Hey what’s good everybody?  This is Darrell Butler, your new AHH Fitness specialist.  Just to give you a little background, I’m a certified personal trainer and strength coach with the American Council on Exercise (ACE).  I’m also the founder of Industrial Strength & Performance (I.S.P Fitness) and have trained at facilities throughout the nation. A funny thing seems to happen each year at my gym as the weather starts getting warmer, right around the beginning of April. 

The “Oh snap!” alarm seems to suddenly go off in everyone’s head as they realize that they can’t hide behind hoodies and bubble jackets for much longer. The gym becomes packed with all these fresh new faces pressing weight, burning up the treadmill and banging out crunches like there’s no tomorrow. All in hopes of securing that perfect beach body just in time for the summer – and I’m happy to say that many of them actually pull it off!  But then, just like a summer love, they eventually fade away by the end of August. They go from “gym rats” to “gym grizzly bears” as they go into hibernation for the winter.

You know, as a certified trainer, there’s nothing more rewarding than seeing someone reach his or her fitness goals. On the flipside, it’s just as sad seeing all of that progress fade away.  Despite the prevailing misconception that leads many to believe otherwise, I’m here to tell you that you can keep that summer body all year long; and it’s not as hard as you might think. I mean, just because the weather is getting colder doesn’t mean you have to completely stop caring about your body. Your jacket is meant to have extra layers and pockets….not your stomach.

Now, before we can change this behavior of losing ground during the winter, we should first address some of the most common reasons for why it happens. The most obvious would be the change in temperature itself.

If you live in Dirty Jerz like I do, or in another state that has all four seasons, it’s about to get cold out there…really cold.  For most people, that usually puts an end to long walks in the park or leisurely bicycle and skateboard rides.  Softball leagues come to an end, tennis courts and golf courses close and community swimming pools are shut down.  It practically becomes a chore just to leave the house – so many don’t unless it’s absolutely necessary. 

Let’s face it, people are naturally more active in the summer and are likely to spend extra time walking outside instead of driving everywhere.  As a result, it’s easier to get away with the occasional barbeque or ice cream cone.  With all of the additional calories burned during the typical summer day, slip-ups like this have much less of an impact than they would during a lazy winter day spent indoors.  However for most people, junk foods become more than just an occasional slip-up during the winter.  Combine that with a decrease in physical activity and you have a recipe for disaster. 

It’s a simple formula actually, if you consume more calories than you burn off each day, you’re going to gain weight.  Unfortunately, the way the US calendar of events is laid out at the end of the year, it’s easy to fall into that trap if you’re not paying attention.  

Lets take a look at the chronological descent most people take during their transformation from two-piece to super-sized at the end of the year.

Labor Day – “Time to finish the summer strong with one last bbq – where did I put that bottle opener?”

School/Work Begins – “Damn, this ish again?  Where did I put that bottle opener?”

Football Season Begins – “Wings, chips, pizza, beer…welcome to the good life.”

Fall TV Season Begins – “Head to the gym or chill on the couch with the remote and a bag of Doritos – Deal or No Deal?”

Halloween (also my birthday, holla at cha boy!) – You know how we do people – telling your kids that you have to “check the candy” for them and then you eat all the good ish out of the bag and leave them with a bunch of pennies and candy corn.  Or you only buy candy to pass out that you want to eat then start playing “one for you….one for me” with the chocolate by the end of the night.   

Turkey day/Christmas/Holidays – Between shopping, traveling and all of that food, thoughts about the gym usually hit the backburner by this point…if they hadn’t already.  Pass the gravy…

New Years – “Oh well, I’ll start off fresh next year….”

But you see, it doesn’t have to be like this.  Sure you can’t do as much outside during the winter, but if you enjoyed playing basketball, racquetball or swimming outside, check out a local facility that has these activities indoors.  Many are free or offer discount membership programs.

Is cold weather your thing?  Try skiing, ice skating, snowboarding or maybe even shoveling your own driveway instead of hustling your neighbors kid into doing it for 20 bucks this year.

