Atkins Without Beef? What’s Next?

March 2nd, 2010 DaveTish

By Dr. Al Sears

Dr. Al SearsHave you heard about this “Eco-Atkins Diet” that a bunch of researchers dreamed up to please vegetarians?

Dr. Atkins must be rolling over in his grave.

These veggie-wackos want a diet that offers “Atkins without animal fat.” They call it, “Eco-Atkins.”

Holy cow!

The Atkins Diet is all about eating animal protein. So how do you eat a high-protein diet without animal fat? Turns out we’re supposed to bulk up on soy burgers and wake up to the smell of vegetarian bacon – whatever that is!

Don’t be deceived. This crazy veggie-plan is in no way eco-friendly, sustainable, or healthier. The diet is based on multiple allergens such as soy, gluten, and dairy. They use processed foods like veggie bacon, deli slices, and breakfast links.

What’s worse:

Up to 30 times the maximum level allowed for a toxic chemical called melamine has been found in soy products. Melamine is a hazardous air pollutant that affects the brain. It’s banned from organic food, yet it’s finding its way into soy.1

Commercial soy farmers in South America are taking over and driving peasant farmers off their land.2

Soy is grown on stripped and deforested lands in the Amazon rainforest.3

Inferior and contaminated soy is quietly being imported from China.4

This concept is disconnected from our past, and it screams of ignorance.

For millions of years, our ancestors were part of an ecological system that had a perfect balance in nature. They relied on fresh-caught meat and food gathered from the ground, bushes, and trees. Their diet was high-protein, high-fat, and low-carbohydrate. Diseases of modern day were nonexistent.

Vegetarians want to replace this with processed, low-fat starch products that can ruin your health.

Where’s the Beef?

The study they’ve based their conclusions on has nothing to do with Atkins’ diet plan. Atkins’ diet is based on beef. In the study, one group ate a vegetarian diet, and the other a vegan diet. The diets are hard to follow for most people, and the products aren’t readily available. But what’s more important, vital nutrients are missing.

Meat eaters are more likely than vegetarians to get 100% of the protein, iron, zinc, and B vitamins they need.

This veggie Atkins imitator is a far cry from the natural and healthy diet handed down through millions of years of evolution. Eco-Atkins goes against our own biology and history.

***

Beef Is the Best Source of These Essential Nutrients:4

Protein: Meat is a complete protein. Vegetables are not. Vegetarians have to combine foods to make a complete protein. They’re also lower in protein content than meat sources. For instance, 3 ounces of beef contain 50 grams of protein compared to 2 tablespoons of peanut butter, which contains 16 grams.

B12: Animal products are the primary source of B12. This is a serious problem for vegetarians, especially vegans. Lack of B12 causes anemia and can cause nerve damage leading to irreversible conditions like blindness.5,6

Iron: Vegetarians not only get less iron, the type of iron from a vegetarian diet is different. The type of iron from a vegetarian diet is absorbed 70% less than a meat diet.7 This is especially dangerous to children and pregnant women. Children develop behavior problems and delays in their development. Pregnant women deliver pre-term.8,9

Zinc: Beef is the number one source for zinc, and all animal products are good sources. Vegetarians not only get less zinc to begin with, they absorb up to 35% less of it.10 A zinc deficiency affects your immunity, and can stunt your growth and the way your brain functions.

CLA: Almost 98% of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) comes from meat. CLA has been shown to reduce the risk of cancer.11 It also helps with fat loss.

CoQ10: Beef is the best source of Coenzyme Q10. There is next to none in fruits and vegetables. CoQ10 is in every cell of our body. It creates energy. CoQ10 improves heart function and diabetes, and helps prevent autoimmune disease.12

***

Ancient Is Eco-Friendly

Step back in time with me for a moment.

A stone-age diet is similar to the original Atkins plan. Primitive man hunted animals that fed on wild grasses. Meat was pure, fresh, and full of nutrients. They supplemented with fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds. They drank fresh water. Very little was based on grains, gluten, or soy. Their diet certainly was not based on processed, pre-packaged veggie links.

Our bodies were designed to digest meat, yet vegetarians still think it’s bad for you. They don’t understand that eating grass-fed beef is healthy, low-fat, and contains essential nutrients they’re missing from their diet. Our ancestors’ diet allowed prehistoric man to have a stored energy source for times of famine. Today, it gives us a great backup fuel system for our bodies.

