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7 Step Program To Stress Management

As we know, stress is a part of life. There’s no getting away from it. In fact, some stress is good stress.

You may not believe that, but sometimes stress can motivate us to do things we may not normally do in a relaxed state.

Stress can make you brave enough to go forward when normally you might hesitate.

You have to be resilient in order to effectively cope with stress and help it enhance our life instead of control it.

How do you get strong and resilient?

By learning how to take control of your stress and make it work FOR you instead of AGAINST you.

Recognizing stress symptoms can be a positive influence in that we’re compelled to take action – and the sooner the better.

It’s not always easy to discern why you have the stress in each situation but some of the more common events that trigger those emotions are the death of a loved one, the birth of a child, a job promotion, or a new relationship.

You might experience stress as you readjust your lives. Your body is asking for your help when you feel these stress symptoms.

There are three major approaches to manage stress. The first is the action-oriented approach. In this method, the problems that cause stress are identified and necessary changes are made for a stress free life.

The next approach is emotionally oriented and in it, the person overcomes stress by giving a different color to the experience that caused stress. The situation, which causes stress, is seen humorously or from a different angle.

Sometimes if you don’t laugh at a situation, you’ll cry – uncontrollably. That’s no solution. Learn to see the humor instead of the doom.

The third way is acceptance-oriented approach. This approach focuses on surviving the stress caused due to some problem in the past.

The first stress management tip is to understand the root cause of your stress.

No one understands your problem better than you do. A few minutes spend to recognize your true feelings can completely change the situation.

During this process, identify what triggered the stress. If someone close to your heart is nearby share it with the person.

If you are over-stressed and feel you are going to collapse, take a deep breath and count till ten. This pumps extra oxygen into your system and rejuvenates the entire body.

When under severe stress meditate for a moment and pull out of the current situation for a little while. Stand up from your current position and walk. Stretch yourself. Soon you will find that the stress has lessened.

This is because you have relaxed now and relaxation is the best medicine for stress. Smiling is yet another way of stress management. If you are at the work place, just stand up and smile at your colleague in the far corner.

You will see a change in your mood. Learn some simple yoga or mediation techniques.

You can also invent your own stress management tips. The basic idea is to identify the cause of stress and to pull out from it for a moment and then deal with it.

Taking a short walk and looking at objects in nature is another stress reliever. Drinking a glass of water or playing small games are simple stress management techniques.

The whole idea is change the focus of attention and when you return to the problem, it does not look as monstrous as you felt before.

They say there’s more than one way to skin a cat. The same goes when you start tearing your hair out with all the frustration, grief, anxiety, and yes, stress.

It’s a state of mental conditioning that is like taking that bitter pill down your throat, causing you to lose your sense of self, and worse your sanity. Just thinking about it can drive anyone off the edge.

And they say that the proactive ones are already living off the edge.

As one stressed-out person to another, I know how it feels, and believe me there are many variants when it comes to stress.

Coping with life, and carrying the problems that may or may not belong to you can scratch away the little joy and happiness that you can carry once you head out that door.

You can’t blame them for being like that. They have their own reasons, so much like we have our reasons to allow stress to weigh us down. They say that stress is all in the mind, well, what’s bugging you anyway?

There are several ways to manage stress, and eventually remove it out of your life one of these days. This is divided into a seven-step course for you and it’s not going to be too taxing on the body, as well as on the mind.

1. Acknowledge stress is good

Make stress your friend! Based on the body’s natural “fight or flight” response, that burst of energy will enhance your performance at the right moment.

Have you seen a top athlete totally relaxed before a big competition? Use stress wisely to push yourself that little bit harder when it counts most.

2. Avoid stress sneezers

Stressed people sneeze stress germs indiscriminately and before you know it, you are infected too!

Protect yourself by recognizing stress in others and limiting your contact with them. Or if you’ve got the inclination, play stress doctor and teach them how to better manage themselves.

3. Learn from the best

When people around are losing their head, who keeps calm? What are they doing differently? What is their attitude? What language do they use? Are they trained and experienced?

Figure it out from afar or sit them down for a chat. Learn from the best stress managers and copy what they do.

4. Practice socially acceptable heavy breathing

This is something I’ve learned from a gym instructor: You can trick your body into relaxing by using heavy breathing.

Breathe in slowly for a count of 7 then breathe out for a count of 11. Repeat the 7-11 breathing until your heart rate slows down, your sweaty palms dry off and things start to feel more normal.

5. Give stressful thoughts the red light

It is possible to tangle yourself up in a stress knot all by yourself. “If this happens, then that might happen and then we’re all up the creek!” Most of these things never happen, so why waste all that energy worrying needlessly?

Give stress thought-trains the red light and stop them in their tracks. Okay so it might go wrong – how likely is that, and what can you do to prevent it?

6. Know your trigger points and hot spots

Presentations, interviews, meetings, giving difficult feedback, tight deadlines…. My heart rate is cranking up just writing these down!

Make your own list of stress trigger points or hot spots. Be specific. Is it only presentations to a certain audience that get you worked up? Does one project cause more stress than another? Did you drink too much coffee?

Knowing what causes you stress is powerful information, as you can take action to make it less stressful. Do you need to learn some new skills? Do you need extra resources? Do you need to switch to decaf?

7. Burn the candle at one end

Lack of sleep, poor diet and no exercise wreaks havoc on our body and mind. Kind of obvious, but worth mentioning as it’s often ignored as a stress management technique. Listen to your mother and don’t burn the candle at both ends!

Having stress can be a total drag, but that should not hinder us to find the inner peace of mind that we have wanted for a long time. In any case, one could always go to the Bahamas and bask under the summer sun.

5 Minute Daily Program to Stress Management

“Relaxing with a Mental PDA” Your 5 minutes daily program to stress management.

We all have this favorite expression when it comes to being stressed out.

But when it comes down to it, it is how we work or even relax, for that matter that triggers stress.

Ever been stressed even when you’re well relaxed and bored?

Since Error! Hyperlink reference not valid. is unavoidable in life, it is important to find ways to decrease and prevent stressful incidents and decrease negative reactions to stress.

Here are some of the things that can be done by just remembering it, since life is basically a routine to follow like brushing your teeth or eating breakfast.

You can do a few of them in a longer span of time, but as they say – every minute counts.

Manage Time

Time management skills can allow you more time with your family and friends and possibly increase your performance and productivity. This will help reduce your stress.

To improve your time management:

Save time by focusing and concentrating, delegating, and scheduling time for yourself.
Keep a record of how you spend your time, including work, family, and leisure time.
Prioritize your time by rating tasks by importance and urgency. Redirect your time to those activities that are important and meaningful to you.
Manage your commitments by not over- or under-committing. Don’t commit to what is not important to you.
Deal with procrastination by using a day planner, breaking large projects into smaller ones, and setting short-term deadlines.
Examine your beliefs to reduce conflict between what you believe and what your life is like.
Build healthy coping strategies

It is important that you identify your coping strategies. One way to do this is by recording the stressful event, your reaction, and how you cope in a stress journal.

With this information, you can work to change unhealthy coping strategies into healthy ones-those that help you focus on the positive and what you can change or control in your life.

Lifestyle Choices

Some behaviors and lifestyle choices affect your stress level. They may not cause stress directly, but they can interfere with the ways your body seeks relief from stress.

Try to:

Balance personal, work, and family needs and obligations.
Have a sense of purpose in life.
Get enough sleep, since your body recovers from the stresses of the day while you are sleeping.
Eat a balanced diet for a nutritional defense against stress.
Get moderate exercise throughout the week.
Limit your consumption of alcohol.
Don’t smoke.

Social Support

Social support is a major factor in how we experience stress. Social support is the positive support you receive from family, friends, and the community.

It is the knowledge that you are cared for, loved, esteemed, and valued. More and more research indicates a strong relationship between social support and better mental and physical health.

Change Thinking

When an event triggers negative thoughts, you may experience fear, insecurity, anxiety, depression, rage, guilt, and a sense of worthlessness or powerlessness.

These emotions trigger the body’s stress, just as an actual threat does.

Dealing with your negative thoughts and how you see things can help reduce stress.

Thought-stopping helps you stop a negative thought to help eliminate stress.
Disproving irrational thoughts helps you to avoid exaggerating the negative thought, anticipating the worst, and interpreting an event incorrectly.
Problem solving helps you identify all aspects of a stressful event and find ways to deal with it.
Changing your communication style helps you communicate in a way that makes your views known without making others feel put down, hostile, or intimidated. This reduces the stress that comes from poor communication. Use the assertiveness ladder to improve your communication style.

Even writers like me can get stressed even though we’re just using our hands to do the talking, but having to sit for 7 or 8 hours is already stressful enough and have our own way to relieve stress.

Whether you’re the mail guy, the CEO, or probably the average working parent, stress is one unwanted visitor you would love to boot out of your homes, especially your life.

POINTS TO REMEMBER

7 Step Program to Stress Management

1. Acknowledge stress is good
2. Avoid stress sneezers
3. Learn from the best
4. Practice socially acceptable heavy breathing
5. Give stressful thoughts the red light
6. Know your trigger points and hot spots
7. Burn the candle at one end

5 Minute Daily Program to Stress Management

Managing time
Lifestyle choices
Social support
Change thinking

TAKEAWAY QUESTIONS

How do you make stress work for you instead of against you?
How do you understand the root cause of your stress?
What are your own stress management tips?
How can you make stress your friend?
Who are your models when it comes to stress management?
How are you guarding your mind against negative thoughts?

Learn The Basics Of Vipassana Meditation Technique

Vipassana meditation technique is another well-renowned technique in meditation. It is one of the oldest techniques, as well.

There are a lot of people around the world who are following this Buddhist’s technique of meditation.

Vipassana meditation technique can bring peace of mind, and allows the interaction between mind and body, as well.

It teaches human beings to see life just the way it is in all its reality without being affected by it. In addition, it teaches patience and benevolence towards all humans and things.

But to understand Buddhist Meditation, you have to know the Buddhism itself is centered on the Four Noble Truths.

First, you have to realize that there is suffering in the world which happens because of ignorance and desires.

When you do understand yourself, you can finally find a way to end this suffering. Those who find the answer have reached a state of Nirvana.

This then leads to the core of Buddhist meditation which is the practice of the eight fold path.

These virtues namely are the right action, right concentration, right effort, right livelihood, right mindfulness, right speech, right thought, and right view.

The proceedings of Buddhist Meditation are based on two things. The first is called “Samatha” which means tranquility and the second is called “Vipassana” which means mindfulness.

Let’s talk about this a little further. “Samatha” meditation involves a lot of breathing which is designed to develop concentration, detachment, equanimity and happiness.

There are 40 samatha meditations and each teaches the mind to focus on a single object to produce various states of tranquility.

Vipassana meditation on the other hand develops self-understanding by being able to comprehend the things that are going inside one’s head.

By practicing this regularly, you will soon develop wisdom which makes you free from all suffering.

But do you have to be a follower of Buddhism in order to practice this kind of meditation? The answer is no even if this technique is based on the doctrines of this religion and revolves around concentration and mind control.

Vipassana technique is one of the meditation techniques, which brings integration of mind and body.

Followers of Buddha are following this technique for many years. This is the technique which brings clarity of mind and assists in reaching to the truth.

Introduction to Vipassana Meditation Technique

Vipassana is the technique which roots back to 2500 thousand years when Buddha invented this technique.

This is the technique, which gives the power to see things clearly. The other important thing is that this technique brings a high level of self-insight, which is not possible with other techniques.

Learning Vipassana Meditation Technique

There are different methods of carrying Vipassana Meditation technique and the one discussed here will bring the highest level of insight after experiencing meditation.

One of the important techniques in Vipassana is impermanence.

This technique shows that everything in this world is impermanent, means that things come and go away.

Through this practice, an individual learns to see the things without emotional attachment, and in an objective manner.

The first thing you have to do is find a quiet place where you can do this without being disturbed. Next, get a nice soft pillow or cushion to sit on if the floor is not that comfortable for you.

Now, let your hands rest on your lap with the palms facing upward. It’s hard to stay in this position for 5 minutes or more so don’t be afraid to make a few slight adjustments. The important thing is that you are comfortable the way you are.

Try to concentrate on anything happening at that moment.

The root of the technique does not have to attach to the things and ideas during such kind of meditation session.

You just have to observe things as they passing by your mind.

The first step is to concentrate on your breathing.

Then it is time to close your eyes and concentrate on your breathing. Anybody can do this but there are 4 proper ways of doing it. You can inhale and exhale long, inhale and exhale short, inhale short and exhale long or inhale long and exhale short.

You don’t need to control or manage your breathing.

Just need to feel the rhythm of your breathing as it is happening.

The second step to concentrate on your feelings and sensation.

Again, you don’t have to describe and label your feelings and sensations.

You have to just feel them and accept them as they are. The third important step is to concentrate on your own thoughts.

You don’t have to stick to those thoughts. Just observe them objectively, and don’t try to attach your emotions with those feelings.

This is the root of this technique that, you don’t have to get involved in anything.

You have to experience things while they are approaching and leaving.

After going through all these experiences, you have to conclude your meditation session.

You will complete it by taking a break after this fascinating session.

And you will prepare your mind to get back to your routine work. Attaching our own meaning with everything in the world is a human tendency.

Through this tendency, we try to understand the meanings of different things in our surrounding.

That is why; every person perceives things according to his own experiences and emotions.

The best thing about this technique is that it builds a tendency to observe things without attaching personal emotions and meanings.

In this way, a person practicing Vipassana Meditation becomes able to see things objectively that is, they become able to see the truth hidden in different things.

Learn how to practice Vipassana Meditation Technique:

There are some basic steps to start doing this form of meditation.

– Sit in a quiet place in a fairly dark room

– You will need to be undisturbed for at least 20 minutes

– Keep your head and spine straight

– You may sit on the floor or on a chair if needed

– Close your eyes to cut out any external influences

– Start focusing on your breathing

– Observe the length of each breath – whether short long or heavy

– Do not judge or try and control your breathing

– The key to Vipassana meditation is to act as a neutral spectator to your breathing

– Try to avoid your thoughts from being distracted

– In the beginning, your thoughts may get distracted. Just gently shift your focus back to the breathing

– With practice, you will be able to focus on the breathing for long periods without distraction

– If questions and thoughts do arise, do not attend to them during the meditation

– Only once the meditation is over focus on these thoughts

Benefits of Vipassana Meditation

There are several benefits of practicing Vipassana Meditation on a daily basis.

Brings Objectivity

The most important thing about Vipassana Meditation, it helps an individual to reach to the hidden truth of different things.

We have seen that this meditation practice enables an individual to see things objectively, without attaching his own emotions.

In this way, a person learns to experience things as they are without molding their meanings through his own thoughts and emotions.

Makes Life Enjoyable

In your normal routine, you will try to take a break and go for outing to enjoy your life, but you have to return to the same hectic routine after that enjoyment, in any case.

These mentioned ways of getting enjoyment are temporary. If you develop a habit to practice Vipassana meditation daily, it will be viable for you to take pleasure in your life and get relief from daily pressure.

Helps in Developing a Sound Mind

Vipassana meditation helps an individual in remaining calm and peaceful.

There are certain thoughts that disturb our emotions and produce odd reactions in ourselves.

Once, your mind becomes sound and stable through practicing meditation, such feelings lose their potential to disturb your mind and emotions.

Brings Inner Creativity Out

This is another important effect of practicing Vipassana meditation that it extracts out your hidden talents and potentials.

