Tag Archives: Weight Loss

Speed up your metabolism

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Have you ever noticed that as you get older, it gets harder to stay in shape?

In my early 20s, it was easy to lose a few centimetres of body fat. Now 10 years later, it takes just a little more effort to keep those centimetres at bay.
When it comes to fat loss, we’re talking about metabolism. In other words, the amount of energy (kilojoules) our body needs to maintain normal day to day functions like breathing, digestion, circulation, temperature and tissue repair. Our metabolic rate is the speed at which our body burns these kilojoules. Some of us are born with fast and efficient metabolisms, whilst others have sluggish ones. The important thing to remember is that no matter which type you have, it can always be controlled by managing your lifestyle and what you eat.

speeding things up
If you want a faaster metabolic rte, you should always eat a good breakfast. Your metabolism is higher in the mornings and slower later on, so it makes good sense to spread your kilojoule intake throughout the day rather than eating one huge meal at night as so many of us do.
Believe it or not, eating four or five small, healthy meals a day will keep your metabolic rate up. But make sure you eat medium to low GI (glycemic index) foods.
Glycaemic index is simply a ranking of foods according to their immediate effect on blood sugar levels. Eating lower GI foods will keep your blood sugars stable and leave you feeling satisfied for longer. Lower GI foods to include are foods such as beans and pulses, fruits such as apples, pears, berries, oranges, kiwi fruit, peaches and figs and most vegetables, including mushrooms, green beans, capsicum, cauliflower, cabbage, broccoli and salads.
Other foods to include are low-fat and low-sugar plain yoghurt, pasta, noodles, bran and oats. And by drizzling a little citrus (lemon, lime, grapefruit) or vinegar on to your foods you can lower the GI by as much as 30 per cent.
Some studies claim that certain foods can raise your metabolic rate and promote fat burning. Capsicum, green tea, hot chillies and hot mustard are claimed to be great metabolism boosters, as well as flaxseed which is important for efficiency.

magic ingredients
The vitamin C in fruits and veg such as berries, citrus, kiwi, broccoli, cabbage, capsicum, melon, mango, red cherries and red grapes, also stimulate the production of an amino acid called carnitine that helps with fat metabolism. Calcium is also great for releasing hormones that break down fat; good sources include low-fat skim milk, cottage cheese, ricotta and yoghurt. Other sources include tinned salmon and sardines (include eating the soft bones), calcium fortified soy milks, juices, broccoli, bok choy, kidney beans, seeds and nuts.
What you must never do is starve yourself to lose weight. This will only slow your metabolism more and when you start to increase your food intake you’ll end up weighing more than you did at the start.
But remember, too, it’s not about watching the scales. It’s body fat we’re worried about not weight, as muscle weighs about four times more than fat.
Also be sure to keep hydrated with lots of water to keep your energy levels up and keep you from picking at food when you’re not hungry.
OK, now your food intake is sorted, it’s time to introduce that other great metabolism booster, exercise. It can boost your metabolism by 10 to 25 per cent up to 12 to 14 hours after a vigorous workout.
Exercising first thing in the morning before breakfast will result in a greater proportion of fat being used as fuel. This is partly due to our glycogen stores being partially depleted throughout the night. Exercise intensity is also important the fitter you become, as exercising at a higher intensity will deplete your glycogen stores at a faster rate and in turn encourage your body to use a higher percentage of fat. So forget the sleep in because this is the perfect time to put on your joggers and move. Weight training is also an important factor in increasing metabolic rate and one of the best ways to encourage your body to use more fat as fuel. Every kg of muscle burns 420 kilojoules per day compared to one kilogram of fat which burns only 17 kilojoules. So, now you have all the info, try these metabolism-boosting recipes.

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The Dangers of Excess Body Fat

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Most people’s primary motivation for weight management is to improve their appearance. Equally important, however, are the many other benefits of proper nutrition and regular exercise.

Weight management through reduction of excess body fat plays a vital role in maintaining good health and fighting disease. In fact, medical evidence shows that obesity poses a major threat to health and longevity. (The most common definition of obesity is more than 25 percent body fat for men and more than 32 percent for women.) An estimated one in three Americans has some excess body fat; an estimated 20 percent are obese.

Excess body fat is linked to major physical threats like heart disease, cancer, and diabetes. (Three out of four Americans die of either heart disease or cancer each year; according to the National Health and Nutrition Examination survey, approximately 80 percent of those deaths are associated with life-style factors, including inactivity.)

For example, if you’re obese, it takes more energy for you to breathe because your heart has to work harder to pump blood to the lungs and to the excess fat throughout the body. This increased work load can cause your heart to become enlarged and can result in high blood pressure and life-threatening erratic heartbeats.

