For many people weight loss is a chronic endeavor. All too often the shedding of pounds is a temporary event followed by a steady regain of lost weight. Most popular diets are unsuccessful in the long run because they fail to address the multi-faceted nature of what successful, permanent weight loss entails. Luckily, research has revealed many invaluable strategies which can help increase your odds of permanent weight loss. While no single article can possibly cover this vast subject, we have provided links to excellent weight loss programs and books which are backed by clinical research, and can significantly help you in your quest. We also encourage you to browse through our hand-picked award links to learn more about the best strategies you can incorporate for long term weight loss success.
10 Strategies for permanent weight loss
1. Exercise is essential for weight loss
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 group like The Sierra Club, 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."
Having trouble getting a workout in? Why not try one of these Diet Channel recommended programs:
* 15 minute boot camp workout
* Power workout for busy executives
* 10 minute workout for busy moms
Top 3 Diet Plans (based on Diet Channel visitor activity):
Mediterranean Diet - "Ideal for people who like to cook and enjoy great cuisine." Learn More...
Jillian Michaels - "Jillian guides you through the diet and exercise changes you know you need to make." Learn More...
South Beach Diet - "This hugely popular diet promises diligent followers an initial weight loss of 8-13 pounds in the first two weeks." Learn More...
2. Weight loss and weight training
We chose to list this separately from the "exercise" category because of the significant weight loss benefits attached to weight training in and of itself. The basic equation is this: the more muscle tissue you have, the more calories you will burn. This is why world class weight lifters must eat thousands of calories a day to maintain their weight. Muscle is active tissue, fat is not. Thus, muscle "burns" a significant number of calories each day for its own maintenance. In her book Strong Women Stay Slim, Miriam Nelson, a Tufts University researcher, showed that a group of women who followed a weight loss diet and did weight training exercises lost 44% more fat than those who only followed the diet. While aerobic activity can help burn calories, muscle's where it's at when it comes to giving your metabolism a significant daily boost even at rest.
Read Cardio and Strength Training: How do you create a balanced routine? to find out how best to pursue numbers 1 and 2 above in tandem.
3. Keep a diary for triggers that hinder weight loss
Keeping a food diary can be a huge asset in successful weight loss. Devote some time each day to record what you have eaten and how much, your hunger level prior to eating, and any feelings or emotions present at the time. A food diary can provide a large amount of self-awareness. It can identify emotions and behaviors that trigger overeating, foster greater awareness of portion sizes, and help you discover your personal food triggers. Study any patterns that emerge from your food diary and identify where you may be able to make more healthful changes. A food diary provides an added benefit of keeping you focused on and committed to your goals. Start keeping a food diary today by printing our food diary.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. Weight loss support: join a weight management group
A big key in long term weight control comes from receiving encouragement and support from others. You can check to see if groups such as Jenny Craig offer programs and resources in your areas. You may also wish to check with your local hospital to see if their registered dietitian conducts group weight loss programs.
7. 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.
8: Lose weight slowly with small changes
Try to remember that "losing 15 pounds in two weeks" is nothing to celebrate. It is important to realize that the more quickly weight is lost, the more likely the loss is coming from water and muscle, not fat. Since muscle tissue is critical in keeping our metabolism elevated, losing it actually leads to a decrease in the amount of calories we can each day without gaining weight. Fat loss is best achieved when weight is lost slowly. Strive for a weight loss of no more than 1-2 pounds per week. One pound of weight is equivalent to 3500 calories. By making small changes like eliminating 250 calories a day from food and expending 250 calories a day from exercise, you can lose one pound (of mostly fat) per week. You can calculate how much time you need to exercise to burn 250 calories by clicking here. You can calculate your caloric needs by clicking here, and then subtract 250 from that number.
