My nutrition book is finally out!  This work started with me blogging articles two years ago to try to help my clients and friends eat better.  Then it got bigger and bigger.  Finally, I had put two years into this, and I'm extremely proud of the book because it's something you can use to change the way you eat for good.  

The book is available on Amazon through Roots Publishing, and stay tuned for book signings!
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- From the back book cover:
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Tired of the Diet Treadmill?

Every time we turn around, there’s a new diet on the market.  This one we’re promised, is a revolutionary new way of eating.  Yet the more things change, the more they stay the same and year after year we struggle to eat right.  Contrary to the hype, eating well is not that complicated, but it’s also not easy.  
After many years of helping people with nutrition and seeing the same mistakes made repeatedly, author Scott Godwin has formulated a simple and easy plan in 3.0 Nutrition: Eating Better Than Everto change the way you eat for good.  
Included in this book are: 

• The 3 simple steps of 3.0 Nutrition you need to “turn pro” with your eating.
• The 5 Essential Categories of eating better than ever.   
• More than 50 essays on permanently changing your eating habits.

Eating healthy should be simple and joyful, because it’s one of the best things in life.  Like many things though, eating can be good or bad for you, depending on how you handle it.  Change is never easy and it takes time to become a healthy eater.  The key is to have a simple philosophy that works, and that’s exactly what 3.0 Nutrition: Eating Better Than Ever is.  
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Are you ready to “turn pro” and change the way you eat for good?
 
This book, 3.0 Nutrition: Eating Better Than Ever, is a superb resource for patients like mine and the general public who want to learn more about how to eat better and manage their weight.  It provides many simple tips and has an easy-to-follow structure to improve your eating.  
Read this book and make it part of your life! – Victor Corrigan MD FACC

Way back when not too long ago, people still took Sunday off from work, mainly for rest but also for fun- games, walks, a trip to the park, bike riding, naps on the couch, playing with the kids, maybe a hike, or heck, just sitting on the porch.  Maybe it was the Internet, which I thought was a fad, or the smartphone, which I never realized would be what it is, but whatever it was, somewhere along the way we lost our way. We lost touch of what’s important, we lost touch of Sunday, and we lost touch of each other. We quit having fun, and everything became goal-oriented, task focused, and utilitarian. 

It seems like we are now caught in a trap. Even when we aren’t working, we’re working. Even when we want to rest, we can’t rest. Even when we should be unplugged, we’re plugged.  Even when we want to have fun, we can’t. Some days and some things should be just for fun, and nothing else. And every workout can be and should be fun.  Even if just a little bit.  If you’re not having fun when you’re exercising, why not? Don’t take yourself too seriously. 

Have fun while you work out and you’ll stay motivated.  I once saw two people arguing over a space in a Yoga class. I thought it was pretty comical. Imagine the irony of two women, decked out in expensive “yoga lifestyle” clothing, arguing about who will get what spot on the exercise Yoga floor, in a class that’s supposed to be about relaxation and mindfulness !

Here are some good ways to make your workouts more fun:

•    Get your friends to work out with you.
•    Build camaraderie in the gym.
•    Make games out of your workouts.
•    Turn off the phones, unplug and take out the ear phones so you’ll make more friends.
•    Try new things. Learn new things.
•    Have random workouts where you just go to the gym and do whatever you feel like doing, with no plan.
•    Learn some jokes to share. People in the gym love jokes. 
•    Play a sport.
•    Music can be a good motivator, although sometimes it’s nice when it’s quiet. 
•    Sometimes forget your goals and just do it for fun, and to feel good. 
•    Achieve your fitness goals, because it’s always fun to see progress. 

For most of us, the bottom line up front is just to live an active lifestyle and be healthy.  Even if you’re a serious athlete, you should still make time for fun.  It’s good to have goals and to work hard. I do plenty of that and think you should too. There’s nothing like focusing and working hard to achieve something. When you train hard for something and then do it, you’ll have fun at the finish line. But nerve forget the fun factor. Enjoy the process, enjoy the ride.  Today is the day to enjoy, just like every day !

Read next:  Intensity

“Someone asked me how many sit ups I do.  I said I do it until it hurts really bad, then I keep going.” -Muhammed Ali
 
One of my favorite series of movies growing up in the 1980s was the Rocky franchise.  Rocky 3 was particularly good and entertaining for me as a young boy. It wasn’t Shakespeare but the plot was engaging and simple. That’s what made the films popular.  Rocky had won the boxing title in Rocky 2 from Apollo Creed but had gotten soft. He went easy in his training, lost his intensity and edge, and when he fought the mean and hungry Clubber Lang, played by Mr T, he got his butt kicked.  What was the problem? Simply put, Rocky didn’t have the intensity in his training that he needed to hang in there with Mr. T.   He didn’t train hard enough relative to what he was capable of.  He needed to train harder if he wanted to win. 
 