Obese people also tend to have high cholesterol levels, making them more prone to arteriosclerosis, a narrowing of the arteries by deposits of plaque. This becomes life-threatening when blood vessels become so narrow or blocked that vital organs like the brain, heart or kidneys are deprived of blood. Additionally, the narrowing of the blood vessels forces the heart to pump harder, and blood pressure rises. High blood pressure itself poses several health risks, including heart attack, kidney failure, and stroke. About 25 percent of all heart and blood vessel problems are associated with obesity.

Clinical studies have found a relationship between excess body fat and the incidence of cancer. By itself, body fat is thought to be a storage place for carcinogens (cancer-causing chemicals) in both men and women. In women, excess body fat has been linked to a higher rate of breast and uterine cancer; in men, the threat comes from colon and prostate cancer.

There is also a delicate balance between blood sugar, body fat, and the hormone insulin. Excess blood sugar is stored in the liver and other vital organs; when the organs are “full,” the excess blood sugar is converted to fat. As fat cells themselves become full, they tend to take in less blood sugar. In some obese people, the pancreas produces more and more insulin, which the body can’t use, to regulate blood sugar levels, and the whole system becomes overwhelmed. This poor regulation of blood sugar and insulin results in diabetes, a disease with long-term consequences, including heart disease, kidney failure, blindness, amputation, and death. Excess body fat is also linked to gall bladder disease, gastro-intestinal disease, sexual dysfunction, osteoarthritiis, and stroke.

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Upper and Lower ABS

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by Dr M. C. Siff

Introductory Note
For newcomers, these P&Ps are Propositions, not facts or dogmatic proclamations. They are intended to stimulate interaction among users working in different fields, to re-examine traditional concepts, foster distance education, question our beliefs and suggest new lines of research or approaches to training. We look forward to responses from anyone who has views or relevant information on the topics.

Puzzle & Paradox 92
The debate about whether or not it is possible to separately exercise the upper and lower abdominal erector muscles may not have been definitively settled yet.

There is still considerable debate about whether or not it is possible to exercise separately the upper and lower portions of the recti abdominis muscles, especially since the recti constitute a single band of muscle between origin and insertion. Numerous books and fitness professionals refer to crunches and situps for the ‘upper abs’ (with the pivot being the distal rectus attachment on the pelvis), and pelvic curl or leg pushes into the air for the ‘lower abs’ (with the pivot being the proximal rectus attachment on the lowest ribs and spine).

EMG studies show that both the ‘upper’ and ‘lower’ abs show considerable electrical activity during both of these types of exercise, so that some authorities dismiss the idea of separate isolation exercise of the upper and lower abs.

Yet, a TV programme some years ago showed a belly dancer using her highly skilled abdominal musculature to roll a few quarters (US 25c pieces) up, down, diagonally and sideways across the belly. She concluded her unusual display by successfully folding a dollar bill placed on her belly. From this vaudeville display, it would certainly appear that it is possible to activate different parts of the abdominal musculature in skilled sequences. This might then suggest to the skeptic that it may be meaningful to talk about separate exercise of the upper and lower regions of the abs.

Of course, we must note that the effectiveness of most non-explosive exercises depends primarily on the amount of concentrated focus and voluntarily produced goal-directed muscle tension, so that one’s visualization of the exercise would appear to have a profound effect on the pattern of activation of any muscle. This also depends on the patterns of breathing and breath-cessation used during the exercise.

Some authorities state that, since the different regions of the abdominals are separately innervated, one should certainly be able to activate upper and lower regions of the abs separately.

However, in saying that the lower abs are separately innervated we have to be cautious in misapplying this information. All of the rectus abdominis and the obliques are innervated by branches of the thoracic nerves T6 or T7 – T12, as is transversus (by the ventral rami and L1). This would tend to imply that the lower abs and lower obliques(?!) should be activated by stimulation of T6/7 – T8/9 and the upper abs and upper obliques (if these exist!) by the remaining thoracic nerves. In addition, an examination of their nervous innervation would also suggest that there should be separate activation of upper and lower transversus.

This clearly confounds the entire issue of trunk action and situps for the supposedly different parts of the trunk muscles. We can only resolve the issue if we stop talking about upper and lower abs etc and analyze in terms of a graduated activation of all of the trunk muscles progressing from the extreme top to the extreme bottom (as defined by the appropriate nerves) – much in the way that a caterpillar moves.

This would appear to offer a far more accurate and logical biomechanical approach, since the current view of upper vs lower abs would imply that there should be a somewhat jerky discontinuity somewhere during a full crunch. The entire action of trunk flexion is smooth, well-controlled and continuous, so this observation supports my view that there is a smooth continuum of activation of the entire abdominal (and erector spinae) group.

If one wishes to simplify, then it would be crudely accurate to talk of upper, mid and lower abs, but this still tends to mask the fact that there is really a continuum of muscle activation involving all of the trunk muscles, each exhibiting a different level of involvement, depending on the type and pattern of movement.

This means that it is highly unlikely that you will be able to totally isolate the ‘lower abs’, since there is always accompanying involvement of many other stabilizing and mobilizing muscles.

