Do you have too much belly fat?

The size of your waist is a good indicator of whether you have too much belly fat. Even thought measurements that compare your hip and waist circumference (waist-to-hip ratio) or compare your height and weight (body mass index) are more precise and can be used for research, your waist size alone can give you a good idea of how much belly fat you hold.

For most men, the risk factors for various diseases increase with a waist size over 40 inches (102 centimeters).

To accurately measure your waist:

· Place a tape measure around your bare abdomen just above your hipbone.
· The tape measure should be snug — but not so tight it pushes into your skin.
· Check to make sure the tape measure is level all the way around.
· Relax, and measure your waist after you breathe out — no sucking in your belly!

Can you reduce belly fat with sit-ups?

Sit-ups will make your abdominal muscles stronger, sure. And, you may look thinner by building your abdominal muscles because you can hold in your belly fat better. But strengthening your stomach muscles alone will not specifically reduce belly fat.
There are no particular "spot-reducing" exercises that are best at shedding belly fat. But most people do reduce belly fat before reducing fat in other parts of their body when they get more exercise of any kind. Remembering that you reduce last what you’ve gained first will help your frustration a great deal.

Is belly fat inherited?

While some men are more likely to put on extra pounds because of their genes, for the vast majority of men, the problem has a lot more to do with lifestyle than inherited traits. Our society’s demands are so great that they far exceed our ability to perform creating therefore a great amount of stress. Stress can lead to many negative results in our lives and one of them is overeating. Stress also triggers the body to release the stress hormone cortisol that facilitates fat storage around the organs and mostly around the belly. Simply put, when you are stressed out of your mind and take in more calories than you burn to make you feel better — the excess calories are stored as fat and you feel worse later. The same thing occurs in women but in more parts of the body; part such as the hips, arms and thighs.

We've had a huge change in our environment. Men — and women — used to have much more active lifestyles. But our lifestyles today allow us to live and work with virtually no opportunity for physical activity. About 65 percent of American adults get no vigorous exercise in their leisure time at all. We are also eating larger amounts of high-calorie foods than we used to, such as "fast food" that is high in fat and carbohydrates. People are responding to this change in the way you'd expect — by gaining weight. Men need to be more active — to get out and keep moving.

Can you really get a beer belly from drinking?

We do know that there is a link between drinking excess alcohol and gaining belly fat — the "beer belly." However, it isn't just beer that can increase belly fat. Drinking too much of any kind of alcohol can have that effect. We know that alcohol is high in calories and increases appetite, but still aren't exactly sure why drinking too much causes increased belly fat in particular.
If you drink, the key is to drink in moderation. While increased belly fat is most noticeable in people who drink to excess, keeping it to less than two drinks a day will reduce the amount of calories you consume and help you avoid putting on belly fat. It is also better for your overall health.

BEWARE OF BINGE EATING AT NIGHT

Night Binging: What’s Happening

Binge eating mostly happens in the evening and you become someone else. In the evening you are probably tired and stressed, and that is why you should use your rational hours of the day planning your evenings in order to eat moderately. When you eat supper, you gorge yourself with everything you have at home such as sandwiches, ice cream, etc. Try not to keep sandwiches, ice cream or other fattening, unhealthy food at home. Be sure to buy in advance the ingredients you need to prepare a large, tasty salad, so that you can have a big meal that is not fattening and unwholesome for your body.

The main goal here is to get healthy, wholesome and reasonable eating habits. If you do this in the first place, your body weight will go down to a level that fits your physical constitution.

The alternative to escaping the anguish by binge-eating is feeling the anguish. This can provide useful information that you might need for accurate estimates in life. Be curious about what can come out of your feelings and ideas if you desist from gorging yourself with food.

Lie down and focus your attention inside of yourself. Be brave! What you feel may not be pleasant. But these unpleasant feelings usually die away after a while and afterwards you are enriched with a new understanding of your inner feelings and you will feel generally better.

It takes about 10 to 15 minutes of deep breathing exercise for the cravings to dissipates if it is still there get-up and prepare a large salad.

