Mindconnection eNL, 2025-12-07

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In this issue:
Good News | Product Highlight | Brainpower | Finances | Security | Health/Fitness | Factoid | Thought 4 the Day

• President Trump said he is revoking all executive orders that were autopenned during the Brainless Biden years. You can expect the communists, child molesters, human traffickers, drug cartels, con artists, and other mentally ill freaks to try to stop him by using whatever judges they have dirt on.
   
• President Trump also said we could eliminate the federal income tax over the next couple of years due to revenue from tariffs. Tariffs are essentially a sales tax on importers, and the federal income tax does not fund the government. If he wants to abolish the Institute of Reprobates and Sociopaths, this loose play with the facts would provide cover. But it's not honest and it's not fair. A much better way is to increase the Standard Deduction to $70,000 so that the IRS is simply out of the lives of regular people. Filing a Form 1040 would then mean a quarter page of paper work, except for single-owner LLCs which would also need to file a Schedule C. What remains is to reduce the massively negative effect IRS has on corporate earnings due to the huge compliance costs. That would appear to be a much stickier wicket to deal with, however eliminating the corporate income tax would be politically palatable and there's your simple solution.
   
• The commies cried crocodile tears when President Trump said he would restore law and order to Memphis. The No Kings marches and other stupid behavior didn't stop him. The people of Memphis are now enjoying a 50% drop in violent crime and the effort has recovered 121 missing children. It's hard to imagine what part of this the commies find so objectionable. They are insane, that's the problem.
   
• My new response to people with TDS-related Tourette's: "Yeah, I can see why certain people hate Trump. I totally understand. Those 121 kids rescued in Memphis reduce the inventory for the pedophile slave trade. So they hate Trump."
   
• The Department of Diseducation is finally being dismantled, a move that gives millions of students a chance to graduate from high school without being illiterate. This, and other good news in a Prager University overview: https://www.prageru.com/videos/doe-begins-dismantling-brotherhood-infiltrates-600-campuses-usd15-million .
   
• AT&T is ending all Discrimination, Exclusion, and Idiocy (DEI) practices in both name and substance. Why any corporation even began such lunacy is the real question. It has never been sensible in any way whatsoever.

• READING TUTOR: The only reading pen with learn-to-read functions, and we have six: spelling, syllabication (how the word is "built"), lookup of phrasal verbs, lookup of idiomatic expressions, colors for different dictionary fields, and it highlights words as it reads from scanned text. These combine to dramatically improve literacy and reading fluency.
• READER PEN: You scan, it reads aloud individual words and even multiple lines of text in natural voice. Helps those with dyslexia or other reading-challenges gain reading independence. Earbuds automatically mute the built-in speaker to avoid classroom stigma. Select different voices for playback, lefthand or righthand use, left or right scan direction.
• READS ANY SURFACE. Scans what you actually read from: phone, tablet, PC, other screens - not just paper. We could not find a single other reading pen that can do this. But the Rocket Pen can.
   
• MASSIVE ONBOARD DICTIONARIES: The Rocket Pen has the New Oxford American Dictionary with Oxford Thesaurus of English (Americanized) with over twice the entries of the best competing products. It also has the Oxford American Children’s Dictionary with Oxford American Children’s Thesaurus (both Americanized). The Rocket Pen scans English and French only, but also contains an English to Spanish dictionary and a French definitions dictionary (French to French).
• COMES COMPLETE. Self-contained, no computer or Wi-Fi required. Kit includes Rocket Pen reading tutor, USB charging cable, Quick Start Guide, and earphones. Meets FCC, ROHS, and CE standards, and conquers illiteracy.
• BACKED BY EXPERIENCE. The lead developers of the Rocket Pen Reading Tutor each have over 25 years of experience in reading assistive devices, and yet the Rocket Pen is the newest and most advanced reading pen on the market. And the only one with reading tutor functions.
   
