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Our mission is to empower individuals who wish to lose weight and/or improve their health with knowledge and internal, sustainable motivation to transform into the person they deserve to be. We do this by providing articles, tools, products, and services from industry leaders that share easy to understand information and guidance. Our core values are honesty and integrity so that we may offer value by giving our customers a comfortable and convenient place to find everything needed to achieve their fitness and lifestyle goals.

Lose Fat, Not Faith e-Zine
Volume II Issue 11
November 11, 2005

International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)
1552-6151

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Table of Contents

1. Quotes
2. Coach's Corner
3. What's New
4. Nutrition: Enjoying the Holidays without Overindulging
5. Training: 7 Reasons You Need a Home Gym
6. Motivation: Ups and Downs
7. Entrepreneur's Workshop
8. Closing Thoughts

Quotes

Our family received some exciting news this month ... these quotes are just a hint.

If nature had arranged that husbands and wives should have children alternately, there would never be more than three in a family.
 — Lawrence Houseman

By far the most common craving of pregnant women is not to be pregnant.
 — Phyllis Diller

Think of stretch marks as pregnancy service stripes.
 — Joyce Armor

Coach's Corner

As I hinted in the quotes, our family is expanding.

We figured out my wife is pregnant a few weeks ago. We're excited about the unexpected news.

I'm also glad that we've made many changes to our lifestyle since Doreen had her previous children. Her first pregnancy had complications. Her second went more smoothly, but she gained a lot more weight than she needed to. This time, she is starting out at a very healthy weight. She is also consistently taking what doctors tell me is far superior to even prescription pre-natals: a quality, pharmaceutical grade multivitamin. The only major change we'll make nutrition-wise is for her to be more consistent with taking healthy fats. I believe from my research that these are extremely important. The babies of mothers who eat more essential fats have advanced attention spans and improved vision ... the mothers may also suffer less depression.

With this exciting news, I am very happy we have extensive resources for expecting mothers. This year, we added our women's health category. In it, you'll find topics ranging from the best tummy exercises for great female abs to how to eat a healthy diet during pregnancy and how to win at post-partum weight loss. For those of you with young children, don't forget our fitness for kids section.

We have much to give thanks for. To be honest, it feels like only a few weeks since we celebrated our last Thanksgiving. Time certainly does fly. This year we are thankful for so much more, and look forward to what the future year will bring.

We'll continue to give you tips and techniques for enjoying the holidays without having to buy bigger pants. Don't forget about our exclusive 2 CD Healthy for the Holidays audio program that is also available as an instant MP3 download. Stay healthy, enjoy your time off and most of all, don't forget to give thanks for all of the blessings you received this year. I wish you many more to come!

Blessed be,

What's New

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Five Days to a New You

The holidays are right around the corner. Why wait to gain unwanted pounds when you can begin your transformation immediately? We have just the way to jumpstart your success with 5 Days to a New You.

Save $69.99 and Order your Complete Fitness Library Today

    

It's time to give yourself the gift of better health. At Natural Physiques™ we don't believe in magic bullets, strange diets or special routines. It's about transforming your lifestyle. And this holiday season you can have every tool you possibly need to give yourself the gift of healthy living.

Our fitness library includes over 300 pages of information including the personal story of Jeremy's own journey to lose 65 pounds of fat in the Lose Fat, Not Faith: A Transformation Guide paperback. You will receive a signed copy addressed to you personally by Jeremy himself.

There are twelve (12) CDs in the library. 10 Fat Mistakes will introduce you to the most common mistakes that people make when trying to lose fat, and how to overcome them (almost everyone makes at least one of these mistakes). The Lose Fat, Not Faith Audio Program will take you on a journey through the power of mindset to teach you how to make the change. It is not a reading of the book, but additional information that covers belief, transformation, nutrition, cardio, resistance training, and more. Healthy for the Holidays will help you prepare to enjoy the holiday seasons and other special occasions without gaining the weight most people end up with on January. Finally, Amazing Fat Loss Secrets Revealed is a 4-CD program that shares the tips, techniques, tools, and other methods that you can lose to shed the last stubborn pounds of fat.

Click on any of the images to learn more about the individual products then CLICK HERE to order the entire library and receive the Lose Fat, Not Faith 5-CD Audio Program absolutely FREE — that's a $69.99 savings on the entire set!

