Workout Machines Are They Really Necessary?

by Weight Loss - February 20, 2020

Workout Machines – What You Need to Know

Are you in shape for summer yet? Those sunny days are just around the corner and everyone is out browsing for their skimpy bathing suits. How will your new swimwear fit on you?

Are those legs tone and those arms fit? Have you been keeping up with your daily crunches and sit-ups? That one always gets people. Those darn ab workouts. Although they can be a little irksome at times, they’re necessary to say the least. Come on, we all want a great set of abs. Why do you think we have so much ab gym equipment storming the fitness market at all times? Regardless if you’re male or female, the abs are imperative. Are you testing out some of the new-age ab exercise equipment?

Should you use any ab workout machines?

When it comes to ab exercise equipment, there are loads of machines out there. You know, pull-ups, push-ups, leg-raises, dips, etc.

Many people prefer some of the latest benches, treadmills, stair masters, and ab workout machines on the market. This stuff is great if you can afford it. However, the same results can be achieved with old fashioned exercise routines.

If you have access to a local gym or fitness club then certainly you have a variety of ab exercise equipment at your constant disposal. Regardless of what you prefer, you know that your daily dose of ab workouts are mandatory for maintaining that tight tummy.

If you are in need of assistance concerning ab exercise equipment or just simple routines, you can hop online and acquire anything your heart desires. From diet plans, to fitness regimes galore, you will find it all on the World-Wide-Web. Hence, get started today and get those abs you’ve always wanted.

Workout machines are of great help, but you can reach your goals without them too. Just do it!

Every Day Foods for a Healthy Lifestyle

by Weight Loss - February 10, 2020

Every Day Foods That Must be Eaten to Stay Healthy.

Alison Stevens

Figuring what to eat everyday is a challenge. Some foods are good for you, but aren’t necessarily a great addition to your diet if you’re eating it every single day. Eating well is critical to maintain a balanced diet. Therefore, let’s look at some of the great foods that you must eat every day as part of a healthy lifestyle.

Yogurt

Yogurt is full of nutrients. A great source of vitamin A, B and E anf minerals. Additionally it has a high content of proteins and may promote good heart and bone condition. Add it to your breakfast or use it as a dessert – it tastes good and keeps your gut and stomach healthy.

Spinach

It is full of iron, calcium and vitamins. Because it is high in fiber, it helps digest other foods. Also known to provide nutrients that aid in the fight against certain cancers. Eat it in salads, mix it with fruits, or steam it. It goes well with almost any kind of meal.

Berries, Every Day Foods that taste great too

Berries are considered superfoods in many contexts, and since there are so many different types, it’s easy to find which ones fit easily into your diet. You can experiment with strawberries, blueberries, blackberries and raspberries, using them as snacks throughout the day, breakfast foods in a smoothie or with yogurt, or even after a healthy dessert in the evening.

Nuts

Unless you’re allergic to nuts, a small handful of them every day can help to boost your overall wellness. Almonds, walnuts and peanuts are some of the most common nuts, and are full of goodness. Nuts are a great option for vegans who may struggle otherwise to get good fats and a well-balanced amount of nutrition. Nuts can help you to lose weight, maintain a health weight, and lower your risk of heart disease.

Avocado

Despite its high calories, half an avocado a day will keep you full longer and provide plenty fiber. Always wash avocados before cutting into them or peeling them. This fruit has plenty of Vitamin K, which helps to promote better bone health.

These every day foods will maintain your health for years to come, Eat them!

Changing Your Outlook for the Better

by Weight Loss - January 30, 2020

Reasons for Changing Your Outlook on Life

Becca Tapert

If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.

This quote is from the famous motivational speaker and self-help author Dr. Wayne Dyer. Think about what he said for a moment.

It is along the same line as the half-empty/half-full concept. In both theories, it points out the power of having a positive mindset. There are positives in everything; sometimes you just must look harder to find them over the more apparent negatives.

