Lead a Healthy and Fit Life

Lifetime Fitness and Wellness at Home

Sturt — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 08:25:06 +0000

Every person in the world wants to improve specific qualities about themselves. This one universal truth that binds all of us no matter what language we speak or culture we derive from. Self improvement through physical training is a lifestyle that can certainly stand the test of time if you know what you are doing.

The first thing anyone who wants to improve their self needs to do is to properly plan then execute short term goals. For example, just starting to train is an outstanding way to start. You know as well as I know, once you start, its not hard to keep going. It is the actual starting point that is hardest.

What are other popular short term goals

1. Lower blood pressure and LDL Cholesterol levels.
2. Lower heart rate and improve cardio fitness.
3. Lose weight and burn fat
4. Build muscle and tone the entire body
5. Fit into clothes you want to wear
6. Look good on the beach or in pictures

Those are outstanding goals that happen to be the most popular among people who want to improve themselves through physical means. Physical training is for everyone and this includes men, women, and children. It is the understanding of how to train that confuses most people. It is because of the lack of general fundamental training information that brings me to you today.

How does someone start a home training program

You can start anywhere you have space to jog in place. You see, every workout must begin with a warm up phase. This serves as injury prevention so that your body is ready for anything sudden and unexpected. It also serves to lubricate joints and allow muscles to stretch safely without tearing.

What if I skip warm up exercises

People that skip warm up exercises in their training are risking serious injury. Other good warm up exercises are jumping jacks, jogging anywhere, and walking briskly. A general rule, is to use this warm up for fifteen minutes at the start of every workout; its great for cardio respiratory endurance, fat loss, and burning excess calories.

The warm up is done, now what do I do for training

People that are new to training should learn to master their own bodyweight through different movements. These are often the most challenging movements because they require coordination, balance, and a degree of mental toughness. Prime examples of bodyweight movements are;

1. Sit-ups or Leg lifts
2. Push-ups or Modified Push-ups
3. Pull-ups or Flexed arm hangs
4. Traveling lunges or bodyweight squats

Your primary concern is to start with one exercise and do it perfectly for as long as you can. Once you can no longer execute a particular exercise, move on to the next exercise. This is called circuit training and is an excellent method of lifetime fitness. You can do workouts like this every single day for the rest of your life. This portion of the training will take you approximately five to ten minutes.

After the bodyweight training, then what do I do

After you finish your four core exercises, it is time to cool your body down. I advise you take a walk, start briskly, and gradually slow yourself down to a slow walk. You can do this in place if you need to.

This process of a cool down will take about ten to fifteen minutes. In addition to serving as injury prevention, this cool down exercise allows your heart rate to slowly climb down and naturally adjust your body out of exercise.

Where can I do this training

You can do this training anywhere you want, whenever you want, and in your own space. Being independent is a key thing in life and in training. Always make sure to take your time with exercises, keep everything smooth, and stop all movements once the form is no longer perfect. Remember this is lifetime fitness

Dave Lemanczyk is the C.E.O. of Dave Lemanczyk LLC, a leading developer of superior human performance products in todays fitness industry. http://www.basketballstrength.com

5 Best “Cardio” Intervals for Fat Loss

Sturt — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 07:25:06 +0000

Long, slow cardio is not the fastest way to burn fat. Research shows that short interval training workouts burn belly fat faster.

I was one of the first trainers to question long, slow cardio for fat loss back in the late 1990s and I believe that traditional cardio is over-rated.

Interval training, or interval “cardio” if you want to call it that, is much, much better for fat loss. It burns belly fat in half the workout time.

I figured this out just before the year 2000. Back in 1998-99, I was but a lowly grad student, studying the effects of androstenedione the supplement taken by the mighty baseball player, Mark McGwire during his record-breaking home run quest in 98.

In my study which was published in the Canadian Journal of Applied Physiology for any science nerds like myself out there, we had guys use the supplement and go through a couple of weight training sessions. By February of 99 I was stuck in the lab, analyzing the blood samples using some fancy radio-active isotopes.

