Old Habits Die Hard - Hard Enough To Feel The Pain

Old Habits Die Hard - Hard Enough To Feel The Pain

Why is it so tough to quit something that is bad, usually it is something that is soooo good too?

You know what I mean; chocolate, alcohol, laziness, even what you eat for breakfast.

We all have habitual actions that we often feel a little embarrassed by, such as buying a chocolate bar and a can of coke every time you go to the petrol station to fill the car up...

That one used to be one of my worse habits, I just knew it was not good for me, but I just couldn't quit it. It was like I was on auto pilot.

Do you get home from work, immediately turn on the TV instead of doing your workout?

Do you go out on a Friday and Saturday night, just because it is the weekend, and then spend the rest of the weekend in bed regretting your excesses?

One of the biggest challenges as a fitness professional is to get my clients to change their eating habits so that it compliments their training efforts. One common hang up relates to breakfast, getting them to stop eating cereal based breakfasts is like putting a heroine addict through cold turkey!

The problem is our bad habits can cause us a myriad of health problems, such as weight gain, obesity, type 2 diabetes, a weak immune system, and poor structural health. All of which cause a great deal of misery.

Brain researchers at MIT in the US have discovered that once a poor habit is established, certain neural patterns are created in the brain which ingrain the habit to becoming almost completely automatic.

We just don't even think about the action, we just do it. These patterns can be erased just as readily as they are created in the first place, BUT the patterns can be rekindled much quicker the next time round.

Obvious stuff really, when you think about how many people relapse back into a smoking habit, or poor nutritional habits.

Breaking habits can be tough though.

The fear of social alienation if you stop smoking (where will you get the office gossip from, if you are not smoking with your co-workers!). Not going out on a Friday night can cause a similar fear.

Not having that glass of wine with your evening meal each night, it has become so ingrained that you would feel uncomfortable if only water was available.

Thankfully there are solutions to these problems, and it is not just down to will power. Pattern breaking is simply a matter of becoming more conscious of each action that you take. A simple example:

Do you drive the same route to work each and every day? I bet on many days the journey to work does not even register, it is just like you are on auto pilot. You have no idea of how many cars cut you up, or even if you indicated at the right moments, or even indicated at all!

Breaking this habit is a simple act of deciding to take a different route to work. I have about 5 different routes to the gym and have actually gone further out of my way, just to get in a new route, it keeps me focused.

For the more serious issue of eating and drinking habits, simply get into the habit of stopping just before you consume something and make a judgment on the quality of the item you are about to eat or drink. I use a 3 point grade A, B or C type foods.

A's are your good clean foods like fresh fruit and veg, meat, fish and water plus some diary items like eggs too.

B's are not so good, slightly processed products including breads, pasta, cereal based products

C's are the junk food, including sodas, highly processed items like cakes, chips, burgers, pizzas etc.

This simple process makes me more conscious of my food choices, allowing me to make better choices and ones that compliment my exercise habits.

One other common poor habit is laziness or procrastination from exercise, this is because you may associate exercise with hard work, pain, or you have low self efficacy. To break this habit you may find it useful to find a purpose for actually doing your workouts...

Getting involved in a sport may just give the reason you need to start doing your workouts.

Rather than simply working out to lose weight, why not make your workouts more focused towards a sport, so that you improve your speed, agility, flexibility, balance and strength. You may just find that the side benefit is that you'll lose that weight after all.

One of my current clients came to me a few months ago with really poor motivation, the habit to workout just wasn't working. It was becoming a real struggle to get to the gym to do the workouts.

I simply asked her one question - has there ever been a sport that you thought would be just so cool to do? Immediately I saw a spark of excitement in her face, she told me she always wanted to do rock climbing, but never had the belief that she could do it. Fantastic we had just found her motivation.

Two weeks later after the change of focus and some adjustment to her routines, she joined a local club and got right back into the workout habit. 30 days later she had dropped a dress size and was really enjoying her time in the gym, plus doing great with the climbing too!

So you see habits can be broken down, simply by recognizing the patterns, then making a conscious decision to do or try something else. Yes it is NOT easy, but don't you think your life would be fuller, richer, more interesting if you didn't spend so much time on autopilot?

So start right now, decide what different route you are going to take to work tomorrow, stop yourself before consuming anything and really SEE what you are eating, and start making better exercise habits by changing the focus to an outcome that really excites you!

The best of luck

by Tim Goodwin

Tim is a fitness professional specialising in help the busiest people achieve more with their amateur sporting interests, and at the same time ridding them of excess body fat.

Based in Luxembourg, Tim writes about general fitness for keeping in shape, sports training for non professional sports people, goal achievement strategies and many other topics.

Visit http://www.getfit.lu/success.html to get a free 18 page report "How to lose weight even when you are really busy" containing a full 4 week program which you can start today!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Tim_Goodwin

Get Fit And Stay Fit This Summer!

While most of you have probably been working out all winter long and watching your diets, the key now is to maintain exercise and diet throughout the summer and retain all those great results you have worked so hard for.

Here are a few tips and suggestions on how to stay fit this summer.

No matter what type of diet regimen you’ve been on, it may be a good idea to continue the diet until after the summer is over. Maintaining a healthy diet will enhance your ability to participate in all forms of sports and activities throughout the summer months.

Also, your diet will afford you the opportunity to continue to eat light, healthy meals as opposed to fried, fatty, and heavy foods during the summer.

Summertime is synonymous with barbeque. No doubt you will have your fair share. Stick to your diet and you will keep the pounds off, especially on those special occasions when outdoor barbeques entice you with foods and drinks which may add excess calories.

Continue your exercise routine throughout the summer.

During the hot summer months, your body will fair much better in the heat if you are in good shape. No doubt, you may engage in running, walking, or other strenuous exercises.

Therefore, continue your exercise program and you will benefit in the long run. Whether you spend time in your garden, swim, or bike ride – any physical activity will enhance your health and help you achieve your weight goals.

