Recipe for Health: Freekeh-Stuffed Peppers

When it comes to grains in our diet, we now have more proof that whole is a whole lot better. In a study published last October in Gut, a team of Danish researchers assigned 50 adults to follow one of two diets for 2 months—one where all grains consumed were unrefined varieties, like brown rice and oats, and one where most grains were refined options, such as white rice and white pasta.
The outcome? Eating the whole-grain diet produced a greater drop in body weight and less inflammation in the body, potentially lowering the risk for certain ailments, including heart disease. Most likely, whole grains trimmed those extra pounds by increasing feelings of fullness and reducing calorie intake.
But adding more whole grains to your diet shouldn’t just mean slapping turkey and cheese between slices of whole-grain bread. Curious cooks can choose from a bounty of exciting whole grains from around the world. And how better to stamp your passport to flavor than with freekeh? Hailing from the Middle East, freekeh (FREAK-eh) is immature green wheat roasted over fire to impregnate it with nutty, smoky flavor. Think of it as the bacon of the whole-grain world. Nutritionally, it has even more protein and fiber than much-hyped quinoa, which makes this vegetarian main dish even easier to swallow.
2 t grapeseed oil or canola oil
1 small yellow onion, chopped
1/4 t salt
2 garlic cloves, minced
3/4 C low-sodium vegetable broth
1/3 C cracked freekeh, such as Bob’s Red Mill
1/2 C canned chickpeas
1 medium carrot, shredded
1/4 C chopped dried apricots
1/4 C chopped pistachios
2 large red bell peppers
1/2 C plain Greek yogurt
1 t za’atar spice mixture
1/2 t paprika
2 t lemon zest
1/4 C chopped parsley
Heat oil in a medium-sized saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and salt; heat until onion is softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, and heat 1 minute. Place broth and freekeh in pan, bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer covered until freekeh is tender and broth has absorbed, about 16 minutes. Set aside covered for 5 minutes and then fluff with a fork. Add chickpeas, carrot, apricots and pistachios to pot, and stir everything together.
Halve each bell pepper lengthwise, from stem to base, removing white veins and seeds. Place peppers in a microwave-safe dish, cut sides up, cover with paper towel and microwave on high for 5 minutes, or until tender. Stir together yogurt, za’atar, paprika and lemon zest.
Stuff peppers with freekeh mixture and serve topped with yogurt and parsley. Serves 2.

4,000 Steps a Day for Brain Fitness

By walking more than 4,000 steps a day, adults aged 60 and older can improve both attention and mental skills, according to a study in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease (2017; doi:10.3233/JAD-170586).
University of California, Los Angeles, researchers examined the relationship between physical activity and cognitive function in nondemented older adults with memory issues. For 2 years, researchers tracked the number of daily steps taken by 26 older adults and conducted neuropsychological tests and MRI scans to measure thickness of brain ­structures.
Data analysis revealed that those who walked more than 4,000 steps per day had a thicker hippocampus and surrounding regions and had higher performance in attention and information-processing speed and executive function. The hippocampus region of the brain is primarily associated with memory and spatial navigation. Prabha Siddarth, PhD, lead study author and biostatistician at the Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior at UCLA, said, “Brain thickness, a more sensitive measure than volume, can track subtle changes in the brain earlier than volume and can independently predict cognition.” People who walked less than 4,000 steps per day had thinner brain structures and lower cognitive functioning.

How to Make It As a Fitness Model!