During meditation, you can get a chance to meet your inner self and realize you talents. Most of us have many talents, but in our busy lives, we remain not capable of using these talents.

Meeting with ourselves in silence makes us realize and finally utilize those talents and abilities.

This is one of the best techniques to realize the truth about yourself, your thoughts, your sensations and your emotions.

You will be better able to understand the world after understanding yourself.

You cannot understand anyone’s emotion until you understand your own.

POINTS TO REMEMBER

Vipassana meditation technique can bring peace of mind, and allows the interaction between mind and body
Vipassana meditation on the other hand develops self-understanding by being able to comprehend the things that are going inside one’s head.
Vipassana technique brings integration of mind and body.

Learning Vipassana Meditation Technique

One of the important techniques in Vipassana is impermanence.
You just have to observe things as they passing by your mind.
The first step is to concentrate on your breathing.
The second step to concentrate on your feelings and sensation.

Benefits of Vipassana Meditation

Brings objectivity
Makes life enjoyable
Helps in developing a sound mind
Brings inner creativity out

TAKEAWAY QUESTIONS

Are you familiar with Vipassana Meditation?
Have you tried practicing Vipassana meditation?
What are your experiences with Vipassana meditation?
What are the benefits of practicing Vipassana meditation in your life?

How To Stay Motivated To Reach Your Goals?

A lot of individuals are guilty of attempting to undertake their goals utilizing a series of trial and error approaches.

They arbitrarily throw their energy out there with all their might on the few steps they acknowledge, believing that this will get them to their destination.

They handle their goals in a hit-or-miss approach, and then hope that everything will turn for the better ultimately.

Although it might work in the short-term and on littler goals, it doesn’t work with huge, long-run goals.

For instance, you might get away with dropping off 5 lbs. of weight by simply eating less and working out more, but to drop off additional weight and sustain that weight loss calls for proper strategy.

The Basics

A lot of individuals have this misconceived notion of goal accomplishment as they only come into contact with the events of others’ goals.

They’re not tangled in all the thought-processes, intricacies and literal planning that went into the accomplishment of those goals.

Have a look at Olympians. They don’t win their medals because they merely blindly train daily. There are a lot of things that happen behind the scenes, like training by the most beneficial coaches, suitable diets, self-help courses to put them in the correct mindset, studying the correct techniques, and so forth.

Microsoft didn’t get to where it is today because of luck. It was by conscious strategizing and preparation that allowed the company to carve its particular niche in the market.

Stay Motivated

Motivation makes you feel as though you’re full of life and ready to accomplish anything you have to in order to accomplish the goals that you’ve set for yourself.

Motivation…we’re all giving chase to it, but few of us comprehend it, or why we lose it first of all.

What is implied by motivation?

Motivation is the innate desire to accomplish a goal, blended with the passion and vitality to work towards accomplishing that goal.

People who are motivated have a want to take on fresh ventures and satisfy the requirements essential to finish the undertaking.

Motivation is a characteristic that we all need in order to accomplish anything in our lives.

Without motivation, we’d all merely give up at the slimmest inclination of hardship. Motivation is the initiator that inspires and encourages us to be our finest.

Somebody who’s motivated will do anything it takes to be successful in accomplishing their goals. Motivation may alter your life by inspiring you to get everything you wish out of life, regardless what others try to tell you.

It’s possible for somebody who’s stricken by poverty to become motivated and turn everything around into a life of abundance.

Motivation provides us the passion that we require to start exploring our options in life as well as the bravery to see these aspirations through to reality.

If you’re distressed with your present situation, it’s most likely due to the fact that your present situation doesn’t motivate you.

You have to take it upon yourself to determine what it is that you really want out of life. Consider the type of life-style that you wish to lead and the sort of career you wish.

When you know what makes you happy and alter your life center, you’ll be excited to leap out of bed each morning.

Why we drop off our motivation:

3 basic factors lead to the loss of our motivation, they are:

1. Deficiency of direction. You won’t be motivated to accomplish your goals if you don’t understand what those goals are.

2. Deficiency of self-confidence. Trusting you’ll fail is the best way to see to it.

3. Deficiency of focus. Not recognizing what it is that you wish will lead to wondering if you even wish anything at all.

Hints on how to remain motivated:

If you lack motivation, you likewise lack ambition, exuberance and zest. Motivations makes you feel as though you’re full of life and prepared to do anything you have to in order to accomplish the goals that you’ve set for yourself.

When you discover your motivation, you’ll be more pleased, you’ll have more vitality and you’ll be able to see the favorable results clearly in your brain.

You have to enhance the motivation inside you and waken your inner power to push yourself in the direction of accomplishing your aspirations, regardless how great or small they might be.

Here are a couple hints to help you discover your motivation and hang on to it:

1. Arrange goals. If you arrange goals for yourself, discovering the motivation to accomplish those goals will come easier.

2. Complete everything you begin. Make a promise to yourself that regardless what occurs, you have to always arrive at the finish line.

3. Unify with like minds. Favorable attitudes appear to be contagious. Encircle yourself with like-minded individuals who have the motivation that you seek.

4. Don’t postpone for tomorrow what you are able to get accomplished today. If you dilly-dally, you’ll get lazy, and lose all motivation to succeed.

5. Never quit. Patience and doggedness to keep going and remain strong regardless what comes along will provide you the motivation you require to succeed.

6. Perpetually remind yourself that you are able to win. Envision your goals and how pleased you’ll be when you’ve everything you wish.

7. Start with visualizing your future success and model the feelings you’ll experience when you achieve it.

8. Mentally walk the path towards this success and base your feelings at different milestones on the way.

9. Assign a high priority to each task that you must achieve which will give each task a priority in your mind.

10. Set a target for the amount of work you will do each day toward your goals.

11. Visualize the desired outcome: Create a picture of what the desired outcome will look like, and have this vision in your mind at all times.

12. Set milestones of the things you like to do and the things that you are good at.

13. Use visual indicators to monitor progress and complete the task.

14. Give yourself affirmations to remind yourself of how capable you are at reaching your goals.

15. Watch movies that motivate you.

16. Listen to music that motivates you.

17. If you work better with competition, make a deal with a friend or family member to compete for the goal for example who gets there first! It can be hypothetical and doesn’t necessarily have to be for real

18. Get help and support from people around you or from a professional in the field for example a personal trainer, finance manager and others.

19. Define your own version of success. Don’t let others define success for you.

20. Ignore any negative influences or responses to your efforts.

21. Make a conscious effort to do better than you have ever done in the past.

22. Focus on the positive achievements and not the negatives.

23. Share your successes with others as this will keep you focused and help you voice your accomplishments which will realize your achievements for you.

24. Acknowledge your strengths and weaknesses and work on them both.

25. Train yourself to finish what you start by refusing to quit until you are done.

26. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes and don’t punish yourself for making them. Express your goals in a positive way. That is a key component to setting goals that you can attain.

What You Should Know About South Beach Diet?

There are many ways to lose weight and the most popular one involves eating more of proteins and fats with a little carbohydrate in between.

A good example of this is the South Beach Diet, which has been proven to be good for the heart and body.

For those who have never done it, this is done in stages. The first part is done over a 2-week period and the person will refrain from eating food such as bread, potatoes, baked foods, fruit and the consumption of any kind of alcohol.

The individual may have an occasional serving of low fat yogurt or milk.

When the individual’s stomach has adjusted, it is time to bring in some of those that were taken out back into the diet. These include tomatoes, fruits and onions.

If the person is able to do this properly after another two weeks, the third part will basically be making sure that the current diet does not change.

Those who are able to stick to the program as written in books and other related literature will be able to lose weight in no time.

Does this require exercising to help in losing weight? People who have been interviewed have claimed that this is not needed to get rid of those extra pounds.

This is because the body will be forced to burn more calories because of the limited intake.

There was a time that the South Beach diet was not that popular among vegetarians since the individual will have to eat meat in small servings.

There have been changes and people may now take advantage of this regimen.

There are cookbooks and other related information on the Internet that the person can make at home to be able to lose 8 or more pounds just like regular people.

The number of pounds that an individual can lose will vary. This really depends on the individual’s genetics since there are people who are fat and thin.

It is best to consult a doctor first to make sure that this type of diet is safe for the person to try.

If this kind of diet doesn’t work, the person should not worry. This is because there are still others out there worth trying that can help the individual attain the desired weight. If at first the person succeeds, one should not give up and try again.

What Is the South Beach Diet?

The South Beach Diet was designed by Doctor Agatston. He’s a multi-published author of a number of health and diet books.

Additionally, he is a cardiologist and an associate professor of medicine at the University Of Miami Miller School Of Medicine.

In short, he knows what he’s talking about!

The South Beach Diet is a three-phase diet plan. The first two phases help you change your eating habits and lifestyle habits to lose weight quickly.

The final, third phase is a lifestyle phase designed to help you continue losing or to maintain your weight loss year around.

Once you’re on the South Beach Diet, you don’t ever really go off of it. It becomes your lifestyle.

The good news is that it isn’t restrictive. If you love food and you love to eat, the South Beach Diet is for you.

Rather than elimination and deprivation, you’re able to enjoy food. The key is to modify your habits for lasting health and weightless.

The Three Phases in a Nutshell

# Phase One – The first phase is designed to help you kick cravings and get a rapid start on your weight loss. This phase lasts only for two weeks. This is great because when you’re able to see results in that short a time period, you’re more likely to stick with the diet.

# Phase Two – This phase is designed for steady and gradual weight loss. They also say that if you have less than ten pounds to lose, then this is the phase to start with. You can skip the first phase. In this phase you’ll be able to add some items to your food list that were previously eliminated or reduced.

# Phase Three – Here you’re continuing to make your lifestyle changes and create good eating habits. Because this is the maintenance phase of the diet, it never ends. However, as mentioned previously, you’re able to indulge in your favorite foods from time to time.

But Wait, There’s More…

The South Beach Diet offers more than a simple book or diet plan. Membership, which is $5 a week billed quarterly, offers:

Pre-packaged food to purchase
Workout DVDs and programs
Tools to track your weight, phase, and diet goals
Meal planners and nutrition tools
Access to questions answered by Dr. Agatston
Community support
Recipe database with more than 1,000 recipes

There’s a reason the South Beach Diet has worked for so many. It takes a realistic approach to health and weight loss. While it’s designed to help you lose weight, it’s also designed to help you keep it off.

That’s not something most diets accomplish. If you’re looking to lose weight, check out the South Beach Diet. Take the quiz on the website and see if it’s the right diet for you.

Dangers of South Beach Diet

The South Beach Diet is considered to be a healthy diet, which is concerned on the right carbohydrates and the right fats for a healthy body.

As such, many people were drawn to it believing that the South Beach Diet is really the best diet for them.

However, out of this good reputation that the South Beach Diet maintained, still there are some attacks and bad comments about the diet.

Well, we don’t need to be surprised about this, for this is how the world is set.

What then is the importance of the principle of “yin and yang” if there is only one side for everything? There could be biases, prejudices, and imbalances, right?

So, even though there is really no noted “big” South Beach Diet danger, still there are certain resources which hold that the South Beach Diet danger surface when the improper application of the diet is made.

Lack of Information and Understanding

Numerous resources have noted that part of the South Beach Diet is the lack of information or understanding about the diet. From the word “lack” alone, a sort of South Beach Diet danger is then viewed.

According to many studies, the South Beach Diet danger surfaced for the reason that the South Beach Diet is very demanding for those that are accustomed to carbohydrate-rich diets.

Lapsing Into the Old Eating Habits

In line with such view for the South Beach Diet danger, it is also noted that one of the largest South Beach Diet dangers surface when there is a lapsing into the old eating habits.

This was considered to be a South Beach Diet danger for the reason that this lapsing will result in speedy weight gain. Along with that, this part of the South Beach Diet danger may then be a new way of life.

Lack of Willpower

In relation to such fact, another support states that a great South Beach Diet danger will also surface when there is a lack of willpower exerted for the diet, especially from the carbohydrates lovers.

In fact, it is a common view that there is always the South Beach Diet danger of lapsing back into old eating habits and increasing the carbohydrate consumption without even realizing it.

Steps To Overcome These South Beach Diet Dangers

To battle this one of the common South Beach Diet dangers, Dr. Arthur Agatston himself recommends that the dieters who do lapse and end up on placing some of the weight back on should then be immediately switch back to the first phase of the South Beach Diet for a short while.

This recommendation is given not only to battle such South Beach Diet danger but also to prevent from the occurrence of several South Beach Diet dangers.

It is also interesting to know that if this South Beach Diet danger is not prevented earlier, this will lead to an excess in weight gain.

With such mentioned possible South Beach Diet dangers, the South Beach Diet then received mixed reviews from most dieters.

Despite the South Beach Diet dangers, many people still consider the South Beach Diet as an updated version of the Atkins diet that is a far more balanced diet.

Only one thing that this diet plan does do is really to educate the dieters in eating the correct food to reduce heart disease, high cholesterol levels, and other South Beach Diet dangers.

TAKEAWAY QUESTIONS

– Have you heard about the South Beach diet?

– Do you believe this diet could help you lose weight?

– Do you think one could lose weight through eating more proteins and fats with little carbohydrates?

– Do you think you could sustain this type of diet for a long time?

– Are you aware of the possible dangers with South Beach diet?

How To Stay Safe During Bodybuilding Workouts?

Are you using potentially dangerous exercises in your workout?

You have to be very careful with strength training equipment because it may not be the most effective or functional available.

How do you know that the exercises you are performing are safe?

Check below for some potentially dangerous exercises with suggestions on how they should be done correctly or avoided completely.

Bodybuilding through weightlifting, if done wrongly, is a sure recipe for injuries. Sometimes, even painful and permanent injuries will derail your bodybuilding program.

This article will address the common injury-prone mistakes bodybuilders make in their quest to build a fit and muscular body and how to avoid those weightlifting injuries.

Many people who exercise in gyms complain about backaches, and they blame it on their desk-bound jobs sitting in front of the computer for long stretches of time. Perhaps they are right.

Then why is it that more bodybuilders have backaches when compared to their non-gym-going colleagues?

Aren’t those people who lift weights supposed to have stronger back muscles to support their musculature and be less prone to backaches?

Perhaps you are getting the drift. Many bodybuilders suffer from common weightlifting injuries that they don’t even know it.

Many people actually think that if they do not suffer any pain when they are lifting weights, they are not injured.

This body-building myth must be debunked right now. You see, many weight lifting injuries are very often sustained over a period of time.

It is the wrong weightlifting form being repeated over and over through many training sessions that causes the wear and tear of joints, tendons, cartilages, and muscles.

Many injuries do not just occur immediately or overnight, like the weights dropping on your toes or painful muscle tears during your lifts.

Therefore, executing your weightlifting movements in the correct form and technique not only helps your muscles grow big and fast, but it is also crucial to prevent bodybuilding injuries.

Common causes of injuries can also be attributed to lifting weights that are too heavy or to a bodybuilder who may be sick.

And yet, heads to the gym when his condition is not optimal for handling the weight he usually lifts because he is in a physically weakened state.

So when the weights are too heavy or you are too weak to lift the weights you usually do, you are forced to cheat by swinging the weights up using momentum and lowering the weights using gravity.

These movements not only waste your time in the gym, but they are definitely not helpful in helping you build muscles. They will cause injuries.

An example of a common exercise done in the wrong form and with a recipe for injuries is the common barbell curl.

Barbell Biceps Curl: This exercise is perhaps the most commonly executed in the wrong form, causing injuries that people don’t even know why they are injured.

In every gym, you will see people swinging their barbells with their bodies rocking to and fro in the movements.

