How To Improve Your Immune System By Vicki Zerbee

With all these colds and viruses going around how are we supposed to keep our families, as well as ourselves, safe and healthy? To help prevent colds and disease we all need to have a healthy immune system. Unfortunately, there are many factors that weaken our body's defense system every day.

• Stress - Both physical and emotional stress can weaken your immune system.
• Exposure to toxins - Chemical, radiation, and smoke exposure damage your body's protection system.
• Poor diet - A lack of vitamins and minerals can interfere with your body being able to fight off illnesses and diseases. Eating a lot of sugar and chemicals are also weakening.
• Lack of sleep - When your body doesn't get the rest it needs it doesn't get time to rebuild and recharge.
• Aging - As you get older your body's ability to fight diseases gets weaker.
• Sugar and alcohol - An excess of sugar or alcohol can reduce your white blood cells' ability to kill germs.

All these factors play a role with altering the way your body is made to protect you. However, what can we do to strengthen it again? Are there ways to repair and strengthen it? Well, in addition to trying to negate the things that weaken our system, here are some other things you can do to help.

• Avoid excessive sugar - Try to limit your sugar and alcohol intake.
• Good Diet - Eat a diet rich in vegetables, fruits, legumes, whole grains, low fat protein
• Water/Hydration - Drink plenty of water. Water can help get various toxins and waste out of your body.
• Exercise regularly - Moderate regular exercise helps with blood flow. This helps your body's process of expelling wastes from your body.
• Reduce toxic exposure - Always try to stay any from harmful chemicals and don't smoke.
• Adequate rest - Adults need around 8 hours a day (a minimum of 7) and kids need 10 hours a day.
• Good hygiene - Always have good hygiene. Wash your hands before you eat and keep your hands away from you face. Be especially cautious when coming in contact with sick people.
• Nutritional supplements for the immune system - Health supplements can greatly help your immune system. They can be especially useful in giving your immune system an extra boost when the flu or a cold is going around.

By keeping these things in mind, you and your family's immune systems will be strong and healthy. It will help your family prevent colds and other contagious diseases. It will also help your family stay healthy and happy.

To learn more about how to improve your immune system, visit: http://antiagingbydesign.com/how-to-improve-immune-system. To sign up for healthy anti-aging tips, visit http://AntiAgingByDesign.com.

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Five Natural Supplements to Reduce Stress and Boost Your Energy By Ntathu Allen

Are you tired of feeling tired? Tired of waking up tired? Tired of slogging it out all day at work and tired when you go to bed?

Lack of energy and vitality lowers your ability to cope with the many demands on your time. When you are stressed, your body has to work extra hard to maintain balance and keep your body functioning at an optimum level.

Stress depletes your natural reserves. Have you noticed that when you are tired and low, you tend to snack and binge on fast foods, drink copious cups of coffee and lack the motivation to exercise? Negative, self talk rules your life and no matter how hard you try, you find it hard to motivate yourself to do something positive.

You just feel totally zapped and struggle to make it through the day.

When you feel like this, what can you do to boost your energy and make you feel alive and connected again?

One way to get into the groove and get your mojo back is eating well.

If you wish to improve your energy, then you need to include certain foods in your diet, especially those that boost your metabolism and give you a steady flow of energy throughout your day.

A diet rich in raw and whole foods, fruits, vegetables, herbal teas, grains, nuts and sprouts provides your body with the range of nutrients, minerals and vitamins it needs to sustain you throughout your day.

However, the pace of life and/or poor dietary habits means it is hard for you to eat healthily and well.
Natural supplements offer you a chance to enhance the quality of your diet and can help you manage your stress levels as well as boost your energy levels. Combined with a healthy diet, lots of regular exercise and a supportive relationship, natural supplements offer you a natural and gentle energy boost.

The seven natural supplements listed below have a beneficial effect on brain function and boost physical energy. If you are new to herbal supplements, always seek the advice of a qualified herbalist or naturopath to ensure you use supplements that are ideal for your particular constitution.

1. Evening Primrose Oil - this is helpful for a range of inflammatory conditions such as arthritis and eczema, but its greatest benefit is in the relief of premenstrual syndrome. Evening primrose oil is a rich source of gamma linolenic acid (GLA) or as it is more commonly known as, fatty acid. As such it is able to be converted by the body into prostaglandin. Prostaglandins are powerful natural anti-inflammatories which also improve blood flow through the smallest capillaries.

2. Spirulina - Spirulina can be cultivated or farmed micro-algae. It has one of the highest protein contents of all natural foods. It contains 60 percent complete protein (meat consists of only about 20 - 25 percent complete protein). Spirulina is packed with iron, calcium, fibre, vitamin C and amino acids. Spirulina helps to manage blood sugar levels and cravings. It helps the body to detox and as it is so nutritious gives you a natural energy boost.

3. Echinacea - Echinacea contains elements (polysaccharides, betaine, alkalides and echinolone) that stimulates and supports your immune system by activating the white blood cells to fight infection and trigger the use of natural killer cells and anti-bodies. Echinacea gives your immune system a natural energy boost. It is anti-fungal, anti-viral and anti-bacterial and can be used to treat colds, tonsillitis and skin ulcers.

4. Guarana - Traditionally used by the Brazilian rain forest Indians; this plant has been used for thousands of years as a tonic, stimulant and as an aid to boost vitality. Guarana increases energy, reduces stress and improves mood and performance. Critics claim this is due to the small caffeine content in guarana. However, the type of caffeine present is approximately 35 mg. and has a totally different effect on the body. Guarana is rich in natural fats, which means it gives a slow-release of energy, its slow absorption rate is ideal to boost and maintain vitality throughout the day.

5. Cat's Claw - is one of the best immune boosters. It is a powerful antiviral antioxidant.

As you can see, under the guidance of either a herbal specialist or naturopath, nature offers you a selection of easy to use herbal supplements to give your body a gentle energy boost and to reduce and manage stress.

And now you can claim your FREE instanst access to my Yoga In Bed Exercises - Easy Yoga Postures To Help Kick-Start Your Day when you visit http://www.yogainspires.co.uk.

Blessings From Ntathu Allen, Your Personal Yoga and Meditation Teacher. Visit me for further support and encouragement on your personal wellness journey on http://www.yogainspires.co.uk.

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How to Eat Healthy Everyday By Pam Halligan

Fad diets come and go - none proving the miracle weightloss method as we had hoped. There is one ingredient to maintaining a healthy diet every nutritionist can agree on and that is eating breakfast every day.

After going without food all night, your body wakes up hungry. Breakfast provides the body some much-needed fuel, boosting your energy level. Without breakfast, one tends to feel tired and lethargic, making it extremely difficult to concentrate or get much accomplished.

Breakfast revs up the metabolism, helping you burn calories the rest of the day. This is especially important if you are trying to lose weight. Eating small, regular meals - including breakfast - is essential to maintaining your metabolism.

Be sure to eat a hearty breakfast packed full of fiber and protein to help hold you over until lunchtime. On chilly winter mornings, mix hot oat bran with dried fruit and nuts. For breakfast on the go, grab a fiber snack bar or protein shake.

Without a good breakfast, you are more likely to consume a larger meal at lunch, more than making up for any calories you think you're saving by skipping breakfast. Plus, being hungry often has a negative impact on your mood, which can affect your work and your relationships.

