Exercising To Lose Weight? Beware Of This Mistake
By Wendy D Hearn | June 4, 2008
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Of course one must exercise to lose weight and I would never entertain a contrary idea, not even for a brief moment, and neither should you. To lose or maintain weight you need to exercise regularly and for best results you should incorporate the different types of exercises:
To expand the range of motion of your muscles and joints, you should do stretching and flexing exercises.
To boost your cardiovascular stamina and therefore strengthen your heart muscles, you should participate in aerobic exercises which include but are not limited to jogging, walking, hiking, biking, swimming, dancing, team sports and so on.
To strengthen and tone your muscles which in turn will strengthen your bone tissue and increase your metabolic rate to burn more fat, you should do anaerobic or resistance exercises such as weight lifting.
However, beware of the pitfalls along the way and avoid making the mistakes that many people make. Just because you labored hard at the gym; worked up a dripping sweat and raised your heart rate until you could no longer speak, do not think that you can now compensate yourself with a huge meal of greasy foodstuff and junk food. It does not work that way. Besides, your workout at the gym deserves congratulations but no compensation is in order because, after all, it was not a punishment. On the contrary, working out is a reward in its own right, a reward for your body as well as for your mind.
Furthermore, just because you burned a few, maybe even more than just a few calories at the gym does not mean that you need to replenish them by rewarding yourself with a double portion of cheeseburgers with French fries. Instead of reaping the benefits of your intended reward, you would be undermining all the positive work you did at the gym. Do not do that to yourself and do not do that to your body. As a matter of fact, whether you have been to the gym or not, you can never get away with eating more than you should be eating. And never forget that a vigorous workout at the gym does not, will not and cannot replace healthy eating.
A smart weight lose program combines a consistent exercise regimen and healthy food choices in order to lead you to the end results you are striving for - a fit and lean you who leads a healthy lifestyle. Exercise alone will not get you there nor will healthy food choices on their own; the two must go hand in hand.
So, choose to lead a healthful lifestyle by selecting a variety of healthy foods, by eating them in moderate portions, by setting your body in motion at the gym as well as away from the gym and you will love the new you that will result from your positive choices - slim, trim, fit, energetic, good looking and healthy in body and mind.
You’ll get simple ways of losing weight that actually work.
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How To Do a Weight Loss Cleanse
By Cindy Papp | June 4, 2008
A weight loss cleanse can be easier to follow than a diet which can be time consuming. In addition, cleansing will help you clear built up toxins that can be stored in fatty areas and when done right, may help you reset your metabolism. As you cleanse, you can find out what foods make you feel tired and sick and what foods keep your energy up.
Following a weight loss cleanse can be easy when you keep things simple. Don’t waste time counting calories or analyzing sodium grams. By incorporating some simple steps you will no longer have to live by labels. You can also learn how eating healthy will give you the energy and metabolism needed to keep the weight off once and for all.
Step 1 - Stop eating junk food. Everyone knows what they are; sodas, chips, french fries, fat foods (oops, I mean fast foods), ice cream and so on. These highly processed junk foods not only add weight, but they can stop your body from losing any weight! Junk foods are loaded with chemicals such as preservatives that can get stored in fatty tissues causing you to look fatter. On top of this, they can interfere with your thyroid function.
Step 2 - Avoid any processed foods. These include packaged or pre-made foods that are supposed to save time in the kitchen. Give yourself a reality check and see if this is true. One example is, you can spend 1/2 hour chopping up a head of lettuce and some veggies and keep them in the fridge. When it’s time to eat, you simply reach in and grab a handful. This is quicker than opening and heating up a can of pre-made soup. If you really do want a food like this, find the equivalent of it at your local health food store. Look at the ingredients and be sure there are not too many listed - the more ingredients a food has, the more processed and unhealthy it is. Your weight loss cleanse will be more effective without them.
Step 3 - Make the bulk of your meals fresh and whole. Eat mostly fruits and veggies. After that eat protein the size of your palm and 1/2 a serving of grains such as wild rice. Put the food on your plate and make sure 1/2 to 3/4 of the plate is filled with vegetables. None of these foods will have labels because they are whole, natural foods. If you use sauces to cook with, keep them to a minimum and try to find organic if possible. Drink only water and herbal teas.
Step 4 - Take a fiber supplement such as psyllium or crushed flax seeds twice a day. This will help absorb toxins from the intestinal tract and add more bulk to help your body eliminate waste. In addition, taking fiber about 10-15 minutes before a meal can help you feel full sooner.
