In order to increase the size of muscle, the muscle must be stimulated. One way of providing the stimulation your muscles need is to exercise so your muscles will grow in size.A muscle building tip that has helped many to attain their goal is to begin training with free weights. Strength and resistance exercise will also help by motivating your muscles to develop.

A workout routine of lifting weights combined with strength training exercises will begin to gradually bulk up your muscles. Muscle building workouts done on a regular basis will not only develop muscle mass but will add to your overall health. If you are a beginner, you will want to start out with lighter free weights and slowly increase the amount of weight you lift and the number of repetitions you perform.

Free weight training along with strength and resistance training will gradually help your body develop muscle. You can use this muscle building tip to your advantage if you remember that Rome wasn’t built in a day, and your muscles won’t be built in a day either. Building muscle is a slow process, but perseverance is the keyword to success. Anyone who has gone through the process of building up their muscles will confirm that they have been discouraged by the apparent lack of progress, but eventually they reached and maintained their goal.

Mass building workouts along with strength training will further enhance your chances of success in building muscle. Bench presses, pull-ups, push-ups, squats, andor other exercises that target specific muscles are very effective in building muscle. It is important that you rest in between muscle building workouts to allow your muscles time to recover.

Whether you are a beginner or a pro, one common occurrence while doing muscle building routines is the possibility of muscle spasms. A muscle spasm occurs when a voluntary muscle those you can controlbunches up and tightens. Muscle spasms can occur for several reasons or no reason at all, with the result being a painful muscle contraction, or muscle spasm. Muscle spasms can sometimes be relieved by resting the muscle, massaging it or by moving around. The best way to avoid these painful spasms is to do proper warm-up exercises, and let your muscles rest in between workouts.

If you want to be successful in your efforts to build muscle mass, it is important to follow these and other muscle building tips when you begin your muscle building routine.

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It is easy to start a fitness regime, and then run out of enthusiasm. With a busy work schedule, and an equally busy social life, its a common enough occurrence that people drop out of exercising on the basis that they dont have enough time. The most obvious answer to this, and something that most fitness instructors will suggest, is just to get out of bed a bit earlier, and use that time to exercise. Of course, to some this may seem like a nightmare, and not something to inspire them; nightowls should look for something to do in the evening, perhaps a late workout session at the gym, or installing some home exercise equipment so that you can watch TV as the same time as working out.

Not everyone is suited to a traditional fitness regime of steps and dancercise. You might find it rewarding to try other methods to keep fit, such as martial arts. It is not important how you get fit only the results matter. If you find that you enjoy fencing, for example, then that will extend your enthusiasm for your fitness regime. Doing something that you hate, or which you feel stupid doing, wont last very long.

Keep your enthusiasm up in other ways, by working out to favourite tracks, or by keeping a log of how well youve done. You can work out with a friend and have a competition; or you can set yourself goals in your fitness regime, and reward yourself when you achieve them.

Fitness should be something that you work towards for all of your life, and a daily exercise routine will certainly help you achieve that goal. Even if your exercising consists of a short run everyday, and you never end up with a full six-pack, that does not matter. Fitness is not about getting the perfect body, it is about a general physical state where you feel more energetic, and you feel good about the way your body looks and works.

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Back pain management depends upon what type of back pain you have! Is it your regular visitor? Or do you have the pain for the first time? If it was your regular visitor, how did you treat it? How did you get rid of it? Did you take some painkillers and got relieved? No, not well done! You are inviting more troubles for you, through your back.

Back pain and muscle pain go hand in hand. Sometimes, you do not know whether you have back pain or the muscle pain. In any case, their biological cause is identical-inflammation in the proximity of the pain area, that results in internal pressure and the pain receptors are activated in the nerve endings. Brain gets the relevant signals depending upon the intensity of the pain.

Avoid the painkillers and try to understand the root cause of the back pain. Some of the painkillers report the narcotics content up to 4 . What to say about the Wise-Solomons in the Drug Controlling Departments, who certified such drugs as pain killers! By the time, the back pain is cured due to such drugs, if at all it is cured, you have created another incurable patientthe drug addict!

Therefore, I repeat again, understand your back again. If you are having it for the first time, don’t rush to your doctor straightaway. It could be due to any silly reason! A jerk while traveling in the bus or auto, lift any object in the wrong way, a stumble over the street puddlesuch back pains will automatically heal themselves with a bit of co-operation from your end. Get your back massaged properly, again not in the wrong way, and try to get a comfortable sleep. Don’t be determined to watch your favorite TV program with the weight of your back on a pillow!