And when I say stuck in the lab, I mean STUCK. Id get there at 7am, and record my last data point at 11pm. Sixteen hours of mad science. And if I wasnt there, I was downstairs in the medical library, studying papers on testosterone and training.

Now coming from a very athletic background, this sedentary lifestyle didnt sit well with me. But there I was, studing for a degree in Exercise Physiology and left with no time for exercise. Or so I thought.

Fortunately, I actually had a 50 minute window once per day of “down-time” while the labs gamma-counter analyzed blood samples.

That left me 50 minutes to get to the gym 5 minutes across campus and get a workout in the remaining 40 or so minutes. I knew that if I applied my studies to the workout, I could get maximum results in minimum time.

As a former athlete, I knew that I had to find a way to stay fit and to avoid the fat gain that comes with working long hours in a sedentary environment. And I also had to stay true to the high-school bodybuilder I once was, so there was no way I was willing to sacrifice my muscle to one of those long-cardio, low protein fat-loss plans that were popular at the time.

Instead, I had to draw on my academic studies and my experiences working with athletes as the schools Strength & Conditioning Coach. I knew that sprint intervals were associated with more fat loss than slow cardio, and I knew that you could also increase aerobic fitness by doing sprints but you cant increase sprint performance by doing aerobic training.

So clearly, intervals were and ARE superior to long slow cardio for fat loss. I had seen first hand the incredible results of sprint intervals in the summer and fall, as the athletes made huge fitness improvements and shed winter fat in a short time using my interval programs. I knew that intervals had to be the next step in the evolution of cardio.

The biggest benefit of intervals A lot of results in a short amount of time. I knew that I only had 40 minutes to train, and therefore I could only spend 15-20 minutes doing intervals.

I also understand that interval training sounds intimidating to a lot of people, so I need to clear up how an interval training workout goes.

After all, I believe everyone can do interval training for fat burning. Even beginners. For beginners who usually exercise for 30 minutes at 3.5 mph on the treadmill, their interval workout would be to go for 1 minute at 3.8mph and then recover for 2 minutes at 3.0 mph. Thats it. Repeat 6 times. If you are more advanced, you would use more intense exercise.

Interval training doesnt have to be sprinting for your life. It just needs to start off harder than normal and progress from there.

Most folks hate cardio, so they are happy to use interval training as an effective replacement to lose stomach fat. Here is my list of preferred ways to do your intervals, ranked in order from best to worst, based on my experiences.

1. Sprinting outdoors Hill sprinting might be the absolute best method
2. Kettlebell exercises
3. Bodyweight interval circuits
4. Treadmill running
5. Stationary cycle upright cycling preferred over recumbant bike

With those 5 interval training methods, youll burn fat fast and never have to do cardio again

Discover NEW, NO-CRUNCH abs exercisesto get a flat stomach. Lose fat gain muscleand get rid of stubborn belly fat with Turbulence Training.

Craig Ballantyne is a Certified Strength Conditioning Specialist and writes for Mens Health, Womens Health, and Oxygen magazines.

3 Easy Steps To Get Into Weight Loss Mode And Burn More Fat

Sturt — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 02:18:08 +0000

Do you know there are three easy steps that you can implement today that can get you into weight loss mode If you are looking for some technique to get your fat burning furnace roaring, you are in luck because I am going to share with you 3 steps that you can take so your body can burn more body fat.

There are tips and tricks that we can implement so that we can get more from our workout. This means burn more fat and save more time. All of us are looking for methods to lose weight quickly and get the most of our time. So, by implementing these 3 tips, you can definitely burn more body fat and see the results quite quickly. Without wasting more time, lets dive into it.

Step 1

Do your cardio after your intense weight training. This is by far one of the best method I have seen working for my clients. For those who do not know me, I have been doing personal training for more than 7000 hours since the 2004 and I find that my clients that follow my instructions and do their cardio after their weight training lose the most fat

The reason behind this is because we are glucose depleted after an intense weight training session. Hence when you hit the cardio, your body will start using body fat straight away. If you do cardio before you weight training, you will waste time spending 10 to 15 minutes burning the sugar in your body and then only the body fat. Then when you do weight training, you will not have the power and strength to complete an intense weight training session.

