Exercise-For Weight Loss

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Weight Loss – Smart Goals for New Year’s Success

Posted by admin on November 29th, 2009 Comments Off

The New Year is almost here, and with it comes the opportunity for each of us to examine where we have been, where we are, and most importantly where we are going as we head into the future. After some reflection on our lives, many of us use the New Year as a chance to wipe the slate clean. We make a resolution to do something different or new with our life.

By far the number one New Year’s resolution most people make is to drop a few pounds and get into shape. Ask any health club manager and they will tell you stories about the mad rush of people eager to join their club. People full of enthusiasm that push their bodies to the limit hoping for instant results and magical physique transformations. More often than not, this enthusiastic crowd will return to their old habits by spring. Why? Because they didn’t have a plan. When life throws you a curveball, it’s easy to get knocked off course. However, with a well laid plan and realistic goals, it is much easier to knock life’s curveballs out of the park and successfully follow through on your New Year’s resolution.

Before you begin your exercise and weight loss program, you need to determine what your goals are. The most effective method that I have used for this is called the SMART goal setting method. SMART is an acronym for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Timetable.

Specific – When you think about setting a goal, be as specific as possible. The more specific you can be the better. If you want to lose weight, how many pounds are you going to lose? If you’re going to go to the gym, how many days per week will you go? How long will you exercise while there? At what intensity will you exercise? (Use a heart rate monitor for cardio; use a stop watch to measure rest periods, work intervals, etc.)

Measurable – Have you ever heard the saying “you can’t manage what you don’t measure”? You must measure your progress if you want to reach your goals. When you exercise keep a log book to record each training session. Write down the distance and speed with which you completed your cardio session. If you use a heart rate monitor, record those readings as well. When weight training, record weight, reps, sets and type of exercises performed during your training. Once a week weigh yourself and record that as well. As you build a log over time, you’ll begin to see patterns develop and progress being made. It feels good to look back over months of hard work and see in black and white how far you’ve come. Remember, the numbers don’t lie.

Attainable – Are your goals attainable? Be honest with yourself. If you need to lose 25lbs, but in your mind you just don’t feel like you can do it, then start with a lower goal like 10lbs. Remember, a goal should take you out of your comfort zone; However, you should still feel confident that it’s attainable.

Realistic – Let’s say that you’ve decided to lose 10ibs; However, you want to do it in two weeks. Or maybe your goal is to spend an hour and a half in the gym six days a week even though you have two young children, a husband and a full time job. These goals are not realistic. A better option would be to lose 10 pounds in 5 weeks or go to the gym for an hour four times a week. Again, be honest with yourself and set realistic expectations.

Timetable – A goal is not a goal unless there is a timetable attached to it. Setting a timetable provides you with accountability and a sense of urgency. It also allows you to continue setting new goals. Your journey never ends when you reach the date you’ve set for achieving your goal. You should continue setting new goals to build upon the foundation you’ve laid.

If you follow the SMART method for goal setting, you can go into the New Year with confidence that you’ll finally succeed at accomplishing your New Year’s resolution!

To Your Success,

Lee Daugherty

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Four Weight Loss Secrets

Posted by admin on November 25th, 2009 Comments Off

If you are struggling with your weight you probably know how difficult and frustrating losing those extra pounds can be. However, there are four secrets that many people don’t know that can make weight loss that much easier. Weight loss is never easy, but if you work hard and set yourself a weight loss goal you should easily start seeing the results.

The first secret to weight loss is to talk to your doctor. This is not a secret, but it is something that most people don’t either think of doing or actually do. If you talk to your doctor, he or she can to check your health and medical history and determine exactly what the cause of your problem could be. In some cases, your medical condition can go beyond the reach of a healthy diet and regular exercise. If you talk to your doctor, you can easily get to the bottom of the problem and pick up some helpful advice to lose weight.

