How Long Should You Rest Between Muscle Building Sessions?

In an earlier article we concluded that muscles must be worked to failure if an adequate hypertrophic response is to occur. Whether this involves one or more sets is irrelevant as in either scenario the muscles must be worked to failure and beyond. This causes significant microscopic damage to the muscle tissues and it is during the period of recovery that protein synthesis undertakes the repair process that results in bigger muscle fibers.

But how long does this process take and when is it safe to expose those same muscles to further intensive exercise? Scientific studies suggest that muscle fiber degradation takes approximately two weeks to repair and recover. Any further exposure of the affected muscle to intensive activity will interfere with the recovery process and actually prevent it from achieving maximum growth. However, using the muscle to assist in exercising other body parts or even taking part in low intensity aerobic exercise will not prevent recovery.

It follows therefore that each muscle group should be trained intensively only once each week in order to allow full recovery. This can be achieved by incorportating a split training regime that allows you to work out several times each week but still exercise each muscle group intensively only once every seven days.

Building Muscle, What Is It Worth To You?

It seems like steroids are everywhere you turn your head these days. On the news, in most sporting circles, in high schools, on the street, in foreign drug rings, and on and on. It’s amazing what people think they know and really don’t know about building muscle. While most people are probably getting sick of it, I for one and glad that this is happening. I as a bodybuilder think that it is about time that this became “dinner table” talk because people’s perceptions really need to be changed in order for this sport that I love to be a legitimate endeavor.

Building muscle is a very complicated and often abused activity. I believe there are good and bad reasons for doing it. Human strength and the muscular body are amazing and beautiful things, in my opinion, but only if it takes hard work to do it and only if it is done in a healthy way. Pushing the limits of human performance in athletics is awesome and a great motivator for people to stay healthy and fit, but the problem is that these have stopped being the prime movers in the “business” of sports. The whole problem is that is has become a business and whenever money becomes the motivation the dark side starts creeping in.

It is amazing what people will do for power whether it is prestige, or wealth, or popularity, or visibility, or whatever. All that happens is that people get hurt and the sport is denigrated and ends up losing the respect and all of the above things that people are craving when they become involved in it. I mean come on can it be that fun to be better than everyone else, when it means that you have to resort to cheating to do it? Aren’t the best things in life those things that don’t come easy? And since when did the risk of death become worth it to so many people in exchange for a few fleeting moments of “respect” that you’re give? Well I want to be the first to tell you that all people who spend a lot of time building muscle are vain.

Why do I spend lots of time building muscle? Well for one thing it is a healthy thing to do when done correctly. It protects you from all sorts of injuries and pains. It keeps you fit as muscle is one of the best metabolizers in your body. It makes your bones strong, it protects your joints, it gives you good balance and control of your body, it allows you to do activities that you enjoy for longer. It also has positive effects on you mental health. It gives you a sense of accomplishment, it elevates your mood, makes you more confident, gives you the same kind of high that a runner gets by releasing natural endorphins, etc.

So by all means get into sports and get strong but do it for the right reasons and in the right ways or you are going to end up exactly where you don’t want to be—an object of scorn and ridicule and lying on your back in a hospital bed.

Applied of Kineziologia

  The human organism is capable of autoreduction and self-healing. Then why man constantly does be ill?

Because for including the processes of autoreduction and self-healing, is necessary satisfaction of the specified conditions:

it is correct to obtain information from the receptors, located on the skin (external receptors) and located on the internal organs, the vessels, the joints (internal receptors);
to rapidly conduct the obtained information to the control centers of nervous system;
control centers must correctly react and rapidly send order to the skeletal muscles and other systems;
to the obtained command, not only muscular system, but also other systems of organism (respiratory, vascular, endocrine) must rapidly and adequately react.

WITH OTSUSTVII OF THESE CONDITIONS, WHATEVER CORRECT TREATMENT WAS CONDUCTED, IT:

Or it will be incorrectly perceived by receptors.
Or it is incorrectly carry ouied to the control centers of nervous system.
Or to it incorrectly they will react by other systems.
Truly all diseases appear as a result of the disturbance of nervous system.

For example:

Infectious disease - reason in the infection. This not entirely so, reason in the fact that the infection not was rapidly identified and in proper time removed.

Injury - result of drop. This not entirely so, reason in the fact that the information about the emergent drop did not be able rapidly and to correct reach nervous system, and man did not have time to reduce the specific groups of muscles and to be grouped.

Inclination of body, the lift of gravity - reason for the rupture of disk. This not entirely so, simply with the fulfillment of this work not the reduction of muscles of the back (either incorrectly tension it was perceived by receptors, or is incorrectly carry out to the control centers of nervous system, or incorrectly to the signal they reacted muscle) was correctly perfected.

From these positions applied of kineziologiya - method of restoring the correct reaction of nervous system.

Because it possesses the possibility to estimate the state of the peripheral component of nervous system (excitability of reflex to the tension of separate skeletal muscle) and to reveal and to remove the reasons for the failure of the reaction of nervous system to the irritation.

Applied of kineziologiya - method of activating the processes to autoreduction and to self-healing restoration.

Because under the conditions for the clear work of nervous system organism can rapidly react to the irritation of receptors and send order to the skeletal muscles and other systems (respiratory, vascular, endocrine).

Applied of kineziologiya - method of restoring the health by the briefest way.

Because there is the possibility to evaluate any action on the organism from the position of biological feedback with the organism

Aromatherapy – Myth Or Reality

  The origin of aroma therapy can be traced back to pre historic period, in the countries of ancient Egypt, Far East and China. The concept aims at the holistic treatment of the human body by making use of the immensely useful essential oils obtained from various herbs and plants.

The essential oils are normally obtained from the various parts of specific plants extracted by distillation and applied along with diluters such as almond oil, coconut oil etc. The oil content in these plants is so low that it takes huge quantities of plant parts to yield smaller quantities of essential oil, to cite an example around 440 ponds of fresh lavender flowers are required to produce a meager 2.5 pounds of essential lavender oil. That makes this product very dear.

The use of these essential oils is a part of ones life style and they takes care of the health and well being of the entire family. These oils have since become very popular in various parts of the world . Though the aromatic plants used to produce these essential oils were known and put to use since time immemorial the term ‘aroma therapy’ is of recent origin, to be precise from the early 90s only. Let us examine the use of these plants as a scent to alters one’s mood, the general atmosphere in one’s surroundings and to have a feeling of goodness.

It’s a fact that not only the natural scents serve the above purpose but also by the artificial ones. However the minute difference lies in the most natural fragrance of this nature packed oils that when used gives us a wonderful feeling.

The fairy tales behind the aroma therapy like the claim of its power to cure the cancer or the depression are all packed in mystery. No certified or scientific study has been undertaken on these tall claims the plants are supposed to possess. Even natural health experts treat it as a complimentary therapy only. Aromatherapy belongs to branches of conventional medicines or systems that are not subject to any serious study or research leading to any standardization or certification. This branch of herbal science can be used in various applications like in enhancing the beauty of skin and hair, and also on its influence on one’s moods and feelings known as aromacology. Thirdly its medicinal properties is said to cure or prevent ailments. However the best use of the therapy is said to be its wholesome benefit for the body, mind and the spirit.

Between the fantasized divinity attributed for this herbal science and the sheer neglect of this concept as a magnified traditional culture, lies the real truth of this revived ancient science that can be effectively used to get the best out of the herbal plants, hitherto neglected by the civilized society.

