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There’s nothing wrong with feeling tired. It’s your body’s way of telling you “Give me some rest.”
But staying tired — week after week — is a health problem, one you don’t have to live with and shouldn’t.
If you have been feeling tired for a while, answer these three questions: (more…)
Some former athletes (including you if you used to work out regularly) consider themselves “bulletproof.” Since they were in superb shape for so many years, they assume their health will always be better than average. (more…)
It’s easier to accomplish any goal when you make it your top priority. That often means focusing less on something else in your life – or eliminating it altogether – to make room for what now has to be done.
Let’s say you and your spouse are planning for the arrival of your first child – and you’ve made it your number one goal to make sure everything goes smoothly. Well, that’s going to take a lot of time. Regular visits to the ob-gyn… setting up the nursery… reading up on child care. Doing all that requires you to make adjustments to what had been your schedule.
By deciding in advance what you can take out in order to make room for what you are going to put in, you will be ahead of the game.
Try this little exercise to see what I mean…
My goal is to ______________________________.
I can take out _________________________ and ____________________ to make room.
For example:
Can you see how this works? Now it is your turn!
Take out a blank sheet of paper or open up a Word document, create the template shown above, and start filling in the blanks.
I promise this will help you keep your goals on track, put them back on track, or get yourself started in the right direction.
MaryEllen’s Secret to Enjoying a Balanced Life
MaryEllen Tribby, Publisher and CEO of Early to Rise, is brimming with energy and a passion for excellence in business. She is also married and has three beautiful children.
MaryEllen has a lot on her plate in all areas of her life. She is often asked how she can possibly balance running a multimillion-dollar company AND managing her home life. In an article she wrote for ETR - The Balancing Act That’s Up to You – this mega-successful working woman, wife, and mother gave much of the credit to taking three simple steps:
In the article, MaryEllen shared a story to illustrate Step #2. As it happens, that same story can be applied to my message today.
She had an opportunity to attend a major networking party in Texas. Everyone who is anyone in the information publishing industry was going to be there. She immediately RSVP’d, and began thinking about all the deals she could make that would benefit ETR.
But while reviewing her travel plans with her husband, he pointed out that she would be away on the first day of the new school year. With three young kids in school, this is a huge event in MaryEllen’s world. She wanted to be there!
So even though her husband encouraged her to go, assuring her that he could handle the excitement of the first day of school without her… no way was MaryEllen going to miss it. After thinking through the consequences of missing the networking party or missing the first day of school, she made the decision to send someone else to Texas.
If she had used our little “take out” exercise, she would have come to the same conclusion. She probably would have done it this way:
My goal is to be present at my children’s first day of school.
I can take out the networking event and find time later to talk to or meet with everyone I would have seen that day to make room.
Your Personal Balancing Act
MaryEllen is the first to admit that she is not Superwoman. The truth is, she sincerely believes everyone can have a balanced life.
“You just need to want it… and act to achieve it,” she says.
That works for me, and I am betting it will work for you. You can find your own personal balance by using my “take out” exercise to help manage your priorities. It’s all about taking ownership of what you want – and making room for the good choices you need to make to get your goals done.
[Ed. Note: It is entirely possible to turn every dream you have into reality. Allow success guru and "Mentor to Billionaires" Bob Cox to help you every step of the way. Get all the details here.]
A friend of mine spends hours in the gym each week, but hasn’t been able to get a single pound or inch to budge. Despite her clean diet (I’ve checked her cupboards) and doing the “right” kind of exercise, she can’t seem to reach her fitness goals.
Why not?
Looking for clues, I asked her to tell me a little bit more about her diet. High in protein and fiber, low in carbs, a good balance of healthy fats. It sounded great. Until I heard this: “I even refuel after every workout, like my trainer told me to, with a banana chocolate smoothie.”
Uh oh.
While many trainers encourage consuming a carb- and protein-rich meal or snack after a workout to promote muscle growth and speed recovery, recent research shows this can sabotage weight-loss efforts.
In fact, studies conducted at the University of Massachusetts found that walking on a treadmill for one hour per day improved blood sugar regulation by 40 percent. But that effect was completely wiped out when people noshed on carb-rich foods afterward.
Keeping your blood sugar stable flips your fat-storage hormone (insulin) off. So if you’re trying to drop a few pounds, skip the post-workout carbs. Opt, instead, for a balanced snack before your workout to make your time at the gym count.
[Ed Note: Eating a low-glycemic diet to keep your blood sugar stable is essential for weight loss. But when the pizza craving strikes (and you indulge), you can slash its fat-storing effects by up to 56% with eight foods. Find out what they are in Kelley Herring's revolutionary 7-part health transformation program, Your Plate, Your Fate. Get all the details and learn how to get 3 bonus books right here.]
The two main reasons people give for avoiding exercise are lack of time and lack of motivation. But those are really just politically correct answers. The truth is, most people just don’t like to do it.
If you “hate” exercise, here are three ways to stay motivated and stick to your plan:
1. Work out with a partner or in a group. Bootcamp exercise classes are becoming more popular every year – mostly because they are a million times more fun than jogging on a treadmill by yourself. If you get a good high-energy trainer, and a few friends to join you, you’ll have a grand old time while you burn belly fat.
2. Play the right music. Whether your bootcamp trainer brings it or you create a kick-butt mix on your iPod, working out to peppy music will make the time fly by.
3. Turn your exercise program into a golf game. In other words, keep challenging yourself to do better. That’s what golfers do. They get hooked on the game because they always want to beat their last score. And by giving yourself a “score” to beat every time you work out, the competitive streak deep within you will come to the surface and you’ll work harder and more consistently.
It’s all about making it fun. That’s why workouts like my Bodyweight 500 have become so popular that more than 5,100 readers of Men’s Health magazine used it to burn up to 41 pounds of belly fat in just 8 weeks.
You, too, could see results like that.
[Ed. Note: Fitness expert Craig Ballantyne's Turbulence Training for Fat Loss program is the ultimate in fat burning. Not only are the exercises high-energy and high-intensity - which means they blast fat away - they are also quick and fun to do. Better yet, you can build a lean, toned body with just three 45-minute workouts a week. Learn the details here.
For more easy-to-implement ideas about how to live longer and feel better, sign up for ETR's free natural health newsletter.]
In 2006, I sent out a nationwide media release insisting that Oprah’s fat-loss methods – which included walking as her primary exercise – were actually making her fat. Even worse, they were making the millions of Americans following her lead fat too.
