Sometimes It’s Just About Business, Racial And Not Racist

Atlanta Hawks owner Bruce Levenson

After reading Atlanta Hawks majority owner Bruce Levenson’s email from 2012 that was labeled, “racially insensitive” in many headlines I was puzzled to why he felt the need to sell the team.  His choice of words could have been better, but I wasn’t personally offended by his remarks.  The email came off as a ramble.  It doesn’t negate the observations and concerns he had owning a team. 

According to Hawks CEO Steven Koonin, the Hawks held a meeting in early June to discuss potential free-agent targets. General Manager Danny Ferry cited a background report that included an "offensive and racist" remark about a player.  Yahoo! Sports and the Journal-Constitution reported in subsequent reports Monday, quoted Ferry as saying of Deng: "He is still a young guy overall. He is a good guy overall. But he is not perfect. He's got some African in him. And I don't say that in a bad way."

After the meeting, one of the Hawks' stakeholders called for an internal investigation based on the remark being in the team's research of a player, which lead to Levenson’s email being discovered.

Many business' use words such as “demographics” to justify their approach.  Whole Foods grocery stores and 4-5 star restaurants are one end of town and liquor stores and checking cashing establishments on the other side for a reason.  These business owners want profits, they will pick locations to customers that their respective businesses are convenient for and will support, like it or not.  In many instances those reasons touch on class and race and when it is publicly revealed it touches on the sensitivities we have. 

The Atlanta Braves announced in November 2013 they were moving to Cobb County, GA outside of Atlanta bucking the trend of building stadiums downtown.  The Braves claim their fan base is out in the suburbs. They claim there’s “nothing around” [Turner Field, current stadium] that people want to go to.  Atlanta said no when the Braves asked for hundreds of millions of dollars to make improvements or build a new stadium. So, the Braves found a place that would give them their $392 million.  They made a business decision.

Levenson states in the e-mail in reference to season ticket sales being low:

“…I was told it is because we can't get 35-55 white males and corporations to buy season tixs and they are the primary demo for season tickets around the league. when I pushed further, folks generally shrugged their shoulders. then I start looking around our arena during games and notice the following:

— it's 70 pct black

— the cheerleaders are black

— the music is hip hop

— at the bars it's 90 pct black

— there are few fathers and sons at the games

— we are doing after game concerts to attract more fans and the concerts are either hip hop or gospel.

Then I start looking around at other arenas. It is completely different. Even DC with its affluent black community never has more than 15 pct black audience."

He mentions further in the email that he is not threatened or heard any incidents at the games, but knows that white southerners may not have a comfort level.  He raised the issue of disposable income that differ in the black and white communities in Atlanta.  I live in the Washington, DC area, which has an affluent black middle class.  The difference is that Atlanta, GA is a southern city and state and race relations there are much different than a transient city like DC.

This is coming off the tail end of Donald Sterling and the Pandora’s box it could open that Mark Cuban was concerned about.  "I think there's a [league] constitution for a reason, right?" Cuban said before Game 4 of the Mavericks-San Antonio Spurs series. "Because this is a very slippery slope. What Donald said was wrong. It was abhorrent. There's no place for racism in the NBA, any business I'm associated with, and I don't want to be associated with people who have that position.  But at the same time, that's a decision I make. I think you've got to be very, very careful when you start making blanket statements about what people say and think, as opposed to what they do. It's a very, very slippery slope.”

These are discussions that every business owner has especially when offering entertainment, product and/or services.  That is why when you turn on a program like “The Voice” on NBC they always make sure they have a black male and white female as judges along with Adam Levine and Blake Shelton whether it was Usher, CeeLo Green, Pharrell Williams or Christina Aguilera, Shakir, and Gwen Stefani.  They desire to appeal to a broad audience and those respective artists represent different genres.  Is that racist or sexist or a thoughtful business decision?  I would say the latter. 

