10 Commandments to take weight off and keep it off

The 10 Commandments for Losing Weight… and Keeping it Off!

Success breeds success. What exactly, in terms of lifestyle changes, do people who have been highly successful at both losing weight and keeping it off over the long term do? That’s just what researchers at the University of Pittsburgh and the University of Colorado set out to determine when they began their on-going study called the National Weight Control Registry (www.nwcr.ws).

Currently, the registry contains over 5000 successful weight losers. To be eligible to become a member of the registry, one had to have lost over 30 pounds and keept it off for more than one year. What the study found was that there is no magic to losing weight and keeping it off. The essential equation for success is the age-old motto: eat less calories and burn more through daily exercise and you will lose weight and keep it off! (And be sure to “get back on the horse” when life’s ups and downs get in the way of you maintaining your new healthy lifestyle habits.)

Here are the 10 habits of these successful weight losers:

1. 98 percent of registry participants reported that they modified their food intake in some way to lose weight (translation: you must change your eating habits in some way to lose weight—meaning eating fewer calories).

2. Most registry members reporting consuming less high-fat-dense food groups and more low-fat-dense food groups resulting in a lower daily calorie intake and greater weight loss (translation: eat lighter [lower calorie] and healthier [lower “bad” fats, less fried foods and more fruits and vegetables]).

3. 94 percent of registry participants reported increasing their physical activity (translation: daily cardio such as walking or running in addition to frequent strength training sessions).

4. 90 percent reported exercising, on average, about one hour per day (translation: get in some daily cardio such as walking or running in addition to FT strength training sessions-preferably 3 times/week).

5. 78 percent reported eating breakfast daily (translation: eat breakfast…lose weight).

6. 75 percent of registry participants reported weighing themselves at least once a week (translation: weigh yourself weekly at FT with your NT consultant—regardless of what you think the number will read).

7. 62 percent watched TV less than 10 hours/week (translation: limit the tube time unless you have a treadmill in front of the TV).

8. 42% of the sample reported that maintaining their weight loss was less difficult than losing weight (translation: once you lose the weight, be sure to keep up with your new habits—which is the hardest part).

9. Nearly all registry members stated that weight loss led to improvements in their level of energy, physical mobility, general mood, self-confidence, and physical health (translation: losing weight and attaining your health and fitness goals will make you a happier person, so stick with it!).

10. For those who did regain weight, weight regain was due, at least in part, to failure to maintain behavior changes (translation: this is not a diet that you go on and off but a lifestyle …always remember to keep at it and get support to overcome lapses and avoid a full-blown relapse. If you do relapse to old habits, make sure to return to FT for help).

5 “Anytime, Anywhere” exercises that will keep you lean, toned and strong

It’s Springtime! Time to start clearing the cobwebs… organizing… and cleaning all those areas you’ve been meanining to clean for the past few weeks (or months!).
And it’s also time to start changing up your workouts, and giving your body some fresh, new exercises to work with.

Today, I’m going to give you 5 great exercises you can start doing immediately.

From time to time, it’s always a good idea to change things up with your workouts. This prevents your body from adapting and getting used to the same workout that’s done over and over. That’s why today I’d like to give you 5 exercises you can use to change things up a bit… and keep your body from guessing what you’ll do next. These exercises can be done anywhere, since they’re bodyweight exercises. Mix and match them between your normal workouts for best results.

Pushup: This old classic is effective since it involves your chest, triceps and shoulders (deltoids). Do 3 sets of 10-20 reps. If you have trouble doing a regular pushup, try a modified pushup. Do this by placing both your knees on the floor, while keeping the rest of your upper body in the pushup position. If you struggle on bench press, try pushups only for about four weeks. Then go back to benching again. You’ll be pleasantly surprised when you do!

Triceps pushups: Same as above, except bring your hands closer together. Your thumbs should be nearly touching. Now do a pushup from this starting position. This will help tone your triceps (the bottom of your arm) and help you get rid of the “jiggly” arm fat many people can’t stand.

Jump Squats: Start in a squatting position with feet, shoulder-width apart. Jump as hard as you can, at the same time extending your arms towards the ceiling. This will help you burn fat like crazy, since this exercise will have you huffin’ and puffin’, burning calories left and right.

Prisoner Squats: Start by clasping your hands behind your head, and try to keep your elbows at a 180 degree angle (push them back, towards your head.) Now, with your feet shoulder-width apart, squat down and then come back up. Repeat 20-30 times.

Plank: Get into a pushup position. Now, let your arms rest on the floor, while still holding yourself up. Hold this position for a count of 30. Repeat 5-10 times.

Well, there you have it. Five easy-to-do exercises you can do from anywhere, at anytime!

And by the way … if you’re serious about taking your health and fitness to the next level, why not take advantage of your FREE Fitness Consultation? (an $87 value) During this consult, you’ll receive detailed information on how to get fit and trim that’s tailored to YOUR body. It’s the worry and stress-free way to get fit by summertime.
There’s no obligation and it’s totally and completely free. Call or email me to get started.

Be A finisher

You know the guy. He’s full of ideas. Big ideas. Conquering-the-world-and-make-millions ideas. He’s going to lunch a company and run a marathon. He’s going to lose 25 pounds and write a book. He’s either going to ask out the hot girl in marketing or propose to his longtime girlfriend.

He might actually sketch out some business ideas and print up business cards. He might start working out and going for runs some mornings. He might change his eating habits and even lose a few pounds. He might start a book treatment. And he might work up the nerve to say hi to the marketing babe or to start looking for rings.

Months later? He’s still doing the same dead-end job. He has stopped running regularly and is getting soft around the middle. The book treatment is still a one-pager.

And both the hot babe and the girlfriend have moved on.

The guy is a classic Starter, and unfortunately there are a lot of guys like him out there.

Starters are great at the gun, but they never finish the race.

They’re talkers, not doers.

They’re creative thinkers who couldn’t turn their thoughts into anything tangible, workable, or sellable—in other words, anything real—even if the prize was a date with Eva Mendes.

There are plenty of reasons Starters can’t finish. Often their ideas sound good but fall apart because they haven’t thought through the realities. I’ve lost track of the number of people who’ve come to me pitching a new print or Web-based magazine. But after I’ve asked about their competitors, their endemic advertisers (and why they’d advertise with them instead of their competition), their business model, and how much capital they would need before reaching profitability, they slink away with their mouths agape.

I’m not trying to be mean or to diminish their dream, but it’ hard out here. It’s hard for anyone to transform an idea into reality. And if I don’t ask the tough questions, someone else surely will.

It happens. It happens every day.

Now, some Starters are Finishers. They take their idea, assess its viability, do their research, then pursue it like Clint Eastwood pursues bad guys.

Anyone can be a Starter. You want to be a Finisher.

How? Start small. Take an achievable idea (“I’ll start working out three days a week,” or “I’ll drink 36 ounces of water a day”). Make it happen. Finish it.

Next, come up with a bigger idea (“I’m going to reduce my body fat by 5 percent,” or “develop a business plan or book proposal”). Now make it happen. Finish it.

Soon you’ll be able to go all Usain Bolt—exploding out of the blocks and powering across the tape with your Big Idea.

Be a Finisher. Strike a pose. You win.

(article taken from Men’s Fitness online)