Fats get a lot of attention... Always have really. But over the past few decades, there have been some major changes in the way that the general population views fats and our understanding of fats has changed greatly.
We know about all the different types of fats, but do we really?
Well I know for a fact that even if someone does know which foods contain fat and which ones don't, they don't necessarily know whether or not they should eat it...
More importantly... Will it help with their fat loss?
There are tonnes of important things to learn about fats but in general, it's good to hold the understanding that we all HAVE TO eat fats. They are an extremely VITAL part of your health!!
Also, if you're going to remember anything about fats, remember this:
"Foods which contain fat are only good for you if they have had a minimal amount of processing."
So things like raw pecans and walnuts which have loads of "good fat" are absolutely AWESOME for you and will help you burn off excess fat quick-smart if you start eating them regularly.
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How Is Fat Essential For Fat Loss?
Are Lean Abs & Cinnamon Closely Related?
How many times have you heard that?
Antioxidants are constantly featured on every type of media around us today. TV, Newspapers, Magazines...
The fact is, antioxidants are great for you. What's even better though?
Antioxidant rich foods are absolutely awesome for fat loss and getting lean abs. In fact, a lot of fitness professionals (more and more by the day) swear that antioxidants are essential in the battle for lean abs and a lean body in general.
So no wonder then, that the whole world is in a massive riot bent on finding the foods with the richest antioxidant content. And unlike just about everything else, there is virtually no limit to how much antioxidant rich foods you can eat in terms of them ever having a negative effect on your health.
What about this cinnamon then?
Well, according to www.oracvalues.com, cinnamon has the 3rd highest ORAC value at 267,536!
If you don't know already, ORAC is Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity and is a measure of how potent the antioxidant content of the food is.
That's gotta be worth something right?
The answer is, DEFINITELY! Cinnamon is definitely an extremely powerful food in its ability to get you lean abs. It's also got dozens of other properties that knock other foods dead in terms of health benefits.
"A teaspoon of cinnamon a day keeps the belly fat away!"
In all honesty, this is a great motto and you should follow it if your aim is to lose some tummy fat and get lean abs. Why wouldn't you? The beauty of it is, cinnamon is so easy to include in your daily eating. I mean, who doesn't like cinnamon? I love the stuff. I practically eat it by the bowl full.
It goes great with:
- Porridge
- Muesli
- Teas like chai
- Apple
- Berries
- Anything sweet
- Tonnes of other stuff
So if you've neglected some of the exercise tips I've been dishing out and you're not motivated to change very much about your regular diet, eat a bit of cinnamon each day and watch the effects. You'll see what I mean.
How Most Health & Fitness "Gurus" Cheat You Blind (With Ultimately No Results To Show)
What's more shocking?
90% of the 10% who do "look after themselves" end up failing at their initial health and fitness goals in the long run. This leaves 1 in every hundred people "fit and healthy". No joke.
The major obstacle, you might think, must be food and exercise, right?
WRONG.
The reason that so many people fail to reach their ideal health and fitness goals is because:
a) Unrealistic expectation and lack of commitment (completely psychological)
b) A lack of sound advice and knowledge (too many "gurus" with contradicting stories)
c) Cheat psychology (wanting the quick-fix)
So when you see a commercial on TV or a marketing campaign focused on getting you fit, do not fall into the sales traps of the corporate fitness "gurus" who spend billions each year on learning how to take your money.
Health and fitness is simple:
- Find good information and advice suited to you personally
- Follow through with accountability to ensure your success
This is a matter of what you eat, how you eat it and what exercises you engage in etc. But the major, MAJOR obstacle is truly getting the two steps above right in the first place. You can achieve this by finding someone fit and healthy (preferably a professional), getting their advice on your situation and getting a group of like-minded people to form a "social-group-network" which is going to hold you to your goals.
Image sourced: http://netdna.copyblogger.com/images/sleazy-salesman.jpg
Top Superfoods For Fat Loss, Health & Backwards Aging
So here is a list of my top superfoods to accelerate fat loss and make your body an energetic, lean machine!
- Goji Berries (also known as Wolf Berries), Acai Berries, Blueberries, Elderberries, Blackberries
- Cinnamon, Cloves, Cardamom, Turmeric, Garlic, Cumin Seeds
- Kale, Red Onion, Spring Onion
- Walnuts, Pecan Nuts, Almonds, Pistachios
- Lentils & Beans
- Organic, grass-fed meats
- Broccoli, Cauliflower & Spinach
It's important to realize that the foods listed above are all "super-foods", but the quantities of antioxidants and vitamins and minerals differs with each one. It's also vital to understand that although one superfood like cinnamon has loads of antioxidants (see graph below), it's unlikely that you will eat more than a few teaspoons of it per day as compared with say, lentils of which you could easily eat half a pound or more.
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| ORAC values of selected super-foods as taken from www.oracvalues.com |
These are all amazing foods which you should try to include in your diet as much as possible. Berries and nuts make a great snack food if you get hungry between meals and loads of the others can be used to flavor or garnish your meals regularly. If you do this, you will find fat loss is HEAPS easier and you will get a tonne of health benefits as well.
Image above sourced from http://vitalityoflife.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/superfoods2.jpg
Image above sourced from http://vitalityoflife.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/superfoods2.jpg
How To Beat Ugly (and DANGEROUS) Abdominal Fat
Why?...
It's simple. Abdominal fat is a symptom of poor health. The more you listen to your "consumer mentality" mindset and ignore the "righteous mentality" side, the more you fall into the trap of eating the foods that are well marketed instead of the foods that fuel fat burning processes, and also taste AWESOME!
But this is not just about right and wrong. It's about your lifestyle choices, and how you choose to live. If you listen to the common fantasies about doing crunches and dieting to get flat abs then, like 99% of us, you will fail to reach your goals of abdominal fat loss.
The truth is, it's easy to beat ugly abdominal fat. The exercises are easy and can fit into ANY schedule because they are time effective and adaptable. The food tastes AMAZING and will enrich your life and health more than any starvation diet will ever do.
An easy way to start winning this battle is to start a commitment. Buy at least 2 super-foods which you are going to include in your regular eating and eliminate at least 1 fat-friend-food. Now if you are currently doing some form of exercise, like walking, mix into this just 1 minute of high-intensity exercise. This is an awesome start for anyone trying to beat abdominal fat, not only for the amazing transformation in your looks, but also in your health.
Image sourced from http://losefatgut.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/getting_rid_of_fat_belly-200x300.png
Dandelion Tea To Burn Fat
Also, if you want to DOUBLE your fat burning potential, use stevia as a sweetener and I guarantee you'll start to notice a difference in your body within a week!
But don't stop there by any means. There are so many simple little ways that can help you to burn massive amounts of fat and get six pack abs really fast. By using a combinational approach implementing very little known methods, you're way ahead of the pack already!
Dandelion tea is not the only fat burning tea out there either. In fact most teas have some form of beneficial fat burning properties that help in a massive way and make it heaps easier to lose fat.
Remember: It is always simple things that make a big difference. Just implement it and you'll see for yourself how awesome it can be!
Image sourced from: http://www.crazyfortea.com/images/dandelion.jpg
10 Simple Things That Burn Fat
You have to admit, it's not always easy to achieve a health and fitness goal based around fat loss. In fact, it may be one of the most challenging things to achieve full stop. One reason for this is that there is a serious lack of sound knowledge accepted wholly by the health and fitness community.
