Bruce Lee’s Top 7 Fundamentals for Getting Your Life in Shape

If you haven’t been living under a rock for the last 30 years I’m pretty sure you know who Bruce Lee was.

If you have, then you may be interested to know that Lee was a very famous martial artist and actor who sparked the first big interest of Chinese martial arts in the West in the 60’s and 70’s.

But besides being an awesome fighter and iconic figure Lee also had some very useful things to say about life.

Here are 7 of my favourite fundamentals from Bruce Lee.

1. What are you really thinking about today?

“As you think, so shall you become.”

Perhaps the most basic statement of how we work. Think about what you are thinking today. What do those thoughts say about you? About your life? And how well do they really match your plans for your life and your image of yourself?

It’s easy to forget abut this simple statement in everyday life. It’s easy to be quite incongruent with what you think on an ordinary day compared to how you view yourself and your goals. A simple external reminder such as a post-it with this quote can be helpful to keep you and your thoughts on the right track. An brilliant and beautiful expansion on this thought can be found in James Allen’s As a man thinketh (that can be downloaded for free here).

2. Simplify.

“It’s not the daily increase but daily decrease. Hack away at the unessential.”

“If you spend too much time thinking about a thing, you’ll never get it done.”

If you want to improve your life then it’s tempting to want to add more. One problem with this may be that you don’t really have the time or energy to do more though. And so your efforts to improve become short-lived.

Adding more and more just creates more stress and anxiety. Removing clutter and activities, tasks and thoughts that are not so important frees up time and energy for you to do more of what you really want to do. And as the clutter in your outer world decreases the clutter in your inner world also has a tendency to decrease. This has the added benefit of making it easier to actually enjoy whatever you are doing even more while you are doing it.

Adding more thoughts and thinking things over for the 111:th time may create a sense of security. It’s also a good way to procrastinate and to avoid taking that leap you know you should take. And the more you think, the harder it gets to act. Perhaps because you want to keep that comforting sense of security and avoid the risk of wrecking that feeling.

Thinking has its place. It can help you plan a somewhat realistic route to your goal and help you avoid future pitfalls. Overthinking is however just a habit that will help you waste a lot of time. It’s more useful to replace that habit with the habit of just doing it.

3. Learn about yourself in interactions.

“To know oneself is to study oneself in action with another person.”

The one person that is the hardest to get to really know may be yourself. Studying yourself while you are alone may result in some insights. But it’s also likely to produce a lot of made up thought loops and doubts in your mind. A good way to really learn more about yourself is study yourself in interactions with other people. How people react and act in these interaction can over time teach you a lot. And what you think and how you react can perhaps teach you even more.

What you see, feel and hear in other people may be a reflection of you. The things you learn by thinking this way may not always be pleasant, but they can be enlightening. They help you to see yourself and also how you may be fooling yourself. And these powerful insights can be very valuable for your personal growth. So, in interactions with others, try asking yourself: what is reflected?

4. Do not divide.

“Take no thought of who is right or wrong or who is better than. Be not for or against.”

This is a very useful and powerful thought. It is also one that obviously is hard to live by. Why? I believe it’s because the ego loves to divide and find ways to “add more” to itself. It want’s to feel better than someone else. Or more clever. Or prettier. Or cooler. Or wiser.

How can you overcome this way of thinking and feeling?

To me it seems to boil down to not identifying so much with your thoughts or feelings. That doesn’t mean that you stop thinking or feeling. It just means that you realize – and remember in your everyday life – that the thoughts and emotions are just things flowing through you.

You are not them though.

You are the consciousness observing them.

When you realize and remember this it enables you to control the thoughts and feelings instead of the other way around. It also enables you to not take your thoughts too seriously and actually laugh at them or ignore them when you feel that your ego is acting out. When you are not being so identified these things you become more inclined to include things, thoughts and people instead of excluding them. This creates a lot of inner and outer freedom and stillness. Instead of fear, a need to divide your world and a search for conflicts.

To learn more about this I would recommend Eckhart Tolle’s books and signing up for the 10 free and excellent webcasts - available both in video and audio form – that he’s doing with Oprah right now.

5. Avoid a dependency on validation from others.

“I’m not in this world to live up to your expectations and you’re not in this world to live up to mine.”

“Showing off is the fool’s idea of glory.”

The ego wants to add because it thinks it’s not enough. One way of doing that is by craving validation from others. We want to feel smart, pretty, successful and so on. And the validation makes you feel good for a while. But soon you need a new fix.

And the problem with being dependent on validation from other people is that you let other people control how you feel. This creates a rollercoaster of emotion in your life.

To find more emotional stability and to take control of how you feel you need to get your validation from to a more consistent source. Yourself. You can replace the expectations and validation of others by setting your own expectations and by validating yourself.

And so you validate yourself by thinking about how awesome you are. You don’t sell yourself short. You appreciate how far you have come and the positive things you have done. You appreciate your own value in the world. You set goals and you achieve those goals. This builds confidence in yourself and in your abilities. These things will help you to build a habit of inner validation.

Now, showing off. Why do we do that? To get validation from others. However, this need for validation often shines through and that is why a thing like bragging seldom works. Instead of seeing the cool and successful person you are trying to project people just see the insecure and needy person looking for validation. And your bragging falls flat.

6. Be proactive.

“To hell with circumstances; I create opportunities.”

It’s easy to get locked into a reactive mindset. You just follow along with whatever is happening. You do what the people around you do. You react to whatever is going on.

And so you get lost in your circumstances. This way of thinking doesn’t feel too good. You tend to feel powerless and like you are just drifting along.

A more useful and pleasurable way of living is to be proactive. As Bruce says: to create opportunities despite the circumstances around you. This feels better and provides better results. But on the other hand it’s also more difficult. It’s easier to just drift along in the reactive stream of life. And if you want to be proactive then you may have to take the lead quite often. And that can be scary.

Still, living proactively is so much more rewarding and exciting.

7. Be you.

“Always be yourself, express yourself, have faith in yourself, do not go out and look for a successful personality and duplicate it.”

Just being yourself is a hard thing to do. You may do it sometimes. And other times you may forget or fall back into old thought patterns. Or you may imitate someone else.

And that comes through too. And it may work.

But I believe that being the real you will work better. Because there the genuine you is shining through. Without incongruency, mixed messages or perhaps a sort of phoniness. It’s you to 100%. It’s you with not only your words but you with your voice tonality and body language – which some say is over 90% of communication - on the same wavelength as your words. It’s you coming through on all channels of communication.

