Friday, April 18, 2008

Walk and Stay Fit

Walking is a great exercise. Walking improves your heart rate since it circulates the blood to whole of the body and maintains good health by controlling weight, strengthening heart and bones, and reducing cholesterol.
Study reveals that walking for 45 minutes to 1 hour a day itself can drastically reduce fat to a high extent. Walking can be considered as breathing. It is a good aerobic activity that introduces you to other activities. However fitness trends go, walking is inexpensive and pretty much open to all ages. You can walk anytime and almost anywhere you like to go.

Did you know that walking up the stairs to a fifth-floor office adds 500 steps? And if you park your car in the farthest corner of the parking lot, you could tack on another 500?

Every step you take also improves your health by controlling weight, strengthening heart and bones, and reducing cholesterol.

Here are some of the benefits of Walking:

* Walking is good for the heart.
* Walking helps overcome depression.
* Walking helps to burn fat.
* Walking helps over come sleeplessness.
* Walking helps to increase the body activity and provides flexibility.
* Walking helps fight against stress and aids in relaxation.
* Walking improves the posture.

Back Exercises for Women

Women do a lot of exercise to prevent back pains and to get fit and energetic in life. Hence here is way to discover the Back exercises and workouts designed for women and get her energy back.

Back Training is considered to be very difficult due to the fact that the back cannot be seen directly while working out. Therefore, it is important that women should develop a connection of mind and muscle. The women should focus on contracting the muscles harder especially at the top of the contraction for 1-2 seconds.

Now it is time to understand and implement the back exercises which can be the cheapest return of money over energy.

* Chin Ups – The Chin Ups are one of the most important exercises to build Back muscles. Chin Ups should be performed in regular intervals to make the best returns for your gym time so don’t commit mistake on this regards. Chin Ups is the best exercise for you entire upper body and shoulder girdle.
* Lat Pull downs - They are an alternative to chin ups to build and widen the Upper lats.
* One arm Rows - This is an excellent exercise as it forces your body to develop bilateral strength and also makes up for any muscle imbalances.
* Bent Over Barbell Row - The Bent-Over Row builds thickness in the upper back and uses the lower back and abs to stabilize the body during the movement.
* Seated Rows - As already mentioned it is more of an isolated exercise for middle back and you can add it for variety.

Exercise and women: The Real Unbeatable Challenge.

We all know that exercise is supposed to be good for us. But regular exercise has unique importance in the lives of women. If we could put the benefits of exercise in a little pill, we’d be popping them every day!

Regular physical activity has been associated with the following benefits:

• Reduces risk of developing non-insulin dependent diabetes, a new American health epidemic associated with obesity and a sedentary lifestyle;

• Lowers the incidence or progression of colon cancer and may have a preventive effect on other types of cancer as well;

• Improves balance, prevents falls and helps you to stay independent as you age;

• Improves sleep patterns;

• Increases energy;

• Can decrease the symptoms of osteoarthritis if performed properly;

• Reduces risk of developing cardiovascular disease, the leading cause of death in women;

• Prevents weight gain, helps with weight loss and is critical in keeping the fat off once you’ve lost it;

• Lowers risk of osteoporosis and builds bone or slows bone loss;

• Enhances your overall mood and feelings of well-being;

• Increases stamina, strength and flexibility; allowing you to perform a variety of work, home and recreational activities;

• Helps you to live longer (Really!) and increases fun, confidence, camaraderie, pride, relaxation, sense of achievement and more…

Friday, April 4, 2008

Better Abs exercise for a perfect look

To look fit and healthy one should take care of his health. The topic on which I am going to discuss today is: Abs
You all know, its very difficult to get good abs. A perfect look comes with perfect abs muscles which need to be worked out on a regular basis.
Thus I am going to share few ideas to train abs muscles that will help your stomach look better.
1. Repeating the exercise every time will not reduce fat: Workout with Abs depends on quality and not quantity. Hence, doing 20-25 crunches all the time will not work. It is wrong.
2. You should not do ab work in every workout. Your abs are like all other muscles in the body, they need rest. If you keep on exercising on abs and breaking the muscles down, they cannot recover to gain the results you want.
3. You should increase the range of motion by using a fit ball or some towels placed underneath your mid to lower back. This will increase your flexibility and you will feel light and tall.
4. Always prefer to train your abs at the end of your routine except under the circumstances that they've been already worked during a core training routine.
5. You should try not to give yourself too much rest in between the set of the ab exercises. You should perform 10-15 repetitions and rest not more than 20-30 seconds between sets and make sure that you don’t take a health drink or water or food in between, this can affect your health adversely.
6. Always keep a point that you should keep on changing the exercises you perform. Try not to stay with the same routine every time. Try different exercises after some time and keep switching to next ones.

Healthy Women: World Health Day

It’s a couple of days more and the World Health Day is approaching on April 7th. Thousands of events take place around the world on this occasion, since health is the most important aspect of life. When a person is healthy, he can concentrate more on his work or other stuffs. Hence, he lives a happy life.
The well being of a family is directly linked to the health and survival of the women in the family. This in turn is guided by the environment in which she lives. The theme of World Health Day for the year 2008 is: Protecting health from the adverse affects of climate change. Hence the women should take care of her health since its great to be healthy.
Team Oxygenfit, on the occasion of World health day wishes the best health to every one.

Exercise Ball and its Benefits

Exercise Balls has become very popular equipments now a days and many of the fitness Centers provide them as a routine exercise tool.
Even the Skilled Athletes use the Exercise balls which helps them to make regular exercises more challenging.
When a Swiss ball is used to do crunches, for example, the abdominis rectus is used just more than once. Many of the supporting nearby muscles has to help out, acting as stabilizers, and hence the exercise becomes much more powerful and effective than if you were on a mat doing simple crunches. The same goes for an endless list of traditional exercises. The exercise ball can really be considered as a great innovation to the fitness industry.
If you spend half an hour a day working with an exercise ball, it is enough to get a great shape pretty quickly.
• Improve your flexibility. You can perform some great stretches especially for your back and abdominal region to increase your flexibility and feel taller and thinner.
• Make yourself more graceful. When you work with an exercise balls, you get trained to balance yourself even when you are in motion, a skill that is really required in every movement you make.
• Work steadily to progress your body to a greater extent. You can increase or decrease the difficulty of the exercise you perform using an exercise ball. So you can progress steadily and shape your body.
Exercise balls come in a variety of sizes, to fulfill the needs of people of different heights.

Thursday, February 28, 2008

Reduce stress: Meditate

Meditation is an intensely personal and spiritual experience. Meditation is the best way to reduce stress, feel free and get energized. By meditating on can regenerate the lost energy. Moreover meditation calms the mind and makes us think positively. By meditating one looks forward in positive direction. Meditation totally transforms one’s state of mind. Meditation awakens the inward state of mind.

The word meditation comes from the Latin meditatio, which originally indicated every type of physical or intellectual exercise, then later evolved into the more specific meaning “Contemplation.”

How to meditate

Meditation usually involves turning attention to a single point of reference. The practice may engender a higher state of consciousness. Hence meditation can increase the concentration of the mind. After meditating one feels better, stress relieved and energized. So guys, try to meditate atleast 5 minutes a day and see the change in your life style in days.

7 Tips for Exercise Fitness in Life

1. Give your Commitment: First and foremost develop your plan of action and stick with it. It’s you who will have to give your own commitment and the commitment should come from inside your heart.

2. Set your goals: Start with exercising for 3-4 times a week for a period of half an hour. Gradually increase the duration and times per week.

3. Quit the attitude of all or nothing: Be realistic and set the exercise routines flexible with your free times. Just keep moving and you will feel happy.

4. Don’t overdo: Exercise within your limit and don’t exceed your capacity. You want to exercise and be fit and don’t want to end up panting.

