The Mind Over Body Matter Letter

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Juice fasting is one of the things that people talk about a lot when people think of fasting.

However, Pilon talks about juice fasting, and why you don’t want to do it when you’re on his Eat Stop Eat plan…

Enjoy.

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I suppose all of us have at one time or another wondered does fasting work?

On the surface it appears to make sense, especially for the short term.

Less food, giving the body a chance to cleanse itself from unwanted toxins that have managed to take up residence, and allowing the body’s natural processes to work. This all seems to make sense. Then we head to the supermarket and are confronted by images of the latest starlet and her emaciated form clinging to life, and wonder what if any benefits are to be found in denying the body the basic building blocks of life? The answers, like in many areas, lies somewhere in between the emphatic abstinence from all fasting, and the fanatic abstinence from all food!

Fasting does have a beneficial effect on our bodies, but only if it’s not overdone. We’ve all seen and heard about famous fasts for political and spiritual reasons, and far be it from me to debate the spiritual benefits one may or may not receive from such an endeavor, (political fasting tends to end badly most of the time) fasting for a health benefit is both a good practice and long a staple of those seeking optimum health.

The key question here is how much and how often. I’ve become a fan of what is known as “intermittent fasting”, which is the practice, as the name implies, of doing a fast at intermittent periods. There is a lot of latitude here. Some people do as much as alternate day fasting, some one or two days per week. Most people opt for the once or twice per week regimen, in part because many who are employing these methods are on a fitness quest, and to deprive the body further would likely derail their efforts at optimum health.

Doing this type of fasting allows for individuals to still maintain a rigorous workout routine if they so desire, and in fact can benefit that aspect greatly, both by helping to cleanse the body of accumulated toxins by the use of the fasts, as well as by helping to keep additional weight from adding another element to the fitness equation.

Make sure you are healthy enough to employ a fast, without a heart condition, hypoglycemia or other serious medical issues. Start slowly and get used to the lifestyle and see what works for you and you’ll have a much greater shot at success. Programs started at light speed sometimes lose their traction as people get discouraged and lose interest. Start slow to ensure success!

You would do well to check out this kind of fasting as a method of not only improving your dietary and general fitness levels, but also for the many added benefits that fasting usually brings around, some of those being a sense of discipline, improved sense of well-being, a real chance for your body to rejuvenate, and an antidote to the fast paced lives we all live.

HEY GUYS: Punch in your height, waist, and shoulder measurements and discover your Adonis Index Today!

Yep, no doubt about it. You can indeed build muscle without weights, and it’s not as primitive or as barbaric as you might imagine. No, you don;t have to get into hurling, (though that would definitely do the trick!) In fact, people have been doing this for centuries!

For many people the thought of hitting the gym gives them a great deal of unease. Perhaps it’s a physical limitation, injury, transportation, time, money or even a small dose of self-consciousness; whatever the reason, there’s a number of exercises you can employ that will enable you to build muscle without weights.

Let’s look at some of these.

• Pushups - An old standby, now aided by tools that can isolate chest muscle efficiently. You absolutely don’t need any tools, and there are many varieties of this kind of exercise to choose from.
• Pullups - There are many variations on this theme too, where you cannot only work your shoulders and arms, but add an abdominal element as well.
• Bench Dips - This one is as simple as finding a convenient bench, and start dipping!
• Regular Dips - Find two handles short distance above your waist, and employ this technique to develop your arms, shoulders and chest.
• Reverse Dips - Or tricep dips. Do this one backwards, and you’ll work out your triceps, upper back and shoulders.
• Squats - Doing these either quarter, half or full, sometimes adding difficulty by increasing your load, will definitely strengthen your quads and knees.
• Stairs - Okay, now we’re getting evil here. Running, or even walking briskly several hundred stair steps can not only help build muscle, but can bring an added cardio benefit to the table as well.
• Bands or Isometrics - Using rubber bands designed to deliver resistance training can add a great strengthening element to your training without having to use weights. Other isometric exercises also deliver these benefits.
• Gymnastics - If you are fit enough and limber enough, and have access to gymnastic equipment these can provide terrific results. Who hasn’t admired the strength of athletes who use rings, parallel bars, pommel horses and other gymnastic exercises.
• Crunches - Also available in many flavors, these work out the smaller but socially vital abdominal muscles!
• Boxing workouts - Shadow boxing, or working against a heavy bag are very tough workouts indeed!
• Scissor Kicks - another tough ab exercise.

Finding the best combination of exercises to build muscle without weights is one of personal choice and convenience. All of these have their benefits, and there are many, many more to choose from, but this list will give anyone a great start. All you need is time, a bit of space, and a lot of imagination!