I watched CNN drill the mayor and Police Chief in Ferguson, MO regarding the lack of police officers in the city coming off the tragic death of Michael Brown.  They both explained the lack of black applicants.  St. Louis, MO is only 20 minutes away and their police force offers better opportunities.  The residual affect of that impacted Ferguson not having police offers that could relate to the community they serve.  The Michael Brown tragedy as been well documented and discussed ad nauseam.  But the issue of black officers in Ferguson speaks to the issues of those who run the city and police department have to face and think of ways to solve that involve race.

As Kareem Abdul-Jabbar stated in his piece for Time magazine, business people should have the right to wonder how to appeal to diverse groups in order to increase business. They should even be able to make minor insensitive gaffs if there is no obvious animosity or racist intent. This is a business email that is pretty harmless in terms of insulting anyone — and pretty fascinating in terms of seeing how the business of running a team really works.

Unfortunately for Levenson a scouting report about a player resulted in an investigation that revealed his email.  The comments in the scouting report are offensive, Levenson’s email context was not the same but somehow the two got lumped together and now he felt forced to sell the team.  I am hoping we can get to the point that when a comment or issue is racial it doesn’t make it racist. 

It is easy to get intellectually lazy and not look for context behind comments.  The majority of commentaries I have seen in reference to Levenson appear to see the difference.    Levenson was addressing the issue that was affecting the profits for his business, the NBA with a predominately black league and marketing to a broad audience and corporate sponsors.

2014 Washington Redskins and NFL Outlook

Football season is finally here.    Before the season begins fans of all 32 teams have high expectations of their respective teams season.  It is no different in the DMV for Washington Redskins fans.   Last season’s 3-13 season was very disappointing coming off a division title and the excitement of Offensive Rookie of the Year Robert Griffin III's rookie campaign.    The drama with Head Coach Mike Shanahan and Griffin recovering from his knee injury casted a shadow over the season.  Shanahan is gone, Jay Gruden comes in, and Griffin is healthy.

           

2014 Redskins Season

Robert Griffin III

Much of the talk this preseason has been about Griffin’s struggles and backup Kirk Cousins performing well.  This is a critical season for Griffin.  The coach that he did not connect with is gone.  It appears Cousins has improved since last season.  Other quarterbacks such as Cam Newton of the Carolina Panthers and Matt Ryan of the Atlanta Falcons struggled in their second seasons after successful rookie campaigns and broke out with very good performances in their third season.  That is what ‘Skins fans are hoping for Griffin.  Newton and Ryan did not have another highly touted quarterback in their same draft class serving as a backup.  As confident as Griffin comes off he knows Kirk Cousins is a young developing quarterback like himself who still has intrigue around the league on how he would perform as a full time starter.

            I am hoping that the ‘Skins let the season play out with Griffin at the helm and Gruden not get tempted to go to Cousins too early if things do not go well.  By the end of the season we should have an idea of what kind of quarterback Griffin will be.  Was 2012 an anomaly with Washington’s read option and a rookie running back Alfred Morris because opposing teams did not have film on them?  After two seasons there will not be any surprises.  Griffin has to evolve and make all the progressions and throws from the pocket.   I do not think he has slowed down from his knee injury.  It appears even in preseason games teams have schemed knowing his tendencies and in position if he runs.  He’ll have to beat teams with his arm and Morris continuing to gain yards in the running game. 

I was never a fan of Shanahan, but it does not mean his assessment of Griffin and Donovan McNabb was incorrect.  He just handled the situations poorly.  McNabb was washed up and it showed when he went to Minnesota the following season.  On what Griffin and Shanahan clashed over on what Griffin needed to do to become a better quarterback might be accurate as well.  Griffin’s comments to the media and on social media have impacted the perception of him that he just doesn’t “get it”.  Especially when quarterbacks in his draft class such as Russell Wilson of Seattle Seahawks and Andrew Luck of the Indianapolis Colts do not have the same issues and in just two seasons have more playoff success.  Is Griffin a know it all?  Is he coachable?  Is he relying too much on his success in the past and rookie season?  When I listen to him he appears to say the right things without coming off as to understanding why he needs to.  The quarterback is judged differently and we are all watching.  I don’t anticipate the team making the playoffs, but an improvement from 2013 with 7-9 wins. 