No matter what form of physical activity you do choose, whether it's cycling, hiking, swimming, gardening or hitting the gym, make it enjoyable. Have some fun! Also, you can turn it into quality time with family, or perhaps some quiet time to de-stress after a busy day.

Keep active and continue your diet regimen throughout the summer so that you will look your best at all those patio parties. After all, you’ve worked very hard over the long winter months to achieve your goals. Now is the time to stay that way.

I read a great post over at the Burn The Fat Blog today. Check it out and see how others keep slim and trim after losing unwanted fat. The article is about women but it is very useful to men also. Keep the faith!

Weight Loss Discipline - Are You Really In Control Of Your Driving Forces?

Appetite versus Diet - A Tough Battle

Our bodies are complicated machines, not unlike an automobile. The way that we treat it, is the way it will perform. Feed it high grade nutrition and it runs well. Feed it low grade and it will sputter and stall, and you will have trouble starting it again.

Most of the operation of the body is done automatically. You don not have to think about it. Just put it in drive and let it run. While in drive, the autonomic nervous system is in control of most of the operation.

The nervous system, the cardiovascular system, the respiratory system, and the endocrine or hormonal system all run smoothly, until the driver (you) disturbs it with emotion or activity. and, even then it adjusts to the circumstances.

Two bodily functions operate outside the normal, automatic, operation. Sex drive and appetite consume much of our daily time. Though, they may affect the nervous, cardiovascular, respiratory, and endocrine systems, they are for us to control.

Sex and appetite are driving forces in our bodies. They produce cravings, and sometimes overpowering desires. Appetite and sex drive are present in us for two important reasons. They are necessary for survival of the individual and survival of the species.

Either one of these can spiral out of control. You are the driver of this human automobile. You must control thee urges. The body does not automatically turn of these cravings or desires. This is the first thing you must realize about a diet.

You must control the cravings, the same ones that were needed by our ancestors and still needed by poorer nations in the world today, to keep the species growing.

Appetite is a strong urge to overcome. We exist today, because our ancestors got fat during the good times , so they could survive harsh winters or droughts.

Today, in our modern American culture, food is plentiful. Food can be bought with little money, although the less expensive food is generally,of a poorer quality. Again, you are the driver. You decide when to stop or go. You decide where or when to turn.

There is no magic pill to make your body lose weight. If you are not committed to a diet plan, you will not succeed.

There have been diet aids, in pill form, to help you over the years. In the 1960's and 1970's amphetamines were given out rather freely by the medical community. These worked well for many people. But amphetamines had the risk of being habit forming or even addicting in some cases.

Strict control by the DEA ( Drug Enforcement Agency ) changed the ease of distribution of amphetamines. Then a new generation of diet pills were marketed by pharmaceutical companies. They were less effective and less addicting.

Around the same time, the herbal industry was experimenting with herbs and combinations of herbs for appetite suppression. The main ingredient in the formulas was ephedrine, in one form or another. Again,government regulations put a stop to the use of this ingredient a few year ago.

There has been many new herbal blends, developed over the last couple of years, to help suppress appetite. Perhaps, the most effective ingredient to have come out of these discoveries is Hoodia gordonii . It comes from a a cactus in southern Africa. Studies show that it actually curbs appetite and has not shown any serious side effects to date.

What you need to do first, is get your head right. Decide what you want to do and when you want to do it, as far as diet goes. Develop a healthy eating plan.

It should be a well balanced diet. It should contain foods that you enjoy eating, and foods you continue to eat for a long period of time. There are healthy, tasty, healthy meals that you can have delivered to your door, at a reasonable cost.

You may want to add a herbal, like hoodia gordonii to aid you in your diet. Most importantly work out your diet plan before starting. Decide when you are going to do it, then do it. Adding an exercise regimen to your diet program would be a good idea.

by John Markus

Written by John Markus at http://www.feelmorelife.com John had been a pharmacist for 33 years. His wife has type I diabetes. Also, his eight year old granddaughter has diabetes. He and his family have been dealing with these type of problems for a long time. Tough at times, but successfully in end. John has also been studying exercise and nutrition and their effects on the human body. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=John_H_Markus

Exercise Does Not Have To be Complicated. Just Move And Burn Those Calories!

A Few Simple Ways to Burn Your Calories

It is not always necessary to run 15 miles each day to burn some real calories. It may be tiring as well as boring doing the same thing every morning. A better idea is to engage oneself in physical activity each and every week.

This way you will be able to create a solid base to ensure that you can build a successful exercise program. The following simple exercises can be included as a part of that program.

It is important to know how the calories are burned during an activity. It depends on both the weight of the person, as well as the intensity. The following are estimates for the number of calories burned for an average 150 pound person during an hour of activity.

If you are walking briskly, expect to burn about 300 calories.

Basketball is a great way to spend calories. You can burn well over 450 calories in an hour.

If you have to clean your house, why not do it with optimism? Light cleaning consumes about 240 calories an hour.

Do you have a green thumb? Yes, gardening uses about 324 calories!

Golfing on the weekends is a favorite pastime of many. 385 calories are burned if you carry your clubs! Forefront!

Put a stationary bike in front of the television. You’ll be burning 380 calories an hour while you catch up on the latest news.

Are you a fan of the aerobics class at the local gym? Great if you are, because this activity uses 405 calories for just an hour of sweating.

Also, that elliptical trainer can burn an amazing 630 an hour!!

Even ping-pong has healthy benefits! This activity uses 280 calories per hour.

Apart from the above ways of burning calories, there are some other activities doing which we start burning calories unknowingly. Like a mother or a person with children knows that chasing after these little ones can burn calories. The number probably depends on just how wild that kid is, but that can certainly count.

Hey, if nothing else, even sleeping burns calories. You’ll be using up 45 for just an hour! But that’s not an excuse to take a nap! Actually being active as much as you can is the master key to weight loss success as well as leading a healthy life.