Another reason I can think of is that people over complicate things. Really fat burning is not that hard. It's about doing simple things consistently and sticking with the mindset of achieving that goal to lose stomach fat or whatever your goal may be.
Here's a list of 10 simple things that burn fat:
1. Walking - everyone walks right, so try to make walking a part of your daily routine if you haven't already - like most things it won't make a difference on its own but if you combine it with other techniques it can be powerful.
2. Drinking water - don't count coffee and juices towards your daily water count, drink at least 6 large glasses of water each day to replenish your cells and flush out fat-storing toxins.
3. Exercise habitually (outside of walking) - Find something you love doing which gives you a good workout and stick it into your weekly schedule.
4. Don't refuse exercise if you can help it - make movement a priority and put other things second.
5. Ask a friend to commit with you - find a fitness bootcamp or another activity and get a friend to join in.
6. Make yourself an adventurer - Almost everyone loves a bit of adventure right? So commit to do some form of adventure activity once per month - get some friends involved and do it!
7. Make a note of refusing to eat over-processed garbage disguised as food! Eat fresh, vitamin-packed foods each day and watch how much fat comes off.
8. Reward your good efforts - If you've done well throughout the week (keep a food diary to make sure) then give yourself a reward. This gives you power and reinforces the good habits to make sure you have maximum motivation to keep it up.
9. Stop listening to what your "friends" say when they are being negative - switch yourself on and listen carefully to what people say. You can still love someone and not agree with them all the time. Do what's good for you!
10. Sign up to a blog like this one and read good quality information diligently - Once you know all there is to know, you can put it into practice and achieve great things with fat loss.
That's it! You should be able to EASILY do 5 of these things regularly. With a bit of extra effort, you should be able to do all 10 and keep it going. You will definitely achieve results in terms of fat loss if you do.
Stomach Exercise Structure Basics
There are loads of different ways to perform an exercise session as you are most likely already aware!
So what's the best way to get down and dirty and do some effective stomach exercise?
The answer is going to be different for each person. And this is exactly why we end up with a tonne of myths in the fitness industry. No two people are the same and so no exercise structure is the same.
What we CAN do, however, is create some really effective general programming and let the individual make up their own mind on how it works for them.
So, in basic terms, when you're performing a stomach exercise routine, you want to make sure it has the following sections covered:
- A general warm up
- Specific warm up sets
- Oblique targeting
- Rectus abdominis targeting
- Functional focus
So what we are aiming for here is a safe stomach exercise structure that gets some great results all over your body. After all, usually it's the stomach FAT that is preventing you from having a flat stomach NOT the stomach muscles.
A general warm up could be anything from a jog, skipping, a bicycle ride etc. usually for about 3 - 5 min.
A specific warm up is a little trickier in that it is basically a brief warm up for the section you will focus on next. If you're doing bench press for example, a few pushups is a specific warm up.
As far as targeting specific stomach muscles, this should almost always be done using some type of functional exercise. Burpees are a great example of an exercise that burns loads of fat and works your rectus abdominis at the same time, giving you a flat, toned stomach as the end result.
So that is just a few basics of a stomach exercise structure. I hope you got something great out of it. Remember, it's almost always the small things that count BIG cumulatively.
Cinnamon Almonds - Awesome Fat Burning Treat!
It's amazing the things you can find day to day that will help you lost belly fat drastically just by using what's already around you!
I had a coffee this morning at a nice little cafe and got 2 little cinnamon almonds on the side... Nothing special right?
Well, I wasn't over impressed at the sugar coating of the almonds, that's certainly not going to do your stomach fat any favors. What made it interesting though was that the almonds were covered in cinnamon, an amazingly powerful thermogenic fat-burner. So naturally what sprung to my mind was...
All you have to do to that is replace the sugar with some stevia and voila! You have an awesome, tasty fat burning snack you can take to work and use to control sugar cravings.
Little things like this can be extremely powerful. Not only is the cinnamon going to help you burn fat, you're also going to get loads of protein, vitamins and minerals from the almonds.
Don't take for granted the awesome power of implementing a little thing like this to help you lose stomach fat. This 1 tip alone could help you lose at least 2 pounds of pure fat in a week!
3 Weird Breakfast Foods To Help You Lose Belly Fat
The fact is, most of us simply don't want to change habits, especially if it's going to result in all those dreaded "health foods" that nobody likes to eat.
Well, regardless of that, I'm going to give you a few truly awesome and interesting foods to add into your breakfast each day (or every other day) and these are all MAJOR fat burning foods.
Weird Breakfast Food #1: Broccoli
Yes, that's right. These green trees pack a very decent punch to that stomach fat and it's highly due to their overloaded content of vitamins & minerals and its ability to produce a mega thermogenic effect. Broccoli is one of the "kings" of the cruciferous vegetable family and as such, you could expect that it gets loads of points for fat burning. Now, you probably heard of having broccoli for dinner, I'd expect, but many people have never tried this fresh, vitamin loaded vegetable as part of a breakfast. You can even just add it as a side to some freshly poached eggs. And 1 more thing... Eat as much of this stuff as you want, the more the better.
Weird Breakfast Food #2: Cinnamon
If you can imagine it, you'll well and truly reap the benefits. Cinnamon is yet another thermogenic power-house as it contains loads of fat-burning properties. The trick here is not to fall into a "sugar and cinnamon" trap. Just add cinnamon to your breakfast wherever you can; muesli, porridge, oats, pancakes, fruit salad. The list is virtually endless. You can even add it into your morning coffee for an extra boost.
Weird Breakfast Food #3: Pepitas
OK, here we have a very important, nutritious, protein-rich food that can be added to almost any breakfast as well. Pepitas (or dried pumpkin seeds) are one of the healthiest foods there is and they taste awesome! Not only are they rich in important non-animal proteins, but they also double as a highly effective parasite exterminator (to some extent) and are often used in parasite removal formulas.
So that's it, incorporate these 3 foods into your daily breakfast foods and you'll start losing belly fat faster than you think.
Image courtesy http://i.usatoday.net/_common/_images/2009/wlc-recipe/broccolix-topper-medium.jpg
Finding Energy To Exercise Part 3 of 3 - Developing Super Powers
Today, in the last little bit about boosting energy to help you lose stomach fat, I wanted to make a special mention to developing super powers and how it can drastically improve your energy levels and your results with your general fitness regime....
Well, I must be honest, I'm NOT talking about super powers in a traditional sense. You won't be able to fly and you probably won't be able to lift buildings et cetera. What I mean by super powers is your ability to define yourself.
Now a lot of people have extremely busy lives but this often stops them from getting the results they want in terms of their health and fitness. When you refuse to give in to your "busy-ness" and make it absolutely essential to fit some daily exercise into your routine, you are pretty well (by my standards) developing some super-powers. You see this step is simply a choice to get up and do something (exercise) even when you don't feel like it. You will notice a huge boost in energy, motivation and your health and fitness will thank you for it. Not to mention a drop in belly fat as a bonus.
So that's it for now, next edition I'm going to give you some really juicy facts and weird breakfast ideas to help you lose stomach fat.
Image courtesy of http://www.samruby.com/History/CosmicSpiderman.gif
Finding Energy To Exercise Part 2 of 3 - The Fuel To Boost Your Results
Last time I wrote about how the importance of a mental commitment to achieving results is often overlooked and what a drastic impact even a very small mental commitment (like 1 minute of exercise per day) can have on losing stomach fat and getting flat, sexy, 6 pack abs.
