Don't let alcohol sabotage your weight loss efforts!!!

• When actively losing weight, eliminate alcohol altogether: alcohol is energy dense (high in calories) but almost completely lacking in nutrients (“empty calories”). You will end up “drinking” your calories instead of eating whole foods with fiber,nutrients and water that help fill you up when restricting calories. Alcohol can make you lose your inhibitions and encourage a more ravenous appetite, which results in consuming more calories than intended, in addition to your alcohol calories.

• When you reach your goal weight and decide to add alcohol to your diet, choose a light beer or wine over a mixed drink to keep calorie intake lower. If you prefer a mixed drink, opt for diet soda or plain soda water as a mixer. Beware of drinks made with cream or sugary liquors like Irish Cream or Kahlua.

• Alcohol counts as a carbohydrate. When you dine out use the plate model: 1/3 of your plate for protein; 1/3 for vegetables; and 1/3 for carbohydrates. And 12 ounces of beer, 1 ounce of hard liquor or 5 ounces of wine at dinner will count as your carbohydrate choice. So this means no eating the bread that’s brought to the table, ordering pasta as the main course or tiramisu for dessert, if you are choosing alcohol. Alcohol is your carbohydrate choice!

In general, moderate consumption of alcohol (one to two drinks) may be considered safe. Persons with medical and social conditions made worse by alcohol should not consume alcohol. And if you are trying to lose weight, drop the booze and pick up the weights. Nothing can come from that calorically dense, fat generating glass of wine.

Benefits of Calcium for Health

Calcium is one of the main nutrients that the body requires in order to overcome the problems of high blood pressure, heart attack, premenstrual syndrome and colon cancer. One of the main health benefits of calcium is that it helps in keeping the bones strong and healthy.

Lack Of Hemoglobin is also because of calcium. We can take every day calcium through vegetables, fruits and milk so we should concentrate on our diet so that we can keep our health fit.

Benefits Of Calcium For Health:

You need calcium to prevent osteoporosis. But a lack of this mineral means more than weak bones, says Robert P. Heaney, M.D., a calcium researcher and member of the Osteoporosis Research Center at Creighton University in Omaha, Neb. Key organs and bodily functions, like your heart and metabolism, need calcium to operate at their best.

Calcium deficiency:

Chronic calcium deficiency is associated with some forms of hypertension, prostate and colorectalcancer, some types of kidney stones, miscarriage, birth (heart) defects in children when the mother isdeficient in calcium during pregnancy, menstrual and pre-menstrual problems, various bone, joint and periodontal diseases, sleep disturbances, mental health / depressive disorders, cardiovascular and/or hemorrhagic diseases, and others.

Calcium For Bones:
Calcium is very important for bones. Calcium helps keep bones and teeth strong and helps muscles to contract and the heart to beat. Still, three out of four adult women don’t meet their daily calcium needs.
A lack of calcium results in the bone-thinning disease osteoporosis, which affects millions of American men and women.

Calcium Benefits Beyond Bones:
Calcium is not only for our bones it also heps us to prevent lot of diseases.While dietary calcium appears to help prevent the spread of breast cancer, it’s also been shown to help reduce the likelihood of developing the disease in the first place. Findings from the Nurses’ Health Study, which includes more than 40,000 participants, reveal that women with higher intakes of calcium and vitamin D tend to have a lower risk of pre-menopausal breast cancer.

KICKBOXING- To improve Fitness

Are you bored with your current fitness routine?

It may be time to kick your way to one of the hottest workouts around. Kickboxing, also referred to as boxing aerobics and cardio kickboxing, is a hybrid of boxing, martial arts and aerobics that offers an intense cross-training and total-body workout.It blends a mixture of high-power exercise routines that strengthen the body and mind, decrease stress and hone reflexes while increasing endurance and cardiovascular power. While kickboxing's roots are in full-contact fighting, it has found a safe and very effective niche in the fitness community.

While some estimates of kickboxing's calorie-burning potential have reached as high as 500 to 800 calories per hour, ACE-sponsored research suggests that only very large individuals working out at exceptionally high intensities are like to burn that that many.Instead, a 135-pound person is likely to burn 350 to 450 calories during a typical 50-minute class that consists of a warm-up, aerobic period and cool-down.

