Even through the recent global recession there has been an industry that since 2009 has had an annual growth rate of 10.9% and looks to grow even faster in the future, and this is not an industry built on success as you would think, no this is an industry built on failure. You are probably wondering how can an industry be built on failure, and still have such a healthy growth rate, well it’s easy when you realize it’s the Diet and Weight-loss Industry. It is expected that by 2014 the annual Global Market for Weight Loss will be worth US$586.3 Billion, that’s not a miss-print US$586.3 Billion. This industry has a magic number that helps to generate their expansion, and that number is 95. The magic number is a percentage number, 95% of people who diet and lose weight, will put the weight back on, and often get even heavier than before, then go on a diet again. This weight loss then gain, is know as yo-yoing, and the industry counts on it. With any market that is this valuable you are always going to find some borderline unscrupulous practices. One of the most popular are the free trials where you just have to pay a small charge for the post and packaging on your debit or credit card.WARNING if you come across one of these offers, it will usually be for two different types of tablets, for some super weight loss system as used by the celebrities. YouMUSTfind and check out theTERMS AND CONDITIONS, itwill usually be at the bottom of the page where you order the sample, in small print. You will normally find that unless you cancel your free trial within fourteen days from the ordering date, you will be charged the full amount for each sample, which can be as high as US$150+, so much for the free trial.
The reason that the diet industry is worth so much money is because, most people want a quick fix to their excess weight problems, and are happy to pay for it. Diets seem to change as fast as the seasons, what is the diet to be on in the winter, has almost drifted into oblivion by the spring, when the next best diet to be on has surfaced. Interspersed with the various diets are the must have fat melting pills, which will strip away all your unwanted weight in the next month. Some dieter’s are still looking for that magic button, which will melt away all the excess fat overnight, with no personal effort. If that even was possible, it might work if you only needed to lose a few pounds, if you need to lose a few stones, you have to lose it gradually to allow your surplus skin time to shrink.
There are no magic buttons, pills, or potions, required for you to lose weight, I will say that again, you don’t need any magic, pills, or potions, for you to lose weight. Do you want some more good news, you don’t need to spend any money on diet systems, not a penny. What you do need is a healthy well balanced meal plan, and your excess weight will start to melt away, but it won’t happen overnight. The US and UK governments, spend a lot of time and money, to provide us with free information to keep us fit and healthy, and that includes eating plans to cover every situation. I had been doing research for another article, when I found how good celery is for us, but I couldn’t eat it without gagging, until I came across a recipe for celery soup, on a UK NHS site, now it’s one of my favourite soups. Healthy eating does not need to be boring, you just need to find a plan that suits you, and I have included a selection of FREE UK and US sites, to help you do just that.
It doesn’t make any difference if you arrived here because you have decided to make 2014 the year to take control of your weight, or you over indulged during the festive period and just need to get back on track, you’re in the right place. In many parts of the Western World obesity has now almost reached epidemic proportions, but many dietary experts believe that the large numbers of people becoming seriously overweight is directly linked to the ever growing number of convenience fast-food outlets. Dietary experts are now telling us that it’s not just how much we eat, but as much the types of food we are eating, and also our eating patterns, which are causing many of us to gain considerable amounts of unwanted weight. I believe many of the problems stem from the modern fast pace of life, where many of us want everything now, hence the success of the fast-food chains. Another change that has come about, mainly due to the way of life, is how we approach breakfast, as this is the most important meal, as it dictates our energy levels and sets us up for the day. We used to have a well balanced sit down breakfast. In summer it could be cereal, and maybe a boiled egg and toast, with a cup of tea or coffee, and in winter it could be porridge, a nice slow energy releaser. For many these days breakfast has become something we grab on the run, or replace with a cup of coffee, and even worse in some cases missed out altogether. There seems to be a misconception that if we partially starve ourselves by missing out meals it will help us lose weight at an accelerated rate. In reality the complete opposite is true, it sends a signal for our bodies to store more fat. The only way to lose weight and then keep it off is with a properly planned well balanced diet.
Food and Effect,
It is important that we get to know what foods are going to aid us in our weight-loss. The problem is there is no single food that can reduce weight, but when used in the right combination it can make a big difference. As we continue you will see why it is important to have a proper diet plan, to make sure we are getting all the right foods in the proper proportions, and to make sure we are keeping away from anything with high sugar, salt and saturated fats. What we are looking for is a balance, between the amount of energy we take on board in the form of food, and the amount of energy we burn in our daily life, to lose weight our input needs to be less that our output. When we eat the right foods our bodies work properly, we have more energy, we are able to concentrate better, we have better moods, and we can shed those unwanted pounds, but when we eat the wrong foods its like our bodies are full of sludge, we have no energy, and can become moody. So lets take a look at what we need.