5. Try to be efficient: In between your exercise take breaks to regain your energy and to burn extra calories so that you don’t get exhausted soon.

6. Schedule your exercise: It’s so easy to get diverted and skip your workout. One solution is to treat your workout like a business meeting. Write it in your planner and keep the appointment. After all, you will perform better at work if you are taking care of yourself.

7. Exercise with your friend: It always helps to exercise with a friend since you can help motivate each other on those “I don’t want to exercise” days.

Yoga and its Benefits

Yoga is practiced as a daily routine by over 20 million people in America. Everyday people experience the wonderful out coming of yoga in their life. Yoga consists of practices including Yoga poses, breathing exercises, meditation and chanting. Yoga delivers fun and relaxation in people performing it. The students, who practice Yoga on a daily basis, get more and more of the taste of this great 5000+ year old wondrous way of life. Yoga means the combination of body, mind and spirit.

Benefits of Yoga

* Raises physical strength, increases flexibility and stamina of the body
* Helps to increase concentration and self control
* Brings down stress and enhances relaxation
* Increases the functionality of immune system
* Improves blood circulation
* Gives peace of mind and a more positive outlook to life

Healthy eating: The way of life

Healthy eating requires you to become both educated and smart about what a healthy food actually is. Being smart in terms of food habits isn’t all about learning to counting calories, calculating fat or studying labels.

Eating healthy requires quite a bit of freedom. You might eat too much or not enough to be nutritious. However, you should always eat nutritious food to keep your body and your brain healthy enough.

Healthy eating is all about having a balanced diet and moderate eating habits, consisting of healthy meals at least three times per day. Healthy eaters always have different types of foods to meet up their daily nutrient requirements, not limiting themselves to one specific food type.

Healthy eating also inculcates the values in life, the positive way of life and increases the decision making abilities. Eating healthy food keeps you energetic throughout the day. Once you have habituated the healthy eating habits, you will be physically fit and mentally strong throughout your life. Eating a balanced and healthy diet is an art which is the need of the generation as some one is dying of malnutrition, or, on the other hand, some one is dying of obesity, diabetes and other sort of diseases.

Monday, February 25, 2008

MOUTABEL

Ingredients

Aubergines 4 medium
Garlic, crushed 4 cloves
Cumin powder 1 teaspoon
Black pepper powder ½ teaspoon
Salt to taste
Parsley , chopped 2 tablespoons
Tahina sauce 3 tablespoons
Lemon juice 1 tablespoon
Olive oil 1 tablespoon
Black olives, sliced 3-4

Method

1. Remove stem, wash and prick aubergines with a fork. Roast on direct flame, turning them from time to time, till well charred on all sides.
2. Dip the aubergines in cold water. Peel away the charred skin and remove excess water.
3. Put aubergines in a blender, add garlic, cumin powder, black pepper powder, salt to taste and blend. Add a little parsley and continue to blend. Add tahina sauce and blend.
4. Add lemon juice and olive oil and blend for half a minute. Do not grind it too fine, it should be slightly coarse.
5. Transfer into a bowl. Garnish with sliced black olives. Moutabel is ready

GRAPE AND YOGURT DIP

Ingredients

Red grapes, seeded 3-4
Black grapes 3-4
Green grapes 4-6
Yogurt 1 cup
Oil 1 tablespoon
Pomegranate seeds 2 tablespoons
Green chillies, seeded, finely chopped 2
Salt to taste
Black pepper powder ¼ teaspoon
Fresh coriander leaves , chopped 1 tablespoon

Method

1. Baste the grapes with a bit of oil and let them cook on the griddle for a few minutes. Remove and keep aside.

2. Crush them in a blender with pomegranate seeds.

3. Add this to the yogurt and mix. Add green chillies, salt and black pepper powder and mix.

4. Add coriander leaves and mix well.

5. Serve the dip with chips of your choice.

YELLOW CHILLI DIP

Ingredients

Hazelnuts 4 tablespoons
Fresh yellow chillies 3-4
Olive oil 4 tablespoons
Cumin seeds ½ teaspoon
Onion, chopped 1 large
Garlic, chopped 5-6 cloves
Tomato, roughly chopped 1 large
Fresh coriander leaves 4-5 sprigs
Salt to taste
Crushed red chillies ½ teaspoon
Lemon juice 2 tablespoons



Method

1. Crush the hazelnuts in a mixer and set aside.
2. Heat two tablespoons of oil in a pan, add cumin seeds. When they begin to change colour, add onion and garlic and sauté.
3. Crush the fresh yellow chillies in a mixer. Add to the onions in the pan and continue to sauté.
4. Crush the tomato and coriander leaves in a mixer and add to the mixture in the pan and continue to sauté.
5. Add salt and mix well. Add crushed hazelnuts and stir for a minute or two.
6. Add crushed red chillies and turn off the heat.
7. Transfer the mixture into a bowl and add lemon juice and the remaining olive oil.
8. Mix and serve as a dip.

OLIVE TAPENADE

Ingredients

Black olives, pitted 15-20
Fresh basil leaves 6-8
Garlic 8-10 cloves
Sea salt to taste
Olive oil 1 cup

To serve
French bread 1-2 loaves



Method

1. Slice the olives and remove the seeds.
2. Put them in a grinder. Add fresh basil leaves, garlic, sea salt, half the olive oil (preferably cold pressed extra virgin olive oil) and grind to a smooth paste.
3. Add the remaining olive oil and mix.
4. This can be used as a dip or a salad dressing.
5. Cut diagonal slices of French bread, spread some tapenade over it and serve.

Tuesday, February 19, 2008

Healthy (non)Fried Brown Rice

Take day old brown rice, throw it in a pan with a healthy diced meat of some sort (like soy sausage, ham chunks, etc). Heat them up a bit, add greens/veggies of your choosing. I like frozen spinach myself, but this is up to you. Break an egg over it, and stir everything up. Makes a good breakfast, lunch, or dinner!

Oatmeal raisin

Oatmeal Swirl bars Makes 10 servings
1/2 cup brown sugar firmly packed
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/3 cup powdered skim milk
1/4 cup walnuts (optional)
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 dash salt
1/2 cup applesauce
1 medium egg
1 tablespoon oil
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Heat oven to 325 degrees. Line a 9 inch square baking pan with waxed paper, leaving about a 1 inch overhang on two sides of pan. Lightly coat waxed paper with nonstick cooking spray.
In medium bowl, stir together sugar, flour, oats, milk powder, nuts, cinnamon, baking powder and salt. In a small bowl, beat together applesauce, egg, oil, and vanilla. Add to flour mixture, stirring until thoroughly mixed and moistened. Pour into baking pan and spread evenly.
Bake 40 to 45 minutes. Cool on wire rack 30 minutes. These bars can stored up to 1 week in an airtight container in the refrigerator. PER SERVING: 189.4 Calories, 6.1 g Total Fat, 2.5 g Saturated Fat, 48.5 mg Cholesterol, 206.5 mg Sodium, 26.2 g Total Carbohydrate, 1.8 g Dietary Fiber, 8.2 g Protein, 104.3 mg Calcium.

Protein chocolate cake

30g Vanilla protein powder
40g Oats
40g Flour
1tbs Sugar
1tbs Natural unsweetened cocoa powder
0.6dl Skimmed milk

If the metric measurements are confusing you just use 1/4 cup for the protein, oats, flour and milk, and work from there. Should be close enough…

Mix everything together and split into 8 equal parts.

Bake in oven for 10 minutes at 200C/390F.