This, of course, has not answered the other issue which we raised earlier. If there is differential innervation of the obliques and transversus, must we then conclude that we should recognize upper and lower portions of these muscles, too? We have to bear in mind, even though essentially the same nerves are involved in activating the abdominal musculature, that different

Does this not imply then that one single exercise should be able to exercise all of the trunk muscles? Another point – if one sits up, then both the absand the obliques have to become involved in flexion, as a consequence of basic biomechanics – but what about transversus which is more strongly activated by coughing and forceful expulsion of air from the lungs (or by initiation of walking)?

Give your views on the concept of upper vs lower exercise of the abdominal musculature, including the obliques. Quote any relevant references or personal findings to corroborate your reply.

Dr Mel C Siff
School of Mechanical Engineering
University of the Witwatersrand
WITS 2050 South Africa
msiff@hertz.mech.wits.ac.za

Change a Pattern… Lose the Fat

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A couple years ago, I put on 23 pounds during the winter months. I love watching college basketball, and I follow my favorite teams during conference play, March Madness and the NCAA championships. At the end of college basketball season, I get caught up in the NBA playoffs. To increase my enjoyment, my habit was to have a beer or two along with my favorite snacks. Also, because of a lingering cold, I got out of my usual routine of working out. So it’s no mystery to me why I gained the weight.

Shocked at what I saw on the bathroom scales, I returned to sensible eating and regular exercise, and 6 months later I had lost all the weight, and then some.

Last year, I vowed not to gain the weight back again. I maintained my regular exercise program, and I stayed away from beer and chips. Unfortunately I substituted red wine and mixed nuts. Yes, these foods are said to have positive health benefits, but they are rich in calories and I managed to gain 11 pounds. As I looked at myself in the mirror, I had to admit that I hadn’t broken my pattern at all.

What’s a habit? Most people don’t know that the behavior patterns we call habits are “hard-wired” in the cerebral cortex of the brain. If you do the same things over and over, dendrites from neurons related to the behavior will grow towards other specific neurons to make the connections needed to execute the behavior. This creates a neuronal pathway that makes the satisfying behavior automatic—a pattern. You no longer have to try to make it happen. It just feels right and you do it.

Habits, then, have a physical basis in the brain. This explains why they are so hard to break.

But people do change habits. They’re successful because they substitute an alternative behavior pattern that also satisfies the need, hopefully without the negative side effects. Repeating this pattern creates a new neuronal pathway. Once the new habit is ingrained, the new behavior pattern also becomes easy and automatic. If you don’t return to your old ways, over time the old pathway, like an unused highway, will eventually deteriorate from lack of use.

Knowing all this, I created a delicious substitute for my usual glass of wine. I simply squeezed a one-quarter segment of lime into a glass of cold club soda (soda water). This drink is healthy and has practically no calories. And it tastes great! For variety I would sometimes jazz it up a little with a fruit drink.

Instead of chips or nuts, I substituted fresh fruit: berries, cherries, grapes, pineapple segments, or orange slices. Occasionally I’d have half a bag of microwave low-fat popcorn or some baked chips with salsa.

This year, I felt the craving for wine and nuts, but I substituted my healthy snacks instead. It worked! By the time I got to March Madness, I automatically poured my lime concoction, which I enjoyed. I only gained a couple pounds, which I quickly lost as I increased my activity during the summer.

Remember: habits ARE hard to break, but you CAN do it. The key is to maintain your fitness habits while sticking with your alternative. The new pattern must be:
1. Nutritious and low in calories
2. Just as satisfying as the unhealthy habit

If an obsessed basketball fan like me can do it, so can you!

Dr. Coates is the author of “Thin from Within: Your Personality Guide to Weight Loss,” a unique personalized weight loss analysis powered by MindFrames, the world’s most accurate brain-based personality test. It’s available on Initforlife.com’s Weight Loss Central. GHF Members receive the Thin from Within report FREE of charge (a $14.95 value)!

By Dennis E. Coates, Ph.D

Don’t Hibernate! Some Ideas for Family Winter Outdoor Fun

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This winter season don’t let your family hibernate inside. Why not
put all that fresh snow to good use? Bundle everyone up and participate in some
fun activities the whole family will enjoy.

There are all kinds of ways for kids and parents to enjoy the outdoors
together in the winter. Along with the typical winter sports, there are also
games and creative projects that children really enjoy — and the exercise is
good for them too.

Here are some ideas from the experts at Wham-O to help get kids off the couch
and outside for interactive snow play this winter:

* Head for the sledding hill. Now with so many sledding options, the whole
family will have a blast whooshing down snow-covered hills. In fact, kids and
parents can ride together on the huge, double-walled Turbosaucer Snow Saucer. Or
cause a storm of excitement with the 43 inch SnowBoogie Thunder, a super-light,
shock absorbing foam sled with an ultra-fast SpeedSlick bottom, sure to produce
thunderous applause and crowd-pleasing cheers all winter long.