Alternative Medicines - Why The Silence?

If there are alternative medicines and natural treatments that really work, why don't we hear more about them? I don't think there are many true conspiracies around, but this is one of those areas that makes me wonder. The movement between government posts and positions in the pharmaceutical corporations is well documented. This easy movement between the boardrooms and the FDA and other agencies certainly leaves room for abuse and "back door agreements."

More often than not, though, there is just a conspiracy-of-common-interest that prevents safe alternative medicines from coming to market, or from becoming widely known. For example, drug companies don't want the competition of safe alternatives to their drugs. Meanwhile, it is politically safer for the FDA to not allow a product, because if they approve something and it causes any problems, they get the blame. This is a convenient coinciding of interests.

Also, natural products, like silymarin (Milk Thistle Extract), which is used all over Europe to treat poisonings and to protect the liver, are legal here, but not well known. This is because, as a natural product, there is no way to patent it. Without being able to exclude others from selling it, no company can afford to spend the millions it would take to get it approved as a medicine here.

A natural product also can't be marketed heavily. Imagine if a large company spent millions to promote a medicinal herb. As soon as they got the public's attention, all the smaller companies could undercut them on the price, since they spent nothing on marketing, and a plant product is usually the same no matter what the name on the label. No company wants to spend big money on a product they don't have an exclusive right too.

When a plant isn't approved as a natural treatment, there are no pharmaceutical reps out there educating doctors about it (Didn't you know that's how doctors keep educated?). In addition, even if a doctor has read about a useful plant, he is more likely to face a malpractice suit for an allergic reaction to an alternative medicine than from killing someone with a "standard and accepted" treatment. Which do you think he'll recommend?

Companies face the same issues of liability. In addition, the companies are limited in what they can say about these natural products. This is why you can look all over the box that some plant medicines come in, and never once see a mention of what it is for. It is tough to learn about these natural treatments, isn't it?

In other words, if you want to know about alternative medicines and medical treatment, you have to look outside the mainstream for your information. You have to read the magazines that cover these alternatives, and sometimes, when it is safe, you have to even experiment a little on yourself.

As for my own approach, I like to see that there is actually some real research that demonstrates a benefit. Anecdotal evidence doesn't mean much. People get better all the time, and credit whatever they happened to be using at the time. On the other hand, if it is inexpensive and safe, like eating blueberries to improve vision, I'll try almost anything once.

Do natural treatments work? Sometimes. I have twice removed skin growths from my face that may have even been pre-cancerous. They were there for many years, yet it took just weeks to make them disappear using a simple and cheap natural product. I have also witnessed the fastest healing of a cut (on my foot) that I've ever seen, after applying a common plant to it. Some alternative medicines really do work.

Alternative Medicine to Lower Your Blood Pressure

Home remedies and homeopathic medicine have begun popular over the years as an alternative to prescription drugs.  Many people are not aware that there are also home remedies available to lower your blood pressure.  What is nice about a home remedy is the lower cost and eliminating the unfavorable side effects of prescribed medicines.  Another advantage of home remedies is that while it may be used to alleviate one symptom, it often has other health benefits.  Many home remedies can be found in your local supermarket and health food store.

If you suffer from high blood pressure, here are a few home remedies.  These remedies will not only lower your blood pressure but are good for your general health too.

Below are a few home remedies to help lower your blood pressure

· Potassium and Magnesium.  Foods high in these minerals are bananas, molasses, soy and bananas.  Some fruits such as watermelon and grapes are also a good source.  Not only will these foods lower your blood pressure but are beneficial to your overall health too.
· Garlic has many beneficial properties that improve overall health, including lowering your blood pressure.  Consumption of garlic will also reduce blot clot occurrences in individuals.  It is believed by some researches that garlic will also lower the triglyceride levels.

Therefore, you are probably wondering what a triglyceride is.  A triglyceride is a glyceride that occurs naturally in tissues and consists of three fatty acids that are bound together in a single molecule.  They are an important energy source forming much of the fat stored in the body.

You can research on how to lower your blood pressure using home remedies in many ways.  The internet has a wealth of information dedicated to home remedies and homeopathic medicine to lower your blood pressure.  Bookstores and libraries also offer an abundance of information.  With a little research, you can find alternatives to prescription drugs for lowering your blood pressure.

As with any alternative health remedies, consult with your physician before discontinuing any prescribed medicines.  Abruptly taking your prescription medicine could have serious and long-term effects on your health.

Alternative Medicine - Gaining Popularity And Acceptance

Alternative medicine has been gaining in both popularity and acceptance in recent years. Many cities now have a plethora of shops where a person interested in buying alternative medicines can go to find whatever they are seeking, in addition to being able to take advantage of many alternative medicine services at local practitioners’ offices.

Alternative medicine is simply a way of referencing a type of treatment that is not officially recognized by the medical establishment as a relief or cure. There are literally thousands of practices that fall under this category, and most people would be surprised to find some of the items that either are or were once considered to be against the grain, or categorized as “alternative” medicine.

Not too far back in medical history, doctors did not wash their hands while helping a woman through child labor. The result was thousands of contracted infections and death due to bacterial transfer. Doctors who advocated the practice of hand-washing or warned of unseen microbes were shunned and mocked by their professional peers, and only in the last century has sterilization been a common and then regulated medical practice. It is hard to believe that something we take so much for granted was once considered alternative medicine, but it was so.

In the 21st century, alternative medicine is not as frowned upon by the medical profession as it once was. Treatments such as acupuncture are common, and many other forms of alternative medicine are gaining acceptance. Even watching weekly magazine shows like Dateline on NBC, observers can see radical alternative medicine practitioners curing patients with terminal illnesses to the wonderment of experts. Some are scams to be sure, but some are simply inexplicable, and professionals who witness the events tend not to endorse them, but neither do they dismiss them.

Part of the reason for the increase in acceptance of alternative medicine is the recognition of the powers of the mind over the body. There is increasing evidence that a patient’s attitude can sometimes shape the physical response, and this in part helps to illustrate why alternative medicine is more well received than it used to be. A patient who believes he or she is doing better, often will.

Before going out to walk on coals or ingest an ear tuft of a koala though, it is important to do some research into the practice or practitioner one is considering for advice. Alternative medicine, by its definition, is not regulated and that leaves a lot of room for quacks to take advantage of people’s ills to make a quick buck. Don’t rush into anything, and if it appears shady, do not partake of it.

Truth About Abs: A Testimonial

Testimonial Our Recommended Product - Truth About Abs

Hi,

I had been talking about this program for MONTHS, saying "I'll get it next pay...next pay...next pay..."  Finally a friend of mine got sick of my procrastination and just bought it for me as a gift.

I began the program on the 5th of February (about a month after my Dec 25th pic).  Its now 18th July and Im still going strong. So I thought I would send in my results so far.

The Program is FREAKIN BRILLIANT!!!

Before I started your program, I was running regularly and working out sometimes, but I was still getting fatter.... and fatter. I didn't really notice it until my friend took a photo of me at the beach. I was horrified!!!! I knew I had to do something about it, but I couldn't move the fat.

Everything changed when I started your truth about abs program.  In the 6 months I've been on the program, I've lost 25.4 kg and gone from 30% body fat down to 11% body fat.

THANK YOU MIKE!!!!!!!
I have been sending friends photos of my progress and then the link to your site.

Leith Carnie, Australia

(Update on Leith's results :  as seen in his 3rd pic above, Leith has dropped even more body fat in the last 4 months, and even has six pack abs now.  This just shows the changes you can make in your body if you apply the info in TruthAboutAbs. Great job Leith!)

