What If You Believed You Were Taking Steroids- The Placebo Effect

By Kevin Richardson

October 8, 2021

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What If You Believed You Were Taking Steroids- Understanding The Placebo Effect

The following is the transcript of the video below:

So what would happen if you believed wholeheartedly

that you were using performance enhancing drugs,

to help increase your muscle mass,

decrease your body fat,

increase your strengths,

and here’s the catch,

what would happen if you thought you were using it

and you weren’t using anything at all,

you were being given a placebo.

Now when I was younger,

I would have said that absolutely nothing would happen,

but my first hand experiences over the years,

point to a different outcome,

and in this video

I’m going to talk about a story

about someone who actually did think

that they were using steroids

and how remarkable their transformation was as a result,

all because of the power of suggestion.

doctors routinely give placebo instead of real medication

The Widespread Use of Placebo by Physicians & Pharmaceutical Companies

So we all know about the placebo effect.

We know that pharmaceutical companies

use it to their advantage

and we also know that in many cases,

when physicians prescribed something,

when someone comes into their office

and they can’t really figure out how to help them,

that prescription isn’t necessarily,

supposed to do anything

but create a strong placebo effect

to make the person feel better

and in a lot of cases, it does work.

The question is,

how powerful is the placebo effect.

Now, a lot of my ideas and philosophies

regarding not using supplements at all,

come from some of my first hand experiences

with the placebo effect

and really seeing how powerful suggestion can be.

Real Life Steroid Placebo Example Of Someone Who Believed They Were Using Steroids

One example, and perhaps

an example that is critical to my understanding

of how the human mind really works

happened back in Trinidad when I was a teenager.

Now in Trinidad practical jokes are a staple.

The guys in the gym would play practical jokes on each other

all the time.

It was just something that people did

and sometimes those practical jokes were,

I would probably say in retrospect a little bit out of hand.

One such practical joke

was played on this one particular guy

who shall we say for lack of a better word,

wasn’t the most popular person in the gym,

but who constantly talked about

wanting to use anabolic steroids.

Now back then unlike how things are now,

anabolic steroids were only available

to a close number of bodybuilders

who were kind of in the know,

and in order to use steroids,

you had to be on good terms with them

in order to get access to those drugs

and as a teenager growing up,

I had already made the decision

I wasn’t going to use drugs,

but you kind of knew who,

the ones who had the drugs

and the ones who were giving out the drugs

as it wasn’t something that was kept a secret,

but if you weren’t on good terms with them,

there was no way whatsoever

that you were going to have access to those drugs

and there was also some degree of responsibility

on their part as well

in terms of,

they didn’t want to just sell it to anybody.

They really were a little bit conscientious

of the fact that what they were selling

was something that could have catastrophic side effects

if used improperly and even if used properly,

to be very honest.

So this one particular guy in the gym,

they didn’t like him very much,

but he was persistent.

He would constantly talk about

what he would do if only he could get access to drugs,

and I was in the locker room when some of the bigger guys

were talking about playing this horrible joke on him.

Now the joke was

that they were going to give him an injection of water

with some alcohol in it,

tell him it was steroids,

and then have a great laugh afterwards.

Now overhearing this,

I felt really badly about what was going to happen

and I would have liked to have stood up there and said,

“You all, can’t do this,

this is horrible, this is terrible.”

but at the time they outnumbered me significantly

and I was nowhere near as large as I am today

and they looked at me

because they saw that I had heard what was going on.

And it was a bit of a look to say

“You better not say anything

about what’s going on over here.”

and so I elected

to not have anything to do with it whatsoever,

but I did see the conversation

that he had with some of them,

and I saw how enthusiastic he was

about the prospect of being able

to finally use anabolic steroids.

and since he was,

shall we say again,

not the most discreet of individuals

when he started the injections,

he was very vocal about the fact that he had started

and very vocal about the fact that he was on steroids

and very happy that he was on steroids.

So this was all, you know,

supposed to be this big practical joke and laugh,

but then something very strange happened.

