We’re on the MOVE and getting stronger with each step. New healthy habits are easier to start when you have a committed accountability partner and nurturing community.

Services:

• Group Fitness
• Rehab & Personal Training
• Regenerative Nutrition Coaching
• Weight Loss Consultation
• Running, Cycling, Multisports

Nutrition and food basics for improved fitness is similar to “BodyBuilding” basics…

(NOTE: Substitute the word “fitness” for bodybuilding in this article)

Seriously, the article I’m posting is the most condense article I’ve found that has all the components that I teach clients, my readers, and followers. The basics that I’ve learned and applied in my life for through my personal journey toward achieving optimal health and fitness. I don’t want to overwhelm anyone with recommended book lists about Zone, Caveman or Paleo, or Mediterranean diets. There’s great resources you can get your hands on. This piece is a foundation that you can build on or modify based on your personal, long-term goals. The best part is that it names off many of the foods that I personally eat, and can easily be incorporated into your lifestyle.

Print Friendly | Grocery List

Online Resource: Click here (Important Note: Some wording modified for clarity and details on food added by MOVE To Be Fit):

“A key component of the formula for bodybuilding success is nutrition. Nutrition is what gives us the raw materials for recuperation, energy, and growth. Without a good diet, your dreams of achieving your ideal body will never be reached.

We’ll now discuss the characteristics of a good nutrition program and we’ll also go over nutrition basics.

Characteristics of a Good Nutrition Program

1) It should favor smaller and frequent feedings throughout the day instead of large and infrequent ones. Why? Because when you feed your body several times a day, your metabolism increases. Therefore, you burn more fat. Frequent feedings are of particular importance since after three to four hours of no food your body switches to a catabolic state (a state in which you lose muscle and gain fat!). The body believes that it is starving and it starts feeding itself on lean muscle tissue and it prepares to store calories as fat. Bad scenario! Therefore, in order for your program to work, you will eat between four to six meals (depending gender and goals) a day spaced out at 2-1/2 to 3 hour intervals.

2) Every meal should have carbohydrates, protein and fat in the correct ratios. Having a meal that is not balanced (for example is all carbohydrates) won’t yield the desired results. Every macronutrient has to be present in order for the body to absorb them and use them properly. Without boring you with the effect of food on the body’s biochemistry, let’s just say that if you only eat carbohydrates in one meal without anything else, your energy levels will crash in about 30 minutes and your body will be storing any carbohydrates that were not used into fat. Conversely, if you only eat protein, you will lack energy and your body will not be able to turn the protein into muscle because it is difficult for the body to absorb protein in the absence of carbohydrates. In addition, the ratios for each particular macronutrient have to be correct in order to get the results that you want. The ratio of our diet will look like the following:

40% Carbohydrates

40% Protein

20% Fats

Note that for every serving of carbohydrates, you get a serving of Protein. You can use Bill Phillips’ Method of creating meals which is to count a portion of carbohydrates as the amount of food the size of your clenched fist and a portion of protein as the amount of food the size of your open palms.

3) The calories should be cycled. I strongly believe in caloric cycling as this will not allow the metabolism to get used to a certain caloric level; something that leads to stagnant results.

Therefore, bodybuilders in search of just muscle mass should follow 5 days of high calories (lean body mass x 15) with two days of lower caloric intake (lean body mass x12). Bodybuilders in search of losing fat while building muscle at the same time should follow 5 days of lower caloric intake (lean body mass x12) with 2 days of higher calories (lean body mass x 15). (Note: If you build muscle and lose fat at the same time you will not gain muscle as fast as you would if you just concentrated in muscle mass. However, you get to get both goals accomplished at the same time).

People interested in body sculpting should alternate between two weeks of lower calories (around 2000 for men and 1200 for women) and two weeks of higher calories (around 2500 for men and 1500 for women). These caloric intakes assume a normal activity level that only includes BodySculpting training. Those of you involved in activities like marathon running or heavy physical labor jobs need to adjust your calories upwards accordingly mainly in the form of carbohydrates in order to support your higher levels of activity.

