Each year we get lazier. We also invent more stuff that supports that lazy lifestyle. 150 years ago, we had to walk or ride a horse to get somewhere. We took stairs, not escalators. We farmed, made stuff with our own hands, and cooked our own food. This food was all “organic” too, but that’s another rant, er I mean, another post…

Humans have been around for thousands of years, but only in the last century have we been able to get away with doing so little physically. We have so many machines that do stuff for us and to cart our fat butts around, it’s pathetic. While the convenience is nice, these conveniences are killing us and contributing to the biggest obesity epidemic in the history of mankind.

Get Inefficient – Do the Opposite

To turn the tide, I propose that we all get as “inefficient” as possible each day.  How you ask? It’s actually pretty easy. When it comes to activity, just do the opposite of what your natural inclination tells you to do.

Today for example, I stood the whole time in church instead of finding a seat. I parked further away from the front door at Costco. On the walk into Costco, I found a stray cart in the parking lot and pushed it to the front door. I didn’t need that cart however, because I sought out a box to carry around instead. I ended up getting more than I came for (of course), so that box got pretty heavy and my arms were really fatigued and burning while standing in the checkout line, but that was the point! I was burning energy and getting stronger at the same time – JUST LIKE PEOPLE HAD TO DO 150 YEARS AGO!

Get creative and make it a game. You’ll soon rewire your brain with this new habit too. You will start thinking active by default, and soon you will find that your other habits are changing as well. Your food choices will get better, you will find more active friends to hang around with and so on, until you finally find yourself thin and fit – JUST LIKE PEOPLE WERE 150 YEARS AGO!

Go Ahead – Waste and Waist Away

Start being a waste today! This is something that is easy to implement because it requires no additional time or money, just a little more effort spaced out through the day. It’s good for your body, your mind, and your soul. All you have to lose is your waist, so why not?

Traditional personal trainers, otherwise known as Mentally Outdated Recreational Organizers who Never Study (MORONS), don’t keep up on the current research (because they never study), and since this makes them mentally outdated, they continue to tell their clients that “The optimal fat burning zone is best achieved at about 60% of your maximal effort.”

We used to think that, but research has proven otherwise, so now we know better. While it is true that fat is used as a primary fuel source during LAME intensity levels, it’s not the best way to burn fat off your body and get leaner with time.

MORONS go on to tell their clients that more is better, and the longer they can stay in the LAME zone, the more fat they will burn. The result is innocent recreational exercisers training like a rat on a wheel, for hours each week, only to earn dismal rates of return (at best) for their time invested.

In fact, since LAME does burn more fat during the workout, it can actually tell the body to store more fat! The LAME body says, “Well, since I’m using fat as fuel here, I need to build up more of it for the next time.” Is that what you want?

HIT trainers on the other hand, know that Gut-Ending Intense Use of Sweat (GENIUS) workouts don’t burn any fat at all during exercise. Isn’t this bad you ask? Heck no! The HIT GENIUS style draws fuel from phosphagens, oxygen and muscle instead of fat. This causes a great reaction in the body, because it says the same thing as the LAME workouts but with a different result, “Well, since I’m using phosphagens, oxygen and muscle as fuel here, I need more of it for the next time.” Now that is what you want!

GENIUS workouts are all-out, with 100% effort and they only last 20 minutes or less by necessity. In fact, if you can do more than 20 minutes, you aren’t doing a GENIUS workout. It’s probably a LAME intensity.

The bottom line is this: If you want to get fatter or if you enjoy earning long fitness plateaus while wasting your time, listen to MORONS and do LAME workouts. If you want to burn fat off your body fast, try HIT GENIUS workouts through the X Gym or the X Gym DVD. It’s that simple.

