When you decide to exercise, try to really stick to your training routine and don't get sidetracked by too much socializing. When you socialize with friends, your mind usually starts to wander off and you really start to lose focus on your main objective, which is to train hard and get out of there. You can always meet up with your friends after your workout and catch up on old times.

A great way to focus and keep your training session upbeat and exciting, is to invest in a mp3 player and load your favorite music on it. Jam out with some cool upbeat techno, hip-hop or some hard rock to get your energy levels up and get you excited during your workout. You will also notice when having your headphones on, you will limit the amount of people who tend to come up and want to chat. If you see friends in the gym, say a quick hello and get to work.

If you notice your friends nagging on you every couple of minutes during your workout, just simply tell them you need to finish your workout and ask them if you can meet up after training for a post workout meal at your favorite local restaurant. You will feel so much better knowing you focused 100% of your energy into your training. You will be energized and ready to recuperate from a great training session.

Kris Bierek is a fitness specialist for the health and fitness site http://www.ShapeFit.com where you can find FREE fitness tools like fitness newsletters, dieting tips, weight loss help, exercise questions and a free fitness analysis to help you get into the best shape of your life!

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Yes - I finally got around to watching the documentary that came out about a year or so ago. Even though it's a documentary, this film is far from boring.

This film is not only educational and eye-opening, but entertaining.

If you rent it (I got it from the library), be sure to watch all the bonus features as well, to learn what happens to McDonald's(tm) french fries after 2 months!

It's no secret that America is now the fattest nation in the world. You have read the statistics . . . obesity has doubled since 1980.

*Direct* medical costs have doubled in 5 years. Projections now predict that 1 out of 2 people will develop diabetes in their lifetime. 20% of children are showing abnormalities in liver function, etc, etc, etc.

The surgeon general has said that left unabated, obesity will soon overtake smoking as the leading preventable cause of death.

Fast foods are often blamed for these statistics. After all, 1 in 4 Americans visits McDonald's(tm) every day.

McDonald's calls those who eat their food at least once a week heavy users.

Car manufacturers have had to increase the size of their cup holders to accommodate super size drinks.

This is the story of a man who ate nothing but McDonald's food for 30 days. Doctors predicted that all that would occur would be an increase in triglyceride levels.

In fact, in a 30-day period, his weight, cholesterol and body fat all skyrocketed. His liver function started to fail. His risk of heart disease doubled. He felt exhausted and depressed.

And it took him 14 MONTHS to lose the weight completely.

The average person at 4 pm has no idea what they are going to have for dinner. I can relate to that - too many demands, too little time. We don't even have time to think about ourselves, much less plan something.

But if this paradigm is going to shift, it is up to us.

Watch the movie. You will be inspired. Then think about what changes you can make in your life, and in the lives of your loved ones.

Together, we can make a difference.

With love, Carol

Carol Solomon, Ph.D. is a psychologist and personal coach who specializes in helping people who want to lose weight and eliminate food and weight issues.

By going from food obsessive to charge neutral (i.e. Did I eat today?), she became dedicated to making it easy for others to step off the vicious cycle and live free of anxiety about food and weight.

She is the author of Lose Weight Now Stay Slim Forever, a practical how-to manual for learning to lose weight without dieting.

Sign up for her free email newsletter, Slim Forever at: http://www.lose-weight-now-stay-slim-forever.com http://www.LoseWeightWithEFT.com http://www.MoreMoneyWithEFT.com

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Everyone who has ever tried to lose weight and keep it off knows that it is a very hard thing to do. In fact, nothing can be closer to the truth than to say that weight loss is hard. So it's no wonder that when one weight loss company or another comes up with their new, miracle breakthrough weight loss pill that will simply melt the fat off while you sleep, regardless of what you eat, people can't wait to make their three easy payments of only $29.95 while feverishly awaiting the arrival of their weight loss dream come true.

But, is it really a dream come true, or just merely a weight loss nightmare? As most people know, there have been countless numbers of products like this on the market that make outrageous claims of monumental weight loss in very little time with little or no effort on your part. Most people also know that not one of these products has ever lived up to their claims, and that a good deal of these products have also been known to yield dangerous side affects (fen/phen and redux for example). So why is it that weight loss companies continue to bombard us with new products every year that are no better than last year's products?