Fibre; We need fibre for our digestive system to work properly, but it also has many health benefits, and when we are trying to lose weight it helps to fill us up. Eating plenty of fibre rich foods will help prevent conditions like, constipation, haemorrhoids, and can even help in the prevention of bowl cancer. If you have not had a lot of fibre in your diet it is important that you introduce it gradually so as to prevent any side effects like, excessive wind and bloating. There are recommended daily amounts of fibre which are women 25 grams, and for men 35 – 40 grams if you go above these recommendations you must increase your daily intake of water, which should be around 2 litres per day. I am going to list the top ten sources of fibre, but there is not the scope in this article to go into detail about each one of them. If you want more information about how fibre and particular fruits and vegetables work in our diet, I suggest you Google (Dietary Fibre) and you will find all the information you could possibly require.
The top ten high fibre foods,
#1 Corn Bran, but Wheat Bran and Rice Bran are just as high, there is also Oat Bran but it is no so high.
#2 Cauliflowers and Broccoli, Broccoli is a super vegetable and should be included in every diet, ideally every day.
#3 Cabbages, raw Savoy Cabbage is the best but all cabbage is very good.
#4 Berries, Raspberries are the best followed by Elderberries, Blackberries, Gooseberries, Cranberries, and finally Strawberries.
#5 Leafy Salad Greens, Cos and Romaine Lettuce, also Spinach is very good.
#6 Celery, not only is Celery a good source of fibre but it is also a great dieting vegetable, because it is almost zero calorie rated.
#8Beans, Kidney beans are the best followed by Navy beans also known as Haricot beans, French beans, Pinto beans, black beans and Chick Peas, are all good.
#9 Mushrooms, cooked White closed cup mushrooms.
#10 Oranges and that covers all of the various varieties. There we have it the top ten best sources for our dietary fibre, but we have only scratched the surface, there is so much more information than we could ever try to cover in this type of article, you just have to look on line if you are interested.
Vitamin B; It’s like a driving force, it breaks down carbohydrates into glucose, which is our bodies energy provider, it also breaks down fats and proteins, which is essential for a normal functioning and healthy nervous system. Although it is possible to cover our vitamin B needs with a B Complex Vitamin, most doctors and nutritionists agree that the best way to get our daily B vitamins is naturally, through the foods we eat. Now you might be wondering “why do I need to know all this, I only want to lose some weight?”. But if you know how something works, and in this case the way our bodies use the food we eat, then its easier to understand why we need certain foods to stay fit and healthy, and able to lose weight. Vitamin B has actually eight types, B1 Thiamine, B2 Riboflavin, B3 Niacin, B5 Pantothenic Acid, B6 Pyridoxine, B12 Cyanocobalanmi, Folic Acid, and Biotin. Let’s take each one in turn and see how much we need and how we acquire it.
B1 Thiamine; Thiamine is important with several functions, including, working with other B-group vitamins to help break down and release energy from food, and keeping our nerves and muscle tissue healthy. Thiamine is found in many foods, but the best sources are, vegetables, peas, fresh fruit and dried fruits, eggs, wholegrain bread, fortified breakfast serials and liver. There are recommended daily amounts, which are 1mg for men and 0.8mg for women, but the body cannot store thiamine so we need a daily supply through a well balanced diet.
B2 Riboflavin, Riboflavin’s main functions are keeping our skin, eyes, and nervous system healthy, plus it helps the body extract energy from carbohydrates. The best sources of riboflavin are, milk, eggs, fortifiedbreakfast cereals and rice. A problem with riboflavin is it can bedestroyedby UV, therefore foods containing riboflavin must be kept out of direct sunlight. The daily amount our bodies need is 1.3mg for men and 1.1mg for women, but as we cannot store it we need to get our daily supply from a balanced diet.
B3 Niacin, Niacin comes in two forms nicotinic acid and nicotinamide, and both of these are found in food, they help to produce energy from what we eat, and work towards keeping our nervous and digestive systems healthy. The best sources are, meat, fish, wheat floor, eggs, milk and maize. We need 17mg per day for men and 13mg for women, again our bodies cannot store niacin so we have to get it daily through our diet. One point worth noting, if you are on a proper well balanced diet including the foods listed above, you don’t want to be taking nicotinic acid supplements, as high doses can cause skin flushes, and high doses over an extended period can even lead to liver damage.
