[ Note: This article was written by fitness and nutrition author Jon Benson. Jon is a good friend of mine so I have his permission to share it with you. I have personally reviewed Every Other Day Diet in addition to Jon's other products and I give them my highest recommendation. I'm an affiliate of Jon's and receive a portion of the proceeds made via the links in this article. A portion of the proceeds I receive are used to help expand Natural Health On The Web. This gives me the resources to expand so I can continue to create articles, blogs and offer you a free and reliable resource of natural health information. Enjoy the article. ]

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!

Media Pounce on Ginkgo Biloba’s ‘Ineffectiveness’

Latest study on ginkgo biloba says it's ineffective in preventing cognitive decline. But why aren't the media reporting about the studies that say it works? Did they forget?

So have you heard?  The ginkgo biloba supplement you’ve been taking for years now—turns out it’s useless.  That’s right, that herb with the funny name, how it’s supposed to stave off cognitive decline—it’s bunkum.  Nothing but claptrap peddled by the natural health industry.

Or so the media want you believe.

The study certainly sounds convincing.  It took place over an eight -year period, with over 3,000 aging men and women (72 years of age and older) taking either a placebo or 120 milligrams of ginkgo biloba every day, twice a day.

As published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, there was no difference in the rate of cognitive decline between those taking the ginkgo biloba extract or those taking the placebo.

Nothing.  Nada.  Zilch.

The media loves negativity.  It’s what gets eyeballs to the television sets.  It’s what gets people “mad as hell.”

A good friend of mine did his Master’s thesis on media bias, focusing his attention on whether or not the media had a more conservative bent or liberal bent to it.

While he found some evidence suggesting that there was an ideological bent to the way in which certain networks reported stories, his main conclusion was that the media loved to focus their attention on the negative.  For example, the media would spend lots of time on bad unemployment reports compared to the time they’d spend on unemployment reports where jobs were added to the economy (e.g. more time devoted to the economy segment, more likely to be a top story, more expert analysis devoted to the segment, etc).

In short, the old “if it bleeds, it leads” line has some truth to it.  And the same standard applies to health news.

Folks, ginkgo biloba has been taken as a memory enhancer for over 30 years.  And study after study has shown it to be effective in staving off Alzheimer’s disease.

One such study—reported in the very same Journal of the American Medical Association—found that ginkgo biloba extract can stabilize and improve people’s mental functioning in people taking at least 100 to 200 milligrams three times per day.  A study performed 20 years later confirmed that.

Now, it’s possible that these studies were smaller in scale, thus the findings may not be as reliable as a study with 3,000+ people.  But if you’re looking for a larger study, look no further than one that reviewed 29 studies with over 2,400 aging men and women participating.  And just like this most recent report, it was double blind, placebo controlled and randomized.

Their findings?  That the “chronic administration (of Ginkgo extract) improves selective attention, some executive processes and long-term memory for verbal and non-verbal material,” according to the study’s lead author, Dr. Reiner Kaschel, a clinical neuropsychologist at the University of Osnabrueck in Germany.

Yet did the media bring up these countering studies?  Isn’t it the media’s job to bring you both sides of the story so that you can determine for yourself what’s true and what isn’t?

The bottom line is this:  Ginkgo biloba works for me and for thousands of others.  If it works for you, don’t let one study steer you into believing that you’ve been hoodwinked.  Ginkgo works for some, for others it doesn’t.  Try what’s best for you (e.g. Coenzyme Q10, Acetylcholine, Acetyle-L-carnitine, Boron).  Don’t let the media decide what’s best for you.

Sources:
medicalnewstoday.com
news.xinhuanet.com
msnbc.msn.com
Balch, Phyllis A.  “Prescription for Nutritional Healing.”  4th Edition.  2006.  Avery:  New York

[ Note: This article was written by fitness and nutrition author Jon Benson. Jon is a good friend of mine so I have his permission to share it with you.  I have personally reviewed Every Other Day Diet in addition to Jon's other products and I give them my highest recommendation. I'm an affiliate of Jon's and receive a portion of the proceeds made via the links in this article. A portion of the proceeds I receive are used to help expand Natural Health On The Web. This gives me the resources to expand so I can continue to create articles, blogs and offer you a free and reliable resource of natural health information. Enjoy the article. ]

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…

———————————————————————-|

Why Low-Carb Works

———————————————————————-|

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.

