Friday 30 March 2007

How to Have Success With Your Diet Program!

You have decided to go on a diet to lose weight and look your best! What are the odds that your diet will succeed or fail? Don't forget that there is a $36 billion weight and diet product industry waiting to increase their bottom line at all cost. Your duty is to keep your eyes open and your wallet well guarded, lest you succomb to anything new, neatly packaged with a top of the line pretty fitness model with a body that can be a combination of surgical enhancement and a good fitness and nutrition regimen.
Now that you have and idea on what to expect, you have to go for a diet plan that is realistic and 90% - 100% sure to work for you. A reminder that a good health program has to show features such as initial health screening, lots of information on the treatment plan and phychological support. Anything else is not acceptable.
Whether you choose to go with the Atkins program, the Zone, South Beach or the low-carbohydrate diet, you'll actively be busy with stuff like counting, weighing, measuring and calculating a variety of numbers from calories and carbohydrates in the amount of points and grams and find a way to distribute the correct amount of the approved food into separate menus that you'll be eating over the course of the entire day. Are you sure you still want to go on a diet?
Another thing one has to consider is the fact that you can go for what is called "frozen entree diet". However, these ready to go meals can be a bit expensive, so, it may be best if you can cook your own food. The joy of knowing that you have cooked your food also reinforce the fact that you know what you are eating and can have a powerful psychological effect on your weight as well.
If you are a very active person who doesn't have time to prepare your food, there maybe another option for you. There is the Scan-Diet which is a clinically proven protein weight loss program with the soy bean as the focal point. It provides things like protein bars, ready-to-drink shakes that comes in a low-calorie snack or a meal replacement. It claims to be nutritionally complete with protein, fiber, essential vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates and fat.
You can take comfort that there still a lot of fat people around. An estimated 129 million adults in the USA are overweight and as many as 61 million adults suffer from obesity. So by taking your new year resolution seriously enough to lose that extra 20 to 30 pounds may encourage your neighbours to do the same.
Crash diets have and will never work! At least not in the long run. Plan your diet carefully and if possible talk with your doctor about it and he/she may have some possible good advices for you. The simplest diet is always the best. It should include protein and fiber, essential vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates and a bit of fat. That can translate to eggs, fish, chicken, good wholesome 2% milk, lots of fruits and vegetables, high fiber cereals, whole wheat bread and some red meat if you have to from time to time, etc.
You don't have to go on the calorie restriction diet to lose all the weight that you want. According to government funded studies, traditional weight-loss programs with moderate fat such as the one offered by Weight Watchers and the American Heart Association are the healthiest for someone on a diet and proven to keep the extra weight off. A bit of good planning and consistency may be all that you need to stick with. Results may be not as fast as the fitness model that you see on TV but it will be here to stay, if you carry on with the plan and program.

by FRITZ BLANC

Wednesday 28 March 2007

Get Awesome Abs Before Summer

Exercising is one of my daily activities. I go to the gym a least five times a week and work out at home on the weekends. I work out my abs every other day. I do several exercises to form pack six abs. I diet regularly in order to have a healthy body and strong abs. You may not know, but there are many abs exercises. Just to get you started working on getting awesome abs. You can start out at home or go to a local gym. Here are some examples of abs exercises. You can purchase an exercise ball at your local store. Instead of doing crunches on the floor, lie over an exercise ball and squeeze your abs as you lift your shoulders. You’ll challenge your abs in a whole new way while also working other muscles in your body, like your legs and butt. With the ball your can do exercises like back rotation stretch, back extensions, push ups, abdominals/obliques, trunk curls, ab extension rolls, ab front extensions, and side abs extensions. you can purchase a bicycle for cycling. Cycling is ranked as the best abs exercise by the American Council on exercise, because it uses every muscle in your abs to create awesome abs. Make sure you pull your abs in and keep them contracting throughout the movement to protect your back. The plank is another great exercise that you can use to exercise your abs as well as the muscles of your back. Position yourself a though you’re about to do a pushup and hold that position, making your body into one long, straight line from head to toe. The reverse crunch is great for working your obliques and it helps you target the lower portion of your abs as well. There are many ways to do reverse crunches, but one of the best is to put an exercise ball under your knees. Make sure you contract your abs and use them to lift your hips off the floor. It’s a very small movement and you shouldn’t swing or use momentum. Incline sit-ups are another very affective way to strengthen your abs. You do not have to join a gym or health club. Just take a piece of plywood or a two by twelve and lay it on a block or something about a foot off the floor. Lie on your back and do three sets of ten about three to four times a week. You can also put flat weights on your belly to give you a little added weight. As your body gets used to the work out just add more weight. As you have read, there are many abs exercises you can do at home, work, or at the gym without taking a lot of your time.

by TERRY DOUCET

Monday 26 March 2007

Tackling Weight Loss The Natural Way

It is now known that Britain is slowly becoming an obese nation. Not only are we increasing our waistlines but we also are increasingly willing to go to desperate measures to lose the pounds such as having weight loss surgery. The Government is increasingly giving us warnings of the risks associated with obesity such as an increased risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, Cancer, and diabetes.
Obesity occurs when we do not obtain the right balanced diet and the right amount of exercise in our day to day lives. Many people believe that obesity isn’t a medical condition, but how can it not be when you are at risk from conditions such as heart disease? Obesity is a killer, and the UK doesn’t seem to be taking its weight problem seriously.

