Every once in a while you run across a couple of ideas that really work to help cut belly fat. It doesn't matter if you're a man or woman, these will help you on your journey to reducing the amount of body fat you have. Not only will these help accelerate your fat loss, but if you're just starting out, it's a great "first step" towards your success.

Increase Your Meals Per Day

I'm not talking about gorging ourselves here, but rather eating around 5 to 6 times per day and eating less per meal. Did you know that you slow down your metabolism when you stick with the traditional 1 to 3 meals per day? You can actually store more fat by eating fewer meals because we typically increase the total number of calories and we're more likely to splurge and eat more.

Not only will we eat more with fewer meals but we're also dealing with blood sugar levels. If you're eating less than 3 meals per day, our sugar levels will drop and we become hypoglycemic which can cause many emotional issues such as anger, irritability, and anxiety just to name a few. When our blood sugar gets low we may want to eat junk food to get our sugar levels up.

However, if we're eating more meals per day but less in quantity our blood sugar levels will stay in homeostasis which means that our we're in a prime condition to burn fat and won't have the urge to eat junk food.

Water, Water Everywhere

It's a fact that if we're thirsty, we tend to eat more. One thing to do to before we eat is to sit down and drink a large glass of cold water, wait about 5 minutes then begin your meal. Only eat until your full and you'll find that this trick will be effective in cutting belly fat.

Water, in general, is essential for living. We should always be mindful to keep hydrated since it flushes out toxins and keeps our cells healthy. You'll feel full and less likely to indulge in junk sodas and fast food.

High Intensity Training

You might have heard of "heart zone" or "heart rate" training. If not, this has to do with calculating our optimum heart rate when we exercise and then, with the use of a heart rate monitor, get our heart rates up and sustained in this region. I covered how to calculate this on my site under, Cut Belly Fat NOW.

Once you have calculated your Maximum Heart Rate (or MHR), you want your Target Heart Rate (or THR) for exercising at 80%. With a higher intensity training you will burn more total calories than if you were to exercise at 60% (Ok, this isn't rocket science..but close!) Not only do you burn fat while exercising at a higher intensity, but your body will continue to burn fat for as much as one and a half days later!

I'm not talking of having a sustained THR; we want to perform interval training where we are using timed sets. For example, if you're doing your cardio on a bike, you can go at a constant pace for half a minute and then bump it up to an intense ride for sixty seconds. Bring it back down to the constant pace again for thirty seconds.

Try the above items for a week or two and you will feel more invigorated and lose the stomach fat.

Steve Truax has been on a journey of encouraging others on diet and exercise over the past few years. If you're interested in getting fit and want to know more about how to cut belly fat, please join him by visiting http://cut-belly-fat.com/

View the original article here

Tis the Season! Once again the biggest holiday is upon us and is it just me or does it seem like it creeped up on us very fast this year? I am sure others feel the same stress as I do making sure you do your very best to make it a successful and fun holiday. In doing this, and the hustle and bustle and stress that accompanies the holidays, we still must be mindful of sticking to our goals and making sure we do not derail our weight loss plan that we have worked so hard to get thus far.

I hear this all the time, "it only comes once a year!" That is correct but for those of us dedicated to losing weight and getting fit, we cant use this an excuse. Relatives, cocktail parties, the parade of chocolates and cookies seem to continue longer and into the New Year.

The trouble comes in our indulgence for a long period of time to these treats. If, however you are currently on the Visalus challenge, you will be ahead of the pack if you can stick to it as close as possible without sacrificing or being miserable. The season is for everyone to enjoy and just because your wanting to drop a few pounds doesn't mean you cant enjoy the holidays. For this reason I offer these tips and advice to make sure everyone enjoys a happy and healthy holiday season.

BE A LITTLE MORE REALISTIC

Lots of people will say that losing weight during the holidays is impossible but I beg to differ. To those with this mindset, I personally challenge you to join the Body By Vi 90 Day Challenge. Eat your treats in moderation and have your meal replacement shakes for other meals and you will still drop pounds. My advice is to set smaller goals during these times just because of the uncertainty of your day to day activities but stay on plan and you will lose some weight.

