Choose to Lose That Belly

"The more you lose yourself in something bigger than yourself, the more energy you will have."
Norman Vincent Peale

Want to lose belly fat and sculpt tighter looking abs?  Try these tips to tighten your abs:

Choose a workout that includes both cardiovascular and strength-training. Combined, these will help trim your overall body fat content,  including the area around your stomach and waistline.

You can do crunches until the cows come home - but if you want to lose belly fat you have to burn those extra pounds off with a consistent regimen of heart pumping exercise. 

Millions of healthy fitness lovers swear by their daily run. Get up a little early this Summer and head out for a jog before the heat of the day sets in.  You'll start seeing the same faces every morning. Maybe develop a new friendship even! And what great way to start your day!

Enjoy different types of aerobic activities, like walking one day, riding a bike or playing tennis the next. 

You can burn a significant number of calories without breaking a sweat:  Go for a brisk, long walk and sneak in some light weight training. 

Don't relish pounding the pavement for mile after mile? Take a break from running and try a refreshing swim or even just a nice long walk. A growing number of slim and healthy people have added rowing to their weekly workout schedules. Lets face it - doing all those miles can get a little boring - and who wants to do five miles in 95 degree afternoon heat?  Go to Amazon and Check out the most widely used gym quality Indoor Rowing Machine .

Keep eating healthy and watch those late day calories.

If you consume just 100 calories a day more than your body needs, you could easily gain up to  10 pounds in a year. On the other hand - You could take that weight off, or keep it off, by doing just 30 minutes of moderate exercise daily. Want faster results? Stretch your workouts to 40 or 45 minutes.  The experts agree - the combination of exercise and healthy eating is the surest way to start getting in shape fast.

The choice is yours. Choose to adopt healthier habits. Choose to have more fun playing sports you enjoy! Choose to schedule and selfishly guard your daily exercise time. Choose to look better and feel more energized. To enjoy much better health eating healthy foods!

 

Think Your Way to Better Health

Once upon a time there lived a young man, he may be the son of poor parents, or he may be the son of rich parents; one in the ordinary ranks of life, or one of high social standing, whatever that means. He is good-hearted, one of good impulses, generally speaking,—a good fellow. He is out with some companions, companions of the same general type. They are out for a pleasant evening, out for a good time. They are apt at times to be thoughtless, even careless. The suggestion is made by one of the company, not that they get drunk, no, not at all; but merely that they go and have something to drink together.

The young man whom we first mentioned, wanting to be genial, scarcely listens to the suggestion that comes to his inner consciousness—that it will be better for him not to fall in with the others in this. He does not stop long enough to realize the fact that the greatest strength and nobility of character lies always in taking a firm stand on the side of the right, and allow himself to be influenced by nothing that will weaken this stand. He goes, therefore, with his companions to the drinking place.

With the same or with other companions this is repeated now and then; and each time it is repeated his power of saying "No" is gradually decreasing. In this way he has grown a little liking for intoxicants, and takes them perhaps now and then by himself. He does not dream, or in the slightest degree realize, what way he is tending, until there comes a day when he wakens to the consciousness of the fact that he hasn't the power nor even the impulse to resist the taste which has gradually grown into a minor form of craving for intoxicants.

Thinking, however, that he will be able to stop when he is really in danger of getting into the drink habit, he goes thoughtlessly and carelessly on. We will pass over the various intervening steps and come to the time when we find him a confirmed drunkard. It is simply the same old story told a thousand or even a million times over.
 
He finally awakens to his true condition; and through the shame, the anguish, the degradation, and the want that comes upon him he longs for a return of the days when he was a free man. But hope has almost gone from his life. It would have been easier for him never to have begun, and easier for him to have stopped before he reached his present condition, but even in his present condition, be it the lowest and the most helpless and hopeless that can be imagined, he has the power to get out of it and be a free man once again. 

Let us see. The desire for drink comes upon him again. If he entertains the thought, the desire, he is lost again. His only hope, his only means of escape is this: the moment, aye, the very instant the thought comes to him, if he will put it out of his mind he will thereby put out the little flame of the match. If he entertain the thought the little flame will communicate itself until almost before he is aware of it a consuming fire is raging, and then effort is almost useless. The thought must be banished from the mind the instant it enters; dalliance with it means failure and defeat, or a fight that will be indescribably fiercer than it would be if the thought is ejected at the beginning.

