If there is one thing I've noticed working in an office day after day it's that people come to work really tired, have their cup of coffee or soda or whatever to get woke up and then about an hour after lunch are exhausted.
If this sounds like you listen up! It's all in your eating / drinking and sleep habits (sleep will be discussed in another blog)!
Drinking soda or caffeine will give you a short sugary "energy boost". Unfortunately that energy boost never lasts long and you have to keep adding more sugar or caffeine to contain it.
With sugar you become sleepy because it causes your insulin levels to surge and your body reacts to this surge by your blood sugar level to compensate. In doing so your brain tells your body to slow down many important functions which is why you become sleepy.
With caffeine your body experiences a similar "energy boost" as your brain is stimulated and the body is warmed. A little caffeine can do you a lot of good in the morning since it causes more alertness and clarity and it generally lasts a while. However, if you load your coffee or latte up with sugars (or buy pre-sugared) you will likely run into the same problem as with other sugary drinks.
If you want to have a lot of energy in the morning you need to do the following:
1. Make sure you get at least 8 hours of sleep the night before and go to bed / rise at the same time each day.
2. Exercise in the morning, you will feel energized after a good workout!
3. Eat a healthy breakfast and drink water
4. DO NOT DRINK SUGARY DRINKS IN THE MORNING (or preferrably at all)
5. Switch from coffee to a more lightly caffenated herbal tea. You will get way more antioxidants and other nutritients and will be far less likely to see severe crashes as your body goes through the digestion process.
If you are experiencing extreme drowsiness in the afternoon it is probably for a different reason altogether.
The main cause of lethargy for office people in the afternoon is caused by their favorite break of the day... Lunch!
At lunch most people either run to some fast food restaurant and buy a hefty $7.00 - 10.00, 1500 to 3000 calorie meal or they bring leftovers from last night's dinner.
The problem with this is that you are eating an incredibly heavy amount of food either way. For most of you out there your daily calorie needs are below 2000 if you are inactive. That means in this one meal you are probably getting most if not all of your calories needed in one day all in one meal!
Since you eat throughout the day this already puts you weigh over your calorie limit which means you are gaining weight!
But it also means something else... When you eat this much food (and we haven't even gotten to the fact that it isn't healthy food) your body has to digest it. It is very hard for your body to digest most of these unnatural foods and drinks and so your body has to do a lot of work to take care of this.
That means your body has to take energy from other vital functions and move it to your digestive system to help complete the process. This slows down all of your other functions and guess what! IT MAKES YOU VERY SLEEPY!
So what should you do if you want to have energy after lunch? YOU NEED TO EAT A LIGHT MEAL MADE OF EASILY DIGESTIBLE FOODS SUCH AS FRUITS AND VEGGIES!!!
Fruits / Vegetables are easily digested by your body. They are quickly absorbed and broken down which means your body not only uses less energy in the process but actually GAINS ENERGY as the vitamins and nutrients are absorbed. You are now being fueled for productivity instead of being prepared for lethargy and gluttony!
Keep these ideas in mind as you make your daily food choices. If you do, you will have a lot more energy throughout the day and will find yourself in a significantly better mood! Your body will also feel a lot better and will thank you for taking care of it.
Your body is the machine that keeps you alive. YOUR BODY IS LITERALLY YOUR LIFE SUPPORT! TAKE CARE OF YOUR BODY!
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Alcoholic vs Foodoholic
Recently I've been thinking a lot about people who condemn alcoholics because of their life choices. I've heard several people say things like "That guy's problem is that he's an alcoholic" making it sound like he's the worst type of person. I find it ironic that almost 100% of these people doing the accusing are over weight and don't appear to be any better off.
So what follows is a comparison of the modern foodoholic vs the alcoholic. Hopefully it will help some to understand why they may not be in a position to judge and how they might in fact be in the exact same position as the person/people they have been judging all along.
-Alcoholics often drink because they have problems in other areas of their life. They drink to escape reality so they don't have to deal with the emotions associated with their problems.
-Foodoholics often eat in reaction to stressful or painful emotions. When they experience these emotions they are compelled to grab up some kind of junk food and let loose!
-Alcoholics have developed a chemical addiction with their substance. Their body has adapted to the chemicals and now feels that it must have more and more of these chemicals not only to feel good but to survive.