9. Eating slowly can lead to weight loss
Did you ever notice that thin people take an awfully long time to eat their food? Eating slowly is one method that can help take off pounds. That's because from the time you begin eating it takes the brain 20 minutes to start signaling feelings of fullness. Fast eaters often eat beyond their true level of fullness before the 20 minute signal has had a chance to set in. The amount of calories consumed before you begin to feel full can vary significantly depending on how quickly you eat. So slow down, take smaller bites and enjoy and savor every tasty morsel.
10. Weight loss through eating less fat - but do it wisely
We've known for some time that limiting high fat foods in the diet can be helpful with weight loss. That's because fats pack in 9 calories per gram compared to only 4 calories per gram from proteins or carbohydrates. To many, the message to limit fats implied an endorsement to eat unlimited amounts of fat-free products. Just to clarify, fat-free foods have calories too. In some cases fat-free foods have as many calories as their fat laden counterparts. If you eat more calories than your body uses, you will gain weight. Eating less fat will help you to lose weight. Eating less fat and replacing it with excessive amounts of fat-free products will not.
For more information on high-fat foods you should continue to eat, even when trying to lose weight, see the following article from TheDietChannel: Healthy and Fat? 5 High-Fat Foods You Should Not Avoid.
Click here for 8 more great weight loss tips!
Struggling with your diet? Click here for 6 reasons why we don't lose weight.
Before beginning any diet or fitness program, consult your physician.
Thursday, 29 October 2009
Quick Weight Loss Tips - Food Factors
When it comes to finding quick weight loss diet tips that work, selecting your foods for your diet can be a real balancing act. You have to lose some of what you’ve grown accustomed to and add some items that may be new to you. Here’s some quick weight loss tips that experts recommend to promote weight loss.
Quick Weight Loss Tips #1 - Reduce fat.
With regard EO fat, the research is clear: Diets too high in fat promote overweight and obesity. You should strive to consume no more than 25 percent of your calories from fat - and that fat should the “non-saturated” type.
Quick Weight Loss Tips # 2 - Don’t be so sweet.
Numerous studies have linked table sugar to increased calorie consumption. While sugar doesn’t do as much dietary damage as fat, you’ll find that when you eat sweets, you simply want to eat more… of everything. Not only that, but sugar also makes your body excrete chromium, and chromium is a mineral that helps your body build calorie-burning lean tissue - so you want to keep your chromium levels up.
Quick Weight Loss Tips #3 - Drink up.
“If people want to keep their nutrients in balance, they need to drink plenty of plain, unflavored water every day,” says Judy Dodd, R.D., past president of the American Dietetic Association. Water not only acts as a solvent for many vitamins and minerals but also is responsible for carrying nutrients into and wastes out of cells, so the body functions properly. As a rule of thumb, you should drink a half-ounce of water for every pound of body weight daily, unless you’re very active, in which case you should increase your water intake to two-thirds of an ounce per pound of body weight daily. So if you weigh 100 pounds, you should drink 50 ounces of water a day as a minimum
Quick Weight Loss Tips #4 - Fill up on fiber.
You can curb your hunger by increasing your intake of dietary fiber, which is filling, so you feel full but eat less. For these diet tips, experts recommend eating more fruits, vegetables and wholegrain cereals.
Quick Weight Loss Tips #5 - Get treatment for food allergies.
Some researchers believe that being overweight is the result of people craving foods that they are allergic to. For these people, weight loss is extremely difficult until they figure out what those trigger foods are and eliminate them from their diets.
“There are specific food allergies that trigger uncontrollable craving and bingeing,” says Joseph D. Beasley, M.D., director of Comprehensive Medical Care in Amityville, New York. “It’s a common problem in overeaters.”
If you suspect that food allergies might be part of your problem, ask your doctor to help you identify the offending items. Your doctor may recommend that you see an allergy specialist.
Quick Weight Loss Tips #1 - Reduce fat.
With regard EO fat, the research is clear: Diets too high in fat promote overweight and obesity. You should strive to consume no more than 25 percent of your calories from fat - and that fat should the “non-saturated” type.
Quick Weight Loss Tips # 2 - Don’t be so sweet.