By the way, Danielle pictured above was one of our all-star X Gym trainers, and she knows how to train like a GENUIS. If you want to look like her, switch to GENIUS workouts today! If you are a dude however, you can still look awesome with GENIUS workouts, but you won’t end up looking like Danielle, so don’t worry. If you are a dude and you do want to look like Danielle however, I can’t help you, nor would I even want to.

Did you know that your body has a ‘burn fat’ button, and

We were meant to eat protein, and that is how it still should be. Our genetics haven’t changed in the last 10,000 years, but our diet sure has, and now we have the biggest obesity epidemic the planet has ever seen.

When we increase protein intake, our bodies shed fat. When we increase fast carbs, our bodies hold on to fat.

When protein intake goes down, your body anticipates starvation and to help you survive, it stores fat and doesn’t let go. It’s just a simple survival mechanism.

So how can our bodies still react as if we’re starving, with all this food around? We are eating more calories than we need, but as I have said many times, TOTAL CALORIES DON’T MATTER! Like I point out in my book, Cracking Your Calorie Code, it’s the type of calorie and the timing of that calorie that makes all the difference.

All those low-protein junk food and breads that we eat give our bodies the ‘fear of starvation’ reaction and puts us into the ’store fat’ mode.

So what is the ‘Burn Fat’ button?

Simple: Eat more protein. But is that really easy? After all, we aren’t hunting game anymore like we were 10,000 years ago.

Yes, if you know how to do it,  it’s pretty easy to turn your diet into a high-protein fat dumping routine. Here are a few of my favorite tips and food swaps:

1. Add a couple scoops of protein powder to your favorite juice or even water. Make sure it’s all natural though, sweetened with Stevia, Xylitol or Erythritol. Any other sweetener is either toxic (artificial) or sugar. Don’t compromise here either, because sugar makes you store fat and artificial sweeteners makes your fat cells toxic so they can’t empty out.
   
2. Eat more meat. Make sure it’s grass-fed if it’s wild, free range/organic if it’s white, and wild if it’s fish. Other meats are also toxic to your fat cells and will make it harder for them to release fat.
3. Limit the bread. If you must have bread, switch to Julianbakery.com and order the “Smart Carb #1″ or the “Cinnamon Almond Raisin.”
4. Omelets, and scrambles, etc. are fantastic protein sources. Check out the recipes on the Hard Bod Cafe for some ideas.
5. Greek yogurt, if you get the right brand, is another super fat burner. Follow the “Yummy Tummy Yogurt” recipe on the Hard Bod Cafe to maximize fat burning.
6. Get more ideas from the Hard Bod Cafe! This page is designed for a high protein plan, so you really can’t go wrong.
7. If you are a vegetarian, it will be more challenging to eat high-protein, but it’s still doable. Vegans have an even harder time with this, but raw vegans find it easier to stay lean because they are staying away from the baked stuff. Some good resources for vegetarians are www.runningraw.com and www.vegetarianmenu.net.

P.S. I know, I may have offended some vegans here with my picture at the top, but hey it’s pretty funny, and laughter also burns fat.

Do these jeans make my butt look big or is it my genes?

I’m usually not one to re-post other people’s stuff, but an email I got today from Dr. Sears, explained an important subject so clearly, I just had to copy and paste it. I like most of what Dr. Sears has to say, although I don’t buy the supplements he sells, because I eat so clean. Below is his latest topic, and one that I agree with completely, and have also counseled my own X Gym clients on for the last couple years.

Have you resigned yourself to gaining weight because it “runs in the family”?

Bad genetics doesn’t have to catch up with you. You can change your genes simply by making a few adjustments to your diet.1

When you eat certain foods, nutrients release hormones that switch your genes on and off. And the nutrients in low-glycemic foods turn off genes that lead to weight gain and diseases that may follow.

We found this out when we studied the response to the glycemic index (GI) in people who have metabolic syndrome.

The glycemic index measures how fast your food breaks down to sugar in your bloodstream. Metabolic syndrome is a medical term for overweight people whose cholesterol, triglycerides, and blood sugar levels are high. It puts them at risk for diabetes, heart attack, and stroke.

