said, "Who here wants to go extreme and you're not afraid to give up certain foods to have the body you want?" Do you remember what I said? "Cut out all breads and pasta!" Then I said, "...or if you want to feel good, eat 'good', and make smaller improvements, go ahead and eat the breads and pasta, just make sure you keep it in the right proportions." I'm not anti-bread and pasta, but... it's the food that will really make it more difficult to shed that fat at the rate you might like.
I know, I know... bread is so good! We eat it as toast, we use it for sandwiches. It's the staple of an American diet! How can we get rid of two things that are so prominent in our food culture?
When I was at the Black Belt test, and when we broke for lunch, all the Korean officials had food brought in for them. I made it a point to check out what these people were eating. Their plates consisted mainly of vegetables and different meats, and a small portion of rice. Not a single one of them had bread or pasta. This is basically how the Korean people eat.
Then... there were the Americans. They were at the buffet loading their plates up with things like- bread pudding, potato wedges, pasta, self made sandwiches, etc. It was carb after carb, and not the good carbs either. Very few loaded their plate with salad and fish or chicken.
Now, let's talk about what I observed between the two groups of people. On average, the Koreans were older (officials), but they were slim. The ones that were taking the test were slim as well, and very powerful. Their flexibility, force, and execution of their techniques was amazing. Point being, they were slimmer, but they definately weren't weak.
Although, there were plenty of Americans that were in excellent shape, but on average, many of them had spare tires. I'm not talking big spare tires, well some were big, but on average, you can definately tell that there was no six pack behind that uniform.
Cutting out breads and pasta and eating more vegetables seems foreign to us because we're not used to it. As a society, we need to realize that our food, that is widely accepted, is taking us down the wrong path. By the looks of all these Koreans, they don't have the same struggles we do with fat. I don't believe we necessarily need to train harder, we just need to eat smarter.
As for me, I'm Mexican!
See you in class!
Duncan
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Life After UBC
Many people have been wondering what happens when the UBC is over. My answer- "Don't worry, there is Life After UBC." I know your feeling. You feel like you are getting some good traction and you're making good progress and the last thing you want to do is let that momentum go... especially before summer! I hear ya... I'm pickin' up what you're thowin' down!
Stay posted, because I will be revealing some options for existing UBCer's and new UBCer's. Ashley... don't worry, I'm not ignoring you! I'm just trying to cram 48 hours into 24, that's all.
Talk to you all soon!
Duncan
Stay posted, because I will be revealing some options for existing UBCer's and new UBCer's. Ashley... don't worry, I'm not ignoring you! I'm just trying to cram 48 hours into 24, that's all.
Talk to you all soon!
Duncan
My 6th Degree Test
Many people have been asking how my 6th Degree Black Belt test went. Check out the 3 day event at my other blog- Duncan Richardson's Black Belt Test
I would scroll down to "1st Update..." That way it will make a little bit more sense as you read it.
Respectfully,
Duncan Richardson
I would scroll down to "1st Update..." That way it will make a little bit more sense as you read it.
Respectfully,
Duncan Richardson
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Monday, February 9, 2009
We're Approaching Mid-Term Testing!
Remember those days of cramming for mid-terms? Those were days that I am all too familiar with. Now, can you really make more improvement within the next 4 days? The answer is YES!!! You've got momentum now. You are stronger, your cardiovascular endurance is better, and you have more muscle mass. You can push yourself harder now, than you could on January 12th.
Let's make this week a stellar week with nutrition. A stellar week with hitting all your classes. A stellar week with extra activities throughout the week. We will be doing mid-term testing in all the classes on Thursday the 9th during all the regular classes, for Boise only. In Eagle, all the testing will take place on Friday.
See you soon!
Duncan Richardson
Let's make this week a stellar week with nutrition. A stellar week with hitting all your classes. A stellar week with extra activities throughout the week. We will be doing mid-term testing in all the classes on Thursday the 9th during all the regular classes, for Boise only. In Eagle, all the testing will take place on Friday.
