Moorestown Personal Trainer Reveals What You Can Learn From Cavemen

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How would you like to be naturally lean, muscular and energetic? To effortlessly maintain a low body fat, rippling muscles and picturesque health?

Mark Sisson, an athlete, coach, and student on a lifelong quest for exceptional health, happiness, and peak performance (his words), penned the book, “The Primal Blueprint” to show you how to do just that.

At 55, he weighs 165 pounds with 8 percent body fat, eats as much food as he pleases, and rarely gets sick. He also says he’s healthier, fitter, happier and more productive than ever.

So what is Mark’s secret?

In his words, “Modeling your 21st-century life after our primal hunter-gather ancestors will help you greatly reduce or eliminate almost all of the disease risk factors that you may falsely blame on genes you inherited from your parents

Weight loss does not have to involve the suffering, sacrifice, and deprivation we’ve been conditioned to accept but instead is a matter of eating the right foods (plants and animals), avoiding the wrong foods (processed carbs—including grains—and trans and partially hydrogenated fats), and exercising strategically, for far fewer hours than you might assume, to reach your desired fitness goals.”

Here are The Ten Primal Blueprint Laws:
Law #1: Eat Lots of Plants and Animals
The bulk of the caveman diet is animal protein (organic, free-range, or wild sources of meat, fowl, and fish), a plethora of colorful veggies and fruits, and healthy fats (nuts, seeds, their derivative butters, certain oils, and avocados).

Law #2: Avoid Poisonous Things
For the caveman this meant staying away from poisonous plants. For you this means staying away from sugars, sodas, chemically altered fats, processed, packaged, fried and preserved foods. It also means cutting out grains.

Law #3: Move Frequently at a Slow Pace
The caveman spent several hours each day moving around at a low-level aerobic pace. This helped develop strong bones, joints, and connective tissue.

Law #4: Lift Heavy Things
Frequent bursts of intense physical effort were a daily part of the caveman’s life. Biochemical signals would be triggered that prompted improvements and adaptations in muscle tone, size and power.

Law #5: Sprint Once in a While
For the caveman a fast sprint meant the difference between being eaten and staying alive. Little did he know that those sprints were helping to increase his energy levels, improve athletic performance and minimize the effects of aging by promoting the release of testosterone and human growth hormone.

Law #6: Get Adequate Sleep
The rising and setting of the sun dictated the length of the caveman’s day. For us things are a bit trickier. Adequate sleep helps the immune system work optimally, and promotes the release of hormones that enhance brain and endocrine function.
Law #7: Play Without a TV or computer to entertain himself, the caveman would engage in hours of leisurely outdoor play. Relaxed play releases endorphins and provides a balance for mental stress.

Law #8: Get Adequate Sunlight
It’s impossible to obtain adequate vitamin D from diet alone. Getting regular sun exposure allows for proper vitamin D production, critical for healthy cell function.

Law #9: Avoid Stupid Mistakes
Observation and self-preservation were key factors in the survival of a caveman. Today’s world is full of distractions that leave us oblivious and careless. Take, for example, texting while driving.

Law #10: Use Your Brain
The human brain separates us from the animals. Intellectual stimulation is an important part of healthy brain function.

Rave Reviews: Despite its stringent requirements, the caveman diet is converting new followers by the boatload. Most people report losing 10 or more pounds in their first month and that they no longer feel bloated and sleepy after meals.

Should You Jump on the Primal Bandwagon? So, in light of the evidence, should you put down your whole wheat bagel and low fat cream cheese in exchange for a hunk of meat and pile of veggies?

Hold your horses.

Though the caveman diet has been proven to promote weight loss, times have changed. Could you really practice all of the Primal Laws while maintaining your modern life?

Yeah… I didn’t think so.
So, where do you go from here? You want to lose weight, to protect yourself from disease and to look and feel great.

A great solution, that doesn’t require drastic change, is to take 3 bits of advice from the caveman—advice that will promote weight loss, decrease your risk of disease and will get you looking and feeling great.

