We all know that being overweight can produce many negative side effects on your physical and mental health. Heart attack, stroke and diabetes are three of the most common. Some of the other less talked about but equally damaging are stress on your muscles and joints. It’s a fact: weight loss reduces physical stress.

Getting rid of some stress can actually make it easier to loss weight too. Stress and weight loss are intricately wound together. If you are under a lot of stress your body tends to hold on to the weight. Nothing works as well as it should. Your metabolism slows down and it is much harder to lose the weight.

As you can see it is a real catch 22. Being overweight puts stress on your body and being under too much stress encourages weight gain (or at least discourages weight loss).

OK, I know I’ve made it all sound overwhelming, but it doesn’t need to be. Even though weight loss reduces physical stress and stress makes it more difficult to lose weight, it’s not impossible.

The best way to start is with simple day to day changes. Don’t try to change your whole world all at once, instead pick one area to work on and then go for it. Once you’ve conquered that first obstacle, pick another.

Keep doing that and before you know it you will be at your proper weight, which will diminish the abuse your joints and muscles will take and you will have less stress in your life.

For many people a good first obstacle to try and work on is their eating habits. Again, don’t think you have to do it all at once. how about starting small? Maybe take a week and concentrate just on drinking more water every day. Or eating more fruits and vegetables daily. how about cutting down on the soda you drink?

Simple, one step at a time. Don’t expect huge changes quickly. It takes time to see changes and it takes time to let the momentum build. Once you start with one thing, successfully add another and so on, the whole process will begin to pick up steam. From that point on it will seem extremely easy to do.

If you can combine some diet changes along with a little more physical activity you can greatly speed up the process. Again, start small. While it’s commendable to join a gym and resolve to spend 30 minutes every single day on the treadmill, it is also a big change and it may be harder to stick with.

If you find that you can stick to it, great, more power to you. But for many people over reaching on their goals is a great way to fail and get discouraged.

Something as simple as parking a little further from the door so you have to walk more every day is a great place to start. How about taking the stairs in stead of the elevator at least once a day? Maybe take the dog for a walk at least twice a week, etc.

You get the idea. Just start making changes, simple changes that you know you can stick with, and the rest will follow.

True weight loss reduces physical stress but it can also help alleviate a lot of emotional stress as well.

Tags: Being Overweight, Catch 22, Eating Habits, Fruits And Vegetables, Health Heart, Healthy Diet, heart attack;, Joints, Losing Weight, Loss Weight, Mental Health, Metabolism, Momentum, Muscles, Obstacle, One Step At A Time, Physical Stress, Soda, Step At A Time, Time Don, Weight Gain, Weight Loss —

Weight Loss Advice – Get Your Butt Off The Couch

It’s that time of year again, the time of year when many people make resolutions to lose weight. This year you can really succeed. Don’t worry if you haven’t met your goals in the past, every day is a new beginning. There is a lot of weight loss advice floating around and some of the tips are good, some not so much.

One way to make sure that you don’t get overwhelmed is to set small, easily achievable goals. When you approach your weight loss as an ongoing process, a lifestyle change, than you will greatly increase your chances of success.

Many women make the mistake of thinking that if they lift weight they will ‘bulk up’. Nothing could be further from the truth and if you really want fast results you would be very foolish to ignore the benefits of weight training.

Women simply do not have the biological make up to bulk up unless they work out on a full time basis, are extremely clean in their eating habits (and I mean clean, no cheating at all) and they take supplements. You just don’t have to worry about bulking up if you lift weights a few times a week.

What you should know though is that weight training will allow you to build muscle. Why is that important, simple the more muscle you have the slimmer you look. Think of a good muscle tone like a girdle that holds you in all over your body.

Let’s say two women each weigh 135 lbs. but one of them has good muscle tone and the other has more fat and less muscles, the woman who has muscle tone will look considerably slimmer even though they weigh the same amount.

Another benefit of building some muscle tone is that muscles burn more calories than fat does. That means that your metabolism will be burning hotter all day everyday, even while you sleep or sit on your butt on the couch.

The hotter your metabolism burns the more weight you will lose. Basically by adding a little muscle tone to your body you will not only look a lot slimmer you will also burn more calories 24/7, cool, huh?

There is so much bad information floating around that if you follow it you may actually gain weight. Don’t fall for out dated and incorrect diet advice.

Starving yourself is another big mistake that many people make. It’s now well known that your body must get all the nutrients it needs or it will think it is dying and will slow down the metabolism. The less you eat, the less your body will burn. That is the last thing you want when you are trying to lose weight.

Instead eat a balanced diet heavy on lean protein with little to no carbohydrates. Stay away from the white foods like rice, bread, and potatoes. Instead think brown rice, whole wheat bread (if you eat bread at all) and substitute mashed cauliflower for mashed potatoes, it really tastes better anyway.

