How to Loose Weight before Summer
Losing weight is never easy and coming up to the summer season means the
pressure is even more severe as the warmer weather calls for shorts,
skirts, vests and more flesh on display! It is so easy in colder months
to comfort eat and put on a few pounds that stay relatively well hidden
under baggy cardigans and layers of clothing. But when the summer comes
round, what then? In preparation of losing some weight for this season,
it is far better to begin well in advance rather than go on a crazy fad
diet just weeks before you want to step out in a bikini. Giving yourself
time means that you can do it in a healthy way and the pressure is not
so severe.
Diet and Nutrition
It may sound almost too obvious to state, but everything associated with successful weight loss
boils down to eating the right amount of the right kinds of food.
Starving yourself or severely restricting calories will not get the
results you want and you will be unhealthy and/or miserable! The best
thing to do is to restrict your carbohydrate intake and also your
consumption of processed food. This means limiting your carbohydrates to
only include wholegrains like rice and bread. Eating these earlier in
the day instead of the evening will also help. Banning processed foods
such as chocolate, sweets, crisps, microwave meals and junk food will
also mean a major difference in weight. How to loose weight means
focusing on eating as much natural and fresh produce as possible, eating
regular amounts of lean protein like fish, eggs and chicken, and of
course supplement this diet with as much fresh fruit and vegetables as
possible. Increasing water intake will also aid in banishing toxins
which can compromise fat burning in the body.
Exercise
In understanding how to loose weight, diet accounts for the vast majority
of success. But exercise is a fantastic supplement to this.
Cardiovascular exercises such as running, swimming, aerobics and
spinning are great fat burners and will also tone up the muscles being
used. Doing this exercise regularly for at least 30 minutes per session
and first thing in the morning will mean optimum results. Your body will
have to use stored fat as an energy source and also your metabolism
will get a great kick-start for the day. Throughout the rest of day, try
to stay as active as possible. Walk when you can and take the stairs
instead of the elevator. Little things like this can really add up and
in conjunction with a healthy and balanced diet, this means you will
look amazing during the warm months!
Getting in shape is one of the most wanted changes anyone could make in their
life. Even when someone is relatively fit, they still envy people with
great flat stomach. Obtaining the super-fit looks is really hard work,
but you can help yourself by doing perfect exercices for abs. Your
abdominal muscles will respond well when doing basic sit ups, but by
stressing the muscles in a more effective way, you can achieve vastly
improved results. To get your abs perfect shape you should use exercise
that isolate the muscles your are trying to improve.
Top Exercises for Abs
1. Bicycle crunches will hit your abs from both sites and they can be done
without any equipment. All you need to do is lay on the floor with your
fingers linked behind your head. As you raise your head to crunch, move
your right elbow to meet the knee of your left leg. Then repeat with
your left elbow meeting your the knee of the opposite leg. Perform this
action alternating right and left and hold the crunch at the top for a
split second to add extra tension to the abs.
2. Sit ups with a medicine ball are an unbelievably powerful exercise. The medicine ball
is heavy and this extra weight is stresses your abs from deep down in
the muscle. Start by laying with your back on the floor and with your
training partner standing at the base of your feet with your knees bent.
With your arms stretched out behind your head and holding the ball on
the floor, raise the ball swiftly so that you sit upright and throw the
ball in to the hands of your partner. Your partner should then gently
throw the medicine ball back to your hands as you are returning to your
flat position. This is one the most difficult exercices for abs, but it
will provide amazing results.
3. Abdominal crunches with an exercise ball are used to really stretch out the abs to gain maximum
effect. By laying with your back over an exercise ball, you can
super-extend your abs so that your back is arched over the ball. This
will work parts of your abdominal muscles that cannot be exercised
through regular sit ups. The larger muscle area your target, the more
your muscles will work and the better your results will be.
Workout Routine
You should think about using a mix of all three of these exercises and
rotating them. Even if you do not want to use all three exercises in one
session, you could try each variation on different nights of the week.
