Its pretty simple, but its a different way to go about figuring “it all out” and getting focused in your life.

Post your comments below and let me know what you think.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M669BF2J9Y8

Core Influence – Getting Focused and Changing Your World is a post from: DrBenAdkins.com - Serial Progress Seeker

This Post is part of Dr. Ben’s “Fitness 2009″ program. To follow Dr. Ben’s progress every week, visit the main “Fitness 2009″ page.

Let me start off by saying sorry for missing a week of posting my progress (hence the “week 3-4″ review together). The ice storm that hit the “midwest” hit me as well and I was without electricity for a little while and without internet for even longer.

With that said, let’s get down to business.

In both week 3 and week 4 I lost 2 lbs (each week) for a grand total of four pounds. I started the “Fitness 2009″ program a month ago at 229 lbs and as of this past Monday I weighed 217 lbs.

My energy continues to be through the roof and I am consistently losing 2 lbs each week. This is exactly where I want to be.

So Why is it so Important that I only lose 2lbs per week?

Even though it can be especially frustrating to lose 2 lbs or below when you have alot to lose….it’s essential to not lose too much too quickly.

Minus the initial plunge……(Which usually happens when you first start a good fitness program) you should aim to lose less than two lbs per week (2 lbs is the absolute upper limit).

If you start losing more weight than 2lbs per week then your opening yourself up to gain it back….and quickly. You don’t want to make your body think that its starving and thereby cue it to store energy as fat any chance it gets.

If your losing under 2lbs per week, then that one night of bad eating isn’t going to bite you in the ass as much.

THE RULE: TRY TO KEEP WEIGHT LOSS UNDER 2LBS PER WEEK….

It’s healthier and it will last for the long haul.

If you skipped the box above…go back and read it….

So what have I changed since I started the program. (Every fitness program needs to adapt as you go)

1) I stopped charting my food after a month. I got to the point where I could maintain my daily calorie intake without having to chart everything. I didn’t get to this point over night. It took me a while and I still look up “new meals” that I’m not sure about. I eat alot…….it’s all about eating the right things and “pacing” (If you have no idea what “Pacing” is then make sure to sign up for the Newsletter because we’ll be talking in depth about pacing in February’s version (Which comes out this Friday so hurry and sign up!)

2) I run a little more than I did in the half of the month (1.5 mile a day or a mile at a faster pace).

3) I make sure that I don’t stress too much over my failure (like when I sleep in and miss my morning workout). Failures are okay as long as you make them up.

-Dr. Ben

Week 3-4 Review is a post from: DrBenAdkins.com - Serial Progress Seeker

So far this week we’ve covered some of the best foods, exercises, as well as mind hacks (part 3) to help you look and feel your best when “in the nude”. Today I wanted to cover some of the best products on the market that will help you look your best when it’s you minus your clothes.

We’re going to seperate the male and female products for useablity sake.

Part 4
“Naked Products”

For Men

To Tame Your Gut:

Product: Green Tea Extract
Why?: My recommendation for this ones stems from the fact that I can’t stand “Green Tea” in its “Tea” form. Taking it in a supplement form is a good way to get the “fat burning” benefit of green tea without having to actually drink the stuff.
Where to Get it: Nature’s Bounty Green Tea Extract

To Save Your Skin:

Product: Body Lotion (For Guys)
Why?: Lotion isn’t just for the ladies these days. Unless you want to end up looking like an old football when your sixty, you better start taking better care of you skin. If you think that your the only guy in your circle that’s using lotion for area other that the face…you better think again.
Where to Get it: Nivea For Men Revitalizing Body Lotion

To Make Grooming Easier:

Product: Back Hair Groomer
Why?: You’ve probably heard about the “Man Groomer” on TV or on the Radio. If you haven’t then you need to check it out now. This product pretty much takes all the hard work out of grooming those hard to reach places. This is one of those products that is an absolute must for any guy that has to deal with back hair.
Where to Get it: MANGROOMER Do-It-Yourself Electric Back Hair Shaver

To Feed Your Body:

Product: Multi-Vitamin
Why?: You can’t expect the outside of your body to look good if the inside isn’t working right. For the inside to work correctly, you have to make sure that you give it the tools to do the job. Make sure to check out part 1 or this series for more on that, but even if you don’t, a multi-vitamin is a good idea (it’s always good to consult your physician before starting on a supplement program). You’ll pay a little more for our recommended product below…but its the best on the market.
Where to Get it: Vitalize Multi-Vitamin

For Women

To Get a Glow:

Product: Sunless Tanner
Why?: We just hit November, which means that it’s time to give your body a break from the sun’s rays. During the winter, instead of continuing the stress on your skin with tanning beds, you can still get a good “faux glow” with some great sunless tanning products. Check out our list below.
The Sunless Tanning List:

• For Dry Skin: Clarins Delicious Self-Tanning Cream (Why?)
• For Your Face: Sephora Decleor Face w/ SPF 10 (Why?)
• For Fair Skin: Dove Energy Glow Fair Skin (Why?)
• For that “Now” Tan: Jergens Natural Glow Express (Why?)
• For Something Different: Neutrogena Sunless Foam (Why?)

