Stretch Your Mind and Body

Did you know that your emotional state may affect your flexibility? If your body is relaxed, it will be more responsive to flexibility training. Listening to music and focusing on your breath can help you relax as you stretch. You may also want to explore yoga or Pilates. In addition to stretching, classes in these disciplines may include relaxation, visualization and other mind-body techniques designed to reduce stress and increase mindfulness.

It's Not Just for Wimps. Forget the idea that stretching is just for elderly, injured or unconditioned people. Many Olympic and professional athletes rely on flexibility training for peak performance.

Do It Consistently. It doesn't help to stretch for a few weeks and then forget about it. Integrate regular stretching into your permanent fitness program. For inspiration, look to cats and dogs - they're dedicated practitioners of regular stretching and you rarely see them getting the kind of joint or muscular injuries that humans get!

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TIPS FOR MAKING YOURSELF FAR MORE FLEXIBLE IN THE NEXT 30 DAYS

When it comes to the Big Three of exercise - cardiovascular, strength and flexibility training - it's pretty clear which one can get overlooked. After all, while we prize cardiovascular and strength training for their role in helping us lose weight, build muscle and get fit, the benefits of flexibility training are less immediately alluring.

However, as the population ages, more of us are learning to appreciate the rewards of stretching. Staying limber can offset age-related stiffness, improve athletic performance, and optimize functional movement in daily life. Research shows that flexibility training can develop and maintain range of motion and may help prevent and treat injury. In fact, the American College of Sports Medicine has added flexibility training to its general exercise recommendations, advising that stretching exercises for the major muscle groups be performed two to three days per week.

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WEIGHT LOSS TIPS: Arm Muscles

This group includes the biceps, triceps and forearm muscles. Biceps are large muscles in the upper arm that contract to bend the elbows. Workouts and weight loss can help define and give shape to biceps. Triceps, the large muscles that travel along the back of the upper arm, work opposite the biceps to straighten out the elbow. weight loss these can help eliminate excess downward “flab” or loose skin that shows when an arm is extended outwards. And forearm muscles, between the wrist and the elbow, help with multiple wrist hand and finger movements. weight loss them is said to help with wrist afflictions and susceptibilities like Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.

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Tips on eating healthy and choosing wisely on different cuisines..

• Hold or limit guacamole and sour cream. Two tablespoons of guacamole has about 50 calories and four grams of fat (72 percent fat) and two tablespoons of sour cream have 45 calories and five grams of fat (100 percent fat).
• Hold or limit the chips. A typical basket of chips contains 1,040 calories and 43 percent fat.
• Hold the cheese or get it on the side. A one-inch cube of cheese has about 100 calories and eight grams of fat (75-percent fat).
• Skip or limit the chile con queso dip. One cup has about 529 calories and 31 grams of fat (53 percent fat).
• Drink light beer or a wine spritzer instead of a margarita (90-100 calories versus 250 calories for the margarita).
• Split orders and take home half in a doggie bag. Share the praline or sopapilla, if you must indulge.
• Be aware of: tortilla shells, chorizo (Mexican sausage), deep-fried, refried beans, "served over chips, stuffed or covered with cheese or bacon," cheese sauce, queso, guacamole, sour cream, sauces (con queso).
• Go for: flour tortillas (2-3 grams fat), corn tortillas (1 gram fat), soft tacos, marinated, simmered, grilled chicken, shrimp, fish, pinto beans, Mexican rice, black beans, hot peppers, served with salsa, covered with enchilada sauce, salsa verde with tomato, lettuce, onion, mole, tomato.

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What is the Most Popular Weight Loss Drug?

Can you guess what the most popular weight loss drug is in the United States? Do I have any takers? Come on and take a guess.

Yep, you got it! It’s good old caffeine.

Americans are hooked on the stuff. We use it to wake up when we’re feeling low, we use it as a social device sold in cafés on every street corner in every town, and we even use it as a tool for fast weight loss. It’s a good thing it’s legal! But what is it doing to our bodies? You might be surprised at how much harm could come from a little cup of coffee or a pill claiming it will help you stay alert and lose weight.

Take a look for yourself:

The Daily Grind
When you wake up in the morning what is the first thing you do? For many Americans, the day begins by stumbling into the kitchen and brewing a steaming pot of coffee. It wakes us up and has become part of the very fabric of our lives. Without a morning “fix” of caffeine, many people insist they couldn’t get through the day. But, modern America isn’t the first to deal the drug. It’s been around and influencing humanity for many thousands of years. Today, quite a few people are actually using it to increase their weight loss, believing that it is a surefire way to increase their metabolism.

How Caffeine Works
Most people think caffeine gives them energy. This is a common falsehood. It just fools your brain into believing that your body isn’t tired. What actually happens is this: when you are tired, the brain releases a chemical that causes you to slow down. By ingesting caffeine, the brain believes it no longer needs to release this chemical that helps to slow you down, which means the caffeine will continue to stimulate you. As you build a tolerance to caffeine, you will find that, like any drug, you will crave it more and more.

