Special Report - Healthier Outcomes

Transcription

SPECIAL REPORT
_______________________
The Truth About
Burning Body Fat
By
Gillian Hood-Gabrielson
The Truth About Burning Body Fat ® 2010, Healthier Outcomes
By Gillian Hood-Gabrielson
_________________________________________________________________________
Table of Contents
Introduction
2
What intensity of exercise burns fat best?
3-5
How do you burn fat while you sleep?
6-7
What is the best time of day to exercise?
8-9
What is the best type of cardiovascular activity?
What is the best time to eat before and/or after exercise?
Should I take CortiSlim?
10-11
12
13-14
Summary
15
Author’s Bio
16
Healthier Outcomes
17-18
Note: This report is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information in regard to the subject matter covered. It is
sold with the understanding that the author is not engaged in rendering medical advice. If such advice is required, the services
of a competent and appropriate professional should be sought.
www.HealthierOutcomes.com
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INTRODUCTION
So, you want to burn body fat. Not a day goes by when I don’t come across someone who
does. In fact, it’s one of the most often asked questions I get. And I’m sure you know there are
plenty of books, videos, programs, foods, pills and experts that have the solution.
While I would love to be able to say, “Take this pill and you will burn all the fat you want,” I
can’t. It just doesn’t work that way. Let’s face it – if it was that easy everyone would be doing it,
we would all be thin, and the diet industry would be out of business.
There is so much misinformation out there, and you are probably confused about what to
believe and what to spend your time on. You aren’t alone. It can be confusing for me, and I
have a Master’s degree in exercise physiology!
After years of working in the weight loss and fitness fields, and doing my own research and
continuing education, I have come across myth after myth about burning body fat. My hope for
you is that after reading this report, you will know how to exercise and change your lifestyle to
get the best results possible – without spending a lot of money or spending hours a day to do
it.
As an Exercise Physiologist and certified ACSM fitness professional, I have been educated on
the science behind what I’m talking about. Everything that I will be talking about comes not just
from reading books and studying other people’s patterns and results, but also from my own
personal experience with exercise and weight loss.
Before becoming a fitness professional, I tried many of the crazy fat-burning tricks – putting
vinegar in my drinking water (gross!), the fat-burning “three-day diet,” spot reducing, body
wraps, and even exercising for one to two hours straight. Well, none of these things worked
(big surprise). I was always searching for the next miracle, which never came along. All I got
was exhaustion, frustration and less money in my pocket.
I would like to save you the time and effort you could waste on the fat-burning gimmicks out
there. If you get nothing else from this report, please know it comes down to proper exercise,
meeting your body’s needs for food, respecting fullness (intuitive eating), and a balanced
lifestyle that includes enough sleep.
So let’s move on to the myths and facts about burning body fat. I am going to start with the
most pervasive myth out there. This is a long one, so bear with me. It’s important that you
understand the truth behind this one. I hope you find this information enlightening and that you
finish inspired to take action.
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Myth: You will burn more fat if you exercise at lower intensities versus
higher intensities during cardiovascular activities.
Truth: OK, this is technically true, but you have to look at the overall
picture to understand why this would actually work against you if you are
trying to lose weight.
A couple of my college professors told me that this myth started in the mid-90s by a PhD who
wrote a book on exercise. Turns out, the author used to teach where I did my undergraduate
studies! Anyway, it became all the rage to exercise at lower intensities and for longer durations
because you burn a greater percentage of fat versus carbohydrates at this level. Again, this is
true but misleading.
Soon after this started circulating through the fitness industry, personal trainers were changing
their clients’ programs and even cardiovascular machines (like the treadmill, elliptical, and stair
stepper, for example) bought into it. They had a big chart showing what heart rate you should
exercise at for a fat-burning workout. Some machines even had a pre-programmed fat-burning
setting so you just pressed a button and started burning fat!
