For some of us, attaining mind-body wellness appears to be a daunting task. Some of us are so accustomed to seeking and finding our favorite ways to avoid feeling uncomfortable. Depending upon our prior experiences and personal preferences, we may turn to a specific familiar and comfortable activity to avoid self-reflecting and facing our own internal, and sometimes painful, emotions. We may choose an obvious addictive-type activity, such as abusing chemical substances, pharmaceuticals and recreational drugs, compulsive sexual behaviors, workaholism, or gambling or we may chooses a less obvious avoidance activity such as excessive exercise, uncontrollable shopping, or even emotional outbursts and excessive talking.

Our internal and external energy fields are affected by the people and environments we gravitate toward. Our physical vibration actually synchronizes with others. It is common knowledge that two young ladies who spend a lot of time together tend to develop synchronous menstrual cycles. However, most of us do not realize that all of our organ systems and brain patterns also synchronize with those around us.

Studies are finding that overweight people who spend time with overweight people or happy people who spend time with other happy people, tend to sustain their current weight, current attitudes, and current demeanor. However, if an overweight person is surrounded by thin, health conscious friends and colleagues, that person may begin to synchronize and more easilyn make choices that help him or her to lose weight. A happy person surrounded by depressed and negative people may gradually lose his or her positive outlook and happy smile.

How can a person begin to alter a lifestyle that is not leading to mind-body wellness?

First step is always AWARENESS

Pay attention and tell yourself the truth about where you are currently on the mind-body wellness continuum.

Second step is to OBSERVE your thoughts and actions.

Acknowledge how these affect your choices and behaviors that alter your mind-body wellness.

Third step is to FEEL your energy level.

Consciously notice whether you have a high, medium, low or hyperactive level of energy and determine what factors may be related to your current energy level.

Fourth step is to TUNE INTO your emotions.

Determine whether your emotions are balanced and within your conscious control or if they are either excessively controlled or unpredictable and out of your conscious control.

Fifth step is to REALIZE AND DEFINE your passion.

If your passion and joy is elicited by negative, self-defeating, harmful or even illegal activities, you need to dig deep inside your mind, body and spirit to discover the core truth about your passion that has somehow been repressed.

Sixth step is to RECREATE your passion.

Seek and find that high level of focus, intensity, animation and pleasure that you have either completely suppressed or have placed into an unproductive pursuit.

Seventh step is to ACCESS your own inner being.

Find a way to access your inner spirit, your soul, the wise one within you,

Through some form of focused internal activity that leads to personal relaxation, contemplation, meditation, and spiritual connection.

Eighth step is to find a systematic way to RE-TRAIN your own mind.

Scientists have discovered the brain’s neuroplasticity, it’s ability to adapt and change and create new pathways, brain patterns and brain maps throughout life.

Finally, as you begin to regain your own mind-body wellness, you are able to grasp the concept that everyone and everything is energetically connected. You begin to understand that we are all spiritual beings claiming our own birthright to the enjoyment of the wonders of creation.

When your own mind and body are finally in balance, you naturally connect to a place of depth within your own self, a place of spiritual alignment. Life becomes easier, less of a struggle, less of sense of fighting upstream. Life becomes less of an effort to “do” something and more and more of a willingness to “allow” life to unfold gracefully.

What does it take to create such a high level of mind-body wellness? All it takes is a sincere desire and taking daily small steps, one day at a time, one situation at a time, one moment at a time, even one thought at a time. The road to mind-body wellness is a very simple, straight and narrow path. It is available to all who seek it.

Are you ready and willing to create your own mind-body wellness now?

This book is a 600 page encyclopedia about Oxygen therapies. I must admit that I was not familiar at all with the power of oxygen as it relates to health and performance. I find it important to study and research wellness especially with the state of our “Health Care System” or better yet our “Sick Care System”

Why is this important to me? I ask this question so I don’t waste your time. I believe that without health, you have nothing. Everything else can be achieved if you have your health. To that end, it makes sense to study it.

1. Symptom vs. Root Cause – Have you ever considered the treatment for cancer? Millions of dollars per year are donated to cancer research and some of it is excellent yet over 700,000 people will die from it in the United States. The treatment for cancer is to poison it (Chemo-therapy), burn it (Radiation) and cut it out (Surgery). Have you ever thought about the root cause? The treatment gets rid of the cancer as a symptom but the root cause usually is not addressed.

2. Environmental Factors – Are you familiar with Doctor Oz? He has a daytime TV show about health. One of his colleagues Dr. Hyman talks about core root causes of disease like heavy metal toxicity, mineral deficiencies and acidity in the body. The food supply, pollution and stress are key factors that need to be reviewed to attain true health and address root causes of health problems.

Flood Your Body with Oxygen has a ton of information about the benefits of Oxygen along with case studies. The book is too massive to review in full so I will point out a few key factors.

1. Why Oxygen? – The premise of oxygen therapy is so simple that it seems too easy to be true. Here it is – Anaerobic disease cannot live in Aerobic environments. In English, this means that fish cannot live out of water and we cannot live underwater. Water born viruses, bacteria and other disease cannot live in oxygenated environments. Think of the environment being your blood steam and lymphatic system. The brain runs on oxygen and glucose. You can survive without eating for 30 days, water for 7 days but go without oxygen for a few minutes and you end up with severe brain damage and most likely death. Oxygen is the backbone to health and the environment does not provide enough. Oxygen Therapies include food grade 35% Hydrogen peroxide, Ozone, Hyperbaric Chambers and oxygen supplements.

2. PH Acid / Alkali – Anthony Robbins has done a ton of research on alkalinity in the body. The benefits are extraordinary. Example: In a highly acidic body, cholesterol forms to protect the artery walls. A symptom remedy is to take Lipitor and make the drug companies rich. This does nothing to address the cause which is a highly acidic environment. Alkali foods and oxygen therapies reduce acid.

3. Case Studies – Ed profiles hundreds of case studies on HIV and Cancer patients that were on the brink of death that utilized Oxygen therapies and survived. You do not have to be sick to do this. OxyWater is a drink that has tons of testimonials from athletes that use it to improve their oxygen intake and performance.