* Don’t leave the little tots in the “snow” dust. A Baby Sled is a
great way for parents to safely introduce their young toddlers to sledding,
while smaller sleds, such as the Sledz Racer Jr. and the Snowboogie Racer Jr.,
let younger kids hit the slopes by featuring lightweight foam designs to absorb
shocks and a Speedslick bottom for maximum fun.

* Build a cutting-edge snowman with a Snowman Kit. Kids can let their
imaginations run wild as they build a snowman sporting a Mohawk, earring, nose
rings and sunglasses. The Snowman Kit, which contains weather-tough plastic
components, also comes in a traditional version with a black top hat and scarf,
for a more classic-looking snowman.

* Build a classic snow fort — all you’ll need is snow. Create a big mound
and pack it down by stepping, jumping and even rolling on it. Once a solid,
round pile has been created, make a doorway and begin tunneling into the mound.
Continue to shovel snow out of the center and pack it on top. Once inside, use a
smaller shovel to make a space inside. You can cover the floor with a straw mat
and poke holes through the ceiling and sides to make skylights and windows. Snow
fort walls should be at least one foot thick.

For more information about WHAM-O’s outdoor products visit www.wham-o.com.

Courtesy of ARA Content

Five common weight loss mistakes

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Not changing your calorie plan as you lose weight. The fallacy of the “1200 calorie diet” plans and the like.

Most people fix their calorie intake to a given number and expect to lose weight at the same constant rate over a period of weeks. Hence, dieters look for 1000 calorie or 1800 calorie diet plans on the internet. The fixed calorie diet plans don’t work. If you burn 3000 calories a day at the start of a diet, after a week or two of losing some weight, you are no longer burning 3000 calories. Now you might be burning 2800 calories. If you fix your calorie intake in the face of a decreasing calorie expenditure, your weight loss will slow down more and more as you lose weight.

If you want to lose weight at a constant rate, you must repeatedly:

* decrease your calorie intake to accommodate the calorie expenditure drop
* increase your calorie output by exercising more
* do both

I would like to note that you must set realistic slow weight loss goals. If you go for fast weight loss you would not be able to sustain it for a long period unless you go extreme in the calorie reduction and exercise a lot. For people who have to lose more than 20 pounds (10kgs), the goal should be a loss of no more than 2 pounds or 1 kg per week. People who need to lose just a bit of weight should go for weight loss of 1 pound or half a kilogram per week.

Why does my calorie expenditure drop as I lose weight? The most important factors are:

* You weigh less. A smaller body burns less calories both at rest and while active
* You may involuntarily burn fewer calories. Dieters often lack energy and move less
* Calorie restriction suppresses the metabolic rate
* You have less body fat, which may further suppress your metabolic rate

These major factors contribute to an ever-decreasing energy expenditure as one loses weight. The more a dieter cuts calories, the bigger the calorie expenditure drop. The leaner the dieter, the greater the calorie expenditure drop.

Now you must understand that if you want to succeed in losing weight, you have to make changes in your nutrition plan. I recommend burning more calories, because being more active facilitates smaller calorie restriction and milder calorie expenditure drop.

It is very difficult to estimate the rate of the metabolic drop. Here is the general rule: the bigger you are, the smaller the rate of the metabolic drop. The more weight you lose, the more you have to cut calories or increase exercise. If you are overweight you might need to cut just 10 more calories for every lost pound, while if you are lean you might have to cut 60 calories for every pound lost. I picked these numbers just as an example.

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The true affects of Caffeine on our bodies

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Caffeine is found in everything from face creams to coffee. But its effects aren’t yet fully known, reports Joanna Bounds.

We’re a nation of drug users. We take our first hit in the morning and many of us continue throughout our working day.

Addicts say they can’t function without their daily dose of caffeine. Globally, we consume 120,000 tonnes of the stuff each year, making it the most widely-consumed psychoactive substance in the world. And most of our caffeine intake comes in the form of a cup of coffee or can of cola.

And while caffeine consumption is deeply-entrenched in society, the “good” versus “bad” debate has been going on for centuries. This may be because caffeine has the same pharmacological effects on the body as many substances deemed harmful – although that doesn’t stop nine out of 10 people throughout the world using it regularly, say Alan Weinberg and Bonnie Bealer, authors of The World Of Caffeine (Routledge). high times There are many ways of ingesting our drug of choice. Besides coffee, tea and chocolate we can get our kicks from “energy” drinks and over-the-counter medicines. In the US there are caffeine tablets, caffeinated waters, and even lickable caffeine-infused lipsticks from US cosmetics company Hard Candy. Yet the effects of caffeine still aren’t fully understood.

