Nordine Zouareg - Mind Over Body: The Key to Lasting Weight Loss Is All in Your Head

Copyright 2007 by Nordine Zouareg

All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

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First eBook Edition: June 2009

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ISBN: 978-0-446-56302-4

To the strongest and most courageous people I know,

my mother and my father, Yamina and Naoui Zouareg

I thank from the bottom of my heart and the depth of my soul all the people who have contributed to this book and stood by me all the way. To Yogi Bhajan, for whose love and blessings I am forever grateful. To my wife, Keri, whose patience and love for me fueled my spirit when times were not so favorable. To my son, Armand, and my daughter, Isabella, for their daily dose of love, noise, and demands. To Dharma Singh Khalsa, MD, and Kirti Kaur Khalsa for their love, trust, and life-changing teachings. To my agent, Susan Ginsburg, and my editors, Karen Murgolo and Michelle Howry, for believing in me. To Judy Kern for helping me in the preparation of this book and for her wonderful spirit. To Jill Cohen, for trusting in the value of this book. To John and Maria Assaraf for inspiring me and supporting me with this project. To chef Cary Neff, who always believed in me and my work. To the amazing photographer Jerry Avenaim, whose creativity exceeded my expectations. To Liz Dickinson, CEO of Physi-Cal Enterprises, for her generosity and love.

Thanks also to Polly Anthony of Interscope Entertainment; Michelle Anthony; and Carol Berg, PsyD, for their constant love and appreciation. To Dana Paterson for seeing this book in her vision and for her warm encouragement. To my friends Dr. Ty Endean, Gurumeet Khalsa, Nirvair Khalsa, Jennifer Morris, Keith Arnold, Fred Singer, Beth Singer, Jeff Lamp, Alyson Steel, Mark Urlage, Matthew Hummel, Paul and Kathy Rizzuto, Bill Gower, Bret and April Bott, and Roger and Helen Abramson for their love and support. To Luz Elena Shearer, MS, RD, for her valuable feedback.

To all my friends and colleagues and the wonderful guests at Miraval Life in BalanceI am so grateful to have you in my life. Special thanks to Steve Case, Bill ODonnell, George Ruff, and Joseph DeNucci, Miraval partners; and to Dan Dearen, CFO, Dan Hirsch, vice president of business development, Harley Mayersohn, vice president of branding and marketing, and Chris Willett, executive assistant and director of projects, at Miraval, for their support and trust in me. My thanks also to Barbara MacDonald, public relations manager at Miraval, for making the photo shoot for this book run so smoothly.

Finally, to the thousands of clients and guests Ive worked with throughout my career, you contributed to the creation of the concept for this book and dont even know it. Thank you for the great fun and for the life lessons Ive gained from you.

Ill never forget the day I met Nordine, because it changed my life. I was working out on the upstairs balcony of Golds Gym in Albuquerque, New Mexico. My trainer, a pretty buff dude himself, pointed to a strikingly handsome and obviously fit fellow downstairs and asked me, Howd you like to meet Mr. Universe from Paris, France?

I said I would very much like to meet him, so off we went downstairs. As Nordine and I shook hands that first time, we both felt the energy pass between us. It was as if we were each meeting a long-lost brother. That was the beginning of a wonderful friendship that continues to grow stronger with each passing day.

Not too long after, Nordine moved to Tucson, Arizona, and we began working together with patients in my Brain Longevity Program. We also started training together. Nordine, I learned, was a master at helping people lose fat, gain muscle, and regain their health fast and forever. Ive seen him work wonders with people who came to our program out of shape and in dire need of physical fitness. In one particular instance that comes to mind, Suzy, a forty-eight-year-old patient, came to me with severe stress-related memory loss. Nordine quickly isolated her physical problem and designed a specific fitness program that helped heal her mind as it strengthened her body.

When you follow the exercise and nutritional ideas in this book, you will definitely feel great. Your mind will be sharp and refreshed, your muscles will feel invigorated, and your joints will be fluid.

But, of course, feeling better is a subjective assessment. As a doctor who respects science, Id like to share with you some of the many well-researched scientific benefits of the mind/body exercise plan presented in Mind Over Body.

Lets begin with your skin. Many people today, men and women alike, spend millions of dollars on potions and lotions to make their skin look beautiful. But true beauty, as Im sure youll agree, must come from the inside, and Nordines program gives you a distinctive, healthy glow. I think youll notice it right away.

Next, recent research clearly shows that exercise can actually keep the brain, as well as the body, young. When you follow a plan like Mind Over Body, which includes techniques such as visualization and meditation, depression is eased, anxiety is reduced, and memory improves. Work by my colleague Andrew Newberg, MD, at the Center for Spirituality and the Mind at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, where I am a research fellow, has shown that both these practices help your brain to function at a much higher level.

Moreover, fascinating new work by Dr. Sara Lazar at Harvard has revealed an actual antiaging effect of meditation. The thickness of the cortical, or outside, layer of the brain increases with ongoing practice. This remarkable discovery shows how the brain can be changed positively throughout life.

Studies also indicate that people who are at risk for Alzheimers disease because of genetics or family history score better on memory tests when they exercise. Moreover, my own research shows an improvement in attention, concentration, and focus, as well as an anti-Alzheimers effect, when you follow the mind/body principles, such as daily meditation, that Nordine shares in this book.

Equally significant, following the Mind Over Body plan will normalize your sleep pattern and help you sleep more deeply. This is particularly meaningful because, according to the latest research, close to 60 percent of Americans report that they dont sleep well.

As youre probably aware, heart disease is still Americas number one killer of both men and women, which is why its important to note that the exercise and nutritional plans in this book will also reduce your risk for heart disease and stroke by building a healthy cardiovascular system, normalizing your blood pressure, and balancing your good and bad cholesterol levels. At the same time, your lung function will be markedly improved, and if youre a smoker, your habit will go up in smoke!

And what about your bones? Nordines exercise plan will increase bone density, which will reduce your risk for osteoporosis and the bone loss associated with meno-pause. You will also have increased joint mobility, improved flexibility, and better balance, all of which are especially important as you reach midlife. Many of us plan on living well into our eighties and beyond, so building strong bones is important to reduce the chances of falls and disability.