Weight Loss For Busy Woman

7 Weight Loss Tips for Kids and Their Families

2010-08-21T02:56:00.000-07:00

Here is a sure-fire list of diet dos and don'ts to help your family triumph over obesity:

1. Be a ‘healthy’ role model. The number one thing that parents can do is to be a good role model for their children, Parents so often unknowingly set their kids up for failure. If there are chips, cookies and Twinkies and no fruit or vegetables when your kids look for snacks, how can they succeed? Line your refrigerator and cabinets with fresh fruits, nuts, low-fat cheese, easy things for kids to snack on besides ‘junk food’.

In a 2000 survey conducted by the CDC, close to 80% of adults reported eating fewer than the recommended five or more servings of fruit and vegetables daily -- not good role-model behavior.

2. Be positive. Don’t tell your child to ‘lose weight’ say, 'Let's be healthy and start taking care of our bodies’. Focus on the foods you can eat, not the ones that you should limit eating. Say, 'Let's go pick out fruits and make a fruit salad,' not 'Don't eat this or that.' Instead of saying, 'We have to exercise,' say, 'Lets go to the park.' Use positive words and phrases when talking with your kid.

3. Make healthy eating a family affair. Create family meals together and for the entire family. Do not single out an overweight family member with special diet food. Your entire family can benefit form healthy eating regardless of weight.

A family that eats together, eats better, according to a recent study in the journal Archives of Family Medicine. The study showed children who report frequent family dinners have healthier diets than their peers who don't.

4. Avoid portion distortion. When serving food you must use portion control, buffet-type or family-style situations tends to promote overeating. Fill up on salads and cooked vegetables at meals and always wait 10-15 minutes before having a second helping. Second helpings should only be taken if truly hungry.

5. Start the day off right with a good breakfast. A bowl of low-sugar cereal with low-fat milk, low-fat yogurt with a granola or breakfast bar, or an English muffin with peanut butter, rather than a doughnut or muffin. A healthy breakfast will put your family on the healthy track for the rest of the day.

6. Make time for physical activity. Make physical activity a family activity. Every night after dinner in the summer, go for a half-hour walk and make it an activity that kids look forward to. If you can afford it, enroll your kids in dancing or a sporting activity that they enjoy because they need to enjoy it to keep doing it. Or just turn on some dance music and have a dance party around the house.

7. Try again. Weight loss and healthy eating is not easy. There will be times when you and your family will struggle with this new lifestyle. It is important to keep trying. Failure is certain if you are not trying.

7 Top Foods to Include in your Kid’s Diet

2010-08-20T14:56:00.000-07:00

Here is a list of the top 7 healthiest foods to feed your kid and why it’s so healthy:

1. Oatmeal: A fabulous breakfast food, full of B vitamins, iron, zinc and calcium. Old-fashioned oatmeal offers plenty of carbohydrate for quick energy and high fiber. Add berries and honey to make it a delicious perfect food for those fast-paced school day mornings!

2. Yogurt: Kick your child's dairy consumption up a notch and include yogurt on the menu. A great source of calcium, yogurt is easier to digest than regular milk, and the cultures (check the label to make sure they're in there!) are very beneficial to good colon health. Watch it on the sugar content though. A great idea is to buy plain yogurt and sweeten it yourself with fresh fruit!

3. Broccoli: it is one of the best vegetables for anyone, especially growing kids. It has loads of calcium, potassium, beta-carotene and a wide variety of the B vitamins. If your child is not a fan of plain vegetables include broccoli in a casserole or put a little shredded cheese on top to add flavor.

4. Protein: One size does not fit all when it comes to protein. The fact is that growing kids need protein to keep growing. How you're going to give it to them can vary widely, according to your preferences. Good choices include legumes, beans (combined with a grain to make a complete protein), soy products like tofu, eggs or lean meat, fish or poultry.

5. Whole Grains: The best nutrition is found in whole grains. Brown rice and whole wheat bread are a quantum leap over their white counterparts and offer necessary fiber, minerals and vitamins. Choose grain products with the words “whole”, “unbleached” and “intact” or “ground”.

6. Nut Butters: Peanut butter and other nut butters are great fast and easy foods for kids. Kids need fat (it's a good fat if it doesn't have hydrogenated oils mixed in it) and they need the protein. Try spreading almond or sunflower seed butter on crackers, toast or celery sticks for a quick and nutritious snack.

7. Fresh Fruit: My personal choice would be cantaloupe in the melon department. Vitamin C, beta-carotene, bits and pieces of B vitamins and trace minerals and calcium fill every juicy bite. Any in season fresh fruit is sure to be packed with healthy goodness!

7 Tips to Help Your Kid Develop a Positive Self-Image

2010-08-20T02:56:00.000-07:00

Try these 7 tips to foster optimism and resilience in your overweight child:

1) Believe in your Children. Assure your children that you are on their side and that you expect then to be the best person that they can be, although you don’t expect them to be the best at anything. No one is perfect.

2) Find other adults who believe in your children. Teachers, aunts, uncles, neighbors and friends can help you make a positive difference for you overweight child. Other adults that can see beyond the weight and also believe in your child can help your child take control of their lives.

3) Encourage your children to stay interested in activities. Let them know that their interests are valuable and deserve to be developed, whatever it is.

4) Celebrate your children’s winning experiences and help them to accept defeats graciously. Let your child know that you appreciate their efforts and positive attitude win or lose. Positive attitude and effort is for more important than victory.

5) Encourage upbeat conversations about the future. Assume they are going to college and thinking about good careers. Let your child know that you believe they are capable.

6) Be a role model for perseverance. Be sure your children hear you say that some tasks are difficult, but that you are not a quitter.

7) Facilitate family fun and laughter. A family that can joke, laugh, and lighten up their day’s with humor can help to prevent negativity and tension.

7 Tips to Health and Weight Loss 4 Kids

2010-08-19T14:56:00.000-07:00

1 Role Model –Your heath and weight directly effect your child’s health and weight. Children with just one overweight parent have a 25% risk of becoming an overweight or obese adult. If both parents are overweight the risk of becoming an overweight adult jumps to 50%.

2 Be Positive- No one enjoys receiving negative feedback. Talk to your child with compassion and encouragement. Instead of saying, 'Lose weight', say, 'Let's be healthy and start taking care of our bodies'. Focus on the foods you can eat, not the ones that you cannot. Say, 'Let's go pick out fruits and make a fruit salad,' not 'Don't eat that.'

3 Make healthy eating a family affair - A family that eats together, eats better, according to a recent study in the journal Archives of Family Medicine. Children who report frequent family dinners have healthier diets than their peers who don't, the study showed. Also fill your refrigerator and cabinets with fresh fruits, nuts, low-fat cheese, and things for everyone to snack on.

4 Eat Breakfast – A breakfast that consists of protein, starch and fat will keep your children more alert during school. Studies have shown that weight loss is much more difficult in people who skip breakfast.

5 Make time for physical activity - Make physical activity a family activity. Every night after dinner in the summer, go for a half-hour walk and make it an activity that kids look forward to. If you can afford it, enroll your kids in dancing or a sporting activity that they enjoy because they need to enjoy it to keep doing it. Or just turn on some dance music and have a dance party around the house.

6 Don't say diet - Put your child on any diet and you are setting them up for an eating disorder - whether binge eating or closet eating or another type of disorder. Lifestyle changes have proven to be the most effective to lose weight and keep it off.

7 Avoid portion distortion - When serving the food try to portion out meal on dishes and avoid buffet-type or family-style eating. When exposed to so much food it is easy for your eyes to be bigger than your stomach. Resist the first temptation to have seconds then check in with yourself to see if you are really hungry.

7 Tips to Get Calories Out of Restaurant Food

2010-08-19T02:56:00.000-07:00

When I eat out I want it to be special, consequently I don't eat out often. You may have seen the advice on how to shave calories at restaurants but really, are you wanting to pay high restaurant prices for undressed salads and plain steamed vegetables? If not, how then can you solve the dilemma of too many calories when you eat out?

Here are seven tips for getting the calories out of restaurant meals while still ordering your favorites.

1. Say NO to super sizing. The size you ordered is already too big. Stop super sizing and you'll save money. Better still, order one dinner and ask for an extra plate. Many restaurants will do this for a dollar or two, and it's well worth it. Then share the meal with your friend and you split the cost straight down the middle. Another option is to order from the so called "appetizer" menu. Two people could order three entrees, one dessert and split the whole thing and it's still a ton of food!

2. Skip the bread and rolls. Many family restaurants still serve a bread basket with your meal. Unless it's a fresh baked loaf or some really special bread, just skip it. You don't need to fill up on ordinary bread when you're paying good money for a meal. Just ask for it to be taken away if you can't resist, but frankly, you're an adult, you can resist, if you want to. You can simply choose not to put a roll on your plate. Try it, just once and see if you don't walk out of that restaurant feeling strangely powerful.

If you can't skip the rolls, at least skip the butter. That's right. Eat it plain. Whole grain bread is delicious all by itself.

3. Stop Ordering Drinks. Soft drinks are a huge cash cow for restaurants. For pennies they sell you a squirt of syrup and carbonated water and act like they're doing you a big favor by only charging you $1.29 for a giant 64 ounce soda. Start saving those dollars. Especially if you're ordering "to go" skip the drink. If you're eating it there, ask for water, or at least switch to diet drinks. Never drink "fat pop."

4. Slow Down You Eat Too Fast! What's the rush? Take your time, savor the moment, enjoy the flavors. A big part of getting in touch with your hunger signals and learning to eat what really will satisfy is learning to recognize the subtle signs of hunger. You won't know when you're approaching satisfaction if you've gobbled everything down in five minutes. Take a bite then notice how many times do you chew before you start wanting to swallow? Once, twice? Make an effort to chew your food and your body will be much happier. A very large part of digestion begins in your mouth, not to mention you'll get much more pleasure if you let the food linger.

5. Trim Visible Fat and Skin. I know, you really love the skin--of course you do, it tastes good, it should, it's pure fat. Do you want to get leaner, or do you want to eat fat? You choose. I never eat chicken skin and never eat the visible fat hanging off a steak, good taste or no. You have to decide what you want more, the second's worth of pleasure of a yummy taste, or a lifetime of carrying around an extra 40 lbs? I know this is counter to the low carb crowd's belief that fat is good, carbs are evil, but I've maintained an 80 pound weight loss for 18 years without dieting and I don't eat visible fat or skin. Enough said.

6. Ask for a Doggie Bag at the Beginning of Meal. When the food is served, immediately portion off some to take home for tomorrow. Most restaurants in the US serve way too much. There is no law you have to eat it all. Do this frequently and soon you'll find you're getting an extra lunch out of that meal.

7. Get a copy of Restaurant Confidential by Michael F. Jacobson and Jayne Hurley, and start checking out how many calories you're really eating. If you eat out frequently and you carry extra weight, then that's probably the problem right there. This little book can help you realize why it seems you don't eat that much yet you can't lose any weight. Hardees recently introduced a new burger that clocks in at just under 1200 calories all by itself! Now that's frightening.

If you really want to get a handle on your weight problem, look first to where you eat, second at what you eat, and third how much you eat. Where, What and How Much? Try these steps choosing one tip at a time, and see how easily you can take some of the calories out of restaurant food.

7 Tips on How to Not Let Stress Affect Your Weight

2010-08-18T14:56:00.000-07:00

Is stress affecting your weight loss battle?

Stress brought on by dieting is added to the personal and work life stresses that we face every day, often resulting in a "vicious cycle" of increased stress and increased food intake. People under stress tend to engage in self-defeating and unhealthy behaviors such as binge eating and there is strong biologic evidence that stressed-out people may tend to put on the pounds faster. "I'm stressed, therefore I eat." Many people complain that they overeat in response to workplace or personal stress. If this sounds like you, read the following tips for managing stress-related overeating to help you check this unhealthy habit.

1. Practice waiting. Postpone your instant gratification when hunger hits. Tell yourself you'll wait 10 to 30, minutes to eat. Chances are good if your cravings are only stress-related, they'll disappear when you allow yourself to become distracted.

2. Keep a food journal of what you eat each day. Knowing you have to write down every snack or nibble can be a good way to remind yourself to think before eating.

3. Enlist a friend's help - ideally one who also is tempted by stress-related cravings. When you feel like eating, write him/her a quick note or make a phone call.

4. Keep yourself nourished. Eat regular, healthy snacks to maintain your energy level. Skipping meals while under stress only prompts you to eat more, and unhealthily, when you do get around to eating.

5. Post some reminder messages wherever you're likely to see them when stress-related cravings begin. Use any message that works for you. Examples might be "Are you really hungry?" or "Think about why you're eating."

6. Physically remove tempting food items from your home or office. Never go shopping while hungry and always make a list of food items prior to shopping; bring home only what you feel good about eating.

7. Take time for yourself every day. Whether it's 10 minutes to reflect and relax, or whether it's some fun activity that will revitalize you, it's critical to do it. Health is not just physical, mental well-being is just as important, you deserve to mentally de-stress everyday!

