Body Fitness and Health Tips

There are most likely very few people who have not tried a diet at one point or another in their lives. In fact, millions of people worldwide start diets every week. This is no surprise, as in the United States alone, 55% of the people are overweight.

The key to losing weight is to establish a diet intake of fewer calories than the amount of calories we expend in any given day. This requires a healthy nutritious diet balanced with a certain amount of physical activity. There are three different weight loss program types available and they consist of the do-it-yourself program, the non-clinical program and the clinical program.

If you decide on the do-it-yourself program, you are basically in charge of yourself. You make your own decisions, devise your own meal plans and develop your own exercise program. This requires research on foods and healthy eating. This knowledge can be acquired through books, online or from videos. You must also enter into some physical activity program, which can be done at home through video instruction, a walking program, an aerobic class or some other exercise class. The do-it-yourself program can involve group support from others in the same situation as you, such as Overeaters Anonymous. The support group is there strictly for support and does not involve any diet or activity planning. This type of program works best for individuals who need the back up and support to continue a diet plan, but don’t require advice on nutrition and exercise.

The non-clinical program involves weight loss chains owned either privately or commercially. These would include Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig and LA Weight Loss. With this type of weight loss program, you usually have a counselor, who will meet with you on a regular basis, for support and weigh-ins. You will be given healthy eating plans based on your personal information, and advised on regular physical activity. Although a dietician devises the eating plans, the counselors are usually not licensed health professionals, but previous program subscribers. They often push you to buy their supplements, nutrition bars or prepackaged meals. If you choose this plan it is important to check with your doctor regarding the contents of any of these items. You should be cautious of any program that encourages quick weight loss fast and lacks physical activity plans. These will not establish healthy or long-term goals. This program is best suited for the individual who needs the constant one-on-one personal support to keep them on track, and advice on diet, nutrition and exercise.

The clinical weight loss programs are directly supervised by licensed health care providers and take place in a health care setting. They offer nutrition education, medical care, physical activity and behavior change therapy. They may also offer prescription weight loss drugs, very low calorie diets and weight loss surgery options for the morbidly overweight clients. These options are used for those who have a genetic weight problem or those whose health is compromised due to their weight.

Whatever weight loss plans you may choose, it is important to consult a physician before you start. Always be aware of the hidden costs involved with supplements or packaged foods, and know what ingredients are contained in them. In situations of great obesity, weight loss under a doctor’s supervision is best. And remember weight loss doesn’t end when you reach your desired weight. You will need to change your life and eating habits to maintain a nutritious diet plan combined with regular physical activity. This will prevent a reoccurrence of tipping the scales in the wrong direction again.



By: Matthew Hick

About the Author:

to Ayurveda, the ancient Indian science of health and healing, the Kapha Dosha (humour) is primarily responsible for fat and adipose tissue in the body and therefore reducing Kapaha is the key to a successful weight loss program. Below you will find some effective tips from ayurveda to help reduce Kapha Dosha and thus battle obesity and being overweight.

Of the four dimensions of our being, physical, emotional, mental and spiritual, in this article I will cover the Physical Dimension which is most important for the reduction of Kapha and the correlating reduction in weight.

Weight Loss Tips from Ayurveda:

1. Ayurvedic Diet for Weight Loss:

Obviously an anti-kapha diet is the place to start when looking to lose weight. This means eating lots of fruits, vegetables, spicy foods and whole grains.

2. Exercise for Weight Loss:

The following Ayurvedic guidelines should be followed for proper exercise with regard to weight loss:

* More Exercise the Better: Kapha’s qualities of fixed, dull, heavy, soft and cold are all negated via exercise. In other words, the more exercise you do the more you reduce Kapha and therefore fat in your body.

* Exercise Without Excessive Strain: According to Ayurveda, Kapha individuals need the most vigorous exercise, but at the same time, the exercise should never be extreme. Find a good balance between doing too little and over doing it. Breaking a nice sweat is good, but being totally breathless is probably too much.

* Be Consistent: A Kapha body type has a propensity towards weight gain so you need to make exercise a daily part of you life. The hardest part will be to get the exercise program underway. Once this is done Kapha people tend to be very determined and steady, so they will be able to adhere to it long term. Getting started though is another matter for Kapha types and usually requires shock treatment. In the spirit of shock treatment, understand that by NOT exercising and NOT losing the weight you are putting your longevity and quality of life at risk. Enough said, start today!

* Yoga for Weight Loss: Yoga offers an excellent way to include holistic exercises into your fitness program. These exercises will not just help you lose weight, but will also help your overall health and well-being.

* Post Exercise Diet: After exercises do not drink cold liquids. This period is key as you are trying to increase the metabolic fire in your cells so they burn more calories and drinking cold liquids at this time will negate this important benefit which exercise bestows.

3. Hard Physical Work to Burn Calories:

According to Ayurveda reduction of Kapha is promoted by living a physical, active lifestyle. In today’s age of technology, computers, TVs, TiVO, internet, etc, manual labor is getting more rare for people to do. So you need to consciously incorporate physical work into your life. Whether that be mowing the lawn, tending to the garden or shoveling snow, it is important to not live a sedentary live of watching TV and eating twinkies.

