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Warning: Bulking Leads to Less Fab and More Flab

November 7, 2012 by 1 Comment

Here’s the next episode of the UNCENSORED Podcasts Season 2.

Today’s topic: Bulking

What is bulking?

In a nutshell,  bulking occurs when eating at a caloric surplus to gain muscle mass. However, in reality it’s just overeating resulting in fat gain.

Warning Bulking Leads to Less Fab and More Flab

Once you start thinking about bulking, you will realize that anyone who chooses to follow this approach is basically throwing away logic in the name of impatience.

We are naturally impatient so the idea of eating like it’s your job for the sake of gaining more muscle is tempting, especially if you have a low Basal Metabolic Rate, but goes against the reality of how your body really builds muscle.

And today it’s not something that just men fall for, but as lots of women realize that fat loss is not enough and that they also need to build some muscles to look fit, a lot of them also fall for this myth as well.

So why do so many people try to bulk up if it doesn’t work? And why is it still presented as the standard way of building muscle by conventional fitness media?

The answer is quite simple, because this concept is highly profitable to certain companies’ and individuals.  It’s impossible to bulk up by yourself.  You will need a trainer to tell you exactly what to eat and supplements to take… and the rest of the story is self-explanatory.

In today’s episode John Barban and Brad Pilon talk about the conspiracy supporting the concept of bulking.

They will expose the fitness industry and show you that almost everyone is working against you and why it’s important to be aware of the truth if you hope to ever get in shape and build your ideal hourglass body.

In today’s UNCENSORED training, you will also discover:

  • You will find out 3 reasons why there is something we call a “bulking conspiracy” that keeps this myth alive
  • You will understand how the people you meet every day in the gym are making it easy for your to fall for this myth
  • You will get your final answer on whether excess calories help you build more muscle or not (hint: there is a big difference in “make” vs “allow”).
  • You will know what happens to testosterone and growth hormone when you eat a lot of calories and whether it’s different for women
  • You will discover whether you can build muscle while “cutting”?

IMMERSION Clients May Login and Download Podcast Here

Not a Venus Index IMMERSION client? Click here to find out more… and hear a weird story too

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Filed Under: Food, Muscle Growth, Podcast, Uncensored Podcasts S02 Tagged With: , ,

Age Well Into Your Golden Years with the Venus Index

October 17, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Here’s the first part of this month’s UNCENSORED Podcasts Season 2.

Today’s topic: Aging.

This is a follow-up to this month earlier podcast about Silo Science, if you haven’t heard it yet, you can listen to it here: The Truth about Silo Science and Research Misinterpretation You See Online

Everyone ages, but the question is how WELL will YOU age?

Today John Barban and Brad Pilon discuss why Venus Index is the only metric you really need to pay attention throughout your life.

It answers the fundamental questions “How do I know I’m doing okay?“.

You don’t have to worry about healthy foods, cardio or any sort of the conventional stuff and just hoping it will make you healthier and help you live longer.

When we age, most of us experience  a decline in testosterone production. And since testosterone is linked to vitality, it’s something we definitely need to pay attention (and yes this applies to women too, testosterone isn’t just men’s hormone).

Several benefits of testosterone include positive impact on depression, joint health, bone density and it also works as a prevention for certain diseases.

Testosterone plays a key role in our lives, in both men and women. If you have a feeling like your life sucks right now, it can actually be that you have low testosterone, so it might be worth getting it checked and if necessary getting a therapy.

Today we will be discussing how big of a role this hormone plays in your body and how much it affects your day to day life.

We will also talk about how famous research studies’ are often misquoted in fitness media. Lastly, we will answer the question of whether testosterone has to naturally decline or can it be prevented?

After listening to the podcast you will have a clear view of the role testosterone plays in your body, you will have metrics for measuring how well you age and you will also be able to answer these questions:

  • Data from the studies come from a small group of people [yes or no]
  • How well we age is not in fact related to testosterone [yes or no]
  • Leanness and muscle mass in combination is great sign of aging well  [yes or no]
  • Large volume of food at one sitting decreases testosterone  [yes or no]
  • Weight training doesn’t help maintain testosterone levels  [yes or no]
  • There are more things besides training, eating less and maintaining the ideal shape that can help you age well [yes or no]
  • Caring extra fat is just a matter of not looking your best, it’s not dangerous [yes or no]
  • Bulking can work for everyone [yes or no]
  • Testosterone is a healthy thing to inject into your body[yes or no]
  • Anyone can get back in shape [yes or no]
  • Drop in testosterone is directly causing depression and the lack of the youthful feeling [yes or no]

IMMERSION Clients May Login and Download Podcast Here

Not a Venus Index IMMERSION client? Click here to find out more… and hear a weird story too

Filed Under: Podcast, Uncensored Podcasts S02 Tagged With: , ,

The Truth about Silo Science and the Misinterpretation of Research

October 3, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Here’s the first part of this month’s UNCENSORED Podcasts Season 2.

