Female Body Building Diet

The main difference between a man and a woman in terms of body building is their metabolism. A woman has a harder time metabolizing fat than a man. Women also have a harder time gaining muscle than men. This is important when choosing a female body building diet to enter into.

Another crucial difference between a man and a woman are the hormones they produce. Specifically, men produce testosterone while women cannot. Testosterone is an important hormone used to increase the size of your muscles. This is the reason why men have bigger muscles than women.

Women who undergo weight training thus cannot become bulky. What a lot of female body builders do is that they take steroids, which have synthetic testosterone, together with their female body building diet. This is what makes these women muscular.

To be able to keep yourself fit, you also have to engage in an effective female body building training program. Your training program should be suited to your body building goals.

Typically, a good training program combines cardiovascular exercises, such as running on a treadmill, alternating with weight training exercises. Cardiovascular exercises help you lose fat, while weight training exercises help you build muscle. Some women can also include additional stretching and flexibility exercises to their workout.

Of course, an effective body building training program has to be combined with specialized female body building diet program to produce the best results.

Just because you exercise does not mean you can eat anything you want. The amount of calories you burn depends on your metabolism. Thus, your metabolism also dictates how much you can eat. If you eat more calories than the amount your body can burn, the calories will become stored as body fat.

Since women store fat more readily than men, a general rule for women body builders is to lessen the amount of fat and cholesterol in their female body building diets. Healthier low-fat and low-cholesterol alternatives to most foods, such as milk and yogurt, are now available for you to include in your female body building diet.

To learn more body building diet tips, visit http://www.bodybuildingdiet101.com/
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Anthony_Lee

Top 20 Tips to Lose One Pound Per Week

We are two months into the New Year. Are you still trying to lose those last few stubborn pounds? It turns out that losing one pound per week does not have to be difficult. As a matter of fact, it is surprisingly easy.

So, how can losing a pound per week be done? By cutting 500 calories per day. The most efficient way to do this is to cut food calories by 250 and work off the other 250 through exercise. Follow these top 20 tips and be on your way to loose jeans and a new you.

Diet:

Here are 10 top tips to lose one pound per week through diet.

1. Skip the large bakery muffin and instead eat one slice of whole wheat toast topped with 1 tablespoon of peanut butter.

2. Replace eggs and cheese with scrambled egg whites.

3. No large french fries. Instead, eat a yogurt and fruit parfait.

4. Skip the Ben & Jerry's ice cream; replace it with a light ice cream or frozen yogurt.

5. Say no to the handful of m&m's at the receptionist's desk.

6. Eat one ounce of soy nuts and skip the 3 ounces of roasted almonds.

7. Eat a cup of strawberries instead of a whole banana, and cauliflower instead of a baked potato loaded with butter and sour cream.

8. Cut out all calorie counting beverages.

9. For lunch, skip the cheese on the salad or sandwich, substitute mustard for mayonnaise, and replace potato chips with soy chips.

How can you put a limit on learning more? The next section may contain that one little bit of wisdom that changes everything.

10. Skip 1 biscotti and 1 large mocha.

Exercise

Here are the top 10 ways to lose one pound per week through exercise:

1. Take a brisk 30 minute walk every day.

2. Spin for 30 minutes at a moderate pace.

3. Do housework in your home for one hour.

4. Walk one mile in the morning and one mile in the evening.

5. Do 35 minutes of Pilates.

6. Do 35 minutes of Power Yoga.

7. Run up and down stairs for 15 minutes.

8. Dance for 40 minutes.

9. Play Frisbee with the family dog or friend for one hour.

10. Wash windows for an hour.

Losing one pound per week does not have to be grueling. These top 20 ways to lose weight are simple to follow. Try them, lose those last few stubborn pounds, and be on your way to a new you.

It never hurts to be well-informed with the latest on weight loss. Compare what you've learned here to future articles so that you can stay alert to changes in the area of weight loss.

Monique's Hawkins is a retail representative for a network marketing company. She believes failing in network marketing is NOT your fault. To discover how to end years of failure and frustration with MLM, visit http://mentormonique.googlepages.com/bementoredforlife

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Monique_Hawkins

How To Get Great Abs

It is a known fact that excess fat around the midsection is a harbinger for diabetes, heart disease and a general all-around health risk I know that’s why most of you are reading this How To Get Good Abs column, right? Wrong. The truth is, most people want to have a flat stomach for purely cosmetic reasons, not because of the health benefits associated with exercising your tummy. Regardless of your reasoning, the health benefits associated with buffing up your belly complement the physical gains , ultimately leading to a better way of life.

Flat Abs Mythology

One of the biggest myths surrounding the idea of getting a flat stomach is the thinking that you must perform seven thousand abdominal exercises and, Poof!, you’ll achieve a flat stomach in a heartbeat. Yes, exercising your abdomen and strengthening your midsection will help but overdoing it with sit-ups and crunches isn’t the best way to go about it. Practicing a quality, balanced exercise regimen will give you results faster than any quick-fix, obsessive muscle assault.

Tips for a flatter stomach

Acquiring a perfect set of 6-pack abs may seem impossible, but with some simple procedures you can achieve this goal.

Keep in mind that target-burning abdominal muscles won’t get the job done, no matter what every ‘Flat abs in 7 days!’ instructional videos tell you. To burn away the fat on your abdomen, fat must be burned from everywhere on your body, which translates to: CARDIO, CARDIO, CARDIO. Performing cardiovascular or aerobic exercises will get your heart rate beating at a moderate to intensive rate, subsequently melting fat from all areas of the body. This type of aerobic activity performed five days a week for 30 minutes each session will teach your body to use the extra fat reserves for much needed fuel. Your fat stomach will turn into a rock-hard muscular wall in no time and reduce your overall body fat percentage as well.

It’s not a good idea to work out the abdominal muscles on a daily basis. Body fat will start disappearing as your cardiovascular regimen gets moving and will help tone and trim your stomach. Abs need to be exercised in the same way as any other muscle group, meaning you must give them a day or two of rest to recover from being worked out. Don’t work them out every day. Include three or four sets of your favorite two ab exercises and perform 15-20 repetitions for each set. This will be more than sufficient. Popular ab exercises are the abdominal crunch, working the obliques (meeting your opposite elbow to your opposite knee), the reverse crunch) and toe stretches (lying on the back with the legs straight up in the air and reaching to touch the toes).

Having a balanced, nutritional and reduced-calorie diet to augment your exercise program will be the key to success if you want to have enviable abs. It’s more than likely you have fallen into a negative pattern of junk food and lack of exercise. If this sloppy diet continues, it won’t be so easy to get the abs you dream of. A balanced diet of proteins, carbohydrates, fruits and vegetables is very important for your overall health. Avoiding white pasta, white bread and white rice and substitute whole wheat and brown rice to complex and healthy carbohydrates. If you eat meat, choose the low-fat or lean cuts. Eating throughout the day, five or six times, with moderate portions is ideal.

Discipline Discipline Discipline

Nothing worth doing is easy to do. This will take hard work, determination and discipline. But hard work breeds results and once you start to see results, it will be easier to maintain your good diet and exercise plan. Stay fit, think fit and be fit!

Eric Hartwell oversees "The World's Best Homepage" intended to be a user-generated resource where YOUR opinion counts. Anybody can contribute and all are welcomed. Visit us to read, comment upon or share opinions on health and visit our associated site articles for free.
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Simple Tips for Great Abs

The abdominal muscles support the trunk and keep the internal organs covered. They also allow movement of the body. These muscles contract to give the power for carrying out body movements.

Weak abdominal muscles can cause several conditions like back pain, muscle strain and even hernia. Therefore, it is necessary to strengthen these muscles such that we can escape such conditions from affecting us.

What are the four abdominal muscles?

These are transverses abdominus, rectus abdominus, external oblique muscles, and internal oblique muscles. They are present in between the ribs and the pelvis region in the body.

Of late, developing abs and making the six-pack abs visible has become very much a requirement among people. It gives a great look to the body, boosts one’s ego and people become socially acceptable. I mean, who wants a man having a huge paunch? It presents a very unpleasant site. Besides, people are becoming more health conscious by the day. They have realized the importance of keeping slim, trim and fit and having a well-maintained physique.

Developing great abs is a process and needs dedicated efforts. It is a two-step process where you cannot neglect one for the other. Here I recommend some simple tips you should follow to develop the abs.

First, regulate your diet. Consult a dietician. Prepare a diet chart based on your body mass index (BMI). Have food high on proteins. Avoid red meat. Avoid excess dairy products, food excess in calories and alcohol. Avoid excess alcohol especially beer. These not only make you fat but also are also bad for the heart. Have plenty of water.

How does diet regulation help?

Diet regulation helps in maintaining the calories level in the body. Only the essential amount is used and excess calories are not taken in. Thus, it helps to prevent accumulation of fats in the body. Besides, high protein intake helps to increase body strength. Also food and drink items bad for heart, arteries etc are not taken.

