THANKYOU TO BOTH TEACHERS AND STUDENTS

Wow what a busy week, 10 days of Poliquin pearls and priceless tips. All I can say is now my brain hurts we were given so much information, covering everything including BioSig, muscle testing, business information, training children, training the female client and using the new software for program design. I have to say the software is worth getting and will cut down a lot of time sat writing or typing.

However the nature of this post is not to tell you how brilliant the courses were, as that is just a given; more to say a huge THANKS

Firstly to Charles, as always he was on top of his game and delivered exceptional lectures and tough workouts that leave the name Poliquin tattooed all over your body. It was an honour to have Charles come to sunny Perth and teach, I know it was an exceptionally long way for him to travel and would like to say greatly appreciated by all who attended the courses.

Secondly to Bob the only man to make Charles look tall, sorry Bob, you are an amazing man, they say good things come in small packages and Bob is definitely one of those. A true gem and great addition to the Poliquin team, it was a privilege to have learnt from Bob last week and to have witnessed his amazing skills in action.

Thirdly to Derek, Derek you are the man, a funny, warm, gentle bear of a guy (not one of the gorilla's) It was lovely to have met and be taught by you.

Fourth is a huge thanks to my fellow students from all over the globe. I never fail to be amazed at the warmth and kindness I am shown by my fellow students. I get to meet some wonderful people who share similar goals and are always willing to help each other. I got to talk to some pretty amazing people who I wish the best of luck and every success in reaching their goals, I know you will all make it happen.

Lastly I want to thank Kelly and Marty from Shredded in Perth. You two were amazing keeping everything running smoothly behind the scenes. Your strength institute is of an exceptional standard and it was a pleasure to train there this past week. From when we first met in Feb 2009 you have taken exceptional strides into turning your dreams into reality.

It has been an amazing week and one that is definitely at the top of my grateful log, it will be hard to top this one, certainly up there amongst the best

Tracey :) xxx

BIOSIG CE AND SCTS

Biosig CE was amazing, I can't wait to do it all over again next year. Bob Guiel is a very clever man and I hope many of the Poliquin students get to meet and learn from him. Charles taught day 1 and as I said 21 pages of notes. Many many clinical pearls from both Charles and Bob, they were both on top of their game and the information and jokes were flowing thick and fast. Day 2 theory and prac and all of day 3 pracwith BOb. Wow, I got so much out of this course and can see the many benefits for my clients, it takes away the guess work. I also got to show my skinfold testing skills and was the highest in the class with 11 out of the 12 sites spot on, winning me a free BioSig CE hence I will definately be doing it again next year yippee.
Yesterday was Day 1 of training the pre-pubescent and Charles let us off lightly with only one workout, although some of the faces on the guys tells me it was probably a good think, I am sure one got to vsit the great white porcelain bowl to say hi to Huey!! I did not realise there would be so much information and cannot wait to do more specialist series. There are many factors to consider when training kids but Charles also covers worthwhile tips for older athletes also. I am looking forward to today and the 2 workouts Charles has promised us ha ha think I should be trembling in my boots right now!!!!

BIOSIG CE PERTH

DAY ONE

It was great to have the Charles and the team here in our beautiful sunny Perth, although not so sunny today.
Charles was in fine form today telling the best of his famous stories and adding in some new ones to keep us all laughing; including introducing Bob Guiel as having his entry visa to Australia refused as he didn't meet the height requirements ;)
Bob is here to teach us muscle testing and will start teaching us tomorrow. Personally, I am eagerly awaiting this part of the course. If you want to find out more about Bob and muscle testing there is a link to an interview with Bob by the Poliquin Strength Institute at the end of this post.
We were given an enormous amount of great information with lots of clinical pearls. I took over 21 pages of notes and it is only the first day!

10 things I learn't today

1. When Zinc levels don't come up it is usually due to poor magnesium levels and low Vit D3.
2. There is no difference chemically between artificial food colouring and paint
3. Kudzu acts as an appetite controller and a strong liver detoxifier.
4. Polyestrodetox Px is just good for detoxifying estrogens, it also helps with short term memory by working on the hypocampus.
5. Cancer is linked to toxic exposure. The greater the toxic load, the higher the risk category for getting cancer.
6. Alkalised water helps rebuild broken bones faster.
7. Depression, anxiety and mood swings are all caused by toxic load.
8. Spots,small pimples or bumps on the triceps is a sign of liver toxicity.
9. Finland holds the world record for brain tumours and brain tumours in children.
10. Polyestrodetox Px helps turn on the NRF2 gene. This is the gene thought to regulate oxidative stress to the brain. Therefore reducing the risk of brain degenerative diseases.

If you are sitting on the fence wondering whether or not you should take BioSignature or BioSignature CE then I highly recommend you take the plunge and jump in feet first. You have nothing to lose and so much to learn. It is worthwhile; knowledge building; business boosting and FUN!