• MISSION-FOCUSED. The Rocket Pen isn't loaded with other features a struggling reader doesn't need. Its focus is on helping the reading challenged master not only the texts they encounter but reading itself. This reading pen is the only one that is also a reading tutor. Unlike other products in this space, the Rocket Pen is truly a learn to read pen not just a text to speech scanning pen. It provides six different methods for users to learn how to read rather than just being read to. It's a powerful dyslexia reading tool for students and adults, and for anyone else with reading challenges. It provides six different methods for users to learn how to read rather than just being read to.
• READY TO USE, EASY TO USE. Comes ready to use, no setup needed, easily customized. 1.9 inch color touch screen; Physical buttons for screenless scan and read; Select English or Spanish user interface.

In our Amazon store you will see more offerings, including:

Disability Products:

(We are the sole Amazon seller for these)

• BlindShell phones for the blind
• RealSAM Pocket, which is a voice operated Galaxy smart phone for the blind
• SmartPens4U Rocket Pen Reading Tutor Scanning Pen | Case Bundle Black | Case Bundle Lavender
• WeWalk Smart Cane "Cane with a Brain" for the blind: 47-inch, 54-inch, 59-inch

Radios:

• Connex 10 meter radios
• Dosy meters
• Galaxy 10 meter and 11 meter (CB) radios
• President 10 and 11 meter radios
• Ranger 10 meter radios
• Texas Ranger radios (Chuck Norris not included, sorry)
• Uniden radios and scanners

Tools:

• Bahco tools
• Case tools
• CAT tools
• CPS tools
• Irwin saw blades
• Mayes tools
• Rigid Tools work lights and related
• Vessel tools
• Wera tools
• Wiha tools

More:

• American Hard Bag aftermarket sound system parts for Harley Davidson motorcycles
• Centerpoint Archery devices
• Cold Steel knives
• Flexilla hose connectors
• Funko collectibles
• Mike Holt Electrical Exam Preparation products
• Nagy's aftermarket sound system parts for Harley Davidson motorcycles
• Paraben Consumer data recovery sticks, porn detection sticks, and similar diagnostic/ IT tools
• ROK straps
• Rostra universal cruise control kits

I know a woman who is very bright and capable, yet has never been happy in any of her jobs or marriages. She has behaviors that trigger negative responses from others. These behaviors are part of a maladaptive coping strategy for her undeserved low self-esteem and insecurity. Some mistakes she makes:

• Talking over the other person in a conversation. She seeks to impress rather than to engage.
• Interpreting a comment through a negative lens, inventing some kind of offense where none existed.
• Showing no interest whatsoever in any subject that isn't about her. She gives a dismissive "yeah" and then goes back to her bragathon. Other person: "My best friend just got diagnosed with cancer." Her: "Yeah. I called the bank and told them I wanted a better rate on my loan. And the officer said they couldn't do that." yada yada yada for the next fifteen minutes without taking a breath.
• Coming up with fake offenses and letting the other person know she forgives them. Usually, "You did some things" or other vague accusation before the fake forgiveness.

In short, she plays the putdown and upset game as a form of emotional self-defense. She doesn't seek to make others feel safe, respected, or valued. But that is exactly what you must do. What if she did these things instead:

• Ask the other person, "So what do you think" or drawing them out with a question that shows an interest in them. Be interested, rather than trying to be interesting.
• Give the other person the benefit of the doubt. Always assume they mean well, until they prove otherwise (not until you assume otherwise).
• Be receptive to what others want to talk about. The fact they want to share means you have at least somewhat of a connection.
• Think about ways to praise the other person, not ways to tear others down or insinuate they are mean, thoughtless, etc.

The Boake Effect

When I graduated with my MBA, I was #1 in my class. But it was a small school, not an Ivy League one, and no big or medium company cared about me or my degree. I got lunch and breakfast meetings with some big shots, just by calling and asking nicely. But I was tilting at windmills and didn't understand that. One person did, and I'll give a quick summary of that.

Boake Sells, who was at the time the Chairman of Revco, had spoken at a Leadership seminar. I had the audacity to request a one-on-one meeting with him. He invited me to join him for breakfast, at his usual place. As we walked past table after table, men in >$3,000 suits were saying, "Good morning, Mr. Sells".