If you have a weak body, exercise-less body, you are likely to get back pains quite often. For this state, the right living is the answer! Try to find out from a yoga expert, which types of asana postures are suitable for you. By doing those exercises regularly, your back and front will become stronger to resist any sort of pain. It is your body. It requires service and maintenance, just as you provide that kindness to your car!

When did you have a morning walk last? If you are not willing to come out of your car, even for doing small jobs in the market, you will have one sort of pain or the other.
Building the body strength and power of resistance, is the best way to prevent back-pain.

Scientifically speaking, do exerciseand a natural antidote to pain, endorphins is released. It combats the negative afflictions in your body. Laziness and inactivity are the main causes of pain of all sorts especially the back pain.

Prolonged back pain may give rise to serious other pains and it may disable the body in parts. Do not neglect it. But mostly rely on the natural remedies. I am not telling you to neglect the doctor. Take his advice as well. Sometimes, his experience and expertise may solve your problem!

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Arthritis is one of the most prevalent health problems facing today’s aging population.

The most common form of arthritis is osteoarthritis, which usually strikes weight-bearing joints such as the ankles, knees and hips. Pain is caused by the gradual breakdown of cartilage, the soft “padding” material that cushions the joints.

About 85 of adults who reach the age of 85 will have osteoarthritis–unless they take a proactive approach to prevent it.

Exercise is very important. But what about diet?

For a long time, doctors doubted there could be any link between diet and osteoarthritis. They saw the disease as a natural result of wear and tear on the joints, something inevitable as we age.

But new research is making them reconsider that idea.

It now appears that nutrition plays a vital role in helping to prevent or ease the effects of osteoarthritis. One key element is vitamin C.

Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant, and may protect the joints from the damaging effects of free radicals unstable molecules that can cause joint inflammation.

Recent research is showing that vitamin C can help prevent bone loss and cartilage inadequacies associated with aging. Specifically, when your joint has cartilage that needs to be repaired, vitamin C is needed for such repairs. It helps to keep your cartilage “young”.

The information about Arthritis presented here will do one of two things either it will reinforce what you know about Arthritis or it will teach you something new. Both are good outcomes.

According to Dr. Timothy McAlindon of the Boston University School of Medicine, “Vitamin C may also help generate collagen, which enhances the body’s ability to repair damage to the cartilage.”

When scientists at the Boston University School of Medicine studied the eating habits of people with osteoarthritis of the knee, they found that those getting the most vitamin C–more than 200 milligrams a day–were three times less likely to have the disease get worse than those who got the least vitamin C less than 120 milligrams a day.

Dr. McAlindon recommends that people get a least 120 milligrams of vitamin C every day. “That’s the amount in a couple of oranges,” he says.

Dr. Michael F. Roizen and Dr. Mehmet C. Oz, co-authors of “You The Owner’s Manual”, recommend even more. “Shoot for 1200 milligrams of vitamin C a day–spread between your diet and supplements throughout the day.”

Be careful not to overdo it. Some data suggest that more than 2,500 milligrams a day can have the opposite effect and actually increase the risk of osteoarthritis.

Dr. Eve Campanelli, a holistic family practitioner in Beverly Hills, CA, recommends black cherry juice. She advises her patients to drink two glasses, twice a day, of four ounces of the juice diluted with four ounces of water.

Other fruits and vegetables rich in vitamin C include oranges, cantaloupe, broccoli, strawberries, peppers and cranberry juice.

A healthy diet, rich in fruits and vegetables, has been recommended by nutritionists for years. Now there’s another reason to pay attention–it can help your joints to stay young!

Hopefully the sections above have contributed to your understanding of Arthritis. Share your new understanding about Arthritis with others. They’ll thank you for it.

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A Few Of The Best Exercises For Weight Loss

Raising your heart and breathing rate for a time at least three times a week is the general idea, and there are many ways to do that. Any activity will burn calories, though, so don’t feel you have to start heavy workouts to get some benefit. A few possibilities and ideas follow, but talk to your doctor before starting any of the more athletic activities.

- Do things you enjoy doing, which also involve moving your body. You’re more likely to persevere in your efforts if you enjoy yourself.

