Magazine Pull

In most of my newsletters, I like to provide a healthy snack or meal recipe that not only is delicious, but also helps to get you closer to that hard-body appearance that everyone is looking for. In this article, I’d like to give you healthy food ideas in a different way. This time, I figured I’d just give you some ideas of what I stock my kitchen with. Remember, if you don’t have junk around the house, you’re less likely to eat junk. If all you have is healthy food around the house, you’re forced to make smart choices. Basically, it all starts with making smart choices and avoiding temptations when you make your grocery store trip. Now these are just some of my personal preferences, but perhaps they will give you some good ideas that you’ll enjoy.

Alright, so let’s start with the fridge. Each week, I try to make sure I’m loaded up with lots of varieties of fresh vegetables. During the growing season, I only get local produce, but obviously in winter, I have to resort to the produce at the grocery store. Most of the time, I make sure I have plenty of vegetables like zucchini, onions, asparagus, fresh mushrooms, spinach, broccoli, red peppers, etc. to use in my morning eggs. I also like to dice up some lean chicken or turkey sausage into the eggs, along with some swiss, jack, or goat cheeses. Coconut milk is another staple in my fridge. I like to use it to mix in with smoothies, oatmeal, or yogurt for a rich, creamy taste. Not only does coconut milk add a rich, creamy taste to lots of dishes, but it’s also full of healthy saturated fats. Yeah, you heard me…I said healthy saturated fats! Healthy saturated fats like medium chain triglycerides, specifically an MCT called lauric acid. If the idea of healthy saturated fats is foreign to you, check out an eye-opening article at truthaboutabs.com called “The Truth about Saturated Fats”.

Back to the fridge, some other staples:

• Cottage cheese, ricotta cheese, and yogurt – I like to mix cottage or ricotta cheese and yogurt together with chopped nuts and berries for a great mid-morning or mid-afternoon meal.

• Chopped walnuts, pecans, almonds, macadamias, etc. – delicious and great sources of healthy fats.

• Whole flax seeds – I grind these in a mini coffee grinder and add to yogurt or salads. Always grind them fresh because the omega-3 polyunsaturated fats are highly unstable and prone to oxidation, potentially creating inflammation causing free radicals from pre-ground flax.

• Whole eggs – one of natures richest sources of nutrients and high quality protein (and remember, they increase your GOOD cholesterol).

• Nut butters – Plain old peanut butter has gotten a little old for me, so I get creative and mix together almond butter with sesame seed butter, or even cashew butter with macadamia butter…delicious and unbeatable nutrition!

• Salsa – I try to get creative and try some of the exotic varieties of salsas.

• Butter – don’t believe the naysayers; butter adds great flavor to anything and can be part of a healthy diet (just keep the quantity small because it is calorie dense…and NEVER use margarine, unless you want to assure yourself a heart attack).

• Avocados – love them…plus a great source of healthy fats, fiber, and other nutrients. Try adding them to wraps, salads, or sandwiches.

• Whole grain wraps and whole grain bread (look for wraps and bread with at least 3-4 grams of fiber per 20 grams of total carbs).

• Rice bran and wheat germ – these may sound way too healthy for some, but they actually add a nice little nutty, crunchy taste to yogurt or smoothies, or can be added when baking muffins or breads to add nutrients and fiber.

• Leaf lettuce and spinach along with shredded carrots – for salads with dinner.

• Home-made salad dressing – using balsamic vinegar, extra virgin olive oil, and Udo’s Choice oil blend. This is much better than store bought salad dressing which mostly use highly refined soybean oil (source of inflammation-causing free radicals).

Some of the staples in the freezer:

• Frozen fish – I like to try a couple different kinds of fish each week. There are so many varieties out there, you never have to get bored. Plus, frozen fish is usually frozen immediately after catching, as opposed to fresh fish, which has been in transport and sitting at markets for days, allowing it more opportunity to spoil.

