How to Keep Your Workouts Challenging and Interesting

It’s crucial to constantly challenge yourself and keep your workouts fun and exciting. Losing weight, getting muscular or fit takes time. If you’re doing the same training daily over a few weeks, you’re going to get bored very quickly and will not look forward to exercising.

Once that happens, it’s all downhill and a matter of time before you quit exercising and give up on your fitness goals.

This article will list 10 ways you can inject excitement and variety into your training sessions. They can be applied to cardio, weight training and most exercises.

1. Combine exercises with other activities. I had an obese client in her mid-forties. She loved spending time in front of the tv. I helped her to position the television in her house in front of the treadmill. She had to walk for an hour on the treadmill thrice a day. Morning, noon and night. She willingly did it and watched tv at the same time. She barely noticed the time fly. Get creative with your workouts.

2. Try new things. If you run all the time, try cycling. Or maybe swim laps at the pool. If you run a certain route every day, change the route. The new scenery will be a welcome sight.

3. If you go to the gym, try visiting another gym. New people to look at. I know that you’re going to a gym to work out, but it doesn’t hurt to see and meet new people before or after your training.

4. Listen to music that gets your blood pumping. It could be techno, rave, epic soundtracks, etc. Listen to whatever gets you going. Put your player on shuffle mode so u don’t listen to the same songs in the same order every time. Change songs every so often.

5. Join classes. Maybe sign up for a Latin dancing class or kickboxing. Joining others for exercise can be fun and interesting. You may even wish to go for Karate classes. Those are excellent because not only will you burn calories but you will be learning a very useful skill.

6. Have a training partner. Find someone who is not lazy to accompany for your workouts. Both of you will motivate and push each other to new personal achievements. Competition is always fun.

7. Keep records of your training and always try and improve on your past results. If you run 3 miles, try and shave off a minute from your timing. You are always striving to beat your personal best. This tip alone can keep you motivated for years.

8. Use social media to show off. There are several apps for your smartphone that can track your training and progress. Many of these apps allow you to log in through Facebook and post your results. If you like showing off, this will be fun. It will also motivate you to do your best.

9. You may also surf online for videos or training programmes. There are several excellent DVDs such as Insanity or Taebo that can be watched and followed at home. “Insanity” is truly excellent and will shred the fat from your body.

10. Finally, you may look through fitness magazines for new workouts. I’ve noticed that nowadays whenever a movie comes out with a buff actor in it, they tend to publish his workouts in magazines. The idea is that you will be able to sculpt a similar body by following his workout. I’ve seen the Spartan workout for the movie 300, Ryan Reynold’s workouts for the Green Lantern and quite a few others too. Interesting stuff.

So, go ahead and give these techniques a try.

Add some variety and challenge to your training and you will not only constantly keep your body guessing but you will smash through plateaus and stay motivated till you reach your fitness goals.

Are Diet Pills Safe and Effective?

This is a very common question and there are 2 reasons why it is even asked in the first place.

The first reason is that the problem of obesity is getting uncontrollable. More and more adults all over the world are getting fatter and unhealthier. There is no easier or nicer way to say it.

The second reason is that many people are looking for a fast solution to their weight problems. We live in a world of quick fixes, mobile phones, microwaveable meals and instant gratification.

So, of course there must be a pill that you can swallow that will magically make your fat disappear, right?

Wrong. The hard truth is there isn’t any diet pill on the market that can make you lose weight quickly.

Most people gain weight naturally by eating too much and exercising too little. Common sense will dictate that losing weight will have to take place naturally too with more exercise and by eating less.

You may wonder about the diet pill commercials and glowing testimonials from success stories. It all seems so promising and tempting.
Let’s examine the first part of the question – Are diet pills safe?

The answer is that it’s anyone’s guess. The diet pill companies will state that they have conducted tests and it all seems just fine and the side effects are minimal. They may throw in words like ‘clinically proven’ and ‘approved’.

However, the long term side effects are not known. The slimming pills you take today may have effects 30 years down the road. Nobody knows what they are because the studies have not gone on for that long. All results are based on findings in the short term.

My personal philosophy on diet pills is that you cannot hope to lose weight by eating something else.

Now let’s examine if diet pills are effective.

The answer to this is yes and no.

In the short term, diet pills may prove highly effective. There are several types of diet pills. Some claim to bind fat so that you can excrete the fat. Others attempt to suppress your appetite so that you eat less. Then there are pills that boast of their ability to raise you metabolic rate.