So You Wanna Be a Fitness Model? People that follow my stuff know I generally write about nutrition, supplements, training, and other topics that are more science based than subjective topics, such as what is covered in this article. I decided to shuck my science geek persona, and write on a topic I know will be helpful to thousands of would be and want to be fitness models. As well a known "hard core" science based no BS writer, why I am writing what some will perceive as a "fluff" article? Over the years I have gotten hundreds, perhaps thousands, of gals that ask me via email, letters, or in person "how do I become a fitness model Will? You have been in the business a long time, surly you of all people should know." I get this from newbies and I get this from women that have been at it a while but have been unable to "break in" effectively. The fact is, I have been in the fitness, health, and bodybuilding biz a long time, and though I am known as a science and nutrition based "guru" type, I have trained many a fitness athlete, and judged fitness and figure/bikini shows for the NPC, Fitness America, Fitness USA, and other federations as well as given marketing and business advice to all sorts of athletes, including fitness models. So, it's not as far fetched as it might seem that I am going to use this space to cover a non scientific topic, which is, how one goes about being a fitness model. This article will be useful to both experienced and novice types looking to "break in" to the biz. If you are already a professional and successful fitness model, I am sure you may still glean some useful information from this article. First the bad news, there is no one way to become a successful fitness model. There is no single path or magic secret. There are however some key things a person can do to greatly improve their chances of "making it" in the fitness biz as a model, and perhaps using that success as a launching pad to greater things, such as movies, TV, etc. Several of the top fitness models (Trish Stratus and Vicki Pratt come to mind but there are many others) have gone onto careers in entertainment of all kinds. Bottom line, though there is no magic secret to being successful as a fitness model, this article will be about as close to a blueprint for success as you will find. "Do I need to compete?" This is a question I get asked all the time and it's not an easy one to answer. In fact, the answer is (drum roll) yes and no. The person has to deicide why they are competing in the first place to answer that question. For example, do you need to compete if your goal is to be a successful fitness model? The answer is no. Many of today's well-known fitness models have never competed, or they competed in a few small shows and it was clearly not part of their success as fitness models. However, competing does have its potential uses. One of them is exposure. At the upper level shows, there will often be editors, publishers, photographers, supplement company owners, and other business people. So, competing can improve your exposure. Also, competing can make sense if you are trying to build a business that is related to your competing or will benefit from you winning a show. For example, say you have a private training gym you are trying to build. Sure, having the title of say Ms Fitness America, or winning the NPC Nationals and being an IFBB pro, will help your reputation and the notoriety of your business. There are many scenarios were it would help to have won a show for a business or other endeavors. On the other hand, it must be realized that winning a show does not in any way guarantee success in the business end (and it really is a business) of being a fitness model. The phone wont ring off the hook with big offers for contracts. Also, it's very important to realize that it's common that the 4th or 6th or 8th place finisher in a fitness or figure show will get more press than the winner. Why? Though the winner might have what it took to win that show, it's often other gals the editor, publishers, supplement companies etc, feel is more marketable. I have seen it many times where the winner was shocked to find she didn't get nearly the attention she expected and other girls who placed lower have gotten attention in the form of photos shoots, magazine coverage, etc. Something to keep in mind when you ask yourself the important question "do I need to compete and if so, why am I competing?" Answer that question, and you will know the answer to the heading of this section. Winning a title of some sort can be a stepping stone, but it is not in itself any guarantee of success in the fitness industry. It's like a college degree; it's what you do with it. Now. If you compete for the fun of it, then by all means go for it, but the above is focusing on competing as it relates to the business aspect of being a fitness model. Right body, wrong federation? Ok, so after reading the above you have decided you are going to compete, or will compete again. If you don't plan to compete, you can skip this section. The biggest mistake I see here is so many gals have the right body for the wrong federation. Each federation has its own judging criteria and a competitor will do poorly simply because they didn't bother to research which show would be best suited for them. I will give you a perfect real world example of this. Recently I judged a show whose criteria for the figure round was the women should be more on the curvy softer side with some tone, vs. being more muscular and athletic with less bodyfat that other federations might allow. At this show one of the most beautiful women I have ever seen came out. She was very proportional, great muscle tone, lean, and athletically shaped with narrow hips and waist and wider shoulders. How did she do at this show? She didn't even place in the top ten! Why? Because she was not what we were instructed to look for and didn't fit the criteria. After the show I informed her that she looked great, but this may not the federation for her. I told her she had much more of an NPC type body, where a little more muscle, athletic build, and less bodyfat is rewarded. The following week I was judging an NPC fitness, figure, and bodybuilding show and there she was. How did she do? She won the entire show with all judges voting her number one unanimously. Conversely, if your body type tends to be more rounded and toned, but with a little more bodyfat, wider (but not fat!) hips, you may be better off competing in say the Fitness America Pageants. If you are going to compete: (1) find out exactly what the judging criteria is for that federation and (2) go see those shows as a spectator for several different federations and see which one your physique, style, etc will fit into best. (3) You have to decide if you truly have the athletic abilities to compete in a fitness competition (which requires a routine) or a figure/bikini competition. I often see women who would do well in a figure show but really don't have the athletic abilities do the routines required to be competitive with other athletes in the show. Some shows will allow you to do both competitions and some wont. Networking 101: dos and don'ts... In so many respects, this is the area that will make or break you in any business, and yet, people in the fitness industry do an amazingly poor job at it. If you don't network and market yourself properly, you can pretty much forget about having any real success as a fitness model, or a success in virtually any business. For the sake of space, we will stick to fitness. When I first started out, I was a self marketing machine. I could be found at every show I thought might be an opportunity, walking the isles of trade shows, bodybuilding, shows, fitness show, and others. I gave out a zillion cards and I took a million home with me, and followed up on each and every one. I went to as many industry related meetings, outings, parties, etc. as I could get into. I now have the reputation and experience in the industry that I don't have to go to such a show unless I feel like it, or have meetings, but they were quite helpful in the beginning. I am always amazed at the number of fitness models who contact me who have never even been to the Arnold Classic Fitness Weekend, or the Mr. Olympia, or the trade shows like the NNFA Expo West and others. If you want to make it in the fitness business you sure as hell had better treat it like a business. I have seen many a pretty girl who wants to be a fitness model who thinks if they stand there looking pretty long enough, someone is going to offer to put their face on the cover of a magazine. News flash, there are millions of beautiful women out there and to be noticed, you have to hussle to get that business like everyone else by networking your butt off, or having a good agent (if you can afford such a thing) who is doing it for you. Pick a few major industry shows to attend (some of which were mentioned above) and go to them every year. Have a plan of attack of exactly how you plan to market yourself and network. Many fitness models, bodybuilders, etc see a show as one big party. If that's you, then have fun at the party, but don't think you are really marketing yourself as a serous business person or athlete. Another thing that always amazes me is the number of fitness models who either have no business cards, or have some cards they printed up on their bubble