• Frozen berries – during the local growing season, I only get fresh berries, but during the other 10 months of the year, I always keep a supply of frozen blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, strawberries, cherries, etc. to add to high fiber cereal, oatmeal, cottage cheese, yogurt, or smoothies

• Frozen veggies – again, when the growing season is over and I can no longer get local fresh produce, frozen veggies are the best option, since they often have higher nutrient contents compared to the fresh produce that has been shipped thousands of miles, sitting around for weeks before making it to your dinner table.

• Frozen chicken breasts – very convenient to nuke up for a quick addition to wraps or chicken sandwiches for quick meals.

• Frozen buffalo, ostrich, venison, and other “exotic” lean meats – Yeah, I know…I’m weird, but I can tell you that these are some of the healthiest meats around, and if you’re serious about a lean healthy body, these types of meats are much better for you than the mass produced, hormone-pumped beef and pork that’s sold at most grocery stores.

Alright, now the staples in my cabinets:

• Oat bran and steel cut oats – higher fiber than those little packs of instant oats.

• Cans of coconut milk – to be transferred to a container in the fridge after opening.

• Various antioxidant rich teas – green, oolong, white, rooibos are some of the best. Surprisingly, even chammomile tea has been shown to provide important trace nutrients and antioxidants.

• Stevia – a natural non-caloric sweetener, which is an excellent alternative to the nasty chemical-laden artificial sweeteners like aspartame, saccharine, and sucralose.

• Organic maple syrup – none of that high fructose corn syrup Aunt Jemima crap…only real maple syrup can be considered real food. The only time I really use this (because of the high sugar load) is added to my post-workout smoothies to sweeten things up and also elicit an insulin surge to push nutrients into your muscles.

• Raw honey – better than processed honey…higher quantities of beneficial nutrients and enzymes. Honey has even been proven in studies to improve glucose metabolism (how you process carbs). I use a teaspoon or so every morning in my teas.

• Whole wheat or whole grain spelt pasta – much higher fiber than normal pastas

• Brown rice and other higher fiber rice – NEVER white rice

• Cans of black or kidney beans – I like to add a couple scoops to my Mexican wraps for the fiber and high nutrition content. Also, beans are surprisingly one of the best sources of youth promoting antioxidants!

• Tomato sauces – delicious, and as I’m sure you’ve heard a million times, they are a great source of lycopene. Just watch out for the brands that are loaded with nasty high fructose corn syrup.

• Dark chocolate (as dark as possible) – This is one of my treats that satisfies my sweet tooth, plus provides loads of antioxidants at the same time. It’s still calorie dense, so I keep it to just a couple squares; but that is enough to do the trick, so I don’t feel like I need to go out and get cake and ice cream to satisfy my dessert urges. Choose dark chocolate that lists it’s cocoa content at 70% or greater. Milk chocolate is usually only about 30% cocoa, and even most cheap dark chocolates are only around 50% cocoa. Cocoa content is key for the antioxidant benefit…the rest is just sugar and other additives.

• Organic unsweetened cocoa powder – I like to mix this into my smoothies for an extra jolt of antioxidants or make my own low-sugar hot cocoa by mixing cocoa powder into hot milk with stevia and a couple melted dark chocolate chunks.

Of course, you also can never go wrong with any types of fresh fruits. Even though fruit contains natural sugars, the fiber within most fruits usually slows down the carbohydrate absorption and glycemic response. Also, you get the benefit of high antioxidant content and nutrient density in most fruits. Some of my favorites are kiwi, pomegranate, mango, papaya, grapes, oranges, fresh pineapple, bananas, apples, pears, peaches, and all types of berries.

Well, I hope you enjoyed this special look into my favorite lean body meals and how I stock my kitchen. Your tastes are probably quite different than mine, but hopefully this gave you some good ideas you can use next time you’re at the grocery store looking to stock up a healthy and delicious pile of groceries.