In the study, one group ate foods with a low GI rating of 40-60. The other group ate foods with a high GI rating of about 80-100.

In just 12 weeks, the high GI diet increased the activity of 62 genes that lead to disease. These genes activate your stress response. It puts your body in a constant “fight or flight” mode. This lowers your immunity and causes damage to your cells.

But the low GI diet decreased the activity of 71 disease-causing genes, including hormone-sensitive lipase (HSL).2

High HSL is what causes fat to settle around your middle.3 But when scientists studied animals bred to have little HSL, they found the animals became resistant to obesity, whether it was hereditary or from diet.4

I suggest you eat a wide variety of low GI foods. Follow the example handed down by our primal ancestors. Choose foods you could have gotten either by hunting or gathering:

Eat fresh, low-glycemic foods. Look for grass-fed beef. Fish. Beans. Plenty of above-ground and green, leafy vegetables. Onions and garlic. Berries, nuts, and seeds. Fresh fruits.

Avoid high-glycemic foods. These include white potatoes, most grains such as rice, corn, and wheat, cereals, cereal bars, and low-fiber or sweetened foods.

Shun pre-packaged items and fast food. These products contain high-glycemic ingredients and artificial chemicals. Avoid sweetened foods. Diet foods. Foods like these turn on the genes responsible for weight gain and disease.5

For more information on the glycemic index, click here.

Finally, if you have a family history of disease, you may want to supplement with additional nutrients:

• Pick up a multi-vitamin and mineral supplement that contains high levels of B vitamins such as B12 and folate. These two vitamins directly contribute to DNA health. I recommend at least 100 mcg per day of vitamin B12 and 800 mcg of folate.
• MSM is a great detoxifier known to keep your DNA healthy. You can take 900 mg up to 3 times a day.
• SAMe is a nutrient you won’t find in food, but you can buy supplements at your local vitamin shop. This is one of the best-known for DNA protection. Take 200-1,600 mg daily.

To Your Good Health,

Al Sears, MD

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Great question, huh? I bet you know my answer already. Of course it’s better! Science has proven it over and over. Science has also shown that Prozac is about as good as a placebo, so it’s not hard to beat that over-used drug for elevating your mood. Even so, exercise is definitely the king for getting you happy, and curing depression.

The reason exercise works so well is because it is better at changing your brain chemicals than anything else you can do. Ever wondered why? God created us to move and to keep moving all day. Our modern society however, requires most of us to sit down all day instead. This unnatural lifestyle screws up the chemical balance in our brains and causes a downward spiral of depression, junk food cravings, more sedentary choices, obesity, etc., etc., until we are dead (10-20 years earlier than we have been).

A recent article in Time points out that exercise is indeed the best drug out there. High intensity exercise like the X Gym workout or the X Gym DVD is of course best; and activities like stair climbing offer the most intense “high” with the least time required, but for those who are obese or just want to get moving again, a simple walk can be the first step in a process that will change your mood and entire life.

They told me to write this

Many regular X Gym members have eventually fired their “shrinks” because they just don’t need them anymore. When they are exercising regularly, they find it easier to eat better too.  The X Gym member who suggested I write this post said, “I knew there was a reason I was feeling great lately…despite the nasty June weather!” I have even had a client tell me that the X Gym saved her marriage because it broke her mood patterns and helped her see her husband in a different, better light!

Better mood means better choices

The reason your mood is so important, is because your moods are tied directly into your decision-making. To prove how important mood is to good choices, answer these questions:

• Is it easier to choose healthy foods when you are less stressed or when you are at the end of your rope?
• Do you crave junk food more after a workout or when you are feeling lazy and bored?

Right now results and long-term benefits

Exercise causes an immediate response that helps you make healthier choices, but it also changes your general mood over time, helping turn this healthy choice pattern into a lifestyle.

