Jelly Belly Be Gone

Today’s scales are supposed to help you lose weight by allowing you to document your weight loss, but sometimes they can be more of a hindrance than a help. If you’re trying to lose weight, it’s important to keep track of how much you weigh, but stepping on the scale too often can ruin your attempt at shedding excess pounds.

Weighing yourself every day, or many times a day, can sabotage your eating plan for getting to a healthy weight. It can be frustrating to see movement on the scale, and it might take you away from sticking with your plan, especially if the numbers on the scale go up.

The problem is that a person’s body weight can fluctuate wildly day to day, and even hour to hour. If you weigh yourself first thing in the morning, you’re going to have a different weight than if you weigh yourself at 5:30 p.m. You weigh less in the morning because you have an empty stomach, and you’re usually a little bit dehydrated.

What you eat also makes a difference. For example, if your meal the night before was high in sodium, you might be a little bloated, with water affecting the weight on the scale. In addition, women’s menstrual cycles can play havoc with the amount of water they retain. These hormonal variations can cause the scale to tip in a way not reflective of your overall healthy weight.

An individual should weigh themselves once a week. Once a week is a good time to check in and see if the scale is moving in the desired direction. Weigh yourself at the same time on the same day so there’s consistency in your measurements.

Losing weight safely takes a realistic approach. This includes changing eating habits and plenty of exercise. A lifestyle based on healthy eating and regular physical activity can help you look and feel better. These top six weight loss foods do double duty when it comes to losing weight and keeping if off. These foods nourish and support cell rejuvenation, help detoxify and eliminate the bad stuff your body doesn’t need.

This list only consists of SIX but there are so many healthy foods out there:

1. Flaxseeds - Are very high in fiber and this helps to keep weight down in several ways: first, high-fiber foods have fewer calories relative to the total weight of the food. Secondly, flax contains high levels of the “good” fat - polyunsaturated fats. Polyunsaturated fats are an essential part of our diet, and should not be cut out.

2. Ginger - Traditionally used as a digestive aid. It helps you lose weight by burning calories. In many cultures ginger was used as a digestive aid with meals. Ginger is known to neutralize the stomach acids that cause nausea, diarrhea, cramping and control inflammation.

3. Watermelon – This fruit can help reduce water retention in tissues. One cup of diced watermelon is about 90% water, and contains 50 calories 44 of these calories do come from sugar (this is a natural, healthy fruit sugar).

4. Salmon and Sardines - Two of the best sources of omega-3 fats. Omega-3s have a positive effect on heart rhythm. Both contain high amounts of protein, plus they are rich in a naturally occurring nutritional compound found in some fish which helps boost energy, fight fatigue and burn fat.

5. Protein (chicken, turkey, fish, legumes, nuts, seeds) - Protein contains the building blocks that your body uses to make hormones and enzymes, but most important protein repair cells. To figure out your protein needs, multiply your weight by 2.

6. Peppers - Both hot and sweet peppers contain substances that have been shown to increase the body’s heat production and oxygen consumption for about 20 minutes after eating

Keeping these tips in mind will help you feel better. It’s not about dieting, it’s about eating right!

Whether your goal is to lose belly fat by the winter or you want to use exercise to help you lose weight or perform better, here are a few exercises that will strengthen your core muscles. Being a good athlete demands a strong, stable core—all the muscles of your torso and pelvis that support your spine. Like the trunk of a tree supporting its branches, these muscles also help stabilize your body as it moves.

Bun Burner:- Lie on your back on an exercise mat or other soft surface, with your feet on the floor, your knees bent, and your arms at your sides. Press both feet into the floor and lift your pelvis. Squeeze your buttocks together, keeping your navel drawn in and your tailbone pulled in slightly to maintain neutral alignment. Hold for 3 to 5 seconds. Breathe naturally as you lower your pelvis back to the floor. On the descent, let your spine slowly touch the mat one vertebra at a time until your tailbone reaches the floor. Perform the recommended number of repetitions.

Torso Toner:- Kneel and place your hands on the floor, with your shoulders over your wrists and your pelvis over your knees. Maintain neutral alignment, with your shoulders back and your navel pulled in. Lift your right arm and extend it forward. With your right arm still outstretched, extend your left leg out behind you. Then do the exercise with the opposite arm and leg. Continue alternating arms and legs for the recommended number of repetitions. Be careful not to let your pelvis rock out of neutral while lifting your legs.

Tummy Tuck:- Lie on your back on an exercise mat or other soft surface, with your knees bent and your arms at your sides. Place a tennis ball or Hacky Sack on your navel. Inhale. Then, on the exhale, draw your abdomen in, without performing a crunch, to engage your outer and inner abs. Repeat this breathing and movement pattern, using deep, controlled breaths, for the recommended number of repetitions.

Whether your goal is to lose belly fat by the winter or you want to use exercise to help you lose weight or perform better, here are a few exercises that will strengthen your core muscles. Being a good athlete demands a strong, stable core—all the muscles of your torso and pelvis that support your spine. Like the trunk of a tree supporting its branches, these muscles also help stabilize your body as it moves.