Mr. Sells told me, "You have a slight air of disdain rolling off you." He said I was probably insecure because I had an MBA from a school that wasn't top tier, second tier, or even third tier. He told me to just relax and let people like me by smiling and showing an interest in them. I asked, "And what if they still don't like me?" He said, "Well f*** them. Do you know how many people don't like me? It's a long list and I do not worry about those people."

I got this advice for free. And he paid for breakfast.

This was maybe 20 years of psychotherapy dispensed in the time it took to eat a small breakfast. I started acting upon his advice, and suddenly my job drought ended. But it still took me time to fully incorporate that, so I made some emotional stupidity mistakes for the next few years. Fewer, less bad mistakes over time. I think I'm down to one doozey per day now!

Some tips

• Show positive bias toward others. Assume they have interesting lives, mean well toward others, and are good at whatever it is they do. Negative bias means you expect the worst from them. Whether that's what they do or not, that's what you will perceive.
• Give others the benefit of the doubt. Assume good motive, rather than jumping into the idea they are judging you, backbiting you, looking down on you, etc.
• Understand that a conversation isn't something where the goal is to see who can "command the floor". That's disrespectful. Show respect through "give and take". Try to riff off what they say, versus waiting for them to shut up so you can continue your monologue. Allow them to interrupt, maybe you've gone on too long. Just don't allow them to trample you and not let you get a word in edge-wise (in such a case, do the time out sign if in person or keep repeating some word if over the phone, then calmly and quickly make your point without raising your voice.
   
• Help others feel safe. People want to be able to talk with you without fear you will lash out at them, backbite them, or damage their reputation. If they hear you frequently disparage others, they will assume you are making disparaging comments about them to other people. Try to stay positive.
• Show that you respect the other person. Basic courtesy goes a long way. So does interest in something important to them but that you don't know much about.
• Notice things that the other person does, contributions the other person makes. Express your appreciation. This makes the other person feel valued.
   
• Don't drag friends, family, or coworkers into an ongoing drama with this other person. Airing your dirty laundry in hopes of getting support "from the tribe" will backfire. It's not only insensitive and ineffective, it's childish. Handle your problems like an adult, and that's how "the tribe" will perceive you. I knew a guy who was always complaining about his wife, hoping to get sympathy and some energy against her. What happened? Everyone he complained to saw him as a bad husband. They sympathized with the wife.
• Never engage in passive aggressive behavior. If there's a problem, either bring it to the other person's attention or just accept it. Focus on that problem only, not something they did 20 years ago or something they might do in the future. Focus on the action and what you want them to do differently, not on how upset you are and how terrible they are. "I don't like it when you scrape the serving utensil with the fork you've been eating off. I want you to stop doing that." This is much better than a dirty look (which they won't connect to the behavior, at all) or a rant about their bad manners. Of course, you do this privately.
   
• If you are annoyed with someone and your mind goes to all the things they have done wrong since you've known them, take out a sheet of paper and start listing things they have done right since you've known them. The idea here is to change your mental focus.
• Don't be afraid to apologize. But make it sincere or don't do it. A weeny apology such as "I'm sorry if you got upset" isn't an apology. "I'm sorry I upset you" is. You can add a qualifier such as "It was not my intention" but not a qualifier such as, "I didn't know you were so overly sensitive."
• Don't give in to bullying, emotional blackmail, verbal sparring, or the like. If a person tries this on you, call them out and say you prefer an honest and mutually respectful discourse. Then ask for a time out so they can think about it. If you give in to these kinds of games, you damage your own self-confidence and risk moving into a maladaptive coping strategy yourself.

1. Baking powder. The commercial brands all have aluminum in them. The "organic" ones are insanely expensive. Simply make your own: 2 parts cream of tartar, 1 part baking soda, 1 part starch (corn starch, potato starch, or similar--this makes it double acting).
2. Broadleaf weed killer. This is normally used to kill dandelions. A safer, cheaper way is to spray them with vinegar. A better thing to do is to pluck the leafs and use them as dietary greens. These and the stems are nutritional power houses.
3. Carpet cleaner. The typical formulations should never be used in a home. For normal dirt, sprinkle baking soda onto the area and then use a soft brush to spread it out a bit. Wait two hours, then vacuum up. For stains, repeat this but after 15 minutes spray with vinegar and wipe/daub with a clean white cloth.
    
