The True Beauty Of Fat Loss

The True Beauty Of Fat Loss by Matt Maresca

Have you ever accomplished something difficult?

I'm sure you have, so how did it feel?

I'd be willing to bet that it felt pretty darn good.

Now, let me give you a hypothetical example. Suppose you were to run a race against against someone with a broken leg. You, of course, win easilly. However, you do not end up feeling very satisfied. This is because it was, in fact, very easy. You did not actually accomplish anything great at all. Their was no thrill of victory. There was no satisfaction of achievement.

Suppose, on the other hand, you were to run a race against a former track star with two good legs. This, would be a much more difficult match. If you were to go on and win this one, it would be a remarkable accomplishment. You would feel great. You would go and brag to all your friends. It would be something to not easily be forgotten.

If you play chess and beat a nine year-old just learning how to play, you would not feel much from the victory. On the other hand, if you were to beat a world champion, it would be an unforgettable experience.

My point is that the beauty of fat loss is that it can be a monumental achievement in your life. It can be an experience that you never forget. It can drive you to bigger and better things. It can make you grow as a person.

And it can do all this because fat loss is not easy. It is a challenge.

I want you to take this challenge that you have in front of you and embrace it. Take full advantage of the opportunity to find out a lot about yourself.

I don't want you to just dig deeper like all the other people who are "giving it 110%". I want you to dig where they are all digging and then dig even further. Get to that point where 99.9% of people stop pushing and go a little bit further. Go to the point where you would normally stop and then take another step.

That is called growth. I want you to grow.

Fat loss is not just about a better body and better health. It is about finding a better you. And once you have found that "better you", it is about bringing that person out each and every day of your life.

That is what makes your fat loss journey so beautiful.

Go out and find yourself.

Try it with your next workout. Try to push a little harder than you would normally push to get in that extra rep or two. Push a little harder on the treadmill or bike. Take your workouts further than you would normally go. You will love how great it makes you feel.

You will find that next level in your mental strength. You will tap that previously untapped potential. And you will learn a little bit more about what your body and really do.

About the Author

Matt Maresca is a Fitness Coach specializing in fat loss. He has helped many people conquer their fat loss problems through diet, exercise and a revamped mental approach. To see more from Matt, visit www.conquerthefat.com

How To Stay Fit With An Office Or Computer Job

How To Stay Fit With An Office Or Computer Job by Ian Spellfield

"I live in the American Gardens Building on W. 81st Street on the 11th floor. My name is Patrick Bateman. I'm 27 years old. I believe in taking care of myself and a balanced diet and rigorous exercise routine. In the morning if my face is a little puffy I'll put on an ice pack while doing stomach crunches. I can do 1000 now."

-Patrick Bateman, "American Psycho" (2000)

Back in the day, it was easy for young professionals to stay fit. If you're anything like Patrick Bateman here, can you too use a combination of diet, rigorous exercise, stomach crunches and facial cream to stay fit and look young?

Becoming a "professional" is a massive change from your student lifestyle. Those convenient breaks in between classes when you went running or went to the gym no longer exist. Now you have coffee breaks where you go to Starbucks and get 200 calorie lattes. And you feel compelled to eat out all the time and order expensive dinners.

On top of all that, you're stationary for most of the day. If you could walk even an hour a day, you would burn around 300 calories. But will you have an hour a day? Here's how you can stay in shape when you have minimal time and are surrounded by unhealthy habits/food.

What You Eat

It's easy to get lured into ordering $30 ribs each night when you can expense it or when everyone else is doing the same. Instead, order healthier choices like salmon, lean chicken and vegetables. People in the workplace tend to have a herd mentality and will mock you at first. Ignore them. After a few months you can mock them when their pants no longer fit.

As far as other dinner foods, sushi is generally ok to order from restaurants. It's hard to add calories and fat to food that is uncooked to begin with. Also consider going to grocery stores like Whole Foods for dinner. Going to other places to eat also forces you to walk and get physical activity.

Aside from dinner, always eat breakfast and try to eat 6-7 small meals throughout the day rather than eating just a huge dinner and junk food throughout the day. If you have to, spend a little extra on groceries and bring your own food. Fruits, vegetables and yogurt are all good snacks.

