If you're like most people, you love to pour rich, creamy dressing
all over the vegetables in your salad. And while you may think
you're eating healthier because you're eating your veggies, the
salad dressing may be weighing you down more than you realize.
Salad dressings, while tasty, are often full of fat and calories
that you don't need when you're trying to slim down and get
healthy. But there are alternatives that are healthier for your
body yet still delicious.
One option is to mix olive oil or flaxseed oil with red wine or
balsamic vinegar. You need one part oil to one part vinegar. You
may also want to salt and pepper it before shaking to mix the two
ingredients together.
While olive oil and flaxseed oil have fat and calories, they are a
healthy source of fat that your body needs. In fact, flaxseed oil
is used by so many organs of your body that it's almost impossible
for it to be converted into fat cells.
Another way to dress up your salad without adding extra fat is to
squeeze a little lemon juice on your salad. It gives it a tart
sweetness that many dieters enjoy.
You can also choose bottled dressings that are vinaigrette style
and have fewer calories and fat grams. However, steer clear of
low-fat and non-fat dressings. While they may be lower in fat,
they often have just as many (if not more) calories. Why? Because
to replace the flavor from fat, dressing manufacturers often load
the bottle with sugar!
Finally, if you simply can't go without your favorite salad
dressing, you can try a method of eating it that won't add as many
fat grams to your day. Instead of pouring dressing all over your
salad, put the dressing on the side.
Dip the tines of your fork in the dressing before putting the
veggies on it. You'll get a little dressing with each bite, but
you won't use nearly the same amount as if you pour it all over the
salad. In fact, you'll be surprised at the great flavor and the
small amount of dressing you actually need to feel satisfied.
These tips are provided by Rachel, The owner of YAYFood, visit her at: http://www.yayfood.com/
Turbulence training is a method of doing strength training
and interval training in one workout. So that you get in and out of
the gym whether it's your home gym or whether it's a commercial
gym. You get your workout done in 45 minutes.
We start with a 5-minute bodyweight warm up and then we do strength
training for 20 minutes, whether it's bodyweight training or
dumbbells. Sometimes we use barbells but most people that I work
with train at home so we just use dumbbells and bodyweight
exercises - no fancy equipment needed.
Then we finish with 20 minutes of interval training. We are using
the most efficient and effective training methods. The stuff that
gets you the most results in the least amount of time. So we are
not doing long, slow cardio sessions and we're not doing 5 or 6 day
per week bodybuilding training programs.
It's like the old business principle - 80% of your results come
from 20% of your efforts - so why do endless amounts of cardio and
redundant strength training exercises?
Do only what you need to do and then get out of the gym.
Get your very own copy of the Turbulence Training Workout &
Nutrition System here: http://www.turbulencetraining.com/
You've probably heard a lot about the importance of exercise for
your child. But you may be wondering how to help your child
exercise when you're competing with the TV and video games that he
loves so much.
You can make exercise fun for your child. Here are a few simple
ideas to get you started:
Play Games. While you may be used to the idea of structured
exercise, kids don't need to hit the gym. Instead, try playing
games with your kids that will allow them to get their heart rates
up and their muscles moving.
Playing Frisbee, basketball, soccer, tag, duck duck goose, or ring
around the rosy can be just as effective as a structured workout
would be. Even better, your kids won't know they're exercising.
They'll just be having fun.
Encourage Outdoor Play. When your kids play outside, they'll
naturally exert more energy. You may be able to allow your child
to play in the backyard or in the neighborhood.
If this isn't an option for you, make it a point to take your child
to the local park. It can be even more fun if you allow your child
to bring a friend or two. Water play can also be a great way to get
physical activity into your child's day.
If you have a swimming pool available, encourage your child to go
swimming (supervised, of course). If a pool isn't available, try
turning on the sprinkler in the yard and letting your child run
around in it.
Active Video Games. Some video game manufacturers are working to
help kids get off the couch and on their feet. Games like Dance
Dance Revolution encourage your child to move while having fun at
the same time.
While it's important for your child to get daily activity, it's
also important that you help your child develop lifelong habits.
When you help your child to understand that exercise can be fun,
you'll encourage him to keep doing it.