Ok, I’m convinced. Now what?

The key is to get started NOW and commit to consistency. No time? Try walking 5 minutes a day to start. If you don’t have that kind of time, you shouldn’t even be reading this post (you should be looking into time management skills first!) Once you do start, you will find that 5 minutes increases your productivity by at least 10 minutes from the brain benefits you experience, so it really saved you 5 minutes. Then the time factor doesn’t seem like an issue anymore. In fact, you soon learn that NOT exercising COSTS you so much time, you can’t afford your sedentary and depressed lifestyle anymore! Then the upward spiral begins.

It’s your choice. Spiral up or spiral down. There is no hovering.

Affirmations 101

I have instructed many people on the power of affirmations and how they are a powerful tool for helping us reach our fitness, health and wellness goals. I use them myself, and I have seen them produce miracles in many lives. Affirmations are a proven, effective way to reprogram your subconscious brain. This is so important is because your subconscious brain is the “boss” of you. It will make happen whatever it believes, through controlling your conscious and unconscious actions every day.

Good, but not perfect

You can use your conscious brain to reprogram your subconscious brain using certain techniques, and affirmations are one of these very powerful techniques. Many people have trouble with affirmations however, because since they are traditionally phrased as a statement, they can cause a conflict if you don’t believe the affirmative statement you are making.   Pounding away at it will effectively reprogram your brain over time due to the sheer volume of messages (it’s actually just a brainwashing technique), but it requires significant willpower to implement, because we are forcing ourselves to say something we don’t believe (yet).

Since most people feel this as an internal conflict, they stop doing their affirmations. Their mind fights against it and makes them forget, or they just don’t want to do it because the mental exercise is emotionally uncomfortable. Some even find that affirmation statements like “I am thin and fit” when they are far from it, even feels like a lie, which cause negative affirmations to follow, canceling out the positive ones.

Is there a better way?

I am always on the hunt to reduce the need for willpower, because I firmly believe that achieving true fitness doesn’t have to be a battle. This is why I was so excited to read the research study by Dolores Albarracin, published in Psychological Science, April 2010, Volume 21, Number 4. She discovered that phrasing affirmations as a question instead of a statement drastically increased success! When people asked -  “Am I going to exercise today?” instead of saying  “I will exercise today.”  – they were much more likely to follow through.

She found that framing the desired outcome as a question presented a challenge to the person instead of a requirement that they might rebel against. By asking themselves a question, people were more likely to build their own motivation. The results of this experiment showed that participants not only did better as a result of the question, but that asking themselves a question did indeed increase their intrinsic motivation.

I will. Will you?

All it takes is switching two little words in your daily affirmations.  Instead of “I will,” use “will I?” Try it and see. It makes a lot of sense to me, and it sure is easier in a lot of ways for many reasons, to perform daily affirmations without the tedious feeling of forcing a new belief. Will I be doing affirmations this way from now on? I think so. Will you?

Here is a hilarious video of the traditional way of performing affirmations. Watch it (it’s less than a minute) and get some laughter chemicals pumping and raise your metabolism a bit. Keep in mind, this technique still works, and is still the most effective in many cases, but I think professor Albarracin has done us all a huge favor with her breakthrough study.

I would love to hear some back-talk on this topic:

• What affirmations can you to form into questions?
• How is it working?
• Will you share what you’ve found out in trying this?

At a certain point in life, many people (even people who may have been fit all their lives) find a few extra pounds creeping on,  or find it harder and harder to lose weight, seemingly no matter what they try to keep it off or take it off.  Popular wisdom says “Well, that’s just how it is when you begin to get older.” “Things change, your body changes, better just deal with it.” But is that really the whole truth? Are we doomed to decline as we age? Or, is there a better alternative?

If you want to stay or get fit, yes, there is hope for women after menopause and for men who have gone through ‘manopause,’ -  a relatively new term used to describe the hormonal changes men experience during middle age.