We all make choices in life; some of us choose to be negative about everything, while other people experiencing the same situation see nothing but the positives. How can that be? Two people experiencing the same thing but emotionally feeling what they experience at opposite ends of the spectrum. It is almost as if each is wearing a set of glasses that filter the experience differently.

Why changing your outlook is beneficial?

Before we get into the “how” of changing your mindset, let’s first look at why it is beneficial to see the positives in everything. The mind is a powerful thing in that it controls all parts of your body. Researchers have found in multiple studies that having a positive outlook produces some very beneficial health benefits. For one, they found it increases the immune system. It is a proven fact that positive people are generally healthier both mentally and physically.

And positive people have a lower stress levels because they are able to effectively deal with situations. As a result, they have less cortisol caressing through their body, a known hormone responsible for weight gain, so they are able to control their weight better.

Beside having an improved immune system and better weight control, having a positive mindset also:

lowers the risk of a cardiovascular event
lower rates of depression
and surprisingly live a longer life

How to change your mindset to one more positive

While there are several things we can do to improve our mindset, here are some that provide the most benefits:

Start your day with a positive affirmation – how you start the morning sets the tone for the rest of the day. Many people like to write down their affirmation in a notebook or journal. Writing it down has more effect than just verbalizing it to yourself.
Look for the good in things – We all face situations during our day that can be viewed as either good or bad. For example, if stuck in traffic, view it as an opportunity to listen to your favorite podcast or to your favorite music instead of a waste of time going nowhere.
Change negative self-talk into positive – Instead of saying “I’m so bad at doing this” say “I’ll get better at doing this after I get more practice.”
Focus on the present – The past is yesterday, there is nothing we can do about it; the future is tomorrow and not here yet, so there is little we can do about it; but today is now and we can either choose to experience it either positively or negatively; the choice is yours!
Surround yourself with positive people. Positive people have positive outlook on life, quote positive affirmations and generally say positive things. Over time, these positives rub off on you, sink into your brain and you become a more positive person because of them. However, the opposite is true if you surround yourself with negative people. Again, it is your choice; choose wisely!

This article covers the health benefits of having a positive mindset and the ways you can use to become a more positive person. Hence the way you now view things will be positive.

Changing your outlook on life will make you happier and healthier!. Try it!

Whole 30 Diet – Tips for Success

by Weight Loss - January 20, 2020

Whole 30 Diet – An effective way to reset your body and your life.

amirali mirhashemian

Tips on how to do the Whole 30 diet successfully

The Whole 30 diet is a nutritional program, designed to work for 30 days. In that time, it changes the way you eat and feel. Hence, you have to get rid of potential inflammatory foods and drinks in your diet. Additionally, you must eat three “clean” meals a day. That means meat, veggies, fruit, eggs, and seafood.

Here are some great tips on how to do the Whole30 diet successfully

Don’t believe you can’t do it

Remember it’s not forever; it’s just for 30 days, and not that hard when you compare it to other things.

That means not setting yourself up for failure

There are strict rules and if the diet says 30 days, it means 30 days and not 29. It doesn’t mean being strict for 5 days, then going out and celebrating with a pizza before you “grunge” on to the next five days.

It’s easier with a friend

This can be really helpful and makes it easier, and more fun. And besides that, it makes you more accountable to someone so you stick to it.

Buy all the produce that is applicable to the diet

It is fun experimenting, especially if you know it is a mere 30 days. Buy all your produce beforehand, checking out your favorite type recipes.

Don’t forget to meal prep

Meal prepping is helpful and especially if you work through the week. Maybe prep on a Sunday afternoon for example, preparing all your meals for the following week and storing them in the refrigerator, ready to eat. You will be so glad you did; it helps to keep you focused.

Try it for yourself, it takes just 30 days and you might find that the supposed benefits outweigh any challenges you might face.

