Title

HOW TO GET IN SHAPE WITHOUT SWEATING

 TIP #1: The* Brazilian Move.*

The good thing about this move is that you don’t need to go a gym to do it, you don’t even need to find time in your day.

Why?

Because you will do this move while you brush your teeth! How does it work! Standing straight in your bathroom, bend your knee slightly. Tilt your hips forward while contracting them, then pull them back.

Remember to make a very strong squeeze when you finish the forward move. Along with a healthy eating, this will guarantee you will get a nice rear for this summer, yeah!

Tip #2: Use your Hands!

There are some chores you would be better off doing by hand! For instance, washing dishes by hand will burn 78 calories per half hour…… Knowing that a pound is about 3,500 calories, and assuming you will wash dishes half an hour over 45 days, you will have lost 1 pound without knowing it …..( translated on a year, this amounts to about 8 pounds! 

Tip #3: How to get your 60 minutes of accumulated exercise a day…… The general Surgeon’s orders are to get 60 minutes of accumulated exercise per day (this can be sliced up into 6 small walks without any problem). Beside burning calories, when you walk you will build the big muscles of your lower body. Muscle tissue uses up more calories to maintain than fat, even at rest. Again, you  don’t have to go for a 60 minute walk if you don’t feel like it. You can slice it up into 4*15 minute walk: -1- one at home when you wake up ( will also help wake up even more :

-2- two at lunch time to go to your lunch place and to come back ( just select a place that’s 15 minutes away from your office) 

-3- one in the middle of the afternoon to help you remain focus until the end of the day.

Tip # 4 : Manage your food cravings by being proactive!!! Your body produces endorphins when you do aerobic exercise – which means getting your heart  rate up for at least 20 mn. Aerobic exercise produces endorphins, body chemicals that induce euphoric and pleasurable feelings. These are the same chemicals produced in response to eating fat/sweet foods. 

Tip # 5 : Improve your posture …. This is a great exercise to improve your posture here by making you look when you walk, when you are on the beach, when you enter a business meeting room. On a yoga mat, stand straight. Breath a few times: inhale, exhale, slowly. Tuck your toes under and push back in to low low squat, with fingertips lightly touching the floor. Drop your chin so it’s relaxed toward the chest. Slowly rise from the squat position by pushing your heels towards the floor until your torso hangs forward and down. Keep the knees slightly bent and aligned over the center of each foot. Breathe, relax the upper body, and hang like a rag dool. Inhale in that position. Exhale as you engage your power house and slowly roll up to a standing position. When you are standing, straighten your knees with your arms relaxed at your sides. Inhale once again, and as you exhale, rise slowly to balance on the balls of your feet. Breathe, relax the shoulders, and maintain this balance for several seconds. You can do this exercise 3 times each time you finish your work out. It may sound complicated, by reading this text, I suggest you print this tip, take it with you wherever you do your workouts, do it once with the paper and once you have understood the move, re-do it without reading.

Tip # 6 : Easy 6 – pack abs 

I have been doing 100 abs a day since I was a teenager. As a result I have a 6 – pack without having to sweat over abs sessions at the gym. Those who know my approach to body strengthening know I am a *lazy* person when it comes to getting in shape. How long do 100 abs take to perform? Depending on the move and the speed with which you do them, it will take you anywhere between 90 seconds to 3 mn.

Hardly un- squeezable! You don’t really need to warm up before such a short session therefore you can decide when to do them without having to rearrange your day around this very very short session. Suggestions per day: 20 straight crunches (your hand supporting your head, not lifting it). 

20 straight crunches with a stop of one second at mid- raise . 40 bicycle moves alternating right elbow/ left knee and left elbow/ right knee. 20 seconds in the V-Pilates position: you rest on your bottom in a balanced position with your legs straightened out and your arms reaching out straight and parallel to your legs. This sequence allows for deep abs ( V – Pilates), superficial abs (crunches) and obliques (bicycle) to be worked on every single day.

Tip #7 : Short is good! As part of My Private Coach weight loss approach, mini-workouts (or MetaBoost as I call them) can do wonders for those who don’t feel like sweating for hours in a gym. 

“ Something is really better than nothing. If I come in and I can work out vigorously for 30 minutes, I would consider giving it a try,” said Dr. William L . Haskell , an exercise researcher and professor of medicine at Stanford University. The express workouts typically require only one set of 8 to 12 repetitions instead of the 2 or 3 sets of 8 to 16 repetitions that physiologists recommend for an optimum workout.” 

Copyright the Associate Press – Still, these MetaBoost workouts should come in addition to the daily 60 recommended minutes of accumulated exercise.

Tip # 8 : 10,000 steps a day keep the doctor away! 

Invest in a pedometer and make sure you are getting these famous 10,000 steps I have been brainwashing you for the past weeks! 10,000 steps start when you wake up. Wear your pedometer on your waist at all times, 10,000 – 3 miles – 300 calories approx ( a little bit less than a bagel).

Take advantage of all opportunities to walk: choose your lunch place 10 mn further, get off the bus 1 stop before, take a  5 mn  break every hour or so and go a *around the block wall*. Everything counts towards this daily goal. You will not lose weight (this is not enough really) but you will prevent new pounds from accumulating and you will improve your general health. No sweating required!