———————————————————————-|

Why Low-Carb Fails

———————————————————————-|

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

Researchers Use Specialized Music Therapy to Help Tinnitus Sufferers

Ringing is reduced in tinnitus sufferers after listening to music stripped of certain tones.

One of the greatest benefits of subscribing to my weekly newsletter is that it provides you with the most up to date information available in health news.  So if there was something I reported last week about what you can do to improve your health, you can guarantee I’ll add or change those recommendations should it be warranted.   Perhaps an example would better explain what I mean.

Last week I released my tinnitus report.  It had the most up-to-date information on what can be done to reduce that ringing in your ears.  But there’s since been a study that shows how people can reduce the ringing even more.

The findings come on the heels of a warning issued by the European Union Scientific Committee on Emerging and Newly Identified Health Risks on what people can do to better protect their hearing.  Hearing loss has never been higher than it is today, particularly in industrialized countries, with people everywhere blaring their music at excessive levels.

But researchers from Germany are using the very thing that caused so much damage—music—for relief.

Researchers did so through the use of specialized technology that “stripped” music of the tones that the participants heard in their ears.  The participants would do their best to mimic the tone that they heard in their heads, and then the researchers could take that similar sound out of the music being played.

For a year, the participants listened to their songs, each tailored to their tinnitus tone.  And according to the findings published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the music did the trick.  Compared to those who listened to a placebo kind of music (the placebo being a song that wasn’t manipulated in any way), there was a “distinct” decrease in the loudness of the ringing.

The study included 39 men and women who had chronic tinnitus for at least five years.  Each group listened to their specialized music for about 12 hours per week.

The study’s lead researcher, Christo Pantev from Westfalian Wilhelms University, says that the music treatment is low cost and effective, which suggests that this kind of technology is available here in the states.  Talk to your ear, nose and throat doctor about what resources are available in your area.  And please consult my tinnitus report if you haven’t already.  I’m confident it can help resolve your tinnitus symptoms.

Sources:
newsdaily.com
news.bbc.co.uk

Study:  Advancing Age Increases Risk of Complications Post-Surgery

University of Washington researchers say that as we age, our risk for complications from surgery increases. That doesn't have to be the case, so long as you prepare and recover from surgery the right way.

Many moons ago (well, really only two years but it seems like a long time ago), I wrote an article about surgery and the importance of going into it with your eyes wide open.  In other words, going into the surgery firm in the knowledge that the surgery is absolutely necessary and going into the surgery mentally and physically prepared for the toll it puts on the body.

If you haven’t read it, do so, because what you don’t know can hurt you.

I say that because according to a new report published in the December issue of Archives of Surgery, the older a person is, the more likely it is that that person will have serious health complications in the aftermath.

Researchers from the University of Washington’s School of Medicine reviewed the paperwork of over 101,000 people that had abdominal surgeries performed on them between 1987 and 2004.  All of the procedures were done on people over the age of 65.  Oh, and all of the surgeries performed were necessary procedures (e.g. hysterectomies, cholecystectomies, colectomies) not elective abdominal surgical procedures like bariatric surgery, for example.

What they were really looking for in these procedures was not what kind of surgery that was performed or how long they took, but if any complications arose.  For the most part, they didn’t, but when they did arise, they tended to be in the elder years (90 and over) rather than the “early” years (65-69).

For example, for people in the 65-69 age bracket, the likelihood that they’d have health complications 90 days after the surgery was 14 percent.  But in people 90 and over, the complication rate was about 23 percent.  That’s almost one in four!  For every four-year age bracket, the risk of complication increased about 1.5 percent.

While the death rate was not as high as the complication rate, risk assessment was again a function of age (65-69 years = 9 percent; 90 and older = 17 percent).

Researchers think this link is due to the elderly not being able to recover as quickly from surgery as those younger than them.  But they also say that it’s a function of their inability to adapt to the stress of surgery.

I can almost guarantee you that the death and complication rate would have been much lower had they been better prepared for it.  In short, prepared in a way that I outlined just two years ago:  with the proper nutrients and foods pre-surgery, the proper nutrients and foods post-surgery, and hypnotherapy to increase healing.

If you or someone you love is in their latter years and is preparing for surgery, please pass along this column of mine to them.  It could very well wind up saving their life.

Source:
sciencedaily.com

Report:  94 Percent of Tinnitus Sufferers Told to ‘Deal with It’

Let the bells ring out in gladness: Tinnitus can be treated and can be won!