Bun Burner:- Lie on your back on an exercise mat or other soft surface, with your feet on the floor, your knees bent, and your arms at your sides. Press both feet into the floor and lift your pelvis. Squeeze your buttocks together, keeping your navel drawn in and your tailbone pulled in slightly to maintain neutral alignment. Hold for 3 to 5 seconds. Breathe naturally as you lower your pelvis back to the floor. On the descent, let your spine slowly touch the mat one vertebra at a time until your tailbone reaches the floor. Perform the recommended number of repetitions.

Torso Toner:- Kneel and place your hands on the floor, with your shoulders over your wrists and your pelvis over your knees. Maintain neutral alignment, with your shoulders back and your navel pulled in. Lift your right arm and extend it forward. With your right arm still outstretched, extend your left leg out behind you. Then do the exercise with the opposite arm and leg. Continue alternating arms and legs for the recommended number of repetitions. Be careful not to let your pelvis rock out of neutral while lifting your legs.

Tummy Tuck:- Lie on your back on an exercise mat or other soft surface, with your knees bent and your arms at your sides. Place a tennis ball or Hacky Sack on your navel. Inhale. Then, on the exhale, draw your abdomen in, without performing a crunch, to engage your outer and inner abs. Repeat this breathing and movement pattern, using deep, controlled breaths, for the recommended number of repetitions.

Regardless of what your goal is, whether it’s to get 6 pack abs or toned thighs, you need to include strength training into your routine. However, as you progress, the need becomes evident for an increase in that level of training. Here are some tips to effectively increase your resistance training:-

Step 1: Increase the resistance by no more than 10%. For example, if you were currently lifting 50 pounds, you’d increase that by 5 pounds. This should automatically feel more challenging to you, but even if it’s not noticeably more difficult, 10% is a pretty safe place to start. Increasing the weight more than 10% at a time increases the likelihood of injury, so progress slowly.

Step 2: With your newly adjusted weight, aim for 1-3 sets of 8-15 repetitions and 10% increase, you’ll be working harder than usual.

Step 3: Once you can complete 2-3 sets of 15 reps in good form, whether it takes you just a few workouts or even a few months, it’s time to go back to Step 1 and increase your weight by 10% again.

Lastly, accept the fact that you will have good days and bad days. Sometimes you will feel like the Incredible Hulk, where the weight you lift is as light as a feather, and other days you will feel like Pee Wee Herman, when what was easy two days ago feels like a ton today. Take it as it comes and adjust accordingly. Commit yourself to work hard when it is time to workout and you won’t regret that time well spent.

Strength training, if your intent is to lose unwanted fat or to get fit overall, should be about building and maintaining a certain level of strength. You might not be lifting enough weight during one or many of your exercises. So here are some signs that you need to increase your resistance:-

1. The current weight you are lifting isn’t a challenge. Strength training is meant to be challenging, because the whole point is to “overload” your muscles so they get stronger. If the weight you are lifting isn’t as challenging as it used to be (or isn’t challenging at all!), then it is time to increase the resistance.

2. You could go forever. Each strength training exercise you do should cause you to feel muscle “fatigue” within 15 repetitions (or fewer). Muscle fatigue feels like you couldn’t possibly do another repetition in good form. If you can do more than 15 reps in good form, or if you literally feel like you could go on forever because the resistance you’re using is so easy, then it’s time to take it up a notch.

3. You have never increased the weight you lift. When you first started strength training, then the weight you lifted was a starting weight. Continuing to progress in strength training is essential to getting the most out of your workouts—that means lifting more weight as you get stronger over time.

4. The progress has come to a stop. Without making your muscles work harder than they’re accustomed to, they won’t get stronger. As you train, your muscles will grow stronger in order to meet the demands you are placing on them. So, if you keep offering them the same workload, they will keep working the same amount, and progression comes to a grinding halt.

Recognize if you are experiencing any of the 4 signs above by taking the time to pay attention to the level of difficulty and challenge of each of your exercises during your workouts. If you experience any of these signs, then it is time to increase the resistance.

Most people think that strength training is for body builders with 6 pack abs, but that just simply isn’t the case. Strength training improves your balance, strengthens your bones and helps you lose weight, as it makes you look and feel better. Strength training can benefit people of all ages and can be particularly beneficial for those with health issues such as arthritis or heart conditions. Consider the following facts:

1. Strength training protects bone health and muscle mass: After puberty, both men and women begin to lose about 1 percent of bone and muscle strength every year. One of the best ways to stop, prevent and even reverse bone and muscle loss is to add strength training to your workouts.

2. Strength training makes you stronger and fitter: Strength training is also called resistance training because it involves strengthening and toning your muscles by contracting them against a resisting force.

3. Strength training helps you develop better body mechanics: Strength training has benefits that go well beyond the appearance of nicely toned muscles. Your balance and coordination will improve, as will your posture.

