healthy living

Fitness: setting goal for fitness that's right for you

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 08 Feb 2014 08:18:00 +0000

Ask yourself these questions to create a workout tailored to your needs and preferences. Which type of fitness program is right for you? Ask yourself these questions to figure it out.

In life, we're told to dream big. Reach for the stars. Go for the gold. While I think everyone would agree that having big aspirations is admirable not to mention inspiring, you should take a more calculated approach when setting fitness goals.

What is your current fitness level?

You probably have some idea of how fit you are. But assessing and recording baseline fitness scores can help you set your fitness goals and measure your progress. To assess your aerobic and muscular fitness, flexibility, and body composition, consider recording:

- Your pulse rate before and immediately after walking 1 mile (1.6 kilometers)
- How long it takes to walk 1 mile
- How many pushups you can do at a time
- How far you can reach forward while seated on the floor with your legs in front of you
- Your waist circumference at the level of your hipbones
- Your body mass index
- Do you have any health issues?

If you are age 50 or older, haven't exercised for some time, or have chronic medical conditions, such as diabetes or heart disease, it's a good idea to to consult your doctor before beginning an exercise program.

Keep in mind that as you age, impaired balance, decreased elasticity of tendons and other factors can limit your exercise capacity. Injuries also are more frequent, and recovery takes longer. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't exercise or that you won't benefit from it. Just be sure to seek input from your doctor or an exercise therapist about how to create a program that's appropriate for you.

What are your goals?

Having clear goals can help you stay motivated.

Unrealistic Goal: I want to complete an endurance event in two weeks. Competitive events are an excellent way to stay motivated and a great goal, but many triathlons and running races put a lot of wear and tear on the body, and if you do too much too soon (or without proper form or footwear), you can get injured, which really puts a damper on your dreams and is just plain painful!

Realistic Goal: I will complete a shorter distance endurance event like a 5K or sprint triathlon in three to six months. If you want to begin participating in endurance events, it's important to start building your fitness base slowly and really listen to your body. If you can walk comfortably for at least 20 minutes and can commit to working out four to five times a week for 20 to 40 minutes, then a 5K training program is a great place to start.

Unrealistic Goal: I want to go to the gym every day. There are two main issues with this goal. First, it's not specific—what activities do you want to do and for how long? After all, just showing up at the gym doesn't accomplish anything unless you get your body moving. Second, it's not realistic. I love to work out and even I don't want to go to the gym every day. Plus, taking a day off here and there helps give your muscles time to repair and rest, and it gives you a break mentally.

Realistic Goal: I will be active for at least 10 minutes each day. While this goal isn't specific when it comes to the activity, it is specific and realistic with the time constraint. While going to an hourlong Spinning class every day would be impossible, not to mention not very healthy for you (cross-training is important so that no specific groups of muscles get overused), doing something active for 10 minutes a day, whether it's a walk after work, some push-ups or sit-ups over lunch, or a full session at the gym or with a workout DVD, is very doable. Also, note the addition of "at least" in this goal, which helps to emphasize that 10 minutes is just a minimum. Over time, this goal could progress to have a minimum of 15, then 20, then 30 minutes.

Unrealistic Goal: I want to do the workout I did in high school. If you used to play a sport competitively when you were younger and are itching to get back into it, beware. Most sports require explosive and powerful movement that can give your body a rude awakening—such as extreme soreness or injury—especially when you try to do something that you haven't done in years. Even if you were the high school team captain, if you haven't practiced it in many years, start slowly and be cautious.

Realistic Goal: I will meet with a personal trainer once a week for a month and follow his or her strength routine two times a week. Even if you were MVP of your team back in the day, a lot has changed in sports performance and workouts over the last few years. Instead of going out and doing the same old workout that you remember from high school, take the time to meet with a personal trainer who specializes in your sport or regularly works with athletes. He or she can get you back in the sport saddle with a strength routine that prepares your body for competition and will help you prevent injury. A qualified personal trainer will also help you set other realistic goals once you've built your foundation to play. (If you're not sure how to look for a personal trainer or what else you need to ask, read this.)

Don't Forget to Reward Yourself

Perhaps the most important component of setting an effective and realistic fitness goal is rewarding yourself when you reach your goals, even the small ones! Also, don't be afraid to tweak a goal as time goes by. Life happens! Remember, the key to setting yourself up for success is to be realistic. Now, start setting those goals!

Selecting Exercise Equipment That’s Right for You

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 08 Feb 2014 07:05:00 +0000

We believe fitness is a way of life. So often people will make the decision to go out to the nearest fitness equipment store or local department store and buy some home exercise equipment. They want to start an exercise program, but don’t want to go to the gym for any number of reasons, making exercising at home the best choice.

They will, with the best of intentions, buy a piece or two of equipment based on the recommendation of a friend or family member who swears by their choice. In some cases, they have no idea what they want and just go off without a clue, only to end up buying something based on appearance or a salespersons pitch of the item.

The problem with this is, if the equipment you buy doesn’t suit your needs, in the long run, it will end up collecting dust in the closet or become an expensive coat hanger. Almost everyone knows someone who has some kind of exercise device or another that in terms of use is brand new, but they’ve had the thing for over two years. They probably bought their equipment with every intention to make full use of it, so why didn’t they make full use of it?

When setting out to purchase home exercise equipment, there are some things which must be considered very carefully before you go out and drag home something you will be disappointed with. Here are some tips that are paramount to know when considering home exercise equipment.

First of all, are you really committed to exercising on a regular basis? This is probably the single biggest factor. If you are not, you will not benefit from anything you buy.

The second thing is what type of exercise do you want to do? If you are looking to build muscle, buying a stationary bike will be of little value just as if you are looking to build your aerobic capacity, a weight bench and weights will not be the best choice.

Next is how much money do you have or are you willing to spend on exercise equipment? You do get better equipment when you spend more money, but for a smaller investment, you can still get equipment that will get the job done. The key here is to shop around and find the best equipment you can within your budget.

You must next consider how much space is available where the equipment will go? This is an often overlooked but very important point. There must be enough room for your equipment to fit, and there must be room for you to use it to the fullest once it is there. How can you get anything from your equipment if you don’t have the room to maneuver around to make use of it after it is set up?

Once you have your equipment in place, a good way to make sure you keep at it is to make yourself accountable by having a fiend ask you every day if you did your routine for that day and to monitor your progress. We hope these few tips should help you to make the right choice in selecting equipment that you will benefit from for years to come.

How to Start an Exercise Program

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 01 Oct 2013 04:02:00 +0000

Starting a fitness program may be one of the best things you can do for your health. The most common challenge that people I talk to face is how to incorporate fitness into their lives. Physical activity can reduce your risk of chronic disease, improve your balance and coordination, help you lose weight — even improve your sleep habits and self-esteem. So much that you may not know where to begin.

Step 1: Assess your fitness level

You probably have some idea of how fit you are. But assessing and recording baseline fitness scores can give you benchmarks against which to measure your progress. To assess your aerobic and muscular fitness, flexibility and body composition, consider recording:

Your pulse rate before and after you walk 1 mile (1.6 kilometers)

How long it takes you to walk 1 mile (1.6 kilometers)

How many push-ups you can do at a time

How far you can reach forward while seated on the floor with your legs in front of you

Your waist circumference as measured around your bare abdomen just above your hipbone

Your body mass index

Step 2: Design your fitness program

It's easy to say that you'll exercise every day. But you'll need a plan. As you design your fitness program, keep these points in mind:

Consider your fitness goals. Are you starting a fitness program to help lose weight? Or do you have another motivation, such as preparing for a marathon? Having clear goals can help you gauge your progress.

Create a balanced routine. Most adults should aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity — or 75 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity — a week. Adults also need two or more days of strength training a week.