So I’m not saying: “yeah man, you should just be yourself because it’s the right thing to do etc.” I’m saying that I think being your authentic self – the one where you do little dividing, the one that needs little validation from others, the one where your ego is not running the show and trying to get something from someone – will give you better results and more satisfaction in your day to day life because you are in alignment with yourself. And because people really like genuine and people really like authenticity.

Image by SabTomie.

Guest Blog: Fundamentals of Success
Basics/Fundamentalsby Jim Rohn
"Success is neither magical nor mysterious. Success is the natural consequence of consistently applying basic fundamentals.
There are no new fundamentals. You've got to be a little suspicious of someone who says, "I've got a new fundamental." That's like someone inviting you to tour a factory where they are manufacturing antiques.
Some things you have to do every day. Eating seven apples on Saturday night instead of one a day just isn't going to get the job done.
Success is nothing more than a few simple disciplines, practiced every day; while failure is simply a few errors in judgment, repeated every day. It is the accumulative weight of our disciplines and our judgments that leads us to either fortune or failure."

20% down....
A fifth of 2008 has already passed.Are you on track with those New Years Resolutions? Are you on track with your goals?It's amazing how time passes so quickly.Don't waste a single second.If your goal is fat loss - start todayIf your goal is muscle building - start todayIf your goal is (insert anything here) - start TODAY !20% of this year is gone forever. Will you make changes TODAY or will another 20% pass, then another 20% -- and before you know it -- it's 2009.....Don't waste a single second. Start TODAY.

100 Realities.

Guest Blog from Geoff Thomson

Know this: a small world, one that offers limitation as
staple, one that is circumvented by fear, one that has
guards of curtail at every exit is not reality - or should
I say it is reality, but just one of a hundred possible
realities.

A small reality is the product of a small under developed
mind.

And also know this: all monsters and mad-men and demons and
demigods and every demiurge, they come from the mind.

The weak body, the shit job, the poor wage and the putrid
future; they come from the mind too.

Bullies, bad men and ugly folk, trace them back and you
will find that they all stem from the mind.

The villain the vicious the vapid and the vainglorious, are
rotten apples that have fallen from the mind tree.

Depression comes from the mind.

So does the vanquished and the hemmed-in and the haggard.

The mind is responsible for all.

Don Juan Matus said that our reality is but a single room
in a house of a hundred rooms and with training we could
learn to access the other 99, in fact with training we
could actually get out of the house.

The 100 realties come from the mind.

The house comes from the mind.

The realities outside the house, they all come from the
mind.

But the mind is controlled by a gargoyle. The gargoyle is
called ego, and ego likes to feast on sense gluttony, it
spoils on food, drink, drugs, pornography, alcohol and
noise! And it thrives on limiting beliefs and doubt and
blame.

And small realities.

It likes small safe realities.

The ego comes from the mind.

So train the mind is the art of austerity and asceticism,
they are the anathema of ego, its harbinger of doom.

Foster perfect moderation, adopt self control and give
birth to integrity.

Build your foundation on famished ego, and build upon your
base large, expansive, palatial realties.

Once you control the mind you become the architect of all
that comes from the mind.

Because….everything comes from the mind.

Be well
Geoff Thompson.

Make your Blokes Valentine's Day

I know, I know: Valentine's Day is all about women, and deservedly so. Women absolutely have earned the flowers, the cards, the love notes, the sensual kisses, and everything else they have coming on that day, aside from the typical three-hour restaurant wait.
The focus should be on women (not maitre d's). But as long as guys are chauffering the love limo on that night of nights, maybe we could take a look at what they might like, as a kind of side trip on the way to destination You? Consider this his wish list for the day. And relax. No chocolate boxes, fading roses, or £5 Hallmark cards will be necessary! But he'd love it if you'd offer up...
Romance Lite. He knows he better come up with innovative ways to show his affection. Some guys will go with a flowery card, some will pile on the rose petals, and some will even pull out their guitars and write a sappy song (thanks for making the rest of us look bad, guys).
He's not asking you to do any of that for him, but if he arrives at the office on Thursday to find an e-mail waiting with five examples of why you dig him, or if he receives an instant-message that launches a day-long e-flirtation, or if you interrupt his morning with a caress across the phone lines, then you've begun foreplay before you even get together, and your night will be a whole lot hotter because of it.
A Thank You-In Early March. If your man goes full tilt on Valentine's Day-dinner, with candles, a table-side violinist, and a special dessert from the kitchen, you won't have much of an opportunity to launch your own romantic agenda. He's already planned the big show.
But you are free to demonstrate your appreciation in a number of ways, and one of the best is by planning a darn good time for the two of you a few weeks later. A woman who takes the lead (especially in response to the man doing so) is one of every guy's greatest turn-ons.A Surprise. If you're planning to buy each other presents, consider buying him some underwear. But here's the twist: Buy lingerie for you to wear, but make it a dainty little nothing you know he'll love to see you barely wearing.
Wrap it up and present it to him as his gift. When he opens it, tell him you're going to wear it out that night. That way, the lingerie becomes the wrapping, and you're the sexy present he'll get to open up later. That gesture, and the night of romantic expectation it sets up, will supercharge your evening together.
A Steak. If you want your favorite diet meal , go ahead and choose your favorite place. (Agree to eat really early or really late, or you'll still probably be waiting for your starters on Feb 15!) But your man would also appreciate it if he could order a 10-ounce steak, and if you would take a few bites.
Red meat is a building block for testosterone, which is a libido booster for both of you. Not that the effects are instantaneous, but the promise of more testosterone down the line can rev you both up right now. You'd be amazed how good nutrition can revitalize your sex life - check out this red-hot menu of arousal. Get a peek at what guys think of the holiday with this hilarious and helpful Valentine's Day Survival Guide.

A sound financial lesson

I have just read this on the motley fool website.It should be essential reading for everyone

How To Spend Less And Have More!

Read and absorb the lesson, it will change the way you think about money.

It ain't about how hard you hit, it's about how hard you can get hit...

My Sons Gig

My son Jordan played a gig at his college on Tuesday.Here is a rock star in the making!

Common Sense?

Read this on the productivity 501 blog

Struck a cord, particularly in these turbulent financial times!!
(note I have slightly abridged the opening statement)


Help Me Understand the Subprime Mess

I don’t understand the subprime mess. I mean I understand the idea that if you try to loan a bunch of people money who are likely to default (bad credit, poor financial skills, etc.), then you have a high chance of them … well, defaulting. That part makes sense, but the way it is causing problems for banks doesn’t make sense to me.

