Health and Fitness

Recent studies have shown that obesity rates are still on the rise in the United States. Despite all of the health and fitness knowledge, and healthy diet choices that are available, people are still gaining weight at an unhealthy rate. For many people, diets and workouts are a part of the rollercoaster of weight loss and gain that they have been on for years. They lose some weight, then they gain it all back, and then some. What they really need is a new mindset about the way they live their daily lives.

Most health and fitness experts agree that the majority of weight problems people face are more mental issues than they are actual physical problems. Shows like "The Biggest Loser" show how much of the weight loss process requires a mental and emotional transformation along with the physical workouts.

Take the word "diet" as an example. People who have spent a lifetime struggling with their weight like to say, "Diets don't work for me." That just goes to show the misconception we have, and the connotation we give certain words. The reality is, a diet is a word that describes the food you eat. You are all on a diet. Some are healthy diets, some are unhealthy diets, but everyone has a diet. In order to improve your health and fitness, you need to start thinking about it as being on a diet, and start looking at it as a part of a healthier lifestyle.

For some people it is an issue of motivation. If they do not feel motivated, they will not make the effort required for a healthier lifestyle. They will not do the workouts necessary to burn calories, they will not eat the fruits and vegetable to keep their diet balanced, and they will not do away with the unhealthy snacks that will derail weight loss efforts. What you need to understand is, if the healthier lifestyle is important to you, then you need to force yourself to do what it takes, and not wait for the proper motivation. As you continue to get healthier, the motivation to continue will come, but that is an after-effect. Motivation rarely comes first for beginners.

Proper health and fitness is something that can only come about as a result of a healthy mindset. It is only by changing the way we think about losing weight and getting fit that the physical change will actually happen. It requires a change in your mindset. If you can change the way you think about health and fitness, you can change the way you look.

by...

Jocelyn Jones

Lose Belly Fat - Step-by-Step Guide

Any weight-loss or self-improvement program is easier said and read about than done. Especially for those who consider their tummies as the bane of their existence, it is doubly hard to lose belly fat. So for those who are almost giving up, here's a simplified, step-by-step guide to saying goodbye to belly fat!

Step 1: There's no other way to start but exercise!

Exercising doesn't mean sweating it out in a major way. If you want to lose belly fat and keep your waist trim, you will need to start an exercise program that is moderate in intensity--and decide to do it daily. If you are living a sedentary lifestyle, though, you will need a higher-intensity program to compensate. The idea is to start losing weight as soon as you can.

Also, recent studies have shown that incorporating strength training with your exercise program can also help you bust that belly. But this may be a bit more complicated and may have serious health and physical repercussions. Consult with your doctor or fitness trainer first for expert tips on the best way to do this.

Step 2: Spot and burn.

There are conflicting views about whether or not spot exercises can help trim your tummy. Here's the real deal: exercises that are especially targeted on the tummy can help firm up the abdominal muscles, burn the visceral fat beneath them, and get you a tummy that's flatter than ever. Here are three simple exercises to start with:

1. To spot-burn deeper abdominal muscles, get down on all fours with your belly hanging down. Inhale deeply, and then exhale. As you let your breath out, slowly draw your tummy inward until your spine curls up. Your wait should feel tightened up as you do this. Repeat the process for ten times.

2. To target the lower abdominal muscles, assume a supine lying position. Bend your knees. Next, tilt your pelvic by straining your abdominal muscles while slightly lifting your pelvis up. Hold this position for five to ten seconds and repeat the process for five times. You should be able to do ten to twenty repetitions.

3. Another effective lower abdomen exercise is the pelvic lift. You can do this by lying down with your back against the floor, as in the pelvic tilt. While keeping your hands on your side, bend your knees, bringing it up to your chest. Slowly lift your pelvis from the floor until your knees are pointing straight up. The strain should be on your lower abdomen all throughout. Hold this position for five to ten minutes, and then repeat five times. Try completing ten to twenty repetitions.

