Losing Weight Through Efficient Exercise and Smart Nutrition

It is pretty obvious why more and more people are overweight. With all the modern conveniences, people are no longer walking or riding bicycles to work or school. People are doing less and less yard and house work. Everyone is becoming more sedentary at work, at school, and at home. We are not playing outside as much and running around as much. Instead we are watching TV, doing work on computers, surfing the internet, or playing video games. We are simply not moving our bodies as much as in the past and this is taking a devastating toll on our health and well being.

Something has to be done about this. The solution lies within you. You must take action to educate yourself and then to nurture yourself back to optimal health and fitness. A good starting point is through admission. Our modern world is very demanding and it is quite understandable that you may feel a little overwhelmed, tired, fatigued, and drained. It is okay to admit this and begin your calm surrender. In fact, the most important step is to first acknowledge the need for change.

Proper nutrition is essential. A balanced and healthy diet can be very difficult to achieve in our busy modern world. Today, more than ever before, we need to pay very close attention to what we putting into our bodies. We should change our diets to avoid many of the modern man made substances we ingest. Believe it or not, there are many people today who are significantly overweight yet they are very hungry all the time. This is because they are consuming many foods and beverages that have very empty calories and their bodies are actually undernourished. Yes, can you believe this? Many people today are overweight but are actually malnourished! There is a need to evaluate daily nutrition and improve it. What are you putting into your body on a daily basis? Have you researched what you should and should not be eating and drinking? There is tremendous controversy in this area, however, look for the common threads. These are things most professionals agree upon such as: Drink purified water. Drink mostly water for your daily hydration. Most people are not eating enough fresh fruits and vegetables. This is another great source of hydration.

Drink and eat out of glass containers instead of plastic whenever possible.Drinking soda or pop is not good because it is loaded with chemicals, preservatives, additives, sugar, and carbonation. Most fried foods are very bad for you because the oils contain the worst type of fat and these fats tend to go rancid. Most "fast foods" are bad for you for the same reason listed above under fried food. Eating 5 times a day with 3 healthy meals plus 2 healthy snacks is better than 3 heavy meals. Eating a full meal after 6pm at night is not a good idea because digestion will use lots of your energy and interfere with sleep. Whole foods are the best answer. And there are many more common threads about nutrition to consider. We challenge you to research this area rigorously and change your diet for the better based upon your belief system and findings. Simply improving upon the food you eat, water you drink, and basic exercise you perform can make a significant and lasting difference in your life. You are faced with nutrition choices every day. Choose wisely!

Efficient Exercise is the key for long term good health. Over-training can be worse than under-training in many cases because over-training can cause injury and fatigue. Before starting any new exercise program, you should consult with your physician. Beyond that it is critical to use efficient and intelligent methods to improve your flexibility, endurance, strength, and stamina. There are many simple techniques that you can start right away to improve your core and your foundation that will produce excellent health and fitness benefits in the long term. A balanced body is a very worthy goal that will allow total wellness to flourish in your life. The benefits of exercising have been proven to improve health for so many reasons. Exercising and keeping your body in good physical condition can lead to a highly efficient natural detoxification system that is vital to disease and illness prevention.

Exercising intelligently and efficiently is the key for long term good health. As a starting point, take a serious look in a long mirror. Look at your body facing directly in the mirror. Now turn to the side and review your profile. How is your posture? Are you out of alignment? Are your shoulders raised up near your ears or behind you, down on your back and relaxed? Is your head, neck, shoulders, hips, knees and feet in proper alignment? Have you been evaluated by a professional licensed physical therapist, doctor, Pilates, or yoga instructor recently? What would they say? Do you sit at a desk in front of a computer for your job? Do you sit excessively during the day at your job and again at night on the couch at home? Do you experience aches and pains in your neck, shoulders, and back? Proper posture especially in this day and age is critical to restoring balance and wellness in your life. Our modern lifestyle tends to over develop the front of our bodies and neglect our backs. Muscles, especially in the back, abdomen, and legs, become very weak over time. These core muscles are the most important yet are often the most neglected.

The basic components of an intelligent, efficient, exercise program include the following: Consultation with your physician. Cardiovascular risk assessment. Consultation with a licensed physical therapist and other professionals such as credible, qualified Pilates or yoga instructors. Cardio / Endurance training (walking, swimming, biking, etc.). Flexibility training (basic stretching, Yoga). Strength training (Pilates, basic weight training, yard work). Relaxation training (meditation, music). Find an "accountability partner" to exercise with. You can motivate each other significantly.