So lets skip the whole part of the subprime mess where lenders gave loans to people who really shouldn’t have qualified for it at discounted rates that are now starting to reflect the true risk of their loan and triggering a bunch of foreclosures. That part I understand. That is the part we hear about.

Here are the two things I don’t understand:

Why does this matter to the banks that bought up the mortgages?
Where are all the cheap houses that are being foreclosed on?
So starting with the first question: Why is this hurting banks? Recently, Etrade sold several billion dollars worth of mortgages to Citadel for 28 cents on the dollar. That is a pretty steep discount and is supposed to reflect the fact that Citadel assumes that 72% of the original investment will just evaporate. What I don’t understand is why the liability is on Etrade (and now Citadel’s) shoulders. Every mortgage I’ve every had required mortgage insurance until I owned at least 20% equity. So either these were homes selling for $80,000 that they somehow got to appraise for $100,000 and thus didn’t not require mortgage insurance, these were special loans that didn’t require insurance, or the mortgage insurance is somehow packaged into the loan (which would make the mortgage insurance thing seem like even more of a rip off).

If mortgage insurance is involved then there should be a bunch of insurance companies getting into trouble instead of the banks that purchased the mortgages. More importantly, if the mortgages use the houses as collateral, then why does the bank think no one would be willing to pay more than 1/3rd of what the house last sold for? This brings me to my second question.

Second question: Where are all the cheap houses? For banks to start unloading their mortgage investments for less than 1/3rd of their face value they have to really be losing money. Keep in mind that the banks aren’t dealing with just one loan, they are dealing with thousands of loans. For a bank to say, “We have 1,000 mortgages for $100,000 each and for each of these loans we only expect to be able to collect $28,000.” is a pretty big step. That would mean that after the bank forecloses they are only able to recover $28,000 from a $100,000 house. Take into consideration that there are some people that won’t default and that means the average foreclosure will value a $100,000 house at less than $28,000.

So where are these homes? I can’t find anyone selling houses for that type of discount. Detroit has a bunch of run down houses for sale in the $30,000 range, but those weren’t ever $100,000 homes. I haven’t seen any real estate market in any part of the country where people are only will to pay no more than 1/3rd of the price a home went for in the last 4 or 5 years.

So what am I missing? Can anyone shed some light on my confusion? If banks are losing as much money as they say they are then someone should be getting a really good deal on houses. Is this happening in your part of the country?

Free Multi media blogging course

I'm evaluating a multi-media course on blogging from the folks at Simpleology. For a while, they're letting you snag it for free if you post about it on your blog.

It covers:

• The best blogging techniques.
• How to get traffic to your blog.
• How to turn your blog into money.

I'll let you know what I think once I've had a chance to check it out. Meanwhile, go grab yours while it's still free.

Insurance Claim Latest

In the interest of fairness, and balanced reporting, I am happy to report that my insurance claim is being settled to the satisfaction of all concerned. I feel that if I didn't keep calling the claims department, I would probably still be waiting, but maybe Norwich union can look at how they contact people.The main thing is if you promise to call someone within 48 hours CALL THEM!! Don't make it as they have to chase you.

On another note:

I have an outstanding gripe with a magazine subscription offer, which I am still waiting for a gift to be sent to me as a thank you.Again I was told that someone would contact me within 2 days, which was a week ago.I am ready to name and shame, let's see what happens tomorrow!!

Now just so you don't think I am a moaning Git- here's some alternate definitions to some common words- enjoy




ADULT: A person who has stopped growing at both ends and is now growing in the middle.

BEAUTY PARLOUR: A place where women curl up and dye.

CANNIBAL: Someone who is fed up with people.

CHICKENS: The only creatures you eat before they are born and after they are dead.

COMMITTEE: A body that keeps minutes and wastes hours.

DUST: Mud with the juice squeezed out.

EGOTIST: Someone who is usually me-deep in conversation.

GOSSIP: A person who will never tell a lie if the truth will do more damage.

HANDKERCHIEF: Cold Storage.

INFLATION: Cutting money in half without damaging the paper.

MOSQUITO: An insect that makes you like flies better.

RAISIN: Grape with a sunburn.

SECRET: Something you tell to one person at a time.

TOOTHACHE: The pain that drives you to extraction.

TOMORROW: One of the greatest labour saving devices of today.

YAWN: An honest opinion openly expressed.

WRINKLES: Something other people have. You have character lines.



And Have you ever wondered:

When an agnostic dies, do they go to the "great perhaps"?

Why is the time of day with the slowest traffic called rush hour?

Do you think Houdini ever locked his keys in his car?

Can atheists get insurance for acts of God?

If procrastinators had a club would they ever have a meeting?

If the #2 pencil is the most popular, why is it still #2?

Have you ever wondered why just one letter makes all
the difference between here and there?

Isn't it strange that the same people who laugh at
fortune tellers take economists seriously?

If genetic scientists crossed a chicken with a zebra
would they get a four legged chicken with it's own barcode?

If practice makes perfect, and nobody's perfect, why practice?

Why is there always one in every crowd?

If all the world is a stage, where does the audience sit?

Is it possible to have deja-vu and amnesia at the same time?

How do you know when it's time to tune your bagpipes?

Ironic

Recieved this from my sister in law today, it gave me a smile, see what you think

Many thanks to all those who have sent me emails this past year........



I must send my thanks to whoever sent me the one about rat manure in the glue on envelopes because I now have to use a wet towel with every envelope that needs sealing.


I now scrub the top of every can I open for the same reason.



I no longer have any savings because I gave it to a sick girl (Penny Brown) who is about to die in the hospital for the 1,387,258th time.



In fact all my money is gone but that will change once I receive the $15,000 that Bill Gates/Microsoft and AOL are sending me for participating in their special e-mail program...



Or, I'll receive it from t he senior bank clerk in Nigeria who wants to split $7 million with me for pretending to be a long lost relative of a customer who died intestate.



I no longer worry about my soul because I have 363,214 angels looking out for me, and St. Theresa's novena has granted my every wish.



I no longer use cancer-causing deodorants even though I smell like a water buffalo on a hot day.



Thanks to you, I have learned that my prayers only get answered if I forward an e-mail to seven of my friends and make a wish within five minutes.



Because of your concern I no longer drink Coca-Cola because it can remove toilet stains.



I no longer buy petrol without taking a man along to watch the car so a serial killer won't crawl in my back seat when I'm filling up.



