Shawn Phillips | Start Strong Monday

Freedom Can Take Many Forms

A few weeks back we enjoyed our annual American celebration of Freedom—the 4th of July, Independence Day. Since then, I’ve been doing some thinking about freedom and what it means to be free.

Americans love our Freedom. We hold it high and display it proudly for the world to see. For good reason too: There’s something very special about the freedoms we Americans are afforded. There must be. We’ve confirmed it’s worth dying for.

Yet, beyond a pick-up truck, a cold beer and a shotgun, what is freedom?

The founding-fathers of this great country fought for freedom: Freedom of religion, freedom from oppressive rule by Great Britain, and the freedom to self-govern.

Fortunately, our founding fathers’ wisdom recognized the freedom of the individual, as is captured in what has been called the most potent words in American history, from The Declaration of Independence:

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.“

Those are some strong words, don’t you agree? Feels empowering just to read them, like, “Damn! We’ve really got it made.”

And we do. Our attention not locked on a moment-to-moment fight for rights, “we the people,” have been afforded a terrific head start in the pursuit of a happy, fulfilling life.

The question this leads me to ask is: How are you living into this gift?

Are you playing the role of the deserving, elite or living in gratitude for the gifts by nurturing your own personal freedom forward every single day?

While most are quick to wave a patriotic flag in praise of freedom, I think most Americans take freedom for granted—in part because they’ve not known its absence.

Thus, rather than our freedoms serving as a foundation from which to build, freedom has become the full-on “pursuit of happiness.” Ironically, it is in this very “pursuit of happiness” that many forsake the very freedom they so profess to love.

On a personal level “freedom” is quite literally “the ability to do what you want to do, whenever you want to do it.” And what could bring more happiness than that? No rules, no requirements, nothing to get in our way. Just pure, simple Freedom!

Like the children of Hollywood celebrities, you and I enjoy significant advantages over other children of the world. And just as no well-to-do parent who gave their child a “leg up” ever dreamt their child would become a life drop-out, addict—making it easy is usually well-intended, but doesn’t always deliver favorable outcomes.

If you consciously value the freedoms we’ve been granted as a part of our American heritage how might you be living differently? Would your efforts to sustain, support and develop your personal freedom be more honoring of those who fought and continue to serve to deliver and protect our freedom?

I can promise you that no soldier has ever stepped into battle, willingly giving his or her life so that you might enjoy the “freedom” to sit on the overstuffed couch, stuffing your over plumped face and while turning your brain to mush with twisted, less than reality shows and distortion media on TV.

I promise. It’s never, ever happened.

Becoming physically, mentally and emotionally enslaved to stimulus—to the consumption of all manner of physical, mental and emotionally damaging intake, including America’s most common addiction, unconscious eating, is not freedom.

How Free Are You?
If you cannot jump into the air to catch a spinning Frisbee, sprint across the grass to field a fly-ball or swim the length of a pool, just how free are you?

If you cannot resist the draw of sugar, or stuffing snack “food” in your mouth while you stare at the boob-tube or watch a movie, if you have to have a Red Bull or some whacked out energy-shot cocktail to get you going, your freedom is compromised.

If you’ve allowed your body to fade such that it limits your freedom, if you’ve become enslaved to food, drink and pleasures, you’re losing freedom moment by moment, with every bite nougat-filled delight.

No question that the right to bear arms and the protection of religious choice are precious freedoms. Yet, I contend that your most precious freedom begins inside and radiates through your mind, body, and soul—it’s from your inner strength, physical capacity and consciousness where your personal freedom expands or contracts. For a strong vital body, a clear focused mind and an inspired spirit are the true foundations of freedom even in the most oppressive environment.

More dreadful than having your freedom snatched away is to throw your personal freedom away. No one does this willingly or with great pleasure—it happens unconsciously, in the absence of awareness and usually in the shadow of even the most mild addiction.

And yet for all the flag waving and freedom preaching we do as a country, the truth is that no country can be freer than the people who make it up.

Thus, if the citizens are quietly enslaved—largely asleep—the very freedoms we salute may actually be keeping us cozy and sleeping—protecting us from awakening from the dream of freedom. Doubt that? Try this one on: When was the last time the USA was wide awake and united? I suggest it was WWII, when our freedoms were at great risk.

