Four golden tips to lose weight forever

 

1. Begin at onceThe ideal time to start a diet is when you plan to do so; you do not need to assign the next Monday or a specific day. The idea of start a diet at the beginning of the week has no an extra benefit, on the contrary, it hold back the way to achieve the habit of eat to lose weight. The days indicated on a diet plan, only should be use as a useful guide to know when and what to eat.

2. Replace foodRemove from your refrigerator the more fatty foods (rich in saturated fat, sugar and condiment) and replace them with healthier but equally delicious foods.

3. Cover the needsDiets that make you starve eventually generate anxiety, and you end gobble up everything that is within your reach. Therefore, you should not get obsessed and keep in mind that is better to take a longer time to lose weight than to gain weight fast. The important thing is to follow a balanced diet that covers all nutritional needs and allows you to maintain the weight that you already accomplished.

4. Move your bodyTo lose weight you need to exercise regularly. Strength exercises tone the muscles while aerobic exercises (walking, jogging, swimming, and bicycling) help to keep your heart healthy; both are necessary. Remember that if you train your body, muscles will allow you to burn calories still at rest.

6 Steps to eliminate Your Love Handles

Let’s face it – unless our full-time jobs involve dancing or instructing at a gym, we all have love handles. Our partners think they’re cute, until they blow up to Aunt Marge a la Harry Potter proportions, and then all hell breaks loose. Stop hell from breaking loose, lose your love handles with these simple tips and exercises:

1. The Flutter Kick: Find a Yoga mat, lie on your tummy. Lift your feet and knees off the floor. Now “flutter kick” as if you’re swimming. Do this 15 seconds, then stop for 30 seconds. Repeat twice.

2. Cut down on the Sodium and Drink Water Sodium leads to water retention, which makes love handles more prominent. Drinking 8-10 glasses of water a day helps by suppressing the appetite and metabolize stored fat into energy. It also cuts down the water retained by sodium.

3. Do the Trunk Twist: Bend your knees slightly and stand with your feet as apart as your shoulders. Place your hands in front with palms facing upwards. Twist your body to the left as much as you can, then twist it to the right. Repeat until you’ve done enough reps.

4. Do Cardio-Vascular Exercises: No matter how many ab exercises you do, they won’t work unless you’re doing a strong cardio exercise – running, cross-trainer, cycling. Pick one you like and stick with it! If you can afford it, get a treadmill or cross-trainer at home. That way you can get your daily cardio requirement whenever you’re free.

5. Increase Your Protein Intake: Have one gram of protein per pound of body weight. Our body uses the most calories to burn protein, thus reducing more calories than retaining. It will help you control your weight like very few other food items!

6. Reduce your Alcohol Intake: This one is the most obvious one – alcohol is a lot of empty calories, and they go straight to your stomach. So drink in moderation, and have “light” versions. If you must drink, Vodka is the least calorific.

So good luck with those love handles! Once you’ve started practicing these tips, you’ll realize that they aren’t that tough to get rid of.

© Text: Healthy Times Blog.

7 Ingenious Excuses To Avoid A Gym

Yes, don’t get shocked at the title of this post. We aren’t suggesting you to quit the gym by offering excuses, but have more ingenious ways to workout and not feel bad about skipping the gym. For many of us, affording a well-equipped gym or health club might be little difficult or location of it might be a problem. But, that should not stop you from engaging in a full workout, daily at your own convenience. Let’s take a look at some simple, engaging and totally-without-gum workouts.

#1. RUNNING

Nothing beats a good workout, than running. Yes, just grab some good shoes, comfortable clothing, some music if you like and out of your house. All you need a park or a quite neighborhood and you could be burning more calories than almost any other cardiovascular exercise. Ask any runner, and they would swear by the fitness, stamina and self-realization of strength, that running gives them. You can also see Running in the USA for training camps, races and more.

 

#2. PLAY SOME GAMES

Whomsoever thought, games are for children, is certainly not aware of benefits of a little team sports/games. Yes, its not about going professional, but competing with your peers for a little relaxation; and you could choose any activity like baseball, soccer, volleyball, hand ball, even swimming and video games. In fact, anything, that brings your heart rate up considerably and makes your sweat, it just enough to lose some calories, along with some fun. Try something like The Adult Sports League or Sports Monster for more information on recreational activities and games.