And I dont go to shopping malls because someone will drug me with a perfume sample and rob me.



I no longer answer the phone because someone will ask me to d ial a number and I will get a phone bill with calls to Jamaica , Uganda , Singapore and Uzbekistan



Thanks to you, I can't use anyone's toilet but mine because a big brown African spider is lurking under the seat to cause me instant death when it bites my bum.



And thanks to your great advice, I can't even pick up the £5.00 I found dropped in the car park because it probably was placed there by a sex molester waiting underneath my car to grab my leg.



If you don't send this e-mail to at least 144 people in the next 70 minutes, a large dove with diarrhea will land on your head at 5:00pm this afternoon and the fleas from 12 camels will infest your back, causing you to grow a hairy hump. I know this will occur because it actually happened to a friend of my next door neighbour’s ex-mother-in-law's second husband's cousin's beautician.



By the way....a South American scientist after a lengthy study has discovered that people with low IQ who have infrequent sexual activity always read their e-mails with their hand on the mouse.



Don't bother taking it off now, it's too late.

This is the best nutrition advice you will ever get.

Happy New Year. Here's a timely bit of advice!

This made a lot of sense to me. If you would like to find out more go to Josh Hillis's Blog

Stop looking at different diets

They aren't very different anyway.

If you consume less calories and higher quality food, you'll lean up. That is THE diet.

Everything else is just someone's unique expression of those concepts.

Or it's marketing B.S.

Either way, all you need to know is that you should consume less calories and higher quality food.

Your ultimate super advanced bonus diet tips: Drink more water and get more sleep.

Don't try a new diet this year.

Keep a food log.

Grade your food log on quantity and quality.

Stop buying diet books, start collecting cookbooks.

Eating Clean Cookbook.

Elimination Diet Cookbook

Eating For Life Cookbook

Start eating the meals that are in the books.

Pay careful attention to portion size.

Postulation And Cogitation

Do you postulate?

Now before you slap my face for being rude, let me explain:

Postulate: to assume, assert or decide something is true; a prediction. For example, if you are sure you will exercise today, you postulate that you will exercise today. If you expect someone will succeed, you are postulating their success.

What do you postulate for others?

Think of someone at your work. What do you hope or postulate for him or her? Do you hope he or she will succeed? Fail? Stay out of your way? Do just a little worse than you?

When someone accidentally upsets you, what do you postulate for them? For example, while driving down the road a car cuts in front of you, scares you and makes you slam on your brakes. What do you postulate? Do you hope the driver has a rotten day? That the driver gets a speeding ticket?

When you look at strangers in a store, what do you think of them? What do you postulate? For example, when you see an overweight person, do you think, "What a lazy slob. I expect he will never be successful." Or do you think, "I hope he does well in life."

If you see a teenager covered with tattoos, what do you think? "She coordinates her tattoo colors with her shoes very nicely. She'll go far." Or maybe you think, "What a slut! She'll end up in jail."

What you may not know is that the postulates you have for others affect you.

I believe this is a quote from Ghandi:-

"Sit down at a public place where many people are passing by and simply postulate into them, above them, around them, perfection -- no matter what you see. Do this person after person as they walk by you or around you, doing it quietly and to yourself."

"This is simply a demonstration of a fact that he who lives believing wrong of all his fellow men lives, himself, in hell.

"The only difference between paradise on Earth and hell on Earth is whether or not you believe your fellow man worthy of receiving your friendship and devotion."

Does life seem like paradise or hell to you? If it's a little hellish at times, do you believe your fellow human beings deserve your friendship?

Take some time today and postulate perfection for others. Decide they are wonderful and perfect, just as they are. Look at them and expect they will succeed.

Try it with the people you know as well. Make a decision that your family members will all be happy and healthy. Postulate perfection into your friends and coworkers. Just decide.

Give it a try today. Give everyone around you a gift -- your postulate for their perfection.

If, as a result, life becomes more of a paradise for you, make this into a habit and you'll live in paradise every day!

In a stressfull, busy but ultimately magic time of the year, it seems good advice to me.



After my Postulations, I have been cogitating again. I think I need stronger tablets!!


Why do we press harder on a remote control when we know the batteries are going dead?

Why do banks charge a fee on "insufficient funds" when they know we're already out of money?

Why doesn't glue stick to the bottle?

Why do they use sterilized needles for death by lethal injection?

Why doesn't Tarzan have a beard?

Why does Superman stop bullets with his chest, but ducks when you throw a revolver at him?

Why do Kamikaze pilots wear helmets?

Whose idea was it to put an "S" in the word "lisp"?

If people evolved from apes, why are there still apes?

Why is it that no matter what color bubble bath you use the bubbles are always white?

Is there ever a day that mattresses are not on sale?

Why do people constantly return to the Fridge with hopes that something new to eat will have materialized?

Why do people keep running over a string a dozen times with their vacuum cleaner, then reach down, pick it up, examine it, then put it down to give the vacuum one more chance?

Why is it that no plastic bag ever opens from the end you try first?

When we are in the supermarket and someone rams our ankle with a shopping trolley then apologizes for doing so, why do we say, "It's all right?" Well, it isn't all right, so why don't we say, "That hurt, you stupid idiot?"

In winter why do we try to keep the house as warm as it was in summer when we complained about the heat?

How come you never hear father-in-law jokes?

A topical Gag

A Russian couple were walking down the street in Moscow one night, when the man felt a drop hit his nose. "I think it's raining," he said to his wife.



"No, that felt more like snow to me," she replied.

"No, I'm sure it was just rain," he said.

Well, as these things go, they were about to have a major argument about whether it was raining or snowing. Just then they saw a minor communist party official walking toward them. "Let's not fight about it," the man said, "Let's ask Comrade Rudolph whether it's officially raining or snowing."



As the official approached, the man asked, "Tell us, Comrade Rudolph, is it officially raining or snowing?" "It's raining, of course," he answered, and walked on.



But the woman insisted, "I know that felt like snow!"

To which the man replied, "Rudolph the Red knows rain, dear."







Go on admit it you laughed!!!

Musings

I bought a teddy bear for £10.00 and called it Mohammed, I then sold it for £20.

The question is have I made a prophet?

Do you think the Queen ever pulled her bed covers up, so just her heads showing and said, “Look at me Phillip, I’m a stamp”?


Why isn't phonetic spelled the way it sounds?

Why are there interstate highways in Hawaii?

Why are there flotation devices under plane seats instead of parachutes?

Do you need a silencer if you are going to shoot a mime?

Have you ever imagined a world with no hypothetical situations?

