A fascinating review came out of Nature that scoured over 22 weight-loss studies with over 4,000 participants (from over a dozen countries).

But here’s the kicker:

They looked at the control groups in all these studies. The groups that did not get the treatment or intervention (or if they did it was standard care).

What kind of results did they get?

Turns out, they lose on average 0.41kg (or .9 pounds).

Now that might not be something to write Grandma about but that is impressive given that a huge percentage of the population struggle to lose any weight (and ends up packing on more each year).

So why did they get any results?

The researchers chalk up the following two reasons:
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• Trial Effect: This where just by participating in a study, you reap benefits. This is believed to be due to greater adherence… lifestyle medication… and greater interaction with health professionals through the process.
• Hawthorne Effect: This is a well-researched phenomenon that happens when participants believe they are being observed, they tend to modify their behavior.

Moral of the study:

It’s a reminder to take action.

Even if you don’t have the pur-fect plan (like these control groups), keep moving. Keep seeing what works and adjusting your approach because through your repeated efforts you are bound to get some results and eventually find your way to a methodology that works extremely well.

But it takes getting starting no matter how imperfect the first step is. And maybe instead of putting our full faith on a particular weight-loss program we need to believe in ourselves and our ability to figure it out.

Onward,

For a unique methodology of exercise, nutrition and mindset to create lasting transformation — grab a free issue of my monthly Mind-Body Breakthroughs

Today it’s falling apart but it is filled with gems on mastery, raising your standards and taking your fitness to higher levels — including his direct experience and training with legendary martial artist Bruce Lee.

For example: If Lee was stuck in traffic or sitting at a red light, he’d grab a mini makiwara board (similar to a striking post) from his back seat and start hitting it.

Or if he was watching TV, he’d lie on the floor and bounce his son Brandon on his belly by tightening his core muscles… while holding weights in each hand.

According to Chuck Norris:

Bruce managed to turn everything he did, even entertaining his son, into a strengthening exercise.

Now does this mean you too should be a trampoline for your kiddos?
​Or find a way to work out when you’re at a stoplight?

Not necessarily (unless you’re a glutton for punishment) but you can find a way to use this power principle in your own life.

See there are certain people I’ve crossed paths with who haven’t slaved away in the gym… or pounded the pavement on long runs… but they’ve maintained reasonable shape with low injuries just by incorporating more physical activity into their daily life.

They’ve found ways to have conversations with friends on long walks… squeeze in short walks on lunch breaks… park a little bit further away when they go shopping… bike to work… play sports with their kids…. or make it a point to regularly do physically intensive yardwork (like chopping wood).

They’ve found ways to naturally move more in their day.

Sure regular workouts have enormous power but if you are looking to push the envelope a little further (without necessarily devoting much more time) then finding ways to get more movement may help you not only get better results but just feel all around better.

This may take some creativity and thinking for how you can apply it, and connect multiple areas of life. But when you do, you realize you can knock out two… three… sometimes four tropical birds with one stone.

And the interesting thing is the sooner you incorporate these little ‘daily rituals’ the sooner they become automatic — and go from being ‘exercise’ to just the way do things each day.

For more in-depth ways to make exercise, eating healthy and staying on track more automatic — check out a free issue of my Mind-Body Breakthrough letter.

Kelan Ern

Psychiatrist Dr. Albert Danan led this study at the University of Toulouse with patients suffering from chronic mental illness and in many cases also type-2 diabetes, hypertension and obesity.

Dr. Danan hatched the idea for the study after noticing a family member significantly improve in autism behaviors and seizures after trying keto.

His study involved 31 subjects with schizophrenia, bipolar or major depression who were admitted to a facility and put on a keto diet along with standard care. In this case, the nutrition program involved 20g of carbs max each day (based on previous research by Duke University).

The results:

• All patients who followed the diet for 2 weeks or more reported improvement in psychosis and depression symptoms. 43% of subjects accomplished clinical remission and 64% were released from the hospital (on less medication).
• They also had significant improvements in metabolic health (based on triglycerides, blood sugar, blood pressure and body weight).
• All subjects lost weight except one, and half lost more than 5% of their bodyweight.

According to Dr. Danan, he’s never seen improvements like these in such a short time:
“Introducing nutritional measures, particularly the ketogenic diet, helped me considerably to improve the results of therapy… I observed real improvements in their psychiatric symptoms such as hallucinations, delusions, and mood instability.”

What’s the takeaway?

Those who love keto will cheer it on and those who hate it will try to pick it apart.
No doubt this is a small study. And this wasn’t a controlled trial.

So much more research on this front needs to be done (And studies like this can reveal glimmers of where to continue searching for answers).

However, what’s interesting about this study is the food-mood connection.

This is something that is gaining more and more traction. What you eat impacts your mood. And if you’ve been following gut health research, you’ve seen just how much gut health affects mood.

Unfortunately, many people are still operating off the food = fuel mentality.

But food is much more than just fuel, and studies like this are shedding light that what we eat can in fact affect our emotions and mental health, which has a huge effect on our life.

Food for thought (no pun intended).

Onward,

Kelan Ern

For my most in-depth training on shifting your mindset on food, nutrition and exercise so you get out of your own way and achieve lasting transformation— grab a free issue of my monthly Mind-Body Breakthroughs letter.