Today we have Mr. Rod Devreese here to speak about some important key things to keep in mind for those who have recently started a new health and fitness routine.  Starting a new routine takes a lot of work, dedication, and patience.  You will learn what does and does not work best for YOUR body.  Try NOT to compare yourself to those around you because everyone is different! What I personally do may not work for someone else or it may give better/worse results to someone else.  It is about trial and error and figuring out YOUR body.  The goal is to stay motivated, stay on track with your healthy eating habits, and stick to your regular workout routine.  Doing these things will slowly start to show you the results you have been wanting! 

Now, lets hear what Mr. Rod Devreese has to say!

If you want to be on your way to better health and fitness, you can follow these tips:

1. Don’t expect to improve your health overnight. It takes time to get used to
changes in your diet and lifestyle. If you are patient, you can succeed.

2. Be happy and the good hormones in your body will defeat cortisol. The latter is
also known as stress hormone. When you are happy, you will feel good. You can
watch funny videos or comedy movies with your friends or family, or you can just
talk about funny things.

3. Your monitor must be slightly above or just about the same level as your eyes.
a monitor that is lower than your eye level is sure to cause shoulder, neck, and
back aches.

4. Monitor your heart rate especially during workout. A heart rate monitor can be
very useful. You need to use one to ensure that your heart rate is around 75% to
85%. The heart rate must not be too low or too high to get the best result from the
workout.

5. Boost your energy level by eating an energy bar or any other food that is rich in
sugar and fiber. Banana is also a great snack before doing any form of exercise.

6. Focus your attention on eating a balanced diet and getting a good exercise rather
than thinking about losing weight. The figures on the scale will not be able to help
you out.

7. Before doing any workout, you should do some stretching and other warm-up
exercises. This can prevent injuries. A lot of people tend to ignore this and later
on, they can have muscle injuries.

8. Some people think that aiming for better health and fitness means that a person
no longer needs carbs. This is a common misconception. In fact, you need carbs
to fuel the body and get the needed energy. You need to eat high-fiber foods
like fruits and vegetables, as well as protein sources. This will ensure that
carbohydrates are broken down with ease.

9. If you are the type of person who lacks motivation, you can try working out with a
friend or close member of the family. With a buddy, you will find ‘exercise’ time
cool and lots of fun rather than trying to achieve your fitness goals alone.

10. Routine activities are normal but if you want to be physically fit, you should learn
to be flexible. The freedom to do things as you see fit is a great way to motivate
yourself and to avoid boredom.

Aside from the tips above, you also need to look into diet food plans. If you truly want
to get in shape, there is a need to follow a diet regimen that will work for you. It can be
hard at first but once you get into the habit, you can live a healthier life and be fit.

Author Bio:

Rod Devreese is a former collegiate athlete as well as a health & fitness enthusiast who writes on
topics such as diet food plans, exercise, general health, and nutrition at Diet Brand Reviews.

 

These days, most people who are looking to lose weight (both men and women) tend to follow a strict diet regime that see’s them significantly cutting down their daily calorie intake and often, cutting out a lot of their favorite foods. Most of these diets also recommend that you reduce your consumption of protein and carbohydrates and because of this, protein-rich foods are perceived by most as being “fattening”.

While it’s true that high protein foods are relatively calorie-rich (at least when compared with veggies), I think it’s important to point out that eating a substantial amount of protein could actually help you to lose weight.

The Weight Loss Effects of Protein

The human body actually uses more energy to break down and digest protein than it does with both carbohydrates and fat. This means that essentially, you’ll burn more calories digesting a steak than you will a healthy, low-calorie salad.

Protein is also a natural appetite suppressant. Foods that are high in protein take longer to leave your stomach than foods high in fat or carbs, meaning that basically, you’ll feel fuller for longer which will help you to eat less throughout the day (as you’ll feel less hungry) which strangely, can lead to a decrease in calorie consumption for some people.

In fact, there have been numerous studies that have proven the hunger quelling effects of protein, such as the one published in Nutrition & Metabolism. In the study, subjects increased their daily protein intake to approximately 30% of their diets and it was found that on average, the subjects consumed 450 calories a day less than usual and also lost an average of 11 pounds over a 12 week period.

It Helps You Lose Fat…Not Muscle

Not only does protein keep you feeling full for longer as mentioned above, but it also helps to ensure that you lose fat rather than muscle. Protein is packed with essential amino acids which are used by the body to maintain and build mean muscle mass.

Even if you aren’t particularly looking to gain muscle, it’s important to take note of this as the leaner you become, the higher your metabolism will be which will help you to burn more calories, 24 hours a day. By sticking to a protein rich diet, you can ensure that your body has a sufficient supply of amino acids which will help to maintain muscle mass and also, that your body breaks down fat to use as energy rather than muscle.

Ultimately, this will ultimately lead to a slimmer, more toned look.

Adding Protein To Your Diet

If you’re not really into eating a huge amount of meat, you might think that adding protein to your diet is a difficult task, but it actually isn’t. There are a huge amount of protein rich foods out there so you can be sure that there’s something to suit all taste buds.