4. Politics & Money – Sick care is big business. It takes an investment of $800 million dollars to get an FDA approval. How do companies do that when Oxygen therapies like H2O2 can be utilized for 10 cents per day? How do you patent these therapies when they are common knowledge and not patentable? The answer that Ed gives in his book is that you discredit these therapies and push expensive medical ones. Some of the commercials for prescription drugs are sickening. You take Abilify to help with depression but your head may explode and you may die but take it anyway. It is absolutely ridiculous.

Before I do any book reviews on health, I do like to test things on my own. First I wanted to do the 35% Hydrogen Peroxide cleanse outlined in the One Minute Cure (see website). I did this and my energy levels sky rocketed. I was able to write my first book with this extra energy because I felt the extra brain power because of the oxygen. Now, a couple of caveats, #1 – this could be a placebo effect and #2 – my first book may suck but I will continue to use these therapies because they make sense. I will report back because each year I typically get a cold twice per year. Ed mentions that he has not been sick in 15 years yet before oxygen therapies, he got sick often. I am very curious if this works and will let you know since I am only 90 days into this. Also, I was able to improve my PH alkali reading with Oxygen. Tony Robbins travels the world and sees millions of people each year and does not get sick either. He is a big proponent of alkali blood. The key is to have a clean internal environment so disease cannot grow. I WILL LET YOU KNOW IF THESE SIMPLE CONCEPTS WORK ON ME OVER THE LONG HAUL.

I hope you have found this short summary useful. The key to any new idea is to work it into your daily routine until it becomes habit. Habits form in as little as 21 days. One thing you can take away from this book is water born disease cannot live in oxygen rich environments. There are several research papers and this is a well-known fact. I encourage you to be responsible for your own wellbeing and health because nobody cares as much as you do. You cannot help others if you don’t have your health.

Are you a woman fighting off a fat and ugly self image? When bathing suit season rolls ’round, would you rather die than bear your thighs? Locked in a clinch with your lover, is “Lights off, Honey” your mantra? That may mean that you’re really uncomfortable with your body. You’re not alone. Many women struggle with a negative body image. Because there are a lot of gals unhappy with their bodies, the diet industry is getting increasingly fatter, earning upwards of $60B/yr. That’s because the diet organizations make money when they succeed at making you feel fat and insecure. When you look in the mirror, do you love what you see? Research shows that nearly 4 out 5 American women today say they hate their bodies. That’s 80% of the female population in the entire United States. Are you one of them?

Why You Can’t See Yourself As You Really Are

The truth is we don’t really see ourselves and our bodies as we are, or even as others see us, because we’re only seeing our interpretation of reality, not what’s really there, because we’re unable to objectively observe ourselves. Our perceptions are colored or filtered by our experiences. If your family was a blue family, you were given “blue glasses.” If your family and your experiences are of being a part of a rosy bunch, you’ve been looking at the world through “rose colored glasses”. We’re all different according to how our experiences have shaped us. Our brains are always making meaning out of everything we experience. The important thing to keep in mind is that it doesn’t matter through which color glasses you’ve been experiencing the world; it’s just a starting point. You don’t have to remain stuck with those faulty perceptions. It may be time for an upgrade.

Self Image: The Mirror In Your Mind

Inside of each us we have the equivalent of a huge computer that stores all our life’s experiences, in your memory. This is known as the subconscious mind. The subconscious mind is not an actual part of your brain, rather it is said to be present in every cell in your body. This data base in you holds a collection of beliefs and experience that is known as your self image. It determines how you feel about who you are, your body, your life and everything you believe to be possible. To be happy, really happy and to live a satisfying life, you have to have an adequate and realistic self image with which you can live harmoniously. You have to be okay enough for you. This will give you a good strong sense of self esteem. This is an image of yourself that you can trust and believe in, like and admire, respect and honor.

When your self image is intact, you feel good and you’re a secure person. When something happens to shake you up or threaten you, you become insecure. If you’ve been abused or hurt, criticized, or teased, you may still feel the impact of that emotional pain, depending upon what meaning you gave the experience, you may tend to feel shame and find yourself hiding your light. That’s only because that feels like the safest option for you. If you’re caught in a body trap, hating some part of you, it’s because you believe that you are this negative, shameful, disgusting, unworthy, fat, ugly, stupid or incapable image that you may hold of yourself. It’s not true!

And unless you are actually able to see yourself differently, no diet, no exercise, no amount of compliments or anything else will make you believe something that a part of you is not ready to believe. In order to change these negative core beliefs that limit you, and feel different about your body, without doing anything radical like cosmetic surgery or dieting, you have to change the image that you have inside of you. The good news is that this self image or subconscious mind is completely impersonal and impartial to the information it holds. So if you don’t like the way you look or the way you feel about your body, all you have to do is steer your subconscious mind or self image in a new direction.

Dr. Maxwell Maltz, Plastic Surgeon Performs Facelifts without Scalpel

This incredible discovery of the power of the self image and the scope of its influence, is credited to the work of one man, Dr. Maxwell Maltz. Maltz was a plastic surgeon in the 1960’s. At 61 years old, he wrote his first book called Psycho Cybernetics, which went on to become a self improvement phenomenon, selling over 30 million copies to date. Today you can’t pick up a self improvement book or program that doesn’t draw upon his ground breaking discoveries teaching how to change a negative self image. Maltz said, “the self image is changed, for better or worse, not by intellect alone, nor by intellectual knowledge, but by “experiencing.” That means that in order for you to think and feel differently about your body, you have to start being able to ‘see’ yourself doing things differently.

At the core, his ideas focus on visualizing your goals. It’s truly the secret behind “The Secret.” Here’s the origin of how this all came about. Before he wrote Psycho Cybernetics, Dr. Maltz noticed that many times after a cosmetic procedure was performed successfully, his patients would continue to obsess about their imperfections that they had agreed were already well corrected.