The weight loss industry is a $30 billion dollar per year industry that is solely based on attempting to convince the 65% of Americans who are overweight that weight loss not only doesn't have to be that hard, but in fact, can be down right easy! The problem is, with countless companies out there bending the truth with very sketchy so called research and the falsehood of endorsements by doctors, sports stars and television and movie personalities, the general public is constantly hit with wave after wave of false hope.

Perhaps if the weight loss companies were more honest about what really works long term and promoted products and methods that were in line with reality, more people would accept these realities and follow methods that actually work long term. There is a small problem with this however. That would be bad for the weight loss company's bottom lines! They would lose millions of dollars and that is not what those companies share holders want to hear.

It's all about business, not your health, not whether you lose weight and keep it off, not whether you're happy with the product in the end, just about business and that means nothing but bottom line. So, with the weight loss companies simply telling the public only what they want to hear, there is very little hope.

Research has shown that 95% of people who do lose weight usually gain it back between six months and three years later. The FDA has declared that not one single weight loss company in the entire industry can show a record of long term success. It would be comparable to the home building industry if 95% of the new homes purchased fell apart and became unlivable within three years, but the public is completely oblivious to the enormous failure rate of the weight loss industry.

There are, sadly, only a few weight loss companies out there that base there methods on things that have been proven to work such as balanced diet and exercise but their voices are drowned out by all the quick fix fads and gimmicks that are out there.

Jim O'Neill gives you tons of valuable information on the subjects of weight loss, fitness, and nutrition to make it easy for you to live a healthy lifestyle. Sign up now for his free 7 part mini e-course at: http://www.mrgymfitness.com/minicourse.php

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If you?re thinking about going on a diet to lose those unwanted pounds which apparently you are or you wouldn't be here. Then you need to know what the true meaning of dieting is.

Dieting is a combination of three very important parts. I like to call them the three ingredients of a successful diet. Believe me from my own personal experience you need all three of these ingredients to be successful in any diet program you use. And by successful I mean losing the weight and keeping the weight off. It's like a triangle you can't make a triangle with just one or two sides you need all three. Not two and a half either all THREE.

The first of the three is motivation. If you don't have the rite motivation you'll find it very hard to achieve and maintain your goal. Motivation is the key, the foundation you could say to a successful diet. Think about it anyone who has tried any of the dieting programs out there has failed. Well let me rephrase that, not everyone but mostly everyone, very few are successful. You need the rite motivation and it has to be for you. If your motivation is to lose the weight for someone else, for what ever the reason trust me you will fail. You have to want to lose the weight for you and you only. Nobody cares about you as much as you do.

The second is determination you have to be determined to lose the weight no matter what. In other words you have to really want to lose the weight. Now the second is not that hard. You may struggle a little bit, but believe me if you have the rite first ingredient down, the second will surly come around.

The last ingredient to the successful diet recipe is probably the hardest, but it is a must. There is no way around it. You have to have discipline. Or you have to teach yourself DISCIPLINE. In all likely- hood you gained this extra weight because of your eating habits. By disciplining yourself and changing your eating habits you will be able to keep and maintain your weight in a comfortable area for you.

My theory is this. If you can find a diet that works for you, one that will help you to lose the weight, that?s great. If you want to lose weight fast you will probably have to starve yourself. Or what is known as fasting. But if you just want to lose weight and not fill that you are making some life or death sacrifice. Then you need to focus on the types of food you eat. And more importantly when you eat, and how many times a day you eat.

The old rule of three meals a day comes to mind here. If you can eat a good breakfast a healthy lunch/dinner and supper. And not eat the late night snacks of junk. Then you?re on your way. You really shouldn?t eat after six at night or before you go to bed. But if you absolutely have to have that snack, you should have something good for you. There are a lot of healthy items on the market today. I recommend something with fiber. After all we all no what fiber dose to the human system. I know you really don?t want to here this but, you will have to do some sort of exercise. At least 20 to 30 minutes a day, five days a week. Walking is for all purposes the best. Because it?s not very strenuous and it?s the best way to get your metabolism up to doing what it was designed to do. That is to burn fat. If you can do this then you will be able to lose, and maintain your desired weight.

