Excuses, Excuses...

I have a reader that asked about programs for those that may be unemployed or who can't afford to go organic to eat better. To lose weight and become healthy-- Organic eating is not necessary. Research is necessary however. Commitment is necessary. Most importantly, the COLD BLOODED MURDER of all phrases that resemble excuses is necessary. Phrases like-- "I don't have the money to eat healthy and lose weight." Phrases like-- "I don't have the time or energy to exercise." Those very phrases will end up being responsible for your misery and eventually your DEATH. I am not exaggerating one bit. This is reality and it can become very harsh very quickly when you allow time to slip away and your okay physical condition is suddenly not so good. Then your not so good physical condition becomes a PROBLEM (knee problems, ankle/foot issues, cholesterol spike). Then your problem physical condition somehow becomes morbid (barely walking, diabetes, heart problems, gout, etc.).

So to the reader that suggested in their comment that I was promoting only some "organic" way to lose weight and be healthy-- abolish the excuses and change your life.

1. Learn the SCIENCE to weight loss.
2. Learn to count how many calories you're putting into your body.
3. MAKE TIME for some physical activity. (walking, etc.)
4. Start READING labels and abolish HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP (no sodas-not even diet) and HIGH SODIUM from your diet -- its KEEPING YOU FAT.
5. Eat 5-6 small meals per day.
6. CLEAN yourself out.
7. Learn to eat the same few meals over and over and over again until you reach your goals.
8. DO NOT listen to naysayers (family & friends included)
9. Research meditation and START IMMEDIATELY -- there is no WRONG way as long as you focus on what you want to become reality in your life.
10. Become obsessed. No one loses weight who is not obsessed with being healthier and/or changing their lives. Look at the real success stories. Click here to see Ali Vincent from Biggest Loser.
11. Go to www.YOUTUBE.com and simply type in any variation of weight loss and you will see millions of videos of people helping you lose weight and get healthy FOR FREE. This is 2009 !!!!



Until Next Time,

Sirius.

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#15 - #20 of the 20 Ways to Stick to Your Workout

15. Go through the motions
On days when you don't feel like working out, make the only requirement of your
exercise session a single set of your favorite exercise. "It's likely that once you've
started, you'll finish," says Rachel Cosgrove, C.S.C.S. If you still don't feel like being in the gym, go home. This way, you never actually stop exercising; you just have some gaps in your training log.

16. Start a streak
There's nothing like a winning streak to attract fans to the ballpark. Do the same for
your workout by trying to set a new record for consecutive workouts without a miss.
"Every time your streak ends, strive to set a longer mark in your next attempt," says
Williams.

17. Make your goals attractive
"To stay motivated, frame your goals so that they drive you to achieve them," says
Charles Staley, owner of Edtsecrets.com. For example, if you're a 200-pound guy, decide whether you'd rather bench "over 200 pounds," "the bar with two 45-pound plates on each side," or "your body weight." They're all different ways of saying the same thing, but one is probably more motivating to you than the others.

18. See your body through her eyes
Ask your wife to make like Howard Stern and identify your most displeasing physical
characteristic. "It's instant motivation," says Mejia. If she's hesitant, make a list for her— abs, love handles, upper arms, and so on—and have her rank them from best to worst. Make the most-hated body part your workout focus for 4 weeks, then repeat the quiz for more motivation.

19. Buy a year's worth of protein
"If a guy believes that a supplement will help him achieve better results, he'll be more inclined to keep up his workouts in order to reap the full benefits and avoid wasting his money," says Kuebler. Stick with the stuff that really does help: protein and creatine, from major brands like MuscleTech, EAS, and Biotest.

20. Blackmail yourself (My favorite)
Take a picture of yourself shirtless, holding a sign that shows your e-mail address. Then e-mail it to a trusted but sadistic friend, with the following instructions: "If I don't send you a new picture that shows serious improvement in 12 weeks, post this photo at hotornot.com and send the link to the addresses listed below... " (Include as many e- mail addresses—especially of female acquaintances—as possible.) "It's nasty, but extremely effective," says Alwyn Cosgrove.

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The Half Ton Man/Woman

For this post I want to remind everyone that nothing is impossible. Wherever your weight may be. However out of control and powerless you may feel. Whatever excuses you have created for your habits and CHOICES in the past---you can move forward and conquer all of those factors that are literally KILLING you.