Step 5 - As you use a weight loss cleanse, also use whole food supplements. First, try a whole food vitamin supplement to ensure you get all your nutrition. And the “whole food” version is more easily used by your body than the synthetic version. Also include Essential Fatty Acids (EFA’s) to your daily regimen. These are oils needed by your body to lubricate joints, keep skin and hair healthy, help keep hormones balanced, and they are necessary for proper brain function which may help keep your mood upbeat. And one of their greatest benefits, they can help you lose weight.
Step 6 - Exercise daily using a circuit training method. Circuit training is said to burn more fat and can help make your exercise routing more effective. Exercise raises your metabolism, stimulates circulation, elevates mood and can help your lymph clear toxins including excess waste (or weight).
You can circuit train at home by alternating resistance exercise with aerobics. You don’t need weights or special equipment, either. Just put on some music and choose exercises for resistance such as squats, lunges and push ups. Choose up to six different exercises with a goal to do three sets of each. Perform a set of resistance exercise, then do one minute of aerobic exercise such as jumping rope, running in place or rebounding. Then do another set of resistance followed by another minute of aerobics. Continue this until you have completed 30-40 minutes of exercise.
Write out these six steps and post them where you will read them every day. Don’t eat in restaurants for now and instead, collect recipes for whole foods. You can find many free ones on the net! Use a weight loss cleanse so you can be summer-ready with a healthier body and mind.
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Lead a More Active Lifestyle with the Help of Lap Band Surgery
By Amy Nutt | June 3, 2008
Many people every single day debate whether or not they should have lap band surgery. They may be a little overweight or a lot overweight and have found that the things they have tried have not worked for them. This is the case for many. Some diet until their blue in the face and they can’t seem to lose the weight. Others have a difficult time being physically active and they need that physical activity because dieting alone will not take off the weight. Having lap band surgery is a personal decision, but it is a personal decision that can make a huge difference in a person’s life.
For those who desire to live a more active lifestyle, they wonder if they can engage in strenuous physical activity after the surgery. After all, there is a foreign object wrapped around the stomach with an access port right under the skin. What if it comes loose? What if the access port moves out of place? These are questions that some lap band recipients may have. For those who do not have the answer, they may move around like a robot in fear that they’re going to knock something loose. Fortunately, that is not the case.
Physical activity
The great thing about the lap band is that it will not move out of place. The access port will also stay exactly where it is supposed to. Physical activity is a very important part of losing weight. Yes, you cannot hold as much food once you’ve had the lap band put in place, but smaller food portions alone will not take the weight off as fast as you’d like. Incorporating exercise will gain you the results that you want.
Sure, the smaller food portions are a great start, especially for those who are very obese and find it difficult to exercise. There are also those who may be disabled and unable to exercise. The smaller food portions alone will help them lose weight, but certainly not as fast as someone who can exercise. That isn’t their fault, though, so that is nothing to fret about.
For the individual who can exercise, it is important to do so. Not only for the weight loss, but for the other health benefits that is associated with it. First of all, exercise lowers the risk of heart disease, stroke, and high blood pressure. Exercise also helps you tone up your body as you’re losing the weight. You may notice as the weight comes off that you need some toning. Don’t think for a minute that the makers of the lap band were inventing something that kept an individual from enjoying their life to the fullest. It was taken into consideration that exercise would be needed for faster weight loss and to tone up the body as the weight came off.
Now what?
So now that you know the lap band will not hamper your ability to run on the treadmill, lift weights at the gym, chase after your kids, or run with the dog, is it for you? That is something only you can decide. Then again, you might be wondering what it is like to run on a treadmill, lift weights at the gym, chase after your kids, and run with the dog. If you are and you’ve tried to lose weight, then you may be the perfect candidate for lap band surgery. After all, you can lead an active lifestyle, which can be quite the treat if you’ve never been able to lead such a lifestyle before. You can discover a whole new world when obesity is not a part of it.
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How to Loose Weight in Ten Days : 5 Sure-Fire Ways
By Jas Oh | June 3, 2008
Loosing weight is never easy. It’s about making changes to your lifestyle - and making it happen. Below are 5 tips on how to loose weight in ten days-
1. Watch what you cook - prepare meals with low fat food products. Remember the basic food groups and try to balance your meals. Your body still needs a bit of everything to be healthy. So get your veggies, lean meat, fish and fruits into your eating plan - and drink plenty of water.
