Apart from doing heavy exercise in order to get slim one needs to have a proper diet. Without it you cannot have the right health and shape for long time. You need to sacrifice a lot of stuff for that. Control on your eating habits and starting to eat healthy protein rich food items.

Diet fitness is as essential as exercise itself. Diet for fitness provides the essential nutrition one needs to restore worn-out muscles and for healthy growth. Diet fitness should never be taken for granted. With the popularity of keeping fit, many different views, methods, programs and dieting strategies have been formulated by many professionals.

Diet programs all over can help you shed off excess pounds, but only one diet can help you stay sexy, and it is the one that satisfies you most. Other important aspects of having a fit diet are moderation, balance and variation. One must be careful not to leave out important nutrients and other substances necessary for healthy body functioning. Health organizations are clear about the amounts of nutrients an individual should have in the body.

Most health experts recommend eating a balanced, healthy diet to maintain or to lose weight. But exactly what is a healthy diet?

The basic components of a healthy diet include the right amount of:
· Protein (found in fish, meat, poultry, dairy products, eggs, nuts, and beans)
· Fat (found in animal and dairy products, nuts, and oils)
· Carbohydrates (found in fruits, vegetables, pasta, rice, grains, beans)
· Vitamins (such as vitamins A, B, C, D, E, and K)
·Minerals (such as calcium, potassium, and iron)
· Water

Proteins:
Proteins are nutrients that are essential to the building, maintenance, and repair of body tissue such as the skin, the internal organs and muscle. They are also the major components of our immune system and hormones.Protein sources come from chicken, lean turkey, lean hamburger, cod, salmon, tuna, egg whites and whey protein

Calories:
Calories are the amount of energy released when your body breaks down food. The more calories a food has, the more energy it can provide to your body. When you eat more calories than you need, your body stores the extra calories as fat. Even low-carb and fat-free foods can have a lot of calories that can be stored as fat

Healthy Food Groups
Since no single food group can nourish the body with all the vital ingredients it requires, it is important that we consume a variety of healthy foods to derive the nutrition our body needs. There are five main food groups, they are:

• Fruits
• Vegetables
• Cereals and Pulses
• Dairy
• Poultry, Fish and Meat products

A healthy balanced diet of these five food groups ensures essential vitamins, minerals and dietary fiber. The food group serving size will depend upon various factors like age, activity level, body size and gender. It is also important that one eat a variety of foods from within and across the food groups. As some foods from within a food group provide more nutrients than others.

 Fruit nutrition has been practiced since medieval times in all parts of the world. Women in medieval times practiced strict fruit diet to maintain their weight and to grow healthy skin and hair. Women started starving themselves to maintain their hip size and realized that their health was also degrading along with their weight. They started looking old, tired and bony in the process.   Fruits have high fiber content. When a person on a fruit diet reduces his weight through training, he tends to be more stable in his weight issues than any other diet related programs where the person reduces weight temporarily and then again increases when he stops training or stops working out.

Eating five or six fruits a day will be sufficient for a person to have an active and a detoxifying day. Detoxification is the additional advantage of having a fruit diet. Fruits flush out the unnecessary toxins in the body. There are a variety of fruits you can choose from since nature’s bounty is unlimited and it is very easy for a person to maintain a diet based on fruit nutrition than any other diet programs. You can munch your way to work or gym or carry on with any other work while eating.

A fruitarian does not have to spend special time for having his breakfast, lunch and dinner. The best thing about fruit nutrition is that provides you with the necessary fiber requirements so essential for weight regulation and also the appropriate amount of water required for digestion of the fiber. Water and fiber are the preliminary requirements of any person who is facing the challenge of fat reduction. Vitamins and minerals are always available in abundance in all fruits. Apple when consumed along with the skin contributes about 4 grams of dietary fiber. The best thing about apples is that a person can not only survive by just eating apples but also stay as healthy as a cow by eating only apples all year around.

But if you are looking for something with much more fiber content, then avocado would be your magic potion. This is because a single avocado fruit does not only contain 10 grams of fiber but also high amount of protein.

If you are looking for something more filling and quantitative to fulfill your appetite, then you should try watermelons. Watermelons will take care of the all the water requirements of your body. Incase your body has been already ruined due to unhealthy diet programs previously you can restore your body to its healthy state with watermelons quickly. Watermelon also helps to regulate the sodium level in the body.

