8 Things You Can Do to Easily Shed a Few Pounds
So you want to lose a few of the “extra” pounds you are carrying around. Here are a few things that I do that are easy to follow and can fit into almost anyone’s lifestyle. By the way, even if you want to lose more than a few pounds, this is a good way to get started:
1) Eat slightly smaller portions at each meal. If you attempt to cut your meal sizes in half right off the bat, you will leave the table feeling hungry and that will lead to snacking and binge eating. So just cut down a little at first, and you will find that your body will adjust and before long you will be eating less and feeling just as full.
2) Plan to eat more often, and then eat more often. Schedule healthy snacks into your daily routine. If you get hungry half way between breakfast and lunch, but you haven’t planned on it, you will be more likely to grab a bag of chips or some chocolate than if you had brought a low fat muffin or an apple for your snack. Not only will you reduce the number of calories you consume, but you will also save money too.
3) If you can, exercise in the morning before you eat breakfast. Studies show that you will burn significantly more calories throughout the day by doing this one thing. By exercising before breakfast your body dips into your fat reserves for energy which in turn increases your metabolism. This increase in metabolism can last for several hours so your body burns more fat all day long!
4) Get more sleep! How’s that for a great way to lose weight? Now I don’t mean sleep 20 hours a day, after all, you’re not a cat. If you are the type of person that tries to live on less than enough sleep, you may be making it difficult for your body to burn callories effectively. When you are tired, your body feels stressed. This will happen to all of us sometimes, but when it happens on an ongoing basis you could be decreasing your ability to burn calories. When you are stressed your body releases a chemical called cortisol. Now cortisol is needed by our cells, especially in emergency type situations. But if we are cronically tired our bodies release cortisol on an ongoing basis. The cortisol breaks down muscle tissue and therefore decreases your metabolic rate. The more muscle tissue is broken down, the fewer calories your body can burn up.
5) Don’t eat the last couple of hours before going to bed. If you can avoid eating prior to going to sleep at night you will be doing yourself a favor. By doing this your body will dip into its fat reserves while you are sleeping. It is generally not good to be too hungry, however, if there is anytime that it would be good, it would have to be when you are sleeping.
If you absolutely must eat before going to bed, then have something healthy such as an apple or some carrot sticks. Avoid the bowl of ice cream and the cookies.
6) Drink more water. There is a lot of information out in the nutrition field saying the we must drink the equivalent of 8 big glasses of water per day. This is really just a guideline, and the amount will vary depending on your size. For the most part, most people should drink more water than they do. Water keeps your cells hydrated which allows your system to digest food more easily. In turn this can help you to fight off illness also.
Something to keep in mind, try to drink water as soon as you can after you wake up. Your body hasn’t had any water for several hours and your cells will need it. Also try to drink water throughout the day as opposed to all at once. And use common sense, don’t drink 2 big bottles of water if you are going into a meeting or something else that will keep you from using the facilities as needed.
7) Drink less juice, pop, coffee, tea and alcohol. Some of these beverages such as coffee, tea and many types of pop contain caffeine which will dyhydrate your cells and slow digestion, exactly the opposite of what we want. While other beverages such as juice, pop and alcohol contain lots sugar and are very high in calories. It is O.K. to consume some of these in moderation, but cut back as much as possible, especially if you are trying to lose some weight. You might be thinking that juice is good for you and in many ways it is. What you may not know is that in order to make one glass of juice, such as orange juice, it take several oranges. So when you drink that glass of juice you are consuming the sugar from 7 or 8 oranges, depending on the size of the juice glass. The sugar in juice is healthier than that in cakes and cookies, but you still shouldn’t have that much of it.
8) Do something active! When you are starting out, you don’t have to run a marathon. In fact if you overdo it at first, you will likely injure yourself and make it impossible for you to continue for a while. If you are already relatively active, that’s great, keep it up. On the other hand, if you haven’t gotten around to any sort of exercise lately, then just work something in. Go for a walk after supper, take the stairs instead of the elevator at work, play a game of soccer with your kids, have a family bike ride, or anything else for that matter. Some forms of exercise definitely benefit you more than others, but initially we just want to get going on something. You can even do a few leg raises when you watch television. Be creative, do something and try to have fun.
