Thursday, April 17, 2008

How to naturally lose weight fast


Many of us wonder how to naturally lose weight fast. No diet pills. No fad diets. Just a solid, time honored and realistic plan, please. You don't need pills. Fad diets might help in the short term. That's great. Long term natural weight loss requires a better - healthier approach!

Nutrition and fitness experts agree - your diet has a big impact on your exercise performance. You need to consume enough of the proper nutrients which give you the energy to maintain a healthy body weight and provide the energy you need for your activity level. Eating healthy reduces your risk of getting a chronic disease. Active people need more carbohydrate and protein than those who choose a more sedentary, less active lifestyle. If you exercise regularly - you'll need to watch your diet and avoid restricting your fat intake too much. Everyone needs to consume some fat. Try to consume the healthy fats like those found in avocados, walnuts and salmon. Drink lots of water and replace those fluids lost during exercise.

In order to remain physically active while dieting, your diet needs to provide adequate carbohydrate for glycogen replacement and enough protein for the maintenance and repair of lean tissue. Don't worry about skimping too much. You need to fuel your muscle growth. Building muscles helps you burn more calories long after your workout is over!

Compared to your less active counterparts, your diet requires additional fluid to cover sweat losses, energy to fuel physical activity, protein for building and repair of muscle tissue, and carbohydrate for the replacement of muscle glycogen. In some cases the need for other nutrients also increases (e.g., B-complex, antioxidant vitamins, iron). As more energy is used during exercise, you need to fuel your body with the proper nutrients.

As your energy requirements increase, your goal should be to consume more nutrient-dense carbohydrate-based food groups (e.g., whole grain breads and cereals, vegetables, and fruits) and lean protein sources (e.g., lean meats, fish, poultry, dairy, legumes). Your aim should be to increase energy intake to maintain weight using nutrient-dense foods. Healthy foods that provide vitamins and minerals. Try to avoid high-fat and sugar based foods.

Timing of your meals is also important. Eating sensibly before you exercise assures that there is enough energy to fuel your workout, while eating after exercise will help refuel your body. A healthy post-exercise meal helps you replace muscle glycogen and repair muscle tissue damage. Keep eating right and building those muscles. You'll be on your way to lose weight naturally. Burn more calories faster and shed those excess pounds.

Keep eating healthy and you'll have the energy you need to exercise and start getting in shape fast.

Monday, March 3, 2008

Getting in shape fast



"He restores my strength" 23rd Psalm

This winter has been a brutal reminder of how fragile our health can be. Even the slightest exposure to one of the potentially nasty flu bugs can result in days laying in bed - with the remote as your faithful companion. Some of us are lucky enough to have a loved one to help care for us. Many of us end up watching hours of stupid TV - too ill to do anything more productive with our time. Feeling like crap.

Wishing Spring would hurry up and get here. Longing for warmer days. Days filled with blue skies, sunshine and warmth. It's time to pick up the pace. Get out of that sick bed as soon as you can and start back on the road to better health. Time to work on getting in shape fast. Summer is just around the bend.

March will no doubt blow by us like a West Texas wind storm. Spring break will come and go before we know it. Then its back to the books for six or eight short weeks.

And then it comes - that wonderful time of the year we all grew up loving so. The carefree, laid back time of year when lemonade stands start popping up in neighborhoods everywhere. Church youth groups sponsor the Saturday morning carwash. And Sunday afternoons are best spent at your favorite swimming hole.

Do you want to have a healthier look before summer arrives? Are you ready to keep that promise you made to yourself at the start of this wonderful new year? Do you want to start exercising, building muscles and losing weight fast? Are you ready to start getting in shape fast?