By eating like our ancestors, we naturally lower our intake of carbohydrates. With fewer carbohydrates, our bodies switch to using fat as fuel. We are fully satisfied and lose body fat. Our blood sugar levels out. Our LDL and HDL cholesterol levels improve, along with triglycerides.

There’s more.

Natural sources of animal protein:

** Have higher nutritional value. Grass-fed beef is low-fat with fewer calories than grain-fed. It also has more omega-3s, B vitamins, CoQ10, zinc, vitamin E, and beta-carotene.

** Avoid common allergic triggers such as milk, soy, egg, and wheat.

** Offer important nutrients that fuel the brain and stabilize mood.

** Satisfy the appetite. They keep hunger away longer, making dieting easier.

Benefits of Grass-Fed Beef

1. Less overall fat and fewer calories: A six-ounce grass-fed loin has 92 fewer calories than grain-fed. This saves an average American 16,642 calories each year.13

2. More Omega-3: Grass-fed beef has 2 to 10 times more omega-3s than grain-fed beef and a healthy ratio as little as 1:1.14 Grain-fed beef is as much as 14:1.15

3. More CLA: Grass-fed beef has 2 to 5 times more CLA than grain-fed. CLA supports immune and cardiovascular growth and lean muscle mass.16

4. More Vitamin E: Grass-fed beef contains 3 to 6 times more vitamin E than grain-fed beef.17

5. More Carotenoids: Grass-fed beef has up to 4 times more beta-carotene than grain-fed beef.18 Carotenoids promote eye and macular health.

6. More B Vitamins, CoQ10, and Zinc: Grass-fed beef has more B vitamins, CoQ10, and zinc than grain-fed beef.

Dr. Atkins was a visionary. He taught people to eat like our primitive ancestors. But there is one area where he went wrong.

You’ve got to watch out for trans-fat and eliminate it from your diet. Trans-fat comes from partially hydrogenated oils. You find it in processed and fast foods. Trans-fat raises bad cholesterol (LDL) while lowering good cholesterol (HDL).

You also need to watch the ratio of omega-3 to omega-6. We get too few 3’s and too many 6’s. When you cut down on processed and fast foods, you decrease 6’s. Another way is by switching to grass-fed beef.

A high-protein, low-carb diet is good for you, as long as you’re getting the right fats.

Here’s how to get back to the basics:

** Make protein the main course of every meal. Base your diet on grass-fed beef, buffalo, wild game, and eggs. For variety, add an occasional wild-caught, coldwater fish.

** Eat quality, low-glycemic carbohydrates. Stick to above-ground vegetables, fruits, and berries.

** Eat high-quality fat and increase omega-3’s. Throw in a handful of nuts, avocados, and some healthful oils.

** Avoid packaged and processed foods.

***

Dr. Al Sears owns and operates an integrative medicine and anti-aging clinic in Wellington, Fla., with more than 20,000 patients. Check out his website Here.

