How to Lose Weight & Gain Muscle

Bodybuilding And Overtraining

One of the biggest problems a newbie bodybuilder faces is determining how much to train. When they start a bodybuilding program, after having never exercised with weights before, the body generally responds relatively fast. The new bodybuilder can see gains in muscle size and a firming of the body within the first few weeks and this encourages them to train harder.

This is where the problems start to begin. After the initial burst of muscle development, the body will begin to plateau for a while, and increasing the training will only lead to a case of over training. Over training occurs when the muscles haven't had sufficient time for recovery.

When the muscles are subject to weight training, the main process of development occurs during the recovery period when the muscle cells are rebuilt, to cope with the increased demands of the weight lifting. It is during this 'rebuilding' process that the muscles become bigger, and without sufficient recovery the muscles won't have time to rebuild the cells.

This leads to the muscle getting over worked and growth is stunted. Without the correct knowledge, the newbie bodybuilder thinks that they need to train even harder to maintain the gains that they were seeing in the initial stages of their weight lifting program. Thus begins the downward spiral of more and more over training, and the resultant lack of muscle growth and fatigue.

With correct guidance the bodybuilder will be able to see when they are getting into a state of over training and allow themself a little more time to recover. This might involve having a few days rest from exercise, or more rest days between training sessions. Alternatively, the over trained bodybuilder might need to reduce the amount of weights lifted during a training session.

Reducing the intensity of the training will help to eliminate the possibility of injury and other health related problems as the body's immune system is put under stress.

People who are just beginning bodybuilding for the first time need to be made aware of this process before they start training so they can plan their weight lifting program in such a manner that they will continue to see gains in muscle size and fitness and reduce the possibility of the plateau periods where they appear to be making little or no progress.

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bodybuilding, fitness

Bodybuilding Fitness Elementary

This story deals with bodybuilding and contains all the relevant information about bodybuilding. If you are interested do read on.

Being interested in bodybuilding means that you must be eager to gain as much information on bodybuilding as possible. To make things easier for you, we have this article for you having all the relevant information on bodybuilding.

A Body to Go: bodybuilding fitness Elementary

If you were skeptical in reading this article thinking it would be the same run of the mill stuff about skeptical, you must now be confirmed that it is not the case here and that you should continue with the article.

So you want to be the next Arnold Schwarzenegger? Or perhaps you're a Lenda Murray-wanna-be? Well, good for you! So here's the thing. To get the best bodybuilding shape, you need to keep a few bodybuilding fitness pointers in mind.

Examination articles is surely a very good way of increasing ones knowledge but for that you would have to search through a lot of trash. We think that some of your needs must have been satisfied through reading this article about bodybuilding.

The principal logical movement to take for any bodybuilding fitness novice is goal-setting. Ask yourself the following questions: Why do I want to be a bodybuilder? Why do I want to have a fit body? Whatever your reason may be, whether you want to be healthy or want to look good, just make sure that you are doing this for yourself. A high percentage of bodybuilding fitness programs are successful mainly because its participants are looking to improve themselves.

You can also keep a bodybuilding fitness logbook to record your progress and the goals you have set and achieved during the program. For instance, you can place an entry in your bodybuilding fitness logbook that you want to do 10 reps today. Then later during the day, you can put in some comments on how you did, whether or not you have achieved the bodybuilding fitness goal you have set for yourself. A simple record-keeping can make a whole lot of difference for a bodybuilding success.

Below are a few more bodybuilding fitness tips to get you going:

1. To guarantee success in your bodybuilding fitness plan, make a commitment to yourself and make the effort to change your habits.
2. Accept the fact that to achieve the perfect muscled look might take a long time. Building muscles, loosing fat, reshaping your body, and learning how you respond to diets and supplements takes time. As a matter of fact, the best bodybuilding fitness plans continue on indefinitely.
3. Hold yourself up for a lot of hard work. bodybuilding fitness means going to the gym on a regular basis, adapting strenuous exercise routines, and tearing up muscles here and there as a result. But all that pain and discomfort is what makes bodybuilding fitness work for you.
4. Change your diet. To get the best results out of your bodybuilding fitness plan, you would have to eat three meals a day. Eat small but frequently. Increase your protein intake for better muscle growth and development. Drink more water to optimize muscle volume. Limit your salt intake. Take less sugar and alcohol. And most important of all, minimize fats in your diet.
5. Sleep. In bodybuilding fitness, you strain your body to the limit and your best weapon to prevent it from breaking under the tension is sleep. So sleep.
6. Never ever forget your goal in taking up bodybuilding fitness in the first place. Get that ideal muscled body you've always wanted. Don't let the hard work drag you down. Strive for success.