Each serving has the following data:

62 Calories
4.5g (29%) Protein
0.8g (11%) Fat
9.4g (60%) Carbs

Protein bars

1 cup Natural peanut butter
8 tablespoons honey
1&1/4 cups whey protein powder
1 cup of uncooked oatmeal
Mix the peanut butter and honey in a bowl, microwave on full for 80 seconds. Add the rest and mix together can add raisins/nuts etc to taste. I also put a little honey on top and then sprinkle some granolo on top. Then Smooth into 13×9 tray and leave for 20 minutes. Cut into 10 to 12 equal bars and wrap and store in fridge!!

Contains:
285 Calories
13 Fat
3 Sat
3 Poly
5 Mono
22 Carbohydrates
25 Protein

Fat Burning Tricks

For fat burning regime, try the following tricks.

• Cut fat and salt intake radically.

• Consider training in the morning - this raises the metabolic rate throughout the day. This means more fat burning and more energy.

• Make sure you get adequate fiber each and every day.

• Drink 1-2 liters of water during the day.

• List everything eaten.

• Don’t scrutinize. Permanent changes take time. Test and record your body fat level every two months. If you use a scale, weigh only once a week. After an initial drop in weight, plan to lose 1/2 to 1 pound per week steadily - a realistic goal.

• Have your larger meals early in the day, making dinner the lowest calorie meal.

Healthy Eating Advice

Take more of B vitamins. It will be found in lean meat, fish, and poultry, fruit, vegetables and fortified soy products. Intake food that is high in fibre content. Dried beans and peas and fruits and vegetables are good for health. Eat plenty of the brain building fats including foods such as cold water fish. Vegetables oils are other rich sources of fatty acids. Choose them often. Take vegetables and fruits including those that are dark green, red, orange, and purple. Keep a healthy weight by eating a variety of low fat, high-fibre foods. The key is eating healthy along with portion control.

Friday, February 15, 2008

Recipe: Quiche

Ingredients


1/2 cup chopped onion

1 egg

2 egg whites

1/2 cup fat-free sour cream

6 ounces lean ham, chopped (about 1 1/4 cups)

6 ounces shredded low-fat Swiss cheese

1 ready-made 9-inch pie crust


Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 F.

Spray a skillet with cooking spray. Add the onions and cook over medium heat until tender.

In a large bowl, whisk together the egg, egg whites and sour cream. Stir in the sauteed onions, ham and cheese. Pour the mixture into the unbaked pie shell.

Bake until the eggs are set and lightly browned, about 40 minutes. Cut into 6 wedges and serve immediately.

Recipe: Lean country-style breakfast sausage

Ingredients

1/2 pound lean ground pork loin
1/2 pound ground turkey breast
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon sage
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)


Directions

In a large bowl, mix all the ingredients together. Form the mixture into 12 patties.

Spray a large, nonstick skillet with cooking spray and place over medium heat. Add the patties and cover. Cook until browned and juices run clear, about 5 minutes on each side. If using a thermometer, cook until internal temperature reaches 165 F.

Transfer to a serving platter and serve immediately.

The Health Benefits of Exercise

Regular Physical Activity helps us to be fit. It improves your chances of living longer, reduces the risk of heart disease, helps prevent or control diabetes, improves mobility and strength in later life, reduces the risk of arthritis and alleviates associated symptoms and helps lower high blood pressure and high cholesterol.

The benefits of physical Activity is weight reduction and weight management.

Also Walking Improves Health.

Fat Reduction

Cause for a Fat Belly:

Where we store fat (surplus calories) is largely a combination of gender, age and genetic inheritance.


Stress and Stomach Fat


The cause for abdominal fat can develop as a result of stress. This is because the hormone cortisol is released during stress, and a high level of cortisol in the body appears to rouse the storage of fat around the belly and abdomen. The healthiest solution it prevent a Fat Belly is to maintain a normal weight.


How to Reduce a Fat Stomach?


The best option is to follow a healthy weight loss diet, combined with fitness exercises such as aerobics and a stomach-toning workout to help tighten and strengthen abdominal muscles. That said, reducing a fat stomach takes time - especially if you are an apple-shape. Despite what commercials say, there is no diet-plan or type of exercise that can “target” your fat stomach.

Healthy Eating

Here are five of the best smart eating habits:

1. Have regular family meals.
2. Serve a variety of healthy foods and snacks.
3. Be a role model by eating healthy yourself.
4. Avoid battles over food.
5. Involve kids in the process.

Here are some ways to incorporate all five strategies into your routine.
Family Meals

Family meals are a comforting habit for all. It should be taken care that diet includes fruits, vegetables, and grains, less of unhealthy foods. Also less likely to smoke or drink alcohol. And try these strategies: Allow your teen to invite a friend to dinner, Involve your teen in meal planning and preparation. Keep mealtime calm and congenial. Strive for nutritious food and a time when everyone can be there.
Stocking Up on Healthy Foods

See to that you have fruits and vegetables into the daily routine, Limit other low-nutrient snacks, bound sugary drinks, Serve lean meats and other good sources of protein, Choose whole-grain breads and cereals so kids get more fiber.
Don’t Battle Over Food

A better strategy is to give kids some control, but to also limit the kind of foods available at home. Parents control which foods are available to the child, both at mealtime and between meals. Keep a schedule of meals, Establish a predictable schedule of meals and snacks.

Tuesday, February 12, 2008

Best weight loss methods for women

Deliberate and steady weight is good for women. Having a fixed mind set of what weight you wanted to have is good. Then keep a weight chart and measure your weight loss progress. Dieting is not just eating tiny amounts that many dieters believe. Eating less slows your metabolism. That will made weight loss slow.This is the reason many dieters leave dieting and stay overweight. See to that you have a good diet. Exercise should be done daily.

weight loss and women

You have to be aware of the food that you are taking if you want to loose your weight. Drink more water, it helps in loosing the weight. You can eat fruits it will not make you heavy. Fruit is full of vitamins and minerals and will give you a great boost to your metabolism and long term energy.

Change your lifestyle


A fit body can loose weight faster that a scrawny body. So try to change your dietary lifestyle if you’re changing your habits – and you’re putting yourself on track for long – term you can success in weight maintenance.. Making health should be a goal and not weight loss. If you keep healthy lifestyle as your goal, you are more likely to succeed in both improving your health and attaing permanent weight loss. Sleeping early and getting up early will make a big difference. Yoga and Meditation can make great changes. If can’t do yoga simply breathe in and out just for 10 min with eyes closed in the morning.

Hunger and Diet

Dietrers believe dieting and hunger go hand in hand. They agree that hunger as a normal part of dieting because they feel that dieting and weight loss means eating petite amounts of food. But famine should never be part of a diet. Reality is Dieting means your high-calorie eating habits for lower-calorie habits. This can be easily done without reducing food quantity.

Diet and Eating Advice For Women

A well diet even more needed for women than men. As well as pregnancy women have to fight with unbearable hormone constipation which can impact unfavorably on both vigor and weight. Superiority of our daily diet has a big impact on our vigor, specially if you are woman. So finding a healthy snacks and low calorie diet foods which you enjoy is best. By eating better helps to avoid many diseases and increases energy and stamina. Your food should include delicious vegetables, grains, and fruits, Milk and other dairy, Protein, Oils.

Eating smart: The first step towards healthy eating

Avoid stress while eating.

Eat on time.

Take time to chew your food.

Friday, February 8, 2008

Weight Loss: True Facts

Weight loss is perhaps one of the most often made. Finding help is not as easy as it sounds. The plans written in books, the news and daytime television are filled with tips and tricks on how to lose weight fast, email’s inbox which is probably filled each morning with numerous SPAM messages touting pills that guarantee a fast weight loss, in magazines are useless. Probably the best places to find help for your weight loss problem are the Internet sites that are hosted by medical societies, doctors, or reputable weight loss clinics. They frequently offer free online diets to loose your weight and even provide encouragement via forums Here you receive good advice and peer support.

