Saturday, January 26, 2008

Ginger Inhibits Ovarian Cancer Cell Growth

Ginger Inhibits Ovarian Cancer Cell Growth


ginger, health benefitsGinger may be useful for treating and preventing ovarian cancer, according to a new study.

The spicy root not only has antioxidant and cancer-fighting properties, but the study also found that the ginger component gingerol exerts anti-inflammatory effects by mediating NF-KB, a protein complex that regulates your immune system’s response to infection.

In the study of cultured ovarian cancer cells, ginger inhibited growth and modulated secretion of angiogenic factors, which is a fundamental step in the transition of tumors from a dormant state to a malignant state.

The ginger also inhibited vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and interleukin-8 (IL-8), two compounds that are related to cancer growth.

Scientists Admit -- Sun Exposure Benefits Outweigh Risks

Scientists Admit -- Sun Exposure Benefits Outweigh Risks


sun, sunlight, exposure, sunshineModerate sun exposure offers more health benefits than risks, particularly for people who are deficient in vitamin D or who live in colder, northern latitudes, according to U.S. and Norwegian researchers.

The study found that vitamin D levels, which were calculated based on sun exposure, were linked to survival rates for cancer patients. Those who lived in sunnier, southern latitudes, and had higher vitamin D levels, were less likely to die from cancer than people in northern latitudes.

The researchers analyzed the amount of vitamin D generated by sun exposure at different latitudes, and cross-referenced it with data of cancer incidence and survival rates for people living in varying locations.

They found that people in northern latitudes produce significantly less vitamin D than people nearer to the equator. Specifically, they found Australians produce 3.4 times more vitamin D than people in the United States, and almost five times more vitamin D than Scandinavians.

Meanwhile, rates of major cancers such as colon, lung, breast and prostate increased from north to south, while survival rates decreased from north to south.

The researchers said the findings provide further support for sun-induced vitamin D on cancer prognosis.

Previous studies suggest that vitamin D may protect against cancer by discouraging out-of-control cell reproduction and hindering the formation of new blood vessels for tumors.

Cancer-Causing Benzene Still in Drinks

Cancer-Causing Benzene Still in Drinks


SodaNearly one out of ten of 200 beverage samples analyzed in a recent study by the EPA and FDA still had benzene levels above the U.S. EPA drinking water limit of 5 parts per billion (ppb).

Many manufacturers have reformulated their products to minimize or eliminate benzene. In these reformulated products, benzene levels were 1.1 ppb or less. About 71 percent of beverage samples contained less than 1 ppb.

Benzene can form in beverages that contain the preservative benzoate salt and ascorbic acid (vitamin C). Beverages were reformulated in the early 1990’s to avoid benzene formation, but it has recurred in recent years because new manufacturers were unaware of the problem and added vitamin C to drinks.

Friday, January 25, 2008

Top 7 Articles | Most Viewed Health Articles

The Healing Power of Magnets

This is a great article and I have been using magnets myself for many years. They have helped me recover from injuries due to training and Thai Boxing. I really believe in them and there is much scientific evidence backing them up! You need to know that there are different types of magnets, varying in strength. So before you decide to buy one I would suggest you do a bit of research on them first.

Read The FULL Article HERE >>>>>

Take The Transformational Challenge | The NEW "You" In The NEW YEAR!

Hey friends, I just came across a body transformation contest. I suggest you decide to take the transformational contest challenge and enroll yourselves. You have nothing to lose, but weight of course, and there are great prizes to be won. This could be what you were looking for this year to really make some changes. What are you waiting for...take a look at the contest rules by visiting www.TurbulenceTraining.com

Read The FULL Article HERE >>>>>


H20 | Hydrate Or Die

Right from the top, juice, soda, alcohol and coffee/tea do not count as water! I see a lot of people counting those drinks as part of their daily intake of water, but what they really do is increase your sugar (and calorie) consumption and DEHYDRATE you even more than you already are. And to be clear, dehydration does the opposite of what water does, which is hydrate your body. Keep in mind that your body is made up of 80% water and most of the population is severely dehydrating themselves due to their westernized way of living. So, beyond the obvious reasons, why should you be drinking water? Here are 5 reasons why:

Read The FULL Article HERE >>>>>


Are Personal Trainers Right For You!?

The New Year is here and I can bet that many people have Health and Fitness on their mind, especially getting into the best shape of their lives. There for you will most likely need a gym membership. And what goes along with that is the up sell of a Personal Trainer. Don't get me wrong the gym is in the business of getting you into shape. But just be cautious as to which PT you choose to work with.