1. Make Plants and Animals the Focus of Your Diet: This will quickly lead to weight loss and increased energy. Don’t be so hard on yourself that everything you put in your mouth has to be caveman approved – but make it the majority of your diet.

2. Cut Out Processed Food: The simplest way to promote weight loss and to encourage good health is to eliminate processed foods from your diet. When you replace processed foods with fresh produce your results will be immediate. Not only will you feel healthier, you will have more energy than you’ll know what to do with! * Want to eat a Caveman approved dinner? Check out my recipe below*

3. Exercise: Since you will need an outlet for all that extra energy, acquire a new hobby—one that gets you moving. Have you ever met a lazy caveman? Of course not. (And this is not just because you were born a few centuries too late!) Cavemen were forced to be active in order to survive. Hunt dinner. Build a fire. Move a fallen tree. Create shelter. You get the idea If you want a lean, muscular body then exercise must become a part of your daily life.

This is where I come in. Let’s meet one-on-one to design an exercise program that will fit your unique goals.

Get to the Bottom of Your Weight Gain…Moorestown Personal Trainer Tells All

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Why are the numbers on your scale climbing?

That is a valid and often frustrating question. And the answer isn’t always sweet and simple.

“Any change in your life circumstances can produce changes in eating and exercise, which leads to weight gain,” stated Edward Abramson, Ph.D., professor emeritus of psychology at California State University, author of Emotional Eating.

So why has your weight increased? And, more importantly, what can you do about it?

1. Life’s Fat Traps
A little addressed fact about weight gain is that everyone gains weight for different reasons. So often we hear about one-size-fits-all weight loss solutions that take little or no consideration of how the extra weight piled up in the first place. To experience true weight loss it is important to understand why you gained it in the first place.

Think back to the time in your life when your weight was just right. Were you in your teens? Your twenties? Or maybe your thirties? Picture yourself as you were at your ideal weight. Now when did things change? Was it a gradual addition of pounds that accumulated over a span of multiple years? Or did you gain it all at once? Check out the following weight gain triggers and determine which one is responsible for your plight.
•College: The college years are some of the easiest for gaining weight. In fact, a recent study by Cornell University found that on average, college freshman gain about 0.5 pounds a week – almost 11 times more than the average weight gain among 17-and 18-year olds and almost 20 times more than the average weight gain among American adults.
•Marriage: There’s nothing like holy matrimony to encourage a barrage of calories to overtake your diet. Late night comfort snacks are always more enjoyable when you have someone to share them with—and who better than the person who pledged to stick by your side through sickness or health?
•Pregnancy: Talk about a great time to gain weight! And we’re not just talking about women here—most men admit that they gained ‘sympathy’ pounds right along with their wife. Hormonal changes along with strong encouragement from everyone you know to indulge in anything their heart desires leave most pregnant women with a feeling of entitlement when it comes to food.
•Career: Though you may not realize it, your career choice plays a major hand in your weight. Those who go from an active lifestyle to spending 8 hours a day behind a desk and another 2 hours commuting almost universally gain weight. Conversely, people who spend their 8 hours in constant motion find weight loss a natural byproduct of the job.
2. New Habits
Close your eyes and go back to the fat trap that triggered your weight gain. What changed in your lifestyle? To help sort things out, I’ve broken things down into two specific behavioral categories.
•Eating Habits: Did your eating pattern change at this time in your life? If your weight gain occurred in college then maybe you went from eating 3 square meals to an all-you-can-eat buffet style cafeteria. Or if marriage was your weight gain trigger, then maybe you went from eating small meals to fattening comfort food. Pregnancy brings on the perfect environment for a change in eating habits. You go from eating normally, to eating ‘for two’, to munching on your baby’s snacks right along with him! Your job can also dictate your eating schedule. Long hours and early meetings may cause you to grab a donut or chips from the vending machine.
•Activity Level: The second category that leads to weight gain is your activity level. Simply put, what kind of exercise were you doing before your life changing event and how does it compare to your current exercise regime? Chances are good that you were doing more exercise before your weight gain began—which means that you are doing less exercise today! Go ahead, think back to the exercises or physical activities that you used to do and compare them to your schedule today.
3. Your Transformation
You’ve figured out which fat trap in your life led to weight gain, and then narrowed down the exact behaviors that changed as a result, so this naturally leads us to a solution.