Visit truthaboutabs.com/freenewsletter.html to receive a free “Training & Nutrition Secrets of a Fitness Junkie” ebook as well as your own free personalized metabolic rate calculator.

Michael Geary is a nationally dual certified personal trainer (NCSF-CPT, AFAA-CPT), and author of the internationally-selling The Truth about Six Pack Abs ©2004-2006.

Corn pollen more than 80,000 years old was found in Mexico. Proper popcorn was known in China, Sumatra, and India for at least 5000 years. Popped popcorn and kernels 5600 years old were discovered in the “Bat Cave” in New Mexico in 1948-1950. Popcorn kernels – ready to pop – were unearthed in ancient Peruvian tombs. In a cave is southern Utah, fluffy, fresh looking, white popcorn was dated to 1000 years ago.

Popcorn was used by the Aztecs and Indians as a decorative motif in headdresses, necklaces, and ornaments on statues of divinities. In the 16th century, both Hernando Cortes (in Mexico) and Christopher Columbus (in the West Indies) described these unusual uses of the snack. Father Bernardino de Sahagun (1499-1590), a Franciscan priest with deep interest in Mexican culture, described a ritual in honor of the Aztec gods of fisheries:

“They scattered before him parched corn, called momochitl, a kind of corn which bursts when parched and discloses its contents and makes itself look like a very white flower; they said these were hailstones given to the god of water.”

French explorers in the early 17th century reported that the Iroquois Indians in the Great Lakes region drank popcorn beer and ate popcorn soup. In either 1621, or in 1630, popcorn was brought as a gift by the Indian Quadequina, brother of Chief Massasoit of the Wampanoag tribe, to the colonists in Plymouth, Massachusetts at their first Thanksgiving dinner in the new land.

This may be an apocryphal story but, in any case, it would not have been popcorn as we know it today. An oiled ear was held on a stick over an open fire and the popped kernels would be chewed off. Popcorn later served as a morning cereal, eaten with cream or milk. The colonists called it “popped corn”, “parching corn”, or “rice corn”.

Most of the world’s popcorn (“prairie gold”) is produced in Nebraska, Iowa and Indiana, in the United States. The kernel is a seed containing a plant embryo and its soft, starchy food. The seed is protected by a hard shell. Heating the kernel converts water held in the seed into pressurized steam which causes the kernel to pop and the starch to expand to 40 times its original size.

Sam Vaknin ( samvak.tripod.com ) is the author of Malignant Self Love – Narcissism Revisited and After the Rain – How the West Lost the East. He served as a columnist for Global Politician, Central Europe Review, PopMatters, Bellaonline, and eBookWeb, a United Press International (UPI) Senior Business Correspondent, and the editor of mental health and Central East Europe categories in The Open Directory and Suite101.

Until recently, he served as the Economic Advisor to the Government of Macedonia.

Visit Sam’s Web site at samvak.tripod.com

I wrote an article 2 months ago trying to rally some support for the research for Mental Health Disorders. My main theme was for people to donate to Non-Profit Organization, just $1.00. I mean a Freaking dollar to help people on low income that have a mental health disorder. Now I pointed out the fact that millions were given to the victims of hurricane Katrina.

For some odd reason two months later not ONE GOD DAM DOLLAR WAS DONATED I tried to rally the troops and still no one even could give a measly dollar. Do you realize the new surgeon general report says 1 in 5 Americans will come down with a mental illness in some point in there life and this used to be 1 in 20, I would say that was close to an epidemic, that’s millions more than the victims of the hurricane, yet the city still SLEEPS.

Now what I want you all to know is this, on every cancer patient and heart disease they spend on 1 patient $25 dollars of research, heart disease 1 patient $23 research and the list goes on and on. Now do you want to know the God’s truth? For every 1 Mentally Ill patient they spend, hold on to your hat 1 big huge dollar that’s it! Now I think you can see what is happening here, one lousy dollar for each patient for research.

