I know you have been told this a million times but if you want to lose belly fat you must lose weight all over. You cannot just spot reduce. There are quite a few core body exercises that you can do to tone and strengthen your abdominal muscles but you just can’t do one without losing weight all over. Losing weight is a package deal.

The bigger the package the longer your journey will take so the sooner you get started the better. Before you even start to worry about one specific area the best thing you can do is learn to strengthen your core.

Your core is just that, the middle of your body, abs, ribcage, and lower back. These muscles are what hold you upright and help keep you balanced. When they get weak, you will find you lose your balance more often than not and may even start falling because of it.

Weakened muscles in your core can lead to instability in your lower back and cause you to have pain, or worse yet, a herniated disc. If you have ever had a herniated disc you know that it is extremely painful. They take forever to heal and will flare up at any time. Usually when you least expect it.

When you belly fat lose you will decrease the pressure on your joints and back and decrease the level of pain you feel. In fact, if you were to lose just 10% of your total body fat you could increase your mobility and decrease your pain by about 30%. Every ten percent body fat lost takes approximately 100 pounds of pressure off your lower back and legs. Save those knees and that lower back. Lose the weight.

Do yourself a favor too, while losing the weight, find a good chiropractor. They can adjust your spine and make everything start flowing (your chi) better while you are in transition from being fat to becoming fit and thin.

If the chiropractor you find is also a slash physical therapist, you can even have them show you exercises to begin your work outs with and progress into more intense strengthening exercises.

Do you have kids? Can you get outside to play with them? If you can, then do. It will be good for them and good for you. If you play with your kids it will not seem like a work out but you will be surprised how children’s games can be an excellent source of exercise for all concerned.

Run, jump rope, play tag, hide and seek, any of those games we all used to play with our brothers and sisters and all the neighbor kids out in the front yard when we were young. Some friends of mine and I were just talking about those games we used to play and I had to do a search to relearn how to play Ghost in the Graveyard.

Who says you have to stop playing just because you get older? Find that inner child again and let them help you belly fat lose.

Tags: Abdominal Muscles, Body Fat, Chiropractor, Core Body, Fit, Flare, Herniated Disc, Joints, Journey, Knees, Legs, Lose Weight, Losing Weight, Million Times, Physical Therapist, Ribcage, Spine, Strengthening Exercises, Transition, Work Outs —

If you are interested in losing weight the Atkins Diet plan may be just what you are looking for. The theory behind this plan is to significantly lower your carb intake. When you lower your carb intake the body does not have that immediate energy to burn or store. What happens then is the body will naturally go to it’s next available source to get that energy, which is your stored fat.

The first step in the Atkins diet plan is called the induction phase. For the first two weeks your daily carb intake should be less than 20 grams per day. And no bad carbs at all. In addition, you get to eat all the protein you can handle. Lean meat, fish, shrimp, milk, cheese, and yogurt, just to name a few.

The only carbs you can eat will come from vegetables like sprouts, celery, cabbage, cucumbers and mushrooms. You get the idea, fresh vegetables taste the best. You can cook them, steam them, or eat them raw, it is all the same. This is the phase of the diet that you will see the most significant weight loss.

The second step in the diet plan is called the OWL, or the ongoing weight loss, phase. Your weight loss will slow down somewhat with this step because you will be slowly starting to increase your carb intake. Continue to stick with the good carbs, though, you do not want to mess things up now.

Adding 5 grams of carbs back in per week while you monitor your weight closely. When you reach the point when you are no longer losing 1-2 pounds per week back off the carbs a bit. This step should bring you within 10-15 pounds of your goal weight, so naturally it will take the longest.

The nest step is the pre-maintenance phase. This is the time you begin to increase your carb intake by 10 grams each week. When you hit the plateau, continue eating the exact same number of carbs for one month. Hopefully, you have decided to add some daily exercise in with this diet, too.

When the month is up add 10 more grams of carbs, if you begin to gain weight then decrease the carbs again by 10 grams per week until you begin to lose weight again. You should still be losing 1 pound per week during this phase. Make sure you are staying hydrated throughout this plan, as well. Stay away from pop, drink water or green tea.

When your reach you goal weight and enter into the maintenance phase you should be pretty well schooled on how many grams of carbs you can safely take in in one day. This is the amount you should stick with and not go over if you want to maintain your current weight. By the time you get to this point you should be at your goal weight and you can call yourself a success at using the Atkins diet plan.

Tags: Atkins, Atkins Diet Plan, Bad Carbs, Celery Cabbage, Cucumbers, Eating Habits, Fish, Fruits And Vegetables, Goal Weight, Good Carbs, Healthy Diet, Induction Phase, Lean Meat, Losing Weight, Maintenance Phase, Milk Cheese, Mushrooms, Owl, Plateau, Protein, Shrimp, Steam, Vegetables, Weight Loss —

With so many people in our country struggling with weight loss and other related health issues, it is no wonder that
Weightloss reality shows are so popular. There are at least 6 different shows on various networks that explore the ins and outs of trying to lose weight.

Some of them are game show formats where the contestants compete to see who can lose the most weight, others are more intimate and chronicle the everyday experiences of just one person as they try to lose weight.

Whether you love these types of shows or you hate them, one thing appears clear, it is unlikely that they will be going anywhere anytime soon. They are just too popular and they seem to strike a chord with many viewers.

