Posts Tagged ‘metabolism’

The Psychology Of Arm Toning

Monday, January 25th, 2010

Achieving arm tone doesn’t have to be an uphill battle for you. Unfortunately for me, It was an uphill battle.

And the most difficult part of the whole arm tone war was an unstable level of motivation. Despite all my efforts, I could not stick with a program for a very long time.

Sometimes the disappointment would be so great that I would jump ship all-together. And a jar of cookies would become my consolation.

But I had a wake-up call and came to the conclusion that this type of mental lifestyle was not going to get me the sexy arms I so desperately wanted.

So I searched high and low for a method that would allow me to stay motivated indefinitely. And I’m happy to say that I found said method. It was created by David Burns M.D. and in my opinion is the best thought modification system out there. Central to his method is the elimination of cognitive (thought) distortions.

So without further ado, here are three distortions you should avoid so that your arm tone motivation never fades:

1. Perfectionism distortions. If you see things as black or white then you have this distortion. For example, if you have to have a perfect workout or no workout at all then you suffer from perfectionism. Don’t sweat the small stuff and always keep moving forward despite minute setbacks. In other words, focus on general patterns of improvement.

2. Over-generalizing distortions. Just because you haven’t been successful today doesn’t mean you can’t be successful tomorrow. You simply haven’t found the right approach. Yet with this distortion, you assume that your past failures will keep on being your future failures. The key here is to keep on trying new things with a fresh outlook.

3. Mental filtering distortions. Make sure to always give yourself credit for the smallest of achievements. With this distortion you hardly focus on the positive and prefer to focus on the negative. If you have a test, for instance, and get 99 questions right and 1 wrong, you focus on the one you got wrong!

If you do not avoid the above cognitive distortions, arm tone will keep on eluding you. You have to achieve constant and lasting motivation in order to stick with an arm toning program.

And remember that the fastest path to sexy arm success if through rapid action. So don’t let this information sit in your head for too long, take action now!

Katherine Crawford M.S., a Harvard exercise expert and recent arm fat sufferer, is an expert on exercises for flabby arms for women. Discover how to get toned arms right now by exploring her blog on arm flab.

categories: weight loss program,weight loss programs,fitness,weight loss,health,women,beauty,wellness,exercise,metabolism,nutrition,psychology,motivation,eating disorder

Arm Flab And Energy Drinks

Friday, November 13th, 2009

Getting rid of arm flab is not easy. And in an attempt to get a slight edge, many women turn to energy drinks. Unfortunately, energy drinks come with many side effects that add up over time.

Unfortunately, energy drinks are extremely seductive. They can curb hunger when you’re trying to lose weight, they can help you overcome a massive sleep debt and they can put you in a good mood.

Nonetheless, here is the downside of energy drinks for getting toned arms:

1. Worsened digestion. Caffeine, the main ingredient in energy drinks, can wreak havoc on your digestive system. When taking in excess, it can compromise your digestive lining.

2. Artificial masking of sleep debts. Just because you no longer feel the need to sleep, doesn’t mean that your body isn’t suffering the consequences. One consequence, is a reduction in the production of arm flab burning hormones.

3. Disturbed sleep. Everybody wakes up while they’re sleeping. The awakenings are so short, however, that you don’t remember them. Caffeine increases the amount of awakenings without you being aware of it. You’ll wake up, be super tired and not know what happened.

4. Adrenal fatigue. If you were to continually consume energy drinks with abandon, you would reach a point where the energy burst would simply disappear. This happens because of adrenal fatigue. And chronic abuse of your adrenal system can lead to faster aging!

5. Cellular dehydration. Caffeine does two things: it increases dehydration and it masks the effects of said dehydration. This is not a good combo for arm flab. After all, cellular hydration has a direct impact on recovery, fatigue, mental state and metabolism.

Energy drinks aren’t all evil. They can do a great job at getting you out of a bind. The main issue is taking them on a regular basis to compensate for something else that is lacking in your daily routine. So use them in moderation when trying to get rid of arm flab.