Nutrition Basics

There are 3 macronutrients that the human body needs in order to function properly.

#1 Carbohydrates:

Carbohydrates are your body’s main source of energy. When you ingest carbohydrates your pancreas releases a hormone called insulin. Insulin is very important because:

1) It grabs the carbohydrates and either stores them in the muscle or stores them as fat.

2) It grabs the amino acids (protein) and shelters them inside the muscle cell for recovery and repair.

Most people that are overweight and are in low fat/high carbohydrate diets got into that condition because they are eating an overabundance of carbohydrates. Too many carbohydrates cause a huge release of insulin. When there is too much insulin in the body, your body turns into a fat storing machine. Therefore, it is important that we eat no more carbohydrates than necessary and that we eat the right amount of carbohydrates.

Now that we have talked about the importance of having just the right amount of carbohydrates, let’s talk about which are the best sources of carbohydrates.

Carbohydrates are divided into complex carbohydrates and simple carbohydrates. The complex carbohydrates give you sustained energy (“timed release”) while the simple carbohydrates gives you immediate energy. It is recommended that you eat mainly complex carbohydrates throughout the day except after the workout where your body needs simple carbohydrates in order to replenish its glycogen levels immediately, something that will aid faster recuperation and rebuild of the muscle. Below is a list of good sources of carbohydrates:

Complex Carbohydrates:

There are two types:

Complex Carbohydrates:

1) Starchy: Oatmeal (1 cup dry), sweet potatoes (8 oz baked), potatoes (8 oz baked), rice (1 cup cooked), pasta (8oz cooked), corn (1 cup canned), peas (2 cups cooked). Each serving approximately equals 40-50 grams of carbohydrates.

2) Fibrous: Broccoli (1/2 cup raw), carrots (1 cup raw), cauliflower (1/2 cup raw), green beans (1/2 cup raw), lettuce (5 cups raw), mushrooms (3/4 cups raw), pepper (1/2 cup raw), spinach (3-1/2 cups raw), zucchini (1 cup raw). Each serving approximately equals 6 grams of carbohydrates.

Simple Carbohydrates:

Apples (1 apple), bananas (1 banana), grapefruit (1 grapefruit), grapes (22 grapes), oranges (1-1/2 orange), pears (1 pear), pineapple (3/4 of a cup).

Each serving approximately equals 20-25 grams of carbohydrates.

#2. Protein

Every tissue in your body is made up from protein (i.e., muscle, hair, skin, and nails). Proteins are the building blocks of muscle tissue. Without it, building muscle and burning fat efficiently would be impossible. Its importance is paramount. Protein also helps increase your metabolism every time you eat it by 20%! It also makes the carbohydrates timed release, so you get sustained energy throughout the day.

Everybody that is involved in a weight training program should consume between 1 gram of protein to 1.5 grams of protein per pound of lean body mass (meaning that if you are 100 lbs. And have 10% body fat, you should consume at least 90 g of protein since your lean body mass = 90 lbs.). Nobody should consume more than 1.5 grams per pound of lean body mass as this is unnecessary and the extra protein may get turned into fat.

Good examples of protein are fish (salmon, tuna, tilapia), eggs (I use Egg Substitute: 1-1/2 cups liquid), chicken breast (cooked, skinless and boneless: 6 oz), turkey (cooked, skinless and boneless: 6 oz), lean (90% lean) red meats (6 oz), and nuts. Each serving size equals approximately 35-40 grams of protein.

#3. Healthy Fats

All the cells in the body have some fat in them. Hormones are manufactured from fats. Also fats lubricate your joints. So if you eliminate the fat from your diet, then your hormonal production will go down and a whole array of chemical reactions will be interrupted. Your body will then start accumulating more body fat than usual so that it has enough fat to keep on functioning. Since testosterone production is halted, so is muscle building. Therefore, in order to have an efficient metabolism we need fat.