Those who have been on this diet report these changes:

Your skin becomes flawless This diet is reported to make the skin glow, improving its tone, texture and overall appearance
Clear eyes. Stress takes its toll on the eyes and particularly when you get older, showing up as red and dull-looking. After a couple of days on the Whole30 diet, you will notice the whites of your eyes are aglow – shiny and bright.
Energy abounds If you are a kind of sugar addict, you might find the beginning a bit tough. When you start detoxing from the sugar, you might even experience more of an energy slump in fact. But after that, your energy becomes boundless.
Doesn’t better sleep sound wonderful? Many people even take sleep medication so that they can get a good night’s rest. And for some a real challenge is falling asleep. When you are on the Whole 3 diet, it is reported that one falls asleep naturally.
Gone with feeling bloated Even though you might not jump onto the scale every day to see if the diet is making a difference, you won’t really need to, because just everything in your body will feel better. You will just notice that your stomach looks trimmed.

On the Whole 30 website, you will see for yourself that the diet helps you cut out inflammatory foods, foods that disrupt your gut and which are psychologically unhealthy.

Some diseases that the diet is good for:

Allergies
Arthritis
Asthma
ADD, or attention deficit disorder
Celiac Disease
Crohn’s Disease
Diabetes
Depression
High blood pressure and cholesterol
Lupus
Inflammatory bowel disease, and others

Not meant for long-term

It is important to take note that the Whole 30 diet is a pretty restrictive kind of diet and not meant to be long-term. When your 30 days are up, you need to transition back to a more balanced way of heating.

You need to realize that it is not a permanent diet and is not a prescription for how to eat. That’s why it’s called the Whole 30 diet.

It’s just 30 days of eating whole foods whilst exploring a more mindful and purposeful approach to what goes into your mouth. And while you are at it, remember to check labels because so many prepackaged goods have sugar and additives. When in doubt, concentrate only the whole foods that Whole 30 comprises; veggies, fruits, meats, nuts, and seafood.

The end goal of the Whole 30 diet is to reset your body.

Therefore, start slowly adding back healthy nutritional foods, and checking out and eliminating the ones that cause adverse reactions. [responsivevoice_button voice=”US English Female” buttontext=”Listen to This”]

Benefits of Cold Showers

by Weight Loss - January 10, 2020

There are benefits of cold showers but singing is not one of them!

Seth Doyle

Taking a cold shower routinely can really change your life in powerful and subtle ways. There are some guys who have actually experimented with taking cold showers, wanting to find out about this powerful tool as a way of enhancing fitness, health, mental toughness and yes, quality of life!

Remember Wim Hof, known as the Iceman; who trained himself to endure the extreme cold. There are many lessons to be learned from his experience. Additionally it wakes you up, energizes you and increases alertness and the ability to concentrate. It strengthens the cardiovascular and immune systems, enhances recovery from disease. Also reduces inflammation, increases testosterone, and improves hair and skin health.

Here are some life lessons learned from John Sifferman, after taking a year of cold showers:

You’ve got to be 100% in; willing to take the uncomfortable

If you are not 100% in it, you won’t make it, period. In an uncomfortable situation, you will be miserable, but if you are not willing and ready, you’re not a candidate for cold showers. In other words, you need to want this. If you’re not 100% on board, you’re not going to make it. The point here is, it takes willpower, it’s the simple idea of being comfortable with being uncomfortable, testing your resolve to see what you are made of.

Learning to be flexible

It’s good to have a basic plan, sticking with it as best you can, but not too rigid. It requires flexibility to ease into the situations, the shower in this instance, more gradually – almost every time John would end up going colder, for longer. The key again is making progress, by pushing your limits.

It requires endurance

Even after 18 months of disciplining himself to take cold showers, John still found it hard to do so, every time. He always heard a voice telling him to give up, just set the shower to warm. He said he had to beat the fear of facing that icy water, all the time, over and over again, but he knew that to endure would make him the champion.

Refusing to weasel out of it

You will want to quit, but you must be prepared for that eventuality. John often wanted to give in, thinking, ‘today, I’ll just skip this one’, giving himself excellent excuses for skipping the shower; early warning signs for quitting. But he never did budge from giving in. Not an inch.