4. Carpet shampoo. A dilute vinegar solution won't clean nearly as well as a carpet shampoo product, but it will clean with zero toxic chemicals. Staying on top of carpet cleanliness through regular vacuuming and shampooing as needed instead of when your disgustometer pegs means you don't need something more powerful.
5. Coffeemaker filters. The white ones are made with bleached paper. The non-white ones may have other chemicals. The solution used to be to buy a coffee maker with a permanent filter, now the solution is to retrofit your coffee maker with an aftermarket permanent filter (a generic one should fit). These are mesh baskets, you clean them instead of replacing them.
6. Disposable pleated furnace filters. Use an electrostatic replacement, instead--check out the Aireman brand. These will remove particles down to 0.010 microns, while a HEPA filter passes along particles at 0.300 microns or smaller. The "best" pleated furnace filters over work your furnace fan, which costs hundreds of dollars to replace and they don't come anywhere near 0.010. A HEPA pleated will strain your furnace so badly, you will notice from the sound once it's in.
    
7. Dishwasher cleaner. These use toxic chemicals. Solution: manually clean the inside of your dishwasher using vinegar, maybe once a week. Wipe it down with a sponge. Pull out the filter, clean it, then put it back.
8. Dishwasher detergent "that really cleans". These use bleach. They are not safe to use in your home. They leave toxic residue on your dishes. Instead of using these, prewash anything that is tough to get off, such as egg. Think about how you place dishes relative to the spray arm, that will do more for good cleaning than anything else. And don't overload the dishwasher.
9. Dishwasher rinsing agent. The chemicals used for this product are highly toxic and are still on the dishes. So they aren't clean, they just look that way. Solution: Use citric acid or hydrogen peroxide instead. Both are much cheaper than the commercial products.
    
10. Drain cleaner. Don't ever use this if you have a clog, it will make opening the trap very dangerous and no plumber will do it. Maintain your drains by regularly cleaning them with a brush designed for that purpose. If the drain is slow, there is probably fat (e.g., from soap) clogging it up. Heat up water to almost boiling, let it cool slightly, and pour that into the sink. You can also pour 1/2 up of baking soda into the open drain, followed by a full cup of vinegar poured in slowly but be sure there is ample ventilation because this produces carbon dioxide.
11. Fabric softener. Truly nasty stuff. Instead of using this: use 1/3 the recommended detergent, fill the rinse bin with vinegar (this will get detergent out of your clothes), dry on lowest setting and remove while still damp.
12. Fabric whitener. Nasty chemicals that degrade your fabrics while lacing them with toxins. Solution: Put Borax in the drum before adding your clothes and use vinegar in the bleach bin. Don't forget to wash whites by themselves.
     
13. Fuel injector cleaner. If you need it, you need it. But the number one reason people need it is they let their engines idle. When at a light, take it out of gear (manual transmission drivers have to do this anyhow). Don't idle it to warm it up. Don't stop on your street to talk to a neighbor from your car while idling, park your car and walk back.
14. Garbage disposal cleaner. Typically lots of chorine gas from these. Dump some ice cubes into your disposal, open the tap to about 1/4, and run the disposal. If you have a bad smell, unplug the disposal and use a brush to clean the underside of the rubber flapper at the bottom of the sink.
15. Garbage receptacle liners. You really should use liners, but that doesn't mean you need to purchase them (or not all of them, anyhow). Plastic grocery bags work great; if your receptacle is too big for these, get a different receptacle. Also for small wastebaskets and for disposing of cat litter waste, you can use the green produce bags (note that for cat litter, you want to use a "form" with the bag such as a Folger's coffee can--use the bag as a liner, and take the whole caboodle to the trash bin before removing the liner in case there's a hole in it).
     