This information that I am going to share with you is based on scientific research and is taught
in every exercise physiology college course. When you are exercising at a low intensity, say
50-60% of your maximum heart rate, we are probably safe to say that more than half of the
calories you are burning come from fat (let’s say 60%), and the rest (about 40%) come from
sugar, or carbohydrate, in your bloodstream and in your muscles. (Don’t get too caught up in
the percentages, this is just an example and a generalization. Bottom line, you burn a higher
percentage of fat at this intensity than carbohydrate.)
In case you aren’t familiar with intensity based on heart rate, 50-60% of your maximum heart
rate is an easy pace, something you probably could sustain for a long time, maybe hours.
When you are exercising at higher intensities (say 70%-80%), we are safe to say that most
people are burning a higher percentage of carbohydrate than fat. Now, just from this
information alone, it would be easy for people to THINK they are burning more fat at the lower
intensities, right? The percentages are certainly greater at the lower intensities. So you can
see why so many people thought this was the best way to burn fat.
Well, let’s take a closer look at what is really happening. Let’s say you have a choice to
exercise at lower or higher intensity, and let’s assume two other things: 1) one of your fitness
goals is to lose body fat and 2) you have a specific amount of time to do your aerobic training;
for the sake of this example, let’s say you only have 30 minutes.
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Let’s use a client of mine as a real life example. We’ll call her Debbie. One day, Debbie
exercises at 60% (low intensity) of her maximum heart rate on the treadmill and she burns 150
calories. If we can safely say she is burning about 60% of her calories from fat, then she
burned about 90 of those calories from her fat stores. And, if the other 40% of calories burned
came from carbohydrates, then she burned 60 calories from carbohydrates.
The next day, Debbie does a higher intensity (80% max heart rate) workout on the treadmill
(you must compare using the same mode of exercise), and she burns 310 calories in 30
minutes. If 40% of those calories came from fat and 60% from carbohydrate, then she burned
124 calories from fat, and that leaves 186 from carbohydrate.
So, while Debbie burned a greater PERCENTAGE of calories from fat with a lower intensity
workout (60% vs. 40%), her absolute value of calories burned from fat was greater in the
higher intensity workout (124 fat calories) versus the lower intensity workout (90 fat calories).
Do you see why this is a myth and where it might have come from?
Let me make this really easy. In terms of losing body fat, it is not the total number of fat
calories that counts as much as the total number of calories in all. Please, do not make this
harder on yourself than it is! To exercise off one pound of body fat you need to burn an
additional 3500 calories, whether you do it with low intensity or high intensity. I’m sure you can
see that if you are a busy person, it pays to get fitter so that you can burn more calories in less
time. Debbie burned 310 versus 150, which would you prefer?
However, there is an important point about fat burning and intensity. It has to do with "time to
fatigue." Fatigue can affect how many calories you burn. Let me explain.
When Debbie is walking at 111 beats per minute, or 60% of her maximum heart rate, if she
had the time, she could keep going and going, for a very long time without getting fatigued.
But when she is moving on the treadmill at 148 bpm (80% of her maximum heart rate), after 30
minutes, she is spent! She has very little energy left.
So, let’s say that Debbie had a day where she could exercise for 90 minutes. If she exercised
at 60% of her maximum heart rate, and she burned 150 calories in 30 minutes, how many
calories could she burn in 90 minutes? Right, 450 calories.
But what if she exercised at 80% of her maximum heart rate; how many calories would she
burn in 90 minutes? No, it’s not 930! Why not? She fatigued at the 30-minute mark or so, and
was too tired to go for another 60 minutes. She was not fit enough to do that.
Let me explain how fat and carbohydrates come into play here. When you are primarily using
fat as an energy source, as in the case of Debbie exercising at 111 beats per minute, a lower
intensity for her, your body can continue to manufacture energy without running out of it. In
other words, it will take a long time to fatigue. However, when you exercise at higher
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intensities, you use a larger percentage of carbohydrates. As the percentage of carbohydrates
increases, the sooner you will fatigue.