To Treat Your Feet:

Product: Rough Skin Remover/Exfoliation
Why?: There are areas of your skin that are easy to take care of and then there are areas that seem to take a beating no matter what you do. Make sure that you treat the “rough and tumble” areas a little more aggressively than you do the others. We recommend using an exfoliate designed for the rough areas (like your feet).
Where to Get it: Foot Scrub Peppermint (Made by “Kiss My Face”)

To Feed Your Body:

Product: Multi-Vitamin
Why?: You can’t expect the outside of your body to look good if the inside isn’t working right. For the inside to work correctly, you have to make sure that you give it the tools to do the job. Make sure to check out part 1 or this series for more on that, but even if you don’t, a multi-vitamin is a good idea (it’s always good to consult your physician before starting on a supplement program). You’ll pay a little more for our recommended product below…but its the best on the market. (This is the Female Multivitamin Formula. See the Male Formula above)
Where to Get it: -Women’s Formula- -Senior Women’s Formula- (Consult a Doctor When Taking A New Supplement)

That’s about it for Part 4 of the “Look Better Naked” Guide. Make sure to check out the whole series by clicking on the menu below. We’ll Close the Series up tomorrow with some great bonus tips.

Dr. Ben

“Look Better Naked” Series
Part 1 : Best Nude Foods
Part 2 : Best Naked Exercise
Part 3 : The Naked Mindset
Part 4 : Recommended Naked Products(today’s post)

The "Look Better Naked" Guide (Part 4) is a post from: DrBenAdkins.com - Serial Progress Seeker

Today, we continue with part 3 of our 4 part series of how to look (and feel) better naked. Today we’re going to primarily focus on the “feel” part of the equation.

The mere fact that you feel confident in your “nakedness” is huge. When you are more confident with your “naked” self, it will translate to whoever sees you. Confidence is a huge part of the “Look Better Naked” equation.

Without further delay, here is part 3 of the “Look Better Naked Guide”

Part 3
“The Naked Mindset”

1) Your Own Worst Critic

Understand that, unless you are a huge celebrity (Britney Spears, Brad Pitt, etc.), that you will always be more critical of yourself than anyone else. We all judge ourselves way more harshly than the outside world and that applies to how we view our body as well.

The best thing you can do is realize that everyone has inperfections and that, a great deal of the time, something that you percieve to be a flaw will not be percieved that way by someone else. Most of the time our “flaws” are only “flaws” to us and go completely unnoticed to others.

A great way to combat your insecurities is to think about someone who is “ok” with theirs. For example, I’m sure that there were plenty of times that Cindy Crawford had insecurities about her, now trademark, mole. The great thing about Cindy is that she embraced what everyone else percieved as a flaw. It’s a “mind-hack” that you have to do on yourself…but it’s effective.

2) Hit the Gym

It doesn’t matter if your exercise routine ever results in you losing a pound, the mere act of “working out” will do wonders for how you feel (and in turn how you feel about yourself). Having a workout routine and following through with it is empowering. When you accomplish something and build confidence, you do wonders for your overall state of mind.

Couple that new found confidence with the body sculping tips from Part 2 of the “Look Better Naked” Guide and you can be sure that your going to be feeling completely different about going naked very soon.

In Short, don’t ignore the mental effects of working out.

3) Nudity isn’t just a Bed/Bathroom Sport

You want to know one of the quickest ways to start feeling more comfortable in your own skin?

Get out of your comfort zone!!! Don’t reserve nudity for just the shower or bedroom. The next time that you’re alone at home, take advantage and spend a few hours doing everything naked (except cooking hot foods that spatter…might not be a good idea).

The key to feeling good naked is to practice! I’m not saying that you need to do anything to get yourself in trouble. I’m saying that practice will make you more confident.

A great example of this that most people can relate to is public speaking. I had no trouble talking in front of friends, but for a long time public speaking scared the crap out of me. Why? Because I hadn’t exposed myself to different situations that gave me practice in “public speaking”. I started talking in small groups more and eventually worked up to big groups. It isn’t hard when you know the “small steps” to get there. Its the “giant leaps” that are tough.