Now what are we going to do about it? I will make a plea to all those that are reading this please donate $1 measly dollar to this non profit organization, let’s help people get medicine and also raise awareness that we need to be spending billions on a cure and medicine to improve the quality of lives of all the mentally ill. Please forward this to as many people as you possibly can, my goal is to raise $2,000,000 BY THE END OF 2006. Now here is my cell phone # 567-219-0994, any questions that you need answered please do not hesitate to call and I’ll share with you the details of the non profit organization Out of Darkness and what we are trying to do to make a difference in the mental health field.

So please skip the doughnut this Sunday and send $1 to our Pay Pal Account. outof_darkness@yahoo.com now if I weren’t serious why would I give my cell phone # to the whole world to see? Yes, call me I’ll take the time to let you know where we stand and the exciting things we are doing on the front lines to make solid changes for the better of Mental Health Disorders! So please put that extra cheeseburger down, send us a dollar, and know that you had an effect on someone with an emotional problem.

No different from cancer or heart disease and I must remind you of the fact that research is $20 to $25 per patient. Mental health disorders $1 per patients, that is sad, please pass this along to all those that you may know who can afford to donate a dollar and just know that the next person to get a mental health disorder, could be your son or daughter. Then you will be wondering were is that big huge dollar they are going to spend on my loved one going to come from and then at that point you will wish they would give $25 per patient for research, yet they hand you a dollar and say good luck! America Deserves better, get out your wallet NOW and give a dollar. If you don’t have a pay pal account send your dollar to Out of Darkness 43 Oakwood Ave. Suite 1012 Huron, Oh, 44839

I HAVE A BURING DESIRE TO HELP PEOPLE AND TODAY MY THRIST CAN’T BE QUENCHED! Art Buchanan

With Much Love, Arthur Buchanan

www.out-of-darkness.com

It seems slightly strange to talk about a person’s minimum requirements for happiness. Can you and how do you turn the pursuit of happiness into a science to be studied?

At the same time, as I’ve watched myself and my counseling/coaching clients over the years, it has become clear to me that each person has their own minimum requirements for happiness.

Minimum happiness requirements

So what are your minimum requirements for happiness?

One way to identify minimum requirements for happiness is to consider this question – Have you ever stopped doing something you really enjoy because you just got too busy and forgot about it? I think we have all done that one.

Remember what it felt like to do this activity again? If it was a small thrill coupled with a thought of oh yeah, I remember this, you are on the right track.

A recent example from my own life might be helpful. With two young boys always in one of our cars, the stereo had never really been turned up loud. I recently began to introduce my oldest to certain music played loud. I had forgotten how much I like listening to music, some of it loud.

It’s a small thing, but it sure makes me happy.

What small things make you happy do you need to rediscover?

Visit http://www.TheArticleGuy.com for more leading edge tips and tools for writing articles that bring you prospects, publicity and profits. You can also subscribe to our monthly Article Writing & Marketing Tips Newsletter. You are also invited to visit my Express-Start Article Writing Program for more information on the next article writing tele-seminar.

Leading Global Distributor of High Technology Components Chooses Radware’s DefensePro Solution to Ensure Optimized Performance and Security at High Throughputs

Radware (NASDAQ; RDWR) the leading provider of Intelligent Application Switching (IAS) solutions ensuring the availability, performance and security of networked applications announced that Nu Horizons Electronics (NASDAQ:NUHC), has deployed Radware’s DefensePro for multi-Gigabit intrusion prevention security. With DefensePro, Nu Horizons is able to ensure compliance with Sarbanes-Oxley, fulfilling the fiduciary responsibility with site wide security.

As a publicly traded company with three global divisions located in the US, Europe and Japan, Nu Horizons has a fiduciary responsibility to maintain the integrity of data and the security of its users. “After testing and reviewing several application security solutions, Radware’s Intrusion Prevention is the strongest in ensuring full compliance to the Sarbanes-Oxley Act,” said Alex Durand, Corporate Network Manager, Nu Horizons. “We were also impressed with the ease of use and found Radware’s DefensePro leaps and bounds above competitor products.”

