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Motivation to Workout Post Covid

By Alex Carneiro

I

f your motivation to exercise during the pandemic is as elusive as flour and antibacterial wipes, that’s not surprising ,and you’re not alone. In most states, gyms and studios completely closed down for the general safety of everyone.

This left many without a physical location to de-stress, socialize and most importantly take care of their bodies and mind. Several states have re-opened their locations but many of us feel now more than ever unmotivated to get back. So, here’s 4 ways to get your groove back and come back even stronger than ever

-Set New Fun Goals

Working out without a plan ends up being the number 1 reason most people fail in the first few weeks of their new fitness regimen. It’s like driving a car with no destination.

Eventually the fuel runs out and you’re stuck. Set some goals up. If you’ve gained 15lbs during the pandemic then set to lose 20-25lbs. It’s not enough just to go back to where you started, challenge yourself to become even better. Perhaps set a friendly competition with a friend and both of you challenge each other during 1 month to see who loses more weight. Loser buys the other a new set of headphones or a new workout shirt.

–Try Something New

If prior to the pandemic you were already unmotivated to workout then chances are you’re not magically going to be now. I suggest you find something new such as a spin class, kickboxing studio or another type of activity you haven’t tried yet. When we change our comfort zone our brains become way more excited to keep focus and attention. It might be slightly uncomfortable at first, but it keeps your system in shock and intrigued for what’s coming next, this in turn keeps you likely more motivated.

-Not Ready for the Gym? Use Technology

Many of us may be worried about going to public places.

Totally understandable. A home workout routine is what

I will encourage you to do. With so many online trainers, classes and gyms offering free workouts these days there are hundreds upon thousands of free options for you to try something at home. Don’t forget, your body is the best machine ever created, don’t be scared of trying a full body home workout using a resistance like light a backpack, a gallon of water or milk, or even some books. If you live in a state that has outdoor trails than start working on these and get your step levels up. If you have a dog than start walking him/her more often and challenge yourself to longer walks weekly. The idea is to get up and start moving more.

-Find a Workout Friend

One of the biggest challenges for many during covid has been realizing how much we miss socializing with our close friends and family has become. The things we took for granted are now a luxury. While respecting social distancing and your own state’s laws, find a friend that you trust to keep each other accountable. Whether it’s meeting at a park for a walk or jog, meeting them at your local gym or anywhere else you can exercise, by having someone else there you will feel more energized and motivated to not only exercise but also regain that sense of being social again. You can additionally create new challenges for yourself with them and try different things so you don’t feel bored doing the same activity. Find perhaps a new trail or try a new physical activity with them. The key is basically having an accountability partner to get your moving.

Reinventing Fitness Cassius

Written by Rashod Davenport

C

OVID-19 has created a platform for many people.

In the beginning of the pandemic, we said, “if you use this time wisely, this could be the best moment of your life.” There has been no other time when we have had the opportunity to focus on ourselves and be uninterrupted in that process. While we struggled as a community with the lack of ability to go to the gym, there were a few people who brought the gym to us. With many turning to instagram and youtube as a source of workout tips, Cassius put himself out there as a trainer.

Cassius began training by happenstance when his father literally kicked him into a training. Visiting his father at work one day, he walked by his father who was holding a meeting. His father’s client stated that Cassius looked like a trainer and asked if he was. His father said “yes he is” and helped arrange their first session. From that moment, not only did Cassius began training multiple people, he and his father started researching how to make that natural skill a paid profession.

SUAVV: Leave it to parents to volunteer your services.

(Laughing) How were you in shape to a point where someone would think you were a trainer just meeting you?

Cassius: I played sports for the majority of my life. So I’ve been playing football, basketball, and track from about seven years old. And as far as, lifting weights and stuff like that, I saw my father lifting weights, at an early age, in our garage. So I was that little kid that would have that twopound dumbbell trying to lift it, like Pops. That’s what really got me started. Cause my dad, he took the supplements, he had the trainer and he had a woman trainer back when I was a child too. She was hardcore. Like she had him built bodybuilder style. So that’s what really got me into fitness.

SUAVV: Most women trainers are ruthless. They really don’t care. They tend to push a little harder than the guy trainers do. Then look at you crazy when you’re grunting and yelling.

Cassius: Oh yeah. That was a huge rule in her gym. There was no yelling allowed. You know, guys would have a bunch of weight and they would yell and get it up. She did not play with them yelling. She was just like, stop making all that noise. And I remember her telling my dad to stop all the yelling and it’s not doing anything. I’m not going to say I haven’t yelled to get the weight off my shoulders.

Because that would be a lie.

