Category: Health

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GOING OFF TRAIL…

Just yesterday, a group of us friends planned an early morning hike near the Chattahoochee river just outside of Atlanta, Ga. The weather was pleasant, the scenery was beautiful, and the trail was new to all of us. At the end of hike we all learned a VALUABLE lesson. Our initial plan of starting our hike fell through due to parking issues. With the help of a park ranger, we began our hike on the West Palisades trail about a 10 minute drive from our initial starting point. We had follow the trail along the river until we came to what appeared to be a dead end. Ignoring our map, we decided to go off trail up the mountain. That is when the Challenge and Adventure began.

There was twelve of us plus one dog in our group. We decided to hike up the face of the mountain rather than turn back. It was full of slips, falls, bug bites, and scrapes. We had no clue exactly where we were going just hoping we would get back to the main trail above. We had to rely on each other to get over some tight spots and slippery slopes. We were never in great peril, but it was a little unsettling. No one said it, but I am sure we all had a sense of relief and our egos got a nice boost when we accomplished such a Challenge.

Positive Change can come in a Challenge. Life is similar to our hiking experience. Sometimes we must go off trail to face Challenges that will help us grow. We may slip or get banged up along the way, but the rewards that await can be life changing.

A quick side note. My son fell a couple times on the climb up and leaped a few rocks on the river that seemed far for him. He never gave up and made it. As a result, his belief in himself grew that day. As a parent, I feel my main duty to my children is to Challenge them everyday.

Disclaimer: I am not advocating any crazy or dangerous hikes, stunts, or adventures in the physical sense. However, I do advocate challenging your mind and getting out of your comfort zone.

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BEING A YOUNG DEFENDER IN A COVID 19 WORLD…

Stop keeping your head buried in the sand

It is safe to say the world will never be the same. It has been nearly FOUR months since the first case of COVID 19 was reported here in the United States. Since that point, terms such as…

Social distancing, PPE, Flattening the curve, Financial Depression, Financial Recession, Stock market crash have been used often.

Life has changed in so many ways. As a doctor, I continue to come to the clinic, but only to see urgent cases. People are dying and stocks are crashing. Even though I considered myself an educated individual, I have had my head buried in the sand too long. There are three types of people. Some one who is not educated on a topic and will never know they need to be educated on it. The second person knows they need to be educated, but never take the steps to do so. The final type knows they need to be educated, takes the steps to do so, and takes ACTION. I was the second type, but I have changed in a short few weeks to be of the latter.

I realized during this whole crisis. I needed to educate myself. I needed to educate myself in my own personal health, in relationships, in business, in investing, and in my personal finances. I challenge you to do the same. Start taking charge of your life and take your head out of the sand.

With many people at home with more free time. Start educating yourself in areas like…

Reading financial statements, including your own personal one

Educating yourself in Real estate and Stocks

Personal health and nutrition

The risks and benefits to Retirement plans and mutual funds

Appreciate TIME as your most valuable resource and to use it WISELY

Educate yourself in building strong relationships professionally and personally

Teach your kids to take on the Challenge

Start a Podcast!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Maybe the year 2020 has not been the most ideal way to live life. However, the challenges it presents have made me appreciate so much. I know under great challenges lie great opportunities. As Young Defenders, we are obligated to take advantage of those opportunities and help others to do the same.

Think, Learn, and Act

YD

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It will never be Perfect…so just get Started & Enjoy the Journey..

Don’t wait for the perfect time to start, because it may never come.

Good day to all. It has been some time since my last post. I had a conversation with my son on the way home from his Soccer practice last evening. We were talking about the subject of having goals or dreams, but never starting on them because you are waiting for the perfect time or gathering as much information as possible before acting. I TOLD HIM I WAS GUILTY OF THIS WHEN COMES TO THIS BLOG AND MY COMPANY, YOUNG DEFENDERS,LLC. I let my insecurities stop me from ACTING, especially when it was in my own best interest and in the best interest of others.

Throughout my life, I have followed the same pattern. My negative programs have told me messages like…

“You won’t succeed.”

” You will give up as before.”

“Your not good enough.”

“You don’t have what it takes.”

“Your message or dream is not worthy or important enough to pursue.”

My Motivation to CHANGE…

The time has come where these messages have to be ignored and I must fight through it. My kids are watching my example, like your kids are too. They will follow our example. I do not want myself or them to live a life of unfulfilled goals. THAT IS SCARRY FOR ME!

So here it goes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

See you sooner than later.

PLEASE SHARE YOUR STORIES OF DELAYING ON YOUR DREAMS AND GOALS….

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The road to 160 pounds…

It has been nearly 2 months since I started my latest journey to a healthy life.  It has been a challenge, especially since I took on this journey around the Holiday Season.  Playoff football, Holiday parties at home, Holiday parties at work, and travel can all be a challenge if you are attempting to eat right and exercise.  As I said previous, a Young Defender looks at challenges as opportunities to grow rather than opportunities to whine.  So decided to learn from these challenges.

