Exercising without even realising it: Fun ways for losing weight

Habits may be hard to change, but not impossible. If you want to make changes in your life to be the best version of you, you can totally do it. Are you toying with the idea of losing weight? That is great. It does not matter if you are doing it because you want to look better or be healthier. You have made the best decision ever.

When you finally shed those unwanted pounds, you will feel a lot better. Basically, your world changes for the better. If you do not take pleasure in going to the gym and running is not your thing, you need to find activities that are for you. There are many ways you can exercise without knowing it. If you want to stay in shape, consider the following ideas:

Go exploring

It is generally believed that walking is the best form of exercise. This is because it gently works out the muscles and raises the heart rate. When you do not feel like working out, go and explore the city. This is not a type of exercising per se, but that does not mean that it is not beneficial to your health. Exploring gets you out of the home, pushing you to take roads and corners that you have not even considered until now.

You will learn more about the history and culture of the place where you live. What is more, you have the chance to meet new people.Walking a mile burns roughly 100 calories. 5 hours of walking per week will lead to burning approximately 1500 kcal. The point is that if you have never played the role of the tourist, you should do it now. As the summer comes to an end, you will not have too many opportunities left for exploring the city, so be on your way.

Take the stairs, not the elevator

Do you take the elevator even if you are going to the second floor? If yes, you need to stop doing that. Taking the elevator is not good for your body. According to the experts at the University of Missouri, who published a research paper back in 2008, the slightest reduction in the amount of physical energy can lead to a higher risk for chronic disease, including cardiovascular disease and diabetes.

You are better off taking the stairs. A couple of minutes of climbing stairs can help you burn calories. By raising the heart rate, this activity protects you against high blood pressure and clogged arteries. Additionally, it decreases blood glucose levels. Next time, take the stairs, will you? The elevator may be more convenient, but it is not worth it.

Jump on a trampoline

Jumping up and down a trampoline can literally change your life. Apart from the fact that it is incredibly fun, jumping on a trampoline is good exercise. For the most exciting experience, you need to go to a trampoline park. The staff will go the extra mile to make sure you get some serious exercise. Some of the benefits of working out on a trampoline include increasing lymphatic flow in the body, cleansing the body of toxins, boosting the immune system, and strengthening the skeletal system.

Needless to say, jumping up and down a trampoline is a fun way of losing weight and keeping fit. Try the simple vertical bounce. All you have to do is to jump at the centre of the trampoline in smooth movements. You have to lift your feet for each elevation. This does not sound complicated, does it? Make sure to bring your family and friends when you go to the trampoline park. Why should you be the only one to take advantage of this kind of exercise?

Try roller-skating

If you love roller-skating, it is completely understandable. Roller-skating is enjoyable, not to mention that it gives you a feeling of freedom. Did you know that it is a great way of losing weight? You will not even feel like exercising. Beyond all, roller-skating is cardiovascular activity, which strengthens the heart and helps you burn about 12 calories per minute. Even if you are not doing any tricks, you still get a good cardio workout. Skating all day long will increase your physical endurance.

The more you do it, the more you will be able to do it. Last but not least, taking a trip on the rollerbladesis a real stress-reliever. Your mind does not drift back to the pain and suffering, so you are not likely to get out of control. It is time to have fun. Go skating. There are several places where you can go roller-skating outdoors, such as parks. You can try rolling on the road, but it is dangerous, so be careful.

Exercise with your dog

When you work out with your dog, you have the time of your life. Most importantly, you can keep in shape without making an effort. Your furry friend is the best partner ever. The two of you burn the same amount of energy, not to mention that exercise will help you and your pet get healthier. Dogs are social creatures. This means that they are highly motivated to maintain contact with humans and try to avoid social isolation. If you do not feel like interacting with others, take your pooch out for a walk.

Try active fetching. Encourage the little fellow to go after an object you want him to fetch. When he does that, make sure to offer the furry creature a reward. Playing football is another option. Let your dog near the ball and let them some time to figure out what to do with it. Of course, you can try other toys and activities. Put yourself in the playful mood and show the dog the rules of the game.

To sum up, including exercise in your life is not actually difficult. You just have to make an effort. If you want to improve your health and fitness, stay away from the gym. Go to a trampoline park or get your dog and run around the block. You will regret not having it done earlier.

Top benefits of using Neem leaves

Neem or Azadirachtaindica is a very common tree that you can easily spot in every neighborhood. However, are you well aware of the benefits of this tree and its leaves? Each and every part of this tree, starting from bark and leaves to its stems, has immense medicinal properties. The flowers, fruit, and roots are not common for medicinal usage, but you can still find them in use sometimes.

You can use neem leaves to cure the following health issues:

Leprosy
Bleeding Nose
Stomach problems
Eye disorders
Attack intestinal worms
Skin ulcers
Loss of appetite
Heart diseases as well as cardiovascular disorders
Diabetes
Gum problems like gingivitis and periodontitis
Liver disorders
As a birth control tool since neem leaves facilitates abortion

If you have malaria, you can use the bark of neem to cure it. Other uses of neem bark include treating intestinal and stomach ulcers, reducing pain, skin diseases and fever. You may use the flower for controlling phlegm, treat intestinal worms and even reduce bile production. The fruit of neem helps you to cure urinary tract diseases, hemorrhoids, bleeding nose, intestinal worms, phlegm, leprosy, and diabetes. You may also use the fruit to treat eye disorders and heal wounds effectively and rapidly.