During weight training, you only use sugar. So, it is more effective to do weight training first, burn of the sugar and then hit the cardio machine for maximum fat loss. If you are not use to do your cardio after weight training, you will feel that your body is heavy and find it really tough. Do it slowly. Do your cardio workout at the intensity of 70 of your max heart rate the after 5 to 7 minutes; you feel that you can go on forever

Step 2

Now this is a bit of a controversial issue. Some pros do not like this method and some do. I personally experienced great results from it. It is called low card dieting. Yeah, you have heard of it like a thousand times. I am not a dietitian, but for my modeling days, I use to go low carb for 5 days and then eat normal on Saturday and Sunday.

This is not Atkins diet. I do not eat lots of fats. I eat lots of vegetables; eat lots of fish, egg whites and chicken. I also drink lots of soup because I found out that soup could really satisfy my appetite. The bulk of the meals come from vegetables because it is healthy and keeps your stomach full. You will feel a bit tired during your weight training but that is normal. You are not there to do the World Strongest Man event.

The key to maintain on this diet is that you have to eat 5 to 6 meals a day. Always plan ahead. I cannot emphasize enough. You need to plan what time you eat and what you will eat. This will help you cope up with all the hunger pangs. If you fail to plan you plan to fail.

Step 3

This tips is actually very easy. It would not need you to put in more time into you workout or change your lifestyle. If you have been doing cardio religiously 3 to 5 times a week, why not supercharge your fat loss by using a heart rate monitor. By using a heart rate monitor, you can laser target you fat burning zone. With the heart rate monitor you would also know whether you are really tired or pure lazy. I workout too, I know. Sometimes I feel like I just do not have the stamina but when I checked my heart rate, it is just fine and sometimes below the required zone. So, I know I am just cheating myself if I stop.

There you have it. Three tips for you to get into weight loss mode that you can implement today. The biggest killer I think is procrastinating. Get started today and look great faster.

Chung Leong Yu is giving away his Weight Loss System for a limited time only. Download it at www.TonyLeongWeightLoss.Com while it is still free.

The Easy Way to Flat Sexy Abs

Sturt — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 07:01:32 +0000

Everyone, guy and girl, has dreamed of having sexy flat abs, toned and well defined. It is not about mere vanity at all because it is about feeling sexy and confident all from having great abs

So everyone dreams about this but guess what, very few people actually have them Really, only about 3 in 10 people have toned abs that will show through. If you want to be one of those 3 people, read on to learn how to get those sexy abs

Despite what everyone tries to make everyone else think, it is really not that difficult to get a great six pack. It is actually more likely that people do this because they feel it is difficult or even impossible for themselves to get sexy abs. But realize this, if you know the best and easiest methods to getting toned abs, then all you have to do is stick with it and follow through. Even though some say it is impossible, it really is not and once you learn how, getting there will be that much easier.

The first thing that you need to understand is the role fat plays in your goal of getting sexy flat abs. You, like everyone else in the world, have belly fat. The only people who can honestly say they do not have belly fat are the ones who have flat toned abs. They have lost the belly fat and now can show off sexy abs and you can do the same.

You need to lose the belly fat that covers your ab muscles. Ignore what people tell you about ab machines, ab exercises or anything like that. They do not work, plain and simple. That is not what it is all about. It might seem like it makes sense since ab exercises are working your ab muscles but there is little connection.

One of the two main methods of getting sexy abs is to first establish a good foundation of healthy eating habits. That means no junk food, no fried food, no fast food, no sodas, no sports drinks, no junk, period. You need to eat fresh whole foods. This means fruits, vegetables, and high quality meats. Keep in mind, just because there is a label that says organic does not mean it is healthy.

