Jon Benson's Method To Raise Your Blood Pressure?

My friend and fitness author Jon Benson sent me this email. I have his permission to share it with you, despite the really personal details... turns out that he had a near-fatal event in the gym and wanted to share the story with his readers. I was blown away by what he did in the name of "preventative medicine"... so read this. It may just save your life.

Ty 'TygerGoods' http://www.everyotherdaydiet.com/go/nomanboobs

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My Medical Emergency; This Happened Today
by Jon Benson

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Sometimes you have to nearly lose it all to realize what you truly have.

I can honestly say that I have come close to death several times in my life. I've had my share of accidents, medical emergencies, and a near-fatal accident while driving.

But there was something about just laying on the gym floor today with two doctors hovering over me that gave me serious pause.

Time for some major reflection.

Now, before you get too alarmed (for those who know me, or just think I'm a pretty good guy... ; )... fear not. I did not have a stroke or anything like that, thank goodness.

What I did have was a major drop in blood pressure... so much that I came dangerously close to entering the "coma" zone.

I kid you not.

And trust me... I felt like I was slipping fast.

My girlfriend was there with me. I had her kneel down and, just like Spock in an old episode of "Star Trek", I had her slap me several times in the face. Hard!

"If my eyes roll back, hit me harder."

The doctor probably thought I was nuts... but I know that's one way to elevate my blood pressure.

So, what happened? Am I falling apart at the relatively young age of 46? Is my dietary and exercise advise dangerous after all?

No... and here's why:

I actually VOLUNTEERED for this.

Before you think I've totally lost my marbles, hear me out. If you listen to the rest of the story, you'll see that not only has my advice been of great value when it comes to exercise and dietary strategy... it actually ended up saving my butt!

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Really Bad Genetics Meets
The Cath Lab: A Wild Encounter
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First, the "volunteered for this" bit needs explaining... right? Right.

If you read my first book, published in 2004, called "Fit Over 40" (read more at http://www.everyotherdaydiet.com/go/nomanboobs then you may recall that I went into great detail about my poor genetics and horrible health in my early and mid-30s.

Since then, and knowing exactly how bad my genetics are for such things as high blood pressure (oh, the irony!), heart disease, and stroke, I adopted the dietary plan and exercise routine I use to this very day. The very ones I cover in "The Every Other Day Dietplan" and "7 Minute Body."

(If you don't have these books and want them, you can get both here... http://www.everyotherdaydiet.com/go/nomanboobs -- oh, and I have a short video up on this page if you have not seen on a 1-minute fatloss tip... )

Now, let's get real folks: Dietary power and exercise MAY not be enough to overcome really bad genetics when it comes to certain diseases. And being ever curious, I wanted to know exactly how my own health was doing on my plan. So a month or so ago I paid a visit to the hospital to have some tests ran. All my yearly check-ups were okay, but I wanted a closer look at my heart... and I mean "literally".

I wanted to be "cathed"... this is where they insert a camera into your heart, going up the femoral artery in your right leg, and take a look around. If they find anything dangerous, like a clogged artery, they can fix it right then and there with a stent. A stent is a metal device that presses plaque against the artery wall and opens up a clogged artery.

Of course I hoped I would not find such a thing... and certainly nothing worse. I mean, can you imagine? "Mr. Benson, you need a quadruple bypass!"

I could not, that's for sure... and I was fortunate because, as you probably guessed, I didn't hear those words from my doc.

It's hard to get a cath done as it's a risky procedure. I can't even tell you how I managed to pull it off ... that's how touchy the hospitals are when it comes to this kind of stuff. Afterwards, I volunteered to do 5-10 workouts at their heart care facility so I could hook myself up to some nifty gadgets. I get to watch my EKG (how my heart is functioning during cardio and weights... and it works like a charm!) and really nice doctor folks come by to check my blood pressure (which is always low) during the workout.

Yep... the doc and I wanted to put my workout plan to the test, I guess you could say. I wanted to do it just to make sure I was 100% healthy during my training. You never really "know" I suppose, so I was up for it. And my doctor wanted me to do it just in case what he found during the cath was serious. There's a lot to this process, and there's some details I don't wish to cover for privacy sake... but anyway, back to my story.

It's long, but it may save your life too. : )

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The Good News... The Bad News...
And The Stupid Jon News!
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Turns to find out I made a few mistakes... some pretty costly mistakes... but (get this) none of them had to do with my dietary or exercise plan.

During the cath, here's what the doc said:

"Jon, your heart's two primary arteries look good... hardly any obstruction at all. And they are nice and thick from exercise." For a guy who has had a cholesterol level of over 400 before, and a history of heart disease in the family, this was really good news.