4. Strength training plays a role in disease prevention: Studies have documented the many wellness benefits of strength training. If you have arthritis, strength training can often be as effective as medication in decreasing arthritis pain. Strength training can help post-menopausal women increase their bone density and reduce the risk of bone fractures.

5. Strength training translates to more calories burned: You burn calories during strength training, and your body continues to burn them afterwards. More calories are used to make and maintain muscle than fat, and in fact strength training can boost your metabolism by 15 percent, which can really jump-start a weight-loss plan.

The number-one rule here is to be creative. Don’t limit yourself to just lifting weights, expensive machines or a gym membership. Push-ups, jump squats, lunges, hiking and even mountain climbing are all examples of exercises that provide strength training.

Fitness should be a group effort. What better way to get fit than to have the support and encouragement of your family? Family exercise will improve the health of your loved ones, make Dad lose stomach fat, and at the same time develop stronger connections between all of you. With a little creativity, you can find a way to make it work for everyone.

First, decide what level of participation your family is ready for. If your entire family is committed 100%, you could go as far as setting up a Family Olympics. If it’s a struggle to get your family to do anything together, starting out small might be the better option.

Here are a few other ideas to get your family focused on fitness:

* Combine exercise and household chores. On small pieces of paper, write down chores and body weight exercises. Throw the papers into a couple of hats and have everyone pick one of each. Maybe Dad gets to clean the bathroom and do a set of squats every few minutes until he is finished, while one of the children is cleaning the kitchen and doing forward lunges, etc—the combinations are endless. Mix it up with yard work, seasonal chores, and even some aerobic components like jumping rope.

* Have each family member pick an exercise at the beginning of the week and do as many reps as they can. Then train throughout the week with the goal of improving by the weekend. The family member who has the highest percentage increase is rewarded with something small (but motivating). Keep the focus on the fact that everyone is improving.

* Designate one evening as family fitness night. Each week, a different person designs the family workout that you will all do together. Whether it’s swimming, rollerblading, walking, Frisbee golf, or a two-on-two basketball game—everyone gets to do something they enjoy, and your workout will never become dull.

Is your TV schedule more elaborate than your workout schedule? If that is the case and you cannot get rid of that jelly-belly, then I guess you will have to learn how to get in exercise where it fits in. Every hour-long television program contains approximately six commercial breaks that last 3 minutes each, so you can get a total body workout without missing a scene. Bonus: Exercising during breaks cuts down on snacking. Try this workout routine the next time you tune into your favorite show:

Break 1..Couch Pushups:  Facing a couch, kneel on the floor about 2 feet away from it. Cross your ankles, and place your hands shoulder-width apart on a cushion edge. Slowly bend your arms, and lower your upper body until your chest touches the couch. Hold, then press up again.

Break 2..Side Crunches:  Lie on a couch on your left side with your legs together and your knees bent. Place your right hand behind your head with your elbow pointing toward the ceiling. Wrap your left arm across your waist. Contracting the oblique muscles along your right side, lift your shoulder off the couch, bringing your rib cage toward your hip. Hold, then slowly lower. Repeat, then switch sides. (If your couch is too soft, you may need to do this exercise on the floor.)

Break 3..Armchair Stands:  Sit on the edge of a chair (or couch) with your feet shoulder-width apart. Without using your arms, press into the floor with your feet, and stand, tightening your butt muscles as you rise. Keep your abdominals tight and your back straight. Hold, then slowly lower yourself. Before you touch the chair, stand up again.

Break 4..Armchair Dips: Sitting on the edge of a chair (or couch), place your hands on the edge on either side of you. Move your feet out so that your butt is off the chair, and your knees are bent at 90-degree angles. Bending your elbows so they point behind you, lower yourself as far as comfortable. Hold, then slowly press up again.

Break 5..Leg-up Couch Crunches: Lie on your back on a couch with your knees bent, your feet up on one end, and your hands behind your head. Pressing your lower back into the couch, slowly lift your head, shoulders, and upper back off the couch. Hold, then slowly lower.

Research shows that women tend to have higher percentage of body fat than men, and there is a gender-specific difference in fat distribution.

Females tend to accumulate fat around the hips, rear and thighs, while men tend to carry around a jelly-belly. When there is an excess of fat storage in the thigh area, it is sometimes referred to as “thunder thighs.”

So, what’s the remedy?

Approaching this issue with both nutrition and exercise is important to really see results. This means including a proper diet, cardio vascular exercise and strength training.

That inner thigh machine is not going to take away the saddle bags. Certainly this hip abduction exercise is great for hip flexibility and stretching for anyone, but, not so much for toning and weight loss of the excess luggage compartment.

There is no such thing as spot reducing, and though genetics play a role in placement of fat cells, you can shrink the fat within those cells.

A diet that is high in veggies and protein, and low in sugar will help elevate your metabolism to be in a better fat burning state. Including several servings of greens and plenty of protein for muscle development will keep your metabolism on fire.

Challenge yourself with your exercise routines, but also know your limits. If you are just beginning, it is vital that you take it slow for the first two weeks, keeping your heart rate in the 50-60 percent range, and as fitness level rises, increase by 10 percent at each workout.