There are plenty of processed organic foods out there and you will want to avoid processed foods period. Yes, it may seem extreme if your diet consisted of junk food, fast food and fried food. But if you want those sexy abs, this is what you are going to have to do. Once you cut those foods out and focus on fresh foods, you will begin to see yourself reduce the belly fat, and actually your body fat in general too.

The second method of getting sexy abs is to work out, focusing on burning fat and all body exercises. That is absolutely right, no matter how many crunches, sit-ups or other ab exercises you do, even if it totals to 500 per day, you will not get sexy abs. Very simply, ab exercises do not burn fat, so you will not see results.

The best workouts to do to get your sexy abs back are cardio and weight training. With both of these workouts, you will want to focus on more all-body exercises instead of isolating certain muscle groups. Cardio, such as running on a treadmill or a track, will burn fat and weight training will tone and define your muscles.

The truth to sexy abs does not even include ab machines so make sure to start with the foundation of great cardio, weight training and a healthy diet and you will see results quickly

James Wong lost over 40lbs. just by using The Secret 2 Fat Loss. You too could lose weight as easily as he did. Find out how to get six pack abs fast. You can burn fat without counting calories at www.TheSecret2FatLoss.com

What Does It Mean to be Healthy

Sturt — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 10:09:49 +0000

Your weight, your blood pressure and your body mass index are good indications of your overall health.

Yet, it goes further than this. You should understand how well your body is working, too. Do you have any physical limitations If you physically cant lift things for fear of hurting your back, this would be a potential problem to be considered.

If you have problems with your legs, your neck, your arms or anything else, you should address these specific concerns. The best place to start is to work with your doctor to determine why you arent physically fit in those areas. That way, you can improve your overall health and then improve your particular situation with informed help.

Food plays a significant role on your health. Foods are the fuel that your body requires to do a good job at the tasks that you ask it. In our example of your body as a machine, look at the way food works. The food you consume is the fuel that your machine needs.

If you dont give it quality food, it wont perform the right way. Have you ever gone to put gas into your car and gotten to a really bad gas station where the fuel wasnt up to standard It slows your car down. You dont get the gas mileage that you are used to and you may even need to perform maintenance on your car to repair it. It would be even worse if you used kerosene instead of gas. Or if you forgot to change the oil.

In your body, healthy food is just as important. If you consume the wrong foods all of the time, your body will not be able to perform as well as if you gave it the highest quality foods. It will break down.

Without good nutrition, your body can become ill faster and perhaps not recover.

Your body does not heal as quickly from injury. And you cannot buy a new one.

Your blood pressure rises, your heart rate increases to unhealthy levels.

You are more prone to limitations physically as well as mentally.

All sorts of problems arise from not eating a healthy diet. But, what is healthy and why is it healthy

Vegetables are among the highest nutrient rich foods out there. They provide high levels of antioxidants that helps to heal your body, improve your physical fitness, and they are very low in calories, meaning you can eat more.

Fruits are sweet so they can solve sweet tooth hungers. They also provide you with antioxidants and all types of nutrients that give your body the fuel it needs.

Whole grains are also an important part of a healthy diet. Unlike “white” foods, whole grains give you much more nutrition. They dont cause weight gain like “white” foods. Making simple changes from bread to pasta to potatoes allows you to get the tastes that you love but without the added calories, fats, and sugars that cause health issues.

Water intake is important. If you do not get enough fluid, you end up retaining more water, rather than less. Your body goes into dehydration mode, causing you to keep in all that you can. Consuming enough water means your system is hydrated, youre eating les,s and that means you arent getting as many calories from other liquids.

Meats are important parts of the diet, too. You need protein but you dont want to get it from fatty meats. Improving your diet to include only lean meat will allow you to cut down on the intake of cholesterol which will ultimately clog your heart, minimizing blood flow to your body.

If you dont do anything else, improving these five areas is all you need to do. The good news is that you dont need a lot of work to make serious improvement.

