Every time I see the video of the Gulf oil catastrophe it saddens me greatly, with tens of thousands of barrels of oil spilling into the sea daily. To make things worse there is no solution in sight, damaging wildlife, polluting shore lines, causing massive economic damage and virtually it will take decades to recover from this disaster. We are all affected by this and we will all pay a huge price.

Now I want you to image all that oil spreading all over the place. Whatever emotions you feel when you witness the images are the exact same feelings I have about the rapid weight gain that is going on in this country. In fact it is spreading much faster than the oil spilling in the gulf. The obesity in this country is at alarming proportions never before seen with no end in sight. Be prepared because the impact will affect all of us directly or indirectly. Not one single day goes by where someone isn’t mentioning the over weight state of our nation, NOT ONE SINGLE DAY. Not one day goes by where I do not gasp at seeing someone so overweight where I don’t shake my head in disbelief.

To know me is to know that I am extremely sensitive to those who struggle with weight control issues. However I’m at the point where I feel I’m on the beach removing oil from the ocean with a coffee cup. In other words people like me are not only having zero impact on the war on fat we are down right losing the war. Shows like the “Biggest Loser” don’t have an impact either, popular with viewers but did you know that most finalist actually regain the weight back within a year. This past Memorial Day weekend I went down to Austin Texas with my fiancé and her 20 year old daughter. We decided to float down one of the rivers on an inner tube. There were hundreds of twenty something’s lined up to catch the bus down to the river. As we waited in line I was shocked not only how many out of shape young people there were both men and women alike, the really odd thing is that not one of them seemed to care. In my entire life I have never witnessed so many people comfortable shirtless or in two piece swimsuits while obviously 20-100 lbs overweight. It came at a big surprise to me because my generation was the last of the self conscious when it came to body identity. Lately I have noticed the casual attitude of being obese more than ever.

Many years ago Oprah lost 70 lbs with Med-fast and squeezed into her tight size 6 jeans only to regain ALL the weight back in less than 8 weeks. She was so mortified that she vowed to never go on a diet ever again and started preaching a message of acceptance. She said not everyone is meant to be thin and those who aren’t should love themselves regardless. I totally agree with the latter part of her message, we all should learn to love ourselves and our bodies but I went crazy on my weekly radio show spouting that you should not ever accept something that you can do something about. Should poor people accept being poor, uneducated people accept being uneducated??? Please do not do what everyone appears to be doing and that is to start waving a white flag and just give up. Apparently Oprah was convincing at telling people to accept being overweight because that is exactly what has happened. If you don’t believe me go to the mall, sporting event, amusement park or school yard. Obesity doesn’t discriminate against anyone except old people that is because obese people never die of old age.

I bet most people reading this have know idea how obese I would be if I did not follow my own program, its true I come form a long lineage of family members who have either struggled with their weight or who were obese long before the word was ever used. I witnessed first hand the pain, struggles, torment and ridicule that many of my loved ones went through do to weight control issues, I also knew in my heart there had to be better way. The thought of living my entire life struggling with my weight and more importantly not feeling good about myself was not the life for me, I knew I had to devote myself to finding answers as opposed to being a hope seeker thinking that the next fitness fad fraud would work. Yes, I inherited the fat gene and the “I don’t get full” gene. Since my teenage years I have dedicated myself to discovering the secrets to staying lean, healthy and most of all happy. A day rarely goes by that I’m not reminded by the fact that if I deviate to far from the “program’ that I will have to bare the consequences, I’m not perfect yet always strive to make progress. Do you think I like waking up at the crack of dawn and getting out of my warm bed only to go to a cold gym? Yet every morning after I walk out the gym doors I’m sure glad I did. Do you not think I get cravings for food that are so strong in the middle of the night that I could devour a half gallon of ice cream in one sitting but while the 15 calorie popsicles aren’t as good as the ice cream it does the trick. While my industry maybe losing the war on fat, I wont let you down and I refuse to accept anything other than anyone can make progress should they choose to.