Numerous studies have linked table sugar to increased calorie consumption. While sugar doesn’t do as much dietary damage as fat, you’ll find that when you eat sweets, you simply want to eat more… of everything. Not only that, but sugar also makes your body excrete chromium, and chromium is a mineral that helps your body build calorie-burning lean tissue - so you want to keep your chromium levels up.
Quick Weight Loss Tips #3 - Drink up.
“If people want to keep their nutrients in balance, they need to drink plenty of plain, unflavored water every day,” says Judy Dodd, R.D., past president of the American Dietetic Association. Water not only acts as a solvent for many vitamins and minerals but also is responsible for carrying nutrients into and wastes out of cells, so the body functions properly. As a rule of thumb, you should drink a half-ounce of water for every pound of body weight daily, unless you’re very active, in which case you should increase your water intake to two-thirds of an ounce per pound of body weight daily. So if you weigh 100 pounds, you should drink 50 ounces of water a day as a minimum
Quick Weight Loss Tips #4 - Fill up on fiber.
You can curb your hunger by increasing your intake of dietary fiber, which is filling, so you feel full but eat less. For these diet tips, experts recommend eating more fruits, vegetables and wholegrain cereals.
Quick Weight Loss Tips #5 - Get treatment for food allergies.
Some researchers believe that being overweight is the result of people craving foods that they are allergic to. For these people, weight loss is extremely difficult until they figure out what those trigger foods are and eliminate them from their diets.
“There are specific food allergies that trigger uncontrollable craving and bingeing,” says Joseph D. Beasley, M.D., director of Comprehensive Medical Care in Amityville, New York. “It’s a common problem in overeaters.”
If you suspect that food allergies might be part of your problem, ask your doctor to help you identify the offending items. Your doctor may recommend that you see an allergy specialist.
Sunday, 25 October 2009
Carbs and Stress Eating
Weight gain from stress related eating is an epidemic.
Here we help you understand how carbs act as an opiate during times of stress, and how you can avoid this weight loss hazard.
Your workday goes on, stress builds up, and you wind up munching your way through the problem. Sound familiar? If you think you are just a compulsive eater, you can now give yourself a break. There is an actual physiological mechanism at work from eating carbs during times of stress that helps to calm and relax you.
HOW CARBS ACT LIKE OPIATES:
Here we look at a brief description of how carbs act to opiate the brain during times of stress and what you can do to keep from carb binging.
High cortisol and low serotonin levels can result from sustained stress. Recent research has now revealed why carbs are so important in this equation.
New research shows that sugary carbs during times of stress act like an opiate by increasing serotonin.
Your serotonin levels are maintained by a ratio of tryptophan to Neutral Amino Acids ( LNAA). During stress, ingesting carbs significantly increasing Tryptophan/LNAA ratio and thus increasing serotonin.
Additionally your brain runs on glucose or blood sugar. During demanding activities, your brain needs all the glucose it can get. If you are low in blood sugar during times of stress, you are already at a mental disadvantage.
What is common today is nighttime stress induced binging from a combination during the day of stress and fasting. This results in high cortisol levels by the evening, coupled with a high demand for energy from the brain. The result is over eating at night.
Suggestions:
1. Get a good salad in at lunch high in starchy/fibrous vegetables like spinach and green beans. The high starch combined with fiber gives a long slow release of glucose through out the afternoon, giving your brain the glucose it needs.
2. Supplement with a shot of whey protein isolate/concentrate during the afternoon. New research shows the high alpha lactalbumin content in whey has the same effect as carbs on Tryptophan/LNAA ratio
Weight gain from stress related eating is an epidemic.
Here we help you understand how carbs act as an opiate during times of stress, and how you can avoid this weight loss hazard.
Your workday goes on, stress builds up, and you wind up munching your way through the problem. Sound familiar? If you think you are just a compulsive eater, you can now give yourself a break. There is an actual physiological mechanism at work from eating carbs during times of stress that helps to calm and relax you.
