Wednesday, 15 February 2012

GETTING LISTED ON GOOGLE



Everybody, simply everybody with a website wants to be listed on Google. And why not, it is after all the most popular search engine used by millions of people all over the world, the doorway between you and thousands and thousands of visitors who will flock to your website once they spot you, and isn’t the main purpose of putting up a website just that ? Although getting listed isn’t the only thing required for you to get visitors, you also want a good rating, a high ranking which will put you in the spotlight and will give you the opportunity to be noticed. But perhaps your site is new on the block, maybe you think it’s too small a fry to be picked up by Google. Relax that isn’t even an issue, just sit back and look at all the options you have.

First of all, let us clear out a fundamental point. There are, as you probably know, two ways of doing things, namely the right way and the wrong way. Now, although the wrong way is clearly wrong it is of some importance that we know it thoroughly so as to avoid it completely.

Following are, to put it politely, the avoidable ways of getting listed on Google.

Google provides it’s users with a way to put their URL’s in queue for crawling at http://www.google.com/addurl.html. Now the utter failure of this method probably has a little to do with the mechanics of the process. You see, once you have typed your website’s address into the space available here it is put in a queue (behind oodles and oodles of other pages) for the GoogleBot to, well, crawl. Anything can happen after this. For one, your site might not get crawled, or suppose it dos get crawled (which in itself is about a million in one possibility) it might not be indexed by Google (!)  So ultimately there’s no telling where that URL of yours will end up going. But I am guessing wherever it goes it won’t go anywhere near the first few pages of search results. So in other words this way is a complete waste of time. No one has really benefited from it, and if you ask me no one ever will.

And now the more likely way to be listed by Google.

If you want to notch up to that coveted spot on Google then simply crawl another site. You know what they say about girls, go gaga over them and they don’t cut you an inch of slack, but ignore them and go to someone else and they’ll be eating right out of your hands, well believe it or not that principle works here too, only in a less jealous fashion that is. Once you put up your URL on some other site it might chance to be spotted by GoogleBot and followed upon. That chance following up will be your golden ticket to Google.

So, here’s what you can do, you can either put up your URL in like a million different sites or you can use a little sense and put it up on a few popular sites which will fetch you the sort of traffic even a couple of dozen others won’t. Pick a few sites like Amazon.com to plant your flag into, and soon you’ll sink your teeth right in to Google itself.

I know what you are thinking; you are probably wondering just how you will manage to get these larger sites to put you up and in the course grudging me for putting you on the same chase yet again. But don’t worry I promise it’s not as hard as it sounds. Just get yourself into a few discussion sites and forums and get involved in discussions about related topics; only put your hyperlink along with your signature.

Statutory Warning: don’t try and get prompt results by pulling smart alec’ish tricks like typing in your hyperlink and adding a jerky GO HERE! caption. That won’t help you earn anything besides a good whack from the moderator’s of the site. Invest some time into this and really participate in the discussions, once you do that you will earn the liberty of sharing your URL with others.

If you have a certain amount of flair for writing and are proficient with words then you have an advantage over others like you. Believe it or not you can put this talent in line to work on your behalf.

Write a few well researched well planned out articles about topics which might appeal to your targeted market. As in the previous method there are no shortcuts here and nothing, absolutely nothing, besides quality content will do you any good. Try and act smart, copy paste from elsewhere or simply try to get away with a badly done job and you will be at the receiving end of a royal brush-off from readers and editors.

Writing an article is really not as hard as it sounds. Since it’s about your specific line a little research wouldn’t really cost you much time or labor. Record your results, go ahead experiment with a few situations, come up with hypothetical situations to explain particular problems and provide your analysis or solution for them. Once you have done a good job (and believe me when I say you will know when you have done a good job) proudly provide your own name and hyperlink of your site at the end of the article.

If out of the two procedures we have discussed today you choose to use the second one, that is to write articles, then here are a few additional tips. A common phenomenon seen amongst most first time writers is their propensity to quit after writing the very first article, which usually convinces them of how completely incapable they are of the task. Do not get bogged down by similar thoughts. Keep writing even if you think your efforts are not as good as you would like them to be. The more you write the finer your skills will get, the easier it will be for you to express yourself and in no time your articles will be scooped up by editors for their own sites. The more number of such sites you are included into the greater number of means of letting your link be known to people. As your popularity increases so will your chances of being put up by Google. Good Luck.