This article was just a means of providing you productive information about bodybuilding and we think that we have been successful in doing that.

calories

All Calories Are Not Created Equal

Eat less fat. Eat more fat. Carbs are bad. Carbs are good.

Nutrition advice changes so often, no wonder so many people are confused.

But when it comes it calories, the advice to consume fewer of them seems set in stone. After all, "a calorie is a calorie"-Right?

Wrong.

For years, we've been told that if we "eat less and exercise more," we'll lose weight. That recommendation is based on the belief that we need burn more calories than we take in. But this doesn't tell the whole story.

As it turns out, it isn't the amount of calories you consume that really affects your weight and your health. It's the type of calorie.

It's true-the calories you eat are actually absorbed at different rates. And the different amounts of fiber, carbohydrates, protein, fat, and nutrients in these calories can have very different effects on your metabolism. There's no difference between a thousand calories of kidney beans and a thousand calories of a low-fat muffin-until they're metabolized.

As you can see, food isn't just a source of energy-it's a source of operating instructions for your body.

Calories 101

So what is a calorie anyway? Simply put, a calorie is just a unit of energy. When we eat food, chemical processes that make up our metabolism break this food down and turn it into energy. Burning this energy lets us do what we need and want to do-from breathing to running a marathon.

It's like your car: You have to put fuel in it to make it run. For people, food is our fuel. Calories are what help us "run."

The Dieting Myth

Just like high quality fuel is better for your car than the cheap stuff, some calories are better for our metabolism than others. That idea flies in the face of conventional diet wisdom, but it's true-and science backs it up.

For example, recent studies show that high-carb diets can boost insulin and blood sugar levels. The result? Weight gain (not to mention high cholesterol and triglycerides). On the other hand, people who eat a healthy low-carb diet that's rich in vegetables, whole grains, beans, and lean animal protein-but consume more calories than low-fat dieters-actually lose more weight!

As you can see, the kinds of calories you consume can have a big impact on weight gain, because different foods are metabolized in different ways. Food "talks" to your genes, giving your metabolism specific instructions-whether to lose weight or gain weight, speed up or slow down the aging process, increase or decrease your cholesterol level, and produce molecules that increase or decrease your appetite.

No wonder you can feel like you're doing everything right and still not lose weight!

The Whole Truth

If you want to lose weight and be healthy, you have to send your body the right messages. That means living in harmony with your genes.

This means different things for different people. Depending on our genes, some of us may need more carbs, protein, or fat than others.

But there's one basic principle that works of everyone: Base your diet on whole, unprocessed foods. Foods that are in their natural state talk to your genes the most effectively-and were designed by nature to keep you at a healthy weight.

health, overweight

Big Guy, Big Girl, does it Indirectly mean Fatty

If you are like me, and friends and family call big guy it usually means your are a bit overweight and indirectly means fatty. If you are sick and tired of it, it time to do something about it and prove some people you are not just a big guy but and intelligent one. Over the years being big guy has become a huge trend in sports. Multi billions of dollars spent in advertising featuring, you guessed it, big guys pitching you a new protein bar or super supplement. With all the supplementation products, and TV this for sure proves my point. If you look at an average person who is a bit overweight, he is considered the big guy of the group. Some will actually enjoy that title and some will not. Speaking from experience it is not too hot being called fatty indirectly.

