Tag: weight loss
In my fitness consulting business, I get the opportunity to talk with people from all walks of life about their health, fitness, and weight loss goals. Whether their goal is to lose weight, gain muscle, stick to a diet plan or program, improve their cardiovascular health, or simply to maintain their current fitness level they all have one common enemy—TIME.
For most of us, the #1 challenge in the quest to stay in shape and/or lose weight is not exercising itself but being able to actually fit an exercise program into our busy schedules.
So how do you do it? How do you balance the demands of family, career, important errands, relationships, organizational responsibilities, and working out? I have found that there are five keys that will help you to be able to fit a consistent workout plan into your already hectic life.
- Commit to a specific schedule
When you fail to plan you plan to fail. Don’t try to haphazardly fit your workouts into your schedule without any rhyme or reason. Don’t think you’re guilty? If you’ve ever told yourself “I’ll workout as soon as I get some time”,
you were in direct violation of this key principle.In order to set yourself up for success, you will need to take the time to literally write your workouts into your weekly schedule. In order to be effective, you will want to be following your exercise program at least 3 days per week. Anything less would be kidding yourself.
Therefore, right in the midst of all of your appointments, “to-do” lists, etc., should be a written plan for your weekly workout routine, so that
you will never be in the dark as to when you committed to yourself to go. - Utilize the weekend
Take advantage of the fact that it only takes 3-5 days per week to put together an effective, results-producing workout. One trick to help you pull it all off is to workout on the weekends. One of the benefits to this course of action is that your schedule is more flexible and under your control during this time.
What is also means is that when the hectic weekdays roll back around, you will only be responsible for working out 1-3 days during the work week.
- Keep your workouts as a high priority
One of the biggest mistakes that even many people who have scheduled a workout program into their schedule make is allowing it to be bumped off of their schedule to easily.
Although things will occassionally come up that will cause you to have to reschedule the workout you had planned, you must be vigilant in making sure that only the most important emergencies are allowed to temporarily take you off of your plan.
In the event that one of those important emergencies does happen and you can’t make it to your workout, reschedule with yourself to make it up on the next possible day that you are available to do so. If your own health, fitness, and efforts to lose weight are not a priority to you, they certainly won’t be so to anyone else.
- Enroll others in your goals
Don’t go at this alone. Let the important people in your life know what you are up to. Your spouse or love interest, parents, children, co-workers, and close friends will often pitch in and help you to meet your fitness or weight loss commitment to yourself if you make them aware and ask for their support.
Leverage these relationships to delegate some of your normal responsibilities
or even allow you to shift appointments that you have with them as you restructure your schedule for your workout. If any of them are into exercise or trying to lose weight themselves, don’t hesitate to form a buddy system with them as you move forward with your program. - Don’t beat yourself up
No matter who you are, there will be times in your workout program that you just aren’t able to keep it up as you would like due to outside demands. Don’t be too tough on yourself when that happens.
Remember that it is what you do consistently over a long period of time, not what you do in spurts, that truly counts. Just make sure that you get back on the horse full force as soon as you can and continue to press forward, doing your best to avoid slacking off again.
No matter what goals you have for health, fitness, or weight loss, you CAN fit an effective exercise program into that hectic schedule of yours and be amazingly successful at getting the exact results that you want !
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Low carb diets are still very popular, and seem to be effective. Here are some tips for following a balanced low carb diet:
Eat more fruit and vegetables, aiming for at least five portions a day. Include fruit at breakfast and salad at lunch. Reduce the amount of salt by eating less processed food, such as ready meals, and adding a smaller amount of salt to food.
Eat a varied diet. Change your shopping list every week to help keep you out of unhealthy food ruts and make eating more enjoyable. Eat regular meals – although it doesn’t matter when you eat your food, a consistent schedule helps most people to control their diet and their weight.
Control your portion sizes so that over time, if not necessarily every day, the amount of energy you consume matches your level of activity. Try to be more physically active. Aim for 30 minutes of physical activity on most days of the week. Activity helps to regulate your appetite, and means that you can eat more without gaining weight.
