Healing miracles have been recorded since practically the beginning of time. Jesus miraculously healed people from all sorts of incurable conditions, but he is not the only one. Prophets, messiahs, sages, and demigods of all sorts have been responsible for healing miracles in various mythologies.

A lot of people think that miraculous healing is a thing of the past, but this is by no means the universal opinion of religious scholars. Many people believe that they can affect healing touch magic to this very day. The key is to find something that jives with your belief systems. Do you believe in healing through prayer to Jesus, or through the Spirit guides of the shaman? What about something simple and stripped-down like Reiki healing, or some other form of energy work? There are many many different healing modalities, and all of them promise the possibility of turning your life around.

Of course, it is important to not lose track of perspective. If you are looking for a healing miracle, you’re probably very sick. If you’re very sick you probably should keep taking your medicine. It is alright to look for a miracle, but it is not alright to close off more realistic avenues. Don’t throw all of your money away on a miracle healer either. An honest healer should charge an honest price. If someone wants you to many hundreds of dollars for healing miracles, there’s a good chance he isn’t the real thing.

The most important thing is to trust your common sense and your intuition. It doesn’t have to be one or the other. If things feel right, that is a good sign. If logically, however, things don’t seem right, that is a bad sign. Sometimes we want so badly to believe in miracle healing that it is hard to judge things realistically. That is why it is crucial to distance yourself from the situation. By doing that, you have a far better chance of finding something that works with your beliefs and stands a good chance of working.

That is why, when we decided to start drug screening at the company I manage, we put so much effort into finding the best drug testing supplies. There are literally thousands upon thousands of drug screens, and not all of them are certified to be completely accurate. The interesting thing that many people don’t think about is that your average drug screen doesn’t test for everything. As a matter of fact, most drug screens test for only a few drugs. They test for marijuana, cocaine, heroine, and a few others. Certain serious drugs such as alcohol and LSD are commonly left off of many drug tests designed to detect something as innocuous as mild pot usage. If you don’t do your research well, you could be canning occasional stoners while letting serious alcoholics come to work drunk with impunity.

There are also many different types of drug screens. Blood drug testing is obviously one of the most reliable, but it is also seen as pretty intrusive. Hair testing can pick up a history of drug usage that goes back a long way. Urine testing is often preferred at work because it is easier to safely do than blood testing and still pretty accurate. Nowadays, there are even some saliva drug tests available as an easy alternative to urine testing.

The problem is that it is hard to get reliable statistics about the comparative quality of different drug screens. It is possible that they are all pretty much the same, but you can’t know for sure. That is why we made the decision to use the drug testing products used by our local police department. We figured that, if the cops could use them for screening drugs, so could we. After all, who would know about effective drug testing than the local police force? Although they are a bit more expensive than some other products, so far, we have been happy with the results we have gotten from the tests.

Two of the hardest habits that people find themselves trying to overcome are addictions to alcohol or drugs and smoking. Those addictions may be more than just a bad habit – they may require some professional assistance in breaking them. Other bad habits that people can overcome on their own, but with the want and need to commit and change are things such as: biting their nails, using offensive language, overeating or not exercising. While change typically cannot happen overnight, it is possible to overcome your bad habits with some gradual changes. It is usually not recommended to simply go about breaking bad habits “cold turkey”. People who quit their bad habits cold turkey tend to return to their bad habits a lot more quickly than those who end their bad habits gradually.

The very first step that you must take in breaking bad habits is becoming committed. Wanting to break bad habits is simple. Actually going the distance to break the habits requires commitment. Making yourself aware of how much you’re eating in a day or how many bad words you use in a certain time frame is a great step in the right direction. Until you’re aware of what you’re actually doing and how much you’re doing it, changes can’t be made too easily. Once you know what you want to accomplish and have some goals set – you will find that it is much easier to begin and succeed. Just remember though, that breaking bad habits doesn’t happen overnight. And taking baby steps is the best way to accomplish your goals. Before you know it, your bad habits will be distant memories.

“What’s the number one reason people do not work out?”

Is it lack of money? Lack of motivation? Perhaps they lack the ideal workout plan?

Nope. It’s TIME. Or rather the lack thereof.

“We know that 50 per cent of the population doesn’t [exercise] and the most commonly cited barrier to exercise is lack of time.” This quote comes from exercise researcher Martin Gibala, a kinesiology professor at McMaster University in Hamilton.

Gibala put his theory to the test in a study that was published in the Journal of Physiology. In it Gibala compared a group who exercised “traditionally” — 90 to 120 minutes per day — with another group exercising far less:  Only 20 minutes per day and only three days per week.

That’s a whopping one hour per week folks.