A little bit of excess sodium, causes the body to bloat itself. Water derived from the watermelon helps to keep a balanced sodium level in the body. A common misconception among people is that drinking a lot of water causes puffy abs. It is actually the reverse. Lack of water in the body causes you to look fatter than you actually are. 

   Eating healthfully is really about abundance not deprivation. There are at least a thousand substances in foods that help protect you from heart disease, cancer and premature aging. Many of them cause the bright colors in fruits and vegetables. For a healthy life include the following in your diet:

PUMPKINS

They are rich in beta carotene, which may reduce the risk of developing certain cancers and heart disease. They may also deter some aspects of ageing. Pumpkins are low in calories and sodium content and high in fiber. The seeds are high in protein and are loaded with magnesium iron.

POMEGRANATES

 They are especially high in antioxidants, such as ellagic acid, that reduce inflammation, which may be a factor in both heart disease and many types of cancer. A new study found that pomegranate juice reduced the growth rate of prostrate cancer. The juice improves blood flow to your heart and may promote blood flow to sexual organs, potentially increasing potency.

TOMATOES

They are rich in lycopene which may help reduce the risk of heart disease, breast, lung and prostrate cancer. Cooking helps activate lycopene, so tomato paste and sauce may be especially beneficial. They have vitamins A, C and E.

CAPSICUM

The red ones especially, may help boost your immune system. They are excellent sources of vitamin C and beta carotene

GINGER

It contains a compound called gingerol that may lower blood pressure and increase circulation. It may also help relieve migraines and arthritis pain by blocking inflammation-causing prostaglandis.

SPINACH

It contains lutein which helps protect your vision against macular degeneration and cataracts. It is rich in beta carotene, vitamins C, E, and folate as well as calcium and magnesium which are important for strong bones. And one cup of cooked spinach has about a third of your daily requirement of magnesium which helps keep nerve and muscle cells healthy.

EAT MORE FIBER

Fiber continues to remain an essential part of our everyday diet. Aim to make at least 50 percent of your grain foods high fiber. Fibre-rich foods are rich in iron, zinc and other minerals and are bulkier so they fill you up more. Not only that fiber helps you deal better with constipation problems, it may also help lower chances of cancer. So the bottom line is to try and include the above mentioned eatables in your regular diet. Combine these with regular exercise. Morning jogs and night walks after dinner would ensure your good health.

   Leaner is the best and trendier look in today’s world. People are pumping loads of money into gym and health care centre in order to remain slim and fit. But for those who do not wish to join and spend money here are some exercises which would help you to get slim and remain fit.

Following are some exercises which you need to follow regularly:

Barbell Squats

Place a barbell on the upper part of the shoulder. Firmly grip the bar with your hands and place your feet on a heel raise. Remember to place your feet at shoulder distance. Keeping your back straight and chin up, bend your knees thereby lowering your hips so that your thighs are in line with the floor. After reaching the bottom position, use your heels to press the weight up. Ensure that you do not bend your back. 

SQUAT

Squats are the most powerful butt exercises that can help you get your butt and hips and thigh in better condition. For this stand erect first. Try  to do this exercise in front of the mirror. Keep your feet parallel and apart. Keeping your back straight, bend at the knees till your thighs are parallel to the ground. Return to standing position. Do this several times.

Leg Press

For this exercise you need a leg press machine. Sit on it and place your feet at about shoulder distance against the footrest. Point the toes slightly outward and grab the handles or the seat for support. Next bend your knees and try to lower the weights as much as possible without changing the position of your hips. Hold this position for 5 seconds and then bring the weights back to their original position using your heels.

KICK BACK

The kickback is yet another very effective exercise for your butt. Position yourself on a mat with hands and feet making sure that your weight is evenly distributed. Draw one knee forward and then extend your leg straight behind you. Make sure this is done in a smooth and gentle motion.

Apart from the above exercise people can try the following sports or recreation:

Swimming :

Swimming is a full body exercise. The more body parts you involve in your workout, the more calories you’ll burn. Spend 30 minutes doing the breastroke and you’ll burn almost 400 calories. Best advantage is that your joints are fully supported so you don’t have to worry about high-impact injuries. It’s also great cross-training for other cardio activities

Handball

The side-to-side sprints while playing this will get your heart rate up as well as strengthen your legs. The learning curve is high, so plan on practicing a lot before you can even hit that little ball.