One of my all time favorite stories describes exactly where I’m at in my quest to help other.

A young boy is walking along the beach with thousands of starfish washed up along shore. The boy starts throwing the starfish back into the ocean one at a time. A man is strolling along from the opposite direction and comes across the boy. He asks the boy what is he doing? The boy says I’m saving the starfish. The man sort of chuckles and says there are thousands, you can’t save them all. The boy then grabs a starfish and throws it in the ocean and looks up at the man and says; I saved that one.

Have a blessed day,

Larry North

Lower abs to come soon. It is a trip to see myself in physical shape for the
first time in many years.. I only lift about twice a week, yoga, eat
healthy, and walk up and down hills everyday.  My vision is to have a lean
healthy body the rest of my many years on this planet.
The way you set me up for success is such an amazing gift. By not accepting
our restricting state of poverty and digging us out of the hole, to the gift
of health and fitness, and everything in between. I know that you have
changed thousands of lives through fitness, however i want you to know that
i am one of them..We as humans are suppose to be lean and healthy!!!  It’s
amazing living in the surroundings of nature how much easier the program is
for me… Etc etc I am babbling now from my iPhone. Thank you for being you
Peacelove, Adam

Blake

Your article on the ACS Wellness web page about “Obese is the new Thin” is by far the BEST article on weight issues I have ever read.  I think this article should be printed out and posted at every kitchen, restaurant, or any other place that prepares or serves food.

Thanks for a creative take on the issues!

Rick @ ACS

It is my thought that you are one of the best speakers I’ve experienced in Dallas during the decade; I would place you in the top ‘5’… Additionally, I think that most if not all of the folks at Nishmat Am yesterday, thoroughly enjoyed the time you shared with us, and came away with something positive. Thank you for visiting with us!

Of import, virtually everything that was delineated on the page in your presentation, “How to Determine if Your Metabolic…”, resonated within me. I need some help to do a better job taking off the last 14 to 19 lbs of a painful diet experience, and maybe in another area or two. Could you email me a copy of that page from your PowerPoint presentation? It would be greatly appreciated.

Of your books, which would best deliver additional information to supplement your program yesterday? I found the following on Amazon this afternoon: Larry North’s Slimdown For Life, Living Lean, Get Fit!: The Last Fitness Book You will Ever Need, and The Great North American Cookbook.

There is no bad news. You are a kind man, and seemingly a great son. Beverly speaks highly of her boys, and yall appear to have the greatest of Mother-son relationships; I applaud you!

We all have our stories; thank you for sharing yours. I am

Kindly yours,

James

February is National Heart Month. This makes perfect sense due to the fact that valentines falls on this month. There are so many different meanings for the word heart. For example if someone says he showed a lot of heart, they are implying that the person had a strong will to achieve or succeed. He has a big heart suggests that the person is generous or sensitive. He has no heart may mean he is shallow or unsympathetic. The symbol of a heart represents love. Saying someone is heartless may actually suggest that they are evil. One of my all time favorite uses of the word is in the movie Rocky 1 where Sylvester Stallone (Rocky) says if you want to win “Ya Gotta Have Heart”.

I have spent the last 25 years attempting to help people learn how to look and feel their very best through exercise and good nutrition often forgetting about my larger and much bigger purpose in life and that is to help them discover the joy of living a healthier lifestyle as opposed to the results from it.