This time, I'll touch briefly on food. In particular:
- Avoiding processed food
- Eating more cruciferous vegetables
- Mixing up your food and trying different things
So, we all know that more highly processed foods are not good for us, right?
The fact is, the more you process a natural food source, such as rice, milk, corn or even wheat, the less nutrient value the end product will have. So the (major) problem with this is then: You are eating food which is not really food! The whole idea behind eating food is about fueling your body for its peak performance (while also enjoying the flavors, temperatures and textures that come with it. The other problem with processed food is that it will often also contain harmful xenoestrogens which act just like an excess of the estrogen hormone in your body. This causes a mega-host of problems for you and of particular concern in this blog - stomach fat!
Cruciferous vegetables can help to a) reduce the effects of xenoestrogens and b) load up your body full of vital minerals and vitamins which promote good health and help you lose stomach fat faster. These are things like broccoli, cauliflower, leek, rocket, cabbage and other members of the cruciferous family.
Finally, don't be afraid to mix up your food and try a range of different things in your diet. Variety is the spice of life as they say and I always say a little bit of everything in moderation never hurts (unless its a deep fried doughnut). Try different herbs and spices and lots of different fresh foods for a boost in energy.
All of these tips will help get your fuel performing beautifully. And what this means for you is more energy and less fat.
Finding Energy To Exercise Part 1 of 3 - The Mental Commitment For Results
So where then, do we find enough energy after a day or a week of busy work, family, study and life? Well, I say that the major key is finding balance. And the most important aspect of succeeding in finding energy is to not let a lack of energy stop you!
Many people find that after committing to just 1 minute of exercise (which doesn't require much energy at all), they feel more energized and will usually continue for a minimum of 15 minutes.
It can be challenging at times to get over that first hurdle but it certainly doesn't require any physical energy to overcome the first hurdle (ie. making the decision to exercise).
So it might work something like this:
- You feel low on energy, but know you need to exercise
- You sit around for days lacking energy and therefore motivation for exercise is low
- You feel sorry for yourself and don't get any
- You feel low on energy, but know you need to exercise
- You have made a mental commitment to exercise for at least 1 minute per day
- You end up doing at least 15 minutes of exercise per day
- You feel great, get fitter, start losing belly fat and have more energy
Image courtesy of http://www.herbalvitality.info/isotonic-sport-drinks.jpg
3 Unique Ways To Help You Drink More Water
So long ago I discovered that basically everyone knows that drinking more water should be a priority but very few people practice the habit of drinking more water.
Here are 3 unique ways to help you drink more water:
- Buy an expensive water jug - Water is precious right? We know that it's going to have awesome effects on our body. So spend a decent amount of money on a high quality water jug (or bottle) you can put on your desk at work or keep around the house at all times. This is going to encourage you to make the water jug a priority and you will drink more.
- Add fruit to your water - Particularly for those who don't like the taste of water. We've all heard of adding a little slice of lemon or lime to our water right? Well I'm going to take that one step further and say that you should try out other fruits as well. Throw in some strawberries, apple, watermelon or whatever takes your fancy and see if it makes a difference to the taste of the water.
- Make a rule - This one is to help get you into the habit of drinking water again. Find something you have a habit of doing regularly, and make a rule to drink one full glass of water every time you do it. Better yet, every time you go to the toilet, let that be a reminder to then drink a full glass of water.
Image courtesy http://www.caslab.com/Drinking-Water-Testing/Drinking-Water.jpg
Can Saunas Help You Lose Belly Fat?
Let me say first off that I don't see any method (including use of saunas) as the be-all-and-end-all to belly fat loss. Having a sauna is first and foremost a great way to relax. It just happens to also have some other great side effects such as:
- An increased heart rate - This effectively "tricks" your body into thinking you're exercising and helps you burn a few calories while your just sitting there doing nothing.
- An increased circulation - Blood is sent to your extremities and helps to spread nutrients more fully around the body.
- A "flushing effect" of toxins through the skin - Sweating helps to eliminate toxins from your system (30% of which are normally passed through the skin.
- An artificial fever state is induced in your body - This effectively acts in favor of your body's overall health through the elimination of toxins.
Overall I will say that having a good sauna can definitely assist with any effort to lose stomach fat. I'll also say, however, that it is NOT a means to lose belly fat. That is, you shouldn't expect that having a sauna every day is going to let you drop the fat from your stomach. It should, however, work in conjunction with your other efforts to produce awesome results for your body.
P.S. Make sure you always replace lost fluids after a sauna by drinking heaps of water. Losing fluids in this way is not a good idea for healthy weight loss.
Image courtesy http://www.saunaabc.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/whati-is-sauna.jpg
Image courtesy http://www.saunaabc.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/whati-is-sauna.jpg
How Does Coffee Affect Your Metabolism?
You see, coffee, as we all know, is a stimulant and because of this, it is accurate to say that it will give your metabolism a boost. The problem with this is that people end up drinking loads of coffee, usually adding either sugar or artificial sweeteners.
Too much sugar is unanimously agreed to cause excessive "empty caloric consumption" leading to insulin spikes and ultimately, fat storing around your belly!
The lesser known, and more controversial topic, is that of artificial sweeteners. I'm talking about synthetically derived sweeteners containing aspartame. Now although popular belief will tell you that these sweeteners are better than sugar because they don't have the calories, in actual fact aspartame-based sweeteners will do far more damage to your body in the long term and will not even help you lose stomach fat at all. Instead they will alter your hormone levels and cause more fat storage and a slower metabolism.
So, the point is:
- Coffee is a stimulant and (on it's own) will increase your metabolism and help you burn more fat.
- Adding sugar to your coffee adds loads of "empty calories" to your diet causing fat storage.
- Adding artificial sweeteners to your coffee is a poor choice due to the negative affects it has on your hormones.
This leads us to the milk debacle... Milk in itself is not bad. In its raw form it contains loads of important fats, vitamins, proteins, enzymes and minerals. The more it's processed, however, the more good stuff is taken out, leading to a more sterile form of food which will not do much good for your body at all.
So how do we use the positive affect of coffee to our advantage to help lose stubborn fat?
Drink coffee if you want but avoid the common sweeteners. Try stevia as a sweetener alternative (a natural sweetener with zero calories). Use the most wholesome milk you can if you need to use milk.
3 Ways To Fit Exercise Into A Busy Schedule
I know far too many people who don't do enough for their health and fitness because of work commitments. It's absolutely devastating for me to see people prioritizing their work before themselves. Unfortunately though, that is often just the way that life is. With tighter and tighter time constraints due to work, family and other commitments, it becomes more and more difficult to motivate yourself into exercising.
So how do you get past this hurdle?
1. Get your mindset right - A very important part of everything is of course, your mind set and where exercise sits on your list of priorities. Write a list of the 10 most important activities in your life and rank them in importance. This is likely to make you instantly more aware of how importance exercise actually is and that you need to work other things around your exercise routine.
2. Choose higher intensity exercises - Doing exercise at a higher intensity will massively boost your results (especially if you're currently doing nothing!). HIIT or High Intensity Interval Training is perfect for busy people, giving you a great workout in just a matter of minutes, while providing the same or better results, so you don't need hours to get a flat stomach.