Second, exercise daily to keep fit, physically strong, and develop great abs. At the outset, physical exercise is also in two steps. First, do regular jogging or running. If this is not possible owing to time constraints and busy work schedules, join a gym or make your own home-gym. Buy treadmills, elliptical machines and exercise bikes. Spend at least one hour daily on these three equipments. As you go on, you may add on more time as you feel.

The next part is abs development exercises. The essential exercises include basic crunches, abs rollers, abs trainers, hip-lifts and leg raises. It is always good to get training from a professional expert. Be careful while doing these workouts. A poor posture can result in long sustainable injury.

Great Abs are not only the result of hard work, they are the result of using the right tools, learn about Abdominal Exercise at http://abdominalexercisezone.com/

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sharon_Mirin

Abdominal Weight Loss: Yoga Can Help You Lose the Gut

Whenever anyone says or gestures that they want to lose weight, most of the time, they point to their guts saying “I wanna lose all this!” Obviously, abdominal weight loss is a goal for many people.

However, what most people might not be aware of is that-of all exercises-Yoga actually can help immensely for weight loss in the abdominal region. There are specific poses, that target excess weight in the abdomen and coupled with a customized diet, those seeking abdominal weight loss would find success in using these yoga exercises.

Let’s go over them, shall we?

Abdominal Weight Loss: Yoga Poses to Use.

1. The Sun Salutations:

These are a combination of poses that serve as a warm up-routine for a Yoga session or class. They are very similar to the popular calisthenics exercise known as burpees. However, they differ in that they have a spiritual significance included as a result of executing them. Due to the forward and backward bending motions involved, after performing a few to several rounds on a daily basis, you are bound to notice a marked loss of weight in you abdominal area and the added bonus of muscular tone.

2. The Bow Pose:

This simple pose involves laying flat on your belly and grabbing your ankles with both arms while simultaneously lifting your head up high. When performed correctly, you should be resting on your abdomen. Needless to say, it is a pose commonly recommended for weight loss and the prevention and correction of chronic constipation.

3. The Peacock Pose:

This is slightly more challenging. The objective is to balance your abdomen on your conjoined elbows while simultaneously raising your legs and head of the floor. Naturally, merely attempting it speeds up abdominal weight loss and detoxification of the visceral organs and the preparatory stage could suffice as the actual execution of the pose till the mastery of it is achieved.

4. The Abdominal Lift:

This is not a pose, per-se but is a specific exercise that involves you exhaling your breath and pulling the diaphragm in while holding the breath out. This is a specific abdominal exercise for weight loss, spiritual rejuvenation and detoxification.

Now friends, there are other poses such as the shoulder-stand, the forward-bending pose, the spinal twist and the wheel pose that also target increase in muscular tone and weight loss in the abdominal regions, however from practice the 4 above will perhaps be the most effective.

Do note though that if you are female and pregnant or in your menstrual period, some of these poses might not be the best to execute.

Moreover, since these poses-besides helping with abdominal weight loss-aid tremendously with detoxifying, it is advised that one eats a proper and healthy diet to augment the actions of these poses.

Other fantastic exercises for abdominal weight loss include your intense Aerobics, the use of the ab-wheel, basic sit-ups, windmills etc.

So empower yourself with these tips and information to achieve your goal for weight loss. Lose that gut starting today.

Foras Aje is an independent health researcher and founder of Bodyhealthsoul.com. He writes on health and wellness and Safe Weight Loss Tips and invites you to stop by his site for up to date information for improving health today.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Foras_Aje

The Abs Diet Helps You To Lose Stomach Fat And Get A Six Pack Abs

If you want to know how to lose stomach fat and achieve a six pack abs then pay attention to this article.

So if you want the short cuts and do this in half then time, then you get the right tips. See, you can get a great physique with top bodybuilding workouts including a six pack abs muscles as long as you're causing your body to burn fat and gain muscle efficiently. So lets go through how to achieve this.

Firstly, realise that getting rid of stomach fat involves 2 things:
1. Muscle gain, which will raise your metabolism and burn fat.
2. A diet that will stimulate testosterone, burn fat and help gain muscle.

When you combine these two factors, they are very powerful. If you skip one of them, then you'll take longer to get a great set of abs.

First, the bodybuilding workout.

There are 3 main things to keep in mind:
1. Get a proven bodybuilding workout that gives results. This means muslce gain in all parts of the body to raise your metabolism and burn fat.
2. Work also on compound exercises to really stimulate muscle growth through higher testosterone production. Such exercises include squats, lunges, wide gripped chin ups with whole body straight and in good form.
3. Abs exercises that involve resistance, such as rope pull downs as well as lower abs exercises such as leg raises.

Now for the bodybuilding six pack abs diet.

Here are some top tips:
1. Have lean sources of protein, no fatty sources of protein. Some examples include natural yogurt, fish, egg, tofu, skinless chicken. Lean protein means you get to build muscle and not take inextra fat.
2. Have low GI carbs, and avoid high GI carbs such as sugar, white bread and potatoes. Low GI carbs don't spike your insulin, which is good as insulin is a hormone that causes you to retain fat.
3. Have the good oils.

The first is fish oil (omega 3 fatty acids). This is important because if you're deficient, you'll find it harder to burn fat.

The seond is monounsaturated fat such as avocado or extra virgin olive oil. These fats are 'good fats' and they also stimulate testosterone production.

So there you have it.
If you follow part of this bodybuilding workout and muscle building diet advice you'll make progress.

If you follow all of it, you'll get a six pack abs in half the time you would have otherwise! So go for it and get a great body with a great six pack abs.

Lucas Ryan helps you to gain muscle and lose fat so that you can show off your bodybuilding efforts and look ripped in no time. For more valuable tips visit his site to learn how to lose stomach fat and get a six pack abs, how to use the abs diet and get real results with your training.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Lucas_Ryan

Gaining Lean Muscle Mass - 6 Diet Tips

When building muscle mass, the workout is only half of the battle. The other half is your diet. Without a good diet, is impossible to gain any measure of lean muscle mass. That is because the workout serves as stimuli making your body build muscle tissue. However without protein stores and the proper diet, your body will not have any building blocks to make this possible.

Therefore, it is important that you make sure your body is stocked with the right muscle building diet to help in your goal of a leaner, more muscular look. Here are a few muscle gaining diet tips to help you build a diet that is sure to fuel that metamorphosis in your body.

1. Lean meat. Lean meat is rich in protein and is a good basic building block for more muscle. Meat such as steak and other protein-rich foods has been a staple of many bodybuilding experts for over the past few decades. However, make sure you avoid the fat as it could compromise your bodybuilding goals.

2. Fiber rich foods. Fiber has long been known to help those wanting to lose weight. First of all, it prevents the body from absorbing too much fat. And, it also helps lower cholesterol and is a source of slow-burning carbohydrates, which is ideal for those wanting to lose weight.

Examples of fiber rich grains are oatmeal, wheat, vegetables and fruits. You could also buy them as supplements at any health store.

3. Water. Most professional bodybuilders go on diuretics just lose body liquids so that there muscle cuts can be more pronounced. However it is important for anyone going for in the look to drink enough water since workouts deplete natural body fluids.

4. Soybeans. Soybeans are a great source of protein and are low in fat and contain virtually no cholesterol. Many have been heralding soybean as one of the saviors of muscle building and weight loss.

It can be eaten as tofu, bean curd desserts and others. It is also cheap and easy to procure.

5. Whey protein. Whey protein is ready available at any health shop. It can be taken in as a supplement and mixed with soups, vegetables, and shakes. Whey protein is easy to absorb and is one of the best sources of protein available.

6. Egg whites. The protein of eggs resides in its egg whites. So, if you want to bulk up and get your protein from eggs, eat the whites and avoid the yellow part of the egg. You may also want to purchase processed egg whites from help stores. They are also good sources of protein.

