Posts Tagged ‘Workout’

Some strategies to get you on your way to ideal weight…

Lifestyle plays an important role in maintaining an ideal weight. Instead of burning away inches with a single pill, concentrate on these few strategies to have an ideal weight.

Record everything that you are eating
Keeping a record of what you are eating helps in managing your weight. It actually tells you how much you are eating. It can tell you what unhealthy diet you are having in your day to day life. It can motivate you to achieve your goals. Few steps in this are:
- Decide how detailed you want your food journal to be.
- Record everything. Do not even miss the sauces, gravies and even a small thing that you eat.
- Service sizes should be specific while noting them in the food journal.
- Include the time interval and food groups.
- Maintain the food journal for two weeks to get a consistent record.
- Maintain a record of physical activity.
- Every food has a calorie and nutrition content. Keep a knowledge of that.

Be more active
- More calories should be burn than consuming.
- At least 60 minutes of workout daily is necessary to keep yourself active. Workout can be a walk or any other physical activity.
- Exercise will keep the weight off.
- Exercise will also take a large amount of weight off the abdomen.
- Besides walking, some other ways to be active are swimming, dancing or biking.

Goals set should be reasonable
The key to successful weight control is to set goals that are specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and track-able. Setting an unrealistic goal will lead to your disappointment. The focus should be on making performance goals rather than outcome goals.

Triggers should be identified
There are always some factors that are responsible for making you overweight. These factors should be identified and accordingly changes should be made.
- You should be honest with what you are eating.
- Sometimes, eating is related to the mood of the person. Identify the cause of eating by:
1. You tend to eat more sweet when you are depressed over something.
2. Is there any kind of pressure which is making you eat more?
3. Is the environment trigger over eating?
Try to do:
- Are you really physically hungry?
- Say no to extra calories.
- Distract yourself from your desire to eat.
- Direct negative energy into a positive energy.

Watch out for foods that you eat
- Reduce the caloric consumption which means choosing the foods wisely.
- Reduce food high in sugar or fat.
- Say no to junk food.
- Favor fruits, vegetables and whole grain products.
- Select foods that are low in energy density.

| More

If you found this post informative, why not sign up to receive new posts ?
It's simple, and free, and you can even opt to receive by email:
Subscribe in a reader
Subscribe to Good Health Tips by Email

Swimming : A cardiovascular Workout, and what are its benefits

Swimming, a low aerobic exercise is a very good form of exercise and is suitable for every age group. Swimming is considered to be a healthy and relaxing activity. It helps in toning up your muscles. It simultaneously helps to improve cardiovascular system, muscular strength, flexibility, posture and endurance. The cardiovascular system in particular benefits because swimming improves your body’s use of oxygen without overworking your heart. While swimming, you continuously moving your arms and legs thus upper and lower body strength is improve. About 30 to 60 minutes of exercise at least three days per week is needed.

Health Benefits of Swimming

- It helps to maintain the blood pressure and cholesterol of the body.
- Risk of heart disease, stroke and diabetes is decreased.
- Flexibility of the body is increased.
- Swimming after breast surgery is an excellent means of exercising all the major muscle groups.
- Swimming is good for asthma patients.
- Swimming can help pregnant women strengthen their abdominal and shoulder muscles because they are most affected while carrying a baby.
- Being a full body workout, it is an excellent calorie burner and hence good for people craving for weight loss.
- Normalize breathing, cooling mind and stimulating circulation.
- It increases hunger.
- It strengthens ab and back muscles.
- A stronger heart and enhanced physique or figure.
- It improves the capacity and endurance.
- Walking and jogging in water have similar benefits to walking and jogging on land but with lesser injuries.
- Lap swimming can be done using different strokes and is an option for fitness exercise.
- Slow movements are done and held for a period of time after warm up and after each workout.

Bacteria, germs and other disease-causing microorganisms found in ocean water, lakes and chlorinated pools so take precautions while swimming.