3. Get more incidental exercise - Challenge yourself in your everyday motions. Don't take the easy way when you're walking around but try a more physically challenging route and if it's a longer route then challenge yourself to do it in the same time as the easy route.
So that's it. But never underestimate the effect that a good nutritional base can have on your ability to get a flat stomach either.
Which Parasites Cause Belly Fat?
There are dozens of different types of parasites to watch out for and when it comes to losing belly fat, it definitely pays to stay away from all of them.
Parasites are not only disgusting, but the leech nutrition from their host (you!) and leave you with a toxic mess and a body plagued with fatigue and poor nutrition.
It remains a fact, however, that parasites are one of the biggest causes of stubborn stomach fat that remain untreated. So anyway, if you want to find out all about the different types of parasites that can infect humans to see if they might be effecting you, check this article out.
That's all I've got time for today. I've been so busy lately. Actually I'm planning to write about a couple of things in the coming days including how to combat a busy lifestyle and succeed with 6 pack abs and also I plan to talk about hot saunas - are they good or bad?
2 Major Ways To Replace Fat Storage With Fat Burning
I'm sure I've spoken about this in some prior posts but I just wanted to go over the massive benefits that can be gained just by making 2 simple changes in your food. People too often underestimate the effects of their diet on losing stomach fat and getting abs but when it comes down to it, it's known factually by almost any savvy trainer or nutritional/exercise professional that what you eat contributes to about 80% of your ability to lose stomach fat.
Yes, the old saying is true. You are still what you eat.
So the 2 replacement foods that are going to help you burn loads more fat from all over your body are:
- Replace sugar with Stevia - Stevia is a natural sweetener made from herbal extract of the stevia plant. Unlike sugar, it contains zero calories and unlike other no-calorie alternatives, it will NOT mess up your metabolic rate via hormonal distortions and excessive xenoestrogen invasion.
- Replace nothing with cinnamon - You can put cinnamon on virtually anything and it will actually provide an extremely powerful fat burning effect which will help you lose excess stubborn fat. If you currently eat fruit salad, muesli or even if you drink tea or have an occasional treat, add some fresh cinnamon to ensure your metabolism stays afloat.
That's it. Simple enough strategies to get 6 pack abs by losing loads of stomach fat through both decreasing your caloric load and increasing your fat burning metabolism rapidly and drastically.
New Yahoo Group For More Fat Loss
I just started up a Yahoo Group for people to get onto to share questions, answers and anything interesting related to fat loss, weight loss, nutrition and getting abs.
Take a look at the sexy abs group now and join to access full features.
If anything is going to define your success or failure with your health and fitness goals, it's going to be your level of motivation and this is just one extra tool to give you loads more motivation to get what you want.
Some Tips To Lose Love Handles & Stomach Fat
Today, I'm just going to give you a heads up to some content added to the site. I've added 2 brand new articles to the site to help you out with your fat loss.
Here they are:
How To Lose Weight And Get Abs Using A Combinational Effect - This goes over some really good points to do with eating habits, hormones and exercise. Check it out
Insanely Fast-Acting Advice On How To Lose Love Handles And Belly Fat - Some gentle revelations for you on losing love handles and of course belly fat.
Check them out and let me know what you think. Leave a comment here or email me.
Cheers
Cardio Stomach Exercises & Why They Fail
In order to maximize your ability to get sexy 6 pack abs in a short period of time, it's necessary to do some exercise. Now most people think that exercises that target stomach muscles will somehow work out their stomach area and give them a flat belly. In reality, it's not like this at all. To get a flat stomach requires 2 things:
1. 80% of your efforts should be focused on losing the fat that covers your stomach
2. 20% of your efforts should be on getting lean muscle underneath the fat.
So it's necessary to do cardio stomach exercises then? In a traditional sense, NO! If you have been advised to do cardio to help you lose stomach fat, you are setting yourself up for a long and unnecessarily painful journey that will 9/10 times result in failure. Traditional cardio methods focus on getting you into the "fat-burning-zone" so that you maximize caloric expenditure and thus burn the maximum amount of fat. This method is damn near hopeless because it massively limits your fat loss to the amount you can lose whilst exercising.
When you think just a little outside the "box", you realize that you can actually gear your fat burning to get 10 times better results through boosting your metabolism and it's an easy thing to do.
Effectively, choosing the right cardio stomach exercises allows you to:
- Burn more fat
- Burn fat beyond the time that you work out (for up to 48 hours after exercise)
- Get a lean stomach whilst also getting rid of belly fat
So what are these magic cardio stomach exercises?
First of all, the aim here is to get a metabolic boost to allow you to burn more fat, faster and while you are not working on it.
Exercises that can achieve better stomach results:
- Weighted circuits - A higher intensity, more functional type of cardio that loads your muscles with more weight, adding a lean muscle effect to your cardio stomach workouts.
- HIIT - A special type of cardio based on intervals of work and rest. This provides a huge amount of your "metabolic muscle" so to speak.
- Weight training - This is not cardio but will compliment the cardio that you do by adding lean muscle mass (a huge fat burner) to your body gradually.
That's it! The best cardio stomach workouts are a combinational workout that uses weights, intervals and nutritional tactics to maximize fat loss.
How To Get A Flat Stomach Without Exercise
Now, if you've read some of my previous posts you would easily come to the realization that I'm a strong believer in exercise not only to help you get a flat belly but also for your health in general. Exercise is beneficial in thousands of ways but it's not always for everyone.
I understand that many people dread exercise with a passion and those are the people who should definitely check out this post.
If you want to learn how to get a flat stomach without exercise, the best thing you can possibly do is look at 3 aspects of your lifestyle:
- Your calorie intake & food sources
- Your hormonal levels
- Whether or not you have parasites (not the most romantic topic I know)
Calorie intake plays a major role in the storage of fat. Too much and you'll start storing excess calories as fat, too little and you'll start storing all the energy available to your body as fat. So you need to maintain a healthy balance with calories. Eat sensibly most of the time, but also allow some treats into your eating plan (preferably low calorie, natural treats).
The other important factor here is food sources. If you want to know how to get a flat stomach without exercise, you will have to focus on getting as many vitamins and minerals from your food as possible. This will result in massive metabolic boosts, not only from good food content, but from avoiding bad food content. It has a double pronged effect towards fat loss!
Your hormone levels are another major player in the fat loss game. Optimally, you want to reduce your exposure to xenoestrogens and balance your hormones to contain more progesterone. Many people have seriously high estrogen levels and comparably low progesterone levels. One way to do this is by eating loads of cruciferous vegetables each day. Another way is to take a specific type of supplement such as wild yam.
Parasites. Not a nice subject. Too many people have them without even knowing it and it leaves them wondering how to get a flat stomach without exercise while totally oblivious to the fact that parasitic organisms are feeding of their nutrients and leaving toxic chemicals as a substitute. This is a big problem (even if you are exercising). Getting rid of them is not as easy as it may seem. Some natural products are available which are very effective. Things like walnuts, pepitas (pumpkin seeds) etc. can help, but it pays to be wildly thorough. If you want to stay parasite free, cook your (fresh) meat well, avoid drinking water you're not sure is clean and do a cleanse when returning from overseas (especially developing countries).