He started getting a little stronger,

just a little stronger.

Then he started to get a little stronger

and as the weeks went by

and these guys were horrible enough

to literally have this guy and meet them in the locker room

once a week,

to give him an injection with nothing in it

which right there,

the idea of injecting someone in the first place

with anything is kind of

you know makes me cringe

but the fact that they were injecting him with,

you know, water and some alcohol so it would burn

’cause their idea was if it burned

it would make him feel like it was more potent

and real, absolutely terrible

but as the weeks went on,

he didn’t get a little stronger

he kept on getting stronger

to the point where it became noticeable.

body transformation from steroid placebo effect

Body Transformation from The Steroid Placebo

He was squatting maybe around 225 pounds

when you first started.

He wasn’t that big of a guy

he must’ve been about 155 pounds or so,

but by six,

then he started to put weight on,

and he put on maybe about 10 to 15 pounds

of what looked like muscle.

His squat went from 225 to about 350 or so,

his bench press where he was barely bench pressing

more than a plate and a little plate and some tens,

he was bench pressing easily,

245 on each side for repetitions.

So he was getting bigger

and he was getting stronger,

the same way that someone who would be on steroids would.

Now I was training as hard as I could.

I was eating perfectly

and my gains were nowhere near

what he was experiencing, nowhere near.

So there was no point where we could say

that he was just experiencing a growth spurts ,

a natural growth spurt.

He had been training for a couple of years,

longer than I had been training,

and yet he was really going

through this radical transformation,

both physically and in terms of his performance,

and then I saw him in the locker room

while he was posing and showing off his new build muscle,

and he had acne all over his back.

His upper back was covered with acne.

The same way it would be

for someone who was using anabolic steroids.

He was exhibiting all the outward signs

of an anabolic steroid user.

So of course, I thought to myself,

well, maybe he did put something into his injections

and thought nothing of it,

until there was a big confrontation at the gym.

The guy who was giving him the injections,

came up to him on the gym floor

and demanded to find out who he was getting steroids from.

Now this guy wasn’t too bright,

So he looked at him and said,

“I’m only getting the injections from you.

I’m not using anything from anybody else.”

and he didn’t believe him.

He said, “You must be getting something

from somebody else

because how is it possible that you are so much bigger,

so much stronger,

you have acne all over your back

and we’re not giving you anything.”

So that was a big reveal.

That was a big moment where they finally came up and said

that they were not giving him actual steroids,

and if his reaction was really odd,

he said that that was impossible,

that there was no way

that what he was being given wasn’t steroids

because of his increased performance

and the transformations in his body.

The guys in the locker room were completely puzzled.

They had no idea what the hell was going on,

and even when I left Trinidad several years later,

he maintained that it wasn’t a joke,

that they had given him anabolic steroids

whereas those guys for certain did not.

It was all based on the power of his belief.

He believed so completely and whole heartedly,

that he was using anabolic steroids

to the point where his body changed,

in an almost unnatural way

as if he was using anabolic steroids.

How Social Cues And Advertising Increases The Placebo Effect in Supplements

Now I must’ve been 15 years old

when I witnessed this back in Trinidad,

and it made a really sizable impression on me

in terms of my own training

and my own supplement use.

Back then in the 1980s, early 90s

bodybuilders didn’t really talk about

their steroid use openly the way they do today,

and a lot of them would attribute

their fantastic professional level of bodybuilding physiques

to the supplements that they were using,

and I remember there was one that came out

that was called vanadyl sulfate,

and the vanadyl sulfate

was supposed to be this next big thing

and back then there was no internet,

there was no bodybuilding.com,

there was no YouTube,

there was no Instagram, nothing like that.

The only real connection that the world had

with bodybuilding and bodybuilding information

were at the magazines.

Flex magazine, Muscle and Fitness magazine.

were the main ones

and there was this unfortunate partnership

in that the publisher of Flex magazine

and Muscle and Fitness magazine was the guy,

brothers actually Joe Weider and Ben Weider

and Joe Weider was also in charge of and owned the company

that made supplements

and he was also the one who was in charge of

and owned the rights to the bodybuilding competitions.

