Resveratrol Health Supplements

Is it necessary to take health supplements?  Do you already take nutritional supplements regularly?

Maybe you don’t believe in taking health supplements. I can understand why – some people don’t believe that health supplements are necessary as most people base their standard of health on how they are feeling(and often don’t actually realise just how bad they feel until they make some changes and start feeling better!).  But even if you do really feel great, just because you feel that you are healthy and that you’re in good shape doesn’t mean that you don’t need to take health supplements.

For example if your goal is to build more muscle, you may find that you need to consume some high protein, muscle building supplements such as whey and casein.  Yes, you might be able to do without them, but pretty much all serious body builders use them so there must be something to them right?

Even if it’s only for the sake of convenience – they’re quick and easy when you’re on the move and trying to fit in the perfect muscle building diet into your hectic lifestyle. Do you really want to cart around your protein supply of fish, chicken breast, and eggs? Whilst definitely not impossible, getting enough protein from your food sources when you are in a serious muscle building program can be a chore without protein supplements.

Muscle building aside, when it comes to health, many people start looking for nutritional supplements after illness starts to become a problem, or when they suddenly realise they’re aging badly and want to reverse the process or slow it down,  or they start to experience joint pains and other issues that make life less enjoyable. Searching for supplements at this point is backwards – starting at the end and trying to reverse a process that’s already well under way. Prevention is the best option, always, and the prevention of health problems and slowing of aging can be greatly assisted with the aid of good quality health supplements and a good supplement program used along with a healthy lifestyle.

It’s a sad fact that nutritional deficiencies are impossible to avoid nowadays if you are relying only on food. Even if your diet is perfect and you only eat organic etc etc, the fact is that our bodies need more nutrition these days than ever before in history as we have so many chemicals, toxins and other stressors to cope with, that we need all the help we can get!

Let alone if you’re eating as most of us do – some processed foods here and there, nutrient deficient fruit and vegetables that are grown commercially and partaking in some of lifes little pleasures such as drinking alcohol or smoking.

Take a good look at your lifestyle. What’s your diet like? Be honest! Do you eat perfectly? Do you exercise as much as you should? Do you avoid chemicals completely?  Do you live a relaxed stress free existence? Didn’t think so…..

I’m definitely not saying that health supplements should replace good proper nutrition from meals as food should always be your number one source of nutrition. Supplements are designed to complement your diet to make sure that you get enough nutrients for your body to function well.

Nutritional supplements can also help to keep your immune system healthy. The stronger and healthier your immune system is, the more resistant your body will be against to disease – not only those that come instantly to mind such as colds and flu’s, but also metabolic diseases such as cancer.

Health supplements help our bodies to get rid of the many toxins that we all come into contact with everyday without even realising it. They can help our organs of elimination such as our live and kidneys to ge rid of these toxins and waste products. The environmental stressors that we are bombarded with these days, as well as our lifestyle, subject us to many harmful toxins which can over time, lead to really serious health problems. For example anti-oxidants such as resveratrol help our bodies to clean up free radicals caused by these toxins and stressors and stop them from doing the damage that they will if left in the body.

These are only some of ways that good quality health supplements can be effective in helping you to lose weight, add muscle to your body, build immunity and even reverse the effects of aging such as wrinkles, joint pains, hair loss and more.

While most people struggle to lose weight, there are those out there who are trying to gain weight and some find it difficult or really impossible. Whether you are trying to gain weight for your sport, or you just think that you’re too skinny, some people decide they have to put on a few pounds. The problem is that most people are going about it the wrong way.

I remember doing a course with a man who was always trying to gain weight. He was a tiny little skinny fellow, probably 5′7″ tall and weighed in at about 7 stone I would say. I used to watch him eat his lunch prepared (lovingly no doubt) by his wife, and I could see what the problem was.

As with many people who are exceptionally thin his diet was bad! His lunch would consist of a sandwich made with white bread, with vegemite and cheese on it or something along those lines. He would also have chips or fries, cakes, scones and biscuits. I don’t think I ever saw him eat anything that included any form of fruit or vegetable as I think he considered that he didn’t have to and shouldn’t because they wouldn’t put on weight.

