Weight Loss Programs And Guide

Martial Art And Weight Loss Program

2009-03-24T19:30:00.000-07:00

If your goal is to improve your fitness or lose weight but you need to do something more exciting than jogging on a treadmill to keep you motivated, perhaps you should consider doing a martial art like boxing, kickboxing, karate, or judo.

In this article we list the top 10 reasons to consider doing a martial art for fitness and weight loss to help you decide if doing one is right for you.

1. Doing martial arts for weight loss

It's no coincidence that gyms, personal trainers and producers of exercise videos and DVD's are now heavily incorporating training techniques and exercises from a wide variety of martial arts in their workouts.

Boxercise, Tae Bo, Cardio-Kickboxing, Kung Fu Aerobics, and personal trainers using punching bags, focus mitts and kicking pads in their sessions are just a couple of examples of how martial arts training is being used in cardio workouts for fitness and weight loss.

Because martial art training is typically high intensity and usually lasts for at least an hour in most cases, it burns a maximum number of kilojoules or calories per workout and is therefore great for anyone who wants to lose weight and lose it fast.

2. Doing martial arts for fitness

Most martial arts incorporate exercises and drills that improve cardiovascular fitness and endurance, help build muscle strength and improve muscle flexibility so they are perfect for anyone wanting to improve their overall fitness.

Cardiovascular fitness improvements require us to regularly elevate our heart rate for extended periods and most martial arts training can help us do that.

Improving the strength, size and shape of our muscles requires us to regularly subject them to some form of resistance training. Martial arts training helps provide this training by requiring us to perform exercises like push-ups and squats using our own body weight for resistance.

Improved flexibility is a natural byproduct of martial arts training because most, if not all styles of martial art incorporate stretching exercises in their workouts.

As a result of providing all of these fitness benefits, martial artists like boxers and kickboxers are widely regarded as being among the fittest athletes in the world and practitioners of karate, judo, etc are considered among the strongest pound-for-pound and most flexible athletes in the world.

3. Doing martial arts and self-defense

One of the most obvious benefits of doing a martial art is that it provides us with the fitness, strength, skill and techniques necessary to protect ourselves from being attacked by others who are out to harm us if the need should ever arise.

Like an insurance policy, we hope you're never in a position to have to use your martial arts training to defend yourself, but it's great to know this ability is there just in case.

Because they are primarily concerned with elevating our heart rates to burn energy and improve our fitness, many of the workouts listed above like Tae Bo, Boxercise, etc don't really provide this benefit to the same extent as doing martial arts training with a dedicated teacher in a martial arts school that only provides one service – to teach you a specific martial art.

Many people mistakenly believe that because they punch a focus mitt 50 times during a session with their personal trainer that they know how to punch properly and can therefore defend themselves if they need to. This is a big mistake and we hope these people never find themselves in a situation where this belief is tested.

Unless they've had many years of martial arts training themselves, most personal trainers and gym instructors will not be able to offer advice about your punching and kicking technique, they are only really qualified to hold the focus mitts or kick-pad for you while you punch or kick them.

Remember, while probably great at what they do, these trainers are more like aerobics instructors than specifically qualified martial arts instructors.

4. Doing martial arts and self-confidence

In addition to providing us with the ability to defend ourselves, one of the greatest personal benefits that martial art training provides is a high degree of self-confidence.

This self-confidence partly results from the knowledge that we are much better equipped to defend ourselves given that we have done some martial arts training, but it also comes from a sense of achievement once we begin to master the techniques taught to us and the new confidence that results from feeling fitter and stronger and looking fitter and stronger.

Given that one of the first things to suffer, and one of the hardest things to reestablish afterwards, when we become overweight is our self-confidence this benefit is of particular value to those of us who have a weight problem.

5. Doing martial arts to improve body balance and coordination

As well as helping us to become fitter and stronger, martial art training typically involves the mastery of a range of techniques that requires us to be well-balanced and have superior body coordination.

In learning to master these techniques we naturally improve our balance and our coordination which helps us with other aspects of our daily life.

6. Doing martial arts for variety

Martial art training provides great variety in two ways.

Firstly, martial arts training sessions themselves have great variety built into them by including warm-ups and cool-downs, stretching exercises, strength building exercises, cardio exercises and exercises designed to improve and teach us a wide variety of techniques.

This variety is great for our mind as well as our body.

Secondly, there are such a wide variety of martial arts to study that we should be able to easily find one that suits our particular goals and interests.