LETS BE PICKIER

All I mean here is before lining up to fill your plate, survey whats being offered and go for the foods or treats that are usually only offered around this time. This way you satisfy your holiday cravings. Skip things that you could possibly eat any other time of the year. I also like the idea of using a napkin instead of a plate for your hors d'oeuvres. You simply cant put as much on a napkin!

GET ACTIVE

Don't use the cold months as a reason to sit inside. Get out and stay active. If you live up north or in a location prone to snow, this shouldn't be hard. Snowboarding. skiing, ice skating or other winter sports is a great way to stay active. Hey, volunteer to shovel some snow if needed, this is a workout by itself. I unfortunately live in North Carolina where snow is a surprise so for people like myself, I say its the perfect time to hit the gym.

MODERATION - DRINKS HAVE CALORIES

So don't drink your empty calories. You worked hard to select better food, don't mess that up by downing all the drinks at your parties. Pace yourself and drink in moderation. Wine, beer, eggnog and the list goes on can pack unwanted calories. If you do like to have drinks then try to mix in a glass of water between your drinks or every couple drinks. The only exception to this is of course if your drinking your Visalus meal replacement shakes for weight loss. These are good calories so stay on track!

ONE PLATE - ONE SERVING

Avoid going back for seconds. Survey and look for healthy foods and snacks and only fix one plate. Even if it looks like a mound of food, its very likely you will still be consuming less with that one plate than if you went back for seconds!

ENJOY THE SEASON

Fact is, we are already under a little more stress this time of year so lets not add to it by beating yourself up if you cant make a healthy choice all of the time. Yet another reason to join my weight loss challenge. Its simple and easy to do and makes it easier for you to enjoy the holidays because you know you are getting proper nutrition and your metabolism is firing. Needless to say, you will be well ahead of target for the New Year. While everyone else is making the resolution to lose weight, you will already be losing weight!

Make sure you enjoy and relax during the holidays. Slowing down for a moment will be better for you than you think.

My main interest is on helping you achieve your weight loss and fitness goals and I always try to convey relevant and important information that someday may make a difference in ones life. For this reason, I offer all of my readers a Free eBook as a Thank You.

Please visit my blog to reserve your FREE copy of our "Insider Secrets to Training and Nutrition" eBook today and to learn more on the products, services and business opportunity I offer.

http://healthylifestyle-rfg.blogspot.com/

Thank You
Robert Grissom

View the original article here

Many people would like to lose a few pounds and a good number have used a diet plan of some kind and most likely had some short term success. However, in most cases the weight comes back quite quickly. Below we provide a few tips that may be of use to anyone thinking of embarking on a new diet program:

Drink water - Diets that limit fluid intake are a mistake. The greater part of our bodies are water and this is essential to our general well being and also to support the metabolic processes that result in really losing weight. It is the wrong move to limit fluid intake when trying to lose weight even though this can produce temporary results. In point of fact it is best to drink lots of water particularly when you first experience hunger. Many people find that this kills the hunger and enables them to eat less. Additionally you should try drinking water fifteen minutes prior to a meal as this is likely to result in you eating less.

Eat frequently - When people plan to lose weight they sometimes reduce the amount of snacks and meals they consume. This is a mistake since it results in you feeling the need to eat bigger portions because you are hungry. It can in addition cause your metabolism to slow. What you really want to do is speed up your metabolism and the best way to achieve this is to eat smaller portions of food regularly throughout the day. At the same time you will in addition maintain your blood sugar level and you won't experience feeling hungry or being too full.

Restrict alcohol consumption - There are quite a few reasons for this. The most important is that it contains a lot of energy so just a few drinks will make losing weight difficult. Secondly the impact on the liver means that energy from food you consume at the same time as drinking is more liable to be saved as fat. Thirdly most people consume more food when they drink specifically it makes you yearn for the kind of sweet food types you should avoid. If you finish up with a hangover the next day this might additionally lead to you consuming the incorrect things. It is advisable to keep alcohol consumption to a minimum at the same time as trying to lose weight.

