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Chapter One
Why Do I Feel So Bad?
Oh, My Aching . . . Everything
"I don't seem to have the energy I used to."
"I feel so run down I can't think straight anymore."
"I diet and I diet, and I don't lose weight."
"I feel older than my years."
"I don't know what's wrong with me, but I just don't feel right."
Most of the people I see in my practice every day don't know what's wrong with them. They can't point to specific illnesses, but they do know they feel generally "bad." They think they should be on a health and fitness regimen, but they haven't a clue as to what to do or where to start. Why do so many people feel that way when health is one of the most talked-about subjects in the news today?
At no time in history has the American public been so blanketed with information about nutrition, health, and fitness. Television networks that used to cover an occasional health-related story now have science and health correspondents with regular daily spots. There are well over two dozen fitness- and health-oriented magazines, and virtually every general interest magazine, whether marketed to men or to women, includes at least one how-to article on nutrition, weight loss, or fitness in every issue. In this atmosphere, Americans are bombarded daily by new information, misinformation, and study results that contradict what we've been told the week before, not to mention the latest diet fads and nutritional gurus all claiming to have access to the Ultimate Nutritional Truth.
And that search for the Ultimate Nutritional Truth is big, big business. The figures have been quoted so often they've become a cliche: more than 30 billion dollars spent annually on diet and weight loss programs, with a failure rate of anywhere from 90 to 98 percent. In other words, Americans spend a minimum of 28.5 billion dollars a year on programs that don't work for them!
Why do we do it? Of course, we all want to look good. We want to be model-thin and muscularly athletic. But that's not the whole answer. The truth is, Americans don't feel well. Our cravings are out of control, and our ability to manage them is severely impaired. Our waistlines are growing, our endurance is diminished, our strength is sapped, and our exhaustion level is frighteningly high.
Add to that our (soon to be) twenty-first century lifestyles. We work long hours under stressful conditions. Although some of us exercise regularly, many more of us do not. We have less and less time to shop, prepare, and cook for our families and ourselves. When we do shop, we are dazed and confused by the plethora of foods available, especially by those that are marketed as "healthy" choices by being labeled low fat, natural, and organic.
Most people who come to see me in my nutritional consulting practice say that their first concern is losing weight. But when we talk further, the list of complaints gets longer and longer. Fatigue and lack of energy are high on the list. Then comes unexplained mood swings, low-level depression, despair, headaches, premenstrual syndrome (PMS), feelings of being run-down, diminished interest in sex, and general malaise. One client reported the feeling of "dragging your ass around all the time."
What my clients, and millions of other Americans, are really dragging around is an overall sense that there is something wrong here and that there must be a way to fix it. All the information available is not helping us. All the diet books, diet plans, and diet clubs are not helping us. We are tired of dragging around soft bellies and loose muscles. We desperately want to regain our sense of passion, of roughness, that "ready for anything" feeling of being on top of our game. We want to live a healthy life in which energy is bountiful, bodies are toned and strong, mental alertness is the norm, and a sense of power and zest are present at all times. What we're looking for, even though we may not realize it, is The Balance.
Balanced What?
Did you ever wonder why some people seem to do well on a traditional high-carbohydrate, low-fat diet, while others seem to crash and burn on the same fare? Or why some people thrive on a high-protein menu, while others feel heavy and constipated eating the same way? While some people seem to be able to drink a quart of milk a day throughout their adulthood, why do others get bloated and tired after even a small amount of dairy products?
The answers to these questions can be found in the concept of metabolic individuality. Metabolism, simply defined, is the sum total of all the biochemical processes that take place in the body. Our bodies are constantly doing two things: building up and breaking down. These two processes go on simultaneously. For example, food is broken down into compounds, some of which, like glucose, are used to create energy at the cellular level; some of which are used to build and repair muscle tissue; and some of which are transported through the blood to enrich and build tissue. This building-up process is called anabolism. At the same time other compounds, like glycogen and fatty acids, are being released from the cells and broken down to be used for energy. This breaking-down process is called catabolism. Catabolism (breaking down) + anabolism (building up) = metabolism. When this process is running smoothly, cleanly, and at peak efficiency, we achieve what I call The Balance.
Every individual's metabolism does not function at the same rate. Some people burn fuel at a fast rate. I refer to these people as fast burners. Other people, whom I call slow burners, have a slower rate of metabolism. Mixed burners are those who, under most circumstances, burn fuel at a fairly even keel. The next chapter contains a test (it's simple; you don't even have to study for it) that just may change your life. This test will enable you to find out what kind of metabolism you have. The rest of the book will teach you how to use that information to develop an individualized food, supplement, and exercise program--one tailored just for you.
The Balance
Your Personal Prescription for *Super Metabolism *Renewed Vitality *Maximum Health *Instant Rejuvenation. Copyright © by Oz Garcia. Reprinted by permission of HarperCollins Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved. Available now wherever books are sold.
Excerpted from The Balance: Your Personal Prescription for Super Metabolism, Renewed Vitality, Maximum Health, Instant Rejuvenation by Ozzie Garcia, Oz Garcia
All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.
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