The freezing cold weather of winter just seems to go on and on for many months, sitting at home curled up under thick sweaters and fleecy blankets you start to dream of warmer days to come. Then you imagine the heat of the sun on your body as you lie on a sun kissed beach, panic shatters your illusions. How can you possibly fit into last year’s itsy bitsy teeny weeny bikini? And this scenario is not just directed at women, many men have fantasy dreams, chasing the girl they desire along that very same beach. When they too realise that maybe their body needs a little attention before they hit the sands.
Before you consider embarking on a diet there are some simple tips which will help you on your way to start losing weight in time for the summer.
* First forget all ideas of a quick crash diet, they do not work. The promises of fast weight loss are disguised on your scales because initially you appear to lose the pounds, however this is just water loss.
* Right from the very beginning feel confident that this time you are going to succeed, as you move around walk tall. Just a slight change in your posture will improve your figure, giving you that extra determination that you seek.
* Start counting those calories. Everything we consume each day adds to our calorie intake. Compare the differences for example: Specialist gourmet coffee against the brand you buy at home. As a bonus just think of the money you can save by avoiding fast foods and junk foods.
* Before we even begin to look at healthier meal options, the dreaded word to most people must be faced: exercise. No amount of dietary changes will be beneficial to you without some exercise. However the old adage of “No pain no gain” has gone, exercise can be fun. There are so many ways to get you moving, at home when you are listening to music: dance along. Take a walk, either on your own or with a friend. If you do not own a dog, borrow one. Playing in the park, running, throwing a ball or a Frisbee is a real stress reliever too. Make exercise a regular routine in your daily life.
* Despite the fact that you know you are on a diet, the word diet does not mean cutting out food, just organising a planned menu. Never ignore breakfast; it really is the most important meal of the day. Skip this meal and you will be desperate for snacks later. A well balanced breakfast will keep you sustained until lunchtime. If at any time you feel the need to eat something always keep some fresh fruit available.
* Try to drink several glasses of water throughout the day. Water is very beneficial to losing weight, it will help to fill your stomach and remove the impurities from your body. It’s great for your skin too.
* Set yourself a realistic goal and for motivation why not try dieting with a friend. Support from your family can be very encouraging to keep you going.
Tuesday, 20 April 2010
Saturday, 17 April 2010
Why Losing Weight is Beneficial to Your Health
Most people who start to consider losing weight are thinking of altering their body shape; however there is a more important reason for acquiring weight loss when you take a good look at the health benefits.
Undertaking a diet plan to lose weight is never easy, but it can help if you consider some of the advantages that can come from losing those excess pounds.
Weight loss prevents high blood pressure, heart disease and strokes
It is a fact that heart disease and strokes are one of the primary reasons for disability and death. People who are overweight have a higher risk of having high levels of cholesterol in their blood stream.
Angina, one type of heart disease, could cause chest pains as well as a decrease in the oxygen pumped to the heart.
Sudden death also occurs from heart disease and strokes and usually this strikes with very little warning signs or symptoms.
It is a fact that by decreasing your weight by a mere 5-10% this could positively decrease the chances of you having or developing heart disease or a stroke
Weight loss prevents type 2 diabetes
Diabetes puts your life in jeopardy because of the complications that result from having it. Both types of diabetes, type 1 and 2 are linked with being overweight. Regular exercise and losing weight could help in controlling your blood sugar levels. Increase your physical activity. You could simply walk, jog or dance. It helps get those blood streams moving as well as lose those unnecessary pounds.
Weight loss reduces sleep apnea
Sleep apnea is a condition wherein one could temporarily stop breathing for a brief period and then would continue to snore heavily. Sleep apnea could cause drowsiness or sleepiness during the day and – because of being overweight – could result in heart failure. Shedding those excess pounds could help in eliminating this problem.
Weight loss reduces the pain of osteoarthritis
When one weighs heavily, the joints of knees, hips and lower back would have to exert double – if not triple – effort to carry you throughout your life. This could cause tension and stress on these joints. Weight loss decreases the load these joints carry thus decreasing – if not eliminating – the pain of osteoarthritis.
Undertaking a diet plan to lose weight is never easy, but it can help if you consider some of the advantages that can come from losing those excess pounds.