There will be many new Personal Trainers that enter the field this year and many more to come. But also many will leave the field not because they are retiring, but because they are not passionate about it. I have put this article together to help you make a sound decision if you decide to hire one, or not!

Read The FULL Article HERE >>>>>


3 Reasons For Your Weight Gain

Reason #1

You think that not eating will make you lose weight

Not eating is what will get you fat in the first place. This drastically slows your metabolism and puts your body into hibernation. Your body is designed to protect you and it will do anything to keep you alive. In this case it's keeping you alive from you staving yourself by storing fat and slowing your metabolism. The basic trick is to start eating. You can start by eating a few portions a day. A portion serving size can be measured by a closed fist. Be sure to include lean protein sources, complex carbohydrates, and essential healthy fats!

Read The FULL Article HERE >>>>>


How to Ensure Your Health & Fitness Resolution

I have made a note of the importance of having a new years resolution. It gives you a chance to start new, to start fresh. I don't believe you have to wait for the New Year to start something though. You should start as soon as possible and put all the excuses behind you! The reasons we fail in the past, and for some reason never bring our resolutions to reality is because we break our promise!

Read The FULL Article HERE >>>>>


500 Workout; What Is It & How To Do It...

Here’s a pretty cool article by Craig Ballantyne, author of Turbulence Training…

If you’ve seen the movie “300″, then you probably notice the incredible physiques that the actors had. There has been much hype over the film 300, or more specifically over the athletic physiques of the men that appeared in the film. Many people were soon asking, how do I get a body like that? What sort of training program do I need to follow? Is it possible for the average guy to look so athletic? In short, the answer is yes. But it requires a lot of hard work. The sculpted bodies in the movie "300" were chiseled by the legendary 300 workout found in Men's Health magazine. The actors trained hardcore, using kettle bells, weights, bodyweight, tires, and more.

But for most people, this workout was difficult to do because it includes a lot of equipment typically not found in home gyms or commercial gyms. So you couldn't do the kettle bell clean and press or box jumps.

That's why Men's Health expert Craig Ballantyne developed the Turbulence Training Bodyweight 500 workout. This is a 500 repetition workout performed using only bodyweight exercises. No weights are needed. It's still challenging, it will still burn fat, and it will still help you achieve the body of a Greek Warrior. The great thing is that you can do it in any gym, or with a few pieces of equipment, a home gym also.

Read The FULL Article HERE >>>>>


Wednesday, January 23, 2008

Magnets And Their Ability To Heal

The Healing Power of Magnets

This is a great article and I have been using magnets myself for many years. They have helped me recover from injuries due to training and Thai Boxing. I really believe in them and there is much scientific evidence backing them up! You need to know that there are different types of magnets, varying in strength. So before you decide to buy one I would suggest you do a bit of research on them first.

Magnets have been used for their healing properties since ancient times, and now a new study has found that they can reduce swelling when applied immediately after an inflammatory injury.

In their initial study, researchers from the University of Virginia set out to investigate the effect of magnetic therapy on microcirculation, which is blood flow through tiny blood vessels.

They placed magnets of 70 milliTesla (mT) field strength, which is about 10 times the strength of the common refrigerator magnet, near rats’ blood vessels and found that they dilated constricted blood vessels, and constricted vessels that were dilated. The results suggested that the magnetic filed could relax blood vessels and increase blood flow.

In the more recent study, the researchers used magnets on rats’ paws that had been treated with inflammatory agents to simulate tissue injury. The magnets significantly reduced swelling in the rats’ paws by up to 50 percent when applied immediately after the injury.

Dilation of blood vessels is a major cause of swelling, and it’s thought that the magnets worked by limiting blood flow.

Muscle bruising and joint sprains are the most common injuries worldwide, and since injuries that don’t swell heal faster, the magnet therapy could have widespread applications.

The researchers envisioned using magnets in place of ice packs and compression to treat injuries in high school, college, and professional sports teams, as well as among retirement communities.

Sources:

* Science Daily January 3, 2008

* American Journal of Physiology: Heart and Circulatory Physiology November 2, 2007

Deepak Chopra | The Wonder of YOU!

I though this would be a great 1 minute inspirational video for you to watch!

Saturday, January 19, 2008

Take The Transformational Contest


Hey friends, I just came across a body transformation contest. I suggest you decide to take the transformational contest challenge and enroll yourselves. You have nothing to lose, but weight of course, and there are great prizes to be won. This could be what you were looking for this year to really make some changes. What are you waiting for...take a look at the contest rules by visiting www.TurbulenceTraining.com

Sorry for the short notice, I just found out about this today. The deadline to enter is this Monday, January 21st, 2008. I know it's a late reminder but I just found out about it today.