Whether we prefer to do a martial art that primarily revolves around striking or grappling techniques or a perfect mix of both, or we want to study a highly technical or very simple style, the choice is great.

7. Doing martial arts teaches discipline and provides motivation

Everybody knows that studying a martial art requires and teaches discipline.

Because it is also goal orientated, training in one of the many martial arts also provides a great deal of motivation.

Lack of discipline and motivation are the most often quoted reasons for weight loss failures and for this reason, doing a martial art for weight loss and fitness may help many of us who lack the required discipline and motivation to achieve our weight loss goals to overcome these common barriers to success.

8. Doing martial arts for spirituality

One definition of spirituality is "Activities which renew, lift up, comfort, heal and inspire both ourselves and those with whom we interact."

Martial art training has been practiced by millions of people over many centuries because among other things, it has a great ability to spiritually uplift us.

As well as forging a better connection between our mind and body, it also has the ability to forge a better connection between us and our world and us and others.

9. Doing martial arts training is relatively inexpensive

Compared to joining some gyms and hiring some personal trainers, training at a martial arts school or dojo is relatively inexpensive.

Many martial arts schools charge a very modest monthly fee for training and the beauty of this is you can train when and as often as it suits you.

In addition to low ongoing training costs, buying a uniform and any equipment you may need to train in most cases will be relatively inexpensive as well.

10. Doing martial arts has a social aspect

Many people who start doing martial arts training for weight loss, improved fitness or self-defense end up enjoying it most for its social aspects.

As well as training and learning with others with similar goals, many martial arts trainees form an informal support network to help encourage and motivate each other. Through this association, many of these martial artists end up becoming very good friends.

Many martial arts instructors too have very friendly dispositions and foster a fun and friendly environment in which to train which endears them to their students who typically also become close friends.

Conclusion

If your goal is to improve your fitness or lose weight but you need to do something more exciting than jogging on a treadmill to keep you motivated, perhaps you should consider doing a martial art like boxing, kickboxing, karate, or judo.

In this article we listed the top 10 reasons to consider doing a martial art for fitness and weight loss to help you decide if doing one is right for you.

Many people have the misinformed opinion that martial arts schools are full of children hoping to learn how to defend themselves against playground bullies and thugs wanting to learn how to beat people up. Nothing could be further from the truth.

How to Lose Weight while Sleeping?

2009-03-09T18:24:00.000-07:00

Losing weight doesn't have to be hard or stressful, you just need to find the right techniques to loss weight successfully. I bet your tired of hearing about all the "get rid of your fats" hype...so just relax with me and let's find the secret to a fast weight loss.

You no longer have to stress your body out to lose weight. Sure there are diet pills and many other losing weight procedures...but do they really work? You want to lose those fats, not put them back on after a few weeks. Set your goals right from the start and stick to them.

When you focus on what you want to achieve you will feel completely ready to tackle anything. A good idea is to write these down, this way you be more focused and hopefully lose weight fast.

With the level of obesity at an all time high, don't you think that this is a great time to start putting your health first? I am not calling you lazy or indeed a bum...i am simply saying take a look in the mirror and identify how you can positively change your life around.

Sorry if that has offended you in anyway, but sometimes the truth has to hurt so that you can start taking action. Are you content with waking up each day feeling miserable and depressed or do you want to change your life around? I have...and i can't begin to tell you how happy i feel. Be proud and strong you are not alone.

The Amount of Fat in Your Healthy Diet

2009-03-09T18:19:00.000-07:00

Too many people have the thinking that all fats are bad. And if you want to burn fat then you should avoid fats all together. There are some good fats and there are some bad fats. If you consume the wrong fats then you increase your blood cholesterol, clog your arteries, increase fat storage and wreak total havoc in your body. But if you consume good fats then you will increase your energy, increase fat burning, increase muscle-building hormones, increase your strength, improve insulin function, improve your skin texture and strengthen your joints. So how much good fats is necessary to consume?

Eating small quantities of good fats is essential for fat loss and if you avoid fats all together than losing fat will be less effective. There are 9 calories in a gram of fat. If your dietary fat is reduced to below 10% of your daily calories then this can trigger the starvation alarm. Fat slows down the the release of carbohydrates into the bloodstream. Which means that without good fats your blood sugar spikes rapidly. when your blood sugar spikes your body releases more insulin and too much insulin cause fat storage. Little to no fat diet should be avoided.

