The Facts

• - Americans Take 25 million pills an hour.
• - The citizens of Canada average 14 prescriptions per person. 35 per person age 60-79 and 74 per person 80 or older.
• - As many as five out of six Americans die of heart disease and cancer.
• - 4.5 million people in the U.S. have Alzheimer’s. This is a number that has doubled in the last two decades.
• - 118 million antidepressants are prescribed each year for some 57 million American citizens who have been told they have a mental disorder.
• - 25,000 people killed by hospital error in Canada each year.
• - One billion worldwide are overweight. The United States Congress calls this problem “as serious a threat as global warming.
• - Over 22 million children worldwide are overweight and at risk of serious cardiovascular disease. This number has doubled in the last 20 years for children and tripled for adolescents.
• - Autism impacts as many as 1 in 68 children. 1 in 35 for boys.
• - Canada is dead last for timeliness and quality of care.
• - The U.S. is dead last in health care according to Reuters in 2008.
• - 62% of all bankruptcies are due to medical expenses. More than ¾ of these people had insurance.

Clearly, conventional wisdom when it comes to health, hasn’t worked. The challenge is that people are looking for better ways to pay for or different ways to travel down the exact same road. So even if we made this road cheaper or added wellness exams, preventetive “medicine”, or early detection scans, you’re still traveling down the same road. As a result, no matter what has changed, you always end up at the same destination: crisis, disease, and early death.

Road 2: The Road Less Travelled Or The 5 Essentials Of Maximized Living

Essential 1: Maximized Mind

The first essential is Maximized Mind. This essential is about understanding the true principle of health and healing to create a mindset of success. After all, it is function and lifestyle, not genetics, that determine well-being. Half of heart disease deaths can be avoided with lifestyle changes. Almost 200,000 lives can be saved if certain heart risk factors are cut, even modestly.

Essential 2: Maximized Nerve Supply

Maximized Nerve Supply involves restoring and maintaining the proper function of the nervous system through spinal correction. George Bakris, MD, Director of the University of Chicago hypertension center found that Chiropractic adjustments reduce blood pressure better than two blood-pressure medications combined.

Vertebral misalignment is common in patients with atopic dermatitis and bronchial asthma. Adjustments caused a 70% improvement in allergic disease. In his study, Yasuhiko Takeda found that vertebral misalignment is a common characteristic found in patients with atopic dermatitis and bronchial asthma. He also found that chiropractic adjustments caused a 70% improvement in allergic disease.

Essential 3: Maximized Quality Nutrition

Maximized Quality Nutrition is nutritional science that sustains well-being, disease prevention and ideal weight management. Overweight women are up to sixty percent more likely to develop any cancer. Diets loaded with healthy fats significantly reduce your risk of prostate cancer. If we eat more naturally and avoid the processed foods of modern society, we will live healthier lives.

Essential 4: Maximized Oxygen & Lean Muscle

Maximizing oxygen intake and lean muscle mass can help reduce the damaging effects of aging. A study showed that if you learn how to exercise the right way through short bursts of maximium energy output, one can induce a “good” hormone response. Cutting edge exercise programs that work to facilitate optimum fitness in minimal time are your best bet. Just by walking 30 minutes a day, symptoms of depression can improve faster than with pharmaceutical therapy.

Essential 5: Minimized Toxins

Minimizing toxins in your body increases its ability to permanently remove toxins from cells.

The EPA reports that there are over 70,000 chemicals used commercially. These chemicals are found in household cleaners, plastics, pesticides, personal care products, foods, drugs, water, paints, fabrics, and floor and wall covering are leading causes of cancers, gland issues, and many of today’s common diseases.

Forge A New Path

The road most travelled has made people sicker, unhappier, more overweight and more out of shape than ever. The modern medical model is not health care, it’s disease care. Don’t make the mistake of waiting for a crisis to think about your health.

So where does the road less travelled take us? One five year study on Chiropractic maintenance care showed that chiropractic patients spent thirty-one percent less on health care and had fifty percent less medical visits than the national average. This calulates into:

• - 85% less pharmaceutical costs
• - 59% less days in the hospital
• - 60.2% fewer hospital admissions
• - 62% less patient surgeries

The road less travelled can save families hundreds of thousands on healthcare while avoiding disease and suffering. This is the road beyond health care and wellness. At Maximized Living, we study health, not just disease. It’s a complete system for living. We don’t simply treat symptoms, we find and correct the cause of health problems.The choice is clear.