For more muscle gaining tips and diets, please visit http://www.burn-fat-lose-weight.info/

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Anthony_Lee

The Quick and Easy Way to Tone Up Your Abs - Part 2

All About Abs - Nutrition
First Class Eating Habits = First Class Abs 90% of Ripped Ab Gurus Have Fantastic Nutritional Habits
Why Nutrition is 90% or More of Your Success
Let me explain this particular concept as it seems that the current direction is to buy fat burning pills, ab machines and do daily training. The problem is with all that training and other facts is they will never have as much influence on the layer of fat covering your abdominals as a good metabolic meal will that helps your body burn away fat every day.
Turning your body into a fat burning furnace should be your #1 priority.
Eating 5-7 meals per day is critical in order to make your body a calorie burning machine; you must supply it with 5-7 small but frequent meals. The reason you do this is because you will be continually burning calories to utilize the food. Be cautious of portion size. Eat too much of anything and you’ll never see those abs!
The more meals you have, the more your body must use energy to burn it. It’s like a furnace. You will RAISE your metabolism simply by eating more frequently.
You see if your nutrition isn’t nearly perfect, your body will always store some fat. And that fat will most likely be kept in the abdominal region. The only way to get to the sub-10% body fat region is with rock-solid nutrition. Countless people cannot do this. Their eating habits are never correct, they don’t track what they eat and they do not have the discipline necessary to eat correctly all of the time (with some cheat meals in there of course). The group of people who can do that are competitive bodybuilders.
Does this mean you can’t do it? Heck no! You just need to be acutely aware that having a ripped abdominal region is about a low percentage of body fat. To get that low, your nutrition needs to be impeccable. The more disciplined you are, the more fat you’ll burn and the more muscle you’ll keep. The lower your body fat becomes, the more your abs will show.
It’s just that simple but it’s not that easy. In the next few steps, you are going to learn exactly what you need to do in order to turn your body into a fat burning machine.
Step 1: Calculate How Many Calories a Day You Need to Lose Fat
Listen, figuring out how many calories a day you need to lose weight really isn’t too hard. And with the formula I’m about to give you plus a very cool website, you can easily track where you are and what you need to do daily to reach your goals. So lets’ begin!
IF YOU DON’T KNOW WHERE YOU ARE, THEN LOSING, MAINTAINING OR GAINING WILL BE IMPOSSIBLE!
Step 1:
Take your current body weight in pounds (lbs) and multiply by 11.
Example: 194 lbs x 11 = 2134 calories This is what I need to just keep what I have, without moving. But remember, you do move. So you have to then calculate your metabolic factors into this… so off to step 2...
Step 2:
Figure out your metabolic factor according to the table below.
But first, some definitions to help you determine where you might fit in:
Slow Metabolism: You basically look at food and you seem to put on pounds. You can gain weight by eating salads but it’s difficult to lose the weight.
Moderator Metabolism: You can gain weight if you try. You can lose weight if you try. You really don’t have trouble losing weight depending on what you want to do.
Fast Metabolism: You are the skinny guy or gal who can eat *ANYTHING* and it makes no difference. Gaining weight is difficult. Losing weight can happen overnight. Just by watching T.V. you seem to shed pounds.
Metabolic %
Under 30 years old Slow Metabolism- 30% Moderate Metabolism- 40% Fast Metabolism- 50%
30-40 years old Slow Metabolism- 25% Moderate Metabolism- 35% Fast Metabolism- 45%
Over 40 years old Slow Metabolism- 20% Moderate Metabolism- 30% Fast Metabolism- 40%
Example: 2134 calories x 35% (33 years old and with moderate metabolism) = 746.90
I took my calories needed above just to sit here and not move and multiplied it by my metabolic factor and I find that I need an additional 746.90 calories because of my specific metabolism.
Step 3:
Put it together. 2134 + 746.90 = 2880.90 calories I need 2,880.90 calories to maintain my current weight with my current activities.
Note: You can also adjust your metabolic factor if you do something that might take you to the next level. If you are a moderator metabolism person but you do distance running, it might make more sense to put your self in the fast category since you burn a lot more calories.
Step 4:
Lose Weight: I would take 2880.90 – 500 = 2380.90
Note: 500 calories a day is just a general term everybody uses to say that adding this amount is within safe limits. Eat too much, and you end up storing fat. Cut too many calories and your body just goes into starvation mode and ends up retaining more fat. 500 is a safe, recommended guideline. You can also eat 15-20% below your maintenance calorie levels to get a more accurate and aggressive plan. Avoid eating below 20% for very long as your body’s will start to slow down.
Step 5:
You must track what you are eating so you’ll know if you’ve made your goal for the day. And tracking food does not have to be complicated with weights and scales.
It's a shame that so many people just start training and never figure out what they need to eat daily to reach their goals.
You can keep doing the math over and over as you reach a goal.
Step 2: Calculate How Much Protein You Need a Day to Keep Muscle
Often overlooked, protein is the key component to building muscle but keep in mind; it’s also the same fundamental that will help you keep muscle. What this means to you is that if you get enough protein during this ‘cutting’ phase, you’ll burn more fat and keep more muscle. You want to keep as much muscle as possible because you want those abs to show.
As discussed before, having a low body fat percentage is core to the ripped effect but having abs to show is common sense. Protein has many functions that you’ve learned about in the Beginner’s Guide to Fitness and Bodybuilding, one of which is to help promote and maintain muscle.
Step 1:
Take your body weight in pounds Example: 194 lbs
Step 2:
Find your body fat % Example: 15.7% (which is .157 for the step below)
Step 3:
Take your body weight in pounds and subtract the % body fat Example: 194 lbs - (194 x .157 = 30.45 lbs of fat) = 163.54 lbs of lean body weight
Step 4:
Take your lean body weight and multiply by 1.14 Example: 163.54 lbs x 1.14 = 186.4g of protein a day
Step 5:
Divide your daily protein requirements by 5-6 meals and that is what your protein target is for each meal. Example: 186.4/6 meals = 31.07g of protein per meal As you will see, a person who is 286 lbs of lean body weight will require a lot more protein. And a person who is 286 lbs should not be consuming the same amount of protein if their percentage of body fat is 35%. But why use 1.14 for protein requirements?
The RDA recommends .75g of protein. But that's been shown to be too low for active athletes.
Some sites will recommend 2.0g of protein. But that seems a bit high and your body will have trouble absorbing that not to mention you will probably have a lot of excess calories which can lead to fat gains.
1.14-1.5 is the most efficient range for most active, healthy adults. This range will help build muscle but not lead you into a high protein diet. Feel free to adjust within that range if you feel you need more protein.
Step 3: Divide Up the Calories in 5-7 Meals Per Day (Ratios)
At this point you know how many calories a day you need to burn fat and how much protein you need to maintain the muscle. Your goal is to burn fat, not lose weight and certainly not lose muscle! What’s next?
Just divide up your daily calorie requirements by 5-7 meals a day in order to determine the calories per meal and your protein goals.
That might seem like a difficult tasks but once you start using some type of fitness tracking program (like FitDay) it becomes very easy to hit your targets and understand portion control.
If you don’t track what you are eating, then dividing this up will be nearly impossible unless you eat the same things every single day (boring).
There’s nothing fancy to this step.
Preparation Ideas:
* Grocery shop for the entire week so you have an ample supply of food
* Prepare things in bulk so putting together meals is quick and easy
* Use Tupperware as it’s easy to clean and easy to control portions
* Use the grocery list from the Beginner’s Guide to pick and choose foods that are proteins, carbohydrates and good fats
Step 4: Review the Nutritional Fundamentals
On page 68 of the Beginner’s Guide there are some nutritional fundamentals that you must master overall in order to get your nutrition dialed in and it working for you. When you turn your body into a fat burning furnace you need to review these key concepts.
* Eat about 15-20% below your calorie maintenance level. If you use a more aggressive calorie deficit, then do not keep calories too low for too long; increase calories to maintenance or maintenance +10-20% 1-2 days per week. * Getting your ratios correct (50% protein, 30% carbs, 20% fats) * Eating 5-7 meals per day * Having a lean protein source with every meal * Getting the good fats and avoiding the bad fats * Drinking enough water * Eating as many natural and unrefined foods as possible * Keeping your total fats and saturated fats low. A little bit of good fats (seeds, flax, fish) is better than a no fat diet.
Stay tuned for Part 3 that will discuss Ab training and the question that everybody wants to know - How Many Times Per Week to Train Abs?
Copyright 2006 Marc David
If you can't wait, the Beginner's Guide to Abdominal Training is just one bonus book in the Beginner's Guide to Fitness and Bodybuilding http://www.beginning-bodybuilding.com.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Marc_David