Turbulence Training
www.TurbulenceTraining.com


The contest is only open to men and women who have purchased Turbulence Training and who post their before and after photos in the forum of the Turbulence Training Member's Site.


Prizes for the Contest:

Grand Prize - $2000 & a 3-year Platinum TT Membership

Second Place - $1000 & a 2-year Platinum TT Membership

Third Place - $500 & a 1-Year Platinum TT Membership


So now that you know the prizes, go find out the contest rules and apply.


Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS
http://www.TurbulenceTraining.com

P.S. If you do not decide to take the challenge for some crazy reason, you can download a Bonus eBook to get you started working out.

4- Week WORKOUT -Download HERE

Thursday, January 17, 2008

The New You In The New Year | With The Right Help Of Course

Here is another look at my reviews for the top 3 selling ebooks online for weight loss and fitness. These are the programs I highly recommend because they work and they have been on the market for a very long time. Most of my clients that I work with do use these ebooks. They have proven to be very useful in my practice as a Nutritionist and Personal Trainer.

"Learn The Real Truth About Burning Fat Before You "BURN" $50 or $100 Or More! Get The Story Straight!"

There are a thousand products out there claiming to change your life over night. The truth is, NOTHING CHANGES OVERNIGHT! Remember to read this page completely, so you can make an informed decision about which "fat burning" product you "invest" in!

Read This Page Before You End Up Burning Money Instead!!

There are literally an endless number of different weight loss systems available on the web today, most of which are overpriced and ineffective junk.

The recent statistics are no surprise: Over 97% of people who begin a weight loss program quit after just a few weeks due to a lack of positive results. This is a vicious circle created by the marketers so they can sell you more and more. Consumers who are in the "Hope & Purchase" cycle are ideal targets for them to make money! Yes!! That's true! Avoid being in this vicious circle at any cost!

We offer full reviews of popular downloadable e-Books and guides for dealing with various health issues. Below you'll find side by side reviews of 3 top weight loss/muscle gain guides, including the pro's and con's of each product. Our top recommendation is "Burn The Fat Feed The Muscle" by Tom Venuto. The Burn the fat guide is a complete package of 341 pages of Tom's extensive research. Though, the lucid style of this book makes it very easy for anyone to follow and understand.

He has obviously read widely and thoroughly investigated the science behind many aspects of health and nutrition which form the cornerstones to his proven approach to successful long term weight loss. As a professional body builder, Tom has had the opportunity to apply and test his theories, both on himself and the people whom he coaches professionally to understand what works and why.

Below you will find our current top picks...
Our #1-Rated Program As Of November 2007

Rating:
5/5

#1 Ranked Best-Seller

Click For More Info

Burn The Fat, Feed The Muscle System

By Tom Venuto

Our Product Review:

While reading Tom's website, you simply cannot overlook his remarkable list of credentials. He's a lifetime body-building fanatic and as he mentions, has spent 14 years researching, testing and perfecting the techniques outlined in his book.

The sight looks like it's only for wannabe body-builders, do not be fooled by Tom's looks! The fat loss techniques covered in the book are just that, fat loss...... not body-building, not intense fitness training, fat loss. We have rated this book number one, it is an excellent read. It's well structured, covers everything you need to know about burning off body-fat, and most importantly, it uses weight loss techniques that are realistic and achievable for anyone. If you're looking for a book which teaches intense workout sessions to burn body fat, take a look at Turbulence training below.

Click here to visit the Burn The Fat, Feed The muscle website.

Our #2-Rated Program As Of November 2007

Rating:
4/5

#2 Ranked Best-Seller

Click For More Info

Truth About Abs

Our Product Review:

Although this product is marketed specifically at achieving toned, abdominals, the information contained deals with fat loss just as much as it focuses on the abdominals, after all, the abs are one of the main trouble-spots for excess fat.

In this guide, you'll learn why many of the cliché, cardio fat loss exercises are an inefficient use of your workout time, and what exercises you should really be using. The thing I really like about this book is that it's got a good balance of nutritional information (the foods you should be eating to reduce/prevent body-fat,) as well as highly effective exercises to compliment your eating plan.

Click here to visit the truth About Abs website.

Our #3-Rated Program As Of November 2007

Rating:
3/5

#3 Ranked Best-Seller

Click For More Info

Turbulence Training

Our Product Review:

This program focuses on short, intense workout sessions as the main way to loosing body fat and toning up. Although this system won't be for everyone (especially if you've gone years without), it does take an interesting perspective at loosing weight with out hour after hour of cardio work. The e-Book looks at all over fat-loss, and includes information on how to burn off fat without burning muscle. As mentioned, the main focus is workout technique and intensity, the system isn't as focused on the nutrition side of things as the above products, although there is some good nutrition info in one of the bonus books.

