These Can Cause Belly Fat

It could be you’re one of the lucky ones. You don’t have to monitor your weight or lose belly fat, you devour what you like, you brag about not having to exercise, and you shake your head in pity at your chronically-dieting friends.

Daily we make minimal decisions that make a big difference to your weight. Because we think little about these small decisions, the weight multiplies until it’s time for a full workout plan of action. Rather than waiting until it's too late, start spotting these six diet saboteurs that may be gradually adding inches to your waistline.

“Out of Hand” Weekends

Researchers have found that people eat substantially more on weekends without even noticing it; especially on Saturdays when fat consumption is at its highest. Those additional weekend calories can quickly add up.

To avoid overindulging on the weekends, be aware of portion size and limit your alcohol consumption.

Eating On The Move

Eating on the go can lead you to eat too fast for your body’s hunger and satisfaction signals to keep up. If you take less than 20 minutes to eat a meal, you could be setting yourself up for urges and over indulgence.

Plus-Sized Portions

Cook at home instead of eating out and use a smaller plate for your meals. Don't forget that half your plate should be filled with vegetables and one fourth with a lean protein. If you must eat at a restaurant ask for a doggie bag before you eat and pack up the excess portion to avoid digging into too much food.

"Fancy" Coffee Shop Beverages

Those specialty drinks can cost you about 370 calories and 15 g of fat. Instead, go for a regular coffee with a couple tablespoons of sugar and you’ll slash about 17,000 calories a year from your diet, which is almost five pounds.

Missing Meals

Skipping meals is another way to wreak havoc on your metabolism. Your body might store extra fat to prepare for other missed meals. Instead of skipping meals, eat small nutritious snacks such as a handful of nuts or fiber rich cereal when you can’t get to a complete meal.

Get Fit for the New Year

The holiday office party and the New Year's Eve festivities with family and friends probably did nothing for your figure. But don't fret. Here are five simple exercises you can do at home, or even at your office, to help you lose belly fat and look spectacular in the New Year.

Dancing:- Dancing is an excellent cardiovascular exercise and it doesn't require a lot of work to do. Get your "Happy Feet" this year by putting on your favorite tunes, then move your feet, and swing those arms and hips.

Lower Body Exercises:- These exercises are simple to do and don't require fancy equipment. Just make some space, grab a chair, and let the lower body toning begin.

• * Squats are an excellent exercise because they strengthen the front of your thighs, tone the back of the legs, and they firm your glutes, which gives your derriere its nice shape.
• Lunges are another great exercise to tone and strengthen the muscles of your legs and glutes.

Upper Body Exercises:- If you're going to be showing those arms, these exercises are crucial.

• Overhead arm extensions with a medium sized weight will take that wiggle off the back of the arm. This will get the underside of your arms toned and tight. Good-bye flabby. Hello firm.
• Side arm lifts work your deltoid muscle and gives your shoulder its nice shape. Arms are great to tone and sculpt because you can incorporate a lot of simple moves for great results.
• Don't forget to tone your chest and back with a few push-ups.

Stretching:- You can do some basic stretches at home that will give you the same calming results. Try this first thing in the morning or after a long day. You'll love it.

• From a standing position, take a few deep breaths. Drawing in your stomach, take in a deep breath while bringing your arms out to the side and then overhead as if reaching for the stars.
• Take another deep breath, then lower your arms out to the side while cascading downward with a slight bend in the knee, just like a swan diving down into a calm sea.

Abdominal/core exercises:- There are so many ways to work your mid-section, but the following exercise is perfect for flattening your front.

• Lying on your back, bend your legs with the soles of your feet on the floor. Now, lift your feet with calves parallel to the floor. Place your palms behind your head, then take your right elbow toward your left knee, and straighten your right leg parallel to the floor, toes pointed forward. Hold for a count of four. Now switch sides with left elbow toward right knee, holding again. Hold for two, then do singles, or go back to a count of four, and you will feel your mid-section crunch and tighten.
• Remember: always begin any exercise by drawing in your stomach. The benefits of the “draw in maneuver” cannot be over emphasized as this stabilizes the body, brings your core into alignment, and over time, helps to flatten the abdominals.

It's never too late to begin to change your life, so start today by adding these simple moves to your routine and jump-start your new year!

The Fittest Year Of Your Life

It's time to build a great new body and lose belly fat. There are great ways you can achieve this, season to season. By exercising three to five times a week for at least 30 minutes, you can have the body you want in no time.

Winter: Base-Building and Boredom-Busting

You have to build a solid foundation of strength and cardiovascular health before you can move on to more intense and more fun activities. Start here.