Today’s topic: Silo Science.

What is Silo Science?

Silo science is focusing on one specific area of research without seeing how it affects other areas. In the case of diet and fitness it’s looking too closely at one spot without seeing the bigger picture and how all systems of the body are related. – John Barban

The real science is different from what you hear from media.

Silo science is like doing a research, but with your blinders on.

Why?

Because silo scientists are focusing only at one specific area and ignoring the rest. But as we know, your body functions as a whole system, so looking into what’s going on in one area and ignoring anything else is not very useful for us in real life.

However, this type of research is exactly what’s misused online. It’s gotten to a point where people are now confused about science and the human body.

The truth of the matter is you have to look at the bigger picture, you can’t take only what you like and ignore the rest.  Which is exactly what most the fitness marketers and journalists are doing.

No supplement does just one thing, there’s always more to the story.

Case in point, Ever took a pill and experienced side effects?

Every time you introduce something into your body there is always an equal and opposite reaction.

Most people understand this with drugs, but almost no one considers this possibility with supplements.

Not only do people who use silo science try to make a point about how the body works, they often leverage only the abstract or headlines of some papers to conform the research for their benefit.

You should especially be aware of the perfect answers about hormones you see online nowadays, because most people never bother looking at the whole picture, only the results you desire.

Today we are going to look at the reality of the research and it’s misinterpreted online and in fitness media.

In today’s UNCENSORED training, you will also discover:

  • How the mechanics of a study works and what we look at in the research
  • How the study gets funded and why it matters to you who funds it
  • Why everything you see online should be taken with a grain of salt
  • How many people actually participate in the study (less than you think) and how this affects the results of that study
  • How robust the studies actually are (not as much as the media would have you believe)
  • Anything that has a dose response will or can have side effects
  • The reality of people doing the whole gotcha with science argument and scare mongering you into buying new products that you don’t need
  • How to find out if people quoting studies really understand what they are saying or if they just read the abstract at pubmed

IMMERSION Clients May Login and Download Podcast Here

Not a Venus Index IMMERSION client? Click here to find out more… and hear a weird story too

Filed Under: Podcast, Uncensored Podcasts S02 Tagged With: , ,

When Is the Best Time to Work Out?

September 24, 2012 by 1 Comment

Here’s your new interview with one of the contestants from the 5th Venus Index Transformation Contest.

Today John talks to  Teresa Shaner finished forth in the contest and earned herself a spot on Venus Index Calendar.

Check out her transformation pictures from the 12 Week Contest:

Teresa lost 13lbs and 2 inches off her waist!

While most people chose to submit their transformation pictures at the 20 week contest deadline, Teresa decided to take her pictures after only 12 weeks.

This decision has now motivated  Teresa to push through the full 20 week transformation.  She’s “All-In” and ready to take it to next level!

Prior to  this contest, Teresa had difficulty gaining momentum needed for her to finish a transformation contest.

One obstacle she and several mothers encountered is that once she had done everything for her kids, she had very little energy and time for herself.

However, as we’ve seen before with our previous Venus winners, if you want to take care of other people you need to take care of yourself first.

Teresa wanted to feel  better and live a healthier lifestyle. Having a history of family health issues made her even more determined to start focusing on this. She didn’t want be placed in that risk category as she grew older.

Before she would always try to do the workouts in the evenings, which has a lot of disadvantages.

She made the decision to perform her workouts and cardio in the the morning.

The turning point came one day when she woke up and wasn’t  feeling dizzy. She decided to do her workout early in the day, which was a brand new experience.

When she got home later that day she didn’t have the stress to push herself to do the workout, because she’s already done it.

Working out in the morning is not only beneficial in terms of more energy throughout the day, but it also removes the pressure to do the workout and eliminates the opportunity to skip the training.

The longer you wait to do the workout, the greater your chances are of not going.

After two weeks Teresa realized that working out in the morning was the best thing to do.

Why?

Because the last time she missed a workout was 4 weeks ago, and that way only because she was out the night before.

