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Exercise

The Worst Habit?

November 23, 2015 by Mark Shepard

9401750_mHey There Week Day Warriors

(and members in good standing of the Transformation Nation)!

What’s UP?

Last week we played quite a bit with the idea of interrupting habits and routines.

The idea is to let go of the heavy patterns of thinking and behavior that keep us stuck and miserable.

And there is one simple habit that most of us modern people engage in on a daily basis that is quite literally KILLING US.

Want to live longer? Want to lower your risk of obesity? Want to lower your risk of dropping dead suddenly?

Then you just might want to STOP this insidious, evil habit…

Are you ready? Want to know what the worst habit or “routine” is that we all do?

Drum roll please….

The worst physical habit we do is….

Sitting.

All day.

Every day.

Working at a desk while sitting in a chair.

Then sitting in our car for our commute,

Then sitting on the couch to “relax”.

Sitting. sitting. sitting. sitting.

Study after study has demonstrated that even working out for an hour every day can not undo the damage that sitting on our butts all does to us.

Don’t believe me? Fine.

Watch this:

And then read this.

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The evidence is overwhelming and crystal clear: avoiding sitting is a key component of a health-promoting lifestyle.

According to Dr. James Levine, co-director of the Mayo Clinic and the Arizona State University Obesity Initiative, some 10,000 publications have shown that sitting is harmful to your health.

He was one of the first to bring attention to this controversial subject, and even wrote a book about it called “Get Up!: Why Your Chair Is Killing You and What You Can Do About It.”

Prolonged sitting actively promotes dozens of chronic diseases, including obesity and type 2 diabetes. Even more remarkable, this holds true even if you’re very fit and exercise regularly.

It’s also an independent risk factor for an early death even if you lead an otherwise healthy lifestyle.

In fact, chronic sitting has a mortality rate similar to smoking.1 And, the less you exercise, the more pronounced the detrimental effects of sitting become. Research also shows that your risk for anxiety and depression rises right along with hours spent in your chair. Read the full article by Dr. Joseph Mercola

==============

In my own experience, it was only AFTER I ditched my chair and started working at my standing desk that I finally dropped the damn 20 pounds I’d been working on releasing for 4 years (and yeah, I also dumped sugar and added in my slow motion “slow burn” exercise into the mix) but it was getting rid of the chair that was for me the real deciding factor.

So as we continue to interrupt patterns and routines this week (thought I was done with that LAST week huh? NOPE. Still working on it… until it becomes a habit. And then we’ll even interrupt THAT :o)

Actually I’ve been working on interrupting patterns and routines since 1993 or so…

MOSTLY the emotional and mental ones that caused me so much pain but the physical ones are crucial as well.

Speaking of surfing… (my OTHER theme from last week) “um Mark, WERE we speaking of surfing?”

Well we ARE now!

One of the other things I admire about surfers is that EVERY WAVE IS DIFFERENT. You can’t surf routinely. You have to constantly adjust to what the wave is actually doing. Not the last wave not the next wave, but THIS wave.

PLUS most surfing is done STANDING UP. LOL.

See how it all ties in together?

Now get up dammit and head over to human resources and put in a request for a standing desk. Or take TOTAL response-ability and buy or make your own.

I just stacked a small coffee table on top of the table that I was using for my desk. The cost? Zero. The time? About 5 minutes.

Try it you’ll like it.

COWABUNGAH!

– Mark

p.s. isn’t it GREAT to be alive right now?

If you would like to go deeper with me in creating better, healthier patterns, habits and routines in your health and fitness, check out my “out-STANDING” course, “It’s Not Just About The Food: The Online Weight Loss Hypnosis Revolution”
photo credit – Copyright: jackrust / 123RF Stock Photo

Filed Under: Articles, Cubicle Slavery, Cultural Conditioning, Daily Mind Mastery Tip, Exercise, Health & Wellness, Transformation, Weight Loss

The Best Exercise of All Time

October 30, 2015 by Mark Shepard

hh-10-30-slowsquat-ss1A Happy Friday SHOUT OUT to The Transformation Nation!

Cowabungah!

