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Marty@VelocityPerformanceTraining.com
831-601-6529

VPT Boot Camp

The face he gave me when I asked him how boot camp was treating him.  #teamVPT

Marty@VelocityPerformanceTraining.com

831-601-6529

VPT Boxing

Come Join Us!  Boxing Monday, Wednesday and Fridays.  6:30-8:30pm. 831-601-6529. Marty@VelocityPerformanceTraining.com

Time For VPT Boot Camp

Rise & shine...time to get the sleepy's out of the eyes. I'm super-fired up for boot camp workout today. need to get better! do somethin!

Contact Marty:

Marty@VelocityPerformanceTraining.com
831-601-6529

Please Remember

I Can't Wait

7 Side Effects of Soda

The BAD effects of soda!  Please share.  #teamVPT

Marty Ozaeta
Velocity Performance Training
831-601-6529
Marty@VelocityPerformanceTraining.com

Rest Day

Velocity Performance Training Core Circuit

Give this circuit a whirl:

Do 3 rounds, keep abs engaged the entire time
-walking baskeball lunges
-seated russian twist hand -off
-plank with alternating hip roll




How did you do?

Best in Health & Fitness,

Marty Ozaeta
Velocity Performance Training
831.601.6529
www.VelocityPerformanceTraining.com

655 lbs. Dead-Lift

Velocity Performance Training
www.VelocityPerformanceTraining.com
Marty@VelocityPerformanceTraining.com
831.601.6529

What It Means To Be A Dad

What It Means To Be A Dad

 

A mother and a father – we all started here. We have this in common. Most of us have great memories of our parents. And an unfortunate few don’t. Regardless, there always seems to be a deep innate love for the two people that gave us life.

As Father’s Day approaches this Sunday, it brings back memories when I was younger.

But now, with one son of my own, Father’s Day has become more and more meaningful each year. In today’s article, “What It Means To Be A Dad,” I want to share 3 favorite moments  with my Dad. I also want to share 3 favorite parts of being a dad, and then I have an action step for you. Let’s dive in.

First off, my father is an extremely gregarious man. He knows EVERYONE and everyone knows him. His presence is felt from a mile away and he genuinely cares about people.  My father has a lot of great ‘fatherly’ traits. He has 2 kids (yes, I still count my sister even though she is in a better place now).

3 Favorite Memories of My Dad:

• Shopping together for his birthday card. We didn’t have a lot of money growing up. So we would go to the store when I was young and we would read birthday cards together. I remember laughing so hard with him.
• “Don’t be like an ostrich.” I used to spend a lot of time in my Dad’s Nissan. He would be driving me somewhere… soccer games, football practice, basketball, baseball… you name it. And whenever he would make me laugh (he tried often), I would look out the window so that he couldn’t see me. But he still knew. And he would joke that when an ostrich sticks his head in the ground, his butt would stick straight up in the air. And I would just laugh even more until my shoulders would be moving with uncontrollable laughter.
• Time. My Dad attended every single game and most every practice.

Fast forward to today. I have one son Tyler (2.5).  My first thought is always “I don’t know how my Mom and Dad had 2, because 1 is hard enough!”

And as Father’s Day 2013 approaches this weekend, here are 3 of my favorite “moments” with my son now.

• Morning routine. I eat breakfast with Tyler every morning. The time spent with Tyler in the morning is precious and I savor every minute. We typically talk about animals and  I often have a “word of the day” or “number of the day” in the 20-minute drive to daycare. Really, it’s just about connecting and sharing. And I laugh. And I look in the rearview mirror and I see him smiling (and not looking out the window!).
• Travel. My son loves to travel and he LOVES hotel rooms. I’m not sure why, but I think it’s the newness and adventure of going to new places. I love the look of curiosity on his face when we arrive someplace for the first time. My hope is he continues to have this zest, zeal, and insatiable appetite for travel and adventure all through his life. It’s an important part of our growth and development, our cultural understanding and our appreciation for others. It’s an important part of LIVING.
• Bedtime rituals. I love hearing a “download” about his day. What he did at daycare,  and any other random thoughts that imaginative young minds have.