The weight loss and diet industry is very diverse and there are zero fat diets but also very high fat diets. They insist that a very high fat diet (40-70% of your calories) is the ultimate method of losing fat. There are a lot of people who are willing to try this kind of a method, just because it sounds so radically different.

Although you can stay healthy consuming about 60% of fat. Eskimos eat a lot of fat, but the fat they have is from from fish, whale blubber and other unprocessed fats. The foods we have in our modern culture is full of processed fatty meats, hydrogenated oils, baked goods, fried foods, supermarket oils and other highly processed fats. And as I said before 1 gram of fat is 9 calories. If you eat only 100 grams of fat, even if it is good fats, then that would be 900 calories. But to lose fat you need a calorie deficit. High fat diets not effective as well.

So the healthy amount of fat should be somewhere in the middle of very low fat and high fat. Many experts and bodybuilders agree that should limit your total daily fat intake to about 20% of your daily calories and not less than 15% of total daily calories. That is good fats not bad fats.

Weight Loss Success Story

2009-02-11T01:04:00.000-08:00

Weight loss success for many people is a constant struggle while others seem to get it on the first try. So why do some people struggle and others breeze through this difficult challenge?

There are certain factors that seem to work against some people, like age, a lower metabolism and even genetics play a part. But these are all things that can be overcome with the right motivation, commitment, knowledge and support.

In fact, these are the secret ingredients that successful losers have, and by losers I mean those who have lost the weight and kept it off. You can find just about every weight loss tip like drink plenty of water, eat healthier foods and exercise more. All of these are great tips and will help towards losing weight. But if you struggle to lose weight then you need to dig deeper and try new ways to stay committed to your weight loss goal, gain all the right information for you, find ways to get motivated and build the proper support system.

Weight Loss Success through Commitment

My guess is if you didn't want to lose weight you would not be reading this article. But saying you want to lose weight is just a small step to really committing to weight loss.

Increase your commitment by creating a personalized weight loss plan. Set a realistic goal, one that is something you can achieve and would be happy with. The goal can be in terms pounds, inches or body fat loss. Or it can even be by clothing size or the way you look in the mirror.

Make smaller goals that you can measure your progress by the week or month. Making smaller goals helps you stay focused and committed towards your long term goal. Plan for the week and go shopping for the foods you need and clear your schedule to allow time for your planned exercise routines.

Keep in mind that even the best made plans can change as life will give you the unexpected. Don't let a missed day of exercising or eating right throw you off track. Shrug it off and keep on going with your plan and make adjustments if needed.

Weight Loss Success through Knowledge

Knowledge is power and with the right knowledge on your weight loss needs you can accomplish amazing results. Many weight loss programs are designed to adjust to the individual needs. Each person's calorie intake needs and exercise needs will be different.

Your daily calorie intake for weight loss is dependent on your weight and height, age and gender and activity level. Do the proper research to first determine what your basal metabolic rate is. Then adjust your calorie intake needs for your level of activity. Once you have armed yourself with this information, then create a calorie deficit, where you consume fewer calories than you burn.

If you are able, add exercise to your weekly routine. Studies show that people who exercise and diet lose weight quicker and are more likely to keep the weight off versus those who only diet. Start out slow if you have not exercised in awhile. You should try to create a calorie deficit of 500 to 1,000 calories a day for weight loss by eating fewer calories and adding exercise. Be sure you don't reduce calories too low or you will cause your metabolism to slow down and you run the risk of actually gaining weight.

Weight Loss Success through Motivation

If only we could buy motivation in a can we would be all set to lose the weight. Unfortunately motivation cannot be bought and is at times very difficult to find. Try looking for that certain something or someone that inspires you to stay with your weight loss and keep you motivated.

Try motivating yourself using a reward system. You can reward yourself with whatever you want but try to stay away from food as a reward. Use a calendar and place stickers or stars when you reach a goal or had a good week. Although this may seem like you are back in school, it is a visual reminder of how well you are doing. When you hit a significant goal treat yourself to a night out with your friends and family.

If you hit a weight loss plateau and feel like giving up, motivate yourself by looking back at your progress to see how far you have come. Remind yourself that plateaus are just part of the journey and to stick with it. Eventually you will come off the plateau and be on the losing end of things again. Try mixing up your exercise routine or change and add different foods to push past the weight loss plateau.

