Please don’t allow yourself to be confused by all the wild claims that you see when it comes to losing weight. While some of the exercise equipment, supplements and eating plans may be good for you and might help, the truth is that you really don’t need any of it. All you need to do is eat better and move more, it’s not rocket science. When just starting out, walking for weight loss is a wonderful way to get started.

Before you start any type of exercise program make sure you talk to your doctor first. This step becomes even more crucial if you are already overweight, have underlying medical issues or just haven’t done much physically for a long time. Once your doctor gives you the thumbs up, get busy.

Walking is a great place to start for anyone at any fitness level, particularly those that are out of shape. It’s easy on your joints and it will allow you to build up to a much higher level.

You don’t need any special equipment, training or even a gym membership (you will need a good pair of shoes though so you don’t hurt your feet).

You can go for a walk all year, in cold weather climates many indoor shopping malls open early so walkers can come in and do some laps, this adds a social aspect to your daily walk too which means it starts to be fun and you will be much more likely to stay with it.

You can take your dog for a walk, you can go for a walk with your kids or grandkids, you can invite a friend to join you. There are a lot of things you can do to make your walks more fun and inviting.

As your fitness level improves you can increase the intensity of your walks by increasing the distance you walk or stepping up your pace. You can even add hand or ankle weights to increase the intensity of your walk.

If you really want a challenge find some hilly terrain to walk on, walking up hills will really get your blood pumping!

With so many options and so many ways to make your walking more fun and get more benefit from the time you walk, it just makes sense to include walking into your overall fitness plan.

Of course, your exercise routine is only part of the whole picture, the things you put in your body will play a huge role in your overall weight loss success. Not only what you put in your body but how much you put in your body.

Find someone who can help you figure out a healthy, well balanced food plan if possible. If you don’t have anyone who can help, go to your local library or online to find some cookbooks. There are hundreds of cookbooks that will provide you with heart healthy, low cholesterol, low carbohydrate recipes. Just find one that has recipes that are balanced, look good and that you think you will enjoy preparing.

Walking for weight loss is a great way to get started and with the many ways you can intensify your walking workout, you don’t have to stop when you are in better shape.

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How To Keep Your Child From Becoming Obese – Work At It

If you want to know how to keep your child from becoming obese, the best thing you can do is to lead by example. Teach them from an early age the importance of eating right and getting plenty of daily physical activity.

We are creatures that can be taught many things. Many of the things we like or dislike are actually just habits. If you teach your kids to like fruits, vegetables and to lead a healthy active lifestyle, they will. Of course, they will make their own decisions as they get older but that early training will set the stage for life long good habits.

One of the worst things you can do is to be a hypocrite. This is true not only with diet and exercise issues but with your overall lifestyle too. For example, if you are a smoker, it is ok to tell your kids they shouldn’t smoke, but if you don’t want to seem like a hypocrite you shouldn’t just ‘order’ them not to smoke (which doesn’t work anyway) it’s much better to talk to them honestly about the dangers of cigarettes and how you wish you had never started, etc.

lead by example, always. It’s also helpful to workout with your kids. From a young age include them in the activities that lead to a healthy lifestyle. Go to the gym together, take a workout or fitness class together, take martial arts or boxing classes together, go for a swim or play basketball together. Just get in the habit of spending time getting some exercise together.

You can also include them in the food planning. When they are old enough go through cook books with them and ask them to help you find new recipes to try. Let them come with you to the grocery store and teach them how to buy fruits and vegetables.

Go to farmers markets or health food and organic stores with your kids. The earlier you start these habits with your kids the more ingrained it will become (it’s also a wonderful way for you all to spend time together).

Many of these ideas can help you set your kids on a path that will be the foundation for a life time of better lifestyle choices… and it can be fun too.

Always encourage your kids to try new things, to try things that are healthy and good for them. Sometimes parents inadvertently blow off their kids and their ideas without really meaning too. For example, if your kid is kind of a clutz and they come to you and tell you they want to take martial arts lesson, don’t laugh and remind them that they are a clutz, instead encourage them to give it a try.

You may think that you are protecting them from being hurt emotional, but you can’t go through life that way. You won’t always be there and they may just be good at it. Even if they’re not, you can still help them find something that will work for them.

It’s easy to learn how to keep your child from becoming obese, the best way to do that is to be proactive and teach them good habits from the start.

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