How does the guy who drives the snowplow get to work in the mornings?

If a shop is open 24-hours a day, 365 days a year, why are there locks on the doors?

If nothing ever sticks to TEFLON, how does TEFLON stick to the pan?

If you tied buttered toast to the back of a cat and dropped it from a height, what would happen?

If you're in a vehicle going the speed of light, what happens when you turn on the headlights?

You know how most packages say "Open here". What is the protocol if the package says, "Open somewhere else"?

You know that little indestructible black box that is used on planes? Why don't they make the whole plane out of the same substance?

Why is it that when you're driving and looking for an address, you turn down the volume on the radio?

Why is it, when you take out insurance, you find the thing you want to insure against is always excluded?

xmas survival

Well as many of us prepare for the festive season, I feel it's my duty to inform you of some serious news. The average person will gain six pounds in weight over a ten day period. (I'm not quite sure of the figures, if you're not an average person!)

That's the bad news

However, I was reliably informed that the following advice will help us deal with our weighty issues

If you fatten up everyone else around you, you'll look thinner

If you have a diet drink with chocolate, the calories in the chocolate are cancelled out by the diet drink

Remember, foods with similar colouring have the same calories e.g. turkey and white chocolate

Hey if you still gain weight - don't blame me!

I've just read that £2.1 billion is expected to be put on credit cards this xmas.I'm not worried, my wife has had plastic surgery, I've cut hers up!!

Feeling Rough Over The Festive Season?
Be assured that no matter how awful you may look, or rough you may feel, you will never look as bad as you do in your passport photo!

With a week to go, people are starting to panic. I "nipped" in our local supermarket last night and saw 2 cases of road rage on the car park. I dunno what all the fuss is about, the shops are open on Boxing Day, cause they are scared they may have left you with a bit of money in your pocket!!

Any way in multicultural Britain, there's always a corner shop run by, shall we say, "an non christian denomination".

The best time at Christmas is @ 8-00pm Xmas Eve- the shops are shut and the light of my darkness can't send me on a wild goose chase for some exotic ingredient -( Dam you Nigella, Delia Jamie and all the other celeb chefs). A medicinal snifter and I can face the upcoming family meal with fortitude

As usual it will be a very traditional Christmas, with presents, crackers, door slamming and people bursting into tears


And finally
I realise people approach Christmas with different hopes and expectations. For me it's about football, food, faith ........................ er and family (Not necessarily in that order!) I appreciate it may be very different for you. But however you celebrate (if indeed you do) and whatever it's significance, I wish you moments of meaning, laughter and peace -


Remember the reason for the season

Oh For Simplicity

Is it me or is nothing ever simple? The reason I ask is the pantomime that is my insurance claim. I won't say who the company is at the moment, in fairness, to give them a chance to redeem themselves, but let's just say you would think they would be based in Norfolk ( As in Norfolk 'n'good - say it out loud- you'll get the idea )

Apparently different departments need to communicate, and this is causing a hold up. Amazing innit? if I owed them money the company intranet, mobile phones and computers would be whizzing. They owe me money and it's 2 tins of marvel joined by a bit of string, or a carrier pigeon (that has yet to be bred) or the flamin' pony express.

As for the valuation for the claim, you'd think I was trying to claim for the crown jewels.

Up to yet I have made 10 phone calls, gone through the details on every call, and still they have not got a complete list of my belongings that were stolen. Without being xenophobic, it would help if the people I speak to spoke more than rudimentary grasp of English.One of the "advisors" told me I was claiming for a sinking ship?? I told him the only ship I'd sunk was in my bath

I have called 5 different departments, and have now taped my story onto my dictaphone ( although I usually use my finger to phone- boom-boom) The worrying thing is, my company has my Health Insurance with these idiots- God help me if I go in Hospital to have my tonsils out- they,ll probably turn the trolley round and leave me without a sausage

When I do get through to an English speaker, I just seem to be fobbed off, after a wait that has the chairman of BT booking his next Foreign jaunt for him and his Hareem on the proceeds.
(What is it when a man talks dirty to a woman? Sexual harassment. What is it when a woman talks dirty to a man? -£3.99 a minute. )

Norwich Union you are Like My A**E

With any luck my claim will be settled by the New Year - 2010 maybe?


I need a laugh so here's a joke for today:


Every day a man walks up to one of his female colleagues while she’s at the coffee machine, inhales a massive breath of air and says “mmm , your hair smells really nice”. After a week, she complains to personnel, and puts in a sexual harrassment complaint. The personnel manager says “Whats wrong with that ,it’s a compliment?”

She replies “it’s John the dwarf”

Questions to ask yourself

Recieved this in an e-mail from Peter Thomson of TGI Mondays I think it's quite relevant at this time of year:


Another 12 months has slipped by and as you and I look back over the last year it makes sense to think about what happened



Here are some to consider:



1. Is there anything I would do differently?

2. Is there anything I would repeat?

3. Is there anything I’ll avoid doing in future?

4. If I could have the whole year again – what would I change?

5. Is there anything I wish I had done?

6. Is there anything I wish I hadn’t done?

7. Is there an apology still unsaid?

8. Is there a goal still (as yet) unreached?

9. Is there an ‘I love you!’ to be repeated?

10. Is there a ‘thank you’ to be spoken?

11. Is there a celebration not yet celebrated?

12. Is there some more ‘me time’ to be booked?

13. Is there some more ‘them time’ to be booked?

14. Is there an achievement to be recalled with joy?

15. Is there a smile to be re-smiled?

16. Is there a hurdle still to be hurdled?

17. Is there a door still to be opened?

18. Is there a promise still to be kept?

19. Is there a goal that’s needs writing?

20. Is there an exposure that needs to be reduced?

21. Is there a skill to be learned?

22. Is there a book to be read?

23. Is there something to forget?

24. Is there a year to be remembered?



Would it be worthwhile taking just a few moments to answer them?

Tussle with a black cat??

I'm beginning to wonder if i've run over a black cat! What a bloomin' week I've had, and it's only Tuesday.Last Thursday my roof sagged quite badly, so I call in a builder, who tells me- with the obligatory sharp intake of breath- he doesn't know how its holding up. Basically I need a complete new roof, and sharpish. Obviously not covered by Insurance, so he proceeds to quote me a price, but having a brother in the building game, I call him who get's someone he knows to come round and quotes me a price half of the previous one. Obviously he get's the nod , and that's now in hand.

