It’s been approximately 16 months since I last had my blood tested and I just got my test results back today.

Everything checks out A-ok. Last time my HDL numbers were a little low, so I took a fish oil supplement which brought my HDL up nicely into a cardio protective range.

If I didn’t get my blood tested last year I wouldn’t have known that my HDL was low. I didn’t make any big dietary or lifestyle change, I simply added some fish oil and continued doing whatever else I was doing from an exercise and diet standpoint.

So what’s the point?

The point is that you’ve got to know where you are in order to know what you need to do (if anything).

For me the only thing that needed attention was HDL. The solution was quite simple as there is good research to show that taking a fish oil supplement that is high in EPA and DHA can have a potent effect on raising HDL. So I took the simplest approach and added fish oil. The specific brand I used was from BlueStarNutraceuticals. I am biased towards their brand because I helped them develop it, but I also trust them because I know the quality of the ingredients.

I’m sure there are plenty of other good fish oil supplements on the market. And if you’re going to take one make sure it’s got the highest level of EPA and DHA possible (these are the two essential fatty acids that we take fish oil for in the first place).

Get your blood tested now

With that said, you probably want to get your blood tested first to know if you even need a fish oil supplement in the first place. There are other reasons to take fish oil besides low HDL. It can improve dry eye syndrome, it can help with some skin conditions as well as joint problems.

The point is to do some homework on whatever your symptoms are and why you think that a fish oil supplement might be right for you. Then if possible test whatever it is that you want to change before you take the fish oil, and test it again a few months later. This is the only way to know if it’s working.

For me the test was easy and the proof that it was working was pretty obvious as I had a defined number to look at.

For things like joint pain, inflammation, or dry eyes it’s going to be a bit more subtle and you’ll have to keep a journal of how you feel on a daily and weekly basis specifically about the given condition. Looking back through your journal will be the only way to notice if things are improving because these changes happen slowly and gradually.

If you start using fish oil and you think things are improving but your not sure, the only way to get a definitive answer is to stop the fish oil and see if your symptoms come back. It a minor inconvenience but this off-on-off approach is the only way to know for sure if it’s doing what you want it to do.

Better to know than to just be guessing.

[Ed. Note: John Barban is a former Strength & Conditioning coach and author of the Adonis Index workout for men, the Venus Index Workout or women, and the Anything Goes Diet weight loss program. He has also spent 10 years developing and consulting in the sports supplement industry bringing dozens of muscle building a fat loss supplements to market. With the Adonis Index, John has enabled men to generate instant attraction from women by obtaining the perfect body measurements. To learn more about the Adonis Effect click here now.]

A Raw food breakfast is the ultimate way to start your day. It will kick start your energy, and infuse your body with nutrients. When you start the day with a raw healthy breakfast, then you are much more likely to stick with positive eating habits for the rest of the day.

Quinoa can be the basis of many super healthy breakfast ideas, both Raw and partially Raw.

What is quinoa?

Quinoa is technically a seed (from the Goosefoot plant), although is widely used as a grain substitute. It is gluten free, and is a complete protein source. It is also is a great source of iron, B-vitamins, zinc and copper. It deserves a place as a staple ingredient in every vegan diet, but people are often unsure about how to prepare it. Here is one of my favourite healthy breakfast ideas using quinoa. This recipes use cooked quinoa, which is still incredibly healthy and is ideal for cold mornings, along with an abundance of Raw ingredients. This is a great “Raw transition recipe” for when you are trying to up your intake of Raw food, but still enjoy the comfort and sensation of eating cooked food.

Healthy Breakfast Ideas – Simple Quinoa Porridge

Serves Four

Ingredients

• 1 cup cooked quinoa, still warm
• 2 tbsp soaked nuts or seeds of your choice, chopped (almonds, pumpkin seeds and sunflower make good choices)
• 2 tbsp raisins
• 2 tbsp dried apricots or figs, chopped
• Pinch himalayan sea salt
• Pinch cinnamon
• 1/2 – 1 cup Raw nut milk
• Agave syrup or honey to sweeten

Method

Combine all ingredients and leave to stand until nut milk is absorbed. Add more or less milk to achieve the desired consistency.

