|
“I had the same outlook as other
young people: work to get money to have a good time on the weekend,” he
reflects.
“You never worry about the future.”
Although Carlos loved school and was a top student, after the auto
accident he was forced to stop attending Secandario (high school)
because in the early 1980s there weren’t services for the disabled.
“I spent years confined to bed.
Fortunately, I had always loved to read. I became interested in health
issues, nutrition and exercise. I decided to teach myself how to be fit
and healthy.”
Bored with inactivity and concerned about
a weight gain, Carlos devised an exercise program that he could do to
regain strength.
His first weights we re
made by his father of cement.
Thrilled with the physical and mental
improvement Carlos experienced, he dared to dream of someday owning and
operating his own gym- and helping people maximize their health.
Carlos’ enthusiasm for
weight training was catching: soon after beginning his own regimen, two
of his buddies started working out with Carlos at his home.
The three friends pooled their resources
to purchase the first set of weights. For the next twenty years, Carlos
studied physical conditioning;
applying what he learned, first to
himself, then to the people who came to his impromptu home gym.
“I saved as much as I could, purchasing
additional equipment to better help target different areas of the body,”
Carlos earnestly explains. “I realized I was good at developing
effective exercise
 programs
that achieved results for others.
I feel proud that as the word spread, more
people came to me asking for fitness advice.”
Finally, in
2004, Carlos actualized his dream by opening his spacious gym at its
current location.
Gym Carlos has two comfortable exercise
rooms loaded with a complete array of workout equipment that target
specific muscles-
everything from stationary bikes, free
weights, and incline boards to resistance machines.
There is a conference room/kitchen where
Carlos meets with customers to discuss nutrition and design individual
fitness training programs.
When queried about the use of
steroids associated with bulking up,
Carlos indignantly replied, “I strongly advise my clients to avoid all
dangerous drugs.
True strength and definition can only come
from discipline and hard effort.
It isn’t a quick process.”
Gym Carlos is open
from 6 to 11 am and 4 to 10 pm
Monday through Friday, and 6 am to noon on
Saturdays.
During the initial visit, Carlos assesses
the customer’s needs and physical condition to design an individual
exercise plan: he then takes you through the routine instructing on
proper form and the correct way to use the equipment. “Safety is very
important- improper form causes injury and will prevent you from
achieving your fitness goal,” said Carlos. “I evaluate the client’s
progress every two months, and revise their exercise program
accordingly.” The
 monthly
membership allows the client to choose a convenient schedule for their
workouts.
Carlos
demonstrating equipment at his gym.
Looks easy……
When Carlos isn’t pumping iron, he
likes to relax
playing the guitar, sing karaoke, draw,
and read.
As the Riviera Nayarit area has grown,
with an increase in foreigners visiting and relocating here, Carlos
began studying English. “I want to be able to communicate with my
clients. Besides,” he says with a shy grin, “I like learning stuff.”
While many would have given up on life or
turned to begging when faced with the setbacks Carlos has experienced,
his positive outlook and motivation spurred him on to earn a livelihood
that supports not only himself but his 80 year old mother and sister.
It is no surprise that the community
respects this self-made businessman.
To contact Carlos: (cell)
322-121-6110
(home)
327-274-0787
Bahia de Bandera #13
To Contact Tara:
terri_sprs@yahoo.com
December Book Recommendations from Mexico Book Club
Ed Hutmacher - MexicoBookClub.com
|
| |
|
|
Our book recommendations page on the
Mexico Book Club website now draws about 1,200 unique
visitors a week, a good indication that curious readers are
looking for books about Mexico. This month's December picks
serve up another handful of good reads that will inform,
inspire or entertain you throughout the holiday season:
Noche Buena: Hispanic American Christmas Stories
edited by Nicolas Kanellos (2000; Collected stories -
Fiction and Non-fiction) — It’s December, the month when
holiday and Christmas enchantment fills the air. We wanted
to discover a book that could be enjoyed by children and
adults alike, and this one delivers the right portions — a
magical trove of stories, poetry and songs (past and
present) that celebrate the special experience of Mexicans
and Latin Americans during the season of Navidad. Each story
captures some flavor of the cultural landscape that makes
the season of Noche Buena (the "Good Night") such a moving
experience. Reading it is like opening a present filled with
verse and prose.
Cantinflas and The Chaos of Mexican Modernity by
Jeffrey M. Pilcher (2001; Non-fiction) — Mexican comedian
Mario Moreno, a.k.a. Cantinflas, was the most popular movie
star in Mexican history. A fast-talking, nonsensical
character, Moreno helped Mexico’s underclass embrace their
mestizo identity by deftly satirizing pompous socialites and
powerful elites via his trademark word play of double
meanings and innuendoes. But this book is more than a
biography; it presents a broader perspective on Mexico’s
cinema and entertainment culture which facilitated Moreno’s
rise to fame (chiefly, the 1930s through the 1950s) while
his country and compatriots struggled with the "chaos of
modernity."