Rachel over at YAYFood gives lots of down to earth tips, not only for you but your entire family. I suggest that you pay her a visit over at YAYFood
Now that Mike Geary has shown you how to train your body for fat
loss to get 6-pack abs, let's find out what we need to do to eat
properly for maximum fat loss and to finally get the washboard abs
you deserve. You should also read his article:
5 Things You Must Know About Getting Six Pack Abs But first, a little more on the best cardio methods for abs...
CB: Mike, what do you use for burning fat, intervals or slow
cardio? Or both? Any gender differences here? Or differences
between fitness levels (beginner vs. advanced)?
MG: In most cases, my answer is definitely intervals... or as I
like to call it "variable intensity training". In general, I think
slow steady pace cardio is a waste of time, especially if the goal
is lasting fat loss. I think people need to get away from this thinking about "fat
burning zones" and calories burned during the actual workout, and
look at the bigger picture of what you're doing in your workout to
stimulate the greatest metabolic response in your body... and the
best metabolic and hormonal response is achieved through variable
intensity training and strength training, not slow steady-pace
cardio.
CB: And for sedentary beginners?
MG: Now I will say that if someone is really deconditioned and can't
handle higher intensity exercise routines just yet, this still
doesn't mean that they can't simply use lower intensity routines,
but still use it in a "variable intensity" fashion, by alternating
between higher and lower exertion levels throughout the workout.
CB: Great stuff Mike. Can you let us in on 1 or 2 of your top
secret nutrition tips for carving out those abs. Open your vault of
info!
MG: Well Craig, I think you'd agree that there has never been a
more confusing time regarding proper nutrition for consumers. Every
so called "expert" out there seems to disagree and contradict each
other on what's the best way to eat for fat loss and overall good
health. One of the most important messages I try to teach my readers in
this world of heavy confusion is that your diet doesn't need to
conform to any of the fad diets... you don't need to go "low carb"
or "low fat", or high or low anything for that matter to be
successful in losing enough body fat to get lean enough to be able
to see your abs.
CB: Great, we like to avoid complex stuff!
MG: I like to try to simplify things. I think that balance is the key
to success along with eating a diet that is made up of nutrient
dense foods in their natural state (as unprocessed as possible). In general, it is the heavy processing of foods that makes it wreak
havoc inside our bodies. Most foods in their natural unprocessed
state are inherently good for us. Of course there are always
exceptions... a salad of poison ivy leaves is "natural and
unprocessed" but certainly would not be good for us!
CB: So, some specific tips?
MG: I'll leave your readers with a couple of the most important aspects
of nutrition that help to get you lean for life...
1. Get enough quality protein in the daily diet - not only does it
have a higher thermic effect than carbs and fat (so you burn more
calories digesting it), but it also creates satiety so your hunger
is satisfied longer. Plus protein is a building block for maintaining and building lean
muscle... And remember that the amount of lean muscle you carry is
one of the main factors for controlling your metabolism.
2. Think fiber! When it comes to carbs, make sure that almost all
of your carbohydrate intake is from higher fiber sources like
vegetables, fruits, and high fiber unrefined grains. Try to avoid refined sugars and refined grains as that is one of
the main reasons so many people struggle with body fat. I personally don't eat many grains as I prefer to get most of my
carbs from veggies and fruits, but I am a bit of a fan of sprouted
grains. I generally recommend looking for carbohydrate sources that
have at least 2-3 grams of fiber per each 10 grams of total carbs. Remember that fiber helps fill you up and also slows down the
glycemic response of the foods you eat, all beneficial for getting
lean.
CB: What about fat?
MG: 3. Don't be afraid to eat fat! Many people try to go way too low on their fat intake and this can
negatively affect hormone levels in your body as well as causing
more cravings. Try to eat enough healthy fats daily. Good sources of healthy fats are nuts and seeds, nut butters,
avocados, olive oil, organic meats and eggs, coconuts and
virgin coconut oil. On that note, saturated fats from tropical oils are VERY
misunderstood, even by many nutritionists and other health
professionals. Yes they are composed highly of saturated fats, but
are actually beneficial (but that's way beyond the scope of this
article). 4. Avoid the two worst things in our food supply at ALL COSTS: *artificial trans fats from margarines, shortening, and
hydrogenated oils that are in most processed foods *high fructose corn syrup, which is in almost all sweetened
products on the market Again, if you avoid processed foods, it becomes easy to avoid these
two worst offenders in our food supply. I always contend that once you get a handle on these 4 main points
of your diet detailed above, the rest starts to take care of itself
as you gain control over your appetite, blood sugar levels, hormone
levels, etc. It all falls into place, and you eventually gain total
control over how lean you want to get.
