Posts Tagged ‘nutrition’

5 Tips For Losing More Fat With Hormones

Wednesday, March 10th, 2010

There is much debate about whether or not fat loss is about calories in versus calories out. And while caloric intake is definitely important when it comes to fat loss, there are much stronger players here-hormones.

You see, hormones don’t really play within the bounds of the closed calorie model. They are extremely strong substances that penetrate your cells and create change.

So here is how to get your hormones to burn more fat off of your body:

1. Don’t let your blood pressure skyrocket: Not only is this bad for your heart, but it’s also bad for your endocrine (hormonal) system. For complicated reasons, once blood pressure goes up and arterial health is compromised, your endocrine system suffers.

2. Avoid HRT: You should avoid hormone replacement therapy unless your doctor thinks it’s necessary. You see, if you take hormones above and beyond what your body naturally produces, it will backfire. Your system will crash in addition to a whole range of other negative effects in your body.

3. Get insulin to help you: Insulin is the gatekeeper of food partitioning. If you have poor insulin sensitivity, more food goes to fat cells. If you have good insulin sensitivity, more food goes to muscle cells. And here are some supplements that can help increase your insulin sensitivity: green tea, cinnamon and chromium.

4. Lift weights: You don’t have to become a body builder, but weightlifting is the best way to naturally increase fat burning hormones in your body. As a bare minimum, you should lift weights twice per week. At this level, you will prevent muscle loss and amplify hormone production in your body.

5. Get checked: The last thing you want is to not be able to lose fat because of a hormonal imbalance. And sometimes said imbalances require medical attention. So next time you are at your doctor’s office, ask for some testing.

Successful weight loss entails getting control over your hormones. If you don’t take care of your hormone production, you will not be able to lose weight as fast as possible. So make sure you take action here now, don’t delay!

Author Katherine Crawford, a Harvard fitness physiologist and former flabby arms sufferer, teaches women how to get thin arms ASAP. Learn how to get sexy and toned arms by visiting her blog about slim and toned arms right now!

Caution: 4 Things You Shouldn’t Be Doing When Toning Arms

Wednesday, March 10th, 2010

Fat arm confusion is rampant. Never have women been more confused about how to get toned arms.

You see, all the marketing hype has created a sandstorm of false information. Even worse, there are times when the research isn’t even clear.

Now if the gurus have a tough time detangling the research, how is the average women supposed to? Luckily, I have already done this for you.

So without further ado, here are 4 fat arm pitfalls exposed:

1. Thinking supplementation trumps whole food. Ignore the labels with pictures of women who lost 40lbs of fat overnight. The truth is that whole foods interact with each other in ways that supplements could never mimic. Nature cannot be reproduced in a pill.

2. Fiber supplementation. Unfortunately, this ever popular supplement has been shown to increase colon cancer rates. The good news is that you probably eat so many vegetables that fiber supplementation is a moot point.

3. Equating thinness with health. Being thin is no guarantee of having toned arms. And being thin is no guarantee of being healthy. I’ve seen thin women with flabby arms and I’ve seen thin women undergo triple bypass surgeries because their diets are so poor.

4. Assuming carbs are the only thing that can cause insulin resistance. A state in which more calories get shuffled towards arm fat cells, insulin resistance can also be caused by high protein and/or high saturated fat intakes. So don’t think fast digesting carbs are the only evil.

By avoiding the above arm fat pitfalls, you can reach your sexy arm goal that much faster. After all, knowing what to avoid is just as important as knowing what to do. The last thing you want is to waste time because if you don’t get results you’re more likely to quit, so stick with it!

Writer Katherine Crawford, a Harvard exercise expert and former flabby arms sufferer, teaches women how to lose arm flab quickly. Discover how to get sexy and toned arms by visiting her blog about how to get rid of flabby upper arms for women right now!

How To Make Your Diet More Effective

Wednesday, March 10th, 2010

There is a lot of advice out there on how to diet for weight loss. And some of this advice is good while some of it is borderline dangerous.

Now most people do not have the necessary education to separate the good from the bad. And I don’t recommend you get a PhD in dieting either.