Why is this important? I want you to fully understand how fat and carbohydrates play a role in
exercise and weight loss. First, fats and carbohydrates are equally important as energy
sources when it comes to exercise. Second, one provides slow, long-term energy (fat) and the
other provides quick and powerful energy (carbohydrate). Intensity of exercise affects which
energy source will dominate over the other. Third, your intensity level should be based on your
goals. If your goal is to burn as many calories as possible in the shortest amount of time, you
want to exercise closer to the top end of your capacity. If your goal is to exercise for an
extended period of time and optimize the number of calories you burn, you will want to pace
yourself. If you simply want the health benefits, the Surgeon General says to accumulate 30
minutes a day of activity, which can include exercise and general activity.
Note that the best way to avoid burning out but maintain high levels of fitness and calorie burn
is to utilize interval training, alternating short bursts of higher intensity exercise with longer
periods of lower intensity exercise.
Finally, do not forget that the first goal of any exercise program is consistency. It is important to
start at your current fitness level and slowly progress in small increments.
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Myth: Take this _____ (fill in the blank) and burn fat while you sleep!
Truth: You already burn fat while you sleep, without any magic pill or
potion
You don’t have to tell me, but how many times have you tried a burn-fat-while-sleeping
product? It’s understandable why you would do so. It sounds easy, it doesn’t take any time,
and it seems to work for celebrities! As we discussed earlier, at low levels of activity, or no
activity at all, we are predominantly using fat as our fuel. In fact, you are burning fat right now
while reading this report (you can thank me later...). When you sleep, you are also burning fat.
So, there’s the answer to the question: how do you burn fat while you sleep? Just sleep!
In fact, researchers have now found a link between the amount of sleep you get each night and
your weight. In one study, over 68,000 women from the Nurses’ Health Study were asked to
report how much sleep they got on average each night. For 16 years, the researchers tracked
the participants’ weight. Results show that women who got five- to six- hours of sleep a night
gained more weight than those who slept at least seven hours each night. One researcher, Dr.
Sanjay Patel from Case Western Reserve University, said, “Short sleep duration is an
independent predictor of future weight gain and incident obesity.”
In another study, both men and women were questioned about their sleep patterns. They
found that those who got seven- to eight-hours a night were leaner than those who slept fiveto six-hours. They also found that those who got less sleep also had lower levels of leptin, a
hormone that plays a role in body fat and appetite. It is thought that these people may be leptin
resistant, and therefore they do not get the appetite-suppressing effect from it.
Now, what if you could you burn more fat while you sleep? You can do this by increasing your
metabolism. I know, easier said than done. It takes work and patience for this to happen. And,
if you lose weight, your metabolism actually drops because your body has less weight to carry
around. However, there is a way around this. The way to boost metabolism is to increase the
amount of muscle you have on your body. Now don’t panic about getting bulky or looking like
those women in the bodybuilding magazines. They get that way through many hours each day
at the gym, a very strict diet, and sometimes a little help from some banned substances. Most
women could never look like that, even the ones who want to.
So, to increase the amount of muscle you have, you need to incorporate strength training. The
important thing to remember is that for every pound of muscle you have on your body, you will
burn around 35-50 extra calories a day. This number is debated within the exercise physiology
world, but every pound of fat you have will burn only two calories a day. So whatever number
of calories it really is that muscle burns, it will be a whole lot more than fat. If you are active
and using your muscles (during exercise, for example) you will burn even more calories per
pound during the activity. So the bottom line here is that in order to burn more fat while you
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sleep and all throughout the day, you need to strength train to increase muscle and your
metabolism. Next time you hear a commercial for the new metabolism increaser, spend your
money on some dumbbells instead.
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Myth: Morning is the best time of day to exercise to burn body fat.
Truth: If you aren’t a morning person, than morning is not the best time to
exercise!
As you can imagine, there has been extensive research on this topic. Some of the research
recommends that we exercise in the mid-afternoon for the best results. There are several
reasons for this, but one is that this time of day falls into the right time based on our natural
biorhythms.
So that’s great, let’s all go workout at 2pm every day! Maybe these researchers can take the
time to exercise at 2pm, but most people I know cannot. They have jobs, or they have to fit in
exercise around their children’s schedule, and many other reasons.