She thought she would end up with less energy, but the opposite came true.

 

Pick the Smartest Diet Approach for Successful Weight Loss

For the diet we usually don’t give any specific rules, just one rule – you gotta eat less calories than you burn in order to lose fat.

However, there are a few things that can help you with it.

One of those is making smarter choices that have fewer calories – fruits and vegetables. Especially vegetables are very dense and filling and have almost no calories at all and if you are a good cook you can make some tasty meals.

That’s what Teresa did, she chose a diet that consisted mostly of vegetables and lean protein rather than burgers and refined products.

There is really nothing wrong with eating “processed” stuff, but they aren’t volume food, they have a lot of calories and won’t satisfy a lot.

Food Is Just Like Alcohol, It Connects People…

In times past Teresa weighed 118 pounds, then she got married and had her first child.

She started getting away from the health and lean ideal and began to gain a couple of pounds.

She gained 69 pounds after her first child and never lost it all.

She also revealed to us that it was very uncomfortable and that there was a lot of pressure on the back.

After a second child she gained 72 pounds and again, never lost it all.

When she started the VI contest she was already dieting for the past 4 years, but just like she said, she was never truly focused on getting it off, she had some progress and then was stuck at 170 for a really long time.

The contest helped her focus, she had a deadline to shoot for, it’s more serious when you take pictures, and compete. It’s no longer just dieting for the sake of dieting and maybe losing some weight, this is why our contestants are more successful with Venus program and contest than they have ever been before.

Before the contest Teresa understood the concept of calories, but would always give up and was yo-yo dieting for most of her life.

Sadly, this is a recurring theme, without a goal and a deadline it’s just really hard to lose fat and especially if you want to do it as painlessly as possible like our Venuses’.

Also if you are in the community and are listening to the interviews you can learn from the mistakes and experience of other Venuses’.

Teresa admitted that the desire to eat was sometimes really strong, almost like it wasn’t her, almost like she was possessed.

She’s correct… The drive to eat is really strong so it’s hard (but not impossible if you know how) to actively restrict yourself for any length of time, there is a lot so structure that needs to be in place.

It’s important to note that food connects people. Food is involved in almost any type of social gathering or event. It’s part of our culture, part of our lives, and it always will be.

Trying to diet is almost like saying you are going to socially disconnect.

Dieting is already difficult and to socially disconnect from others makes it even harder. This is why Teresa decided to follow the Anything Goes Diet principles and enjoy all the social life.

More tips from Teresa:

  • Get an iPod and create a good music list, it may seem non-important, but music really helps with training, especially if you are not feeling like working out that day
  • I can’t believe I didn’t started before, start now you will regret it if you don’t
  • Morning workouts are awesome, you will have more energy, there won’t be any pressure throughout a day and no one will be bothering you, because everyone will be still sleeping
  • If it was easy everyone would do it, there is no magical formula to it
  • Shift your schedule, do whatever it takes, just make that hour for the workout. If it’s the first thing in the morning you won’t have worry about get putting it done.

Links from the interview:

  • Venus Index Phase 1 and Phase 2 – Original Venus Index workouts
  • Anything Goes Diet – Diet that lets you eat the foods you like
  • Eat Stop Eat – Diet Lifestyle protocol designed to help you to lose fat and regain freedom in your food choices
  • Reverse Taper Diet – Stop with the yo-yo dieting once and for all

Read what Teresa wrote about her experience with Venus Index:

I am a wife of 14½ years to my high school sweetheart and a mother of two active boys ages 10 and 14. At the age of 35, a history of health issues incurred by my mother and siblings made me realize I needed to get… Continue reading here

Listen to the interview here, and please “like” it when you’re done:

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Filed Under: change, Contest, Interview, Podcast, transformation Tagged With: , ,

Eat for “Flavor” & The 6 Step Recovery Method from Orthorexia

September 19, 2012 by 2 Comments

Here’s the second part of this month’s UNCENSORED Podcasts Season 2 on Orthorexia.

Check out the first part here: The Side Effect of Modern Society and Even Scientists Can’t Escape

What we covered in the first part:

  • We’ve talked about how certain foods can completely mess up your personality and social identity
  • You learned why people in the fitness industry feel superiority over you because of their diet choices
  • You discovered why you should bother tracking and testing things related to nutrition and not just training
  • You learned about the connection between people suffering from orthorexia and drug addicts
  • You also discovered what’s really in the root of the search for healthy eating and if that goal is really achievable
  • You learned that orthorexia is a marketing driven eating disorder and that the food and fitness industry are making billions just from people getting fatter every year

Let Go of the Good Food/Bad Food Belief

You need to learn to let go of the good food, bad food belief and dump all the bad food lists. And instead start focusing on the foods that taste good, are filling and make you feel great.

