Top 5 Tips for Eating, Drinking and Being Merry!

The number one habit to "go south" this time of year is health. Suddenly there is no time to do your exercise program yet plenty of time to eat, drink and be merry. While eating, drinking and being merry are fun and exciting, it often reverses all of the hard work that has taken place over the course of the year. Whether you celebrate or not this holiday season, use my five tips below to keep all the success you have had so far from going down the drain.

1. Make a Plan. Planning is the number one secret to staying on your fitness plan, not gaining weight and not having to start over come January. Plan your workouts. Put your workouts in your calendar. Even though you have a standing class or training session, when you see it in your calendar you will be more likely to keep them. Plan your eating. If you have ever have said "I shouldn't have eaten all of that" you know it has the potential to happen again. So before you hit any party (or sweet tray), plan to do it differently and it will be different.


2. Write down and share with a trusted friend (or even your fitness instructor) what your plan or goal is for the holiday season. Whether it's deciding to eat festive foods in moderation or not at all, or cutting your exercise routine down by half instead of discarding it entirely, when you commit to something and share it with others, you are more likely to follow through.


3. Know your serving sizes. You know what you like to eat-and therefore might overindulge upon. Instead, plan to eat a healthy serving size. When at a party or even at home, before you fill your snack, dinner and dessert plates, look at the choices first and then choose wisely. Use http://weightloss-20.com/..../top-5-tips-for-eating-drinking-and to look up what a healthy serving size is if you are not sure. Being aware of what and how much you eat is key to staying on target.


4. Drink non-alcoholic beverages. When you overindulge in alcohol, all bets are off as you almost always will eat more. Drink a healthy non-alcoholic beverage while you enjoy your favorite food. If you wish for an alcoholic beverage, have it after you have eaten and drink it slowly and mindfully. This keeps your mind aware of your actions and easier for you to 'be good'.


5. Prepare ahead of time. Before heading out to a function, party or even the grocery store, have a small healthy meal first. This can make sure that you are not starving when you arrive and therefore you will not dive into the bowl of chips, eat a tray of cookies or buy junk food.

This time of year there are extra temptations to lure you away from your regular healthy diet and fitness routine. Do not be one of the millions of people who every year say "I need to lose the weight I gained from the holidays" or "Next year will be different". This is your year to do things differently!

Kim Ravida is a lifestyle and business coach helping women entrepreneurs, holistic health practitioners and business owners enjoy happy and healthy lives while building and leading successful and profitable businesses.

 

5 Hot New Tips for Shedding Off Those Extra Pounds

The internet is literally filled with tips and tricks to help any person lose weight. Try googling "weight loss" and see for yourself.

But if you look at most of these articles, you will find they usually same the same thing --- make the right food choices, exercise, de-stress, etc. If you have tried most, if not all, of these things and still have not noticed any significant weight loss, you might want to check out these new tricks.

1. Find New Friends

A lot of people lack the motivation to lose weight and if you cannot motivate yourself, be sure you are surrounded with people who can not only motivate you but also support you in achieving your goals.
If you unfortunately do not have any friends who can step up to challenge then there is no reason for you not to go out and look for new ones. You will be surprised at how a lot of people have gym buddies or "Zumba" mates. They will certainly be more encouraging and you will even have more fun this way.

2. Load Up on Apps

Your mobile phones are not only good for texting or emailing but they can also be converted into handy weight loss tools. Simply go to the AppStore or Play Store app on your smartphone and search for apps which you think can help you achieve your goals.
There are apps for counting calories, distance you ran and even for planning healthy meals. Instead of downloading games and whatnots, make better use of your phones.

3. Get Rid of Your Gadgets (Sort of)

If you are spending hours and hours on the couch playing games on your devices or game consoles, maybe it is about time to delete those game apps or shelve those consoles --- unless they will be helping you lose weight.