Even if you tend to grab unhealthy breakfast fare, it's more important to eat something than to go without anything for breakfast. So go ahead and grab a donut, just try to have something a little healthier for lunch and dinner. If you have been skipping breakfast, make it a habit to include the most important meal of the day in your daily schedule.

Along with eating breakfast, there are a few other key habits to develop in order to eat healthy on a regular basis. Follow these healthy tips to look and feel your best.

Get those five servings of fruit and vegetable to provide your body with the essential nutrients it needs to function properly. It's easier than you think, as even natural fruit juices and some snacks count towards a serving of fruit. Instead of candy, reach for dried fruit to quench your sweet tooth. Snack on carrot sticks or celery smeared with a little peanut butter between meals.

By staying active, you further rev your metabolism and are less likely to indulge on unhealthy food. So get your body moving by incorporating some exercise into your daily routine. Even taking a walk on your lunch break or choosing the stairs over the elevator counts.

Avoid fried foods. Opt for baked or broiled meals, especially when dining out. Avoid fast food all together.

Carbs are not your enemy. Enjoy pasta and breads, but choose whole grains and whole wheat, which have more fiber and minerals.

Drink plenty of fluids. There's nothing better for you than water, but coffee, juice, and tea works. The main concern is to stay well hydrated.

Aim to eat a serving of fish at least twice a week. Salmon, especially, is chock full of heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids. For the rest of your meals, choose lean proteins, such as skinless chicken breast or lean cuts of beef.

Keep healthy snacks on hand. Fiber rich snacks, like frozen grapes, plain popcorn, nuts, and carrot sticks are perfect to keep you full between meals. Avoid processed foods with little nutritional value, such as donuts (as good as they are), pretzels, cookies, and candies.

The Internet is teaming with healthy recipes for dinners and desserts. Learn to prepare healthy pasta, pot roasts, and more. Develop these daily habits and learn that it's not only possible, it's easy, to eat healthy everyday.

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What Makes You Fat And How To Eliminate Fat Easily By David Ugorji

We all know that having excessive weight may result in several medical complications in the form of deadly diseases such as stroke, diabetes, heart troubles, some types of cancer, arthritis, to mention just a few. Unless you want to suffer from these kinds of illness, you had better done something about losing that weight now and find out how to eliminate fat easily.

Excessive weight or obesity has become prevalent. No thanks to the amount of junk food in circulation today and being consumed daily by millions of people. That brings me to the question of 'what makes you fat?'

Bad diet is a major cause of excessive weight and obesity. If you have a 'sweet tooth' and cannot do without sugary beverages & foods containing high levels of fructose-corn syrup, then you are well on your way to becoming unpleasantly fat (that is, if you are not already). Most processed junk foods out there contain insanely high amounts of calories that only serve to make you fat.

Unhealthy eating habits are not the only reason for excessive weight gain. Inadequate exercise also leads to fatigue and increase in excess fat.

Obesity, in rare cases, could be as a result of a medical condition for example, anyone suffering from hypothyroidism tends to increase in weight due to reduced body metabolism as a result of the ailment.

These are major reasons why you may be overweight. If you want to avoid excess fat, ensure you change your eating habits and see to it that you make smarter food choices like fruits, vegetables, protein, lean meat, fibre-rich foods, nuts, whole grain cereals, non-fat dairy products e.t.c These do not contain bad calories and will prevent you from getting fat. Ensure you drink plenty of water as well (at least 8 glasses of water daily). It is advisable to get a diet program you can follow; this would not only help to keep you committed towards losing weight quickly but will help you make smarter choices concerning the foods to eat for fast weight loss.

Exercising has significant benefits towards your weight loss. You could join a gym or engage in full body workouts at home for remarkable results. Exercises are a great way to lose weight too.

For special cases of obesity as that caused by hypothyroidism, I advise you seek medical attention immediately so as to help you quickly overcome the challenge.

Quick and easy weight loss is achievable. All you may just require is dedication to meeting up with your weight loss goal.

Now that you have seen how to eliminate fat easily, I hope you are determined to lose that weight now!

CLICK HERE To Learn How You Can Start Losing Weight Now!
Get Your FREE Weight Loss Report & Weight Loss Tips If You Would Like To Burn Off Belly Fat Or Lose Weight Right Away!

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Discover Fatigue Tiredness Reasons To Help Restore Your Energy Levels By Cindy Amorin

Over the years, there has been an explosion of interest in wanting to learn more about fatigue tiredness reasons in order to restore energy levels. So, without further adieu, let's go over some possible reasons for fatigue and/or tiredness.

First, fatigue that is not alleviated by rest or sleep, or resulting from insomnia has many possible causes. However, the most common reasons are anxiety and overworking. Other possible causes of persistent fatigue include: 

• Anemia.
• Stress.
• Depression.
• An eating disorder.
• Obesity.
• Malnourishment.
• Poor eating habits.
• Underactive thyroid.
• Certain medications.
• Infection.
• Low blood pressure.
• Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.
• Financial worries.
• Environmental pollution.
• Hormonal changes.
• Caffeine abuse.
• Lack of exercise.
• Divorce.
• Small children.
• Certain illnesses.

As we mentioned earlier, there are many fatigue tiredness reasons, meaning causes so this list is not exhaustive. On the other hand, these are some very common reasons. Therefore, the first step in trying to combat fatigue is to take a personal inventory and begin to reduce them. Most often, more than one factor is involved. Moreover, it's important to note that when your body is lacking good nutrition many of these fatigue tiredness reasons (causes) can even take a bigger toll as to how tired you feel.

So, when should you seek medical help? 

• If your fatigue worsens or persists in spite of home treatments.
• If your fatigue is sudden or persistent, despite adequate rest.

Dietary Suggestions To Help You Combat Some Of Those Controllable (Non Medical) Fatigue Tiredness Reasons

To boost physical and mental energy... 

• Eat a healthy, well-balanced diet. In addition, focus on increasing fruits and vegetables, whole grain foods, low fat dairy products and lean meats.
• Reduce the amount of high fat, high sugar, and high salt foods.
• Limit your alcohol and caffeine intake.
• Eat breakfast. A carbohydrate-rich breakfast is a good choice such as cereals or whole grain bread. Breakfast refills our energy stores.
• Eat small amounts of food throughout the day and choose carbohydrates and protein for those mini-meals. This will help keep sugar and energy levels from plummeting.
• Drink eight-8 ounces of cool, refreshing, pure, filtered water daily. When your body is water deprived, you're energy is deprived. Therefore, water fights fatigue.

Lifestyle Suggestions To Help You Combat Some Of Those Controllable (Non Medical) Fatigue Tiredness Reasons

• Refresh yourself with sleep. The body needs 8 hours of rest.
• Step up fun. Laughter is an excellent energy booster.
• Reduce stress and deal with anger. Learn or find the time to relax since, as we all know, a hectic lifestyle is exhausting. Anger is also an energy zapper. You may want to try meditation, yoga, aromatherapy, listening to music, reading a novel, or even just talking on the phone.
• Exercise. Do you know that a 10 minute brisk walk can energize you for 2 hours? Needless to say, increasing physical activity, especially brisk walking increases energy levels.