After examining many cases, he noticed a parallel. Each of those patients who felt that cosmetic surgery did nothing for them, had very low self esteem. They felt that deep down there was nothing that could be done to correct their flaws. One day Dr. Maltz had a brainstorm and realized that what they needed was a perception correction. He made a deal with one of his clients named Jack, who was obsessing about his crooked nose. Dr. Maltz said that he would not consent to operating on Jack again until Jack took an interim step. Dr. Maltz offered to teach Jack how to re-create his distorted self image, using a process of visualization. He explained that it would take 21 consecutive days to complete the process. After that time, if Jack was still unsatisfied, Dr. Maltz would do the surgery.

At the end of the 21 days, Jack was so happy with his nose that he didn’t even want the surgery.

My Experience of Going from Body Loathing to Body Lovin’:So Many Sighs Over My Big Fat Thighs

In my experience, before I made the decision to stop dieting, I spent years obsessing about the size of my thighs. No matter what size I was, I swore that I must have had the biggest thighs in the world. No amount of weight loss or exercise was enough to alter my distorted perception of my body. When I finally decided to stop dieting, because I had an image of myself as being a fat pig with no self control around food, I lost all control, could never seem to stop eating and gained 35 pounds.

One day standing, looking at my fat self in the mirror, I had an epiphany and realized that I had to either accept me and my thighs the way they were, or continue living a crazy life hoping and praying that dieting and exercising would change them. I knew that I could never again continue to live under the tyranny of dieting, so the alternative was to learn to love myself now. Because I made that choice, I now know for certain that the problem was never the size of my thighs. It was all in my head. It was the low self esteem and poor self image that I carried around with me on a daily basis. It was those angry thoughts, those nasty words and criticisms that had been shouted at me as a kid. Because those memories were so emotionally charged, each time I looked in the mirror or was reminded of anything to do with how I felt about my body, those tapes got replayed in my mind and I became my own worst critic. That angry voice that had become my own was why I couldn’t stop eating. I knew that I had to change the way that I spoke to myself and find some compassion and gentleness within. It started with making the decision to stop dieting and a vow that I would learn how to trust myself again.

Today now that I’m no longer worried about following a diet or watching my weight, and I know that I can trust myself around any and all foods, I have more respect and appreciation for myself as I am: Andrea, the person. Food is no longer my master and I’m not its slave anymore. As I continue to make strides to make friends with and love my body at any size, I’m noticing that it keeps on shrinking and getting smaller. I’m not trying to lose weight. I just am –and I’m doing it in the least invasive way possible.

I love knowing that I can have cookies, potato chips, ice cream and pasta in my home and be surrounded by tons of goodies and not feel the urge to eat them when I’m not hungry. I love having the sense of power that comes with being able to put a bag clip on my potato chips and put them back in the cabinet, knowing that I don’t want to continue eating them anymore and they will be there for later. And on the rarer and rarer occasions when I do eat either a little more or waaaaaaaay more than my body wants, I know that it’s not a cause for beating myself up, feeling disgusted or blaming because I haven’t done anything wrong. No forgiveness necessary.

When I do overeat, it’s merely an indication to me that something deeper is hurting. And by taking care of that, discovering what it is, handling those hurts, and treating myself in the most loving and gentle way possible, the desire to abuse myself with food disappears. Let me tell you everything that I’ve learned along the way. I’m bursting with information that I want to teach you. Let me help you get started on your way to embrace some new non diet thinking so that you, too can begin loving your thighs or any other part of you at any size.

Here are some tips to help you makeover a fat and ugly self image:

1. Watch body affirming TV Television shows like Lifetime’s How to Look Good Naked is an instant mood lifter. Hosted by Carson Kressley, former co-host of Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, Carson focuses on helping women move from hating their bodies to loving them. I like to think of it as a 60 minute self image makeover. With Carson at the helm, you’ll cry tears of laughter as you learn to see your body in a more loving, compassionate light.

2. Seek out role models Find a woman who has the same body type as you, and is already doing what you want to do. If you hate your thighs and wish that you could feel comfortable going to the beach and wearing a bathing suit, find a woman who already is doing that and request her permission to ask her a few questions. Tell her that you don’t feel comfortable, and you really want to understand how to think more like her so that you can like your body more. Ask her what makes her feel comfortable? What does she think of when she is on the beach? What motivates her and many other questions that you may have.

3. Get support Spend time around other women who are also committed to appreciating their bodies.

4. Study role models Read books about women shaped like you who like their bodies. This is a less assertive but nonetheless an effective way of achieving the same goal as actually talking to another woman and asking her questions.

5. Stop Scale Watching Don’t let anyone or anything tell you how you are entitled to feel. Step away from the scale. Put it away or toss it out. Stop judging yourself by that nasty piece of sheet metal.

Lastly, and most important — You, are not your thighs, butt, frizzy hair or droopy breasts or any other miscellaneous body part. You are so much more than what you see. Start to imagine seeing yourself as you want to be, when you are the size you choose, and rather than focusing on dieting, eating less, or doing anything to actually make that happen, just do the things you would do if you were that gal. You, go Juicy Woman! I believe in you! Do you?

The Holy Grail Body Transformation Program has answered my prayers. There is finally a program that you can lose fat and build muscle at the same time. Losing fat and building muscle at the same time is a bit deceiving. It’s not actually at the same time. It’s actually within the same time period. For example 2 weeks, 1 month, 7 weeks.

The Holy Grail Body Transformation Program takes everyone’s goals into account. Everyone has different fitness goals so Tom Venuto has created 4 goals for you to choose from:

1. Focus on fat loss
2. Focus on Muscle Building
3. Focus on Fat Loss with a secondary goal of Building Muscle.
4. Focus on Building Muscle with a secondary goal of Losing Fat.

Cyclical Dieting and Nutrition Timing

The main focus of The Holy Grail is Cyclical Dieting and Nutrition Timing. I know you are probably confused by these terms. Cyclical Dieting is simply cycling your diet. A normal diet for fat loss would have you in a caloric deficit for the whole diet. The Holy Grail Body Transformation Program is about cycling your diet so you are in a caloric deficit or a caloric surplus for shorter periods of time. Depending on which goal you choose. Different goals will have different amounts of time in a surplus or deficit.

The nutrition timing section focuses on when you need to be fueling your body and with which nutrition aspects such as protein, carbs and fats.