Fact is, if you want lean, sexy muscle (at any age), walking is not sufficient exercise.
Sure, walking is better than no exercise at all. But it’s not going to help you burn the fat you need to burn in order to feel great and get noticed. Nobody ever walked themselves out of the Fat Cow Hall of Fame. I didn’t… and neither has Oprah.
When it comes to exercise, the old adage holds true: “No pain, no gain.” Why? Because you need to force the body to produce a family of fat-burning, beer-belly-melting compounds known as catecholamines. When released, these weapons of fat destruction bind metabolic receptors on the outer membrane of fat cells, causing them to be eradicated via thermogenesis and lypolysis. (That’s just a fancy way to say that the fat cells are being demolished.)
Getting rid of fat with exercise happens only when you attain 60 to 80 percent of your max heart rate. If you’ve forgotten how to do the calculation, here it is: 220 minus your age times .60 equals your maximum target heart rate.
Exercise by the numbers, and watch the numbers plummet on your scale too.
[Ed. Note: Shane Ellison's entire career has been dedicated to the study of molecules - how they give life and how they take from it. He was a two-time recipient of the prestigious Howard Hughes Medical Institute Research Grant for his research in biochemistry and physiology. He is a bestselling author, holds a master's degree in organic chemistry, and has first-hand experience in drug design. Take advantage of his knowledge and insights to look and feel your best in 90 days.]
One of the side effects of aging is that you lose the ability to burn fat at the drop of a hat. So if you’re over 40 and want to lose belly fat, here’s what you have to do:
Rule #1: Eat a low-calorie diet, focusing on whole, natural foods.
Everyone needs to be eating more fruits and vegetables, no matter how old they are. So try to add one extra serving every day – starting tomorrow – until you are up to 10 total servings per day. The fiber will help fill you up. And by reducing processed foods in your diet at the same time, you will have more energy and you will lose weight. It’s that easy.
Rule #2: Use resistance training to sculpt your muscles.
As you get older, strength becomes more and more important to your health and well-being. If you don’t use it, you’ll lose it. So make sure your exercise program includes total-body strength training at least twice per week, preferably three times.
Rule #3: Do interval training instead of long, slow cardio.
Researchers from Australia found that women who did only 20 minutes of interval training three times per week were able to lose more belly fat than women who did 40 minutes of long, slow cardio. So switch your program to short-burst exercise and you’ll get more results in less time!
[Ed. Note: If you're not sure of the best fat-burning exercises to try, fitness expert Craig Ballantyne can help. In his Turbulence Training program, he'll reveal how you can burn fat and build muscle with three 45-minute workouts a week. Get the details here.
For more easy-to-implement ideas about how to live longer and feel better, sign up for ETR's free natural health newsletter.]
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Imagine this: You’re sitting in front of your computer, working on a project. Perhaps it’s a book, an e-mail, or an article. Or you’re doing research.
The phone rings. Do you answer it?
A new e-mail chimes. Do you immediately read it?
A text message arrives. Do you look at it and reply?
Your spouse or child enters the room. Do you stop what you are doing to see what they want?
The question is: How easily are you distracted?
The other day, I was reading that the average person can concentrate on one thing for only about five minutes. He’s got so many gadgets and gizmos that he can never rest or relax mentally. The cellphone or blackberry is always with him. He sleeps with it at his side. Cannot go for a walk without it. Or attend a movie or concert. Can’t eat a meal with his family without looking at his gadget.
I am NOT saying you should get rid of all your gadgets. I’m not saying to stop using technology.
What I’m saying is that peace of mind, happiness, and the ability to achieve your goals has a lot to do with how long you can concentrate on one thing. And if you can’t go for a walk, watch a movie, or have dinner with family or friends without constantly checking your tweets and text messages – if you can’t leave all your gadgets at home or away from your reach for extended periods of time – then you most likely have a lot of trouble finishing projects that require deep concentration and focus.
Here are some things I do that you may find helpful:
1. I put my gadgets in another room when I go to bed at night.
2. I do not bring my gadgets with me when I go for a walk.
3. I do not bring my gadgets with me when I am eating with family or friends – and if I do bring them, I do not use them when we’re talking.
4. If I am working on a project (like this very article), I do not respond to pings, pongs, pangs, or anything else. Everything can wait until I am finished with what I set out to do.
5. If I am talking to someone who allows himself to be continually interrupted by pings, calls, and tweets – I end the encounter. Because that person is letting me know that he values his gadgets more than me.
Now if you’re the type of person who likes his gadgets more than accomplishing something worthwhile – well, you’ll get no argument from me.
On the other hand, if you’re willing to try turning off your gadgets – or letting them ring or chime, unanswered, for extended periods of time – you’ll be amazed at how you will have eliminated a great deal of the unwanted resistance you may have to success.
In fact, if you really want to get more things done in less time – with next to no interruptions – then you’d better learn to do nothing more than concentrate on what you want in such a way that you feel as if nothing is blocking you whatsoever.
No resistance.
No turbulence.
No sandpaper rubbing against you as you go through life.
Instead, a resistance-free feeling flowing against your skin and through your veins.
You get up in the morning with things to do – and you get them done. Day after day. Week after week. Year after year.
Thousands upon thousands of days in which you git ‘er done because you know the power of a focused mind.
[Ed. Note: Matt Furey is an internationally recognized expert in the fields of self-development, fitness, and martial arts, and is the president of the Psycho-Cybernetics Foundation, Inc. If you're nodding your head in agreement about the need to focus and concentrate - without resistance - you should check out Matt's world-famous Zero Resistance Living Course. This is what the super-successful use to get more things done in less time.]
Surprise! The best energy bar isn’t one you can eat. (And, no, it’s not one where you can order a beer either.)
The best energy bar is the barbell.
Researchers from the University of Georgia studied the effects of exercise on fatigue in sedentary college women. Fourteen subjects did 2 workouts and 1 control session, and then filled out some “profile of mood state” forms. The results showed that the exercise made them feel more energetic.
So if you are in a low-energy slump, slip in for a quick workout. Heck, you can even do a bodyweight workout in your office mid-afternoon to get yourself going. Do bodyweight squats, push-ups, lunges, and planks to energize your body in just a few short minutes.
[Ed. Note: For a mood- and energy-boosting exercise routine that can help you burn fat and build muscle, try fitness expert Craig Ballantyne's Turbulence Training program. Get the details here.
For more easy-to-implement ideas about how to live longer and feel better, sign up for ETR's free natural health newsletter.]