2. Carbohydrates can be our enemy when on a diet but they can also be our friend. Good carbs are the the wholemeal kinds, vegetables and fruits. Carbs play a vital role in how the bodies metabolism is functioning. When we limit the number of carbs, our metabolism will start to drop drastically in order to preserve calories (the body thinks it’s starving!). This will be fat burning to a halt - not what we want. In order to keep the metabolism and fat burning running at maximum level it’s best to cycle carbs during the week.
3. A healthy weight loss diet means eating sensibly and losing no more than 1 or 2 pounds at the most every week over a period of time. Counting the calories that you eat throughout the day and the types of food you eat will help you lose the weight and keep the weight off. So start a food journal, and have small long goals for long term gains!
4. If you can’t avoid it - Go Low-Cal with Fast Food. Sometimes you’re in a rush and simply have to stop by the fast food place for a bite to eat. But instead of choosing the old burgers and fries - why not eat healthy, and order a salad, or grilled chicken sandwich, a healthy sub, fruit, yogurt, etc. Eating a healthier lunch will make you feel energized instead of sluggish.
5. Know your food labels - Every word on a food label has a meaning, so educate yourself on the definitions behind the words and choose the right kind of foods. It will only take a few seconds to glance at the labels, but you can quickly size up a product and determine if it is good for you, or if you should pass it by. Knowing how to read food labels can be especially helpful if you know you need to include more of something in your diet.
The above tips are just some of the changes you can do now to loose weight. Weight loss is about long term and you don’t have to live like a prisoner. Enjoy life but in moderation. Take small steps to make changes and get more active. Fat loss is hard but if you can keep it simple you can loose weight. This is how to loose weight in ten days and keep it off.
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15 Tips To Lose Weight Fast
By Gerry Marsh | June 3, 2008
Still trying to lose that excess weight? It’s easy to lose 10 pounds of unwanted fat with these 15 easy diet tips. And there is no suffering. You can still eat good tasting, fresh and healthy food including snacks.
You don’t have to make sacrifices! Whether you want to lose your first 10 pounds or those last, hard to lose 10 pounds, if you follow these simple guidelines to boost your efforts. You’ll find these tips are not only good for a quick jump start of a stalled program but lay the ground work for a balanced and flexible plan that you can use for life.
1. Track everything that you eat and drink. Don’t worry about the calories. Just jot down what you eat and how much. By making yourself more aware of what you eat you start to plan more healthy meals and snacks.
2. Go meatless (and cheese less) for at least one lunch and dinner every week. Meals built around whole grains, vegetables and beans are great alternatives and will increase fiber while reducing fat intake.
3. Limit your treats to only three times a week with goodies containing sugar. Ignore chocolate, ice cream, desserts, cake, pastries, cookies, etc. at other times.
4. Limit your use of eggs, nuts and red meats and substitute lower fat proteins at most meals. These can include chicken, fish, beans, cottage cheese, or low fat yogurt.
5. Reduce your consumption of all pure or added fats by half. This means using half as much butter or spread on your bread, toast, muffins and potatoes; half the usual amount of mayonnaise or sauce on your salad; and half the oil in the frying pan every time.
6. Substitute water instead of sodas, juices, milk drinks or alcohol. Diet soda should also be limited as the sweet after-taste encourages you to crave sugar. For a refreshing morning starter try hot water with a slice of lemon.
7. Get used to skim milk! Reduced fat milk still contains fat. Also choose lower fat cheese and yogurt. If you use yogurt, make sure that it does not contain sugar.
8. Eat fruit - at least twice every day. Fresh, in season fruit is a real treat for dessert or between meal snacks.
9. Whole grains should be used wherever possible. The fiber will give you a fuller feeling and also helps your digestion. White flour contains nothing of value.
10. Have a minimum of two servings of vegetables at lunch and dinner. Veggies also make a healthy between meal snack.
11. Don’t wolf your food. Learn to eat slowly and chew each bite. You actually get more satisfaction out of the food. Your body is slow to register when you are full, so it is easy to over eat if you eat fast.
12. Carrots make a healthy snack and grated carrot makes a great snack. Grated carrot is much more satisfying than a whole carrot. Strange but true.
13. Don’t watch the TV at meal times. Whether snacks or meals, studies have shown that we eat larger portions in front of the TV. This is probably because we are much less aware of what we are eating when we are distracted.
14. Consume food that requires chewing. This will increase your fiber intake, and the act of chewing will make you feel more satisfied. This means eating fruit instead of drinking juice. If you have soup, make sure it is chunky.
15. Don’t just grab something to eat when you feel hungry. If you do, it will probably be a high calorie, quick satisfaction food. Plan your meals and snacks ahead of time. Plan your shopping by making a list of what you need and sticking to it.
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