Results to Expect

The results you can expect with this program depend on 4 factors:

1. How long you’ve been training – The longer that you have been training the slower your muscle gain will be. Beginners will gain muscle a lot faster.
2. Your Muscle Memory – It’s easier to regain muscle that you have lost then it is to build new muscle.
3. Your Genetics – This has to do with your body type. Some body types will gain muscle faster and others will be more gifted in the area of fat loss. Everyone is different but some people are just gifted in these areas.
4. Drugs will also play a factor in your results. Some people will take drugs such as steroids to increase their muscle gains or other drugs to speed up fat burning. This definitely is NOT the way to go. You can do everything without drugs.

If you really want results and you are determined to get them, then none of these 4 factors should stand in your way of getting the Holy Grail Body Transformation you desire.

The Holy Grail Body Transformation Program also includes:

• Resistance and Cardio training information and recommendations.
• The lifestyle factors that will affect your transformation.
• A Questions and Answers section with questions from The Holy Grail Transformation Program 1.0. Tom answers the best questions he received to help clarify what is in the program.
• Carb cycling meal plans.
• A Calories cheat sheet. This is for calculating how many calories you should be consuming.
• A Database of foods with their calorie and nutrient information.
• A one week workout schedule.

The Holy Grail Body Transformation Program is a program that teaches you nutrition that is necessary for losing fat and Building Muscle at the same time. This is not a book about workouts and exercises to do for burning fat and building muscle at the same time.

It seems that every time science uncovers some type of association between body fat and anything, opportunistic entrepreneurs are waiting in the shadows to create a product and a marketing campaign around it. They ride the wave into the multi millions, until the buzz dies down or until the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) sues and slaps a padlock on their warehouse doors. Then, it’s on to the “next big thing in weight loss,” because they know there will always be a gullible crowd eagerly waiting for the next quick fix. The most recent example is when researchers discovered a correlation between cortisol and abdominal body fat. Cortisol was then blamed as the latest culprit in the obesity problem, and cortisol-suppressing pills were touted as the “miracle solution.”

Big Claims, Little Proof

After a web search on the subject of cortisol, here are some of the claims you may find:

* Stress makes you fat

* Cortisol is what makes you fat

* Cortisol reducing supplements control stress

* Cortisol reducing supplements reduce belly fat

* Cortisol reducing supplements get rid of “stress fat”

* Cortisol reducing supplements balance hormone levels that cause stress

* Cortisol reducing supplements increase muscle growth

* Cortisol supplements suppress appetite

* Cortisol supplements speed up metabolism

The advertising claims include just enough scientific fact to make even the savviest consumers say, “That makes sense, I think I’ll try that.” They also hit home emotionally by focusing on common hot buttons such as stress (who isn’t at least a little stressed in this day and age?) Brilliant marketing. Convincing. Unfortunately, most of the claims being made are completely false, with only a tiny thread of truth woven in.

Cortisol is a very important hormone that you must understand if you want to get maximum results from your training and nutrition programs, but if you don’t educate yourself, you may become one of the millions of victims to fall for this latest fad. The answers to the frequently asked questions in this article will arm you with the science-based facts, while helping you steer clear of the hype-based scams.

What is cortisol?

Cortisol is a hormone produced by your adrenal glands. It falls into a category of hormones known as “glucocorticoids”, referring to their ability to increase blood glucose levels. Cortisol is the primary glucocorticoid.

Why does your body produce cortisol?

Cortisol is a stress hormone. Your body produces cortisol in response to stress, physical, mental or emotional. This can include extremely low calorie diets, intense training, high volume training, lack of quality sleep as well as common daily stresses such as job pressures, fights with your spouse or being caught in a traffic jam. Trauma, injury and surgery are also major stressors to the body (Note: much of the research done on cortisol and stress has been done on recovering patients, and such findings may not carry over to healthy, athletic populations).

What does cortisol do?

Cortisol is part of the fight or flight response. Faced with a “life or death” situation, cortisol increases the flow of glucose (as well as protein and fat) out of your tissues and into the bloodstream in order to increase energy and physical readiness to handle the stressful situation or threat.

How do you know whether your cortisol levels are high?

You can get your cortisol levels tested if you choose to. The most common method of testing is a blood test (blood cortisol levels). Saliva and 24 hour urine tests are also available.

What is a normal level of cortisol?

Cortisol levels are higher in adults than children and levels fluctuate throughout each 24 hour period, so tests must account for the time of day. Cortisol concentrations are highest in the early morning around 6 – 8 a.m. and they are also elevated after exercise (a normal part of your body’s response to exercise). The lowest levels are usually around midnight. According to the Medline Encyclopedia, normal levels of cortisol in the bloodstream at 8:00 a.m. are 6-23 mcg/dl.

Should you get your cortisol levels tested?

For serious competitive athletes, it may be worth the time, expense and inconvenience to have cortisol tests done on a regular basis. Some strength and conditioning coaches insist on it. For the average trainee, as long as you are aware of the factors that produce excessive cortisol and take steps to keep it in the normal, healthy range, then testing is probably not necessary.

Is cortisol related to abdominal obesity?

Yes. There is a link between high cortisol levels and storage of body fat, particularly “visceral” abdominal body fat (also known as intra-abdominal fat). Visceral fat is stored deeper in the abdominal cavity and around the internal organs, whereas “regular” fat is stored below the skin (known as subcutaneous fat). Visceral fat is particularly unhealthy because it is a risk factor for heart disease and diabetes.

Does Cortisol Make you fat?

No, cortisol is not “the thing” that makes you fat. In fact, one of the effects of cortisol is to increase the breakdown of stored adipose tissue into glycerol and fatty acids where it can enter the bloodstream and then be used as energy. High levels of cortisol are merely one contributing factor to storage of abdominal fat, not the primary cause. An excess of calories from too much food and not enough exercise is what makes you fat.

If cortisol is related to abdominal obesity, then will taking a cortisol suppressing pill get rid of abdominal (belly) fat?