“Caffeine’s effects on the body are complex,” says John Miners, professor in clinical pharmacology at the Flinders University of South Australia. “It affects the nervous system, the brain, the bodily organs, respiratory system and metabolic activity. But there’s still a fair amount of work left to be done on caffeine.” What is known for sure is that caffeine causes the body to release adrenaline, resulting in the “fight or flight” response, which enabled our hairy ancestors to run from sabre-tooth tigers. And, of course, gives you that morning buzz.

But, in the case of caffeine toxicity, it’s also been proven that it can be a killer. High doses of caffeine have resulted in roughly 20 deaths in Australia. The last fatality occurred a few years ago, when a 25-year-old woman collapsed in a bar after drinking a guarana-based tonic (which has since been taken off the shelves). Because the woman had a heart condition, she was careful to keep her caffeine intake low, yet the drink’s packaging did not indicate its high caffeine content.

“Some caffeine-based drinks are called “smart”, “happy” or “energy” drinks,” says Rebecca Smith, food policy officer for the Australian Consumers Association (ACA). “Others are marketed as a thirst quencher and are not the best way to rehydrate after exercise as caffeine inhibits the absorption of water.” The proliferation of such drinks has led to the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Ministerial Council forming a policy stating that caffeine cannot be added to any other products besides cola and energy drinks and those that do contain caffeine must be labelled clearly.

“There is no doubt that the concentration of caffeine in soft drinks and energy drinks has a marked pharmacological effect, which people need to be aware of,” says Professor Miners. “People monitor the amount of caffeine they drink but are unaware of the concentration of caffeine in other products. Energy drinks are the main area of concern.”

Even though death by coffee isn’t a concern for most of us, kick-starting the day with a large latte can lead to a caffeine addiction.

“Caffeine has the same sort of mechanism as cocaine or heroin, but
obviously with much less effect. This is part of the reason why people become
addicted to it,” says naturopath Ilana Lamont.

If you’re trying to kick the habit she advises weaning yourself off caffeine, rather than going cold turkey, and says withdrawal symptoms can include headaches, fatigue and depression. And it doesn’t take long for withdrawal symptoms to kick in.
“A lot of people get tired and depressed when they are coming down from the effects of caffeine,” says Lamont. “And that can be as soon a couple of hours after they’ve drunk their last coffee. Which is when they reach for the next cup. So it’s a vicious cycle.”
addicted to mug And be aware, says Professor Miners, that caffeine ffects people differently.

“In terms of effects on the body, and the rate at which it is eliminated, individuals handle caffeine in different ways,” he says.

“It’s influenced by factors such as age (children eliminate caffeine more quickly) and whether you smoke or not. Smokers eliminate caffeine at twice the rate of non-smokers. That’s why some people get heart palpitations and others don’t, and why it keeps some people awake but not others.”

And caffeine-induced insomnia isn’t urprising when you think that, if you drink a large cup of coffee at 3pm, 50 per cent of the caffeine will still be in your body six hours later. The reason it keeps you awake, says Lamont, is because the caffeine is stimulating your brain at a period of time when it’s not meant to be active.

Some people should avoid caffeine more than others. Pregnant women are especially at risk, as revealed by a study by Aarhus University Hospital in Denmark earlier this year. It showed that women who drink more than eight cups of coffee a day triple their risk of having a stillborn baby compared with non-coffee drinkers. A report in the Lancet Medical Journal also revealed that women who drink more than one cup of coffee a day are half as likely to conceive as those who drink less than a cup a day, as caffeine stimulates the production of chemicals in the body that slow conception.

user friendly But it’s not all bad news – caffeine does have ome positive effects too. Researchers at the University of Queensland have discovered that giving prematurely-born babies minute amounts of caffeine, rather than the drugs that are currently used, is a safer option when it comes to treating breathing problems.

Caffeine is also useful when it comes to the morning-after. A hangover equals a headache because alcohol enlarges the blood vessels in your brain. Caffeine does the opposite and constricts blood vessels, hence its use in over-the-counter painkillers.

It’s been proven that drinking a cup of coffee before exercising enables you to work out for almost a third longer. Plus, researchers at the Australian Institute of Sport have discovered that caffeine triggers muscles to start using fat as an energy source instead of carbohydrates.

So, is caffeine good? Or is caffeine bad? The solution to the onundrum, says Lamont, is to carefully monitor how much you’re putting into your body.

“Keep a log of how much chocolate, ola, coffee and tea you’re having each day,” she says. “Have a couple of cups of coffee a day, but not eight or nine, and drink lots of water to counteract its diuretic effect. Keep your intake to a minimum and you won’t be doing your body as much harm.”

beauty buzz As well as putting affeine into your body, the latest innovation is rubbing it into your skin. Facial toners, cellulite creams and body-contouring products now often contain caffeine, with companies claiming that it helps to firm and tighten.

French cosmetics company Clarins uses caffeine in some of its products, including face creams such as Contouring Facial Lift, and Shiseido’s celebrated anti-cellulite Body Creator also contains caffeine. The Fuji Spinning Company in Japan has even manufactured caffeine-infused underwear which, it claims, helps activate fat-dissolving enzymes.