SUAVV: Likewise. But I try to keep it as low as possible. So when you decide this is going to be your job? Who did you begin training after that first session?

Cassius: That summer I was training kids, some in high school, some on their way to college. I trained the elderly, which are probably the best (clients)I ever had. Those are people who I actually became really good friends with. I actually paid my first semester in cash before my scholarships kicked in because I was training. Yup, yup. I remember I came, I came there and I had all my money with me cause you know, training, they pay you in checks and cash.

So we filled out all my paperwork and because my loans and all that stuff didn’t kick in yet because I was still an out of state student. Because, originally, I’m from Virginia. So she was telling me how much money was leftover.

And I was like, can I pay it now? She was just like, all of it. And I said, yeah, and I just dumped out all the money and rubber bands and all types of stuff. (Laughing) That lady didn’t know if I was a drug dealer or a stripper. She was like What do you do? I was just like, man, I just had a really good summer. That’s all. It was ones, fives, twenties, and tens in there.

SUAVV: That’s the first place they go. Especially if you’re your and fit LOL. Hell, I would have looked at you sideways. (Both Laughing) So you go to school, come home from college, and then did you go right into training?

Cassius: I finished around 2018 and then afterward I was actually in the back office doing the accounting for about a year and a half. And then recently I went back into training and then the pandemic hit and all of the gyms shut down. And unfortunately, so did the gym that I was working with, which was probably the best situation for me at that time. Because I was a trainer, I was an ambassador for the gym, and I ran their whole marketing and social media campaigns. And it was clicking on all cylinders. And then when the pandemic hit I literally had to do what everybody else has, I had to reinvent myself.

SUAVV: Yeah. And that’s crazy because that’s where we ended up finding your page. We were looking at home workouts because we were looking through for the magazine and like seeing who was doing what and like what to reach out to.

Cassius: Yeah. Most definitely. I think this is probably the biggest blessing in disguise that I’ve ever been through because when it happened, I’m not going to lie to you. My world was upside down for about a day and I think I heard Magic Johnson say I give myself one day to be upset and cry about it. And then the next day it’s over and then be on to the next. I gave myself one day of whoa is me. And then I was like, I gotta do something. And I was kinda like, you know what, I’m gonna just grab these bands and workout from inside the house. I hadn’t had a video reaction like that in a while. And then I was like, you know what, I’m gonna do this every day because I know so many different

“I know a lot of people who don’t lift heavy, but they look the part and it’s because they choose the way that works for them and they do it correctly.”

styles and I just kept doing it and doing it. And I lie to you, not when, when everything started about four months ago, I sat at 35K and I just hit 100K Instagram followers.

SUAVV: A gain of 65,000 followers in 3 months is insane.

Cassius: From literally just doing band workout and giving fitness advice and doing my model and stuff. And then just doing these reviews for these companies and just keeping it based around fitness and doing it all from my living room. It was, it has been amazing.

SUAVV: No, that’s dope and again, it’s a matter of making the best out of a moment. Yeah. That’s all you can really do.

Cassius: I just pressed the gas.

SUAVV: When you’re at this point now and soon you are going to be able to start getting back into the gym and being someone who has been studying fitness, you’ve seen people working out the wrong way. What’s the main thing that you see people doing wrong in the gym?

Cassius: The main thing I see people doing wrong in the gym is ego lifting. You know, I think they believe the heavier it is, the more work you’re putting in. And it doesn’t really matter how the weight gets up, as long as they put it up. And the goal is to look the part. I know a lot of people who don’t lift heavy, but they look the part and it’s because they choose the way that works for them and they do it correctly. So probably that’s probably the biggest thing that I see. Then of course there are people staying on the cardio machines too long...if you ask me. The other thing is not warming up. They’ll go straight to the lifting like straight to them. I mean, you’re not even gonna stretch your arm out? Nothing? Just go straight into lifting. Okay.

SUAVV: Which is something that I’ve seen you do with your videos. You do a lot of stretching as well.

Cassius: Yeah, it’s something that I incorporated into the workout so that they think they’re working out, but they’re really strengthening and stretching.

SUAVV: Yeah. A lot of people miss that step and stretching is insanely important.

Cassius: It’s actually in your growth as well. Cause you know, the more you lengthen the muscle and then you can practice the bigger lifts. People tend to undermine stretching. That’s actually how you grow.

SUAVV: Yeah. Because I know, especially guys, are not stretching. Like men will finish 32 sets of squats, lunges, leg presses, and not stretch the leg out.

Cassius: And they wonder why women can do legs every single day. It’s because they’re the ones that are stretching and taking care of themselves. A lot of the techniques that I got came from woman trainers. Women who train as they do, they do everything right. I ain’t even gonna lie.