It’s a mind shit and a whole different perception, especially if you have been exposed to the mainstream fitness media for the last couple of decades.

Ask yourself this question: ” What do I like to eat?” And eat exactly that!

A lot of people will be thinking that this statement means you can eat burgers and ice cream all day long. Well, that’s not true. Nobody can do go on a diet like that and that’s a pretty boring lifestyle to have.

There are lots of food choices, if chicken with broccoli and chocolate with ice cream are the only meals you know you are limiting yourself and preventing yourself from tasting some amazing foods that are also rich in nutrients.

Get a variety in your diet and start experimenting with different cuisines. Just ask yourself, what exotic meal you haven’t tried yet?

Believe it or not, there are other foods and meals outside the “healthy” recommended by fitness media and “unhealthy junk food” like chocolate or burgers. There are a lot of other options and they can be very tasty.

Today John Barban and Brad Pilon will show you how to switch  from good/bad thinking into “eating what I really like and what makes me feel good” and “what would be the best and most tasty option for me?“.

If you’ve heard the first podcast and you’ve read so far then you understand what’s the point of it, but you may still be unsure of the whole process, so before you listen to today’s episode where John and Brad discuss this in great detail, let’s look over the steps you can take to recover from Orthorexia and start eating for flavor:

  1. Realize that any health message is a marketing message
  2. Understand that you won’t cheat death, and especially not by choosing different foods
  3. Create new food lists, but assign them different meanings (e.g. rank them by flavor)
  4. Make a list of foods that makes you bloated or that you are allergic to
  5. Evaluate every food on those lists based on how much you enjoy it, how many calories it contains etc.
  6. [you will have to listen to the interview for this one :)]
There is a lot of choice outside the traditional healthy and unhealthy lists AKA good foods/bad foods. European and Asian cuisines are very rich in different flavors and tastes, just start experimenting. Today we are going to give you the permission to do that and explain you why it’s beneficial and how to go about it.
Filed Under: Diet, fat loss, Food, Health, Podcast, psychology, Uncensored Podcasts S02 Tagged With: , ,

Can There Be a Simple Way to Lose 100 Pounds?

September 17, 2012 by 2 Comments

Here’s your new interview with one of the contestants from the 5th Venus Index Transformation Contest.

Today John talks to  Suzy Johnston who finished third in the contest and earned herself a spot on Venus Index Calendar.

Check out her transformation pictures from the 12 Week Contest:

Suzy’s results from the mid-term contest.

What’s even more amazing is Suzy’s overall transformation with Venus Index.

Check out her whole progress pictures here:

Suzy’s whole progress.

Suzy started at 240 pounds (she is 5’7”) and gradually over 16 months she lost exactly 100 pounds.

Very impressive results!

It’s always interesting to hear where it all started, what was the trigger point for gaining weight, because truth to be told no one is born overweight, there is always something external that trigger’s overeating and thus weight gain.

For Suzy it was moving away from her sister. No one was looking over her shoulder, she could eat fast food all the time and binge on it whenever she wanted.

Some days, it got really bad.

One day Suzy decided to buy a scale and was in shock once she saw that she weighed 240 pounds. This was a turning point for her and she made the DECISION TO CHANGE.

She began educating herself about fitness and searched online for weight-loss solutions.

However, she had trouble finding the truth.  It was hard to distinguish who was right and who was wrong, everybody seemed to contradict one another.

Nevertheless, Suzy decided to keep it simple. She started running, lifting weights and eating less.

She found success in her approach for weight loss but was completely blown when away she discovered the Venus Index and the concept of  “body metrics.”

It was at this point Suzy realized that it’s more important to focus on her “ideal” Venus metrics rather than her weight.

 

Losing Weight Is an Incomplete Goal

Is just losing the weight the ultimate goal?

You need to think about where you want to be and what you are going to do once you achieve your desired goal.

You will always need some kind of goal to keep pushing you forward, otherwise you will stagnate with your progress or even worse, revert back to your old self – this is what’s called yo-yo dieting.

So what is your goal? What will you do once you cross the finish line?

Sad yet true, most people who lose weight can’t keep it off, they go back to their old self and gain it all back.

