Got a minute?

That’s all I need to share my first of many video-based 1-minute fatloss tips.

Go here for the first of many….

click—–>  How To Eat Your Favorite Foods And Drop Bodyfat

My new design is something to see too.

I have my weekly live 1-minute video, tons of new features… even a “diet quiz” if you care to test your fatloss knowledge.

Plus my main presentation: “1 Tip To A Flat Belly!”

Just don’t laugh at my ballcap/unshaven look in the video… I wanted this to be super-casual, but I may have taken it a bit too far… ; )

Oh… speaking of a flat belly… I’d like to give you yet another reason to eat and workout the way I suggest in “Every Other Day Diet” and “7 Minute Body”…

I had to go to the hospital last week. No worries… I’m fine… just a bit of a scare. Definitely enough to wake you up from walking through life like it will never end! But fortunately for me, only a scare.

Anyway, the doctors in the hospital were amazed when they looked at my heart and lungs (they had to make sure I did not have any infection… and I didn’t.)

“Most 46-year-olds do not have these around their heart,” the doctor said as he showed me the pictures they took. You could see all these vessels around the heart and branching off the main arteries.

“Peripheral vessels… they were formed by your exercise program. Well-done! These help keep your heart strong and healthy.”

Every doc that listened to my heart said, “Wow… strong heart!”

Indeed… resistance training makes it so.

Before I left, after the scare went away, I asked the doctor his opinion on my dietary plan. “Well, obviously you are very lean and in fantastic shape for a man of any age.”

Thanks doc, but I wasn’t fishing for a compliment!  Since this was a heart doctor I was curious as to his thoughts.

“If you had heart disease, or if you want to prevent it, this is the exact dietary plan I would recommend.”

While I expected to hear this, it was still music to my ears.

So, my higher-than-normal dietary fat and protein, lower-carb, and relatively frequent “fun food” dietplan is “ideal” to combat heart disease according to the good doc. And according to my family doctor.

Nice to know.

Read more about my plan here…

click—–>  How To Eat Your Favorite Foods And Drop Bodyfat

Remember:  A good dietplan and exercise is not always sufficient to keep you disease-freee… but I love what the doctor told me.  “People who exercise and eat like you LIVE through it and recover much faster.”

Fortunately I didn’t have a nasty virus to recover from… but if I did, I know my condition would have helped me do just that.

Believe it or not you can get lean by eating fast food.

I know, it sounds crazy… but in a few weeks I’m going to prove it to the world with the release of my newest mini e-book “Fast Food Fitness: How I Dropped 40lbs Eating Fast Food Every Day.”

Do you think I’m joking?  I’m not.

Of course there’s a WAY to eat fast food and drop the pounds. You can’t just eat like everyone else does. That’s common sense.

And believe me, there are more healthy ways to drop the pounds than eating fast food… for sure.

But the way I figure it: Would you rather be healthIER and lean or UNhealthy and overfat?

Silly question… so consider “Fast Food Fitness” a path to the lesser of two evils… and one that actually got me to 10% bodyfat (that’s pretty lean!) a few years ago.

Here’s how it started:

I simply hate to cook!  I have since solved that problem… I hired a part-time chef (it’s cheaper than it sounds)… but until two years ago I was eating out every single meal… I mean EVERY MEAL.

Most of the time… not all of the time, but most of the time… these meals were fast food joints like burger joints and even fried chicken places.

But I had to keep my physique, so … what to do?

Well… you’ll have to wait. At least a few weeks.

If you want the book for half-price, you have to own a copy of “Every Other Day Dietplan”… everyone who owns a copy before “Fast Food Fitness” hits the Internet will get half-off.

So go here if you don’t have EODD yet …

click—–>  My Favorite Foods Fatloss-Plan

Here’s 3 of my top 25 fast-food diet-tips… just these 3 will take you 1/3 of the way there…

First, use my Half-n-Half Principle. Order whatever you are going to order and then have the person behind the counter cut the order exactly in HALF.

Half to go… half to eat there.

Eat half now…. then the other half 3-4 hours later. Believe it or not you will store less bodyfat and even increase your metabolism eating like this.

Simple trick… give it a shot.

Second, ditch all the starch. That means buns, bread and anything made of flour. BUT here’s the “still tastes good” trick I use. I keep ONE of the pieces of bread from, say, my hamburger. Then I “pick” at it while I enjoy the meat and either a small diet soda or tea. Eat no more than 5 “picks” at the bread… about half a slice. You still get the exact taste of a burger with none of the stuff that makes most people over-fat.

