Accept Your Body and Learn to Have a Positive Self Image

Because thin females and muscular males are seen as the ideal in our society and because we have come to believe that body size and shape are totally under a person's control, most people enter diet and exercise programs with unrealistic goals and expectations. 

If you continually strive to achieve a socially imposed ideal, you will never be free of your insecurities or your self-consciousness. You must truly realize and then learn to accept that we are not all meant to be fashion-model size.

Our body size and structure reflects not only our eating and exercise habits but also our genetics. 

The role this latter factor plays in determining weight seems to vary greatly between individuals. We are all born with a certain body type inherited from our parents. 

Although hardly anyone is a pure body type, there are three different applicable categories: ectomorphs, mesomorphs, and endomorphs.

Characteristically, ectomorphs have a light build with slight muscular development. They are usually tall and thin with small frames and narrow hips and shoulders.

Mesomorphs have a husky, muscular build. They often have broad shoulders, and their weight is concentrated in the upper body, making them look compact or stocky.

Endomorphs are characterized by a heavy, rounded build with shoulders usually narrower than their hips. They have a round, soft appearance and are more often overweight or obese.

When we understand and appreciate our bodies, we are able to work with them, not against them. Although many of us are a combination of two body types, we cannot become what we are not.

 However, everyone can improve their appearance and their health and performance levels by implementing the principles of a safe and effective eating and exercise program.

Even if you have a genetic predisposition to being overweight, the way you live is what ultimately determines whether you become fat. 

Genes clearly play a role, but they certainly don't determine what you're going to have for dinner or how often you exercise. Chances are if you're living an unhealthy lifestyle, you'll become fat and unhealthy.

All of us can't be thin. But every single one of us can be healthy. By focusing on what you're eating and how much you're exercising, you'll be able to achieve optimum health and fitness, even though you may not achieve society's ideal of thinness. 

Accepting yourself does not mean that you're hopeless and that it's okay to do nothing. It means that you feel good and care about yourself, and that you want to be the very best you can be, regardless of your genetics, regardless of society's standards.

To achieve this level of optimum wellness, you must have a positive self image. This means that your feelings about your body are not influenced by events in your daily life. 

For many people, life's problems are projected onto their body. "If only I were thinner--or more muscular, I would have made the team, gotten the job, been chosen. . . . If only I were thinner--or more muscular, I could meet more people, find the right guy/girl, be happy.

" This self-defeating habit is reinforced by the images we see in advertising; your body becomes an easy target for everything wrong in your life.

When you have a positive self-image, you value and respect your body; you are also more likely to feel good about living a healthy lifestyle.

No matter how much genetics predetermines how you store and lose fat, the body you've been given will still respond positively to being appreciated and treated well. 

Focusing on fun physical activity and eating healthy foods will help you feel good whatever your size. Developing a healthy, positive image of yourself is the first critical factor in your fitness success. 

Having a strong sense of self-worth provides the basis for making rational and affirming decisions about your health. Good luck, stay positive, and enjoy all the wonderful benefits of a healthy, active lifestyle!

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By Chad Tackett, President of Global Health and Fitness
http://www.global-fitness.com 

Three Things Every Exercise Program Should Have

1. What you should know to design a safe and effective exercise program:

A complete fitness program must include aerobic exercise, muscular strength and endurance conditioning, and flexibility exercise. 

Aerobic exercise does good things for your cardiovascular system and is an important part of weight management. Muscular conditioning can improve strength and posture, reduce the risk of lower back injury, and is also an important component of a weight management program.

Flexibility exercise is needed to maintain joint range of motion and reduce the risk of injury and muscle soreness.

2. Aerobic exercise can be as simple as walking:
 
Walking is a weight-bearing aerobic exercise. So are jogging, rope skipping and dance-exercise. Aerobic exercise is any activity that uses large muscle groups in a continuous, rhythmic fashion for sustained periods of time.

There are also non-weight-bearing aerobic exercises, such as bicycling, stationary cycling, swimming and rowing.

Keep the pace comfortable. A very important aspect of your exercise program is the intensity. You should exercise at a comfortable pace. You can measure your exercise heart rate to check the intensity of your exercising, or you can take the 'talk test.'

To measure your heart rate, take your pulse as soon as you stop exercising. Count your heartbeat for 10 seconds, then multiply that by six to convert it to a one-minute heart rate. 