4 Easy Health and Fitness Tips

4 Easy Health and Fitness Tips

The US has seen an enormous increase in the number of people considered obese by the medical community. In fact many call it an obesity epidemic. To combat this we find all sorts of pharamceutical companies selling the "quick fix" pills, powders, and lotions that do nothing to actually help people take the fat off and keep it off.

Of course the same could be said of the diet industry as well. There are so many different diets going around now you could pick one a month and in a years time still have more to choose from.

What is truely needed are some sensible proven weight loss tips that people can implement no matter what their present physical condition is. That said let's dive right in.

#1  Drink more water. All too often Americans are borderline dehydrated and so their bodies are working on the water starvation reflex and not flushing the toxins and junk out.

#2  Eat more often. I bet you thought I was going to say eat less. While it is true that to lose weight you need to eat less calories than you expend...you need to eat more often to get the metabolic furnace stoked up and burning right. Get it out of starvation mode. So start the day off with breakfast. Even an instant breakfast drink and a piece of fruit as we head out the door in the morning.

#3  Move more. Depending on your physical condition you need to be moving more. Use the stairs rather than the elevator, park farther out from the office or the store, go for a walk around the block, go dancing, play with your kids. Make it fun. Running is not the only way to burn more calories.

#4  Finally, determine  your "Why". Decide why you want to discard fat. Make your reason big enough to motivate you through the slumps that invariably happen.

Personally my reason was to be able to live to see my great grandkids graduate college. My youngest kids are 4 and 6 now. Besides I wanted to get out and play with them without being out of breath all the time.

In short we all need to be healthy and fit. We each have our own reasons from looking good naked to being around for the kids, maybe the doctor ordered us too. Obesity is the leading overarching cause of death in the U.S. and I dare say most of the Westernized world.

All too often we fail to think about what we are doing to ourselves and our families. So do it for them as well as yourself.

If you need help find a workout partner or get a fitness trainer. If you look online they aren't all that expensive and can help to motivate and guide you to you health and fitness goals.

Secrets to A Flat Stomach

Secrets to A Flat Stomach

Do you want a flat stomach?  I don't know a person who doesn't!
 
People spend millions, if not billions of dollars, each year in the quest for a flat stomach.  Right now there are about 200 or more ab exercise devices out there.  There's the ab do-it, the ab rock-it, the ab roller, the ab dolly, and so many more.  You would think that with all of these amazing new products that most people would be walking around with that nice, lean mid-section they've always wanted.  Unfortunately, that's not the case.

Most, if not all of these products, will do little or nothing to flatten your stomach.  And that's because these exercise contraptions cannot eliminate the layer of fat that lies on top of your abs.

In order to be successful at thinning your waistline you must have a basic under standing of how the ab muscles function and how your body burns fat.  The first thing that needs to be understood is the difference between fat and muscle.  Fat is excess calories and is primarily stored in layers on top of muscle tissue.  Muscle is made up of fibers that contract or shorten to produce movement.  Fat cannot turn into muscle and muscle cannot turn into fat!  However, you can lose muscle and you can gain fat.  That's what happens to most people.

So if your goal is to thin your waist line and have a nice flat stomach, the first thing you need to do is decrease / eliminate the layers of fat that are on top of your abs. We all have a flat stomach; it's just some of oar’s are covered by excess fat. 

The most effective way of flattening your stomach is a combination of strength training (with a extra focus on mid-section), cardiovascular exercise (short, hard workouts), and stable blood sugar (keeps you from adding additional fat and makes it easier for the body to use body fat for fuel).

1.  You must do some form of progressive strength training

The primary function of the ab muscle is to flex your torso forward.  However, there are also muscles that flex your torso to the side and muscles that rotate your torso.  Often times you see people on their ab roller every day doing hundreds of crunches or sit-ups.

If you want to effectively strengthen your stomach you need to incorporate the following types of exercises:

1-2 forward flexion exercises (crunch, sit-up, etc.)
1-2 side flexion exercises (side bends, side crunches, etc.)
1-2 rotational exercises (trunk rotations, standing twists, etc.)

The abs, are muscles just like any other and should be worked at most 3 times per week.  You also want to make sure you are training them progressively, working them harder each time.

2.  Use short, hard cardio workouts to increase metabolism
Cardio workouts are important because they CAN, if done correctly, increase your metabolism for 4-24 hours or more!  This means you are less likely to store any excess calories as body fat because they are more likely to be used by your elevated metabolism.  Plus, you are more likely to burn off some excess body fat.

Below is a sample interval workout that can be done with just about any activity (walking, bicycling, swimming, stair climbing, etc.).

Warm up at easy pace 2-5 minutes à Perform 30 seconds of hard work (almost as hard as possible) à perform 1 minute of moderate work (recovery time-catch breath)à Repeat this process 6-10 times à Cool down at an easy pace for 2-5 minutes

3.  Stable blood sugar is the key

And most importantly, you must stabilize your blood sugar!  This is by far the most important factor when it comes to burning away that excess body fat and keeping it off!  To effectively stabilize your blood sugar you must feed your body frequently; like every 2-3 hours.  The key is to give your body only what it needs at that time.  Your body burns calories 24 hours a day, so, why would you only feed it once or twice a day?  Give your body the fuel it needs: vegetables, fruits, nuts, berries, whole grains, and lean proteins (chicken, fish, lean beef, eggs, etc.). 

Many people are too hung up on how much fat is in food, or how healthy of a choice it is.  Calories are calories and it doesn’t matter where they come from.  If there’s extra… where’s it going?  Yup, you guessed it… body fat! 

This is not to say that what you eat is not important because it is, it just doesn’t have that much of an affect when it comes to fat loss.  Try to make healthy choices whenever possible, but don’t feel like if you eat a cheeseburger it is guaranteed to be stored as fat.

4.  Get the help of a professional

Unfortunately, most people don’t know enough about the human body, nutrition, or effective exercise to meet their health and fitness goals.  Ask yourself this one question, “Am I happy with my current progress or condition?”  If you’re not, you should consider getting the help of a qualified personal fitness professional.  Don’t depend on the information you get from magazines or from your local gym/ health club.  A qualified fitness professional can help you achieve your health and fitness goals, and in less time than you would imagine.

If you are serious about your health and fitness goals, and you are ready for that flat stomach, I recommend you start implementing the 4 strategies listed in this article.  These 4 strategies can help you take control of your metabolism and burn off that excess body fat and having you looking and feeling great! 

3 Ways to Exercise On A Busy Schedule

3 Ways to Exercise On A Busy Schedule

Ryan Russell

Arm your exercise space for battle. 

What would it take for your treadmill to be used? What about the weights? Maybe all you need is for your exercise space/room to be more inviting. You could accomplish this by decorating. Add color, texture, and other elements that will appeal to your senses-sight, smell, and sound. Do simple things like keeping a water pitcher on a table, or adjusting the light to fit your mood. If instead of comfort, your worry is infringing on productive time, consider adding a television with a VCR. This allows you to watch the news or watch a movie that you wouldn't normally have time to watch. You can view it in 20-30 minute increments. View it only when exercising, forcing you back on the equipment to see what happens next. It might be the motivating factor you've been looking for. Another possibility is to listen to a book on tape or recorded meeting notes through a headset. You can also record notes or the next day's "to do" list as you think of things while exercising.

Walk whenever possible. 