Dietary Supplements Suggestions To Help Combat Fatigue Tiredness Reasons

If a full medical evaluation is completed and no major causes of your fatigue and/or tiredness are found, you may want to consider supplements to boost energy levels.

First, we believe you should consider taking a high quality multi nutrient supplement that includes a broad spectrum of nutrients such as vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, amino acids, bioflavonoids, carotenoids, herbal extracts, enzymes and other complementary co-factor ingredients. In addition, omega-3 fatty acids such as the well renowned fish oilsupplement energizes mood as these fatty acids are essential for proper brain function. In fact, depressed people demonstrate lower levels of these essential fatty acids. Fish oil supplements may help the "moody blues."

Why a multi nutrient supplement?

We believe you need the entire team on the field first before you try to recruit individual energy boosting nutrients. Put simply, it helps to correct nutritional deficiencies and, as such, may help combat fatigue when combined with a health enhancing lifestyle.

So, what are some other possible energy boosting nutrients?

The B vitamins -- Vitamin C -- NADH (Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide) -- Magnesium --Bee Pollen --MSM --DMAE -- L-Carnitine

However, it's important to note that the buzz about bee pollen is that this natural energy boosting substance contains all of the nutrients needed to sustain life. As such, it is often referred to as Nature's Superfood. Therefore, we believe bee pollen is certainly worth a try to help combat fatigue and tiredness.

What about herbs to help combat those controllable (non-medical) fatigue tiredness reasons?

If a full medical evaluation is completed and no major causes of your fatigue and/or tiredness are found, you may want to consider herbs to boost energy levels.

Indeed, there are several herbs that may help combat fatigue and boost energy levels such as Maca, Tongkat Ali, Gingko biloba, and Gotu kola. However, an all-time champ is Ginseng. In fact, Siberian ginseng is often used to treat chronic fatigue syndrome. Siberian ginseng enhances the body's ability to cope with stress and is highly respected as a very potent energy enhancer.

Cindy Amorin is the chief editor of Nutritional-Supplement-Educational-Centre.com, an information-rich site that discusses nutritional, dietary, and herbal supplements and their potential therapeutic value. She is the editor of energy supplements, a section of Nutritional-Supplement-Educational-Centre discussing the best energy supplements along with tips on how to buy a quality supplement. She is also the editor of the health benefits of bee pollen.

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How Can You Prevent Regaining Lost Weight? By Nadine A Douglas

It is often said when dieting... It is not losing the weight that it is difficult, it is keeping it off that's the challenge. According to research from Brown University Hospital, those pesky pounds we pile back on are the hardest to lose the second time around.

So what can you do to keep the pounds off:

1.) Set realistic goals (maybe 1 - 2 pounds a week). People who lose weight slowly by eating less and exercising more tend to keep the flab off.

2.) Do not skip meals - Keep healthy snacks at hand such as crudité with a low calorie dip, or whole fruit.

3.) Choose foods which are high in fiber. A good example of this is whole fruits, vegetables and whole-grain products such as breads, cereals and rice.

4.) Start a Weight Loss Diary- Write down everything that you eat and drink for a while. Be honest about what you are consuming otherwise the journal will not be as helpful. By physically seeing a list of what you are consuming, it can help you make any necessary changes that can help you stick to your weight loss plan.

5.) Have a Plan - It really is beneficial to have a plan beyond hitting that magic number on the scales. Whatever your goal may be, as soon as you reach it, your brain thinks that you are done which means that you could easily start piling on the pounds again unless you have an 'after' plan. Think seriously about what steps you will take to maintain your weight loss.

6.) Continue to buy fat burning foods and healthier options - if you realise that your shopping cart is filling up with a few too many chocolate bars be sure to take them out before you get to the cashier!

7.) Stick to your Plans - We all know that one of the hardest times of year to watch what you eat is over the holiday periods... have fun but be mindful of your dietary plan, even when everyone around you is having their second helping of roast potatoes!!

8.) Continue exercising: Many people stop exercising as soon as they have hit their target weight. One of the best ways to keep off the pounds is to continue exercise, even if your routine is not as rigorous as it once was, a little exercise a day will keep those pounds away. Walk to the shop or take the stairs in your office building, for example.

9.) Go Outside! - Jogging outside can actually be more effective then jogging on a treadmill, especially if you live in a cold climate as the body needs to burn more calories to keep warm while exercising.

10.) Exercising is also thought to be a natural way to put you in a good mood. According to a study published by the University of Essex (UK), exercising just 5 minutes a day outside could boost your mood.

11.) Stress Reduction - As well as losing weight, healthy eating and exercise are also well proven techniques for stress reduction.

Keeping the weight off is often one of the hardest things to continue so giving yourself realistic goals and following simple steps such as the ones outlined above could ultimately help your long-term weight loss success.

Until next time,
Nadine.

NEED TO LOSE WEIGHT? Click here now for your free reports, recipes, videos and bonus materials!! http://www.flatbellynow.org

Nadine 'Diet Coach' Douglas lost over 25 pounds after being overweight most of her adult life. She now runs a successful weight loss website which gives information about great resources which can help you lose weight and be healthy for long term success.

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Choosing The Right Meal Plans For Weight Loss By Matt Menden

Embarking on your fitness journey begins with choosing the right meal plans for weight loss. Changing your diet is key so that you can consume less calories than you are burning in order to lose weight. It is best to get a diet plan that will provide you with all the nutrients that you need so that you do not suffer from malnutrition or endanger your health.

Choosing the right meal plans for weight loss will determine if you are successful in losing weight and keeping it off. It is important to choose a plan that is sustainable long term. This will mean that your lifestyle will have to change permanently. Choose a plan that will fit into your lifestyle without overstraining you so that you can be able to maintain it. For example if you are required to eat plenty of fresh and raw produce and you do not have fresh market near you, you may have to go for a meal plan that offers alternatives so that you are able to keep to the plan. You should also choose a plan that you can be able to maintain. If you love sweet treats and sugary snacks it is best to go for a meal plan that allows you these treats once in a while rather than one that totally bans these items. This is because if you do not get to eat the treats once in a while, you may binge on them which can set back your plans.

Another thing to consider when choosing the right meal plans is to choose a plan that only allows you to lose weight at a slow and steady pace. The reason for this is so that the weight loss is not too rapid which can result in health complications. Fast weight loss also leads to loss of water retained in the body and loss of muscle and as soon as you are off the meal plan, you rapidly regain the weight that you have lost and sometimes even more. The recommended weight loss per week is on average between one and two pounds. The plan you choose should also be able to have adequate calories.

Choosing the right meal plans for weight loss is important so that you learn what foods are important and how to eat moderately and healthily. This is so that you can make long term changes to your eating habits which will result in long term weight loss. You also need to pick a meal plan with foods that are appealing to you and that you like so you can maintain the right eating habits.

When choosing the right meal plans for weight loss consider also the cost and the availability of the foods and ingredients that are contained in the eating plan so that if many of the foods are not easily available or you cannot afford them long term, you can choose an alternative plan.

To be successful in your weight loss goals requires a plan. For more information on meal plans for weight loss please visit Fat Loss Cure Review

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Weight Loss Over Forty - How to Reverse Middle Age Spread By Eileen Gravelle

Weight gain is one of the most unwelcome signs of middle age. Suddenly - your clothes are smaller than they used to be - especially around the waist. You may be eating less than you used to but losing weight is an uphill struggle.