If you keep your exercise heart rate within a range of 55 percent to 80 percent of an estimated maximum heart rate (220 minus your age), you're doing well.

The talk test is easier to accomplish. Just exercise at a pace that allows you to carry on a conversation while you're exercising.

How often should you exercise?Three to four days of aerobic activity is fine for general health maintenance. If you're trying to lose weight, aim for four or more days a week, being sure you take off at least one day a week.

How long should you exercise?Work up to 20 or more minutes per session for general health maintenance. For weight loss, gradually work up to 45 minutes or longer at low to moderate intensities in a low- or no-impact activity.

3. Strength conditioning gives you a choice
Pick calisthenics, free weights or machines. Just be sure that your strength training includes exercises for every major muscle group, including the muscles of the arms, chest, back, stomach, hips and legs.

Start with a weight that's comfortable to handle and keep it up for eight repetitions. Gradually add more repetitions until you can complete 12 repetitions. 

For greater strength conditioning, add more weight and/or more repetitions, in sets of eight to 12, when the exercise becomes easy.

Stretch for flexibility
Proper stretching involves holding a mild stretch of 10 to 30 seconds while you breathe normally. Always warm up before you stretch. Like strength conditioning, flexibility exercises should include stretching for all the major muscle groups.

One last thing to remember . . . Always check with your doctor before beginning any exercise program, especially if you're over 40, or have cardiovascular risk factors, such as smoking, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes or a family history of heart disease.

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Source: ACE FitnessMatters; Learn more about ACE FitnessMatters online.

Weight loss: 6 strategies for success

Make your weight-loss goals a reality. Follow these proven strategies.

By Mayo Clinic staff

Hundreds of fad diets, weight-loss programs and outright scams promise quick and easy weight loss. However, the foundation of every successful weight-loss program remains a healthy, calorie-controlled diet combined with exercise.

 For successful, long-term weight loss, you must make permanent changes in your lifestyle and health habits.

How do you make those permanent changes? Consider following these six strategies for weight-loss success.

1. Make a commitment

Permanent weight loss takes time and effort — and a lifelong commitment. Make sure that you're ready to make permanent changes and that you do so for the right reasons.

To stay committed to your weight loss, you need to be focused. It takes a lot of mental and physical energy to change your habits. So as you're planning new weight-loss-related lifestyle changes, make a plan to address other stresses in your life first, such as financial problems or relationship conflicts. 

While these stresses may never go away completely, managing them better should improve your ability to focus on achieving a healthier lifestyle. Then, once you're ready to launch your weight-loss plan, set a start date and then — start.

2. Find your inner motivation

No one else can make you lose weight. You must undertake diet and exercise changes to please yourself. What's going to give you the burning drive to stick to your weight-loss plan? Make a list of what's important to you to help stay motivated and focused, whether it's an upcoming beach vacation or better overall health. 

Then find a way to make sure that you can call on your motivational factors during moments of temptation. Perhaps you want to post an encouraging note to yourself on the pantry door, for instance.

While you have to take responsibility for your own behavior for successful weight loss, it helps to have support — of the right kind. 

Pick people to support you who will encourage you in positive ways, without shame, embarrassment or sabotage. Ideally, find people who will listen to your concerns and feelings, spend time exercising with you or creating healthy menus, and who will share the priority you've placed on developing a healthier lifestyle. 

Your support group can also offer accountability, which can be a strong motivation to stick to your weight-loss goals. If you prefer to keep your weight-loss plans private, be accountable to yourself by having regular weigh-ins and recording your diet and exercise progress in a journal.

3. Set realistic goals

It may seem obvious to set realistic weight-loss goals. But do you really know what's realistic? Over the long term, it's best to aim for losing 1 to 2 pounds (0.5 to 1 kilogram) a week, although initially you might lose weight more quickly than that if you make significant changes — just be sure the changes are health supporting. 

To lose 1 to 2 pounds a week, you need to burn 500 to 1,000 calories more than you consume each day, through a lower calorie diet and regular exercise.

When you're setting goals, think about both process and outcome goals. "Exercise regularly" is an example of a process goal, while "Lose 30 pounds" is an example of an outcome goal. 

It isn't essential that you have an outcome goal, but you should set process goals because changing your processes — your habits — is a key to weight loss. Also make sure that your goals are SMART: specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and time-limited. 

An example of a SMART goal is aiming to walk for 30 minutes a day, five days a week for the next three months, and logging your results.

