Some daily habits do more harm than good to your weight loss journey. That is why sometimes, after numerous attempts to lose weight, you still don’t get the expected results. The implication of these processes is that as you take a few steps forward, unfortunately, you take some other steps backward.

For instance, not sleeping well or complete lack of sleep can increase your daily calorie intake by up to 385 calories. Below are some essential things to do if and when you want to effectively lose weight without sabotage.

Harmful Habits to your Weight Loss Journey

1.     Changing diet without changing lifestyle

When people hear that a particular diet can help them shed some weight, they just move into it right away. But the proven truth is that what contributes to your weight loss is the diet and eating lifestyle. In other words, the dietary changes are supposed to be temporary measures.

The real deal is to change your eating habits that may be harming your body. In changing your lifestyle, you begin to see your responsibility beyond a single significant action to little actions here and there. That is the practicality of how things really work, not the diet starvation.

By research studies showed that a sudden reduction in your calorie intake automatically slows down your metabolism. As a result, your body assumes you are serving and attempts to conserve energy. Moreover, any weight loss you experience through diets only may return within one to five years, mostly if it doesn’t change your habit.

2.     Sticking to food sauces and dressings

As you journey towards effective weight loss, don’t leave out the need to cut down your calories through creamy dressings and food sauces. For instance, you may have cut down the calories from your primary food choices, but oils and mayonnaise also contain some energy calories.

For instance, hummus as a brand contains 177 calories in every 100 g of the substance. Besides, I’ve seen people say what they are adding is just a piece of vegetable. But, dipping a few veggies in your food is also a plus and not a minus. What about spices, flavors, and margarine?

One helpful habit of countering that tendency is to keep a calorie diary. This record shows the total calorie intake from all consumed foods per day. You can calculate the amount of calories taken through sauce and dressings and do something about it from the record.

3.     Staying off all snacks at home and in the office

At the beginning of your weight loss journey, you might have heard that the way to lay off calories is to stay off snacks. But before you launch out on starving yourself, take time to understand how your body works with these things.

Keeping some safe snacks handy may be what you need for your body not to shut down due to insufficient energy. Mere starving sends a wrong signal to your brain and may not do much to you losing weight after all. On the other hand, a particular study showed that people who keep unhealthy food at home find it much more difficult to effectively lose weight.

Healthy snacks at home and office need a lot of discipline, though, such that each person can meet the nutritional needs and avoid unnecessary sugar. Some healthy snack options include fruits, low-fat yogurts, pre-chopped vegetables, dried seaweed, and nuts with no extra sugar or salt.

4.     Fats are not the enemy

Consuming fats is not as bad as you think, because there are different kinds of fats that you need to know. For instance, fats can be saturated, unsaturated, and Trans fats with their various food types in each category. Saturated fats are found mainly in animal products and coconut.

Unsaturated fats are present in olive oil, fish, avocados, nuts, and seeds, while Trans fats are present in snacks, margarine, and fried fast food. Of all the fat types above, the needed category is the unsaturated fats because they remove the bad cholesterol from the body.

These unsaturated fats also boost your energy level, increase your vigor and enhance fat conversion to replace the consumption of extra carbs. Your body loves the right kind of fats because they make your food tastier for more pleasure.

5.     Relying on exercises only

Hands up exercises are suitable for the body, not only in weight loss but also in staying fit and safe. However, exercises alone may not give you all the results you want to see. Instead, you should endeavor to effectively burn calories from physical activities and not replace them.

Note that exercises don’t have to be formal in terms of standard workout styles. Dancing, walking, and running can also be useful. Generally, physical activities can burn between 10 to 30% of the body’s amount of energy. Therefore, in addition to diet, you may need some exercise.

6.     Striving for perfection

Weight loss is not achieved by perfection, no. Starting and sustaining the journey is an essential step to take to achieve better results. Remember that no one is perfect, but each person is on a progressive journey to achieve their goals. And many times, the journey is not a 100m dash.

With a professional weight loss plan, you can follow a daily schedule that helps you adjust bit by bit and draw nearer to the goal. Following that, if you are losing weight slower than you expected, there is no need to be depressed. More so, if you find yourself yielding to some urge to take candy, don’t feel bad about it.

Better still, simply rise up and proceed from that point on. Statistically, an 80 to 90% efficiency or success rate is not that bad, don’t be a perfectionist! Instead, make efforts to focus more on consistency and when it fails, try again.

Conclusion

You have tried several means of hitting your weight loss target, to no avail. Perhaps, the reason for failure is that you have refused to break off some other habits that sabotage your weight loss plans. Also, you need to note that weight loss is a relatively long journey and not a short dash.

Therefore, cut yourself some slack but don’t break your consistency rate. Build on the strengths and abilities, and don’t feel disappointed if you cannot hit the 100% mark. In all, we hope you can achieve a healthy living. Stay fit and safe!

There are two practical approaches to weight loss: organic methods involving organic foods and inorganic strategies using inorganic foods. However, the organic process can be regarded as a more natural method, including exercises and workouts. On the other hand, inorganic strategies may include pills and other products that forcefully reduce or removes fats in the body.

For this article’s sake, we will like to focus on using organic foods to achieve weight loss. More importantly, the endpoint shows the benefits of using this method above using inorganic methods for weight loss. Statistics have shown that organic foods have gained more acceptability and popularity over the past two decades.

There are two significant reasons why some people prefer organic to inorganic foods. For one, the former is safer, tastier, and overall healthier than the latter. On the other hand, people choose organic foods because of the environment’s safety and all its living and non-living components.

This article will give a systematic approach to differentiating between the two forms. But first, let us consider what organic foods are.

What are Organic Foods?

The organic term refers majorly to the process of producing the food in addition to the source. Natural sources are organic sources, provided that the genuine cause is not influenced by artificial methods or additives.

For example, in agriculture, organic foods are grown without the use of artificial components as in fertilizers containing chemicals, antibiotics, and hormones. Besides, there are no preservatives, sweeteners, coloring, flavors, and particularly sodium glutamate.

Needless to say that this category of foods does not include genetically modified ones. Instead, organic farming foods involve manures and raising animals without any antibiotic or hormone injection. For emphasis sake, organically grown crops and animals are safer for consumers’ environment and health.

Advantages of Organic Foods over Inorganic Foods

1.     Organic foods have more nutritious than inorganic ones

Studies have proven that raw foods grown by organic means contain more nutrients than inorganic foods. However, when comparing the nutrient content of processed or cooked foods, you obtain a mixture of results.

This variation may be essentially due to the different ways of producing, handling, and processing foods. There is still proven evidence that food that is gotten from organic sources is more beneficial in terms of nutrients than its inorganic counterparts.

2.     Organic foods have more vitamins and antioxidants

Organically grown foods, particularly crops, contain higher amounts of antioxidants and micronutrients that can be highly beneficial to consumers. Some of the nutrients include Zinc, Iron, and Vitamin C. research even showed that the difference can be up to 69% by comparison.

Research that used corn and berries found antioxidants increased the level of 58% in organic ones. Besides, it also found that organic ones contain 52% more vitamin C than inorganic ones. In other words, using organic fruits and vegetables can yield more weight loss results as a result of the presence of antioxidants.

3.     They contain fewer chemicals and the resistant bacteria

Organic foods’ choice over inorganic ones is primarily to avoid the artificial chemicals that may be associated with the latter. Some of the substances get into the foods from farms through the use of pesticides and antibiotics. These chemicals, after use, form residues in the crops or animals.

These pesticides in inorganic foods often contain heavy metals such as cadmium that can be extremely toxic. Whereas organic products show a 48% reduction in the presence of heavy metals. Although these results were still below the safety limits, the metallic residue’s accruement may even cause severe problems.

Some suggested ways of reducing the fatty metal deposition include thorough washing, peeling, scrubbing, and cooking with extreme heat to break the chemical bonds. These methods can be sufficient to an extent, but they don’t completely eliminate the risks.

4.     Organic meat and dairy products may contain more healthy fatty acids

Animal products such as meat and milk from organic sources may have higher amounts of omega-3 fatty acids that are heart-friendly. More so, the fatty acids, which can also be found in seafood, reduce heart disease risk. They may also contain vitamin E, iron as well as some carotenoids.

The principal amount of omega-3 fatty acids in organic meat is combined with slightly lesser amounts of saturated fats than inorganic meat. However, some research proved higher amounts of selenium and iodine in non-organic milk than organic ones.

Health Benefits of Organic Foods

Some medical research showed evidence of health benefits from organic foods in the case of peculiar antioxidants that prevent cancerous growths. Besides, organic diets also enhance more natural transition, reproduction and significantly improved the immune system.

In another research with chickens, organic ones showed less weight gain and had better and more vital immune systems than the inorganically raised ones. Furthermore, other studies showed that children and infants who feed on organic foods showed a lower risk of allergies and eczema.

Yet, in another research, men who consumed more organic products had more antioxidants in their urine than others fed on inorganic diets. On the other hand, while understudying over 623,000 women, there was no significant difference in cancer risk in organic food consumers than inorganic food consumers.

Conclusion

In conclusion, as we consider the differences between organically produced foods and their inorganic counterparts, we must not fail to acknowledge that several other studies prove there are no significant differences. These studies show that evidence that proves a nutritional difference is not sufficient to make a definite conclusion.

However, other research areas proved that some nutrients found in organic food consumers are higher than the overall average consumption. Therefore, the choice still falls down on the consumer to go for what works best based on expert nutritionists’ recommendations. There is definitely a need for more intense and quality research to finally establish this hypothesis.

What a sports person takes as part of nutrition can affect the performance in sports or during a workout session. In fact, nutrition experts recommend that athletes and other sports athlete need to take care of their nutrition schedule.

On the other hand, coaches also know that the nutrition schedule of athletes affects their performance. Therefore, many coaches influence what the athletes feed on that can determine their energy. In order words, nutrition is part of the preparation, and poor feeding can mean poor performance.

Ideally, an athlete, just like anyone, needs to consume a balanced diet to remain healthy and sound. However, in addition to the regular composition, each athlete must determine the factors that can influence the type of food they take.

Athletes should also know that there is a need to consume more energy-giving food than the required energy for the workout or exercise.

Some of the essential factors that determine the amount of food an athlete consumes include;

1. The nature of the sport
2. The amount of time spent in training exercise or preparation
3. The intensity of the involved training

The elementary classes of food that every athlete need to hold in priority include the following:

• Carbohydrates
• Calories of energy
• Proteins
• Fluids including water and electrolytes
• Iron
• Vitamins and other minerals

A Full Guide for Sports Nutrition

Eating for athletes is not just about gulping down all kinds of foods and drinking lots of energy drinks. Therefore, athletes must have a well-structured plan containing the right foods in the right proportions for top fitness.

Below are helpful tips that can enhance athletes’ chances at performing excellently;

1.     Get more energy for extra performance

The needed energy is not only for the sporting events or preparation but also for the athletes’ growth. More so, a typical young athlete may require between 2000 and 5000 total calories of energy to meet their daily needs.

Therefore, when an athlete fails to derive enough calories for energy-giving foods, it is an indication that they will perform below expectation. The body may not have enough resources to cope with the demands and therefore breakdown the muscles.

For instance, without taking in enough calories, runners may not meet up to the optimum speed. At the same time, weight lifters may not match the expectations. In the long run, this sports nutrition deficiency can cause weight loss or growth problems. Other effects may include health challenges and risks for fractures or different kinds of injuries.

2.     Take the variety

Towards a big event, an athlete may have been strictly regulating the food intake within the sports nutrition program. However, as the D-day draws near, it is essential that the athlete now begins to take more variety of foods.

