Monday, July 30, 2007

Nice Abs - 3 Killer Secrets for Stellar Abs

Getting nice abs can be a difficult task if you are not using the right tools.

When most people try to get nice abs, they try to do it by doing hundreds of crunches and by crash dieting. This approach is sure to end up with a lot of frustration and very few results.

Getting nice abs requires a very specific approach that is probably not what you expected. Nice abs do not happen overnight. If you really want nice abs, you will have to put in the time and effort to make it happen.

Here are some guidelines for what is takes to really get nice abs:

1. Decrease your overall body fat percentage.

This is the most important part of getting nice abs! You might great abs, but if they are under a layer of abdominal fat then you will never see them.

Lowering your body fat percentage is an absolutely crucial part of getting nice abs.

For men, you will need a body fat percentage of <10. For women, you will need a body fat percentage of <14.

Getting nice abs by lowering your overall body fat can be done by taking the right approach to diet and a specific type of exercise.

2. The right food choices for nice abs.

In order to lower your body fat percentage to get nice abs you have to make good food choices. This can be accomplished by following these guidelines:

Decrease your overall number of calories.

Depending on your body size and caloric needs, this will be different for each person. However, the general rule remains the same. If you eat less food, you will decrease your overall number of calories and be on the way to getting nice abs!

Eat 4-6 small meals per day.

This is an important step to getting nice abs because it helps to regulate your blood sugar. When you eat a big meal, your blood sugar spikes. Your body responds by releasing more insulin, which then stores the excess blood sugar as body fat.

Consume high quality protein, complex carbs, and healthy fats.

Eating chicken, fish, turkey, etc. are all great sources of hgh quality protein.

Complex carbs are great for getting nice abs because they require extra energy during digestion. Simple carbs (also known as high glycemic) are broken down very easily and cause your body to release more insulin to stores the excess as fat.

You can find healthy fats (omega 3's) in a lot of fish, which is also a great source of high quality protein.

As you can see, having a great diet is key to lower your body fat and have nice abs!

3. Total body workouts.

Instead of doing lots of crunches and hoping nice abs will be the result, try doing total body strength training workouts.

Total body workouts should include lots of multijoint exercises for your chest, back and legs. Doing core work is also a great idea. More core work will not get you nice abs all by itself, but it will help your body develop a strong base.

Total body strength training for nice abs is important because the more muscle you have, the more calories you burn. This is also known as increasing your metabolism!

So instead of trying to do lots of crunches to get nice abs, try doing more intense total body strength training instead.

If you follow these guidelines, you will find that getting nice abs isn't so hard afterall. It just takes some hard work and dedication!

Saturday, July 28, 2007

Six Pack Abs Diet - Secrets of Eating Right for Amazing Abs

Most people try to crash diet by eating 1 meal per day or try some new miracle diet that promises six pack abs with fast and easy.

In order to get six pack abs, you will need to have the right diet. It is plain and simple.

This article will show you some general guidelines for a six pack abs diet that you must follow if you want to see your abs with a lot of definition.

Because everyone is different, it is a good idea that you speak with a Registered Dietician about the best six pack abs diet for you individually. Everyone is different, and your safety comes first!

Six Pack Abs Diet Guidelines

1. Decrease you overall number of calories.

This is crucial to have down if you want to get the most out of your six pack abs diet.

If you decrease your overall number of calories by about 500 per day (generally), you will lose 1lb each week. If you can create this kind of defecit in the number of calories you consume, then you will start to see a difference!

If this part of your six pack abs diet is not taken care of, then all your other exercise efforts will be in vain.

2. Eat 4-6 small meals per day.

This is a great addition to a proper six pack abs diet because this helps to regulate your blood sugar. The higher you blood sugar, the more insulin your body releases to store the excess as fat.

By including 4-6 small meals per day as part of your six pack abs diet, you will prevent the kind of spike in your blood sugar that happens after eating a very big meal.

Also, you will feel less hungry throughout the day! When you go several hours without eating, you are more likely to make poor food choices and eat a huge meal.

3. Do not eat 2/3 of your calories in the evening.

This is an important part of your six pack abs diet. For most people who have a day job, they tend to eat a small breakfast, small lunch, then a huge dinner when they get home.

This causes a big spike in blood sugar, which then translates to more of it being stored as fat.

You can prevent this by eating 4-6 smaller meals throughout the day.

4. Eat good quality protein, good carbs, and healthy fats.

Eating good quality protein such as chicken breast, turkey, fish, etc. is a great idea.

For carbs, try to go for whole grains and other things such as oatmeal and brown rice. These complex carbs are a great addition to your six pack abs diet because they require a lot of work for your body to break down. This makes your body have to use more energy during digestion.

Healthy fats are great and should be used in moderation. Omega 3's are found in most types of fish.

So in conclusion, now you have learned some of the most important aspects of a six pack abs diet.

If you follow these principles and continue to educate yourself based on them, you will see this kind of six pack abs diet will bring out a slim sexy waistline that will make the opposite sex go crazy!

Good luck and stay persistent =)

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Friday, July 27, 2007

Truth About Six Pack Abs - Secrets of a Sexy Stomach

A lot of people are looking for the truth about six pack abs.

The question is, where do you turn for quality information?

You could try the latest fad diet, buy prepackaged meals that are sent to your house, crash diet, or try the latest exercise infomercial gimmick that promises to show you the truth about six pack abs.

This article will show the fundamentals on the truth about six pack abs. If you are not doing the right things, you will have a lot of trouble ever getting six pack abs.

If you would ask most people what they thought it the truth about how to get six pack abs, they would probably say "do lots of crunches".

This is only partly true.

Doing lots of crunches is good for building lots of core strength, but it is hardly enough to get you six pack abs.

So this brings us to the most important points about the truth about six pack abs.

1. Lots of crunches is not the best way to go.

It is vital to illustrate this point a little further. Doing lots of ab exercises, taking ab classes, working out to an ab dvd, are all great, but it is not a means to an end.

You do not lots stomach fat by doing lots of crunches. Instead, you lose stomach fat by increasing your overall metabolism and exercising the right way!

Trying to lose fat over your abs relates back to a myth that is known as "spot reduction". This refers to the misconception that you can lose fat over a specific area by working the muscle underneath it.

If this was you, then you would see people walking around with ripped six pack abs and flabby arms, love handles, big butt, etc. If you see someone with great abs, there is a great chance that the rest of their body is in great shape too! They got that way by eating and exercising a certain way, which is the same program that you should follow as well.

2. Nutrition is the cornerstone of abdominal sexiness.

This is a big area that is overlooked when examining the real truth about six pack abs.

If you want to see your abs with solid definition, then you need to have a very low percentage of body fat. This simply does not happen without having the right diet.

You will want to:

Avoid bad "high glycemic" carbs such as junk food, sugary food, soda, fast food, etc.

These bad carbs cause a steep rise in your blood sugar, and your body responds by releasing more insulin to store it as fat.

Eat 4-6 small meals per day.

This is a great way to get six pack abs for a few reasons. By eating more smaller meals, you will feel less hungry throughout the day. This will make you less likely to binge and eat a big meal. Also, this helps to regulate your blood sugar if you are eating good quality protein, healthy fats, and low glycemic carbs.

Create an overall calorie defecit.