Weight loss prevents high blood pressure, heart disease and strokes
It is a fact that heart disease and strokes are one of the primary reasons for disability and death. People who are overweight have a higher risk of having high levels of cholesterol in their blood stream.
Angina, one type of heart disease, could cause chest pains as well as a decrease in the oxygen pumped to the heart.
Sudden death also occurs from heart disease and strokes and usually this strikes with very little warning signs or symptoms.
It is a fact that by decreasing your weight by a mere 5-10% this could positively decrease the chances of you having or developing heart disease or a stroke
Weight loss prevents type 2 diabetes
Diabetes puts your life in jeopardy because of the complications that result from having it. Both types of diabetes, type 1 and 2 are linked with being overweight. Regular exercise and losing weight could help in controlling your blood sugar levels. Increase your physical activity. You could simply walk, jog or dance. It helps get those blood streams moving as well as lose those unnecessary pounds.
Weight loss reduces sleep apnea
Sleep apnea is a condition wherein one could temporarily stop breathing for a brief period and then would continue to snore heavily. Sleep apnea could cause drowsiness or sleepiness during the day and – because of being overweight – could result in heart failure. Shedding those excess pounds could help in eliminating this problem.
Weight loss reduces the pain of osteoarthritis
When one weighs heavily, the joints of knees, hips and lower back would have to exert double – if not triple – effort to carry you throughout your life. This could cause tension and stress on these joints. Weight loss decreases the load these joints carry thus decreasing – if not eliminating – the pain of osteoarthritis.
Thursday, 15 April 2010
Finding the Motivation to Exercise Regularly
When it comes to your personal weight loss program exercising takes a lot of work and sometimes you can find it hard trying to do the same routine each and every week. The worst part is when some people eventually get bored and stop doing their fitness and exercise programs altogether. There are ways that you may be able to avoid this and continue on making exercise and fitness a habit.
One of the most important ways of keeping up with any exercise program and sticking to it is having the proper motivation. Not being motivated to exercise and disciplined enough to stick to it as a habit, can make any type of fitness program unworkable. You must be able to give the program long enough to achieve any result from the activity.
Motivation is something that does not happen in an instant. It is something that has to be worked at. Just when one can easily find enough motivation, it can also be easy enough to lose. That is why you should try to psyche yourself out and try to keep that motivation up before it wanes.
The root behind the right motivation for exercise and training comes from the very reasons why you even wanted to start at all. If your desire was to lose weight or to build up a good physique, then that would be your primary motivation to follow an exercise and training program that would help carry out the results that you want. Then all you need to do is to keep reminding yourself every day why you are doing what you do and what you want to get from it.
To keep the motivation up one way of reminding yourself of what you are doing is to have a visual cue of what you want to become after a certain exercise program. If you wish to lose weight, you might want to have a visual image of what you would possibly look like after achieving your goals.
Another way to help your motivation is by not exercising alone. You might wish to bring along a friend or a colleague at work who might also be after the same fitness goals as you are. This way, you have someone who can push you enough to do better doing the program and vice versa. Having a friend to work out with can help provide you with the necessary motivation that you need to keep going and to strive for your fitness goals.
Try to have a record of your previous weight or size and keep track of the changes on a weekly basis to give you an account of the pounds that you have lost and the inches that have melted away due to your hard work with exercise and training. Just by keeping track and being aware of the positive changes will motivate you to do better and reach out for even more achievement.
One of the most important ways of keeping up with any exercise program and sticking to it is having the proper motivation. Not being motivated to exercise and disciplined enough to stick to it as a habit, can make any type of fitness program unworkable. You must be able to give the program long enough to achieve any result from the activity.
Motivation is something that does not happen in an instant. It is something that has to be worked at. Just when one can easily find enough motivation, it can also be easy enough to lose. That is why you should try to psyche yourself out and try to keep that motivation up before it wanes.
The root behind the right motivation for exercise and training comes from the very reasons why you even wanted to start at all. If your desire was to lose weight or to build up a good physique, then that would be your primary motivation to follow an exercise and training program that would help carry out the results that you want. Then all you need to do is to keep reminding yourself every day why you are doing what you do and what you want to get from it.