jet printer at home! They ask me to help them or what ever and I say "give me your card" and they look at me like "I am so pretty I should not need a card you fool." This attitude turns off editors, photographers, writers, and industry people faster then if they found out you were really a transvestite. Don't do it. For every pretty girl out there who thinks the world owes them a favor, there are 100 who are ready to act like professionals. Ever wonder why some fitness model you know is doing better than you are even though you know you are prettier than her? That may be why...never ever go to a show to network without good cards, bios, and professionally done head and body shots you can give to said editors, publishers, photographers, industry types, etc. Don't stand around looking pretty assuming they will find you, find them first and introduce yourself. And of course it should go without saying you should be in good condition and have something of a tan to look your best. You want to go to the shows and party? Fine, but do it in private after the work is done and don't make a fool out of yourself at some industry sponsored get together. Hell, I was virtually poured into a cab at last years Arnold Classic after going to a sushi place with some well know industry types and companies owners (you know who you are!) but at least no one saw me! We had our own little private get together after the show to let loose. Let me give you one final real world example of how NOT to market yourself. Last year I was on retainer as a consultant to a mid sized supplement company. The owner of the company asked me if I knew a couple of fitness model types that could work his booth for a trade show. In fact, he requested "unknowns, some new faces people had not seen yet but had real potential to grow with the company." I went and found him two such gals I thought fit the bill. He offered to pay their flights, room, and food plus a thousand dollars each for the days work. The two girls were told to be at the booth 9am sharp. The night before at the hotel, I saw the two girls getting in a cab at 11pm or so dressed to kill, clearly on their way out to party. The next day they showed up at the booth an hour and a half late and hung over! What was the result of this? (1) it embarrassed me to no end as I had recommended them to the company owner (2) they would never get work from that company again (3) they would never get any work from me again and (4) they would not get a reference from either of us for other jobs. I see this type of thing all the time in the fitness biz, and it's not limited to fitness models. Amazingly, a few weeks after the show they emailed me and the company owner wanting to know when their next job would be! Amazing... Who loves you baby? If there is one universal truth, it's that the camera either loves you or it does not. Any professional photographers will tell you this. For some unknown reason, some people are very photogenic and some are not. Truth be known, there are some well known fitness models (who shall remain nameless as they would probably smack me the next time they saw me) who are not all that attractive in person. It's just that the camera loves them and they are very photogenic, but not terribly pretty in person. Conversely, I have seen the reverse many times; a girl who is much better looking in person than in photographs. Such is the fate of the person who wants to be a model of any kind, including a fitness model. If you find you are not very photogenic, keep working with different photographers until you find one that really captures you well and pay that photographer handsomely! Now, to be bluntly honest, there are also some want to be fitness models who are not "unphotogenic", they're just "fugly"! There are some people out there who have no business trying to be fitness models. It does not make them bad people, it just means they need to snap out of their delusions and find a profession they are better suited for, like radio personality.... "How do I get in the magazines?" This section sort of incorporates everything I have covered above, and adds in a few additional strategies. For example, as I mentioned before, competing in fitness shows and or figure/bikini shows can increase your exposure, thus getting the attention of some magazine publisher or photographer. Networking correctly at the various trade shows may also have the same effect, and of course having a good portfolio done by a photographer that really captures your look, a good web site, etc., will all increase your potential for getting into the magazines, or getting ad work, and so on. However, all of these strategies are still somewhat passive versus active in my opinion. It's still the fitness model waiting to be "discovered." As far as I am concerned, waiting is for bus stops and pregnancy tests. Success waits for no man...or woman as the case me be. So, after all the above advice is taken into consideration as having an added effect to getting you magazine coverage, what else can be done? For one thing, you should read and be familiar with all the magazines you want to be in so you know who is who and what the style of the different magazines are. I can tell you right now, if say the Editor-in-Chief of a good sized fitness or bodybuilding publications and says "hi, I am the Bob Smith what's your name?" and the fitness model has no idea who Bob Smith is, Bob will not take kindly to that. Why should he? You should know who the major players are in the publications you want to be seen in. He is doing you the favor, not the other way around. You should know who the major players are and actively seek them out, don't wait for them to "discover" you. If you look at the masthead inside any magazine, it will tell you who the publisher is, who the Editor-in-Chief is and so forth. The mailing address for that magazine, and often the web site and email, can also be found. What is to stop you from looking up those names and mailing them your pictures and resume directly? Nothing, that's what. If you see a photo spread you think is really well done, what is to stop you from finding out who the photographer is and contacting them directly and sending them your pics? Nothing, that's what. My point being, you want a get a break in the business, make the break, don't sit there thinking it's looking for you, because it's not. Be proactive, not reactive! Luck is the residue of design. Be successful by design. As my older brother used to say to me as a kid when I told him I was too scared to ask out a pretty girl "what's the worst that can happen Will? All she can say is no." That's the worst that can happen to you also. Beware of web idiots, schlubs, morons, perverts, scum bags, and sleazoids! This part is sort of self-explanatory but worth mentioning. As with all industries that deal in entertainment based media (e.g., television, theater, modeling, etc.), the fitness industry attracts its far share of web idiots, schlubs, morons, perverts, scum bags, and sleazoids, to name just a few. There is also the class of person known as the schmoe, but we will leave that for another place and time. Point is you want to meet the right people while not getting involved with that group of worthless types who will only drag you down, delay you, or just flat out screw you up and over. For example, a guy comes up and says he wants to "shoot you" for the magazines, but what do you really know of this guy? He has a camera and some business cards, so that makes him a photographer right? Wrong! If someone want to shoot you and they are not a well-known name (and you should know who the well known photographers are because you researched that already!), find out who they are. Do they have references you can call? Girls you can contact he has shot before and were happy with the work? What magazines has he published in? Does he do it professionally or as a hobby? That type of thing. Another thing I see is the big web scam. I'm amazed how many girls get scammed by these web idiots. Lesson here is you get what you pay for, so when some person wants to build you a web site for free, you are getting what you pay for. Yes, there is good money to be made on the 'net, and the net can be great for marketing yourself and making contacts, but most of it's a scam. You are better off paying a good web designer and web master who has experience with other fitness model types and has references you can talk to. I can't tell you the number of girls who have been screwed over by some internet thing that went to hell, like the "fan" who volunteers to build a free web site and either runs off with any money made from the site or puts their picks on porn sites and any number of other things that made them regret like hell ever agreeing to the site in the first place. Clearly, I can't go down the list of all the possible pitfalls of the web idiots, schlubs, morons, perverts, scum bags, and sleazoids out there to be found in the entertainment business, but you get the idea. Be careful! Conclusion. Well that pretty much concludes my down and dirty guide to the basics of "making it" as a fitness model. Of course there are tons of business related issues I could cover and tricks I could give, but the above is the best advice you are going to find in s small space and will do more for you-if properly followed-than you may realize. Good luck and see you in the magazines!