Thus, following the above exercises will make you fit and slim. But one important thing to note is continuity. Breakage in the exercise regime will not yield any results. Alternatively, look at a combination of interval training and strength training like Turbulence Training to get the maximum output from your body – And when combined with good nutrition, it is one of the easy ways to lose weight with.

   It is time to face the reality of how hard it is get a fit body with washboard abs, like the pictures of models you see on the underwear advertisements. First if you are even slightly overweight, say your waist size is hardly 32 inches or more and you weigh over 70 kilograms, however hard you try you cannot get that fit body in less than 6 months. The above statement may get you thinking, but do not worry, because at the end of 6 months you can definitely show off that washboard abs if you keep in mind the following important strategies.

Let’s face it, simple physics states that unless you are burning more calories than you are eating you will remain fat. Now we do not want plan something tough that will eventually fail. So assume that you are not going to follow a strict diet, nor are you going to avoid eating when it comes to good food. If you are already trying to keep away from temptation by eating low calorie food or eating something which you do not like very much, but you are forced to because of your weighty issues then it is strictly advised to stop straining your mind so much. It causes too much stress and stress is the main reason why people never, maintain regularity.

Many fitness trainers do not agree on this subject and has been a matter of debate for years. But trainers are never obese and they wouldn’t know a thing about being obese since they were fit all their life, and they wouldn’t call themselves as trainers unless they were very fit. It is strongly advised that you have as much food as you like, but maintain a rule that you will work for 5 days in a week, no matter however tight your work schedule seems to be. If you see a person with cuts and muscles you can bet your dollars that the person has been through vigorous training at least at some point in his/her life. For some it may seem like they have been born with three pack abs. Yes, sometimes it is hereditary. But the underlying point is that unless you are capable of doing the same amount of exercise they are able to, you will not get that Hollywood look.

Even if the person is naturally a hunk without having done much exercise in his life, he will still be able to complete a 3 mile run in less than 20 minutes, whereas you will be struggling to do that. It is only the capability of a person that determines if he/she will have a good cuts and muscles all over their body. For example, a professional footballer has to run at least 30 minutes everyday before he starts his regular practice. The 30 minutes running is itself a huge hurdle for slightly overweight people. Moreover he will already be half dead at the end of the 5^th day and therefore there will be no point left to it.

  Cycling is an easy and an effective method of reducing weight. All you need is a bicycle to get started. You might think that by cycling you are reducing the fat only in the thighs and other parts of the leg. This is just a myth. You can never shed fat on one part of your body alone. All the fat in your body reduces equally. When you are bicycling, not only do you burn your fat but you also get stronger. Your buttock muscles, thighs, calves and hips are getting tightened more and more. For cycling you will use all these muscles with or without your knowledge.

Cycling machines are a boon to housewives. The best thing about cycling machine is that you can be watching a movie or news while you are at your workout. You can even be studying while cycling. No other form of exercise gives you so much freedom and entertainment. If you are comparing between cycling and running then researches have concluded that cycling is a always better. This is because when a person completes a 10 mile run, he is found to be shrunk by about half an inch. Every time you run a marathon you shrink by half an inch. Of course, you do regain that height within the night, but such a strain on the backbone and joints in the legs is normally not preferred. Bicycling however is stress free.

The only advantage of running over cycling is, the number of calories burnt. You can burn much more calories by running than cycling. This is because; running uses all parts of your body, but cycling does not. If you want the benefits of a 20 minute running session on a cycling machine, then you have to cycle vigorously for 30 minutes to get the same benefits without the strain on the knees and the joints. To be a successful marathon runner all you need is patience. Most marathon runners are naturally born with the ability to run for a long distance without getting tired. For others who do not have it in their veins you can become a successful marathon runner just by practicing.

If you are just a beginner, first you should put a chart for yourself. On Monday and Tuesday run 3 miles at normal speed. Take breaks and start walking in the middle if you get tired or feel discomfort. On Wednesday run the same miles but with double the speed. Take rest on Thursday. On Friday get a bicycle and cycle for at least an hour with moderate effort. On Saturday you should run at least 6 miles. We again take rest on Sunday. Rest is a very important part of marathon running. Repeat the cycle from Monday to Sunday for 4 weeks and you will be ready to enter competition. Once you become accustomed to do the beginner level programs easily, move on to the next level by setting up another chart. While designing a chart always consult an experienced marathon trainer.