Obtain free and valuable advice on the top exercises for upper arms immediately by going to Katherine Crawford’s M.S. website Sleeveless in 7. And figure out how to get sexy and thin arms ASAP by visiting her blog about arm exercises immediately!

categories: weight loss program,weight loss programs,fitness,weight loss,health,women,beauty,wellness,exercise,dietary supplements,nutrition,food,fat,metabolism

Begin Weight Loss Program – Essential Tips For You To Do So

Monday, November 9th, 2009

Do you know that it is essential for overweight folks to lose weight When you are thinking about your personal well being, you may probably know that it is important for you to lose pounds. Yes, it is very true that you must try to lose weight as quickly as you can. Yet, do you know how you can start your plan to lose weight?

Pound Loss – Some Tips For You

You must consider your diet plan when you lose weight. Yet, you should try to understand your eating habit before you plan for your dieting program. As a result, you must have a food journal.

When you are reading your food journal, you have to make sure that you will learn about your own eating habit. This is the function of the food journal. You can reveal your eating habit. Now, you have to get rid of your bad eating habit. To this end, you should go for good foods. You need to stay away from bad foods.

You may now start your weight loss diet plan. Remember, you should carry the plan out. You should put your diet plan into action so that you can really have weight loss. It is also true that it can be hard for one to stick to the dieting or eating plan. However, you must try the best to stick to the plan. In fact, you may find it a bit easier if you can keep having a food journal.

It is very important that you can avoid soda. You will gain weight very easily if you drink a lot of soda. You should try to avoid drinking it. It is also very important for you to cut the consumption of dessert.

The next thing you need to think about is the exercising plan. You have to consider it once you have make decision on the dieting plan. There are different choices and options of exercises you can go for. Some folks will love go swimming while some others may love hiking. Incline walking can also be a good idea. You can do it on the treadmill. You need to walk every day. To this end, the chance of being able to stick to the exercising plan will increase.

When you are trying to have weight loss, you should aim at the idea of health. You are doing that for the sake of your personal well being. This should be the correct mindset of weight loss. Overnight weight loss id generally impossible. If you want to lose weight easily and quickly, you will need to stick to your own pound loss plan.

Now, you should know how you can begin weight loss. With the above ideas in mind, it should be possible for you to lose pounds. Remember, it is not difficult to lose weight. However, you cannot succeed if you lack the motivations and determinations that you should have!

Anotny Lee has a site about lose 10 pounds fast. You should also check lose 60 pounds in 6 months.

Theories Of Excess Weight Gain

Monday, October 12th, 2009
by Katherine Crawford M.S.

The rising obesity epidemic is claimed to be a result of many factors-no single villain is to blame. Likewise, excess fat in your body can be the result of a wide variety of variables.

And in an attempt to figure out the fat factors, many academicians have tried to come up with solid hypothesis. Now these ideas aren’t the end all be all, yet they can shed some light on how to begin the battle against fatness.

So without further delay, here are potential explanations for why you’re carrying extra weight:

1. LPL. Also known as lipoprotein lipase, LPL is responsible for storing fat in your fat cells. Proponents of this theory postulate that people with excess body fat have a higher amount of LPL. And that those with lower levels of body fat have lower levels of LPL.

2. The quantity of fat cells. It’s not just size that matters here, it’s also about quantity. The more fat cells you have, the more likely you are to gain weight quickly. When do fat cells replicate the most? When you are young?

3. The regulated point. According to this one, your body has a certain weight or set point that it tries very hard to stay at. Any effort on your part to change will be immediately thwarted by metabolic slow down.

4. Brown fat. Not all body fat is created equal. White fat, the one responsible for fat storage, is sluggish and wants to hoard nutrients. Brown fat, on the other hand, makes fat cells release their energy as heat. This theory believes that lean people have a higher proportion of brown fat.

5. Reduced thermic effect. Proponents of this theory believe that overweight people get less of a thermic effect from food right after eating. They believe that over time this adds up and can lead to excess weight gain.