Seed oil and seeds of neem can help you with birth control benefits, and also treat intestinal worms and leprosy. Neem is an antiseptic agent so you can use its stem, fruit and root bark as an astringent and tonic. You can use neem twigs and stems for curing asthma, cough, low sperm count, diabetes, intestinal worms, and urinary disorders.

Instead of using toothpaste and toothbrushes for cleaning your teeth, you can chew neem twigs for keeping your teeth healthy. To keep your skin healthy, you can directly apply neem paste to treat lice on your head, and skin ulcers. You may even consider using neem paste for healing wounds quickly, for softening your skin and treat other skin problems.

Health benefits offered by neem:

If you read ancient textbooks on Ayurveda, you will find the mention of neem in them. Neem contains a lot of beneficial phyto-compounds such as Nimbin, ninbinene, nimbolide, nimbinen, and nimandial. All these phytochemicals have antifungal, anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties that help you to boost your immune strength. Since you will find all these compounds present in neem, it makes neem a medicinal plant. Antifungal agents like nimbidol and gedunin present in neem leaves help in treating fungus in your nails, ringworm, and athlete foot.

Neem helps in improving your immune system to fight microbial infections, as well as detoxifies your blood. It stimulates the proper functionality of your liver, and overall ensure a healthy digestive and respiratory system. You can use neem leaves to treat malaria, by applying it on your skin as a mosquito repellent.

Fights viral diseases

The extract that you get from neem leaves on crushing, helps in absorbing and eliminating viruses from your body. Neem paste helps you to cure skin warts, smallpox, and chicken pox. If you are affected with herpes simplex virus (HSV), use neem extract as it is toxic to the virus. You will experience a faster healing process on applying the paste on affected zones. To relieve yourself from cold sores, you can prepare a tea out of neem leaves to make a magic infusion. Treat viral skin diseases like eczema, itching, inflammation, and irritation with neem leaf extract.

Improves your heart health

Neem leaves work as a blood cleanser, by removing all toxic elements from your circulatory system. To control your blood sugar level, drink neem extract by infusing it with boiling water. Neem also acts as an antioxidant, fighting free radicals generated in your body cells. It helps in dilating your blood vessels to improve overall blood circulation and relaxes irregular heartbeats and high heart rate. This is, in turn,enriches your heart functioning and keeps you away from cardiac arrests, high blood pressure, and strokes.

Cancer

You can lessen the risk of cancer and tumor cell formation by consuming neem leaves. Neem has various polysaccharides and limonoids that helps to alleviate cancer progression.

Acts against poison.

If you get any sort of insect bite, use neem extract on the affected area. Neem has anticlotting factors present in it to cure ulcers, inflammation and even poisons.

How effective is neem for your skin?

Helps as a moisturizer- you can use neem leaves in the form of a paste to keep your skin soft and healthy. If you have any scars or pigmentation due to acne, neem is the solution! You can heal minor wounds by mixing neem extract with turmeric paste and apply on the injured area.
Fights acne- you can store the green extract of neem in a bottle and use it directly on your skin to treat acne. If you have sensitive skin, you can dilute the extract by adding little water to it and then apply. You can use a face pack containing neem extract to treat problems related to acne, blackheads, and pimples.
Skin toning- neem leaves work as wonders as a skin toning agent. Instead of using a chemical toner, go for natural neem extract. Take a cotton swab and dip it in neem water after boiling it. Apply gently on your skin before going to bed at night. This potion will help you get a rejuvenating and healthy glowing skin the next morning.

Can you use neem extract for hair care?

Yes, of course, you can! This medicinal plant has so much to offer that you cannot even think of. Take a handful of fresh neem leaves and add them in a cup containing boiling water. You can now use this neem infused water for rinsing after you shampoo your hair. Since it got antibacterial properties, it will help you cure hair loss problems, dry scalp, and dandruff issues.

Neem has a lot of health benefits but you should remember to use it under controlled measures. Make it your daily routine for using neem extracts to take good care of your skin, hair and overall health.

Top 5 easy yoga stretches to try at home

The benefits of yoga for health, body, and mind are unparalleled. It makes the body agile, heals the souls and even enhances our mood. Here, we’re going to take you through some of the easy yoga stretches and tell you how to do them.

Simple stretches that enhance good health

Check out of the top five easy yoga poses:

Simple stretches that enhance good health

1. Mountain Pose (Tadasana)
2. Raised Arms Pose (UrdhvaHastansana)
3. Standing Forward Bend (Uttanasana)
4. Garland Pose (Malasana)
5. Lunge Pose (Anjaneyasana)
Final thoughts

Mountain Pose (Tadasana)

This pose is done at the onset as it invokes our mind to be alert and shifts our focus from the busy hectic surrounding to focus on the present situation. It takes concentration and effort to strike the balance. It helps by maintaining the correct alignment needed for many other standing poses. It calms our mind and helps it to rest and focus in between postures. This pose may look simple however it takes times to strike the balance.

