Incorporating these fat loss tips will improve your nutrition
program. Start off slowly and add one a week, you don’t have to
adopt all of them at once. Before long, you’ve cleaned up your
nutrition program and on your way to reaching your goal. Trendy
diets, fads and the infomercial product of the month, are not
going to help you reach your weight loss goals. A well
thought-out nutrition and exercise program will.
Eat breakfast
Proven time and again, those who eat breakfast are more
successful at controlling their weight than those that don’t.
Plus, when doing strength training exercises (and you know you
should be), it’s even more important to make certain you fuel
those muscles after an overnight fast. The perfect time for
burning fat because glycogen, blood glucose and insulin levels
are all low.
Unfortunately, it may also be perfect for burning muscle,
because glycogen levels are low, and levels of the catabolic
stress hormone cortisol are high. If you skip breakfast and eat
lunch at noon, you’re not only in a highly catabolic (muscle
wasting) state, you’re also sending an unmistakable starvation
signal to your body.
Eat less sugar
Start reading labels! Sugar is hidden in almost every commercial
food item. A single tablespoon of ketchup gets 3 of its 4 grams
of carbs from sugar. A 12 oz can of cola has a staggering 40
grams of sugar, and ALL of the carbs in a cola are sugar! Why
does that matter?
Simple sugars are digested very quickly and cause a rapid spike
in blood sugar. Your body then releases large amounts of
insulin. Insulin quickly clears the glucose from the bloodstream
leading to low blood sugar (hypoglycemia.) Low blood sugar
causes cravings, hunger, weakness, mood swings and decreased
energy. These cravings for sugar result in a vicious cycle of
ups and downs in blood sugar levels throughout the day.
Eat More Often
Studies have shown that those who eat 4-6 smaller meals per day
have less body fat than those eating 2-3 meals a day, even if
both groups eat about the same number of calories. This is
because of maintaining steady blood sugar levels. Too much
insulin activates fat storage enzymes and forces fat in the
bloodstream into fat cells for storage.
High insulin levels also inhibit enzymes that promote the
breakdown of existing stored body fat. You can manage your blood
sugar and insulin levels by choosing fewer simple carbohydrates,
more complex carbohydrates, eating fiber and having your
carbohydrates with lean proteins approximately every three
hours.
Eat protein
Be sure to include enough protein for your level of activity
(you are exercising…right?)
Protein speeds up your metabolism because your body has to work
harder to digest, process, and utilize it compared to fats or
carbs.
The “thermic” effect of protein is one of the reasons that a
higher protein diet is more effective for fat loss than a diet
high in fat or carbs. Too much of any food can be stored as body
fat, but protein is less likely to be converted to fat than any
other nutrient.
Eat nothing from a box
The closer your food is to nature the better off you are. Have
you looked at the ingredients list in most packaged food these
days? You need to be a scientist to figure out what half the
ingredients are. Stick to real, wholesome foods, fruits,
vegetables, whole grains, lean protein, etc.
Eat your vegetables
I don’t mean fast food french fries. Try to get as many
vegetable servings into your meals as you can. It’s nearly
impossible to over eat vegetables. They are full of fiber and
will help keep you full between meals. They also contain loads
of antioxidants. Raw is great, steamed is another good way to
have them. Hold the heavy cheese sauces please!
Eat protein and carbs together
If you want to keep your blood sugar in check, then don’t eat
your carbs by themselves. Strive to always have balanced meals
of protein, carbs and healthy fats. You’ll feel better and your
muscles will thank you.
Prepare your own food
Best for several reasons…It’s cheaper than eating out, you know
exactly what you are eating, and it saves time. It takes no more
time to cook up 6 healthy chicken breasts than it does to cook
one or two. Make things easy. Prepare them over the weekend and
your lunches for the next few days are done. While you are at
it, put on a pot of brown or wild rice, or bake up some sweet
potatoes and you’re good to go.
Drink water
LOTS! Most people are already dehydrated. Strive to drink a
gallon a day. If you drink a lot of coffee, then you need an
extra 8 oz for each cup of coffee. Exercise will put more
demands on your fluid levels. You need water. Drink 50-75% of
your body weight in ounces of water. Add an additional 16 oz for
strenuous exercise. No complaining!
Get more exercise
Get some exercise on most days of the week, and alternate
between strength training exercises and cardio training. If you
are a beginner, shoot for two weight workouts a week and
progress to 3 or more depending upon your goals. Get in as many
cardio sessions as your schedule will allow, but aim for at
least 3.