#3. GOOD’OL HOUSEWORK

Yes, now you could get lean, while you clean around your house. Concentrate on household chores, by making them more strenuous, like vacuuming, mowing lawn by hand, washing windows or cleaning garage. You can always turn to some peppy music to keep thing interesting and or ask a friend to join in.

#4. GO HIKING

If you have access to mountain trails, then you couldn’t have asked for a better workout. Hiking burns calories, gives you fresh air, beautiful views and a great time along with a aerobic workout. And you don’t need to go all-professional; just plan a day-long trip with a like-minded friend, pack food-water and set-off! You can be rest assured that the experience will be much better than an hour spent in a stuffy gym on a treadmill.

#5. CIRCUIT TRAINING

Circuit training is a useful option when you want to combine your strength and cardio training. You could buy a set of related circuit training cards or buy blank cards and create a workout of your own. The method is even simpler. Each set of 10 cards should have 5 strength-training exercises (lunges, push-ups etc.) and 5 cardio moves (jump rope, high knees etc). Warmup in place for 5 minutes and then shuffle the deck, to mix the cards and pick one. Whatever the exercise you picked, do that for 1 whole minute. Now pick another card and repeat for another minute. Go through the entire deck once, swinging between, cardio and strength training. It is essential to work through-out the deck, at least once, but if you feel like it, you can repeat the entire set, twice or even thrice. 

#6. THE UBIQUITOUS WORKOUT DVD

Now, who doesn’t have time for a workout DVD? Stay-at-home moms, recovering patients, celebrities, all can count the benefits of a workout DVD on their fingertips. And why not, a great way to workout during winter months, when you don’t want to get out of the warmth of your home, a DVD can come to your rescue. Pick from a wide array of workouts like Pilates, dance, aerobics, belly-dancing etc and get the advantage of a full workout with little or no equipment in the comfort of your own home. Even if you are not a beginner, you can always fine something to suit your requirement.

#7. DIY BOOTCAMP
Though indoor bootcamp classes are fast on their way to become a fad, but an outdoor bootcamp is definitely a lot of fun, with fresh air and tough challenges. It’s always beneficial to rope in bootcamp enthusiasts, who could pitch in with ideas for workout schedules with a balance of strength and cardio exercises. Then, the main part is selecting a suitable spot, like a local park with trees, benches and equipment or even a beach where you could gather old supplies like tires, ropes, weights. Even creative inputs you can come up with exercises like push-up on a park bench, timed runs to a pond and back, dragging a tire on the beach and more. Always remember to warm up first with a 5-minute walk and cool down with some gentle stretching.

So, get down to planning your next non-gym workout.

© Text: Healthy Times Blog.

 

Smart tips to eat a well-balanced diet all the time

As much as I wish we could eat a well-balanced diet all the time, I understand that sticking to healthy food choices on a daily basis can be a challenge. You have to attend the office happy hour, the block BBQ, a birthday dinner or a retirement party. Bottom line: There will always be temptation, and it’s okay to give in once in a while.

Part of rebooting your body is learning to eat in moderation. For example, go ahead and have a slice of birthday cake, but then make the conscious and healthy choice to follow it up with more nutritious foods the next day. Remember that what you eat will support and fuel your body. If you are eating foods rich in sugar, like birthday cake, chances are you will experience a severe crash in energy. Maybe eat just half a slice of cake or take just a bite. Another alternative: Fill your plate with low-fat cheeses and crackers or veggies and hummus to sustain energy for a longer amount of time.

Eating healthy means enjoying a broad variety of foods with a mix of carbs, protein and fat. As you continue your journey to a healthier, happier you, here are some wellness tips to keep in your back pocket.


Stay hydrated. Always drink before, during and after physical activity.
Water helps you feel satisfied, flushes your system and keeps you hydrated, but it’s not the only source you can use for hydration. Fruits have liquid which support hydration. Try oranges, watermelon and apples. In addition to hydration, they can help keep you full longer.

Fill your plate with all foods. 
In order to ensure your nutrients are coming from food sources, at every meal, fill your plate with fruits and/or vegetables, a protein source (preferably a lean protein), and complex carbohydrates such as whole grains and legumes. For example, lunch can be a chicken quinoa salad with the dressing on the side. An option for dinner can be steamed fish with kale and a side of bulgur.

