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Health and Fitness Dogma

Hi,

I had an interesting encounter the other day.  And it is all about dogma and intolerance. 

I will show you how that relates to today’s world of health and fitness.

I was walking to my car after making a purchase at a store.  I got in the car and realized I had forgotten something. 

Before I had a chance to get out some middle aged guy walked over and told me he was a composer.  A Christian composer.  And he kept going on and on and I said I wasn’t interested.

He said that he thought I was a person that was interested in God’s way.  I said I wasn’t (more on why I said this later).

Then he said – as I was walking away – that I should be in an electic chair. 

I almost burst out laughing, but I just kept on walking.

First of all let me just say that I never like being accosted and approached by strangers for a sales pitch.  And almost 100% of the time I will disagree with them (not interested in God’s way).

As I was walking away I also thought about how Christian his attitude was. 

So what does this have to do with health and fitness?

First let’s define dogma.  Many definitions have to do with religion and morality. 

But, it is also defined as something held as an established opinion.  This opinion does not have to be true.   

It is actually only a point of view or tenet put forth as authoritative without adequate grounds.  (Merriam Webster Dictionary)

To sum it up dogma is an opinion without adequate grounds. 

So what does this have to do with your health and fitness?

Look everyone is not an expert.  Maybe you are not one either – at least in the health and fitness world. 

So you have to do some research about what works and doesn’t work.  Obviously you can’t try every single method of living a fit and healthy life that is on the market. 

So how do you search?  How do you decide what to try and what not to try?

Do you listen to the one with the loudest dogma? 

You can find them everywhere.  They are the ones that have no or very little scientific training.  They are the ones that say that only their method works and no one elses. 

You will find no proof, no evidence that their program works.  But, you will find loud shouts telling you how good their program is. 

You might even see and hear lots of testimonials.   While testimonials are nice, they are not science, nor are they much better than the placebo effect. 

So what can you do to avoid the dogma and get to the results that you want from your health and fitness program?

Well, you do have to read a bit and do some online research.  There are some good people out their with good programs that will help you. 

There is good information out there.  But, you won’t find the flashy graphics, cartoons and yelling about their products. 

This blog is one of those.  I don’t even have a product available yet (in the works).   But, I will promise to keep providing you with scientific information that you can use in your quest for your health and fitness programs.   

I also plan on becoming more active on the social networks with this blog and my other one at http://www.femfigueres.com

While I do have opinions about what works best I certainly I hope to never be so dogmatic that I wish the electric chair for those that disagree:-).

Mike Val

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Your Health and Fitness Success Guaranteed

The one thing that will guarantee your success in diet, fitness and health for 2011.

Hi,

Are You Willing To Do The Number One Thing That Will Guarantee Success In Your Diet, Fitness and Health Programs for 2011?

This one thing always works.  It actually works for anything you attempt to do – it doesn’t just have to be with your health or fitness.

Yet, it is something that almost no one does.

Part of it is because they aren’t even aware of it.  Part of that is because they aren’t aware of how important this is.  Part of it is because they don’t understand how to do it. 

So what is this thing? 

It is commitment. 

So now you are aware of it. 

It is everything. 

So now you are aware of how important it is. 

We will get into how to do it later.

So exactly what is commitment? 

Commitment has many different definitions.  Here are a few that I like:

The trait of sincere and steadfast fixity of purpose.

The act of binding yourself to a course of action.

Sticking with something long after the mood you have said it in has left you… by jojo 11 Sep 20, 2008

Commitment is what transforms the promise into reality.
It is the words that speak boldly of your intentions.
And the actions which speak louder than the words.
It is making the time when there is none.
Coming through time after time after time, year after year after year.
Commitment is the stuff character is made of.
It is the power to change the face of things.
It is the daily triumph of integrity over skepticism…by Ashbash Jan 13, 2005
Wow.  I know that is a lot of definitions. 

But, let’s look at just a couple of them. 

First of all it is an act.  It is something you do.  

It is not something you just do by rote – like brushing your teeth or breathing – it is something you have to think about and then act upon.

So start out your commitment by deciding what it is you really, really want.  You have to want this more than anything. 

You can not commit to something that you really don’t care about.  Remember it is something that you really, really want. 