Why Most People Fail At Losing Weight

Why do so many people fail at losing weight? Is it because they are lazy? No. Is it because they are addicted to food? No. Is it because they aren’t good at exercising? No. Failure at weight loss stems from a few main factors:
  • People don't truly understand the risks of being overweight. Why do most want to lose weight? Most would say to look better. Looking better certainly is a benefit of losing weight, but this shouldn’t be the sole reason to lose weight. There is a 1000 pound gorilla in the room and it’s often ignored. Being overweight for a long period of time kills thousands of people each year. Thousands of studies have shown and proven without any doubt that losing body fat will improve and lengthen your life. Knowing the dangers of being overweight is a tremendous motivator to not only lose fat, but to keep it off.
  • People don't commit to permanent lifestyle changes. So many people think of a "diet" as something temporary. When they are on a "diet" they restrict themselves so much that they are miserable. Sooner or later failure is inevitable because of the unreasonable demands of most "diets." Some of these diets force you to only eat certain foods (e.g., no carbs, special soups etc…) You, like myself, have probably tried them before. The key to losing weight long term is to make gradual lifestyle changes you can stick to forever.
  • Most individuals are not provided the truthful facts of losing weight and becoming healthier. With the conflicting information in the media, and all of the different lose weight quick fad diets, it’s understandable why so many people really don’t know the truth about losing fat and keeping it off long term.
  • Most people don't understand they are constantly either gaining fat, or losing fat. There is no in-between. Some people justify binging or giving up because they hit a small road-block. This isn’t an all or nothing game. For example, when I was overweight, if I ate an unhealthy lunch, I’d go ahead and eat an unhealthy dinner since I already "messed up" the day. Or I’d say, I’ll start eating healthy on Monday since I’ve already eaten poorly this weekend. Every person at times eats too much. The successful people will not let a road bump completely derail their entire lifestyle change. If you are not implementing positive lifestyle changes and losing weight, you are gaining weight. Again, there is no "in-between."
  • Most people don't realize what they consume each day. So many overweight people eat thousands of extra calories and fat without realizing it. It’s tough to know if you are gaining weight or losing weight each day unless you are keeping an eye on what you’re consuming.

    This article was written by Mandy, the creator of FreeWeightloss.com, and the author of the Ultimate Weight Loss eBook.

Sunday, 12 February 2012


I just read this article from famous nutrition author (and a good friend of mine), Jon Benson.  I still can't believe in this day and age how many people out there are confused about dietary fat (especially saturated fat).  Jon sets the record straight with this great article:
3 Big "fat" LIES about fat
by Jon Benson
author - EveryOtherDayDiet
Let me ask you a question:
If saturated fat causes heart disease,
don't you think that cultures that got...
oh, say... 60-70% of their calories from
saturated fat would be dropping dead?
I mean, wouldn't it stand to reason that
the vast majority would suffer clogged
arteries, massive heart attacks, strokes...
Right?
Sure. That would be the only logical
conclusion... IF saturated fat caused
heart disease.
Fortunately for you and me, it doesn't.
In fact, the cultures that eat the MOST
saturated fat (the Inuit, the Masai, the
Rendille, and others) have the LOWEST
incidence of heart disease.
The Masai do not even have a term for
it in their native language, and they
consume over 65% of their calories
from pure saturated fat.
Say whaaaat?
Listen:  The "lower your fat" mantra has
just been a matter of convenience (and
profit) for the powers that be.
The grain industry has profited like a big
dog from the USRDA's ridiculous "food
pyramid" -- and "MyPlate" is not much
better, trust me.
The truth is you should lower your CARBS,
especially refined carbs, wheat, and corn...
and, yes, "healthy grains."
You don't need 'em -- at least you don't need
60-freaking-percent of your calories coming
from them, as the government suggests.
What you need is a healthy BALANCE.
Okay, here's the 3 big "fat" lies:
Lie # 1. "Fat causes heart disease."
If logic isn't enough, how about science?
Volek et al demonstrated how a LOW-fat
dietplan increased harmful fats in the
blood 300% more than a high, saturated
fat dietplan.
High-fat dietplans have consistently out-
performed low-fat dietplans when it comes
to increasing LDL particle size.
The size of your LDL is the key, not the
quantity of your LDL... and this is the one
thing everyone agrees causes plaque to
build in your arteries: Small-particle LDL.
If there is "a" cause of heart disease, it's
glycation. This is where a protein molecule
bonds to a glucose molecule and becomes
something akin to Frankenstein.
Glycated molecules are behind the nasty
accumulation of plaque... and guess what?
Sugar (carbs) is the catalyst for glycation,
NOT fat.
Lie #2. "Fat makes you fat."
This has been refuted in over 200 studies
that I could find at a 'glance', let alone in
real life. My dietary fat intake is well over
30%, and has been as high as 65% while
maintaining single-digit bodyfat.
Caution: With high fat dietplans, you must
lower your carbs to under 50-70 grams a day.
Lie #3. "Low-fat products are better for you."
90% of the time, this is blatantly false. Most
"low-fat" products that are, by nature, high
in fat, have added sugar -- and sugar is
the devil when it comes to health and bodyfat.
Now, naturally low-fat foods, like veggies
and so forth, are, of course, highly recommended
along with foods with naturally occurring fats.
Check this out here to see more LIES you've
been told about your food.
Here's to a prosperous and healthy 2012!
-Jon Dana Benson
---------
Thanks Jon.  Great article!
FYI - Jon's beginner plans (the Primer and the Lifestyle Plans) are relatively carb-friendly, but both he and I suggest that you ween yourself from those plans within six to eight weeks and give the Ultimate Plan a shot.
This plan emphasizes organic foods, grass-fed protein sources (if possible), and lower carbs... and yes, you still get to eat your favorite foods during the week using Jon's "Carb Interval" approach to dietplans. 
This is the best of both worlds. You get plenty of carbos to workout from the sources you enjoy the most, while limiting the radical quantity of unhealthy carb sources (grains, processed foods, etc.) most days of the week.
See all about Jon's unique "Carb Interval" approach here.