7 Surefire Ways To Shed 7 Pounds In 14 Days

2010-08-18T02:56:00.000-07:00

The search for ways to speed up your weight loss is over. With these seven tips, you can be seven pounds lighter in the next two weeks. Be ready to make some changes, but your thinner self will thank you.

Make water your best friend

While it should come as no surprise that water is your best weapon in weight loss, some still haven’t caught on. By increasing your water consumption to six to eight glasses a day, you will help you body flush out toxins that are impeding the weight that you want to lose.

Water helps to speed digestion as well as many other processes in your body. And if your body is running more smoothly, then you can burn more calories along the way.

A new appetizer

If you’re looking to cut back on the foods that you’re eating, here’s a trick that works for anyone. Start your lunches and dinners off with a small cup of soup. Of course, the soup shouldn’t be cream based; a broth will work very well.

The warm soup will help to make your stomach feel fuller so that you eat less at the meal that follows. This is also a good trick if you are going out to eat. Have that bowl of soup before you go to curb your temptation for larger portions.

Take away the salt

A lot of the extra weight people carry is due to a large intake of salt. Salt can be found in many of the things that we consider healthy—frozen lunches, canned soups, and condiments.

Take some time over the next two weeks to look at the labels of the things that you eat to see how much salt (as sodium) are in the foods that you have been eating. Avoiding prepackaged foods is the best way to remove the salt from your diet.

Take away the sugars

While we don’t want to admit it, sugar is keeping us overweight and unhappy. And sugar isn’t just a candy bar or a milkshake, it’s also in the white breads and pastas that we love.

But if you want to lose weight, it’s time to find better ways of eating. This can include switching to brown rice and whole wheat bread. And of course, limiting your sugary snacks to once in a great while.

Get moving

When you’re trying to lose weight, you need to start exercising. If you haven’t exercised before, you’re in luck. Studies have shown that you can walk just a few times a week and burn the calories that you want to burn.

Thirty minutes a day is the best way to lose seven pounds in two weeks, but if you don’t have that much time, try to split it up over the course of the day—say ten minutes three times a day, or just try to fit in three good thirty minute walks a week.

Slow down

One of the main things that trigger overeating is not taking time for your self. When you’re trying to lose weight, it’s essential that you set aside a little time each day for you and you alone. By giving yourself some quiet time, you’ll be able to slow down and remember that you’re worth the extra effort that you’re putting in to lose weight.

Just like mom said

And don’t forget about your fruits and veggies. Though fruits do contain sugar, they also contain fewer calories than your traditional sugary snacks.

If you really want to jumpstart some weight loss, eat steamed vegetables at every meal. Not only do they have a slightly diuretic effect (makes you lose water weight), but they also energize your body to keep making great choices.

When you want to lose weight, you need help, but with these tips, you have everything you need.

7 Killer Ways To Maximize Your Fat Burning In The Gym

2010-08-17T14:56:00.000-07:00

Hey, we all want to shed some pounds and get back to the body that we had when we were younger and didn’t appreciate it but it takes discipline, planning, and dedication to make that happen. All too often people shed 10 or 15 pounds and then seem to stop losing weight. There is definitely a reason this happens and it should not be seen as failure or an excuse to give up on your weight loss goals. Here are 7 absolutely killer ways to maximize your fat burning routine and help ensure success with your weight loss goals.

1) Anaerobic Exercise

If you think you can just run laps or pedal that fat away, think again. Muscle tissue is what burns the most calories in our bodies and you need to life weights in order to create bigger muscles that will burn more calories. Now although aerobic exercises such as cycling or swimming are also necessary, the fact remains that building bigger muscles is the best way to lose weight and keep it off. This is because you are creating a more efficient calorie burning machine by lifting weights which will ensure you success with your weight loss goals.

2) Warm-up and Cool Down

Warming up before exercising and taking the time to cool down afterwards with some light exercises are not generally seen as essential to a fat burning program. However, the reason why a lot of people tend to give up on their weight loss goals is because they failed to see the progress they hoped for when they began. An injury, even one that only lasts for a few days, can set your weight loss goals back by weeks and lead to a loss of stimulation. You need to plan an extra twenty minutes into your weight lifting routine for these two essential activities or you risk injury and derailing your weight loss plan.

3) Diet, Diet, Diet

This should not be a killer way to maximize your weight loss goals but it is. The reason for this is because people tend to think of losing weight in two ways: diet, or exercise. Hey, these two go hand in hand and you are never going to maximize your fat burning routine in the gym unless you take care of your body outside of the gym. Stop thinking of meals in terms of three: instead, think 5 meals with smaller portions. The FDA recently developed a new food pyramid with this very idea in mind and you should check it out before starting your fat burning program because it can save you a lot of time and energy if you get the diet part figured out before even stepping into the gym.

4) Plan Workouts

The body is the most complex machine on the planet and you can’t just hope to step into a gym and jump on a machine or some weights and think that you are going to see the results you want without knowing how they affect your body. The ideal exercise routine is done only 3 or 4 times per week and only for 30-45 minutes at a time. You cannot work your body more than this because it will actually cause your muscles to break down which means you will be burning fewer calories, and therefore, not maximizing your fat burning routine in the gym. If you have any doubts about what kind of routine is ideal for your goals, don’t be afraid to consult an physical trainer to help you set up a program that is best suited for you.

5) Nutritional Supplements

If you really want to maximize your fat burning routine in the gym, then you need to consider using nutritional supplements. Now I am not talking about those crazy supplements that promise to burn fat for you while you sit and watch tv! I am talking about essential fatty acids, amino acids, whey protein….things that will truly maximize your workouts that you can’t always expect to get in the foods you eat every day. Again, consult a physical trainer if you want to know which supplements are best for your weight loss goals.

6) Set Weekly Goals

I know that this just seems terribly obvious but the truth is that most people are not thrilled with the idea of working out so it is easy for them to skip a session or indulge in some pizza and think that they will make up for it next time. Listen, next time never comes and when you stop seeing the scales go down, the motivation just seems to stop. By setting weekly goals, you can track your progress and make it that much more likely that you will adhere to the goals when you see things are not going as expected.

7) No More Late Night Snacks

This one may not seem to make sense, but I assure you that it will help maximize your fat burning exercises. The reason is your metabolism. When you eat right before you go to bed, it throws your body off and you probably notice that you awaken and don’t feel hungry. Then, you skip breakfast entirely or only snack on a bagel or something on you way into work.

The result: the body goes into conservation mode. This means that it slows down your metabolism and that means you are burning less calories throughout the day. Plus, it increases the likelihood of snacking and basically just sets the scene for a bad cycle. Eating five smaller portioned meals per day also has to do with your metabolism as it has been found that metabolism remains highest when there is a consistent supply of food in the body. You might not believe that late night snacking affects the way your body burns fat when working out, but it does.

Now some of the things listed above are obvious while some just seem silly. And yet, taken together and consistently adhered to, these 7 little ideas will maximize your fat burning in the gym and get you to that body you can see in your mind but not the mirror far quicker than if you just go about things in a disorganized and inconsistent manner.

7 Easy Steps To Healthy Weight Loss

2010-08-17T02:56:00.000-07:00

Today more than ever there is so much information out there on losing weight that is has become very confusing and sometimes difficult to follow. It’s actually very easy to lose weight if you follow my 7 principles.

1. - Before you can start any diet program you need to be in the right frame of mind. If you do not feel good about yourself you probably will not want to choose healthy foods. You cannot expect the act of going on a diet to make you feel better about yourself. The only way you can choose to eat a healthy diet to lose weight is if you have a positive self-image.

2. - Learn more about who your ancestors were. If you eat more like your ancestors you will be eating food that is better for your body. You will likely lose weight, have more energy and feel great. It has been shown when a group of people stop eating the food that was indigenous to them they start gaining weight and having health problems.

3. - Eat whole foods that are as natural as possible. When you eat whole foods that are full of nutrients your body will know how much to eat and how much not to eat. You do not have to count calories because your body is a wonderful machine. If given the right nutrients you will be at the best weight for you, have plenty of energy and feel great. Eating highly processed empty calorie foods will cause your body to always be hungry because it’s trying to get the nutrients it needs.

4. - Drink the best weight loss supplement known to man, water. Most people do not know the difference from being hungry for food or thirsty for water. A great deal of times people eat when they should drink. Most likely you will not feel as hungry if you are getting enough water. You will be satisfying the thirst, which is confused for hunger. Water also helps you digest food better. Drinking water before you eat will help fill you up.

5. – Always chew your food well. Chewing your food well will ensure that you get the most nutrients out of your food. Getting the most nutrients will satisfy your body therefore you will eat less. Another benefit of chewing well is that it helps aid in digestion.

6. - Eat small, frequent meals in a day. Large meals tax your digestion system, making it work harder. Taking too much time in between meals makes you hungrier for the next meal.

7. - Increase your physical activity. Most people are over weight because of a lack of physical activity. Start walking more, bicycling, walk your dog for longer periods of time, swim, dance and leave the car at home when you can. It’s important that you choose a physical activity that you enjoy because you’ll stick with it. Choosing a physical activity purely based on the fact that it burns a lot of calories may be a mistake.

7 Calorie Burning Tips

2010-08-16T14:56:00.000-07:00

These are just a few habits you can embrace to start revving your metabolism right away. You may have heard stories about people who have lost dozens of pounds simply switching to diet soda or walking a few minutes each day. These are all small habits that contribute to a big difference and increase your metabolism over time. You will make weight loss quicker and easier by increasing your metabolic rate and burning more calories.

1) Move More

Sedentary people burn about one-third less calories per day. By simply taking every opportunity to move can make quite a dramatic difference to the amount of calories you burn in one day. Small movements will add up over time to lots of calories. The trick is to keep moving throughout your day. Write the word ‘move’ on post-it notes and put them in places you’ll notice them when you’re sitting still. Then, take every opportunity to move – here’s some ideas for burning extra calories:

Tap your feet
Swing your legs
Stand up and stretch
Move your head from side to side
Change position
Wriggle and fidget
Pace up and down
Use the restroom upstairs
Park in the furthest corner of the parking lot
Stand up when you’re on the phone and step from side to side
Clench and release your muscles

2) Eat Little and Often

Evidence suggests that eating small meals every 2-4 hours will keep your metabolism burning faster than larger, less frequent meals. When you eat small amounts often your body is constantly working to digest and absorb food which requires energy.

3) Eat Fat

If you want feel good and keep the fat off you need to first put it in. Fat not only tastes good our bodies need it to work efficiently. By consuming several servings of ‘healthy’ fats every day you will actually increase your calorie burning potential. Try incorporating fats like Flaxseed oil, hempseed oil, olive oil, avocados, salmon, albacore tuna, nuts and seeds into your diet daily.

4) Drink Cold Water

Evidence shows that your body might expend more calories trying to raise cold water to the temperature of your body then hot beverages. And overall being well hydrated will help your body’s metabolic processes burn quicker.

5) Exercise With Weights

Training with weights boosts your metabolism in a number of ways. By lifting weights you will build muscle tissue. And muscle tissue is metabolically active, so it requires calories even when at rest and so it helps to increase fat-burning enzymes in your body.

6) Spice up

Eating hot spices might speed up your metabolism. Just half a teaspoon of cinnamon per day can help boost metabolism and keep blood sugar levels in check. Can’t stand the thought of cinnamon in your morning cup of coffee? Spice up with cayenne, crushed red pepper or wasabi.

7) Eat More Protein

Protein requires a more complex chemical breakdown by your body in order to be digested and used as fuel. For example, 100 calories of protein may take up to 30 calories to process. Protein also takes longer to digest and helps to stabilize blood sugar for longer periods of time and this can help you to not overeat later in the day. Eat a portion of protein at every meal and as part of your snacks and you will increase the total number of calories you burn each day.

6 Week Body Makeover Program To Help You Lose Weight

2010-08-16T02:56:00.000-07:00

For those who need to shed a few pounds, and others who have a long way to go before their diet goals can be achieved, the infomercial titled "6 Week Body Makeover" is a must watch.

The 6 Week Body Makeover is built on the theory that each person has a unique shape that defines his or her body in its natural state as it was meant to be.

The assertion that each individual person has a unique metabolism that is specific to his or her body type is another cardinal principle of the 6 week body makeover.

The program is a highly motivational one and centers on a basic idea of individuality.
And it will help you create a diet that is customized to your body shape or metabolism.

Other advantages of the 6 week body makeover includes the development of a unique metabolic system that will enable you burn more weight than in the case of a normal diet.

No doubt, the people behind the 6 week body makeover seem to have to have found an interesting and innovative concept, because studies show many find the program appealing and exciting, due to its focus on individuals.

Just some few steps are required to kick-start your own personalized program. The first one is to identify the right program that would allow you to lose weight in a short time.

The 6 week body makeover helps you out with its lucid instructions on how to fill out a questionnaire that helps pinpoint your specific metabolism type.

After the initial step, the next hurdle is the matching of your shape and general body size to the sample drawings.

If you can match the drawing that best depicts your body shape and size, then you have determined your specific problem areas.

Both your metabolism type, as defined by the questionnaire, and your problem areas as defined by the shape and size drawing are combined together. And it is from this the 6 week body makeover is developed.