-Foodoholics experience a similar addiction. The chemicals in your tasty treats are just as addicting as the chemicals found in alcohol. This is the reason you can't stop thinking about sugary foods and beverages and is also part of the reason you can't stop eating them!
-Alcoholics drink for pleasure... Drinking / being drunk is often thought of as being a pleasurable and fun experience. You feel good when you drink because your body's senses are numbed.
-Foodoholics experience the same pleasure when it comes to delicious foods. Think about it for a second... What is desert? Desert is the most pleasureable part of any meal. And what do millions of people do after a ball game... They go out for ice-cream. Or for a party we order pizza. These are all things which are associated with having fun.
Last but not least, and certainly the most important factor here...
-Alcoholics are slowly poisoning their bodies. The alcohol makes the liver work hard as it tries to filter it out of your system. As the liver weakens over time it has to struggle harder and harder to properly filter toxins out. Finally the liver becomes so weak it no longer functions properly. At this point, you have a real problem. As an alcoholic you have the highest risk of DEATH BY LIVER DISEASE!
-Foodoholics are slowly poisoning their bodies as well. The chemicals / sugars / fatty oils all have to be processed by your liver. Unfortunately for you, the liver isn't your biggest issue. You see, as the liver becomes weaker and less capable of filtering the toxins from your body, the begin to build up inside of you, clogging your arteries and slowing the machine that is your heart. Clog the heart and arteries too much and you are going to be really sorry even if you aren't overweight. As a foodholic you have the highest risk of DEATH BY HEART DISEASE!
THE MAIN POINT...
Whether you are an alcoholic or a foodoholic YOU ARE BOTH AT AN INCREASED RISK FOR DEADLY DISEASES IF YOU DON'T KICK YOUR HABITS.
So before you go criticizing the guy walking into the liquor store you might want to take a quick look in the mirror. If you are overweight at all you are at an increased risk of something just as deadly and self destructive as any alcoholic. You are no better than the person you are judging so instead of stating why he is a bad person, WORK ON CHANGING YOURSELF!
So what follows is a comparison of the modern foodoholic vs the alcoholic. Hopefully it will help some to understand why they may not be in a position to judge and how they might in fact be in the exact same position as the person/people they have been judging all along.
-Alcoholics often drink because they have problems in other areas of their life. They drink to escape reality so they don't have to deal with the emotions associated with their problems.
-Foodoholics often eat in reaction to stressful or painful emotions. When they experience these emotions they are compelled to grab up some kind of junk food and let loose!
-Alcoholics have developed a chemical addiction with their substance. Their body has adapted to the chemicals and now feels that it must have more and more of these chemicals not only to feel good but to survive.
-Foodoholics experience a similar addiction. The chemicals in your tasty treats are just as addicting as the chemicals found in alcohol. This is the reason you can't stop thinking about sugary foods and beverages and is also part of the reason you can't stop eating them!
-Alcoholics drink for pleasure... Drinking / being drunk is often thought of as being a pleasurable and fun experience. You feel good when you drink because your body's senses are numbed.
-Foodoholics experience the same pleasure when it comes to delicious foods. Think about it for a second... What is desert? Desert is the most pleasureable part of any meal. And what do millions of people do after a ball game... They go out for ice-cream. Or for a party we order pizza. These are all things which are associated with having fun.
Last but not least, and certainly the most important factor here...
-Alcoholics are slowly poisoning their bodies. The alcohol makes the liver work hard as it tries to filter it out of your system. As the liver weakens over time it has to struggle harder and harder to properly filter toxins out. Finally the liver becomes so weak it no longer functions properly. At this point, you have a real problem. As an alcoholic you have the highest risk of DEATH BY LIVER DISEASE!
-Foodoholics are slowly poisoning their bodies as well. The chemicals / sugars / fatty oils all have to be processed by your liver. Unfortunately for you, the liver isn't your biggest issue. You see, as the liver becomes weaker and less capable of filtering the toxins from your body, the begin to build up inside of you, clogging your arteries and slowing the machine that is your heart. Clog the heart and arteries too much and you are going to be really sorry even if you aren't overweight. As a foodholic you have the highest risk of DEATH BY HEART DISEASE!
THE MAIN POINT...
Whether you are an alcoholic or a foodoholic YOU ARE BOTH AT AN INCREASED RISK FOR DEADLY DISEASES IF YOU DON'T KICK YOUR HABITS.