Still Taking Contributions: Mail us your success story and/or favorite healthy recipes for inclusion in the upcoming book, "Lose Fat, Not Faith: Recipes for Success" (all contributors who are selected will receive a free copy of the e-Book) — you must confirm the submission (an e-mail will be sent with instructions) before we can receive it

FAQ: What is HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training)?

Article: The Glycemic Index

Nutrition: Enjoying the Holidays without Overindulging (by Lynn Bode, CFT)

For those watching their waistlines, the holiday season can be a truly stressful time. However, there's some good news — most people don't gain as much during that time as they might think. But, the bad news is that the weight gained during the festive season turns into an unwanted gift that can't be returned.

Researchers from the National Institutes of Health and the Medical University of South Carolina studied 195 people and found that nearly a year later 85% of the participants still had not lost that extra weight. That means that even if you only gain two pounds during the holidays, that if you consistently do that year after year you'll be 10 pounds heavier in just five years! The study also found that overweight and obese participants gained the most weight during the holiday study compared to others.

Don't worry; it's not necessary to hibernate during the festivities in order to avoid packing on the pounds. There are reasonable ways to alter your behavior so that you can still enjoy yourself without becoming an unofficial member of the holiday weight gainers club.

• Strive for five-a-day. Ensure that you eat five or more servings of fruits and vegetables a day. They contain fewer calories then most other foods and far more nutrients. Plus, since they often are high in fiber they help make you fill full. So, promise yourself that before you'll indulge in any holiday "goodies" you'll first eat your five-a-day.
• Allow indulgences but limit them. Preferably, permit yourself to have one cookie or one piece of cake per day. But, no more than that. That doesn't mean you have to have a goodie every day and it also doesn't give you free reign to eat two servings one day because you didn't eat any the day before. Stick to your limits. And, remember that even just one indulgence a day may require you to reduce your calorie intake somewhere else or burn extra calories.
• Give yourself an early gift. Make it a priority to do some type of physical activity every day, no matter how short. Exercise is a major factor in both preventing weight gain and losing weight. Schedule your exercise times on your calendar and don't let anything brush them aside. Taking care of yourself is the best gift you can give.
• Spend less time in the kitchen. Cooking and baking for the holidays is a very enjoyable experience for many but is it really necessary to bake dozens of the most high calorie deserts? Try finding some baking and cooking alternatives that still allow for the fun of kitchen time with family and friends but are more nutritious.
• Keep it in perspective. Overeating at one meal is not going to be the cause of a permanent weight gain. But, if you use that as an excuse "I've already sabotaged my day anyway.", then it could lead to a snowball effect. Don't allow it to stop you from exercising that day or the next or give you an excuse to overeat all day long.
• Don't over extend yourself. It's easy to get caught up in the whirlwind. You may have offers for business parties, family gatherings, neighborhood socializing, school functions, etc. It's okay to say no to some of them. If you commit to too many events, it's easy to get stressed. And, stress often leads to bad food choices and abandonment of workouts. Not to mention that some research has indicated that some stress can actually cause weight gain.
• Go to the back of the line. When at a party with a buffet, allow others to hit the food table first. It's likely that many of the most enticing (and calorie heavy) foods may be gone before you get your plate, thus eliminating some of your temptations.

About the author: Lynn Bode is a certified personal trainer specializing in Internet-based fitness programs. She founded Workouts For You, which provides affordable online exercise programs that are custom designed for each individual. Visit: www.workoutsforyou.com for a free sample workout. Fitness professionals take your business online, visit: www.trainerforce.com

Training: 7 Reasons You Need a Home Gym (by Kyle Battis)

The home gym is an amazing resource that you should be taking advantage of. Between hectic schedules to the non-sense going on in commercial gyms, home gym training is the safe-haven for people looking to train in a manner that actually produces results. There are many reasons why you should have a home gym and I encourage you to read on as one of these reasons could be very pertinent to your individual situation.

1. Life Gets In The Way: How true is this statement? It is always a good idea to have a contingency plan for those little things that always seem to "pop-up." Despite our best laid plans, life gets in the way and unforeseen obstacles can interrupt your training schedule. Having a home gym that you can rely on will ensure that you can fit in your training sessions and stay on track despite the uncertainty of life. This has been one of my secrets to making continued progress despite my crazy schedule.
2. Home Gym Training Fits Your Schedule: If you have a home gym you don't have to worry about driving to the commercial gym and fitting training into your schedule. Quoting Coach John Davies, "It doesn't make sense to drive 40 minutes to the gym, workout, only to drive another 40 minutes back home!"
   