Peter Woronoff is a psychotherapist, martial artist, and fitness enthusiast. Claim your Free Audio to get your questions answered at www.SeniorFitnessNow

Fat Camp: Going Beyond The Fat Label

Sturt — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 12:01:25 +0000

A fat camp is a slang term for a type of program where overweight and obese children and teenagers are sent during the summer to lose weight. In todays politically correct environment, they are more gently referred to as a fitness and weight loss camp. The label of fat camp has changed because it lowers the self esteem of kids being sent to this type of recreational camp they were to attend during their summer vacation. Most of these fat camps are now offering fun and exciting weight loss programs that make losing weight a great and rewarding experience for its visitors.

Fat camps are usually located on a quiet beach, the mountains, or a secluded forest. The aim of this quiet location is to give the campers a peace of mind and a stress free environment that will make weight loss fun.

Fat camps nowadays typically provide nutrition classes, weekly weigh ins, and many more aerobic based classes. These camps enhance the health of the campers and raise their self confidence as well as teach them about how to live well in the outside world.

Fat camps have been proven to provide weight-loss results of two to six pounds per week on participants on average. In addition, overweight campers generally lose more of the expected weight in these programs. The effectiveness of these summer camps varies widely and usually depends on the quality of the individual program and biochemistry of the attending campers.

New programs focus on changing behavior through a combination of training on self-regulatory behaviors and cognitive behavioral therapy CBT to ensure that weight loss persists long after campers return home. Most experts believe these are key elements of an effective program.

With todays video game era and the computer age, fewer and fewer children are at a healthy weight. The lifestyle of kids today is filled with fattening foods and less exercise. This is a trend that has steadily increased. In fact, has the number of obese children has tripled since the 1980s.

The approach to treating obesity in children has changed dramatically for the better. Proper education on individual eating habits has been the focus on these camps, in addition to their traditional fitness and weight loss programs. In todays fat camps, children are taught proper education in nutrition in order to avoid eating too much sugar and fat, which is the leading cause of obesity.

Many media programs now disseminate the information on the proven weight loss success of these camps. Parents are now able to send their children to the leading fitness and weight loss camps knowing their proven weight loss successes. The proliferation of fat camps means that there are now many convenient locations available that not only encourage fitness and fun, but also teaches the children proper nutritional education skills. Fat camps have been known to ingrain into the minds of children proper nutrition, which they can implement throughout their adult lives.

Many of the children return home from fat camps spreading the knowledge they have learned and change their families eating habits forever. There is now proliferation of stories of whole families, jointly losing as much as one hundred pounds, once the child returns home from their fun filled, summer retreat.

These camps go well beyond the fat camp mentality of the 1980s in which children are just put through strenuous exercise without changing their eating habits.

Matthew Stanton writes an article about Fat Camps and how it can benefit children and teenagers as well as their parents. This points out ideas to people on the advantages they get when they join a Fat Camp. Simply visit this website at Fat Camps

The Way to Get Six Pack Abs Fast

Sturt — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 18:40:05 +0000

Those abs, six pack abs, whatever you want to call them. Everyone wants them. Men want to get them to please the ladies and the ladies fall for them all the time. So really, everyone wants them But here is the big surprise, it is really not that hard to get them at all

So you might be asking right now, what am I doing wrong Well, I can tell you this, most people do the same thing wrong and they make the same mistake as everyone else. It seems like a common sense thing but really, it is not the case. Common sense would tell you that if you want something, you have to focus on it.

So if you apply that to getting sexy abs, you would think that to get that sexy six pack you would have to do hundreds and hundreds of ab workouts. Well, you would be wrong. In fact, those workouts really do almost nothing to define and tone your abs. What you really would need to do is kind of shocking to some people.

You have to burn fat. Your abdominal area, just like the rest of your body, has fat covering your muscles. It is normal, everyone has that. But the thing is that the less body fat you have, the more defined your muscles look and we are talking all muscles So what you really need to focus on with your workouts is burning fat.

The other thing you have to focus on to get that six pack is a healthy diet. This plays a big, huge, gigantic part in getting those abs. No matter how efficient you are at burning fat, if you have a poor diet based on unhealthy foods, you will not be seeing those abs any time soon. So change your diet and soon enough you will see those abs start shining through.