See you soon!
Duncan Richardson
Friday, February 6, 2009
Biggest Loser or Biggest Joke
I'll admit, The Biggest Joke is what I thought of the hit TV show, The Biggest Loser. Rachel was watching the show, on and off, when a comment by one of the trainers responded to a voted off participant who claimed that she didn't lose much weight because she replaced the fat with muscle and had lost inches. The trainers response was, "...that's bull#?!! Trainers around the country keep saying that and it's not true, blah, blah, blah..." Anyhow, that wasn't verbatim, but you get the picture.
Rachel said to me, "Wonderful, now all of our UBCers that watch this show are going to be saying, 'hey wait a minute, didn't you just tell us that we are building muscle mass..." I thought long and hard about this stupid remark this trainer made.
After Rachel and I chatted for awhile on this, we identified how a fitness trainer could've made such a comment on TV. The comment was a gross over-generalization of people getting into shape. There is NOBODY in the UBC that would ever qualify to be a participant on The Biggest Loser. The people selected to go on the show are clinically obese to the max. In fact, if there were a category above clinically obese, they would be in it. We're talking 60 to 70 percent body fat.
If a trainer told a client, that was this obese, that they are replacing their fat with muscle mass, and that is why they are not losing any weight, then I would agree with the remark, however. Because, many of these Biggest Loser participants can afford to lose 90 to 150 pounds of fat, and, they may only put on 10 pounds of muscle mass. Check this out, they may even lose muscle mass. Can you guess why? Because after they lose 100 pounds of fat, their body no longer needs to work as hard to walk up and down stairs, get out of bed, roll over, stand up, sit down, etc. It's not uncommon for overweight people to go through a muscle mass adjustment after losing lots of body fat.
So, the bottom line is this, UBC students are in a different category. Some UBC students have more fat to lose than muscle to gain, others only require and even switch, and some can even put on a few over-all pounds (in the way of muscle mass). And, we are hearing everything just that from our students:
"I've lost 10 pounds already!"
"I've only lost 2 pounds, but my pants fit better." In fact, we had a student come in yesterday wearing a pair of jeans, just high on life. She said, "I'm so excited! I went shopping in my own closet!" Nice going!!!
"I feel stronger! I'm sleeping better, and I have more energy throughout the day!"
These are all real comments from students in the current UBC. Everybody is doing awesome, and we're proud of every single student for the effort you're putting into this.
Remember, if it were easy, everybody would be in shape!
Until next time...
Duncan Richardson
Chief Master Instructor
The Academy of World Taekwondo
Rachel said to me, "Wonderful, now all of our UBCers that watch this show are going to be saying, 'hey wait a minute, didn't you just tell us that we are building muscle mass..." I thought long and hard about this stupid remark this trainer made.
After Rachel and I chatted for awhile on this, we identified how a fitness trainer could've made such a comment on TV. The comment was a gross over-generalization of people getting into shape. There is NOBODY in the UBC that would ever qualify to be a participant on The Biggest Loser. The people selected to go on the show are clinically obese to the max. In fact, if there were a category above clinically obese, they would be in it. We're talking 60 to 70 percent body fat.
If a trainer told a client, that was this obese, that they are replacing their fat with muscle mass, and that is why they are not losing any weight, then I would agree with the remark, however. Because, many of these Biggest Loser participants can afford to lose 90 to 150 pounds of fat, and, they may only put on 10 pounds of muscle mass. Check this out, they may even lose muscle mass. Can you guess why? Because after they lose 100 pounds of fat, their body no longer needs to work as hard to walk up and down stairs, get out of bed, roll over, stand up, sit down, etc. It's not uncommon for overweight people to go through a muscle mass adjustment after losing lots of body fat.
So, the bottom line is this, UBC students are in a different category. Some UBC students have more fat to lose than muscle to gain, others only require and even switch, and some can even put on a few over-all pounds (in the way of muscle mass). And, we are hearing everything just that from our students:
"I've lost 10 pounds already!"