HOW CARBS ACT LIKE OPIATES:
Here we look at a brief description of how carbs act to opiate the brain during times of stress and what you can do to keep from carb binging.
High cortisol and low serotonin levels can result from sustained stress. Recent research has now revealed why carbs are so important in this equation.
New research shows that sugary carbs during times of stress act like an opiate by increasing serotonin.
Your serotonin levels are maintained by a ratio of tryptophan to Neutral Amino Acids ( LNAA). During stress, ingesting carbs significantly increasing Tryptophan/LNAA ratio and thus increasing serotonin.
Additionally your brain runs on glucose or blood sugar. During demanding activities, your brain needs all the glucose it can get. If you are low in blood sugar during times of stress, you are already at a mental disadvantage.
What is common today is nighttime stress induced binging from a combination during the day of stress and fasting. This results in high cortisol levels by the evening, coupled with a high demand for energy from the brain. The result is over eating at night.
Suggestions:
1. Get a good salad in at lunch high in starchy/fibrous vegetables like spinach and green beans. The high starch combined with fiber gives a long slow release of glucose through out the afternoon, giving your brain the glucose it needs.
2. Supplement with a shot of whey protein isolate/concentrate during the afternoon. New research shows the high alpha lactalbumin content in whey has the same effect as carbs on Tryptophan/LNAA ratio
Chewing As a Weight Loss Strategy
Do you wolf your food down? If you want to be lean and fit for life you might want to consider the relationship between chewing and weight control or weight loss. While most weight management or dietary programs focus on what to eat, little if any attention is given to HOW TO EAT.
What you will see in this article is a practical strategy you can implement right now to lose weight and be lean and fit for life. Simply by chewing your food longer, until it is basically a liquid in your mouth, you do three things that help your weight loss, health and longevity. The first is that you will eat less. The second is that you will digest and assimilate nutrients more effectively; the third is that you will mitigate toxins and allergies from food, which are important to longevity and weight loss.
Chewing and Food Intake:
Recent studies from Oita Medical School in Japan show a direct relationship between chewing speed and the release of histamine from the brain. Chewing slower and longer causes the brain to release histamine, resulting in decreased food intake.
The speed at which you chew sends signals to your brain that control how much you eat.
Further, hormones such as leptin, ghrelin and cholestokinnen that are involved in the sensation of fullness, do not reach peak expression until 20 to 40 minutes after food is ingested. Chewing longer allows these hormones to work for you. You get the same sense of fullness on less food because you are giving these hormones time to work. Many speed eaters literally chew and swallow faster than their bodies natural satiety signaling can keep up with. If you want to lose weight but you wolf your food down, you are shooting yourself in the foot.
There is a direct relationship between chewing and weight loss. Simply put, the more you chew, and the more slowly you chew, the less you eat. The less you eat at any given meal, the more weight loss.
Chewing and Digestion and Absorption.
Eating the right foods gets you nowhere if you don’t absorb them. Worse, eating the right foods takes you backwards if they putrefy into toxins.
Eating the right food is important, but eating the right food and properly digesting it is essential for life long weight loss.
Digestion begins in the mouth. Specifically, saliva contains a fat metabolizing enzyme called lingual lipase. Before any fat you ingest even hits your stomach, it begins breaking down in your mouth via the action of lingual lipase.
Do you wolf your food down? If you want to be lean and fit for life you might want to consider the relationship between chewing and weight control or weight loss. While most weight management or dietary programs focus on what to eat, little if any attention is given to HOW TO EAT.
What you will see in this article is a practical strategy you can implement right now to lose weight and be lean and fit for life. Simply by chewing your food longer, until it is basically a liquid in your mouth, you do three things that help your weight loss, health and longevity. The first is that you will eat less. The second is that you will digest and assimilate nutrients more effectively; the third is that you will mitigate toxins and allergies from food, which are important to longevity and weight loss.