Tip # 9 : Invisible chair day 

Each time you get to be by yourself, sit against a wall without a chair and hold the position for 1 minute. Try to do this 3 times a day. This count as a strength exercise and will help shape nice thighs. Feel free to apply this tip on other days as well! 

Tip # 10 : How to get a really flat stomach with no abs work . Each time you walk, think about sucking in your stomach (lower and upper part) . This will work deep abdominal muscles that NO crunch work can reach. This will help you get a REALLY flat stomach. No sweating required!

    CHAPTER 2 

TOP HEALTHY FOODS TO KEEP YOU FIT Summary: Healthy eating and physical fitness go together, but there are no magic foods that cause you to be one hundred percent healthy by just eating the one food.  Keywords: health foods

Article Body: 

Healthy eating and physical fitness go together, but there are no magic foods that cause you to be one hundred percent healthy by just eating the one food. No, you need a variety of foods groups each day. It’s also important to watch the portion size so as not to overeat. Make your mealtimes pleasant and relaxed occasion and your healthy emotions to give you a healthy body. 

Berries 

You may like all types of berries or just one or two favorites, but you can never go wrong by adding a few fresh berries as a quick energy snack or frozen berries made into a luscious smoothie in place of calorie laden desserts. Berries are high in vitamin C across the board, but some are high in other nutrients as well. Choose ripe blueberries for vitamin C and heaps of anti – oxidants for the health of your circulatory system. Gogiberries are less well- known but are wonderfully rich in many of the nutrients your body needs to be nutritionally and physically fit. 

Citrus

The foods of the citrus family are widely recognized as a valuable source of vitamin C. Choose fully ripe citrus fruits for the best nutritional value and choose citrus as near to the tree as possible. Tree ripened fruits picked at the peak of perfection and consumed with hours of picking give you the top nutritional rating. Try grapefruit for breakfast. Add a dash of fresh squeezed lime to your salad as a dressing and enjoy slices of orange with coconut in a light honey dressing for dessert. 

Vegetables

The variety of vegetables is amazing. For people who are vegetarian or vegan, choosing vegetables to be part of nutritionally sound diet is a way of life. Your vegetables group provides many of the minerals required in a good diet. For example, you may realize that potassium is necessary for healthy nutrition. Many people claim the benefits of potassium found in a single banana. But did you know, you can also get adequate potassium in your diet by eating a stalk of broccoli? Try a salad of fresh young spinach topped with pine nuts and stirred with lightly cooked penne’. Feta cheese and a light vinaigrette dressing to create the perfect light luncheon meal. 

Whole Grains

Like many other of the best foods, choosing only one type of whole grain for your meals doesn’t provide all the variety you need to be nutritionally sound. Often, mixing two or more whole grains together will give you complete proteins. For example, brown rice and wheat kernels with a spicy seasoning are a popular dish in many countries.

Salmon

Salmon is lean fish and nutritionally one of the best fish choices. It  is rich in Omega-3 oils that are noted as helping improve the functioning of the brain. Salmon baked whole with just lemon or lime as a seasoning makes a fantastic main dish or a hearty luncheon featured menu item. Salmon is also commonly found in chilled seafood dishes.

Legumes

A legume is the name for a variety of fruits with a single dry seed. Legumes are sometimes called pods. Examples of edible legumes are soybeans, peas, dried beans, and peanuts, among others. Legumes are rich in iron and high in fiber, making them excellent nutritional choices. Peanuts are a type of legume that have been used to make hundreds of different products some edible and others with various types of helpful uses. 

Nuts and Seeds 

Nature has packed a lot of goodness into small packages. Most everyone has heard of walnuts and pecans which are very good nutritional products, but did you realize that flax seeds are brain food – containing critical non- meat sources of the Omega – 3 oil. 

Lean proteins

The keyword here is lean. Americans eat far too much protein compared to the rest of the world. Cut down of portion sizes—three ounces will provide all the needed protein needed for your day. Also, trim all visible fat from your protein source. Alternatively , use non meat substitutes such as the complete proteins found in vegetable dishes like beans and brown rice.

Tea

Depending on the type of tea you prefer, you can get an energy boost from a cup of green tea, or the calming effect of chamomile tea. Get going with mint teas or start your day with Earl Grey Breakfast Tea. Herbal teas are soothing, tasty and good for you. Non herbal teas will help you to stay alert when you need help to function.

Olive oil

Olive oil is probably the healthiest substance you can use to keep fat in your diet. You can use it on your salad, mix it with a little vinegar to create your own, or fry other foods in the hot oil. Just make sure that the temperature is not too hot so that the oil is broken down.

     CHAPTER -3 

TOP SECRETS FOR DIETING SUCCESS

If dieting were easy, I suppose all be thin. As we are not, here are 11 tips that successful people use to lose weight. They can help you succeed too. 

SUCCESS  TIP  NO.