Another weight loss motivation tactic is to create your own personalized motivational saying. Even if you don't think you are a creative person, write something down that you can relate to and get motivated by. Post it where you can read it everyday. You know yourself best and therefore can create a personalized weight loss motivation tip that will inspire you.

Weight Loss Success through Support

Support groups can be found for just about everything life can throw at you, including weight loss support groups. Weight loss can be very challenging and frustrating. Adding support to your weight loss ingredients can be the difference between getting through the challenge and giving up.

You can look for organized support groups through weight loss programs, on-line forums or chat rooms. You can also build your own group. Include your friends, family, neighbors and coworkers. Let them know you are trying to lose weight and want their support. Perhaps you and your neighbor can go walking a couple of times a week. At work, you and your coworkers can plan a "bring your own healthy meal" day at work, instead of going out for lunch.

What a Joke ,,Lose Weight Without Exercise..?

2008-08-05T12:10:00.000-07:00

It is a myth that you cannot effectively lose weight without exercise. If it were true, then people who truly cannot exercise due to health reasons would be doomed to be overweight forever. The truth is that some people FIRST have to lose some (or a lot) of weight before they can safely exercise. If you need to lose weight without exercise, then this article is exactly what you need.

First, it is important to realize that exercise does have many benefits and can make weight loss a lot easier. At the same time though, exercise cannot override a bad diet. A good nutrition plan, however, will let you drop significant amounts of fat whether you exercise or not. And if you already exercise and are not seeing results, then you need such a nutrition plan because the combination of the two will have you losing fat faster than ever.

So remember, your aim should be to get into an exercise program once you're ready. Don't just jump straight in if you're very overweight and very unfit. Adding exercise that is too intense can make that combination deadly. Literally.

To lose weight without exercise, you have to eat less calories than you burn. That's just physics. If anyone tells you that you don't, then they're either lying to you or are just ignorant. However, you must not cut calories too drastically. 400 calorie days are just silly and counterproductive! Eating too little can cause your body to go into starvation mode, where its main goal becomes to store fat. Your metabolism will also eventually slow down so much that your weight loss stops.

How many calories to lose weight? I recommend cutting calories to 1000 calories for men and 800 calories for women. But that's just a tiny piece of the puzzle. And cutting calories must be managed or things go wrong quickly...

You need to ensure that you eat a lot of lean protein. Protein keeps your metabolism running fast, prevents your body from burning lean tissue for energy, and even helps to control your appetite. If you don't like eating protein, then at least drink it in the form of whey or vegetable protein shakes. Skip this one and you're setting yourself up to becoming skinny fat, where you're lighter but FATTER (percentage-wise)!

Another important weapon is fiber. When you eat foods that are high in fiber and low in calories, then you can eat a lot of volume. For example, you can eat a LOT of broccoli and still get very few calories. That volume helps to keep you from becoming so hungry that your weight loss plan becomes unbearable. Another bonus is that when your stomach is filled, your body does not realize how harsh your calorie restriction really is, and does not turn on the starvation signals so quickly.

The next weapon is fish oil and flaxseed oil - excellent sources of omega-3 fatty acids. Supplementing with these is very important when you're on a low calorie diet, since they signal your body to release fat for burning and even boost your metabolism. Just supplementing with these can make your body respond to food as it would if you actually were exercising (i.e. feed muscle and starve the fat). A major bonus.

The final and possibly the most important weapon is to once in a while have a day where you eat a lot more calories than when you're dieting. This boosts your metabolism in a big way, and is very important when you're trying to lose weight without exercise. Exercise helps keeps your metabolism healthy. Just don't binge on junk food. Junk, empty calories will get stored as fat and just ruin the progress you made the days before. Really go to town with the lean protein on these 'off' days and you will really accelerate your fat loss.

Use these guidelines and you will quickly lose weight even without exercise. Just remember that they're all part of the same puzzle, and skipping any one of them could ruin your weight loss plans for a long time.

Now that you know that it IS possible to lose weight with just a smart diet.

Everybody Talk About Perfect Weight Loss Diet

2008-08-05T11:32:00.000-07:00

If there's one universal truth about dieting, it is this: sooner or later, everyone falters. The willpower flags. Temptation strikes. Stress drives you to the fridge. It happens. The trick is to accept these pitfalls and get back in the game as fast as possible.

To help keep you motivated and moving forward, here are some tried and true weight loss tips.

Weight Loss Tip Sheet:

Weight Loss Tip #1: Learn to Eat Like a Thin Person.

