If your schedule looks anything like mine, you are in for a dieter’s nightmare in the next coming weeks. Even those that do not necessarily try to watch their weight, but strive to just eat healthy, need to keep their eyes peeled for dietary traps this time of year. But if you enter the season with an awareness of what lurks ahead, you can arm yourself with strategy to withstand the temptation to eat things you would otherwise pass up.

Stock your pantry

The first strategy to eating right during the holidays is to keep healthy food in your house. Prepare nutritious meals at home and eat before going to a function where you know snacks will be served. This is especially true for your children who struggle to make wise food choices. Keeping a pot of vegetable soup simmering (or at least in the fridge, handy for dipping) will provide a quick and easy meal when someone has to dash out the door.

Take food along

Because of the time spent shopping, grabbing a burger on the go is a real pitfall this time of year. If you are heading to the mall for your holiday shopping, pack a little bag of healthy snacks to tide you over until you can make it back home. Apples, oranges, cheese sticks, and trail mix all travel well and will not spoil if left in the car. If you just cannot help eating out, choose a healthy, but inexpensive alternative to fast food like soup and salad or pizza.

Drink plenty of water

We often confuse thirst for hunger. And when the temperatures hover around freezing, we don’t desire cold drinks like in the hot summertime. Keep a water bottle with you all year round and drink freely to eschew the munchies. A well-hydrated person will not be tempted by all the break room goodies at the office. Also, keep in mind that your beverage choices are just as important as your food choices. A regular 12 ounce beer contains around 145 calories, a soda 145-165. And that little glass of wine? From 110-130 calories. Since I cannot recommend consuming artificial sweeteners, I’d just stick with the water.

Watch your choices

Sometimes we just have to be our own mommies. You know what I mean—telling ourselves to eat our veggies first, or no dessert until we clean our plate. If you find yourself at the office party or the fellowship time after the church Christmas program, go for the veggie platter first. After you’ve had your fill of carrot and celery sticks (without big globs of dip balancing off the ends), then go for the non-sugary snacks like pretzels or crackers. Next choose from the protein snacks—meat and cheese or nuts. I put those third because they tend to be the high-fat offerings on the table and we don’t want to fill up on fat when we are trying to avoid gaining that extra 10 pounds. Finally, you may partake of the sweet, sugary choices; but hopefully you will be too full to consider them.

Use your freezer

When friends and family bless you with tins of cookies or homemade banana bread for the season, don’t leave them on the counter to tempt you. Pop them in the freezer. Then in March when you want a little sweet treat, take a few out to thaw. Also, you might consider cutting back on your own holiday baking. Just because Mom and Grandma baked dozens of sugar cookies, made pans of fudge, and dipped bags of pretzels in chocolate each Christmas season, doesn’t mean you need to carry on the tradition. Rather than give family and friends tins of cookies, opt for fruit baskets or cheese balls and crackers.

If you combine these tips for eating right during the holidays with last week’s tips for getting exercise in winter, there is no reason to have to work off extra pounds in the New Year. Have any other secrets for a healthy holiday season? We’d love to hear them in the comments.

Photo by pshab

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Normally a room brewing its own temperature of 105 degrees would warrant an air conditioner. Fast!

But for thousands of yogis around the globe, a hot room is just what they need to release muscle tension and a load of pent up toxins in the forms of caffeine, junk food, and pollution.

Bikram Yoga, a practice known as “Hot Yoga” has steadily grown in popularity in the past few years. A series of 26 yoga postures performed twice through, this 90-minute ohm-session is intentionally held in an over-heated room.

Though the thermometer reading 105 degrees may seem daunting at first, this practice of yoga is believed to beat the rest when it comes to cleansing and therapeutic practices.

Bikram Background

Though the yoga room may not be so cool, the background to the start of this sweat session certainly is.

Nearly 30 years ago, Bikram Choudhury, a marathon runner and champion weightlifter, had dreams of furthering his athletic career.