Mike Geary
Certified Nutrition Specialist
Certified Personal Trainer
http://tiny.cc/izhgz

Saturday, 11 February 2012

New Study Warns: Stomach acid drugs can kill

New Study Warns:
Stomach Acid Drugs Can Kill
How To Cure Stomach Acid Pain And Acid Reflux
With Methods That Are Natural, Safe, And Cheap

Stomach Acid Drugs Have Now
Been Linked To An Early Death...
Click Here To Watch Free Presentation Now!
A new study says the drugs many take for acid reflux and excess stomach acid may be worse for you than the disease itself.
In fact, stomach acid drugs have now been linked to an early death.
The study, published in a recent edition of the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases, concludes that stomach acid plays a crucial role in stopping infections in the body.
The problem?
According to Fox News, "medications that suppress the production of stomach acid... make people more susceptible to complications of gastrointestinal infections, including raising the risk of dying."
The study's author, Dr. Edith R. Lederman, is an infectious disease specialist at the Naval Medical Center in San Diego.
Dr. Lederman says "this is the first study to have found an association between use of antacids and increase of mortality."
While this raises some very serious concerns for stomach acid sufferers, there is some good news...
Natural Methods Still The Safest Bet...
And Very Effective
The good news is that after twenty years of testing, research, and experimentation, Medical Investigator Joe Barton and his team have discovered a simple natural cure for heartburn and acid reflux that works for almost everyone who uses it.
Barton's method has cured the acid reflux of over 100,000 people around the world, and helped over 100,000 people kick the acid reflux "drug habit" for good . . . completely avoid surgery . . . and enjoy the foods they love without fear.
The best news is, this approach is so easy and inexpensive that you can get everything you need to banish your heartburn and acid reflux forever at the local grocery store and for less than ten dollars.
Natural Cures Endorsed By Medical Doctors
A handful of doctors are getting behind the push to educate patients about what really works to cure their acid reflux naturally. Dr. Scott Saunders. M.D., says natural approaches are the key. "Studying natural medicine is power," he says, explaining that you can absolutely treat your acid reflux yourself with simple steps that...
==> Are fast, painless, safe, and natural
==> Based on proven home remedies
==> Have zero negative side effects
==> Will help you save thousands of dollars in medical bills, drugs, and hospital stays
==> Will free you from stress and fear of infections
==> Will improve your overall health and immune system
If you suffer from acid reflux, you cannot afford to ignore the truth about how to avoid the dangerous side effects of stomach acid drugs. Side effects like the ones described in the latest study - including premature death.
But the good news is you don't have to let that happen. And you definitely don't have to rely on expensive, dangerous drugs that don't work! You can cure your own acid reflux and stomach acid problems when you watch a free, informative video, and see how to fix the real cause of your excess stomach acid... using natural, safe, and easy methods that are virtually free.
Now you can protect yourself with cutting-edge information on healing yourself or your loved ones of excess stomach acid, painful heartburn, and acid reflux. Watch this free video and learn to cure your acid reflux safely.
To your good health and happiness,
Joe Barton
CEO & Founder
Barton Publishing Inc.

P.S. I can't say how long that video will be up. I am getting a lot of acid reflux sufferers off of those high-priced drugs, and the pharmaceutical companies don't like that one bit. This even got us banned from advertising on Google and I wouldn't be surprised if they find a way to get this video taken down.
P.P.S. Feel free to forward this email to your friends or family members who may be suffering from painful Acid Reflux.

Friday, 10 February 2012

Unusual Fat Loss Tips, Healthy Diet Tricks to Lose Belly Fat

Friday

The REAL reason Paula Deen got diabetes

If you've been following the news lately, I'm sure you've seen that celebrity chef Paula Deen (known for her notoriously unhealthy dishes) has announced that she has type 2 diabetes, and has known about her condition for at least 3 years, while continuing to promote her unhealthy recipes on her show.

She's been taking some serious heat in the media for all of the sudden partnering with a pharmaceutical company that sells diabetes drugs as opposed to her promoting a healthy lifestyle instead.

I'm always amazed that type 2 diabetics decide to take dangerous drugs as opposed to just changing their eating habits and lifestyle.  Remember that type 2 diabetes is 100% reversible simply by eating a very healthy low carbohydrate nutrition plan and exercising regularly.

I couldn't help but catch part of Ms Deen's show the other day where she said they'll be trying to show how to modify some of her recipes to be better for diabetics.  The problem is that they seem to be clueless on what changes you actually need to make for a diabetic.

First of all, I think it's ridiculous that she tried to blame her type 2 diabetes on "genetics"... sorry, but humans aren't programmed to get type 2 diabetes, and even if you have family history of type 2 diabetes, eating right and avoiding excessive carbohydrates will prevent it 100% of the time ... people get type 2 diabetes by abusing the blood sugar regulation system in their bodies for years and years with excessive amounts of carbohydrates, particularly too much sugars, corn syrup, and refined grains.

Ok, so back to why their modifications for a diabetic made no sense...

One of the things that they kept saying on the show was how they could reduce the butter, sugar, or egg yolks in a recipe.  Now you can see how confused they are about nutrition... Reducing the sugar is a good thing, but what does butter or egg yolks have to do with type 2 diabetes?  In fact, NOTHING at all!