The Telegraph reported that a new diet pill can apparently tackle obesity, and has health campaigners claiming it’s a breakthrough in our obesity crisis. This new one a day pill helps to stop food cravings that usually cause people to over eat. But are drugs the way to help stop obesity in the UK? This new ‘wonder pill’ apparently does exactly the same as natural supplements can do so why aren’t we trying them?

A study in the Journal of Public Health noted that weight loss surgery rose by 600 per cent in America between 1998 and 2002. Is this what will happen to Britain? And do we need to go to these lengths to achieve our ideal weight?

There is anther way to lose weight and this is by taking natural supplements. Many people tend to be sceptical about natural remedies to help with health issues such as losing weight, but surprisingly these natural herbs and minerals have had many clinical trials completed on them. These trials have proven their effectiveness at helping people to lose weight, and the best bit is, that they are completely natural, and usually hold very little or no side effects.

Hoodia Cactus is one of the most popular supplements to have hit the shelves for weight loss. It could help you to avoid the diets which can be not only hard to keep up, but also dangerous for your body, as well as risking life threatening surgery. Trials have shown that the Hoodia Cactus has the ability to fool the brain into thinking it is full; this then stops your hunger cravings. Many trials have shown how effective Hoodia can be, it has shown to decrease calorie intake by up to 2000 calories in obese people. Also it has been used to stop hunger cravings by the San Bushmen for centuries.

There is also many other natural supplements which can help such as, Grapefruit Pectin, CLA, Lecithin, Phase 2, and Apple cider vinegar. Trials have suggested that these too can also help you to lose weight. People who have tried everything should consider trying natural supplements, before considering drastic methods such as surgery, as trials suggest that most people will benefit from them greatly. To help you look good this summer natural supplements are the way to go, with no hard diets to stick by, and no risky surgery to go through.

by JAHIR AHMED

www.simplysupplements.co.uk

Top Stretching Exercises For Full Body Flexibility

Millions of people suffer from muscle tightness, lower back ache and general stiffness. A series of simple, full body, stretching exercises can cure a tight lower back, relieve physical and mental stress, loosen up stiff legs and improve full body flexibility.
Lower back stiffness and pain, tightness in the neck and shoulders, general muscle aches and tight leg muscles are conditions that affect millions of people, from sedentary couch potatoes to elite athletes. The National Center for Health Statistics reports that 14% of new patient visits to physician offices (approximately 13 million annually) are for complaints of low back pain and lower body stiffness. In fact, an estimated 18% of the population has debilitating back pain at any given time. Lack of a proper stretching exercise program is a primary factor in most of these cases

“When we estimate the number of people that don’t bother to go to the doctor or seek traditional treatment, such as physical therapy, the number is probably double and most likely higher. The amazing thing is most of these can be fixed with a series of simple stretching exercises for the whole body.” claims Exercise Physiologist, Joey Atlas.

Avoidance of stretching exercises, lack of knowledge regarding specific stretches and limited flexibility are three causes of the lower back pain epidemic and overall body stiffness and muscle tightness. The biggest complaint from many sufferers is the challenge of waking up to morning stiffness and backache on a daily basis, with some days being worse than others depending on previous day’s activities and overnight sleeping position. Improving range of motion with a well defined stretch program can go a long way in relieving most of these symptoms.

“Flexibility is the most underestimated and misunderstood element of health and fitness. The right stretches, done three times per week would literally wipe out the vast majority of lower back aches. It’s no surprise that so many people are clueless about this, most personal trainers don’t even know.” said Joey Atlas. “You don’t have to become a yoga nut or a Pilates addict. You can do your stretching while watching TV.”

These six stretching exercise strategies will help you get and stay flexible:

Ease into a stretching program whether you’ve been exercising regularly or not. Don’t force the stretches – stay in a comfortable range of motion.

Stay consistent. Three to five stretching exercise sessions per week is ideal. Every day is fine also – and you don’t always have to do the same stretch program

If you feel pain, stop! Slight discomfort is fine, but pain is not. Don’t do a stretch if it hurts. Consult with your physician if you are uncertain as to whether or not a certain stretch is appropriate for you.

The best stretching exercises do not require expensive equipment or elaborate devices. You can increase your flexibility with stretches that can de done on a mat with the assistance of a towel a belt of a piece of rope.

If you don’t know how to stretch, hire a fitness professional who is trained in flexibility conditioning or invest in a few good stretching exercise videos. You are investing in your health and fitness, don’t short-change your self.

Do your stretching exercises first thing in the morning and just before bed if you can – these seem to be the times that yield best results for people who need flexibility the most

Lack of full body flexibility can result in chronic symptoms, and even injury, for people in any age range. A safe stretching exercise program can be performed daily in as little as ten minutes or in an hour, if you have the time. The most effective and simple stretching exercises can be done by children as young as 3 and 4 years old – and the same flexibility exercises can also be safely performed by people in their seventies.

Have you done your stretches today? Joey Atlas, M.S. – Exercise Physiology, is a fitness consultant, personal trainer and fitness writer in Jacksonville, Florida. He is the creator of ‘Optimum Flexibility’, a home & travel program of Effective Fitness Flexibility Stretching Exercises.

by JOEY ATLAS

See http://www.optimumflexibility.com for more free stretch exercise tips & information.