After a devastating weightlifting incident to his knee doctors believed that Choudhury might never walk again. In a desperate attempt to prove everyone wrong, Choudhury threw himself into the practice of what is now called Bikram yoga and found himself fully healed in six months.

Since that mystical recovery ,Choudhury has been dedicated to opening studios all over the globe, first starting in India and spreading quickly to Tokyo.

Today there are Bikram Yoga studios freckled throughout most cities, an opportunity to walk into a steaming room and walk out 90 minutes later fully drenched and satisfied.

Bikram Benefits

Where to begin, where to begin? I have been practicing Bikram yoga for several years and I can attest to the health improvements that I have seen in my own body.

On top of weight loss and an increased endurance level, my body feels healthiest after treating it to a Bikram yoga session.

Bikram is known to rev up the metabolism while burning a furious amount of calories, how can you not drop calories at a constant rate when you are practicing yoga in a scorching hot setting? Even after the burn stops, your muscles will get the tender release and rest session they crave from the 90-minute bake.

Ironically, the room is heated to prevent your body from overheating, one of the many benefits to practicing this kind of yoga. A huge benefit from Bikram, and the reason that most people practice, is the detox that takes place as the toxins within your body come out from your pores during the 90 minutes, cleansing you from the inside out.

Not only does Bikram increase flexibility and give you longer and leaner muscles, but it also helps to clear your mind and reduce stress levels significantly.

We are not just dealing with the muscular system here though. Bikram taps into the skeletal, skin, nervous, circulatory, and digestive system, to give your body a full revitalization.

Beginning Bikram

When first beginning Bikram yoga it is normal to experience light headedness and nausea. To decrease the chance of nausea, avoid eating any kind of heavy meal two hours before your session.

The body needs time to learn how to tolerate the temperature of the room so don’t feel self conscious if you have to sit down during your first or second session. There are plenty of individuals who sit through whole postures. Listen to your body and respect what it can handle.

The practice takes a great deal of time to fully master and feel comfortable with but you will see improvements in every posture as time goes on.

Bikram is a great practice for all ages and body types but it is not recommended if you have high blood pressure and/or if you are pregnant.

Photo by Ron Sombilon Gallery

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The following is a guest post by Peter. He writes about mediterranean diet and other modern ways of healthy living.

Introduction

Once you decide it’s time to lose weight and do a bit of research on what you can do, you’d find that there are a lot of diets to choose from. All of them promise to make you lose weight in no time, and you’d end up being confused on which one to follow. The thing is there is no magic diet. In fact, you need to be cautious about diets promising to make you lose weight in no time, as this often involves crash dieting. This means that you get to lose weight during the first few weeks, but you will end up gaining it back (or more) because of your metabolism. If you’re not sure on the diet that you should follow, you might want to consider the Mediterranean diet. It’s making a buzz on the diet world, all because it doesn’t only help you lose weight but helps you prevent a dozen of life- threatening conditions as well.

If you’re wondering on how effective this diet is, take into account that it has been named as a Human Heritage by UNESCO. This means it’s so great that it actually helps people live better lives. Be reminded though that there is no thing as a magic diet, and while the Mediterranean diet seems to be effective, it will not make you lose weight overnight. Still interested? Well, you should be. Here’s how you lose weight with the Mediterranean diet.

Eat Natural

The Mediterranean diet was named after the lifestyle led by the people around the Mediterranean basin. This includes the Greeks, the Italians and the Spanish. The people in these countries eat fresh foods that are found in their garden, or purchased from the local market. We know that natural is always better, so prevent from eating artificial food as much as you can. Preserved fruits are considered okay, but canned meats are a big no- no.

Watch What You Drink

Soda and other sweetened refreshments will go through your mouth, and directly to your thigh. If you are serious about losing weight, load up on water and FRESH fruit juice and stay away from soda and beer. A little red wine is okay every now and then, as this is found to actually be beneficial according to the study made on the Mediterranean diet.