This principle does not violate the need to take more carbohydrates. It only widens the opportunity for other food classes. For instance, it is time to explore benefits from proteins, minerals, fats, and vitamins to be entirely prepared for the competition.

3.     Consume the carbs freely

Carbohydrates are the best source of ‘fuel’ for an athlete and an integral part of sports nutrition. Restriction on carbs may bring about being worn out and tired quickly. Also, it may cause a performance that is below the expectation due to a lack of energy.

Some of the significant carbohydrates sources as energy giving food include whole grains such as brown rice, oatmeal, whole wheat bread, and other grains. The primary benefit of whole grains is the presence of fiber that helps to digest the food faster.

Also, whole grains provide more energy than that of white rice and white bread, for example. However, athletes should avoid sugary carbohydrates such as soda and candy bars as they can be less healthy for the athletes in the long run.

4.     Fuel up with fats

Carbohydrates indeed supply the energy for athletes, but long-lasting life actually comes more from fats. In other words, fats come in their variety, including saturated and unsaturated fats. They also have different sources that tell how safe or unsafe they are to the body.

Sports nutrition experts opined that unsaturated fats, as in vegetable oils, seeds and nuts, are safe for the body. On the other hand, saturated fats in meat and high-fat dairy products such as butter may cause problems. But the athletes should note that fatty foods require a longer time to digest.

5.     Protein gives the power

It takes a lot of protein to build a healthy and robust body wholly without any deformity. However, a crop of professional trainers believes that as important as protein is to feeding, physical growth also requires adequate training and hard-work.

Also, excessive proteins may cause some levels of indigestion, loss of calcium, dehydration, and even kidney diseases. Some of the familiar protein sources may include eggs, poultry, peanut butter, soy, and nuts.

6.     No Caffeine

As you plan your sports nutrition schedule, avoid taking caffeine by all means. In the first instance, caffeine or coffee-containing foods can serve as s diuretic, which implies making one pee more consistently. If there will be a need to take in caffeine, perhaps due to weather, it must be supervised and weighing potential problems.

Besides, caffeine is famous for increasing the rate of heartbeat and blood pressure. Raising either of these two can be accompanied by anxiety and worry, all of which adversely affect the user’s overall performance. It can also affect the sleep rate, while the athlete also needs to pay attention to its training performance.

Conclusion

In summary, the rules of maintaining a healthy sports nutrition go beyond the listed numbers above. But the ones above form an excellent place to create a structure on which the future will be founded. Remember that an athlete is not just making plans for an event but for a structured life that will continue for a long time to come.

Therefore, a professional counsel will be to stick to these research-founded plans to achieve a professional career. Stay strong. See you at the top!

There are specific foods that are recommended for sportsmen and women that fulfill their nutrition requirements. As a result, you can take any of these foods in the recommended proportion after a workout session or competition.

Some of the foods’ characteristic features contain the ability to replenish the depleted body nutrients such as glycogen in the muscles and water molecules. Besides, the foods can repair worn out or torn tissues in the muscles.

Apart from knowing what to take in the right proportion and how to take it, this article will guide you on the best timing for these recovery food items.

More Carbohydrate than Protein (Ratio 4:1)

Dietitians and Researchers found that the more carbohydrate to protein you take, the more glycogen your body retains, especially after an exercise session. It is essential to first note that a good recovery food must contain four times the amount of protein as carbohydrate.

Therefore, this ratio of 4:1 of carb to protein is more important and more beneficial than taking carbohydrates alone. Conversely, taking in more protein slows down the burnout of glycogen and the process of rehydration.

Similarly, sports nutrition experts recommend the following food items to work best for recovery: whole grains, dairy products, and fruits. Even if you cannot get a full meal immediately after a sports session, you can try out the following items:

• One bowl of a whole-grain cereal plus some measure of low-fat milk
• A brown of granola with a cup of low-fat milk
• A whole-grain toast bread such as wheat smeared with almond butter
• Half-cup of fresh berries plus low-fat yogurt
• Low-fat or fat-free chocolate milk
• Medium banana plus a glass of low-fat milk

Recovery Tips

1.     Eat on time.

The best way to optimize your meal after exercise is to eat the feed within 30 to 60 minutes after a Workout exercise session or competition. But remember to keep the rule of the carb-protein ratio of 4:1.

This step’s medical benefit is that it allows the body to store up to three times of the glycogen you would have stored if you wait for 2 hours before eating.

2.     Hydrate with water.

After completing your workout, you should drink enough water to first rehydrate the body. More so, the workout session must have caused you to lose some water through sweating.

Scientifically, you can also determine the amount of water you need to drink by first checking the lost weight. For instance, you will need to take in 3 cups of water to replace every 16 to 24 fluid ounces of lost body weight.

On the other hand, you can use your urine color to determine the amount of water lost and the amount of water to take. A “color check” will give you a rough estimate of the extent of your dehydration.

For instance, normal urine after a workout session should be slightly yellow or light tint. However, if your urine is too clear, it indicates over-hydration, which is not a good state. Dark-colored urine with high concentration shows that you are highly dehydrated and require a lot of water.

3.     Always eat something before exercise

You should not be totally exhausted when having a workout session because it will enhance your ability to recover faster. Therefore, a good trainer will tell you to stay on the right food and drinks while working out. However, the level of hydration depends on the intensity and duration of the exercise.

Other factors may include weather conditions or your fitness level. On average, determine to take a cup of water after every minute of exercise. Sports nutrition must make room for enough food and drinks in the right proportion.

At the same time, the right sports drink should contain not only carbohydrates but also electrolytes. As soon as you lose up to 2% of your body weight, it will affect your performance level. But when the bodyweight loss reaches 4%, it can bring about heat illness.

Any workout that takes within an hour, you will be OK with water alone. But when you work out for up to 90 minutes or more, you may need to replenish your body with carbohydrates. To keep up with the sports nutrition demand, you may stack up some energy bars, bananas, and other easily digestible foods in your sports bag.

4.     Exercises require eating well

If you engage in consistent workout sessions, you may need to continually supply food and drink. Sports nutrition requires foods with adequate energy supply, especially those that can renew the muscles. For a start, you need to eat a balanced diet and keep up with highly nutritious food throughout the day.

The strength in the muscles is determined by the amount of stored glycogen in the tissues. Therefore, more carbohydrates supply more stability to the muscles, and you need to continue to feed on more carbs.

Apart from carbohydrates, proteins and fats as parts of your sports nutrition are also important. A full meal after exercise should therefore contain carbohydrates, proteins, and fats in the right proportions.

5.     Take chocolate drink as part of your sports nutrition

Typically, chocolate drinks contain a combination of carbohydrates and protein. In essence, it is an ideal drink to help you recover every lost energy. By research, a low-fat chocolate drink and a sports drink are not different from sports nutrition materials.

More so, after exhausting energy through muscle stress and fatigue, drinking a sports drink or chocolate drink helps quick recovery by reducing the amount of creatine kinase in eth muscle. When you implement this article’s strategies, you can perform better during exercise and recover quickly for the next session.

Conclusion

When you conclude each workout session, the significant food classes are integral parts of sports nutrition. In other words, you should ensure the food contains carbohydrates, protein, and fats, but in the right proportion to supply all that you need. Furthermore, you must also consider the essential tips to help you achieve the best results from your workout sessions.

In the Sports Nutrition sector, several published articles on what and how a sports person ought to organize feeding. However, there is also a need to explore some fundamental questions that may beg for answers. For instance, what is the role of sports nutrition in the process of recovery after a workout session or exercise?

This article will provide answers to some of these crucial questions with research-based findings.

How vital is Nutrition for the Process of Recovery?

Before we talk about recovery, we must first define the kind of exercise and its duration. These facts will give us an idea of the body’s metabolic activities and determine the recovery level necessary for the body. However, the primary goals of the recovery sports nutrition include the following;

• Hastening the process of muscle growth and repair
• Rehydrate and refuel the body with water and energy-giving foods, respectively
• Enhance the body immunity
• Increase the body adaptation to peculiar training sessions

The two matters for recovery nutrition is the nature of the exercise and the duration of the movement. For the latter, when you have a training or practice in two successive sessions for a day or two, there might be a need to be proactive about sports nutrition.

However, a less consecutive basis of either once or twice a week takes an average effort. Sports nutrition is a way to go through the necessary recovery process. Moreover, the regular daily feeding on a balanced diet can suffice to enhance the recovery process except for a few other food supplements.

When can I resume my Nutrition after exercise?

No doubt, rehydration should resume as soon as you finish a training session. In fact, you should have the right drink at hand during your workout or exercise sessions. It may go beyond ordinary water to some electrolytes that can replenish the expended energy.

However, as time goes by, your full meal must be with a balanced diet that contains the right food classes in the proper proportions. In between your training sessions, too, you may take some simple carbohydrate and protein supplements. For sure, your body will need a quick energy fix.

The body has the highest effectiveness to fix up every worn-out muscle tissue within 60 or 90 minutes after the exercise. Moreover, the process of regular renewal may also continue for the next 12 to 24 hours. Therefore, the athlete must take the feeding severe within the first hour or an hour and a half.

Some athletes enjoy taking the right snack in-between the workout sessions, especially if there is no time for a full regular meal. The recovery process may not be complete without adequate planning because haphazard planning may cause more harm than good.

What should I eat after a workout session?

The only general rule for eating after an exercise is a balanced diet, irrespective of the combination. That is not to say that the mixture is not essential as different people have different appetites and metabolism rates.

Also, the general conditions for the best food that is available for healthy sports nutrition include foods that;

• Contains lean protein sources that can enhance the repair of muscle fibers
• It is rich in and carbohydrates to store up the needed energy as glycogen
• Is principally made of whole grains, vegetable, and fruits as the topmost food for athletes’ overall well being
• Also has a significant source of fluid or electrolytes that can rehydrate the body

The viable options may also include smoothies, flavoured drinks without white sugar, and fruit yogurt in terms of the fluid. This food set will contain the essential minerals, carbs, proteins, electrolytes, and other liquids.

To add more creativity to the combinations that are available to athletes, some of the options include;

• Fresh fruit salad in addition to Greek Yoghurt
• Lean protein such as chicken with a salad roll
• Chicken burrito with a combination of salad and cheese
• A tin of tuna on some crackers while adding a banana fruit
• A bowl containing muesli and a mixture of berries and yogurt
• Spaghetti with a sauce of lean beef bolognaise

What should I drink after an exercise?

Except for water, there are no other exclusive drink options for the needed fluid during an exercise. Medically speaking, the ideal fluid will largely depend on the set goals to achieve. Another available option apart from water is an electrolyte drink that can enhance an athlete’s chances for sports nutrition.

Therefore, if your goal is to provide a quick supply of protein, carbohydrates, and vital minerals in your drink, then consider smoothies or flavored milk. These dairy products are portable for mobility and can sustain you before the full meal.

Besides, there are also specialized protein powders and milkshakes which can work for special occasions. However, the best choice for a community of sports nutrition is to work according to what their plan provides.

What is the danger of improper recovery nutrition?

A wrong diet can cause some complications for the sportsman in several ways. Some of the known ways include the following:

• Failure to fully recover from one training session before having another. This case happens more if the training happens more than once a day
• An increases the level of soreness in the muscle and general weakness
• A reduced gain below the average in the just concluded training or workout session
• A lesser performance at the next training or workout session
• A high rate of fatigue from training sessions

Conclusion

One final note, this article answers crucial questions of athletes concerning sports nutrition. Whereas the available information only mentions food and ignores other parts such as when to eat or how to take them. But with this full guide, you can make better diet plans to optimize your productivity in training or exercise and in performance. We hope this article helps you tremendously. Enjoy!

Building muscles is one of sports nutrition goals, where healthy feeding habits influence your body build-up. The food is the fuel that does workout and exercises possible, not only in building up the body but also in helping you recover.