WHAT TO EXPECT:
Remember, adequate warm-up and close attention to proper technique are paramount. Classes should begin with basic stretches and a light cardiovascular warm-up such as pushups and jumping jacks.A typical aerobic kickboxing routine involves a series of repetitive punches alternating with hand strikes, kicks and then a combination of all three. The repetitions help participants focus on proper technique while engaging several muscles groups and getting a fierce cardiovascular workout.After the main section of the routine, stretches and floor exercises are commonly performed as a cool-down. Don't forget to wear loose clothing that allows freedom of movement during your kickboxing workout and drink plenty of water!!

Best AB workout for Men!!!

1. Beginner Workout Exercises:

Exercise 1: Plank on elbows. Assume a pushup position, but with your elbows bent and your weight resting on your forearms. Your body should form a straight line. Now brace your abs as if someone were about to punch you in the gut. Hold for 30 seconds. Rest 30 seconds, and repeat once.

Exercise 2: Mountain climber. With hands on bench In pushup position with your hands on a bench, brace your abs and slowly lift your left knee toward your chest. Pause 2 seconds, lower it slowly, and then raise your right knee. Alternate for 30 seconds, rest 30, and repeat once.

Exercise 3: Side plank. Lie on your left side and prop your upper body up on your left forearm. Raise your hips until your body forms a straight line from ankles to shoulders. Now brace your abs and hold for 30 seconds. Roll over onto your right side and repeat. Rest 30 seconds, and do 1 more set.

Intermediate Workout Exercises:

Exercise 1: Plank with feet elevated. Use the guidelines for the beginner version of the exercise, but with both of your feet on a bench.

Exercise 2: Mountain climber. with hands on Swiss ball. Follow the beginner instructions, but place your hands on a Swiss ball instead of a bench.

Exercise 3: Side plank with feet elevated. Do this the same way as the beginner version, but with both of your feet on a bench.

Top 10 “Healthy” foods that aren’t:

Be wary of hot-button words on food labels. “Reduced-fat” products usually have less fat and “all-natural” foods often do come from ingredients actually found in nature. But not all health-related words on food packaging are defined by the Food and Drug Administration, leaving certain gray areas for manufacturers to exploit. So while those phrases, and others like them, would seem to indicate that the products inside the packages are somehow “healthy,” the reality is often something very different. As likely as not, “reduced fat” means “increased sugar.” As for products that are “all natural”? Well, so are hurricanes and tidal waves.The kicker: The most deceptive word of all might be “healthy.” Because there is no way to really define it, the FDA has no way to regulate it. What’s more, just about anything out there can be healthy—or unhealthy—in the right amounts.

1. Worst "Healthy" Food in America
Romano’s Macaroni Grill Parmesan Crusted Sole
2,190 calories
141 g fat (58 g saturated)
2,980 mg sodium
145 g carbohydrates

2. Worst Salad, Period
California Pizza Kitchen Thai Crunch Salad
2,115 calories

3. Worst Tuna Sandwich
Quiznos Tuna Melt (large)
1,760 calories133 g fat (25 g saturated, 1.5 g trans)
2,120 mg sodium

4. Worst Mexican SaladChevy’s Fresh Mex Tostada Salad with Chicken
1,551 calories94 g fat (37 g saturated)
2,480 mg sodium

5. Worst Chicken Salad T.G.I. Friday’s Pecan Crusted Chicken Salad
1,360 calories

6. Worst Sliders
Ruby Tuesday Bacon Cheddar Minis (4 burgers)
1,358 calories
86 g fat
75 g carbohydrates

7. Worst Veggie Sandwich Blimpie Special Vegetarian (12")
1,186 calories
60 g fat (19 g saturated)
3,532 mg sodium
131 g carbohydrates

8. Romano’s Macaroni Grill Seared Sea Scallops Salad
1,170 calories
94 g fat (27 g saturated)
2,680 mg sodium

9. Worst RollupApplebee’s Chicken Fajita Rollup
1,050 calories

10. Worst Seafood MealRed Lobster Maui Lau Shrimp and Salmon with Rice Pilaf and Broccoli
1,015 calories
19.5 g fat (4 g saturated)
3,000 mg sodium

Best Tricep workout for women!!!

Want great arms? Muscle tone?

Try incorporating a few of these into your workout, and see quick results!

1- Hanging Dips:
Not only great tricep exercise but also a great shoulder, core and balance exercise. Many gyms have dip bars available, but if yours doesn’t just do dips off a bench. For hanging: Hold yourself up on the two dip handles and slowly bend your arms, lowering yourself towards the ground… lower until arms are at 90 degrees. If on a bench, dip down till 90 degrees make sure not to go lower as this can put pressure on your shoulders. A great tip… slow the move down so it takes 4-6 seconds to lower to 90 degrees then press up and repeat the slow negative (lowering).

