Where to Go For Results If You"re Sick and Tired of Being Fat and Out of Shape
The diet industry is a $40 billion-dollar-a year business! With that kind of financial investment from consumers, you'd think the diet industry would shrink up and go away, along with our shrinking waistlines.
The math here tells us that somehow we're not getting what we paid for, since America (and the world) is generally getting fatter.
If you are sick and tired of being fat and out of shape this article might give you the right food for thought to get you on track- without spending another dime.
Instead, we'll explore a simpler way of looking at our approach to weight management that could turn this weight epidemic around for good - starting with you! Cutting through the confusion: On the fitness side over the past several decades we've seen massive growth in gym equipment, memberships, trainers, Pilate's studios, yoga studios and organized biking groups.
Personal fitness equipment has also enjoyed explosive growth - with exercise balls, hip-hop-ab videos, and home gym equipment.
It is really mind boggling and makes a person wonder where to begin with any kind of fitness routine.
When it comes to diet, the choices get even tougher.
I was browsing a book store the other day and counted over 30 shelves worth of different diet books to choose from, which doesn't account for all of the programs out there like Nutra System, Jenny Craig, Weight Watchers and Lindora, just to name a few.
Now there's also the Internet explosion with dozens of new diet e-books sprouting up.
This is all great from a choice standpoint, but many diets contradict one another and adding to the confusion.
Personally, I've been there with yo-yo dieting over the past 15+ years, and I almost felt like giving up.
Then one day I ran across some reading that reminded me of a few common sense principals.
These principles helped me cut through the confusion and get on track myself.
I lost over 15 pounds and kept it off, and am working on my last 10 pounds right now.
Getting back to basics: Think back to our grandparents or great-grandparents.
They didn't have all the gadgets and gyms, nor a need for a diet program.
Our fitness and weight problems stem from lifestyle.
We know this intellectually, but do we really get it? Here are the ways in which our ancestors stayed fit: Exercise: They were often up from dawn 'til dusk working in the farm or running the family business, making deliveries or some other activity.
Our jobs don't lend that kind of opportunity for most of us today, but you can take a 10 minute break every 2-3 hours and do a brisk walk around the block.
Secondly, our ancestors often had to work in spurts of intensity.
For instance, bringing in the hay before a rain or when it was ready to harvest.
Our bodies still need variation and intensity, along with regular movement.
When you do your workout, vary your intensity level.
Include modified high-intensity weight lifting exercises, which will keep your time commitment lower, while increasing your metabolism.
If possible, use movement to do something you love, such as swimming, playing ball, running through a par course outdoors, or working on a special home building project.
Whatever you do, try and imitate our healthy ancestors by moving whenever you can, and allowing for spurts of intensity.
Doing this will take some intention and focus, but the rewards are worth it! Diet: Now think about what our ancestors ate.
It doesn't matter if they ate meat or veggies, pasta or potatoes.
The point is that they ate nutrient dense foods for the majority of their meals and snacks! The high quantity of processed foods simply didn't exist back then.
No large quantities of ice cream, chips, soda, or sugary pastries that you have at your fingertips today! If they did have any of these goodies they were made from scratch, requiring manual labor to complete them, and they'd have a short shelf life.
Earlier on, sugar could only be purchased through an apothecary or pharmacy since it was so expensive and costly.
Bottom line, try and imitate your ancestors in the types of nutrient-rich foods that you eat.
We've gotten too focused on macro-nutrients such as fats, carbs and proteins and while there is merit to balancing macro-nutrients, we've gone overboard here too.
The ad agencies and the processed food industry have us brainwashed to grab the prepared food more often than not.
I'm not saying that you should never eat a brownie or packaged food again -rather strive for 85-90% of the time to eat unprocessed foods.
Instead, eat live, healthy and organic foods in smaller portions more often, and it's that simple! If you think of exercise, nutrition, and rest as annoying tasks that you have to do for swimsuit season, you'll be disappointed with your fat burning and fitness results.