According to a sports dietician, who is also an ironman athlete, Marni Sumbal, some other benefits of proper sports nutrition includes the following:

• Enhancement of the immune system
• Reduction of muscle soreness
• Replenishment of glycogen
• Overall improvement of the athlete’s strength

Eating immediately after a workout may not directly influence your muscle-building immediately. However, most athletes also ensure that they take the essential nutrients in simple food items such as protein bars or shake for better digestion.

Nevertheless, athletes need to make the best decisions for their overall health and fitness, especially after a challenging workout or performance. This special attention puts you in a better position for better results and more stable health and fitness growth.

According to sports nutrition specialists, below are 10 essential food items you can take to support your muscle growth and help your recovery process.

Top 10 After-Workout Foods for you

1.     Whole eggs

In the pursuit of getting ripped, you should try out whole eggs. You may have learned that it is safer to eat only the egg whites and not the entire egg.

But research from the University of Illinois showed that whole eggs gave 40% more protein toward muscle building than taking egg whites alone. In other words, there is a more muscle-building response to your body when you consume both the egg white and the yolk than taking only the egg white.

The egg yolk contained phosphorus, iron, minerals, vitamins, and some healthy fats. These fats form the primary driving force behind the repair of worn-out tissues supplying the needed nutrition that only the egg whites cannot deliver.

To optimize this food, you can marsh a few boiled eggs and mix them with a quarter of Greek Yoghurt. Add about a half teaspoon of curry powered and a pinch of salt to taste. Spread the final recipe on rye crackers and enjoy.

2.     Ricotta

Sports nutrition using the ricotta can significantly influence your muscle-building process, with dairy being the primary ingredient. A cup of ricotta contains about 28 grams of milk protein, which can also provide whey protein and a high amount of the amino acid leucine.

This amino acid is responsible for the signaling of the muscle cell locus to initiate another muscle’s growth. Therefore, dairy foods rich in protein are useful in building and repairing worn-out muscle fibers and cells.

The options may also include a combination of milk-based drinks with 9 grams of raw protein. Or you may add a carb-only beverage with the same amount of calories to enhance the body’s strength. Besides, this combination of protein with carbs in this proportion can also strengthen the bones.

A workable recipe will include half a cup of park-skim ricotta cheese plus half a teaspoon vanilla extract. Mix these ingredients up thoroughly in a bowl and add a third of granola in a cup and half cup of berries to complete the equation.

3.     Cottage cheese

In a way, many people have relegated the need for cottage cheese with the Greek Yoghurt taking its place. But the essence of cottage cheese cannot be overemphasized in that it contains far more proteins per gram than the same amount of Greek Yoghurt per gram.

It also contains close to 3 grams of leucine, an essential amino acid, in one cup. This cottage cheese measure is enough to build and enhance your muscle build-up and repair. In summary, serving cottage cheese plainly or with the addition of unique flavors is a great way to go.

4.     Whole grain bread

A whole-grain meal is a capital ingredient of a balanced diet that should take not less than 70% of typical food composition. However, for men and women in sports, the recommended nutrition has other essential food items.

Carbohydrates are essential for working muscles up, but white bread may not get the same approving nod. However, the carbs present in whole grains are highly beneficial due to the number of contained fibers that aid digestion.

You can work the whole grain bread from maybe, wheat into an egg salad sandwich. And apart from the fiber content, the baked wheat bread also contains some protein measure, artificial ingredients, including fillers and preservatives.

5.     Smoked salmon

The characteristic feature of the salmon fish is the presence of omega-3 fatty acids. Apart from the salmon, the same essential fatty acids are found in sardines and mackerel. More so, these food items play a vital role in reducing the possibility of muscle soreness after an exercise session.

The means of doing that is by enhancing the lower levels of delayed muscle weakness or laxness. More so, the omega-3 fatty acids can also reach the inner muscle cells to reduce the muscles’ painful inflammation caused by exercise-induced damage.

The fatty acid can also enhance the anabolic pathway for muscle protein synthesis. A helpful recipe will include a small whole-grain bread wrap containing 2 tablespoons full of cream cheese and 3 ounces of sliced smoked salmon. You may also add a quarter cup of sliced pickled beets and a handful of arugula.

6.     Sweet potatoes

Sweet potatoes are examples of carb-rich foods that can help prevent the usual drop in the immune system whenever you just complete an exercise. Other examples of such foods include whole grains, fruits, and vegetables.

The body also finds it much easier to release the embedded energy in the carbs than those stored as fat. In preparation, you can boil the sweet potato in a tight plastic wrap while adding a few holes until the potato becomes tender.

Next, remove the boiled potato wrap after about 6 minutes and marsh it, adding a third of apple sauce. Besides, you may put half a tablespoon of ginger powder and put some dried cranberries as well as pumpkin seeds.

Conclusion

When rounding off your sports training session, make a conscious effort to build a nutrition disciple for what you take. More so, this article already expounds on preparing some of these essential food combinations that can help replenish your energy after a serious workout session.

Apart from the repair of the muscle fibers, the foods can also support your immune system and overall health. We will like to learn how some of these food combinations work for you afterward.

Recently, fitness model competitions have become very popular. Look around; you will probably know a close person who has either competed before or is dreaming of competing in WBFF or other fitness competitions. Let’s go to the internet; you will find many photos showing beautiful ladies with shredded bodies in hot bikini and confident looking guys showing off their rippled bodies.

What is motivating fitness models to contest in competitions? Does it have lasting values? Are there any low points about competing as a fitness model? This article will provide direct answers to these questions in the simplest way possible.

To begin with, let’s get the meaning of the subject matter.

What is Fitness Model Competition?

Fitness competition is a physique-exhibition event for men and women. It emphasizes more on the muscle definition and also provides a splendid blend of bodybuilding and beauty pageant. Though some argue that it’s mainly for bodybuilding, others see it as fitness modeling.

The type of body you will build depends on the federations in which you want to compete. Most will assess your body’s proportion, carriage, muscle tone, and beauty aspects, including the hair, suit, and tan.

One of the most popular fitness modeling federations globally is the World Beauty Fitness and Fashion (WBFF). Like every other competition, competing in a fitness competition (even the WBFF) has its unique pros and cons. Let’s start with what you stand to gain for competing as a fitness model.

The Pros

It helps you set a new goal

Of course, you might have been doing some working outs before, but training for a fitness competition is something new entirely. It helps you set huge goals and to be accomplished and also motivates you to reach it whatever circumstances. Many people don’t take their workouts seriously because nothing is pushing them harder to do more. However, once you have decided to contest in a fitness model competition, you already have a purpose of working out.

For instance, planning to contest in a WBFF show, you will find every reason to work harder in gyms even when your body wants to say no. competing in the WBFF show is a thing of pride. It’s a great accomplishment to be on that stage with all its charm.

The glamour worth the grind

If you have once competed in one of the WBFF shows, you will agree that its glamour greatly impacts the contestants’ physical and mental being. Standing on the prestigious stage, surrounded by charming men and beautiful ladies dressed up in sparkly suits, high heels, and facing the cheering audience chanting your name is a feeling like no other. My previous WBFF experience was nothing short of awe. It’s better experienced than told. If you taste the glamour for once, you will always want to compete again.

It helps contestants learn more about their body

Competing in a fitness competition will help you know specific facts about your body. These include how your body reacts to food, diet, and training. You will discover which food best suits your body and which one affect your body negatively. You will also know how to train your body to maintain your shape. Knowing these important facts will help you map out a lifelong healthy lifestyle.

I learned more about my body in few months a trained for the WBFF competition. It helped me to know more about my mind, how much I can accomplish, what I was willing to give up, what my priorities are, and I also learned about my physical self. Honestly, this self-discovery part is one thing I love the most in the whole fitness modeling journey.

Physical and Mental Boost

Training to compete in a fitness competition will push you out of your comfort zone to achieve something worthwhile, both physically and mentally. Engaging in constant training with hard work for more than eight months will challenge you a lot. It will first make you discover your limitations and help you push beyond the limits. You will make you find out your weakness and motivate you to work on them until they become strengths.

Another exciting part of competing in a fitness competition is that it builds your confidence. For me, appearing on the WBFF stage provide a massive surge in my self-esteem. Standing in front of thousands of audience and strict looking judges will give your confidence an impressive boost.

Meeting New Friends

Competing in the WBFF was a big one for me. I have gotten connected to many individuals who have positively influenced my life through that platform. There’s no way you will compete in a major fitness competition without making new friends, some of who might change your life for the better. Not only that, competing in a fitness competition will make you visit new places and get new experiences. All of these will add much to your mental development and give you a new perspective on life.

Having discussed the various benefits, you can enjoy contesting in a fitness competition, let’s go through the low points.

The Cons

It’s Expensive

As you would also agree, to contest as a fitness model in a WBFF will cost you much.

These are the expected expenses you would make to make it to the stage:

• Gym membership
• Hiring a professional personal trainers
• Posing lessons
• Hair/makeup
• Competition Entry fees
• Transportation to and fro the event venue

There would still be some miscellaneous expenses that you will need to consider. That might make it somewhat difficult for a person who is not financially buoyant but dreams of becoming a fitness model.

It can damage your physical health

Staying at a low body fat is not natural and can unlock some health problems in the long run. Amazingly, a sport created to showcase your ultimate health can also bring some detrimental effects on your overall health.

Also, while you keep ignoring your cravings to follow a prescribed diet plan (which can be a cheat meal protocol) can affect your appetite over time.

Final Thoughts

Above all, competing in a fitness competition is something you will always adore. My WBFF competition experience was a life-changing one, and it will continue to linger in my memory. I found it interesting starting my fitness journey, following through the demanded process against all odds, and finally standing on the stage. Though it may be challenging all through, I bet you will enjoy every bit of the process.

Many people dare to contest in the WBFF competition for a good number of reasons. While some aim for the challenge, some are obsessed with the handsome prize and fame waiting for the champion. On the other hand, some just want to take up an entirely new task to unlock a new experience.

No matter what your reason might be, competing at the WBFF is a lifetime experience and the stage worth the grind.

So you want to become a fitness model?

Well, you are about to take a very great step, but it’s very challenging. No, I’m not trying to scare you off; I think it’s better to let you know from the start. You cannot climb the WBFF stage if you are not ready to challenge yourself physically and mentally.

Now, what is the first step you need to take to achieve your new goal?

Get a personal trainer.

I have heard some people objecting that you can become a fitness model without hiring a coach. Well, that’s not wrong. But, if you want to participate in a world-class fitness modeling competition like WBFF, you will need a personal trainer. Getting an experienced coach is important for sound preparation. You might need to consider the following tips to find the right coach:

• Take your time to do thorough research and ask some of his previous clients for reviews and recommendations.
• Make sure that you get a coach who cares for your health more than the competition itself.
• Your potential coach must be ready to know about your goals for the competition and gather as much information as possible.
• Make sure you get a coach who is ready to meet your needs. If he doesn’t care about supporting you or your goals, that might be a red flag.

Choose your preferred fitness competition.

After you have found the right coach, determine the competition in which you want to participate.

There are several fitness modeling competitions out there, and each of them has the kind of body they are looking for and their unique criteria for competing. Meanwhile, WBFF is regarded as the topmost fitness modeling competition at the moment.

You can compete in WBFF in different categories. Areas to participate in the female categories include Diva Bikini model, Diva wellness model, Diva Fitness model, Diva Figure model, Commercial model, and Transformation model. Men’s categories: Male fitness model, Male muscle model, and transformation model.

WBFF has a full fitness modeling competition package – from fashion, beauty, marketability, physique, and even bikini choices.

What’s involved in the transformation process?