***

References

1 “Behind the Bean: The Heroes and Charlatans of the Natural and Organic Soy Foods Industry,” http://www.cornucopia.org/soysurvey/OrganicSoyReport/behindthebean_color_final.pdf (p. 18) Accessed 02 2010.
2 “Paraguay may limit soy farming in land reform,” Interview 12 Sep 2008 16:59:39 GMT: Reuters. By Mariel Cristaldo.
3 “Behind the Bean: The Heroes and Charlatans of the Natural and Organic Soy Foods Industry,” http://www.cornucopia.org/soysurvey/OrganicSoyReport/behindthebean_color_final.pdf (p. 18) Accessed 02 2010.
4 “Behind the Bean: The Heroes and Charlatans of the Natural and Organic Soy Foods Industry,” http://www.cornucopia.org/soysurvey/OrganicSoyReport/behindthebean_color_final.pdf (p. 18) Accessed 02 2010.
5 Institute of Medicine, Food and Nutrition Board. Standing Committee on the Scientific Evaluation of Dietary Reference Intakes. Dietary Reference Intakes for Thiamin, Riboflavin, Niacin, Vitamin B6, Folate, Vitamin B12, Pantothenic Acid, Biotin, and Choline. Washington, DC: National Academy Press, 1998.
6 Milea, D. “Blindness in a strict vegan.” N. Engl. J. Med. 342: 897- 898; 2000.
7 Hunt, J.R.; Roughead, Z.K. “Nonheme-iron absorption, fecal ferritin excretion, and blood indexes of iron status in women consuming controlled lactoovovegetarian diets for 8 weeks.” Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 69: 944-952; 1999.
8 Lozoff, B.; Jimenez, E.; Hagen, J.; Mollen, E.; Wolf, A.W. “Poorer behavioral and developmental outcome more than 10 years after treatment for iron deficiency in infancy.” Pediatrics 105: e51; 2000.
9 Allen, L.H. “Anemia and iron deficiency: effects on pregnancy outcome.” Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 71(suppl): 1280s-1284s; 2000.
10 Hunt, J.R.; Matthys, L.A.; Johnson, L.K. “Zinc absorption, mineral balance, and blood lipids in women consuming controlled lactoovovegetarian and omnivorous diets for 8 weeks.” Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 67: 421- 430; 1998.
11 Kelley NS, Hubbard NE, Erickson KL. (2007). “Conjugated linoleic acid isomers and cancer.” J Nutr (UC Davis, Ca, USA) 137 (12): 2599-607.
12 Linus Pauling Institute. “Micronutrient Information Center.” Accessed 02 2010.
13 Robinson, J. Pasture Perfect: The Far Reaching Benefits of Choosing Meat, Eggs, and Dairy Products From Grass-Fed Animals. Vashon Island Press. 2004.
14 Rule D.C. (2002). “Comparison of muscle fatty acid profiles and cholesterol concentrations of bison, beef cattle, elk, and chicken.” Journal of Animal Science, 80: 1202-1211.
15 “Scientific Research.” http://www.eatwild.com. Accessed 02 2010.
16 Dhiman, T.R., G.R. Anand, L.D. Satter, and M.W. Pariza. (1999). “Conjugated Linolenic Acid Content of Milk from Cows Fed Different Diets.” J Dairy Sci. 82, (10): 2146-56.
17 Smith, G.C. “Dietary Supplementation of Vitamin E to Cattle to Improve Shelf-Life and Case-Life for Domestic and International Markets.” Colorado State University Department of Animal Sciences. www.dsm.com/en_US/downloads/dnpus/PNW_02_1.pdf. Accessed 02 2010.
18 Prache, S., A. Priolo, et al. (2003). “Persistence of carotenoid pigments in the blood of concentrate-finished grazing sheep: its significance for the traceability of grass-feeding.” J Anim Sci 81(2): 360-7.

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Does Your Mind Stop You From Losing Weight?

February 19th, 2010 DaveTish

By Will Brink

It’s interesting to note; the single most important factor to not just getting the weight off, but keeping it off, is between our ears. That is, how people Will Brinkapproach the issue, psychologically speaking, is an essential component of success. And yet, 8 zillion weight loss books and programs out there, and at best, this aspect of weight loss gets lip service only.

Many diet programs out there don’t address the psychological aspect of why people fail to be successful with long-term weight loss. However, quite a few studies exist that have looked at just that. In many respects, the psychological aspect is the most important for long-term weight loss, and probably the most underappreciated component.

Studies that compare the psychological characteristics of people who have successfully kept the weight off to people who have regained the weight, see clear differences between these two groups.

For example, one study that looked at 28 obese women who had lost weight but regained the weight that they had lost, compared with 28 formerly obese women who had lost weight and maintained their weight for at least one year and 20 women with a stable weight in the healthy range, found the women who regained the weight:

• Had a tendency to evaluate self-worth in terms of weight and shape.

• Had a lack of vigilance with regard to weight control.

• Had a dichotomous (black-and-white) thinking style.

• Had the tendency to use eating to regulate mood.

The researchers concluded:

“The results suggest that psychological factors may provide some explanation as to why many people with obesity regain weight following successful weight loss.”

This particular study was done on women, so it reflects some of the specific psychological issues women have. But make no mistake here, men also have their own psychological issues that can sabotage their long-term weight loss efforts.

Additional studies on men and women find psychological characteristics such as “having unrealistic weight goals, poor coping or problem-solving skills and low self-efficacy” often predict failure with long term weight loss.

On the other hand, psychological traits common to people who experienced successful long term weight loss include “…an internal motivation to lose weight, social support, better coping strategies and ability to handle life stress, self-efficacy, autonomy, assuming responsibility in life, and overall more psychological strength and stability.”