It’s time to make a change.

Moorestown Personal Trainer Reveals Healthy Eating Tips Your Kids Will Love

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Every parent wants good things for their children: a positive outlook on life, a healthy respect for authority, a strong sense of self, a disease-free body…a healthy body weight.

Despite our best intentions, a recent report suggests that for the first time in two centuries, the current generation of children may have a shorter life expectancy than their parents.

With all the advances in medicine, how could this possibly be true? The blame falls squarely on today’s toxic food environment.

In short, your kids are eating too much junk.

And who can blame them? Junk food tastes great.

The good news is that healthy food also tastes great. Take these simple tips and transform your child’s diet into one that is packed with good health.

1) Add Color
Adding bright and colorful fruits and veggies to your child’s plate will get their diet on the fast track to health. Fresh fruits and veggies are filled with fiber, vitamins and minerals that are essential to good health.

If your kids are resistant then make it fun. Serve veggies with salad dressing as a dip. Cut fresh fruit in the colors of the rainbow and place them on a skewer. Serve a color themed meal – all green, all red or all orange. Use your imagination and you’ll come up with an endless number of ways to make fruits and veggies fun to eat.

2) Think Whole Foods
Processed foods are the biggest problem with our modern diet. Packaged and refined food products are devitalized and filled with empty calories that quickly lead to weight gain. Unfortunately, processed foods make up a large portion of the diet of many children.

Train your kids to opt for whole foods, rather than packaged ones. Whole foods are foods that are in their natural state. An apple. A piece of sprouted grain bread spread with natural peanut butter. A piece of hormone-free chicken. A bowl of beans. You get the idea.

3) Use Wholesome Sweeteners
Refined sugar and corn syrup are packed into many of the foods that your kids love. But wait, there are more wholesome sweeteners available – sweeteners that add vitamins and minerals rather than empty calories. Use the following rather than white sugar or corn syrup:

Sucanat: This pure, dried sugar can juice retains its molasses content. Use it to replace white sugar in baking.
Pure Maple Syrup: Forget the “fake” syrups containing corn syrup. Pure maple syrup contains potassium, calcium and some amino acids.
Brown Rice Syrup: Use this dark syrupy sweetener instead of corn syrup. It takes longer to digest and won’t spike your blood sugar like refined sugar.
Dates: Throw a few seeded dates into your blender to sweeten your smoothie rather than adding white sugar.
Agave nectar – tastes sweet but low on the glycemic index
4) Make Smart Substitutions
Kids love pizza and pasta and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and that’s not going to change any time soon. Rather than fight your kids on their favorites, try making smart substitutions to make their favorites more nutritious.

Pizza: Up the nutritional content of your pizza by opting for wheat crust over white, adding veggies to the toppings and sticking with lean meat toppings.
Pasta: Use sprouted grain or whole grain pasta rather than traditional white pasta. Add veggies to your pasta sauce. Stick with red sauce, since white sauce is so high in fat.
PB&J: A PB&J, made with white bread using sugar-filled peanut butter and corn syrup-filled jelly, is fairly void of any real nutritional value. Try the PB&J Makeover recipe below instead for a sandwich that will provide real wholesome fuel for your child’s day.
5) Ban Sugary Drinks
One of the best things that you can do for your child’s good health is to instill in them a love for water rather than sugary drinks. Soda pop and juices are filled with empty calories that encourage weight gain.

The easiest way to do this is to stock your house with lots of pure, filtered water. Don’t have fruit drinks or soda pop readily available so that they grow accustom to drinking only water.

While I presented these tips as improvements to be made to your child’s diets, these tips will also do wonders for your diet. Try these 5 tips out for 30 days and I guarantee you’ll look and feel better.

Parents all want good things for their children. Now how about doing something good for yourself as well? You are your child’s biggest role model on how to live, for better or worse.

Treat yourself right by calling or emailing today to get started on an exercise program that will change your life for the best.