Third, for you chicken lovers, split your order between fried and baked chicken. KFC has excellent baked chicken… try it. Then strip most of the skin off the fried chicken. Not all… most.

You still get the taste, but with far fewer bad food-stuffs and calories…. make sense?

Enjoy the tips… but remember, the healthiest (and tastiest) way to eat is still my Every Other Day Dietplan, which works in your favorite foods each week….

click—–>  My Favorite Foods Fatloss-Plan

It was the weirdest thing …

I mean, I’ve been around you know? I’ve had just about every body and fatloss experience you can think of… the good, the bad, the ugly…

… and now the really bizarre.

Here’s the story:

I took off on an 8-day cruise to the Caribbean. This was a “business” cruise (yeah, right)… and I knew there was no way to eat the way I prefer to eat. At least not ideally. After that I had to speak in Tampa Florida at a fitness summit, then off to Las Vegas for yet another summit meeting.

All-in-all I was gone for almost three weeks.

First thing that I knew had to go was my “ideal” dietplan.

That’s my “Extreme” Plan on the Every Other Day Dietplan…

Every Other Day Dietplan

There are three plans in EODD:  The Primer Plan, which is literally “every other day”. You get to eat your favorite foods within reason every other day or so on this Plan. It’s perfect for folks who ‘hate’ dieting because, let’s face it, anyone can diet-for a day, right? Right.

Then there’s the Lifestyle Plans. These are two days of “burn eating” followed by a day of eating favorite foods. Most people use this because it too is so simple to use.

Then for we athletes and fitness pros there’s the Extreme Plan. This is for ultimate bodyfat loss and muscle-shaping. I love this plan.

But hey… it’s a vacation. And so I decided to eat on the Primer Plan… remember, that’s every other day. So every other day on the cruise I had a small dessert (sometimes two), pizza, or pasta… whatever I wanted within reason. The days before I did perfectly, substituting my morning shake for egg white omelets with a bit of cheese and a lot of veggies. Yum! 

Within three days I had LOST more than 4 lbs… or about 2 kg. Pure fat… well, a bit of water I suppose, but mostly that stubborn bodyfat around my middle that’s the last to go.

What the heck was going on?

Wait… the story gets better…

I move on to Tampa, and then Vegas, and now I’m 11 lbs (about 5 kg) down. My jeans ALL require a belt, only this time it’s not a fashion statement.

Frankly, I’m as surprised as you may be.

But I figured out why this happened. And I want to share it with you so you can use EODD (or another plan if you want… but mine is the best… : ) when you go on vacation or take a break.

Here’s why I dropped the last bit of my bodyfat:

First, I was on a VERY large cruise ship. I knew my weight training would not be as intense (the weights were not that heavy) but I also knew I could just make it work… train a bit more and go for the “pump”… just a good, quick workout. I ended up training 5 days on the cruise without a problem (and only ONE day of cardio for 20 minutes… you see, you do NOT need cardio to dump bodyfat!)

But the difference was in the WALKING. The ship was the largest ever built… the size of 2.5 football fields. And I walked everywhere… on the islands, on the boat, even to every meal. Just walking burned off FAR more calories than my normal lifestyle, which like most of you has a lot of sitting down to it. ; )

Walking… my favorite “Cardio” to this very day.

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My Supplement Tricks

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Second, I took extra potassium, along with all of my Radical Fatloss Blueprint Supplements. I carried them all on board.

You can read more about the supplements I take for “radical” fatloss here:

www.radicalfatlossblueprint.com

The two that really did the trick for me was the Aqualize (also known as Acquacil), only 1-2 a day, along with the amino acids.

Finally, I realized that I need MORE food than I’m eating now in order to increase my metabolic rate. Just a bit… about 400 calories a day more than I have been eating. Doing just that rebooted my metabolic rate and presto… 11 lbs of bodyfat and useless water is history. My abs have never looked better.

I hope this gives you some encouragement when it comes to being on the road or on vacation. With the right plan (like EODD and Radical Fatloss) you can actually improve your body…

… and best of all, I enjoyed every minute of my vacation! 

P.S.  An important note was that I made a decision not to drink on the cruise or elsewhere. I had one small glass of wine last night to celebrate with my largest affiliate and business comrade. He flew in from Israel just for this meeting, and it was the least i could do. Roei and I had a blast all day.

The reason drinking is a problem is that alcohol shuts down fat-burning for several hours… sometimes longer. But a glass of wine or two a week is not going to hurt you. I just made that one small “sacrifice” so I could enjoy ice cream, pizza (I ate four slices one night at 3:00am and woke up leaner!) and all the yummy food the boat had to offer.