2- Dumbbell Tricep Extension:
Sit straight or stand for this one. Grab a dumbbell holding it over your head with both arms and slowly lower down behind your head… and return to start. You can also use just one arm at a time but of course make sure to lower the weight you would use.

3- Skull Crusher:
Sit straight or stand for this one. Grab a dumbbell holding it over your head with both arms and slowly lower down behind your head… and return to start. You can also use just one arm at a time but of course make sure to lower the weight you would use.

4- Close Grip push-ups:
This one you can do anywhere! And like the dips it’s an overall muscle workout. Core, back, chest and especially the triceps. Get into a push up position and place hands directly under your shoulders. Keeping elbows in by your side lower down for push ups and return to start. Make sure you’re squeezing your stomach and butt at the same time!

These 4 tricep exercises for women are great! You’ll instantly feel the burn. Just make sure to not work this muscle back to back days; just 2-3 days unconsecutively is all you need. With 3 sets and 8-10 reps!

TOP TEN BUTT EXERCISES!!! Get a great butt fast!!

1.Squats:
Squats are one of the best exercises you can do for your hips, butt and thighs. There are many different types of squats, including the Chair Squat pictured here. Stand with feet hip-width apart and squat, keeping back straight, abs in and knees behind your toes. Let your butt lightly touch chair and squeeze butt to stand up. Repeat for 2-3 sets of 8-12 reps and add weights for more intensity. This gallery of squat images shows a wide variety of squats you can add to your current routine.

2. Lunges:
Lunges are a challenging exercise because they work so many muscles at the same time. On the front leg, you'll work the glutes and hamstrings and, on the back leg, you'll work the quads and calves. What's nice about lunges is that there are a variety to choose from such as:

*Side to Side Lunges
*Reverse lunges
*Front lunges
*Walking lunges
*Wheel lunges (front, side, reverse)

You can also elevate the back foot on a step or platform to really challenge both legs. This is a great move for the glutes and thighs!

3. Step Ups:
For step ups, you simply place one foot on a step or platform and push through the heel onto the step. This is an excellent exercise for the glutes, providing you use a step that's high enough...just make sure your knee is bent to 90 degrees or less to keep it safe.
The other key to making this move work is to concentrate all your weight on the stepping leg. In other words, lower down gently, barely touching the toes of the other leg to the ground. You'll really feel this when you take it slow and concentrate on the working leg.

4. Hip Extensions:
While I'm fond of more compound moves (like the squats, lunges and step ups listed above) since they work more muscle groups, the hip extension is an exercise that targets the largest muscle in the body...the gluteus maximus.
For this move, you can hold a dumbbell behind the knee or use ankle weights for added intensity. Another interesting variation is to lie with your hips and torso supported by a ball, hands on the floor, and bend the knees. Then squeeze the glutes to send the feet straight up to the ceiling.

5. One-Legged Deadlifts:
Deadlifts are great for your hamstrings, butt and lower back, but form is critical and you should skip this exercise if you have any back problems.
To do this move, take the left leg back just a bit, lightly resting on the toe. With the weights in front of the thighs, tip from the hips and lower the weights as low as your flexibility allows. Keep your back flat or with a natural arch and make sure you keep the abs contracted to protect the back. Squeeze the glutes of the working leg to raise back up. Do 2-3 sets of 8-12 reps.

6. Hiking:
Now the exercises listed above aren't the only strength moves for the glutes, but we often forget that there are cardio activities that will also engage the backside.
Hiking is one of those activities and it also burns tons of calories because you're typically going up steep mountains and maybe even getting into thin air, which requires lots of energy. Also, walking up an incline automatically gets your glutes more involved and, if you're wearing a backpack, you're really getting a workout. Plus, you get to see nature at its best. A 140-lb person burns about 390 calories in about an hour!

7. Biking:
Riding a bike is great for your heart and it also targets almost every muscle in your hips, thighs and butt. On a stationary bike, alternate 3 minutes at 70-80 RPM with 2 minutes at 100-110 RPM for a calorie-blasting 30 minute workout. You can also try Spinning at the gym or riding outside. Gear up to really work your glutes! A 140-lb person burns 335 calories in 45 minutes.

