Just in case you missed the news… yep, I’m engaged!
My fiancé’s name is Hanna. She’s from Iraq… Baghdad actually. She grew up there and modeled in Lebanon, taught history, and then moved here 1.5 years go.
To let you know how clueless I was about the Middle East, I thought every woman from Baghdad wore burkas and were forbidden to speak! (I’m kidding… but I was almost THAT clueless!)
Hanna educated me on the reality of Middle Eastern culture, and from there a great friendship turned into a wonderful romance.
We met in Austin, Texas where we will both be moving in August. I’m leaving my part-time home in San Diego, despite the INCREDIBLE weather, to be around the dozens of friends we’ve already made in Austin.
For those of you not from Texas, Austin is widely-held as the coolest place to live in the State that loves to forget it’s own history. (See “Texas School Board vs Reality”, coming soon to a theater near you.) It’s still hot as hell, but it’s a very pretty town full of really Bohemian-style people… well, a mix actually. Fun place for music, too.
I’m excited as both Hanna and I will be training with world-class figure trainer (and bodybuilder) Dave “The Texas Shredder” Gooden. Dave and I met a few weeks ago and I think we’ll be able to push my 46 (nearly 47) year old body to the absolute max. Hanna has just started working out and already she’s finding toned legs and a curvy butt that makes her look even more beautiful than before… and that’s a feat! ; )
Until July 6th…
You can pick up a free “mystery” book (one of my top-selling e-books!) FREE when you pick up The Every Other Day Diet.
It’s my way of continuing the celebration of my engagement!
Go here:
Every Other Day Diet PLUS Free E-Book!
Enjoy the video on that page, and the free stuff coming your way.
Comments are welcome below…
Tags: Every Other Day Diet, Hanna, Jon
Congratulations to you and Hanna, may you have very many happy years ahead, based on mutual love and respect of one another, despite the condition of the body. Because old you will both become. Best wishes. Gita.
Gita, so true… but what’s great is that you can stay fit well into your 90s, and we plan to! : )
congrats on the engagement! wish you all the best and a very happy marriage!! thanks also for all the tips that you have given me, they have helped me to sort my self out and start getting into shape over the last year.
thanks.
Thank you Alex… and I’m thrilled that I’ve been able to help over the years. I appreciate your readership!
MY HEARTFUL WISHES ON YOUR ENGAGEMENT
Thank you V!
Jon,
Congrats, very nice pickup :)
She looks gorgeous.
Have a great honeymoon in Baghdad :P
Ha! Well, I think we’ll do Hawaii or something less… exciting. : ) Thanks!
Thanks Rob! The suit is a Brioni, so it better look good. Cost more than my car. : )
This is Indra from New Delhi,India.Both of you look gorgeous.Congratulations and the very best for a future together.
Much love
Indra
Thanks Indra! I hear New Delhi is beautiful…
Hey Jon..
Congrats to you both from Aussie … hehehehe….your a bit of a sly fox buddy… she’s gorgeous..
Hoping my girl will get her visa soon .. She is from china and a stunner also…. hehhe keeps me honest..
Once again mate… congrats….
cheers ..
Wazza
Way to go Waz! Here’s hoping she gets her visa quickly… Hanna did a few weeks ago. Sly like one, yep. : )
You have helped me reach my goals of health, overcoming loss, while inspiring me most of all in showing living a happy healthy life style CAN be fun !!!
All the best in Life and Love to you both Jon and Hanna !!!
By the way, hope you share some on training with Dave “The Texas Shredder” Gooden ;-)
Hi Bill! I love to hear that… : ) Thanks so much for letting me be a part of your journey. And sure, I’ll be doing more than sharing… Dave and I will be doing some video training for you folks to check out. Definitely hard-core… heh…
Congratulations! If you by chance pass by Melbourne Australia, perhaps you are interested in giving a seminar (not paid though). there is a “weight watch at work” program at our institute, they would be very interested to hear your talk.
Best wishes
Shuo Li
Hi Shuo,
Don’t know about Melbourne, but I’m tempted as that’s where my “sis” lives. That said, I’m having my first this year in Austin. Dates and details to be disclosed … : )
Mazal Tov, congratulations
Thanks Al!
Hello Jon,Ethel here ,just to wish you both a lovely time togeather and all the luck you can find ,she looks beautiful.our son is engaged to a Cambodian girl who also is very beautiful,a very nice family.my husband has been over to CAmbodia in last few weeks with his son to meet them and was treated and welcomed very well.
Hi Ethel! That’s wonderful to hear. My neighbor is married to a lady from Cambodia and they’ve been together now 12 years. Lovely couple. Wish him and you the best!