Think About All Of The Steps Involved:

1. The thought enters your mind that you want to cheat. (REFRAME NOW!) Ask why and make a better decision.
2. You decide to take action on the thought. (IT’S STILL NOT TOO LATE!)
3. You stand up. (YOU ARE ABOUT TO MESS UP ALL YOUR EFFORTS!)
4. You walk over to the fridge, door (to go to the store), or phone (to order food). (THINK AGAIN!!!)
5. You open the fridge door, grab your keys and unlock the door, or dial the phone (after looking through your pile of menus and picking one out). (POINT OF NO RETURN!!!)
6. You reach into the fridge and start searching around, walk out your door to the store or sit and wait the fast food delivery man.
7. YOU JUST LET YOURSELF DOWN.

These are definitely a lot of steps! And there are many in between I have probably missed as well. So as we see here, there are 7 opportunities to reason with your own mind, and think "ok, do I really want to kill all my hard work in the gym by eating something that will only award me temporary satisfaction, and make me look/feel worse?" In the heat of the moment, the binge eater is sometimes likened to an animal that cannot control itself, acting on instinct only, without regard to what is going on.

He consumes simply for the sake of consumption, and receives his satiety from this fact, and this fact only: he will not stop until he is absolutely stuffed and will award his palate with a plethora of different tastes to fit his liking.

Train the Mind

The solution here is to first learn to train the mind to eat for "nutrition" and not for "taste". Eventually, upon successive training, the mind will register this, and begin to understand that those foods provided by nature, and not chemically derived by man, are the ones which will be most fulfilling, because they will allow the body to naturally carry out its metabolic processes in the fullest form, the way it was designed to do.

“Furthermore, foods occurring in nature will provide more of a nutritional benefit which will allow the body to reach its desired state of leanness, or muscular developments at a much faster rate than chemically designed food such as potato chips and candy.”

The second part of the solution is to realize that just as we saw up above, there are many steps between the time you "think" of eating something not on your dietary regimen, and the time you actually put the food into your mouth. It is necessary to dispel the thought at an earlier step, and not allow yourself to commit the thought to action if you cannot have control.

Lastly is the concept of "moderation". If you are going to have something that is not on your plan, then make sure that you don't go all out and destroy all your hard work. Learn to achieve satisfaction from a bite of something, and then fill yourself up with something a little more nutritious late night, such as a chicken breast along with a salad with balsamic vinegar and garlic.

Remember, the satisfaction which junk food provides is a pseudo-satisfaction, which is temporary. It occurs only in the mind, and not in the body. Train your mind to find satisfaction from doing your body good, and you will be well on your way to achieving all of your goals when it comes to building the physique of your dreams. I myself am victim to the "wolfs call" so to speak. I sometimes go through the same thing, but the key is awareness, awareness, awareness.

None of us are perfect, but we all have the ability to control the thoughts which enter our heads, and the way we control those thoughts determines our successes or failures in life

Remember that what is in your subconscious and is not serving you, should and must be replaced by something that does.

Get Your Copy of Mind Over Body

The Five Stages of Exercise Adoption

“What fits your extremely busy schedule better, exercising one hour a day or being dead twenty four hours a day?”

What Stage Are You In?

1- Pre-contemplation

At this stage you are not even thinking about exercise and have no intention of becoming more active, moreover you are most likely not even reading my book Mind Over Body: The Key to Lasting Weight Loss Is All In Your Head!

Not a very good stage to be at!

2- Contemplation

You are thinking about exercise, but are not engaging in it. The Amydyla is firing up neurotransmitters in the brain causing you to stay in a comfort zone. The key is to focus on the outcome of your goal. If you are fearful you mostly likely to revert back and if you are empowered by thinking of the outcome, you most likely to be empowered.

You are reading my book and are most likely to apply its concept. There is not time frame in this stage as you are the one to make a choice to start.

3- Preparation

You are getting ready to start an activity or are exercising on occasion, but it is still a new habit. At this phase you are applying the principles of my book to overcome obstacles leading you to revert back to old habits. You are ready to step-up and increase activity level.

At this stage you are overcoming any obstacle. It starts at week 3 or 4 from beginning of behavior changes.

4- Action

You are exercising regularly for at list 12 weeks, and it has become a ritual.

This phase is a good phase to be at and you are most likely to stick with it.

5- Maintenance

You have a ritual of exercising that is longer that 6 month. All new habits are now automatic. It is a part of you to be healthy and fit.

It is now your second nature, it is “automatic” It’s a new you! This is the best stage to be at.

