Sticking to resolutions is probably the hardest thing we all have to face (at least) once every year. And sticking to a healthy diet probably ranks as one of those “temptations” we all can’t seem to resist or overcome. But who says we have to? In a time of extremes, xtreme sports, xtreme make-overs, etc, xtreme diets (even according to the experts, may not be extremely helpful or healthy for that matter. In fact, experts agree that a fulfilling and occasional urge to “splurge” is okay (and recommended), as long as you can maintain a healthy balance. Tasty treats as a “reward” is fine and can vary from individual to individual, but while experts say you shouldn’t (always) deny your cravings and your (), you “should” try to replace food with other healthy reward alternatives. For instance, instead of treating yourself to coffee and dessert, consider treating yourself to a new outfit, a day at the spa, or a new doo. The occasional indulgence is okay, again, as long as you can set and stick to limits and parameters. Remember, you can easily reverse all you’ve accomplished in just a few days (let’s face it it’s a lot easier to put on pounds than to shed them). Experts note that even dining out, having your cake and a buttered role is fine as long as you don’t do it every time, or all at once. With regards to satisfying your sweet tooth, you may be able to “splurge” more than once a week. Go ahead, have that piece of candy or chocolate but don’t have the entire box. Also, you may want to try some healthier, low-fat or fat-free alternatives to boot. Another suggestion is applying the 90/10 rule. Be extremely conscious of what you do 90 percent of the time, but let your hair and your guard down the other 10 percent (of the time). After all, say dieticians and nutritionists alike, food “should” be tasty and enjoyable. They suggest designating a time or day or two a month were you relax your rules, or regiment, but add that you need to exercise this practice with caution so that you don’t find yourself falling completely off the wagon. Furthermore, experts assert, that mastering the art of eating (even some of your “not-so-healthy” favorites) can help keep you feeling deprived and ( ) by ultimately overindulging. They key is planning ahead for “splurges” and not losing site of portion size. Remember, a successful plan means something you are comfortable with and can live with over the long haul.
Tag-Archive for ◊ fitness ◊
For years fitness enthusiasts have suspected that exercise positively affects the brain as well as the body. But while it seemed logical that an active lifestyle would help the brain, the scientific evidence was lacking. Now several biological studies indicate that working out does benefit the brain. The reasons to get moving are greater than you think. Now researchers are finding biological evidence that exercise benefits specific brain mechanisms. And, it even contributes to growing new neurons! While we used to think that the brain loses cells as we age, we now know it is not true for those people who keep active and learn new things. Much of the new research suggests that exercise positively affects the hippocampus, a sea-horse shaped brain structure that is vital for memory and learning. In one recent study, researchers found that adult mice doubled their number of new brain cells in the hippocampus when they had access to running wheels. The fact that the mammalian adult brain can increase its number of brain cells is surprising in itself. This is good news for aging adults. It was once thought that the brain stopped producing new brain cells early in its development. And presumably brain power dimmed as cells died over the years. But in the past decade, researchers have found definitive evidence that the brain continues to generate new brain cells throughout life, even in humans. Studies indicate that challenging environments, which include a number of components, such as pumped-up learning opportunities, social interactions and physical activities, are key to boosting the growth of new brain cells. What does this mean for humans? We can keep our brains healthy by entering into new situations, new games, and new social group activities. And if we can keep learning new things, and engage in physical activities, we can continue growing new brain cells. We can redefine “senior moments,” if we take advantage of opportunities to learn and move. No more excuses for forgetting things for the older population.