8. Running:
Running, like walking is accessible, easy to learn, reduces stress, helps in weight loss, and it makes you feel good. Plus, it really works your butt, especially when you add a few hills to your regular running route. Sprints are another option for folks wanting to both burn more calories and tighten up the old tush. A 140-lb person burns 475 calories during a 45 minute jog.

9. Kickboxing:
Kickboxing was a hot item back in the day, but it's still a great workout. Controlled kicks work your hips, thighs and butt while complex combinations that include punches will target your abs to make them stronger. A 140-lb woman will burn up to 500 calories with 45 minutes of kickboxing.



10. Walking:
Walking is easy you can do it anywhere, anytime with no special equipment. There's no learning curve and it's something you can incorporate all day long. If you walk up hills, you can really target your glutes and, if you pick up the intensity, you'll burn some of that extra flab off your buns! A 140-lb person burns about 300 calories an hour during a brisk walk.

Why try our Multi-Vitamin?

The most complete Multi-Vitamin With Minerals ever developed for today’s busy, stressful life. This amazing multimineral and multivitamin is a potent blend of 47 vitamins, minerals, and healthful herbs.

HI-TECH Multi-Vitamin/Mineral deserved our name for many reasons. Instead of the standard 100% of the daily allowance found in most national brands, bringing no science to their formulas, we have scientifically formulated this to be unmatched in the industry. The recommended daily allowances were established so long ago that for today’s lifestyle they are inadequate. (We have included as much as 2000% of the RDA for vitamin B12 to give our clients more energy.) Business men, women and athletes have different nutritional needs, and HI-TECH Multi-Vitamin/Mineral is designed specifically for the important nutritional demands of these people.This high performance multivitamin/mineral dietary supplement is rich in potent antioxidants and supplies demanding muscles with key vitamins and minerals needed to perform optimally under stress conditions.

The bioavailability of the HI-TECH Multi-Vitamin/Mineral is also “head and shoulders” above the competition. HI-TECH multimineral and multivitamin tablets are specifically designed for safe transport to the small intestine where the vital nutrient absorption takes place. Unlike capsules, the HI-TECH Multi-Vitamin/Mineral easy to swallow tablets are specially coated to protect the delicate nutrients from being broken down by stomach acids before being fully absorbed. With HI-TECH Multi-Vitamin/Mineral, you get a multivitamin that works!

Proper intake of optimal levels of vitamins, minerals and herbs is now scientifically supported as natural medicine, fundamental to good health and the prevention of disease. One of the remarkable aspects of HI-TECH Multi-Vitamin/Mineral is its inclusion of a highly synergistic blend of a rainbow spectrum of antioxidants, phytonutrients, vitamins, minerals and expensive herbal extracts. Of primary consideration is the formula’s diversity and high concentration of antioxidants. It is widely recognized now that antioxidants may help to slow the aging process in both the body and the brain.

The HI-TECH Multi-Vitamin/Mineral formula contains all three of the primary nutrient antioxidants: vitamin C, vitamin E and the carotenoids, both beta-carotene and lutein. Vitamin C is one of the most efficient chain-breaking antioxidants and has been shown to exert a positive effect on LDL (bad cholesterol) concentrations. Vitamin E is the primary chain-breaking antioxidant of lipids and lipoproteins and controls the oxidation of LDL that initiates atherosclerosis. Carotenoids also protect against oxidative stress and are also associated with decreased LDL production, increased protection against cardiovascular disease and immune enhancement. Beta-carotene is the most active of the carotenoids and is a rampant free radical quencher. Lutein, a synergistic compliment to the activity of beta-carotene, is now one of the big “buzz words” in supplementation for its profound role in eye health and repair.

Unlike other formulas that either fail to include lutein or do so in an amount less than that demonstrated to be effective, HI-TECH Multi-Vitamin/Mineral provides nearly twice the amount recommended for optimal eye care.Additionally, HI-TECH Multi-Vitamin/Mineral also contains several of the non-nutritive flavonoid antioxidants, including bilberry and quercitin. Bilberry has a unique affinity to protect collagen from oxidation and improves circulation throughout the body. Quercitin is noted for its contribution to countering oxidation processes that affect cardiovascular health. (Another reason for the high concentration of the B complex vitamins in the formula is because many of these B vitamins stimulate enhanced antioxidant (production.) Additional herbal extracts included in the formula are silymarin, turmeric, black cohosh, red clover and hypericin.