What’s the best way to get rid of ugly belly fat? If you say “Long, slow cardio to burn as much fat as you can during your workout,” you’ve got it wrong.
I’ve written before in ETR about the futility of cardio. But there’s another argument to consider.
It’s well known in the workout world that women burn a greater percentage of fat during endurance exercise than men. It’s also clear that women have higher body fat percentages. In other words, women, despite burning more fat, have more fat. And men, who burn more carbohydrate, have LESS fat.
So, you see, it’s not all about how much fat you burn during your workout. That’s why I don’t recommend long, slow, boring “fat-burning-zone” cardio workouts. In fact, I have the opposite mindset when designing workouts for my clients. I want them to focus on burning carbohydrate instead. And you do that through intense exercise.
When you exercise intensely, you burn carbohydrate and put “turbulence” on the muscles. And you can do that with heavy resistance training or interval training.
So remember…
Burn CARBS not fat!
Short, intense exercise works better for fat loss and fitness.
[Ed. Note: It's time to break out of the "long, slow cardio" exercise routine for good! Fitness expert Craig Ballantyne can help you burn carbs AND fat and build muscle with three 45-minute workouts a week. Learn how right here.
For more easy-to-implement ideas about how to live longer and feel better, sign up for ETR's free natural health newsletter.]
It’s amazing but true. Most people get up tired and go to bed tired. Going to bed tired makes some sense – but waking up tired is inexcusable.
How can you be tired when you wake up? You haven’t done anything yet, right?
Okay, perhaps you didn’t get enough hours of sleep. Or perhaps you got enough hours, but it wasn’t restful sleep. Or maybe you’re under stress and that is affecting your energy level.
All of the above is understandable – yet, all can be overcome by taking six simple steps.
1. Instead of thinking “I’m tired” before loping off to bed at night, mentally program yourself for energy. How do you do this? Simply say, “I’m going to wake up totally energized tomorrow.”
2. When you wake up in the morning, immediately focus on the mental image of something you want to do, be, or accomplish.
3. As you focus on this mental picture, tell yourself, “I am going to do everything I set out to do today.” And when you say this to yourself, say it with ENTHUSIASM.
4. After doing that, sit up in bed, pull your feet close to your buttocks and begin to massage the kidney point at the bottom of each foot. Start with your left foot. Massage deeply at least 50 times. Then massage your right foot 50 times.
Doing this will cause your energy level to rise… and fast. Not only that, it is one of the cornerstones to raising your sexual energy to a peak. (This is covered in detail in my course on Chuang Shang de Gong Fu.)
5. When you’re finished massaging both feet, raise your energy further by doing some Hindu squats and Hindu push-ups, as well as some deep breathing (which I teach in Combat Conditioning). You could also try the Magnificent Seven, which attacks the waistline like no other program on the planet.
6. After doing your training, take a cool-to-cold shower. A hot shower is fine to finish up with… but start with the coldest water you can take. It will increase the vital energy in your body in an instant.
[Ed. Note: Fitness expert Matt Furey believes in strengthening everything on the inside as well as the outside - and what he has taught you today goes to the heart, soul, and kidneys of the matter in a way that you've probably never experienced before. These six steps will blow you away - and when you add Matt's Combat Conditioning into the mix... LOOK OUT. You'll become the master of your universe. Find out more here.]
Don’t tell me you feel embarrassed to put on a bathing suit… and then tell me you don’t have time for exercise. That’s NOT a good excuse. You can do a high-intensity workout in less than 10 minutes. Better yet, you can do it at home or in your office, between meetings, while the laundry is drying, or after lunch. All it takes is a dynamic warm-up, 3 to 4 full-body exercises, and a couple of minutes of stretching afterward.
The Squat-to-Press is one quick and efficient exercise that will get your body ready to hit the beach in no time. It requires two dumbbells – 3, 5, or 10 pounds, depending on your fitness level. Focus on your core while you do it, keeping your abdominals tight.
Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and a dumbbell in each hand. Bend your arms up toward your shoulders, palms facing toward each other. Lower your body into a squat position. Your knees should not bow out over your toes. Your chest should almost touch the top of your thighs, and your elbows should nearly touch your knees.
Now, pressing up through your heels, rise to a standing position. At the same time, reach your arms up straight above your head. Contract your glute muscles at the top of the movement. Then return to a squat position, lowering your arms to their original position. Repeat 10 times.
Alternate high-intensity, full-body exercises like the Squat-to-Press with sprints (1-10 sets of 50 to 100 yards) for the next 4 to 6 weeks, 3 to 6 times a week. If you’re a beginner, start with 1-2 sets 3 days a week and gradually increase by adding either an extra set or an extra sprint each week for the next 4 to 6 weeks.
[Ed. Note: Regular exercise is one aspect of getting fit. But you also need to eat right. For dozens of nutritional recommendations, plus healthful recipes, sign up for ETR's free natural health newsletter.
Yarixa Ferrao is the certified personal trainer and founder of "Get Fit in 6" who has been whipping some Early to Rise staffers into shape. Coach Yari's e-course newsletter series explains the exercise and nutrition secrets that can help you burn fat.
Many of my clients are in a hurry to slim down and tone up these days. Summer is upon us, which means they’re wearing less clothing and have more chances to feel self-conscious.
If you’d like to get your body beach-ready, I have a few simple suggestions. And the first step doesn’t even require you to break a sweat!: Write down your top five reasons for wanting to get in shape.
“Becoming truly motivated starts with your willingness to understand the ‘whys’ of what you want to accomplish in your career and your life,” says Bob Cox, success mentor and creator of The Billionaire in You. “Picking the right motivation is crucial to whether you actually follow through.”
So give yourself five good reasons for getting in shape that will motivate you to get your butt into gear.
For instance, “I want to show up at my 20-year reunion looking so slim and toned that my ex’s eyes will fall out of his/her face.”
Or, “I want to lose 20 pounds so my kids will be proud to be seen with me at the beach.”
Or, “I want to put on a bikini and look super-hot.”
Or, “I want to start exercising regularly so I can have the body of my dreams and feel amazing each and every day!”
Now, tape that list of reasons someplace where you’ll see them every day. On your bathroom mirror, on your closet door, next to your desk. This big dose of meaningful motivation will help you stick to your diet and exercise plan.
[Ed. Note: Getting motivated is the first step to getting healthy. But, to see results, you also need to eat right and exercise. For dozens of healthful nutritional recommendations, plus workout techniques, sign up for ETR's free natural health newsletter.