B5 Pantothenic Acid, Pantothenic Acid is a water-soluble vitamin, it’s an antioxidant, and is very important in the breaking-down of carbohydrates, fats and proteins, and used in the production of several enzymes, and also helps our nervous system communicate with the brain. This is a multi role vitamin essential for the running of our bodies so preventing any deficiency is extremely important. Small amounts of pantothenic acid are found in nearly every food but large amounts are found in wholegrain cereals, brown rice, chicken, beef, kidney, potatoes, porridge, eggs, broccoli, avocado, tomatoes, and yogurt. With the range of foods containing pantothenic acid it is easy to get your daily supply with a reasonable diet without needing any supplement.
B6 Pyridoxine, Pyridoxine allows the body to store and use energy extracted from protein and carbohydrates, it also helps form haemoglobin which carries oxygen around our bodies. Pyridoxine is found in many foods, the best of these are, pork, turkey, chicken, fish, bread, whole cereals, eggs, vegetables, milk, soya beans, peanuts, and fortified breakfast cereals. Pyridoxine is an essential vitamin and we need 1.4mg per day for men and 1.2mg for women, as it can’t be stored in the body we need our daily supply from our diet, but with the large number of foods carrying this vitamin it should be easy with a healthy planned diet to get enough, without having to resort to any supplements.
B12 Cyanocobalanmi, Cyanocobalanmi is another of the multi roll vitamins and one of the most important, as it is responsible for the production of red blood cells, helping to keep our nervous system healthy, releasing energy from food, and also processing folic acid. Good sources of vitamin B12 are, meat, salmon, cod, milk, cheese, eggs, and some of the fortified breakfast cereals. Men and women only need about 0.0015mg per day, and with a proper diet including some dairy and meat or fish it should be easy to get our daily amount. That said, according to an article by the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition2, approximately 6% of people aged 60+ years are vitamin B12 deficient in the United Kingdom and the United States, the common symptoms are, tiredness, lethargy, feeling faint, breathlessness, the less common effects are headaches, palpitations, loss of appetite, tinnitus, and you can also look rather pale.
Folic acid, This is another of the B group vitamins, which works with B12 to form red blood cells, and helps to reduce defects in the central nervous system. Folic acid is found in many foods in small amounts, but good sources include, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, liver, spinach, asparagus, peas, chickpeas, brown rice, and fortified breakfast cereals. Adults require 0.2mg of folic acid per day, as it can’t be stored you need to acquire it from your varied and balanced daily diet.
Biotin, Biotin is another water soluble B group vitamin, which is essential in the formation of fatty acids and glucose. The best sources are, Swiss chard, which is also a very healthy salad choice and provides antioxidants, carrots, almonds, walnuts and most other nuts, eggs, milk cows and goats, raspberries, strawberries, halibut, vegetables, mainly onions, cauliflower, and cucumbers, which are all very healthy options to include in our daily diet. That is the eight group B vitamins, what they do, and what foods we need to get them from, and by now you must be able to see why it is so important that we have a proper well balanced diet including all the food groups, to enable us to stay fit and healthy.
Snacking and weight loss,
When we normally think of a snack, it’s a cup of tea or coffee with a biscuit or a cake or bun, but if you want to lose weight you need to re-think it. You need to be drinking water and at least two litres per day, and a glass before any snack or meal will help reduce your calorie intake and speed your weight loss. The best snack would be celery, as I mentioned earlier it is almost zero calorie rated. On its own it is very bland, but with a low fat dip it becomes more attractive. A vegetable salad or fresh fruit are good to snack on, plus low fat yogurt and cereals without sugar, are also healthy options, One thing you have to watch out for when shopping, just because something says low fat it does not automatically make it healthy, you must check the label for its contents. There are also many food supplements on the market, which work on the principal of thermogenics which makes the body metabolism run faster so as to burn fat faster and more effectively. Such supplements include ephedra, green tea extract, caffeine, guarana and synephrine which stimulate the breakdown of fat cells in the body. There are also some appetite suppressants namely plantago psyllium which gives a feeling of fullness and stops the intake of food, also hoodia which is derived from a prickly plant from South Africa and makes the brain think that the stomach is full, it removes the desire to eat and drink. Whichever way you look at it, nothing beats a proper balanced diet, that covers all the food groups we need to stay healthy, and having read this article to here, you now know how important the right foods are. Another important part to the weight-loss puzzle is EXERCISE, even if its only walking, get out there and get yourself moving. If you want some good information on your healthy diet plan I recommend checking out these sites.