This is probably the most important truth about six pack abs. By reducing your overall number of daily calories from what you are currently consuming, you will start to lose body fat.

Remember, losing body fat is the real truth about six pack abs! Having a great diet combined with the right kind of exercise is the way to go. Doing lots of crunches and crash dieting is a sure way to be frustrated.

If you work hard and eat right, you will find the truth about six pack abs comes from making good food choices and exercising.

Thursday, July 26, 2007

Attitude Before Weight Loss, The Muscle Building Mentality

Why is it that so many people are overweight in today's society compared to times past? Is it the fast food, McDonalds, KFC and Hungry Jacks that make us lazier and less active or maybe it's the extreme advances in transport technology. Perhaps the abundant amount of indoor entertainment that only requires a click of a remote control or the touch of a keyboard is causing it. There are hundreds of theories of what is causing it. However, to be honest I would be disappointed if you believe that these are the true culprits of obesity.

"A bad worker blames his tools," they say and in the same way, "a bad weight loser blames his food and entertainment." We can't simply blame everything on the fast food, entertainment and transport. We have to take some responsibility for ourselves. Has Ronald McDonald ever knocked on your door and shoved a Big Mac with fries in your mouth as you answered. He certainly hasn't done that to me. Every time I've had McDonalds I have consciously made a decision to eat McDonalds food. We have to take the blame and be responsible for ourselves. This is the first step to a good weight losing mentality.

Not only is making an effort to avoid junk food enough to get you fit and losing weight either. Saying, "I'll start on that cycling machine tomorrow," is not going to get you anywhere even if you are eating healthily. Neither is pondering on how good you might look with 5% body fat going to help. This is the kind of thing that Joe Average will say. We need to make a conscious effort to JUST DO IT and stop procrastinating. Listen to Nike my friends. Just get on that exercise machine right now and start burning the fat and growing the muscles. I can't stress this enough that in order to succeed in losing weight and gaining muscle it is essential to have the, "Just do it", mentality. I learned this the hard way.

I have a good friend from my high school days who was a short average sized guy. However, he had a goal of building muscle and his mentality was perfect for his goal. Sure he was small then but I met him just the other day and he sure wasn't small anymore. He had the "just do it" mentality and the right attitude. People would often ask him, "how long are you going to be on that diet for?" and his reply was always, "it's not a diet it's a lifestyle". This is a perfect example of the attitude I am talking about. There's no point losing a couple of kilos if all you're going to do is put it back on again. Like my friend said to me it has to be a lifestyle.

You could have all the workout machines money could buy and all of the weight loss and muscle gain e-books in the world and you still wouldn't lose weight if you didn't do something about it first. Procrastination is the key for failure and an, "I'll take responsibility for myself and just do it" is the recipe for success as far as weight loss and muscle building is concerned.

Wednesday, July 25, 2007

Getting Rid Of A Double Chin – What You Have To Know

As we get older our skin and muscles tend to become more lax and whilst this increases the probability of us developing a double chin – it doesn't mean that a double chin is an inevitability. This article will cover the things you need to do to get rid of a double chin.

Firstly, I need to state the obvious. Fat deposits can build up anywhere on the body that we allow them to – chin included. So your first step is make sure that you have a high fibre, low fat diet that contains a lot of fruit and vegetables. Reducing your overall body fat percentage will have a proportionate effect on your double-soon-to-be single chin.

Secondly, daily use of a skin toner will keep your skin firm and help prevent sagging. To complement the use of skin toner you can also practice a kind of facial yoga to maintain skin tone. Perform this routine twice weekly: with the first two fingers of each hand rub gently along the jawbone, starting from behind the ear lobes, finishing below the centre of the chin. Repeat five times. Then perform a full neck massage: lift your chin slightly upwards and with cupped hands, stroke firmly down the neck five times each side. Finish with some under-chin slaps: with the back of the first two fingers gently slap under the chin twenty times.

Thirdly, we need to talk about exercise. A general exercise regime will help you lose weight in the same manner as a high fibre low fat diet, however there are is also a specific "spot" exercises that you can perform which will target the chin area. The muscle in question here is called the platysma whose function is to pull down the corners of the mouth and pull down the jawbone. The exercise that we are talking about is called "the shovel" and it involves extending your lower law as far as you can in front and then bringing your bottom teeth up in front of your top lip – as if your lower jaw was an earth mover scooping up debris. You will need to perform ten repetitions of this exercise, 2-3 times a day. The beauty about this exercise is that it can be practiced anywhere and whilst you're engaged in other activities such as driving the car or watching television.

There is a fourth – and last resort – option of cosmetic surgery whereby the surgeon will make a small horizontal cut under the chin and then vacuum out the fat that has collected beneath the skin. Following this they will make a vertical incision between the layers of the neck and jaw muscle and sew the edges together, tightening the muscle layer. The procedure is relatively painless and requires two small bandages to hide. The bruising is minimal and has usually vanished within ten days. The procedure will cost upwards of $2000.

Weight Loss Research - 10 Interesting Research Findings About Weight Loss

1. A thirty-year study published in the American Journal of Urology reported that weight loss and exercise can reverse impotence without medical intervention. The research suggests that about a third of men with impotence can reverse it simply by changing their behaviour and engaging in weight loss, exercise and stress reduction activities.

2. Researchers at the Université Laval Faculty of Medicine in Quebec, Canada found that taking calcium and vitamin D supplements while on a weight loss program lowers the risk of cardiovascular disease and helps reduce cholesterol levels.

3. Dieting and exercise have the same results for weight loss. According to a study by a team of researchers at Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge, dieting alone is equally effective at reducing weight and fat provided that the calories that you consume and burn are equal. However, A study from the American university of St Louis has found that although both dieting and exercising help with weight loss, those who do not exercise suffer from muscle loss.

4. Lack of sleep is linked to weight gain. A study of more than 2,000 U.S. kids aged 3 to 12 years has found that children who slept more tended to weigh less and than those who slept less. Lack of sleep has also been linked to more weight in adults, too.

5. Weight loss improves heart function in people who are obese. A study by the University of Queensland in Australia has shown that people who are obese can reverse some early heart and blood vessel dysfunction by adopting a healthy lifestyle and losing weight.

6. Support from other people is important to sticking with a weight-loss plan. Recent studies have shown that people who diet or exercise with a partner or group tend to be more successful at losing weight and keeping it off than those who try to do it alone.

7. According to an Australian study, exercising using sprints of high-intensity work can help you lose three times the weight of people who maintain a steady workout level.

8. Weight loss reduces risk of cancer. An international team of scientists found that women who carry a breast cancer gene can reduce their risk of the disease by slimming or losing weight.

9. Grapefruit may help people who are obese to lose weight according to Researchers in the United States who also found that adding grapefruit to your diet may also protect you from diabetes.

10. Studies conducted in the UK and in Australia have shown that you can improve fitness without losing weight as you can gain muscle and lose fat through strength-training exercises.

How To Lose Weight For Free-And Thumb Your Nose At The Diet Industry

Yes, you can lose weight for free, even though the diet industry makes millions (if not billions) of dollars every year. While some weight loss products and plans do have very enticing ads, you don't need to spend your money.

Here are just a few tips for losing weight for free, without spending extra money on special "diet" products.

Cook your own diet food.