There is a wrong thinking with today’s society that most people have the mentality that they can live off fast-food junk for weeks and lose the weight overnight. Unfortunately, that is not the reality. Our body simply can’t take junk and stay lean and healthy. We were not created to be garbage cans; we were created to be living temples. Take the accurate information from a reliable source before wanting to loose your weight. Don’t believe the buildup given by these diet programs. Natural weight loss is a method, especially when you consider it took years to put the pounds on. If you want to lose the weight and keep it off , you have to drain your bad habits and adopt new ones.

Weight Losing Tips

The ’set point’ is the weight at which your body naturally feels most comfortable. If you’ve been overweight for a very long time, your body may respond to your initial weight loss by lowering its metabolism. Always aim for shorter-term attainable goals. Choose a reasonable amount of weight that you can lose in 8-12 weeks. Diet until you reach that goal and then switch to a maintenance diet. Once you’ve maintained your new weight for 8-12 weeks, set another weight loss goal, and move back into weight loss mode. This will give a break to your body from hunger and be back to dieting for ‘the first two weeks’ .This you can carry for any long-term weight loss diet.

Wanna see a Drastic change in your body within a week: Try this tips

During the first seven days you must abstain from all alcohol.
You must drink 10 glasses of water each day


Day One First day will consist of all the fruits you want. It is strongly suggested that you consume lots of melons the first day, especially watermelon and a loupe. Avoid taking bananas.

Day Two Eat all the raw or cooked vegetables of your choice. There is no limit on the amount or type. For your complex carbohydrate, you will start day two with a large baked potato for breakfast.

Day Three A mixture of fruits and vegetables of your choice. No bananas yet. No potatoes today.

Day Four Today you will eat as many as eight bananas and drink three glasses of milk. Also take the special soup which may be eaten in limited quantities.

Day Five Eat beef and tomatoes. Combine this with six whole tomatoes. Take much of water.

Day Six Eat an unlimited amount of beef and vegetables.

Day Seven Take brown rice, fruit juices and all the vegetables you care to consume.

How and Why It Works

Day One This day only source of nutrition is fresh or canned fruits. Fruits provide everything for the body.

Day Two Carbohydrates gives energy and balance to the body.

Day Three The system is now prepared to start burning excess pounds.

Day Four Bananas, milk and soup sound the strangest and least desirable. Also you will notice a definite loss of desire for sweets.

Day Five Beef and tomatoes. The beef is for iron and proteins, the tomatoes are for digestion and fibre. Lots and lots of water purifies your system.

Day Six This day your system is in a total weight loss inclination. There should be a noticeable difference in the way you look today, compared to day one.

Day Seven This day you have your system under control.

Protein & Meal Planning

Sample Calorie Meal Plan

3 1/2 carbohydrate (2 bread/starch, 1 fruit, 1/2 milk)
Breakfast: 1 protein
2 fat
Total Carbohydrates: 52 grams

3 1/2 carbohydrate (2 bread/starch, 1fruit, 2 vegetable)
Lunch: 2 protein
1 fat
Total Carbohydrates: 45-55 grams

6 carbohydrate (4 bread/starch, 1 fruit, 1/2 milk, 1 vegetable)
Dinner: 3 protein
2 fat
Total Carbohydrates: about 80-85 grams

Afternoon or Evening Snack: 2 1/2 carbohydrate (2 bread/starch, 1/2 milk)
Total Carbohydrates: 37 grams

Seven Ways to Help You Burn more Fat

1) Have some water about twenty minutes before your main meal.

2) Have some soup.

3) Drink green tea.

4) Eat some grapefruit.

5) Eat Vegetables

6) Eat yoghurt

7) Turkey or chicken tends to be packed full of protein

Proteins: Fact File

Proteins are compounds composed of carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, and oxygen. These elements combine to form strings of amino acids. Protein can help you lose fat. Protein is harder for your body to digest than fat or carbohydrates. It requires more energy for your body to digest protein and hence, you burn more calories with protein. Our body uses protein to build, repair and maintain almost all of the tissue in your body. It gives support that your body needs to gain muscle and lose fat. It helps to build muscles which intern helps to burn the fat. Protein also has the highest thermo effect of all the macronutrients. Take proteins through turkey, egg whites, fish, tuna and skinless, boneless chicken breasts. Protein falls into the class of nutrients called “macronutrients.” Other macronutrients are carbohydrates and fat. Protein is an appetite suppressant. Because of protein’s ability to help maintain muscle, you should burn fat at a faster rate than muscle.

Best Fat Burning Foods

1) Fresh Fruits and Green Vegetables

2) Yams

3) Wheat and Grain Products

4) Oatmeal

5) Skin Milk and Nonfat Dairy Products

6) Lean Red Meats

7) Chicken

8 )Eggs Whites and Fish

9) Grapefruit

10) Spicy Foods

11) Cinnamon

Looking for healthy and delicious recipes: Dinner

1. Pat’s Cannelloni:

Whole-wheat flour tortillas
Fat-free ricotta cheese
Spaghetti sauce

WHAT TO DO:

Spread a flour tortilla with
fat-free ricotta cheese. Roll it up.
Top with pasta sauce.
Microwave 2 ½ to 3 minutes.

VARIATIONS: add Parmesan to the ricotta, top with shredded low fat mozzarella, top with mushrooms, or add a little cooked lean ground beef to the sauce.

380 calories, 63 fat calories per cannelloni (without added variations)

2)Beef Stir Fry with Rice

Makes 4 servings

2 cups uncooked rice
Sauce ingredients:
¾ cup hot water
½ teaspoon beef bouillon base (or ½ cube)
2 tablespoons reduced sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar
1 rounded tablespoon cornstarch
Vegetable oil spray
12 ounces beef sirloin, sliced in thin strips
1 teaspoon sesame oil
½–1 tablespoon fresh ginger root, grated
½–1 tablespoon garlic, minced
1 cup celery, chopped
1 red pepper, sliced
1 cup pea pods
1 can (5 ounces) sliced water chestnuts, drained

How to prepare:Start rice cooking. Combine sauce ingredients in a small bowl. Spray a non-stick skillet or wok with vegetable oil spray and sauté beef strips until barely done. Remove beef and set aside. Measure sesame oil into wok and add ginger and garlic. Add celery and red pepper, cooking 1 minute. Add pea pods and water chestnuts followed by the sauce and beef strips. Cook 1 or 2 minutes longer,
allowing sauce to bubble and thicken. Serve over hot rice.

Nutritional Value: 530 calories, 5 grams fat, 480 milligrams sodium per serving (about 1½ cups stir-fry with 1½ cups rice).

Variations:
Substitute chicken, turkey tenderloin, halibut shrimp, scallops, pork loin, or tofu in place of beef.

Any combination of vegetables will work. Experiment with your favorite veggies. To save time and keep fresh ginger root fresh, chop in food processor and freeze in small container.

Looking for healthy and delicious recipes: Lunch

1. Leek and Potato Spanish Omelette

This recipe will bring a touch of sunshine to your table with the colorful mix of green and yellow. Leeks are a great vegetable as they are quick to prepare and provide lots of flavor, as well as the nutrients beta-carotene and folate. Eggs are a cheap and nutritious base for many meals. What’s more, they are perfectly packaged for cooking for one, which makes them very versatile. Eggs are a source of protein and Vitamin D, which is important for bone health.

Ingredients (Serves one)

100g (4oz) potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 small leek, trimmed, washed and chopped
2 eggs
2 tablespoons semi-skimmed milk
1 teaspoon chopped chives
1 tablespoon olive oil
freshly milled black pepper

Method

1) Boil the potato cubes in a pan of water for 5 minutes, then add the leek and cook for a further 3 minutes, until just tender. Drain well.