- Swimming can be a great weight loss exercise, because it is easy on the joints. Swimming in cool water also means your body burns calories heating itself.

- Walking is perhaps a better alternative to running or jogging. It’s easier on the body, and delivers about the same benefits for the same distance traveled. It’s also more enjoyable for many of us. Walking also can be done in large malls when the weather is bad outside.

- Climbing up and down stairs is a very aerobic exercise. It burns almost as many calories as jogging, without the problems of weather. In the right place, it can be more private too.

- Stationary bicycles are tough to use regularly because of the boredom factor. If you only allow yourself to watch your favorite television show while pedaling, however, you may feel more motivated.

- Parking the car far away from every place you visit can mean a lot of extra walking. Once you do it enough, it will become an almost unconscious habit.

- Walking the dog can be great exercise for you and the dog. It’s also a good way to meet new people.

- Getting a job that requires physical activity can be a way to guarantee you’ll get enough exercise. Just be sure it’s something you can handle and enjoy.

- Gardening helps a lot of people burn calories while doing something enjoyable. It also can produce the healthy foods that help with weight loss.

What’s available to you will determine what exercises you can use. You may also have some personal physical limitations. What you enjoy doing may be the most important consideration, however, because the best exercise for weight loss is the one you’ll actually do.

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How Overweight Is America?

How serious is obesity in America? According to Kathleen Donnelly for MSN Health & Fitness, statistics show that 60 percent of adult Americans weigh too much, and 17 percent of American children and teens are overweight.
And the problem continues to escalate. In the past thirty years, children in the USA are increasingly tipping the scales. The rise of obesity among children between the ages of 6 and 11 has gone from 4 to 13 in three decades. Obesity in US children ages 12 to 19 has gone from 5 to 14. And if a child is obese at the age of 6, it has a 5050 chance of being obese for life. Obese thirteen year olds have a 75 likelihood of being obese for the rest of their lives. This problem is even more severe among blacks and Hispanics.

To remedy their plight, 103,000 morbidly obese Americans living in the United States had gastric bypass surgery in 2003. The complication rate was 7.

What causes obesity?

Several causes for obesity have been suggested, including heredity, social-economic conditions, diet, and exercise. Since we cant control who our parents are, lets focus on social-economic conditions, diet, and exercise.
Obesity & Social-economic conditions
Numerous studies have concluded that there is a direct cause and effect relationship between a persons level of education and their odds of being overweight. The greater their level of learning is, the slimmer their odds of obesity are.

Dysfunctional Diets, Inadequate Exercise, and Bulging Belt-lines

Of course, two obvious causes of obesity are dysfunctional diets and a lack of proper exercise. Americans are exercising less and less while simultaneously consuming too much junk food. The average US woman is now consuming 335 more calories per day than the average woman in 1971. Calorie intake among men has increased to an additional 168 calories per day. Is it any wonder that America is increasingly becoming an obese nation?

Health Risks Associated with Obesity

Discomfort about ones appearance, however, is not the only downside to obesity. There are numerous health risks associated with being overweight. Obese individuals have a higher-than-normal rate of hypertension, type 2 diabetes, high lipids, gallbladder disease, osteoarthritis, strokes, respiratory disease, some types of cancers, heart disease, and other chronic and deadly conditions. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention predicts obesity will soon be Americas number one killer. In 2000, tobacco was linked to 435,000 deaths while obesity was close behind at 400,000 deaths.

What to Do About Obesity

There are primarily three things that most experts recommend to help maintain a healthy weight level 1 Getting the proper amount of exercise, 2 eating a healthy, well-balanced diet, and 3 supplementing ones diet with nutritional products.

The Value of Exercise

If youre considering going on a diet to lose weight, remember that the important thing is not just to lose weight, but to keep it off. In order to lose weight and keep it off, there is no substitute for exercise. One study reported by The National Weight Control Registry shows that out of 3,000 individuals who lost a minimum of 30 pounds and kept it off for more than a year, only 9 percent lost weight without exercising.

How much exercise should an individual get?

The proper amount of exercise that an individual should get of course varies from individual to individual. To make certain you are getting the proper amount of exercise, consult your family physician.

Melissa Tennen, HealthAtoZ writer, says Get at least 30 minutes of activity on most days. To prevent weight gain, 60 minutes a day may be necessary.

What is a Healthy Diet?