1: DRINK 8-10 GLASSES OF WATER A DAY Okay, for many people this is a big problem. Water doesn’t taste all that great generally because water doesn’t really taste like anything. Drinking water 8-10 times each day gets easier the more you actually do it. It is simply a matter of conditioning your taste buds, and yourself, so that it becomes easier to do. Once you get started, you will begin to crave water. To begin with, you should drink a glass of water in the morning first thing, before you eat. This is probably the easiest glass you will drink all day and it will help you remember to drink water all day long. Better yet, why not drink two glasses? If you really cannot bear the taste of water, try using a water purifying pitcher or filter. You can also add a few drops of lemon or lime to your water but no sugar or sweetener! Ice also helps. Check out flavored waters on the market, too. Just keep an eye out for additives.

SUCCESS TIP NO.

2 : EAT BREAKFAST : Do not skip breakfast. If you need to go to bed a little earlier so that you can get up 20 minutes earlier each morning do it! Breakfast is so important to your good health and to weight control. According to Dr. Barbara Rolls a professor of nutrition at Penn State University, “Your metabolism slows while you sleep, and it doesn’t rev back up until you eat again.” Eating breakfast is not only good for overall weight loss, it will help you stay on track with your diet the rest of the day. You are more likely to binge on something sweet and in the bread group if you skip breakfast. You can always keep a couple of hard – boiled eggs in the fridge or some high – fiber, low starch fruit around. If you plan to eat fruit at all during the day, breakfast is the perfect time to do it. 

SUCCESS TIP NO.

3 : EAT ATLEAST 3 MEALS AND 2 SNACKS EACH DAY

This can be one of the hardest adjustments to make. After all, you are busy! You already have a plate . When do you have time to worry about filling your plate with more frequent meals? Just like eating breakfast will increase your metabolism, so will eating more often. This will also help you curb your bad – carb intake by making sure that your snacks are planned and occur regularly throughout the day. Really, it will just take a minimal investment of planning time at the grocery store and at home each morning before you head out for the day to make some healthy food choices and prepare a few healthy snacks and meals. For suggestion, just see the handy list of snacks and appetizers listed later.

SUCCESS TIP NO .4 : AVOID WHITE FOODS 

This is one easy way to remember what not to eat. If it is made from sugar, flour, potatoes, rice or corn just say no. Remembering this rule of thumb will make it easier to recognize those rice cakes as an unhealthy high – carb snack. Always look for colorful fruits and veggies to substitute for the white ones. Buy broccoli, lettuce, bell peppers, green beans and peas, brown rice in moderation, leafy greens like kale and spinach, apples melons, oranges, and grapes. These foods are not only colorful they are also high in fiber, nutrients and important antioxidants. Eating colorful fruits and vegetables will give your diet variety as well as give you added health benefits. 

SUCCESS TIP NO 

5 : EAT YOUR VEGETABLES 

It is so easy to use a low – carb diet as an excuse for poor nutrition. Resist this temptation. If the only vegetable you have eaten in the last 5 years has been the potato, now is a good time to begin experimenting with other vegetables. This is important for your overall health and to avoid some nasty side effects of not getting enough fiber in your diet. If you try hard enough, you will find vegetables that you enjoy eating. Experiment with grilling vegetables and cooking with real butter to add flavor. You can also search for new recipes on the Internet or in cookbooks. Remember, if you are only eating 40 grams of carb a day or less, two cups of plain salad greens contain only about 5 grams of carbohydrate. You have no excuse not to eat your vegetables.

SUCCESS TIP NO 

6 : PREPARE YOUR OWN FOOD AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE 

While more and more restaurants are offering low – carb friendly menu items, many of them are still not ideal low – carb fare. There are many recipes for quick and easy meals that you can prepare yourself at home. Try to do this often as possible. If you cook your on foods, you know exactly what the contents are and you will be able to better control for hidden sugar and otherwise processed foods. Another benefit is the cost savings over the long run. Even if you must go to the grocery store more often, you will save a significant amount per meal as opposed to eating at restaurants and fast food establishments. It will also be easier to maintain your diet with your own favorite fresh food selections on hand. 

SUCCESS TIP NO 

7 : INVEST IN A GOOD SET OF FOOD STORAGE CONTAINERS 

Having food storage containers of various sizes on hand will make it so much easier for you to plan your meals and snacks. When you buy nuts, fruits and vegetables in bulk you can simply prepare, separate and store them for easy use later. For instance, you can pre-slice your apples and snacks on them over several days. Simply cut them, rinse them in pineapple or lemon juice and store. This will make a quick and easy snack for later. Fix your lunch and take it with you to work. Better yet, fix your lunch and 2 snacks for work. 

SUCCESS TIP NO 

8 : EAT SOME PROTIEN AT EACH MEAL & AS A SNACK 

In addition to everything that been discussed before, eating protein helps you burn more calories. Protein is made up mainly of amino acids, which are harder for your body to breakdown, so you burn more calories getting rid of them. Just think eating a protein rich snack can help you lose weight. How about a few slices of turkey or ham or some string cheese? Eating protein will also help you feel full so that you are less likely to crave unhealthy snacks. 