4. Enjoy healthier foods

Adopting a new eating style that promotes weight loss must include lowering your total calorie intake. But decreasing calories need not mean giving up taste, satisfaction or even ease of meal preparation. 

One way you can lower your calorie intake is by eating more plant-based foods — fruits, vegetables and whole grains. Strive for variety to help you achieve your goals without giving up taste or nutrition.

In particular, get your weight loss started by eating a healthy breakfast every day; eating at least four servings of vegetables and three servings of fruits daily; and using healthy fats, such as olive oil, vegetable oils and nut butters. 

In addition, cut back on sugar, choose low-fat dairy products and keep meat consumption to a 3-ounce portion (about the size of a deck of cards).

5. Get active, stay active

The key to weight loss is burning more calories than you consume. Because 3,500 calories equals about 1 pound (0.5 kilogram) of fat, you need to burn 3,500 calories more than you take in to lose 1 pound. 

So if you cut 500 calories from your typical diet each day, you'd lose about 1 pound a week (500 calories x 7 days = 3,500 calories).

While you can lose weight without exercise, exercise plus calorie restriction can help give you the weight-loss edge. Exercise can help burn off the excess calories you can't cut through diet alone. 

Exercise also offers numerous health benefits, including boosting your mood, strengthening your cardiovascular system and reducing your blood pressure. Exercise can also help in maintaining weight loss. Studies show that people who maintain their weight loss over the long term get regular physical activity.

How many calories you burn depends on the frequency, duration and intensity of your activities. One of the best ways to lose body fat is through steady aerobic exercise — such as brisk walking — for at least 30 minutes most days of the week. 

Any extra movement helps burn calories, though. Lifestyle activities may be easier to fit into your day. Think about ways you can increase your physical activity throughout the day if you can't fit in formal exercise on a given day. For example, make several trips up and down stairs instead of using the elevator, or park at the far end of the lot when shopping.

6. Change your perspective

It's not enough to eat healthy foods and exercise for only a few weeks or even months if you want long-term, successful weight loss. These habits must become a way of life. Lifestyle changes start with taking an honest look at your eating patterns and daily routine. 

After assessing your personal challenges to weight loss, try working out a strategy to gradually change habits and attitudes that have sabotaged your past efforts.

And you have to move beyond simply recognizing your challenges — you have to plan for how you'll deal with them if you're going to succeed in losing weight once and for all.

You likely will have an occasional setback. But instead of giving up entirely after a setback, simply start fresh the next day. Remember that you're planning to change your life. It won't happen all at once. Stick to your healthy lifestyle and the results will be worth it.

The Importance of Physical Fitness for Weight Loss

Physical fitness and nutrition are two of the most important components of a healthy lifestyle. A lot of movement and intentional exercise are not only essential for weight management, but they are beneficial for the overall health as they help to improve the cardiovascular and musculoskeletal systems. 

The American College of Sports Medicine has published a pronouncement in their official journal, suggesting that the increased levels of physical activity may be necessary for weight loss and for the prevention of weight regain, as well.

Among the recommendations of the statement, the ACSM position emphasizes the importance of physical fitness for weight management. Here are the prominent points that show the relation between physical activity and weight loss:

• Nowadays, weight management is a pressing public health concern, as more than 60 percent of U.S. adults either overweight or obese. Only as little as a two to three percent decrease in excessive body weight can be beneficial toward the improvement in chronic disease risk factors.


• To achieve weight loss results and prevent weight regain, larger levels of physical exercise/activities on regular basis are needed.


• For the prevention of weight gain - 150-250 minutes a week of physical activity at a moderate-intensity rate is recommended. For more than 150 minutes every week spent in exercise, modest results of weight loss are expected.


• Achieving weight loss - 150-250 minutes a week of physical fitness can lead to only modest results. Greater amounts will most likely provide clinically considerable reduction of body weight.


• To maintain body weight and prevent regain - more than 250 minutes a week of exercise are considered to be helpful.


• Energy-balanced diet along with regular physical fitness will lead to greater decrease in body weight, rather than dieting alone.

In general the recommendations for adults are of at least 150 minutes/week, or 30 minutes - 5 days a week, of moderate-intensity physical activity in order to prevent significant weight gain and for the reduction of associated chronic disease risk factors. 

If such activity levels are maintained steadily in the long-term, overweight and obese people will most likely experience greater weight loss, than slightly overweight people. 