So, my final tip:  Make a decision to cut out just ONE thing when you’re on the road. Alcohol was easy for me as I do not drink that much as it is.

Read more about my personal dietplan and my supplement plan here….

Every Other Day Dietplan

I bet you didn’t know this …

Obesity…even being overfat… is a disease.

No, really.

At least that’s what several social groups wish you to believe. “Suffers Of Obesity” is just one of those groups. Their entire stance is obesity (which, btw, can be only 30lbs or so over your ideal bodyweight) is an actual disease.

Well, is it?

Yes… and no.

Comedian Ricky Gervais has a hilarious go at this stance… that obesity is a disease. You sometimes have to laugh, you know? ; )

“No… it’s not a disease… it’s greed. You just love to eat,” or so Gervais believes.

Well, in my first newsletter for 2010, a new decade with new ideas, I’m here to share a new idea with you:

     We really need to redefine some words.

One of those words is “disease”.

Case-in-point:  Wikipedia.com defines disease…

“In human beings, “disease” is often used more broadly to refer to any condition that causes pain, dysfunction, distress, social problems, and/or death to the person afflicted, or similar problems for those in contact with the person. In this broader sense, it sometimes includes injuries, disabilities, disorders, syndromes, infections, isolated symptoms, deviant behaviors, and atypical variations of structure and function, while in other contexts and for other purposes these may be considered distinguishable categories.”

Let’s think about that.

If you bump your knee against a sharp object, is this a new disease called “bumpuskneeitis?” Er… no. It’s an accident. Sure, it may ’cause’ a specific set of symptoms that could broadly (as in as broad as the back-side of a barn) be considered a “disease”, but … no. It’s an accident with biological consequences.

Social problems?  So, if I decide to read 17 books on why my parents suck as a teenager and develop anti-social behavior, is this a “disease”?  NO!  This is the angst of youth combined, perhaps, with poor parenting!  Sure, it can lead to mental issues that could be classified as “disease”, but guess what?

It’s totally within your control. No one force-fed the books to the teen. And no one is force-feeding you, or anyone you know.

That decision is yours and yours alone… and anyone, repeat ANYONE on the face of planet earth can change their behaviors and attitudes toward food.

Okay, some more thoughts on disease:

Let me give you a few examples of what is typically thought of as “disease”…

— Leprosy
— Cancer
— Hypothyroidism

We’ll just take three… there are thousands as you know.

Now, we can all agree that these three states represent true “disease”. The first you could catch by accident; the second is a combination of genetics, environment, and who-knows-what-else, and the third is almost always genetic.

One, cancer, is something you ‘may’ be able to do something about. For example, lung cancer. 90% of lung cancer patients contract the disease from smoking.

Let’s just cover these 90%, shall we?

And folks, I’m asking for an open mind here…

Is lung cancer, in the case of the 90%, REALLY a disease?

     Or is it a biological consequence?

Sure, “cancer” is a disease. But what caused it in this case? Something involuntary? Hardly. Something that could not be stopped?

No way.

The 90% caused it. Period.

Welcome to the real world.

So, I propose this:  We redefine “disease” as an abnormal biological condition that we DO NOT have direct cause or effect over.

Airborne viruses: Disease.  Obesity: NOT a disease.

And yes, lung cancer in chain smokers:  NOT a disease; it’s a biological outcome. The end result should be treated as a disease, of course, but come on: Where is the responsibility folks?

Life, if you want to life it fully and without fear, is ALL about taking total responsibility. That’s empowerment. Anything less is… well, LESS.

In our example, lung cancer is no more a “disease” than, say, me hitting myself over the head with a hammer every day and causing brain damage is a disease.

Brain damage (not self-induced) = disease.

Brain damage caused by self-inflicted hammer-hitting = biological consequence. In this case of sheer stupidity!

Now, one could (and many will) make the argument that I had a “mental” disease that caused me to WANT to hit myself over the head with a hammer… but… well…

At this point we need to redefine the word “disease” in my opinion. Here’s why:

First, if this were the case, I could say that all criminals have a disease.

They all have a mental disease that makes them want to kill, steal… you name it.

This may in fact BE true… we do not know… but do we hold them NOT responsible if it is? No, we do not.

And that brings us back to obesity.

     Obesity and being overfat is not a disease folks…
     —— >  it’s a biological consequence.