All in all, this is a great way to go if you don't have a lot of time to spend on slow cardio, and you're willing to give an intense effort at the exercises outlined.

Click here to visit the Turbulence Training website.

Wednesday, January 16, 2008

H20 | xxxx Hydrate or DIE xxxx

Right from the top, juice, soda, alcohol and coffee/tea do not count as water! I see a lot of people counting those drinks as part of their daily intake of water, but what they really do is increase your sugar (and calorie) consumption and DEHYDRATE you even more than you already are. And to be clear, dehydration does the opposite of what water does, which is hydrate your body. Keep in mind that your body is made up of 80% water and most of the population is severely dehydrating themselves due to their westernized way of living. So, beyond the obvious reasons, why should you be drinking water?


Here are 5 reasons why:


1. Water is essential for proper digestion, nutrient absorption and chemical reactions. The carbohydrates and proteins that our bodies use as food are metabolized and transported by water in the bloodstream. No less important is the ability of water to transport waste material out of our bodies.

2. Water is the substance of life. Life can not exist without water. We must constantly be adding fresh water to our body in order to keep it properly hydrated. Water can be a miracle cure for many common ailments such as headaches, fatigue, joint pain, and much more. We can go for weeks without food, but only 3 days without water!

3. Water is essential for proper circulation in the body. The levels of oxygen in the bloodstream are greater when the body is well-hydrated. The more oxygen the body has readily available, the more fat it will burn to use for energy. Without the presence of oxygen, the body cannot properly use your body's stored fat for energy. Not only will the body burn more fat when it's well-hydrated it also increases oxygen levels; which means you will also have more energy.

4. Water helps remove toxins from the body, in particular from the digestive tract. Water suppresses the appetite naturally and helps the body metabolize stored fat. Studies have shown that a decrease in water intake will cause fat deposits to increase, while an increase in water intake can actually reduce fat deposits.

5. Dehydration can occur at any time of the year, not only during the summer months when it is hot. The dryness that occurs during winter can dehydrate the body even quicker than when it is hot. When you are dehydrated you tend to eat more. The rule of thumb when drinking water is to drink your own bodyweight divided by 2 in ounces.

For example, my bodyweight is 180 pounds so my daily intake of water should be at least 90 oz. What is your daily intake? Have you been drinking enough water? If not make the changes now. A good way to drink more water is to just replace all of your juices and sodas with good old H2O.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Dean_Boukaras

Personal Trainers | Are They Right For You!?

The New Year is here and I can bet that many people have Health and Fitness on their mind, especially getting into the best shape of their lives. Therefor you will most likely need a gym membership. And what goes along with that is the up sell of a Personal Trainer. Don't get me wrong the gym is in the business of getting you into shape. But just be cautious as to which PT you choose to work with.

There will be many new Personal Trainers that enter the field this year and many more to come. But also many will leave the field not because they are retiring, but because they are not passionate about it. I have put this article together to help you make a sound decision if you decide to hire one, or not!

Fitness is becoming ever so popular and so are jobs in the fitness industry. A lot of people are hiring Personal Trainers more so than ever before, or have thought of hiring a personal trainer in the past. Personal trainers are the professionals of the weight loss industry. It's funny in a way that when you need someone to handle your legal affairs you hire a Lawyer. If you need someone to fix your car you hire a mechanic. But when people think about losing weight they go through a myriad of choices include fad dieting, weight loss products, plastic surgery etc...

The problem with those options is that they are only short term solutions. You will probably see weight loss in the short term but be extremely frustrated when you gain back the weight AND THEN SOME. All of those above solutions do not tackle the real problem which is our North American lifestyles. The truth is we need to be informed of the right decisions.

The Pros & Cons of A Personal Trainer

Personal trainers cost money

Personal trainers charge anywhere between $40-120 per session, and yes you read that right. That's just for a one workout session which is no more than an hour. Also with that said in order to train with some personal trainers you may need to get a gym membership, which means more costs for you. These costs can range from $240-720 just for a package of 6, plus the gym membership.

There are different levels of certifications

Let's be real now, almost anyone can get a certification and those that don't just can't cut it. A certification is just a way of telling whether or not this trainer is competent enough to know his/her basic anatomy and exercise physiology. You need to check if your trainer is certified and IF they have other certifications. It does not automatically make them the best but you at least weed out contenders from the pretenders. Still note that having a certificate doesn't mean they know what they are doing.

Don't be a guinea pig

The personal training industry has a 90% turnover rate. A lot of people think they can do the job but only a few actually stick around. You want to be with someone who has a proven track record to get you to where you want to be. Check their references through testimonials and past clientele. If they were referred to you then it's EVEN BETTER.