Busy at school or work?  Try taking the stairs in your building instead of the elevator or bring your own lunch to avoid ordering out each day. 

Is the game or a hot new show coming on?  Workout before it starts or alternate between doing push-ups and sit-ups during commercial breaks. Most gyms also have tv screens with headphone jacks, or invest in a digital video recorder and watch your shows whenever you want to. 

As for the holidays, it’s no secret that they’re coming so start planning around them now. By no means would I want you to miss out on all that stuffing and mashed potatoes, my point is that if you’re consistently working out on a regular basis you can do anything in moderation. If staying healthy or looking good for your spouse or significant other isn’t enough motivation (that reminds me, spouses can help provide another fun “indoor workout” during those cold winter months), I’d like for you to give yourself a realistic goal or event to work towards. 

People seem to make so much progress during the spring because they know the summer beach season is right around the corner.  We need that type of incentive during those long winter months as well.  Think about how much easier it would be to look good for the summer if you were consistent throughout the whole year instead of just for a few months?

Try planning a vacation during the winter to a warmer location to keep you motivated.  Or maybe you could partner up with friends to keep each other focused.  You can also keep summer photos in plain sight to serve as a reminder or start buying your winter clothes a size too small!

Whatever you end up doing, one thing is certain, you will not be slacking off this time around; because I’m here now to provide that proverbial kick in the ass.  Whether your goal is to lose more weight or build and shape muscle, we’re going to begin that journey right now.  It’s time for some action!

In the upcoming editions of this column, you can expect to see workout plans, nutritional advice and motivational interviews. Also feel free to share your accomplishments and questions with us as well.  Whether you’re an elite athlete or just starting off, we’re going to take you to the next level this year.  In the meantime, be sure to check out the valuable information already posted at www.isperformance.com 

Until next time, be good….or be good at it…-Darrell

PS: Along with each column I’ll also be providing a topical list of tracks to keep your workouts on point.  Here’s the inaugural batch:

1. Summer of Love (remix) – Justin Timberlake ft. Stat Quo2. Flipside – Freeway3. Good Life – Kanye West ft. T. Pain4. Time for some Action – Redman 

Usually I ignore Bill O’Reilly. The man has absolutely no integrity or shame; and, like Rush Limbaugh, makes his money by appealing to the worse elements of Human nature. But I had to take pause at his comments about dining at Sylvia’s with Al Sharpton recently when he said:

“There wasn’t one person in Sylvia’s who was screaming, ‘M-Fer, I want more iced tea.’ You know, I mean, everybody was — it was like going into an Italian restaurant in an all-white suburb in the sense of people were sitting there, and they were ordering and having fun. And there wasn’t any kind of craziness at all.”

Gee, thanks Boss, er, I mean Bill—glad to see that we fit your idea of civilization.

While his quotes mistake his conscious ignorance of African-American society it’s worth looking a moment at how he conveys his views on race in America; because, for the most part, it’s the way that the white mainstream press also looks at African-Americans. Eric Duggans over at Huffpo seems to be right on the money when he says:

“I think these comments are typical of O’Reilly’s technique. Too smart to personally use an epithet in the way Don Imus finally did, he instead turns rap culture into a straw man used to represent all or most of black America. Then, he’s free to tee off on the stereotypical excesses of THAT culture, rather than talk about real, live black people with all their contradictions intact.”

And O’Reilly isn’t the only one. On September 25, Hip-Hop went to Capital Hill to discuss lyrics in Hip-Hop music—a defacto defense of “degratory” language used by some of its artists. Now I’m not going to talk about what occurred in that conference because, overall, it doesn’t matter. Hip-Hop and the country has been bambozzled by the O’Reilly media into falling into their trap, eagerly accepting that ‘Straw Man” status that Duggan descibes. By stepping underneath the Congressional spotlight, these Hip-Hop artists and moguls have accepted two things, which they may or may not want to accept. The first is that their lyrics are representative of African-Americans, and second, that their lyrics are something to be ashamed of, and need defending. When Hip-Hop artists are thrown into that position, the white establishment is happy because not only does Hip-Hop become a part of that establishment (much like how anyone who is arrested becomes part of the system), but it becomes a tool of the establishment through their defensive stance. Don’t get tricked, this is all distraction. It’s a trap. While Bill O’Reilly suddenly discovers that black people eat with knives and forks and that makes news, and while David Banner and Master P debate the N-word on capitol hill at the tax payers expense (oh yes, you pay for this in congressional salaries) a war goes on, racism continues, people die for lack of health care, and homelessness rises. But hey, at least little white boys won’t be calling each other ‘n####’.