Type 2 diabetes is COMPLETELY about excessive carbohydrates throughout one's life... not dietary fat or cholesterol.  So why did they keep talking about reducing the butter and egg yolks in recipes?  Just shows how most of society is confused about nutrition.

In fact, the butter and egg yolks in a baked product are in most cases the healthiest part of that product, while the sugar and flour are the ingredients that CAUSE diabetes!  You can read this article to see more of the health benefits of grass-fed butter.

And as you can see, the Deen crew obviously hasn't been reading my newsletters, so they don't understand that egg yolks are actually the healthiest part of the egg!

The point here is that reducing the sugar and refined carbohydrates is what she really needs to do to reverse her diabetes...not reducing butter or egg yolks!

In fact, I think Paula could easily reverse her type 2 diabetes in as little as 6 months by simply eating more healthy fats, more proteins, and less carbohydrates, while getting all of her carbs from veggies instead of grains and sugars. Add some healthy spices like cinnamon too which are known to help control blood sugar... and throw in some reasonably intense exercise along with that reduced carb nutrition plan, and she'd be good to go!

Want to know something else that fights type 2 diabetes and controls blood sugar...

Read this article for another nutrient that fights diabetes

Unusual Fat Loss Tips, Healthy Diet Tricks to Lose Belly Fat: 5 New Tips for a Flat Belly

Unusual Fat Loss Tips, Healthy Diet Tricks to Lose Belly Fat: 5 New Tips for a Flat Belly

Sunday, 29 January 2012

Does this common substance make you fat?

Natural Alternatives Including Stevia
by Mike Geary, Certified Nutrition Specialist, Certified Personal Trainer
Hey there, it's Mike again from TruthAboutAbs.com & Busy Man Fitness .com with your latest Lean-Body Secrets Ezine.
I wanted to talk about artificial sweeteners today because I've noticed that there's a lot of confusion and misconceptions revolving around these non-caloric sweeteners. Artificial sweeteners and the huge list of products sweetened with them are marketed to you relentlessly as "healthy foods" or "healthier" than sugar or corn syrup sweetened products. But are they really?
Just to clarify, some of the most popular artificial sweeteners on the market today are:
  • Splenda (sucralose)
  • Aspartame
  • Saccharine
  • Acesulfame Potassium (aka - acesulfame K)
These artificial sweeteners are used in abundance in almost every "diet" drink, "lite" yogurts, puddings, and ice creams, most "low-carb" products, and almost all "reduced-sugar" products. Heck, even most protein powders are loaded with artificial sweeteners too (just look on the ingredients and you'll usually see one of them).
Splenda is probably one of the worst offenders of claiming to be "healthy" as they say that it's made from real sugar. Don't be fooled! It's still an artificial substance. What they don't tell you is that Splenda is actually a chemically modified substance where chlorine is added to the chemical structure, making it more similar to a chlorinated pesticide than something we should be eating or drinking.
This is one of the biggest misconceptions that I see all of the time and it saddens me to see so many people poisoning their family with dangerous artificial sweeteners like splenda, while falsely thinking they're doing something healthy.
The truth is that artificial sweeteners are not even close to being healthy, and as you'll discover in a minute, can easily be just as bad for you, if not worse, than sugar or corn syrup. Most people think that they are doing something good for themselves by choosing the "diet" drinks or "lite" yogurts compared to the sugar-laden versions, but the problem is that you're exposing yourself to a whole new set of problems with the artificially sweetened drinks and foods.
I know you're probably frustrated by all of the contradicting messages you hear each day about which foods are good for you and which are bad. I'm sure just today you probably saw some clever ad or commercial somewhere screaming health benefits for a food product that is loaded with artificial sweeteners. Don't worry. Just stick with me and I'll get past the marketing hype for you and decipher the truth. I'll also give you some ideas for great alternatives to artificial sweeteners as well as alternatives to sugar or corn syrup sweeteners.
The fact is, artificial sweeteners vs. sugar or corn syrup is really just a battle between two evils. Which evil is worse?
I'm sure you already know the problems with sugar or high fructose corn syrup sweetened products. The excess empty calories, blood sugar spike, and resulting insulin surge this creates in your body not only promotes fat gain, but also stimulates your appetite further, making things even worse.
On the other hand, artificial sweeteners save you calories, but there's growing evidence that they can increase your appetite for sweets and other carbohydrates causing you to eat more later in the day anyway. Therefore, you don't really save any calories at all. Also, studies have shown that artificial sweeteners can stimulate high insulin levels in your body too, which again can promote fat storage.
All of the 4 artificial sweeteners listed above are nasty chemicals that the human body is simply not meant to ingest. However, most of us are ingesting a whole lot of these chemicals on a daily basis. Aside from the problems I touched on so far, other health issues that have been related to artificial sweeteners in scientific studies as well as observations are:
  • some have been linked to potential cancer risks
  • negative effects on the liver, kidneys, and other organs
  • stimulating cravings
  • gastrointestinal problems
  • developmental problems in children and fetuses
  • headaches
  • and too many more issues to list
Now some of the above potential health problems are definitely not proven as fact in studies. However, some of them have been shown in animal studies given high doses. Also, if you do some research, you'll find hoardes of people that attribute the use of artificial sweeteners over the years with all sorts of illnesses in themselves or in family members.
Regardless of the fact that any real health problems for actual human use are not proven yet, I don't know about you, but I'd rather protect myself and my family and steer clear of these possibly dangerous artificial chemicals.