To keep the motivation up one way of reminding yourself of what you are doing is to have a visual cue of what you want to become after a certain exercise program. If you wish to lose weight, you might want to have a visual image of what you would possibly look like after achieving your goals.
Another way to help your motivation is by not exercising alone. You might wish to bring along a friend or a colleague at work who might also be after the same fitness goals as you are. This way, you have someone who can push you enough to do better doing the program and vice versa. Having a friend to work out with can help provide you with the necessary motivation that you need to keep going and to strive for your fitness goals.
Try to have a record of your previous weight or size and keep track of the changes on a weekly basis to give you an account of the pounds that you have lost and the inches that have melted away due to your hard work with exercise and training. Just by keeping track and being aware of the positive changes will motivate you to do better and reach out for even more achievement.
Monday, 12 April 2010
Learn How to Lose Weight the Healthy Way
At the end of the 20th Century almost 108 million Americans were overweight or obese and experts predict these figures could reach epidemic levels by the year 2020.
One way to prevent this scenario is to make people aware of the risks of being overweight. Here are some diseases that you are putting yourself at risk of if you are carrying a lot of extra pounds:
1. heart disease
2. stroke
3. diabetes
4. cancer
5. arthritis
6. hypertension
By controlling your weight you can help to prevent these diseases from appearing.
The quick weight loss methods do not provide lasting results. It is better to rely on a healthy weight loss option which will provide lifetime results. You have to set realistic goals and not expect to lose a lot of pounds in a short span of time.
Here are some tips on how you can lose those unwanted pounds the healthy way:
1. Do not starve yourself.
The key to a healthier way of losing weight is: Do not diet.
You may seem happy and feel that you are losing those unwanted pounds from your belly and thighs by skipping meals. But remember that this would not last long. Your body cannot tolerate having insufficient food to fuel the energy that you use up everyday.
If you get used to skipping one or two meals a day, your stored calories will be used up instead of the energy that should have been provided by your meals.
2. Start your day right.
Breakfast really is the most important meal of the day. Have a healthy meal in the morning to jump-start your metabolism. Your food intake after you wake up will be used to burn fat all day long.
3. Eat small, healthy meals frequently.
Five small-serving snacks per day is better than three hearty meals. Eating more frequently, and in small servings, can prevent over-eating. This will also increase your metabolism and make calories burn faster.
4. Decide on how much weight you want to lose.
Keep your goals realistic. In the long run, it is virtually impossible for you to lose 40 pounds in 2 weeks. Have a mindset that you want to eat healthy to stay healthy for the rest of your life.
Once you have decided on a weight loss plan or program, stick to it and make sure that you follow your own set of dieting rules.
5. Drink lots of water.
Your body needs sufficient water to burn fat and keep your cells hydrated and healthy.
6. Avoid too much sugar.
Plan your meals around lots of fruits and vegetables, some bread, rice or pasta for that carbo fix that you need, plus lean meat and protein rich-foods. Sweets, sodas and pastries should be once-in-a-while indulgences only.
7. Watch your fat intake.
Fat is not the culprit to being overweight. You need this to keep your weight at the proper level. There is such a thing as healthy fats. Olive, peanuts and canola oil have them. Tuna, salmon and mackerel have omega-3 fats which is good for the heart.
8. Exercise.
Leave your car if you are only going a few blocks from home; take the stairs instead of the elevator, jog, cycle or skate. Use these activities and other home chores if you are too lazy to go to the gym and take exercise classes. Make sure that you do this regularly and you will not even notice that you are already shedding pounds with these mundane activities.
It does not matter how much weight you plan or need to lose. What is important is that you set realistic goals for yourself. Go slow. If you have already lost 5 or 6 pounds, give yourself a break then try to lose the next 5 pounds.
Eat healthy, drink lots of water, have enough sleep and exercise. This will give you a higher chance of losing weight and improving your health, which would result to a new, healthier you.
One way to prevent this scenario is to make people aware of the risks of being overweight. Here are some diseases that you are putting yourself at risk of if you are carrying a lot of extra pounds:
1. heart disease
2. stroke
3. diabetes
4. cancer
5. arthritis
6. hypertension
By controlling your weight you can help to prevent these diseases from appearing.