When facing resistance, search for the right motivation, but keep going! In this instance, John waited till after his gym when he was hot and sweaty, knowing it would turn out better! It might even be nice. It aided also, in recovery and inflammation reduction. He turned negativity into positivity.

There’s more to cold showers than just a long list of health benefits – a lot more.

Cold showering, simply, is one of the things you have to experience to understand. It teaches you a lot about yourself – it gives you superpowers. There certainly are heaps of health benefits, even relieving depression and stimulating weight loss. But as you can see from the above, it does far more. It builds character too! Additionally helps you focus and overcome resistance. Also builds confidence where you believe you can reach any goal you set for yourself, even when resistance tries its best to get in the way.

If you can overcome the resistance to expose yourself to cold showers on a daily basis, believe it, you will have built a solid foundation of overcoming more challenging obstacles as well as uncomfortable situations. That’s aside from the health benefits! Go take a cold shower!

Trigger Foods – How to Avoid Them

by Weight Loss - December 30, 2019

Trigger Foods to Avoid if You Have Digestive Problems.

Mae Mu

Trigger foods are foods that cause negative digestive responses. Problems such as heartburn, indigestion, abdominal pain and cramping, constipation or diarrhea are common.

People with a propensity toward digestive problems should refrain from eating them.

While each individual can come up with their own list of foods to avoid, there are food groups that are on most people’s lists:

Dairy

While eating milk and dairy products is a great way to get calcium, if you are lactose intolerant it will cause diarrhea, gas, cramps and abdominal pains.

Lactose intolerance is caused by the lack of the enzyme lactose – the enzyme needed to break down the milk sugar lactose.

Additionally, people with Crohn’s disease, ciliac disease or chemotherapy patients may become lactose intolerant due to intestinal damage.

Yogurt and hard cheeses are great substitutes because they do not contain lactose. And of course there is always lactose-free milk.

Spicy Foods

People with a sensitive stomach, irritable bowel syndrome or susceptible to chronic heartburn, should avoid spicy foods.

A digestive response from the capsaicin in peppers can range from indigestion to nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.

High Fat Foods

High fat foods include red meats, butter, creamy sauces, full-fat ice cream and fried foods. Because fat takes the longest to digest of all the macro-nutrients, it tends to stay in the digestive tract longer thus giving it more time to ferment and cause gas and bloating. People with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) especially need to limit their intake of high fat/fatty foods.

High Fiber

While fiber is good for a digestive tract, too much of it too soon can cause digestive problems of its own… in the form of gas and bloating. The right amount of fiber is 25 to 30 grams per day; people eating considerably less than this amount should slowly up the amount they are eating, giving their body time to adjust between each increase.

Sometimes digestive problems can occur if the good bacteria in the digestive tract get overridden by the bad.

To keep the “good guys” in control:

Avoid detoxes as they usually get rid of the good bacteria.
Don’t use antibiotics unless necessary as they kill off good bacteria.
Eat foods with probiotics like yogurts and soy milks as they help promote good bacteria.

If you promote the growth of healthy bacteria in your gut, digestive issues will dramatically be reduced.

Listen to your digestive tract and learn how it reacts to certain types of foods. That is the clue.

Finally, set up your own list of trigger foods to avoid.

Back Muscles, Exercise to Strength Them

by Weight Loss - December 20, 2019

Back Muscles are responsible for more than just good looks.

Annie Spratt

Knowing more about the different muscles on you back will help focus on those that you’re trying to tone up and strengthen. Not only does this help you to focus your exercise and get the most out of your workout, but it will also help you to notice if you are getting any pains which you shouldn’t be experiencing!

The Gluteus Medius – Back Muscles Group

The gluteus medius is the muscle towards the side of your butt and just below your hips. There are several exercises you can do which will specifically target this part. Jumping jacks are particularly good at toning this area, and squats can also help you to tone it. With this muscle, injuries can occur if you regularly exercise by running, since the muscle is often weak and has to work harder while running. If you want to avoid injuries while doing cardio, concentrate on exercises to strengthen your gluteus medius.