No dieting or medicine can cover up the requirement of physical activity or exercise if you are considering a healthy lifestyle or a good shape of your body.

Burn those extra calories. Follow the simple ways to bring positive change in your life style to ensure a healthy life and beautiful body and mind. You can make it a success, as we say where there is a will, there is a way.

by Isabel Hayek

The author, Isabel Hayek, addresses health and fitness related issues. If you wish to seek help for your fitness related problems, you can log on to http://www.adipexpower.com for more information and advice.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Isabel_Hayek

How To Lose Weight And Keep It Off

Great post about weight loss vs fat loss, why diets fail, and how to keep weight off permanently post diet period. Check out the 'KSuccess Blog'.

Rodger is currently hosting a Physical Fitness & Weight Loss Challenge. It started some time ago and is still open and the information alone is worth heading on over and checking out.

Back to the article link and a little teaser for you:

SMART Weight Loss - How to Lose Weight and Keep It Off

Did you know that as many as 95% of all diets fail to produce long-term weight loss? I don’t know about you, but that seems like a pretty dismal success rate to me. Why is losing weight and keeping it off such a difficult challenge?

Now, before you tell me all about your friend Joan who went on the XYZ diet and lost 30 pounds in 2 months, you have to be clear about what success means when it comes to weight loss and dieting.

It turns out that losing weight is generally NOT the problem. In fact, most overweight people will find that they can lose weight using almost any popular diet. The real problem is keeping the weight off after you’ve lost it.

That’s where most diets fail to deliver, and usually leads to the “yo-yo” dieting vicious cycle that can wreak havoc on your sanity!

In this article, I’ll show you why most diets actually set you up for failure right from the start. I’ll also show you an alternative way to lose weight based on a strategy that I have been using successfully over the past 10 months. It took me a while to figure out the best way to go about it, but that means that you won’t have to go through the same trial-and-error process that I did.

My Own Struggles with Weight Loss

A few years after finishing college, I started eating more and stopped exercising as much as I used to. Not surprisingly, my weight slowly started to go up.

About six years ago, I reached my peak of about 170 pounds, which clearly put me into the “overweight” category based on my height. I didn’t necessarily feel fat, but I was definitely overweight.

Since then, I’ve tried to lose the weight three times.

The first time was about four and a half years ago. My strategy then was to follow a traditional “diet” and eat less food to create a caloric deficit. I would often skip breakfast altogether, or have just a small piece of fruit.

Using this approach, I felt hungry a good portion of the day, particularly in the morning. I could hear my stomach rumble while I was trying to do work. I got cravings for food nearly every day. I definitely did not enjoy the experience.

This “diet” only lasted for about 3 months. My weight did drop down to about 165 pounds, but it quickly went back up after I stopped dieting.

My second weight loss attempt was about three years ago. At that point, I had started playing racquetball regularly 3 times a week. The regular exercise from racquetball helped me get my weight down to about 166 pounds. Then, I tried going on another diet to get my weight down even more.

After about 4 months, I finally broke 160 pounds for a single day! Unfortunately, I had the same problems sticking to this diet as I did before, and I never reached my target of 158 pounds. To make matters worse, I dropped one of my regular racquetball days because the gym was too crowded and ended up going back up to about 167 pounds.

I started my third attempt on March 2006. This time, I didn’t want to have the same poor results that I experienced before, so I changed my strategy.

I’m very confident that this time I’ll be able to lose the weight and keep it off long-term because I’ve already reached and surpassed my original target weight of 158 pounds. Plus, I have kept the weight off for well over 3 months.

So far, I’m down to about 155 . . .

Read more . . .

How Persistent Are You When You Hit The Wall And Think About Wimping Out?

Motivate Yourself To Move - No Matter What

"Be miserable. Or motivate yourself. Whatever has to be done, it's always your choice." - Wayne Dyer

I'm absolutely miserable our first morning back in town after a marvelous month spent in sunny, but quite cool, Florida. I find myself faced with the prospect of pushing myself out into Chicago's sub-zero cold for my daily five mile walk.

“Ain't happenin',” I think. “Now what?”

The bare minimum I will walk on a day like today is one hour. So, my only other option is to bundle up, race down the street to East Bank Club, chain myself to one of their high-tech treadmills, tough it out for that hour and get the whole thing over with.

As treadmills go, I especially favor the ones that look like “Star Wars” Strato Scooters, so I pick my favorite on the end, punch the “quick start” workout button and away I go.

However: by 13:09 into my workout, I'm already bored silly without my I-pod. I can't believe I forgot it. That thing's like an appendage to me, but today it's in a different spot than usual because of last night's travel and I just plain forgot it. My dang knees are crying, too.

How many of you would quit right here and now at the first sign of a little discomfort?

If you want to lose weight and get healthier, you have to work past the pain and walk every day. (Consult with your doctor first, but do get your butt moving ASAP.)

You know what your personal pain tolerance is and what everyday aches you have that you always use as an excuse to not move as much as you should. Stop letting those things hold you back. Stop holding yourself back.

Get on the scale. Look at yourself in the mirror. Feel how tight your waistband is. Look at yourself from behind. Notice how snug your shirts, sweaters and blouses fit.

It's time for you to get moving. Or are you waiting for some catastrophic health event to strike where, if you're lucky enough to survive, THEN maybe you'll start to do what you need to do for a healthier, more fit life?

Why wait?

Back to the music matter: it works wonders as a distraction from pain. It's one of the things that keeps me walking day after day after day. Studies prove that people who walk and listen to their favorite music are more likely to develop walking into a daily habit. (And for safety, listen only in one ear while you're walking outside.)

15:51 minutes: I'm restless and looking for an escape. I spy some of Nautilus's new, split treadmill machines called treadclimbers. Hmmmm.

17:09: My curiosity gets the better of me. I feel the need to switch over to one of the treadclimbers and keep my warm up going while I get oriented on this new cardio contraption.

“No need to run. 2 X's the workout!” blare the red-dotted words on the screen. We'll see.