We are fast approaching that time when we make our resolutions for the coming year, and we find ourselves at midnight on December 31st full of good intentions, and ready to face whatever life will thrown at us in the coming year. But so often by the 2nd or 3rd of January the resolutions have been broken and the good intentions seem to melt into that distant haze, there to remain for another year. It is for that reason, if you are going to make a serious change in your life get the festivities out of the way first, and then make that serious commitment to yourself. One of the most popular resolutions these days has to be “I am going to give up smoking” and when you look at the picture supporting this post it really is a no brainer.
I am no doctor or healthcare worker, but I have been a very heavy smoker at various times in my life, and I know exactly how addictive nicotine can be. I have given up smoking twice, the first time I stopped for just over six years, and the second time, well I haven’t smoked since. The first time I stopped was because I wanted too, basically I just got fed up with smoking, the coughing in the morning, and constantly smelling like an ashtray, so it was relatively easy. The last time I was told by my doctor to stop, this she assured me would be easy as I was going to be prescribed Nicotine Patches, and what a disaster they turned out to be. If you are using the Nicotine Patches and you have a cigarette you get this supercharged nicotine rush, and that’s the last thing you need if you want to quit. The problem with all these aids is that you still associate them with smoking, and the non smoking industry know that, and that’s why they can afford to spend millions on advertising this time of year, because they know they are going to make a fortune, selling their various pills, patches and potions.
There is another way, which costs nothing to use and is extremely effective, it worked with me the first time I used it, and the same with several of my friends and colleagues. This is a system that actually programs your brain and body too not smoke, and there is nothing to be associated with smoking when you stop. You need at least ten days but fourteen is better for the system to be most effective. The first step is to set the date you are going to stop smoking, this wants to be at least ten days, but it could be twenty one days if you wanted, the longer it is the more you are conditioned to stop. Step two, is to take a sheet of paper and write ” I (your name e.g. John Smith) am going to stop smoking on (date you set e.g. January 9th 2014) and I will not smoke again.” Step three, every day up to the day you have set to stop smoking you copy what you have written, directly under the previous line, this then starts to work as an affirmation instructing the brain that you wish to stop smoking on the set date. On the day before you stop, make sure you finish all you cigarettes, put away ashtrays, lighters and any other smoking paraphernalia. When the big day comes you just don’t smoke, you are bound to get a few moments when you fancy a smoke, but you just resist and it soon passes, because you are now a non-smoker. A close friend of mine had tried patches, different types of gum, and even one of the electronic cigarettes, all without much success, she then tried this method and hasn’t smoked since, that now is about twenty months ago.
Sometimes the worst thing is the actual fear of stopping, I know that I was very concerned about how I would cope without smoking, but it doesn’t take very long before you feel so much better, food tastes better, and you start to feel cleaner inside. Anybody trying this method who needs some extra support can email: theweightlosspath@gmail.com and we will make every effort to support and help.
Anybody who has been following this site will know it is aimed at the more senior age groups, with tips on weight loss, diet and exercise, plus I enrolled myself into a course of Tai Chi, to check if there are any benefits to be gained for the older age groups. Where do I begin, firstly I have had a couple of emails from people stating that fat people can’t do Tai Chi, well the same people probably find it hard to get up off the sofa, and always have a good excuse not to do any exercise. I am probably the fattest person in my Tai Chi class by a long way, and I have to admit that for me it is a lot harder than for some of the younger, slimmer, and much fitter members, but it just takes more effort, and practise. It’s very easy to say “oh it’s too hard” or “oh I’m just too fat for that” but like most things in life the rewards for achieving something difficult far outweigh the effort required to get there.
I am rapidly coming to the end of my first three month term of classes, and I have to say that my conception of what Tai Chi is about has been totally turned on its head. Before I began I thought that I would be able to learn the movements in a few weeks and then be able to practise them in my local park, in the same way as you see video of the Chinese practising outdoors. How wrong can you be, I now strongly believe that when you start Tai Chi you start out on a journey, and that journey can take you the rest of your life? It’s a journey of self discovery and development, with so many benefits for our health and well being that it is not surprising that this culture has survived from the late fifth century. To watch Tai Chi being performed by a teacher is inspiring, as their movements are graceful and flowing, and you look forward to the day when you can move in a similar way.
