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In America today, one of the most talked about topics is the epidemic proportion of obesity amongst the population, and with it, the actual health of the nation. In CNN Presents, there is even a whole section called 'Fat Chance' (the next airing is February 5 at 8 p.m., 11 p.m. ET). http://imnosey.com/fp.

Although there is a whole industry dedicated to diet control, weight loss programs, exercise programs, this is really like putting the cart before the horse.

We all know how difficult it is to start - let alone maintain - a different, almost alien, style of existence, even though we fully understand the dangers that being overweight will bring us. Heart problems, diabetes, damage to the body joints through carrying excess baggage everywhere, are just a few of the many problems generated – let alone the associated millions spent in extra health care repairing this damage.

In fact although much aligned for being 'false' you very rarely see many successful Hollywood style actors carrying tremendous amounts of fat, unless it is deliberate.

Why they should be maligned, it is difficult to know, as they should be treated as role models to many of us. But they don't just magically get these lean, muscular looking bodies – there is a price to pay, and that price is discipline.

Discipline not only in their dietary habits, but also in how they 'sculpt' their bodies. How do you think that actors may appear as skinny runts in one epic film, and then in the next, have a completely different body shape? Contrary to popular belief, it's not down to the makeup studio, but by darned hard work, and a dedication to meet targets, change habits, and have a goal that they are aiming for, which is usually a monetary one (although egos may have just a little bit of influence here).

Whether you are a man or a woman, many of us carry around in our heads, that image of our perfectly shaped body, lean and muscularly toned, and with very little evidence of layers of blubber. It is a fact that every person has a 'six pack' -it's just very difficult to see it when the equivalent of a Wal*Mart shopping bag full of sloppy fat effectively smothers it (although normally full of the best value shopping).

Unfortunately, unless you are introduced to some kind of disciplined action, this image remains what it is - just an image, and will die with you if you never get out of the upwardly fatty existence you have chosen for yourself.

Now, one of the biggest, and most lucrative businesses to be in at the moment would seen to be weight control, and unfortunately, like everything else, the worried would-be weight watcher can lose their shirt by trying this solution, then that solution, then the next best thing solution. Because the one major thing missing in all of these is the discipline, the self control, the monitoring of what is going on. So many people jump from what may well be a good solution to the next as they see no perceptible results.

One person who seems to have got this disciple nailed down to a fine art is a chap from the Mid West called Ryan Joyce. Ryan did a lot research on weight lifting and body sculpting some five years ago, and what he found was actually quite obvious.

Contrarily to what every fast-buck-company claims about their so-called, "dieting secrets", "miracle weight loss pills", "super supplements", "special issue muscle magazines" and other "schemes", at this hour the majority of people trying to get fit and build the body of their dreams are simply not getting it done.

What was missing was a comprehensive control of what people were doing. They would start off with the best of intentions, but after a couple of weeks with no appreciable success - well- it would be off to the next one.

Ryan's approach was different. He spent a long time creating a solution for his own body, and actually reduced his body fat by over 57% in just over 12 weeks; this was a combination of exercise, diet control, the use of some supplements, and one heck of a lot of discipline.

He then tried this program on a number of people, by creating a 12 week day by day diary of events, and found that he could reproduce results on others, as long as they strictly followed his program. OK, his web site (www.weight-lifting-routine.com) has a massive following from natural body builders and fitness models, and aspiring actors who need to have the latest 'Ripped' or 'Shredded' look. (For those of you not in the know ' Ripped' refers to ripping off the fat and baring the muscles, Shredded refers to the highly defined definitions of major muscle groups like biceps).

A lot of the success of this sort of approach is the 'Peer Pressure' it invokes. Once you have achieved the body of your dreams, you are not going to want to fill it up with cheap processed and fried food any more. And we all know that peer pressure is far more powerful than any Doctors warning about the danger we face while wobbling around with our fatty, cholesterol clogged arteries, with undue weight loads on our joints and backs.

So 'Get Ripped', or 'Get Shredded', or whatever term you want to use - but turn your body back into the temple it is, and give it your full respect. You only ever have one, and you know what happens to buildings that get neglected over the years.

Copyright 2006 Geoff Morris