One Big Health Nut

Vitamins and minerals are essential to proper body function. The body cannot perform at an optimal level without the necessary substances fundamental to nutrition. The body’s weight related functions are also dependent on optimum vitamin intake. Since vitamins do not operate independently to support body function, it is not possible to name one vitamin accountable for weight control. It is the joint operation of several essential vitamins that help promote proper weight related performance.

The vitamins and minerals considered most important to weight loss are: Vitamin B2, Vitamin B3, Vitamin B5, Vitamin B6, Choline, Inositol, and Vitamin C.

• Vitamin B2 is also known as Riboflavin. Riboflavin is required for normal metabolism and thyroid function. Sources of Riboflavin are milk, almonds, eggs, leafy green vegetables, and hard cheese.

• Vitamin B3, or Niacin, ensures normal thyroid hormone production and assists in the process that properly regulates blood sugar. Niacin can be found in tuna, turkey, chicken, eggs, salmon, oats, barley, cheese, and brown rice.

• Vitamin B5 is Pantothenic Acid. Without this vitamin, our capacity to utilize fat is affected. Pantothenic Acid is part of the energy production and adrenal functions. Good sources of Pantothenic acid include green vegetables, whole grain bread, beans, eggs, molasses, oats, meat, poultry, and nuts.

• Vitamin B6 is also called Pyridoxine. Pyridoxine regulates metabolism and the production of thyroid hormone. Pyridoxine is contained in avocado, banana, eggs, mackerel, wheat bran, brown rice, poultry, beef, and molasses.

• Choline is part of the Vitamin B family. Choline is not actually a vitamin since it is produced in the liver. Choline is required for the liver to efficiently metabolize fat. Cauliflower, cucumber, peanuts, egg yolks, wheat germ, and beef liver are all sources of Choline

• Inositol is also part of the vitamin B complex and produced by the body. Insitol, together with Choline, aids fat metabolism. It is found in citrus fruits, wholegrains, nuts, eggs, and soy.

• Vitamin C ensures proper conversion of glucose to energy in the bodies cells. Brussel sprouts, lemons, oranges, strawberries, broccoli, green peppers, and kiwi are all sources of vitamin C.

Losing weight requires a life style change.  You must be prepared to increase your daily physical activity levels, the intensity of your exercise program at regular intervals, and you need to eat a healthy diet.  Many people that want to lose weight turn to dieting or pills to accomplish weight loss.  Although initially some people may experience some, or even significant, weight loss, the majority of individuals will regain the weight lost.  In fact, most people will gain more weight than what was actually lost after stopping the diet and/or pills.   

          Nutritionists will tell you that when they are assisting an underweight person to reach a healthy weight for their body, they will place them on a restrictive diet for a specific period of time.  This is done to slow the person’s metabolism and will aid the individual in gaining weight.  This process obviously would not be recommended for person’s trying to lose weight.  Instead, diet changes would be recommended, as well as the other components mentioned above.  Avoid fast foods like cheeseburgers, French fries, tacos, and fried foods (chicken). Plan healthy meals that include protein, whole grains, and vegetables  

          You must be willing to exert maximum effort in all aspects of your weight loss labors to achieve the best results.  The harder you work during your exercise programs and the more often you participate in physical activity, the quicker you will see results.  Do not limit yourself to just exercising during times allotted for work outs.  During your work days you can take the stairs instead of the elevators.  You can spend your lunch, after eating a healthy meal, walking briskly with coworkers.  You can go for a bike ride or a walk after your evening meal.  Do not limit your physical activity to just your work out periods.  The more often you engage in physical activities, the better chance you have of changing your energy levels and body composition.

Walking is often promoted as the best exercise for everyone.  Walking is easy to do, needs no equipment, and requires no experience or training.  The benefits to walking are numerous and the risks are minimal.  Just about anybody can begin walking for exercise. 

The benefits of walking include:

• Lowering blood pressure
• Lowering bad (LDL) cholesterol
• Reduces risk of heart attack
• Improves muscle tone, stamina, aerobic capacity & energy
• Reduces appetite
• Easy on your joints and eases back pain
• Promotes weight loss

Walking can be done in addition to your current exercise program.  Or you can choose walking as your aerobic exercise.  If you prefer walking to jogging, it will be a comfort to know that walking burns almost as many calories.  If you walk at a pace of 4 miles per hour, a brisk pace, for 30 minutes you will burn 165 calories.  If the surface you are walking on has an incline, the number of calories burned increases.   

