Complete Motivation

If you are struggling to stay motivated and think perhaps it's just not worth it, take a look at this short video for 50 reasons to keep going!  Once you've watched the video if you are still struggling then its time to look at your mindset and ask your self the big question "are you committed to changing your life for the better".

Every weight loss journey has highs and lows but the ultimate key the one that makes the difference between success and failure is motivation, keep motivated and you will succeed! Watch the video, listen to the advice, look at the people in it and then make your decision.

The best person in the world to motivate you is you, go for it.....











Source Video

Get Motivated, Stay Motivated

Five or six days every week, Sue Wolcott, 41, hits the treadmill in her basement.

It's a habit that started after she named her exercise machine Ripley. "It's as in 'Believe it or not, I'm working out,'" says Sue, a teacher in Grand Island, New York. "I would never skip out on meeting a friend, so I decided to treat my treadmill like a person." It's become, ahem, a running joke in her set; one pal now refers to her own treadmill as Dusty. "It's just us being silly, but when I'm asked if I've seen Ripley, I really love answering yes," Sue says.

Despite what you may think, the trick to exercising regularly isn't finding your inner enforcer. Rather, "it's getting creative and tapping your natural motivations," says Kelly McGonigal, PhD, a health psychologist and fitness instructor at Stanford. 

We asked women who work up a sweat almost every day for their stick-with-it solutions. 

1. Don't Put Away Your Gear.

From the moment she rises, Kristina Monét Cox, 26, has exercise on the brain. That's because the first things she sees are her sneakers and workout clothes. "I've got them next to the bed in plain sight," says Kristina, the CEO of a communications firm in Houston. "I've also got dumbbells right where I can see them in the bathroom, and a balance ball, a yoga mat, and a jump rope strategically placed throughout the house." Forgetting to exercise is never her problem.

Why it works: Visual cues are a wake-up call to your brain. "We all have competing priorities like work, family, chores. Sometimes we need a reminder to keep exercise at the forefront," McGonigal says.

2. Turn Your Commute Into A Workout.

On days that Monica Vazquez, 27, a master trainer for New York Sports Clubs in New York City, can't do her usual run, she stuffs her essentials -- keys, cash, credit card, phone and ID -- into a fanny pack and jogs home from work instead. "Running is a great workout, but it's also great transportation," she says. "Sometimes I get home even earlier than I normally do taking the subway."

Why it works: Running, walking, or biking somewhere you have to go anyway makes exercise feel time-efficient. "And you don't have to carve out another part of your day for it," says Michelle Fortier, PhD, professor of health sciences at the University of Ottawa. "It's an effective strategy for people who are busy from morning to night."

Source Article

How Yoga Changes Your Body, Starting The Day You Begin

The Eastern practice of yoga has become a modern-day symbol of peace, serenity and well-being in the West. More than 20 million Americans practice yoga, according to the 2012 Yoga in America study, with practitioners spending more than $10 billion a year on yoga-related products and classes.

The mind-body practice is frequently touted for its ability to reduce stress and boost well-being, but it also offers wide-ranging physical health benefits that rival other forms of exercise. While the scientific research on yoga's health benefits is still young, here's what we know so far about its potential effects on the body.

 View the infographic below for more detailed information.

Infographic by Jan Diehm for The Huffington Post

Source Article

How To Fit Exercise Into The Working Day

Fitness tips for the time-strapped

Think you've got no time to exercise? Motivation expert and personal Trainer Dax Moy sets the record straight, and he’s not messing around...

1. Think 'Something rather than nothing

Many people end up doing no training at all because they have been brainwashed into thinking that a decent exercise session has to last an hour or more. This is simply not the case. The body works on a 'minimum dose response' system whereby it improves relative to your last exercise session. If you don't do any exercise at all then even 1 minute a day (yes, you read that right) will still yield benefits . Something ALWAYS trumps nothing... and there's ALWAYS time for something! As long as you're doing more than you usually do (1 more minute, 1 more set, 1 more reps, 1 more lb) then your results will still come.

2. Little and often

If you're stuck for time then little and often is a brilliant approach to improving your fitness.

Try 3-4 minutes before you hit the shower in the morning, go for a 3-4 minute walk and 'earn' your lunch break. Maybe do 3-4 minutes when you get home and before you go to bed and you may well have amassed more than 20-30 minutes of decent exercise. May not sound much but do this daily and it adds up and, of course, as per the last point, something ALWAYS beats nothing.

3. Use the ad breaks on TV

Ad breaks come on every 12-15 minutes on most commercial stations and last for around 3 minutes each. Instead of getting up, raiding the fridge and grabbing a coffee whenever one comes on, spend the 3 minutes doing exercises either as a circuit or back-to-back 'superset' (squats and pushups for example). Every hour will see you completing 12 minutes of exercise so over three hours in the evening you'll have done 36 minutes of quality work.

4. Squeeze it!

Your body doesn't actually know the difference between barbells, dumbbells, kettlebells, yoga, pilates, gymnastics or dance. All it knows is that a muscle is asked to contract for a certain tension and a certain time. This is great news as you can contract your muscles anytime, anywhere. Sitting there in your chair, standing on the tube, waiting in line for your lunch, you can contract thighs, glutes, abs, chest, arms and, well, anything. Just squeeze for all you're worth (between 70% and 00% of your maximum effort) for 5-10 reps of 5-10 seconds each and you'll have given yourself a pretty decent workout that's strengthened and toned your muscles.

