Weight Loss Success Secret Ingredients
by delon on May 20th, 2010
filed under Weight Loss
Weight loss success for many people is a constant struggle while others seem to get it on the first try. So why do some people struggle and others breeze through this difficult challenge?
There are certain factors that seem to work against some people, like age, a lower metabolism and even genetics play a part. But these are all things that can be overcome with the right motivation, commitment, knowledge and support.
In fact, these are the secret ingredients that successful losers have, and by losers I mean those who have lost the weight and kept it off. You can find just about every weight loss tip like drink plenty of water, eat healthier foods and exercise more. All of these are great tips and will help towards losing weight. But if you struggle to lose weight then you need to dig deeper and try new ways to stay committed to your weight loss goal, gain all the right information for you, find ways to get motivated and build the proper support system.
Weight Loss Success through Commitment
My guess is if you didn’t want to lose weight you would not be reading this article. But saying you want to lose weight is just a small step to really committing to weight loss.
Increase your commitment by creating a personalized weight loss plan. Set a realistic goal, one that is something you can achieve and would be happy with. The goal can be in terms pounds, inches or body fat loss. Or it can even be by clothing size or the way you look in the mirror.
Make smaller goals that you can measure your progress by the week or month. Making smaller goals helps you stay focused and committed towards your long term goal. Plan for the week and go shopping for the foods you need and clear your schedule to allow time for your planned exercise routines.
Keep in mind that even the best made plans can change as life will give you the unexpected. Don’t let a missed day of exercising or eating right throw you off track. Shrug it off and keep on going with your plan and make adjustments if needed.
Weight Loss Success through Knowledge
Knowledge is power and with the right knowledge on your weight loss needs you can accomplish amazing results. Many weight loss programs are designed to adjust to the individual needs. Each person’s calorie intake needs and exercise needs will be different.
Your daily calorie intake for weight loss is dependent on your weight and height, age and gender and activity level. Do the proper research to first determine what your basal metabolic rate is. Then adjust your calorie intake needs for your level of activity. Once you have armed yourself with this information, then create a calorie deficit, where you consume fewer calories than you burn.
If you are able, add exercise to your weekly routine. Studies show that people who exercise and diet lose weight quicker and are more likely to keep the weight off versus those who only diet. Start out slow if you have not exercised in awhile. You should try to create a calorie deficit of 500 to 1,000 calories a day for weight loss by eating fewer calories and adding exercise. Be sure you don’t reduce calories too low or you will cause your metabolism to slow down and you run the risk of actually gaining weight.
Weight Loss Success through Motivation
If only we could buy motivation in a can we would be all set to lose the weight. Unfortunately motivation cannot be bought and is at times very difficult to find. Try looking for that certain something or someone that inspires you to stay with your weight loss and keep you motivated.
Try motivating yourself using a reward system. You can reward yourself with whatever you want but try to stay away from food as a reward. Use a calendar and place stickers or stars when you reach a goal or had a good week. Although this may seem like you are back in school, it is a visual reminder of how well you are doing. When you hit a significant goal treat yourself to a night out with your friends and family.
If you hit a weight loss plateau and feel like giving up, motivate yourself by looking back at your progress to see how far you have come. Remind yourself that plateaus are just part of the journey and to stick with it. Eventually you will come off the plateau and be on the losing end of things again. Try mixing up your exercise routine or change and add different foods to push past the weight loss plateau.
Another weight loss motivation tactic is to create your own personalized motivational saying. Even if you don’t think you are a creative person, write something down that you can relate to and get motivated by. Post it where you can read it everyday. You know yourself best and therefore can create a personalized weight loss motivation tip that will inspire you.
Weight Loss Success through Support
Support groups can be found for just about everything life can throw at you, including weight loss support groups. Weight loss can be very challenging and frustrating. Adding support to your weight loss ingredients can be the difference between getting through the challenge and giving up.
You can look for organized support groups through weight loss programs, on-line forums or chat rooms. You can also build your own group. Include your friends, family, neighbors and coworkers. Let them know you are trying to lose weight and want their support. Perhaps you and your neighbor can go walking a couple of times a week. At work, you and your coworkers can plan a “bring your own healthy meal” day at work, instead of going out for lunch.
With the right support, motivation, knowledge and commitment, you can be successful at your weight loss goals.
Your Physical Fitness Definition Will Determine Your Success
by delon on March 3rd, 2009
filed under Fitness
It always amazes me that FITNESS is a multi-billion dollar industry… Yet a solid, concise and universal definition of fitness is hard to nail down.
Just ask someone participating in a physical fitness program, or even someone in the fitness industry for that matter, to give you a clear definition of fitness.
You will most likely be met with the “deer caught in the headlights” stare accompanied by nonsensical stammering.
If you do get an answer, it will most likely be slanted toward the specific abilities of the person asked.
For example…
A marathon runner will define fitness in terms of muscular and cardiorespiratory endurance… A power-lifter will define fitness in terms of absolute strength… A bodybuilder will define fitness in terms of muscle size and definition… etc.
But the overwhelming majority of people participating in a physical fitness program are not professional athletes concerned with the improvement of only one physical ability.
Therefore, basing your definition of fitness on one specific physical skill does not lead to a universal definition of fitness.
The fact is, your physical fitness success will be determined by your definition of fitness… So take some time to make sure you have a clear fitness definition.
Once you see how much a clear definition of fitness can improve your physical training, you will wonder how you ever physically trained in the past without one.
So what would a universal definition of fitness be for someone who wanted to physically train to become a better, all-around human being?
I’m glad you asked… but let’s take it step by step.
Here is a GOOD Fitness Definition…
The degree of competence and skill to perform in ALL the physical abilities of cardiorespiratory endurance, strength, flexibility, power, speed, coordination, agility, balance, accuracy and toughness.
I can already hear the criticism from the athletic crowd… You cannot “maximize” the performance of all the physical abilities in this fitness definition at the same time.
And they are absolutely right!
Fitness is not about the “maximization” of one particular physical skill at one particular point in time, but rather the “optimization” of all physical skills at any given time.
Fitness is a compromise of all the different physical skills that make up human activity.
Look at it this way…
Let’s say all of the physical skills were tested separately.
Some specialized athletes would score very high on some physical skills… and very low on others.
But a person that personified true, universal fitness would score well on all of the physical skills… without necessarily being the best at any one skill.
Here is an EXCELLENT Fitness Definition…
The acceptable and deliberate compromise of competence and ability to perform in ALL the areas of cardiorespiratory endurance, strength, flexibility, power, speed, coordination, agility, balance, accuracy and toughness to produce optimum performance results under the greatest amount of circumstances.
Not only is universal fitness a compromise of all the physical abilities… but it is the over-all ability to integrate all of the physical abilities and flow from one ability to the next in a seamless fashion to successfully complete a task.
So, what would adopting this definition of fitness do for you?
Your physical fitness training program would be assessed according to how well it “optimized” all the physical skills and not just how well it “maximized” one particular skill at the expense of all others.
Basically, structuring your physical training to improve all the physical skills of this fitness definition would enable you to greatly improve over-all physical performance in a wider variety of activities.
Now isn’t that why most of us physically train?
Study this definition of fitness and use it to measure your current physical fitness training program.
How well does it measure up?
If your current workout program is lacking… it is definitely time for a change.
Your fitness success depends on it!