What You Do

As a young professional, often the only part of the day you own is the morning. So if you work out or run, try to do it long before you have to be at work. Find a gym that is open 24/7 and use that for all your exercise needs.

If you have a job where you need to stay late every night and can't wake up early, go on the weekends or work out a time to go during the day. If you do it consistently, your managers should be fine with it.

Having an athletic office also helps a great deal - some offices will play sports together or do other activities on the weekends. Beyond just the benefits of exercise, this is also a good way to get to know others outside the context of work.

Try to take quick walking breaks every hour or whenever you can do so. If your friends always go to Starbucks, walk with them but don't order anything or just get tea.

What You Don't Do

What to avoid is almost as important as what to do when you're trying to maintain your health.

Drugs, alcohol and smoking.

It's just like D.A.R.E. back in elementary school, except now you're avoiding them because they'll make you fat. Alcohol in particular can be hard to avoid since your friends will want to go out and drink all the time. If you can't avoid it altogether, do it in moderation. I very rarely have more than a glass of wine now, and people don't even notice that I don't drink much.

No matter what you do, you will most likely get more out of shape from spending so much of your time in an office. By following the recommendations above, though, you can lessen the impact on your health and stay in relatively good shape.

For more on young professional lifestyle and tips, see Mergers & Inquisitions, a blog dedicated to career advice for ambitious recent graduates and college students.

About the Author

Ian works in the investment banking industry and offers tip to young professionals starting their careers and students seeking entry into the world of finance.

5 Reasons Why You Should Start Practicing Yoga And Meditation

5 Reasons Why You Should Start Practicing Yoga And Meditation by Dada Vedaprajinananda

The practice of yoga and meditation has become increasingly popular in the past few years, but I am sure that there are many people who are still asking themselves, "What's in it for me?" So, if you have been wondering whether it would be worth your time to start practicing yoga and meditation, I would like to give you five good reasons why it would be a very worthwhile activity for you.

1. Yoga and meditation will improve your health

Yoga postures put gentle pressure on the internal organs of the body and help them to function properly. In particular the postures help your digestive system to work smoothly and thus avoid problems such as constipation, acidity and indigestion, which are common conditions that can lead to more serious problems later on. Meditation and deep relaxation can be just what you need to lower your blood pressure. Thus, yoga postures plus meditation is a great combination for maintaining and improving health.

2. Yoga and meditation will help you to overcome bad habits

What's a "bad habit?" It's something that you are doing continually, and something that you know is harming you but you can't stop it. Are you smoking now? Maybe you thought it was good when you started, but you would now like to stop. The trouble is that it is not so easy to quit smoking or a similar habit once it has become established.

This is where yoga and meditation can help you out. The yoga postures help you to become more relaxed and mentally balanced. Meditation can help you to concentrate your mind and build up your will-power. Once you become internally balanced and have a stronger will power, it will become possible for you to break any habit, even one that you have been troubled by for many years.

3. Yoga and meditation will help you to lose weight

Obesity is one of the biggest health problems of the modern era. Our lives have become more sedentary and our food sources have changed over the last 100 years and this why many adults and even children are now overweight.

Although this is a life-style problem, it is something that can be dealt with. The surest way to lose weight is to get more exercise and to control what you are eating. This is of course, easier said than done. But yoga and meditation can help you out. There are some yoga postures that are helpful in weight loss programs. Similarly, the mental strength that you can get from both yoga postures and from meditation can help you to gain a better control over your diet and this can result in healthy and permanent weight loss.

4. Yoga and meditation will bring you inner peace

You may be earning a lot of money and you may have a lot of social prestige but is physical or social wealth the goal of your life? Whatever material or social wealth you have, if you are not contented, satisfied and at peace with yourself then you will not be a happy person.

The goal of meditation is to help you find the inner core of your being. Who are you? Is it the name and address on your identity card? If you start meditating you will find that deep within you is a pool of infinite love and peace. This is the real you. If you can reach this place, then you will find peace and contentment; it is guaranteed!