If you ask me the best thing Hip-Hop could have done was stood outside of Congress and, as one, gave the huge white buildling the middle finger, and then hit the lab. After all, what could possibly happen? Is Congress going to ban Hip-Hop? The music we love and their associated businesses, are a multi-million, if not a billion, dollar a year industry. Do you think Congress is going to shut that down? Even if they wanted to, they couldn’t because ultimately the establishment will kowtow to their prophet Adam Smith and their God of Capitalism. That’s why America will always have drugs and pornography. If it makes money people might talk s### about it, might abhor it, and maybe even make it illegal, but a demand will always breed a supply. Instead of bowing to the system, Hip-Hop needs to remember that it’s at its best when it remains daring, audacious, and always out of the box.

The Wolf runs a blog on political matters at www.wordofthepeople.blogspot.com. His first novel, The Intellectual Prostitute, will be dropping this Fall.

Every good player needs a dope nickname. Therefore, Washington Wizard’s guard Gilbert Arenas is set with his Agent Zero moniker. His exploits on the b-ball court wreaked havoc on NBA defenses enough to earn him All-NBA Second Team honors for the ‘06/07 season and off the court his charity (he donates money for every point he scores to DC public schools through his Scores for Schools Program) and marketability is in full swing with endorsements from Adidas and the cover of EA’s NBA Live ’08 videogame on his resume.Arenas was in NYC promoting his latest sneaker, the GIL II ZERO. It was the first time he had seen some of them since Adidas is being tight with revealing the designs (“They’re afraid to show me cause I leak them,” laughed Arenas). The sneak peak revealed them to be surefire collectors items so check back on AllHipHop.com for each shoe as they’re revealed throughout the season (Arenas will wear certain shoes and is already set to accept the fines for the shoes not meeting the NBA’s uniform guidelines). The series will feature 20, exclusive limited edition takes on the design which include collaborations from the likes of Coca-Cola, Benihanas [Hibachi!], SLAM Magazine and even Looney Tunes Tweety Bird that are gleamed from Arenas’ style, tastes and personality. Arenas caught up with AllHipHop to discuss his shoe game. AllHipHop.com: Did you have to lobby to get your own shoe and now with 20 exclusive shoes in the wings, is this is your way of getting back at Adidas?Gilbert Arenas: Yeah, I been waiting for my own shoe from Adidas for a long time now. We’d been going back and forth. That day has come, it came last year and I was so excited about having my first shoe. I really wanted my second shoe to be different and special. That’s why we came up with the concept of 20 different ones, so everyone has a life of it’s own. AllHipHop.com: You mentioned on your blog a while ago the back and forth when it came to the design, is that were the idea of 20 varieties came from? Gilbert Arenas: No, the twenty designs came out after we figured out how the show was gonna look. The first shoe, it was going to be 82 colors, for every different game. Every different game was going to be a different shoe. But the problem with that concept was the shoe was terrible. Once I killed that notion I came up with this new one. AllHipHop.com: Surely you spent a good part of the summer rehabbing your knee, is there anything you’ve been able to add to your game?Gilbert Arenas: Right now I’m actually doing that. I’m adding a mid-range [game]. Ya know, I’ll sit there and work on moves, like I was working on my regular shot, just getting my mechanics back. I’m a much better shooter that I was last year. Then I started working on back to the basket fadeaways. Then I realized, I’m 6’ 3”…anyone can block this shot [laughing]. I’m sitting there after 500 makes of a turnaround jumpshot, I told the trainer, Hey why don’t you come and try to block that shot? And I shoot it…[blocked]. I don’t know why I just worked on two hours of this when it’s the same thing someone else is going to do. So