I last five whole minutes - that's the amount of time allotted to figure out how to work the thing - before I call it quits. I can't move my legs another revolution.

“Continue workout?” red-dot flashes next. Not!

“Treadclimber, indeed,” I wonder. What genius thought this one up? But in my heart I'm envious of those who zoom along, cardio-cranking, proficiently smooth and sweating like hell. That's the real name of the fitness game if you can handle it. Lucky dogs. Otherwise, take it slow, do what you can, but you do have to push yourself and practice every single day to get results.

And if your heart, knees, hips and back can take it, the treadclimber will seriously boil off your excess pounds in no time flat and then keep them off for as long as you continue to use it daily. That's the key to one of dieting's biggest “secrets,” consistency - doing it daily. Forever.

I can't beat a path back to my old treadmill fast enough. The grass was not greener, and clearly I need music to get me through the rest of this workout.

Another turning point: how many of you would quit now? How many of you would figure, “What the heck,” and just stop right here?

I have to press on. No excuses.

Doing some quick math, I figure seventeen minutes on the first treadmill, plus the five minutes I spent on the tread climber, equal twenty-two minutes. That leaves me with a minimum of thirty-eight minutes to go - back on my original “Strato Scooter.”

A few minutes into it, I wish my knees would stop screaming while I wait for the Excedrin I popped a bit ago to kick in. I'm just thankful to be back on level “ground,” if you know what I mean.

My one eye slits open: only 30 more minutes to go. This is pure, unadulterated penance for my 30-days of wayward vacation behavior. Miraculously, however, I didn't gain any weight even though we wined and dined with tastes of dessert almost nightly. (OK, so some nights there was more than just a “taste.”)

And don't think I was a total slug while we were away. It was 30 straight days of walking a minimum of five miles a day on the beach and swimming an hour in a perfectly heated pool every afternoon that helped me keep my weight in check.

Plus - two more dieting biggies: weighing myself every morning and being very stingy with every single white starchy, sugary carb I put in my mouth at breakfast or lunch that helped, too. (I never eat both on the same day anymore.)

Vigilance is vital. There is no other option.

I quickly count my blessings. In the old days I would have figured, “Heck with it, we're on vacation,” and toss all caution and training to the wind. And by the time I'd get back home - I could easily be up ten, fifteen or twenty. Not any more.

But, at 11:23, (of the 38 minutes I have left this go-round) I discover I have to pee.

“No way,” I think. If I stop again I will never be able to get back on this thing. I know it. This is way too hard for me today - especially without my usual musical diversion.

15:52: For distraction, I sneak my Bluetooth outta my purse and clip it on my ear, placing a verboten call (club etiquette rules) to my business partner, whispering to her that I'll be in within the hour.

I then slam my eyes shut, grab hold of the handlebar and by 20:44 I gleefully realize I'm over halfway there.

Failing to keep my mind occupied, I compulsively open my eyes again and again only to find the first thing I stare at is that dang elapsed time.

25:52: How will I keep on walking for the duration? Then I think about the consequences if I don't - that does it for me every time. After struggling for a lifetime of being mostly overweight, I know full well what will happen if I ever succumb to such lazy thinking again.

An almost anorexic gal climbs onto one of the treadclimbers just a bit in front of me. Her legs and feet are a dizzying blur as she gears up to speed instantly without so much as a how-da-ya-do warm up. She's tall and weighs maybe ninety pounds dripping wet - half of what I weigh, so what do I expect. The lighter the load, the faster you move.

“Only ten minutes to go, no one would know if you stopped now,” I hear. I know it's not me but that dang Demon voice in my head trying to sabotage me yet again. I refuse to listen. “I would know, you butthead, and that would never do.”

Why risk entertaining such a bad habit now, after all I've done, after how far I've come? Quitting early just isn't my style. I know how much better I look and feel without that extra 130 pounds. Even with my chronic pains, the effort's well worth it. The pains are far less and I'm much healthier now.

Onward.

33:17: My Demon is hard at work begging me, demanding, stomping his foot to get me to stop now “before it's too late.” “Too late for what,” I snarl? Demon doesn't come up with a good enough answer, so I press on, eyes clamped tight to shut out the elapsed time's red-dot display.

36:28: Just a few more minutes. “You can do it,” I encourage myself.

“Don't be a fool. No you can't,” hisses Demon.

37:01: Only 59 more seconds of this misery. Rest assured, I will never forget that dang I-pod again.

I see myself punch the cool down button. Am I crazy or what? Adding five more minutes onto this treadmill torture for good measure is insane, but I do it anyway - just because I can, thinking, “Take THAT, Demon.”

I always make sure to get my daily walking workout in no matter how hard it is, no matter what.

How about you? You know there is no REAL excuse.

Do whatever has to be done. It's always your choice.

by Laura Dion-Jones Casey
P.O. Box 10876
Chicago, IL 60610
312-933-7325
February 16, 2007 ©
http://www.poundbypoundonline.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Laura_Dion-Jones_Casey

Goals And Goal Setting In Weight Loss and Health Building

OK. OK. I admit it, the reason I have been posting so many weight related articles lately is that I was getting pretty chunky myself and it was time to start focusing in on dropping down to a more healthful weight.

I am in the process of dropping 40 pounds from my December 2006 weight. I was not doing my regular exercises and walking that is normally part of my daily schedule. Let's face it, my work has kept me pretty busy and I sacrificed fitness activities for business growth.

I do not feel bad about this. Sometimes my life does get out of balance and then I need to swing back and forth from time to time.

Overall, I do pretty well at balancing my hectic schedule with my personal physical fitness time. I choose my own schedule and commitments, and sometimes the urgency of business overwhelms the importance of healthful activity.

I never get that far out of shape, but performing more computer time has definitely caused me some grief as far as reduced calorie burning this time. So, it was time to get the old metabolism fired back up and get serious about my fitness goals! LOL!