There are three types of fats: Saturated, polyunsaturated, and monounsaturated.

a) Saturated Fats: Saturated fats are associated with heart disease and high cholesterol levels. They are found to a large extent in products of animal origin. However, some vegetable fats are altered in a way that increases the amount of saturated fats in them by a chemical process known as hydrogenation. Hydrogenated vegetable oils are generally found in packaged foods. In addition, coconut oil, palm oil, and palm kernel oil, which are also frequently used in packaged foods and non-dairy creamers are also highly saturated.

b) Polyunsaturated Fats: Fats that do not have an effect in cholesterol levels. Most of the fats in vegetable oils, such as corn, cottonseed, safflower, soybean, and sunflower oil are polyunsaturated.

c) Monounsaturated Fats: Fats that have a positive effect on the good cholesterol levels. These fats are usually high on the essential fatty acids and may have antioxidant properties. Sources of these fats are Fish Oils, Virgin Olive Oil, Canola Oil, and Flaxseed Oil. We like to refer to these types of fats as good fats.

Twenty percent of your calories should come from good fats. Any less than 20% and your hormonal production drops. Any more than 20% and you start accumulating plenty of fat. The way that I get my fats is by taking 1 teaspoon of Flaxseed Oil three times a day (I put them in my protein shakes).

Good sources of fat are canola oil (1 tablespoon), natural peanut butter (2 tablespoons), olive oil (1 tablespoon), flaxseed oil (1 tablespoon), and fish oils (1 tablespoon). Each serving size contains approximately 14 grams of fat.

D) Water

Water is by far the most abundant substance in our body. Without water, an organism would not survive very long. Most people that come to me for advice on how to get in shape, almost always underestimate the value of water.

Water is good for the following reasons:

1) Over 65% of your body is composed of water (most of the muscle cell is water).

2) Water cleanses your body from toxins and pollutants that would get you sick.

3) Water is needed for all of the complex chemical reactions that your body needs to perform on a daily basis. Processes such as energy production, muscle building, and fat burning require water. A lack of water would interrupt all of these processes.

4) Water helps lubricate the joints.

5) When the outside temperature is up, water serves as a coolant to bring the body temperature down to where it is supposed to be.

6) Water helps control your appetite. Sometimes when you feel hungry after a good meal this sensation indicates a lack of water. Drinking water at that time would take the craving away.

7) Cold water increases your metabolism.

In order to know how much water your body needs a day, just multiply your lean body weight by .66. This would indicate how many ounces of water you need in a day.”

About The Author: Hugo Rivera, About.com’s Bodybuilding Guide and ISSA Certified Fitness Trainer, is a nationally-known best-selling author of over 8 books on bodybuilding, weight loss and fitness, including “The Body Sculpting Bible for Men”, “The Body Sculpting Bible for Women”, “The Hardgainer’s Bodybuilding Handbook”, and his successful, self published e-book, “Body Re-Engineering”. Hugo is also a national level NPC natural bodybuilding champion.

So you read all that great info from Hugo, right? What happens if the food you’re eating isn’t as nutrient rich? How much would you have to eat? What if you eat lots of organic, raw, and healthful food but your digestive tract cannot properly assimilate (digest or absorb) the nutrients nor transport them to the vital systems in your body? Stay-tuned for a post series and booklet regarding “regenerative nutrition”.

Thanks for reading this far down the post.

DISCLAIMER: MOVE To Be Fit and Lifestyle & Fitness Coach, Marlina Velasco, has provided resources and information as foundations above as a supplement to her approach and philosophy on lifestyle, eating habits, and nutrition; but is not intended as substitute for one-on-one dialog and personalization of specifically designed plan that will increase your level of success and long-term results while you are living-out your journey toward optimal health, fitness, and overall well-being. Some content has been modified from original source to vary food choices, grammar, or flow.

I’m curious: How many of you have a scheduling system? How many of you include your workout as a planned event?