How to:

To start first stand straight. Make your big toes touch while the heels remain apart. Keep your arms along your torso while your palms are kept forward. Slowly lift your toes and then spread it. Release your toes to the ground. Lift the inner arches of your feet and then firm the outer ankles. You’re your kneecaps and slowly contract your thighs upward, push your inner thighs backward. Slowly lengthen your tailbone and engage your core muscles. Move your waist to grow taller and slowly lift your chest. Slowly loosen the front ribs back. Keep your chin parallel to the ground. Move the shoulder back and down, keeping your ears over the shoulder. Keep your head slowly over the pelvis and keep the pelvis directly on the ankles.

Raised Arms Pose (UrdhvaHastansana)

Intensify your practice by converting your stretch into a backbend. Be careful while doing it, so you don’t hurt yourself. Slowly bend your back and let your neck hang. This is a wheel pose. Urdhva Hastansana is known to be a good belly a good stretch and is believed to improve digestion, relieves stress anxiety, corrects body posture. It is also known to increase the capacity of the lungs, thereby it is good against asthma and enhances blood circulation as well.

How to:

To start with begin with Tadasana, mentioned above. Stand by keeping your arms at either side and gently bring them above towards the ceiling. Always keep your arms parallel, while doing it and bring your palm together on top of your head. Keep your posture straight and ensure that your shoulders are not hunched. Keep your palms apart, facing each other. Keep arms straight and activate it throughout, till your fingertips, shift your gaze towards the top. Keep your shoulders away from ears, and shoulder blades pressed firmly on your back. Engage your thighs to pull the kneecaps up. Straighten your legs without locking your knees.

Standing Forward Bend (Uttanasana)

It is a part of the Sun Salutation sequence and is a common yoga pose practiced both at the beginning and at the end of the ritual. This asana is known to wake up the hamstrings and calm the mind. It is known to calm the nerves in the brain and help in relieving stress, curing depression. It is believed to stimulates liver and kidneys. Strengthen the strength of thighs and knees. It improves digestion, reduces fatigue and anxiety and works against headache and insomnia. It is a therapy to relieve asthma, high blood pressure, and sinusitis.

How to:

Strat with the previous asana UrdhvaHastasana. Slowly sweep your arms down on both sides of your body and come into forming a forward fold with your hips, like a Swan Dive. Your fingertips should be in line with your toes, pressing your palms into the ground. Make sure to keep it in a platform, if it doesn’t reach the ground. Microbend the knees and makes sure that they are not locked. Slowly engage your quadriceps and pull them up. Keep bringing your weight forward into your feet. Keep your hips over your ankles. Hang your head. Slowly come up as you inhale. Place your hands on your hips as you come up and press your tailbone downwards. Contract your abdominal muscles slowly and rise.

Garland Pose (Malasana)

The Garland Pose is known to improve our posture and relieve tension from a daily hectic life, which is caused by sedentary desk jobs. It is known to stretch the ankles, groins and back torso. It tones the belly and boosts metabolism. It is believed to increase motion in ankle and knee, corrects posture and cleans out systems.

How to:

Begin with squat keeping your feet as close together as it can be. Try to keep your heels rooted to the floor. Slowly separate your thighs and make it slightly wider than your torso. Exhale as you lean your torso slowly forward. Gently press your elbows on your inner knees. Bring your palms together in salutation. Go further by pressing your inner thighs slowly against the sides of your torso. Move your arms forward. Slowly swing them out to both sides and move your shins towards your armpits. Make your fingertips touch the floor and clasp your back heels. Hold the posture for a minute. Inhale and slowly straighten the knees.

Lunge Pose (Anjaneyasana)

This asana must be performed in an empty stomach, there should be a gap of about six hours, before practicing the asana. One must ensure to practice this asana only when the bowels are empty, post the morning ritual. Anjaneyasana is believed to stimulate the Thyroid Glands and boost the body’s metabolic functions. It enhances the oxygen supply and blood circulation and is good for heart patients. This asana makes the lower body more flexible and helps in the effective functioning of the abdomen.

How to:

To start with, bring yourself to do AdhoMukhaSvanasana, and slowly exhale and bring your right foot forward, just next to your right hand, keep your right knee and ankle are in one line. Gently bring the left knee lower. Place it on the floor, right at the back of your hips. Inhale, as you lift your torso and raise your arms on top your head. Bring your biceps close to your ears, and make sure that your palms are in front of each other. Slowly breathe out. Settle your hip forward and try to do a good stretch pushing the frontal region of your leg and the hip flexors.

Being your tailbone towards the floor, while extending your lower back and engaging your spine. Pull your arms further at the back and push your torso. Look at the back and move into the mild backbend. Hold this posture for ten seconds and raise the knee of the back leg to make it a full crescent pose. Release the pose and keep your hands back on the ground.

Final thoughts

One must practice regularly to understand the difference and positivity that yoga contributes to life. From flexibility, digestion, to insomnia, stress, yoga has a cure for all things related to body, mind, and soul.

5 Tricks That Will Help You to Lose Weight Easier

Regardless of how much of it you want to lose, trimming your weight is never an easy task. From those biscuits that scream at you every time you open the cupboard to that cold bottle of beer that has been chilling in the fridge all day, there are temptations to be found everywhere. Being busy in life doesn’t help when it comes to sourcing and preparing healthy meals, either. All in all, losing weight is just an incredibly difficult thing to do.