There are some great articles on Paul Piotrowski's Blog that deal with the mind set needed to succeed with your weight loss goals. The links to the information can be found at the bottom of this post.

Weight Loss Tip: Why You Must Know Exactly What You Want to Look Like

Ok, I’ve got it: you want to lose weight. Yes, you want to “look good naked”.

But do you know exactly what you want to look like?

Maybe, just maybe that’s why most people never arrive at their dream( be it a body or a ‘place’). Their minds don’t know what they really want. They don’t know what they’re aiming for. You want to “lose weight” but you don’t have a clear picture of what you want to look like. Your poor mind does not know what you want.

How can you expect to ever get that body!

Remember This: You are never going to make any real progress towards getting the body you want, unless you tell your mind, your real, inner mind called your unconscious mind, what exactly it is that you want.

You see, everything we achieve in our lives, we achieve because of our minds. In fact, the (overweight or out-of-shape) state that you have arrived at today, is because of your Mind.
Now you may be saying to yourself: “I did not set myself the goal of getting my body to look like it does right now! That statement just can’t be true!”

Ok. Look at it this way.

Our minds are what are known as “goal-seeking servo-mechanisms”. That means, our minds need something to strive for, to work for, to achieve.

And if we don’t set a real goal for our minds, that mind of ours is always striving for goals that others have set for us. And it is always striving for our 'default goals'.

And how did these “default goals” get into our system?

Listen: Somewhere, somehow, in our past (or present) environment, we have learnt certain things, quite unconsciously. We have learnt:

What is ‘True’

What is ‘Important’ to us

What ‘Feels Good’ And these ‘Truths’, ‘Important’ things and things that ‘Feel Good’ set a kind of ‘default goal-set’ in our unconscious minds.

Let me explain with an example that I see happening today, right before my eyes:
I know a family, with a young son. That son is already showing the signs of becoming Big. On more than one occasion, when we went out for pizza with this family, I watched the parents and the son each consume a full pizza.

I could not believe my eyes!

My 3 kids were hard-pressed putting away 2 slices of the same pizza! My wife and I could hardly eat one pizza between us (and I am a bodybuilder who can eat quite a bit, though I draw the line at pizza...). But this family gobbled up 3+ pizzas like there was no tomorrow!

That young boy has unconsciously learnt from his parents the doubtful ‘joy’ (the 'Feel Good') of eating big amounts of food at one sitting. And it shows in his young body.

Unfortunately, it will take quite a bit of work for him to un-learn these lessons, lessons that are being reinforced daily by his family.

You see, you already have what I call ‘default goals’ in your unconscious mind. These default goals have been programmed into your mind from way back when through your immediate family and other influential people (your friends, school, etc).

And even one of those ‘default goals’ could have brought you to your current body shape, where you need to lose weight to live to see your children graduate … from Grade 2!

Remember this: It is your unconscious mind that really guides your body and your life, long-term.

Therefore, it is very important for you, especially if you want to tip yourself in favour of losing weight, to have a clear goal for what you want your body to be.

You see, a Strong, Clear Goal of your New Body, will over-ride your default goals, and set a new direction for you, so that you automatically start out on losing weight.

You have to have a clear picture of yourself, sitting right in front of your mind: "This is what I want to look like with my New Body". If you want to lose weight and get a great body, then you must have this picture constantly in your mind, not only now while you are reading this article.

And once you inform your subconscious about this body that you are targeting, you are going to lose weight until you look like that body. Almost automatically.

So, as part of today’s Weight Loss Tip, let’s set about getting a clear picture for yourself.

Get out all the magazines you have in your cupboard under the stairs. Leaf through the magazines. Tear out large images of the best bodies for display in those magazines. If you like those pictures, they are in the running for what you consider to be a great body.

Make sure that these pictures are very scantily clothed (and your gossip magazines are sure to have many images along those lines). You should be able to see pretty much all of the body (so that you can give your mind a very clear idea of what it must head for.)

Line up your pictures next to each other and then select the 3 best pictures. Remember, you need to be able to see the bodies clearly, so these should be the largest pictures you can find.

Can you find any that are “all-round” views of the same beautiful body? Then that’s the body (and the set of pictures) you choose!

Now stick those pictures up on a board in your private room, in a position that you can see every day.

And from today, for the next 60 days (or until you are sure your mind is “set” in the right direction), look at that collection of pictures for 2 minutes every morning, and 2 minutes each evening before going to bed.

And while you look at those pictures, say to yourself: “That is the body I want for myself. And I am taking action right now, each day, to get myself that body.”

And watch yourself take action to lose weight, and start moving in the direction of your fantastic body!

This weight loss tip alone is worth its weight in gold to you.

Now get cracking! Put this tip into practice, right now!

by Melroy d'Rego

Melroy d’Rego is the author of the book “Why Your Mind Keeps You Fat and How You can Fix It!” as well as the “Fix the Mind that Keeps You Fat” Workbook and dozens of articles (both audio and text) on getting the Mental Attitude + Action mix that can make anyone’s body permanently lean and strong.

Melroy is an award-winning public speaker and a bodybuilder. He loves to teach people to use their mind to Lose Weight and get the great body they deserve.

Visit http://www.winnerology.com/ or call 61-2-9466-7545 to get your copy of “Why Your Mind Keeps You Fat and How You can Fix It!”, the Book that will Help you Lose Weight, and Keep it off, Permanently!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Melroy_Drego

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Looking To Get Into Shape Before Summer?

Here is a series of great articles on Paul's blog which really helped me get serious results at the beginning of this year . . .
Getting in Shape Series - Step 1 - No Holds Barred
Getting in Shape Series - Step 2 - The First Few Steps
Getting in Shape Series - Step 3 - The What, The Why and Beliefs
Getting in Shape Series - Step 4 - Getting Leverage
Getting in Shape Series - Step 5 - Shifting Your Identity

I hope you enjoy them. A successful mindset can keep you in the game when all else fails.