Your goal should be to create a long-term lifestyle that takes some of the best elements of how your ancestors lived, and your body will become fit and leaner naturally.
The math here tells us that somehow we're not getting what we paid for, since America (and the world) is generally getting fatter.
If you are sick and tired of being fat and out of shape this article might give you the right food for thought to get you on track- without spending another dime.
Instead, we'll explore a simpler way of looking at our approach to weight management that could turn this weight epidemic around for good - starting with you! Cutting through the confusion: On the fitness side over the past several decades we've seen massive growth in gym equipment, memberships, trainers, Pilate's studios, yoga studios and organized biking groups.
Personal fitness equipment has also enjoyed explosive growth - with exercise balls, hip-hop-ab videos, and home gym equipment.
It is really mind boggling and makes a person wonder where to begin with any kind of fitness routine.
When it comes to diet, the choices get even tougher.
I was browsing a book store the other day and counted over 30 shelves worth of different diet books to choose from, which doesn't account for all of the programs out there like Nutra System, Jenny Craig, Weight Watchers and Lindora, just to name a few.
Now there's also the Internet explosion with dozens of new diet e-books sprouting up.
This is all great from a choice standpoint, but many diets contradict one another and adding to the confusion.
Personally, I've been there with yo-yo dieting over the past 15+ years, and I almost felt like giving up.
Then one day I ran across some reading that reminded me of a few common sense principals.
These principles helped me cut through the confusion and get on track myself.
I lost over 15 pounds and kept it off, and am working on my last 10 pounds right now.
Getting back to basics: Think back to our grandparents or great-grandparents.
They didn't have all the gadgets and gyms, nor a need for a diet program.
Our fitness and weight problems stem from lifestyle.
We know this intellectually, but do we really get it? Here are the ways in which our ancestors stayed fit: Exercise: They were often up from dawn 'til dusk working in the farm or running the family business, making deliveries or some other activity.
Our jobs don't lend that kind of opportunity for most of us today, but you can take a 10 minute break every 2-3 hours and do a brisk walk around the block.
Secondly, our ancestors often had to work in spurts of intensity.
For instance, bringing in the hay before a rain or when it was ready to harvest.
Our bodies still need variation and intensity, along with regular movement.
When you do your workout, vary your intensity level.
Include modified high-intensity weight lifting exercises, which will keep your time commitment lower, while increasing your metabolism.
If possible, use movement to do something you love, such as swimming, playing ball, running through a par course outdoors, or working on a special home building project.
Whatever you do, try and imitate our healthy ancestors by moving whenever you can, and allowing for spurts of intensity.
Doing this will take some intention and focus, but the rewards are worth it! Diet: Now think about what our ancestors ate.
It doesn't matter if they ate meat or veggies, pasta or potatoes.
The point is that they ate nutrient dense foods for the majority of their meals and snacks! The high quantity of processed foods simply didn't exist back then.
No large quantities of ice cream, chips, soda, or sugary pastries that you have at your fingertips today! If they did have any of these goodies they were made from scratch, requiring manual labor to complete them, and they'd have a short shelf life.
Earlier on, sugar could only be purchased through an apothecary or pharmacy since it was so expensive and costly.
Bottom line, try and imitate your ancestors in the types of nutrient-rich foods that you eat.
We've gotten too focused on macro-nutrients such as fats, carbs and proteins and while there is merit to balancing macro-nutrients, we've gone overboard here too.
The ad agencies and the processed food industry have us brainwashed to grab the prepared food more often than not.
I'm not saying that you should never eat a brownie or packaged food again -rather strive for 85-90% of the time to eat unprocessed foods.
Instead, eat live, healthy and organic foods in smaller portions more often, and it's that simple! If you think of exercise, nutrition, and rest as annoying tasks that you have to do for swimsuit season, you'll be disappointed with your fat burning and fitness results.
Your goal should be to create a long-term lifestyle that takes some of the best elements of how your ancestors lived, and your body will become fit and leaner naturally.