So before you go criticizing the guy walking into the liquor store you might want to take a quick look in the mirror. If you are overweight at all you are at an increased risk of something just as deadly and self destructive as any alcoholic. You are no better than the person you are judging so instead of stating why he is a bad person, WORK ON CHANGING YOURSELF!
Friday, March 25, 2011
My Thoughts on P90X
I've mentioned doing the P90X workout many times as part of my fitness routine; however, it seems like a lot of people are misinterpreting this to mean that it is the main reason I am so fit. I want to set this straight... P90X IS A SUPPLEMENT TO MY LIFESTYLE!
Yes P90X is extreme (assuming you push yourself), and yes P90X can do amazing things for your body, BUT ONLY WHEN COMBINED WITH THE PROPER LIFESTYLE. Doing P90X alone isn't enough, and it won't do diddly for you if you aren't covering the really important areas of your life.
Doing P90X has benefits. It gets you moving, and it gets you lifting (mostly your own weight) which will help you burn calories and build muscle. These two things are a great start down the road of fitness! Unfortunately P90X falls short in the area of proper dieting. The plan set up in their book has options for keeping your calories within range, which is good for losing weight, but a lot of the meals have really bad substances in them that can easily cause you to gain weight and lose health.
Here is what I have done as far as P90X is concerned.
First, I followed the plan as it is set up in the book (the work out plan that is). If you follow this, you will increase your strength, endurance, and flexibility. You will get moving and you will burn calories.
Second, I developed my own diet plan based on my own research and testing to find out what really works. What I found is that for me, a diet of mostly fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds combined with a small amount of fish and chicken (lean meat) caused a huge amount of weight loss. I honestly believe if I followed the P90X diet I would have lost weight, but it wouldn't have helped my health at all in the long run.
Third, all of the strength I've gained and all of the muscle that you see WAS NOT AT ANY TIME obtained by using any kind of protein powder / shake / drink. You may not know this but there is a HUGE amount of protein just waiting for you in most basic nuts (almonds, walnuts, pecans, peanuts, cashews) as well as in many vegetables like broccoli. You don't need extra protein in your diet, I promise you this, you will get plenty if you increase your intake of veggies / nuts / seeds.
What am I really getting at? The REAL point here is that you have to change your lifestyle if you want to see results using P90X. You have to figure out what actually works for you own body. And you have to stick with your plan no matter what! If you can do this, you will see amazing results!
But if you just losely toy with P90X it is going to chew you up and spit you out just as unhealthy as you already were.
If you want a good guide to exercise P90X is perfect, just make sure you are making the right choices in the important other areas first or you'll never see the results of your hard work!
Yes P90X is extreme (assuming you push yourself), and yes P90X can do amazing things for your body, BUT ONLY WHEN COMBINED WITH THE PROPER LIFESTYLE. Doing P90X alone isn't enough, and it won't do diddly for you if you aren't covering the really important areas of your life.
Doing P90X has benefits. It gets you moving, and it gets you lifting (mostly your own weight) which will help you burn calories and build muscle. These two things are a great start down the road of fitness! Unfortunately P90X falls short in the area of proper dieting. The plan set up in their book has options for keeping your calories within range, which is good for losing weight, but a lot of the meals have really bad substances in them that can easily cause you to gain weight and lose health.
Here is what I have done as far as P90X is concerned.
First, I followed the plan as it is set up in the book (the work out plan that is). If you follow this, you will increase your strength, endurance, and flexibility. You will get moving and you will burn calories.
Second, I developed my own diet plan based on my own research and testing to find out what really works. What I found is that for me, a diet of mostly fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds combined with a small amount of fish and chicken (lean meat) caused a huge amount of weight loss. I honestly believe if I followed the P90X diet I would have lost weight, but it wouldn't have helped my health at all in the long run.
Third, all of the strength I've gained and all of the muscle that you see WAS NOT AT ANY TIME obtained by using any kind of protein powder / shake / drink. You may not know this but there is a HUGE amount of protein just waiting for you in most basic nuts (almonds, walnuts, pecans, peanuts, cashews) as well as in many vegetables like broccoli. You don't need extra protein in your diet, I promise you this, you will get plenty if you increase your intake of veggies / nuts / seeds.
What am I really getting at? The REAL point here is that you have to change your lifestyle if you want to see results using P90X. You have to figure out what actually works for you own body. And you have to stick with your plan no matter what! If you can do this, you will see amazing results!