Beauty insiders claim that caffeine-based creams work as diuretics, draining fatty cells of fluid resulting in firmer skin. But health professionals are dubious about the beauty benefits of the drug.

“It’s difficult to see the reason for including caffeine in beauty products,” says Professor John Miners.

And naturopath Ilana Lamont thinks it may just be another in a long ine of wonder compounds touted by cosmetics companies. “I can see no viable way that caffeine does anything,” she says. “I think it’s little more than the latest trend in the beauty world.”

Theres No Such Thing as Cheating

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There’s no right or wrong way to eat. Healthy eating is all about motivation, balance, and flexibility. There will be times when you eat a high-fat meal or eat beyond fullness, or when your schedule gets so busy that you miss a work- out. This happens. It’s normal. But it’s very important that you don’t get down on yourself and abandon your new healthy lifestyle when this happens.

If you’re like most people, your reaction to these diet/ fitness obstacles is guilt. You feel as if all your hard work has been for nothing. “I blew it; I was doing so well. Oh well, I might as well enjoy this weekend and start over on Monday.” Or even worse: “I just don’t have the motivation or will power to start over and be successful. I quit.” Feeling defeated, many people discontinue the healthy living and return to their old routine until some mythical time in the future: “Maybe this spring will be a better time to start over again.” This kind of scenario is a perfect example of the diet mentality at work.

An all-or-nothing attitude is why so many people have so little success; we choose structured programs because they relieve us from making choices for ourselves. A properly designed program makes sense, but expecting to stick to a structured eating and exercise plan for an extended period of time without ever deviating makes no sense at all. In fact, this is so unrealistic as to be a set-up for failure. If you begin to change your habits with the assumption that any deviation from your plan will ruin it, you might as well not even begin. Life is full of unplanned obstacles, distractions, and temptations. Your best approach is to prepare for them, keeping an open mind and maintaining a positive attitude.

It’s very important that you begin your healthier lifestyle with an understanding that there will be days when you will stray from healthy eating and exercising. Before you begin, tell yourself that no matter what happens, rather than abandoning your new lifestyle, you’ll resume your healthy habits as soon as you can; it is equally important that you feel confident, not guilty, about doing so. What- ever the temptation or obstacle is, keep in mind that it’s not wrong or bad to eat fattening foods once in a while or to miss a workout. Just remember to resume your healthy lifestyle. If you keep moving forward and you don’t let guilt and discouragement stop your program all together, you’ll eventually have improved eating and exercise habits.

With this approach, there is no such thing as cheating. When we feel we are cheating, we often punish ourselves; we make ourselves feel guilty, frustrated and defeated. Replacing the negative concept of “cheating” with the idea of “straying from healthy habits” takes away the all-or- nothing emphasis on right and wrong. If you treat every deviation from your plan as a failure, you won’t get very far

Substituting the idea of a brief straying away from your plan instead of feeling guilty, and learning to return more and more quickly to healthier habits, is more realistic. It’s also easier and more enjoyable.

In the non-diet approach, all foods are legal. There are no “good” foods or “bad” foods. You must believe this. Sudden changes and/or drastic restrictions of high-fat foods when you have a preference or craving for fat will result in feelings of deprivation. No one can or should go through life depriving themselves of foods they really enjoy. You must learn how to make gradual healthy changes to the foods you love while experimenting with and learning to appreciate new flavors and textures.

A recent survey showed that more than 75 percent of people feel guilty about eating so-called “bad” foods. The greatest obstacle to adopting healthy eating habits is guilt. Attaching a value to foods only makes you feel bad for eating them. When you do decide to eat a high-fat food, enjoy it. Don’t beat your- self up over it. Just make a special effort to eat low-fat the rest of the day. Remember, there is nothing wrong with splurging now and then. It can even be good for you if the satisfaction of a higher-fat meal that you’ve been craving helps you stick with a low-fat lifestyle the rest of the time.

If you’re having a special diet meal that’s different from what the rest of your family or friends are eating, you’ll feel as though you’re being punished. In order to be successful in changing your eating habits, you must look forward to and enjoy each meal you eat. This doesn’t mean that you have to learn to like rice cakes and celery. It means you must learn how to make simple changes in the foods you love.

Perhaps one of your favorite meals is fried chicken, a baked potato, and salad. Small changes in how the food is prepared can turn this traditionally high-fat meal into a low-fat well- balanced one. Simply marinating a skinless chicken breast in sweet and sour sauce, rolling it in bread crumbs, and baking it makes the chicken a lot less fattening than if it’s fried. Instead of butter or regular sour cream on your potato, try low-fat or nonfat sour cream or a reduced fat ranch dressing. Try using a non-fat or low-fat salad dressing rather than a regular dressing and adding as many vegetables to your salad as possible for their additional flavor, texture and nutrients. Any or all of these changes drastically reduce the amount of fat in the meal without sacrificing flavor or feelings of satisfaction.

