Thursday

How To Lose Weight And Avoid Yo-Yo Dieting


by guest author Natalie Myhalntska

Having a large experience in strict diets, sport and different weight loss techniques I discovered the effective formula which helps lose weight and keep the achieved result for a long period of time.
This formula contains the following principles:
1. Don't become addicted to strict diets. Try to vary food in your daily ration and make it more balanced. Though strict diet may guarantee a quick weight loss, such food limitations are usually a short-term solution only. In most cases these restrictions lead to vitamin deficiency, fatigue and loss of muscle. Less muscle and muscle tone means a slower metabolism and consequently fewer calories burned 24 hours-a-day. Moreover, strict diet doesn't teach you how to acquire health habits and improve your lifestyle. It works like self-delusion: you rely on the quickly achieved result and return to the former lifestyle. Ultimately after going off an extreme diet you gain the weight lost back within a year or less.
In order to avoid Yo Yo Dieting i strongly recommend to refuse from all those radical diets and create your own plan of healthy lifestyle which can be observed during a long-time period and which makes you lose weight gradually. The more slowly you lose weight the higher probability you will not gain it back.
2. A high consumption of virgin oil, vegetables and fruits, fish, milk and cheese, nuts etc. not only enriches your daily ration with all indispensable vitamins and elements but also helps reduce weight and prevent many diseases.
Habitants of Mediterranean countries are guided by the principle to consume the mentioned products everyday. People bound to Mediterranean Diet have a 70% more of expectancy of life and a 80% of better quality of life, supposing they do not smoke. Mediterranean Diet prevents stroke, heart attack, metabolic syndrome, lung diseases, Parkinson, Alzheimer and helps keep the bone mass in elderly people.
3. Eat frequently but reduce portion sizes. Mini meals make your blood sugar stay at normal level and it guarantees that you will never get too hungry and lose control of your portion intake. I advice you to eat salad before lunch or dinner and it will help curb appetite and give you a sense of satiety sooner.
4. Consume dairy products
Milk is a good source of protein, zinc, B vitamins and calcium. The recent studies show that calcium is not only a bone-building element but it also helps lose weight. Due to the research those who consumed 3 servings of low-fat dairy products a day lost more than 10% of their body weight. Those who took calcium supplements or those who had little calcium in their diet lost only 6% of their body weight.
5. Take enough sleep. If you don't get enough hours of sleep your metabolism will not function properly and it may cause hormone imbalance. Hormone ghrelin increases hunger, and when you are sleep-deprived, you have more ghrelin. Leptin decreases hunger, but when you are sleep-deprived, you have less leptin. Consequently you eat more plus your metabolism slows and you gain more weight.
6. Learn to manage stress. When you are under stress your body produces adrenalin and cortisol - 2 stress hormones which may affect your weight. Cortisol causes elevated blood sugar levels, which also trigger the release of insulin, causing the body to store fat, instead of burning protein. Adrenalin also increases sugar levels in the blood and it leads to glucose/insulin imbalance which strengthen your appetite.
7. Combine cardio and strength training. Cardio exercises boost metabolism, elevate serotonin levels in the brain and make your body burn calories faster. Strength training can help enhance your muscle mass and develop strong bones. As you gain muscle, your body gains a bigger "engine" to burn calories more efficiently.
8. Increase quality protein intake which helps improve muscle function and prevent muscle loss during weight loss. Proteins also lower blood levels of triglycerides which helps leptin get into your brain easier and therefore you feel full on fewer calories.
9. Drink an adequate amount of water. The process of burning calories requires sufficient supply of water otherwise dehydration will slow down the fat-burning process. If you drink water before every meal you will feel full sooner and therefore u become satisfied with less amount of calories.
10. Always remind yourself: "I can. I'm strong". Weight loss programme requires constant efforts and determination therefore any obstacle or failure shouldn't discourage or distract you from your main goal - to get perfect and seductive body.

http://magazine-mn.com/ Magazine MN (beauty, health, business, career, success, leadership, marketing)
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Natalie_Myhalnytska

Sunday

Whitney Houston Dies - The Passing of a legend

I couldn't let the day pass without mentioning Whitney Houston, regardless of the main content of my blog.
I was shocked, like many others when I heard of the death of Whitney Houston. I, and many of her fans I'm sure, were happy to see her two years ago as she made her steps towards her career comeback. I had bought her last album and absolutely loved playing track seven, I Didn't Know My Own Strength - a track that you just knew she sang from her heart and soul. A track that I'm sure a lot of listeners could relate to.

She was The Voice. Her music and voice will always be remembered. I'll always remember being in High School and dancing around the room to her first track, I Wanna Dance With Somebody, and watching the colourful video that accompanied the track.

My condolences go out to her daughter, Bobbi Christina and all her family.

Part 2: Have You Got the Motivation to Exercise?

Need the motivation to exercise? Take a look at these articles.

31 Ways to Motivate Yourself to exercise

Motivation to exercise tips

The Secrets of Exercise Motivation

Part 1: Motivation & A New Year

I hope everyone has enjoyed the start of the New Year. Are you sticking to your resolutions?
If one of your resolutions was to exercise more, how have you been at sticking to this? With this cold weather I know how difficult it can be to motivate yourself to exercise. I should know!The early morning workouts I did last year have so far become non-existent.

Not exercising enough has likely been the contributing factor to why I haven't been blogging over the last two months. Or maybe not blogging has contributed to my not exercising enough! Recording my fat-burning journey and mentioning exercise and nutrition on this blog has been very helpful to my trim-down goal. It seems that keeping a record or a journal of your exercise/weight loss goal can keep you on the right path.

I have been doing a few minutes of stretching in the morning, plus there's all the walking I do each day when taking my DDs to and from school. But its time to get back on that path and do more. Just writing this has now spurred me on to exercise.
Are you keeping a record or journal of your exercise/weight loss goal?