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I am interested in promoting good health and wellbeing,i have spent most of my adult life trying tro keep the balance, as well as leading by example.I believe very strongly in balance i feel that the martial arts has given me the disciplin to do this .It is easy to be come side lined and distracted with chasing money and living a hectic life style.trying to maintain balance in a country that tries to squeeze every last ounce of strength out of you is demanding keeping the faith and staying strong is the only way forward.

Thursday, 23 May 2013


The Best Carbs to Burn Body Fat Quickly



For those who want to burn body fat quickly, you probably could use some assistance with determining which foods to consume and the foods to keep away from. Some diets recommend you to keep away from carbs, but if you want to burn body fat quickly, there are an abundance of great carbohydrates you can eat, which will actually help.
As a rule of thumb, carbohydrate sources that are the closest to their natural make up are your best bets to shed body fat quickly. Essentially, you are looking for carbs that can be tossed into your plate right from the source.
Still, that is a little too basic, given that this is such an elaborate topic so here are some other things to bear in mind when deciding on a fat burning carbohydrate:.
o Refined carbs will do NOTHING to aid you in burning body fat. Foods that include white flour or with high white sugar content are categorized as refined carbohydrates. Refined carbs are known to increase blood sugar levels, aside from containing little or no nutrition, and instead of helping you burn body fat they will increase it.
o If you want something to aid you to burn body fat, consume some veggies. They are a low calorie and high bulk choice. You can eat large servings of vegetables without adding meaningful calories to your diet.
o Unrefined starches such as whole grains, potatoes, and oatmeal are also good decisions if you wish to burn body fat. They have an abundance of high fiber and nutritional value and when eaten with a lean protein source, they present even greater benefits.
o Fruits are only okay if you are consuming three or fewer servings each day. If consumed earlier in the day, fruits can aid you in burning body fat, despite the fact that they are absorbed rather quickly into the bloodstream and are fast releasing.
If you are looking for carbs to help you burn body fat, fresh vegetables and unrefined starches should be your first preferences. As a rule of thumb, if you want to burn body fat fast, stay with vegetable sources. By eating vegetables alone not only will you burn body fat, you will also refill your vitamin, antioxidant, and mineral stores. You can burn body fat faster if you eat this low calorie, high nutrition choice in a greater proportion in correlation to other food sources.
Since vegetables are bulky, you will feel full before you can cross your calorie limit. Also, green vegetables aid in regulating blood sugar, making them even better choices. Asparagus, broccoli, cabbage, zucchini, and celery are great vegetable choices if you are looking to burn body fat fast.
Your maximum carbohydrate bulk needs to come from green fibrous vegetables followed by the following carbohydrates: yams, white potatoes, barley and rye, brown rice, sweet potatoes, whole grain cereals, oatmeal, and lentils and breads.
Bananas, apples, apricots, cherries, oranges, grapes, grapefruit, kiwi fruit, fresh peaches, plums, pears, nonfat yogurt, and skim milk are carbohydrate decisions that should be consumed in moderation.



Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/3181750

Sunday, 12 May 2013



An Amazingly Effective Healthy Diet For Weight Loss



I used to be a weight loss counselor and personal trainer and I can give everyone a diet where you can actually eat as much as you want and still lose weight hand over first and at the same time get all of the nutrients that your body needs to thrive for years and years to come. Wouldn't that be fantastic?
The diet that I am referring to consists of eating lots of lean proteins (turkey/fish/chicken) plenty of vegetable such as sweet potatoes and carrots and as much sugarless oatmeal as your heart desires (do NOT go for out of the box Quaker Flavored Oatmeal, there are many better options as Quaker Flavored Oatmeal contains tons of unnecessary sugars). Sounds yummy right?
Don't worry, we are just getting started. The key to this diet is to completely eliminate refined sugars, and salt (as much as possible... use Mortons light salt) from your diet. If you are looking for a bit of a 'sweet' kick, opt instead for Stevia for sweetener. In addition to the preceding, absolutely NO condiments, butter, heavy salad dressings, fats and cheeses. The final key to this healthy diet for weight loss is to limit the dairy in your diet. Don't you think this incredible diet sounds more possible and more plausible than a lot of other 'fad' diets you may have come across recently?
Here are some meal examples to get you started on the right track to killing your extra pounds, murdering excess body fat and finally giving you the body transformation that you totally deserve. Have a look at the sample menu below:
1. Breakfast - oatmeal cooked, 1 bowl with egg whites
2. Lunch - Grilled chicken over salad with oil and vinegar
3. Snack - Apples and pears..
4. Dinner - Fish or chicken baked with salsa and a yam. NO butter!
If you are able to consistently stick to this diet for one week straight, AND drink a gallon of water each and every day on top of it (this is actually much easier than it sounds once your body becomes accustomed to the extra fluids) your belly will flatten considerably and you will begin to feel much much better physically especially in the early to mid afternoons when the typical 'office lethargy' tends to hit in full force. How amazing will that be? How much better will you start to feel?
The final key to this revolutionary diet/exercise program is the exercise part. As tempting as it may seem, do NOT attempt to start a sit-up program until you really drop most of the fat from your midsection, otherwise your belly will start to grow in size undoing all of the hard work you have already put in! That is the last thing you want, right?
Instead of sit-ups, do 20 - 30 minutes of moderate to intense cardio three times a week. It may seem difficult to plan ahead for these workouts at first if you aren't accustomed to a regular exercise plan, but believe me, it is the absolute most important thing that you can do for your body at this point to help carry and keep the momentum of your new diet program going.
This is the one simple diet/exercise program that is extremely effective and finally going to get your health and lifestyle headed in the right direction. I am really rooting for you.
.
Don't delay and don't get left behind. You deserve it!
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.c


Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/7689391

How To Lose Weight In A Healthy Way



Do you need to get in better shape? You should develop your own weight loss program to get the silhouette you always wanted. Keep reading to learn more about weight loss and the different efficient methods you can use to get in shape.
Stay away from diet pills, crash diets and other similar methods. You will get good results on the short term with these methods but it is best to focus on transforming your lifestyle step by step to make sure you never go back to your unhealthy habits. You can only use a diet pill or a crash diet for so long and will put some weigh on again unless you adopt healthy habits for good.
Do not try losing weight too quickly. Losing two pounds a week is healthy but keep in mind that losing only one pound a week is an excellent result too. If your metabolism is not fast enough, focus on losing a pound a week. Losing more than two pounds a week is too much and your body might respond by store fat to compensate for the weight loss. Besides, you might feel weak if you lose more than two pounds a week.
Adopt a healthier lifestyle. You might be overweight because you spend too much time watching TV or sitting in front of the computer. You need to find some new hobbies to be more active. If you need to sit all day at work, find ways to be more active when you get home. You could also take advantage of your breaks to walk or do a few simple exercises on a yoga mat.
Transform your diet. If you tend to eat more than your daily recommended caloric intake, find healthy foods that will satisfy your hunger instead of eating empty calories. Eat slowly and avoid distractions so you can realize when you are full. If you tend to snack between meals, try eating five or six times a day. Prepare some small meals and spread your caloric intake throughout the day to avoid snacking.
Working out will definitely help you lose weight. Find some exercises you really enjoy and exercise at your own rhythm. It is important to start slowly, for instance by working out for twenty minutes a day. You will quickly notice an improvement and become more resistant. Once you get in better shape, look for ways to make your fitness program more challenging. You could for instance join a gym or sign up for an aerobics class.
Set some weekly or monthly goals for your weight loss program. You should focus on precise goals such as losing a specific number of pounds. Choose reasonable goals and do not feel bad if you cannot reach them on time. Reward yourself when you meet a goal, for instance by purchasing some new clothes or a gym membership. This is a good way to stay motivated throughout your weight loss program.
Follow these tips to develop your own weight loss program. You should soon reach a much healthier weight if you are properly motivated.




Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/7710191

Monday, 6 May 2013



Ladies, You Can Eat Pizza and Still Lose Weight


It's well established that in order to lose body fat and body weight, you need to bring your daily calorie intake below your maintenance level for a certain time period. At first you lose weight, then your progress slows and then you hit a plateau where you seemingly can't lose any more weight. If you reduce your calorie intake even further, now you start to lose muscle in addition to losing fat due to your insufficient calorie intake. Again, that's not good because this will lower your metabolic rate, making it even harder to lose fat. Also, when you restrict your calorie intake for a period of time, your body starts to think that you're starving and reacts by lowering your metabolic rate and increasing your appetite.
Researchers believe that the reason your body does this relates to levels of a hormone in your body called leptin. The role leptin can play in keeping you lean is yet another reason not to banish carbohydrates (carbs) from your diet, since occasionally overfeeding on carbs can revamp your leptin levels.
If you're on a reduced calorie diet, leptin levels will begin to fall in your body. When leptin levels fall in the body, this effectively reduces your resting metabolic rate (RMR), triggers increased cortisol production (a catabolic hormone that promotes muscle loss and makes it hard to lose fat), and also increases your appetite, essentially promoting body fat gain. It is your body's defence mechanism because it thinks you are starving. To keep your leptin levels normal and hence your appetite sated and your RMR at optimal levels, it is helpful to have occasional overfeeding days (particularly of carbs). This could be one day a week where you forget all about your diet and eat whatever you want in whatever quantities you want. Most likely you're going to consume a lot of high carb foods, which will aid in increasing your leptin levels.
Try to make the majority of your overfeeding day comprised of carbs but avoid sugary foods such as fizzy pop, sodas, biscuits, and other sources of high fructose corn syrup. Also, try to go approximately 1000 calories higher than your maintenance calorie intake for the overfeeding day to assure a good response.
You could still lose a lb a week even with the overfeeding day. For example, if you stay at a 750-calorie per day deficit below your maintenance level during the other 6 days per week and you're 1000 calories over your maintenance during the overfeeding day, that's still a 3500-calorie deficit for the week (+1000 - 750x6 = -3500). Since the overfeeding is only one day per week, it will not ruin the benefits of the other 6 days per week where you're following a good diet and will actually supercharge your metabolic rate to make sure you keep your fat loss or weight loss efforts on track. What you're actually doing is tricking your body into thinking that food is plentiful once again and it doesn't have to lower your metabolic rate since it no longer thinks it is starving.
Besides being important physiologically for maintaining continual fat and weight loss, the overfeeding day is also very important mentally by giving you that one day a week to look forward to where you can overeat and not worry about it.
NOTE that for a smaller individual with lower daily calorie requirements, you need to modify the calorie deficits and surpluses to smaller amounts.
Personally, my typical overfeeding day includes a large pizza and a cake! I may also have the occasional glass or two of red wine or even a couple of pints of beer. I look forward to my treat day as it gives me the opportunity to let my hair down (for those of you who know me, I have very little hair but you get my drift!!).
When you initially undertake a weight loss programme, I wouldn't recommend the overfeeding day until you have reached at least your short-term goals. Otherwise, you just think it's OK to eat pizza and drink wine a lot. Only incorporate the overfeeding day WHEN you feel ready.



Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/7680050

Wednesday, 1 May 2013


Healthy Foods To Eat For A Healthy You


We all know that in order to be fit, we need to eat healthy foods. Yet, with all the different choices available in the market, sometimes it could be hard to choose which the healthy foods to eat are. Below are some of the foods you must eat if you want to enjoy good taste and obtain optimum nutrition.
Coconut
Coconut is not just good to eat when you are stranded on a tropical island, just like what are depicted in films. Coconuts offer carbohydrates and fats, which are also needed by the body to stay healthy. Coconut oil can help lower heart disease rate. Also, coconut oil also provides lauric acid that aids the immune system in fighting infections from viruses and bacteria. What is also great about coconut is that no part of the fruit or of the tree goes to waste because they can also be used appropriately.
Fish
Fish, particularly the saltwater kinds are the healthiest sources of protein. Unlike cattle that are fed with foods grown with artificial fertilizers, fish feed on minerals contained in water, such as iodine. Plus, fish also contains omega-3. Omega-3 is an essential fatty acid that the body cannot produce or effectively convert; but is required by the body in order to function well. Omega-3 helps ease inflammation present in the body. The best fish to eat are, of course, those that are fresh.
Kelp
Kelp is an algae or large seaweed that contains great amounts of potassium. Apparently, kelp offers more than potassium because it also contains substantial amounts of protein, iodine, magnesium and other types of minerals at amounts greater than those contained in many vegetables grown on land. You can also obtain EPA, a kind omega-3 fatty acid, from kelp.
Mushroom
This is a kind of food that is so versatile you can add it in stews, soups and even salads. Mushrooms grow in rich and organic substance. They can offer protein and iron and a lot of other nutrients. Eating mushrooms can help boost your immunity to diseases and infections. Furthermore, mushrooms have been used in many clinical and laboratory studies because experts say that there are compounds contained in mushrooms that can aid in the fight against breast cancer. If possible, always ensure that what you are buying are mushrooms that are grown organically.
Watercress
Watercress is an excellent source of iron and it contains more iron than the spinach. Also, powerful antioxidants are also contained in watercress that can support the fight against lung and breast cancer. Only about three ounces of watercress in one day can already improve the levels of specific antioxidants in the body. While you might not usually find watercress in the market, perhaps you could consider growing them on your own via hydroponic gardening so you could ensure that you will eat watercress that is free from synthetic fertilizers and plant chemicals.
Honey
This is a food that will never get spoiled despite many years in proper storage. Natural honey has hormone-like properties that make it an excellent addition to your diet. Instead of using refined sugar, use honey to sweeten your foods and drinks. Honey contains antioxidants. It can also be used as natural wound antiseptic. Phytoestrogen is even found in Greek honey that dampens breast, endometrial and prostate cancer growth.



Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/7682291