For instance, there are Wii games like tennis which can almost be the same as the real thing. You can also use your consoles as DVD players so buy exercise videos instead like basic Yoga, Pilates and the popular, Zumba.

Of course, nothing beats going out and actually playing these sports game so dust off your tennis racquet, call up a tennis body and work up a sweat.

4. Take More "Selfies"

Nothing else will motivate you more than seeing yourself online and not looking your "best". In today's world of Facebook, Instragram and Twitter, it would be better for you to take more and more selfies to motivate yourself into losing weight.

You can choose to take "before" and "after" photos for better results. Plus, the fact that your online friends can see your progress and leave encouraging comments will make you feel even more inspired. Just make sure you do not abuse the concept of selfies and watch out for privacy settings if you do not want the whole world to see these photos!

5. Check Out the Home Shopping Network

A lot of you probably ignore the home shopping network and consider them a waste of time but you will find there are actually exercise equipment being sold there that might suit your lifestyle and weight loss objectives. Just make sure you do your homework before making a purchase.

 

How to Lose Weight Fast

People ask me this question on a daily basis. If I had a pound for every time someone asked me, I would be a very rich man (or a very fat one!) In this article I am going to uncover the mystery surrounding weight, or rather fat, loss. Many people think that there is a special exercise or something slim, toned people do that is different to what you do - I'm here to spill the beans.

Losing weight is not rocket science! It just comes down to a few key points:

1) Not all foods are equal, and a calorie is not the same across the board. You might tell yourself that you're allowed a Caramel Latte; after all it's only 250 calories and you know you have a daily limit of 2,000. Right? Sorry, but no! Firstly you need to take into consideration the hormonal effect the food or liquid will have on your body. Science is only discovering now that different foods react differently when ingested. A latte has a high sugar content which causes your body to release insulin, and insulin is a fat storage hormone. (The caffeine in the coffee also leads to the release of cortisol, which is a hormone that breaks down protein.) As a result that innocent little latte has turned your body into a sponge to store all the calories as body fat. 200 calories from, for example, a sweet potato will affect your body differently. The sweet potato contains complex carbohydrates which take longer to break down than simple carbohydrates (like sugar in your latte) and, as a result, eating a potato leads to a lower insulin spike. Because the sweet potato takes longer to digest (those complex carbohydrates) insulin will be secreted over a longer period and this helps to keeping your levels stable and is less likely to cause fat storage.

So, what should you be eating? Foods that are unprocessed must be your first choice. Think of anything in its natural form and it's probably good to eat. Calories from fruit need to be treated with a little caution. Fruits contain fructose (in simple language 'fruit sugar') along with lots of other things, like fibre, vitamins and minerals. But sugar causes an insulin spike, which leads to fat storage, so it is advised that you limit your fruit intake to 3 pieces a day, preferably eaten before midday. You can eat as many vegetables as you like. Green vegetables are especially good for you; starch vegetables are less good for you.

2) New science backs the theory that meal frequency is a thing of the past. Scientific research states that the number of meals you eat in a day doesn't matter as long as you eat enough of the right kind of food and stick to your calorie limit. However, I disagree. I find that small complete meals (protein, carbohydrates and fats ) are the best and should be spaced out every 3 to 4 hours. And here's why:
- the longer you wait to eat the more prone you are of binge eating. If you are eating every 3 hours your blood sugar levels will remain constant and you won't want to binge on sweets or cakes especially in the late afternoons and evenings.

- I believe that the scientific study is flawed. The people used in the controlled study may not be sufficiently like me for the results of that study to apply. For example I am a man, I'm 25, I weigh 205lbs, with 10% body fat, I watch my diet and I train regularly. If the test subjects are middle aged men who don't train or have never dieted a day in their lives then it is arguable that the study results will not be applicable to me. Small, frequent meals have been used by body builders for decades. This method is still used, simply because it still works! I like that logic!