Transforming from being a regular office worker into a fitness model is not a joke. It takes a lot of training to convert a natural body into a defined, rippled body fit for a world-class fitness modeling competition like WBFF. Are you ready to follow the process? Let’s start from the start.

The Building Phase

This phase is considered the most difficult of the entire process. Of course, cutting down and fitting into shape is not going to be easy. It takes a lot of sacrifices regarding what you eat, how much you drink, time management, and it may also affect your sleeping habit.

The building phase is essential because it’s where you build your shape and muscle tone for the competition. Averagely it can take you up to a year to build the shape and muscle tone required for a fitness competition. If you are competing at the WBFF, it might take you more than a year to gain what you want.

The Cutting Phase

This is where you diet down. In this phase, you will have to consult diet experts for a standard nutritional plan that will help drop your body fat. How much you will stay in this phase will be determined by your body type and the result you get at the end of your building phase.

Many people claim that the cutting phase is the hardest part of the competition preparation because it requires a lot of self-discipline. You will have to adhere strictly to your prescribed nutrition plans precisely. Some of the likely challenges you will face in this phase are fatigue, hunger, cravings, brain fog, and more.

To make this phase easier for you, you need to make sure you do the necessary work at the building phase.

The Posing

When you are done with the cutting phase, the next step is to learn how to pose in a fitness model competition. Posing styles differ from one competition federation to the other. While some competition federations have specific posing styles, at WBFF, the posing styles are flowing and creative.

Though it seems easy, posing is something you will constantly practice for several months before advancing to the stage. If you are working with an experienced trainer, you have an advantage. Your trainer will choose the right poses for you based on your body shape to showcase your best features in the best way possible. This is why you need a trainer who has once been on that stage or has trained several fitness modeling champions over a long period.

Warnings

Becoming a fitness model is very exciting and competing at the WBFF is a lifetime glamour. However, there are a few dangers you need to watch out for as you are about to set on a fitness modeling journey.

After the competition, you might have a ‘not so exciting’ experience if you don’t follow the correct reverse diet. You also need to know that you cannot keep your rippled body for too long. Health professionals say it is not good enough to keep the rippled body till old age.

On the flip side, many who have denied themselves of their favorite delicacies might return to it with great appetite after the competition. This might lead to overeating and cause excessive weight in a very short period.

Final Thoughts

Being a fitness model is a pride. You will have an amazing experience competing at the fitness modeling competitions, especially WBFF. However, you must be readily prepared both physically and mentally to face whatever challenges that might come your way in the transformation process.

As typically expected, you wouldn’t agree less that much is required from any contestant who wants to step on that stage. I can’t promise it’s not going to be hard all the way there, but it is achievable.

Of course, there are many things to do in your preparation for the global fitness competition. They include constant training, maintaining good eating habits, learning to pose, and more. However, consistent training is what makes the whole preparation worthwhile.

Training for the WBFF

Training for the WBFF is nothing short of a physical and emotional roller coaster ride. It requires harder training every day of the week to get the best result. Don’t forget that it’s not a show for amateur bodybuilders. Hence you can’t afford to take your training sessions for granted.

But why should you go through such a heck of a hard experience before advancing to the WBFF stage? Here are six important reasons why hard training is essential.

1. Discipline

When we continue to do certain practices, our body gets used to it over time and gets adapted to the new system. Consistent training will help discipline your body, and that’s essential for your success in the competition.

When the alarm rings at 5 am every morning, you will rise without asking questions and head straight to the gym. It wouldn’t matter whether you are tired or feeling weak; your body would automatically rise and go.

Maintaining the right eating habit is also part of your training. Constant training will discipline you to eat at the exact hours according to plan and give you the defined body that WBFF demands. After a long time of serious training, skipping meals will never be an option.

Being committed to your training will also make you abstain from consuming some tempting desserts and foods that will affect your diet. These substances include alcohol, wine, and cheese.

2. Habits

Fine. You might not have bad habits towards eating, exercise, and other essential activities before, but training to compete at the WBFF will make you more committed to healthy habits.

It’s true and absolute. The entire few months you will use to train for the event will transform your entire life, whether physically or emotionally. Although the transform might be subtle at the initial stage, you will discover how much you have changed when you come back from the stage.

The new habits you develop through constant training to achieve your new goals will impact your health and every other aspect of your life.

Some of the habits you will develop even after the WBFF competition include regular exercise, daily intake of vitamins, eating at the exact hours it is necessary, drinking much water every day, and more.

3. Confidence

Confidence is one of the qualities that every contestant needs to participate in the WBFF event. Based on experience, there’s no better way to build your self-esteem than working out regularly.

It is normal to feel strange at the beginning of the preparation, especially if you are competing for the first time. However, as you continue working out, you will start feeling stronger and more confident. As weeks go on, you will gain the confidence to do more and work harder with the mindset that no obstacle can stop you from reaching your goals.

When your body begins to transform the way you wanted, your self-esteem soars. And when the time finally comes, stepping on the WBFF stage where several athletes show off their defined body, thousands of people are cheering, and judges are sitting, taking scores will never intimidate you. In fact, all that will serve as motivation for you.

4. Knowledge

There’s so much to learn when preparing for the WBFF event. You will learn a lot about muscle building, healthy nutrition, and weight loss as you continue your fitness training. Indeed, you will have more knowledge about healthy living than what you have learned in your undergraduate or graduate health classes.

There’s a huge difference between theory and practical. You will never gain a better understanding of the theories you read about health and nutrition unless you practically apply the concepts. This will make it more real to you.

5. Influence

In the process of training to compete in the WBFF event, you will find out that you are motivating other people to work out. You may directly call them to it, but as people watch you train, they might be encouraged to start pursuing their fitness goals as well.

Out of all activities, working out is not something somebody can do alone. Start jogging around your area one morning; you will be surprised to see many other people joining you the next day.

Besides, having seen you training to contest in the WBFF event, some people who had been nursing the idea might come to you to ask for advice and suggestions.

6. Accomplishment

How else would you feel stepping out of that stage? If you ask me, competing at the WBFF event is a huge accomplishment. That’s not all; at the end of every single training day, you will feel a sense of accomplishment. Nothing gladdens the heart more than setting a goal and achieving it.

You will feel accomplished for every meal you eat, every cup of water you drink, every training session you completed, and more.

Final Thoughts

Training to compete at the WBFF event might start as an attempt to fulfill one of your goals on the list. However, it can unexpectedly turn into something that will change your entire life for the better. There’s nothing you can compare with the experience you will gain in the few months of preparation.

Meanwhile, nothing comes easy. If you want to compete on the WBFF stage, you will have to train and work harder.

Staying fit has become relatively popular among women. Fitness isn’t only done to achieve weight loss or get a flatter stomach. Fitness in alliance with good nutrition boosts self-confidence to a great extent.

As much as keeping fit is commendable for everyone, results may not be seen if it is done the wrong way. Sadly, some women go about achieving fitness on the wrong terms and directives.

To actively accomplish your fitness goals, you need to avoid making these common mistakes if you’re a woman. Once these fitness mistakes have been ticked off, I assure you of wonderful outcomes, safe fat loss as time progresses.

1. Target Exercising

Your motive for exercising may be to lower that belly fat or decrease the fat in your upper arms. There’s no doubt that results will be achieved, but it might take forever. No one can wait forever to start seeing results. So, yes, doing crunches alone every time for a slim belly will not work within your target time.

Spot reduction does not work because those regions you target are deposits for the excess fat in your body. So to reduce that spot, you need to lose fat all over your body. Fat loss in a spot will only waste your time.

Instead of trying to get rid of the excess belly fat, you will require exercising to lose weight all over your body. Getting a flat stomach in no time can only work this way.

2. Not Engaging Fully When Exercising

Another predominant error females make in keeping fit is the problem of not engaging fully in their routines. A common example is holding on to the treadmill while running on it. Now, this is very wrong. When using treadmills, your arms ought to be mobile as your legs move. This burn calorie around the body, not just the legs in a shorter time. When you hold onto to treadmill, your legs may be running vigorously, but no, this is wrong.

If you move your torso as you swing dumbbells, you are also not engaging fully in the exercise. Apart from lengthening the time it takes for you to achieve fitness, you are predisposing your ribs to more stress, causing you discomfort and pain. Attaining your weight loss and your fitness goals will not be possible with the discomfort you feel.

Not engaging fully seems like an escape to the hard job of keeping fit. They won’t reap you a bit.

3. Fearing Heavy Weight

Why most women skip carrying massive weight in the gym remains a puzzle. Contrary to women’s opinion of carrying heavy weights, massive weights won’t make anyone build biceps to the extent of making you look like a macho man, taking away femininity. The hormone responsible for manliness is testosterone, which is dominant in males. Some females produce a generous quantity of testosterone too. Carrying massive weights will help tone arms and bring out the abs. You should debunk the myth of carrying heavy weights if you believe so already. Heavyweight will make you obtain fitness and weight loss faster.

4. Maintaining a Wrong Diet

Attaining fitness isn’t tied to physically exercising solitary. Your nutrition and diet count as much as hitting the gym. No matter how long you exercise and burn thousands of calories, it remains fruitless when you don’t get your shitty diet out of the way.

A shitty diet consists of eating fries, a lot of cookies, and burgers, but not restricted to eating these processed foods. If your diet consists of fatty foods and cream, keeping fit will happen in a long while. These foods will sabotage your efforts to weight loss.

Taking caffeine with pastries after working out will do you no good either. Rather than caffeine, taking water is better and healthier.

To fulfill your purpose of fitness, eating foods high in carbs should be curtailed as much as it is possible. Eating white bread and refined carbs should be cut off as well. Whole grains and fruits should be taken instead.

5. Inconsistency

As much as everyone knows, little or nothing is achieved with inconsistency. Keeping fit is not ruled out.

Nobody should expect weight loss or body fitness if routines are not followed consistently. Unfailingly performing short routines make the difference. Not intensely carrying out the routines for a short time.

If diets are changed to a more nutritional one, it should be followed strictly and repeatedly. Also, workouts should be done continually to get benefits and see results.

6. Setting Unreasonable Expectations

Some women start fitness exercises with the motive of getting a flat stomach after three days of hitting the gym or an obvious bigger butt after 30 days of intense exercise on the gluteal and hamstring muscles. When expectations like this are not met within the set period, it can steer in discouragement and a bit of depression.

It is best to know that setting expectations like this are beautiful to keep you in check. But, fitness results are progressive and can not happen when you bat your eyelids. You have to give it time. Expecting miraculous outcomes without a synonymous workout schedule to make your expectations come to fruition is not wise.

7. Just Cardio

Cardio exercises are great to help everyone on a weight loss journey, but performing only cardio exercises to lose weight is a bad idea. Too much cardio exercise can cause injuries and pains in the joints. Cardio exercises increase stress hormones too. They can tire you out sooner, making you stop or lengthen your fitness journey.

As a bonus, depending on your scale or mirrors to assess how far you have toured, the fitness voyage may be necessary but not important. These two are parameters to check how much your efforts for weight loss have been rewarded. When there’s no landslide change, you will not be satisfied. You can use other parameters like how great your clothes fit. They are very efficient measures.

When mistakes are eradicated from your fitness journey, you’ll enjoy the ride as you achieve your motive.

 

In recent times, weight loss has been an important part of female fitness programs. Many women nowadays fear being overweight or obese and are willing to undergo rigorous training and switch their diet plan to accommodate foods that make it easier for them to lose weight. Others even go the distance by enrolling in a gym or paying lots of money to hire a personal trainer to help them with their journey.