Managing Weight Loss Motivation Levels To Persist To Your Goal Weight

Staying Motivated While Losing Weight

Anyone who has ever had to lose weight knows first hand just how difficult it can be. And for those people who tell you just stop eating or just cut back, you can rest assure they’ve never had to struggle with weight issues in their lives.

The truth is losing weight is hard work and the more you have to lose the harder it is. But that doesn’t mean it’s not achievable. There are many, many people who have achieved weight loss and are living happier and healthier lives.

One of the biggest struggles of weight loss is staying motivated. Sure most of us start out with great enthusiasm and usually have great results the first week or even two but once the weight loss slows down that’s when our willpower has to work overtime to keep us from reverting back to bad habits.

Here are a few tips to help you stay motivated during your weightloss:

Picture It
– Visualization has been used for years by many and it works. Take 5 minutes out of your day to visualize the pounds melting off, but don’t stop there.

Imagine what your life would be like if you were thinner. Would you have more confidence, would you buy new clothes, start dating again, what would you do? Visualize it and stay motivated.

Journal It
– Start a journal at the beginning of your weight loss journey, write how you’re feeling, what your goals are and what a difference it would make to your life.

Then take a picture and stick it to that page. Depending on how much weight you’d like to lose you can update the journal weekly or monthly (as difficult as it may be, you should probably do it weekly).

Take the time to take a new picture every week and stick it in a new page along with a few notes, if you hit a plateau, look back through your journal and see just how far you’ve come.

Reward It
– Set small goals throughout your weight loss and rewards to go with it. For example 5 pounds can be a nice body lotion, 20 pounds can be a fab new outfit.

Make the rewards whatever you want but try to stay away from food rewards as this is not constructive to your weight loss.

Instead do have little treats here and there throughout your weight loss phase (don’t deny yourself completely) and see these treats as everyday part of life not something to use as a reward, just make sure you eat them in moderation.

Flaunt It
– Why not? You’ve worked hard, share your thoughts with friends and family members. Let them know how proud of yourself you are and bathe in their compliments.

You’re taking steps to change your life and doing something that’s not easy at the best of times, so be proud of yourself and share it with others.

Keep yourself focused on the big picture, the prize at the end of the program, not the process. Managing your motivation properly will be the key to attaining your goals in weight loss. Good luck!

Did You Set 2007 Resolutions Regarding Your Health

I just had a new report come available for setting healthy New Year's Resolutions. It is fairly long and well detailed so prepare to spend some time going over it. There are many extremely useful tips and strategies for making resolutions work long term. So if any of your goals are in this health area, then read on. The link to the whole report is below.

Setting Healthy New Year Resolutions
How to set and stick to your health goals this New Year

Staying Healthy for a Life Time

“This New Year I’m going to go to the gym four times a week”, “My resolution is to quit smoking”, “I will lose 20 pounds and look great for summer”…We’ve all been there at some point or other, the New Year starts and so do our resolutions.

And why not, the New Year is all about new beginnings, hopes and dreams. The problem can be when we’re not realistic with our resolutions or don’t map them out appropriately it can be difficult to accomplish all our goals.

It’s great that you want to get healthy this New Year. By now, we all know the important link the foods we eat play in our health. We also know how smoking, excessive drinking and lack of exercise can affect our health for the worst.

If you’ve been putting off starting your healthy habits because it seems like too much of a daunting task or just haven’t had the motivation this is a great time to get started. This report will give you information on staying healthy and keeping your body in optimum shape, by incorporating small achievable steps into your everyday life.

Continued on site here.

Top 10 Fitness Tips And How To Lose Fat

Top 10 Fitness Tips

"I don't exercise. If God wanted me to bend over, he'd have put diamonds on the floor," comments Joan Rivers.

It's true, many of us simply do not enjoy fitness and exercising. It's also true that every single person in this world can benefit from a proper fitness and nutrition program.

Use these top 10 fitness tips to get your workout routine started today. As always, talk with your doctor before starting a new fitness or nutrition program.

Tip #1- Set Realistic and Tangible Goals

Simply stating that you want to lose weight is not effective. Be specific. For example, I want to lose 5 pounds of fat by February 14th.

Tip #2- Measure Your Progress

Take your base measurements and then re-take them on a regular basis. You cannot measure your progress if you have no idea where you started from.

Tip #3- Log Your Workouts

Each and every workout session should be logged. Keep all of your fitness logs in a binder and create your very own success journal.

Tip #4- Mix Up Your Cardio Workouts

Cardio sessions should vary in intensity and in length. Try new cardio activities and keep things fresh.

Tip #5- Strength Training Is Not Just for Men

Everyone should strength train. Strength training builds muscle and increases bone density. Train all major muscle groups 1-3 times per week.

Tip #6- Rest

Get 7-9 hours of deep sleep each and every night. Also rest your muscles by not working out 1-2 days each week.

Tip #7- Warm Up

Warm up for 5-10 minutes before every workout session. You should feel a rise in your body temperature.

Tip #8- Cool Down

Cool down by stretching out your entire body. This helps increase flexibility and decrease muscle soreness the next day.

Tip #9- Nutrition Is Half the Battle

Eating small meals throughout the day complements your fitness routine. Learn to eat healthy and kick diets out of your life forever.

Tip #10- Stay Motivated

Find a workout partner. Sign up for a marathon. Work with a personal trainer. Do whatever it takes to remain committed. If you falter, let go of guilt and get back on your routine as soon as possible.

These top10 fitness tips build the foundation of a safe and effective fitness program. Anyone can drop body fat and gain lean muscle mass by following a realistic workout and nutrition plan. Stay the course and you will be healthier and happier for it.

Copyright 2005 Lynn VanDyke

Lynn VanDyke is the creator of A Step-by-Step Guide: How to Melt the Fat & Gain a Life. It is the only program that shows you exactly how to eat, exercise and succeed with life. The 400+ page interactive program comes complete with over 100 exercises, 130 daily menus, 63 ways to stick with it and loads more. Learn more by visiting: How to Melt the Fat

Achieve Your Fitness Goals

Achieve Fitness Goals by Being Easy on Yourself

Sometimes we get down on ourselves.