Make sure you combine these moves with a sensible eating plan and other fitness activities to get a total body benefit!

HEY GUYS: Punch in your height, waist, and shoulder measurements and discover your Adonis Index Today!

If you’re seeking a marvelous way to lose weight and build muscle fast then you could do a lot worse than giving Kettlebell training a try.

Kettlebells are a demanding and tough weight training routine emphasizing the use of bell-shaped dumbbells you swing in a variety of different exercises, all designed to give you a total body weight workout along with an added cardio benefit.

Combine this type of exercise with a sensible eating plan, and you’ll not be able to keep on unwanted pounds, even if you wanted to! Let’s take a look at some of the basics of this kind of training and how you can implement it.

Be sure and be clear from the start just what you hope to attain with a program like this.

Write it down!

Studies show that written goals are far more likely to be paid heed to, and actually accomplished! Make sure you do not have any medical issues that would prevent you from doing an activity as strenuous as kettlebells, and then you can dive right in!

Once you’ve got a goal, medical clearance, and some actual kettlebells, (sometimes available at gyms or certainly available online) you can start a program that has you employing this kind of regimen at least three times a week.

There are many devotees of this type of training that go at it 5 or 6 days a week, but to start, 3 days a week is fine. This type of training is difficult, and you’ll be working muscles you never thought you had. You don’t want to set yourself up for failure by setting unrealistic goals when you’re just starting out. Remember, the cardio element may take some getting used to as well.

A big part of an effective kettlebell training regimen is the employment of a sensible eating plan along with the actual kettlebell training. ( I know; this isn’t the exciting part!) Make sure you get plenty of protein, fruits and veggies, and keep a rein on simple carbohydrates. One tip I can share is to not try and go on any kind of extreme diet plan, as this type of training is quite demanding, and you’ll need a well-balanced, nutritious plan to render the best results possible.

Once you get into it you’ll find that swinging kettlebells is a hoot! Most of the exercises, like the cleans, snatches, and swings are not that hard to get the hang of, but it’s best to begin this type of exercise with a partner if at all possible, so as not to hurt yourself and make your goals even further away! To achieve the best results for weight loss, kettlebells should be done with heavy weights and low reps, with an active rest in-between. Soon you’ll find yourself able to take on more weight or less rest, and reap further strength, weight loss and cardio benefits.

Kettlebell training can be a great way to go about losing weight while building muscle. Just be sure to have written goals, a sound diet plan and safety first in mind and you’ll soon find yourself shedding pounds and gaining strength at the same time!

When people come to the subject of fasting, there’s a lot of misinformation and myths surrounding this topic and it can sometimes make it difficult to get to the heart of the matter. Here we’re going to take a look at seven of the more long-standing myths that accompany the issue of fasting.

Fasting has been around since time immemorial, and many of the first references to it come from the Bible. They knew even back then the many and varied benefits one can derive from fasting, whether it be for short or longer periods of time. There are many examples from all religions that detail the benefits of fasting from a spiritual perspective, but there are also many other benefits to be realized from a health and wellness standpoint as well.

First, let’s debunk some myths!

1. Fasting is a religious activity. Not necessarily. Many devoted holistic health practitioners employ some form of fasting into their health regimen, whether it is for cleansing or for weight loss help.

2. You can fast in many ways. Partially true, but the spirit of this gets us thinking in the wrong direction. The purpose of a fast isn’t to necessarily “fast from chocolate for a day”, but to be part of a well-thought out health plan that emphasizes a total health solution. Many people decide to fast from whatever their latest obsession is, in the hopes that this will somehow help.

3. Juice fasting is a great way to go. I would take issue with this. To me this isn’t really a fast, just another fad diet trick. The increased amounts of natural sugars can cause spikes in insulin, which in the absence of other foods being ingested can bring on other unwanted side effects.

4. Long-term fasting can rid the body of toxins. Not true. Long term fasting can deplete the body of many, many necessary and vital nutrients, and bring on a host of associated problems due to the body’s inability to fight off anything. There is a reason people die from long term fasts.

5. Political fasting is a viable way to make a point. Doing a prolonged fast for a political cause is one of the worst ways to make a point. Short, one or two day fasts are sufficient, but probably don’t have the sensational aspect political believers seek.

6. Fasting is only for medical purposes. Not true. While there are valid medical reasons when a fast is recommended, such as before surgery or blood tests, there are other useful benefits of fasting.

7. Fasting is way too hard. Again, not true! A one or two day fast can be accomplished with no problem by almost anyone.

Fasting can be a useful tool to aid in a total health plan. Done correctly there are virtually none of the popular “side effects” such as light-headedness or weakness. Make sure to not be derailed by fears and myths and you’ll find that fasting can in fact be a great help!

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