Fastest and Natural Way to Lose Weight

What is weight? Weight loss is a major topic for discussion within and outside medical boundaries. In medical arena, weight loss is seen as a method for gaining back one's health, while others are more concerned with the physical attributes that come about as a result of it, mainly in the form of better perceived physical appeal. Why it is important to get rid of your extra body fat? Generally, extra body fat indicates the presence of accumulated fatty substances that deposit themselves under the skin, and hence show up easily. This extra body fat is largely believed to be an indication of ill-health, as it is a reflection of the fatty deposits that accumulate on the inner walls of arteries and arterioles, and it is of utmost importance to get rid of this body fat to get a healthy life with smart body Facts regarding weight loss Weight loss can be of two types, one which takes place unintentionally may be a result of ill-health. However, when it is a result of voluntary effort with the intention of improving ones health, it is a healthy process. Indeed, weight loss can be attained through different means; one may decide to exercise sufficiently to lose weight, or resort to a change in diet, or even a combination of the two. There are many people who resort to using medication to drop their weight rapidly. Medical practitioners dispute the merits of the latter, as the long-term effects of this measure are unpredictable. Naturally lose weight in a fun way The best way to lose weight involves doing something as part of your routine that you enjoy. For some people, this involves having a few friends with whom they can go and visit a gymnasium regularly. Along with this, they might implement a diet that is sustainable and one that will take them towards good health and stay clear of wearing them thin on mineral resources and other important nutrients. Often, people fall for fad diets and they adhere to them along with an exercise routine, which is dangerous because in a short time they can find themselves depleting their vital resources. Apart from using the gym, one may decide on playing a sport one fancies. Some people are known to begin with mild to medium intensity training in martial arts, depending on their age, state of health, etc. It is important remember that when taking up a physical activity that suits you in the long run, you need to have a balanced diet and stay clear of medication to lose weight. If you decide to use medication, you might lose weight rapidly, but when you take yourself off it, you might experience weight gain, dissatisfaction and lethargy amid other side effects. Is it good to use pills to lose weight? While pills may have tremendous effects when it comes to rapid loss in weight, there are medical concerns. First of all, it is not a natural way of losing weight, which means that it does not change a human being's habit. In turn, when a person stops using these pills, they may start gaining weight again because they have not changed their lifestyles. Additionally, medical experts believe there could be long-term consequences when people use pills to lose weight. The ultimate result of using pills to lose weight has not been defined, which seriously means that there might be severe risks associated with their use. Methods to reduce your weight quickly While long-term and sustainable implementation of diets along with appropriate physical activity is recommended for losing weight, sometimes people want to lose weight rapidly. This is particularly the case when they face serious health and life-threatening issues. • One method of losing weight rapidly includes using pills. One has to undergo an assessment prior to using this method. Only a physician who has examined an individual can recommend these. The results are startling, as people are known to start showing signs of weight loss in a matter of days. • Another method of losing weight, although a little slower, is through diets that subtract your weight gaining substances. An example of such a diet is the Cabbage Diet. These kinds of diets have to be administered over a short period, as long-term adherence to it could ruin your health. • Apart from adjusting what one consumes in order to lose weight, there is also the concept of intense exercise routines that people can put them self's through. This helps one to lose weight do to the fact that calories get burned rapidly. One example of a typical exercise in this method is the treadmill. The more you use, the more you will lose weight. However, here again, there is an issue of sustainability, as the intensity of exercise is sure to wear a person out after a short amount of time. • Another method of losing weight rapidly that does not work for all people is by skipping meals. Many people decide to skip lunch of dinner in order to cut down on around one-third of their consumption. While some people are known to experience weight loss through this approach, medical experts ponder over the wisdom of it. This is because there can be severe issues with one's digestive system when meals are skipped; digestive fluids begin to act on the very walls of the digestive tract that produce them. Tips to help you lose weight: It is important to keep in mind that people of all ages are likely to suffer with overweight-related health issues. However, the following points pertain to people between the ages of 20 and 40. • People are known to use weight loss pills and other formulas for losing weight. These are not really advised unless you feel that you are running out of time and need to lose weight rapidly before something severe happens to you. Using pills and medication for weight loss does not form any good habits, and you are likely to go back t your old bad routine and eating habits. • People past the age of 20 are known to suffer with a condition known as obesity. They may be suffering with this due to sustained childhood obesity. Since this issue is most likely to have been prompted by inactivity, it is thought the individual has to be gradually drawn into a healthier lifestyle. • Whether you have been overweight since your childhood or not, you still have to get into a healthier mode of physical activity. Initially, one can start by taking leisurely strolls in the mornings. The length and sped of these can be gradually be increased in order to boost the burning of calories. • Intense and strenuous workouts are also used in order to burn calories. However, this needs to be implemented in accordance with... • Consuming naturally produced foods that are meant to reduce weight trough their medicinal properties. This includes the consumption of things like Green Tea that is known to cut your cut. Some people prefer to go for consuming grape fruit juice. This is known to be very effective, but they need to discuss this with their physician, especially if they are on medication. • Non sustainable diets such as fad diets can be used for reducing one's weight. The weight loss may be rapid, but the diet itself may not be sustainable. • Sustainable diets are those that are well balanced and don't deny you of your vital nutrients. These diets tend to show slower progress, but in the long run they can lead you to better eating habits and a better lifestyle. • Sustainable diets and adequate exercise is thought to be the right approach to losing weight. The intensity of the exercise may vary according to one's age and physical well being, and the diet too can be adjusted to meet the nutritional demands of an individual. Weight Loss is All in Your Mind It's often the will to do something that leads you to success. Indeed, many people end up remaining unhealthy and fat throughout their lives because they simply believe that they can't lose weight. This is completely contrary to the truth! If you develop the will and have every intention of losing weight, you can say that you have already won half the battle. Indeed, it is the will to achieve your goal that will drive you, and one may even go as far as saying that it's all about how much you really want to lose weight, gain your good health back and also look great. Natural Weight Loss and Fat Burning Advice to Change Your Life Consuming the right foods in the right proportion can help you lose weight. Such a diet has to be designed carefully by a dietician. Along with this, you will need to have a decent exercise routine in order to guarantee a healthy routine. The right activity along with the right consumption of food goes hand-in-hand. Over a period of time, when you adhere to this lifestyle, you are bound to experience the merits of it. The best way to lose weight is through a natural process that includes adequate exercise that burns calories coupled with a decent diet that reduces the unnecessary weight gaining and fatty substances that ruin our health. If one succeeds in putting these two together, it is almost certain that you will lose weight and settle into a healthy lifestyle. Nowadays people are always talking about change, but its really funny fact that when change happens they really don t like at first or if this change is directly concern with their lifestyle they will try to avoid it. In above discussion I try to demonstrate some basic facts how to loose weight quickly in a natural way which will not harm your life style or daily routine. Now, it's really up to you how you manage your self to reduce weight to get change in your life.