3) Weight training is something I believe everyone should do at least 4 times a week. It could be argued that this is too frequent and that there is a risk of overtraining. However, I don't believe there is such thing as overtraining, but I do believe that you can under rest and under eat. Your weight training program should be the core of your plan to get in to shape. Compound movements will help get rid of your flabby tummy and arms, and exercises like squat, lunges and dead lifts should be used almost daily. Remember that it's not about how much you can lift - you're not a weight lifter! It's all about engaging the muscle and keeping tension on it at all times. Commit yourself to doing your best when you train, each and EVERY session. You should be out of breath after every set; you should need to recover after every set. The intensity of your workout is what keeps you losing weight after you have dropped those first few pounds (which is usually mostly water from fluid retention).

4) Many people believe that cardio is the way to lose weight. Cardio, I'm afraid, is last on the list! The key is eating (what, how and when), then weight training, and finally cardio. However cardio is important and should be done at least 5 times a week at a minimum heart rate of 130bpm. Too much cardio can be counter-productive; 30 minutes is ideal.

Finally, as a guide for you - men should aim to lose a minimum of 2 pounds a week; anything less than this and you're probably doing something wrong. Women should expect to lose a minimum of 1 pound a week - again, anything less than this would indicate that you're doing something wrong.

 

The Key to Weight Loss Depends On How You Think

Most people, both men and women, believe that losing weight depends on dieting and your level of activity.

And that statement is true. But dieting and your level of activity are NOT the most important components of losing weight. Very few people can maintain an eating plan and exercise program solely based on willpower. It an only last so long before old habits creep back into play. Then the weight re-appears and the cycle perpetuates.

Does this sound familiar? If it does AND you are committed to break the cycle, then start at the beginning with a plan to change your habits and re-establish a lifestyle that supports your ideal weight.

The Formula to Weight Loss

The usual formula for weight loss looks like this:

Strength training + aerobic exercise + a reasonable eating plan = weight loss
It's a time-tested formula that works for most people in the short-term. Typically, people drop a few pounds using this formula, hit a plateau, and then drop out of the program. Some survive six months and then drop out. An elite few find their ideal weight and stay at that weight.

How do the elite few manage to do it - to maintain an ideal weight plus or minus a few pounds. These "lucky" few have an advantage from the start. They use the revised weight loss formula shown below.

The Revised Formula for Weight Loss

Add in a key component to the original formula:
Weight Loss =
Strength (resistance) training
Plus
Aerobic Interval Training
Plus
A Reasonable Eating Program
Plus

Thinking Thin (changing your thinking about how you eat).
Bottom line - learn how to think thin first so you can sustain lose weight, achieve an ideal weight, and then maintain the ideal weight.

Break the Vicious Cycle

The vast majority of us who want to shed weight for reasons of health and appearance need to think differently about food and our own body images. That's the only way to break the cycle of start a diet - lose a little weight - stop dieting - gain weight back - start a diet (usually a different one).
Approaching weight loss by changing the way you think about food allows you to figure out the real reasons why you are overweight. Once that's done, you can change your habits to make permanent lifestyle changes.

For example, how often do you find yourself with an empty package of snack food as you munch in front of the TV set. Eating mindlessly is clearly a bad habit that has to go before you can drop the pounds.

How Do You Think Thin?
Quite honestly, I needed help breaking bad habits. I knew it had to be done, especially snacking on candy (totally terrible for weight and health). So, I turned to an expert who wrote a number one bestseller about the topic of thinking thin. Click here to find out what best-selling author Paul McKenna says about how to eat to lose weight.

 

How To Reduce Body Fat - 4 Ways To Help You Reduce Body Fat

Being knowledgeable of how to reduce body fat fast has in all likelihood been something you've been concerned about at one time or another. Possibly, there is a special event that you want to lose weight for, such as a bridal ceremony, or perhaps, you just desire to trim your belly fat. You probably are aware that there are literally hundreds and hundreds of hyped up diet plans around the world that claim to be able to help you master how to lose fat fast.