So it was a bit of a mixed bag

in terms of vested interests and promotion.

So all the top bodybuilders would always be

praising the merits of the various supplements

that the Weiders were producing

and this one supplement, vanadyl sulfate

was really over the top

in terms of how much they were saying

that it was going to be a game changer.

Now for someone like myself, young impressionable,

but also resolved to not use anabolic steroids,

I was looking for whatever there was out there

that I could take that would not affect my hormones

in any way, shape or form

but help me achieve my goal of becoming a bodybuilder

and back in those days,

all we had to rely on was that information

and then what we saw from our friends and colleagues

in the gym.

(Read also my article : 5 Reasons Why You Don’t Need Vitamin Supplements)

Real Life Examples Of The Placebo Effect In Supplements

There were guys in the gym who started using vanadyl sulfate

and they started making some real changes in their bodies,

and they started talking about it saying,

“Hey, you know, I use vanadyl sulfate

and my pumps are much more than they were before,

biceps a little bit bigger than they were,

I’m a little stronger.”

and to the point where it was a little noticeable,

you could see that there was something going on.

These were people who I knew for a fact were natural.

They were like me.

They were not people

who were interested in using anabolic steroids

and I trusted their judgment

and so my training partner at the time,

and I decided we were going to get some vanadyl sulfate too,

and we used it

and it was fantastic,

it was amazing.

We had better pumps,

we got stronger,

we felt fuller,

our lifts went up,

everything they said would happen happened,

until over time,

the results kind of petered out

and over time as well,

talk of vanadyl sulfate kind of faded away.

Eventually, when I became obsessed

with understanding everything

there was to know about supplements,

I saw that vanadyl sulfate was pretty much debunked

as not having any anabolic properties whatsoever

and that it was completely a placebo effect.

It was because our friends had used it

and claimed to have had some really good results from it

and because we were bombarded by all these articles

of some of the top bodybuilders at the time

talking about how fantastic it was

and how well it worked for them,

it was that that made us see a change when we used it,

but it was all really coming down to the power of our minds

and the power of suggestion.

Now as a very science-based person,

I’m not a very big believer in placebos,

from a personal level,

but there’s something,

a bit of pride that gets in the way sometimes

because the reality is

that it has nothing to do with what I believe

on a personal level or not.

It’s simply is some things that exist outside of ourselves

and it was important for me to kind of be humbled

and realize that this is a real phenomenon.

This isn’t a trick being played,

this isn’t some form of weakness on my part

or anyone’s part

if they find themselves affected by a placebo effect.

It’s something that requires more investigation

and it’s something that we need to keep in mind

especially as a natural athlete

or anyone who’s trying to improve their body.

We need to keep it in mind because what it means is,

that we need to be very careful

when it comes to supplementations

and any kind of supplements that come out on the market

because if the power of suggestion

especially today when we have so much more media influence

and so much more information

and so much more suggestion

from people who are fitness, celebrities,

influencers, fitness influencers,

and bodybuilders, bikini competitors,

and the whole slew of them

that people are exposed to on a regular basis

it’s really easy when they’re the ones hawking

some of these supplements

to have the perception that they’re working

when they really aren’t doing much of anything.

Now, after the vanadyl sulfate incident I’ll call it,

I decided that I was going to start a path

where my natural body building

would get to a place where

I was not only not using regular supplements

like protein powders and such

and just eating regular food

and that’s where I am today.

I don’t believe in supplements,

I don’t use them,

I don’t need them.

and one of the things that was responsible

for that particular shift was the realization

that there had been so many more supplements over the years

that came and went that people just didn’t talk about.

Boron back in the 80s

was supposed to increase testosterone by 500%.

Anybody who knows anything about organic chemistry

might know that boron is a mineral

and that it obviously doesn’t

radically increase testosterone,

but back in the 80s

those people who were using it

and bombarded by all that information saying it did,

many of them had positive things to say about it for awhile,

and then when it stops working,

it’s not so much people stop and say,

“Hey, I got scammed.”