Maybe we didn’t perform the way we wanted to at a presentation for work, didn’t do all the studying we could for an exam or review, needed more time and put out a product that was only good—not the best.

When this happens, most people—myself included!—tend to get a bit down on ourselves. We feel like we have failed our expectations and didn’t live up to our standards. And maybe this is true, maybe we could have taken some more time to prepare that PowerPoint for a presentation, studied a little bit harder or spent more quality time developing a killer product—all these, we could have done and the end result would have been better.

These are our lessons, the reason we have them is to grow. So let’s look at it that way—as growing experiences—and STOP BEING HARD ON YOURSELF!

Being hard on yourself will only bring you into a dark place where the only thing around is question marks about your potential success. What is going to happen to me? Who noticed that I messed up? Will I ever do what I want to do? Get out of the negative and your life will ease up, I promise.

This is no different with your fitness and health goals. If you become your own worst drill sergeant—screaming and shouting at your last mess up—you will not build the positive support within yourself to sustain an enlightened and lasting fitness and health program. I promise you this as well.

You can see how this affects professional athletes all the time. Watch tennis and take careful notice of how the players react to their own missed shots. If a player hits the ball into the net and reacts poorly, chances are the next three or four rallies will have more errors on his or her part. What is happening is this…

His conscience is being a drill sergeant. He is screaming his head off at the player telling him to stop screwing up! While he’s still screaming, he’s still playing tennis and so now he’s listening to his drill sergeant and trying to hit a first serve that’s over 100 mph! Talk about some serious multitasking! These conversations are negative and counter-productive.

Instead, to avoid this berating, he should acknowledge his mistake and calmly peacefully let it go. How? Take a breath. Concentrate more. Don’t correct his swing or positioning, just concentrate on what his doing—in this case hitting a tennis ball. I guarantee he will not flub his next few shots.

Same with baseball pitchers. You’ve seen the guys who miss a few strikes then start getting into their heads and swearing and cursing on the mound. What happens is the same, the drill sergeant gets talking and the concentration is out the window. This is when they give up homeruns and unintentional walks.

Master pitchers have learned to shrug off bad pitches and concentrate on the task they are there to complete. I’ve seen many games where a great pitcher has missed on one pitch and given up a homerun, then come back and shut the other team out for the remaining innings. Pitchers like these are masters not only at throwing the ball hard—but of concentration.

You cannot do everything perfectly.

If you get off track, take a day to breathe, look over your goals and then refocus your concentration. For many of us, fitness and health require a lifestyle change that creates LASTING habits! You’re bound to slip up once and a while, so don’t kill yourself.

Here’s a great story my coach, Nick, told me when I was struggling with being too hard on myself.

There was a young boy named Michael, about 10 years old, that Nick had been counseling for a short period of time. Michael was overweight and was having a tremendously difficult time in school. He had trouble with his math and was a level or two behind in reading. He just didn’t feel good about himself and the other kids were starting to pick on him because of his reading deficiencies and, of course, his weight.

Nick had met with Michael a few times and now the issue they were discussing was his performance at school. After pulling some teeth to get Michael to talk about his problems in school and with the other kids, Nick was unsure of how to proceed with the session. So he asked Michael a very blunt and straightforward question. “How do you felt about yourself?”

Michael responded with this, “I feel like a big fat failure.”

“Whoa, whoa, hold on a second,” Nick said, “What makes you feel like that?”

“I don’t know, I just am.”

“Well Michael, why don’t you tell me about something that you really like.”

Michael looked up to the ceiling. “I like animals!”

“And tell me, what’s your favorite animal?”

“The Cheetah!” Michael nearly jumped out of his seat.

“Great!” Nick matched his enthusiasm, “and tell me about the cheetah.”

In double-time, Michael began to tell Nick all about the cheetah, how it walks, how it eats, how it sleeps, when it sleeps, again what it eats—to the point where a non-caring Nick would have kicked himself for asking this question at all.

When Michael seemed to be winding down, Nick gently interrupted.

“Wow, you certainly know a lot about the cheetah don’t you? You mentioned something that I want to talk about. You said that the cheetah eats zebras, right?”

“Yeah, and antelope, and…”

“Well, Michael, when the cheetah goes out and hunts, so you know how many times he gets the prey and can eat dinner?”

Michael thought for a minute then exclaimed, “All the time!”

Nick’s face became more serious, knowing Michael was wrong and he slowly gave Michael his lesson, “That’s not true, Michael. The cheetah is lucky if he gets to eat once or twice a week. He hunts many times and doesn’t catch a thing. Did you know that?”

“No, I didn’t”

“Michael, the Cheetah is a very special animal because it keeps trying all the time, day after day so it can eat. He may miss his dinner 4 or 5 times in a week. Now would you call the cheetah a big fat failure for not being successful every time?”

Michael got the lesson Nick was trying to teach him and started performing better in school.

We can’t be at our prime all the time, and when we aren’t we absolutely cannot punish ourselves for it. Be more like the Cheetah, go out everyday knowing that you are doing what you need to be successful.

If you fail, breathe, and come back more concentrated the next day. You will be a success, I’m sure of it!

How to be a Cheetah

Here are the tools that will allow you to tell your drill sergeant that he or she’s better off making sure we don’t forget our business appointments that interfering with our fitness and health successes!

Step One: When you start to hear the drill sergeant, listen to his speak for a short time. Listen to what he says. They will probably be similar to things like this “You stupid…” or “I don’t believe you just…” or “Why can’t you ever keep a commitment for…” For this step, just be aware that this is happening so you can recognize it when it happens again.

Step Two: Tell your drill sergeant that you are thankful he is around. Seriously. Thank him for sharing his thoughts because this same drill sergeant is the one who gets you out of bed in the morning (he’s not all negative!).

Step Three: Take a few deep breaths.