Darcy Aleck discusses some of the easiest ways to get fit, lose excess pounds and start living healthier with more energy. You can even get free fitness coaching and motivation by subscribing to his free newsletter. Find out how to get fit at http://www.YourFreeFitnessCoach.com/
The Scoop on Some Popular Weight Loss Supplements
A consistently increasing number of people spend hundreds or even thousands of dollars every year on weight loss supplements hoping to boost their metabolism in the purusit of acheiving an higher level of attractiveness. The fitness industry is booming, but the majority of people are unable to shed those unwanted pounds in spite of all the efforts they put into exercise and dieting.
In the United States, more than sixty percent of adults are overweight and thirty percent are considered obese. Here in the U.S. we have become sedentary and have grown accustomed to an overabundance of food. We have grown dependent on convenience, which has led us to consume excess amounts of unhealthy fast foods and quick, easy to prepare meals that that aren’t as healthy as they should be. We have sacrificed the healthy, home-cooked meals of the past to cater to our around-the-clock lifestyles. As a result, we’re always on the lookout for a super duper weight loss miracle pill that will allow us to eat whatever we want, never exercise, and still maintain the figure of a supermodel.
Many products in the weight loss market try to sell us this so-called miracle pill using promises of unrealistic results and miracle transformations. The weight loss companies rely on the overweight person’s failure to achieve the desired results and turn to the supplements as a last ditch effort to get there.
A major problem with weight loss supplements is that much of the information available in the market is written by the companies trying to sell the supplements. The claims are hyped-up to unrealistic levels just to make the sale. This mis-information can lead to serious health problems for people who take these supplements.
One of the major supplements that has been known to cause serious problems in some dieters is ephedra. Ephedra, also known as ma huang has been used in traditional Chinese medicine for 5,000 years as a treatment for asthma, hay fever, and the common cold. Ephedra is both a stimulant (drug that temporarily increase alertness and awareness) and a thermogenic (dietary supplement used to stimulate the body’s burning of fat). Ephedra stimulates the brain, increase heart rate, constricts blood vessels (increasing blood pressure), and expands bronchial tubes (making breathing easier). Ephedra’s thermogenic properties cause an increase in metabolism, which is shown by an increase in body heat.
Ephedra has also been used for weight loss, sometimes in combination with aspirin and caffeine. Some studies have shown that ephedra, when taken in a regulated and supervised environment, is effective for marginal short-term weight loss, although it is unclear whether such weight loss is maintained. Side effects of ephedra may include severe skin reactions, irritability, nervousness, dizziness, trembling, headache, insomnia, profuse perspiration, dehydration, itchy scalp and skin, vomiting, hyperthermia, irregular heartbeat, seizures, heart attack, stroke, or death.
The safety of ephedra-containing dietary supplements was questioned as a result of a high rate of serious side effects and ephedra-related deaths. In response to accumulating evidence of adverse effects and deaths related to ephedra, the FDA banned the sale of ephedra-containing supplements in April of 2004 and the sale of ephedra-containing dietary supplements is still illegal in the United States.
Although the Food and Drug Administration has managed to successfully ban the majority of illegal marketers, some unsafe products are still available. Consumers are being deceived everyday by some labels on products that claim to be ephedra free when in actuality these supplements contain other ingredients that may pose the same health risks. Be wary.
Another popular supplement is Epigallocatechin gallate, better known as EGCG which is a found in green tea. Although most commonly known as a powerful antioxidant and for its potential to lower cancer risk by protectingcells from the harmful effects of free radicals. Free radicals are associated with the development of diseases such as cancer, advanced aging and heart disease. Studies suggest EGCG may also help with weight loss and fat burning by promoting and stimulating thermogenesis – the burning of fat cells. Thermogenesis also results in more energy and improved endurance. EGCG may help you lose fat by stimulating fat oxidation, burning calories, suppressing cravings, and boosting energy levels.