Protein Diet
A protein-based diet has become very popular in recent years due to the
spread of diet plans such as the Atkins weight loss programme. These
types of plans involve consuming protein-rich foods at every meal and
eliminating or restricting carbohydrates. The assumption behind these
diets for weight loss and/or muscle development is that by reducing the
intake of carbohydrates and increasing the level of protein, the body
will change to ketosis – a process by which the body uses its own fat as
the primary fuel source instead of carbohydrate. This means that
essentially, the body is forced to burn fat as there are not enough
carbohydrate levels in the body.
Sources of Protein
A
protein diet usually involves high consumption of meat, fish cheese,
nuts, eggs and certain vegetables. All types of meat is naturally high
in protein including poultry, fish, beef, pork and lamb. Eggs are a
fantastic food for this type of diet plan as they are loaded with other
useful nutrients such as omega fats. Cheeses are also a good
protein-dense food group as are nuts like almonds, brazil nuts and
walnuts. It is also crucial to have a healthy portion of vegetables with
every meal in order to get as much nutritional value as possible and to
get enough fibre in the diet. Green and leafy vegetables such as
spinach, kale, cabbages and broccoli are some of the best options but
all types of vegetables will up your fibre intake and boost your
vitamins and minerals so it is crucial to include these in generous
amounts. It is also vital to drink around 2 litres of water every day
and include some herbal teas on a regular basis if possible to eliminate
toxins from the body.
Foods to Avoid
Carbohydrate-dense foods should be either banned or carefully controlled on a protein diet.
This means that all grains, sugars, fruits and processed foods are
almost entirely eliminated. Foodstuffs such as bread, pasta, rice,
cereals and other grains are avoided. Fruits that are high in natural
sugar like apples, pineapples, melons, oranges, mangoes and bananas
should also be restricted. Processed food which look innocent enough may
also be loaded with hidden sugars and for this reason it is best to
stick with natural food or meals you make yourself from scratch so that
you know exactly what is in everything. Of course snacks like
chocolates, biscuits, cakes, sweets and crisps are completely
unacceptable also which is one of the reasons many people find this type
of plan quite difficult to stick to initially. However, such cravings
are usually greatly reduced after a few weeks as the body gets used to
being without sudden sugar rushes.
Posted:
Aug 7, 2012
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Comments Off on Menopause and Weight Gain: How to Fight It?
It is a stern reality that to many women, menopause and weight gain come
at more or less the same time. Reports show that women gain most weight
just before they get into menopause. The abdomen seems to be the
favorite target area for the extra weight to be deposited. However,
their weight becomes somewhat stable after menopause – provided they pay
good attention to their diet and lifestyle. Indeed, it has been shown
that although menopause and weight gain are slightly related via
hormonal changes, it is the lifestyle factor that encourages the weight
to linger longer than it should. There are also some genetic factors
involved, but for sure, it is not impossible to fight weight gain by
living a good, healthy lifestyle.
Things to Do to Fight Weight Gain
There are a number of things you can do to fight weight gain, or at least
minimize it. For starters, look for opportunities to move your body
more. Try to incorporate as much physical activities as you can in your
daily routine – like climbing up stairs instead of taking the lift, or
parking your car further than you usually do in order to walk a little
more. It is also a good idea to look for structured body movement
activities like yoga, aerobics, and strength training. It is never too
late to build up your muscles, and strength training is perfect for this
purpose. Good muscles go a long way to help burn calories in a more
efficient manner, and this will no doubt help you control or maintain
your weight.
Another must-do is to take in less food. Some
reports say that by the time you reach your 50s, your intake of calories
should be about 200 less than the amount you took in the previous
decades. Of course, this does not imply that you can relax on nutrition.
On the contrary, you need more nutrition, but this must come from less
food intake. Do not go overboard by skipping meals altogether, because
if you do, you will have the tendency to over eat later. Instead, be
more selective on what you eat. Go healthy by choosing more vegetables,
fruits, and whole grains. Protein is still needed but take it only from
lean sources. Avoid fats like plague!
Create a Good Support System
Menopause and ageing can be stressful and lonely. Therefore, it is always a good
idea to have some kind of support system – friends and family who
understand you and make you feel good about yourself and the process you
are going through. Being around these people will do wonders to your
spirit and motivation. Remember – even though menopause and weight gain
go hand in hand, with the right system and support, you can go through
it successfully!