How is their fitness level?

Looks are not everything but they are a good indicator when choosing the right trainer. Would you be motivated by a trainer who is overweight and soft? I didn't think so.

Health and Fitness MUST be their choice of career

Not every good trainer will be a trainer for life. But I have always found that the best, most knowledgeable and the ones that probably have the most fun at training are those that make health and fitness a career. They are just more serious about the job then someone who is doing it part time to "make a little extra cash".

Tips!

If you have ever wanted to try personal trainer HIRE one for a session and see the difference. Many offer a free Personal Training session, but some don't. I would advise to find a trainer that is willing to prove themselves to you with a free session. In most cases if you find the right PT you will achieve your results 80% faster and come away with knowledge that could quite possibly last you a lifetime.

You should also consider tackling the right nutritional guidance. Many Personal Trainers do a great job at training their clients, but many know nothing about the importance of Nutrition and how it can speed up your weight loss results. You need to implement sound Nutritional advice to any weight loss regimen. Learn the importance of Nutrition, from the foods that make us fat, to the ones that help us burn fat. Download your free weight loss report, packed with tips and tricks on weight loss by clicking HERE. This offer won't last long and it usually sells for $47 USD. Your's FREE for the holidays!

Dean Boukaras is a person who has dedicated his life to educating and helping as many individuals as possible reach their absolute physical best. I truly want to impact one person at a time by spreading the health and fitness truth.

3 Reasons For Your Weight Gain

Reason #1

You think that not eating will make you lose weight

Not eating is what will get you fat in the first place. This drastically slows your metabolism and puts your body into hibernation. Your body is designed to protect you and it will do anything to keep you alive. In this case it's keeping you alive from you staving yourself by storing fat and slowing your metabolism. The basic trick is to start eating. You can start by eating a few portions a day. A portion serving size can be measured by a closed fist. Be sure to include lean protein sources, complex carbohydrates, and essential healthy fats!

Reason #2

You try to lose weight with the newest fad diet

Fad diets are designed to make you lose weight almost drastically. The real method to losing weight is long term. About 1-3 pounds of fat loss is ideal. The overall goal is to implement healthy life style choices rather than dieting.

Reason #3

Your metabolism is too slow

Why your metabolism is Slow!

  • You don't eat
  • You skip breakfast
  • You don't eat the right foods
  • You eat one big meal before you go to bed
  • You don't move around
  • Your thyroid may be sluggish
  • You're toxic
  • You're too stressed out
  • You don't get enough sleep

You can increase your metabolism by just doing the opposite listed above. With some exceptions of course. Review my other articles on weight loss to further assist you!

What foods make us Fat?

There are plenty of foods that make us fat, but they can be easily put into category.

For instance anything that can be bought at the convenience store is most likely packed with sugars, artificial sweeteners, and is highly processed. So I would stay away from anything that is created for convenience. Avoid foods that are refined, and processed. Foods like white rice, white bread, pretty much anything white. Switch to alternatives like whole wheat bread, and brown rice. The obvious fast food chains make us fat too, and don't be fooled with their salads because the dressing can send that into a high calorie meal. The main objective is to avoid highly processed foods, which are loaded with simple sugar. Therefore you should acquaint your self with whole foods that haven't been modified, processed or contaminated with pesticides. In this case anything that Mother Nature makes, not what science makes!

Dean Boukaras is a person who has dedicated his life to educating and helping as many individuals as possible reach their absolute physical best. I truly want to impact one person at a time by spreading the health and fitness truth.

How to Ensure Your Health & Fitness Resolution

I have made a note of the importance of having a new years resolution. It gives you a chance to start new, to start fresh. I don't believe you have to wait for the New Year to start something though. You should start as soon as possible and put all the excuses behind you! The reasons we fail in the past, and for some reason never bring our resolutions to reality is because we break our promise!

Cont...

Broken Promises

Every year we make New Year's resolutions, only for them to quickly ware off within a few days, weeks, and even months. We try our hardest to use motivation to keep us in the game, but it goes beyond that. Motivation can only last so long, we need to know exactly what prevents us from going through with our goals.

The majority of people, approximately 95% of them don't follow through on their plans and goals, especially their New Years Resolutions. Usually because people don't set goals and they don't know how to put them into action...

You need to know why you're setting a goal and what it will do for you when you achieve it. Let's say you want to lose weight. Ask yourself why do you really want to lose weight, what will it do for you, what will achieving weight loss make you feel?