Eat healthier by making sure each meal is well balanced with plenty of fresh foods, such as vegetables, meats and fruit. With such a determined plan, you will also want to increase the amount of meals but decreased the size of the meals you eat. In other words, eat something around 5-6 small meals each day so you can keep your metabolism working all day.

Now that we have that large part of the equation down, for the workout part, you should combine cardio workouts with strength training. Both of them are great for fat burning and are also great for your overall health. Most people think that strength training is only for tough guys or people who want to bulk up like crazy. Not so. Actually, strength training, or weight training, is great for burning fat too, not only just building muscle.

It is important to build muscle while you are burning fat too because your muscles contribute to how effective your metabolism is. The more muscles you have, the faster your metabolism will be. So it is a very direct relation.

Now, as for cardio, everyone knows this is a great fat burning workout. You can choose to do your cardio with walking or light jogging or increase the intensity by sprinting. This is an easy one because it is so common so just jump on the treadmill or track and get to it

You now have all the tools you will need to get those sexy, rock hard abs quickly Stick to your goals and you will see them shine through sooner than you think

5 Must Do Abs Crunches for a Killer Six Pack

Sturt — Sun, 28 Sep 2008 17:49:03 +0000

There are two contrary opinions among the people, about abs crunches. One group of people says that it works in developing a killer six-pack, while other group says that it does not work. The genuine answer to it is that it depends upon many factors such as genetics, stress, slow metabolism, and improper digestion, eating late night, poor posture. If you do not give optimum attention towards these factors and try to exercise your abs for a killer six-pack, you will hardly get any noticeable results. If you have a habit to eat late night, it will result in growth of fat over your abdomen. Still if you try to shape your abdomen by doing abs crunches, then how can you expect to get desired results

Here are some types of abs crunches, if done regularly along with proper diet, will surely help you in developing a killer six pack.

The Basic Crunch:

The basic crunch is helpful for upper area of the abdomen and abs. The procedure to do the basic abs crunch is as under.

1. First of all lye down on you back.

2. Bend your knees and place your feet on the floor such that toes come near to your hips. This provides support to lower back. Now place your right hand on your left shoulder and left hand on your right shoulder such that both the hands make cross over your chest.

3. Now slowly try to rise up your upper half part of the body, simultaneously pressing your lower back against the floor. Exhale slowly, when you reach the peak of the crunch and when you start to inhale lower your back down slowly.

4. Repeat the above step No. 3 for about 20 to 25 times and take rest for about 1 minute. Then perform the crunches for about 3 to 4 sets by taking rest of 1 minute after every set, this will be sufficient for the day. But remember not to try to do excessive abs crunches in want of quick results, because after doing first 25 to 30 repetitions you will feel lack of energy and most probably you will not perform the crunches correctly.

Initially after doing 20 to 25 controlled and perfect movements you will feel you abs muscles working. If this is not the case then surely you are not performing the movements as ideally required. Your movements should be focused on your middle section, alternatively if your neck feels worked, then you should note that you are not performing the abs crunches properly.

The Reverse Crunch:

Lower portion of abdominal is worked by this exercise.

1. Firstly lie down on your back, place your hand straight along your body, touching the floor and palms facing towards floor.

2. Keep your back and head straight and slowly raise your legs up in the air, slightly bend your knees and cross your legs.

3. Now try to raise your hips off the floor for about 2 inches and try to keep this position without falling down. Stay in this position for 3-4 seconds and perform abs crunches, while keeping your hands, back and neck on the floor.

4. Lastly lower your hips slowly back and try more repetitions, do not forget to take rest of 60 seconds between each set of 20 to 25 abs crunches.

Cable side crunch:

Get the cable to highest position, now grab handle with one hand and rest the other hand on the grabbing hand. Perform crunch only between waist and lower chest, while keeping your arm stationary. The movement caused will be very small. Perform three sets of 10-15 repetitions.