You can buck the trend

Normal hormonal shifts with age don’t have to mean weight problems unless you convince yourself that’s true. This age-related shift does indeed mean that your body will change -  and new lifestyle habits will have to be adopted to counter that -  but it doesn’t mean that you are doomed to be out of shape no matter what you do, or that you will no longer have any control at all.

Many middle aged people surrender to the idea that it’s hopeless, and just give up. Some even try to fight it for a while, but then succumb to the myths and tell themselves they did their best, but “you just can’t fight mother nature.” Well, these people just fulfilled their own prophecy, that’s all. They believed, at least on some level (conscious or not), that they would fail, and with that belief, they made it happen.

I am in the best shape of my life, and each year I get fitter, faster, leaner and stronger. I even look better! I can do things now at 44 years of age that I wouldn’t have even dreamed of at 22, and I was in great shape then (or so I thought)! In fact, I would love the opportunity to go back in time and take on that whipper-snapper and show him what real conditioning looks like. I also feel better, have more energy, and an improved mood and outlook on life, and the list goes on. The main reason for this is two-fold:  (1) I never slowed down, and (2) I learned how to program my subconscious brain. If you want to make something big happen, it always important to ask…

Who’s the boss?

It’s actually your subconscious mind that is the boss of your body, and your subconscious will always make sure it is right. If your subconscious believes that you will be out of shape when you are middle aged, it will, behind the scenes, do everything possible to make that happen. If you’ve ever had that frustrating experience of thinking “Why did I do X (eat the chocolate cake), when I wanted to do Y (eat nutritious, healthy food today), you’ve experienced your subconscious mind at work.

Your conscious mind is of course powerful as well, but the subconscious always outranks it. Think of it this way: Instead of being the boss of your body, your conscious mind is the tool that “programs” your subconscious mind. It’s kind of like the executive assistant to the real boss. The right suggestions, phrased in the right way, with enough consistency, will get through to the boss and change opinions. Then the boss can make the executive decisions that change the course of the company.

Your subconscious brain is way more powerful than we realize. In addition to controlling all your conscious and unconscious actions throughout the day, it also controls your metabolism to a very large extent. I have worked with people who are eating right, exercising properly, drinking their water, and doing all the correct things “by the book,” but because they see themselves as out of shape, or expect a certain outcome, their subconscious fetches that for them and makes it happen.

What your subconscious believes, you can achieve

How does your subconscious brain do that? Besides changing your actions, it can also change the very nature of the atoms that make up your tissues. Your belief system and faith in who you are and who you will become can either slow down your molecular vibrations or speed them up. I know it sounds pretty kooky, and I thought so myself when I first started learning this stuff years ago, but there is science to back it up, and I am now convinced this really is the case.

You can actually make things happen just by believing they will happen. It’s about faith, and it’s not all metaphysical either. Jesus, my Savior and hero, taught the importance of faith many times. In Mark 11:24 for instance, He says, “Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.” This is where I got the idea for visualizing your “after picture” to get results faster and train your brain for permanent fitness. I don’t believe He gives us things that aren’t right for us, but if it is good for us and we are within His will, He will give it freely to us, just like you would for your own child.

Have you ever talked to the skinny person that says without doubt, “I can eat anything I want and never gain weight?” I think we all have, and most of us feel jealous. Well, the fact is, those people don’t really eat that bad, but when they do, they don’t gain weight – just like they said. This is partly because when they eat a whole bunch of garbage, their particular body type and metabolism compensates for it later by causing them to eat less, or better food for a while, but the other part is that their FAITH in their statement keeps their metabolism elevated so they burn the junk food off. Their subconscious brain believes it and it makes sure it happens by talking to the parts of the body responsible for metabolism adjustment, resulting in secretion of the right chemicals and hormones, along with the atomic vibrations necessary to stay thin.