But if you just losely toy with P90X it is going to chew you up and spit you out just as unhealthy as you already were.
If you want a good guide to exercise P90X is perfect, just make sure you are making the right choices in the important other areas first or you'll never see the results of your hard work!
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Food Addictions and Cleansing Your Body
That's right, I said it... Addiction. You think you love the foods you eat, but the fact is, you very likely have become addicted to them. Most of the foods people eat these days are filled with sugars, salts, and several kinds of chemicals that all have an affect on your central nervous system. Foods such as ice cream or candy bars amongst others cause a chemical reaction in your brain which releases endorphines into the body. Endorphines make you feel good and what this means is that when you eat these foods you "feel good". Now, pair that with the fact that many of us lead fast paced stressful lives and you've got yourself a problem. You stress and worry and want to feel good and then your body remembers "Oh wait! If I eat these foods, they will make me feel good!" Unfortunately all these foods do is release more chemicals which continue controlling you.
Trust me, it isn't necessarily because you don't have the will power to stop. A large part of your addiction is happening on a cellular level from within your body, and until you realize this, it isn't going to stop.
So how do you stop you ask? How do you get rid of the cravings? To this day I have only found one method that has actually worked for me. I've tried many. The method I have found works best is one of cleansing. You see, the problem is that your body is full of nasty chemicals, sugars, oils, and other things that are causing your entire system to run slow. So what you need to do is clean it out!
Really the principles involved are very simple and once you've done it you WILL feel a million times better than you did before. Not only that, I have found that I LOST WEIGHT without exercising while I was cleansing my body. I have no doubt in my mind that you will lose weight as well, although exercising will certainly help and speed up the process.
So what kind of cleansing do I recommend? Here is what I have tried and found worked best for me. (Note: You may have to modify this a little for your personal needs).
1. Remove all junk food from your house if possible.
2. Replace all junk food with fruits and vegetables. (Preferrably of many different colors, especially dark leafy greens like spinach and kale)
3. Make sure you have enough food to have 5 - 6 meals a day.
-Your first and most important meal is breakfast. Eat enough fruits and/or vegetables to fill you up for 2 - 3 hours.
-The next meal is a snack. Something light such as some grapes or an apple. (The point here is to get you through to lunch)
-Lunch should be a somewhat heavy meal than a snack but less than breakfast or dinner.
-Your third meal is a snack.
-Your fourth meal is dinner. Here you should eat enough food to hold you over until you have either one more snack for the night or nothing else for the night. (I prefer not eating after 7 because I feel digestion can cause interrupted sleep. However; if your stomach is growling, it is a sign you need to eat so go ahead and do so)
4. Increase your water intake. Keep a bottle of water with you throughout the day that you can refill. You should have to pee every 30 - 60 minutes and it should be clear or very light yellow (meaning you are well hydrated)
5. Continue this cycle for 15 - 30 days. You WILL be able to see a visible difference and WILL be able to notice your increased energy along with better mood, and healthy body in general.
Once you have done this, your body will be very well cleansed. You will have lost weight and you will feel great. When you go to eat junk food, you may find you have lost your craving for it altogether; however, if you do decide to eat some junk food it isn't the end of the world. Just make sure you eat it in moderation or else those same chemicals will grab hold of you just as they did before and you will be back where you started.
As a general rule I only eat junk food maybe once a week, then I get right back to my healthy eating.
Now, I'm sure you are wondering what to do after the 15 - 30 days is up. The answer is this... LISTEN TO YOUR BODY. At this point it is time to start adding foods back in SLOWLY. Add something like chicken or milk back in at first. If you feel like crap after eating it, it probably isn't good FOR YOUR NEEDS. Different people will have different needs. As you start working things back into your plan you will easily be able to realize whether or not a food is good for you as long as you pay attention! Do this and you will have developed a REAL DIET that is suited to your bodies needs.
One last thing... This blog is about using a cleansing diet to get started on your path to health, but please don't think of this as a diet. What you need isn't a diet. It is a LIFESTYLE CHANGE. Until you accept that this is going to be your new way of life and your new way of eating, you will continue going back to the same old foods time and time again and will keep getting stuck in the same patterns.
Stay tuned for more next time! Thanks for reading everyone!
Trust me, it isn't necessarily because you don't have the will power to stop. A large part of your addiction is happening on a cellular level from within your body, and until you realize this, it isn't going to stop.