You can make this all-important task an easier one to undertake, though, by simply trying out the five tricks listed below.

Eat slowly

It might sound silly but it’s true, eating slowly can help you lose weight. This doesn’t mean spending hours or drawing out the eating process to the point where your food goes cold. It just means refraining from getting your food finished in 10 minutes, and eating it over a period of 20-30 minutes instead. By doing so, you could save 70 calories per serving.

Ditch the top slice

Bread is a great accompaniment to most dinners — whether it is used to create a makeshift sandwich or whether it’s used for dipping and mopping up sauces, it always does a good job. To make your weight loss easier, though, you should ditch that top slice. Have one slice per meal, and you’ll instantly erase 100 calories.

Use smaller plates

Over the years serving sizes have increased, and plates sizes have followed suit. This means that you could dish up for yourself a perfectly normal and healthy portion, only for it to look small due to the plate it is dished up upon. This could then force you to put more food on your plate which, of course, leads to the consumption of more calories. To combat this easy mistake, simply use smaller platers. With regards to soup, as silly as it may sound, this should entail you opting for a cereal bowl rather than a soup bowl.

Increase fiber intake

Upping your intake of fiber will go a long way in helping you to prevent weight gain. This means doing all you can to add the following to your daily diet:

Fruits
Vegetables
Beans
Whole grains

Have your meals prepared for you

Not knowing what to cook or not actually having the time to cook could be a major contributor to your inability to lose weight. For this reason, you should seriously consider having your meals prepared for you. By using a service such as Result Plan, you would be able to have nutritional meals that are tailored to your weight-loss needs sent straight to your door. If this sounds like the missing piece in your bid to lose weight easier, head to www.resultplan.com to find out more about the different programs on offer.

In your bid to lose weight, you should make everything as simple and as easy as possible. By doing that, you’ll find yourself consuming fewer calories per day and you’ll eventually feel much better as a result.

How to Deal with Cravings When Drinking Meal Replacement Shakes

When changing our diet in any way, we are bound to have cravings. This is because we are suddenly taking away foods that the body is used to consuming and it can take a while for our body to come around to the idea of a change in diet, even if it is for the better. Drinking meal replacement shakes is one effective way to lose weight, but with it comes cravings. There are ways to deal with these so that you do not feel hungry and you do not ruin your diet. Follow these top tips if your cravings are driving you crazy.

Take the Best Meal Replacement Shakes

Taking meal replacement shakes that really work is a good way to both suppress your appetite and aid you in your weight loss journey. If you are considering a ketogenic diet, use this for making keto shakes. As KetoLogic make their shakes with the perfect ratio of protein to fat, they will leave you feeling fuller for a lot longer than less superior protein shakes that contain no fat at all. Too much protein intake when trying to lose weight ends up being broken down into carbs. This can knock you out of ketosis, as well as preventing weight loss and increasing your hunger between shakes.

Drink Enough Water

Often, we do not stay hydrated enough when taking meal replacement shakes; one reason being that we think we are consuming more liquid than usual when taking shakes instead of food. Drinking water has many health benefits and is an inexpensive and easy way to keep us feeling fuller.

If you begin to feel hungry, the first thing you should do is drink a glass of water. You should also drink water before meals, as it can leave you feeling a lot fuller from smaller portions. Next time you are having a craving, reach for the tap before reaching for the fridge.

Distraction

Cravings are inevitable when changing our diet and if you haven’t got the best will power, distraction is a great tool to forget about those pesky cravings. If you have a busy life, it is easier to ignore the cravings, as you don’t have time to go out and buy those doughnuts you want. If you have a desk job or work from home, it is much easier to give in to those cravings.

If possible, go for a brisk walk or take a bath and read a book. Anything that can distract your mind from the craving until it passes is a good way to not give in. Many people find chewing gum an effective way of reducing appetite and distracting your mind from wandering thoughts of food.

Don’t Let Yourself Go Hungry

One of the biggest reasons we crave foods is because we are hungry. Meal replacement shakes are a way of losing weight and gaining what we need in the form of shake, but they should be adequately filling you up so that you do not feel hungry. Many meal replacement shakes still allow for at least one regular meal throughout the day, plus snacks.

Healthy snacks will not hurt your weight loss journey and they are better than succumbing to cravings because your body is starving. Be prepared for cravings by having healthy snacks in work or at home to eat if you do feel hungry.

Reduce Stress Levels

This is easier said than done, but if you are under a lot of stress, taking meal replacement shakes may need to wait until the stress has been lifted. Stress has a big impact on cravings and eating the wrong type of foods. Especially with women, studies have shown that the higher the stress level, the more calories consumed within a day and the higher the cravings. This also comes to light when women are at a certain point in their menstrual cycle.

Stress not only induces cravings, but it can also cause you to release a hormone known as cortisol, which can cause you to gain weight, on the stomach area especially. Minimizing any stress you are under and finding a way to relax and de-stress can help with any cravings you may be having. If you are under a significant amount of stress from something such as a work deadline, waiting for this to be over may be the best time to start taking your meal replacement shakes to ensure you aren’t setting yourself up for failure.