No. Just because there is an association between high cortisol levels and abdominal body fat doesn’t mean that a taking a cortisol-suppressing pill will remove abdominal body fat. The studies which showed a relationship between cortisol and body fat did not test whether suppressing cortisol removes fat that is already deposited on your body.

Does stress make you fat?

No. If it did, then everyone who is stressed would be gaining fat. Many people lose weight while under stress. In some studies, test subjects with the highest cortisol levels lost the most weight. Stress, by itself, does not increase body fat. However, if stress stimulates appetite and leads to overeating, then the excess calories from “stress eating” can make you fatter.

Is cortisol is bad for you?

Cortisol is not “bad for you,” it is a hormone that is essential for life as part of our natural stress response. There are many hormones in our bodies, which in the proper amounts, maintain good health, but in excess or in deficiency, have negative effects or even contribute to health problems or diseases. Cortisol is no different. For example, Cushing’s syndrome is a disease of high cortisol levels, while Addison’s is a disease of low cortisol levels. You want to maintain a healthy, normal level of cortisol, not suppress your cortisol to nothing or allow it to remain elevated.

Chronically elevated cortisol levels may have a variety of negative effects. Cortisol is catabolic and elevated cortisol levels can cause the loss of muscle tissue by facilitating the process of converting lean tissue into glucose. An excess of cortisol can also lead to a decrease in insulin sensitivity, increased insulin resistance, reduced kidney function, hypertension, suppressed immune function, reduced growth hormone levels, and reduced connective tissue strength. Chronically elevated levels of cortisol can also decrease strength and performance in athletes.

Can suppressing cortisol improve your muscle growth and strength?

High cortisol levels can increase muscle protein breakdown and inhibit protein synthesis (building up muscle proteins), so a chronically elevated cortisol level is clearly counterproductive to building muscle. Bringing elevated cortisol levels back to normal may improve recovery, strength, hypertrophy and performance. However, there is no scientific evidence that reducing your cortisol levels below normal will have any effect on

increasing strength or muscle growth.

Should you take a cortisol-suppressing supplement to help you lose weight?

In my opinion, no, absolutely not. Cortisol suppressing supplements are not a valid solution for losing weight. The FTC has filed lawsuits against the makers of Cortislim and Cortistress, charging them with making false and unsubstantiated claims that their products can cause weight loss. Lydia Parnes, acting director of the FTC’s bureau of consumer protection says, “The defendant’s claims fly in the face of reality. No pill can replace a healthy program of diet and exercise.” Reducing excessively high cortisol levels through supplement use may prove beneficial in some ways for hard training athletes. However, pills do not make you lose fat. Body fat is lost by creating a caloric deficit through exercise and nutrition.

Should you take a cortisol-suppressing supplement to help control your stress levels?

There are quite a few supplements, mostly herbs, which are reputed to have “calming,” “relaxing,” “tranquilizing,” “stress-relieving” or “anti-anxiety” effects. These include Magnolia bark, kava kava, valerian, L-theanine and too many others to mention. However, very few studies exist which have directly tested the effects of these herbs on cortisol levels. Although some people may find value in these types of products, the ideal solution is to reduce the stress or change your perception of the stress to lessen its physical effects. Treating symptoms does not remove causes. It can be dangerous to “band-aid” the effects of stress while the stress remains in place.

What should you do if you have a lot of stress in your life?

It makes sense to take steps to reduce stress in your life and lessen the impact of stressors that cannot be avoided. Trying to avoid stress completely is not possible, nor is it desirable. Stress is an important part of life because you can’t achieve positive adaptations and growth without stress to trigger them. It’s continuous stress that you want to avoid. It’s okay to expose yourself to stress, provided there is a sufficient period of rest afterwards so you can fully recover.

One of the best ways to keep cortisol in the normal range is to reduce stress and allow time for recovery and renewal. There are effective and natural means of reducing stress that don’t cost a penny, including getting out in nature, deep breathing, enhancing sleep quality, relaxation exercises, meditation and visualization-guided imagery. It’s important to develop a calm mind and sense of tranquility.

What’s in those cortisol pills anyway?

The ingredients can vary in type and quantity from one brand to the next. Some ingredients are included in the formulations to have a relaxing or stress reducing effect, some are included to reduce cortisol levels, while others are aimed at insulin and blood sugar stabilization. Cortislim, for example, contains Magnolia bark, beta sitosoterol, theanine, green tea extract, bitter orange peel extract (source of synephrine), banaba leaf extract, vanadium, vitamin C, calcium and Chromium.

Other ingredients that are often used in the various product formulations include Epidemium, phytosterols, tyrosine, Branched chain amino acids, ginseng, ashwaganda, astragalus, kava kava, St. John’s wort, Melatonin, SAM-e, Valerian, Gingko Biloba, Phosphatidyl Serine (PS), Acetyl L-carnitine and Glutamine. Reviewing all of these is beyond the scope of this article.

If you decide to take a cortisol suppressing supplement what should you look for? Before you even think about supplements (or drugs), keep in mind that unnatural suppression of cortisol may not be wise or necessary, especially if you haven’t used all the natural cortisol and stress management strategies at your disposal first. Once your nutrition, training and recovery bases are covered, there is some solid research showing that certain supplements may be beneficial, especially for athletes engaged in extremely hard training.

Carbohydrate consumed with lean protein immediately after training has a cortisol suppressing effect. High glycemic index (GI) carbs in particular, cause an insulin spike, which not only helps restore muscle glycogen, stimulates protein synthesis and kick starts the recovery process, it also helps lower the exercise-induced rise in cortisol. The research supporting this practice is substantial. (This should serve as a warning to people on low carb diets that are so strict that they don’t even allow small amounts of carbs after workouts). Rather than solid food, many athletes prefer a liquid “meal” using a commercial post workout drink containing whey protein and maltodextrin plus dextrose or glucose (fast acting protein and high GI carbs) because the rapid absorption time may speed recovery.

Vitamin C, known mainly for cold or flu protection and antioxidant properties, may decrease cortisol levels. A study by Marsit, et al showed a reduction in cortisol levels in elite weightlifters taking 1000 mg. of vitamin C per day. Other studies have reported similar findings.