The short answer to the question, What is a healthy diet? is to eat a well-balanced diet that is as close as possible to the way nature intended. Fast foods and highly-processed foodless foods have been proven to have ill-effects on ones health. Many are high in calories and low in nutritional value.
Yet not everyone has the time, the money, or the ability to eat The Perfect Diet. So whats the solution?

The Importance of Supplementing Your Diet

No doubt, in a perfect world, we would not need vitamin pills, diet pills, and other nutritional supplements. Wed simply get everything our body needs from our food. But lets get a reality check This is not Eden. And getting everything your body needs from your diet alone is almost impossible. Plus, if you are overweight, you need extra help.

What to look for in a Weight-Loss Pill

If youre looking for The Perfect Weight Loss Pill, there are a number of things to consider. Here are just a few

Does the products formula utilize nutrients in the most absorbable and potent form available?

Most companies compromise on their nutrients. They use poorly absorbed forms or synthetically derived fractions of nutrients.

Does the product use ephedra stimulants or dangerous fat blockers?

For accelerated fat-loss support and increased performance, you need help with reducing hunger, utilizing fat, enhancing metabolism, and increasing true energy levels. Insist on a weight loss product that delivers all natural support for healthy weight loss, without using ephedra stimulants.
Also, avoid dangerous fat blockers. The perfect solution is to find a weight loss pill that works by helping support healthy digestion of stored fat and a healthy metabolism. Lipase is the enzyme responsible for breaking down fat, making it available for utilization as energy. Without lipase, fat is stored as excess body fat.

Does the product contain Citrin K and CLA?

Research shows Citrin K and CLA as two powerful ingredients in helping maintain healthy fat burning. Also important are Guggul lipids and chelated minerals. They help maintain a healthy thyroid and will reduce cravings. Weight loss pills containing these ingredients make for a healthier, safer and more effective body fat reduction formula.
Dont forget the importance of fiber

Special types of fiber will expand in your stomach and will reduce your hunger without stimulation and drug-like effects. This, in turn, will help to nutritionally support healthy body fat levels.

Your body needs energy to burn fat

Finally, the most needed factor in losing body fat is keeping your energy levels up so you have the energy burn more fat.

Are there really any nutrients available today that help promote healthy and safe fat reduction? YES! Although there are many supplements today containing herbs like Guarana, MaHuang and Ephedra that can have potentially harmful side effects, there are still many that safely help the body reduce its fat stores.

Here are just a few of the most powerful nutrients which have been well-documented

CLA Conjugated Linoleic Acid

A study published in The Journal of Nutrition December 2000, V12 established that the natural dietary supplement conjugated Linoleic Acid CLA reduces body fat. Jan Wadstein, MD, PhD, associate professor at Lund University in Sweden states, “CLA may be a valuable weight management supplement to any diet regimen. Keeping lean body mass and speeding up fat loss are the keys to a successful weight program.”

Garcinia Cambogia

Another supplement essential for weight loss is natural organic acid extract from the rind of the Malabar tamarind called Garcinia Cambogia. This compound has been associated with gradual decrease in body fat, nutritionally supporting healthy cholesterol levels, and suppressing hunger cravings frequently. A study performed by Katts, et al, concluded the administration of Garcinia Cambogia reduced deposition of body fat and promoted increased weight loss in human subjects. Citrin K is a proprietary formula proven to suppress appetite. The best and most researched form of Garcinia Cambogia can be found in our proprietary blend called Citrin K. Citrin K also supplies potassium, which plays a major role in maintaining the body’s fluid balance. There are other forms of Garcinia Cambogia on the market, but they don’t have the potency guarantee that Citrin K does.

Other micronutrients needed to support body fat metabolism include vitamin A, vitamin B, vitamin C and Zinc and Chromium. Look for a weight-loss supplement that will supply you with the highest quality of whole food vitamins and amino acid chelated minerals. This will help to nutritionally support a healthy metabolism, further enhancing your results.

Theobromine

Theobromine is an extraordinary nutrient found in chocolate. It helps maintain healthy levels of stress, giving you a confident and powerful feeling of health. This is a vital component to look for in a weight control product because it nutritiously supports the body in appetite suppression and provides an energetic, euphoric effect. This is very important, as many people scrap weight loss programs because of irritability and their inability to curb cravings.