And, with the exception of the extremely ‘rare’ cases of total glandular dysfunction from birth, obesity… your bodyweight… is your responsibility.

Period. End of story.

Sorry, but that’s the way the ball bounces.

Am I being mean? No. I was obese. I have a right to speak my mind about it, and trust me:  My depression (a disease… sorta… some genetic, but a lot of it was caused by eating too much sugar) definitely aided in my obesity.

Then how come I’m not obese any more?

I found a better way to eat. I re-trained my body to crave this style of eating (and exercise) over stuffing myself with pizza and burgers every day.

Here’s what I use:

Click.Here———–>  My No-Disease No-Obesity Wake-up Call!

It torches bellyfat… and it reprograms the body and mind to use food as fuel… especially if you use my “7 Minute Body” workout system (you can get it at 77% off after you pick up EODD on the page above… ; )

So be brave. Be fearless. And be responsible.

Oh… and be sure not to catch “internetemailitis”… its a disease that causes you to want to check your email more than 10 times a day.

I have it. So be careful… may be contagious. : )

P.S. In my journey from obesity to total leanness I had to overcome ‘real’ diseases, like pituitary failure from a high fever (i.e. viral pneumonia that almost killed me) and, yes, clinical depression (partially my fault; partially not… i.e. half disease, half biological consequence.) So I have sympathy, believe me. But I also know what you can do once you have a solid plan in place and a determined mind.

Then no “disease” can stop you… at least the ones that do not kill you.

So go for it… be brave, be responsible… and be lean!

click.here ——>  My No-Disease No-Obesity Wake-up Call!

What do these six things have in common?

– McDonalds
– Renée Zellweger
– Epileptic children
– Yours truly
– Most bodybuilding and fitness competitors
– Kiefer Sutherland

Give up?

All the above employ the strategies of the low-carb dietplan.

Recently researchers have found that low-carb nutrition plan reduced the number of seizures in epileptic children.

Most of the world’s leanest physiques get that way on a regimen, limited or not, of low-carbs and higher protein.

Even McDonalds is getting into the act.

Even Renée Zellweger.

Even Kiefer Sutherland.

Even me.

Kinda.

Read on and I’ll explain what I mean…

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Why Low-Carb Works

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When McDonalds starts counting carb grams in their food, you know someone is either jumping on a trend or finally seeing the light.

In this case, both — but it is a good thing. Low-carb dietplans. They work.

For the masses, they work because they are the easiest nutrition plan to follow when you’re busy.

McDonalds and stars like Kiefer Sutherland figured this out. The busy on-the-go guy or gal doesn’t want to make the time to prepare six meals per day and carry them around in Tupperware.

When choosing my own lifestyle nutrition plan, time and convenience played a major role. I looked at role models who were very busy, formerly obese, and very lean.

Most of them rely in some form or fashion on a low-carb strategy.

Low-carb also works, much to the hem and haw of traditional doctors and nutritionists, due to the way the body processes fuel.

For those of us fortunate enough to grow up on whole grains and very low-sugar mealplans, a moderate to higher-carb nutrition plan may work just fine.

But most of us grew up eating junk.

Processed foods, fast foods, and downright junk was the cornerstone of our dietplans. That puts your body on the “carb defense.”

After years of abuse the body becomes resistant to carbohydrates. The insulin they produce can cause all sorts of health issues, fat-burning problems, and more.

When carbs are removed, even healthy carbs like whole grains, the body has time to re-adjust.

In some cases, you can go back to a moderate-carb plan with whole grains and fruits after a period of time.

In others, you are a “low-carber” for life.

Guess which one I am?

Finally, low-carb works because you tend to eat less. Fat is very satiating, and most low-carb plans are fairly high in dietaryfat.

So, in recap:

— Easy and convenient;
— Metabolically important for carb recovery;
— Lower in total food volume (eat less)

Do not make light of that first point. Any plan that is not simple is one very few people will stick to. Making your plan simple and tasty is key, even if that plan is not “perfect” by nutritional standards.

Now, by far, the best low-carb dietplan in the world (yes, I’m bias for good reason!) is this:

click.here ——> My Favorite Foods Diet Presentation

EODD works so well because your carbs are low for “most” of the time. Not “all” of the time. And the times when your carbs are not low you can enjoy your favorite foods.

Personally I enjoy pizza and burgers on my non-low-carb days. You can enjoy whatever you want if you just keep it reasonable.

You see, there’s no need to diet-perfect.

Progress always trumps perfection.