The Quick and Easy Way to Tone Up Your Abs - Part 1

All About Abs
What You Really Need to Know About Abdominals: Two Key Concepts You Must Meet to Let Out the 6 Pack
Introduction - Understanding the Abdominals
Congratulations!
You are about to learn about a region of the body that almost everybody wants but somehow the secrets escape them. The weight loss industry may be a billion dollar a year market but a close second is all the late night infomercials about abs, 6 packs, 6 second abs and how to get ready for the beach and show off that region.
When it comes to abdominal training there are two basic areas of confusion. First, the myth exists that a 'specific' region exists like the 'lower abdominals.' Many people will claim their upper ab region is developing just fine but the lower abs are not responding to training. They are looking for a magic lower ab exercise that will target that region. If you do a search for any muscular images of the abdominals, it's clear that the rectus abdominus (a long winded name for the abs) is just a single muscle running from the sternum to the pelvis. These 'lower abdominals' simply don't exist.
The reason the lower region seems to be less responsive to training is that it is a natural fat storage area! Simply put, your entire ab region is probably responding to overall training but the lower region is simply not showing because it is covered up by a layer of fat. That area just happens to be the place that fat is the last to go. Very simply, the lower abdominal area is benefiting from your crunches and reverse crunches. The problem is, you just can't see it!
TEST: If you don't believe this then try this simple test: lie down on the floor in a typical crunch position. Place one hand on your lower abdominal area and the other on your upper abdominal area. Now perform a slowing crunching movement. You will feel both areas contract simultaneously as you curl up.
The second area of confusion revolves around exercise selection. Almost everybody still continues to perform hanging leg raises, knee-ups or similar exercises in an attempt to target the 'lower abs.' While these exercises do affect the abdominal area, they are not the best selection.
It's easy to clear up this exercise selection confusion if you understand the differences between the hip-flexion and trunk-flexion. A muscle called the psoas and related muscles (this is located deep against the spine) are responsible for hip-flexion while your abdominals are responsible for trunk-flexion.
Hip Flexion: Occurs when your lift your knee (or knees) towards your chest. For example, when you do a hanging knee-up, you will feel a burning sensation in the lower abdominal region (this alone convinces most people it's working that area). What is actually happening is the psoas is being stressed. You'll never be lean enough to see this muscle! Of course the abdominals are involved in this exercise for stabilization but it's not the primary muscle and so it's not the most effective. Other concerns revolve around the psoas being overworked that can lead to back problems.
Trunk Flexion: Occurs when you perform an exercise where the pelvis and sternum approach each other during the movement. At this point, you are in a state of maximal trunk flexion. Going any further and you'll engage the psoas muscle and you will be using hip-flexion (like in a full sit-up). When you train your abdominals you need to flex (or contact) your trunk.
FACT: For effective abdominal training, stick with trunk flexion movements (crunches and reverse crunches).
This series will focus on trunk flexion exercises so that tension is directly on the abdominals as that is the primary muscle we want to work. [Other muscles involved in stabilization will be involved but will not be the primary focus.]
That's all! The abdominals are just a muscle like everything else. There's nothing special about them that makes them any harder to obtain or develop then any other muscle group. Still, there are thousands of messages on community forums and fitness gurus everywhere get hundreds of messages a day regarding this. Not to mention the countless ab technology products that appear in stores every year promising a faster, easier way to get ripped abs. The purpose of this report is to tell you exactly step-by- step what you need to do to get ripped abdominals.
The Myths of Ripped Abdominals: - Countless crunches - Working them out every day - Strange machines or dangerous exercises - Fad diets - Fat burner pills - Marathon cardio sessions - Targeting lower and upper regions
The Secret of Ripped Abdominals: - Low percentage of body fat - Having the muscle to show
Did I just blow the end of the story for you? Hopefully not.
Key Concept #1: You Must Have a Low Percentage of Body Fat For starters, if you have a layer of body fat covering the region, you will never be able to show the abs. For men, this is the LAST place the fat will disappear from which makes it the hardest body part to show.
You "get abs" from reducing your body fat and you reduce body fat mostly through diet and cardio..
And yet, somehow this concept escapes people. In order for the abs to show proudly, you must have a low percentage of body fat! There's really not a whole lot more to it.
Men: 10% or lower Women: 15% or lower
Why is that so difficult for most people?
Simple. In order to get your body fat that low you must be absolutely focused on your diet and fat burning metabolism. 99% of people (including myself) are not as perfect on the diet as to burn off our natural body fat stores. So in order to get rid of that last layer, you must burn off the last remaining body fat stores. And to do that you must have great nutrition habits (above and beyond just being active).
Key Concept #2: You Must Have Abs to Show
First off...
If you are 110 lbs and just skin and bones and 3% body fat but no muscle really, then it's not a surprise why your abs aren't popping out every time you take off your shirt. There are a few people I've run across that are well below the 10% body fat limit and yet they are puzzled when their abdominals don't show. That's almost as easy as 1+1. You MUST have abs to show!
You can have a low body fat percentage but if you don't have anything to show, you'll just see a flat stomach (which is good) but no definition and certain no 'packs.' There are also individuals who have 15% body fat but their abs are so developed they can show off a 4-pack. While they don't have that low of a body fat percentage to classify as 'ripped' they do have great development and certainly the muscle is there. Just think what it might look like on them if they were to be 10% or lower?!
That's where ab exercises come into play. Performing key abdominal exercises is a key to developing the trunk region to the fullest. Many people are looking for the illusive lower ab exercise or performing exercises they believe to target a certain region but are really working the wrong muscle. Having abs is as simple as doing the right core exercises. That will be part of the 6 months of ab training at the end of this series.
Now that you understand some key concepts in order to get the abs to show, let's figure out how to eliminate that annoying layer of fat around them...
Stay tuned for Part 2 that will discuss why nutrition is 90% or More of Your Success.
Copyright 2006 Marc David
If you can't wait, the Beginner's Guide to Abdominal Training is just one bonus book in the Beginner's Guide to Fitness and Bodybuilding http://www.beginning-bodybuilding.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Marc_David

Six Pack Abs - How to Get Great Abs in Just Minutes a Day!

When you get out of your shower and peek over at yourself in the mirror, do you see sexy six pack abs or something scary that made you wish you hadn't looked at all?

Fitness has reached the point where it is as sexy and trendy as ever and getting ripped abs is as common a desire as any. The real question is, what plan must be followed to get ripped, 6 pack abs? Today is your lucky day, we're going to show you give you some tips.

The first part of the blueprint to success for six pack abs is to lose as much excess weight as possible from your body, regardless of its position. You can't get six pack abs with a double chin and, generally, six pack abs don't accompany those with flabby underarms. Lose weight and do it as well as you possibly can before considering the possibility of having six pack abs.

Don't go into your decision of how to lose weight to attain your six pack abs without choosing the right diet to lose weight in the first place.

You may be thinking, what difference does it make, isn't losing weight the only goal in a diet? Well it may seem as so, but you don't want to lose what you may need for those abs. For instance, a South Beach diet is a bad idea for a six pack abs wannabe; you need those carbs for your stomach!

After you have lost the weight it is time to start working strictly on strengthening your abdominal muscles to make a six pack possible. If you are thinking this means hundreds of sit ups and crunches you are not far off, but there are a myriad of other exercises as well.

The main goal to remember is every exercise you add into your fitness plan needs to be centered on one thing, six pack abs!

Finally, if you are in the crowd that wants six pack abs or no abs at all then you may be out of luck as some of our genes don't make it possible.

Your goal should be simple, a flat stomach and good looking abs that put you on display in a good light. Remember, this process is going to be long and hard so make sure that your goals are attainable, know what is possible from your body and work until you get there!

For more more tips on how to get a six pack fast, get a Free copy of Chad Kiser's wildly popular report on Six Pack Abs available at http://SixPackAbs.com-411.com/signup.

More information on ab exercises for a six pack is available at the Squidoo Lense on Ab Exercises.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Chad_Kiser

Your Abs Start In The Kitchen

It’s amazing.

Every year I see the same routine over and over again. You’ll see a person with a little bit of a spare tire run over to the ab machine and diligently start knocking out crunch after crunch after crunch… only to discover weeks later that their waist hasn’t shrunk an inch.
What’s going on?

It’s the biggest misconception about ab training out there and I’m about to hit you in the face with it…

If you can’t control your caloric intake and expenditure… you’ll never see the fruits of your ab work. First and foremost:

Your abs start in the kitchen…
Think about it, if you can’t spot reduce bodyfat (which you can’t), then the overall reduction of total body fat must be paramount in order to reveal a nice midsection.
Body fat levels in the low teens and below are needed.

… and the easiest way to help assure that you’ll get there is to watch what you put in your mouth.

If you keep slapping Big Macs down your throat… you can kiss those ab dreams goodbye… ditto for the tubs of ice cream.

Keep it simple for yourself:

Try to get at least one serving of protein with each meal
Avoid High GI carbs (like white bread, white rice) except for immediately after your workouts
Make sure to include a hearty amount of fruits and veggies in your diet (anything that has a deep color to it is a great choice)
Try to up your water intake to one gallon per day to make sure that you’re hydrated
Remember, you can do all of the ab work you want, but if you don’t have your diet in check… it’s all for nothing.
Brad Howard's Fat Loss Black Book delves into the "meat and potatoes" of all of the misinformation generated by the diet and fitness industry today.
An industry veteran for years, his fat loss manifesto completely shatters all of the myths and misguided, outdated advice being propagated today.
FatLossBlackBook.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Brad_Howard

You Need Fats in Your Diet

Nutritionists recommend that 30 percent of our diet comes from fats. Our cells require fats to work properly. Each cell membrane in our body is made up of 50 percent saturated fat. When we do not take enough saturated fats, our cells stop functioning properly.

People often think that the less fats we eat, the better. However, you do not necessarily need to reduce your fat intake. You only need to choose a fat that doesn’t contribute to weight gain, a fat that is beneficial to you. Yes, you can lose fat by eating fat. Having the right type of fats makes you feel full and stops you from craving for food.

The reason why most low-fat diets don’t work is that people cannot stay on the diet for long. They will have cravings for food and ultimately go on eating binges. All that hard work going on a low-fat diet then goes down the drain. The coconut oil diet can help you as it has the right type of fats.