When I was 15 I was on the thin and flabby side and have the pictures to prove it. When we settled down in Texas, it was a monumental transition moving from the east coast to a huge Dallas High School. My early indoctrination and inspiration to lift weights and exercise came from the school running back on the football team. Ironically he was relatively new to the area himself but he was an athlete, had a build way beyond his age and model good looks. His name was Dave Lucas and he would later become one of the best friends of my life. His father had played professional football for the New York Giants and while I was far from an athlete, which you had to be to use the school weight room, David would sneak me in after school and on the weekends and show me how to lift weights properly. This was 1978 and I can tell you now he was light years ahead of his time on exercise and nutrition.  The guy studied this stuff way before the age of the internet. He would read everything on the subject he could get his hands on. In time I learned he had a good reason to be passionate about his body and his health. He had congenital heart disease and his own father had died of a heart attack at age 36. David was the oldest son of six children. I really took to the weights and before long my own body started responding.

One day David said he wanted to share something with me but no one could ever find out. I said sure and he said I mean it! No one can ever find out and you can never share this information with anyone ever at anytime. I’m like Ok, what could be so important? He said his cholesterol is over 450 and they are going to have to run a number of tests on him over a long period of time in an effort to arrest the problem. He was adamant that this never get repeated or in all likelihood he would not be aloud to play football and his family had agreed to keep it under raps, they knew sports were everything to him. Then he said I don’t want this to come across like I’m negative but as my best friend I want you to know that I am not going to live a long life unless there is a scientific break through. As I started to talk he said please don’t say a word. I am prepared to become as fit and healthy as I can and live my life to the fullest and have long accepted my potential fate.

The guy was such a passionate person and truly was my first trainer and inspired me in so many ways. He was one of the most popular guys in school yet chose me as I chose him to be best friends with. Unlike many high school friendships that grow apart quickly after graduation, David and I remained in close contact and continued to speak on a regular basis for many years to come. To this day no one could make me laugh as hard as he could. I would literally be sore the next day in my abs from laughing so hard. Among many of his passions from his family, dog and friends, he was crazy about sports. I was very instrumental in getting him his own radio show on the station where I broadcast my “Weekend workout” show. I really loved this guy and just writing about him makes me smile, brings a tear to my eye and warms my “Heart”.

David jogged 5 miles everyday rain or shine and often took his golden retriever with him. I wasn’t sure if David was the marring type but then one day he informed me he had met the love of his life. I was happy for him and knew she had to be a special person. David died of a massive heart attack 3 days after proposing to his beloved girlfriend. He was jogging with his dog at the time of his death. He was only 36. He died the same week, month and age of his father before him. His family while prepared were devastated and his friends in utter shock.

Last year I called his mom and took her to lunch. It had been over ten years since David’s passing and I guess a parent never really gets over the loss of a child. It was good to see her nonetheless and I knew David would appreciate the fact that we continue to stay in touch. For the first time I shared the secret that David shared with me over 30 years ago. I never ever told anyone until that day! She looked at me like she had seen a ghost. While she of course knew his condition she had no idea he knew his own fate.

I still think about David from time to time. He would be proud of what I have accomplished and even prouder to know he help start it all. He taught me much more than pumping weights. He believed in me in spite of my academic challenges and lack of athleticism. In spite of knowing his own fate he went above and beyond to learn about health and fitness in the small hope that medical science might catch up to his unique situation. Today we now know that early symptoms such as David’s aren’t the only answer. Heart disease is still one of the biggest killers on this planet. Now it is your turn to have a healthier and happier heart. Maybe the bigger reason David came into my life is for me to become the voice to help guide others to a healthier existence. Now it is your turn!

Have a very happy Valentines!

Yours truly,
Larry North

The winter holiday season is a wonderful time of year. Just not for everyone. I tend to go through a spiral of emotions during this time of year. I volunteer at a toy drive in an urban area of Dallas, and I help hand out toys to over ten thousand kids who would otherwise not receive a toy this year. Needless to say, it is a humbling experience for people on both sides of the line.

To many people’s surprise, I was often on the other side of the line growing up, so I know all too well the feelings of emptiness during the holidays. I guess when I get right down to it.  I’m not all that crazy about the holidays.