This includes the old stand bys like taking the stairs instead of the elevator, parking a distance from your destination, and delivering messages in your office by foot instead of by email. You can also walk on your lunch hour and breaks instead of sitting down to eat or snacking. To get your lunchtime nutrition, eat a quick salad at your desk before you take off. Bringing your food from home will save drive time to a restaurant, enabling you to get more from your breaks. Invite co-worker to walk with you.

Choose active family activities. 

Instead of eating a big dinner out-eat a healthy meal at home and then take a walk around the neighborhood together. You'll save the calories of the large restaurant portions, the time it takes to drive to an establishment, and gain that much need family time. Other "active" activities include walking around at the zoo, hiking on local nature preserves, bicycling, ice-skating, and swimming. The list is endless. Let these types of activities replace television watching and video games.

Turn your good intentions into action. You'll be healthier and will improve your overall well-being. You may end up with better work relationships as a result of hand delivering your messages. You will certainly strengthen family relationships by focusing on your time together. By investing a little time each day in the development of a healthy lifestyle, you could add years to your life, enabling you to enjoy the days when you no longer have such a chaotic schedule.

3 Ways To Drink More Water

3 Ways To Drink More Water

After a little research it is apparent that nobody really knows where the saying that you need to drink 8 cups of water per day comes from. Some people trace it back to a study in the 1980's, and other people claim that doctors starting telling people that amount because it was a good goal, but didn't have any scientific research to back it up with.

Either way, the point is clear, water does wonders for your body, and your brain. Water is well known to cleanse your body of harmful chemicals through your intestines and also throughout your urine tract. Without proper water intake, our bodies break down very quickly, in a matter of days. Without food, however, some people can live for a week or two. That just shows how important water is to our bodies.

Here are 3 quick tips for taking in more water.

1. Always have water available.

I like to buy the 12 ounce bottles of water and keep them in the fridge. Whenever I go to the gym I grab a bottle. On my way out the door to work, I grab a bottle. Before a trip that will be 30 minutes or longer, I grab a bottle. When I watch a movie, I grab a bottle.

Whenever I am sitting watching TV or a movie, I will keep the bottle in my hand with the lid off. I take a lot of little sips until the bottle is gone. A great way of making sure you drink more water is to make sure it is easily accessible.

2. Keep it cold.

I don't know many people who like to drink room temperature water, I sure don't. If you keep your water cold, you will drink more. I make sure there is always ice in my freezer, this make it very easy to have a cold glass of water anytime.

3. Chose water in restaurants.

Whenever I go out to eat, I always drink water with some lemon. The lemon adds a little spunk to the taste and the water is always nice, cold and refreshing. After a short time you will stop craving your old drink of choice and will begin to appreciate the taste, or lack of taste, that water provides.

Give water a shot and your body will be thankful!

3 Steps to Permanent Weight Loss

3 Steps to Permanent Weight Loss

Alicia Ashley

There is not another subject on the planet more confusing than weight loss.  There are literally thousands and thousands of books written on the topic and each one disagrees with the next.  But, there is a secret to permanent weight loss and it is simple.

The real secret to permanent weight loss is…

The ability to sustain the daily practice of healthy, moderate eating and exercise habits long enough to attain the results you desire, and then continue performing these habits in order to maintain your results for lifelong success!

There is it.  I know, it sounds simple but it is not!  We live in a fast food, everything-should-be-easy, bigger-is-better society.  Gluttony and instant gratification are the norm. 

I believe there are three obstacles that thwart our ability to practice the healthy, moderate eating and exercise habits necessary to attain the results we desire, they are:

1) Getting most of our pleasure in life through the food we eat
2) Lack of long-term self-discipline in the areas of health and fitness
3) Lack of long-term self-motivation in the areas of health and fitness
Let’s take a closer look at each of these. 

OBSTACLE ONE
Most people are so busy day-in and day-out that the food they eat is their greatest pleasure.  This is a true danger that prevents permanent weight loss.  If you’re burning the candle at both ends, rushing from one commitment to the next all day long, when you sit down to eat you want it to be extra good, because you deserve it. 

SOLUTION ONE
Find ways to get more pleasure in a day.  Have ten minutes of quiet time everyday reading your favorite book or magazine, spend a few minutes with a friend on the phone, or begin a new hobby that is fun.  It doesn’t take a lot of time; just find other ways to load up on pleasure so that you don’t have to load up on food.

OBSTACLE TWO
Most people do not have the chip in their brains that allows for joyful self-discipline in the areas of health and fitness.  Most of us have to be disciplined to get to work on time, meet deadlines, follow traffic laws, but not to limit food or exercise regularly.  Some rationalize that since they have to be so disciplined in other ways they don’t want to be when it comes to their food and exercise.

SOLUTION TWO
To establish long-term self-discipline you must focus on the joy of the reward you will get at the end of the road, not the challenge of the journey.  So make a list of the top ten rewards you will gain when you lose weight.  You must also ask yourself what it costs you to be overweight.  Does it cost you your self-respect?  Your joy and aliveness in life?  Has it cost you a relationship or a job?  Remembering the rewards and the cost makes practicing self-discipline a lot easier. 

OBSTACLE THREE
It’s easy to be motivated around January 1st, but what happens to all that motivation around March 1st?  Or the first time a brownie passes by? Believe it or not, most people are not the master of their own motivation. They think just because they want it that it is motivation enough, and it is not.

SOLUTION THREE
You must reinvent your motivation every day.  To do this write the top ten reasons you want to lose weight and keep it off.  Also, make a list of the people who motivate you to want to lose weight and why.  Review these lists, along with the ones you created above, in the morning and in the evening.  Your motivation is ever evolving so what motivated you last week might not be motivating next week.  So revise your lists regularly.

When you overcome these obstacles you will lose weight because over time, you will find other ways to get pleasure in your life, you will practice positive self-discipline and learn to live on less food and love it, and you will reinvent the motivation everyday to keep it all going. 

How To Slow Down The Ageing Process

How To Slow Down The Ageing Process

You can't stop ageing but you can certainly slow it down. Here is something from today's news (26 September, 2018) about this in the news. Check out what an ordinary mother and daughter are doing, Click Here. 

Age is not a force but a measurement of time. That is why you have some people who are 40 that looks like they are 50 and vice versa. If ageing was a force, we would all have that same age look at the same time. If you don't believe this, there are people who can show you pictures that were taken 10 years ago and how they look older than they do now.

Alternative Medicine is Preventive; Western Medicine Has Harmful Side Effects

 Alternative Medicine is Preventive; Western Medicine Has Harmful Side Effects

Have you heard the term “wellness?” It has two contexts, one in alternative medicine and one in Western medicine. In the alternative medicine world, wellness means taking care of yourself so you don't get sick. Let's find ways to avoid cancer, heart disease, mental illness. We can do this through changing our diet, exercising more, and changing our energy fields. In Western medicine, we wait until we get one of these diseases, then we rush heroically to “beat the disease.” In Western medicine, the term wellness means “early detection” of disease.

If you walk into a “Wellness Center” in a hospital, you'll see mammogram screening rooms, MRI machines and other tools to scan for the existence of disease. Is that wellness? To me, it's not. Wellness is about staying well, it is about avoiding disease in the first place. When a person is told “You have cancer,” it is a major blow to their psyches, and their lives. Why go through that if you don't have to? Why not do whatever you can to avoid that terrible day?