The quick weight loss methods do not provide lasting results. It is better to rely on a healthy weight loss option which will provide lifetime results. You have to set realistic goals and not expect to lose a lot of pounds in a short span of time.
Here are some tips on how you can lose those unwanted pounds the healthy way:
1. Do not starve yourself.
The key to a healthier way of losing weight is: Do not diet.
You may seem happy and feel that you are losing those unwanted pounds from your belly and thighs by skipping meals. But remember that this would not last long. Your body cannot tolerate having insufficient food to fuel the energy that you use up everyday.
If you get used to skipping one or two meals a day, your stored calories will be used up instead of the energy that should have been provided by your meals.
2. Start your day right.
Breakfast really is the most important meal of the day. Have a healthy meal in the morning to jump-start your metabolism. Your food intake after you wake up will be used to burn fat all day long.
3. Eat small, healthy meals frequently.
Five small-serving snacks per day is better than three hearty meals. Eating more frequently, and in small servings, can prevent over-eating. This will also increase your metabolism and make calories burn faster.
4. Decide on how much weight you want to lose.
Keep your goals realistic. In the long run, it is virtually impossible for you to lose 40 pounds in 2 weeks. Have a mindset that you want to eat healthy to stay healthy for the rest of your life.
Once you have decided on a weight loss plan or program, stick to it and make sure that you follow your own set of dieting rules.
5. Drink lots of water.
Your body needs sufficient water to burn fat and keep your cells hydrated and healthy.
6. Avoid too much sugar.
Plan your meals around lots of fruits and vegetables, some bread, rice or pasta for that carbo fix that you need, plus lean meat and protein rich-foods. Sweets, sodas and pastries should be once-in-a-while indulgences only.
7. Watch your fat intake.
Fat is not the culprit to being overweight. You need this to keep your weight at the proper level. There is such a thing as healthy fats. Olive, peanuts and canola oil have them. Tuna, salmon and mackerel have omega-3 fats which is good for the heart.
8. Exercise.
Leave your car if you are only going a few blocks from home; take the stairs instead of the elevator, jog, cycle or skate. Use these activities and other home chores if you are too lazy to go to the gym and take exercise classes. Make sure that you do this regularly and you will not even notice that you are already shedding pounds with these mundane activities.
It does not matter how much weight you plan or need to lose. What is important is that you set realistic goals for yourself. Go slow. If you have already lost 5 or 6 pounds, give yourself a break then try to lose the next 5 pounds.
Eat healthy, drink lots of water, have enough sleep and exercise. This will give you a higher chance of losing weight and improving your health, which would result to a new, healthier you.
Sunday, 11 April 2010
Understanding why we gain weight in the winter
Gaining weight through the cold winter months is a very common complaint for so many of us. Every year following Thanksgiving and Christmas we add on a few pounds, yet we never seem to lose all that we gained. A few pounds always stay behind which makes us heavier year by year. Why should we continue to gain when we diet so rigidly every spring?
Just like the animal kingdom it is perfectly natural for the body to store extra layers of fat for survival in the cold weather of winter. The only problem with this realisation is that what obviously worked for our ancestors is not a necessity in our modern world. In the past food would have been in ample supply following the harvest time and harder to find as winter continued on.
Even today as the daylight hours are shorter the chemicals in our brain can affect our desires for certain ‘comfort’ foods. For those of us who suffer from depression during these darker colder months it is so easy to succumb to cravings for food that is high in carbohydrates. Chips, chocolate, cookies: anything that can give us a sugar ‘buzz’ temporary makes us feel better. The winter season can be long and overeating for this period, especially when the diet contains so many foods with very high levels of fat, leads to an unwelcome gain in weight.
Once we begin to understand how and why we gain more weight during the winter months we can apply this knowledge to our daily dieting plans. It is possible to satisfy our natural craving for carbohydrates but we must look for foods that are low in fat but high in fiber. Look to potatoes, wholegrain bread and rice; always include plenty of fresh fruit available every day.
To help keep any weight gain away during the winter it is so important to take regular exercise. Once the colder weather has arrived people take the safe, warm, comfort zone and stay wrapped up in their homes. Exercise does not have to be taken outside in sub-zero temperatures, nor do you have to sign up for expensive gym membership. Just dancing to the radio is a start; by keeping those pounds in check during the winter will make all the difference when summer comes.