I’m not a scrooge.  I’m far from it! This is a great time of year!  However, I know that this can be a very stressful time of year for many people.  I believe my feelings stem from my childhood, and I know that I am not alone in those stressful feelings during the holidays.  There is a monumental amount of stress that many people and families go through this time of year. The stress develops due to lack of funds, old feelings resurfacing, property taxes due, relatives, and apparently much more.

Did I forget the unwanted weight gain? Oh! Many people attribute it to the overeating when I know it has more to do with dealing with real life than the food itself.

My Background
I was an only child up until age 10. I grew up in a household with a father that never worked a legitimate job until he drove a cab in Las Vegas at age 60 for the last 3 years of his life. My Dad was a degenerate compulsive gambler from Brooklyn, New York. My Mom, who has a heart as big as Texas, was an overeater who suffered from low self-esteem due to her negative self-image, which was exasperated by an abusive husband.

I was very much loved by both parents. I wasn’t physically abused, but the environment I was forced to live in was abusive itself. We were forced to move repeatedly because my Dad was always avoiding bookies, loan sharks, or local and federal authorities, and often it was in the middle of the night with just the clothes on our backs.

With bowl games, playoffs and basketball, the holiday season for a compulsive gambler is comparable to toys under the tree to an 8 year old. The outcome was always the same, and as hard as I try, I cannot recall one single holiday during that period of my life that did not end in mayhem. The fondest memory I have is when I was about 6 or 7 and my Dad had about six bucks and some change. They were raffling off free turkeys.  Our family won the turkey, and then my father let me buy as much candy as his money would allow. I was happy for as long as there was no fighting in the house, as short lived as that was.

Please don’t get me wrong. I LOVE spending time with loved ones and close friends, and I am blessed to have many in my life. But my background reminds me that the holidays can be as stressful as they are wonderful.

Emotional Soup
I know that the soup lines will be full in December, so I have to prepare my organization for a different kind of soup line. I call it emotional soup. Having been in the fitness business for almost 30 years, I am well versed at helping distribute the single best stress buster on this planet. It is exercise, healthy food and a mountain of positive energy.

In the past, I just survived the holidays and held on for dear life, hoping to get through it. I’m now a 10th degree black belt in thriving during the holidays. I have mastered getting leaner, or should I say my leanest, in the month of December. I practically am standing outside of Wal-Mart like the Salvation Army jingling my bell.  Instead of looking for a donation, I’m handing out buckets of healthy information.

What I Have Learned
Looking back, it was what it was and I’m somewhat glad I came from humble beginnings.  I realize that, as bad as it might have been, there are many people who have it much worse.

I am now approaching age 50, and I realize that regardless of their upbringing, many people have skeletons that tend to resurface this time of year. I know some people that get completely knotted up at the thought of having to visit certain relatives over the next few weeks. I also know people that refuse to visit their relatives.

So just how do I always find a way to thrive during the holiday season?

I start with a goal, and that leads into a mindset that says I can and will get leaner in the next 30 days while also enjoying all the food I want.  I know that I can be successful in this because I know just how much to eat and when to stop. I know that if I eat 5 times a day, which is 35 times per week, that it is not only OK to have a bad food choice. It is actually preferred. I slowly ramp up my cardio to a full hour and never miss a workout. I lift weights with an idea of how I am going to look headed into the New Year. I stock my refrigerator with plenty of healthy food. I even get a manicure, pedicure, massage and start taking better care of my skin. I give myself permission to eat whatever I want, and the good news for me is I usually want the better choice foods. I catch up on my reading and the first person I buy a gift for is me. That’s right me.

I have learned the most valuable secret in the world and that is if I am going to be able to love and take care of all the people that are important in my life, I must also learn to be selfish to the point of taking care of myself to the highest level. If I don’t love me, I certainly can’t love you! If I don’t take care of me, I certainly can’t take care of you.