Nourishing Freedom

It can take years, for many a lifetime, to discover that the pursuit of happiness without regard to contribution makes for an empty life.

It’s not the freedom to consume that is most profoundly American but the freedom to produce, to create and to contribute that lights the torch of freedom, nourishes our souls and forges country’s strength.

Freedom is earned and thus can be lost. Freedom must be cultivated and strengthened from the inside out. It expands with daily practice and attention—and contracts in the absence of awareness and presence of fear and addiction, however subtle.

The freedom we have here in the US of A is something special. It deserves to be treated as such.

When you care for yourself, exercising your body, nourishing your mind, nurturing positive emotions; you’re not just strengthening yourself but your country as well. You’re living in appreciation and respect for the freedoms you have.

Exercise that freedom; go for a run, spin that cycle, climb that mountain, lift the steal and in so doing know you’re waving the red, white and blue loud and proud. In fact there may be no more patriotic thing you can do this day, or every day than to nourish and nurture a strong, vibrant capable body, mind and soul.

I look forward to the day in this not too distant future when American’s traveling abroad are easy to spot because, “those people from the US are always so fit!”

To Your Life @ Full Strength,

Shawn
Follow Me: /Twitter/shawn_phillips

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About the Author

Author, innovator and expert in Life Performance for two decades, Shawn Phillips is as respected for his physique as his wisdom. Working with his brother Bill (of Body for LIFE fame) he helped create the performance nutrition giant, EAS. In his 40's, a husband and father of two young children, Shawn has shifted his focus to helping busy, high-achieving men enjoy vibrant, energized, amazing lives! To help more men towards Life @ Full Strength Shawn created the World's First truePremium Nutrition Shake, the clinically proven Full Strength . For a "how to" guide to a Lifestyle of Fitness Freedom, check out Shawn's most recently instant best-selling book from Bantam BooksStrength for LIFE, called by Next-Level in Transformational Fitness, Here.

Inspector Clouseau Investigates Proteins

In the event you’ve been in a media black out and missed it, there’s buzz about the article “Health Alert: Protein Drinks” featured in the July 2010, issue of Consumer Reports Magazine. The article (links at bottom of post) presents the results of tests done for arsenic, cadmium, lead and mercury on 15 different “protein powders.”

I use quotations around “protein powders” to call attention to the fact that Consumer Reports used more than just proteins and powders in their tests. They included meal-replacements, including Myoplex, and some were ready-to-drinks, which are clearly not powders. The first of several oversights in the article.

As you may expect, this report has caused much alarm. The thought that there could be toxic, heavy metals in the proteins that are intended to support health is certainly unnerving. Never mind that of the 15 products tested, 12 sailed through with flying colors because two of them didn’t—two exceeded the referenced limits.*

(FYI: Here’s a link to the Full Strength Lab Results)

When I first saw the results of this test I too was shocked and concerned. However, my concern turned to annoyed and then quickly to agitated as I read the article. I’m disappointed in the Inspector Clousaeu quality investigative work, the lack of standards in the testing and the clear slant to the writing. It’s anything but the unbiased Consumer Reports standard.

This disregard for the typical Consumer Reports standards in reporting could have a lasting negative impact on millions whose health, wellness, strength and fitness benefit from high-quality nutrition shakes and protein supplements—and it may come back to bite them too.

Read on as I shed light on the issues presented by Consumer Reports and guide you through the confusion to what’s true and what matters. Saving the best for last, I say what others are thinking but seem unwilling to talk about. This you’ve got to hear.

The Results

Consumer Reports tested 15 protein containing products (protein and meal-replacements) collected from N.Y. area stores. They tested for arsenic, cadmium, lead and mercury; using suggested safe daily intake levels as set by US Pharmacopeia (USP).

There’s no rationale offered for the products selected, although they are generally recognized brands with a few obscure exceptions.

Of the 15 products, all but two (three samples) were within the proposed limits. The “red light” offenders in this test were Myoplex ready-to-drink, chocolate; and Muscle Milk powder, chocolate and vanilla.

The Myoplex tested came in at 16.9 mcg, above the 15 mcg referenced daily limit for arsenic and 0.1 above the 5.0 limit for cadmium. Muscle Milk chocolate was at 5.6 on cadmium and 13.5 on the lead levels, above the 10 mcg referenced limit. The Muscle Milk vanilla was high on lead at 12.2 mcg.