 Western medicine treats the “pre-detection” part of life as a kind of random soup of nothingness. You can't really do anything about any of these diseases, you just get them or you don't. No rhyme or reason to it, it just hits you, and then you deal with it. Genetics is a big factor in the Western medical model. If you get cancer, ah, well, it was in your genes that you'd get it. You see, your great grandfather had cancer, so it was inevitable that you'd get it too. Huh? Unfortunately, Western medicine can't explain why siblings get or don't get diseases supposedly passed on from their parents.

One sister dies of cancer at a young age (because of genetics) and the other sister lives to be 100 (genetics). For my part, I'm going to take the best care of myself possible, and not play a silly waiting game for disease.

Alternative Medicine is Holistic, Western Medicine is Reductionist

Alternative Medicine is Holistic, Western Medicine is Reductionist

The major difference between alternative medicine, or what I'll call holistic health, and Western medicine, is in approach.

A Western doctor, or MD, sees his duty as searching out disease, diagnosing it, and treating it. If he does that correctly and effectively, he's done his job. Most often, this means the doctor prescribing a pharmaceutical drug or a surgical procedure to remedy the situation.  The patients is passive in all of this.

A holistic health practitioner sees her duty as an educator and a facilitator. She feels that the body can heal itself, and it doesn't necessarily need outside influences (drugs, surgery) to heal from an illness or to prevent an illness. In holistic health, the patient is an active participant.

This is the best and the worst thing about holistic health! The patient is actively involved in the healing process.  Everything you know about your body says that this is the right approach. It makes so much sense.  That's the good part.  The bad thing about this is that it is HARD WORK for the patient.  In most cases, the patient must make changes to their lifestyle.  Change your diet, do more exercise, stop using sugar, do these stretches, stop negative thoughts, meditate twice a day, etc.
Making lifestyle changes is immensely difficult.  The only time it's easy is when you are faced with a life-threatening disease.  When you find out you have lung cancer, it's pretty easy to quit smoking.  However, it's far too late by that time.  Lifestyle changes need to come before the illness becomes manifest.

Let's examine one of the big differences between holistic health and Western medicine: holism versus reductionism.

Holistic versus Reductionist

This is a major shift in perspective.  Taking a holistic perspective means that you cannot understand a single problem with a single part of the human body without looking at the whole person.  We use the short-hand “mind, body, spirit” to refer to the whole person.

This is not how a Western doctor is taught to see a patient.  He sees the patient <i>as</i> the disease.  “This is an epileptic,” it is not a whole person who has epilepsy. He feels that he can administer a drug or perform a surgery that will cure a person's liver without making any difference to the rest of the person.  Of course, this is never possible, so when the inevitable “complications” arise, the Western doctor deals with those one at a time, often causing additional problems for the person, whether in body, mind or spirit.

Even those three parts of the person are treated by separate people in Western society.  The body is the domain of the medical doctor.  The mind is the domain of the psychiatrist. Spirit is left to the priest, rabbi or pastor.  There is no overlap in roles, except for referrals from one to the other.  In our bodies, of course, there is tremendous overlap.  A loss of connection to God or the universe will cause no end of mental and physical problems.  Mental stress causes many physical diseases, as we well know.  Who can coordinate between these in the Western system?  No one.  Problems falling “through the cracks” between mind, body and spirit is a common failure of Western medicine.
A holistic practitioner understands the interconnections between mind, body and spirit.  They work on the connections, and, although the practitioner may not be an expert in all three, they focus on the overlaps rather than ignoring them.

In my opinion, a holistic approach is better in almost every case for almost every person. Understanding the linkages between mind, body and spirit is essential to understanding how to stay well and how to heal.  Western medicine can play a part within the scope of holistic health by offering emergency solutions to problems that arise quickly and need to be fixed immediately.

Free Book: A Healthy Happy You

Free Book: A Healthy Happy You

Find out what you need to be A Healthy and Happy You in this free PDF booklet by the same title.

Here is one tip from the booklet:
Water is the sole fluid that will truly flush your system out. It's extremely suggested that you drink adequate water every day. Remember next time you have to buy something to drink, get a bottle of water. You'll save cash and your health will benefit without the sugar and additional ingredients in a soda pop. Click Here.

Benefits of Pilates

Benefits of Pilates

Pilates is one of the most rewarding types of exercise because it encompasses stretch, strength and improves flexibility in the safest way while avoiding injury.

Pilates started as a way of rehabilitating athletes and dancers but is now used by millions of people across the globe because it is one of the safest forms of exercise.

Forget going for a run, pounding on pavement with the potential risk of getting shin splints, a knee injury or worse, falling and getting an even more severe injury. Pilates is one of the safest exercise systems in existence. The only equipment used is a floor mat. But for more advanced pilates exercise enthusiasts, other equipment can be added to simple routines. Nevertheless, once you begin this solid workout regimen, you will begin to notice healthy improvements in your body.

Regardless of whether you are 20 or 60 years of age, Pilates can work for anyone – male or female, old or young. No matter what condition you’re in, the health and fitness benefits are endless. Pilates improves flexibility, core strength and range of motion. It is also known to help alleviate chronic health ailments as well as fight back pain.

But the best part about Pilates is it’s fun!

It’s an exercise that bonds the mind and body allowing them to work together to establish balance. But the biggest benefit is Pilates improves overall body alignment, making it less prone to injury.

Here are some more benefits of Pilates:

• Improves breathing
• Corrects spinal and pelvic alignment through the concentration of slow, flowing, smooth movements with maximum power.
• Builds long, lean muscles that are less prone to injury, while building strength - without the bulk.
• Improves flexibility and range of motion.
• Improves back and abdominal strength.
• Creates balance between muscles - as weak muscles become stronger and the strong muscles also gain more strength never over training or under training any particular muscle group. This balance makes it easier to enjoy daily activities with less risk of injury. Pilates allows you to retrain your body to move in smoother safer, more efficient patterns of motion, which is essential in optimal performance and overall health.
• There is no pounding or bouncing in Pilates. It is the safest form of exercise. This is why it began as a rehabilitation exercise system for sports athletes and dancers. It is an intense exercise system working all muscle groups but still sustaining and improving overall balance.
If you are looking for a fitness routine that’s safe and easy to do - and that doesn’t involve a lot of heavy equipment, Pilates is an excellent choice. But best of all, with the popularity of this system, it can be performed in the comfort of your own home! Many videos and DVD’s are available for rent at your local video store as well as for sale at your local supermarket.
Need the right exercise system? Pilates may be just the right thing for you. Fun, easy and relaxing exercise that strengthens and restores flexibility… Doesn’t get much better than this!

Secrets and Tips For Anti-Ageing

Secrets and Tips For Anti-Ageing

Staying Young, looking younger or just feeling younger is a multimillion dollar industry. There's a really good reason for it. We have an ever-aging generation. This generation is one of the largest generation on the planet. Naturally, there's a huge number of this population that do not want to grow old. Therefore, anti-aging products are rampant in the marketplace. But don't get 'taken' by the unnecessary products that play on the emotions of those who wish to look young.

The following are three secrets and tips that will allow you to avoid the risks of buying certain products that are not needed.

Secret Tip #1: Feed Your Face
If you feed your face with anti-aging food on a consistent basis, you'll find it easier to stay young. Another way to say this is to just make sure you're not feeding your body full of junk that is sure to perpetuate the aging process. Also, know that if you try to escape the eating step, you'll grow older faster. The body knows what it needs. Just give it to your body.