There are many variations on this quinoa porridge, but as long as you follow the basic principles (nut milk, dried or fresh fruit, plus some nuts, seeds and sweetener), the possibilities are endless.

If you want a 100% Raw recipe, then you can sprout the quinoa and the combine it with nut milk, nuts, seeds and fruit to make quinoa museli.

Other Raw Healthy Breakfast Ideas

If you don’t have time to make a healthy quinoa breakfast, then some other quick and easy Raw healthy breakfast ideas include:

• Smoothies (especially green smoothies)
• Freshly squeezed fruit or vegetable Juices
• Fruit Salad
• Raw desserts (which are healthy at any time of day!)

[Ed. Note: Yuri Elkaim is a leading fitness and fat loss expert, certified kinesiologist, registered holistic nutritionist, and the strength & conditioning coach for the men's and women's soccer programs at the University of Toronto. Yuri's 'Amazaing Abs Solution' will give you the diet and exercise tools you need to get the abs you've always wanted. To get started click here.]

Dinner can be one of the best meals of the day to go “Raw” for a number of reasons:

• Raw vegan dinners take minutes to prepare – perfect after a long day at work.
• They can be made in batches in advance, so you don’t need to prepare dinner every night
• They will fill you up without being heavy, which is perfect for the last meal of the day.

Raw Vegan dinner ideas

These 4 dinner ideas will satisfy you and give you the energy to get through the rest of the day, without piling on unnecessary calories that you probably won’t burn off for the rest of the day.

1. Raw Vegan Soup – there are many Raw soup recipes, such as those in Eating For Energy, which are both energizing and satisfying.
2. Large salad – salads are perfect dinner meals when bulked out with ingredients such as nuts, seeds, oils, avocados, sprouted seeds etc.
3. Raw pasta dishes – instead of wheat based pasta that will leave you sluggish and lethargic, make a huge pile of Raw pasta using a spiralizer or vegetable peeler to make “spaghetti” from vegetables such as zucchini, sweet potato or cucumber.
4. Raw curry and rice – make raw “rice” by blending cauliflower until it resembles rice. Serve with raw curry (see the Raw indian recipes section).

Raw Vegan dinner – the dessert!

The great thing about eating raw vegan dinners is that your waistline will also allow for a Raw vegan dessert most evenings as well!

Some ideas for dessert to finish off your meal include:

• Fresh Fruit.
• Raw sorbets and ice creams made with frozen fruit
• Raw puddings made from a recipe

As you can see there are many advantages to eating Raw at dinner time. Not only will your meal take seconds to prepare and leave you satisfied and energized, but you’ll also be able to finish it off with something sweet, completely guilt free!

[Ed. Note: Yuri Elkaim is a leading fitness and fat loss expert, certified kinesiologist, registered holistic nutritionist, and the strength & conditioning coach for the men's and women's soccer programs at the University of Toronto. Yuri's 'Amazaing Abs Solution' will give you the diet and exercise tools you need to get the abs you've always wanted. To get started click here.]

Right now fashion counsel is currently mainstream within journals, TV and even with online design blogs. Men’s style, nevertheless, continue to revolves around arbitrary forms of dressing up. There is a subset of men’s style termed attraction fashion. This is actually the style presently in fashion that men can certainly put on to maximize appeal with females.

The Seducing With Style (SWS) talent revolves around utilizing style to produce an automatically desirable avatar, or look. This is vital because it is different than standard style advice, where tradition types of dressing is learned by guys without knowing the underlying explanation of exactly why that is.

Examples of attraction fashion utilized over common style advice include:

1. Instead of wearing a wristwatch, wear an amazing looking bracelet instead to increase dominance and temperament in a man (costs less too).
2. Instead of wearing a proper tie, wearing a skinny tie and a loose knot around the shirt collar.
3. Using colors and layering to create a different look about you. For example, with lighter skin, using lighter colors. Medium to dark skin looks very good in light colors and darker shades. With the exception of very dark skin, which looks bad with very dark colors (not contrast).
4. Using layering and colors. For example. layering on a scarf or another piece of clothing to an already firmly pressed shirt. Colors can also be used depending on the skin tone of the person.

Men’s Style is evolving everyday, and this new niche of attraction fashion will continue to grow as we stop our reliance on mainstream fashion tips that are all but arbitrarily chosen without any valid reason other than a person’s opinions.