Use Olive Oil

We all need a little fat in our diet, but make sure to get healthy fat such as those found in olive oil. We know olive oil is very popular in Greece, and it’s actually beneficial to the Greeks. Monounsaturated fat, such as the one found in olive oil and a high content of antioxidant are found to be effective in helping losing weight without food restriction or additional physical exercise. Not only that, but olive oil is also found to be effective in lowering LDL (bad cholesterol) and boosting HDL (good cholesterol). This means you’ll have lower chance of developing heart problems aside from losing weight!

The Mediterranean diet is based on simple rules and this is how you need to approach weight loss as well. Do not make things more complicated than they are. To lose weight healthy you need to take care of what you eat and in what quantities and you need to exercise regularly and avoid all kind of exaggerations.

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A good friend of mine recommended that I try drinking coconut water after finishing up an intense workout last month. I am not a huge fan of water and I don’t trust all the artificial additives in sports drinks. However, I just couldn’t seem to detach myself from an image of lounging off on a beach in the Caribbean while sipping straight from the coconut out of a neon pink straw, the drink appropriately topped with a festive paper umbrella.

It’s easy to write off coconut water as an exotic drink but this elixir definitely deserves more credit. Few people know it but the electrolytes and natural benefits in each serving make coconut water the purest liquid next to H20.

Coconut water is the clear liquid inside of unripe coconuts. As the coconut ripens, the liquid is replaced with coconut meat and air. By cracking the coconut when it is still young, you gain access to all the rich nutrients packed inside.

The good news is that you don’t need to book a tropical vacation to get the benefits of coconut water today. Coconut water is sold in many grocery and health food stores, bottled and canned.  Coconut water can be consumed at either room temperature or chilled. If you like giving your taste buds some extra tang, try adding some cinnamon or ginger into the mix.

Health Benefits of Coconut Water

Who would have guessed that a clear liquid could hold so much potential? Coconut water is rich in potassium, magnesium and vitamin C. A natural way to boost your electrolyte count, coconut water comes in handy after a long workout or during the hot summer months. Many athletes use coconut water as an energy drink because of its proven ability to replace vital fluids lost during exercise.

Not only is it a great way to re-hydrate the body, coconut water allows you to leave the guilt behind. Many sport drinks and fruit juices can be packed with high amounts of sugar. Virtually fat free and low in sugar and carbohydrates, coconut water promises to pump up without plumping. In fact, coconut water is known to help speed up the metabolism and assist in weight loss. Coconut water will allow you to soak up the nutritional value of whole milk without the excess fat or a single ounce of that dreaded word: cholesterol.

Coconut water is versatile, ready to call both the pantry and the medicine cabinet “home.” It is believed that coconut is a natural stress-reliever and a reliable aid in soothing digestive problems. Lauric acid, present in coconut water, helps to ward off intestinal worms, parasites and other intestinal infections in the body. Drinking a glass of coconut water twice daily helps to relieve constipation, diarrhea and other digestive issues.

It’s obvious that coconut water does some great work on our insides but it can also work some magic on the outside as well. Coconut water contains cytokinins; a plant hormone that keeps skin cells from aging and hydrates the flesh. Applying coconut water to the face has shown to help with acne, eczema, wrinkles, age spots and other skin problems.

Coconut water has no known side effects. It is safe for children, pregnant women and women who are breast-feeding to consume. With just a single sip you will be soaking up the many benefits that coconut water has to offer.

All the benefits packed into a single serving make its hard to resist adding coconut water to the weekly grocery list. As an energy drink after a good sweat or to pack in some extra nutrients, coconut water is more than just a buzzword in the realm of healthy eating. It has certainly proven itself to be worth the buzz, going beyond what most health drinks on the shelf offer consumers today.

Photo by AnnieGreenSprings

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The face of fitness has changed.