5. Yoga and meditation will make you a wiser person

Every one of us has made mistakes that we regret. There is nothing we can do about the past. We can't go back in time and not make the mistakes. But what we can do is to build up our capacity to see what has permanent value and what is transitory. When we attain this state of discrimination, then we will not do actions that we will regret later on.

Meditation helps a person to go beyond the "chatter" of the mind and attain a state of wisdom that will always be of help. Wisdom does not mean stuffing your mind with "facts" but it does mean to have a mind that will choose a course of action that brings about the welfare of everyone.

I have a list with many more reasons why yoga and meditation are helpful, but I thought I would start off with these five reasons. So, if any one of these items are interesting for you, then why not see for yourself, and start practicing yoga and meditation?

About the Author

Dada Vedaprajinananda is a senior yoga teacher with the Ananda Marga Meditation Society. He is also the editor of the Life Weight Loss website where you can find more articles on health, weight loss, self improvement and spirituality. Visit the directory at http://www.lifeweightloss.com

"Secrets To A Lean & Fit Body"

"Secrets To A Lean & Fit Body" by Patrick Delaney

If you want to reduce your body fat, focus on increasing the amount of exercise you get rather than decreasing your food intake. A recent national study was done using two groups of sedentary men, one group in their 20's and the other over age 65. A lot was learned from this accumulated data and it is interesting to note that there was a significant relationship between lack of physical activity and fat. Not surprisingly, the most sedentary men had the most body fat.

These studies have also indicated that the governments current recomended daily allowance for calories does not correlate with the body's actual energy needs. For example, although 2400 calories have been calculated for older men, they in fact burned an average of 2800 calories daily.

The leading experts now recommend that people who want to lose weight start increasing their physical activity. Just being more active in general (such as climbing the stairs instead of taking the elevator, moving around instead of sitting still, sitting up instead of lying down as well as showing some excitement and enthusiasm instead of boredom), are things that more effec tively burns calories and reduces body fat. Everyone seems to have lost sight of the value of being active. Consider this, a half-hour aerobic workout accounts for far less energy expenditure than our minute-to-minute movement in the office or at home.

Millions of Americans are trying to lose weight, spending approximate§ly $30 billion a year on diet programs and products, often they do lose some weight. But, if you check with the same people five years later, you will find that nearly all have regained whatever weight they lost. A national panel recently sought data to determine if any commercial diet program could prove long-term success. Not a single program could do so.

Being seriously overweight and particularly obesity predisposes individuals to a number of diseases and serious health problems, and it's now a known fact that when caloric intake is excessive, some of the excess frequently is saturated fat.

People who diet without exercising often get fatter with time. Although your weight may initially drop while dieting, such weight loss consists mostly of water and muscle. When the weight returns, it comes back as fat. To avoid getting fatter over time, increase your metabolism by exercising regularly.

Walking is one of the best exercises for strengthening bones, controlling weight, toning the leg muscles, maintaining good posture and improving positive self-concept.

To lose weight, it's more important to walk for time than speed. Walking at a moderate pace yields longer workouts with less soreness - leading t more miles and more fat worked off on a regular basis. High intensity walks on alternate days help condition one's system. But in a walking, weight-loss program, you are not requried to walk an hour every day as some people would have you believe.

About the Author

I'm a marketing consultant who is in the best shape of my life thanks to this program.

If you would like to have the body you use to have back go to: http://www.getleanandfit.net

Top 10 Fat Loss Foods for Rapid Weight Loss

Top 10 Fat Loss Foods for Rapid Weight Loss by Todd Scott

Melting fat starts in your kitchen. If you don't have the right foods for fat loss, your chances of accelerating weight loss efforts will be severely hindered. So the best tool to drop the weight is to keep your kitchen stocked with healthy foods that will enable you to work towards your fitness goals. Below are MUST-HAVE foods for your kitchen if your goal is weight loss.

Cottage Cheese: Low calorie, high protein snack absorbs the flavor of any food you mix it with, whether it's tuna, nuts, or yogurt. At 90 calories & 14 grams of protein per serving, you can't go wrong using this for one of your snack foods. Absolutely delicious when mixed with yogurt.

