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The Editor's Desk - From Beneath the Clutter
Feature Article - All Those Diets – Which Ones Work?
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Guest Article - Transform Your Body For Beach Wear In Just Six Weeks
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How was your Mother's Day? We had a lot of fun. My husband's family has a family picnic every year at the bay for Mother's Day. Of course, this makes a lot of work for many of the moms, but that's sometimes just how it goes. It's a lot of fun and a great excuse to see family.
This week we're taking a look at getting ready for summer. Lots of people want to get fit before it's time to get back to the beach or even just because they suddenly realize they gained weight. Keeping a healthy weight is a great example to set for your family.
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The Power of Positive Habits - Improve your life on your own terms
It seems like there are always new diets coming out or diets that just about everyone you know is on. The South Beach diet. Atkins. Weight Watchers. The Zone. The cabbage soup diet. What really works?
Realistically speaking, any of these can work. What you need to figure out is which one is right for how you want to live your life. The best diet isn’t one you go on then forget about after you’ve lost the weight; it’s one you’ll be comfortable with for years.
When you’re thinking about dieting, whether it’s to get into that cute swimsuit for summer or because you’re just tired of carrying that extra weight around, you need to be realistic about what you can do. Yo-yo dieting is terrible for your body and may even encourage weight gain over the long term, as the body stores fat to prepare for those times when you are eating less.
Take a look at your habits, both in terms of exercise and eating. The simple key to weight loss is to burn more calories than you take in.
If your eating habits aren’t bad, you may want to consider adding an exercise program rather than dieting.
On the other hand, if your eating habits are terrible, consider switching to healthier and lower calorie foods. Don’t cut out the junk entirely unless you are sure you can cope with that or you are setting yourself up for failure. Instead, have small treats on hand for rewards. One of my sisters used this tactic with great success. She bought boxes of what she called “diet chocolate” and allowed herself a single piece if she stayed beneath a certain number of calories for that day. It helped control the urge to sneak snacks and let her enjoy something she loved to eat.
Of course, dieting can often be vital to your overall health. If you are having trouble with your cholesterol, it’s time to look at lowering your fat and cholesterol intake. That means cooking healthier, using less oil and eating more fruits and vegetables.
What about low carb diets? The Atkins Diet is a very popular low carb diet which works by lowering your carbohydrate intake far enough that your body starts ketosis, or consuming the energy stored in your fat cells. Meat is a major part of this plan, so if you aren’t a big meat eater, it isn’t for you. There is some concern about the safety of losing weight as fast as it can go with Atkins.
Any good diet plan will include exercise. This will encourage your body to burn more fat and build up muscle, which burns more energy than fat does. If you’re aiming for that swimsuit, it’s a nice way to tone up as well!
There are plenty of resources both online and off to help the serious dieter.
Stephanie Foster is the owner of Home with the Kids, a resource that knows that there's more to staying home with your family than just business. For more stay at home tips, visit the site at http://www.homewiththekids.com/ and subscribe to the free newsletter.
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Spring is here. Flowers are blooming, jackets are being put away and chances are that you're beginning to panic about putting on a swimsuit again. Hold on. Don't pack your bags for the North Pole just yet. You can get a body makeover in six weeks or less.
If you work hard and set your mind to it, you can make big transformations to your body in time for summer fun. Don't worry, while these changes will require dedication and work no crash dieting or excessive workouts are required.
Read on to learn more about both small and large changes you can start making TODAY to get your body in swimsuit shape.
1) Get on the ball. If you don't already have one, purchase an inexpensive fitness ball. Use it to perform abdominal and leg toning exercises 5 days per week. Do 5-10 minutes in the morning and 5-10 minutes in the evening. There are hundreds of exercises you can do on a ball from beginner to advanced levels so the variety will keep boredom at bay and ensure you keep your body challenged.
2) Add resistance training to your weekly workout. If you aren't currently doing a regular strength training workout then start today. Aim for a minimum of two sessions per week. Each session should work all of your major muscle groups with 2-3 sets per exercise of 8-12 reps using a resistance that fatigues your muscle by the final rep. Start with your larger muscles and then do exercises to target the smaller muscles as well.
In addition to the attractive physical appearance strength training provides, it also helps speed up weight loss. Even when muscles are not actively being used, they need fuel to function. So, the more muscle you have the more fuel that is needed and therefore the more calories you burn.
3) Change up your strength training. If you are currently including resistance training in your weekly routine then try to change it up considerably. It's important to alter your workouts every few weeks. The change helps ensure your body stays challenged, that you are regularly recruiting multiple muscle fibers and ultimately that you make progress and see improvements.
4) Add intervals to your cardio workouts. Strive for three 30-minute interval training sessions each week. Interval training is short, high-intensity exercise periods alternated with periods of rest. It is one of the most effective ways to burn calories. These higher and lower intensity periods are repeated several times to form a complete workout. By exercising harder for short periods of time and then allowing yourself recovery time, you can push yourself harder.
5) Evaluate your eating habits. Even small changes can surprisingly reduce your calories significantly. For example, eliminate or at least limit your soft drink consumption. If you drink one can per day that's about 1050 calories per week you could eliminate. That's almost a whole days worth of calories abolished just by substituting no calorie drinks in place of pop.
6) Find ways to fit even more physical activity in to your daily routine in addition to your exercise routines. Don't underestimate the power of very small changes. Just get off your feet as much as you can. Put away the remotes and channel surf manually, march in place during your favorite show, stand instead of sit whenever possible during your normal daily activities, etc.
7) Maximize your efforts with cross training. Cross-training is a type of exercise regimen that combines strength work, aerobic work, and stretching. With this method you use different muscles each day, which means you'll be able to work out at an intense level without overstraining your body. So try alternating the interval training days with strength training days for a cross training approach.
If you incorporate all of these recommendations, you can be ready for the beach and feeling confident in no time. But don't stop when you've reached your goal. These recommendations are appropriate for long term success and should be incorporated into your lifestyle permanently to maintain good health and fitness.
Lynn Bode is a certified personal trainer specializing in Internet-based fitness programs. She founded Workouts For You, which provides affordable online exercise programs that are custom designed for each individual. Visit: http://www.workoutsforyou.com for a free sample workout. Fitness professionals take your business online, visit: http://www.trainerforce.com
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