Eat your colors.
Vegetables and fruits are packed with the essential nutrients we need on a daily basis. Filling your plate with colorful choices within your caloric count will help you get the most out of your reboot. From fiber to antioxidants, a plate full of colors – red, orange, green, yellow, blue and purple – is truly the easiest way to get the healthy nourishment you need. 

Pack portable snacks.
You never know when in-between-meal hunger will strike. So keep portable non-perishable protein-rich and carbohydrate-containing foods in places like your purse, gym bag, glove compartment of your car, office drawer or briefcase. By doing this, you will avoid the temptation to select chips from the vending machine or other unhealthy snacks. Dried plums, nuts and turkey jerky are all great options.

Hats off to you for rebooting your body and dedicating yourself to happier, healthier you!

Text: © blog.doctoroz.com

 

Eat Right for Your Metabolism Type

Not only is food powerful medicine that can heal the body, it can also accelerate your metabolism. But here’s the key: The food you choose must be dictated by your own unique metabolism. Groundbreaking research shows that just as you’re born with a specific blood or body type, you’re also blessed with a specific metabolic type. This means the same foods that keep you looking trim and beautiful could make someone else gain weight and look puffy or tired.

There are three general metabolic types – A, B, and C – listed below. Each requires a unique meal breakdown based on different amounts of protein, fats and carbs. Of course, all of these general meal breakdowns should include an array of colorful fruits and vegetables.

Metabolic Type A

If you’re a Type A, you love salty food, such as potato chips, and are also prone to anxiety. What you probably don’t realize is that frequent bouts of anxiety may actually be caused by your body’s reaction to eating salty or fatty foods. As a Type A, you also have a strong appetite, experience fatigue often, are talkative, and possess an outgoing personality.

• Strong appetite
• Crave fatty, salty foods
• Fatigue and anxiety
• Talkative, outgoing

How to Eat:
If you’re type A, you burn proteins and fats much more efficiently than you burn carbs. The salty, fatty food cravings you experience stem from your body’s need  for protein. At mealtime, your plate should be comprised mainly of protein and breakdown as following:

• 50% protein
• 30% fats
• 20% carbohydrates

Choose lean cuts of protein that are dark in color such as beef, dark meat chicken or turkey, and fish such as tuna or salmon. These dark-colored foods are high in purine, a substance in the body that protects and nourishes blood vessels.

Go for dairy that contains fat. That’s right! Type A’s should eat whole-fat cheese, cream, 2% milk and eggs. These items are better for you than low- or no-fat dairy products loaded with sugar. Remember, full fats are not hydrogenated or trans fats found in processed foods such as chips and cookies. Those nasty items are to be avoided no matter what your metabolic type.

Eat a variety of fruits and vegetables, but steer clear of too many refined and starchy ones. These are sugar-laden and will actually add to your anxiety. Instead of white potatoes or white bread, reach for whole grains such as oatmeal and whole-wheat pasta.

Metabolic Type B

If you’re a Type B, you have a strong penchant for sweets – candy, ice cream, cookies, cake, you name it. Your body is actually crying out for healthy carbs, but you’re craving sugar instead. As a Type B, you also possess a relatively weak appetite, are sensitive, driven, organized, sometimes stressed, have a caffeine dependency, and may also struggle with your weight.

• Weak appetite
• Crave sweets
• Sensitive
• Ambitious, organized, stressed
• Dependent on caffeine
• Struggle with weight

How to Eat:
If you’re Type B, you do best on a low-fat, relatively low-protein diet that includes mainly good carbs, plenty of fruits and vegetables, and whole grains. Your mealtime plate should contain:

• 70% carbs
• 20% protein
• 10% fats

Hurrah for Type B’s! You get to eat mainly carb-based meals. However, you must eat whole grains: barley, brown rice, and whole wheat bread etc.
Be aware that you need low-protein as opposed to no-protein. Choose low-purine proteins that are light and lean: white-meat poultry, white fish, such as cod or flounder, and plant-based proteins including lentils and chickpeas.

Eat low-fat forms of dairy such as cheese, yogurt and milk.