Now, what you need to realise is that these pills may do what they claim to do. The glowing testimonials from slim happy people may have a sliver of truth in them.

But, in the long run, all these pills will fail for one simple reason. You cannot be on these pills forever. The moment you stop your appetite suppressing pills, your appetite will be back with a vengeance and you will eat more and gain even more weight.

The same applies to any other pill. Once you stop, you’ll regain all your old weight and possibly more. No diet pill manufacturer will recommend that you be on their pills forever. It is often stated on diet pill bottles that the pills should be used together with a sensible diet and regular exercise.

If that is the case, why even bother with pills?

The only way to ever lose fat successfully and keep it at bay will be to eat properly and exercise as consistently as possible. This will not only keep you strong, fit and healthy but will be easier on your wallet too.

8 Important Foods for Weight Loss

Losing weight can be a slow, tiring process. Anybody who has embarked on a weight loss program can testify that it really was not that much fun. We are constantly looking for ways and means to give ourselves an edge and burn that extra bit of fat.

There is a way to burn extra fat just by eating. Now that’s a dream come true. The catch is that you must eat these power foods and not junk food. Furthermore, you need to maintain a calorie deficit diet while eating these fat burning foods.

You do not have to eat all the foods in a day. Just one or two different types each day. Now let’s look at the power foods you should be consuming.

1. Oatmeal – It is considered a “slow release” carbohydrate. When consumed about 3 hours before you work out, it will help you to burn more fat. Slow release carbohydrates are low GI foods. What that means is that these foods do not spike your blood sugar levels causing an insulin release unlike white bread or white rice. That makes them ideal for fat loss.

2. Apples – An apple a day keeps the doctor away. Guess what? It keeps the fat at bay too. Apples are high in fiber and not only prevent weight gain but also encourages your body to lose fat.

3. Mushrooms – Not only are they delicious but they are very satisfying too. Many dieters replace meats with Portobello mushrooms because they are just as yummy but have much fewer calories.

4. Soup – It is a great idea to start your meal with a bowl of vegetable soup. Drinking soup before a meal makes you feel more full and you have less tendency to overeat. Soup generally contain 20% fewer calories than a normal meal.

5. Desserts – Yes you read it right! Desserts. However, you may only indulge in the low calorie kind. Constantly being on a diet is no fun and takes a toll on you emotionally and mentally. Having a low calorie dessert will make you feel better and happier.

Countless people make the mistake of denying themselves sweet food and indulgences totally. When they do that, the body craves for such pleasures. Sooner or later, their will gives in and they end up stuffing their faces with cake or ice cream.

Therefore, eating a low calorie dessert occasionally will prevent this disaster from happening.

6. Hot peppers – Eating hot peppers half an hour before your meal has been shown to reduce your appetite and make you feel less famished. You will end up consuming less calories.

7. Almonds – They are a great addition to your diet. Chewing almonds will curb hunger pangs. They are also tasty, nutritious and have many health benefits.

8. Eggs – Definitely an important part of any diet. High in protein and very nutritious. Eggs have been proven to help people burn more fat and feel full for a longer period of time

By consuming these power foods, you will be giving yourself an extra edge to fight the fat. Try and include them in your diet whenever possible.
Not only will you shed the pounds, but you’ll also enjoy the health benefits that come from consuming these healthy foods.

7 Ways to Motivate Yourself to Keep Going

A survey once showed that the number 1 resolution that most people make on New Year’s Day is to lose weight or get fit. The survey also went on to show that this very same resolution was the one most often broken by end January or February.

So why are people not able to keep at it? Where did the initial excitement go? Why have they wasted money on an expensive gym membership but stopped going?

The answer is motivation.

In the beginning, there is the initial excitement of starting something new. The future seems happy with a healthy, toned body.

However, once the excitement dies down, and people realise that results are not coming fast, they lose interest and it all becomes mundane and even unpleasant.

I’ve listed 7 ways to motivate you to keep on keeping on. When the going gets tough, these tips will keep you going. When you don’t see the results as fast as you want, these methods will give you the patience and persistence to forge ahead.

1. Write down why you want to lose weight, get fit, build muscle, etc. Define a strong why. Keep asking why until you get to the real truth. Why do you want to lose weight? Because you want to fit into the bikini. Why? So you look good at the beach? Why must you look good at the beach? So, your boyfriend admires your sexy figure and thinks you’re hot. THAT is the why. To be admired and desired. Keep digging till you get to the truth.

2. Find a training partner so that each of you can encourage each other when one of you is down. 

3. Subscribe to YouTube channels that have videos on exercise motivation. Watch these videos. Or, like pages on Facebook that are dedicated to workout motivation. Use all these to motivate yourself daily. Keep up the excitement.

4. Do NOT stop. If your schedule was very busy on a certain day and you do not have time for a one hour workout, do not just skip it and feel guilty. Do a quick 10 minutes of push-ups or sit-ups. Or maybe skipping for 15 minutes. A quick workout that leaves you gasping for air. It will make you feel better and you’d have burnt a few calories too.

5. Recognising a slip up but carrying on. Many people slip up on their diets and once they do, they just give up on it and eat whatever they want. Understand that all of us slip up once in a while but it’s not over. Tell yourself that it’s ok and you will not make a similar mistake again. Just because you gave in to temptation and had a slice of pizza does not mean you should finish the whole pizza.

6. Change your workouts often. Keep your body guessing and it’ll be interesting for you too. Do not let your training become monotonous and predictable.

7. Listen to music while training. It beats listening to your panting and gasping. Change your music often too. Music that is upbeat, catchy and with fast beats.

All of us go through periods when we are feeling down or just not in the mood. It is perfectly normal. The key point to note is that if you’re not in the mood for a long workout, just do a short one.

Never stop and never give up. Read your “why” that you wrote before, whenever you just feel like quitting. Remember your “why”, and then get back on track.

5 Weight Loss Tips That Work Miracles

Losing weight can be a tough job. Getting your diet right and exercising regularly is something that just about everyone knows. Are there any other tips that may help you lose just that little bit more weight?

After all, we want to lose the weight fast and see results as soon as possible. There are 5 tips listed below to help give you that extra edge. To help motivate you, to burn that extra little bit of stubborn and to keep the pounds dropping.

1. Measure your food quantity

If your diet plan says eat 50 grams of carbs, stick to it and weigh your food. Eating 500 grams of carbs instead of only 50 will sabotage your weight loss plan

2. Keep a diary or journal to track your progress

Write down why you want to lose weight. Find out the real reason and your heart’s innermost desires. This reason will keep you motivated when results are disappointing or you are on the verge of giving up.

Success is never linear. You will zig-zag your way to success. For example, you may lose 2 pounds in 1 week and maybe gain a half pound the next week, and drop another 3 pounds the following week. It’s normal and happens to the best of us.

However, in the one week where you gain that half pound despite your best efforts, you may be so demoralised that you just want to give up. That is when you will open your journal to remind you of why you started and where you want to go.

3. Give yourself a cheat day every now and then

Every 5 or 6 days, have a cheat day where you eat all that you want. Don’t hold yourself back. Eat the chips, pizza, nachos, drink the soda, satisfy your cravings like you’ve never done before. Do not worry about gaining weight.

When you have a cheat day, you’ll be doing 2 things. First, you will be boosting your metabolic rate and starting the fat burning process on a more rapid pace. Your body will be shocked and reactivated. Secondly, you will experience a break and happiness. It is stressful to be on a diet for long periods.

4. Weigh yourself only once a week

It is horrible and depressing to weigh yourself every day to see if you have lost weight. Just set one day a week to weigh yourself. As tempting as it may be, do not weigh yourself at any other time.

Imagine working out like mad on day 1 and after 2 days not seeing any changes on the scale. It may seem like all the suffering was not worth it. This is very demotivating. So, just weigh yourself once and wait 7 days for the next weigh in.

5. Eat good fats

Yes, you read that right. You need to eat fats to lose fats. The catch here is that you need to eat good fats and in the right amounts. Almonds and avocados are good sources of good fats. So, is olive oil.

These are just a few tips that you can use to accelerate your fat loss. Always stay motivated, keep going and you will reach your desired fitness goals.

5 Reasons Why You Are Not Losing Weight

There are many people who follow their diets, do the exercises, track their progress and count their calories and yet do not seem to be losing any weight. This is highly demoralising and depressing to them.

There are a few reasons why you may not be shedding those pounds and seeing the scale change. I’ve listed 5 possible reasons that are most common.

1. You are eating more calories equal to or more than you expend. Often times when people exercise, they overestimate how many calories they have burned. Just because their workout is exhausting, they assume that they burnt a ton of calories. They then go on to give in to temptations and sneak in a snack or consume alcohol.

They feel that it’s ok to stray from their diet because their training will compensate for their dietary slip up. All these slip ups add up and you may easily eat more calories than you have burnt. Not a good thing.