SUCCESS TIP NO 

9 : DRINK A GLASS OF WATER AFTER EACH SNACK 

This will help you get in your 8 to 10 glasses of water each day but it can also have another benefits. Ever feel hungry after eating a handful or standard serving of nuts? Try drinking water afterwards. The water will help you feel full and prevent overindulgence. Drinking water after a snack will also help remove the aftertaste from your mouth and can help curb your desire for more. 

SUCCESS TIP NO 

10 : EAT SLOWLY & ENJOY YOUR FOOD 

You will feel full and more satisfied if you take the time to savor your food and chew it slower. Don’t get in the habit of eating while standing or eating quickly. Sit down and chew. Eating slower will help you enjoy your food more, pay attention to what it is you are actually eating and get a better sense of when you are actually full. 

SUCCESS TIP NO 

11 : EAT YOUR LARGER MEALS EARLY AND SMALLER MEALS LATER 

You will feel better and lose weight quicker if you eat a large breakfast and eat a smaller dinner. You may also want to eat the majority of your carbs earlier in the day, saving a salad and lean meat protein for dinner. Eating larger meals during the part of the day when you are most active will help you to feel satisfied throughout the day and curb cravings for unhealthy snacks.

    CHAPTER 4 

  BASIC TIPS FOR HEALTHY NUTITION THAT WILL INCREASE YOUR CHANCES OF GROWING TALLER 

GROW TALLER TIP 

1 Eat at regular hours.

GROW TALLER TIP 

2 Don’t skip any meal 

GROW TALLER TIP 

3 Don’t forget to eat breakfast. Always start the day with a well- rounded meal. 

GROE TALLER TIP

4 Take the time to taste and to chew your food well. 

GROW TALLER TIP

5 Vary your menu.

GROW TALLER TIP

6 Avoid pastries, sweets, crisps, soda drinks – anything that has little or no nutritious value. 

GROW TALLER TIP 

7 Beware of salt consumption. It can cause hypertension. 

GROW TALLER TIP 

8 Eat a lot of raw vegetables and fresh juices. Choose whole bread. 

GROW TALLER TIP 

9 Drink six (6) to eight (8) glasses of water or vegetable juice or sugar free juice per day. 

GROW TALLER TIP 

10 

You should also drink milk. 

GROW TALLER TIP 

11 Eat good quality food supplements every day.

GROW TALLER TIP 

12 After each meal you should rest. Don’t start to work or exercise right after.

   CHAPTER 5 

WAYS TO BE HEALTHIER

Summary : Want to loose weight, sleep better and boost your immune system?

1 HAVE A LIE DOWN

Back pain can be avoided and the damaged repaired with one easy exercise, which is lie down on the floor with your knees bent, hip width apart, feet on the floor. Do this daily for about five to fifteen minutes to release and lengthen your spine. 

2 NOTE YOUR NIBBLES 

Crash diets don’t work for long enough; instead maintain a food dairy to note your daily eating habits. With this you’ll be conscious of what you eat, and make healthier choices. 

3 10 DEEP BREATHS 

Our breath power our lymphatic system, which removes waste from cells. By taking 10 deep breaths, three times a day, you’ll clear more toxins and boosts your thinking power by getting 20 % more oxygen to your brain. 

4 PUT YOUR FORK DOWN 

Put your fork down between every mouthful of food, it makes you chew your food properly, preventing digestive problems, and also prevents you from over – eating. 

5 MAKE A LIST 

The most effective stress buster is to make a list. Your short term memory can only remember, on an average, seven things. So when you overload it your stress level escalate. Making a list clears out all the stress from your brain you feel tension free. This saves you from headaches, depression and high blood pressure.

6 MASSAGE YOUR FEET 

Poor circulation could be robbing you of much needed sleep. Your temperature needs to drop slightly before you fall asleep, so your body dispels heat via your face, hands and feet. But many women have poor circulation, which constricts the blood vessels in their hands and feet and prevents them from dispelling heat. A hot bath before sleeping or a hand and foot massage will increase your circulation. 

7 AN ORGANIC APPLE A DAY 

If you buy one organic item a day, make it an apple. Research found that pesticide residues in 71 % of apples – the hightest in fruits and vegetables.

8 CHANGE YOUR TEA BAG 

When it comes to tea white is the new green. White tea comes from the same plant as green and black but is harvested earlier and undergoes less processing, which means it contains more cancer fighting anti – oxidants. 

9 EAT DRIED APRICOTS

The most common nutritional deficiency is iron. Tiredness, irritability and lack of concentration. Prevent it by having two helpings of lean red meat a week, or three dried apricots a day. 

10 STOP SKIPPING MEALS

Eating three meals a day is very important for a healthy body. It’s the simplest way to balance blood sugar levels, which will keep your mood, energy and concentration balanced and strengthen your stress tolerance.

11 KEEP IT CRUNCHY

Include some raw vegetables in every meal. Many of the vitamins and minerals are in vegetables are lost through cooking, so raw food is as good as it gets. 

12 FOCUS ON YOUR FEELINGS

Take two minutes to boost your resolve to do walk, jog or aerobics class. The instant gratification of that exercise high is far more motivating than the promise of thinner thighs two months down the line.