So what are the benefits for the more senior citizens, well I can only speak for myself, but like many people my age I had lost a lot of my joint flexibility, and the way my excess weight is distributed my balance was not too good either. I now have far more movement in my hips than I have had for some time, and also in my knees, actually all my joints have improved movement, all the stiffness has gone, and I can twist my body far more than I could. My balance is getting better, it was really poor when I started, but most of the problem is my weight distribution, too much of it around my stomach, but it is getting better. I think if you can walk without any problems and your arms still work you can benefit from practising Tai Chi, as it gives you a total low impact exercise workout, improves your breathing, it also really helps to improve your posture, and generally makes you feel good, but like most things in life the more effort you put in then the more you will gain. One thing I feel I must stress, if you want to try it, and I truly recommend that you should, find a class, just Google Tai Chi and your area, you will be surprised at how many classes there are, this really is important. There are books and even video and on-line courses but, I would say that unless you are a professional dancer used to checking movement and positioning using studio mirrors, then you really need a teacher to help you and correct any mistakes you are making, as getting the movements wrong can be totally counter-productive.
I apologize for the delay with this post, but I had an article prepared about how nice it is to get out walking this time of year with all the rich autumn colours, and how to keep our weight loss going through the autumn and winter months, but then something happened. I was at my local hospital on a follow-up appointment when I got talking to this guy; it was obvious he had a serious weight problem, and I started telling him about this site and how it had helped me, then we were called in for our separate appointments, but we ended up leaving at the same time and continued our conversation over a cup of coffee.
He was in his late sixties, very easy to talk to, and only too willing to tell me what an unfair life he had led. He seemed to give me his whole life story, starting with his failed marriage after only a short period of time, because women are totally unreasonable, and lack any sort of understanding of men in general, and he was the innocent party. His working life wasn’t much better; he never reached his true potential because his manager had it in for him, and never gave him the promotions that he really deserved, but it was nothing that he had done to cause it. We then got into talking about his weight gain, which is something I am always interested in as it gives me more information for this site. I was quite surprised at what he told me, he firstly blamed the fact that a McDonalds opened very close to him, and they don’t make it clear that if you drink too many shakes, and eat too many burgers and chips it can cause you to put on weight. He then went on to say what made it worse was when a pizza shop opened opposite the top of his road, only a few houses away, and he kept getting leaflets through his door advertising these pizza’s, again it was obvious it was not his fault he kept eating pizza’s.
Apart from his weight problem, and his type two diabetes, he had a serious liver condition, caused by alcohol, but again this was not his fault, this was down to a discount off-license opening at the corner of his road, only four doors away, so how could you resist. Sadly since our talk his liver finally let him down, but he didn’t even listen to his doctors when they told him he had to stop drinking, he actually told me that they could easily be wrong, and he would give up for nothing. One thing that did come across was that he was bitter at the way his life had panned out, because it was not his fault.
I know I have had things go badly wrong at times in my life, but it has always been down to bad decisions that I have made, and as such you have to take responsibility for your own mistakes. There is a growing line of thought these days, that when things go wrong it must be somebody or something else’s fault and definitely not ours, its fast becoming a ridiculous blame culture. When we are children there is someone there to make decisions for us, but when we are adults and of sound mind, we should all take responsibility for our own decisions and actions. I think a good Autumn Thought should be for us all to think about what it really means to take responsibility for our own lives, there is also an up side, because then not only are we responsible for the bad, but also all the good things that work out really well….
A Low carb diet does not use the ‘official’ food pyramid; therefore it can be difficult to know what you can and cannot eat when on the low carb diet. However, the Food and Drug Administration has made it easy for you to figure out what you can and cannot eat on your low carb diet. It may be a little difficult, but figuring out your carb will be a little easier after reading this article. As you may know, the key to maintaining your low carb diet is in counting carbs; however, it’s not the overall carb count that you need to watch, you need to figure out the net carb count. To figure out your net carb count, you need to identify the carbs that don’t have a high impact on your blood stream and glucose levels – those carbs that are found in fiber and sugar alcohol, and subtract that total from the overall carb count. To figure out net carbs, you need to take the total number of carbohydrates and subtract the total amount of dietary fiber and sugar alcohol content.
Let’s use an example. Right here I have a can of Campbell’s Select™ New England Clam Chowder Soup. The total amount of carbs for this bowl of soup is 16g. The amount of carbs from dietary fiber is 2g and alcohol sugar is 1g. Therefore, this bowl of soup has a net carb count of 13g. That wasn’t too difficult, was it?
Finding the carbs hiding in your house has become easier, how about when you are out running errands, going shopping, picking up your dry cleaning, and dragging yourself from one after-school activity to another? Since the easiest thing to do in these times of time-crunching is stopping by the local fast food chain restaurant, they’ve made it much easier for you to find something that will satisfy your appetite and maintain your delicate balance of carbs.