I know it's more convenient when you buy those pretty little packages from the supermarket, but what do those frozen diet food containers really have in them? Less food!

You don't have to spend more money for less food. Just cook it yourself. You can make up a whole week's worth of lunch and dinner meals and stick them in your freezer. You not only spend less money, you also have only one cooking mess to clean up all week. And you won't have to throw away all those cardboard boxes and plastic trays the commercial meals come in.

Make your own diet shakes.

Your own shakes will be more nutritious, and taste better too. And they'll usually cost less, as well.

For instance, the Three-Hour Diet shakes have 200 calories, and lots of ingredients you can't pronounce, but they're mostly milk and milk products with a few chemicals thrown in to keep them "fresh." You can make your own delicious strawberry smoothie by blending one cup of unsweetened yogurt, one half cup of frozen whole strawberries, and a teaspoon of honey.

Your delicious shake will have about 211 calories. And you'll actually look forward to eating it. And you won't have to sign up for the shakes to be delivered along with the rest of the items on the program's menu, for $20.00 a day. To make your shake even less expensive, substitute fat-free milk for the yogurt. Your shake will be a little thinner, but it will still be delicious.

Take up a walking program for exercise.

Gym fees are expensive, and lots of people who pay the sign-up fees and monthly dues never really use the gym – it just becomes one more reason to feel guilty, and one more reason to feel stressed.

Instead, put on your most comfortable shoes and take a walk. Even better, grab your dog's leash and take him with you. It has been proven that up to three times as many people stick with their walking program if they do it for their dog's well-being instead of their own. At the end of this year you could be 20 pounds lighter without making any changes in your diet, and without paying out any money at all for the exercise.

Take up meditation.

If you can't seem to give up large portions or fattening foods, you may be in the grips of sugar or fat addiction, or you may be eating compulsively. These habits can seem impossible to break, but they're not. Instead of heading to the nearest hypnotist or counselor, try some simple meditation techniques to instill mindfull self-control.

Whether you need to lose a few pounds, or a lot, keep your wallet in your pocket while you melt off the pounds. You can lose weight for free.

Tuesday, July 24, 2007

What Women Need To Know About Seeing Fat Loss Results

Q.
I've been exercising daily for an hour for a month now, why can't I see my results?

A.
I can understand how frustrating that can be. You workout hard and you don't see results.

First off, what are the results you are looking for? If you are looking to lose scale weight then you will always be heartbroken. Step away from the scale, in fact if you have one I suggest you put it in the closet or better yet throw it away. Many women have a scale mentality. My goal is to change that and educate women that muscle weighs more than fat. You can weigh 150 lbs and be a size 4, 6, or 8, it really doesn't matter. You need to go by your clothing size and body fat.

If you understand that about the scale and you are not seeing the results in the mirror and in your clothes as you would like then I would look to see first what your nutrition looks like. I get 99.9% of women that have this challenge and it's mostly diet related. It typically because they aren't eating enough! That's right, not enough calories. If your not eating enough your body actually holds onto body fat making it impossible to see any changes even if your exercising like crazy too. As soon as you eat the right amount of calories for your body to lose fat then you will start to see and feel the changes. I show women how eating more frequently throughout the day will help your body to be more efficient in burning fat.

Now, let's also look at what your workouts are like. Are you training with enough intensity (meaning the last couple of reps are the most challenging) if not then that is huge in not seeing any changes and are you taking long breaks in between your workouts? This diminishes the fat-burning affects.

What about cardio? Are you leisurely walking on the treadmill for about an hour? If so, you can change up the pace by doing a shorter cardio session with intervals that will have your body burning more fat!

If you aren't seeing changes about every 3 weeks then you need to adjust your entire nutrition and training program.

Monday, July 23, 2007

Five Tips To Stop Food Cravings For Easy Weight Loss

When you’re trying to lose weight, food cravings can make it impossible to stay on your diet. “Just one piece of chocolate”, you think... or “a little piece of cheese won’t do any harm” - and then, before you know it, your weight loss resolutions are shot.

It’s not you. You’re not weak-willed. You’re physically addicted to certain foods, and this is why you crave them. Researchers have found that addictive foods release opiate-like chemicals in digestion, so that you become addicted to to these foods. The primary addictive foods include sugar, chocolate, cheese and meat.

You Can Break Your Addiction And Eliminate Food Cravings In Three Weeks

Once you know that your food cravings are the result of a physical addiction, you can stop your weight loss sabotage and eliminate your cravings for good. It takes around three weeks to stop craving foods to which you’re addicted. Unfortunately, you need to completely eliminate the food which triggers the cravings for those three weeks.

This is very good news - you know that once the three weeks have passed, you’ve stopped the addiction, and your cravings won’t return.

Five Tips To Stop Food Cravings For Easy Weight Loss

1. Eat enough every day - don’t drastically cut your calorie intake. You must eat enough to maintain your ideal body weight. Don’t go on any kind of starvation diet. Eat three healthy meals, including breakfast, and a couple of healthy snacks.

2. Use a natural appetite suppressant like Hoodia Balance to overcome food cravings and the urge to eat.

3. Sleep! Inadequate sleep triggers food cravings. Get your full eight hours each night, and go for a 20-minute walk every day - sleep and exercise get your body working optimally.

4. Maintain your blood sugar level, by eating whole grains, green vegetables and fruit, and don’t leave long gaps between meals. When your blood sugar levels are low, you’ll experience cravings.

5. Eat foods with plenty of fiber - try oatmeal for a healthy, satisfying breakfast which fills you up, and keeps you going for several hours.

These five tips will help you to eliminate food cravings, and lose weight fast.

Eating Healthy and Losing Weight: Two Sides of the Same Coin

It is just about impossible to lose weight - and most important, keep it off - without eating a healthy diet. Not only will eating right help you drop the pounds, but it will also prevent many diseases and health conditions. Weight loss is very complex. It doesn't just require reducing calories, but eating the right kinds of foods in the proper quantities to boost your natural metabolism and fat-burning abilities.

Losing weight requires you to involve your emotional and mental abilities as well as physical ones. Your age and general health will also play an important role in what you should eat in order to lose weight. Here are some important tips for eating healthy and losing weight.

1. Drink plenty of water. Not only is this great for clearing out the body of toxins but it also will help you feel more satisfied, thus taking away the hunger pangs that you may feel.

2. Always take a list with you when you go shopping. You should also eat a healthy meal before you go. This will prevent impulse buys of snack foods and insure that what you buy is on your healthy diet plan.

3. Eat small servings. This is particularly important when eating out. Restaurants often give you much larger servings than most people can comfortably eat. Choose a healthy entree and take part of it home with you in a "doggie bag." That way, you'll get two healthy meals for the price of one.

4. When preparing meals at home replace the higher calorie ingredients with lower calorie versions. Include several servings of fruit and vegetables into your meals as well. They are a great source of water and fiber. They will not only add volume to any dish you have prepared but they have fewer calories in them. They are also very filling.

As you can see, these are just a few very effective ways to ensure that you are eating healthy and losing weight at the same time. Follow these tips regularly and you'll be very surprised at the amount of weight you will lose!

Saturday, July 21, 2007

How to Plan Effective Nutrition Diet for Weight loss?