4. Massage Therapy to Reduce Fat:

There are many treatment modalities in Ayurveda of which massage is highly recommended. In the context of weight loss and reducing Kapha, strong massage with light oils such as mustard or flaxseed is helpful.

5. Sleep Guidelines for Weight Loss:

No napping or going to bed early. If you want to reduce Kapha and weight remember you burn more calories when you are awake and being active, than when you are happily snuggled under the blanket.

The above recommendations will surely help you with your weight loss goals and in addition to helping you get slim, they will also make you more healthy and fit.



By: Weight Loss

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A lot of people usually find it hard to achieve true and proper weight loss. We tend to lose these pounds and more often than not gain it back again and even more. So how do we exactly gain weight? We could pinpoint the culprit to those unburned and unused calories. So to get rid of these calories we need to eat lesser and become more physically active. It is also a good thing to have a weight loss program so that you will have a structured plan on how to lose weight. This weight loss program should not only help you lose weight but also keep you on your desired weight.

There are three general types of weight loss program, the do-it-yourself program, the non-clinical program, and the clinical program. These three types of program are what we will discuss about in this article.

The do-it-yourself program is any program that you choose to do alone or with a group. These support groups bonds together to achieve a common goal that is to reduce weight. They could also be done within a worksite or in a community based organizations. People doing this type of program usually rely on their judgement and on what they read on reference materials regarding weight reduction.

Non-Clinical weight loss program are those programs that are facilititated by health counselors who may not be a trained health care provider. These programs may or may not be commercially operated. They usually refer to books and pamphlets that are prepared only by the health counselors. Oftentimes the participants are advised to follow a diet plan that the counselors believe would reduce the person’s weight.

Clinical programs are facilitated by licensed professionals like physicians, psychologists, and nurses. They usually are run in a health-care environment such as clinics or hospital. These programs may or may not be commercially managed. They could be done by a single health care professional or could be done by a group of professionals; it depends on the type of program that the individual desires. A holistic approach including nutritional education, medical care, behavior therapy, and physical activity, is employed to meet the individual’s weight loss target.

Clinical programs might include low-calorie diets, medicinal intervention, and sometimes surgery. These methods could be employed one at a time or in combination depending on the case of the patients.

Very low calorie diets are formulas that give patients no more than 800 calories per day. This is a very good diet plan as it could surely lose more weight than the regular low calorie diet. Side effects could be expected that is why it is recommended only to severely obese patients.

Prescription drugs are prescribed only when your weight problem has a serious effect on your health. Weight reduction drugs, coupled with the right diet, will be a sure-fire way to get rid of your extra pounds. But a thorough medical check-up is required before taking in these drugs.

So no matter what program you choose the bottomline will be your willingness to lose weight. Without this your efforts will be the one that will be deflated, not your weight.



By: Rushikesh Kamreja

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Do you get frustrated with your body, most especially your heavy weight? Do you wish that you have Jessica Alba’s svelte frame or Katie Holmes’ lithe body? Well, while some people are incredibly lucky to have been born with these kinds of physical attributes, or a hyperactive metabolism that prevents them from gaining weight despite whatever they eat, the majority of us have to constantly look out for our body. If we don’t discipline ourselves enough, avoiding scrumptious glazed donuts for example, it is likely that you will soon be needing a weight loss program to shed off unwanted pounds.

1. Nutrition And Fitness

Aside from dieting, a person who is seeking to have a successful weight loss program should have some knowledge about nutrition and fitness. First, start with your overall attitude, not just towards food and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Think about your everyday habits and your everyday routines. Is it something that constitutes as what fitness and diet experts might consider healthy?

2. Maintain Dicipline

Going through a weight loss program requires you to have enough discipline and patience because some people would like to shed off the pounds in as little as a month but that’s just not a healthy weight loss program. Well, yes, you can eliminate a couple of excess pounds in a limited time, but it’s not good for you in the long run. Your body will go into shock because it will think there isn’t enough food in your environment, meaning it will end up storing more fat, and that will make losing fat even harder. So never deprive yourself food.

3. Avoid Eating Disorders

Never totally deny your body food and water. You need to drink at least 8 glasses of water a day as well as healthy meals. And while anorexia is denying the body food, bulimia is characterized by excessive eating then binging. Both are known to be deadly, and you should know that neither are proven methods. There is a huge difference between weighing less pounds and being healthy.

4. Weight Loss Regimens

People who are under a weight loss program, even while they’re still at the start of their weight loss regimen, need not put themselves down further by insisting that they’re ugly just because they are fat or even just a little bit overweight. Such poor self-esteem could lead to further damaging yourself. While having a weight loss routine, it is best that you keep a positive attitude and never set goals that are too unrealistic for you to achieve. Everyone has his or her own way of being able to gain or lose weight. Some have faster metabolisms than others while other’s weight loss progress may actually take some time. Either way, it’s best to stick to a weight loss program that would not only be able to make you look great but will also make you healthy. There’s no point in having a great outer appearance if your stomach walls are bleeding due to ulcer or if you’re suffering from fainting spells because of food deprivation.

5. Work Together!

- Ask around like friends, family members or colleagues what they did – Consult a registered dietician – Enroll in a nearby gym or fitness center – Quit smoking and don’t drink on a regular basis



By: John Morris

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