Therefore, my gift to you this holiday season is the gift of understanding that YOU and YOU alone are the most important person in your life! To neglect yourself for the sake of others may appear noble.  However, if you really love the ones you love, you will know that they want you to be healthy, positive and most of all happy. If you take this approach and revitalize your efforts, you will start to feel the stress you normally feel this time of year slowly evaporating.

I want to thank all of you for such a wonderful experience and for allowing me to be your Voice of Wellness. The best gift you can give me is the gift of success. If you or someone you know has benefited from our wellness initiatives, please send a brief story of your success to larry@larrynorth.com and to wellness@acs-inc.com.  Also, don’t be afraid to share those wonderful before and after photos.  And congratulations on making the decision to make your health a priority in your life for the New Year!

Happy Holidays,

Larry North

My Mom Beverly has struggled her entire life with weight control issues. Even as a child she was often refered to as fat Bevy. As a result it did not take long for her to become extremily self conciious of her weight. She never wore a swimsuit, rarely would allow for her picture to be taken, did not eat fattening foods in puplic, etc… I will never forget going out as a child and someone making a rude or snide remark about my mom’s weight. She always would have the same reaction of pretending like she didn’t hear it or doing a fake laugh or giggle as to show it did not hurt or bother her. Trust me when I tell you, people can be down right cruel! However when we would return home she could barely hide back the tears until we reached the front door and then the emotions would overflow like a water fall. She was always on a diet or the latest “Fitness Fad fraud” gimmick in an effort to lose weight. I remember her wearing thick rubber gloves when handling fatty meats because she believed the fat could absorb through her skin. As a boy I was so perplexed at how such a warm hearted and beautiful person could feel so horrible about herself and her weight. I was as confused as she was and knew I never wanted to live my life like that. The sensitivity training I developed from the love I had and still have for my mom would turn out to be a very valuable gift later on in my life for my chosen occupation and career. I knew all to well what people went through who struggled with their weight. Unfortunately it did not stop outside the home, it was worse inside. Why? Because people with low self esteem tend to attract a certain kind of person in their life and in my mom’s case she hit the jackpot with my father. At any given moment he could and often would push what I call her fat buttons. It could be suttle as insinuating that she would never stick to a “new” diet or as cruel as a very derogatory name.

The operative word for my mom is struggle. She like many people from her generation struggled with their inability to achieve a normal or publicly acceptable weight. They were easy pray for marketers as they still are today. Will power has never had anything to do with success as most dieters would like to believe. For decades most people have and continue to use useless and bad techknowledgy. Plain and simply put, DIETS DON’T WORK! Along with sensitivity training I also have developed a gift for seeing beauty in most everyone I meet. However the sensitivity training I aquired, was as result of the fact that people were actually doing something about there situation, as aposed to nothing at all.

Today there is something very terrible going on in our society. Obesity is by far the single worst problem this country faces today. More than terrorism, the financial crisis, crime and anything else you can think of. It becomes more perpetuated when huge celeberties like Oprah suggest that you should accept being obese as if someone should accept being poor. The media isn’t much better by taking advantage of reality shows such as “Biggest Loser” and the over weight bachelor or bachlorette. Globally foreners can spot an American by how fat they are. To me this is plain sad.

Did you know that when our parents received a phicical in their early 20’s or 30’s they were classified into 1 of 3 catagories, thin, average and overweight. In the 80’s the medical community added obese and today 2 more categories have been added severely obese and morbidly obese. What is next monumentally obese? This leads me to “Obese is the new thin”. The other day my fiancé Brenda needed to run into Target to pick up a few things and I decided to wait in the car. I started watching people exit out the front doors and chose to count how many overweight deconditioned people were leaving the store before I saw a fit person. I lost count at about 2 dozen before a fit person walked out and it was Brenda. She is a person who chose to do something about her own weight issues. She very successfully has gone from a size 10 to a size 2 and remained that way for over 5 years (www.larrynorth.com and check out testimonials). Many people past and present have experienced a feeling of hopelessness regarding their weight issues. The feeling of hopelssness is the feeling that there is no solution to your problem. Today there is a solution. I know this to be a fact, I see and experience it first hand every single day of my life!