Eat healthy food - The ideal way to start is to dispose of all the junk food in your house to remove temptation. You don't want to begin your diet program by considering the type of food you will miss, rather you should look ahead to the new foods and tastes you will discover. There are plentiful things you can consume but your plan ought to be to begin with basic natural ingredients like fresh fruit and veggies, lean meat (in particular poultry and beef), oily fish and yogurt. If you are positive regarding the healthy foods which you will be eating and the fact that you need not be hungry, losing weight will be a lot easier.

Avoid Pills - You will find many fad diets that claim to help you reduce weight. These may be effective, for example, by assisting the body to use fat or by reducing you appetite. You may in addition see diets which limit the types of foods you can eat to the degree that supplements become essential. These will probably be effective when it comes to losing weight whilst on the diet plan but using extreme diets is likely to result in problems once you come off them. For example, many people who have used fat burning pills have put more weight on than they lost once they discontinue using them. Trying to modify your metabolism artificially is not of long term benefit. What you should do is eat healthy protein, fat and carbs all through the day. This will trigger your body into metabolizing the food into energy for the body to use.

Do not believe that all fat is bad - There is a perception that fat is bad and should certainly be steered clear of when losing weight but in fact some fat intake is necessary to our well being. Although we do need fat there are good and bad kinds of fat. The sort that should be steered clear of are trans-fatty acids which are processed fats sometimes shown by food labeling as hydrogenated oils, these do not have any nutritional benefit. On the other hand Omega-3 fats are good and are contained in food types like green vegetables, oily fish (like salmon) and some nuts. Beneficial fats are not stored as fat in the body and will actually help you to lose weight.

The above are just a few pointers that should be considered whilst trying to lose weight. To discover additional information concerning Healthy Weight Loss please visit our website HealthSolutionsInfo.com.

View the original article here

Feeling guilty about food and then overeating is part of our culture. But, what if you could enjoy good food, celebrate life, and still lose weight? The answer is you can. How guilt-free weight loss can be achieved may surprise you.

Many diets eliminate whole categories of foods and put favorite foods on a "do not eat list". But is this realistic? The dismal statistics on the rates of weight regain after following most weight loss programs suggest that dieting doesn't work. It's time for a change in the weight loss paradigm because two-thirds of Americans are either overweight or obese. After all, almost anyone can lose weight temporarily by cutting calories and boosting physical activity. Keeping the weight off is the real challenge.

If you're planning to join a weight loss program, consider whether the program offers guilt-free strategies that you can easily follow for years rather than days or weeks. When choosing among several programs, you will want to assess whether programs feature wellness, self care, and weight loss strategies that will help enhance your life and achieve permanent weight management while still encouraging you to savor the foods you love.

What else is important in selecting a weight management program? When checking out programs, ask whether they use these 10 strategies. Will the program:
Focus on total calories you consume;Provide guidance and tools to monitor food and beverage intake and physical activity;Advise you about how to prepare, serve, and consume smaller portions of foods and beverages, especially those high in calories (whether at home or eating out);Advise you to eat a breakfast packed with nutrients instead of empty calories;Advise limiting inactive screen time;Include strategies for maintaining weight loss and offer at least one year of follow up;Advise you about how to gradually increase physical activity and build up to an hour a day of moderate level activity (or the equivalent) based on your ability;Give you behavior change strategies to avoid mindless and emotional eating;Encourage you to identify important internal motivators for losing weight; andProvide ways for you to reduce stress and fatigue and build the resilience needed for permanent weight management?

Notice that none of these strategies suggests rapid weight loss, guilt, or eliminating favorite foods. Instead what is called for is an end to temporary dieting. What works for permanent weight management is to make changes that are realistic and lasting. Most important, as someone who is managing your weight, you'll want to give yourself permission to take pleasure in what you eat.