Millions of people around the globe are beginning to learn how to take control of their health and get results they never thought were possible. Maximized Living is one of the largest group of elite Wellness Doctors in the world and the only network certified in the 5 Essentials.

You’ll be amazed at the results Maximized Living has the potential to help you achieve. People lose hundreds of pounds, reverse chronic diseases, rebuild immune systems, regain their energy and feel better than they have in decades. Most importantly, children and adults alike are on a road that will continue to give them the life and health that they truly desire

By Dr. Brandon Vinzant

For the past several years, physicians in America have been insisting that every child age 6 months to 18 years must get an annual flu shot. Making matters worse, health officials have now ramped up those recommendations, telling EVERY person over the age of 6 months get a flu shot, healthy or not, low risk or high. Everyone! Three hundred million of you, every year from the year you are born until the year you die.

But hold on a minute. There’s something fishy about this. Because human antibodies normally last a lifetime, remember? That’s why you don’t get the chicken pox over and over again; because the first time you got the chicken pox as a kid, your body created chicken pox antibodies and those antibodies last a lifetime. Your immune system provides you with lifetime immunity from chicken pox.

CDC officials believe that a year after someone gets the flu shot, antibody levels — an indicator of immunity — can fall by two-thirds or more. Some key studies indicate the resulting levels are not strong enough to be protective, said Nancy Cox, head of the CDC’s chief of the CDC’s flu division.¹ Vaccines must not help the body produce antibodies then, because if that was true, whoever had the influenza vaccine would have lifetime immunity to those specific strains. However, many times a person will get the actual condition after being vaccinated. This is one way we can see that they are ineffective overall and actually hurt the immune system.

According to the NVIC (National Vaccine Information Center), vaccines are immune suppressive, which means they suppress your immune system, which may not return to normal for weeks to months. They are also shown to have an effect on brain function, DNA/RNA, t-cell function, and the cardiovascular system being linked to chronic conditions such as autoimmune disorders, allergies, and cancer.²

One 2007 study published in the Annals of Medicine concluded that:

“Abnormalities in arterial function and LDL oxidation may persist for at least 2 weeks after a slight inflammatory reaction induced by influenza vaccination. These could explain in part the earlier reported increase in cardiovascular risk during the first weeks after an acute inflammatory disorder.”³

These vaccines are causing worse conditions that the flu typically ever is and are proving to be potentially deadly. Not that it is any fun, but the best way to protect yourself against the flu is to actually be exposed naturally to the flu virus, allowing your body to produce lifetime antibodies. By taking Vitamin D, burst training, eating according to the Maximized Living nutrition plans, avoiding toxins (which are heavily present in flu vaccines), and making sure your nervous system is functioning at it’s highest level, you are taking the proper steps to eliminate the chance of getting the flu and fighting it off the correct way – without exposing you or your family to dangerous toxins.

The flu shots are toxic to your body! What else are you exposing yourself to at home that can increase this toxicity? Do you know the hidden sources of toxicity in your house?

Most people in this country are told or believe that cholesterol is a bad thing. But when we break down what cholesterol is used for in the body it’s one of the most important biological substances to human physiology. Cholesterol is one of the basic molecules that help form our hormones in our body. Cholesterol is released by the liver and also makes up part of every single cell in the human body.

What the public usually is concerned with is the buildup of cholesterol in our arteries. The scary part about it is that we cannot feel the plaque building in our arteries the same way we do not feel heart disease or cancer developing until it is too late. There are two types of cholesterol that we are familiar with, HDL (“good”) and LDL (“bad”) cholesterol. The HDL is thought of as good because it moves faster through the blood vessels to clean up plaque or damages to the vessel wall. LDL is the opposite in that it moves slowly trying to clean up whatever the HDL missed.

The problem with cholesterol in America is that everyone thinks high cholesterol causes heart attacks and that LDL is the “bad” cholesterol. A nationwide study from 2009 found that “almost seventy-five percent of heart attack patients fell within recommended targets for LDL cholesterol, demonstrating that the current guidelines may not be low enough to cut heart attack risk in most who could benefit,” said Dr. Gregg C. Fonarow, Eliot Corday Professor of Cardiovascular Medicine and Science at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and the study’s principal investigator.