The rocking movement places tremendous stress on the shoulder joint, which is the most unstable joint in the human body, and the lower back.

Over time, the shoulder joints and lower back will pay a heavy price for the wrong form and technique used during the lift.

Other common bodybuilding exercises that are often wrongly executed are the lat pulldown, bench press, leg extension, military press, and the list goes on.

Common Bodybuilding Weightlifting Injuries

Sit-up

Traditional abdominal exercises such as the sit-up, incline sit-up, and hip-raises are exercises that are used to train the obliques and the upper and lower abdominals.

They are performed by first anchoring the feet on an abdominal board, which prevents you from sliding back, then raising your shoulders up towards your feet and tensing your abs at the top of the movement.

Slowly lower your shoulders back down, and then complete the movement again.

The dangers of performing this movement are the shearing forces on the vertebrae and spinal discs when you have a flexed and rounded spine.

In this position, the pressure is mostly placed on a very small area of the disc area, which can cause small ruptures.

The safest and most productive way to train the abs is to use the brace and hollow technique.

This is a basic isometric exercise that helps strengthen the abs and the muscular girdle around your waist.

Pec Deck

The pec deck is an exercise that trains the chest (pectorals) and shoulder (front deltoid) muscles.

This exercise is performed by sitting at the machine with your back flat against the back pad.

Place your forearms on the padded levers, and position your upper arms parallel to the ground.

Pushing the levers slowly together and squeezing your chest muscles at the end of the movement. Return slowly to the starting position.

This exercise is potentially dangerous because it places the shoulder in one of its least stable positions, the dislocation position.

Because of the extreme position when performing this exercise in the starting position, it can also cause tearing of the ligaments and injury to the rotary cuff tendons.

More effective and less dangerous is the bench press, keeping the arms at shoulder width and exercising in the strongest range of motion (partial reps), and the parallel bar dip with the elbows out.

Behind the Neck Press

This exercise trains the neck (traps) and shoulder (deltoid) muscles and is performed by placing a loaded barbell on your upper back, just above the trap muscle.

This exercise is done by standing with your feet about shoulder width apart. Place your hands on the bar, about three inches wider than the width of your shoulders.

Push the bar overhead to arm’s length, holding, and then slowly lower it back down to your shoulders.

This exercise can also be done seated. Try performing it in a smith machine or power rack for added safety.

This is a workout that places the shoulder joint in the dislocation position, and the range of motion puts unnecessary stress on the rotator cuff tendons of the shoulders.

Many trainees may experience injuries from this behind-the-neck movement. It is the same with sticks, dips, and bench presses for your shoulder work.

Dead Lift

The dead lift is a compound movement that works the hips and lower back and also exercises the hamstrings and glutes (buttocks).

You can perform the dead lift by approaching a loaded barbell and taking a stance about as wide as your shoulders.

Grip the bar so that the arms are slightly on the outside of your thighs. Your feet should be pointing straight forward with the shins about two to three inches from the bar.

Heave the load upward using the hips and lower back, keeping the back straight and the bar as close to the shins as possible.

At the top of the movement, hold for a few seconds, and then lower the bar to the starting position.

The exercise has a knock-on growth effect on the whole body when worked hard. The problem with the lift is that if the spine becomes rounded during the lift, it becomes dangerous. Because of the forces working on the vertebrae and the spine, injuries may occur.

A lot of these problems can be solved by keeping the back as straight as possible during the lift and keeping the bar held close to the body during the lift, as the forces are not that excessive.

Leg Extensions

Leg extensions are arguably one of the most popular leg exercises for strengthening the quadriceps (thigh) muscle.

These are done by using a leg extension machine and sitting in the seat with your feet hooked under the padded lever.

Raise the weight with your legs until they are pointing straight out in front of you.

Hold briefly, and then slowly lower the weight back to the starting position.

Leg extensions are a potentially dangerous exercise because when only the shin is in motion, the exercise draws the patella back onto the femur, increasing joint compression forces, which can damage the connective tissue and the ligaments supporting the knee joint.

It can also cause anterior knee pain, so people with existing knee problems may aggravate them by doing this exercise.

For greater safety and equal effectiveness, try doing the Squat, Leg Press, and Lunge for safer and more functional use.

Prevention is better than cure, so avoid bodybuilding injuries by having proper warm-ups before exercising and using the correct form and techniques when training with weights.

First Aid Treatment for Bodybuilding Injuries

Below are the immediate first aid treatments you will need to recover from bodybuilding-induced injuries.

That is assuming that the injuries sustained are not so serious that they need immediate medical attention.

Okay, so sometimes body-building exercises hurt. But how do you know when it’s a good hurt or a bad hurt?

The good hurt tends to occur after a bodybuilding workout and feels like a dull ache in the muscle, commonly called “delayed onset muscle soreness” (DOMS).

This type of ache usually indicates that you have been working on that particular muscle hard enough and is a response to the effectiveness of your weightlifting workout, although not always necessarily so.

The bad hurt, which generally signifies an injury, is usually sharp pain, and the pain comes from a specific spot, like a specific joint or muscle spot.

It usually starts as an uncomfortable feeling, which you think will go away. The next thing you know, you are in full-blown pain! What should I do next?

Treat bodybuilding injuries with “RICE”

The acronym RICE is for the general treatment of minor weightlifting injuries such as sprains, joint pains, tendonitis, pulled ligaments, and so on.

R = Rest

I = Ice

C = Compression

E = Elevation

Rest

Avoid all activities that aggravate your injury. You may even need to skip your gym workout for a couple of weeks.

Rest can mean the difference between a long recuperation and possibly medically invasive procedures or just a few days or a few weeks off.

Ice

Ice helps reduce swelling by restricting blood flow. 15–20 minutes, three to four times a day, is recommended as long as the pain remains.

Compression

Put pressure on the injured site to help keep swelling down. You want to wrap a bandage or a towel tightly enough to feel some pressure but not enough to cause numbness or affect blood circulation.

Elevation

Elevate the injured area to reduce swelling.

Your condition should improve with “RICE” treatment. Most of the time, you should see some results within 20 minutes of treatment.

However, if the pain persists or gets worse, then it time to see your doctor or a sports physician, as your condition may be worse than what was initially thought to be.

Hence, the next time you have backache or joint pain, don’t blame it on other causes if you are a bodybuilder and you lift weights often.

Just reflect on the weightlifting exercises you are doing and examine them as to whether they are the cause of your injuries.

Better yet, hire a personal trainer or a bodybuilding book with picture illustrations and descriptions to learn how to lift weights in the correct form and technique to prevent common and serious weight lifting injuries.

What Are The Nutritional Benefits Of Tomatoes?

Today, we look for versatility, variety and convenience in the foods we eat. Tomatoes top the list of versatile foods because they are not only good for you, they complement almost any meal or occasion.

There are more than a dozen varieties of tomatoes. Slices of large, round tomatoes are great on the grill; Roma or plum tomatoes make delicious sauces; and cherry or grape tomatoes make a convenient snack.

Tomatoes’ versatility makes them ideal for all eating and entertaining occasions, whether used as an ingredient, an accompaniment, or as a stand-alone.

To ensure the best flavor, never refrigerate. The tomato makes an enzyme that produces flavor as it ripens. Once the temperature falls below 55 degrees, it permanently stops producing that enzyme.

The tomato has been called many things throughout history: a Peruvian apple, a love apple, and even, by many people at least, a vegetable. Today, however, this lovely fruit is fast becoming known as Superfood!

While not able to leap tall buildings in a single bound, this super hero of the nutrition world is able to do some pretty amazing things.

For example, some studies show tomatoes may help decrease the risk of prostate cancer as well as breast, lung, and stomach cancers.

And the Herald Sun reported in 2003 that the yellow jelly around the seeds has yet another benefit: They may stop blood cells from clumping together, which sometimes leads to strokes and heart attacks.

What is it about this little red fruit that makes it so amazing?

Lycopene!

The word lycopene doesn’t sound very appetizing, but this powerful antioxidant is the chemical in tomatoes that is not only responsible for its red color but also for its disease-fighting powers.

Just ask an Italian. Italian cooking relies very heavily on tomatoes and tomato products. And some studies have suggested that this heavy intake of tomatoes by Italians has resulted in a lower incidence of cancer of the digestive tract.

Now, you’re probably thinking you have to consume tons and tons of fresh tomatoes to enjoy any health benefits. Not true.

In one research study, it was reported that people who ate tomatoes at least every other day had greater lung capacity. And the tomatoes don’t even have to be fresh!

Again, research shows that the lycopene in tomatoes is more easily absorbed by the body if processed into ketchup, sauce, and paste. So, not only are tomatoes a superfood, they’re an easy superfood to include in your diet.

Of course, fresh tomatoes are still beneficial and packed with wonderful nutrients. Not to mention, it’s delicious.

Just remember the one rule about fresh tomatoes: don’t put them in the refrigerator. The refrigerator destroys not only the flavor; it also destroys the nutrients.

Go ahead and do something good for your health tonight. Have a tomato.

Why do you need to eat tomatoes?

Do you eat tomatoes? Of course, you know that tomatoes are now eaten easily around the world. You can find tomatoes everywhere as part of fruits and vegetables.

Some experts say that tomatoes are known as a source of nutrition because they contain a large number of vitamins and minerals that can support our body’s health.

Tomatoes have been first cultivated in Peru and then brought to Mexico. Now, tomatoes are sold everywhere. In grocery stores, tomatoes are often picked unripe and ripened in storage with ethylene.

Which one is better, unripe or ripe?

Tomatoes that are ripened in storage with ethylene, a plant hormone produced by many fruits that acts as a cue to begin the ripening process, tend to stay longer but have a poorer flavor than tomatoes ripened on the plant.

They may be recognized by their color, which is more pink or orange than the ripe tomato’s deep red.

Based on the nutrition content, red tomatoes have more vitamin A than green tomatoes. But in this case, green tomatoes have more protein.

If you eat tomatoes every day, it is beneficial in preventing cancer to 50%. Tomatoes will fight different kinds of cancer and protect your heart from heart attacks.

Why tomatoes are beneficial for health?

Tomatoes contain various kinds of ingredients.

Here are some of them:

Lycopene is one of nature’s most powerful antioxidants. It is beneficial to fight different kinds of diseases, most of all cancer.
Fiber in tomatoes prevents diabetes, asthma, and colon cancer and lowers the amount of cholesterol in the body.
Vitamin C and A are antioxidants that fight free radicals. They fight against aging and soothe the skin and hair.
Potassium, vitamin B6, folate, and niacin have proven effects in lowering cholesterol levels, lowering blood pressure, and working against heart disease.
Vitamin K in tomatoes helps build bone.
Chromium and biotin improve the body’s ability to process sugar and fat, which may improve fighting diabetes and help nerve function.
Riboflavin helps with energy metabolism and fights against migraine headaches.

If you consume ripe, unripe or tomato-based food products like tomato sauce or tomato pasta all deliver many nutrients with multiple mechanisms of action to prevent you from different kinds of diseases.

Improve Overall Health with Tomatoes

Tomatoes have countless health benefits that have made it a significant addition of diets throughout the medical world.

It is low in calories, and considered as an excellent food for people who want to lose weight and improve their overall health.

Because of its nutritional benefits, tomatoes are considered by many as a medicinal food. Lycopene, one of the most potent antioxidants in nature is found it tomatoes.

Antioxidants are important in both humans and plants and may help prevent cell damage that can be caused by oxidative stress.

Lycopene is vital antioxidant that helps fight cancerous cell formation and other kinds of health ailments.

This component is responsible for the tomatoes’ red color and also contains its disease-fighting properties. Lycopene is essential in preventing the development of many cancers and other health ailments.

Examples of cancers that can be prevented by tomatoes are:

Breast cancer

Cervical cancer

Colon cancer

Esophagus cancer

Pharynx cancer

Prostate cancer

Mouth cancer

Rectum cancer

Stomach cancer

In addition to lycopene, tomatoes are also high in vitamins A and C, this fruit is also cholesterol free. The vitamin content of this fruit is adequate for keeping individuals healthy.

Many health studies show that one tomato is enough to supply the human body’s daily vitamin C requirement. These high levels of vitamin C help the body increase its immune system naturally.

This fruit also contains folic acid, which is considered by many health specialists as a necessary component for the recovery of human body cells.

Other nutrients like sodium phosphorus, calcium, magnesium, oxalic acid, and sulfur can be found in a single tomato.

Tomatoes are beneficial to the heart and its juice is used by many to treat high blood pressure.

Unlike several vegetables and fruits, some of the health benefits of tomatoes seem to be boosted whenever they are cooked, especially when it comes to prostate cancer prevention. This kind of cancer is the most frequent cancer experienced by many men.

Some medical studies suggest that regular tomato consumption may promote proper prostate function.

In addition to cancer prevention, tomato can also reduce excessive prostate enlargement, which is very common in men beyond 50 years of age.

Tomatoes are used as a skin care alternative because of the antioxidants it contains. It brightens dull skin and other skin imperfections because of the vitamin C it contains.

The calorie content of tomatoes makes it a favorite alternative for skin care. It also contains vitamin A, C, E, K, B1, B6, B3, B2, iron, manganese, and potassium.

These components are necessary for building healthy skin. These natural acidic properties of tomato rids the skin of excessive oil and also takes off the natural dead cells, shrunk pores, and also tones skin.

One of the primary reasons for adding fruits and vegetables like tomatoes in one’s diet is they contain many phytochemicals.

Because of these phytochemicals, vegetables may prevent the body from getting various ailments that is the reason why it is very important to consume plenty of vegetables in one’s food regimen because of the mineral content.

Tasty Tomatoes Add Variety to Meals

Tomatoes are an important dietary source of lycopene, an antioxidant being studied for its ability to keep tissues healthy.

Tomatoes also are high in vitamins and fiber – one medium red tomato has 20 percent of the daily requirements of vitamin A, 40 percent of the daily requirements of vitamin C and as much fiber as a slice of whole wheat bread.

Bella Roma Di Pomodoro

You will need:

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

3 medium garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced

12 Italian-style tomatoes (plum tomatoes), cut into chunks

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

1 pound penne pasta

10 basil leaves, torn by hand into small pieces

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

You have to:

In a large skillet, heat olive oil and sauté garlic.

Add Bella Roma (plum) tomatoes, salt and pepper.

Simmer sauce for 10 to 15 minutes; do not overcook the tomatoes. Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions.

Spoon the sauce over pasta and sprinkle with parsley and basil.

This serves 6.

Nutritional information per serving: 364 calories, 8.3g total fat, 1.3g saturated fat, 20 percent calories from fat, 3 percent calories from saturated fat, 12g protein, 63g carbohydrates, 0mg cholesterol, 4g dietary fiber, 65mg sodium.

Tomatoes – No Refrigeration Required

Did you know that one of the most popular vegetables is actually a fruit?

Categorized by botanists as a fruit but eaten by consumers as a vegetable, tomatoes are appreciated for their combination of sweetness and acidity.

Any way you slice it, tomatoes are a delicious way to add nutrients to the diet. They are rich in vitamins A and C and are a good source of potassium. Tomatoes are also naturally low in sodium and contain no cholesterol.

Many people store tomatoes alongside other vegetables in their refrigerator’s crisper drawer, but that’s not the best place for them.

Tomatoes should be stored at room temperature to maintain maximum flavor. Cool temperatures inside your refrigerator will stop the ripening process and begin to decrease the flavor and change the texture. Try storing your tomatoes in a decorative bowl on the counter.