I’ve seen others doing the same thing. They think that because those foods like cakes and fries will put weight on someone like me in an instant, that it will work the say way for them. Not so, and if you think about it sensibly, you wouldn’t want it to because all it’s going to put on is body fat! You don’t want that. You want to gain healthy, lean tissue – muscle. It will bulk you out, give you a sexy, toned look, shape, strength and more healthy hormones and in the process your body will quite possibly add a little extra fat as it gets healthier and starts functioning correctly.

So, where to start? As with weight loss, start counting your calories. Keep a food diary and count up what you normally eat, then increase the calories. You don’t necessarily have to eat more food (you may already eat a large quantity), but make your meals more calorie dense and nutrient dense.

Here’s how to put on some weight in a healthy way. Aim for large meals everyday but still have them healthy. Fats and meats are good foods to gain weight on, but make them healthy meats and fats – not processed meats that are full of chemicals (deli meats) or cheap unhealthy vegetable oils like margarine.

East more protein. Meats as above and animal products are great. Add nuts to your diet and add plenty of fruit, veg and herbs for their nutritional contribution. The nutrients will make your body healthier and help it to function properly and this in turn will help it to gain the weight that you want to put on.

Avoid unhealthy foods. Takeaway foods and fast foods may be calorie dense, but they are nutrient deficient and usually full of chemical additives and trans fats. These will only undermine your health and stop your body from functioning correctly probably sabotaging your efforts to gain weight.

Do weight training. Get yourself a good personal trainer if necessary and find a good program that will teach you what you how to eat correctly to gain muscle and weight.

Add a good protein powder specifically designed for gaining weight to your diet to help you to gain weight. Find one that suits your requirements and that you like.

Do you want to lose weight fast for that special occasion, vacation or high school reunion? While there are many ways that you can shed excess weight fast, losing it too quickly, like any sudden change to your body, can be harmful. Fad diets, diet pills, and fasting may indeed produce rapid weight loss, these methods are short term, temporary solutions that can cause you to lose muscle which will in turn lower your metabolism and cause you to gain more weight in the long term and they may even damage your heart and other organs. The best solution? Don’t go for an overnight miracle. Instead, follow a simple, healthy proven plan to lose weight rapidly, healthily, and sustainably.

Use the following weight loss tips to get started on your slimmer body

Determine your daily caloric intake. Lower your calories intake without starving. There are methods to work out how many calories your body needs to maintain itself. If you cut this number down by about 20% and increase your exercise, you will start to lose weight without losing muscle.

To win the weight loss battle, know how many calories you consume in a day and reduce them.  Write down all the things that you eat on a typical day. Carry a notebook with you and write down all the snacks, drinks, and contents of every meal. You’ll be amazed the first time you do this at what you actually eat! Most of us don’t consciously think about what we’re eating and how much of it. There are also great websites that you can use to keep track of calories (such as www.fitday.com), get recipes, and help you to achieve your goal. Don’t forget to include the pats of butter or the spoonful of sugar in your coffee. It’s best to do this for at least a couple weekdays and a weekend, or even a full week if possible. Count up your calories so that you know how much you are consuming.

Decide which foods to cut out or reduce. Go over the list of foods that you commonly consume and decide which ones you can do without. Cutting calories is often much easier than you might think. For example, that daily milky latte in the morning may be adding 500 calories to your calorie total for the day. Since a pound of flab is about equivalent to 3,500 calories, replacing that calorie laden coffee with black coffee could help you to lose a pound a week. Other easy calorie reducers include salad dressing (salad dressing’s can contain huge amounts of fat and calories and are often the number one source of fat in the average American woman’s diet), sugary soda drinks, candy, and butter. Check out the nutritional information of the foods you eat, and pay special attention to your intake of saturated fats and empty calorie, high-sugar foods. You don’t need to cut these things out entirely, but if you reduce your intake of high-fat, high-calorie foods you’ll lose weight faster.