A large number of these diets are unquestionably scams, with no real value or they are definitely unsafe, or a mixture of both of these elements. Acquiring the knowledge on how to lose unwanted fat fast is very attainable. It has been proven, that you or any person for that matter, who want to lose weight, will need to eat right, workout, and avoid being anxious over the very small stuff. You can try these simple and easy tips to help you to reach your target.
First, you will need to do a mental check. It's important to be sure that your mental state is set on losing body fat and dropping excess weight. You will need to use your mind to tell your body, that you will not indulge in unhealthy sweets, as well as anything that is made from saturated fat. You also will need to condition your mind, that you will not cheat on your diet. Ultimately, you will need a whole lot of self-control when it comes to losing excess weight quickly. Be determined and set your mind to it, because it is your only choice apart from Liposuction surgery.

Next, you will need to modify your eating habits; if you are serious about losing your unwanted pounds, it would be best for you to eat 5-6 small meals per day, instead of 3 hefty ones. These small meals should include a good deal of fruits and vegetables, as well as protein and whole grains.

Avoid starvation, going without eating, it is not the solution, it will just lead to other health complications. Your body needs to be nourished with the proper amount of fruits, vegetables and proteins, enabling you to get the weight off in a safe manner. This process will supply your body the extra fuel that it requires for your workouts and other daily activities.

As you have probably heard, cardio workouts and exercise routines are another great way for you to drop extra pounds fast in your weight loss plan. You should make an effort and push yourself as much as you can, at least once each day. There are a number of different ways you can achieve this, such as elliptical training, swimming, jogging, bike riding and so on. These activities will provide some good perspiration, which will help you shed unwanted body fat.

You may also consider weight lifting, taking walks, in addition to a not so demanding workout routine. Regardless of what kind of physical exercise you engage in, the more active you are, the more surplus weight you are certain to lose.

It is truly hard to reduce weight fast, but you can succeed with your plan to lose body fat, if you simply push yourself to the limit. You will need to focus, and be positive, with the frame of mind, "I absolutely can do it", and you will have great results.

 

How to Lose 10 Pounds in One Month (or 30 Days)

It is absolutely possible to lose ten pounds over the next month. It will take dedication, determination and a positive mental attitude. The following are not only the six steps for losing weight in the next thirty days, but they are also necessary to laying down the foundation that will turn into lasting results.

Step One - Set a Goal and Move Immediately into Action

In this moment, take time to set your ten pound goal. Write it out on a piece of paper and date it for 30 days from now. Writing it out is important when starting out. Keep it in your pocket at all times and read it at every chance you get. The most important part of this task is that if you always read over your goal - you will always have it in mind. Your statement should look something like the following:
"I will lose 10 pounds by Dec.25/2013"

Step Two - Prepare and Execute a Diet Transformation

From a realistic point of view, we should understand that it is not so much a diet that we will be getting into as it will be an overall lifestyle change.

The reason is simple; if we change our diet for the next month and choose to go back to what we consumed prior to the change, our bodies will go back to the way it was.

A simple and yet very effective daily diet would be; assorted fruits for breakfast and assorted vegetables for both lunch and dinner. If you want that extra protein kick in animal form, keep it to a minimum and only allow three to four ounces of freshly cooked fish. You can also snack on nuts and fruit when feeling a bit hungry in between meal times. Limit the portions of each snack to a handful only.

Your new way of eating should not consist of processed foods (including fast food, preserved foods, and other man packaged products), sugar, saturated and Trans fats, and all cooking oil. Also eliminate soft drinks and concentrated fruit juices completely and drink only water.

Step Three - Get Physical Daily

Make time to go for a 45 to 60 minute walk daily without "days off" in between. You can also fit in a natural weight resistance program prior to walking to step it up a notch. The best combination of physical activity for weight loss is a cardiovascular routine (walking, brisk walking, jogging) and a weight resistance routine (push ups, chins, crunches).