"However, your genetics are catching up to you in one of your arteries.... and you need to be more aggressive with your drug treatment to make sure we don't have to go back in here one day!"

Er... what??

Yep... turns out that the only thing that saved me from a BYPASS (that's right) was what the doctor called "an enormous amount of peripheral arteries formed from years and years of weight training and exercise."

Wow.

"Look right here Jon..." (He showed me my beating heart on camera... freaky...) "See all these arteries? Well the average person doesn't have them. You do. Congratulations... you earned them."

Wow again. And remember, I only workout with weights 3-4 times per week and my workouts are rarely over 21 minutes (time under the weight.)

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What I Did Right... And What
I Did Wrong... And Why This
Could Save Your Life
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So, listen up folks as I'm about to tell you everything I did wrong for the past several years... how it ALMOST cost me dearly (a bypass?... no thanks!)... how I managed to prevent it... and how I ended up on the gym floor today with doctors all around me.

It's all related. And again, sorry for the novel-like email, but (again) this may save your life.

First, here's what my excellent cardiologist said I did RIGHT:

1. Exercise: "Jon, your exercise plan, to put it bluntly, saved you from a great deal of pain... in fact it probably saved your life as these blockages would have been far worse without it." With it, I had only one artery with enough blockage to warrant the drug therapy that I should have been on for years... more on that in a second...

2. Dietary plan: "Jon, your diet is perfect for this condition... low in carbs, high in protein and healthy fats is all anyone can do in order to help fight this genetic killer." Yep... again... prevention in the form of dietplan saved my butt. Or rather my heart. : ) But it wasn't enough... at least for one artery. However, it WAS enough to prevent them from having to do surgery on me.

"Jon, the take-away here is simple: Exercise and dietary plans, even the very best, may not be enough for super high-risk people... but in your case your lifestyle saved your life. And it certainly prevented you from having to have any serious surgery to correct a truly broken heart."

Talk about EXCITING news... yep... you CAN beat this killer, even when you have MY horrible family genetics. However, like me, you may need some help... more on that in a second.

3. Blood pressure: "Jon, your blood pressure is excellent. Your lifestyle and very low-dose diuretic has kept your formerly sky-high blood pressure (it was 200/110 when I was 32!) to an excellent 118/78." But you know doctors... even "excellent" isn't enough and they recommended a stronger BP med for "my intense weight training."

So, I listened... and ended up on the floor today. You see, many doctors do not realize the POWER of weight training compared to cardio. My blood pressure never budges during cardio, but less than 3 minutes into a resistance (weight-training) session it goes down like the stock market after a bad news day.

I mean SHOOTS down. I tried to explain this by letting the doctor see the veins in my legs... "Doc, my veins are MUCH larger than the average person's... trust me, my pressure is fine." "Jon, just try it for a few weeks."

Bad mistake.... like I said, I ended up on the gym floor today with a blood pressure of 72/45. If I hit 40, I'm literally in a coma. 5 points away... very scary. Needless to say the doc took me OFF these meds and let me do it my way: With my Every Other Day Dietplan (low-carb most of the days) and good-old exercise.

If you have high blood pressure, I URGE you to take up weight training or resistance (body-weight or band) training. Of course, ask your doc about it first... but I've seen first hand for three weeks now how powerful my weight training sessions are compared to intense cardio sessions.

They are night and day folks... weights RULE. Cardio is good, but weights are best. Both of course would be the best course for ultimate health, but most people do far too much cardio and far too little resistance training.

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Oops...
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Now, here's what I did WRONG:

1. Cigars: "Jon, you cannot afford to smoke cigars... ever. They have lowered your protective HDL to a dangerous level. Stop NOW!" That's all it took folks. Yes, I smoked cigars for many years, but fortunately I was never an addict. I quit that very day.

Guess what? 10 days later my HDL DOUBLED (no kidding)... and without drugs. Of course that's not all I did...

2. Fat too LOW: "Jon, you've lowered your dietary fat too low... this affects your HDL." Yep, I normally eat about 35% dietary fat... and I cut it down to 20% to help me get ready for a photoshoot. Now that I put it back to where it belongs, I still have my abs (yep!) and my HDL is raising as I type.

3. Stress: "Jon, you are simply working too hard not to do some form of meditation or de-stressing." So I dove back into my meditation CDs. (I'll tell you more about Holosync and my hypnosis CDs in my next email... very cool stuff.)

4. Advil: "Jon, you take 4 Advil before you train? You're nuts! That stuff can cause sticky plaque formations!!" You know, I may never even had an issue if I had known this (and not smoked cigars) a few years ago. Live and learn!