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Why Low-Carb Fails

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There are two primary reasons for the failure of the low-carb nutrition plans: boredom and media bashing.

One causes irritability. The other, doubt. Unless you’re certain that your plan will work, you will eventually go off of it.

This is true of any plan, no matter how ideal it is. Certainty rules.

That’s why I believe in having a flexible, tasty plan like EODD.

Then boredom is easily solved.

I share my own unique ideas about “cycling” carbs and fats in the presentation here:

click.here ——> My Favorite Foods Diet Presentation

Using my cycle strategy you will rarely if ever become bored. And your body will burn more bodyfat too. It’s just a cheap metabolic trick…but boy, it works.

The second reason is media and medical bias. One study after another has proven that low-carb plans, even the Atkins plan, works and is safe to use for most people.

Check with your doctor first, of course.

I’ve seen researchers get down-right angry when the results come back. In one study, carried out for a full year, the low-carb plan out-performed the so-called “healthy” Dean Ornish plan.

Lower blood fats, more weightloss, and more energy were the results.

My preference always comes back to low-carb nutrition. I just cycle it in a way that allows me to get plenty of veggies, some grains, and ample fiber.

Even a slice of cheesecake here and there… : )

Hey…I said “low-carb”, not “low-life!”

Yours In Fitness,

J O N   B E N S O N

P.S. One of these days the mainstream medical community will wake up to the fact that 90% of the population will never eat 15 servings of veggies per day.

While this may be “optimal”, it’s not at all practical. I’d rather give you down-to- earth practical nutrition advice that you CAN and WILL follow — and enjoy.

Makes sense, doesn’t it?

click.here ——>  My Favorite Foods Diet Presentation

Fair warning … this one is a rant. It’s probably a bit long, but take the time to read it.

I have some things to get off my chest … and a lot of people reading this will find it refreshing.

We have a problem in this country… hell, this world… with people overeating.

Obviously overeating is one of the primary reasons people are struggling with bellyfat and excess bodyweight in general. The solution to this problem is not “don’t eat so much”, although that is the end goal.

The solution is to really, REALLY understand how your body uses fuel and how to create a dietplan that allows you to take advantage of it.

First, my rant.

You want to know why 99% of the people who fail to see results from my dietplans… or any dietplan for that matter… REALLY fail?

They do not understand how smart and powerful their bodies really are.

Look… no dietplan on earth will allow you to eat whatever you want every day. That’s fatloss suicide.

No pills will cure this. No surgery.

Only this will cure it:

     Use your body’s own internal appetite mechanisms to your advantage.

I receive hundreds of emails every day from people who see results from my Every Other Day Dietplan.

But I won’t lie to you:  I also get emails from people who do not.

Welcome to the real world, right?  Some people succeed, others do not. It’s the same story no matter what your goals may be.

But in fatloss, the difference between success and failure, at least in the case of my readers, is NOT the dietplan… it’s the need to fully appreciate how and why it works.

Let me explain…

Here is a picture of me (excuse the quality; this was snapped with a mirror and a cellphone…)

Obviously I have abs… and I’m lean… and because I love to lift weights I also carry a lot of muscle… but the real power behind this picture is what you do NOT see:

–>  You do not see what I ate the night before;  half a pizza.

–>  You do not see how obese I was ten years ago… yes, 70lbs over-fat with a belly that looked like I swallowed a basketball.

–>  You do not see how I set my body up to receive this pizza and actually get leaner after eating it.

In case you think I’m on some magical dietplan or taking some fatburning-stimulants… wrong.

I just woke up 5 years ago after studying nutrition for 15 years and finally put 2 and 2 together.

So, here’s the facts.

My EODD Plan is build around a simple concept:  Eat your favorite foods “frequently” and still drop the bodyweight you want.

And it works… not because it’s a gimmick, but because it uses the science of metabolism, natural hormonal manipulation, and psychology to prepare your body to eat more calories.

Now those calories could easily come from, say, three yams… but I prefer pizza. ; )

If you’ve tried EODD with success, you know what I’m talking about. If not… then read on.

First, EODD never promises you that you can eat however MUCH you want every other day (or in my case, since I’m athlete, every three days)… no, no, NO!

It’s whatever you want… not however MUCH you want. That is the sole reason a small fraction of my readers are not seeing the results they want.

Now, here’s the beauty of it all:

After about 3 weeks following my System of eating, you simply cannot overeat… well, you can, but you’d have to force-feed yourself in order to pull it off.