Zero carbs. Fat flush. No dessert. Sound familiar? Losing weight is hard enough as it is, and all the fad diets that come and go make choosing a natural weight loss program much more confusing. There seems to be no consistent source of information. However, you can make real changes without excessive hunger and discomfort. Simply commit to a healthy diet to live by daily.How to Plan Effective Nutrition Diet for Weight loss?Following these tips:

1 It’s important to understand the basics for good nutrition.The body’s three primary nutrient needs include protein, fats, and carbohydrates. The trick is choosing the right low-fat proteins, unsaturated fats, and whole-grain carbohydrates in reasonable portions. Even if your goal is not natural weight loss, the basics for good nutrition are essential to a healthy diet.

2 Eating Carbs But Not Gaining Weight.You can eat carbs and not gain weight. It is in the choice of carbohydrates that you consume that will make the difference. Including more vegetables and whole grains in your diet and eating less simple carbohydrates like sugars that are in soda, candy, processed and refined foods will help you in losing weight. Paying attention to portion sizes will also help. Pasta is an easy trap for eating to much carbohydrates. If you like pasta add vegetable to you dishes, since vegetables are good carbs and have fiber in them they will help fill you up faster. Eat a salad with every meal, but pay attention to what you put on your salad, stick to low fat versions of dressings, like Italian and Vinaigrettes.

3 Fulfill yourself with reasonable portions. You should never eat until you’re stuffed--nor should you ever get up from the table hungry. Your stomach can hold about one quart of food and beverage, an amount that would fit in your cupped hands. The trick to fulfillment is to slow down! Savor your food, and chew each bite 30 times. Not only is this the first crucial step in digestion, but it allows your stomach and brain to register when you’re full. Don’t interfere with your body’s ability to enjoy food by watching TV, working, or worse yet, driving. Sit down, relax, and enjoy your meal.

Friday, July 20, 2007

Discover The Benefits Of Exercising

The following article is one of a series of articles which focus on Self Improvement, Motivation and Empowerment. It is based on research done over twenty years as a personal and business coach. This self improvement article was written in response to questions which have been asked on losing weight and long term weight loss as well as address common challenges that people have with this subject. I sincerely hope that you find the following information of value.

Discover The Benefits Of Exercising

Health experts encourage us to include exercise as a necessary part of our daily routine to promote our general well- being. Together with healthy and balanced diet, adequate rest and relaxation, exercise is recommended to promote optimal health.

People who are usually inactive can improve their health and well-being by becoming even moderately active on a regular basis. Physical activity need not be strenuous to achieve significant health benefits.

Greater health benefits can be achieved by increasing the amount (duration, frequency, or intensity) of physical activity. There are many benefits of exercise, not only as an aid in effective fat/ weight loss, but also in reducing our risks of developing or dying from some of the leading causes of illness and death. Here is a general overview of what exercise can do for us.

1. Exercise reduces our risks of dying prematurely.

2. Exercise reduces our risks of dying from heart diseases, cancers (including uterine, colon, and breast), stroke, diabetes and arthritis.

3. Help us lose weight, especially fat weight by decreasing our Body Mass Index (BMI), reducing our total cholesterol and reducing the circulating levels of triglycerides in our blood and increasing our metabolic rate. Perhaps this is why active people can "Eat anything and not gain weight." and why other folks "Gain weight just by looking at food."!

4. Exercise improves the functioning of our Immune System as well as blood and oxygen circulation for our vital organs.

========SIDEBAR========
When it comes to the subject of self improvement, I fully understand (through my own experiences) that it is a lot easier said than done. However, you are here, right now, because you have a desire to improve your self or you are at least interested in this subject. Perhaps you are reading this to help a friend or colleague - great. If this article helps you or you help a friend, paying it forward is what lif'e all about so we all win.
======END SIDEBAR======

5. Exercise increases our insulin sensitivity to prevent against type 2 diabetes.

6. Exercise increases our energy and endurance level.

7. Exercise slows down aging by improving our physical, mental, emotional and psychological well- being.

8. Exercise reduces our risk of developing many bones and joints diseases or disorders.

9. Exercise even helps in enhancing creativity and imagination. It is also linked with improved mental vigor, including reaction time, acuity, and math skills.

10. Exercise helps in providing physical and mental rejuvenation, making us feel good about ourselves and thus improve our esteem and confidence.

11. Exercising improves mood and due to the chemicals it releases in the brain called endorphins, it gives you an overall feeling of well-being. This is the same chemical that being in love or eating chocolate induces!

12. Exercise will help you sleep better. Just be sure not to exercise too close to your bedtime if you exercise at night, because it may keep you awake. If you need to exercise within a few hours of going to bed, make sure it's only a brisk walk. Experts say you should allow yourself about three hours between exercise and going to bed.

So get off that couch and start moving. Remember, the time and effort that you put in exercising today may spell your health and well- being tomorrow.

NOW is the time!

O.K. you have read the article. Now is the time for action. Without action, this article adds no value whatsoever to your self improvement. But remember, without action, you cannot blame this self improvement article or any article for that matter. So, take action NOW.

Even if only one piece of advice, one piece of information, one tip makes a difference, then the whole article has been worth it for all of us. NOW is the time!

Weight Loss Exercise Equipment-What You Need And How To Choose Them

Exercise and nutrition diet are very important to your overall health and the to the results you will experience as you implement your weight loss program.

If you intend to start off with exercise for weight loss, what sort of equipment do you need to follow a vigorous course of exercise?

When it comes to getting the equipment for your use at home for that weight loss exercise program, you will need to get the low down on selecting, purchasing and utilizing fitness equipment.

Your starting point is to conduct a shopping guide check-out on the hottest and effective exercise equipment, based on the exercise regime that you have adopted.

For example, if your exercise regime for weight loss involves the use of treadmills, then it is needful for you to look at the various treadmills available and compare them with your budget. For example, if what you need is the basic treadmill to provide exercise, you may not need a treadmill that comes with other more fanciful gadgets and accessories or attachments, so that you can keep to your budget.

However, you must also consider that exercise equipment like treadmills are used for a long time where adherence to the exercise program is expected to ensure long-term weight loss. An investment into a treadmill is therefore considered a long term investment which pays dividends in terms of fitness, having an attractive figure and being healthy. Purchasing a treadmill requires you to check out things like warranties, service, features, construction and where you will locate it in your home. So the initial purchase of a treadmill will need a thorough check.

A simple tool that you might need is a dietpower calorie counter where you track the progress of your weight loss by counting calories. This may be a tiny tool, but a very important tool to help you monitor your progress.

Where do you record your progress? You may wish to use a streaming colors fitness journal. A typical fitness journal is a unique way to keep track of your workouts with your own color coding system. The colors put an interesting flair to identify your progress immediately, and acts as a motivating factor in keeping up to your exercise regime.

In your journal, and for each day, record the details of your cardio, strength and flexibility workouts as well as your nutrition goals.

Another type of exercise equipment you may need is exercise balls. Together with exercise balls, there are the Swiss balls and medicine balls. The Swiss ball, for example, challenges and strengthen your muscles in new ways to build up the "core" muscles in the body. Exercise balls in general help to build muscles such as those in the abdominals, back,buttocks and thighs, which stabilise and play a major role in maintaining good posture.