In this fast-paced age, where science and technology continually show us just what the human body is capable of, new fitness methods are constantly making their way onto the market.

Recently, kettlebell training has received a great deal of attention in fitness magazines and entertainment television shows. In 2009, the American Council on Exercise (ACE) described kettlebell routines as a way to get a whole body routine in a relatively short amount of time. Perhaps you are scratching your head over the benefits of kettlebell training right now but I can say with full confidence that once you start swinging you will never want to stop.

The Origins of the Kettlebell

Kettlebells didn’t just emerge into this world as a gift from the gods of good workouts. Kettlebells have actually been around since the days of the Russian strong-men, popularized through Russian workouts long before they ever reach the hands of Hollywood starlets.

In case you are looking to pick up a kettlebell but you don’t even know what you are looking for, a kettlebell resembles a medicine ball but with a handle attached. The weight of the kettlebell varies by size.

With such a stunning growth in the kettlebell trend it is easy to find this piece of equipment in sports and department stores all over. The device is both compact and portable, allowing you to bring your workout in and out of the gym.

The Ins and Outs of Kettlebell Routines

I am constantly scouring the internet and health books for ways to make my workouts more efficient and less time-consuming. We lead busy lives and few of us are looking to tack on more than an hour to our gym time. And let’s face it, there is absolutely nothing worse than a long, tedious gym workout that gives off no benefits.

Kettlebell routines shred time off of the workout while shredding fat in all the right places. A consistent mixture of cardio and weight training, a kettlebell workout will bump up your heart rate while working to tone several major muscles at a time. A routine with this device at the center of it will keep your body tapping into fat stores throughout the day while it revs up your metabolism and gives you energy.

People often ask why you cant just use a dumbbell instead of a kettlebell to do the exact same moves. It is possible to complete a kettlebell workout with a dumbbell but the shifting weight of the kettlebell on the handle will keep your core and targeted muscles stabilized throughout the workout, as opposed to a dumbbell that divides the weight equally on each side.

Women are easily intimidated by any workout that presents the possibility to bulk up but this is no reason to swing away from the kettlebell workout. A good kettlebell routine with a weight that works for your body will reduce body fat and tone up your body, not add on extra bulkiness.

Using your Kettlebell

So you purchased a kettlebell or you picked one up at the gym. Now what?

Well, there is a rhyme and rhythm to your swinging.

Make sure the weight of your kettlebell is suitable for what your body can handle. A weight that is too light won’t deliver good results and a weight that is too heavy could end up hurting you. If you find yourself questioning, start with a lower weight and then work up.

You will want to grip the middle of the kettlebell handle from the inside of your palm. Some exercises require the use of two hands but most lunges and lifts will be single-handed.

A kettlebell routine can consist of a variety of swings, lifts and snaps. Research and look around to find out what moves and sequences will work best to target your trouble areas. The best way to perform kettlebell workouts is through high repetition ballistic routines. Ballistic training is when an athlete lifts the weight at an accelerated pace and then lowers at the same pace instead of slowing down in lowering the weight like most fitness routines recommend.

The secret to the benefits of kettlebell training can be found in the fast-paced movements paired with the unstable device. A kettlebell workout can substitute for a weight training workout or as a cardio routine. Any way you decide to use it, the results from this routine will make the kettlebell a must-have in your home gym after a single swing.

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In 2011, I won’t be surprised to see another five or six books hitting the market, their spines packed with the newest secrets to losing weight and building lean muscle. It has all been tried before– from a no-carb diet to a program that has us calculating points as we go—and yet nothing seems to work as effectively as good, old-fashioned protein.

Perhaps I am stating the obvious with this article or perhaps the simple concept of eating good quality protein has become buried under a pile of weight loss myths and magic tricks. Although it may be tempting to buy that fancy fad diet book and try out a new dietary regimen, this is not an issue of subtracting foods from our diet but rather adding in the power foods that our body really craves.