Did you know that Jon Benson’s “7 Minute Muscle” plan calls for only five 7-minute workouts with resistance training (weights or bodyweight) plus only 9 minutes cardio a few days per week?

And that actually works?  Yeah… you bet it does.

If you do the math, that’s about an hour per week as well.

This is the “Level 1″ workout. There are three levels depending on your goals and exercise tolerance.

Find out more here –

www.7minutemuscle.com <— brief is best!

Back to Gibala’s study:

In just two weeks both groups showed improvement in both exercise performance and oxygen uptake. (Remember, fat burns in the presence of oxygen.)

The kicker is that both groups were almost identical in their improvement. Why? Because the brief exercise group trained with greater focus and more intensity — exactly how Jon suggests you train.

This is just one of dozens of studies that confirm the benefits of shorter but more intense workouts.

However, there is a catch:  Train too hard and you will shut down your fat-burning furnace.

Your body perceives over-exertion done over an extended period of time as a sign of pursuit. It can trigger an ancient hormonal sequence that says, “I’m being chased by a tiger! Horde the fat!”

The body literally shuts down what it considers to be unnecessary activity in favor of self-preservation. And guess what? Burning off those hips and love handles is not a biological necessity.

You have to learn when to hit it hard AND when to rest and recover.

Finally, you have to put yourself into the proper mental state in order to see greater results in the shortest period of time.

Jon devotes an entire chapter to putting your mind into your muscle to make gains faster than ever befor in “7 Minute Muscle.” You can read more here –

www.7minutemuscle.com <— brief is best!

Just remember these three key points:

1.  Time is the greatest barrier to fitness.
2.  Workouts can be short and very effective.
3.  The body goes where the mind directs.

Until next week, train smart.

Sincerely,

Rob Ruston

“While the quest for the proverbial Fountain of Youth is endless and typically fruitless, one method known to extend the human lifespan by up to five years has quietly become accepted among leading researchers. The formula is simple: Eat less. It could add years to your life, several experts now say. And done in moderation, it could at least help you live a more healthy life.”

Really? Eat less. Live longer?

Who’d thunk?

But seriously, why is this the case? And more importantly, why do so many other health and fitness pros give the opposite advice, often asking you to eat 5-8 times a day? Is there some common ground?

Yes there is. But first let’s look at why eating less can mean living longer.

That article went on to say:

“Calorie restriction, as it is called, is as close to a real Fountain of Youth as any known technique comes. Even scientists who are cautious about anti-aging hype say it works, both by cutting risks for some diseases and by allowing all body cells, somehow, to hang in there longer.

“This is just part of the story. As usual, the mainstream media doesn’t always bother to give you the entire picture.

Eating less is a bit over-simplistic. Caloric restriction is based on “quantitative” reduction, not simply eating like a bird or starving yourself. That will never work. You won’t stick to it and your body certainly won’t bother to burn off its spare bodyfat when it thinks you’re in a stone age famine.

The key is to avoid overtraining in the gym like the plague. Too much training and you’ll be forced to eat more food — usually not a good thing.

Jon Benson’s new system “7 Minute Muscle” is perfect for someone who is wanting to not spend their lives in the kitchen or in the gym. This is REQUIRED READING if you really want to see how great you can look in the least amount of time possible. Sure, you work hard. There’s no pills or gadgets involved. But it’s worth every minute… all 7 of them!

www.7minutemuscle.com <— read more here

Sincerely,

Rob Ruston

A funny thing happened on the way to the promo…

(I always wanted to start an article like that.)

A few months ago I released a book whose title was more reminiscent of a line out of “There’s Something About Mary” than a serious work on fitness. “7 Minute Muscle” — yep, it’s getting more and more difficult to distinguish fact from parody.

Here’s the real irony:  Of the 27 testimonials I’ve received so far that I deem worthy of publishing on the web, over a dozen were from fitness professionals. I’m not talking about “doctors” with a gut as large as their paycheck. I’m speaking of men and women with both academic and real-world experience in the fitness and bodybuilding world.

There were exceptions of course. My friend John Berardi, while saying some nice things about the work, couldn’t endorse it due to the emphasis on shorter training sessions. That’s cool. Everyone has a different approach. But the overwhelming number of folks with consonants behind their names — those who read the book and applied the principles — had wonderful things to say.

There’s a reason for that:  The workout protocol is based on the science of hypertrophy as well as psychophysiology, the study of the mind/body connection.

I will delve into the mental aspects of the protocols in a later article. For now, since most of you are experienced, educated and (dare I say it) hard-core, let’s delve into the meat.

7 Minute Muscle is primarily a density-based training system. It demands varying rep ranges done within specific time periods. The protocol factors six of the primary variables of hypertrophy, or muscle growth:  Intensity, Load, Volume, Density, Time and Force. (Time includes rest intervals as well as the time required to perform a given task.)