Another great secret to weight loss is to improve your posture. Ok, that is not exactly a way to lose weight, but it will certainly make you look thinner! Good posture, whether you stand or sit, will immediately give you a more slender look. In many cases when we are trying clothes on in a dressing room, you always stand up straight to get a better idea of how they look. if you really want to look like you have lost weight good posture is essential at any time. This can also help with the weight loss process itself, for instance good posture when exercising leads to more effective and safer workout.

The third secret to weight loss is to get your whole family involved. It can be very tempting to have a hamburger with your husband or a double helping of fries with your wife, but if the whole family is eating healthy food, weight loss will not seem so depressing. Keep the junk food out of the house completely, and everyone is healthier.

Finally, one of the biggest secrets to weight loss is to think your weight in relation to everyday life. Take the stairs instead of the elevator. Park in the last parking space in the mall or at work and walk to the front door. In the morning cut out coffee and replace it with tea. Go play outside with your children rather than stay in the house watching tv. Go out dancing instead of a movie. These small things may not seem so significant at the time but they will make a big difference in the long run to your life in general. It’s simple, less calories and more exercise equals weight loss.

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Your Guide to Successful Weight Loss

Posted by admin on November 20th, 2009 No Comments

When it comes to weight loss, almost every one of us have at least a few extra pounds that we would love to shed especially when it comes to the summer months. We are always looking for the easiest and fastest way out there to lose this weight as well. The hard part is the fact that there are hundreds of products out there that claim to give quick weight loss results; most of which wind up being false. The problem with a lot of these products is that the weight that they cause us to lose is simply just water weight, and not actual fat. So the question now stands, “How can I lose weight quickly and safely?”

The key to losing weight is to eat less calories than you burn. That’s it. Now that being said to answer the question above, the length of time that it will take to lose your desired amount of weight will greatly depend on your body type, and your determination. The reason I say this is because losing weight is going to require that you change your diet, as well as your exercise levels in order for your weight loss success. How well you can stick to this commitment is going to have either a positive or negative effect on the amount of weight you lose.

Proper nutrition plays a huge role in losing weight. It’s just like I’m always saying, “Your body can only look and feel as good as the quality of food you put into it.” It only makes sense that if you feed your body junk, it is going to look and feel like junk, and if you feed your body good healthy foods then your body is going to look and feel healthy. There are a few things that are going to be crucial to remember when planning you meals for the day.

Quality is Key

When choosing foods for weight loss it is very important that you cut out simple sugars, and refined foods, and stick to good wholesome foods that contain complex carbohydrates. These types of foods take longer to digest, and therefore help to curb your appetite. It is also important to note that because complex carbohydrates take longer to digest; it keeps your blood sugar levels from spiking, therefore; minimizing the release of insulin which is known to cause the body to store fat. Foods containing high fiber content are also a great way to slow down the speed at which your body digests foods, helping curb your appetite.

Eat more Frequently

This may sound strange, however; studies have shown that eating 6 smaller meals a day actually helps to burn more calories than eating 3 larger meals per day. This theory is based on the fact that because you are eating so frequently you are constantly full and this means that your body is constantly working to digest the foods that you eat. This means that your body’s metabolism must be kept in high gear, thus causing more calories to be burned off. When eating your meals make sure to eat slowly, and savor the food. Inhaling food very quickly, will cause you to eat more because the food is coming in too fast for your stomach and brain to keep up with each other.

Stop When you Feel Full

In order to make sure that you are not eating too much you could always count calories, and plan out your meals, and I mean this does work, I know I’ve done it, however; there is another option, the idea is to eat until you feel full. The problem is that most people eat until they are stuffed and this is when overeating comes into the picture. The best way to think about it is to rate your hunger on a scale of 1 to 10, 1 being starving, 10 being stuffed. You want to stop eating when you reach about a 7 and eat when you get to about a 4. This little trick will greatly reduce the chances of overeating.