CHAPTER 5 

FOR BETTER EATING HABBITS 

Considering the Bulging Waist Lines of 66 % of The Population it is obvious that sticking to a healthy eating plan is a challenge for many people. If your are having problems sticking with that resolution that you set in January, here are some simple tips to help you start to create new and healthy eating patterns Calories count. It’s not low carb. You can eat fewer calories by eating less food ( which is why you can lose weight on any diet that restricts entire categories of foods or limits portion sizes), but you may get hungry and gain it back. Fat has 9 calories per gram, but protein and carbohydrates have only 4 calories per gram. This means that when you eat less fat, you consume fewer calories without having to eat less food. Eat less fat and fewer simple carb. To achieve a one pound weight loss per week, calories should be subtracted from your normal weekly caloric intake. To do this, reduce your normal daily caloric consumption by 200 to 300 calories per day and increase your physical activity with a goal of burning an additional 200 to 300 calories per day. Don’t diet. Instead of saying “I am on a diet” try “I don’t want that, I am changing my eating habits” Be accountable for what and how much you eat – keep a food journal for a month or at the very least a few weeks to be aware of what, when and why you are eating . Paying attention to physical cues and signals can help you determine when your body is cuing you to eat due to hunger as opposed mental or external cues. Ask yourself, “ Am I really hungry or am I eating because…it is there, it smells good, I don’t want to waste food,  I’m stressed, I am bored (insert your favorite here). 

Do not restrict foods! There are no bad foods, only inappropriate portion sizes. If you neglect certain food groups, you’ll end up craving those foods and binging. You also miss out on vital nutrients. Weigh and measure foods for at least a month but at the very lease 2 weeks to be aware of servings sizes and portions. Servings sizes and portions have gotten so distorted over the years in restaurants and the like that most people are completely unaware of what a single serving actually looks like. Most restaurants servings are 2 – 3 times single serving sizes. Don’t skip the meals – eating 5 – 6 times a day not only stimulates your metabolism but will keep your blood sugar level eating and avoid over eating. Be positive recognize irrational thoughts. Focus on the things that you have done right and the positive changes that you have made. Remember – success breeds success. Lose weight in a way that enhances your health not in a way that detracts from it you can lose weight by smoking cigarettes or taking such but they are not healthful ways of doing so and you will soon resume your old habits ( and weight ) Avoid trans-fatty acids and partly hydrogenated fats (“bad fats)”. They may increase the shelf life of certain food products, but they decrease the shelf life of people who eat them. Eat fewer “bad carbs” like sugar and white flour, They are low in fiber, so they are a double punch if you are trying to create healthy eating habits : a lot of calories that don’t fill you up, Eat more ‘good carbs” like fruits, vegetables, legumes and unrefined grains (such as whole – wheat flour and brown rice). They are rich in fiber, which slows absorption and fills you up before you take in too many calories. What you include in your diet is as important as what you exclude. With few exceptions, those protective antioxidant and health benefiting substances are found in good carbs, such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains and legumes. 

Eat less red meat. Dr. Atkins may have disagreed, but it’s loaded with artery – clogging saturated fat and has been linked to an increased risk of cancer. Being by making moderate changes in your diet. If you want to lower your cholesterol level or weight even more (or if you have heart disease and want to reverse it ), you may need to make bigger changes. Choose quality over quantity. Smaller portions of good foods are more satisfying than larger portions of junk foods, especially if you pay attention to what you’re eating.

   CHAPTER 6 

TIPS TO LOOKING + FEELING GREAT 

Do you want to improve the quality of your life? Do you want to look and feel better than you have in years – may be better than you ever have before? Do you want to protect yourself from disease and injury? And do you want to live a longer, more vital life? I’m confident that you answered YES! to each of those questions, just as the hundreds of individuals I’ve counseled, coached, and trained in my career as a Certified Personal Fitness Trainer and Rehabilitation Specialist. I’m now going to reveal to you the 16 essential strategies that have enabled my clients to achieve the health and fitness goals they always wanted! 

16 Essential Weight Loss and Fitness Strategies

1. In the beginning , your fitness program should not be overly aggressive. One of the biggest problems people encounter when starting a fitness program is rapidly depleted motivation after only a few weeks due to an overly ambitious fitness program. Attempting to do too much too fast is worse than doing nothing at all! Because then you feel like exercise is too hard and it’s just not for you. 

Start out slow, maybe just shooting for 1 or 2 workouts a week. Once you have successfully added that to your normal routine, then attempt to slowly add to your fitness program. Plus, most people don’t need to exercise more than 3 – 4 times a week. That doesn’t mean you can’t exercise more; it’s just not necessary.