Go at your own pace. If you're just beginning to exercise, start cautiously and progress slowly. If you have an injury or a medical condition, consult your doctor or a physical therapist for help designing a fitness program that gradually improves your range of motion, strength and endurance.

Build activity into your daily routine. Finding time to exercise can be a challenge. To make it easier, schedule time to exercise as you would any other appointment. Plan to watch your favorite show while walking on the treadmill, or read while riding a stationary bike.

Plan to include different activities. Different activities (cross-training) can keep exercise boredom at bay. Cross-training also reduces your chances of injuring or overusing one specific muscle or joint. Plan to alternate among activities that emphasize different parts of your body, such as walking, swimming and strength training.

Allow time for recovery. Many people start exercising with frenzied zeal — working out too long or too intensely — and give up when their muscles and joints become sore or injured. Plan time between sessions for your body to rest and recover.

Put it on paper. A written plan may encourage you to stay on track.

Step 3: Assemble your equipment

You'll probably start with athletic shoes. Be sure to pick shoes designed for the activity you have in mind.

If you're planning to invest in exercise equipment, choose something that's practical, enjoyable and easy to use. You may want to try out certain types of equipment at a fitness center before investing in your own equipment. To stretch your exercise dollars, consider buying used equipment. Or get creative. Make your own weights by filling old socks with beans or pennies, or by partially filling a half-gallon milk jug with water or sand and securing the tops with duct tape.

Step 4: Get started

Now you're ready for action. As you begin your fitness program, keep these tips in mind:

Start slowly and build up gradually. Give yourself plenty of time to warm up and cool down with easy walking or gentle stretching. Then speed up to a pace you can continue for five to 10 minutes without getting overly tired. As your stamina improves, gradually increase the amount of time you exercise. Work your way up to 30 to 60 minutes of exercise most days of the week.

Break things up if you have to. You don't have to do all your exercise at one time. Shorter but more-frequent sessions have aerobic benefits, too. Fifteen minutes of exercise a couple of times a day may fit into your schedule better than a single 30-minute session.

Be creative. Maybe your workout routine includes various activities, such as walking, bicycling or rowing. But don't stop there. Take a weekend hike with your family or spend an evening ballroom dancing.

Listen to your body. If you feel pain, shortness of breath, dizziness or nausea, take a break. You may be pushing yourself too hard.

Be flexible. If you're not feeling good, give yourself permission to take a day or two off.

Step 5: Monitor your progress

Retake your personal fitness assessment six weeks after you start your program and then again every three to six months. You may notice that you need to increase the amount of time you exercise in order to continue improving. Or you may be pleasantly surprised to find that you're exercising just the right amount to meet your fitness goals.

If you lose motivation, set new goals or try a new activity. Exercising with a friend or taking a class at a fitness center may help, too.

It is important to starting an exercise program. But it doesn't have to be an overwhelming one. By planning carefully, you can establish a healthy habit that lasts a lifetime.

Management Your Weight With Fruit and Vegetable

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 25 Sep 2013 05:09:00 +0000

There have been recent statistical reports about obesity and being overweight. Some people really have a tendency to become overweight especially if being “full-bodied” is a family trait. Genetics play a major role is literally shaping our bodies.

Fruits and vegetables are part of a well-balanced and healthy eating plan. There are many different ways to lose or maintain a healthy weight. Using more fruits and vegetables along with whole grains and lean meats, nuts, and beans is a safe and healthy one.

Helping control your weight is not the only benefit of eating more fruits and vegetables. Diets rich in fruits and vegetables may reduce the risk of some types of cancer and other chronic diseases. Fruits and vegetables also provide essential vitamins and minerals, fiber, and other substances that are important for good health.

Another reason why many people struggle with weight gain is due to the consumption of high-calorie foods. Most of processed food are high in calories and are not actually nutritious. These foods are also high in sugar content and other chemicals that are not good for the body.

One safe way to lose weight is to go natural --- that is, to eat only natural foods that are free from harmful chemicals, preservatives, calories, and other ingredients that cause or contribute to weight gain. A good alternative to consider is to go on a fruit-diet. It is said to be very beneficial since fruits are rich in vitamins and have a lot of components and substances that help fight against various illnesses and diseases.

Fruits are also good for detoxification of harmful substances inside a person's body. Moreover, fruit-dieting does not cause a person to lose the necessary energy to perform daily activities unlike when a person chooses not to take any food because of a lack of appetite. A fruit diet, therefore, is one of the most healthy ways of losing weight which makes it a better option than taking medications.

Here are some simple ways to cut calories and eat fruits and vegetables throughout your day:

Breakfast: Start the Day Right

Substitute some spinach, onions, or mushrooms for one of the eggs or half of the cheese in your morning omelet. The vegetables will add volume and flavor to the dish with fewer calories than the egg or cheese.

Cut back on the amount of cereal in your bowl to make room for some cut-up bananas, peaches, or strawberries. You can still eat a full bowl, but with fewer calories.

Lighten Up Your Lunch

Substitute vegetables such as lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, or onions for 2 ounces of the cheese and 2 ounces of the meat in your sandwich, wrap, or burrito. The new version will fill you up with fewer calories than the original.

Add a cup of chopped vegetables, such as broccoli, carrots, beans, or red peppers, in place of 2 ounces of the meat or 1 cup of noodles in your favorite broth-based soup. The vegetables will help fill you up, so you won't miss those extra calories.

Dinner

Add in 1 cup of chopped vegetables such as broccoli, tomatoes, squash, onions, or peppers, while removing 1 cup of the rice or pasta in your favorite dish. The dish with the vegetables will be just as satisfying but have fewer calories than the same amount of the original version.

Take a good look at your dinner plate. Vegetables, fruit, and whole grains should take up the largest portion of your plate. If they do not, replace some of the meat, cheese, white pasta, or rice with legumes, steamed broccoli, asparagus, greens, or another favorite vegetable. This will reduce the total calories in your meal without reducing the amount of food you eat. BUT remember to use a normal- or small-size plate — not a platter. The total number of calories that you eat counts, even if a good proportion of them come from fruits and vegetables.

Smart Snacks

Most healthy eating plans allow for one or two small snacks a day. Choosing most fruits and vegetables will allow you to eat a snack with only 100 calories.

More Tips for Making Fruits and Vegetables Part of Your Weight Management Plan

Eat fruits and vegetables the way nature provided—or with fat-free or low-fat cooking techniques.

Try steaming your vegetables, using low-calorie or low-fat dressings, and using herbs and spices to add flavor. Some cooking techniques, such as breading and frying, or using high-fat dressings or sauces will greatly increase the calories and fat in the dish. And eat your fruit raw to enjoy its natural sweetness.

Canned or frozen fruits and vegetables are good options when fresh produce is not available.

However, be careful to choose those without added sugar, syrup, cream sauces, or other ingredients that will add calories.

Choose whole fruit over fruit drinks and juices. Fruit juices have lost fiber from the fruit.

It is better to eat the whole fruit because it contains the added fiber that helps you feel full. One 6-ounce serving of orange juice has 85 calories, compared to just 65 calories in a medium orange.

Whole fruit gives you a bigger size snack than the same fruit dried—for the same number of calories.

A small box of raisins (1/4 cup) is about 100 calories. For the same number of calories, you can eat 1 cup of grapes.

For those that need medical assistance in losing weight, the use of safe weight loss pills may also be considered. One of the most popular weight loss pills today is Orlistat.

Tips To Fitness Success (Part 2)

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 17 Sep 2013 04:06:00 +0000

NOTE: This is part two, click here for part one.

Now that you have decided on why you want a fitness plan. Here are a few tips to help you reafine how you are going to do it. Again, it's all about setting goals.

Now & Later

Goals exist in two forms. These are short-term goals, and long term goals. Both short and long term goals are important for your personal success and longevity.