16. Garbage receptacle spray. If you take the trash out every day, this should not be necessary. If you put something stinky in the trash, take it out right away instead of letting it emit stench that permeates the receptacle.
17. Humidifier cleaner. Put a teaspoon of vinegar in the fill water, this will retard mold growth. Use vinegar or citric acid to clean it.
18. Kitchen sponges. Cellulose ones are common. Try bamboo ones, they are better. Instead of using gross sponges repeatedly or ditching sponges prematurely, nuke them in the microwave occasionally and toss them in the dishwasher sometimes. Dry completely between uses.
     
19. Linoleum cleaner. These products contain toxic chemicals and leave a residue. Use vinegar, instead. It works great with electric mops and other kinds of cleaning tools. If the tool has a cleaner reservoir, fill it half way with plain white vinegar; when done, dump any remaining vinegar out and leave the lid open so the reservoir can dry. If no reservoir, spray vinegar directly on the surface before mopping.
20. Paper towels. They are useful in many ways, but they are expensive and typically contain toxins (their fibers are processed in chlorine dioxide and bleach). In their place, I use bamboo towels and cloth rags; both of these are washable and last for many years.
21. Pie crusts. Many people buy frozen pie crusts for the holidays. While these are convenient, they are usually made with wheat flour (which contains glyphosate) and hydrogenated oil (which CAUSES colon cancer). And they don't taste so great. The crust is what differentiates an OK pie from a great one. Make it yourself. Here's a tip: add 1 tspn of cocoa powder per 2 crust recipe, then add enough turmeric to make it yellowish. It will appear to have baked to a golden color, and will taste great. Of course, use real butter not oleo.
     
22. Pie fillings. These are gross, and not fit for human consumption due to the added endocrine modifiers and detergent ("emulsifier"). Make your own. You can choose from several different sweeteners that are not sugar. A great one is actually an amino acid, buy a bottle of capsules and simply pull the capsules apart to get the amino acid. Which one is it? L-Glyciene. L-Glutamine is also sweet, but it's become very expensive.
23. Nasal decongestants. These work as vasoconstricters, meaning they also shrink the capillaries in your fingers, toes, and eyes. Which is not good. Simply raising your chest temperature will often open those sinuses; put on a sweater and crank out some pushups. Other solutions: inhale steam (which you can make on your stove), use a nasal saline spray, lean your head back on a pillow and lay a hot washcloth across the upper part of your face, get under an electric blanket for 15 minutes.
24. Oven cleaner. I bake frequently, and yet have not used oven cleaner in over 30 years. The trick is to not spill in the oven in the first place. Don't put aluminum foil in the bottom, that can destroy your oven. You can put a cookie sheet under a Dutch oven if your racks will permit that placement. But one key is to watch how you add liquids and to use the proper cooking vessels. The other key is to clean a spill before you bake again.  If you do get a spill, which is almost inevitable, let the oven cool. Then clean the spill residue until it's gone. Do not use the "self cleaning" mode.
     
25. Pest control services for the yard. Very bad idea. Even the "eco" products are lethal to bees. It's not the case that your lawn is full of bugs waiting to attack you. Install a birdbath, keep it clean and full. Set up some birdhouses. You've got bug control, right there. If you get a bad chiggers or hornet problem, buy a can of the appropriate treatment and follow the directions precisely. This is far cheaper than the monthly rate for "pest control" and you will have to do it only rarely.
26. Pest control services for ants. Borax around ant entry points. If this does not do the job, you probably have rotting window frames due to improper window installation; contact Home Depot about installing Anderson windows to replace these.
27. Room freshener sprays. There isn't a single safe product in this space. Instead of using these, kill odors at their source. If you really need to cover up, place cinnamon and coffee grounds on a cookie sheet and "bake" at your oven's lowest setting. An alternative for cool weather is to place a bowl of same near a warm air return. You can also grow basil indoors.
     