There are certain exercises which aim are specially aimed at killing the unwanted fats at some parts of the body. You also need to maintain a healthy diet to remain slim and workout regularly.

Please note that these exercises are to be done in proper slow manner only after some routine stretching.

Exercises are as following:

1 ) Stretch and Cardio:

 Stretching is usually done when warming up. Before hitting the treadmill or joining the aerobic team for a 30-minute to one hour cardio and sweat-it-all-out routine, you must condition your body parts first for about 5 to 10 minutes. This is to avoid getting strained. It is recommended 3-5 days of cardio for about 30-60 minutes. Bill Phillips, creator of Body for Life, recommends 20 minutes of high intensity cardio 3 times a week.

2 ) Core Synergistic. In this routine, you combine cardio, stretching and resistance trainings together so that you can aim on your major muscle groups.

Abs Ripper – In just 16 minutes, you will rip fats off your abs through intense sit-ups and Pilates. Pilates is a form of exercise where you use your mind’s focus to control the muscles.

3 ) Breathing and alignment of the torso muscles will help you get a well-postured body.

Another one is jumping in 30 variations. This is more of a flying routine that promotes harmony between your legs and the entire body.

4 ) Leg Press- For this exercise you need a leg press machine. Sit on it and place your feet at about shoulder distance against the footrest. Point the toes slightly outward and grab the handles or the seat for support. Next bend your knees and try to lower the weights as much as possible without changing the position of your hips. Hold this position for 5 seconds and then bring the weights back to their original position using your heels.

5 ) Shoulders, Triceps and Chest:

 Develop muscles on your upper body by doing push-ups, dips and flies. Slow motions and repetitions are more effective. Do not execute abruptly but feel the contraction instead.

6 ) Straight Leg Dead-lifts- For this exercise hold a barbell with your hands and feet both at a shoulder distance. Next bend yourself in such a way that your back is straight and parallel with the floor and your eyes are looking straight ahead. Always make your sure that there is no hunch formed with your back. Hold the position for 15 seconds and then come back to the original position. 

7 )Back and Chest.

To gain resistance on your back and chest areas, you can do the pull-ups and push-up on bars. You can also use the heavyweight dumbbells and pull them up and down slowly. Fast execute may trigger injury on your back.

Thus, the above exercises will strengthen your body parts and give proper shape. But one important thing to note is continuity. Breakage in the exercise regime will not yield any results.

For a normal adult the heart beats at the rate of 70 beats per minute and the maximum capacity of the heart is 200 beats per minute. With low intensity training it beats at sixty or sixty five percent of the maximum rate and with high intensity it is eighty five percent of the maximum rate. For example if you are running at a moderate speed then your heart beats at the rate of 120 beats per minute and if you are running at your maximum speed it beats at 160 counts.

Low intensity training is generally for all those who are trying to reduce fat. This is because it is easy to do. Especially if the person is on a diet being consistent with his training program itself will be a challenge for him, making the workout challenging is unthinkable. Low intensity training is preferred by most trainers because it is safe to do. Even a very obese person can do low intensity programs. But the more knowledgeable trainers do not always opt low intensity training. They rather go for effective training like high intensity training. Moreover in low intensity training more calories is burnt from fat.

But first you should understand that burning calories and burning fat are two different things. If you are burning more calories it does not necessarily mean that you are burning more fats.  Low intensity training burns fifty percent of fat for energy but high intensity only burns forty percent. If you are walking for 20 minutes you burn about 100 calories. 50% of the calories are derived from fat. So you are basically reducing fifty fat calories. But if you are running for 10 minutes you will burn 160 calories. 40% of that is derived from fat and so with intensity you will be burning 64 fat calories. So now that we have proved that high intensity training is more effective in reducing weight, the other advantages of high intensity training cannot be overlooked. After you finish you low intensity training your body stops burning any more calories.

You can only burn the fat while exercising them. But when you are subjected to high intensity training, even after you stop exercising your body continues to burn the fat, sometimes even up to hours after a session of training. Moreover muscle mass maintenance is required to keep the fat burning and this can be achieved through high intensity training only. There are methods by which you can do high intensity training. If you are cycling then increase the difficulty level for 30 seconds and lower it to easy level for 30 seconds. Repeat this for 10 minutes. If you are running run at a pace which you can keep up for 3 minutes and then walk for 1 minute. Run again and continue with the cycle for 20 minutes. Instead of a moderate jog or bicycling where you burn about 300 calories, you can burn about 100 more calories within the same time period. You can try high intensity training with swimming also.