The reality of age and fitness

Now for the physiology side of things. As far as the research shows, your muscle mass should decline no more than 2% per decade after the age of 40. Some studies show even less of a decline! This means that when you are 80 years old, you should still have at least 92% of the muscle you had at age 40. If your strength and muscle declines more than that, it’s because you are slowing down and you have chosen to get old, not because of anything “mother nature” decided for you. Since muscle and metabolism are closely linked, keeping muscle is the best way to maintain your metabolism. The best way to keep it of course is to keep moving.

Learn to be a fit, older you

Below, I have listed only a few of studies that confirm the science behind preventing metabolism declines with lifestyle choices, but there are many more. I would encourage you to do your own research on PubMed or through Google. Educating yourself is the best way to drive this fact home in your own brain and to convince your subconscious that you can actually take control by programming it in the right way.

The bottom line is that whatever you believe will happen, will happen. Your brain is more powerful than exercise, proper nutrition, supplements, or anything else. All that stuff is important – don’t get me wrong. I’m just saying that while it does serve it’s purpose physically, it also helps the program the brain mentally, because while you are following through with the right habits, you are also changing your beliefs and programming your subconscious in a very effective way.

Proper brain training is the most important component to aging well and staying fit. There are sadly too few people (and almost no trainers) besides me talking about this, but I encourage you to check out a couple of my favorite authors on the subject, Dr Amen and John Medina. If you want training that incorporates these ideas, the X Gym is your place.  For more info on this subject and specific brain training techniques, check out my book at www.crackingyourcode.com.

Resources:

American Journal of Physiology, E281, 633-639

Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, 82, 3208-3212

Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab, 264: E450-E455

J Nutr Health Aging. 9(6):408-19.

Well, now you’ve certainly heard both sides! Tim’s message and website (www.runningraw.com) is certainly different from my message and the X Gym’s philosophy on nutrition isn’t it? Did he rock your world and shake your state just a smidge? I certainly hope so. Many of you wondered why I agreed to do a joint lecture with him at all, since he flies in the face of so much of what I preach.

Be your own expert

The reason is, I don’t want you to blindly believe anyone. Not me, not Tim, not your mom, or even your doctor. What I want is for you to know that there is an amazing amount of information out there, and if you research it yourself to form your own opinions, you will be able to adapt quickly as new information comes out. You will be trying your own experiments and finding what is right for you because you know how, not just because someone told you what to do.

It has been established that within 5 years, you can become a national expert in any field by studying that field for just 30 minutes a day. Most people don’t have this kind of commitment however, so that explains why there aren’t that many national experts for each particular field. In the area of health and fitness, I have averaged over an hour a day of study since 1987, so my brain is a pretty good resource for you to use.

Many of you depend on me to get you the best information on exercise and nutrition, and that’s fine to get you started. I have the time to do the research and you probably don’t. My job is to be your resource and I take that very seriously, so keep depending on me. However, I encourage you to take a little time to do some of your own research as well, so that you aren’t dependent on me forever, and you can challenge me when you think I’m wrong.

Keep the questions coming

Almost half of the new things I investigate come from X Gym members and friends. People know I am into researching health and fitness, and that I am always experimenting with new ideas and methods. Because of this, I get a steady stream of links to studies, articles, news feeds, etc. Some of these I have already seen and can respond to right away, and some are new to me and require more research. Your questions and challenges are a great source of inspiration and learning for me, so keep ‘em coming.

But what about vegan?

Tim’s message contains a lot of great information and useful tools. He is a close friend of mine and an amazingly intelligent man. Tim has researched his concepts more than anyone I know. He is in phenomenal shape and through his applied concepts, is one of the healthiest people I know as well. He is also far an away the healthiest vegan I have come across. For those who want to commit to a raw vegan lifestyle, Tim has the best way to do it and his concepts should be followed to the “T!”