Another popular claim of some weight loss products is that they contain ingredients to prevent the absorption of carbohydrates. A popular example of this is Chitosan. Chitosan is usually sold as a pill that claims to be a ‘fat attractor’. The claim is that the pill has the capability of attracting fat from the digestive system and expelling it from the body so that users can lose weight without changing their eating habits.
Some scientific research suggests that these claims are are hard to prove. Results show that at best, unmodified chitosan would remove only about 30 calories a day from a person’s diet. Modified chitosan is supposed to be able to absorb three to six times its weight in fat and oils. This is unproven and opponents claim that using chitosan may have the actually negate the effectiveness of certain minerals found in food that are required by the body in order to remain healthy.
Some products claim to make you feel more full and therefore you eat less. One of the popular supplements of this type is Guar Gum. Guar gum is a fiber that acts as a bulk forming laxative that is said to be effective in promoting regular bowel movements and relieving constipation and chronic related functional bowel ailments.
For weight loss purposes, Guar gum is a thermogenic substance. Its low digestibility makes it great for use in recipes as a filler, which can help to promote the feeling of fullness, or slow the digestion of a meal, which lowers the glycemic index of that meal. In the late 1980s, guar gum was used and heavily promoted in several weight loss products. The FDA recalled these products due to reports of esophageal blockage from insufficient fluid intake. For this reason, guar gum is no longer approved for use in over-the-counter weight loss supplements in the U.S. Additionally, several studies found that guar gum supplements were not effective in reducing body weight.
Some of the latest innovations in the weight loss industry are creams, gels, lotions and patches; basically things that aid in weight loss by way of skin absorption. Many of these products have not been proven or disproven to be effective; there have been studies showing both positive and negative results. One popular product is Cutting Gel, which is a top-selling fat loss cream. Claims are that you rub it on the spots where you want the fat to vanish. I have seen claims that it works and claims that it doesn’t.
Equally as popular are herbal patches. These patches are said to be precise, convenient, comfortable, and effective for taking natural health supplements without taking pills or liquids orally. These products allow nutrients to be absorbed through the skin. Some of these patches, such as the Hoodia Skin Patch claims to work as a continual appetite suppressant by releasing natural Hoodia Gordonii extract via a patch placed on the body that is said to work for 24 hours. It’s not clear whether these diet patches have undergone extensive scientific clinical trials or testing and therefore it can’t be shown that a hoodia patch is more effective than hoodia capsules, tablets, or liquids.
Overall, it seems that the best method for losing weight is the good old fashioned way: eat healthy and stay active. Maybe instead of investing in diet supplements, invest in a good pair of walking shoes, go for a walk, do brisk walking, go jogging, hop on the treadmill, go to the gym, and most-importantly maintain well-balanced diet.
Denise Villani an author and the webmaster of several article directories. Find more articles and information on weight loss by visiting http://www.weightlossstuff.info.
Is Now The Time For Your Fat Burning Workout?
If you want to lose weight and build muscle, you should know that fat burning workouts will help you do just this. Not only will they target specific areas of the body to build muscle in, but they will also keep you fit as a whole. Therefore, make sure you include these types of exercises for every part of your body as you work out.
If this is to be a truly “fat burning” workout, spend more than 20 minutes doing continuous aerobic exercise. This is because when you begin your routine, your body uses the fuel that’s most easily available to you, which are the excess carbs you consume. After about 20 minutes, these carbs are gone and your body will go to burn fat next. Once your body is burning fat fuel, though, it will keep doing this for up to six hours after you have stopped your exercise program.