Copyright © 2007 by Nordine Zouareg

WHAT IS THE BEST AEROBIC EXERCISE FOR BEGINNERS?

There is no best for everyone. Fitness is very individualistic. While some exercises might burn more calories. It is most important to choose one that you enjoy. I usually suggest some form of walking or stationary recumbent bicycling to start. Even if you enjoy the activity, it must be something you are capable of handling. For example, you may love to walk, but if you have a knee problem, this won't be your best choice of aerobic exercise. Talk it over with a professional to find the activity that is enjoyable and safe.

8 Reasons You Aren't Reducing Weight

In a high tech world, there’s a whole slew of ways to determine whether you’re reducing body fat on your diet and exercise regimen. The favorite traditional methods of measuring body fat include underwater weighing and skin calipers. The newest rage is a specialized bathroom scale that sends infrared beams through your body to determine how much of your body weight is actually fat and how much is lean body mass; muscle and bones.

Still, the most tried and true device, and possibly the most accurate way to determine if your dieting efforts are working – is the old fashion bathroom scale! If you’re reducing weight on the scale, you’re also reducing fat. Sure, if you’re dropping more than 3 pounds per week or your energy levels are waning, you’re likely to be shedding some valuable muscle also along the way.

However, if you’re reducing 1-2 pounds every 1-3 weeks, and your energy and strength levels are stable, you’re likely shedding almost exclusively fat. That said; let’s explore the top reasons why people fail to see the body trimming results they hope to achieve.

The 7 roadblocks that keep many frustrated are outlined below. Fix or avoid most of these troublesome 7, and your fat reducing will be so smooth.

1) Too Many Carbohydrates.
I’m no fan of strict low carb diets, but any additional carbs above and beyond those needed to saturate your muscles with glycogen have a good probability of being stored as body fat. While bodybuilding training requires a high carb intake, many novices and intermediate trainees simply do not train hard enough to justify a massive carb intake. Depending on your size and level of training intensity, split your carb intake into 5 servings per day and aim for 30-60 grams of carbs per meal to shed fat. Start at a higher intake such as 60 grams of carbs per meal. If you reduceweight, continue with 60 grams per meal. If you fail to lose, drop to 50 grams per meal.

2) Too Much Protein.
Surprise! This factoid is tied to carbohydrate restriction. When dieting to lean down, carbohydrates ought to be slowly reduced. However, many dieters take an overly aggressive approach in hopes of making miracle-type progress and cut back too far in the carb department.

When you restrict carbs, your protein intake should increase. But – and this is a big one – over compensating by eating too much protein can also prevent fat loss by contributing to a calorie surplus. As a rule, shoot for .74 to 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight each day while trying to add weight and muscle. When ripping up, start chopping away at your carbs and increase the protein to 1.25 to 1.50 grams per pound of body weight. Anything more- will just be stored as fat.

3) Skip The Late Night Carbs.
Don’t believe the conflicting research. The fact remains, carbs eaten at night are less likely to be burned off as fuel and are more likely be stored as body fat. That means; forego the pasta, potato or rice at meal 5 (your final meal of the day) for lean proteins like fowl or fish, along with a side dish of veggies. Or enjoy a simple protein shake that provides you with high quality protein.

4) Wrong Breakfast.
Want to get lean and eat a lot? Eat more at breakfast. Of your 5 daily meals, the one that is least likely to end up on your hips, thighs and lower back is the first one. In the morning, muscle glycogen stores are lower than during any other part of the day. When glycogen stores are low, your body’s capacity to take carbohydrates and store them as body fat is hampered. So pack in the carbs at breakfast –along with 20-40 grams of high quality protein to jump-start your day. And don’t worry about getting fat.

5) Too Much Cardio.
What happens to the guy or gal who performs 1-2 hours of cardio a day? They send their body into a tailspin, a state where the "starvation hormones" secreted by the body skyrocket (it’s your body’s survival mechanism, a response to too much exercise!) causing fat cells to try to hoard their energy! Moderate cardio is the way to go. Four to five 20-40 minutes sessions per week is all that it takes. Any more than that and you run the risk of reducing precious muscle tissue, which negatively affects your metabolic rate and your ability to train.