They just do everything correctly. That’s why they look better than us.

SUAVV: Because there’s no ego. They take their time. They breathe in properly. They do all the workout aspects properly.

Cassius: Correct! They’re going to eat, they’re going to eat correctly. They’re going to hydrate. They’re going to keep that water bottle with them all day. That big old jug, like they will do everything. And they don’t care.

SUAVV: AT ALL! (Laughing) At this point, where do you, where you see your future in fitness?

Cassius: As of right now I’m kind of looking at it from the standpoint of I’m actually a brand. I didn’t, I didn’t think that before at all because I didn’t realize how much power you have in your influence. People use the word influencer, but they’re not influencing anybody to do anything or you’re influencing somebody to do the wrong thing. So, when I saw that, if I said, “I use this type of product” there would be 20 of my followers hit me in my dm and be like, “Oh, I bought that today because you use it.” I was like, Whoa.

SUAVV: Right.

Cassius: That’s a real influencer. So at this point, we’re looking into branding myself. Of course, I love promoting other people’s brands and posting about it. But now it’s time to make my own. So we’re looking into partnering with different manufacturers and coming out with some of the supplements that I use on a regular, but putting my name on it. We’re in talks with a couple of manufacturers with us CLA which is a natural fat burner. Because a lot of people, a lot of people talk to me about abs and how do I get a flat stomach? And I take CLA constantly. So we’re looking into things like that. I’m also working on some casual wear and a few things for the ladies but more info on that to come.

SUAVV: I know people who have waist trainers, different creams, the CLA pills and now, people are doing different kinds of CBD supplements. I know when it comes down to it all, it’s still your diet. And to that note, you’re going into your second year being vegan. People don’t realize that you can still have muscle mass and be vegan. Ultimately, it’s because we don’t understand nutrition. Are you typically

carb-loading to gain or to keep mass? How does that work?

Cassius: Leg. Legs are the most beneficial workouts for guys. The reason why guys can burn fat much faster Cassius: A lot of people think, when it comes to gaining than women. Guys have a high testosterone level so we weight, it’s how much protein you ingest. And protein is can do things with our bodies a lot quicker than women used for one thing. It’s the building blocks to keep mus- can. But that’s a crutch because we don’t necessarily uncle mass and to recover. When you work out, you tear derstand that the older we get, the less testosterone our the small muscle fibers. While you recover the muscle body produces. And that potbelly you have, once you swells, protein helps you recover, but your size comes get into those thirties, and you thought that you could from the carbs. So when someone says “I’m cutting just spend two weeks running around a little bit and carbs this month.” And I respond with, you shouldn’t it disappears, that doesn’t happen anymore. So if you cut them, you should just eat the right ones and then eat can, at a young age, understand that all my testosterone it at a good amount. comes from my legs because the blood flows from the bottom half. If you can train yourself at a young age to SUAVV: You know what? I never knew that. I never do legs, that the older you get, you’re still gonna mainknew that. Like you, you gain mass from carbs. tain that ability to have low body fat and have a high metabolism. So I understood that around maybe like Cassius: I eat complex carbs all day and those are the early 20 and then I started hitting the legs super serious carbs that just work for you and not against you, they at that point. give you energy and they don’t slow you down. So pretty much white carbs slow you down. So white rice, SUAVV: Yeah. That’s an area that, especially when you white bread, white flour, all that stuff slows you down. get to the older dudes, they’re not doing legs. It’s like, It raises your insulin levels, which spikes the fat cells they might hit some leg extensions, maybe some seated in your body to react and to attach to all sodium and leg curls, but you get up into that squat rack. That’s not water, which makes you bloat and then et cetera. So happening. They’re like, nah, “I got bad knees”, but it’s complex carbs are your sweet potatoes, your Brown just like, You got bad knees because you never worked rice, or red potatoes. If you eat enough of them, you’re them. going to gain weight. But if you eat the right amount, it’s going to give you energy so that you can actually Cassius: If you actually look at the study of what womwork out to work all that off. Cause when you cut carbs, en look at first, it’s legs and abs. It’s the weirdest thing. there’s no way you’re gonna be able to do cardio. You When I go to the gym, you would think women would have no energy. ask me, what do you do for your arms or your shoulders. NO. They’re like, what you do you do on leg day.