New Stadium           

Owner Dan Snyder recently announced plans for a new stadium.  This was exciting news to me.  I have never been a fan of FedEx Field.  It was built in a bad location with terrible traffic concerns to and from games.  The stadium does not have any character and didn’t have the same atmosphere as RFK Stadium, something was must missing.   Snyder was coy about the new stadium’s location.  My feeling is for two reasons; one I think he would like to have the new stadium constructed in the District.  Washington, DC is about to elect a new mayor and this would not be the appropriate time to discuss a move back into the city until after the election.   

The site at RFK would be ideal.  The soccer team, DC United has plans for a new stadium on the waterfront near Nationals Park.  The RFK site has direct Metro access and easier access in and out of the stadium by car.  It just makes sense.  Secondly, there are 13 years remaining on the lease of FedEx field.  I am sure by the time a new stadium is constructed a buyout of the lease could be negotiated.  Teams in all major sports have or are planning to move into their respective cities and not build stadiums in the suburbs.    Virginia could come into play because many of the ‘Skins fans travel from Virginia and Montgomery County, MD to games and a stadium there would be more accessible to the majority of season ticket holders.  The Atlanta Braves plans to move outside of Atlanta are for similar reasons.  Again, we’ll have to wait and see.

Playoff Predictions

NFC

Division Champions

Philadelphia Eagles-East

Green Bay Packers-North

New Orleans Saints-South

Seattle Seahawks-West

Wild Cards

Arizona Cardinals

Chicago Bears

AFC

Division Champions

New England Patriots-East

Cincinnati Bengals-North

Indianapolis Colts-South

Denver Broncos-West

Wild Cards

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Diego Chargers

I need to see games before I start talking Super Bowl, let the games begin!

What's Behind The Struggle?

With all of the products, programs, professionals, and technology available our society is still struggling with obesity and adopting a healthy lifestyle.   All of these advances need to be utilized to make healthy living truly a lifestyle.  While financial health has a bearing on physical health, the correlation is a complicated one. Culture, gender, education, biology, and even politics play a role. 

Many experts predict that health and wellness will be a trillion dollar industry by 2017, yet childhood obesity has more than doubled in children and quadrupled in adolescents in the past 30 years according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.   In 2013 the adult obesity rate in the United States is 27.2 percent, which is the highest the obesity rate has ever been a year since Gallup-Healthways started tracking it.

Here are four observations I’ve made as to why a healthy lifestyle continues to be a struggle in our society.

1.  Lack of Motivation-Many desire to be healthier and look better, but do not want to do the work necessary.  The thought of changing their eating habits and having to exercise consistently is draining.  Procrastination occurs for a variety of reasons including feeling overwhelmed, being depressed, feeling anxious or fearing failure among others. When procrastination becomes a habit, it may appear that a person is not motivated in succeeding.

2.  Stress-It takes up a significant amount of cognitive and emotional bandwidth. Some people cope with stress and feeling overwhelmed by avoiding starting to change their habits or finding triggers to engage in bad habits. Lack of sleep due to stress can make it difficult to feel motivated even with proper eating and consistent exercise.

3.  Time Management- One of the excuses I hear often is, “I don’t have time to exercise or cook my own meals.”  Time management requires setting goals, prioritizing tasks, and monitoring where your time actually goes.   With the amount of resources available it is becoming more difficult for that to be a legitimate excuse.

4. Dealing With Discomfort- Changing old habits requires getting out of your comfort zone.  Changing your diet means your palate will have to adjust and consistent exercise means your body will go through fatigue and soreness that you are not accustomed to.