When our twentysomething sons and daughters head off to war, we all want them to return safely and without incident.  And while thousands have returned from fighting with little to no damage done to them, physically or mentally, there’s one condition that an overwhelming number have reported experiencing.  It’s called tinnitus, or a ringing in the ears.  And for 75 percent of the men and women back from the Middle East, the ringing is constant and unrelenting.

The stubborn ringing can develop in any number of ways, often by people who are around high noise zones like rock concerts, music halls, construction zones, or in the soldiers’ cases, war zones.  But tinnitus is not the sole proprietorship of noisome neighborhoods.  It can also develop in noiseless neighborhoods, like libraries, abandoned parking lots or secluded hideaways.

In other words, tinnitus can develop any time, any where.  But for a shockingly high number of people, tinnitus is a condition that they’re told to simply “deal with.”

According to a recent study published in the Journal of Clinical Nursing, a whopping 94 percent of people with tinnitus are not given any recourse whatsoever.  Doctors simply tell them that there’s nothing they can do, essentially abandoning them like they’re a ship without a port, a seaman without a paddle.

Researchers and doctors discovered this disturbing trend after reviewing over 150 papers on tinnitus and its victims since 1983.  Besides the fact that there’s been an increase in the number of people getting tinnitus since 1983, what was particularly galling was that so many were left without any recourse.  In short, they were told to simply “deal with it.”

Real nice.

Where there has been advancement in tinnitus research is its possible causes.  For instance, it was once believed that tinnitus resulted from nerve damage in the ear itself, but recent studies suggest that the problem may originate in the brain.

This is all well and good for bookworms and lovers of all things science, but it does absolutely nothing for the 20 percent of Americans that have it, a pittance of whom seek treatment (With 94 percent of people being told that nothing can be done for them, it’s hard to blame them).

Well, I’m here to tell you that tinnitus is absolutely treatable!  The fact that so many people with tinnitus have been told that nothing can be done for them is discouraging for me and I don’t even have tinnitus.  You can imagine how it must feel for those that have tinnitus.  Discouragement breeds stress, and stress is one of the many things that exacerbate tinnitus conditions.

To discover more about tinnitus and how you can overcome it, please read my latest report on tinnitus.  It’s an all-natural approach to treating one of the world’s most common conditions, and I’m confident that it can work for you.

Sources:
sciencedaily.com

Red Wine, White Wine Cause Staining but in Different Ways

For wine drinking and tooth staining, its not a question of if, but whether you want your teeth stained now or later.

Everyday, we’re bombarded with choices:  Pepsi or Coke?  Spaghetti or linguine?  Blow Pops or Tootsie Pops?  Cruller or doughnut?

When you think about it, though, these aren’t really “choices” at all.  They may vary slightly in taste, sure, but they all bring about the same end:  Weight gain, sugar highs, and terrible teeth.

So with this in mind, here’s the latest “choice” that isn’t really a choice at all:  red or white wine.  For when it comes to which is the better one for teeth, it’s pick your poison.

Traditionally, one would think that white wine is better for your teeth.  And why wouldn’t you, especially if you consider yourself a red wine connoisseur (i.e., while red wine is heralded for its antioxidant activity, it’s lamented for its teeth-staining ability after drinking).  But when researchers put both to the tooth test, conventional wisdom was turned on its head.

To gauge whether white wine was really “tooth-tacular” from a non-staining perspective, researchers from the International Association for Dental Research submerged cow’s teeth into a goblet of either red wine or white wine.   While not identical, cow’s teeth and human teeth bear several similarities.  After an extended period of time, they then put both teeth into separate glasses of black tea to see if there were any changes to their hue.

Their findings indicated that white wine was something of a table-setter, as the teeth in the goblet of white wine were more stained than the red wine-immersed teeth.  The red wine caused staining initially, but over time, the white wine was the worse way to go.

So does this mean that you should skip the wine altogether at your next meet-and-greet?  Not necessarily.  As documented here in the past, wine has some tremendous health benefits.

Furthermore, while I have no doubt that the researchers findings are reliable, wine and tea are positively friendly to your teeth compared to other libations.  Juices, sodas, energy drinks and sports drinks are all highly acidic, all of them eating away at tooth enamel.  Tooth enamel protects the teeth, but they slowly lose that protection when there’s a constant flow of acid.  Enamel erosion leaves the teeth more susceptible to cavities, infections, and extreme sensitivity to hot and cold.

While there is some acidity in tea, its richness in polyphenols helps offset the acidity by fighting back frightful plaque.