GOOD HEALTH AND GOOD LUCK

Robert Emler: I was once a pretty good size person myself. I am five foot seven and I weighed in at 197 lbs. In three weeks time I got down to 174 lbs. This was back in 1986, today I weigh 180 lbs. If you are interested in how I lost this weight and maintain a comfortable weight level you can go to http://4waitlose.com Now bare in mind this is not the program I used but, it's as close as I can find Today.

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What About Those Obstacles and Unexpected Events?What about when you decide on a path to follow and something comes up unexpectedly? For instance, you decided you're going to work out on Monday, Wednesday and Friday after work at 6:00 PM. This works great on Monday and Wednesday but Friday someone asks you to join them after work for drinks or dinner. Maybe that cute co-worker you've had your eye on. If you think about it, it's likely something will come up often on Friday night.

What do you do? Do you say, No, thanks, I have to work out, or No, I already have plans, and sound like a jerk ensuring you'll never land that date, or Maybe some other time, and you know there'll never be another time, or Yes, that sounds great, and then berate yourself for being a loser and not following through with your workout plan? Either way you're not going to feel good about your decision and you're setting yourself up to fail.

Set things up so you will succeed, no matter what. Before you decide what you want to do, think it through completely. This is part of the Creating a Compelling Outcome process (taught in my 8-week course and used in private sessions).

When you decide what you'd like to do you must also consider everything else that will be affected and whether your plan is workable in the real world. Maybe Friday night workouts are going to be interrupted often. Better to choose a different day or time that will work.

If you thought about it, you may have realized that things would often come up Friday evenings, so you decided to work out on Monday and Wednesday evenings plus Saturday mornings. That makes better sense. Thinking about what might interfere is why many people do their exercise in the early morning hours virtually ensuring nothing else will interfere. No one invites you out for 6:00 AM except perhaps your running partner!

If you want to get up early, think it through. Are you a night person? Early morning hours probably won't work for you, but some other time will. Do you have a spouse who'd complain loudly? Consider them as well, but don't let everyone else's preferences keep you from doing what's best for you. Consider others and any objections they may have, and then decide in advance how to counter those objections. It's basically a way to look at your plans from all the angles, figure out the danger zones, decide in advance on strategies to keep you on track, and then get started.

Once in awhile you won't be able to keep to your plan and that's just fine. For instance holidays interfere with gym hours. I've been annoyed when the gym was closed on Christmas Day! Sometimes despite your best efforts, things will come up, so must be flexible, while at the same time persistent to make sure you have scheduled a plan that can work the majority of the time.

Remember too, you're creating a plan you can live with. Choose one small thing to change, one habit, one event. Then, when those special situations arise, you'll know what to do, because you've already planned ahead, and even if you abandon your plan, for a vacation perhaps, you just get right back on track when you return feeling refreshed and excited to get started again.

Kathryn Martyn, Master NLP Practitioner, EFT counselor, Weight Loss Coach and owner of One More Bite Weight Loss is the author of Changing Beliefs, Your First Step to Permanent Weight Loss.

Learn to use Kathryn's One More Bite Approach with The Daily Bites: Mini lessons in using EFT for weight loss http://www.OneMoreBite-WeightLoss.com/getnews.html

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Have you done this before?

You have set your weight loss goals and mapped out your plan to lose all those excess pounds that you have been dying to get rid off.

In your mind, you have psyched yourself up -- this time you are going all the way out to lose all those pounds! Nothing can stop me, you tell yourself.

Then, you rationalize that...

1) In order for you to succeed in your weight loss goals, you must follow a super-strict diet and exercise routine.

and/or

2) If you happen to go off track in your diet or exercise routine by eating your favorite high-calorie junk food and skipping your exercise session, this means you have totally blown off your plan altogether.

Sound familiar?

I sure hope not!

This train of thought can be very detrimental to your weight loss efforts, but it's all too easy to fall into this trap. And not only is it very harmful to your body, it actually lowers your self-esteem too.

Your brain can help you to lose weight, or it can make you fat.

If you want to lose weight successfully, you'll need to have the right thoughts in your brain. Conversely, holding on tight to the wrong concepts can (and will!) jeopardize your plans!

Here's what you should do instead...

