how to stay healthy at collegeIf you’re like the majority of college students, you’d probably never been on your own before starting school. You undoubtedly relied on your parents for pretty much everything, including the incentive to eat healthy food. Being on your own, you probably didn’t worry too much about what you ate, or whether or not you got enough exercise–you were most likely too busy going to classes and enjoying your new-found freedom. However, if you’re like most new students, you quickly realized the importance of living a healthy lifestyle. If this sounds familiar, you may be interested in the following tips on how to stay healthy in college.
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The key to most diets is having the willpower to eat less, while maintaining physical activity to tone your body. Everyone on a diet wishes to eat more and still lose weight, but let’s face reality – that just isn’t going to happen! There are some diets out there that claim to help you by suppressing your appetite, thus making it a little bit easier to go through the struggles of decreasing your caloric intake. Here are a couple of different ways to assist you in weight loss, while suppressing your appetite, but you should always consult your doctor before beginning one of these plans. They will know what is best for you and your body type.

Gastric Bypass Surgery: This surgery has a very high success rate, (about 93% in obese or morbidly obese patients, and 57% in super obese patients according to this article.) Through a surgical procedure, a gastric bypass patient will have their stomach shrunk down to the size of a golf ball. This will only allow them to eat a couple ounces of food at a time. They will have to eat tiny meals throughout the day, and they will also have to take vitamins in order to get all of the nutrients that they need, since they no longer have the capacity to get the nutrients from the food they are eating. This diet plan isn’t a good option for everyone, because the surgery is very invasive and can be dangerous for some individuals. However, if you have tried everything else that you can and still haven’t managed to shed the pounds, it may be a good option for you.

HCG Diets: HCG is a hormone produced in pregnant women. The homeopathic HCG drops sold over the counter are now illegal because they are a complete scam. People who took these drops and followed the “HCG Diet” sometimes had success in losing weight, but only because the diet calls for a caloric intake of only 500-1000 calories per day. Essentially by starving yourself, you will lose some of your fat stores, but in the long run, the second that you increase your calories, the body will start to store fat again because it knows that it may need to draw from it in the future. Those who followed this diet under doctor supervision, using the injections of HCG tended to have a higher success rate, but it is still a controversial method to losing weight.

Diet Pills or Powders: Diet pills and powders used to suppress appetite are effective in some people, but not in others. Most of these diets are similar to the HCG diet, in that you must drastically reduce your calories in order to see results. Therefore, it’s nearly impossible to determine whether any weight loss is coming from the pills or powders, or if you are losing weight simply because of the drastic caloric decrease. Some of these use herbs which are known for their appetite suppressant abilities, so they are more likely to help you since you won’t be starving all of the time. On the Lemonade Diet FAQ page, they state that “Most of our customers who follow the diet strictly lose weight. We can’t guarantee how much a person will lose. Everybody is different and every person adheres to the diet differently.” So if you don’t follow 800 calorie per day guideline, then you will likely not lose weight on this diet, which means that the powdered drink mix isn’t there to help you lose the weight, but simply to suppress your appetite while you attempt to lose weight by decreasing your calories.

A tradition route of combining a healthy diet and exercise is always going to be your best bet for losing weight. Though you will have to practice some willpower, and may make a few mistakes here and there, if you can commit to this type of diet, you will be better off in the long run than many people trying to miraculously lose weight through some obscure diet plan.

Eating healthy food is such a huge part of getting and staying in shape. So today on What Are You Weighing For, we have a treat for our readers. This extremely healthy dish can be served as a snack, side, or main course. This recipe has been adapted from a recipe found on allrecipes.com. The original can be found here.

Ingredients:

1 teaspoon cooking oil

1 onion chopped (I didn’t include this, instead I added a little onion powder for flavor. I hate the texture of onions!)

3 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed. (Or you can use a little minced garlic, or garlic powder)

3/4 c. uncooked quinoa, rinsed

1.5 cups vegetable broth (If you prefer, you can sub in chicken stock)

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon cayanne pepper

1 tablespoon lemon or lime juice

1 c. frozen corn kernels, or 1 can of corn

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained

1/2 cup fresh chopped cilantro

salt and pepper to taste

 

Instructions:

1. Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and saute until lightly brown.

2. Add the quinoa to the saucepan and then pour in the broth. Add cumin, cayenne, salt and pepper, and stir. Bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and let simmer for 20 minutes.