Drinking the right meal replacement shakes can ultimately lead to fewer cravings as they should be keeping you full between meal times. If you do experience cravings, try drinking water to ensure you are not confusing hunger for thirst and if this doesn’t work, distract yourself. As your body becomes more used to your new diet, your cravings will decrease.

Metabolic obesity – the unseen problem

With over two-thirds of UK adults classified as overweight or obese, it is no surprise that a substantial proportion of clients that come for personal training fit into this category. Initially, they’ll want to lose weight and improve their fitness; two easily achievable goals if they stick to a healthy diet and exercise plan.

While fitness professionals will invest most of their time working with these clients, they should actively keep an eye out for a group of individuals who are often overlooked by health and fitness professionals. These are the “skinny fats”; men and women who look fit and healthy on the outside, but who may have serious health problems brewing from within.

Weighing in

Typically, skinny fats – medically known as metabolically obese normal weight (MONW) individuals – partake in little or no exercise, eat a diet high in sugary, processed foods and have very little muscle definition. But because they aren’t classified as overweight, no-one questions their health and many people envy their fast metabolisms and tiny frames.

In the UK, overweight and obesity is a major public concern – it is thought that by 2025, 47% or males and 36% of females will be obese. People who fall into this category are more likely to develop health problems later in life, such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, stroke, and certain cancers. To be classified as overweight or obese, you need to have a body mass index (BMI) of over 25 or 30, respectively. This is calculated using a person’s weight and height and is commonly used in the medical profession for assessing current and future health risk.

Anyone with a BMI of 18.5 to 25 is considered healthy by many medical professionals. Their risk for developing metabolic diseases is also thought to be lower. While there are many individuals who fall into this category that are healthy, research suggests that solely using BMI as an indicator of health could be misleading.

How much fat?

One useful measure of body composition is a person’s body fat percentage. Quite simply, this is the percentage of the body made up of fat. Athletes or individuals who have a lot of muscle mass will often have a falsely high BMI, but a low body fat percentage. This is because BMI doesn’t account for their increased weight due to the composition of their muscles.

By contrast, individuals with a normal BMI may be found to have an unusually high body fat percentage. These are the MONW individuals, and this is a straightforward way to scientifically detect them. They have little of what we consider to be good for you (muscle mass and bone density) and lots of what we consider to be bad (visceral fat).

Is “skinny fat” really that bad?

Despite looking slim and healthy, MONW individuals are often deficient in certain vitamins due to a poor diet, which can cause fatigue and low concentration levels. They also show traits typically seen in diabetics, such as high blood sugar levels, low cholesterol, inflammation, and high blood pressure. Worryingly, researchers have found that people who develop diabetes who are MONW have a higher mortality rate than obese diabetics. However, because these individuals are thin, their symptoms often go undetected until it is too late.

How to spot a metabolically obese normal weight individual

For fitness professionals, MONW individuals are often hard to spot. This is because, typically, they avoid the gym or any kind of physical activity. While this is an obvious problem for us, it is still important to know the trademarks of a MONW person.

Easily identifiable signs include:

An aversion for any kind of physical exercise
A diet high in sugary or processed foods
Constant sugar highs and lows
Bouts of fatigue, low energy, and difficulty concentrating or focusing for extended periods of time
Avoiding food high in protein (not necessarily on purpose)
A belly that is slightly bigger and out of proportion with the rest of the body

Prescribing a cure

Thankfully, being metabolically obese but normal weight isn’t a disease and isn’t a permanent state. It can easily be altered with a few simple lifestyle changes, and this is where we as fitness professionals come in. Unlike many clients, MONW individuals don’t need to lose weight. Their goal is to change their body composition through safe, effective exercise and alterations in their current diet. This can be achieved through a mix of aerobic and resistance training.

For some, starting out in a gym can be daunting and they will likely make a beeline for the cardio equipment, avoiding the weights section altogether. While aerobic activity should play a small part in their training programme, encouraging the use of resistance machines and weights is essential for building muscle mass. The first few sessions will be the most important. They will need reassurance, guidance and ultimately your knowledge and support. Make sure they understand the importance of supporting an active lifestyle with a balanced diet and the effects that highly processed foods can have on their body.

As fitness professionals, we play a key role in helping fight obesity in this country. Although it has taken a while for the dangers associated with being metabolically obese but normal weight to be recognized, the phenomenon is gaining more attention and the dangers of metabolic obesity are becoming apparent. Hopefully, we’ll see more work being done to promote health from the inside out in the future.

About the author

Josh Douglas-Walton is a health and fitness writer for HFE, a leading provider of personal training courses and fitness qualifications.

5 Dietary Approaches That Are Used To Prevent and Manage Obesity

The number of calories that we eat or drink directly impacts our weight. If we consume a constant number of calories, the weight remains stable. When we consume more calories than the body can burn up, we gain weight and vice versa. Research has shown that some dietary approaches make it easy to keep calories in check. Anyone who’s looking to control their weight should eat fewer calories and exercise more.

Different dietary strategies can be used to effectively reduce weight. Those that feature appropriate diet plans such as the Diet To Go tend to produce longer lasting effects. All the benefits of dieting can only be realized when they’re followed strictly. The key to successful weight management is sustained adherence to a diet.