Basically the study found that people with normal LDL levels were having heart attacks as opposed to the group who had elevated levels. This is only one study but if we take a look at heart disease and cholesterol drug ratios it’s clear as day. I’m saying that if cholesterol was the cause of heart disease than we would not have the rates that we do. For example, we have more cholesterol drugs being prescribed and taken than we ever have and we have more heart disease than we have ever had in history! We cannot seem to turn on the television for five minutes, these days, without seeing a commercial for Lipitor, Crestor, Zocor or any other statin drug. There is a reason your body raises your cholesterol, usually to heal a part of your body that you have damaged. The reason that your cholesterol raises is not because you do not have enough Lipitor in your blood. If that was the cause, God would have put a Lipitor pump in your body.

The answer to this is to find what is causing the elevation. Eating an organic diet full of vegetables, proper ratio fish oils and exercising have shown to be much more effective in lowering cholesterol. This method is much safer and comes with no warning labels. Most importantly, a properly functioning liver along with associated digestive organs are designed to balance cholesterol levels in the body. The spine and nervous system control the function of these organs; therefore, a spinal correction to create neurological integrity is a foundational factor in normalizing any nutrient in the body including cholesterol.

By Dr. Ben Lerner
Four (4) Invaluable lessons I learned from great people with great things to say:

1. “You’re only young once – take care of it.”  (I’ll bet you thought he was going to say “Enjoy it.”  So did I.) -FROM A HEALTHY, WEALTHY, ULTRA-ACTIVE 80 YEAR OLD MAN
2. “People spend half their life spending all of their health to acquire wealth and the second half of their life spending MORE THEN their wealth trying to get their health back.” -FROM A WORLD-LEADING DOCTOR
3. “The #1 cause of bankruptcy and financial stress are costs related to health problems. So it’s simple – make your health your 1st investment.” -FROM A WORLD-LEADING, WEALTHY FINANCIAL ADVISOR
4. “What do you mean organic food is too expensive? Your health is not a place to save money! You’ll spend 10 times as much later at the hospital!! (On drugs and surgery)” -FROM A SUPERMOM (Single mom, successful business woman, with 4 great kids)

The Boston Herald reported a study from Fidelity Bank that showed a typical couple needs $225,000 in CASH (in addition to insurance and medicare) to cover medical expenses after retirement¹ and this number — which was $215,000 last year — is increasing at a rate of 4.7% a year! At that rate (4.7%/year in 12 years) you will need approximately $400,000 in cash at retirement to pay medical costs NOT covered by insurance or medicare. If medicare fades out, as many are predicting, you will need far more than that. In search of a quick fix, many people first will state that we just need better health care coverage; however, this plan is unattainable as our country cannot give every American an additional $200,000 – $1,000,000 in medical benefits.

THE real problem is neglecting the last place you put time and effort — your health — which is why it fails and gets so expensive later.
PROOF:

• Cheap food, cheap groceries, and cheap supplements are the #1 sellers.
• A gym industry article stated recently that only 13% of the U.S. exercises regularly
• 7% go to the Chiropractor (Even though to my knowledge 100% have a spine)
• You get the cheapest insurance you can find and then that their recommendations and the doctors on the list are going to make – the cheapest is the lowest quality.  These guidelines are designed to save the insurer money… not to get you healthy.
• Passion for the quick fix despite the huge risk.  Pharmaceutical companies make trillions even though the side-effects on every drug commercial and bottle read: “CAUTION: Your nose will fall off, you will become homicidal, get cancer, die early, commit suicide, and see aliens.”

Rising medical costs are not the issue, destructive lifestyles along with doctors that are trained in disease care and not health care are. Information to take away from this article: if you want to be wealthy, take care of yourself today to avoid poor health and, consequently, expensive medical conditions tomorrow. Not only will you save $100′s of thousands, you will save your life!

Make the right investment now, remember what my mentors said:
“….take care of your youth (health and vitality)”
“….spend time on your health”
“….spend money on your health – make health your first investment (a few thousand today will equal $400,000+ tomorrow… and you won’t be dead)”
“…don’t save (go to the cheap doctor on the insurance or buy the cheap food and vitamins) when it comes to health.”  You might save $12.50 on your grocery bill and $20 at the doctor … but you’ll be dead.