Secret Tip #2: Pick Something or Go Somewhere
In other words, get up off the couch, turn the TV off and do some anti-aging activities. This doesn't have to be work either. Find an activity or two that you enjoy. Walk, run, weight train, ride a bike, get on a pogo stick. Do anything that causes your body to move and exert some activity. This will allow your body to stay young by stretching muscles and keeping you limber at the same time.

Secret Tip #3: Don't Be A Party Pooper
Mentioned above for the #2 Anti-Aging Secret Tip was finding something you enjoy. That's the whole secret of this entire article. Find something you have fun doing. Just know this, if drinking alcohol into a drunken stupor is the one thing you enjoy, you are not going stay young for very long. In fact, if you're older in age and you're doing this you may not even enjoy staying old. The key to the entire process of anti-aging is to treat your body right and have fun doing it.

Enjoy life, stay young mentally, emotionally, physically and you'll see an anti-aging process that you'll be happy about. That will give you the motivation and momentum to continue the lifestyle of anti-aging.

"The Way to Health & Vitality"

"The Way to Health & Vitality"

It's time to start a Healthy life:
your 7 days program

How many times have you gone to sleep at night, swearing you'll go to the gym in the morning, and then changing your mind just eight hours later because when you get up, you don't feel like exercising?

While this can happen to the best of us, it doesn't mean you should drop the ball altogether when it comes to staying fit. What people need to realize is that staying active and eating right are critical for long-term health and wellness -- and that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

The more you know about how your body responds to your lifestyle choices, the better you can customize a nutrition and exercise plan that is right for you. When you eat well, increase your level of physical activity, and
exercise at the proper intensity, you are informing your body that you want to burn a substantial amount of fuel. This translates to burning fat more efficiently for energy.

In other words, proper eating habits plus exercise equals fast metabolism, which, in turn gives you more energy throughout the day and allows you to do more physical work with less effort.

The true purpose of exercise is to send a repetitive message to the body asking for improvement in metabolism, strength, aerobic capacity and overall fitness and health. Each time you exercise, your body responds by upgrading its capabilities to burn fat throughout the day and night, Exercise doesn't have to be intense to work for you, but it does need to be consistent.

I recommend engaging in regular cardiovascular exercise four times per week for 20 to 30 minutes per session, and resistance training four times per week for 20 to 25 minutes per session. This balanced approach provides a
one-two punch, incorporating aerobic exercise to burn fat and deliver more oxygen, and resistance training to increase lean body mass and burn more calories around the block.

Here's a sample exercise program that may work for you:

* Warm Up -- seven to eight minutes of light aerobic activity intended to increase blood flow and lubricate and warm-up your tendons and joints.

* Resistance Training -- Train all major muscle groups. One to two sets of each exercise. Rest 45 seconds between sets.


* Aerobic Exercise -- Pick two favorite activities, they could be jogging, rowing, biking or cross-country skiing, whatever fits your lifestyle. Perform 12 to 15 minutes of the first activity and continue with 10 minutes of the
second activity. Cool down during the last five minutes.

* Stretching -- Wrap up your exercise session by stretching, breathing deeply, relaxing and meditating.

When starting an exercise program, it is important to have realistic expectations. Depending on your initial fitness level, you should expect the following changes early on.

* From one to eight weeks -- Feel better and have more energy.

* From two to six months -- Lose size and inches while becoming leaner. Clothes begin to fit more loosely. You are gaining muscle and losing fat.

* After six months -- Start losing weight quite rapidly.

Once you make the commitment to exercise several times a week, don't stop there. You should also change your diet and/or eating habits,' says Zwiefel. Counting calories or calculating grams and percentages for certain nutrients is
impractical. Instead, I suggest these easy-to-follow guidelines:

* Eat several small meals (optimally four) and a couple of small snacks throughout the day

* Make sure every meal is balanced -- incorporate palm-sized proteins like lean meats, fish, egg whites and dairy products, fist-sized portions of complex carbohydrates like whole-wheat bread and pasta, wild rice, multigrain cereal and potatoes, and fist-sized portions of vegetable and
fruits

* Limit your fat intake to only what's necessary for adequate flavour

* Drink at least eight 8-oz. glasses of water throughout the day

* I also recommend that you take a multi-vitamin each day to ensure you are getting all the vitamins and minerals your body needs.

I suppose that's all I can think of for now. I should extend my thanks to a doctor friend of mine. Without him, I wouldn't be able to write this article, or keep my sanity.

Enjoy life, we all deserve it.

"A Better You" Your 7 days program to self-improvement

  "A Better You" Your 7 days program to self-improvement

A better you in 7 days - is it possible? I seem to lost count on how many times I've read and heard of celebrity marriages failing almost left and right. Not that I care (and personally I don't), it seems strange that we often see movie and TV stars as flawless people, living the fairytale life of riches and glamour. I suppose we all have to stop sticking our heads in the clouds and face reality.

There are many ways to lose your sense of self-esteem despite of how trivial it could get. But whatever happens, we should all try not to lose our own sense of self.

So what does it take to be a cut above the rest? Here are some of the things you can think and improve on that should be enough for a week.

1. Know your purpose
Are you wandering through life with little direction - hoping that you'll find happiness, health and prosperity? Identify your life purpose or mission statement and you will have your own unique compass that will lead you to your truth north every time.

This may seem tricky at first when you see yourself to be in a tight or even dead end. But there's always that little loophole to turn things around and you can make a big difference to yourself.

2. Know your values
What do you value most? Make a list of your top 5 values. Some examples are security, freedom, family, spiritual development, learning. As you set your goals for 2005 - check your goals against your values. If the goal doesn't align with any of your top five values - you may want to reconsider it or revise it.

The number shouldn't discourage you, instead it should motivate you to do more than you can ever dreamed of.

3. Know your needs
Unmet needs can keep you from living authentically. Take care of yourself. Do you have a need to be acknowledged, to be right, to be in control, to be loved? There are so many people who lived their lives without realizing their dreams and most of them end up being stressed or even depressed for that matter. List your top four needs and get them met before it's too late!

4. Know your passions
You know who you are and what you truly enjoy in life. Obstacles like doubt and lack of enthusiasm will only hinder you, but will not derail your chance to become the person you ought to be. Express yourself and honor the people who has inspired you to become the very person you wanted to be.

5. Live from the inside out
Increase your awareness of your inner wisdom by regularly reflecting in silence. Commune with nature. Breathe deeply to quiet your distracted mind. For most of us city slickers it's hard to even find the peace and quiet we want even in our own home. In my case I often just sit in a dimly lit room and play some classical music. There's sound, yes, but music does soothe the savage beast.

6. Honor your strengths
What are your positive traits? What special talents do you have? List three - if you get stuck, ask those closest to you to help identify these. Are you imaginative, witty, good with your hands? Find ways to express your authentic self through your strengths. You can increase your self-confidence when you can share what you know to others.

7. Serve others
When you live authentically, you may find that you develop an interconnected sense of being. When you are true to who you are, living your purpose and giving of your talents to the world around you, you give back in service what you came to share with others -your spirit - your essence. The rewards for sharing your gift with those close to you is indeed rewarding, much more if it were to be the eyes of a stranger who can appreciate what you have done to them.

Self-improvement is indeed one type of work that is worth it. It shouldn't always be within the confines of an office building, or maybe in the four corners of your own room. The difference lies within ourselves and how much we want to change for the better.

Ways To Shed 7 Pounds In 14 Days

7 Ways Ways To Shed 7 Pounds In 14 Days

The search for ways to speed up your weight loss is over. With these seven tips, you can be seven pounds lighter in the next two weeks. Be ready to make some changes, but your thinner self will thank you.