You’ve been feeding yourself frequently for the day or two before your favorite food meals. The higher protein and very low starch content of the nutrition plan (with plenty of veggies) ensures that your body’s metabolism stays elevated. BUT… and this is crucial… the amount of food consumed on these days before is not that much.

I’m never starving… I eat too frequently for that, plus the foods on my Plan curb your appetite. But I am not eating anywhere near my maintenance level of calories. I do not count calories (nor should you)… I just follow the System, which does the calorie-counting for me. Plus I know my body really well after all these years.

So, after days of eating enough to keep my metabolism relatively high, and right BEFORE it starts to slow down (your metabolism slows when you do not eat enough, bringing fatloss to a rapid halt) I hit the body with a lot of calories.

BUT… at the right time, and never at certain times.

And, please read this:  I do not eat “however much” I want on my feed meals… I eat WHATEVER I want in reasonable portions. I don’t have to fight to not overeat, even when it’s pizza or burgers (my two favorite cheat meals.) Why? Because my body is set up to want more food, but also trained not to eat too much food at one sitting.

This is because I’ve been “grazing” — eating small, frequent meals the days before my feed day. And the body learns to adapt… quickly.

The brain is actually re-trained to signal the stomach that you’ve had enough food… yes, even when it’s dessert, or pizza, or whatever your favorite food may be.

So here’s the deal:  Yes, you can lose all the bellyfat and bodyfat you want eating like this… but like anything else that works, you have to follow a few simple rules.

The result is a dietplan where you never feel trapped. You always know that tomorrow, or possibly the day after, you can have whatever food you want. Just in reasonable amounts.

If you ask me, this is the perfect trade-off. No starvation, super-healthy eating at least 4 days a week, and you get to eat your cake as well (literally if you want.)

It’s not magic — it’s science, and a bit of work on your part. Yes, work.

Nothing happens with effort. But put some effort into this System and boy… there’s not a better dietplan on the face of the earth.

Click the URL below and watch my full presentation on how and why this works…

Now, one more thing:  I do take a few supplements to help the process along. I have a video on the Member’s Only page that explains what I take and why.

The good news:  Not one of these supplements are stimulants or dangerous. In fact they’re all very healthy nutrients the body needs.

In conclusion, I like to think of The Every Other Day Dietplan as “The Thinking Person’s Dietplan.” Anyone who considers every angle of what it takes to shed bodyfat:  Food you enjoy, freedom, a plan that’s easy to follow, and flexibility will recognize this right away as the ideal approach.

But, like all ideal approaches, it requires you to re-think the way you eat.

You eat for fuel… period.  But you CAN (and should) eat for pleasure too. As long as you keep FUEL as the main reason you are eating in the forefront of your mind, your body (and mind) will follow. Your body will adapt and begin to use both healthy and “not-so-healthy” foods as fuel.

Fuel to power your workouts, help you burnoff that bellyfat and bodyweight you don’t want, and empower your sense of control.

Especially now, with the holidays upon us, “food as fuel first; food as pleasure second” should be carved into your dinner table. Because, let’s face it:  When all that holiday overeating is over with, you will be left with a bigger belly, feeling sluggish, and just one more step away from the body you desire.

My alternative offers the best of both worlds. You just have to be willing to re-think some things and give your body a few weeks to re-learn what it already knows –

When to signal you that you’re full, and way before you overeat. And, believe it or not, you can (and should) do this by eating your favorite foods each and every week.

That’s the only way to keep your MIND satisfied and happy. And your mind is the key to your body’s success.

Thanks for reading.

You may be wasting your time in the gym or at home if you are trying to shape your body or get rid of bodyfat.

Most people are. That is when it comes to exercise for getting rid of bellyfat and getting into better shape.

I was in the gym today (nothing new… ; ) and I saw all 4 of these exercises being performed by various gym members (again… nothing new.)

And they are useless for 99% of the people on the planet.

Here they are…

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USELESS EXERCISE 1: Walking Dumbbell Lunges

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Okay ladies, this one is for you… although I see guys do this exercise as well.

This is where you take a pair of dumbbells and kneel with one leg, then the other, and so-on, walking around the gym as you go.

The idea behind this exercise is to work the butt, and to some extent the thighs… but it’s a joke. It’s something invented by trainers who should know better.

If you want to build and tone your butt, exercise one leg at a time. Lunges are a great exercise for this, but save your energy. Do them on a Smith Machine or with a barbell. Work one leg at a time, too. Do not alternate legs. This just wears you out aerobically before it has a chance to get to your glutes.