Favorite Green Beans

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Green beans are low in calories and packed with vitamins and healthy fiber. This dish comes together quickly and the flavors are deliciously tangy.
Servings: 2

Here’s what you need:

8oz fresh green beans
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 Tablespoon dijon mustard
2 teaspoons brown rice vinegar
3 Tablespoons diced yellow onion
dash of salt and pepper
Steam the green beans until soft, yet still with a slight crunch.
In a medium bowl whisk together the remaining ingredients. Add the green beans and toss together.
Transfer beans to serving dish and enjoy.
Nutritional Analysis: One serving equals: 94 calories, 4g fat, 9.5g carbohydrate, 3.3g fiber, and 2g protein.

Garlic Asparagus

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Your diet should be filled with vegetables, with asparagus at the top of the list. This asparagus recipe is easy to make and tastes great. Serve it with a piece of white fish, chicken breast or other lean meat for a healthy meal.
Servings: 4

Here’s what you need:

1 bunch asparagus
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 1/2 Tablespoons garlic, minced
dash of salt and pepper
2 teaspoons lemon juice
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Cut off the tough ends of the asparagus.
In a casserole dish, combine the asparagus, oil, garlic, salt and pepper. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until tender.
Remove from oven and mix in the lemon juice. Serve and enjoy!
Nutritional Analysis: One serving equals: 47 calories, 2g fat, 5g carbohydrate, 2g fiber, and 3g protein.

Quinoa and Winter Squash Salad

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This recipe is another great way to enjoy protein-filled quinoa. Winter squash combined with celery, onion and parsley makes a healthy and comforting side dish. Servings: 10

Here’s what you need:

2 yellow onions, diced
4 celery stalks, diced
4 carrots, diced
2 cups diced squash, butternut or any other fall or winter squash
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 Tablespoon brown rice syrup
dash of freshly ground sea salt
zest and juice from 1 lemon
2 cups filtered water
1 cup quinoa
4 sprigs of parsley, finely minced
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Place the onions, celery, carrots and squash in a large bowl. Mix in the oil and syrup, then sprinkle the salt and lemon zest. Mix until well combined and then place on a shallow baking dish. Cover the dish and bake for 40 minutes. After 40 minutes remove cover and cook for another 15 minutes.
While the vegetables are in the oven, put the quinoa and water in a saucepan, cover and bring to a boil over medium heat. Cook for about 25 minutes over low heat, until the water is absorbed.
Combine the vegetables and cooked quinoa together with the lemon juice and parsley. Serve warm or chilled.
Nutritional Analysis: One serving equals: 95 calories, 1g fat, 19g carbohydrate, 2.5g fiber, and 4g protein.

Easy Turkey Wrap

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This wrap is perfect to pack for lunch or makes a quick and healthy dinner. It’s ready in a flash, tastes amazing, and is filled with lean turkey, veggies and whole sprouted grains. Try it today, but don’t be surprised if you get hooked! Servings: 1

Here’s what you need:

  • 1 sprouted grain tortilla, 6 inches
  • 1 Tablespoon low fat cream cheese
  • 1/4 cup tomato, chopped
  • 1 cup lettuce roughly chopped
  • 3oz lean turkey slices
  • dash of salt and pepper
  1. Spread a tablespoon of cream cheese evenly over one side of the tortilla.
  2. Arrange the turkey slices over the cream cheese and layer with tomatoes. Top with lettuce, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roll the tortilla closed.
  3. Cut in half and enjoy.

Nutritional Analysis: One serving equals: 228 calories, 6g fat, 21g carbohydrate, 4g fiber, and 21g protein.