The facts are in and one thing is for certain – Americans aren’t happy.  In truth, we’re extremely depressed.

At first glance, you’d assume it was the struggling real estate market, the shrinking dollar, the war in Iraq, and the war on Wall Street.  Yet, other countries, with far more to worry about then we do, do not report anywhere near U.S. levels of mental and emotional disorders.  For example, the percentage of people with clinical levels of anxiety, depression, etc. in America is 7 times that of those in the Nigeria!

As the numbers of reported adults and children with mental disorders  skyrocketed, pharmaceutical companies and then doctors responded with bringing anti-depressant drugs (SSRIs) to market quickly.  According to a recent report, these drugs make up 6 out of the top 10 prescription drugs sold today.

In recent times, antidepressants have come under harsh scrutiny for causing suicide and they’ve been implicated as being behind many of the recent school shootings and big media deaths like Anna Nicole Smith, her son Daniel Smith, Heath Ledger, the pro-wrestler Chris Benoit, and Andrea Yate’s children.  This has resulted in SSRIs getting a “Black box” warning on them and has left thousands of people looking for alternatives to very real emotional pain.  Americans want to know, “How can we get happy again.”

Even more light was shed on the issue of depression in the London Times, Feb. 26th, 2008 on the front page in an article titled, “DEPRESSION DRUGS DON’T WORK….”

They stated, “Millions of people taking commonly prescribed antidepressants might as well be taking a placebo, according to the first study to include unpublished evidence.”

“The new generation of antidepressant drugs work no better than a placebo for the majority of patients with mild or even severe depression, comprehensive research of clinical trials has found.”

“American and British experts led by Professor Kirsch examined the clinical trials from  four commonly used SSRIs, including fluoxetine (better known as Prozac), venlafaxine (Efexor) and paroxetine (Seroxat).”

“Given these results there seems little reason to prescribe antide-pressant medication to any but the most severely depressed patients, unless alternative treatments have failed,” Professor Kirsch said. “The difference in improvement between patients taking placebos and patients taking antidepressants is not very great. This means that depressed people can improve without chemical treatments.”

Rarely, is someone simply born and destined for depression.  There are a number of known causes that leave someone that way.  Now, science is addressing that by getting to the cause of the problems people can get well without chemicals.  More importantly, people can stay well and stop this scourge of emotional disorders that have become so pervasive in the U.S. and around the world.

Like so many other conditions common to western living – cancer, heart disease, arthritis, diabetes, and Alzheimer’s, depression is very much a degenerative illness grown more popular by modern lifestyle.   We’re not here to prescribe drugs or take people off of them.  In fact, it’s dangerous to stop taking antidepressants cold-turky.  You should work with your doctor to reduce and slowly eliminate these drugs while doing what’s necessary to get well with both lifestyle change, natural care, and food and supplements designed to improve brain chemistry.

Multiple areas of modern lifestyle effect brain chemistry and hormones.  Toxins, processed food, nutrient deficient diets, spinal conditions, sedentary lifestyle, and emotional trauma alone and more commonly, combined, all radically affect your body’s physiology and all around mental health.  Not surprisingly, care that directly impacts the nervous system like Chiropractic has also been found to effect emotional health and depression.  You may not know this, but many studies have been done on Chiropractic and it’s impact on depression.