So if you want to lose weight and keep it off, get the proper amount of exercise, eat a healthy, well-balanced diet, and supplement your diet with a weigh loss pill that meets the aforementioned criteria. The final word on diet pills is this The Perfect Weight Loss Pill should contain the most powerful and safest nutrients available to help you nutritionally support healthy fat burning metabolism without harmful stimulants.

NOTES

1. OBESITY in America.

2. National Center for Health Statistics. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey NHANES. Hyattsville, MD U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. 1999.

3. Moran R. Evaluation and treatment of childhood obesity. Am Fam Physician. 1999;59758, 761-762.

4. Hedley AA, Ogden CL, Johnson CL, Carroll MD, Curtin LR, Flegal KF. Prevalence of overweight and obesity among US children, adolescents, and adults, 1999-2002. JAMA. 2004;2912847-2850.

5. Newman C. Why Are We So Fat? National Geographic. August 2004.

6. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The Surgeon General’s call to action to prevent and decrease overweight and obesity what you can do; 2001.

7. Newman C. Why Are We So Fat? National Geographic. August 2004.

8. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The Surgeon General’s call to action to prevent and decrease overweight and obesity what you can do; 2001.

9. Obesity Swallowing America

10. The Journal of Nutrition. Vol 130, No 12, Dec 2000.

11. Kaats GR. Reduction of body fat as a function of taking a dietary supplement containing garcinia cambogia extract, chromium picolinate and L-carnitine A randomized double blind placebo controlled study. 3rd International Conference on Anti-aging Medicine and Bio-medical Technology. Las Vegas, NV., Dec. 7-11, 1995.

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Weight loss really does begin in your head. Every successful athlete understands that his thinking process is either working for him or against him. The same holds true with weight loss. If your internal dialogue is negative, your results will eventually manifest the same result! You cant degrade yourself to a healthy new you! You must change your thinking to work for you, to build your resolve, and to maintain that all important motivational factor.

Writing is an exercise that will help your mind change its thinking! It allows you to process the negative emotions and helps to instill the positive changes. Start with these simple exercises

1. The Negative Emotions Daily Dump Many success coaches advocate writing out your negative thinking on a daily basis. Simply spend approximately 15 minutes writing out all the frustrations, bad feelings, and discouragement. This helps you to process these bad feelings out of your system so that you can make room for positive affirmations. Do not reread the entries and do not keep them. Write it out, and then throw it out. We call this the Negative Emotions Daily Dump.

2. Affirm Your Goals Prepare a list of affirmations that will help your subconscious work with your conscious brain to make those all important behavioral changes. Then write your affirmations at least twice a day. Write them once after you have written your Negative Emotions Daily Dump. Dont do the Negative Dump without filling it with the positive affirmations. You should always end with this. Write the second set of affirmations either right before you go to bed or first thing in the morning. Read your affirmations several times a day.

3. Understand your Motivations In order to stay motivated you must understand your real reasons for losing weight. In other words, understand why YOU want to lose weight. Not why your spouse or friends want you to lose weight but why losing the weight is important to you. Do you really want more energy? Do you just love skinny clothes? Do you want to participate in an activity that would be easier if you were slim and healthy? Write these motivations out in detail so that you can solidify them in your head and they can continue to motivate you through the entire weight loss journey.

4. Accountability Keep a food diary. Keeping a food diary has been proven time and time again to increase your weight loss success by as much as 50! A food log is your accountability factor. It keeps you honest with yourself.

5. Visualize Visualize yourself enjoying the portions of your weight loss program that you are currently struggling to do. For instance if you hate the cardio portion of your day, start seeing yourself loving it. See it as your time. It can be your time to read while youre on the stationary bike. Or your time to watch all those movies you feel guilty watching any other time. Once you begin to visualize positive feelings about a certain activity the easier that activity will become.

6. The Pat-On-The-Back Keep a written log of your weight loss success. By writing down your weight loss on a weekly basis you are validating your efforts and giving yourself a pat-on-the-back. This will go a long way to keeping you on track.

Keep in mind that if you are utilizing the assistance of a personal fitness trainer or weight loss professional that they may use techniques to help you face your self-defeating habits. This might feel harsh and negative, however it isnt. Honesty is necessary to motivate change and this is different than running yourself down! Sometimes we have to hear the hard words to make the hard changes. Keep in mind that these professionals are seeking your ultimate success. Your success is their success. Lets face it, the weight gain started with you and to change that behavior you may have to deal with some uncomfortable feelings. A good trainer will help you feel cared about while still insisting that you deal with your bad habits. Its a good thing to be pushed past your comfort zone to becoming a better you!