Middle age weight gain may be a common problem but that certainly doesn't mean you have to throw in the towel and accept it as your lot. So, start your weight loss program now - it's never too late to reverse the middle age spread.

For most women, increases and shifts in weight begin during the years leading up to the menopause. But fluctuating hormones aren't the only cause of middle age weight gain. Middle aged men too suffer from the curse of the expanding waistline and some of the causes are common to us all:

• Reduced physical activity as you get older
• Slowing metabolism - metabolic rate slows with age and the ratio of fat to muscle increases. The less muscle you have, the fewer calories you burn
• Genes - if your parents stored fat around the middle then the chances are you will too.

So what can you do to shed this unwanted fat around your middle? Here's a foolproof five part plan you can start today:

1. Resolve to make permanent changes to what you eat

Healthy and safe weight loss is about finding a weight management regime that can be maintained throughout life. Crash diets lead to yoyo weight gain which is damaging to health and looks.

2. Start with small changes

Cutting calorie intake drastically is just too daunting for most of us. It will also be self-defeating since your body will assume that there has been a drastic permanent shut down in food intake and will go into survival mode. Your metabolic rate will reduce and fat will be stored rather than burnt as energy.

So - instead of reducing your calorie intake by 1,000, try reducing it by just 250 during the first week and then decrease a little more as each week passes until you reach your targeted number of calories.

Aim for a gradual weight loss of 2-3 pounds per week sustained over a long period until you reach your ideal fitness and weight.

3. Build up muscle to burn more calories

Cutting down on calories is important but you need exercise to replace some of the fat with healthy muscle. More muscle means you'll burn more fat so taking exercise is a real virtuous circle.

To build muscle you have to do resistance training - either with weights in the gym or by following an exercise routine at home. Or you can try yoga and pilates for improved flexibility and core strength.

4. Make time for cardio or aerobic exercise

As well as toning and building muscle - you should also take aerobic or cardio exercise for around 20 minutes 3 times a week as a minimum. Aerobic exercise is anything that raises your heart rate to 60-85% of its maximum level. Activities like running, swimming, dancing, using a treadmill or a rower in the gym are all great forms of cardio exercise.

Cardio exercise is essential if you want to meet your weight loss goals so find an activity you like and build in the time to your weekly routine.

But don't think of it as a chore. Cardio exercise releases endorphins - nature's feel-good hormones - into your bloodstream. Your mood will be lifted and you will feel energized and positive rather than tired. Cardio exercise also raises metabolism levels for a long time after the exercise is taken - up to a whole day in some cases. So just think of all that extra fat you'll be burning once you stop!

5. Drink some green tea to raise your metabolic rate

Weight loss is a simple equation - take in less energy (food) than you burn (exercise) and you will lose weight. The problem is that weight loss gets more difficult as your metabolic rate declines with age. Upping your exercise level and building more muscle mass will do a lot but if you want to really kick-start your metabolism try a natural fat burner like green tea.

Green tea has been shown in research studies to speed up metabolism and promote weight loss. Apart from that it also has amazing health-promoting and anti-aging benefits in its own right so you'll get thinner AND healthier at the same time.

So that's it - a five point plan to fight the mid-life flab. It's not, as they say, "rocket science", but follow it consistently and it is the best way to look younger and stay healthier for longer.

Eileen Gravelle is an author and web publisher who writes extensively on all aspects of anti aging including lifestyle issues like weight loss. Eileen's website: Simply Anti Aging is a complete anti aging resource with articles, practical advice. product reviews and celebrity features for women in their forties and beyond who want to look younger and feel great as they get older.

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10 Easy Ways To Start Eating More Fruits and Vegetables To Lose Weight By DeeDee Coleman

Why should we eat more fruits and vegetables? Adding more live foods such as fruits, vegetables, roots and nuts to our daily menu will infuse our bodies with nutrients we need to function properly. Most of us are going around under nourished and chronically fatigued due to a poor diet lacking in vital nutrients we all need.

We've all heard the recommendation of getting at least five servings of fruits and vegetables every single day. This can be a little tough for some because we are talking about clean raw foods, not fruit pies or apple turnovers. The reason for eating these foods is to provide more nutrients to our bodies for better health and vitality. In order to achieve this, the live foods we eat should be in their natural state.

While some processing of our foods it alright, be sure not to go overboard. Tired of plain apples, try some low sugar apple sauce or some steamed or baked apples with a little cinnamon added, but try to avoid the apple pie.

A little common sense can go a long way. Here are 10 easy ways to begin adding more fruits and vegetables to your diet today!

1. The easiest way to is to enjoy a salad. I prefer to make my salads at home and carry them with me versus eating at a salad bar because it is cost efficient to create your own salads and you get to pick the ingredients. A salad can be a 'kitchen sink' dish that can provide you with a power packed, nutrient dense meal in minutes. My salads usually include: three types of lettuce and or baby spinach, tomatoes, cucumbers, red onions, garlic, celery and carrots. Create a very healthy salad dressing with olive oil and seasonings and you are on your way. I will also add protein usually left over from other meals. Had steak last night and have a little left over? Dice it up and add it to your salad.

2. Enjoy fruits and vegetables as quick snacks for instant energy that lasts. Many fruits come in a single serving size so nothing could be more convenient. Grab an apple or a banana on the way out the door. Or if you prefer, slice up some live foods like apples, melons, carrots and celery and have them nearby in a baggy ready to munch on when you feel the need for a snack.

3. Start your day with a healthy dose of raw foods by enjoying fresh juice or a breakfast smoothie. This is a quick and easy way to start your day with very little mess. I like to have the items I plan to add to my smoothie or juice already cut, chilled and ready to process. If you decide to go with a smoothie you can easily add a little body to your drink by including protein powder or a tablespoon of nut butter. This will not only add more flavor it will also add some healthy calories to help sustain you longer.

4. Visit your local farmer's market. You will be surprised at how much better the fresh produce grown by your local farmer's is over what you may find in a regular grocery store. Produce from your local farmer's market usually has much better flavor, texture and is fresher because it doesn't have to be shipped. In most cases you will usually find much lower prices than what you would pay at a regular store as well. This is a great way for you to support your community, get to know the farmer's in your area and take strides towards improving the nutritional value of your diet.

5. How about homemade vegetable soup? No unnecessary ingredients, additives or preservatives, just delicious vegetables that you pick yourself. There are plenty of low sodium, non-fat soup stocks available today so creating your own soups should be a snap.

6. How about adding frozen fruits to your desserts. Instead of a huge bowl of ice cream or frozen yogurt, have a scoop of your favorite frozen treat and add in some frozen grapes or banana slices. I like to enjoy non-fat regular yogurt with a cup of frozen berries for dessert. Freezing fruits gives it a whole new feel that most children will enjoy.

7. Add vegetables to your sandwiches. I usually add a rather generous amount of lettuce and tomatoes to my sandwiches. It gives the sandwich much more flavor, texture, crunch and a few extra calories that helps me stay satisfied longer.

8. Season your vegetables. I love my veggies unseasoned as I enjoy the natural flavors of these types of foods. But for picky eaters, adding a little flavor can go a long way. Don't soak your foods in oils, sugars and salt, instead infuse your veggies with fresh herbs and spices.