3. Add the corn and black beans and simmer for about 5 minutes, until heated through.

And there you have it. A wonderful, healthy side dish that is under 200 calories per serving, and packed with fiber and protein. Quinoa is the only grain that is a complete protein, so try and start incorporating it into your meals when you don’t want to add fatty meats. You can even ditch the treadmill workout after such a healthy meal without feeling too bad!

If you want to really jazz it up, you can add cooked chicken for the last 5 minutes of simmering, and then use it as a taco filling. Just add sour cream, avocados, cabbage, shredded carrots, and/or salsa. While this will increase the calorie count, for a full and healthy meal, it’s still definitely worth it!

You can also serve this as a cold type of “salad.” It’s so versatile. Feel free to try it with some adjustments of your own. You may even want to add some of these tasty foods that fight belly fat!

Enjoy!


Do you want to get rid of that extra arm jiggle? Well, I’ve got your answer to sculpted arms in weeks! Surprisingly, it does not take as long as you’d think to tone up your arms. All it takes is some time and some motivation. This post will give you a great arm workout that you can do in your own home! You will repeat this exercise three times a week, with one rest day between each day.

This arm exercise is called the “Three-Point Row”:

  • Spread your feet hips distance apart from each other, and then stand with your right foot in front of your left, still hip distance apart. Then place your right arm on a bench or table, and hold a weight (5 lbs – 12 lbs depending on your level) in your left arm. You will hold your left arm (with the weight) in a right degree angle from your body.
  • The first motion you will do is have your palm facing right (towards your body) and lower your whole arm. Then bring it back up.
  • Next, after you bring your arm back up, you will rotate your palm to face back, and your fist is pointing to the ground. You will lower from there and bring it back up, like the last step.
  • Last, you will rotate your palm one more time and this time your palm will face left (away from your body), then you will lower your arm and bring it back up, like the last two steps.
  • You will repeat these steps 5 to 10 times, then switch arms and repeat.

**This workout is a little tough to visualize, so if you’d like to see a video on how to do it, click here.

Many people are so worried about their cardio exercise and running in general, and they forget that they are not working their arms, at all, while running. You have to do your own unique and individual exercises to work out your arms.

Remember, it is not difficult to do any exercises, necessarily. It is hard to find the motivation and time to do them. Once your ready to exercise, you are already passed the hardest part. Try and make exercise fun, and make your routine enjoyable. Next, stick to a routine. Try doing this arm workout for three weeks and see if there is any result at all. If you see results, that should definitely keep you motivated to keep going.

Running is the perfect workout, it activates almost every single muscle in the entire body, strengthens the core, and fortifies cardio like nothing else. Jogging, running, and sprinting are the best ways to increase all around health. Not only does the increased blood flow strengthen the muscles, but it also strengthens the brain ability to function.

Running also helps develop self-discipline, so if you can run a 5k race you can probably do most other things you set your mind to. 5ks are unique in the fact that they are both long distance and fast paced races, and because of this, runners need to be exceptionally conditioned. When training give yourself rest days in between all your training days. Start on Monday by running at 65 percent maximum pace for thirty to forty minutes, this is going to get your muscles used to the pace that will be necessary in the race. Tuesday, take a rest and let your muscles repair. Often people forget that a very important part of physical development is the resting period. Wednesday, get back to the run, this time though only run for fifteen minutes. After you have done that do four one minute runs at near maximum speed. In between each one minute run take a two minute break, doing this is called high intensity interval training (HIIT). This is the best way to create muscle development and promote caloric burn at the same time, but beware because this is going to obliterate your muscles. Thursday should be another rest day. Friday and Saturday you should still be in pain from Wednesday, so on both these days take a relaxing jog for around 40 minutes.

Once this becomes routine you will start to notice how the Friday and Saturday jogs start feeling like rest days. The purpose is to get to the point where a light jog is almost as natural as walking, doing this will allow you to maintain a quick pace throughout the entire five kilometer run.

Along with this training regimen you should be getting a good eight hours of sleep every single night and a lot of protein and veggies. The proteins are obviously to help your muscles repair, and the veggies to help the proteins repair your muscles. Don’t get discouraged if you take a day off, just jump right back into the exercise. The main thing you want to maintain is your motivation. One day isn’t going to kill you, but quitting altogether will definitely stop you from even running in the 5k. Check here for another 5k training routine.

21 days, that’s it!