If you’re thinking about adding more protein to your diet but aren’t sure what to eat, here’s a great list of 81 high protein foods to get you started.

As well as foods, you could also explore the possibility of incorporating a protein shake into your diet. Most people still view protein shakes as being solely for bodybuilders, but this isn’t the case at all and these days, they come in a huge range of flavors.

The great thing about protein shakes is that they allow you to add a huge amount of protein to your diet without much effort so if you’re considering doing this, click here to check out a list of the best protein shakes available.

Conclusion

The US RDA (Recommended Daily Allowance) for protein consumption is around 0.8 grams per kilogram of lean body mass. However, there are a lot of nutrition experts that believe this is simply not enough and that to lose weight, a high protein diet will significantly help.

There are also a lot of diets out there that recommend significantly increasing your daily protein intake but the thing is, most of these diets are aimed at men looking to build muscle. For example, both the Truth About Abs program and the Six Pack Shortcuts program (here’s a totally unbiased Six Pack Shortcuts review) recommend increasing daily protein consumption to around 40% of your diet.

Sure, both of these are aimed at building muscle but they’re also aimed at helping people to lose weight and shed body fat. They might be a bit extreme for those that are just looking to lose a bit of extra weight but there’s a lot we can learn from them such as the huge benefits of a high protein diet.

 

This guest post was written by Joshua Hardwick writer of  iWantASixPack.com

Please feel free to stop by his site for other health and fitness related topics!  He has a lot of great information for those who are wanting more in-depth information about health and fitness related topics.  Thanks Joshua for the wonderful post you shared with us today!

Having a baby can be one of the best moments in your life. The miraculous gift of being able to bring
another human into this world is an experience most woman dream of having after they get married and
start to think about creating a family. The one thing that most women overthink is what child birth can do
to your body! It just has to be taken into consideration once you start preparing, planning, and trying to
have a baby of your own.

You see all of these recent celebrities who have babies and within a few months they have shed all of
their baby weight and are prancing around in a bikini on the beach! A good example would be Jessica
Simpson! It was splashed across EVERY newspaper, her weight issues before and after the birth of her
child. Jessica Simpson’s baby weight issues are so similar to those of so many women! So what is the
difference between Jessica and most women in America? Jessica Simpson probably has a personal
chef…personal trainer she probably works with 2 times a day…not to mention a nutritionist and a whole
team of other people to help her lose that baby weight quickly .

I am here TODAY to help give YOU women who have braved child birth and now want to get into the gym
(and kitchen) to start losing that extra weight that you gained.

Gaining weight is a normal thing. BUT, how much weight you gain can be the bigger issue. During your
pregnancy it is wise to keep up some cardio and not get in the habit of “eating for two”. You may have
a baby growing in your belly but you do not need to double…triple…or quadruple your calorie intake
like most women who get pregnant. Your body does a wonderful job at letting you know when you
are hungry….and it will also let you know when you are full! Stick to a healthy, clean, strict diet during
pregnancy to help you gain only the “normal” baby weight.

After the baby is born, wait until the doctor clears you to do physical activity. Once the doctor has cleared
you, then that would be a good time to hit the gym! Try to get in the gym 5 days a week (and yes you
may be a new mom so to start off it would be good to get in the gym 3 days). This is the most important
part….IT WILL TAKE TIME! Your results with not be immediate. It will take some time. If you stick to
a steady cardiovascular routine several times a week, eating a HEALTHY balanced diet, and staying
motivated you will start to see that excess fat slowly fade away!

You do not have to be a celebrity….or Jessica Simpson…to shed that extra baby weight and to get that
beach body you want for the summer!

So get up and make a change TODAY!

And, YES YOU CAN DO IT!

Here are some excellent snack ideas to try for yourself:

• 1 slice of whole wheat toast
• a handful (which should amount to be about a dozen or so) of almonds (or any other nutritional nuts)
• 1 serving size of whole wheat crackers (look on the box! this could be 5 – 9 crackers depending on what brand you get)
• Non-buttered microwavable popcorn (there are tons of other flavors to try! Or get the popcorn with nothing on it and put your own spices on it to give it your own unique flavor!)
• a cup of your favorite fruit
• cup of low-fat yogurt or Greek yogurt (Yoplait has great “Light”options that can be around 100 calories per cup of yogurt!)
• Smoothie

Also, try to schedule the times that you do have your meals so you can fit these small snacks into your schedule.  It is important to not eat too late but to eat early enough so you don’t go to be hungry.

Don’t forget that what you drink also has a HUGE impact on your daily calorie intake.  Be sure to be mindful of what liquids you do consume.  Water is always a great option.  Even drinking alcoholic beverages can hinder your targeted weight loss goals.

Don’t forget to write out your goals and be mindful of the things that you need to alter or change in your lifestyle to reach those goals.

There is always time to join groups or get your friends to join you on new health challenges.  But just in case, you can always be apart of  the BeautifulBrwnBabyDol weight loss challenge.

Anytime is a good time to start your new healthier lifestyle.

BeautifulBrwnBabyDol website:

http://www.beautifulbrwnbabydol.com

BeautifulBrwnBabyDol Facebook:
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