The Secret to Six-Pack Abs

I wish I had a nickel for every time a woman asked me how to get a flat stomach or six-pack abs. It's one of the most common fitness goals for women. Here's a tip: You can't go to the corner of the gym and do crunches until you're ready to throw up and expect to get flat abs... even if you do it 7 days a week. And who would want to do that, anyway?Why doesn't this approach work? Because muscle doesn't own the fat on top of it. Hmmm. One more time: Muscle doesn't own the fat on top of it. Think about it. If you see a body builder standing in front of the mirror doing bicep curls, what do you think his goal is? I'll give you a hint. Do you think he is trying to make his bicep bigger or smaller? Why bigger, of course! So why is it, then, that so many people believe they can make their stomach smaller by working their abdominal muscles? Hopefully a light bulb just came on in your head. So then...HOW DO YOU GET THAT LEAN LOOK?By having the right body composition. A lean look (and six-pack abs) come from having low body fat. Truth is, everyone has a six pack. Some just have more layers of fat covering it than others. The key to getting a flat stomach is to set your sites on having less body fat so that your six pack can show.You have three choices for defining your fitness goals as it relates to body composition. You can lose fat, build muscle, or maintain your body. There is a big difference between muscle and fat. For starters, one pound of muscle burns 35 - 75 calories a day. One pound of fat burns 8 calories per day. Whoa! That's what "muscle is calorie-burning machinery" means. Secondly, fat doesn't turn into muscle. They are two different things.If you want six-pack abs, your goal is to lose body fat. To lose body fat, you must be in a caloric deficit. That simply means taking in less calories every day than you spend in energy. While you're doing that, you want to maintain your muscle mass with resistance training. This is when fat melts away from your body, effectively changing your body composition.HOW DO YOU MAINTAIN A CALORIC DEFICIT?You can lower your caloric intake and/or increase your caloric output. The basic formula for figuring caloric intake for a deficit is your current weight in pounds times 15 minus 500 equals the number of calories to eat per day. [Current Weight x 15 - 500 = Daily Caloric Intake] This is a basic formula that you may need to adjust based on your activity level and your current body composition (now that you know the difference between calories burned by muscle versus calories burned by fat). Any activity you can add to your daily routine will help increase your caloric deficit and give your body fat no choice but to melt.It doesn't hurt to work your abs. Your abs are part of your core and a strong core will help you lessen the risk of injury and help you be stronger for your everyday life in and out of the gym. And once you see your six-pack starting to emerge, you will want them to "pop" and be more defined. However, crunches and ab machines are not the secret weapon for fighting belly bulge. Monitoring the amount of calories you eat is the key. Simply put, you can't out-exercise a bad diet.

Mindset: A Key Factor in Weight Loss Success

Knowing what to do to achieve your health & fitness goals is simply not enough. You can find out anything you want to know 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. There is plenty of free information on the internet, in libraries, in clinics, and in schools. Yet, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than one-third of adults and one sixth of children in America are obese. In the past twenty years, obesity rates doubled for adults and tripled for children. If these trends continue, by the time today's children reach adulthood, obesity will be the norm and healthy weight the exception. In fact, for the first time in our country's history, the current generation of children in America may have shorter life expectancies than their parents. How can that be when we live in the information age?It just proves my point that it takes more than knowing what to do. So then, what is the difference between two women looking at the exact same set of facts when one tackles her fitness goals successfully and the other tries and fails? Here's the difference: all other factors equal, their mindsets are different. That's it! No big secret.Let's take a look at a case study of mindset and the behaviors it creates.We'll call our fictitious participants Amy, the outstanding "A" student, and Felicia, the failing "F" student. How are their mindsets different from one another? Amy takes responsibility for where she is and where she wants to go. Felicia is likely playing a blame game and rejects responsibility for her circumstances. Amy sets realistic goals or milestones for a bigger goal and holds herself accountable. Felicia sets unrealistic goals and lets herself off the hook for not achieving them. Amy has a strong motivator, something important enough to her to get her to change her habits. Felicia's motivation is weak and temporary and she remains in the same old unsuccessful patterns that got her to where she is.All other things equal, mindset is the key difference as to why some women succeed at weight loss and others do not. The reasons above are just a few examples of how our mindsets are our biggest roadblock to losing weight and making healthier choices for ourselves.What can you do this week to improve your mindset? Try doing a journal entry and ask yourself "What is my biggest roadblock to losing weight?" Then make at least one small change this week to blast through that roadblock. You CAN do this! I know it.