6) Never "Cheating" on Your Diet.
Once in a while you should let loose and give yourself a break from the rigors of dieting and scale watching. In fact, it’s helpful in reducing weight. That’s because continual dieting eventually leads to roadblocks where the body responds by slowing its metabolic rate. Strict dieting also takes its toll on you mentally, and can leave you feeling deprived. That’s a bad combination! Taking in a couple of high calorie meals once every 7-10 days not only provides a mental break from dieting, but helps you side-step roadblocks by preventing the body from entering a starvation state where the metabolic rate slows.

7) Paying Attention to the scale only.
Ok this may sound contradictory, but the scale is not the "end-all" measurement of progress. You also monitor a couple of other things, primarily energy and strength. If you’re reducing weight and you have plenty of energy and strength, you’re reducing body fat – guaranteed. On the flip side, if you’re reducing weight yet feeling really tired or are seeing constant drops in the weights you use during your workouts, then you’re likely also burning off muscle tissue. If no energy and a loss in strength is the case, then you’re likely violating several of the above tips and will need to rectify them to get back on track.

And there you have it. Avoid these obstacles to reducing weight and enjoy your new lean body!

Fitness Obsession

We are infatuated with fitness. We pay attention to our waistlines. We get liposuction. We get breast implants. We buy special cosmetic products. We try our best to look and feel our best. We tighten our skin, harden our bodies, increase our cardiovascular endurance and increase our lung capacities. We try to keep ourselves fit. But what about our spiritual fitness? There is no supplement for spirituality. There is no reduced calorie spirituality. There is no “Quick Fix” for seeking the goodness that is within ourselves. The path is taken when you are on it. My personal experience with the fitness obsession started the minute I lost touch of my inner self. I wanted to please the world I thought people were expecting me to be at a top level all the time but in reality it was not so, people loved me then as they love now, they don’t need to see me in a super shape, I just have to be me, love me and love them, be in balance, that’s all it takes. Love is the door to your spiritual, mental and physical fitness. See yourself as a gift. This doesn't change, regardless of whether you get outside validation or not. Know and remember that you are God's gift to the world in the form you are.

You are an indispensable part of God's plan. If you don't fulfill your role joyously, even if it is unpopular, you will not have done God's work as fully and completely as you could. Assume the possibility that everybody's signed up in advance for the roles they play right now, with the cooperation of everyone being affected by those roles. Self-judgment and guilt will no longer have any place to stick. The dance that we do is one that encourages us to remember and directly connect with the source of all life here in this world.

Imagine feeling better than you ever have. Imagine looking better than you ever have.
Imagine the physical vitality spilling over into every aspect of your life. If all of your workouts, diets, and efforts have not gotten you to the fitness level you want to be at, there may be a missing connection; a connection with self.

You see dieting is not just what you eat. What are you really feeding your body? What is your mind feeding it? What is your spirit feeding it? "This will all eventually show up in your physical state of being. The way you think and feel will affect the way you look. Your fitness level is very much controlled by how you think and feel. Your body is a direct reflection of the inner soul. What are you really carrying around? It may be more than a few extra pounds. Blocking emotion and carrying negative thoughts can cause you to carry extra weight. Weight can actually be armor built up to create a wall that actually keeps you from being who you really want to be. Break through that wall and you will begin to create the physical body you want to achieve. If our physical being is our car that we ride in, it is the mind and the spirit that drives it.
I have not only lived this philosophy but I teach its practice to everyone who is concerned about their total health and fitness.

Copyright ©2006 by Nordine Zouareg

http://www.nordinez.com

4 Habits That are Making You Fat, Sick and Unhappy – Without You Even Knowing it.

1. Defeating Though Process:

Thinking that food can make you feel happy is actually not entirely correct, it is the emotion attached to the food you eat that makes you eat more of it.

Mindful tip: stop and think about the food you eat; their maybe an association with a previous happy event you are trying to recreate subconsciously. Be conscious about the link between the food you eat and the emotion you are feeling in the moment. Drinking a glass of water and waiting 15 minutes till the craving stops can do amazing things.

2. Skipping Breakfast

Most people who skip breakfast thinking it will help them to lose weight are dead wrong.

The truth is that skipping breakfast actually lowers your metabolism so that at your next meal you'll be likely to overeat.

Furthermore, the food you eat on a lowered metabolism is more likely to be stored as fat.