Many fast food restaurants, such as Blimpie’s, McDonalds, Arby’s, Subway, and Burger King even have low carb diet friendly menus. The really neat thing about the way the fast food industry is tackling the low carb diet trend is how they’re sidestepping the bread issue. As anyone with on one of these diets know, the bread is public enemy number one when it comes to your diet. So, instead of serving the usual bakery bread, they’ve created new low carb diet bread, so you can have your sandwich and eat it too! It’s a great way to bring the low carb conscious consumer into their restaurants without having to worry about all those carbs – it’s the best of both worlds.
As you can see, it’s now simple to figure out how many carbs are hiding in your pantry, and your local fast food restaurants have healthy low carb diet alternatives to your favorite McMeal. Your local supermarket will have healthy low carb diet alternatives that you can add to your next meal. If you continue counting your carbs using our simple formula you’ll be able to maintain your balance of carbs and lose weight and stay healthy – without much work at all!
* * * * * * * * * *
If you are on a low carb diet, one of the great things is your choice of fresh fruit and vegetables; you really have a large choice. On average vegetables have higher carb values than fruits, ranging from 4 to around 12 per 100 grams, and fruits range from 2 to around 10 grams per 100. Even if you want to stay with just the low end range, you have some really healthy options, with broccoli, cabbage, cucumber if its peeled, closed cup white mushrooms, Brussels sprouts next to broccoli are one of the healthiest vegetables you can get, the reason so many people don’t like them has nothing to do with the sprouts it’s the preparation, you have to cut the stem level with where the leaves start, and cut a cross in the stem and remove the outer layer of dark green leaves, before you boil them for about twelve minutes, and then you will never again have bitter tasting sprouts. Next we have green, red and yellow peppers, cauliflower, red onions, carrots, and green peas in the pods. The fruits are just as good, water melon being lowest, strawberry’s, avocado, cantaloupe, blackberries, honeydew melon and peaches are all good for you, grapefruit and the various oranges are next, with plums, raspberries, pineapples, apples, pears, blueberries and kiwi fruits, all of these are really healthy. To add some meat to your selection of fruits and vegetables, one of your best choices is chicken breast with no skin, which has a 0 rating. For some interesting low carb recipes try:
An important fat loss truth is that fitness only comes with physical training. Perhaps we resent spending long hours at the gym, we may hate cardio exercises and aerobic sessions, we could even try to develop fat loss workouts at home, but the truth is that 90% of dieters act chaotically when it comes to training for weight loss. People don’t know how to create efficient fat loss workouts, how often or how long to train. Mistakes even abound in the use of gym machines.
Inconsistencies and disagreements appear between professionals on numerous occasions. Some trainers say that there are very rapid sets of exercises precisely designed as fat loss workouts, while others call such techniques inefficient and stick to traditional training models of 60-minute sessions, three times per week. The problem is that everybody claims to be right, every program author brings scientific evidence and lots of testimonials in support of his/her theory, and only adds up to the general misunderstanding. In fact, it seems that confusion characterizes the nature of fat loss workouts by now.
In case you no longer know what to believe, a physical activity that you enjoy will be the perfect alternative to fat loss workouts. Swimming, cycling, jogging, walking, stair climbing or hiking are fine examples here. Or maybe you play football weekly or you take dancing lessons. It’s perfectly okay as long as you don’t develop a sedentary lifestyle. Yet, do not assume that some physical activities now and then will do for weight loss. There needs to be a permanence or a routine to compensate for fat loss workouts.
Now, if you nevertheless decide to stick to a certain type of fat loss workouts, because of the way that a certain program appeals to you, make sure your efforts have the desired outcome. The major risk of fat loss workouts is that routine generates a physical plateau. This means that you lose weight up to a point and then no progress occurs because the body has already got used to the effort level. Cyclic training should solve this problem.
Let us consider sit ups and crunches for example. They are excellent for the toning of the abdominal muscles, and they could help you reach a good fitness level if performed correctly. Yet, you will constantly have to increase the number of reps so that the extra effort forces the body into further progress, and you continue to lose weight or maintain your good physical shape.
If you are looking for an easy type of exercise that anyone can do, isometric exercises may be for you. Isometric exercises are exercises in which there is no visible movement done during the exercise. Yoga, as well as many other forms of exercise, make use of isometric exercises to help strengthen the muscles of the body.