That's it. So now you should have a basic grasp on how to get a flat stomach without exercise. You didn't even have to go jogging. Not so hard is it? :)
Image courtesy http://losefatatwork.com/wp-content/uploads//2009/09/fat-loss-frustration.jpg
Honey As A Natural Sweetener To Lose Belly Fat
Well, the answer to this, not surprisingly, is that it depends which kind of honey you go for. It is possible to process honey to a significant degree, removing many of it's beneficial properties and thus making it comparable to processed sugar or any other processed food. This is the kind of thing we, obviously, try to avoid with a goal to lose stomach fat.
Raw, pure, unprocessed honey, on the other hand, contains 22 amino acids and a variety of minerals essential for its metabolism. Honey is naturally full of essential vitamins and minerals such as Vitamin B6, Riboflavin, Thiamine, Pantothenic Acid, Calcium, Copper, Potassium, Zinc, Magnesium and Iron. These nutrients are found abundantly in pure raw honey whereas they are found only in trace amounts in processed honey.
Although "pure honey" is filtered to remove impurities such as bees wax from the final product, it is not heat treated like many other commercial honeys and therefore it is loaded with many more beneficial nutrients for fat loss.
How do you know which honey is "pure"?
Pure, raw honey will crystallize, given time, and will therefore be seen to contain some form of solid product within the honey. In this form, the honey may even contain unprocessed pollen with many beneficial properties that will help you lose belly fat.
Be aware and wise when choosing your sweeteners, and if you want to choose honey, make sure you choose pure, raw honey as an alternative to highly processed, "empty" honey.
Image courtesy http://www.moograssfarms.com/images/Honey.jpg
Make Money By Losing Weight?
Many employers will actually pay employees to make positive steps towards being healthier and fitter and this is simply because it saves them money in the long term. There are loads of ways to lose weight, even eating honey, but what an employer is more likely to give you the cash bonus for an "acceptable method" like joining a gym or by measurable results
So sure, you can make a few hundred dollars by talking to your boss about health and lifestyle options that may be available to you, why not?
What I find amazing is that people will do just about anything to get out of exercise if it's only themselves they are letting down but when you add in a reasonably small financial incentive it can actually give people that little extra drive to get the results for themselves that they wanted all along.
Whatever works! That's my motto, and if it takes something like a financial incentive to get you started on your goal to lose stomach fat and get sexy abs, then all the best to your success!
Nature's Cinnamon For Fat Loss
If you're not familiar with the term "thermogenic" it basically means that it helps your body to burn fat just by the content of the food (ie. without any further effort on your part) how cool is that!
What I will say, however, that using cinnamon with loads of sugar and deep fried foods is totally counter productive to your goals and will not help you lose weight. This is exactly the case with doughnuts and as a result, you WON'T be able to sit around eating doughnuts all day and lose stomach fat... Not going to happen. They are loaded with calories (more than 224 - over 11% daily recomended average!), trans fats and are essentially "empty calories".
So definitely use fresh cinnamon when you treat yourself to something nice, avoid sweetening with sugar or artificial, aspartame-based sweeteners and you've won half the battle against stomach fat.
Get Sexy Abs With Antioxidant Rich Berries
Berries are known to be one of the richest natural sources of antioxidants on the planet and as we already know, antioxidants are a majorly helpful companion in any quest to lose stomach fat and get sexy abs. In a massive study conducted on fruit and vegetable antioxidant content published in the June 9 2004 Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, berries easily trumped the competition in terms of the amount of antioxidant for the price.
The reason berries help you get sexy abs is because they are known to actively fight oxidation in the body via their high antioxidant content. This reduces the amount of free radicals in the body and helps with the process of losing fat.
Among the richest antioxidant containing berries are:
- Blueberries
- Cranberries
- Blackberries
- Raspberries
- Wolfberries (Goji berries)
- Acai berries
- Strawberries
So if you didn't already have enough reason to include more berries into your regular eating then now you can rest assured that almost any berry will also help you to get sexy abs.
Fat Loss Sabotage... And How To Avoid It
It might not sound like that much but it's honestly one massive thing to consider if you are trying to make positive changes in your life.
If you have friends, family and/or a spouse who is not fully supportive of making your health and fitness goals a reality it will make your journey 100% harder to succeed with.
A lot of fitness experts say the number one difference (if you want to achieve a goal like to get sexy abs) is setting realistic, time-bound, tangible goals. Well, I say that even more important than setting the goals is having a psychological environment that will support and enhance those goals.
Friends and family might seem like they "mean well" when they tell you things like:
- I wouldn't bother trying something like that.
- Are you seriously going to do that?
- You don't need to change anything, everything is fine.
- I've tried that before and it didn't work
- Why are you eating cinnamon!!?
Image courtesy of http://earlychildcare.files.wordpress.com/2009/07/odd-one-out.jpg
Intense Training For 6 Pack Abs
***No abs workout should solely target your abdominal muscles***
The biggest reason for this is that many people who want 6 pack abs have stomach fat which prevents the muscles underneath from being revealed (yes we all have muscle under there, even if you're a skinny geek-o-saurus). The trick is combining fat burning exercise with abdominal exercise. In basic terms, you want to work as many muscles as possible while focusing strongly on your abs.
So what's a good intense training workout for 6 pack abs?
Firstly, always warmup - a light jog, a few pushups, a few squats and your done (3 - 5 min)
Next follow this program:
- Burpees // run 20 feet & back
- 5 burpees // run // 4 burpees // run // 3 burpees // run // 2 burpees // run // 1 burpee //run
- Squats or jump squats // run 20 feet & back
- Same sequence as above 5 - 1
- Pushups // run 20 feet & back
- Same sequence as above 5 - 1
First do this with squats, then with pushups and finally with burpees.
The entire workout should take around 30 - 40 minutes depending on your fitness level.
The single most important thing to focus on during this abs workout is your abs. Make sure you are bracing, holding your core tightly during exercises.
Image courtesy of http://onlinepersonaltrainingvideobootcamp.com/blog/uploaded/Blog%20Post%20Images/Push-up%20Boot%20Camp/pushups.jpg
Protein, Beans and Fat-Burning "Diets"
The simple reason for this is that the creators of these "miracle diets" will often twist the truth in order to make sales.
The truth is that no diet is going to give you a flat stomach forever. The mere word "diet" refers to eating habits that are not usual. If you want to get 6 pack abs, lose stomach fat or just lose some weight, you will need to keep a few things permanently in your life in order to keep your level of health, fitness etc.
One of those things is a quality source of protein. Protein is a macro-nutrient and one of the most essential nutrients in the body in terms of maintaining lean muscle mass and burning/preventing fat.
So how do beans weigh up on the protein scale? Well a couple of essential things you should know about beans and fat-burning:
- Not all beans were created equal - some contain a much richer source of protein than others.
- Raw is usually best, but in this case (you have to cook beans to make them edible) cooked beans are much more beneficial in terms of nutritional value than canned beans.
- Organic is always the way to go. Especially with varieties such as soy which are often otherwise GM foods that are scientifically proven to contribute to cancer growth.
Like everything though, I would recommend bean consumption in variety and moderation.
Bean protein source types:
- Soybeans - 36.5% protein. Also contains isoflavones, omega-3 fatty acids and cholesterol reduction properties. Avoid GM soybeans.
- Black-eyed peas - 30% protein. 60% daily dietary fiber intake.
- Pinto beans - 28.1% protein. Also contains molybdenum which is beneficial for numerous human functions such as protection against tooth decay.
- Kidney beans - 24% protein. Also contains various vitamins
- Garbanzo beans (chick peas) - 20% protein. Rich in many vitamins and minerals
- Navy beans (baked beans) - 13% protein. 19 other vitamins and minerals
- Adzuki beans - 7.5% protein.