Find alternative foods to the unhealthy foods that you’ve identified in your list. For example if you consume soda which contains no nutrition and only empty calories – cut if out!  Drink water instead. Cut out the dressings like the mayonnaise  you put on your sandwich or salad. You can substitute healthier lower calorie choices. If you have to have a dressing on your salad, use fresh lemon juice or apple cider vinegar. On your sandwich use some low fat ricotta or cottage cheese and if you think it’s a bit boring try mixing into it something that will add some taste like garlic, chilli, or mustard. These options are very good for you, will help to keep you healthier and contain very low calories! Low-fat and low-calorie options are also available for most foods, and many of these are natural – just avoid the processed ‘low fat’ packaged foods as much as possible and go instead for whole foods in their natural state.

Choose lean meats such as skinless chicken, turkey and fish and avoid the burgers, sausage and fatty meats. Have a fresh salad with your meal rather than fries or potato salad and use tomato based sauces for pasta rather than cream sauces.

Don’t skip breakfast! Research has shown that those who eat a bigger breakfast have smaller waistlines! Make it healthy (avoid packaged, sugar filled cereals from a box!). Oatmeal is great. Low fat yogurt and berries – yum! Eggs are a fantastic choice also.

Plan your meals. There’s a saying that goes ‘ If you fail to plan, you plan to fail’ and it’s appropriate in all aspects of life, including weight loss. Plan your meals ahead of time so that you’re organised, you have the food in the house that you should be eating and you don’t have the food in the house that you should not be eating. If you know what you’re going to eat, you won’t get to that point where you’re starving and looking for anything to fill the gap fast.

Watch you portion sizes. This is where calorie counting really does help. When you count your calories, you know how much of any food you should be eating. Calorie counting makes you realise how quickly the calories in some (even very healthy) foods mount up. Dried fruits and nuts are an example. While many of us (me in particular) can sit and eat a whole bag of nuts, a small handful is all that should be eaten in one sitting. They contain very large amounts of energy so eat them sparingly!

Eat regular small meals. Eating 5 or six small meals a day, rather than 3 large ones has been proven to speed metabolism and help with weight loss. Cut your calories into 5 or 6 small meals and make them healthy ones. You’ll be amazed at how much food you will be eating a day! Just again watch your portion sizes – count the calories and measure your food to begin with to make sure you have it right, until you get used to the correct sizes for portions.

The rest you’ve heard again and again, but it’s essential for long term weight loss and good health:

• Drink lots of water
• Exercise – including aerobic exercise and weight training
• Get plenty of sleep
• Have time out with fun activities and de-stress time

Be realistic about your weight loss goals and if it’s not working, re-assess! If you’re not getting results, change what you’re doing. There’s another saying that goes ‘The first sign of madness is to keep doing what’s not working’ and yet many people do exactly this.  They go on ‘diet’ after ‘diet’ only to lose a bit of weight and then put more back on again. You need to find a program that you can stick to as part of your lifestyle. When you find that program and stick to it, you’ll never had to worry about being overweight again.

All of us Mums want to be a ‘Yummy Mummy‘, but having babies can be a recipe to weight gain and then being a Mum can mean little time for focusing on becoming and staying that yummy mummy.
Every mother wants to be slim and attractive, but we all know that most women put on weight naturally during and even after pregnancy. Sadly, most new mums never get back to their former body shape after giving birth, not because they can’t, but because they really don’t know how.

If you’re a new mum, then you will know that weight gain after pregnancy is something all new mums are concerned about. It feels all right putting on weight while you’re pregnant.  For many women, pregnancy is a great excuse to eat what you want using the reasoning that you need more nutrition to feed yourself and that growing baby inside you. The problem is that you’re growing too, and once the baby is born that weight can seem impossible to get rid of!

Once you have given birth the question of how to lose your extra body weight becomes an issue. This article will explore certain factors why women gain weight after giving birth and why certain programs to lose weight simply do not work.  If you want to learn how you can lose those extra pounds right now click here.

How long does it take for new mums to lose weight?

