New weekly Health & Fitness Tipz! This week my video is shorter (less than 3 minutes). I talk briefly about the benefits of starting each day off on the “good foot”, regardless of what time of day we get up or how well we wake up. I do have a concern for caffeine addiction, especially if that caffeine must contain cream &/or sugar. Sorry but that sh*t ain’t good for you. That’s just a dessert drink that is probably doing nothing but making you fatter, unhealthier and less likely to sleep better each day. Many of the “energy” drinks also have similar issues. I’d recommend drinking a full glass of clean water first thing in the morning and then maybe one cup of black coffee or one sugar-free energy drink if you must. Beyond that, i’d highly recommend getting better rest each night. Moving more if you sit down most of your day. Possibly moving less if you exercise and work “hard” every day. Eat healthier foods. Manage stress daily. Write down (in your mind or on paper) a plan for each day. Don’t just be a robot, a slave. Be an arrow aimed at the bullseye of where you want to go and what you want to accomplish. This starts by setting the tone as soon as you wake :)

FREE SEMINAR: Saturday, April 4, 9-10am. For anyone that might be interested, i am planning to host a small “Health & Wellness” gathering at our neighborhood city park this coming Saturday morning from 9am-10am. The park is located at the intersection of South First and Emerald Wood. It’s completely free to attend. I have absolutely no intention of selling anyone anything, now or in the future. My primary hope is to simply begin providing a trusted resource for general health & fitness concerns within our Southwood neighborhood. A place where anyone can come to get useful, helpful information and inspiration that i hope will benefit the health and well-being of all. This week, I plan to cover a few important topics dealing with some of the general basics of health maintenance, flexibility, nutrition and exercise. I imagine it to be fairly loosely structured and informal, yet still entirely professional. Unless it is pouring down rain, i will plan to be there. Just to be clear, this is not a group workout class. This is for educational purposes only. If you would like to sit down, bring something comfortable to sit on. Do also understand, with the obvious complexity of many areas of nutrition, fitness and health (such as specific diet recommendations, advanced exercise protocols and specific medical questions/concerns), do not expect every question to be answered. At the very least, I will do my best to point everyone in the best direction. Other resources and information might very well need to be explored. A little more about me: I have been a resident and home-owner in Southwood since 1999. I have worked professionally as a fully certified Personal Trainer/Nutrition Specialist for over 10 years, owning and operating my own company, The Blue Sky Strongbox, 7 of those years. I have worked with kids, elderly, handicapped, college athletes and everyone in between and beyond. For quite a while now, i have been interested in doing more direct local-community volunteer work. Free work. No gimmicks. No trying to sell anyone anything, ever. Why? Because i love my Austin. I love this neighborhood. I’ve been in South Austin for going on 20 years now. I truly do care about the health and well-being of others. I’m hoping this can be a positive way for me to impact our community. WHEN: Saturday, April 4, 2015. TIME: 9am – 10am WHERE: Williamson Creek Central Greenbelt Park. Intersection of South First and Emerald Wood. (http://www.austinparks.org/our-parks.html?parkid=378) COST: free. There will be no selling of anything. WHO: Carlton Cullins