Drink alcohol only within sensible limits: not more than 14 units per week for women, and no more than three in any one day, and not more than 21 units per week for men, and no more than four in any one day.
The current most popular fad diet is the Lo Carb or Atkins diet. It restricts carbohydrate rich foods, thereby restricting total daily calories. Phase One of the four in the Atkins Diet consists of between 1400 to 1500 total daily calories. The average adult female consumes around 2200 calories daily and the average adult male consumes around 2800 calories daily.
Almost any adult will lose weight if they consume 800 to 1300 fewer calories daily. Phase One of the Atkins Diet also restricts carbohydrate intake to only 20 grams of net carbohydrates daily. The definition of net carbohydrates is total grams of carbohydrates per serving minus dietary fibre per serving. Dietary fibre is the non-digestible remains of plant products found in beans, whole grains, fruits, and vegetables.
Carbohydrates are the body’s preferred fuel source. In the near future there will be a recommended dietary allowance, or R.D.A., for carbohydrates of 130 grams daily. 130 grams of carbohydrates our body needs daily is for the proper functioning of the central nervous system and production of red blood cells. Only during Phase Four of the Atkins Diet are participants allowed up to 120 grams of net carbohydrate daily. Low carbohydrate diets are nothing new, they have been around since the 1860’s and the Atkins Diet first came out in the early 1970’s.
Most nutrition experts agree that to be successful in weight loss a person needs to keep the weight off for 5 years. Over 90% of people who take weight off through a fad diet like the Atkins Diet gain the weight back in less than one year. Participants on the Atkins Diet lose between 10 to 12 pounds in the first several weeks but this is only water loss, not fat. One pound of fat contains 3500 calories. Therefore to lose 10 pounds of fat in several weeks you would need to consume 35,000 fewer calories or burn 35,000 calories more through exercise. Neither is likely to happen.
So, the best way to lose weight and become more healthy is to eat a balanced diet. Don’t cut out all your carbs, but don’t go overboard with them either. In addition to eating well, exercise in a proportional amount to what you are eating. Exercising too much is as bad as exercising too little.
Many people want to lose excess body weight. The impression we have is that we have to really get geared up mentally to start. We plan, we set a date, we worry and we fuss over the upcoming start and trauma of a pending diet.
Chill out ! Beginning a weight loss program should be easy and simple and stress free.
First of all, start small. Do something different but something that will not make a huge, traumatic impact on your life. Try skipping dessert. Eat one less cookie a day. Instead of a handful of candy have one piece.
If you’re interested in losing weight, you’re objective is to create a daily calorie deficit. For example, by consuming 1700 calories per day, and expending 2000 calories per day, your caloric deficit is 300 calories. 300 Calories is roughly 1 candy bar.
If you understand that to increase your daily calorie deficit, there are two options you have, eat fewer calories or increase calorie expenditure via exercise and other physical activity, it even becomes easier.
Take a walk each evening. Take the stairs instead of an elevator at work. By exercising for 30 minutes, three days per week, you can substantially increase your calorie expenditure and in addition, improve your metabolism.
Below is a quick list to help you easily create a calorie deficit without the stress of a diet:
1. Make aerobic exercise such as walking, jogging, or swimming part of your daily life. Walk each evening. Make it fun. Walk with music or a good friend.
2. Be an early riser and exercise in the morning.
3. Stay off the scales. Don’t weigh yourself every day. Focus on how you feel not how much you weigh.
4. Develop a desire and focus on being healthy.
5. Avoid fad diets and learn to understand that healthy weight loss takes time.
With a focus on feeling good your negative calorie deficit will not only be see but will give you more enegry and vibrance and be permanent. It becomes a new way of life.
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Please bear in mind that I am not a dietician, or a physician, and my opinions are those of a Yoga teacher and life-long student of Ayurveda. Always consult your family physician before changing your diet.