Short Term Goals

Short term goald These may not get you going, but they will definitely keep you going. Short-term goals should not only be reachable but they must be very specific. Just saying, "I want to get in shape", is not being specific enough. In addition, you should try to work these goals into a reasonable time limit. For example, a good short-term goal may be to work out 5 of the next seven days. Or perhaps you could set a goal to lose 1 pound a week over the next month.

Short-term goals can be a little more complex than these mentioned, but generally a short-term goal should take you no longer than three months to complete. Any longer and they can become difficult to adhere to. Always remember the purpose of the short-term goal as well - Motivation. As we mentioned earlier, the best way to gain motivation is to set reachable and realistic goals. Give yourself something to get excited about at first.

Long Term Goals

These goals can be more general in nature but should once again be realistic and reachable. Long-term goals are typically the things that get people exercising in the first place. For example, after a recent class reunion you may be disappointed by how much you have changed physically, and how little your classmates have. The promises you make to yourself in this situation are typically of the long-term variety.

Unlike their short term counterparts, long term goals don't really need a time table, but most people find it easier to place limits on them in some way. Goals like losing 50 pounds in the next year or decreasing your body fat by 5% in the next five months are good long-term goals. As you can see these are still fairly specific in nature and I feel they should be. Specific goals not only provide your mind with the pinpoint accuracy it needs to reach a goal, but they also furnish a template for effective measurement. One more thing to remember - Most, if not all, of the benefits of exercise come in the long term. So if you're having a hard time setting a long-term goal for yourself, here's a great one to embrace - CONSISTENCY!

Write It Down - Cross It Out

Many people find it beneficial to make a semi-permanent record of their goals and fitness plans. Writing your ambitions down in a journal can serve as both a great motivator and an effective critic as well. For one thing, it's harder to forget your goals if they are actually down on paper. You may find that you are a better at procrastinating than you are at achieving your goals. Both scenarios provide you with positive feedback that can help you to make the necessary adjustments. Make it a point to cross out goals as you achieve them. Some people even enjoy writing the word "ACHIEVED" over a recently accomplished task.

Either of these methods not only provides you with an enormous amount of personal satisfaction, but they give you an accurate, visual record of successful accomplishment.

Keep On Track

There's only one way to know if your exercise program is effective in helping you meet your specific goals. I can sum it up in two words. Fitness and health statistics such as: body weight, blood pressure, resting heart rate, body fat and cholesterol levels, are just a few of the measurements that can provide useful data for you, as well as your doctor. For example, you may find that after 6 weeks of exercise your bodyweight has decreased but your body fat percentage has not.

This, as you may imagine, is a negative characteristic of exercise, but through careful manipulation of your training intensity, can easily be alleviated. By regularly checking your progress, or lack thereof, adjustments can easily be made to put you back on the right track.

Reward Yourself

If you only remember one thing from this article remember this - Life is short! No one should feel like they have to exercise every single day, nor should they dine only on tofu burgers and rice cakes. Give yourself a break now and then. If you've been consistent with your fitness and/or nutritional program, treat yourself to something you really enjoy. For some that may mean a few chocolate chips cookies or a scoop of Rocky Road ice cream.

For others, it may be a couple of days away from the gym or an afternoon at the movies. The bottom line is that you have to reward yourself for being good. That reward should be special to you.

Tips To Fitness Success

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 17 Sep 2013 03:59:00 +0000

Learn all about your fitness plan by setting goals. Also, you will find a few tips on helping you with the how in your plan.

Many people are not consistent and fail in the first three months of an exercise program. But if it becomes a habit and they stick to it, something magical happens after four months. You are finally getting the results you expect and chances are you will continue with the exercise program.

Goal setting is more than important; it serves as your road map to fitness success. If instituted properly, effective goal setting can motivate you to reach new personal horizons. Here are a few tips to not only help you become an effective goal setter, but a successful achiever as well.

Do It For You

Your goals will only mean something to you if they are just that - yours. It's not what your wife or husband want for you, it's what you want for you. Don't get wrapped up in others expectations of how your life or body should be. This will only lead to frustration on your part. Take into careful consideration the changes you want to make in your lifestyle.

Get Real

For your goals to truly encourage you, they must not only be specific to your needs and wants, but they must be realistic as well. Far-fetched goals only discourage good effort and add unneeded pressure. It's not realistic to believe you'll look like Arnold Schwarzenegger after six months on your new strength training program. Nor is it feasible to expect to start a professional football career at the age of 40. The bottom line is goals like these are completely unrealistic.

Setting unreachable goals will assure only one thing - Failure. You won't see the results you think you should be seeing, no matter how dedicated you are. The solution is to set goals that you know can actually be achieved if you put forth the effort.

That's not to say that you should throw all of your dreams out of the window. We are all driven by goals that seem a little beyond our reach. That's what keeps us going. Just start off on the simple side at first. Once a pattern of achievement has been established, test yourself by setting your sights a little higher.

Let's Be Honest

Now this is the hard part. Find a nice, quiet place to sit down and do some serious soul searching. Here's something to ponder - The more you put into your fitness program, the more you will get out of it. Exercising at the minimum (3 days per week or less) is going to give you a minimal training effect. That may be okay for some people, but if you are a professional athlete, it just won't give you the improvement you'll need in order to be a success.

Do I really have the time to exercise everyday, or are 3 days more realistic for my schedule? Am I willing to dramatically change my eating habits for the sake of my health? These questions may be hard to answer at first, but realize that you may have to face them eventually. Many first time exercisers start out so gung-ho that within a few months they encounter complete burnout.

Most of the time these people are trying to live up to self-imposed expectations that are completely unreasonable. The solution is to be honest with yourself right from the start. For example, start off exercising 3 days per week and add an extra day if you find that it fits your schedule. Problem solving before the problem presents itself may help you avoid the inevitable pitfalls that face all exercisers at one time or another.

NOTE: This is part one, click here for part two.

5 components of physical fitness

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 13 Sep 2013 01:24:00 +0000

Physical fitness is the ability to function effectively throughout your workday. Here two major categories are considered: general fitness (a state of health and well-being), and specific fitness (a task-oriented definition based on the ability to perform specific aspects of sports or occupations).

The components of physical fitness are:

* Cardiorespiratory (CR) endurance - the efficiency with which the body delivers oxygen and nutrients needed for muscular activity and transports waste products from the cells.

* Muscular strength - the greatest amount of force a muscle or muscle group can exert in a single effort.

* Muscular endurance - the ability of a muscle or muscle group to perform repeated movements with a sub-maximal force for extended periods of times.

* Flexibility - the ability to move the joints or any group of joints through an entire, normal range of motion.

* Body composition - the percentage of body fat a person has in comparison to his or her total body mass.

Improving the first three components of fitness listed above will have a positive impact on body composition and will result in less fat. Excessive body fat detracts from the other fitness components, reduces performance, detracts from appearance, and negatively affects your health.

Factors such as speed, agility, muscle power, eye-hand coordination, and eye-foot coordination are classified as components of "motor" fitness. These factors most affect your athletic ability. Appropriate training can improve these factors within the limits of your potential. A sensible weight loss and fitness program seeks to improve or maintain all the components of physical and motor fitness through sound, progressive, mission specific physical training.

Principles of Exercise

Adherence to certain basic exercise principles is important for developing an effective program. The same principles of exercise apply to everyone at all levels of physical training, from the Olympic-caliber athlete to the weekend jogger.

These basic principles of exercise must be followed.

Regularity

To achieve a training effect, you must exercise often. You should exercise each of the first four fitness components at least three times a week. Infrequent exercise can do more harm than good. Regularity is also important in resting, sleeping, and following a sensible diet.

Progression

The intensity (how hard) and/or duration (how long) of exercise must gradually increase to improve the level of fitness.

Balance

To be effective, a program should include activities that address all the fitness components, since overemphasizing any one of them may hurt the others.