The main point of this article is to illustrate that psychology plays a major role in determining if people are successful with long-term weight loss. If it’s not addressed as part of the overall plan, it can be the factor that makes or breaks your success. This, however, is not an area most nutrition programs can adequately tackle and should not be expected to. However, the better programs do generally attempt to help with motivation, goal setting, and support. Lack of support is one important issue I identified early, having personally trained so many people, and getting feedback from my articles, etc.

If you see yourself in the above lists from the groups that failed to maintain their weight long term, then know you will need to address those issues via counseling, support groups, etc. Don’t expect any weight loss program to cover this topic adequately but do look for programs that attempt to offer support, goal setting, and resources that will keep you on track.

Note: The above is a modified section from a longer article called “The Big Picture of Permanent Weight Loss.” More information on the topic of successful long-term weight loss, the citations from the studies mentioned above, etc., can be found in that article.

***

Will Brink is a weight loss and fitness expert and the author of Fat Loss Revealed. You can check his website here.

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Is This Really THE Secret?

February 15th, 2010 DaveTish

By Jon Benson

It’s something you absolutely need to be successful in the art of fitness for life.

Notice I didn’t just say “fitness” – anyone can get fit for a few weeks or a few months.

How about a few years?

A few decades?

Does that interest you – decades of health, energy and fitness?Jon Benson Before and After

The decades begin right now.

Absolute, Mind-Numbing, Earth-Shattering BELIEF

Maybe you’ve heard of the controversial movie, “The Secret.”

Have you?

A lot of people love this movie. I talk about two of the fundamental principles in the film as fact.

But is it true?

Although I think “The Secret” is a great eye-opener, it leaves a bit to be desired.

For example, inspired action.

(It’s in the movie, but most people only hear, “You can think yourself to success.”)

Another thing: Compassion.

But when it comes to the core of “The Secret,” which is an emotionally-charged, deep belief, the facts are clear.

And here are the facts:

** Will beats “skill” in 89% of the cases profiled by elite-level coaches in all major sports.

** You can believe in something that’s not ideal and succeed massively; however, you can have little faith in the ideal plan and fail miserably.

Most people are where they are today by force of belief, not genetics or luck. You can actually “generate” your own internal belief, no kidding. Yes, you!

If you fail to believe, you simply fail.

Now, I personally do not believe in failure. How’s that for practicing what I preach? But you most certainly will “fail” to see the results you desire without a firm, almost dogmatic belief in what you’re doing.

I go back to my second point of what you and everyone needs to succeed, and that’s role modeling. Role modeling is the fastest way to achieve belief.

Why is that? Simple, it’s much more difficult for your mind to say, “I cannot do that,” when you are looking at someone who is identical in dozens of ways to yourself who has.

The History of Belief

The mind craves honesty. That may be hard to believe at times (no pun intended), but it’s true. It’s hard-wired into our DNA. Without honesty, we would die.

Think about it:  our ancestors didn’t habitually deceive themselves into believing they could defeat saber tooth tigers with nothing more than a primitive spoon.

You wouldn’t be here if they did.

It’s in our natures to seek truth. Truth leads to belief, and erodes stubbornness and even pessimism over time.

I’ve often said that “cynicism is the beginning of the death of the soul.”

Are you cynical? Are you seeking truth in order to push forward?

Role modeling is my favorite way to remove doubt and cynicism, and prove to my mind that I can push through and accomplish anything I believe in. You can, too.

The Power of Belief

While I could list hundreds of examples that  would blow your mind, just one will suffice:

The Ipecac Experiment.

A New York hospital. The date, 1950. The “fear no legal team” researcher: Dr. Stewart Wolf, a highly respected physician of the day.

Here’s an excerpt of the story:

“Dr. Wolf treated women who suffered severe nausea and vomiting during pregnancy. Wolf informed the pregnant women that he was going to alleviate nausea and vomiting and that he would give them a drug to do this.

“He emphasized and assured them that after taking this drug, their nausea and vomiting would disappear.

“Wolf gave the women syrup of ipecac, a well-known drug used in the medical profession to induce vomiting. (Note from Jon: Wikipedia defines ipecac as, “perhaps the most well known emetic,” or agent that induces the reaction of vomiting.)

“The patients faithfully followed his instructions and took the medication. In some patients this resulted in a disappearance of their nausea and vomiting!”

The researchers concluded that the women’s belief in the drug’s powers and belief and faith in what Wolf told them were so strong, their bodies literally reacted in the exact opposite of the drug’s design.

Can you imagine?

Now, if belief can do this, imagine what true belief in your fitness and nutrition plan can do for your success rate?