The operative word here is “you”.  If it is something that someone else wants for you, that will never work. 

If you spouse wants you to lose weight and you are only lukewarm to the idea, it is not going to happen.  Oh sure, you might make some pathetic attempts, but they won’t stick. 

You must be the one that really, really wants it. 

Since we are talking about your health let’s say you want to lose 25 pounds and “tone” your muscles (there is really no such thing as toning your muscles, but since it is a common term I am going to use it here).

You know that the 25 pounds aren’t just going to fall off by themselves.  You are actually going to have to do something. 

The first step is figuring out what that something is. 

Now maybe that something is eating less food or eating healthier foods or starting an exercise program.  Or a combination of the above.

Now you know what you really, really want to do.  That is to lose 25 pounds.

And you know what you have to do.  That is to eat healthier foods and exercise more. 

This is actually the easy part. 

Now comes the commitment.  Now comes the time to act upon what your want to do and have to do.

You have taken the first step.  Remember the saying that the first step is the hardest?  Well, that is a lie.

The first step is actually the easiest. 

The next post we will get into the harder part and the second part of commitment to your diet, fitness and health program for 2011.

 Thanks,

Mike Val

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A Fitness Twist

Hi,

Here is a simple twist to your fitness routine that will help you burn more body fat and improve your body fat.

Most people just go through exercise routines willy-nilly. 

That means they have no purpose.  They might work on chest and arms one day.  The next day they work on chest and back.  The next day arms and shoulders. 

Some people actually work on legs also.

You see these types at the gym all the time.  They have big arms and a big chest, but weak legs and no endurance at all.

Fitness is much more than just having big arms. 

It is about being strong with little body fat.  It is about having endurance to accomplish anything you want.

To do this you need to do something for all facets of fitness and for your whole body.

So try this at your next workout. 

You are going to do three sets of every exercise.

The first exercise will be for the upper body.  The next exercise will be for the lower body.

The third exercise will be a combination of upper and lower body.

Here is an example.  Do one one set of chest presses (or it you are doing this at home do one set of pushups).  Do as many as you can. 

The next set will be lunges.  You can hold weights in your hands if you have them.  Step forward with one leg and do as many lunges as you can.  Then do the other leg until you can’t do any more.

The third set will be a forgotten exercise.  Squat down and put your hands on the ground.  Thrust your legs out behind you until you are in a push up position. 

Do 1 pushup and return to the squat position, stand up.  That is one rep.  Do as many as you can.   

These are called burpees or squat thrusts. 

Those are your three exercises.  Now repeat the whole process for 2 more sets.  Take each set to momentary failure.

Momentary failure is when you can’t do one more full rep of the exercise.  (Total failure is when you can’t budge the weight or even lift any body part.)

If you are not in very good shape it doesn’t matter.  You are going to your momentary failure, not someone else’s. 

Do as many as you can.  The key is to not rest between exercises or sets. 

If you are in better shape, then you can add three more exercises and go with the same protocols. 

Now if you really want to torch the body fat, then don’t rest between the various groups of exercises.

Instead go ahead and do some fast cardio.  Get on an exercise bike and pedal for as fast as you can for 30-60 seconds. 

If you are exercising at home, run in place with your knees high for the same time. 

Try this fitness twist to your routine and notice the differences almost immediately.

Thanks,

Mike Val

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Fitness for Nothing

Hi,

Well, it has started.  You see it everywhere. 

Buy this fitness product and you will have fitness for life in days.  You will have 6 pack abs in minutes.

These commercials will continue through Christmas and well into January – the time of New Year’s resolutions.

Basically they will tell you that you can get fitness for nothing. 

That means that their fitness product or fitness routine or fitness food is the be all and end all of fitness.

Just buy it you will become fit. 

That is the hype part.

Now comes the reality.

There is no fitness program, no fitness device, no diet program that will work without some effort on your part.

If you think you can become fit just by using some ab device you are sorely mistaken.

Dreams are nice, but you have to do something to make those dreams come true.

Being fit is fantastic.  Being in good health is fantastic.  Having abs is fantastic.

But, you don’t get that without effort. 

Now I will be the first to admit that there are some good devices out there.  The doorway chinning bar and fitness balls are a couple of example. 