[Ed. Note: Vince Lin is a fashion consultant and the author of Seduce With Style ebook, a comprehensive guide to attractive men's fashion. Vince has been coaching clients on dating, creating first impressions and how to dress for the occasion, whether it is at a job or in social situations. Find out how to Seduce With Style by clicking here now.]

Wondering how you’re going to lose those holidays pounds? Well, no need to wonder or be frustrated any longer.

I have the solution. Follow these 5 MUST-DO steps immediately, and you could lose 3-5 pounds before New Year’s.

1 – Start a Morning Ritual

Simply getting into a healthy ritual to kick-start your day will help you stay on the fast track to fat loss.

- Drink 2 cups ice cold water and take 1g Vitamin C

- Workout (with supersets and intervals)

- Have a high-protein, high-fiber breakfast (such as an omelet with spinach, or a blender drink with berries, spinach, and protein powder)

- Drink 2-4 cups of Green Tea before lunch

- Take 1-2g of fish oil

These steps will keep you full of energy, fight hunger, and support fat burning. Nothing magic in any of them, but combined, this is a powerful plan for fat loss.

(If you workout later in the day, skip that step. There`s nothing magic about working out in the morning, but it will help you avoid missed workouts.)

2 – Take Advantage of Others

The SUPPORT of others, that is…

Research shows that online, in person, and in the gym social support helps you lose fat faster.

Get a workout partner and a diet buddy, and add this one simple little act to your morning ritual:

- Take 3 minutes to log on to a fat loss forum and post your daily diet and exercise progress. Research shows that the more frequently you use a weight loss website, the better your fat loss results.

You could lose that 7-15 pounds you gained over the holidays.

3 – Avoid the Cardio Confessional & Switch to Supersets and Intervals

Just say NO to the cardio confessional. Listen, the truth is that you simply can`t jump on an elliptical machine and make those big meals from the weekends just disappear. Cardio doesn`t work that way.

In fact, new research shows that interval training works faster than slow cardio for fat loss (Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise: January 2011 – Volume 43 – Issue 1 – pp 115-122).

Add in resistance training to sculpt your body and get lean (and sexy), fast.

But what EXACTLY should you do…

Well, you could go to a busy commercial gym and hire a fresh out of college personal trainer for $60 an hour, but why bother when you can get a complete fat loss workout blueprint online.

4 – Track Your Body Composition

Start by getting a baseline of your body fat level (percent) and then take the following body measurements.

Waist Circumference (at navel): _____

Mid-Upper Arm Circumference:_______

Mid-Thigh Circumference: ________

Hip Circumference (Widest point between legs & navel):____________

These are essential to know because while your weight might not move, all that matters is that your body fat goes down.

Seeing the inches drop will keep you motivated and frustration-free.

5 – Take BEFORE Photos

As much as you may dislike this, it might be the most important thing you do on your fat loss journey.

After all, the most common element of all fat loss success stories is having that BEFORE photo. It encourages and motivates you to continue sticking with your rituals and making the right choices.

Workouts and diets might differ, but the BEFORE photo is always there.

Take your photo – it is really, really important, and you’ll thank me later when you compare the NEW you to that old photo.

Alright, now you have the 5 steps you must take immediately in order to have the COMPLETE BLUEPRINT to your fat loss success in 2011.

[Ed. Note: Craig Ballantyne is a Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist and writes for Men's Health and Oxygen magazines. His Turbulence Training for Fat Loss program has helped both men and women with weight loss and fat burning. For workouts that will melt belly fat, check out Craig Ballantyne's Turbulence Training Program.]

Mastering the way to improve your style has tons of advantages, from improving first perceptions, being treated better by guests, and even getting more dates and becoming more desirable to ladies. However, if men’s style is a topic you have never seriously considered before, it is typically challenging to get moving. Along with all the different brands, garments types, tips out there, the arena of style and fashion is usually fairly perplexing. Nonetheless, learning style doesn’t always have to be that hard.

