Onyx Fitness Therapy

A 9/11 Experience: My Connection to Flight 93 by D.O.C. I have a personal connection to the September 11th attacks in 2001, particularly Flight 93 . I am one of the few Americans to encounter the terrorists, then participate in the conflict they started. I did not understand that until years later. It began August 2000.  I had just graduated high school and was working a job at Publix Supermarket in Miramar. Towards the end of the year, I had left that job in search of a fitness job, which was my new passion. I applied to many local gyms including Club Fit (defunct) and L.A. Fitness in Pembroke Pines. I finally settled on a gym called US1 Fitness, which at the time was located in Dania Beach. Ziad Jarrah The terrorist I encountered as a teenager fresh out of high school was Ziad Jarrah , the lead hijacker who took the wheel of Flight 93 that crashed in Shanksville, Pennsylvania on 9/11/01. Very polite person. I remember him asking me two questions. The first, how to use a particular m

A Bully Story: What To Do Against Harassment by D.O.C., OTD/C If there is one unfortunate constant of life, it's bullying. For kids, play (at any capacity) is their #1 occupation. But when bullying come into play, it disrupts the natural progression on a child. Bullying is like a weed in a garden. It has the ability to alter a child's personality across the lifespan into adulthood. At it's most extreme consequence, a repercussion of bullying is a mass shooting inside a high school. For me, I received my own shock from bullying during my childhood when we moved from a quiet town in Illinois to a heavily populated Little Haiti community in Miami, and lived as a real life Karate Kid. At that time, I was forced to fight daily against "Zoe Pound" gang members in Middle School. Zoe Pound grew to be one of the most notorious gangs in the U.S. with prominent members such as the rapper Kodak Black . Having to face bullying from this gang changed who I was to the point to w

9 Warning Signs of Heat Stroke by D.O.C., OTD/C As a victim of a heat stroke myself while on a mission in Iraq, I am compelled to dedicate this public health & health promotion blog towards the historic heat wave raging throughout this planet in the summer of 2023 and how it affects your occupational health. Exposure to extreme heat can  result in occupational illnesses and injuries . Heat stress can result in heat stroke, heat exhaustion, heat cramps, or heat rashes. It is important to note that a heat stroke is the more severe form of a heat injury or heat stress.  A heat stroke is clinically defined as when your core temperature soars above 104 degrees Fahrenheit, along with central nervous system dysfunction.   Here are 10 warning signs to recognize upon the onset of a heat stroke. 1) Warning sign: Confusion This is by far one of the biggest signs of heat stroke. It’s actually similar to hypothermia (when the body temperature drops too low): Sufferers may begin to make poor dec

10 Things That Happen to Your Body When You Lose Sleep by D.O.C., OTD/C Sleep is an occupation. In occupational therapy,  sleep is conceptualized as  a restorative occupation with the goal of rest and recuperation , and good sleep and rest could support the formation of the occupation mix of self-care, work, and leisure during the day. But what happens when you don't sleep? 1. You get sick Losing sleep can impair your body’s ability to fight off illness. This makes it easier to get sick. Researchers even uncovered a reciprocal relationship between sleep and your immune system. You may lose additional sleep while your body fights off a bug if you get sick and haven’t had enough shut-eye. 2. Your heart suffers Both short sleep durations (less than 5 hours per night) and long sleep durations (9 or more hours per night) have been shown to have a negative impact on heart health, according to an analysis published in the European Heart Journal. In particular, your chances of developing c