This can vary of course from one woman to the next, but the average is that most mothers will need about the same amount of time to lose the weight they took to gain it during their pregnancy. That means about 9 months, provided their weight gain was within the 10 – 20 pounds or 5 – 10 kg. Your weight loss can be faster and healthier if you are losing weight under a professionally guided weight loss program for mums. Unfortunately for most mums, they will never get back to their pre-baby, slim bodies because they don’t know how. Are you one of them?

It is important to understand that during the first few months after giving birth, your body is going through a whole stack of changes, hormonally in particular and with a new baby to look after the thought of losing weight is often not a top priority. Eating a good nutritious diet, getting enough sleep and taking care of your new baby are likely to be where your priorities and focus are, and rightly so.

Only once things settle down, and you get into a routine then working on how to lose that baby weight can begin with your utmost conviction and determination.

There is no such thing as spot reduction, so that means that you can’t choose where abouts on your body you lose weight from (contrary to common belief) unless you undergo invasive and dangerous medical procedures such as liposuction. Weight loss happens only when you burn the fat stored in your body and so increasing your metabolism is an absolute must for sustainable weight loss.

To raise your metabolism,  you must combine good dietary habits with regular aerobic exercises such as aerobics classes, running, skipping or cycling and resistance training. Eating smaller meals more often will help to raise your metabolic rate and burn more fat. Never skip meals because skipping meals will cause your body to think that there is a lack of food and lower your metabolism,  sabotaging your weight loss efforts. Skipping meals is the most common mistake for people looking to lose weight.  Another common weight loss mistake made by many mothers is only doing specific exercises such as crunches or sit-ups believing that that will trim down the tummy. Don’t get me wrong, they are great exercises and important for strengthening the abdominal muscles but they are not effective for losing tummy fat. These exercises will tone up your tummy muscles, and help your tummy to look great after you have lost the desired amount of post natal weight (ie body fat).

To lose weight post pregnancy you must have a certain amount of determination, tenacity and commitment and stick to your weight loss  program, eating a well balanced healthy diet. There is no point embarking on an exercise program that is beyond your physical capability as you are more likely to give up. Start slower and build it up.

More often than not, women who have unrealistic goals tend to gain, rather than lose their body fat.  Once you’ve learned how to lose weight after having a baby, you can use that knowledge again and again after your future pregnancies! Who said that Mummy’s can’t be as fit and slim and attractive as they once where? If you want to learn to be a Fit Yummy Mummy click here!

Butt Workout

Do you often look in the mirror and wonder why your butt stays flat or even droopy? Even though you work  out? Do you envy others who have those big tight sexy perky buns that scream for attention when they are in a pair of body hugging jeans or in their swimwear?

A tight perky backside is one of the most attractive parts of the human body (arguably the most attractive for many people). Wouldn’t it be wonderful if you could own the perfect butt cheeks? So how can you get a bigger, sexier, firmer round butt?

To most people, the buttocks are an extremely aesthetically pleasing part of the human body and many people are attracted merely by the shape of somebody’s butt. There’s not a lot that seems more attractive to men than a female booty in super tight sexy jeans. It is the same for a woman observing a man – a tight firm butt in a pair of jeans is also an attention getter! A nice butt is important on both sides of this equation!  This is because most of your body is covered up by clothing and the butt is the often the most obvious anatomy observable.

Top celebrities like Jennifer Lopez, Kylie Minogue, Catherine Zeta Jones, Beyonce Knowles, Eva Mendes, Britney Spears, Charlize Theron , Cindy Crawford, Kate Winslet, Madonna and Sophie Loren are all well known for having some of the sexiest most memorable butts in the world! As for the men, Brad Pitt, Timothy Dalton, Daniel Craig, Arnold Schwarzengger, Jean Claude Van Damme and David Beckham and many others are well known for their tight sexy buns.

Most of these stars have one thing in common – they exercise! Not many people are fortunate enough to be born with that super sexy butt and even if those that do have those ‘lucky’ genes and have the that sexy butt when they’re young, find it will start to deteriorate as they age unless they take care of it.

