[ Note: This article was written by fitness and nutrition author Jon Benson. I have his permission to share it with you. ]

Ever heard the phrase, “Fat-n-Happy?”…

Of course you have. We used to refer to obese guys as a “jolly fat-man”… or perhaps someone who is overweight as “fat-n-happy”.

Is it true? Can (gasp) being overweight actually make you happy?

Rather than giving you my opinion on the matter, I take a look at three national studies on this page.

The presentation is only 5 minutes long… and I reveal the number one case for alarm in the United States and Canada.

Read that again:  The Number 1 Cause For Alarm. 

And I’m NOT an alarmist… I’m a rationalist. But stats like these do not lie.

They cannot lie.

And this deals with our children.

Please… go see:

click.here—>  Fat-n-Happy Study

P.S.  I can tell you from my own first-hand experience, which I document in “Fit Over 40″, that my personal 10-year-journey through the muck of obesity was ANYTHING but happy.

I was depressed, to the point of suicide at times (thankfully I never went that far.) I was socially hidden. I wore “fat-clothes” all the time. The few times I HAD to wear jeans or dress pants I rushed home to change into sweats because they were just too damn uncomfortable to tolerate.

Bottom line:  I was “fat-n-miserable”.

I think most people who are overweight or obese feel more despair, sadness, or perhaps just really frustrated than “happy”. Of course you can be happy and be any size, color, shape, etc. But I’ll tell you from my experience that I am MUCH happier now that I’m fit and trim.

Part of that is just because I feel better. The other part is how the brain functions. When you’re more active, you release more “feel-good” hormones… and these are powerful anti-blues hormones… they really make you feel like a champ. At least that’s been my experience.

But go watch the 5-min video and see what you think…

click.here—>  Fat-n-Happy Study

[ Note: This article was written by fitness and nutrition author Jon Benson. I have his permission to share it with you. ]

Sometimes you have to nearly lose it all to realize what you truly have.

I can honestly say that I have come close to death several times in my life. I’ve had my share of accidents, medical emergencies, and a near-fatal accident while driving.

But there was something about just laying on the gym floor today with two doctors hovering over me that gave me serious pause.

Time for some major reflection.

This is a great buy for the price.  The Weider Club Bench is a strong bench and excellent for beginner or moderate level training.  It was easy for me to set up, but you do need two people.  The only problem I have with this bench is it’s hard to adjust the seat to different positions and the pad to sit on is a bit flimsy and can’t handle too much weight.  The maximum weight capacity on it is 300 lbs, but I’m 140 lbs so it’s fine for me.  With a lot more weight though, it may be a problem so I would not recommend this for those who want to bench press over 300lbs and those who weigh over 250 as it would limit what you can do on it.

As far as bikes go, this is the one to beat!  This is by far the best bike out there in my opinion.  Comfort, comfort, comfort!  You will not find a more comfortable bike than this one.  I tried many different bikes before deciding on this one.  I’m very pleased with my decision.

The only negative drawback is programming the bike…it’s not very user friendly.  The instructions didn’t make any sense  and it took me a while to figure it out, but it works great now.  It was easy to assemble, however, and does have a nice compact frame.

The LifeCORE LC950RB Recumbent Bike is AWESOME!!!  I just recently purchased this machine and I absolutely LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!  It’s smooth and quiet and doesn’t hurt my back or knees like most other bikes I’ve used.   The programs are a little tricky to set up, but it’s compact and fits perfectly in my apartment.   It’s very comfortable and it’s the newest version of the LifeCore Fitness LC 900RB Recumbent Bike.  It has a great design and is ideal for small places like mine.

The Lifecore LC-850RB ultra-compact recumbent Exercise bike is the a decent model and takes up very little space.  I live in an apartment and I have one in my home.  It fits perfect in the corner of the family room facing the television.  It’s not in the way and offers the same type of workout that you would get on larger bikes that are bulky and take up lots of space.  It measures 42 by 42 by 25, but is still pretty heavy at 108 lbs as it is an exercise bike.    The L850RB offers levels with options for everything from easy warm-up and cool-down intervals to challenging uphill sections. It has 16 levels of magnetic resistance, 12 preset programs (including four heart rate programs), and five separate user profiles and has a large LCD display.  This machine has a slide seat track, contact heart rate handlebars and quick-release pedals.   I like the fact that it has so many options unlike my last bike and I feel as if I’ve gotten a great workout when I’m done.

Being stuck in traffic is a real pain. Not only can it ruin what could have been the start of a great day, but it also raises blood pressure and triples heart attack risk. It’s not small talk but a valid medical query.  There are other surprising times and situations heart attack chances rise dramatically. If you or someone you know has a history of heart trouble, here’s when to be watchful.

1. First thing in the morning

Harvard researchers estimate that the risk of heart attack increases 40% in the morning,

There are some good deals out there on treadmills and the Horizon T93 treadmill is one of them. It competes in the very competitive $1,000 price range.

Tolerating lots of use from power walkers and light joggers, this treadmill has a 2.5 hp continuous-duty motor. Just be sure to watch out for the maximum weight limit. The manufacturer states that this machine can handle up to 325 pounds, but it probably will not stand up to that much weight for long. This treadmill probably should not be used for users who weigh more than 230 pounds.

It is nice to have a good-looking treadmill with all the bells and whistles. The Horizon T103 treadmill is just that.  Adding a splash of color that is soothing and pleasing to the eye is the blue backlit LCD display windows. All the glitz and glam is great, but what kind of quality can you expect out of the T103 treadmill?

That Horizon T103, compared to the Horizon T101 and T102 models, is a little sturdier and a little more durable.  It should be at least a little higher quality than the other two treadmills, since it costs more! The Horizon T103 has a more powerful motor, a higher maximum user weight capacity, more built-in workout programs, and a longer warranty on parts.

Over the past several years, I have purchased a few Exercise machines and the Lifecore LC-985VG Elliptical Trainer is by far the best machine I’ve owned.  It is lightweight and quiet and much smaller than other equipment I’ve owned and I can move it from room to room.  It’s also quiet which is a VERY nice feature.

As I was trying to assemble it, I realized there was a missing part so I called customer service and they had the part shipped right away.  The representative was knowledgeable and friendly and had the part delivered to my door with 4 days!  I was definitely impressed with their outstanding customer service.  When I did receive the part, it took me about an hour to assemble with a friend and it was pretty simple.