Friday night, the in-laws come round, have a bite to eat, then proceed to switch channels between I'm a celebrity, and dancing with the stars finals, whilst proceeding to talk all the time, so no peace there then ( What's the difference between outlaws and in laws? out laws are wanted!!)

Saturday , the light of my darkness goes shopping and keeps the economy going single handed

Sunday we go to Cheshire oaks- an outlet village- cause I've got a fiver left in my wallet, and the sunshine of my life doesn't want to "miss the bargains" !! I jest slightly, but you get the general idea.
We're out all day, stop for a lovely late Sunday dinner, visit my dad and get home @ 9-00. I open the front door to find letters strewn across the floor and my lap-top and my son's ps2 game console missing, we've been burgled.
However looking on the bright side, they basically went through the house , picked up what they could and legged it. Not a bad haul though :

A lap top
Digital camera
game console
@ 20 dvd's
My brand new bottle of Lacoste aftershave- you know the one where the nude man runs around-(get's the missus going that one)
a handbag (with keys)
a couple of jewelry boxes- with a lot of sentimental things in from Jackies 21st birthday and from my late mother.
my sons wallett- no money in as normal!!

If I didn't laugh I'd cry, but luckily I'm insured, I had a couple of spare locks around the house, so changing them was a breeze, and they only slightly damaged a window to gain entry, which is covered by insurance. It could have been a whole lot worse. Still made us very jittery though, the feeling that some scumbag has been rummaging around is not nice.

I had to laugh when my missus asked if there were any sexy pictures of her on the computer, I replied if there were she was in trouble as she'd never posed for me!!

Any way I took yesterday off work-thanks to an understanding boss- to sort stuff out. Went back in today and dropped Jackie off at work, then promptly ran over a cyclist as I pulled out of her works carpark.
Luckily he wasnt injured, no damage to my car- just a buckled wheel on his bike, so thankfully no major harm done.

I feel like Ben Miller in "The worst week of my life"

Sitting Duck?

Victoria Beckham has never been "that good at anything," she says.

"It became very obvious from the start that I was never going to be the best singer or the best dancer or the best actress," the 33-year-old Spice Girl and wife of soccer superstar David Beckham tells Elle magazine's US edition for its January issue.

"You know, I've never been that good at anything, to be completely honest."

( Taken her long enough to find out hasn't it?)

On the contrary, she is a natural when it comes to keeping herself in the media spotlight, from her cutting-edge haircut to her high-profile marriage.

"I'm so camp! I'm such a gay man trying to get out," she says. "I don't give a (bleep) what anybody thinks."

The Beckhams and their three young sons moved to Los Angeles this summer when her husband signed to play with the Los Angeles Galaxy.

"I'm very proud to be British, but here it's a lot more relaxed," she says. "It's the happiest as a family that we've ever been. I just love America."

She is now on tour with the newly reunited Spice Girls.

"I wanted my children to see that Mummy was a pop star," she says.

"It was the last opportunity for them to stand in a crowd full of people screaming for the Spice Girls."

The phrase "Shooting fish in a barrel comes to mind here, don't you think?

Absorb what is useful (Guest Blog)

Absorb what is useful (Guest Blog)
Guest Blog from Senior RKC David Whitley:

Bruce Lee is often quoted as saying "Absorb what is useful".

But what does that mean exactly?

First of all, do not mistake this with "collect what you think is cool." or "do what you like". Absorb means absorb, not look at, read about or play with. It takes a LOT of effort to absorb something. It requires study, discipline and patience.

Let's look at the ENTIRE quote: "Absorb what is useful, discard what is useless, and add what is uniquely your own."

Here is how I make it work for me.

1. Decide what you want to do.

2. Find someone who is accomplished at what you want to do. Do what they did. Copy them until you get results.

3. Fine tune your approach as you figure out WHY it works and can explain it clearly and concisely. It is only at this point have you truly begun to "absorb" the material.

4. Continue to refine your behavior to match your goal, elimnating anything that is counterproductive or non-essential.

4. Learn to create variations based on your true understanding and knowledge of self. This is harder than it sounds. It requires an honesty of self that is so uncomfortable for most people that they give up.

5. Innovate. Make it your own. Completely your own.

Find something useful in this. Absorb it. Take action.

Goal Setting

I love reading Alwyn Cosgrove's website, mostly because I always learn something new.He has another good article you should read in advance of January.

Read Alwyn's Goal Setting Article HERE


I believe in goal setting.From spiritual to family, performance to career, you should set goals to guide your improvement in every aspect of life.



Go read Alwyn's take on goal setting, and get started so you are ready for the best year of your life in 2008,

A Nice Sideline

If you have your own website - and in my view every writer should - here's an opportunity to earn a little extra from it.This opportunity, Money4Banners, does not require any financial outlay. Rather, you are required to place three small advertising banners on three different pages of your website. In practice that just means copying and pasting a bit of code supplied by Money4Banners into your website HTMl.Assuming your site is approved - and it almost certainly will be - you will then receive a fee of 10 UK pounds ($20 US) on acceptance, and 5 UK pounds ($10 US) every month for as long as you keep the ads running. Payments can be taken either in cash (via Paypal) or in Amazon vouchers.I admit five pounds a month might not sound a fortune, but that's 60 pounds a year, every year, that you wouldn't otherwise have.In my case that's @ 4-5 free books a year from Amazon, basically for nothing.In the words of Derek Trotter - "You know it makes sense".

Something to think about

The following is something to ponder…

If you have food in the refrigerator, clothes on your back, a
roof over your head and a place to sleep… you are richer than
75% of this world.

If you have money in the bank, in your wallet, spare change in a dish someplace… you are among the top 8% of the wealthy.

If you woke up with more health than illness… you are more
blessed than the million who will not survive this week.

If you have never experienced the danger of battle, the
loneliness of imprisonment, the agony of torture, or the pangs of starvation… you are ahead of 500 million people in the world.

If you can attend a church meeting without fear of harassment, arrest, torture, or death… you are more blessed than three billion people in the world.

If your parents are still alive and still married you are very
rare, even in Britain.

If you hold your head up high, with a smile on your face and are truly thankful… you are truly blessed because the majority can, but most do not.

If you can, hold someone’s hand, hug them, or even touch them on the shoulder… because you can offer a healing touch.

If you can read this message, you just received a double blessing in that someone was thinking of you, and furthermore, you are more blessed than over two billion people in the world that cannot read at all.

As you read this and are reminded how life is in the rest of the world, remember just how blessed you really are!