To get the best effect from your exercises, the exercise itself should be slower in pace, aerobic in nature, and longer in duration than those you might be used to doing. They should also involve most of your major muscle groups. What makes this so beneficial is that it gives you the most benefit of any type of exercise. Low intensity exercise also taps into your fat resources to use as fuel. Aerobic exercise is also beneficial because it makes your heart and cardiovascular system stronger. It also lowers your blood pressure and optimizes cholesterol levels. Basically, “aerobic” exercise improves oxygen efficiency as your body uses it during extensive exercise.
These types of fat burning exercises include walking, running and jogging, swimming, cycling, elliptical trainer exercise, or any type of whole body fast-moving activity, such as working out on a ski machine. If you do this for 20 minutes, you get your fat burning well underway. One of the best ways to start inexpensively is to purchase a home treadmill or elliptical exercise trainer and begin your fat burning exercise program.
If you need lower impact exercise to save joints, you can try swimming, walking or yoga. You should begin with three days a week, working out every other day, and then move this up to five days a week as you increase your fitness level. The best way to ensure that you stay faithful to your actions program is to make it fun. If possible, get a buddy to work out with you so that you’re never bored.
Most of these types of fat burning exercise can be done in your home, but if you want to go to the gym, feel free to do so. Just make sure whatever you do you make exercise a regular habit. Especially in winter when cold weather makes working outside difficult, working out at a gym or with a home exercise program will ensure that you stay focused. And because fitness takes some time, it’s easy to get discouraged, but keep at it and you’ll soon see results. Remember, your health and well-being are important, so staying focused on your exercise program will not make you only look better, but feel better and live longer.
Kevin Sinclair is the publisher and editor of My-Personal-Growth.com, a site that provides information and articles for self improvement and personal growth and development. http://www.my-personal-growth.com/
Losing Weight Can Save Your Life – 6 Life-Threatening Dangers of Being Overweight
While many people don’t think twice about all those pounds that keep creeping up on them on the scale, those extra pounds can really be having a negative impact on your health. For many, it can actually be the difference between live and death, because those who are overweight are far more likely to develop health problems that can literally put their life at risk. Even if you are a few pounds overweight, it is important that you understand all the dangers that may enter your life when you are over your optimum weight. You have to understand that your health and your very life is at risk. Once you understand the dangers, then you can start making changes in your life to get rid of the extra weight.
Danger #1 – Hypertension – One of the most common dangers that people who are overweight face is hypertension. People who have too much body fat tend to retain sodium in their body, which can increase the blood pressure. When you have blood pressure that is too high, it can put extra pressure on the heart as well.
Danger #2 – Diabetes – Another danger that you may deal with if you are overweight is diabetes. The top cause of type 2 diabetes is obesity, so the more overweight you are, the more at risk you are for having diabetes. When you have too much fat in your body, it can become resistant to the insulin in your body, which can lead on to diabetes.
Danger #3 – Sleep Apnea – Sleep apnea is another danger that those who are overweight often encounter. Being overweight is a leading cause of sleep apnea, and the more excess weight you carry, the more severe your sleep apnea may be.
Danger #4 – Arthritis – People who are overweight are also more likely to develop arthritis as well, especially osteoarthritis. The extra weight that is carried by the body can add extra pressure to the joints in the body, which can wear away at the protective cartilage.
Danger #5 – Heart Attack – Today being overweight is also a primary risk factor for heart attack as well. Being overweight can raise your bad cholesterol, raise your blood pressure, and bring on diabetes, which are all factors that can cause heart attacks as well.
Danger #6 – Cancer – Believe it or not, there are now links between being overweight and developing cancer as well. Studies have also shown that people that are heavier have lower survival rates when it comes to fighting cancer as well.
As you can see, there are many dangers of being overweight, and this is not even a comprehensive list of all the dangers out there. Being overweight can truly be dangerous to your health, which is why it is important that you start working to eliminate the problem today.
Hannes Johnson recommends http://www.APoundADayDiet.com/ to people that want to lose weight fast. There you’ll discover the secrets of fast weight loss – How you can do it without drugs, without hunger, and your energy will shoot through the roof. Take action and save your life, today!