Now, that’s some mixed news. First, they were looking for metals in proteins for some reason and 80% of their random samples passed with flying colors. Great! Good news. Ah, but… But two well known brands didn’t fair so well—and that’s not good.

This failure by two once strong brands is bad for everyone. Personally it’s disappointing. Yet, I must note that we’re talking 1.9 mcg on one measure and from 0.1 to 3.5 micrograms.

I’m not suggesting you shouldn’t be concerned about what’s in your supplements, water or foods, but I think it serves to have some perspective on the unit of measure we’re talking about here. A microgram, the smallest unit of measure, is equal to 1/1,000,000 (millionth) of a gram. Thus, missing the target by 1.9 micrograms could be like losing the 100 meter dash by the thickness of a human hair.

Apples, Oranges and a Circus Elephant

The way the tests were conducted; the discrepancy in sample sizes, units, liquids, powders and MRPs is very easily confusing. It makes it difficult to not only compare the products to each other, but to take this analysis seriously. Let’s just say, had this sample set been turned in for a middle school science project it’d have likely received an “F.”

For example, the Myoplex was not tested on a single ready-to-drink but rather three—which is 126 grams of protein total. And the Muscle Milk on a whopping 96 grams of protein. Both a hell of a lot more protein soley from nutrition shakes/protein supplements than most human beings I’ve ever known consume daily, on a regular basis.

Of course, people will recall the negative story of proteins exceeding safety limits and perhaps even the violating brands—for a while—but over time this negative news and the image it generates will likely be applied to all protein related nutritionals—which is unnecessarily damaging and unfortunate for both businesses and consumers.

Compared to What?

While I’m sure you’ll agree that there’s no upside to finding cadmium, arsenic, lead, mercury or any heavy metals in your food, supplements or beverages, the reality most would prefer not to know is that they’re in nearly everything. These are common toxins that have seeped into our lives. The U.S. Government’s own website estimates “about 96 million Americans are drinking water that exceeds these limits on a daily basis.”

In an “offline” conversation a nutrition expert and PhD commented to me:
“To some degree heavy metals are going to be present in proteins—not because they are “in proteins” but due to the fact that they’re present in practically everything in our environment to some degree. Let’s face it, we don’t have all the answers yet. We’re even using arsenic to treat some disease now because we’re beginning to understand that, like almost all elements found in nature, it serves some purpose within our bodies, even if at extremely low levels. At the end of the day, plants grow because of sunlight, water, minerals and nitrogen from the soil. Whether plant-eater or carnivore, we’ll eventually consume whatever helped those plant grow, and the animals that ate them.”

That does not make it acceptable to find them in some protein products. Yet, I’m astonished that Consumer Reports chose to isolate these metals in protein without offering even a single reference point. They offer no relative information to help gauge the significance of these numbers. It’s just “Here… Suck on that!”

Personally I find it helpful to know that arsenic levels found in Myoplex are 10 times less than those found in 6 ounces of shrimp. And that a cup of boiled spinach has 10 times more cadmium than found in most of the tested proteins.

Perspective is critical. So much so that the absence of it seems tactical.

Lack of perspective is a subtle, yet effective way to promote fear. It’s a trick we’ve all experienced at the movies when a giant dinosaur rages onto the big screen and we sink back in our chairs. If you could see the full perspective you’d see that the T-Rex is only 10 inches tall. Nothing to fear there. It’s just the close up that intentionally alters perspective that makes it scary.

It seems almost as if Consumer Reports intended to make this report frightening.

A Question of Limits

The referenced “safe limits” used by Consumer Reports were established by US Pharmacopeia. This much I know. What I don’t find in the article or anywhere on either site is where, when or how these were established. Is it one limit for all people regardless of gender, age and body weight? Seems unlikely.

Some reports have suggested that the reference numbers used are limits for a 110 lbs. person, which would obviously make for another issue entirely. I’ve not confirmed this to be true yet.

On a related note, NSF International, the keepers of standards in all sorts of categories from your household appliances to nutritional supplements, has raised some serious issues about the testing methods used by Consumer Reports.

NSF International cannot comment on the test results reported in the July 2010, Consumer Reports article on protein drinks. It omits critical information about the laboratory that performed the test and its accreditation qualifications. ISO 17025 accreditation is critical for any laboratory testing for heavy metals in dietary supplements and nutritional products. The article also omits the test methods used, analytical preparation, sample size, the basis of their risk assessment, detection limits, quality control data and instrumentation used for this report.