Be Spontaneous - You can do anything you feel like, for 30 minutes to an hour. For cardio, follow the guidelines outlined above. For strength, keep your weights low, or just do one set of each exercise, mixing them as you please without thinking about what's coming next.

Schedule Breaks - Avoid burnout. Every 4 weeks ease up during the last week. That will give your body time to absorb the work you've been doing. Your muscles get time to repair themselves, and you'll be more ready for the workouts to come.

Spring: High-Intensity Fat-Burning

The party starts when winter is over. Now you can kick your program into gear by increasing your intensity. Here's how to ramp up your routine.

Climb High - Try pyramid intervals to push your body to new levels of intensity. You can do them as running sprints, on a treadmill, bike, or elliptical. Warm up, then do a short burst of 15 seconds, and slow down your intensity for 30 seconds. Next, sprint for 30 seconds, then jog for 45 seconds, sprint for a minute, then jog for a minute. Then take the time sets back down again. Repeat for 15 to 30 minutes.

Speed-Up Sets - Alternate between cardio and strength training in 5-minute bouts. Use a different cardio machine each time and alternate between two different strength exercises for 5 minutes. For example, do 10 to 15 reps of a bench press and then 10 to 15 squats. Without resting, head back to the bench press for another set. After 5 minutes, get on the elliptical machine for 5 minutes before tackling two more alternating strength exercises.

Summer: Maintenance

This is when you make time for those long, leisurely outdoor workouts by cutting out one or two heavy sweat sessions. It's fine to cut back on your frequency, but to maintain your fitness level you have to maintain your intensity with at least two high-intensity workouts a week.

Take 10 - Ten minutes may not be enough for staff meetings or back massages, but it's all you need if you want to jog on the beach, because you can burn twice as many calories working in the sand.

Fall: Preholiday Prep

As the season changes, you'll want to step up your routine by adding at least another day of exercise, so you're training 3 to 5 days a week again. You also might want to add some intensity before the holidays eat up all your time.

Pump Out Those Endorphins - Multiple studies show that aerobic exercise helps beat and prevent depression because it causes you to release endorphins. So squeeze in at least three good cardio workouts each week to stay happy.

5 Kitchen Tools To Help You Lose Weight

Kitchens are equipped with basic appliances and utensils; however, a dieter's needs may involve a little more hardware. Anyone who has ever been on a diet knows that the proper gear can greatly aid in their weight loss. Here are five everyday cooking essentials we can use to eat healthier—and lose weight.

1. Panini Press/Griddle

This versatile machine cooks everything from hot sandwiches to grilled veggies, chicken, and fish. Its non-stick plates—which are designed to drain grease for healthier cooking—make lubing with high-fat butter or margarine unnecessary, not to mention give food that great grilled look and taste. And because food doesn’t simmer and soak in oils and grease (like in a conventional frying pan), by cooking with it you can easily shave a hundred calories off your meal!

2. Blender

Your conventional or hand-held blender could be your biggest weight-loss ally. Use it to whip up fruit smoothies in the morning and puree cooked vegetables for delicious soups and bisques at night. Not only will you drastically reduce the amount of processed foods (which can contain high levels of trans fat, saturated fat, sodium, and sugar) you consume, but also you will get your daily recommended servings of fruits and vegetables (which, according to the Department of Health and Human Services is two cups of fruit and two and a half cups of vegetables per day for adults consuming 2,000 calories a day) without even thinking about it.

3. Food Steamer

Although many consider a raw food diet as healthiest type, it’s not always optimal (or palatable). Cooking food via steaming is universally regarded as the next-best thing. Steaming, unlike boiling, ensures that foods’ vital nutrients are retained while allowing you to cook food without adding calorie-laden ingredients. Plus, steam is so gentle that it keeps food’s natural aroma intact.

4. Kabob Skewers

Yet another tool that helps avoid loading up your meal with unnecessary oils and fats, the skewer is a stylish partner for grilling or broiling beef, shrimp, chicken, and veggies. Since each one can only hold so many bite-size ingredients, it also helps with portion control. Cook your kabobs on a grill and you’ll score extra calorie-saving points, as fat will drips away in the process.

5. Food Scale

Food scales take the guesswork out of calorie counting because they precisely measure individual ingredients or entire meals, making portion control a cinch! Don’t already have one? Not to worry! You can purchase a solid digital food scale for as low as $20

Exercises You Can Do on Your Sofa

Some days, you have every intention of actually working on losing weight by making it to the gym, or even for a simple walk outside...but that just doesn't happen, and you remain in the comfortable clutches of your couch or arm chair, staring at the TV, hour after hour.