There are some good programs out there.  My program (not available yet) and a few others are pretty good.

But, they don’t work in a vacuum.  You have to use them and adhere to them. 

And they take time.  No program can change you overnight.  And no program can change you without you doing something. 

So whether you buy my program – when it is available – or someone else’s program doesn’t matter.

What you do have to do is commit to actually using the program or device.

So enjoy the holidays.  If a program, device or nutrition program appeals to you then try it.

Try it for a few months.  Make that commitment to do it or use it everyday. 

Then you will begin to see results. 

But, if you expect a magic transformation without doing anything and expect the program to transform you into a gymnastic model you will be very disappointed.

In the meantime enjoy the holidays and commit to changing your life by doing something. 

On another topic, the new year is upon us.  I will have my new program with several modules out on changing your fitness levels.

The program is designed for simplicity.  I know how little time most of us have to actually exercise.  I also no most people quit exercising after a few weeks. 

That is because a routine has never been incorporated into your lifestyle.  This program will change that. 

So that is my main priority for the new year. 

I will also be getting involved with social media and video and making this a more interactive experience for you. 

As always I welcome your comments and suggestions and thank you for your participation in this blog. 

Thanks,

Mike Val

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Imaginary Diet

Hi,

Imagine eating your favorite food.  Really imagine it.

Imagine how it smells, how it looks.

Imagine how it tastes, how it feels on your tongue.

Imagine the pleasure you are getting from imagining all of this.

Now, what if I told you that doing this will help you really lose weight?

You might think I am a little crazy.  Well, you might be right about that part. 

But, what I said is true.

ABC News showed a report about imagining eating and the effects it had on real weight loss.

They used M&M’s in the study.  The subjects imagined eating M&M’s.  they imagined the first one in as much detail as possible.  Then they repeated the process another 29 times. 

Another group didn’t do any imagining.

The study then put a bowl of M&M’s on the table and measured how many each group ate.

They originally thought that the imagining group would eat a lot more of the M&M’s.  But, the opposite happened. 

The imagining group ate about 1/2 of the amount the non-imagining group did.

Turns out that all this imagining stimulated the release of dopamine in the brain.  In this case dopamine satiated the hunger receptors and therefore the appetitie.

So the imagining group actually felt full and therefore only ate 1/2 of what the non imagining group did.

Talk about the power of imagination. 

So how can you use this – especially with all the holiday meals coming up.

Do you have to imagine 30 times. or is 1 or 2 times enough.  Unfortunately, there were no details on this.  But, I will try to find out more and post it at a later time. 

For now at least try to imagine eating your favorite food for a few minutes before you eat, or drink.  (Maybe it also works with drinking – either alcohol or soda.)

Try it and see if the imaginary diet will work for you.

Thanks,

Mike Val

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Is Spot Reduction a Myth?

Hi,

Everyone knows you can’t spot reduce, right?

After all, all the research for years and years has “proven” that it is not possible.

So, me and my fitness buddies from my college days wondered why it was so easy to gain fat around the waist and not on the arms.

I said, well you are always moving your arms constantly all day long.  And even though we were all active, we realized that we did not exercise our mid sections like we did our arms. 

Was it possible to do thousands of situps a day and burn off that fat around the middle?

Well, back then there weren’t any answers – except that spot reduction did not work.

Move to today and maybe we were on to something back then. 

Some research done in 2007 showed that it might be possible to do a little spot reduction for subcutaneous fat only. 

This study showed that spot lipolysis can occur with an “acute” bout of exercise.

This means that you can burn adjacent fat with intense exercise of a specific muscle. 

Now this is different from what I had guessed in my college days.

This says that you have to have intense exercise for that muscle in order to effect subcutaneous fat around that muscle.

I guessed that constant exercise would do the same.  Who knows maybe a later study will show this to be true also.

The problem of course is that most people won’t do continuous exercise.  After all who wants to do 1000 sit ups a day?  Not many.

And the intense exercise is also a problem.  Who wants to put a 100 pound dumbbell on their chest and then do sit ups until they can’t budge?  Not many.

I think there is a way to combine both in order to get the best of both worlds.  But, that will remain a secret until my program comes out, sometime in 2011.