Two of the biggest problems in today’s society are unhealthy eating and the lack of exercise. These problems definitely help to explain why the nation’s obesity rates are climbing at a steady pace. Exercising is just as important as what you eat. Exercise not only helps to burn extra calories but also helps to strengthen your heart, immune system, muscles, joints, and helps to keep your body running in tip top shape. Exercise is so important that researchers say that the average person should be getting 30-45 min of exercise a day 3-5 times a week.

Exercising does not have to be complex or work yourself into a coma hard. No matter what type of exercise you chose to do it will be burning calories. Most people when losing weight tend to do exercises that get their heart rate up such as running, jogging, swimming, cycling, or aerobics these help to burn the most calories. You could also join a sports league or just play sports with your friends. Even things such as housework, gardening, cutting the lawn (push mower), or yard work helps to burn calories and counts as exercise.

Sticking to these new lifestyle changes is going to be hard at first, but I can guarantee that as soon as you start seeing results, and make it a habit, you will not want to go back to the old lifestyle that got you overweight or unhealthy in the first place. In order to help keep yourself motivated I would strongly suggest keeping a log of your results, and trying to exercise with a buddy, or group of people. If you would like more information on nutrition, exercising, or weight loss I would encourage you to visit my website at http://www.healthandfitnessfocus.com

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A Synergistic Approach for Natural Weight Loss Success

Posted by admin on November 16th, 2009 No Comments

While it is tempting to believe that a magic pill or potion is all that you need to achieve natural weight loss, the hard truth is that losing weight is just not that simple in most cases. For the vast majority of people, a combination of exercise, changes in eating habits, and perhaps the use of appropriate natural weight loss aids will be needed in order to lose weight long-term.

There are many natural weight loss products available and additional ones come out all the time. Each promises to be nearly miraculous in it’s effects and people buy the latest and greatest weight loss aid with eager anticipation, hoping that it will finally be the answer to their weight problems. They want to believe that a pill, or a patch, or a tea, etc.. will be all they need to lose weight and that diet and exercise won’t be necessary (because dieting and exercising are difficult). Even though deep down they probably know that the latest weight loss miracle being hyped is no better than all the things they’ve tried before, they want to believe it will work, and so they buy it, only to be disappointed again.

Now this is not to say that natural weight loss aids are all completely worthless. The truth is, a lot of weight loss aids actually have the effects that their prooters claim. For example, hoodia gordonii (at least the real stuff) does seem to be a very effective appetite suppressant. So, if the main reason that you have trouble losing weight is because you have out of control hunger that makes you eat excssively, hoodia may be a big help. The problem is that most people are not overeating out of actual hunger. They may eat out of boredom, out of habit, out of a need to satisfy a craving, or out of a need to soothe some emotional issue they are dealing with, but they don’t eat out of hunger. Hoodia is not going to help you if you aren’t eating out of hunger.

Other natural weight loss aids may work by increasing the metabolic effects of diet and exercise. It kind of stands to reason that if you fail to incorporate diet and exercise the effects of these products will be pretty minor.

Some natural weight loss aids block the absorption of fat by the digestive tract and thereby lower the calories you absorb from each meal. While this does tend to help with weight loss, unless you stop eating everything except fat (which is not a good idea), you still are taking in other calories that, in excess, will be converted to fat AFTER they are absorbed from the digestive tract. For optimum results, again we see that a good eating plan and exercise are necessary.

At this point, you may have guessed that one of the primary points I am trying to make is that lsting natural weight loss, absolutely requires a healthy eating plan and regular exercise. No weight loss aid, natural or otherwise will by itself make you lose weight and keep it off. In fact, the ads for weight loss aids will usually state this very thing, even though it is in microscopic print at the bottom of the ad.

What it comes down to is that natural weight loss is built on a foundation of sensible diet and exercise. With a good diet and exercise program in place, you may get additional benefits from using one or more of the natural weight loss products on the market. But do your research to find a product that serves your particular needs. In other words, if you’re not overeating out of hunger, don’t buy an appetite suppressant. If you’re already minimizing your fat intake, don’t waste your money on a fat blocker.