When it comes right down to it, though, it’s all about moderation.  Both red and white wine are great choices for your overall health; it’s just not the best of drinks for picture taking or natural tooth whitening.

For that, stick with water.

Sources:
msnbc.msn.com
wvhc.staywellsolutionsonline.com
webmd.com

[ Note: This article was written by fitness and nutrition author Jon Benson. Jon is a good friend of mine so I have his permission to share it with you.  I have personally reviewed Every Other Day Diet in addition to Jon's other products and I give them my highest recommendation. I'm an affiliate of Jon's and receive a portion of the proceeds made via the links in this article. A portion of the proceeds I receive are used to help expand Natural Health On The Web. This gives me the resources to expand so I can continue to create articles, blogs and offer you a free and reliable resource of natural health information. Enjoy the article.]

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.

[ Note: This article was written by fitness and nutrition author Jon Benson. Jon is a good friend of mine so I have his permission to share it with you.  I have personally reviewed Every Other Day Diet in addition to Jon's other products and I give them my highest recommendation. I'm an affiliate of Jon's and receive a portion of the proceeds made via the links in this article. A portion of the proceeds I receive are used to help expand Natural Health On The Web. This gives me the resources to expand so I can continue to create articles, blogs and offer you a free and reliable resource of natural health information. Enjoy the article.]

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…

———————————————————————-|

USELESS EXERCISE 1: Walking Dumbbell Lunges

———————————————————————-|

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

———————————————————————-|

USELESS EXERCISE 2: The Sit-up

———————————————————————-|

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.

———————————————————————-|

USELESS EXERCISE 3: The Bench Press

———————————————————————-|

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.

———————————————————————-|

USELESS EXERCISE 4: Most Cardio Exercises

———————————————————————-|

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 —– >  Every Other Day Dietplan

CDC’s New Numbers Indicate Autism Affects 1 in 110 Children

With 1 in 110 kids having autism, early detection is crucial to their treatment and their leading as normal a life as possible.

You’ve seen the commercial.  The one where the narrator gives the chances your child makes it as a professional baseball player, astronaut, ballerina, or some other hoity-toity career title.  Then she gives the sobering static for the chances your child gets autism:  1 in 166.

As shockingly high that risk is, it’s got nothin’ on the latest stat.  The CDC now says that autism affects an astounding one in 110 children!

Autism is a developmental disorder that affects the way children communicate with the outside world.  The symptoms of it—e.g. aggressive behavior, throwing tantrums, inability to interact with others, repeating words over and over, being oblivious to dangerous situations—cost parents thousands of dollars annually in treatment for a disorder that remains enigmatic.  The only thing that is known for sure is that its impact varies from person to person and its genesis is believed to derive from genetic mutations in the brain formed at birth.

The fact that autism is increasing so rapidly—a 1,148 percent growth rate—suggests that environmental factors may be to blame as well.  Perhaps the prevalence of chemicals and additives in our foods?  Maybe.  Overexposure to lead and mercury from tuna fish?  A definite potential culprit.

Whatever the causes are, it’s important to be aware of the symptoms of autism because early diagnosis is crucial.  There’s no known cure for autism, but early detection allows professionals and supplements the ability to better treat a brain that’s not fully formed.  Early diagnosis can help the autism-affected brain learn how to better cope with the disease so it doesn’t affect their adult life as much as it would were they to be diagnosed late.

There are many signs and symptoms of autism, but some of the most common ones include repeating the same words over and over, arm-flapping, avoiding social interactions, avoiding eye contact, fascination with parts of things (e.g.  a spoke on bicycle wheel), throwing tantrums, odd forms of play, and not wanting to be touched.

Because autism is a disease that affects the brain and its development, be on the lookout for supplements that promote blood flow and oxygenation to the brain.  These include dimethylglycine and choline.  Both improve brain function and oxygen circulation.

For vitamins, vitamin B complex has proven helpful.  Besides the fact that it improves circulation to the brain, vitamin B complex helps the body better absorb nutrients.  Past studies have shown that kids with autism often have gastrointestinal disorders, and vitamin B improved their ability to digest foods more easily.

Because autism forms early in life, recommended doses should be halved if the child is between six and 12, be three-quarters of the recommended amount if they’re between 12 and 17, and be one-quarter of the amount if they’re under six.

Sources:
autism-society.org
news.yahoo.com
Balch, Phyllis  A.  “Prescription for Nutritional Healing.”  4^th Edition.  2006.  Avery:  New York