2) Beat together the eggs, milk and chives.

3) Heat the oil in a 20cm (8 inch) non-stick frying-pan and arrange the leek and potato over the base. Pour the egg mixture over the top and cook over a medium heat until the edges of the egg mixture start to set.

4) Pre-heat the grill to a medium heat. Place the pan under the grill to set and finish cooking the top of the omelette.

5) Remove from under the grill and leave to stand for a minute before carefully turning out on to a warmed serving plate and cutting into wedges to serve.

N.B. If possible use a pan with a metal handle, but remember this will get hot under the grill! If you don’t have a metal handled pan, wrap the pan handle with several layers of tin foil. Don’t forget to use an oven glove!

Calories per omelette: 300
Fat per omelette: 15 g

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2. Mahi Mahi Tacos

These are delicious and easy to make.

1/2 lb. Mahi Mahi fillets (per person) cut into approximately 4 long strips (Tip: Costco has frozen wild Mahi Mahi fillets individually packaged. Each is about 1/2 lb.)

1. Heat grill and baste with olive oil spray (or similar)
2. Brush Mahi Mahi with marinade
3. When grill is hot, place Mahi Mahi on grill and turn after about 4 minutes. Brush on more marinade and cook another 5 minutes or so.

Looking for healthy and delicious recipes: Breakfast

1) Tasty Ice Cream in 2 minutes

Try this easy to make dessert idea. It is low in fat, and it is better than your average sundae.

Preparation Time 2 min | Cooking Time 0 min | 1 servings

Ingredients:

1 Nature’s Valley Peanut Butter granola bar
1 scoop low-fat vanilla ice cream
2 teaspoons maple syrup

Steps

1. Scoop out ice cream into dish and crumble granola bar on top of ice cream.
2. Top with syrup and enjoy!

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2.High fiber & protein!

Carb Chopper whole wheat tortilla (From Sam’s Club or your own tortilla. This one has 8 grams fiber)

1/2 cup Egg Beaters Southwest flavor (or use Garden Veggie if you don’t like spicy)

2 tbs. 2% shredded sharp cheddar cheese (or other reduced fat cheese)

2 tbs. salsa (I like Carlita’s white corn & black bean).

Scramble eggs with non stick cooking spray. Place all ingredients in tortilla and microwave for 30 seconds to melt cheese and warm tortilla. These are great to heat up if you make them the night before.

One burrito is approximately 200 calories and very filling.

Why waste Time: Opt for Home Gym

The best way to lose weight and get in shape is to fit regular cardio exercise into your daily schedule. Here are some exercises that can make us fit. You can go for a home gym by using:

Resistance Band

Fitness Ball

Jump Rope

Home Workout: Benefits of working at home are there won’t be wastage of time driving to and from a fitness club; Monthly expensive membership fees can be avoided. There won’t be problem of waiting in line to use the equipment. You can also go for Water aerobics.


Cardio exercise burns calories and works your whole body.

Fitness Tips for good Nutrition and Everlasting Energy

Healthy and nutritious food is very important for maintaining a good health. In the normal course of life, we forget to take necessary nutrition that is required for our body and hence we tend to get into many life style diseases. The value of food is more when it is taken in a systematic manner and also by understanding the benefits of every bite we take.


Here are nine specific Fitness and Health Tips:

· Drink More Water

· Avoid the “Bad” Carbs

· Get More Sleep

· Eat A Variety Of Foods

· Get energetic

· Drink More Tea

· Relax For 20 Minutes a Day

· Floss Every Day

· Eat More Protein

RECIPE: HALIBUT WITH WATERCRESS PESTO

The watercress in this pesto is a fresh-tasting alternative to basil – the clean, peppery flavour harmonises beautifully with the halibut, wheather it is grilled or griddled. Served with a mixture of roasted vegetables, it makes a superb dish for supper a deux.

Serves: 2

Ingredients:
2 halibut steaks, each about 200 g (7oz)
Salt and black pepper
FOR THE PESTO
85 g (3 oz) watercress
2 tablesspoons pine nuts
55 g (2 oz) freshly grated parmesan cheese
5 tablespoons olive oil
3 cloves garlic
watercress leaves, to garnish

Directions:
1.Place the halibut under a moderately hot grill or on a lightly oiled griddle pan, season with salt and pepper and cook for 4-6 minutes on each side, or until cooked through.
2.To make the pesto, place the watercress, pine nuts, parmesan, olive oil and garlic in a food processor and process to a puree. Serve the salmon with the pesto, and a mixture of roasted vegetables.

Nutrients (per servings):
Calories: 665
Carbohydrate: 1g
Sugars: 1g
Protein: 49g
Fat: 52g
Saturated: 11g
Fibre: 1g

RECIPE: MANGO AND CHAMPAGNE SORBET

This special occasion dessert gets a lift from champagne, but a dry sparking wine makes a good substitute. The sorbet looks elegant served in glasses, rather than dessert dishes.

Serves: 4
Ingredients:
4 ripe mangoes, pureed to give about 500 ml (18 fl oz) puree
250 ml (9 fl oz) champagne or dry sparking white wine
Juice of 1 lime
50 g (1 ¾ oz) icing sugar
2 egg whites
Lime slices, to garnish

Directions:
1.Place the mango puree in a large bowl and pour in the champagne and lime juice. Sieve in the icing sugar and mix the ingredients together well.

2.Pour the mixture into a shallow, freezerproof plastic container, cover and freeze for about 3 hours, until half-frozen and mushy.

3.Put the egg whites in a large, dry bowl and whisk them until stiff. Spoon in the mango mixture and fold together lightly with a metal spoon.

4.Pour the mixture into a freezerproof container, cover and freeze for about 2 hours, or until firm. Serve straight from the freezer, with langue de chat biscuits, and garnish with lime slices.

Women’s Diet and Fitness

A woman who exercises regularly and eats healthy foods feels in good health. She also faces a no health problems. Eating food daily from all the food groups is a healthy diet. This will provide your body with all the nourishment you need for best operation. You need to include lot of fruits, vegetables (five servings a day) plus whole grains in your diet. Also see to that you are eating only fat-free dairy products This will make you maintain normal blood-sugar and insulin levels because of the amount of fruits and vegetables. Also it is good to have smaller meals several times (5-7) a day, rather than three large meals.A vegan diet excludes any products that are animal based (meats, eggs and dairy products); it allows only plant-based foods (fruits, veggies, whole grains, legumes, nuts and tofu). Many studies of cultures around the world that eat vegan diets reveal that these people have lower blood pressure and fewer incidents of heart problems and diabetes. Vegetarian food can also include cereals, olives, pasta, rice, couscous, eggs, and vegetable oils.

Diet and women
The main cause for weight gain is excess calories. So to achieve weight loss, simply reduce caloric intake. Eating more fiber is also an effective way to lose weight as it is low in calories. But it is important to drink plenty of water with fiber.


Diet and women who are stressed
Women under stress often turn to food as a comfort. But unless they choose the right foods, this practice will inevitably lead to weight gain. The best strategy is to choose complex carbohydrates such as whole-grain breads, oats and potatoes.

