health&fitnessfactorfiction.com

Pg 168, Hot Body Shortcuts - we tell you exactly what to eat to lose weight

Four pages of advice on portion size, which is both user friendly and sensible. Most people’s idea of what constitutes an appropriate serving is worlds away from reality - in this article, 1/3 of a meat pie is a serving, and how many pie eaters do you know who stop at 1/3? 1/2 a slice of pizza is a serving, and again, who stops at that - not me, that’s for sure.

Since diet is such an integral part of losing weight and being healthy, this is a terrific article, and one which can be useful to help you work out how much every day and sometimes foods you should be eating. ****

Pg 172 - Is junk food hijacking your life?

I’m a big fan of AJ Rochester’s writing, even though I can’t stand her on The Biggest Loser - but I think that’s more the fault of the show. Basically this article asks you to identify whether you turn to food when times are tough, rather than forming habits which are going to make you healthy and happier in the long term. She gives some good advice for emotional eaters, and hands up anyone who hasn’t turned to chocolate in times of stress?
The thing I like most about AJ’s writing is it’s all based on her own personal struggles, so you know what you’re reading is the real deal. ***

I don’t normally review Madison, but who could resist the huge headline “A better body in 4 weeks - it’s easy and it works”? Does it live up to it’s promise, and make it worth parting with your $7.95? Let’s take a look.

Pg 219: Introducing the Best Body Challenge - Part 1

10 huge pages of fitness, encompassing cardio, strength training, flexibility and nutrition - and it’s great! Sensible information, user friendly pictures (usually the one thing missing from otherwise excellent articles), and ways to overload the intensity. This is the kind of thing you could really use if you can’t afford a personal trainer, or you’re not interested in joining a gym.

There’s nothing here for me to criticise, so instead I’m going to pick out my favorite elements:

Balanced approach to resistance training - every muscle gets a workout.

Suggests rest days, stretching, and ways of working exercise into your life to make it all easier to achieve.

In the flexibility section, it stresses doing what you can without forcing things. Perfect!

The nutritional plan stresses eating a healthy breakfast, trying to detox your system in a smart way (and you probably know how I feel about detoxes by now), and has some excellent choices for snacks.

I’ll be really interested to see the subsequent month’s workouts, but this is the best article I’ve seen so far. And consequently, ***** - go out and buy it now!

When I was young, I made the mistake of watching Poltergeist, still one of the most scary films I’ve ever seen. For several months afterwards, I couldn’t look in a mirror or eat chicken, and to this very day, clowns frighten the hell out of me.

I used to stay at my grandparents house in Launceston during school holidays, and one of my grandmother’s neighbours had given her a clown doll. While that doll was in the house, I couldn’t go through the door. Even when it was locked in a cupboard, I didn’t feel safe - in fact, that almost made it worse, because I could imagine it busting out in the middle of the night and putting it’s little fabric hands around my throat. Consequently, the clown moved out whenever I was around.

As I grew up I kept seeing signs adding credence to my fear - John Wayne Gacy’s artworks, Kramer’s nemesis Crazy Joe Divola dressing up as a clown … Ronald McDonald, in any form he comes in. I’m sure it’s not just me who backs away from Bozo. So today, I’ve found a vision of my potential future so terrifying, I had to post the link here. In fact, it’s so shocking it had to be split into two parts, the first of which is here, the second here. Please watch both of them, and be grateful you aren’t yet at the mercy of these hideous creatures. Also, pay close attention to the insanity of the voice over, and lines like “if you do have a stuffed animal or glove puppet, it’s part of yourself, a very close friend”. That’s just what I’ve always said.

Today I’m loving: doing two full chin ups