Whenever you decide to take matters into actions and prove people that you can handle this whole big guy thing, you will start noticing peoples reactions immediately. Being big can mean problems though. Health problems that is. High cholesterol, Diabetes, Hypertension etc. Big guys usually encounter some of these or if not more diseases because of their size and shape. To avoid such problems, lets take are way of thinking and our outlook to life a bit differently. Start with eating better foods. Preferably greens and solid complex carbohydrates like; yams, sweet potatoes, grains etc. Greens will help you balance your PH acidic levels in your body, which will improve your health significantly and you will almost immediately notice your results.

Having a balanced Ph level means improving your health immediately. Ph of 7 or above means your blood is not as acidic therefore more healthy cells are produced and distributed to your organs. It has been known that controlling your body's alkalinity will give longevity and healthy organs.

Don't put the down the ever popular protein. Protein is the fuel to muscle gain and recovery. Although powders and pills are not necessary it may help speed the process. Increase your protein intake to about 1 gram per 1 pound of your weight. If you weight 185 lbs, then about 30 grams of protein in the spread of 6 meals for optimum metabolic boost. Protein may be underestimated now days because of its high impact from the media. But never abandon it. Best natural protein resources are from birds; chicken, turkey, fish; tuna, yellow fin, catfish etc. Stay away from red meat if possible, but if you still want red meat leaner cuts are very effective also.

If you stay consistent with these tips, you will gain muscle and eliminate extra weight you may be carrying. It is not easy to get started but once you start, like any habit you will create a life changing routines forever and disease will not face you. Do it for yourself, improve your well being and instead of being called a big guy you can be call a dude or girl with solid ripped abs.

habits

Beat Bad Eating Habits

The first step is to brace yourself for the challenge; it goes without saying that bad habits are hard go break. When you’re trying to eliminate something that has become a part of your life, you’re bound to encounter resistance, and see your willpower seriously tested. You’re in for a marathon—one in which that old addiction will tempt you at every step, trying to lure you back into that old vicious circle.

Slow down. People who eat faster consume more calories because their brain doesn't have the chance to recognize that the stomach is full. Instead of choosing finger foods that can be eaten quickly, always eat food from a plate with utensils. Salad is an excellent choice since the bulk of it fills you without ramping up the calories or clogging your arteries. Drink water throughout your meal.

Bad eating habits can ruin your life. They can turn you into a wild man at the table, force you to lose control, and influence you to make poor and unhealthy food choices that will eventually make you overweight and obese.

By torturing yourself too much, I just worry that you will eventually give up in all these funny tools and use both of your hands to eat instead! So, whether diet fork, diet spoon, chopsticks or teaspoon, at the end of the day, it is the will power that makes the difference when come to diet control.

Remove temptations. Keep food out of sight and store a minimum amount of food in kitchen cabinets and in the pantry. Never store your favorite foods. Keep on hand only those foods that require preparation before they can be eaten.

Do a little, not a lot. By cutting 500 calories per day for a week, you will have lost 3,500 calories, one pound a week—a nice, natural weight loss that won't freak out your metabolism. A good, brisk walk each day can cut out 250 calories, and skipping dessert (but not breakfast) can do the rest. Go slow and gentle: don't try to lose a lot of weight at once. Experiment with what you're willing to let go of: the Grande latte you usually enjoy at 10 AM; the buttery movie popcorn that's become a nightly habit. Target foods you don't especially love and stop eating them.

Rate your hunger. Ask yourself, "how hungry am I on a scale of 0 to 10?" 0 means you're starving—woe to anyone who gets between you and the fridge! 10 means you're so stuffed you can't eat another bite—you might explode! Eat when your hunger falls somewhere between 4 and 8; but stop eating when you feel you've reached 7 or 8.

Planning your food a day in advance ensures that when that emotion or a challenging time of day hits, you are not tempted by incompatible foods as you try to combat old habits. Plan your meals and ensure you have your trigger times well covered and plenty of food and/ or options all day long so that you no longer have to resist all those choices. When you do this, the old emotions and trigger times of day will still happen, the difference is you made the choice about your food intake yesterday when your emotions did not have a grip on you.

abs, factors, six pack abs

2 Factors To Gain Six Pack Abs

First of all, i want to let people know that, it's not an easy task to get a six pack abs. It requires dedication and self motivation. Below are the 2 factors that will help you gain results if you followed it seriously for 3 months.