So how do you stop you ask? How do you get rid of the cravings? To this day I have only found one method that has actually worked for me. I've tried many. The method I have found works best is one of cleansing. You see, the problem is that your body is full of nasty chemicals, sugars, oils, and other things that are causing your entire system to run slow. So what you need to do is clean it out!
Really the principles involved are very simple and once you've done it you WILL feel a million times better than you did before. Not only that, I have found that I LOST WEIGHT without exercising while I was cleansing my body. I have no doubt in my mind that you will lose weight as well, although exercising will certainly help and speed up the process.
So what kind of cleansing do I recommend? Here is what I have tried and found worked best for me. (Note: You may have to modify this a little for your personal needs).
1. Remove all junk food from your house if possible.
2. Replace all junk food with fruits and vegetables. (Preferrably of many different colors, especially dark leafy greens like spinach and kale)
3. Make sure you have enough food to have 5 - 6 meals a day.
-Your first and most important meal is breakfast. Eat enough fruits and/or vegetables to fill you up for 2 - 3 hours.
-The next meal is a snack. Something light such as some grapes or an apple. (The point here is to get you through to lunch)
-Lunch should be a somewhat heavy meal than a snack but less than breakfast or dinner.
-Your third meal is a snack.
-Your fourth meal is dinner. Here you should eat enough food to hold you over until you have either one more snack for the night or nothing else for the night. (I prefer not eating after 7 because I feel digestion can cause interrupted sleep. However; if your stomach is growling, it is a sign you need to eat so go ahead and do so)
4. Increase your water intake. Keep a bottle of water with you throughout the day that you can refill. You should have to pee every 30 - 60 minutes and it should be clear or very light yellow (meaning you are well hydrated)
5. Continue this cycle for 15 - 30 days. You WILL be able to see a visible difference and WILL be able to notice your increased energy along with better mood, and healthy body in general.
Once you have done this, your body will be very well cleansed. You will have lost weight and you will feel great. When you go to eat junk food, you may find you have lost your craving for it altogether; however, if you do decide to eat some junk food it isn't the end of the world. Just make sure you eat it in moderation or else those same chemicals will grab hold of you just as they did before and you will be back where you started.
As a general rule I only eat junk food maybe once a week, then I get right back to my healthy eating.
Now, I'm sure you are wondering what to do after the 15 - 30 days is up. The answer is this... LISTEN TO YOUR BODY. At this point it is time to start adding foods back in SLOWLY. Add something like chicken or milk back in at first. If you feel like crap after eating it, it probably isn't good FOR YOUR NEEDS. Different people will have different needs. As you start working things back into your plan you will easily be able to realize whether or not a food is good for you as long as you pay attention! Do this and you will have developed a REAL DIET that is suited to your bodies needs.
One last thing... This blog is about using a cleansing diet to get started on your path to health, but please don't think of this as a diet. What you need isn't a diet. It is a LIFESTYLE CHANGE. Until you accept that this is going to be your new way of life and your new way of eating, you will continue going back to the same old foods time and time again and will keep getting stuck in the same patterns.
Stay tuned for more next time! Thanks for reading everyone!
Friday, March 11, 2011
Getting Started and Driving On
Hey folks...
Today I want to talk about getting started. What it means, how you do it, and how it is probably the most important part of any diet or exercise plan.
I hear so many people saying things like "I'll start my diet plan tomorrow" or "We're starting our exercise plan Monday". These are all great in theory, unfortunately in reality THEY DON'T WORK!
If there is one thing I've learned through countless trial and error, it is that if you don't START NOW, you aren't very likely to start at all. It could be something extremely simple such as eating an apple instead of a pancake, or doing 3 pushups instead of lifting that remote. Whatever you do, DO IT NOW! When you start doing these things your mind will switch into work mode. You will probably do even more than you set out to do in the first place. But you won't do anything if you never start. And you can NEVER see results if you never get started!
One other thing I want to stress is the simple fact that most people who get started "slip up". They eat something they think they shouldn't or skip exercising for several days and get out of sync. They then revert back to their original thinking of "I'll start back on Monday" or whenever. Unfortunately for most, they won't get started back at all and because of the stress of losing what they already had they think they cannot go through the hard work again. They also get in the mindset that because they slipped up once they might as well continue indulging.