Here’s one of many great articles written by a champion bodybuilder, about goal-setting…

Fail to Plan, Plan To Fail: The Importance of Goal Setting

By Merilee A. Kern :: Original Post Click Here

Goal setting is a powerful tool, whether applied to one’s professional life, personal aspirations or health objectives. In fact, goal setting can make the critical difference between success and failure.

One obvious goal of many may be to simply stick to your diet and/or exercise program in the context of a busy, overscheduled daily routine, but effective goal setting goes far beyond this fairly elementary ambition.

While life may seem out of control at times and that you’re a passenger in life rather than the driver, remind yourself that YOU hold the greatest power of all – that is the ability to design your own life. You can wake up every morning and decide to exercise, lift your own spirit through positive affirmations, and eat a nutritious breakfast, or you can choose other options that may be detrimental to your emotional and/or physical health. Ultimately, the decision is yours and yours alone.

Here are a few tips to make lifetime commitments through goal setting:

1. Don’t compare yourself with anyone except your self. This is not about winning or losing. This is about making your life better – whatever that means for YOU.

2. Focus on the present – How will you feel after your exercise session today? Will your ability to resist that Danish fill you with a sense of accomplishment?

3. Imagine the results – literally. How you picture yourself is often a self fulfilling prophecy. Day dream in detail about how you would like to look. Athletes picture themselves performing their event over and over again in their minds until they finally perfect it. If you see your self as soft, sloppy, weak, tired, or stressed, this may very well become your reality for just thinking it. Picture yourself standing tall taking deep breaths, confidently striding forward as you approach life head on.

4. Take small steps – they DO count! It’s impossible to stop smoking, start drinking 64 oz of water, and exercising 5 days a week. Start slowly, one attainable goal at a time. Begin with taking a short walk and slowly work your way up.

5. Be patient – it make take weeks before you start noticing you have more energy, your clothes are fitting more loosely and you aren’t getting short of breath walking up a flight of steps. When you do recognize these signs of achievement, revel in the glory.

6. Put holes in your excuses. When you find your self coming up with an excuse not to exercise, go back to the reasons why you want to exercise in the first place. Put a stop to the negative self talk and obstacle formation. Grab that mental sledge hammer and break through!

7. Journal – If you do just one thing related to goal setting, begin journaling. Tracking your progress can help you stay focused. Write down not only your goals, but what exercises you did, how you are feeling and what small changes you are noticing in your everyday life like, not being short of breath or lifting something with ease, or having less pain. Writing your goals in front of your journal would help you to review them daily.

I’m so proud of Jessica and her continued commitment to her health and well-being. As the saying goes, a picture is worth a thousand words!

Many of you reading this may relate to Jessica’s story. She experienced divine intervention, an epiphany about her health and fitness; then took immediate action. Her motivation wasn’t for looks or some shallow, short-term, get-into-a-bathing suit reason to start eating clean and moving. She made a long-term decision and is now experiencing the “Live Out Loud” (LOL) Lifestyle. Her increased energy, vitality, and improved fitness has allowed her to participate in life to the fullest.

Jessica recently commented, “Tia se llama being healthy and I’m finally at the weight I need to be, I’m maintaining myself now, so get used to seeing me like this.”

Like Jessica, dare yourself…perhaps even your family, friends, and co-workers to adopt a Live Out Loud Lifestyle!

What ways will you take action? Leave a comment and share your LOL Lifestyle.

Tips for first steps…

This year, a small group of brave riders will join me. It’s two weeks sooner than anticipated. But as most “Champions” will do, we’re all taking on the challenge. Last week, in heavy rain, three of us rode the first course planning route from Champions Centre Bellevue campus to Ikea District part of the Interurban trail in Renton then back. My legs weren’t quite ready, and I ran our of much needed body fuel due to the unscheduled one-hour pit spot at Center Cycle. I didn’t wear the correct gear so I got soaked, and my body temp drop to unsafe level. So, Dave and his team were kind enough to put me in dry top and rain gear. Love those guys! They helped me gear up for last years ride as well, tuned-up my bike, and put slicks on my mountain wheels. At 12noon today, again in wet, Northwest conditions, we’ll finalize the first part of the route for Tour de Champions Liberty500 ride for Saturday, April 16, 2011.