Step 3: Eat healthy. Belly fat deposits are generally products of an unhealthy diet and lifestyle. If you want to be serious about getting rid of unwanted tummy bulges, complement your workout with healthy eating habits. Be wary of what you're eating. Avoid saturated fats and simple carbohydrates, commonly found in starchy foods like bread and pasta, and load up on polyunsaturated fats and complex carbohydrates instead. When in doubt, read the nutritional information on food labels.

by

Carol Oon

How to Lose Weight the Healthy Way

You don't have to starve yourself to lose weight; in fact, you shouldn't. Check out this article for some tips on how to diet, control your metabolism, and lose the right amount of weight in a short period of time, the healthy way.

Steps

1. Instead of the traditional 3 meals a day, eat 5 to 6 smaller meals a day.
   
2. Avoid chocolate, cake, brownies, potato chips, ice cream, or any junk food.
   
3. Never starve yourself. It shuts down your metabolism, makes you feel woozy, tired, and makes you hungrier. It also can affect your teeth, causing them to be sticky and full of plaque.
   
4. Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables, especially if you feel like snacking or for dessert.
   
5. Aim to eat 'good carbs' (which have a low glycemic index) such as brown rice, oats, wholewheat bread and wholewheat pasta. Try not to have carbs after 5pm as any unused carbs will likely be stored as fat overnight, negating your morning bike session.
   
6. Don’t forget about exercising! When trying to lose weight, some people can get so wrapped up in cutting calories and portion sizes that they forget about the importance of exercise. If it's hard to start an exercise routine, use Monday as the day to recommit. Take part in a Monday Mile, enroll in a fitness class, or make a schedule to exercise for the week. Healthy Monday is a national non-profit public health campaign that encourages people to use Monday as the day for all things healthy.
   
7. Consider using "High Intensity Interval Training"
   
8. Maintain a steady intake of protein - aim for a minimum of 'your body weight in pounds' (in grams) of protein - if you would lke to build a bit of muscle, double that, and begin some weight training - this will supercharge your metabolism and greatly increase your body's fat-burning ability.
   
9. Go on the exercise bike for 20 minutes and on the treadmill for a half hour daily. Morning is the best time, because it burns your calories, but do it after breakfast.
   
10. Alternatively, go on the bike immediately after waking up, as you have had no food in your sytem all night, and therefore the first place your body will get energy from is the fat stores (not the muscles because you are using them) - bear in mind that after the bike, wait about 20 mins and eat a solid breakfast so your body knows you are not starving (this will be detrimental to the cause).
    
11. Wake up at a normal hour like 7:00, or 8:00 or 9:00 if you are pushing it. Go to bed before midnight--your body needs at least 8 hours of sleep to function the right way.
    
12. Eat breakfast each morning. Eating something in the morning gets your metabolism going and prevents you from binge eating later in the day.
    
13. Drink plenty of water, and cut down on carbonated beverages, particularly those with a lot of sugar. Try to not drink any soda.
    

Tips

• Try not to eat at fast food restaurants, as their food is full of fat and calories. Subway does have some healthy options. However, if you do choose fastfood, stick to the healthier end of the menu (Most places are adding a variety of salad and fruit options to their menus!)
  
• If you think you're going to have a hard time staying on your diet, ask a friend to go on it with you for support.
  
• Get your whole family involved, because if the family doesn't change their eating, you will have difficult times avoiding those sweets and etc
  
• You burn calories before you burn fat. So it is better to have a higher calorie snack then a high fat snack
  
• A lot of junk food comes in reduced fat by whatever percent, or low fat, low calorie, or smaller portions. Try to only eat 2 items of "healthier" junk food a week such as crispy minnies and low fat cookies.
  
• Remember that 1 pound of fat is 3500 calories. However, one ice cream cone and 2 tbsps of peanut butter is 500 calories.
  
• Keep the veggies near the front of the fridge. That way, when you open the fridge, you see the veggies first.
  
• Don't drink any beverage that has plenty of sugar in it. Always drink water, it's good for you.
  
• Try not to eat after 8:00. If you get hungry, snack on fruits or vegetables.
  