Addict
As you start to ingest more of the caffeine and build up that tolerance, you will discover that no amount of the drug will keep you awake and alert. Still, you crave the substance, and quitting caffeine is no easy task. The best way to kick the habit is to wean off slowly. Even then, it’s not going to be a picnic. You can expect headaches, muscle pain, and even mood swings. This should be enough to prove to you that it really is a drug, and is certainly not a good choice when it comes to losing weight. The false sense of energy can be very detrimental to your body.

Effects
In the beginning, caffeine will help you to stay alert, and it will seem like you have more energy. You might even notice a bit of weight loss if you combine the caffeine intake with exercise. But the negative effects far outweigh the positive. Nausea, diarrhea, and a racing heartbeat, are only a few of the short-term negative effects. You can also expect some mood swings. In severe cases, you can even cause damage to your internal organs. Death has even resulted in some overdoses of caffeine.
Facts
• It was in 1820 that caffeine was isolated from coffee and “discovered”
• More than ninety percent of people in the United States consume caffeine in some for every single day, from coffee and soft drinks to candy bars and pills
• Americans drink more than half a million cups of coffee everyday – and that number is on the rise
• Children ingest far more caffeine, pound for pound, than most adults
• Caffeine can cause insomnia
• Caffeine does not actually boost your metabolism

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STRETCHING EXERCISES TO BEGIN Cycle 1

STRETCHING EXERCISES –

Before beginning and ending any weight loss workout session, you need to warm up and cool down the body with stretching exercises. Here are some exercises that you can use. Some stretching rules-of-thumb are:

• Stretch with gentle and slow movements. Jerky motions are not effective and can cause injury.

• When possible, do each stretch on each side of the body. It needs a complete workout.

• Do not stretch injured muscles unless your healthcare provider approved your doing so beforehand.

• Hold each stretch for approximately 30 seconds.

• Only stretch to the point where you can feel a little tension, not pain.

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How To Maintain Your Weight Loss Naturally:

Once you have started losing weight, it is crucial to think of how to maintain that weight loss in the days ahead.

It may seem hard to believe, but taking the weight off is the easy part. Maintaining weight loss for good is where the real challenge lies.

People lose lots of weight on diets everyday, but 95% of them gain it back because they have focused only on the weight loss. They follow the diet until they get to a particular number on the scale and then shortly after, they go back to the old lifestyle that made them overweight in the first place. Of course, over time the weight comes right back.

The truth is, almost everyone can lose weight but only 5% keep it off. These are the Weight Loss Registry's figures, not mine. The WLR followed highly successful dieters and came up with seven reasons why people were able to keep the weight off.

Here are the seven reasons the dieters were successful.

1. The dieters accepted failure and kept on trying.

2. The dieters did not deny themselves--they indulged from time to time.

3. They weighed themselves often.

4. They exercised one hour a day.

5. They added little bits of activity into their daily life.

6. They followed a high carb and low fat diet.

7. They ate 5 meals a day.

When I compare my own weight loss success to the list above, I would say I learned how to maintain weight loss due to the following: I do the best I can with what I have available. Sometimes I am not always in a perfect situation with the healthiest choices, but I make do with what is there and I stick to the plan. If I make a not so healthy choice, I don't beat myself up for it.

I eat YUMMY and whole foods. Using the finest ingredients makes the most delicious meals and has helped me stick to Living Well. If I wanted to indulge, I would make it from scratch using the healthiest ingredients possible. To me, indulging does not mean eating junk.

I use a tape measure to keep tabs on my weight and occasionally weigh myself.

I really struggle with exercising regularly and I have NEVER exercised for one hour a day consistently. I will do heavy housework and other activities around the house to get my heart rate up and I try different forms of exercise all the time because I get bored easily.

I think it is vital to get moving every day, somehow, and it doesn't always mean you have to be in an aerobics class or on some sort of machine to get your heart rate up.

I eat organic whole foods and healthy oils. I am not sold on the idea that low fat and high carb is the way to go. High fat is not the answer either, but healthy oils are not the enemy. The rights oils will actually speed up the metabolism.

I eat only 3 meals a day and rarely snack. I do better when I don't snack or graze on food all day. BUT, you may be different. You have to do what works best for you and your unique body.

This is the MOST IMPORTANT OF ALL I think of the health I have now and my future health EVERYDAY. I really want to enjoy my older years and I want to be healthy. I don't want to sit in a rocking chair, talking about all my symptoms and the things that ail me when I am in my golden years.

The Weight Loss Registry tips and my maintenance tips are not the only path for everyone, but instead are some ideas you can use to come up with your own way to keep the weight off once you have lost it.