Fitness Tips

Health is the vital principle of bliss, and exercise of health. Being fit is a stuff of choice for the most part. That is why people often start working toward fitness only to give up. Everyone knows what it takes to be fit. We have to eat the right things, take rest and do good exercise. Everyone wants themselves to be healthy, committed to health, as ‘being’ beautiful and attractive. Your vision is what that creates your reality. Health is important in case of women who will be busy with the daily work. For Women its important to have good food. After all you are what you eat, and it is never too late to start eating healthy. To be healthy a silent meditation, an hour, to read a book or write in a journal, something that takes us away with ourselves, a bath will really help. Try to spend some time for yourself daily, this will help to keep your mind and spirit healthy. Doing an exercise that is away from pain is always good and it is important not to stay sedentary. Yoga is good for women to keep yourselves healthy. Yoga means a connection between the body, mind, and spirit. It is the way of performing numerous varying poses and postures. They have their own benefit for the body. Exercising when a women is pregnant is not only good for her, but it’s good for the baby as well. Most importantly you need to stay motivated if you are working out at home. Women can try all the exercises that can be done at home with minimal equipment. If you have the dumbbells and barbells that is great but if not you need to be creative and make up. If you just make some small changes in your life, better health can be yours. Swimming, walking and cycling offer cardiovascular benefits and are safe activities for both the woman and the unborn child.

Weight Losing Tips

When we see that we are heavier than we want to be, we intend to eat less thinking that we may loose the wait. But that is not necessarily true. This will be making it more difficult to loose the weight. Take such belief’s myths out of food. Get the facts. When researchers compare overweight and thin people, they find that they are roughly the same number of calories. What makes overweight people different is the amount of fat that they eat. Thin people tend to eat less fat and more complex carbohydrates.

Losing weight cannot be done in an overnight. A careful plan is required with certain guidelines. Unfortunately, there’s a lot of misinformation around and lots of desperate people are duped easily. Every day one can see advertisements touting some new product, pill or patch that will take excess weight off quickly. All seems to be looking for that “magic” weight loss pill and spending billions of dollars every year. Often they do lose some weight. But, if you check with the same people five years later, you will find that nearly all have regained whatever weight they lost.

A review’s was done recently to try and determine if any profitable diet plan gave any success. Not a single program could do so. So unbridled has the so-called diet industry become with new products that the FDA has now stepped in and started clamping down. Being seriously putting on weight can develop into a number of diseases and serious health problems, and it is now a known fact that when caloric intake is excessive, some of the excess frequently is soaked fat. The fable is that every one will put on weight by eating too many calories. Calories are a reflection it’s true, but overall they are not the cause of obesity in America today. Americans actually take in fewer calories each day. If calories alone were the reason we become overweight, we should all be thin. But we are not. Communally, we are heavier than ever. The reason is that we are more inactive now. But at the same time the fat content of the American diet has changed considerably.

People who diet without exercising often get fatter with time. Though weight may initially drop, such weight loss consists mostly of water and muscle. When the weight returns, it comes back as fat. To avoid getting fatter over time, exercising daily is good. Choose an exercise routine that you are comfortable with. Walking is one of the best and easiest exercises for strengthening your bones, controlling your weight and harmonizing your muscles.

8 Universal Tips for Weight Loss

Here are the top 8 universal tips for weight loss, which are really “principles” of dieting:

1. Exercise

2. Avoid Fast Weight Loss

3. Prepare to diet. Binge eating for two days before starting a diet is preparing, preparing to fail!

4. Allow Imperfection…you have no choice

5. Keep it Real…magic, ancient formulas, and weight loss without work are not real

6. Focus on Helping Others Lose Weight…someone can learn from your experiences

7. Lose Fat

8. Avoid Extreme Weight Loss (10 pounds at a time)


Follow the following to loss the weight permanently

1. Performance change. This is a key element of permanent weight loss. Learn to recognize what triggers you to eat. Often seeing a therapist who specializes in weight loss is a great way to discover what your eating triggers are, and help you learn to say “No” to inappropriate eating.

2. Slow, steady weight loss. Choose a weight loss plan that provides gradual and consistent weight loss of about ¾ to 2 pounds per week. While you may lose weight faster than this at the beginning of your diet, generally, you should not lose more than 3 pounds per week to maintain good health while losing weight

3. Maintenance plan. Any weight loss plan that doesn’t include a maintenance plan for after you’ve reached your goal weight isn’t worth your time. Make sure you have a plan to maintain your healthy new weight after your diet. Your plan should incorporate healthy eating and regular physical activity as a permanent part of your daily life.

4. Exercise. Enough cannot be said about the importance of a regular workout plan that includes 30 to 60 minutes of cardiovascular activity at least 5 days every week – 6 to 7 days a week is even better.

5. Healthy eating. Choose a weight loss plan that reduces calories without leaving out specific foods or food groups. Make sure your weight loss plan includes foods from all the food groups on the nutrition pyramid.

6. Medical direction. If you’re going to follow a diet plan that includes a modified eating plan such as a very low calorie diet, or a liquid diet, make sure that regular medical care is incorporated. This can mean seeing your own health care provider before, during, and after your weight loss, or seeing a medical professional who participates in your weight loss plan.

METABOLISM

Metabolism is the set of chemical reactions that occur in living organisms in order to maintain life. These processes allow organisms to grow and reproduce, maintain their structures, and respond to their environments. Metabolism is usually divided into two categories. Catabolism breaks down large molecules, for example to harvest energy in cellular respiration. Anabolism, on the other hand, uses energy to construct components of cells such as proteins and nucleic acids.

The chemical reactions of metabolism are organized into metabolic pathways, in which one chemical is transformed into another by a sequence of enzymes. Enzymes are crucial to metabolism because they allow organisms to drive desirable but thermodynamically unfavorable reactions by coupling them to favorable ones. Enzymes also allow the regulation of metabolic pathways in response to changes in the cell’s environment or signals from other cells.

The metabolism of an organism determines which substances it will find nutritious and which it will find poisonous. For example, some prokaryotes use hydrogen sulfide as a nutrient, yet this gas is poisonous to animals. The speed of metabolism, the metabolic rate, also influences how much food an organism will require.

A striking feature of metabolism is the similarity of the basic metabolic pathways between even vastly different species. For example, the set of carboxylic acids that are best known as the intermediates in the citric acid cycle are present in all organisms, being found in species as diverse as the unicellular bacteria Escherichia coli and huge multi cellular organisms like elephants. These striking similarities in metabolism are most likely the result of the high efficiency of these pathways, and of their early appearance in evolutionary history.

What Is Metabolism and What Does It Do?
Collection of chemical reactions that takes place in the body’s cells is defined as Metabolism. Metabolism converts the fuel in the food we eat into the energy needed to power everything we do, from moving to thinking to growing. Specific proteins in the body control the chemical reactions of metabolism, and each chemical reaction is coordinated with other body functions. In fact, thousands of metabolic reactions happen at the same time - all regulated by the body - to keep our cells healthy and working.

Metabolism is a constant process that begins when we’re conceived and ends when we die. It is a vital process for all life forms - not just humans. Living things will come to an end if Metabolism comes to an halt.

Here’s an example of how the process of metabolism works in humans - and it begins with plants. First, a green plant takes in energy from sunlight. The plant uses this energy and a molecule called cholorophyll (which gives plants their green color) to build sugars from water and carbon dioxide. This process is called photosynthesis, and you probably learned about it in biology class.

When people and animals eat the plants (or, if they’re carnivores, they eat animals that have eaten the plants), they take in this energy (in the form of sugar), along with other vital cell-building chemicals. The body’s next step is to break the sugar down so that the energy released can be distributed to, and used as fuel by, the body’s cells.

After food is eaten, molecules in the digestive system called enzymes break proteins down into amino acids, fats into fatty acids, and carbohydrates into simple sugars (e.g., glucose). In addition to sugar, both amino acids and fatty acids can be used as energy sources by the body when needed. These compounds are absorbed into the blood, which transports them to the cells. After they enter the cells, other enzymes act to speed up or regulate the chemical reactions involved with “metabolizing” these compounds. During these processes, the energy forom these compounds can be released for use by the body or stored in body tissues, especially the liver, muscles, and body fat.

You likely know your metabolism is linked to your weight. But do you know how?

