I’m not a big fan of pitching products, but if I find something great (a product, services, or method) I will share it.

I have used some protein shake in the morning since Q4 of last year (2012) and well I’ve lost 19lbs, yes 19lbs! After two kids, job changes, three moves, I had put on more weight (I was the heaviest ever), but I wanted to get back to my fighting weight where I was leaner and more toned.

It has NOT been just drinking this most mornings in addition to my breakfast, but it has helped me push through to lunch skipping that snack that I don’t think most need. (most tend to eat to much when they snack or at their mini meals, so I just eliminated it).

I increased my physical activity level a little, mainly karate and tae kwon do drills) and ate a little better (healthier smaller meals), and stuck with it. Initially, I had to make the extra effort to make my shakes in the morning, wash the shaker every time. After a short period of time, for me it was about 10 days, it became more or less a habit.

The last 4-5lbs lost was after I started teaching karate. I spend the majority of class instructing and correcting students, but I do the warms, conditioning, basics, and a little here and there throughout class. For the limited active participation, I give it just about 100% every time, in doing so, I utilize my entire body. This goes to show that working the entire body all at once, contracting all the muscles, or a good majority of them, relaxing them, contracting them,  and so on, gives the body and mind and great workout, and don’t forget about breathing, short breaths, long breaths, aligning them with the movements is also part of utilizing the entire body and mind.

Everyone can be on the way to better wellness, you just need to start with small steps and small goals, and the results will come automatically. This aligns well with the belt ranking system in karate; creating micro goals to achieve larger ones.

July 31, 2014 UPDATE (I have lost over 20lbs since I began this journey to better health and wellness in 2012)

Since February 2013, I have dropped more weight to a leaner body hoovering around 140-143lbs.I do not make it a point to drop weight, check my body fat, or even check my weight daily or weekly; I just train smart. At 36, I won the USA-NKF 18-34 Men’s Advanced Kata division securing my first national title, but I still have a long ways to go to improve. I competed in this division in 2003 and earned a bronze medal.

This comes to show, karate training is about quality training, not quantity, especially when I now have 2 kids, a full time company AND dojo, and try to be a great husband (but this can lack at times with spending time with karate and I am working to find the perfect balance). To add to it, my dojo, as small as it might be, is one of the top 4 dojos in the entire San Francisco Bay area, the top in the East Bay and Pleasanton. We hope to continue to slowly build out brand and dojo awareness over the next few months.