This year my wife and I took our traditional mini-vacation for New Year's Eve. While we were in the hotel in San Francisco, we watched our cable for the year (since we don't have cable at home and don't ever plan to have it) and saw the most disturbingly interesting show maybe ever. The Half Ton Man. The show opened with paramedics having to remove a wall of a man's house and building a reinforced stretcher on site that could hold all 1100 pounds of this guy. The man's name is Patrick Deuel and he was, at that time, days away from death. His skin had stretched to its limit so the fluids from his blood and internal organs would seep out onto the bed. He could only lie on his stomach otherwise his fat would crush his lungs. He could not even roll over by himself anyway.

I'm not presenting this as any sort of freak show. I'm presenting this as a cautionary tale of how things could be for you. The saddest part of the whole story is that his size and morbid obesity is becoming more and more common. This whole show's subject matter is THOUSAND POUND MEN AND WOMEN struggling to either change their lives immediately or die. There is an entire SEASON of these people. These people had two things in common besides the weight: (1) FAST FOOD and (2) people who were willing to support their food addiction by getting them anything they wanted after they're bedridden. Assisted suicide if you will.


There were a couple particular scenes that show an entire family walk into the house with bags of McDonalds and Kentucky Fried Chicken, sit down in front of the Idiot Box, and commence to gorging themselves with this POISON. It was a routine. It was mechanical. It disgusted me more than seeing the bedsores of the man above up close. Something has got to give.

As promised, here are ways #11 - #15 of the 20 Ways to Stick to your Workout (See the post below for #1 - #5 & #6 - #10)

11. Plan your workouts in advance
At the start of each month, schedule all of your workouts at once, and cross them off as
they're completed. For an average month, you might try for a total of 16 workouts. If
any are left undone at the end of the month, tack them on to the following month. And
make sure you have a contingency plan for bad weather and unscheduled meetings.
"You're about 40 percent more likely to work out if you have strategies to help you
overcome these obstacles," says Rod Dishman, Ph.D., an exercise scientist at the
University of Georgia.

12. Squat first
If you have trouble finishing your weight workout, start with the exercises you dread.
"You'll look forward to your favorite exercises at the end of your workout, which will
encourage you to complete the entire session," says John Williams, C.S.C.S., co-owner
of Spectrum Conditioning in Port Washington, New York.

13. Schedule a body-composition test every 2 months
It'll provide you with a clear end date for the simple goal of losing body fat or gaining
muscle. "Tangible results are the best motivator," says Tim Kuebler, C.S.C.S., a trainer
in Kansas City, Missouri. Your gym probably offers the service for a small fee—just make
sure the same trainer performs the test each time.

14. Don't do what you hate
"Whenever you start to dread your workout, do what appeals to you instead," says John
Raglin, Ph.D., an exercise psychologist at Indiana University. If you loathe going to a
gym, try working out at home. (Check the Men's Health Home Workout Bible for ideas.)
If you despise the treadmill, then jump rope, lift weights, or find a basketball court.
Bottom line: If you're sick of your routine, find a new one.

15. Go through the motions
On days when you don't feel like working out, make the only requirement of your
exercise session a single set of your favorite exercise. "It's likely that once you've
started, you'll finish," says Rachel Cosgrove, C.S.C.S. If you still don't feel like being in
the gym, go home. This way, you never actually stop exercising; you just have some
gaps in your training log.

**If you have found any of the info on this page useful or motivational please make a donation or any amount at TOP RIGHT. THANK YOU!

I've been reading a helluva lot about ACAI berry..

What is Acai ?
Well, it's a Brazilian fruit, production from the Acai Palm, that has taken the health food industry by storm. After being featured on Oprah, the Rachel Ray Show, and NBC news as one of the healthiest foods on the planet, everyone seems to be scrambling to get their hands on this amazing fruit.

What's sooo special about Acai ?
Acai (pronounced Ah-Sigh-EE) is part of a special group of foods called "Super Foods". These are fruits and vegetables that contain amazing health benefits and have only recently been introduced to the general public.

The benefits of Acai are numerous, but the one that gets the most press is it's extremely high antioxidant count. Antioxidants help protect our bodies from free radicals, which cause great damage to our cells.

This means that foods that contain high levels of antioxidants help fight cancer, reverse the signs of aging, promotes healthy skin and hair, and help boost our immune system.

Acai tops the chart with the highest level of antioxidants of any known fruit or vegetable. Acai beats out other popular antioxidant foods such as blueberries, pomegranates, and green tea.

Not only is Acai an antioxidant powerhouse, but it also contains high levels of essential fatty acids. These fatty acids help to lower cholesterol, improve mood, and reduces inflammation.

Acai is also an excellent source of amino acids, fiber, and many vitamins and minerals that are essential to a health body.

It has also been known to give a boost of energy that is more powerful and longer lasting than coffee or Redbull.