Kay Loughrey is a nationally known nutrition expert and Registered Dietitian. She is also the creator of http://www.slimdownandwin.com/, a new model program for permanent weight management.

As a health communicator for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Kay contributed to the launch of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2010 and was also involved in three national initiatives.

Kay is now training adults who are committed to shedding excess weight permanently. She offers weight loss strategies based on the latest science and research in positive psychology and her personal weight management discoveries.

View the original article here

Discovering the concept of healthy eating for weight loss has many more bonuses. The main one is improvement in general health. You can't separate your overall health from your healthy weight. When you truly work at the heart of a problem, the whole becomes balanced.

Healthy eating is natural healing. Natural healing is about keeping your whole person in perfect balance. Keeping you well. And natural healing is not only supremely safe, it is also highly effective. The 'impossible' no-catch is that natural healing is inexpensive. So much so, you may even save on your current weekly expenditure.

Of course healthy eating is safe, otherwise it wouldn't be healthy. The problem arises when different, often conflicting, ideas of what is healthy confuse you. The best way to cut through that is to work out what is naturally healthy and what is fabricated 'healthy' for corporate greed. In other words, who benefits from your choice and by how much?

Healthy eating is effective because it is how your body evolved. If you eat a diet as close as is possible and practical to that of your ancestors, you can expect to enjoy the benefits they enjoyed - robust health, stamina, ability to cope well with the elements, natural weight and so forth.

Healthy eating is inexpensive, because many of the unhealthy foods that you need to let go, are the most expensive ones.

You don't need to change much to make a dramatic difference to your life.

The first step in your new healthy eating for weight loss programme is to want both - both weight loss and good health. There is a Chinese proverb that goes something like this "When you are sick of sickness, you are no longer sick". That's when you start to take action. Are you sick of sickness yet? Are you sick enough of being over weight, yet? Sick enough to take action?

The second step is to understand that you, and you alone, are responsible for this. You can be lured into empty promises that assure you of rapid weight loss, but if this ultimately makes you unhealthy, is it worth it? So you need to embrace both ideas. Look at diet plans that are, above all, healthy.

The third step is to start now. If not now, when?

Healthy eating for weight loss offers a permanent change in your life for the better. It's time to enjoy life, to have the weight and figure you have only dreamed about. It's time to take control of your own health.

Madeleine Innocent is a full time natural health consultant specialising in diet-for-health and homeopathy. She treats both people and animals within these two disciplines. She also coaches people both on- and off-line, on these subjects. For more information, visit: Healthy Eating For Weight Loss

View the original article here

African mango is the most popular supplement for millions of people who want to lose weight naturally. It has been proven to work and it will continue to change lives. The only concern here is gathering enough information about this product before you buy.

In this article, I will take time to explain the warnings you should be aware of before you spend time and money. As you are aware that the internet is full of misleading information sometimes, there's need to be very well-informed about what you want to buy. This is why I want to talk about the following warnings:

Be sure to buy African mango from a reputable official company.

This product has many different versions and some have less mango extracts included. If you buy this supplement from a well-known company, then you are sure of getting a genuine product. Do some kind of research to put yourself on the safe side. The main reason why you want to try this product is to lose weight, so make sure that your money is spent wisely. Avoid being in a hurry when it comes to making such decisions. A reputable company should be able to supply you with all the information you need including contact details. Another way to know if a company is reputable is by finding out whether they have a refund policy or money back guarantee.

Avoid buying African mango from local health stores.

Most local stores usually have other versions of African mango that contain less mango extracts. This doesn't mean that you can't find one that is good, it simply means that more care is needed in choosing where to get your supply from. If you get it from your local health store, make sure it is well-known. Some of these local stores may add some vitamins instead of pure mango extracts and this may be harmful to your body. Be advised to get your supply online where it's more reliable. One of the best versions that is working well today is African mango plus pill. This is one version that has high quality of mango extracts, green tea, caffeine and L-theanine. All these natural ingredients will help you lose weight naturally.