Yarixa Ferrao is the certified personal trainer and founder of "Get Fit in 6" who has been whipping some Early to Rise staffers into shape. Coach Yari's e-course newsletter series explains the exercise and nutrition secrets that can help you burn fat. Click here to sign up.]
If “finding time” is your main obstacle to getting enough exercise, try taking three brisk 10-minute walks five days a week. One in the morning before you do anything else. One in the afternoon after lunch. One at night after dinner.
Think about it: 10 minutes three times a day. Studies have shown that cardio done in 10-minute increments is as effective at increasing overall calorie-burning as long-duration cardio. So for those who say “I do not have the time,” give this a shot:
1. Get up a whopping 15 minutes early. Put on your shoes and sweats and head out the door. First 10 minutes… done.
2. Cut your lunch hour 20 minutes short. Again, not much of a sacrifice to make. Take five minutes to change into walking clothes, 10 minutes for the walk around your office building, and five minutes to change back into your work clothes.
3. 10 minutes at night? After the kiddos go to bed, just hook it out the door.
That’s it. You now have 30 minutes of brisk cardio under your belt.
[Ed. Note: Fitness expert Jon Benson just released his in-home fitness plan, The 7 Minute Muscle Body System. It requires only bands, a rubber ball, and your bodyweight to tone your body and help you burn fat. Try it for yourself
For effective strategies for burning fat, getting fit, and feeling better than ever, sign up for ETR's FREE natural health newsletter right here.]
Here’s a great way to develop your upper chest without going to a gym: Do super-slow feet-elevated push-ups.
If you are not strong enough to do regular push-ups, start with knee push-ups. Just balance your body on your knees rather than on your toes, and work your way up to three sets of 20 reps.
When you can do three sets of 20 reps, switch to your toes. Work your way up to three sets of 20 reps.
When you can do that, get a chair and elevate your toes so your body is at an angle leaning toward the ground. That way, you are working more of your upper chest.
Once you can do a few sets of 20 of those, try what I call the 20-second push-up: Lower yourself to the ground in perfect form for a count of 10 (about 10 seconds). Then explode halfway up – but only halfway. Then count another 10 seconds to raise the rest of the way up.
Odds are you will only be able to do a few of these the first time you try. But once you work your way up to sets of 10, you will have wonderful upper-chest development to show for it.
[Ed. Note: Fitness expert Jon Benson just released his in-home fitness plan, The 7 Minute Muscle Body System. It requires only bands, a rubber ball, and your bodyweight to tone your body and help you burn fat. Try it for yourself.
For effective strategies for burning fat, getting fit, and feeling better than ever, sign up for ETR's FREE natural health newsletter right here.]
One of the main reasons men and women fail with their diets is a lack of education about what – and how much – to eat. And it doesn’t take much to get yourself up to speed.
1. For one week, record everything you eat on the Fitday.com website. I know it sounds tedious, but I’m only asking you to do it for seven days.
2. Use Fitday and Google to calculate how many calories you’re eating.
3. Start reading food labels. Eventually, you should move to a diet that doesn’t involve many food labels at all – a diet based on whole, natural foods, including fruits, vegetables, raw nuts, and meat. Meanwhile, reading labels will give you a good idea of what’s in the food you’re eating.
4. Write down how you feel after every meal. This will help you discover which foods make you tired and which ones give you energy.
Very simple, but very powerful! Within two weeks, you’ll be a walking nutrition encyclopedia – and will spend the rest of your life knowing exactly how much and what to eat.
[Ed. Note: Eating the right foods is only one aspect of losing fat and staying healthy. You also need to exercise regularly. Fitness expert Craig Ballantyne can help you burn fat and build muscle with three 45-minute workouts a week. Learn how right here.
For more easy-to-implement ideas about how to live longer and feel better, sign up for ETR's free natural health newsletter.]
What you do in the first few minutes of your day sets the tone for the rest of it. That’s why it is important to begin your day with thoughts of happiness, success, great health, and prosperity.
As soon as your feet hit the deck, you want to be launched into the realm of success – the “get something done today” realm. No more putting off till tomorrow what you can and should do today. No more dilly-dallying.
One way to help set yourself on this course is to always have a daily goal – especially a daily fitness goal. And if you achieve that goal first thing in the morning, the rest of the day is going to be awesome.
Yesterday, when my son Frank and I arose, I asked him how many push-ups he wanted to do. He chose the number – I counted. Then I asked him how many Hindu squats. Again, he chose the number and I counted. We did the same for sit-ups.
Then I went to work on my own Hindu push-ups and other stretches.
The Hindu push-up is a bit like a cat stretch. I’m not a big TV watcher, but, contrary to what some think, there are some good stations. Animal Planet is one of them.
Last night I watched a special they had on wild cats. Everything from lions to tigers to cheetahs to leopards to mountain lions and a lynx.
Watched a mountain lion nab a deer, drag it through the forest, latch onto its neck, and PULL it up a tree to bend it over a branch (for safekeeping). Now, let me tell you, that’s some major league strength.
So watch how wild – as well as domesticated – cats stretch. They stretch backward hundreds of times per day. And they do it as soon as they wake up.
You, my friend, would be well advised to do likewise. It will not only increase your strength and flexibility – it will ENERGIZE you for hours.
Move your body the way it wants to be moved. Stretch like a cat and you’ll know why cats stretch the way they do.
[Ed. Note: You can learn all about this form of exercise in Matt Furey's Combat Conditioning book and DVDs. Go gobble them up NOW by sprinting over to his site. .
And for more simple but powerful exercise techniques, as well as strategies for eating better and getting fit, sign up for ETR's FREE natural health newsletter here.]
Here at ETR, we don’t advocate following traditional “diets.” But we do recommend that, to stay lean and healthy, you avoid certain foods – and stick to fresh fruits and veggies, lean protein, and low-glycemic carbs.
Of course, it’s not always easy.
One of the biggest roadblocks to losing weight is the temptation to cheat on your healthy eating program and indulge in those oh-so-delicious but oh-so-dangerous goodies – like sugary snacks, pizza, and French fries. But if you plan ahead, you won’t be trapped into succumbing to temptation. Here are six simple secrets to losing fat… without cheating.
Stop Cheating Secret #1: Script your week.
Set aside 15 minutes on Sunday to plan out your entire week. Write down what time you need to get up each day, what you’ll eat for breakfast, when you’ll do your workout, what foods you’ll have for snacks, lunches, and dinners.