When you are learning isometric exercises it is important to acknowledge that these forms of exercises are resistance based exercises. This means that you are resisting a form of pressure, which then builds your muscles. By maintaining the same position, you are forcing your muscles to work harder. This can have the same result on your body as forced motions, such as running, walking, aerobics and many other cardiovascular exercises. The primary difference between these exercises and isometric exercises is the fact that you can do isometric exercises anywhere at any time.
In yoga, as well as some other meditation based exercises, isometric exercises are done by resisting the forces of your own body. For example, the motions of pressing your palms together, and exerting force is one of the basic isometric exercises that is used in yoga. You can enhance these isometric exercises by using body positions that make maintaining this posture more difficult. By doing so, you can exercise your entire body without moving. These isometric exercises can be done by anyone, even those with severe handicaps.
When you are learning isometric exercises it is important that you do not stress your body too much. Like other forms of exercise, it is possible to strain and injure your muscles if you are not careful. When you are performing isometric exercises, take your time and approach them cautiously. If you feel pain, you should cease the exercise. Pain is a way that your body is telling you that something is wrong. If you are in pain, you may not be performing the isometric exercises properly. However, pain is not the same as muscle strain and sore muscles. Your muscles will become sore from doing isometric exercises. What you want to avoid is the sharp pains of active injuries rather than the soreness of muscles being used.
If you have never done isometric exercises, it is possible to learn them without assistance of a teacher. However, if you are new to exercising, you should have someone spot check you while you are learning the exercises. Doing this will prevent you from learning bad habits that could cause injury to your muscles and bones.
* * * * * * * * * *
Tai Chi: For Fitness, Health,and Longevity
Isometric exercises are a benefit to all age groups, but as we get older we also need to keep ourselves mobile, and as well as isometrics you would really need to walk, cycle, or swim at least three times a week, or there is something you have probably never even thought of. I am talking about Tia Chi, which is an ancient form of Chinese exercise, that strengthens the body, calms the mind, and balances the bodies energy. The exercise uses slow and graceful movements, increasing ones awareness, health, and longevity, which is now practiced by people of all age groups all around the world. Although Tia Chi is perfect for our modern times, its roots go back over 1200 years, and is linked to the monasteries of the Buddhist and Taoist monks, and also the now famous Shao Lin Temple, so I think we can all be assured this system has stood the test of time. Tai Chi also has roots in Traditional Chinese medicine helping to balance the bodies energy by enhancing the flow of “chi” as it moves through pathways called meridians. Tai Chi’s benefits have been studied in China for hundreds of years. However, Western medical research is rapidly discovering what Chinese medicine has long realized. Tai Chi provides more health benefits than any other form of exercise. When practiced regularly there is wide range of benefits. It is an exercise that enables the practitioner to realize a high level of wellness by promoting physical, mental, emotional and spiritual well-being. The slow, gentle and relaxing movements of Tai Chi are good for stress reduction by helping eliminate stress and its negative impact on the body. It has also now been proved that Tai Chi can help, improve your cardiovascular system and lower blood pressure, enhance the body’s natural healing ability, and enhance the range of motion and joint mobility, all being advantageous to the older generations.
If you would like to learn more about Tia Chi, and take advantage of all the benefits of practicing this form of exercise, I can highly recommend a good book Yang Tai Chi for Beginners, by Master Yang. Dr Yang explains how Tai Chi Chuan is a kind of moving meditation with ancient roots in Chinese martial arts. In this program, Dr. Yang, Jwing-Ming teaches you the traditional Yang-style form step-by-step, while explaining the meaning of each movement. His teaching is easy to follow and will soon have you reaping the benefits in practicing Tai Chi with improved health and well being, but it is recommended that you first take a beginners class with an instructor to get you started properly with your stance and forms.
If you suffer from stiff muscles, flexibility exercises may be what you need to help you loosen those muscles and enjoy a nicer range of flexibility. Unlike standard forms of exercises, flexibility exercises are designed to help you lengthen your muscles. Flexibility is often a measure of how tense your muscles are on your bones. The more flexible you are, the looser your muscles are on your body. By using flexibility exercises, you can enhance your flexibility without damaging the muscles. There are several things that you need to keep in mind. Flexibility exercises can be dangerous if you are not careful with how you do them. Due to the fact that your goal is to lengthen and stretch your muscles, incorrectly performing flexibility exercises can cause severe muscle damage. Muscle tearing and strains are commonly injuries to those who are not careful about how they go about their flexibility exercises.