The Why:  To support our church’s biggest campaign of the year, a group of us are riding our bicycles from our Bellevue campus to our Tacoma campus and taking pledges.

What is Liberty Offering? It’s a once a year sacrificial offering that our entire church gets involved in. Children, youth, adults – everyone brings their very best offering. More info…

I’m excited about setting a faster pace this year since I will have friends along for the ride…quite literally.

“Attend” the Facebook Event “in spirit” to show your support. Please help me with a pledge of any amount toward our group goal of $500. Donate now.

MOVE To Be Fit is sponsoring the First Annual Newcastle Duathlon set for April 21, 2012 with 9:00am start.

“Duathlon is a run bike run event. It’s as simple as that. You run. Then you bike. Then you run.” says David Vaughan. He is an elite Duathlon athlete who maintains a blog on the subject.

SATURDAY, APRIL 21ST

Walk-Ride-Walk:
1-mile walk, 5-mile ride, 1-mile walk

This course offers some flat and hilly asphalt and some paved Lake Washington bike trails. The last 1-mile walk is on Newcastle Trails system leading back to Lake Boren Park.

Run-Ride-Run:
3-mile run, 10-mile ride, 3-mile run

This course offers hilly, paved bike lanes between Newcastle and Northeast Renton, and some paved Lake Washington bike trails. The last 3-mile run is on Newcastle Trails system leading back to Lake Boren Park.

Do you remember hearing “you are what you eat” from Mom? In reality; you are what your digestive tract can breakdown and absorb. Any idea what happens to food that you cannot breakdown and assimilate? Ewww! It’s not pretty. So, consider eating the best that nature offers, will you please?

Top Ten List

It’s always best to work with nature. While our regenerative nutrition regime is designed to take advantage of the best of nature, it still makes good sense to back it up with these readily available “superfoods”. The list can be greatly expanded but this is a good start. Make it a goal to add a minimum of three items off the recommended list to your daily food program.

Apples: Different varieties of apples offer different phytonutrients, they are all loaded with antioxidants, including flavonoids, polyphenols, and fiber. (Cinnamon is also considered by many to be a super food in its own right so get twice the benefit by slicing up an apple and sprinkling cinnamon.)

Avocados: Avocados provide nearly 20 essential nutrients, including fiber, potassium, Vitamin E, B vitamins and folic acid. They also act as a “nutrient booster” by enabling the body to absorb more fat-soluble nutrients, such as alpha and beta-carotene and lutein, in foods that are eaten with this fruit (similarly to the benefits from olive oil–healthy monounsaturated fatty acids). These are “good fats” and appear to lower LDL (bad) cholesterol levels, and raise HDL (good) levels.

Beans: They haven’t gotten the same media buzz as blueberries but some beans have more health-promoting antioxidants. They also have as much cholesterol-lowering fiber as oats and high in lean protein with is beneficial to heart health. They are also rich is B vitamins and potassium which includes both dried and green beans.

Blueberries: Fresh or packaged, frozen berries are sold throughout the year. Each tiny fruit deliver a highly concentrated amount of antioxidants including anthocyanins and other polyphenols, and carotenoids. They also contain fiber, folic acid and vitamins C and E, and full of flavor with few calories.

Dark chocolate: A great source of guilt-free flavonoids, 83% or more cacao solids bars offer the same kinds of antioxidants in herbal tea. Research shows that flavonoids play a role in helping to lower blood pressure and in keep arteries from clogging which is good news for your heart. Milk and white chocolate do not offer the same benefits.

Kiwi fruit: Loaded with Vitamin C similar as the antioxidants in oranges. Kiwis contain about as much potassium as bananas, and rich in Vitamins A and E.

Flavonoid antioxidants can be found in the skin which is edible after removal of the hair-like peel. When crushed, the black seeds produce kiwi fruit oil which is very rich in Alfa-Linoleic Acid (an important Omega-3 essential fatty acid).