This simply is not positive thinking. HERE IS THE TRUTH! This is something I have learned through repeated testing. Even if you slip up, you are not out of the race. I think of it like this: If I workout hard for three weeks and then slip up, sure I feel bad in the moment, but guess what, I will be back to work the next day trying that much harder. What happens is that because I keep pushing and pushing, eventually I develop the very thing I was striving so hard for in the first place! Slip ups are merely road blocks on the path to good health. They are obstacles that must be overcome!
I will probably never stop having slip ups, but they are learning experiences. They are chances for me to see where I made a mistake or poor choice so that I can correct it next time. But even if you slip up a million times, you will still achieve what you are reaching for if you keep trying no matter what. It may take a little longer, but you will still get there!
Today I want to talk about getting started. What it means, how you do it, and how it is probably the most important part of any diet or exercise plan.
I hear so many people saying things like "I'll start my diet plan tomorrow" or "We're starting our exercise plan Monday". These are all great in theory, unfortunately in reality THEY DON'T WORK!
If there is one thing I've learned through countless trial and error, it is that if you don't START NOW, you aren't very likely to start at all. It could be something extremely simple such as eating an apple instead of a pancake, or doing 3 pushups instead of lifting that remote. Whatever you do, DO IT NOW! When you start doing these things your mind will switch into work mode. You will probably do even more than you set out to do in the first place. But you won't do anything if you never start. And you can NEVER see results if you never get started!
One other thing I want to stress is the simple fact that most people who get started "slip up". They eat something they think they shouldn't or skip exercising for several days and get out of sync. They then revert back to their original thinking of "I'll start back on Monday" or whenever. Unfortunately for most, they won't get started back at all and because of the stress of losing what they already had they think they cannot go through the hard work again. They also get in the mindset that because they slipped up once they might as well continue indulging.
This simply is not positive thinking. HERE IS THE TRUTH! This is something I have learned through repeated testing. Even if you slip up, you are not out of the race. I think of it like this: If I workout hard for three weeks and then slip up, sure I feel bad in the moment, but guess what, I will be back to work the next day trying that much harder. What happens is that because I keep pushing and pushing, eventually I develop the very thing I was striving so hard for in the first place! Slip ups are merely road blocks on the path to good health. They are obstacles that must be overcome!
I will probably never stop having slip ups, but they are learning experiences. They are chances for me to see where I made a mistake or poor choice so that I can correct it next time. But even if you slip up a million times, you will still achieve what you are reaching for if you keep trying no matter what. It may take a little longer, but you will still get there!
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Live to Move, Move to Live!
According to the latest Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index 63.1 percent of adults were overweight / obese in 2009. The number has risen continually over the years and has reached epidemic proportions in our country! The problem is most people don't realize just how much they are being affected by their weight. Even I have been guilty at one time of saying something to the effect of "ha look at me, I'm not overweight... are they crazy? Where do they come up with those numbers?" The reality of it is that you really don't have an understanding of what the term "overweight" means until you are within a healthy weight range.
The purpose of this post isn't to chastise people for being overweight, but simply to add a few more ideas to your health and exercise database that will help you fight this mighty foe.
Lets start with the basics. If you are significantly overweight, you probably have trouble doing any kind of heavy physical exertion. Face facts... It puts a lot of strain on your body. You feel out of breath, over heated, dehydrated, and probably a number of other symptoms with only a small amount of movement. So what do you do to lose weight? Changing your eating habits is one thing that will certainly play a big role, but that is something you are going to have to do over time if you are significantly overweight as your body is going to need time to adjust.
But lets not stray from the topic here. The topic is movement. If you are significantly overweight, you need to move! Normally I say that exercise is more for toning the body and less for weight loss. This is true IF you are within or not too far off from your healthy weight. HOWEVER, if you are morbidly obese YOU NEED TO MOVE! Start off slow. Maybe you can only walk for 5 minutes. DO IT and KEEP DOING IT until after a few days you can move a little longer. Soon you are going to start breathing better as your lungs adapt to the exertion and then you will be able to go further. When you go further you will burn more calories. When you haven't been doing any exercise whatsoever it means you haven't been burning any calories at all, so when you do a little exercise you burn some calories which means you are going to lose weight and when you are morbidly obese THE WEIGHT WILL COME OFF VERY QUICKLY!
If you are simply overweight, you still need to move. It is important that you move for several reasons.