Tomatoes and bananas help each other ripen quicker. Tomatoes and bananas emit a naturally occurring ripening gas called ethylene and when you store the two together they both ripen rapidly.

If you need to ripen a tomato quickly, store it in a closed paper bag on the counter. The ethylene gas speeds up the ripening process when confined around the fruit in a closed bag.

Although tomatoes are native to Central and South America, they are now eaten throughout the world and are an ingredient in countless recipes.

Many people consider tomatoes an essential part of their vegetable gardens each summer and they are available at your local market year-round.

Pico de Gallo

Pico de Gallo is a fresh tomato salsa often served as a dip for tortilla chips but it’s also terrific spooned onto grilled fish, chicken or pork.

Ingredients:

8 Bella Roma (plum) tomatoes, chopped

1/4 cup red onion, finely chopped

2 jalapenos, minced

1/2 cup cilantro, chopped

Juice of 1/2 a lime

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Instructions:

Mix all ingredients together and enjoy.

Serves: 1/2 cup of vegetables per serving

Nutrition Information per Serving: calories: 15, total fat: 0.2g, saturated fat: 0.03g, % of calories from fat: 8, % of calories from saturated fat: 1, protein: 1g, carbohydrate: 3g, cholesterol: 0 mg, dietary fiber: 1g, sodium 149mg.

TAKEAWAY QUESTIONS

Do you love tomatoes?

How often do you consume tomatoes?

Are you aware of its nutritional and health benefits?

What are your favorite recipes with tomatoes?

How do you store tomatoes at home?

How Strength Training Helps In Fat Loss And Getting Ripped Abs?

Have you considered including strength training in your fitness routine? In this article, find out how strength training burns fat, how it can help you lose more fat, get ripped abs, and other benefits of strength training.

Strength Training Burns Fat

While the best way to burn fat is through aerobic exercise, you can also burn fat with certain types of strength training.

The reason is that the more muscle you have, the more fat you can burn through normal activities.

You can also combine aerobic exercise with strength training to get a double-whammy effect against fat.

Don’t Worry about Bulking Up

Strength training doesn’t necessarily have to bulk you up. It can actually tone your body and help build your muscles just enough to help hold your body in more perfect alignment.

Doing so can help you appear thinner and reduce body fat at the same time.

Try Circuit Training

This is something you can find at different studios that involves doing each machine for a specific period of time, usually at a fast pace.

It’s a good way to get both cardio and strength training. Usually there is little or no rest in between each machine, and exercises are done in between machines.

Isometric Weight Training

This is a type of resistance training where you use the weights by holding them at certain angles for 30 seconds to one minute instead of doing faster repetitions.

This kind of strength training can also be done without weights. For instance, doing planks works well too. It increases strength and stamina.

High-Volume Training

This type of strength training involves working one muscle group per week, concentrating on cardiovascular the rest of the time.

This gives the muscle groups ample time to recover, allowing for the best and most efficient building of strength training without bulking up your muscles. You can have long, lean muscles with high-volume training.

Core Exercises

Doing core strength training exercises such as Pilates and yoga will help your body become a fat-burning furnace.

Try hot yoga or purchase a Pilates machine to use at home for no-excuse workouts that build endurance while building strength.

The better shape your core is in, the better your fitness level will be and the more fat you’ll burn.

How Does Strength Training Help You Lose More Fat?

The vast majority of people who exercise regularly do not do it to enhance their flexibility, increase strength, or build muscle. They do it to keep their body fat percentage low.

But what exactly is the best and most efficient way to lose weight?

Is it spending as many hours as possible on the treadmill?

Running for miles up a hilly terrain?

Or could it be engaging in High Intensity Interval Training during your workouts?

While these 3 methods are effective in their own ways, there’s a secret fat loss weapon that many women have yet to discover: weight training, which also increases strength.

Yes, lifting weights is the best way to go if you want to lose weight permanently and in the fastest way possible. But how does it work?

Well, here’s a look at how lifting weights leads to significant weight loss.

It Burns Calories Continuously

The secret to losing weight is burning more calories than you eat. When the body stays in a calorie-deprived state for too long, it starts burning through its own tissue for fuel.

Weightlifting helps your body remain in a constant calorie-deprived state by initiating the burning of calories during and long after your workout routine.

Lifting gives you a great burn during exercise, where a routine as simple and short as a circuit of eight moves can burn 160 to over 200 calories.

Additionally, studies show that a well-designed weightlifting routine can elevate your metabolism by up to 39 hours after the workout.

The reason for this is that after a weightlifting routine, muscles need energy to repair their fibers, which they get by burning calories.

The heavier the weights you lift, the higher and longer your metabolism rate gets elevated.

It Triggers More Fat Loss

Cardio activity only burns calories during workouts, which means you do not get to burn fat when not exercising.

With weightlifting, however, you burn a great deal of calories during and after your workouts. This translates to more fat burned between sets as well as during the workout itself.

It Increases Muscle

It’s no secret that weightlifting results in a direct increase in muscle mass.

This is why many steer clear of this form of training due to a fear of developing a man-like muscular physique.

What most people do not know, however, is that the more muscle you have to contract, the more calories you burn.

If you have a large percentage of muscle mass in your body, you end up burning more calories when you engage in any form of physical activity (be it lifting dumbbells, doing squats, or even the simple act of walking) than someone with a low muscle percentage.

Whether you have struggled with weight loss for a while or simply want to tone up fast, strength training can help.

Just make sure to avoid overdoing it and include a proper diet and aerobic training in the mix. This way, you’ll avoid injury and enjoy more profound results.

Get Ripped Abs by Doing Basic Strength Training

The best way to get hard ripped abs is by doing some strength training. Increasing your core strength has many benefits, and strength training is the most important in this case.

Strength training is not running on a treadmill, riding a stationary bike, or using an elliptical machine.

Although those types of aerobic machines use “resistance” to increase your workout intensity, it’s not the same as strength training.

Strength training is structured according to different goals throughout the season, just as training is structured around key races.

This type of training is a fancy way of describing the process of building muscle power by lifting free weights, working out against resistance, using equipment like Nautilus or Universal machines, or working against large elastic bands.

While “aerobics” was the exercise catchword of the 1970’s and 80’s, strength training is the trend of the 1990’s, hailed as a critically important complement to aerobics in a total fitness program.

Strength training is linked to high bone mineral density in adults of all ages and both sexes.

Osteoporosis is a type of skeletal deterioration characterized by decreasing bone density that weakens the bone structure (Graves and Franklin, 2001).

It is performing a lift for several repetitions; 10–20 is generally recommended for children.

There is such a high level of concentration in weightlifting that the chance of injury outweighs any potential benefit.

Likewise, this kind of training is a great way to spice things up and add a completely different challenge to your body. The nice thing about strength training is that it offers so many ways to set up your workouts.

There’s always something new to try, and you never run out of new exercises, different types of resistance, new routines, and a variety of ways to work your body. It is any exercise you do against some kind of resistance.

This resistance can be machines, free weights, tubing, or your own body weight. It is essential for optimal health, fitness, and function. This is especially true in the over-50 audience.

The challenge is making strength training safe, sensible, and effective, given the specific needs of this market segment.

Strength training is the practice of using free weights, weight machines, and rubber resistance bands to build muscles. With resistance, the muscles have to work extra hard to move.

It is done FIRST following the warm-up, on days when you do both strength and cardio training. This will optimize the hormonal response that maximizes your body’s ability to build and develop muscle.

It is primarily an anaerobic activity, although some proponents have adapted it to provide the benefits of aerobic exercise through circuit training.

Strength training differs from bodybuilding, weightlifting, power lifting, and strongman, which are sports rather than forms of exercise.

This training is a great way to improve strength, endurance, and muscle tone. But remember to start slowly, use proper form, avoid heavy weights, and increase workouts gradually to prevent injury.

It is important for cardiac health because heart disease risk is lower when the body is leaner.

One study found that cardiac patients gained not only strength and flexibility but also aerobic capacity when they did strength training three times a week as part of their rehabilitation program.

This training is critical for combating frailty and disability, increasing strength and mobility, and staying active and self-sufficient.

Research has consistently shown the fitness and health benefits of strength training for older adults.

Strength training is a physical activity intended to increase muscle strength and mass.

Adults who engage in strength training are less likely to experience loss of muscle mass ( 1 ), functional decline ( 2 ), and fall-related injuries than adults who do not strength train ( 3 ).

This type of training is not just for male bodybuilders and competitive athletes. It is for everyone and yields many benefits to the human body, both internally and externally.

Other Benefits of Strength Training

The benefits of a good strength training program are almost endless. Less disease, happiness, and, most importantly, showing off your muscles at the beach.

Strength training should be part of everyone’s routine. Even if you are short on time, do strength training.

According to the ACSM (American College of Sports Medicine), it only needs to be done 2-3 times per week, with each session lasting no more than one hour. For 2-3 hours per week, huge benefits can be realized.

Regular strength training will:

help you in day-to-day activities around the house and in your yard. It will keep you independent, which is especially important in the older population. Imagine not being able to lift a 5-pound bag of flour or take the garbage out by yourself.
lower the risk of osteoporosis, hypertension and diabetes
help you avoid lower back pain
increase bone density, which is important for post menopausal women
increase muscle mass, which burns more calories throughout the day than an equal amount of fat.

Even with all these benefits, many people are reluctant to start training with weights. Concerns include injury, incorrect form, and, for women, not wanting to grow muscles and look like a man.

When beginning your strength training program, the risk of getting hurt can be greatly reduced by starting out with machines rather than free weights.

As you become more comfortable with the machines, slowly learn to use free weights. If you want to stick with the machines, know that they will give you the same benefits as free weights.

As for the concern that women will look like men, it won’t happen without the help of steroids, which you shouldn’t even consider using.

Sometimes, when we think of being healthy, we think of eating and running. While these are important, strength training should never be left out.

Strength training provides benefits to your health that cannot be found with any other mode of exercise and shouldn’t be forgotten.

POINTS TO REMEMBER

Strength Training Burns Fat

Don’t Worry about Bulking Up
Try Circuit Training
Isometric Weight Training
High-Volume Training
Core Exercises

How Does Strength Training Help You Lose More Fat?

It Burns Calories Continuously
It Triggers More Fat Loss
It Increases Muscle

Get Ripped Abs by Doing Basic Strength Training

Strength training is structured according to different goals throughout the season
Strength training is linked to high bone mineral density in adults of all ages and both sexes.
This training is a great way to improve strength, endurance, and muscle tone.
Strength training is physical activity intended to increase muscle strength and mass.

TAKEAWAY QUESTIONS

– Are you into a strength training program?

– If not yet, are you interested in trying basic strength training?

– Are you looking for ways to lose fat and get ripped abs?

– Do you know that strength training helps you drop fat and get ripped abs?

– Do you like the other health benefits of strength training?

What Makes Transcendental Meditation Different?

Transcendental Meditation is one of the most well-known and widely practiced types of meditation.

This is the root of meditation; if you learn the proper ways of meditation, you will gain delight from your meditation practices.

Whenever anyone talks about the joys of meditation, it means that the person is talking about different types of meditation.

These are types of meditation because these practices persuade peace, accord, and relief from stress in an individual.

In this post, we will try to understand how these different meditation techniques are effective in daily life and how they bring joy to an individual’s life.

Transcendental Meditation is one of the types of Meditation practices. This is actually the type that has received much attention.

Researchers have conducted many kinds of research to settle down the effects of Transcendental Meditation.

It has been observed that even 20 to 30 minutes of transcendental meditation can bring relief from stress.

Moreover, there are many other benefits of transcendental meditation, which will be discussed later in this article.

Introduction to Transcendental Meditation

Transcendental meditation is a type of meditation that is a little bit different from other types of meditation.

It can have many positive effects on your personality if you practice it two times a day.

It is considered less time-consuming, and one has to spend 20 minutes for one session of Transcendental Meditation.

This is the technique that a person performs easily with closed eyes.

There are different things about Transcendental Meditation which needs to be considered and that a person must know.

These things will be discussed one by one. Maharishi introduced transcendental meditation 50 years ago. In this way, India is the origin of this technique.

After this, Indians are transferring this valuable technique from generation to generation.

They have developed proper teaching institutes for transcendental meditation.

This is the simplest technique of all. One does not have to put a large amount of energy into it. It has to be practiced with closed eyes.
One can learn Transcendental Meditation with slight effort. Practicing it is quite delightful.
The best thing about Transcendental Meditation technique is that it does not require any belief. Anyone who is practicing it without belief in it can benefit from it.
Transcendental Meditation helps increase the activity of the brain, and many types of research have confirmed these findings. This technique helps enhance intelligence, creativity, problem solving, and decision-making.
Transcendental Meditation technique is just taken as a technique for making health better. This does not change your lifestyle.
Transcendental practice helps in controlling stress and blood pressure. This preservation reduces the risk of stress, hypertension, high levels of cholesterol, and heart attacks.
This technique is only one of its kinds. It plays a considerable role in the self-development of an individual. This is the thing that is not present in other techniques.
There are expert teachers for teaching transcendental technique. These teachers follow up on their teachings as well. In this way, a person can learn and practice it again and again to get maximum benefit out of this technique.

The main concept while teaching transcendental technique is to get access to the inner world of silence.

This inner world exists in every individual. In this hustle and bustle of life, reaching this calm world helps individuals realize their inner energies.

When a person reaches this inner world of calmness, his brain works with greater integrity and produces better results.

There is a large population all over the world that is practicing transcendental meditation to purify their lives.

This is why this technique has become one of the most widely used techniques of meditation.

The ultimate goal of Transcendental Meditation is to help each member achieve pure consciousness.

By doing so, the individual will be able to find peace with himself or herself and also with the rest of the world.

It is a simple, natural, relatively effortless meditation technique where the mind can easily and naturally look into the source of thought, achieving the settled state of the mind, which is known as the Transcendental Consciousness.

It is said to be pure consciousness, which is the source of all creative processes in the human mind.

Differences between Transcendental Meditation and other types of Meditation

There are several differences between the transcendental meditation technique and other types of meditation techniques.

The first important point is that all other techniques instruct individuals to think about something. All techniques teach the development of concentration to achieve certain goals.

On the other hand, to some extent, transcendental meditation allows the control of the mind with concentration.

The other major difference is that other techniques of meditation work on the surface level of concentration on thought or breath.

The transcendental technique directs an individual towards a deep inner state of calmness, which enhances their overall level of awareness.

By reaching this innermost peaceful state, it eventually has positive effects on the personality of an individual.

Benefits of Transcendental Meditation

There are several benefits to transcendental meditation. This is the only type of meditation that has received researcher’s attention.

According to one rough calculation, six hundred researchers have benefited from the effects of transcendental meditation.

These are the different benefits of transcendental meditation.

Increased Activity of the Brain

It has been observed that transcendental meditation helps the prefrontal cortex connect with other parts of the brain. This thing helps to enhance the overall activity level of the brain.

Moreover, the prefrontal cortex is involved in executive functions of the brain, such as decision-making and problem-solving.

So, the higher level of connections from other parts of the brain enhances its activity level.

Decrease in Stress

If someone practices transcendental meditation daily, it decreases the activity of Sympathetic nervous System.

In turn, the sympathetic nervous system expands the blood vessels and reduces the amount of stress hormones, such as adrenaline hormones.

In this way, transcendental meditation helps reduce the stress of an individual.

Once a person gets rid of stress, there are a few chances for him to be affected by a heart attack, hypertension, or stroke.