The program includes plans where meals are designed to help you feel energized and healthy and a simple body-sculpting workout program that targets your problem areas.

This exciting 6 Week Body Makeover concept still carries the same basic principle of successful weight loss programs.

Whose basic focus is on proper diet and nutrition as well as regular exercise.

We may not really need a program to figure this out, but a program like the 6 Week Body Makeover may push some of us in the right direction.

6 Steps to Ending Bad Eating Habits

2010-08-15T14:56:00.000-07:00

A client wrote, "Help me! I thought I was finally getting a handle on my weight issue but the sugar is killing me. I had an awful day. I won't even tell you what I ate today because it is just so unbelievable. All I will say is that 90% of my food today consisted of sugar! I really, really need some help getting past these cravings. I am no doubt a sugar addict. If I could get past this there is no doubt that I will reach my goal."

If you see a little of yourself in this message, you're not alone. Many describe themselves as sugar addicts. They believe if it were only for that one thing, then they could reach their weight loss goals. If you believe only one thing stands in your way of losing weight, consider this: What if that one thing (an addiction to sugar for instance) were gone? Do you really believe, "If I could get past this, there is no doubt that I will reach my goal," or is it an easy excuse to stay stuck?

If I told you I could show you a way to stop craving sugar, would you want me to show you how?

Think about that for a moment. Close your eyes and really think it through. You've said if only you didn't crave sugar, then you could lose weight, but is that really true for you? Ask yourself these questions:

Would you eat differently, and if so how?

Would you act differently, and if so how?

What else would change, and what would stay the same?

What would you lose?

What would you gain?

Until you know what you want, know you can achieve it, and know what else will change (i.e. how your life may be different), you can't discover any obstacles that first must be considered. For instance, you may want to stop eating anything after 7 PM yet your husband doesn't come home from work until 8 and he wants you to join him for dinner. That's an obstacle.

If you've got a habit of watching your favorite TV show with a bowl of ice cream, then breaking that habit is another obstacle.

If you don't work out ways to overcome your obstacles perhaps through discussion and compromise with your husband, or habit breaking exercises for your ice cream habit, there's bound to be a problem. Just saying you're not going to do something any mroe rarely works. Instead determine what might stand in the way of achieving your goals, find a way around them, and you're much more likely to actually achieve those goals once and for all.

The statement, "if this one thing were handled, then everything else would fall into place" is an "If Then" statement and gets people into trouble. They want a fairy godmother to make it all better. A strong belief that one single thing such as, "eating sugar is my problem," sets you up to fail, especially if you really like eating sugary foods.

Getting a handle on your cravings is not an all-or-nothing proposition. You must leave room for occasional deviations. It's not the occasional side trip that causes weight trouble, it's the road we usually travel.

In NLP (Neuro Linguistic Programming) a good starting point is the exercise called Establishing a Well Formed Outcome. "Well formed" means it meets all criteria of a well thought-out end result.

NLP: How to Create a Well Formed Outcome & Get What You Want

Here are the steps to creating a well formed outcome:

1) State what you want (not what you do not want). "I want to weigh 135 pounds."

2) Determine whether you can achieve it (do you believe it is possible?).

3) What resources do you have and what do you need (time, money, gear, clothes, equipment, coaching, whatever).

4) Check whether anyone else is involved and any potential obstacles that may come up regarding others. Think of everyone involved in your day-to-day life.

5) Picture yourself "as if" you've obtained what you say you want and see if that picture fits. Do you like what you see?

6) Put together a plan of action for the achievement of your outcome.

While it may seem like a lot of effort simply to decide what you really want, going through these steps at the beginning helps you find potential obstacles which previously stopped you from moving forward. For example, if you decide you want to join a gym and start exercising every day but you've forgotten you don't even own a car and just lost your job, that exercise plan might not work out right now. If you did join a gym, you'd end up not going and then you'd think you'd failed, yet it was the plan that failed, not you. You didn't think it through.

A better plan in this instance may be doing exercises at home, or within walking distance (or simply walking for exercise). Later, when you do have transportation, you can rethink the plan and perhaps join a gym then. There are always options.

It's better to look at what you want from every angle, then put together a plan you know can and will work. Then when you know what you want, you'll also know you can make it happen and begin by taking that first step toward making it a reality.

"Achieving a Well Formed Outcome" is one of the sessions in the Ending Emotional Eating 8-Week Workshop. You can also find more information on this popular and well known NLP process by searching for "NLP Well Formed Outcome" in your favorite search engine.

5 Super Simple Weight Loss Tips

2010-08-15T02:56:00.000-07:00

Weight loss is one of those subjects that everyone is always talking about. It seems you can’t go anywhere without seeing or hearing some type of weight loss message. Stories of the dangers of not losing weight appear regularly on the nightly news. Retail outlets and the Internet both are full of weight loss books and products. Weight loss is discussed in medical centers and at schools and even in the work place. If you’re trying to lose weight, here are a few tips to get you going.

Tip #1

-Stop Talking About Weight Loss!

All that talk about how much you want to lose weight isn’t going to make the weight come off. You’ve got to take action, starting right now. So take this simple advice: Stop moving your mouth and start moving your body! It won’t take long to begin seeing the results.

Tip #2

– Slow and Steady is Best

Slow and steady weight loss is better (and safer) than riding the dieting roller coaster. If you’re looking for long-lasting weight loss results, aim to lose an average of about two pounds each week. In order to lose weight you’ve got to consume fewer calories than you burn. As a bonus, when you combine dieting with exercise, you’ll be reducing your caloric intake and increasing your caloric burn rate at the same time.

Tip #3

– Save Your Money

Don’t spend your hard-earned money on the latest weight loss gimmicks. Pills, fad diets, hypnosis, and extreme surgical procedures are not the answer! These gimmicks won’t slim you down, but they will fatten the bank accounts of those who promote them! Eating a nutritionally-balanced diet of fruits, vegetables, good fats and lean proteins will encourage weight loss faster than any miracle cure you can buy.

Tip #4

– Weight Loss is a Way of Life

Unfortunately, the issue of weight is something that most people will struggle with throughout life. Excess processed foods and a sedentary lifestyle are the two biggest contributors to this constant struggle. If you want to lose weight and keep it off, you’ve got to change the way you think about food. It should be thought of as a source of fuel, not a passion. Successful weight loss really is about making lifestyle changes, including making the right food choices, and then sticking with those choices throughout life.

Tip #5

– Weight Loss is More Than a Number

When you’re dieting, don’t become a victim of the dreaded scale. When the numbers go down, happiness goes up. But when the numbers stay the same or go up, it is easy to give up and give in. Remember that even if your weight isn’t changing as you would like, your body is. You’ll be taking better care of your heart. You’ll be lowering your cholesterol levels. You’ll be sporting a leaner body and your clothes will begin fitting more comfortably. When you learn to find joy in these other benefits, you’ll want to keep on being a loser!

5 Steps to Hormone Health and Weight Loss

2010-08-14T14:56:00.000-07:00

Our hormone health effects our bodies in many ways but one specific way is an increase in weight. Hormonally challenged women gain weight around their middle between the armpits and the top of the thighs. Often their arms are normal, their legs are normal and from the neck up they look great! Hormonally challenged men gain weight around their waists and often are on their way to developing breasts!

Estrogen is produced in our fat cells. Estrogen increases fat cells. As a result more estrogen is produced and so on and so on.

Breaking the Estrogen cycle and then going on an excellent weight management program is exactly what needs to take place.

Step One Evaluate your hormones. Find out the ratio of estrogen to progesterone presently in your body. If out of balance, we call that estrogen dominance, then you will likely have or currently be gaining weight around your middle.

Step Two Begin an estrogen-lowering program. That will include of course increasing your progesterone levels with a bio-identical progesterone cream. But hormone balancing was never all about progesterone. Modulating and balancing estrogens if found to be out of balance to progesterone is equally important to your weight loss program.

An estrogen-lowering program will include:

- Increase your fiber intake. That happens two ways: 1. Eat as much as you can by choosing fruits, vegetables and whole grains as your high ?fiber carbohydrate choices and then add a fiber supplement (Fiber Source 7) to consume 30 to 50 grams of fiber daily.
- Increase the indoles (cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, cabbage, and cauliflower) in your diet. That also happens two ways: Eat as much as you can and supplement with an indole-3-carbinol supplement (EllagiGuard). Target 3 servings a day.

- Increase the essential fatty acids (EFA?s) in your diet. They are essential because the body does not make them. They help balance prostaglandin production in the body and thus help regulate estrogens.

- Increase your overall nutrition by taking extra vitamin C (Super C Crystals) and by taking a concentrated fruit and vegetable supplement (Fruit and Vegetable Essence).

Step Three Eat 40/30/30. Incorporate a new way of approaching meals purposing to eat Carbohydrates Proteins and Fats in a balanced way at each meal. When we eat balanced meals our weight will normalize, our energy levels will increase and our hormones will be in balance. More information is available in the book ?The Formula? by J & G Daoust.

Step Four Get Moving. Develop a great exercise program with the help of someone who knows what they are doing. Tailor a program especially for you - one that you can do and are willing to make a commitment to keep. Most of us need to think in terms of keeping our bodies moving and staying active for the rest of our lives. Couch potatoes rarely are healthy.

Step Five Celebrate!! Men and women whose hormones are out of balance feel unwell. Men and women who have balanced hormones feel well. Achieving hormone health will increase your overall health and wellness and assist you in losing weight. You will look younger and feel younger!

5 Simple Ways To Lose Weight

2010-08-14T02:56:00.000-07:00

Losing unwanted body weight does not have to involve prolonged workout sessions at the gym or self-defeating fad diet regimens. In fact, most people find that without a sustained lifestyle change, any weight that is lost during a period of diet or extreme exercise is gained back once the activity is no longer practiced.

If you would like to lose pounds and keep them off, then you need to invest in a lifestyle adjustment. By altering only a few important patterns in your diet and exercise routine, you can literally lose weight without much effort. Here are some tips to help you quickly drop those extra pounds:

1. Walk for 30 minutes each day. Walking is not only a stress-reducer, but it is also more effective in inducing fat loss than a 30-minute jog. Here’s why: running helps you burn calories and quickly tone leg muscles because of the repeated flexing and force exerted on the leg muscles. However, because running increases the heart rate to aerobic levels, the heart rate also drops quickly once the activity has been stopped.

Walking, however, increases the heart rate to the fat-burning level. Any activity performed at the fat-burning level will have a longer-lasting impact. Thus, while you might flex and strain your muscles less during a 30-minute period of walking, the heart rate will stay elevated for a longer period of time.

2. Cut the portion in half. Whether you are eating a cheeseburger or plate of fries, divide the dish in half. If you are tempted to nibble on more than half, then give it away to a friend or have it wrapped up to take home (if you are dining out). Cutting your meal in half will not only decrease your calorie and fat in take dramatically, but it will help your body to become accustomed to smaller portions of food.

3. Get a full night’s rest. Many people find, and most doctors know, that getting a full night of undisturbed sleep not only leaves you feeling energized for a new day, but it helps your body metabolize your food much more efficiently. When they body is in the resting state during sleep, it actually works much harder to process energy than if you were to sit on the sofa watching the television. Furthermore, if you are fully rested, you will be more likely to take on projects with more vigor and energy the next day (which will help you burn more calories.) So go on – get those zzzz’s.

4. Call your mother. And take care of other items on your to-do list before they pile up. Undue stress has a very negative physiological effect on the body and contributes to fat storage in the cells. By reducing small amounts of stress in your life, you can quickly and simply reduce fatty deposits on your body, especially in the stomach area. So go ahead: call your loved ones!

5. Drink plenty of liquid. Liquid hydrates your cells and helps them push harmful toxins through your body more efficiently. By drinking plenty of liquid, such as water, juice and even tea, you will help your cells function at their best without much effort at all.

If you drink tea and coffee, be aware that they contain caffeine, which can increase your metabolism while it is in your system, but tends to slow your body down once it leaves. Caffeinated beverages should always be consumed with an extra glass of water to ensure that you do not end up depleting your body of necessary liquids.

To ensure that your lifestyle alterations become lasting, practice them with friends and loved ones. Adjusting to any changes can be easier if you have a friend with whom you can share the journey and help to keep each other on track.

5 Simple Steps to Losing Weight

2010-08-13T14:56:00.000-07:00

If you are carrying around a few (I use that term loosely) extra pounds like most of us are, you all know all the reasons why we should take the weight off. It will reduce stress on our heart, reducing the chance of heart disease, cancer, possibility of diabetes; feel better, look more attractive, etc.

There are 101 reasons why, but it can be a real pain to finally get that weight off. You push really hard, make a little progress, get side tracked, and bam you are heavier then you started.

It’s maddening. Enough with that hassle, I have put together 5 simple steps to actually losing weight and keeping it off. These steps can be applied to anything, but we are focusing on weight loss here.

1. Know What You Want
2. Know Where You Are
3. Track Your Results
4. Make Course Corrections
5. Being held Accountable

Now all your extra weight will effortlessly melt off. Yeah right! A simple list of 5 items is not going to do it, so let me explain the intricacies of the 5 items and where the hang up normally occurs when applied to losing weight.