SUAVV: And a lot of people don’t understand why they are eating brown rice, wheat bread, and sweet potatoes. Currently, you can find Cassius doing virtual workouts They just know they’re healthier. for individuals as well as groups via social media as well as different communication platforms such as Zoom, Cassius: Well, they don’t necessarily understand that Facetime, and WhatsApp video calls. All you need to one raises your insulin level and one doesn’t. Right? So have is yourself. You can always add a little more resistthat’s kind of how I look at it. You gotta look past the ance with dumbbells, bands, or whatever else you have. label on the back of the box and it’s a lot of work. And a As long as you show up, He will help you get where you lot of people do not want to do that. They don’t want to want to be. research foods and, they want to go to these pre prepackaged places and pay a boatload to get it delivered to your door. I live in an apartment complex and I see them boxes every time I leave out my front door.

SUAVV: Yeah. All day. And I’m like, that looks disgusting. breakfast, lunch, and dinner. And there’s no way I’d be reheating eggs. That’s just nasty. Alright. So when it comes to your workouts, what’s your favorite body part to work out?

Post Covid Blueprint to Health

By Alex Carneiro

I

f one thing the Covid Pandemic has awoken in many of us, it’s that our health isn’t to be lightly taken for granted.

Less movement due to closed gyms, more processed foods, higher consumptions of alcohol and higher levels of stress have decreased the overall population’s health and many of us have gained on average 15lbs+ of weight during these times. But don’t stress out, today we will discuss 4 nutritional ways you can start dropping that weight and 4 ways to motivate yourself to get back to working out to start getting back on track with your weight and health.

-Eat Fresh and Unprocessed Foods Every Day

Slowly start moving away from foods that are in cans, plastic wrappers or frozen. It’s understandable that during the pandemic most of us wanted to have foods that wouldn’t go bad so we wouldn’t have to constantly go to the grocery store and expose ourselves, but these tend to have higher amounts of artificial ingredients to increase the shelf life of the product and other chemicals for flavor. When using canned or dried vegetables and fruit, choose varieties without added salt or sugar. The fresh produce aisles are full of healthier options that will be better for your system and immunity.

-Snack Less

I’m sure you’ve heard that healthy snacking is good and it is, however, during the pandemic many of us started snacking too much on unhealthy options. With thousands working from home it’s easy to become stressed and not watch the quantity of snacks we’ve been eating throughout the day by either sitting at home working or watching

television. So, if you are going to snack, make sure you do with healthier options like vegetables and hummus, moderate amount of seeds and nuts or some dried fruit.

But avoid the salty crunchy ones that we all love too much as the calories can easily stack up. Again, everything in moderation is key.

-Drink More Water

This can’t emphasized enough. Our immune system operates optimally with water and most don’t drink the recommended daily levels that we need to allow our body to work at its full capacity. One trick I use with several clients is using rubber bands to know exactly how much water they’ve drank throughout the day. Every time they finish a bottle, they wrap a rubber band around it. If you buy the average 16oz water bottle you should be at least wrapping 7 to 8 rubber bands daily.

-Get out, with Balance

So many have been waiting to eat out to their favorite restaurants, but try to limit this if you have gained more weight than you wanted throughout the closures. As a small business owner, I feel it’s important to support local businesses but eat out in moderation. Once, maybe twice a week is good to satisfy your needs to get out and socialize but try to keep most of your meals homemade so you know exactly what’s in your food. With that being said avoid also drinking too much alcohol too as the calories can add up pretty quickly.

Mind Right, Body Right Kevin Dwayne

By Rashod Davenport

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ith COVID-19 restricting a lot of our gym workouts a bit and requiring most of us to become creative with our fitness, we decided to sit with trainer, coach, and IFBB Pro-Natural competitor Kevin Dwayne and speak about his fitness journey, gather some tips, and create a plan to start getting our bodies back in shape. Based in Atlanta, Georgia, Kevin shares his workouts and different moves on his Instagram page where you can follow for a variety of options to give you a little muscle confusion and help get your body revamped.

SUAVV: How did you first get involved with your fitness lifestyle?

Kevin: It stemmed from me growing up. I recall as I was younger, growing up, seeing my mother active, she would work out at home. She would do a lot of exercises and things of that nature. I saw her activity level and how she took care of herself and her health by constantly moving her body, you know? I think I picked up on that as a kid and as I went to middle school and then definitely into high school, that’s when I really got more involved with it(fitness). She got my first weight bench and from there it just kind of stuck with me to continue working out. I actually worked out at home and created home-style workouts for years prior to actually joining a traditional gym.

SUAVV: That’s a pretty different path into fitness. But we love it. Now, is that where a lot of your movement come from? From watching your workouts, a lot of it looks like you can do them from your home.

Kevin: No, actually it’s a mix of being so used to doing a lot of homework out for many years. Because again, I didn’t join the gym until 2007. But, the years prior, it was a lot of home-based workouts. So, as I’ve grown and evolved as a trainer and a coach it’s become a combination of things that are done from a home-based workout to, just picking up other movements and understanding how the body works even more. And even incorporating some of the things I do from practicing yoga, a lot of stretching, things of that nature and just functional movements of how the body moves. All of that plays a part in me creating the workouts that I create for myself and for my clients.