Variety

Providing a variety of activities reduces boredom and increases motivation and progress.

Specificity

Training must be geared toward specific goals. For example, people become better runners if their training emphasizes running. Although swimming is great exercise, it does not improve a 2-mile-run time as much as a running program does.

Recovery

A hard day of training for a given component of fitness should be followed by an easier training day or rest day for that component and/or muscle group(s) to help permit recovery. Another way to allow recovery is to alternate the muscle groups exercised every other day, especially when training for strength and/or muscle endurance.

Overload

The work load of each exercise session must exceed the normal demands placed on the body in order to bring about a training effect.

Fitting regular exercise into your daily schedule may seem difficult at first. But even ten minutes at a time is fine. The key is to find the right exercise for you. It should be fun and should match your abilities. Before deciding to undergo fitness testing, make sure you know why they are being done and determine that it is safe for you to participate.

How to reduce blood pressure and cholesterol levels

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 12 Sep 2013 08:14:00 +0000

What is cholesterol?

Cholesterol is a fatty substance (also called a lipid) that found in your blood and your body needs to work properly. But too much bad cholesterol can increase your chance of getting heart disease, stroke, cardiovascular disease, and other problems.

When cholesterol and proteins are combined, they are called lipoproteins. There are two main types of lipoproteins:

Low-density lipoproteins (LDL) is known as the bad type of cholesterol. LDL carry cholesterol from your liver to the cells that need it.

High-density lipoprotein (HDL) is known as the good type of cholesterol. HDL carry cholesterol away from the cells and back to the liver to be broken down.

For many people, abnormal cholesterol levels are partly due to an unhealthy lifestyle -- most commonly, eating a diet that is high in fat. Other lifestyle factors are:

Being overweight
Heavy alcohol use
Lack of exercise and leading an inactive lifestyle

Too much bad cholesterol (LDL) in your blood can cause fatty material to build up in your artery walls. The risk is particularly high if you have a high level of bad cholesterol and a low level of good cholesterol.

If you need to have your cholesterol measured, it will be in units called millimols per litre of blood (mmol/l). You should aim to have a total cholesterol level under 4mmol/l especially if you are at risk of, or already have, heart and circulatory disease. You should also aim to have your LDL under 2 mmol/l and your HDL above 1 mmol/l.

What are triglycerides?

Triglycerides are another type of fatty substance in the blood. Like LDL cholesterol (the bad type), triglycerides are also bad. They're found in foods such as dairy products, meat and cooking oils. They can also be produced in the body, either by the body’s fat stores or in the liver. Ideally, your triglyceride level should be less than 1.7 mmol/l.

If you have high triglyceride levels, you may have a greater risk of developing cardiovascular disease than people with lower levels. If you are very overweight, eat a lot of fatty and sugary foods, or drink too much alcohol, you are more likely to have a high triglyceride level.

What causes high cholesterol?

There is no one single cause for high cholesterol. Many different factors can contribute to high cholesterol such as:

Eating a diet that is high in saturated fat

smoking

lack of physical exercise

high alcohol intake, or

kidney or liver disease.

Having an inherited condition known as familial hypercholesterolaemia (FH) can also cause exceptionally high cholesterol even if you have a healthy lifestyle.

How you can I reduce my cholesterol level? Eat a healthy balanced diet.

Eating lots of fruit, vegetables, and wholegrain is better than eating foods high in saturated or trans fats. You can replace saturated fats with the healthy monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats such as olive, rapeseed or sunflower oils and spreads.

You should also try to eat oily fish regularly. Oily fish provides omega-3 fats – the richest source of a particular type of polyunsaturated fat. Omega-3 from oily fish can help to lower blood triglyceride levels and help prevent the blood from clotting. It can also help keep your heart rhythm regular. Aim to have 2 portions of fish a week, one of which should be oily.

Choose foods that are high in soluble fibre such as oats, beans, pulses, lentils, nuts, fruits and vegetables. Soluble fibre can help lower cholesterol.

Do regular exercise

Regular physical activity can help increase your HDL cholesterol (the good type of cholesterol). Staying active is great way to keep your heart healthy.

Quit smoking

Quitting smoking can help to lower your cholesterol and improve your heart health.

Will eating sterol-enriched foods help reduce my cholesterol level?

Although the effect varies between individuals, there is evidence to show that plant sterols and stanols can help to reduce LDL cholesterol by levels up to 10-15% when 2 g per day is regularly consumed as part of a healthy balanced diet. But whilst there is an expectation that this would lead to fewer heart attacks, no clinical trials have been undertaken to show this. Sterols and stanols have been added to certain foods, including margarines, spreads, soft cheeses and yoghurts.

Will eating too many eggs raise my cholesterol?

For most people, the amount of saturated fat they eat has much more of an impact on their cholesterol than eating foods that contain cholesterol, like eggs, liver, kidneys, shellfish. Unless you have been advised otherwise by your doctor or dietician, if you like eggs, they can be included as part of a balanced and varied diet.

Will I need to take medication?

Whether or not you need to take cholesterol-lowering medicine depends on your overall risk of cardiovascular disease.

There are many types of drugs to help lower blood cholesterol-lowering medicines, and they work in different ways. Statins are one kind of drug that lower cholesterol.

Eating a healthy diet rich in fruits and vegetables

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 10 Sep 2013 07:18:00 +0000

Skip the juice and choose whole fruit for more fiber. "Eat your fruits and vegetables." We've likely heard this statement since childhood.

Health Benefits from eating a diet rich in vegetables and fruits

reduce risk for heart disease, including heart attack and stroke.
may protect against certain types of cancers.
Diets rich in foods containing fiber, such as some vegetables and fruits, may reduce the risk of heart disease, obesity, and type 2 diabetes.
may lower blood pressure, and may also reduce the risk of developing kidney stones and help to decrease bone loss.

Nutrients

Most vegetables are naturally low in fat and calories. None have cholesterol. (Sauces or seasonings may add fat, calories, or cholesterol.)
Vegetables are important sources of many nutrients, including potassium, dietary fiber, folate (folic acid), vitamin A, and vitamin C.
Diets rich in potassium may help to maintain healthy blood pressure. Vegetable sources of potassium include sweet potatoes, white potatoes, white beans, tomato products (paste, sauce, and juice), beet greens, soybeans, lima beans, spinach, lentils, and kidney beans.
Dietary fiber from vegetables, as part of an overall healthy diet, helps reduce blood cholesterol levels and may lower risk of heart disease. Fiber is important for proper bowel function. It helps reduce constipation and diverticulosis. Fiber-containing foods such as vegetables help provide a feeling of fullness with fewer calories.
Folate (folic acid) helps the body form red blood cells. Women of childbearing age who may become pregnant should consume adequate folate from foods, and in addition 400 mcg of synthetic folic acid from fortified foods or supplements. This reduces the risk of neural tube defects, spina bifida, and anencephaly during fetal development. Vitamin A keeps eyes and skin healthy and helps to protect against infections.
Vitamin C helps heal cuts and wounds and keeps teeth and gums healthy. The following are some of the fruits and vegetables are recommended Squash and Cruciferous Vegetables

The following are some of the fruits and vegetables are recommended

Squash and Cruciferous Vegetables

Adding pureed squash to soups, sauces and casseroles is a tasty and simple way to increase your fiber intake. One cup of acorn squash has 6 grams of fiber, and the same amount of winter squash contains 7 grams. Cruciferous vegetables are high in fiber and have sulfurous compounds that give them a spicy or bitter flavor. A cup of broccoli, cabbage or Brussels sprouts offers 4 grams of fiber each. Roast them or add them to soups.

Other Vegetables

One cup of cooked spinach or kale contains 3 to 4 grams of fiber. Add either one to egg dishes, lasagna or soups for extra color and fiber. A cup of cooked carrots has 5 grams of fiber. Cut up a large bell pepper for a snack and an added 3 grams of fiber. A cup of corn with dinner offers 4 grams of fiber.