It may be generally agreed that eating wisely and weight loss do not often agree. Just look back that the parade of “fad diets” that didn’t seem to work over the long term and, in retrospect, were not wise from the onset.
This article will be a “union” of ideas from Ayurvedic principles, modern fitness concepts, and overall strategies for better health.
It goes without saying that a vegetarian diet is healthy. Only a decade ago, there were many reservations, among local physicians in New England, in regard to this concept. How rapidly knowledge, insight, and opinions change.
Marie, my wife, exposed me to the vegetarian diet. Before that, I ate what is now called the “Mediterranean Diet.” The diet I eat, to this day, is a combination of the two. The combination of these two, “classic” diets, are easy for me to live with and it is not an effort, at all, for me.
That is the biggest hurdle for most people. Many of us take on a radical dieting change that we cannot live with. Most of us can afford to make a few small changes at a time, instead of changing everything at once – unless you are dieting under the guidance of your doctor or dietician.
Therefore, I propose a few small changes to your eating habits that will make sense. You do not have to change them all at one time.
Sit down and focus on eating your meal.
Avoid television, reading, heated conversations, etc.
Thoroughly chew your food at a slow pace and do not put more food in your mouth until you have swallowed the previous bite.
Be aware of how hungry you are before your meal.
Try to avoid too much time between meals, as this leads to over consumption and your stomach should never be more than three quarters full, after a meal.
Exercise tip: Some of you practice Yoga and understand the many benefits of Sun Salutations, but have you ever tried weight resistance?
Strength training increases energy expenditure during a weight resistance training session. The high intensity of strength training indicates a high utilization of carbohydrates during a training session.
During the post-exercise recovery period, energy expenditure is elevated for a period ranging from two to fifteen hours (1). The increased energy demands are obtained by burning more calories, and a good portion of the calories are coming from fat stores.
Reference (1) – Melby C, Scholl C, Edwards G, Bullough R. Effect of acute resistance exercise on post exercise energy expenditure and resting metabolic rate. Journal of Applied Physiology 75(4): 1847-1853, 1993.
Even if you work every body part just once a week, this method of cross training will effectively burn calories. When you combine this with any aerobic activity, you have a powerful combination. Rowing and bicycling are good substitute forms of resistance too.
Strategies for results: Get help from a qualified Personal Trainer, Dietician, or a Life Coach. You could do it all yourself, but how much time do you have to “spin your wheels.” without any progress? These services exist for those who don’t want to waste time and want solutions now.
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The Best Breakfast for Weight Loss
Did you know that simply eating breakfast raises your metabolism by 10 percent ?
Oatmeal is one of the most powerful breakfast foods of them all. If you are looking to get your body in great shape, you should incorporate this as a staple food in your diet.
Oatmeal is the perfect meal to start your day because it boosts your energy and has plenty of fiber to keep you full and satisfied. Oatmeal breaks down slowly in the stomach, giving you long-lasting energy. It is also full of water-soluble fibers, which play a crucial role in making you feel full over a longer period of time. Studies have also shown that oatmeal reduces cholesterol, maintains blood sugar levels and fights against heart disease, diabetes, colon cancer, and obesity.
If you want to add some powerful antioxidants to your oatmeal, simply throw on some blueberries and raspberries. These delicious fruits are packed with antioxidants that fight against heart disease, cancer, and a multitude of other ailments. Blueberries have also been proven to preserve vision. This powerful fruit rated highest in antioxidants among over 40 fruits and vegetables.
What more could you ask out of the first meal of your day? However, oatmeal doesn’t just have to be for breakfast. You can use it a couple hours before you exercise to energize your workout. You can even include oatmeal in your smoothies. It is also a wonderful addition to muffins and even as a covering for chicken breasts.
Keep in mind that you must buy the unsweetened, unflavored variety. To spice it up a little, you can use bananas, berries, or milk. The downfall of pre-flavored oatmeal is that it often comes loaded with sugar calories. So, stick to the good stuff.