So there you have it, all the weight loss advice you really need. Do yourself a favor and don’t look for a quick fix, instead take a sensible approach, eat right, drink plenty of water and get plenty of exercise. If you do, you will be in that new bathing suit by May.

Tags: Achievable Goals, Atkins, Butt, Calories, Couch, Eating Habits, Full Time, Girdle, Healthy Diet, Lifestyle Change, Little Muscle, Losing Weight, Metabolism, Muscle Tone, Muscles, Resolutions, Time Basis, Time Of Year, Training Women, Two Women, Weight Loss Advice, Weight Training, Weights —

How To Lose Lower Belly Fat – Good Solid Pointers

How to lose lower belly fat is a more common question than one would think. The reason being is that it’s a very common problem across the world. Think about that for just a second, not just here in the United States, but world wide.

Sometimes the biggest issue isn’t learning how to lose the fat; it’s learning how to keep it off altogether. That can be a bigger battle than just getting the weight off to begin with.

When it comes to losing lower belly fat and really fat in general, you need to get yourself into the right frame of mind. Commit yourself to your tummy fat loss and weight loss goals. If you don’t you are setting yourself up for failure.

After that, line up a good support system to help you get to where you want to be weight wise. Having people around which have the same goals you do; makes that goal more reachable. The reason being is that everyone can draw on the strength of each other, and have someone to be accountable to.

Choosing the right exercise program is one of the most important parts of losing your lower stomach fat. Now with losing lower belly fat you would want to find a program where you could involve crunches into your exercise routine.

The good thing about crunches is that you can do them at different angles to target all the muscles in your abdominal area. Some of these angles will let you focus on the lower part of your midsection; which will speed up the elimination of your body fat.

Walking is an excellent way of getting rid of the bulge that we all fight with. Not to mention walking is easier on our joints and that can end up helping us all in the long haul. Remember, the walks dont have to be miles long, just long enough to get your heart pumping and your metabolism up.

Now the diet part is sometimes looked at as the hardest part of the whole routine. Breaking old habits is tough and getting rid of things like sweets and high carbs are some of the toughest things to give up.

If a person can stick to low protein meats, like turkey breast, chicken breast, egg whites then they will be on the right track. Also sticking to plain grilled chicken and salads can make not only a great meal; but it will definitely help you lose weight.

Put just a few of these ideas in place and you will be surprised how quickly the lower tummy fat will go away.

Tags: Angles, Atkins, Bulge, Carbs, Eating Habits, Exercise Program, Exercise Routine, Failure, Frame Of Mind, Healthy Diet, How To Lose Lower Belly Fat, Joints, Long Haul, Losing Lower Belly Fat, Losing Weight, Metabolism, Midsection, Muscles, Old Habits, Pointers, Stomach Fat, Sweets, United States;, Walks, Weight Loss Goals —

Many women are under the impression that any type of weight bearing exercise will bulk them up – adding too much muscle to be attractive. In fact, the opposite is true. Muscle building for fat loss is possible, and adding muscle will, in fact, help your body to burn fat more quickly. Adding muscle to your frame helps you to secure a lean, toned appearance. You’ll be stronger, and more flexible.

When practicing muscle building for fat loss, it is key to remember that you may not lose weight as quickly as with cardio alone. However, you are burning fat more quickly. Muscle has weight, too, and you are replacing fatty pounds with muscular ones. However, if you are overweight, your weight will still drop. In either case, your percentage of body fat will drastically decrease, and you will lose inches from your hips, thighs, and waist.

When you decide to add muscle building exercises to your daily routine, start with a low amount of weight and a high number of repetitions. When you see those big bulky guys in the gym lifting weights – they’re doing the opposite. For bulk, you’d want a high amount of weight, lifted a few times. Low weight, high reps will lead to long, lean muscle and an overall toned appearance.

As you practice muscle building for fat loss techniques, it is still important to eat healthfully. Working out in the gym and then going home to load up on cookies and chips is unhealthy, and unproductive. Remember, it is much easier to avoid calories in the first place than it is to burn them once you’ve eaten.

Muscle building will help you to achieve other healthful benefits, as well. Your posture will improve, as your core muscles become stronger. You’ll have more energy, and be able to do more cardiovascular exercise as your body strength grows. Working out will become easier and easier, as you become stronger and stronger.

When you begin add muscle building for fat loss into your workout, you may be sore. If this occurs, be sure to stretch before and after your workout. Remember, your hard work will pay off! You’re decreasing your body fat percentage, which improves your overall health. You’re improving your posture, and building a stronger, healthier body. It’s a proven fact – muscle building for fat loss works!

Tags: Appearance, Bearing, Body Fat, Body Strength, Calories, Cardiovascular Exercise, Chips, energy;, Fat Loss, Fat Women, Going Home, Healthful Benefits, Hips Thighs, Lean Muscle, Lifting Weights, Losing Weight, Muscle building, Muscle Building Exercises, Muscle Exercises, Muscles, Posture, Repetitions, Workout —