20 Ways to Stick to Your Workout. As promised, here are ways #5 - #10 (See the post below for #1 - #5)

6. Think about fat
Your body is storing and burning fat simultaneously, but it's always doing one faster
than the other. "Understanding that you're getting either fatter or leaner at any one
time will keep you body-conscious so you won't overeat or under-exercise," says Alwyn
Cosgrove, C.S.C.S., owner of Results Fitness Training in Santa Clarita, California.

7. Do a daily gut check
Place your fingers on your belly and inhale deeply so that it expands. As you exhale,
contract your abdominal muscles and push your fingertips against your hard abdominal
wall. Now pinch. "You're holding pure fat between your fingers," says Tom Seabourne,
Ph.D., author of Athletic Abs. Do this every day, 30 minutes before your workout, and
you'll find that you'll rarely decide to skip it.

8. Join a fitness message board
It'll be full of inspiration from men who have accomplished their goals and are working
toward new ones. Our particular favorite: the 52-Day Challenge. Created by a Men's
Health Belly-Off Club Forum member with the username "Determined," it's designed to
foster encouragement, discipline, and accountability. "Each participant posts and tracks
his goals for a 52-day period so that everyone is accountable to the other members,"
says Determined. To sign up, click here.

9. Strike an agreement with your wife and kids
The rule: You get 1 hour to yourself every day, provided that you use it for exercise
(and reciprocate the favor). So there's no pressure to do household chores, play
marathon games of Monopoly, or be a doting husband (a fat, doting husband). "Since
it's for your health, it's a contract they can't refuse. And that will allow you to exercise
guilt-free while acting as a role model for your children," says Darren Steeves, C.S.C.S.,
a trainer in Canada.

10. Burn a workout CD
Studies have shown that men who pedal stationary cycles while listening to their favorite
music will do so longer and more intensely than men who exercise without music. So
burn a disc with your favorite adrenaline-boosting songs (maybe something by Limp
Bizkit or—if you're over 40—Hot Tuna).

Until next time.

Sirius C

**If you have found any of the info on this page useful or motivational please make a donation or any amount at TOP RIGHT. THANK YOU!

Exercise and Food Intake Must be a Complete Lifestyle Change.

New studies suggest that the factors leading people to start exercising and eating right are not necessarily the same ones that will drive them to remain active over time. The people that finally get their asses off the couch and out from in front of the idiot box have a really tough time STICKING to the commitment of exercise and healthy eating.

Research shows that this is all due to how people THINK about what they're doing. A sort of switch has to be flipped to continuously tell a one's mind -- "Hey! This is NOT temporary!" Otherwise the body still craves the same ol' junk you were putting into it before. Working out has to become WHO YOU ARE. Eating healthy has to become WHO YOU ARE. When something becomes a little bit of obsession, it is ingrained into your person and you no longer have to think about it.

For the next 3 posts (this one included) I will divulge 20 Ways to Stick to Your Workout. Here are the first FIVE:

1. Sign up for a distant race
That is, one that's at least 500 miles away. The extra incentive of paying for airfare and
a hotel room will add to your motivation to follow your training plan, says Carolyn Ross-
Toren, chairwoman of the Mayor's Fitness Council in San Antonio.

2. Make a 'friendly' bet
Challenge your nemesis—that idea-stealing coworker or a non-mowing neighbor—to a
contest. The first guy to drop 15 pounds, run a 6-minute mile, or bench- press 250
pounds wins. The key: "Make sure it's someone you don't particularly like," says Michael
Mejia, C.S.C.S., Men's Health exercise advisor. (It's okay if your rival thinks you're best
friends.)

3. Tie exercise to your health
Check your cholesterol. Then set a goal of lowering your LDL cholesterol by 20 points
and increasing your HDL cholesterol by 5 points. "You'll decrease your risk of heart
disease while providing yourself with a very important, concrete goal," says John
Thyfault, Ph.D., C.S.C.S., an exercise researcher at East Carolina University. Ask your
doctor to write a prescription for new blood work in a month. You'll just have to go to
the lab, and the doctor will call you with the results.

4. Switch your training partners
Working out with a partner who will hold you accountable for showing up at the gym
works well—for a while. But the more familiar you are with the partner, the easier it
becomes to back out of workout plans. "Close friends and family members don't always
make the best training partners because they may allow you to slack off or cancel
workouts," says Jacqueline Wagner, C.S.C.S., a trainer in New York City. To keep this
from happening, find a new, less forgiving workout partner every few months.

5. Compete
Find a sport or event that you enjoy, and train to compete in it. "It adds a greater
meaning to each workout," says Alex Koch, Ph.D., C.S.C.S., an exercise researcher (and
competitive weight lifter) at Truman State University. Consider training for the World
Master's games in 2009 (www.2009worldmasters.com), an Olympics-like competition for
regular guys. Events include basketball, rowing, golf, triathlon, and weight lifting.