I want to start by welcoming all the action taking “1 percenters” who took the plunge and stepped boldly into my new course, CRUSH anxiety NOW! yesterday to get the sweet “beta test price” and get started on their 31 day journey towards calm, confidence and personal mind mastery.

I sincerely bow to the divine within you. Way… TO …. GO!! :o)

Please remember I am here and ready to answer your questions.

Now.

Today I want to shift my focus a bit and get back to one of my other favorite topics.

Taking exquisite care of your body.

And BTW, this is also a helpful anti-anxiety tool to add to the tool kit. When you are moving your body it helps to dissipate and relieve stress, tension and those “nasty” fight or flight hormones… So let’s begin shall we?

Today we explore… The absolute best exercise of all time…

and it just so happens that

The Best Exercise Of All Time

…is the one you will ACTUALLY do… :o)

Today I have one simple exercise that will get you results, faster, “easier”, better… without risk of injury or pain.

It feels so good to do it that you will want to do it more often. And it only takes a minute.

For many of us who are busy living lives in the modern age of “crazy busy” the idea of having to put everything and everyone on hold so you can go to the gym 2 or 3 times a week, is the greatest obstacle to sustainable, life long fitness…

Personally I hate interrupting my “flow” to get in my car in order to go to a gym. I’ve done it from time to time in the past, but definitely not a fan.

I’m running three businesses and I have a very active social life… Spending hours at the gym is NOT gonna happen.

PLUS. I hate the fact that every damn gym I’ve ever been to has constant Television blaring bad news and commercials for drugs and other crap…

Not to mention the THUMP, THUMP of the shitty music bombarding you as you work out…

[oooo I feel a “rant” coming on]

Not to mention the cost… and most of the trainers are poorly trained with often old knowledge that is already outdated by the latest scientific research. I have also personally known several people who got really hurt working with some hot shot personal trainer…

To hell with all that!

And yet at age 54 (turning 55 in November) I’m more fit, more healthy, more energetic and stronger than ever before…

I practice and advocate a fitness program that is perfect for people who are making the transition from “coach potato” to warrior… or for people over 40 who have a lot of demands on their time, or even older folks who want to maintain muscle mass and the ability to move through their days pain free and able to go to the bathroom unassisted until their last day on this lovely planet… Hey. I’m the honest hypnotist remember? Going to the bathroom unassisted is one of life’s great dignities!

It’s principles are simple.

  1. Very slow movements. For very short, intense time periods. By taking away all momentum we increase the work it takes to do any exercise. In effect we make it harder. And by making it harder, we increase it’s effectiveness throughout the movement range. Because we are going slow for short periods of time, we can make any movement into a workout that can be done, any time, anywhere. Right at your desk. For a minute.
  2. Compound movements. By doing movements that work multiple muscle groups we avoid imbalances and we strengthen muscles that we actually might use during a day of living. We strengthen real muscles that combine to work your core as well as your extremities. By doing movements that call upon a full range of muscles throughout a  particular exercise, we get a more balanced, practical distribution of strength. We essentially work more muscles and that adds to the fat burning abilities of this system.
  3. Short. Intense. Slow. Graceful. Pleasurable, Meditational Movements. We increase the pleasure and the meditational, mind set that causes your unconscious mind to “want more”… we want to trigger the “ooooh that feels so good!” response deep in your unconscious mind so that you get healthfully “addicted” to moving your body intelligently. A labrador retriever NEVER needs coaxing to play “fetch”. We want to trigger that play factor in your “animal” mind/body so that it’s FUN. If it’s fun and feels good, you will want to do it more. Right? (BTW I’m not a big fan of sitting to meditate. The last thing we need to do is sit more. I prefer MOVING meditation.

Here’s a simple example of just one such movement:

A couple of other thoughts, the experts in this method who I’ve researched and modeled, say essentially that if you trained this way for a full half hour doing several different compound exercises that worked your entire body thoroughly, you wouldn’t need to do it again for a full week. This is such an intense workout that you need to allow your body to rest…

As you may know Rest and Recovery time is crucial for building muscle.

The problem with that is that once a week is not enough repetition to make it a Habit.

So I’ve modified the process of “slow burn” so that I do a little bit almost every day, throughout my day. Whenever my computer is processing something. or Whenever I’m waiting for something to be ready in the kitchen. Or even if I’m on the phone.