For other exercise workouts to help you maintain a healthy and active lifestyle and keep your weight under control, you may need gym mats, exercise tubes, SitFits, heart rate monitors, fit bands, exercise tubes and other fitness and health products.

Finding exercise equipment and apparel can be difficult, especially over the internet. One way to benefit from the experience of others is to check out the weight loss exercise equipment reviews from other weight watchers and fitness buffs. Exercise equipment reviews can help you to stay informed about the range of options available. At the same time, you may discover some discount exercise equipment suppliers who offer a range of equipment that can be purchased for home use. You may even get some good bargains from ebay as well.

The key to selecting the best weight loss exercise equipment is to balance out the need for the most suitable and effective equipment with one of cost, and to keep in mind that the equipment cost is an investment into your permanent weight loss and in keeping up a healthy lifestyle.

Wednesday, July 18, 2007

How To Avoid Becoming A Fitness Failure

The following article is one of a series of articles which focus on Self Improvement, Motivation and Empowerment. It is based on research done over twenty years as a personal and business coach. This self improvement article was written in response to questions which have been asked on losing weight and long term weight loss as well as address common challenges that people have with this subject. I sincerely hope that you find the following information of value.

How To Avoid Becoming A Fitness Failure

Few things are worse than trying to get your body into shape and failing. It takes quite some courage to start on a fitness program and it takes willpower to stick to it and avoid ditching it a couple of days later.

Unfortunately, more than half of the people who decide to take up a fitness program do so on a whim and drop out within the first six months. Boredom, busy schedules and a feeling of being fit enough to no longer need the exercising combine to convince people that exercises are not worth the effort and striving.

The first thing you want to do in order to avoid being a complete failure is to set a goal for yourself. If you want to be thinner, then decide on a number of pounds you want to shed. If you want to be able to run around the park without spitting your lungs on the sidewalk, then train accordingly. But whatever you do, set a clear goal so you don't have to guess whether you're making progress or not.

Also, make sure your goal is realistic. Dropping 1 pound per week through a combination of reduced intake of calories and increased physical effort is a realistic goal. Shedding 50 pounds in two months is not just a dream, but the attempt may also prove dangerous for your health.

========SIDEBAR========
When it comes to the subject of self improvement, I fully understand (through my own experiences) that it is a lot easier said than done. However, you are here, right now, because you have a desire to improve your self or you are at least interested in this subject. Perhaps you are reading this to help a friend or colleague - great. If this article helps you or you help a friend, paying it forward is what lif'e all about so we all win.
======END SIDEBAR======

After deciding upon a goal, always make sure you're keeping track of your progress. This will help keep you motivated because you will always have the visible proof of your success at whatever it is you're doing. But bear in mind that tracking should also be done carefully.

If you're going for weight loss, don't give in to the temptation to weigh yourself every day. Body weight fluctuates naturally from one day to the other and depends on many factors. It's much too easy to be discouraged and abandon the program just because two extra glasses of water have messed up your weight.

Keep your fitness schedule as varied as possible. Exercises are great for your health, but only hardcore bodybuilders are never bored by them. Doing the same thing over and over becomes tedious sooner or later so make sure you mix your exercises and change the order every week or whenever you feel boredom starting to move in.

Don't let yourself get to the point where you say "Damn that exercise! I'm not going to do it again as long as I live!". If you can't come up with a good plan, ask a gym trainer or a veteran to help you out.

The final advice is to share the joys and problems of fitness with somebody. Find a friend who also goes to the gym and start going together. You can help each other achieve your goals and swap stories about successes and failures in between reps. A workout partner will make things look easier with a positive attitude and you can do the same thing for him or her.

Oh, and don't allow yourself to come up with excuses for avoiding the gym. Cheap tricks like that are never any good.

NOW is the time!

O.K. you have read the article. Now is the time for action. Without action, this article adds no value whatsoever to your self improvement. But remember, without action, you cannot blame this self improvement article or any article for that matter. So, take action NOW.

Even if only one piece of advice, one piece of information, one tip makes a difference, then the whole article has been worth it for all of us. NOW is the time!

Be the person you want to be, you deserve it!

You'll never be on your own with our free and dedicated customer support and our online health, fitness and weight loss program.

Even If You've Been Overweight And Out Of Shape For Years, Andrew Gee has done extensive research into weight loss and what works.

Tuesday, July 17, 2007

Concern For Those Wanting To Lose Weight

I see many people in my line of work that want to lose weight. They feel big, fat and unhealthy. But are they really trying to lose weight for the right reasons?

There are two main reasons why people would want to lose weight. First, for medical reasons - to protect their health. Secondly, for cosmetic reasons - to look better.

Sadly, the vast majority do it for the latter reason - to look better. Or putting it another way, to conform to an acceptable standard or stereotype. And, yes, it is mainly women.

Looking better and feeling good about yourself is fine. Well, almost. We all like to look good which is why we comb our hair and wash off dirt. We wear clean clothes and shave when needed.

But losing weight for cosmetic reasons is not a health related issue. You don't need a doctor to advise you. You don't need prescribed pills or fancy medical potions. As a doctor, I am not interested in people that might want to lose weight just to look better.

I am interested in people that want to get and stay healthy. Obesity kills and it kills in vast numbers. Being fat means your heart, lungs, kidneys and liver are all under strain. Your joints bear the brunt of your increased mass and you are more likely to develop diabetes and other metabolic diseases.

I am fully prepared to help people to lose weight if it is for their health. My health service funds it and funds it well. But this should not be funded just because people want to look more acceptable.

Monday, July 16, 2007

Why It's Just Best To Face Reality

I deal a lot with fat loss, that’s pretty much known by now. And I’ll say that most people diving into a fat loss program have great intentions. But most of those people don’t last very long. Why is that? One reason is because the way most trainers tell you how to lose weight make it a long process so they quit (that fact has been shown in more than a few studies). But I think the biggest reason most people quit their fat loss programs are because they just can’t face their current reality.

What do I mean? A lot of people have great INTENTIONS like I mentioned a second ago. A lot of those same people, though, don’t have the proper desire and determination to actually do anything with those intentions. People say all the time that they’ll start exercising on Monday and then never do (they know they won’t do it when they say it too). I’ve done it. It’s a common thing done by people. We constantly tell ourselves little lies to make it okay that we’re not being healthy today.

We don’t face the reality that we have a problem and NEED to fix it IMMEDIATELY. We all have to do a reality check and see where we currently are in our life so we can start to make the positive changes that will help us become healthier and happier. If you aren’t happy with your life that’s instantly telling you that something might not be right and needs to be evaluated. If you’re overweight and know it (which most people do) make the COMMITMENT to make a change RIGHT NOW!

You have to make that commitment and figure out a way that you can stick with that commitment. Put a picture of your kids in your gym bag so every time you’re ready to workout you will be reminded that you’re doing this to have more time with them. Post your goals by your bed so they are the first thing you see every morning and the last thing you see every night. That will allow you to stay focused on them more. Those are just a couple ideas. I know you can come up with some great creative ways to stay focused and motivated.

The first step to this all as mentioned above is that you have to truly admit you’re overweight and have to change to make your life healthier. Take over your addictions to pop, chocolate, beer, whatever. Just choose to start dominating your life for the better so not only you will change, but the world around you will change as well.