Make water your best friend

While it should come as no surprise that water is your best weapon in weight loss, some still haven’t caught on. By increasing your water consumption to six to eight glasses a day, you will help you body flush out toxins that are impeding the weight that you want to lose.

Water helps to speed digestion as well as many other processes in your body. And if your body is running more smoothly, then you can burn more calories along the way.

A new appetizer

If you’re looking to cut back on the foods that you’re eating, here’s a trick that works for anyone. Start your lunches and dinners off with a small cup of soup. Of course, the soup shouldn’t be cream based; a broth will work very well.

The warm soup will help to make your stomach feel fuller so that you eat less at the meal that follows. This is also a good trick if you are going out to eat. Have that bowl of soup before you go to curb your temptation for larger portions.

Take away the salt

A lot of the extra weight people carry is due to a large intake of salt. Salt can be found in many of the things that we consider healthy—frozen lunches, canned soups, and condiments.

Take some time over the next two weeks to look at the labels of the things that you eat to see how much salt (as sodium) are in the foods that you have been eating. Avoiding prepackaged foods is the best way to remove the salt from your diet.

Take away the sugars

While we don’t want to admit it, sugar is keeping us overweight and unhappy. And sugar isn’t just a candy bar or a milkshake, it’s also in the white breads and pastas that we love.

But if you want to lose weight, it’s time to find better ways of eating. This can include switching to brown rice and whole wheat bread. And of course, limiting your sugary snacks to once in a great while.

Get moving

When you’re trying to lose weight, you need to start exercising. If you haven’t exercised before, you’re in luck. Studies have shown that you can walk just a few times a week and burn the calories that you want to burn.

Thirty minutes a day is the best way to lose seven pounds in two weeks, but if you don’t have that much time, try to split it up over the course of the day—say ten minutes three times a day, or just try to fit in three good thirty minute walks a week.

Slow down

One of the main things that trigger overeating is not taking time for your self. When you’re trying to lose weight, it’s essential that you set aside a little time each day for you and you alone. By giving yourself some quiet time, you’ll be able to slow down and remember that you’re worth the extra effort that you’re putting in to lose weight.

Just like mom said

And don’t forget about your fruits and veggies. Though fruits do contain sugar, they also contain fewer calories than your traditional sugary snacks.

If you really want to jumpstart some weight loss, eat steamed vegetables at every meal. Not only do they have a slightly diuretic effect (makes you lose water weight), but they also energize your body to keep making great choices.

When you want to lose weight, you need help, but with these tips, you have everything you need.

7 Killer Ways To Maximize Your Fat Burning In The Gym

7 Killer Ways To Maximize Your Fat Burning In The Gym

Hey, we all want to shed some pounds and get back to the body that we had when we were younger and didn’t appreciate it but it takes discipline, planning, and dedication to make that happen. All too often people shed 10 or 15 pounds and then seem to stop losing weight. There is definitely a reason this happens and it should not be seen as failure or an excuse to give up on your weight loss goals. Here are 7 absolutely killer ways to maximize your fat burning routine and help ensure success with your weight loss goals.

1) Anaerobic Exercise

If you think you can just run laps or pedal that fat away, think again. Muscle tissue is what burns the most calories in our bodies and you need to life weights in order to create bigger muscles that will burn more calories. Now although aerobic exercises such as cycling or swimming are also necessary, the fact remains that building bigger muscles is the best way to lose weight and keep it off. This is because you are creating a more efficient calorie burning machine by lifting weights which will ensure you success with your weight loss goals.

2) Warm-up and Cool Down

Warming up before exercising and taking the time to cool down afterwards with some light exercises are not generally seen as essential to a fat burning program. However, the reason why a lot of people tend to give up on their weight loss goals is because they failed to see the progress they hoped for when they began. An injury, even one that only lasts for a few days, can set your weight loss goals back by weeks and lead to a loss of stimulation. You need to plan an extra twenty minutes into your weight lifting routine for these two essential activities or you risk injury and derailing your weight loss plan.

3) Diet, Diet, Diet

This should not be a killer way to maximize your weight loss goals but it is. The reason for this is because people tend to think of losing weight in two ways: diet, or exercise. Hey, these two go hand in hand and you are never going to maximize your fat burning routine in the gym unless you take care of your body outside of the gym. Stop thinking of meals in terms of three: instead, think 5 meals with smaller portions. The FDA recently developed a new food pyramid with this very idea in mind and you should check it out before starting your fat burning program because it can save you a lot of time and energy if you get the diet part figured out before even stepping into the gym.

4) Plan Workouts

The body is the most complex machine on the planet and you can’t just hope to step into a gym and jump on a machine or some weights and think that you are going to see the results you want without knowing how they affect your body. The ideal exercise routine is done only 3 or 4 times per week and only for 30-45 minutes at a time. You cannot work your body more than this because it will actually cause your muscles to break down which means you will be burning fewer calories, and therefore, not maximizing your fat burning routine in the gym. If you have any doubts about what kind of routine is ideal for your goals, don’t be afraid to consult an physical trainer to help you set up a program that is best suited for you.

5) Nutritional Supplements

If you really want to maximize your fat burning routine in the gym, then you need to consider using nutritional supplements. Now I am not talking about those crazy supplements that promise to burn fat for you while you sit and watch tv! I am talking about essential fatty acids, amino acids, whey protein….things that will truly maximize your workouts that you can’t always expect to get in the foods you eat every day. Again, consult a physical trainer if you want to know which supplements are best for your weight loss goals.

6) Set Weekly Goals

I know that this just seems terribly obvious but the truth is that most people are not thrilled with the idea of working out so it is easy for them to skip a session or indulge in some pizza and think that they will make up for it next time. Listen, next time never comes and when you stop seeing the scales go down, the motivation just seems to stop. By setting weekly goals, you can track your progress and make it that much more likely that you will adhere to the goals when you see things are not going as expected.

7) No More Late Night Snacks

This one may not seem to make sense, but I assure you that it will help maximize your fat burning exercises. The reason is your metabolism. When you eat right before you go to bed, it throws your body off and you probably notice that you awaken and don’t feel hungry. Then, you skip breakfast entirely or only snack on a bagel or something on you way into work.

The result: the body goes into conservation mode. This means that it slows down your metabolism and that means you are burning less calories throughout the day. Plus, it increases the likelihood of snacking and basically just sets the scene for a bad cycle. Eating five smaller portioned meals per day also has to do with your metabolism as it has been found that metabolism remains highest when there is a consistent supply of food in the body. You might not believe that late night snacking affects the way your body burns fat when working out, but it does.

Now some of the things listed above are obvious while some just seem silly. And yet, taken together and consistently adhered to, these 7 little ideas will maximize your fat burning in the gym and get you to that body you can see in your mind but not the mirror far quicker than if you just go about things in a disorganized and inconsistent manner.

Ending Bad Eating Habits

Ending Bad Eating Habits

A client wrote, "Help me! I thought I was finally getting a handle on my weight issue but the sugar is killing me. I had an awful day. I won't even tell you what I ate today because it is just so unbelievable. All I will say is that 90% of my food today consisted of sugar! I really, really need some help getting past these cravings. I am no doubt a sugar addict. If I could get past this there is no doubt that I will reach my goal."