Believe it or not, you can make this scenario work to your body-toning advantage - with your sofa or chair doubling as a surprisingly effective workout tool!

1. Couch Push-Ups

Facing a couch, kneel on the floor about 2 feet away from it. Cross your ankles, and place your hands shoulder-width apart on a cushion edge. Slowly bend your arms, and lower your upper body until your chest touches the couch. Hold, then press up again.

2. Side Crunches

Lie on the couch on your left side with your legs together and your knees bent. Place your right hand behind your head with your elbow pointing toward the ceiling. Wrap your left arm across your waist. Contracting the oblique muscles along your right side, lift your shoulder off the couch, bringing your rib cage toward your hip. Hold, then slowly lower. Repeat, then switch sides.

3. Armchair Stands

Sit on the edge of a chair or couch with your feet shoulder-width apart. Without using your arms, press into the floor with your feet, and stand, tightening your butt muscles as you rise. Keep your abdominals tight and your back straight. Hold, then slowly lower yourself. Before you touch the chair, stand up again.

4. Armchair Dips

Sitting on the edge of a chair (or couch), place your hands on the edge on either side of you. Move your feet out so that your butt is off the chair, and your knees are bent at 90-degree angles. Bending your elbows so they point behind you, lower yourself as far as comfortable. Hold, then slowly press up again.

5. Leg-Up Couch Crunches

Lie on your back on a couch with your knees bent, your feet up on one end, and your hands behind your head. Pressing your lower back into the couch, slowly lift your head, shoulders, and upper back off the couch. Hold, then slowly lower.

6. Scissors

Lie on your back on a couch with your hands (palms down) under your butt and your legs straight up in the air. Keeping your knees slightly bent and your feet flexed, slowly spread your legs as far apart as comfortable. Hold, then slowly bring your legs together, resisting as you press them in.

Best Guidelines for a 10-Pound Weight Loss

Wanting to get rid of a few extra pounds isn’t that hard to realize. There are several guidelines for a 10-pound weight loss out there that you can surely utilize for your own advantage. Integrating these tips with your diet and exercise regimen can definitely help you lose unwanted fat in a shorter period of time.

Reveal to Others You Are On a Diet.

Making your diet public is a form of affirmation. It is very hard to keep your diet a secret from others and there is no motive for you to do that. Telling others that you are on a diet can really benefit you in the long run. More people would be able to help you on your mission and you can depend on them more for morale support.

Motivation is the key to a successful diet. You can get this from those around you, especially from your loved ones. If you hear negative comments, just brush them off and think of the positive effects of what you are doing.

Don’t Forget to Drink Lots of Water.

Water is obviously very valuable to the body. It can even be more helpful during diets. Water doesn’t only help the body get rid of toxins and functions properly but also eliminate cravings. A sudden shift in eating habits can cause unexpected cravings and hunger pangs. Water is very beneficial during these tough times.

A glass of cold water can effectively eradicate any of your cravings even for just a moment. Whenever you feel like eating before meal time, grab a glass of water and drink until you feel the cravings melting away.

Get a Weighing Scale.

You don’t have to buy those large weighing beams that they use at the hospitals. There are a number of digital weighing scales available at your local hardware and electronic store. This is an important step in any diet; how else can you monitor your progress if you don’t own a scale? Always remember to choose a brand that is known for its durability and accurateness.

You can either opt for a simple weighing scale that only has the basic ability to tell you how much you weight or something that has extra features like weight logging and comparison programs. The latter type of weighing scale is very helpful in telling you just how you are developing through the diet.

Weigh Yourself Every Day.

Once you have acquired a weighing scale, place it in your bedroom where you can easily access it after waking up. Most people only weight themselves weekly. Though this method is still effective, weighing yourself daily can tell your daily progress. This is even more evident if you get a weighing scale that is accurate to the last detail. Bear in mind that a 180.8 yesterday is different from 180.0. A weighing scale that can’t tell your accurate weight even to the last decimal is less useful.

Losing as low as .8 in your weight is significant because it shows you exactly how your diet is working. Keep in mind that the diet is only as good as its results. Strive to find more guidelines for a 10-pound weight loss or be creative and make some. You don’t know how much they can help you achieve your goal.

The Energy Drink Scam - Do Energy Drinks Actually Help You, or Can They Actually Make You Fatter?

This article is by my favorite author Mike Geary, Certified Personal Trainer and Nutrition Specialist.

Today I have a little rant on energy drinks...

I receive a ton of questions about all of these new "energy" drinks that have hit the market over the last few years. They seem to be all the rage, and they promise you the world with outrageous claims of all of the super energy that you are going to have, and how you'll become the best athlete in the world, start lifting cars over your head, and get a perfect body.