Author unknown

A black Day for English Football

Well, what a farce.England have failed to qualify for a major tournament for the first time since 1994.I believe it is a combination of things:
Lack of interest/investment at grass roots level
The huge influx of foriegn players in the premier league.In October a survey was taken on teams in the premiership, 175 players were "of foriegn extraction" 75 were English
Too many games played
Too much emphasis on the champions league and the colossal amounts of money generated in that competition.
Lack of direction in the management team
Lack of available days for preparation, and in some cases preparing foolishly eg the "Friendly" in Austria on Friday.
I don't begrudge the players the money they earn, no -one would turn around and say pay me less,however it really gets to me when there is a lack of passion pride and commitment when they play for the national side.
Where do we go from here? upwards hopefully

Is this the worst invention ever?

Just been reading about a new alarm clock called Clocky,developed by some students at MIT, the American Engineering University. Basically when the time comes, it shrieks, jumps off your night stand and starts running around the room making R2D2 noises.

The idea is that you have to get up to turn it off. On the positive side of things, it will make you get up and move around a bit so you’ll be awake. On the negative side, it may put you in a very bad mood. I heard that someone was designing something similar that would fly above your bed until you swat it down. Waking up to a giant electronic insect isn’t my idea of waking up right.

A small two wheeled robot running around the floor sounds only marginally better, but I suppose if it gets you out of bed on time, it might be well worth any annoyance. Missing important meetings is probably going to put you in a worse mood than a run around your bedroom first thing in the morning. Only in America!!

I'd take a baseball bat to bed, and first time the thing started running around my boudoir, I'd bat the thing through the window.

Talking of getting up, I've had a terrible morning. I put my shirt on, a button fell off. Fastened my shoes, a lace broke! Picked up my briefcase, the handle fell off. I haven't dared go toilet!!!

Is it possible?

Everyone knows spot reduction is impossible, right?
Well, guess again!
One of Australia’s top fat loss researchers published a study showing that interval training burns belly fat specifically. So if you are looking to lose inches from your waist, you have to add interval training to your workout program. Fortunately, you can drop the slow cardio, add intervals, and still save time from your workouts. Here’s why.
The Australian study compared a 20-minute interval training workout (done 3x’s per week) against a 40-minute slow cardio workout (also done 3x’s per week). Women did the workout for 15 weeks, and only the interval group lost belly fat. The cardio group got practically no results at all.
So spot reduction is possible, as long as you don’t expect slow cardio or endless crunches to do the trick. Instead, you need to use interval training. According to Professor Steve Boucher, the Australian co-author of the latest interval training study to show intervals work better than slow cardio, “high intensity intermittent exercise may result in greater fat loss in the abdomen”.
Basically, interval training burns stomach fat first, over all other sources of fat on the body.
Now we all have heard that spot reduction doesn’t work. If you haven’t, here is the story. For some reason, many people think that by doing tons of crunches, they will burn stomach fat. Unfortunately, that just isn’t true.
In fact, Boucher quotes the following example…
“…researchers have examined the fat content of elite tennis players’ racket arm. The logic here is that if a tennis player uses his racket arm much more than his other arm then the fat content should be less. Racket arms of tennis players usually possess greater muscle and bone mass but similar fat levels.”
So here’s the odd thing about Boucher’s theory…Notice that he’s not claiming sprint interval training done on a bike will burn more fat around your legs. Instead, he’s claiming that interval work done by your legs will lead to a spot reduction of fat from around the belly. Completely backwards to what the beginner exerciser thinks. Boucher also says this interval program will work really well in men with lots of abdominal fat – so its not just for women.
So why do the intervals work so well?
Boucher believes it has something to do with the increase in hormones called “catecholamines” (adrenaline is a catecholamine hormone). These increase after intervals, but not after slow cardio.
Catecholamines are a fat burning hormone and there are a lot of catecholamine receptors in belly fat … so he seems to think the elevated fat burning hormones from intervals ends up leading to targeted belly fat burning.
Interesting theory … we’ll see if they do more research and are able to confirm that belly fat burning hypothesis. Regardless, its great to see studies showing intervals to be more effective for losing stomach fat than slow cardio workouts.
Surprisingly, Boucher recommends stationary cycling as one of the best ways to burn fat with intervals. I know, and research shows that using both resistance training and interval burns more fat than slow cardio workouts.
Boucher also recommends a Mediterranean diet (lots of fruits and vegetables)

So there you go … Turbulence Training years ahead of this study, but supported by the latest scientific research and the expert’s hypothesis. And don’t forget, Boucher and his group didn’t even throw in the Turbulence Training resistance training exercises … that probably would have resulted in even more belly fat burning and loss of stomach fat.
So forget about hour-long stationary cycling workouts when you can get the same or more fat-burning benefits in 20 minutes. Exercise intensity is the most important factor determining post-exercise energy expenditure and fat loss success!
After a 5-minute warm-up, follow this sample beginner’s protocol:

• Start at 15 seconds of intense effort (90% of your maximal pace).
• Follow that with “active rest” (~30% of your maximal pace) for 2 min.
• Perform 3-6 intervals.
• Finish with 5 minutes (or longer) of moderate intensity exercise.

As you become more advanced and accustomed to intervals, progress to:
• Increase your intensity to 95-98% of maximal pace (always hold a little back).
• 30- to 60-second intervals with only 30- to 60-seconds active rest.
• Try to keep your active rest the same length or longer than your work interval.
• Perform 6-12 intervals per session.
• Finish with 5 minutes (or longer) of moderate intensity exercise.
Interval training is the best cardio to burn belly fat and help with spot reduction of stomach fat over your ab muscles.

Sartorial Elegance and Me

I am a confused man tonight! Just been sort of watching Trinny and Susannah, I really should have paid more attention.From what I understand, they want to smarten up the British male. Now I don't mind shopping to a certain extent, although my wife,the light of my darkness, could turn it into an Olympic event. I must have a masochist streak in me, because I'm not the standard shape.

I have a 20" neck, 54" chest and a 46" waist,so jackets off the peg are rarer than rocking horse poo, and usually if they fit in the chest, the arms are way too long.It was nice when I was in America, as only being xxl shirt, I was almost anorexic. I always say I am Bulimic amnesiac, I binge but forget to throw up. I've taken medical advice, the doctor asked if my size is down to drink, but I told him it was because of my feet. I can't keep'em out of the pantry!!

I also went for liposuction, but it was on blow instead of suck

Anyway Trinny (way too thin if you ask me, get a good tater dinner down you girl)and Susannah,(just how a woman should be, I wouldn't kick her out of bed for breaking wind!!) reckon there are 6 male types, i.e.