1. Know What You Want

This one is dead simple. Most people that want to lose weight have an idea of how many pounds they would like to lose or how they would like their body to look.

I think we can safely say if your body started looking the way you wanted it, you would know, even if you didn’t have it completely mapped out and detailed.

2. Know Where You Are

This is the big trip up. It is almost always overlooked and is the number one reason for the up and down Yo Yo effect we experience with losing weight. We are unhappy with how our body feels and how it looks and it is painful to zoom in and get an accurate picture of where we are. Unfortunately, we have to know where we are, to be able to accurately judge the results we are getting.

You are on a trip to San Diego, California. You would like to start your trip from Phoenix, Arizona, but you really don’t know where you are. No problem. You get an Arizona/California map and find that a simple 6 hours trip west on interstate 8 will get you to San Diego.

6 hours later, you have no clue where you are and it is definitely not warm San Diego. You feel defeated and you want to give up! Do you blame the car? The stupid maps? San Diego? Yourself?

Now what if I told you, you were actually in New Your City, not Phoenix, Arizona. A 6 hour car ride west from New York City will never get you to San Diego.

If you took the time to accurately find out where you were, you would have been able to choose the appropriate means to get to San Diego and have an expectation as to how long it would take.

This is the same with weight loss and our personal physical condition. In our minds, we think we are starting in a different physical condition then we really are. When the results don’t follow the illusion in your mind, we get upset.

3. Track Your Results

This is conceptually simple. If we have no clue as to WHAT we are doing, how do we know what is working? It might be a simple to do, but is also simple not to do. In the end, most people never track their results.

4. Make Course Corrections

We love to do this one. We have it hands down. It is like step 1 of knowing what you want. We try the new food diet, the super sit up machine, and the cardio hip hop power energy yoga fat burner class.

We might be great at switching it up, but without knowing where we are starting from and a history of tracked results, we have no clue as to what we should change or even which direction we should go.

5. Being held Accountable

No, not accountability! That is an evil word. I don’t want someone to know what I am doing, or more importantly what I am not doing.

So, why do we resist accountability, your secret weapon to weight loss? Because it works! If you know someone is going to be watching, you would follow through or at least feel very uncomfortable not following through.

Accountability when used wisely is the ultimate turbo booster to your weight loss. Since you are going to be accountable anyway, you might as well get something out of it.

Using accountability up front, you can achieve the body of your dreams. If you let your body hold you accountable, it will throw on fat in places you don’t want it to be.

The biggest obstacle to weight loss is not taking any action. It doesn’t matter how good the plan is, it is worthless if you don’t follow it. So what do I do now?

First and foremost get Accountable.

Forward this article to someone you respect and care about and tell them I want to be accountable to finally taking off my extra pounds. When they agree to support you, start working through Steps 1 – 5.

5 Healthy Tips To Weight Loss

2010-08-13T02:56:00.000-07:00

The world is fascinated with weight loss, some for health reasons and others for cosmetic. No matter the reason, many people try harsh diets that never work, extreme exercise regimens that result in injuries or other weight loss program that end without success. The reason that none of these weight loss methods seem to work is because in order to stay with a program, you have to enjoy it. Not only that, but it has to be safe as well.

Below are 5 genuine tips to weight loss, which almost anyone can do without tossing out their favorite food or spending every spare minute in the gym. Realistically, any weight loss program will take time. If anyone promises you different, they are either not being completely honest or are simply uninformed. Follow one single weight loss program for 30 days, whatever it may be, and see if you have results. If not, move on to something else. In the meantime, check out several tips to getting started today.

Tip # 1
Walking. If you can set aside 30 minutes every day to enjoy a leisurely stroll, you will be strengthening your legs and your heart while burning some calories in the process.

Tip # 2
Use a mini cycle. These portable little exercise units offer the look of bicycle pedals set up on a metal bar, but without the high price or weight of a standard exercise bike. With a min cycle, you can pedal at your desk, on the couch or anywhere else that you can comfortably set and reach the pedals.

Tip # 3
Walk or take the stairs instead of an elevator. This is a terrific weight loss exercise without even noticing the extra effort. Something as simple as a few extra steps every day can go a long way where weight loss is concerned. The next time you go to the store, park in the middle of the parking lot and walk to the store. Avoid parking in the closest spot to the door, which is tempting, but opt to walk instead.

Tip # 4
You don’t necessarily have to cut out all of your favorite foods, but you should eat them in moderation. There is no single food that will completely hinder your weight loss attempt but, if consumed excessively, it may. For instance, simply limit your intake to one candy bar or, if you are being really careful, a miniature candy. There is no reason to cut out your favorite food when a conservative amount of the things we love can still have a place in our lives, including during the times that we are focusing on weight loss.

Tip # 5
Whatever your exercise routine, set aside a certain time each day to do it. Individuals who set a routine are much more likely to stay with it and find success than those who simply exercise whenever they have time. The goal to successful weight loss is to make time.

This article is intended to be used for informational purposes only. It is not to be used in place of, or in conjunction with, professional medical advice or a doctor’s recommendation. Prior to beginning any weight loss program, individuals must consult a physician for proper diagnosis and/or treatment.

5 Fun Ways to Get In Shape

2010-08-12T14:56:00.000-07:00

The market is saturated with low-fat, low-carb and sugar-free foods. But despite the popular diets, "magical" pills and the latest, greatest fitness machines that all promise to melt away the pounds, more than half of American adults are overweight.

For true weight-loss success, health experts stress the importance of changing your lifestyle for the long term and exercising regularly. Here are some creative ways to make fitness fun again and help you win the battle of the bulge once and for all.

* Take "healthy" vacations. Make fitness part of your travels. Head to a spa where, along with a little pampering, you can enjoy hiking, rock climbing, kickboxing, aqua aerobics and yoga.

* Walk or run for a good cause. Training for a 5K charity walk, for example, may be all the motivation you need to get started on a regular fitness routine. Best of all, you'll be helping your favorite charity accomplish its goals.

* Dance. Join a ballroom or hip-hop dancing class. It's a great way to shed the pounds, learn how to dance and have fun.

* Strip the weight away. New DVDs featuring Carmen Electra help you spice up your regular workout routine and provide a fun new way to tone your body right in the comfort of your own living room.

"Carmen Electra's Aerobic Striptease" and "Carmen Electra's Aerobic Striptease - Fit to Strip" are fast becoming wildly popular. With the help of fitness experts, Electra teaches viewers how to trim down with high- and low-impact dance and fitness techniques. The strengthening moves are designed to help tone the hips, thighs, buns and abs. The DVDs' special features include a pop-up video display with workout tips and a customizable music track.

* Do Pilates. Find out what makes Pilates the workout of choice for countless celebrities, and why your gym's Pilates classes are always full. The "MTV: Pilates Mix" DVD, hosted by renowned Pilates and yoga instructor Kristin McGee, is perfect for those who want to add a more cutting-edge beat to their workout. The DVD features two half-hour workout sessions that focus on toning the arms, legs and abs, with a music mix that motivates you to get up and work out.

The DVDs are available online and in stores nationwide. - NU

5 Easy Ways to Boost Your Metabolism

2010-08-12T02:56:00.000-07:00

#1 Don’t Skip Breakfast

The morning meal jump starts your metabolism and helps to prevent bingeing later in the day. A cup of coffee does not count – the caffeine and added sugar may give you a bit of energy and suppress your appetite for a little while it is sure to back fire into severe hunger and you will be more likely to overeat later. Breakfast should include complex carbohydrates like whole grain (granola or oatmeal), along with some protein and fat (low-fat yogurt or milk), will keep your energy levels even and hunger in check.

#2 Eat more often

Get into the habit of eating every three to four hours or at least four times a day. Eating frequently stabilizes blood sugar, when blood sugar drops too low you want to eat…a lot. By keeping your blood sugar stable you can control your appetite and keep you metabolic rate high. When you go many hours without eating your body will compensate by slowing down to conserve energy…this effect hurts your weight loss efforts.

#3 Eat protein at every meal

Protein will help to reduce your appetite, it takes more energy and time to digest, in effect you feel full longer than eating carbohydrates alone. Research shows that eating more protein can help you lose weight without cutting calories. Try these protein possibilities: turkey on whole wheat; hummus and pita; vegetarian chili; fruit and nuts; or protein snack bars that contain 12 or more grams of protein.

#4 Hold off on snacking

Many of us grab a snack for quick energy when we are feeling tired. But do not confuse true hunger with fatigue. If you are feeling tired go for a 15-20 minute brisk walk. This will raise your heart rate and give you a boost of energy. Follow it up with a large glass of cool water. If you are truly hungry have a protein and complex carbohydrate rich snack like; whole wheat crackers and peanut butter or cheese.

#5 Consume enough for your body’s needs

Eating too little slows your body’s metabolism the same way eating to infrequently does. If you want to lose weight, do not slash your calories too drastically. Instead, cut out some of the extras in your diet – things like soda, juice, packaged goods or candy. Processed foods tend to be high in fat and calories and low in vitamins, minerals and fiber.

5 Best Ways To Lose Weight

2010-08-11T14:56:00.000-07:00

When you are dealing with a phenomenon as diverse as human beings, it is very difficult to create rules which will work equally well for everyone. Nevertheless, there are some characteristics shared by all human beings, and this means that some basic principles can be developed. Here are five proven techniques to help you lose weight.

Best Way 1

The most fundamental strategy of successful weight loss is to burn more calories than you take in. You shouldn't find it difficult to apply this in some aspect of your life. Adjust your diet by cutting down on high fat food, and take some simple exercise for twenty minutes, three times a week. Going for a brisk walk instead of driving everywhere will have the desired effect, as will gentle jogging or swimming.

Best Way 2

Gym membership is becoming increasingly popular, and, as long the exercise you do is well planned, it can be extremely beneficial. Aerobic exercise has to be the focal point of your plan, otherwise you could do more harm than good. Provided you adhere to this basic rule, some anaerobic weight or resistance training can help tone up your body. This will give you more strength and vitality, and should increase your confidence.

Best Way 3

Going to see a professional nutritionist or dietician can pay off handsomely. If you go it alone, you will need to put in some serious research to make sure you are genuinely eating healthily, and many who try this find themselves discouraged by the lack of variety in their diet. It certainly doesn't have to be that way, as there are plenty of different healthy meals which help you lose weight. Getting the advice of a professional can make the task of losing weight seem so much more enjoyable!

Best Way 4

Find a friend to train with. If you and a friend are both regularly free at the same time of day, it can make sense to train together. Having someone to help you through the times when you don't seem to be getting anywhere can keep you in the game until the improvement suddenly appears. Having a social aspect to your exercise will help you look forward to it, and make you more likely to stick to it!

Best Way 5

Eat less food more often. Many medical practitioners now recommend eating more meals a day, with less food at each one. This is a more balanced way to take food into the body, spreading the load on the body over a far wider period of time. The system of eating three meals a day is designed far more to fit in with the working day than it is to fit in with the needs of the human body. When you eat less more often, the body absorbs more of the nutrients in the food, so your body craves fewer calories.

The best and most effective method for weight loss does depend on the individual, but follow these time tested principles and you will see results. Click the links below to discover some effective resources to help you.

3 Simple Steps To Lose Body Fat

2010-08-11T02:56:00.000-07:00

What Does It Take To Lose Body Fat?

To lose body fat, you need to incorporate sheer simplicity, plus ultimate science because understanding how to lose body fat comprises your awareness of BOTH concepts. Now is the time to prepare your heart and mind for non-stop challenge, consistent focus, and utmost care.

You are here seeking some viable remedy, correct? Our time together here is far more worthwhile if I just go ahead and tell you, right now, what it takes to lose body fat. In a nutshell, your biggest key is mental preparedness. Yep. That's the biggie!

As soon as you discover how to convince your mind to issue "lose body fat" commands, you are well on your way to fitness success. To lose body fat, then, is a quite simple matter. Ye, of course, the difficulty you may face lies in your initial THINKING, then the reality of DOING.

There are a few things you will have to do in order to lose body fat. If and when you are willing and ready to do these things, you are SURE to lose body fat, without question.

LONG-TERM "LOSE BODY FAT" SOLUTION

Does It Really Pay To Seek A Short Cut To Lose-Body-Fat Satisfaction?

After you spin yourself virtually all the way around in a lose-body-fat circle by asking questions from sources that either really don't know the truth, or even worse, only care to tell whatever it takes to separate you from your checkbook, credit card, or wallet -- the simplicity and long-time duality of how to lose body fat remains unchanged. Ease versus complexity... long way around versus short-cut solution.

Somebody or someone (meaning YOU) has to do the work! You want to lose body fat, that's why you're here. So, your body needs to engage required, time proven, professional principles that prove themselves for you over and again. In short, to lose body fat you clearly build independence, self-assuredness, confidence, and other lose-body-fat skills that surprisingly emanate from your mental intellectual potential rather than merely your present physical ability.

HOW TO LOSE BODY FAT - HERE IS YOUR 3-STEP CURE

Simply do these three things to lose body fat:

ONE: Once and for all, learn how to find out your daily caloric consumption AND your energy expenditure numbers. Both of these numbers are absolutely crucial because they tell you exactly what your body is doing, right down to the very calorie. Once this calculation process becomes second nature to you, full control of the amount of body fat you carry lay right in the palms of your very hands.