A critical element of proper exercise is the core training. This is the foundation upon which you build. In today's busy modern world we all are faced with limited time and money. This is why learning how to do key flexibility, strength, and endurance exercises quickly and efficiently is critical. As with nutrition there are many so called "experts" out there. As a foundation, I do perform several core strength exercises using Yoga and Pilates principles daily. A balanced body is a very worthy goal that will allow total wellness to flourish in your life.

There are many things you can do to significantly improve your health and well being. Don't give up, stay positive, and fight back. You can do it! Try to work on all health elements (attitude, passion, nutrition, exercise, rest & relaxation, detoxification, hobbies, etc.), but be sure to zero in on the two key elements of smart nutrition and efficient exercise. Simply improving upon the food you eat, beverages you drink, and exercises you perform can make a significant and lasting difference in your life.

The author is a continuous improvement consultant and web developer with a passion for health, fitness, life balance, and total wellness. He is the creator of BestExerciseAbs.com [http://www.bestexerciseabs.com/], a website dedicated to weight loss, smart nutrition [http://www.bestexerciseabs.com/Smart-Nutrition.html], efficient exercise, and life balance.

Five Most Effective Exercises for Losing Weight

There are exercises for getting rid of flab in particular places of the body, but most exercises generally have beneficial effects on the whole body. Some exercises are more efficient than others in helping you lose weight. The exercises cited here are very easy, do not require any expensive equipment, and are unbelievably most effective for losing excess body fat and for promoting good health for all age types.

1. Brisk Walking. It is something that won't cost you anything and you can do this anywhere, anytime, using just only a pair of light, soft, and comfortable walking shoes. The experts say that a 30-minute brisk walk can burn up to 250 calories.

2. Yoga. Practicing any type of yoga is good for your heart and your overall health. It also reduces stress, improves your mental acuity, and builds body strength. Any type of yoga is good and there are plenty of yoga types. One good example of weight-loss yoga is Power Yoga. A 90-minute power yoga done every day can bring immense benefits to your health as well as help you lose weight. The breathing pattern associated with power yoga 1) helps you to burn fat, and 2) makes you feel less hungry.

3. Deep Breathing. Others call this "belly breathing" or "diaphragmatic breathing." Patricia Bacall calls this Bliss breathing. She says: "Breath is the essence of life. If we are shallow breathers, we limit our life force and our experience of vibrant good health and enthusiasm." You might think that since deep breathing doesn't require physical exertion or force, it might not help you lose weight. But it does. Regular breathing uses only one-fifth of our lung capacity, but deep diaphragmatic breathing uses our lungs more effectively. Deep breathing helps to create a healthy shape and healthy internal organs.According to the authors of "The Core Balance Diet: 4 Weeks to Boost Your Metabolism and Lose Weight for Good", the act of breathing causes your metabolic rate to increase and the oxygen you breathe in is needed for proper organ functioning and for the burning of body fat. "Taking in deep breaths allows you to derive many of the advantages associated with regular aerobics exercises." Breathe-yourself-thin proponents advocate special deep breathing exercises to flatten your tummy and make you feel good, strong, and happy. If we regularly deep-breathe, we become healthy, energetic, and we don't overeat because we feel less hungry.

4. Tai-Chi. This is a moving form of yoga and meditation that uses movements derived from the natural movements of animals and birds, performed slowly, softly, and gracefully. It is deeply rooted in Chinese meditation, medicine, and martial arts. The practitioners of the sport assert that Tai-chi is useful for martial arts, hand combat, and also as meditative exercise for the body to promote health and vitality. It corrects poor posture and fosters a calm mind. Thirty minutes of Tai-chi burns about 140 calories in a woman. It is a moderate way of losing weight, of improving muscle flexibility & blood circulation, and it is an excellent way of regaining optimum health by improving heart function, blood circulation, body strength, flexibility, balance and coordination. Anyone can do the series of gently flowing, graceful postures.

5. Aerobics. It is a form of physical exercise that combines stretching, rhythmic movements, and strength training exercise to promote physical fitness. It is usually performed to music using different levels of intensity and complexity. This exercise can be done alone at home or with a group in a gym.

Just like any exercise program, weight-loss exercises should include the correct breathing pattern to maintain endurance and achieve the best results.

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