Berries

Their tiny seeds make berries an excellent source of fiber. One cup of blackberries has 8 grams of fiber, or about one-third of a woman's daily needs. A cup of blueberries or cranberries will provide 5 grams of fiber. A 1-cup serving of strawberries contains 4 grams of fiber. Choose berries as a snack, add them to salads or have them for dessert with a drizzle of honey and a sprinkle of chopped nuts.

Other Fruits

A medium apple each have 4 grams of fiber and make a convenient snack. A large of mango or kiwi each offer 3 grams of fiber. Eat three small plums or five prunes for an extra 3 grams of fiber. One-half of a medium avocado has 4 grams of fiber and can be used as a sandwich spread or mixed with salsa for a simple dip.

Best Strategies for Long-Term Weight Loss Success

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 13 Aug 2013 05:03:00 +0000

Long-term weight loss is not an easy goal to achieve, for one very important reason: it’s hard to change old habits. You might do well sticking to a diet for the short-term, but for the long-term, habits will rule. You want to start a new diet, but the old eating habits don’t die easily. I’ll show you how to change your habits, but first let’s take a brief look at what habits to form.

The Habits

The specific habits you form to lose weight are very personal, but here’s an idea to get you started:

Eat whole foods — whole grains, nuts, seeds, veggies, fruits, non-fried protein — instead of sweets, fried foods, processed carbs.
Exercise each day — walk, do some bodyweight exercises, run, do a short intense workout, etc.

How to Form the Habits

Habits are formed by tying a habit to a trigger, and repeating it a bunch of times until it becomes automatic. We’ll solve that in this habit plan:

Replace an old habit with the new habit. Start with just one habit for now, to make it more likely that it’ll stick. Let’s say you want to eat more veggies. Instead of snacking on chips or sweets in the afternoon, snack on carrots/broccoli and hummus.
Keep the habit small. We tend to be ambitious and do a lot at first. Then we crash and do nothing. But in the beginning, keep it small if you want it to stick.
Focus on the enjoyment. Instead of thinking, “I have to do this” think, “I get to do this.” And enjoy the crap out of it. Then the habit itself becomes the reward.
Have some accountability. Commit to doing something really embarrassing if you don’t stick to the habit each week.

So what are we to do? Before you get started on a weight loss program, consider the following tips. They should help you reach the goal of obtaining and maintaining a healthy weight.

Set the Right Weight Loss Goals

Setting effective weight loss goals is an important first step. Keep in mind that effective weight loss goals are specific, attainable, and forgiving. For example, "exercise more" is a wonderful goal, but it's not specific. Walk 30 minutes, five days each week" is specific, attainable, and forgiving.

Reward Weight Loss Success, But Not With Food!

An effective reward is something that is desirable, timely, and contingent on meeting your goal. Rewards may include treating yourself to a movie or massage, taking an afternoon off from work, or just an hour of time to yourself. Keep in mind that numerous small rewards, delivered for meeting smaller goals, are more effective than bigger rewards, requiring a long, difficult effort.

Balance Your Food Checkbook

This means that you should monitor your lifestyle by observing and recording some aspect of your eating and exercising behaviors, such as how many calories you eat in a day, how many servings of fruits and vegetables you eat per day, or how often and for how long you exercise. Doing this can really help you determine how you are doing and what you need to do to meet your weight loss goals.

Avoid Eating and Food Triggers

Identify those social and environmental cues that tend to encourage undesired eating, and then work to change those cues. For example, you may learn that you're more likely to overeat while watching television, or whenever treats are on display by the office coffee pot.

Get the (Fullness) Message

Changing the way you go about eating can make it easier to eat less and lose weight without feeling deprived. It takes 15 or more minutes for your brain to get the message you've been fed. So slow down the speed that you eat. Eating lots of vegetables or high fiber fruit can also make you feel fuller. Another trick is to use smaller plates so that moderate portions do not appear smaller.

Cut the carbs, lose the weight

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 29 Jul 2013 05:59:00 +0000

from www.healthambition.com

We are what we eat. This statement is very common, but it happens to be true. A new study shows that to lose weight more efficiently, cutting carbs is a better strategy. The new study, presented at the American Cancer Research Society meeting on December 8, found that a low carb diet, even just two days a week, was more effective than a low calorie diet to lose weight and lower insulin.

All carbohydrates change into sugar, the importance is the time it takes for them to be absorbed by the body. Unlike the other carbohydrates, fiber is the only one that does not turn into sugar when passing through the body. Fiber actually slows down sugar absorption. There are complex carbohydrates and simple carbohydrates.

There are several great reasons to control your carbohydrate intake. Managing diabetes (blood sugar), improving mood, improving energy, and weight loss are a few of these reasons. Cutting carbs is really difficult to do without setting goals and following a plan to help stay on track. It is hard to only eat a few potato chips. Eating half the bag happens before you know it. Stocking up on fresh fruits, vegetables and other food items are a much better idea. They are full of nutrients that are healthy for the body and are great snacks during the day. Those labels are put on foods for a reason. Reading them is a necessity when trying to cut carbs to lower calorie intake.

Why does cutting carbs work?

Cutting carbs is a great plan for losing weight. It makes sense because eating an excess of carbohydrates will fill the bodies storage tanks and the rest will be stored as fat. Another way to think about it is, many high carbohydrate foods are high in calories and unburned calories are what puts on the pounds. Who eats just one slice of toast.

Most people eat two or three. Do you over-eat bananas, apples, carrot sticks and celery? Generally, the answer is no. Overeating tends to be the high carbohydrate foods. High Carb foods are high in calories. When the body takes in more calories then it works off then it produces weight gain. It takes burning 3500 more calories than you eat to burn off 1 pound of body fat. Eating too many high calorie carbohydrates makes it difficult to burn off fat to lose weight and very easy to gain weight.

Is cutting all carbs a good idea?

Cutting all carbs would be really difficult for most people to do and unhealthy. Having no carbs in the daily diet is extremely restrictive and unsatisfying. For the longterm, learning to control the amount of carbohydrates , eating the right kinds of carbs, and learning how to use them as a tool to burn fat is a much better way to live. It is beneficial to cut carbs, but not remove them entirely.

Lowering carbs in the daily diet is a lifestyle change that can be maintained instead of a crash diet where the pounds come right back. Controlling carbohydrate intake is a much better solution. Carbs do turn to sugar, but they also break down into energy quickly. It's eating the wrong types of carbs, and in excess, that causes weight gain. It makes more sense to eat a diet high in protein and low in carbs in order to build muscle mass and provide higher levels of energy.

Eating lots of protein and the right kinds of fat helps a person feel stronger and more energetic. Cutting carbs entirely reduces the nutrients the body needs to be strong and healthy. It is the unused carbs that create the unwanted weight gain. A limited amount of carbs allows the body to actually burn fat while working out and build energy. This is why athletic teams have pasta feasts before competition. A reduction in carbs allows the body enough to use for burning fat while reducing the amount that causes weight gain.

Losing weight is a balance of eating right, lowering carbs, and exercise. Without exercise it is very difficult to lose weight. Cutting carbs completely out of the diet will result in weight loss, but it does not allow the body to function properly. The best way is to lower carb intake and eat fiber rich and low calorie foods.

Lower carbs in the daily diet instead of cutting them out entirely. Choosing fresh vegetables, fruits, beans, whole grains, high fiber, vitamins, and minerals is the healthy and most longterm solution. A healthy diet is not something you do for six months just to lose weight. It is a way of life. Following a diet that a person cannot maintain for life is not the answer.