Writing is the new exercise that can make all the rest of your weight loss efforts including good nutrition, exercise, and resistance training work for you because you will be working with these principles instead of against them. You will start seeing these weight loss techniques as a positive and permanent part of your life, instead of a temporary device. That will result in faster results that last forever!

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First let me back up a bit and explain how a middle-aged 6 0 male with a medium to large frame got to be 335 pounds. Well, it wasnt hard and didnt seem to take all that long. It was eating lots of fast food, burgers, and little to no exercise over the course of a few years. Sound familiar? In my 30s and 40s I was fairly active with scuba diving and just in my job itself. Then all of a sudden my job changed to where I sit at a computer eight hours a day and still do, instead of being a busy technician building and testing things.

With age also came the slowdown of my bodys metabolism I am now 54, coupled with a sit down job and eating lots of fatty burgers and other high calorie meals. Especially bad was eating big meals just before going to bed. It didnt take long to find myself at 335 pounds. I blew up like a big fat whale and my huge belly hung way over my belt line. I had to buy 3X shirts and 50 waist trousers to go around my bulk. I looked and felt just awful.

The time came when I finally said enough is enough! I was not feeling good, was out of breath all the time, and could hardly walk up the stairs to the bedroom. I went out and bought a good digital bathroom scale and weighed myself the next morning undressed and after using the bathroom. The max limit on the scale was 330 pounds. The scale gave me an error message a big fat capital E. That meant I was heavier than 330 pounds! Oh my God I thought! It cant be! That morning, I weighed myself at work on the shipping scales. My weight was about 340 pounds fully dressed and after eating breakfast. That meant my true morning weight was around 335 or so.

Steps I took to lose the pounds

I knew I didnt want or could afford to buy expensive exercise equipment. Nor did I want to spend a lot of money to join a health club. There had to be a better way. I did some research on the internet about aerobics and metabolism the rate at which the body burns fuel and came to the conclusion the answer to my weight problem was to increase my metabolism through aerobic exercise, and by changing my eating habits. The strict definition of aerobic is with oxygen. The body uses oxygen to burn fuel. Aerobic exercise improves oxygen consumption by the body and burns fuel more efficiently. I learned that aerobic exercise like walking at a brisk pace for 20 or more minutes without stopping, will increase the bodys metabolism perhaps up to several hours, even after you stop exercising. This is just one of the added perks of aerobics.

I would encourage everyone reading, to search the internet on metabolism and aerobics. There is much more information there than I can possibly put here, or need to. The information is abundantly available no need for me to re-invent the wheel.

After getting freaked out when my new digital bathroom scale went Tilt, this is what I did

1. I created a spreadsheet on my home computer so I could track and record my weight each Saturday morning you can choose any day you wish, as long as you are consistent on when you weight yourself. Once a week is best.

2. I researched the internet about losing weight, and learned about metabolism, aerobics and aerobic exercise and how they affect the body and calories. I figured I should be about 180-185 pounds for my height and frame, so I adjusted my daily calorie intake for that body weight. No special diets to speak of, just calorie intake adjustment, although I do try and eat healthy foods most of the time.

3. I invested in a good pair of walking shoes. This is critical!
4. I measured out one mile using the odometer of my car, and timed how long it took me to walk one mile at a brisk pace brisk pace meaning walking fast enough to elevate my heart and respiration rate. It took me 20 minutes to walk one mile. A 20-minute mile is not all that fast, but fast enough for someone weighing 335 pounds. And 20 minutes is the minimum workout time for aerobic exercise to be beneficial to the heart. My course was nothing more than the sidewalks of my neighborhood. Partly homes and apartments, and partly businesses.

5. I walked one mile per day, everyday, for about the first month a 20-minute walk after dinner. I noticed my energy level was building and I felt better. After about the first 10 days, my digital bathroom scale began to give me a number instead of the big fat E error message. Definite progress!

6. The second month I increased my distance to one and a half miles a day or a 30-minute walk after dinner. The soreness in my legs gradually disappeared.

7. I continued this pattern of increasing the distance by one-half mile until I was up to six miles per day doing three miles before work and three miles after work. Six miles a day may be a bit extreme, so you may want to adjust your walks accordingly. But it worked for me and got to the point where I could walk three miles without breaking into a sweat. The pounds melted off!

