Will dieting work without exercise?

Yes and no.  Yes, you will probably lose weight if you adhere religiously to your diet but no, you will not keep the weight off when you stop the diet and return to your normal eating habits.  Worse than that, you will have burned off much of your lost weight in lean body mass (muscle), the stuff that burns calories most effectively.  When you gain the weight back it will be in the form of more fat, and you will have the net result of an increased percent of your body being fat and a reduction in your body’s ability to maintain its weight in the future.

Are weight-loss pills dangerous?

First, let’s define dangerous.  I’m going to use a very broad measure and say that danger is anything that can prove deleterious to your overall health in the long run.  So, yes, they are dangerous and in the long run you end up fatter than before you ever used them.

How do I eat healthy at a fast food restaurant?

That’s a tough one.  The easy answer is you can’t, but I’m going to be realistic here and try to give you some guidance.  First of all you have to stay away from the white stuff: fries, potatoes, bread, cake, chips and the drinks, sugared or diet.  That doesn’t leave much does it?  The few fast-food places I can get behind are Subway, Taco Bell, and Kenny Rogers Roasters.  Even at these places you need to follow the above rules.  Sorry.  Here’s the good news -- if you’re living the Perfect Body Made Simple lifestyle, go ahead and eat whatever you want.  You’ll be fine.

What can I eat at a wedding?

That depends.  Are you following the advice laid out in Perfect Body Made Simple?  If so, go ahead and eat anything you want.  Enjoy it knowing that it won’t make a significant difference in your overall dietary picture.  If you are not, well, you’re on your own.

How long should I give up chocolate?

Why on earth would you want to give up chocolate?  Here’s a few hints: practice moderation, eat dark chocolate, use The Kettlebell Way to Your Perfect Body and Perfect Body Made Simple and you can enjoy chocolate forever, along with all of your other favorite foods.

Will lifting weights make my thighs bigger?

It certainly could, but not if you are using The Kettlebell Way to Your Perfect Body.  With this workout, the first change you will see in your thighs is how slender and shapely you look in those shorts you haven’t been able to wear for years.  And if you are also following the Perfect Body Made Simple nutritional lifestyle, well, it will happen that much faster. 

I’m so tired of hiding my flabby arms. Will this workout help with that?

Yes! In fact, you will not believe how fast your arms change.  In my own experience, my arms, along with my abs, were the first areas to show dramatic change. Within my first 4-6 weeks of doing kettlebells, my arms went from big and flabby to slim and toned.  Yours can too!

Ever since my c-section I haven’t been able to have a flat stomach.  Is there anything I can do?

I sympathize with you.  I haven’t had a c-section, but I did have four surgeries that cut into my abdominal wall when I was a child.  I believe this is the reason I have never been able to achieve flat abs.  In fact, every time I tried ab exercises or machines, I ended up developing an even rounder belly.  Now, thanks to kettlebells, at the age of 44, I have the flat, toned abs that have always eluded me.  The reason is this: The Kettlebell Way to Your Perfect Body is a workout that exercises muscles in real-life, natural movements, and it forces the core muscles to stay tight throughout the exercise.  Every round works the abs in ways that ensure that they develop flat, not round.

I’m not really overweight, but I have back fat.  I hate it -- is there anyway I can get rid of it?

I’m right there with you.  A year ago I was in your shoes.  The frustrating thing was that it didn’t seem to matter how slim I was or how much I was running (even while I was training for a half marathon), I still had back fat. I had given up on it ever going away.  Then, about 2-3 months after starting kettlebells, I happened to put on a tight-fitting shirt I hadn’t worn in years because of the back fat.  (I had planned on wearing a cardigan over the shirt to hide the back rolls.)  To my surprise, I didn’t need the cardigan, the back fat was gone.  That’s because that back fat wasn’t all fat.  Some of those rolls were caused by flabby muscles in my back.  Let me sum it up this way:  Toned muscles mean a tighter look whether it’s arms, legs, tummy or back.  

How is kettlebell training different from traditional weight lifting?

Kettlebell training concentrates on movement patterns that incorporate the whole body moving through functional ranges of motion.  Traditional weightlifting is just that ... lifting a weight and moving it from one point to another in a limited range of motion and using specific muscles in isolation.  Kettlebell training is designed to maximize the bodies  metabolic rate to enhance fat loss and improve fitness rapidly.

Can I use my dumbbells in place of a kettlebell?

You can but you will be limiting the benefit that you can attain using a dumbbell and because of the shape you may increase your chance of injury.  Kettlebells are uniquely designed to allow the body to move through large ranges of motion that require the use of the stabilizing muscles of the core.  In addition, the center of weight is offset from the handle, which allows you to focus on the movement pattern versus specific muscles.  Dumbbells concentrate more on grip strength which creates more of a specific lifting movement versus a functional total body exercise.

I have a bad back.  Can I use this program?

Absolutely.  The Kettlebell Way to Your Perfect Body is designed with self-correcting movement patterns that make it a natural rehab tool.  The key is to learn how to do the exercises properly by following the tutorial section until you are comfortable and confident in all the movements.  And don’t be impatient, even the practice will be ramping up your metabolism and burning up the fat.

I am in my 50’s.  Am I too old for this type of program?

Absolutely not.  First, let’s address safety.  Whenever you are beginning any new exercise routine, you should first have a check-up with your doctor and get the thumbs up, that’s for anyone of any age.  Second, contrary to popular American belief, as you age, exercise becomes more vital to your health and well-being, not less.  In most other cultures, people don’t slow down physical activity and movement are a daily part of life that doesn’t appreciably change with age.  That is one reason why America has the highest rate of degenerative disease amongst developed countries in the world.  Here’s a key point, the most effective way to keep from losing bone mass (osteoporosis) as we age is regular daily exercise.

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