CB: Thanks Mike! For more diet and cardio tips for getting ripped abs: Click HERE for the Truth About Six Pack Abs
In today's world, unhealthy drinks can be found everywhere you
look. From sodas full of sugar and preservatives to fruit drinks
that aren't really made of fruit, there are a lot of unhealthy
choices.
But it's critical that you make sure that you make healthy choices
in drinks. Not only do these unhealthy beverages lack vitamins
that you need, they can also cause problems with growth and
development.
So what are good choices? It's time to get back to basics.
Water. The absolute best beverage for you to drink is water.
Water is essential to the function of every part of the body.
Sadly, most people who eat the Western diet are dehydrated much of
the time.
Having plenty of fresh water available is one way to make sure you
have the option to drink this healthy liquid. If you don't like
the taste of plain water, you can try squeezing some lemon juice or
limejuice into the water to give it flavor. Serving water very
cold also can make it more favorable.
While there are plenty of flavored waters on the market, many of
them are flavored with artificial sweeteners. While this doesn't
cause them to be higher in calorie, artificial sweeteners may not
be the best things for your body. Try to stick to plain water as
much as possible.
Juice. Many people worry that they will be drinking too many
calories if they drink fruit juice. Some recent research shows
that drinking juice, even in large amounts, doesn't cause you to
become obese later in life.
While you should get most of your hydration from water, it's okay
to have a few servings of fruit juice every day. However, make
sure that you're drinking 100% juice. Many beverages claim to be
fruit drinks, but have as little as 2% actual fruit juice and are
filled with sugar and corn syrup instead.
This and thousands of more great tips could be found in the members area at YAYFood, I understand that Rachel, the owner, have lowered the fee from $19.95 to $1! Yes! 1 Dollar!
Found a very interesting interview with the two founders of Turbulence Training and The Truth About Six Pack Abs. I will also post the interesting free exercise program that the talk about at hte end of the interview.
Among the fitness myths and misinformation comes a lot of surprise training recommendations from the real experts. Without the real experts, we'd all be stuck doing 60-minutes of cardio five times per week rather than faster, more efficient intervals. And the world of ab training is a jungle of bad information. But last summer I spoke with a coach named Mike Geary. He's a Certified Nutrition Specialist & a Certified Personal Trainer dedicated to showing your better ab and fat loss methods. You might have come across Mike's info in Muscle & Fitness Hers Magazine, or even read his wildly popular & controversial book ==>
The Truth About Six Pack Abs
Today, Mike has some surprises for you...
CB: Mike, what got you into training and helping others?
MG: I just love helping people with this area of their lives, as not
only does it improve their outward appearance and confidence, but
more importantly, improves how they feel and their internal health,
helping them to live longer and healthier lives. It's something I'm
very passionate about.
CB: Okay, so where does the average man or woman go wrong when it
comes to training abs?
MG: Most people are probably going to be surprised with this answer. In their quest for 'six pack abs', the biggest mistake I see people making is wasting WAY too much of their time training their abs directly... pumping away with all kinds of different
abs-specific exercises. I'm sure you know what I'm referring to. The person is trying so hard to get those abs to show, that they're spending almost all of their time in the gym with hundreds of reps of various crunches, leg raises, twisting exercises, etc.
CB: Right, I see a lot of wasted time in the gym. So what's better?
MG: All of that wasted time directly training the abs could have been better spent on a properly designed full body workout program that would elicit a much better metabolic response and increase the fat-burning hormone levels in their body as well. After all, losing the stomach fat that is covering the abs is the MOST important aspect for most people to finally be able to make their abs visible. Unfortunately, pumping away with hundreds of crunches and leg raises does NOT cause much of a metabolic or fat burning hormonal response. The essential metabolic and correct hormonal response is the main focus of my The Truth About Six Pack Abs book... full body training programs and proper nutrition to strip off that stubborn
belly fat and reveal the six pack that's hiding underneath! Of course it wouldn't be an abs book if I didn't focus on ab development too, but I make sure firstly that the most important concepts for lasting body fat reduction are understood.