Even though the main focus was, and still is, entertainment, many people are actually finding that these shows are providing them with some much needed motivation.

It can make achieving permanent lifestyle changes easier in your life when you see some other normal day to day person doing exactly what you want to be doing. It can really help you believe that you can get where you want to be too.

I think that is one of the biggest draws for these types of shows. They can give us hope and allow us to see someone actually succeeding at the very thing we want to accomplish.

There are even “real world” offshoots of many of these shows. The t.v. show “The Biggest Loser” has actually inspired gyms that allow anyone to join and benefit from the same diet and exercise plans they see on the show.

Since many people can be intimidated by going to gyms, having a gym that screams “every man” might make it easier for people to find the motivation and go workout on a regular basis.

With a lot of gym franchises the commercials always show only the perfect hard bodies that go to that gym. Of course they do this to illustrate what you can accomplish for yourself if you too join their gym.

But sometimes I think it has the opposite affect. I think people who are overweight will look at that and think that everyone at the gym is a perfect specimen and they will be too intimidated to join.

When you have a gym franchise based on a popular t.v. show about average overweight people getting in shape, I believe that sends a very different message and I think a lot of overweight people would be more likely to join and workout and not let the intimidation factor get to them so much.

If you are struggling to lose weight and get into shape, you may find that watching one or more of these t.v. shows will actually help inspire you and keep you motivated.

Making permanent lifestyle changes can be a little intimidating so it’s a good idea to find anything that will help you stay the course. If watching Weightloss reality shows helps, than by all means, go for it. Make it as easy as possible on yourself to accomplish your weight loss goals!

Tags: Biggest Loser, Commercials, Diet And Exercise Plans, Everyday Experiences, Franchises, Game Show, Gyms, Hard Bodies, Health Issues, Healthy Diet, Ins And Outs, Lifestyle Changes, Losing Weight, Motivation, Offshoots, Real World, Reality Shows, Related Health, Weight Loss, Weightloss, Workout —

Experts say that people who are over 20 years of age should pay more attention to their cholesterol level and advise them to do everything they can to lower their levels of bad cholesterol. Despite the so many claims that you can lower your cholesterol level through low cholesterol diet plans, lifestyle changes, and monitored medication, more and more people who suffer from this condition still fail to lower their cholesterol level.

Although it is sometimes hard to stick with the needed requirements to be able to lower your cholesterol levels, it is still possible to get the result that you want by following these easy ways to lower to cholesterol:

1. Make sure you know where you stand by getting your levels checked regularly. Visiting your doctor and getting your cholesterol levels checked regularly is very important to achieving optimum health for good. Since high cholesterol is related to cardiovascular disease, make sure that you know your numbers so you can rearrange your diet and change lifestyle habits as well. Knowing your cholesterol level will also help you decide what kind of diet plan you should follow and if you need medication and treatment already. Knowing your starting point will also help you monitor your progress toward healthy cholesterol levels. If you know your exact cholesterol status then you can also do something to combat it by learning to quit cigarette smoking and excessive eating of high cholesterol foods.

2. Understanding the basics and learning everything you can about the condition. If you have been diagnosed with high cholesterol levels, the first thing to do is to understand the situation fully and acquire more information about the condition. By conducting your own personal research on the condition will also make you knowledgeable about initial lifestyle changes you can do to lessen the problem and you will also have an idea what other treatments options available. Knowing everything about cholesterol, its types, kinds, and health risks will also make you understand that the case is not really hopeless if you are in the right track.

Finding and getting more information about the condition will also make you realize that there are so many things that you can do. You can get more information from a registered dietician, local centers for nutrition, local hospital or public health department, and from a consultation with your attending physician or health care provider.

3. Watch your weight and get rid of extra pounds if needed. Monitoring your weight is one of the best ways to combat high levels of cholesterol. If you think you are overweight for your age and height, then you should be contemplating on slimming down to be able to decrease your high cholesterol level. Since being overweight disrupts a persons normal metabolism of dietary fat, experts say that people who weight more than they should shout start planning on a healthy lifestyle and diet to lose weight safely.

But, before having a drastic change in your diet and lifestyle, make sure that you visit your doctor first to access your overall health. Doing this may prevent further damage especially if you have to undergo certain medications.

4. Get physical, do regular physical activities and exercises more often. The wonders of exercise are indeed very essential in lowering high cholesterol levels. Doing regular physical activities can also help raise the good cholesterol levels and lose weight as well. Theres really no need for high-intensity workouts, regular brisk walking or jogging can help the body boost HDL cholesterol and also beneficial for the heart.

5. Make a commitment and stick to that commitment. The best way to lower cholesterol levels is to be able to develop the discipline to stick to your goal. You can also lower your cholesterol level by acquainting yourself what are the good and the bad fat and its sources, by discovering the wonders of fiber in cutting down cholesterol, by taking in good multivitamins, by freeing yourself from lots of stress, and by exploring and considering treatment options when all else fails.

Tags: Bad Cholesterol, Cardiovascular Disease, Cholesterol, Cholesterol Level, Cholesterol Status, Cigarette Smoking, Diet Plan, Diet Plans, Eating Habits, Excessive Eating, Healthy Diet, High Cholesterol Foods, High Cholesterol Levels, Lifestyle Changes, Lifestyle Habits, Losing Weight, Low Cholesterol Diet, Medication, Optimum Health, Options, Personal Research, Quit Smoking —