Oblique Decline Crunches:

On a decline bench, lock your feet at the top and lie down inclined. Keep your left hand over left ear and right hand on your right hip. Now slowly raise upper part of your body and twist towards the right. Keep your abs tight and your movement should be controlled and slow. Try to touch your left elbow to your right knee. After that, slowly release your body to the starting position. Now perform similar set on right side.

Oblique Crunches:

Lie down on the floor, bend you knees and keep your feet flat on the floor. Keep your both hands on the back of head and elbows must be projecting outwards. Now perform abs crunches in oblique direction trying to touch your left elbow to your right knee. Slowly come to initial position and repeat.

You can get killer six packs by doing above five abs crunches. But remember if you do not take care of diet, merely doing abs crunches will not give you noticeable results. Also, dont expect the results by tomorrow as it is difficult to burn your well earned belly fat in single day. Just concentrate hard and the day will come when you will have the sexy flat stomach.

Yu Chung Leong is giving away his Tony Leong Weight Loss System for a limited time only. Download it at www.TonyLeongWeightLoss.Com while it is still free.

Why Low Carb Diets Are Bad For Losing Weight

Sturt — Sat, 27 Sep 2008 20:18:03 +0000

You hear about them all the time. Low carb diets this, low carb diets that. Every celebrity is on this diet and everyone you know at work, at school or anywhere is on this diet. Well, if thats all theyre using, theyve been on it for a while and theyre completely healthy, then they must not be following it completely or theyre lying

Why Because low carb diets, for a short period of time do work to help you lose weight, but only for a short period of time, like 2-3 weeks. But if you stick with low carb diets for a longer period of time, youll definitely be losing something other than weight and youll see negative side effects with your health.

Dont get me wrong. There are plenty of foods out there that you should avoid, and most of them are very high in carbs. And these foods are great to avoid for just general health, not only just to lose weight.

But the other side of that coin is that carbohydrates are also a very necessary nutrient for your body to function properly. So a long term weight loss diet completely devoid of carbohydrates is not a good idea. A short one is fine since its pretty much like fasting for a few weeks, which wont do much damage.

Heres another fact that will show you how bad long term low carb diets are, outside of weight loss. There is a risk of osteoporosis for women from long term low carb diet use. Most low carb diets will tell you to increase the amounts of protein you eat.

Normally, thats a great thing because one of the building blocks of your body is protein. But, like anything else, too much protein spells disaster. Excess protein from meat can leech calcium from your bones, which can increase the risk of osteoporosis. Why does your body do this Because protein can cause acid build up in your blood and your body removes the calcium to balance out your blood.

Okay, so you say thats a womans problem. Heres one for both. Your brain uses about 20 of glucose from your body. Now, glucose is a simple sugar. Simple sugars are carbohydrates.

Get the connection If you decrease the intake of carbohydrates from your diet, you are starving your brain of an important nutrient for healthy brain function. Thats definitely not something anyone wants, whether youre trying to lose weight or not.

But specifically with weight loss, low carb diets stop working if you use them over a long period of time because at that point you wont be losing weight or fat. At that point, youve already lost most, if not all, of the fat stores in your body. The reason low carb diets work so great in the beginning is because your body is using up the fat stores in your body since you arent eating carbs, which provide energy to your body.

So naturally, your body uses up your fat stores. But once those are gone, your body turns to muscles and body tissue. So clearly, you are not losing fat at that point, which is what you would want. Youll be losing the parts of you that are helpful to real weight loss. Carbs are sources of energy for your body so after the initial 2-3 weeks of the low carb diet, re-introduce healthy carbs to your body and you will be in good shape and on the path to healthy weight loss.

James Wong lost over 40lbs. just by using The Secret 2 Fat Loss. You too could lose weight as easily as he did. Find out why low carb diets dont work and how to burn fat without counting calories at www.TheSecret2FatLoss.com

24-Hour Water Fasting for Weight Loss & Detoxification

Sturt — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 19:31:06 +0000

Many persons I talk to want to fast, but believe that unless they do so for three, seven or more days - then it is pointless to do it at all. Well, I am here to tell you that nothing could be further from the truth.