   Having a home gym can save you a lot of time in your daily schedule and give you hours of your life back. By training at home you can also completely avoid the busy times at the local "fitness center." Having your own home gym gives you the freedom to train when you want to train and gives you more of your life back.
3. A Training Environment That You Enjoy: A key benefit of having your very own home gym is that you get to set up a training environment that you enjoy. No need to worry about dropping the weights on the floor a little too loudly and scaring the people doing the machine circuit.
   
   There is also no need to suffer through Britney Spears signing "hit me baby one more time" while performing Squats (unless you are into that kind of music) and no need to stifle your primal yells during your next set of squats so as not to offend others.
   
   In your home gym you can play whatever music you like at whatever volume you like. You can put up posters and pictures that motivate you and set up your home gym in a way that is conducive to your training style.
4. Focus: One key benefit of having a home gym is to avoid the distractions found in most chain gyms. I recently interviewed Coach Dan John and he said the following, "Look Kyle. I could train at a chain gym in Las Vegas so that I could look at all of the beautiful girls "working out" but if I really want to get something accomplished during my training session I will continue training in my garage gym so that I can achieve the results I am looking for."
   
   As someone who is looking to achieve real results you need to focus on the task at hand and training in your own home gym can help you keep your mind focused on hard training. Once you try home gym training you may never go back to training in a commercial gym (if you can help it of course).
5. Privacy: If you have your own home gym you can train how ever you want and invite whoever you want to train with you (no day passes needed!).
   
   You also don't have to worry about dress-code and you can train barefoot without being yelled at. It is also nice not to be stared at the entire training session and to avoid people hitting on you every time you go to them gym (some people are shameless at some of these commercial gyms!).
6. Save Money On A Gym Membership: Let's face it. Gym memberships can be expensive. I encourage you to calculate how much you spend on your gym membership every year. For some people this total approaches a thousand dollars/year! Now fast forward ten years and total up how much you have spent on a gym membership.
   
   Wow! That total adds up to a staggering number for some people! The great thing about getting into training that works is that when you develop an in-depth understanding of the key training concepts that knowledge allows you to achieve phenomenal results from the simplest and cheapest equipment. You could conceivably save yourself many thousands of dollars by slowly building up your very own home gym over time. I address what equipment actually has value in my e-book and newsletter available here.
7. Train with Intensity: Once you learn how to train in a manner that actually produces results you will become very familiar with intensity in your training. Unfortunately, most commercial gym goers are not.
   
   Training with Intensity in a chain gym can lead to disapproving looks from fellow patrons [Editor's Note: this is one of the reasons I built my own home gym years ago, because my heavy squats were looked upon with fear at the executive gym I was a member of], disruptions in your training plan while waiting for the 14 year old boy to finish performing his set of biceps curls in the power rack, and of course, the thing that bothers me the most is when the local certified "trainer" comes over and tells me that I should not perform Snatches or Clean because they are "dangerous!" These annoyances can be completely avoided by training in your fully-equipped home gym.

There you have it. I have provided you with seven compelling reasons why you absolutely should have a home gym. Once you get set up your home gym training will allow you to train in a manner that produces results and allows you more versatility in your training.

Train with purpose,

CSCS, ATC, NSCA-CPT

Kyle Battis owns and operates Professional Fitness Coaching based out of Concord, NH. Kyle specializes in body transformation programs, athletic performance enhancement programs, and home gym training. If you want a collection of ideas to add some variety to your training please visit Home Gym Secrets. You'll have access to some amazing audio interviews Kyle has done with top-fitness professionals and you will receive a Free Special Report, "The 7 Biggest Mistakes People Make When Building Their Home Gyms" just for visiting. Kyle can be contacted by e-mailing him at kyle@homegymsecrets.com.

Motivation: The Ups and Downs (by Ed Orlowski)

Hello everyone. It is hard to believe that another month has passed. The fall here in Chicago-land has been very mild indeed. I'm bracing for the arctic blast that is sure to come.

I want to share with you what has been happening with me since my last writing. I knew that I would have my ups and downs; I just didn't think that I would start off with a down. Shortly after I wrote the last piece, I got a call from my brother telling me that my Dad was in the hospital suffering from congestive heart failure. I talked to Dad for the next couple of days and he seemed fine. Suddenly the next day he made a turn for the worse. My Mom just passed away this past February. I had airline tickets to go down (they live in Orlando Florida with my brother) to visit them in early March so I put off going to see my Mom thinking that my trip was only a couple of weeks later. She didn't make it. I wasn't about to do the same thing with my Dad so I flew down right away. It is a good thing, too.