So without further ado, here are 5 ways to modify your nutrition for maximum weight loss:

1. Always inspect the nutrition facts: Companies can deceive you with the packaging of a product, but all the ingredients have to be in the nutrition facts-there is no way around this. So make sure you always read the nutrition facts when purchasing food you are unfamiliar with.

2. Reduce saturated fats as much as possible: Even if you are eating within your target caloric range, you should still strive to reduce saturated fats. You see, these types of fats reduce the amount of nutrients that go into your active tissues, thus feeding your fat cells. Moreover, they age your arteries.

3. Drink before eating: This accomplishes two things. First, you will prevent your body from mistaking thirst signals for hunger signals. Second, you will enhance the digestion of whatever you eat by staying well hydrated.

4. Stay away from alcohol: And don’t think it’s ok to simply cut calories in your diet to make up for the alcohol consumption. After all, alcohol has a huge impact on your hormone production. And this is what will really put a dent in your fat loss efforts.

5. Plan for the worst: There will be times when you simply cannot control your hunger. Expect this and don’t panic or binge! Instead, have a high protein and high fat meal that will satisfy the craving while minimizing insulin spikes.

Don’t expect to have the perfect diet for fat loss from one day to the next. Instead, start from a baseline and strive to incrementally improve. This is the best approach to get the body you want!

Highly regarded author, Katherine Crawford MS, a Harvard exercise expert and recent flabby arms sufferer, is an expert on effective upper arm exercises for women. Discover how to get toned arms now by visiting her blog on bingo wings exercises.

Why You Should Add Cardio Exercise To Your Diet Plan

Tuesday, March 9th, 2010

Great you have decided to go on a diet and you have picked a diet plan that fulfills all your weight loss criteria. You realize you need to exercise to maximize your weight loss plan. Why? By cutting your calorie intake and watching what you eat is usually enough to start your body to burning the fat.

After a period of time you will either have to cut more calories or find a way to burn them off. Your body will in effect slow it’s metabolism down and start a dietary response called the starvation response which basically shuts down all important aspects of the body and starts hunger pangs that are impossible to ignore.

Which exercise is the best for you to burn fat. Should you do aerobic exercises or should you do weight training? Both. Yes both types of exercise will maximize any weight loss program. You will need to increase your calorie deficit and get your body to work. When doing cardio I do not mean dance music or fancy choreography and calisthenics. I mean you need to choose a regimen that will not only get the blood flowing but make your body and the large mass muscles work.

You don’t have to go to a gym for an aerobic exercise, though many people find the treadmill and the elliptical to be useful tools for weight loss. You can go walking or jogging, ride a bike, swim or take up cross country skiing in winter. You can even buy a treadmill or elliptical for your own home to help lose the weight.

A good cardio workout will increase your heart rate and get your body moving. This leads to a stronger, healthier heart and weight loss, as all the moving around burns calories. While you’re losing weight you’re also gaining in stamina and energy.

While sports such as basketball, golf, tennis, and squash can help burn calories, they often don’t last long enough and have rest periods. For the best results you need a steady exercise routine that keeps the heart beating and the blood flowing.

A steady work out will burn fat and get your heart rate up, while short bursts of activity are more likely to burn carbohydrates.

In order to maximize the benefit of your exercise you should start slowly and build up gradually to a more rigorous routine. Begin by setting aside regular periods of time three days a week, and slowly increase the length of time you work out until you’re exercising roughly half an hour a day, six or seven days a week. Once you get into the habit you will find that it no more difficult than any other daily chore.

If you want to lose a considerable amount of weight, don’t forget to keep an eye on your heart rate. You know you’re doing a good job when you’re building up a sweat. Aerobic exercises are meant to work the arms, legs and lower back muscles continuously which will help burn the most calories. A simple twenty minute walk and a steady diet plan will help kick start your weight loss.

Do not short cut your workout as even with as little as 12-20 minute aerobic workout you have some health benefits. With this little of a workout you will see a decreased blood pressure, decreased blood cholesterol, lower resting heart rate and a overall better feeling. This is good but not enough for you to see a large amount of fat burning away. Stick to the aerobic plan and burn the fat and loose weight quickly and safely.

Sick and tired of fad diets that doesn’t work? Here you will find articles and reviews of the most successful diet plans to lose weight permanently. You can also watch my videos about great diet plans

Is Your Immune System Preventing You From Losing Fat?