In conclusion, African mango will help you reach your weight loss goals quickly and fast. Now that you know what to do when it comes to buying this product, waste no more time. Get the help you need and you will not regret having tried it.

If you are serious about reaching your weight loss goals, get the right information about where to buy African mango to join this journey with many others who are experiencing great joy of losing weight naturally and effectively. CLICK HERE http://buyafricanmangotips.com/ to buy African mango.

View the original article here

To lose weight and keep it off requires a plan of not just lifestyle changes, but strategically investigating the reasons why you may be overweight. We all have reasons we eat besides being hungry. For some, these reasons can get to the point of causing someone to be overweight. To lose weight and keep it off, one needs to investigate their eating patterns and areas where self discipline might be challenging, then find ways to redirect yourself.

Your Eating Patterns
So in developing a plan to lose weight and keep it off, first look at your eating patterns and whether you are eating for other reasons other than hunger. This may be:

Habit. You always eat at a certain time whether hungry or not. This is not always a bad thing though. This is a topic of another article. Maybe you just like food and have gotten into bad habits of eating too much or the wrong things consistently. Maybe you developed a habit of buying a latte on the way to work every day.
Boredom. If people are bored, eating just gives them something to do and its pleasurable.
Depression. When some people get down (or stressed), they eat "comfort" foods for the little bit of enjoyment they get out of it. If this is a daily thing, then it can lead to weight gain.
Convenience. Many eat the wrong things and gain weight because it is more convenient just to snack rather than cook a healthy meal. Grabbing a fast food meal on their way home from work is just more convenient and takes less energy after your day.
Influence. Some people will eat just because their spouse is eating. If the spouse's eating pattern is not healthy, than sometimes the wife or husband will just follow that pattern.
Enabler. Sometimes a spouse will finish part of their meal, be full, then push over the rest of their food to their spouse and encourage them to finish their plate. This is called "enabling."
Temptation. If we have access to food all the time or the wrong kinds of foods, this can be a strong temptation. It can take some discipline not to graze all day.
Physical. There are sometimes health problems that can be contributing to being overweight. Make sure to talk with your doctor about these concerns.
Psychological: There are people who carry deep emotional wounds from years past, often related to abuse. Sometimes people with these scars will actually self sabotage themselves for various reasons and being overweight is connected with that. This can be a complex thing. If you feel this could be a reason for you, please seek professional counseling to help heal any of these past hurts.

Your Solutions To Unhealthy Eating Patterns
To lose weight and keep it off, the reasons for being overweight need to be discovered and addressed. Use the list above to think about what it is for you. In going through the list, you may think of other things that might be contributing. If you know or even think something might be the reason, write it down. Then write down next to it a solution that may work for you. For some things, you might need to get a little creative. If possible, when you are developing these solutions, try to make it enjoyable also, so you will be more apt to stick to it. If one solution isn't effective, try another. For example, if you realize that you have the habit of watching TV in the evening before bed and you tend to eat the whole time.

Your solution might be not to deprive yourself of that pleasure, but just altering it. It could be not eating a dessert right after dinner, but saving the dessert until you are settled watching TV or possibly researching healthier snacks that are available that you would still enjoy and only being able to eat that when you are watching TV in the evening. (It is usually better not to eat within a couple hours of bedtime, so you may want to put a time cut off). Maybe your solution is you can only have one snack after dinner. Whatever the solution is for you, it should be something that is still enjoyable for you to increase the likelihood of success. When you have solved the reasons for being overweight, then your lifestyle changes and eating patterns will support you to lose weight and keep it off.

View the original article here

How long have you been struggling with the fat around your body? Probably many years. How many times have you reached your weight goal just to gain back the fat afterwards? If you are still struggling with your weight after all these years, there might be something you are not doing right.