Common belief holds that a slim person’s metabolism is high and an overweight person’s metabolism is low. But this isn’t usually the case. Weight isn’t necessarily directly linked to metabolism.

Instead, weight is dependent on the balance of total calories consumed versus total calories burned. Take in more calories than your body needs, and you gain weight. Take in less and you lose weight. Metabolism, then, is the engine that burns these calories.

Recipe: Chicken Chilli

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cups chopped onion
4 large garlic cloves, minced
1 pound skinless boneless chicken breasts or chicken tenderloins, washed and cubed
1 large jalapeno pepper, seeded, finely chopped
1 teaspoon ground coriander
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 cans (14.5 ounces each) diced tomatoes in juice
2 cans Great Northern beans (16 oz) drained and rinsed well
juice of 1 lime
2 cups frozen corn kernels, thawed, or fresh
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

PREPARATION:

Heat olive oil in a large nonstick saucepan over medium-high heat. When oil is very hot, add onion and garlic; saute until onion begins to brown, Add cubed chicken and brown on all sides; add chopped jalapeno, coriander, cumin, crushed tomatoes and beans.

Reduce heat and simmer for about 5 minutes; add juice of one lime and stir in the corn kernels. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Cook chicken chili, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes longer; serve with sour cream, chopped red onion and chopped cilantro.

Womens: Be at 60 what you are at 20 - Healthy

After the age of 60 the body becomes prone to diseases and ailments. To stay fit at this age one must take regular light exercises as their routines. In order to stay fit one must perform the following type of Exercises: Strength training that helps in muscle building, Stretching the body to increase the flexibility, Stress releasing exercises to improve the heart functions and overall fitness. Bottom racing, rolling the head, boots off kicking, standing bottom twists and stepping up and down are other popular exercises of women above the age of 60.

Exercise is very beneficial for the for women suffering from menopause to control their emotions. This is done by converting the male hormone androstenedione into estrogen. Women must take regular workout sessions that include activities like walking, jogging and swimming that inturn reduces the hypertension(Blood Pressure) and even high cholesterol levels.

At this age the body gets prone to diseases like Arthiritis, alleviation of depression and cancer. To reduce the risk one should take the exercises which help to increase the strength of bones and brings freshness in mind and body.

Keeping Your New Year’s Weight Loss Resolution

Tips For Keeping Your New Year’s Weight Loss Resolution

By Lauren Showers, Team oxygenfit

www.oxygenfitstore.com

It’s very likely now as the New Year is approaching that you have jotted down some highly optimistic resolutions for 2008 or at least thought of ways in which you would like to improve the current “you”. It happens every year, the count down 3, 2, 1. Happy New Year!! . and BANG! We expect to be a new and improved, glamorous woman with a smoking physique, more motivation, higher potential, and a determined unwavering focus.

It’s 7am and the alarm clock goes off. You roll out of bed with glitter still stuck in your tresses. With a slight Champagne hangover you start your day and it hits you. you don’t feel so glamorous, motivated or different at all. You grab for your morning danish and the zest of your ambitions begin to fade even before your coffee is brewed.

The gift of the New Year can bring about so much potential in us all, as long as we understand that the power of this potential lies in our hands and not the simple fact that the new year now ends with an 8 rather than a 7. Because it is, in a sense, the beginning of a new chapter of your life, let this “new beginning” propel you towards your goals by taking action every day. The passionate concept needs to manifest into a proactive game plan in order for you to reach your resolutions.

If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always gotten.

If weight loss is one of your resolutions this year, don’t expect the pounds to start melting off if you continue with your usual day to day routine. Revamp last year’s ways by eliminating the actions, things, or thought process that kept you from succeeding. Then begin to supplement your life with fresh habits that will direct you towards your goal. Your first thought in the morning of “another day.” becomes “another day of opportunity to improve myself”. Instead of grabbing for your usual morning danish and coffee, fix some eggs on whole grain toast with a cup of green tea. The daily elevator ride to the 5th floor of your office building becomes an opportunity for a small cardio bout to pump in the endorphins. These small lifestyle adjustments will help you stay with your game plan of losing the weight.

When a big goal is on your plate, breaking it up into small bite size pieces that are easy to swallow is the way to go. Set specific weekly goals like losing a couple pounds, avoiding fast food, drinking more water, etc. In the 21st century we have become people of instant gratification and when the satisfaction isn’t quick to meet us, our motivation tends to fade. By allowing for smaller successes along the way you are feeding the fire and keeping it strong until the main weight loss goal is accomplished. To pump up the effect of this strategy, reward yourself for the hard work with something other than food. A manicure, girls night out, or that cute top you saw at the boutique last week. Whatever it may be, pamper yourself because you deserved it. A positive reinforcement is the strongest reinforcement of actions and will drive you further towards success.

The New Year is on its way and so is the new you as long as you take the power into your own hands. Dream it, plan it, and make it happen.

In Health and Pure Joy,

Lauren Showers, Team oxygenfit
P.T, Certified by American Council on Exercise,
Fitness journalist & model


www.oxygenfitstore.com

10 Fitness Tips for the New Year-oxygenfit

TIPS TO KEEP YOU GLOWING THROUGH THE NEW YEAR

1. Dine before you dash - Eating something healthy before going to a holiday party will help you resist the temptations.

2. No buffet binging - Your eyes tend to be bigger than your stomach, choose a variety of foods in small portions.

3. Prepare to eat, not cheat - Bring a “healthy” holiday dish to your parties like whole-wheat ginger snaps that won’t be as bad to munch on.

4. Keep moving - Be physically active everyday (exercise alleviates stress, regulates appetite and burns off extra calories)

5. Slow and steady - Eat slowly and only until you are not hungry anymore. don’t keep eating until a Santa belly appears and then decided it’s time to stop.

6. Write it down - Writing down what you eat will provide a reality check on how many calories you are actually consuming and will help you resist in the future.

7. Let it go - If you overeat one day don’t let it ruin your enthusiasm. Life is about balance. Forget about it and work on getting back on track.

8. Don’t sip your calories - Alcohol mixed with sugary juices, creamy eggnog, and open wine bars are not your friend this season. Enjoy your calories through the foods that are present rather than gulping them down.

9. Warning signs - If a food is fried, creamy, cheese filled, a processed meat, pastry or baked good try to avoid them at all cost. These foods tend to be the highest in fat and calories.

10. Substitute - There are hundreds of great low-fat and healthy recipes out there for our favorite holiday dishes. Start by substituting unsweetened applesauce for oil, using whole grain instead of all-purpose flour, trying Stevia or Splenda instead of table sugar and reducing the amount of salt the recipe asks for. Every little adjustment helps.

Monday, January 7, 2008


Holiday Tips for Keeping Off Weight and Avoiding Temptations

By Lauren Showers
Team oxygenfit


www.oxygenfitstore.com


From popcorn garlands to holiday cocktail parties, Santa's cookies, school-made gingerbread houses, cookie swaps, and candy cane giveaways. it seems we are surrounded by the temptation of endless empty calories during the holiday season. All the eating opportunities presented to us makes the thought of squeezing into that little black dress for New Years a little daunting. Because of this overwhelming time of temptation to over gorge and satisfy our little taste buds, it takes more than merely the desire to maintain your waistline. While simple everyday choices like passing on the pumpkin pie will help you avoid the extra pounds, it takes a deep rooted commitment of consistency to pull you through to the New Year with success.