Burt Silverman, VP of IT promotes Radware as “one of the top investments” for Nu Horizons stating “We are very impressed with the capabilities of DefensePro and all the positive features of the product.”

By continuously monitoring network traffic at Gigabit speeds, DefensePro detects and prevents attacks in real time, immediately terminating suspicious traffic. All suspect traffic is monitored and reported, enabling network administrators to take proactive measures against potential intruders. DefensePro security provides a comprehensive mechanism aimed to prevent hackers from gaining confidential information by blocking and altering server replies sent to the hacker.

“With DefensePro Nu Horizons was able to immediately identify inbound and outbound traffic and block debilitating attacks to protect their network,” said Bob Simpson, VP Sales at Radware. “Our multi-Gigabit Intrusion Prevention solution secures Nu Horizons’ mission critical applications, as well as ensuring Sarbanes-Oxley compliance.”

Radware’s DefensePro was positioned to Nu Horizons as a best of breed solution by Radware Channel Partner, Future Tech Enterprise, Inc., a leading end-to-end IT Solution Provider. Bob Venero, President and CEO of Future Tech stated, “Radware’s DefensePro provides the intrusion prevention capabilities necessary to protect Nu Horizons’ global network facilities. We approach every customer engagement with the singular purpose of leveraging innovative, strategic IT solutions that help our customers build their business. We wanted to bring in a solution that could truly meet the security needs for Nu Horizon’s extensive global network, and Radware’s DefensePro does that and so much more.”

Radware (NASDAQ:RDWR) is the Global Leader in Intelligent Application Switching, enabling the full availability, maximum performance and complete security of all mission critical networked applications while dramatically cutting operating and scaling costs.

Radware’s integrated Application Security, Application Infrastructure and End-to-End Connectivity solutions are deployed by over 2,500 enterprises and carriers worldwide. Radware offers the broadest product line in the industry meeting application needs at every critical point across the network including Web and Application Servers, Firewalls, VPNs, ISP links, Anti-Virus Gateways and Cache.

Nu Horizons (NASDAQ:NUHC), is a leading global distributor of high technology active components, including analog, clock and timing devices, communications, computer products, discretes, flat panel display solutions, interface, logic, memory, microcontrollers and microprocessors, opto electronics and power, to a wide variety of commercial original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). Nu Horizons has sales facilities in thirty-seven locations across North America and Asia, and logistics centers in centralized locations throughout the globe.

Anabolic Steroids are prevalent nowadays. Many athletes use them to increase performance. Even though it may have some good benefits, there are side effects. These types of steroids promote skeletal muscle growth and enhance male sexual qualities. They are commonly used by body builders, weightlifters and others associated with strength training. With its ability to improve muscular performance and decrease fats in the body, athletes have increased potential. That is why it is illegal for athletes who are joining a certain official competitions to use them. They can be injected or taken orally. Dosages depend on the condition and age of the person. Here are some of their side effects.

Some side effects are serious and some are more common. It is said that orally taken steroids have more adverse effects. This type affects the liver in particular. Anabolic steroids are said to reduce the liver’s excretory purposes. The liver can be damaged from a bleeding cystic condition which is patently dangerous. Moreover, the use of steroids has been connected to liver cancer, but this is still being studied.

In the cardiovascular system, anabolic steroids can cause changes in the heart processes and strokes are possible especially to those who are taking oral steroids. In the male reproductive system, it is said that these can cause erectile dysfunction and could also lead to impotence even though sexual energy is enhanced. Atrophy or shrinking of the testicles can also occur and is associated with very high dosages of anabolic steroids.

Since the skin is the largest organ of the human body, it cannot be considered safe from these adverse side effects, enlarged skin pores, especially in women because their skin is more sensitive than men is common. This process is also known as “virilization” and it is an irreversible side-effect. Acne is another problem. Intake of steroids can worsen the condition of existing acne conditions. Stretch marks are also expected to appear, especially in women. It is not true that steroids cause baldness, but it can speed up the process of its occurrence.