SHE’S LOVELY………AND I LOVE THE TIE!!
Thanks Rosalind! I love the tie myself. I decided long ago that if I had to wear a suit, it might as well be a Brioni. So far, I’ve had to wear it twice, so I better up the amount of nicer functions I go to, eh? : )
Congratulations!! Hanna and you make a good looking pair. In fact, I myself thought that all middle eastern ladies were fully covered up. Hanna looks great, and I see what you mean about her body. Take care and love, Bernie
Ha! Thanks Bernie… I was shocked when I first met her. She was in her work attire, so when she came out for lunch dressed in jeans and a T… wow… yeah. Culture shock in the best sense of the term. Heh… : )
Hi YOur fiance is hotttt. Congratulations.
I have a problem though. I purchased your book Fit over 40 about four to five years ago. At the time I used an alternate email address – gibraltabago@yahoo.co.uk I saved it as an email. Unfortunately my account got hacked and I was never able to retrieve the account and well… yes the ebook. Is there anything that can be done. I am now way over 40 and was looking for it to assist me.
Pat
Thanks Patricia! Sure thing… I’ll send your address to support and they’ll track it down for you. I did a search on your email address and did not find anything, but I do not handle this portion of the biz so I’m probably doing something wrong. P ) Thanks!
dear Jon
Congratulation on your engagment to Hanna
Iam 78 years old and my wife and I do exercise twice a week mondays and wednesday which we call heart moves,we find that this exercise is enough for my wife and I.
We live in Australia,in Kianga the state of New South Wales.
we wish you and Hanna a happy life
Vince and Maria Wenberg
Vince, you’re my hero! Wonderful to hear that you and your wife exercise like you do. That’s wonderful. My father and mother did as well, and I firmly believe that kept them alive and happy at least a decade longer than would-have-been otherwise. Keep it up, and thank you!
Congatulatios and I whish you both awesome time in your lives! Make it 110%!!!
No other way to go, Goran! Thanks.
Congratulations Jon and Hanna! I’m thrilled that you have chosen Austin to settle down in! I think you will love living here; I know we will love having you!
Thanks Lara! I’ll be sure to email everyone when we’re down for good in August as I’ll be having the first Jon Benson Fitness Weekend Camp this year in Austin. Stay tuned… for you it’s a walk down 5th… ; )
Is Hanna Muslim?
Hi Fareed,
No, Hanna was raised with a Muslim father and an Orthodox Armenian (Christian) mom. She was never Muslim as her father was rather casual in his beliefs (another shocker for me to learn: That there are moderate Muslims in Baghdad, but lo and behold… ; ) But of course she has tons of friends on both sides, and I have met many of her Muslim friends, which has been a wonderful and enlightening experience. Thanks!
Hey Jon.. congratulations for the engagement! and i must say Hannah is beautiful! you two make a lovely couple. I’m from Asia and i can understand you not knowing that not everyone from the middle east is clad in burkas:) All the best for a wonderful future together…tc
Thank you Farzana! Yes, I know quite a bit now more than I once did… ; )
You both look lovely COngratulations and I wish you both every happiness. I live in Australia at Victoria Point IN Queensland.It gets hot in summer here and winter is around 18 to 22 high low can get down around 36 degl Have a wonderful time in your new shift God Bless Nancye
Yes, I know Nancye… my “sister” (best girlfriend) lives in Australia, and she tells me the stories. But you live in SUCH a beautiful country. Texas… not so much, except for where we’ll be going (the Hill Country… where they DO have hills, despite being rather small ones… ; ) Thanks for your readership and kind words!
Congrats Jon and Hanna. Best wishes for your happiness and success.
Thanks Susan! Hope the copywriting biz is rocking along for you.
Congratulations to you both!!
I wish you many blessings as you begin a most amazing journey.
Judy
Thanks so much Judy… it is rather amazing. ; )
Wow I’m so happy for both of you
Everything about this relationship is so great: the fact that you were friends, how you learned more about a media stereotypated culture, how you made so many friends and how you’re moving to a place were you know there are creative and anticonformist like you and of course how healthy, young and great you look at your age.
Good luck!
P.S. your fiancé reminds me of Rania of Jordan
Hi Danny… well, Hanna now wants to invite you to our wedding with the Rania comment. : ) She and her mom (Noor) are both beautiful women, so thank you. And you’re absolutely spot-on with the commentary: It blew EVERY stereotype I had out of the book, so shame on me.
Then again, she thought everyone who lived in Texas had an oil well and rode a horse… literally!