Of course, despite all of the health issues potentially associated with artificial sweeteners, the companies that sell the products will continue to claim that they are fully safe. Don't believe them!  The bottom line is that the body was not designed to deal with foreign substances like artificial sweeteners. Take my word on that one.
So what are your options for alternatives?
Well, your best alternatives for sugar or corn syrup are either raw honey, organic maple syrup, or even a little-known high antioxidant syrup called sorghum syrup (common in the southern US). Even though these alternatives still have the same amount of calories as sugar or corn syrup... honey, organic maple syrup, and sorghum syrup actually provide some nutrients and antioxidants, so it's not just empty calories. Empty calories such as white refined sugar stimulate your appetite more because your body is lacking nutrients.

Now you're probably thinking that you'd like to still save on calories but avoid the nasty artificial sweeteners. Good news... You can!

You've probably seen me reference this natural sweetener in a lot of my recipes. It's called Stevia. I've been using it for years as an alternative sweetener when you still want to save a little on calories and sugar but don't want to harm your health with artificial sweeteners.

Stevia is not artificial like the other chemical sweeteners I mentioned above. Stevia is a natural non-caloric herb that's been used for thousands of years in some parts of the world. It is a South American herb and when dried into a powder, has a sweetness about 200-300 times stronger than sugar.
One problem I've noticed with using Stevia is that the pure powder is a very powerful sweetener, so you can easily use too much. However, I've found some good Stevia products that use a bulking agent added so that you can measure out the stevia powder in direct comparison to measuring sugar.
I've yet to see any negative reports or health concerns regarding stevia and only positive potential health benefits. I definitely give Stevia my seal of approval. Do yourself a favor (and your family), and if you are currently an artificial sweetener junkie, please consider switching to stevia.
One of the best products I've found over the years is made by a company called Steviva. They have an excellent stevia product blended with another natural sweetener called erythritol. I suggest giving it a try! Just look for the "Steviva Blend". You can use it in your coffee or tea, to sweeten up plain yogurt, added to smoothies for extra sweetness, on cereals or oatmeal, in baking, or where ever else you might need a sweetener but want to reduce the sugar content.
If you want to grab some, here's the link:
Steviva Stevia Blend
Well, that's it for today. I hope you enjoyed this important discussion. Feel free to copy/paste this link and email it to anybody you know that might be overdoing the artificial sweeteners.
If you liked this article, please click the "Like" button below for Facebook:



Tuesday, 17 January 2012

2 things that will change your life in 2012


2 Tips That Will Change Your Life (Seriously)
by Mike Geary, Certified Nutrition Specialist, Certified Personal Trainer
Author:
The Truth about Six-Pack Abs

achievementI was just recently reminded of these 2 tips while reading a great book... Bill Phillips newest best-seller: Transformation... which by the way, I just had the pleasure of meeting Bill in person a few weeks ago, and this book is actually about WAY more than just fitness or nutrition...actually 99% of the book is about transforming your entire being, your mind... your entire life. It's powerful stuff, and a great read.
Now I will say that I think most of us, already know these 2 tips below, but may not practice them as often as we should... and I know personally, I found this to be a great reminder of how powerful these are and how they can change your life.
1. In Chapter 8 in Bill's book, Transformation, he starts off this chapter with a shocking story about a man named Azim who tragically had his 20-year old son murdered by a teenage gang member 5 years prior. The story ends up a bit unfathomable to most of us, as it turns out that Azim actually forgave his sons killer, in what can only be considered one of the most courageous acts of compassion and forgiveness than most of us could ever even contemplate.
After all, how many of us walk around for years holding grudges with a friend or family member over something silly and stupid that means nothing in the big picture of our lives? However, this courageous father found it in his heart to forgive his sons murderer, the ultimate act of forgiveness.
For most of us, forgiveness will not be for such extreme events...instead, it will be for smaller things that we've been holding deep inside (bottled up inside, causing us hidden stress) against a particular person, maybe a sibling, a parent, a friend, or a spouse. But what we don't realize is that these bottled up grudges harm OUR health, and do very little to "punish" the other person.
Bill points out a great saying "Resentment is like drinking poison and waiting for your enemy to die". Yes, you're harming yourself more than than the other person by holding onto resentment.
Another great saying to always keep in mind that will change the way you treat other people who may have hurt you: "To err is human; to forgive is divine".
Yes, we all make mistakes... and if you think back to the story about the father that forgave his sons killer... Was that teenage gang member really an evil person deep down to his soul? Or was he a victim of society, which led him into the gang lifestyle? There's always more to the story than what's on the surface.
The most important thing we need to realize is that holding onto anger, resentment, or grudges is scientifically proven to harm our health and make us die earlier. Bill points out a study in the Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health involving 2,755 people over 10 years. According to the study that Bill summarizes, "Those who repressed anger and held resentments were found to be twice as likely to die of a heart attack compared to people in the study who were able to process and let go of negative feelings."
Puts you in the spirit to forgive someone, doesn't it.
Another VERY important thing that Bill points out... Holding onto a grievance doesn't give you control over the offender, and it doesn't "punish" them; it gives THEM control over you, and punishes YOU, because you're the one holding onto the health-harming stress and lack of peace of mind.
A few more great lines I loved from this chapter in Bill's book:
"Forgiveness is not done out of weakness; it is an act of strength and courage."
"Forgiveness is something that happens inside of you. It doesn't mean you're saying what happened to cause a resentment wasn't wrong or that it didn't matter. It means... I choose to let go of this negative feeling towards the person whom I perceive has hurt me."
"...as long as any part of our mind or consciousness is engaged with unresolved feelings from the past it will require us to expend valuable energy on it."
"...as long as we hold onto a grievance, we are chained to the past situation and the offender."
"...granting someone true forgiveness is not based on any conditions. The forgiven don't have to deserve it or earn it. It's an act of grace and mercy on your part."
Just think... if we all kept these guidelines in the front of our minds daily, wouldn't the world be a MUCH better place, with less stress, fighting, hatred, resentment, and pent up anger? I sure think so.