If you see a little of yourself in this message, you're not alone. Many describe themselves as sugar addicts. They believe if it were only for that one thing, then they could reach their weight loss goals. If you believe only one thing stands in your way of losing weight, consider this: What if that one thing (an  addiction to sugar for instance) were gone? Do you really believe, "If I could get past this, there is no doubt that I will reach my goal," or is it an easy excuse to stay stuck?

If I told you I could show you a way to stop craving sugar, would you want me to show you how?

Think about that for a moment. Close your eyes and really think it through. You've said if only you didn't crave sugar, then you could lose weight, but is that really true for you? Ask yourself these questions:

Would you eat differently, and if so how?

Would you act differently, and if so how?

What else would change, and what would stay the same?

What would you lose?

What would you gain?

Until you know what you want, know you can achieve it, and know what else will change (i.e. how your life may be different), you can't discover any obstacles that first must be considered. For instance, you may want to stop eating anything after 7 PM yet your husband doesn't come home from work until 8 and he wants you to join him for dinner. That's an obstacle.

If you've got a habit of watching your favorite TV show with a bowl of ice cream, then breaking that habit is another obstacle.

If you don't work out ways to overcome your obstacles perhaps through discussion and compromise with your husband, or habit breaking exercises for your ice cream habit, there's bound to be a problem. Just saying you're not going to do something any mroe rarely works. Instead determine what might stand in the way of achieving your goals, find a way around them, and you're much more likely to actually achieve those goals once and for all.

The statement, "if this one thing were handled, then everything else would fall into place" is an "If Then" statement and gets people into trouble. They want a fairy godmother to make it all better. A strong belief that one single thing such as, "eating sugar is my problem," sets you up to fail, especially if you really like eating sugary foods.

Getting a handle on your cravings is not an all-or-nothing proposition. You must leave room for occasional deviations. It's not the occasional side trip that causes weight trouble, it's the road we usually travel.

In NLP (Neuro Linguistic Programming) a good starting point is the exercise called Establishing a Well Formed Outcome. "Well formed" means it meets all criteria of a well thought-out end result.

<b>NLP: How to Create a Well Formed Outcome & Get What You Want</b>

Here are the steps to creating a well formed outcome:

1) State what you want (not what you do not want). "I want to weigh 135 pounds."

2) Determine whether you can achieve it (do you believe it is possible?).

3) What resources do you have and what do you need (time, money, gear, clothes, equipment, coaching, whatever).

4) Check whether anyone else is involved and any potential obstacles that may come up regarding others. Think of everyone involved in your day-to-day life.

5) Picture yourself "as if" you've obtained what you say you want and see if that picture fits. Do you like what you see?

6) Put together a plan of action for the achievement of your outcome.

While it may seem like a lot of effort simply to decide what you really want, going through these steps at the beginning helps you find potential obstacles which previously stopped you from moving forward. For example, if you decide you want to join a gym and start exercising every day but you've forgotten you don't even own a car and just lost your job, that exercise plan might not work out right now. If you did join a gym, you'd end up not going and then you'd think you'd failed, yet it was the plan that failed, not you. You didn't think it through.

A better plan in this instance may be doing exercises at home, or within walking distance (or simply walking for exercise). Later, when you do have transportation, you can rethink the plan and perhaps join a gym then. There are always options.

It's better to look at what you want from every angle, then put together a plan you know can and will work. Then when you know what you want, you'll also know you can make it happen and begin by taking that first step toward making it a reality.

"Achieving a Well Formed Outcome" is one of the sessions in the Ending Emotional Eating 8-Week Workshop. You can also find more information on this popular and well known NLP process by searching for "NLP Well Formed Outcome" in your favorite search engine.

6 Week Body Makeover Program To Help You Lose Weight

6 Week Body Makeover Program To Help You Lose Weight

For those who need to shed a few pounds, and others who have a long way to go before their diet goals can be achieved, the infomercial titled "6 Week Body Makeover" is a must watch.

The 6 Week Body Makeover is built on the theory that each person has a unique shape that defines his or her body in its natural state as it was meant to be.

The assertion that each individual person has a unique metabolism that is specific to his or her body type is another cardinal principle of the 6 week body makeover.

The program is a highly motivational one and centers on a basic idea of individuality.
And it will help you create a diet that is customized to your body shape or metabolism.

Other advantages of the 6 week body makeover includes the development of a unique metabolic system that will enable you burn more weight than in the case of a normal diet.

No doubt, the people behind the 6 week body makeover seem to have to have found an interesting and innovative concept, because studies show many find the program appealing and exciting, due to its focus on individuals.

Just some few steps are required to kick-start your own personalized program. The first one is to identify the right program that would allow you to lose weight in a short time.

The 6 week body makeover helps you out with its lucid instructions on how to fill out a questionnaire that helps pinpoint your specific metabolism type.

After the initial step, the next hurdle is the matching of your shape and general body size to the sample drawings.

If you can match the drawing that best depicts your body shape and size, then you have determined your specific problem areas.

Both your metabolism type, as defined by the questionnaire, and your problem areas as defined by the shape and size drawing are combined together. And it is from this the 6 week body makeover is developed.

The program includes plans where meals are designed to help you feel energized and healthy and a simple body-sculpting workout program that targets your problem areas.

This exciting 6 Week Body Makeover concept still carries the same basic principle of successful weight loss programs.

Whose basic focus is on proper diet and nutrition as well as regular exercise.

We may not really need a program to figure this out, but a program like the 6 Week Body Makeover may push some of us in the right direction.

7 Easy Steps To Healthy Weight Loss

7 Easy Steps To Healthy Weight Loss

Today more than ever there is so much information out there on losing weight that is has become very confusing and sometimes difficult to follow. It’s actually very easy to lose weight if you follow my 7 principles.

1. - Before you can start any diet program you need to be in the right frame of mind. If you do not feel good about yourself you probably will not want to choose healthy foods. You cannot expect the act of going on a diet to make you feel better about yourself. The only way you can choose to eat a healthy diet to lose weight is if you have a positive self-image.

2. - Learn more about who your ancestors were. If you eat more like your ancestors you will be eating food that is better for your body. You will likely lose weight, have more energy and feel great. It has been shown when a group of people stop eating the food that was indigenous to them they start gaining weight and having health problems.

3. - Eat whole foods that are as natural as possible. When you eat whole foods that are full of nutrients your body will know how much to eat and how much not to eat. You do not have to count calories because your body is a wonderful machine. If given the right nutrients you will be at the best weight for you, have plenty of energy and feel great. Eating highly processed empty calorie foods will cause your body to always be hungry because it’s trying to get the nutrients it needs.

4. - Drink the best weight loss supplement known to man, water. Most people do not know the difference from being hungry for food or thirsty for water. A great deal of times people eat when they should drink. Most likely you will not feel as hungry if you are getting enough water. You will be satisfying the thirst, which is confused for hunger. Water also helps you digest food better. Drinking water before you eat will help fill you up.

5. – Always chew your food well. Chewing your food well will ensure that you get the most nutrients out of your food. Getting the most nutrients will satisfy your body therefore you will eat less. Another benefit of chewing well is that it helps aid in digestion.

6. - Eat small, frequent meals in a day. Large meals tax your digestion system, making it work harder. Taking too much time in between meals makes you hungrier for the next meal.

7. - Increase your physical activity. Most people are over weight because of a lack of physical activity. Start walking more, bicycling, walk your dog for longer periods of time, swim, dance and leave the car at home when you can. It’s important that you choose a physical activity that you enjoy because you’ll stick with it. Choosing a physical activity purely based on the fact that it burns a lot of calories may be a mistake.