I don’t know who started the idea that it’s best to exercise in the morning. Wherever it came
from, I have seen this recommendation many times. I read once that you will burn more fat in
the morning as long as you don’t eat anything before working out. There is no way that is going
to work for me! For one thing, I have to eat something before I work out; it’s just the way I am.
Secondly, I am not a morning person. It takes a couple of hours for me to operate at full power.
If I exercise at this time, I actually end up burning less calories and I don’t get my heart rate to
the intensity I want. I’m not burning much fat this way! It’s a huge waste of time. Through trial
and error, I have found that 10am is the best time for me to exercise. Fortunately, I have the
kind of schedule that I can fit it in at that time. When I worked regular hours at an office, I would
exercise at lunch since that was the closest to my ideal time.
So one thing to consider when trying to determine the best time for you to exercise is what time
of day you feel your best. Another way is to find what time of day you will actually follow
through with your exercise. Many people find they need to exercise first thing in the morning
because if they wait, the whole day will go by and they will find excuses for not exercising.
Other people like to exercise when they get home to work off stress from their jobs. I recently
worked with a client who had trouble sticking to an exercise schedule. This had been a
problem for years; she would exercise for about three weeks, then it would fall apart. She liked
to exercise after work because she has a very stressful job. This worked for a while because
she was motivated and she had a coach to hold her accountable. Eventually she found more
and more reasons to skip her workouts. She decided to try working out in the morning before
leaving for work. After a couple weeks of getting used to it, she found that the exercise really
helped her by giving her the energy she needed to deal with her job. She finally found a
schedule that would work for her.
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So the bottom line is, if you limit yourself to exercising when the so-called experts say you
should, you will find yet another barrier to taking charge of your personal health. Let your body
and your lifestyle dictate the best time for you. Don’t worry about burning fat better
at one time or another. If you have any concerns, go back and read our first myth again!
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Myth: The treadmill is the best way to burn body fat.
Truth: It doesn’t matter – just do it!
There are tons of cardiovascular activities that can help you burn fat. Cardiovascular activities
help you burn calories, make you more fit, and improve your health. Everyone wants to know
which one is the best for their particular goals.
Let’s take a look at what cardiovascular activity is first. Simply put, cardiovascular exercise is
movement that uses the major muscle groups of your body in a rhythmic pattern. When
describing the activity, we use duration (how long), intensity (heart rate, rating of perceived
exertion), frequency (times per week), and mode (type of activity). As we discussed in our first
myth, intensity and duration are related to each other. You can exercise longer at lower
intensities, but you will burn more calories in a shorter period of time at a higher intensity. As
for frequency, experts vary in their recommendations. The range tends to be anywhere from
three to five days a week. The final element of cardiovascular activity is mode. Here are some
modes of cardiovascular activity:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Walking (outside or treadmill)
Running (outside or treadmill)
Swimming
Rollerblading
Stair climbing
Elliptical training
Water aerobics
Aerobics/step classes
Cycling
There are many more! I am sure you can think of some I didn’t include on this list. Which of
these activities do you think will be most effective for losing weight? How about for lowering
cholesterol? Toning your body? Increasing energy? Most important to our discussion, which
activity is best for burning fat?
Well, the truth is, it is a trick question-- they are all equally effective. (You knew that was
coming, didn’t you?) Just like choosing the best time of day for you to work out, you want to
choose the type of cardiovascular activity that you enjoy the most and are most likely to stick
with. You will be much more consistent and reap more benefits when your activity is enjoyable.
Let me throw in one important detail. As you progress through your workouts, you will need to
add and keep variety in your exercise routine. If you only walk on the treadmill, after a while
your body will get used to it and no longer continue to improve. Pick a second activity such as
rollerblading or bicycling so your body has to adapt to new activities. This is called crosswww.HealthierOutcomes.com
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training and it is important to use so your body does not get used to one activity. It is also
important so you do not get a repetitive motion injury from exercising only one way.
Think about your current exercise routine:
•
•
•
•
Do you use mostly front to back movements, such as running, walking or elliptical
training? If so, try rollerblading, sliding, or tennis. These activities add a sideways
component for variety.