Commit to adopting these nutrition program changes and you’ll be
well on your way to reaching your weight loss goal, whether it’s
ten pounds or many more. Sound nutrition and exercise will
always succeed in the long run. Don’t give into the temptation
of fads.
The information contained in this article is strictly for
informational purposes and is not intended to provide medical
advice. If you are sedentary or over 40 please get clearance
from a doctor before starting an exercise program.
Weight training is a great way to get your whole body in shape. Many people associate weight training with your upper body and arms. However if you have the right equipment then you can easily exercise the lower part of your body, such as your chest and legs. You may think to yourself that everything about using weights is an advantage. However there are disadvantages to using weights and all the advantages and disadvantages will be described below.
One of the advantages of using weights to work out is the way that you can strengthen your whole body. We all know that weights are used by the person using them standing still and then performing an action using the weights. This action can be moving your arms up and down or side to side. If you are not the type of person that likes to partake in running, swimming or any other kind of real life sport, then weights is the perfect solution to keeping your body toned and in great shape.
Another advantage of using weights to keep fit is when you are using these weights and your body is standing still. Your bones in your body are becoming active as they are trying to support you as you are doing the exercises. So you are in effect working out the entire body every time that you use weights to exercise.
There are disadvantages to using weights for exercising and the main disadvantage is safety. You should never exercise with weights alone. You should always have a supporter with you in case the worst happens. The most common safety concern is using the barbell. There is a possibility of becoming trapped under the barbell if you are unable to do a repetition due to the amount of weight on the barbell.
Another disadvantage when using weights is causing damage to your own body. As stated before you need your whole body when you are using weights. If you cannot keep complete control of your body when you are working out, then you are going to pull or even tare a muscle in your body. Also using heavy weights when you are not ready will always cause an injury to the part of your body that you are exercising. Always remember to start off small and then move on when you feel perfectly ready to do so.
Overall weights are a good way to work out. Millions of people use weights to do a daily work out. After one or two weeks you can start to feel your body becoming more and more toned. You can also feel the muscles in your body start to bulge a bit more then before. However safety will be the major concern to remember when you are using your weights. You must remember to stretch all the muscles in your body before you attempt to exercise your body. You have to get your heart pumping and when you are done remember to warm down so that your body knows that the workout is over. Warming down will prevent trapping any Lactic Acid in your body.
Andy Eaton is the owner of http://www.gym.andyeats.com a site dedicated to helping people get into shape and at the same time helping them find their perfect Gym Equipment. visit http://www.gym.andyeats.com for quality gym equipment and information on choosing the right fitness plan.
Many adults enjoy and are aware of the rewards of yoga. Yoga
stretches tight muscles, builds body awareness, improves
endurance, and calms the mind and body. But yoga is now
attracting a younger audience who is finding out that yoga can
be a fun way to exercise and relax.
Yoga may not look like other forms of exercise to most people,
but they are amazed at how the seemingly simple poses can work
out so many different areas of their body.
Why Yoga is Different
For people lacking in confidence about their body image, some
group activities can backfire causing people to further
disconnect from their bodies and actively resist taking care of
themselves. Yoga’s emphasis is on self-acceptance which makes it
more appealing, a less intimidating way to get active. Yoga
stresses a nonjudgmental emphasis on body awareness.
Yoga is not a competitive sport- there are no winners or losers.
Yoga can give less confident people that much-needed support
from their peers. If someone in a class has difficulty with a
particular pose, often others in the room help them out. Yoga
offers many people an opportunity to just relax. Just getting to
be -without having to achieve anything in particular- is a huge
relief to many people.
The Added Benefits of Yoga
Traditional sports tend to emphasize strength and speed over
flexibility. Many adults overlook the importance of stretching.
Additionally others use weight training to develop major muscles
while ignoring the supportive and opposing muscles which are
equally as important. Yoga can help correct these imbalances. It
helps build endurance and flexibility, thereby improving
athletic performance. Yoga can also enhance your ability to
concentrate and focus, and improve your posture. Chest-opening
postures and inverted poses strengthen arms, shoulders and back
muscles, which teach you how to carry yourself with more self
confidence.
Yoga can also teach you how to stay calm centered and focused in
the midst of distraction and to let your body relax. This is an
important skill for anyone who is experiencing transitions-
physical, emotional, intellectual in today’s fast paced world.
Yoga often becomes an outlet for working out people’s emotions.
It can help you take control of you frustration and find
alternative ways to deal with it rather than reacting right
away.
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