Source Article

10 Top Tips for a 10k Run

What do you do to prepare for a 10k run?

In the months before the race I would run a certain mileage a week and then I would do some more race specific stuff like kilometre intervals, kilometres on track and on road, fast, short, recovery to get some speed in my legs for the upcoming race.

Do you do anything in the gym in preparation for race day?

Conditioning is always good and being flexible is very important for a long-distance runner. I manly just keep on top of my sports massage.  

   

What is a typical diet for a 10k runner?

A long-distance runner would probably be eating more carbs than the average person should be eating. Carbs like fruits, vegetables and pasta are a very good source for the carbs that you need and you would also need a high amount of protein to replenish the muscles that are damaged during exercise. Recovery drinks are also very good for post-workout healing and for rest days as well. This diet will definitely get you geared up towards the race.

Strength, Speed or Stamina?  

I would say that stamina is more important because of the fact you’re running 6.24miles, it’s longer than the average person would run.

Top 10 Tips 

1. Invest in a good pair of running trainers. Asics are the best around.

2. Get some comfortable, breathable kit. If you feel good when you train then you train well. 

3. Stick to your training routine. It sound simple, but people always like to skip days here and there. You wouldn’t walk into a maths test without revising.

4. Don’t try and run before you can crawl. Gradually build up (progression). Listen to your body – take a day off if you have to.

5. Don’t be too hard on yourself. Don’t compare yourself to top long-distance runners and be realistic.

6. Try and do at least one speed session every week. Try and run at a faster speed that you can maintain during key parts of the race.

7. Over-distance training is vital. Try and run at least seven miles once-a-week because it gives you a psychological edge going into the race because you would have exceeded the race mileage six or seven times. It will make the 10k easier because it will be a smaller distance.

8. Eat at least two hours before the race. Don’t eat anything too heavy and don’t eat anything you have never eaten before. Eat something that is quite high in carbs like porridge or toast. Don’t drink too much water – one litre before the race is more than enough.

9. Get as much sleep as you can leading up to the race. People get nervous the night before so it is good to get those extra hours during the week.

10. Always go in with a target. If you target 60 minutes then you need to target six minutes per kilometre. 

Article Source

Pilates Sculpting

This routine is perfect for all levels of fitness, if you've never tried Pilates before give it ago and see what you think, if you are more advanced try increasing the weight or extend the routine. 

The instruction is clear and precise and requires very limited equipment, if you don't have hand weights or dumb bells at home, use water bottles or tins of food to add resistance.  Pilates is an excellent low impact training method with a proven track record, this form of exercise is perfect for people who have injury's and are unable to run or power walk.

Video source

Booty Shaking Waist Workout

This is a quality cardio workout that only takes 10 minutes, that anyone can try!  If you've not exercised for a while make sure you consult a doctor before starting, then set realistic goals and start slowly. Remember to plan your exercise sessions, record your results and eat healthy regular meals.  Give this workout a try at home and let us know your thoughts.....












Source Video

What Is The Best Weight Loss Program For You?

Due to the large demand for weight loss products there is now an abundance of programs offering pills, supplements and the like and some people even go as far as to opt for cosmetic surgery to get rid of the excess pounds. 

The problem with the majority of these is that they have various side effects and health risks associated with their use and the idea that these programs can achieve quick fat loss are detrimental. If you are looking for a healthy weight loss program then there are things you need to do.

Most of the healthy weight loss programs involve changing your lifestyle and your diet and to take up some form of regular exercise as most of the weight gain is due to poor diet and in these days of work, work and more work it is so easy to slip into the fast food or junk food culture and pile on the pounds due to lack of time in the day.

By changing your diet you not only will not have to starve yourself but will have all the right nutrients needed to start your healthy weight loss program. With fresh fruit and vegetables for example you will still be able to eat almost as much as you want of these without putting on weight.

If you are looking for the best type of healthy weight loss program that will lose lbs off your weight then this healthy natural style of diet is by far the best,.and by avoiding the fatty high calorie foods that only aggravate the problem also helps and by substituting these for fresh fruit and vegetables this will help with the cravings for the junk food and also give your body the nutrients it needs. Fresh fruits and vegetables are called fat burning foods as it takes more energy for the body to digest them than they actually give back.

Regular exercise is also an integral part of the healthy weight loss program as it is important to increase the body's metabolism in order to burn more fats in the body. The best form of exercise is cardiovascular as this will increase the oxygen levels in your body and also benefit you in other ways. You will gain a healthier heart as well as lessening the risk from other heart related illnesses, you will also not get the diseases associated with being overweight and generally you will feel full of energy and as the body is full of oxygen from exercising you will be more alert which has benefits throughout your day.

So in order for you to get the most effective weight loss programs you will have to look carefully at each one to see if it offers what you want from it. Make sure that it offers a mixture of weight loss and exercise programs together as that is the most effective way to go on a healthy weight loss program, the ones that do not offer exercise as part of them generally will not give you the sustained weight loss you require. That is not always the case but is true in a good 85% of cases.

Source article