Internal changes are also expected. With high dosages of anabolic steroids, both men and women may experience a change in behavior. Usually, it is associated with an increase in aggression and rage behavior. Some athletes consider this advantageous because they need the rage to optimize their performance. However, it is also not uncommon to feel severe depression. This usually results in huge weight gains and self confidence falters. In addition, feminization occurs in males. With the huge amounts of testosterone, some may be converted to estrogen which is the female sex hormone.

This is the side effect that most body builders do not want to experience. In females, masculinization occurs. This results in a more masculine behavior and nature. This may enhance growth of body hairs. However, symptoms vary from person to person. Some men develop breasts because of the high intake of these anabolic steroids. They can only be removed by plastic surgery. This condition is called Gynecomastia. The risk of cardiovascular diseases is also increased. Decreased growth, kidney problems, severe headaches, liver problems, and immune system deficiencies are also side effects of taking anabolic steroids. So what do you think? Still up for it?

Landlords and rehabbers take notice – you may soon be focused on the new concepts of “Virtual Real Estate Investing“. There are many variations on what this term means, encompassing everything from using the internet to aid in real estate investing efforts to participating in online games such as SecondLife.

To get the facts, I sought out the man generally considered to be the father of virtual real estate investing: Bryan Ellis of BryanEllis.com.

Ellis says he adopted the term “virtual real estate investing” sometime before Y2K after he realized that making money online is conceptually very similar to making money with physical real estate.

An example of the similar nature of “virtual” and “physical” real estate Bryan Ellis likes to point out is the methods of making a profit from domain names compared to physical real estate. He points out that control of a domain name or even a specific web page is much like controlling a real estate property ” those assets can be monetized in similar ways: By selling them for a profit, by leasing them, by offering advertising, etc.

The parallels really are obvious. Consider: A valuable piece of real estate is valuable largely due to the interest that other people have in that specific location. Likewise, if you own a desirable domain name, others will find value in it because it serves their purposes. In either case, you could sell or lease the asset and turn it into cash.

In our next installment of this series on virtual real estate investing, Bryan Ellis will share the internet analogies to the physical concept of real estate development.

Along with Seinfeld and Frasier, Friends dominated the must-see TV of the 1990’s. Winner of innumerable television awards, the show features the lives of six friends in their late-twenties/early-thirties living in New York City – Monica Geller (Courteney Cox), Phoebe Buffay (Lisa Kudrow), Rachel Green (Jennifer Aniston), Ross Geller (David Schwimmer), Joey Tribbiani (Matt LeBlanc), and Chandler Bing (Matthew Perry). The six friends spend the majority of their time in a coffee house named “Central Perk” or in either Monica’s apartment or Joey and Chandler’s apartment.

The Friends (Season 5) DVD offers a number of hilarious episodes including the season premiere in which we learn that Ross and Emily’s wedding continued despite Ross’s accidentally saying Rachel’s name instead of Emily’s. However, Emily is not happy, and Ross cannot seem to make it up to her. Meanwhile, Monica and Chandler go to great lengths to conceal their newly blossoming romance from the rest of the friends. As the season progresses, the various friends learn one-by-one that Monica and Chandler are an item. The season finale follows the entire cast through Las Vegas (where they followed Joey who went there to shoot a movie). While in Vegas, Chandler and Monica agree to get married, but when they get to the chapel, they find that Ross and Rachel have beat them there…

Below is a list of episodes included on the Friends (Season 5) DVD:

Episode 98 (The One After Ross Says Rachel) Air Date: 09-24-1998
Episode 99 (The One with All the Kissing) Air Date: 10-01-1998
Episode 100 (The One Hundredth) Air Date: 10-08-1998
Episode 101 (The One Where Phoebe Hates PBS) Air Date: 10-15-1998
Episode 102 (The One with the Kips) Air Date: 10-29-1998
Episode 103 (The One with the Yeti) Air Date: 11-05-1998
Episode 104 (The One Where Ross Moves In) Air Date: 11-12-1998
Episode 105 (The One with the Thanksgiving Flashbacks) Air Date: 11-19-1998
Episode 106 (The One with Ross’s Sandwich) Air Date: 12-10-1998
Episode 107 (The One with the Inappropriate Sister) Air Date: 12-17-1998
Episode 108 (The One with All the Resolutions) Air Date: 01-07-1999
Episode 109 (The One with Chandler’s Work Laugh) Air Date: 01-21-1999
Episode 110 (The One with Joey’s Bag) Air Date: 02-04-1999
Episode 111 (The One Where Everybody Finds Out) Air Date: 02-11-1999
Episode 112 (The One with the Girl Who Hits Joey) Air Date: 02-18-1999
Episode 113 (The One with the Cop) Air Date: 02-23-1999
Episode 114 (The One with Rachel’s Inadvertent Kiss) Air Date: 03-18-1999
Episode 115 (The One Where Rachel Smokes) Air Date: 04-08-1999
Episode 116 (The One Where Ross Can’t Flirt) Air Date: 04-22-1999
Episode 117 (The One with the Ride Along) Air Date: 04-29-1999
Episode 118 (The One with the Ball) Air Date: 05-06-1999
Episode 119 (The One with Joey’s Big Break) Air Date: 05-13-1999
Episode 120 (The One in Vegas: Part 1) Air Date: 05-20-1999
Episode 121 (The One in Vegas: Part 2) Air Date: 05-20-1999

About the Author

Britt Gillette is author of The DVD Report, a blog where you can find more reviews like this one of the Friends (Season 5) DVD.

Do you have a clear vision in your head of where you want to be, or what you want to accomplish when you are at a peak level of fitness? I don’t mean just some vague idea – I’m talking about an actual burning mental image of a six-pack set of abs, or a nice set of curves, or a clear picture of you crossing the finish line in first place, or taking home that trophy. If you don’t have that, you are already just spinning your wheels. How can you expect to get somewhere if you don’t know where that “somewhere” is?

Many people start out very motivated to get in shape, or to compete for that prize, but their motivation lacks focus – laser-targeted precision that will guide them down the right path. The term “as the crow flies” comes to mind. If you could leave your house and drive in an exact straight line to your destination, don’t you think that you would get there a lot faster? What if you could just fly through stop lights and intersections, disregard all posted speed limits, and go exactly in a straight line to every destination? You sure would get there a lot faster!

Exercise, physical fitness, and nutrition are no different. If you don’t have a clearly mapped out and measurable road map to your success, then you will stray, and that will cost you time at the very least – and at the most, it will cost you precious amounts of self-confidence! Take some time to think about WHERE you want to be, HOW you are going to get there, and most importantly, WHY you want to be there. Take the time to do that, and I think you’ll see that your previous path may have been road blocked by a few too many trips to Starbucks for a Caramel Frappuccino. Not that anyone writing a fitness article such as this would know anything about that…

Believing In Your Ability

Okay, so you’ve got yourself a good mental picture. You have your road map in front of you, your path is straight and true, and you are ready to get started. What comes next? Belief.

Do you believe it is possible to wave a magic wand and have all of your excess bodyfat gone, and all of your fitness goals realized in the blink of an eye? Of course not. If you do, and you know the secret, please contact us – I’m sure we could make some money on that secret! For everyone else, I’ll ask a different question. Do you believe that you could sit on your couch, suck down some ice cream, and put on some more bodyfat? The answer is, unfortunately, yes.

What is the difference between those two questions? Very simple – one is possible, and one is not. What does that have to do with your fitness goals? Well, it may come as a surprise, but you have been dealing in the IMPOSSIBLE for quite sometime now. You have been striving for a goal, yet not really believing that it was within your power to reach it.