How to Lose Weight in 7 Days

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 25 Jul 2013 04:50:00 +0000

from http://thewellnessscientist.com

Losing weight for most people, it takes time. Some forms of dieting can be unhealthy at best, and counterproductive at worst. However, there is still hope. If you're serious about losing weight and want to see an immediate difference in your body in less than 7 days, follow these helpful tip.

Part One: Diet

Form a diet that minimizes starches, and sugars. Bad starches and sugars to stay away from include: potato chips, fries, white breads, pastries, soft drinks, candies, and cakes. These will all keep you from realizing your weight loss goal.
Form a diet that is rich in vegetables, fiber, and lean protein. All these foods are less prone to being converted into fat, and come packed with healthy vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.
Drink water instead of sugary drinks. Water will help your immune system stay healthy, keep your skin looking great, and give you more lasting energy to do the things you need to do during the day. Sodas, juices, and other sugary drinks aren't the way to go if you want to shed pounds off of your frame. Unsweetened green tea is another good substitute for sugary drinks. Green tea contains a good amount of antioxidants, meaning that it helps your body fight against free radicals, which enhance signs of aging in humans.
Use dieting tips to form good habits. We all cheat now and then, and that's fine. But we can make it harder on ourselves to cheat in the first place, giving us an incentive to follow our diet more strictly and diligently.
Keep a food journal. If you keep track of your diet and one week goes particularly well, you can try replicating your diet to achieve the same results.
Never skipping meals, never eating late at night, and don't forget breakfast. A good breakfast will help you jumpstart your metabolism, keep it going throughout the day, and gently wind down as night comes. Eating right before sleeping is a bad idea because your body often doesn't metabolize all the calories, instead converting them into fat.

Part Two: Exercise

Stretch before you exercise. Be prepared to stretch for 5 to 10 minutes — slowly and effectively — before you exercise. Stretching will keep you from getting injured.
During your warm-up routine, try to break a sweat. Think of it this way: breaking a sweat means you're exerting yourself more, which means you're burning more calories. The more calories you burn, the more weight you'll lose. That's a good thing.
Keep sweating throughout your entire workout. Now that you've set the tone during your warm-up, keep the intensity ramped up. Losing weight is going to require one hour of moderate exercise per day.
Do one hour of cardio a day, working at a moderate pace at least.
Complement your cardio with strength training. Strength training can be anything from yoga and Pilates to resistance or weight training.
Do interval training. Interval training is short bursts of high intensity workout followed by longer intervals of mellow exercise, repeating throughout.
Pace yourself. The good news is that if you pace yourself while exercising, you're less likely to feel burned-out and more motivated to finish your regimen at your maximum intensity. That's a good omen for calorie-burning.

Part Three: General Tips

Burn more calories than you take in as food. This is actually the most effective way to think about weight loss.
Starving yourself will make you gain weight, not lose it. Why? When a person starves him/herself, the body realizes it is getting less food, causing its metabolism to slow down in order to save energy. When this happens, your body starts eating its muscle supply, basically, consuming lean tissue instead of fat reserves.
Any quick weight-loss regimen should also be accompanied by exercise. The truth is that if you want to lose quickly, you're not going to do it merely by eating right. You will lose weight, but it will take time.
Stress can cause weight-gain. When your body is under stress, it released adrenaline — the fight or flight hormone. But your body also releases cortisol, another hormone. When the adrenaline wears off, which happens quickly, all that's left is the cortisol. The cortisol causes us to want to eat, because we've spent precious energy using our adrenaline to potentially save our life.
Results will take time. If your goal is to lose 2 pounds in 7 days, that's probably double. If your goal is to lose 7 pounds in 7 days, it's not going to happen. On top of that, it's not healthy. Be reasonable about what your goals are so you don't get down on yourself when you fail to meet them.
Too many people expect immediate results and then get discouraged when they aren't able to see them. Well, life isn't fair, and it's never easy, is it?

Fitness Equipment Machines – What You Should Know Before

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 25 Jul 2013 03:53:00 +0000

Having own weight machine at home is very good for you if you do not have much time. Before making a purchase, be sure to consider whether or not the machine you are looking at will help you to achieve your long term fitness goals.

One of the most important questions to keep in mind when choosing a weight machine is to determine what range of weights is available for lifting in the machine. Often, weight machines that are designed for home use have a relatively small range. For example, they may offer a range of weights from 10 to 100 pounds. While this may initially seem acceptable, there are many people who may be able to easily perform specific exercises with more than 100 pounds. If you are one of these people, a weight machine such as this could be useless to use.

Being fit, healthy, and flexible is not always easy. It takes regular exercise and eating a healthy diet rich in fruits and vegetables. In addition, any exercise program that you choose such as push-ups stretches, jogging or walking takes discipline.

The same discipline applies to using fitness equipment. If you are the type of person that prefers using fitness equipment for your exercise routines, here are few tips to consider before purchasing.

Do not believe what you see and hear. You will need to assess whether all the advertised claims are true. Fitness equipment will claim for example, that you will lose will lose several pounds off their weight in as little as seven days or that you will decrease your pants size in one month.

To lose weight in seven days or decrease a pant size in such short time is nearly impossible, even with the assistance of dietary supplements. Be skeptical about claims that say you will be able to burn a tremendous amount of fat in a specific area of your body, such as the hips, thighs, waist just by applying a specific type of ointment or lotion, etc.

The only sure way to burn fat is by changing what you eat and exercise. Before and after pictures of people who claim that they were able to lose weight because of using such and such equipments may or may not be true. If ever they are, their experience is purely personal and that is no assurance that your unique body weight, body make-up will also undergo the same change they went through.

It is also always advisable to read the fine print, whether it be fitness equipment or anything else. Though you believe that the fitness equipment you are planning to purchase is a good one, reading the fine print really would not hurt as it may say that you also have to decrease your calorie intake and not just rely on what the machine could do for you.

There are advertising statements that say you could pay off the fitness equipment in a number of easy payments or by paying a mere thirty-nine ninety-five a month. Do not forget to inquire about shipping and handling costs and include that in your calculation. In addition, add-on the required sales tax, delivery fees, set-up fees. Know all the details before you purchase.

It is best that you consider asking about details on their thirty-day money back guarantee. Though this sounds good to you as the consumer, it may or may not actually be a good deal, if for example you are going to return the item. You may actually end up paying large shipping cost, return to stock costs, etc.

Make sure you contact their customer service hotline. The customer service hot line should have a toll-free number as well as a customer service representative in case you have problems with your fitness equipment. As stated above, to be fit, healthy and flexible takes more than just fitness equipment. It will take discipline to exercise and a healthy diet.

Low-intensity workouts at home

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 24 Jul 2013 07:30:00 +0000

from http://www.shape.com

Body weight exercises entail the use of more energy, resulting in burning more calories faster. There are several traditional and simple cardio exercises to do at home or in your neighborhood that provide a great challenge and gain results. Do not worry if you are going to do the workout at home and have no. This cardio workout includes a variety of challenging, low impact exercises that will get your heart rate up without any jumping. You can do this workout at home or on the road to burn calories and stay healthy.

Perform the exercises for the suggested time, one after the other with little or no rest in between Perform the circuit once for a 10-minute workout or up to six times for a longer, more intense workout modify or skip any exercises that cause pain or discomfort.

Warm up (1 minute)

Warm up for one minute with light cardio, such as step touches (as shown). Really use your arms to get your heart rate going.

Side Lunge with Windmill Arms (1 minute each, 2 repetition)

Take it to the next level by standing in a wide stance with the arms straight out. Bend at the waist, abs in, and take the left arm towards the right foot. Stand up and repeat the move on the left, going as fast as you can. Bend the knees if you feel any back pain.

Knee Smash - Right and Left Leg (1 minute each, 2 repetition)

Extend the arms and bring the left knee up and across the body while bringing the arms down. Return to start and repeat, going as fast as you can to get the heart rate up for one minute.