In an effort to help you address the potential problem with obesity I am going to provide you with a sarcastic satire of suggestions that will help you become obese at a much more rapid rate than you ever thought possible. It might only take you to follow one suggestion to accomplish this task or if you want guaranteed results follow all of them. If you wish to prevent obesity in your life and in your loved ones lives all you have to do is the opposite of what I’m suggesting.

1) Drink sugary sodas and lots of them. There are a whopping 10 teaspoons of sugar in a 12 oz can, so drink the 32 oz bottle every day and you will have close to 30 teaspoons of the all time number one fat nourishing ingredient called corn syrup. In fact drink as many high calorie beverages that you can get your hands on, from soda to juice, beer, high calorie coffee drinks, etc… Do this and you are on your way to obesity.

2) Fried food. Eat anything that’s fried and when you cook don’t bake broil or grill, FRY it, if possible deep fry it. Foods that are healthy for you such as chicken, fish and veggies throw in the fryer because why eat something that is good for you when you can grease it up. If you want to get real creative on your quest to obesity fry stuff that is already fattening like Oreos, Twinkies and ice cream. Special note; if you fry chicken keep the skin on because it is virtually all saturated fat.

3) DON’T EXERCISE! Keep all activity too a minimum. Always stand instead of walk, sit instead of stand and lye down instead of sit. Another useful tip is to drive endlessly in the parking lot to find a space closer to the door instead of parking further away to cause you to have to walk. Never take the stairs when there is an escalator or elevator close by. If you join a gym, game over.

4) Make all fast food establishments a staple in your diet. Always use coupons and discounts such as 2 whoppers for $4.00 and then eat both at one sitting. If you order a large French fry and a milk shake you will have consumer enough fat and sodium to last for 5 days. Why wait 5 days when you can accomplish this task in 1 meal? When ordering pizza delivery always orders fatty meats such as pepperoni and sausage with extra cheese. When you get a second pizza free or half price eat it first as an appetizer before you finish off the big brother pizza.

5) Eat till the wee hours of the night preferably foods that are salty, crunchy and sweet. Be creative and find foods that are all 3 in one. Ideally bring in as much processed junk food into the house as you can fit into your cupboards so it is there when you have the urge to splurge. Better to be prepared when that urge hits you.

6) Starve yourself!!! I know what you’re thinking. How can you ever reach the goal of obesity if you starve yourself? I’m not really meaning for you to “diet”, just miss breakfast, skip lunch and let your hunger slowly build to the point that you would eat your own arm if you could. Then when you get home you will literally rip the refrigerator door right off the refrigerator. When you starve yourself you will become so ravenous that you will literally become a bottomless pit. By now you should be way on your way to having a larger waist line than you ever thought possible. However order your cloths quickly on HSN or QVC because did you know that XXXXL and XXXL are the first sizes to run out?

7) Above all have a self defeating attitude. Tell yourself convincingly that you have tried everything known to mankind and nothing has ever worked for you and nothing ever will. Blame it on your parents or anyone else you can think of. Use works like NO and can’t freely when discussing the subject of health, wellness and vitality. The way to measure your success with obesity is if your habits have spilled over to your kids. The minute you see that they have followed the path of the person they look up to the most, you have arrived. The good news depending on how you look at it is it won’t take long!!!!!!

In all honesty I’m physically exhausted writing in such a sarcastic and negative style. I’m almost tempted to push delete and not send this because it is so not me. I love and care for people just like you and never in recorded history have I ever written such negative advice. The current state of affairs with this subject truly saddens me. Maybe this wasn’t the best approach to convey my message but currently I just am at a loss to get into some of your heads and am willing to try just about anything. I could have gone on and on and on but I just had to stop.