Just like the animal kingdom it is perfectly natural for the body to store extra layers of fat for survival in the cold weather of winter. The only problem with this realisation is that what obviously worked for our ancestors is not a necessity in our modern world. In the past food would have been in ample supply following the harvest time and harder to find as winter continued on.
Even today as the daylight hours are shorter the chemicals in our brain can affect our desires for certain ‘comfort’ foods. For those of us who suffer from depression during these darker colder months it is so easy to succumb to cravings for food that is high in carbohydrates. Chips, chocolate, cookies: anything that can give us a sugar ‘buzz’ temporary makes us feel better. The winter season can be long and overeating for this period, especially when the diet contains so many foods with very high levels of fat, leads to an unwelcome gain in weight.
Once we begin to understand how and why we gain more weight during the winter months we can apply this knowledge to our daily dieting plans. It is possible to satisfy our natural craving for carbohydrates but we must look for foods that are low in fat but high in fiber. Look to potatoes, wholegrain bread and rice; always include plenty of fresh fruit available every day.
To help keep any weight gain away during the winter it is so important to take regular exercise. Once the colder weather has arrived people take the safe, warm, comfort zone and stay wrapped up in their homes. Exercise does not have to be taken outside in sub-zero temperatures, nor do you have to sign up for expensive gym membership. Just dancing to the radio is a start; by keeping those pounds in check during the winter will make all the difference when summer comes.
Saturday, 10 April 2010
SUMMER HOLIDAY DIETS invites you to discover how Nutrition Can Be Made Easy
Did you know that with a little help from the USDA (United States Department of Agriculture), nutrition is actually very simple? The 100 Calorie Diet breaks it down for you in an easy to understand format. Let’s take a look.
For optimal health and nutrition, the UDSA recommends you have the following each day:
Dairy
Women 3 Servings
Men 3 Servings
The dairy group includes milk, yogurt and cheeses. Generally your serving would equal 1 cup of milk, 1 cup of yogurt, 1 1/2 oz. of natural cheese, 2 oz. of processed cheese, 1/2 cup of ricotta cheese or 2 cups of cottage cheese.
Grains
Women 6 Servings
Men 8 Servings
Grain products are foods made from wheat, oats, rice, cornmeal or grains. The grain group includes bread, rice, pasta, grits, oatmeal and cereals. Each serving would generally equal 1 slice of bread, 1 cup of cereal, 1/2 cup of cooked rice, 1/2 cup of cooked pasta, 1/2 cup cooked cereal, 1 small tortilla, 1 small biscuit, 1 small muffin, 1 small pancake, 1 small waffle, 3 cups popped popcorn, 7 crackers, 1/4 of a large bagel, 1/2 of an English muffin or 1 small piece of cornbread.
Vegetables
Women 3 Servings
Men 3 Servings
The 100 Calorie Food Counter lists all your vegetables. Each serving equals 1 cup raw or cooked vegetables, 1 cup vegetable juice or 2 cups of raw leafy greens.
Fruit
Women 2 Servings
Men 2 Servings
The 100 Calorie Food Counter lists all your fruits. Generally, a serving equals 1 cup of fruit, 1 cup of fruit juice or 1/2 cup dried fruit.
Oil
Women 6 Servings
Men 6 Servings
Oil is an important part of nutrition. In this category are oils, margarine, mayonnaise, fat based salad dressings, nut butters, nuts, seeds and avocado. Make sure to have oils from a natural source like fish, nuts and vegetables. Limit oils containing saturated fat, trans fat and cholesterol. Generally, each serving equals 1 teaspoon oil, 1 teaspoon margarine, 1 teaspoon mayonnaise, 1 teaspoon fat based salad dressings, 1 teaspoon of nut butter, 1/3 oz. nuts, 1/3 oz. seeds or 1/6 of a medium avocado.
Protein
Women 6 Servings
Men 7 Servings
The protein group includes beef, pork, lamb, poultry, fish, beans, peas, eggs, nuts, seeds and nut butters. Make sure to choose lean cuts of meat and poultry. Each serving equals 1 oz. of beef, 1 oz. of pork, 1 oz. of lamb, 1 oz. of poultry, 1 oz. of fish, 1 egg, 1/2 oz. of nuts, 1/2 oz. of seeds, 1 tablespoon of nut butter, 1/4 cup cooked beans, 1/2 cup bean soup, 1/2 cup of pea soup, 1/2 cup of tofu, 2 tablespoons hummus or 1/2 of a soy or bean burger.