1) Get rid of the word DIET from your thoughts

Firstly, you must shake off the idea that you absolutely have to follow an extremely restrictive diet in order to lose weight successfully.

In fact, most people who are able to lose their unwanted weight successfully DO NOT diet. What they do is simply change their lifestyle such as practicing portion control, moderation, cutting back on calories and curbing their emotional eating bouts.

It's time to change your focus from weight loss to weight management. It is not just losing weight, it is about changing your lifestyle so that you can maintain your weight loss.

And do you notice how most women like to use the word diet every time they want to lose weight? We go on and go off diets after every holiday season; we say I start on Monday only to go off it by the weekend. Nobody says I start my new way of life on Monday. But that's exactly what we need to do. An effective diet isn't just for Christmas or just a very special occasion, it's for your whole life.

We need variety not only for our nutritional reasons. It is also to satisfy ourselves, and to take care of our wants. So, you need to create your own healthy lifestyle... the lifestyle that you want, and one that's sustainable for the long term.

Be wary of any plan that restricts entire food groups, or if it relies on just 1 type of food (e.g. soup or salad) as its mainstay.

Believe me, I've been there and done that. If you go on a diet that requires you to eat all the food that you hate or totally omits your favorites, you are going to dread your meals and are bound to fail. Even if you manage to lose the weight, all your pounds (and probably more!) will creep back once you are off the diet.

2) Do NOT give up your favorite foods

Another thing that most women would do initially is severely limiting their food intake. Or they completely cut off their favorite foods.

This is one thing that you should never do.

Why?

Well, by doing that, it sets you up for binges and your temptation for these foods would definitely increase.

Instead, you should reduce your consumption slowly. For example, you always have desserts after dinner. Instead of cutting off totally, you start by reducing your portion size to half. Thus, the temptation becomes much less powerful when you have just the taste of something bad now and again instead of telling yourself that it is off limits for good.

After a while, you will find yourself accustomed to the new portion sizes, and you'll be able to satisfy your craving with just a small amount of your super sinful foods.

3) Forgive and move on...

So, you decide to keep your favorite foods in your weight loss plan. You allow yourself a chocolate cookie everyday. But, you could not resist the temptation and you finish half of the pack. Next day afternoon, you finish the remaining half of the chocolate cookies pack for your afternoon tea.

Gee, have you blown your weight loss plan again? Does that mean you should just give up the idea of losing those extra pounds and go back to my old eating habits?

Well, not allowing yourself to make mistakes is the worst mistake you can ever make. Seriously.

Having this all-or-nothing thinking is a way to let you off the hook. It is an escape route that you create for yourself. In your mind, you could be telling yourself, Oh well. It is all gone. I guess I don't have to bother anymore. Give me my cookies.

There's an old saying that goes, No matter how far along you are down the wrong path, it's never too late to turn back. So don't think just because you made bad choices today, you can't start over tomorrow.

Everyday is truly a new beginning. You do not have to wait until a new year, a new month or a Monday to start all over again.

You can't erase last night's binge, but you can aim for a much healthier today!

4) Create a lifestyle you want

Many times, when you want to lose weight, you will plan up a very strict diet and exercise routine for yourself. Well... there is a high chance that you would not be able to execute it successfully. To make things worse, you hate it.

Why not aim to create a healthy lifestyle you want so that you do not give up your favorite foods?

You must create a realistic and achievable weight loss plan. After all, you want to plan to SUCCEED, not to fail, right?

If you find difficulty in creating a good plan for yourself, or if you can't seem to discipline yourself to stay true to your plan, I suggest that you engage a personal trainer to help you.

5) Celebrate your small victories

Every time you achieve a small milestone, go ahead and reward yourself.

But do not over-indulge. For example, you can reward yourself a small ice-cream once you have managed to complete your first week of exercise routines. Or when you lose your first 3 pounds, you can treat yourself a slice of cheese cake.

Remember, it is alright to reward yourself for the small challenges you have overcome so that you won't give up so easily. Let it be something you look forward to every time you surmount a challenge.

If you set up your rewards properly, they'll motivate you on a daily basis and you'll find it easier to follow your weight loss plans!