Posted:
Aug 7, 2012
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Comments Off on Macrobiotic Diets: A Matter of Balance
Macrobiotic diets are strict dietary regimes based on eating primarily whole
grains, supplemented by such other foods as fresh vegetables, and on
avoiding highly refined and processed foods and all but a few animal
products. They also warn against overeating and require those following
them to chew their food thoroughly.
History
Ancient Greek writers used the word macrobiotics to mean a way of
life that involved a balanced, simple diet. In the late nineteenth
century a Japanese military physician named Sagen Ishizuka founded what
he called shokuiku, or food education, which is the basis of the
current Japanese approach to macrobiotics. He advocated a natural diet
based on eating food seasonally and with the correct potassium-sodium
and acid-alkaline balance.
Modern Japanese Macrobiotics
Advocates of macrobiotic diets believe that food has a powerful effect
on well-being, health, and happiness. Instead of prescribing strict
dietary rules, modern Japanese macrobiotic advocates stress the each
person’s need to be sensitive to how each type of food actually affects
him or her personally. They do, however, provide guidelines to help
people develop this sensitivity. These diets strongly resemble
mainstream Japanese diets, with an emphasis on eating locally produced
whole grains, vegetables, legumes, seaweed, fruit, nuts, seeds, fish,
and such foods made from fermented soybeans as tofu and miso. They also
have an added emphasis on a theoretical form of balance, for which they
use the Taoist words yin and yang.
Yin-Yang Balance
Macrobiotics teaches that all types of food to have both yin and yang
properties in relative proportions, with relatively more yang foods
tending to be more hot, dense, compact, and heavy and relatively more
yin foods to be more cold, expansive, diffuse, and light. It considers
yin and yang to approach balance most closely in such whole grains as
brown rice, barley, rye, oats, millet, and quinoa. Lists of which foods
are relatively more yin or yang therefore tend to compare them with
whole grains.
CompositionSpecific Japanese-style macrobiotic diets vary greatly with geography,
due to the emphasis on locally produced food, and personal
circumstances, due to the emphasis on sensitivity to foods’ effects.
They also vary with the seasons, due to differing yin-yang needs in
different types of weather, with spring and summer requiring a somewhat
more yin balance and the balance for autumn and winter being more yang.
The general guidelines are for about half the food intake to be whole
grains, particularly brown rice, about a quarter to a third vegetables,
5% to 10% legumes and beans, 5% to 10% such naturally processed food as
tofu and soba, or buckwheat noodles, and miso and seaweed about 5% each.
Fish, fruit, nuts, seeds, nut butters, and similar treats are okay two
or three times weekly.
Yoga and Pilates
Pilates and yoga have become hugely popular in recent years and it seems almost
impossible to go to any gym or fitness centre without being offered
membership to a programme of either. Endorsed and praised by celebrities
the world over, yoga and pilates have become a stalwart in fitness,
health and exercise. Some of the reasons for the popularity of these
forms of exercise is that they are both extremely gentle, suitable for
all age groups and fitness levels and boast an array of health and
bodily benefits that range from relaxation and stress reduction, to
muscle toning and posture correction. Yoga and pilates have actually
been around for centuries and have always been practised in Asian
countries but it took celebrity fads to bring them in the mainstream
western world.
What are they?
Both pilates and yoga
basically involve a series of movements, postures and poses which are
each held for a particular amount of time. The movements can range from
basic breathing exercise to quite complex and diverse poses which
beginners would likely find almost impossible. Most poses have a
specific name which is descriptor of what the person looks like while
dpoing them, such as downward-facing dog, warrior and the plank
position. Breathing techniques are a huge part of each form and it is
crucial to master correct breathing in order to get the most from each
exercise. Typically, there are various levels of yoga and pilates
ranging from beginner to very advanced. As each level is progressed to,
movements and poses become more challenging and complex. Additionally,
there are several variations within each such as Hatha Yoga, Ashtanga
Yoga and Power Yoga. While these variations differ to an extent, they
all basically involve the same thing.
The Benefits
The advantages of regular yoga or pilates sessions are numerous and diverse.
The body benefits in several ways – the movements stretch and tone the
muscles; flexibility is greatly enhanced; bone density can be improved;
circulation is enhanced; breathing can be optimized and posture can be
corrected as many poses involve correct spine alignment and stretching.