Get closer to your goals this year

  • Where are you right now in your life?
  • Do you want to lose more weight?
  • How much? Do you want to feel healthier, happier?
  • Do you want to build more muscle?
  • Do you want to sculpt your thighs and buns?

These are some basic questions you need to ask yourself. Once you know what you want and where you are, then we can go on to the next step. Choosing exactly what you want is the most important step.

Let say you want to lose 5 pounds, then this would be the goal.

I you need to lose 5 pounds than this is where you are. You are in a place of being 5 pounds overweight. You need to be clear about this part and it should be a specific as possible. Remember loosing 5 pounds is just an example I am using to demonstrate how to effectively set goals. You may want to loose more weight, or you might want to build muscle. Whatever it is, you need to identify it, and you need to be specific. If you want to gain muscle, than how much do you want to gain and by what date?

Overview

A few things to keep in mind

  • Know what you want, this is your goal (lose 5 pounds)
  • Be committed to this (is this what you really want to accomplish?)
  • Put the goal into action

When you set a goal you need to get emotionally energized. A goal needs to excite you and have you jumping out of bed. In the beginning you might be going through some changes and you might feel a bit down. This might be your negative programming talking.

Get focused, gather all your resources that you need to bring your goal to reality.

Get momentum, by sticking with your goals. Get informed, how are you going to start something if you don't know how too. Seek the advice of a professional like myself, or talk to someone you know that has already accomplished what you want to accomplish.

Take Action

Start right now. What can you do right now to bring you one step closet to your goals?

If you want to learn what it takes to lose weight, and achieve a better life, than your already one step ahead because you are reading this e-book.

Next you probably want to start to apply the things you learn in the book. Let's say you want to start working out, you can get a gym membership, or you can assemble your own home gym. You can start by buying a pair of running shoes; just take the first step to make your goal a reality. All of these require you to make an informed decision first. So gather the right information. If you decide to get a gym membership, then you might want to ask people from the gym if they like it there.

Past Accomplishments

Refer back to a time when you accomplished something big or small. It takes the exact same amount of preparation to achieve something big or small. So pick your goals wisely. You might as well go for big, but realistic!

  • What did you want to accomplish last year that you never came around doing?
  • Can you make that a reality this year?
  • What do did you least enjoy last year?
  • What were some of the more important decision you made last year? If they proved useful than apply that strategy here!

Write down anything you want to accomplish, even if they are goals outside of fitness and health. These rules apply to everything. What have you done in the past to overcome obstacles and challenges in your life?

These are important exercises because they will help you become more aware of how to achieve your goals, and make your dreams a reality.

If you have accomplished a goal in the past write down the steps it took you to accomplish it. In as much detail as possible. This is important because you can duplicate that system, and even improve on it.

  • Did you focus on this goal day and night?
  • Were you emotionally charged about it?
  • Did you have a plan written out, and was it executed?

What are the reasons for you achieving your goals and why must you absolutely achieve them?

  • What are your most important goals you want to achieve this year?
  • What are some of things that might be holding you back from getting what you want?

What small thing can you do right now to bring your goals to reality? Could you buy a new pair of running shoes, clean out your kitchen cabinets of junk food, pass by the super market to buy wholesome foods, call a buddy and tell them you are committing to a program, get a gym membership, maybe join a support weight loss group/ forum, whatever it is that you can do right away. Even sign a written agreement with yourself, a promise to yourself that you will commit to making your New Years Resolution a reality!

I hope this was helpful. Some of you may already have the eBook version and others may have read this article already. I wanted to make sure I made it available here, just in case!

P.S You can download the eBook version of this article by clicking the link Below!

I have put together this article in eBook form, please feel free to download it to your computer!

Dean Boukaras is a person who has dedicated his life to educating and helping as many individuals as possible reach their absolute physical best. I truly want to impact one person at a time by spreading the health and fitness truth.


Thursday, January 3, 2008

Happy New Year

I hope everyone got a chance to download the freebies that I was giving out before the new year. If you missed out or couldn't find the link. Here it is...

http://www.truth-about-weight-loss.com/bbw2008.htm

I truly hope everyone had a great new year. Download the freebies from the link. You will find a eBook on New years resolutions. I hope this will help you guys, and gals bring in the new year with a bang.

I will be posting several times a week and possibly daily. I want to stay committed to the amount I post, but I have become very busy with a few of the projects I'm currently working on! So for the mean time I'll do my best. See you guys soon!

Here is a great article from Tom Venuto, Enjoy;

Not long ago, one of the members of my health club poked her head in my office for some advice. Linda was a 46 year old mother of two, and she had been a member for over a year. She had been working out sporadically, with (not surprisingly) sporadic results. On that particular day, she seemed to have enthusiasm and a twinkle in her eye that I hadn’t seen before.