Step 1: Nutrition

One of the most important part that you should consider. Even if you have impressive set of abs, but covered with a layer of fat, you can't see them. Break up your day with 5 or 6 mini-meals because this will helps your metabolism. And stop eating the food that is preventing results like white bread, loads of pasta, soda, candy, fast food, hydrogenated oils, sugars and fructose corn syrup.

Instead, eat foods that will help you reach your goal like oatmeal, olive oil, whole grain breads, fruits, vegetables, nuts, eggs, natural peanut butter, chicken, fish, protein and water. Bare in mind that eating is one of the factor that will help you gain a six pack abs.

Step 2: Exercise

3 different exercises to consider, the cardio, weightlifting, and ab exercise. And try to workout 3-4 times a week.

For cardio you can do anything: walking, running, biking, swimming....whichever cardio you don't mind doing so that you'll stick with it. Aim for 30-45 minutes, a minimum of 2 times a week.

Weightlifting is important because 3 pounds of added muscle burns as many calories as a 1 mile jog...and this is while you're just sitting around! Overhead barbell or dumbbell presses, One arm snatches, Barbell clean & push press, etc. Aim for 30-45 minutes, a minimum of 2 times a week.

The last exercise you need to incorporate into your workout is ab exercises. Ab bicycles (alternating knees to elbows), Ab scissors, Ab wheel, Lying leg thrusts (hip thrusts), etc.. There are a tons of different ab exercises you can do so try to find 3 or so that you enjoy doing so you can mix it up. Aim to work your abs a minimum of 3 times a week.

Tip: mix up your workout routine every 2 weeks to keep your body guessing and changing. Add or take away different weight or ab exercises, or at the very least, vary the weight, reps or form of cardio you do.

Follow the 2 factors above for 3 months seriously, and while results will vary from person to person, you will experience improvement. It will take dedication on your part, but imagine the feeling you'll get when you look in the mirror and like what you see.

healhy, health, lose weight, tips, weight loss

5 Tips To Losing Weight While Keeping Your Sanity

Many individuals worldwide are making their goals of losing weight by taking pills to lose faster. Unfortunately, losing weight takes determination and commitment to a healthy diet and exercise plan and even then it takes longer than we would like to drop those extra pounds.

The following five tips should help you out while losing weight and keeping your sanity.

Tip #1 Lower Your Expectations
Expect earlier that losing weight is difficult and you should fail from the start. However, if you are more realistic to begin with and realize that most people lose 1-2 pounds per week on a healthy exercise and diet plan then you will be better informed and can expect these types of results ahead of time rather than being disappointed.

Tip #2 Don’t Tell Everyone You are Dieting
If you let anyone know that you are on a diet and your weight loss plans, this can frequently work against you because people will talk and judge your weight loss progress and make you feel uncomfortable, especially if you eat something others don’t believe is part of your diet plan. This will give you a complex, so simply start your diet, inform close family and friends for support, and keep your dieting to yourself and you won’t go crazy.

Tip #3 Don’t Eliminate a Food Group
Many times when you eliminate a complete food group from your diet you feel as if you are really sacrificing too much and you will simply lose your sanity and your diet will fail. On the other hand, if you eat a well balanced diet and allow yourself little treats along the way you will lose weight and keep your sanity as well.

Tip #4 Household Support
When you start a diet you need to make sure the entire household will support you in your efforts. If you are not eating sugar yet your spouse continues to come home with cookies, ice cream, and doughnuts then you will have a hard time sticking to the diet and you won’t feel much support, either, which will drive you crazy. So, make sure your entire family is ready to support you and if they choose to eat unhealthy to do it away from the home.

Tip #5 Work Out
Losing weight takes a lot of time, which can really test your sanity. However, if you include a work out routine with your diet then you will see a much quicker weight loss, have more energy, sleep better, and simply feel better about yourself. This will help you keep your sanity and stay true to your weight loss plan.