By planning ahead, you’ll know exactly what you should be doing for fat loss at every minute of the day. That way you won’t have to make snap decisions on the spot, and you won’t give into temptation.
Make a plan and stick to it and you will lose fat fast!
Stop Cheating Secret #2: Identify – in advance – potential obstacles to your healthy eating plan… and come up with two ways to overcome each one.
For example, if you know you have meetings most of the day on Wednesday, and then a business dinner after work, you also know that you’re going to be hungry before you get a chance to eat a proper meal… and sorely tempted to hit the snack machine.
How can you overcome that obstacle? Maybe you’ll eat before the meeting and then have a healthy snack ready to go in the car.
Stop Cheating Secret #3: Shop once.
The more trips you make to the grocery store, the more chances you have to give in to the call of the pastry counter. Since you’ve already planned out your week, you’ll know exactly what to buy. Stick to your list, and buy it all in one go.
Stop Cheating Secret #4: Prepare your food in advance.
This ties in with Secret #1. You need to set aside time once a week to plan your meals, do your shopping, and prepare as much of your food as possible. (Cut up vegetables, batch-cook chicken breasts, etc.)
Planning the entire week, scripting out the meals, doing the shopping and some of the food prep is an essential part of sticking to a diet. If you want to have great results, you have to get into that mindset.
Stop Cheating Secret #5: Get social support.
I can’t recommend social support enough. You can’t stick to your fat-loss diet on your own. You need help from others. At the very least, you need a nutrition buddy who will encourage you to stick to your eating plan and also hold you accountable when you “fall off the wagon.”
People you work with can be supportive, but they’re also going to be the source of many of your obstacles. There are those who, trying to be nice, will bring in donuts and homemade cookies and shove them in your face. Then there are those who will tease you about your diet, though they should know better. You just have to plan for those people.
It goes back to Secret #2 – identifying potential obstacles to your healthy eating plan and coming up with ways to overcome them. That means being prepared for the donuts and cookies, and knowing, ahead of time, that you’re not going to eat them. It also means staying away from the jerks who treat your fat-loss goals like a joke. Instead, seek out a nutrition buddy – one who is supportive of your goals – and eat lunch with him.
You also need social support at the gym – somebody who seems to be knowledgeable about diet and exercise. People like that are usually happy to help you stick with your plan.
Finally, get your family behind you. Without support at home, you’re going to have a tough time – especially if you’re the only one with a weight “problem” and everyone else can eat whatever they want. So don’t be shy. They’re not going to know you need their support unless you tell them.
Stop Cheating Secret #6: Brush your teeth after every meal… and whenever you might be tempted to cheat.
Eating right after you brush your teeth isn’t very pleasant, so it helps you control your cravings.
Most people are good about sticking to their diet till about 4:00 p.m. That’s a good time to have a healthy snack… and brush your teeth. Another time to watch out for is after dinner. To keep from cheating, brush your teeth… or chew a piece of gum… or have a cup of green tea.
It’s all a matter of developing routines to build your power over food, rather than allowing food to control you.
Implement these six ideas and you’re practically guaranteed to stop cheating on your diet and lose fat fast. But remember, it doesn’t happen overnight. Just take it day by day, enjoying every small victory. Make tomorrow better than today. And don’t beat yourself up if you stumble.
Day by day. That is how you stop cheating on your diet… and lose fat for life.
[Ed. Note: Eating the right foods is only one aspect of losing fat and staying healthy. You also need to exercise regularly. Fitness expert Craig Ballantyne can help you burn fat and build muscle with three 45-minute workouts a week. Learn how right here.
For more easy-to-implement ideas about how to live longer and feel better, sign up for ETR's free natural health newsletter.]
“It’s just a few extra pounds.”
Or is it?
In the 2008 Physician’s Health Study, researchers tracked 21,094 male doctors for two decades. They found that even those who were only modestly overweight had a higher risk for heart disease, and the risk grew along with the amount of extra weight.
The average age of the men at the outset of the study was 53. During the study, 1,109 of them developed heart failure. Overall, the risk of heart failure increased by an average of 180 percent in those who met the definition of obesity as measured by body mass index (with a BMI of 30 or higher), and by an average of 49 percent in those who met the definition of overweight (with a BMI of 25 to 30).
And what about “all those hours” needed for exercise?
Yet another myth busted by the study: “As far as vigorous physical activity is concerned, even if somebody said they exercised one to three times per month – which is a very low level of exercise – they had an 18 percent reduction in the risk of heart failure after accounting for all other established risk factors,” said head researcher Dr. Satish Kenchaiah.
It’s time to get serious about losing that little bit of flab. Long-term studies like this one show how beneficial it can be.
[Ed. Note: Fitness expert Jon Benson's 7 Minute Muscle program is by far the shortest workout you can do to reap the greatest rewards. Try it for yourself risk-free for 60 days right here.
For effective strategies for burning fat, getting fit, and feeling better than ever, sign up for ETR's FREE natural health newsletter right here]
I am frequently asked: “Jon, can I work out in my home or do I have to go to a gym?”
The answer: You don’t have to go to a gym. You can work out in your home – with little to no equipment – and make very good progress. Here’s how…
1. Get yourself a really good plan. Having a plan is crucial. If you try to “catch a workout,” you will probably end up being inconsistent.
You can find thousands of systems that may work for you on the Internet or in books. Just pick one and USE it. Don’t try to wing it.
2. Make a commitment to stick to that plan. Results for in-gym training tend to be better (on average) than in-home training. One big reason: When you pay for it, you’re likely to take it more seriously. (This is not always the case, of course. Some people waste their money on a gym membership.) But if you have a good system and you commit to it, you can do well.
3. Include lots of variety in your workouts. Home workouts are not nearly as exciting as going to a gym and being around other fit-minded folks – not to mention all that equipment. It’s up to you to keep it interesting by making sure your system includes plenty of variety.
4. One more thing: Keep track of your progress. Making progress is key, in the gym or at home. So no matter which workout environment you choose, keep a written record of what you’re doing. And every time you perform a particular exercise, add a rep or two here and there or some extra resistance. Perhaps less rest between sets.
Always try to do a little more. Some days you will, others you may not – but maintaining a mental attitude of progress is essential.
The bottom line is this: If you can make the commitment and get yourself a good, solid, in-home plan, you can make in-home workouts work for you.
[Ed. Note: Fitness expert Jon Benson just released his in-home fitnesss plan, The 7 Minute Muscle Body System. It requires only bands, a rubber ball, and your bodyweight to tone your body and help you burn fat. Try it for yourself.