True Tales From Another Mexico by Sam Quinones (2001;
Non-fiction) — Quinones’ book was published in 2001, so it’s
not new. But his 15 "true tales" are so fascinating in their
depiction of contemporary Mexican subcultures — people,
places, big-town and small-town politics and crime — we
think the book deserves more readers who are interested in
the real-life challenges and illicit undercurrents many
Mexicans confront and navigate every day. In other words,
beware — Quinones' journalistic eye for detail and nose for
digging out a story may shock unsuspecting readers expecting
the more popular and generally romanticized view of Mexican
life and culture found in mainstream travel books.
Mexico: A Traveler’s Literary Companion edited by C.M.
Mayo (2006; Fiction) — This anthology of 24 short stories
and novel excerpts, all penned by prominent Mexican writers,
is indeed a great companion for discriminating travelers.
It’s a reminder that Mexico's literary scene is both diverse
and delectable — "a vast banquet," as Mayo describes it in
the book's preface. Considering Mexico's storied but
turbulent history, she champions Mexican literature as "one
of the greatest achievements of the Americas. And yet we who
read in English go hungry, for so little of it is
translated." The stories are arranged by geographic region,
which makes discovering Mexico through Mexican fiction a
pleasurable adventure.
Mexican Muralists by Desmond Rochfort (1998;
Non-fiction) — It’s easy to like the art of the Mexican
muralists Diego Rivera, David Alfaro Siqueiros and José
Clemente Orozco. Travelers to Mexico have all been exposed
to their work at some point in time and in some way or
another. This book is a wonderful summary of these great
men’s influential lives. It’s both a pictorial and
biographical account of how and why they embarked on a
mission of creating a self-consciously popular art, using
Mexican folk imagery as their inspiration and the events of
Mexican history their subject matter. Rochfort is a bit too
scholarly in his style but the content is thorough, balanced
and beautifully illustrated. A good book for any home
library.
Ed Hutmacher is Editor in Chief of
Mexico Book Club. For more information on the above books or
other books about Mexico, please visit the website at
MexicoBookClub.com. |
|
|
President Calderón Confirms Federal Government's
Commitment
to Combating Organized Crime
Presidencia de la República
go to original
 President Felipe Calderón declared that
Federal Government will continue its firm commitment to
fighting organized crime and re-establishing legal order and
security in the country.
During his celebration of the 50th Anniversary of the
National Chamber of the Industry of Restaurants and Spiced
Foods (CANIRAC), the President said that he will continue
with his decision to eradicate corruption.
"We have launched Operation Clean-Up because we will not
tolerate civil servants who have colluded with crime in
Federal Government. I do not care how long they have
colluding, the point is that we are going to act as we have
done, with determination," he declared.
Addressing an audience of restaurant owners, President
Felipe Calderón said that during the first two years of his
government, the authorities have worked ceaselessly on
security issues. For example, they impounded a record amount
of cocaine, 24 tons in Manzanillo, seized the largest amount
of cash, $205 million USD and confiscated the largest amount
of weapons from organized crime in the world, 500 firearms,
half a million cartridges and 200 grenades.
"We have attacked all the structures of organized crime in
Mexico and seized several of their leaders: in the case of
the Tijuana Cartel, Eduardo Arellano Félix, in the case of
the Pacific Cartel, Beltrán Leyva, alias "El Mochomo" and in
the case of the Gulf Cartel, in the past three weeks, they
have arrested Hummer and Amarillo and JC, and put several
other criminals behind bars," he explained.
The President added that since August 21, the day the
National Security, Legality and Justice Agreement was
signed, federal forces have arrested a gang of kidnappers
every two days.
In this respect, he declared that in addition to providing
security and peace of mind for Mexico’s restaurant owners,
government is continuing to promote specific measures to
benefit this industry.
These include the Franchise System, particularly in the food
and beverage sector, where the goal for 2012 is to have
2,000 of these operating, which will create nearly a million
and a half jobs.
There is also Modernize Quality Program, designed for
restaurant firms in tourist resorts.
In 2009, in conjunction with the Tourism Secretariat and the
Tourist Promotion Council, a campaign will be launched to
promote Mexican restaurants. SECTUR and the Economy
Secretariat will explore schemes to benefit small and medium
tourist businesses. This year alone, they have supported the
sector by providing 2,000 firms in the sector with $115
million pesos and for 2009, they plan to assist another
6,000.
"During this celebration, I would like to tell you once
again, that my government is determined, regardless of the
external circumstances we may have to deal with, that the
Mexican government is determined to strengthen, redouble,
and multiply its efforts to help businessmen in Mexico who,
like ourselves, continue to bet on this country."
Most Events are Clickable
go to 2009 Calendar
For problems or questions regarding this Web site contact
editor@jaltembasol.com
Page 1-
Mexico News, Features
Page 2 - Features
Page 3
-
Features, Weather, Sports,
Exchange, Community Calendar
Page 4
- Classifieds
Page 5
- Real Estate
|