We say our prayers. Ty say’s, “I’m so happy, I can do anything.”

Parenting isn’t easy. And if you’re a parent, you know what I’m talking about. Parenting is undoubtedly the hardest job I’ve ever had.

And probably one of the hardest parts of parenting is PATIENCE. As a family of 2 or 5 or 10, you have to work as a team. And on any given day, someone is bound to be struggling – tired, moody, sometimes just overwhelmed with trying to grow up (and I don’t just mean the kids!). Family life is not for wimps. You set high expectations and expect things to get done. Sometimes they do and sometimes they don’t… So we continue to work harder to help each other grow.

Wow! You don’t need to be a parent to empathize with this. PATIENCE truly is a virtue in all aspects of life. I could be talking to teachers, coaches, businesspeople… leaders of all kinds. Daily life tests our patience and we could all stand to improve in this area. We could be more loving. We could be more tolerant. We could be more giving. We could be more patient. What “more” could you be?

This week is Father’s Day week. And whether or not you are a parent, it’s a great time to reflect on our parents (living or deceased) and to remember special memories.

And if you are a Father, Happy Father’s Day! Keep leading, loving, and creating special moments with your kids – no matter what their ages. After all, we must “always do our best…and NEVER give up.”

One thing I learned from my Dad is the most important thing you can show your children is love. And the way you spell LOVE is T.I.M.E.

Create a great week.

Marty

PS. Attention Moms and Dads: I would love to hear your stories and rituals too. Share a favorite memory of your Dad or a favorite moment with your kids in the Comments section below (Moms welcome too!).

 

Truth About Abs

Abs. Everyone has them. YES, even you.

No matter what level of 'insulation' you have over your

six-pack, I guarantee your abs are under there.

But NO amount of crunching will bring them to the surface.

Yesterday, I watched three nice folks waste almost an hour in heir workouts at the gym.

These folks did endless sit-ups, and then diagonal sit-ups, and then the ab crunch machine, and then floor crunches of all kinds.

It was really sad.

You know why?

Because NONE of those ab exercises work!

And here's the truth...

They've had abs before...just like YOU have...back when

you were slim in college or high school.

But tell me, how many sit-ups and crunches did you do then?

NONE, of course.

Of course, you didn't do any 'planking' or 'stability ball rollouts' back then either.

No ab exercise is magic.

But you were active. Moving. Doing interval training while
playing sports or helping out around the house with yardwork.

It's those TOTAL-body moves that make a big difference in
helping you lose belly fat and get flat, sexy abs.

And of course, your metabolism allowed you to eat whatever
you wanted. So here's how you re-create your youthful abs...

What works for getting abs is this, and this alone:

The combination of metabolic resistance training and

fat loss nutrition. Add my unique total-body ab exercises

to the mix and you'll have a flat stomach and six-pack abs.

That's the Final Word on Six Pack Abs.

Turn Back The Clock Today and give me a call,

 

Marty Ozaeta

Velocity Performance Training

831-601-6529

10 Quotes That Changed My Life

By:  Marty Ozaeta, Velocity Performance Training

Hope you’re superb today. Hope you’re playing full out + expressing your genius + making the world better.

I was in a reflective mood this morning and thought about 10 of the quotes that profoundly influenced the way I think, create and live.

[As you know, all it takes is a single idea in small paragraph to revolutionize the way you play out the rest of your life].