One thing I love is any of these beans cooked with chili, tomato, peppers, onion and mexican spices topped with loads of avocado served with some fresh garden greens. That is a great lunch which will literally explode your fat burning potential and help you get a flat stomach faster.
Incorporating beans into your diet will give you yet another secret weapon with which to fight belly fat.
Hormones & Getting a Flat Stomach
It is one of the biggest problems people encounter regarding fat loss and getting a flat stomach!
I kid you not, hormones play a vital role in weight loss, fat loss and just about everything that goes on in your body.
I've written about xenoestrogens before and how they tilt the balance of hormones in your body to make your entire system more estrogen dominant. Well, this is just one of the causes of hormonal imbalances that makes it so hard to get a flat stomach.
The other major cause for hormonal upset other than xenoestrogens in food and chemicals is the production of excess estrogen in the body, usually due to an unbalanced diet containing too many synthetic "foods" and not enough real, raw, vitamin-packed, antioxidant-loaded, fresh, organic meat and veg.
To ensure that you have an easier time with fat loss and your goal to get a flat stomach, it's 100% necessary to eat well by adding variety to your diet. Get the right advice on your food and it can really be easy to make the necessary changes to start reaping the benefits within a week or less!
Image courtesy of http://k21st.files.wordpress.com/2009/05/neurons1.jpg
Belly Fat's Bestie (Trans Fatty Acid)
Trans Fatty Acids (TFAs) are a type of unsaturated fat which is not essential and does not promote good health. The basic science behind trans fats is that they are really bad for you.
Just about every country in the world has recommended massive reduction of trans fats from the human diet to trace amounts (which occur naturally).
What you have to watch out for, as someone who wants to get a flat stomach, is any packaged goods that contains "partially-hydrogenated vegetable oils", "hydrogenated vegetable oils" or "shortening. These are the major culprits which will feed your belly fat and make it more stubborn than ever.
Trans fats are thought to be extremely difficult or impossible to metabolize by the human body, which makes them a permanent threat to your success in losing belly fat and getting 6 pack abs. The only reason companies use partially hydrogenated oils is to increase their profits and you know they are not thinking about reducing your belly fat problem! On top of the belly fat problem, trans fats will also increase your LDL (bad cholesterol), give you hormone imbalances and have been strongly linked to heart disease.
I've always recommended to stay away from any "over-processed" foods and these are specifically the foods that contain trans fats which will make it extremely hard to get a flat stomach.
Don't get caught up in the fat "hoo-haa". Fat is an essential part of any human diet. The trick is to avoid the synthetically produced, over processed fats and go for the natural, pure fats that are not going to cause health problems and to eat them in moderation.
Image courtesy of http://en.epochtimes.com/news_images/2007-10-16-trans-fats300-72022076.jpg
Dandelion The Exotic "Secret Weapon" Against Stomach Fat
Honestly though, there are tonnes of "secret weapons" out there which will help you lose fat but the only way to get really great results is to combine methods, giving you a additive fat-burning effect. The trouble many people have is finding "secret weapons" that work within their particular lifestyle.
So, anyway, this one is the infamous dandelion (leaf) tea. The reason I say infamous is simply because it sounds cool, but the reason I suggest dandelion tea is because it is a powerful fat loss aid which will, like many other teas, accelerate your basal metabolic rate, increase your fat metabolism, remove trans fatty acids (belly fat's best friend) and remove cholesterol build up which will leave you fitter, healthier and happier in both the short and long-term.
Dandelion contains a significant amount of vitamin A and potassium, as well as moderate amounts of vitamin B, vitamin C, vitamin D, phosphorus, iron, magnesium, zinc, and manganese. It can be used for it's loads of health benefits and even aids in reducing water retention.
I also think that dandelion tea tastes awesome. It's a great as a coffee replacement especially if you need to cut down on caffeine but still get a buzz in the morning. Try drinking up to 3-4 cups per day and watch the amazing benefits of dandelion leaf tea unfold as you get a flat stomach.
Image courtesy http://home.messiah.edu/~jp1301/images/Dandelion_sun.jpg
How To Get A Flat Stomach For Women - Without Sit Ups!
Most women think that crunches and ab workouts will get them a flat stomach and I just want to make it clear that this is 100% false.
Crunches won't give you a flat belly!
What will help you to get a flat stomach?
- Weight training
- Including fat burning foods in your diet (such as cinnamon and cruciferous vegetables)
- Excluding nasty fat-storing foods and hormonally messy ones (such as trans fats and refined carbohydrates)
- Targeted, functional ab workouts - Read that carefully. NOT situps.
The bad news is... What am I thinking, there is no bad news!
But, you will have to do some weight training if you want to get a flat stomach. Not only will it boost your metabolism, strengthen your bones, increase your heart stroke volume and decrease blood pressure but it will physically alter the composition of your body from fat storage to lean muscle mass storage - NOT bulky, masculine muscles.
Fat burning foods are easy to include in your regular eating. Try sprinkling cinnamon on your breakfast, eat loads of fruit and vegetables (especially cruciferous vegetables which have a thermogenic fat-burning effect) and drink special types of teas to stimulate fat loss.
Excluding the nasty foods also becomes easy if you know which ones to eliminate and how you can replace them. Especially bad are the energy-rich, nutrient-poor white, refined, wheat-based products like pastas and breads.
Making sure you are working towards getting a flat stomach during your workout is also pivotal and I will explain that in greater detail in a future article as soon as possible.
Until then, work to your own accord on those 4 steps mentioned above to get a flat stomach and have sexy, flat, six pack abs.
Expert Fitness Advice - The #1 Difference
Now you may have read my post the other day on top 10 fitness tips which went through some of the best in the fitness industry and what their apparent #1 tip was.
Well, right now I want to summarize that into a #1 most important thing to do for fat loss and to lose stomach fat, get a flat stomach and 6 pack abs if that's your goal. This #1 difference is not only relevant to fitness goals but anything that you want to succeed in really.
So, what's the very most important thing that will more often than not be the defining factor in your success of failure to get a flat stomach?
Is it the exercises you do? The time of day you exercise or eat? The foods you eat? The equipment you have access to? Whether or not you have social support?
Now these things are all important, but the number 1 difference in fat loss is much simpler...
It might not be what you want to hear but it's commitment.
In all honesty, if someone is committed to a task like getting 6 pack abs for example, they will follow through no matter what it takes or what costs may be involved physically, emotionally or financially.
So why then do so many people fail with their health and fitness goals? It's because they lack commitment.
We have so many resources at our fingertips these days, especially with the internet allowing all sorts of information to be instantly transferred.
So for your sake, not mine, re-check your level of commitment to your goals. Are you sure about what you want? Have you got it written down? That's always a big test of someones certainty of their goals. If you're 100% sure about it then I guarantee you will get there.
Image courtesy http://www.slimdownfitness.com/resources/eva_photo%5B1%5D.jpg
Comparing Top Healthy Weight Loss Plans: Diet vs. Exercise
Today I have a post from an expert nutritionist friend of mine, John Phillip, on exercise and diet around weight loss (virtually the same methods apply to lose belly fat).Unlike a previous article on some un-savvy nutritionists, John really gets to the point here about healthy weight loss plans. Have a read:
Comparing Top Healthy Weight Loss Plans: Diet vs. Exercise
Everyone has an opinion as to whether diet or exercise works best when trying to lose weight. Which method will provide the best weight loss results, and more importantly, which will help in the prevention and treatment of heart disease, diabetes and cancer?
