Minzeta

Most fitness goals include weight loss, or the reduction of fat content, in one way or another. Whether we want to lose a couple pounds, change a clothing size, or gain muscle mass, loss and control of our fat content is usually part of the plan. Just as it is necessary to know what steps to take to meet your individual fitness goals, it is just as important to know what not to do. Avoid the following top ten mistakes that are sure to ruin your fitness efforts: 1. Fail to Plan. It's been said over and over: "If you fail to plan, you plan to fail." Working out without a pre-determined workout regime is similar to going on a trip without directions; most likely you'll end up getting lost. Don't make this common mistake. Enlist the aid of a qualified personal trainer to design a proper resistance training and aerobic program. Purchase one of the many guides to fitness programming and educate yourself on the basics. 2. Compare yourself to others. Go into any gym and y...

Being tired in fast becoming the new 20th century disease. According to the book 'The 28Day Plan' lack of energy can be attributed to: a bad diet, overindulgence in alcohol, lack of sleep and smoking. Plus we know that stress can zap our energy and leave us feeling tired. So how can we get more energy into our life? One of the best ways to increase your energy is to eat energy producing foods such as porridge, muesli, fish, poultry, lean lamb, bananas, dried fruit, fresh fruit, fresh vegies, baked potatoes, wholemeal foods, fresh juices, water, Soya milk, seeds and nuts. Foods to limit are coffee, tea, cows cheese, beef/pork, sugary foods, pastries, biscuits, chips, white flour foods, fizzy drinks and chocolate (oh no!). Other tips in the 28-Day Plan book to raise and restore energy are: (1). Hibernation-take 20 minutes a day for quiet time. Think about no one and nothing. Lie down, listen to some favourite music or close your eyes and drift off to a beautiful island. (2). Brea...

In Health, Organically grown Green Tea is rich in polyphenols and anti-oxidants that fight free radicals that damage cells and tissue. An 8 oz. Cup of Green Tea has as much potency as a cup of blueberries, a best source of anti-oxidants and as much vitamin C as a lemon. It also contains magnesium, riboflavin, niacin, folie acid and potassium. Larch Arabinogalaetin (AG) is a good source of natural dietary fiber. Women who increase fiber from 12 to 24 grams absorb 90 fewer calories from fat and protein. Men who increase fiber from 15 to 36 grams absorb 130 fewer calories. Larch (AG) moves waste through the digestive tract promoting intestinal cleansing, making it the safest dietary supplement. Unlike psyllium, larch increases mineral absorption, and like our green tea, it contains no sugar, sweetener, seasonings or colorings. AG provides us with healthy bacteria that fight free radicals in the digestive tract. The digestive tract is the site of the vast majority of free radical productio...

Professionals and small business/home office workers have tremendous freedom to schedule their days, arrange the furniture, choose the music and take care of themselves at work. Unfortunately, they also have all the responsibilities, make all the decisions, and carry all the burdens. The result is too often we forget to take care of ourselves. Use the advantages you have! The following tips can make the day go easier and help you work smarter, better and healthier. 1. In the morning, limit caffeine to one cup. Or better yet, switch to herbal teas! Start out calm and you're more likely to stay that way through the day. 2. Use up-beat music and humor (I love my daily Far Side calendar!) to get your morning off to a great start. 3. Make sure your first appointment of the day is a great one! Meet a friend for breakfast, greet co-workers with a big smile, schedule a favorite client first thing in the morning. Start the day with some fun! 4. At mid-morning, stand up, stretch and move ...

The dream of everyone who trains is to lose maximum fat and gain maximum muscle strength in the shortest period of time. While it is definitely possible to lose fat and gain muscle at the same time, in my experience, the best results come from concentrating on one major goal at a time. Let me put it this way: to lose fat, you need a caloric deficit. To build strength, you need a caloric surplus. If you try to do both at the same time, you may just remain exactly where you are! So the question before us is - how do we maximize both fat loss and strength gains, in only 30 days? It's simple - we focus on both goals in the same program --- but not at the exact same time! By alternating rapidly back and forth between reduced-calorie fat loss training and a slightly higher-calorie strength-oriented training, you can accomplish both goals at the same time. You can actually use the two opposing goals to feed on each other and send your results through the roof! How quickly do you lose weig...

When it comes to the Big Three of exercise - cardiovascular, strength and flexibility training - it's pretty clear which one can get overlooked. After all, while we prize cardiovascular and strength training for their role in helping us lose weight, build muscle and get fit, the benefits of flexibility training are less immediately alluring. However, as the population ages, more of us are learning to appreciate the rewards of stretching. Staying limber can offset age-related stiffness, improve athletic performance, and optimize functional movement in daily life. Research shows that flexibility training can develop and maintain range of motion and may help prevent and treat injury. In fact, the American College of Sports Medicine has added flexibility training to its general exercise recommendations, advising that stretching exercises for the major muscle groups be performed two to three days per week. How can you include an effective flexibility workout in your fitness program?  H...

Get SMART to Get Fit I'm not sure who was creative enough to make the acronym work, but work it does and it can fit in quite nicely with your fitness goals. If you want to succeed you need to get SMART about your goals. SMART is a great way to help you stay on track and achieve your goals. The S stands for specific . Be specific about the goals you want to achieve. Forget things like, "I want to get in shape", "I want to add muscle", or "I want to lose weight", or "I want to increase my bench press." Instead try things like "I want to run a 6 minute mile", "I want to add 10 pounds of muscle", "I want to lose 20 pounds of fat, or "I want to add 40 pounds to my best bench press." The M stands for Measurable . This ties in very well with specific. You can't measure 'getting in shape", but you sure can measure 'running a 6 minute mile'. With a pair of trusty skin fold calipers, you can al...