Stop dodging the facts, accept them, and then change them. I know you can do it. That’s why you’re reading this right now.

Saturday, July 14, 2007

Facts On How To Get Rid Of Stomach Fat - Review Of Weight Loss 4 Idiots

In our quest to search for information that will help us reduce our weight and get rid of stomach fat, we come across many resources and information. Most of it instead of being of use to the reader leaves him/her more confused.

Now, last Saturday, after lunch, I logged on to my Internet in search for information on how to get rid of stomach fat and shed a few pounds of weight. I came across a website called Weight loss 4 idiots. Well, I must admit that this even surpassed my knowledge that I gained form University. All we were taught was that you will lose weight by using low fat food. However, according to the weight loss for idiots program, this will not work. Here is why:

1) Low Fat Foods do not work.
You cannot lose weight using Low Fat Diets. Low fat foods have been popular for more than 15 years, but yet our society is getting more overweight as each year passes. This fact alone should tell you that eating a purely low fat menu is not the answer to losing weight. So If you were contemplating on getting rid of your stomach fat through this method, You may have to think twice.

2) Low Calorie Diets do not work
this is another statement that is claimed to be a fact according to weight loss for idiots plan. This is what they have to say: You won't lose weight using a Low Calorie Dieting Plan either. In fact, eating low calories is the worst thing that you can do to your body, since that will only slow down your body's fat burning engine and ruin all chances of losing weight (low calorie diets may allow a few pounds of weight loss for the first few days, but then after that all weight loss comes to a halt --- known as a dieting plateau). You can never get slim by starving yourself. Note: This is true because the moment you stop, all the fat will come back

3) Low Carb Plans do not work
On this subject, this is what is said: You'll probably find it extremely difficult to get slim using a Low Carb Dieting Plan. Low carb diets have recently become popular over the last couple years, but the problem with low carb menus is that they are too strict and TOO HARD TO FOLLOW for average people. Low carb menus tend to rob your body of too much energy (carbohydrates) and make it nearly impossible to remain on the program for very long. This is why so many dieters find it difficult to follow a strict low carbohydrate menu.

4) What about Weight Watchers and Jenny Craig Dieting Plans?
According to the weight loss for idiots program, it is said that Weight loss programs such as Weight Watchers (and Jenny Craig) usually involve slower dieting progress over a longer period of time, since such programs generally promise only 2-3 pounds of weight loss per week. Also, programs such as Jenny Craig usually involve buying special meals and/or dietary supplements during the initial phases of the program. While some people may like these types of dietary programs, I would prefer a dieting plan, which focuses on faster weight loss, such as the Accelerated Fat Burning Program shown below...

So have you been fooled by the Infomercials, and other ads telling you to use the above methods? I would suggest you give it a second look. This article was just a review of the above facts as started on their website. However, I hope that more has been learned form this article and it is from here that you will make an informed decision on what plan to use to get rid of your stomach fat. There is more to it as you can see.

Friday, July 13, 2007

7 Weight Loss Motivation Tips

When dieting, weight loss motivation can be a bit elusive. The constant cycle of putting on weight, losing weight, putting on weight and losing weight can become tiresome and demotivating.

The following tips come from my courses and seminars to help you get rid of weight and find that weight loss motivation.

Tip 1 - Know what you want

Make sure you know exactly how much weight you want to get rid of. Some weight just doesn't cut it, so have an exact figure of what your target weight is and how much you are losing.

Tip 2 - Stay off the scales

Don't weigh yourself every day, it'll dent your weight loss motivation and frustrate you. Instead, pick one day a week when you are going to weigh yourself and weigh yourself every day at the same time (I usually recommend Monday's as you may be at your heaviest after the weekends excesses!).

Tip 3 - Measure yourself

Often weight loss isn't immediately noticeable through weight, but is more obvious through inches lost. so, measure your chest, waist, hips and thighs and record the results.

Tip 4 - Track your progress

Motivation comes from seeing results, so track your weight loss and your measurements shrinking and you will find yourself being more motivated to lose weight.

Tip 5 - Eat regularly

Most dieters think that by skipping meals they are going to lose weight quickly. NO! It doesn't work like that. If you skip meals then your body starts to think there's a famine coming, which means your body piles on the fat to survive the famine. Eat regular meals.

Tip 6 - Don't Deny Yourself

Many dieters will deny themselves anything naughty such as chocolate, cakes and so on. Trouble is, when you deny yourself something, you want it more. So instead CHOOSE not to have it, because then you are in control. Occasionally, you may choose to have it, which is great too.

Tip 7 - Drink, drink, drink

And no, I don't mean alcohol. I mean yummy, delicious water Drink plenty of it as it will flush toxins from your system and help keep you healthy.

Thursday, July 12, 2007

Top Six Ways to Gain Fat

Everyone loves you, so wouldn’t more of you lead to more love? Your wish is our command. Here before you are the top six ways to pack on some pudge, look more jolly, fill out those jeans, and change that six-pack into a pony keg. Read on, you passion panda!

1. Skip Breakfast

When you wake up, your body is craving food. This would be an optimal time to fuel up for a lean and mean day. Don’t do it! You want your body to think that it’s starving, so it holds on to as much fat as possible.

Also, the lower your caloric intake is, the lower your metabolism. And a low metabolism is the key to storing fat. Stay in fat storing mode by depriving your body of fuel. Store that fat!

And here are a few extra interesting facts from a University of Massachusetts study:

- Waiting more than three hours after waking up to eat breakfast ups your obesity risk by 43%.

- Eating breakfast away from home increases your obesity risk by 137%.

- Not eating breakfast increases your obesity risk by 450%. (That would be FOUR HUNDRED AND FIFTY PERCENT!!)

2. Stay up All Night

If you don’t get enough sleep, your body will produce a stress hormone called cortisol. Cortisol leads straight to fat storage and muscle loss. You can maximize your levels by doing plenty of smoking and drinking while you burn that midnight oil.

Sleeping also increases that bugger of a metabolism, we’ve gotta be sure to keep that tamped down. After all, the more fat the better, right?

3. Don’t Lift Weights

Pumping iron raises your metabolic rate for at least a day, which definitely goes against our goal of as much extra-soft padding as possible. It also adds lean muscle mass, which burns calories all the time! Lifting weights would be one of the worst ways to add fat.

Lean muscle also creates one of those shapely and defined bodies. But we want more of a cuddly teddy bear look, instead of that firm and toned athletic physique.

4. Do Lots of Long and Slow Cardio

When you’re moving slow, your body uses fat as fuel. Since you’ll get more efficient at using this fuel, you’ll keep burning less and less fat. Most gym machines will now tell you when you’re in “the zone.” While in “the zone” you’ll also wither away those pesky muscles, further lowering metabolism. Whatever you do, don’t push yourself.

Remember our good friend cortisol? Lots of steady-state aerobics help to increase our levels. This creates an ideal environment for storing fat. Woo-hoo!

5. Eat Plenty of Refined Carbohydrates

Our bodies absolutely love to store processed grains as fat. White bread and snacky-cakes will do wonders for expanding our waistlines.

Avoid all vegetables and whole grains, those are digested slowly and used as fuel. Better by far to eat refined products that enter the bloodstream fast and get stored just as fast. Bleached and processed foods are fat storing champions!