Yogurt: Low in calories and filled with nutrients, this food will satisfy your sweet tooth. Provides a bit of protein, and tastes delicious when mixed with nuts or cottage cheese.

Almonds - The fitness nut has all the nutrients you need to stay on track. While it may appear to be high in fat, it's contains the good fat you need to actually burn fat. Believe it or not, our bodies need fat to function. There's no better place to get it than in Almonds.

Chicken Breast - Chicken breast is a staple to any fitness buff's diet. It provides tons of muscle building fat burning protein. 4-5 ounces at a time is all you need to get 30-40 grams of protein. There are so many different ways you can prepare chicken, you'll never get tired of it.

Lean Hamburger Meat - I know, many people think hamburger meat is "bad". But if you buy the lean ground beef, it'll yield about 4 grams of fat, and a whopping 20-25 grams of protein per 4 ounces. Put it with whole wheat bread, and you'll have the ultimate meal balance.

Tilapia - For those who aren't keen on fish, tilapia is the absolute best. Filled with omega-3's to rev your metabolism.. and the best part is it doesn't taste "fishy." Contains 20-25 grams of protein per 4 ounces, and is super easy to prepare!

Shrimp - Another protein of the sea. Shrimp is jam packed with protein, and you can eat tons of it and only take in a few calories. You can use it to dip into cocktail sauce, or you can mix it with whole wheat pasta for a balanced meal!

Whole Wheat Pasta - Void of processed flour, this is the ultimate carb. It'll help maintain your insulin levels for you to burn fat 24/7, and mixes well with tuna, shrimp, lean hamburger meat, or chicken. Add a bit of low calorie sauce, and you have the perfect snack.

Sweet Potatoes - If anything cures a sweet tooth, it's sweet potatoes. Containing slow absorbing carbs, it's a must have for any fitness buff. Mix it with a moderate amount of protein, and you'll be satisfied and full of energy. Whole Wheat Bread - Many people say stay away from breads of any kind. I'm hear to tell you, whole wheat bread is perfect for lean hamburgers, tuna sandwiches, and even just a carb filler on the side. It'll keep your energy levels stable, and allow you to hit the gym running.

If you keep your kitchen stocked with these foods, you can't go wrong... and you'll prime your body to burn fat 24 hours a day, 7 days a week!

About the Author

Todd Scott is a training advisor to Men's Fitness magazine and creator of the internet's best selling book http://HowToGetSixPackAbs.com. To learn more go to the six pack diet homepage.

Also, grab a free report on the truth about losing body fat and abs workouts at Six Pack Abs Homepage

7 Quick And Easy Teen Weight Loss Tips

7 Quick And Easy Teen Weight Loss Tips by Darlene Nicholson

Are you looking for some quick and easy teen weight loss tips? Then you've come to the right spot! These positive weight loss tips will get your overweight teen off that couch, away from the computer and on his or her way to a happier, healthier life!

One of the biggest contributing factors to being overweight as a teen has to do with a sedentary lifestyle. There's so much entertainment geared towards sitting in front of a screen that kids tend to do just that. What motivation does your teen have to leave the screens behind and get some exercise? The key to these teen weight loss tips is to make exercise fun!

Teen weight loss tip #1: Does your teen like to spend time at the mall? Teach them the art of window shopping - fast window shopping! Take your teen to the mall early in the morning and join the mall walkers. As you walk at a brisk pace, your teen can check out all the store windows. This can even serve as a fashion education for you, Mom or Dad!

Teen weight loss tip #2: Racquetball! Many physical activities help a person work off a bad mood, but racquetball allows your teen to pummel a bad mood! Teenagers are not lacking in emotional ups and downs. This ramped up tennis-like sport can really work off stress and calories at the same time. Check out your local parks and recreational facilities for free courts and go purchase a couple of cheap racquets and balls for you and your teen.

Teen weight loss tip #3: Let's go fly a kite! Kites can actually become a pretty cool hobby that offers exercise as well. Find a big field free of trees and go run some kites. This might be something a group of your teens friends will find fun and challenging as they learn to do tricks with their kites. Hey, maybe they'll start a new trend!

