Fat Loss Friday - How to Beat the Winter Blahs and Lose Weight

Winter is hard on diets. First, you have Thanksgiving, Christmas Hanukkah, and New Year's Eve. Then, there is Groundhog Day, Mardi Gras, and Valentine's Day. Too much turkey, stuffing, sweet potatoes, ham, gravy, pumpkin pie, and candy.

Winter is hard on diets

You have a lot of cold, wet, snowy, miserable days where all you want to do is eat and sleep. Many times, I have wanted to go out, but it was just too cold and rainy or snowy. I ask my wife, "do you want to go out", and she'll say, nah, let's just stay in. So, by spring, you have put on an extra ten pounds and feel crummy.

How do you keep fit during the winter months? Well, I do a few small things every day. First, I watch my portions. It's easy to keep eating, especially when you cook like I do, but you need to know when to stop. If you eat slowly, your brain has time to tell your stomach that you are full. I also try not to snack all day. Three balanced meals plus one healthy snack between lunch and dinner will help you lose weight. Also, watch your carbs and fat. Finally, stay away from sugary fruit drinks and diet sodas.

Next, try to stay moving. We all have heard "an object at rest tends to stay at rest and an object in motion stays in motion..." from Isaac Newton. Well, it works for people, too. Find a mall to walk in, or put on a coat and go outside. If it's too risky to drive, do some exercises at home, or hop on the exercycle. You can burn calories by going up and down your stairs if you have them, or just moving around your house. Stay motivated, and stay focused!

Third, drink water. Water keeps you hydrated and keeps your appetite in check.

Keep hydrated even in winter

Many people recommend drinking 8 eight ounce glasses of water per day. Just remember 8x8. You lose water through sweat and going to the bathroom, so it needs to be replenished throughout the day. Water is also good for your skin and hair. Plus, if you catch a cold, you need to drink plenty of fluids.



Dave Spencer enjoys writing about health, diet, and wellness issues


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Fat Loss Friday - Secrets on How to Lose Weight Fast

How to lose weight fast is a question that many people never get answers to. If you are one of them, rest easy because this article will serve your interests better. It will share the main secrets that people who lose weight quickly use How to lose weight fast is a question that many people never get answers to. If you are one of them, rest easy because this article will serve your interests better. It will share the main secrets that people who lose weight quickly use. You can try them out as well and end results will be encouraging concerning weight loss efforts. If you are committed and exhibit seriousness to your program, it’s possible to shed off as much weight within very short period. A Mediterranean diet is one thing that can aid your efforts in a very powerful way.

Choose healthy diets

Choosing the proper diet can be confusing

This is because you will get to choose specific foods that are known to help in weight loss. Dieting is not just the ultimate solution to weight loss but you will have to be choosy on the foods you include in your diet. Once you are able to make right choices of food to have in your Mediterranean diet, it will be a surprise how effective your weight losing journey will be short and rewarding. Changing your lifestyle is of paramount importance in getting that extra weight off the body. If you have been wondering how to lose weight fast, lifestyle change is an idea you should not think about twice.

This will mostly touch on the foods you have been eating and your general life. For instance, sugary and junk foods should be eliminated from your Mediterranean diet because they encourage one to get overweight. If you did not have free time to do some workouts, you must go out of your way in setting that aside. Aligning your lifestyle to your weight loss program will require a lot of sacrificing from your side. Are you fond of taking your meals in hotels and restaurants for most of the times? If yes, that has been contributing heavily to your overweight condition unknowingly.

Consider walking more

As a matter of urgency in addressing concerns about how to lose weight fast, you should cut that down to about two to three times in a month and take more of food prepared at home. With time, you will notice the change because you will cut more weight in record time.

Walking can be fitted in anywhere

Another fast way of losing weight is by choosing to walk other than take a car ride. If you are going to work or school, it will be good for your health to walk since that is one way of exercising.

Many people don’t like that because it might be tiring but it helps your pot belly to break that sweat than be comfortable in the car. It’s good to struggle now and be comfortable later than be comfortable now and struggle later with diseases that could have been prevented. Even if you have the best Mediterranean diet but can’t exercise, it will not do you any justice. Apart from these, there are many tips and tricks that will help you dispense off the questions about how to lose weight fast.


By: Vikram kumar

Article Directory: http://www.articledirectoryusa.com

Source: http://www.articledirectoryusa.com/article/category/health-and-fitness/weight-loss/secrets-on-how-to-lose-weight-fast/

Fat Loss Friday - Everything You Need To Know To Begin A Successful Weight Loss Journey

A common resolution made on New Year's is to lose some weight. But many people simply lack any knowledge of what it takes to successfully lose weight, so they can just end up wasting their time.

Try to gradually consume fewer calories in order to lose weight effectively. A good rule to follow would be to lower your calorie consumption by 500 calories per day.

Drinking more coffee can contribute to weight loss.

Coffee is one of the most popular beverages, however it is not widely known that it also can provide a great boost to your fitness goals. Coffee energizes you and can even kick start your metabolism.

If you are going to eat out and you are watching your weight, pay close attention to your selection of dinner companions. People eat more when around women and less when around men. There is no explanation for it at this point, but considering this time you go on a girls' night will help you sustain some control.

Make sure not to refrain from your diet regimen when you attend a party or family event. You can start by switching out high-calorie snacks for healthy fruits and/or vegetables. This will allow you to enjoy all of the fun without compromising your diet regimen. Try not to think about your diet when at the party, as you should have as much fun as possible.

Those who wish to lose weight should try a variety of transportation methods that are not automobile based. Walking, bicycling, running, rollerblading, and various other physical transportation methods can burn calories. These calories get built up in the body during the day and are stored there. By burning calories through exercise, though, this storage is prevented.

Taking your own needs into account is the most successful way to lose weight. You can get your exercise in before you begin your workday if you like the morning hours. If you are a night person, then do your exercise at night after work. If you are a person who hates having to get out of bed early, then you aren't going to get up early to exercise.

Maintaining a low body weight is much easier when food consumption during the later evening hours is avoided. Avoid eating just before bedtime. Any food that you consume will not burn off and will quickly turn into more fat. During the evening, try to do something productive such as exercising or reading.

A great tip for losing weight is to spend time with friends who are more active.

When the people around you are active, it will inspire you to get out and enjoy an active lifestyle yourself. A constant television watcher is not going to encourage you to be active.

Beginning a cardiovascular regimen is helpful for weight loss. Often referred to as just "cardio", the exercises include anything that gets your heart going. When you get your heart rate up that is the optimal time to burn calories. A good goal is to get a half hour of aerobic exercise three or four times per week.

A lean cut of meat helps to lose weight. Consider using chutney or salsa as healthier substitutes for sauces, such as barbeque or steak. This can make even dry, tasteless meat seem juicy and flavorful. There are many different kinds of chutney out there, so choose a few that you enjoy.

Food cravings should not be ignored. Everyone loves potato chips and ice cream cones. When you have cravings for these foods, they will be even stronger when trying to lose weight. Try not to give in, but do not ignore your cravings either. Remember that most unhealthy snacks have a healthy alternative.

Weight loss is largely a matter of math. About 3,500 calories equal a pound of fat. To lose a pound, you need to burn 3500 calories. An easy way to approach this is in 500 calorie increments. Attempt to burn 500 more calories than you consume each day. This helps you stay on pace to lose a pound each week.

If losing weight is one of your New Year's Resolutions, you're now on your way!

by Carolina Bianca
Posted: Sep 26, 2015

http://articles.abilogic.com/108710/everything-you-need-know-begin.html

Walking could add years to your life - Daily Telegraph

25-minute walk could add seven years to life

New research shows that exercise can delay the ageing process, with experts suggesting one walk a day could halve the risk of heart attack death and add seven years to the lifespan

Just 25 minutes of brisk walking a day could add to seven years to your life, heart experts have said.

Researchers said moderate exercise could halve the risk of heart attack death among those in their fifties and sixties.

The new research, presented on Sunday at the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) congress suggests that regular exercise can delay the ageing process.

The German study put men and women aged between 30 and 60 on a daily programme of exercise.

They were selected because until then they had not been regular exercisers.

The study then tracked key markers of ageing in the blood. Within just six months, these showed changes in the body which help to repair the DNA.

Experts said just 25 minutes of brisk walking or slow jogging every day could buy extra years of health - and happiness.

Sanjay Sharma, professor of inherited cardiac diseases in sports cardiology at St George's University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust in London, said: “When you exercise moderately, you reduce your risk of dying from a heart attack when you’re in your 50s and 60s by 50 per cent. That’s a really big deal.”

Everyone should try to build in such habits to their daily routine, he said.

"Exercise buys you three to seven additional years of life. It is an anti-depressant, it improves cognitive function and there is now evidence that it may retard the onset of dementia,” the cardiologist said.

Experts said the study showed that exercise was able to delay the process of ageing.

"We may never avoid becoming completely old, but we may delay the time we become old,” Prof Sharma said.

“We may look younger when we're 70 and may live into our 90s.

Cardiologists at the conferences said it was never too late to start exercising.

Separate studies have found that people who start exercising at the age of 70 are less likely to go on to develop atrial fibrillation, a heart rhythm disturbance that affects about 10 per cent of people over 80

The new research was carried out by a team at Saarland University in Germany who introduced a group of non-exercising but otherwise healthy and non-smoking people to a staged exercise programme.

It showed that aerobic exercise, high intensity interval training and strength training all have a positive impact on markers of ageing.

The authors noted that endurance exercise and high intensity exercise may be more efficient than just lifting weights, as they further increase telomerase activity, which in turn helps to repair DNA as it gets old.

They said that by measuring the increase of telomerase activity and decrease of senescence marker p16 (both makers of cellular ageing in the blood) over a six month period, doctors were able to show that regular exercise had triggered the anti-ageing process.

"The study brings a bit more understanding of why physical activity has that effect. It helps us understand the process of cellular ageing as that's what drives our organ system and body ageing and the effects physical activity can have on the cellular level," Christi Deaton, Florence Nightingale Foundation Professor of Clinical Nursing Research at Cambridge Institute of Public Health, University of Cambridge School of Clinical Medicine, said.

"The more active you are, and it doesn't matter when you start, the more benefit you are going to have.

Professor Peter Weissberg, Medical Director at the British Heart Foundation, said: "We know that regular exercise reduces your risk of cardiovascular disease. This study provides a possible mechanism for how this is achieved. Regardless of the underlying process, however, everyone should try to do 150 minutes of exercise a week to help them stay heart healthy.”

Earlier this year, experts highlighted studies which suggest just 20 minutes of vigorous exercise a week is enough to significantly reduce the risk of dying prematurely and is far more achievable than current recommendations.

By Laura Donnelly, Health Editor

3:30PM BST 30 Aug 2015

Best Way to Lose Weight: 10 Easy to Do Weight Loss Tips

Weight loss is all about energy balance. If you eat more than you burn, you gain weight. If you eat less and move more you will end up with a leaner body. In order to try to eat less most of us resort to going on a diet but are diets the best way to lose weight?

There are many diets out there that will help you lose the weight but most of these diets require you to restrict food groups (like low carb or low fat diets) or don't allow any sugar in the diet. Omitting sugar from the diet is a good thing if you can do it but let's face it we all like our sweet treat from time to time. Since diets have their restrictions, it's often hard to sustain it long term. So you give in to your cravings and go on a binge. Then you feel guilty about it and the guilt makes you indulge some more and before you know it the weight is back.

If fad diets and crash diets don't work in the long term then what is the best way to lose weight permanently? The best way to lose weight is to make tweaks in your lifestyle that you can keep doing for life. They don't need to be drastic changes. Start with small changes initially and add to that. You will be surprised that even small changes can go a long way over time. For the next month, incorporate 2 or 3 of the tips below to start seeing and feeling a difference in your body and mind.

1. If you eat out a lot, reduce this to once a week and opt for a healthier item on the menu.

2. Try to fit in a bit of exercise whenever you can. Take the stairs instead of the lift. Do some squats, crunches, and jumping jacks (or if you're really up to it some burpees) during the commercial breaks on TV. Park your car further away and walk. Every bit of physical activity counts.

3. Instead of catching up with friends over dinner, include an activity that requires you to move like go hiking on weekends or catch up while going for a nice long walk together.

4. Have music in your iPod that energizes you. This way you're more motivated to workout.

5. Pile on the veggies to the foods you love to eat, like add more veggies to your pizza and less of the meat and cheese. You are still eating what you love but with less calories.

6. Go for a walk (or it you're fitter a 20 minute run) during your lunch break.

7. If you're really craving a bit of fast food, choose one small item like a small bag of fries or 6 piece box of chicken nuggets or a snack size wrap. Whatever you do don't supersize!

8. Make allowances for treats by having a lower calorie main or snack but remember to have the treats in petite portions. Share a dessert with one or two people rather than have one all yourself. Eat it slowly and savour. You only need a little to satisfy you.

9. Start a dance class like Zumba. It's a great cardio workout as well as being lots of fun. Get a friend to come along to double the fun.

10. Eat in small bowls and plates. This way you feel like you're eating more even though it's a much smaller portion. It's all about tricking the brain!

It's OK if you're not eating perfectly all the time. The best way to lose weight is to eat the foods you enjoy from time to time and not feel guilty about it because you are eating well most of the time and doing what you can to stay active. Eating mindfully and enjoying all kinds of food in moderation stops you from feeling deprived and miserable so you stick with the lifestyle changes you've made. On the long run you end up being a healthier and fitter person not to mention leaner. Making small changes to your lifestyle that aren't difficult to do is the best way to lose weight because it also ensures that the weight doesn't come back.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Katherine_Mckenzie

25 Ways To Cut 250 Calories - parts 11 to 25

11. Bowl With It

Take the girls out bowling tonight! Just 90 minutes will incinerate almost 300 calories, plus it'll do wonders for your arms.

12. Discontinue Your Membership To the Clean Plate Club

Go halfsies with your friend when eating out, and you'll save at least 250 calories, Schapiro says.

13. Skip The Treadmill And Elliptical

Mix up your cardio while working muscles from head to toe by hopping on a rowing machine: Thirty seconds at high intensity alternated with 30 seconds at moderate speed for 30 minutes total will torch 250 calories, Paris says.

14. BYO Popcorn

A small movie theater popcorn can contain 500 calories -- or more. Bring your own bag of light microwave popcorn (pop it at home and put it in your purse, we won't tell!) to eliminate 250 calories, says nutritionist Rania Batayneh, M.P.H., author of the forthcoming The One One One Diet. Better yet, go the air-popped route for 31 calories per cup.

15. Have An Active Dessert

Give your body a post-dinner calorie-burning boost by taking a walk around your neighborhood or in a local park, Wessel recommends. Walking at a moderate pace for an hour burns 277 calories, plus being out in nature helps relieve stress that's built up during the day much better than a sundae can.

16. Pick The Right Party Foods

Turn down three mozzarella sticks with dipping sauce and pick up two 1-inch cubes of cheddar instead. Then forget about mixing a vodka-cranberry (most of us tend to pour generously at parties) and ask for a small (4-ounce) flute of champagne.

17. Cram In Some Cardio 

When you're crunched for time at the gym, give yourself 25 minutes and perform this circuit as many times as you can -- bonus if you don't take breaks, Wessel says. Do each exercise for 1 minute, performing as many reps as possible and running as fast as possible:

· Pushups

· Squat jumps

· Burpees

· Split squats

· 1/4-mile treadmill run

18. Use Your Noodle

You can do better than whole-wheat pasta. Really. Swap 1 1/2 cups cooked whole-wheat spaghetti for the same amount of cooked spaghetti squash. Top with marinara as usual, but pick shrimp as your protein instead of chicken breast to cut 42 calories. And you can still have cheese, just downside your sprinkle of parm from 1 tablespoon to 1/2 tablespoon. Mangia!

19. Lace Up

Tell your boyfriend or husband to meet you at the skating rink for a date. Thirty-five minutes of light ice-skating burns 213 calories. To warm up after, nix the premixed cocoa (and the artificial sugars in diet mixes) and make a light hot chocolate by combining 2 teaspoons of cocoa and 4 teaspoons of sugar in a mug. Warm up 1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk and whisk into the cocoa-sugar combo. You can even add 5 mini marshmallows, if you desire.

20. Skinny Your Stir-Fry

Saute vegetables in low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth instead of one tablespoon of oil, and you'll cut 117 calories, Batayneh says. Hit the 250-calorie mark by replacing beef with tofu and serving on top of soba noodles rather than rice.

21. Free-Wheel It

Two wheels are better than four, at least when it comes to running errands or commuting to work. A half-hour bike ride burns 277 calories, Wessel says.

22. Make Over Mexican Night

No reason to skip the tacos and margarita, just tweak your menu: Wrap up your filling in two corn tortillas rather than flour ones, then top off each with a tablespoon of non-fat plain Greek yogurt and salsa, not sour cream and cheddar cheese, for a total savings of 150 calories. Downsize your margarita from five or six ounces to a reasonable three to slash another 100 cals.

23. Tidy Up To Tone Up

If you've been putting off cleaning your house or apartment, perhaps this will motivate you: Eighty minutes of nonstop work -- moving furniture to vacuum, cleaning corners (including ceiling crevices), scrubbing hard, you get the picture -- will negate about 250 calories, Paris says.

24. Break Your Bread Basket Habit

The fresh baguette offered by many Italian restaurants may make your mouth water, but one portion dipped in a tablespoon of olive oil equals 300 calories. Ask your waiter to bring a small bowl of olives instead and nibble on five while you wait for your entree to save 280 calories, says celeb nutritionist Christine Avanti, author of Skinny Chicks Eat Real Food.

25. Hold The Butter

There's nothing wrong with a steakhouse dinner, but restaurants often top your meat, veggies, and potato with butter -- and that's before adding sauce. Schapiro always asks for her food to be prepared sans butter and sauce, and with cooking spray instead -- most places will be happy to accommodate you.

By Jessica Girdwain for Shape.com

Ten Most Frequently Asked Questions About Weight Loss - Part 2

2. What steps should I take to lose weight?

Aside from regimented diet and exercise, a few adjustments in how you live your life can create a great impact on your weight loss efforts. Try the following:

• Walk to work. 
• Use fat free milk over whole milk. 
• Drink water before a meal.
  
   
• Eat leaner red meat & poultry. 
• Eat half your dessert. 
• Avoid food portions larger than your fist. 
• Mow lawn with push mower. 
• Increase the fiber in your diet. 
• Do yard work. 
• Eat off smaller plates. 
• Don't eat late at night. 
• Skip seconds. 
• Work around the house. 
• Grill, steam or bake instead of frying. 
  
• Go for a half-hour walk instead of watching TV. 
• Use vegetable oils over solid fats. 
• Sit up straight at work. 
• Wash the car by hand. 
• Don't skip meals. 
• Pace the sidelines at kids' athletic games. 
• Take wheels off luggage. 
• Choose an activity that fits into your daily life. 
• Make time in your day for physical activity. 
• Exercise with a video if the weather is bad. 
• Keep to a regular eating schedule. 
• Take a walk or do desk exercises instead of a cigarette or coffee break. 
• Perform gardening or home repair activities. 
• Avoid laborsaving devices. 
• Take small trips on foot to get your body moving. 
• Play with your kids 30 minutes a day. 
• Dance to music. 
• Keep a pair of comfortable walking or running shoes in your car and office. 
• Walk briskly in the mall. 
  
• Choose activities you enjoy & you'll be more likely to stick with them. 
• Take the long way to the water cooler. 
• Vary your activities, for interest and to broaden the range of benefits. 
• Choose fruit for dessert. 
• Consume alcoholic beverages in moderation, if at all. 
• Take stairs instead of the escalator. 
• Conduct an inventory of your meal/snack and physical activity patterns. 
• Share an entree with a friend. 
• Grill fruits or vegetables. 
• Eat before grocery shopping. 
• Buy 100% fruit juices over soda and sugary drinks. 
  
• Stay active in winter. 
• Flavor foods with herbs, spices, and other low fat seasonings. 
• Remove skin from poultry before cooking to lower fat content. 
• Eat before you get too hungry. 
• Stop eating when you are full. 
• Snack on fruits and vegetables. 
• Top your favorite cereal with apples or bananas. 
• Try brown rice or whole-wheat pasta. 
• Include several servings of whole grain food daily. 
• If main dishes are too big, choose an appetizer or a side dish instead. 
• Park farther from destination and walk.

The easiest way to get started with exercise

What is the easiest way to get started with an exercise plan for weight loss? Without spending countless sweaty hours slogging away in a gym? Without bone jarring sports that seem more like a torture session rather than “fun”? If you have been reading this blog you will know the answer. By walking of course.

Walking is so natural that most people simply don’t give it much thought. Which is a shame as it is one of the easiest ways to get started on a safe and effective weight loss exercise programme. You may think that it’s not so much of a big deal as you have been walking for years and yet the pounds have still refused to budge. Well what if I told you that ways to charge up this most simple of activities and get it to work for you in?

Before getting started it might be a good idea to read the previous article about walking. Use the search box to look it up. Walking is so natural for many of us that we rarely think about it. Yet it is one of the safest exercises going because it is low impact with added health benefits. What do I mean by low impact? Well traditional sporting events have you running or jumping which put an enormous strain on your joints and muscle system.

Every time you run or jump the force on your knees is many times your body weight. Even light jogging impacts your body. For those who need convincing that jogging is possibly the worst exercise invented take heed of what happened to James “Jim” Fixx. For those who don’t know who Jim Fixx wasan American who authored the 1977 best selling book "The Complete Book of Running". He is credited with helping to start Americas's fitness revolution, popularising the sport of running and jogging and demonstrating the alleged health benefits of regular jogging. he died of a heart attack while out for his daily jog at the age of 52. so much for jogging!

So how do you get started with walking? And how can you make it work for you? Try to make it part of your everyday routine. Get into regularly going for a walk outdoors if possible. It is not only good for your health but waking outdoors is therapeutic as well, specially if you can find natural spaces such as parks, beaches or shady paths away from traffic. If you pop in an audio book on your MP3 player or smart-phone you can be entertained further on your daily walk. You could even grow intellectually while growing fitter physically

If you have a pet such as a dog not only will you get get exercise but your pet will as well. Studies also show that dog owners get up to 8 hours extra exercise per week compared to those non-dog owners. The same is not true however if you have a pet tortoise or goldfish!

You could also incorporate climbing the stairs. It's a great way to train your heart, lungs and cardiovascular system. It also acts as strength training because it is a load bearing exercise so strengthens your muscular system! Studies also show that climbing 1 flight of stairs (the average flight is 12 steps) just three times per day burns up an extra 15 calories. All in the comfort of your own home!also as you grow fitter and stronger you can take the stairs two at a time or even sprint up them.

In no time at all you will be well on your way to losing the fat and getting fitter and healthier - all from an activity that you started years ago. So give walking a go.