Exercise, healthy eating and sleeping patterns all help in improving your mood, anxiety and stress. By alleviating some of the roadblocks being motivated can become easier.

For long-term improvement of motivation issues, try to identify the root cause. Addressing this underlying issue is the best and most successful way of improving motivation. If you are unsure of your root cause take the time to attempt to identify it.

Jamaal Piper

Health and Wellness Consultant/Personal Trainer

www.piperpersonaltraining.com

From The Inside Out

The emphasis to adopt a healthy lifestyle can easily be on outward appearance.  It can be looking at old pictures or a celebrity/model of what you want to go back to or get to whether it is to lose weight and/or build muscle.   Your progress starts internally before you will see any results on the outside.  Remember that this is a process and changes will not come overnight.   There are countless advertisements of drink this or take that and you’ll lose weight in a short period of time.  Begin respecting the process and not a product.  Supplements are meant to complement your diet and can be of great assistance.  Depending on them may generate results in the short term, but in the long term will not be beneficial for your health.

Scientists have recently discovered that years of eating – and overeating – the typical American diet actually changes the brain. More specifically, it damages the signaling pathways in the hypothalamus, the part of the brain that regulates metabolism.  This can be overcome by changing your diet. “It’s about biology,” says Louisse Aronne, Director of the Comprehensive Weight-Control Program at New York Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center.  While some damage to the hypothalamus may be permanent, it’s possible to reverse much of it. “If less fatty food comes in, it reduces the rate of damage,” he explains, noting that it doesn’t matter so much which specific diet you follow, as long as it’s one that cuts calories, reduces fat, and reduces simple carbohydrates.

If you have taken a good look at a newly constructed or recently remodeled McDonald’s lately, you have seen the effect that fast-casual restaurants have had on fast food franchises, which are incorporating some fast-casual concepts into their models in order to meet the competition.   Taco Bell recently opened a new chain called US Taco Co.  Among those fast-casual concepts in the Top 30, Panera Bread, Chipotle Mexican Grill and Panda Express posted healthy sales gains of 12, 17 and 11 percent, respectively, according to Technomic's 2013 report.  Cooking your own meals is ideal, but food chains are noticing that consumers want better options. 

Psychological disorders which obesity may trigger include depression, eating disorders, distorted body image, and low self-esteem.  Advertisers play on those emotions by offering quick fixes.  There isn’t a short cut.  Consistent health eating habits with exercise will improve your overall health, strength, and endurance.  You will feel the changes such as more energy and the ability to do more during your training sessions before you see any changes.  The key is to trust the process and be patient and diligent.   Enjoy the journey while you are pursuing the end result.

Jamaal Piper

Health and Wellness Consultant/Personal Trainer

www.piperpersonaltraining.com 

Reaching The Next Level In Healthy Living

Adopting a healthy lifestyle requires a commitment and consistency.    Even after making the choice evaluating your progress can become frustrating.  The pace of weight loss has slowed down or is not happening at all or you reached your desired weight/size, but now you want to focus on certain body parts or reach a new milestone.  The original program that has gotten you to where you are will not be enough to take you to the next level.  In order to do that a few things need to be examined before you panic.  A drastic change may not be necessary or it could be?  Before making that decision do a self-evaluation in a few areas:

Nutrition:  The first thing to examine when reaching a plateau is to examine your nutrition.   Are you getting enough protein, carbs, sleep, and drinking enough water.   Are you skipping meals, large gaps in between meals, too many calories, or too little calories?    If you're looking to lose weight, you might turn to a low-carbohydrate diet. However, carbs are a biologically important nutrient, so significantly reducing your intake can have negative effects of varying severity.  You may have reached your goal in size and weight and are getting stronger and conditioning is improving.  Increasing your carbohydrate intake will not set you back.  Just make sure they are the “good” carbs such as sweet potatoes, oatmeal, brown rice, and whole grains.  Be mindful of the sneaky carbs such as yogurt, fruit, and nuts.  The body slows down its metabolism in response to a lack of food or excessive amounts of exercise.  Make sure you have the right balance. 