You are not alone struggling with the fat around your body. Did you know that two-thirds of adults in the United States are overweight and over one-third are obese? How and why are we getting heavier?

Nowadays, all you hear about is how many people are overweight. What percentage take it seriously? How many of you are too busy to do deal with your weight? How many of you take the easy way out instead of dealing with your weight problem?

Have you ever tried to keep track of the food you eat in a day, including what you drink? Try it, keep track of every single thing you eat and drink in a day. It's an eye opener and it will make you realize how many calories your body is exposed to in one single day.

Do you think your excess weight could be related with how you handle your emotions? Do you overeat when you are angry, bored, worried, sad or stressed? Emotions can influence your eating patterns. Stress is among the worst as it results in under- or overeating. Studies suggest that stress may be linked to weight gain, with a greater effect seen in men.

If your caloric intake is greater than calories burned, not only is your energy level effected but you have greater risks of diabetes, cholesterol, heart disease, high blood pressure, osteoarthritis, arthritis, joint problems and many other health problems. Overweight is on the rise and affecting more and more people everyday.

Risk factors of being overweight is associated with over 112,000 excess deaths due to cardiovascular disease.

You have one body to take care of and you are the only one that can choose how you take care of it. If you are tired of always struggling with your weight problem, you have a decision to make. Either accept your weight or do something about it. You are the only one that has control over your health.

But you don't have to do this on your own. Why not let us support you through this important health problem in your life? Losing weight and reaching your weight goal will change your life forever. You will definitely feel better and healthier inside and out.

Do you remember how you felt the last time you reached your weight goal? Didn't you feel happier and better about yourself? Do you remember how it felt to love your body and the NEW YOU? Keep remembering those feelings as your memories will give you the power to get the body you once had and certainly deserve.

Loving who you are is the most important part of your life. If you don't love your body, you don't like how you look; if you don't like how you look, you don't feel good about yourself; if you don't feel good about yourself, how can you be happy?

Life is too short not to enjoy every minute of it. Don't let weight affect your health. Do something about it before it's too late and start loving your body again.

Judy Doiron has been on yo-yo diets almost all her life. Struggling to lose weight only to gain it back again. Once you get fed up of losing the weight just to put it back on again, isn't it time to do something about it? Judy has found a program that worked for her which she calls it her fat flusher. Funny words but this program literally flushes your fat the healthy way. If you are fed up with fat, it's time to do something about it. Not tomorrow or next week, or next year, Do It Today!

View the original article here

The Fat Loss GPS

One of my favorite features with my IPhone is the Map.... You tell "Siri" where you want to go. Siri figures out where you are and then step by step, takes you to your destination. Be-a-u-tiful! This is how I want you to use your Fat Loss GPS! Figure out where you "Want to be", "where you are", and then get to your destination step by step!

Point A (Where you are right now*)
Point B (Where you want to be)
Step by step (the process)

*"Where you are" and "where you want to be" will depend on your goals... It could be a measurement, weight, dress or pant size, how you feel about yourself, quality of life, or an upcoming vacation photo.

As with any journey, you will have Obstacles, Set Backs, Delays, Road Blocks, and Challenge. If you have a delay or a road block, BIG DEAL! On your way to the family vacation in Disney World, you wouldn't stop at the first Road Detour and tell the family in the back seats, "Oh, well! Guess we're done. Think we'll just give up. Maybe next year we'll try again!" Heck no! You find a "work around" and you keep moving forward!

I've found most people FAIL at goal setting because they treat their goals as an afterthought. The average person spends more time planning their weekly grocery list than they do designing goals that impact the rest of their lives!

The Secret is to long Term and Short Term Goal Setting

People LOVE to set Long Term Goals...
1. I want to make $100,000 next year
2. I want to lose 40 lbs. next year
3. I want to be a size 8 next year

After they set these goals, they put them in a sock drawer and don't think about them until late December next year! If you have the same goals for this next year as you set last year for now, you MUST make a change!