Phosphatidyl serine (PS) is a phospholipid, which appears to have cortisol suppressing properties. Studies by Fahey and Monteleone have shown that daily doses of 800 mg can reduce cortisol. These studies did not conclude that PS would help you lose weight or gain more muscle.

Glutamine is an amino acid, which in some studies, has been shown to decrease cortisol and prevent a decrease in protein synthesis. Many strength athletes swear by glutamine for improved recovery, but the research is still not conclusive about efficacy or dosages for athletes or bodybuilders. Much of the research on Glutamine was performed on patients recovering from surgery, burns or traumas (severe stresses to the body).

Acetyl-L Carnitine (ALC) has been studied in Alzheimers patients as a method of improving cognitive function. One study showed that long term use of Acetyl L Carnitine lowered cortisol in the Alzheimers patients. Research on rats and mice has shown that ALC increases luteinizing hormone, which may in turn elevate testosterone. Whether these findings carry over to healthy athletes has yet to be proven, but some coaches and athletes believe that ALC lowers cortisol and elevates testosterone.

It’s important to note that the research on some of these substances is often conflicting and inconclusive. It’s also important to note that many of the cortisol suppressing supplements which are marketed to athletes or to people seeking weight loss do not contain doses anywhere near the amounts that were used in the research. (Yet another way that

supplement companies deceive consumers).

How can you lower your cortisol levels naturally?

You can lower cortisol naturally. In fact, if you are overtrained, unnatural cortisol suppression may be nothing more than a “band aid,” and continued overtraining can lead to adrenal exhaustion, which could take months to remedy. Sometimes the best thing you can do is take a rest or decrease your training volume and intensity rather than artificially attempt to suppress cortisol. Symptoms of overtraining include elevated resting pulse, sleep disturbances, fatigue, decreased strength and decreased performance.

* Avoid very low calorie diets, especially for prolonged periods of time. Low calorie dieting is a major stress to the body. Low calorie diets increase cortisol while decreasing testosterone.

* Use stress reduction techniques (stress, anger, anxiety, and fear can raise cortisol)

* Avoid continuous stress. Stress is an important part of growth. It’s when you remain under constant stress without periods of recovery that you begin breaking down.

* Avoid overtraining by keeping workouts intense, but brief (cortisol rises sharply after 45-60 min of strength training)

* Avoid overtraining by matching your intensity, volume and duration to your recovery ability. Decrease your training frequency, and or take a layoff if necessary.

* Suppress cortisol and maximize recovery after workouts with proper nutrition: Consume a carb-protein meal or drink immediately after your workout.

* Get plenty of quality sleep (sleep deprivation, as a stressor, can raise cortisol).

* Avoid or minimize use of stimulants; caffeine, ephedrine, synephrine, etc.

* Limit alcohol (large doses of alcohol elevate cortisol).

* Stay well hydrated (at least one study has suggested that dehydration may raise cortisol).

How do you spot a weight loss pill scam?

The cortisol pill is just one in a long string of bogus weight loss products, and it won’t be the last! Why? Because weight loss supplements are big business! Eight or nine figure fortunes have been made from the sales of a single product, which was later proven to be a total farce.

How do you protect yourself? Do your homework! Don’t take anything unless you know exactly what’s in the product, why it’s in the product and how much is in the product. Review the scientific research. Don’t buy a weight loss product just because a radio personality says it works! Don’t jump on the phone with your credit card in hand after watching a thirty-minute infomercial! In this day and age, you have to be smarter than that!

Conclusions

Excessive cortisol is not good. But cortisol is not inherently bad; it’s a vitally important hormone and part of your body’s natural stress response. Cortisol does not make you fat. Stress does not make you fat. Stress may lead to increased appetite… Increased appetite may lead to eating too much… Eating too much makes you gain fat. Make sense?

Cortisol suppressing agents may have some practical uses. But rather than thinking of cortisol supplements as a weight loss miracle (which they most surely are not), get yourself on a solid exercise and nutrition program and seek natural ways enhance recovery and reduce stress. By doing this first, you may be pleasantly surprised to find that you’re losing fat and gaining muscle and there isn’t even a need to take a supplement at all.

Copyright 2005 Tom Venuto

Body image refers to one’s own personal perception of her/his physical appearance based on self-observation and the reactions of others. Body image affects how you think and feel about yourself as a person. This image is not based on facts, it is psychological in nature and the image one has of her body is learned. So, poor body image indicates being dissatisfied and unhappy with your body and believing others perceive you the same way.

A widely held theory indicates that poor body image is in part caused by a culture that values appearance over one’s true essence and values women more when they are thin. The media’s power over the development of poor body image is leading to the increase of more deadly eating disorders. Images of the “perfect” or “ideal” female body are everywhere. Celebrities are consistently becoming younger and thinner. Media advertising, including magazines, television, and Internet are sending very dangerous images and messages, which further contribute to poor body image. You have seen it, “I’ve lost 20 lbs. on this diet and I can finally put on my size 2 jeans again- I feel great,” she says provocatively staring into the eyes vulnerable women. Media advertising even goes so far to place these commercials on the channels our children are watching. Then you hear the messages on the radio and it goes something like this, “Ladies, are you constantly trying to lose that extra 10-20 lbs. in your mid section that won’t go away no matter what you do. Well our product promises this result and all you need to do is call for a free trial.” Then there is the advertising on magazines where the front cover either criticizes the celebrity who has gained a few lbs. or praises the actress who is withering down to nothing. The advertiser then, in such a subtle manner, places these photos side by side for even a greater impact. Media and advertising sells so much more than products, they sell values, unrealistic expectations, and ideals of success and self-worth.

It is clear that media advertising increases pressure to become thinner, more perfect, and to conform to one ideal. Body image distortion begins to grow as she continues to compare herself to others and creates more and more unrealistic expectations of self. On an even more dangerous note, poor body image has the potential to grow and flourish into an eating disorder if these media advertising tools continue to draw her in even deeper and deeper. Losing 10 lbs., going to the gym 5 days a week, limiting her daily caloric intake to a specific number no longer seems to be enough. There becomes a very vicious cycle, this continual strive for perfection and control that never seems achievable or enough. Important to emphasize that these advertising images do not cause the eating disorder but they are a large contributing factor to what shapes one’s body image.