Eating healthy and staying healthy is the new mantra of the common man. Yes, there are youngsters who aspire to have Stallone-like bodies but an average breadwinner just wants to remain in shape. And in order to stay in shape, he tends to consult a dietician and start a healthy diet plan for himself which is very correct. The objectives of these diet plans are two- to reduce your weight and to strengthen your muscles. There are certain plans which make you lose weight quickly but believe me, they will bloat you up as soon as you resume normal eating.

In my research on good diet plans, I came across four good ones. So I will discuss them one by one. The first one is the Vegetarian Diet Plan. Under the vegetarian Plan, fruits and vegetables, whole grains and legumes have to be consumed in every meal. While eggs and sweets should only be consumed once a week, nuts, seeds, egg whites, soy and plant oils should find a place in your diet daily. Along with all this, 12 glasses of water and little amount of alcohol is a must daily. And it is strongly recommended to get some physical exercise daily in order to get the body metabolism running thus aiding in the process of food digestion.

The second, the Asian Diet Plan closely resembles the Vegetarian one with the addition of fish and shellfish in the daily diet and meat in the monthly scheme. The requirements of water, alcohol and physical exercise are also the same as above.

Under the Latin American Diet Plan, vegetables, fruits, whole grains, tubers, beans and nuts are included in the foodstuffs required for every meal. Under the daily category come the items fish, shellfish, daily, plant oils and poultry while meats, eggs and sweets come in the weekly category. 6 full glasses of water is suggested along with alcohol in moderation and light physical exercise.

Lastly, the Mediterranean Diet Plan is similar to the Latin American one with the addition of cheese, yoghurt and olive oil in the daily category and the shifting of fish to the weekly section. The water and exercise requirements remain the same.

Thus, as we can see, the main focus of every diet plan is on maximum consumption of fruits and vegetables. While it is suggested to consume minimum 4 vegetables a day, 3 fruits a day is a must. ‘An apple a day keeps the doctor away’. So always eat one apple daily. 

At the present it has been identified that obesity is not only a common everyday malady but a grave physical condition that should be avoided at all costs. Obesity is the main reason for having many other serious health related problems like cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and high blood pressure. 

These diseases are just a preliminary condition for those who are overweight. Other physical difficulties that they have to put up with are breathing problems, gout, osteoarthritis, and diseases related to the gall bladder. When an obese person tries to reduce weight rapidly through some of the unhealthy dietary programs like crash diet he tends to develop stones in the gall bladder. Mental health is also affected and the person develops inferiority complex in many cases. Research and scientific data tell us that heart attacks and stroke are the major reasons for causing death and leading to other disabilities. High blood pressure causes a person’s heart to function abnormally and result in heart diseases. For an obese person the arteries in the heart get blocked and pumping blood in a normal way becomes absolutely impossible. The outcome of an exceptionally elevated cholesterol levels is cardiovascular disease. Cholesterol and obesity always come in pair.

The many cancers an obese person is susceptible are prostrate cancer and colorectal cancer in men and in women the uterus, cervix, breast, gallbladder can all be affected with cancer. The list of the many diseases they can face does not have any end. Obesity is also accountable for angina and sudden heart attacks leading to death. This is especially true for people who suffer from a condition called silent heart attack. The seriousness of such a stroke or a silent heart attack is that there is neither symptom nor any sign when the person is affected with such a condition. Type 2 diabetes is commonly found in people who are obese. Diabetes is now common disease for everyone over forty years old especially in countries like India and China where rice is the staple food. But type 2 diabetes is more serious and a nightmare for obese people. They have to be continuously monitored and they have to be always aware of themselves, what they eat and how they go about themselves in the course of a day. They have to be highly self-conscious.

A little bit of carelessness also can lead to heart attacks, stroke, and temporary blindness along with pain in the eyes and head and premature death also. Obesity is a health hazard and should be treated as soon as possible. Get to a gym and get a healthy diet program as soon as possible. Any delay in treating obesity will increase the problems in your exponentially everyday. First one disease affects your body and due to this first disease a second disease crops up. The chain reaction just continues till it totally damages your body. This finally results in premature death. This is the case for all those who are obese. 90% of obese people die due to heart related diseases.