Long Term and Short Term goals have different meanings. And you should have both!
"Losing 40 lbs." is a great long term goal, but it does nothing for you to take action on! "Losing 40 lbs." is in the future, but you are living in the NOW.

Here's a cool phrase for you to use this year...
"I am either living NOW HERE or I am living No Where!" (Amazing what a little space can do!)

Your Long Term Goal should be exciting! It should be stimulating and motivating. It's the picture of who you are to become! For example, how would the new you, 40 lbs. thinner, look and act like? Would they be more energetic? Eat cleaner? Have happy thoughts? Feel better and more confident? Not binge out 4-5x a week? Be embarrassed by someone looking in their shopping cart?

The Long Term Goal is your MOTIVATION! But you cannot wake up tomorrow and "will" the scale to be 5 lbs. less. But you can wake up tomorrow and start the day off with 15 minutes of Cardio. What you can do today and tomorrow are your Short Terms Goals! Short term goals are "actionable". Actionable items are things you can do! You can't "make $100,000", but you can sign up for a new course or hire a coach to help move towards the long term goal.

Short term goals are Specific, Actionable and always Top of Mind.

What I like to do is take the long term goal, break the goal into ½ way point, and then again in ½... this will give you the "Quarter". I would then have you create Short Term Actionable goals that are specific to you reaching each goal. Yes, you could just take the entire number and divide by 4 for "Quarters".

This is how it would look for losing 40 lbs. as your goal next year.

The Long Term Goal:
"I will lose 40 lbs. by December 2012. I have so much more energy and very confident in the way I look. It is easy for me to get up and exercise. In fact, I look forward to my work outs and eating clean foods! I love the compliments I get from friends, co-workers and strangers!"

-Remember the Long Term Goal should inspire and motivate you! Word your goal in a manner that would motivate you! If you were embarrassed because you were stretching and your belly "popped out", use that for motivation! Use any pain and pleasure cues that work to drive you towards achieving your goals.

Now to keep things realistic, break your goal down into "quarters" of the year. I.e., Quarter 1 is Jan, Feb, March. Quarter 2 is April, May, June, etc.

Break the 40 lbs. into half. (40/2 = 20) and then (40-20 = 20)
"By June 2012, I will be down 20 lbs."

Break the 20 lbs. into half to give you "quarter goals" (20/2 = 10)
"By March 2012, I will be down 10 lbs."

"By September 2012, I will be down 30 lbs."

Create a work sheet
1. At the top write, (Your Name) Vision for 2012
2. Write out the Long Term Goal very descriptively.
3. Write out the 1st Quarter Goal (Breaking down the Long Term Goal into Quarters)
4. Write out the 2nd Quarter Goal
5. Write out the 3rd Quarter Goal
6. Write out the Final 4th Quarter Goal
7. Now create Short Term Actionable Goals to reach your Long Term Goals.

Short Term Actionable Goals could include:
1. Attending Boot Camp 3x week
2. Cutting out processed or refined foods
3. Adding in 3 Cardio sessions each week

This is what I want you to do.
1. Create your worksheet (Take your time, add photos of you or a role model)
2. Create the Short Term Actionable Goals
3. Track and Monitor the Short Term Actions either with a calendar or a "check off" sheet
4. Notice if your actions are bringing you closer to your Long Term Goals
5. If they are not working, change your actions or be more consistent!
6. Read your goals DAILY!

PS Remember, I am here for you! It's one thing to have a plan, but following through and being consistent is where a good coach can help. With Canonsburg Boot Camp, I will sit down with you and help you design your own Fat Loss GPS. Call me at 724-949-0007 concerning your Road Map to Fitness Success in 2012!

JJ Robertson
Canonsburg Boot Camp
http://www.canonsburgbootcamp.com/

View the original article here

As a nation, America is getting fatter every year, with one in three people suffering from obesity. "Suffering" being the operative word. Walking around with 50 or more pounds of more weight than you should be can cause shortness of breath, a feeling of very low energy or sluggishness, unhealthy but strong food cravings, bloating, constipation, and abdominal pains. Can prebiotic supplements help with weight loss?