Oats: Known for high fiber content, oats also deliver protein, potassium, magnesium and other minerals, and phytonutrients including antioxidants. Their cholesterol-lowering characteristics are well-known, and the fiber helps to stabilize blood sugar. The combination of nutrients appears to work synergistically for more healthy effects than when consumed separately. Similarly true of all whole grains, oats are relatively inexpensive.

Spinach: A well documented and popular fact is that these dark greens are loaded with lutein (great for eyes), many other carotenoids (antioxidants) and extremely high coenzyme Q content, several B vitamins, Vitamins C and E, iron and other minerals, and betaine (a vitamin-like nutrient beneficial to heart health). Low in calories, spinach can be consumed is mass similarly to kale, chard and other dark leafy greens.

Yogurt: Live cultures, also called probiotics or beneficial bacteria, are yogurt’s claim to fame. Read labels carefully and be aware of some manufacturing processes that may kill the cultures and processed sugar content in flavored varieties. Inside your digestive system, they fight bad bacteria, aid in digestion, help metabolize food and generally balance your flora and fauna. Yogurt is a good source of calcium and protein.

Super Food Glossary

Antioxidants: An umbrella name for many substances that retard the body’s normal process of oxidation, meaning a reaction to oxygen that releases “free radicals” that damage cells and break the body down. Digestion releases free radicals from food. Antioxidants help prevent this and also are thought to destroy free radicals and slow oxidation, reducing allergies, heart disease and cancer and the effects of aging. Dozens of antioxidant nutrients have been identified so far and are likely many more. Many vitamins have antioxidant effects, including Vitamin A (carotene), C and E.

Flavonoids: These are the best-known antioxidants (like tea and dark chocolate), among a groups called polyphenols. You also see the word flavonol, which is a subgroup. Relatives are anthocyanins which give blueberries their fame.

Carotenoids: These are the pigments that protect dark green, yellow, orange and red fruits and vegetables from sun damage, and they work as antioxidants in humans, too. Beta-carotene is the best known and also called Vitamin A. Although there are dozens, common carotenoids are lycopene and lutein.

Vitamins: Nutrients considered essential to health; a shortage of vitamins can create health problems.

Phytonutrients: Plant-derived compounds that are believed to improve your health but aren’t essential to your health. This includes antioxidants.

What are you and your BFF doing this Friday night? Come MOVE with us at the first of many Puget Sound area Friends Fitness & Fashion Soirée | 02.18.11 events happening 5-8pm sponsored by Move To Be Fit.

“The title ‘Friends Fashion & Fitness Soirée’ has a ring to it.” said Marlina Velasco, Move To Be Fit founder and fitness trainer. Creation of a media kit was the next step. Then, she pulled together a vendor list and sent out initial shout-out to local women entrepreneurs with whom she recently connected. ”I have clear vision of a marketing strategy and event logistics. We have six weeks until the launch, and need to work fast!” Marlina said in the initial stages of planning the February 18th event. More info…

VISIT: http://friendsfitnessfashion.com/.

Thanks so much for continuing to follow! If you need content from the old site, please scroll way down to the bottom menu for the link or click here to access the data. After that, MOVE is officially…Well, MOVEd to this more robust venue. The other site will stay live for reference.

Leave your comments and MOVing testimonials would-jah?! Please?…pretty please with with antioxidant rich blueberries on top? Thank you in advanced for your time and sharing your well-being victories. Reader’s who’s lives you touch by your share will also appreciate you, I’m sure of it!

Are you an “intractable fanatic”? Would your former employee call you “a zealot, his vision so pure that he couldn’t accommodate that vision to the imperfections of the world.”

One of my personal trainers and I recently talked in great detail about a crazy idea trapped in my head for several weeks about fitness competitions. Yes, my crazy idea about entering into a figure contest in summer 2011. He said, “Your dream has to be big enough. You have to want it bad enough. You have to be willing to give-up something. Your social life or something else will have to wait. Be ready to commit to a strict program, strongly disciplined, and prepared for disappointment at that high level of athletic competition.”