For effective strategies for burning fat, getting fit, and feeling better than ever, sign up for ETR's FREE natural health newsletter right here.]
Sleeping in… Barbecues… Dinners out with friends. Weekends can be rough! At least, as far as your body is concerned.
But it’s easy to prevent weekend weight gain. Just make sure you work out regularly. (Doing it early in the day is best, and you’ll get a more powerful workout if you combine short-burst exercises with multi-muscle techniques.) And watch what you eat.
That said, here are three easy “eating strategies” to keep the fat off.
Weekend Strategy #1: Avoid all liquid calories.
Much of what you drink is full of sugar – which can lead to excess fat. Plus, research shows that liquid calories don’t “register” in the brain and, thus, do not satisfy the appetite. Cut out the soda, the booze, the booze mix, and even the orange juice at breakfast. There’s just no room for liquid sugar in your diet if you want to lose belly fat.
Weekend Strategy #2: Get outside with your family and away from food.
We sometimes eat too much because we are bored. So if you’re finding it hard to keep your hand out of the candy bowl, get your hand (and your butt) out of that room!
Go play with the youngsters outside. Get together with some buddies in the neighborhood for a game of pick-up basketball. Take the dog for a run. Go for a really long walk. Just do something!
Weekend Strategy #3: Treat yourself.
Say you’re visiting family and you know Aunt Sue is going to make her amazing lemon meringue pie for dessert. Simply schedule that “treat” into your eating plan. To make up for it, set limits on all the other goodies you get offered.
And remember, if you can’t keep treats in the house without eating them, get RID of the junk.
[Ed. Note: Extending your life and living out your years in tip-top health is really a matter of making simple lifestyle choices - like consuming less sugar and fewer high-glycemic carbs. For more easy-to-implement ideas about how to live longer and feel better, click here.
Want to burn more fat? Follow Craig's Turbulence Training exercise program.]
Another weekend, another two or three pounds of fat? No way! Doesn’t have to work like that.
Here are two “real life” fitness techniques that can help you just say “NO” to gaining weight.
Weekend Fitness Strategy #1: Work out first thing in the morning.
There’s nothing magical about training first thing in the morning. I don’t believe it will help you lose fat faster than exercising at any other time of the day.
HOWEVER…
Exercising first thing in the morning gets it out of the way. And if you have a busy weekend coming up, complete with family visits and household chores, the truth is that the morning may be the only time you’ll get a chance to burn belly fat.
Weekend Fitness Strategy #2: Do short-burst workouts with multi-muscle exercises.
You can train your entire body with just two exercises. For example, you could perform a quick, powerful workout just by doing dumbbell squats and push-ups.
The dumbbell squat trains your upper back and your lower body. The push-ups obviously train your chest and arms, but your torso (abs) as well. That’s a complete workout right there.
Do 8-12 reps for squats and 15-30 reps for push-ups. Don’t rest between exercises and keep going for 10 or 20 minutes, whatever you have time for. That’ll hit all of your body’s hot zones.
[Ed. Note: Extending your life and living out your years in tip-top health is really a matter of making simple lifestyle choices - like making sure you exercise even on the weekends. For more easy-to-implement ideas about how to live longer and feel better, click here.
Want to burn more fat? Follow Craig's Turbulence Training exercise program. ]
It’s hard to believe that so many folks are still overweight. Though the media has covered the risks of obesity (diabetes, heart disease, and even death) in great detail, the sad truth is that people just don’t seem to be aware of the danger. And British researcher Dr. Judy Ann Swift from the University of Nottingham is concerned.
The 104 overweight men and women who participated in Dr. Swift’s study started by taking a survey on how much they knew about the dangers of obesity. Amazingly, most knew very little. And it turned out that the more educated a participant was about the dangers and health costs of obesity, the better chance they had of losing weight.
This is important news for trainers and health professionals, but also for anyone who wants to lose weight. Discover the dangers of obesity and you’ll have more motivation to succeed!
[Ed. Note: Don't know much about the dangers that come with being overweight? Take a look through ETR's health archive for more information, plus get easy nutritional advice and useful weight-loss techniques.
Beat obesity by burning fat with fitness expert Craig Ballantyne's Turbulence Training program. ]
Some people feel like they did not get a good workout unless they’re sore the next day. Some carry this to an extreme: They get so sore they can barely move.
In all honesty, I’ve had great workouts where I literally could not walk up a flight of stairs afterward. Had to sleep in the car once.
Is this necessary for muscle growth?
No. Soreness is an indicator that you have done damage to the muscle fibers. That’s okay – in fact, it’s the purpose of weight training. But excessive sorenessmeans you’ve done too much damage. That kind of damage can take too long to repair – and that gets you out of your workout rhythm.
The ideal soreness is felt 1-2 days after a workout, where you are a bit tender but not in pain. The longer you train, the less of this soreness you may feel… and that, too, is okay.
The real indicator of a good workout is what you do in the NEXT workout. Do you
progress? Do you feel stronger? Do you get a good pump in your muscles?
If so, you’re on the right track – sore or not.
[Ed. Note: Jon Benson is a 3-time bestselling fitness author. He offers a free 7-day Fat Loss Course and complimentary e-book, "The Radical Fat Loss Blueprint," on his website. Get it here .
For easy-to-follow exercises you can do at home - plus dozens of strategies for getting fit and living longer - sign up for ETR's natural health newsletter ]
When you are in the process of shedding body fat, let yourself stay hungry a bit longer than normal. Not a “lot” longer – or you might go hypoglycemic and terrorize your family!
Just a bit longer. Say… 30 minutes.
When you are slightly hungry, you are burning fat. When you are “starving,” you are beyond that point and burning muscle. It’s a fine line you can walk that really accelerates the fat-burning process… big time.
When I’m working on shedding fat, I practice staying hungry. I fast for several hours before I exercise. It works as long as I take a bit of cream in my coffee and plenty of amino acids.
The sensation of hunger tricks the body into using more of its fat for fuel if you time it just right.
Give it a shot.
[Ed. Note: Start eating better today with help from ETR's natural health newsletter. You'll find dozens of healthy eating strategies plus delicious recipes for meals that can help you feel better and live longer. And that's not all... (read on here).
If you want to build more muscle in less time while you burn body fat, pick up nutrition and fitness counselor Jon Benson's book, 7 Minute Muscle. It's a complete system for dropping fat and building muscle that's guaranteed to work for you. Try it for 60 days and prove it to yourself.]