Cutting down weight is not as easy as gaining, and many times, it can stress you out mentally too. However, if you understand the basics of fat loss and are diligent in going through the hard process, you will be successful. This article will go through some of the important tips and tricks you should know about eating and exercising during your weight loss journey. You can take this as a female fitness guide for effective weight loss if that is your end goal. Let’s get into it.

What Should You Eat When Trying to Lose Weight?

Many people focus on the workout aspect of weight loss and neglect their diet. They don’t know that what you eat when trying to lose weight is just as important, if not more important, than the exercise you put in. When trying to lose weight, here are some things you should take note of as you eat:

• Cut down on carbs

This should go without saying. You should be willing to let your carbs go, especially the refined ones, if you want to have that snatched body you see in the magazines. Refined carbs are more dangerous because they go through a processing system that totally removes the fiber and micronutrient content within the food before they are packaged for eating. This means a lot of filling and weight loss nutrients would have been lost before the food even gets to you.

It is difficult to cut down refined carbs because they are made to be very addictive, but you must remember that it is a sacrifice you must be willing to make to succeed in your fat loss journey.

• Take in more protein

Proteins like beans, chicken, eggs, and beef are necessary for every female fitness routine you wish to undertake, and even more so in your weight loss routine. Proteins help in boosting your metabolism, and they can reduce your cravings for other food when you take them. Constant intake of protein also means a constant calorie decrease in your food, meaning you lose weight faster and more consistently.

• Eat more fiber

Nuts, seeds, whole grains, fruits, and vegetables should be your friends in this journey if you are intentional about succeeding. Fiber intake is a smart way to help fill your stomach without needing carbs. They help you feel fuller so that you decrease your calorie intake and cut off other cravings. Fiber has a good effect on weight loss, even without other lifestyle changes like sleep or exercise.

• Have a regular eating routine

Regular eating is a core part of female fitness, even without a total focus on weight loss. Regular nutritious eating helps reduce the chance of binge eating because it keeps you full constantly. Ensure you set a regular time for eating in the morning, afternoon, and evening and try not to miss it.

You don’t have to have a tight and dedicated diet to be successful in your fat loss journey. You just have to be very conscious about what you take in and avoid unnecessary snacking on processed foods and foods with added sugar.

What Kind of Exercise Should You Do When Trying to Lose Weight?

Exercising right is needed if you wish to get that dream body fast. However, you should be aware that you don’t need to go overboard with it and cause serious damage to yourself. Here are some of the key exercises all female fitness gurus agree you should be focused on if you are trying to lose weight:

• Cardio

Also called “Aerobic exercise,” cardio exercises are created to increase your heart rate so that you can burn more calories and faster too. When you match cardio with a healthy diet, you improve your chances of success in your weight loss program. Jogging, running, brisk walking, or cycling are important examples of cardio exercises you should be focused on at least 30 minutes every day.

• Do some Resistance Training

Resistance training is dreaded by many women because it is difficult, and many people fear they will grow unneeded muscle. Many people don’t include it in female fitness routines for these reasons. However, if you are interested in losing weight fast, then resistance training might be a good thing to try out. Lifting weights, performing exercises with your body weight (like pushups), or using gym equipment are part of resistance training. 

• Get involved in some HIIT

High-Intensity Interval Training or HIIT is a form of training that requires short bouts of high-intensity movements and short recovery time until you are exhausted. It is not commonly found on regular female fitness routines (or on any fitness routine for that matter) unless you totally have to do it for reasons like weight loss and taking care of stubborn belly fat. Experiment a bit with HIIT and see if it works for you.

Conclusion

Above all, you should be willing to have an open mind with faith that the process will make you fitter and stronger. Your mind is an important tool in weight loss and any other female fitness program you get involved in, so if you don’t bring your mind along, you will have serious problems believing in the process. Set attainable goals and celebrate yourself as you crush them.

If you can, try to get a community of people around you that share the same goals as you. It makes them far easier to achieve. Also, drink lots of water and get lots of quality sleep too. They are very helpful.

In the world of female fitness, there are lots of myths that have prevented lots of women from taking action to get the bodies they desire. Some of these myths are found in weight loss programs, fitness training, and resistance training.

These myths are usually propagated through online media, TV, or other sources of information that are trusted in society. In fact, many so-called gurus of female fitness and even some health and fitness publications have been complicit in spreading these falsehoods and lies that now limit many women from reaching their fitness goals.

In this article, we will take a thorough look at some of the lies and myths about female fitness that have been spread from time past and what is actually true in reality. Let’s get into it.

Number One Myth: Resistance Training Will Make a Woman Look Masculine

This is a very common one. Many women are scared to undergo strength training, and many female fitness gurus discourage women from even trying it out during fat loss routines because of this myth. Many women fear that by engaging in strength training, they increase the likelihood of growing masculine or bulky like men.

Thanks to modern-day exposure, many women are beginning to realize that this is a hoax. Women produce testosterone, yes, but not nearly enough to give them bulky muscles. The amount of testosterone produced by women is enough to give them better toned and strengthened muscles, but not big, bulky, Terminator-like muscles.

What strength training does, however, is to improve metabolism, increase bone density and prevent muscle loss, especially for women dealing with menopause and after. Engaging in strength training now will have huge benefits for you in the future.

Number Two Myth: Cardio is Enough to Help with Weight Loss

Another lie in female fitness is: “If you want to lose weight, then run. That’s all!” While cardio is important for everyone, it is not enough to help you burn weight and keep weight off. Cardio exercises like running, jogging, or brisk walking are good because they help exercise the heart, which is the muscle that needs exercise, like all the others in your body.

With all these benefits that cardio presents, it is not always sufficient to help with fat loss. In addition to about 30 to 40 minutes of cardio every day, you should also consider looking at your diet closely to make some changes. Also, you should incorporate some strength training into your weight loss routine if you want to see actual changes in your body.    

Cardio is great for the body, but it’s not enough to help you lose weight.

Number Three Myth: You Need to Eliminate Carbs for Weight Loss

This is a dangerous piece of advice, even though it is very common. Many women follow female fitness programs that create strict no-carb diets to eliminate calories for people looking to lose weight. They say that carbs and calories are the cause of extra belly fat, and they should be avoided. Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately), this is far from the truth.

It is true that if weight loss is your goal, you should try to cut down on your carbs; however, total elimination is not the answer. Carbs are more than just feel-good foods; they are also responsible for the required energy to burn weight. Calories can also be gotten from vegetables, whole grains, and fruits. If you are interested in fat loss, consume some amount of carbs to help you with the energy required to go through with it.

Now, don’t get it confused; refined sugar should be cut down as much as possible. Those are actually dangerous for any and everyone.

Carbs should be reduced but not eliminated.

Number Four Myth: You Should Train Harder During Your Menstrual Cycle

Although this is not very common in the world of female fitness, it’s still a myth that needs to be addressed. Many people say that women should train harder during their menstrual cycle simply because they can. Fortunately, this is a lie.

As research has shown, cramps and bloating can lead to inflammation of the internal organs of a woman’s body, leading to the shutdown of the Transverse Abdominal Muscle and pelvic floor. During menstrual cycles, women should be more concerned with resting and doing light exercise that won’t affect their abdominal muscles, as that could lead to more cramps.

Number Five Myth: You Need to Train for Long Everyday to Lose Weight

Many women are scared away from female fitness programs that tell them that they need to work out for one hour a day for 6 to 7 days a week to gain success in their weight loss program. Of course, this is far from the truth.

To shed some bodyweight, what is most important is quality workout and consistency. Working out for 40 to 50 minutes two to three times a week is usually sufficient for you to shed some weight as long as you work on compound movements that bring improvement. You can’t expect to see changes by focusing on cardio alone for 30 minutes, two or three times a week.

Compound movements that can have an effect on your body when done right include sit-ups, deadlifts, pushups, squats, and planks. Ensure to focus on these exercises, and coupled with a healthy diet, you will see the changes you want in your body.

Conclusion

Don’t let any female fitness guru or weight loss expert fool you. It doesn’t matter what they say they can help you achieve; if they follow these five myths, they’re probably not right for you.

If you want to achieve greatness in fat loss, focus on resistance training with some cardio and weightlifting incorporated into it, eat a balanced and healthy diet at all times, and rest when you have to. Also, remember to set your mind right, as the right mindset will help you better than unproven myths and drink lots of water.

As a female, menopause is something you will experience at the latter stages of your life. At this stage, you become physically incapable of getting pregnant naturally. But there’s more to it. Most of your weight loss and other female fitness programs will look like they aren’t working anymore, as you struggle to bring down the number on the scale.

Menopause is usually a very challenging time in a woman’s life, and fat loss can be very difficult during this period. Without the right guidance, it can be tough to manage. This article will go through what menopause means, how it affects weight loss, and what you can do to make your weight loss program work for you post-menopause.

What is Menopause?

Menopause is the stage where a woman’s menstrual cycles end. It is usually diagnosed after a woman has gone for 12 months without seeing her menstrual period. This usually happens in the late forties or early fifties of a woman. Many symptoms come with menopause, like vaginal dryness, hot flashes, and sleeplessness. These symptoms can lead to moodiness, anxiety, and depression.

One other important symptom that comes with menopause is weight gain that is difficult to combat, even with the most thorough weight loss and female fitness programs available. Why does this happen?

Why Weight Gain Happens During Menopause

During the stage of menopause transition called perimenopause (when women are typically around their mid to late forties), many women begin to see changes in their bodies, and these changes continue through menopause and even post-menopause. These changes are caused by hormonal changes in the body, which causes the bodies of many women to start to collect weight around the middle of their body. It is called android fat distribution, and it happens to men too.

Also, the woman’s body becomes insulin resistant as she ages, and this makes weight gain much easier. At this stage, all female fitness programs seem to lose their effect. The lack of sleep a woman also faces as she crosses over to menopause could also have an impact on the weight of the woman, just as the loss of muscle mass occurs due to aging and reduced physical activity.

When this happens, many women tend to feel sad and frustrated. Apart from dealing with hot flashes and restlessness, now they have a large piece of weight around them that won’t go away. Many of them start to blame themselves for not being successful in their fat loss endeavors and start to lose faith in their bodies.

Apart from the physical and emotional stress that weight gain can cause, as well as the appearance change, it is also unhealthy and unsafe to move around with weight in your middle. For that reason, if you are dealing with your menopause and the weight gain it brings, you need to focus on a female fitness weight loss program that works and helps you get your desired results.

Let us look at some of the things you can do to avoid weight gain post-menopause.

Avoiding Weight Gain Post Menopause

You may never go back to the shape you had in your early 20s, but you can take certain steps post-menopause that can help you keep weight gain in check:

Try to get some quality sleep

Good, quality sleep is more than sleeping for many hours on end. It is sleeping peacefully, without stress, in a comfortable bed with no light and no disturbing noise. It might be difficult getting some good rest because of hot flashes and the effects of low levels of estrogen in the body. However, as soon as you get an opportunity, get some quality sleep. Even the best female fitness weight loss programs in the world agree that good sleep is a necessity for fat loss, especially during menopause.

• Make permanent lifestyle changes

You have to be willing to commit to weight loss over the long run. You should be willing to create a workable timetable that will allow you to eat healthily, rest well, and exercise as much as possible. Don’t work with weight loss programs that promise to handle post-menopause weight gain in a few days, and don’t eat weird supplements that claim to solve all post-menopause problems. They don’t work.

• Eat Right

Try to avoid fatty diets and diets with heavy calories. Cut down on carbs, as lots of studies have shown that a high carb diet could lead to unwanted weight gain. On the flip side, post-menopausal women who undertake a low carb diet are more likely than others to lose weight and inches from their waistline. Good female fitness weight loss programs will contain low carb diets or even vegetarian diets that can help you reduce your weight and weight gain post-menopause.