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The main reasons for this is that once we reach the age of 30, the muscles in our body begin to shrink because they are not being used correctly. Also our bones become much less dense over time. In some cases this may actually lead to a person suffering from osteoporosis. Unfortunately as our muscles begin to shrink so our metabolic rate also begins to slow down as well. its hard to keep the muscles and a flat body you had, However there are things a person can do when they reach the age of 40 which can help to prevent them losing muscle mass and keep their metabolic rate working at a good level. You have to follow the right kind of diet and use a good exercies. below here you can find some tips wich are usefull. Tip 1 It is important that you have a good well rounded set of exercises in your workout program. You need ones that are going to flex and stretch your body and also include some cardiovascular exercises as well. By including such a good set of exercises into your workout program the less likely you are to suffer from any kinds of injuries. Tip 2 Never carry out the same routine each day, instead mix it up a bit. So one day go and do a session in the gym and another just go for a walk or bike ride instead. If you mix up your exercise regime more then the less likely you are to get bored with doing it and so the less likely you are to quit. Also by varying your workout routines the less likely you are to suffer any kind of injury because you are not overworking any sets of muscles too much. Tip 3 Before you start any sort of workout it is vital that you carry out the right kinds of stretching exercises first. If you start working out whilst your muscles are still tight can spell disaster for you. Remember as you get older your muscles are not as elastic as they were when you were younger. Therefore by stretching before working out or just generally through out the day will help your muscles to regain and retain the elasticity in them. These tips is the begin to getting fit again. and maintain that healthy body. But as I said this is just the basic
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There’s an old saying; “If you don’t know where you are going, all roads lead there (nowhere!)” I speak to many people who want to reduce their wait and the first thing I ask them is “how much do you want to reduce your weight by?” The usual answer I get back is something along the lines of; “Oh I don’t know, I am just getting rid of my excess weight” or “I’m just trying to lose a bit” In fact I would estimate that 95% of the people I speak to do not know exactly how much they want to reduce their weight by! When you couple this with the fact that 95% of people who want to reduce their weight never succeed you start to see a bigger picture. I would also say that a large amount of those people also do not know how much they weigh in the first place, how can you know if you are succeeding if you don’t know where you started from and where you want to go? The simple answer is YOU CAN’T! The title of this article is “The Roadmap to Success” so let me carry on with that metaphor. If you are going on a journey and you needed to get to a specific place that you had never been before would you just set off and hope for the best? No of course you wouldn’t. You would want to know where you are setting off from, how far it is, what the route is, do you need to stop on the way, do you need a car or boat, do you need to catch a plane, what time do you need to leave, how long will it take you, and so on and so on. You may use an atlas or print a map off of the internet, you may phone the place that you are going so they can give you directions or ask someone that has been there before. Can you hear what I am saying? Do you see where I am going with this? If you can plan a journey with this much detail so that you get to where you want to be what is stopping you from planning your ‘weight reduction journey’ like this and giving yourself the best chance of getting to where you want to be? The answer might be that you don’t really know where to start; well I am here to help you. Below is a 7 point guide to planning your “Roadmap to Success” use it to ensure you give yourself the best possible chance of reaching your destination. 1. Find out where you are now! That’s right it means weighing yourself. I know that people who are overweight generally do not like weighing themselves; I have been there and know the feeling. Trust me when I say that this is an essential part of the journey. Just do it. 2. Decide on your final outcome! Work out for yourself what weight you want to reach. You can do this however you want, make sure it is achievable and that it is a healthy weight for you to be at. You now know how much you have to reduce your weight by. 3. Decide on a timeframe! Consider how long it will take you to reduce your weight by that much and set a deadline of when you want to reach your outcome. Again make it achievable – there is no point wanting to reduce your weight by 4 stones (56 pounds) in a week. 4. Split the timeframe down! Set some smaller goals, if you have given yourself a year for example split it down in to monthly goals to be achieved. 5. Who/what is going to help you? Everyone needs help, it’s that simple. Maybe you can get advice from an expert or buy a book or ebook. Which friends and/or family can you count on for undying support? Speak to them, tell them your goal and ask them for their help and support. 6. Get started and don’t stop! Sorry if that sounds simple but I hear so many people say “I will start next week” or “I am just having a day off, I will get back on it tomorrow” It is a hard truth that you cannot afford to stop every now and again or have a ‘day off’ There is no better time to start than right now and no better time to stop than when you succeed. 7. Finally, get ready to celebrate! One key thing that people miss out on when achieving something is the celebration. Celebrating tells your nervous system that this is good and I want more of it. So celebrate in a small way when you achieve your short term goals then plan a huge celebration for when you reach your ultimate outcome. Ask yourself ‘What is my ultimate prize for succeeding?” then right down a whole list of things and choose the ultimate that you promise to give yourself once you have reached your final outcome. So by now you should have your journey planned, now get started, enjoy the journey and reach your destination. You have my very best wishes. Graham Nicholls