right now I’m just working on screen and rolls coming off mid-range.AllHipHop.com: You’ve documented your love hate relationship with trainers, have they ever give you grief over wearing lo-tops?Gilbert Arenas: Umm, I remember in college where it was mandatory that we had to wear hi-top shoes, we had to wear tape—I hated both. So I used to cut the bottom of the tape off, the whole foot part, it just had this part [points to ankle] that showed the socks so it looked like I had the tape on [chuckling]. With the shoes, I was just like, Coach if I wear the tape can I wear my low tops cause I’m more comfortable in low tops. He was like, Alright I guess. My whole thing was don’t get an ankle injury because if they see I don’t have the tape on…AllHipHop.com: You don’t wear tape [on your ankles] to this day?Gilbert Arenas: I can’t wear them. It restricts…you don’t wear tape while walking, why would I wear tape playing basketball? AllHipHop.com: Do you have an all time favorite shoe?Gilbert Arenas: Umm…I’d have to say Penny Hardaway’s. That shoe he came out with, the first ones. That and the patent leather Air Jordans.AllHipHop.com: Didn’t you wear those Penny’s at Arizona?Gilbert Arenas: Those were the Foamposites, the second shoe. The all blue ones. I tried to actually wear them again when I got to Arizona but…AllHipHop.com: You were underrated coming out of high school going to Arizona…Gilbert Arenas: I don’t know how. I averaged 38 points (laughing)…AllHipHop.com: But then you left after sophomore year in college to enter the draft. When did it click in your mind that you could play in the league?Gilbert Arenas: I remember it was…I don’t remember the date, I don’t know why I don’t remember the date…but my college coach sent me the highlight tape, cause I always make highlight tapes. He sent me a highlight tape that I actually had done with the music and stuff and I left it in college. It was a highlight tape of my first two years and he was like, This might help you out. I put it in and you’re just watching yourself…and I’m seeing me do moves and I’m like…it’s basketball. This is what I do. How can I not play on this level? So I got to practice and I’m like you know, I’ma just focus. I’ma just focus, for two weeks play as hard as I can, go out there and just do everything. Wake up six in the morning, just get my body right, get my mind back to being sharp cause at the time I don’t…if you had put me out there…Like I’m glad they didn’t have the D-League then (laughing). Two weeks straight I guess the coach could see this. I’ve never gave respect to this coach but Brian Winters was a coach who actually put me on the floor and felt that I was a better player than Larry Hughes at the time and actually gave me the opportunity to play. I guess he [saw] something in me that I wasn’t seeing or they weren’t seeing when I first came. All they seen was the goofy kid who just loves to laugh. Then I said I’m not going to laugh anymore. I’ma put all this frustration and energy into basketball. And then I did and then I got to play and I said this is what got me on, this is what’s going to keep me on. And then I started reading the paper, He’s a hothead. He has a bad attitude. I’m like…[laughing]I’m at the point where I can focus and still be who I am. That’s when I got back to the funny kid who just loves to joke. AllHipHop.com: Kanye “battled” 50 Cent, whose shoe do you want to battle?Gilbert Arenas: I called it out. I want to see who takes the challenge. If it’s D Wade, LeBron or Carmelo. Or Kobe, hey. I have no problem challenging you guys. AllHipHop.com: Had to feel good dropping 60 points on Kobe.Gilbert Arenas: Ya know I’m a Laker fan, I’m a Kobe fan. All my friends, we’re diehard Laker fans. You can’t tell us nothing wrong about Kobe and the Lakers. So when it happened, all my friends is there—I got like a hundred tickets. So they’re p##### off. One, the Lakers lost. Two I outscored Kobe (laughing). Before the game it’s like, Kobe’s going to give you the business today. Uh huh, why don’t you stick Kobe? And that’s the whole argument, it’s me against all my friends because I gotta defend myself now.