28. Toilet bowl cleaner. Pour 1/4 cup of vinegar into the fill tank once a month to help clean the jets. Spray vinegar (a standard spray bottle works just fine, is available at your grocery store, and is cheap) around the inside. For stubborn scale, shut off the shutoff valve and flush the toilet. Then pour in some vinegar or add some citric acid crystals (don't go crazy, it doesn't take much). Let sit overnight. Open the valves and flush in the morning.
29. Tooth whitening toothpaste. This is typically accomplished by the use of abrasives. Try swishing with hydrogen peroxide, instead. Cut back on tea and coffee, if your teeth look dingy. Bring the issue up with your dentist, but never agree to any solution that involves removal of tooth enamel--crowns, veneers, and other covers mean permanent damage to your teeth. This was done to me without my informed consent, and I regret it every day.
30. Tub and tile foaming cleaner. It's hard to beat this, especially if you have hard water that gets onto grout. Your first defense is to not use bar soap because it leaves a fatty layer. If you get a soap-dispensing dishwashing wand, you can quickly scrub down the tile before showering. As you shower, you'll rinse that off. Anything you miss will slowly move down via gravity. Fill it partly with vinegar and partly with diluted dishsoap. ****Always be careful when stepping into or out of a shower. Assume it is slippery and maintain your balance accordingly.****

Some products do not have good, cheap substitutes and people who experiment wreck the item they are trying to clean. Examples:

• Replacing car detergent with Dawn or a similar product. This will destroy that expensive polymer you applied (assuming you did this), then attack the paint. Always use car detergent to wash your car.
• Cleaning a glass cook top with [anything]. A spritz of vinegar along with plain water will delay the need for using this cleaner, but glass top cleaner is the only thing that will really clean that surface without damaging it. Barkeeper's Friend and similar products "might" work with your glass top, but there's no guarantee. Even a small scratch will start a process that is fatal to this appliance.
• Paraffin-based engine oil. This means anything that is not 100% synthetic. These oils have higher internal friction and other drawbacks that result in higher fuel costs and shorter engine life. You do not save money with these products.
• Water-free car cleaners. Nope, nope, and nope. Wash the car the correct way, so you safely remove grime instead of polishing away your finish with it.

5. Security tip

From Amazon:

 
As the busy shopping season approaches, stay informed with these tips to help recognize impersonation scams - when a scammer pretends to be a trusted company and reaches out to try to get access to sensitive information like personal or financial information, or Amazon account details.

Tips to help stay safe:

• Always use the Amazon mobile app or website for all your shopping needs, including customer service, account changes, delivery tracking, and refund status.
• Remember, Amazon will never ask you to make payments or to provide payment information (including gift cards or wire transfers) for products or services over the phone.
• Consider setting up 2-step verification when available to your online accounts to help prevent unauthorized account access. You can set up 2-step verification at https://www.amazon.com/2SV.
• Save time and stay secure using a passkey. It’s a safer way to sign in than using passwords and it works with the same face, fingerprint, or PIN you already use to unlock your device. Set up a passkey at https://www.amazon.com/passkey.
• Scammers might try to create a sense of urgency to persuade you to do what they're asking. Be careful any time someone tries to convince you that you must act now.


Example impersonation scam tactics that you could receive:

• Fake messages claiming to be about delivery or account issues.
• Third-party social media posts and ads with deals that seem too good to be true. Shop directly on our website or mobile app for authentic offers.
• Messages through unofficial channels asking for your password or payment information.
• Unfamiliar links asking you to verify your account credentials through fake or phishing websites. Amazon will never send emails asking customers to verify their account credentials.
• Unsolicited phone calls claiming to be from tech support or other agencies.

Visit https://www.amazon.com/scams to learn how to identify and report scams, access resources for scam prevention, and understand Amazon's efforts to protect customers from fraudulent activities.