Hold it. You may be exercising and eating all wrong.
You may have been led to believe a lot of very stupid and untrue things about what
it takes to get fit. Things like:
• Running several miles per day is the key to getting fit.
• Doing a ton of long, slow distance (LSD) is absolutely necessary.
• Lifting the heaviest weights you possibly can will turn you into a human fireplug.
• Eating five or six times per day cranks up your metabolism.
• Training one part of your body today and another part tomorrow prevents overtraining.
• Working out only 2-3 times per week is the fastest way to make progress.
My friend, there are pieces of truth in all these lies. For example:
Long, slow cardio may make you feel good – but if you want to “STEP UP” your metabolism, you’re far better off doing a very hard, very vigorous workout that calls upon all your physical and mental reserves. You’re better off with a short workout that will never get easy – no matter how often you do it.
Consider the sprinter. His body is lean, muscular, and powerful. But it is rare to find a long-distance cardio person who is well muscled. He may be lean, but there’s no power. Not only that, but after a period of time he may end up suffering from hip, knee, ankle, and lower-back pain.
Why? All the pounding on the joints. It takes a tremendous toll on the body.
Instead of the long, slow, dull approach to fitness, consider the following five ways to a Metabolism Makeover.
1. Begin doing vigorous full-body bodyweight exercises that force you to lose control of your breathing. If you aren’t getting out of breath when you train, your system is NOT being forced to adapt and change. The harder you are breathing, the more shock to the system. The more “shock” there is, the greater the shake-up in your metabolism.
2. Instead of running or bicycling several miles per day for cardio exercise, train like a cheetah. Run as hard as you can, at full blast, for as long as you can. Run with all your might. When finished, you’ll be gasping for oxygen. And this gasping is what turns on the fat-burning furnace within.
3. Practice deep breathing. The deeper you breathe, the more oxygen in your system. The more oxygen in your system, the faster your metabolism. Don’t just get your deep breathing from vigorous exercise. Get if from the act of deep breathing itself – done all day long.
4. Eat plenty of fiber-rich, water-content foods while avoiding starchy foods most of the time.
5. Change the mental picture you have of yourself. As you see yourself in your mind’s eye, so you become.
Follow this approach to getting fit fast and you’ll catch the eyes of everyone when you walk down the street. Others will instantly sense that something is different about you. And you’ll know why.
[Ed. Note: Matt Furey - a national collegiate wrestling champion (1985) and a world shuai-chiao kung fu champion (1997) - is the author of the international bestsellers Combat Conditioning, Combat Abs, and Gama Fitness. Discover how you can increase your strength, endurance, and flexibility without lifting weights or long-distance running right here.
For unbiased information on critical men's and women's health issues... the latest breakthroughs in alternative medicine, fitness, and nutrition... as well as motivational guidance to help you achieve your goals, sign up for ETR's natural health newsletter.]
Try this one for a better backside: Lie on your back. Curl your knees up, but keep your feet on the floor. Then, using one leg at a time, lift your midsection off the ground and tighten (flex) your butt muscles.
Do 10 reps, then switch legs. Do 10 more.
Work your way up to five minutes or so of this exercise and you’ll have a nicer booty in no time at all.
[Ed. Note: If you want to build more muscle in less time while you burn body fat, pick up nutrition and fitness counselor Jon Benson's book, 7 Minute Muscle. It's a complete system for dropping fat and building muscle that's guaranteed to work for you. Try it for 60 days and prove it to yourself. .
For more easy-to-follow exercises you can do at home - plus dozens of strategies for getting fit and living longer - sign up for ETR's natural health newsletter ]
When Carrie showed up for her first weight-loss workout with me, she was injured. Only three weeks earlier, she had made up her mind to lose weight. So she started running for 45 minutes per day. But doing so much, so soon was a bad idea for her body, given that she was 20 pounds overweight and hadn’t gone running in years.
It was no surprise that Carrie had developed a muscle strain in her upper thigh, which required weeks of rehabilitation to heal. This made our fat-burning workouts more difficult, because she couldn’t do interval training or many of the bodyweight exercises I use with my clients.
Over time, Carrie was able to heal her injury while losing fat with short-burst workouts. However, she should not have gotten hurt in the first place.
The first thing to remember about keeping your workouts safe is to avoid doing too much cardio.
I don’t understand why so many personal trainers still recommend long, slow cardio workouts for fat loss, when research has shown them to be relatively ineffective and experience tells me that cardio often just lands folks in the doctor’s office.
If I had met Carrie before she started running, here’s what I would have told her to help her lose fat fast… without getting hurt.
Top 10 Rules for Safe Workouts
1. It is important to train conservatively and not overdo things. If you are doing resistance training (and everyone should), don’t do any exercise that you aren’t sure how to do. Always get personal instruction from a certified trainer.
2. Don’t do anything that hurts or “doesn’t feel right.” There are plenty of alternate exercises for any exercise in any workout program. Just ask a qualified trainer for help.
3. Whenever you start a new resistance-training program, use lighter weights than normal and perform only one set per exercise. This will minimize the muscle soreness that you can expect with any new program.
4. If you need extra recovery time within the workout or between workouts, don’t hesitate to take it. Most beginners only think about how they can do more and more exercise to help them lose weight faster. But everyone (from beginners to pro athletes) needs some days of light exercise to allow the muscles to repair. And don’t worry. If you do the right type of exercise, you’ll still lose fat even when you are not working out at the gym.
5. Check your ego at the gym door and start with the easier alternate exercises, even if you have exercised in the past. New movements – even those that “look easy” – will cause muscle soreness. This goes for yoga too. Many beginners overstretch and end up with the same kind of injuries often associated with weight training. So no matter what you do, be conservative.
6. Do not do interval training or hard cardio more than four times per week. Even pro athletes don’t play hard every day. Doing too much cardio is the biggest reason beginners end up hurt, frustrated, and in the doctor’s office. Research shows that all you need to lose belly fat is three interval-training workouts per week.
When you do cardio, you’re doing the same movement thousands and thousands of times in the same workout. If you have even the smallest injury, it will be magnified by this repetition.
7. Never skip a warm-up. Instead of using the treadmill to warm up (which is pointless), do a general bodyweight circuit of easy squats, easy push-ups, and ab planks to prepare your body for resistance training.
8. If you decide to use running as your form of interval training, make sure you have good running shoes, always do an extra-thorough warm-up, and choose a safe running surface (grass or trails rather than pavement/concrete). If you use a treadmill, please operate it safely.