To reduce your dependency on caffeine, start by cutting down on coffee or black tea, and substitute with green tea.

Metabolic Type C
 
If you are unable to determine whether you’re are a Type A or B and like both sweet and salty foods equally, you’re probably a Type C. Type C’s are mixed types who have fluctuating appetites, can experience fatigue, anxiety and nervousness, may suffer aches and pains, and have little trouble with weight control.

• Fluctuating/unpredictable appetite
• Crave sweet and salty foods
• Fatigue
• Anxious, nervous
• May suffer aches and pains
• Little trouble with weight control

How to Eat:
Type C’s have the ability to metabolize proteins, fats and carbs equally, which is why you crave both salty and sweet foods. Your mealtime plate should be divided into thirds:

• 33% protein
• 33% fats
• 33% carbs

As a Type C, you’re allowed to put the most fats on your plate. Choose a mixture of low- and full-fat foods such as low-fat cheese, yogurt, olive oil, etc.
Mix and match dark and light proteins as well: light and dark meat poultry, beef, salmon, cod, kidney beans, soy, etc.

The last portion of your plate should contain good carbs, including various whole grains and healthy starchy vegetables: 100% whole-wheat breads and cereals, sweet potatoes, bananas, etc.

Text: © doctoroz.com

The Goodness of Green Tea

© Healthy Times Blog.

Health benefits of Cereal

© HealthTimesBlog.

Cereals used for human consumption belong to the grass family and are seeds of matured plants, in which nature has stored the elements for germination and growth of germs like starch, fat, protein, organic mineral salts and vitamins. They are rich in complex carbohydrates that provide lots of energy, lower blood cholesterol levels, maintain blood sugar levels, help prevent cancer, constipation, colon disorders, heart diseases, and are also enriched with proteins, fats, lipids, minerals, vitamins, enzymes, niacin, iron, riboflavin and thiamine. Most of the cereals, especially barley, oats, and wheat have abundant fibre. Breakfast cereal is packaged breakfast food, that is consumed cold or mixed with milk or water; often fruits are added for extra nutrition and taste. Cornflakes, porridges, and oatmeals are the best examples of breakfast cereal. The most familiar grains used for making breakfast cereals include rice, maize, corn, ragi, bajra, wheat, barley, sorghum, Italian millets and oats.

Nutritionists recommend including grains in diet, but it’s the whole grain that comes with the health benefits. Wholegrain should be a part of all meals, filling about a third of the plate. They come in two forms – refined or unrefined. Whole grains are unrefined and whole, while the refined grains are stripped of their outer bran coating and inner germ during the milling process. These would be white rice, white bread and white pasta. Bran cereals feature the benefit of maximizing the grams of fiber per each serving. Eating all bran cereal will make one feel more full, not only in the short term, but also extending to a couple of hours thereafter. This longer state of feeling sated may just have something to do with all bran cereal’s lower glycemic index. All bran cereal has also been found to reduce the likelihood of weight gain for both men over 40 as well as women in the age range of 38 to 63. These cereals help in managing your weight and reduce risk of obesity or other chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes and heart disease. Dietary fiber, as contained in a high-fiber cereal, help lose weight because it is slow to digest and one feels less hungry. Cereal can also support weight control if consumed as part of a healthy meal or snack with fruits, fat-free yogurt or milk. The extra fiber from fruit and protein from dairy products can decrease hunger.

After Diet: The Essential Method of Food Portions

Although it is true that to lose weight you must reduce your daily calorie intake, but it is not necessarily to give up delicious food. To maintain the results accomplished after a diet period, is necessary to consider a control on size and number of food portions.
The Essential Method of Food Portions applies to any food style and allows you to continue losing weight without going on constantly on a specific diet. Although, is necessary always to check that the daily diet meets the universal-basic nutritional requirements; a small readjustment on portions size can produce surprising results to maintain a slim body.
Before anything else, is necessary to remember that a healthy and balanced diet should contain all the essential nutrients for our body; carbohydrates (cereals, fruits and vegetables), protein (meat, eggs, milk, lentils, beans, dried fruit and soy grains), fats (meat , milk and eggs), vitamins and minerals (fruits, vegetables, cereals), fiber (cereals, fruits, green vegetables) , and water. Only then, the body receives all the ingredients that allow you to preserve an optimal health condition.