So—to inspire you (and move you to action on your boldest opportunities), I wanted to share them.
Here you go and I’ll be reading your comments at the end:

“Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back– Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth that ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one’s favor all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamed would have come his way. Whatever you can do, or dream you can do, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it. Begin it now.”
—Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

“I learned this, at least, by my experiment: that if one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.”
—Henry David Thoreau, Walden: Or, Life in the Woods

“Why do they always teach us that it’s easy and evil to do what we want and that we need discipline to restrain ourselves? It’s the hardest thing in the world–to do what we want. And it takes the greatest kind of courage. I mean, what we really want.”
—Ayn Rand

“Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.”
—Oscar Wilde

“The only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn like fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars.”
—Jack Kerouac, On the Road

“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.”
—Theodore Roosevelt

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, ‘Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?’ Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”
—Marianne Williamson

“To laugh often and love much; to win the respect of intelligent persons and the affection of children; to earn the approbation of honest citizens and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty; to find the best in others; to give of one’s self; to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition; to have played and laughed with enthusiasm and sung with exultation; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived—this is to have succeeded.”
—Bessie Anderson Stanley (frequently misattributed to Ralph Waldo Emerson)

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed, citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”
—Margaret Mead

“Be the change that you wish to see in the world.”
—Mahatma Ghandi

 

In Too Deep...

It's late and I'm out of focus. I feel adrift at sea, lost in my backbreaking labors. Then all at once it hits me like a beacon in the night. In the middle of my rep, halfway through my set, that familiar feeling returns... The pain. It washes over me, wave after wave. My senses reel. Yeah, I could drop it all, walk away from this burden. Instead, I grit my teeth, catch my breath, and plow forward. When the going gets tough, many head for safe harbor. I don't. I welcome the pain -- it keeps me honest. It grounds me. Though the pain may come over you, never let it overcome you.

The Best and Worst Movie Foods

Catching the latest Blockbuster on the big screen is an event, but it’s not just the digital surround sound that makes it exciting—the pre-movie trip to the concession stand plays just as big a role. Unfortunately, traditional movie munchies can turn any film into a horror flick. The truth is that all that mindless snacking during your show can add hundreds of calories to your daily intake.


One Cornell study showed just how mindless it can be. Researchers gave patrons different-sized popcorn buckets, and those with large buckets ate nearly twice as much as those with medium buckets. And get this: In some of the buckets, researchers traded out the fresh-popped corn for two-week-old kernels! Those moviegoers munched away so absentmindedly that they put away 34 percent more stale popcorn than those with medium buckets of fresh corn! That’s why I have developed this guide to movie theater snack survival. Avoid the following belly-ballooning munchies at all costs.

Worst Movie Snack

Buttered popcorn (medium: 10-12 cups)


600 calories

39 g fat (12 g saturated)
1,120 mg sodium

Popcorn can be a great, fiber-rich snack, as long as you stay away from the dreaded butter pump. Besides tripling the calories of a page of popcorn, many movie theater “butters” are teeming with trans fat. (Check out the Fattiest Foods in America.) Instead, seek flavor from the spice mixes many theaters carry now. Or grab a pretzel: As long as you’re not dipping it into molten cheese, a large soft pretzel makes a reasonable movie theater snack. Be really good and ask them to skip the salt—mustard packs plenty of sodium as it is.

Worst Chocolate Candies

M&M’s (1 bag)
240 calories

10 g fat (6 g saturated)
31 g sugars

They may seem harmless and fun in their tiny candy-coated vessels, but a few generous handful of M&M’s can wipe out a meal’s worth of calories before you know it. Pick Junior Mints instead. Minty candies tend to be the best of the chocolate choices. Just be sure to split the box with your friend.

Worst Licorice-Type Candy

Twizzlers (1 package)
480 calories
2 g fat 

64 g sugars

Ignore the “low fat” claims on the side of the package—these are nothing more than ropes of high-fructose corn syrup. Opt for real licorice in the Good & Plenty box. Many cultures have viewed licorice as a healing herb for centuries, with anti-inflammatory properties. But we’re just thankful they have less sugar and fewer calories than traditional chewy fruit candies.