Healthy eating patterns can only occur when you’re enjoying all the foods you eat. If you’re eating low-fat foods just to be healthy but without enjoying the flavors and textures or how they make you feel, this most likely won’t be a permanent change. However, if you begin enjoying healthy foods, you’re far more likely to stick with healthy eating for life.

Many people also enjoy eating out but associate this with being “bad” or eating “illegal” foods. Fortunately, it is very possible to eat a healthy, low-fat meal in a restaurant. You don’t need to forego your favorite foods or eat before you go out with friends or family. The same decision-making process occurs whether you eat at home or go out to a restaurant. Many people think that they have two options when eating: eating for taste and pleasure or eating for health. As you learn and practice healthy eating techniques, these two options will become one and the same. Good luck and enjoy all the wonderful benefits of a healthy, active lifestyle.

By Chad Tackett

30 minute fitness workout

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Being fit is fantastic. You look gorgeous and even more importantly, you feel it. But getting there can be, shall we say, a miserable slog although deep down we all know it’s worth it. And if you stick with it, it gets easier and you might even come to love it.
So how exactly do we get to that stage? the first trick is not to think about it too much.
People get bogged down with the detail,After a break from training, effective fitness regimes are best kept simple – do it regularly, work your major muscle groups (legs, back and chest) and push yourself. You can’t expect to get any results, let alone great results, if you don’t break a sweat and get your heart rate up.
One way to keep it simple and get a great overall workout is with circuit training. Circuit training is based on a series of exercise “stations” and can be done in the park, at home or at the gym. The best circuits have stations that are divided into two groups of moves.
First there are the weight-bearing stations, which target upper and lower body muscles. Then there are the cardiovascular stations, which condition your heart and lungs. The idea is you move directly from station to station.
At each one you’re required to work up a sweat for roughly 30 to 40 seconds.
It might sound like a major effort, but circuits are so quick-moving that you’ll forget all about the sweat and focus purely on the fun. Now, let’s get cracking.

why circuits work

Circuits are fantastic because they use lots of movements. This means you’ll work several muscle groups at once, while pushing your balance and coordination. And you’ll be zipping from one circuit station to the next so your heart rate will stay up.
Add this total body workout to your regular power walk, jog or cycle and you’ll soon notice major improvements in both body shape and tone. Why?
Because it includes some of the most effective weight-bearing and cardiovascular exercises around. Aim to go through the circuit twice, then build up to three or four times.
You need to do this three to four times a week, with at least one day’s rest between workouts, particularly when starting out. Perform the nominated number of repetitions for each exercise in the order listed and move quickly between stations, preferably with no more than 20 to 30 seconds rest. This circuit doesn’t need any training equipment. To progress, add more stations or repetitions.
NB: Do a light stretch beforehand for five minutes. For the cool down, repeat and hold stretches for 20 to 30 seconds.

1. squats

Standing with your feet shoulder-width apart, contract and pull your abs in so that your tailbone points to the floor and your spine is in a neutral position.
Keep the chest proud, neck long, shoulders back and down. With your weight towards the heels, bend your knees and lower into a squat.
Point your toes either straight ahead or turn them out slightly, making sure your knees are pointing in the same direction. Allow your arms to move forward to help counter balance you, then stand up.
Do 20 repetitions.
• Strengthens quadriceps, hamstrings, buttocks and lower back.

2. push-ups

Kneel on the ground on all fours with your hands slightly wider than your shoulders.
Bring your hips down until your back is straight and brace your abs. From here, lower yourself by bending your elbows out to the side and stop about five to 10cm off the ground. Think posture, long spine, shoulders pulled back, chest out, and no rounded backs. Push up through the heel of your hands. Do 15 repetitions. The advanced version is to rest on your toes.
• Strengthens chest, front shoulders, triceps, abdominals and spine extensors (muscles along spine).

3. ski jumps

Find a line in the grass or draw an imaginary line. With your feet shoulder width apart, jump from side to side.
Be sure to land softly, knees and toes pointing straight ahead. This one is tough. Time yourself for one minute or do 60 reps, trying not to stop. Need motivation? Picture those jiggly bits melting away.
• Improves fitness, strengthens heart and works on agility and balance.

4. backward stepping lunges

Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, tall posture, chest lifted, shoulders back and imagine you’re standing on two railway lines. Step backward onto the ball of your foot, maintaining the line of the track.You will need to step far enough back to allow both legs to form two perfect right angles, keeping the back heel lifted. Avoid tipping forward or looking down, fix your gaze on the horizon instead, and imagine you’re balancing a water bottle on your head.
Keep your tailbone under your head. Push up and return to the standing position and switch legs. Do 20 alternating lunges.
• Strengthens buttocks, quadriceps, hamstrings, core stability and balance.