6. Health tip/Fitness tips

	Have you  given much thought to the differences between training and "working out?" Relatively few people have, which is why the vast majority of people who say they exercise regularly don't look much different from their friends who don't exercise. It's also why those same people don't develop great strength. They are much better off than their sedentary counterparts but far worse off than they could be. Part of the problem is the "health" care "experts" who promote "moderate exercise" which translates into doing something to move about a bit. But really, whom are we trying to fool? There are stark differences between those who train and those who "work out", about as stark as the differences between those who move about and those who don't. We all know this, but many of us have this idea that we can just check off the box and that equates to getting the results. It doesn't. I'm very proud of the fact I haven't missed a workout since 1977. But I did not learn what training meant until 1996. That was the year I met Sandy Miller, a "rocking bod" trainer in Overland Park. Prior to that, I had done circuit training and similar. And I felt I had done well with it. I was able to bench press 235lbs with a body weight of 165lbs. My strength had plateaued, and I took this as evidence my workouts were working and had brought me to my full genetic potential. I was very wrong.  My workouts didn't get me the intensity needed to trigger the adaptive response. And I was carrying a lot of fat (compared to how I look now). I had a "healthy" low-fat diet, I even ate low-fat yogurt (something you could not force me to eat today). Let's leave the diet aside for now and talk about the training. When Sandy moved me from that to a bodybuilding style split routine, I went along with her program to see what would happen. I gained strength and got leaner. Once I moved away from Overland Park, getting with Sandy became harder and she set me up with another trainer. After a few sessions with him, he said I didn't need a trainer unless I wanted to get into competitive bodybuilding. "You've got this. There's nothing more to teach you, the question now is whether you want to compete and you're almost 40." So I stuck with that program, except for putting my own emphasis on it. One thing I did was slow the tempo. If Sandy or this other trainer had seen this, they would have told me to speed it back up. I did speed it back up after meeting with Robert Wichman (Mr. Olympia Gold Medalist in the natural category).
	What they have you do in a typical gym is circuit training. This is what people learn as a way to "work out". You walk around from station to station carrying a card on which you record your reps and weights. You typically do one set, maybe two. The mindset is that you try to increase the weight you lift, and there's a cost to thinking this way. Actual training is not about that at all. Training requires patience and discipline, not showboating. You do not measure progress in terms of how much weight you use  or how many reps you can do. Training is a systematic approach to building bone, muscle, tendons, ligaments, heart, lungs, nervous system, etc. "Working out" puts these assets through their paces; it slows or delays loss of function. But it does not, and cannot, build them beyond what you might call a base line. That is for several reasons, such as these: By systematically dividing up the muscle groups for separate training days, you can push those muscle groups (and their related structures) past the red line. This is what triggers them to grow. "Working out" cannot even get them into the yellow zone. Training relies on three things: metabolic stress, time under tension, and cellular damage. In "working out" the first two of these can possibly occur, but cellular damage occurs only when you are also damaging other structures such as fascia, tendons, ligaments, knee joints, elbow joints, and spinal disks. Training is, by design, void of risk of injury. "Working out" focuses on moving a set amount of weight, regardless of the range of motion or how much you can safely handle; it presents a high risk of injury. With training, you try to use the lowest weight possible to get adequate tension in the muscle. This means reducing leverage and isolating muscles. If you are trying to increase your weight that you use, then you increase leverage and recruit additional muscles--both of which reduce effectiveness dramatically. With "working out" there is no adaptive response and thus no surge of testosterone.
"Silver Sneakers" and other programs for Seniors (especially those 65 and over) focus on the "working out" paradigm but with reduced tension in the muscles. Seniors sign up for these programs because they don't have their own equipment and they can go to a gym and "work out". Equipment is nice, but you don't need it to train. Look at the US Army as an example. Look to Jack LaLanne as an example. A buddy of mine from high school made remarkable progress with bands, that's all he used, at ages 63 and 64. There's a YouTube commercial where the guy says men over 50 should not lift weights. I've also read things stating you should not do squats if you are over 40. This is complete BS. But it's based on that "working out" mentality where every session is a power lifting session instead of a training session. So yes, people get injured and also get hardly any health benefit from doing this. But someone who is training will be able to do that until almost close to death. Jack LaLanne is a famous example. So is two-time Mr. Olympia Franco Columbu, who could be seen riding a bike to the gym to work out with Arnold well into his late 70s. Let's look at an example, chest training Someone who "works out" might put so much weight on the bar for a bench press that he or she can lower it only halfway, with shoulders rounded forward (massive cheating). This person can lift more weight with this exercise than someone the same size who trains, but is a lot weaker. Someone who trains will put enough weight on the bar to get tension, then lower the bar until the pecs stretch before coming up. Shoulders are back, to unload the weight from the anterior deltoids so that it's a chest exercise rather than the partial shoulder exercise the first person did.   