Of course, calorie burning is also a result as many poses can be quite
strenuous. As well as these physical advantages, many champions of yoga
and pilates state that the peace of mind that comes from the exercise is
just as beneficial as anything else, if not even more so. The overall
aim is to combine the mind and body in a way that reduces stress and
centres the individual so that they find a state of inner peace which
can be referred back to when the person desires.
How to Burn Calories Fast
Burning calories is a fairly straightforward process provided that you stick
100% to what you are supposed to do. To speed up the process, willpower
and commitment are even more important as your body does not naturally
want to get rid of calories but instead hold onto them as an energy
reserve. Calories primarily come from 3 food groups – fat, carbohydrates
and protein. Many people understand that fat contains the most calories
per measure and so it is very common for people who want to quickly
lose weight to go on a reduced-fat diet. However, this is not
necessarily the best way to lose weight fast.
Diet and Nutrition
In discussing how to burn fat in a quick and efficient way, it is
important to understand the basic way in which the body works. As long
as less calories are being consumed than expended, then calories will
shed. But cutting out fat is not the most efficient way to do this. In
fact, it is vital to consume a certain amount of healthy fat in order
for the body to be healthy and for the metabolism to function properly.
Eating less than 1200 calories per day is also actually bad for weight
loss as it slows down the metabolism which means the body holds onto any
food eaten and stores it. Cutting down, restricting or even eliminating
carbohydrate intake is perhaps one of the easiest and fastest ways to
lose weight. This is because the body burns carbohydrates before stored
fat. When the body’s carbohydrate stores are depleted or lessened, the
body is forced to burn fat instead. So, how to burn fat means
restricting sugar, grains, bread, cereal, rice, pasta and processed
foods. Drinking a large amount of water and herbal teas also encourages
this process.
Exercise
In examining how to burn calories quickly, exercise is a must. It speeds up the metabolism, uses up
calories and stored fat and keeps the body fit and healthy. High
intensity cardio exercise like running or aerobics are great for getting
the heart rate up and keeping it up, in order to burn more calories and
sweat out toxins from the body. So, if you are wondering how to burn
fat or how to burn calories in the most sensible but fastest way
possible, it basically comes down to restricting carbohydrates, sugar
and processed foods, drinking a lot of water, and exercising regularly.
It is also more beneficial to exercise first thing in the morning before
breakfast, as this ensures that the calories being expended during
exercise are coming from fat stores instead of anything else.
Posted:
Aug 7, 2012
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Comments Off on Add exercises in your daily routine
To many people, allocating a certain amount of time everyday just to do
some work out sounds easier said than done. For, there is hardly enough
time squeezing everything that needs to be done into the 24-hour stretch
we are given, let alone doing things that can be skipped altogether.
If, to you, exercise falls in this category (it is for many
not-so-motivated people out there), then chances are, having exercices
in your daily routine is a tall order.
Start Small
However, if you are motivated enough to change this way of thinking, but are
worried about finding the time to incorporate exercices in your daily
routine, do not despair. Millions of others think the same way about
exercices. The trick is to find ‘exercise opportunities’ that are likely
to be there as you go about your chores. Start small by promising
yourself just ten minutes a day. Ten minutes is not sufficient to change
your health, but it is better than not doing any exercices at all.
Slowly, you can increase the duration to 20 minutes, then 30, then even
more once you see how painless finding time to exercise can be.
Start Easy
The easiest way to begin is by taking advantage of what you already do on a
daily basis. For example, you need to get to your office everyday. From
now on, do not use the lift. Rather, take the stairs. Instead of
looking for a car park near the entrance of your work place, park as far
as you can so that you have to walk further than usual. By just doing
these two simple acts, you have now already added some exercices in your
daily routine, without compromising much on time, which you do not have
much. Of course, if you can get rid of your car and start cycling or
walking to work, that’s all the better!