However, to prevent weight regain and to further promote greater weight reduction - more than 250 minutes of moderate-intensity physical fitness, distributed evenly throughout the week, is advisable.

Along with aerobic exercises, strength or resistant-training is also important to improve the musculoskeletal system, promote muscle mass development and to further decrease many health risks.

About the author:
Diyan Dimitrov specializes in the field of health, fitness, diet and nutrition. He is a writer at Weightlosspills-review.net, who publishes articles on healthy weight management and creates objective weight loss pills review of popular brand names, based on clinical data, scientific information for safety, and user ratings.

The Weight Loss Results of a 185-Pound Mother of Three

The results of my weight loss endeavor is nothing short of phenomenal. It's been only about a month since I started the fatloss4idiots diet plan and I have already lost 23 pounds.

The results are better than I have expected them to be. This weight loss diet really gives me hope that I could be successful fighting the fats that I have so helplessly been trying to get rid off all these years.

Let's do a simple math and see when I can achieve my long term weight objective of 110 pounds. I hit the scale at 185 pounds before I started this weight loss diet, and I managed to reduce my weight by 23 pounds in about a month. 

My weight is now 185 - 23 = 162 pounds. In order to reach 110 pounds, it will take me approximately 2.3 months to achieve my goal (162-110/23), assuming I consistently lose 23 pounds every month.

This is really the beginning of a new dawn for me. Before I started, I never thought I could make it this far. What is even more amazing is that I am able to lose so much weight successfully in such a short time. It is really the icing on the cake.

Now it's only a matter of weight management and maintenance. How easy is that! The weight loss result so far is so good that it is itself the motivator that keeps spurring me on everyday.

I know there are many people who have gone through what I went through before I discovered this diet program. If you are one of them, I am proof that there are diet programs out there that really work.

Weight loss results>differ from person to person. I guess the fact that I have been able to shed so much weight in such a short time is in no small part due to my determination and desire to make it work. Of course it helps to have a good program that can make your efforts so much easier.

As well, family support plays a very important part in whatever you do. My kids are too young to know about dieting, but I am fortunate to have a very supportive husband who keeps encouraging me.

Although I have some way to go before I reach my objective, I am confident I will be there in the end.

Vivianne was an overweight mom of three desperately seeking ways to lose weight. Ever since she discovered the shifting calories diet [http://shiftingcaloriesdiet.com/i-hate-being-fat/#comment-7], her weight has gone down drastically in only a few short months with this simple weight loss diet plan.

How to Gain Weight For Women - 3 Things Skinny Girls Need to Know to Gain Weight

If you're a skinny girl and looking for information on how to gain weight for women then you're no doubt sick and tired of the media's constant barrage of TV programs and dieting gurus telling folks how to LOSE weight, but virtual neglect of what a person can actually do to put on weight.

What's worse is that I'm sure some folks even probably give you a jealous look when you say that no matter how hard you try and how much you eat you just can't seem to put on a few extra pounds. 

Most people just don't understand how frustrating it can be to want to gain weight and feeling like you can't.

Don't worry though, the good news is that there are steps that you can take when thinking about how to gain weight for women...and, believe it or not, you can take a lesson from the how the boys do it on this one.

The 2 Different Meanings Of "Weight"

When a woman says she wants to gain weight she doesn't really want to gain FAT, but she is often frightened of gaining muscle - and will often say "I don't want to be a bodybuilder or anything".

Unfortunately, there are only two ways to gain weight - in fat or muscle. And the problem with gaining fat is that it often distributes itself unevenly on your body, with little regard to where YOU want it.

Building muscle and making some weight training a part of your weekly workouts is the single best way of how to gain weight for women without getting fat. 

There's no need to frightened of it...you won't end up as a bodybuilder - in fact women's bodies simply don't produce enough testosterone to become really muscular.

Also, muscle mass weighs more than fat, so a little extra muscle can make a huge difference in your overall weight.

Avoid The Same Old Cardio Exercises

These are used to burn fat and LOSE weight, not gain it. As mentioned above, the best thing you can do is to add some weights into your routine and starting working past your comfort zone. That is the only way to gain muscle mass, and thus extra weight.

Loads of repetitions and many sets on light weights won't cut it either - that is better used for toning, and muscular endurance. 

