| Saturday - October 31, 2009 For most people, getting older means getting fatter. And there is a good reason for it. Our metabolism slows down some over the years. But that's not the only factor. There is something else that happens that most people don't pay much attention to. As we age, we usually get much less active. Think about it. When you were young, your parents almost had to tie you down to keep you still. You weren't going to the gym back then. You may not have been playing sports. But you were constantly moving. And when you weren't moving -- when, for example, you were "stuck" in class -- you felt fidgety. That's because your body just wanted to keep moving. And so you kept it moving every chance you got. As adults, many of us spend eight hours a day sitting in an office and then another three or four hours sitting on the couch. Add to that the time we spend seated while eating, and you get the full picture. We've switched our physical routines from moving around most of the time to exercising for, maybe, one hour a day. And when we exercise, we do aerobics and spin classes and weightlifting. None of these activities get our bodies into the zone necessary to build strong lungs and a strong heart.
The other thing that changes as we get older is the way we feel about eating. When we were young, we wanted to eat only when we were hungry and only enough to satisfy that hunger. If we had been in charge of our eating back then, we'd have eaten very sporadically. But almost as soon as we were able to hold a fork, our parents began "teaching" us to eat properly -- which meant seated at a table. And we were taught to finish everything on our plates (because people in China were starving). That is a very bad, very unnatural way to eat. Yet it's been the traditional pattern in this country since the Industrial Revolution. Add to that the foods we eat today. "Our modern diet," Dr. Al Sears says, "is processed and full of additives and other toxins. [Those chemicals] throw off your body's 'fat signals.' These signals tell your body how much fat to make and store." I believe that anyone can counteract a slowing metabolism by sticking to a natural pattern of activity and eating. Natural means eating like cavemen -- our ancestors -- ate. Less frequently, less compulsively ... and no artificial ingredients. More on this in future issues. But for now, you can check out Dr. Sears's book to find out what you should be eating.
You can elect politicians who promise to hold the line -- or even lower taxes -- but you know they're not going to do it.
The problem is that the people in power -- in big government and big business -- have been spending money they don't have and expecting us to pay the bills. They got us into the Great Recession, and the only way they can get us out of it is by forcing us to keep kicking in -- either through inflation or higher taxes.
Your only solution is to create a second income. Start now, and before long you'll be making so much that none of this will matter to you. And one of the best ways I know of to create a second income is by starting your own business in your "off hours."
I call it "chicken entrepreneurship." It allows you to figure out what works and what doesn't without risking your steady paycheck. And with the Internet, it has never been easier or quicker (or cheaper) to find a profitable niche market and start cashing in. Learn how an online business can provide your second income here.
In every big city, there are three kinds of hotels: - Business hotels
- Tourist hotels
- Quality hotels
Business hotels are efficient and sometimes luxurious, but they tend to treat their customers impersonally. The Ritz-Carlton in New York's Battery Park is a good example. Fine furnishings. Everything you need. But there are so many concierges that you rarely see the same one twice. So, of course, they never remember your name. Tourist hotels are horrible. They are usually tacky and crowded and populated by people who dress like your schleppy Uncle Marvin. There are, indeed, luxury tourist hotels. But they are horrible for different reasons. They charge way too much for everything, and they are populated by people who act like your pretentious Aunt Bernadette. Like business and tourist hotels, quality hotels come in all price ranges. What defines them are exceptional ambiance and service. And, of course, the absence of guests who remind you of Uncle Marvin or Aunt Bernadette. Examples of quality hotels include the Ritz-Carlton in Madrid and the Crillon in Paris. I like to stay in quality hotels. But I often end up in a luxury business hotel, which is fine so long as I'm on business. Sometimes I make the mistake of booking myself into an expensive tourist hotel. That leaves me feeling like I've been fleeced by a Las Vegas hooker. Strike that. I can imagine -- but I really don't know what it feels like to be fleeced by a Las Vegas hooker. When booking hotels, it pays to do some Internet research. It doesn't take long to find out everything you need to know about a hotel, including room sizes and configurations, amenities, charges, and what previous customers say about it.
The Fasano Hotel is considered the best hotel in Rio. And in many respects it is. The lobby is nice, the rooms are beautiful, the bed linens and towels are extra fine, and the service is topnotch. But during a recent five-day stay, I was disappointed to discover that it is, in essence, a tourist hotel. Here is what happened. After a pleasant business dinner at a very nice restaurant, I returned to the hotel. I was not yet ready for bed, so I stopped by the lobby bar for a quick drink. I pointed to a bottle that I thought I recognized and said, "I want that -- the Hennessy Paradis." The bartender poured me a drink from the bottle I'd pointed to (which, as it turns out, was not Hennessy Paradis). When I got the check, it was $550. In my most insane moments, I have never ordered a drink that cost more than $80. And although I like to think of myself as reasonably au courant on fine Cognacs, I had no idea that even the finest could go for $550 a glass. (And this one, believe me, was nowhere near the finest.) When I told the bartender "There must be some mistake," she assured me it was I who was mistaken. She showed me the bar menu to prove it. "Why didn't you tell me it costs that much?" I asked. "We are not allowed to," she admitted. "Management says it would embarrass the customers." "Well, that's nice," I thought. "Management didn't want to embarrass me. How do they think I feel now that I've discovered a gulp of that stuff just cost me more than the super-priced suite I'm staying in?"
That's when I got the idea to admit what an idiot I was to the 900,000 people who read the MM Journal every Saturday. I thought it would be a good opportunity for me to warn my readers about the risks of touristy hotels -- the cheap ones and the expensive ones. (And just so you don't think I'm a bigger idiot than I've just proven myself to be ... I didn't learn all of the following from personal experience. Some of these suggestions are from friends who fell into different traps than I've fallen into.) Here is a short list of what not to do: - Don't assume that because a hotel has a famous name you are going to be given great service at a reasonable price. Before booking, shop for value.
- Never pay the official room rate. There are at least a half-dozen discounted prices for every room at any time.
- Never eat at hotel restaurants -- especially at fancy hotels. They are rarely all that good, and are invariably twice as expensive as the better restaurant across the street or around the corner.
- Never have your clothes cleaned at a hotel. The cost of laundering a T-shirt, for example, is almost always more than what you paid for it in the first place.
- Don't let it slide if all you can see from your "ocean view" room is a sliver between two buildings when you lean over the balcony. Demand to get what you're paying for.
- Never raid the mini bar. Not only are the prices outrageous, but now many hotels are charging restocking fees.
- Don't let yourself be rushed at checkout. Examine your bill for resort fees, pay-per-view movies, and room service. Many times other guests (or staff members) accidentally charge things to the wrong room.
As I said, that's just a short list. I'm sure you've had "educational" experiences of your own with touristy hotels -- and I invite you to share with your fellow MM Journal readers here: AskETR@ETRFeedback.com
The Total Health Breakthroughs Undercover article on Dr. Max Gerson and his alternative cancer treatments is still stirring up readers. Why don't you join the conversation? Just read the article (if you haven't already) and scroll down to add your comment. Here's one of the latest: "How many times have you read 'a new study shows that a diet rich in fruits and vegetables reduces the risk of... ' When are people going to get the hint. And organics are even better, but big pharma, big agra, and the ama don't make money from people being healthy, or buying locally grown organic produce. If people would just practice what we all know is true there would be a drastic reduction in people needing treatment in the first place." - Brad
[Ed. Note: Michael Masterson welcomes your questions and comments. Send him a message at AskMichael@ETRFeedback.com.] | 
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