Now, once you have your weight loss plan in place with your diet, exercise program, and whatever natural weight loss aids you choose to use, there’s one little thing that needs to happen for you to successfully lose weight. You have to stick to the program! If there’s one thing that renders the vast majority of natural weight loss efforts ineffective, it’s a lack of follow-through.

It has been my experience that very few people stick to a natural weight loss program consistently for more than two weeks at a time. Of course, some people may intermittently follow a weight loss program for months or years, but they get sidetracked over and over again and really are not consistent for more than one or two weeks in a row, so they never get any momentum and achieve their goals.

A new study that tested the relative effectiveness of several popular diet plans revealed a fascinating finding. The overall success rates of most of the currently popular diet programs were about the same. The success or failure of any given diet had little to do with what the approach was. In other words, low carb, low fat, calorie restriction, eating for blood type, etc., really didn’t matter. The thing that actually mattered was if the person consistently followed the program! To sum it up, it doesn’t matter so much what you do to lose weight (within reason), as much as it matters that you do it consistenty long-term!

To be able to stick to your natural weight loss program, it is critical that you take charge of your thoughts and emotions. A lot of different ways exist to get control over your own mind, and different ways have varying degrees of effectiveness from one person to the next. You can get a lot of help in this area with products from Anthony Robbins, Dr. Phil, and others, as well as through technologies like hypnosis, the Sedona Method and Emotional Freedom Technique. You may need to try several methods to find what works well for you.

Regardless of the approach you use, the true key to effective natural weight loss really has very little relationship to the hottest weight loss aid on the market, or the most recent diet book being promoted. The real secret is to choose a reasonable approach that includes diet, exercise (choose an exercise you are physically capable of doing – starting with advanced kickboxing if you’ve been a couch potato your whole life is not going to work!), and possibly one or more weight loss aids and then make that program a part of your daily life forever. And the way to make that happen is to take control of your mind and get your brain working with you rather than against you. Good luck!

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Exercise and Weight Loss For Women Part 1

Posted by admin on November 15th, 2009 No Comments

Exercise for Beginners
Exercise for beginners can be very confusing especially with the variety of available resources pulling individuals this way and that way. However, it must be emphasized that when it comes to beginner exercises, the primary considerations are safety and enjoyment of the workout routines. Otherwise, you will find yourself dealing with avoidable injuries and quitting the routines very early into the plan. And what good is there in that for your mind and body?
Preliminary Activities
As much as possible, you should get your doctor’s go-signal to engage in exercise especially if you have pre-existing medical conditions like heart disease and diabetes. You want to favor your body even if you are engaging in exercise for beginners. Also, you must have the right clothes and footwear for the exercises you will be doing. Again, this is to ensure your safety, not to mention make you comfortable while doing your exercises. Last but not least, you have to set your exercise goals. You will have to ask yourself about the whats, whens, whys, and hows of your exercise goals, which will guide and motivate your efforts along the way.
Proper Exercises
For beginners, you must take it slowly but surely because you want your body to acclimatize itself to its new routines, hence, ensuring its safety from injuries. Thus, you will start with a full body resistance training regimen and a basic cardio program. And it is good to let your muscles recover by having rest days.
You may follow the following weeklong exercise for beginners’ routine:
Monday – Cardio exercises for 20-30 minutes of whole body stretches
Tuesday – Full body strength training with stretches
Wednesday – Cardio exercises for 20-30 minutes combined with an abdominal workout and stretches
Thursday – Rest day or basic yoga done at home
Friday – Full body strength training with stretches
Saturday – Cardio exercises for 30 minutes and stretches
Sunday – Reward yourself by engaging in a favorite activity except those harmful to the body
You will notice that the exercise routines are made on an alternating basis. This is for two reasons – you want to give your body a rest from stress and you can ward off boredom from the same exercises performed day in and day out.
Proper Precautions
If you will closely observe the abovementioned exercise for beginners weeklong routine, you have to perform stretches whether you are on cardio or body strength training. This is because stretching before and after the exercise proper gives your body time to warm up to prevent injuries and cool down to aid in recovery.
Basically, you stretch your muscles going up. Thus, the order will be toes, ankles, knees, hips, spine, shoulders, neck, elbows, wrists and fingers. You can, however, just do calisthenics as warm-up exercises and stretching as cool down exercises. Just remember to get your heart rate up and running for warm-up exercises and down and normalizing for cool-down exercises.
Indeed, exercise for beginners can be easy to do. Keep in mind that in any activity, starting out is almost always the hard part but when you start to reap the benefits of exercise and you are happy with the results, you will be motivated to proceed to the intermediate and advanced levels.