If your insecure about being naked with someone else, maybe you need to go outside of your comfort zone when your alone. Give it a shot… But make sure to close the shades

If you only take one thing away from part 3 of the “Look Better Naked” Guide, I want you to understand this:

“Half the battle to “looking great” is in your head.”

What you do to gain that “confidence” is where the work starts. I would love to hear what you think!

Got a “Look Good Naked” Tip? Tell us Your Secret!
Post in the Comments Section or Send your tip to ben@drbenadkins.com

Dr. Ben

“Look Better Naked” Series
Part 1 : Best Nude Foods
Part 2 : Best Naked Exercise
Part 3 : The Naked Mindset (today’s post)
Part 4 : Recommended Naked Products

The "Look Better Naked Guide" (Part 3) is a post from: DrBenAdkins.com - Serial Progress Seeker

In our search for sleep information, we ran into this amazing picture which discusses “naps”.

Click Image For Full Size Version

Check it out and learn exactly how you can maximize your napping and how to avoid “overdoing it”.

Dr. Ben

The Nap Guide is a post from: DrBenAdkins.com - Serial Progress Seeker

The idea, while based on good intentions, has long been touted by opponents as counterproductive. A new study, based out of Sweden may have dealt another blow to the practice of Daylight Savings Time.

Scientist at the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden have looked at the incidence of Heart Attacks since the implementation of Daylight Savings Time in 1987 (When Sweden began the practice).

During their study they have found that the incidence of heart attacks goes up during the first week of summer (When we set our clocks forward) by as much as 5 percent. One of the Researchers involved in the study, Dr Imre Janszky, said “The disruption in the chronobiological rhythms, the loss of one hour’s sleep and the resulting sleep disturbance are the probable causes.”

Conversely, the study also gave evidence that the reset to “winter time” (what we just did this weekend) caused “heart attack” incidence to go down.

This study also helped support the reason why most heart attacks happen on Monday mornings. Most people in the medical community believed that it had something to do with facing stress of the upcoming work week, but this may prove that it has to do with the change in sleep rhythms between the weekend and the work week.

[via Science Daily]

So I want to ask our readers:

Do you think that Daylight Savings Time still serves a purpose or is it become an outdated (and even dangerous) practice?

Dr. Ben Adkins

Daylight Savings Time: A Killer? is a post from: DrBenAdkins.com - Serial Progress Seeker

Scientist at the John Innes Centre in Norwich, have created a new crop of tomatoes by altering them with genetic material from a snapdragon flower. The amazing thing about the new tomato crop goes far beyond it’s odd color, however.

The new, genetically modified tomatoes may help ward of cancer in the near future.

The deep purple color is produced by the antioxidant anthocyanin, which is also prevalent in blueberries and blackberries. The benefit of putting anthocyanin in the tomatoes has to do with it’s cancer fighting properties.

In test, mice that were especially prone to cancer survived around a third longer when their diet was supplemented with the new tomatoes.

The promising part of beefing up the antioxidant properties of the tomatoes has to do with the fact that tomatoes are such a widely popular food. The problem with many high antioxidant foods is that they aren’t widely consumed by people outside the nutrition minded community.

It’s nice to see genetic modification of food becoming much more practical as time goes on. I’ll be keeping my eye on this one.

[via The Guardian]

Dr. Ben

Attack of The Purple Tomatoes is a post from: DrBenAdkins.com - Serial Progress Seeker

Adequate Sunlight is beneficial because it helps the body produce Vitamin D (along with Fish Oils and Eggs from a balanced diet).

Previous studies have shown that Vitamin D is an essential part of a healthy pregnancy. This new study, however, suggest a link between healthy sperm and adequate vitamin D in the body.

A test group of 105 males agreed to modify their lifestyles by losing weight,  decreasing alcohol consumption, as well as doing things to boost their Vitamin D Levels.

The test group’s “sperm shape” improved on the whole, which helped improve the chances of conception.

31 of the men actually went on to achieve pregnancy with their partner.

Important Note: The key is to not overdue the amount of sun that you receive. Guys can spend 10 minutes outside without their shirt and that should do the trick to boost their Vitamin D levels.

[via Daily Mail]

Dr. Ben

Fertility Problems? Try Sunshine is a post from: DrBenAdkins.com - Serial Progress Seeker

Fitness Myths Debunked (Divine Caroline)

Beer With Benefits (Men’s Health)

Are You Crazy Enough to Succeed (Men’s Health)

Cold and Flu: Cold Hard Facts (MSN Health)

Monkey Brains (CNN Health)

Does Age Matter in the White House? (CNN Health)

And on that note….. What did everyone think of the debate last night?

Tell Us in the comment section below!

Dr. Ben

Thursday Catch-up is a post from: DrBenAdkins.com - Serial Progress Seeker