In other words, you can shape your "lose-body-fat" fortune and alter your lean body appearance almost exactly how you want it to be.

TWO: Work out for the most part, using much more drive and intensity than you ever have before in your entire life! I say this to you primarily because of 1) remotely conscious human tendencies that we all have toward relaxation and taking the easy way out of a challenging situation rather than facing and conquering its root cause, plus 2) endorsed exercise science knowledge says that performing at higher thresholds gives you life-extending benefits and burns higher amounts of calories from excess body fat. So, to enormously yet safely lose body fat, begin to train yourself towards high intensity interval exercise.

You may burn twice as many calories as you did before, plus feel better and look better, too.

THREE: Lastly, know that the entire weight-loss-lose-body-fat scenario revolves around one, vital and never-changing concept: Being overweight, thus, needing to lose body fat, remains a direct result of eating too much food and not getting enough exercise. Now, with this last one, allow me to isolate your biggest probable obstacle. The number one problem is that you hear this very same lose-body-fat news so much and so often that your brain instantly goes into SHUT-DOWN or shut-off mode. That is, the tendency to assume the "I've Been There Before, Heard It All Before, Done It All Before, and It Never Works for Me" syndrome kicks in immediately.

The solution? Put on some new "lose body fat" ears today, starting right now. Allow yourself to hear the deeper gist this message carries. Cease to dismiss the seemingly small yet crucial matters that make the difference between your continued frustration and your lose body fat reward.

If you need any kind of help whatsoever, just contact us because 1) we care, and 2) lose-body-fat assistance online is both professional and affordable. So, don't worry yourself about spending lots of money to lose body fat.

Understanding the true meaning of what it takes to lose body fat requires acceptance, open ears, and action. So, learn your personalized details, do the required work, plus know confidently and securely almost all about what it takes to lose body fat.

3 Choices To Help You Lose Weight

2010-08-10T14:56:00.000-07:00

1. The Weight Loss Patch

Perhaps the most appealing benefit of using a patch is that it is so easy to use. No pills to remember to take, no special diets, no required exercise routine. Naturally, sticking to a healthy diet and exercise program is best for your overall health, but if that is difficult for you to adhere to all of the time, the patch may be a solution that works for you.

A weight loss patch that you place on your body will deliver the active ingredients by transdermal delivery, meaning through the skin. The patch ingredients will go directly into the bloodstream, bypassing the digestive system and liver. Simply apply the patch to a smooth area of your skin and change it every 3 days. That is all of the maintenance that is required.

A patch can even be used occasionally when you are traveling and know you will be eating out a lot, or for those times you are too busy to cook the proper foods. A patch that suppresses your appetite will help you develop good eating habits that will help you maintain your ideal weight in the future ~ no more yo-yo figures.

2. Appetite Suppressant Pills

Curbing your appetite to stop the influx of calories in the first place seems to be the logical way to lose and maintain your weight. However, we are so bombarded by confusing claims everywhere for appetite suppressant pills ~ in print, on the radio, on television, even on billboards when driving, that it is difficult to know which diet pill will really help take off those pounds ~ and keep them off..

Some diet pills will cause your heart to race, your hands to shake, or an overall "wired" feeling. To avoid these problem, stay away from products that contain Ephedra, Ma Huang, and Ephedrine.

One herbal diet pill that has gotten a lot of publicity lately is Hoodia Gordonii The authentic plant comes from the Kalahari desert in South Aftrica. Respectable television shows like 60 Minutes, the Today Show, BBC, and even Oprah's "O" magazine have given it rave reviews for its fast acting appetite suppressing qualities. While it can take one to two weeks to work fully, many users report a decline in their appetite with the first pill.

In fact, Hoodia has had so many positive reports that there are now a lot of knock-off products being marketed to the uninformed ~ especially on the Internet. The real Hoodia is very rare because it takes up to 7 years for the Hoodia plant to mature to a point where it provides appetite suppressant qualities. In addition, the African government is now limiting the amount of Hoodia it exports, meaning only a few suppliers have the real thing. Because Hoodia is so rare, you can expect it to be a little more expensive than other diet pills.

Another diet pill that helps shed pounds is Herbal Phentermine. This is a non-prescription appetite suppressant that is scientifically designed to produce similar effects of a popular Rx version of phentermine.

The good news is that the Herbal version contains only natural ingredients so you don't have to be worried about side effects. Plus, you can avoid the time, expense, and embarrassment of a doctor's visit.

Herbal Phentermine will not only suppress your appetite, but it will also increase your metabolism so you burn more calories and have more energy.

3). Carbohydrate Blockers

Perhaps you prefer not to have your appetite suppressed, but instead would like to eat all of the pasta, bread, rice, and potatoes you want. If this sounds more like your style, then you might want to try a carbohydrate blocker.

Scientists have discovered, and thoroughly tested a method to allow us to eat the foods we love and not gain weight. We can now stop the normal conversion of starchy foods to sugar before it can pass through our digestive system and store as fat on our hips, thighs, buttocks and stomach. Derived from white kidney beans, the resulting carb blockers, (starch neutralizers), are a completely natural product. They work by neutralizing the Alpha amylase enzyme that digests starch.

By neutralizing this digestive enzyme, the starch from our food does not get digested. Instead, it remains intact and does not convert to sugar. It simply passes through the body undigested and acts as a fiber ~ which is a very good thing. We get more fiber going through our intestines while avoiding the conversion to sugar and the resulting fat storage ~ a definite win-win situation.

Over the past several years, there have been many positive studies to determine the effectiveness of carb blockers and their ability to help lose weight. One study was performed at the Northridge Hospital Medical Center in Los Angeles, CA, over an eight week time period.

It reported that participants saw an average weight loss of 200% more than those taking a placebo, and lost an average of 1.5 inches around their waists. This was 43 % more than those taking the placebo. Plus they reported having 13% more energy, even though it is not a stimulant.

Whether you choose patches or pills, prefer to eat starchy foods, or use carb blockers, some things to look for when buying diet products are that they:

1) Contain all natural ingredients
2) Do not have harmful side effects
3) Offer a 100% money back guarantee

1 Pound Of Fat = 3,500 Calories

2010-08-10T02:56:00.000-07:00

There are 3,500 calories in one pound of fat. Thus, if you cut back or work off just 3,500 calories, you will lose an entire pound of fat. While it is possible to cut back on your calorie intake and increase your exercise regimen in order to lose pounds quickly, it is important to note that doctors recommend that you lose no more than 2 pounds of weight per week in order to ensure that your body properly adjusts to the weight loss.

Here are some tips to help you safely drop 3,500 from your regular routine:

Run

Running for about 1 hour at a slow pace will help you lose approximately 350 calories, depending on your body type, speed and terrain. Thus, if you run for one hour five days a week while maintaining a consistent diet, you will safely lose one pound.

It is important to understand that many people who just begin running will eat pasta and other foods high in carbohydrates in order to compensate for the exertion. They think that because they worked out so hard, they deserve a treat. After all, they justify, the pasta will help to keep their energy levels high.

However, what they may not realize is that while they are justified in thinking that the carbohydrates will infuse their workout routine with energy, they are not actually setting their bodies up to lose weight. When you burn 350 calories but intake 450 over a high-carbohydrate pasta dish, you are adding more calories to your body than you otherwise would have.

Running does, however, help to boost our metabolism and change your muscle tone so that you burn calories more efficiently. Instead of inhaling a pasta dish after a run, select instead to have a large salad and splurge for the carbohydrate-rich croutons.

Eat In

When you eat out at a restaurant, not only are you subjecting your body to an array of high fat, high calorie foods, but you are also tempting yourself to eat a larger portion than you might normally eat. Therefore, what could be a simple 500 calories meal can easily turn into a 1500-calorie fat fest. In order to lose weight by cutting calories, it is essential that you are aware of exactly what you are putting into your body. Especially in the beginning of your new routine, it is important that you prepare your meals and monitor your level of hunger.

When eating out, generally you are in a social situation where food is not a priority – but spending time with your friends is. For this reason, people tend to eat more than they normally would. Non-dessert eaters often even spring for the extra round of calories. If you must eat out, help yourself avoid temptation by selecting a salad rather than a plate of pasta or burger. You will be amazed at the difference in the amount of calories you intake when you make simple choices such as meal option.

By reducing your overall calorie intake and increasing your level of physical activity, you will be able to lose those 3,500 calories without much trouble. Make sure that you stay focused, motivated and on task. You’ll shed unwanted weight in no time!

"Fad" Weight Loss Diet

2010-08-09T14:56:00.000-07:00

Overview:

Obesity is a physical state that refers to excessive body fat. Chances are you have experienced the frustrations of dieting at least once in your life, if you have problems with your weight. Close to a hundred million Americans go on a weight loss diet in any given year and up to ninety-five percent of them regain the weight they lose within five years. Worse, a third will gain back more weight than they lost, in danger of "yo-yoing" from one popular diet to another. The conventional approach to weight problems, focusing on fad weight loss diets or weight loss drugs, may leave you with just as much weight and the additional burden of ill health.

Today, an estimated sixty-five percent of all American adults are obese or overweight. Our culture obsesses about staying thin even as we grow fatter, but this isn’t about appearances. Obesity is known to be a precursor to many debilitating health conditions such as cancer, heart disease, diabetes, hypertension, osteoarthritis, and gallbladder disease. Obesity contributes to as many as 375,000 deaths every year. In addition, the public health costs for obesity are staggering. According to researchers at Harvard University, obesity is a factor in 19% of all cases of heart disease with annual health costs estimated at 30 billion dollars; it’s also a factor in 57% of diabetes cases, with health costs of $9 billion per year.

Set Realistic Goals:

No doubt you have fallen for one or more of the weight loss diet schemes over the years, promising quick and painless weight loss. Many of these quick weight loss diet programs undermine your health, cause physical discomfort, flatulence, and ultimately lead to disappointment when you start regaining weight, shortly after losing it. Fad or quick weight loss diet programs generally overstress one type of food. They contravene the fundamental principle of good nutrition - to remain healthy one must consume a balanced diet, which includes a variety of foods. Safe, healthy, and permanent weight reduction is what’s truly lost among the thousands of popular diet schemes.

Some of the weight loss diet schemes reign supreme briefly, only to fade out. While some wane from popularity due to being unproductive or unsafe, some simply lose the public's curiosity. Examples of such fad diets include the South Beach Diet, Atkins diet, the Grapefruit diet, Cabbage Soup diet, the Rotation diet, Beverly Hills diet, Breatharian, Ornish Plan – the list goes on and on. These fad diets advocate a specific technique (such as eliminating a certain food, or eating only certain combinations of foods) in conjunction with the basic idea that the body makes up the difference in energy by breaking down and utilizing some part of itself, essentially converting matter into energy. This self-cannibalism, or catabolism as it is referred, typically starts with breakdown of stored body fat.

9 Ways To Feed Your Soul By Simply Walking

2010-08-09T02:56:00.000-07:00

We live in a culture that honors Type A, driven behaviors. That includes exercise and for many people, it’s taken away the joy out of simply walking. Instead of seeing walking as something you must do to get in shape, see it as a gift of being alive and let yourself fully enjoy the experience.

1) Walk with deep awareness of how it feels to move your body.
2) Experience the act of walking as if you've never, ever done it before.
3) Be aware. Be present in the moment. Really feel your body as you're moving.
4) Pay attention to how your feet feel with each rolling step on the earth.
5) Notice the strength and power in your muscles.
6) Feel yourself moving in space.
7) Observe the wind on your skin and the temperature of the air.
8) Have a beauty feast while you're out. Notice the light coming through the leaves. See the flowers with fresh eyes.
9) Take a fresh look at the world as you move through it. Assume nothing. Experience the wonder of life as if you've never seen anything before. Watch the people as if you'd never seen a human before.

Let walking become a cherished and enriching part of your life. Turn it into something wonderful that you look forward to with both body and soul.

9 Terrible Facts About Hoodia Gordonii

2010-08-08T14:56:00.000-07:00

Everyone has been hearing the news and buzz on the semi miraculous
plant called Hoodia Gordonii which helps to reduce your appetite.
The weight loss gurus are betting their shirts that people who are
very challenged in losing weight will benefit in a big way by regularly digesting hoodia. I will now spell out straight and harsh facts about Hoodia Gordonii that I found online while conducting research about this exotic plant.

Fact #1
There are several species of Hoodia. Hoodia Gordonii in particular, is a rare plant that grows in South Africa.

Fact #2
Hoodia Gordonii is difficult to grow and only grows under certain climatic conditions that the South African region offers.

Fact #3
Hoodia Gordonii is on the Red List of endangered species—meaning—it
may become extinct in the near future.

Fact #4
Only Hoodia Gordonii has the molecule that effectively suppresses one’s appetite.

Fact #5
Because of its scarcity, authentic Hoodia is expensive; so if you see Hoodia in ads advertised for $20-30.00 per bottle, close your wallet and run!