Worst Chocolate Bar


Hershey’s Milk Chocolate Bar
210 calories

13 g fat (8 g saturated)
24 g sugars

If you’re going to eat pure chocolate, you’re better off picking up a bar with at least 65% cacao. That way, you lower you sugar intake while maximizing antioxidants. Since most movie theaters don’t offer the dark stuff, opt for a Kit Kat bar instead. Break it up and dole out the pieces to your friends. (Just because there are four in a package doesn’t mean you need to eat them all yourself).

Worst Chewy Fruit Candy


Dots (22 pieces)
260 calories

0 g fat

42 g sugars

They stick to your teeth just like they stick to your waistline. You’re better off going for nearly any other gummy product besides Dots. In the world of pure sugar candies, few are better than the fish from Sweden.

Thanks for reading!

Marty Ozaeta
Velocity Performance Training
www.VPTBootCamp.com
www.VPTForAbs.com
VPTraining10@yahoo.com









St. Patrick's Day Workout

St. Patrick’s Day was on Saturday, 3/17. So we’re a little late for this workout. But wear green while doing it. And eat your greens afterwards.

In the spirit of 3/17 do 3 rounds and 17 reps of the following:
Mountain Climber Push Ups x 17
Step Ups with Bicep Curls x 17 each leg
Dumbbell Squat Press x 17
Suicide Planks x 17
Dumbbell Bent Over Row and Raise x 17
Walking Lunge with MB Rotation x 17 each leg
Mountain Jumpers x 17
DB Rennegade Rows x 17 each

3 rounds for time.

600 lbs. Tire Flip

15 Foods That Cure

Food can cure many—if not most—ailments. And it’s cheaper and more effective than seeing the doctor, or popping pills. See, the way you feel is a result of the various chemicals that flow through your system on a daily basis. When those chemicals are the kind derived from a healthy mix of fruits, vegetables, proteins, and fats, you feel healthy, energetic, and happy. Improve your health now by adding these 15 Foods That Cure to your repertoire.

Best Anti-Aging Elixir

Red Wine

Oxidative stress plays a major role in aging, and an antioxidant in red wine called resveratrol may help extend life by neutralizing disease-causing free radicals. Pop a Pinot Noir: It packs the most resveratrol per glass.

Best Blood Pressure Reducer

Baked Potato

Besides the obvious factors—obesity, high salt intake—diets containing too little potassium are the primary cause of hypertension. Fight back with a baked potato.

Best Blood Sugar Stabilizer

Raspberries

Raspberries contain anthocyanins, which boost insulin production and lower blood sugar levels, providing a strong defense against diabetes.

Best Bone Protector

Shrimp

Shrimp is high in vitamin B-12, which aids bone density, is crucial in the generation of new cells, and is a good source of vitamin D, an essential ingredient for bone strength.

Best Brain Booster

Coffee

Beyond boosting altertness for up to 90 minutes, that morning cup is the number-one source of antioxidants in the American diet and can help decrease your risk of developing Alzheimer's disease by as much as 60 percent.

Best Breast Cancer Beater

Whole-Grain Cereal

Women getting at least 30 grams of fiber daily are half as likely to develop breast cancer, according to research. A bowl of Fiber One with blueberries will get you halfway there.

Best Cavity Killer

Monterey Jack Cheese

Researchers found that eating less than a quarter ounce of Jack, Cheddar, Gouda, or mozzarella cheese will boost pH levels to protect your pearly whites from cavities.

Best Cholesterol Reducer

Olive Oil

Antioxidants found in olives have been shown both to raise HDL (good) cholesterol and lower LDL (bad) cholesterol, making olive oil a doubly potent protector against cardiovascular disease.

Best Colon Cancer Guard

Green or White Tea

Drinking just one cup of tea a day may cut your risk of colon cancer in half. Antioxidants in the tea, called catechins, inhibit the growth of cancer cells, found researchers at Oregon State.

Best Hair Rejuvenator

Beef

Iron in the meat stimulates hair turnover and replenishment. Beef is also rich in zinc, which helps guard against hair loss.