Ultimately, I think it is crucial to focus on your health when changing over to a healthy lifestyle. So many people are in a hurry to lose weight. They spend their entire lives putting on the weight, losing the weight temporarily on diets and just want to get rid of it as fast as possible not taking in consideration their state of health. I know you have heard this many times before but if you don't have your health, you don't have much. Being thin will mean nothing to you if you compromise your health along the way.

Even if you are losing weight slowly, good for you! The idea here is to take off the weight and keep it off for good. Even just a couple of pounds a month adds up over the course of a year. And for those that were doing everything they could and continuing to gain weight, just stopping that weight gain is a measure of success.

With these tips, you now know how to maintain weight loss. Give yourself time to adjust to a new and healthy lifestyle and enjoy yourself along the way. A year from now your body will be thanking you for it!

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To Lose Weight, you need to be motivated..

Pair your low-calorie diet with two or three servings of yogurt every day. University studies have shown that people who cut their intake of calories and ate yogurt at least twice a day over the course of several weeks actually lost more weight than those who just cut back on calories.

Be patient. Remember that weight loss is gradual and can take time. Don’t frustrate yourself by getting on the scale everyday or after every workout. Make it a point to weigh yourself once a week, or once every few days.

There is definitely one thing you should not do when trying to lose weight: do not starve yourself! If you constantly skip meals, your body will think it is being starved. Eventually your body will begin storing calories in the form of fat instead of burning them up during the day.

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Weight Loss Tips Part 2

More Weight Loss tips for you to follow...

Un-Lock – Remember not to lock your knees or your elbows while working out. Don’t place undo stress on them.

Turtle Moves – Remember who won Aesop’s famous race and go slow and steady, especially with any equipment and machines you are using. For example, avoid having machine weights slam back into position at all times.

Focus –From Aesop to the old Kung-Fu movie, here’s a tip: focus on the muscle group you are working on during your workout, Grasshopper. Look at a wall if necessary, to maintain your concentration and proceed slow and steady.

Journal – Keep a diary, journal or some type of record of your progress. Note which exercises you’re using for which muscle groups, the number of repetitions and intensity. Track your diet here, too, if you’d like. Then set goals for yourself and update them regularly.

Attention – Stand up straight! Chest out and up. Shoulders back. Keep good posture.

Breath – At first it’s difficult to monitor everything. But once you learn your routines, remember to exhale when lifting. Inhale when returning back to the beginning position.

R&R – Don’t forget that “All work and no play…” saying. Rest and relax. Work different muscle groups on alternate days.

NO Hiding! – Psst - Some of the most difficult-to-shed fat is hiding under your belly button. Even though you may have strong abs, no one will see them if the overlying tissue is fat. Ugh! Time to hit the crunches and leg raises.

In conclusion, to get the toned body you desire, you need a regularly scheduled combination program of aerobic exercises, strength training, and good, healthy eating habits. A good place to begin is with your healthcare provider for the latest information about a well-balanced dietary and exercise plan to begin your strategic weight loss today.

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Weight Loss Tips Part 1

Here are some weight loss tips for your fitness toolbox in no particular order. Mix-n-match. Read one a day. Have fun!

Tummy Toner – In addition to your weight loss workout, eat smaller portions. Your stomach is only about as large as your fist. So no need to stuff yourself with a large plate full of food.

Try a Trainer – Get advice or help from a trainer from time to time. Some online trainers are pretty affordable like around $2 week at www.HealthLife.com.

Posture Practice – Practice improving your posture daily, no matter whether you are sitting at your work desk, sitting at home in the family room or at the table, or standing and walking.

Variety – Vary your weight loss routine during the week. Alternate days that you do cardio work on days when you don’t do your weight loss work.

Routine - Also vary your routine. Research shows that a body can adapt to the same routine over a 4- to 6-week time frame. When you vary the routine, the body works harder, trying to adapt once again. At least increase the intensity or amount of sets you do. But “change” something.

Warm Up – Don’t forget to warm up with some stretches before diving into your weight loss exercises in both cardio and strength training. You only need about 5 to 8 minutes. And target the muscle groups that you’ll be using.

What is “WARM-UP” –A warm-up period helps your body by passing along lots of blood, full of nutrients, to areas that are about to be exercised, resulting in the warming up of the muscles and the lubrication of the joints. No matter whether you are working out at home, in a fitness center or outdoors, regardless of weather, you need to warm up before beginning all exercise activities in order to prepare your body for your workout. So improve your performance and reduce your risk of injury with a warm-up period.

What is “COOL-DOWN” – The period of 5 to 10 minutes at the end of your workout is the cool-down period. It allows time to lower your heart rate before you dash back off to work or other activities after your workout sessions, and reduces your risk of muscle soreness and injury that could come from your workout. This cool-down period should include 5 minutes of cardio exercise like stationary biking or walking, and should proceed at a reduced pace from your previous exercise activities. At the end, you should focus on about 5 minutes of slow, focused stretching, when your breathing goes back to where it was before your workout.

Get a Grip – When using weights, hold them firmly yet comfortably, not tight, raising your blood pressure in the process.

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