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The Easy Way to Exercise for Weight Loss

Posted by admin on November 13th, 2009 No Comments

Do you dread the thought of exercising as much as I do? My idea of exercise is getting up from my computer to get my next meal or to watch a little TV. Exercising is considered one the best ways to burn off excess body fat so there must be an alternative way to exercise than just hitting the gym for an hour or doing cardio for 20-30 minute sessions.

Guess What? There is! There’s a simple way for even us lazy creatures to get the health and fat burning benefits from exercise. The secret lies is knowing several easy but potent exercises that you can quickly do anywhere and at anytime without going to the gym or needing any other special exercise equipment.

It really is possible to get fit and into great shape by exercising in lazy 30-second intervals throughout the day. With this lazy method, you won’t even feel like you’re doing any exercise, but at the end of the day you will definitely feel the results and after a few weeks, you will even start to see the results.

The best times to do your super mini workouts are during commercials, when you get yourself a cup of coffee, tea, water, while brushing your teeth, during work breaks and when you are generally feeling a little tired or bored. It’s a great way to stimulate your body and to give yourself an extra energy burst. You also don’t have to strain yourself or break a sweat.

You can easily rotate the exercises you do. Any exercise that uses your own bodyweight are excellent choices. Here is a small list of exercises that you can start doing: pushups, situps, squats, jumping jacks, chinups, broad jumps or hopping with both legs. My favorite two are squats and pushups. Squatting daily keeps gives me lots of running stamina and speed and gives me a toned lower body and the pushups give me a sculpted and toned upper body.

If you enjoy watching TV at night like most people, imagine how fit you could get by doing 30-second intervals during all the commercial breaks. You will burn more calories, increase your energy levels and keep your metabolism sky-high which is important when trying to lose weight or dieting. It’s also the perfect compliment to any dieting program you may choose to follow.

This is how I usually workout when I’m just too lazy to do a normal 30 minute plus workout. Even while writing this article I took an exercise break and performed 10 pushups and now I feel great.

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Exercises for Weight Loss, Diabetes and Osteoporosis

Posted by admin on November 11th, 2009 No Comments

Many of our diseases are the result of a sedentary lifestyle as well as an unhealthy diet. Your body is meant to be used and will quickly deteriorate if it is not.
Physical activity should be a high priority in your daily program. Try to engage in some form of aerobic exercise at least five days a week and some form of resistance exercise at least two or three times a week. Here’s why.

1 Regain and retain muscle strength, no matter what your age.

2 Improve strength, balance, gait, flexibility and coordination, which in turn improves your ability to lift, walk, bend, climb stairs and enjoy life.

3 Is an effective method of preserving bone density and combating osteoporosis.

4 Is an effective strategy for fat loss and management of type 2 diabetes.

For the purpose of this article, I will focus on items three and four.

PRESERVING BONE DENSITY.

Osteoporosis is caused by the gradual loss of calcium from bones after the age of 35, when the bone building cycle changes and bones start to break down faster than they rebuild.
Osteoporosis is preventable and its progress can be halted even after calcium loss has started.