6. Go It Alone

That last thing that an aspiring super-sizer needs is a personal trainer encouraging “proper habits.” After all, who wants to know how to set up the machines or design an exercise program? If we use poor exercise form and get hurt, we can stay up all night and eat fruit loops. That’ll pack on some pounds.

Plus, trainers are always motivating and supporting. Who wants an educated and caring coach, let me do it myself!

There you have it, the top six ways to gain body fat!

Oh, what’s that? You don’t want to add, you want to drop? That’s simple, just don’t follow the guide. In fact, reverse it!

How to Get Lean:
1. Eat a healthy breakfast with lots of protein
2. Get at least 8 hours of sleep a night
3. Lift weights
4. Perform intense, interval cardio
5. Eat lots of veggies, avoid processed food
6. Consult with a trainer

You can do it!

Wednesday, July 11, 2007

Phentermine Alternative - How to Lose Weight Without Really Trying

Two-fifty in the morning. On a work night. Awake. That's nothing new to Phentermine users. Fast and furious up-to-no-good kids would call it late. Even some Vegas clubbers would be calling it a night.

Naturally, there are consequences for staying up that late. But when you're losing weight, who cares, right? Well to begin with, it's mildly irritating to take a pill that's supposed to do one thing, and then it goes and makes you feel like someone from Trainspotting. The fact is, Phentermine is related to amphetamines, and jitteriness is part of the package.

So, I've decided that there must come a time when you don't have to ruin your health just to lose weight.

Of course, we need a pill that could even devastate the appetite of Star Jones, but side effects? No, because someone on Phentermine is as much of a nuisance as someone of seven. And would you let your children handle your relationship arguments, drive your car and spend your money? Of course not. So why think for a moment that you'll fare any better on Phentermine? Life is hard enough when you're surrounded by demanding bosses, kids, husbands, beggars, taxes, politicians and the lot.

But it's doubly difficult when your family dinner turns into a marital argument and you don't know what happened.

Of course drugs without side effects will never happen. In fact, things will only get worse as more and more drugs come out to play.

The only solution, then, is to buy a diet pill that is low on side effects and very high on results. This, of course brings us to a bottle of Phentramin, which is not to be confused with the phentramine, phentirimine, phentrex, or herbal phentermine.

Like all Phentermine alternatives, Phentramin is deliberately named in a way that would confuse old people. Even James Bond might take the wrong pill.

So for Phentramin they've taken the idea of Phentermine but reined it back a bit. Disappointing? Not at all. It still keeps you feeling full all day and give you a nice energy boost, but and your body is less likely to become tolerant to it, and unlike Phentermine, the seem to have mysteriously disappeared like an innocent Muslim man spotted by police.

Better still, behind the pharmaceutical-grade packaging, Phentramin is available without prescription, and over the internet. And it only costs $62 a bottle or $49 a bottle if you decide to stock up for weight loss of 30-55 pounds.

A diet pill like this, then, is almost never caught out. It works whether you want to lose 10 pounds, or make a career change from plus size to Swiss supermodel. It also works because it's made in the USA, not secretly baked in the Gupta family's warehouse in Punjab for a shady brown-haired angry man who hires his cleaning lady to approve prescriptions for him. It's easy to buy and you don't have to worry about shipping delays or doctor approvals because it's non-prescription.

Tuesday, July 10, 2007

Beating The Scale

Having been on a diet or two myself over the years, I know how aggravating the morning ritual of stepping on an uncooperative scale can be. Though there is no escape from the need to reduce calories and increase activity to lose those extra pounds, the choice of the foods included in the diet play an important role because of the different manner in which our bodies handle fats and carbohydrates.

The statement by many people that the food goes directly from the mouth to the hips is not entirely wrong. The body coverts the fat in food into body fat with great ease, particularly when the meal also includes carbohydrates or sugars that provide the energy. When sugar enters the bloodstream it stimulates the release of insulin, which then activates the enzymes which help the passage of fat from the bloodstream into the fat cells. Even calorie-burning exercise can't prevent the fat from being stored in this way, and once it is in the cells it is very difficult to shed. But carbohydrates are stored first as glycogen, much of it in the liver.

Although the capacity for glycogen storage is limited, the body can expand its capacity in individuals who exercise. When the maximum is reached, then the body may increase your metabolic rate and burn off additional carbohydrates. It is only when these two mechanisms are overburdened by the quantities of carbohydrates coming into the system, that conversion to fat takes place. So the answer may be to reduce your fat intake to the minimum, and utilize carbohydrates to provide the calories you need for energy and work. In practical terms, you may eat the potato without the butter, and the pasta without the Alfredo! Add a modest portion of protein, maintain a comfortable exercise program, stir in a bit more patience, and you have the formula for beating the battle of the scale.

Sunday, July 8, 2007

Hydroxycut Warning Side Effects Of Hydroxycut Hardcore

Hydroxycut Hardcore is one of the best selling diet supplements on the market today with years of study, development and testing. That being said what are the side effects of this popular diet supplement. Nowadays there is nothing on the market that does not have any side effects but you have to way the good and bad you be the judge weather or not it is worth it.

Increase in blood pressure,increase heart rate, the main reason for this is caffeine so if you have a harmful reaction to caffeine products then this might not be for you. On a side note this is a product which you Do Not want to take any caffeinated products while taking hydroxycut.

Headaches light handedness and dizziness are associated with hydroxycut also when ever you are taking a supplement there these are very common because the ingredients ie:caffeine green tea to name the most common ingredients.

Loss of appetite in most cases this is not a side effect it is an advantage to taking hydroxy cut hardcore.

Feel restless and hyperactive again this in large due to the fact of the caffeine and green tea the other ingredients "which are synthetic" are designed to increase the effect of caffeine and green tea.

As in any diet supplement you have to read and follow the directions. So if you can handle these side effects and they do not bother you then it might be for you. The increase in blood pressure,heart rate and headaches are slight and if you drink a couple espressos you can get the same side effects Also its a good idea to consult your doctor before you attempt any type of supplement.

Saturday, July 7, 2007

How To Have A Flat Belly

Having a flat belly is a dream many people have. I will give you some tips to reduce belly fat. At the end of the article, I will tell you how to flatten your abs and have a flat belly even if you are out of shape for years.

Building Muscle is one of the quickest and effective way to reduce body fat. But you should develop muscle as whole instead of concentrating on belly alone. You can increase your muscles and thereby decrease fat through regular exercise program

The best way to increase your muscle and decrease belly fat is through a consistent exercise program. While starting your exercise program, it is better to start slow and build momentum as you go on.

Some of the workout you can do are weight lifting, biking, push-ups or any other activity. Also any physical work you are doing is also a workout for you.

Running is also a good exercise reduce belly fat. You’ll eventually want to run as fast and as far as you can to burn the largest amount of fat, but you should never run farther of faster than you’re comfortable doing.

While starting too fast with a diet can make it hard to stick to, starting too fast with an exercise program can be also dangerous. Doing more workouts than what you are capable of may cause permanent damage to your body. Therefore it is important that you start small and build momentum as you progress.

Thursday, July 5, 2007

What Is Opuntia Ficus-indica - Find Out Here

Opuntia ficus-indica is a species of Mexican cactus long domesticated. It is more commonly known in culinary circles as “Prickly Pear.” And while Opuntia yields a delicious fruit and it has been grown for centuries as a food source, it is more recently working its way into a healthy diet in a very different way.