In the meantime, if you have too much fat around a specific area, continue with your fat burning routines (read previous posts to find out more) to burn more fat overall.

Then take a few minutes and concentrate on your specific area. 
Do those two things and you will have a fat burning routine that lasts all day.  You will get overall fat burning and spot reduction at the same time.

Thanks,

Mike Val

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Lose Weight VS Nicer Body

Hi,

Would you rather just lose weight or have a nicer body?

Now you might think that just losing weight will automatically make you have a nicer body.  And this is true for some people.

It is usually true for those that already have a more active lifestyle.

But, for most people, losing weight doesn’t really change their appearance too much.  Except they are a smaller version of theirselves.

This is because if you just lose weight you are losing weight from not only body fat, but also from muscle tissue.

If is muscle tissue that will help you have a nicer body. 

Now some people are born with a naturally nice looking body.  Others aren’t.  That has to do with genetics.

While you can’t change genetics, you can help it.

Having a muscular body will help determine your shape.  Now that does not mean you have to have huge muscles. 

But, having firm, strong and shapely muscles is something that is considered appealing in most societies.  This is whether you are male or female.

Just losing weight does nothing for your shape.  To change your shape you have to do something for your muscles.

That means moving more.  Maybe it is just walking, maybe just jogging, maybe a fitness class, or maybe weight training. 

You know how much you are moving and exercising now.  If your body isn’t in the shape you want it to be in, then you will have to do more of the moving and exercising part.

And while you are doing that you will be raising your metabolism which means that you will be burning more body fat. 

Ergo, you will be losing weight from body fat and not from muscle tissue.  That way you will be able to transform your body, not just make it smaller. 

I think that in the losing weight vs having a nicer body, that having a nicer body is actually the way to go.

So get out there and start moving and exercising more. 

Thanks,

Mike Val 

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Discernment and Your Health

Hi,

What does discernment have to do with your health?  How about everything.

So what exactly is descernment.  It is keenness of insight and judgement.  This means once you are given a piece of information you have the ability to have an insight about it and make a judgement.

The only thing I would add is a correct judgement.  This is of course very subjective in some cases.  And it is based upon past experiences that you have in your life.

A child hasn’t had a lot of experience in making decisions about things so they can’t discern the right or wrong of something.

But, as you get older this should be something that governs your life if you want to live life to the fullest.

So what does this have to do with your health?

Let’s use an example.  You see an advertisement for a new way to lose weight.  You can lose 20 pounds faster than you can imagine. 

You buy the product and find out that all you have to do is blink your eyes 100 more times per day. 

I would hope that you would discern that the statement is BS.  You can even think of discernment as your BS meter. 

Unfortunately, most people can not discern most of the marketing about weight loss, burning fat, exercise toys and programs and so on and so on.  To the tune of billions of dollars a year. 

Just look at the acai berry scam.  This is a good one because a good lie or scam has an element of truth in it. 

There is nothing wrong with the acai berry.  It does have antioxidants – just like every other berry in the world.

The problem is that the marketing world has taken the acai berry and made it the latest miracle berry that can do everything.

It has been promised to burn fat – no scientific evidence.

It has been promised to help you digest better – no scientific evidence.

It has been promised to give you energy – no scientific evidence. 

It has been promised… oh, well you get the idea.

All these marketing promises can make it hard to discern what is true and what is not. 

And almost every new health and nutrition product has tons and tons of miracle promises.

It is up to you to register it somewhere on your BS meter. 

Now you might think that the government is supposed to do that for you.   I could go on and on about personal responsibility and not giving that up to the government, but I’ll just leave you to think about that.

Just know that no government can police every single product and every single advertisement in the country. 

So it comes back to you. 

You have probably eaten berries before.  Did any of them cause you to drop 20 pounds of fat overnight? 

It is up to you to discern that the statement about burning fat is not true.  Or at the least do some more research to find out for yourself if the statements in the marketing ads are true or not. 

We’ll pick this up in the next post.

Thanks,

Mike Val

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Fat Burning Revolution

Hi,

Are you ready for the fat burning revolution?

No, I am not talking about some new pill, or miracle exercise program.

I am talking about what is going on with you.