SUAVV: Okay, perfect. There are so many people who don’t understand the importance of stretching. So, I’m glad you said that. When did you decide that you wanted to actually become a trainer? How did that happen?

Kevin: I started training part time in 2010 while I was working full-time. But as time went on from 2010, until like 2013, I just wanted to do it more and more. It started with one client and it grew and I continued to build clien-

tele for a while. Then, I ended up taking a break because I moved from Atlanta to New York for work. Remember, I was still working full time and my background is in education. So I moved to New York, to work for the department of education. But after being there for about a year, I just got to the point and said “you know what, I’m ready for a total life change” and I moved back to Atlanta. I went back in education again for about another year or year and a half. And then at that time I say, “I want to take it full time, step out on faith, go full-time with training.” And it just took me up until 2016. That’s when I decided to actually step away from my previous career and go full time to training.

SUAVV: I’ve Gotcha. New York is definitely a city that will make you think about the life a little differently, (both laughing). So, we all know that some of the trainers are people who just feel that because they work out, they can train others. Do you think that people should be a little more educated in the body before becoming trainers?

Kevin: Yeah. I definitely agree. Yeah, one definitely should take the time to understand the anatomy of the body and how it moves, how it functions, how the muscles work, and how they interconnect with each other, before you go and want to teach someone how to work their body and build their muscles. And granted and unfortunately at times, we do have a lot of people out here, thanks to social media, who have become trainers, but aren’t fully technically trained so to speak. Like I said, my background is in education, so I’m big on knowledge, understanding, and growing. And in that, and I think trainers should maintain their certification, just like any other profession that has to maintain their professional license. You know, you’re dealing with the anatomy of the body and you’re trying to teach people new practices and behaviors so that once their time is done with you, you want them to be able to workout alone in an effective way.

SUAVV: Okay. That makes sense. Overall, you want your clients to gain the confidence and knowledge to continue their lifestyle change after their sessions are completed.

Being a gym goer, you know we see people working out all kinds of wrong ways. As a trainer in the gym, what do you see as the biggest mistakes you see people making in the gym and making in working out?

Kevin: A lot of times it is lifting weight that’s too heavy and it compromises the form. And then to flip that back on the other side, it’s the form. Majority of the time, it’s the form. It’s the improper form and trying to perform exercises where your body isn’t in its right formation to actually fully benefit from the move that you’re doing or the muscle that you’re trying to work. And then you jeopardize yourself with injury. If you don’t perform exercises correctly,

you can create certain imbalances on your body, when you think you are improving it because of how long you are doing the exercises incorrectly.

SUAVV: And we always see that. My face cringes because I’m thinking, either you are doing NOTHING effective or too much completely incorrectly. (both say ‘always’ in harmony and begin laughing). Now, a question that a couple of my friends and I go back and forth about pretty often.

How frequent should someone work out the specific body parts. What is the suggested timeframe?

Kevin: So, I advise my clients that you at least want to give a body part, depending on which one it is, at least a good 24-48 hours of good rest. Again, it depends on your level of fitness. If you’re a more advanced person and you know how to do certain things to allow your body to recover, you’re taking certain supplements, and things of that nature that assist with that, you can go a little shorter. I’m not one to recommend it though. For instance, if you hit legs on a Friday, and a strong leg workout, I don’t recommend going back into the gym and doing another strong leg workout the next day after.

SUAVV: And most people don’t give themselves that long.

I know people who do full-body workouts 5 times a week and at a heavy weight and tough repetitions and sets.

Kevin: And one of the things people make a huge mistake with. You have to realize your body doesn’t grow in the gym. That’s what you break your muscle tissue and muscle fibers down. Our muscles grow in our recovery and we go into our best recovery time when we’re asleep. That’s when your body grows and repairs and also with nutrition.

I think a lot of people miss the point that proper sleep is very important and key to your body repairing itself and your muscle getting stronger and developing.

SUAVV: I know my sleeping pattern is horrible and is something that I am working on. So we will get there. The next issue for me is diet. And I know a lot of people feel that if they go to the gym and they just workout hard, that they’ll be fine. And then again, it’s the pattern that’s jacked up, you’re at Chick-fil-A right after you leave the gym. So it is like, you’ve pretty much destroyed everything that you just did, but it tastes so good.