• Keep your emotional and mental health in check

It is easy to focus on your physical appearance and neglect your mental and emotional health. Don’t make that mistake. Talk to a therapist, if you need to, about insomnia you struggle with. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, for example, has been shown to help people who struggle with sleeplessness. If you can deal with the sleeplessness challenge, you have a good shot at dealing with weight gain post-menopause.

• Get involved in Stress-relief programs

Weight loss programs may not be enough to help. Sometimes, you need to deal with more foundational issues, like stress. Stress relief can go a long way in enhancing fat loss, especially during menopause. Programs like yoga are very helpful in this regard. Also, you can try out guided meditation and light exercise to help you with the process. If you are unsure how to go about it, speak to a professional in counseling.

Conclusion

It can be very challenging to see that female fitness weight loss programs and workouts don’t work like they used to before menopause. However, all hope is not lost yet. If you take it easy and relieve yourself of unnecessary stress, you can avoid weight gain. Also, remember to avoid blaming yourself for the changes in your body, and you will be fine.

Undoubtedly, the benefits of workouts and exercises go beyond male and female fitness to overall physical well-being. The mind is also rejuvenated in the process.

Experts have it that some specific biological activities services include better sleep with less snoring, reduced anxiety, fitness gain, and weight loss.

Besides, the person involved in these workouts also improves their overall health. Also, the exercises reduce the risk of death through ailments such as diabetes and organ-related illnesses.

Furthermore, there are diverse opportunities for any interested person to begin to work out. However, some of the personal sessions may involve acquiring certain materials or equipment for more effectiveness.

On the contrary, this article examines how we can still fulfill fitness needs without acquiring new equipment. Apart from the supply of equipment, other contingencies may include gym membership and other factors that influence male and female fitness.

Workouts and Exercises you can do from home without equipment

1. Dancing

Funny as it is, dancing is an exceptional exercise, including body parts’ movement to songs’ rhythm. It starts by playing your favorite music and flowing with the melody of the song.

Besides, dancing time may also be great as family time as it adds laughter for everyone in the hour. Again, dancing to your best songs forces some laugh out of you. Whereas it contributes mainly to both male and female fitness.

Medically, dancing for one hour has been found to burn between 250 and 500 calories, depending on the dance style and the music genre. Luckily, almost all tribes have their kinds of songs, and you should have a favorite artist.

2. Walking upstairs

If your apartment has stairways, you might have all the equipment you need to stay fit and safe. Walking up or down your stairs can help your body to stay in shape. As simple as it sounds, you can achieve a lot of weight loss and fitness if you keep at it.

For instance, if there is a restriction in movement due to weather or a disease outbreak, you can take advantage of the stairs. It may be raining or snowing out there, and you can’t leave the house, you can help yourself with somebody exercises.

Besides, as you walk up and down the stairs, you may add some sideways movements around your waist. You can also swing your hands front and back or sideways at regular intervals.

Moreover, you can engage in some step workouts and jumping jacks to gain more from the moments. You may also add some pushups as you return to the stairs at other intervals. In all, it is a great way to build or regain body fitness.

3. Plank

The plank style is a kind of workout that allows you to stretch out your whole body while resting on your elbows. It is a precise position to take, and it helps to facilitate your core and upper body parts.

Nevertheless, you can also try out a plank with bent knees or turn sideways while stacking your legs on top of each other. Continue to change these two types of the plank while even switching to the other at intervals.

4. Yoga

A yoga session is a common type of workout that can help you maintain excellent shape on time. Basically, every category of people has a specific yoga style that befits them. However, it may depend on what your exact needs are, whether weight loss or body fitness.

Ranging from simple body stretches, climbing, or riding to more relaxed ones like yin and Hatha, yoga is highly effective. And if you love to expend more energy, you can explore the power yoga version.

There are online videos on YouTube that can get you started with free online yoga. As you build your skills through practice, you can maintain better male or female fitness and shape.

Moreover, whether you have a yoga mat or not, what is essential is that you get a clean floor to begin your session. A simple carpet or a roll of paper towels may be all that you need.

5. Squats and Lunges

Squats and lunges complement the efforts of planks to develop the lower parts of the body. It can be challenging for a starter, but your consistency will help your body more as times go on.

In a squat, stand with your feet slightly apart and looking straight ahead. Then lower your body as though you want to sit but keep going until your thighs are parallel with the floor.

In that position, the upper body should lean towards the front as you bend the knees. You can then return to your previous work before you repeat it a couple of times.

When making a lunge, your standing pose will involve putting out one of your legs slightly forward. As you lower your body, keep the forward leg’s knee in the same line as the ankle. Afterward, you can keep your arms above your head or by the side.

6. Kickboxing workout styles

Kickboxing was derived from the once-popular Tae Bo, which is a combination of taekwondo and boxing. This work style can improve the heart’s strength, agility, balance, flexibility, and body fitness. Besides, you also get to improve your chances of weight loss and fitness.

This workout style also exercises your heart in pumping for better breathing. More so, you can use a punching bag and mat if you have, and if not, you may do it without any tool. What is most important is that we are advancing in our fitness journey.

7. Couch Potato Workout

As the name implies, a couch potato is a workout that practices standing and sitting on a couch in a sitting-to-standing repeated position.

Conversely, you can try the triceps dips, including backing the couch and holding it with both hands. Then, you slide forward to dip your butt in the ground with both legs closed and stretched forward.

Lift the body again and try the dip a couple of times. This exercise can strengthen both the thigh and butt muscles.

8. Barre

You will need to stand against a wall, a dining table, chair, or anything that can support your weight in a barre. Turn your back against the support and raise one leg towards on top of the support. You can fold the other leg forwards.

If you have a weight around, you can hold it. If not, support yourself with both hands on the forward leg. Follow the sequence while interchanging the legs, and you can feel the workout, and your weight loss or fitness journey might as well be on the way.

This particular exercise contributes mainly to the overall body fitness and well-being for both men and women.

9. Pilates

Pilates exercises are about sitting at ease on the floor, closing and raising both your legs, leaning backward, and stretching your arms in a straight line with your lower legs.

If you can get a mat to sit on, that’s fine. If not, simply use a flat surface with any other support. Also, you can find tutorial videos of this exercise online as a guide.

10. HIIT

HIIT refers to High-Intensity Interval Training is a sequence of exercises that should go hard and fast for at least 60 seconds. It may include jumping jacks, squats, and pushups.

At the beginning of training, the trainee may have a challenge coping. Still, going forward, research has shown that it works better than reasonable practices. You will also find helpful techniques online via YouTube.

On a final note

In conclusion, indoor workouts are essential for stay-at-home workers and can improve your chances of weight loss. Besides, it eliminates the excuse of not having popular training equipment such as dumbbells and kettlebells for training.

I hope you can utilize these opportunities to start or continue your weight loss journey and arrive at a favorable destination. All the best!

Before you assume you have read this article before, take time to review how this particular article can really help you develop healthy eating habits. Not only so, but it will guide you on maintaining the formed habits towards healthy nutrition and lifestyle.

I agree that several articles out there bombard you with tips to living a healthy eating habit. But maybe not all of them have really helped you, hence the need to demystify the whole thing and break it down into digestible bits and pieces.

The first step to take is to first identify those healthy habits that you need to have. Perhaps, there are even some habits you tried for a while and dropped after some time. We also must admit that old habits die hard, hence the need to be deliberate and desperate for a change.

So, the golden rule someone taught me early is that instead of breaking an old habit, replace it with a new one. This rule is applicable mainly for nutrition and overall well being. Below are some of the critical practices you should cultivate and maintain towards a healthier life.

Healthy Eating Habits to Develop and Maintain in 2021

1. Eat a half plate of all colors of fruits and vegetables

As someone puts this idea: eat the rainbow! It merely means add color to your food. At least half of each plate should contain different colors of fruits and vegetables, including dark green, brown, red, orange, and yellow.

Besides, you can also try out the practice of fruits as part of the meal’s main course or the dessert. The more you add colors to your food plate, the better your chances of getting the essential minerals with fibers, and vitamins, that your body needs.

2. Half of your total grains should be whole grains

The next tip is to ensure that half of the total grain you take in your diet are whole grains. For instance, always choose a piece of wheat bread over white bread made of flour. When you check the ingredients of any food item, search for the whole grain terms.

For instance, you can find terms related to oats, brown rice, bulgur, quinoa, wild rice, and buckwheat. These all refer to the target food items that are most profiting in the grain category. Your nutrition is one aspect of life you cannot leave to chance, but you must take responsibility.

3. Try out a variety of proteins

You might know proteins are suitable for the body, but how much of them do you really take? Medical science also recommends plant-sourced proteins above animal-sourced protein-containing foods.

For example, protein sources such as meat, poultry, eggs, and seafood are on one side. On the other side, we have nuts, seeds, peas, and dry beans. Moreover, dieticians recommend leaner cuts of ground beef, chicken, or turkey breast.

4. Try out zero or low-fat milk

Zero fat or low-fat milk are great because they contain fewer calories and, therefore, safer for your health. Most people fear that this type of milk may not include other essential nutrients that different milk types have.

But that is not true: regular milk and low-fat milk contains practically the same amount of calcium, magnesium, and other essential minerals. These are all crucial ingredients of nutrition towards a healthy lifestyle.

5. “No” to solid fats

If you like to live a healthy life, you should stay away from food containing solid fats. Examples include cookies, butter, margarine, shortening, pizza, and cakes. Solid fats may also be found in sausages, portions of bacon, ribs, ice cream, and hot dogs.

The major disadvantage of solid fats is the residue they leave in your body that fails to completely oxidize even after digestion. These residues may cause health complications in the future.

6. Reduce your sodium intake

As you grow older, you should reduce your amount of sodium intake. Therefore, when you get an item from the store, such as bread and frozen food, compare the sodium (or salt) contents.

Also, check out the nutritional facts about canned foods and ensure it shows “low sodium” or “no salt added.” In other words, the salt content contributes so well to your nutrition.

When making soup, ensure you limit salt input as it affects many body functions, including perspiration and respiration.

7. Explore more seafood

Seafood contains essential minerals and amino acids that the body needs, including omega-3 fatty acids. The latter is a heart-healthy fat that should be prominent in adult food.

On the other hand, children may not need much seafood as their bodies can still do with the existing nutrients. Some of the typical seafood you should try to include salmon, trout, shellfish, tuna, crab, oysters, and mussels.

8. Go natural with more water over sugar-containing drinks

Can drinking water harm you? So, instead of causing health issues with sugar-containing drinks such as soda and other related ones, stick to water. No doubt, water contains all the nutrients that the body needs irrespective of age.

When you take enough water, it cleans up the system and washes off all unwanted excesses locking within the system. A healthy eating lifestyle is not complete until you explore the benefit of clean potable water in the course.

The 3 R’s of Healthy Habits

As good as changing your eating habits are, the changes may not be radical and may take gradual steps. These are essential steps to securing your nutrition lifestyle.

For instance, a sudden change can cause a sharp weight loss and not be successful eventually. Therefore, explore the three Rs below:

1. Reflect

The first step is to reflect on all your existing eating habits to weigh the good or bad ones. Besides, it will also help you to notice unhealthy ones to discard.

2. Replace

The second step is to replace the odd or bad ones with new and good ones towards better health.

3. Reinforce

After creating new healthy habits, it is essential to continue with the same reinforcement. This reinforcement may also warrant a level of consistency and passion.

Conclusion

In summary, I cannot but admit that it takes a lot of discipline to learn a healthy life. But the cost of not doing so outweighs by far the price of cultivating a healthy eating diet. I sincerely hope you can take advantage of all these tips to keep your body free of illnesses and diseases.