Fact #6
The current supply of pure Hoodia is quickly diminishing; thus, it’s growing tougher to find 100% pure Hoodia any where.

Fact #7
Because of the rising demand for Hoodia and the fast depleting supply of the real stuff, many dishonest vendors are brazenly lying in their promotional ads and selling either fake or inferior Hoodia Gordonii under popular brand names. Be extremely careful which Hoodia product you consider ordering.

Fact #8
The FDA does not regulate the supply of real Hoodia which means that you can easily end up buying fake Hoodia at your local health store or online.

Fact #9
There exists an overabundance of counterfeit Hoodia in comparison to
the 100% pure stuff available through a few honest vendors.

Your absolute best bet to avoid buying fake or inferior Hoodia is simply to properly educate yourself about this amazing plant before you place your first or next order.

8 Ways To Create Balance To Achieve Lasting Weight Loss

2010-08-08T02:56:00.000-07:00

Need to lose weight? Dreading the thought of another diet program? You don’t have to follow diets to lose weight. There are many people discovering this for themselves and they are the ones who are finding long term weight loss apposed to short term fixes. The key to weight loss is finding the right balance of what you eat, what you think, and what activity you do. It is not about following a perfect plan. It is impossible to be perfect every day! Finding the right balance helps you to decrease your calorie intake, increase your metabolism and keeps the self-sabotage at bay. Here are 8 steps to bring more balance into all corners of your life so you too can find weight loss success.

1. Eat more frequently during the day-
Skipping meals or waiting too long between meals can have a negative impact on your metabolism and results in overeating later in the day. It’s best to have 3 small meals and 1-2 snacks throughout the day. You will feel more satisfied and eat less. Plan to have a snack or meal every 4-5 hours.

2. Watch portion sizes-
Appropriate portion sizes are still quite misunderstood. Most Americans are eating 2-3 times the recommended portion sizes. Limit your grains, cereals, pastas, and rice to ½ - 1 cup serving sizes. Keep meat, poultry and fish to 4-ounce portion sizes. Restaurants are notorious for giving extremely large servings of food. Keep this in mind when eating out. Eat half of the food on your plate or take the rest home for lunch the next day. Studies show that when people are given large portion sizes, they eat up to 56% more calories without realizing it. To add insult to injury, our portion sizes are larger than they have ever been. Start to become more aware of the portions you are served wherever you are.

3. Eat the right fats-
Yes some fat is important. Omega 3 fatty acids are an important strategy for weight loss success and yet most Americans are not eating enough of these healthy fats. Some reports show these fatty acids may be helpful in increasing your metabolism. They are also shown to be a wonderful mood supporter and people report significantly less food cravings and triggers to eat when they incorporate omega 3 fatty acids on a daily basis. This is especially important for any emotional eaters out there. Omega 3’s are found in fatty fish such as salmon, mackerel, cod; they are also found in canola oil, walnuts, and ground flax seeds.

4. Increase fruits and vegetables-
Fruits and vegetables are not only packed with important vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, they are also loaded in fiber and low in calories. Include 5-8 fruits and vegetables every day. This is one of the most important diet changes you can make. When you fill your plate up with fruits and vegetables you eat less of the higher calorie foods. For example, let’s take a sample steak dinner.

Original meal:
8 ounce steak
Whole baked potato with fixings
½ cup steamed broccoli

Meal Makeover:
4 ounce steak
½ baked potato with fixings
½ cup steamed broccoli
Side salad with mixed greens, tomatoes, and 1 tbsp light vinaigrette dressing

By changing the balance of this meal to include more vegetables while decreasing the steak and potato we saved approximately 350 calories. Saving 350 calories daily can result in almost a 1 pound weight loss per week. Small changes are the key.

5. Eat when you’re hungry, stop when you’re full-
Our bodies have an innate weight management mechanism. It performs this task by making you feel full when it is time to stop eating. Every time you eat past full you are taking in more calories than your body needs which will result in weight gain. Start to become more aware of your internal cues for hunger and satiety (fullness). You will be amazed how many times you wait too long to eat and how often you eat past full and enter into stuffed. It’s common for all of us to do this from time to time. However, it’s time to check in with yourself and see how often you are falling into these food patterns. Listen to your body, it will tell you when you are physically ready for food and when you are ready to stop.

6. Exercise regularly-
I know, this isn’t anything you haven’t heard before but it is a crucial part of weight management. It is important to engage in regular aerobic and weight bearing activity. The aerobic exercise helps you to burn the fat and weight bearing activity increases your metabolic rate. Muscle burns up to 90% more calories than fat. The more muscle mass you have, the more calories you will burn in a day. By adding three to five pounds of muscle you could actually burn 100 - 250 additional calories a day. This combination of aerobic and weight bearing activity is what really kicks weight loss into gear.

7. Limit sugar-
Sugar becomes a major issue for many people wanting to lose weight. Not only does it add calories, it also causes insulin spikes leading you to store more calories as fat, it stimulates your appetite, and is a major food trigger for emotional eaters. However, it doesn’t mean you need to go all or nothing. When people try to omit all sugar from their diet they can become obsessed about sugary foods and end up in a binge. Find the right balance for sugar. Avoid daily use of sugar and instead have some guiltless treats once in awhile. A little cake at a birthday party or some ice-cream with friends is a good way to incorporate sugar once in awhile to avoid the negative outcomes.

8. Pamper yourself regularly-
Who wants to argue with that?! The reality is many people eat for emotional reasons. Food makes us feel good on many levels. The problem occurs when eating becomes the only coping mechanism your subconscious knows of. This is why that pesky urge to emotionally eat is so strong. It is hard to reason your way out of it. For many people food is the only thing they know that makes them feel better. When you start to do other things that make you feel good on a regular basis such as taking a hot bath, going for a walk, having a hot cup of tea; then your subconscious starts to register these activities as coping mechanisms as well. Over time this will decrease the constant urge to use food. You can’t expect to have a bad day, go take a bath and not have an urge to eat. It is something you need to do regularly and something you truly enjoy so your subconscious starts to recognize it as a new choice.

© 2005, Meri Raffetto

8 reason to lose weight now

2010-08-07T14:56:00.000-07:00

Obesity is the second leading cause of death after smoking. It is associated with an increased mortality rate of all ages including children. Losing weight though commercialized is still to your benefit if you carry more weight than you should.

Obesity and overweight are term often used interchangeably. However, technically they refer to two different states.

Being overweight technically means excess body mass. This includes all the body tissues. Obesity on the other hand refers explicitly to excess body fat e.g. a professional heavy weight body builder is overweight because of excess muscles but is not obese.

Obesity is what should concern you. Losing weight is no longer an issue you can afford to procrastinate, and probably a good health scare is in order.

Reason #1 to lose weight

Diabetes:- It is well known that 80 -90% of type-two-diabetes patients are overweight. Diabetes is the third leading cause of death in the U.S., as well as the leading cause of adult blindness in the world. One of the direct causes of obesity is eating wrong foods. Some of these wrong foods include high glycemic foods. High glycemic foods are energy dense foods that quickly increase the level of blood glucose in your body after been eaten. This results to the body reserving the unnecessarily high glucose/energy into fat. This makes losing weight very difficult.

Releasing a hormone called insulin does this. Type-Two-diabetes occurs because the body cannot produce enough insulin to remove the excess blood glucose and store it as body fat. This will occur after straining insulin production for some time. And that’s how you end up being fat and diabetic.

Reason #2 to lose weight

Stroke:- Obesity is associated with arteriosclerosis, the build up of fatty deposits in the arteries through out your body. This makes them narrow slowing blood flow and among other things increases risk of the blood clotting. Arteries at risk include those supplying blood to the brain. If clotting occurs due to narrowed artery, it blocks blood supply to an area of the brain resulting to stroke. Losing weight reduces this risk.

Reason #3 to lose weight

Cancer:- The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates between 25% - 33% of cancer world wide are overweight and physical inactivity related. Body fat evidently promotes higher levels of insulin production and excess estoregens, a hormone. Both insulin and estorogens accelerate cell division.

[Probably to create adipose tissue; new fat cells to store fat, in addition to the regular cell division]

As research has indicated, the faster cells duplicate the more they increase chances of a cancerous cell developing. The situation is further complicated as the rapid cell division caused by the excess hormones lead also to rapid cell reproduction of the one cancerous cell, hence cancer starts to develop actively. In addition fat cells tend to keep carcinogenic i.e. cancer-causing agents, trapped in the body which increases chances of developing cancer.

Types of cancers you will be at high risk to get include:-

Breast cancer- affecting the breast possibly in both men and women.

Colorectal cancer- affecting colon and rectum.

Prostrate cancer- affecting the prostrate gland in men.

Endometrial cancer- affecting the uterus.

Esophageal cancer- affecting the esophagus.

Renal cell cancer, the cancer of the kidney, etc.

Reason #4 to lose weight

Respiratory problems:- Obesity causes lungs to “become smaller” in size and chest wall become heavier to lift in the process of breathing in. The most common respiratory problem is sleep apnea. Sleep apnea is a condition where by an individual stops breathing for some time while asleep. A soft tissue in the throat collapses around the air way probably due to weight, blocking it. For the severely obese sleep apnea may get more complicated with hypoventilation. Hypoventilation is accumulation of toxic levels of carbon dioxide (the gas we breathe out) in the blood, due to inadequate breathing. Losing weight would be the only permanent safe and healthy solution to sleep apnea.

Reason #5 to lose weight

Urinary Incontinence:- This is involuntary release of urine. Being overweight can contribute to urinary incontinence. A heavy abdomen due to body fat deposit may cause valve of urinary bladder to be weakened. The weight also exerts pressure on the urinary bladder, trying to push urine out. This results to leakage of urine when coughing, sneezing or laughing. This is because of a slight relaxation of the bladder valve that normally will not result to leakage. It can even result to bed wetting at night. This particular problem can be a very effective motivator to lose weight.

Reason #6 to lose weight

Varicose veins:- Also known as Venous Stratis Disease. The leg and thigh muscles assist the heart in blood circulation just like most large muscles in the body. They are involved in pumping blood against gravity back to the heart with the help of valves that close to avoid a backward flow. Pressure as a result of a large abdomen may increase the work load on the valves eventually causing damage. Damaged valves then allow for blood to back up, due to gravity, causing high pressure in these veins leading to swelling, thickening of skin and skin ulcers.

Reason #7 to lose weight

High Blood Pressure:- The BMI (Body Mass Index) and age together are the strongest indicator of risk of hypertension or high blood pressure. At least a third of hypertension is related to obesity.

Reason #8 to lose weight

Other Diseases:- Other diseases which MAY occur as a result of being overweight include;

Gout
Coronary heart disease
Lower back pains
Osteoarthritis
Rheumatoid Arthritis
Gall stones
Pregnancy disorders such as
Neural tube defect,
Prenatal mortality,
Maternal hypertension,
Gestational diabetes etc.
Impaired immune response
Liver disease
Pancreatitis
Bad body smell
Depression

Research shows that even modest weight loss of even 10 pound for the overweight significantly reduces the risk of developing these diseases. Weight loss is in fact a challenge taken by many every year.

Unfortunately many fail in this healthy endeavor. And all because of one thing; they lack proper information on effective weight loss. Effective weight loss is permanent, and a permanent weight loss depends fundamentally on four factors. These four are what we at Health-eMark call the ‘Top 4 Reasons for Weight Loss Failure’.

8 mistakes I made while trying to lose weight

2010-08-07T02:56:00.001-07:00

I went on my first diet around five years ago. Over the past four and a half years my weight went up and down as I tried every diet and exercise program under the sun. Nothing seemed to work for me. Until six months ago I enrolled in a weight workshop which taught me that I need to change the way I look at food. It was then that I realized that I had made many mistakes in my quest to lose weight.

In this article I’m going to share with you eight mistakes I made on my quest to lose weight. I hope by sharing my experiences with others throughout the world via the internet I might be able to help people avoid the mistakes I made. So, here are the eight mistakes I made while trying to lose weight.

1. I started to skip breakfast
Most people trying to lose weight believe simply eating less and skipping meals helps shed that fat. And breakfast is a real easy meal to skip. This is one of the biggest mistakes you can make when on a weight loss diet. If you leave the house in the morning on an empty stomach you’re much more tempted to eat more at morning tea and lunch times. And, calories you eat at breakfast time are easily burnt throughout the day.

2. I would eat one day and not the next
I would literally eat about 2000+ calories one day, feel guilty, and end up eating about 700 calories the following day. If you “starve” yourself throughout the day you’re much more likely to eat more in the evenings, which is not going to help you lose weight. You should consume most of your calories in the morning.

3. I bought diet food
When I went shopping I always looked for the foods marked diet, low-fat, healthy etc. This is a good practice to get into, but I was buying these foods for the wrong reason. I bought these foods because in my mind it meant I could more. I would totally disregard portion size. If you eat diet foods in large portions you’re not doing yourself any favors.

4. I thought I’d always be fat
This is mindset that you must break if you want to lose some serious weight. Sometimes it feels like you’re doing the right things and not making any progress, this is totally natural. You need to focus on being happy and healthy and achieving your goals. Try not to get caught up in “the big picture”.