Are you exercising indoors? Try walking or running outdoors. It is surprising how much
harder it can be to run outside when you are used to only using the treadmill.
Are you only working out at the gym? Find an alternate activity you can do at home in
case of bad weather or if you just don’t feel like going out.
Are you only using the bike? Start walking and add some impact to your workout – your
bones will appreciate it! If you are taking part in all impact activities, take a look at
swimming or biking one or two times a week to prevent injury.
The main point here is that the most effective cardiovascular exercise is the one you like to do
and will do on a regular basis, and don’t forget to find a couple of different activities for crosstraining.
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Myth: You should/shouldn’t eat right before/after exercise.
Truth: Unless you are an athlete, there are no rules!
This myth isn’t exactly about burning fat. But if you are trying to lose weight, I am sure you
have wondered about this. I have heard that you should eat after exercise to replace glucose
and glycogen supplies. I have also been told not to eat after exercise in order to enhance
calorie burn. To be honest, I don’t know what you should do or shouldn’t do. I really don’t think
anyone does.
Here is just a small sample of advice from several respected authors and health associations:
•
•
•
•
•
•
Avoid strenuous exercise for at least two hours after eating a meal.
Wait about 20 minutes before eating after exercise.
Eat something light one half-hour before exercising in the morning. Be sure to eat within
two hours after to restore fuel to your muscles.
Exercise in the morning on an empty stomach.
Eat a low-fat, complex-carbohydrate meal or snack one to four hours before exercise.
Eat .45 gm of carbohydrate per pound of bodyweight 60 minutes prior to exercise.
Like I said, I really don’t think anyone knows for sure. In my opinion and experience, everyone
is different and you need to experiment with when and what you should eat before and/or after
exercise. If you eat before exercise and you feel sick to your stomach or sluggish, you probably
should cut back on the amount or not eat at all. If you feel lightheaded or weak, you may need
to eat more or eat closer to exercising. If you are hungry after exercise, that’s a good indication
that you should eat! In all cases, be sure to eat when you are hungry and stop when you are
full. The concept of Intuitive Eating works here, too. If you feed your body based on its physical
needs and demands, you will eventually return to your natural weight. (For more information on
intuitive eating, see http://www.healthieroutcomes.com) Bottom line, you will need to
experiment with when you eat and the types of food you eat to determine what is best for your
body.
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Myth: Cortisol makes you fat and you can lose the fat by taking a pill.
Truth: This is partly true. Cortisol does play a role in weight gain for some
people. But pills like CortiSlim and its copycats do not help in any way,
shape, or form.
First, let’s talk about cortisol and its role in the body. Cortisol is a steroid hormone that is
produced by the adrenal glands that sit on the top of your kidneys. Throughout the day, cortisol
is released in a predictable cycle. This is natural and healthy. Cortisol has many functions, but
the important one for our discussion is its role in handling stress.
You may have heard of the “fight or flight” response. If you are confronted with a stressor, the
adrenal glands release a high level of hormones including adrenaline and cortisol. This helps
prepare you for fight or flight – your heart rate increases, blood pressure goes up, energy
stores are released for use, and other body functions, such as digestion, are slowed. After the
stress has passed, cortisol will stimulate appetite so you can replace the energy stores. So if
you are walking in the mountains and you come across a mountain lion, you can be sure the
adrenal glands will kick into high gear. You could either try to fight the lion, or run as fast as
possible. In this case, you can see the benefits of cortisol and other adrenal hormones.
The problem is that most of the stressors in our world these days don’t last just a few minutes.
We have stress that we are exposed to constantly, whether it is work, family, lack of sleep,
poor nutrition, etc. This keeps higher levels of cortisol in the body for longer periods of time.
Chronic exposure leads to many health problems, one of which is weight gain. You continue to
feel hungry because of the elevated cortisol. This leads to overeating. Turns out, fat cells in the
abdominal area are very receptive to cortisol and are very willing to fill up from all the
overeating. The fat cells also do not want to release abdominal fat easily. This is how cortisol
causes abdominal fat to increase and hang on.