Here’s how I perform lunges:  On a Smith Machine, with pretty heavy weights… one leg at a time. I will do 2-3 sets, or do them in my 7 Minute Body-style workout fashion. I will finish one leg (and one butt cheek) before moving to the other leg.

Why? Again, to focus on the muscle more intensely and to avoid turning a leg/butt workout into a cardio session.

I cover exactly how to work the butt area for the best results in 7 Minute Body and 7 Minute Muscle, found right here:

click.here —– >  7 Minute Workout Plan

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USELESS EXERCISE 2: The Sit-up

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I’m shocked that people still think sit-ups done the old-fashioned way actually work the abs. Even worse, most people have been fooled into believing this actually helps get rid of bellyfat.

Nonsense. Bellyfat is burned off when you have a good nutrition plan and through general exercise, not using exercises for the abs. Ab exercises are fine, but guess what?

I never train my abs more than 3-5 minutes. Today my ab workout took 3 minutes and 12 seconds to complete. And my abs are sore!

But without the nutrition plan, forget it… I’d never SEE my abs at all. I’d just have a nice wall of muscle with a bunch of flab covering it up.

The best nutrition plan for abs is my Every Other Day Dietplan, found here:

click.here —– >  Every Other Day Dietplan

The best exercises to do for the actual ab muscles are hanging leg raises, done slowly, crunches (if you do them right)… and that’s really all you need.

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USELESS EXERCISE 3: The Bench Press

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I’m going to get a lot of flack from the guys out there who love to bench, but I’m here to tell you that this exercise for bodyshaping is all but worthless.

Why? Because most people are not built right body-wise to bench press on a flat bench with a barbell. I am not, that’s for sure.

Bench presses work if you have short arms, a relatively short torso, and your shoulders are genetically strong.

Protect your shoulders and really work your chest by doing incline dumbbell presses with your palms facing IN, toward your head. (NOTE: This was originally a typo. The correct movement is to perform with your palms facing your ears.) This protects the rotator cuff, a part of the shoulder that is often injured using barbell bench presses.

Combine this with a good cable fly or press movement and you’re set. Again, you only need about 7-14 minutes of chest work tops to get the job done.

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USELESS EXERCISE 4: Most Cardio Exercises

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Yep… saved the best for last.

Here’s a fact:  Most cardio (bike, treadmill, glider, whatever) is a waste to time… UNLESS you do it at the right time with the right nutrition plan.

The calories you burn from cardio will be easily negated simply by eating a bagel! Hardly effective for getting rid of bodyfat. Weight training and/or resistance training at home or with your body weight, as covered in 7 Minute Muscle, is your best bet for exercise that burns-off mega-calories and keeps on burning long after the exercise session is over.

Here’s how to use traditional cardio wisely:

1. Do it first thing in the morning on an empty stomach;
2. Keep your heart rate down to 75% of your max (220 minus your age x .75 will give you this number, at least approximately);
3. “Burst” for 2-3 minutes in your session up to 85-90% of your max heart rate.
4. OR, do cardio right after weight or resistance training when your heart rate is already elevated and your blood sugar is lower. Your body burns blood sugar first during exercise.

Cardio for most people only needs to be performed 3-4 times a week for 20 minutes. The only time I break this rule is when I want to get my bodyfat below 10%. Then I will do more, but only using the rules above.

Hope this saves you a ton of time with your workouts.

Enjoy your holidays!

P.S.  You can get both of my books, The Every Other Day Dietplan and 7 Minute Body, for a big-time discount by going here and watching this presentation:

click.here —– >  www.everyotherdaydiet.com/video.php

Ever heard of Rowdy Gains?

Rowdy was swimmer and Olympic gold-medalist in the 1984 Olympics.

But that’s not what made Rowdy special.

And certainly not what makes his story worth reading when it comes to muscle-shaping secrets.

Over the next few days I’m going to be sharing 5 Tips for putting on lean muscle. If you want to put on a 2 lbs or 20lbs of muscle, these 5 Tips will help you do it faster than ever.

Remember: Muscle burns calories at rest… the more lean muscle you have the less bodyfat you’ll have if you eat the way I suggest. It’s as simple as that.

Back to Rowdy Gains…

His story is golden because of “how” he won the medal.

You see, Rowdy was an underdog. He was considered too old to be a legitimate threat in the race, despite being a world record-holder. He has missed his prime due to the boycott of the 1980 Olympics.

But Rowdy had a good coach (more on that tomorrow)… and his coach knew the power of “distinctions”…

Distinctions are the subtle things that turn average into excellence and losers into winners. Often distinctions are so hard to spot that even the smartest people miss them.