Health and Fitness: Lifestyle? Or Life Interruption?

This is a powerful question, indeed. This caption is the crux of why some people are successful at permanent weight loss and others are not. It centers around how you view the actions that lead to that healthy, fit body.

Obesity is a serious problem in the U.S. today. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than one-third of adults and one sixth of children in America are obese. In the past twenty years, obesity rates doubled for adults and tripled for children. If these trends continue, by the time today's children reach adulthood, obesity will be the norm and healthy weight the exception. In fact, for the first time in our country's history, the current generation of children in America may have shorter life expectancies than their parents.

SO WHICH IS IT FOR YOU?

Is health & fitness a way of living for you? Something you do on an on-going basis? Do you plan your meals, at least loosely, for the entire week? Do you choose healthy meals to prepare and go to the grocery store with a list? Do you strive to make constant improvements in your decisions about what to eat and how active to be? If so, good for you! Your mindset favors a healthy lifestyle and will serve you well.

Or do you consider losing weight and becoming more fit a two week endeavor to fit into a new pair of jeans or a new outfit for a special occasion? When starting a new "diet" do you say to yourself "How long do I have to do this?" "When can I have a treat?" Does it eventually get in the way of all the other things you want to do? Does it get hard enough that you give up and retreat back to your comfort zone? If so, you view health & fitness as a temporary fix. Unfortunately, it will yield temporary results AND make it harder for you to lose weight the next time.

SO HOW DO YOU TRANSITION TO A HEALTHIER LIFESTYLE?

To transition means to have a transformation or metamorphosis; to cease being one thing to become another. For example, a caterpillar morphs into a butterfly. You must be willing to let go of unhealthy habits you know aren't good for you. It helps to examine why you are clinging to them in the first place. Then you have to be willing to give yourself the things you need to be the new you. You must believe deep down you deserve it.

To have a healthy lifestyle, you must decide why it is important to you to be healthier and more fit. The answer to that question is a very personal one. There are as many answers as there are people. Dig deep to determine your goals, values, beliefs and intentions. Identify roadblocks, real or imagined. Do you have any underlying beliefs that no longer serve you?

Finally, you must make it a priority. If you assign it a high priority, other things won't get in the way of your health; your health will get in the way of the other stuff. If you are really honest with yourself, you'll admit that you know deep down that time spent on caring for yourself is time well spent.

