Make Getting Fit Easily

For many people, getting fit seems like an impossible task. It takes time and stamina and doesn't appear to be all that fun. However, with the right workout plan, tailored to what you can do and what you find enjoyable, getting fit and staying fit can be a lifelong hobby. Following are some tips to get into the swing of things.

Try yoga on the day that you are resting after a long workout. This will help you to relax all of the muscles in your body, so that you are prepared for the next time you go to the gym. Yoga and meditation are great things to do on your off day.

Get fit by jumping! If you jump 30 times a day, it will strengthen your bones and improve both health and fitness. Don't try jumping prior to warming up. Warm up until you break a little sweat, and then jump up and down 30 times. You don't need to jump on and off anything as it's the impact that strengthens your bones. Just make sure you are doing it on a soft surface such as a padded exercise mat.

If you are sick, take the time to heal instead of exercising. This is especially true if you are experiencing symptoms below the head. Your body will mostly be putting its resources towards healing itself rather than trying to build the muscle you are training for, so any work you do will more than likely be of little benefit. It's better to rest up.

A really good way to help you get fit is to make a small protein shake whenever you feel the urge to eat junk food. By adding just a scoop of protein powder, some ice, and a little bit of splenda, you'll have a much healthier snack that won't wreck your fitness goals.

Your fitness program should include regular workouts with quality exercises. The length of the workout is not so important as what you do while you are working out. You should start at twenty minutes and gradually work your way up to an hour. You don't want to be exhausted when you work out or you will not get as much benefit from the exercises.

Find a way to sneak in exercise. It's not important where or when you exercise, just that you do exercise. It is easy to sneak in a thirty minute workout in your day. If you take a bus, get off a stop or two before your stop and walk the rest of the way or go for a walk after lunch. Finding small pockets of time to exercise can be beneficial to your health.

Therefore, getting and staying fit does not have to be the unreachable pinnacle in your life. It's just a matter of building up stamina by doing something you enjoy, an activity that will get your heart rate up and that you can do at least a few times a week. A routine like that may not make you into an Olympic star, but it can give you a healthy body, keep your weight down, and make you feel good about yourself.

Get Started Eating Healthier

Healthy eating requires planning and attention to the nutritional content of food. A typical American diet focuses heavily on animal proteins and processed foods, resulting in very real health consequences such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes and obesity. Start a healthy eating routine gradually, incorporating a few simple techniques first and allowing them to develop into habits. An occasional treat is fine, but strive to make healthy choices.

Step 1

Eat plant foods at every meal. Add berries to your morning cereal. Enjoy a side salad with dark greens and fresh tomatoes instead of fries with your lunch. Make two vegetables to go with dinner to increase variety and your overall intake. Eating vegetables provides you with a low-calorie way to obtain vital nutrients and disease-fighting anti-oxidants.

Step 2

Cut back on sugar. Read labels to identify added sugars---look for cane sugar, high fructose corn syrup, barley malt syrup, molasses and fructose in the ingredient list. Try cutting out soda and fruit-flavored juices first, as one regular soda typically adds about eight teaspoons of sugar to your diet. Limit consumption of sugary cereals, flavored yogurts and sweet snacks--opting for plain cheerios, cottage cheese and fruit as alternatives. Work towards obtaining no more than 25 added grams of sugar a day if you are a female or 37.5 grams for men---or six and nine added teaspoons respectively---as recommended by the American Heart Association.

Step 3

Replace refined grains with whole grains. Choose cereals, pasta and crackers that list whole grains as the first ingredient. Look for these products to contain at least three grams of fiber per serving, as recommended by nutritionists at the Harvard School of Public Health.

Step 4

Avoid saturated and trans fats. Cut back on red meat and full-fat dairy to reduce your intake of saturated fat. Serve grilled chicken instead of hamburgers at your next barbecue. Choose 1 percent milk instead of whole.

Step 5

Vow to stop purchasing processed foods---particularly snack foods and fast foods---that list "partially hydrogenated" in the ingredient list. Most nutritionists, including those at the American Heart Association, the Harvard School of Public Health and the National Cancer Institute, agree that trans fats contribute to increased health problems.

Do not try to make all of these changes at once. Incorporate one or two over the course of a few months and ease into your new eating routine. Too many changes at once may overwhelm or frustrate you and cause you to give up on your commitment to healthy eating.

Article provided by Livestrong

Some Reasons We Over Eat

1. We are malnourished--we eat nutrient-poor foods and are craving nutrients. *Tune in to your body’s true needs and consume delicious mineral-rich, organically-grown fresh fruits and vegetables and, if you like, their juices.* 

2. We harbor the false idea that we will not obtain enough nutrients by having small meals of raw fruits and/or vegetables. *Understand that raw food nutrition is infinitely superior to your old diet of cooked foods--there is far more nutritional, health-promoting value in one apple than in a seven course meal of cooked food.* 

3. We are tired and are trying to stimulate our energy. * Understand that when we are tired, our primary need is for rest, not food, and food cannot digest well when we are tired. Eating when we are tired will only lead to enervation, toxemia and a worsening of fatigue.*
4. We are not mindful or present while we eat. *Eat slowly and practice being aware/mindful/conscious and present in your body while you eat.* 

5. We do not want to feel a particular emotion. *Choose to accept, feel and be with the emotion. Allow it to dissipate, or expand, to flow through your body and beyond. Explore the “somatic (or emotional) inquiry.”* 

6. We want to feel the nurturing “mother love” that is lacking in our lives. * Choose to cease covering up your emotions and to release emotional contractions and you will begin to feel nurtured by the love that is always present within yourself.* 

7. We feel and believe we are hungry when we are not--we are actually eating to fill up an emptiness. *Choose to explore, accept and be with the emptiness. Meditation and the “somatic inquiry” can help.* 

8. We feel bored and we eat recreationally. * Develop enjoyable, purposeful and healthful activities away from the food or kitchen. 