Teen weight loss tip #4: Bring your teen to the gym with you. Most fitness clubs offer use of their entire facilities for teenagers. If this is something in your budget, it can be a great way to help your teen make exercise a part of their lives. There are so many options for working out at a gym that your teen is bound to find an activity they love. They might even be encouraged by observing healthy people at work on their bodies.

Teen weight loss tip #5: Become running (or walking) buddies! Going for a run or brisk walk in the morning with your teen not only benefits your child, but you as well. So set those alarm clocks a little earlier and hit the road. I haven't met many teenagers that love to jump out of bed in the morning, so you may have to use a little bribery. It takes three weeks to make something a habit, good or bad. Tell them if they run with you for three weeks, you'll buy them that new video game they've been wanting. Hey, I know, bribery isn't the best parenting method, but break the rule for something this important! You're giving your child a chance to form an exercise habit that they just might keep for a lifetime!

Teen weight loss tip #6: Golf. What? Tiger Woods is in fantastic shape! Alright, so I realize that golf isn't as ramped up as the rest of these tips, but walking an 18-hole course over two hours burns more calories than you might think. Couple that with carrying a golf bag and you've got a pretty decent activity! Obviously, you need to leave the golf cart behind. Besides, if your overweight child is less of the athletic type and more of the book worm, intellectual type, he or she will probably enjoy a skilled sport such as golf.

Teen weight loss tip #7: Exercise classes. If you don't belong to a gym, our local community center or parks and rec organizations might offer classes for your teen to explore other areas of exercise. Perhaps your teen just hasn't found something they like. There are so many forms of exercise out there that the possibilities are endless: yoga, Pilates, Yogalates, kick-boxing, karate, Kung Fu, hip-hop...

The best teen weight loss tip I can give you is to just get your teen moving. Be a positive influence for your teen and get moving with them!

About the Author

From a sickly little girl to a healthy chef to the stars, Darlene Nicholson transformed herself into The "Kick in the Butt" Healthy Lifestyle Expert and creator of the popular DVD "The Healthy Grocery Store Tour". Grab a copy of her free ebook "4 Steps to Permanent Weight Loss"...guaranteed to open your eyes to how easy weight loss can be with the right plan of attack.

Why Fitness Is A Quest And Not An Event

Why Fitness Is A Quest And Not An Event by Zach Hunt

Have you started yet? On your journey toward weight loss and better fitness. Have you advanced toward your goal at all?

Or are you going to "wait until next Monday" to start your fitness plan.

There's a story about a frog. Now this frog wasn't particularly smart. On one particular day this frog slipped into that barrel only half full of liquid. He was very close to drowning, and the other frogs were on top of the barrel and taunting him while he was trying to swim.

But this frog was so dumb he thought they were cheering him on, so he paddled faster and faster and faster until he churned the cream into butter, and then he was able to hop back out of the barrel. It's a great story I know!

Why does this relate to fitness?

Well, maybe your not "ready" to lose weight, you don't know what to do, you don't want to make a fool of yourself, you don't want to....(or any other excuse out there.

No matter what your current fitness level or situation - it doesn't matter!! Just get going.

I certainly know this, if you don't get started, you won't finish. As the saying goes, if you keep doing what you've always done you'll only get what you've already got.

Even if you don't know what to do, the first step is to find out what to do to maximize your weight loss. Maybe that first step is to find a quality personal trainer or fitness coach that can help you achieve your fitness goals in a tenth the time as on your own.

It's not a good idea to be like a scorpion in south America. In its aggressiveness on himself he will sting itself and die of its own poison.

In other words don't ever quit your quest for fitness. Don't ever quit!! (I said that again for emphasis.)

A torpedo/missile does not "think out" all its errors in advance, and attempt to correct them in advance. It has to get going first - moving toward it's enemy target, correcting errors as it gets closer toward its goal.

That's just like with fitness. You most likely won't start with that unobtainable "perfect" plan. Just get going and adjust as you learn more and find out what works for you.

We need to focus on any and even the smallest improvement toward overall fitness. Not the failures or what it has taken to get those improvements.

Just keep going toward that dream or goal you believe in, if you believe it that's all that counts, you don't need to convince anyone else of your goal for it to be your goal of weight loss and for it to become a reality.