"I've only lost 2 pounds, but my pants fit better." In fact, we had a student come in yesterday wearing a pair of jeans, just high on life. She said, "I'm so excited! I went shopping in my own closet!" Nice going!!!
"I feel stronger! I'm sleeping better, and I have more energy throughout the day!"
These are all real comments from students in the current UBC. Everybody is doing awesome, and we're proud of every single student for the effort you're putting into this.
Remember, if it were easy, everybody would be in shape!
Until next time...
Duncan Richardson
Chief Master Instructor
The Academy of World Taekwondo
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Who Said Uneventfull Births Are The Best?
Well, it's been exactly 1 year since that crazy day last February when Rachel delivered Zoey. Fortunately, I have documented the event. Check it out-
Who Said Uneventfull Births Are The Best?
Then, there is the follow up blog post... Read 2nd!
Zoey Addilyn Richardson
Enjoy!
Duncan Richardson
Chief Master Instructor
The Academy of World Taekwondo
Who Said Uneventfull Births Are The Best?
Then, there is the follow up blog post... Read 2nd!
Zoey Addilyn Richardson
Enjoy!
Duncan Richardson
Chief Master Instructor
The Academy of World Taekwondo
Sunday, February 1, 2009
I Haven't Lost Any Weight!
Hello UBCer's. I hope everyone had a fabulous, and extremely active weekend. For me, I spent 6 hours on Saturday working on my Bronco restoration project, trained with a client Sunday morning, then hit the slopes with the fam.
Okay, let's get down to business. If I had a dollar for every person that has told me, "I haven't lost any weight!", I'd have... 3 dollars. Still, since it's only 3 dollars, I'm sure there is another dollar or two out there.
The UBC treats everybody different. We hear of students losing a gob load of weight right off the bat, which leaves other students wondering what the heck is going on. Let me explain a couple of things.
First of all, we have only completely 3 weeks of the program. Be patient. Let's think about the title of the program. ULTIMATE BODY CHALLENGE. In order to develop the Ultimate Body, it takes time. It's definately something that can't be done in 3 weeks.
"But, what about the others in the program losing weight?"
A whole book can be written on the subject of why some people lose body fat faster than others. And, it would be written by a smart doctor. Here is the most important thing to take away from this blog:
There are basically 3 ways to lose weight.
1. Lose water weight
2. Lose muscle mass.
3. Lose body fat.
Now, there are diets out there that will allow you to lose a lot of weight within 3 weeks, but you are going to be losing #1, #2, and #3. In the Ultimate Body Challenge, we are only trying to lose #3- body fat. We are not going for shear weight loss. We're going for increased muscle mass and decreased body fat. Perhaps you've experienced weight loss from all 3 in the past, so you're trying to compare it to now.
Try thinking of it this way. You can take a whole steak and cut it in half and throw it away. You just decreased the weight of the steak by 50%! At the same time, you threw away a good portion of water weight and muscle mass. The other thing you can do is to go around the steak with your knife, carefully cutting out the fat, and only the fat. That is what we are doing in the UBC program.
We've asked all three people how their clothes are fitting, and all 3 said the exact same thing... "pants are looser...", "more room in the thighs...", "had to buy new pants...". You know what I say? Throw away your scale! The thing is useless. The only reason why we use the scale is to subtract the skin fold measurements from the total weight to get your lean muscle mass.
Remember, muscle takes up A LOT less room than fat does. The flip side is that it weighs more, but who cares. Your muscle mass development is leading to increased bone density, daily stamina, reduced injuries during recreational activities, healthier joints, and you burn more calories with every pound of muscle you add.
The UBC is a program that is going to build a stronger, healthier, fit looking body. A diet that will make you lose 20 pounds in 3 weeks will make you look like a skinnier version of how you presently look. Needless to say, you'll feel weak, lethargic, and you'll have done nothing to really create a stronger, healthier body. In addition to that, you'll most likely yo-yo back to your starting weight, if not more, since your metabolism will be so out of whack.