And here we must say a word regarding a certain great law that we may call the "law of indirectness." A thought can be put out of the mind easier and more successfully, not by dwelling upon it, not by attempting to put it out directly, but by throwing the mind on to some other object, by putting some other object of thought into the mind. This may be, for example, the ideal of full and perfect self-mastery, or it may be something of a nature entirely distinct from the thought which presents itself, something to which the mind goes easily and naturally. This will in time become the absorbing thought in the mind, and the danger is past. 

This same course of action repeated, will gradually grow the power of putting more readily out of mind the thought of drinking  as it presents itself, and will gradually grow the power of putting into the mind those objects of thought one most desires. The result will be that as time passes the thought of drink will present itself less and less, and when it does present itself it can be put out of the mind more easily each succeeding time, until the time comes when it can be put out without difficulty, and eventually the time will come when the thought will enter the mind no more at all.

Healthy Habits

Healthy habits are the basis of character. Habit is the persistent repetition of acts physical, mental, and moral. No matter how much thought and ability a young man may have, failure is sure to follow bad habits. While correct habits depend largely on self- discipline, and often on self-denial, bad habits, like pernicious weeds, spring up unaided and untrained to choke out the plants of virtue. It is easy to destroy the seed at the beginning, but its growth is so rapid, that its evil effects may not be perceptible till the roots have sapped every desirable plant about it.

No sane youth ever started out with the resolve to be a thief, a tramp, or a drunkard. Yet it is the slightest deviation from honesty that makes the first. It is the first neglect of a duty that makes the second. And it is the first intoxicating glass that makes the third. It is so easy not to begin, but the habit once formed and the man is a slave, bound with galling, cankering chains, and the strength of will having been destroyed, only God's mercy can cast them off.

Next to the moral habits that are the cornerstone of every worthy character, the habit of industry should be ranked. In "this day and generation," there is a wild desire on the part of young men to leap into fortune at a bound, to reach the top of the ladder of success without carefully climbing the rounds, but no permanent prosperity was ever gained in this way.

There have been men, who through chance, or that form of speculation, that is legalized gambling, have made sudden fortunes; but as a rule these fortunes have been lost in the effort to double them by the quick and speculative process.

Betters and gamblers usually die poor. But even where young men have made a lucky stroke, the result is too often a misfortune. They neglect the necessary, persistent effort. The habit of industry is ignored. Work becomes distasteful, and the life is wrecked, looking for chances that never come.

There have been exceptional cases, where men of immoral habits, but with mental force and unusual opportunities have won fortunes. Some of these will come to the reader's mind at once, but he will be forced to confess that he would not give up his manhood and comparative poverty, in exchange for such material success.

The best equipment a young man can have for the battle of life is a conscience void of offense, sound common sense, and good health. Too much importance cannot be attached to health. It is a blessing we do not prize till it is gone. Some are naturally delicate and some are naturally strong, but by habit the health of the vigorous may be ruined, and by opposite habits the delicate may be made healthful and strong.

Good health is quite as much dependent on mental as on physical habits. Worry, sensitiveness, and temper have hastened to the grave many an otherwise splendid character.

Enjoy life more - embrace healthy habits.

Think good thoughts.

Enjoy Eating Healthy Foods

Exercise daily!

Regain your Youthful Vigor

Nature, when she adds difficulties, adds brains. —Emerson 


   Do you ever wish you could roll back the clock and shed those extra pounds so many of us have found lingering around our waistlines?  You're not alone! Millions of Americans have developed the infamous and often unwanted pot-belly.

"Troubles are often the tools by which God fashions us for better things," said that famous philosopher named  Beecher.

Shedding those inches and regaining the slim, more muscular body type of your youth is a worthwhile and achievable goal. Set your sights on a better life. A healthy life filled with more energy and fun.  