5 Pillars of Reaching Your Fitness Goals

Reaching fitness goals can be challenging for anyone. If you want to achieve peak fitness and life-long health you must set and obtain fitness goals. But, how do we do this? Through understanding, focus, and commitment you can reach your goals. The 5 pillars of Reaching Fitness Goals will provide the foundation to get you there. The 1st Pillar is the set your Ultimate Fitness Goal Mindset. In order to do this you need to find a fitness goal and set out a program to achieve it. Pillar 1: Setting your Fitness Mindset Set your goal. Then, find a workout program and diet program to fit your individual needs. Excellent! Now all we have to do is get motivated and in the proper mindset to start training towards our goals. Pillar 2: Form Workout and Nutrition Habits So you've set a Fitness Goal, and you've set your fitness mindset. Now what? Just like most things in life, we need to form a habit to accomplish our goals. The basic idea of habits is the same for everything, both personal and fitness related. Patience! When you set your goals they may take longer than expected. Most people feel like they're not making the kind of progress they want, so they think they don't have enough self discipline. That's not true. We all have plenty of discipline but the problem lies in the fact that we are often disciplined to habits that are not in line with our goals. We need to form meaningful habits that align with our workout and nutrition goals - this is Pillar 2. The key to achieving fitness success is to form these new habits. New habits that are in line with where we want to go, the things that we want to achieve, the goals that we want to reach. How do we do this? There is a specific formula to form habits, which can be implemented in all parts of our lives. All it takes is 21 days. Habit Forming Basics The way you form a new habit is by doing it and tracking it for 21 days straight. It takes at least 21 days to reform the pathways in our brain and the muscle memory that is involved in making these habits part of the daily routine. If you can do it for 21 days straight, you'll find that you no longer have to think about it very hard, because it's now a habit. Start with one habit at a time and build from there. For instance, your first habit might be to workout 5 days per week. Then, after these 21 days of implementing that habit, start the next habit of eating a healthy diet. Don't try to force too many changes too quickly. Pillar 3: Eat Like an Athlete Water! Water is so important it should almost be a Pillar on its own. Just remember, if you feel thirsty, you're dehydrated. Don't wait until you're thirsty to start hydrating! As little as a 1% loss of water can translate to an increase in core temperature during exercise, and reduced performance. A 3-5% loss of water can put serious strain on the cardiovascular system and impair the ability of the body to dissipate heat, resulting in heat stroke. When the body loses 7%, the result is most likely unconsciousness. Make sure you drink at least 8 cups of pure water per day. You can drink other things, but make sure that at a minimum you consume your 8 glasses of water. Also, don't drink it all at once. Sip water all day. If you drink it all at once, you could actually get dehydrated even more. Your body will release diuretic hormones to excrete as much of the excess water as possible. Hypernatremia is the condition of drinking an extremely large amount of water in a short amount of time. It is important to know about this condition so you don't overload you're body with water. Another thing to avoid is drinking large amounts of water with your meals. A large amount of water with meals will reduce the processing ability of your digestive system. Give your body 15 minutes before and 30-60 minutes after the meal before you start drinking water normally. Balanced and Nutritious! Athletes require higher quantities of vitamins, protein, and carbohydrates. Eat whole, organic foods to achieve the most nutrition possible from what you consume. Also, take daily supplements. You should strive to eat whole foods and a clean diet. The amount of calories the supplements you consume will vary depending on your particular fitness goal and your amount and length of workouts. Protein Power! It may seem like protein is just another form of energy, but it's not. The muscle mass you build will largely depend on whether you're doing physical training like lifting weights. And any excess protein that isn't broken down by the body and used as an energy source. Make sure you eat protein at all meals, which can include meats, eggs, soy, or other options such as cheese and milk. You need to increase your protein intake to one gram per pound of body weight to preserve your calorie-burning, muscle mass. Eating protein triggers muscle growth. In fact, every time you eat at least 10 to 15 grams of protein, you trigger a burst of protein synthesis. When you eat at least 30 grams, that period of synthesis lasts about three hours-and that means even more muscle growth. Protein has a different relationship with your digestive system than other food, and protein doesn't cause spikes in blood sugar like carbohydrates do. With a smaller effect on your blood sugar comes a smaller crash, which means sustainable energy throughout the day and fewer cravings. Protein can keep you fuller for longer, too. Build these three items into your fitness habits - - Drink plenty of water, eat balanced and nutritious, and make sure you're getting enough protein. That's Pillar 3. Pillar 4: Make Adjustments to your Fitness Program Do you want to make the BIGGEST fitness gains in your life? The easiest way to do this is by working hard and Making Adjustment to your Fitness Program - Pillar 4. What do I mean? We need to mix up our workouts and keep our bodies guessing. We need to keep things fun and interesting. Don't always do the exact same workout routine! If you always do the same exercises, in the exact same order, you'll start to plateau in your fitness program. So, here's how we make adjustments: Try a different type of workout: • Boxing • Crossfit • Kettlebells • Rowing • Swimming • Rock Climbing Mix up your routines If you always do cardio first, then lift weight, reverse the order. Make sure you warm-up properly, but reversing the order will allow you to be more energetic, stronger for your lifting routine. If you always do flat bench press, try using dumbbells instead. These simple tweaks to your routines will push you to the next level. Revamp your workout today! Rest when you need it If you need to throttle back or take a day off, do it. You're never going to make big gains if you don't rest. Just remember, being lazy and needing a rest day are two different things. Don't take a day off just because you're feeling lazy - get off the coach, put on your favorite high-energy music, and get motivated! Pillar 5: Reward, Rest, and Repeat You've just finished a phase of your training or you've completed a fitness goal. You deserve a reward. Setting and achieving ultimate fitness goals takes time and effort. One thing that's important for you is taking time to reward yourself throughout your training. And, especially at the end you should reward yourself. Rewarding and resting is the key to your 5th pillar - Reward, Rest, and Repeat. Here are some Reward Ideas: • Take a Vacation • Go to the Spa • Read a Great Book • Go on a Hiking Trip REST Do you have trouble getting enough rest at night? If you're working out and striving towards your fitness goal, rest is critical in your program. Rest increases performance because your body is able to repair itself and recharge its batteries. Without at least 7 hours of sleep per night, your progress will be slower and achieving your fitness goals will be harder. There are some easy things that help me sleep at night - try them and start sleeping better today! • Establish a sleeping Routine • Turn off the Television • Use a Sleep Machine • Keep your room below 74 Degrees F (23 C) • Use Aromatherapy Products - Lavender, Chamomile, Sandalwood • Take ZMA These simple things will increase your sleep and they will increase your performance. These tips are the 5th pillar - Reward, Rest, and Repeat. Now it's time to Rest and pick your next Ultimate Fitness Goal.