Two nights after I got there I was visiting with him in the hospital and he was doing pretty well. Suddenly he seemed rather tired. I didn't think much of it at the time. At dinner time they brought his tray in to eat. He ate a few bites and pushed his food away. My brother was moving the tray away from the bed when my Dad wanted one last drink of the cranberry juice he had. Well, it went down the wrong pipe and he began choking. He aspirated into his lungs. His eyes rolled back and he was in a full code blue. Not breathing. I was trying to help him and my brother went out screaming for a nurse to come. It wasn't long and they had about a dozen doctors and nurses in his room.

That night they moved him to ICU and put him on a respirator. He was highly sedated and had all kinds of tubes running into him. He remained that way for about 2 weeks. I had to come home, so I did. He is now awake, still on the ventilator but breathing some on his own. The goal right now is to get him completely off the ventilator and then start to work on the other issues.

Now that you know about the chaos in my life, let me tell you about my fitness challenge. Since last month, I have been as good as one can be when it comes to eating out most of the time and being away from home for so long. Exercise really has been non-existent this month. I have begun exercising kind of minimally. I am exercising 5 days a week now for about a half hour a day. My plan was to keep it simple and not overwhelm myself especially with the chaos in my life right now. Nutrition is always the same. Make the best food choices that I can and don't obsess over food.

Now my stats from this past month.

1. Blood pressure to last month 140/97. Now 136/90
2. Cholesterol level 265. Now unknown.
3. Resting heart rate 78 BPM. Now 70 BPM
4. Aerobic conditioning hasn't changed.
5. Increase strength in my skeletal muscles. Nothing to report.
6. Improve my flexibility. Nothing to report.
7. Reduce my bodyweight by 1% per week. Should have lost 15.25 pounds. Lost 6 pounds short by 9.25 pounds.

One last thing before I go. The following poem I attribute to Mike Ditka Hall of Fame former Head coach of the Chicago Bears. It is one that I look to on occasion to keep me on even keel. Of course Mike is not the author, the author is unknown. But I am including it because I need to get myself back on track and I hope you find it helpful.

The Man in the Mirror

When you get all you want and you struggle for self,
And the world makes you king for a day,
Then go to the mirror and look at yourself
And see what that man has to say.


For it isn't your mother, your father or wife
Whose judgment upon you must pass,
But the man, whose verdict counts most in your life
Is the one looking back from the glass.


He's the fellow to please,
Never mind all the rest.
For he's with you right to the end,
And you've passed your most difficult test
If the man in the glass is your friend.


You can fool the whole world,
Down the highway of years,
And take pats on the back as you pass.


But your final reward will be heartache and tears
If you've cheated the man in the glass.


— Anonymous

Until next time...

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Entrepreneur's Workshop

Your Reputation ... Take it Seriously (by Mary Eule)

Your reputation, strengthened or negated by word-of-mouth, is one of the most difficult things to build and one of the easiest to destroy. You must be committed to developing and protecting your good name at all costs... it is one of your most precious assets.

How do you develop and preserve an exemplary reputation? First, you must believe that honesty, credibility and consistency are right... both personally and professionally.

Second, you must consistently deliver what you promise... no exceptions.

And finally, you must build and maintain positive relationships, and treat everyone with kindness and respect, regardless of the situation.

Here's a personal example. When I help found my own small, competitive long-distance company I developed a policy on treating customers with specific guidelines and scripts for dealing with difficult ones. Sometimes our service consultants were in the unenviable position of having to terminate a customer's service for nonpayment. As you might expect, this often resulted in a frustrated, angry or regretful call into our service center.

We could have used the opportunity to chastised and pressure these folks... many companies do. However, no matter what the outcome of the call, we made sure that every person was treated with kindness and respect... just as you would treat a friend or family member. Our representatives made every attempt to help these customers... often taking great leaps of faith. And the customers appreciated it! Why? Because it's so rarely done these days! In other words, we continued to serve when others would not have.

This one policy resulted in more positive testimonials than our other, more formalized, programs. You'd be amazed at how many of these folks ended up becoming some of our best, and most loyal, customers.