Coconut oil is known as the “energy fat” and is favoured by dieters, athletes, and body builders. It is slightly lower in calories than most other fats and oils and is processed in the liver and converted directly into energy. The body needs fats to function properly. Taking most of the fats in your diet from coconut oil will make you more energetic and lower your calorie intake. Talk about killing two birds with one stone with the coconut oil diet.

Why is the fat in coconut oil so good? The reason is in the fat molecule. All fats and oils are composed of molecules called fatty acids. Fatty acids consist of long chains of carbon atoms with hydrogen atoms attached. One system of classifying fatty acids is based on the molecular size or the length of the carbon chain within each fatty acid. In this system you have short-chain fatty acids (SCFA), medium-chain fatty acids (MCFA), and long-chain fatty acids (LCFA).
Coconut oil is composed predominately of medium-chain fatty acids (MCFA), also known as medium-chain triglycerides (MCT). The vast majority of fats and oils in our diets, whether they are saturated or unsaturated or come from animals or plants, are composed of long-chain fatty acids (LCFA). Some 98 to 100% of all the fatty acids you consume are LCFA. These MCFAs and MCTs make the coconut oil diet beneficial.

Medium chain fatty acids are more easily digested than the long-chain fatty acids found in other oils. This is because they are processed directly in the liver and immediately converted into energy. There is therefore less strain on the liver, pancreas and digestive system and, being easily digested, they also tend to improve the absorption of other nutrients. Therefore, the body functions more efficiently when you take the coconut oil diet.

Protect your immune system and nourish your health with virgin coconut oil, Go to: www.BuyVirginCoconutOil.com
Feel free to use this article on your website or ezine as long as the following information about author/website is included.
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Diet Tips for Abs - Fat Loss for a Six Pack

In this article, I've posted the "diet tips for six pack abs" portion of our interview we recently did. Enjoy! Here it is...

CB: And finally Mike, 1 or 2 of your top secret nutrition tips for carving out those six pack abs. Open your vault of info!

MG: Well Craig, I think you'd agree that there has never been a more confusing time regarding proper nutrition for consumers. Every so called "expert" out there seems to disagree and contradict each other on what's the best way to eat for fat loss and overall good health.

One of the most important messages I try to teach my readers in this world of heavy confusion is that your diet doesn't need to conform to any of the fad diets... you don't need to go "low carb" or "low fat", or high or low anything for that matter to be successful in losing enough body fat to get lean enough to be able to see your abs. I like to try to simplify things for my readers. I think that balance is the key to success along with eating a diet that is made up of nutrient dense foods in their natural state (as unprocessed as possible).

In general, it is the heavy processing of foods that makes it wreak havoc inside our bodies. Most foods in their natural unprocessed state are inherently good for us. Of course there are always exceptions... a salad of poison ivy leaves is "natural and unprocessed" but certainly would not be good for us!

I'll leave your readers with a couple of the most important aspects of nutrition and diet that help to get you lean for life (and have any chance of getting those abs to show)...

1. Get enough quality protein in the daily diet - not only does it have a higher thermic effect than carbs and fat (so you burn more calories digesting it), but it also creates satiety so your hunger is satisfied longer. Plus it's a building block for maintaining and building lean muscle... And remember that the amount of lean muscle you carry is one of the main factors for controlling your metabolism.

2. Think fiber! When it comes to carbs, make sure that almost all of your carbohydrate intake is from higher fiber sources like vegetables, fruits, and high fiber unrefined grains. Try to avoid refined sugars and refined grains as that is one of the main reasons so many people struggle with body fat. I personally don't eat many grains as I prefer to get most of my carbs from veggies and fruits, but I am a bit of a fan of sprouted grains. I generally recommend looking for carbohydrate sources that have at least 2-3 grams of fiber per each 10 grams of total carbs. Remember that fiber helps fill you up and also slows down the glycemic response of the foods you eat, all beneficial for getting lean.

3. Don't be afraid to eat fat! Many people try to go way too low on their fat intake in their diet and this can negatively affect hormone levels in your body as well as causing more cravings. Try to eat enough healthy fats daily. Good sources are all nuts and seeds, nut butters, avocados, olive oil, organic meats and eggs, coconuts and virgin coconut oil. On that note, saturated fats from tropical oils are VERY misunderstood, even by many nutritionists and other health professionals. Yes they are composed highly of saturated fats, but are actually beneficial (but that's way beyond the scope of this article).

4. Avoid the two worst things in our food supply at ALL COSTS:

*artificial trans fats from margarines, shortening, and hydrogenated oils that are in most processed foods

*high fructose corn syrup, which is in almost all sweetened products on the market

Again, if you avoid processed foods, it becomes easy to avoid these two worst offenders in our food supply.

I always contend that once you get a handle on these 4 main points of your diet detailed above, the rest starts to take care of itself as you gain control over your appetite, blood sugar levels, hormone levels, etc. It all falls into place, and you eventually gain total control over how lean you want to get. Gain control of this part of your life, and those abs may be showing in no time!

Don't miss out on this free report detailing over 29 unique metabolism boosting secrets at Abs Diet Tips for a Flat Six Pack

Are you tired of boring monotonous cardio workouts? Expand your thinking and see: Beyond Cardio Workouts

For any ladies looking to firm up that butt, check out Best Workouts for the Butt

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mike_Geary

Hot Abs Workout - Get Sexy Hot Abs Fast!

When it comes to exercises for hot abs, crunches may be the first thing to pop in your mind. In fact, some aspirers of great hot abs would only do crunches. However, there are five major abdominal muscles that need attention, and crunches do not exercise all of these abs muscles. In fact, the ideal exercise routine for hot 6 pack abs does not only involve the abdominal muscles. Cardiovascular and strength exercises should be part of the routine as well.

Work that Body!

To get ripped hot abs, ensure that the following are incorporated in your exercise routine:

1) Work all abdominal muscles. Crunches are classic, but your specific abdominal exercises should not be limited to these only. Examples of exercises that involve other abdominal parts are the following:
• Lying bicycle. From a lying position, bend your right leg at the knee while pulling your right thigh up at the hip. Curl your spine up to the right, letting your left elbow touch your right knee. Do the same routine from your other side, from the left leg.
• Standing towel circle. Stand up straight and hold a small towel (or resistance band) taut above your head. Contract abs and slowly whirl a large, wide circle over your head and around your torso with your hands.
• Seated jackknife: From a supine lying position, stretch your legs and arms and keep a pad or a form of support under the hips. Pull your legs back with knees bent. All together, bring your head, shoulders and arms forward to jackknife position pivoting on the buttocks. Hold the contraction.

2) Cardio is the way to go. Walking, running, jogging, swimming, and aerobics are good examples. Cardio burns calories and thus sheds the fat that hides your hot abs.

Belly dancing, particularly for women, is especially a good combination of cardiovascular and abs exercise. Not only can it tone the tummy and make it sexy, it is also fun!

3) Lift those weights. Building muscle through weightlifting is essential to get that great, fast abs as increased muscle mass means a faster and higher rate of burning calories.

Mind and Body Connection

If you do not believe that you can have that sexy abs, you are slowing or cutting down the results of your workout program. Imagine yourself with that hot abs and believe it. A good visualization exercise would be to imagine seeing yourself in the mirror – only you are seeing a sexier you with the exact kind of abs you have always dreamed of. Then, allow yourself to enter the mirror and merge with that image. Note how you feel. After getting in touch with all sensations, step out of the mirror and push it away.

Yoga can also improve your concentration and will power to stick with your routine. Meditation and daily affirmation can generally increase your results.

Follow these tips to get your desired washboard abs, complement it with a healthy abs diet, and watch the results. With these tips, you will soon be flaunting your hot abs with confidence!

Self-help expert Michael Lee has prepared a FREE extreme fat-burning course that reveals secrets on quick weight loss and how to lose belly fat fast at http://www.20daypersuasion.com/fat-secret.htm

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Michael_Lee

Bodybuilding Diet Guide

Are you a beginning bodybuilder but don't have a proper bodybuilding diet? This article will talk about bodybuilding diets and what you should do to use them. Below are the three steps to a good, nutritional, bodybuilding diet.

1. The first step is a pretty simple one. You need to have carbohydrates, proteins, and fats in an appropriate amount for every meal. The appropriate amount is 40% of your meal should be carbohydrates, another 40% should be protein, and the final 20% should be fats. It is important that you eat these amounts for each meal otherwise you will not get the results you want.

It is extremely important because if you only eat a certain thing a part of your body will crash. If you eat only carbohydrates your body will crash because it is storing all the carbohydrates that were not used into fat. Also, if you only eat protein your body will not have enough energy and it will not be able to turn the protein you just ate into muscle because that process requires carbohydrates.