9. If you have any type of injury at all, get medical attention and have a professional therapist rehabilitate the injury before you start an exercise program. You are better off committing three weeks to rehab now, before the injury becomes serious, than to neglect your body and be forced to stop exercising for three months (or more).
10. All together now: “Safety first!” Check with your doctor before starting any new exercise or diet program. There is no need to get hurt, no matter how serious you are about losing weight fast.
Don’t Let Your Workouts Be the Reason You Can’t Work Out
Those are the top 10 safety tips to keep in mind before you start your new fat-burning workout. Don’t make the classic beginner mistake of doing too much exercise too soon.
The great news is that, as a beginner, your diet will have a much greater impact on your weight loss results – so there’s no reason to over-exercise. Your program should include resistance training and interval training to help you burn fat, but you only need to exercise three times per week with total-body workouts.
Take your body seriously! Train safe!
[Ed. Note: No matter where you are in your weight-loss efforts, you don't need hours of cardio to get into tip-top shape. Learn how you can get fit with three 45-minute workouts a week with fitness expert Craig Ballantyne's Turbulence Training for Fat Loss program right here.
For more easy-to-follow advice on how to stay fit, lose weight, and eat right, sign up for ETR's FREE natural health e-newsletter.]
Tuesday morning, I got up early, ironed my clothes, and got mentally prepared for the talk I was to give at an AWAI Web Copywriting event in Austin, Texas.
Before leaving my room, I did a 10-minute routine of internal exercise. This put me into a peak state… and off I went.
During my talk, I demonstrated a kung fu form I practice every day, without fail. This demo was useful to the group, because I explained how writing copy is the same, in terms of structure and principles, as practicing kung fu.
Not only that, but doing this routine for even a minute during the talk ensured that I got some practice time in that day. (There’s always a way to train – even when you don’t have time.)
After my presentation, I went for lunch at a Brazilian-style restaurant, Foco de Chao. Twas awesome, per usual, for this type of joint.
Then it was back to my room for a brief power nap, followed by packing my bags and leaving for the airport.
Once on board the plane, I practiced my routine over and over again. I felt my nerves and muscles twitch as my breathing went up and down – in and out.
Where was I while I practiced? In the aisle? Standing on my seat?
I was in my seat, sitting comfortably, eyes closed at times – eyes open at other times.
I was practicing my form in my imagination. Over and over again.
The beginning, the middle, the end – and all parts in between. Reviewed, viewed, and previewed.
I corrected mistakes. I noted glaring errors. I saw and felt where I was moving correctly. I noticed what I could do to make my practice better.
A few hours later, when I disembarked, I was feeling the same, if not better, than I do when I practice by moving physically.
When I got on board that plane, I didn’t know if I would have time to physically practice my form before midnight. That’s one of the main reasons I did the imagination exercises.
My wife picked me up after 11:00 p.m. After securing my bags and driving home, we pulled into our driveway at 11:55.
Both of us got out of the car. She began to walk toward the house. I took off my coat and laid it on the trunk.
“What are you doing?” Zhannie asked.
I said: “Practicing. I still have five minutes before midnight. I can get the form done at least once.”
The moon was out, the stars were shining, the wind was blowing. And although I had all the excuses in the world, there I was – turning and twisting, stomping and spinning, flowing from one move to the next.
Sweat poured off me as my breath quickened and energy moved up and down my spine. It was the most powerful execution of the form I had ever experienced.
I patted myself on the back for hitting my before-midnight goal once again. Then I grabbed my grip and went inside the house.
How many times did I really practice on Tuesday?
Did the time on the plane, practicing in my imagination, count?
Of course it did.
In fact, it may have counted just as much, if not more, than when I did the form physically.
Why? Because when you imagine that you are doing something, your nerves, your cells, your muscles, your brain – everything that is part of you – gets the message and responds accordingly.
Even if you’re in bed with the flu – or something worse – you can still train in your imagination. And doing so will have a healing effect beyond what you can fathom.
Throughout history, there have been stories of strongmen who rose from their deathbeds – from a weak, sickly state of ill health – and became powerful.
They didn’t just survive the tough time. They thrived.
The key is understanding that success is a combination of physical practice and mental practice. He who does both rises to the greatest heights of achievement. In fact, in any endeavor on the face of the earth, if you were to ask the question “How much of success is mental” to those at the top, the most common reply would be “Most of it. Ninety percent or more.”
This being the case, why don’t more people learn how to harness the awesome power of the creative imagination? It makes sense, right?
[Ed. Note: Matt Furey is a national collegiate wresting champion (1985) and a world shuai-chiao kung fu champion (1997). He publishes the Zero Resistance Living program that teaches average Joes how to change themselves into the person they've always wanted to be. Matt says that it doesn't matter whether the results you want are physical, financial, or emotional - Zero Resistance Living has the answers you've been looking for. Right now, he is offering this program at half the regular price. Simply enter 2009 as the coupon code, and you'll be all set.
For unbiased information on critical men's and women's health issues... the latest breakthroughs in alternative medicine, fitness, and nutrition... as well as motivational guidance to help you achieve your goals, sign up for ETR's natural health newsletter.]
I’m no economics genius, so I can’t help solve the recession. But I do know that times of stress cause some folks to eat more than they need – and that means weight gain for many.
Japanese scientists studied 122 workers between the ages of 21 and 60. They found that work stress (in the form of tension, anxiety, and depression) was associated with an increase in what they called “eating to satiety” (meaning eating until they were completely full). Unfortunately, eating to satiety was also associated with weight gain.
The researchers concluded that work stress can negatively impact your eating patterns, causing you to gain weight. And in today’s stressful world, that is not good news.
So here’s what you need to do. If stress is making you eat more, make sure you keep high-calorie, energy-dense processed carbohydrates (chips, cookies, baked goods, etc.) out of your house and office. Load up on whole, natural foods – fruits, vegetables, and raw nuts. (Yes, nuts!) These foods will fill you up before you can eat too many calories, and you’ll limit your risk of gaining weight, even if you eat to satiety due to stress.
[Ed. Note: Extending your life and living out your years in tip-top health is really a matter of making simple lifestyle choices - like limiting your stress and adding whole, natural foods to your diet. For more easy-to-implement ideas about how to live longer and feel better, click here. ]
In addition to eating better, you can stay fit and burn fat by following fitness expert Craig Ballantyne’s Turbulence Training exercise program.]