8. After I lost nearly 100 pounds, I scaled back to four miles a day two before work and two after work. I walk the miles faster too, about a 17-minute mile.

9. After 14 months, I reached 185 pounds and thats apparently where my body wants to be. I continue to walk four miles everyday, watch my daily calorie intake, and have stabilized at 185 pounds.

Do I still eat a big fat juicy burger and ice cream once in awhile? OH YES! I love that stuff! But I religiously weight myself each Saturday morning and my weight seems to be happy and steady at 185. I dont deprive myself of the foods I love, but I have learned what, when, and how much I can eat and get away with. One has to experiment and adjust accordingly.

I look forward each day to my walks. In fact, I get a sense of accomplishment after each walk. A fringe benefit I guess. Another fringe benefit is that walking is a great stress reliever especially after a hard day at the office. All in all, I am in much better health. That 150-pound barbell I was carrying around all day is gone. My heart and cardiovascular system is much healthier all due to walking.

Perhaps one of the greatest benefits other than the obvious health benefits is that the people in the neighborhood and the storekeepers stop me all the time and comment on how I look. These are the people who would see me walk by their homes and stores each day. They saw a once very fat person transformed into a thin person.

The bottom line

I was sick of being obese and I knew it was killing me and that I needed to do something and quick. I was a sure candidate for a heart attack or stroke. After doing a little research, I found the best way for me was aerobic walking coupled with a change in eating habits. There other types of exercises that will work too, but I believe nothing is as good for the human body then walking. The benefits are enormous and the cost is, well, the price of a good pair of walking shoes and comfortable clothes. Its enjoyable too! Forget those expensive boring indoor treadmills! Go for a walk in the great outdoors!

If you can walk, have a place to walk, by all means go for it! If you are like me, you will increase your energy a hundred fold. Start off slow at first if you are way out of shape, a few minutes a day. Walk briskly and swing those arms. Increase until you can do a mile, then a mile and a half, and so on and so on until you reach your goal weight. This is a lifelong commitment, so dont stop after reaching your goal weight.

My family and friends at work all say I am half the man I used to be. They are not very far off! I went from wearing 3X shirts and 50 waist trousers, to wearing large shirts and 34 waist trousers. Yeah, I had to buy all new clothes but I didnt mind the expense one bit.

Take care and happy walking.

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If you are looking to burn fat and become more toned, then increasing your exercise intensity is critical. Many people have the misconception that if you workout at a higher intensity you will no longer be burning fat since you will be in your cardio zone. Whereas, if you keep your intensity low for a longer duration you will burn more fat since you will be in your fat burning zone. Let me clarify this for you once and for all. By training at a low intensity 75 max your main fuel source is carbohydrate but you will ultimately burn more calories. And since 1 pound of fat is equivalent to 3500 calories, the ultimate goal is to burn as many calories as possible to create a negative energy balance!

One of the best ways to achieve this intensity is through the use of full-body compound circuit training strength training in conjunction with interval training on the cardio equipment. The benefit of full body compound training is that since it utilizes more muscle in any given movement you burn more calories. The intensity of the workout also means that each exercise becomes more challenging as your heart rate is sustained at a much higher level.

Here are a couple of benefits to following an exercise program combining circuit training and interval training

1. Intervals and circuits vastly reduce boredom. Traditional steady state cardio training andor weight lifting can become quite boring. Interval training and circuit training offer more variety and excitement to your workouts.

2. Interval training increases post-exercise energy expenditure calories burned following exercise more than steady-state exercise, which means that more fat is burned. After intense exercise, the body needs extra calories as it works to repair muscles, replace energy stores i.e. carbohydrate and restore the body to its normal state e.g. reduce heart rate. As this can take many hours, you will keep on burning more calories long after the workout is over. In fact, research shows that metabolic rate is higher for several hours following interval training compared to steady state exercise.

3. Interval training burns more calories. As an example, 30 minutes on an Elliptical machine using a steady state program will burn roughly 292 calories, whereas 30 minutes of intervals will burn approximately 584 calories!