CB: Do you see any gender differences in mistakes they make? And
more importantly, do you see any gender differences in the response
to various types of ab training?
MG: To be honest, I don't really see any need for men or women to train differently. Bottom line... the best exercises are the best exercises regardless of gender.
However, in regards to mistakes I see between genders... Yes, I tend to see women more often are deathly afraid to use weight training with anything but really light weights. That is a shame, because THE most effective way to gain control over your body fat for life, is to maximize your lean muscle that your body carries, as well as working that muscle hard through intense resistance exercise regularly.
CB: So do you have some specific advice for women?
MG: It's important for women to realize that regular strength training using heavier resistance will NOT "bulk them up" (as long as caloric intake is controlled), but rather is one of the key secrets for losing body fat and staying lean year-round. As a matter of fact, some of the leanest females that I've trained over the years are the ones that aren't afraid to work hard with the weights. I also notice that most women (and a lot of guys too) spend way too much time with slow cardio exercise. This is simply not necessary,
and the way I combine high intensity resistance training into full body routines provides enough of a "cardio" workout in itself usually. We'll get back to this in a minute though. I've separated my site into men and women's areas, just to make sure I've covered everyone's specific needs. Click HERE for Mike's Truth About Abs Website
CB: What about old school sit-ups? Do you use these? Are they good,
bad, or does it "depend"?
MG: Sit-ups are a controversial topic. I don't think they're good or bad per se, but rather "in between". I didn't include them in my program. I simply don't feel they are necessary, and I think there are much more effective abs exercises to focus on. Personally, I almost never do sit-ups except occasionally for a little variety
every now and then.
CB: Give us a weekly sample ab training program. How many days per
week? What are a couple of the best exercises you'd pick? How many
sets? Reps? Rest?
MG: Well, first I'd like to point out that the full body movements that make up the majority of my programs indirectly work the abs and the entire "core" area to a fairly decent extent. However, I do include abs-specific exercises into the routines generally about twice per week. The "abs-specific" portion of the workouts generally only take
about 5 minutes at most with very little rest between exercises. Once people are past the beginning phase of gaining some initial ab strength, I try to get them away from the exercises that are too easy, where someone can do 50 or 100 reps, as is frequently common with standard crunches. Instead, I like to focus on higher resistance exercises that actually stimulate the muscle fibers to a much greater degree.
CB: Such as?
MG: One example of a higher resistance abs exercise is hanging leg raises with a proper "pelvic curl up". It's funny but usually someone that has been wasting so much time with hundreds of reps of crunches can usually only do a few solid reps when they first
attempt some of these higher resistance exercises. We also make sure not to neglect some rotational movements, as well as some work for the deeper muscles like the transversus abdominis.
CB: Thanks Mike. Later this week we'll get Mike's cardio and
nutrition tips for building 6-pack abs. If you can't wait, Mike has more info for you on his site. ==> Mike Geary's: The Truth About Six Pack Abs
One of the toughest things about dieting is choosing snacks that
both satisfy you and keep your calories under control. This is
especially true if you're used to snacking on potato chips and
candy bars. But you don't have to go it on your own. Here are
some ideas for snacks that can help you curb those cravings.
- Air-popped or 94% fat free popcorn
- A handful of pistachio nuts or almonds
- Carrot sticks with a small amount of your favorite dip or dressing
- A small amount of dark chocolate - it will satisfy your chocolate
craving and it's healthy too!
- Yogurt
- A piece of fruit
- A spoonful of peanut butter
- A small bowl of whole-grain cereal
- A protein shake
- A tablespoon of raisins or other dried fruit
While this is by no means an exhaustive list, there are some
guidelines you can follow when selecting snacks. Try to stay away
from foods that are high in sugar or salt. These foods can cause
you to crave more foods and retain water.
For example, it's better to have a handful of nuts than a granola
bar. Most granola bars are low in fat, but they have a lot of
added sugar that you don't need.
Also make sure that you keep your body hydrated. Hunger and thirst
often feel the same. If you feel a little hungry, try drinking a
glass of water and then wait a few minutes. You may find that you
don't really need a snack after all.
Combine these tips with Calorie Cycling and you are determined to lose fat!