In closing my mom is beautiful and arrested her weight issues many years ago. There is hope out there but you must believe in yourself, the messenger and above all the message. I am here for you as is our entire wellness team. If anyone was offended by this article it wasn’t my intention and if you feel you fit into the obese or one of the other obese categories I will personally see to it that you receive priority treatment.

LOVE and PEACE,

Larry North

To Larry and Staff at Larry North Fitness,

This is my annual birthday letter to all of you. For those of you who have come on board at Larry North Fitness during the past year, this is my 14^th letter of thanks to Larry for saving the quality of my life.

It has not been an easy year due to our business challenges in our country and to my chronic shoulder problems and spinal stenosis. But it has been far better than it would have been if not for Larry.

Fourteen years ago my life took a radical turn in less than 24 hours. I woke up on July 4^th, 1995 and all hell broke loose physically with no prior warning.

Within 24 hours, I was totally paralyzed, could not close my eyes, had double vision (2 years), could not swallow or speak, was on a respirator, and was on morphine – detached from the real world. When I finally left Baylor Hospital many months later, I still had a food tube in my stomach and could not raise my arms.

I had never heard of Guillain-Barre Syndrome, much less the Miller-Figher variant, and my morphined mind did not grasp it for months.

I almost died twice – once from pneumonia and once while on morphine, when I pulled at the trache in my throat and ruptured the major blood vessel.

When I was released from Baylor Hospital, I was skeletal for the first time in my life. All of my years of conditioning was gone.

I survived the 6 month ordeal due to the 13 hours a day that my beautiful Beverly was there with me, the support of our children and my mother, and without question, the personal involvement of Jesus Christ.

As I was going through outpatient rehabilitation, Larry North came to see me to ask me to let him rebuild my body and strength. He worked out a transition plan with my doctors.

I have been here ever since. If not for my foolishness in doing far too many pushups and ruining my shoulder two years ago, I would still be in the best shape of my after football life.

I particularly want to thank Tyler Herrin, my trainer for the past four years and Hash Raja for his work on my very bad shoulder.

I want each of you to know the debt I owe Larry. Jesus Christ and my family, and my doctors, and the staff at Baylor Hospital saved my life. Larry helped me get back my quality of life. You each work for a great man.

Sincerely,

Charles T.

Early on it was evident that I was a dreamer. My first grade teacher and many teachers that followed wrote on my report cards that I have a tendency to drift off and day dream during class. I guess I am who I am and I don’t think I will ever change. I actually visualize so hard sometimes that I actually believe I can see the future or should I say I have the ability to think and focus on certain ideas until they become my reality. Over the years I’m sure I have caused some frustration to many people that I am close to such as family or friends. For example when I was a bodybuilding bouncer in the late 70’s to the early 80’s I would practically tell anyone who would listen to me that I was going to have my own gym. Not just any gym but the best gym, in the best area, with the best staff and the best equipment. It would be so clean that you could eat off the floor. I had such a clear vision in my head yet at the time I was relying on rides to work because I couldn’t afford to have my broken down car fixed. Eventually people either would roll their eyes or I would stop sharing my dreams with those who I didn’t think cared one way or the other. Go to www.larrynorth.com to check out my gyms.

In the 80’s talk radio started to become very popular. I loved talk radio because I love to learn and be informed and was fascinated by the live interaction. I was a fan and much preferred talk over music radio and still do to this day. One day I woke up and decided I was going to get my own talk show. I had a vision for a show where I would share my wisdom and help encourage those folks who tended to struggle with weight control issues. I would be driving down the road and imagine that I was taking calls on my “Weekend Workout Show” (I even had a name for it). Then I built up the courage to walk in unannounced to the # 1 talk station in the 7th largest media market in the country. I asked if I could speak to the program director. The next thing I know I’m sitting in the boss’s office and he says; I’m very busy, what do you want? In less than 60 seconds I shared my thoughts, passion and vision and explained why I was the perfect guy for this new kind of show. I had never even talked into a Mr. Microphone yet alone done any form of media. The following week I was booked as a guest on a popular show. The week after that, I was offered my own show at the worst time slot on the worst day, 7:00 am on Sunday morning. I get chills of just reflecting back on the biggest game changer of my life at that time in my life!!! WOW my own show! At this point my gym buddies and friends were starting to believe I just might do what I say I will do. Within 3 short months I was on weekend primetime doing a show from noon-2:00 both Saturday and Sunday. Very similar scenarios have played out with my books, infomercials and even in my personal life. The reason for this is that I am a believer in myself and have mastered the art and power of visualization and so can you.