You need continually increasing resistance to force the muscles to grow, so limit your repetitions to between 4-8 per set, and a total of around 8-10 sets per workout TOTAL (that's including all your exercises).

Eat More To Gain Weight

Consume more calories around 500-1000 more per day and have 6 smaller meals spread over the whole day - this will keep your metabolism consistent and keep a constant supply of energy feeding your muscles.

Increase your protein intake to around 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight (so if you weigh 150 pounds then you'll need at least 150 grams of protein per day).

Try adding protein powders to your daily diet and use them as one of your meals in the form of a shake with an added banana, strawberries, or other fruits.

There are some great protein powders on the market, like 100% Whey, and others specially tailored to a woman's nutritional requirements. Go to my site for more info on protein powders for women

Discover the secrets of how a frail ex-runway model packed on 10 pounds of strong muscle in 3 months becoming a top fitness model in the process ==> How To Gain Weight For Women

How Do I Gain Weight?

Try asking people how to gain weight and you'll likely see some bewildered faces staring back at you. For the majority of people, hearing that question is akin to hearing the questions, "How do I stub my toe?" or "How do I run out of gas?"

Those confused faces not withstanding, the question is a legitimate one and one that frustrates those who find themselves on the light end of the scale. 

While those on the heavy end can't get through a commercial break or flip through more than five pages of a magazine without someone offering up a solution to their  weight problems, it can be a lonely struggle for those who want to put on weight.

If you are lucky enough to get a reasoned response to your question, it will probably involve the words "eat more." That, despite being obvious, is great advice. 

Quite simply, to gain weight you will need to up your calorie consumption to the point where you consume more calories than you expend. Couple an increased caloric intake with a little weight training and you have the recipe for healthy weight gain.

You may think you eat a lot, even enough to keep pace with your more weight-furnished friends, but you are probably over-estimating your intake. 

After a trip to the doctor's office to rule out medical causes for your inability to bulk up (thyroid disease and other medical problems can hamper weight gain), a first step to designing an effective weight gain program is to journal your eating habits. Counting calories for a week will give you an accurate view of your diet.

From there, increase your daily caloric intake by about 300-500 calories until you start putting on the pounds. 

Keep in mind though, while your caloric intake will directly influence your bodyweight, it will be other factors like the types of food you eat and your weight training regimen that decide the type of weight  you are putting on. 

So if you are after an aesthetically pleasing weight gain, that of lean muscle weight as opposed to just some extra body fat to lug around, it will be important to pay attention to these factors.

To get the most muscle out of your weight gain, avoid the junk food and focus on eating whole foods. 

A good weight gain diet should be composed of 30-50% protein, 20-50% carbohydrates and 20-40% fat (the majority of which should be essential fatty acids). 

Different ratios within these ranges will work differently for different people. Keep up your food journal and experiment to find the ratios that work best for you.

Providing your body with the materials it needs to build muscle is only one piece of the puzzle. A weight training program designed to give the body a reason to add some muscle will be very important to achieving your goals. 

Your workout routines should concentrate on compound weight lifting exercises  (those that involve multiple muscle groups like the squat or bench press) with weights that allow you to do 6 to 12 reps per set. 

Higher rep ranges will tone your muscles but may not sufficiently signal the body into muscle growth. Try to either increase the amount of weight lifted or the reps completed with each workout.

Don't go overboard with your workouts. Two or three one-hour workouts per week done with intensity should do the trick. Too often those that have trouble gaining weight (hardgainers) spend too much time in the gym. 

This can be counterproductive in two ways. First, it means you are burning off a lot of the calories that could otherwise be used to build muscle and, second, you can over-train your muscles by working them too hard, basically making them unresponsive.

If you are looking for some company in your quest to gain weight, venture into the bodybuilding community. There you will find many people also seeking ways to put on lean muscle mass. 

You will also find many products marketed to help you gain weight. Be very cautious when looking at these products. Gaining weight may not be as in demand as losing weight but it is still big business and there are a lot of companies out there looking to take your money. While some of these products can help, others aren't necessary.

With a little motivation, a weight gain diet and a solid weight training program in place you will have all you need to achieve your gain weight goals. Better yet, you will never again have to ask that question that gets all those funny looks aimed back at you.

JP Clifford is an avid natural bodybuilder and creator of The Build Muscle and Gain Weight Fast Guide, a free online resource for those looking to gain muscle mass. Visit the site for more tips on diet and weight lifting designed to help you bulk up.