1. Do some research

The first thing that I would suggest going through is registering for a men’s fashion publication like GQ or at least pick-up a copy at the shop. Look through the many shots of the models from the advertisings, which will give you a proper picture of precisely what is being promoted nowadays as very good fashion. Most of the clothes in these magazines is frequently on the highly-priced side, but don’t get worried excessively about that. The concept is to simply get a good knowledge for what’s in existence, and plenty of the particular looks could possibly be duplicated using more affordable/and or secondhand clothing.

2. Take note of what your peers are wearing

Secondly, start being far more watchful in regards to what people are donning within your everyday life. What individuals are the people you praise and respect? Who would be those people who are living the day-to-day lives that you want to live? Watch these people, and pay attention to what type of attire they are wearing. Be observant, and try to identify what it can be regarding their clothing that produces them hence eye-catching. Is it the fit of their garments? The make? Precisely how are they utilizing colors? Are they pairing multiple bits of clothes to produce a distinctive look for themselves?

Be aware precisely what these people are undertaking, and see if you possibly could reproduce it for your self.

[Ed. Note: Vince Lin is a fashion consultant and the author of Seduce With Style ebook, a comprehensive guide to attractive men's fashion. Vince has been coaching clients on dating, creating first impressions and how to dress for the occasion, whether it is at a job or in social situations. Find out how to Seduce With Style by clicking here now.]

Every day in March, I’ve committed to sharing a Training and Nutrition “SWITCH” to help you lose fat. Here are 5 of the most popular nutrition switches I’ve posted so far:

Nutrition SWITCH #1 – No More Dessert for Breakfast

If you want to lose fat, stop eating dessert for breakfast. Let’s be honest, most of what people eat for breakfast would qualify as dessert if served at any other time of day. So stop with sugary cereals, muffins (let’s be honest, muffins = cake), store-bought granola bars, and bagels.

Nutrition SWITCH #2 – Switch Your Eating Schedule

If you find that you often “binge snack” at night, try having a bigger late afternoon healthy snack, and then having a later healthy dinner. There’s no magic to not eating after a certain time. I often eat a big healthy dinner and go to sleep within 30 minutes. It won’t make you fat. Eating a pint of ice cream & bag of chips every night while you watch TV makes you fat.

Nutrition SWITCH #3 – Minimize the Junk

Your house doesn’t need to be stocked like the local 7-11. Keep the minimum amount of treats at home to avoid mutiny. Keep treats out of sight & hard to access. Make healthy foods (giant bowls of fresh fruit) visible and places encouraging notes to eat the fruit in the kitchen. Put ready-to-eat produce in most visible part of the fridge & hide junk in the back. All research proven to increase healthy food consumption. And when it’s your time for a cheat meal, you can enjoy it guilt-free.

Nutrition SWITCH #4 – Go From Processed to Natural

When possible, switch out a processed or “altered” carbohydrate and replace it with a fruit, vegetable, or nut. For example, instead of whole-grain toast with eggs, have an apple and add spinach to the eggs. Instead of a processed carbohydrate with your morning coffee, have 1oz of raw nuts (almonds or walnuts). With steak, eat broccoli, not mashed potatoes or French fries.

Nutrition SWITCH #5 – Cut the Sugar From Your Post-Workout Drink

If you’re focused specifically on fat loss, you do NOT need to add sugar (or any variations of sugar) to your after training drink. I interviewed top nutritionists about this in 2010, and they all agreed that for fat loss, you don’t need to force post-workout sugar into your body. So take it out.

[Ed. Note: The right foods can give you energy you need to complete your workouts. For workouts that burn fat and build muscle, check out Craig Ballantyne's Turbulence Training Program.]

If you’re really busy and want to boost the effectiveness of your fat burning workouts, I have 3 powerful tips for you today.

You’ll discover how to get more done in less time, how to train your entire body in 20 minutes, and how to instantly boost your performance by 20%.

Get ready for 3 powerful bodyweight exercise boosters…

Workout Tip #1 – Superset Bodyweight & Dumbbell Exercises

This tip is perfect for busy gyms and busy schedules. You’re going to pair a bodyweight exercise with a dumbbell exercise in your supersets.

This way you don’t have to waste time adjusting equipment or walking around your gym.