Some Simple Exercices
Try spine stretching. It helps maintain your back to be flexible. As you go about your chores, take a minute to stop and stand up straight. Clasp
your hands behind your head, and bend down gently. Get your knees to
touch your elbows, and rise. Repeat it many times over. Try some chair
exercising too. Sit at the edge of your chair, and make sure your back
is straight. Then, raise your knees off the floor. Repeat, but this
time, lean back slightly. Do it as much as you can. By doing this, you
are working on your lower abs. It’s quite hard work. Just make sure you
have a solid grip. You do not want to fall off and hurt yourself in the
process!
It Is Possible!
As you can see, it is possible to add exercices in your daily routine. It is just a matter of having
the will to do so, and the opportunity to carry the exercices out!
Cellulite is something you can have whether you are overweight or not. The
dimpled skin associated with cellulite can be just as much down to
genetics as poor diet, which is why some people who are relatively fit
suffer with cellulite in areas such as upper and lower legs as well as
their buttocks. The reason these fats reserves come about are not clear,
but there are ways to remove the fats deposits from these areas without
expensive treatments. You just need to learn how to loose celulite
naturally.
Dietary Changes
Diet will always play a part in any effort to lose fats and anyone who knows how to loose celulite will
tell you changing your diet should be your firs move. Whether this is
your main areas of fat storage around the waist, or just under the skin
in the form of cellulite. By eating less fatty foods and more fibre, you
can reduce the amount of food stored. Fibre will convert your food
intake into energy which will result in less being stored as fat.
Cutting down on simple carbohydrates that are found in sugars and starch
laden foods such as potatoes and bread. Simple carbohydrates will
quickly boost your insulin levels and this will convert sugar in the
blood stream to fat.
Resistance Training
Strength or resistance training is an excellent way to lose fat from under the skin.
Squatting is the best exercise for increasing blood flow to the legs
and buttocks and this will shift the fat deposits quicker than any other
exercise. You should introduce squatting with a heavy weight across
your shoulder in to your workout, but you should do this no more than
twice per week so that your body can recover. Introduce plenty of
protein into your diet while you are training because this will help
grow muscle in place of cellulite.
How to Loose Celulite with Skin Applications
There are some creams available that are applied to the skin to help remove
fats deposits. These are said to help the body metabolise the fat so
that your body burns it off in the form of energy. These creams are only
useful if you are serious about trying to lose your cellulite. They
should only be applied when you are committed to at least changing your
diet. If you change your diet and exercise, the creams that are bought
over the counter will be much more effective.
Knowing how to loose a sugar addiction can change your life dramatically. When
people are addicted to sugar, they will usually be lacking energy and
will feel fatigued far more often than people who live a healthy
lifestyle. This is because of the inconsistent nature of energy supplied
by sugar addiction. People who rely on sugar for a large part of their
energy will often suffer from highs and lows in energy and this can
impact their mood.
How to Loose Your Sugar Addiction Safely
People who eat a lot of sugary foods will often be lacking in many essential
vitamins and minerals that the body requires. This is because sugar
laden foods are can be described as empty calories. This means you will
have been taking in energy that does not carry any nutritional value
because it is simply sugar. To make the transition from sugar laden food
to a healthy alternative is easy when you understand what is contained
in other food sources. There are lots of foods that have high levels of
sugar, but they also carry lots of nutrients and by moving to these new
foods, you can overcome your sugar addiction.
High Sugar Foods
Fructose is a sugar just like glucose, except it is contained in fruit. Fruit is
natures sugar source and all fruits contain fructose. Some fruits are
sweeter than others, but nearly all fruits are very sweet when they are
fully ripe. This should be the first step to ridding yourself of a sugar
addiction. By choosing fruit instead of processed sweets or cakes, you
are beginning to take in nutrient loaded sugars instead of empty
calories.
How to Loose your Addiction completely
When you have trained your body to enjoy healthier sugars, you should begin to
reduce the number of simple carbohydrates that are found in fruits.
Simple carbohydrates are natural sugars, but there are other foods that
contain natural sugars in the form of complex carbohydrates. These are
much better for you as they reduce insulin spikes in the blood which
causes diabetes. Foods with sugars that are complex carbohydrates are
milk. potatoes, pasta and rice. When your body is introduced to these
foods on a more regular basis, you will find that your energy is far
more consistent. This is because the sugars in complex carbohydrates
takes longer for the body to break down and digest. This gives the body a
more consistent supply of energy.