2. This second tip is no less important than the first... and it is VERY powerful in helping you to live healthier and happier.
This is another important tip to living life to the fullest that I was reminded of when recently reading Bill's book, Transformation... The story starts off with a day that Bill had the pleasure of meeting fitness icon Jack Lalanne and a reporter from USA Today interviewed them both.
One of the most important questions that the news reporter asked Jack in the interview was "What should people who want to live a healthy life do first thing in the morning?"
The reporter had been expecting a specific tip about exercise or nutrition first thing in the morning... but instead, Jack replied with an answer that carried some very powerful wisdom... he replied "A healthy person always starts the day by counting their blessings."
What Jack Lalanne understands, that so many people don't, is that gratitude affects not only the health of your mind, but that of your body and your entire well-being too.
I think one of the most important daily rituals that anybody can take up is to lie in bed for 1-2 more minutes after waking up in the morning... and consciously bring to mind all of the things in his/her life that they are thankful for. It's also important to write down what you are grateful for in your life.
I know that everybody has struggles, but everybody also has things that they should be grateful for. This one daily ritual can literally change the biochemistry of your body and mind to put you into a more energetic and "feel good" state about your life, and thereby achieve more of your goals...
Don't believe me?
Well, according to Bill in Chapter 16 of Transformation, Dr. Robert Emmons, PhD, from the University of California Davis was involved in a large research project on gratitude, and here were some of his discoveries:
"Those who kept gratitude journals on a weekly basis exercised more often, felt better physically, and had a more positive mindset."
"Study participants who kept gratitude lists were found to be more likely to have made progress towards important personal goals (academic, interpersonal, and health-based) over a 2-month period."
"A daily gratitude intervention (taking time to focus on and write down things to be thankful for) produced higher levels of alertness, enthusiasm, determination, attentiveness, and energy."
"Those who participate in a daily gratitude exercise have lower levels of depression and stress and are more likely to offer emotional support to others and help them make it through their difficulties."
The bottom line... although you may have heard about practicing daily gratitude in the past, are you really doing it daily? If not, you're missing out on the health benefits, increased energy, better sleep and mood, goal achievements, and just living healthier and happier!
So there you go... I told you that these 2 tips today would be powerful in helping to improve your life!
If you haven't yet read Bill's book, Transformation, I'd highly recommend it. The book started off a little slow, and I kept thinking to myself, "I know all of this already"... but then about halfway through, the chapters just kept getting more powerful, and I realized there were a lot of things I needed to be reminded about and start practicing more often.
Please share the gift of forgiveness and gratitude with your friends and family by clicking "Share" below for facebook or twitter. It's such an important message to share with others, and benefits everyone. I think they will appreciate you sharing this article with them!


If you haven't seen this yet, watch this video below to see a powerful method of achieving your goals (whether they are fitness, relationship, or financial goals), and also 1 major thing that's been holding you back...


Monday, 2 January 2012

Your cooking Oils vs Healthy vs unheathly




Your Cooking Oils - Healthy vs Unhealthy

(the truth may surprise you!)

Some of these oils are healthy and some are VERY unhealthy -- soybean oil, olive oil, coconut oil, corn oil, etc... Let's take a closer look.
by Mike Geary, Certified Nutrition Specialist, Certified Personal Trainer
Author of best-selling program: The Truth about Six-Pack Abs

Today, I wanted to give you my take on a confusing subject to most people:
...why some oils and fats you may use in cooking, baking, or other food use are actually harmful to your body, and why some are healthful.
Here's the deal...
A lot of people seem to think that anything labeled as "vegetable oil" is good for you. NOT A SHOT!
Most of what is labeled as "vegetable oil" is simply heavily refined soybean oil (processed under high heat, pressure, and industrial solvents, such as hexane)... sometimes perhaps it may also be heavily refined cottonseed, safflower, corn, grapeseed, or other oils too.
In most instances, almost all of these processed oils are NOT HEALTHY for you. I'll explain why below...

If you buy processed food or deep fried food, you can usually be certain that these unhealthy oils are used to prepare your foods (or worse, it may use hydrogenated versions of these oils... aka - trans fats).