Best Heart Protector

Salmon

A diet of heart-healthy fats, like those found in salmon and olive oil, raises good HDL cholesterol levels. And salmon contains a huge dose of omega-3 fatty acids, which can ward off heart disease.

Best Lung Cancer Fighter

Grapefruit

A grapefruit a day can reduce your risk of developing lung cancer by up to 50 percent. Grapefruit contains naringin, which may help lower levels of cancer-causing enzymes.

Best Skin Saver

Carrots

National Cancer Institute researchers found that people with the highest intake of carotenoids—pigments that occur naturally in carrots—were six times less likely to develop skin cancer than those with the lowest intakes.

Best Vision Defender

Spinach or Romaine Lettuce

The National Institutes of Health found that people who consume the most lutein—found in leafy greens—are 43 percent less likely to develop macular degeneration.

Peace, Love & Health,

Marty Ozaeta

Velocity Performance Training

VPTraining10@yahoo.com

831.236.3423

www.VPTForAbs.com

www.VPTBootCamp.com

 

 

Cinderella Man to Churchill - 5 Life Lessons

One of the best ways to become heroes is to learn from heroes of the past. The following men had their own fears, weaknesses, and doubts. But unlike many today, they adapted, rose above, and accomplished great things.

Here are five things we can learn from them.

James J. Braddock

Lesson: Never, never, never give up.
“I have to believe that when things are bad I can change them.”

In James J. Braddock we learn one of the most – if not the most – important lesson one can learn: never give up. No matter how dark things get, no matter how hopeless the future looks, giving up can never be an option.

Not only did Braddock not give up, he didn’t compromise the man he is. He didn’t cut corners. When other men were leaving their families during The Great Depression, Braddock, a heavyweight boxer, put his family on his back. He swallowed his pride and did everything he needed to do to save his family.

If you haven’t read “Cinderella Man” or watched the movie of the same title, I highly recommend doing so. It’s hard to find a better example of what it means to be a real man than James J. Braddock.

Winston Churchill

Lesson: How to be a leader.

“History will be kind to me for I intend to write it.”

Where would we be today without Winston Churchill’s unwavering belief in himself and his values? (Most likely we'd be living in a totalitarian state, with our success determined not by our talents or hard work, but by our race and social stature.)

Churchill had a clear understanding of right and wrong. He knew when he was right, and he wouldn’t compromise his beliefs for popularity – a rarity in politics. When the world turned a blind eye to the Nazi’s, Churchill saw an evil man, with evil ambitions and decided to take a stand against him.

He was an original. He was a painter, a soldier, a bricklayer, a politician, an award-winning author. More than anything, he was a leader. He inspired the British people even when the Germans were bombarding London and defeat seemed certain.

Too often we fall in line with what others think. We mold ourselves to become more liked and accepted. Being a leader isn’t about adapting so that more people will like you, it’s about leading the life that coincides with who you are. Churchill was unique and unwavering, two characteristics that helped him lead with courage, while others failed under the immense pressure.

Nelson Mandela

Lesson: Finding light amidst darkness.

“If you want peace with your enemy, you have to work with your enemy. Then he becomes your partner.”
We all have lows. We have dark times that seem like they’ll never end. Within this darkness some find light and opportunity, while others only see pain and sadness.

The thing is, we all have the ability to find opportunity where there seems to be none, but only a select few take charge of themselves and do so. Those that do are heroes. Those that don’t live in self-pity.

Nelson Mandela is one of those people who created a great life out of terrible circumstance. It didn’t just happen -- he made it happen.

When he was finally released after 27 years, Mandela became President of South Africa and kept his nation from a bloody civil war. He made his enemy his partner and brought peace to a place that was headed for mass bloodshed.

Optimism isn’t ignoring the bad and only focusing on the good. It’s acknowledging the bad, but refusing to let it dominate you. Mandela had a clear understanding of the hell that he was in, but chose to find ways to become better and move forward, when others around him let their bitterness and hate get the best of them.