Chewing and Food Intake:
Recent studies from Oita Medical School in Japan show a direct relationship between chewing speed and the release of histamine from the brain. Chewing slower and longer causes the brain to release histamine, resulting in decreased food intake.
The speed at which you chew sends signals to your brain that control how much you eat.
Further, hormones such as leptin, ghrelin and cholestokinnen that are involved in the sensation of fullness, do not reach peak expression until 20 to 40 minutes after food is ingested. Chewing longer allows these hormones to work for you. You get the same sense of fullness on less food because you are giving these hormones time to work. Many speed eaters literally chew and swallow faster than their bodies natural satiety signaling can keep up with. If you want to lose weight but you wolf your food down, you are shooting yourself in the foot.
There is a direct relationship between chewing and weight loss. Simply put, the more you chew, and the more slowly you chew, the less you eat. The less you eat at any given meal, the more weight loss.
Chewing and Digestion and Absorption.
Eating the right foods gets you nowhere if you don’t absorb them. Worse, eating the right foods takes you backwards if they putrefy into toxins.
Eating the right food is important, but eating the right food and properly digesting it is essential for life long weight loss.
Digestion begins in the mouth. Specifically, saliva contains a fat metabolizing enzyme called lingual lipase. Before any fat you ingest even hits your stomach, it begins breaking down in your mouth via the action of lingual lipase.
Thursday, 15 October 2009
New Study Shows WeighLevel Gives Favorable Weight Loss Results
Sprunk-Jansen has announced the results of a new double-blind placebo controlled randomized study to verify former research.
The study was conducted by a group of Danish and Israeli researchers involving volunteers who were overweight or actually obese. Participants didn’t follow any diet, and were instructed to eat what they used to, yet sticking to three meals a day. While some participants took one tablet of WEIGHLEVEL half an hour before each meal, the rest took placebo.
The results showed the group taking WEIGHLEVEL daily for three months achieved a considerable weight loss among the 29 participants in the study, who on average, lost 0.8 kg per week.
“This type of study is regarded as a ‘golden’ standard for validating the effect of the product, and we’re very happy to confirm practically the same result,” says Eli Kassis, M.D., who is co-author of the study.
The previous study, published in Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine., showed that WEIGHLEVEL was highly effective in reducing body weight, averaging 1 kg/week, during the three-month test period of 3 months.
About Sprunk-Jansen
Sprunk-Jansen was founded by pharmaceutical executive Erik Sprunk-Jansen in 2004 to create safer botanical therapeutic formulas to support human health and well-being. All Sprunk-Jansen herbal supplements are based on Greek-Arabic medicine, one of the most enduring and well-researched modalities of healing in the world.
The study was conducted by a group of Danish and Israeli researchers involving volunteers who were overweight or actually obese. Participants didn’t follow any diet, and were instructed to eat what they used to, yet sticking to three meals a day. While some participants took one tablet of WEIGHLEVEL half an hour before each meal, the rest took placebo.
The results showed the group taking WEIGHLEVEL daily for three months achieved a considerable weight loss among the 29 participants in the study, who on average, lost 0.8 kg per week.
“This type of study is regarded as a ‘golden’ standard for validating the effect of the product, and we’re very happy to confirm practically the same result,” says Eli Kassis, M.D., who is co-author of the study.
The previous study, published in Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine., showed that WEIGHLEVEL was highly effective in reducing body weight, averaging 1 kg/week, during the three-month test period of 3 months.
About Sprunk-Jansen
Sprunk-Jansen was founded by pharmaceutical executive Erik Sprunk-Jansen in 2004 to create safer botanical therapeutic formulas to support human health and well-being. All Sprunk-Jansen herbal supplements are based on Greek-Arabic medicine, one of the most enduring and well-researched modalities of healing in the world.
Thursday, 19 February 2009
5 Easy Ways A Treadmill Helps You Lose Weight
So why are treadmills STILL the #1 home exercise machines with shoppers? Because they get results!
