May this New Year Bless you with:
LOVE.
HEALTH.
PROSPERITY.
PEACE.
and HAPPINESS!!!
Be safe tonight everyone!

It is never too late to be what you might have been. - George Eliot
Fitness Motivation:
New Years Eve.

Time to pull out the New Year’s Resolution.
And if you are 99% of Americans who commit to weight loss…
Then THIS is the motivation you need.
It is NEVER too late to be what you could’ve been.
It is never too […]

Attribution: Patrick Q

In line with every other fitness expert, guru and fanatic… I felt instead of telling you what to get ready for in 2009 or the usual party lines of…

“Come on guys and gals, this is the time.  No excuses!  It’s now or never!”

You’ve already seen that and heard it.  I’m going to just give you a run down of what I see happening in 2009.

• 1 ab physical product will be sold in an As Seen in TV.  Bloggers will pick up on the story and immediately tell you how you don’t need it but you do need a $47+ ebook program complete with DVDs
• Two new diets will come out.  They will be twists on the same old things as every diet is… but they will have cooler cover, fancier names and big promos pushing them.  If you watch Oprah, you know exactly what I mean.
• 2009 will be the year of Back to the Basics.  Because 2008 was a twist on so many advanced concepts, functional strength, Bosu balls, free weights and such… 2009 is going to be a slew of preaching about lifting heavy weight, sticking to the basics and not wasting time with all those other programs.  The same ones being promoted to you in 2008 mind you.
• Americans will spend a bit less on fitness related stuff opting to see if they can use what they already have but International sales will go up as the US dollar continues to lose value.  I’m getting more and more questions and comments from foreign fitness people than ever before.
• At least 3 major fitness blogs will post a list of the Top X exercises to avoid.  I’ve already seen Men’s Health and Fitness jump on this one in their Rodale series of books for 2009.  A list of exercises you should avoid at all costs.  It’s got new ones from my 2008 edition.  By 2012, it will only be safe to walk, do strict pull-ups and push-ups. Every machine will be banned and every free weight exercise will be somehow dangerous to your spine and gyms will toss you out for doing them.
• Ebooks are old school.  Now it will be MP3 downloads to accompany the ebooks along with cheaply made DVDs of YouTube videos showing you somebody workout.  Translation?  You’ll be paying for free stuff.
• Everybody (including me) will have a fitness membership site.  Some will be top notch and updated on a regular basis with high quality content.  Others will be a way to collect a monthly fee for nearly worthless drivel or a collection of free articles you can find anywhere on the web.
• 2009 prices will be higher than 2008.  Almost everybody will be raising their prices even though it’s essentially the same information.  Some things will be worth it.  Others won’t.  Be sure to pay attention to money back guarantees.
• ClickBank will be the top re-seller of any online fitness stuff.  They are a very good company with a stellar reputation.  Money back guarantees are a given and they always honor them.  As the consumer, it’s very difficult to be screwed over by them.
• There will be LESS gyms and MORE fitness conscious people.  The January effect which typically makes your gym more crowded for a month or two will continue longer as there’s just less gym options.  Corporate Real Estate is expensive and cash is limited.  Making opening more gyms less likely as some major chains file for bankruptcy… again.
• People will shy away from long sales pages about a product and be more open to Facebook, Twitter, Podcasts and other methods of learning about the fitness expert they follow.  You can hire a copywriter to write your sales pages and e-mails.  But it’s much harder to hide your true personality in a Web 2.0 world.
• More of the same.  Whatever worked in 2008 for Six Pack Abs will still work in 2009.  If you have the tools from last year, then save some $$$ and break out the ebooks and vow to read them.  Follow them.  Get them printed if it makes it easier to read.  If this is the first year for you, then 2009 will be awesome as there’s lots of products to choose from that will fit your lifestyle and goals.
• Tom Venuto’s The Body Fat Solution will be a success because it teaches principles and doesn’t use a topical gimmick or current fad or some latest discovery.

Let’s not get too carried away with peering into the Crystal Ball for 2009.  It’s going to be slightly different in some aspects but overall, more of the same.  More ways to distract you from your goals and several more ways to overload you with so much information that ultimately you will be as confused or more confused than when you started.

It’s all good.  Keep training and train harder in 2009 than you did in 2008 and the changes you want will come by default.

Remember:

1. Consistency
2. Dedication
3. Determination

That’s about the only secret to getting the body of your dreams.  Hard work applied consistently over a period of years and your friends will be asking you how you did it soon enough.

Here’s wishing you a better 2009 than 2008.

Sincerely,

Marc C. David
The NoBull Muscle Guy
www.nobullbodybuilding.com

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See You in 25 Bob

Smiling Bob Gets a 25 Year Jail Sentence

While I’m not a fan of lying, cheating or scamming in any way when it comes to supplements, I’m always intrigued that the playing field isn’t level.

