How to Create a Weight Loss Plan of Action
September 13th, 2008 by Go Weblog
The New Year is upon us. Resolutions have been made and resolutions have already been broken. This is the time of year that fitness centers see loads of new members scurry in. These new members have weight loss dreams, but little knowledge of how to safely achieve their goal. Many who started this New Year with fat loss dreams will end up frustrated. Many will quit altogether within one month.
Permanent weight loss is absolutely possible with a little planning. Frustration and failure are easy to avoid when weight loss seekers have a doable and effective plan of action. The secret to fat loss lies in the planning and execution of the goal.
A weight loss plan of action should consist of a chain of events that eventually leads to a healthy and toned body. It is a series of milestones designed to push the body beyond its daily tasks. The plan would open with a mission statement and close with the specific details. The plan of action would include a starting and ending date. The goals would be finite and measurable. A weight loss plan of action would answer the who, what, when, where and why.
Many people make a resolution to lose weight. They may go as far as join a gym. 90% stop there. The other 10% have planned adequately and will succeed with their goals. Their specific fat loss plan of action may have looked something like this:
“I want to drop 10 pounds of body fat. I will begin this program today and it will end exactly two months from now. If I feel like giving up I will seek the guidance of a personal trainer and/or nutritionist. I will also remember why I want to drop 10 pounds of body fat. My reasons are that I want to feel great. I want to feel secure, healthy, happy and beautiful.
I plan to drop 10 pounds of body fat within two months by starting a cardio and strength training routine 6 days per week. My specific workout routine will be to do a full body strength training routine on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. I will do 15-45 minutes of cardio each day except Sunday. I will end each workout session by stretching.
I also plan to eat 5-6 small meals throughout the day. Each meal will consist of a lean protein and a complex carbohydrate. I will drink 8 glasses of water throughout the day. Sugar will be limited. Caffeine will be eliminated, but I will allow my morning cup of coffee.
I realize this task is hard, but that it is absolutely possible. I will succeed. I have prepared and am totally invested in my health. I will read this plan of action two times per day and stick to it.”
The above fat loss plan of action is a road map to success. It describes the person’s goal, it details how the person will achieve their goal and it explains what the person will do when she faces roadblocks.
The new year is a wonderful time to set intentions. Weight loss is the direct result of planning and execution. Ensuring success is simple when a plan of action is created. It gives purpose and definition. It can literally be the difference between realizing a fat loss dream or reliving the weight gain nightmare so many people experience each year.
Copyright 2006 strength-training-woman.com
Plan and execute your weight loss goals with the Melt the Fat Interactive Guide. Learn more by visiting http://melt-the-fat.com. Lynn VanDyke is an elite fitness trainer and sports nutritionist dedicated to helping you achieve your fat loss goals in 2006.
Tags: fat loss, lose fat, lose weight, New Years, Plan, Plan of Action, resolution, weight loss, workoutHow to Increase Your Metabolism for Maximum Weight Loss
July 1st, 2008 by Go Weblog
One of the most common misconceptions about dieting is that if you want to lose weight all you have to do is eat fewer calories then your body burns. Now don’t get me wrong, eating fewer calories will reduce your bodyweight in the short-term, but if that is all you do then you are looking at limiting your success. The human body is a very adaptable machine and will make adjustments to maintain a state of balance. Simply put, only reducing the amount of calories you eat a day will cause your body to eventually slow down the metabolism to a point where it only burn’s the amount of calories that you consume.
So what do you need to do to insure long-term success in your weight loss program? First of all you will need to make sure that you add both diet and exercise to your program. Excluding either one of these will limit your success and keep you from achieving your full potential.
The next step is to change up the diet so that the body is unable to adapt. The best way to confuse the body is to add a cheat meal at the end of the week. The cheat meal allows you to reward yourself by eating anything that you want. The great side effects of the cheat meal are that you emotionally set yourself up in a position to stick to your diet and you also confuse the body so that the metabolism becomes a fat burning machine.
Other key tips and tricks you will want to use to boost your metabolism are:
1. Eat at least six meals a day - If you eat only once or twice a day you body is going to slow down the metabolism to accommodate the infrequent feedings. When you eat six small meals a day your body gets the nutrients it needs while avoiding the “starvation period”.
2. Eat complex carbohydrates such as potatoes, yams and brown rice earlier in the day.
3. Switch to fibrous carbohydrates such as broccoli, salad, green beans for the later meals.
4. Eat fruit earlier in the day.
5. Avoid processed foods and sugars
6. Drink lots of water - Water passes nutrients and waste to and from the cells. You will want to try and drink at least a gallon of water a day.
Tying it all together
Dieting is not complicated but it does require discipline. There are a lot of programs and supplements out there promising amazing results with very little effort. From my experience the only program that really works is the good ol’ diet and exercise routine. The key rule to keep in mind is that if it sounds too good to be true then it probably is.