The men and women who succeed massively rarely miss them.

Rowdy was focused on the race… but his coach was focused on the distinctions.

“What can Rowdy do that no one else is doing to give him an edge?”

Well, his savvy coach noticed that the guy who started the race was calling “on your marks…” and then quickly firing the starting-gun. Very quickly in fact.

His coach came up to him moments before the race and said, “Rowdy, jump early.”

And jump early he did. He was first off the blocks and never looked back.

Turns to find out that his time off the blocks was the difference between winning and losing. And the second place guy was furious! He was hitting the wall and yelling about the “false start”… but there was not a false start upon reply.

Just a savvy start! A start based on one, small, tiny… actually monumentally huge distinction.

The first thing you need to ask yourself when it comes to your weight-training goals is this:

“What small distinctions can I make to turn an average workout into a super-productive workout”?

Again, these are small distinctions… little things that add up to huge gains.

Here’s an example:

When doing a chest press exercise, I have two distinctions that have made all the difference in my chest gains.

First, I turn my palms inward, rather than facing out, when pressing with dumbbells. Obviously this does not work with barbell presses, but I use mostly dumbbells.

The result? No rotator cuff or shoulder injuries.

This alone has allowed me to train three more months out of each year. That’s how much time I used to lose before an orthopedic surgeon gave me this tip.

Second, when pressing, I explode up. Then I slow DOWN… I always lower the weight slower than I lift it up. This gives me TWO growth factors rather than just one in the same movement, and without one second difference in the gym.

Again… distinctions.

If you want my book on the best distinctions I’ve ever used for gaining lean muscle, then go here:

7 Minute Workouts <– go.

Think about it next time you plan your workouts.

Many trainers suggest that you should "smash your arms against your sides" to prevent moving your shoulders during the movement unwillingly. I find this to be more of a distraction than actually help out because it does nothing to prevent the forward and backward movement of the upper arm when performing the exercise. Keep in mind that just because the weight moves does not mean the biceps are actually benefiting from the exercise. If you move your back, hips or arms to assist moving the weight when performing a bicep curls exercise, then you are not properly hitting your bicep muscles and can risk an injury.

Have you been told you should be touching the chin with the barbell? The truth is that a full range of motion when performing a barbell bicep curl does not involve the bar touching the chin if performed correctly. The only way it would be possible to touch the chin is through moving the shoulder, which places less effort on the biceps. The correct full range of motion for the barbell bicep exercise is to simply move the elbow so you bring the forearm as close as possible to the biceps and upper arm without any shoulder motion.

What about some trainees suggesting that the EZ curl bars are best for doing curls. Using an EZ curl bar allows you to hold the bar more comfortable, but keep in mind that maintaining a full supination is key to appying a concentrated resistance aimed at the biceps. Typically, EZ curl bars are held in a way that reduces supination by angling the palm inward slightly, which is not the best technique.

If you perform the exercise with good technique the biceps will be adequately stressed throughout the full range of motion when lifting the weight. It’s especially important that beginner and intermediate trainees keep in mind that because the shoulder is being used to stabilize and not move the weight with this exercise, this means the elbow flexors are working independently and you will not be able to lift as much weight compared to exercises where the shoulders are moving the weight. However, there will be a more concentrated resistance directed at the bicep muscles so you will still be getting a great biceps workout.

Whether you are using barbells, EZ curl bars, dumbbells or machines, it’s not the type of bicep curl that really matters, your body doesn’t know how you are applying the resistance, it’s how you perform the exercise that makes the difference. So make every bicep curl count!

David Rodgers regularly publishes new articles on his How to Gain Weight and Build Muscle Blog.

1. It is low impact
2. It’s free
3. It is fairly easy to do no matter what your age
4. It improves and hones your proprioception
5. It burns a good cumulative amount of calories over time if done regularly.
6. It gives you all the other normal benefits of exercise.

There are probably a lot more reasons why walking is great for you as part of a health and wellness plan.  Maybe I will think of a few more later on.

I think probably the hardest part about walking is actually reserving the time for it each day and making a point to do it consistently.  That is my own personal experience.  We all have busy lives, but making walking a priority surely will go a long way towards helping you meet your fitness goals.

By the way, the best walking shoes I have seen so far are from MBT.  I believe they were designed by a Swiss engineer and we already know how good the Swiss are at making watches…

So there you have it, my little take on walking…

Now instead of me typing on this keyboard anymore I think I am going to go out for a little stroll, I mean walk .