2. You are only relying on exercise to work wonders for you. It’s a strange thing but most folks find it easier to exercise rather than control their diet. They prefer to keep their diet unchanged and just rely on exercise to burn the fat off. This will really hinder their progress.

Burning calories through exercise is difficult. A really intense workout for an hour may burn 400 to 500 calories. However, you could consume 500 calories in about 20 minutes just by eating pizza.

Imagine eating whatever you wish throughout the day and expecting an hour of training to burn off those calories. It’s just not going to happen. You must watch your diet and consume your calories wisely and ensure that it’s at a deficit.

3. You’re doing the wrong kind of exercises. There is a very common misconception that doing sit-ups will burn your abdominal fat. Nothing could be further from the truth. To burn fat, you must engage in cardio training at least 3 times a week. Cardiovascular activities are your best bet for fat burning.

You may do weight training on days that you do not do cardio to have an all rounded training program. You’ll also maintain muscle tone and raise your metabolic rate. However, the bulk of your training should revolve around cardio activities.

4. You are basing your progress on your weighing scale

It is common for people to burn fat and gain muscle at the same time. Since muscle is denser than fat, it takes up less space. This explains why many people say that their clothes are getting loose but the numbers on the scale have not changed.

What has happened is that they have burnt a pound of fat but the body gained a pound of muscle. So, the scale will show the same number despite the person having become leaner and stronger.

It would be a good idea to use measuring tape to measure the different parts of your body and track those measurements. Alternatively, you may rely on the mirror. If you look better and leaner as the days pass by, then you don’t have to worry about the numbers on the weighing scale

5. Finally, one reason that you may not be losing weight is the possibility that you might be having a medical problem. Thyroid problems, medical disorders or other health issues may be impeding your progress.

It is recommended that you consult a doctor to find out what is wrong. In many cases, medication will help solve the problems and you will lose weight successfully after that.

These are a few of the most common reasons for you not losing weight. Self-reflection and analysis of your diet and training will show you what you are doing that’s hampering your weight loss. Correct your mistakes and you will lose the excess weight effectively.

4 Ways to Exercise Despite A Busy Schedule

The most common excuse given by those who do not exercise is that they are busy and lack time. They say that their hectic jobs, family commitments and life in general get in their way when it comes to exercising.

Is this really true?

To a certain extent, the answer is yes. There is no doubt that some people may have demanding jobs. Over and above that, they may have to send their kids to school or other classes, etc. So how do you squeeze in time to work out?

Follow the 4 tips below and you should do just fine.

1. Wake up earlier.
There is no arguing that sleep is essential to good health. However, if you could go to bed just 30 minutes earlier and wake up 30 minutes earlier, you’d have time for a quick workout.

A 20 minute intense cardio workout will have you burning fat for the next 10 hours. That’s how effective it is. You’ll burn fat throughout the day and your metabolic rate will be elevated. You’ll also feel more refreshed and energetic.

After a few months of this, you will have lost weight and be in great shape. You will sleep better and even require less rest since your sleep will be better.

2. Reducing time spent on media activities

Most people enjoy majoring in minor things. By cutting down your time spent on media activities, you will find that you have more than enough time to squeeze in that much required work out.

What are media activities? I’ll give you a few examples. Watching tv, reading the newspapers which in most cases are only full of depressing events, surfing the internet aimlessly, watching videos on YouTube for hours, constantly surfing on Facebook and checking up on what others are up to, etc.

All these eat up your time. Go for that exercise session and work out hard. When you are resting and panting, then you may take out your smart phone and log into Facebook. Do what matters first.

3. Try and include exercise as part of your daily routine

If you live within running distance to your workplace, go ahead and run to work.

If it’s within cycling distance, get a bicycle and cycle back and forth to work and home. You will burn calories, save money on fuel and protect the earth.
If your office is on the 20th floor, take the stairs. Run up the stairs if you’re feeling motivated. Every bit of movement counts when it comes to burning calories.

4. Use daily chores to burn calories

If you have to do the dishes, vacuum or mop the floor, mow the lawn, wash the car, etc set a timer and see how fast you can complete the job. The faster you do your chores, the more calories you will burn by raising your heart rate.

Burning extra calories and exercising can be done even if you are on a tight schedule. You have an obligation to yourself to take care of your health. Nothing is more important than your health. Health is a crown on a well man’s head that no one can see but a sick man. Keep fit and live well.