“Hey, that didn’t work.”

They just move onto the next thing

and it always is a next thing,

you know, it was boron

and then it was vanadyl sulfate,

then it was chromium picolinate,

then it was ZMA,

all these things purporting all these fantastic properties,

that science and time show to be a bit of an exaggeration

of their capabilities

and that most of these substances

actually didn’t really do much of anything,

but because people believed so much in them

that they actually saw a positive effect.

The Importance of Not Looking To External Factors For Your Fitness Success

Now, the reason why

I started thinking about stopping, using supplements

was something even deeper than that,

in that my realization was

if I could take something

and because of the belief that

it’s going to do something for me,

that I could actually physically

make my body change as a result,

that there’s a lot of power there,

but if I was taking my focus

and putting it on something outside of myself,

I was losing something.

You see, my philosophy is that,

if it is that a sugar pill

or some water with alcohol

or some mineral

it has absolutely no antibiotic properties whatsoever

can change our bodies so radically

if we believed that they can do these things,

that we are underestimating our own potential,

we are underestimating how much we can change ourselves

with the power of our minds

and that we need to not look outside of ourselves

to make that happen.

My focus became on believing that I could get bigger,

that I can get stronger,

that I could with every single workout

somehow or the other,

affect a change in my body

by sheer force of will

combined with my training,

combined with my diet.

My belief to this day

in my ability to improve is unshakeable,

it’s unshakeable because it’s undiluted.

It’s not diluted by belief in any supplement,

any pill, any drug,

it’s complete belief in myself,

and it’s worked.

I’ve done a lot,

I’ve come really far.

I’ve been blessed to do so

and what I want to pass on to you

is the fact that,

we all need to stop looking outside of ourselves

for the inspiration to perform,

to be better, to transform,

to achieve excellence.

We don’t need to look outside of ourselves.

Too much in our society is based on taking a pill,

looking for something,

looking for a solution

that is without as opposed to within.

Energy cannot be created

nor can it be destroyed.

That is a fundamental reality of our universe

and our existence in general,

and if energy cannot be created or destroyed,

it’s a precious commodity we need to conserve

and we need to conserve and put all of our energy

not into whatever new supplement comes out,

whatever new testosterone booster, fat burner,

or even into anabolic steroids.

We need to put that energy into ourselves.

We need to believe in ourselves.

We need to use that placebo effect

and make ourselves believe.

We need to tell ourselves, convince ourselves,

that what we are doing to change our bodies

will make our bodies change.

I do think that having an attitude and a mindset

where you’re truly resolute

that you are going to have some major changes

in conjunction to proper diet,

in conjunction with proper training

makes more of a change than simply training alone.

I do believe that, it has to be,

but only if you are able to have

that real belief in yourself

and so what I want you to come away with from this

is the idea of believing in yourself.

Don’t take that energy and put it into anyone’s supplement,

anyone’s product,

put it into yourself.

You can achieve a lot more.

Than you think you can.

If that guy could do so much

because he believed he was on steroids,

what can we do if we believe in ourselves?

Thanks so much for listening, and Excelsior!

See the full video here- What If You Believed You Were Taking Steroids- The Placebo Effect In Action

Why Is It Hard To See Your Progress? Kevin’s Experiences with Body Transformation & Self Image Issues

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🇺🇸 Celebrity Trainer/Nutritionist 🇹🇹
🏆Natural Bodybuilding Champ
🏋🏿 High Intensity Training ⬇️

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Jun 3

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Not Bad For Training Only Three Days A Week!

Because it's three days a week with soul crunching intensity non stop for the past 33 years.

There's no gimmick to it and it means being uncompromisingly all in for your workouts and with your nutrition.

I don't think there's that much that special about me.

There's nothing enhanced, nothing boosted by testosterone and there weren't any special "supplements" along the way.

Just three days of blistering hard work each week and meticulous attention to what I eat.