His entire nation benefitted from the choices he made.

Warren Buffett

Lesson: Responsibility to human beings other than ourselves.

“Chains of habit are too light to be felt until they are too heavy to be broken.”
It’s human nature to think of ourselves first and foremost. And a lot of times it’s necessary. We need to take care of ourselves before we can turn the focus to others. But who of us actually turns the focus to helping others when we are stable and have what we need?

Warren Buffett is a very, very smart man. He runs his life and his business based on some very simple and logical theories and rules. He’s made billions, and has made others billions as well. And now he’s giving billions.

As one of the world’s richest men, he lives in an average house and gives most of his money to charities around the world. He’s been given a great gift, but he doesn’t simply use that gift to better his own situation; instead he’s turned his focus to helping others.

When we’re dust, who’ll remember the man who had the biggest house? No one. We’ll remember the guy who helped his fellow man live better lives. We’ll remember the person who had the greatest impact on humanity, not on his own wallet.

Buffett’s impact on humanity is – and will be – massive. We may not make the same amount of money as Buffett, but we all have our gifts. It’s great to use those gifts to better our own situation, but a real hero uses those gifts to help others as well.

Abraham Lincoln

Lesson: It’s not where you start, but where you finish that matters most. There’s no substitute for hard work.

“Things may come to those who wait… but only the things left by those who hustle.”

Abraham Lincoln had ambition and a will to succeed that is hard to rival. He wasn’t privileged. He wasn’t even formally educated in grade school or high school because his father wouldn’t allow him to attend; rather, he learned to read and write by teaching himself.

He wasn’t born with anything extraordinary besides his need to prove others wrong, and to better himself. It was pure grit, hard work and hustle that turned him into a great man and an American hero.

His impact on society will be felt forever. He finished his life far too prematurely, but will go down as one of the greatest heroes in American history. Not bad for a guy who lived in houses with dirt floors growing up.

It doesn't matter  where we start. What matters is where we end up. We might not have the best genetics or the most money; we might not be the smartest, or the funniest. But we all have the ability to hustle. And, as we see in Lincoln, we can all work hard and make something of our lives.

Best,

Marty Ozaeta
Velocity Performance Training
www.VPTBootCamp.com
www.VPTForAbs.com
www.VPTBlog.com
VPTraining10@yahoo.com
831-236-3423

The Truth About Energy Drinks

Do energy drinks really rev up your body and sharpen your mind? What, exactly, are they made of? And what is taurine, anyway?

Every can of Red Bull boasts the exotic-sounding ingredient. So do AMP Energy and Sobe Adrenaline Rush, among a slew of high-octane others. But can it really spike your performance, hone your concentration, and keep you up for hours? In a word: No. See, taurine is an amino acid that works as a neurotransmitter. And researchers at Weill Cornell Medical found that it might actually work more as a sedative than a stimulant. Meaning: It doesn’t give you wings—it clips them.

And that's just the beginning. To help you separate the science from the sales pitch, I analyzed the claims and ingredients of some of the most popular potions on the market, and rated them from best to worst. All to answer the most important question of all: Are energy drinks safe-or should you can these beverages for good? Read on to learn the truth about the most popular energy drinks on the market.

5-Hour Energy (2 fl oz)

4 calories
0 g sugars
(Exact caffeine content not provided by the company)

The Claim: "The two-ounce energy shot takes just seconds to drink and in minutes you're feeling bright and alert. And that feeling lasts for hours."

The Truth: Sure, it'll give you a jolt. That's because it's mainly caffeine-about the same amount that's in one cup of coffee, according to label claims. (So somewhere between 65 to 135 mg of caffeine.) And turns out, the half-life of caffeine-the time it takes for half of the stimulant to be eliminated from your body-is about 5 hours. What's more, the company touts that since the product doesn't contain sugar, you won't experience the sugar crash that comes a couple of hours after guzzling the sweet stuff. And that's true, too. Of course, you could just grab a cup of unsweetened Joe for the same effect.

