A Diet For Life?

Healthy Living is a like Marathon Not a Race

Nutritionist Carina Norris says “A healthy diet and lifestyle are the closest you’ll get to a fountain of youth.”

Remember folks, short cuts, fad diets and quick fixes will leave you changeless and possibly worse off.

I agree with the article, “your best bet is to improve your diet.” This step is essential but only part of the process.

Here is a sample of some of the tips offered from the article

Link Love: More health and Fitness Blogs Around The Blogosphere

Health and Fitness Blogs Around The Blogosphere

Hey everyone!

I wanted to share more health and fitness blogs I stumbled upon. I found these sites at Forbes.

It is nice to view other blogs on the topics I write about, or at least somewhat similar. I find it refreshing to discover new sites around the net to interact with, along with people you might wish to partner up with.

How to Control Your Cravings

The Reader’s Digest recently discussed ten tips to defeat and prevent hungry cravings.

Go nuts. Drink two glasses of water and eat an ounce of nuts (6 walnuts, 12 almonds or 20 peanuts). Within 20 minutes, this can extinguish your craving and dampen your appetite by changing your body chemistry, says RD’s “Health IQ” columnist Michael F. Roizen, MD.

Everyone is different, but this technique works for me. Try it! Remember, like anything in life, nuts can get old fast. Don’t be afraid to put your own spin to it. Be creative!

Other tips include power napping, rewarding yourself within limits, and enjoying a cup of coffee.

10 Ways to Control Your Cravings (Reader’s Digest)

Tell us your story, what helps to defeat your hungry pains?

Warning! The Secret to Defeating Overtraining!

What is Overtraining?

Simply stated, when a people pushes themselves to hard without proper rest and recovery. This can occur with any workout program.

How do I know if I’ve Overtrained?

Normally, if your experiencing some of the following symptoms:

• Lasting soreness and stiffness in muscles, joints, and tendons
• Loss in training interest
• Lack of progress
• Problems sleeping
• Headaches
• No energy
• Loss of appetite

Overtraining is self defeating! Your goals are to avoid injury, increase strength, lose body fat, etc

The Secret to your Success!

• Give yourself time off! Stay away from the Gym for several days, or how ever long it takes.
• Relax, spend sometime with family, or friends. Maybe even get outdoor!
• REST! Try to get 7 to 8 hours of sleep a night.
• Take a multivitamin (daily)
• Food intake should be high in protein and carbs, salads, fresh fruit and veggies.
• If you feel like your overtraining, STOP TRAINING!
• Lose the Pride! Don’t try to become someone your not.
• Patience, spread your workout throughout the course of the week.
• REMEMBER, always avoid injury! Take a few days off, instead an injury forcing you to take several months off.

What would you add?

What habits have helped you avoid over training and avoid injury? Do you have any ideas and tips to add to this post? Let us know what you think! Thanks!

Ten Tips for Improving Fitness

Change always comes bearing gifts. ~Price Pritchett

Well, in this case, only if the items of this list become apart of your lifestyle.

Here are ten tips that help me improve my fitness.

1. Eat smaller meals; six meals, instead of three big meals.
2. Concentrate on carbs
3. Quality activity
4. Reduce sugary foods
5. Stop drinking pop/soda/coke
6. Find a workout buddy
7. Write down what you eat
8. Plan your workout schedule
9. Don’t overtrain
10. Be patient

1. Eat smaller meals; six meals instead of three big meals.

Your body can quickly digest small meals. Avoid over eating! Big meals slow you down and leave you feeling lazy, sleepy, etc

2. Concentrate on carbs

Remember, not all carbs are bad. See my article on ‘3 Reasons Why you should eat carbs‘ for more on this.

3. Quality activity

This may not be possible for some of you. Aim for three to five days of quality exercise every week. Get creative, get outdoors, don’t settle for just going to the gym.

4. Reduce sugary foods

We all know which foods these are. Remember, you can enjoy a snack, just don’t treat yourself everyday. I find that a reward system works best for me. Pick one day out of the week to eat what you want!

5. Stop drinking pop (soda, coke)

Depending on where your from, we all have different names for it. Try replacing coke with water. This will make a huge impact on your waist line. These kinds of soft drink will slow you down, and add on the weight.

6. Find a workout buddy

A workout partner is necessary for many reasons. This topic could be a post in itself. I find that I’m likely to remain consistent with a partner rather than alone. A workout partner could offer motivation and ensure safely.

7. Write down what you eat

Keep a little note pad with you throughout your day. Review a record of the food you consume daily. This will shock many of us. Keeping a food log will help you to become aware of the junk food you forgot you ate earlier. You can always review these records to determine the foods that should be added or removed from your daily intake.

8. Plan your workout schedule

Remember that old saying, “if you fail to plan, you plan to fail.” I heard this statement often as a child. Take it one week at a time, plan your workout schedule and stick to it. People often schedule events and activities they plan on completing or remaining committed to.

9. Don’t overtrain

It is better to under train instead of over train. Preventing injury is always a must! Never use the same muscle group in consecutive days. Always allow muscles to recover.

10. Be patient

Growth and development never occur over night. Fight the temptation of doing to much. Build discipline , remain consistent and enjoy your workouts.

Fad Diets to Avoid

Low Carb Diet

These diets reduce carbohydrate intake. But most people reduce both simple (sugar) and complex carbs (potatoes, whole grains, beans, etc). Most people make this mistake. See my article on 3 reasons why you should eat carbs

High Protein Diet

This diet is extremely popular among Americans. The reason this diet appears to work so fast is due to the loss of water. Most people discover that they no longer continue to lose the same weight week after week.

High protein diets also reduce your carb intake leaving you without essential nutrients.

Any Diet That “Promises” Rapid Weight Loss

Sorry everyone, there really are no short cuts! You must simply burn more calories than you consume. This can be accomplished by cutting back calories and adding quality activity into your life.

3 Reasons Why You Should Eat Carbs

All of us see the signs! Less Carbs, No Carbs and even Low Carbs. The books and so called experts tells us to stay away from carbs. Friends advise us not to eat carbs.

People fail to realize why they need carbs.

1. Fuel for Muscles

Carbs give your body the energy it needs. Ask anyone that goes to the Gym of an empty stomach. They also provide energy the body needs to recover from over training.

 

 

 

2. Fuel for intense activities!

Complex carbs like potatoes, whole grain breads, etc will provide your body with lasting energy. If your planning a long run, or busy day ahead, load up on the right kind of carbs.

 

3. Carbs, not protein are the main source of your body’s energy.

Despite what others may have told you, if you cut out your carbs, you will lose out on the essential nutrients your body requires to function daily.