I’ll tell you what, it can skyrocket it through the roof!

Again, the three keys are:

** Momentum
** Role modeling
** Belief

***

Jon Benson is the creator and co-author of Fit Over 40. In his book he shares his own experiences with the Law of Attraction and how he uses it in a more “practical” way. He calls his way “core leveraging,” which he says “makes more sense and is less mysterious” than the Law of Attraction. Learn more about it here.

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Yet Another Calcium Myth

February 13th, 2010 DaveTish

By Yuri Elkaim

Yuri ElkaimWhy is it that we are encouraged to drink milk?

Because of its calcium, right?

Well, where do cows get their food?

Grass. Grass (hay) contains huge amounts of calcium, as well as other alkalizing minerals.

We have been brainwashed into believing that cow’s milk and dairy are essential for us to grow big and strong. I don’t think that is right, especially when you consider the following:

Cow’s milk provides 118 mg of calcium/100 g. The daily recommended intake (depending on the authority) is from 800 to 1,200 mg of calcium/day.

Therefore, to meet daily requirements, and assuming that dairy is a balanced source of calcium (which it is not), you would need to consume a minimum of 0.88 to 1.22 liters of 2% milk per day (considering 1 g of 2% milk = 1.1 ml). That’s four to five 250 ml cups of milk per day. That’s insane!

Dairy is the most common food allergen in the world. After the age of 2, our body no longer produces the enzyme lactase to break down lactose (sugar in dairy). This leads to myriad problems, including bloating, gas, indigestion, skin problems (such as eczema), and excess mucus production.

There is an alternative to dairy, however (and it’s not soy milk).

***

Yuri Elkaim is a fitness, nutrition, and weight loss expert. He is a registered holistic nutritionist and the creator of Eating for Energy, where you will find out more about the alternative to dairy.

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A Better Solution to Back Pain

February 11th, 2010 DaveTish

By Dr. Al Sears

Back pain is part of the human condition – sooner or later you’re going to get it.

And if you’ve ever taken over-the-counter painkillers, beware. They can do far more harm than good.

Regular use of aspirin, Advil, Aleve, or Tylenol can lead to:

** Gastrointestinal bleeding

** Liver damage

** Increased risk of cardiovascular disease

In fact, just last year the FDA made some serious changes to make consumers aware of the dangers these drugs pose. They now require each of these drugs to come with a clear warning that explains the potential side effects.

The good news is you can ditch the painkillers. I’ve got a simple technique that’ll rid you of back pain in as little as two minutes a day.1

First it’s important to understand why you get that back pain in the first place.

Tendons attach your muscles to your bones. Ligaments attach bones to bones. As you get older, your flexibility decreases. Plus, your posture and how you sit and stand contribute. Certain muscles shorten, and your joints lose their range of motion, meaning your ligaments get weaker. This can trigger a number of back problems.

Healthy stretching works by lengthening those ligaments and strengthening your tendons. Problem is most average stretching exercises put stress on your ligature. Not exactly helpful.

The key factor that most folks don’t know – including a lot of yoga teachers and personal trainers – is that you don’t want loose joints. The tighter they are, the more stable and stronger they are. The stronger they are, the less likely you are to sustain an injury in the first place.

So what you want are long and relaxed muscles that can lengthen on demand without resistance.

I’ve found an easy way to do this. As long as you follow these techniques closely, they’ll ease your back pain instead of making it worse (like a lot of wrongheaded stretches).

The two parts of your body you want to stretch daily to avoid back pain are the front of your shoulders and the front of your hips.

Shoulder Stretch: You need to stretch and develop these muscles, because they are very susceptible to injury. And tight shoulder muscles contribute to back and neck pain, especially if your head and shoulders droop forward.

How to Perform This Stretch: Stand in an open doorway. Raising your arm to a 90-degree angle with palm facing out, press your hand and shoulder against the wall and doorjamb. You should feel the wall against your armpit. Slowly increase the tension as you push forward. Hold for a 10 count. Then repeat with the other arm.

Hip Flexors: You need to do this stretch, particularly if you sit all day at work. Sitting all day tightens and shortens the hip flexor muscles. This is a major cause of lower back pain, as it pulls the pelvis downward in the front and creates an excessive curvature in the lower spine. Stretching your hip flexor muscles daily will prevent this kind of lower back pain.