Decide today that, "Nothing tastes as good as being healthy feels." Every time you are tempted, repeat these words to yourself and watch it empower you to say, "No thanks". While it is important that you don't allow yourself to indulge in all the goodies it is just as important to have balance. If you deny yourself of every treat without any room for error you are bound to binge, leaving you with the feeling of failure. To avoid this from happening, decide what treats you will allow yourself that week. For example; "If I eat healthy Monday through Friday and resist the temptations, I will allow myself to enjoy a dessert at the neighbor's holiday party this weekend." Staying healthy should be the goal at this time of year, but it should not be to lose the extra five pounds you have been working on for the past few months. Maintenance and balance should be the focus and keeping the scale steady is succeeding. Come the New Year you can work on the numbers dropping, but for now keeping it from traveling upward is hard enough work as it is.

HOLIDAY TIPS TO KEEP YOU GLOWING THROUGH THE NEW YEAR

1. Dine before you dash - Eating something healthy before going to a holiday party will help you resist the temptations.

2. No buffet binging - Your eyes tend to be bigger than your stomach, choose a variety of foods in small portions.

3. Prepare to eat, not cheat - Bring a "healthy" holiday dish to your parties like whole-wheat ginger snaps that won't be as bad to munch on.

4. Keep moving - Be physically active everyday (exercise alleviates stress, regulates appetite and burns off extra calories)

5. Slow and steady - Eat slowly and only until you are not hungry anymore. don't keep eating until a Santa belly appears and then decided it's time to stop.

6. Write it down - Writing down what you eat will provide a reality check on how many calories you are actually consuming and will help you resist in the future.

7. Let it go - If you overeat one day don't let it ruin your enthusiasm. Life is about balance. Forget about it and work on getting back on track.

8. Don't sip your calories - Alcohol mixed with sugary juices, creamy eggnog, and open wine bars are not your friend this season. Enjoy your calories through the foods that are present rather than gulping them down.

9. Warning signs - If a food is fried, creamy, cheese filled, a processed meat, pastry or baked good try to avoid them at all cost. These foods tend to be the highest in fat and calories.

10. Substitute - There are hundreds of great low-fat and healthy recipes out there for our favorite holiday dishes. Start by substituting unsweetened applesauce for oil, using whole grain instead of all-purpose flour, trying Stevia or Splenda instead of table sugar and reducing the amount of salt the recipe asks for. Every little adjustment helps.

By consistently focusing on your health and allowing for a little wiggle room you are sure to be stunning in that little black dress as you enter into 2008. Happy Holidays!
http://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gif
In Health and Pure Joy,

Lauren Showers, Team oxygenfit
P.T, Certified by American Council on Exehttp://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gifrcise,
Fitness journalist & model


www.oxygenfitstore.com

Sunday, January 6, 2008

Tips For Keeping Your New Year's Weight Loss Resolution



Tips For Keeping Your New Year's Weight Loss Resolution

By Lauren Showers

www.oxygenfitstore.com




It's very likely now as the New Year is approaching that you have jotted down some highly optimistic resolutions for 2008 or at least thought of ways in which you would like to improve the current "you". It happens every year, the count down 3, 2, 1. Happy New Year!! . and BANG! We expect to be a new and improved, glamorous woman with a smoking physique, more motivation, higher potential, and a determined unwavering focus.



It's 7am and the alarm clock goes off. You roll out of bed with glitter still stuck in your tresses. With a slight Champagne hangover you start your day and it hits you. you don't feel so glamorous, motivated or different at all. You grab for your morning danish and the zest of your ambitions begin to fade even before your coffee is brewed.



The gift of the New Year can bring about so much potential in us all, as long as we understand that the power of this potential lies in our hands and not the simple fact that the new year now ends with an 8 rather than a 7. Because it is, in a sense, the beginning of a new chapter of your life, let this "new beginning" propel you towards your goals by taking action every day. The passionate concept needs to manifest into a proactive game plan in order for you to reach your resolutions.



If you always do what you've always done, you'll always get what you've always gotten.



If weight loss is one of your resolutions this year, don't expect the pounds to start melting off if you continue with your usual day to day routine. Revamp last year's ways by eliminating the actions, things, or thought process that kept you from succeeding. Then begin to supplement your life with fresh habits that will direct you towards your goal. Your first thought in the morning of "another day." becomes "another day of opportunity to improve myself". Instead of grabbing for your usual morning danish and coffee, fix some eggs on whole grain toast with a cup of green tea. The daily elevator ride to the 5th floor of your office building becomes an opportunity for a small cardio bout to pump in the endorphins. These small lifestyle adjustments will help you stay with your game plan of losing the weight.



When a big goal is on your plate, breaking it up into small bite size pieces that are easy to swallow is the way to go. Set specific weekly goals like losing a couple pounds, avoiding fast food, drinking more water, etc. In the 21st century we have become people of instant gratification and when the satisfaction isn't quick to meet us, our motivation tends to fade. By allowing for smaller successes along the way you are feeding the fire and keeping it strong until the main weight loss goal is accomplished. To pump up the effect of this strategy, reward yourself for the hard work with something other than food. A manicure, girls night out, or that cute top you saw at the boutique last week. Whatever it may be, pamper yourself because you deserved it. A positive reinforcement is the strongest reinforcement of actions and will drive you further towards success.



The New Year is on its way and so is the new you as long as you take the power into your own hands. Dream it, plan it, and make it happen.



In Health and Pure Joy,


Lauren Showers, Team oxygenfit
P.T, Certified by American Council on Exercise,
Fitness journalist & model


www.oxygenfitstore.com

Burning Calories in Freezing Weather



Burning Calories in Freezing Weather

By Lauren Showers, Team oxygenfit

www.oxygenfitstore.com




When the temperature drops so too does the motivation to move. Don't let the cold weather squash your fitness inspiration this season. Use the strategies below to keep your fire for fitness burning, even as the icicles grow outside your window.



Spice it up - Add a little variety into your exercise routine. Don't limit yourself as to where you can burn calories. Lace up your skates when it's too cold, dark or wet to run outside. Ice skating is a sure way to get your heart pumping and allow for some fun while doing it. Hit the slopes for a weekend of skiing and snowboarding with friends and tone your legs at the same time. Shovel the ice off your driveway or even have a snowball fight, whatever it is, keep moving this winter and don't let the dropping temperatures take your motivation down with it.



No gym required - When the weather freezes your motivation to face the cold, it can have grave effects on the consistency of your workouts. Make your home into your very own calorie burning studio by using very little equipment and various body weight movements. Winter workout necessities simply include a stability ball, bands, and light to moderate weights. With these tools and using various body weight exercises such as push ups, squats, lunges, and crunches you can get an effective workout in the comfort of your own living room.



Expand your wardrobe - Getting a new pair of running shoes, heart rate monitor or cute sports bra always tends to boost our desire to hit the gym as if the new item allows us to push harder than before. Utilize this power for your own benefit and treat yourself to a new pair of warm workout pants, and maybe even a jacket to match. Before you know it, you'll be in keeping warm and looking cool sporting your new outfit in the gym.



Team up - It is much easier to tell yourself that you are going to skip today's workout, than to tell a friend who is counting on you to be there. Buddy up with your fitness routine to increase your consistency during the winter months. Set a time and day you and a friend will workout together on a weekly basis. This "appointment" will help both of you stay on track.



Pack for Success - Our intentions for the next day's accomplishments, including , are always more intense than the moment we wake up dreading to leave the warmth of our beds. Use this time of high personal expectations the day before to pack and prepare for success the next day. Prepare your healthy meals and gym bag with everything needed so that when you wake, no thinking is required. Getting into this type of routine and making it a lifestyle adjustment will be extremely beneficial during any season of the year.



Even when it seems like Mr. Frost is doing all he can to keep us from working out, there is always a way to win. By simply changing up your routine, working out at home, using the buddy system and preparing in advance you are sure to stay fit this winter.



In Health and Pure Joy,



Lauren Showers, Team oxygenfit

P.T, Certified by American Council on Exercise,

Fitness journalist & model


www.oxygenfitstore.com