Kevin: Right? I understand that. At one point in time, from my lack of knowledge when I was starting out early on years ago, I thought the same thing. I thought, Oh, because I worked out five-six days a week, I could eat whatever I want. And unfortunately, it doesn’t work that way. And my wake-up call was when I went for my yearly physical checkup. This was years ago, I was 25 at the time.

And my doctor told me that my cholesterol level was high

for someone my age and who worked out frequently. And I realized right then, that your eating habits definitely make a huge contribution and difference to your body, your goals, and improving your physical fitness and your health outside of just going to the gym and working out. I would say become more consciously aware of what you’re feeding your system. You definitely have to be aware of what you’re putting in your body from a nutritional, physical standpoint, as well as from a mental, emotional standpoint as well. So that plays a part in how your body functions and operates.

SUAVV: And that’s real. You definitely have to make sure your mental state matches your physical. Because nobody wants to see a buff unstable dude. My last question would be what’s your favorite workout or your favorite type of workout?

Kevin: A lot of people who know me, train with me, or follow me know that leg day and working back are two of my favorite days to work. And I say for me for leg day, because I can get very creative with leg workouts without just doing regular squats and pressing on the leg press machine. So, it allows me to be a little bit more creative with the workouts. And then back, I mean, I like working on my back and I think one of the reasons is because for many years I neglected my back. I was one of the guys who were going to gym, when I did first start, I would do a lot of pushups, pressing with the chest, and moving with the arms. I didn’t do a lot with my back. And even sometimes didn’t do a lot with my legs. You know, it was a lot of times chest and arms, but again, that was just because of the knowledge base I had at that time. I ended up getting a trainer because I realized I wasn’t doing everything correctly. So, I ended up having a trainer for about two years. But you know, my thing is if you want a well-rounded physique, you have to work out your total body.

SUAVV: And most people when they work out, they’ll push herself harder when it comes to upper body. But then it’s like, when you hit leg day, it’s like, okay, I’m done, it hurts. And you stop. But when you’re doing chest or arms, you get to that point where it’s like, my chest is about to break open, but I’m get these last three rounds. Ultimately, they push themselves harder upper body than lower body.

Kevin: Right, right, right, right. That’s true man. And you know, unfortunately, that’s when you may see people who looks like the jokes on social media, the guy who has a really big upper body, but really small legs.

To view Kevin’s workout videos, visit www.suavv.com , his Instagram page at www.instagram.com/kevin.dwayne_ and his website www.kdwayne.com

Spring Cleaning AD Dolphin

By: Rashod Davenport

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hen your body is operating at peak efficiency, it can help you stave off infections and other health related The Full Body 7 Day Cleanse can assist in achieving optimal results! It has 7 formulas and cleanses all of all of the adrenal channels (liver, gallbladder, lungs, kidney, bladder, colon and digestive track, respiratory system, cardio vascular system, blood & lymphatic system.) This cleanse also increases your circulation and libido; so I’m sure all the ladies and guys will like that!

There are some investments that can save your life. As you rack your brain to think of which is most important, we will give you a helping hand. It’s your health. We can take steps not, while home, to boost our immune system. Health coach and founder of the Dherbs Full Body Cleanse, AD Dolphin tells us how to use this time to clean our bodies, inside and out.

AD is a herbal/specialist body cleanse expert who has appeared on the Steve Harvey Show (as well as being Steve’s personal coach) sharing his expertise on healthy living.

For more than 10 years, AD has had the number one herbal cleansing company online-- many celebrities use his products, such as Brandy, Nicey Nash, Elise Neal, Darren Henson, and more.

At a time when your immune system is the primary weapon in your arsenal, there are many of us who are depleting and weakening that system instead of increasing its value.

We have all put on the extra pounds, hilariously coined “Quarantine 15”. Furthermore, with the closing of gyms and most outdoor workout areas, our fitness lives have taken a huge hit. However, all isn’t lost.

We were able to talk to AD about how building your immune system could assist your fight to avoid and potentially fight off the Covid-19 virus.

SUAVV: How did you get into the Health Industry?

AD: I was a basketball player. I played sports my entire life.

I was playing professional basketball overseas in Australia and I decided to just stay home and I wasn’t going to play anymore. Then, I started to gain weight because I wasn’t as active as I used to be. At that time, someone introduced me to the concept of cleansing. And I have this crazy, crazy, addictive personality. I did everyone’s cleanse. And when I started noticing the differences between all these different cleanses, they all have one thing great about them. Being a business major, I thought, “Hey, what if you combine all these great things together to get these great results?” And that’s how the DHerbs Full Body Cleanse came about.

SUAVV: Recently, we saw a clip of Actor Darren Henson, on The Breakfast Club, swearing by your Black Seed Oil. How do you go about sourcing your herbs for your line?