LINKS

http://http//www.charlespoliquin.com/ArticlesMultimedia/Articles/Article/443/The_Power_of_Energy_Medicine.aspx#top

http://us.cpoliquin.com/product_p/poly_estro_det.htm

Toxic World

An Insight Into Our Toxic World

I knew about toxins in the environment, I mean, we have all heard about pollution and environmental disasters such as oil spills. It seems there is an oil catastrophy every other week! Then there are those cheeky little blighters "TOXINS". They can't be that bad, right? Wrong! First of all what are toxins? In the words of Mark Schauss, taken from an interview by Kim Goss in the miscellaneous Poliquin files…. "Toxicity is actually many different things. In simple terms, it occurs when something from the outside gets into our system that our bodies view as being foreign and causes negative effects. A toxin can take many different forms. Stress can be a toxin because we know it can change body chemistry".

It is my understanding that anything toxic is a poison to our body. Mark quotes Paracelsus as saying

"all substance are poisons; there are none which are not a poison. The right dose differentiates a poison and a remedy"

That being said, what are these so called toxins that we should be looking out for? The list is endless, so where do we begin? Is it all doom and gloom and so horrific that we should just give up now, throw our hands up in the air and declare "what's the point"?!.... I'll answer that one later. . . . . . .

I was first introduced to the concept of certain environmental toxins and their effects upon our bodies by Charles Poliquin, during my first BioSignature course in Feb 2009. Until then I had only briefly touched upon the topics of heavy metal build up and plastics. I was aware of Mercury as being extremely toxic and had vaguely heard of BPA's and some pesticides but they couldn't be that bad because the government had said they were "safe"; after all we were eating sprayed crops and drinking from plastic bottles, all good? Not quite. In his BioSignature courses, Charles talks very highly of Mark Schauss and the work he has done over the last 27 years on environmental toxicity. It was through Charles, I learned of Mark's book "Achieving Victory Over A Toxic World". A little horrified by what I had newly discovered about toxins leading to obesity and hormone disruption, which in turn has been linked to breast and prostate cancers, I thought it about time I learned more.

Marks book is certainly an eye opener to the myriad of toxins we are subjected to daily; from the moment we get up and have our first cup of coffee to give us an energy boost and jump start our day, to the minute we switch off the television and snuggle up in bed. His heartfelt and touching story about his beautiful little girl Tasya and her struggle with epilepsy is a must read. Through such a sad event Mark has been on an epic journey of discovery into the very toxic nature of society. His passion and commitment to his daughter acted as a catalyst that sent Mark on, what at times seemed like an almost impossible mission to find the cause of his daughter illness and help her get better. In doing so, Mark has helped hundreds of people beat their own illnesses and educated thousands more on how to overcome the impact of pesticides, plastics, parabens, heavy metals, food sensitivities and much more.

The amount of chemicals we are subjected to without our knowledge is staggering. Chemicals that breakdown and form estrogen like compounds in our bodies; maybe a little excess estrogen doesn't sound so bad until you find out that they are harmful estrogen metabolites that at best lead to fat thighs and "man boobs" and much worse….cancer. Using his own BioSignature method, Charles Poliquin has discovered a common thread between Australian and British males. They have some of the highest hamstring skinfolds out of any of the countries he has tested. This means they are highly estrogenic, probably due to a greater load of environmental toxins in these countries. It is interesting that Canada is the first country to ban BPA (Bisphenol A) a known hormone disruptor outright. DR Fred Vom Saal discovered low levels of BPA mimicked the hormone Estradiol which encouraged prostrate growth. In studies on pregnant mice exposed to BPA it was discovered that as much as 40 percent of their eggs were damaged, affecting up to three generations simultaneously. Let us hope that other countries follow Canada's lead and ban it too! Pesticides and Mercury attack neurons in the brain, Methyl mercury can cross both the blood brain barrier and the placental barrier; not even our unborn babies are safe from pollution. The list is endless. . . . . . . . .

Getting back to my earlier question, should we just give up? Absolutely not, the title is "Achieving Victory…", not burying our head in the sand like an ostrich! Through education and raising the level of awareness in society, we can make a difference. Mark writes that his top ten things we can do in the face of a toxic world, are things as simple as not letting your plastic bottle get hot; as well as tips to improve our environment. There are clinical pearls and resource lists for labs and websites to further your information.

I can't thank Mark enough for this amazing roller coaster ride which at times is downright scary, but in truth there is hope and a light at the end of the tunnel. For me the take home message is "together we can make a difference……awareness is the key" In writing this, I hope you will read it and in turn be inspired to read the work of people like Mark Schauss and Charles Poliquin.

LINKS

www.MarkSchauss.com

http://www.charlespoliquin.com/ArticlesMultimedia/Articles/Article/469/Mark_Schausss_Fight_Against_Our_Toxic_World.aspx

http://www.charlespoliquin.com/ArticlesMultimedia/Articles/Article/307/Estrodetox_Protection_From_Harmful_Metabolites.aspx

http://www.charlespoliquin.com/TheBiosignatureMethod/TheMethod.aspx

Water, natures life source

WATER FOR WEIGHTLOSS

How can water help you to lose weight? There are three ways in which water can directly help your weight loss program:

• 
  The liver directly affects your body fat and weight loss. The liver's job is to convert the stored fat into energy, this metabolism of fat is directly influenced by the amount of water you drink. The liver also acts as a backup for the kidney, which needs plenty of water to work properly. This means that when the kidneys are not functioning properly the liver kicks in to help out, which diverts it from its primary function of metabolising the stored fat
  


• 
  Every food we eat contains water. The brain knows this and recognises that it can hydrate the body by eating food. Research has shown that often when we get hungry, we are not actually hungry for food, but that we are actually simply thirsty. It is recommended that when you feel hungry you drink two cups of water and then wait fifteen minute to see if your hunger has gone away.
  