That’s all there is to it! The 100 Calorie Diet has a secret weapon to help you keep track of your nutrition – The 100 Calorie Food Journal. The 100 Calorie Food Journal has a Nutrition Made Easy section which has check off boxes for all these food categories. As you eat from a food group, you simple check off a box. At the end of the day, you can easily see how healthy you’ve eaten that day by how many boxes are checked off. Let’s all eat healthy The 100 Calorie Way!
To find out more about this brand new diet breakthrough that is sweeping the country
please visit: http://shlumo.the100diet.hop.clickbank.net
For optimal health and nutrition, the UDSA recommends you have the following each day:
Dairy
Women 3 Servings
Men 3 Servings
The dairy group includes milk, yogurt and cheeses. Generally your serving would equal 1 cup of milk, 1 cup of yogurt, 1 1/2 oz. of natural cheese, 2 oz. of processed cheese, 1/2 cup of ricotta cheese or 2 cups of cottage cheese.
Grains
Women 6 Servings
Men 8 Servings
Grain products are foods made from wheat, oats, rice, cornmeal or grains. The grain group includes bread, rice, pasta, grits, oatmeal and cereals. Each serving would generally equal 1 slice of bread, 1 cup of cereal, 1/2 cup of cooked rice, 1/2 cup of cooked pasta, 1/2 cup cooked cereal, 1 small tortilla, 1 small biscuit, 1 small muffin, 1 small pancake, 1 small waffle, 3 cups popped popcorn, 7 crackers, 1/4 of a large bagel, 1/2 of an English muffin or 1 small piece of cornbread.
Vegetables
Women 3 Servings
Men 3 Servings
The 100 Calorie Food Counter lists all your vegetables. Each serving equals 1 cup raw or cooked vegetables, 1 cup vegetable juice or 2 cups of raw leafy greens.
Fruit
Women 2 Servings
Men 2 Servings
The 100 Calorie Food Counter lists all your fruits. Generally, a serving equals 1 cup of fruit, 1 cup of fruit juice or 1/2 cup dried fruit.
Oil
Women 6 Servings
Men 6 Servings
Oil is an important part of nutrition. In this category are oils, margarine, mayonnaise, fat based salad dressings, nut butters, nuts, seeds and avocado. Make sure to have oils from a natural source like fish, nuts and vegetables. Limit oils containing saturated fat, trans fat and cholesterol. Generally, each serving equals 1 teaspoon oil, 1 teaspoon margarine, 1 teaspoon mayonnaise, 1 teaspoon fat based salad dressings, 1 teaspoon of nut butter, 1/3 oz. nuts, 1/3 oz. seeds or 1/6 of a medium avocado.
Protein
Women 6 Servings
Men 7 Servings
The protein group includes beef, pork, lamb, poultry, fish, beans, peas, eggs, nuts, seeds and nut butters. Make sure to choose lean cuts of meat and poultry. Each serving equals 1 oz. of beef, 1 oz. of pork, 1 oz. of lamb, 1 oz. of poultry, 1 oz. of fish, 1 egg, 1/2 oz. of nuts, 1/2 oz. of seeds, 1 tablespoon of nut butter, 1/4 cup cooked beans, 1/2 cup bean soup, 1/2 cup of pea soup, 1/2 cup of tofu, 2 tablespoons hummus or 1/2 of a soy or bean burger.
That’s all there is to it! The 100 Calorie Diet has a secret weapon to help you keep track of your nutrition – The 100 Calorie Food Journal. The 100 Calorie Food Journal has a Nutrition Made Easy section which has check off boxes for all these food categories. As you eat from a food group, you simple check off a box. At the end of the day, you can easily see how healthy you’ve eaten that day by how many boxes are checked off. Let’s all eat healthy The 100 Calorie Way!
To find out more about this brand new diet breakthrough that is sweeping the country
please visit: http://shlumo.the100diet.hop.clickbank.net
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