He had a lot more to say but the hour long conversation had a theme similar to this book teaser I found during landing page wifi log in, otherwise known as “Starbucks Digital Network in partnership with Yahoo!”

Perhaps I’ve become an intractable fanatic about fitness. You tell me. I do know one thing about the vision for Move To Be Fit. Change the world’s lifestyle…one iMOVEment at a time. Read on…

“How Steve Jobs Saved Apple”
By The Editors of New Word City

INTRODUCTION

When John Sculley engineered the firing of Steve Jobs from Apple, the company Jobs had co-founded, it was on the grounds that Jobs was an intractable fanatic whose vision for Apple could never work. “Apple was supposed to become a wonderful consumer products company,” Sculley wrote. But obviously, “This was a lunatic plan. High tech could not be designed and sold as a consumer product.”

So much for the conventional wisdom of 1985. Twelve years later, with Apple about to crash and burn in pursuit of Sculley’s vision, the board of directors brought Jobs back to take over the company — and ever since, he has been proving just how wrong Sculley was.

In the process, Apple, led by the quirky, inimitable Jobs has revolutionized the electronic world and changed the world’s lifestyle with an unprecedented series of high-tech consumer goods, from the iMac computer to the iPod, the iPhone, and now the iPad. He has shaken up entire industries, from music and entertainment to telecommunications. He has made Apple the world’s most admired company and raised its market valuation to a dizzying $250 billion — more than Coca-Cola and General Electric combined. And he has stood another bit of conventional wisdom on its head, defying the heralded “openness” of the Internet era to put Apple at the center of a closed economic empire shaped and controlled by none other than Steve Jobs. Many analysts wonder how long he can maintain such a high level of control, but Jobs’ turnaround of the ailing Apple holds lessons for people in leading-edge companies of all stripes.

Chapter 1: “CHANGE THE WORLD”

Apple’s beginnings are the stuff of legend: In 1976 Jobs, a 21-year-old college dropout, and his high school friend Steve Wozniak raise working capital by selling Jobs’ Volkswagen minibus and Wozniak’s programmable calculator. Then they launch Apple to peddle personal computers from the Jobs family garage in Los Altos, California. Just four years later, with 1,000 employees, they take the company public with the largest initial stock offering since that of the Ford Motor Company in 1956; after one day of trading, Apple was worth $1.7 billion. Four years after that, the first Macintosh computer introduced consumers to a whole new concept of windows, icons, and the mouse.

Jobs had a personal hand in developing the Macintosh, and his charisma in introducing it at the annual shareholders’ meeting created what was described as “pandemonium.” But he was young, inexperienced at business, and sometimes erratic in personal relations; his people complained they were on a roller coaster between being heroes and “bozos.” Even though Jobs was board chairman, his directors never made him chief executive. (Wozniak, after suffering a concussion in a plane crash that diminished his memory, left the company to become a teacher). It was Jobs who recruited Sculley, then the president of PepsiCo, for the CEO position, with the memorable challenge: “Do you want to sell sugared water for the rest of your life, or do you want a chance to change the world?”

As head of the Macintosh division, Jobs was an inspiration — a showman and a leader who demanded, and got, the best from his people. He enticed an engineer from Xerox by telling him, “I hear you’re great, but everything you’ve done so far is crap. Come work for me.” But as one of his board members at the time was to recall, “Back then he was uncontrollable. He got ideas in his head, and the hell with what anybody else wanted to do. Being a founder of the company, he went off and did them regardless of whether it ended up being good for the company.” Sculley called him “a zealot, his vision so pure that he couldn’t accommodate that vision to the imperfections of the world.” And when Macintosh sales slumped and layoffs became necessary in 1985, Sculley persuaded the board to oust Jobs.

Visit New Word City to explore more and purchase
the iBooks edition of How Steve Jobs Saved Apple