So, what does CortiSlim do? I have no idea. I would guess it is supposed to lower the levels of
cortisol in your body. But now you know that cortisol and the stress response are complicated.
It isn’t just about cortisol. By taking a pill, you aren’t addressing the ultimate cause of the
weight gain – stress. Stress will do worse things to your body than just weight gain.
I can’t let this topic go without addressing the people behind CortiSlim. In 2004, the Federal
Trade Commission (FTC) charged the marketers of this product with making false and
unsubstantiated claims about the product’s benefits and using deceptive infomercials. The FTC
also warned others selling similar products that they should change their advertising. In 2005,
CortiSlim had a testimonial on its website. The man telling his story said he used the
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“CortiSlim approach” to lose weight. In addition to taking the pills, he changed his diet, ate less
and started exercising. Big surprise – he lost weight. The disclaimer after the testimonial read,
“Results not typical. Your results may vary. Results dependent on diet and exercise.” Oh
please! I think we all know that diet and exercise cause weight loss. The pills have nothing to
do with it. You’re smart – you know what works – don’t fall for these deceptive marketing ploys.
I guarantee you there will be more in the future.
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In Summary…
Here are the do’s of burning fat:
•
DO exercise at a moderate to high intensity if you have limited time to exercise.
•
DO exercise at a lower intensity if you have more time (60-90 minutes) to exercise.
•
DO incorporate variety in your workouts (i.e., slow days, harder days, intervals, etc.).
•
DO get plenty of sleep.
•
DO strength training.
•
DO exercise when it is convenient for you.
•
DO cardiovascular exercises you enjoy.
•
DO eat when you are hungry, regardless of what time you exercise.
•
DO eat well and exercise to reduce stress and stress hormones.
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AUTHOR’S BIO:
Gillian Hood-Gabrielson is the founder and President of Healthier
Outcomes.
A popular and in-demand fitness and intuitive eating coach, Gillian
understands the unique needs of busy women in different ages and
stages of life. She is widely known for her ability to create a high
degree of motivation among her clients to make exercise and intuitive
eating an enjoyable and integral part of their lives.
Gillian brings to each client a unique and rare perspective on what it
takes to eliminate the diet mentality and overcome emotional eating.
Prior to becoming a fitness professional, Gillian experienced many of
the same struggles her clients and millions of women experience, from
weight gain and poor body image to disordered eating and lack of exercise motivation.
Having personally faced and successfully overcome her own battles with emotional overeating,
Gillian fully understands that eating healthy, exercising and maintaining your weight is not an
easy task for most women. For the last 14 years she has dedicated her life to educating,
guiding and helping women lose weight and get in shape while learning to eat their favorite
foods without feeling guilty or punishing themselves.
The breadth and depth of Gillian’s knowledge on health, fitness and emotional eating is a result
of years of research and study, culminating in achieving a Master of Sport Science degree
from the United States Sports Academy and a bachelor’s degree in Kinesiology (Exercise
Science) from San Jose State University.
In addition to the degrees she has achieved, Gillian has pursued advanced certification from
several prestigious organizations including the American College of Sports Medicine,
(considered the "gold standard" for personal trainer certification), and Wellcoaches, and she
has achieved Master-level Personal Fitness Professional, through the esteemed International
Association of Fitness Professionals (IDEA), which is the highest level of achievement for a
professional trainer.
Gillian is often quoted in various print media including Energy for Women, Costco Connection,
Better Nutrition and the Sacramento Business Journal as a result of her inspiring and proven
approach to losing weight and keeping it off. She is also an in-demand speaker on the topics of
fitness and intuitive eating.
To reach Gillian, email her at [email protected].
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“Without Healthier Outcomes I would still be a couch potato. My coach is
knowledgeable, without being preachy, with a gentle and yet effective
motivational technique. Their programs are perfect for an adult who is ready
and willing to be helped.” ~ D. McKim, Attorney ~
“Gillian’s coaching program has been perfect for my busy lifestyle. It is very
effective and I highly recommend it for anyone who wants a better
quality of life.” ~ Dr. Nancy Chanda ~
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Special Report - Healthier Outcomes

Transcription

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