Cutting Calories= Cutting progress short

I have never been a fan of cutting calories.

I am all about cutting a workday short, cutting my hair into a new style and cutting inches off my waistline, but I stay away from the cutting of calories.

I don’t know exactly how it happened but somewhere, amidst a long line of fitness and diet articles, people began clutching to an idea that cutting calories would lead to weight loss. Eat less, weigh less. It seems like it makes perfect sense. Right?

We can use this method for about two seconds before our bodies get smart and realize that we are depriving them of the calories that they need. When the body does not get the nutrients it is expecting, it clings tighter to the fat storage and enters into “starvation” mode. The body actually refuses to let go of its hold on the fat, in fear that we are not going to properly replenish them anytime soon. When the body is left scrounging for fuel, it resorts to the burning of lean muscle in order to keep going throughout the day. Isn’t that the muscle we wanted to keep around though? The muscle that makes us look fit, lean and defined? Well, without the proper amount of good calories throughout the day, the body will keep burning lean muscle to keep us pushing forward.

So we are not cutting calories but we certainly need to cut something out of our daily food intake. The key is cutting out the fatty, unhealthy foods instead. However, it is important that when we cut out the calories of the highly-processed foods and fast food, we replace them with calories and nutrients that our body actually craves. Instead of bulking up on french fries and Holiday leftovers, let’s make some room in our stomachs for protein.

The Benefits of Protein

Our body cries out for protein. It is considered a macro-nutrient that our body wants in high quantities. It fuels us, it helps us grow, it gives us energy.

This is all the stuff we have heard a thousand times before. What we forget too easily is that, unlike carbohydrates and fats, our body does not store extra protein. Therefore we need to make sure that protein finds its place on our plates with every meal. Not only does protein build our lean muscle tissue, it also helps the metabolism to burn fat, the exact opposite of what happens when we cut our caloric intake in half.

When we spread out meals and properly place protein into each one the body works hard to burn off that protein, much harder than it would work to burn fat or carbs. Adding protein throughout the day keeps the metabolism from slacking on the job. When the metabolism stays working hard it continues to burn body fat effectively, instead of the lean muscle that we work so hard to gain at the gym.

It is important to note that not all foods that are high in protein should make the grocery list. Be mindful of the other components on the nutritional label i.e. saturated fats, cholesterol, and carbohydrates. When eating meat, it is best to stick with lean meats that have less animal fat. The best choices for adding protein into your daily regimen include fish, chicken breast, turkey breast, skim milk, nonfat yogurt, eggs and egg whites, beans, and lentils. Another great addition to your diet, and an easy way to rack up 25 extra grams of pure protein, is consuming natural whey protein smoothies and drinks. These tasty health shakes will surely shake up your metabolic rate and keep you burning throughout the day.

Although adding high-quality protein to the daily regimen is essential to losing weight and gaining lean muscle, it is important to incorporate exercise into your weekly routine. Adding a few sessions of cardio and weight training to your week will ensure the best results, a better burn, and a healthier lifestyle overall.

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The following is a guest post by Alex. Alex blogs at How To Lose Belly Fat. In his blog you can learn how to lose belly fat the healthy way.

The basic principles for reducing belly fat naturally and safe are simple: Eat less, burn calories and fat and build more muscles. These are easy to understand but very hard to implement. In this article we are going to give you 5 tips on how to actually approach the whole process so that at the end you can get the results you want.

Tip #1 Think of a realistic goal

Everyone wants to reduce or lose belly fat fast. You can’t just hop on that weight loss machine or go on a special weight loss diet without setting a goal. You must have a specific yet realistic time frame on how many pounds you want to lose in a given time. To help you set a goal, you must know that the calorie and pound ratio is 3500:1. This means, if you are aiming to lose five pounds in one day, you would need to burn 17500 calories in twenty four hours, which is an un-realistic scenario. The reality is that you can achieve losing an average of 500 to 1000 calories per day. This will allow you to lose one to two pounds per week safely and effectively.