Now please don’t get too caught up with these multiple explanations of weight gain. After all, you do have a lot of control on how your body looks. Consistent research has shown that lifestyle factors account for a very large portion of weight gain regardless of genetics.

About the Author:

6 Reasons Why Fasting Will Thwart Your Fat Loss

Thursday, October 8th, 2009
by Katherine Crawford M.S.

In order to survive, the health and wellness industry has to constantly come up with new gimmicks. One category of gimmicks are fad diets. And fasting has proven to be a somewhat popular fad.

The big problem with fasting, however, is that it can cause some very serious issues especially if you do it for a prolonged period of time. Don’t believe me? Here are 6 reasons why you shouldn’t be fasting:

1. Liver drainage. What drains out of your liver? Glycogen. And this can happen in less than a days time. Without glycogen your body doesn’t have a mechanism to control blood sugar. Thus, you’ll end up with extremely low levels of energy.

2. The transformation of muscle to sugar. Without sugar, the brain shuts down. This is one of the reasons diabetes is so scary. When you fast, sugar becomes depleted in your body. In order to prevent death, your body begins to transform muscle tissue into sugar.

3. The cannibalism of other tissues. Muscle tissue isn’t the only victim here. Other vital tissues like organs will also be cannibalized and transformed into sugar. This is definitely not a healthy state to be in.

4. Ketone bodies. Your body can only cannibalize so much tissue before you enter the danger zone. And once you’re in the danger zone, your body will do everything it can to get you out. How does it do it? With the production of ketones which are basically an inferior substitute for blood sugar.

5. No proven benefits. Many people undertake a fast under the impression that there’s some type of health benefit. Yet there hasn’t been any solid scientific evidence proving this. On the contrary, fasts tend to be extremely unhealthy.

6. Acid/base mayhem. Fasting is most likely going to disrupt the acid-base balance in your body. In addition to loses in minerals and the degradation of your intestinal lining. And the worst part of all of this is that exercise becomes extremely painful.

What effect do all these factors have on your body? A decreased metabolism. And studies have shown that most people end up bingeing after a fast above and beyond what’s needed for weight maintenance. The end result here is a massive rebound in weight and fat gain!

About the Author:

How To Get Sexy Arms With Proper Nutrition If You Workout In The Morning

Friday, September 25th, 2009
by Katherine Crawford M.S.

Nutrition for getting sexy arms isn’t too complex. Especially if you ignore all the fads.

Unfortunately, there are specific scenarios when advanced nutrition is needed. You can’t stick to the basics or else you may set back your sexy arm mission.

One tricky area is when you exercise very early in the morning. Since your body is coming out of a fasted state, you have to be very precise with your nutrition.

So here are some guidelines for early morning workout nutrition:

1. First priority is to drink. Water, not booze! You are severely dehydrated when you wake up whether you feel it or not. So drink at least 2 cups of water immediately-do this before anything else. You also need to rehydrate or else you won’t be able to digest breakfast.

2. When the workout is 3 hours upon waking. Eat a complete and balanced breakfast. Don’t skimp here! Have a source of protein, carbs and fat. And if you want to take it to the next level, add in some vegetables.

3. When the workout is 1 hour upon waking. You need some carbs and some fat to slow down the digestion of the carbs. A good choice here would be a peanut butter sandwich. And make sure the bread is whole grain, no high fructose corn syrup allowed!

4. When the workout is 10 minutes upon waking. You could make your own shake with an easily digestible carb like maltodextrin or dextrose, and add in some casein protein. Alternatively, you could have a supplement like power gel.

Exercising right after waking up is not good for you. It’s simply too hard for the female body to digest food so quickly. If you do this, you’re most likely going to start exercising while still in the fasted state-not a good thing if you’re trying to get sexy arms! So try to give yourself at LEAST 30 minutes between eating and exercising in the morning.

About the Author:

4 Reasons Why High-Protein Diets Are Effective For Reducing Flabby Arms

Saturday, August 22nd, 2009
by Katherine Crawford M.S.