9. Don't think about it, just do it. The longer you sit there and debate over whether to eat the fresh melon you sliced up yesterday or to grab a hamburger, the more time you have to talk yourself out of the more nutrient dense meal.

10. Get everyone's input. If your children don't care for fruits and vegetables, take them to the farmer's market with you and let them pick out something new to try. Chances are they will be more eager to try something they picked for themselves.

Incorporate a few of these ideas and you will have everyone in your family eating more fruits and vegetables in no time.

By just using 3 or 4 of these ideas you will increase your family's nutrients, energy and wellness in just a matter of days.

Many people begin growing their own items at home once eating more live foods becomes a way of life. You don't need a huge garden, for many raw items all you need is a little space on your window sill.

Subscribe to my free Raw Foods Diet Newsletter and learn the many benefits of a raw food diet as well as the dangerous secrets the food industry doesn't want you to know about. Enjoy more Raw Foods Articles and a raw food life!

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5 Tricks to Lose Weight For Your Wedding By Jennifer Anna Watson

You don't have to follow an absurd diet to lose weight for your wedding. Making significant changes in your eating routine can help you lose weight without noticing with the benefits of achieving your desired weight. You know that extreme diets are not part of the solution when it comes to losing weight before and during your marriage. Many nutritionists believe that you do not have to follow a specific diet, just be responsible with what you eat and limit your cravings for fast foods.

Here is how you can lose weight without torturing yourself and by tracking the calories:

1. Always choose small portions

So how much is a small portion? It's much better for your health to get up from the table when you still feel a slight sensation of hunger. This trick is one of the most effective ways to eat what you enjoy, without the fear of eating too much.

2. Instead of 3 hearty meals per day, choose 3 normal meals and 2 healthy snacks

I guarantee that you will not experience hunger or you won't eat too much either. Try smaller meals and 3 hours after eating breakfast and lunch choose a healthy snack. These snacks are another secret weapon in your battle with weight. This can make a huge difference in choosing a size for your wedding dress.

3. Don't skip breakfast

Skipping breakfast is one of the most harmful habits that can mess up your system, according to numerous studies done. By lunch you'll be starving and you will be tempted to make unhealthy choices.

4. Do not forget to drink water and tea

Green tea stimulates fat burning and maintains a good digestion. It is recommended to drink unsweetened tea or you can put natural honey in it. It is advised to start your day with a glass of plain water at room temperature, right after you had woken up. The only time you shouldn't drink water is before and during a meal.

5. Watch what you eat every day and how it's prepared

You already know that it isn't recommended to eat fried foods, sweets, pastries and white bread and sausage in large quantities. Choose to cook simple, without any additional unhealthy ingredients and try to cooking with steam when possible.

You can try these tips starting right now and don't forget to exercise which will help you lose weight for your wedding day even faster. The key in a weight loss plan is motivation and you, the future bride, should have plenty of it.

For more advice on wedding weight loss you can check our daily posts at http://www.LOSEWEIGHTFORWEDDINGHQ.com.

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At War With Your Weight By Jaime E Schehr

Mindful Weight Loss

The most common weight loss struggle is the mental and emotional commitment. For most, losing weight isn't easy, nor is it fast, yet many look for the easiest and fastest solution to shed those extra pounds. Outside of surgical procedures (which come with their own complications), losing weight is not a quick fix. If it took years to put on, it will require some time-along with nurturing and dedication-to lose.

The importance of exploring your emotional connection to diet is critical for success, as is challenging yourself on how you got to this weight. For some, it's a busy schedule, or the fact that comfort foods are so easily accessible (like the cookies that are always out at the office)! Others have a more emotional connection to food; they use it for comfort, nurturing, or an unconscious need for satisfaction. This all perpetuates the weight cycle. Working on the root causes of weight gain allows you to free yourself, and move towards easier weight loss in the future.

In addition to challenging the behaviors, habits, and perceptions that may be sabotaging your weight loss efforts, here's a look at the other factors that may be contributing to your struggle to lose weight:

Adrenal Fatigue

The adrenal glands aid in managing physical and emotional stress in our bodies. Adrenal fatigue may be the result of chronic or prolonged stress. Symptoms include but are not limited to: feeling tired even after adequate sleep, feeling tired but "wired," a weakened immune system, afternoon fatigue followed by a surge in energy in the evening, and cravings for sweet and salty foods. This is another reason managing stress is so important in successful weight loss.

Abnormal Thyroid Function

Your thyroid gland plays a major role in your metabolism and the rate at which your body uses or stores energy. Therefore, it can play a major role in your war with weight! Common symptoms of thyroid dysfunction include but are not limited to: changes in weight, mood, and body temperature; changes in menstrual cycle for females; hair loss; fatigue; and dry skin. If you believe you have thyroid problems, you should discuss this with your doctor.

Insulin Resistance

Hormone imbalances that go untreated can lead to weight gain or inability to lose weight. A hormone abnormality that may affect your weight is insulin resistance - a problem with the way your body uses blood sugar, which can lead to excess fat storage, especially around the waist. What causes this? Poor diets - especially those high in processed foods and sugars, and low in lean proteins and fiber. Left untreated, this may lead to type II diabetes. Lifestyle changes are the most important step in treating this issue, but sometimes greater intervention is needed to help the body restore its ability to utilize insulin.

Food Intolerances/Food Sensitivities

Gas, bloating, diarrhea, constipation, acid reflux, headaches, skin rashes, fatigue, weight gain, or inability to lose weight can all be signs of food sensitivities. Food sensitivities are different from food allergies, which are generally more severe and immediate. The most common foods people are sensitive to include dairy, wheat/gluten, eggs, soy, corn, sugar, and some fruits. Eliminating these foods (maybe one at a time to see how it affects you) is taking a step towards losing those "stuck pounds" or relentless GI symptoms.

Regardless of what's causing your weight loss issues, it's important to know that the journey towards losing weight doesn't have to be so overwhelming! Start by making small lifestyle changes, such as the ones listed below. By incorporating one of these changes into your diet per week (start with whatever's easiest and most convenient for you), you'll be well on your way to winning your war with weight:

Don't skip breakfast.

Eating breakfast can help you lose weight by keeping your metabolism up. Your metabolism is the rate at which your body will burn calories. People who skip breakfast tend to eat larger meals and have slower metabolism. A breakfast high in protein is the best choice for weight loss. Examples of this include an egg white and vegetable omelet, a nut butter on high fiber bread, or a low sugar yogurt with 1/4 cup of nuts.

Avoid eating before bed.

Sleep is a time for rest and recharging, so foods that are eaten late at night are more likely to be "stored" (as fat) since we do not need to burn them for energy throughout the night. It's best to avoid eating two hours before bed if you're trying to lose weight. If you're truly hungry and need something to eat, make sure to choose a food that's low in sugar, such as 1/4 cup of nuts or a hard-boiled egg.

Eat protein with every meal.

Meals that lack a protein (such as meat, fish, or beans) tend to be higher in carbohydrates (like bread, pasta, and rice), which can lead to more weight gain. Protein is also responsible for helping us feel full longer, and is an important part of any weight loss program.

Avoid foods high in sugar.