This is a the leading testing and analysis company voicing their dissatisfaction with the entire process. Not good for Consumer Reports. It’s amazing that a company with such a strong reputation as Consumer Reports would be so careless and irresponsible in its methodology.

My friend Tom Venuto took the words out of my mouth in his posted response:

In the future, however, I’d like to see these types of tests performed under scientific scrutiny and get the results published in a peer reviewed journal. This way, we can review the test results, read about the experimental methods and get the evidence-based facts about protein requirements and contaminant safety standards, rather than depend on journalists whose usual job is comparing brands of toasters.

Humorous and at the same time painfully true.

My Conclusion on The Results

As flawed as these test results seem to be, I’m still disappointed that EAS and Myoplex showed up on the list. I hold hopes that this will prompt a deeper, more comprehensive look into all the ingredients in their MRP’s and proteins.

As for Muscle Milk, they’ve posted a clear response here. Once again, I don’t know what—if anything—could be the source but Muscle Milk is a good company run by good people. Just because Muscle Milk doesn’t have the sort of nutritional profile that best supports a man like me doesn’t mean it’s a bad product.

Ultimately, I imagine this report will have everyone looking again at their processes and controls. And I’m sure I’m not alone when I say I hope this is resolved never to be seen again.

A Question of Bias

For decades Consumer Reports has held an esteemed role of trust in an over-hyped world. It’s been the place we go to find the unbiased truth about cars, appliances and all manner of household appliances and various hard goods. They’re the good guy, the one we want to like—to know is on our side—and that’s another reason this article has so been so disappointing to me.

It appears to be written with intent to dissuade people from using protein supplements.

Questionable science aside, the article is anything but neutral. It’s written with a clear bias, to persuade the reader not just to be suspect or fearful of proteins, but to paint the active people who use them in a negative light as well. And that’s just plain sad to me.

It also freely propagates several seriously outdated myths about protein as absolute fact—doing so in a subtle fashion making it very challenging for readers to spot. At one point Consumer Reports suggests, “You don’t need extra protein” and “high protein diets damage your kidneys.” The first they have zero grounds for support (and piles of science that suggests protein can support lean, strong body) and the latter simply fuels a common myth that they could have debunked in just a few minutes of research.

When mentioning cadmium is toxic to the kidney, Consumer Reports makes the following blanket statement “the way that high protein is bad for your kidneys.” A high-protein diet is not damaging to healthy kidneys.

High-protein diets are contraindicated for patients who have kidney disease and caution is warranted in certain populations of high risk of kidney conditions or where there is kidney disease predisposition. But this is not the same as saying eating a high-protein diet causes kidney disease or malfunctions.

But one of my favorite the several Consumer Reports missteps in the article is the ultimate protein fairy-tale, when a “nutritionist” suggests that “the body can only break down 5 to 9 grams of protein per hour, and any excess not burned for energy is converted to fat.”

I’m with my friend, Tom Venuto, who says, “I’d like to see the research citation on that one!”

How about this line, “a review of government documents, and interviews with health and fitness experts and consumers, found most people already get enough protein.”

Are you kidding me? We’re counting on the U.S. government to know how much protein we need? Ha! That’s like asking Grandma what octane of fuel to put in a Ferrari. It’s not exactly an area of expertise for either.

And that my friends, is not what we’ve come to embrace the Consumer Reports role to be. They are (or were) a neutral source; the “just the facts, ma’am,” people. So, my question is why the slant? Is this really a piece that Consumer Reports felt needed to be published so badly that they would forgo reasonable science protocol?

One must ask, who’s pushing this agenda. Could it possibly be a coincidence that this article follows a similar attack on herbal supplements—an attack which lead to a general attack on all supplements to congress a few weeks back?

Could it be that the pharmaceutical industry, which has long viewed supplements as both a bothersome pest and a potential goldmine, if they could get control of them, is seeing an opportunity to clamp down hard with this legislation happy administration in D.C.?

I think we must look deeper into issues and ask questions of motivation and intent. And while I’m not at all the “conspiracy type,” I can imagine no fate worse for the American consumer than having the pharmaceutical industry get its greedy hands on your Vitamin-C. Think our medical and insurance system is whacked now, wait until you see this return to mid-evil times.