Front Kick Lunge- Right and Left Leg (1 minute each, 2 repetition)

Bring the right knee up and extend the leg in a snapping front kick then take the same leg back into a straight-leg lunge while touching the floor. Repeat the kick and low lunge sequence for one minute and repeat the sequence on the other side for one minute.

Bear Crawl (1 minute each, 2 repetition)

Squat to the floor and walk your hands out until you're in a plank position. Do a pushup on the knees or toes and then walk the hands back to a squat and stand up. Add a jump at the end for more intensity. Repeat for one minute.

Knee with Side Kick - Right and Left Leg (1 minute each, 2 repetition)

In a wide stance, bring the left knee up to the side while bringing the elbow down towards the knee. Take the left foot down and shift the weight into the left leg while kicking out to the side. Repeat as quickly as you can for one minute on the left and one minute on the right.

Squat Kicks (1 minute each, 2 repetition)

With arms up in guard, squat as low as you can, taking the hips back. As you stand up, kick with the right leg. Repeat the move, kicking with the left leg. Repeat, alternating kicks for one minute.

Cooldown

Walk around for a few minutes to cool down and let the heart rate come back to normal.

Most important factors in weight loss

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 23 Jul 2013 04:04:00 +0000

from www.hcgultrareport.com

You need weight-loss programs to losing weight for good. Programs can teach the nutrition, fitness and lifestyle skills you need to maintain healthy living, long-term weight loss. Losing weight can be a frustrating business. You have to eat healthy, start exercising and then wait for great result. Running is a very simple form of exercise. It’s easy and quick to put on your shoes and go out for a run or jump on the treadmill. However, when you’re using running to lose weight you have much more to think about than just running.

To give yourself the best chance of success you need much more than mere hope or wishes, you also need to look at other factors. Here are four key areas you should take a good look at:

Set some goals

Take some time to have a good think about your reasons for wanting to lose weight and what you would like to achieve. What are your weight loss goals? What are your running goals?

Goal setting is more than important; it serves as your road map to weisuccess. If instituted properly, effective goal setting can motivate you to reach new personal horizons. Or, on the other hand, it may help you get back on track if you've made a wrong turn. Goal setting can be learned, but it's not easy, it takes practice and careful evaluation. Here are a few tips to not only help you become an effective goal setter, but a successful achiever as well.

For your goals to truly encourage you, they must not only be specific to your needs and wants, but they must be realistic as well. That's not to say that you should throw all of your dreams out of the window. We are all driven by goals that seem a little beyond our reach. That's what keeps us going. Just start off on the simple side at first. Once a pattern of achievement has been established, test yourself by setting your sights a little higher.

Develop a plan

If you don’t develop a plan then you have little idea about how you’re going to reach your goals. Or maybe you’ve created a quick, half hearted plan because you don’t want to “waste” much time producing one.

The fact is that by not spending the time to develop a plan you will waste much more time later on by struggling to reach your goals.

A sound plan helps to guide you and act as a road map leading you towards your desired weight. Not having a plan will only result in wasting months and even years of your life, and you’ll also end up suffering much frustration along the way.

Measure and track your progress

Now that you’ve got some goals and a plan, you need to be able to identify whether you’re on track. If you don’t measure your progress then there will come a time when you should have reached your goals but suddenly realise that you’re a long way off.

By keeping track of your progress you can identify what’s working and what’s not, and modify your running and weight loss plan accordingly. You can therefore be confident that you’re on track to reach your goals rather than not having a clue whether you’re on track or not.

So you may want to measure things like your weight, Body Mass Index, and body fat percentage. You may also want to take body measurements and photos of yourself as you lose weight.

Also don’t forget about measuring your running progress because if you’re not improving your running ability then sooner or later you’ll hit a plateau and stop losing weight.

Check your diet

In order to lose weight you need to create a calorie deficit by burning more calories than you consume. While running will help you on one side of the equation, your diet will help you on the other.

The problem is that most people severely underestimate their calorie intake and then wonder why they can’t lose any weight. If you don’t have a sensible diet or your calorie intake is too high then you can do all the exercise you want and you’ll still struggle to lose weight.

To summarise

I hope you can see that there’s much more to using running to lose weight than just simply going out for a run or jumping on a treadmill.

By taking note of these four key areas you’ll get a lot more out of your running and weight loss efforts. You’ll have more purpose, direction, and motivation which provides you with a much better chance of success than someone who drifts along and pins their hopes on mere luck.

To get more tips like these that help you improve your fitness and running ability and lose more weight, take a look at these running programs which guide you every step of the way.

Speed up your Rate of burning calories

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 22 Jul 2013 04:41:00 +0000

From http://www.sparkpeople.com/

How fast your body burns calories depends on several factors. Some people inherit a speedy metabolism. Men tend to burn more calories than women, even while resting. And for most people, metabolism slows steadily after age 40. Although you can't control your age, gender, or genetics, there are other ways to get a boost.

Speed up your rate of burning calories using the following tips:

Build Muscle. Our bodies constantly burn calories, even when we’re doing nothing. This resting metabolic rate is much higher in people with more muscle. Every pound of muscle uses about 6 calories a day just to sustain itself, while each pound of fat burns only 2 calories daily. That small difference can add up over time. In addition, after a bout of resistance training, muscles are activated all over your body, increasing your average daily metabolic rate.

Step Up Your Workout. Aerobic exercise may not build big muscles, but it can rev up your metabolism in the hours after a workout. The key is to push yourself. High-intensity exercise delivers a bigger, longer increase in resting metabolic rate than low-intensity workouts. To get the benefits, try a more intense class at the gym or include short bursts of jogging during your regular walk.

Fuel Up with Water. The body needs water to process calories. If you are even mildly dehydrated, your metabolism may slow down. In one study, adults who drank eight or more glasses of water a day burned more calories than those who drank four. To stay hydrated, drink a glass of water or other unsweetened beverage before every meal and snack. In addition, try munching on fresh fruits and vegetables, which are full of fluid, rather than pretzels or chips.

Energy Drinks. Some ingredients in energy drinks can give your metabolism a boost. They're full of caffeine which increases the amount of energy your body uses. They sometimes have taurine, an amino acid. Taurine can speed up your metabolism and may help burn fat. But using these drinks can cause problems like high blood pressure, anxiety, and sleep issues for some people. The American Academy of Pediatrics doesn’t recommend them for kids and teens.

Sinless Snacking. Eating more really can help you lose weight -- eating more often, that is. When you eat large meals with many hours in between, your metabolism slows down between meals. Having a small meal or snack every 3 to 4 hours keeps your metabolism cranking, so you burn more calories over the course of a day. Several studies have also shown that people who snack regularly eat less at meal time.

Spice Up Your Meals. Spicy foods contain chemical compounds that can kick the metabolism into a higher gear. Eating a tablespoon of chopped red or green chili pepper can boost your metabolic rate. The effect is likely temporary, but if you eat spicy foods often, the benefits may add up. For a quick boost, spice up pasta dishes, chili, and stews with red-pepper flakes.

Power Up with Protein. The body burns many more calories digesting protein as it uses for fat or carbohydrates. Although you want to eat a balanced diet, replacing some carbs with lean, protein-rich foods can boost the metabolism at mealtime. Healthy sources of protein include lean beef, turkey, fish, white meat chicken, tofu, nuts, beans, eggs, and low-fat dairy products.

Recharge with Green Tea. Drinking green tea or oolong tea offers the combined benefits of caffeine and catechins, substances shown to rev up the metabolism for a couple hours. Research suggests that drinking two to four cups of either tea may push the body to burn 17% more calories than normal during moderately intense exercise for a short period of time.

Be active. The average person burns about 30 percent of calories through daily activity; sedentary people only use about 15 percent. Taking every opportunity to move can make quite a difference to the amount of calories you burn.