If you’re looking for oatmeal with a little more texture, you can try out the steel-cut oat variety. Although this type does take a little longer to cook, I find that it is well worth the wait. They have a somewhat chewier texture and heartier flavor than rolled oats. Once you try this variety, you may never go back.
If your having trouble with late night binges, have a bowl of oatmeal instead. This will help squash your cravings. Not to mention, you’ll be avoiding any junk food or empty calories.
If your looking to get in the best shape of your life, I suggest your alternate your morning meals between oatmeal on one day and have eggs and meat on another. This will put your fat-burning into overdrive.
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Drink More Water To Aid Weight Loss
I am a great proponent of permanent and safe weight loss by changing the mental picture you have of yourself. If you change the way you view yourself and the way your mind sees you and talks to you, you can then easily change your weight successfully.
That being said, you can help yourself along greatly by making small and simple changes to your diet. Eating healthier foods is a great way to add to your program.
First, drink more water. Add at least one more glass a day to what you already drink. And, at the same time, make it fun. Try these:
1. Seltzer
Add a lemon or lime for a nice “punch.”
Bored with lemon and lime slices? Then try something more adventurous like a wedge of orange, a slice of pineapple, or a few cut up strawberries. All will add a little flavor.
2. Herbal Tea
Put an herbal teabag into a bottle of water and let it sit in your fridge for a while. It flavors the water.Strong flavored teas work best. Stay away from the ones that contain caffeine.
If its cold outside drink hot herbal tea. You’ll enjoy the refreshing pause in your day.
3. Flavored Syrups
Raspberry, peach, cherry or your favorites add splash to a glass of water. Just a splash will work so it does not add calories. Sugar free syrups don’t add calories but are full of chemicals, so be careful in your choices.
4. Soup
Broth and bouillon are great choices. If you like the creamy soups be wary of the extra fat in them and use these only occassionally.
As daunting as it seems to drink those 6 to 8 glasses of water a day, all evidence has shown that drinking enough water helps weight loss, improves skin, and is just plain good for you. Studies have shown that people sometimes eat when they are in fact dehydrated. So drink up and enjoy trying some of these methods.
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Secrets of Naturally Thin People
Did you know that obesity is becoming an epidemic of the 21st Century ?
Although there are many differing reasons why you want to lose weight – you may want a healthier body, look slimmer, feel better or maybe you just want to fit back into those “old clothes”. However for many it is a much more serious challenge and would that we should all head! Everyday, all over the western world, people are being advised, or even warned, by a medical practitioner to cast off the excess pounds and get fit.
For some people losing weight is easy, in fact for many folks the experience of weight gain is as alien as meeting E.T. These people never gain access pounds at all throughout their lives. However, if you are one of those unfortunate people, of which there are many, who has fought a constant losing battle with your weight then you already know just how hard it is to follow a regulated diet plan. In the vast majority of cases dieting just doesn’t work!
We can say with relative confidence that almost all of the current slimming aids and weight loss diets are very limited in their effectiveness. In fact those that do work leave no permanent mark, for once you abandon your diet plan it doesn’t take long to pile on the pounds again.
When you also take into consideration the many dangers of the surgical procedures that are available and the lack of any real long term studies into the most popular and latest diets (which usually don‘t work over the long haul), then you can see that a safe, reliable permanent alternative is needed.
Although there are many claims of effort free weight loss the simple undeniable truth is that weight loss, like anything worth achieving in life, requires a certain degree of effort and commitment from you. Having said that, there are very reliable techniques and excellent tools to make your transition to a slimmer body, healthier lifestyle and smaller clothes much easier, enjoyable and, best of all, permanent. Probably the most powerful system was created by Paul McKenna and tested on British television. The results were remarkable. Although, you may know that, McKenna made his fortune & fame through hypnosis this weight loss system doesn’t involve hypnosis at all!