BOOM! I’m doing a slow squat or one of the many other movements that my body LOVES to do… slowly, consciously.

I’ve also gotten rid of my desk chair and I work standing up. I even bought a treadmill to walk on while I work. Not because treadmills are great or anything but because I want to literally increase my movement. Movement is what our bodies are designed to do. Our paleo ancestors moved pretty much all day, everyday. And we need to find a way to get back to that without sacrificing our current ways of making a living.

Sitting has been pretty definitively proven to be one of the absolute WORST things that you can do to your health.

People who sit all the time, even if they go to the gym regularly are at far greater risk of dropping dead…

Suddenly… or slowly…

Either way not optimal. :o)

So I’m not suggesting that you suddenly devote your life to peak performance physical fitness. However I am suggesting that perhaps you might consider that you can get started in some small way today…

Why would today be the perfect day to start exploring this?

Don’t take my word for it. Only you can try it yourself. Right now. Do this one single exercise today. Do it slowly. Do it consciously. Breathe. Love your body. Be present.

Now get back to your life.

Over.

peace and grooviness,

– Mark

p.s. If you’d like to go deeper with me in this area of fitness, health, weight loss, etc, check out my course called,

“It’s Not Just About The Food.”

p.p.s. Questions? Comments? Contact me!

Filed Under: Daily Mind Mastery Tip, Exercise, Fitness, Health & Wellness, Hypnosis For Weight Loss, Keys To Cowabungah, Movement, Online Weight Loss Course, Peak Performance, Sports Hypnosis, Transformation, Weight Loss

Weight Loss Warrior

October 9, 2015 by Mark Shepard

woman-kicking-junk-foodWonder why I’ve been banging the drum all week
about the “peaceful, spiritual, warrior” archetype?

Not only is it a cool, helpful, romantic, nostalgic, archetype.

It freaking WORKS!

For EVERYTHING.

In today’s Mind Mastery Daily, I tie it all in to a MASSIVE project I’ve been working on for exactly a year this weekend:

It’s Not Just About The Food Online Weight Loss Revolution!

This fresh video I just made for you is full of actual, helpful, honest, CONTENT. It’s a little bit more of an investment than some of my videos. But if you open your mind to the “conversational hypnosis” that is going on throughout it, you might surprise yourself by what happens next in the adventure arena of your life…

Watch it!

Your assignment?

Check out my “It’s Not Just About The Food” course and see if it might provide you with the inspiration, motivation and SUPPORT that might empower you to finally take charge of your change in the food, exercise and mind mastery departments…

It’s not for everybody. But TODAY is literally the 1 year anniversary of my own personal commitment to get fit and healthy SUSTAINABLY. No matter what. No excuses. Just consistent action towards the body you want to live in for the rest of your life… and in honor of that, we totally slashed the price!

However,

1. the price will go up

2. You are totally worth it and it comes with a totally solid money back guarantee so it’s totally safe to simply take a look.

“It’s Not Just About The Food” Online Weight Loss/Fitness Revolution Now!

Filed Under: Conversational Hypnosis, Daily Mind Mastery Tip, Exercise, Health & Wellness, Hypnosis For Weight Loss, Online Weight Loss Course, Self Hypnosis, Self Improvement, Sugar, superfoods, Transformation, Weight Loss, Weight Loss Boot Camp, Weight Loss Video

Self Hypnosis For Exercise

September 19, 2015 by Mark Shepard

How sweaty can You Get in 1 minute?
How sweaty can You Get in 1 minute?

Instead of hypnotizing myself to get on my bike and ride (because it’s “good” for me), I hypnotized myself to get as sweaty as possible while having as much fun as possible, and I focused my curiosity on discovering how much more had been accomplished on the trail since my last bike ride the previous week… (Personally one bike ride a week seems plenty LOL).

…All of a sudden I got an intense urgent desire to ride my bike along the new rail trail between Delmar and Albany NY. Which you could fairly say was:

Self Hypnosis For Exercise

It wasn’t a marathon. Just about a 15 or 20 minute ride each way. So I got it done in less than 45 minutes.

And man did I sweat! I also got all charged up with ideas and passion for my work! Got some healthy sun exposure (without getting burned). Had a blast! And I made this IMMEDIATELY upon arriving back home to Transformation Nation HQ.