Want to find out more on how you can increase your metabolism? Visit Gerald’s site at http://www.increase-metabolism.power-of-knowledge.com/ for fat burning details.
Tags: burn fat, diet, increase metabolism, lose weight, metabolism, workoutWeight Loss On Your New Years Agenda Prepare For The Top Weight Loss Scams Of 2006! PART 3
May 12th, 2008 by Go Weblog
If you have read Parts 1 and 2 then hopefully you are considering the possibility that maybe these pills and diets are NOT going to be a long term solution for weight loss success this New Yearor EVER! If not, that’s perfectly alright because if you feel inclined to still use them just know I’m not recommending them but many people won’t listen until they experience failure. I just don’t want you to go blaming yourself for failing because that’s what causes that vicious guilt cycle leaving many people believing that something is really wrong with them. Anyway, here is Part 3 of the Top Weight Loss Scams of 2006.
3. Work the Abs, Reduce the Waistline and Tone, Firm and Shape a Particular Area with “Research has Proven” Infomercials.
There’s that phrase; “research has proven.” Everybody wants great abs, a firm butt, and thighs, sleek arms, etc right, so will this plethora of ab devices and “butt and thigh shapers” ever disappear? Never! When an infomercial throws the word “research” out there and has a scientist or doctor alongside making the claim people are going to tune in with both eyes and ears. It’s all about perception.
Let’s talk about abs for a moment. In a study conducted by the biomechanics lab at San Diego State University and sanctioned by the American Council on Exercise (ACE), researchers found that when you perform movements lying face up in a horizontal position that allow the spine to hyperextend beyond a neutral spine there is a greater recruitment of abdominal muscle fibers i.e. contraction as opposed to doing a crunch on a flat surface? Performing crunches on a stability ball will achieve this nicely and the “research has proven” it consistently. Yes, it is legit. The same research has proven similar findings of greater abdominal muscle recruitment with exercises that have you raise or tilt the pelvis forward or towards the rib cage. Picture a hanging leg raise or reverse crunch. The research is legit as well.
Want to know what they found to be the 10 WORST abdominal exercises or devices?
1. Electronic Ab Stimulation (these came under FTC injunction by the way but for some reason are still sold in certain places. They only have value in a rehabilitative setting).
2. Bent Over Twist with a broomstick or pole
3. Straight Leg Sit-ups
4. Roman Chair Sit-ups
5. Two Dumbbell Side Bends (Seems like everybody believes these workthey don’t)
6. Straight Leg Double Leg Raises
7. Ab Rocker (Ab Roller)
8. The Ab Wheel (just because you “feel it” doesn’t always mean proper stimulation)
9. Improper use of the Nautilus ab machines.
10. Seated Spinal Twist Machine (People in the health clubs flock in droves to this one believing it’s going to get rid of the love handlesnot so it seems).
Where else have you heard this type of “research has proven” stuff? On ab machine infomercials, that’s where. These guys are smart. They know the research exists but they take it a step further and camouflage the “research” part as meaning to reduce the waistline. You see the great looking models on the infomercials with great abs using the particular device being advertised and the before and after photos that seem pretty darn convincing. Yes, the research took place on abdominal contraction but it had NOTHING to do with waist reduction!
It all plays into the false belief of spot reduction but with a “research has proven” twist. And you know what? The ab devices aren’t the only ones using this method of selling, there are many others and some of them take it a step further and use heat imaging cameras to make you believe that you are actually localizing the fat burning process in a particular area. It’s false! There’s one particular product out there right now geared towards women that uses this form of marketing to make you believe “it works.” If you cannot see your abdominals or you do not have that nice toned look to the rest of your body it’s because there is a considerable layer of fat shrouding their existence and the ONLY way to lose that is through the combination of the right nutrition, moderate aerobic exercise and a concern for muscle.
I definitely want you to try these types of products if the infomercials have you convinced. No, I’m not being sarcastic; I’m serious. I want you to buy that device with high hopes of slimming down your waistline, feel your abs get sore at first so you know “it’s working,” be excited for the first few weeks about using it and then when too many other “things” get in the way of your daily abdominal sessions, tuck it under the bed and remind yourself on a daily basis that you need to work out but don’t have the time or motivation. I’m seriousbuy these products. There’s no reverse psychology here but DO NOT BLAME YOURSELF WHEN YOU DO NOT GET THE RESULTS YOU WERE HOPING FOR! If you don’t have a concern for the right nutrition, moderate aerobic exercise and a concern for muscle in a strategic and synergistic fashion then long term results will forever elude you.
Stay tuned for Part 4: The Supplement Labels That Say “Proprietary Blend.”
© David Otto *All Rights Reserved
David Otto is a Personal Trainer in the Hampton Roads area of Virginia. To receive David Otto’s e-newsletter “The Otto Report: Getting Real With Fitness,” simply send an email to celebpt@yahoo.com and request your copy.
Tags: curves, diet, exercise, fat, fit, fitness, franchise, gym, health, nutrition, slim, training, weight, workout