I recently read Malcolm Gladwell's masterful book, "Blink," where he talks about a recent research study where patients who sued physicians for malpractice, and those that chose not to, responded. The purpose of the research was to uncover why some people decided to sue a doctor over a "technical" error and others, whose physicians had committed identical errors, did not. What did they find out? Not surprisingly, the folks who did not sue indicated that they chose not to because they "liked" their doctor! Overwhelmingly, they said that he/she treated them with kindness, respect and really listened to their problems and tried to find solutions. They essentially "forgave" the technical error because they felt that their doctor really cared.

This was not so for the other group... A full 80% of the patients who did sue cited poor "bedside manner" as a major factor in their decision. Bottom line: Everybody wants to feel appreciated and respected, regardless of the circumstances!

During my years as an executive of my own company, I felt tense before answering strangers' fated question, "So, Mary, what do you do for a living?" I was braced for anything from a blank stare to a tirade of complaints. Yet, not one of my current, or former, customers ever complained about how they were treated by any employee of the company... even though they may have had other concerns (for example billing errors, service outages). I was also grateful to learn that many 'defectors' eagerly recommended our company to others.

As a person far wiser than me said, "A reputation once broken may possibly be repaired, but the world will always keep their eyes on the spot where the crack was." (Joseph Hall) So, it's wise to remember that a stellar reputation isn't gained only when things go right but when they go wrong as well.

And as a matter of fact, the way you treat others may actually "save you" if things really begin to unravel... because you're going to meet the same people on the way down as you did on the way up!

© 2005 Mary Eule. Mary Eule specializes in helping small and medium-sized businesses get and keep profitable customers. Formerly a Fortune 500 marketing executive; founder of two successful small businesses and award-winning speaker, Ms. Eule is President of Strategic Marketing Advisors, LLC. and co-author of a new book, "Mandatory Marketing: Small Business Edition." She holds a master degree in marketing from Johns Hopkins University. Log onto www.StrategicMarketingAdvisors.com for free articles, newsletter and helpful tools, tips and templates.

Closing Thoughts

Yesterday, I accomplished one of my goals.

I've been jogging for several weeks. I started out going just a short distance ... I estimate only about 2 miles. I made the decision that I would not focus much on pace or actual distance. Instead, I would enjoy my runs and simply do a little more each time. My "mile markers" have been buildings or areas of the beach that I am running on. I only knew the distance to my ultimate goal: 2.7 miles, making it a 5.4-mile round-trip run.

Each week, I'd jog a little more. I've also been doing calisthenics to maintain muscle mass. I plan on lifting again soon, but for now, I wanted to see how many push-ups I could do. I've been adding 1 repetition a week for my 4 sets that I do. This week, I did 4 sets of 12 for 48 total. I will keep adding 4 reps per week until I hit a plateau.

I've been running in the early mornings. Yesterday, I had many appointments that prevented me from training at my normal time. Instead of writing it off, I made sure that my wife was fine with me taking off when she came home. I decided to run during the evening.

Because I'm not focused on a fast pace, the run took me an hour. It was spectacular. It just so happened that I arrived at the beach just before the sun began to dip beneath the horizon. There were crowds of people lined along the beach to watch the last rays disappear into the ocean. I would jog for a bit and then tilt my head to the side and watch the red orb sink. It was beautiful.

The sun finally disappeared just moments before I reached my goal and turned around to head home.

If you've never run on the beach, you might not realize how much of a difference the direction you are running can make. The way that our beach curves, the first part of the run I see mainly the sand and the buildings in front of me. When I turn around, however, it's more ocean and the wind is suddenly in my face. Last night, the sun was gone and the buildings began turning on their lights. I could see the deep violet ocean, the dim purple sky, and tons of lights on the skyscrapers that lined the beach. The crowds were quickly disappearing back inside, until my world was nothing more than the crunch of sand beneath my feet, the sound of waves lapping against the shore, and my own breath.

It was then that I heard a tiny whisper ... Wake up. Wake up! It's not that I was dreaming or sleeping, but I've been living like I am in a dream. I haven't been present. There's been a lot going on and suddenly, in that moment, I realized that life can be as simple, yet infinitely wonderful, as sand and water. It was a powerful, peaceful moment.

I came home transformed. We spend too much time waiting and wondering, when everything we need is right here. I was blessed with realizing that the most beautiful moments are the ones we simply create. Please, don't waste one more moment waiting or wondering ... go now and create your own beautiful moments.

Blessed be,

weightlossexpert@naturalphysiques.com
770-456-5580 (direct)
888-472-2829 (toll-free voice mail)
678-921-5216 (fax)
PMB 303 6822 22nd Ave N
St. Petersburg, FL, USA
33710

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