1. Always have a detailed plan! In order to reach your health and fitness goals, you must have a road map to follow. I can’t stress this enough. If you are unsure how to put together a fitness plan, or if you’re uncertain of the effectiveness of the one you have, I highly recommend you consult a professional fitness trainer. With a well thought out plan you are much more likely to be successful!
2. Set realistic, attainable goals. You must have tangible, quantifiable, short and long – term goals so you can measure and assess your progress. Too many people have totally unrealistic expectations of what to expect from an exercise and nutrition program. The best way for you to understand what is realistic and attainable is to talk with a fitness professional – not to buy into the “hype” of infomercials and diet and fitness products that are blatantly misleading.
3. Keep a journal ! This is one of the most important things you can do. If you’re not tracking what you’re doing, how will you know what worked? There are quite a few great exercise and nutrition logs I’ve come across. You should keep track of all your exercise and also each day’s food intake. There’s a company called NutraBiotics that makes a great 90 – day journal that can be used to track strength training, cardiovascular, exercise, and daily nutrition.
4. You must be accountable ! Set exercise appointments with yourself if you’re not working with a personal fitness trainer. Use your appointment book to set aside times for exercise, just like you do for meetings or events. Don’t let things get in the way. Nothing is more important than your health ! If you don’t have your health you can’t effectively do anything. I often have mothers tell me that they can’t find time to exercise because they have to take care of their children. I have 4 daughters myself, and a baby on the way, so I know exactly how hard it is, making the commitment to exercise and your health is possible, and very important . Plus, it sets a great example for the children! 
5. Remember the benefits of exercise . Being physically fit affects every aspect of your life: you sleep better, love better, overcome stress better, work better, communicate better, and live better ! Remember how good it feels to finish a workout, and how great it feels to meet your goals! 
6. Exercise safely and correctly . So much time is wasted doing, at best, unproductive exercise, or at worst, dangerous exercise. Educate yourself on how to exercise correctly. The best way to do that is to hire a personal fitness trainer. It could be for just a few sessions to learn the basics, or it could be for a few months to learn everything. It’s completely up to you. But statistics prove that those who understand how to exercise correctly get better, faster results. And that’s what you want, right? 
7. Enjoy your exercise! For example, if you hate doing strength training, try to find ways to make it more enjoyable. Circuit training might be a more fun and exciting way to fit this important part of fitness into your program. The key is you should enjoy it, and if you don’t you need to look for other exercises or activities to replace whatever it is you don’t enjoy. If you don’t enjoy it, how do you expect to stick with it?
8. Make time to stretch! It has so much benefit  and takes very little time. So many people suffer from various aches and pains of which most can be eliminated by basic stretches! Try to spend at least 5 minutes after each workout stretching. For more information on stretching and how it eliminates aches and pains. “No More Back Pain”
9. Don’t think you need to exercise 5 days a week! I touched on this earlier. Many people feel they’re getting fat because they’re not exercising . Totally not the case! Exercise is not the answer! It’s all in your eating habits. However, exercise can aid in burning body fat, plus there are numerous health benefits. Think of exercise as a bonus. 

How many people do you know who exercise 3-5 times per week, but still fail to meet their weight loss and fitness goals? I’ve met hundreds! First look at your eating habits, such as : when you eat, how much you eat, where you eat, and how often you eat. 

1. Never skip breakfast , or any meal! If you want to maximize your fitness or fat-loss efforts you’ve got to eat breakfast! So many people skip breakfast, and it’s the worst thing you could ever do when it comes to fat – loss . Skipping meals throws your blood sugar all out of whack and it sets you up to store your next meal as fat, almost guaranteed!
2. Eat fat to lose fat. Healthy fats are necessary to your body for numerous reasons: regulating hormonal production, improving immune function, lowering total cholesterol, and providing the basics for healthy hair, nails, and skin. The key is to eat the right types of fats. The “good” fats are monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats like olive oil, canola oil, sunflower oil, and avocados, to name a few. The “bad” fats are partially hydrogenated oils, and trans fats. Most processed foods contain large amounts of these bad fats. 
3. Drink plenty of fresh, clean water. Yes, I know that you have probably heard this one over and over again. But there’s a reason for that – it’s that important ! The recommended daily intake of water is 8 glasses, or 64 oz. You should even be drinking even more if you are active or exercise regularly. And no, soda, juice, coffee, and tea DON’T count ! Nearly every chemical process place in your body, takes place in water ! Proper blood flow and digestion are both affected by how much water you drink, and poor blood flow and digestion can be linked to numerous health conditions. 
4. Stabilize your blood sugar ! If you want to burn fat and prevent your body from putting it back on, you must stabilize your blood sugar. In order to do this you need to eat small, balanced meals or snacks every 2 – 3 hours. Fasting skipping meals, and overly restrictive diets will enable you to lose weight – in the short run. The weight you lose is primarily water weight and muscle tissue, and in the long run has opposite effect of what you want. When you restrict your diet, your body instinctively thinks it’s being starved and shifts into a protective mode by slowing down the metabolism and storing nearly all calories as body fat. Plus, losing muscle tissue is the last thing you want to do. Muscle burns calories, even while you sleep. You should be focused on increasing, or at least maintaining muscle tissue. 
5. Focus on increasing muscle tissue. As I mentioned previously, muscle burns calories, so if you want to increase your metabolism, you have to increase your muscle. The best way to do that is with progressive strength training. That doesn’t mean you have to join a gym, buy expensive fitness equipment, or follow some bodybuilding workout program; it simply means you need to challenge your muscles ! You can do that at home in just 15 – 20 minutes, 2 – 3 times a week. 
6. Get the help of an expert ! Obviously meeting your health and fitness goals is important to you, so why not eliminate the guesswork and start seeing the results you have always wanted? With the help of a qualified professional you can ! If your car breaks down, where do you take it? Mechanic, right? How about if you have a cavity? Dentist. So why is it that so many people attempt to solve their health and fitness problems without consulting an expert? I don’t know exactly, but I encourage you to make the investment in yourself – in your life – by hiring a professional to educate you and help you meet your goals. So there you have it. The 16 Essential strategies for an effective weight loss and fitness program that will have you looking and feeling great ! 