Broiled White Fish with Brown Rice & Veggies, Moorestown Personal Trainer

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White Fish Recipe

White Fish Recipe


This is a great meal for cutting calories and dropping weight. Watch your portions with the brown rice in order to stay within your daily calorie goal. White fish is packed with protein – just what you need for toning your body.
Servings: 2

Here’s what you need:

•2 fillets white fish
•1 teaspoons olive oil
•1 lemon
•seafood seasoning
•paprika
•1/2 red bell pepper, cut into bite-sized chunks
•1/2 cup broccoli florets
•2/3 cup brown rice, cooked
•2 Tablespoons salsa
1.Preheat broiler. Grease your broil pan with the olive oil. Place the fillets and bell pepper in the pan, squeeze the lemon juice over it. Sprinkle with seafood seasoning and paprika.
2.Place the pan under the broiler for 5-7 minutes, watching closely to prevent burning. Add the broccoli and cook for another minute until soft.
3.Mix the cooked brown rice with the salsa and divide between two plates. Place a fillet on each bed of rice along with half of the veggies.
Nutritional Analysis: One serving equals: 203 calories, 3g fat, 24g carbohydrate, 3g fiber, and 19g protein.

The Culture of Overeating; A Survival Guide Moorestown Personal Trainer Reveals

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Certain foods are powerful.

They cast a spell over the most well-meaning dieter, and cause logical people to overeat until their sides hurt.

They occupy your thoughts to the point of obsession as you try to ignore a plate of cookies.

And when it’s all said and done, they accumulate on your body in the most obtrusive way as a result of dozens of unused calories.

Why does food hold such power? And, most importantly, how can you control your eating?

The End of Overeating

David A. Kessler, MD set out to answer these pressing questions in his instant bestseller, The End of Overeating. Despite being a pediatrician, a former FDA commissioner, and former dean of the medical schools at Yale and the University of California, San Francisco, Dr. Kessler struggles with his weight.

Observing the current obesity epedemic, he knew that he wasn’t alone.

Dr. Kessler, with the insight of some of the brightest minds in medicine and science, discovered the following three reasons that most of us are compelled to overeat.

  1. An Irresistable Combination Rewires Your Brain: Think of your favorite treat – most likely it can be broken down into the basic building blocks of sugar, fat and salt. This combination is known of as the ‘three points of the compass’, a combination that has been shown to literally alter the biological circuitry of your brain.Sugar, fat and salt give food a high hedonic value which gives you pleasure. This pleasure reinforces you to return to your favorite foods time and time again.
  2. The Food Industry Targets You: Everywhere you go you’ll see the clever work of the food industry, tempting you with highly palatable creations. Food has become a science, and your taste preferences the guiding light.The food industry has one goal – to get you hooked. By constructing food items that are high in sugar, fat and salt they know that you will come back time and time again.
  3. Conditioned Hypereating Becomes a Way of Life: Humans are conditioned to seek more reward. When readily available, hyper palatable food become our reward a pattern of hypereating quickly emerges. Dr. Kessler describes the cycle:”Foods high in sugar, fat, and salt, and the cues that signal them, promote more of everything: more arousal…more thoughts of food…more urge to pursue food…more dopamine-stimulated approach behavior…more consumption…more opioid-driven reward…more overeating to feel better…more delay in feeling fulll…more loss of control…more preoccupation with food…more habit-driven behavior…and ultimately, more and more weight gain.”

Breaking the Cycle

The good news is that you don’t have to remain trapped in a cycle of overeating. The following three tips will put you back in control.

  1. Set Your Rules: In order to resist overeating in today’s tempting food environment, you must eat by a set of self-imposed rules. Predetermined rules take away the need to make food decisions in vulnerable moments.Dr. Kessler thinks these rules should be, “simple enough to fit with your busy life, but specific enough to remove uncertainty from the food equation.”

    For suggestions as to what rules you should adopt, let’s turn to another authority on eating, bestselling author of ‘In Defense of Food’, Michael Pollan:

    • Don’t eat anything your great grandmother wouldn’t recognize as food.
    • Pay more, eat less. Look for quality of food over quantity.
    • Eat meals. Cut out snacking, stick with structured meals.
    • Don’t get your fuel from the same place your car does. Gas stations are great for fueling your car, but the food they sell are not suited to fuel you.
    • Try not to eat alone. Eating can become mindless when alone, leading to overeating.
    • Eat slowly. Eat foods that have been prepared slowly – that means no fast food.
  2. Make Negative Associations: When was the last time you peeled a lemon and ate it whole? Probably never. That’s because your taste buds have a negative association with the sour taste.Our taste buds have traditionally been our guide when it comes to food selection, but this must change for you to successfully avoid overeating. Since the food industry purposely crafts food items to please your taste buds (not waistline) what tastes good can no longer dictate what you eat.