There is a beautiful tale of Scandinavian mythology. A hero, under the promise of  becoming a demi-god, is bidden in the celestial halls to perform three test-acts of prowess. He is to drain the drinking-horn of Thor. Then he must run a race with a courser so fleet that he fairly spurns the ground under his flying footsteps. Then he must wrestle with a toothless old woman, whose sinewy hands, as wiry as eagle claws in the grapple, make his very flesh to quiver. He is victorious in them all. But as the crown of success is placed upon his temples, he discovers for the first time that he has had for his antagonist the three greatest forces of nature. He raced with thought, he wrestled with old age, he drank the sea. Nature, like the God of nature, wrestles with us as a friend, not an enemy, wanting us to gain the victory, and wrestles with us that we may understand and enjoy her best blessings. Every greatest and highest earthly good has come to us unfolded and enriched by this terrible wrestling with nature.

 Only the muscle that is used is developed.  Muscle looks better than fat. And developing muscles can make you feel better about yourself! Practice the same daily habits of exercise and eating healthy that fitness professionals use to look and feel great.

Take a look at where you are today and set a goal. Don't worry about the past. Or life's inevitable setbacks.
"What is defeat?" asked Wendell Phillips. "Nothing but education." And a life's disaster may become the landmark from which there has begun a new era, a broader life.

You can have it all - more zest for life, improved self esteem, and energy for all kinds of fun. Life is short - why not enjoy all you can?  Health professionals have know for years that people who enjoy regular exercise and have healthy eating habits tend to be happier overall. 

Many men owe the grandeur of their lives to their tremendous difficulties. —Spurgeon.


If you want to enjoy the vigor and excitement of your younger years - try adopting two simple habits. Get some exercise every day. The harder you work your body- the more you have to gain. You really can join the countless healthy people who exercise and lose weight fast.  And keep enjoying healthy foods. 


Make your life the most fun you possibly can. Improve your outlook and your waistline! Want to lose a few inches around your belly? The best way to lose belly fat is exercise. Get plenty of heart pumping aerobic exercise and you can lose those extra pounds!

Kick Start Your Heart and Lungs!

  Do you ever find yourself wishing you could look a little better in your favorite beach attire? ( Or, in my case - A Lot better! ) Maybe you'd like to feel more comfortable taking your shirt off at the beach? ( You mean I don't have to hide my belly? )

  How do look at the beach or the lake this Summer?

  Want tighter abs? Want to shed those last few pounds before the 4th rolls around? Well, the good news is - you can tighten up your tummy. You really can look better at the beach and have greater self confidence when you start shedding clothes!

Add this to your arsenal of daily exercise routines:



Won't cost you a dime to start walking more everyday. And then running. Sit-ups and crunches are free. The classic push up will help define your upper arms and chest while helping you tighten your abs muscles.

Want  quicker results?   Buy an  Indoor Rowing Machine  and  watch your waistline start shrinking in a matter of weeks!

Or start simple if you prefer. Get some easy to use Home fitness equipment and turn your extra bedroom into a convenient mini-gym! No need to shell out those expensive health club dues every month. Save your money and get healthy without fighting traffic or the crowds at the gym.

Do yourself a favor this Summer. Start your own personal health-care plan. Start exercising every day. Start enjoying life a little more. Forget your worries for a few minutes every day and kick-start your heart and lungs. The natural high you'll soon feel is better than any drug known to man! ( And a whole lot less expensive! )

Exercise Your Lungs and Muscles!

"Some patients get well with the aid of medicine; more without it; and still more in spite of it." SIR JOHN FORBES, M.D., F.R.S.

The following excerpt was penned over 100 years ago!

Motion is life. The health of both body and mind depend upon it. Inaction means stagnation, a condition fatal to health. Hence the necessity of exercise.

Muscular activity stimulates all the functions of the body. It has a most beneficial effect upon all the vital processes, digestion, assimilation and nutrition. The digestive powers work more briskly to prepare the needed nourishment, and the blood circulates more rapidly to carry the material for repair to the parts that need it, so that by moderate physical exercise, judiciously distributed, the whole body is built up and strengthened, and the result is a suppleness of frame and a clearness of head that makes life indeed worth living.

1. When in the open air, walk erect, head up, chin drawn in, shoulders thrown back, thoroughly inflate the lungs and retain the air for a second or two, then expel it gently. Practice this several times a day, and if your job requires you work indoors,  make time and go outside. ( There is no substitute for nature and fresh air! )

2. The first thing in the morning and the last thing at night, when you have nothing on but your underclothing, stand with your back against the wall and fill the lungs to their utmost capacity, then, retaining the breath gently tap the chest all over with the open hands. Do this regularly every morning and night, gently at first, but gradually increasing the length of time for holding the breath and the force of the blows as the lungs grow stronger.