Tip #2 Be motivated

One of the reasons why people fail to lose weight is lack of motivation. Motivation is the foundation of a successful weight loss process. Ask yourself why you want to have a leaner abdomen? Is it because you want to be healthier, because you want to look good on a special event, because you want to increase your self-esteem, or may be because you just want to look better and be able to wear a skimpy two-piece bikini. Whatever your reasons are, make it “the reason” to motivate you to go on and finish your weight loss program especially at times when you are about to give up.

Tip #3 Keep a Journal

Heidi Klum left us all mesmerized when she walked on the stage of The Victoria Secret Annual Fashion Show just two months after she gave birth to her second son in 2005. She showed off a flat belly with no trace of pregnancy fat, just as expected from a Victoria Secret Angel. Although this blond goddess has all the money to hire professional fitness trainers; she shared a secret that an ordinary person could do. She was keeping a journal with pictures of her body during her weight loss period. According to Heidi, this allowed her to track her progress and stay motivated until the end.

Tip #4 Never skip meals

Desperate people tend to take desperate measures such as starvation. Starvation lowers your metabolism because your body will try to conserve as much calories as it can so you will have constant supply of energy for physiologic functioning. Furthermore when you start eating normally, you’ll be so hungry that you’ll begin to binge eat and gain weight.

If you continue skipping meals and starving yourself in an attempt to lose weight and reduce belly fat your body will adapt to such condition and this may gradually lead to anorexia. The last thing that you want is to acquire this disorder. Yes, you would get a flat belly but having a body with just skin and bones is definitely not worth it.

Tip #5 Maintain a healthy lifestyle

People tend to regain the weight and body fat because they go back to their unhealthy lifestyle. It would be such a waste of time, effort, and money if you are not able to maintain the body that you worked hard for. So, if you have successfully acquired the physique that you have always dreamed of, KEEP IT! You simply need to continue living the healthy life that you have started; that includes eating a balanced diet and doing regular exercises.

Photo by vividBreeze

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It’s important to get several servings of vegetables in our diet each day. There are so many types of vegetables available that it can be hard to keep track of them all. There are some vegetables that we rarely think about. People usually go for the more common vegetables like green beans, broccoli, carrots, and potatoes. But there are so many more options. One popular vegetable in Cajun cooking is okra. Okra, otherwise known as gumbo or lady’s fingers, is part of the mallow family of flowering plants. The okra plant is known for the edible green fruits that they produce. Okra is not only used in Cajun cooking, it can be used in every day meals, such as salads and soups. Okra health benefits include aspects such as being low in calories, being a great vegetable for people trying to lose weight, and being good for the digestive system.

Aids in Weight Loss

Okra is very low in calories. One half cup of okra has just 25 calories, making is great for people who are looking to lose weight. Okra contains no cholesterol or saturated fat, which are two components that should be avoided when losing weight. The fiber content in okra is high. You can get nine percent of the your daily recommended amount of fiber in one half cup of okra. Fiber helps to maintain the digestive system by allowing food to pass through the intestines easier.

Contains Necessary Vitamins

Along with containing high amounts of fiber, okra also contains high amounts of vitamins A, C, and B6. Large amounts of calcium, zinc, riboflavin, folic acid, and iron are also present in this vegetable. Women who are pregnant are urged to incorporate okra into their diets due to the high content of folic acid. Folic acid is essential for the healthy growth of a fetus especially during the fourth week through the twelfth week of pregnancy.

Absorbs Water

This vegetable is great at being able to reabsorb water. By being able to absorb so much water, okra can trap excess cholesterol, excess bile, and certain toxins. By trapping these substances, it makes it easier to eliminate them from the body through the stool. Because okra absorbs so much water, eating this vegetable can prevent constipation, bloating, and gas.