Eating sugar is the fastest way for your body to stock up on fuel for later. Since sugar turns to stored fat, the more you eat, the more weight you'll gain. Cutting the sugars out of your diet is the first and most important step towards losing weight. Start by eliminating packaged foods, since they're especially high in sugar.

Don't drink your calories.

Eliminating sugary beverages can cut over 500 calories in your diet in just one day. This is equivalent to losing a pound a week-just by changing drinks alone! If you're a soda drinker, consider switching to seltzer or carbonated water. If you're a juice drinker, consider switching to an unsweetened cold tea. Speaking of tea, don't forget about sugars added to drinks such as tea or coffee. Try to reduce the amount of sugar you add to these drinks every day or week, until you're able to skip it altogether. This leads me to my next strategy.

Drink tea. A cup of plain tea or hot water in the morning and a cup of herbal tea before bed can help your body shed pounds. Drinking a cup of hot water upon waking may help to increase your metabolism, which will encourage your body to burn calories faster.

Eat vegetables. Eating vegetables equals losing weight, so eat your greens. Vegetables are high in fiber and low in calories, making them an excellent weight loss tool because they fill you up without adding on the pounds. Try to make sure that vegetables make up half of every lunch and dinner plate, and choose vegetables as snacks over packaged foods, which are higher in sugar and calories. Slices of cucumber or sliced red peppers are great snacks!

Despite the scenarios mentioned above, inability to lose weight most often comes from incorrectly executed diets, inappropriate caloric intake (too much or too little), emotional eating, and/or a combination of all of these factors. I always use the analogy of weight being like money: For many, it's easy to spend and hard to save, and with weight, it's easy to gain but hard to lose. Finding the best diet budget for you and understanding your relationship to food is critical to achieving a healthy weight.

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The Trick to Gain Muscle and Lose Weight Revealed By John Stellman

Over the years many people have tried just about every kind of diet and workout routine imaginable. Every body type is different. Each person responds differently to diet and exercise programs. It's definitely not one size fits all. We need to realize that major body changes such as weight loss or muscle gain are impossible to achieve overnight. It took you years to get this way, and it should take years to change. If you do it in a healthy holistic way.

If you're looking to gain muscle and lose weight you really need to develop a mindset of success first. Having already experienced your weight loss or muscle gain in your head is critical because your thoughts become reality I don't really have ordeal most people have. Most of them are dealing with too much fat I their body. I really can't imagine how difficult it is to fight your cravings in order to lose weight and endure the pain other people cause. I just have an opposite problem. I was really thin and underweight. My metabolism rate was really high and I was really athletic. Many people have grown jealous of me. I am able to eat anything I like and not gain a single pound.

I'm still like that even as an adult. People would always say, "don't worry when you turn 25 then you'll start feeling it!" but that day never came. A skinny person who wants to have big muscles and an obese individual who wants to lose weight share the same troubles. Both classifications of people fall into a single category. They have a body they don't like and have to work hard to change it. As for my case, I needed to do a lot of workout and weight lifting in the gym. But let me tell you, it's all worth it. Once I gained the motivation to build my body in the gym, I immediately saw the changes that I wanted. This motivation of mine allowed me to stay in the gym and workout even in days I didn't want to lift weights. I can remember coming home from work and all I wanted to do was relax after a long exhausting day on the job. Perhaps you get my point.

Perhaps you just wish to live a healthier life and come back to the gym to train again. If you workout hard in the gym you'll develop a level of self respect that will grow in your mind each time you train. You will surely love how your body would look like. Wouldn't it be nice that whenever you look in the mirror you will be pleased by what you see?

Sometimes people have different goals. Let's say your goal is to lose man boobs. In order to reach that goal you have to change how you're living from day to day. You have to make different choices. Remember, it's your past choices on a day to day level that got you here today.

Some other want to lose weight but we have to realize that ultimately being the ideal weight comes down to emotions and self respect. If you respect yourself and love yourself you won't eat to cover up other emotional issues.

John Stellman is the founder of Gain Muscle And Lose Weight, a blog about better living. Get the tools to get the body you want by visiting us today. I guarantee you'll learn techniques

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The Best Way to Kick Start Your Fitness and Weight Loss Goals In 5 Simple Steps By Sean P Mahoney

Just about anything which is worthy of doing usually requires more than just a single step to complete. Things with any complexity take several steps that will take some time to complete. It is just inherent in the nature of things that substantial tasks will not be accomplished overnight. You should prepare yourself very well, get a clear mental picture of what must be done, then stick with your plan. Regardless of your fitness and fat loss goals, don't anticipate any exceptions to those requirements.

However it is not that difficult in reality, you simply break it into clear individual steps. Any big goal, like improving your overall health, can be achieved by making lost of small, incremental changes.

Here's how you can jump start your fat loss and fitness goals by sticking to these 5 easy steps:

Step 1. Clean up your eating habits. This is of crucial significance because diet is actually more important in fat loss and lean muscle building than exercise. Make sure you do not neglect the importance of cleaning the junk out of your diet.

Step 2. Stop wasting your time at the gym doing long, slow cardio exercise. This will be a critical step, so lend it your complete attention. This is how to do it the best way, for the best results. Substitute high intensity intervals into your cardio workouts. The main reason this is very important is that you will burn far more calories long after you have finished your workout.

Step 3. Use heavier weights. You will want to do this in order to burn far more calories. In addition you will just want to be sure to lift the right amount of weight to avoid injury.

In my experience, women tend to not lift enough weight while men often try to overdo it in this area.

Step 4. Limit beer consumption. Specifically, even a couple of beers each night can derail all of your hard work from the entire week.

Step 5. restrict every type of sugar in your diet. In addition to that, Cut out soft drinks.

When you follow these steps and start seeing the results, you will be even more motivated to keep going. Accept the rewards and respect (and envious glances!). You managed to do it you now deserve the credit! It's your success to enjoy, and your opportunity to set the standard for other people to try and follow!

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Simple and Healthy Weight Loss Methods By Nick Preston

Healthy weight loss equals glowing skin and a new 'you'. Weight loss has gained a lot of importance these days. People are conscious about their looks and their overall personality. A slim and toned body is on everyone's wish list. Nevertheless, how many of us take the effort to get that desired body? I would say "not many". One reason for this is the plethora of weight loss methods available. People are spoilt for choice and are often confused. Most of them end up choosing the wrong method for losing weight. A little bit of research and self-analysis will give you an insight into healthy weight loss method. However, before we discuss the ideal way of burning fat, let us also talk about some mistakes people tend to commit. Maybe you can avoid those mistakes.

Common Mistakes

One of the most common mistakes people commit is of taking up physical training. There is a common belief that the word 'weight loss' is synonymous to 'gym'. Whenever someone thinks of losing weight, the only thought that crosses his/her mind is of joining a gymnasium/ fitness centre. Though exercise and weight loss are a time-tested way of losing those extra pounds, research says otherwise. It seems that our body gets used to the physical training and stops reacting. This means that, after a few workout sessions you will stop losing weight. Though the toning of muscles will continue, but weight loss or inch loss may not be observed. Moreover, joining a fitness centre or a gymnasium would mean that you need to spare at least two hours everyday. Not just that, you also have to keep a check on your diet. With a hectic and chaotic lifestyle, it becomes extremely difficult to take out so much time and put in continuous efforts in these physical activities. You have to consider the time spent at the gym, travel time and changing and/or bathing time. Though the session may last for an hour, but when you factor in the time spent on other related activities, it could be anywhere between one and half to two hours. This is the bare minimum time you have to spend on physical training. A fast-paced life, which has no place for "me" time will certainly not allow you to spend hours in physical training. Therefore, it is better to choose a method that suits your lifestyle. A simple and healthy weight loss method is one that does not require a lot of time, it only requires some effort.