Exercising your butt to make it bigger, tighter,  firmer and sexier generally requires quite a bit of know how, science and a degree of work, especially so for those of you who are not genetically blessed.  However, if you know the secrets to building butt muscles, you can get beautiful shapely butt cheeks pretty quickly.

Find out how you can start improving your butt today!

First you need to understand what your butt is and why it is the shape that it is. Your bum is made up entirely of muscle, fat and skin. There is no bone structure there (only the pelvis underneath) to hold up the tissues and therefore the shape of your butt is determined by these three tissues alone.

A man’s butt will naturally have more muscle, less fat and less skin than a women’s butt. This must be known because it is the muscle that gives  form and shape to the butt. The fat gives it constituency while the skin holds everything together and does a fantastic job of presenting it.

To improve your butt size and shape, you have to build bigger butt muscles  (glutes). There are three butt or gluteal muscles and they are the gluteus maximus, gluteus medius and gluteus minimus, collectively called the glutes for short. Your gluteus maximus is the largest of the three and is one of the strongest muscles in the body. Since your gluteus maximus forms bulk of buttock muscle mass, it is this muscle that makes up a large proportion of the asthetic appearance of the shape of your bum.

It is the butt muscles that gives you that tight perky round butt shape and thus it is important to know how to build your glutes with the correct exercises to make them more firm and lift them up. You must also understand that there is a science to exercising your backside to get maximum effects.

The reason for those of you with a droopy saggy butt is simply that the structural support of the muscles is simply too weak to hold up the fat and skin and that is why your butt sags. As for those with the flat butt, it is because you do not have enough muscles to create that sexy round shape in the buttocks.
The other issue to be considered in creating your perfect butt, is the fat. There is the layer of fatty tissue on top of the muscles that generally give the butt its round and perky shape. In order to get the perfect butt shape, there has to be just the right amount of fat to make its shape looking appealing and irresistibly attractive.

A bodybuilder’s butt is made up of almost all muscle and skin and although it is ideal for bodybuilding contests, we can hardly say that it is sexy because there is just not enough fat to mold it into an appealing shape. The same goes for a person who has a big butt made up largely of fat. If there is too much fat, the butt may be misshapen or dimply and  although there may be great muscle underneath, too much fat may just ruin the overall effect. This is more a problem for women, however that being said, some women can have excess fat on their butts and still  have great shape and tone.

So what’s the best butt workout? Well there are many types of exercises to improve the shape of the butt. Some of the absolute best are squats and lunges. They work the butt muscles brilliantly as anyone who’s ever done them would know from the feeling the next day! Step ups also work a treat as does walking up hill. There are many many types of exercises that can be included in a good butt workout, but there is of course more to a great butt than just exercises targeting the specific area.

Exercise in general will help, as will a nutritional strategy to keep you healthy and lean. Learn from those who know what they’re talking about and you too can have a super sexy butt and feel great in your jeans!
Click here if you really want to have that toned sexy butt now.

Get rid of Cellulite

Do you have cellulite? It’s a really common problem for us girls – all those ugly lumps and bumps, pits and bulges. Wouldn’t you  just love to get rid of your cellulite? Do you know what causes cellulite? and is there a way to get rid of cellulite?

So first things first, what is cellulite? Cellulite is the term given to the lumpy fat bulges or fat dimples that are seen (mainly) on woman’s thighs, as well as butts, tummys and sometimes even calves. Cellulite seems to be really difficult to lose, no matter how dedicated your are, how much you workout at the gym or diet. Cellulite affects up to 90% of women with varying severity. The condition is definitely more common in older women, but it’s also seen in many teenage girls.

What causes Cellulite and how can I get rid of it?

Other (less common) names for Cellulite, used in the medical field are dermopanniculosis deformans, gynoid lipodystrophy, adiposis edematosa,  and status protrusus cutis (all a bit of a mouthful!). Cellulite is also known as orange peel syndrome, cottage cheese skin, or hail damage to us mere mortals.