5. And finally... oh, this hurt to hear... no drugs! "Jon, if you want to make sure you beat this thing, you simply must take some meds to help." Okay, I resisted any form of statin drug for the past 15 years (drugs to lower cholesterol.) I opted to try natural stuff... but unfortunately for me I was never too consistent. And I paid the price.

So the doc and I came to a compromise: I would take the LOWEST dose of statin along with 400 mg of CoQ10 (scary, but this was my idea, not his, and statins deplete this heart-friendly enzyme!) But I wanted a natural solution to the real issue: small particle LDL. You see, I've known for years that I carry the gene that makes LDL "small". LDL is not dangerous unless it is small... that's why "total cholesterol" means nothing to me. I've seen folks have heart attacks with a cholesterol level of 130. No joke. But their LDL was super-small... like mine.

And guess what? Dietplans cannot really help this. Well, they can HURT it (too many carbs, too many toxic fats, etc.) but they cannot shift the LDL from small to large.

For that, you need plain old niacin. Just a simple B vitamin... but in not-so-simple doses. In fact it's considered a drug at the dose you have to take, and you should NEVER take niacin over 50 mg without a doctor's supervision as it can be very toxic to the liver.

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The Conclusion: The Power
Is In Your Hands
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In conclusion, I'm A-Okay... my heart pumps and functions "like that of a strong 20-year-old" (my doctor's quote) thanks to the extra arteries I developed from my exercise program (how cool!) ... but in order to keep that one artery in check, I'm taking his advice and taking much better care of myself than I have been.

Today I learned that this does NOT mean taking blood pressure meds...thankfully... : ) But I had to make some changes. Some of them were "stupid" changes... sure, I know cigars are not good for you. I know you need good fats in your dietplan. I could have used common sense and figured out that 4-8 Advil on workout days was... well, stupid.

But the good news, which is what I choose to focus on, is this: In the areas that 95% of people NEVER change, I didn't have to change much at all.

Dietary plan and exercise.

Turns to find out that what I was doing works great... and it did, in fact, save my heart and quite possibly my life.

For more on my dietplan and exercise routine, go here:

http://www.everyotherdaydiet.com/go/nomanboobs

Thanks for reading, and I wish all of you good health!

Yours In Fitness,

J O N B E N S O N

P.S. I got lucky in many ways, but especially so when it came to my doctors. Both of my doctors are young and savvy enough to be up on the latest research on nutrition. They know NOT to buy into this "low-fat" nonsense for heart health. (I'd use a harsher word, but kiddos may be reading... : ) That only works for about 10-15% of the population. The rest of us need to lower our CARBS, not our fats... but the way I do it I get to keep my favorite carbs in my dietplan every week.

The little that I do eat keeps me happy as a clam, and keeps my heart nice and healthy too. A little bit of bad food will not hurt most people... but eating it every day can flat-out kill you.

Please... take this seriously. I promise, my dietplan and exercise routine is a PLEASURE to follow... but if you don't follow it then find one that IS enjoyable for you to follow... and do it.

Life is too short, you know?

http://www.everyotherdaydiet.com/go/nomanboobs



So stay healthy, and become wealthy.

Welcome to Spring ; )

Ty 'TygerGoods'

3 Reasons Why Obesity is... a Disease?

I bet you didn't know this ...

Obesity...even being overfat... is a disease.

No, really.

At least that's what several social groups wish you to believe. "Suffers Of Obesity" is just one of those groups. Their entire stance is obesity (which, btw, can be only 30lbs or so over your ideal bodyweight) is an actual disease.

Well, is it?

Yes... and no.

Comedian Ricky Gervais has a hilarious go at this stance... that obesity is a disease. You sometimes have to laugh, you know? ; )

"No... it's not a disease... it's greed. You just love to eat," or so Gervais believes.

Well, in my first newsletter for 2010, a new decade with new ideas, I'm here to share a new idea with you:

We really need to redefine some words.

One of those words is "disease".

Case-in-point: Wikipedia.com defines disease...

"In human beings, "disease" is often used more broadly to refer to any condition that causes pain, dysfunction, distress, social problems, and/or death to the person afflicted, or similar problems for those in contact with the person. In this broader sense, it sometimes includes injuries, disabilities, disorders, syndromes, infections, isolated symptoms, deviant behaviors, and atypical variations of structure and function, while in other contexts and for other purposes these may be considered distinguishable categories."

Let's think about that.

If you bump your knee against a sharp object, is this a new disease called "bumpuskneeitis?" Er... no. It's an accident. Sure, it may 'cause' a specific set of symptoms that could broadly (as in as broad as the back-side of a barn) be considered a "disease", but ... no. It's an accident with biological consequences.