So a couple questions arise:

Are these "energy" drinks really any good for you?

Do they actually increase your energy?

Do they really have some sort of magical energy formula?

Will they help you lose weight?

First of all, let's look at what most of these energy drinks are usually made of. Most of them are simply carbonated water loaded with gut-fattening high fructose corn syrup (or other added sugars), caffeine, the amino acid taurine, and some crappy artificially-derived vitamins added for show to trick you into thinking there's something healthy about these concoctions.

Let's start with the high fructose corn syrup (HFCS). Well, here we've got empty calories that will go straight to your belly fat, and that are possibly even WORSE for you than plain old refined sugar (although that's up for debate, but semantics in the big picture). Some energy drinks use other added sugars instead of HFCS, but it doesn't really matter, because they are all gut-fattening empty calories with no nutritional benefit.

Ok, so you say that they also have low-sugar or sugar-free varieties as an alternative to the HFCS-laden energy drinks. Yes, but now you have the problem of the harmful chemicals in the artificial sweeteners which have their own set of health dangers.

Another problem with artificial sweeteners is that there are some research studies that indicate artificial sweetener use leads people to inadvertently consume more calories and gain more weight in the long run... in addition to having a negative hormonal effect in the body. I won't go into all of the details on that topic because that would fill up an entire discussion by itself.

Just trust me that artificial sweeteners and artificial chemicals in food in general, are ALL bad news for your body! It's never a good idea to try to "trick" your body with artificial tastes.

What about the caffeine?

Well, first of all, caffeine doesn't in itself provide "energy". Technically, the only substance that actually provides energy is calories (from carbs, protein, and fat).

However, caffeine can be an aid for livening or waking some people up, by means of stimulating the central nervous system.

Instead of caffeine artificially added to some carbonated "energy" drink, I'd rather get my caffeine from a natural source like green, white, or oolong teas (or my new favorite - yerba mate teas), which actually provide very powerful healthy antioxidants too!

Keep in mind though, if you're a regular daily coffee drinker, you probably have some level of addiction to caffeine and probably wouldn't receive too much benefit from the caffeine in an energy drink anyway.

Tip: try to drink more tea and reduce your coffee intake to only a couple days per week max to reduce your dependency on caffeine. Most teas contain much less caffeine than coffee, and some teas (such as green, white, and oolong) contain synergistic phytochemicals that work to slow the response of the caffeine that they do contain. This means you get a milder response from the caffeine in green, oolong, or white teas compared to the harsher jittery response that some people get from coffee.

Now what about that so called magical blend of taurine and B-vitamins that they load into these energy drinks?

Well, big deal...you get taurine in almost any protein source. And the vast majority of those artificially added B-vitamins are simply coming right out into the toilet in your pee. Vitamins are best obtained naturally from a REAL food source, not artificially added to some carbonated drink. Your body just doesn't use fake sources of vitamins as readily as natural sources from real food.

So as you can see, in my opinion, I give all of these energy drinks a big time THUMBS DOWN! Don't fall for the ridiculous marketing of all of these so-called "energy drinks".

Instead, here's my recipe for my own home-made energy drink:

1. Make a big iced tea mixture using green tea, white tea, and yerba mate tea. I like to add a little fruit flavor, so I'll use 1 tea bag of a raspberry or blueberry hibiscus tea, and then use 2-3 green and/or white tea bags, and 2-3 yerba mate tea bags, and make a gallon container of iced tea. I just use a small amount of stevia to lightly sweeten the batch of tea.

2. I buy a container of organic coconut water from a health food store, or buy fresh coconuts to obtain the coconut water from the inside.

3. For my healthy energy drink, I mix a half of a glass of the white/green/yerba mate iced tea mixture and fill the rest of the glass with the coconut water.

This is actually a delicious and truly healthy energy drink instead of the chemical-laden crappy energy drinks that everybody is getting suckered into buying these days.

The green, white, and yerba mate teas contain a small dose of caffeine along with a diverse mixture of powerful antioxidants and synergistic phytochemicals. Plus, the coconut water is a rich source of electrolytes and a diversity of vitamins and minerals. Coconut water is known to provide a good instant energy source, and also contains a small dose of medium chain triglycerides (MCTs), which are healthy fats that are readily used for energy and also aid your immune system.

So enjoy this natural healthy energy drink, knowing that you're doing your body good instead of filling it with chemicals with normal store-bought energy drinks.

As usual, feel free to email this link to your friends and family or share it on your blogs, forums, or facebook pages to help your friends live healthier.