Some of the reasons it for it happening to us girls are as follows:

• Hormonal factors – hormones probably play an important role in the development of cellulite. It is very likely that estrogen, insulin, noradrenaline, thyroid hormones, and prolactin all play a part of the cellulite creation process.
• Genetics – genes play a big part in the likelihood of cellulite development. Genes have a lot to answer for! They may predispose an individual to the characteristics associated with cellulite, such as race, slow metabolism, the distribution of fat under the skin, and circulatory insufficiency.
• Diet – those who eat too much fat, carbohydrate, salt and not enough fiber are likely to have more trouble with cellulite.
• Lifestyle factors – cellulite can be more prevalent in smokers, and those who do not exercise

Cellulite is caused by clumps of fat cells that push up against surrounding fibrous connective tissue. There are three layers of body fat under the skin and it’s the top layer, which is the subcutaneous, where cellulite occurs. The other two layers are where unused calories are stored as fat. Although cellulite doesn’t occur in these two lower layers, if you have excess body fat, the lower layers force the top cellulite layer up making it more noticeable. This is why overweight people can have such obvious, and severe cellulite.

In the layer where cellulite occurs, there is fibrous tissue (septae) that is formed like  net if you like – it has holes and that is what causes the lumps and bumps of cellulite as the fat is pushed through. If  you imagine a jelly sitting on a hair net and looking from underneath to see the lumps and bumps poking through the holes – you’ve got the picture!

Men don’t have this fibrous septae and that is why they don’t have trouble with cellulite. They also don’t have as much fat on their hips and thighs as we girls were designed to have – hence the lack of cellulite on the men! There is also the issue of skin thinning as we get older which can make things all the more noticeable.

Cellulite develops in several stages. First the blood circulation, and/or lymphatic drainage becomes impaired. This leads to waste products and toxins building up in the area because of the lack of lymph flow which would normally carry waste products away and causes hardening of the fibrous tissues in the area also.

Then because circulation is restricted, capillaries and veins become weakened and leak blood into the tissues. The creates more pressure in the area and you may notice tenderness, discoloration or broken veins. You may bruise more easily also, but there is no visible cellulite still at this stage.

Learn How To Get Rid of  Cellulite

After some months, due to the  lymphatic fluid accumulation, the tissues have become swollen and start to become noticeable as they push against the skin causing the beginnings of visible cellulite.

Get rid of Cellulite

Next because of the stagnant lymph fluid, the fibrous tissue becomes thicker and harder and cells that have been deprived of oxygen and nutrients may also become incorporated into the fibers adding to their thickness. As these fibers become thicker they start to trap and squeeze the fat cells causing more problems with circulation in the area. As you can see the problem is compounding with one stage causing more of a problem in the next stage as so on.

Once the pressure becomes bad enough, blood in re routed around the area in an effort to find easier passage. Septae fibers continue to thicken until the fat cells are completely trapped. The body fat trapped in these cells is difficult to get rid of because of the lack of circulation at this point. The fibers and trapped fat cells are what causes the lumps and bumps we see and feel on our thighs.

So, now that you know all about how cellulite happens, it’s time to learn how to get rid of it! Click here to find out how.

It is a very common excuse that we don’t have enough time to exercise and this excuse is heard and used again and again by  those stretched for time by a busy lifestyle – however that  excuse is now apparently wearing thin with more and more research coming out that shows that short but intensive bursts of workout are as effective (or even more effective) as hours of moderate training.

This is the cause of an upsurge of interest in High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) otherwise known as Burst Training. Who’d have guessed a few years ago that we might be able to get the results we’re after in 15 minutes a day instead of hours? Some experts have been trying to tell us this for while, such as Jon Benson in his  7 minute muscle program.

Ok, so forget what you’ve been told for years and try intensive exercises in short spurts. Burst training can be done using many types of exercise such as running, skipping, cycling, stair climbing etc and weight training. Weight training could usually be classed as burst training as it normally is performed with a really high intensity burst of energy and then a rest, then another burst of energy. If your weight training is hard enough that it’s getting your heart rate up and you’re breathing heavy after each set then you’re on the right track.