Eating out often and not knowing all the ingredients and calories can set you back as well.  Frequently eating out usually happens because it is quick, convenient, and it tastes good. However, if you want to eat healthier or lose weight, making meals at home is often a healthier choice. Cooking your own meals can be just as fast, or faster, than restaurant eating when you factor in waiting for your order to be taken and food to be prepared.   It will require preparing meals ahead of time and not being an impulsive grocery shopper and eater.  Learn quick recipes for nutritious and healthy meals.  Eating healthy does not mean it has to taste bad.  You also have to give your palate time to adjust to the changes in your diet.  You did not acquire your taste buds overnight so they will not change immediately.

Do not fall into the trap of relying too much on supplements; they are called supplements for a reason.  Supplements fill the gaps in your whole food diet and help you get more from your efforts in the gym. They are not intended to be a replacement for a proper diet or hard work.

A diet of basic whole foods, supported intelligently with basics such as protein, fish oil, and pre-workouts are sufficient.

Make sure that your diet is nailed down before you start adding anything more than those to your routine. You'll get better results by mastering basic nutrition than if you have a subpar diet with superior supplementation.

Training Program:  Most of us have a picture in our head of the ideal body that we have seen before, "I'd like to look just like him/her. They look great!"  If you are close to your ultimate goal or progress has slowed on the way take a step back and reevaluate your training program.  Are you training as hard as you can?  Are you doing long cardio sessions and very little weights, long weight sessions and very little cardio?   Your ultimate goal may require a change.  Have you been doing the same routine with the same reps and weights for months?   Running the same distance in the same time?  It is great that you have been consistent, but some minor adjustments could be needed.

It could as simple as using dumbbells instead of barbells for a particular exercise.  Increasing the weight for the same amount of reps because you have gotten stronger and do not realize it.  Change is good, but how you change is even more important.  You should not panic.  In my opinion certain exercises are irreplaceable and should not be abandoned such as pushups, pull-ups, squats, deadlifts, and dips.    Bouncing back and forth between routines can cause some parts of your body to get overdeveloped while others remain undertrained.  Know what your body needs and what body parts need more attention than others.

Accountability is key with someone else and/or yourself.  Tracking your food intake and results each day will help you help you stay on course.  Your training sessions should be planned each week with a focus of what you want to accomplish in each session.  Use apps or spreadsheets to document food intake.  If you don't do this, it is just too easy to let the carbs and calories creep up.  It's a pain, but if you really want to make your weight goal, I think it's necessary to record what you are eating, and use this information to stay on plan.

Health Issues/Medication:  A food sensitivity can impact weight loss and muscle mass. For instance, some people find that dairy products stall weight loss, or perhaps gluten in some form is being eaten (low carb pasta, protein bars or some other processed low carb food).  Low nutrient levels in the appetite center of the brain can trigger a ravenous appetite and uncontrollable cravings! Our brain’s appetite center has receptors that know if we are deficient on key nutrients like iron, vitamin D, or B-vitamins.   It is easy to get consumed with counting calories and not focus on getting the necessary nutrients. 

If you are trying to lose weight prescriptions such as steroids, drugs for mental health, and beta-blockers can slow down the process or even cause weight gain.   Steroids such as Prednisone may cause weight gain, as steroids affect the metabolism. Approximately 25% people who are taking antidepressants gain weight as a result. Paxil and Zoloft are two of the drugs commonly mentioned in this regard. Weight gain may not be sudden but gradual, over weeks and even months.  Beta-blockers, which are prescribed for hypertension, may bring on fatigue. You may be less eager to be active as a result. Another side effect is water retention. Moderate amounts of weight gain have been observed with some of these beta-blockers.  