9. We feel socially obligated. *Choose to act healthfully and be in your power--choose to take the best possible care of your self at all times.* 

10. We feel too thin when we are in the detoxification stage. *Accept and love yourself as you are, and understand that by living and eating correctly your detoxification and weightloss period will eventually shift into a rebuilding phase, in which you will add healthy weight with larger muscles and enjoy higher vitality.* 

11. We are not physically fit and are at the mercy of our sympathetic emotions. * Keep physically fit--a strong spine and fit body translates into a strong nervous system, self-esteem, will-power, and keener physical awareness so that you can discern your true needs for nourishment. 

12. We believe we can “get away with it” one more time. *Ask yourself: “How is this food going to make me feel in a few minutes, and in a few hours, and tomorrow?” Think about how you want to feel and make the healthful choice, knowing that as you do, you are raising your level of well-being.* 
Written by David Klein

Depression Can Be A Cause of Over Eating

If you fall into a depression due to a medical condition, did you know you can make that condition worsen by dwelling on it? It is a double edged sword. Learn below how to shake yourself out of depression due to being diagnosed with a medical condition that is horrifying, contagious or even life threatening.

If you are depressed, you should try to work on something productive for at least 30-60 minutes per day. Doing absolutely nothing all day can cause a vicious cycle where you not only have your "base" depression symptoms, but also depression because you are unable to get anything done.

A good way to eliminate some depression is to listen to motivational speakers. Don't try to do it all yourself, listen to others who can help inspire you and show you different ways to think positively. If you can immerse yourself in uplifting thoughts of others or read about their uplifting stories and inspirational activities, this can only help make you feel less depressed.

Get your personal life in order. When you suffer from depression, even ordinary tasks can get overwhelming. Get organized using small, easy to complete goals and you can keep from getting bogged down in the everyday duties that can keep you from working on your depression and can even make your symptoms worse.

Your diet can have a huge affect on how you feel and act. If you are even mildly depressed, you can be tempted to eat so called "comfort foods" that are basically empty carbs and calories. These foods will do nothing to boost your mood or make you feel better about yourself. Eat a proper diet, filled with fruits, vegetables, and whole grains to optimize the benefits that diet can offer to your mood.

Develop a method of reducing and preventing stress. Stress is a huge influence in your mood, causing depression when it gets too thick. If you are able to find a mental health center that can help alleviate your stress, you can find the right methods of alleviating depression as well as discover life to be a more positive experience when you aren't stressed out.

When it comes to depression, it is important to list out all of the things that might be causing your depression. This is important because it will help you to identify the causes and then you will be in great shape to work on fixes to eliminate all that is causing you to feel this way.

Keep a positive attitude. Negative thinking is always present in a person that has depression. Depressed people tend to minimize all of the good in their lives, while happy people keep a positive attitude by accepting sadness as a normal part of life, and fixing what they can. Being positive will also make you more pleasant to be around, and there is a lesser chance you will be lonely.

No matter what you have been diagnosed with, remember that depression can make it seem worse. Use the above advise to help you deal with your depression. How you live your life can affect those who love you and keeping your depression in check may not reverse your condition yet you can live the rest of your days with quality rather than under a cloud of unhappiness.

Keep It Simple When Losing Weight

Losing weight and keeping it off can seem like an unattainable goal. When beginning a new exercise routine, it is easy to find determination, but as the first few workouts end, the motivation often wanes. What can you do to make sure you're a success?

Start by creating a detailed weight loss plan you know you can follow. Decide if you are trying to build muscle or just lose weight. What is your target weight? Or are trying to increase your energy and endurance?

Write everything down to keep track of how you are doing. Don't weigh yourself too often, though. Weighing yourself more often than that can cause stress. Use a food journal to track all of your meals, snacks, beverages and the calories they contain. Make sure you write in all your beverages and snacks as well. Many times, the very act of putting it down on paper can keep you from making poor dietary choices.

If you become too hungry, your ability to make rational food choices will diminish and you may end up on an eating binge that you will later regret. Plan your meals in advance and take them with you if you are busy. Pack your lunch based off of your plan, instead of dining out. When you make your own lunch, you can control fat and calorie content, which is often high in restaurant meals. In addition, you can also save money!

The best way to lose weight is by incorporating a healthy diet along with regular exercise. Exercising at least 3 times a week is great, while exercising every day is not essential. Make sure to avoid letting your workout routine get stale by constantly mixing things up and adding new exercises. For instance, if dancing is your thing, it might be fun to enroll in a dance class.

Throw away any unhealthy food that is found in your cupboards. Remove all unhealthy choices and you will not give into temptation. If you make it difficult to get your hands on the high calorie junk food, it will be far less appealing and you will not eat as much of it.

It is important to have support when you are losing weight. If you have people around to support you, you will stay motivated; even though, no one can lose the weight for you. Don't get so discouraged that you give up in frustration! Instead, call someone that will give you the support you need to keep going.