Am I Healthy?: The Ten Best Ways to Measure Your Health and Fitness

How does one measure health? It depends on who you ask. A physician may measure health in terms of lab values - cholesterol, blood sugar and so on. A personal trainer might tell you that your body fat percentage is the best indicator of good health. You might base it on what the scale tells you or how your clothes fit. I'm a big believer in monitoring all of these things and then some. Seems like a big job, but really it only takes a few minutes to do each one, involves inexpensive equipment or can be a regular part of a visit to your physician. I call them "The Big Ten Health and Fitness Measures." 1.Weight 2.BMI (Body Mass Index) 3.Body composition 4.Measurements 5.Resting and target heart rates 6.Cardiorespiratory fitness 7.Energy level 8.Blood pressure 9.Glucose & cholesterol 10.Pain Why keep track of all these things? First, because there isn't one single good way to define what makes a person healthy or fit. For instance, just because you are at a healthy weight, does not mean that you don't have high cholesterol. Also, it can be discouraging to use just one method. You may find yourself in a situation where even though you did not lose any weight in a given week, you may have lost inches. Monitoring several indicators of health and fitness helps you to get a well-rounded picture of your entire self. We do not judge our children in just one subject at school right? And just because the child does poorly in math does not mean he won't excel at other subjects. And just because you have not lost any weight on the scale does not mean that your waist isn't getting smaller. Secondly, we have all heard the adage, "a problem defined is 95% solved." Knowing your target ranges for health indicators like weight, body fat and BMI can help you to define what you need to work on. You avoid unnecessary changes and difficulties by having the correct information. For instance, someone with good cholesterol levels has no need for an ultra-low fat diet. Third, it serves as a point of inspiration to see how far you have come. Since the changes you are making will be small and incremental, it may be discouraging at times not to see overt progress. However, by keeping track of a variety of fitness indicators, it is easier to see, in black and white, all of the progress you are making.