You can achieve whatever fitness goals you desire.   It is important to that you set realistic expectations about your progress and the timeframe required to achieve it. If you don't, you'll get discouraged, and that can take all the fun out of your lifestyle. I’m sure you have heard it over and over again, to be healthy, look good, and feel good, it is a lifestyle.   It is not a certain lift, program, or dietary trick that will lead to results.  If you have questions consult your doctor, fitness professional, and nutritionist.  If you are currently working with a personal trainer and/or nutritionist keep the lines of communication open and be honest about your habits away from the time you are with them.  That will help them help you.

Jamaal Piper

Health and Wellness Consultant/Personal Trainer

piperpersonaltraining@gmail.com

202-409-8674

The Wait For Transcendent

             Two sports are in search of a transcendent figure.  United States soccer and golf worldwide.   Soccer is considered the world’s most popular sport.  The World Cup recently ended and took the world by storm, including the United States.  American supporters bought 196,838 tickets for the World Cup, trailing only fans from Brazil. 

Tiger Woods is still a polarizing figure, but his lack of dominance the last six years in turn with an economy still recovering has impacted golf.  There are many young and talented golfers on tour, but none of them have captured the interest to increase television ratings and interest in the game. 

I must admit that I am a very casual fan of soccer.  I caught myself more intrigued by the World Cup as the tournament progressed and followed the United States Men’s National Team (USMNT) closely.  Recently I started working with a group of 5-8 graders in Washington, DC as part of a summer educational program doing an after school fitness elective.  As the World Cup was coming to a close I polled the class on their favorite sports.  Approximately half the class of 27 students raised their hands when I asked was soccer their favorite sport.  The other half liked basketball or both sports equally.  Many of them play organized soccer.

            The United States can have a sense of entitlement that our country has to be the best at everything, especially in regards to athletics.  I watched and read constant analysis on what the United States can do to close the gap and seriously contend for a major competition such as the World Cup. I can remember growing up and very few of my friends if any played soccer.  It was basketball, baseball, and/or football.  But since the inception of Major League Soccer (MLS) and the United States being awarded the World Cup in 1994 and the United States Women’s National Team winning the World Cup in 1999 the popularity of soccer in the United States has grown. 

From my personal observations of the recent World Cup it appeared that other countries simply have better athletes than the United States playing soccer.  Our best athletes will choose football and basketball over soccer.  In other countries such as Brazil and England their best athletes will choose soccer.  It is just the cultural differences that exists.  In the United States soccer is still more of a sport of privilege and structure.  Non-structured participation is just has important in developing the requisite skills in any sport.  I have witnessed more pick up soccer games at parks and fields in recent years than in the past.

The chance that a “special” American born soccer player taking the world by storm has increased.  The students I have worked with this summer are an example of the increased interest and excitement for the sport.

Golf has suffered a decline since the recession in 2007 and Tiger Woods personal and professional decline in 2008-09.   "Tiger Woods changed the game and interest in it," said Pat Rishe, professor of sports economics at Webster University. "We got spoiled by all he did when he was winning. He created a spike in golf that we're unlikely to see again."  According to the National Golf Foundation there were 25.3 million golfers in the U.S. in 2012. However, that's down from 25.7 million in 2011 and 26.1 million in 2010.

Another indicator used to show the decline in golf is the number of golf courses built. The NGF said that only 14 new courses (in 18-hole equivalents) were built in 2013 in the United States, and another 157.5 closed their doors, for a net loss of 143.5 courses.

The affection for football is more about teams.  Basketball is about star power and we have seen how a once in a generation star can take the sport by storm.  The 1980’s spoiled us with several such as Magic, Bird, Dr. J, and rise of Michael Jordan into the 1990’s.  After Jordan’s second retirement in 1998 the media looked to see who would be the next big star. LeBron James was on the cover of Sports Illustrated in 2002 as a high school junior looking proclaiming him “The Chosen One”.   Years later it is evident that he has become one of the most polarizing figures in recent memory. 