3. Stand upright, heels touching, toes turned out. Place the hands on the hips, the fingers resting on the diaphragm, the thumbs in the soft part of the back. Now, inflate the lungs and force the air down into the lower back part of the lungs, forcing out the thumbs. Do this half a dozen times at first, gradually increasing the number. Women seldom use this part of the lungs—tight dresses and corsets prevent them.

4. While in the same position, fill the upper part of the lungs full, then force the air down into the lower part of the lungs and back again by alternately contracting the upper and lower muscles of the chest. Do this repeatedly, for, besides being a good lung developer, it is an excellent exercise for the liver.

5. Stand erect, the arms hanging close by the sides, then slowly raise the arms until they are in the same position, at the same time gradually taking in a full breath until the lungs are completely filled, then, after holding the breath for a few seconds, gradually lower the arms, at the same time gradually expelling the breath. After doing this a few times while the lungs are full raise and lower the arms several times quickly.

6. Hold the arms straight out, then slowly throw them back behind you as far as possible, at the same time taking a full breath, then bring them slowly back to the front, as at first, expelling the breath while doing so. Do this several times, then fully inflate the lungs, and while holding the breath move the arms backward and forward, in the same way, but quickly. It is important to inflate and empty the lungs fully and completely during this exercise.

COMBINATION LUNG AND MUSCLE EXERCISES.

7. First rotate the right arm in a circle, downward in front of you a few times, then reverse the movement. Next, thrust the shoulder back as far as it will go and rotate the arm in the same manner. Follow with the left arm in the same manner, then both alternately, but at the same time relax the arms completely, allowing them to become perfectly limp, at the same time filling and emptying the lungs completely.

8. Lie flat on the floor, face downward, with the elbows bent and the palms of the hands flat on the floor by the sides, body fully extended. Then, keeping the body perfectly rigid, raise it up by the muscles of the arms alone, until it only rests on the arms and toes, then lower the body gradually until the chest touches the floor, at the same time exercising the lungs to their fullest extent. This may be practiced on a bed or couch to commence with, and should be taken slowly at first, until it can be done half a dozen times without discomfort.

9. Stand with the lungs completely and force the air down into the lower part of the lungs. Then, keeping the lower limbs perfectly stiff, with muscles tensed, bend the body forward from the middle of the trunk and while doing this empty the lungs quickly. Then straighten up again, at the same time filling the lungs. This should be repeated from 6 to 12 times. Then repeat the operation, but bending backward instead of forward, paying careful attention to the emptying and filling of the lungs. Then, with the lungs full and breath retained, move the body backward and forward quickly several times.

10. Retaining the same position as in last exercise, move the upper part of the body to the right a few times, then a few times to the left, after each movement returning to the upright position. Then move in the same manner from right to left, alternately. Study and you will readily understand the nature of these movements, which not only benefit the lungs, but impart grace and suppleness to the body.

11. Still retaining the attitude press the arms and elbows forward as far as possible, at the same time expelling the breath; then press them backward as far as possible to force them, at the same time inflating the lungs to their fullest extent.

( adapted from the writings of Charles A. Tyrrell, M.D in 1907 )

    The steps above were outlined over 100 years ago. The benefits of exercise have been known and practiced for centuries! If you want to lose weight - or feel a desire to look better this Summer - there is one time honored solution: exercise!

    Our present day tendencies to enjoy convenient and fast foods - often filled with unnatural additives - can hinder or even completely erase the benefits of exercise. So eliminate, as much as possible, those unhealthy foods we've all come to know too well. Leave the sugary drinks and soda at the store. If the list of ingredients in your food has the words - high fructose corn syrup - leave it in the store. If we stop buying that crap we will not only feel ( and look ) better - we'll tell the food makers to give us healthier products.

    Yes, you can exercise and lose weight fast. If you keep eating healthy foods and make a daily habit of strenuous exercise! Want better health and fitness? Try these Ten Tips for Better Fitness.