Here are the top 5 ways home treadmill workouts can help you lose weight and get into great shape!
#1: A Treadmill Helps You Burn MORE Calories by Battling Exercise Boredom
We all know that in order to lose weight, get firm and fight gravity's pull, exercise is a must! But what do you do if you don't LIKE working out?
What if you get bored or don't like logging hours in the gym with all those muscle boys or short-shorts women?
One viable option is the home treadmill, because of all the things it allows you to do to FORGET that you are exercising in the first place!
You can set it up in front of the television and watch your favorite episode of ER or Oprah. An hour will fly by and you won't even notice that you've been walking (or running)!
Many treadmills also come with a magazine or book rack. What about walking uphill (a MEGA calorie burner) while reading your favorite mazagine or novel?
How easy is that?
And the more you enjoy your workout (or the more you can forget that you're exercising) , the more time you'll spend burning calories on your treadmill.
#2: The Treadmill is Unmatched For Workout Versatility.
Most funky fly-by-night exercise gadgets only allow you to do one thing. One repetitive motion that your body quickly adapts to (and that means less calories burned.)
A treadmill - on the other hand - gives you a lot of workout versatility so your body continues to be challenged to burn calories.
If you're just starting an exercise program you can start with a slow walk and then speed it up as your body gets into better shape. If you're training for a marathon, you can run at a steady pace and even build in sprints.
You can power walk or do a slow steady jog. Many treadmills will let you walk uphill. Some even come with handweights so you can build in upper body exercise as well.
There are countless ways you can vary your workout with a treadmill so that you continue to challenge your body and burn calories.
#3: A Treadmill Helps You Burn MORE Calories by Increasing Your Exercise Frequency
Did you know that a new 3 year study conducted by the University of Stanford's Graduate School of Business has found that consumers are overpaying for gym services?
The study concludes that most people overestimate how often they will use their gym membership and that most don't visit the gym often enough to justify their membership costs.
Perhaps the reason may be that many people just don't have the time to go. But here's where a home treadmill can help you actually increase your workout time and frequency.
Did you know that experts tell us that two 15-minute workouts can give us the same exercise benefits as one 30-minute workout?
Here's where a home treadmill can help:
A treadmill allows you to split your workouts up into mini-workouts and still burn just as many calories!
Maybe you want to go for a 15 minute wake-up walk in the morning. Maybe it's a 20-minute light jog at lunch. What about a 10-minute power walk just before dinner to curb your appetite or fight night-time boredom?
Whether it's 5 minutes, 10 minutes, 15 or 20, it all adds up in weight loss. With a treadmill, YOU'RE in charge of your workout time.
#4: A Home Treadmill Gives You the Benefit of All-Year-Round ANY Time Exercise!
Ok, here it is - one of the MOST IMPORTANT benefits of having a home treadmill:
CONVENIENCE, CONVENIENCE, CONVENIENCE
If you live in northern climates you know that walking or jogging in the snow and ice is NOT fun. What about when it's raining? Scratch exercise off the list!
A home treadmill can be one of the best exercise comforts around because you can use it regardless of the weather or time of day.
AND you can also exercise in any type of clothing that you want (no worrying about wearing that ratty t-shirt to the gym!).
#5: By Using the Large Muscles in Your Legs, A Treadmill Helps You Burn MAJOR FAT Calories
A recent Woman's World article made the startling claim that, contrary to popular belief, gentle walking is one of the BEST ways to burn fat!
Why?
It seems that gentle walking allows your body to go STRAIGHT to the fat stores for energy instead of first depleting your sugar (glycogen) stores (used by your body for quick energy).
Not only that, there's been countless studies including one by the American Medical Association, that rank a treadmill as the #1 cardiovascular machine for losing weight and burning calories.
Working the larger muscles in your legs burns maximum calories which means more weight lost. You can even increase your calories-burned by walking uphill which uses even more muscles!