As mentioned in a previous post, I have been using a program called Noom, which I feel has helped me greatly.  The primary help it has given me is to look at food in a color system, which can make it easier to make better choices.  Here are some quick tips that I have learned in the last few weeks.

  1. You are doing the best you know how to at this moment. Be patient with yourself and learn from set backs.
  2. Consistency is the key.  Do something positive each day with exercise and nutrition (eat a big salad or go for a walk). 
  3. Try to prep foods ahead time to help with your busy schedule.
  4. DO NOT DEPRIVE YOURSELF OF YOUR FAVORITE FOODS OR SKIP MEALS.  INSTEAD, LEARN PORTION CONTROL AND LISTEN TO YOUR BODY (INSTEAD OF THREE SLICES OF PIZZA EAT ONLY 2 OR UNTIL YOUR STOMACH IS ALMOST FULL). 
  5. I spent a week back home in Philadelphia over Christmas and PIGGED OUT!  I learned from that failure and just got back into my new routine.
  6. Seek help and support.  This journey does not have to be lonely one.  Noom helped with that too.

As of this morning, I am 171.9 pounds down from my starting weight of 178.  Keep up the fight.

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How being a Young Defender saved my LIFE! (5 min. read)

As a Young Defender (or YD for short), one can face many a challenge.  Most of the world treat challenges as an annoyance and a pain in the you know where.  It is an opportunity to whine, feel sorry for oneself, and to blame others. On the other hand, a Young Defender treats them as opportunities to grow and to challenge ones mind and spirit.

As a Young Defender, one challenge I would face was my own personal health, specifically my weight issues.  From an early age and well into adulthood, my up and down weight haunted me.  One reason for my weight issue was poor food choices that came about from a lack of education and from home influences.  I grew up in an Indian American family in the middle of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  I had the worst of both worlds when it came to healthy food choices.  First, I was eating the typical American diet that consisted of a lot of processed meats, dairy, little fresh vegetables or fruits, and a lot of unhealthy snacks.  In addition, the typical Indian diet ( although Vegetarian) I grew up with consisted of overcooked vegetables, dairy, and fried foods.

As I became older and more educated on proper nutrition and exercise, I was still struggling with my weight.  I knew how  to exercise (cardio, weights, flexibility) and what was considered healthy eating.  I would loose weight but eventually gain it all back.  I know many of you have struggled with the same issue.  That is the typical story for a lot of folks.  You hear it all the time on the news and you see it all around you.  Overweight kids and adults.  Diseases like diabetes and high blood pressure are far too common.  Unhealthy fast food joints and their drive thru lines are packed for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.  Something was not adding up.

It was not until my later years did I discover the true reason for my health challenges.  As a Young Defender, I discovered there was something deeper that was keeping me unhealthy and overweight. A BIGGER REASON!  It was my lack of SELF-LOVE. That simple yet powerful truth was life altering for me. THIS TRUTH WILL BE LIFE CHANGING FOR YOU AND FOR YOUR CHILDREN AS WELL.

When you truly love anything or anyone, you will never purposely harm them.  That includes yourself.  Why would I overeat and indulge in junk food on a daily basis?  I knew better, but why did I continue down this dangerous road?  My lack of love for myself was the missing ingredient.  Whether you are a kid or an adult, your number one goal in life is to learn to love yourself more and more each day.  That is the key mission of a Young Defender.  This allows a YD to overcome challenges like being overweight.  When I took on the journey of a Young Defender, I began to set and work towards goals like the one below (The  goal below can be used as a model for any other goal you may have in any area of your life). 

The Goal:  Get to 160 healthy pounds and keep it there.

Deadline: 3 months from today (April 9, 2019).

List of Obstacles:

1. I have been eating bad for too long. What should I be eating?

2. What exercises should I be doing?

3. I love food, especially junk food too much (PIZZA IS NUMBER ONE)

4. I OVEREAT, ESPECIALLY WHEN I AM OVER STRESSED.

Plan of Action (POA) to overcome the above obstacles:

1. Go online to a reputable source or speak with a nutritionist about ways you can change your eating habits.  Start with small steps and stay CONSISTENT.  If you fall off the wagon, get back on.  I discovered NOOM, which has been a nice program when it comes to nutrition (I like their practical science based approach).

2. Restart my workup with a mix of cardio, weights, and yoga. The key is CONSISTENCY and make it FUN.

3. Enjoy your junk foods occasionally (once a week) and control your portions.  Eat a slice or two of pizza.  Not the whole pie.  A few potato chips. Not the whole bag.  If I screw on this, do not beat yourself up.

4. You can not purposely hurt something or someone your truly love.  I gave my self a heavy dose of LOVE (positive affirmations, acceptance, belief).

FUTURE BLOG BLOSTS IN THIS AREA WILL PROVIDE UPDATES ON MY PROGRESS & I INVITE YOU TO SHARE YOUR JOURNEY.