Studies on Chiropractic and Depression

1. Study of 2,818 patients found chiropractic care significantly improved patients’ well being: Seventy-six percent of the  patients studied reported improved combined wellness changes in all categories assessed, emotional well being improved 26 percent, negative feelings toward self improved 23 percent, depression improved 20 percent, difficulty sleeping improved 11 percent and family relations improved 21 percent.
2. A published 15 person study concluded “that a positive relationship exists between a correction of th occipitoatlantoaxial subluxation complex and a reduction in depressive symptoms in some people”.
3. Another 98 subject study published in Molecular Psychiatry found that when an addiction treatment program was supplemented with frequent chiropractic adjustments over a 30-day period, the patients displayed an unprecedented
4. 100 percent program completion rate. In addition, initially rampant depression and anxiety dropped significantly.
5. From the 1920s to 1960s, several chiropractic mental asylums existed in the Midwest of the U.S. Surviving documentation shows a North Dakota judge reporting a 65% recovery or improvement rate at one asylum, compared to 27% at a standard asylum.
6. Chiropractic Improves Brain Wave Patterns, Brain Function: 2004 study finds that Chiropractic adjustments have a positive effect on the Central Nervous System (CNS), specifically on the four primary  frequencies of brain function.  After receiving a chiropractic adjustment, post EEG scans revealed improvement in all areas of the volunteer’s brain function. Particularly, the researchers noticed an increase in the meditative Alpha brainwave patterns that are associated with a greater degree of relaxation, health and healing.
7. A related study in Journal of Neuroscience conducted at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine, found that physical changes in the brain caused by chronic pain are likely to lead to depression as well as other pain- related symptoms.

While Chiropractic is not a treatment for depression, it’s an important part of overall mental and physical function.

From Maximized Living Blog

Present information on normal placement of the upright spine reveals the importance of head position in relationship to your body. It is of extreme importance that the position of the cervical spine allow for your head to sit back atop of your shoulders.Sadly, the effects of gravity, poor posture, the weight of the head, or past trauma will cause neck and skull misplacement leading to something called “Forward Head” syndrome, meaning the forward displacement of the head where your chin is out in front of your shoulders and chest that causes pathological tension on the spinal cord and brain stem.

Rene Cailliet, M.D., director of the department of physical medicine and rehabilitation at the University of Southern California, wrote about the effects of forward head syndrome in his book “Rejuvenation Strategy.”

1. Incorrect head positioning leads to improper spinal function.
2. The head in forward posture can add up to 30 pounds of abnormal leverage on the cervical spine.
3. Forward head posture results in loss of vital lung capacity. In fact, lung capacity is depleted by as much as 30 percent. Loss of lung capacity leads to heart and blood vascular problems.
4. The entire gastrointestinal system is affected, particularly the large intestine. Loss of good bowel peristaltic function and evacuation is a common condition that comes with forward head posture and loss of spinal lordotic curves.
5. Forward head posture causes an increase in discomfort and pain. Freedom of motion in the first four cervical vertebrae is a major source of stimuli that causes production of endorphins in production many otherwise non-painful sensations are experienced as pain.
6. Forward head posture causes loss of healthy spine-body motion. The entire body becomes rigid as the range of motion lessens. Soon, one becomes hunched.

As the above comments by Dr. Cailliet show, it’s incredibly important to restore the skull and cervical spine back to their normal position, which can be done by focusing on four areas:

• Correcting the position of the skull
• Adjusting pertinent cervical vertebrae
• Rehabilitating the musculature in the back of the neck and upper shoulders
• Correcting any imbalances in posture i.e.: high shoulder, torso rotation, lateral head flexion or rotation

Such treatments can only be offered by highly trained chiropractors. Remember, standard manipulation and physical therapy will not resolve forward head posture, and neither will taking medications or having surgery for the resulting effects of this condition.
Seek out chiropractors who are able to measure the degree of forward head posture and provide a care plan designed to correct it. The problem and the correction of the problem can be measured through postural evaluation as well as a re-x-ray.

Dr. Jason Gerard is trained with a technique that aggressively and quickly removes forward head posture and thus plays a major role in restoring your health

By Dr. Ben Lerner

An estimated 50 million Americans have some type of allergy. In most people, allergies first appear during infancy or childhood and rank first among children’s chronic diseases.¹

A new paper published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology has found a link between low vitamin D levels and the onset of allergies in children. The study of over 3,000 children concluded that among children with low or deficient levels of vitamin D, sensitivity to allergens was present in more than half of those for which they tested.² Not only do allergies cause itchy eyes, runny nose and headaches but they also add a level of discomfort and misery to a person’s life.