How to Perform This Stretch: Stand in a modified runner stance, with right foot forward and left foot back, feet flat on floor. Put your hands on Hip Flexoryour hips (or put one hand on a chair for support) and keep your back and hips in straight alignment. Push forward with your hips, while maintaining your erect posture. Slowly, push your hips forward only until you feel a comfortable level of tension. Hold for a 10 count. Switch sides by reversing your leg stance and repeat,

Give these a try. They work for me. Do them every day. Consistency’s the key.

***

Dr. Al Sears owns and operates an integrative medicine and anti-aging clinic in Wellington, Fla., with more than 20,000 patients. His therapies and reputation for solving some of the most difficult-to-diagnose cases attract patients from around the world. To learn more, check out his website here.

1 Deyo et al. “Cost, controversy, crisis: low back pain and the health of the public.” Annual Review of Public Health. 1991. 12:141-56.

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4 Common But Useless Fat Burning Exercises

February 6th, 2010 DaveTish

By Jon Benson

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

Most people are. That is, when it comes to exercise for getting rid of belly fat 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 percent 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 —– > http://www.7minutemuscle.com/go/seniorstud

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 belly fat.

Nonsense. Belly fat 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 The Every Other Day Diet Plan, found here:

Click.here —– > http://www.everyotherdaydiet.com/go/seniorstud

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 flak from the guys out there who love to bench, but I’m here to tell you that this exercise for body shaping 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 out, not in toward your head. 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 of 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 body fat. 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 percent 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 body fat below 10 percent. Then I will do more, but only using the rules above.

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

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

Click.here —– > http://www.everyotherdaydiet.com/go/seniorstud/video

***

Jon Benson is a leading weight loss and fitness author and instructor. Visit his website by going here.

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What’s Hot in Muscle Building Supplements

December 22nd, 2009 DaveTish

If you’ve never gone into a health and nutrition store looking for muscle building supplements, your first visit might be an eye-opener.

For one thing, you’ll probably be amazed at how many products there are to choose from.

And you can be forgiven if you also are a little confused.

With so many supplements available, it can be tricky deciding which ones will best help you reach your goals. Although there are a lot of supplements out there, some may not be suitable for you.

The first thing to keep in mind is that you don’t always need muscle building supplements to build muscle, although they will help you speed up the process. These supplements can help you increase muscular development, providing you work out. They can aid you in both muscle growth and the recovery of your muscles.

Among the vast array of products available, currently the most popular are protein, creatine, and multi-vitamins.

Protein has been a preferred supplement among bodybuilders and those who exercise. It contains several amino acids that help you build muscle. And protein can be an effective muscle builder no matter what type of diet you are on.

The ideal way to take protein is to consume 2 grams per pound of body weight. You can get protein in pill form, powder, or even bars. If you select a protein supplement, you should make sure it contains whey, soy, and eggs. Whey protein is the ideal supplement, as it contains everything you need to start building muscle.

Creatine has been another beneficial supplement, as it will help you increase your muscle mass and improve the recovery time for your muscles. Creatine also helps you to increase your muscle pumps as well, allowing you to do more repetitions with more weight.

Normally you need to go through a loading period with creatine, which is usually a week. Once you have loaded it, you should use it in cycles – a few weeks on it and a few weeks off. To get the most from creatine, you should always follow the instructions the manufacturer has provided on the label.

Multi-vitamins are another popular supplement, as they work well for those who aren’t getting enough minerals and vitamins in their normal diet. Although you may have the best of intentions, a busy schedule can make it hard to get a well-balanced meal.

Building muscle is something we would all like to do. Even though it requires a lot of exercise and commitment, you should also use muscle building supplements as well.

Although protein, creatine and multi-vitamins have been the Big Three of muscle building supplements, there is another supplement that has been getting a lot of attention lately – L-arginine.

Arginine causes an increase in the levels of nitric oxide in the body that helps move oxygen into your muscles, a process that promotes muscle growth, strength gains, and ripped muscles.

Arginine also triggers the body to make protein and has been studied for wound healing and bodybuilding. Studies also have shown that arginine enhances exercise tolerance.

To learn more about arginine, click here.

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Multivitamin Supplements Can Help You Get Through the Day

December 21st, 2009 DaveTish

You wake up, look at the clock and realize you overslept.

You run into your kids’ rooms to wake them up, and by the time you have gotten dressed and everyone is ready to head out the door, you have had zero time for breakfast.