By tackling increased free radicals due to the liver detoxification process, the powerful flavonoids in the antioxidant Silymarin have a shielding effect on liver cells from toxic substances, including alcohol and recreational drugs, and promote generation of new liver cells. Silymarin also safeguards the pancreas and promotes fat digestion. Turmeric, another potent antioxidant that acts similarly to silymarin, also provides anti-inflammatory and other benefits associated with cardiovascular health and normal cholesterol maintenance. Black Cohosh and red clover aid in maintaining female hormonal balance and contribute to bone health and blood cleansing.

Hypericin, the active herbal extract found in St. John’s Wort, has been widely prescribed in Europe for mood elevation.HI-TECH Multi-Vitamin/Mineral is formulated to promote muscle recovery and growth, detoxify free radicals to prevent damage of cellular structures throughout the body, ensure balanced nutrition, improve cognitive function, give strength to blood vessels and improve circulation, support normal cholesterol levels and a healthy immune system, boost energy and cellular health, strengthen connective tissue and promote healthy skin, and improve visual performance. In short, HI-TECH Multi-Vitamin/Mineral does it all.

The Top 5 Ab Exercises for women!

1. Hanging Leg Raise
2. Decline Crunch
3. Bicycle Crunch
4. Fitness Ball Crunches
5. Sprinting

Try these and give us some feedback!

Bodybuilding Training Tips For Amateur Bodybuilders

If you are new to bodybuilding, here are some tips that will make your life as a bodybuilder more enjoyable. Some of them are the basics of bodybuilding which everyone will assume that you know and therefore even your instructor might fail to tell you.

1.Choose your gym wisely: You simply don't walk into a gym and sign up just because it is the nearest gym to your house or just because it's the one where all your friends go to work out there. You need to think about the location, cost, how well it is equipped, the credentials of the trainers, and the number of members among other things. Take your time when choosing a gym; you have to get one that will be worth every single coin that you want to spend. It is best that you should get a gym and be a long term member, in order for you to do this you need to find a gym that will suit all your long term needs.

2.Make a meal plan: Bodybuilding involves a lot more than simply lifting heavy weights and using all those shinny machines! 80% of your physique is not determined by the amount of time you put into the gym, but the kind of food that you stuff yourself with. It is a fact that bodybuilders must eat healthy food both in the right quantity and quality. One of the things that you will be assumed to be aware of is the importance of proteins. They are responsible for the growth and development of your muscles as well as for the repair of worn out tissues. Carbohydrates are the main source of energy. Needless to say, you can't expect to hit the gym without a full fuel tank! Vitamins and minerals are also important and you can't speak of a balanced diet without mentioning water. Consult a nutritionist if you need to and create a meal plan.

3.Make a training program: It is both a waste of time and money for you to hit the gym without a clear idea of what you're doing there. Hoping from one machine to the next until you feel tired is not my idea of an effective work out. You need to work with a trainer who can help you come up with an effective training program. You need to divide your various sessions into different exercises for the different parts of your body and the different muscle groups. This ensures that you work out all the muscle groups and also that you don't end up overtraining some.

4.Consistency: This is what set's aside pros from amateurs. Consistently working out will mean that your growth as a bodybuilder will also be consistent. If you only work out just before summer so that you can look good in beach wear and then eat yourself silly during winter, you will never grow. Don't settle for just being ok, be consistent and be the best you can be.

Ways To Stay Young Forever

Anyone want to stay young at any age??

Regular exercise tones your body muscles, reduce body fat, fight disease and relieve depression, tension and stress. Eat well and exercise regularly, and within a few months you will be able to see some awesome results. Your muscles will be stronger, your joints and mobility improve, and your heart will be stronger, pumping more blood with less strain on your body.

About rapid weight loss pills...

There are some very good choices these days for rapid weight loss pills. The weight loss industry has made great strides in the way of research, to find and evaluate the best products on earth. The biggest strides have been in the world of natural dietary supplements. The big pharmaceutical companies do not like to hear it, but they have fallen a step behind in the race for the perfect diet product. Large pharmaceutical companies are very interested in the huge diet product market, but they are only interested in developing a product that can be patented. This will allow them to have a monopoly on the diet drug and in essence, they could charge as much as they would like to.