Even in a place like Florida where there is no shortage of vitamin D because of the sunny weather, there is a disconnect between children and their physical presence outside. There is no reason for a child to go outside because of the new technology today that keeps them occupied on the couch. That is not only leading to a startling deficiency in vitamin D, but also an alarming rate of childhood obesity and other chronic diseases. Caucasian skin produces approximately 10,000 IU vitamin D in response to 20 to 30 minutes of summer sun exposure. This is over 16 times higher than the US government’s recommendation of 600 IU per day.³

There are two types of this vitamin that you need to consider. Vitamin D2 (ergocalciferol) and D3 (cholecalciferol) both of which are good sources, but one of them is far better than the other. When sunlight hits your skin, D3 is absorbed far deeper into the body which is called bioavailability. Research shows that D2 (ergocalciferol) has lower bioactivity, poorer stability, and shorter duration of action, resulting in approximately 33% lower potency compared with vitamin D3.⁴ In other words, when supplementing with Vitamin D products, make sure you take high quality D3. Supplementation is safe for children, but the best source for them is natural sunlight aquired from being active outdoors.

Other Good News On Vitamin D For Those Looking To Lose Weight!

New research shows that vitamin D may help.  While vitamin D has gained acclaim for its anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory properties, researchers at the University of Southern California and McGill University recently discovered that insufficient vitamin D levels were also associated with increased fat levels.⁵ What’s more is that 59% of the study’s participants had insufficient amounts of vitamin D.

Are you and your children getting enough vitamin D? Here are ways to ensure that you are:

• Regularly get midday sun exposure in the late spring, summer, and early fall, exposing as much of the skin as possible for 20–30 minutes (being careful to never burn).Those with dark skin will need longer exposure time — up to six times longer
• Eat foods rich in vitamin d such as, eggs,  grass fed meat, and fatty fish.  Cod liver oil, mackerel, salmon and sardines are the best Vitamin D fish
• Take 5,000 IU’s of Vitamin D3, due to our natural deficiencies, per day for 2–3 months, especially during those months with less sunlight (amounts will very with age)

If you and your children are not taking all of these steps, then you are putting them and yourself at risk for a number of potential health problems and not just allergies. Don’t forget to nurture your body with one of the most readily available vitamins because you’re stuck inside and don’t eat properly. If you need an extra boost,which research shows most adults and children do, pick up Maximized Living’s vitamin D3 today.

People often associate chiropractors with the aches and pains of adults, and rarely think of very young individuals as potential patients. More and more young people are being introduced to this practice, however, and not only to relieve an aching neck or back. Chiropractic for children is often a good way to prevent or avoid certain kinds of physical problems that can follow them into adulthood.

The main focus of this treatment method is proper spinal alignment. Because the spine houses our primary pathway for nerves, bones that are not sitting properly can pinch those nerves, leading to pain and dysfunction in various areas of the body. Infants can experience spinal misalignment as early as the day they were born.

From the beginning, the process of being born can put a great deal of pressure on the neck and spine, and compresses the bones. This is all a natural part of being born, but is not without hazards. Early stresses on the spine can lead to discomfort later. In addition, babies learning to crawl and walk have the opportunity for injury or spinal stress due to falls and other common childhood factors. A chiropractor can help correct these problems.

An infant who cries excessively can not explain exactly where he or she hurts. Often, the cause is colic, which may be relieved in some instances by spinal adjustment. Successful treatment will allow the child to sleep more easily at night, and can reduce crying during the day.

Parents sometimes worry that an adjustment for a young child will be painful. While it is true that some adult treatments can be vigorous, a chiropractor treating children will use much less aggressive methods specifically tailored to the needs of a small child, not simply a smaller adult. An office visit will be not be risky or painful, and in fact will likely reduce the discomfort a youngster may already be experiencing.

By the time kids are in elementary school, many already suffer from adult-sized problems such as back pain, headache, chronic irritability, nervousness and excess fatigue. When these problems can’t be avoided or eliminated by lifestyle changes, a spinal adjustment will often help the pain. In addition, the physical stress of carrying a heavy backpack full of books and supplies may cause misalignment.

Early visits can also catch some problems before they have a chance to develop into something more serious. Scoliosis, or curvature of the spine due to misalignment of the vertebra, is one example. When caught in its early stages, it can be corrected more easily, and early visits to the chiropractor may pay dividends in good health later on. Chiropractic for children is an excellent addition to early health care and pain prevention.

by Dr. Ben Lerner

After watching our videos, reading our blogs, or going to one of our doctors you may view your situation to be different or too tough to get out of.  You might say, “Great Dr. Ben, this might work for some people, but you don’t understand my situation. Mine is hopeless!”