When you follow these five tips you will be able to keep your sanity while staying on your diet and exercise plan better than if you give it a try all on your own.

diet, Low-carb

A Successful Weight Loss Diet Starts from the Inside

If you're like most women, you've been on a million weight loss diets, from Weight Watchers and Atkins to South Beach and celeb diets. You voraciously read magazines for their weight loss tips and gravitate toward the headlines that promise you can lose weight fast. The chances are good that you have, indeed, lost weight on many of these diets, but the chances are even better that you've gained it all back - plus some. Your skinny jeans become your tight jeans, and then they get tucked in the back of your closet, along with your fantasies of becoming a size 0.

Weight Loss Diet Failure

You've probably bought into the propaganda that says you've failed at dieting; a different - and more accurate - way of looking at it is that the weight loss diet has failed you. That's because most diets focus on short-term changes that result in temporary weight loss, but never tackle the underlying factors that make you put on the pounds to begin with. In other words, they focus only on the "outside" problem - your body - and neglect everything below the surface - your emotions, your intellect, and your relationships.

A diet for summer might work for swimsuit season, but if you don't strengthen your foundations before you lose weight, those Diesel skinny jeans won't fit when fall rolls around.

Turning Failure into Success

In order to lose weight and keep it off, you need a guide who will lead you on an exploratory journey to discover the power and control that you possess. Then, you need to be taught how to harness those powers to achieve all that you want in life - including fitting into your skinny jeans.

You may have been told - either verbally or through insidious advertisements - that if you don't have power over your eating, you have no power at all. Nothing could be further from the truth. Every woman is magnificent, and every woman has mental powers, emotional powers, social powers and physical powers just waiting to be tapped. When you heal your past wounds, and recognize and reinforce the power within you, you have laid the foundation for permanent weight loss.

Practical and Fun

If a weight loss diet is a drag, you'll never succeed in reaching your goals. On the other hand, if you have an empowering program to follow that is also practical and fun, you hold the keys to success. In fact, you can even drop a whole size in two weeks.

The "secret" - if you want to call it that - is to adopt a well-tested exercise program that can instantly fit into your lifestyle. Remember, the success lies in simplicity, clarity, and practicality. Then, you need to adopt an eating plan that works synergistically with your exercise plan to build on the foundation of the inner work you have done in order to embrace your personal power.

Remember that, with the right guide, you can do more than go on yet another weight loss diet; you can truly win in all areas of your life and achieve an outer beauty than matches your inner beauty.

training

Benefits Of Weight Training

Weight training isn’t just for Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone anymore. It’s really a system of exercise and health benefits that are available to everyone. If you go to a local gym and observe, you can find everyone from teenagers to great-grandmas exercising and strength training.

Weight training doesn’t mean just using barbells – it involves much more than that and is most often combined with aerobic activity during the “circuit.”

The natural benefits of weight training include:

- Slowing down bone loss
- Making your bones stronger
- Toning and firm up your body
- Increasing your muscle strength

Most people will tell you that strength training and using weights makes them more energized and happier, along with reducing stress. It’s amazing how much better you’ll feel when working out after a hard day at the office! The endorphins your body creates in response to exercise like this is very much “addictive,” and you’ll find that beyond being less-stressed, you’ll actually “crave” your workouts and look forward to them!

One of the benefits I have personally found in strength training is that it’s made my back stronger. Prior to beginning my workout, if I had to lift a lot of boxes or move heavy things, I really felt it the rest of the day, and sometimes the rest of the week. However after just a month of weight training, I found that I didn’t need to take an anti-inflammatory medication every time I moved some boxes around.

Of course, all professionals will tell you to consult a doctor before beginning your workout habit; you’ll want to make sure that there are no impediments to beginning this new part of your daily routine. Most doctors will tell you to use caution and listen to the trainers, but nearly none will eliminate exercise altogether for their patients—there are simply too many benefits from the exertion.

If you go to a chiropractor, ask him or her how strength training and weight lifting can help you and what specific exercises would benefit your back and joints. Again, s/he will probably have some specific suggestions for your body and spinal ‘issues,’ but generally, a chiropractor will tell you that strengthening back and abdominal muscles will benefit you greatly.