One of the most highly recommended food nutrients for improving many of our modern digestive disorders, including excessive weight gain is dietary fiber. You've heard it before, but considering the modern-day diet, it's easy to see how difficult it is for most of us to relinquish the convenience and flavors that are the typical high process food diet, best exemplified by the American diet.

Dietary fiber

So many foods available to us contain good amounts of quality dietary fiber but unfortunately we don't get nearly enough from commercially processed and packaged foods or restaurant chains. These processed foods are high in calories but too low in nutrients. That's exactly where the problem lies.

Too many empty calories, making us fat and not supplying our body with the nutrients it needs to maintain good health. These processed foods slow down the body's metabolic rate, making it harder and harder to burn fat. Add a lack of physical exercise and a sedentary lifestyle and you get the present-day problem that is growing at an alarming rate, and never before experienced in our history; obesity.

Adding more fiber

Eliminate all the highly processed commercial foods you possibly can and add whole, unrefined foods to your diet. Examples include replacing white bread and rice with whole grain bread and brown rice. Fresh fruits and raw vegetables are a good source of fiber. Adding a quality and natural prebiotic supplement will increase your chances for success, especially if you can't get high enough amounts from natural, quality food sources.

The dietary fiber known as soluble fiber is the acting prebiotic substance in a prebiotic supplement or food. Soluble fiber takes in water and in doing so will create a sticky gel-like substance which prolongs the slow release of nutrients into the body.

This is a great example of a natural appetite suppressant in action, keeping you full and fulfilled longer, decreasing your appetite and helping to avoid eating more unneeded calories.

You need the right prebiotic supplements for weight loss - Learn the facts at http://www.natural-digestion.com/ - information based on independent, and thorough research on one of our most important subjects; digestive health.

View the original article here

January is the time of year that we all make the same OLD New Year's resolution! It comes in many different forms from an ambiguous, "I want to lose weight" to a very specific "I want to fit in my jeans from High School." If diets were the solution then why does America have one of the highest obesity rates in the world? With all the technical advancements and scientific information available why can we not overcome the plague that obesity brings to our society?

In the Western culture we have created an unbalanced society which has lead to an unbalanced lifestyle. We feel the constant need, maybe even an obsession, to be in control of our life because we feel so out of control most of the time. Instead of being in control we need to find the balance and be in charge of our life. When we are in charge of our life we feel confident that we can handle what comes our way. We are able to look at the daily stresses and see them for what they really are and not feel so overwhelmed. It is the feeling of being out of control that leads us to the path of looking to food as an emotional comfort. We can be in charge of our life by focusing on the three "E's" to weight loss; Eat less, Exercise more and become Emotionally aware. Many believe that to achieve weight loss all you need to do is focus on Eating less and Exercising more. The third component of becoming Emotionally aware is the important link that is missing in many diets and weight loss programs. Many of us self-medicate our emotions with food. Food has become comfort for our emotions rather than fuel for our bodies. Identifying your emotional triggers is key to unlocking the solution for your weight loss.

Before you choose to eat ask yourself, "Am I Hungry?" If you realize that you are not hungry ask yourself, "Why do I want to eat?" Usually we want to eat because we need to fill an emotional void in our life. If we can address these issues and find real life solutions to replace food we can begin to create balance and harmony in our life.

This year see your OLD New Year's Resolution become a reality with learning how to listen to your body's wisdom, become in tune with your needs, desires and emotions. Begin a journey to self-discovery and enjoyment. Live a life free from diets, rules and regulations. Live the life you were meant to live.

Celeste Palacio, RN is a licensed Facilitator for "Am I Hungry?" workshops.
You'll learn mindful and intuitive eating techniques that empower you to use your natural ability to eat just the right amount of food while meeting your needs for nourishment and enjoyment. To find more information about how to eat mindfully go to http://www.hearttoheartnursing.com/

View the original article here