Ideal Way Of Losing Weight

The best way to reduce those thunder thighs, big bums, big belly and flabby upper arms is by controlling what you eat. All these years you have been eating a lot of delicious junk! Never bothered that you causing a lot of damage to your body! Filling your tummy with burgers, fries, colas and junk food is like piling up tons of fat. Fat forms a layer on your intestine, liver and the colon. As a result, these organs fail to perform up to their optimal level. Bad eating habits can horribly ruin the metabolism. Even nutritious food is not digested properly and the cycle of weight gain continues.

A healthy weight loss method is one that will detoxify the entire digestive system. It aims at cleansing all the organs. The idea is to keep a check on what you eat, how much you eat and how you eat. Follow a healthy weight loss guide and you will be amazed by the results.

Healthy Weight Loss

http://ww[w.simpledietguide.com]

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Tips For Reducing Weight By Sabih Javed

The demand for various weight loss products, drugs and supplements is increasing rapidly. Why you need such unreliable weight loss products when you can easily reduce weight. Here are a few best weight reduction tips that, if followed strictly, will reduce your weight significantly.

1- Exercise is very important. I mean this is the only way to burn body fat. There is no need to join a gym, of course if you can join a gym that's great; however simple jogging or running on daily basis is more than enough. Jog or run or on regular basis, this will not only help you in staying fit and healthy but it will burn your body fat as well.

2- Start playing outdoor games. For instance, swimming, running, tennis, basketball, soccer or any other game. Stop playing useless or unhealthy games including board games, computer games and others.

3- Pay special attention to your diet. Reduce use of carbohydrates and fats. It is practically and logically not possible to reduce weight without reducing use of carbohydrates. Meantime, shift towards vegetables and fruits. Start taking fiber as much as you can. Drink water and juices as much as you can. It is strongly recommended to consult a nutritionist and follow a specific diet plan.

4- You can use special weight reduction supplements and products as long as these are natural and do not have any side effects. For instance, African mango is said to be very good for weight reduction. Similarly,raspberry k etone is also famous for weight loss and is extensively used in weight loss supplements. It is good to use supplements and drugs as long as these are free from harmful effects.

5- Say goodbye to fast food. The basic reason as to why we gain so much weight is due to excess use of junk food including burgers, snacks, pizzas and other fatty foods that we eat almost every day.

6- Do not try any supplement, weight loss drug or medicine without consulting your physician.

7- Always read the ingredients and composition of the product that you buy. Make sure that it doesn't contain any harmful ingredients that may harm your body.

8- Last but not the least, keep measuring your weight and see whether it is reducing or not. If you are losing, it's great. If not, try to figure out what you are missing or consult your physician.

Now you do not need anything else to reduce your weight, just grab raspberry ketone diet and see how it burns your extra fat.

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7 Fat Loss Strategies For Busy Moms By Holly Rigsby, CPT

7 Fat Loss Strategies For Busy Moms

By Holly Rigsby, CPT
www.FitYummyMummy.com

Would you like to "jump start" your metabolism and lose your ‘mommy belly' once and for all? If so, the following seven tips are exactly what you need to improve your workouts and ignite your metabolism. Try some or all of these tips, but beware, the result may be a number of admiring second glances and the need to pull your ‘skinny jeans' out of the closet.

1. The majority of your workouts should be composed of free-weight, bodyweight or cable exercises.

Compared to machines, free-weight, bodyweight and cable movements often require more skill, create muscular balance, and have a greater metabolic cost. For example, it is more difficult to balance the weights, and to coordinate muscles when performing free-weight exercises. Although this may sound like a disadvantage, it is actually a benefit. By balancing and stabilizing free-weights or cables you are working more muscles through a greater range of motion resulting in more muscles developed and more calories burned.

2. Use exercises that work more than one muscle at a time.

When focusing on fat loss, you can't worry about "shaping" exercises, instead you should use exercises that'll get you the biggest bang for your buck and work as many muscles as possible. Isolation exercises can be used at the end of a workout to work on a specific target area, but they just serve to supplement your core movements.

Virtually every savvy fitness professional is privy to the fact that compound exercises recruit the most muscle groups for any given body part.

If you seek lean, toned muscles and the increase in metabolism that comes with them, you must choose exercises that work as many different muscles as possible. One of the main reasons why squats are superior to leg extensions for improving your body is that they also work your butt, hamstrings and inner thighs in addition to toning your quadriceps while leg extensions focus on just the front of your thigh and don't really offer any other benefit. That same rationale hold true for arm exercises too. That's why dumbell presses and dips will are more valuable for your arms than triceps kickbacks and pushdowns.

A good rule of thumb is to use movements that will allow you to use the most weight. These will have a systemic effect on your body that'll help maintain or increase your lean muscle, and in turn ignite your metabolism.

3. Pair exercises.

Pair your exercises together so that you alternate between upper-body exercises and lower-body exercises or between exercises that target opposing muscle groups (e.g. chest and back).

This type of approach will keep your workouts short and efficient by eliminating much of the downtime that comes between sets of a single exercise since you are working on one movement while resting from another. This approach can also yield huge benefits in your mission to burn fat. Since you'll constantly be moving and keeping your heart rate elevated, you'll be burning far more calories than you would during a typical workout.

4. Keep your reps between 8 and 12.

Through research, it has been determined that the best range for building lean muscle is roughly between 8-12 reps. Since the main focus of your resistance training efforts is to gain lean body mass and stimulate your metabolism, this rep range fills the bill perfectly. "High reps for tone and fat loss" is one of the biggest (and most unproductive) training myths! Somehow the aerobics, yoga and Pilates' community have convinced us that when we perform bodyweight exercises or light resistance training for high reps, our muscles magically take on a beautiful shape without growing or bulging. On the other hand, if you challenge yourself with moderately heavy weights, your body will take on a bulky, unflattering appearance. If you believe this, you probably still believe in the Tooth Fairy!

5. Rest only 30 to 60 seconds between sets.

When you keep the rest periods under one minute, it's easier to stay focused on the task at hand and keeps your heart rate elevated. In addition, it forces your muscles to recover more quickly between sets, along with keeping your nervous system revved up.

If your first movement in an upper/lower body pair is squats, you might want to rest 60 seconds before attempting your second movement. However, if your first exercise is a fairly "easy" exercise, like lat pull downs, you might only wish to wait 30 seconds before doing the second part of the pair.

6. Perform total body workouts.

You must drop the notion that muscle groups work independently of one another. Muscles work together and should be trained that way. Besides, not only does this approach mean less time in the gym, but by working the whole body three times per week, you'll be maximizing the fat burning effect of your program.

7. Cardio is not the cure-all for fat loss.

Cardiovascular exercise aids in the creation of a caloric deficit, but the caloric expenditure during cardio is temporary. Strength training addresses the core of the problem by permanently increasing the rate at which the body burns calories by adding muscle. The best programs will include both strength training and cardiovascular training, but the core or the programs effectiveness is resistance training.