Tuesday, March 9th, 2010

If you want to lose weight, you have to restrict your calories to some degree. There is no way around this basic fact.

But there is a catch here. You see, every time you restrict calories, you set yourself up for decreased immunity. And this in turn sets you up for a higher percentage of sick days.

So here is how to prevent your immune system from crashing when trying to lose weight:

1. Increase your standard of hygiene: One of the biggest and simplest mistakes people make is not keeping their hygiene in check. You see, a lack of hygiene increases the amount of germs your body has to deal with. And this can increase your chance of getting sick when restricting calories.

2. Don’t drink unclean water: Doing so increases the amount of germs your body has to deal with just like when you don’t wash your hands frequently. And keep in mind that good water filters are very inexpensive these days. So give your body a break and start drinking filtered water.

3. Eat for immune strength: Manipulating your diet can have a huge impact on how well your immune system can function. Now one of the best things you can do is to eat a diet rich in flavonoids which will boost your immunity by leaps and bounds. The key here is variety because more variety translates into more of an effect.

4. Keep your social ties going: Maintaining a strong social network is paramount for maximum health. You see, research has shown that people with super strong social ties are more likely to not get sick. So don’t let your social bonds wither away no matter how busy you are.

5. Find your best coping mechanisms: Proper stress management is key to keeping your immune system healthy. So make sure you experiment with different modalities: meditation, group talk, walking, etc. Then once you find the best one, stick with it.

Strong immunity is key when trying to burn body fat as fast as possible. You see, most people fail to realize this and end up in a constant cycle of sickness and moderate health. So take action here quickly!

Writer Katherine Crawford, a Harvard fitness expert and recent flabby arms sufferer, instructs women on how to get rid of bingo wings once and for all. Discover how to get sexy arms by exploring her blog about how to tone flabby arms with the best methods right now!

5 Tips To Make Dieting As Painless As Possible

Tuesday, March 9th, 2010

Some people diet like pushing a boulder up a hill, others find manageable ways to get the body of their dreams. Perhaps you are pushing a boulder up a hill?

Now the main issue here is that a lot of the advice out there will push you towards the nightmarish experience. And unless you have a PhD in dieting, you won’t be able to tell which approach is best.

So here are 5 tips for make dieting as painless as possible for you:

1. Automate: The more you can automate your eating patterns, the easier it will be to lose weight. You see, with automation comes a decrease in decisions and a decrease in the need for oodles of will power. One simple way to automate your eating is to change your environment so that you don’t have access to calorically dense food.

2. Don’t be negative for too long: Not staying in a negative caloric balance for extended periods of time will give you a psychological and physiological break. Your mind will thank you for having some pleasure food every once in a while, and your metabolism won’t crash if you spike it with a surplus of calories.

3. Pre plan your meals: Although simple, many people fail to do this. And when you don’t plan ahead, you are more likely to wait until hunger overtakes you. Once this happens, you are going to eat whatever you can get your hands on the quickest.

4. Increase roughage: Study after study has shown that as vegetable intake increases, fat loss increases. The leanest populations have the highest vegetable intakes. So make sure you eat as many vegetables as you can. This is a simple, yet effective way to ensure fat loss success.

5. Focus on patterns not minutiae: If you obsess over counting calories, grams of fat, grams of protein and grams of carbohydrates, you will burn out. Instead, focus on your general eating patterns. This will prevent you from burning out and when you eat healthy, you naturally consume less calories.

Getting in shape doesn’t have to be an insurmountable obstacle. If you are patient and automate the process, you will reach your goals. So don’t wait too long to apply this advice!

Katherine Crawford, a Harvard exercise physiologist and former arm fat sufferer, is an expert on the best upper arm toning exercise. Discover how to get toned arms right now by visiting her blog on how to get rid of jiggly arm fat.

Will Lots Of Protein Help You Tone Arms Faster?

Monday, March 8th, 2010

With all the savvy marketing out there it can be virtually impossible to find the right diet for getting toned arms. Unless you have a degree in exercise science, making the right decisions can be extremely hard.

I know because I used to be in this situation.

Even worse, the experts can’t even agree on which diet is best. And if they can’t agree, how are you supposed to make a choice?