5. I started eating salads as main meals
Eating salad is a good way of keeping your calorie intake down right? Yes, meal of salad has much less calories that a pizza but does it have the satisfaction? When you eat you mind needs to get some satisfaction from what you have just eaten. I found that when I ate salads for meals a few hours later I was back I the cupboard looking for more food. I learnt that I was better off eating a balanced meal with slightly more calories than simply eating a salad and snacking afterwards.

6. I started my new diets on Mondays
When I found a new diet that I decided I was going to try I always started it on a Monday. This meant I would eat all weekend like I was never going to eat again. Doing this I was just setting myself up for failure.

7. I was to embarrassed to go to the gym
Taking the plunge and joining a gym was one of the hardest things I ever did. I was always worried that people in the gym would be staring at me and talking about me. I really thought I was too fat to join. My advice is to join a gym! You’ll be glad you did. I look forward to going to the gym now.

8. I set my goals to high
Setting long term goals is great, but these goals always seem to far off. You need to set smaller, more reachable goals that you can regularly meet to keep your motivation high. Set yourself weekly, monthly and three monthly goals. Once you meet one short term goal set a new one for next week.

So there you have it, those are the mistakes I made. I now look at weight loss from a totally different perspective and it has paid off. I now help others with weight loss and keeping healthy.

21 Secrets of Fit People

2009-03-09T08:42:00.000-07:00

1. Keep a water bottle with you at all times and drink from it often. Water *is* the drink of choice, but if you don’t enjoy it (I admit it… I don’t), drink Propel, Diet Ice, Reebok Water, Vitamin Water or some other form of healthy fluid intake.

2. Think twice before deciding what to eat and why, making sure that it is healthy and will provide you good nutrition.

3. Measure intake based on activity, not how you "feel.” Need should mandate intake, not mood.

4. Eat well-balanced meals and remember that excessive calories, even if they are fat-free and high protein will turn to excess weight!

5. If your diet is unbalanced, try a daily vitamin and mineral supplements for total health. 6. Limit caffeine and exposure to even second hand smoke.

6. Focus on short-term fitness goals with an emphasis on completing daily exercise.

7. Keep a daily log of what you’re actually eating… this includes grabbing a handful of chips here, the crust of your kids sandwich, and all your snacking.

8. Stick with eating plans you can maintain indefinitely. Remember that no matter how hard you’re working out, if you’re consuming too many calories, you’ll never see the muscles that lie beneath layers of fatty tissue.

9. Enjoy an occasional (once a week) “unhealthy” treat, but never an “unhealthy” week or “unhealthy” vacation.

10. Limit alcohol intake to special occasions.

11. See fitness and health as a privilege, not something to take for granted.

12. Enjoy contributing to the health of others by having a partner or friend to exercise with, as well as recruiting others who desire to feel better and have more energy.

13. Avoid monotony by taking up new forms of exercising or using things that keep you motivated and inspired like new shoes or great music.

14. Work to take your exercise to new levels of intensity.

15. Subscribe to fitness magazines to keep focused on health as an overall way of life.

16. Invest in the right tools, good shoes, a health club membership, a portable MP3 player, fitness equipment, a personal trainer, etc.

17. Don’t compare your body to others. Instead, work to be your personal best.

18. Move beyond the boundaries of weight loss and into total fitness. Measure success by the way your clothes fit, and not a number on a scale.

19. Make it your goal to do some form of exercise 6-7 days a week.

20. Create an exercise schedule the day before, instead of leaving it to chance or waiting to “find” the time. If our last two Presidents of the United States can find the time to work-out 5 days a week, you can find the time too!

21. Get adequate amounts of sleep. Remember that people who exercise regularly fall asleep faster and sleep more soundly

http://www.proactol.com

10 Tips To Reduce Fat In Your Diet

2009-03-09T08:38:00.000-07:00

1. Steam, boil, broil, or microwave vegetables, or stir-fry them in a small amount of vegetable oil.

2. Season vegetables with herbs and spices rather than sauces, butter, or margarine.

3. Try lemon juice or fat-free dressing on salad, or use a yogurt based dressing instead of mayonnaise or
sour cream dressing.

4. To reduce saturated fat, use vegetable oil or tub margarine instead of butter or stick margarine when
possible.

5. Replace whole milk with skim or low-fat milk in puddings, soups, and baked products. Substitute plain
nonfat yogurt, blender-whipped cottage cheese, low-fat sour cream, or buttermilk in recipes that call for sour cream.

6. Choose lean cuts of meat, and trim any visible fat from meat before and after cooking. Remove skin from
poultry before or after cooking. Monitor portion sizes. (Lean meats end in "loin".)

7. Roast, bake, or broil meat, poultry, or fish, so that fat drains away as the food cooks.

8. Use a nonstick pan for cooking so added fat will be unnecessary, use a vegetable spray for frying.

9. Chill broths from meat or poultry until the fat becomes solid. Spoon off the fat before using the broth.

10. Eat a low-fat vegetarian main dish at least once a week.

http://www.proactol.com

9 Tips to Stop Food Cravings and Help You With Your Diet

2009-03-09T08:35:00.000-07:00

Most of us are "regular" people. We don't eat the perfect diet
all the time and have our struggles with food, same as everyone
else. But having an awareness of this fact and knowing a little
bit about our health and food nutrition can help when it comes to
making wise decisions.

Many people struggle with food "cravings." Studies tell us that
it's fairly common for food cravings to happen at certain times,
quite often at around bedtime. Your guard may be down, you may
have had an unusually hard day, and off you go on your
not-so-merry way to find that tasty treat. Fatigue and stress
often combine to take their toll on the best of intentions.

When food cravings are unconstrained, what starts out as a
bedtime snack quickly turns into a full blown feeding
frenzy...not something most of us fully understand or appreciate.
We head to kitchen and every other place where food can hide,
clearing a path as we go.

Most food cravings are not about satisfying a nutritional need or
imbalance. They seem to be more emotionally related, or God
forbid, are caused by plain old gluttony. Exactly why we
over-indulge is not completely understood, however our knowledge
about this subject continues to grow.

Listed below are some thoughts and ideas about food cravings:

- If the food isn't available, you can't eat it! Empty the cookie
jar and keep it that way! Keep healthy food choices on-hand.

- Recognize the feelings and emotions that lead-up to a food
craving. Do you have food cravings when you’re bored, lonely, or
stressed? If you can identify a trigger, you can deal with the
emotion that’s making you desire a certain food. Try to deal with
the triggers in the best way you can.

- Sometimes, even recognizing that a craving is about to happen
doesn't seem to help. Don't beat yourself-up. There is always
tomorrow. Call a friend, make good use of your support network
and share your feelings with someone.

- Get enough sleep. When you’re tired, you’re more likely to
crave things.

- Never give-up. When you "slip", press-in, bear-down, get a
grip, do whatever is necessary to re-gain control. Try to
practice restraint most of the time, but don't get legalistic and
un-balanced in your weight loss approach. Think moderation and
not abstinence at all times!

- Understand that self-control and discipline by themselves,
won't cut it! If you depend totally on yourself for control, you
will fail. Forming caring and supportive relationships is
required. If you do not currently have a support network, start
building one TODAY.

- Exercise. It increases feel-good endorphins that cut down on
your cravings. Try to get at least 30 minutes of physical
activity every day.

- Use moderation. Instead of stuffing yourself with every kind of
food hoping that your craving will go away, eat 100 to 200
calories of your "craved" food.

- Substitute with low-fat foods and complex carbs. If you’re
hungry for chocolate, eat non-fat chocolate yogurt. Try fig bars
or raisins for a sweet craving.

- Never skip a meal. Eat every three to five hours. Try six
smaller meals or regular meals with nutritious snacks.

- Understand that hunger craving are oftentimes stress related.
Practice other ways to treat chronic stress – a walk in the park,
spiritual connections, a cozy fireplace, baths...all these
stimulate neurochemicals that activate regions of the brain that
stimulate pleasure. Relaxation techniques may work by reducing
the psychological drives on stress output, which can be the root
causes of stress. Bottom line, substitute pleasurable experiences
for comfort foods.

- Beware of certain medications. They can stimulate appetite.
Drugs used for the treatment of depression and bipolar disorder
can be appetite stimulants. Other drugs, both prescription and
over the counter, may influence appetite as well. If you are on a
medication, and troubled by food cravings, discuss this with your
doctor or pharmacist. You may be able to find an alternative that
doesn't send your cravings out of control.

- Distract Yourself. What's that old expression...idle hands are
the devils workshop? Get busy. Do anything other than cave-in to
your desire for food, and keep doing it until the cravings
subside.

- One final thought, take a look inside your refrigerator and
kitchen cabinets and do some general "house cleaning." Throw-out
all that unhealthy stuff that is waiting to sabotage your diet,
and start shopping more wisely. A little forethought and careful
planning will go a long way for improving your chances of
success.

Eat wisely, be happy, and live long!

The information contained in this article is for educational purposes
only and is not intended to medically diagnose, treat or cure any
disease. Consult a health care practitioner before beginning any
health care program.

http://www.proactol.com

7 Bad Eating Habits You Should Change Immediately

2009-03-09T08:26:00.000-07:00

People are obsessed with dieting and weight loss! Don't believe
me? Just tune-in to any source of advertising...you're instantly
bombarded with the latest diet schemes and "Hollywood" food
fads.

Here in America, we have built a thriving industry trying to
control our weight and treat the consequences of over-indulgence.
The cost of weight loss and obesity related health care
treatments is staggering...Americans alone spend around $114
billion every year! And even with all this interest in losing
weight, we continue to pack on the pounds like never before...

- A whopping 64 percent of U.S. adults are either overweight or
obese...up about eight percent from earlier estimates.

- Among children and teens ages 6-19, 15 percent or almost nine
million are overweight...triple the rate in 1980!

- Nearly one-third of all adults are now classified as obese.

For Americans, modern life may be getting TOO easy. Our cushy
lifestyle means we expend less energy and consequently need fewer
calories to sustain our normal body weight.

Think about it for a moment...

Entertainment no longer requires energy expenditure. In fact,
it's usually quite the opposite. We now entertain ourselves in
the comfort of our own home while watching TV and munching on our
favorite snack. Whether it's television, computers, remote
controls, or automobiles, we are moving less and burning fewer
calories. Common activities that were once a part of our normal
routine have disappeared...activities like climbing stairs,
pushing a lawn mower or walking to get somewhere.

And please do not misunderstand me...I appreciate comfortable
living just as much as the next person. But, here is the
problem...

With all of our modern day conveniences and "cushy" style of
living we have not adjusted our caloric intake to compensate for
our decreased caloric expenditure. We consume more calorie rich
and nutrient deficient foods than ever before. Consider a few of
the following examples comparing what we eat "today" vs the
1970's (U.S. Department of Agriculture survey):

- We are currently eating more grain products, but almost all of
them are refined grains (white bread, etc.). Grain consumption
has jumped 45 percent since the 1970's, from 138 pounds of grains
per person per year to 200 pounds! Only 2 percent of the wheat
flour is consumed as whole wheat.

- Our consumption of fruits and vegetables has increased, but
only because French fries and potato chips are included as
vegetables. Potato products account for almost a third of our
"produce" choices.

- We're drinking less milk, but we've more than doubled our
cheese intake. Cheese now outranks meat as the number one source
of saturated fat in our diets.

- We've cut back on red meat, but have more than made up for the
loss by increasing our intake of chicken (battered and fried), so
that overall, we're eating 13 pounds more meat today than we did
back in the 1970's.

- We're drinking three times more carbonated soft drinks than
milk, compared to the 1970's, when milk consumption was twice
that of pop.

- We use 25 percent less butter, but pour twice as much vegetable
oil on our food and salads, so our total added fat intake has
increased 32 percent.

- Sugar consumption has been another cause of our expanding
waistlines. Sugar intake is simply off the charts. People are
consuming roughly twice the amount of sugar they need each day,
about 20 teaspoons on a 2000 calorie/day diet. The added sugar is
found mostly in junk foods, such as pop, cake, and cookies. In
1978, the government found that sugars constituted only 11
percent of the average person's calories. Now, this number has
ballooned to 16 percent for the average American adult and as
much as 20 percent for American teenagers!

Unfortunately, it would seem that the days of wholesome and
nutritious family dinners are being replaced by fast food and
eating on-the-run. We have gradually come to accept that it's
"OK" to sacrifice healthy foods for the sake of convenience and
that larger serving portions equate to better value.

It's time recognize that we are consuming too many calories and
time to start doing something about it! Each of us can decide
TODAY that healthy eating and exercise habits WILL become a
normal part of our life!

We can begin by exploring our values, thoughts and habits...
slowly and deliberately weed-out the unhealthy habits and
activities and start living a more productive and rewarding life.
And remember, it has taken a long time to develop bad habits, so
be patient as you work toward your goal!

The information contained in this article is for educational purposes
only and is not intended to medically diagnose, treat or cure any
disease. Consult a health care practitioner before beginning any
health care program.

http://www.proactol.com

6 Reasons to Exercise During Pregnancy

2009-03-09T08:25:00.001-07:00

Everyone knows that exercise is good for your health. Exercising during pregnancy can have additional benefits. Generally, exercise should be light, especially during the first few weeks of pregnancy while your body adjusts to the changes. Heavy exercise can divert blood flow from crucial areas and most women that exercise regularly should tone down their workouts during pregnancy.

