Exercise requires the right kind of fuel. If you eat the wrong foods, not enough food, or too soon or not soon enough before your work-out you will impact the effectiveness of the work-out. The timing of when you eat and what you eat is important. How can you exercise if you do not have the energy to carry you through your entire work-out?
Start with what to eat. Choose foods that are low-fat but have a high carbohydrate content. A banana is a great choice; small, quick, and easy. You could also eat a whole-wheat English muffin or bagel with a tablespoon of peanut butter spread on it. Try topping it with a couple of apple slices. Yogurt is a popular choice, requiring limited preparation time. Oatmeal is another good option.
How long before your workout is the prime time to eat? This can be individualized. One time frame will not work for everyone. Some people’s bodies will digest food faster than others. You don’t want to have the food sitting in your stomach during your work-out. That can be painful and hindering. You will need to experiment to find out what works for you. I would recommend allowing at least an hour. You may also try drinking water after eating to facilitate faster digestion.
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The bottom line is your body needs fuel to be at its best. Without the proper fuel you could just be wasting your time. You won’t be able to run as far, swim as many laps, ride as many miles on your bike, or lift heavy weights. Fatigue from lack of fuel will weaken your body and make you sluggish. It may seem counterproductive to those of you trying to lose weight to eat before a work-out. But eating the right nutrient dense foods will make your work-outs more effective and help with weight loss.
Cellulite is said to plague the majority of women, statistics sometimes indicating a percentage as high as 90%. Cellulite is not just an overweight woman’s affliction. If we believe the recent pictures in a popular celebrity magazine, even the skinny and beautiful celebrities like Mischa Barton fight the cellulite battle. The most commonly asked question concerning cellulite is how to get rid of it.
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Summer is the season for get-togethers. Barbeques, cook-outs, happy hours…doesn’t matter what you call it, people like to get together with their friends. Most of these events will involve cocktails and/or beer. This can prove fatal to a diet. The majority of the alcoholic drinks served at these soirees are chock full of unwanted calories. So how do you avoid the calories and still enjoy a few glasses of liquid refreshment, of the alcoholic sort of course.
You can enjoy a cocktail or two at the party and not completely kill your diet. You just need to choose the right drinks. There are plenty of tasty alcohol mixed drinks that are on the low calorie side. Choose an alcoholic beverage that has some of the same alcohols as you would normally drink in other higher calorie choices. Choosing mixed alcoholic drinks comparable to what you normally enjoy will help you avoid giving in to temptation.
When you RSVP the invite make sure you ask your host what alcoholic beverages will be served and ask if they could prepare the drink based on one of the low calorie options listed below. Your host might appreciate being able to offer a low-calorie option to guests. And if the host is unable to honor the request, you could offer to prepare a low-calorie mixed drink in advance and bring it to the party.
· Sour Apple Martini: 2.5ozs of sour mix, .75ozs of vodka, .75ozs of sour apple liqueur. Total calories are only 160. Compare this to a cosmo with 251 calories.
· Mudslide: .75oz of vodka, .75oz Baileys, .75ozs of Kahlua poured over ice. Total calories are 184. Compare this to a White Russian at 338 calories.
· Tequila sunrise: 6.5ozs orange juice, 1oz tequila, splash of grenadine poured over ice. Total calories 209. Compare this to a long island iced tea with 323 calories.
· Mojito: 1.5ozs rum, .5oz of lime juice, 2tsp sugar or sugar substitute, crushed mint poured over ice. Total calories are 132. Compare this to a margarita with 338 calories.
Cardio work outs are designed to burn fat. The higher the intensity of the cardio work out, the more fat you burn. But what if you want to do a cardio work out that burns fat and tones your body at the same time? Is it possible to add exercise to your list of multi-tasking possibilities? The answer is yes. You can burn fat and tone your muscles at the same time. The question then becomes how.
Combine your cardio work out with resistance training and you can burn fat and tone your body in one work out. Combining weights and cardio allows you to build muscle while you burn calories. You cannot combine weights with all cardio workouts. Using weights while you run or use most cardio machines is not recommended. Instead you will need to find a work out that is designed to effectively combine cardio and weights.
There are many work outs that are designed to effectively combine cardio and weights in great toning programs. The work out programs for cardio and toning are usually named in such a manner; for example step and tone or cardio toning. Gyms or fitness clubs may offer this type of work out class. You can also find videos or dvd’s that offer cardio and toning exercise programs. One of the most effective programs is the ”Step and Tone workout” by Gilad. The exercise program is fast paced, fun, and really works your muscles.
The summer season is upon us and with it comes bathing suit season. But it’s not just the bathing suits that strike fear in the hearts of most people; it is the season of skinny clothes. The weather is hot and sticky and clothing becomes an imposition. Unfortunately, not everyone has the physique to pull off the skimpy clothes look. And since more clothes results in more sweat, this usually means the body will require more liquids to keep cool.
Hot weather can steal away your appetite. Since the heat tends to dehydrate the body you will likely seek additional quantities of liquid refreshment. You are probably like most people and assume that since you are eating less due to the heat, you should see the needle on the scale moving downward. But if you are selecting the wrong beverages to rehydrate your body, you could be drinking as much, if not more, in calories as you would if you were eating them. The liquid calories could keep the needle on your scale moving steadily upward.
Some of the favorite summers beverages can pack the same calorie punch as an entire meal at McDonald’s or Burger King. Coffee drinks, fruit smoothies, and milkshakes are packed full of calories, fat, and loaded with sugar. One of the worst examples of liquid refreshment that can pack on the extra pounds is Baskin Robbins’s Large Heath Bar Shake. This milk shake is a 32oz meal which infuses you with an entire day’s calorie and almost two day’s fat allowance in one drink, 2310 calories and 108g saturated fat.
How do you avoid the summer liquid diet weight gain? Think before you drink. If the beverage you are consuming has candy bars in the name or the drink, you may want to rethink your choice. Beware of the drinks with fruit in the names that sound healthy but can load on the pounds with large quantities of sugar. And yes, the summer cocktails are a big contributor of calories. Your safest route for summer drink is water. Drink plenty of water and you won’t find your thirst pushing you to buy that 2000 calorie drink. If you want to indulge, select small sizes and low calorie/fat free options.