Bonus: And here's one more extra tip... Don't stress yourself. Take it easy on yourself as you're learning how to be a new, improved and healthier you. After all, you're only human... a soon-to-be-much-lighter human!

Copyright 2006 Tracy Lee

Tracy Lee is the owner of the Weight Loss for Women Over 40 site. Get the latest news, tips & tricks that can help women over 40 to lose weight safely and permanently, and your complimentary copy of our Special Report 9 Little-Known Insider Weight Loss Secrets To Help Women Over 40 Make Those Extra Pounds Disappear instantly here:

http://www.weight-loss-for-women-over-40.com/insidersecrets/

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How to Break Your Plateau

Today is a typical morning like any other for you. You get up, go for your workout at the gym or go for a nice run, before you start your day. Or maybe you go from work to the gym to jump on the treadmill for 40 minutes then home. No matter when you fit your workout in, you are to be commended you?ve stuck to it. SO why isn?t the weight coming off like it did when you first started your new workout routine. Everything is the same. Cardio 3 to 5 days a week. Weight training 2 to 3 days a week. Your diet is still in tack (despite the PMS breakdown in the chocolate abyss). If you are still doing everything the same and you can?t seem to drop those last 10 lbs then you can?t drop those last 10 lbs because you are still doing everything the same. (I know I just reverse the sentence but read it again and you?ll catch on if you didn?t the first time.)

Your body is a wonderfully efficient machine. Everything from your head to your toes adapt to your environment, your activities and your lifestyle. Your exercise regimen is no different.

Here is the scenario.

Your Story...

You began the new year with a new found dedication to running. After all, you need to drop those extra pounds. So you go for a 45 minute run 5 days a week and weight train in the gym 2 times a week. In January and February the pounds fell off. You consistently left 2 even 4 lbs some weeks, chocking on your dust as you laughed your way all the way to the clothing store. But here we are in April and the scale hasn?t moved since the beginning of March. What happened?

Your Body?s Story?

When you began your program, your body worked hard to keep up with the new intensity and duration of your exercise regimen. As a result it burned energy (calories/fat) to keep up. Then one day as it accompanied you out the door and began picking up speed, then it said to it?s self. Oh I?ve done this plenty of times before. In fact I am good. I am so good at this now that instead of burning 200 calories on this run, I can do the same run and only burn 150 calories. So it runs with you and indeed it proved that it could do the same activity and burn less calories doing it. Your body has succeeded in doing what it does best...become efficient.

Ah ha! Eureka! Now you know. So what to do about it. Throw your body a surprise party and call it Cross training. Cross training is a great way to condition different muscle groups, develop a new set of skills, and reduce boredom that creeps in after months of the same exercise routines. The term cross training refers to a training routine that involves several different forms of exercise, and/or exercise intensity levels. Get up tomorrow and instead of running for 45 minutes, jump on the bike and take a spin. Instead of doing 45 minutes of a moderate intensity run. Kick it up a notch and do 20 minutes of intense interval training (fartlek run will do as well) Providing different challenges in a workout forces the body to move out of its comfort zone and the body must work harder to complete the activity? Resulting in more calorie burn. More eating the dust off from the bottom of your shoes as you leave those pound behind. But that?s not the only benefit of cross training. If sports are your passion cross training can actually help you prevent injury and overuse syndrome. For most sports enthusiasts, cross-training is a beneficial training method for maintaining a high level of overall fitness and that?s not all Cross Training

Reduces exercise boredom

Allows you to be flexible about you training needs and plans (if the pool is closed, you can go for a run instead).

Produces a higher level of all around conditioning

Conditions the entire body, not just specific muscle groups

Reduces the risk of injury

Work some muscles while others rest and recover

Can continue to train while injured

Improves your skill, agility and balance

Mubarakah Ibrahim is an AFAA certified personal trainer and owner of BALANCE fitness, a personal training service for women in CT that offers in-home personal training, on-line personal training, outdoor boot camps, and hiking clubs for women. She is the creator of http://www.ctwomenbootcamps.com She also lectures, promotes and conducts workshops on health and fitness through out the northeast. She can be contacted by visiting her website http://www.balanceCT.com or e-mailed at balanceCT@hotmail.com

? BALANCE fitness
Article may be reprinted without permission only in it?s entirety including author bio and contact information.

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