After dropping the kids off at school, you walk into the office to find a big plate of doughnuts and a pot of coffee waiting in the staff room. You inhale two sugary doughnuts, guzzle a large cup of coffee or two and then start your work day.

At lunch, your meeting runs late, so all you have time for is a quick stop at the vending machine, where you grab a bag of Cheetos and a grape soda.

Finally, at the end of the day, you are so exhausted you decide you are too tired to cook, and you order a pizza.

***

Does any part of that scenario ring a bell with you? My guess is that your answer is yes, or you probably wouldn’t be reading this post. It is yes, even though you certainly must know on a very basic level that putting that kind of garbage in your body consistently is a recipe for disaster. Sooner or later it will catch up with you, guaranteed.

Enter multivitamin supplements.

That is not to say that multivitamins can take the place of a well-balanced diet, adequate sleep and regular exercise. They absolutely cannot.

But rather that the emergence of multivitamin supplements as a boom industry was made possible by the fact that most people do not eat a sufficiently balanced diet to provide them with all of the vitamins they need to maintain good health.

And today, as the fast-food industry continues to grow and our lives get busier and busier, multivitamin supplements have a bigger role to play in your health than ever. So let’s examine them a little more closely.

Multivitamins are available in several different forms, including tablets, gel capsules and even liquids.

One obvious benefit of taking them is convenience. It is far easier to take one multivitamin than it is to take each vitamin individually. This is especially important for children, as it can be difficult for them to take even one tablet or capsule, let alone half a dozen or more. (A chewable or liquid multivitamin may be the most suitable forms for children, but they also work for anyone who has difficulty taking supplements in traditional tablet form.)

The increased availability of multivitamins has led to a great variety of brands as well as a variety in the actual content of the supplements. The names of some of the nutrients in these supplements can be a little bewildering, and many people simply don’t know which ones they require.

To make the decision simpler there are now a number of multivitamins created for specific people. There are, for example, multivitamin supplements that are designed for:

** Children. These supplements contain the specific nutrients that children need to grow and develop properly.

** Pregnant women. They obviously have unique nutrient requirements because, as the old saying goes, they are “eating for two.”

** Elderly people. As we get older our nutritional requirements change.

** Women, who have different nutritional needs than …

** Men.

Finally, it is important to consider the contents of any multivitamin supplement. There are some vitamins that can be toxic if too much is absorbed.

The recommended daily allowance for each vitamin in a multivitamin supplement should be clearly listed on the label.

And if you have any uncertainty about the contents of the multivitamin supplement you are considering, seek the advice of a medical professional.

Here are our recommended products:

Click here if you are a woman.

And here if you are a man.

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Tis the Season for … Weight Loss Programs

December 21st, 2009 DaveTish

It’s almost like clockwork. Every year at about this time, visions of sugarless plums (aka weight loss programs) begin to dance in our heads. (See our recommended programs below.)

And as we grow older, those visions become clearer and more compelling. Sometimes that’s because we have begun to look ridiculous in a bathing suit. Other times it’s because we have become more acutely aware of our own mortality and feel an urgent need to protect our health. Whatever the reason, we decide it is in our best interests to lose a few pounds.

Sometimes we think “free” and try to lose weight on our own (if you’ve ever tried that, raise your hand). And if the go-it-alone route leads nowhere, which it frequently does, we often turn to commercially designed and structured weight loss programs, for which we pay a financial price.

Weight loss has become a super heavyweight, multi-billion-dollar industry primarily because the standard Western diet stuffs people full of processed foods and huge amounts of fast-food fat and calories, while skimping on the fruits and vegetables.

That kind of diet, that kind of lifestyle, has created an enormous number of people (including children) in the Western world who are obese or overweight.

And because capitalism abhors a vacuum, we now are faced with a huge, dazzling array of weight loss programs, weight loss pills, weight loss supplements, weight loss products and weight loss lifestyles.

But that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Many of these weight loss programs are accompanied by customer support systems. And research has shown that people who get support during their weight-loss efforts are more successful than those who try to do it on their own.

You’ve no doubt heard of Nutrisystem, Weight Watchers, South Beach diet, Atkins diet, Jenny Craig, and online sites such as Diet.com. The list goes on and on.

Each of these plans has its own modus operandi.

People on the South Beach diet, for example, follow a program outlined in a book. They do their own grocery shopping and food preparation, and they can get support through local or online support groups.