Studies on the physical effects of high intensity interval training, known as HIIT,  indicate that you don’t have to spend hours every week exercising to stay in shape. The researchers found that HIIT is fast and safe alternative to the hours of exercise often done each week by those wanting to stay (or get) in shape.

In one study, volunteers rode exercise bikes doing sprints that lasted just 60 seconds, each time ensuring that they were working hard enough to get close to their maximum heart rate. Testing after showed that their muscles had improved as much as if they’d been participating in traditional longer training sessions. The results of research have showed that it is possible to achieve more results by actually doing less exercise.

The reasons for HIIT getting the results that it does, are as yet apparently unclear, but it is thought that the more intense short bursts of training, having the result of putting the large amounts of stress on the body that it does, causes the body to create the same results as it would with longer bouts of less intense exercise. Your body really is an amazing piece of machinery, and will build what it needs, to do what you make it do on a regular basis (given that it has the right ingredients to do so of course!).

So, these findings indicate that the lack of time excuse, is no longer valid! What are you waiting for? Get to it. Click here to find out how to have great muscle in just 7 minutes a day!

Walking for Fitness

Walking for fitness and exercise.

Walking for fitness and other forms of exercise go hand in hand. When you take up walking for fitness, you are taking action by improving your health and fighting disease. Walking is an aerobic workout that helps to lower blood pressure. When the blood pressure is at normal levels, it keeps the blood pumping smoothly through you body. Walking fitness programs helps to lower LDL cholesterol levels – the bad cholesterol. When LDL levels are high, it can lead to heart disease and can be an indicator of a not so healthy body.

When you walk regularly, it helps to tone and strengthen the muscles as well as the bones and joints. Walking is gentle on the joints and can be started by almost anyone in any condition as the beginning of an exercise plan, and a path to weight loss and improved health. It can help you to lose excess body fat, and then help keep your body  fat levels down. Walking for fitness really is the exercise for everyone and can be included in any exercise program. Click here for the Diet Solution!

How should I start?

Start out slowly to warm up the body. Walk slower at first until you feel a need to pick up pace. Gradually walk into a brisker movement and after you finish your time limit, slowly cool down by reducing your walk to normal pace again.  Intense exercise should be worked into. If you haven’t exercised for a long time (or ever) and you would like to strength train or work up to more intense forms of exercise, do your walking fitness program first until you build some strength and fitness.

What is walking for fitness?

Walking for fitness is a walking program that either you can plan and do by yourself, with a friend or else you can join a team of walkers. Your walking program can be 3 or 4 days a week or up to 7 days a week. In this program, you can use a log to record your progress, feelings, plans, goals, schedule and so on. The goal in the beginning is to start walking each day for at least ten minutes. Set yourself short-term goals, which you work your way up to say walking at least 20 minutes each day, and then longer term goals to increase your exercise intensity.

You can join a team of walkers if you feel you can’t or won’t adhere to your own plans and need that extra push. Joining a team will inspire you, since you will feel a need to keep up. In most teams you have beginners, moderate and advanced walkers. Start in the beginners program and work your way up to moderate, especially if you are not used to exercise. Overexerting your body will only wear you down. Overexertion is a common reason why most people cease exercise and stop walking to fitness.

If you decide that you can walk on your own, take it slowly to begin and work your way up to brisk walks. Brisk walks are great for reducing health conditions or potential health issues such as heart disease. One of the top killers in western countries is the well known heart attack or stroke. Brisk walks will shrink your chance of heart attack by up to 50%. In addition, brisk walks will reduce the risks of diabetes, strokes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure and so on.

Where do I walk if I intend to walk to fitness alone?

That’s one of the great things about walking for fitness. The world is your oyster! You can do trail walks. Trail walks are nice since it puts you in touch with nature. Or you can walk to the grocery store, walk to a distance friend’s house or just around the block. If you are just starting out, walk a few blocks to the store and pick up a loaf of bread instead of driving. That’s a great start!