Health and Fitness Addiction

Yes...it's possible! The word "addiction" give us images of people in dark rooms, listening to bad music and sticking needles in their arms, but many addicts can be found in the gym or on the local school track, getting just as addictive a fix. In fact, the positive nature of the word "healthy" makes health and fitness addiction all the more alluring. Despite the positive media, health addicts have done as much damage to their families and lives as any other kind of addict. In this article, we'll look under the surface of health and fitness addiction and find a path to recovery. How Can Something So Good Be Bad? In our modern Western culture, those willing to pay the price for fitness are to be applauded. There are just so many temptations to do otherwise. Exercise is mostly boring, painful and smelly, so those who endure it for about an hour, 3-5 days a week, have achieved a level of discipline most only dream of. Health and fitness addiction is not about health or fitness...it's about a compulsion to use healthy activities to fill a void we see in ourselves. Addicts are compelled, not disciplined. The addictive chemicals involved in exercise are much the same as those in sex and porn addiction. This may explain why many people suffer from both sexual addictions and health addictions. Types Of Health And Fitness Addiction: These are addictions to the activities of health and fitness, as opposed to the TV, Internet and shopping addictions which could involve health themes. Health and fitness addictions are compulsions to engage in "healthy" activities, like exercise, dieting, etc. In fact, anorexia and bulimia nervosa have both been described as severe health and fitness addictions. Two key symptoms of these mental disorders are exercise and dietary control to a compulsive and excessive extreme. The specific exercise or diet plan doesn't matter. It's an addiction when you feel compelled to do it. How Do I Know I'm Addicted? We addicts don't often recognize addiction because a common symptom of addiction is denial, which is even easier to have about health. That's why it's easier to find out from a friend or loved one if you have a problem in this area. For health addiction involving eating, see Anorexia Nervosa Quiz. Here are some things to watch out for concerning fitness exercise addiction: 1. Do you regularly spend more than 8 hours a week exercising and is the time you spend increasing? 2. Does your exercise schedule interfere with normal family activities, home or work responsibilities? 3. Do friends or family members complain about the time or money you spend on fitness? 4. Have you wondered if you're being too compulsive about your fitness program? 5. Have you lied to your family, friends, or employers about the time you spend in fitness activities? 6. Do you often see fitness as a way to gain acceptance or praise from others? 7. Have you ever pushed so hard in your fitness program you hurt yourself? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you should consider yourself at risk of addiction. If you answered yes to 3 or more, you're probably addicted. How Do I Recover From Health And Fitness Addiction? This is caused by a negative self-image, like any other addiction. Instead of alcohol, you use exercise to fill a void you feel in yourself. Since the relief produced by exercise is only temporary and you become conditioned, you need regular increases in the activity to produce the same relief. Unlike alcohol, a certain amount of fitness activity is required for health, so, you can't just quit. Instead, we have to hold ourselves to no more than an hour a day, 3-5 days a week. Spend the rest of the time you used to exercise going to AA or other addiction meetings and engaging in self-development activities. You could read, go back to school, join a volunteer group. You could take up a hobby, like gardening or building model airplanes. To help in building yourself up, avoid negative mental inputs, like the news, drama, negative, insulting friends. Replace those with good music or reading or other activities that build you up. Push all the negative, self-defeating, limiting thoughts out of your mind with positive, uplifting, encouraging thoughts. Because there are risks that health and fitness addiction could develop into full-blown anorexia, if you try and fail to get a handle on your addiction, please see a doctor. Sometimes medical and psychological therapy can prevent a more serious condition from developing, and allow you the mental energies you need to get control of yourself. Health and fitness addiction can be just as severe as any other addiction. It can imprison us into destructive, compulsive activities. We can place our families, our careers, even, ironically, our health at risk through addiction to exercise and other fitness activities. The good news is, there is hope for anyone willing to live in and work on recovery.

Useful Tips For Health and Fitness

Health conscious people are committed to maintain their health and fitness levels on all counts against all odds. But at times, they even tend to lapse and get slightly off track from their fitness goals. At this juncture, staying motivated and committed towards their health and fitness has to be top on the list. You could begin with reiterating your fitness goals to yourself. You could always have an idol set for yourself. It could be a sportsperson or a celebrity who has kept in shape over a period of years. You could even chalk out a fitness plan for yourself and work your way towards it. Daily monitoring of your fitness schedules, dos and don'ts can be effectively done through a daily diary. The daily diary writing exercise takes just a few minutes and makes you even more committed to staying right on dot of your fitness schedule. You could even jot down your moods and whims, your cravings and lapses in the fitness schedules as and when you click or miss a particular fitness goal. Make sure you have got a well balanced diet plan all chalked out for you. The diet plan should accommodate all the required nutrients in balanced quantities. In case of shortage of any one of them say vitamins, proteins or carbohydrates, you are very much likely to feel negative emotions and emotional upswings. It helps if you have a friend, partner or a colleague who joins you in the fitness program. You can enroll yourself in a local gymnasium or any exercise class. You could even form your own group and discuss each other views, happenings and fitness results. These go a long way in making you stay motivated and enthusiastic about progressing towards your fitness goals and targets. For every small achievement of your goal you could reward yourself with a small gift or a treat which you find affordable and agreeable. This initiative goes a long way in prepping you up and move towards your fitness goals all along. Working under stress and pressure has its own drawbacks and disadvantages. There is no point in working hard and earning well if you do not enjoy good health or face recurring health and medical issues. Besides earning and working hard to enjoy a better lifestyle, it pays to be healthy and fit. Do take out time for staying healthy and fit for that's the best way to enjoy a fruitful and satisfying life.