They say it takes 21 days to form a new habit. If you want to be a fit person you are going to have to get yourself into the habit of working out. Obviously, habits are not formed over night but 21 days is not that long either.

Starting tomorrow you will workout every damn day for the next 21 days. If you do that, your body will be confused when you don’t work out.

Maybe it’s not even working out

You don’t have to form the habit of working out everyday right away. Maybe you have a hard time waking up early enough to workout before work/school/etc. So for the next 21 days just work on waking up early enough to go to the gym. You don’t have to actually go to the gym yet, that can come later. First, train your body to wake up early. Again, all it takes is 21 consistent days.

In an article on the Huffington Post that actually “debunks” this 21 day habit myth, Jessica Cassity chose to give herself a 21 day challenge despite doctors and such telling her the the 21 day habit myth was out-dated. Here’s an excerpt of what she said:

Then, on day 21, a funny thing happened. With the challenge nearing its end I found myself wanting to not only keep up my barre work, but also enroll at a gym that offered indoor cycling, a class I’d loved during my last fitness craze. I was hooked on the feeling. And then there were the results: On day 21 I also tried on an old pair of pants — ones that hadn’t fit in more than a year. They were snug, but they zipped. I’d been so focused on the other reasons to exercise — the camaraderie, the daily diversion from work — that I had started to edge toward this goal without my realizing it. [Read the full article here.]

The 21 day challenge is real. You will see results, both emotional and physical, from changing your regular routine for a steady 21 days. The key: Don’t give up. You have to be consistent for 21 days.

Tips to staying motivated for those 21 days

It’s going to be a battle to get yourself out of bed or into the gym or both, especially for the first few weeks. Here are some suggestions that will hopefully help you stay motivated.

  • Exercise with a buddy.
  • Reward yourself each time you wake up/go to the gym/etc with a new shirt or something (a hot fudge sundae probably isn’t the most appropriate reward).
  • Don’t keep track of your weight right away. Your weight will be a rollercoaster for the first few weeks because of varying factors like water weight that go up and down when you first start getting into the exercising routine.
  • Measure you progress as far as miles ran, weight lifted, etc. Those are the types of things you will start seeing improvements with starting with day 2. If you run 5 miles one day/week, keep track and try to beat that distance/time next week. You will be surprised at what you are capable of.

These are just a few ideas. There are many other ideas here, here, and here.

Just remember, 21 days, that’s it. Don’t give up, don’t give in, just keep pushing every single day and you will be amazed with yourself.

Are you aware that last month (July 2012) was the hottest month on record for the United States?? It’s pretty shocking when you consider that records have been kept for over 100 years, which amounts to over 1,400 months!  To me it didn’t feel much hotter, but maybe that’s just because on average it was 3 degrees hotter than usual. Some cities have been suffering with the heat wave, as it is destroying their public roads. The sun can be a pretty scary enemy, especially if you are trying to stay in shape! Here are my tips for beating the heat, while continuing on with your fitness regimin.

Heat Wave Summer 2012

Purchase some home fitness equipment from Nordictrack or another reputable brand. If you can work out inside your home, you will be far better off because you can avoid the hot weather, while still getting a great workout! Consider a treadmill or elliptical for a great way to keep up your cardio health. The perk of buying your own equipment will quickly be apparent come winter when it’s too cold to work out outside! Now you are set for both summer and winter!

If you don’t want to buy your own equipment because it’s expensive, or you don’t have the space, then consider joining a gym until the weather cools off. There are plenty of activities to do there, and you will feel good knowing that you can resume your outdoor exercises as soon as it cools off… Or when your gym contract expires, whichever one comes first!

If you don’t like the thought of using equipment at home, or in a gym, consider doing an alternate indoor workout, such as working on push-ups, stretching, or calisthenics. These are great ways to stay in shape during the time that you can’t be outdoors.

Most of all, just keep in mind that summer will soon be over, and you won’t have to worry about beating the heat for another 9 months or do. Remember that our goal is to have a shirts off summer! If you can temporarily change your workout so that you don’t go for the entire summer without a workout, then when you are ready to start it up again, you will be in a good position!

It is very common for people to become discouraged when they begin a new fitness plan. They plan this whole routine: Monday – Abs, Tuesday – Arms, Wednesday- Legs, etc. They think they will lose all this weight by going to the gym regularly and sticking to a workout schedule. Well, this is partly true. You cannot lose weight without exercising, however, the biggest factor in losing weight is your diet. Abs are made in the kitchen, not the gym.