Walking, swimming, and yoga are two popular exercise activities suitable for pregnant women. Other forms of exercise like weight lifting are okay too as long as it is not too strenuous. Most experts recommend exercising 3-4 times a week, unless a medical condition prevents it. If in doubt, always consult a physician first. Listed below are some of the top reasons for exercising during pregnancy.

Exercise can reduce the length of labor and reduce recovery times. The right exercise routines will increase stamina needed for delivery.

Improve emotional health - exercise lowers stress and improves emotional health and can make it easier for the new mother to get through the experience of pregnancy.

Exercise can help with weight management after the child is born. A common concern with most mothers is losing weight after pregnancy. Exercising during pregnancy can make postpartum weight loss easier.

Exercise is good for your unborn baby. By keeping your body healthy, you are also helping out your baby.

Reduced pregnancy side effects - Symptoms like headaches, fatigue, swelling, and constipation are common in pregnant women. Exercising has been shown to reduce the occurence of these symptoms.

Decrease risk of premature birth - exercise has been shown in studies to decrease the risk of premature birth by about 50%.

Make sure to drink plenty of fluids before exercising, have a nutritious diet, and avoid over exertion. Also, listen to your body - if you start feeling sick or nauseous, then you should stop and rest.

http://www.proactol.com

5 Proven Ways to Safely Make Positive Life Changes

2009-03-09T08:23:00.000-07:00

One of the most important aspects of living a healthy and
prosperous life is understanding "risk." By this I mean knowing
how to understand and analyze situations in life that affect
health. Being able to accurately weigh benefits and risks when
making health decisions is very important! Too often decisions
are based on incomplete or inaccurate information and this is a
huge mistake with significant consequences!

Failure to accurately assess risk keeps people locked in all
kinds of unhealthy situations including poor eating and exercise
habits (lifestyle), relationships and jobs. Sometimes people are
just afraid to step out and make a change. They see "risk" in
making a change when the REAL risk comes from NOT making a
change. From my perspective, living with the stress, unhappiness
and frustration of indecision and poor health is the greatest
risk of all, and one that is definitely not worth taking!

Accessing "risk" is nothing more than collecting information,
weighing the alternatives and then making appropriate decisions
based on the information.

Some risks to our health are more "real" than others. For
example, it is common knowledge that obesity is associated with a
wide variety of health problems. On the other hand, there are
some health risks that are so remote we rarely think about them.
On a practical level, eating highly processed foods and avoiding
a daily dose of fresh fruits and vegetables is rarely considered
serious. But, as too many have already discovered, the long range
consequences of this practice are real and devastating.

Failure to accurately assess risk limits us in many ways. We
imagine the "risk" of talking with our children about drugs,
dating or sex and we put off having the "talk," even though the
risks of NOT talking are infinitely greater. Fear of flying and
public speaking are two more "risks" affecting millions of
people. But practically speaking, these fears are unfounded.
People ride in cars every day, even though cars are far more
dangerous than commercial aircraft! It's a failure to accurately
assess risk, and it limits our health, prosperity and pleasure in
life.

The goods news is that failure to accurately access risk is
reversible! The effects of those decisions to eat inappropriately
or NOT to exercise are, as the common expression goes,
"do-overs." We can effect positive change in our lives by
following a few simple steps to accurately access risk:

1. Accurately define your present situation and access your
health "risks". Are you eating a healthy diet? Are you getting
enough exercise and good quality sleep? What are the consequences
if you DON'T change? Weigh the benefits of healthier living vs
the potential risks such as increased cost, inconvenience or
discomfort.

2. What do you stand to gain if you change your present
circumstances? Assess the "up-side" potential. Too often we look
only at the "downside" risk and forget the benefits. What good
things might happen if you take the risk and win?

3. Limit the "down-side" if you happen to make a wrong decision.
Don't continue down a path if it does not produce results. This
is especially important when following weight loss programs. If
the pounds are not coming off or if the weight loss is only
temporary, find a new program! You not only want to lose weight,
but want to sustain the weight loss for as long as possible. Take
steps to ensure this will happen. Clear, concise, realistic
objectives will definitely help.

4. Reduce your risk by being smart! Understand the situation and
seek the advice of experts in the field of health and nutrition.
This includes finding and forming partnerships to receive support
and get good advice.

5. Have a fall-back position. If the decision you make fails to
produce the desired results, be prepared to take a long, hard
look at the circumstances and be prepared to change what you are
doing.

Everything in life involves some element of risk. Driving your
car, meeting someone new, crossing the street...but we do them
every day. Winners in life are willing to accept the risk and
continue on their way! Get involved, be smart about how you play
the game, come prepared for a few failures along the way, but
don't quite. You will reap the benefits for your effort and live
a happier and healthier life. I like to remember the words of the
great Winston Churchill when he said, "Never, never, never give
up!"

The information contained in this article is for educational purposes
only and is not intended to medically diagnose, treat or cure any
disease. Consult a health care practitioner before beginning any
health care program.

http://www.proactol.com

5 Easy Ways A Treadmill Helps You Lose Weight

2009-03-09T08:21:00.000-07:00

So why are treadmills STILL the #1 home exercise machines with shoppers? Because they get results!

Here are the top 5 ways home treadmill workouts can help you lose weight and get into great shape!

#1: A Treadmill Helps You Burn MORE Calories by Battling Exercise Boredom

We all know that in order to lose weight, get firm and fight gravity's pull, exercise is a must! But what do you do if you don't LIKE working out?

What if you get bored or don't like logging hours in the gym with all those muscle boys or short-shorts women?

One viable option is the home treadmill, because of all the things it allows you to do to FORGET that you are exercising in the first place!

You can set it up in front of the television and watch your favorite episode of ER or Oprah. An hour will fly by and you won't even notice that you've been walking (or running)!

Many treadmills also come with a magazine or book rack. What about walking uphill (a MEGA calorie burner) while reading your favorite mazagine or novel?

How easy is that?

And the more you enjoy your workout (or the more you can forget that you're exercising) , the more time you'll spend burning calories on your treadmill.

#2: The Treadmill is Unmatched For Workout Versatility.

Most funky fly-by-night exercise gadgets only allow you to do one thing. One repetitive motion that your body quickly adapts to (and that means less calories burned.)

A treadmill - on the other hand - gives you a lot of workout versatility so your body continues to be challenged to burn calories.

If you're just starting an exercise program you can start with a slow walk and then speed it up as your body gets into better shape. If you're training for a marathon, you can run at a steady pace and even build in sprints.

You can power walk or do a slow steady jog. Many treadmills will let you walk uphill. Some even come with handweights so you can build in upper body exercise as well.

There are countless ways you can vary your workout with a treadmill so that you continue to challenge your body and burn calories.

#3: A Treadmill Helps You Burn MORE Calories by Increasing Your Exercise Frequency

Did you know that a new 3 year study conducted by the University of Stanford's Graduate School of Business has found that consumers are overpaying for gym services?

The study concludes that most people overestimate how often they will use their gym membership and that most don't visit the gym often enough to justify their membership costs.

Perhaps the reason may be that many people just don't have the time to go. But here's where a home treadmill can help you actually increase your workout time and frequency.

Did you know that experts tell us that two 15-minute workouts can give us the same exercise benefits as one 30-minute workout?

Here's where a home treadmill can help:

A treadmill allows you to split your workouts up into mini-workouts and still burn just as many calories!

Maybe you want to go for a 15 minute wake-up walk in the morning. Maybe it's a 20-minute light jog at lunch. What about a 10-minute power walk just before dinner to curb your appetite or fight night-time boredom?

Whether it's 5 minutes, 10 minutes, 15 or 20, it all adds up in weight loss. With a treadmill, YOU'RE in charge of your workout time.

#4: A Home Treadmill Gives You the Benefit of All-Year-Round ANY Time Exercise!

Ok, here it is - one of the MOST IMPORTANT benefits of having a home treadmill:

CONVENIENCE, CONVENIENCE, CONVENIENCE

If you live in northern climates you know that walking or jogging in the snow and ice is NOT fun. What about when it's raining? Scratch exercise off the list!

A home treadmill can be one of the best exercise comforts around because you can use it regardless of the weather or time of day.

AND you can also exercise in any type of clothing that you want (no worrying about wearing that ratty t-shirt to the gym!).

#5: By Using the Large Muscles in Your Legs, A Treadmill Helps You Burn MAJOR FAT Calories

A recent Woman's World article made the startling claim that, contrary to popular belief, gentle walking is one of the BEST ways to burn fat!

Why?

It seems that gentle walking allows your body to go STRAIGHT to the fat stores for energy instead of first depleting your sugar (glycogen) stores (used by your body for quick energy).

Not only that, there's been countless studies including one by the American Medical Association, that rank a treadmill as the #1 cardiovascular machine for losing weight and burning calories.

Working the larger muscles in your legs burns maximum calories which means more weight lost. You can even increase your calories-burned by walking uphill which uses even more muscles!

Given all their benefits it's no wonder that treadmill sales have continued to skyrocket over the past five years with more and more people starting their own fitness and weight loss programs at home.

So if you want to lose weight and get into great shape, a treadmill can be an excellent investment to help you to achieve your goals. No matter what you decide be sure to have fun and make your health a priority!

http://www.proactol.com

5 Easy Steps To Help You Lose Weight

2009-03-09T08:05:00.000-07:00

When loosing weight, most of us don't have the time to drastically change our lifestyles. We need a practical and convenient way to integrate effective habits into our daily lives. The following steps are easy and practical ways to get you on the track to loosing weight and feeling better.

1. Drink Water! Water doesn't just help quench your thirst. All metabolic processes within the body utilize H2O and drinking plenty of it helps your body function optimally. It also helps you feel your best---many of the common daily headaches and fatigues we experience can result from a lack of water intake.

2. Eat Breakfast! Many Americans fail to realize the true value of a morning meal. It not only boosts energy for the long day ahead, but keeps your metabolism regulated. Skipping a meal can put the body into "survival mode" which means that it actually begins storing and saving fat as opposed to burning it.

3. Exercise! There is no easy way around it: successful and sustained weight loss requires a commitment to physical activity. The best way to be loyal to physical activity is to work it into each day. Take a small part of each day to go for a walk, do aerobics, do yoga, or whatever other type of activity you enjoy. Mix it up so that you don't get bored with it. Soon, you will not only get used to it, but you will feel better too!

4. Choose Variety! Don't let popular dieting trends fool you: Carbs are good for you too! In fact, carbohydrates are what your brain run on and are very important for proper body functions. Following a high-protein diet over a long period of time can not only cause headaches, but also places considerable stress on the kidney. The important thing is to eat a variety of foods. This includes fruits, vegetables and even carbs. Just remember to be smart about the types of carbs you eat:: whole wheat instead of white.

5. Eat Slowly! We all get in a hurry from time to time, but it is important to take the time to listen to our bodies. Eating quickly doesn't give our bodies time to tell our brains that we have eaten enough. Consequently, we continue eating and are left filling stuffed and bloated. Eating more slowly allows us to recognize when we actually have eaten enough and stop—it also helps us savour and enjoy the food we do eat.

Essential to loosing weight is giving our bodies what they need. This means drinking plenty of water, eating timely and proper meals, staying active, and giving our body the time to tell us when it is full. Our bodies will reward us for our attention

http://www.proactol.com

4 Great Diet Tips

2009-03-09T06:55:00.000-07:00

Here are 4 diet tips we all need reminded of from time to time.

Diet Tip 1: Never eat standing up.

Mom was right. Sit down and eat your food! Never eat standing up. One of the easiest ways to sabotage your diet is to 'eat without thinking'. Fix yourself a plate. Sit down and eat properly. You'll be less likely to just pop food into your mouth without paying attention.

Diet Tip 2: Fluids

Drinking plain water is always top choice on a diet. You can also drink flavored water instead of soda. Soda is nothing but empty calories. No nutrients, lots of sugar. Instead, grab a bottle of water flavored with a spritz of fruit.

Drink water. Even the FDA recommends at least 8 full 8 ounce glasses of water a day to keep your body working right.

When you're dieting, you should drink even more. It's not just that full feeling - water helps your body digest foods properly, cleans out your system and hydrates you. Many people are a little dehydrated part of the time.

Diet Tip 3: Skip High Fat Foods and Snacks

Skip the fatty snacks fried in hydrogenated oil like potato chips and french fries. These kind of snacks contribute fat and calories and not much else. Foods like this are a no no on a diet.

Instead, grab a handful of dried fruit or a cup of yogurt for the same amount of calories and a lot more nutritional benefit. You want to upgrade your diet in general.

Diet Tip 4: Yes, You Need Exercise

Can't afford a gym membership? Make an agreement with friends or family to exercise together. Make a date at least three times a week to play volleyball, take a walk or spend half an hour doing something active. You will draw closer to your friends and family, while burning off excess weight. Pretty soon every one will notice your weight loss.

http://www.proactol.com