5. step-ups

Using a small step, step up and down quickly. Lead with one leg 20 times, then switch. Always think posture. This means long straight torso, shoulders back and down, and abs pulled in. Check your knees and toes are pointing straight ahead, and be light on your feet.
• Increases fitness level, raises core temperature, strengthens buttocks, quadriceps and hamstrings.

suit yourself

• Tailor your circuits to suit your needs or to keep things interesting. Circuit A could include leg training and cardio stations, Circuit B mainly cardio stations, Circuit C all upper body stations with a few cardio stations, and Circuit D everything.
And remember, it’s important to be working for at least 30 minutes.
Perspiration is the key.
A good guide is how much huffing and puffing you’re doing.We’re definitely looking for some heavy breathing. If you’re not working with intensity you won’t get the results you deserve.
two is better than one
• Circuit training is always more fun and motivating when you’re training with someone else. Try getting some workmates to exercise with you, or maybe some family members.
Having two people or more also increases the amount of things you can do, for example, tag team push-ups could be another station or perhaps a running relay.
You can keep each other motivated and brainstorm new activities.

Lift Weights To Lose Fat

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Most people believe that if your goal is fat loss, you should start with aerobic workouts and lose the body fat first before adding weight training. That is a big mistake and here’s why: Obviously, weight training is the chief element in developing strength and muscle mass. What few people realize is that weight training can also increase fat loss dramatically, so by skipping the strength training in favor of aerobic-only training, you are not increasing your fat loss – you are slowing it down!”

Weight training is anaerobic and therefore burns primarily carbohydrates (sugar) during the workout. Cardiovascular exercises such as jogging, cycling, step classes, or stairclimbing are aerobic and therefore burn primarily fat during the workout. So it seems logical to focus on aerobic training for fat loss. What you’re missing if you skip the weight training is the benefits that accrue after the workouts.

Something interesting happens “beneath the surface” when you lift weights. Intense, progressive weight training increases your lean body mass – aerobic training does not. Excessive aerobics combined with low calorie dieting or aerobic training without weight lifting can even cause muscle loss. If you lose lean body mass, your metabolism slows down, and this makes it easier to gain fat and harder to lose it. If you increase your lean body mass, you increase your basal metabolic rate, and fat loss becomes easier. Best of all, you increase metabolism and fat burning even when you’re not working out…

Weight training provides an additional short term increase in metabolic rate after the workout, called “excess post exercise oxygen consuption” or EPOC for short. It’s a myth that “all exercise” keeps you burning calories for hours after the workout. Only high intensity exercise increases post workout energy expenditure substantially and weight training has the greatest effect of all. (High intensity cardio also has a high EPOC, but thats the subect of another article). This explains why bodybuilders, who train with weights religiously and have extremely high muscle to fat ratios, can stay lean year round without doing much aerobic work.

Losing body fat as quickly and efficiently as possible requires a three-pronged approach: (1) balanced nutrition from natural foods, (2) aerobic training, and (3) weight training. All three ingredients are essential. If you neglect any one of these components, it will compromise your results because you lose the “synergy” created from this combination.

In “The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People” Author Steven Covey wrote, “Synergy means that 1 + 1 may equal 8, 16, or even 1600. Synergy is everywhere in nature. If you plant two plants close together the roots commingle and improve the quality of the soil so that both plants will grow better than if they were separated. If you put two pieces of wood together they will hold much more than the total of the weight held by each separately. The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.”

When you include weights, cardio and balanced nutrition in your fat loss regimen, the effects of the three parts brought together are not linear, they are exponential. Each part complements the others and multiplies your results. You develop an efficient metabolism and a lean, muscular body that could not be achieved with one or even two of the components in isolation.

The best you can hope for from diet and aerobics alone is to become a “skinny fat person.” You may lose weight from diet and aerobics, but much of it will be muscle, your fat to muscle ratio will plummet and you will take on a “soft” appearance. It’s not uncommon for a woman 5 feet 4 inches tall to weigh 125 pounds and yet have 25-30% body fat. According to the Metropolitan Life height and weight tables, 125 pounds is ideal for a medium-framed 5’ 4″ female, but 25-30% body fat is extremely poor for anyone! Without the weight training, you will never optimize your muscle to fat ratio and you will always struggle to keep fat off permanently.

If you have extremely limited time, and your main priority is to lose fat, then you can keep your weight training brief – maybe 30 minutes 3 days per week – and spend the rest of your time concentrating on cardio. But never neglect the weights completely – always do both, and if possible, devote an equal amount of attention to each.

Last, but not least, don’t forget that weight training, not cardiovascular training, is “shapes” and sculpts your muscles. Simply put, lifting weights makes you look better! If you want a lean, hard, fat-free body, then get out of the aerobics studio, get off that bike or treadmill, and pick up some barbells and dumbbells! Lifting weights isn’t just for “muscle-heads” anymore.

By Tom Venuto, GHF’s Fat Loss Expert