Paul McKenna has researched the subject of weight loss for over thirteen years. He has analyzed the key behaviours of the naturally thin. Armed with this powerful information he created his weight-loss system and given hope to millions of people who battle with their weight. The techniques I am about to share with you are tremendously powerful and easy to follow.
The first point you should realise is that everybody has a natural weight control mechanism. It is a sort of set point you have which constantly attempts to regulate your body weight by maintaining a particular amount of fat on your body. McKenna formulated his easy weight loss system around this important premise which to date appears to have its basis in solid fact! As I have already mentioned in this article the system was tested on British television and it had a hugely beneficial affect on viewers. The weight loss system even allowed participants to eat whatever they wanted and yet, they still lost massive amounts of weight!
How was this so ?
Well, under normal weight loss dietary conditions what we are trying to do is force the body to adjust to a new and often times dramatic way of eating. A “starvation” diet for example, when you finish your meal and are still hungry, is actually resisting the powerful and completely natural urges that the body has. These urges are in place to prevent energy deficit. Therefore appetite suppressants may help to reduce these drives (while you‘re taking them), and a forced attempt to change your eating habits may retrain the body and mind into a new eating regime but the body will still have these urges because they are inherent to its very survival and 100% natural.
Therefore a way needed to be found where we could work with these natural urges and still maintain a health, fit, attractive body. The McKenna weight loss system achieves this by teaching you how to eat like a naturally thin person eats – they DO NOT starve themselves.
Another reason for overeating has its root in stress or comes from the desire to suppress negative emotions or feelings of discomfort. Are you a classic ‘comfort eater’? This is why the use of methods such as self hypnosis or subliminal messages are so effective for weight loss because it can retrain the mind to view food, fitness and eating in a healthier way. McKenna has added a unique way of dealing with these emotional eating patters through the use of EFT(emotional freedom technique) and other methods.
Research conducted prior to the creation of the weight loss system shows that if you follow your own body’s natural rhythm you will be much more successful at losing weight. This means not trying to force yourself into strict (and what feels unnatural) eating habits or denying yourself the food you want and enjoy the most. By actually denying yourself certain foods you are setting up resistance within yourself and you will make it much more difficult for yourself to stay with your weight loss plan. it’s the old adage “you always want what you can’t have!”.
The first key of the system is to immediately stop denying yourself the foods that you really enjoy. Your body is sending signals to your brain that it wants to eat certain foods so let it but always eat them in moderation. I know this sounds much easier to say than to do but McKenna has some simple yet powerful techniques to ensure your success. Basically you can eat what you want!
How ?
Simple ! …. Eat slowly and Stop eating once you feel full ! Many people tend to keep eating after their body has sent a clear message to their brain that it is satisfied. By learning to recognise these signs and take heed of them you will be surprised at how much weight you begin to lose.
The next simple step is to perform an extra 15 minutes of exercise a day. Spread it over the day, a few minutes at a time, so it is achieved in very small steps. Get off the elevator 1 floor early and walk up the stairs. Get off the bus 5 minutes from your house and walk the extra little bit. Walk to the corner shop instead of taking the car. These are very light exercises yet they will have a profound effect as you will be burning up more calories than usual.
Naturally thin people can eat whatever they want and they do! this might lead you to the belief that these fortunate human beings have a higher metabolic rate or have been gloriously blessed by a Divine Being with holy fat burning genes but the truth is much simpler. This truth can be applied to and by everyone else!
The truth ?
Naturally thin people have a completely different psychological view about food, their bodies and their amount of exercise. This is the very reason why they can eat whatever they want. By changing what food means to you at a subconscious level you can change your automatic responses to the food you eat and the exercise you need.
Naturally thin people don’t have uncontrollable food cravings. McKenna teaches that any cravings you have are merely learned behaviour and if they are learned then they can be unlearned. He shows how it is possible to break all cravings and also re-programme your mind in just minutes.
If you follow the above simple steps you are guaranteed success in your weight loss efforts and will have a new healthy slim body.