 CHAPTER 7 

SECRETS TO STICKING TO YOUR EXERCISE ROUTINE – AND MAXIMIZING RESULTS 

1. Make natural food choices – go through the pantry and donate anything that is in a box, can or frozen from a processed source. The more natural the foods you eat – in their most raw states, the more energy you will derive from it. Avoid anything that has a wrapper or if your tongue has to do gymnastics to pronounce the ingredients. Food shop often to keep fresh organic foods readily available. Shop only around the outside of the grocery store. The more money spent on marketing a food item, the worse off it is for you. If the food was around 100+ years ago, it’s most likely good for genetically modified, fortified or altered from its natural state. 
2. Rely on the Thermic Effect of food- Ten to 35% of our metabolism can come from the Thermic effect of food- which is the energy needed to process the food consumed. If you eat 5-6 smaller meals a day, you will never feel like you are on a diet, your energy will be steady, you will never go into a hyperglycemic state and your body will become a fat burning machine which will be prepared to exercise at any give time. Each meal should be a mini version of what you are likely used to if you currently eat 3 meals a day. Every meal should contain a lean protein, a starchy carbohydrate and a fibrous carbohydrate.
3. Change your state – Once you make up your mind about something, become relentless about it and the process of achieving the result is much more seamless. When you decide you want to feel and look better and acquire the knowledge to do so, making the right decisions regarding eating and exercising becomes effortless. Relate your health to other accomplishments you have achieved in your life. To decide means to cut off any other possibility. Make your health a must in your schedule and in all of your decisions. 
4. Apply the 90 / 10 rule – If 90 percent of the time you are making healthful food choices in the right amounts and you are exercising regularly and intensely, enjoy the other 10% of the time without an ounce of guilt. You can plan ahead for your 10% if you know a party is coming up over the weekend or if you will be traveling and have to miss a workout.  But in the event that you are overcome by the dessert menu, indulge without any remorse and know the very next meal that you will be back on track. 
5. Warm up before a strength training session – Warming up increases blood flow to muscles by about 55%, giving you better muscle contraction. You’ll sweat earlier, which helps to regulate your body temperature. It also jump starts the neuromuscular connection which initiates the release of carbohydrate and fat enzymes and hormones while reducing your perceived exertion during strength training.  Just 5 minutes of walking or cycling will meet this requirement.
6. Vary your cardio exercises – Alternate between two or more cardiovascular activities like walking and cycling or kickboxing and step aerobics.  This will help to optimally develop your cardiovascular fitness, maintain the element of fun in exercise, help you avoid over-training, as well as injury. Bottom line, you will expend more calories.
7. Incorporate several cardio techniques – Use a combination of continuous, interval, circuit and Fartlek (speed play) training. Changing techniques forces your body to adapt and become more efficient.  Vary the intensity and modify impact styles. For example, if you have been walking the same path at the same pace every day, begin to incorporate bursts of acceleration intermittently.  The underlying principle is that change is what keeps the body progressing, making improvements and burning fat.  
8. Plan your workouts in Phases – Organize your workouts into a cyclic structure.  For example, for two to three weeks, exercise at a lower intensity for 45 to 60 minutes, and then, for the next two to three weeks, perform 20 to 30 minutes at your highest intensity.   The following 2 to 3 weeks, workout at a moderate intensity for 30 to 45 minutes. This system allows you to maintain a high level of fitness and not over-train.  This cycling of workout structures will help your body become more efficient at fat burning.
9. Circuit Train – Perform several strengthening exercises interspersed with a short cardio segments. For example perform a leg press, lateral pull down and abdominal crunch followed by 3 minutes of cycling. Then repeat another 3 strength exercises followed by 3 minutes of walking.  Circuit training has a lower dropout rate, is an efficient calorie burner, increases muscular strength and decreases body fat.
10. Strength Train with Multi Joint exercises – Choose exercises that work compound muscle groups – meaning more than one muscle group at a time.  This will give you the most mileage per exercise.  Examples include squats, lunges, and push ups.  For every pound of muscle on your body you need 35 to 50 calories per day to sustain it, while every pound of fat on your body requires only a modest 2 calories per day.  
11. Exercise first thing in the morning – Morning exercisers have a higher likelihood of showing up.  Later in the day, the odds that you’ll skip your workout increase as interruptions arise and fatigue sets in. Morning exercise also helps regulate your hormone response, telling your body to release fat and kick start your metabolism. 
12. Eat a “primer” meal prior to working out – Having a small balanced meal prior to exercise will help you burn fat.  After you eat, your blood sugar rises and exercise acts like insulin to help regulate blood glucose.  Eating will also give you the energy for a more intense workout – you will therefore burn more calories.  
13. Train with intensity – To get the full benefits of exercise, you must graduate from the “pink weights” and moderate walking.  Do not be afraid to increase your resistance and challenge your muscles and cardiovascular system.  In order to change, you have to push your physical limits beyond what you are accustomed to.  
14. Stay hydrated.  In order for fat to be metabolized, it must first be released from the fat cell and then be transported by the bloodstream where it is shunted to the liver and other active tissues to be used as fuel.  If you are in a dehydrated state, the liver has to come to the aid of the kidneys and can’t focus on it’s role of releasing fat.  A general rule of thumb is to take your body weight and multiply it by .55 to estimate how many ounces of water you should consume daily.
15. Exercise using bursts of acceleration and recovery. Research shows that heart rate variability is the greatest predictor of health. To train for the greatest heart rate ranges, perform bursts of activity throughout the day. For example, you can sprint out to the mail box, run in place for 60 seconds while your food is heating up or burst up 3 flights of stairs. Bursts of acceleration can last up to 60 seconds and can be repeated 5 - 7 times daily every other day.  Your metabolism will remain raised after the burst (known as the afterburn) and will remain elevated for up to an hour or more depending on how intense the burst was. Overall, performing short bursts throughout the day contributes to calories burned, fat lost, improved health and mental clarity.
16.   Journal - writing down your goals, having a mission, recording physical activity and logging food consumed are a proven way to get results. Those who commit goals and a plan to paper have a higher success rate.  You can use a journal that is specifically developed to walk you through the fat loss process like the one available in the Feminine, Firm & Fit program (KelliCalabrese.com) or use a new blank document or notebook to record your feelings, successes, obstacles and achievements.
17. Exercise with a buddy - your chances of sticking to your exercise program is higher when you enlist a significant other. Having accountability to a partner is more motivating than exercising alone.  Choose a partner who is important to you, who shares in your goals and is of a similar physical ability (or slightly better). 

