Tuesday, 22 November 2011

Motivation For Weight Loss


Motivation
Weight loss diet slimming fitness - Oh my! With all of the fad weight loss diets, slimming tips and tricks, and fitness gadgets on the market it is no wonder we lose our weight loss motivation. Most of these ads are promising us effortless results - which we know deep in our hearts are simply not true.
Whether we choose to believe these ads or not, they do tend to make an impression on our mind. We have become an instant gratification society. So how do we stay motivated on our weight loss, diet, and fitness path? Here are some tips:
First off - start getting the mindset that you are on a lifetime journey. If you temporarily change your eating and exercise habits then you will temporarily lose weight and get in shape. If you permanently change your eating and fitness habits then you will permanently lose weight and stay in shape. Think long term - start today and don't expect quick weight loss and fitness results. Mindset is the most important aspect of staying motivated.
Second - Stop yourself anytime you catch yourself thinking that eating healthy has to taste bad and that exercising is not fun. The truth is that eating healthy can be very enjoyable and you will eventually retrain your tastes. I cannot stand the thought of eating some of the greasy, salty, fatty foods that I used to eat. You will change your tastes - start looking for healthy alternatives that taste good, buy healthy recipe books, and experiment with new foods. Likewise, exercise is great! It relieves stress, makes you feel good, builds momentum for your weight loss and fitness goals, and gets you in shape. Experiment around with exercise until you find something you enjoy - and then do it consistently. Once you start getting in better shape, then you can start looking for new ways to exercise.
Third - Set small manageable goals that fit into your lifetime journey. An example might be to go without sodas for 30 days. At the end of thirty days you may find you don't even desire them any more. If you still want soda - then decide to drink half the amount you did prior to the 30 day soda fast. The same goes with exercise. Decide to take the stairs for the next 30 days. After the 30 days are up, you may decide that is something you want to incorporate into your daily routine forever. Keep setting and achieving small manageable goals with the long term in mind - 5 years from now you will not be the same person as you are today. Small goals are easier to achieve and they build a foundation of success that will snowball into further success. The key is to not get in too big of a hurry for results - Think long term, permanent lifestyle change!
Weight loss and fitness [http://lessheavy.com] are worthy goals that take time and commitment. Prepare yourself mentally for the long haul and then celebrate the small manageable goals. You will stay more motivated and you will start seeing weight loss and fitness results in due time.


Saturday, 19 November 2011

Home Exercises to Lose Weight Quickly - 5 Tips

Exercise is an important part of any weight loss regimen. But with busy schedules, we all want to know which exercises will help us lose the most weight quickly.
Broadly, there are two types of exercises: aerobic and strength training (or anaerobic), and each one contributes differently to weight loss. Aerobic exercise burns fat calories while you are engaged in the exercise itself. On the other hand, strength training primarily contributes to weight loss by helping to increase the speed of your resting metabolic rate (RMR), which is the number of calories your body burns while you are at rest. Your RMR actually increases (i.e., burns more calories) the more muscular your body is because it takes much more energy to maintain muscles than it does to maintain fat.
Important note: remember that muscle weighs more than fat, so some strength training exercises will make you healthier and more attractive while not necessarily contributing to weight loss. But, muscles are a "good" kind of weight and you should aim to build more muscle in order to help keep body fat at bay.
Here are 5 tips for exercises - both aerobic and strength training - you can do at home to lose weight quickly.
Tip #1: Squats: Your buttocks and leg muscles are the largest muscles in your body. Every day in front of the mirror, put your feet at shoulder width while facing forward and squat down-and-up 10-20 times for 2 or 3 sets. This will build your leg and buttock muscles. As you build up strength, try holding 2 or 5 pound dumbbells in your hands while you work out. Be sure to warm up first, and stop if you notice any sharp pain in your knees.
Tip #2: Pushups: Pushups are a form of strength training: during a pushup your arms have to support up to 70% of your body weight. Do 2 or 3 sets of 20 pushups to build arm strength and increase your RMR.
Tip #3: Jumping jacks: Jumping jacks are an excellent whole-body aerobic workout you can do right at home. Do 4 or 5 sets of 20 jumping jacks, or as needed. Hint: if you live in an apartment or stay in a second-story bedroom, be considerate of your neighbors by going outside or doing these in a first story room.
Tip #4: Fast walking: While walking is in itself a great aerobic exercise, fast walking is even better for burning fat. Make sure you really stretch first and warm up with regular walking. Once you start your faster walking pace, try to maintain as much speed as possible for as long as you can. If you get tired, try doing intervals of fast walking followed by short periods of slower walking.
Tip #5: Stepping: Stepping is a great way to get your heart beating and to burn calories. You can use your stairs at home, but for best results I suggest buying specialized stackable step mats and stack them up to at least 15 inches (38 cm). Do 2 to 3 sets of 20 steps each to begin. Even though you may not feel like the stepping is helping, it is! This exercise will not only help you lose weight but will also help shape up your buttocks and legs.
An important element in a strategy to lose weight quickly at home is to do a combination of exercises that build muscles (strength training) while burning fat (aerobic exercises). Start a regimen of most or all of these exercises 2-3 days/week and watch the unhealthy fat melt away.