Whenever you see things going on that may impede on your freedom, your rights, even if you’re not a supplement fan, you’ve got to ask yourself the question, “What’s really going on behind the curtain?”

My 1-2-3 Advice

(1) Choose your nutrition products just as you do your food. The cheapest crap tends to be just that, the cheapest crap. Select a brand with standards that you trust and believe in and leave gambling for areas other than your health and freedom. (Drink Schlitz and get Schlitz like results… it’s that simple.)

(2) As with anything in the media these days, ask yourself the question of intent first. What’s the primary driving reason for this and who’s set to benefit the greatest? It’s just a good practice for living in a slippery world.

(3) Read Consumer Reports when you want to know what appliance, TV or even car to buy and take their sports nutrition reviews with a grain of salt, if that.

Additional Resources

The Bright, Shiny Clean, Toxin-Free Report for Full Strength
Full Strength: Pure, Premium Through and Through (w/ Lab Results)

Tom Venuto’s Intelligent Response
BurntheFatBlog : Heavy Metals Found in Proteins

The Original Consumer Reports Piece Online
You might want to blend a Full Strength, sit back and take this one in with good sense of humor.
Health Alert on Proteins

Another NEW Scientific Case for Whey Protein Adding Lean Muscle
And finally, just for good measure and balance here’s a brand-spanking new research study which once again supports the benefits of protein intake, especially whey protein. Directly countering one of the numerous myths Consumer Reports stated as fact.
Effect of protein/essential amino acids and resistance training on skeletal muscle hypertrophy: A case for whey protein

To Your Life @ Full Strength,

Shawn
Follow Me: /Twitter/shawn_phillips

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The Transformation of Al Roker

Next to water, food and companionship, the need and desire for weight loss may well be the next most common attribute of the homo sapiens species.

For some it’s a mere 5-10 pounds, for others 100 plus. For some it’s about vanity, others performance—to drop 10 to climb the hills stronger on my bike—and for others it’s nothing less than a matter of life.

While the challenge each of us confronts is as individual as you and I, and certainly amplified by the absolute pounds desired to lose, there are certain undeniable truths to weight loss that re-unite us.

These truths will not be overruled by a miracle pill, an extreme diet or even elective surgery. You can do any and or all of the above and more, but fail to “get” these, attempt to bend the rules, or skip over even one and you’ll continue to struggle with food, life, energy and your weight.

Big Al Less 136
On the list of things few people know about me is that I enjoy a little NBC’s Today Show in the A.M., one of my few T.V. indulgences.

You may know of Today Show’s colorful weatherman Al Roker. Al’s always been a big man—now he’s just a big man on air. Some years back, tipping the scales at 340 lbs, Al made a promise to his dying father that he’d make a change which led him to go under the knife for gastric bypass surgery.

Last week the Today Show chronicled Al’s journey; a lifelong struggle with weight, multiple failed attempts at dieting, his gastric bypass surgery (which he subsequently almost “ate through”) and how he’s found his place and space in this world as a smaller man.

It’s been 8 years since Al underwent the difficult surgery that—which he emphasizes was not the end, but simply “a means” to helping him gain some control over his weight. Since then he’s down a total of 136 lbs!

That’s impressive success. Congratulations to Al!

But what I found even more impressive was the timeless wisdom Al displayed in this interview.

Fact is I usually “pass” on celebrity weight loss stories but in his interview Al displayed an all too rare wisdom—the sort of insight that comes only through experience. One after another he shared the true keys, not just to weight loss, but to living lighter.

The “Universal Keys to Weight Loss” Al shared:

1. Kick Start Your Weight Loss with a Reboot

Al engages in a 2-week “cleanse and detox” phase, as he calls it. His description reveals it’s clearly a version of Base Camp “the 12-day Reboot” from Strength for LIFE. This reboot for your mind and body can transform an unresponsive, over-stressed, compromised body into a vibrant, fully loaded strong responder—eager to drop excess weight that it’s been holding to for years.

The Reboot phase eliminates wheat, dairy, sugar, alcohol and anything that can spike blood sugar and stress. While cutting excess you’re free to eat as much of the approved foods lean, clean and green food as you please.