2. The second step to a good bodybuilding diet is that you eat small portions throughout the day rather than big meals twice a day. This is important to bodybuilders for two reasons. The first reason is if you don't eat for a few hours your body begins to lose muscle and gain fat, a process in which your body turns to a catabolic state. The reasons this occurs is because your body thinks that it is starving so it begins to eat your lean muscle tissue and prepares to store calories as fat. The other reason is because if you eat several times a day your metabolism will increase which will help you keep the fat off.

Following those two reasons you should prepare to eat around five meals a day. You should space these meals so that you are eating about every 3 hours. This will change depending on the program you are working, your gender, and the goals you wish to accomplish.

3. If you are looking to build muscle mass it is important that you change up your calorie intake. I recommend that you do five days of high calorie intake and follow that with two days of low calorie intake. To figure out what amount of calories you need to take in you do the following formulas:

-Lean body mass times 15 will find the amount of calories you need to take in on a high calorie day.

-Lean body mass times 12 will find the amount of calories you need to take in on a low calorie day.

If you are looking to lose fat while you are trying to build muscle you need to tweak the above program a little bit. You should do five days of low calorie intake followed by 2 days of high calorie intake. You can still use the above formulas you just need to switch the days around.

Thats just one of the many bodybuilding diets that are out there but if you follow those three simple steps you should have a good, healthy bodybuilding diet.

Michael Parker reveals what women really want at his how to build up muscle website for ways to build muscle and attract women. Get your free copy of "How Your Physique Affects the Female Mind" right here now. http://www.musclyjerk.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Michael_Parker

Toning Your Abs - Common Exercising Myths

1. The 'Chew Then Crunch' Myth

Crunches are good exercises for toning the abs and stomach if done properly and combined with a low fat diet. However many people think they can continue to eat what they want and end their day with 100 crunches to "work off" all the bad stuff they put in their body throughout the day.

If you're not lowering your fat intake by watching what you eat, it doesn't matter how many exercises and crunches you perform. Not only will you see zero results, but you may actually see your stomach increase in size!

This is because you're building muscle underneath the existing fat. We all have flat stomachs, it's just that some have layers and layers of fat on top of that muscle we must get rid of first.

You've got to work off that existing fat first by training and toning your abs and stomach area.

I had this problem when I first started exercising. I didn't lower my caloric or fat intake much but I started doing crunches. For three months straight I did my 8-minute ab routine like clockwork. I couldn't understand why I wasn't seeing results. In fact, my stomach started protruding even more.

Well after doing lots of reading I discovered that I was going to also change my diet if I was going to see the results I wanted.

2. The Numbers Myth

Twenty-five good, quality crunches are much better than 250 half-done crunches. Many people just want to get it over with so they lie down and do as many fast crunches as they can while lacking in quality.

The best thing to do is perform 4 sets of 20-25 solid crunches while resting 90 seconds in between each set. That is a much more effective way of training your abs than 250 lackluster crunches in a row.

3. The Spot Toning Myth

This is the one that frustrates me. I have always been very thin and recently started gaining weight in my hips and thigh area. I welcomed the added pounds because it gave me a curvier figure. Unfortunately it also left we with a slightly flabby stomach.

I wanted to keep the hips and thighs but lose the stomach so I started exercising my stomach and abs by doing pilates and crunches.

Well, I didn't see any results. I discovered through reading that you can't just spot tone because if you only focus on one area (ie. your tummy), you won't raise your metabolism enough to burn that extra belly fat. So the key to flattening your stomach area is to increase your body's metabolism so it can effectively get rid of those layers of excess tummy fat.

A total body exercise is the key to slimming your waistline.

4. The Six Pack Myth

Whether you're a man or woman, we'd all love to have that solid six pack to show off when we're at the pool right? Well, what most people don't realize is that solid abs don't start in the gym, they start in the kitchen. If your body contains a lot of fat, your abs won't show no matter how much you exercise.

Your first goal should be to lose that fat, and it starts with your diet. Decrease the amount of fat and calories you consume and increase the amount of protein. Protein is an absolute necessity for ridding fat and building muscle.

5. The Running Myth

Did you know that running does very little when it comes to toning your stomach? This is because it can cause your pelvis to pull forward and arching of your lower back.

Don't get me wrong, running is good for you and can burn a lot of calories, but if you aren't doing any other stomach toning exercises in conjunction with running you'll see little if any results.

Conclusion

Hopefully you've learned that flattening your stomach is not about doing 100 crunches per day. It's about total body fitness and changing your overall diet.

Want to Reprint This Article?

You are welcome to reprint this article as long as the text remains unchanged and you include the "Author Bio" statement below.

Lisa Irby is the author of http://www.flat-stomach-exercises.com, a site that encourages people to understand their bodies before they begin that ab workout.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Lisa_Irby

4 Steps to Creating an Eating Healthy Diet Plan

Let's face it. Life in the 21st century can occur at a frantic pace. We can spend all our time working and taking care of our families. Taking the time to create a healthy diet plan for our families can seem like a major task. It's no wonder that we often take shortcuts like quick trips to our local fast food restaurant.

But in reality, creating an eating healthy diet plan only requires some simple planning. Meals don't have to be fancy, and they don't have to be expensive. The major concern is that they are complete and well-balanced. Follow these simple guidelines and you should be able to plan healthy meals that don't require a lot of time and effort:

1. Commit yourself to eating 4-6 small meals and snacks each day. It is best to plan ahead what you are going to eat each day and always ensure that both fresh and low fat foods are included in each meal that you have.

2. Keep the plan simple and do not get caught up on the actual specifics of the diet but rather just start off by counting the calories.

3. Eat your meals more slowly. Never eat on the run. Not only will this give you more time to digest what you have eaten, but it will also make you feel more satisfied after each meal.

4. Ensure that you include plenty of healthy foods in your diet such as fruit, vegetables, whole grain cereals, beans, low fat or non fat dairy products, low fat meats and skinless poultry, as well as fish. Avoid foods that are high in fat and sugar.

When creating your eating healthy diet plan, put the emphasis on vegetables, fruits and whole grains. These foods are naturally rich in nutrients but low in fat and calories.

It is important that you plan your meals and establish a routine for when you eat your meals and snacks. Make them at regular times each day. Plus choose a variety of the healthiest foods for each meal.

If you are currently eating at irregular times, overeating, or making poor food choices, you may have a problem keeping your blood sugar levels under control. These tips should completely solve that problem, but be sure to ask your doctor if you continue to have a problem.

These simple tips are really the only basics you need to remember in planning an eating healthy diet plan for you and your family. If you commit to them every day, you will quickly reap the rewards of more energy, the ability to easily maintain a healthy weight, and fewer health problems.

Healthy Eating every day does not have to mean time-consuming menu preparation or boring meals. To discover delicious alternatives you never knew could be healthy, be sure to check out my Eating Healthy blog at: http://www.eating-healthy.org

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Linda_J_Bruton

Six-Pack Abs Require A Combination Of Diet And Exercise

Many of us would love to have the six-pack abs. Everywhere you look there are commercials or ads promising these wonderful abs, but what really works? There are many of these ads that say taking a supplement can give you the envious abs you've always wanted. Whether or not these supplement is still yet to be decided. One thing that we do know for sure is that hard work will get you the results you want.

Not all the supplements that are available to you are safe. Who knows what they are putting in these supplements that will give you these great abs. There have been reports of serious side effects resulting from taking these supplements. The good news is there is another way to get these great abs without having to take supplements and risking your health. With a little hard work, exercise and a healthy diet you can achieve great looking abs all on your own.

First thing you will need to do is get some sort of journal to keep record of your exercise and diet program. You can choose whatever kind of journal you think will work best for you. If you want to use a little notebook that you can take with you to help you stay on top of your record keeping that is just fine. If you have a personal digital assistant you can invest in a program that will help you keep your records. Whichever way you decide will work better for you is what you need to do.

The purpose of the journal is to keep track of your progress, and help find any areas that may need more attention. Information you will need to put in your journal will be what day it is, your weight, what exercise you are doing or did on that day, and your food intake. You will also want to make sure you record the time of each of these events to make tracking progress easier.

You will also want to take your measurements weekly or biweekly depending on how dramatic of results you like to see and record these also. How often you weigh yourself is up to you as an individual, it all depends once again on how dramatic you want the results to be. Just remember that if you do it every day it may make you more aware of your goals and make you try harder to reach them. Whichever way you decide to go, just make sure you are weighing yourself at the same time of day each time.

When you track this information it will make you more aware of what you need to work harder on the next day or week. If you have a record of what you did you can look and see if maybe you skipped a day of exercise, or didn't eat very healthy. You want to make sure you are burning more calories than you are taking in. If you keep track of your how much food you ate and when you ate it, it will be easier to see when you need to watch more carefully. Maybe you are overeating everyday at the same time of day, if so your journal will help you see this so you can fix it.

When keeping track of your exercise you will want to write down what type of exercise you did, when you did it, and how long you did it. Keep in mind that just doing sit-ups will not guarantee that six-pack you dream of. You need to make sure you get rid of the fat so that you can see the great abs you are looking for.