TIPS ON HEALTHY WAY TO LOWER CHOLESTEROL

Do you have high cholesterol and need to lower it? That is no surprise considering how many people have high cholesterol these days. To help lower your cholesterol, here are 10 tips you can get started with today.

As with anything health related, diet and exercise are the two crucial components. What you eat is critical to lowering your cholesterol levels, so that is what is included here.

One thing you should know is the difference between LDL and HDL cholesterol. Simply think of HDL as "healthy" and LDL as "lousy." HDL can actually help carry cholesterol out of your blood vessels while LDL allows it to deposit inside your artery walls.

The good news is that you can change your cholesterol for the better. Here is how to do just that:

1. Have a nice sandwich on whole wheat bread or a pita with some lean turkey and lots of fresh veggies. Skip the hot dogs, bologna, and salami, and hold the Mayo. All of those are highly processed and filled with fat and cholesterol.
2. Fish, like salmon, is good. Look for wild red salmon varieties, which are very high in Omega-3 fatty acids (good fat.) Also, flax seed is a good source of Omega-3s.
3. Avoid Trans fats! Not only do they raise the lousy LDL cholesterol, they can also lower your HDL levels! Stay away from foods like margarine, shortening, and processed foods containing partially hydrogenated soybean oil.
4. Go ahead, go nuts! Look for walnuts mainly but also try almonds, macadamia nuts, cashews, and pecans. Nuts are high in fat, but it's the good kind. (Also, use natural peanut butter instead of the normal kind which contains unhealthy Trans fats.)
5. Limit desserts and try to eat only the healthier ones like angel food cake, graham crackers, Jell-0, and fat-free frozen yogurt.
6. Eat foods that are high in fiber. Examples include whole wheat bread, oatmeal, fruits, vegetables, beans, and some cereals. (Look for the boxes that say "may help lower cholesterol.")
7. Use the grill. If you're going to have steak or burgers, grill them at home and use lean meat. This practice avoids the grease, is fun, and the meat tastes great.
8. Find a new salad dressing. Most of them are full of Trans fats and cholesterol. Olive oil is good, and maybe add vinegar or lemon juice. Also, skip the bacon bits, croutons, and egg yolks.
9. Go overboard on fruits and vegetables. They contain no cholesterol and they have lots of nutrients like antioxidants.

Here are some examples: green peas, broccoli, cauliflower, apples, oranges, mangos, papaya, pineapple, tomato, garlic, onions, spinach, water chestnuts, bananas, apricots, blueberries, and kiwi.

1. Avoid fast food like french fries and anything else from the deep fryer. Those foods will raise your cholesterol like crazy, so stay away from the burger joints if you can.
2.  Bonus tip: Use spices like pepper and oregano to add flavor to your dishes. They are a healthy alternative to other toppings like Mayo.

That was easy, wasn't it? Just make some of these changes and get plenty of exercise like walking, jogging, swimming, or playing basketball. You will have lower cholesterol in no time!