Golf is still a $75 billion business.  With the economy recovering and our society more interested instant gratification a sport such as golf that is difficult to learn, expensive to practice and play and has lost some of its luster.  Soccer in the United States has achieved a higher profile during the last decade, Veteran midfielder Joe Coe of the Aston Villa of the England Premier League is part of a preseason tour in the United States, "I’ve been coming here (United States) for about 10 years on these preseason tours, and every time I come the interest gets a little bit more. The fans are a little bit more excited to see you," he said. "I think football’s (soccer) growing here, and you saw that with the World Cup. America, I think they’ve done brilliantly, and you feel it’s growing then."

Soccer awaits its first American born transcendent star, golf is in search for the next one to arise and we will have to wait for both.  Soccer in the United States may always have to contend with what basketball legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar stated, “Soccer doesn’t express the American ethos as powerfully as our other popular sports: We are a country of pioneers, and we like to see extraordinary effort rewarded... with points.”  The excitement of the World Cup will wane.  The sport will most likely continue its growth in this country and we have to be patient for that special moment to happen with a player or team, if it ever does.  Transcendent is something that cannot be forced.  It just has to happen and an atmosphere in place to allow it.

No Quick Fix

On Tuesday, Dr. Mehmet Oz was grilled by several senators regarding bogus products and ads on his syndicated talk show.   Since he started appearing Oprah Winfrey’s show a decade ago Dr. Mehmet Oz has had a history of being overly enthusiastic about some of the alternative and nontraditional treatments he’s highlighted, resulting in countless scammers cashing in on the questionable weight-loss treatments he’s described as “miracles”.  Dr. Oz admitted that his “cheerleading” for products that he admits are just “crutches” has caused trouble for himself and for the Federal Trade Commission.

Dr. Mehmet Oz

I watch Dr. Oz on occasion and in some instances his advice regarding, health, nutrition, and fitness appear to be helpful.  At other times I have been concerned on the frequency he discusses “quick” and “miracle” methods to weight loss whether it is a supplement or a form of eating.  What these methods feed on is the public’s urge to have a quick fix and not wanting to commit to the process to achieve health and wellness goals. 

Consumers spent $2.4 billion on weight loss services and products last year, according to the Federal Trade Commission. 

The Advertising Self-Regulatory Council, the Council for Responsible Nutrition, which represents supplement makers, and other groups said they supported self-regulation. They also support the FTC's seven point gut check that the agency says people should use as a guide in assessing ads for products that look too good to be true.

FTC advises if the ad claims the product...

• Causes weight loss of two pounds or more a week for month or more without dieting or exercise;
• Causes substantial weight loss no matter what or how much the consumer eats;
• Causes permanent weight loss even after the consumer stops using the product;
•  Safely enables consumers to lose more than three pounds per week for more than four weeks;
• Causes substantial weight loss for all users; or
• Causes substantial weight loss by wearing a product on the body or rubbing it into the skin.

Any suggestion to losing weight that does not include a consistent well balanced diet you should not consider.  We all have our personal preferences of eating habits.  There are pros and cons to any one you adopt.  I am not a proponent of neglecting any major food group from your diet in the name of health and losing weight or taking a pill or supplement that will magically propel you to your goals.

Utilize the resources at your disposal properly.  Your primary care physician’s role is to keep you notified of your current health status and any necessary adjustments to your lifestyle to benefit your long-term health.   Professionals such as personal trainers and/or nutritionist design eating plans and exercise regiments to assist you in reaching your goals and maintaining your health.  Health and Wellness professionals should not be suggesting a quick fix.  I’ve stated it many times it takes hard work and dedication and consistency.  There are not any shortcuts. 

The advances in science should be used to compliment the process, not substitute.  Before beginning the new “hot” eating program or exercise routine that promises results in a short period of time consult a professional.  Our jobs are to give you structure, guidance, and accountability during the process not sell a short cut to get there.