Being 90% on point each week means you are 100% off after 10 weeks and I can't emphasize enough how much of a difference unshakeable consistency makes to your overall results.

Most of the natural athletes didn't get where they are by any genetic advantage, they just did what is so very rare- which is stick to their process 100%.

It's not easy as it's not always easy and certainly not always popular, but you owe it to yourself to see just how far you can go if you go all in!

Looking forward to seeing your results and as always, Excelsior!!! #naturallyintense

#naturalbodybuilding #naturalbodybuilder #fitover40 #homegym #drugfreebodybuilding #gymselfie #hometraining #naturalbodybuildingmotivation ...

181 25

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May 28

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What I Eat To Stay Lean and Keep Building Muscle All Year Round.

If there every was a "secret" to how I consistently stay in shape (and almost 20 years since my last competition) the answer would be my diet.

Diet is the deciding factor in what your body looks like and your overall performance and I want to stress that while this is a layout of the foods I eat on a daily basis, it's not a blueprint for your YOU should be eating.

What it can be is an example of what it takes to maintain a certain degree of size and muscularity at all times as a natural athlete, and also the underlying principle to how I select my foods.

Which is that I don't eat junk foods or highly processed foods and I only drink water.

(No protein shakes, ever!)

If you can start with that, there's no doubt that you will be on the right track in terms of your nutrition.

So stay away from processed foods, know that I believe in you and as always, Excelsior!!! #naturallyintense

#naturalbodybuilder #naturalbodybuilding #naturalbodybuildingtips #naturalbodybuildingdiet #diet #whatieatinaday #mydiet #naturalbodybuildingvideos #naturalbodybuildingmotivation #drugfreebodybuilding #healthyeating #noproteinshakes #excelsior #bodybuilding #bodybuildingdiet ...

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May 24

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Post workout physique check in.

The contest gets closer and closer as the sun meanders across the sky, as my contest is and always will be, did I do everything I possibly could that day to improve?

Did I train hard enough?

Did I push it enough?

The dietary part isn't an issue.

It hasn't been for many years as I always make sure that my nutrition is on point, and there's no leeway on that front.

I don't feel good when I'm not eating optimally, and I respect myself enough to not settle into a place where not feeling my best is the norm.

And to be honest, it feels really good to put my head down at the end of the day knowing that I gave it my all.

Not that I was the best or was even necessarily successful at everything that I set out to accomplish, but knowing that I gave everything nonetheless.

It's a feeling I want everyone to have.

To sleep soundly knowing that you gave it your all.

That you didn't miss an opportunity to improve on what you are passionate about, because in so doing, you experience an eagerness to do the same the next day.

It's the ultimate contest and I invite everyone to submit their application forms, as it's one of the few competitions where everyone who does the work and shows up, is in the winner's circle.

Keep striving, keep pushing and as always, Excelsior! #naturallyintense

(Thanks @indi.anna.r or taking the shot, as I know your arm was probably shaking after that workout!)

#naturalbodybuilding #naturalbodybuilder #fitover40 #homegym #drugfreebodybuilding #gymselfie #hometraining #naturalbodybuildingmotivation ...

159 13

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May 21

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Motivation vs Discipline. What You Really Need To Be Successful!

I am often asked what was my motivation to keep going starting off as a skinny 125lb kid who no one believed could ever be a successful bodybuilder.

The answer is that motivation didn't have that much to do with it.

Motivation may have played a part in getting me started, but it was discipline that got me to where I wanted to be.

Motivation is fleeting and ephemeral, it's not always going to be there and on the days when you don't feel like eating right or training hard, you need a disciplined practice to see you through.

A disciplined practiced based on doing what you need to do to be successful regardless of the circumstances.

That's how I made it through all those tough times when I felt I wasn't getting anywhere, and it's what will help you as well.