Thanks for the wonderful words Danny.
Congratulations John and Hanna,
John, I’ve been a fan and follower of yours since I purchased “Fit Over Forty” a number of years back. I want to say that you have been a real mentor of mine and all I would like to say is “May all your wishes and dreams come true now and in the future!”
Jeff Garofalo
Hi Jeff! Sure, I actually remember your name from when FOF first came out. I deeply appreciate the support and readership. And, of course, thank you for the kind words!
She is a beautiful woman and you and her make a great looking couple,oh by the way when you are in good shape you will look good in anything.
Ha! Thanks Jeffrey. I do find the physique helps the suit and the dress. In fact I wrote an article about that last year. I’ll have to find it and repost it to the readers!
Thankyou for all the help you have been all along, and that also for free!
Now that you have found a lovely damsel to share you life, I wish love,luck and happinesss. May you be blessed.
Thank you Amrit! I’m glad I’ve been able to help you too… thanks for reading.
Sweet…Congrats…
Thanks Bertrand!
Jon,
Congratulations on your upcoming marriage! The people have spoken you two look great together and I wish you much happiness and blessings in your life.
You give me great hope I’m a year older than you and perhaps there will be a happily ever after in my future.
Any plans for little ones later? :)
Thanks Renee! She makes me look good. : ) Kids… maybe. It’s a definite possibility with her, as she’d make the best mom!
Thanks Rick! We’ll have to plan it one of these days… heh.
Thanks Mary! I think so too (re: Austin) and I’m sure we’ll be very happy.
Oh, I know… the heat is a beast. For that I’ll miss La Jolla quite a bit. But we plan to escape and stay with friend during the summer months (excepting this summer of course.) But the people in Austin… wow. I’ve literally made more CLOSE friends in Austin over 6 months than I made in Dallas over 6 years.
When you’re in Austin, shoot me an email or just post to the blog. Love to meet-n-greet!
Thanks Julie! I’ll keep everyone posted when we move so we can do a meet-n-greet.
Hi Maureen,
Wow, just discovering Tom and I… good to know we are still making friends after all these years. Tom is one of my HEROES in every sense of the word. Send me a message when you get the book and I’ll send you something to help make up for the cost. Jon
Indeed Aden! Here’s what’s funny: Until me, Hanna hated muscles on a guy! I mean, a total turn-off. And (ugh) she loved hairy guys. I’m bald (head being the exception) and the muscles kinda go without saying. But she literally fell in love at first sight. Her friends were like, “But he’s so BIG… and you hate big guys!” I guess she saw something deeper. : )
Ah, Shileen! One of my favorite people. Do let me know how things are with you. And thanks for the kudos.
Hey Dale! Thanks for the kind words, and you’re quite welcome for the advice! Keep me posted. Jon
Hi John!
Did you perhaps opt-in to one of my many free newsletters or courses? Either way, we’re happy to have you. Let me know how I can help you achieve your goals. There’s a lot of content here that will get you started, including the 7 Day Fat Loss Certification Course, which is 7 days that’s worth a dozen books… : )
Click here to sign up free. Enjoy! Jon
Ah… make my DAY Fuzy! Thanks… definitely my diet and training keeps me young (no surgery here!) I think the super-low inflammatory response of Every Other Day Diet really helps. And Hanna? You bet… she’s 30, so she’s going to keep me young for decades. : )
Damsel… love that remark! Thanks Et-chi Lawai.
Thanks Lorne… I think so myself. : ) Best to you as well.
Thanks so much Samara!
Hey Kim! Thanks for the Austin tips. I’ve been to Mother’s once… very good. And as to the inner beauty… hard to believe, but she’s 10x the beauty inside. My friend Mike Geary, another fitness guy who wrote Truth About Abs has just started dating a gal from Iraq… and we did not even know about the coincidence until last week. He says it’s the most “different and satisfying relationship he’s ever been in,” and I know exactly what he means.
Thanks again.
Really? Reunion… I have to look that up as I’m not even sure where it is, but thanks so much for the tip!
Hey Lea! Thanks for writing. I’ve been to the ABC islands, so I’ve been close to the Netherlands. : )
Many thanks Chinwe!
Sorry to hear about your husband, Jeanne. The people are wonderful, and from what Hanna tells me they were far more-so prior to this mess. I make no apologies for being anti-war (well, THIS war) and meeting Hanna just solidified that. She holds no grudges, and has nothing but love for Americans, even the soldier friends she left behind. She looks on the bright side. : )
Ah, Vic! Great to hear from you… and thanks. : )
Thanks so much Rita.
Thanks Khurram! I think so too. : )