Mindful tip: Never! Never! Never skip your breakfast. You need to BREAK (the) FAST by consuming high quality protein, carbohydrates and fat. Breakfast is the most important of all your meals.

3. Staying Up Late

Unfortunately for most us who are business owners, working late or simply cannot go to bed early enough, staying up late can set off negative effects on your body composition therefore creating unwanted stress and hindering in your process to reducing weight.

Sleep is vital for recovery. If you don't get enough sleep, your body won't build as much lean muscle mass - no matter how much time you spend in the gym. Less lean muscle mass = slower metabolism.

Furthermore, when you are sleep-deprived, levels of the stress hormone "cortisol will increase." The connection between cortisol, stress and obesity is well documented, but problems don’t stop there.

Several researches shows that cortisol related fat storage tends to be around the vital organs - the worst possible place to store fat in your body, in fact you don’t have to be obese to have huge amounts of fat stored around your organs. Stress does that if left unmanaged.

If that's not enough, lack of sleep is also linked with lower Growth Hormone levels, low testosterone levels, glucose intolerance (diabetes), a weakened immune system, low energy, cardiovascular disease, etc…

Mindful tip: This is NOT to be taken lightly! Get a full night's sleep (7 to 9 hours), but make sure your place of rest is peaceful and pitch dark. Your natural sleep hormone, melatonin, is suppressed when there is too much light. Bed is made for two things; sex and sleep so stop thinking.

4. Dehydration

Not drinking enough can make you fat as water is essential for flushing fat cells and toxins from your body. Caffeine and alcoholic beverages should not be substituted for water.

Mindful Tip: You can’t reduce fat if you’re not drinking at least 8 glasses of water a day.

Copyright © 2006 –Triple Impact, LLC

90 DAY MIND OVER BODY PROGRAM: PHYSICAL, MENTAL AND SPIRITUAL CONDITIONING FOR HEALTH & WELLNESS

I believe that mind and spirit are the body's best friends. While your mind runs your thinking life and speaks your internal monologue, your spirit controls your emotions, your deepest feelings, your motivation, your patience, and your courage. Honor your spirit: it is your most authentic, essential self.

As I tell all my clients, each one of us is born with everything that we need in this world. What's more, everyone, including you, is born with the power to become a champion, a champion of "life".To achieve internal strength, you must use your mental and spiritual powers to develop a positive mental and spiritual landscape inside yourself. At the same time, you must define your goals. These activities are the formative steps involved in what I call soul building. The more effort you devote to this, the more confident you will feel and the more capable and unstoppable you will become. The great news is that once you are mentally and spiritually invincible, your ability to connect the mind and the body is greater. The body/mind connection exists, and can be cultivated to varying degrees as a means of managing stress and promoting the immune response

What’s more, after I became Mr. Universe, I began traveling and working around the world. (The nomad in me is proud to be a citizen of the world), I speak five different languages (. I wonder how many of my childhood tormentors feel as at home in their bodies and spirits as I feel in mine. Are they as at home on this planet as I am? I am living proof that it is possible to transcend hard fate, ill health and low-self esteem. Regardless of your circumstances, you can rebuild your world that is beautiful for yourself, you make a world that is beautiful for others, and they want to live in it with you. No matter what your age or fitness level, I will show you how to re-make your inner world, strengthen your body, and shed negative and unwanted pounds.

Unlike most world-class athletes I have met or trained, I incorporate philosophical and spiritual approaches towards physical conditioning. I feel my athletic achievements stem equally from years of rigorous soul building as they do from years of maintaining strict exercise and nutritional regimens. Numerous personal and professional struggles have proven to me that one must first employ soul power to enhance physical power and realize seemingly impossible dreams. Nothing ever sets us free except self-control, and the soul can be as instrumental in this as the body. You are about to begin a mind/body journey for optimum wellness that will change your life for the better when the positive perception of yourself is achieved. You’re going to enjoy great personal transformation and fulfillment. You are in command now, and you have the power to realize your dreams. Besides helping you feel and look better, exercise is medically proven to reduce your long-term risk for all major chronic diseases.