Check out the video because I make a pretty big admission… I may be one of those guys who “looks athletic” but the truth is…

Well…watch the video… it’s really short (and not because I needed to go lie down or anything, really… LOL)

Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to move your body for at least 1 minute today…

Thoughts?

Tales of athletic endurance? Skill? Prowess? Accomplishments? Records smashed? Inspiration? Persistence? Triumph?

Plain old “Umph”?

Got questions? I have answers and I want you to have them, so…

Let’s talk

Filed Under: Daily Mind Mastery Tip, Exercise, Fitness, Goal Setting, Health & Wellness, Sports Hypnosis, Weight Loss

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A few testimonials…

I can’t thank you enough!

“I want to thank you for EVERYTHING you did for me! Ran the 48.6 miles last weekend. That is huge as when I first saw you I couldn’t even run outdoors without anxiety. I can’t thank you enough!”

John B.

I’ve been applying the techniques…

“Thank you Mark! I’ve been applying the techniques you taught us last week, and DAMN, it seems to be working already (but I’m not positive yet). I also wanted to tell you that I think you’ve got a real winner in your ‘Rain’ song. Ever since I heard it, I can’t get it out of my head! You’re the Best!”

Kate

Panic attacks gone for good…

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Robin

You are a ROCKSTAR!

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Leslie M. Thornton

Haven’t felt this good for a long time…

“I haven’t felt this good for a long time and it’s a great feeling. I just wanted to say thank you so much and I really appreciate all your help.”

Kent

Honest and compassionate…

“I loved all the ‘transformation tools.’ I use them every day. I feel positive – self love. Mark worked hard and really cares about us. …very giving – honest and compassionate – thank you!”

Susan C.

Very helpful…

“The information you are providing in the “CRUSH anxiety NOW!” course is very helpful. Thanks, Mark! BTW, I love your music, too. :-)”

Beth P.

Already noticing huge progress!

“I have really enjoyed watching all of your videos, and I am already noticing huge progress! I go through all of your recommended self-hypnosis on a daily basis and notice improvement each day.”

Chris

A miracle!

“Mark’s intensive phobia-releasing session CURED me. The ‘trigger’ no longer causes me to shake and tremble. That’s a miracle! The healing affected more than just me.”

A. Hart

The program is so powerful and energetic…

“Mark provided a lot of information and tools to help me in weight loss and in all areas of my life. The program is so powerful and energetic. The camaraderie you encourage is extremely beneficial.”

Ann B.

Already feel better!

“Hey, finished watching the Mojo course last night, great stuff. I already feel better!”

Todd

Used your courses to great effect…

“I’ve used your Shy Guy Help and ED courses to great effect, thank you!”

Ian

Makes it easy to understand…

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Linda

Anxiety is GONE!

“Oh my god… when you said ‘now where’s the anxiety?’ it gave me the biggest grin I’ve had in a long time… ‘cuz it was GONE! This is genius! You’re a genius sir!”

Jay

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“Dear Mr. Shepard, I killed it with my speech yesterday, so thank you so much for all of your help! And thank you for adding me into the Bully Proof Teen group. I’ve been bullied myself as well so this is a good place for me to learn more. I will definitely take advantage of it. Don’t ever stop doing what you are doing!”

Hasen Khiar

One day I just stopped wanting all the sweets…

“It wasn’t an ‘instant’ fix. It took a little while but one day I just stopped wanting all the sweets that I used to crave. Now I’m drinking more water and loving my body more.”

Kay F.

Experienced a total transformation…

“I went online and logged in to your course How To Get Over A Breakup and experienced a total transformation.”

Paula

Excellent customer service

“Excellent customer service. Thanks a lot!!!!!!”

Luis C.

Leaving my fears in the dust…

“It is a journey and Mark has shared a lot of great, drug free techniques that I intend to KEEP practicing as I leave my fears in the dust once and for all.”

Cheryl

I’ve been regularly using your breathing techniques…

“Hi Mark, I’ve been regularly using your breathing techniques and positive ‘why’ questions. I also bought your song ‘Arise Arise’ as it seems to really help when nervous.”

Jason

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