What is Obesity?

Obese people have too much fat in the body and weigh much more compared to what’s considered healthy for their height. This happens over time when they eat more calories than their bodies can burn up.

Obesity increases one’s risk of heart disease, chronic back pain, diabetes, hypertension, depression, and stroke. The main causes of obesity are overeating, the genetic makeup, eating junk food, and lack of exercise.

In this article, we’ll have a look at the diet strategies that help with weight management and obesity prevention.

Dietary Approaches to Treat, Prevent, and Manage Obesity

Energy balance is the cornerstone of obesity management. Overweight individuals are always in search of the best diet that promises them a large weight loss over a short period of time. The various dietary approaches to weight loss are:

Low-fat Diets

A low-fat diet not only helps manage weight but also promotes health and reduces the risk of chronic disease. Diets between 20-35% are considered as low-fat.

Low-fat diets are the key to good health and weight control.

Very Low-Fat Diets

For optimal health, the recommended fat intake should be equal or less than 20%. Very low-fat diets provide about 10-20% fat.

Such diets are generally plant-based and discourage the consumption of foods containing high amounts of refined carbs.

Moderate-fat Diets

Moderate-fat diets contain anywhere between 35-45% fat.

These diets are often equated with Mediterranean diets which usually contain a similar amount of fat content.

High-Protein Diets

Protein intakes that are more than 25% of the total energy or 1.6g/kg per day of body weight are considered high. A good example of the high-protein diet is the Zone diet that contains 30% protein, 40% carbohydrate, and 30% fat.

High-protein diets have shown to perform really well and offer numerous advantages for weight loss.

Eating a high percentage of calories from proteins helps with weight control since it offers more satiety and people tend to feel fuller. It also requires more energy to break down and store proteins compare to all the other macronutrients. This increases the energy that is used up on a single day.

Low-Carbohydrate Diet

This is the most common dietary approach that is used for weight loss. There are many different versions of the low-carbohydrate diet with most of them comprising of between 20-50g/day

Low-carbohydrate dietary approaches eliminate the intake of refined carbohydrates.

Dietary Patterns, Meal Frequency, Portion Size, and Obesity

The food that we eat falls into different eating patterns. One of the major contributors to the obesity epidemic is the drastic increase in portion size which, as a result, leads to the consumption of a greater percentage of calories.

Dietary Patterns and Weight

Dietary patterns often feature whole grains, vegetables, fruits, refined carbohydrates, drinks, sweets, and processed meats. The first three items on the list seem to protect against weight gain while the others have been linked to obesity and increased risk of heart disease and diabetes.

Most people who follow a diet that is rich in fruits, nuts, vegetables, fish, nuts, and beans have a lower rate of obesity.

Meal Frequency and Snacking

Skipping meals only increases the risk of obesity.

These days it has become quite common for people to snack on sweet and sugary snacks, dessert, salted snacks, and candy. Snacking and eating frequently are associated with weight gain

Portion Size

Over the last couple of years, portion sizes have increased for food that is eaten at home and that which is eaten away from home; for both children and adults.

When people serve larger portions, they tend to eat more compared to when they serve smaller portions. Also, people who order larger beverages, they tend to drink significantly more.

Conclusion

In the prevention and management of obesity, the quality of the macronutrients matters more than their quantity in the diet. People get more benefits from a high-protein, low-carbohydrate, and low-fat approach.

Healthy dietary approaches can prevent weight gain and obesity. There is substantial evidence showing that diet patterns help to prevent and manage obesity. You are advised to limit sugared beverages, processed meat, and refined grains. Healthy means should comprise of fruits, nuts, and vegetables.

3 Ways to Burn Fat and Gain Muscle

If you’re eying a goal of burning fat while gaining muscle, you’re in for a lot of hard work and diet monitoring. It’s not going to be an easy trek, but if you’re set on achieving the body of your dreams, it can be done. Even if you’re spending an hour each day in the gym, what you do outside of a training facility has just as much of an impact on your body as your workout regimen. If you’re looking to shred fat and amp up your muscle growth, here are some excellent tips to get you started.

Turn Up the Intensity

Unless you’ve been actively avoiding any fitness publications, you’ve likely heart of high-intensity interval training (HIIT). High-intensity interval training consists of cardio sessions that are arranged as quick bursts of incredibly hard work. Though each set usually only lasts 20 to 90 seconds, you shouldn’t focus on conserving your energy the way you would with a longer session. To get the most out of HIIT, you’re going to want to really push your body during each and every workout.

High-intensity interval training is scientifically proven to be more effective in shredding your body as it helps boost endurance and metabolism while working to chip away at body fat. If it sounds difficult, that’s because it is. If you look at your workouts as though they were on a scale of one to ten, a HIIT session should be around a nine each and every time. However, don’t forget to rest between each set, or you could overexert yourself and cause some real damage to your body. While high-intensity interval training takes some practice to get used to, it’s an powerful way to reach your body goals.

Try Out a Supplement

Supplements are an excellent way to make sure you’re getting the most out of each and every workout. Since there are so many options available on the market, do some research to find the right product for your specific goals. For instance, if you want a spike of energy, increased stamina, and a boost in your libido, you may want to consider a supplement like GHT male, which provides a concentrated way to naturally boost testosterone.