Walking is a great method of exercise.  It is less stressful on your joints than many other forms of aerobic exercise.  It is easy to do and can be done anywhere, even on vacation.  Make sure to practice proper posture while walking to ensure maximum benefits are achieved.  Your head should be up and your spine straight.  Regulate your breathing.  And be sure to wear comfortable clothes and shoes. 

There are many people that have dieted and exercised in an attempt to lose weight, but have found their efforts produce no results. This is very discouraging and disheartening. You begin to feel as if you will never be able to realize your goals regardless of the effort you put forth. And once you find yourself believing that, you give up trying. For those of you that find yourself in this situation don’t give up! Your dedication will prevail and your efforts will be rewarded. You may just need to make some adjustments to your diet and your exercise routine.

To lose weight, you must eat right. This doesn’t mean deprive yourself. If you reduce your food intake by too much, your metabolism will slow down. Your body will think it is in danger of starving and begin storing calories as fat. The calories it does burn, will burn slowly. Instead, evaluate your current diet. Be sure to:

•Choose healthier options. Instead of eating white pasta, choose whole grain. Instead of M&M’s for a snack, eat carrots and low fat dip.

•Watch your portion sizes. Make sure you are not eating too much during your meals.

•Pay attention to what you are drinking. You could be adding many additional calories to your daily intake through liquids.

•Plan your meals ahead of time. If you decide in advance what you will eat for meals and snacks in advance, you will be less likely to make poor, impulsive choices.

•Keep a food journal. Writing down everything you eat and drink during the day can help you identify where you could be making mistakes.

The exercise program you currently have may not be enough to promote weight loss. You have to push your body to be rewarded. One of the most common mistakes women make with exercise is not working hard enough. When you are exercising, you should be exerting yourself to a point that is uncomfortable (not painful).

•Make sure you are performing aerobic exercise 3 to 4 days per week.

•You need to include resistance training in your weekly exercise program at least 2 days per week. Muscle increases your resting metabolic rate so you will burn more calories on a daily basis.

•Vary your routine. If you have been doing the same exercise routine without increasing the level of difficulty and without adding or changing exercises, you will plateau. This means you will not lose any more weight because your body has become accustomed to your current routine and adjusted itself accordingly.

Have you ever heard anyone say “I wish I had a round or flabby stomach?” Probably not! Everyone wants a flat stomach. But most people are not sure how to eliminate stomach flab and attain a flat stomach. And those that do understand what must be done to lose a fat stomach and attain a firm; flat stomach may be compromising the results of their efforts. There are several common mistakes that many people make in their efforts to create the stomach they are trying to achieve.

Below is a list of common mistakes to avoid and recommendations to follow in order to achieve phenomenal results during your stomach exercise regiment.

•Recovery Period: Unlike other muscle groups, the abdominal or stomach muscles do not require a recovery period. Stomach muscles recover in a matter of seconds. When performing stomach/abdominal exercises, you should move continuously from one exercise to the next. Stomach/Abdominal exercises should be performed until exhaustion.

•Breathing: If you are holding your breath during stomach/abdominal exercises, you are not fully contracting the stomach/abdominal muscles. Make sure that you exhale through exertion. Otherwise you will not obtain the full benefit of the exercise.

•Lower Abdominals: Begin your abdominal/stomach workout by exercising the lower abdominal first. The movement exercises both the upper and lower regions at the same time. This will allow you to increase the number of abdominal specific exercises targeting your upper abdominals. Examples of lower abdominal (stomach) exercises include reverse crunches and leg lifts.

•Protein: Eating a diet rich in protein will enhance the development of the muscles. Without protein, the abdominal/stomach muscles will not reach their full potential.

During your regular stomach exercise routine, remember to adhere to the above recommendations. If you continue to perform a schedule of aerobic activity 3 to 4 days per week, a resistance training schedule to increase fat burning muscle at least 2 days per week, and your stomach program 3 days per week, you should begin to see faster results.