If you do find that you ‘overdo it’ initially, scale it back just a bit until you’re ready to move on. You can use cold and heat to minister to the aching muscle(s), and take an anti-inflammatory agent to help in the recovery. But if you do ache a bit, don’t take it as your body’s way of saying that you ‘shouldn’t workout.’ What your body is telling you is that you haven’t worked out enough and that it’s not used to the exertion!

If you plan your workout well, you will find that weight training machines can be a great part of your exercise plan and your health will improve greatly in very short order.

abs, motivation, six pack abs, tips

3 Powerful Motivation Tips For Ripped Abs

Can you see your self walking down the street at your favorite location looking and feeling great. Or as you stroll down the beach and you notice people glance over there shoulders to admire your beautiful ripped abs that belong to you. Feeling so confident in your self that your vacation seems perfect like a dream. You pinch yourself and realize that you have arrived.

Everyone in this green earth would love to have six pack abs and be fully healthy. Can everyone archive this goal? Yes. We people where created for excellence so yes, anything is possible. Although some may find it difficult to reach personal goals, anything is possible if you have an optimistic and positive outlook on life.

"Life is not fair" We can begin our day very positive, but by the end of the day if you are not fully focused of your objective and constantly thinking of your aspirations you can be a victim of procrastination. We as humans tend to enjoy the path of least resistance. Justifying our excuses and having procrastinations of our objectives. Nobody said that being discipline was easy. As a matter of fact here are some examples of things we tell ourselves unconsciously that keeps us from hitting our goals: "I would love to workout, but I don't want to be sore for tomorrow's barbeque.", "I will have a free day this weekend therefore I will stuff my face with cookies and milk.", "I love the gym, I just don't have time to go anymore."

The interesting thing is that we make ourselves believe such things. When in reality it is just bogus. The secret to success is not overworking but being in control of your thinking and outlooks in life. Whether you are looking to lose a few pounds or get in shape for bodybuilding competition, please under any circumstances don't let yourselves of any excuses. Here are some helpful mindsets that will help when you get back on track when you feel you are buying your excuses:

One: Always tell your friends and family about your goals. Telling your acquaintances about your goals is great. Some will take you serious and some won't. But the reasoning behind this is that they can help you be on track. When you are genuine with people they respect that, and sometimes are willing to help you out.

Two: Setting goals with a partner or friend. Often times having a workout partner or a dieting parter will make things better for everyone. Besides a little competition, a little encouragement from a workout buddy makes a huge difference. Pick someone that you enjoy being with and someone that you know will help you when you feel a bit down on your self. Friends are incredible at picking one up and making us feel great.

Three: Writing down your aspirations and visions. Get a notepad right this moment, and jock down all of your goals and aspirations. On a piece of paper make a line down the middle. In one side have your "goals" and the other have "aspirations" example. Goal #1 Lose 10 pounds this month. Aspiration #1 Lose 10 pounds so I can buy a new pair of jeans, and so on. Make sure they are in detail and also try to make them very personable. Soon you wil develop these mental changes that will change your life forever subconsciously. Also Take note of the times you are at your lowest in energy and pull out your sheet and read those to you out loud. Might sound kind of weird but it works. Professional athletes do it everyday. Why not you?

Getting in top shape is harder than it looks. It takes discipline and full commitment. Its rewards are priceless and the amount of confidence you get when you are watched or check out is amazing. Or even if you simply just want to live an incredible healthy lifestyle and carrying on that mindset to your family and kids, is absolutely worth it. Stay focused, stay in the fight and we will see you in the beaches of the world sporting your ripped abs.

exercise, gym

Exercise At Home Or Gym?

Making the decision of where you will go to exercise is a very important step in reaching your goals of fitness. A lot of factors will go into this decision, and each one should be evaluated well before you start exercising. Once you have made a decision on where you will go to exercise, you can move on to deciding how you plan to work out.

As you probably know, exercising at home has many advantages. The finance department is one of the best advantages. With the gas prices being what they are today, it is quite obvious that you'll save money on fuel as well as wear and tear on your vehicle by choosing to exercise at home.

Memberships to a gym can often be quite expensive and may include other things that you don't need such as child care or swimming pools. You also won't need to be concerned about the latest trends of exercise gear as you most likely will be exercising by yourself at home.