Well, luckily for you, I’ve already navigated these waters many times over. And I’ve also looked at the research again and again, and again.

Thus, here are 4 benefits of high protein diets for getting toned arms that you should consider:

1. Ease of implementation: Merely cutting out carbohydrates from your diet is extremely simple. The elimination of a single food group does not take much work. And if it doesn’t take much work, you are more likely to stick with it.

2. Fastest weight loss: Although mostly water, this type of diet will produce the fastest weight loss. So if watching the scale move quickly is your thing, this diet may suit you.

3. Loss of hunger: Once you dip into ketosis (a couple days after total carb restriction), your appetite will almost vanish, no joke! I used to have a very hard time eating enough calories when in ketosis.

4. Ultra low levels of insulin: I’m sure you’ve heard of insulin before, and for good reason: it controls how much arm fat you can lose. So if insulin is at an all time low, arm fat burning is at an all time high.

So should you run to your local grocery store and buy those huge value packs of meat? Absolutely not because there are also many negatives to high protein diets, that in my opinion, outweigh the positives. Unfortunately, there is not enough space in a single article to cover all the pros and cons, so stay posted. And make sure you do a lot of objective research before doing anything extreme like a low carbohydrate diet. Only then will you be able to get rid of flabby arms once and for all!

And never forget that information is useless unless you act on it. So make sure you don’t let what you have learned simply sit in your head!

Get free and valuable information on the top toning arm toning exercises designed for women immediately by going to Katherine Crawford’s M.S. website Sleeveless in 7. And figure out how to get sexy and lean arms ASAP by visiting her blog about effective flabby upper arm exercises immediately!

A Review Of Dietary Fat For Getting Toned Arms

Monday, March 8th, 2010

I believe that the majority of the population understands how important dietary fat is. What’s so special about it? Well, it plays a critical role in the production of fat-incinerating hormones.

Another thing to consider is that dietary fat really helps to slow down digestion. And the slower you are digesting food the faster you’re burning off that arm fat.

So here is a quick rundown of the different types of fat:

1. Subcutaneous fat: Also known as triglycerides, this type of fat is what obscures muscle definition. In other words, it prevents most women from getting great arm tone. It can also be considered a storage fat.

2. Hydrogen saturated fat: A main cause of heart disease, saturated fat should be minimized. It’s solid and room temperature and when taken in large amounts (more than 10% of calories) can cause some serious health issues.

3. Monounsaturated fat: This fat is great for reducing inflammation. And it’s high temperature tolerance makes it a great choice for cooking. It’s also known as omega-9 fat.

4. The omega’s: Omega-3 and omega-6 fat, also known as polyunsaturated fats, are ultra healthy. And omega 3 fats in particular, are great for accelerating arm fat loss.

5. Partially hydrogenated fats: Also known as death fat, they are great for decreasing life span, no joke. Harvard researchers have clearly demonstrated that no amount of trans fat is healthy. So stay away from it at all costs.

Getting rid of bingo wings involves a solid understanding of fats and how they interact with the female body. If you’ve been avoiding fats because of their caloric content, please stop. They do way more good than harm. Having a healthy amount of fat in your diet is the only way to sexy arm success!

Katherine Crawford, a Harvard exercise physiologist and recent flabby arms victim, is an expert on the best upper arm toning exercise. Discover how to get toned arms now by visiting her website on how to get rid of unsightly arm fat.

Five Signs to Know Your Diet Plan Will Last

Sunday, March 7th, 2010

Are you on a diet in hopes that you’re going to achieve your ideal weight, once and for all? How do you know it’s going to work? First of all, you have to know that it’s not really a diet you want, but a lifestyle. In other words, you want something that’s going to really be something you can do forever. It can be exciting to start a new diet plan, but almost always, that excitement only lasts a few weeks.

If these signs are not present in your current diet, you may want to make some adjustments to your plan.

1. You Love It – It’s a sure bet (almost) that your healthy diet plan is going to last if you absolutely love it. If you’re excited about the food choices you get to make and you’re always satisfied with how much you get to eat, this is probably something you can stick with long-term.