Hence, it is very wise to think of ways to adjust one’s eating habits, identify the dark areas, and develop healthier alternatives. Achieving a healthier life may take time and effort, but it will be worth it in the long run.

Hey Angels and Alphas,

It’s 2021, but carbs are still one of the most talked-about and debated topics in the world of weight loss and sports nutrition.

In recent years, carb-restricted diets such as no-carb or no-sugar diets have become prevalent and shown to be effective for many people. That being said, they still have their drawbacks.

If you haven’t noticed, other approaches that play around with carb intakes (instead of removing it altogether,) such as carb cycling and Keto have gained tons of interest, particularly in the weight loss community.

And while it’s true they were initially developed for more advanced athletes who want to reach past peak performance, carb cycling has recently gotten more and more popular among novice trainees that want to shed a few dozen pounds. Let’s talk about that.

HOW DOES CARB CYCLING WORK FOR WEIGHT LOSS?

Carb cycling, in the most basic sense, means alternating the number of carbs you consume every day, week, and even month, essentially creating cycles of low-carb and high-carb intakes. This means eating a lower amount of carbs on some days (or another time frame) and eating higher amounts of carbs on others.

High-carb days usually correspond to those days in which trainees participate in high-intensity workouts, while low-carb days are reserved for rest days or days of minimal activity.

On the days in which you’re killing it at the gym or you’re trying to push past a personal record, carbs are your best friend. This is because carbs are the favorite energy source for the body when it needs energy in quick bursts. Your body burns through them quickly, as well as fat (although burning fat takes longer), so it can utilize them instead of protein.

But on the days in which you barely get off the couch, eating extra carbs basically encourages the body to store that unused glucose in your fat cells. By eating fewer or almost no carbs on a rest day, your body turns to utilizing fat cells for energy.

In the exciting world of sports nutrition, low-carbohydrate availability training sessions have been suggested to create positive adaptations at a cellular level for endurance athletes. That being said, there’s still more research that needs to be done so we can see if this translates into actual performance benefits.

SO… CARB CYCLING IS LIKE KETO?

Far from it! Keto is very low in carbs, high in fat, and moderate in protein, and the goal of Keto is to turn your body into using your fat stores for energy (also known as ketosis.)

Carb cycling, on the other hand, is usually higher in carbs than the mainstream Keto diet, and does not involve the same high fat intake (thus it doesn’t really aim for ketosis.)

That’s not to say the two eating styles don’t have their share of similarities. They both put the emphasis on managing your carb intake, and because of this, some people loosely combine the two regimens and go into a spiral of Keto cycling that gets them nowhere.

If you’ve ever heard of the Frankenstein monster that is keto cycling, it involves following the Keto protocol for most days of the week, and then have one or two days at the end of the week in which you’ll “refuel” on carbs. But those refueling days basically break your ketosis, and offer dieters the benefits of carbohydrates such as fueling them for high-intensity exercise, adding more variety to their diet, and helping them get much-needed fiber.

WHY DOES CARB CYCLING AID WEIGHT LOSS?

The reason carb cycling is so good for weight loss isn’t necessarily because of the carbs themselves. Think in terms of calories, not carbs.

To lose body fat, you have to burn more calories than you’re consuming – that’s obvious. But all of this just happens to be much easier on a diet that prioritizes managing carbs, in which you burn more fat and consume fewer carbs.

Another great reason carb cycling helps you lose weight is that you can lose up to 10 pounds of water weight if you just cut out carbs from your diet. This is because carbs hold onto water in the body. But don’t get it twisted – as soon as you reintroduce carbs into your diet, you’ll gain water weight back pretty quickly.

But probably the best reason why carb cycling is so good for weight loss is that on the days in which you’re being a couch potato or playing desk jockey, you’ll be consuming far fewer carbs and, therefore, calories.

You definitely don’t need to be hoarding all these extra calories if they’re not going to be used, and unlike fat and protein, your carb needs vary vastly from one day to the next.

And finally, when you make the decision to swap simple carbs for protein and veggies, overeating becomes very tricky… because most of us don’t really binge on broccoli and chicken. This has a massive impact on your waistline.

The bottom line?

If you want to lose weight, we all know having a negative calorie balance is an absolute must.

Carb cycling helps you achieve this – especially on the days where it counts. Carb cycling involves eating fewer carbs on your rest days and more carbs when your body actually needs them. And while it’s not really a data-driven advantage over other weight-loss methods, carb cycling can be amazing for you if you’re one of those people that likes to binge junk food on a day off.

Perhaps, no one is entirely free from anxiety, stress, and worry, only that the levels differ. For instance, people experience stress from time to time, telling on their body and brain. Hence the need to identify the pattern and take appropriate steps such as weight loss programs.

Moreover, anxiety is not necessarily bad in the short term because it can propel you to overcome challenges. Nevertheless, it can also help you think outside the box to get out of challenging and dangerous situations.

However, when you feel that these feelings affect your daily life, then it is time to pay more attention to them and deal with them once and for all. If worrying is becoming constant and anxiety is becoming severe, then you need help.

Some of the day-to-day challenges may include finding a job, facing an exam, public embarrassment, and social functions exclusion. These all contribute to our need for weight loss programs that can also enhance our health.

Common Causes of Anxiety and Stress

Can we identify some of the common causes of stress and anxiety?

1. Switching Jobs or School

When you just switch jobs or school, it may demand adjusting to some schedule, indicating physical stress. Besides, one will have to start learning to cope with the new colleagues at school or work.

2. Moving Residence

Any change to the place you live may require moving a few things here and there. This movement that comes with physical stress can also exert some mental focus to adapt to the new environment.

3. Sickness or injury

After suffering from a sickness or an injury, the body starts to recuperate to fully recover. But this process might become stressful, both physically and mentally. In some other cases, it may be a journey of physical recovery from an injury that poses some stress on the body and brain. However, it is essential to consider some weight loss or recovery programs as part of the health restoration.

4. Trauma like the Death of someone

When anyone suffers a trauma, a case of anxiety and stress can emerge. The brain also seeks a logical explanation for the occurrence. Conversely, the departure of the loved one can become a really prolonged matter. The stressed will just have to find a way to cope with such stress and allow time to heal the rest.

5. A sick friend, family or loved one

The stress of running around for a loved one who is sick can be daunting. It affects us physically in many ways, including loss of weight. While taking care of a loved one admitted to a hospital, it may demand some physical presence or running errands. An accruement of such physical action could mean stress to your body, including your brain.

6. Marriage

Funnily enough, marriage is another cause of stress in some people. The new world, as it were, is something new couples find overwhelming to cope with. Besides, marriage brings about certain adjustments from both parties while influencing almost all of your decisions. A wedding may be a totally new uncharted territory that requires you to develop some skills.

7. Having kids

Both the prospect of having a baby and the baby’s actual arrival is the reason for some people’s stress and anxiety. This case primarily arises for new couples who have their first and have to cope with their latest status. The preparation for the arrival of the child will demand making adjustments to their lives. And when the baby finally arrives, they will need to make room for its part from the mother’s recovery from weight gain or loss.

Signs and Symptoms of Anxiety and Stress

The signs and symptoms that may suggest stress and anxiety may include physical and psychological causes. Besides, these signs may differ from person to person, but more specific ones call for a need to journey for weight loss or gain (recovery).

Some of these physical signs and symptoms in the body include the following:

• Severe headache, especially on the forehead
• Faster heartbeat than normal
• Quick unnecessary breathing
• Sweating profusely after a little task
• Stomach ache after regular meals
• Muscle tension
• Uncontrollable shaking of hands and body
• Low sleep quality or inability to sleep altogether
• Fatigue
• Diarrhea
• Frequent urination
• Dizziness
• Loss of appetite

On the other hand, in addition to physical stress, one may feel the following emotional or mental stress-causing actions:

• Restlessness
• Absent-mindedness
• Loss of short term memory
• Irrational anger and tension
• Loss of focus or concentration
• Nervousness or panic
• A feeling of impending doom or disaster
• Fear of Death

Medical Solutions to Relieve Stress and Anxiety

Several solutions suggest many ways of combating and overcoming stress. But the real deal may be a medical or psychological perspective of relieving one of them once and for all. An option of relief may be to engage in weight loss or gain programs.

The medical explanation of some causes of anxiety and stress may include certain disorders for prolonged feelings. On the other hand, these medical prescribe a professional solution to these feelings. For instance,

1. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

CBT is an effective method for managing stress and anxiety over the years. It recognizes thoughts that could trigger these feelings and influences the decisions before the time of need.

2. Exposure Therapy and Systematic Desensitization

These two methods are applicable in the case of anxiety and fears in terms of psychological phobias. Also, it attempts to stimulate the patient’s triggers to the feelings and help them overcome such phobias. Besides, these can all compliment your physical recovery, such as weight loss?

3. Medications

When medical care providers identify and diagnose that a patient suffers from an anxiety disorder, he prescribes medications. The options may include Selective-Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs).

Apart from addressing the disorder strictly, the care provider may prescribe certain anti-anxiety medications (benzodiazepines). However, these solutions are only temporary and are not recommended for a long time due to side effects.

Another reason for reservation on continuous use of these drugs may also include the risk of addiction to the drugs. It is always better to consider other options such as weight loss/gain programs alongside the medical treatment, but only with the doctor’s approval.

Conclusion

On a final note, when dealing with stress and anxiety, it is essential to identify such feelings’ possible causes. Besides, victims should study specific symptoms that may also indicate a need for concern. A quick response may also be to enroll in any of the weight loss or gain programs.

However, in finding a solution, there are many simple ways to combat these problems in this article. In all, when any of the identified symptoms persist, it shows it is time to seek help from a medical professional.

Weight loss has its benefits and challenges, and you don’t have to wait a long time before knowing how you’re faring. Each weight loss program should have a way of tracking the progress of your efforts.

Also, you need more motivation as you journey on to lose more weight towards better health. Obviously, when you see the numbers drop on the scale, you get inspired to do more on your diet and exercise plan.

In other words, you can determine your fitness as you progress through several signs on your body. You should also closely follow the changes in your body even without a scale to measure body weight changes.

11 Positive Signs that can motivate you on Your Weight Loss Journey

Below are some of the positive signs you can watch out for:

1. You’re usually less hungry

One of the first few things to notice when your weight loss strategies are working is less hunger. Significantly, if your weight loss plan is through diet, it usually affects your appetite for some foods.

For instance, if you now take more proteins but lesser fat and carbs, you lose the desire for fat over time. Besides, you also get full on time because of amino acids’ action to trigger the brain accordingly.

2. Easy workouts feel tougher

As you lose more weight, primarily through work out, you get more used to previously more challenging exercises. In other words, your body quickly begins to adjust to the physical demands of your practice.

In another way, daily workouts can only be challenging at the beginning of the session. As you consistently proceed with different exercises, it gets better, and you gain more fitness.

3. Loosely fitted clothes

It is easy to first notice your weight loss through the looseness of your clothes. When you begin to see that your favorite jeans now fit differently, then it’s a positive sign that your weight loss is working.

As you continue to do what you plan to do, your cloth fitness will encourage you to do better. Not only does weight loss help people, but it also gives room to gain more fitness with clothes.

4. Improved sense of well-being

Ideally, when your weight loss plan begins to work out, it gives you a sort of emotional and psychological satisfaction. A 2013 study showed that people on the journey of weight-loss felt more vitality and self-control.

On the other hand, they had less anxiety and less depression than before the weight loss. Mind you, in some cases, it may take up to 6 months before the changes become apparent.

5. More muscle definition

Depending on the kind of work out you engage in and frequency, the muscle strength improves as you gain more fitness. Also, a weight loss plan for workouts can influence physical strength positively.

As both men and women remain consistent with their workouts, their muscles begin to take more shape and strength. In addition to resistance-type exercises, experts also recommend eating enough protein to augment the process.