Oh sure, you may have joined a gym, or bought a new Litmus 3000 Super-Decker top of the line treadmill/clothes hanger, but did you really believe that you were going to do it this time? If you are reading this and you are in perfect physical condition, then congratulations – you did it! For the rest of you, are you seeing the point? You didn’t truly believe it, because otherwise it would have happened.

Each of us shelters hidden either very deeply or sometimes NOT so deeply a seed of doubt that we will really succeed. When that seed is there – whether it is planted deeply or not – your subconscious waters it and feeds it. The next thing you know, it is has grown into an entire field of self-limiting beliefs, and you have neither the time nor the desire to get out there in the field and destroy that evil crop!

What are you to do, then? BELIEVE IN YOURSELF! Why? The answer to that is simple – because you are the only one who truly can. Others may support you, and they may even show you the path, but it is YOU who has to walk it.

Taking Action

We have covered the need for you to clearly see your goal, and for you to use the power of belief to start walking down the path, but what’s next?

The next step is the same for you as it is for an aspiring business owner, or a college freshman, or an artist staring at a blank canvas – you have to TAKE ACTION. You can read the top 2 sections of this article all day long, but doing so won’t burn off any bodyfat, or pack any muscle tissue onto your body. Only appropriately carried out action can do that.

Think of all the self-help books that you have read, or programs that you have watched on TV, or listened to on the radio. Did any of them do you any good whatsoever if you didn’t take action on what you had learned? What about what you have read so far in this article? Has it been helpful? Most likely. Will it do you any good if you don’t Take Action? Nope. Negative. No way. Nada. You get the picture.

You can read, listen, and watch your way right into a bodyfat level that would make a sumo wrestler jealous, or consider your options until your muscles have diminished so much that you can’t even lift a toast to your dearly departed dreams, but none of that will mean squat if you don’t GET UP and make it happen!

Why are you still sitting here? Get out there and Take Action!

What If You Could Ask Anyone For Help?

Have you ever noticed how sometimes you are at your most creative when you are interacting with another person? You and your friend or acquaintance feed off of each other’s ideas and help each other clarify things. Well what about those times when you are alone, or you have no one you wish to share your ideas with? What can you do then to stimulate creative thought and to find elegant solutions to your problems? You could try talking to Albert Einstein.

Okay, you might want to talk to Andrew Carnegie or Lee Iacocca if your problem has to do with making a factory more productive. A question about love might be better addressed to the Dalai Lama. The point is to have a conversation in your head with a historical person or expert who can help with your particular problem. Why would you want to do this?

Your Imagination Needs Form To Function

Whether you realize it or not, you have a powerful imagination. What you may not have, however, is a powerful way to use it. That is what you get with a conversation in your head; a way to access the creative power of your mind. You will be surprized how often your imaginary Einstein comes up with an interesting idea, or asks you a question that produces something useful.

Try it in this way: Use the image of someone who you respect and know something about. This is so you can easily imagine what they might say. It can be a fictional character – in fact, this may be even better. Explain the situation to this person, and listen to what they have to say.

Remember those WWJD pins and stickers? WWJD stands for “What Would Jesus Do?” Young christians wore these pins (still do, I believe) as a source of guidance. Whether you are a christian or not, you can understand how in a time of confusion, this simple question can immediately clarify the situation and allow a right decision.

Think about this for a moment. All the information necessary to make a right decision might be there in a young man’s head already, and yet there is confusion. Imagining what Jesus would do or say is all it takes to “see” the answer.

So start talking with your imaginary friends (in your head please). Ask for help with personal, business, moral and any other problems. This is a powerful way of drawing on the power of your unconscious mind, and it will work for you if you give it a chance.

Steve Gillman has been studying brain improvement, concentration, creative problem solving, and related topics for years. You can visit his website, and subscribe for free to his Brain Power Newsletter at: http://www.IncreaseBrainPower.com/newsletter.html