Figure out your goals in advance and you won’t lose momentum.

 

Expect People’s Negative Reactions and Keep It to Yourself

Be aware that some people treat nutrition as if it were a religion, so it’s better to add this topic to your “do not discuss” list.

Some people will label their fitness approach, believe it to be the  “best and only” way and then identify themselves with it – e.g. Paleo people.

Not only do they think they know better, but they also don’t believe that it’s possible for it to be simple and done without suffering.

They will argue with you that it’s very complex, and you have to forego  eating foods you like.

However, once you get in shape and are the road to improvement they will try to stop you.

Now  they will question why you want to lose more fat and accuse you of being obsessive-compulsive.

Save yourself the hassle and choose wisely who you share your fitness goals with.  Many Venus Lifestyle  followers choose this “undercover” approach.

Suzy finally achieved a healthy body weight and is happy with the amazing progress she has made. For her, it’s just further improvement and she’s already taking it to the next level. What about you?

Links from the interview:

  • Eat Stop Eat – Diet Lifestyle protocol designed to help you to lose fat and regain freedom in your food choices
  • Original Venus Index Workout – Workout program for women that’s responsible for the most amazing transformations online
  • Venus Index Community – Friendliest and most supportive women’s only fitness community on the Internet

Advice from Suzy to someone who has 100 pounds to go:

  • Don’t wait, I wish I would have started earlier (and started with Venus Index earlier as well)
  • It can be simple, if you make it that way
  • Figure out how many calories you need and go from there
  • For some girls in the forum, it will take more patience  because you have farther to go, so prepare yourself for that
  • Better late than never, the time to start is right now

Read what Suzy wrote about her experience with Venus Index:

In May 2011, I looked down at my newly-purchased scale and saw a frightening number staring back at me: 240 lbs. I had been a yo-yo dieter since high school, with many more ups than downs on the scale, but the shock that number sent through my system was the impetus I needed to commit to working towards being the best me that I can possibly be. I took the…Continue reading here

Listen to the interview here, and please “like” it when you’re done:

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Filed Under: change, Contest, Interview, Podcast, transformation Tagged With: , ,

Say NO to Yo-Yo Diets and Dump Fat Clothes For Good

September 10, 2012 by 2 Comments

Here’s your new interview with one of the contestants from the 5th Venus Index Transformation Contest.

Today John talks to Liss Graham who finished second in the contest and earned herself a spot on Venus Index Calendar.

Check out her transformation pictures from the 12 Week Contest:

Say “no” to yo-yo diets with the Venus Index.

When Liss pulled out the pictures on her PC she couldn’t believe this was really her and her husband had a pretty similar reaction.

The Day-to-day changes are almost unnoticeable and when you look at yourself in the mirror you usually see only the flaws.

When looking at the pictures though you can be more objective and if you have both before and after photos than you can truly see your progress not the skewed version in a mirror.

…And don’t worry about getting good pictures.

Liss took some advice from her friend Alisha (previous VI winner) from the VI community about taking pictures and setting up lights.

She went through a couple magazines, pinned a couple pictures, set up a mirror, her sister in law helped her with the lighting and taking pictures. Then she got babysitting for the evening, took a couple pictures for each pose and that was it, nothing complicated.

Here is one more picture from the shoot:

Liss, one of the recent Venus winners.

Liss always felt like a giant kid. She told us that compared to other girls she wasn’t that tiny and cute like others, she was big and a bit overweight for her age. She didn’t feel pretty.

In her freshmen year she weighed 140 pounds.

She started playing tennis and lifting weights, but throughout the years her weight often fluctuated up and down, which was quite exhausting.

She would work hard  to lose the weight, only to relapse and gain it right back.

She was a victim of what’s called the “yo-yo diet”.

It was because her diet was very low in calories and highly restrictive – high protein, low carb and only certain food.

This type of diet wasn’t sustainable so she would fall off here and there often resulting in binging.

It All Starts with the Decision to Get Better

Liss decided to make a change.

She began first by researching how much celebrities weigh;  she looked up Julia Roberts and a few others.

It was here when she realized that while those women are lean and in shape it’s not what you would call the “ideal” shape for women.  Nevertheless,  she began searching for more of a  “fitness look“.

This search is what ultimately lead her to the Venus Index.

VI offered her a set of metrics, a goal to shoot for–an  ideal shape, all while being able to measure the progress without having to do a fancy DEXA analysis every month just to know if she was on track.