On the other hand, those who follow the Nutrisystem diet are supplied their food in frozen form with the recommended addition of fruits and vegetables from the grocery store. This plan requires less preparation and less effort but also relies on becoming satisfied with food that is mass-produced, flash-frozen and mailed to your front door.

Some programs will make specific promises, such as Medifast with its claim that you will lose up to 20 pounds in one month. This program often is supervised by your primary care physician because it requires a specific amount of fasting and a reduced caloric intake that could cause significant changes in any other underlying medical condition.

New rules and regulations that govern advertising, however, now make it difficult for programs to make specific claims unless they back it up with a money-back guarantee.

But in the final analysis, any program is only as good as the person who follows it. To put it another way, weight loss can be achieved with or without a program, but it requires action by the person who wishes to lose weight before anything will happen at all.

That is, if you buy into a weight loss plan and then let it sit on a shelf collecting dust, guess what? You ain’t gonna lose weight.

Whatever weight loss program you choose, make sure the basic requirements of the program are something you can live with. Research has shown that if you have to make too many changes too quickly you are likely to fail.

But if you are focused on specific weight loss or are highly motivated to lose weight, you will be able to find a program that will work for you. After all, weight loss is a goal that truly is not different from any other.

Recommended weight loss products:

Click here for women.

Click here for men.

You also might want to take a look at the weight loss plan that the author himself uses and recommends. Check it out at our sister website here.

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What You Should Look for in Anti-aging Products

December 18th, 2009 DaveTish

For centuries people have been trying to look younger than their age. Makes you wonder why anti-aging products didn’t come on the scene a whole lot sooner than they actually did.

When the ancient explorers first anchored their ships along the shores of America, for example, they were looking not only for gold but also for the fountain of youth.

We’re still looking for that fountain today. And though it remains tantalizingly just out of reach, researchers and scientists now say they have come up with anti-aging products that make women – and men too — look as young as they possibly can.

But before we take a closer look at those products, the first thing you should understand is that you can – and should — help yourself maintain a youthful appearance by:

** Not smoking.

** Getting plenty of rest.

** Providing your body with all the nutrients, vitamins and minerals that are required at the cellular level.

That said, if you would like to take your quest for youth a step further, there are several anti-aging products from which to choose.

But before making your choice you should run the advertising claims through several filters.

Manufacturers may make claims that seem outrageous on the surface. Although we all would like to get rid of deep wrinkles and lines or take 20 years off our appearance, the reality is that once the damage has been done it’s often too late to do much about it.

The fact is, it’s harder to reverse the toll that time has taken on your face than it is to keep the damage from happening in the first place.

So before you spend your money, make sure you recognize outrageous or questionable claims for what they are.

And then look for these vital things:

** A product that comes as a three-part system. It simply is not possible to provide all the anti-aging components to treat the different areas of the face with just one product or cream. Instead, you want product lines that offer:

1. A cream for the face.
2. A cream to gently treat the sensitive area around the eyes.
3. An anti-aging serum.

An anti-aging product with those three qualities will be better able to produce results that you are likely to be happy with.

Other things you should look for in choosing an anti-aging product:

** High-quality ingredients. There is nothing worse for your skin than to slather on a potion of harsh chemicals.

** Beware the claims of celebrities who advertise their own product lines or give testimonials for the product lines of others. That little disclaimer at the bottom of every testimonial, “these results are unusual, you may experience something different,” is the advertisers’ way of telling you the product is not going to make you a Hollywood starlet.

Some anti-aging products used by celebrities are high quality and actually do get results. But before you buy them you should run them through the same filtering process you would any other product.

** Be sure that the products you are buying come with a money-back guarantee of at least 60 days. It takes that long at a minimum to see significant results from anti-aging skin care products. Although you may see some encouraging initial results, be sure to evaluate the results after a full two months to ensure that you are totally satisfied with the product.

Using the right products, most women can take from 5 to 10 years off their face without resorting to plastic surgery. And, rightly or wrongly, the right anti-aging products will help women and men gain an added advantage in the workplace by giving them a more youthful appearance.

Finally, a word about free trial offers. Most of these offers lead into a recurring product purchase. In other words, when you enter your credit card information to pay for shipping and handling you also are agreeing to buy the product every 30 to 60 days. If you do take advantage of these offers, which isn’t a bad thing, put the date you must cancel by on your calendar so if you are not satisfied with the product you can cancel before anything is shipped to your home or your credit card is charged.

By following these few simple rules about anti-aging products you should be able to determine the products best suited for your particular skin type.

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