"I want to enter a before and after fitness contest called the “12 week body transformation challenge." I could win money and prizes and even get my picture in a magazine."

“I want to lose THIS”, she continued, as she grabbed the body fat on her stomach. “Do you think it’s a good idea?”

Linda was not “obese,” she just had the typical “moderate roll” of abdominal fat and a little bit of thigh/hip fat that many forty-something females struggle with.

“I think it’s a great idea” I reassured her. “Competitions are great for motivation. When you have a deadline and you dangle a “carrot” like that prize money in front of you, it can keep you focused and more motivated than ever.”

Linda was eager and rarin’ to go. “Will you help me? I have this enrollment kit and I need my body fat measured.”

“No problem,” I said as I pulled out my Skyndex fat caliper, which is used to measure body fat percentage with a “pinch an inch” test.

When I finished, I read the results from the caliper display: “Twenty-seven percent. Room for improvement, but not bad; it’s about average for your age group.”

She wasn’t overjoyed at being ‘average’. “Yeah, but it's not good either. Look at THIS,” she complained as again she grabbed a handful of stomach fat. “I want to get my body fat down to 19%, I heard that was a good level.”

I agreed that 19% was a great goal, but it would take a lot of work because average fat loss is usually about a half a percent a week, or six percent in twelve weeks. Her goal, to lose eight percent in twelve weeks was ambitious.

She smiled and insisted, “I’m a hard worker. I can do it”

Well, indeed she was and indeed she did. She was a machine! Not only did she never miss a day in the gym, she trained HARD. Whenever I left my office and took a stroll through the gym, she was up there pumping away with everything she had. She told me her diet was the strictest it had ever been in her life and she didn't cheat at all. I believed her. And it started to show, quickly.

Each week she popped into my office to have her body fat measured again, and each week it went down, down, down. Consistently she lost three quarters of a percent per week – well above the average rate of fat loss – and on two separate occasions, I recall her losing a full one percent body fat in just seven days.

Someone conservative might have said she was overtraining, but when we weighed her and calculated her lean body mass, we saw that she hadn’t lost ANY muscle – only fat. Her results were simply exceptional!

She was ecstatic, and needless to say, her success bred more success and she kept after it like a hungry tiger for the full twelve weeks.

On week twelve, day seven, she showed up in my office for her final weigh-in and body fat measurement. She was wearing a pair of formerly tight blue jeans and they were FALLING OFF HER! “Look, look, look,” she repeated giddily as she tugged at her waistband, which was now several inches too large.

As I took her body fat, I have to say, I was impressed. She hadn’t just lost a little fat, she was “RIPPED!”

During week twelve she dropped from 18% to 17% body fat, for a grand total of 10% body fat lost. She surpassed her goal of 19% by two percent. I was now even more impressed, because I had only seen a handful of people lose that much body fat in three months.

You should have seen her! She started hopping up and down for joy like she was on a pogo stick! She was beaming… grinning from ear to ear! She practically knocked me over as she jumped up and gave me a hug – “Thank you, thank you, thank you!”

“Don’t thank me,” I said, “You did it, I just measured your body fat.”

She thanked me again anyway and then said she had to go have her “after” pictures taken. Then something very, very strange happened. She stopped coming to the gym. Her "disappearance" was so abrupt, I was worried and I called her. She never picked up, so I just left messages.

No return phone call.

It was about four months later when I finally saw Linda again. The giddy smile was gone, replaced with a sullen face, a droopy posture and a big sigh when I said hello and asked where she’d been.

“I stopped working out after the contest... and I didn’t even win.”

“You looked like a winner to me, no matter what place you came in” I insisted, “but why did you stop, you were doing so well!”

“I don’t know, I blew my diet and then just completely lost my motivation. Now look at me, my weight is right back where I started and I don’t even want to know my body fat.”

“Well, I'm glad to see you back in here again. Write down some new goals for yourself and remember to think long term too. Fitness isn’t a just 12 week program you know, it’s a lifestyle - you have to do it every day - like... forever.”

She nodded her head and finished her workout, still with that defeated look on her face. Unfortunately, she never again come anywhere near the condition she achieved for that competition, and for the rest of the time she was a member at our club, she slipped right back into the sporadic workout pattern.

Linda was not an isolated case. I’ve seen the same thing happen with countless men and women of all ages and fitness levels from beginners to competitive bodybuilders. In fact, it happens to millions of people who “go on” diets, lose a lot of weight, then “go off” the diet and gain the weight right back.

What causes people to burn so brightly with enthusiasm and motivation and then burn out just as quickly? Why do so many people succeed brilliantly in the short term but fail 95 out of 100 times in the long term? Why do so many people reach their fitness goals but struggle to maintain them?