Social problems? So, if I decide to read 17 books on why my parents suck as a teenager and develop anti-social behavior, is this a "disease"? NO! This is the angst of youth combined, perhaps, with poor parenting! Sure, it can lead to mental issues that could be classified as "disease", but guess what?

It's totally within your control. No one force-fed the books to the teen. And no one is force-feeding you, or anyone you know.

That decision is yours and yours alone... and anyone, repeat ANYONE on the face of planet earth can change their behaviors and attitudes toward food.

Okay, some more thoughts on disease:

Let me give you a few examples of what is typically thought of as "disease"...

--- Leprosy
--- Cancer
--- Hypothyroidism

We'll just take three... there are thousands as you know.

Now, we can all agree that these three states represent true "disease". The first you could catch by accident; the second is a combination of genetics, environment, and who-knows-what-else, and the third is almost always genetic.

One, cancer, is something you 'may' be able to do something about. For example, lung cancer. 90% of lung cancer patients contract the disease from smoking.

Let's just cover these 90%, shall we?

And folks, I'm asking for an open mind here...

Is lung cancer, in the case of the 90%, REALLY a disease?

Or is it a biological consequence?

Sure, "cancer" is a disease. But what caused it in this case? Something involuntary? Hardly. Something that could not be stopped?

No way.

The 90% caused it. Period.

Welcome to the real world.

So, I propose this: We redefine "disease" as an abnormal biological condition that we DO NOT have direct cause or effect over.

Airborne viruses: Disease. Obesity: NOT a disease.

And yes, lung cancer in chain smokers: NOT a disease; it's a biological outcome. The end result should be treated as a disease, of course, but come on: Where is the responsibility folks?

Life, if you want to life it fully and without fear, is ALL about taking total responsibility. That's empowerment. Anything less is... well, LESS.

In our example, lung cancer is no more a "disease" than, say, me hitting myself over the head with a hammer every day and causing brain damage is a disease.

Brain damage (not self-induced) = disease.

Brain damage caused by self-inflicted hammer-hitting = biological consequence. In this case of sheer stupidity!

Now, one could (and many will) make the argument that I had a "mental" disease that caused me to WANT to hit myself over the head with a hammer... but... well...

At this point we need to redefine the word "disease" in my opinion. Here's why:

First, if this were the case, I could say that all criminals have a disease.

They all have a mental disease that makes them want to kill, steal... you name it.

This may in fact BE true... we do not know... but do we hold them NOT responsible if it is? No, we do not.

And that brings us back to obesity.

Obesity and being overfat is not a disease folks...
------ > it's a biological consequence.

And, with the exception of the extremely 'rare' cases of total glandular dysfunction from birth, obesity... your bodyweight... is your responsibility.

Period. End of story.

Sorry, but that's the way the ball bounces.

Am I being mean? No. I was obese. I have a right to speak my mind about it, and trust me: My depression (a disease... sorta... some genetic, but a lot of it was caused by eating too much sugar) definitely aided in my obesity.

Then how come I'm not obese any more?

I found a better way to eat. I re-trained my body to crave this style of eating (and exercise) over stuffing myself with pizza and burgers every day.

Here's what I use:

Click.Here-----------> http://www.everyotherdaydiet.com/go/nomanboobs

It torches bellyfat... and it reprograms the body and mind to use food as fuel... especially if you use Jon's "7 Minute Body" workout system (you can get it at 77% off after you pick up EODD on the page above... ; )

So be brave. Be fearless. And be responsible.

Oh... and be sure not to catch "internetemailitis"... its a disease that causes you to want to check your email more than 10 times a day.

I have it. So be careful... may be contagious. : )

P.S. Author Jon Benson documents his journey from obesity to total leanness in EODD. He had to overcome 'real' diseases, like pituitary failure from a high fever (i.e. viral pneumonia that almost killed him) and clinical depression (partially what he calls "his fault"; partially not... i.e. half disease, half biological consequence.) He KNOWS what you can do once you have a solid plan in place and a determined mind.

Then no "disease" can stop you... at least the ones that do not kill you.

So go for it... be brave, be responsible... and be lean!

click.here ------> http://www.everyotherdaydiet.com/go/nomanboobs

Ty

Stay Fit 365 Days A Year - 6 Strange Dietary Bedfellows

You know, fitness and nutrition guy Jon Benson has a humorous way of putting things that we all need to hear. I received this email from him today and had to share it with you. It's not only funny, it's true.

Read on...



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6 Strange Dietary Bedfellows

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What do these six things have in common?