Keep in mind that working out at home does require a bit of financial obligation. Even though you may plan to run, it is very important that you have high quality running shoes. This statment applies to any type of equipment that you may purchase to use at home. If you go out and buy cheap equipment, you'll probably end up getting hurt or getting frustrated because you aren't making any progress.

Along with the financial gains, exercising at home may also help those who don't like to work out in public. If you are worried about how you look in gym clothes, it is very comforting to know that the only person who has to be with you when you exercise at home is you. Also, when you exercise at home, you don't need to worry about time at all.

Those of you who are motivated by being with people you know or come to know while working out away from home, a gym may be a better idea than working out at home. At the gym, you'll also more of a selection of equipment as well, far more than you'll have at home.

If you need other services than just weights and equipment, the gym may have just what you need. If you plan to swim a triathlon, you'll find the swimming pool at the gym to be just what you need to prepare yourself. Swimming is also a great exercise for your body and cardio, as it will work muscles in your body that you probably didn't even know you had.

Gyms will also offer you classes that you may find very motivating. If you attend class on a regular basis, you may be motivated enough to continue so you don't have to defend yourself when asked where you've been or what you have been doing. You can also meet new people in class, or just help others along if you choose.

All in all, making the choice of exercising at home or at the gym is a choice you should make based on your goals and personal preference. The most important decision you'll need to make is to determine what type of environment you want to be in and how you want to accomplish the fitness goals in your life.

Once you have given it some thought and weighed out the pros and cons, you'll have no problem making the choice. Always keep in mind that once you've made your choice, you can always switch if you aren't happy with the choice you made.

diet, lose weight, weight loss

"Fad" Weight Loss Diet

Overview:
Obesity is a physical state that refers to excessive body fat. Chances are you have experienced the frustrations of dieting at least once in your life, if you have problems with your weight. Close to a hundred million Americans go on a weight loss diet in any given year and up to ninety-five percent of them regain the weight they lose within five years. Worse, a third will gain back more weight than they lost, in danger of "yo-yoing" from one popular diet to another. The conventional approach to weight problems, focusing on fad weight loss diets or weight loss drugs, may leave you with just as much weight and the additional burden of ill health.

Today, an estimated sixty-five percent of all American adults are obese or overweight. Our culture obsesses about staying thin even as we grow fatter, but this isn’t about appearances. Obesity is known to be a precursor to many debilitating health conditions such as cancer, heart disease, diabetes, hypertension, osteoarthritis, and gallbladder disease. Obesity contributes to as many as 375,000 deaths every year. In addition, the public health costs for obesity are staggering. According to researchers at Harvard University, obesity is a factor in 19% of all cases of heart disease with annual health costs estimated at 30 billion dollars; it’s also a factor in 57% of diabetes cases, with health costs of $9 billion per year.

Set Realistic Goals:

No doubt you have fallen for one or more of the weight loss diet schemes over the years, promising quick and painless weight loss. Many of these quick weight loss diet programs undermine your health, cause physical discomfort, flatulence, and ultimately lead to disappointment when you start regaining weight, shortly after losing it. Fad or quick weight loss diet programs generally overstress one type of food. They contravene the fundamental principle of good nutrition - to remain healthy one must consume a balanced diet, which includes a variety of foods. Safe, healthy, and permanent weight reduction is what’s truly lost among the thousands of popular diet schemes.

Some of the weight loss diet schemes reign supreme briefly, only to fade out. While some wane from popularity due to being unproductive or unsafe, some simply lose the public's curiosity. Examples of such fad diets include the South Beach Diet, Atkins diet, the Grapefruit diet, Cabbage Soup diet, the Rotation diet, Beverly Hills diet, Breatharian, Ornish Plan – the list goes on and on. These fad diets advocate a specific technique (such as eliminating a certain food, or eating only certain combination of foods) in conjunction with the basic idea that the body makes up the difference in energy by breaking down and utilizing some part of itself, essentially converting matter into energy. This self-cannibalism, or catabolism as it is referred, typically starts with breakdown of stored body fat.

How to Lose Weight and Gain Muscle

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