The one who "works out" might do a couple of sets, and that's it for the "chest workout" except for a set or two of incorrectly done flyes. The person who trains won't go to failure on this compound exercise, because that's dangerous, so will then do other chest work. The idea is to train the chest, not to push X amount of weight. Chest training is often accompanied with triceps training, since triceps play a big role in the bench press. Here is what I do, it correctly follows the theory but there are many right ways: Bench press, four sets of 8 reps. Stretching the pecs at the bottom of the motion. Short rest between sets, typically 60 to 90 seconds. Inclined dumbbell presses. I use 40lb dumbbells that I drop as low as I can each time. I do four sets trying to get 8 to 10 reps per set. Sometimes I can get only six. Between each set, I do a set of French curls. After the last set, I do a set of French curls. No rest between the alternating sets, unless I really need it. And then, only 10 or 15 seconds to catch my breath. Bands. I stand and pull way across my chest. It really loads that pec. I do about 8 reps per side, in three positions: high, middle, low. So a set of high on the right, then turn and do a set of high on the left. Repeat for middle, repeat for low. I do four sets of this. So it's 4 (sets) x 3 (positions) x 2 (sides) x  8 (reps), for a total of 192 reps. Then I do one more set at middle. My pecs burn through that entire last set. This is the volume training that is essential to hypertrophy, but each set is pretty intense. So rather than do a lot of reps per set for volume, do a lot of sets for volume while making those reps count. Flyes. I use only 20lbs per dumbbell. I drop them well below horizontal to stretch the pecs and open the chest. I keep tension in the pecs the whole time, which means I don't bring them up past about 30 degrees. In between sets, I do a set of triceps extensions with my torso below horizontal (head at about my knee height). After the last rep, I do a set of triceps extensions. You can see that chest training: Is systematic and methodical Creates a lot of metabolic stress Has significant time under tension Minimizes stress on the joints and other structures while also stimulating them to grow Is short but brutal Cannot be done on the same day as leg training or back training. If the bench press is used to work shoulders as part of shoulder day, then the chest exercises must be done on a different day. You might not also see, though true, that proper training: Stimulates the adaptive response, part of which puts the endocrine system into high performance mode. For men with low testosterone, training and decent nutrition will fix that. I get the equivalent of a testosterone shot with each training session. Pushes waste out of the lymph system and the small capillaries. That is an enormous health benefit. Correctly adjusts your hormones for mood and mental health. Prevents bone loss. I am the same height as the day I graduated from high school, over 40 years ago. Most men my age have lost at least an inch in height. That's due to a combination of bone loss (prevented by training) and posture loss (prevented by training). I follow this same concept for my other workouts: Leg Day, back and biceps, shoulders. But where do I fit in the cardio? Ah, good question. When you generate the high metabolic stress that proper training produces, you get far more cardio training than hours on a treadmill will give you. You do not need to also do treadmill or any other low-intensity "working out". In fact, you should not do those. And if you noticed, active stretching is built into this as well. This another place where people who "work out" instead of train always fail. The "need" to lift heavy weight means you can't do the full range of motion. So you get tight muscles that are weak muscles, and you don't get the pump of blood that removes waste. To me, the entire experience of just "working out" is a waste. But I did not understand that until I was in my mid-30s. I like to explain it now so that others don't make the same mistake I did. Be sure to plan out a way to train that fits you, and stick with it. Don't "work out" and think that really does much for you. Training, by contrast, builds your entire system.

At www.supplecity.com, you'll find plenty of informative, authoritative articles on maintaining a lean, strong physique. It has nothing to do with long workouts or impossible to maintain diets. In fact:

• The best workouts are short and intense.
• A good diet contains far more flavors and satisfaction than the typical American diet.

Of all the economic systems ever tried by mankind, lightly regulated capitalism is the only one that has appreciably raised the standard of living for regular people. It is the system that made America by far the wealthiest country on the planet. Socialism has never had a positive economic outcome, because it's based on jealousy and stealing rather than risk and reward.