    It’s up to you to create negative associations with unhealthy food – despite their pleasing taste. Here are some negatives to focus on:

    • Those extra calories will accumulate around your waist.
    • Your health will suffer.
    • You will become more disspointed with your appearance.
    • You’ll feel sluggish.
  3. Give Yourself a Real Reward: The bottom line is that we eat unhealthy food as a reward, even though it causes more harm that good. It’s time to give yourself a truly benificial reward – exercise.Exercise is a healthy reward that will not only release endorphins into your system, but will also give you the benefit of weight loss and improved health.

I truly believe that you can overcome your pattern of overeating with healthy eating and regular exercise. Call or email today to get started on a program that will truly change your life.

Located just minutes from Moorestown, NJ

Kevin Hensel

Fit-4-Life, Inc.

856-751-0033

Flipping the switch; Turn Your Motivation On – Moorestown Personal Trainer

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Have you ever wondered how some people are able to maintain amazing bodies while you struggle with your weight?

They make it seem so easy to achieve and maintain results. What do they know that you don’t? When you boil it down, the answer is quite simple.

The missing link between you and your ideal body is good old motivation.

A healthy dose of motivation coupled with determination will get you almost anything in life. So how do you know if you’re genuinely motivated?

  • Motivation will tell you to get out of bed for an early workout.
  • Motivation will nag you to put down the doughnut.
  • Motivation makes passing on fries a reflex.
  • Motivation makes a sweat drenched workout exciting.
  • Motivation constantly reminds you why you do what you do.

If your motivation levels are lacking, read the following four steps to turn on your motivation.

Step #1: Pinpoint Your Motivator.

Motivation stems from having a goal. What is your goal? Why do you want to get into great shape?

Once you uncover your personal motivator you’ll find that motivation flows quickly your way.

Take a minute to really uncover the reason that you want to lose the weight. Don’t say something vague like you want to ‘Be thinner’ or ‘Look more attractive.’ Dig deeper – there is a very specific motivator in your life, you simply need to uncover it.

Here are some possible motivators…

  • I want to have more energy to keep up with the kids.
  • I want to improve my health through weight loss to extend and improve my life.
  • I want to lose 15 pounds before my vacation.
  • I want to restore my confidence to wear sleeveless shirts.
  • I want to regain my figure to impress and attract my significant other.

Step #2: Make It Official.

When you write something down it suddenly feels official, doesn’t it? Write down your motivator for getting into great shape, and post it where you will see it often – next to your alarm clock, on the bathroom mirror, or in your car.

Each time you see your written motivator take a moment to visualize yourself accomplishing your goal. Try to make the scene as clear in your mind as possible. This is a powerful tool for maintaining your focus and direction.

Step #3: Be Practical.

It’s game plan time. You know what you want, and now you need to map out exactly how you’ll achieve it. It is important to be practical in your planning, rather than throwing out ideas that you know you won’t stick with.

With any weight loss goal it is important to 1) maintain a healthy low-calorie diet, and 2) participate in a consistent and challenging exercise program.

Plan a routine that will fit into your schedule and you’ll be more likely to stick with it. Also choose an exercise program that you enjoy – don’t force yourself to jog everyday if you hate jogging.

Step #4: Call For Backup.

Enlist the support of your friends, family and co-workers. Tell everyone about your goal to lose weight and get fit, you’ll be surprised how supportive most people will be. By being open about your goals you’ll likely be an encouragement to others to make healthy changes in their own lives.

The most effective way to ensure that you meet your goal is to enlist my support, your personal trainer. Together we will identify what really motivates you. Together we will design a workout routine that fits into your schedule and into your life. And together we will see it through until your goal is met.

Call or email me today to get started on the program that will transform your life.

Kevin Hensel
Owner Fit-4-Life, Inc.
just minutes from Moorestown, NJ
Cherry Hill Personal Training Studio
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