Diet And Weight Loss Tips: How To Eat More And Still Lose Weight

Obesity is a significant health problem in the United States. Some estimates indicate that approximately one third of the adult population is morbidly obese.Moreover, the connections between obesity and many ailments including diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, some forms of joint pain and some kinds of cancer are well established.And, not surprisingly, obesity places a tremendous strain on our already troubled health care system.Many people who want to lose weight do not really understand the mathematics of weight loss.Early in my career, I directed the counseling program at a hospital based program where we treated more than four thousand obese and overweight patients. Understanding the mechanics and techniques of losing weight was quite important for those patients and it may be important for you or for someone you are concerned about.A Successful And Inspiring Case HistorySusan, a patient of mine, is a middle aged female who weighs one hundred and sixty pounds. She has a sedentary job and a sedentary lifestyle. She has gained two pounds a year for the last ten years and her weight was holding at one hundred and sixty pounds.Susan wanted to weigh about one hundred and twenty five pounds.In all likelihood, she was probably consuming about 1,600 calories per day when she first came to see me. This number was derived by simply multiplying her body weight by ten. (160 x 10=1,600).Susan decided that she wanted to lose weight by first increasing her activity level. She began a daily walking routine and with her doctor's approval and guidance, she gradually built up to walking forty five minutes a night six days a week.Susan also made an effort to move as much as possible during the day. She would use the steps, park far away from her destination and move briskly from point "A" to point "B."There was little discussion about diet when she began her program. We focused solely on her motivation, her goals and changing her activity level.Susan also received some help and training in stress management, self-hypnosis and visualization. She practiced these techniques with a cd program in order to stay motivated and to reduce her tendency to engage in emotional eating when she was anxious or depressed.By increasing her activity level in the aforementioned manner, Susan was able to consume 2,600 calories per day and lose about one pound per week. Because she increased her activity level, we can now apply a multiple of 20 to her body weight.This now allows her to consume almost twice as many calories per day as she was ingesting prior to her adopting her new regime. (160 x 20=3,200)However, if Susan consumed 3,200 calories she might remain at one hundred and sixty pounds. But, by eating 2,600 calories daily, she is now able to lose about a pound per week.Interestingly, as long as she remains active, she can consume almost the same 2, 600 calories per day at her goal weight of one hundred and twenty five pounds. (125 x 20=2,500).(By the way, where one's goal weight is concerned, it is often best to utilize a range of weight of approximately five pounds. It is quite hard to remain at the exact same weight every day.)Regular exercise also produces a natural appetite suppressant and it is helpful in managing the stress, anxiety and depression which drive much overeating.Diet is very important. However, many people can lose weight and, in fact, eat more, if they simply increase their daily and their weekly caloric expenditure.

Why Maintaining a Healthy Weight Is About More Than Looks

We're told so often to eat healthy and get regular exercise that the reasons for doing so can get lost in the message. Numerous research studies make the connection between a healthy lifestyle and a decreased risk in disease, leading to a longer life. But what's the mechanism behind this?Diet and exercise alter hormone balanceScientists from the National Center for Tumor Diseases in Heidelberg suggest that one of the reasons that diet and exercise are so successful is because they impact hormone production. There are two primary hormones that are produced by fat tissue: adiponectin and leptin. Adiponectin is anti-inflammatory and works to increase the effect of insulin, while leptin is capable of fueling tumor cell growth. The two hormones are balanced in a healthy way when adiponectin levels are high and leptin levels are low.With this in mind, the researchers looked at the effect of diet and exercise on these hormones. They followed 439 obese women over the age of 50 for a full year. One group made no changes to their lifestyle to act as a control. A second group made changes to diet alone, while a third changed just exercise habits. The final group altered both diet and exercise.The results showed that leptin production was decreased in all three of the groups that made a change, but the largest decrease was seen in the group that changed diet and exercise simultaneously. An even more significant finding was that the more weight a person lost, the healthier their balance of hormones. This remained true across all groups, regardless of whether they lost weight by changing their diet or through exercise.The numbers were noteworthy. Some of the women who lost 10 percent of their body weight saw over a 50 percent decrease in leptin, accompanied by a 20 percent increase in adiponectin.The bottom lineDiet, exercise, and any resulting weight loss are about more than physical appearance. They have a substantial impact on hormone levels in the body, which play a major role in the prevention of disease. In addition, those who eat well, stay active and maintain a healthy weight can expect to live longer than those who don't. By incorporating nutrition and regular physical activity into your lifestyle, you are working to lower levels of a hormone linked to the growth of tumor cells and increase levels of a hormone that reduces inflammation.

