On Fitness.

Personal Fitness is something I find very important. Now, let me begin this passage by informing you that I am not in any way a "model" of human perfection. I'm not ripped like an Abercrombie model, nor am I as jacked as Ronnie Coleman. I can't swim like Phelps or ride like Theo Boss. I'm a normal guy who treats my health as a part of my life, not someone who's life is devoted to health. That being said, I have thought a long time about posting on Fitness, as it is a topic most people will only take advise on if it comes from someone in better shape then they are, which to some of my readers, I may not be. Regardless though, I want to use this free internet forum to tell you some facts about being healthy/ controlling unwanted weight(fat).

Lets start with the biggest myth of all.
"Running is the best way to lose weight and build lean muscle."
That statement makes many people every year go out and buy all the apparel, the Ipod strap, the sweatband, and and perhaps an old copy of "The Art of Running" (which inspired the Jogging boom of the 1980's.. but thats another story). This school of thought is much like Christianity in America. A lot of people claim it, some really believe it, and even less really look into what it means.
So lets clear the air on Running right now, and remember I am an avid runner, so this is not a "bashing" but merely a voicing of truth.
Running is NOT the best, or for that matter even a "good" way to burn unwanted body fat. Why, you ask? Sure- while running you are burning more calories than while not running. Perhaps you will break down a little bit of your calves, hamstrings, quads, and if your form is right even give your tummy a little burn- BUT- once you STOP running, if you havent REALLY broken down any muscular tissue, you STOP burning calories. This is why many people will jog two or three miles a week and see no results. (Now of course this "no" refers to in the mirror.. D&S will always support healthy lifestyle choices, and running DOES of course strengthen the heart and lungs, as well as helping detoxify the body, but we're talking fat burning, muscle building here.. and running has no place.)
"So.." you ask, "what do I do instead?"
WEIGHT TRAIN.
If your male, female, old, or young, you can weight train. The reasoning behind this is simple. If you break down a muscle via weight training, it takes energy (Calories) to rebuild. Therefor, if you spend 30 minutes in the gym, breaking down muscle, you don't burn calories for 30 minutes, you burn calories for 30 minutes + the time it take for that muscle to "re-grow". Also, when your body has more muscle mass it will "feed" those muscles, thus keeping you lean, as opposed to your average runner whos muscle mass is less.
I feel I've made this point clear and will now move on.
What else are you being lied to about? Well, if youre like most "healthy" Americans, you probably have heard the red meat is "bad" for you.
FALSE.
Beef is one of the BEST foods you can eat. Period. No Ifs Ands or Buts about it.
Now, perhaps you think that Beef is too high in fat to be healthy, a logical idea at face value, but lets examine. Almost half of the fat in beef is a monounsaturated fat called oleic acid—the same heart-healthy fat that's found in olive oil. Most of the saturated fat in beef actually decreases your heart-disease risk—either by lowering LDL (bad) cholesterol, or by reducing your ratio of total cholesterol to HDL (good) cholesterol. And besides being one of the most available sources of high-quality Protein, beef also provides many important nutrients such as iron, zinc, and B vitamins. Also if you are trying to gain muscle, you should be happy to know that beef is one of the few things you can eat from nature with Creatine. Beef- Its Whats for Dinner.

So in summary kids- always do your own investigating. Coconut has as much fat as Butter, but it fights LDL Cholesterol and feeds your brain. Drink water. Dont eat white dinner rolls as meals. AND QUIT SMOKING.
Unlace the running shoes and put on some weight gloves, and you will have that summer "beach body" in no time.