Booster Shot: Black Coffee. If you're a coffee drinker, you probably enjoy the increased energy and concentration that follows your morning ritual. Taken in moderation, one of coffee's benefits may be a short-term increase in your metabolic rate. But if you have ulcer disease, you can try Green Coffee Bean Extract 800 with GCA. This incredible weight loss has nothing to do with caffeine. Green coffee bean extract only has 20 mg of caffeine per serving.

Quick Tips: Doing just 10 minutes a week of Plyometrics (jumping drills) can make a difference in your fitness by making you faster and more agile.

How to burn off all the calories you eat

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 19 Jul 2013 08:12:00 +0000

From http://all4women.co.za/

You know that to lose weight, you need to burn more calories than you consume. Lets take a closer look at some easy ways to burn calories that you can incorporate into your daily life.

Fidget.

It's called Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis (NEAT), any movement that isn't intended as exercise. You can burn an extra 100-150 calories an hour by increasing NEAT. Here are some ideas:

Stand while talking on the phone, using the computer, or reading the paper.
Pacing is even better.
Buy a work station or desk that you can stand at or, if you can, set up a desk over a treadmill. By walking 1 mile an hour while you work, you'll burn an additional 100 calories per hour which, if you do this for 2-3 hours a day, you could lose 44-60 pounds in a year.

Reach for the caffeine, pass on the sugar and cream.

Caffeine tends to increase the number of calories you burn, probably because they stimulate thermogenesis — one way your body generates heat and energy from digesting food and because the boost in energy means you move around more (which means more calories burned). Having 250 milligrams of caffeine with a meal can increase the calories spent metabolizing the meal by 10%. Green tea, in particular, seems to be especially conducive to burning calories. Drinking coffee or tea plain will take some getting used to, but purchasing high-quality beans or tea leaves will certainly help.

Increase your after-meal burn by eating more vegetables and phasing out meat and dairy products.

Your body expends around 200 calories to digest your food. People who eat fibrous fruit, vegetables, complex carbs, and low-fat meat burn even more calories after they eat. In fact, vegetarians generally have a bigger after-meal burn than their omnivorous counterparts. And no matter what you eat, adding 5g of Tabasco sauce to any meal can raise your metabolism by 12-20 percent for up to two hours after you're done. This is caused by capsaicin - the nutrient that makes chile peppers hot.

Drink ice water.

The colder the water you drink, the more calories you burn, since your body expends more energy warming up the water. If you have 8 glasses (64 oz) of ice-cold water in a day, you'll burn 70 more calories than if you drank 8 glasses of a body temperature beverage. In fact, this principle will work with any calorie-free beverage, as long as it's ice cold, so you might want to ice up that coffee and tea mentioned earlier for cumulative calorie-burning effects. Keep in mind, however, that the weight loss impact of this one particular practice isn't drastic: It would take 435 glasses of ice water (about two months, assuming 8 glasses a day) to lose one pound.

Chill out.

Shivering burns calories, so if you can spend more time outside when it's cold, you'll crank up the calorie furnace. Even if you don't shiver, though, you can get a 3-7% increase in calorie burn just from your body warming itself (similar to the principle at work when you drink ice water).

Calories burnt is proportional to your lean body mass.

Consume a good amount of protein, 20-30 grams, within ten minutes of your workout and you will be on your way to increasing you lean body mass and burning better calories.

Eating a small meal every 2 hours will keep your metabolism fired and keep your calories burning.

You can also make weight loss quicker and easier by increasing your metabolic rate and speed up your Rate of burning calories.

Eating the right amount of foods

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 19 Jul 2013 03:59:00 +0000

From http://www.activ8-fitness.com/

Everyone’s looking for a weight–loss magic, but the true way to trim down is to control your calories. Staying within yours can help you get to or maintain a healthy weight. Reaching a healthier weight is a balancing act.

Like most people, you've probably heard a lot of weight–loss "wisdom” such as “cut the carbs," "avoid fat," and "pack in the protein." Then there are the many trendy diet plans: the cabbage soup diet, goji berry diet, egg diet, the juice diet, you name it! Some of these might help you lose weight in the short term. But staying on many of them can damage your metabolism — not to mention leave you bored and hungry from their limited menus!

So how can you lose weight? Use more calories than you're consuming. It really is that simple. And the two proven ways to do this? Eat the right amount of calories and exercise more. Keep things simple by making sensible choices on a day–to–day basis.

Finding your "caloric balance."

The true way to trim down is to control your food. They are the key to successful weight loss.

So where do you start? The first thing to do is to see your doctor and learn how many calories you need each day. From there, you can work backward to see how many calories you can safely cut to lose weight at a sensible rate.

Something you can do right now is learn about your Body Mass Index (BMI). This is the ratio of your weight to your height, and the Centers for Disease Control's (CDC) online Body Mass Calculator is a handy tool.

If you are :

Maintaining weight — Your weight will stay the same when the calories you eat and drink equal the calories you burn.
Losing weight — You will lose weight when the calories you eat and drink are less than the calories you burn.
Gaining weight — You will gain weight when the calories you eat and drink are greater than the calories you burn.
The current high rates of overweight and obesity in the United States mean that many people are taking in more calories than they burn.

Here are helpful tips on cutting calories from the CDC:

Replace high–calorie foods with low-calorie foods. Foods that have lots of fiber and water are good ways to feel full without eating too many calories.
Learn to eat fruits and vegetables instead of high–calorie snacks. They're a great way to fill up and get lots of good nutrition for fewer calories.
Think about your drink. We often forget that there can be hundreds of calories in our beverages. Coffee drinks with lots of cream and syrup, smoothies loaded with sugars, and certain alcoholic drinks, can pack as much as 500 calories. This is as much as an entire meal in a single cup.
Rethink your serving sizes. Portion sizes can cause you to eat more calories than you realize. Studies show that people consume more calories when faced with larger portions, even though they don't mean to.

Don’t forget to exercise! When you don't exercise, you place the entire burden of weight loss on your diet. Being more active means that you can eat more of the things you like and still lose weight. The key is finding an exercise you enjoy. Every step toward healthier living is a step in a good direction.

4 tips for weight loss the right way

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 20 Jun 2013 06:28:00 +0000

from mycartoonthing.com

A lot of people have an idea of the weight loss methods but they just seem to give up on it too easily, just do it like you love your hobby. If you can relate to these weight loss problems, then the following are some tips on how you will be able to finally fit in your old dresses:

1. Proper Exercise

It's a basic concept that the body has to burn off all the calories that you took in from your meals. If your lifestyle is a sedentary one, you really need to look for ways in order to for you to break the habit of doing nothing. There are those who try to kick off their wellness plans by enrolling in the gym but that's just the beginning of it.

In order for you to be able to effectively lose those extra pounds and maintain a fit body, you have to make sure that you stick to your exercise routine as part of your daily habits. It's good to set goals in order for you to be more motivated in achieving your desired weight.

2. Rest on time, don't too much workout

For beginners, rest is really important right after a strenuous workout routine. Some people get hyped with all the workout that they continue to push their bodies too hard which causes them to breakdown all of a sudden. As soon as the pain and all the stress sinks in, they start to lose motivation and end up quitting and throwing everything away.

If you are OC enough when it comes to the workout and rest balance, you can try to make a schedule of both your exercises and rests. Make your rest periods a part of the entire fitness plan that you have. You can check workout routine for beginner here.

3. Eating the right amount of foods

Eating the right amount of foods is also a very important factor in losing weight. A lot of people try to starve themselves in order for them to lose weight. You can still lose weight even if you eat the right amount of food. You just need to keep a balance of the calories you take in and the amount that you burn with your daily activities.

You can eat what you want but then in the same day you need to burn off those calories. You can eat 1500 calories in a day but then you have to burn the calories off which isn't that hard. Try not to eat alot of fat but you can still eat some. Drink alot of water as well.