There are also other ways you can keep physically active on a daily basis that requires no extra time out of your pocket. When you go for groceries or to the mall, you can park at the far end of parking lot and walk. You can put more effort in cleaning the house on a daily basis. You could also find yard work around the home is you have your own residence. There are so many ways to be naturally active. All we have to do is open our mind to the opportunities.

Step Four - Get Proper Rest

Sleep is a very important time for everyone. Sleep helps rejuvenate the soul, repairs damaged body tissue, and lowers stress levels. It's important to get at least 7 to 8 hours of sleep every night. Another source of rest can be doing something you enjoy doing. It could be a hobby like reading a good book or even meditation if you enjoy that. When we engage in something that is relaxing and joyful it also helps eliminate stress.

Step Five - Clean Your Insides

Okay, so it does not sound like an appetizing job, but this step is also important to help aid weight loss. By keeping your intestinal tract clean, it enables your body to extract the essential nutrients that you need. It will also help keep constipation out of the way!

To do this you can add fiber rich foods in your daily diet. Foods that are high in fiber and packed full of nutrients are; apples, oranges, berries, beans, dark leafy greens. Mother Nature provides the best variety of natural foods and we should absolutely accept them.

Step Six - Eliminate Bad Habits

If you smoke to the point where it's difficult to go for a walk, then it's time to cut back or quit. Smoking should not get in the way of your health. If you spot any other bad habit that you believe is getting in your way of a healthy success - eliminate it. You can do this by replacing the bad habit with a good habit.

We are all habitual beings and no one is an exception. We have the ability to choose and mold a new habit at any given time. When we create new habits by reinforcing the new habit over and over again - we can keep it for life. Once a new habit is fully formed it is set on autopilot, meaning we don't have to attend to that specific habit anymore and we can reap better results daily.

How to Lose Weight - 5 Highly Effective Tips on How to Lose Weight

Losing weight can be very easy if the right steps are taken. Many people make weight loss a lot harder than it needs to be. You do not need to starve yourself or count your calorie intake to be successful. Using the proper intake of the right supplements with a tactical approach will certainly lead to weight loss satisfaction. So you still are asking yourself how to lose weight. I have put together 5 tips that I believe are almost crucial on how to lose weight.

- Green Tea- Consuming Green tea on a regular basis can boost your metabolism, reduce the amount of fat in your body, increase your energy and your endurance while working out. Green tea is a safe and healthy way to lose weight.

- Capsimax- Capsimax is extracted from hot red peppers. As you know spicy food does help speed up your metabolism, but too much of it could cause stomach ulcers. Capsimax with exercise is a highly effective weight loss combination that will help speed up your metabolism and burn fat.
- Garcinia Cambogia is a super fruit that reduces the fat in your body and fights food cravings. This is great for people that want to lose a lot of weight and fast. Exercise is not needed for results but if used in conjunction with exercise the results can be multiplied.

- Detox- Toxins build up in your body which can cause you to gain extra weight and even feel ill or run down. Toxins are found just about anywhere. They can be found in your soaps, food, alcohol, cigarettes, and even from the air you breathe. There are some different fruits, veggies, and herbs that will detoxify the toxins out of your body.

- Water- Substituting water for soda, coffee, and other soft drinks decreases the amount of calories and sugar your body consumes. Water helps not only suppresses your appetite, especially in between meals, but is also used to turn food into usable energy. Just switching from soda to water can make you lose weight.

These are all great ways on how to lose weight safely without starving your body of nutrients and vitamins you need. Before starting any weight loss program, it is best to consult your doctor.

Remember exercise and nutrition are very important, not only for weight loss, but also for your health. These are very effective strategies if performed properly and on a regular basis. I hope I answered some of your questions on how to lose weight. I wish the best of luck to you on your weight loss journey.