A layman’s take on one of the basic laws of physics states that time and energy are interrelated. Doing the same amount of work in less time demands more energy, which translates into more power. While power is a factor in training, our interest is focused on forcing muscle growth and adaptation. This is also an element of time and energy. More energy expended in less time = more power.

If you break down the typical 3-4 set bench press routine, with reps starting at 12 and ending in the 4-6 range, with longer rest intervals between heavier sets, you’ll find that the aggregate weight lifted is “less” than a protocol like 7 Minute Muscle, which uses ‘less’ weight (easier on the joints) but demands more work in less time. In other words, X amount of repetitions done with Y amount of weight in just 5 minutes (phase 1 of our two-phase protocol) ends up being greater than your typical 3-4 set protocol, despite the fact that more weight is used in the latter.

Other routines, of course, utilize this factor of density. Vince Gironda’s infamous 8 sets of 8, EDT and so-forth. 7 Minute Muscle goes a bit further by varying rest, load factors and repetition range. Reps will vary from as low as one rep to as much as ten, and all of this is at the trainee’s discretion. They have only one objective: Increase the aggregate repetition count from one training session to the next. Since time is limited (broken down into two phases:  A Power Phase of no more than 5 repetitions and a Mass Phase of no more than 10 repetitions) the trainee is given a system that more accurately measure the seventh and most crucial factor of hypertrophy:  Progression.

More work in less time. Variable repetition ranges. Variable rest intervals. And all in seven minutes (for beginners.) Intermediate and advanced-level trainees are given 14 and 21-minute protocols if they wish to implement them. I myself rarely go beyond 14 minutes, as that is all that’s required to stimulate muscle growth.

I will cover health factors, cardiovascular work, ab training, and the science of mind and body in future articles. For now, give 7 Minute Muscle a shot. There’s nothing funny about it, except for the fact that you’ll be laughing all the way home from the gym as you finished your killer workout while your buddies were still warming up.

———

[ Ed. Note:  Jon Benson is the author of four best-selling fitness and nutrition books:  Fit Over 40, Simply Eat, The Every Other Day Diet and 7 Minute Muscle, as well as the year-long M-Power Audio Series. You can read more about 7 Minute Muscle here.

According to some rather dismal Federal statistics, at least a third of everyone we know is on a diet and another third should be. The number of people who are overweight has grown at an alarming rate over the past couple of decades. It should not come as a surprise, considering most of our eating patterns and habits. Remember when your Mom used to tell you, “Eat your vegetables!” or “Breakfast is the most important meal of the day!”

She was right of course, but today’s breakneck speed of living and impossible schedules leads us down the primrose path to eating out at fast food places and ordering pizza once a week. The freezer case at the supermarket is brimming with prepared frozen dinners, making all that lies between us and dinner is 20 minutes in the microwave. All of these meals are designed to please our taste buds, but not our waistlines. They provide too much sugar, salt and are often lacking in nutritional value.

What if I told you that you can prepare nutritious, satisfying, delicious meals in the same 20 minutes, low in calories, fat and sugar, while being high in fiber and serving as the perfect quick weight loss program? If you don’t believe me, read on.  You can lose weight quickly and keep it off. Let’s take a look at this miracle of an eating plan, point by point.

We can all agree that, no matter what type of quick weight loss program you choose, it must be nutritious. Nutritious means these foods are heavy on the vitamins and minerals your body needs to be fit and ward off illness. It so happens that most nutritious foods are naturally low in calories, fat and sugar. Some foods, such as whole grains and most veggies are also high in fiber, promoting good digestive health. Fruits and veggies provide loads of antioxidants, as well as fiber. Meats, such as chicken, pork, fish and seafood provide plenty of protein and not much fat.

One major objection to a quick weight loss diet is that you leave the table feeling hungry. When you load up on vegetables, you’ll eliminate this problem. An entire chicken breast, a generous serving of pork loin roast or a whole trout has few calories or fat, and no sugar. A cup of cooked brown or wild rice, topped with sauteed mushrooms completes the meal. Believe me, you will be full.

As for that delicious taste that makes you feel like you’re not suffering through dinner, there are two keys to your menu. The first is seasoning. If you don’t have a handle on seasoning, just look online for charts which list herbs and spices which are complementary to different foods. Look for herbal salt substitutes. Get a book on the subject of seasoning. The second component to delicious is choosing your favorite meats, fruits and veggies as your staples. You can eat large portions of all of these, provided the meats are, preferably low in fat or grilled. The most successful quick weight loss programs consist of foods you love.