AD: I just looked for the best places on the planet. If there was a particular country that grew particular herbs that we need, we tested them to make sure they had the best quality. We wanted the best source and that’s what we did.

So we put out a great product. You got to have great ingredients. And so that’s what we did.

SUAVV: The rumor that is out is that this is the worst time to flush your immune system because it makes your more susceptible to getting sick.

AD: Look, all the external things that we’re doing are great. Wearing gloves, wearing a mask, you know, social distancing, all this is great, but your last line of defense is your immune system. So, I always tell people, that’s going to be the most vital thing that you do. Have that immune system strong because it’s those external things that you’re doing, prevent it from coming, but if your body’s not ready for it, you can be affected. So this is the perfect time to do it. Think about it. One, we’re at home, everyone’s at home anyway, there’s social distancing. We can’t go to restaurants, we can’t buy certain things. So therefore if you’re worried about going to the restroom more, you’re home, you’re there, you’re in the most perfect place. And probably And lastly, when you go to the grocery store, produce is plentiful. It’s everywhere, but you can’t find canned tuna anywhere. LOL. SUAVV: Your cleanse is different than most of the products we see on the market. It’s not just a colon cleanse or just a liver cleanse. You’re multiple organs, intestines, and everything at the same time.

AD: So most systems give you the illusion of cleansing.

People think if they’re just going to the restroom, you’re cleansing. It’s an aspect of cleansing, but it’s only hitting one area. Our cleanse goes up your entire eliminative channel. That’s your gallbladder, your heart, your liver, your colon, your spleen, your lungs, your kidneys, your adrenal glands, your blood, and your skin. It’s going to flush out all the impurities and all those different areas of your body so your body can perform better.

SUAVV: The nerd in me is extremely interested in the fact that your research states the average person could be walking around with 20 or more pounds of undigested food in their bodies.

AD: You can have up to 25 pounds in your system at any given time, depending on who you are. And some people have even more if they are a heavier individual. It’s the stuff that’s just sitting there and there’s not an exercise on a planet that’s going to help your body to remove it. It’s just sitting there. That’s those situations where you see the skinny person that got the little pop belly, it’s just undigested food. If they cleanse all that waste is going to come out of their system, their stomach is going to become flatter.

SUAVV: I didn’t know that was even possible. I think the biggest question most people have about cleanses is “what can I eat while doing this?” Because that lemon and cayenne pepper water cleanse folks have been doing

is not going to work for most of us. We need food! LOL.

AD: I always suggest to people, take one or two things out your diet. You don’t have to do it all at once. Some people AD: It’s not a fast. A fast is when you don’t eat. This is a can do it, some people can’t. Say, okay, you know what? I’m cleanse and during the cleanse we making sure you put not going to do dairy anymore. Okay. Do you know what? healthy stuff in your body and you’re taking out the old I’m not going to do bread anymore. Okay. You know what? stuff. That’s what we do. So you’re on a raw food diet. That I’m going to become a vegan. It’s up to you but do somemeans you can eat fresh fruits, vegetables, raw nuts, and thing. Pull something out that’s going to move you towards raw seeds throughout your cleansing. A salad is considered a healthier path. cleansing depending on the dressing. A smoothie is considered cleansing. Juicing is considered cleansing. Things Check out more about the DHerbs Full Body Cleanse Syslike dry fruit (as long as it doesn’t have sulfur in it) and we tem at www.dherbs.com have thousands upon thousands of raw food recipes that Follow AD Dolphin on Instagram: @addolphin can aid you during your cleanse. So it doesn’t become as monotonous.

SUAVV: Okay. That helps out a lot. I can deal with salads and fruits. Now, we do this cleanse, there’s a 10-day and a 21-day cleanse. While on the cleanse you are doing great. What do you do after the cleanse is over to make sure you stay on track?

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hich Supplements do I need to take to burn fat?

Fat burning will mainly come down to your diet. Meaning you are consuming less calories and you are moving more, and this can be done through exercise or daily steps. Supplements for reducing body fat are mostly ineffective, have insufficient amounts of research to back up their fat-burning claims, and some are likely to even be harmful if taken in high doses.

If I have high blood pressure, what are some tips you could recommend to help me lower it safely?

That’s an excellent question. First thing that I would recommend is focusing on your diet. We’re going to cut back on sugar and refined carbohydrates, we’re going to eat less processed foods, we’re going to consume less sodium, up our potassium intake and drink more water. It’s also really important that we lose weight and this can be done by increasing our activity and exercising more. If you are a smoker, that needs to stop immediately or be dialed back significantly. If you’re interested in supplementing to help, focus on garlic, CoQ10, vitamin D, magnesium and more fiber. But of course, check with your doctor before starting any supplement regimen.