If you’re looking to burn fat, you may want to investigate products that boost your body’s rate of thermogenesis. You could also test out boosters that help your body reach a state of ketosis, which is when, instead of relying on carbohydrates for energy, your body relies on its own fat stores. Many fitness enthusiasts rave about the benefits of trying a ketogenetic diet, and it may be a great way for you to drop unwanted weight.

Ditch the Booze

One of the biggest reasons your body tends to hold onto fat? Your drinking habits. While there’s nothing wrong with enjoying the occasional drink or two on the weekend, alcohol is jam-packed with empty calories and carbohydrates that are of no nutritional value. There’s a reason the term “beer belly” exists, after all.

If you’re looking to build muscle and burn fat, say, “No,” to the bottle for 30 days. You’ll begin to experience better sleep cycles, increased protein synthesis for muscle repair (the key to building muscle), and a decrease in cortisol in your body. Cortisol is a stress hormone that boosts your cravings for comfort foods and promotes a tendency to overeat. Doesn’t sound like a good fit for a diet program, does it? If you go 30 days without alcohol, you’re likely to see such fantastic results that you’ll want to go even longer without a drink.

A Personalized Plan

No matter what diet and exercise tactics you decide on, if you want to achieve that perfect body, you need to commit to your regimen. Monitor your food intake, make yourself go to the gym, and don’t make excuses for not following through with your plans. While it’s okay to have a cheat day here and there, don’t make it a habit, either. Burning fat and building muscle are hard enough as is, but if you’re driven, the results you see when you look in the mirror will be worth it.

Is Dietary Supplements Are Good For Weight Loss

Dietary supplements are generally denoted as healthy supplements that assist you in maintaining your daily diet and supporting the organ by providing all the necessary nutrients. However, the question often arises whether dietary supplements are safe for weight loss as dietary pills come in different forms. Dietary supplements are generally divided into three segments where weight loss takes one section.

Many people in the world take dietary supplements for weight loss treatment because it often acts as a fat burner, but it doesn’t disrupt natural metabolism process. Traditional fat burners for weight loss creates a lot of side effects but this pills smoothly curbs down the weight and supplies the necessary items in the different organ of the body.

People often believe that everyone can burn their weight through exercise or by regulating their food diet but in reality it is not always possible Dietary supplements serves as a two in one capsule which rejuvenates the body and curbs down excess fat at the same time. This pill serves as good source of minerals and vitamin that are necessary to maintain a healthy body. Diet pills are considered as effective weight loss supplement because it has many benefits associated with it. It carries all the attributes that a weight loss pill should carry to maintain the health of the body without causing any other damages.

However many professors believe that some company often endorse that their dietary supplement helps in reducing weight but in reality, they don’t. As all the production of the supplement is not monitored by the government, so it is not possible which dietary supplement will good for weight loss.

Although it has been seen many reputed dietetic products are also intended for weight loss, and they have chemically backed up that fact. So we have deduced that dietetic supplements are good for weight loss, but you should opt for the reputed ones. Here we have listed why this supplement is good for weight loss and serves as a better alternative than normal pills.

Properly Balanced Metabolism

Dietary pills help in maintaining a balanced metabolism rate that assists in preventing excess growth of fats and other elements that cause the increase of weight. Metabolism is the process that is incorporated into our body to convert the food you eat to energy. It is a complicated biochemical process where all the nutrients, vitamins and calories are extracted for the production of energy. It has been seen that slow metabolism rate leads to excessive weight gain but dietary pills help in curbing down the effect by maintaining a proper metabolism rate.

Our body gains weight when the breaking process of the body is slow rendering to deposit of calorie and fat in the body. But a balanced metabolism helps in burning calorie and fats which curbs down the weight by a good margin. Dietary supplement only carries necessary nutrients needed by the body, and they give less quantity of calorie and fat.

Suppresses the Appetite

Most of the foods you eat contain a good amount of calorie which adds to your weight and people who doesn’t exercise a lot fails to burn those calories along with fat. But when you want to lose weight, you need control this calorie intake but still, fill up your stomach with basic foods that will provide the necessary energy to the body.

Dietary pills that are intended for lowering the body weight provides the necessary vitamins and other nutrients to the body without giving any kind of calorie which will lead to increase in weight. There are some supplements that carry items like caffeine which is a potent agent that reduces the appetite.

We often take a large amount of food just to fill up our appetite but controlling the hunger assist in curbing down the weight. The ingredients present in these supplements keep the hunger at bay for good amount of time.

Providing More Energy for Expenditure

Dietary supplements provide the necessary nutrients and vitamin to the body which assist you to achieve a good amount of energy to perform a different task. So acts as an encouragement that gives you the energy to exercise and burn calories in your body.

Another good thing about these supplements that it also allows to burn calorie while you are resting which is a good attribute as it is not possible for you to perform the exercise. The dietary supplement is a source of energy that the body can’t meet when they are needed, so external sources are used for the production of those energies.

So with energy, it provides the ability to do work or exercise which helps you loses the excess fat and calorie. It is important that the calories and extra fats should be burned in any way otherwise it will add to the weight of the body.