In order to serve your objectives to lose weight quickly, you’ll want to restrict not only calories, but sugar as well. Sugar is the dieter’s worst enemy. If you’re hooked on sugar, with a soda and a candy bar your idea of a snack, you want to immediately make some gradual, but steady changes. It’s important not to be wearing the proverbial hair shirt when you embark on a quick weight loss program. If the candy bar is heaven in a package, allow yourself one each week. It gives you something to look forward to and keeps you on the diet wagon. Instead of the daily soda and candy snack, wean yourself with something like carrot cake with an icing made of Splenda(TM), or a bag of corn chips. This strategy works well, because, while you’re easing into your quick weight loss program, you (naturally) feel guilty with your substitute snacks. Pretty soon you’ll find yourself going for a piece of fruit so that you can indulge yourself with a piece of cheesecake for a weekly treat. Ease off gradually on the sugar-intensive foods. If you’re filling up on nutritious foods, you’ll feel less hungry and thus able to recognize a basic sugar fix for what it is. Start learning to appreciate the virtues of a sugar-free chocolate mousse! Ambrosia may become a favored dessert. It’s all about changing habits.

We’ve discussed fats in meat, but you want to address the fats found in cheese and many other dairy products as well. If you’re a big fan of milk, try soy milk as an alternative. It’s high in vitamins, minerals, protein and amino acids. As for cheese, there are low-fat cheeses to become acquainted with, if you’re serious about a quick weight loss program that gets you looking and feeling trim and fit.

A diet regimen with a high fiber content is a quick weight loss program secret. It’s a fact that fiber is insoluble and requires lots of calories to be burned, just in order to digest it. This is why fruits and veggies are so important. You’ll burn more calories digesting high fiber foods than you consume by eating them! This results in negative calories.

There you have the signatures of a quick weight loss program that works. The more closely you adhere to the five signatures, the more quickly you’ll realize your goals. Exercise is the remaining ingredient. You’ll love stepping on the scale. The only bad news is that you’ll need a new wardrobe! Such is life and hooray for you.

If you are really seriou about loosing weight you will want to check out Jon Benson’s 7 Minute Muscle.  This book is guaranteed to be the fastest gimmick-free method to build lean muscle and burn fat, 7 Minute Muscle details Jon Benson’s trademarked Power Density Training System. With over 30 scientific studies referenced on the subjects of muscle-building and fat-burning using short, intense workouts, 7 Minute Muscle gives everyone, from beginner to advanced trainee, the exact System of training that builds muscle faster than ever before—and at the same time decreases body fat and increases overall health!

It seems that practically everyone in America is on a diet. There are more diet programs than you can shake a stick at, yet we still have alarming obesity statistics. Maybe it’s time to get down to earth in our efforts to lose weight and keep it off. Any doctor will tell you that a successful diet program boils down to calories consumed and calories burned. In order to maintain a healthy body while dieting, you must also eat a balanced, nutritious diet. While this may seem like a tall order, it’s really just common sense. Consume fewer calories and get regular exercise.

Some people, who need to lose a lot of weight, are easily discouraged by such advice. Progress seems too slow and that balanced diet is too boring to stick with, resulting in a return to old eating habits and subsequent weight gain. Hey, it really doesn’t need to be that way. Here’s a simple weight loss secret method you can use today to get off the diet-go-round and be slim, trim, energetic and happy, once and for all! With careful menu planning, you can reduce the calories consumed by the number of calories burned digesting the food! This is good news.

Many dieters shy away from high fiber foods because of the calorie content. For example, you probably won’t find baked beans on most dieter’s menus. An 8-ounce can of baked beans serves up 180 calories. This will hardly fill you up. However, on average, you’ll be getting a whopping 16 grams of fiber. Herein lies the secret.

Fiber is insoluble material and requires more calories burned to digest the fiber in the beans than is contained in the serving! This means your calorie consumption has been effectively reduced by eating the beans. Almost all legumes have this property. Make friends with all of them. One half cup of canned kidney beans isn’t much, sprinkled over a salad. While they contain about 90 calories, there’s also about 10 grams of fiber. Just a half cup of cooked spinach has only about 25 calories, but 7 grams of fiber.

Fiber-rich foods offer more than calories burned. Fiber acts like a broom in your digestive system, sweeping it clean of toxins and bacteria. The result? More energy. You’re also better nourished, gaining the benefits of many vitamins and minerals necessary to good health. Fiber rich foods such as oranges, apricots and apples contain antioxidants known to help protect against cancer.

To put your common sense diet to work, go online and Google ‘Fiber content food chart’. You’ll find plenty of info on fiber rich foods and the calories burned digesting them. Make fiber work for you! You’ll lose weight, be well-nourished and get a sustained burst of energy.

BTW, do get your exercise anyway. You’ll have the energy you need. Yet more pounds lost!

Rob