• Remember not to eat anything right before bed because whatever food you eat stores in your body as fat.
  

Warnings

• If you change everything immediately, you are going to crave things and over eat. Do this in a slow process.
  
• Don't try to drop weight quickly. Your body resists quick weight loss and tries to retain its stored fat. Trick your body into losing the weight by doing it gradually.
  
  Article provided by wikiHow, a wiki how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Lose Weight the Healthy Way. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.
  

Diet ToolBar

Now you can get immediate information and articles are renewed on a daily basis in addition to weight loss many other features you find here About Diet by Premier This Toolbar

Just Click Here To Try It
.
.
Or
.
.
Here

How to Lose Weight From Your Thighs

How to lose weight from your thighs way is by staying physically active by doing the right workouts. Women have the tendency to store fat in the hips and thighs. There are ways in which you can lower this tendency. It may take a few minutes each day with some workout moves to get the results that you want. You goal should be elongating your muscles, tightening the rear end, slimming your thighs and burning more calories. Staying physically active doing the right workouts that target your lower body can help you get toned muscles , lower over-all body fat, have a smaller waist and over time gain control over your tendency to store fat in the hips and thighs. If you have thick thighs and saggy rear end, here are a couple of exercises suggestions on how to lose weight from your thighs and lift up your rear.

How To Lose Weight From You Thighs Exercises

Ballet Squats -An easy workout on how to lose weight from your leg fat that targets your lower body especially your legs,thighs and the butt. To start doing this exercise, Stand with your legs apart, feet flat on the floor, slightly wider than your shoulders with the legs turned out and toes pointed out. Keep the head up and your torso straight. To start the movement, bend your knees while making sure that your torso is upright holing your hands to the waist or in front of you. Your knees will need to travel in line with your toes, descending as though performing a ballet plie. Lower yourself as far as you can. Make sure you don't hurt yourself and also that your back is straight. While using your legs and resisting to lean forward, squeeze your buttocks and return to your initial position. This is counted as only one repetition.

Front Lunge Workout-Another easy workout on how to lose weight from your leg fat. This exercise takes a few minutes to do. To start this workout, your feet need to be at least six inches apart and torso erect. The next step is to lower your hips and allow your trailing knee to lower about two to six inches off the floor. You head and torso must be kept erect or straight so that you perform this workout right and also not get injured easily. The next step will be to push your forward leg to return to start and of course repeat with the other leg too. I suggest that you start with the right leg and then the left leg. Both lunges performed with both legs is counted as one repetition.

Reverse Lunge -With both feet 6 to 8 inches apart and torso erect, Take a slow step backward with one of your legs. Lower your hips until your forward thigh becomes straight or parallel to the floor. Your knee's position should be positioned directly over your the ankle and foot. The front foot should be pointed straight ahead and your trailing knee extended to stretch the frontal thigh and hip flexor muscles. In one fluid motion, Push off your rear foot to return to the starting position. This is a simple workout that you can do from the comfort of your own home and is user friendly too.

How To Lose Thigh Weight Setups and Reps

How to lose weight from your thighs exercises must be done according to your fitness level. It depends on your fitness level. This means if you are a physically active person or you are a beginner. As someone who is physically active, You can do three to five sets of 15 to 30 repetitions or a little less depending on your energy levels and the time you have during that day. It is also good to work out until you sweat but only if you are not a beginner. If you are a beginner, I recommend that you do 1-2 sets then work your way up to 4-5 sets of repetitions for each workout until you get used and stronger. Warming up is recommended before doing any of these workouts. When lunging, keep your head up, your chest out and your back erect or straight so that you don't cause any harm. Also avoid touching the floor with your knees.