You can't yo-yo in the UBC because you've created a body with profound results. Results that are real. Results that were based on sound guidance used to develop world class athletes. And, although you are not training to be a world class athlete, it doesn't mean we can't have the body of one, right?
Check out what one UBCer said last week-
You asked how we are feeling - well here it is in a nutshell - great, sore and great! With the exception of the days that I am really sore I am feeling fabulous. I have a lot more energy and I love that I am already seeing a difference in how my clothes are fitting. I love the extra push you and Rachel give us when we are wanting to take a break, so thank you for that! I love the classes and love that they are always different!
A-
See you all in class!
Duncan Richardson
Chief Master Instructor
The Academy of World Taekwondo
Okay, let's get down to business. If I had a dollar for every person that has told me, "I haven't lost any weight!", I'd have... 3 dollars. Still, since it's only 3 dollars, I'm sure there is another dollar or two out there.
The UBC treats everybody different. We hear of students losing a gob load of weight right off the bat, which leaves other students wondering what the heck is going on. Let me explain a couple of things.
First of all, we have only completely 3 weeks of the program. Be patient. Let's think about the title of the program. ULTIMATE BODY CHALLENGE. In order to develop the Ultimate Body, it takes time. It's definately something that can't be done in 3 weeks.
"But, what about the others in the program losing weight?"
A whole book can be written on the subject of why some people lose body fat faster than others. And, it would be written by a smart doctor. Here is the most important thing to take away from this blog:
There are basically 3 ways to lose weight.
1. Lose water weight
2. Lose muscle mass.
3. Lose body fat.
Now, there are diets out there that will allow you to lose a lot of weight within 3 weeks, but you are going to be losing #1, #2, and #3. In the Ultimate Body Challenge, we are only trying to lose #3- body fat. We are not going for shear weight loss. We're going for increased muscle mass and decreased body fat. Perhaps you've experienced weight loss from all 3 in the past, so you're trying to compare it to now.
Try thinking of it this way. You can take a whole steak and cut it in half and throw it away. You just decreased the weight of the steak by 50%! At the same time, you threw away a good portion of water weight and muscle mass. The other thing you can do is to go around the steak with your knife, carefully cutting out the fat, and only the fat. That is what we are doing in the UBC program.
We've asked all three people how their clothes are fitting, and all 3 said the exact same thing... "pants are looser...", "more room in the thighs...", "had to buy new pants...". You know what I say? Throw away your scale! The thing is useless. The only reason why we use the scale is to subtract the skin fold measurements from the total weight to get your lean muscle mass.
Remember, muscle takes up A LOT less room than fat does. The flip side is that it weighs more, but who cares. Your muscle mass development is leading to increased bone density, daily stamina, reduced injuries during recreational activities, healthier joints, and you burn more calories with every pound of muscle you add.
The UBC is a program that is going to build a stronger, healthier, fit looking body. A diet that will make you lose 20 pounds in 3 weeks will make you look like a skinnier version of how you presently look. Needless to say, you'll feel weak, lethargic, and you'll have done nothing to really create a stronger, healthier body. In addition to that, you'll most likely yo-yo back to your starting weight, if not more, since your metabolism will be so out of whack.
You can't yo-yo in the UBC because you've created a body with profound results. Results that are real. Results that were based on sound guidance used to develop world class athletes. And, although you are not training to be a world class athlete, it doesn't mean we can't have the body of one, right?
Check out what one UBCer said last week-
You asked how we are feeling - well here it is in a nutshell - great, sore and great! With the exception of the days that I am really sore I am feeling fabulous. I have a lot more energy and I love that I am already seeing a difference in how my clothes are fitting. I love the extra push you and Rachel give us when we are wanting to take a break, so thank you for that! I love the classes and love that they are always different!
A-
See you all in class!
Duncan Richardson
Chief Master Instructor
The Academy of World Taekwondo
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