We don’t need to be a world class athlete to garner an important lesson: Intensity of training is an essential principle. We want to be safe and not over train, but to get the results we want we need to always come back to intensity.  We need to make sure we’re pushing ourselves.  
 
Intensity is simply the percentage of maximum at which you’re training. Faster running, more explosive movement, more weights, more effort, closer to temporary muscle “failure”, this is the essence of the intensity of training. Again we need to always consider safety but push the intensity, within reason and according to our goals. 
 
How fit are you? What are you capable of?  The fitter you are, the more intensity you can safely handle. If you can run 6 minute miles at a maximum speed and you train at 7 minute miles, this is a high intensity workout, whereas training at 9 minute miles would be low intensity. If you can lift 200 pounds 10 times maximum, and you lift 185 pounds ten times for 3 sets, this is high intensity training. If you can walk a mile in 20 minutes and you walk 3 miles in an hour (3 20-minute miles) then this is high intensity for you.  What constitutes high intensity is different for everyone.  
 
Intensity is relative to the trainee! For example, you may not be able to do what I do, and vice versa. If you’re a really good swimmer, then you can swim at a low intensity and if I did the same thing, it would be high intensity for me, because I’m not a swimmer. What is high intensity or low intensity for one person may not be for someone else.  
 
I went to watch the Auburn University football team practice a few years ago, and was shocked by the intensity the coaches were pushing. I played football and had seen some hard practices but the level of effort and speed was a shock to my system, as I had not seen that level of intensity for a while. Auburn runs a no-huddle offense, so the tempo and intensity of their practices are pretty insane, not to mention expletive filled! 
 
Intensity is a cornerstone of fitness.  Find out or make an educated guess about what your maximum is, then strategically train at least periodically, close to your maximum.  It’s a simple concept but one to remember, if you want to be fit, you need to work hard relative to what you’re capable of. This is what creates a training effect and makes you more fit. Again, be safe, be realistic, and focus only on improving you, relative to you not someone else, but push the gas pedal enough to make progress in a safe way.  

Read Next:  Just Move

​One major principle of fitness is to Just Move.

We can analyze things indefinitely. We can talk about floor exercises versus free weights, interval training, personal training, the Peleton, the Ellyptical, Tai Chi. We can consider 10ks 5ks or even marathons. Or if not that we could think about doing martial arts, Kung fu, Tae Kwon Do, or kickboxing. We might roll on mats and throw each other around like in Judo. 
 
We could even do Barre, CycleBurn or Yogalates, a combination of Yoga and Pilates, or just plain old Yoga. We could take tennis lessons, golf lessons, or riding lessons. We could buy a horse to ride, or a bike, or go hiking. We can hire trainers, coaches, massage therapists, Thai massage stretch therapists, or do hot partner yoga. 
 
We can climb mountains, climb stairs, or walk the dog. We can consider riding our bikes to work. We could hire someone to go on a walk with us. We can look at all the gyms in town, consider the amenities, and then pick the best one. We could think about a gym just for women or one just for hardcore fitness fanatics or weightlifters. 
 
We can do water aerobics, or swim. We can do triathlons. We can play softball, basketball, or pickle ball. We can even bring headphones to listen to CNN, Fox News, or CNBC , so we can reinforce our own views while we exercise. We can even hire someone to yell at us as we pretend we’re in boot camp at 5:30 in the morning.  There are so many things we coulddo and mightdo.
 
We might even decide to buy the right workout gear.  The best shoes, the best gym bag, or the best workout clothes.  We might give all of our Champion workout gear away and upgrade to Under Armor.  Or we might really go all the way, and buy some Lulu Lemon.   

The options are limitless. The techniques are plentiful. The experts are available.  
 
The sky is the limit as to what we could do.  The question is, what will we do?

We need to get back to first principles comrades, amigos, and friends. If we don’t move, then we will not achieve fitness. Keep this principle in mind above all others: Just move and do it daily.

It’s not that it doesn’t matter what we do. It does matter and some things are better specifically for you and your goals and limitations. But the most important thing is to just move. Taking action is the most important thing.
 
P.S.:  If you’re just getting started tracking steps or are older or sedentary aim for 5000 and optimally 10,000 if you can one day. This pictured watch tracks it which makes it easy. The big differences for most people with weight is diet and activity level NOT some magical intense workout. 10,000 steps and counting, but not including 90 minutes of martial arts. I’m fortunate in that I stand up a lot at work. If you even stand up for 2 hours per day you could lose 10 pounds in a year. Most smart phones track it now. Use technology when you can to be healthier without obsessing over it. If you walk 2 miles a day you’ll live 10 years longer on average. 

​Read Next: Life is Like a Dojo