2. You Can’t Out Exercise Lousy Eating Habits

Calories count. Al doesn’t lie to himself about exercise. He knows weight loss requires eating fewer calories than you burn and that’s where the exercise comes in. Exercise helps your burn more calories and allows you to eat more healthy food. It’s also essential for a stronger body that burns more all the time.

3. Change Your Relationship With Food and the Foods You Eat Change

Al says, “It’s about my relationship with food.” This is wisdom speaking for it takes time, experience and perspective to get that mastering weight loss is not about restriction or living in resistance to food and eating – aka dieting.

Re-framing your relationship with food is like programming yourself for success. In Strength for Life you’ll find a crystal clear explanation of what this means as well as a sure fire practice that will help set your free—to achieve what I call Nutritional Freedom: The freedom and desire to eat the foods that are the best for you, the most.

4. Don’t Just Get Smaller, Get Stronger

Like nearly all lasting success stories of Transformation, Al includes regular strength training in his workout regimen—even while he’s also training for a marathon. The importance of lean muscle mass in supporting weight loss through several mechanisms including burning more calories and muscles ability to support blood sugar levels is well documented, and perhaps nowhere more thoroughly than Chapter 4 of Strength for LIFE.

5. Indulge Only in the Exceptional

Al says, “I don’t put it in my mouth if it’s not spectacular!” I love this one for I know it so well in my own life. When you’re beyond eating things just to eat, when you get that every thing you eat has a price—and that price is calories and you have the freedom to choose, you just stop putting crap in your mouth that doesn’t belong.

I believe this is a natural progression that comes when you stop allowing anything mediocre to enter your body, mind or life—be it food, people, thoughts or whatever. If it’s not spectacular, if it’s not the best thing you’ve ever put in your mouth, don’t. It’s really that simple.

6. Change Your Relationship With Your Body And Your Body Changes

Al references the oft-used quote, “Nothing tastes as good as looking great feels.”

Until you’ve made enough progress to really get a true sense of feeling good, its all seems like willpower, dieting and deprivation. But once feeling better, beyond the looking better, a whole new level of enthusiasm is released.

You’ll start to connect with how foods elevate your energy or leave you feeling bad. In Strength for LIFE I explain these two states in “eating to live” vs. “living to eat.”

Feeling the quality of your energy is not accidental even in a vibrant body. We’re not trained to pay attention to the subtle energy, to how we’re feeling. We are conditioned to tune in to our bodies only when they hurt, when something’s wrong. Hence, the reactive nature we have with wellness.

Thus, tuning in to your energy, gaining the capacity to sense what’s serving you and what’s draining you requires your involvement. You must intentionally draw your mind, your attention in. It’s about mindfulness, awareness and focus. In Strength for LIFE I teach how to make your training, eating and your entire life a mindfulness practice—and how to anchor your positive energy and strength.

7. It’s Not a Diet, It’s a Lifestyle

Sustained and continued weight loss is not the result of a single event, or even repeated heroic efforts. It’s about integrating it in your life—making it a lifestyle. Al brings it home—and that’s sound wisdom. You can’t transcend those who you are around each day. The lone soldier doesn’t have the odds in his favor.

Beyond your immediate family there’s great strength to be had in tapping into the support of a charged, focused community like my bother’s living community, Transformation.com. Bill’s done a brilliant job of engaging the collective energy, focus and passion of an empowered group on results. I believe T.com, as it’s known, is the next BIG, BIG thing…

Remember no man is an island. Don’t be a Superman, just look like one.

8. Change the Game with Leverage

Leverage: “a mechanical advantage, to gain power over.”

When it comes time to take action, to drop some weight, our first move is nearly always to look for an edge, a boost or even better an “unfair advantage.” This is a wise first move, even though it opens one to the “miracle cure” scams.

You absolutely positively need and will be served by getting leverage.

Generating momentum from a standing start requires a lot of torque. Anything you can do that will give you a real, authentic advantage could be worth it’s weight in gold—if you it helps you to make progress with less brut force.

For Al, this is what gastric bypass surgery was; leverage. It gave him the strength, resources and reason to believe and fully embrace the journey. And even with this leverage, Al still got to learn the fundamentals, to change his lifestyle and develop his awareness. The bypass only enabled him to and through the these essentials steps.

That’s the other thing about leverage, it’s more than just a mechanical advantage it’s a mental one. For at the core we’re truly seeking a reason to believe as much as a kick in the ass.

