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Walking for Weight Loss

September 27, 2010 By Karen Hiser Leave a Comment

Bowflex, steppers, sit ups or jumping jacks? What is the best exercise to get you motivated and moving around?  Why not try walking for weight loss?

One Step at a Time

Starting any new exercise routine can be daunting. Everyday you say, ” I’ll start tomorrow”. Tomorrow never comes because inevitably you can’t figure out the best exercise regime to start with. Information can be a great thing, or it can overload you. With so many opinions on Cardio , Yoga, or Pilate’s for fitness who would know whether to walk or run? If you haven’t been a strong exerciser in the past, walking is just the way to start out. Controlling your pace and length you walk will tell your endurance. Once you can establish a walking routine, your endurance will increase. If you are returning to exercise you most likely will begin at a faster pace with longer walk time. If that’s the case, you can increase both  as you feel necessary.

Day By Day

Getting into a routine is probably the most difficult. Don’t set out to conquer the world. Try to take it day by day. This make the goal manageable for you and easier to obtain. Establish what your endurance is a set aside a time in your day that works best for you. Some may find walking first thing in the morning invigorating, while others may only have time in the evening. The time of  the day that you walk will NOT dictate your success. Once you can pin point a time of day, prepare yourself.  This should include comfortable walking shoes and  clothing. You don’t need designer clothes to make it work. Just make sure your clothes allow you the movement you need for a brisk walk.

Don’t Get Bored

Many people don’t keep a steady exercise routine do to simple boredom. Try mixing it up a little . Get your posture in line, with full swing arm motions in a “pumping” motion in order to incorporate all of your body in your walk. If you walking outdoors versus a treadmill, change your route. New scenery can keep your mind alert while walking.  Once you have picked up your pace and your endurance is increasing, give yourself some walking assignments. For the first assignment, carry a two pound weight while you walk, continuing the pumping motion with your arms. Two pounds may not seem like a lot , but after a mile you will beg to differ. Once that because a “do able” task, move the weight up to three pounds of even five. It’s your choice. If you have issues with your arms, your next assignment could be using leg weights instead.

Friend or No Friend

For some, the key to keeping a good walking for weight loss routine is the “buddy system”. A friend who you have partnered up with for walking may just be the extra motivation you need to keep going every day. It’s harder to say ” I just don’t want to” when someone else is counting on you. While others may be just as comfortable going it alone, the buddy system can make walking a fun, easy alternative for exercise that you can do with someone even on your street.

Benefits

Walking for weight loss lists a number of benefits to make this the activity for you. The number one factor, it’s FREE. There is no exclusive membership to walking. Just lace up and go. Can you walk on a treadmill , sure but why not experience the outdoors. It comes with beautiful sights and sounds. The smells of changing seasons can be brought to the gym. If your worried your not getting the same affects from a treadmill such as “incline”, the solution is simple. Change your location. No one says you can’t drive to a location for a walk. If you live in an area where you have access to certain roads or sections of town that are particularly hilly, park your car and have your dedicated time for walk. All you have done, is added a degree of difficulty to you walk by adding incline, and given yourself some new scenery in the process. A win for everyone involved. The best part about walking for weight loss is you can do it ANYWHERE. You can even start practising at work, but taking the stairs!

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Fastest Way to Lose Weight

September 27, 2010 By Karen Hiser Leave a Comment

Rapid weight loss isn’t the healthy ways to lose weight, but if your looking to slim down the week before that big party here are a couple of methods .

The Master Cleanse

There are a number of “Cleanse” products on the market today. Most of them claiming to slim you down instantly. While they may have you shedding some pounds initially, this is a short term fix. Essentially the idea behind a cleanse is to cleanse your body of all the impure toxins, releasing any excess fluid and fat. While there is no scientific confirmation that this method works, it seems to have caught on. Undoubtedly due to the lack of calories being consumed during the “cleanse” period individuals will loss weight.

The components of the Master Cleanse are lemon juice, maple syrup and cayenne pepper. With this cleanse being accompanied by laxative tea,  it is specifically designed to promote bowel activity. As you can imagine frequent bathroom trips are required. During this master cleanse no food is to be consumed. Over time there have been several variations on this cleanse.