Weight Loss - Four Sneaky Ways To Burn More Calories At Work

Looking to lighten your work day and kick-start the fat burning process? If so, you will want to check into how you can burn more calories while at work. Given the fact you spend eight to ten hours a day at work, you need to be doing whatever you can to maximize your calorie burn. Otherwise, you will be left trying to boost your burn in the few hours of free time you do get during the day. Need a little help getting started? Here are four "sneaky" ways to burn more calories before the work day is up... 1. Sit On An Exercise Ball. Consider swapping out your usual desk chair with an exercise ball instead. Not only will this up your calorie burn as you will be engaging more muscle fibers to keep yourself balanced on the ball, but you will also strengthen your core at the same time. An exercise ball makes for a perfect desk chair. Try sitting on it one hour a day and then slowly add hour-increments from there. Just don't sit on it for 8 hours straight one day or you will be in severe pain the next day due to lack of muscle endurance. 2. Get Up To Drink Water. Drinking enough water during the day is essential, and now you can turn your water drinking into a practice of calorie burning as well. Keep a small one-cup water bottle on your desk at all times and aim to drink one bottle per hour. Each hour, get up and walk to the water fountain to refill it; this will force you to get up. Then you will get more activity in while staying hydrated. 3. Use The Bathroom On Another Floor. With all the water drinking comes some bathroom breaks. Start making an effort to use a bathroom on a different floor. By getting up and walking a few sets of stairs to use the bathroom, you will burn a few calories in the process. 4. Meet A Co-Worker For A Brisk Lunch Walk. Finally, if you want to up your activity during the work day, schedule a walking date with a co-worker. Make a pact to meet up for 30 minutes during the lunch hour and take a brisk walk: this will still leave you with 15 to 30 minutes to eat your lunch at your desk when you return. Keep these tips in mind and start finding little ways during the work day so you can boost your calorie burn. It all adds up over time and will significantly improve your weight loss efforts. Although managing Type 2 diabetes can be very challenging, it is not a condition you must just live with. Make simple changes to your daily routine - include exercise to help lower both your blood sugar levels and your weight.

Give Importance to Health and Fitness and Get Success in Life

In the recent decade the importance of health and fitness has been increased to a greater extent. In today's era physical health is of utmost importance. Reducing those extra kilos helps you look better and the good news is you do not need to just rely on doctors or medicines in order to get your desired looks. Here I would like to comment that gaining the perfect health or in other words reducing weight is not an easy task. But once you have done that you surely cherish as well as show off your physical health. We can make out the importance of health and fitness with the increase of spas, health clubs, fitness equipments, exercise programs, nutritional supplements, etc in today's day to day life. These facilities provide fitness to not only men's health but also to women's health. The demands of these facilities are increased as everyone wants to be fit and participate actively in chosen day to day activities. Also today's generation looks forward for an active lifestyle once they retire. Here I would like to comment that good health is a result of constant efforts and it takes years to get that desired health and fitness. It's really dumb if you try to repair the damage after it's done. Also when it comes to health and fitness the most common question asked is how can one tighten or tone muscles. Now the muscles can either be of hands or legs or stomach. Here I would like to comment that in order to reduce some muscles one needs to tone the muscles of entire body. You can never reduce or tone muscles of one specific body part. One needs to do some cardiovascular activities in order to reduce or burn those extra fats. Now the question is what is a cardiovascular activity? Jumping rope, jogging, swimming, walking, step aerobics, etc. all these are cardiovascular activities. Always remember never start a cardiovascular activity as a standalone as you also need some strength training exercises. The strength training exercises helps you to tone as well as build muscle mass for your concerned areas. Also there is a common reason given by people when asked why they aren't working out. And the reason is that they don't have enough time to do so. Here the only thing one needs to understand is that the day you give health and fitness priority in your daily schedule you will yourself find time for it. We need to understand that you will not have to invest large time in order to get huge rewards for your health and fitness. You just need to give several hours each week and you can see the results. You just need to find out an effective as well as efficient work out plan. Any exercise that you think best suites your schedule you can do that. Hope I inspire you to work out at least an hour a day.

'I'm The Fitness Director Of Women's Health—And This Is My Secret To Staying Fit

'I'm The Fitness Director Of Women's Health—And This Is My Secret To Staying Fit'

Too many women fall into an all-or-nothing mindset with diet and exercise. When they're feeling motivated to see results, they flip the switch on and jack it up all the way—hitting the gym every single day, nixing every "bad" food in the book, logging every cal. Straight superhero-fit status. The problem? As I discuss in Fitness Fix, anyone can suffer through a brutal month of overtraining and calorie restriction and lose a few quick pounds, but research has continually proven that it's simply not sustainable long term, physically or mentally. Hit a single roadblock—like a week off from the gym or that pint of Haagen-Dazs you swore you would eat just a quarter of—and the wheels come off. That one slipup is perceived as a complete failure, and you flip the "being healthy" switch back off and give up. Whomp.
I'm here to tell you that your relationship with diet and exercise doesn't have to be so hot and cold. In fact, as mentioned in my book, people with a flexible approach to eating—say, one that allows for sweets and other perceived missteps—may have a better record of maintaining weight loss than dieters with a hard-line strategy. (A study in the International Journal of Obesity has my back on this.) What's more, research shows that consistent exercisers who see working out as a part of their lifestyle, rather than a way to change their appearance, have the most success keeping weight off.
Look, I've been an active person my entire life. I played tons of sports when I was young, Division I lacrosse in college, and I've achieved some bucket-list fitness goals as an adult. Being fit is a piece of who I am—a big piece, sure, but still just a piece. There's also the piece that loves champagne and Hershey's chocolate (and no, not the super-dark "healthy kind"). There's also the piece that can spend an entire afternoon watching a Law & Order marathon and sometimes skips the gym for a few extra hours of sleep. My approach—which rejects strict rules and passing fads in favor of balance and consistency—is the basis for my new book; it has kept me fit, motivated, and most important, able to enjoy every aspect of my life. No on-off switch, no unreasonable perfection.
Simple? You bet. But I promise that this is the biggest shift you can make for lasting results. It's the only "magic pill" I've ever found.