Rapid Weight Loss Pills:

Weight loss becomes a desire in your mind until and unless you really don’t lose weight. Gaining weight is mush more easier than losing weight. There are many reasons as why people are over weight. It may be due to a genetic problem, due to hormonal changes or unhealthy eating habits. Being over weight leads to many diseases like obesity, diabetics, cardiovascular disorder, high blood pressure and heart failure. Thus, in the long run you need to lose weight in order to avoid all these problems.

The best and natural method to lose weight is by diet management and exercise. But despite these methods some people are hardly affected by it. Therefore, some try weight loss pills.

Health care professionals that specialize in weight loss often find that people are not really interested in a good diet, they simply want a weight loss drug that will take care of their problem. You must establish good long term patterns for health, incorporating foods that will stimulate the metabolism and help you to both lose weight, and maintain a healthy weight once achieved.

Diet pills effectively suppress your appetite and they prevent your body from absorbing the fats from foods that you love to eat. These pills come in the form of medications originally made for obese people. If you want to shed an some extra pounds, you should try them!

A Nutrition Lesson...

I think that a considerable amount of people have no idea of how to eat correctly. Some think that drinking strictly shakes all day, or eating nothing but protein is the way to go. Let me tell you, this is ridiculous!!!

Depriving your body of carbohydrates, proteins, or fats (yes, even fats) can be very detrimental! I think the problem is that many people really do not know what your body does with these types of foods.

Well, pay attention all you crazy dieters, this could help tremendously!

Why do we even need food? Calories. These are tiny units of energy that your body uses in order to do work. What types of food contain kcalories? All types.

What Are KCALS? Kcal's, or kilocalories, are the preferred name for what regular people just call "calories". While there is technically (and confusingly) a difference between a calorie and a kcal in the scientific world, when dealing with the body and food, the two terms are interchangeable.

Carbohydrates give 4 kcal per gram, protein gives 4 kcal per gram, and fat gives 9 kcal per gram. It's easy to see from this information that fats are the most energy dense types of food. This means that fats give the body more energy than either carbohydrates or protein!

CARBS:

We'll start with carbohydrates. I'm sure you've heard of glucose before. Carbohydrates are the source of glucose. Glucose is a simple carbohydrate that is stored in your muscles and liver as glycogen. Glycogen can be thought of as just a string of glucose.

What Is Glycogen? Glycogen is the principal stored form of carbohydrate energy (glucose), which is reserved in muscles. When your muscles are full of glycogen, they look and feel full.

Since glucose can be obtained and stored so easily from the body, it is used in order to fuel most of the body's cells. Get this, glucose provides energy for your brain and for making blood in your body. Glucose can be made from protein, however, this requires the breakdown of body protein, yes, from muscle!

That's right, if you're not eating enough carbohydrates, your body will start breaking down precious muscle tissue for glucose!

PROTEIN:

Now onto to protein. More well known than glucose is the term amino acid. Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins, just as many glucose molecules make up glycogen, amino acids make up proteins.

There are numerous functions of proteins in the body, but I'll just concentrate on the most important: proteins are involved in growing, repairing, and replacing tissue. They are able to do this because they are the building blocks of body structure.

FATS:

Now for the fats. Fats are very important! In the body, fats are the main source of energy!Believe it or not, fat combines with glucose for energy in order to spare the breakdown of protein. This way protein can be used in order to do its job, make more muscle!!!!!

Like I said, fat broken down in the body gives 9 kcals per gram. Now think about that, since fat releases more kcals (energy) per gram, it only makes sense that your body would first use fat as its chief source of energy.

Types of Fats:

1). Saturated fats are the fats that you want to stay away from because high intake can lead to things like heart disease and high cholesterol. Your body cannot break down saturated fat very well either because of its chemical composition.

2). Unsaturated fats are the good fats that are easier for your body to breakdown. Some act as an antioxidant and many actually aid in losing stored fatty tissue in the body.

After reading this Nutrtion Lesson I hope you will combine a healthy combination of all of these to obtain your optimal performance and potential!

October is Breast Cancer Awareness month

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. If you would like to learn more, please click on the below link for the National Cancer Institute:

http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/types/breast

How to build lean body mass

Chiseled abs, shapely legs, toned arms - these can be yours when you increase your lean body mass and decrease your body fat percentage. Rev up your metabolism, improve your stamina and create the lean body you want by following these steps:

Step 1:
Measure your body fat percentage (using a body-fat analyzer or body-fat scale) before making dietary or exercise changes; this way you'll be able to track your progress.