Both diet and exercise are important when considering a weight loss plan, and each regimen has important benefits when considering the war on obesity. More than 45 million Americans belong to a health club and yet obesity continues to rise at an alarming rate. How do you determine the best strategy to drop those excess pounds without disrupting your daily routine?
Important Benefits of Diet for Weight Loss and Health
Changing the quantity and type of food eaten is the single most important way to promote weight loss and improve overall health. To lose one pound of body fat, it’s necessary to burn an extra 3500 calories, either through physical exertion or reduction in calories eaten.
This can be done by jogging for a total of 7 hours over the course of a week or through substituting 3 sugary soft drinks each day with a no calorie alternative. The net effect will be the same, and most people find the dietary modification route much easier to tolerate. Diet trumps exercise as the quickest route to sustainable weight loss.
It’s important to look beyond weight loss, and consider the health implications of a reduced calorie diet. The food you eat has a direct impact on your risk of developing heart disease, cancer, diabetes and dementia. The nutrients in the foods we eat have either a positive or negative impact on our genes. Studies demonstrate that our genome is altered ever so slightly every time we eat, depending on our food choices at that meal.
Researchers have been able to map the negative genetic changes which we incur from a single meal of fried foods, refined carbohydrates and sweets. Our genes are dynamic and continually changing the risk factors which lead to serious disease. Proper diet is the most important factor in any healthy weight loss plan.
Compliment Diet with Exercise For Maximum Benefit
While diet may be the most efficient route to permanent weight loss, exercise is a necessary component to ignite your fat burning machine. Combined with a low calorie menu, exercise compliments diet to provide muscle tone, endurance and a positive mood.
Over 70 studies confirm the mood lifting effect of both cardio and resistance exercise performed for 20 to 30 minutes most days of the week. Regular exercise is also important for reduction of heart disease risk as it builds the heart muscle, as well as prevention of diabetes due to improved regulation of insulin metabolism by the muscles.
A diet which emphasizes substitution of high calorie, unhealthy foods with low calorie, nutrient dense vegetables, fruits, lean proteins, nuts and seeds will alter the body’s metabolism and result in slow, sustainable weight loss. When compared to exercise, most people will find a dietary restriction plan easier to follow because small changes in food choice lead to quicker weight loss. The importance of both diet and exercise on overall health cannot be minimized, as both are clear winners in disease risk reduction, but the blue ribbon is awarded to healthy diet and calorie restriction in the weight loss battle.
Written by guest author, John Phillip. Visit his blog to get heaps of great info on nutrition and health, including some free articles.
The "Magic Silver Bullet" To Kill Belly Fat
If you're after a "magic silver bullet" to kill belly fat then listen up... The closest thing to this is going to be a combination effect. When you combine these three awesome tactics, you will literally explode your fat-burning potential and unleash your metabolism to do some "damage" on your belly fat.
Now listen closely when I say "combination effect". This specifically means that when you combine a few key things. That is to say, each method "works" but the silver bullet effect only works if all of these things are doing their part.
So what are these "magic" methods? Well I'll tell you:
- Your food - 80% of losing belly fat is about your food. This statement might be over-playing a little but I need to highlight the huge negative impact that wrong food choices have and the massive positive impact that the right choices can make.
- Your exercise - There's no such thing as "good" or "bad" exercise but what works best is an integrative approach of HIIT, full body strength sessions and targeted, functional abdominal work. Realistically, exercise every day (to some extent) is the best approach.
- Your body - 100% of your success will come from your body's ability to burn the fat and feed the lean muscle mass. Your body must function well to lose belly fat and get abs. This means minimizing xenoestrogens and other toxins, balancing your progesterone hormones and removing harmful obstacles (such as parasites) from your body.
Image courtesy http://people.rit.edu/andpph/photofile-c/bullet-rifle-22-1a.jpg
Health Food "Extremists" VS The Average Guy - Tips For Fat Loss
When I say "extremist", I mean someone who practically lives in the health food store and lives off primarily raw foods, is either vegetarian or vegan and never strays off from a wholesome and healthy diet.
In contrast, the "average guy" is someone very similar to you in a lot of ways. Either male or female, this person tries to watch out for bad (fatty) foods but usually gives in to peer pressures when out with some friends with food and alcohol.
So, from my previous posts you may have already got the picture that fat loss is mostly about:
- The nutritional content of your food
- Avoiding toxic poisons and xenoestrogen build up
- Doing the right types of exercise
The average guy by contrast, tries to listen to nutritional advice and has a somewhat "healthy" diet but it will usually contain some processed foods, alcohol and some trans fatty acid foods. He would struggle to remove belly fat and despite his best efforts is somewhat overweight and has health problems due to xenoestrogens and high cholesterol.
Here's the deal, the extremist is clearly in a better position to facilitate fat loss but the cost is a totally dedicated lifestyle, heaps of time and energy put into ensuring only the proper foods are consumed and some possible health side effects. Also the potential of this guy to change may be quite low so that even if he has some problems or stubborn fat, he might be unwilling or unmotivated to make the necessary change.
The average guy knows something is wrong in his diet and knows that he should be exercising. The problem is integrating the right foods in, getting the wrong foods out and only doing exciting, effective exercise which will help him lose fat. The average guy also has the upper hand in terms of his ability to change. He knows he doesn't have it all right and can make changes more easily.
So that's my take on it. Although there are massive benefits to healthy eating, eating raw foods and being conscious of what you eat, becoming an "extremist" about it will not necessarily help you lose belly fat. Not to mention the social implications for some people.
So as wise people have told me many times: "everything in moderation" is the best philosophy to adapt for an effective fat loss routine.
Image courtesy of http://www.stevenaitchison.co.uk/blog/2007/03/29/7-tips-for-dealing-with-confrontation/
What It Really Takes To Lose Belly Fat
At the risk of sounding controversial, why does it seem like the world is lying to you about stomach fat?!?
Well here's how I see it... There are fitness trainers and there are fitness professionals. Most fitness trainers out there call themselves fitness professionals and there is no real definitive line there to make things clear for everyone. In fact, in many countries, there is actually no required qualification in order to call yourself a "fitness professional"!
This means that any Tom, Dick or Harry from down the street could (and usually does) give you loads of health and fitness advice on how to lose belly fat without any formal qualification at all.
What's even worse is, the professionals that are qualified and practicing in the fitness industry will quite often not be adequately trained in what it takes to lose belly fat.
If you ask most personal trainers out there how to I lose my gut, the answer you will often get back would be something like, "Do loads of cardio exercise".
In reality, this doesn't work for most people. If you did have heaps of free time on your hands and you managed to motivate yourself to go jogging every day for 2 hours, sure you'd have some success with losing belly fat but the fact of the matter is that this approach is not practical and most people don't enjoy cardio exercise enough to sustain the commitment.
Here's what it's all about: If you really want to know what it takes to lose belly fat then you need to be informed on a number of different levels. The exciting stuff:
- How hormones will dictate fat storage and loss in both men and women!
- How parasites stop many people from achieving peak metabolic fat-burning success!
- The 100% must-have exercises and the 467 ab exercises you need to avoid with a vengence.
When you get on top of these three vital things in your life, it will be effortless to lose belly fat and get lean, 6 pack abs.