Beyond a shadow of a doubt Liss was happy to have found Venus Index!

She could go to all the social eating events, throw away the “fat clothes” and put an end to the crappy approach of yo-yo dieting.

If she didn’t feel like working out, her kids would constantly ask her if she was going to the gym or her friends would text her asking where she is – her accountability to fitness was at the highest it had ever been, which set her up for success.

Having these systems in place, a proven workout program, and help from the VI community she was destined to succeed and she did, just scroll back up and look at the pictures.

Now, if you wanna hear more about her journey, psychological barriers she had to overcome, what worked for her and what didn’t, just scroll down to the bottom of the page and hit the play button to listen to the interview.

Tips from Liss:

  • Track your strength and try to improve every time you hit the gym, even if it’s just for one more rep
  • Don’t argue with people about it, if they wanna know what you are doing
  • I post every little chart, weight, and measurements on my blog in the community
  • When you finally get fit everything becomes so much easier 
  • Avoid destructive behavior patterns, one thing leads into other – couch potato, bad food, no workout, no results
  • Remember to encourage yourself, embrace the support from those you trust
  • Before this contest I chose to set weight goals and I focused on things I could control – how many workouts, how many calories a week
  • You can’t control the rate you lose weight at
  • The body changes slower than the mind, patience is important – The good things come to those who wait
  • Listen to every VI (if possible AI) podcast in the archive for example when driving to work or whatever and make notes and try every advice

Read what Liss wrote about her experience with Venus Index:

7 short months ago, I was sick of rebounding again after all the effort I had put into losing weight, AGAIN, in 2011. You see, in January of 2011, I was at one of my highest weights in my life, 185. I worked really hard to diet and work out through…Continue reading here

Listen to the interview here, and please “like” it when you’re done:

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Filed Under: change, Contest, Interview, Podcast, transformation Tagged With: , , ,

The Side Effect of Modern Society and Even Scientists Can’t Escape

September 5, 2012 by 1 Comment

Here’s the first part of this month’s UNCENSORED Podcasts Season 2.

This month’s topic: Orthorexia.

What is orthorexia?

Orthorexia comes from obsession with avoiding foods that are perceived to be unhealthy. In the academic field it’s believed to be a mental disorder. This disorder can lead to severe malnutrition or even in some rare cases death.

Orthorexics usually have low self-esteem, because they blame themselves rather than their diets for their constant hunger and the resulting cravings for foods they’ve labeled as forbidden.

It’s a pretty serious topic, and if you follow any of the dietary advice from conventional fitness media you may very well develop this disorder yourself.

The moment you label something as forbidden, you are f*cked, because sooner or later you will break and overeat on it.

It’s quite a contradiction when you think about it, because orthorexia in it’s essence is an unhealthy obsession over healthy food.

So instead of restricting calories, orthorexics restrict food choices that they or a perceived authority labeled as bad and unhealthy.

The whole idea of Anything Goes Diet that we preach here at Adonis Index is that you can have whatever you want.

Some people misunderstand this statement and think you can fast food 24/7.

They are missing the point.

The idea is not to eat everything you can, the idea is that if you can limit the amount to fit in your caloric plan, then you can fill it with some things that are higher in fat, sugar and salt e.g. ice cream, burger, pizza and donuts.

With this mindset you will not fall victim to labeling certain foods as bad or unhealthy and won’t develop orthorexia.

Why People Want to Eat Healthy?

The whole issue around orthorexia is that it happens in a very specific environment, in an environment that you are most likely part off.

How come that I’m so sure you are part of that environment? Well, if you weren’t you couldn’t be reading this article, because you couldn’t afford a computer or iPad.

Orthorexia is an issue that appears in modern societies where there’s an abundance of food.

There seems to be a big contrast in the food availability.

It’s pretty hard to find a country where there is  not enough food for everyone to have a balanced diet.  In most cases, people are starving  or they have an over-abundance of food (i.e. 3rd world countries vs. Europe and US).

The abundance of food coupled with our  highly modernized society influences people to live a healthier lifestyle.

Of course there is nothing wrong with that, it’s just that human nature  tends to want to take things to an extreme level.

Which raises a few questions:

What do we want to achieve with our lifestyle?

Why do we search for better choices in our lives when we can buy everything we desire?

Let’s kick off this month of uncensored with a very fundamental question.

Why do you want to eat healthy?

Just STOP and  think about it.

The answer is not simply, because you want to be healthy.