Mix and match these exercises day to day. "How to lose weight from my thighs" is also by doing cardio 4 to 5 times a day for about 30 to 45 minutes. Cardio will help in increasing your energy levels and decreasing stress too. Get focused and remember that your health is important to be more happy about yourself. Let you being physically healthy be dominant and a good example for your entire family. Losing leg fat should be a simple goal in your life that you should work at. These are great quick workouts to get back into a fitness you deserve. For the full thin thigh program be sure to visit how to lose weight from your thighs below.

by

Erick Christopher

Running For Weight Loss

When people want to lose weight, they very often take up running as their form of exercise. As running is one of the most vigorous exercises available, it is an extremely efficient way to burn calories and drop pounds. A person weighing 150 lbs will burn approximately 100 calories per mile when running.

Healthy Eating is the First Step

If your aim is to lose weight by running, then it is important to keep in mind that you will only shed pounds if you burn more calories than you have consumed. In order to lose one pound, you need to burn, through exercise, approximately 3600 calories. Therefore in order to lose weight you will need to combine running with a healthy diet. Runners do require special nutrition needs; however, the basic principles for healthy eating still apply. Select small portions of high-fat and high-calorie foods whilst eating more fruits, vegetables, and grains.

One mistake that is very often made by runners is that they overcompensate for the calories that they burn by exercise with extra calories from more food and beverages. Certain runners even discover that they gain weight, despite their regular training.

Writing everything down in a journal for a few weeks is one way to prevent "stealth calorie" consumption. Being able to view what you have consumed will assist you in being able to see where your diet needs improvement. This will also aid you in keeping a track on your progress so that you will think twice about having a bite of your favorite bar of chocolate.

If you wish to lose weight, it is important to realize that you will not lose it by going for a run once a week. It is much better to involve yourself in some form of activity on a daily basis. If you cannot possibly undertake exercise on a daily basis, then aim to complete a workout 3 to 4 times a week.

By...

Dan clay

Learning To Eat Healthy Monounsaturated Fats

Monounsaturated fats are "good" fats, compared to other types of fats such as saturated fats and trans fats. You can easily pack on the pounds by eating fatty foods, regardless of whether they good or bad, as fats are dense in calories. Compared to protein or carbohydrate, which only have 4 calories per gram, fat has 9 calories! So, it is not surprising that just hearing the word "fat" makes you immediately recoil. However,there are fats that your body requires to function properly and there are fats that will clog your arteries and can lead to heart disease and heart attacks. Learning to understand the difference between these good and bad fats can have a profound effect on your health.

The Good Fats

These are primarily unsaturated fats, including both monounsatured fats and polyunsaturated fats. These fats are better for you and are liquid at room temperature. The monounsaturated fats family helps to lower bad LDL cholesterol and reduces the risk of heart disease. Apart from nuts and vegetables, olive oil and avocados are a good source of these types of fats. Among the polyunsaturated fats, the best option are Omega 3 fats. These fats have anti-inflammatory properties and are found in oily fish, nuts, seeds, canola oil, and dark green vegetables such as spinach and broccoli. Fish oil supplements are also a good source of Omega 3s. These fatty acids work to lower triglyceride levels, and aid in the prevention of heart disease and heart attacks. Switching to these healthy forms of fats in your diet and when cooking will promote well being and good health.

Bad Fats Lead to High Triglycerides

Triglycerides are fat globules found in your body, and the level can be determined by a routine blood test by your doctor. Triglycerides are formed in the body from excess glucose. So when you over eat, or have a diet that is high in refined carbohydrates and sugary foods, you are more likely to have high levels of triglycerides. The consumption of saturated fats, such as animal fats, and those fats that are solid at room temperature (such as butter for example) also elevate triglyceride and cholesterol levels. The worst type of bad fats are trans-fats. These are artificially created during the manufacturing process of some types of foods, such as margarine, and can raise your risk of heart disease by lowering good HDL cholesterol, and increasing bad LDL cholesterol.

Foods to avoid are those that are high in saturated fats are oils made from animal fat, as well as tropical vegetable oils, such as coconut products. So not all vegetable oils are good for you. Make sure to look at the nutrition facts label and see which types of fat the food contains, and at what levels, to assist you in choosing the right foods and oils to cook with to lead to a healthier life.

Why Should I Go On A 12 Week Diet, When I Can Lose All The Weight In Just 28 Days?

By ...

Fazila Adam