You may have even bought some of these oils for your own cooking or baking at home.
The problem with soybean oil, cottonseed oil, corn oil, grapeseed oil, safflower oil, and other similar oils is that they are mostly composed of polyunsaturated fats (the most highly reactive type of fat) which leaves them prone to oxidation and free radical production when exposed to heat and light.
Processed polyunsaturated oils are the most inflammatory inside our bodies because of their high reactivity to heat and light. This inflammation is what causes many of our internal problems such as heart disease, diabetes, and other degenerative diseases.
Note: It's ok if a polyunsaturated fat source isn't processed such as in whole foods like various nuts and seeds... In that case it's usually not inflammatory (as long as it's not been exposed to high heat), and is a great source of healthy polyunsaturated fats for you. By the way, omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids are both polyunsaturates, and a healthy balance of approx 1:1 to 3:1 ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 is considered healthiest. Your best bet is to choose raw nuts and seeds whenever possible to avoid the oxidation of polyunsaturated fats that can occur during roasting of nuts and seeds. Keep in mind though that some nuts are mostly monounsaturated, (for example, macadamias), so the issue of roasted vs raw nuts is less of an issue for highly monounsaturated nuts.
However, all of the vegetable oils listed above are generally heavily refined during processing, so that makes them already inflammatory before you even cook with them (which does even more damage).
Here's the actual order of stability of a type of fat under heat and light (from least stable to most stable):
1. polyunsaturated
2. monounsaturated
3. saturated

Here's something that mainstream health professionals will never tell you...
Saturated fats are actually the healthiest oils to cook with!
Why? Because they are much more stable and less inflammatory than polyunsaturated oils.
This is why tropical oils such as palm and coconut oils (and even animal fats such as butter) are best for cooking... they have very little polyunsaturates and are mostly composed of natural saturated fats which are the least reactive to heat/light and therefore the least inflammatory in your body from cooking use.
That's also why natural butter (NOT margarine) is one of the best fats for cooking. This all goes directly against what you hear in mainstream health talk... because most health professionals don't truly understand the biochemistry of fats, and falsely believe that saturated fats are bad for you... when in fact, they are actually neutral in most instances... and saturated fats from tropical oils are actually good for you as they contain mostly medium chain triglycerides (MCTs) which are lacking in most people's diets.
In fact, lauric acid is one of the abundant MCTs in tropical oils and is known to strengthen the immune system. Lauric acid is even being studied currently in medical studies for controlling contagious diseases.
To summarize... your best cooking or baking fats are generally butter or tropical oils such as palm or coconut oil. Olive oil (extra virgin preferably) is ok for lower cooking temps as it's mostly monounsaturated, so moderately stable. The mostly polyunsaturated oils such as soybean, grapeseed, cottonseed, safflower, etc, are the least healthy for cooking or baking.
My choices for top healthy cooking oils that I use:
  • Virgin Coconut Oil
  • Extra Virgin Olive Oil (only for low temp cooking)
  • Real Butter (grass fed if possible)
Of course, with all of that said... we should keep in mind that trying minimize our cooking with oils can help to reduce overall calories. Cooking with oils in moderation is ok and can actually help satisfy your appetite more, but be careful not to overdo it as the calories can add up fast.
Also, please don't be fooled by deceptive marketing claiming that canola oil is healthy for you -- it's NOT! If you enjoyed this article, feel free to share this with your friends or family on facebook, twitter, email, etc.


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Sunday, 1 January 2012

Excess Abdominal Fat is Not Only Ugly, but Extremely Dangerous to Your Health - This is More Than a Vanity Issue!

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Excess Abdominal Fat is Not Only Ugly, but Extremely Dangerous to Your Health - This is More Than a Vanity Issue!
The difference between subcutaneous fat and the more deadly "visceral fat"


by Mike Geary, Certified Nutrition Specialist, Certified Personal Trainer
author of best-selling program:
The Truth about Six-Pack Abs



big stomach, visceral fatAlthough this picture depicts an extremely overweight man, this article applies to dangerous types of fat inside the bodies of both men and women... and this discussion also applies even if you only have a slight amount of excess stomach fat.
Did you know that the vast majority of people in this day and age have excess abdominal fat? It's true -- as much as 70% of the population in some "westernized" countries such as the US and Australia are now considered either overweight or obese. The first thing that most people think of is that their extra abdominal fat is simply ugly, is covering up their abs from being visible, and makes them self conscious about showing off their body.