I am going to compare you to a forest.  I know, sort of crazy, but bear with me for a few minutes.

Many times a forest gets overgrown.  And that makes it prime for an explosion.  One bolt of lightening and there is a fire that destroys everything. 

Or at least everything above ground. 

But underneath the ground, that is where the revolution is going on.  Seeds are germinating and propagating. 

And sure enough in a few years you can see a new forest beginning. 

So how does that relate to you.  Maybe, over the years, you too have become overgrown.  This usually translates into too much weight.

Too much weight and poor food choices helps cause inflamation in your body and that primes it for a lightening strike.

Only the lightening in this case could be a heart attack, stroke, diabetes, cancer and a few hundred other diseases.

And, just like the world needs lightening and fires in order to restart, maybe that is what you need to start a revolution. 

I am hoping that you don’t wait that long. 

Why wait until you are overweight, maybe even obese, out of shape and primed for an explosion?

That could be the catalyst for change for you.  If you survive the initial attack.

If you don’t, then there is nothing.

If you do, then you can change.  The body is very adaptable and it will react positively to new changes and it will regrow. 

There might be repurcussions though.  Like large hospital bills, like a paralyzed limb, like a weakened heart, like being on medications for the rest of your life.

My question is why would you want to wait until those things happen when you could change them right now – in an instant.

Instead of becoming overgrown like the forest, let’s start trimming back now.

That means eating nutritious foods, exercising more and turning your life around. 

Anyone can do this and do it now.  It only takes a decision. 

Maybe you don’t know exactly what to do or how to go about doing it.

That is actually the easy part.  The hard part is making the decision. 

Once you do then the fat burning revolution is on the way. 

Yes, it will take some time, just like the forest takes some time to grow back, but once started it is inevitable.

Thanks,

Mike Val

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McDonald’s Pays for Manager’s Obesity

Hi,

Did you see the story about the Brazilian McDonald’s manager?

Turns out he gained 65 pounds over 12 years working at McDonald’s.  That shouldn’t come as much of a surprise to anyone, but I guess it was to him.

As a manager he felt it was necessary to sample the food to make sure it met the quality necessary for McDonald’s.

And the free lunches everyday probably didn’t help either. 

So instead of taking responsibility for what he was putting in his mouth, he abdicated all responsibility and blamed it on McDonald’s.  And the judge agreed!

 There are some lesssons to be learned here.   First of all, his case is not unusual.

Most people gain weight over a period of time.  Gaining 5 – 6 pounds a year like this guy did is pretty common. 

And it is so slow that most people do not even notice it.  At least not until a year or two has passed. 

But, that is the time to do something about it.  Don’t do like this guy did and just keep eating and eating for 12 years and then realize that you have gained 65 pounds. 

It is much easier to lose 5-6 pounds and keep it off than it is to lose 65 pounds. 

The other point is that somewhere along the line you and everyone else in the world has to take responsibility for your own actions.

To keep eating as you get bigger and bigger is a decision.  This guy made that decision and he got obese. 

If you are overweight, then you have to realize that it is your decisions that got you that way.  (Unless you are a child living at home, then I will cut you some slack.)

Every time you take a bite of food you are making the decision to keep eating.  Now you have to decide how much of it to eat. 

You also have to decide what kinds of food you are going to eat.  This is not rocket science.  I am sure everyone knows that broccoli is better for you than potato chips. 

Yet, more potato chips are sold than broccoli every day of the year. 

What are you deciding?

But, here is a bigger truth.  It is very easy to blame others for your life and health.

Are you overweight?  It is easy to blame others for being that way.  You can blame your parents, you can blame your job, you can blame advertising and so on. 

In reality there is only one person to blame and that is you. 

So take responsibility. 

Once you take responsibility then something fantastic happens.

You can decide to change.  This takes an instant.  An instant to change your life. 

Once you make this new decision your body will start changing also.

That is the miracle of your body.  It will react to you making good decisions.  You can lose weight and fat.  You can build muscle, get stronger.  You can have more energy.

It doesn’t matter if you are 65 pounds, or more, overweight.  It doesn’t matter if you haven’t exercised in 30 years. 

You can start on your new body as soon as you make the decision.

Take an instant right now and change.

Thanks,

Mike Val

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