There is more to it.

Do you want to live longer?

Do you want more fulfilling life?

Do you want to be healthy so you can see your grandchildren?

What’s the reason for you to search for better options in your life? And that can ultimately lead you to developing disorders like orthorexia?

In today’s UNCENSORED training, you will also discover:

  • How a simple thing like food that has nothing to do with us and in any way was meant to define your personality, can screw you up
  • Why certain people (yes the ones in this industry) feel superiority over you, because of their diet choices
  • Why do you feel ashamed about your diet choice and what leads self-punishment and guild with your food
  • What’s in the root of people’s search for better food choices and why nutrition will never be an answer to “cheating death”
  • The truth about how people make their food preferences, it it because they want to eat those foods or because some dietitians put importance on certain items?
  • Discovering whether you function on logic or emotional belief system
  • Why tracking and testing your results matters
  • How to stop letting food destroy your relationships
  • How orthorexia is same as drugs

IMMERSION Clients May Login and Download Podcast Here

Not a Venus Index IMMERSION client? Click here to find out more… and hear a weird story too

Filed Under: Food, Podcast, Uncensored Podcasts S02 Tagged With: , , ,

From Fragile to Venus

September 3, 2012 by 3 Comments

Here’s your new interview with one of the contestants from the 5th Venus Index Transformation Contest.

Today John talks to April who finished first in the contest and earned herself a spot on Venus Index Calendar.

Check out her transformation pictures from the 12 Week Contest:

Amazing transformation in just 12 weeks, what do you think?

Here’s some good news.

You can change the way you look. No matter what others are saying, no matter if they tell you it’s stupid, pointless or call you names.

You really can and it’s the best way to increase your happiness and self-esteem.

Today you will get a chance to listen to something pretty deep. April opens herself up and reveals some secrets about how she was being treated when she was younger, how she felt about it, how it affected her confidence and ultimately lead her to join the army, yes the army!

April was always told that she had no butt and was always bit self-conscious about that area of her body.

For example she would not take back shots, ever, even when taking after photos for the contest she was refusing to take the back shot. Familiar feeling?

It’s really hard to get over your insecurities, especially when other people keep talking you down, in this case it was April’s sister who was commenting on how flat her butt looks. Sometimes family members can be the worst enemies on your path to success. If they are not, good for you.

Start Talking to Your Muscles (For Real)

No, we haven’t gotten crazy (yet), you should really start talking to your muscles, or at least begin focusing on feeling them and activating them in the right way.

The best way to build great butt is to do all those lunges and step ups you see in the Venus Index workouts (don’t you dare skip those!).

However here is something new, your body will activate the muscles it finds are most efficient to perform the movement, for example squat can be done in different muscle patterns – you have to put your mind into, otherwise your body will default to what’s most efficient – for most people it’s their quads and not hamstrings and butt. In simple terms, if you want certain area of your body to improve, you need to train in a way your body understands.

Most people are just throwing up weights, not really training and forcing the body to work properly during the movement.

A good idea as John likes to say is to start thinking from the muscle rather than from the weight. Guys have a big issue with this, simply because their ego is preventing them from using the lighter weights they should be training with.

Women usually tend to have an opposite issue – lifting too light. So once you correct that and start using more challenging weights, you have to learn the other side of the coin which is muscle activation.

The better you are able activate your muscles results in more contractions towards the area targeted for muscle growth.

A popular way to activate your muscles is by looking in the mirror while you are working out.

Yep, they aren’t there just for vanity and ego, you don’t have to be scared of looking into them, use them to your advantage. Even more, there is actually research that suggests you will develop more the muscles you can see – this is why it’s harder to work on the muscle groups you can’t see like muscles on your back.

This Industry Can Really Mess You Up If You Aren’t Careful

April experienced this at first hand.

In the interview she talks a lot about her past and how it made her very self-conscious about her looks, she discusses how she improved her training by focusing more on the mind-muscle connection, but also reveals her story of how she tried pretty much every approach there is in the fitness industry.

She tried bootcamps, running and marathons, various personal trainers, cardio and so on.

Nothing worked.

Until the Venus Index and it’s diet protocols.

To hear the full story of how she came around finding VI and why she decided to stick to it, scroll down and listen to the interview.