The medicinal properties of Opuntia Ficus-indica have been documented as far back as the 1500’s. But more recently scientists have discovered that an extract made from the leaves of the cactus have a very high lipophilic property. What does that mean? They love fat – bind to it in fact, and form the basis of one of the hottest things in natural weight loss today – Fat Binders. Fat Binders when taken, grab on to fats that have been eaten and do not let them be absorbed by the body as in normal digestion. NeOpuntia, the active ingredient in one of the most clinically proven safe and effective fat binders on the market, Proactol –is derived from the Opuntia Ficus-indica cactus.

The uniquely formulated NeOpuntia complex in Proactol has a proven effective ability to bind to 27% of lipids in the stomach. This means that if you take Proactol after each meal it will block dietary fats and decrease the intestinal absorption of the lipids by 27% .

Proactol is the worlds only 100% vegetable fat binder. It is ideal for vegetarians and those prone to allergies. When the active ingredients in Proactol come into contact with fats in the stomach, it binds to them, locking them in a fluid-like gel that cannot be absorbed by the body. These unabsorbed fats travel through the digestive system and are excreted naturally. It is as if you never ate them at all. All fiber in fruits and vegetables has this effect, but NeOpuntia derived form the Opuntia Ficus-indica cactus plant has been proven to be 27% more effective at binding to fats then other dietary fibers.

Speed Up Your Metabolism

Wouldn't it be nice to have your metabolism working faster for you -while you veg out? You know those Sunday afternoons when you're lying around, watching a movie on-demand? Well, as long as you've been lifting weights, there's no need to feel guilty for relaxin.’

Strength training builds muscle mass, which activates your metabolism. Once a speedy metabolism has been achieved, you can go about your day, doing your regular activities, while easily burning calories.

Muscle is an active tissue, and it’s the engine that will rev up your metabolism. That's because muscle burns more calories than fat.

Thomas Williamson, of Equinox Gym, New York, says:

"Building muscle is the most fundamental component in staying lean. Think of muscle and metabolism working together - like a partnership. The more muscle tissue you have, the higher your metabolism and the more calories you'll burn when you rest. The less muscle you have, the less calories you'll burn. The best way to get your metabolism to work faster so that you can burn more calories, is by building more muscle - lifting weights and strength training. Losing weight doesn't happen just by eating little and doing some cardio; that plan can actually slow down your metabolism. One pound of muscle burns 75 calories, while one pound of fat burns 2 calories."

So, if you're a victim of yo-yo diets, the one word answer to your dilemma may be - muscle. The more muscle mass you have, the more calories you burn even when you're just sitting around. If you're worried about getting too buff...don't fret ladies, studies show you can increase your strength without getting bulky.

Tuesday, July 3, 2007

Benefits Of Weight Loss

Being obese or over weight can cause a lot of problems with everyday living, travelling, socialising and your health. By losing even a few excess pounds you can enhance your life and reduce your risks of ill health.

Mobility is impaired by carrying more weight than is normal, putting a strain on your back and joints especially your knees. Carrying fat around your midriff makes you more susceptible to diabetes and obesity increases your risk of heart attacks and strokes. So it seems obvious that any reduction will bring down your risk of endangering your health. Cholesterol levels come down, your pancreas is more able to keep your sugar levels within normal limits and less fat in your body brings down your risk of a stroke.

Being slimmer makes travelling more comfortable, mobility eases, joints are relieved and breathing improves. You will feel more motivated and more positive about yourself so are more likely to continue exercising and eating healthily. Your skin and hair will improve giving you an over all feeling of well being.

Clothes will be easier and more exciting to buy, the choice will increase and you will be able to be more adventurous. Even though we are told every day that more and more of us are over weight there are very few shops on the high street that sell a full range of clothes in larger sizes. It is as we all know hard to lose weight and maintain a healthy lifestyle without really working at it but the benefits are such that they out weight the toil. Knowing that your health has improved and looking in the mirror and seeing the person you want to be is reward enough.

Sunday, July 1, 2007

Walking For Weight Loss-How To Lose Body Fat By Walking

Can walking help you lose weight? Yes, it can. Walking at a moderate pace for about 30 minutes to an hour everyday can help your body burn stored fat and calories. In order for walking for weight loss to be effective, you need to follow a program that is designed around your needs. You also need to know how long and how often you should walk and at what speed. You also need some kind of method to track your activity and progress.

Calories and Weight Loss

Walking for weight loss works best if you increase your activity and eat fewer calories each day. When walking to lose weight, it is best to increase the distance before working on increasing your speed. You burn more calories per mile at low speeds so build up to walk longer distances. Also, you can burn even more calories by building up muscle. Walking for weight loss can build up muscle which will help to speed up your metabolism. This muscle will burn up extra calories.

How often should you walk?

To lose weight and keep it off, you have to keep moving. So you should set up a regular routine. Walking is easy to do since you don't need any special equipment. You can get started right away. Most health experts recommend that you walk most days of the week for effective weight loss. You can start by walking for 5-10 minutes each day gradually increasing to 30-60 minutes at 50-70% of your maximum heart rate. A good target is 5-10 hours of walking per week. Plan to do some strength training exercises on days when you're not walking to help build muscle. When walking for weight loss, don't take more than 1 to 2 days off a week.

How fast should you walk?

When walking for weight loss each day, you should first walk at an easy warm-up pace for about 5-10 minutes. To achieve better results, build up both speed as well as duration. Walk at a fast pace but not so fast that you cannot carry on a conversation in full sentences. Walking with race-walk style is recommended if you're already walking for 20 or more miles a week.

Tracking your Progress with Walking for weight loss

You will need a system of tracking your progress. You can measure progress by weight or by inches. You can use a journal or logs to record your progress. There are also other tools that you can use such as calorie calculators.

In order to make walking for weight loss a success, set clear and realistic goals for yourself and stick to a schedule so that walking becomes a habit. Monitor your progress and reward yourself for success. Join a walking club or find a friend to walk with.

Concern For Those Wanting To Lose Weight

I see many people in my line of work that want to lose weight. They feel big, fat and unhealthy. But are they really trying to lose weight for the right reasons?

There are two main reasons why people would want to lose weight. First, for medical reasons - to protect their health. Secondly, for cosmetic reasons - to look better.

Sadly, the vast majority do it for the latter reason - to look better. Or putting it another way, to conform to an acceptable standard or stereotype. And, yes, it is mainly women.

Looking better and feeling good about yourself is fine. Well, almost. We all like to look good which is why we comb our hair and wash off dirt. We wear clean clothes and shave when needed.

But losing weight for cosmetic reasons is not a health related issue. You don't need a doctor to advise you. You don't need prescribed pills or fancy medical potions. As a doctor, I am not interested in people that might want to lose weight just to look better.

I am interested in people that want to get and stay healthy. Obesity kills and it kills in vast numbers. Being fat means your heart, lungs, kidneys and liver are all under strain. Your joints bear the brunt of your increased mass and you are more likely to develop diabetes and other metabolic diseases.

I am fully prepared to help people to lose weight if it is for their health. My health service funds it and funds it well. But this should not be funded just because people want to look more acceptable.