Get Great Hair

One of the more unique okra health benefits is that it can add bounce and volume to your hair. All you need to do is boil okra that has been sliced horizontally until the contents become slimy. Let it cool and then add a couple of drops of lemon to it. Wash your hair like you normally would, and then use this mixture as a last rinse. Cover all of your hair and then rinse it off with water. You hair should have more volume and have a little more bounce to it.

Lowers Cholesterol & Reduces Cancer Risk

The fiber and mucilage (a thick, gluey substance the plant produces) that is found in okra can help maintain blood sugar levels. These components can also regulate the body’s absorption rate in the small intestine. Okra also contains healthy bacteria known as probiotics. These probiotics helps the natural production of the vitamin B complex. Okra has soluble fiber that helps to lower serum cholesterol. When this type of cholesterol is lowered, the risk of heart disease is lowered. On the other hand, the insoluble fiber found in okra is what keeps the intestinal tract in good shape. This type of fiber helps to decrease the risk of certain cancers, in particular colon cancer.

The seeds of okra contain oil and protein that are very rich in amino acids. The body needs certain amino acids such as cystine, tryptophan, and some sulfur amino acids.

More okra health benefits include the following.

• It can help prevent diabetes.
• It’s excellent for people who have atherosclerosis.
• It’s good for people who have asthma.
• It is a good laxative and can help irritable bowel syndrome, can sooth the gastrointestinal track, and can help to heal ulcers.
• It’s great to eat during the heat of summer as it helps to treat sun stroke.

As you can see, okra health benefits are many. It may have an unusual name, and you may be tempted to pass it by for a more common vegetable, but, give okra a try. It has many benefits and can be added easily to any meal.

Photo by Prato9x

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What comes to mind when you hear the word “exercise”? Do you think of big equipment like treadmills, ellipticals, or heavy weight machines at a gym? Most people think that in order to lose weight, they have to join a gym. After all, that’s where all the necessary equipment is, right? On the contrary, you have everything you need to get a great workout right there at home, or in your neighborhood. Everyone needs to get some sort of exercise in order to lose weight. It is possible to lose weight by just changing your diet, but exercise is a major key in burning off excess fat.

Cardiovascular exercise is one major way to burn off fat. You should always start out slow, and work your way up over time. This goes for any type of exercise, cardiovascular or strength training. For a cardiovascular routine, you want to get your heart rate up for at least 20 minutes a session. If you’re a beginner, raise your heart rate by 55% to 65% over your resting heart rate. If you’ve been exercising for a while, raise it by 60% to 80%. Calculate your resting heart rate by counting your pulse for one full minute.

You Don’t Need A Gym

There are many ways to get a cardiovascular workout without the need of heavy equipment. All you need is yourself. Walking and running both provide excellent exercise. One of the great things about walking and running is that you can do it anywhere. You don’t need any special equipment. Walk or run around your neighborhood. Bring your dog along with you. Dogs make excellent walking and running companions. If it’s a rainy day, find an indoor running track and keep moving.

Another great way to get cardiovascular exercise is by taking the stairs instead of the elevator. If you work in a high office building, park at ground level and walk your way up. If you’re at the very top, then park halfway up, and go on from there. During your lunch break, do a quick flight or two. If you’ve got stairs at home, that’s a plus. Make a point of going up and down the stairs once every hour. You could “forget” something upstairs and have to go get it.

Swimming is great exercise for anyone that has physical limitations. People who suffer from physical disabilities that affect balance, or those that suffer from joint pain can get a good cardiovascular workout by swimming. Either by swimming regular laps, or taking part in an aquarobics routine, the pool is a great workout spot. Swimming is much easier on your joints than land based workouts, as it provides less impact on your joints.

If you have children, play with them. Kids expend a lot of energy just by playing. Have you ever watched a child play? They run, jump, chase one another, and contort their bodies every which way. All this movement burns calories and provides great natural exercise. Join in the fun with them. Play a game of tag in the back yard, or a game of Frisbee. Take them to the park and have fun moving around with them.