However, if you have to force yourself to eat the foods associated with your diet, your plan will probably fail explicably. It’s almost impossible to consistently do something you despise. The secret is to either change your desires, or find a plan that reasonably supports your desires

2. The Main Environment You’re in Supports Your Choices – If you live in an environment that supports your food choices and your diet, it’s a lot easier to stay on it and not stray. For example, if you’ve decided to become a vegetarian, it’s going to be difficult (though certainly possible) to remain focused on excluding meat from your diet; at the very least, those people should be supportive of the fact that you are vegetarian and not constantly tempt you with meat.

If, however, those in your house don’t generally follow your eating plan and are much more likely to nosh on junk food, or even just to cook things (as opposed to your raw foods diet), it’s going to be somewhat difficult to stay on your diet. If you can create a support network for yourself, it’s much easier to stay on your diet even if everyone in your environment doesn’t eat exactly as you do.

3. You Find Your Diet Rewarding – People are creatures who like to be rewarded, and you’ll need to see regular benefits from your diet if you want to be able to continue without much struggle.

Additionally, when I weigh myself every morning, I can see results and the benefits of my diet. Benefits give you the motivation you need to succeed. These benefits may come in the form of additional energy, mental clarity, weight maintenance, weight loss or weight gain. Your diet plan must consistently provide you with benefits.

4. Your Plan Includes Exercise – Every day, in some form, you should be working out in some capacity; this will give you weight loss benefits (if that’s what you’re looking for) at a faster rate, but it’s also going to make you feel better and will help you stay on track. This can keep you motivated to continue with your particular plan.

5. Your Plan Includes Goals – Last (but not least), your plan should allow you to set goals so that you can continually achieve “the next thing.” These types of goals will also help keep you motivated as you continue and progress.

A goal of maintaining your weight in the range of 163-164 pounds (as an example), gives you reason to continue your diet plan. You know that if you venture off to far from your plan, you won’t make your daily goal. This constant reminder of having a goal will help to keep you on track.

What makes every diet plan enjoyable and doable is that it’s consistent, contains foods and activities (like exercise) that you enjoy, and it’s realistic and healthy. If the diet you currently follow isn’t something you know you can stay on for the long haul, you may want to change direction. Find a diet plan it’s going to work for you and keep you healthy. If you just want to get a start, write something down as a plan that details what can and can’t eat. You can improve upon your plan as you go.

Sick and tired of fad diets that doesn’t work? We have for you a lot of articles and reviews of the best diet plans to lose weight permanently. You can also watch my videos about great diet plans

Is Your Stomach Preventing You From Losing Weight?

Sunday, March 7th, 2010

In order to break down food, your stomach must go to work. And in order to fight off invading organisms, your stomach must also go to work.

As a result, keeping your stomach healthy will help you extract more nutrition from what you eat, help you not get sick, and by extension, help you lose more weight.

So, without further ado, here is how to increase your digestive health to increase your weight loss:

1. Avoid NES: Also known as night eating syndrome, eating huge meals late at night is horrible for your stomach. You see, when you do this late at night, acid is more likely to travel up your esophagus. Unfortunately, over time, this can wreak havoc on your digestive system.

2. Expand your stomach: You want to do this from the inside so that your brain gets robust feel full signals. One such way is by eating lots of vegetables. You should also make sure there is enough protein in your diet to get the best results here.

3. Maintain a journal: By keeping a journal of what you are eating, you can identify the foods that are allergic to your digestive system. Then you can eliminate them from your diet. Doing so will prevent you from having to deal with constant digestive upset.

4. Reduce oral bacteria: By reducing the amount of bacteria in your mouth, you will reduce inflammation in your digestive tract. And less inflammation will translate into a healthier digestive process. So make sure you floss and brush every single day.

5. Drink water: Of all the things you can do, this is the simplest and most effective. You see, when you drink water, you help your stomach digest food. You will feel better and extract more nutrients from whatever you are eating.

Keeping your digestive system in tip top shape is a great way to get your body to lose more weight. It will also help you feel healthier all around. So make sure you take action here sooner rather than later!

Distinguished author Katherine Crawford, a Harvard fitness expert and recent flabby arms sufferer, instructs women on how to get thin arms for women. Learn how to get sexy and toned arms by exploring her website about how to get slim arms for women now!