For example, if the workout calls for a dumbbell press followed by a dumbbell row, switch it to:

• Decline (or other) pushups plus DB Row
• DB Chest Presses plus Inverted Bodyweight Row in squat rack
• Pushups plus Pullups or Bodyweight Rows (double bodyweight option)

Here’s another example. If your workout calls for a squat (any kind) and a dumbbell shoulder press, switch it to:

• Bodyweight Bulgarian Split Squat (1&1/2 rep style) plus DB Press
• Squat plus Pike Pushup or Handstand Pushup
• DB Split Squat Plus Decline Pushup or Close-Grip Pushup

Bottom line: We are focused on movements and muscle groups and not married to specific exercises (in most cases). Thanks to the massive variety in the bodyweight workouts, we always have options.

Workout Tip #2 – Ditch the Cardio, Do Bodyweight Circuits Instead

Speaking of long cardio, there is NOTHING wrong with being a runner and enjoying long runs…but depending on long cardio for fat loss is ultimately going to disappoint you.

So this holiday season, when given the choice between 45 minutes on the treadmill (i.e. the cardio confessional) or a 20-minute bodyweight circuit that you can do in your own home without equipment, choose the bodyweight circuit EVERY time.

You’ll work more muscles and, with the post-workout calorie burn, still probably burn as many calories as you would with the slow cardio.

Plus, you’ll sculpt your upper body and abs, without requiring an extra 20 minutes of lifting after the treadmill.

Workout Tip #3 – Non-Competing Density Supersets

(This is a world-world-world exclusive…I haven’t even shared this tip with my editors at Men’s Health magazine yet!)

Here we’ll combine the classic non-competing superset method with the classic bodybuilder method of dropsets.

The results: An instant 20% boost in the number of reps you can do for bodyweight exercises.

For example, let’s use this non-competing superset.

1A) DB Reverse Lunges

1B) Decline Close-Grip Pushups

Do 8 reps of lunges for each leg. Rest 20 seconds. Do 4-6 more reps for each leg.

Then move immediately to decline close-grip pushups and go 1-2 reps short of failure. Rest 20 seconds and do another set of pushups until you are 1-2 reps short of failure. (You should get about 20% of your original number of reps.)

Rest 1 minute and repeat the entire process up to 2 more times.

Pow!

Metabolic Muscle Turbulence like never before.

[Ed. Note: Craig Ballantyne is a Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist and writes for Men's Health and Oxygen magazines. His Turbulence Training for Fat Loss program has helped both men and women with weight loss and fat burning. For workouts that will melt belly fat, check out Craig Ballantyne's Turbulence Training Program.]

Unfortunately, you are NOT going to get six pack abs this way.

Here are the top 7 reasons why you should never do crunches:

REASON 1: THEY DON’T CAUSE YOU TO LOSE ANY FAT

Guess how many crunches you’d have to do to lose one pound of belly fat?

Five hundred? Eight hundred? Maybe even a THOUSAND?

As it turns out, it’s actually far more. Men’s Health recently did a study, and they found that you’d have to do approximately TWENTY THOUSAND crunches to lose one single pound of belly fat.

Why? Because there is no such thing as “spot reduction,” or losing fat in one specific place. You can only lose fat evenly over your entire body. And since crunches don’t use the large muscle groups of your body, they only burn tiny amounts of calories and miniscule amounts of fat.

REASON 2: DOING CRUNCHES WHEN YOU’RE OVERWEIGHT MAKES YOU LOOK MORE FAT

And to add insult to injury, a cruel “trick” of how we perceive the human body actually makes you look MORE fat if you’re overweight and you’re doing crunches…

All crunches (and any direct abdominal exercise for that matter) can do is build the abdominal muscles up. They’re actually not even very good at this especially when you’re already in shape, but they can build some muscle if you’re just starting and are overweight.

But unfortunately, if you still have a belly, unfortunately this additional muscle will be COMPLETELY INVISIBLE. It’ll be hidden beneath the fat.

And it will actually cause the fat to BULGE out – creating the optical illusion that you are actually more fat.

REASON 3: THEY’RE DANGEROUS WHEN THEY’RE EFFECTIVE

As I mentioned before, if you’re overweight and can only complete 5-20 crunches before you’re completely exhausted, then crunches theoretically might help you build that “hidden muscle” on your core.

But here’s the thing – this is actually when crunches are the MOST DANGEROUS.