Everyone has the ability to get a six-pack, but you won’t get it by doing a hundred crunches a day. The truth is everyone already has a six-pack, but it is just hidden underneath all that belly fat. The only way you are going to achieve those chiseled abs is through your kitchen. Of course, you can still do crunches regularly, and you will be that much further ahead.

One of the best ways to change your diet is to transition slowly. One week, try taking out your favorite treats from wal-mart. It will save you some money too! If you don’t have any sweets in the house, you won’t be as tempted to eat them. The next week, take out refined sugars and white flour. One of the best way to lose weight is by cutting out white flour. White flour has many dangers, especially if you are trying to lose weight; You can read why here. Trust me, you will not get your six-pack if you continue to eat white flours. There are a few more things you should change in your diet for those chiseled abs.

There are four more things you should change in your diet to achieve nice abs. First, add healthy fats to your diet such as nuts, coconut oil, and avocados. Second, increase your water intake. Third, add more lean protein such as chicken, or fish. Last, remember to track your calories and make sure you are burning more calories than you are eating.

Now, remember the saying that, “Abs are Made in the Kitchen, Not the Gym!” I’m not telling you to just eat right and forget about exercise completely. You still need to get your cardio in by taking a run on a treadmill, or by doing the stair stepper, or even elliptical. However, make sure you eat right at the same time, because that’s when the real results will come.

Do you want to become huge, ripped and super fit? Of course you do; honestly, who does not? It is probably one of the most desired things by everybody on earth, to want to look fit.

There are three things to remember when you start pushing yourself to a new workout routine. The first is the exertion part of the exercise. This is where you will actually be running trails, lifting weights, or swimming laps. The exertion part is the part most people have no trouble with. People know that more needs to be done to get fit, they just don’t want to do it. So the trouble doesn’t come from lack of knowledge but rather from lack of discipline. People who are consistent with their exercise may be confused as to why they are not seeing the results they desire.

This is because they are missing key points two and three. The second thing you need with a good workout routine is a good diet plan. Good diet means good nutrition, you are going to have get proteins in your meals so that your body can synthesize new muscles, but you are also going to need vitamins and minerals so that the synthesis process can actually happen. Interestingly enough, minerals help the body perform the necessary chemical reactions that convert protein into muscle mass, so they are essential for body builders. Then with every pound of muscle that is gained you will have to be consuming an extra fifty calories a day. If you are not getting fifty calories per pound of muscle in your body then the body will start to break down those muscles.

The third part of a professional training routine would be rest. The actual time when the body starts making new muscles is when you are sleeping. The workout only tears the muscles and pumps them full of blood. There really is no muscle building happening during the exercising process. Sleep is the only time the body can turn off and start working to rebuild, so if you are exercising every day and not getting good sleep you will stunt your progress. In addition, use sleep, nutrition and exercise to get your physical progress. Make a scheduled plan so that you know exactly what you are eating daily and when you are exercising. Then at night make sure you get a good eight hours.

The trick to getting ripped is pushing yourself harder and harder every single day.  This should sound challenging. Dropping weight and bulking up isn’t an easy thing, it is actually hard to do.  It is going to take some discipline and that is the truth.  So the question is, how do you motivate yourself when nothing less than perfect will do?

 

Keep a Journal

Accountability, this is a huge key to success.  We recommend you keep a journal within which you record all the things you did throughout the day. Record the good and the bad.  This is how you are going to become accountable.  With each sentence you write you will be reminded of your accomplishments, and also your short comings.   In a study done with some chicks, they determined that women who kept a journal of what they ate, lost on average 9 more pounds than their non-journalistic counterparts.

New Environment.

Of course you probably feel very comfortable in your cozy little bubble. We are not looking for cozy we are looking for hardcore change.  Now the friends you have probably been great to you, and I am sure if they are truly your friends they will support you in your fitness endeavors.  So either get them to accompany you to the gym two to three times a week, or find some friends that will accompany you.

The downside to this tip. Sever yourself from the things that are holding you back. Trust me it is really worth it.

Get a Mantra

This sounds quirky, but it actually works.  Tell yourself something that you think is motivating.  Last week mine was “Push it to Prove You are Alive”  this week thought it has changed to “Nothing short of Perfect will work.” These have to be personal.  read a motivating story about some team that wins the gold medal or rugby or something.