Not all exercise is cardiovascular. Strength training is also very important to lose weight. Strength training raises your metabolism, just like cardiovascular exercise, and allows your body to burn fat more easily. And just like cardiovascular workouts, there’s no need to join a gym or buy expensive equipment.

Household items can double as exercise equipment. Dumbbells and hand weights can be replaced by cans of food or milk jugs. An easy way to incorporate strength training is to tell yourself every time you open the refrigerator, you’ll do 10 reps of an arm exercise. They can be arm curls, front raises, or triceps extensions. Any type of arm exercise can be done with a couple a food cans or a full milk jug.

Body weight exercises, such as push ups, crunches, or sit ups, can be done easily at any time. It doesn’t take many crunches to build up strong abdominal muscles. A lot of people think that you need to do 100 crunches every day to get a flat stomach. But just 10 to 20 reps is all you need to tone those muscles. As long as you feel those muscles working and getting tired, they’ll get stronger.

The combination of cardiovascular exercise and strength training is important. Strength training helps to strengthen and tone muscles, and cardiovascular workouts burn the fat to show off those strong muscles. You don’t need fancy and expensive equipment in order to exercise to lose weight. You’ve got all you need right where you are. A little creativity may be needed, but that’s part of the fun. And yes, exercise can be fun. It’s all in how you go about doing it.

What do you do to exercise at home?

Photo by mikebaird

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The following article was written by Elise Degrass who writes about Massage Therapy for MassageTherapy.net

Massage therapy has been practiced for many years mainly for relaxation but the aspect of using it as a weight loss solution is slowly coming to the fore front. Weight loss massage may sound too good to be true but it is a reality many people are benefiting from. As a matter of fact, this therapy can be included into the clients’ daily routine in order to aid in weight loss. This is not only fashionable but a good alternative for those that are intent on loosing any excess weight.

1. Stress Busting

Massage is an excellent way to alleviate stress and achieve overall rest and relaxation for the body and soul. When it comes to weight loss, stress is a factor to consider because the when an individual is stressed, the body reacts. In most cases, once Cortisol is released into the system as a result of pressure, the intestines slow down in preparation for either flight or fight. If this happens over extended periods of time, the end result is weight gain due to a poorly functioning digestive system. Massage alleviates the strain giving the body time and space to digest the food accordingly.

2. Sports Massage

This may sound far fetched but for those interested in weight loss it is not. This type of kneading is good after a tiring session at the gym. The muscles are relaxed after vigorous exercise resulting in faster recovery. This in turn translates into more sessions at the gym and faster weight loss.

3. Lymphatic massage

This may not sound like much until your lymphatic system gets blocked and the waste is not eliminated accordingly. Once the blockage occurs, the body retains the waste which is transferred to the organs resulting in weight gain. Massage helps to drain the lymphatic system giving the body the capacity to purge itself of the harmful waste. Consequently, metabolism is increased resulting in weight loss.

4. Ayurveda Herbal Massage

With this manipulation of the body’s system, a special paste or powder is spread on the body by two therapists resulting in toxin elimination. The treatment ought to be done once a day for approximately 1 hour in order for it to be effective.

5. Cellulite Removal Massage

Cellulite is an accumulation of fat beneath the skin giving it that orange peel look. It is brought about by fat stored within the body which is in turn pushing against the connective tissues. Cellulite can be eliminated by using different massage techniques resulting in weight loss.

Massage can indeed be used for weight loss but it must be incorporated with the more traditional methods of weight loss. These include a good, healthy diet as well as regular exercise and water intake. Once all these procedures are put into place and topped up with massage then weight loss occurs. Massage therapy without a doubt promotes weight loss but as always it should be conducted by an experienced and licensed therapist especially with regards to the more complicated treatments.

Photo by FoundryParkInn

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