The gym dangers

There are obviously some inherent dangers lurking at the gym ... in particular when you're working out on your own. Boredom is just one of those :-)

So if you're one of those gym rats who like working out alone ... take care! Take the above exercise video to heart :-)

The stairs? Really?

Here's a funny take on what happens when the escalator suddenly stops and people are "trapped". Still, there's a serious message here of course - it appears way too many of us seems to be somewhat allergic to using our legs (as in walking) ... in particular if we have to walk upwards.

Sugar - bad to the bone

Below is a brilliant video showing a lecture by UCSF (University of California, San Francisco) Professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Endocrinologym, Robert H. Lustig - MD.

It is long, 1 1/2 hours worth, somewhat technical in periods, but definitely worth every second of watching!

If you don't do anything about you sugar intake after watching this, then I really don't know what will... It is an essential travel into the dangers of sugar, soft drinks and processed food. It shows in great detail - among other things that:

• Sugar is a toxin (similar to alcohol)
• That the fat is not the problem - sugar is
• That obesity is just one of the many problems associated with high intake of sugar
• That a calorie is no a calorie
• That fiber is vital to your health

Like we say inside of 7 Minute Workout: "Don't drink your calories!" We also say: "Fiber is your friend!" Here's why:

How to reduce belly fat

So you want to get rid of that pesky belly fat - or at least reduce it considerably?

Isn't that just a matter of doing enough sit-ups - you know, like hundreds of crunches on a regular basis?

Well... Not exactly, even though that's what a number of uneducated individuals may want you to believe: "Dude, you need to do more of them crunches - each and every day!"

In any case - if you may want to call me out on this one - there is proper research done on this issue 'The Effect of Abdominal Exercise on Abdominal Fat'. The conclusion? "Six weeks of abdominal exercise training alone was not sufficient to reduce abdominal subcutaneous fat and other measures of body composition". So there.

And this sits perfectly with simple muscle and metabolism knowledge like the one you'll find within the 7MinWorkout program (of which you can read more here).

What you will experience - based on proper knowledge about how the metabolism, fat storage and strength training works - is that you can not do spot reduction. It is simply not possible ... never has been, never will be.

The fact is that you lose fat pretty evenly from all over your body. The reason that it seems to "stick" to your gut/stomach, buttocks, hips or thighs (to a large extent dependent upon your gender), is that there's simply stored more fat in those areas. As a consequence, these are the last areas you will have to deal with.

So, are crunches useless then?

Of course not. Sit-ups/crunches is great for building strength. If you do many, then your not building strength - you're into endurance... Like the above research states: "Nevertheless, abdominal exercise training significantly improved muscular endurance to a greater extent than the CG (control group)."

What you need to realize is that abdominal strength training is like any other muscle workout - it is better with fewer reps with high intensity and resistance - just like you'll be taught within the 7 Minute Workout.

Eat less and exercise more?

If only it was as simple to drop weight (and keep it off) as the all too common advice given in this humorous video from Mad TV:

If you're one of the many people struggling with overweight, then I'm certain you've heard that phrase more than once - take in less calories and workout more!

As countless people have found out, this isn't quite the problem solving formula it sets out to be. And in fact, counting calories can cause you a lot of problems in the end (and not really make you lose weight after all)

A recent study and long term analysis from experts at Harvard University was carried out to find the the factors that influence weight gain. The study involved well over 120,000 well-educated people of both genders. All were considered healthy and not obese at the start of the study.

The results, in addition to diet, points to important things regarding exercise, sleep, watching TV, drinking alcohol and smoking. Not surprisingly at all - the things shown in the study goes hand in hand with what's taught and utilized within the 7MW program.

• It's a massive research project and you can read more detailed about it in the June edition of 'The New England Journal of Medicine' if you feel like it. Here are some of the major points:
• Exercise is undoubtedly a very important factor in controlling your weight
• There are definitely good foods and bad foods. Eating more of the good an less of the bad is instrumental in controlling the weight
• By being fairly active and ignoring diet, you can still gain weight
• Minor changes in your eating, exercise and other habits may result in quite substantial changes to your body weight over a period of years
• On average, participants in the study gained a pound a year - adding up to 20 pounds in 20 years
• Drinking your calories and eating french fries and potato chips have huge impacts
• Foods that resulted in weight loss or no gain when consumed in greater amounts: fruits, vegetables and whole grains
• An increased intake of dairy products, whether low-fat or full-fat (milk and cheese), showed a neutral effect on weight
• Weight loss was greatest among people who ate more yogurt and nuts, including peanut butter, over each four-year period. Like you'll learn in the 7MinuteWorkout program - you'll need fat to lose weight!
• The metabolism, which determines how many calories you "burn" at rest, was slowed down with the consumption of refined grains but stayed the same after consumption of whole grains. In other words - you definitely need fiber (again a 7mwo stable truth) and should cut down on the refined stuff!
• In general, people who were having less too few or too many hours of sleep a night tended to gain most weight
• Lots of TV watching = weight gain

Again - there are lots of other interesting things in the study as well, so you will definitely be better off by giving it a read.

Bottom line: Proper eating habits + proper exercising + enough sleep - excessive drink - soda = far better results. Want to see this in action? Join 7MinuteWorkout today!

Oh, and there's also more information on the subject of diet and exercise on the 7mw blog.

Workout without working out?

As you may know, the 7 Minute Workout program takes as little as 7 minute a few times per week - you can get it it done in 20 minutes per week...

Still, can you beat that? Like cut it down to zero? We all want to save time, right?

Well, if you want to do some sort of physical type of exercise - which by any stretch of the imagination will be required to get physical fit - then of course you will need to move that body :-)

And in that respect, I'd dare say you will have to search long and hard to come up with anything near the efficiency (and effectiveness) of the 7MW.

That said, you can really help your regular workouts with utilizing the gray matter we refer to as our brain - in some cases even quite substantially. Athletes have known about this for years, and they tend to refer to it as mental training.

And if you want to tap into that source of subliminal health and fitness and help push your fitness and workouts even further, then you might learn more about this great topic here:

Just remember, you can't totally rest yourself alone to a toned look - not that I know anyhow :-)

But hey, I'm not a fitness guru, so I'd really appreciate if you could give me some correction if you do in fact manage to think yourself to a six-pack without even getting off the couch. That would be awesome!

Weight watchers only?

One question that crops up on a regular basis is if 7 Minute Workout is simply a program for "these almost obsessed weight watchers".

So, is 7MW simply a program if you want to lose weight? No, it is not. I mean it is that, and so much more... Like here's a statement from a member, a karate instructor in good shape already: "Even as a 68 yr old karate instructor I can still feel the remarkable difference with the 7 minute workout program."

And to use myself as an example. I've been doing martial arts for more than 30 years and have part-owned and run a fitness center, but I have never experienced anything like the simplicity and effectiveness of the 7MinuteWorkout program! And as you can probably guess, dropping weight is not anywhere near a primary goal for me - building strength and increasing fitness is closer to home.

In the members area (and boy what a massive support group you'll find there!) you'll find a host other fitness buffs and experienced folks who have been around the huge fitness/workout block more than once! People who have been personal trainers, body builders, many people experienced in the martial arts like myself, nutrition experts - and many more...

As you will discover, the 7mwo program is perfectly suited if you wan to drop weight - put not only that. Gain muscle? Get fit? Tone your body? Increase strength? learn about proper diet and eating habits? You're good to go :-)