It’s perfectly fine to make up some new Creatine molecule structure (CE3)or tell people they can gain 20 lbs of solid muscle in 4 weeks using this product.  Or maybe that a new weight loss supplement taps into your body and burns fat without changing your diet or increasing exercise.

In a nutshell…

Message here is that it’s bad enough if you lie about your products potential for weight loss or muscle building, but don’t you dare lie about improving sex life!

Regards,

Marc C. David

P.S. - If you’ve been wondering where I’ve been the last few months, I can assure you I’m alive and well.  There’s a new NoBull Bodybuilding membership site in the works!

P.S.S. - Until the economy improves (significantly) there will be no extra charges for the membership site.  It will be part of the NoBull Bodybuilding System.

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According to a new survey conducted by Ipsos-Public Affairs for the Council for Responsible Nutrition, a full 51 percent of supplement users indicated that the economy will likely not change their supplement-purchasing habits.

Survey results also showed that of the 51 percent who don’t plan on cutting back their supplement routine, 13 percent of dietary supplement consumers went further to say that supplements are “an essential part of my wellness regimen, and I cannot do without them.”

“It’s encouraging to see that, despite the current economic climate, such a large percentage of adults are continuing to invest in their health by including dietary supplements as a part of their wellness regimen,” said Judy Blatman, senior vice president, communications, CRN. “Engaging in preventative health measures today, such as incorporating supplements into a healthy lifestyle, may help avoid potential healthcare costs down the road.”

What Other Supplement Users Will Do:

• 30% said while they will continue to use, purchase price will become a more important factor.
• 13% said if the downturn continues, they will continue to purchase but less in the future.
• 6% said supplement usage is a luxury and can do without them in economic hardships.

Question: What Will YOU Do?

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Question: I recently decided to start to train to for a Triathlon for 2011-2012 and in addition I would like to begin a cutting regiment to tone my body. Can you share any tips or training regiments that can help me to reach my goal?

Michael Gruen

Answer:

See the podcast link below.

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Photo Credit: Mandj98

There’s so much attention on the “obesity epidemic” from the media and fitness gurus.  In fact, Halloween is fast approaching along with Thanksgiving so be prepared for the bombardment of what you should eat and stay on track e-mails.  Then January comes around and we know everybody will be jumping up to tell you this is the year to lose those pounds.

Why lose the pounds?  Two reasons they say…

Reason #1: You want to be healthy and live longer right and be less at risk or disease associated with being overweight.

Reason #2: Improved quality of life.

While it’s harder to argue point #2, there is a debate about being just a little overweight.  Does carrying a few extra pounds really put your health at risk?

The Great Weight Debate

Prevention magazine took a look at the great weight debate, specifically obese versus being overweight and if it’s something you need to worry about.  According to the article, many experts disagree on the dangers associated with excess weight, especially in cases where an overweight individual is considered to be healthy on all accounts.  Many studies in regards to disease and overweight have been done on those who are obese and may not apply the same way to those carrying a few extra pounds or just classified as overweight.

As part of the fact finding, the Prevention article cites a report released by the CDC (Centers for Disease Control) and the National Cancer Institute that analyzed the death records of 37,000 adults.

What did the death records show?

Overweight people had no greater risk of dying from cancer or heart disease than normal-weight people!

As you would assume, the report did find a great risk for the individuals classified as obese.  The report even went so far as to suggest that being overweight may protect you against some other diseases.  Critics quickly responded that the study failed to consider quality-of-life issues caused by excess pounds and didn’t appropriately control for unhealthy habits like smoking, which can keep people lean but undeniably raise cancer risk. Still, it added fuel to the ongoing debate of whether losing weight is absolutely necessary to reduce disease risk if you’re not obese.

While one study and one magazine article does not change the fact that striving to be fit is the goal, you have to wonder if the pressure of losing those few extra pounds to become safer from disease is really going to make a difference?  At least in terms of your health.  Granted, the quality of life issues play a role but if both people are fit and one has 15 extra pounds, it may not be such a black and white issue to say the individual who is slightly overweight is at great risk.  That may not be true.

I for one am not debating that weight loss can be one part of an overall disease prevention plan. But is it the most essential first step?

There are several other risk factors that may be more important that simply what the scale says.  Including but not limited to:

• Family history
• Waist measurement
• Fitness levels
• Cholesterol and inflammation

Personally, from the people I have talked to, the quality of life factors make the choice to shed a few pounds very important.  If it’s not for reducing the risk of disease, the lessened joint pain, the increase mobility and the feeling good about yourself are priceless value-adds of exercise.

Maybe you won’t be at any more risk than your fit friend in terms of disease and maybe you’ll even get some added protection?  But nobody can really argue the quality of life that comes from being healthy and active are more than enough reasons to try and improve your overall fitness and shed those extra pounds anyway.

Prevention article

CDC/NCI study abstract

Marc David
“The NoBull Muscle Guy”
www.nobullbodybuilding.com

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Who Would You Hire?

If you could only pick one or the other, which person would you choose to reach your stated goals?