6. Physical changes in body measurements

As expected, weight loss is also observable in your physical body measurements such as the waist size, hip, and chest. These improved outcomes also influence overall health more positively.

Medical experts confirmed that there is a link between the risk of cardiovascular disease and waist circumference. It implies that a looser waistband implies better health.

7. No more chronic pains

Weight loss also improves the relief from pain, especially in body areas used in bearing weights during workouts.

For instance, the lower back, shoulders, and lower legs have less pain with time.

In other words, physiologists use this strategy to ensure that people who enroll for a workout to improve fitness can feel less pain over time.

Other areas where chronic pains can reduce include knee pain due to arthritis and other similar body parts.

8. Fall in blood pressure

As you continue your weight loss plan through diet or workout, you begin to experience lesser blood pressure until it reaches normalcy.

Similarly, exercising the heart helps to remove the harmful effects of blood pressure and similar ailments.

No doubt, more movement with the right diet can help reduce your blood pressure and keep you healthier.

As you lose weight within the normal range, you reduce your heart’s strain, and the blood pressure becomes stable.

9. Going to the bathroom more (or less) than usual

As you change your diet, it may affect how often you go to the restroom through bowel movements.

For instance, if you take more vegetables and remove meat, you may experience more constipation.

On the other hand, more animal proteins subject you to more constipation. Diet becomes an integral part of the journey to weight loss.

And if you observe that your bowel movement has changed, perhaps it is in response to your weight loss program.

10. Better mood

Your eating habits changes can improve your mood over time, as different food items contain different substances. Some food contains stimulants, while others contain blood regulating substances.

On the other hand, sugar-containing foods can also affect mood and blood sugar. The research revealed that there is a relationship between mood and weight loss.

11. Better sleep with less snoring

While you were adding weight, you will more likely snore. But whenever your weight loss plans begin to work out, you will experience more quality sleep and less snoring.

Although snoring relates to weight loss is complicated, researchers still believe there is an indirect relationship. And results have shown that weight loss was an effective therapy for people who suffer from sleep apnea and snoring.

Side Effects of Weight Loss Diets and Exercises

Depending on the method of weight loss that you employ, some strategies may have some side effects. This observation is common to weight loss programs that involve the use of a specialized diet.

Therefore, if you observe a sudden loss of weight within a short period due to diet, you need to watch out for the following:

1. Hair loss over a short period
2. Body fatigue persistently
3. Gall stones as a kidney complication
4. A weaker immune system against common diseases and illnesses
5. Muscle cramps during work out exercises
6. Slower metabolism that may include incomplete digestion

 

Final words

On a final note, not all weight loss regimes are effective and healthy. However, when you see the healthy signs, you can be confident that the plan is working. On the other hand, if you feel any uncommon discomfort or side effect, kindly reach out to a medical practitioner immediately.

Wish you all the best!

Belly fat can cause anxiety for everyone who notices a bulge that doesn’t seem to melt down there despite all medications and prescribed directives to lose fat around the abdomen. Forget all that they tell you. No one can ever lose fat at a particular spot or area of the body alone. To efficiently reduce abdominal fat, you should work on weight loss over all the areas of your body.

The relevance of losing fat around the abdominal and waist region, which accounts for belly fat, cannot be overemphasized. People should be more concerned about losing fat around that region than fat loss around other regions of the body. This is because having a build-up of weight around the abdominal region increases the risk of dying from diabetes, stroke, cancer, and other related ailments. It has also been proven that fat around that region increases one’s mortality. So really, this should be a battle you should engage in to get that fat away.

Contrary to popular opinion, fat loss around the belly cannot just be achieved by every workout acclaimed to be trusted. Yes, they might tone those abs and strengthen your oblique muscles, but sadly, they won’t kick that belly fat away. So to get rid of those fat, well, you need to put in some cardio exercises to strengthen your heart rate and a bit of dieting. Not to worry about the exercises you should include. I highlighted some important ones below.

1. Walk, Jog, Run!

Hey, I know how surprised you might be to find this popping up as the first exercise to weight loss in the belly region and the whole body but trust me, it is an easy, common, and proven remedy.

Walking and running a distance has proven to be a very effective step to weight loss. If you are consistent and intense about following this up, you will surely notice changes after about seven days.

If you walk or run for more than 15 minutes, your body must have used up its glycogen reserve to produce the needed energy, so the next energy source becomes the adipose reserves in various areas of your body, including that around the stomach and waist.

Scheduling to walk for more than 30 minutes consistently would work magic, and more effects would be noticed if you take this further by running or jogging a good distance daily. If you keep to this trick along with other helpful exercises I’ll mention, you’ll see changes in less than three weeks, I assure you.

2. Crunches

Regardless of the type of crunches employed, the crunch exercise and its variations work wonders for abdominal fat loss.

Guess what? It is relatively easy to carry out, as well.

To carry out a type of crunches called the reverse crunches, all you need to do is lay down flat on a mat with your arms beside you. Then, raise your feet and thighs till they’re upright. You’ll need to bend your knees at an angle pointing towards your face as far as you can comfortably go without lifting your back off the ground. However, your buttocks and hips need to be elevated slightly to support the position you’re in.

Ta-da! Easy to do.

You need to repeat this exercise consistently to see marvelous results.

3. Planks

Doing the plank exercise is effective for general fat loss, as much as it tones your oblique muscles. To carry out the plank exercise, you’ll need to lay on your elbows and hands with your body parallel to the ground but not touching the ground. Straighten your feet and lift your entire body to be slightly elevated, without changing your resting position. Hold on for a minute, and go another round.

Working the plank exercise for 5 minutes is fine. But if you can work for more minutes, the better. Yes, the more, the merrier applies here to get rid of the not so cute fat.

4. Burpees

If there is an exercise that reflects on every single muscle of your body, it is the burpee exercise. It is a fierce exercise that hastens metabolism and sends heat to every area of your body, triggering weight loss. Burpee is an exercise that involves jumping and squatting. It is called the four-step exercise. It is one of the best ways to lose belly fat faster.

The steps to follow to complete burpee include:

• Stand straight with your feet a shoulder-width apart.
• Bend your knees to squat, place your hands on the floor, and jump, kicking your legs backward to be in a plank position.
• Reverse the motion, this time, beginning from the plank position.

You can feel the heat travel up your body already. For quick results, repeat consistently.

5. Russian Twists

This exercise enhances your oblique abdominal muscles the most as you rotate your body from side to side as you sit up with your feet up.

To do the Russian Twist, you should sit up straight, leaning on a tall spine to support your slightly bent body as you rotate. Hold a ball some centimeters away from your chest, then turn your body to the left, squeezing your abdominal muscles and ribs as you do so. Repeat the same motion to the other side with your feet still elevated.

Russian twists visibly affect your abs as you carry out the exercise. It helps a great deal in weight loss.

6. High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)

If you have ever engaged in cardio workouts for weight loss, chances are you have heard the HIIT exercise been mentioned a good number of times. As the name implies, HIIT consists of short and intense anaerobic bouts of exercises done at alternated periods. It combines many exercises like push-ups, pull-downs, heel touches, jackknife, squats, etc., to enhance metabolism quickly, losing fat in the process.

These workouts are intense with resting periods, which are longer and alternated with the training. The exercise can take about 15 minutes for a session or more for the pronounced difference in a shorter period.

If done religiously, this training could be your ticket out of the belly fat team. So yes, HIIT should be followed intensely to lose fat in every area of your body as well.

Remember, exercising hard may not be effective if you do not change other habits that may contribute largely to your weight gain. To balance your efforts, you should get rid of these habits to see the effects.

Till I come your way next time, remain fit!

Keeping your body fit, weight loss, and muscle building are all great, but a fit body with an unhealthy mind is totally useless. This doesn’t mean you have to become Einstein or Leonardo Da Vinci; it just means that you need to have a mind that is alert enough to understand basic concepts, make the right decisions and keep good communication.

Due to the ever-changing world that has made it possible for people to become more anti-social as they work from home, as well as other factors like the global pandemic, which has kept people farther away from each other than ever before, most people do not engage in exercise (both physical exercise like fat loss programs and mental exercises like reading) to help their body and mind grow.

In this article, we will consider some of the most important forms of exercise that can help keep your mind active at all times, but first, let us study what the brain is and why brain health is important.

What is Brain Health, and why is it important?

The brain is a complex organ of the human body that is located in the head. It is very complex and controls intricate patterns, behavior, body movement, and human intelligence. Without a brain, the human body cannot function.

Brain health is the ability of the human brain to perform all these functions without problems. Since the brain is such an important organ that nobody can live without, brain health is, therefore, more important than weight loss, muscle health, etc.

Focusing on your brain health will reduce the chances of getting a degenerative brain disease like Alzheimer’s. It also helps you get the best out of your brain so that you are the sharpest you can be at every time.

Now that we understand some of the reasons why brain health is important let’s proceed to study some exercises that can help boost brain power and keep you active.

1. Cardio

Running, Jogging, cycling, and other exercises that help the heart pump blood faster are good for brain health too. This is because they ensure blood supply to the blood and reduce the chance of stroke and other diseases.

For a long time, cardio exercises have been known for their ability to help people in fat loss programs achieve their goals, but it’s bigger than that. Cardio exercises not only help the heart but also the brain stay sharp and active. They are a big boost to the brain when done early and consistently, and they help produce endorphins, feel-good chemicals in the brain that help improve your feeling of positivity and allow you to go about your day with energy and vigor.

2. Reading

Reading might not seem like an exercise because it doesn’t contain high intensity, weight loss regimens that make you break a sweat. However, reading is a very powerful brain exercise that can help improve your brain connectivity and brainpower. Reading also improves your brain memory capacity so that you remember stuff better than you used to.

If you want your mind to stay active, sharp, and remember a lot of important stuff, then you should seriously consider dusting that book on your shelf and opening it today.

3. Sleeping

It sounds funny to say that you want to stay active by going to bed, but sleeping actually helps keep your mind active. If you have stayed awake all night before, you understand this concept. Not resting your brain properly will make you moody and irritable, and you will forget a lot of stuff easily. It also impairs your decision-making function, so that you make horrible decisions throughout the day.

Ensure to sleep for a good number of hours every day in the right condition – low light, no noise, comfortable bed, etc.

Sometimes, the best way to make your brain active is to let it rest.

4. Meditation

Just like reading, meditation is not an exercise that will help you with weight loss or muscle growth, but it will help your mind become more focused and alert. When you meditate, you train your mind to focus on a particular thing at a point in time, and that is excellent training for the mind. It also helps you improve your mental power this way.

Meditation also comes with a calming of the mind, something required for you to make good decisions when you have to.

5. Solving puzzles and playing board games

Puzzles and board games require focus and loads of patience to play them right, and this process will help train your brain that way. If you doubt the importance of board games and puzzles, remember that there is a reason why some of the best chess players in the world have incredibly high IQs. Now, you don’t have to become Einstein, but you can become smarter, more alert, and more focused when you solve more puzzles and play more board games.

Conclusion

The brain is more important than we think it is. If your physical body is fit and your brain is inactive, you won’t be able to move your body. Now, that’s extreme, but there are lots of people who don’t get just how important it is for you to at least make your brain more alert than it currently is. If you want your brain to be more active, work it!

One extra tip will be to eat the right foods, as foods impact not only your muscle growth or weight but also your brain. Too much sugar is not a good option if you are trying to fire your brain up. Ensure you take the right fuel that will help make your brain active throughout the day.

Finally, remember to sleep a lot. Sleep does wonders on our brain as it does on our body (it really helps with weight loss and muscle growth). Sleep will help you stay refreshed to make the right decisions when the time comes.