Like any accomplished athlete, I know a thing or two about struggle; about recognizing limitations and transcending them. But I venture to say that the strategies I have developed through mental and physical trials, along with lessons for achieving holistic health, spiritual and athletic triumph, are enormously useful and inspiring. To my knowledge, I am the only World-Class Champion who incorporates varied spiritual and philosophical approaches to physical conditioning in general and bodybuilding, or strength training, in particular. The surging popularity of mind/body workouts such as yoga, Pilates, chi- gong, Feldenkrais, and Tai Chi (which is endorsed by the Arthritis Foundation as a possible remedy for arthritis) convinces me that my body and soul building wisdom is especially timely. With the current boom in holistic medicine, many people now understand that health is a matter of body and mind, and they can benefit greatly from the lessons I’ve learned as a champion body builder, international personal development and wellness guide to movie stars and renown politicians, fitness director at the #1 Spa-Resort, Miraval Resort, in Arizona, motivational speaker best-selling author and exercise specialist for physicians and authors such as Dharma Singh Khalsa, M.D., of the Alzheimer’s Prevention Foundation in Tucson, Arizona.

With all due respect, my professional credentials are more advanced and international than those of many other top personal trainers/fitness authors who never really experienced other than the traditional way of fitness, the outward way, “the look good only” way.

I’m sure you can imagine both the value-- and the limitations-- of following rigorous diets and exercise regimens in pursuit of the perfect body and/or enhanced physical strength. And I’m sure you recognize that your body is the baggage you must carry through life. But you also live inside your mind as well as in your spirit, that eternal place of truth and pure feeling that is yours and yours alone. The more excess physical, mental and spiritual baggage you’re carrying, the heavier you’re going to feel-- and the harder you’re going to struggle through life. I want to help you succeed in your struggles. I will help you get fit from within and become the champion of your own life.

What can you expect to gain from the 90 Day Mind Over Body Program?

You will be given the tools to:

- Clarify and implement their goals

- Lose Weight FAST, SAFELY and EFFICIENTLY

- Reshape their body

- Sharpen –up their mind

- Learn how to shop for REAL FOODS not the usual diet cardboard foods

- Learn HOW TO CHEAT on their plan the right way

- Learn the TRUTH about supplements and meal replacements

- Learn THE 10 COMMENDMENTS OF FITNESS

- Learn how to meditate for total health and fitness

- Learn about all THE SECRETS I USE to train top celebrities at Miraval Resort

- Develop their confidence and self-esteem

- Hold a more positive self-image

- Obtain a higher level of self-acceptance

- Eliminate self-criticism

- Release negative behavior

- Maintain a positive attitude

- Maximize their energy levels

- Reduce stress

- Overcome obstacles and remove self-doubt

- Gain clarity about diet and exercise

- Change limiting beliefs

- Design a program that suits their lifestyle

- Become self-motivated

- Establish a balanced, healthy way of life

This program includes:

One signed copy of Mind Over Body

One Total Body Work DVD

Three Fitness Assessments (Fitness and Wellness Profiles including Body Comp, Strength, Flexibility and Fit Test)

90 Day Personal Exercise Plan (Electronic and hard copy)

90 Day Personalized Nutritional Plan (Electronic and hard copy) Unlimited emails for 90 days

Three Skype or Telephone Consultations with me.

Total Value: $1999.00

Special Offer: $799.00

HIA Community Members get One Extra Consultation with me!

Click here end start today!

Overcoming Stress and Disappointment

By far the hardest part of managing your stress is learning a new and healthier approach to your life. This can be a real challenge as we are creatures or habits and we like comfort zones even if we are miserable in them. . However one needs to learn to cope with stress by acquiring self-discipline and developing a new philosophical outlook on life.

But a much easier way to cope with stress is through mental and physical exercise, such as simple movements, stretches, yoga, strength training, cardiovascular exercise, breathing and meditation to name a few modalities.

These exercises can be done by anyone who is cleared to exercise by their physician (except for meditation and breathing exercises which can be done without clearance). Just select a combination of modalities that suits you needs.

By exercising you will not only lessen your stress but prevent it from reoccurring in your life to a degree that is hindering your general health. You’ll also feel great, reduce weight and tone your body, which are excellent by products or bonuses from exercising regularly.