By choosing to remain unaware of the deep seriousness of this ever-present influence, the repetitive messages and the subliminal impact of advertisement, we ignore one of the most powerful “educational” forces in our culture. Although the cultural demands placed upon the body may change over time, these spoken and unspoken cues that come through all these outlets of media advertising continue to have a huge impact on an individual’s self-esteem and sense of well being. So, next time you are thinking about buying or even just picking up that magazine with the alluring image, or feel like clicking on that diet that promise you the world, or find yourself stuck watching that commercial or program that confirms you are not enough just being you-STOP! Take a moment to see how you are also contributing to this growing epidemic of poor body image. Choose to make a difference in your generation and the generations to come.

These days there are so many healing techniques available to us, like

Quantum Touch

Massotherapy

Touch for Health

Zero Balancing

Healing Touch

Chiropractic

Chakra Balancing

Ki Gong

the list goes on and on. It’s exciting to know that more and more people around the world are accepting the healing value of alternative and complementary modalities.

When we take a class in any one of these invaluable techniques, the focus of course is on learning the technique…

–how to protect ourselves from picking up clients’ “stuff”

–how to channel or run energy through our bodies out to our hands

–how to approach and treat certain kinds of issues

–the body mechanics we use, etc.

What I see missing from the classes is how to assess the body healing type of the individual we are working with. What do I mean by that?

Over the years, doing energy healing from the 1980s to the present time, I started to realize that with each person, I was addressing the energy flow to their bodies in a different way. Yes, there is the technique to follow, but after a while the practice becomes almost second nature. I found that as I was “listening” to the bodies, I was “talking” to them differently. And I haven’t found that kind of body talk mentioned anywhere in the energy healing field.

Of course, I think that each energy healing therapist has a particular way that their inner dialog with the client feels most comfortable or most natural. But what I found was that, when I shifted my own inner preference for how I channeled or ran energy to match my client’s healing type, their recovery occurred in shorter lengths of treatment time.

So here’s what was shown to me in the course of my years in energy healing: There are three basic types of healing preference that each body has: physical, mental, and spiritual. That seems to line up nicely with the complementary approach to body-mind-spirit healing, which is about the triune nature of being human. But what I’m referring to is the dominant energy healing preference each body is wired for. Each person’s body responds most effectively to the type of energy transfer that matches his or her own energy healing type.

So sometimes I found I would be silently talking to the body and explaining what it was going through and encouraging it to heal itself. “Yes, you had a bad fall. You know your knee is injured, and you know how to fix it. You know how to do this.” This silent body talk flowed into their bodies along with the energy. This was obviously for a mental body healing type.

Other times I found myself praying. Sometimes it was a standard prayer, sometimes it was a free-flowing appeal to the person’s guides or angels or Christ Spirit or Mary or an archangel or the Universal Healing Forces. Whatever came to mind to say, this prayer-type energy flowed into the spiritual body healing type.

And of course, there’s the physical body type. This was a bit of a challenge for me, since most of the energy healing I do is in the bio-field around the body and there’s little or no physical contact. But the physical body healing type needs to feel it for it to respond more readily with its own inner healing mechanisms.

So I’d touch the area in need, sometimes deeply, while my inner body talk with that person was more along the lines of a cheerleader, “Here it is. Go. Fix this. You can do it.” Or sometimes there wasn’t that much dialog, just a lot of purposeful contact while I ran energy.

By the 1990s, I figured it would be easier for me to know ahead of time which client was which body healing type before the session started so that I could start the body talk right away. Since I’d been learning how to do dowsing, I asked my pendulum what the type was. You can probably also use finger-muscle testing, if you’re familiar with that. It’s a simple yes-no process of elimination as you ask which healing type your client is.

There were some surprises that I learned along the way, too. People who I thought for sure would be one type turned out to be another, even though their personalities clearly indicated something else. Like my Dad. Here was a guy who was totally immersed in 3-D. If he couldn’t see it, it didn’t exist. A very physical guy. When he got older and started having health problems (and let me work on them, which wasn’t all the time), I dowsed and – lo and behold – his healing body type was a spiritual!!!

Then there’s my Mom, who I thought for sure would be a spiritual type, but the dowsing told me she was a physical! She believed in the old-country ways of laying on of hands, had a strong church connection, which Dad didn’t have, and was even known to have healing hands when she was younger (which was great for us as kids). But her body responded more effectively to the physical body touch-approach.

It reminded me of something I came across in the Edgar Cayce holistic health readings. He talked about the “body mind” as though it was something different or separate from the conscious mind. And now I understood that. The body does have a mind of its own. And when we address that clearly, it responds more readily to whatever healing energy we deliver.

Another surprise was that some people turn out to have dual types. This is more rare, but when you find it, it gives you more variety in how you frame your inner dialog with the body.

Finally, one night in the late 1990s as I was meditating, it was revealed to me that what my guidance had shown me described the way our Master Teacher, Jesus the Christ, healed people. For many of us, Christ’s healings in the New Testament were our first exposure to energy healing, even though we probably thought of it as magical or superhuman, not something we could all do (even though He said we could). Maybe even some of the priests and pastors of our formal churches did the “laying on of hands.” But think about this:

When Jesus healed the blind man, he put mud on the man’s eyes and rubbed it in. Then the man could see. This was an example of the physical body healing type. The man needed to feel something happening to his eyes.

When He told the cripple that his sins were forgiven, or to rise up and walk, He was addressing a mental body healing type. The man simply got up and walked away. There was no contact at all with him.

Finally, when a woman touched the hem of His garment and He asked her why she did that, she replied that that’s what she knew she needed to do to be healed. Definitely spiritual or faith healing.

There also is one other example of a type of healing Jesus did and that was when the Roman soldier asked Him to heal his good servant who was not present at the time. This was a beautiful and dramatic example of both distance healing for the servant and faith healing on the part of the soldier.

During the course of working with many clients over the years, my own guidance has revealed techniques and understandings that were invaluable in helping my people regain function and health sooner and more easily. You can use this information for yourself as well during those times you need to amplify more healing resource into your own body. I hope you find this information applicable in your own interactions with people in need.