With all the savvy marketing out there it can be virtually impossible to find the right diet for getting toned arms. Unless you have a degree in exercise science, making the right decisions can be extremely hard.

I know because I used to be in this situation.

Even worse, the experts can’t even agree on which diet is best. And if they can’t agree, how are you supposed to make a choice???

The good news is that I’ve already gone through all the headaches for you. I know what works and what doesn’t.

So without further delay, here are 4 key things to consider about high protein diets:

1. Ease of implementation: Merely cutting out carbohydrates from your diet is extremely simple. The elimination of a single food group does not take much work. And if it doesn’t take much work, you are more likely to stick with it.

2. Lightening fast weight changes: Of all the diets out there, high protein diets produce the fastest weight loss. However, the majority of weight loss comes from water. So don’t get too excited

3. Massive hunger reductions: Once you go into ketosis from the high protein intake, your appetite will virtually disappear. Seriously.

4. Ultra low levels of insulin: I’m sure you’ve heard of insulin before, and for good reason: it controls how much arm fat you can lose. So if insulin is at an all time low, arm fat burning is at an all time high.

So should you run to your local grocery store and buy those huge value packs of meat? Absolutely not. There are also many negatives to high protein diets, that in my opinion, outweigh the positives. Unfortunately, there is not enough space in a single article to cover all the pros and cons. So stay posted. And make sure you do a lot of objective research before doing anything extreme like a low carbohydrate diet. Only then will you be able to get rid of flabby arms once and for all!

About the Author:

Warning: Do Not Do Tricep Kickbacks To Get Toned Arms

Friday, August 21st, 2009
by Katherine Crawford M.S.

There are certain arm toning exercises that should be a staple in your program. And there are certain exercises that you should stay away from like the plague. Unfortunately, many women are consistently doing exercises that they should be avoiding.

How did this happen?

Well, I believe we have a case of tradition overshadowing modern science. It seems as though certain fitness experts have been recommending specific arm exercises for so long that most women simply do them without any questioning.

The good news is that I’ve been figuring all this stuff out for quite some time now. And I’m ready to share my knowledge because I believe that every woman deserves sexy arms.

Thus, here is my critique of triceps kickbacks for reducing flabby arms:

1. Overview: So many women do this exercise day in and day out in the hopes of getting rid of those flabby arms. Yet this exercise has some major limitations. Not only is it extremely inefficient to exercise one arm at a time, but it’s also impossible to use heavy weights with this movement.

2. Technical overview: Find a low bench. Place one of your hands on it while leaning forward with knees slightly bent. Use your free hand to grasp a weight. Keep the same arm aligned with your torso. Lift the weight by straightening out your arm. Slowly lower it and repeat.

3. Frequent mistakes: Not going through the entire range of motion. Swinging up and down to move the weight rapidly. And not keeping the elbows locked in position.

4. Final word: I know a lot of women do this exercise and a lot of trainers recommend it, but this doesn’t mean that you should do it. In fact, this is the most overrated exercise for toning the triceps area.

The key to getting rid of flabby arms is to do things that give you results in the shortest amount of time possible. Please do not waste your time doing ineffective exercises. There are much better exercises that will get you much faster results.

About the Author:

Metabolism Foods – Not That Low-Carb Diet!

Sunday, July 12th, 2009
by Dan Beckwith

Over the last several years, low-carb dieting has become a big catch phrase in the diet industry. It’s a fact that many of the high carb foods so many of us ingest are not high metabolism foods, but we do need carbohydrates for energy. Simply put, we should not completely eliminate carbs from our diets. Why?

Low-carb diets can have long-term health risks. If you do get yourself involved in a low carbohydrate diet, make sure that you keep it short term. Some of these health risks are actually quite alarming.

For one, diets that are high in animal proteins build up acids in your bloodstream that come as by products of digesting large amounts of animal protein. Unfortunately, our bodies leach calcium from our bones to neutralize these acids. This is a particularly severe problem for women and can can lead to osteoporosis over the long term.