However, what most people don't realize is that excess abdominal fat in particular, is not only ugly, but is also a dangerous risk factor to your health. Scientific research has clearly determined that although it is unhealthy in general to have excess body fat throughout your body, it is also particularly dangerous to have excess abdominal fat.
There are two types of fat that you have in your abdominal area. The first type that covers up your abs from being visible is called subcutaneous fat and lies directly beneath the skin and on top of the abdominal muscles.
The second type of fat that you have in your abdominal area is called visceral fat, and that lies deeper in the abdomen beneath your muscle and surrounding your organs. Visceral fat also plays a role in giving certain men that "beer belly" appearance where their abdomen protrudes excessively but at the same time, also feels sort of hard if you push on it.
Both subcutaneous fat and visceral fat in the abdominal area are serious health risk factors, but science has shown that having excessive visceral fat is even more dangerous than subcutaneous fat. Both types of fat greatly increase your risk of developing heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, stroke, sleep apnea, various forms of cancer, and other degenerative diseases.
Excess stomach fat has also been associated in studies with higher levels of C-reactive protein (CRP), an indicator of inflammation within the body that can lead to heart disease and other health issues.
Part of the reason visceral fat is particularly dangerous is that studies show that it releases more inflammatory molecules into your system on a consistent basis.
One of the major reasons that some people accumulate more visceral fat than others can be from a high carbohydrate diet that leads to insulin resistance over time (years of bombarding your system with too much sugars and starches for your body to properly handle the constant excess blood sugar) ... and studies show that high fructose intake particularly from high-fructose corn syrup can be a major contributor to excess visceral fat.
If you care about the quality of your life and your loved ones, reducing your abdominal fat (including reducing visceral fat) should be one of your TOP priorities! There's just no way around it. Besides, a side effect of finally getting rid of all of that excessive abdominal fat is that your stomach will flatten out, and if you lose enough stomach fat, you will be able to visibly see those attractive six pack abs that everyone wants.
So what gets rid of extra abdominal fat, including visceral fat?
Is there actually a REAL solution beyond all of the gimmicks and hype that you see in ads and on commercials for "miracle" fat loss products?
The first thing you must understand is that there is absolutely NO quick fix solution. There are no pills or supplements of any sort that will help you lose your abdominal fat faster. Also, none of the gimmicky ab rockers, rollers, or ab belts will help get rid of abdominal fat either. You can't spot reduce your stomach fat by using any of these worthless contraptions. It simply doesn't work that way.
The only solution to consistently lose your abdominal fat and keep it off for good is to combine a sound nutritious diet full of unprocessed natural foods with a properly designed strategic exercise program that stimulates the necessary hormonal and metabolic response within your body. Both your food intake as well as your training program are important if you are to get this right.
I've actually even seen a particular study that divided thousands of participants into a diet-only group and an exercise & diet combined group. While both groups in this study made good progress, the diet-only group lost significantly LESS abdominal fat than the diet & exercise combined group.
Now the important thing to realize is that just any old exercise program will not necessarily do the trick. The majority of people that attempt getting into a good exercise routine are NOT working out effectively enough to really stimulate the loss of stubborn abdominal fat. I see this every day at the gym.
Most people will do your typical boring ineffective cardio routines, throw in a little outdated body-part style weight training, and pump away with some crunches and side bends, and think that they are doing something useful for reducing their abdominal fat. Then they become frustrated after weeks or months of no results and wonder where they went wrong.
Well, the good news is that I've spent over a decade researching this topic, analyzing the science, and applying it "in the trenches" with myself as well as thousands of my clients from all over the world to see what works to really stimulate abdominal fat loss.
From my research, two of the most important aspects to getting rid of visceral fat are:
1. The use of high intensity forms of exercise and full-body resistance training. Low intensity cardio exercise simply isn't as effective for removing visceral fat in particular. High intensity exercise such as interval training or full-body weight training are very effective at helping to improve your body's ability to manage glucose and increases insulin sensitivity, a crucial step in removing visceral fat. These types of high intensity exercise routines are also very effective at increasing your fat-burning hormones and creating a hormonal environment conducive to burning off abdominal fat, including visceral fat.
2. In addition, it's vitally important to get blood sugar under control to help restore insulin sensitivity through the right nutrition. This means greatly reducing sugars and refined starches in your diet (including fully eliminating any use of harmful high fructose corn syrup!), and focusing more of your diet on healthy fats (such as avocados, nuts, seeds, coconut fat, olive oil, free-range eggs, fatty fish and fish oils, etc), as well as increasing protein and fiber intake. The standard diet recommended by the government, which contains an unnaturally high grain intake is NOT conducive to controlling blood sugar and reducing visceral fat!
Reducing grain-based foods in your diet and getting more of your carbs from veggies and high fiber fruits such as berries can go a long way to helping to solve this problem.
Learn the Truth about Losing Your Stomach Fat Permanently
program for losing abdominal fat
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You may not realize this, but the entire basis of my Truth about Six Pack Abs program is NOT about abs exercises... instead, it's actually about detailed strategies for both nutrition and exercise that maximize your ability to lose abdominal fat. The entire solution... all of the nutritional strategies, as well as training sequences, exercise combinations, and more have all been compiled in my Truth About Six Pack Abs Program in order to help you to burn stomach fat faster.
Keep in mind that the whole point of this program is NOT abdominal exercises (that is only a very small portion of it). The main point of this program is showing you the absolute most effective nutritional strategies for losing your stubborn abdominal fat, and maximizing a fat-burning hormonal environment in your body so you can get rid of that dangerous health risk, as well as get a flatter more defined midsection.
If you follow the guidelines, you WILL lose your belly fat that has been plaguing you for years. This is not guesswork... it is a proven system that works time and time again for all of my clients on every corner of the globe that actually apply these strategies. If you apply it, the results will come. It's really that simple.
One of the main reasons that most people fail in their fitness goals is that they have good intentions at first to adopt a new lifestyle, yet after a few weeks or months, they abandon their good intentions and slip right back into their old bad habits that gave them the excess body fat in the first place.
I want to help you succeed in finally getting rid of that extra abdominal fat that is not only UGLY, but also DANGEROUS. A lot of people have emailed my support team with questions about whether they need any special equipment for these workouts, if they're too old or too young for this program, if the diet tips will apply to them, etc. I've made a page that should answer all of your questions...