The answer is simple: Health and fitness is for life, not for "12 weeks."

You can avoid the on and off, yo-yo cycle of fitness ups and downs. You can get in great shape and stay in great shape. You can even get in shape and keep getting in better and better shape year after year, but it's going to take a very different philosophy than most people subscribe to. The seven tips below will guide you.

These guidelines are quite contrary to the quick fix philosophies prevailing in the weight loss and fitness world today. Applying them will take patience, discipline and dedication. But remember, the only thing worse than getting no results is getting great results and losing them.

1) Don’t “go on” diets.

When you “go on” a diet, the underlying assumption is that at some point you have to “go off” it. This isn’t just semantics, it’s the primary reason most diets fail. By definition, a “diet” is a temporary and often drastic change in your eating behaviors and/or a severe restriction of calories or food, which is ultimately, not maintainable. If you reach your goal, the diet is officially “over” and then you "go off" (returning to the way you used to eat). Health and fitness is not temporary; it’s not a “diet.” It’s something you do every day of your life. Unless you approach nutrition from a “habits” and “lifestyle” perspective, you’re doomed from the start.

2) Eat the same foods all year round.

Permanent fat loss is best achieved by eating mostly the same types of foods all year round. Naturally, you should include a wide variety of healthy foods so you get the full spectrum of nutrients you need, but there should be consistency, month in, month out. When you want to lose fat, there’s no dramatic change necessary - you don’t need to eat totally different foods - it’s a simple matter of eating less of those same healthy foods and exercising more.

3) Have a plan for easing into maintenance.

Let’s face it – sometimes a nutrition program needs to be more strict than usual. For example, peaking for a bodybuilding or fitness contest requires an extremely strict regimen that’s different than the rest of the year. As a rule, the stricter your nutrition program, the more time you must allow for a slow, disciplined transition into maintenance. Failure to plan for a gradual transition will almost always result in bingeing and a very rapid, hard fall "off the wagon."

4) Focus on changing daily behaviors and habits one or two at a time.

Rather than making huge, multiple changes all at once, focus on changing one or two habits/behaviors at a time. Most psychologists agree that it takes about 21 days of consistent effort to replace an old bad habit with a new positive one. As you master each habit, and it becomes as ingrained into your daily life as brushing your teeth, then you simply move on to the next one. That would be at least 17 new habits per year. Can you imagine the impact that would have on your health and your life? This approach requires a lot of patience, but the results are a lot more permanent than if you try to change everything in one fell swoop. This is also the least intimidating way for a beginner to start making some health-improving lifestyle changes.

5) Make goal setting a lifelong habit.

Goal setting is not a one-time event, it’s a process that never ends. For example, if you have a 12 week goal to lose 6% bodyfat, what are you going to do after you achieve it? Lose even more fat? Gain muscle? Maintain? What's next? On week 13, day 1, if you have no direction and nothing to keep you going, you’ll have nothing to keep you from slipping back into old patterns. Every time you achieve a goal, you must set another one. Having daily and weekly short term goals means that you are literally setting goals continuously and never stopping.

6) Allow a reasonable time frame to reach your goal.

It's important to set deadlines for your fitness and weight loss goals. It's also important to set ambitious goals, but you must allow a reasonable time frame for achieving them. Time pressure is often the motivating force that helps people get in the best shape of their lives. But when the deadline is unrealistic for a particular goal (like 30 pounds in 30 days), then crash dieting or other extreme measures are often taken to get there before the bell. The more rapidly you lose weight, the more likely you are to lose muscle and the faster the weight will come right back on afterwards. Start sooner. Don't wait until mid-May to think about looking good for summer.

7) Extend your time perspective.

Successful people in every field always share one common character trait: Long term time perspective. Some of the most successful Japanese technology and manufacturing companies have 100 year and even 250-year business plans. If you want to be successful in maintaining high levels of fitness, you must set long term goals: One year, Ten years, Even fifty years! You also must consider the long term consequences of using any "radical" diet, training method or ergogenic aid. The people who had it but lost it are usually the ones who failed to think long term or acknowledge future consequences. It's easy for a 21 year old to live only for today, and it may even seem ridiculous to set 25 year goals, but consider this: I've never met a 40 or 50 year old who didn't care about his or her health and appearance, but I have met 40 or 50 year olds who regretted not caring 25 years ago.

Tom Venuto is a certified personal trainer, natural bodybuilder and author of the #1 best selling diet e-book, "Burn the Fat, Feed The Muscle. You can get info on Tom's e-book at: http://www.burnthefat.com

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