Additionally, there is a higher risk of cancer with these types of diets over the long term. The American Institute for Cancer Research states that low carbohydrate diets that are low in whole grains, fruits and vegetables (all excellent metabolism foods) and at the same time high in animal proteins increase your risk of getting certain types of cancer.

There’s another problem with low carbohydrate diets, which is that they increase the amount of fats we eat. In fact, studies have shown that countries that consume vast amounts of fats also have the highest rates of breast cancer. Therefore, particularly if you are a woman, make sure you get a large amount of high-fiber metabolism foods in your diet to reduce your risk of breast cancer.

Even more alarming, over consumption of saturated fat is a known risk factor for raising LDL cholesterol, heart disease and stroke.

To effectively lose weight, we need to include carbohydrates, proteins and fats in our diets. Our body needs them all – in the right proportions. There are many alternative high metabolism foods in each of the three categories that are healthier than others, but we need all three.

The only sure way to lose weight effectively and keep it off is to increase your metabolic rate with the best metabolism foods for your body. It’s healthy to do this, too, as long as you do so safely. It’s also a pretty simple thing to do and it’s never going to mean you’ll starve yourself. In fact, if you’re hungry, you’re not doing it right.

If you want to learn more about increasing your metabolism and metabolism foods, go to my website and get a free copy of my, “Fast Weight Loss Tips!” mini-course.

About the Author:

Metabolism Definition – What Is My RMR?

Wednesday, July 8th, 2009
by Dan Beckwith

Metabolism definition – Your metabolism is the way your body handles calories. It can burn them for energy, or store them in the form of fat.

If you have a “slow” or less efficient metabolism, it can show in many ways…If you are distressed because your favorite jeans don’t fit anymore, your belt doesn’t quite reach all the way around and so on. You CAN do something about it and create a healthier and better life for yourself.

Losing weight doesn’t have to be difficult. Plus, it does not mean you have to starve yourself. In fact, if you are ever hungry – you aren’t doing it right!

There are so many diet programs out there, that it can be very confusing. Too many “Get Thin Quick” programs – that come with so many promises, it boggles the mind. They all come with slick advertising and tons of testimonials, and they are quite tempting. But keep in mind, few if any of them show their participants a year later. Why? Because they’ve all gained back the weight… plus more!

So, the time has come for you to take charge of your body and master your weight. Losing weight is all about the efficiency of your metabolism. Once you fully understand how it works and you can calculate what your “resting metabolic rate” or RMR is, you’ve already done half the work.

RMR explained…

Metabolism definition – Your resting metabolic rate is the speed at which your body turns calories into fuel even when you’re resting and not actively doing anything. Several things influence this resting metabolic rate. For example…

One of the things that can influence our metabolism is our age. As we get older, we have a tendency to gain weight because our resting metabolic rate drops, as opposed to where it was when we were younger.

Most diets trample all over our metabolism. When we dramatically cut back on our caloric intake, we will lose a few pounds but at the same time it slows down our metabolism.

That means when we go off the diet, we’ll be gaining back all the weight we lost — but now, we’ve done ourselves a disservice because the dieting has slowed down our metabolism, which means that we gain weight much easier. And so, presto, we gain the weight back plus more.

In American vernacular, that’s often called “yo-yo dieting.” You lose weight, you gain it back faster, you lose again, you gain it back, and so on.

Rapidly losing a lot of weight could also mean losing a lot of muscle. This too puts us in a dangerous position. Muscles are essential to our metabolism. Muscles burn more calories than fat. So, any good diet program will include exercise. The more we can tone and build muscle, the more calories we will burn – even when doing nothing.

So when it comes to increasing your metabolism, you don’t have to do it in a difficult or painful fashion. Learn more about metabolism definition and how to increase your metabolism and get those pounds coming off by visiting my website. You’ll learn what you need to know so that you can safely increase your metabolism and lose weight; and while you’re there, take a look at my free mini-course, “Free Weight Loss Tips!

About the Author: