Sunday, January 31, 2010

7 ways to lose weight!


Weight loss requires two things: burning calories through exercise and cutting them through smart food choices and portion control. In theory, you could create a calorie deficit by spending hours at the gym, but that's not realistic-or much fun. And who wants to live on lettuce leaves? Instead, try these seven everyday moves to drop pounds effortlessly.
1. Fidget
James Levine, MD, of the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN, has spent a decade studying the role that everyday movement, or NEAT (nonexercise activity thermogenesis), plays in metabolism. His discovery: People who tap their feet, prefer standing to sitting, and generally move around a lot burn up to 350 more calories a day than those who sit still. That adds up to nearly 37 pounds a year!
2. Keep most meals under 400 calories
Study after study recommends spacing out your meals at regular intervals and keeping them all about the same size. Eating meals at regular intervals has been linked to greater calorie burning after eating, better response to insulin, and lower fasting blood cholesterol levels. When you eat regular meals throughout the day, you're less likely to become ravenous and overeat.
3. Take yourself off cruise control
Increase the intensity of your everyday tasks, from vacuuming to walking the dog, recommends Douglas Brooks, an exercise physiologist and personal trainer in Northern California. "Turn on some music, add in some vigorous bursts, and enjoy the movement," he says.
4. Drink 8 glasses of water per dayWater is not just a thirst quencher--it may speed the body's metabolism. Researchers in Germany found that drinking two 8-ounce glasses of cold water increased their subjects' metabolic rate by 30%, and the effect persisted for 90 minutes. One-third of the boost came from the body's efforts to warm the water, but the rest was due to the work the body did to absorb it. "When drinking water, no calories are ingested but calories are used, unlike when drinking sodas, where additional calories are ingested and possibly stored," explains the lead researcher, Michael Boschmann, MD, of University Medicine Berlin. Increasing water consumption to eight glasses per day may help you lose about 8 pounds in a year, he says, so try drinking a glass before meals and snacks and before consuming sweetened drinks or juices.
5. Step it up--and downClimbing stairs is a great leg strengthener, because you're lifting your body weight against gravity. In addition to taking the stairs at every opportunity, try stepping up and down on the curb while you're waiting for the bus or filling your gas tank, says Brooks.
6. Use grocery bags as dumbbells
Letting someone else load your groceries or carry your suitcase is an opportunity missed for strengthening and calorie burning, says certified coach Beth Rothenberg, who teaches a class for fitness professionals at UCLA. "Carry your groceries, balanced with a bag in each hand, even if you have to make several trips," she says. "And pack two smaller suitcases instead of one big one, so you can carry them yourself."
7. Eat 4 g of fiber at every meal
A high-fiber diet can lower your caloric intake without making you feel deprived. In a Tufts University study, women who ate 13 g of fiber or less per day were five times as likely to be overweight as those who ate more fiber. Experts see a number of mechanisms through which fiber promotes weight loss: It may slow down eating because it requires more chewing, speed the passage of food through the digestive tract, and boost satiety hormones. To get 25 g of fiber a day, make sure you eat six meals or snacks, each of which contains about 4 g of fiber. For to-go snacks, buy fruit; it's handier than vegetables, so it's an easy way to up your fiber intake. One large apple has just as much fiber (5 g) as a cup of raw broccoli.

Thursday, January 28, 2010

Dealing with injuries

When one has an injury they seem to focus on just that one thing and forget about the rest of the body when it comes to workouts. I am no different, I have a herniated L5 disc and am having surgery for the second time in 2wks. About a week or so ago I realized that I could be working on my arms, chest and back. So I started doing my bicep curls, tricep extensions, rows, lat pull downs and a few other upper body exercises that I knew I could do that wouldn't hurt my back or left leg.

I just wanted you to know that everyone gets distracted at times and just needs a little refocus to keep going to stay strong and healthy.

Monday, January 18, 2010

Ten Pounds can change your life

Ten Ways Ten Pounds Can Change Your Life

by ExerciseTV, on Mon Dec 21, 2009 11:21am PST
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10 pounds can change your life
By Laurel House
Yes, fitting into our skinny jeans- definitely a priority. But, just for a second let’s put our fragile egos aside and think beyond our seam-bursting thighs. Dropping ten pounds has the potential to impact your life beyond your looks. We’re talking a serious self-confidence facelift, improved health, and maybe even a few extra years to your life. It may not seem like much, but a measly 10 pounds can change your life- short and long term. So regardless of if your goal is to get rid of the saddlebags or harness your diabetes, it’s time to make your diet and workout regimen a priority.

Burning off 10 pounds can:

1. Minimize your chances of developing type-2 diabetes by half.

2. Help prevent osteoarthritis by reducing the load on your knees (every pound of weight lost translates to a 4-pound reduction on the load bearing down on your knees).

3. Decrease your risk of heart disease (you reduce your chance of heart disease by 1-2 percent for every percent of weight you drop).

4. Cut your chances of developing certain cancers.

5. Improve your sex life.

6. Increase your immune function, therefore keeping you well, not sick.

7. Up your energy all day (yes, even if you have to get up early to get your workout in).

8. Give you a confidence boost.

9. Help you sleep better.

10. Add years to your life.

Suddenly, those skinny jeans don’t seem so important in comparison.

Monday, January 11, 2010

long term results = Diet + Exercise!

this is an article for SHAPE magazine

"The best way to lose weight and keep it off is though a combination of long term caloric restriction and regular, moderate intensity exercise. A review of literature by reseachers from Harvard showed that people who combined a reduced calorie diet with exercise lost about 2.5 pounds more than those who used low calorie diets alone. People regain weight following both programs, but those who continued exercising are most likely in keeping it off in the long run."

so use the scale to balance food and exercise. You have to cut down or make better choices on your food intake.