Very few of us are ever satisfied by our appearance. Plastic surgery, permanent eyeliner, liposuction, and a series of other cosmetic procedures make the insecure more comfortable in their own bodies. But the millions of adults who suffer from body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) don’t quite have these normal concerns about the way they look. Instead, their minds are so consumed by thoughts of the ugliness they perceive, they may go so far as putting their lives on hold. They avoid social occasions and work out of fear of ridicule or offending others with the way they look. Adults with BDD constantly look for affirmation from friends and family, failing to realize that the problem lies with their perception of their own bodies, and not the body itself.

Adults with BDD often insist that plastic surgery will get rid of their anxieties and make them feel less self-conscious about their bodies. However, such procedures only provide temporary relief. After a few weeks of peace, they’ll find something “wrong” with their body that needs correction. It’s not uncommon for such patients to have experienced over 20 cosmetic procedures.

There is no treatment for BDD per se, but experts find that this disorder is usually co-morbid with mental conditions like obsessive-compulsive disorder, depression, or anxiety. Given that these disorders are usually caused by low levels of serotonin, their treatments apply to BDD as well. In some cases, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) like Zoloft (sertraline) or Prozac (fluoxetine) reduce the severity of the symptoms, especially when combined with psychotherapy. However, the doses required for BDD are significantly higher than the ones used to treat depression, which increases the risk of side effects.

One other way to elevate serotonin levels is to consume more oily fish, which are rich in the omega-3 fatty acid EPA. Current studies confirmed that pure EPA from fish oil is just as effective as Prozac in terms of serotonin increase, thereby making it a powerful treatment for body dysmporphic disorder without the medication’s side effects.

Treating issues with body image can be more effective and efficient when the patient uses EPA-only omega-3 supplements everyday for a period of 3 months. The daily dose should be around 4,000 mg, but can be reduced if improvements are seen. Vegetarians can still receive the healing benefits of omega-3 fats when they take supplements containing evening primrose oil and echium oil, plant-based sources of this important nutrient.

A dog’s body language is more than a wagging tail or bared teeth. It is a way of communication letting others know who they are, what their pack position is and much more.

Dogs don’t just communicate vocally they also use and interpret body language. They use their whole body to communicate from a tilt of the head to a wagging of the tail.

Start taking note of your dog’s actions and learn to understand it.

The more that you understand your dog, the more you will know how your messages to him are understood.

Take a trip to the dog park and watch how dogs interact with each other. Learn how one dog’s body language communicates and reacts to another dog’s body language.

Watch the positions of his ears and the look on his face from the frown on the forehead to the tension around mouth and muzzle. How his weight is distributed and how he is holding his tail. You will begin to learn if he is relaxed and / or dominant in a given situation or whether he is submissive or even fearful.

A dominant dog isn’t an aggressive dog, he is confident of himself and his position. Likewise, a submissive dog is not a frightened dog. In fact they are also confident knowing where they stand in the grand scheme of things. They know their position and are content with it.

A dog’s body language may show that they are submissive to a higher rank but dominant to a lower rank. In fact it is within these middle ranks that most fighting occurs because they are continually vying for position.

A pack leader does not need to lower himself to fighting.

When you are at the park, watch the dogs that are playing together but more importantly watch those that are meeting for the first time. How does one react to the other, do they both react the same? Does one dog show dominance over the other?

When you watch them, look at their overall behavior and then try to pick out the subtleties in the behavior. Do they both meet with tails up and wagging, are they relaxed or stiff? Watch the eyes, the ears, mouth and hair – particularly along the neck and back.

Dogs are naturally pack animals with acute senses. They can hear, see and smell things long before we can. They are always watching each other as well as to what is going on around them.

They use their body language as a means of communication and will very often watch yours and interpret your moves. Knowing this, we can use it to our advantage by doing two things; learning our own dog’s body language and learning how to use it in their training.

What Is Fiberglass?

Raw fiberglass come in a soft fabric like material. When saturated with liquid resin and harder, it becomes hard and very strong. There are not too many fiberglass auto parts on modern day cars, as they have all started using other composites like SMC and Carbon Fiber. However, fiberglass was on early model corvettes, truck hoods, and many other parts. There are still aftermarket parts that are manufactured from fiberglass and it still used for boats and jet skis.

The Difference Between Fiberglass and Fiberglass Filler

Fiberglass filler comes in a can and is mixed with a cream hardener. It mixes a lot like regular body filler, but it is thicker and a little harder to mix. The filler actually has fiberglass mixed in it. It comes short hair and long hair. This is the length of the fiberglass that is mixed in the filler. Both provide excellent waterproof properties as they do not absorb water. Both fiberglass fillers are stronger than regular body filler. The long hair filler provides the most strength out of the two. However, these fillers are very difficult to sand. The filler is also thick, which makes it hard to level and smooth like regular body filler.

Why Use Fiberglass Filler If It’s So Difficult To Sand

The reason we use fiberglass filler in auto body repair is not really the added strength, but for the waterproof properties. It is recommended to apply a thin layer of fiberglass filler over any welding that is performed. Body filler absorbs moister, which will leads to corrosion and rust. By using the fiberglass, we eliminate the moister absorption problem. Since our main purpose is to seal the welded area, the short hair fiberglass is sufficient for the application.

What Can Fiberglass Filler Be Used On

This filler can be used over bare metal or fiberglass.

Finishing The Repair

As I mentioned, fiberglass does not sand well. That is why I recommend only applying a small amount to the welded areas and rough sanding it. After this is done, you can apply body filler on the top of the fiberglass filler and finish the repair as you normally would using body filler.

Warning

You should always wear proper protective equipment when sanding any filler. However, extreme caution should be taken when sanding fiberglass products. It not only itches and irritate your skin, but it is extremely unhealthy to breathed the fiberglass. Be certain to wear an approved dust respiration, gloves, eye protection, and you may even want to wear a disposable paint suit. If some of the fiberglass does get on your skin, take a cold shower. This will help keep your pores small and allow the fiberglass to wash off.