Enhance Performance in the Workplace

As we have seen how transcendental meditation affects the major regions of our brain, this enhancement of the brain’s performance also enhances the performance of an individual at their workplace.

Better intelligence, decision-making, and problem-solving abilities make people perform well in their jobs.

By using meditation practices, individuals make a habit of remaining peaceful and passive even in stressful situations, which enables them to meet challenges during their job.

Better Performance at Schools

It has been observed that meditation practices at the school level increase the level of happiness and eagerness in children.

Meditation helps students reduce their study-related concerns and hopelessness.

Meditation also helps children with disabilities improve their performance. Through meditation, they are better able to concentrate on their minds.

Moreover, transcendental meditation increases brain activity and executive functions of the brain, which helps reduce the symptoms of learning disabilities.

Promoting Peace in Society

Transcendental meditation has the potential to change society in a positive way.

If people practice this meditation technique in groups, it can produce better results for them.

A green forest cannot be green until every tree in that forest is green. In this way, a society can never become peaceful until every individual feels peace inside themselves.

Maintaining Focus

It helps in building and maintaining the focus of an individual. A person cannot focus on or concentrate on anything when there are several things in his mind.

Transcendental meditation helps the individual reduce distraction and develop concentration. In this way, people develop the potential to focus on their goals.

Better Relationships

Transcendental meditation softens the heart of an individual as well. It induces patience in an individual and helps him to treat everyone kindly.

This kind of attitude increases the popularity of the individual among his family members, friends, and colleagues.

More than 500 clinical studies have been done on Transcendental Meditation. One study shows that members who are in their 50’s feel much younger.

Another study shows that it improves your academic achievement, creativity, and intelligence.

Those who have been practicing it claim that it reduces problems such as anxiety, insomnia, and stress. Even those who have had addictions to alcohol or drugs in the past say that this has helped them kick the habit.

In short, Transcendental Meditation is able to improve your physical health.

Probably the biggest surprise is that one study showed that members of this movement have had fewer medical problems than those who are not.

Given the benefits it can do to those who practice it, this is probably the reason why some companies in the US offer this program to their employees.

This is because management knows that stress costs them more than 200 billion dollars annually, which means a decrease in the worker’s productivity.

One example of a company that offers this to its employees is General Motors.

This car company has been practicing Transcendental Meditation for several years, and results from a study showed that this increased productivity in the workplace, improved morale, and had a good impact on the physical health of their workers.

There are even some who have mistaken Transcendental Meditation and the organization itself for being part of a religious cult.

This is because another name by which it is known is “Science of Creative Intelligence,” which in fact is a degree that you can get after you graduate from the Maharishi University of Management in Fairfield, Iowa.

It should also be pointed out that Transcendental Meditation is scientific, so you don’t have to abandon your current religion.

In fact, it can be done with little effort, so it is possible for you to achieve pure consciousness regardless of your age, gender, educational background, culture, or religion.

Transcendental Meditation makes you look inward, so you are able to turn those dormant potentials into realities.

Of course, this can only happen over time and with practice, so you will soon be able to experience an endless world of possibilities.

POINTS TO REMEMBER

Transcendental Meditation is one of the most well-known and widely practiced types of meditation.

Introduction To Transcendental Meditation

This is the simplest technique of all.
One can learn Transcendental Meditation with a slight effort.
The best thing about Transcendental Meditation technique is that it does not require any belief.
Transcendental Meditation helps increase the activity of the brain
Transcendental Meditation technique is just taken as a technique for making health better.
Transcendental practice helps in controlling stress and blood pressure.
This technique is only one of its kinds.
There are expert teachers for teaching transcendental technique.

Difference Between Transcendental Meditation And Other Types Of Meditation

Transcendental meditation allows the control of mind with concentration
It directs an individual towards a deep inner state of calmness, which enhances their overall level of awareness.

Benefits of Transcendental Meditation

Increased activity of the brain
Decrease in stress
Enhance performance in the workplace
Better performance at schools
Promoting peace in society
Maintaining focus
Better relationships

TAKEAWAY QUESTIONS

– Are you familiar with transcendental meditation?

– Have you tried practicing transcendental meditation?

– What are your experiences so far with transcendental meditation?

– What are the effects or benefits of transcendental meditation to you?

How To Plan Healthy Meals?

How do you plan your meals? Find out how and more information, like how to effectively prepare your food, eat for maximum nutrition, and have healthy snacks and lunch takeouts with you.

Planning healthy meals can be difficult, especially if you are cooking for a family that is stuck in a rut of unhealthy meals.

With some basic nutrition knowledge, however, you can have your family eating healthy without them really even realizing it.

The key to creating healthy meals is to plan. Plan your week’s meals ahead of time and ensure you have all of the necessary ingredients. Don’t put off preparing healthy meals because you don’t have a tomato.

Plan your meals out and go grocery shopping. While shopping, it is important to get only the foods that are on your list and stay away from the cookie and ice cream aisles to limit temptation.

This will also allow you to keep your food costs to a minimum because you are buying less expensive whole foods instead of processed foods.

Huge time savers such as slow cookers and microwaves are also helpful, and everything that comes out of the microwave doesn’t have to be unhealthy.

A slow cooker will allow food to cook all day while you are at work. When you get home, you will have a delicious and healthy meal waiting for you.

When you are planning meals for the week, create a chart of each day’s meals and your daily schedule. This will help you decide which days are best for certain meals.

For example, maybe you have time to cook something extra special on Friday nights, but the rest of the week is so hectic that you don’t know if you are coming or going.

You can place those special recipes you have been wanting to try on Friday and then come up with healthy alternatives for your busy days.

Get the Family Involved

Eating healthy is a family affair. It is important to get your spouse and your kids involved.

This allows you to ensure that each day someone has something that is his or her favorite being served.

This may mean that Friday nights are special pizza nights, but the rest of the week is healthy.

It is important to plan meals with everyone’s input to ensure that everyone’s tastes are involved. You also do not want anyone to feel as though they are being deprived of something they like.

It is an even better idea to get everyone involved in cooking. This allows the children to learn their way around the kitchen and what foods are healthy for them to eat.

Get Prepared

Cooking in large quantities is an excellent way for you to have healthy foods at your fingertips. Cooking large amounts of soups, casseroles, chilies, and pasta will save you a lot of time during the week.

You can even make double or triple batches of certain staples in your diet. This will allow you to freeze them and use them later. This saves you both time and money.

When you freeze your leftovers, be sure that you label your containers with freezer tape and permanent markers.

This will allow you to rotate items wisely and keep the older foods near the top. This also allows you to avoid waste by not having to throw out foods that have expired.

Stock up on meats when they are on sale, and then divide them up into individual serving portions for your family.

For example, if you buy 5 pounds of ground beef, separate it into 5 one-pound servings for your ground beef recipes. You can also divide up your chicken breasts, turkey, steaks, roasts, and pork chops.

If you are going to have pork chops one night, all you have to do is pull them out of the freezer and allow them to thaw while you are at work. When you get home, you can cook them up on the grill and sauté up some fresh veggies.

A well-stocked pantry is also important. Keep a good supply of staples such as canned veggies, fruits, soup stocks, etc.

These will help you prepare your meals much more quickly, especially when combined with your stocked freezer. This also allows you to save time and money.

Other items that you can stock up on include:

Whole-grain cereals
Pastas
Tomato sauce
Baked beans
Canned salmon
Tuna
Whole-grain breads

Eat for Maximum Nutrition

In the past several years, a lot of fad diets have hit the market. This is mainly because people are recognizing that it is time to start eating better and living a more healthy lifestyle.

You know that you need to eat fruits and vegetables, but perhaps you are far too often choosing the wrong items.

For example, avocados may look like a healthy food, but they are actually full of fat and calories. Bananas may seem healthy, but they have a lot of sugar. It is the healthy balance of these items that we are looking for.

The key to changing your diet is to recognize the areas that you need to change and then work on those areas.

For instance, some people simply need to add veggies to their diet and cut back on meat. Others need to cut back on sweets and add fruits and vegetables.

Some people could do themselves a lot of good by eating a breakfast so that they do not overeat later in the day.

These are little changes that can be made if you get motivated to do it. The key is to make small changes so that they are seamlessly incorporated into your life.

Eating healthy also means different things to different people. A healthy runner who runs a 5K every other weekend doesn’t have the same nutritional requirements as an office worker who sits at a desk all day and needs to lose 20 pounds.

A good place to start is to begin by changing your diet up by adding variety. Make smarter choices when shopping and try to avoid the sugary temptations that lurk in the grocery store.

If you eat out a lot, you can still make better choices. Limit your salad dressing and eat more veggies and skinless chicken. It is also a good idea not to eat your whole plate but to take a portion of it home with you for later.

Eat more highly nutritious foods rather than high calorie foods. You will be amazed at the difference this can make at your first sitting. Most fatty foods are full of empty calories. This means you are eating foods that have a lot of calories but they don’t fill you up.

By eating foods that have calories you use, you are feeding yourself useful energy without overeating on unhealthy foods. The produce section of the grocery store contains a lot of healthy and filling foods that are not full of empty calories.

Don’t be afraid to try new things. Your tastes change as you grow older. You actually begin to like foods that you despised as a child. Some people think that they don’t like foods, but they have never eaten many of what they say they don’t like.

Produce is relatively cheap. So you are not losing too much money if you by some fresh spinach for a salad and find out you still don’t like it.

If you do like it, then you found something healthy that you don’t mind eating and it’s relatively inexpensive. Talk about a win-win situation!

You don’t have to give up your Saturday night steak. Just work on it a bit to make it healthier. Cut off the excess fat that you don’t need and don’t slather your potato in all the “fixins.” Try a little bit of butter or even a little cottage cheese.

If you want to know more on nutrition, check this post: What You Should Understand About Nutrition?

Healthy Snacks

It never fails, there’s a pang that hits our stomach around 2:30 or 3:00 in the afternoon. This little bit of hunger is easily overcome by a healthy snack.

Instead of reaching for those chocolate chip cookies, why not some apple wedges with a little peanut butter on them? Or, how about a glass of milk or cup of cottage cheese?

You could even grab a handful of nuts. Whole grain products make good snacks as well. Wheat bread or bagels can make you a nice little snack to hold you over until dinner.

For the kids, consider having some carrot sticks already peeled and sliced for them when they come home from school.

You could even have a little bowl of broccoli florets, green peppers and carrots in a bowl with a little side of low fat salad dressing for dipping. These are much better snacks than Jell-O, Fruit Roll-Ups, Pop Tarts or candy bars.

Here is a little quick recipe that you can whip up in no time:

Can of mandarin oranges
Cut up banana
Apple
Nectarine
Strawberries
Blueberries
Raisins

Mix in the juices from the orange and serve. This is a delicious little fresh fruit salad that you can use as a snack or even a healthy dessert.

Keeping a bowl of fresh fruit around on the table also encourages you to grab an apple or orange instead of a handful of M&Ms.

Milk and dairy products are also important. You don’t have to buy the fattiest of these items either. If you are a whole milk drinker, consider dropping down to 2%.

You will be amazed that the taste is very similar to whole milk, but with less fat. It is also not as watery as skim milk. You can also have some low-fat or nonfat yogurt, puddings, cheeses and cottage cheese around.

Lunch meats can also make a great snack. Get some healthy turkey, chicken or ham. Pregnant women should be sure to warm these up to kill off any bacteria before eating them, just to be on the safe side.

Sandwiches that are made on whole grain bread with low calorie mustard can be a good snack to hold you over.

Tuna that is packed in water is the best and very easy to whip up. Peanut butter, eggs, poultry, nuts and beans make good snacks as well.

You can also pair your fresh fruit with nonfat plain or vanilla yogurt. Add fruit to cereal or use fresh fruit and juices to make smoothies as a quick snack or breakfast.

For bagels that are getting a little stale, toast them and spread a little bit of peanut butter on them. You could also use a low fat cream cheese.

Or, slice them into little thin slices and brush with a little butter. Sprinkle with a little garlic and bake for 10-12 minutes at 350 degrees. Now you have healthy bagel chips and you didn’t waste any food.

You can also check this post: What Are Your Healthy Snack Options?

Take Your Lunch with You

When you are a career person, it can be difficult not to eat out every day for lunch. It is possible to take your healthy lifestyle on the go.

You also never know what they are serving in school cafeterias these days, especially when it comes to older kids in middle school or high school. If you all brown bag it, then you can still create healthy lunches for your whole family.

The most important decision to make is what you are putting in those lunchboxes. It is very important that you choose foods that are easy, yet quick.

If you are able to include a favorite food in each lunch, then there is less of a chance of your child hitting a vending machine to get a candy bar.

When you are packing lunches, be sure to choose at least three of the following:

1 fruit or vegetable (fresh, canned or frozen)
Whole grain product
Milk or dairy production
Meat, fish, poultry, eggs, peanut butter, legumes or hummus

It is also a good idea to get the family involved in fixing their lunches. Have a little session each night where everyone gets to choose some of these healthy items to put in their lunches.

Lie out all of the healthy food options and let everyone decide what they want to take with them the next day. If they want milk to drink, it is a good idea to give them milk money, as it is difficult to keep milk cold at school.

Kids will love to fix their own lunches. You might even have a special shelf in the refrigerator just for those foods. It is also a good idea to have plastic bags, napkins, plastic silverware and straws for the kids to pack in their lunches as well.

Healthy Lunch Tips

Incorporate different breads in sandwiches.
- Rye
- Pumpernickel
- Whole Wheat
- Tortilla wraps
- Pitas
- Bread sticks
- Crackers
Bite sized veggies are best
- Baby carrots
- Broccoli florets
- Pepper slices
Bite sized fruit are good too
- Grapes
- Blueberries
- Orange wedges
- Strawberries
100% fruit juice or milk money
Single serving cereals (Good for breakfast too)
Selection of various nonfat yogurts.

POINTS TO REMEMBER

How To Plan Healthy Meals?

Get the family involved
Get prepared
Eat for maximum nutrition
Healthy snacks
Take your lunch with you
Healthy lunch tips

TAKEAWAY QUESTIONS

– How do you usually plan your meals?
– Do you get your family involved in meal planning?
– How do you make sure you eat for maximum nutrition?
– How do you prepare healthy snacks?
– How do you prepare healthy lunch?

How To Do A Facial Massage?

Massaging the face is essential for youthful looking skin especially for the 40 and above. An effective way to counter wrinkles, massaging is a slow process and its results are obvious only if it is continued for a period of time.

It is not a magic potion which can bring a change overnight and one has to be patient with it.

However, there is no doubt that massage reduces unattractive fleshiness, tightens facial tissues and muscles and increases blood circulation.

Once you have lines and wrinkles, you can only get rid of them by plastic surgery. Massage and facial exercises can help prevent new lines from forming but cannot remove the old ones already on the face.

By toning up the muscles and nourishing them, you can prevent new lines and wrinkles from forming.

Remember, whether you have a lumpy, flabby, withered or sallow skin, your face can regain the appearance of youth under the action of your own fingers.

Lines and wrinkles usually appear on the forehead, temples, eyes, nose, cheeks, chin and mouth.

Facial exercise protects facial muscles from slacking. Even if you are very good looking and young, as time passes your facial muscles will become loose, slack and creepy.

If you are young and smart and beautiful, doing facial exercise will prevent you from the slackness of face muscles when you grow old and if you are an old aged person then this will minimize the plasticity of you face muscles.

Facial exercise will make your face skin wrinkle free and shiny. This will tone your facial skin and give you a youthful look. At the same time, after performing the exercise, you will feel calm and relaxed

Massage is effective only if the skin is clear. Do not forget to remove all traces of make-up otherwise skin pores will be blocked by particles of dirt. All blackheads should be removed.