The Gluteus Maximus

One of the strongest muscles in the human body, the gluteus maximus is responsible for a lot of the movement around your hip, thigh and buttock region. Getting an injury with this particular muscle can make movement very difficult. Working to get it as stronger as possible means that you will have more freedom of movement, not to mention your butt will look great too! The gluteus maximus is the muscle which is located more towards the center of the buttocks, and in order to tone it up, you can do sets of 10-20 lunges and planks. When you exercise by doing lunges, start off by adding some small dumbbells in order to increase resistance and get more out of your workout.

The Gluteus Minimus

Located just below the gluteus maximus, the gluteus minimus is the main muscle which is responsible for making your butt look more perky. While not as strong as the gluteus maximus, toning this muscle will make you see some incredible overall results. Squats are a great way to tone this muscle, particularly if you use barbells and dumbbells during the movement. You can also do hamstring raises which will help to improve the whole area from your gluteus minimus and further down your thighs too.

Food Temptation, Deal With It to Lose Weight

by Weight Loss - December 10, 2019

Food Temptation – What to Contend With When Losing Weight

Fancycrave

Following a weight loss program faithfully, doing all the required exercises, watching your diet, and feeling great. Then suddenly temptation stares at you right in the face: a delicious pastry, some cake, or ice-cream. Obviously, ignoring such temptations is not easy, it requires willpower and strong resolve. And even then, it may not be enough.

Here are some ways to help you battle and win against cravings during weight loss:

How to minimize food temptation

Cravings are usually strong only because we give them the power in our mind. We all know that when we cannot have something, we want it more.
Whenever we have a craving, minimize the intensity of wanting it by seeing what it has done to you. Think and visualize yourself in front of the mirror. Do you really want to do that to yourself?” This approach works well, it will reduce the intensity of the craving once you see the real damage it will do to your weight loss program.

Focus on your long-term weight loss goals

It is easy to control your temptation by reminding yourself of your long-term goals, and how the temptation will set you back. You really want to shed pounds and be healthier. Fit into that clothing that is currently a couple of sizes small. And feel much better about your body. Once you do that, you will conclude that it is not worth slowing your progress.
Hence it is much easier to reign in the craving and not give in to it when you know what you have to lose.

Never shop for food when hungry

When you shop for food or groceries when hungry, everything usually appears delicious. That is when your body and mind are craving for food. You will make poor decisions. Hunger will blind your common sense.
Always eat something before going food shopping. You will pick healthy foods instead of empty calories.

Stay away from food temptation

You may think that you are strong enough to resist that tub of ice-cream in your fridge or the jar of cookies on your office desk. You will resist for a while. At some point however, you will find yourself giving in. One bite may lead to one scoop, which then ends up in you eating the whole lot.
Get rid of all unhealthy foods, This way, you won’t be tempted to snack on anything unhealthy in between meals. Carry fruits and any other healthy snacks to the office. It will reduce any temptation of dipping into the cookie jar or going to the vending machine.

Swap sweets with healthier foods

Substitute sweets with healthier food options, You will feel full and satisfied when eating healthy food. If you are craving for salted foods such as chips, opt for celery juice or raw tomatoes. If you have sugar cravings and are tempted to take some candy, eat a mix of dried fruit with a few dark chocolate chips. Iit has a lower sugar content than normal chocolate, and is high in healthy antioxidants.

Finally, remember that if you keep your mouth closed, you will not gain weight!.

Avoiding food temptation when losing weight is not easy, stay focused, it is possible.

Using Expired Vitamins – How Safe Is It?

by Weight Loss - November 30, 2019

Using Expired Vitamins May Not Be The Smartest Thing To Do.

pina messina

That’s a question a lot of people want to know. It’s not uncommon that people never finish a bottle of vitamins. They buy them to fight a cold or flu. After a few day however, feeling better they forget about them. Months later they need them again and wonder if they can continue using those vitamins.