Effect of Conjugated Linoleic Acid

CLA or conjugated linoleic acid is a derivative of linoleic acid, and CLA is found in reputed dietary products which assist the user in losing weight. CLA can’t be produced by the body alone, and it needs an external source to meet the need so having dietary supplement with CLA is a healthy way to reduce weight.

CLA conducts a series of biochemical reactions that notches up the basal metabolic rate. This increase in basal metabolic rate indicates better conversation of energy from food than the previous rate. The fat tissue in the body is regulated as CLA are associated with a lot of metabolic reactions.

According to experts, CLA doesn’t reduce the body weight directly, but it converts the body fat so that energy expenditure gets boosted, and muscles are toned. Some studies have also shown that it acts as a potent agent which reduces the fat mass in the body.

This proves that dietary supplements are good for weight loss and it doesn’t hamper the health state of the body.

Santanu Majumdar is a part-time blogger and currently blogs at DailyFitnesstips4u.com. He is also a health and fitness lover who loves to share his ideas on health, fitness, and beauty. You can check him out on Twitter and Facebook

Leptin Diet: Complete Guide for Weight Loss

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As its name might suggest, the leptin diet is focused on leptin, the human body’s satiety-triggering hormone. First discovered in 1994, leptin basically prompts us to stop eating once we’re full. Through this, it also controls metabolism and can support weight loss. When it moves through the nervous system, it stimulates calorie burning.

According to DefendYourHealthcare.us, it was created by a man named Byron J. Richard, who was both a respected and board-certified nutritionist, as well as a businessman. Through his approach, he proposed a way to retrain neurotransmitter signals. Unfortunately, many of the pesky extra pounds that bother us are caused by an improper hormone to brain connection.

The main negative consequence of this consists in overeating. A leptin buildup in the bloodstream is mainly responsible for this. The hormone travels through the circulatory system to reach the brain’s appetite center, and when problems arise due to stress or obesity, they become visible once you hop on the scale.

The 5 Simple Rules

Just like many other trendy diets, the leptin diet is all about eating clean, organic food made with the help of the freshest ingredients. What sets it apart from other similar meal plans is the fact that it is based on five straightforward rules that have created quite a few particular recipes you can use. Here they are explained and in no particular order.

1. Prepare a Protein-Rich Breakfast

The leptin diet is one that emphasizes greatly the importance of breakfast. After all, it is truly the most important meal of the day. Its guidelines recommend ingesting between 20 and 30 grams of protein in the morning after a 12-hour break. This boosts your metabolism by as much as 30%, which is beneficial for weight loss because it accelerates the burning of fat.

2. Consume Three Meals Per Day

Another important principle of the leptin diet is that of no more and no less than three meals per day. Studies show that this is the ideal amount we need to stay nourished and fully functional. And because an excess of nutrients is what causes leptin buildup, ensuring that you abide by this simple rule is essential. Also, keep in mind that snacking is not allowed.

3. Don’t Eat Anything After Dinner

If you want to approach this weight loss program the right way, it’s important to be aware of the importance of dinner. You must have this meal exactly 12 hours prior breakfast, and three before your bedtime. If you eat anything past this point, it will be stored directly as fat. So, to give your metabolism a boost in the right direction, stick to the schedule religiously.

4. Focus on Portion Control

To retrain the neurotransmitter activated by leptin, you need to control your portions carefully during the diet. Therefore, you shouldn’t aim to eat until you feel full, as this can be misleading. Instead, ingest just enough food to keep you nourished. If you have trouble measuring this amount, there are special plates available on the market to help you with it.

5. Reduce Carbohydrate Intake

The final rule of the leptin diet you should respect has to do with carb intake reduction. You need to rely on triglycerides to fuel your body. Of course, you shouldn’t ban them entirely from your diet, as they are an essential nutrient. Just be careful not to go overboard on the bread and pasta if you want to see results.

How to Prepare the Meals

To ensure that you get all the necessary protein for breakfast, there’s nothing better than eggs and steak. However, if you feel like this is too heavy for the first meal of the day, enjoy some oatmeal with Greek yogurt and fruit. You can simply add protein powder to it for that extra boost recommended by the leptin diet.

As far as lunch is concerned, salad is the perfect dish. The varieties recommended by author Byron J. Richard are roasted beet and goat cheese salad, crab salad, quinoa and lentil salad, and cranberry spinach quinoa salad. Any one of these will provide you with just the right amount of nutrients so that you can stay energized until dinner.

Come dinner time, you must focus on lean protein. Salmon, seafood, turkey, and chicken are all accepted varieties of meat to integrate into your menu. Accompany them by a healthy side of steamed non-starchy vegetables, such as asparagus, green beans, peppers, mushrooms, or eggplant. Salmon taco, chicken cutlets with cherry salsa, or turkey burgers are all great options.

Final Thoughts

If you have been considering the leptin diet, you need to first ask yourself if it is something you can adhere to in the long run. Various meal plans cater to the needs of various individuals, and if it doesn’t work for you, you shouldn’t blame yourself. After all, there isn’t a universal approach for anyone. And when you’re unsure whether or not the leptin diet is for you, always consult with your doctor.