Water Fasting for even ONE day can help you start receiving the benefits of this life-saving practice - as well as give you tangible experience as to how your body reacts while you abstain from solid food. Water fasting can do wonders for your digestive system.

To be sure, the digestive system is very grateful when it is given an opportunity to repose from the often never-ending process of digestion. When given this break, the body is able to shift its focus to healing other organs and areas that may be ill - not to mention the massive intestinal cleansing that fasting facilitates.

One-day water fasting done in a methodical and regular manner provides the kind of rest that can dramatically help your digestive system and overall health. One-day fasting can help you lose weight in a sustainable way. This method is safe because you do not have to embark in any grueling exercise regimes, or take any type of medication to receive the weight loss and detoxification benefits.

Water fasting for a full 24-hour cycle once a week or once every two weeks is definitely the way to go if you are new to this practice. Try it out once and the success will increase your self confidence and often lead you to venture out to longer periods of fasting.
Such was the case with me.

Proper Fasting

Here is a method of doing one day water fasts: Decide on a particular day for that 24-hour cycle do not eat any solid food.When hunger strikes, drink a large glass of water. You can start, say, by eating your last meal at 8PM and then going to bed, fasting the entire following day, and breaking the fast at 8PM that evening. Successful fasting has three stages: preparation, the actual fast, and breaking the fast. Each one of these stages is important.

Preparing to Fast

It is very important that you prepare yourself both mentally and physically before a fast or you will find it difficult to go one day without food. The mental preparation is simple, but very important. Do this: The night before the fast make a firm resolution that you will not eat no matter how much hunger strikes. Taking a firm stand helps you stick to your decision. Firm determination will give you strength when you are tempted to give up.

Physical preparation is also very important. The day before you fast, prepare your body by eating a normal amount of food. Do not by any means overeat thinking that you are storing food for the fast. This will cause very uncomfortable cramps and the hunger pains will more than likely be stronger than they would otherwise.

The Fasting Day

During the fasting period, it is best to limit yourself to light physical tasks and to concentrate as much as possible on introspection and spirituality. Use this fasting period constructively. Meditate on scriptures, pray or read inspirational books - spend some time taking stock of where you are in life, and what are some of the areas that you would like to improve.

These can be spiritual, mental, physical, social and even financial. It is often helpful to write a list of issues you would like to resolve and then use the time of fasting praying and meditating to receive inspiration and guidance. If you are unable to take this “time out” because of an active work or family schedule, then go about your business but maintain an “internal” attitude of prayer, meditation and contemplation.

The way I accomplish this is by not allowing time to consume my thoughts but, rather, I make it a point to go from moment to moment - focusing only on what I am doing one second, one minute at a time. You will be surprise just how often we go about our day-to-day
activities thinking only of the future or obsessing over the past. This negates the present moment and can keep us in a state of confusion, stress and restlessness.

Breaking the Fast

Benefits of fasting can be truly enjoyed only if you break the fast in the right manner. Do not do like I did at first and break a period of fasting with a full-course meal. You can get stomach cramps and, in some cases, become seriously ill. On the morning or evening following the fast, break it by either drinking water with lime or grape juice diluted with water.

Drinking lemon juice with a pinch of salt helps flush out toxins from your digestive system. Wait approximately four hours and then have some soup or light salad with lime. Please - NO heavy dressings at this point Four hours after that you can have a light meal of poultry, salad and maybe steamed vegetables or brown rice.

The next day you can resume your regular eating habits. Of course, the period of fasting hopefully will give you time to meditate on how you have been eating. It is important to realize that fasting only to return to destructive eating will limit the benefits. After you break the fast, make a resolution that you will start to move away from destructive eating.

This is not done in a day, and you may stumble much - but no matter what, keep going and never give up Periodic fasting such as the one described here is definitely one of the elements of a balanced and sustainable weight loss program.

Robert Dave Johnston is editor and webmaster of Fitness Through Fasting.com - where you will find a growing number of fasting-related articles and topics to assist you achieve your weight loss, detoxification and health-improvement goals through juice and water fasting.