If you have ANY questions, don't hesitate to ask !!

Until next time,

Sirius.

**If you have found any of the info on this page useful or motivational please make a donation or any amount at TOP RIGHT. THANK YOU!

Xmas Eating Guide

Rule #1: Blah-blah-blah-blah-blah. You are way too brainwashed to not eat everything in sight today so whatever but see below for the 26th through the new year until you reach some weight goals...

Mix and match, costructing each meal with food from the following groups:

>>>>>>>>>> PROTEINS:
>>>>>>>>>> Egg whites (by the carton)
>>>>>>>>>> Whole egg once a week
>>>>>>>>>> Chicken breast
>>>>>>>>>> Turkey
>>>>>>>>>> Grilled Fish
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>> NATURAL CARBS AND WHOLE GRAINS:
>>>>>>>>>> Oatmeal (old fashioned)
>>>>>>>>>> 100% whole wheat bread
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>> *LEGUMES:
>>>>>>>>>> Lentils
>>>>>>>>>> Black beans
>>>>>>>>>> Pinto beans
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>> VEGETABLES:
>>>>>>>>>> Spinach
>>>>>>>>>> Asparagus
>>>>>>>>>> Romaine lettuce (in salads only)
>>>>>>>>>> Peas
>>>>>>>>>> Mixed vegetables
>>>>>>>>>> Broccoli
>>>>>>>>>> Carrots
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>> FRUITS:
>>>>>>>>>> Grapefruit
>>>>>>>>>> Apples
>>>>>>>>>> Blueberries
>>>>>>>>>> Canteloupe
>>>>>>>>>> Oranges
>>>>>>>>>> Bananas
>>>>>>>>>> Peaches
>>>>>>>>>> Grapes
>>>>>>>>>> Strawberries
>>>>>>>>>> Pineapples

Eat as much as you like of the above food items but 1-2 meals per day needs to incorporate a PROTEIN, a LEGUME, and a VEGGY. Just remember: keep it simple. Pick three or four meals and REPEAT them. Almost all restaurants can give you a salad or vegetables in place of french fries or potatoes--you know this.

Most people who go on “low” carbohydrate diets complain of low energy and quit, not because these diets can’t work, but because they consume insufficient calories.. A 1/2 cup of rice is 300 calories, whereas a 1/2 cup of spinach is 15 calories! Vegetables are not calorically dense, so it is critical that you add legumes for caloric load. The meals you are putting together should be enough to satisfy you for the time. If you're still hungry drink loads of COLD water. (cold water makes your metabolism speed up to warm the water in your blood then digest it).

--Start your day with a cup of hot GREEN TEA only (speeds metabolism 15-30 min before breakfast)
--Eat breakfast from the items above.
--40 minutes of cardio OR Dancing if its one of those 2 days
--Post workout meal from the items above (lunch?)
--3 hours later eat again from the items above.
--3-4 hours later eat some type of snack from items above
--3 hours later eat from the items above (Dinner/at work?)
--3 hours later snack on fruit or veggies only.
--NO FOOD IMMEDIATELY BEFORE BED.
--AND Remember ---- WATER! WATER! WATER! COLD WATER! But, minimize fluids during and immediately after meals. A cup of water before a meal will help insure that your body has adequate water with which to produce digestive fluids. When people drink alot during meals it slows down digestion and insured water weight gain.

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Its not too late. Its not too early. You're not too old. You DEFINITELY can make time.

Okay we'll start like this: Drastic results call for drastic measures. Drastic measure #1 - Change your life.
The single best advice I could ever give for losing weight and KEEPING it off is to change your eating habits and incorporate exercise into your life's routine. In this blog I will be revealing ways to achieve your BODY GOALS every day or so. So here goes:

You will need to do cardio AT LEAST 3 days per week to pull this off. This means going at least 5 miles per hour on the treadmill for 40 minutes straight for at least 3 days a week.


-Think about using something with a natural laxative effect regularly over this month
like the "Pearls" you can research on Google.
-Cook only with extra Virgin olive oil.
-Watch your sodium intake so you don't retain water. (you do need a little sodium though)

THE DON'T LIST (could expand at any time.)
No burgers (with or without bread)
No pasta
*NO SODAS
No milk
No fruit juices
No steak
No pork
No sweets (duh)
No Potatoes (includes fries)
No white bread
No rice
*NOTHING FRIED

The most successful dieters, regardless of whether their goal is muscle gain or fat loss, eat the same few meals over and over again. So for this 26 days you might want to repeat some meals day after day--its boring, but it works.

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