Step Four: Ask your conscience to move on to the next thought. If the next thought is just as negative and just as degrading, repeat the four steps!

When you master this, you will be able to deal with your drill sergeant easily and quickly before you begin to start the self-doubt that can destroy your chances of reaching your ultimate fitness goals!

by Kevin Gianni

Kevin Gianni is the holistic fitness expert. He is a certified personal trainer and co-founder of Lifestyle Fitness, a home workout program that gives you the tools to radically change your views on health and fitness for the rest of your life.

Be sure to sign up for our free email newsletter that has the fitness and health tips other "gurus" are charging big bucks for.
www.yourlifestylefitness.com
kevin@yourlifestylefitness.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/

Low Impact Swimming Workouts

Swimming Workout

A swimming workout can be a new and refreshing way to get or stay in shape. Swimming is a full body aerobic sport that tones muscles, improves strength and flexibility, increases circulation, controls weight and enhances body contours.

Swimming workouts give you a low impact activity that can easily be tailored to match your abilities. A good way to gain cardiovascular stamina is to exercise in a swimming pool.

The secret to a good swimming exercise program is to work with the water. To accomplish this, propel yourself through the water by using your abs, hips and shoulders.

To understand why water exercise works so well, you need to know about water's unique properties. In water, your body has almost no gravity. You're relieved of 90% of your body weight so you become very buoyant.

You can float, bob and relax without feeling like you're putting out any effort. Yet water provides 12 to 14 percent more resistance than air, so as you move through it, it's like having weights around you.

Swimming laps is great exercise in a swimming pool. Try different strokes to vary the muscles you work to keep your workout balanced.

Going vertical or upright is another very effective exercise in water. These types of water workouts include water walking, jogging, water aerobics, water toning, water therapy, water yoga and water flexibility training.

You can strengthen your muscles with these vertical water workouts because you experience 75% greater resistance than swimming horizontally. This vertical position maximizes the resistance of water against your movements.

Water based activities can provide significant benefits for older adults too. In addition to increasing metabolism, physical activity can improve cardiovascular health and increase strength, not to mention the psychological and social benefits as well.

Joining an aquatics class or just sharing a swimming workout with a friend can help you feel better about yourself. You can be more socially active, engage in community activities and tend to not lose your independence because you are more physically fit.

The bottom line is to choose activities that you enjoy and will stick with. It is never too late to introduce physical activity into your life. Swimming workouts can provide a healthy and enjoyable way to get back the fun you use to have as a child.

Copyright © 2005 Treadmill Info.com All Rights Reserved.

This article is supplied by www.treadmill-info.com where you will find valuable information, ratings, reviews, articles and buying tips before you make the investment in quality fitness equipment. For more fitness related articles go to: www.treadmill-info.com/articles_1.html

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/

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The Power Of Positive Habits
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. How you can "Lose Weight" Automatically!
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10 Tips to Stay Motivated

Top 10 Tips to Stay Motivated on Your Exercise Program

1. Know your Reasons

Think about why you want to exercise and write down every reason you can think of. Explain in full detail what working out is going to do for your life and your health. And reread your list whenever your motivation needs a boost.

2. Set Daily and Weekly Goals

Although it's good to think big, don't just set yourself a long-term goal because it can seem too distant from where you are now. If you have a daily or weekly challenge then you have something to achieve and motivate you right here, right now.

Make sure your goals are just a little bit stretching - doing too much too soon is a prime cause of injury and exercise drop-out.

3. Track Your Progress

Keep a log of all your workouts. It's amazing how quickly your fitness will improve and seeing your progress in black and white will help spur you on to keep going. Even in the early days when the going is tough and you might not have noticed any changes in your body and fitness levels an activity log gives you something to be proud of.

4. Plan to Succeed

You have to set aside time for working out and schedule it as if it's an appointment that can't be missed. Block out the time in your calendar and treat it like a doctor's appointment. Your health depends on it just as much.

5. Do Something Daily

Once you've got an exercise program going it helps if you do something active every day just so that you keep your mind focused on your goals. You probably don't have time to fit in a workout every day but any activity is fine - walking, dancing, housework, gardening - just something that keeps your mind and body in exercise mode.

6. Have a Plan B

The path towards fitness doesn't always run smoothly. Be flexible if muscle strain or extra work pressure prevents you from doing your usual routine. Try going to the gym before work or plan a different activity which does not affect your injured muscle to keep going when life gets in the way.

7. Don't Ask Whether Ask When

Consider working out as an important element of your life and make it part of your routine. Don't even get into a conversation with yourself about whether you'll exercise today, just make plans and do it. No matter how much you don't feel like working out, you'll be amazed how good you'll feel once you get going.

8. Find a Workout Buddy

Look for a workout partner with similar goals and level of fitness to make exercise more enjoyable and add a little healthy competition. Plus, you'll find it's harder to skip a workout if someone is relying on you. If you don't have a friend who wants to get fit, consider investing in a personal trainer to keep you motivated.

9. Make it Fun

Prevent boredom by trying new activities and using a variety of ways of working out. Just because it's fun doesn't mean you won't get fit. How about trying salsa-dancing, scuba-diving, skiing or roller-blading? Even something as simple a adding intervals to your usual routine can give you a new level of interest.

10. Believe You Can

You'll be healthier, fitter and change your whole body shape if you stick at your exercise program. Change is possible for you just as it has been for so many others before you who have transformed themselves with exercise. Acknowledge that you can experience those results for yourself just by keeping going with your fitness program. You can do it, you really can!

Copyright 2006, Janice Elizabeth Small

Janice Elizabeth is a weight loss coach, slimming club owner and author of "The Diet Exit Plan", an 8 week coaching program for automatic permanent weight loss. Get her FREE 15 page report How to lose weight without dieting - 7 secrets the diet industry doesn't want you to know at http://www.SimplySlimming.com TODAY!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Janice_Elizabeth_Small

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The Motivated Mind
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