Where You’ll Find Leverage
Leverage can be had in a well crafted program or plan. It needn’t be the “only way” just one you can lock into for a given duration. It need only be a place to focus your energies. It’s also tapped in strong, energizing vision and well crafted, compelling goals.

You can find a living leverage in an empowering community that’s at least as interested in your success as you are. Same goes for a great trainer, trainer partner or group. It’s having self motivated, driven people to ride with that I get myself on the bike.

In my opinion the most powerful, life changing leverage points you will ever find are in the seemingly small actions repeated daily. For just as a drop of water will cut through the hardest rock, quantum change is the result of these small daily actions.

Perhaps none more powerful than the powerful leverage of beginning your day with the supreme, complete nourishment of a Full Strength Shake. It’s clinically proven ability to affect significant change in your body and life is unparalleled in the world of supplements or nutrition.

Quicker, more satisfying and energizing than any known breakfasts, Full Strength’s proprietary Performance Balance Technology fuels body and mind, then keeps you soaring with energy for hours as it nourishes the strength of every cell in your body.

I share from experience for each day for me begin with a delicious Full Strength. It’s elevating, energizing and freeing experience is vital to my daily performance and energy. It’s ability to stabilize my energy and appetite all day long, while carrying more further and fewer calories than any food ever, is as good as leverage gets. It’s a true game changer.

I share this with reservation given that we both know that the Full Strength Shake is my creation and my product. I accept there is risk in you misinterpreting my enthusiasm, confusing the passion for a profit motive. But it’s a risk I must take for I created Full Strength with the express intent of changing lives—I built it to be the best—and thus have no reason to hide my passion and enthusiasm. In fact to do so would be a disservice to you and the world.

Clearly there are other ways to get your daily nutrition, to fuel your success that will suffice—and more. Still I invite you to take my endorsement of Full Strength for granted and discover the power of leverage yourself.

Looking for leverage that’s proven to work? I invite you to take The 14-Day Full Strength Challenge—if you don’t feel the renewed strength, energy and vitality, if you’re not completely elated by the way you’re feeling in just two short weeks, I will refund 100% of your purchase instantly. Zero risk. It’s that simple.

I do this because I know from experience that you have to experience the Full Strength to truly get how radically superior, how different and more complete it truly is.

Change Your Beliefs and Everything Changes
As much as we may secretly want to believe there’s a “Fairy-God pill” for weight-loss or a secret formula that’s as simple as 1-2-3 you know it’s just not so. On the comforting side, these sound universal truths are pillars you can rely on. And while they may not look like the magic you hoped for, apply these regularly and your results will.

Ultimately, what I see in Al is that he gets it. He’s come to understand there is no absolute right answer, there is no “the way” there’s only “a way.” And we must find our own. The ultimate effectiveness of any plan or diet is not that it works long enough to change your body, but that through it we are changed.

When you follow the right steps with awareness intention and intensity the reality of weight loss is done right, it changes you—not just into a thinner person but a more aware, stronger and freer version of you.

What else did you see Al share in this video that I haven’t shared? Please share with us below. Trust me, there is more here that I was forced to leave out.

To Your Life @ Full Strength,

Shawn
Follow Me: /Twitter/shawn_phillips

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About Gastric Bypass Surgery

I appreciate the articulate manner in which Al shares in the video about gastric bypass, making it very clear that it’s not a magic bullet and it’s not for everyone. It’s also a risky surgery, given 1 in 200 people don’t make it out alive. I agree with Al that gastric bypass is a last resort even for the small percentage who ultimately choose to go there.

About the Author

Author, innovator and expert in Life Performance for two decades, Shawn Phillips is as respected for his physique as his wisdom. Working with his brother Bill (of Body for LIFE fame) he helped create the performance nutrition giant, EAS. In his 40's, a husband and father of two young children, Shawn has shifted his focus to helping busy, high-achieving men enjoy vibrant, energized, amazing lives! To help more men towards Life @ Full Strength Shawn created the World's First truePremium Nutrition Shake, the clinically proven Full Strength . For a "how to" guide to a Lifestyle of Fitness Freedom, check out Shawn's most recently instant best-selling book from Bantam BooksStrength for LIFE, called by Next-Level in Transformational Fitness, Here.