1. Moving burns calories which helps with weight loss.
2. Moving helps you breath with ease which will increase circulation allowing your body to move that blood through your system more efficiently.
3. Moving will strengthen your heart so that it can A) Pump better and B) won't be as susceptible to illnesses that weaken it.
4. Moving helps reduce stress which can cause a ton of physical problems in the body.
5. Moving makes you sweat which helps remove toxins
6. Moving makes you feel strong, well, and motivated
7. Moving will help clear your mind allowing you to focus
8. When you move, you see results!
The list could go on and on but the point is that there are far too many benefits to moving to be leading a sedentary life.
Moving could be anything from taking a short walk through a park to a brisk walk through the mall or even going to a jog. You can walk your dog, join a sport, workout while watching a motivating exercise dvd, or any number of other things. It really doesn't matter what you do, just as long as you GET STARTED!
Pick up a pedometer for a couple bucks at a local store. Then you can track your steps. If you reach 10,000 steps you will have walked approximately 5 miles and burned somewhere around 500 calories!
Healthy eating is the fuel for your machine. Movement is how you keep your machine from becoming weak, tired, and stiff. Without movement our machine will grow frail and rusty. So get off the couch and get to work! Choose to move, choose to live!
The purpose of this post isn't to chastise people for being overweight, but simply to add a few more ideas to your health and exercise database that will help you fight this mighty foe.
Lets start with the basics. If you are significantly overweight, you probably have trouble doing any kind of heavy physical exertion. Face facts... It puts a lot of strain on your body. You feel out of breath, over heated, dehydrated, and probably a number of other symptoms with only a small amount of movement. So what do you do to lose weight? Changing your eating habits is one thing that will certainly play a big role, but that is something you are going to have to do over time if you are significantly overweight as your body is going to need time to adjust.
But lets not stray from the topic here. The topic is movement. If you are significantly overweight, you need to move! Normally I say that exercise is more for toning the body and less for weight loss. This is true IF you are within or not too far off from your healthy weight. HOWEVER, if you are morbidly obese YOU NEED TO MOVE! Start off slow. Maybe you can only walk for 5 minutes. DO IT and KEEP DOING IT until after a few days you can move a little longer. Soon you are going to start breathing better as your lungs adapt to the exertion and then you will be able to go further. When you go further you will burn more calories. When you haven't been doing any exercise whatsoever it means you haven't been burning any calories at all, so when you do a little exercise you burn some calories which means you are going to lose weight and when you are morbidly obese THE WEIGHT WILL COME OFF VERY QUICKLY!
If you are simply overweight, you still need to move. It is important that you move for several reasons.
1. Moving burns calories which helps with weight loss.
2. Moving helps you breath with ease which will increase circulation allowing your body to move that blood through your system more efficiently.
3. Moving will strengthen your heart so that it can A) Pump better and B) won't be as susceptible to illnesses that weaken it.
4. Moving helps reduce stress which can cause a ton of physical problems in the body.
5. Moving makes you sweat which helps remove toxins
6. Moving makes you feel strong, well, and motivated
7. Moving will help clear your mind allowing you to focus
8. When you move, you see results!
The list could go on and on but the point is that there are far too many benefits to moving to be leading a sedentary life.
Moving could be anything from taking a short walk through a park to a brisk walk through the mall or even going to a jog. You can walk your dog, join a sport, workout while watching a motivating exercise dvd, or any number of other things. It really doesn't matter what you do, just as long as you GET STARTED!
Pick up a pedometer for a couple bucks at a local store. Then you can track your steps. If you reach 10,000 steps you will have walked approximately 5 miles and burned somewhere around 500 calories!
Healthy eating is the fuel for your machine. Movement is how you keep your machine from becoming weak, tired, and stiff. Without movement our machine will grow frail and rusty. So get off the couch and get to work! Choose to move, choose to live!
Thursday, March 3, 2011
CALORIE COUNTING
The basic formula for weight loss goes a little something like this: Eat more calories than you burn in a 24 hour period and you gain weight. Eat less calories than you burn in a 24 hour period and you lose weight. This is because calories are actually a measurement of energy. If you consume energy and burn it you are essentially putting it to use, however; when you don't burn the energy it is stored within the body as fat to be used at a later time. This is what causes us to gain weight.
I recently read an article about a man who went on a Twinkie diet. He ate nothing but junk food for several weeks but watched the amount of calories he was eating. In the end he lost weight. So it would seem that it doesn't matter what the food you eat is as long as you don't consume more calories than you burn each day.