To maximize your results you will probably want to do aerobic exercise or cardiovascular exercise to burn fat and calories, strength training to create more muscle, and abdominal exercises. Strength training is important because muscle burns more calories than fat, and will help power your aerobic exercises. Walking, swimming or training along with an aerobic exercise tape are all great ways to get you aerobic workout in. For abdominal work you can do regular sit-ups, or try something like Pilates. Pilates incorporates strength training for your abs and uses twisting movements to get better results.

Just remember that you should exercise four to five times a week, and keep an honest an accurate journal to maximize your results. You also need to realize that you will not get your dream abs overnight; it takes hard work and time.

Gregg Hall is an author living in Navarre Florida. Find more about this as well as Herbal Supplements at http://www.online-pharmacy-plus.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Gregg_Hall

Natural Health Diet - 5 Effective Tips How to Burn Fat in Natural Health Diet Way That Really Works

Often I’m asked for my top few tips on diet. These natural healthy diet tips will keep you on the right path of a natural fat burning. Enclosed I have outlined the five most important tips to lose weight fast that can be incorporated into any sensible diet and are guaranteed to speed the weight loss process in a natural health diet manner.

These natural health diet tips can definitely help you discover a fat burning secret that works well. The fat burning process relies on not only a matter of proper dieting but it is also affected by the correct exercise and proper training techniques.

Eating

Many people believe one of the best diet tips is skipping breakfast, as it will help them lose weight, this is totally incorrect. For people who would be limiting their carbohydrate intake in this manner, a diet devoid of fats, as the myth goes, is just not feasible.

You should try to prioritize eating carbohydrates early in the day, and focus on decreasing carbohydrate portion size as afternoon and evening approaches. The fact is that by eating the right foods (adopting healthy eating habits), limiting fat and sugar intake, and eating the right carbohydrates in a sensible manner will start you on the road to natural health diet.

This is important because the rate at which your blood sugar rises after eating is important in managing your weight.

Calories

You should burn more calories by elevating your metabolism so you lose fat faster. It contains a few references about the basics of weight loss (or body fat loss) such as drinking plenty of water and burn more calories than you consume. What we also know however, is that moderate workout - though raising metabolism - burns fewer total calories than a more energetic or intense way of exercising.

If you continue to eat more calories then you burn off your body fat will stay the same or even increase, no matter how much exercising you do. So you'd better have to take care of your eating behavior as well as how much of calories your body gets from the food you eat. In a natural health diet manner, it found vegetables are very low in calories and sugar. They are the best choice if you are juicing to control your weight.

Exercise

Constant strenuous exercise conditions your body to burn blood sugar, instead of fat. To see if the food, or the pills, or the exercise is really returning benefits whether you are low-carb dieting, trying a new fat loss supplement, or starting a new exercise regimen, inexpensive test method can be the most important tool for you to give a test on them. Make sure your program is safe, effective, and actually burning fat.

Exercising while listening to the classical music help you lose weight a lot faster than listening to loud fitness pop music.

Fitness

Ever wonder how fitness models look so great in magazines. It’s just too hard to sell images of flabby fitness models. You must do some research and identify the kinds of fitness and exercise programs, based on your body type that you must embrace and follow to attain the health results you aspire to achieve.

Whether your goal is to lose weight or gain muscle, you should stick to a diet plan or program you are applying until you obviously see the improvement. It takes few months to get a better result if you continually do it.

Walking

Because walking is fun, easy, and requires little time and no financial investment, it's our top choice for cardiovascular activity. Because it's rhythmic (you repeat the same basic movements), and it's aerobic (you take in and use more oxygen than usual), when walking is sustained for more than several minutes at a time it provides fantastic cardiovascular benefits - including weight loss - and can be quickly and easily implemented into your daily routine.

In Summary

So there you have 5 tips to help you lose weight in natural health diet manner that can be incorporated into ANY sensible balanced diet. I hope these tips will start you on a powerful course of weight control and healthy living that does not need to involve diet pills. The diet tips require no real will power and can improve anyone’s diet and chances of healthy weight control.

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Abs Diet to Strengthen Immunity

The immune system is filled with protective cells called white blood cells. There are many and all work to kill bacteria, pathogens, eat harmful cells, and neutralize toxins including metabolic waste. Some even make antibodies. Our bodies must constantly regenerate and build new white blood cells, especially when harmful toxins enter.

If we want to truly defend ourselves, there are nutrients from foods that you certainly don’t want to miss out on. Eating healthy will keep your body ready to defend itself anytime the “bad guys” come to visit.

First of all, it is a good idea to know that white, refined sugar has an adverse effect on the immune system. It can literally stop your immune system from working. Junk foods and processed foods are not much better as they contain no natural nutrients that your body can use to make the white blood cells when needed. In addition, they are full of the harmful toxins that your immune system will want to defend you against.

Fresh Whole Vegetables are full of phytonutrients that your body uses to keep your immune system strong. These phytonutrients stimulate the release of enzymes within our bodies to protect cells and rebuild damaged cells. They also fight cancer. Our bodies come into contact with carcinogens (cancer-causing agents) every day. We also constantly make cells, and some rogue cells may reproduce themselves leading to damage or cancer of an organ. In many cases our bodies’ recognize and attack these out-of-control cells. Phytonutrients help our bodies do this and can also shut down pre-cancerous cells and neutralize carcinogens.

Veggies that are the strongest for immunity include; carrots, sweet potatoes, asparagus, kale, red and green peppers, broccoli and the dark leafy greens such as turnip greens, collard greens, spinach and romaine lettuce.

Fresh Whole Fruitsare also full of phytonutrients. They are immune building and natural detoxifiers of the body. Fruits are full of antioxidants and enzymes that protect our cells from damage. Many of the berries and red apples are high in flavinoids that protect us from heart disease.

Fruits for immune building include; pink and red grapefruit, blueberries, strawberries, blackberries, red apples, red grapes, bananas, cranberries, tomatoes, mangoes, tangerines, nectarines, peaches, oranges and watermelon.

Omega 3’s are healthy fats that have an immune building quality. They are anti-inflammatory and help prevent auto-immune disorders. They are needed in order for the body to absorb certain vitamins.

Foods containing Omega 3’s include; ground flax seeds, walnuts, soybeans and pumpkin seeds, hazelnuts, cashews, almonds, salmon, mackerel, and herring.

Good Bacteria found in the intestinal lining, keep your immune system healthy. These healthy organisms stimulate the immune system, increase antibodies, and inhibit the absorption of pathogenic organisms such as e.coli and salmonella. Be sure that you and your children consume healthy, live bacteria especially at times of illness.

Foods containing good bacteria are; yogurt (check the label for live bacteria), and fermented foods such as homemade sauerkraut, miso and kifir.

Folate is essential for preventing damage to blood vessels and brain cells and ensures DNA integrity. The dark leafy greens are high in folate and include the following; spinach, romaine lettuce, mustard, turnip and collard greens, and kale.

Cindy Papp was diagnosed with Hepatitis C in 1992. She started cleansing in 1994 which lead to total recovery in 1998. She is free of the disease to date. Her experiences led her to manage a holisitic health center, become a Ceritified Nutritional Counselor, a Certified Colon Therapist and trained in massage therapy. She went on to own and operate a health center in the San Fernando Valley of California, specializing in total body cleansing, until she sold it 2004.

Cindy has put much of her expertise on cleansing on her website http://www.springclean-cleanse.com where you can learn more about the right way to cleanse, and how to choose the best cleanse for you.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Cindy_Papp

How Women Can Get Six Pack Abs, Even After 30

Many women complain that it's a lot harder after you turn 30 to get what we call six pack abs.

First you need to determine where you are. If you have let's say 28% body fat just know that your six pack abs won't be visible until you get your body fat down. For women it is most likely in the lower teens.

What types of food do I need to be eating?

You should be eating lots of lean proteins like chicken, egg whites, and fish. Stay away from processed meats because they will affect your fat loss progress. Also, I teach women what I call 5 Star Foods, eating these foods will help in achieving your six pack abs. Foods are not all created equal so if you want the best results then you have to put the best fat-burning foods in your body. The breakdown of your foods is also important. Don't make the mistake of eliminating all your complex carbohydrates either as it will impair your metabolism, but you will need to modify your intake. Every woman is different when putting this type of program together.

What types of exercise should I be doing?

I recommend fat-burning workouts. Doing workouts that are intense and lifting enough weight that is challenging is key.

What about cardio?

This is dependent on how much body fat you have. Some women will have to do more in order to get the results they want. Don't make the mistake of just walking, this will not achieve those six pack abs. You need to do interval cardio to really get your body fat down and to start seeing those abs.

How long will it take depends on where you are. From there, you can put together a plan of action. Diet is crucial in sculpting those abs. Yes, you will have to be more disciplined in your eating. But, the good thing is that you can actually have a small treat every week while you begin your transformation.