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It is important to be fit, everyone knows that. Your physical fitness has a big impact upon how you feel about yourself, and how much effort your body has to expend in order to keep working. Lack of physical fitness has supposedly reached an epidemic proportion in America, though the truth is that Americans are obsessed with physical fitness, and TV doctors and celebrities alike make a fortune through selling fitness videos and books to the public. Unless you’re planning to buy ‘em all and use them as weights to lift up and down every day, none of these will ever do your physical fitness any good at all. The best way to improve your physical fitness is by incorporating regular activity into your daily routine. It is not necessary to take out full membership of your local gym, or even attend one exercise class. What it does mean is choosing an activity that increases your heart rate, or improves your strength and general flexibility. Walking a few more blocks, doing some gardening or housework, climbing the stairs, are all examples of something that can fit quite easily into your routine, but which can also increase your physical fitness. Taking the elevator, driving the car to the shop at the corner of your street, and spending more time in bed are all things that will not improve your fitness level. A healthy lifestyle cannot be a fad, or something that you will do ‘next year’. It should be on your ‘to-do’ list all year round, not just as a New Year Resolution that you never intend to keep. Once you start on an exercise regime, you will need to keep that up for the rest of your life; or your physical fitness will be lost, and you will have to start all over again. Without regular exercise, the muscles reduce, and fat takes its place (muscles do not become fat, they merely move over to make more room for it if they aren’t used). It is therefore important that you choose a regime that is going to keep you interested in the long term; every year throws up a new ‘fitness fad’, but most people take them up and then discard them after a fortnight. Instead, choose something that you enjoy. If the thought of being instructed on stepping up and down on a plastic board fills you with scorn, then you might try something else – martial arts are always popular, and a physical fitness regime which incorporates some kind of team sport will also help to keep you interested. Remember: physical activity everyday is the key to fitness, and that is what is important. Improving your physical fitness can provide you with more energy, and will help you to feel more positive about yourself.
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Everybody knows that it is important to be fit. Your level of fitness is a major factor in your lifespan, and getting in shape should be a priority. There are plenty of celebrities, whether qualified or not, offering to sell you their latest fitness video or book, and more and more articles in newspapers and magazines about the cost of not having a daily workout; the impact on your health, the social effects of being unfit, and of course the fact that most fashionable clothes don’t come in plus sizes. Getting fit should be on your ‘to-do’ list all year round, and not just a New Year’s resolution that doesn’t make it past the first few days of January. It is easy to start a fitness regime, and then run out of enthusiasm. With a busy work schedule, and an equally busy social life, it’s a common enough occurrence that people drop out of exercising on the basis that they don’t have enough time. The most obvious answer to this, and something that most fitness instructors will suggest, is just to get out of bed a bit earlier, and use that time to exercise. Of course, to some this may seem like a nightmare, and not something to inspire them; nightowls should look for something to do in the evening, perhaps a late workout session at the gym, or installing some home exercise equipment so that you can watch TV as the same time as working out. Not everyone is suited to a traditional fitness regime of steps and ‘dancercise’. You might find it rewarding to try other methods to keep fit, such as martial arts. It is not important how you get fit: only the results matter. If you find that you enjoy fencing, for example, then that will extend your enthusiasm for your fitness regime. Doing something that you hate, or which you feel stupid doing, won’t last very long. Keep your enthusiasm up in other ways, by working out to favourite tracks, or by keeping a log of how well you’ve done. You can work out with a friend and have a competition; or you can set yourself goals in your fitness regime, and reward yourself when you achieve them. Fitness should be something that you work towards for all of your life, and a daily exercise routine will certainly help you achieve that goal. Even if your exercising consists of a short run everyday, and you never end up with a full six-pack, that does not matter. Fitness is not about getting the perfect body, it is about a general physical state where you feel more energetic, and you feel good about the way your body looks and works.