Thursday, 10 November 2011

How To Get Slim Without Exercise

There are many people out there who would love to know how to get slim without exercise.
Many people believe that it is not possible to lose weight and get slimmer without doing some sort of exercise program. While personally I would always advise that you should do some exercise, because it not only burns lots of calories, it provides countless other health benefits.
However the fact is that there are a lot of people who do not like to exercise. It may be that they simply do not have the time to work out, or they simply hate the thought of having to push themselves day after day.
Regardless of your reasons, you'll be glad to know that it is possible to get slim without exercise, and its all about what you eat and when you eat.
I am not talking about starving yourself, taking diet pills, or the latest miracle diet. I am talking about manipulating your brain to stop those hunger pangs which many people are familiar with.
The first step is a simple one which you will already be aware of. Stop eating foods which contain a lot of sugar, and unhealthy fat. If you keep eating foods that you know are not god for you, this will not work.
The second thing is not to skip meals, this will not help in any shape or form, and your brain at some point during the day will force you to look at high calorie foods, because it thinks that as you have not been getting food, you must be starving and you need to focus on high calorie foods, because you need them. Your willpower will only take you so far, but in the end it is not going to beat something that is naturally hardwired into your brain.
Always eat breakfast, and make sure that you have some healthy foods which are high in protein. Scientific studies have shown that your stomach stays fuller for longer if it has protein in it.
This is how to get slim without exercise;
When you are full, a message is sent to your brain which tells it that you are not hungry. This results in some hormones being released which also tell the brain that there is no need for hunger pangs. However if you have protein in the stomach, a lot more hormones are released when the message goes to your brain, and these hormones stay around for longer, keeping the hunger pangs for longer.
Try eating some toast or cereal for breakfast, and then see how hungry you feel at lunch time. The next day eat some eggs for breakfast, and you will find that when lunchtime comes around you will not feel as hungry and you will eat less.
Another important factor is that to make sure that you get something to eat every 3 or 4 hours.
This does not have to be a full meal, just a small healthy snack or a piece of fruit will be ideal. This way your metabolism senses that you are getting calories on a regular basis, and it will burn them more effectively, because as it is getting food every few hours it doesn't need to store them as an emergency.
If you go too many hours without food, the primitive section of the brain will think that there is a problem, and this is when it starts sending you messages about how nice those high fat and high sugar foods look. Your body will also slow down the burning of calories as it believes there is a shortage of food, and will be more likely to store whatever calories it gets as fat.
So, eat protein at breakfast, eat more frequently, make your meals small, and you will get slim without exercise.
Contrary to what many people are told, it is definitely possible to get slim without exercise. There are a lot of diets available today. Many fall by the wayside because they do not provide the results that they claim.