Exercising alone is not enough however, one needs to think well, eat a well balanced nutrition and stay away from what I call “energy vampires” by building a strong network of likeminded people as a support system. Stir away from negative thoughts by taking time to reconsider your thoughts. Overcome negative thinking by using positive thinking. As we can only breathe one breath at a time likewise we can only think one thought at a time; make it a good and inspiring one.

Being conscious of your behavior is most important in behavior change. By matching your “core values” with your current behaviors you will be able to know if you are deceiving yourself by not being true to you and everyone around you. When invited to your best restaurant, will you stay true to your “core value” of being healthy and fit and order a healthy meal or will you indulge and order your favorite and tasty foods that will no doubt make you feel as you were the biggest liar you know, just to please your friends? That is what I call “using the power of your intention”. Expect more from yourself than from others.

This is exactly how more stress is created; the more you lie to yourself and all the people who love and trust you. Avoid impulsive behavior. You won’t make misjudgments and mistakes.

What is your core value now? What is your behavior now? Are they matching? If not reconsider now!

Nordine “Avtar” Zouareg

Little Secrets You Should Know About Weight Reducing

I am not going to go on about calories and their importance because I think too often people get carried away with counting calories and becoming obsessed with ridiculous ideas about the whole concept of "calories".

There is nothing wrong with having some knowledge of calories but how you use that knowledge is what concerns me the most. You will see by the examples that I give below why it is so easy for people to "freak out", so to speak, over their calorie intake.

Info on Calories

• 1 lb of excess body fat = 3500 calories
• Fat is higher in calories than carbohydrates
• Energy Values Per Gram 1 gram of Carbohydrates = 4 calories1 gram of Protein = 4 calories1 gram of Fat - 9 calories1 gram of Alcohol = 7 calories

Becoming obsessed with calories: Once again, it's easy to understand when you see the above figures why people tend to obsess over their calorie intake. Whether you are young, older in your teens it doesn't matter it is still just as easy to caught up in the round 'a' bout of making radical decisions when it comes to reducing weight.

Common occurrences, symptoms and stupid things to do when going over the top with calorie controlled diets. Unless there is some medical reason that has been diagnosed by your doctor, aim for at least 1200 calories when using a calorie controlled diet. The larger your body frame and training needs the more calories your body requires. Besides, you don’t want to be flirting with the “starvation mode.”

Example of a reasonable calorie intake: A female who weighs around 130lbs, is 5’2”, around 40 years old and performs light exercise 1-3 days per week should be consuming around 1700 low fat calories per day.
This same woman's basic caloric needs, just to keep her metabolism going (without the exercise) is around 1300!

Choose low fat calories to fill you up and reduce body fat! Don't let yourself get to the point where you are nearly crawling on the floor with hunger, headaches and feeling lethargic. If you are constantly feeling like you are nauseated, you need to "up" your calorie intake. Remember that 2 hours between meals is probably to close and 5 hours to far. Don’t confuse the hunger of the eyes versus the hunger of the stomach.

Just because you are reducing weight it doesn't mean you are healthy. Keep your eating program balanced. If you think your nutritional needs are lacking take a good quality daily allowance vitamin and minerals supplement - I am sure your doctor or your nutritionist could recommend one for you.

Just because your stomach and body is reducing in size this doesn't mean you are going to increase muscle tone. To prevent yourself from losing firmness exercise regularly with resistance and fat burning programs.
If you decide you can't follow your program don't rush out and gorge yourself with ridiculous amounts of food. Change your nutritional plan to a more adaptable eating program that you can stick to long term.

If you have reduced weight fairly dramatically you will probably find that you will put it back on again just as fast when you have completed your eating program. So slowly introduce new foods back into your plan and keep up with your exercise too.
Whatever you do, don’t think that because you have an allowance of 1300 calories for the day you can eat a large bag of potato crisps and nothing else. It would be pure stupidity.
Keep this in mind! In place of a 1 large packet of potato crisps you could have a small bowl of cereal with skim milk, a lean meat and salad sandwich, grilled fish and veggies plus a low fat snack. Eat to live not live to eat!

If you really want to be successful in reducing weight and keeping if off, then concentrate more on reducing your fat intake. You can still have your junk food days here and there and you can use these days as rewards for the hard work you have put in up to that point in time. As they say "everything in moderation". Don't make your eating program a chore. Make it enjoyable to stick to. Remember that a habit is created when you repeat the behavior more than once in a row.