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post’s poll.

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Most people I know are freaked out by the latest rounds of economic news.  Our current situation has been labeled as the next Great Depression, the lame-stream media gets more hyped up by the second, and it seems that on any street corner, you’ll unavoidable hear a conversion between two or more people who are frozen with fear like Chicken Little in the Sky is Falling.

There is no denying that the economic crisis creates real world problems both financially and mentally for a massive number of people.  So what’s my role?

I’ve put myself forward as a fitness authority, so how am I going to live up to that challenge?  I eat a lot of food myself, especially when I am trying to gain weight.  Food isn’t cheap!  And it’s getting more expensive by the month.

Here’s just three ways cut your grocery bill and still eat high-quality, fat-burning foods.

1.  Take a List and Follow It

Never shop without a list.  Dieticians estimate that 40 percent of supermarket purchases are made on impulse.  According to best selling food author and NYU professor Marion Nestle, 70 percent of shoppers bring lists into the supermarket, but only about 10 percent stick to them.  Developing a standard list of foods to replenish weekly will save you money by avoiding purchasing an excess of food that might spoil and go to waste. It will also help you avoid impulse purchases of foods you didn’t need. By the way, planning your shopping can also help you avoid unnecessary trips to the store, which saves you time as well as gas money!

2.  Don’t Write Off The High End Stores

I love my local Safeway and Costco. They have bulk items and their deals are super. However, Whole Foods (Whole PayCheck as I often call it), sometimes has deals on particular items that are even cheaper than the discounts at the bigger chain stores. Don’t loyally stick to a single store and ignore the potential savings that might be happening at other stores in your area.

3.  Free Grocery Store Coupon Sites

These are some of the most popular coupon sites I’ve found. Unlike other frustrating sites that ask for an e-mail address and then spam you to death, these websites give you printable coupons with great deals, without all the excessive email. Suggestion: use a secondary email address to keep your main email safe, just in case.

•    Coupons.com
Enter your zip code and find printable coupons for your area.
•    CoolSavings.com
Offering food coupons for online and brick & mortar shopping.
•    SmartSource Savings Network (www.coupons.smartsource.com)
Comprised of leading grocery and retail chains, newspapers, lifestyle websites, interactive companies and others bringing online savings to you. Printable coupons available.
•    Upons (www.upons.com)
Offering free grocery coupons, special promotions and product samples. Local coupons available.

At the end of the day, the question of whether or not you can afford to eat healthy. What matters is that you have an opportunity to eat healthy and save some money.  Just grabbing what seems like a good deal or healthy foods is not going to work anymore.  It never really did.  Spending just a few minutes planning and taking a list will immediately garnish you some fantastic cost savings.

If you liked this, you’ll love the 10 page, 2 part series that I wrote exclusively for the Burn the Fat Inner Circle

Apparently you can have an entire month to test drive Tom Venuto’s Burn The Fat Inner Circle website for only $1.00…

Marc David
“The NoBull Muscle Guy”
www.nobullbodybuilding.com

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After being on the New York Best Sellers list for quite some time and hundreds of scathing reviews about the

Now Nobody Will Have to Know Again

book on Amazon.com, Kevin Trudeau has been banned from infomercials and ordered to pay $5million in fines from the profits of his book, “The Weight Loss Cure ‘They’ Don’t Want You to Know About.”

In August, Judge Robert W. Gettleman of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois stood by his conclusion in 2007 that Trudeau “clearly, and no doubt intentionally,” violated a provision of a 2004 stipulated court order that prohibits Trudeau from misrepresenting the content of books in his infomercials. The judge stated that “the Infomercial[s] falsely and intentionally led thousands (probably hundreds of thousands) of consumers to believe that the Weight Loss Book would describe an ‘easy,’ ’simple’ protocol that, once ‘finished’ would allow the consumer to ‘eat anything’ he or she wants.”

Contrary to Kevin Trudeau’s claims, the judge found the following statements in the infomercials and book to be false.

• the diet protocol could not be done “easily” and “at home,” because the protocol described in Trudeau’s book requires colonics, which must be done at the office of a licensed practitioner, as well as injection of human growth hormone;
• dieters could not “complete” or “finish” Trudeau’s four-phase program, because Trudeau’s book states that “Phase 4 is for the rest of your life”;
• dieters could not eat “anything” they want, because Trudeau’s book prescribes that dieters following Phase 4 must eat “only 100% organic food,” and no “brand name” food, “fast food,” or “food served by regional or national chain restaurants”; and
• the diet protocol did not require “no exercise,” because Trudeau’s book states that three of the diet’s four phases, including Phase 4, require walking one hour outside every day.

If you think this is a RECENT event, think again.

The FTC filed its first lawsuit against Trudeau in 1998, charging him with making false and misleading claims in infomercials for products he claimed could cause significant weight loss and cure addictions to heroin, alcohol, and cigarettes, and enable users to achieve a photographic memory.

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