What is the best thing someone can do in 2008 if they want to lose
fat?
It's planning. You have to put a plan together.
Get a good workout plan that suits your lifestyle, physical
interests, time constraints, equipment availability, and training
history. Don't do a heavy cardio program if you don't have a lot of
time and hate doing cardio.
If you only have time for 3 short workouts per week, then grab
Turbulence Training, the workout you can do at home or the gym with
minimal equipment.
At the same time, plan your nutrition. Figure out what eating
schedule works for you. Address your weak points and work around
them. Get rid of all the bad foods in your house and replace them
with good, fat fighting foods.
Look at your schedule and determine the two best times each week to
spend an hour or so preparing your meals for the next coming days
(for example, an hour on Sunday and an hour on Wednesday).
If you have your plan set out, all you have to do is follow it.
Once you commit, stick to it. Don't bounce from program to program,
or diet to diet.
You'll even benefit from planning your workout music in your Ipod,
making sure you never grow bored of this vital motivation. Or plan
to go to the gym when other people striving for the same goals will
be there. Surround yourself with social support.
Also, plan in "mental breaks", such as cheat meals (once per week),
and fun workouts - such as taking a long hike on the weekend or
replacing one workout every month with a sport or workout with a
friend.
This plan will be your guide to success. Do it once and you don't
have to spend mental energy on it every week.
Plan for success and you'll lose fat permanently in 2008.
Using Turbulence Training with a Calorie Shifting Diet will take you to places you didn't dream possible!
For many people who are overweight starting an exercise program can be quite difficult.
What you need to understand is that you don't have to immediately start going out for long-distance runs. In fact to do so if you are quite overweight could be detrimental to your health.
In the beginning of an exercise program it is better to start by going for walks and don't be too concerned if initially they are short walks and slow ones at that.
You can't expect to run before you walk and you will find that once you start taking the steps towards your goal it will become easier and easier.
Even if you don't like exercise you need to be aware of the fact that exercise is one of the fastest ways for you to reduce weight and improve your health and speed up your metabolism to help reach your goals.
The more exercise you do, the more energetic you will become and this in turn makes it a lot easier for you to achieve your daily activities.
Exercise also helps to flush out toxins in the body and improve your digestive system with increased blood flow throughout the body so even small levels of exercise are going to benefit to some degree.
Any exercise that involves the use of resistance such as weightlifting will boost your ability to lose weight considerably as muscle burns fat and any muscle that you can build will help to lower your fat levels.
These resistance training type exercises also help to increase the strength of your bones that is very important as you age.
If possible, it is good to have some physical activity each day and at least you should assign time to do a minimum of 30 minutes of exercise three times per week.
If you find that you can't do that initially don't be too concerned as you will build up to it before too long and most people end up enjoying it and make it part of their regular lifestyle.
The program I use, Turbulence Training, is great for everyone. When I started out exercising I used the first level in Turbulence Training and my muscles didn't even get sore. Today I'm at the intermediate level and still no sore muscles!
There are many different reasons why people become overweight.
It is not as simple as saying that overweight people just eat too much because there can be any number of psychological reasons that make people want to eat more.
Emotional triggers such as stress, sadness, depression and so on can all make a person want to eat more food. This is due to the fact that there are certain chemicals in the brain that are linked to both mood and hunger.
Many people associate eating with various different emotions and for this reason they choose to eat more food to make themselves feel better, or happier, or more comforted.
If you feel that this is the reason for your weight problem then it is probably better to get those issues resolved first by seeing a specialist rather than trying to attack the food problem first.
For a lot of people it is habit to over eat and behavioral modification will be the key to weight loss success in these cases.
One of the easiest ways to change your eating behavior is to eliminate any temptations. This is best done at the supermarket by not actually buying foods that are going to cause you a problem.
By not having these low value foods in the house you won't be tempted to eat them because they won't be there and this will encourage you to eat better foods and in doing so change your behavior patterns.
This process is made considerably easier if all members of the household will help towards achieving the goal of better eating.
If you do the shopping then you will be able to determine what food is purchased and this will help to make your weight loss easier, and in doing so it will help the nutrition of all members of the household.
Burn The Fat, Feed The Muscle is one of the best books I have read on 'everday'-dieting. It covers every aspect of healthy dieting.
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