Detoxification programs are readily available and laxative tea’s are sold at every health food store. Initially these products were designed to be utilized  as detoxification in preparation for a new exercise and eating regime. The results of this cleanse are a rapid weight loss , primarily fluid  retention. Now cleanses are used to provide a fast weight loss solution. While the ingredients for most  cleanse are all natural, and provide likely no harm short term, long term could have damaging effects. It is important to note that any weight loss achieved during this time can be expected to be regained once food is reintroduced into your diet.

The Cabbage Way

One of the most well known rapid weight loss diets is the cabbage soup diet. This diet is a derivative of one given to most patients before major surgery in order to have the patients a few pounds lighter. The cabbage soup diet has been known to result in substantial weight loss for the duration of the diet. The nature of the diet is high in fiber and low in fat causing a fast weight loss. Once the seven day time frame elapsed and  you return to eating regular food expect to regain the weight, unless you are embarking on a new moderate long term eating plan.

The diet lacks carbohydrates which is likely to leave you feeling hungry all the time. Drinking plenty of fluids during this time should alleviate that , however this is an example of why it is not a long term solution. Most people report losing weight initially, and if it followed through you should get a jump start on your new eating plan.

While either method can provide you an an initial weight loss, use this as a spring board to change your eating and exercise habits. Seeing immediate results should be a motivating factor for your plans ahead. think smart eating, promote activity into your daily routine and your initial weight loss efforts should turn into a new you.

If you’ve decided that you would like some help with your path with weight loss, turning to Medifast could be quite beneficial. The Medifast Diet Plan is designed to help you lose weight fast, but not sacrificing your health at the same time. Discuss with your doctor about your options with the Medifast Diet and how it could be beneficial for you to join.

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Healthy Weight Loss Diet

August 6, 2010 By Karen Hiser Leave a Comment

Medifast is a healthy weight loss diet that makes quick weight loss simple.  With the 5 & 1 Plan, there is no calorie counting, no points system, no diet pills and no confusion.  The Medifast diet is low calorie and consists of clinically proven meal replacements designed to help you lose up to 2-5 lbs. per week.

Never Go Hungry!

Because Medifast is a healthy diet, you eat every 2-3 hours, which results in you never getting hungry or lacking energy.  The convenient prepackaged meals of Medifast’s low calorie diet allow you to be successful with quick & healthy weight loss. 

Clinically Proven and Physician Recommended… 
Medifast has been proven in in multiple clinical studies. The Medifast diet program has been recommended by over 20,000 physicians since 1980!

Medifast Food and Medifast Program Cost Much Less that All the Major Diets Out There…

Eat 5 MEDIFAST MEALS. Over 60 different, Medifast Meal Replacements to choose from.

 Eat 1 LEAN & GREEN MEAL. Any time of the day – breakfast, lunch, dinner, or in-between.

You will get free support not only from a Take Shape For Life Health Coach but also from our online Support in Motion tools and TSFL health counselors. We will be with you every step of the way so you stay motivated and receive everything that you need to succeed!

Medifast:  Medifast is a meal replacement diet program that helps most people lose weight faster than traditional food-based diet plans.

Some additional things you will want to focus on when choosing a healthy weight loss diet is how to stay motivated.  Many times when it comes to weight loss people tend to either give up after a few weeks or start to binge eat which counter acts the diet. This is why you will want to find simple weight loss tips to help you realize that that dieting can be easy as long as you have the proper information to realize that having a slip up now and then is okay as long as you are staying true to your diet plan and exercising regularly.

Stay focused on being healthy, not on becoming thin!

Many people become more successful at long term weight loss when their motivation changes from wanting to be thinner to wanting to be healthier. Change your mindset to think about selecting foods that will help your body’s health rather than worrying about foods that will affect your body’s weight. The Food Pyramid offers a basic outline of the types and amounts of food you should eat each day to give your body the nutrients it needs for optimal health.

Medifast Get 2 Weeks Free

Find Out Why You Overeat!