Put your hand on your chest.  Feel your heart beating.  Your faith might be shaky right now, but that beating heart is a sign that you still have something special you can do. I personally also feel it means that God still has you here for a reason.

As someone who wrestled competitively for nineteen years, I understand completely what it’s like to be caught in a dangerous, painful condition from which it appears impossible to wriggle free. If you’re tired enough, hurting enough, behind by enough points, and have been working hard to no avail for a long enough time, the thought of success can all but completely diminish. Winning can even cease to be a dream. In an exhausted, unmotivated, painful state, all that may seem reasonable at that point are antidepressants, alcohol, or a whole lot of sugar—but there is a much better, less harmful way.

In wrestling there are certain positions or “holds” that you never want to find yourself in. Getting caught in a “cradle,” a “guillotine,” a “double chicken wing,” or thrown on your back in a “headlock” are all potentially dangerous, match-ending states of affairs. In fact, if your opponent is really good, it can seem like there’s no way out and a feeling of discouragement, despair, and that “all is lost” can come over you pretty quickly. On the contrary, the truth is there’s always a way out. That’s why many people have gotten out of these holds, fought off their back and come back to win the match. These winners knew something very important: they knew how to counter.

As boxed in as you may feel now, as much as you may feel it’s over, and that you’re at the end of your rope, don’t quit! Instead, counter. The counter is how you escape and come back from a compromising position not only in a wrestling match, but in life’s wrestling matches.

Three Steps to Counter:

1. Change Your Position

You have to be capable of seeing outside of your box of frustration and become aware of your blind spots. Death is in the blind spots. You can fit an invisible 18-wheel truck in one. In the world of success, the illiterate are not people who can’t read or write, they are those who cannot think, unlearn, and relearn. The things you think are true often aren’t true at all.

The Number One way to failure and to completely stop any forward progress is the illusion and delusion that you already know. For example, families in the United States have the worst health of any other families in the world. What I’ve found is that Maximized Living families have the best health of anyone in the world. Yet people keep being scared or hypnotized into following the medical model of the United States. Think, unlearn, relearn, and ask yourself: “If both children and adults continue to suffer with so much disease and we constantly keep facing new ones, then is what you believe and have been told to believe about lifestyle and healthcare up to this point true?” The answer is, “Obviously not!”

2. Pray for Strength

A famous quote from the depression said, “Whenever I prayed to God to get me a chicken, I never got a chicken. But, when I prayed for God to give me the strength to catch a chicken, I always got me a chicken.”
To hit a counter, you have to get mad instead of sad. Turn failure and frustration into tackling fuel. Many who have done this and were previously saying, “It’s over” have found out that they had more strength then they believed they had. Never forget: your mind always quits before the body, and God’s power is in endless supply.

3. Purpose You Would Die For

When you first start wrestling, you stink at it and need to know a lot of counters. When I asked my coach how to get out of some of the more difficult positions, he said, “If you want to get out, it’s got to be like you’re a drowning man trying to come up for air.” You’ve got to want it that bad!
How bad do you want to win for God, your family, and to preserve your own life?

Our Maximized Living doctors are here to help coach you to victory, but you’ve got to want it bad enough. I think this is what Martin Luther King meant when he said, “… you develop the inner conviction that some things are so precious, that there are some things so dear, some things so eternally worthwhile, that they are worth dying for. If an individual has not discovered something that he will die for, he isn’t fit to live.”¹
And that’s why I believe Albert Einstein said, “A person starts to live when he can live outside himself.”²

² http://hubpages.com/hub/Free-Quotes

Source: Maximized Living

Essential 1: The Maximized Mind

Helping you create the discipline and the mindset about health to stick with a quality health and fitness program. Additionally, lack of sleep, poor self image and too much stress are at an all time high right now. They all cause neurotransmitter burnout, increase in stress hormones, chronic fatigue, and destructive, self-loathing thoughts.

This program begins with identifying limiting beliefs like: I’m lazy, I’m a procrastinator, I hate health things, It’s too late for me, I have bad genetics, I’m in a no-win situation, I’m sick, tired, and depressed and works on helping you create a new, less limited, more empowering set of beliefs. Additionally, we assist you in creating goals, plans, and strategies necessary to fit wellness and other important areas of purpose in your life.