Of course, you don’t want to walk to the store each day, so choose an area in your neighborhood, such as the park and walk to it each day. Parks are great places to walk since it too puts you in front of nature. It’s always nice to walk where wildlife roams and beautiful scenery surrounds you. Walk during sunny days since you will not only enjoy nature you will enjoy the benefits of getting health giving vitamin D from the sun.

Click here now to find out about the diet solution!

Walking for fitness is a hot topic nowadays since many people are battling obesity, heart disease, strokes, diabetes, arthritis and much more. Get started in your walking fitness program today – your body will love you for it and if you haven’t already, get your free copy of Walking for Fitness by filling in your name and email at the side of this page.

Human Growth Hormone

While no one can stop the aging process completely, it is very true that we can slow the rate at which signs of aging appear on our bodies and even reverse it to an extent. It has been proven that by improving diet, taking good quality herbs and supplements and exercising, we can indeed reverse disease and our ‘biological age’.

One of the main components in the body that helps with this anti-aging process is Human Growth Hormone. However there is much controversy surrounding the supplemental use of this hormone, as it can cause some serious side effects but it’s a natural part of our body that becomes depleted as we grow older and reduced levels of HGH causes it’s own problems.

For example, as we grow older, our levels of human growth hormone (along with other ‘youth’ hormones, such as testosterone and DHEA) begin to reduce, and as a result of this we start to lose muscle mass and store more fat on our bodies. The most irritating thing, even for those who have kept a disciplined schedule for exercise is that age can seem to have no respect for those efforts, and the body fat may still creep on despite our good intentions. This is the cause of the well known ‘middle aged spread’. Once you get past 40 it sometimes seems that the fat is attracted to your body just as moths are to the light! Click here to learn how to get ‘Fit over 40′

As you age the reduction of growth hormone and then the corresponding loss of muscle, means that you begin to notice that you are weaker and find the tasks that were always easy for you are becoming difficult to perform.

You notice that your skin begins to lose it’s firmness and it’s youthful glow.  Your immune system might not be as vigilant as it once was, and even your brain might begin to let you down!

Your sex life takes a downward plunge also. Where once there was a real need for sex, it now seems to be some remote thing that used to be enjoyed. The loss of the sex life is one of the greatest losses that often comes with aging.

So what is HGH and what does it actually do? To put it simply, Human Growth Hormone is released by the Pituitary Gland – a tiny grape sized gland found in the brain. HGH acts as the body’s foreman, instructing your body to grow larger stronger skeletal bone and muscle (which is why it’s so plentiful in children), and at the same time it speeds up the conversion of excess fats into energy. In other words, get enough growth hormone floating around in your system and your body has no choice but to construct itself into something bigger and stronger. Cheat yourself from acquiring your fair share and your body can only do so much, no matter what you do.

So, what can we do to raise our levels of HGH and it’s hormonal allies?It comes down to healthy living really. Diet and exercise.

Basically, avoid foods that spike insulin – that’s the high GI foods containing lots of sugars, or those foods that behave like sugar in the body such as white flour. Eat plenty of good quality protein, fruits, nuts, pulses and vegetables. It all sounds familiar huh?

Research has shown that eating 5 or 6 smaller meals as day helps to speed up metabolism and may increase HGH levels in the body. Eat a small protein and carbohydrate meal a couple of hours before you work out, and then eat a small meal again after your workout. These simple steps have been shown to help increase HGH in the body. There are also herbs and supplements that can help to give your body what it needs nutritionally to create higher levels of growth hormone.

The other area is of course exercise. Again there is some debate on this, but research and paying attention to body builders that actually live this stuff and do a really good job of proving it, would indicate that shorter, faster, more intense workouts will increase HGH more than long steady workouts. Weight training, and high intensity interval training (HIIT) or Burst training are the most effective.

There is some thought out there that long ‘cardio’ workouts such as the steady jogging for an hour may actually reduce HGH levels, and when you look at the evidence I’m inclined to think it’s probably right. The tired floppy, aged marathon runner as opposed to the toned, youthful looking body builder or sprinter is an example. It just kinda goes against what we’ve been taught for the last 30 years! Click here to learn how you can be fitter  over 40 than you were when you were young!