Dozens of studies show that weight bearing exercise, even something as simple as walking, actually strengthens your bones. Resistance training slows down the loss of bone mineral content thus reducing the risk of osteoporosis.

Keeping your bones and muscles strong means you maintain functional strength for everyday activities. Loss of muscle and strength is a natural part of aging, but this will speed up with inadequate diet and lack of exercise.

FAT LOSS AND DIABETES MANAGEMENT.

Weight training has much to offer those who are overweight, due to the role of muscle in increasing metabolism. Muscle tissue is a huge user of your available energy supplies and will burn calories even when you are at rest. So the more lean muscle you are able to develop, the more fat you will burn even when you are not exercising.

Those with type 2 diabetes will benefit from resistance training. There is a strong correlation between obesity and insulin resistance, where the body develops an inability to metabolise sugar. Insulin resistance hinders the absorption of glucose from the bloodstream into human cells.

Never start a new treatment before consulting your doctor, especially if you are currently taking medication. The information published in this article is not intended as a substitute for personal medical advice from your physician or other qualified health-care practitioner. It is for information purposes only.

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Exercise and Weight Loss For Women Part 2

Posted by admin on November 11th, 2009 No Comments

Nutrition
Without a doubt, nutrition plays a major role in the maintenance of life for humans. Food, after all, is our most basic survival need. Beyond survival, however, we need to treat food with respect to the ways it can affect our health especially in the prevention of diseases like cancer, heart disease, strokes and diabetes, to name a few.
Nutritionally Balanced Meals
The quantity and quality of foods consumed on a daily basis must be adequately monitored so as to achieve a balance between survival needs and health requirements. This can, of course, be achieved through nutritionally balanced meals and snacks that provide the adequate amounts of all the basic food groups and all the essential vitamins and minerals.
Most diet and health experts agree on the general guidelines for good daily nutrition as outlined below:
Stick to complex carbohydrates contained in whole grains like rice and wholegrain breads with as little additional fat as possible.
Milk and dairy products should be limited to 2-3 portions daily, each portion representing a matchbox-sized cheese, one-third pint of milk and a small pot of yoghurt. The low-fat varieties are preferred in these foods.
Limit your consumption of protein sources like meat, fish and vegetarian alternatives as well as kidney beans, baked beans, nuts and lentils to 2-3 portions. You want to limit your protein intake especially when losing weight since it can be stored as fat once the body stops processing it.
Aim for at least 3 portion of fruits and 2 portions of vegetables whether these are of the fresh, tinned and frozen varieties. Better yet, eat as much fruits and vegetables as you can since these contain many essential nutrients.
Opt for unsaturated fats found in food like fishes. Fat is still a very important component of proper nutrition as it is the body’s source of fuel and energy.
When you follow these basic guidelines on nutritionally balanced meals, you have greater possibilities to lead a longer, healthier and happier life.
Special Considerations and Food Allergies
However, there will be special considerations for specific medical conditions as well as food allergies that need to be factored in when considering nutritionally balanced meal plans. The aim of healthy eating, after all, is the promotion of life, not the diseases that come with life. For example, if you have gout, eating beans of all sorts will be detrimental to your health and, hence, must be avoided. Some diseases like autism also call for special diets that are gluten-free, thus, eliminating virtually everything that has flour in it.
There are food allergies affecting good nutrition. If you have an allergy to a certain food, say, milk and dairy products, it is often best to just find alternative protein sources like fish to compensate for its absence in your diet. Also, if you are on a weight loss diet, you must avoid fad diets that severely restrict any of the essential food groups. Think low-calorie, low-carbohydrate and low-fat diets. It is best to adopt healthy eating habits, engage in moderate exercise and physical activity and get adequate sleep when you want to maintain your ideal weight.
Indeed, good nutrition for a healthier body and a happier mind is possible.

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