1) Thick neck (see above) Wear Big deep collars/v neck jumpers/unbuttoned shirts/scarves/ goatees

2) Man boobs - wear prints,not plain,vertical stripes on shirts/vertical layering/pockets on shirts

3) Beer Belly ( not beer in my case, but you get the idea) Wear loose t shirt/low waist jeans/dark t shirt under a light top/scarves/one colour top & jeans

4) Short legs ( forgot to mention, 5tft 10" with a 29" inside leg) Wear all one colour/layered tops/flat top shoes/shoe and trouser colour to match/vertical stripes

5) Skinny - Wear short sleeve shirts/ skinny jeans/suit jackets

6) Top heavy (see above) Wear boot leg trousers/long scarves/fitted 2 button jackets/small pattern shirts/t shirts

Talk about feeling a freak,I'm now looking for a big collared shirt that is plain with stripes, and pockets,with the same colour trousers-(bootcut) and matching shoes, and a scarf with a goatee!!

I did shop at Mr Big,a store for the "big and tall man", once.I walked in and the assistant said "I can see why you shop here sir".

He got the reply

"yep it's a bind being so tall"

He then proceeded to measure me up,and shout my vital statistics to another assistant, so much for discretion.What with that and the 68" waist swimming trunks pinned on the wall, (they looked like the sail from a wind surfer) I beat a hasty retreat

I'm also having recurring nightmares about the time I walked into next and said,
"Do you have anything in my size?"

and got the reply

"If we have,someone is getting the sack!!".

I also want to know why most trousers for the larger man are made of polyester,if you walk more than 20 yards in them, you generate enough electricity to keep Blackpool illuminations going for a week. Polyester should be banned under the Geneva convention

The wisdom of Alwyn Cosgrove

You can't argue with this.Alwyn is probably the most in demand personal trainer in the world.When he talks, I always listen, because there is always something to learn


Here are a few basic truths about fat loss that no one really wants to hear:

Think about the foods that you are about to consume. Are they going to bring you closer to your goal? Or will they make you feel like crap and take you farther away from what you want? Yeah, I know that when you were younger before you had kids you could eat blah, blah, blah and not gain weight. Too bad. Times have changed.
You do not need something sweet to finish your meal. This is a conditioned response from your childhood days when cleaning your plate meant ice cream. “Need” something sweet? Do you realize how much you just ate? You don’t need anything. Dessert is not a physiological need for survival. It is just a bad habit. Habits can be broken. You do not need the cheesecake.
Cookies, doughnuts, and muffins are crap food choices. You can't ever justify eating them on a regular basis. And low carb, fat-free cookies, doughnuts, and muffins are still crap. Don't kid yourself.
Yes, you can eat fast food. It's called grilled chicken sandwiches or a turkey sub, Jarod. Fries? No. And you do not need to “super size” for an extra 50 cents.
If you want to eat whatever you want, you have two choices.
1) Move a lot. A LOT.
2) Gain weight, get fat, accept it, and stop complaining.

Can you really train effectively at home?

By using only dumbell and bodyweight exercises, you can burn fat and get lean at home. You don't need fancy machines or pricey equipment to lose stomach fat.

If you have dumbells, you can do even more exercises, and increase the challenge of your bodyweight exercises. If you don't want to go to a workout center anymore, then don't worry, you can burn fat at home.

Plus, by exercising at home, you'll get your workouts done in the same amount of time as it would take to drive to the gym and back. Talk about a time saver!

Here are 27 exercises you can do at home to lose fat and build muscle, helping you burn belly fat and get 6-pack abs.

By putting these exercises together into supersets, you can get a total body resistance training workout done in only 20 minutes. Follow that up with 15-20 minutes of interval training, and you'll have the best belly fat burning workout you can do in only 45 minutes.

Boring aerobic exercise is not necessary for fat loss. Let's take a look at these fat burning, minimal equipment exercises you can do in a small space in your own home.

Here are the lower body exercises you can do to boost your metabolism and build a better butt and legs.

1. Squats

2. Stability Ball Leg Curls (don't worry, these stability balls are super cheap, and you can get them for only $20 at almost any department store)

3. Lying hip extensions

4. Lying single leg hip extensions

5. Split Squats (aka. the stationary lunge)

6. Split Squats with your back foot elevated 6 inches

7. Reverse Lunges

8. Forward Lunges

9. Stepups

10. 1-Leg Squats

Many of those calorie-burning exercises can be done with dumbells as well, if you need to increase the challenge. If you want to build muscle, you'll need to use dumbells as well.

There are many more lower body exercises you can do without machines. And its the same story with upper body exercises as well.

To work your arms and your chest, you can do all sorts of pushups.

1. Regular pushups

2. Close-grip pushups

3. Pushups with your feet elevated

4. Pushups with one hand elevated

5. My favorite, most difficult pushup, "Spiderman Pushups"

6. And beginners can start with either Incline Pushups or Kneeling Pushups.

If you have a bench and a set of dumbells, you can do...

1. Dumbell chest presses

2. Dumbell incline presses

3. Dumbell shoulder presses

And there are many variations of those you can do as well.

Training your back is trickier when exercising at home. If you have an adjustable pullup bar, you can do:

1. Inverted Bodyweight Rows (aka. Reverse Pushups)

2. Chinups

3. Pullups (these are overhand grip and harder than chinups)

Of course, I'm leaving out many variations of these fantastic exercises.

If you don't have a bar, you need to use dumbells, and can do:

1. Dumbell Rows (there are probably a dozen different ways to do dumbell rows)

2. Dumbell Rear-Deltoid Raises

Finally, we'll finish with ab training exercises you can do at home. Let's ignore situps and crunches, since they aren't the best use of your time, and can damage the low back.

I avoid crunching type ab exercises in my programs and use static endurance exercises, like:

1. Planks (and side planks)

2. Mountain Climbers

3. Stability Ball Jackknives

4. Stability Ball Rollouts

5. The Ab Wheel (yes, this infomercial gadget is actually useful!)

So that's at least 29 fat burning exercises you can do at home. But in fact, simple variations in technique, or adding dumbells, or changing hand position can actually give you 101 exercises you can with this list to help you burn belly fat and sculpt your body.

If you want to burn belly fat at home, then download the free report, "The Dark Side of Cardio" from www.TurbulenceTraining.com. Men's Health expert Craig Ballantyne gives you dozens of fat burning exercises to lose stomach fat and sculpt your body at home.