Yes, the thin and the overweight do eat differently. Thin people eat when they are hungry, stop when they're full, and push away from the table without difficulty. They can even say no to dessert! How do they do it? Like this:

* Eat more slowly and take smaller bites. It takes your brain 20 minutes to recognize that your stomach is full, so extend each meal.
* Drink water with meals to help fill the stomach.
* Put your fork down between each bite.
* Always measure your portion onto your plate, don't eat right out of a serving dish.
* If you're still hungry after eating, wait 20 minutes before reaching for a second helping.
* Always sit down at a table to eat so you can relax and focus on your eating habits.
* Limit your meals to a designated place so you aren't tempted to cheat by snacking in front of the TV or in the car.
* Space out meals so you eat more in the morning and less at night.
* And eat smaller meals more often so you don't get ravenous.

Weight Loss Tip #2: Cheat on Your Diet and Get Away With It.

Hunger. Boredom. Stress. There are many reasons why we cheat on our diets. This weight loss tip is all about how to cheat without doing serious damage. So you can brush yourself off and get back on track.

* If you have to pig out between meals, have a "free" food snack: a cup of broth, a sugar-free Popsicle or Jello, a handful of fiber cereal... anything to quell your hunger without sugar or fat.
* For meals, eat as many veggies as you want. Raw ones, steamed one, salads, soups. No one ever got fat eating vegetables.
* The natural sugars in fruit will give you a burst of energy and satisfy that sweet tooth. Fruit does have carbs, however, so keep this weight loss tip within limits.
* If you're still hungry, take a small portion of protein (egg, slice of turkey, cottage cheese) to help tide you over to the next meal.
* If you've eaten all that, you should be full. If not, try a small serving of complex carbohydrates like hot cereal, chick peas, beans, crackers, etc.

Weight Loss Tip #3: Plan Your Meals.

The logic behind this weight loss tip is simple: Planning your meals reduces the risk of impulse eating. Write down what you plan to eat for each meal a day or two in advance. As you plan, remember these weight loss tips: well-spaced meals, snacks to keep from getting hungry, a protein food every 3-4 hours, less food as the day goes on.

Weight Loss Tip #4: Graze. Often.

Spacing out your meals into 5 or 6 smaller meals a day is better for digestion, blood sugar levels, energy levels and of course better for weight loss. Here's a sample menu:

8 am - 1 poached egg, slice of whole grain toast
10 am - 1 carton fat-free yogurt
12 noon - chef salad with turkey/lean ham, fat-free dressing
2 pm - low sodium V-8 juice, raw veggies
4 pm - slice low-fat cheese, 1 piece of fruit
6pm - 4oz fish, 2 cups cooked vegetables
8pm - 1/2c fiber cereal, 3Tb raisins, 1/2c skim milk

Grazing not only provides you with the nutrients you need, but keeps you satisfied with far fewer calories.

Weight Loss Tip #5: Dine Out. Carefully.

These days, people eat out a lot. Making it hard to maintain control over calorie intake. Fortunately, more and more restaurants recognize the growing concern over healthy eating and are open to requests for certain types of preparation or ingredients. Here's what you can do:

* Ask how foods are prepared then choose wisely: favor steamed, broiled, poached, with no butter or sauce on the side. That's cheating!
* Avoid foods that are: au gratin, in butter, oil, gravy or cream sauce, sauteed, fried, braised or escalloped. Anything made with mayonnaise is sure to be high in fat.
* Ask for dressing on the side and use in moderation.
* Consider an appetizer and a salad instead of a main entree.
* Share an entree with a friend.
* Ask for a doggy bag if the portion is too large for your appetite or your meal plan.
* Beware breakfast! Their menus are usually very fatty. Opt for fresh fruit or juice.
* Use milk instead of cream in your coffee.
* Skip the alcohol, those calories add up fast.
* Ask the waiter to remove the bread from the table.
* Ask for vinegar or lemon juice instead of salad dressings.
* Instead of sour cream on that baked potato, try plain yogurt or salsa.
* Replace French fries with a salad or veggies.

Weight Loss Tip #6: Binge... and Get Over It.

Binging is understandable. But don't use one binge as an excuse to give up on your diet. If you overindulge, your metabolism will work even harder the next day to burn off those extra calories. So return to your meal plan as soon as possible. Make up for the binge by cutting back on calorie intake for a day or two. And do a good workout to fry off those extra calories. And at all costs, don't get into a pattern of binging and depriving yourself. That will really mess up your system.