Take these strategies and incorporate them into your workout routine. Not only will you save a lot of time, but you'll also soon see a leaner and more toned body. Not to mention a few more turned heads and the re-emergence of your skinny jeans.

About the Author

Holly Rigsby is a nationally recognized women’s fitness coach, certified personal trainer (CPT) and the author of the internationally popular e-book – Fit Yummy Mummy - Burn Your Baby Fat & Get Your Body Back. Go http://www.fityummymummy.com to to get your FREE copy of her special report: "The Five Ways To Boost Your Metabolism."

Tips Avoid Holiday Pounds! By Steve Carney

In honor of Thanksgiving and the holiday season, I decided to offer some tips for avoiding holiday pounds. I've followed these approaches for years and they work great!

1. Appetizers

Go for more unprocessed foods like nuts, olives, veggies (minimize dips), guacamole and proteins like chicken or shrimp, with a few slices of cheese. Skip crackers, chips, breads or foods in fried or baked wrappers as the carbs will spike your blood glucose, adding to weight gain. Many pre-packaged foods also have extra salt, trans fats, sugar, preservatives and additives which can interfere with digestion.

2. Drinks

Hydrate as you go. Keep a glass of water nearby or alternate each drink of alcohol with a glass of water (for mixed drinks, you add water as you go before your next drink). The goal is to drink an equal amount of water for each drink you have. Sip your drinks and eat as you go to slow the rate of alcohol absorption. Red wine and beer are some good choices (1 or 2 drinks total) and go easy on mixed drinks or soda. For egg nog just have a small sample taste if you want.

3. Main meal

Focus on lean proteins and lots of veggies to fill your plate, especially with simple sauces like olive oil or light butter sauce. Watch the green bean casserole and fried onions! For white carbs, have smaller servings (about ½ a serving spoon) for mashed potatoes or bread dressing (wild and brown rice are good alternatives). You can skip rolls or bread (do you really need those today?). And a touch of gravy is enough as it's often thickened with refined flours/starches.

By having only small portions/tastes of white starches, you can participate in the meal and not offend the host. Sweet potatoes or yams are okay in a modest portions, but be careful of the sugary glazes and marshmallows! A small serving of cranberries is okay (aim for a few tablespoons).

4. Dessert

Go for sample sizes of pumpkin, fruit, or pecan pie (½ slice or less) with a dab of topping. With a sampling approach, you can enjoy a mix of flavors while you have the equivalent of one normal slice. Again, you can participate and sample and taste everything but avoid excess weight gain!

5. Multivitamin

Before you go out, take an extra multivitamin. That will help supply extra vitamins and minerals for the sweats, carbs and any alcohol you drink, keeping you out of deficits (you need vitamins and minerals to digest sweets and refined carbs properly).

The overall approach is to focus on whole foods and lean proteins with veggies, nuts, olives, etc. Keep the carbs and sweets to small, sample sizes and you will avoid those extra pounds. The hydration will also keep you fuller so you're be less prone to overeat.

And if you gain just a pound from this approach, you should lose it easily in a day or two as your body returns to its normal patterns! So you can enjoy this special holiday and those to follow with good food, family and friends!

Drop me a line if you have any questions, and let me know how things worked for you! Were you able to hold your weight pretty steady?

Helpful links:

http://www.endsicknessnow.com/toxic-sugar-and-health

http://www.endsicknessnow.com/power-your-life-with-power-foods-and-drinks

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Easy Cheap Exercise Ideas For Weight Loss By Matt A Hill

Exercise is a significant factor in weight loss whether we like it or not. Let's face it, most of us are in the "or not" category, me included. I know I should go to the gym but the cost is a consideration and also the time as well as the fact I feel a little self-conscious doing it in front of people who are avid gym users. But when we are starting out in our weight loss adventure we don't need to go to these lengths, not to mention a few of us would need to go to the doctor to make sure what is safe and what isn't in the form of exercise. The answer to this is to find easy cheap exercise ideas for weight loss for our everyday lifestyle.

Exercise can get boring, so one important thing is to find an exercise plan that will keep us interested and make it enjoyable. Finding this interesting exercise plan will make us more likely to do it without even thinking about it eventually. Now, walking is a great way to exercise and lose weight because it isn't overly strenuous and you'll be losing calories without really thinking about it. Like the gym though, it isn't always convenient and it can be cold and wet, so we need things to do at home also in replacement so at least you can listen to your favourite music or watch television whilst you're exercising.

Staying at home to exercise for many people is the key to success and as much as going out walking or going to the gym is the ultimate exercise it isn't as I have said practical for a lot of people and you shouldn't feel bad for this or think that's the end of it as there is plenty you can do at home.

Firstly finding somewhere to exercise at home isn't difficult, if you have a garage or a spare room this is great, but if not, your living room is just as ideal and there are plenty of motivational tools in there to use such as the television or stereo system which can give you easy cheap exercise ideas for weight loss. Putting on your favourite music on music channels or music system can inspire you and can have a really positive effect on your motivation.

So you've got your room sorted out and your music, you're nice and warm and haven't had to dress up, get in the car and drive miles down the road.

You don't need to have fancy equipment to get going and there are cheap things you can get or maybe already have in your house you can use to exercise.

• Do some star jumps to your favourite music

• Dancing along can be great. Get others in your family to join in for some fun. Losing pounds off your weight whilst dancing around having fun is the best way for losing calories

• A balance ball is a great tool to use and can be fun as well as being cheap to buy

• If you have weights they are also great, or if not, use tins of beans. The point isn't to gain loads of muscle by pumping iron but to have a little weight in your hands as you do your exercises which will help add a little more without exceeding your limits. You do actually feel the tins after a while I know as they are what I use. Try it now, get a tin hold your stomach muscles in and raise your arm up and down as you would with weights, I guarantee after a while you'll start to feel it

• A Yoga mat is good and you can pick up DVDs for next to nothing these days, not to mention there are programs on television for free that do exercises with you, Yoga and practically anything you want.

• A stationery bicycle is a great exercise tool. You can put it anywhere in the house you want and use it watching the television even reading a book!

• I like to shadow box a little and that really gets me going and doesn't cost anything, and doing it with your trusty tin of beans is even better. You'll find this one really gets your heart rate up. I love doing it.

I won't list exercises here to do on your mat and explain how to do them because I am not an expert and it would be better for you to listen to the experts on how to exercise using your stomach muscles properly etc. which is what I do.

Just have a think about anything you can do enjoyable which could help you shed a few calories, you'll be surprised at what you do in your everyday life that raises your heart rate and just doing that a bit longer can have a real positive effect. Once you get into a routine after a few weeks you'll look in the mirror and see a difference and you'll want to do more. Whatever you do, you'll find that building it on the foundation of activities you enjoy is the key to developing a lifetime of fitness.

For loads more tips on weight loss visit my site at http://www.dontweightgetslim.com/blog-2/ where i'll be with you all the way with your weight loss plan. As I am losing weight too I am always keen to find good easy ways to lose weight without changing my lifestyle too much.
I'm also giving away a free ebook for more effective weight loss strategies at http://dontweightgetslim.com

Good luck

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