How to Lose Weight - Perfect Plan to Adopt

Are you someone who has tried almost every single method to lose weight and finally been left frustrated at not achieving the desired results? If all those catty comments about your increasing girth are bothering you, then don't worry since help is at hand. All that you need to do is to stick to the following plan and in a matter of just 10 days, you will see the difference. Let us take a look at the plan now:-1. What to eat - don't ever make the mistake of starving for losing weight. It could end up endangering your life. Instead, make sure that you have several small meals, about 6-7, spread throughout the day. Make sure that you include plenty of fruits and vegetables, preferably organic, as part of your diet, apart from whole grains.2. What not to eat- Shove away all the junk food for now, however hard the temptation may be. Keep away fried food at the proverbial arms distance. Cut down or better still completely stop your consumption of colas and caffeine. Instead opt for fresh fruit or vegetable juices or healthy smoothies. They will make you feel full while also at the same time help you cut down on calories. Also make sure that you drink plenty of water. While it may seem a struggle for a day or two, pretty soon you will get used to it.3. Cross training- a lot of people make the mistake of enrolling in a gym only to quit within a few days because they found the routine boring. If you are among the lot, then there is a more fun option available in the form of cross training. It has been proven that cross training will keep people motivated for regular workouts. You can for example, try tennis one day, followed by a session of aerobics the next. You can also throw in any other form of exercising, Yoga or Pilates for example, into the mix, or for that matter any other sport that you may enjoy. Remember, how to lose weight is all about having fun and not cribbing about it.For all those who are wondering how to lose weight these are some very handy tips that can help you. Finally, remember not to get stressed up just because you were not able to achieve your desired weight loss goals. Nothing is gained by worrying. Relax and try with renewed effort and your efforts are sure to be rewarded.There are plenty of answers for your question on how to lose weight. The most important thing is to make it flexible upon your schedule and to follow whatever you have chosen strictly to attain your goal.

Healthy Foods to Help You Lose Weight

Losing weight could be traumatizing for people who keep on trying different ways on how to lose weight but still they could not get the results they ever wanted. But one thing that they might forget when doing this is to make some changes in their daily diet. This is the most effective way when losing weight in the most ideal manner. So, if you are one of them, then you should start eating these foods to help you lose weight.1. Eat Plenty of FruitsMaybe you should try being a "fruitarian." Fruits are totally healthy because they don't have those bad cholesterol that you usually consume everyday like when eating pizza, spaghetti, bacon, cheese, hamburgers and many other unhealthy foods that your taste bud loves. So, it's time to make a change. Once you're hungry, why not fill in your stomach with your favorite fruit or any fruit that you find tasty. Most of the time, you like eating sweet foods during snack time. So, try eating some fruits during this time so that your stomach will not get hungry. And during meals, try to eat some fruits before eating your entire meal. This way, you tend to eat less.2. Try brown rice as your main source of carbohydrates.Many are complaining about too many carbohydrates in their bodies. So, instead of eating lots of bread, pizza, pasta and other unhealthy foods with plenty of carbohydrates; why not stick to brown rice. You may not feel like eating to this at first; but with a conditioned mind you will be used to it. Brown rice is rich in fiber, thus you will have a better digestion. Another good thing about this kind of rice is that you will eat lesser in amount because you will not have too much appetite when eating. So, if you will be hungry after few hours; try eating some biscuits and drink plenty of water or fruit juice.3. Eat more fish than meat.When preparing food for your meal, try concentrating on making a dish from fish. You can make a research on how to cook it well to make it more delicious. You can cook it in different ways so that you will not find it boring to eat. Use your creativity too so that it will appear more delicious to your eyes. You can also add some healthy vegetables to make some variations in taste. Add some spices and flavors to make your dish perfect. Actually, fish is very healthy especially those with high levels of Omega 3 because there are healthy fats which are very good for your heart, eyes, brain and mood.So if you are really sincere and very much determined in losing weight, then try eating these foods to help you lose weight. Just try to experiment it for a month then check the results. If you find things are working well, then why not make it a lifestyle to maintain a healthy and a nice looking body. Healthy foods are not only for losing weight, they are also important to make a longer and more meaningful life. So, there's no reason for you not to like them.