If the skin is oily, then remove oiliness by applying cleansing milk. Fresh lemon juice is also very effective in removing excess oiliness. If skin is dry, use a good moisturizer before massaging it.

If the skin is oily, it is advisable to use some astringent lotion. Apply Vitamin E cream before a massage, but the quantity of this cream should be enough only to give sufficient greasiness to the skin so that the hands and fingers move smoothly on the face.

After having cleaned the skin, press it with light but firm fingers, putting a little pressure while applying a good cream. Trained fingers can hold the skin firmly and apply even pressure.

With the passage of time, visible defects like wrinkles, flabbiness and dead cells are greatly reduced and a fresh and young look is restored.

Massage should start from the neck upwards and end at the forehead or temples because all veins and tissues get an increased blood supply by this process.

The skin around the eyes is delicate. So it is advisable to apply cream on this part without pressing it. Cream takes 15 to 20 minutes to get absorbed by the skin, so massage should continue that long.

Wipe off extra cream with a cotton wool swab soaked in water, preferably rose water.

The best time to massage the face is before going to bed.

Art of Massaging

Slow Massage – This is the most common method of massage. The secret is to massage slowly and patting/vibrating the skin. Using the fleshy part of your fingertips, press the skin lightly but firmly. The process starts at the base of the neck at a slow speed. The speed increases as the fingers move upwards. Stroking gives rest to the nerves and the vibration is useful in subduing pain that might be caused by massaging.
Fast Massage – The front half of both the palms are used to massage at speed, taking care to make a circular motion upwards.
Pressure Massage – This is a method when pressure is applied by finger-tips. This is effective for removing pouches beneath eyes.
Stroking Massage – Chubby cheeks are stroked with the tips of fingers. If the nose is broad, strokes are applied from the nose to the temples on both sides.
Pinching Massage – the skin is held, as in pincers, between the thumb and fingers. Such a massage is effective for a double chin and wrinkles on the jaw.
Friction Massage – The movement requires pressure on the skin while it is being moved over the underlying structures. Fingers or palms are employed in this movement. Hard movements are usually employed on the scalp while light movements are used on the face especially on the neck.
Piano Playing Movements – This exercise develops facial muscles and makes them firm. It should be done on the entire face, especially the cheek area, with your fingers. The movements must be supple yet brisk.

Facial Massage for Acne Treatment

Facial Massaging combined with proper diet and common-sense tips, there will be a drastic improvement in your skin condition.

Facial Massaging Steps:

Wash your hands, especially your fingertips, thoroughly.
Now with your thumbs firmly gripping your jaw-line, proceed to pressing with the free four fingers the upper jaw line working from the center outwards. Do 2-3 sets pressing firmly.
Now press the areas directly above the jaw line in the same center-going- outwards-direction firmly 2-3 times.
Do this working upwards till you reach the forehead line. If done correctly you should see little specks of dead skin on your face.
In a feathery motion, pinch at the entire face for as long as you desire (1-2 minutes) using all the free fingers in firm actions grasping the skin.
Now, in a downward-scraping motion using the finger tips, rub the jugular veins located at the sides of the neck (6-8) times, and then massage the outer part of the chest right next to the armpits in a firm circular motion ensuring you breathe deeply as well. According to the Egyptians this simple procedure has a marked effect on alleviating bags and crow’s feet from the eyes and directing the flow of toxins away from the face.
Wash your hands with soap and rinse the face with cool water only-gently but firmly.
Wipe your face dry with a paper towel or a towel you use only for your face and nothing else. Keep this towel in an exclusive location and wash it every other day.

Now, for an external acne treatment regimen, this procedure is quite effective.

Combined with such internal acne treatment procedures based on a proper diet of your Juicy fruits, some roots and leafy vegetables and if desired but highly recommended, occasional juice fasts or exclusive mono-meals of seasonal fruits.

Facial massaging will be very useful as a means of controlling acne and delaying facial aging as apparent in crow’s feet and wrinkles from the outside.

When performed correctly, it does enhance facial tone and structure not unlike costly plastic surgery. So, put your fingers to work and lovingly massage and sculpt your face with facial massaging while all the while becoming acne free starting today.

How To Overcome Negative Thoughts To Boost Self Esteem?

Are you looking for ways to boost your self-esteem? Then, how about going back to the way you think? Are your thoughts mostly positive or negative? With that, let’s find out how to overcome those negative thoughts.

Dispel Fears for a More Positive Outlook

Fears and phobias are something which can have an effect on anyone to some extent, while many can conquer their fear and most fears and phobias are unlike more than actual phobias.

For some people, fear and phobia can be severely distressing and have a huge impact on their day-to-day living.

Fear and phobias obviously cause negativity and constant negativity gets you down, while some phobias and fear can be deep-seeded you can break the hold it has over you with time and help.

There are various methods of help, and the more deeply seeded the fear or phobia, the more likely professional help may be advised in the form of a therapy or hypnotherapy. If the fear is only mild then you may overcome it by using self-help methods.

Understanding Fears and Phobias

In order to be able to conquer fears and phobias it is essential that you understand them, fear and phobia simply causes us uncomfortable thoughts and feelings when placed in certain situations.

It can bring feelings such as nausea, vomiting, dizziness, a terrible feeling, a tight band of pressure around the head, pains in the chest, a feeling of breathlessness and trembling.

These are all feelings that you yourselves allow building up and taking over your mind and body. Dispelling fear is a matter of taking back control and putting things into perspective.

This is the basis behind curing any form of fear or phobia although if you suffered for many years it will take longer for you to recover, recovery is possible.

Phobias and fears are basically exaggerated anxiety, and learning methods and ways to relax is a good start to curing fear and phobias.

There are many self-help books, online programs, courses and audio courses that can help you make a start, any self-help material designed for dealing with anxiety and stress will help but there are many specifically aimed at those suffering from fear and phobia.

Benefits of Overcoming the Fear

The benefits of dealing with and overcoming phobia and fear is immense and those who have recovered and overcome their fears and phobias have likened it to being reborn again, the world takes on new meaning when fears are dispelled.

A new positive outlook develops which leads to living a happier and more fulfilled life, you start to feel good about yourself and what you can accomplish in life, you are finally free to do anything and everything that your heart desires.

While there might still occasionally be some anxiety for a time when confronted by your fear or phobia, it will be unlike the intense fear that once had you incapacitated from it.

Once you have realized that the key to overcoming these feelings is inside you, the fear you feel doesn’t have the same hold on you it once did and will eventually give up its hold on you altogether.

Overcome Detachment

Dissociation or disconnection causes us problems with your emotions, physical sensations and how you feel about yourselves as well as the world around you.

It is often associated with depression and anxiety or when a person has gone through a traumatic experience.

People suffering from dissociation offer have feelings of unreality and often fear they are going insane or that they have some incurable illness.

Talking with and being around others becomes almost impossible and deep anxiety that is caused by the feelings can develop into a social phobia.

The feeling of dissociation can vary from person to person depending on the circumstances that brought it about, but common thoughts and feelings associated with disassociation include:

The world around feels unreal
Not belonging in the world
A grey fog covering their vision
Like having a veil over your head
The world is moving at a faster pace than normal
Confusion
A terrible feeling of not being able to cope
Unsure of yourself
Others find happiness but not you
Extreme anxiety
Feelings that everyone is against you
Feelings that everyone is talking about you

These are just some of the feelings caused by disassociation and these feelings eventually cause the sufferer to believe that they have to turn deeper inward to themselves in order to get back into reality.

They continually watch themselves for any brief glimpse that reality as they knew it is returning, of course the more they turn inward and worry the worse the symptoms are.

Cognitive behavioral therapy can help those suffering to overcome feelings of dissociation particularly when the cause is severe trauma.

Those suffering from dissociation due to anxiety and stress may be able to rid themselves of the feelings through self-help methods and the help and understanding of a doctor.

It is important to remember that the world hasn’t actually changed, it is only your perception of the world and those around you that has really changed and these are only temporary thoughts and feelings you are having.

Once you have conquered and overcome what is causing the feelings of dissociation you will see things as you once used to.

For those who suffer from feelings of dissociation due to depression and anxiety they should realize that the feelings are just that, no more than feelings and these feelings will leave in time.

It is important not to be constantly studying them and wondering when they will go, try to accept that they are here for a time and give them no more thought.

Once you have lost some interest in your feelings and are not constantly worrying about them it can be surprising how quickly the world once again becomes the world you once knew.

Accepting your feelings and any thoughts you might have during this period is essential, for it is only when you lose fear of the situation can you recover.

Overcome Doubt

Overcoming doubt is easy, if you don’t doubt it, of course. However, many entertain an element of doubt in their minds about being successful whenever they try something new.

In fact, almost everyone is in some way plagued with doubt of some kind. Take science, for example.

Do you think all the scientific advancement achieved would have been possible without questioning the prevailing assumptions at the beginning?

Suppose you want to start a business or launch a novel project. Are you absolutely sure that it will succeed?

There is always a little fear or doubt at the beginning.

Despite your doubt, you cannot let it keep you from your ultimate goal. The reason is simple. You must be prepared to risk failure because it is important for overcoming doubt.

Dive right in to whatever it is without making rash decisions. Don’t worry, you won’t dive in without the right gear.

You will analyze all of the possible consequences of your situation and you will embrace the outcome, whatever it may be. This is the secret to conquering doubt. Have courage to fight it out and you are sure to defeat it.

Belief is the enemy of doubt. Learn to think positively and believe in your ability to be successful. Remember you will succeed if you think you will and you will fail if you think that too.

Your thoughts are self-fulfilling prophecies so you must stop thinking negatively. Likewise, never pay heed to the people who discourage you, who revel in planting doubts in you and who are actually wolves in sheep’s clothing.

Always be in the company of those people whose thoughts and attitudes to life in general are positive.

When Failure Strikes

You probably won’t be fortunate to never experience failure in your life. However, you must understand that it is part of life. These are the times when failure fills your mind with doubt and it is hard to muster the confidence you built up earlier in the process.

You can’t let go of your commitment, no matter how shaken you are by failure. In fact, any setback should only prompt you to double your resolve to make another attempt at reaching your goal.

In order for this to happen, train your mind to build your self-control and self-confidence. Every step towards self-confidence helps get rid of doubt and you will be back to your successful ways once again.

Healthy Doubt

Remember some amount of doubt can always be helpful in gaining wisdom or achieving advancement in life.

But when it becomes a cause for your depression and inactivity or when it stands like an insurmountable hurdle in your way to reach your destination, draw upon your energy reserves that can toughen up your mind.

You have to strengthen your will to succeed at all costs and weaken doubt by all possible means, so that you will lead a life of fulfillment.

You may succeed because of your doubt or in spite of your doubt. Or, you may have to accept the inevitable and compromise with whatever worst-case scenario that presents itself.

If this happens, just change course, re-energize your cylinders and start afresh on your revised path. Defeat doubt before it defeats you.

Overcome Feelings of Helplessness

We all come across feelings of helplessness to some degree or another sometime during our life, this is fine as long as we get back on track and overcome these feelings.

However for some, feelings of helplessness set in and begin to affect our way of thinking and life.

Here are some helpful tips to help you understand those feelings of helplessness and how to overcome them.

Begin by identifying the problems, fears, issues and obstacles which make you feel helpless and try to discover why they make you feel this way
Work on ways that encourage you to take on new beliefs that you can be independent, self-confident and are capable of dealing with anything that crops up in the future
Learn ways to deal with these feelings of helplessness when they crop up
Practice ways to deal with conflicts and problem solving when they arise
If you have relapse and begin to doubt again remember that this is only normal and pick back up from where you left off
Whatever the success however small be sure to reward yourself
Realize that it will take time to change our feelings of helplessness so always strive towards your goals.
Don’t aim for perfection all the time, no one is perfect we all make mistakes
Identify what you need to do to grow in the skills of self-coping, self-healing and self-confidence

Feelings of helplessness can cause us many problems in life, the longer you feel helpless, the less control you have over your own life.

Here are some common experiences that occur through helplessness.

You begin to feel that no matter what you do or how hard you try you cannot succeed in life
You become over dependent on others around you to help you overcome your problems
You see yourself as totally incompetent
You develop a deep seated fear that you are unable to handle a situation
You become miserable, unhappy in life and depression sets in
You think of yourself as a victim that always needs rescuing from situations
You have a pessimistic outlook on life in general
You are afraid others see you as being frail and weak
You become despondent because you run out of people who are willing to look after you by solving your problems
You resign yourself to the fact that you will always be helpless, that you cannot possibly change

There are many ways you can help yourself overcome these feelings, the important thing to remember is that you are not alone and you can take back control over your life and make important decisions again to successfully solve your problems.

All you need is to have faith in yourself and dig deep and find that faith and bring it to the surface.

While we all have the ability to overcome our problems ourselves, it doesn’t hurt to get advice from friends and relatives as long as you aren’t relying on them totally to solve your problems for you.

POINTS TO REMEMBER

Dispel Fears For A More Positive Outlook
Understanding Fears And Phobias
Phobias and fears are basically exaggerated anxiety, and learning methods and ways to relax is a good start to curing fear and phobias.

Benefits Of Overcoming The Fear
– likened to being born again
– new positive outlook
– start to feel good
– free to do anything and everything

Overcome Detachment or Dissociation
Detachment or dissociation is often associated with depression and anxiety or when a person has gone through a traumatic experience.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
Remember that the world hasn’t actually changed
Overcome the cause
Accept your feelings and any thoughts

Overcome Doubt
– be prepared to risk failure
– dive in to whatever it is without making rash decisions
– have the courage to fight it out
– belief is the enemy of doubt

When Failure Strikes
– understand failures as part of life
– you can’t let go of your commitment
– train your mind to build your self-control and self-confidence

Healthy Doubt
– strengthen your will to succeed
– accept the inevitable
– compromise with whatever worst-case scenario

Overcome Feelings Of Helplessness
– take back control over your life
– make important decisions again to successfully solve your problems
– have faith in yourself
– dig deep
– find that faith

TAKEAWAY QUESTIONS

Do you have any negative thoughts? If so, what are they?

How do you overcome these negative thoughts?

How will you overcome fears?

How will you overcome detachment?

How will you overcome doubt?

How will you overcome feelings of helplessness?

What Are The Basics Of Learning Self-Hypnosis?

Hypnosis is a proven method of deep relaxation that is used for creating inner changes in our thoughts, emotions and behaviors. It is also a medically recognized tool for controlling pain and reducing stress.

The most common form of hypnosis these days is self-hypnosis. This is a self-induced state of deep relaxation attained by either listening to a recording or by bringing yourself into a trance.

It is fairly easy to learn self-hypnosis and, as with everything else in life, “practice makes perfect!” The key is to take it easy. Approach the subject with playfulness.

Do not try too hard to enter into trance for this defeat the whole purpose of hypnosis. You are going to learn how to bring yourself into a profoundly relaxed state and trying to force it to happen only makes you tense and has the reverse effect.

How To Perform Self-Hypnosis?

A major part in the art of self-hypnosis is learning to let the hypnotic state takeover by itself. Try not to analyze what is happening.

When you keep the conscious mind engaged in analyzing you will find it hard to go from the beta brainwave state (conscious waking decision making) to the alpha brainwave state (the deeply relaxed state of light trance where most hypnosis subjects stay). Just allow yourself to relax.

It is your body’s natural state to relax when you perform certain mental and physical actions, so don’t fight it by trying to figure out how or why it is happening.