Expired Vitamins Lose Potency Over Time

As a matter of fact, using expired vitamins will not harm you. But they will be ineffective at best.
There are vitamins and herbal extracts that will actually start to decompose immediately after they are manufactured. They become exposed to heat, light, humidity, and air, causing the nutrients therein to break down more rapidly.
Additionally, some minerals like iron, calcium, or zinc don’t degrade even when improperly stored.
Some vitamins and nutrients deteriorate quicker than others. Examples are: folic acid, some of the B vitamins, vitamins D and C, as well as beta-carotene.
Silica gel packets are often inserted in the container to keep vitamins dry. This prolongs their useful life.
Also, always check tablets for unusual odors or discoloration. Definitely return them to the pharmacy if their effective date is still good.

Taking vitamins that are old does not make sense.

Using expired vitamins after they become less effective as they age simply does not make sense. While they are not dangerous, they might not be as potent as they were before the expiry date. Vitamin manufacturers will not guarantee their effectiveness after expiration.
There are some ingredients that are more fragile than others. Probiotic supplements, composed of live bacteria and yeasts must be discarded past expiration date. And that goes the same for oil supplements sold in gelatin casings. Cod liver oil, flax oil, fish oil, vitamin E, or evening primrose oil. These fats oxidize much quicker than what vitamins do. Just toss them out once they have expired. Vitamin flavors will change over time too. Those chewy vitamins aren’t going to taste right after the expiration date.

Always remember that if you want your supplements to stay fresh and potency-strong, follow instructions on the label. A lot of these say ‘keep away from heat and light’. And don’t remove that little silica packet either; they are there to protect the tablets. Store probiotics in the fridge to keep them active.

Take care of your vitamins if you want them to take care of you! Using expired vitamins is ineffective at best.

Artificial Sweeteners What You Need to Know

by Weight Loss - October 30, 2019

Artificial Sweeteners and The Law of Unintended Consequences.

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Over the past 30 years scientists developed a large variety of artificial sweeteners. Their purpose was to to reduce excessive sugar consumption and diminish the numbers of obese people.

Since their introduction, obesity has skyrocketed. Alarming numbers of people now are diabetic even at an early age. Not to mention links to cancer found on some of those early sweeteners.

At the time it was believed to be a way for people to easily manage excess weight. The idea was that less sugar means less calories, and of course less weight gain. This, however was not the case. After 30 years of research, the results are completely different.

Here is what you need to know about artificial sweeteners and their effects.

Artificial Sweeteners and Their Effects on Gut Flora

Your gut has a large colony of microorganisms inside. And when they eat the things that you eat, there are good and bad effects as a result. One easy example: acidic foods. Many times these cause over populations of unhealthy destructive bacteria. Studies have shown that these sweeteners cause major changes to your gut flora. This, under some circumstances, can be really bad. Hence, there is a lot of information now that demonstrates that sweeteners don’t have much of an effect on weight loss.

How Artificial Sweeteners Affect Children’s Lives

Research has found that most overweight children simply eat the wrong kind of foods and large portions. Additionally, diet soda, originally meant to replace some of their sugar intake. Now is their main drink since most of them think they can drink as much diet soda as they want. They do not lose weight at all. For that to happen, changes in their eating habits must take place. Unfortunately, children are enabled by their parents. Mostly out of lack of knowledge.

Unintended Consequences of Using Artificial Sweeteners

Artificial sweeteners have unintended consequence for its users. When the brain senses something sweet, receptors tell it that it is about to receive food. The brain signals the pancreas to make insulin. That breaks down sugars. The body then absorbs them. Sweeteners however, are not sugars, and insulin is not needed.

Tests of overweight people, showed their bodies were producing insulin continuously. This is the beginning of diabetes. Your body no longer properly responds to sugars entering your blood.

Finally, what seemed to be a great idea has left a sequel of millions of people struggling to regain their Health and Wellness.

Self Improvement Starts with Self Reflection

Report Topics

1. Identifying Your Need for Self-Improvement
2. Why Self Reflection?
3. Benefits of Self Reflection for Self Improvement
4. How to Get Started
5. Make Time to Self Reflect Every Day