Now it is your turn. When it comes to you and your health nothing is more important that learning to visualize your success and most of all believing in yourself. From this day forward no more negative self talk. No more saying that you are fat and out of shape, no more saying you don’t have time or will power, no more self deprecating comments regarding your body or your health. I have been blessed with a wonderful gift and I see beauty in each and every person I meet. This isn’t brain surgery and I have never met a person that couldn’t go to a higher level if they chose to. Visualizing your success is more important than nutrition, vitamins, exercise, etc. Above all no more ridiculous excuses, after doing over 1000 radio shows and taking tens of thousands of calls I hear your excuses as if they are playing in my head like a tape recording going over and over and over again. I’m not listening and neither is anyone else. I tend to be empathetic with a sincere face but what I’m really thinking is: You have got to be KIDDING ME!!!

Mastering the art of visualization isn’t hard but it does take practice. First get a mental picture of what you want to achieve. Next write it down and then start to verbalize your thoughts and dreams. Follow this up with a series of smaller and more specific goals that are like tiny little steps leading to the top of a stairwell. Fist I wanted my own talk show. I then imagined what the show would be like and who exactly would benefit from it. I then wrote an outline of what the show would look like on paper. I then started telling people of my new endeavor. I also knew I would need to be knowledgeable so I started studying and seeking out higher authorities on every subject from nutrition-rehab. The final thing I did was create the opportunity as opposed to waiting for it to come to me.

Over the 25 years on radio I received hundreds of testimonials from listeners, book readers and those who have attended my seminars. There is one testimonial that stands out in particular that I would like to share with you. It touched my heart then and still stands out as a nice memory of what positive words can do for and open minded person.

I was well into my second year on the radio and my show was developing a grass roots following. The year was 1986 and I received a letter from a man I did not know and have never met. His letter started off explaining he had hit a real low point in his life. He lost his job, his family and as a result of drugs and alcohol addiction became homeless and lived on the streets. The money he made while panhandling all went for booze and junk food. One of the few possessions he owned was a battery operated AM radio. One day he stumbled across my show. Initially he was uninspired but he enjoyed the way I treated people whom he felt asked rather stupid questions (his words not mine). He soon became a regular listener and before he knew it he was following the advice I was giving to other listeners. He went down to the Salvation Army and obtained a pair of tennis shows. Before long he started walking and soon after that would go to the park and started doing push ups, crunches and stretches. He started eating canned tuna and chicken, canned veggies and instant rice. He entered a rehab program and gave up the drugs and booze. Within 4 months he lost 30 lbs he didn’t even know he had to lose.

His physical appearance changed dramatically but he never really noticed it but others did. What he did notice and why he chose to share his story with me is the changes he felt psychologically. He went from fat to thin, from jobless to employed and homeless to having a roof over his head. All his words not mine! His heart felt thank you will stay in my heart for the rest of my life. He had no excuses and no regrets. He chose to make a difference in his life and I would like to believe that because I chose to go and pursue my dream of having my own show that I made a difference in his.

It really is your turn and even the fact that I am your voice of wellness can be attributed to a vision and deep rooted relationship I have had with ACS that spawns over 18 years. I hope you have a spectacular year and remember I am hear for you along with the entire wellness team to help guide you to your desired higher level.

Larry