Tips from April:

  • Working out smarter is better than working out longer
  • Don’t be afraid of looking at yourself in a mirror
  • Make sure you are “communicating” with your muscles
  • Get your mind right, the body will follow
  • Don’t kill yourself in a gym
  • Treating fitness like a job is a fail

Links from the interview:

  • Anything Goes Diet – Diet that lets you eat your favorite food
  • Eat Stop Eat – Flexible lifestyle protocol based around the idea of intermittent fasting

Read April’s experience with Venus Index in her own words:

Most likely to be successful. Best dressed. Prettiest. Those were the categories the senior class of 1994 was voting on. I was none of these. Continue reading here

If you want to hear how April originally didn’t trust us and wanted to prove us wrong by getting into the contest, listen to the interview here, and please “like” it when you’re done:

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Filed Under: change, Contest, Interview, Podcast, transformation Tagged With: , ,

What Supplements Should You Take to Help You Achieve Your Health & Fitness Goals?

August 15, 2012 by 1 Comment

Here’s the second part of this month’s UNCENSORED Podcasts Season 2.

The topic?

Supplements.

Here’s what you discovered in the first part (link to the 1st part here):

  • What a supplement is, how the industry got started, and what it has evolved into
  • What is the definition of supplements in various countries and why it matters
  • How important supplements are
  • What’s the lifecycle of a supplement product
  • How the process of putting new supplements on the market works
  • How come government regulators have no control of what’s on the market
  • What ingredients are added into supplements are useless and serve just as marketing

“Will These Supplements Help Me?”

Often times guys on the Internet and in our community ask us “What supplements should I take?” or “Will this supplement help me?”.

Should you take those? Are they worth the money? How will you track the results? Or will you just go by the “feeling”?

The issue is that it’s impossible to answer those type of questions.

If you want an accurate answer that can actually help you (not the generic crap found on the web) with your fitness goals, you need to get clear on what is it you really want and what do you expect out of the supplements.

Another thing that will determine what supplements to use and how much of it we will recommend you taking is your budget, how much money can you spend on supplements? 50 bucks? Or 1000 bucks? That’s a pretty big difference. Somebody who is a sponsored athlete or works in a supplement lab will have different options than a college student.

For example a question “Will this product give me the body I want?”or “Can this product do what I want it to do?” is way better and gets to the point of what you really expect from it.

But even those two questions aren’t perfect, when you start thinking about it, you’ll soon find out that it’s not that easy to figure out the right question (after you listen to the podcast, try to come up with a good one and share it in the community so others can comment on it).

This is just one way of looking at it, another way would be to take a different approach and actually set your goals first and then try to match the right product to that desired outcome.

However, in this case you will find a pretty nasty barrier.

And that’s the fact that supplements contain a lot of ingredient that will have absolutely zero effect on your body.

When you look into each product you will see a bunch of stuff you have never heard about, but almost always there will be one big ingredient that’s usually responsible for all the results. In many cases it will be creatine, or caffeine, depends on the supplement.

Why is that?

Well, the top selling supplements are exactly the same as ten years ago and they will most likely be same as the best selling supplements ten years from now.

There is just a couple of items that are packaged in a thousand different ways.

The product isn’t what’s different, they are roughly the same, it’s the marketing around it that makes all the difference.

Supplement companies fight a difficult challenge and that’s pointing out the ingredient.

Nobody gets excited about plain Creatine monohydrate anymore, simply because it’s been around a while. So, they have to sell some “enhanced version” of creatine to pump up the sales.

It has nothing to do with finding some new amazing and proven ingredient that nobody has ever heard about and adding it to the current product, it’s just a simple desire to sell more products.

Today John Barban and Brad Pilon will reveal more information about the supplement industry and also coach you on how to ask the right question and how to find supplements that will help you with:

a) Building Muscle

b) Losing Fat

c) Improving Health

d) Boosting Energy

In today’s UNCENSORED training, you will also discover:
  • How to approach weight loss supplements and what do they really help with (hint: they are not burning your belly fat)
  • What are the realistic expectations for using the supplements that are on the market
  • What supplements companies are should be trustworthy (bigger or smaller? Why??)
  • How the Natural Standards Database (you have access to it in the immersion account through cockpit) can help you pick supplements
  • Step by step how to intelligently choose and test supplements
  • What side effects really are and how it applies to you when you take supplements (or drugs)
  • Pilon’s sneaky techniques he used to sell supplements in the past

IMMERSION Clients May Login and Download Podcast Here

Not a Venus Index IMMERSION client? Click here to find out more… and hear a weird story too

Filed Under: Podcast, Supplements, Uncensored Podcasts S02 Tagged With: , , , , ,
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