To know the recommendable daily intake percentages of the different foods, you must consider the following table:
Whole-grain cereals, bread and pasta: 35% of the daily diet.
Fruits and vegetables: 35% of the daily diet.
Meat, lentils, beans, whole- grains and nuts: 12% of the daily diet.
Dairy products and eggs: 12% of the daily diet.
Fat and sugar: 6% of the daily diet.
Water: at least 2 liters per day.

How to apply the Essential Method of Food Portions?

In general, if you are overweight you should simply reduce the amount and portion sizes intake regularly. For example, if you eat three slices of pizza, cut them down at two. Two portions of ice cream reduce it at one. A glass of beer reduces it at half a glass. A big portion of cake, reduce it to a smaller portion. A hamburger with fries and soda, eliminate fries and soda. Two portions of pasta with sauce and cheese, reduce consume at just one portion with less sauce.

The portions reduction process should be gradual to avoid hunger pangs.  For that reason, the ideal would be to increase the number of meals per day, in the form of mini-meals or snacks, in that way, the binge eating can be controlled, and the consume of fewer portions can be sustained over time. Eat fewer amounts of food helps to reduce calories and consequently lose pounds. The limit is always to be satisfied.

Eliminating your extra pounds will make you feel lighter; in addition, the body will require less energy (calories) to keep fit. Have an impact in the overweight vicious circle does not happen overnight, that is why refrain from tasty food  generate anxiety and lack of willpower. The Essential Method of Food Portions is not suggesting that you must eliminate foods from your daily diet; it just proposes a gradual reduction of intake food to accomplish a healthy balance. If you combine this Method with the learned concept after following the Initiation Diet, you never will need again to worry about having a healthy slim body.

What is an Initiation Diet?

To lose weight and do not get fat again, is essential to learn how to cook and eat healthily. If not enough for you to follow a fad diet for a period, you must change or modify the eating habits forever. Only then, you can keep a slim body over time and definitely avoid the undesirable extra pounds. In addition, the habit of exercise and healthy living directly influence to maintain a healthy slim body.
Precisely the "habits changes" are the base of an "Initiation Diet". Unlike a typical diet (known as strict diets or low fat), the initiation diet proposes to adopt a healthy and balanced eating behaviors over a lifetime. This is why more than a diet, it is a general guideline for you to eat without worrying about being overweight. In addition, with this new "lifestyle" you can achieve the ideal body weight without starving or putting in jeopardy your body, as most strict diets do.
The main benefit of a diet associated directly with “habits change” it is that is very healthy and provides a number of dietary advices we should all learn, even those whom do not wish or need to lose weight.

On the other hand, is necessary to increase certain foods consume, limit others and put aside those who will damage the body. At the same time, preparing meals in a certain way is the key to make food healthy without losing flavor.  Although in the beginning all these rules should be follow during the lose weight process but later, you must extend them throughout life, because you can eat varied, rich and without gaining grams. The difference is that at the beginning, you learn the habit of healthy eating, and later you just need to maintain it, but without giving up the pleasure of eat.
I have developed and adopted the "Initiation Diet" concept as a specialist in the area of wellness to synthesize the notion of healthy eating and nutrition throughout the content that I have published in this mini eBook. It is the result of a deep and reliable investigation for more than 20 years. At the next pages, you will find a different vision about diets and lose weight. The idea is that a real weight loss diet consists in a habits change for a lifetime, and not in momentary restrictions that later you give up. In addition, you do not stop eating with an initiation diet; you just have to do it with a more balanced strategy. The favorable result of people who have changed their eating habits has demonstrated the effectiveness of the initiation diets, especially because the new habits have given them a lifetime of health and wholeness with an ideal body weight. Now you do not need to count calories, stop eating delicious food or monitor every snack you consume. The success in finding the ideal weight is to follow only simple and healthy habits that will not modify your current lifestyle. Otherwise, you are fooling yourself and losing weight will be just an illusion. This explains why more and more people have many weight problems.

“The main benefit of a diet associated directly with "habit change" it is that is very healthy and provides a number of dietary advices we should all learn, even those whom do not wish or need to lose weight. On the other hand, is necessary to increase the certain foods consume, limit others and put aside those who will damage the body.”