Step 2:
Strength train to build lean body mass. Work the major muscle groups, including the quadriceps (thighs), hamstrings, glutes (rear end), back, chest, shoulders, arms and abdominals. Look into home gyms that work as many different muscle groups as possible. Home gyms are frequently less expensive than a gym membership and more convenient to use.

Step 3:
Realize there is no such thing as spot reducing. You can increase the strength of a certain part of your body, but unless you shed the overall excess body fat, you won't be able to see the definition.

Step 4:
Expend more calories than you consume. Any activity, from mowing the lawn to vacuuming the carpet, burns calories and helps to create a caloric deficit, resulting in fat loss. Losing fat will help reveal your hidden muscles.

Step 5:
Include cardiovascular training in your workout. Aerobic exercise will increase the number of calories you burn and enhance your endurance.

Step 6:
Keep in mind that to lose one pound of fat, you have to create a calorie deficit of 3,500 calories. Reducing calorie consumption or increasing activity by 500 calories each day will result in one pound of fat loss per week. Keep an updated food and exercise journal to track your calorie intake and expenditure.

5 tips for diet success:

1. Never crash diet to lose weight:
When you lose weight rapidly your body is typically only losing glycogen (carbohydrate) and water weight, not fat. Your body thinks that it's starving and reduces its metabolic rate, which makes it harder for your body to burn each calorie (they burn at a slower pace than they normally would). Then when you start eating normally again, your body stores as much food as it can into your fat cells in case of another “famine.”

2. Substitute foods instead of eliminating them:
Although many people feel that “diet” or “reduced fat” foods are not as good as the original, it can be a big help to buy less fatty snack foods. Try out different reduced fat brands and items and who knows, you may find something that you like even better than the original. The key is making sustainable changes - if you can't live without tortilla chips, trying to eliminate them entirely from your diet won't work. Making the change to a lower-calorie reduced fat tortilla chip can make a noticeable change in total calories consumed over time.

3. What to drink when dieting:
Cutting soda out of your diet completely can save the average person 360 calories or more each day. Even diet soda, fruit juices, and whole milk can add unnecessary calories to your daily intake. Instead, drink lots of water and switch from whole to skim or even soy milk; the little things can make a big difference.

4. Weight loss = healthy diet and moving around:
Getting up, moving around, and exercising will reduce the amount of food that you will need to cut back on. There are obviously many opportunities to be athletic and active (i.e. sports teams, the gym, going for a jog, etc.) if that interests you, but these aren't the only ways to increase your activity level. You can walk to school, bike to work, walk up and down the stairs a few times before you take a shower, take an extra lap or two around the grocery store.

The American College of Sports Medicine recommends 30-45 minutes of moderate aerobic activity performed 3-5 times per week in their Guidelines for Healthy Aerobic Activity, but if all you can do is walk around the block twice before you go to bed, that's a good start. Anything is better than nothing, and it's harder to be eating while you're moving around, so it may result in you eating slightly less as well as burning more calories.

The best thing about aerobic exercise is that the benefits are cumulative - you essentially gain the same health benefits from taking three ten-minute walks throughout the day as you do from taking one 30 minute walk. With this in mind, it can be much easier to break your activity goal into manageable pieces that will fit into your day.

5. Gradual changes are best for losing weight:
Gradually ease into your diet if possible. Many diet programs allow you to do this. Remember that small changes are easier to stick with than drastic ones. Start by always leaving a little extra on your plate, or drinking water instead of soda. Smaller changes are also more likely to remain with you when the duration of your diet is complete. Aim for behavior-change goals that you know you will be able to maintain over years, not just weeks!

About BMI, and How to calculate your BMI...

The BMI formula:
Adolphe Quetelet1796 -1874
The Body Mass Index(BMI) formula was developed by Belgium statistician Adolphe Quelet(1796-1874), and was known as the Quetelet Index. BMI is also referred to as 'body mass indicator'. BMI is an internationally used measure of obesity.
How to calculate BMI - for users who wish to manually calculate BMI we have provided a bmi formula for both imperial & metric measurements (we also offer an online BMI Calculator).
Body mass index calculation is very straightforward. Calculating body mass index requires only two measurements, height & weight.

Imperial BMI Formula
The imperial bmi formula accepts weight measurements in pounds & height measurements in either inches or feet.1 foot = 12 inchesinches² = inches * inches

Table: Imperial BMI Formula

BMI =( kg/m² )

(weight in pounds * )
————————————
height in inches²