The key aspect of doing flexibility exercises correctly is to never move in jerky, fast motions. Every move you take should be done gradually so you can feel how your body responds to that action. While sore muscles are a necessary part of exercising, there should never be any sharp pains. If your muscles start to hurt, you should ease back and find the right place where your muscles are just beginning to feel the strain and sustain that position. This is a core aspect of flexibility exercises, as it is what encourages your body to allow the muscles to safely lengthen to allow for more flexibility. The changes will be gradual, but over time, your body will respond to the flexibility exercises you are doing and give you the higher level of flexibility you have been after.
Like with other forms of exercise, you should mix your flexibility exercises with other exercises. In order for your new flexibility to not go to waste, you need to have strong muscles to support that. Being more flexible is not a good thing if you are unable to have the strong bones and the muscles to back it. Being flexible can cause injury if you suffer from weak muscles. You need to balance giving yourself more flexibility with pure physical strength. This will ensure that you do not put yourself at unnecessary risk of injury.
* * * * * * * * * *
If like me you fall into one of the older age groups you need to take care, because your joints can start to get stiff, you can start to suffer from the beginnings of arthritis, and if these things are left unchecked, it can seriously start to effect your mobility, and therefore your overall quality of life. Last year I was suffering with my sciatic nerve, which appeared as if it was my hip joint, and I was far too heavy for a hip joint replacement, in permanent pain, and quality of life just didn’t exist. Once we realized what the problem was, some simple stretching exercises started to help, and at night sleeping with a pillow between my knees to take the pressure off really helped, and I was soon back to normal. One thing that happened was, it made me realize what we take for granted, being able to walk and climb stairs normally without pain, and generally being able to get around, it really is precious. The fact that these days we are living longer, it is important that we keep ourselves fit, so we can reap the benefits, and to achieve that we need a sensible diet and plenty of exercise.
As we get older there are 12 flexibility exercises which we really need to try and they are: neck stretch, shoulder stretch, shoulder and upper arm raise, upper body stretch, chest stretch, back stretch, ankle stretch, back of leg stretch, thigh stretch, hip stretch, lower back stretch, and finally the calf stretch. If you visit the following site you will get all the information in picture form on how to perform each exercise correctly, plus lots more to help you keep fit, healthy and very active. All the information on the site is totally free and you don’t need to sign up to anything, so make the most of it and stay healthy. http://nihseniorhealth.gov/exerciseandphysicalactivityexercisestotry/flexibilityexercises/01.html
When it comes to the food pyramid, there is quite a degree of information that you need to get. For instance, did you know that the first food guide was introduced in 1916 for small kids? Thereon after it developed into something different. The most basic fThe New Food Pyramid consists of milk, meats, breads, and fruits and also vegetables. Yet subsequently as the years went by, there has been a change in the evolution of the food pyramid. In 1994, the USDA after taking careful consideration of all dietary requirements came up with a food pyramid that has also once again changed in recent times.
Still the “food pyramid” from 1956 right up to 1992 consisted of four layers. From top to bottom it was meats, poultry, fish, dry beans and peas, eggs, and nuts; then dairy products, such as milk, cheese, and yogurt; then grains and wheat products and fruits and vegetables. It was after this point that a proper food pyramid came into being. It will come as no surprise that there have been many people who offer their own version of a food pyramid. For instance, the Harvard School of Public Health offers the Healthy eating pyramid, that includes calcium and multi-vitamins and small amounts of alcohol too.
Another food pyramid would be one that is offered by the University of Michigan. It states that its Healing Foods Pyramid proposes plant-based choices, variety and balance. There are also sections which include seasonings and water as well as a good degree of healthy fats. Ideally based on the current food pyramid, what you should be avoiding are sweets and oils which do have a tendency to help you get overweight. With America and a lot of Europe facing a terrible time thanks to fast food joints and its every growing popularity, what you should be doing is to curb on these excessive eating habits.
The New Food Pyramid
Finally, just ensure that you read up as much as you can on all types of information pertaining to food and its benefits. The fact of the matter is that while there are many article resources that are sure to help you in understanding what food is all about, you will enjoy also reading up on the many conflicting articles that challenge the conventional pyramids. All in all, just ensure that what you do read is something that is written with an objective mindset. There will be many proponents of various ideas and their thoughts may be great, yet it is best to always go with medical advice especially if you are suffering from something like diabetes.
Nothing is worth putting your health at risk, since this could lead to bad repercussions at the end of the day, so to stay fit and healthy look to all of the food groups, especially the fruits, vegetables, and nuts, and give yourself a proper healthy well balanced diet.