That's all for now. Tomorrow I want to get down and dirty into the idea of "health food extremists" VS the average guy and how that dictates your fat loss. You'll be surprised at the results actually.
Image courtesy of http://www.dbtechno.com/images/belly_fat_dementia.jpg
Why The Top 3 Nutritionists Are Dead Wrong About Losing Belly Fat
Honestly, a lot of these so called "gurus" are talking about low carb alcholic drinks and "best diet tips" etc. That being what it is, yesterday I posted on some top advice from fitness professionals who were all pretty savvy based on their number one tips.
I really think some kind of standardization is in great need among people who call themselves experts and then propose useless information. Having said that, everyone is entitled to an opinion right?
The thing I really have a problem with is how many people are still talking about "diets" being some kind of "cure to obesity". Didn't we learn from all those failed diet attempts in the past. Diets never work. Even the mere word diet itself is a contradiction. OK, maybe for those people who just want to lose weight temporarily and then resort back to their "normal" habits of eating and exercise but for those of us who want to live life full of energy in a fit, lean body, a diet will NEVER do the trick I'm afraid.
So take this warning when you try to lose belly fat by reading the "expert" advice and remember that often even the mainstream advice can be severely flawed. Why else would more than 50% of the western world be overweight or obese?
Not Your Usual Top 10 Fitness Tips From An Expert
Now, I know a lot of fitness experts have compiled a "top 10" list of fitness and weight loss tips but I wanted to do something a little different. What I've done here is looked at some highly respected fitness professionals and compiled a "top 10 list" of each of their number 1 tips. Make sense?
So here goes,
So there you have it! 10 top fitness experts from all around the world and their number 1 tip. I think it's safe enough to say that from all that, the major points that are agreed on by most of them are:
- Write down our goals and be specific. Don’t just say, "I want to loose weight." A good example may be "To loose ten pounds by June 1st". When we write down our goals, they become more realistic and easier to achieve, because they are more then just a random thought. Just like when you need to reach a new destination by car. If you don't have directions, you may never get there. Get a map and you will! By Fawnia Mondey
- Get real and be specific. Write down three or four realistic goals that you can stick to. For example, "I will try to lose one pound of body fat every week. I will walk for 30 minutes minimum five days a week." Avoid fantasy-land goals that will only frustrate you. By Dr. Pamela Peeke
- Work out regularly! Always remember that it is more important to have a quality workout than to have a long one. However, you should try to progressively increase the time spend working out from twenty minutes to an hour. You can work out harder when you`re full of energy. By Alice D.
- This is the easy one that everyone knows but doesn’t always practice: exercise or diet alone won’t work. An exercise routine and healthy food plan based around your lifestyle is the best way to lose body fat, tighten muscles and increase energy so think of the two as inseparable. By MirrorDiets.co.uk
- Get into the habit of being active. Don't just rely on your "exercise" sessions to keep you fit. Use the stairs, walk to the shop, go for a bike ride with your family, go for a walk at lunch, etc… eg. A one hour fast paced walk with the dog is a great exercise session! By Go Personal Training.
- Find out how many calories you need. By Gloria Tsang, RD.
- When you first feel a pang of hunger, don't reach for the regular sugary carbo snack, instead, reach for an 8 oz. glass of clean purified water. This will suppress the feeling of hunger that's often mistaken when the body really wants water anyway. Be sure you are drinking lots of clean water throughout the day because the last sign of dehydration is a dry mouth. By HealthyYouNaturally.com
- Reward yourself. rewards are great motivators, so allow yourself a treat, such as your favorite burger or an extra beer once or twice per week. This will stop you from cracking under the pressure and giving up. By Evan Campbell
- PLAN, PLAN, PLAN. Don’t wing it. By Holly Rigsby
- Set Realistic and Tangible Goals. Simply stating that you want to lose weight is not effective. Be specific. For example, I want to lose 5 pounds of fat by February 14th. By Lynn VanDyke
So there you have it! 10 top fitness experts from all around the world and their number 1 tip. I think it's safe enough to say that from all that, the major points that are agreed on by most of them are:
- Plan your goals and set it out on paper
- Take action by changing exercise habits
- Give yourself rewards
- Increase your water consumption
Xenoestrogens & Making Fat Loss Work
Hormones are one of the least understood functional aspects of losing weight and losing belly fat. People will often think that the roles of hormones are as simple as estrogen: women, testosterone: men but it is much more complicated in reality.The fact is, regardless of your sex, you will produce very similar hormones, just in different amounts. The problem with the estrogen hormone is becoming more and more apparent to many people as we generally start to put on more and more weight and experience various other undesirable health symptoms such as osteoporosis and the dreaded "man-boobs". The key thing to realize here is the massive link between the estrogen hormone (including xenoestrogens) and health problems, ultimately including stubborn fat.
Xenoestrogens are synthetic, chemical substances which behave like estrogen hormones in the body. Exposure to these chemicals, then, leads to a massive array of problems in the body including belly fat. These substances, I might add, have only been in existence (as commercially produced, industrial chemicals) for about 70 years and during that time the population of our western world has steadily gotten fatter.
So, how do we avoid xenoestrogens becoming a problem?
- Give up conventional meats and switch to organic (especially poultry) as they are a large source of xenoestrogens. This is a hard step to take for many people simply because of the exorbitant costs of organic meats but make this step and it will make a huge difference.
- Avoid parabens (in lotions)
- Stay away from insecticides, pesticides and lawn care products
- Switch to an organic diet in general and you will reduce xenoestrogen exposure by 50% or more
- Never heat food in plastics in the microwave and avoid the use of soft plastics wherever possible as harmful xenoestrogens leach out of these plastics (like cling wrap) and into your food
- Check out this list of xenoestrogens and make any necessary changes (the ones I've mentioned above are the major ones that will make the biggest difference to your results with fat loss)
Image courtesy of http://dr89015.com/hormone.htm
The #1 Fat Burner - The Thermogenic Effect
- Lack of vitamins and minerals due to insufficient food variety and quality
- Triggering the body's "starvation mode" mechanism and storing more fat whilst eliminating precious muscle
- Binge eating which triggers mass fat storage
The thermogenic effect is the effect food has to burn energy through the production of heat. That's right, food can actually burn calories. This is one of the most commonly ignored strategy, and yet it is one of the most effective for fat loss.
Including thermogenic foods in your everyday eating is easy. It's important to keep the following in mind:
- Protein has the largest thermogenic effect (30%) meaning for every 100 calories of protein you eat, 30 will be burned just by eating, leaving your body with a net 70 calories.
- Cruciferous vegetables, leafy greens, celery, mushrooms, chili and many other vegetables. These foods all have very low amounts of calories and loads of Vitamins and minerals to help combat rogue xenoestrogens in your body which cause weight gain.
- Berries, apples, apricots and pears
- Including both complex and fibrous carbohydrates in meals will enhance thermogenesis (fat burning effect)
Be Warned: There are theories which suggest that the thermogenic effect induced by cold water intake is a good way to lose weight. In reality, drinking ice cold water produces stress hormones which have a negative effect on fat loss. On top of this it clamps down the blood vessels in the stomach, making digestion more difficult for the stomach.
Image courtesy of Francis Baytan sourced from http://www.examiner.com/x-21779-Denver-Diet-and-Exercise-Examiner~y2009m10d30-Supplement-review-Thermogenics
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