If your core muscles are weak, then it’s going to be very hard to maintain proper form during your crunches. And if you’re using bad form, it’s only a matter of time before you end up with neck pain and lower back pain from your crunches.

I know dozens of people who’ve given themselves back or neck problems doing crunches or crunch-type exercises, and you probably do too.

REASON 4: THEY DON’T BUILD AB MUSCLE WHEN IT COUNTS

Once you’re already lean and in shape, crunches become safer. Unfortunately, they also become completely useless for building ab muscle.

Once you’re in shape, you will be able to do 50, 100, or even 200 crunches in a single set before you’re exhausted. And exercising with such little resistance is not going to build your ab muscles up at all.

Think about it: would you build up your biceps if you just did 200 curls with no weight – just your empty fist? Of course your wouldn’t. And for the same reason, doing 200 crunches will do nothing to put muscle on your abs.

REASON 5: CRUNCHES DON’T BUILD FUNCTIONAL STRENGTH

The crunching motion is extremely unnatural, and is very rarely used in any real situation. If you want to feel stronger in your every day life, or develop more athleticism, crunches won’t help you out.

Mixed martial arts fighters have known this for some time. Georges St. Pierre, the UFC welterweight champion, probably has the best physique of any fighter in the world. His trainer was recently interviewed for an article I was reading, and he said that Georges NEVER does crunches.

REASON 6: THEY’RE TIME INEFFICIENT

You’re busy, and you don’t have all day to work out. You need to figure out a way to get the maximum amount of stimulation for your muscles, in the minimum amount of time.

And crunches are not very efficient with time. It can take you 3 minutes or more to do 200 crunches, and another 3 to recover from that. Where else, with an exercise like isometric leg raises you could get a superior workout in 30 seconds or less.

REASON 7: THEY DIDN’T WORK IN THE PAST – THEY’RE NOT GOING TO WORK NOW

If you’ve done crunches in the past, ask yourself how they’ve worked for you. Did they get you six pack abs?

If they didn’t, remember that the clinical definition of insanity is to keep doing the same thing over and over, and expecting different results. If crunches didn’t work for you in the past, they’re NEVER going to work.

It’s time to abandon what’s failed you in the past, and to move on to more effective ways of abdominal training.

WHAT YOU SHOULD BE DOING INSTEAD OF CRUNCHES:

First of all, you need to be following a workout program that trains your TOTAL BODY. This is the only way to lose weight, so that your abs will become visible in the first place.

Second, you need to also have a NUTRITION plan in place that’s realistic and easy to follow. Without this, NO training regimen will do you any good – especially crunches.

And finally, you need to learn the abdominal exercises that are much more effective than crunches in building a six pack. Exercises like the dynamic plank workout we included in Six Pack Shortcuts, which build the muscle on your abs through increasing their stabilizing strength.

You also need to learn “explosive” style ab exercises, such as the medicine ball slam, the barbell twist, and mountain climbers. These exercises are actually MUCH safer than crunches, and much more effective.

[Ed. Note: A few years ago, Mike Chang decided that he wanted to help others change their life through fitness the same way he'd changed his. Since then, he's trained hundreds of guys to get abs using his unique system, and kept refining it and improving it over time. Six Pack Shortcuts is designed to get you a ripped body and six pack abs in just 12 weeks. To get started click here.]

If you work hard all week, then find yourself “crashing” on the weekend – just when you need even more energy to do the things you love – here are some tips for you:

1. Go to bed and get up at the same time as you do during the week.

I guarantee you won’t be tired all weekend – and you won’t have trouble falling asleep on Sunday night.

2. Start your weekend days with 30 minutes of fun activity.

It doesn’t have to be a structured workout (you can save that for during the week), but getting up and getting moving will get you off to a high-energy start.

3. Avoid high-calorie, high-sugar brunches.

A surefire way to make yourself sleepy is to load up on orange juice and pancakes after your weekend “workout.” So skip those foods, stick to an omelet filled with vegetables, and drink green tea.

And when you get together with your friends, keep your energy high by going for a hike or bike ride, rather than sitting down in a pub or movie theater with a bunch of high-calorie snacks.

[Ed. Note: The right foods can give you engery you need to complete your workouts. For workouts that burn fat and build muscle, check out Craig Ballantyne's Turbulence Training Program.]