I am an omnivore however, and I love my meat. I have switched 95% of my other food to raw recently, and am loving that too! Is this the best way for you? Maybe, maybe not. Is it easy to implement? Yes. My time in the kitchen has sure dropped! Is it easy to sustain? For some. Any lifestyle change is tough at first, but with the right brain training, it can be very easy.

The point I wanted to make is that you shouldn’t believe everything you hear, no matter who it comes from. Remember your kid asking you “why” over and over until you hit a dead end? They are just trying to figure things out to the deepest level they can comprehend. You should do that too as an adult. Don’t be satisfied with the first answer, no matter how reputable you think the person is. Dig deeper and see if they really know what they are talking about. See how far you can push them and get all the information you can. This is how you learn and form your own opinions as to what works best for you.

Questions, comments and feedback

Here is my favorite comment: “I have X Gym members asking me about the major contradiction that was presented the other night! and I don’t know what to tell them until I talk to you… Unless you are changing your nutrition recommendations, I hope you NEVER do something like that again!”

5.) Complete an experience that exceeds your limits. What is something that you think you would never do?  Bungee jump? Speak in public? Pick up a spider with your hand? You know you could do it if you had to, but your subconscious brain doesn’t think you can. If you temporarily overpower it with your conscious brain and keep doing the things that your mind’s eye doesn’t think you can do, it will get confused and will rewire itself to match the new references that you are presenting.

6.) Master a new skill. Most people’s identity is deeply linked to their job, their family/spouse, of both. If you pick a new skill to master that is outside these parameters, you will open up your mind’s eye to accept new possibilities. My new skill was to learn how to fly airplanes and get my pilot’s license. This was totally outside of the fitness world (my job), and had nothing to do with my kid’s interests (my family). Because of that experience, I can tell that my subconscious brain is much less resistant to new ideas and is also easier to reprogram.

7.) Rewrite your most common questions. When you ask yourself questions like, “What’s wrong with me?” or “How did I become so fortunate to have this life?” you are programming your identity for better or for worse. It’s the job of your conscious brain to come up with the questions. Your subconscious brain is the one that answers them.

If you say, “Why do I always have such bad luck?” Your subconscious brain will assume you know what you are talking about and answer the question for you with something like, “Because you’re just one of those unlucky people.” Now that answer is part of your programming, and the next time “luck” is a factor, you will make conscious and unconscious decisions to bring bad “luck” your way. Remember that your subconscious brain always has to be right, so it will make you miss opportunities and help you sabotage yourself so good “luck” never happens and when it does, you won’t notice it.

The same principle applies to fitness. If you catch your negative questions, you can stop the answers from programming your subconscious brain. You can also use this principle to your advantage by forming positive questions that you constantly ask yourself. One example would be, “Why did God bless me with such a great ______.” Just fill in the blank with what you like about yourself. Your subconscious will have to answer the question with something like, “Because God likes you and wants to show you in ways like that.” This opens up the window for future blessings, not just to receive them, but to notice them and create a life where more flow in!

To be continued in the lecture DVD…

Changing your mind’s eye and personal identity might seem like a daunting task at first, and this blog has limitations due to the fact that it is only one form of communication, but if you would like to learn easy and specific strategies on how to apply these principles, then stay tuned for release of the DVD on the seminar I gave on 3/18/10, because this is the subject matter I spoke about in much more detail (including some new and better twists).

Special note to lecture attendees: I know Tim’s message was drastically different from mine in many ways and I knew that you would all have tons of questions. I wanted to lecture with Tim because our viewpoints are so different. He has some great points, and so do I. We both have opinions based on scores of research studies, so how you you know what’s right for you?

Well, I will be blogging about it more in my next post. Keep your questions coming so I can answer them all in the blog which will benefit many others too! Just email me at pj@xgym.com. In the mean time, keep eating your protein, drinking your water, chomping lots of dark greens (raw is best) and limit your fruit intake if you are trying to burn fat fast.

More soon…