• Drinking cold water helps your body to burn more calories in a weight loss program. This is because your body needs to burn calories to raise the water temperature to match your body temperature, however, the advantage is that normal water has zero calories, which means your body ends up burning more calories.
  

According to Strength and conditioning expert Charles Poliquin, a loss of 1.5% in water levels can result in a 10% loss in strength levels, therefore lowering your ability to do multiple reps and sets, less sets and reps means less fat burning potential.

So do yourself a favour, stay hydrated and maximise your fat burning potential.

Benefits of the Kiwi . . . .

FOOD FACTS

KIWI FRUIT

According to recent studies, Kiwifruit is the most nutrient dense of all the major fruits. It contains more vitamin C than the humble orange. Next to yellow corn, a single serving of kiwifruit (2 medium kiwifruit) is the richest source of lutein in the vegetable world. Lutein is a phytochemical receiving a great deal of recent attention for its effectiveness in reducing the risk of cancer, heart disease, and may help prevent cataracts and macular degeneration. A single serving of kiwifruit contains both insoluble and soluble fiber.

It contains more potassium than a banana. Potassium controls heart activity and maintains fluid balance. Folate, Magnesium, and Vitamin E are all well represented in kiwifruit, offering health benefits that range from bone formation to reduced risks of heart disease. Plus kiwifruit contains no saturated fat or cholesterol. The Vitamin E found in a serving of kiwifruit may reduce the risk of heart disease, cancer and exercise-induced oxidative damage.

Body Composition Internship, Halmstad

Written by Tracey Walker, Sept 27^th 2010

Charles Poliquin's Body Composition Internship through the eyes of a student.

Whilst attending PICP L1-3 at the Poliquin Strength Institute in Rhode Island, I was extremely fortunate to win an internship of my choice. I decided upon Charles's Body Composition Internship being held at the Eleiko Centre in Halmstad, Sweden. As many of you will know, Eleiko is world famous for their precision engineering of Olympic Bars. Eleiko is to me is the Gucci or Prada of the weightlifting world. I did not hesitate to book flights and accommodation for my European adventure.

Like many students I had to travel, and as I live in sunny Australia that involved a trek halfway around the globe. To be precise, 3 planes, 2 taxis and a train, 28 hours later I arrived in Halmstad a little tired but happy to be there. Having never been to Sweden before and being extremely ignorant of the language, I did not know what to expect. However I need not have worried, the country is beautiful and the people are quiet, yet friendly and helpful. I have to add, I have never seen so many naturally slim and beautiful women as I did in Halmstad.

I stayed at the recommended accommodation, the Norre Park Hotel, which was excellent. The service was great and staff very nice. I was met with a beautiful smile and a "hey hey" (hello) every morning. All breakfasts and evening meals as well as internet access were complimentary. Eating in the dining room with my fellow students was very entertaining. We had many discussions and a lot of laughs whilst dining. I would not hesitate to recommend staying there. Apart from excellent rooms and service, it is also within walking distance all of the shops and restaurants.


The Eleiko Centre was amazing. However, I have to say not a good as the PSI in terms of equipment, but an experience not to be missed none the less. I cannot speak highly enough of the staff there and the manner in which we were looked after. They could not do enough for us and were warm and kind hearted. We were also lucky enough to see where all the barbells and weight plates are mad I have never seen so many plates and bars; very impressive.


The Internship itself was worth the six month countdown. Charles was on form and worked us hard with two punishing workouts a day. Anyone who has attended any of Charles PICP courses will know they were not easy! It took me a week to get up the stairs without wincing in pain (thankyou CharlesJ) around the morning and afternoon workouts we attended class, and in true Poliquin style we were subjected to much of Charles's witty humour. As is usual when you participate in any of Charles's courses the information was flowing and I learned many valuable gems of information which can only be found when attending Poliquin courses. We covered everything from supplements for fat loss to brain nutrition. Charles left nothing out and I certainly came away with notebooks full of invaluable information.

One of the benefits of attending any of the Poliquin internships/seminars or courses, is the people you meet. Over the last 18 months I have met many like-minded students who are driven and passionate about the strength and health aspect of the fitness industry. These brilliant people have now become good friends and some mentors also.
I am fortunate enough to have a global network of amazing people who I can call upon for anything from advice to a simple chat. You cannot put a price on that.
The experiences, friendships and knowledge learned are unique and priceless; the gain far outweighs any monetary cost. For me, it has been a worthwhile investment that has enriched my life.

I would urge anyone thinking of attending any of Charles Poliquin's courses to read this and in the famous words of Nike " JUST DO IT" What have you got to lose?!