Here is a sample workout that will leave you huffing and puffing

Warm-up
bike, treadmill, elliptical, rower 5-10 min

Circuit 45 seconds for each exercise, with 15 seconds rest between exercises 5-7 min
Lunge walks with lateral raises
Plank on stability ball
Squats with medicine ball shoulder press
Push-ups
Side Bridges
Reverse Pull-ups
Burpies

Interval Training cardio equipment
20 sec 100 40 sec 70 x 5 5 min

Repeat Circuit and Interval 3 times

Total Workout Time 45 60 min

If you would like to experience what an intense workout feels like then please inquire about the revolutionary Fitter U MP3 personal training program! For a fraction of the cost of regular one-on-one training, this proven MP3 program will ensure you get to your fitness goals in less time!

Written by Yuri Elkaim, BPHE, CK. Do not reprint without permission. 2006 Total Wellness Consulting.

Related posts:

1. Enhanced Fat Loss with Interval Training
2. Burning Fat vs. Burning Calories
3. Two Great Ways to Burn Fat Fast

Never underestimated the power of a food diary. Using it daily will ensure you become much more conscious of your current bad eating habits. Through its use you can identify the cause of your weight problems.

So what is a food diary?

Well it is simply a small book you carry with you everywhere you go for at least two weeks. After this you can store it some place safe and refer to it three times a day.

So here is a quick explanation of a food diary

Week 1.
In your diary on the first page note your current weight. Now for the rest of the week you must make a note of everything you eat during the day. This is why it is so important to carry the small book with you at all times. You must be disciplined in this. Every time you eat anything, even a small piece of meat or a nibble you must enter exactly what you ate and the time at which it was eaten. Then describe your motivations for eating it. Where you really hungry? Was the temptation of it being there too much? Where you feeling lonely or stressed? Take a note of all the feelings that lead you to eat the food.

At breakfast, lunch and dinner list all the foods you ate, why you ate them and how you felt before, during and after you ate them. Also note every bit of exercise to take during the day. It doesnt matter how small it is just jot it down anyway. Also note when you went to the shops or to pick up the kids or just to get a message. Did you take the car or bus? Describe how you were feeling prior to taking the car or bus. Why didnt you walk? Was it too far? Did you not have enough time?

Week 2.
Write down your current weight and follow the plan outlined for week 1. In addition, you can now start to analyse your diary.

Look over your entries for the previous week and the amount of food you ate. What type of food where you eating. Why were you eating it? For example you may have noted that you ate a chocolate bar at 1pm because you were feeling bored. You notice that this is a recurring theme almost everyday. So, go to your empty diary entries for week three and pencil in at the same time of day an activity that will relieve your boredom. If you cant think of one then pencil in that you will go for a walk or start to do that odd job you have been putting off for months!

Perhaps you ate the chocolate because it gave you a certain feeling you enjoyed. Look at the feeling. Is there anything else you could do that would make you feel the same or a similar way? There are always alternatives. Jot one down in your diary!

Maybe you notice that the temptation to eat the chocolate was too strong to resist because it was just there. Pencil into your diary, on your shopping day, that you are to buy no chocolate!

Now look at your exercise activities for the previous week. When did you take the car when you could have walked? Could you pencil in an extra 15 minutes walking a day. Divide the 15 minutes into three 5 minute exercises, this way it will not seem like that much of a change. Park the car 5 minutes away from the shop. Walk to a bus stop that is 5 minutes further away. Did you not have enough time? Structure your diary to compensate, even if it means getting up 15 minutes earlier.

In this way you can use your diary to set out a plan for the coming week. Be strict with yourself and follow your plan. Tick off the things on your diary one by one as you complete them. Pencil in activities that you have always wanted to do. You will find that organising your food intake and exercise routine in this way will have a major knock-on effect on the rest of your life. You are getting organised!

Your food diary is a also great way of tracking your progress. Make sure you note in it all your accomplishments and list all your weight loss achievements. When you reach week 3 you can begin using your diary only 3 times a day – once in the morning to check your schedule for the day. Once after dinner to note your activities during the day and once at night to review your progress that day and structure the same day for the following week.

It is important to reward yourself every time you succeed at a task that you have put in your diary. Pencil in that at the end of a certain week you will buy yourself new clothes. Constantly review your achievements and give yourself credit for having done so well. This will keep you motivated and ensure you keep to your plan, continue using your diary and of course keep your weight healthy.

Related posts:

1. Dieting Tips For Weight Loss
2. The Food Theme Diet
3. 1 Pound Of Fat 3,500 Calories