All too often overeating is triggered by stress, boredom, loneliness, anger, depression and other emotions. Learning to deal with emotions without food is a significant skill that will greatly serve long term weight control. The Solution, a book and national program developed by Laurel Mellin, RD, helps participants to identify their eating triggers and respond to them without food. A research study showed that the participants in this program demonstrated a better rate of long term weight loss maintenance than those who simply diet and/or exercise and don’t address behavioral and emotional issues. Chronic over-eaters and “emotional eaters” can be significantly helped by learning new behavioral skills such as those Mellin presents. You can also seek help with behavioral and emotional eating issues from a licensed counselor or psychologist in your area.

Weight Loss and Portion Control!

With the advent of “super-size” meals and increasingly huge portions at restaurants, our concept of normal serving sizes is a distant memory. Be mindful of the amounts of food you consume at a sitting. When necessary, divide your food in half and ask for a take home bag. It is all too easy to be a “plate cleaner” even when served enormous portions. Learn to pay attention to your hunger level and stop eating when you feel comfortably full, not stuffed.

Exercise is Essential for A Healthy Weight Loss Diet!

It’s nothing new, but exercise is probably the most important predictor of whether you will succeed at long term weight loss and weight loss maintenance. In order for exercise to be helpful in weight loss, you should strive for a minimum of five 30 minute sessions per week. The good news is that recent research has shown that three 10 minute sessions in a day are as good as one 30 minute session. This helps many in combating the old “no time for exercise” excuse. Be certain to find something you enjoy. You’ll be more apt to stick with it. Try walking with a friend, joining an intramural sports league, participating in outings with a walking group , or trying some classes at your local gym. Once you give exercise a chance, you will begin to enjoy its positive benefits on your psyche as well; you will literally become “hooked.”

We hope this has helped you somewhat in your research to find a healthy weight loss diet.  However if you are truly looking to lose weight in a healthy way then we recommend you lake a look at this Medifast Diet Review. This diet is  a healthy weight loss diet that has been proven to be effective and is used by many people today who have been successful in there weight loss journey.

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Setting Your Mind for Weight Loss Success

July 15, 2010 By Karen Hiser Leave a Comment

No matter what the goal is, you are going to need the right mindset to be able to do it. Many overlook this when they are trying to lose weight. When you look into the mirror and don’t see what you want our first thought is commonly, “how can I get rid of this belly fat”. This then sends our minds into thinking we need to lock up the fridge and cupboards, while camping out at your local gym. Even though these could help you lose weight, you need to have the right mindset to have overall success. Our minds control our bodies.

By having a focused mindset you can avoid all those fad diets and pills that many are led to believe work. Actually achieving the right mindset won’t happen over night, but you’ll be happy to know it will happen. If you start thinking the right way you will increase your chances. When you think, I want to know how to get rid of my belly fat, you are setting your mind to learn ways to do it. If your main goal is to lose your belly fat write it down. Put this note right where you can see it, but no one else. It becomes your very own little secret. You want to be accountable for yourself, not everyone else. Let people know you are trying to lose weight so they can support you on this.

Another thing you need to focus on is being specific with your overall goals. If you pick broad goals the likelihood of success is minimal. Determine the amount you want to lose, decide when you want to lose it by and tell yourself how you are going to do it. When you know what you are going to do, how you are going to do it and when you’ll be done you will know everything.

Do you have a goal set yet? Set one! You want to make sure that you are realistic with your goals. Don’t say you are going to lose 20 pounds in a week, because this is not only unhealthy, but very unlikely to happen. You want goals that are achievable and something you are going to be able to work up to. The less complicated they are the easier they are to complete. Plan things out, commit yourself and have devotion. When you can keep yourself going and maintain the right mindset you will be able to not only lose the belly fat you want, but have the ability to say, “I finally did it”.

If you are looking for help with your weight loss consider looking into a meal replacement diet. These diets are designed to help you structure your diet more thoroughly while losing weight gradually. Success is possible with weight loss if you want it. Set your mind for success and you’ll experience success, but remember to be patience, it won’t happen over night.

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