Do not get discouraged or think nothing is happening if you don’t feel much change at first or if progress appears to be slow.

After some practice you will find entering a state of self-induced trance become easy and natural as you teach your body and mind to relax.

Don’t expect to be an expert right off the bat! Expecting yourself to be as good as Paul McKenna or Dick Sutphen on your first attempt is setting yourself up for frustration.

It takes time to learn hypnosis and unless you are truly fortunate it will take time to teach your body and mind to let go and enter this state effortlessly – but it will happen.

Remember that there are various ways to experience hypnosis and no two people will experience trance in exactly the same way. Expect your experience to be the same as someone else’s!

It is a good idea to set aside a regular time to practice your new skills. Give yourself the gift of 15 to 30 minutes every day or every other day to practice self-hypnosis.

Make sure you will not be disturbed and that your environment is quiet. You may be surprised that you do not actually get sleepy or fall asleep during hypnosis, although the body does enter into that type of relaxed posture.

You may find that initially you tend to fall asleep while practicing self-hypnosis. If this happens just practice at an earlier time when you are less fatigued until you perfect the technique. If falling asleep is still a problem then practices it while sitting in an upright chair.

Before you begin, set an intention for the session. Do you want more confidence, higher self-esteem, the perfect relationship or an improvement in your finances? You will now use one of two techniques which will be used as post hypnotic suggestions.

Create some positive affirmations that state you are already they you wish to be or you are already in possession of your desire and memorize them.

If this seems like too much work then just imagine you already have your desire and make a mental movie of it.

See yourself experiencing it as if it were happening now. You will use one of these techniques when you enter trance to reprogram your subconscious mind!

Begin by sitting or lying comfortably. Keep your head straight, pointing forward, but look up at a spot on the wall – do not bend your neck.

Your eyes should be looking slightly up. Breathe in to the count of five and out to the count of five. This will cause your body to let go of tensions and stresses. Now, curl your toes on both feet and tense them while you inhale to the count of five.

Now relax on your exhale to the count of five. Move up to your legs. Tense them and relax. Keep breathing in to the count of five and out to the count of five. Now tense your whole pelvic and buttock region. And relax. All the time breathing deeply.

Move up to your stomach, then your chest, neck, face and head, repeating the tensing and relaxing procedure while breathing deeply. Allow your eyes to close naturally at any time during this relaxation exercise. You will find that within a very short period of time it takes more and more effort to keep them open.

Once your eyes are shut and you have relaxed your entire body, imagine that you are at the top of a winding dark staircase with ten steps. Keep breathing deeply to the count of five.

Move down to the first step, noticing that you can only see a few steps ahead of you as the rest are shrouded in a calm still darkness.

Mentally say the word 10. Now move to the next step and mentally say 9. Then, the next saying 8. Move progressively down the steps until you reach the bottom.

During this exercise you can allow your breathing to return to normal or keep the deep breathing up if you prefer.

Once you have reached the bottom imagine there is a large wooden door in front of you walk towards it and open it. On the other side you find a moving escalator going down. Move onto it and feel it bringing you down, down, down. Deeper, deeper, down.

When you reach the bottom imagine you can walk slightly forward until you find yourself in a quiet relaxing setting. Just let it appear. It may be a garden, a beach, a forest or a favorite place from childhood. It could be anywhere.

Just allow your subconscious mind to show you where you are. Relax in whatever way seems appropriate to you in that special place.

At this stage you can mentally give yourself post hypnotic suggestions in the form of “I am….”, or “I allow____ to enter my life with ease” and the likes.

If you prefer not to have to remember mentally spoken instructions then recall your visualization and place yourself inside it!

This is important see the scene through YOUR eyes as though it were a memory. Do not visualize yourself in the scene the way you would see another person. Experience it from your perspective. Do this for as long as it is enjoyable.

Once you have finished and are ready to return to normal waking consciousness, simply count back from 10 to 1 and mentally say “wide awake, wide awake”.

Stretch, give yourself a few seconds to re-adjust to your surroundings and then go about your daily activities.

You will find this short exercise in self-hypnosis most beneficial, rejuvenating and life-altering!

Is It Possible To Lose Weight In One Week?

One Week Weight Loss Plan

Losing weight can be easily understood and workable even in just a week! Specific methods will be discussed.

It would then be up for the reader if one would consistently do it or not. Thus, the sustainable outcome and effect will also depend on which.

But before one gets into action, one of the greatest considerations would be planning. This time you should grab your calendar and star plotting on the specific dates as to when to start with the practice.

See the details of how to lose weight in 1 week steps:

SUNDAY

Face that camera, say cheese and shed pounds!

Sunday is probably the day that you usually take off, perhaps going to churches, treating yourself to a shopping spree or perhaps dining out with your loved ones (if you are on the process of working out to get that great figure you need to watch out for your diet though) or perhaps going to the nearest park to relax.

You need not to change this routine, go on with it and enjoy, after all this is your day off from work.

As soon as you come home though, the first thing that you should do is to get that camera of yours and take a shot of yourself before gobbling up your dinner and another picture as soon as you are done with your meal.

You must be wondering as to what the purpose of picture taking is? Well according to a certain study by Robert A. Carels, Ph.D., an associate professor in the psychology department at Bowling Green State University recording meals may help you lose up to 5 percent of your weight.

Now those pictures that you have taken can help you with your food diary. It can help you determine the actual amount of food and the type of food that you eat. It is also strongly suggested that you download the pictures you have taken so you will have a record of it.

MONDAY

Take that multivitamin

Monday, you might probably be in a rush, taking that early morning shower and gobbling all that calorie full breakfast. Why not? You must be in a work for hurry, trying to beat that traffic jam unless you leave 10 steps away from your work place.

But wait before you get to absorb in your daily routine just to get yourself to your work place, what about your diet? Your goal is to get that perfect slim body! Do not forget it nor take it for granted.

Now to beat this Monday rush, here is what you need to do according to two studies in the British Journal of Nutrition they suggest that taking a daily multivitamin may make you less hungry and those people who take multivitamin tend to weigh less and have lower body mass index (BMIs).

Start your day right, pop that multivitamins which have 100% recommended daily allowance (RDA) of vitamin and mineral intake.

Take note that these vitamins and minerals chromium, copper, folic acid, iodine, manganese, molybdenum, niacin, pantothenic acid, riboflavin, thiamin, vitamins B6 and B12, and zinc should be in your multivitamin to support the need of your body.

TUESDAY

Burn those calories by speeding up!

Tuesday might be a little hectic than Mondays. You have gotten yourself back on track. Now add this to your calendar. Try to wake up a little earlier than you used to do, say an hour before your usual waking up time. Now here is what you need to do on this Tuesday morning.

According to Jim Stoppani, Ph.D., author of “Encyclopedia of Muscle and Strength,” strength-training circuit-style burns more calories than the traditional way.

Apart from great calorie burner strength-training circuit is also perfect for travelers or for people who want to get more done in a short period of time.

Now bear in mind that in circuit training the shorter the rest period between sets, the more calories you blast off.

What you need to do today is to start that circuit exercise by doing one set of 15 reps for each exercise with no rest in between. Wait 20 seconds and repeat the circuit twice.

WEDNESDAY

Torch more fat by taking triple dose of that Big C!

Vitamin C has definitely multi functions. Ascorbic acid is not just use to boost your immune system or to shield any skin allergies that you have, Vitamin C is also use to lose weight.

According to research in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition, if you regularly consume 500 milligrams or more of vitamin C it can help you burn 30 percent more fat while working out.

Starting today, treat your body with Vitamin C enriched food like citrus fruits, broccoli, and cantaloupe.

THURSDAY

Grab a friend and get into exercise session to drop weight

Having a friend to do work out sessions with you will not just help you lose weight faster but you won’t be able to notice the time that pass you by while you are doing exercises.

Also if you have weight loss network will help you get motivated in working out to speed up your slimming goal. It is easy to turn to someone whom you know just in case you are encountering some difficulties.

FRIDAY

Colors can also make you slim!

True enough, varieties of colorful fruit and vegetable can help you maintain a great figure or can help you speed up your slimming process.

For sure, you have heard of the old saying that goes like this “an apple a day will keep the doctor away” and so does pounds.

An easy way to cut your calorie load is to fill up your diet with a range of fruits and vegetables. Your best bet is to follow the rainbow diet.

Cereals will be best if they’re added with blue berry, snack on apples, and load your lunchtime salad with carrots, tomatoes, and peppers.

SATURDAY

Inhale it and fight your cravings!

Ever had the feeling of gobbling food whenever you are feeling stressed out? Most of the times, when you feel anxious or stressed out, your hunger shoot up as well. It is best to practice the yogic breathing to offset this.

When you are relaxed, you do not experience much hunger pains as compared to when you are worried.

Add the fact that when you are stressed out you tend to cherry pick sweet food. The loads of ice cream and chocolates increase when you are anxious.

You can make rational choices on your food intake if you are relaxed. You can also do the 12 minute workout where you have to rest your right thumb near your right nostril, ring finger and pinky by your left nostril.

Then you have to close the left side and inhale through the right for four counts, finally close your right nostril and hold for four counts and open your left nostril and exhale through that side for four counts.

Do the same cycle on the other side and continue alternating for about a minute and soon you will forget that cookie craving of yours.

Now you have completed your weekly calendar, make sure that you stick with your plan and practice it religiously and in no time you will attain that great figure that you have yearn to get.

This calendar of ours can be used as your guide if you are starting to take weight loss seriously.

You can use this as the start of your weight loss efforts, and this can complement the other weight loss suggestions that you can get here.

Some Best Advised Weight Loss Tips & Exercise

Now that you know some of the weight loss efforts and suggestions, it’s that stage wherein you also need to realize that you need some form of exercise.

Exercise is an important component to any weight loss efforts. And when you happen to check all the other leading dieting and weight loss programs out there, you will note a single thread that will govern all these weight loss efforts.

All of these programs and weight loss efforts will always include a complete exercise regimen.

Exercise will definitely help in your efforts to lose weight and to maintain the desired weight.

And here are some suggested exercise for weight loss:

Cardio exercises

These exercises will deliver the goods but the bad news is that most women tend to do it the wrong way. Remember that when you do this too much, then you risk different forms of injuries. Another mistake is doing the exercises at low intensity and finally some women tend to neglect the other parts of the programs. Other skips the strength training and flexibility just to focus on the cardio. The important key here is to balance the exercise program.

Strength training
You don’t need to be afraid of the heavy weights. This kind of training can also help women who want to lose weight and maintain weight.
Strength training is not only suited for men but for women as well.
This kind of training or exercise would help the body tone each muscle parts of the body, thus creating a good shape and contour of the body.

One just have to remember that no matter how good the suggestions and the tips are on how one can lose those extra pounds, if these are not backed by exercise then efforts will be futile.

Exercise would perfectly complement any diet program. Living a good healthy habit is not just what one should do. The importance of a regular exercise is vital to life.

So, is it really possible to lose weight in a week?

Again, there are many factors considering the variation of the amount of weight loss a person could have in a week. Others, take months, some have a slight result while others have none at all.

And here are other 20 tips to lose weight:

Top 20 Effective Weight Loss Tips

POINTS TO REMEMBER

One Week Weight Loss Plan

SUNDAY: Face that camera, say cheese and shed pounds!
MONDAY: Take that multivitamin
TUESDAY: Burn those calories by speeding up!
WEDNESDAY: Torch more fat by taking triple dose of that Big C!
THURSDAY: Grab a friend and get into exercise session to drop weight
FRIDAY: Colors can also make you slim!
SATURDAY: Inhale it and fight your cravings!

Some Best Advised Weight Loss Tips & Exercise
Suggested exercise for weight loss
⦁ Cardio exercises
⦁ Strength training

TAKEAWAY QUESTIONS

– Is it really possible to lose weight in a week?

– When was the last time you took a photo of yourself?

– What are the activities you do to burn your calories?

– Do you an exercise buddy?

– Are you getting Vitamin C from fruits and vegetables?

How To Prepare For A Pilates Class?

Are you planning to soon join a Pilates class?

If so, are you using Pilates mat exercise? How about music in Pilates class? Find them out here.

Be warned that walking into any Pilates studio could be daunting, especially if it is your first time.

You would notice a variety of very odd-looking contraptions, which you could logically infer as ‘Pilates machines.’ Never worry.

Whichever studio you go to, there surely would be a knowledgeable and friendly staff or personnel who would accommodate and orient you to Pilates sessions.

How could you prepare for your first ever Pilates class? You might be truly excited. There is no need to be nervous or to be embarrassed. Beginners are always welcome to join such classes.

Here are practical tips that would help you overcome your first-time jitters.

What you should bring?

Remember that you do not need to take with you much when you drop by any Pilates studio.

Generally, the studio provides every equipment and material you would need for the workout. However, you may prefer to workout using your own mat.

Pilates mats are commercially available in various stores. You should be lucky enough to learn that your studio might actually be selling such items.

Take note that such mats are usually made a bit thicker than any conventional yoga mat. Ask your instructor about his recommendations before you purchase your Pilates mat.

It is important to make yourself properly hydrated prior to starting the workout. Thus, you would still need to carry with you a water bottle.

You would not need to guzzle water during the workout just like what you usually do on your aerobic and cardiovascular workouts.

But you certainly would feel a little thirsty at the middle of the session so keep a water bottle handy.

What to wear?

You should not dress to impress when attending a Pilates class. It is very important that you make sure your clothes are comfortable.

Wear outfits that would enable you to make movements and to fully stretch. Loose clothes are fine, but keep away from baggy clothes.

The instructor should be able to see your body during the workout to see if your alignment is correct during movements.

Baggy clothes may tend to be too revealing especially because there are certain movements that are very complicated.

As for the footwear, take note that Pilates should be done barefoot. There is no need to buy and wear fancy and fashionable shoes.

Avoid wearing excess accessories. Belts, long necklaces, and dangling bracelets are not only distracting; they could also pose dangers especially if they get caught up in the Pilates equipment.

You surely would not want to strangle yourself. Also make sure your hair is tied back so it would not fall into your face and cause discomfort. You may also opt to wear hair bands. There would be no problem if your hair is cut short.

One last advice: do not wear strong perfumes and deodorants before going to the Pilates class. This is because many people are simply sensitive to strong scents. You need to be considerate of others.

What you need and what you get from a Pilates mat exercise?

Pilates Mat exercises have been considered very beneficial, especially for those who want stronger abdominal muscles and a stronger core.

Usually, exercises are done with Pilates machines. But Pilates Mat exercises however, have more challenging exercises simply because your body doesn’t have to rely on the support of the machine to do the work, making it shoulder the work that you are making it do.

These results in a variety of developments, more so, on the abs than any part of the body, and we all know that that piece of fat under the navel is really hard to get to.

The other benefit of a Pilates mat exercise is its sheer lack of exercise equipment. Unlike other Pilates exercises, this only requires you, as the name says, a Pilates mat.

And you’re ready to go, of course every Pilates exercise requires you some sort of instructor, either a real one, or a video, to tell you what to do, or if what you’re doing is correct, which brings us to the question of do I really need an instructor?

And the answer is yes, every exercise needs an instructor, even something you might think as simple as a Pilates mat exercise won’t look very simple once you’re in a hospital bed.

Pilates mat exercises can be very advanced body work, and doing it wrongly can as with every type of work out, give you injuries.

A Pilates mat instructor has to be certified by a qualified school make sure that your instructor has real qualifications before you take Pilates mat classes.