This is the popular view most people take when it comes to weight loss. Unfortunately this view is a little misleading. You see, you can lose weight with this method but your HEALTH will be deteriorated in doing so. When you eat junk food you are consuming empty calories. This means that there is literally no nutritious value in the food you are eating. It is simply calories that are stored as fat because the food is very hard for your body to digest (which means it is hard to burn these calories).
If you want to lose weight and actually BE HEALTHY you need to put highly efficient fuel into the vehicle that is your body. Humans were made to eat fruits and vegetables which is the reason we don't have sharp teeth, so you should definitely incorporate more of these foods into your diet! If you are going to eat meats, they should be heart healthy meats such as fish or chicken (and not of the fried sort). Red meats raise cholesterol levels and further your chances at heart disease; sugary junk foods will help you down the path to diabetes, and preservatives / high fructose corn syrup / sugar and refined white flour all lead to one thing... EARLY DEATH. These ARE NOT good things people...
When you change your diet to include healthy foods the pounds will literally fall off without exercising at all. Exercise will help you reach your goals faster and will also help tone your body, but EXERCISING IS NOT THE IMPORTANT CONCEPT IN WEIGHT LOSS! The important concept is putting the right fuel in your body so that when you exercise you can get the most out of it. It is a cycle in which diet and exercise build on one another to create a highly effective living machine. If you are taking in 4000 calories a day in junk food, you can bicycle or run all night and you won't burn enough to lose weight. On the other hand, if you are putting good foods into your body you will see the results almost immediately.
Keep these facts in mind as you begin any diet program as they are the basics... Increase fruits and veggies and eat a variety of colors especially dark green veggies which are high in phytonutrients, decrease junk food / red meat / dairy / drink way more water than you currently do and begin exercising even if it is just walking a little each day.
Do this and you WILL SEE RESULTS! Do this and your weight will drop, your energy will increase, and YOU WILL FEEL BETTER than you ever have before. Do this and you will be on the right track for a perfect LIFE HEALTH MACHINE!
I recently read an article about a man who went on a Twinkie diet. He ate nothing but junk food for several weeks but watched the amount of calories he was eating. In the end he lost weight. So it would seem that it doesn't matter what the food you eat is as long as you don't consume more calories than you burn each day.
This is the popular view most people take when it comes to weight loss. Unfortunately this view is a little misleading. You see, you can lose weight with this method but your HEALTH will be deteriorated in doing so. When you eat junk food you are consuming empty calories. This means that there is literally no nutritious value in the food you are eating. It is simply calories that are stored as fat because the food is very hard for your body to digest (which means it is hard to burn these calories).
If you want to lose weight and actually BE HEALTHY you need to put highly efficient fuel into the vehicle that is your body. Humans were made to eat fruits and vegetables which is the reason we don't have sharp teeth, so you should definitely incorporate more of these foods into your diet! If you are going to eat meats, they should be heart healthy meats such as fish or chicken (and not of the fried sort). Red meats raise cholesterol levels and further your chances at heart disease; sugary junk foods will help you down the path to diabetes, and preservatives / high fructose corn syrup / sugar and refined white flour all lead to one thing... EARLY DEATH. These ARE NOT good things people...
When you change your diet to include healthy foods the pounds will literally fall off without exercising at all. Exercise will help you reach your goals faster and will also help tone your body, but EXERCISING IS NOT THE IMPORTANT CONCEPT IN WEIGHT LOSS! The important concept is putting the right fuel in your body so that when you exercise you can get the most out of it. It is a cycle in which diet and exercise build on one another to create a highly effective living machine. If you are taking in 4000 calories a day in junk food, you can bicycle or run all night and you won't burn enough to lose weight. On the other hand, if you are putting good foods into your body you will see the results almost immediately.
Keep these facts in mind as you begin any diet program as they are the basics... Increase fruits and veggies and eat a variety of colors especially dark green veggies which are high in phytonutrients, decrease junk food / red meat / dairy / drink way more water than you currently do and begin exercising even if it is just walking a little each day.
Do this and you WILL SEE RESULTS! Do this and your weight will drop, your energy will increase, and YOU WILL FEEL BETTER than you ever have before. Do this and you will be on the right track for a perfect LIFE HEALTH MACHINE!
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