Is it safe? Downing a bottle should be no problem for a regular coffee drinker. Too much caffeine, however, could cause headaches, sleeplessness, nausea, hallucinations, and a spike in blood pressure.

Starbucks Double Shot Energy and Coffee (15 fl oz)

210 calories
26 g sugars
146 mg caffeine

The Claim: "A powerful, great-tasting brew of B vitamins, guarana, ginseng, and natural proteins from milk. Charged up with coffee. That extra surge to keep you energized and alert."

The Truth: Most energy drinks laud their herbal supplements, but the science behind the add-ins is somewhat fuzzy. Ginseng, for example, won't give you an energy blast, although it might boost your brainpower. For instance, Australian researchers found that people who swallowed 200 mg of the extract an hour before taking a cognitive test scored significantly better than when they skipped the supplement. And guarana's benefit may simply be due to its caffeine content-a guarana seed contains 4 to 5 percent caffeine (about twice as much as a coffee bean). Fancy marketing ploys aside, the Double-Shot ultimately one-ups the competition by virtue of containing actual health-boosting coffee-a beverage that delivers disease-fighting antioxidants.

Is it safe? Ginseng has been shown to interact with certain medications, like the blood-thinner warfarin, potentially altering its effectiveness. And scientists at Florida's Nova Southeastern University concluded that the amount of guarana found in most energy drinks isn't large enough to cause any adverse side effects. However, there's still a question as to the safety of downing a few cans of the stuff in a brief time span.

Red Bull (8 fl oz)

110 calories
27 g sugars
76 mg caffeine

The Claim: "With Taurine. Vitalizes body and mind."

The Truth: Caffeine certainly offers brain-boosting benefits, and the added slew of B-vitamins are conceivably helpful for a more efficient metabolism. Unfortunately, the sugar and taurine work to counteract those forces. A New Zealand study found that even the 27 grams of sugar in Red Bull is enough to completely inhibit your body's ability to burn fat. And taurine, an amino acid that works as a neurotransmitter, might act more like a sedative than a stimulant, according to researchers at Weill Cornell Medical College.

Is it safe? Certain European countries have banned the product out of fear that its stimulant properties increase the risk of heart attack. However, a 2008 research study presented to the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology observed no negative side effects in people after the subjects quaffed one can. The best thing about Red Bull is the pre-packaged portion control. It's half the size of many other sweetened energy drinks, meaning half the calories and half the sugar of its supersized counterparts.

AMP Energy (16 fl oz)

220 calories
58 g sugars
142 mg caffeine

The Claim: "With its energizing blend of B-Vitamins and a specially formulated intense combination of taurine, ginseng, and guarana, AMP keeps you connected and on top of your game at all times."

The Truth: AMP is basically a hybrid between Red Bull and Starbucks Double Shot Energy, but with more calories and sugar and without the brain-beneficial coffee-rendering it a veritable witch's brew of sweeteners, herbal supplements, and suspicious-sounding additives.

Is it safe? Just consider it a double Red Bull. One probably won't hurt, but don't make it a habit, if only for your waistline.

The Bottom Line

The real truth is that most people are already consuming too much energy, which is why there's an obesity problem. (Think about it.) So adding to your energy excess by guzzling a calorie- and sugar-laden drink doesn't make a lot of sense. In fact, ask yourself this: Is it a lack of incoming sugar that's causing you to be tired-or is it that you're consuming too much of it in the first place? Chances are, it's the latter. My advice: If you feel you need a boost, reach for unsweetened beverage that contains only caffeine-like a black coffee.

Marty Ozaeta

Velocity Performance Training

www.VPTBootCamp.com

www.VPTForAbs.com

www.VPTBlog.com

VPTraining10@yahoo.com