A DVD or a real one? Essentially, most Pilates experts recommend a real instructor, an instructor can point out what you’re doing wrong, can position you correctly if you don’t have the right posture, and can personalize the exercise you’re doing specifically for your body’s needs.

However, there are lots of Pilates mat exercise videos out there that have been getting good reviews recently.

Some people might have gone on to saying that it’s as good as the real instructor, well to each his own, but my suggestion is, if you can afford a real instructor, then get one.

That’s the problem with real instructors though, the price, you’ll have to pay for classes monthly for that, but with a DVD, you’ll only have to buy it once and then you can use it for years to come.

What’s also good with a Pilates mat exercise DVD is its convenience, you won’t have to travel to the gym or to class you can just spread your mat on the floor, turn on the DVD and the you’re good to go.

Pilates Exercise Equipment

Pilates exercise equipment can help make a wonderful workout program into an amazing way to transform your body.

There are a handful of useful items available that will help you maximize the benefits of your routine. These helpful tools are great for the seasoned exerciser as well as the beginner.

The first piece of Pilates exercise equipment you want to get is a DVD that offers a viewing of a typical routine.

You simply work out right with the people on the screen. While this is not the newest innovation in Pilates exercise equipment it is the most important item.

Following a good plan is simple if you have the instructor right there with you. Those of us who can’t afford a personal trainer opt to buy the DVD Pilates exercise equipment instead. Using a DVD will help you finish a complete routine without skimping. It also provides great motivation for the user.

The Pilates ball is a favorite among people of all abilities. This Pilates exercise equipment is just plain fun. You can accomplish a lot in a workout by balancing on one of these large bouncy balls without feeling a thing.

The results are great and you barely break a sweat. This is among the most popular Pilates exercise equipment on the market.

One of the most important aspects of this type of workout program is its safety. This approach to fitness is very kind to the body. In fact, it is even used in some physical rehabilitation approaches.

This is a very appealing feature that is the key to the Pilates workout. People of all ages and abilities are able to use this program.

No matter how safe any workout is you really want to choose a mat when completing floor exercises. Pilates exercise equipment includes this necessity to floor workouts.

Perhaps, this is one of the most important pieces of Pilates exercise equipment, especially if you have hardwood floors.

Resistance bands are great for adding a little more challenge to the routine. While the resistance bands are not an absolute necessity to a successful workout they can really help to keep things interesting for the advanced client.

This Pilates exercise equipment can be introduced at the intermediate level but not recommended for beginners.

There are various other items that can be used to supplement the workout. No matter if you use additional Pilates exercise equipment or not you will definitely see results if you stick with the routine.

Should Pilates Classes Use Music?

Pilates classes are very popular these days. Most gyms and fitness centers offer regular Pilates sessions that are guided and facilitated by fitness professionals.

In reality, it is very different from all other fitness sessions. But many individuals do not readily identify that difference especially when their Pilates sessions use music.

Some Pilates experts do not use music while others make it a point to feature facilitative tunes to make participants more inclined to do the tasks.

Should Pilates classes use music? It is considered a matter or preference whether a facilitator/ instructor would use music or not in every Pilates class.

There are specific times when music would help in making the session more effective, though there would also be instances when it would just serve as a form of unnecessary distraction.

Professionals should know when music should be used in their Pilates sessions.

For classes that involve mostly beginners, music could be used sparingly. This is because when people are relatively new to the program, it could help them attain and maintain interest if there is an appropriate music or tune that comes with the basic Pilates movements.

However, in some instances, music is omitted especially when the instructor wants to make sure participants would listen to and understand specific Pilates movement instructions.

A competent and effective Pilates instructor would ensure that participants focus on keeping proper posture alignment, breath control, and stability.

They should also make sure the students maintain a neutral spine or lying position.

In this regard, it would help if music used would not use catchy tunes and interesting lyrics.

Thus, most instructors prefer to use meditative music to prevent the participants from focusing instead on the lyrics.

For advanced Pilates students or participants, music could be used as an effective strategy to attain and support smooth movement.

The right choice of music to be used is important as it could be significant and vital to ensuring a smoother flow of movements.

The good flow of sound could also help keep the movements become more targeted.

However, when using music during Pilates classes, make sure you avoid using heavily rhythmic music.

This is because such tunes could only encourage and prompt the class to unnecessarily choreograph Pilates movements just to keep up a tempo.

In general, the Pilates class members should be able to move more naturally so they could be enabled to move at a strategic pace that would suit their bodies with their individual variations.

Overall, music could surely enhance any Pilates session or class. For people who have become very familiar to Pilates movements, music could be a form of further enhancement to achieve more harmony between movements and breathing.

For beginners, music should definitely take a back-step because such participants could only be unnecessarily distracted.

Doing Pilates without music could also be effective especially if you do the movements on your own.

But for classes, meditative or strategic music could certainly be of great help. Instructors should take their choice of music to be used as another challenge.

POINTS TO REMEMBER

Are you planning to soon join a Pilates class?

What you should bring?
What to wear?
What you need and what you get from a Pilates mat exercise

Pilates Exercise Equipment

DVD Pilates exercise equipment
Pilates ball
Resistance bands

TAKEAWAY QUESTIONS

– Are you interested in Pilates?

– Have you attended a Pilates class?

– What equipment you use in Pilates?

– What do you wear in doing Pilates?

– Does music help in doing Pilates or not?

How To Be Genuinely Happy?

Genuine Happiness Comes from Within

Life isn’t the sweetest candy. Sometimes, when I feel like the world is just too heavy, look around and find people who continued to live fascinating and wonderful lives.

And then thoughts come popping into my mind like bubbles from nowhere – “How did their life become so adorably sweet? How come they still can manage to laugh and play around despite a busy stressful life?”

Then I pause and observed for a while… I figured out that maybe, they start to work on a place called ‘self’.

How does one become genuinely happy? Step one is to love yourself.

A professor once said that “loving means accepting.” To love oneself means to accept that you are not a perfect being, but behind the imperfections must lie a great ounce of courage to be able to discover ways on how to improve your repertoire to recover from our mistakes.

Genuine happiness also pertains to contentment. When you are contented with the job you have, the way you look, with your family, your friends, the place you live in, your car, and all the things you now have – truly, you know the answer to the question “how to be genuinely happy.”

When we discover a small start somewhere from within, that small start will eventually lead to something else, and to something else.

But if you keep questioning life lit it has never done you any good, you will never be able to find genuine happiness.

Life is about finding out about right and wrong, trying and failing, winning and losing. These are things that happen as often as you inhale and exhale.

Failure, in a person’s life has become as abundant and necessary as air. But this should not hinder us from becoming happy.

How to be genuinely happy in spite all these? I tell you… every time you exert effort to improve the quality of life and your being, whether it is cleaning up your room, helping a friend, taking care of your sick dog, fail on board exams and trying again, life gives you equivalent points for that.

Imagine life as a big score board like those which are used in the NFLs. Every time you take a step forward, you make scoring points.

Wouldn’t it be nice to look at that board at the end of each game and think to yourself “Whew! I got a point today. I’m glad I gave it a shot.”

Instead of looking at it all blank and murmur “Geez, I didn’t even hit a score today. I wish I had the guts to try out. We could have won!” and then walk away.

Genuine happiness isn’t about driving the hottest Formula 1 car, nor getting the employee of the year award, earning the highest 13th month pay, or beating the sales quota.

Sometimes, the most sought after prizes in life doesn’t always go to the fastest, the strongest, the bravest or not even the best.

How do you become genuinely happy? Everyone has his own definition of ‘happiness’. Happiness for a writer may mean launching as much bestselling books as possible.

Happiness for a basketball rookie may mean getting the rookie of the year award. Happiness for a beggar may mean a lot of money.

Happiness for a business man may mean success.

So, really now, how do we become genuinely happy? Simple. You don’t have to have the best things in this world. It’s about doing and making the best out of every single thing.

When you find yourself smiling at your own mistake and telling yourself “Oh, I’ll do better next time”, you carry with you a flame of strong will power to persevere that may spread out like a brush fire. You possess a willingness to stand up again and try – that will make you a genuinely happy person.

When you learn to accept yourself and your own faults. You pass step 1 in the project “how to become genuinely happy”. For as long as you know how to accept others, you will also be accepted.

For as long as you love and know how to love, you will receive love ten folds back.

Again, throw me that same question “how to become genuinely happy?” I’ll refer you to a friend of mine who strongly quoted- “Most of us know that laughter is the best medicine to life’s aches and pain. But most of us don’t know that the best kind of laughter is laughter over self. Coz then you don’t just become happy… you become free.”

Be happy…Happy as You Want to Be

Almost everyone have heard the hit single ‘Don’t Worry, Be Happy’ by Bobby McFerrin. The song has a very catchy way of conveying its message of being happy to everyone. Bobby Mcferiin’s simple message surely made a lot of people by telling them not to worry.

Living a happy, resilient and optimistic life is wonderful, and is also good for your health.

Being happy actually protects you from the stresses of life. Stress is linked to top causes of death such as heart disease, cancer and stroke.

One of the better things ever said is – ‘The only thing in life that will always remain the same is change’, and in our life we have the power to make the necessary changes if we want to.

Even if we find ourselves in an unbearable situation we can always find solace in the knowledge that it too would change.

Social networks or relationships are essential to happiness. People are different, accept people for who or what they are, avoid clashes, constant arguments, and let go of all kinds of resentments.

If arguments seem unavoidable still try and make an effort to understand the situation and you might just get along with well with

Happiness is actually found in everyone, increasing it is a way to make a life more wonderful and also more healthy.

To be happy is relatively easy. Just decide to be a happy person. Abraham Lincoln observed that most people for most of the time can choose how happy or stressed, how relaxed or troubled, how bright or dull their outlook to be. The choice is simple really, choose to be happy.

There are several ways by which you can do this.

Being grateful is a great attitude. We have so much to be thankful for. Thank the taxi driver for bringing you home safely, thank the cook for a wonderful dinner and thank the guy who cleans your windows.

Also thank the mailman for bringing you your mails, thank the policeman for making your place safe and thank God for being alive.

News is stressful. Get less of it. Some people just can’t start their day without their daily dose of news. Try and think about it, 99% of the news we hear or read is bad news. Starting the day with bad news does not seem to be a sensible thing to do.

A religious connection is also recommended. Being part of a religious group with its singing, sacraments, chanting, prayers and meditations foster inner peace.

Manage your time. Time is invaluable and too important to waste. Time management can be viewed as a list of rules that involves scheduling, setting goals, planning, creating lists of things to do and prioritizing.

These are the core basics of time management that should be understood to develop an efficient personal time management skill. These basic skills can be fine-tuned further to include the finer points of each skill that can give you that extra reserve to make the results you desire.

Laugh and laugh heartily every day. Heard a good joke? Tell your friends or family about it. As they also say -‘Laughter is the best medicine’.

Express your feelings, affections, friendship and passion to people around you. They will most likely reciprocate your actions.

Try not to keep pent up anger of frustrations, this is bad for your health. Instead find ways of expressing them in a way that will not cause more injury or hurt to anyone.

Working hard brings tremendous personal satisfaction. It gives a feeling of being competent in finishing our tasks.

Accomplishments are necessary for all of us and they give us a sense of value. Work on things that you feel worthy of your time.

Learning is a joyful exercise. Try and learn something new every day. Learning also makes us expand and broaden our horizons and could also give us more opportunities in the future.

Run, jog, walk and do other things that your body was made for. Feel alive.

Avoid exposure to negative elements like loud noises, toxins and hazardous places.

These are the few simple things you can do every day to be happy.

And always remember the quote from Abraham Lincoln, he says that, “Most people are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.”

POINTS TO REMEMBER

Genuine happiness comes from within

acceptance
contentment
exert effort to improve the quality of life
doing an making the best out of every single thing
willingness to stand up again and try
accept yourself and your own faults

Be Happy…Happy As You Want To Be

Choose to be happy!

Being grateful is a great attitude.
News is stressful. Get less of it.
A religious connection is also recommended.
Manage your time.
Laugh and laugh heartily every day.
Express your feelings, affections, friendship and passion to people around you.
Working hard brings tremendous personal satisfaction.
Learning is a joyful exercise.
Feel alive.
Avoid exposure to negative elements.

TAKEAWAY QUESTIONS

– What makes you happy?

– What makes you genuinely happy?

– What are your attitudes that contributes to your happiness?

– Do you choose to be happy?

– Are you depending your happiness from other people and circumstances?

– Does your happiness comes from within or from external circumstances?

By learning how to take control of your stress and make it work FOR you instead of AGAINST you.

1. Acknowledge stress is good

2. Avoid stress sneezers

3. Learn from the best

4. Practice socially acceptable heavy breathing

5. Give stressful thoughts the red light

6. Know your trigger points and hot spots

7. Burn the candle at one end

5 Minute Daily Program to Stress Management

Manage Time

To improve your time management:

Save time by focusing and concentrating, delegating, and scheduling time for yourself.

Keep a record of how you spend your time, including work, family, and leisure time.

Prioritize your time by rating tasks by importance and urgency. Redirect your time to those activities that are important and meaningful to you.

Manage your commitments by not over- or under-committing. Don’t commit to what is not important to you.

Deal with procrastination by using a day planner, breaking large projects into smaller ones, and setting short-term deadlines.

Examine your beliefs to reduce conflict between what you believe and what your life is like.

Build healthy coping strategies

Lifestyle Choices

Try to:

Balance personal, work, and family needs and obligations.

Have a sense of purpose in life.

Get enough sleep, since your body recovers from the stresses of the day while you are sleeping.

Eat a balanced diet for a nutritional defense against stress.

Get moderate exercise throughout the week.

Limit your consumption of alcohol.

Don’t smoke.

Social Support

Change Thinking

Thought-stopping helps you stop a negative thought to help eliminate stress.

Disproving irrational thoughts helps you to avoid exaggerating the negative thought, anticipating the worst, and interpreting an event incorrectly.

Problem solving helps you identify all aspects of a stressful event and find ways to deal with it.

Changing your communication style helps you communicate in a way that makes your views known without making others feel put down, hostile, or intimidated. This reduces the stress that comes from poor communication. Use the assertiveness ladder to improve your communication style.

POINTS TO REMEMBER

Managing time

Lifestyle choices

Social support

Change thinking

TAKEAWAY QUESTIONS

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Introduction to Vipassana Meditation Technique

Learning Vipassana Meditation Technique

The first step is to concentrate on your breathing.

The second step to concentrate on your feelings and sensation.

Learn how to practice Vipassana Meditation Technique:

Benefits of Vipassana Meditation

Brings Objectivity

Makes Life Enjoyable

Helps in Developing a Sound Mind

Brings Inner Creativity Out

POINTS TO REMEMBER

TAKEAWAY QUESTIONS

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The Basics

Why we drop off our motivation:

Hints on how to remain motivated:

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What Is the South Beach Diet?

The Three Phases in a Nutshell

Pre-packaged food to purchase

Workout DVDs and programs

Tools to track your weight, phase, and diet goals

Meal planners and nutrition tools

Access to questions answered by Dr. Agatston

Community support

Recipe database with more than 1,000 recipes

Dangers of South Beach Diet

Lack of Information and Understanding

Lapsing Into the Old Eating Habits

Lack of Willpower

Steps To Overcome These South Beach Diet Dangers

TAKEAWAY QUESTIONS

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Common Bodybuilding Weightlifting Injuries

Sit-up

Pec Deck

Behind the Neck Press

Dead Lift

Leg Extensions

First Aid Treatment for Bodybuilding Injuries