You must be patient in the process and focus on your goal and don't think just because you're over 30 that you can't accomplish this..because you can. The mind is actually the most important part in this process as it controls everything you do from exercising and eating exactly how you need to.

My whole focus in working with women is re-conditioning their mind to get the body they want. For example, I could give you the best six pack abs diet and exercise program but if you don't have the right "brain software", then you will fail to get the results you want so keep this in mind when you are setting your fitness goals.

Heather Picken, ISSA/P.C.P.T is a Women's Over 30 Metabolic Specialist & Motivational Coach. She helps women over 30 all over the world achieve the body and health they desire and is the creator of a breakthrough system that is changing the way women create the body they want, easily (http://www.mybodyisfitnow.com). She is also the author of Fat-Burning Recipes For Women On the Go. Get your FREE Copy of Blast Cellulite Now by going to http://www.feelinglikeamillion.com and you can subscribe to her weekly podcast show Feeling Like A Million, where she shares her top fat-burning secrets, exclusively for women 30+.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Heather_Picken

A Vegetarian Diet For Improved Health

After years of habit and eating a diet of particular foods, many of us realise that we have been unaware of the full range of quality food that is now available to us if we are willing to explore and make room for some changes. In agriculture there have been spectacular improvements. Over the years, there are changes in the markets with advancement not only in the quality of food offered but in an immense variety that was not existent 50 years or even 20 years ago. This is particularly obvious in the large range of fine fruits, vegetables, nuts and grains that confront us when we are making our choices.

Each of us insists on our personal freedom to eat whatever we decide for ourselves. And it is usually our sense of taste which dictates our primary selection although we all know that to keep healthy, both our bodies and our brains require a considerable variety of foods.

Individual selection and taste determines choice over and above the advertisers' power to pressure consumers. There is no way a consumer need take any food into the body other than good food, once he has determined to discriminate before making that selection. However, many people still fall victim of the 'fast food' industry and suffer for it.

There is no doubt that nutritionists all agree that a natural healthy diet should consist of an abundance of fresh fruits, salads, nuts and grains and a smaller proportion of dairy products, fish and meat.

Some go further to ensure that the meats they eat are guaranteed kosher and are free of the adrenalin which the unfortunate animals pump into their bodies in their fear before being killed in the abattoirs.

Vegetarian choose not to eat meat at all. They are usually animal lovers and by their choice of food, demonstrate their sincere affection by not eating flesh foods at all. They find the idea one that makes them recoil, just as it is usual for most people to recoil at the thought of eating their pet animal.

So some vegetarians choose not to eat meat because they love animals intensely and believe it is a matter of principle that humans reduce killing other creatures in order to subsist.

Some have witnessed the intensely barbaric killing of animals and poultry in the commercial killing houses and are shocked into reconsidering the actions in the kind of animal husbandry that ends this way.

Some have studied animal health and methods of commercial production and conclude that modern methods of inoculation and drenching are not logically producing the best quality food for humans. Contamination is now recognized in the market which now hears increasing demands for 'organic' meat products. However, animals also get sick, like humans and there are many diseases that are not known to the public but which plague the creatures. Only the healthiest animals are supposed to be selected for slaughter for human food. The criteria for second grade meat must be questioned although it is known that a great quantity is used in producing pet food to feed in turn to our pets.

Many vegetarians would argue that to go directly to the green source of food rather than through the secondary channel of an animal's body is likely to avoid many serious diseases that are transmitted through the animal food chain, particularly now with many exotic diseases becoming evident.

As food builds our body - it is our choice of food that determines the quality of its structure and its efficiency in physiological processes. So when choosing a food we naturally consider 'do I want to build my body out of this material?" We have a contrasting selection that ranges from the fresh crunch of an apple, to the recently slaughtered animal steak; from a fresh pineapple juice to a fizzy coca cola drink; from a crisp green lettuce to a vegetable stew and so on. We build and maintain our bodies out of the material we select in our diet. As our food creates the energy that we need for an active life, we must think of it also as a body fuel, more important than the fuel we need for our motor cars. What are the foods that will provide us with the finest quality, high performance energy? This consideration will also affect our choices.

But where it is rational to consider nutrition from various viewpoints, we have a hurdle that is our greatest handicap and that is our particular enjoyment of taste sensation. Our taste buds are able to permit poor quality food to be eaten even if it is not going to give us the health and vitality we want. We become slaves to our palate if we don't consciously cultivate our tastes and appetites to match the results we want. The reactions will be inevitable We eat unwholesome food - we become ill, either now or later. We eat wholesome food - we are healthy and are likely to remain so. Eating proper food is becoming realised as our basic and most potent 'life insurance' responsibility.

Enjoyment of food is one of the health principles that determines good digestion. It is therefore obvious that each of us will remember this rule very easily. But all the other rules of nutrition must be remembered and applied also and this information is readily available.

The vegetarian chooses to enjoy a diet of fresh fruits, vegetables, nuts, grains, seaweed, sprouts, herbs and should also be seeking a balanced diet with limited eggs and dairy products, refined foods and with an introduction of seaweeds . Such are known as lacto-vegetarians. Those who do not eat anything other than fruits and nuts are known as vegans. The three types however, share the common principle of no flesh foods at all.

It is no wonder that those who choose vegetables will be more familiar with the full range of vegetables that are available and will know better how to prepare them for enjoyment. They will be more adventurous than others who are not so dependent upon them in their diet. So they will enjoy more of the different colours, varieties and flavours also. This applies to all the nutritional avenues open to a vegetarian once they omit meat from their diet. It also answers those who suggest that a vegetarian diet is boring and tasteless without meat.

As there is no accounting for individual taste we are all free to comment on food as we find it, pleasant of unpleasant. But having lived more than 50 years happily and healthily as a vegetarian it must be that personal results tell their story - and this is a rule which applies throughout.

There is no way to persuade another person - each must select food for themselves. Only is it possible to encourage you to think about the food you eat and consider if your nutrition can be expected to give you're the results in the good health and well being you want.

Michael Russell Your Independent Vegetarian guide. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Michael_Russell

Six-Pack Abs Require A Combination Of Diet And Exercise

Many of us would love to have the six-pack abs. Everywhere you look there are commercials or ads promising these wonderful abs, but what really works? There are many of these ads that say taking a supplement can give you the envious abs you've always wanted. Whether or not these supplement is still yet to be decided. One thing that we do know for sure is that hard work will get you the results you want.

Not all the supplements that are available to you are safe. Who knows what they are putting in these supplements that will give you these great abs. There have been reports of serious side effects resulting from taking these supplements. The good news is there is another way to get these great abs without having to take supplements and risking your health. With a little hard work, exercise and a healthy diet you can achieve great looking abs all on your own.

First thing you will need to do is get some sort of journal to keep record of your exercise and diet program. You can choose whatever kind of journal you think will work best for you. If you want to use a little notebook that you can take with you to help you stay on top of your record keeping that is just fine. If you have a personal digital assistant you can invest in a program that will help you keep your records. Whichever way you decide will work better for you is what you need to do.

The purpose of the journal is to keep track of your progress, and help find any areas that may need more attention. Information you will need to put in your journal will be what day it is, your weight, what exercise you are doing or did on that day, and your food intake. You will also want to make sure you record the time of each of these events to make tracking progress easier.

You will also want to take your measurements weekly or biweekly depending on how dramatic of results you like to see and record these also. How often you weigh yourself is up to you as an individual, it all depends once again on how dramatic you want the results to be. Just remember that if you do it every day it may make you more aware of your goals and make you try harder to reach them. Whichever way you decide to go, just make sure you are weighing yourself at the same time of day each time.

When you track this information it will make you more aware of what you need to work harder on the next day or week. If you have a record of what you did you can look and see if maybe you skipped a day of exercise, or didn't eat very healthy. You want to make sure you are burning more calories than you are taking in. If you keep track of your how much food you ate and when you ate it, it will be easier to see when you need to watch more carefully. Maybe you are overeating everyday at the same time of day, if so your journal will help you see this so you can fix it.

When keeping track of your exercise you will want to write down what type of exercise you did, when you did it, and how long you did it. Keep in mind that just doing sit-ups will not guarantee that six-pack you dream of. You need to make sure you get rid of the fat so that you can see the great abs you are looking for.

To maximize your results you will probably want to do aerobic exercise or cardiovascular exercise to burn fat and calories, strength training to create more muscle, and abdominal exercises. Strength training is important because muscle burns more calories than fat, and will help power your aerobic exercises. Walking, swimming or training along with an aerobic exercise tape are all great ways to get you aerobic workout in. For abdominal work you can do regular sit-ups, or try something like Pilates. Pilates incorporates strength training for your abs and uses twisting movements to get better results.

Just remember that you should exercise four to five times a week, and keep an honest an accurate journal to maximize your results. You also need to realize that you will not get your dream abs overnight; it takes hard work and time.

Gregg Hall is an author living in Navarre Florida. Find more about this as well as Herbal Supplements at http://www.online-pharmacy-plus.com

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