Given all their benefits it's no wonder that treadmill sales have continued to skyrocket over the past five years with more and more people starting their own fitness and weight loss programs at home.
So if you want to lose weight and get into great shape, a treadmill can be an excellent investment to help you to achieve your goals. No matter what you decide be sure to have fun and make your health a priority!
5 Proven Ways to Safely Make Positive Life Changes
One of the most important aspects of living a healthy and
prosperous life is understanding "risk." By this I mean knowing
how to understand and analyze situations in life that affect
health. Being able to accurately weigh benefits and risks when
making health decisions is very important! Too often decisions
are based on incomplete or inaccurate information and this is a
huge mistake with significant consequences!
Failure to accurately assess risk keeps people locked in all
kinds of unhealthy situations including poor eating and exercise
habits (lifestyle), relationships and jobs. Sometimes people are
just afraid to step out and make a change. They see "risk" in
making a change when the REAL risk comes from NOT making a
change. From my perspective, living with the stress, unhappiness
and frustration of indecision and poor health is the greatest
risk of all, and one that is definitely not worth taking!
Accessing "risk" is nothing more than collecting information,
weighing the alternatives and then making appropriate decisions
based on the information.
Some risks to our health are more "real" than others. For
example, it is common knowledge that obesity is associated with a
wide variety of health problems. On the other hand, there are
some health risks that are so remote we rarely think about them.
On a practical level, eating highly processed foods and avoiding
a daily dose of fresh fruits and vegetables is rarely considered
serious. But, as too many have already discovered, the long range
consequences of this practice are real and devastating.
Failure to accurately assess risk limits us in many ways. We
imagine the "risk" of talking with our children about drugs,
dating or sex and we put off having the "talk," even though the
risks of NOT talking are infinitely greater. Fear of flying and
public speaking are two more "risks" affecting millions of
people. But practically speaking, these fears are unfounded.
People ride in cars every day, even though cars are far more
dangerous than commercial aircraft! It's a failure to accurately
assess risk, and it limits our health, prosperity and pleasure in
life.
The goods news is that failure to accurately access risk is
reversible! The effects of those decisions to eat inappropriately
or NOT to exercise are, as the common expression goes,
"do-overs." We can effect positive change in our lives by
following a few simple steps to accurately access risk:
1. Accurately define your present situation and access your
health "risks". Are you eating a healthy diet? Are you getting
enough exercise and good quality sleep? What are the consequences
if you DON'T change? Weigh the benefits of healthier living vs
the potential risks such as increased cost, inconvenience or
discomfort.
2. What do you stand to gain if you change your present
circumstances? Assess the "up-side" potential. Too often we look
only at the "downside" risk and forget the benefits. What good
things might happen if you take the risk and win?
3. Limit the "down-side" if you happen to make a wrong decision.
Don't continue down a path if it does not produce results. This
is especially important when following weight loss programs. If
the pounds are not coming off or if the weight loss is only
temporary, find a new program! You not only want to lose weight,
but want to sustain the weight loss for as long as possible. Take
steps to ensure this will happen. Clear, concise, realistic
objectives will definitely help.
4. Reduce your risk by being smart! Understand the situation and
seek the advice of experts in the field of health and nutrition.
This includes finding and forming partnerships to receive support
and get good advice.
5. Have a fall-back position. If the decision you make fails to
produce the desired results, be prepared to take a long, hard
look at the circumstances and be prepared to change what you are
doing.
Everything in life involves some element of risk. Driving your
car, meeting someone new, crossing the street...but we do them
every day. Winners in life are willing to accept the risk and
continue on their way! Get involved, be smart about how you play
the game, come prepared for a few failures along the way, but
don't quite. You will reap the benefits for your effort and live
a happier and healthier life. I like to remember the words of the
great Winston Churchill when he said, "Never, never, never give
up!"
The information contained in this article is for educational purposes
only and is not intended to medically diagnose, treat or cure any
disease. Consult a health care practitioner before beginning any
health care program.
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