So forget motivation, focus on building a disciplined practice, know that I believe in you and as always, Excelsior!!! #naturallyintense

#naturalbodybuilding #nosteroids #fitnessgoals #naturalbodybuildingtips #naturalbodybuilder #naturalbodybuildingvideos #excelsior #fitover40 #naturalbodybuildingtips #naturalbodybuildingmotivation #disciplineovermotivation #disciplineequalsfreedom #discipline #motivation#fitness #mindset #selfdiscipline #fitnessmotivation #disciplinequotes #workout #disciplineiskey ...

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May 17

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Kevin's Ultimate Secret Six Pack Abs Tip!

If you ever wondered how I maintain a six pack all year round and have kept that six pack for decades on end, here's the secret.

This is one tip that will honestly get you on the path to a six pack.

There's no magic to it.

But if you follow this simple piece of advice, you will be able to do a lot more than get yourself a six pack, as it's a proven formula for success.

Give it a try and as always, Excelsior!!! #naturallyintense

#sixpack #sixpackabs #6pack #6packabs #naturalbodybuilder #naturalbodybuilding #naturalbodybuildingtips #naturalbodybuildingvideo #naturalbodybuildingmotivation #sixpacktips #drugfreebodybuilding #abs ...

165 18

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May 13

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Happy Archery Day, everyone!!!

Yeah, it's a thing and can't say how much it's my thing!

To be honest, I am a barebow shooter and almost never shoot my compound bow (the monster in my hands) but it's all really good fun!

If you haven't tried archery or are thinking about doing it again, go give it a shot (no pun intended!!!)

And as always, Excelsior!!! #naturallyintense

#archery #archeryday #bowtech #naturalbodybuilder #naturalbodybuilding #fitover40 #blackandwhite #bowtech ...

135 19

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May 6

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Do You Have Good Genetics for Natural Bodybuilding?

I don't believe it's the question that needs to be asked.

Far too many, myself included, who went on to be successful natural bodybuilders would never have been the men and women you would expect to have the genetics for bodybuilding.

But we put in the work, the years, the dedication and the consistency, and so what matters isn't the question of genetics, but rather do you have the passion, the drive and the discipline to train hard and focus on your diet nonstop for years on end to realize your potential?

That's the real question, and yes, there are men and women who have great genetics for natural bodybuilding, but there are even more who would be amazing onstage but don't know it because they didn't believe enough in themselves to put in the time to see how far they could go.

So I am here to say that I believe you have it in you to do amazing things, so if it's your goal, or even if you just want to improve the way you look, stick with it and don't quit!

Know that I believe in you and as always, Excelsior!!! #naturallyintense

#naturalbodybuilding #nosteroids #fitnessgoals #bodytransformation #nodrugs #naturalbodybuildingtips #naturalbodybuilder #naturalbodybuildingvideos #excelsior #fitover40 #personaltrainer #naturalbodybuildingtips #naturalbodybuildingmotivation #beleiveinyourself ...

157 17

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May 3

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Nope it's not a contest cut- it's just another day on the Path.

There are two ways to get cut, the fast way that requires going to extremes and which is inevitably temporary.

Or the Path-based way. Whereby your lifestyle and sustainable healthy practices get you there and keeps you there.

It takes time. It takes patience but it's an extremely honest endeavor.

If you put in the work and stay consistent with your training and following a processed food free and healthy diet, excellence is just a matter of time.

It takes time but as long as you draw breath, you have the time and you can do this.

So take the Path-based way and as always, Excelsior!!!
#naturallyintense

And my thanks to my son @reid_443 for snapping the shot, and the approval rating! 😂

#naturalbodybuilding #naturalbodybuilder #fitover40 #homegym #drugfreebodybuilding #gymselfie #hometraining ...

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What If You Believed You Were Taking Steroids- The Placebo Effect

What If You Believed You Were Taking Steroids- Understanding The Placebo Effect

The Widespread Use of Placebo by Physicians & Pharmaceutical Companies

Real Life Steroid Placebo Example Of Someone Who Believed They Were Using Steroids

Body Transformation from The Steroid Placebo

Real Life Examples Of The Placebo Effect In Supplements

The Importance of Not Looking To External Factors For Your Fitness Success

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