What foods should I stay away from?

I’m not a big advocate of cutting out any food groups entirely, but having things in moderation I believe is more sustainable for long term success with a healthy lifestyle.

As a general recommendation, 80/20 is a good rule of thumb, meaning 80 percent of the foods you eat are lean protein sources, vegetables, fruits and complex carbohy-

Questions with SUAVV Trainer JC White drates, and the other 20 percent will be those fun foods we enjoy. But first try to fill up on the 80 percent before you eat the 20 percent so that you’re eating less of the 20 percent.

What foods should I try to eat each day?

Some food groups that I would focus on eating each day are lean protein sources, such as chicken breast, wild caught salmon, ahi tuna, lean ground turkey, greek yogurt and lean cuts of steak. For your carb sources, I recommend oatmeal, quinoa, green leafy vegetables, rice, baked sweet potato and fruits, such as berries and citrus. Other foods that will help you to have a well-balanced diet are almond milk, lean regular milk, almond butter in limited quantity, and eggs.

How can I strengthen my immune system?

This is very relevant with Covid-19 and everything I just spoke about above with overall health. Some of the main things you need to focus on to have an overall strong immune system, include getting adequate sleep (7-9 hours per night), hydration, exercising regularly, eating a diet with plentiful fruits and vegetables, managing stress and making sure you are fully recovering after workouts. If you want to supplement, some things that have decent research behind their effectiveness in helping the immune system or shortening the length of the common cold, include zinc, vitamin D, garlic and probiotics. These are not the end all be all to immune health but they may help improve your chances of fighting colds and infections. But make no mistake- lifestyle, sleep, nutrition, a healthy body fat to weight ratio, and hydration are king.

Where to Begin if you are a Beginner?

By Alex Carneiro

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ruth is whether you are beginning your fitness journey or have been training and eating correctly (or so you think you are) this guide might help you set you back on track and line you up to be more successful in this journey.

It can be confusing with so much information out there that contradicts itself on a daily basis but these steps bellow are flawless, they are a MUST if you want to succeed in changing your physique and mind.

STEP 1: UNDERSTAND YOUR MINDSET WILL NEED TO CHANGE Step 1 can sound easy at first but you will understand more and more what I mean as you embrace the lifestyle itself.

You are going to need to have a motivational factor that’s more than a shallow “I want to look good”. That’s not going to be strong enough to carry you over the long hours of training and eating right. You need to understand first that it’s a journey, not a sprint and that if you expect results in just a few weeks than you are planning yourself to fail. You also need to understand that you will need to change your habits gradually and not immediately as that too might cause you to fail. You’re going to need to keep yourself motivated and self encouraged the entire time. No one else will hold your hand in this.

STEP 2: SET REALISTIC GOALS What do I mean with realistic goals? “Bro I want to look like [they name a guy who’s been training for 10 or more years] or “I want to gain 20 lbs of muscle and lose 10lbs of fat”. Neither of these goals are realistic. A realistic goal involves a short and long term goal that will slowly be reached and then create new ones based on each achievement you accomplish. So “I want to lose 3lbs in the next 15-20 days” is much more realistic and you will be more motivated when you reach it.

STEP3: UNDERSTANDING THE IMPORTANCE OF NUTRITION When I was young, I thought that supplements were the key to growth. That I needed to take creatine and whey and blah blah blah in order to grow and look like my role models. Truth is if I could go back in time I would educate myself on the importance of nutrition as it’s the true key to changing anyone’s physique. Anyone. We don’t understand the importance of eating for our goals (read more here about this topic) because it’s not as advertised in magazines or in media. Eating for your goals will dramatically change your life but it goes back to step 1; you will need to change your mindset and understand that if you are trying to lose weight it can be challenging to go through those small starvation periods. Your older habits will always want to kick in and take over, shall you allow them? That’s entirely up to you? How bad do you want to change?

STEP 4: UNDERSTANDING THE IMPORTANT OF THE RIGHT STYLE OF TRAINING Just like nutrition, there are countless ways to train. The key to finding out which one works best for you is to try them all and figure out which YOU feel responds best to your body. If you don’t try them all and keep a narrow mindset you might not find your true potential inside or outside the gym. Don’t be dumb either, train efficiently, smartly, and consistently. Lifting as heavy as possible will not get you to your goals faster.

STEP 5: BEING CONSISTENT WITH STEPS 1-4.

Consistency is the key here. You know what you want, you will do everything you can to get there and you are not only training right and eating correctly, then over time, you will definitely accomplish what you are seeking.

There’s always going to be the good and the bad days, but don’t allow that to distract you from your end results.