The world of weight loss and fitness is certainly vast, and the
American consumer can absolutely get lost in the thousands of
easy effortless and ostly useless ads if not careful. With my
books and research I want to clear the air about the various
myths and false statements regarding our health and fitness that
have clearly muddied the waters for many Americans.

What I want to stress in particular is that there is no magic
answer, potion, or diet pill that is going to make everything
better. The ad on TV where the pretty lady says “it’s easy.
you’ll love it”, is appealing to our need for instant
gratification with no effort. We don’t want to hear the facts so
we continue to look for the instant solution. If there was a
magic diet pill, or diet plan, over 60% of Americans wouldn’t be
overweight, in spite of spending over $35 billion annually on
diet products.

Achieving weight loss and fitness requires a commitment on your
part to strive for a healthier you. What you will get in return
for all of your hard work and dedication is a fit body, a
renewed clarity of mind, better quality sleep, and perhaps even
a pronounced increase in your libido. I have found that through
the positive changes I have made in my own life regarding weight
loss and fitness, all areas of my life are exponentially better.
I wake up energized, I feel excited about my day and my
interactions with people, my body feels strong and capable, and
my entire outlook on life has improved significantly.

The Weight Loss and Fitness Commitment show that claims that
teach you shortcuts on how to drop 30 pounds in 30 days are
improbable at best and unhelathy at worst.

That claim is water loss pure and simple. You do the math: 1
pound of fat = about 3500 calories 30 pounds of fat = 105,000
calories. To lose 30 pounds of fat in 30 days you would need to
reduce caloric intake by about 105,000 calories or about 3500
per day. If you are eating 3,000 calories a day now, that might
be tough. OK you say I’ll exercise it off. 1 hour on a
stationary bicycle running at an average over 20 miles an hour
burns about 400 calories. Meaning to burn 3,500 calories a day
on the bike, you’d need to ride it for about 9 hours.

If you are looking for a quick fix, you will continue to be
frustrated about health and fitness.

However, if you are tired of feeling fatigued and know for sure
that you are ready to make a solid commitment to your own health
and mind, Living to Be Younger can act as a guide. It is my
hope that you will read each page with an open mind and a
willingness to make some changes that will enable you to break
out of your rut.

First, lose the idea that there is a magic diet pill or
supplement that will transform your body to a svelte shape.
Losing weight requires that you expend more calories than you
ingest—plain and simple. This means that you must get up and
moving at least three to five days per week, for at least 30
minutes each session. If you were considerably overweight, it
would be ideal to aim for at least five workout sessions per
week. Always consult with your physician before embarking on
any new exercise plan. Second, take a good look at what you are
putting in your mouth on a daily basis. Aim for natural foods
that are high in vitamins and minerals, fiber, protein, and
complex carbohydrates. Limit your intake of foods high in
saturated fats, sodium, refined sugars, and preservatives. When
you take the Living to Be Younger Challenge, you will find that
your zest for life isn’t gone—it’s just been hiding.
Congratulations on taking this first step towards a healthier
you.

[Sponsored] Bryan Seawell is the proud owner of this article and he owns a site called: “save electricity with a diy kit“. See how he can help you with his site: “save electricity with a diy kit” and allow him to share with you his best known secrets here at his exclusive site, “save electricity with a diy kit“. Thank you for your trust and belief in Bryan. Hope it will benefit you and others. Have a wonderful day ahead. [Sponsored]

In our ‘Stretching’ article series (http://optimumlife.co.nz/Fitness%20Articles/Stretching/Stretching1.htm), we discussed why it’s important to stretch as part of your workout. We also touched on the importance of warming up before even *thinking* about stretching. Since that article, I’ve had a couple of questions about warming up, so it seemed like a good topic for this week’s Optimum Fitness News.

When fitness experts talk about ‘doing a warm up’, they generally mean doing some kind of general activity that gradually raises the heart rate. They will happily tell us that doing so reduces the risk of injury during the following workout – but don’t often explain exactly how. In fact, a good warm-up should involve more than just this ‘general activity’. The second, less commonly described aspect is the ‘dynamic stretching’ we mentioned in last week’s article. And there are many more reasons to warm up than simple injury risk reduction

WHY WARM UP?
When you start moving in any way that raises your heart rate, certain changes start to take place in your body. Your respiratory rate increases. Bloodflow throughout your body increases, which means that the levels of oxygen and nutrients that are delivered to your cells also increase. In effect, all your body’s systems are warned you’re going to be making demands on them, and primed to meet those demands.

Once you’re at this point, you’re ready to move onto dynamic stretching. This, you’ll remember, involves slowly performing the same kinds of movements you’ll be making in your workout, and gradually increasing the speed. As specific muscles, tendons and joints follow the movement patterns they’ll be expected to complete later, they become used to the movement, and less likely to tear when the movements are made at higher speeds. This stage also works as a cue for your nervous system to ‘switch on’ the specific neuro-muscular connections it will need for those movement patterns.

Lastly, this two-stage warm-up helps you to prepare you mentally for the coming workout. Regardless of what that workout might be, you’ll do it better, and enjoy it more, if you’re able to bring your full focus into it. By taking the time to warm up before you start exercising ‘for real’, you’re giving yourself the mental space to switch your focus to where you need it to be.

HOW SHOULD I WARM UP?
The general part of the warm-up can be done in any way that gets your heart beating faster. If you have a piece of cardio equipment available– a bicycle, rowing machine, or stepper – feel free to use it; or simply walk and then jog. Whatever you use, start very gently, and gradually increase the intensity until you can feel your body getting warm, and your heart rate starting to rise. The specific intensity will depend on your current fitness level – but it should have you working at a level where you’re energised, not exhausted.

Some people continue until they feel a light sweat, but because this can be more reflective of humidity than body temperature (and because some people sweat more easily than others), it may not be the most useful measure. Experts suggest 3-5 minutes, but if your exercise environment is particularly cold, it may need to be longer.

Once you’re feeling warm, it’s time to bring in the dynamic stretching. What you do here will depend totally on what kind of exercise you’re planning. For a martial art, it might involve light sparring at ¼ speed, or simply performing some of the techniques in slow motion. For a sport, it could involve mimicking the same kinds of movements you’ll be using on the field or court, in a slow, controlled way. There are no specific time guidelines for how long this should take – but allow enough time for repeating each movement, starting slowly and gradually increasing the speed until you’re working at the level you expect during your workout

Finally, once you’re warm, stay warm. Especially if the workout that follows will be particularly vigorous, don’t stop to do a static stretching routine. This will give your body a chance to cool down again, and undo much of the good you’ve done by warming it up in the first place. If you have any questions about either kind of warm up mentioned in this article, please don’t hesitate to e-mail me on tanja@optimumlife.co.nz. Otherwise, may every day bring you closer to your Optimum Life.

[Sponsored] Bryan Seawell is the proud owner of this article and he owns a site called: “save electricity with a diy kit“. See how he can help you with his site: “save electricity with a diy kit” and allow him to share with you his best known secrets here at his exclusive site, “save electricity with a diy kit“. Thank you for your trust and belief in Bryan. Hope it will benefit you and others. Have a wonderful day ahead. [Sponsored]