--- McDonald's
--- Renee Zellweger
--- Epileptic children
--- Yours truly
--- Most bodybuilding and fitness competitors
--- Kiefer Sutherland

Give up?

All the above employ the strategies of the low-carb dietplan.

Recently researchers have found that low-carb nutrition plan reduced the number of seizures in epileptic children.

Most of the world's leanest physiques get that way on a regimen, limited or not, of low-carbs and higher protein.

Even McDonald's is getting into the act.

Even Renee Zellweger.

Even Kiefer Sutherland.

Even me.

Kinda.

Read on and I'll explain what I mean...

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Why Low-Carb Works

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When McDonald's starts counting carb grams in their food, you know someone is either jumping on a trend or finally seeing the light.

In this case, both -- but it is a good thing. Low-carb dietplans. They work.

For the masses, they work because they are the easiest nutrition plan to follow when you're busy.

McDonald's and stars like Kiefer Sutherland figured this out. The busy on-the-go guy or gal doesn't want to make the time to prepare six meals per day and carry them around in Tupperware.

When choosing my own lifestyle nutrition plan, time and convenience played a major role. I looked at role models who were very busy, formerly obese, and very lean.

Most of them rely in some form or fashion on a low-carb strategy.

Low-carb also works, much to the hem and haw of traditional doctors and nutritionists, due to the way the body processes fuel.

For those of us fortunate enough to grow up on whole grains and very low-sugar mealplans, a moderate to higher-carb nutrition plan may work just fine.

But most of us grew up eating junk.

Processed foods, fast foods, and downright junk was the cornerstone of our dietplans. That puts your body on the "carb defense."

After years of abuse the body becomes resistant to carbohydrates. The insulin they produce can cause all sorts of health issues, fat-burning problems, and more.

When carbs are removed, even healthy carbs like whole grains, the body has time to re-adjust.

In some cases, you can go back to a moderate-carb plan with whole grains and fruits after a period of time.

In others, you are a "low-carber" for life.

Guess which one I am?

Finally, low-carb works because you tend to eat less. Fat is very satiating, and most low-carb plans are fairly high in dietaryfat.

So, in recap:

--- Easy and convenient;
--- Metabolically important for carb recovery;
--- Lower in total food volume (eat less)

Do not make light of that first point. Any plan that is not simple is one very few people will stick to. Making your plan simple and tasty is key, even if that plan is not "perfect" by nutritional standards.

Now, by far, the best low-carb dietplan in the world (yes, I'm bias for good reason!) is this:

click.here ------> http://www.everyotherdaydiet.com/go/nomanboobs/video

EODD works so well because your carbs are low for "most" of the time. Not "all" of the time. And the times when your carbs are not low you can enjoy your favorite foods.

Personally I enjoy pizza and burgers on my non-low-carb days. You can enjoy whatever you want if you just keep it reasonable.

You see, there's no need to diet-perfect.

Progress always trumps perfection.

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Why Low-Carb Fails

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There are two primary reasons for the failure of the low-carb nutrition plans: boredom and media bashing.

One causes irritability. The other, doubt. Unless you're certain that your plan will work, you will eventually go off of it.

This is true of any plan, no matter how ideal it is. Certainty rules.

That's why I believe in having a flexible, tasty plan like EODD.

Then boredom is easily solved.

I share my own unique ideas about "cycling" carbs and fats in the presentation here:

click.here ------> http://www.everyotherdaydiet.com/go/nomanboobs/video

Using my cycle strategy you will rarely if ever become bored. And your body will burn more bodyfat too. It's just a cheap metabolic trick...but boy, it works.

The second reason is media and medical bias. One study after another has proven that low-carb plans, even the Atkins plan, works and is safe to use for most people.

Check with your doctor first, of course.

I've seen researchers get down-right angry when the results come back. In one study, carried out for a full year, the low-carb plan out-performed the so-called "healthy" Dean Ornish plan.

Lower blood fats, more fatloss, and more energy were the results.

My preference always comes back to low-carb nutrition. I just cycle it in a way that allows me to get plenty of veggies, some grains, and ample fiber.

Even a slice of cheesecake here and there... : )

Hey...I said "low-carb", not "low-life!"

P.S. One of these days the mainstream medical community will wake up to the fact that 90% of the population will never eat 15 servings of veggies per day.

While this may be "optimal", it's not at all practical. I'd rather give you down-to- earth practical nutrition advice that you CAN and WILL follow -- and enjoy.

Makes sense, doesn't it?

click.here ------> http://www.everyotherdaydiet.com/go/nomanboobs/video

Wish you a happy and prosperous 2K10,

Ty 'TygerGoods'