Saturday, May 7, 2011

Is The Biggest Loser's Diet Right for You?

Entering the 10th season, The Biggest Loser reality TV show is gaining its popularity to the higest. There are all kinds of fitness programs, workout DVDs, boot camps, diet plans, cook books, spin-offs from the Biggest Loser show.

Here is a review of The Biggest Loser's Diet by Dr. Zehman from WebMD and see for yourself if it's right for you.

***

By Kathleen M. Zelman, MPH, RD, LD
This is a low-calorie diet based on TheBiggest Loser pyramid of 4-3-2-1 (four servings of fruits and veggies; three of lean protein; two of whole grains; and one "extra"), along with good old-fashioned exercise. Eat a diet based largely on fruits, vegetables and lean protein, add a heavy dose of physical activity and you will lose weight, lower cholesterol, decrease blood pressure, and become stronger and more energized.

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Tufts University obesity clinician and researcher Michael Dansinger, MD, developed the weight loss program accompanied by dietitian and chef Cheryl Forberg, RD, and trainers Bob Harper and Jillian Michaels, working with writer Maggie Greenwood-Robinson, PhD.

Over the course of the 12-week program, you can expect to eat small, frequent meals containing plenty of fiber and protein, for fullness without too many calories.

"We emphasize the quality of the calories so you can meet your nutritional needs [and] enjoy more natural, healthy whole foods and lean proteins that will help you deal with hunger before it happens," says Forberg.
And you won't be eating any "appetite stimulating" white foods like bread, pasta, or potatoes. Keeping daily food logs, watching portion sizes, and drinking 48-64 ounces of water each day round out the basic plan.

You can also count on daily workouts, starting at 30 minutes and increasing to an hour. The book contains a detailed cardio and strength-training program that increases in intensity for a "fat-busting boost." You'll also find plenty of tips and inspiration from former contestants throughout the book.

Sounds simple enough, but when you don't have a personal trainer pushing you, as the TV contestants have, how do you stay motivated? You can join The Biggest Loser club for online support, meal plans, recipes, customized fitness information, a journal, and more for about $5 per week. Biggest Loser cookbooks and fitness books are also available for purchase.

Friday, May 6, 2011

[Ask the Weight Loss Coach] How can I tone up my flabby, jiggly arms?

This question comes from a middle-aged woman and it's a very common troublespot for most women. They usually refer to it as the infamous "underarm jiggle" or "bat wings" where excess fat covers their triceps - the muscles on the back of their arms.

Well, first thing first. If you're at least 10 pounds over your target weight, your first priority is to reduce overall body fat by creating caloric deficit. Nutrition is the foundation in losing weight and building muscles. A fit body and toned arms involve an integrated combination of healthy lifestyle habits, mindful nutrition plan, consistent strength training, regular cardio exercise, and unstoppable quest to improve yourself.

As with any other body part, you can't spot-reduce your jiggly arms. But you can target-train your arms by strength training and building tricep muscles. It would also help metabolize the fat cells locally. There are many strength training protocols and workout routines you can follow.

For starters, compound or multi-joint exercises involve more than one joint in the movement. For example, triceps press such as  dumbbell press (flat bench, close grip) exercise works on your triceps and also front side of your shoulder and chest muscles. You can lift and press more weight with compound exercise. By the way, pushups work your triceps too. Just keep your elbows close to your body.

Isolation or single-joint exercises involve only one joint in the movment. For example, triceps extension such as dumbbell tricep kickback works only on your triceps. Compared to related compound exercise for triceps, you can lift much lower weight with isolation exercise.

A good approach to strength training for your toned arms would be a combination of both compound exercise and isolation exercise. You should also change up your workout routines by varying exercises types, exercise sequence, number of sets and repetitions.

Remember, small changes can make a big difference. One step at a time.

* Always consult with a health care professional before beginning a new exercise program.

Carey Yang is certified personal trainer and fitness boot camp instructor based in Morris County, New Jersey.

Sunday, May 1, 2011

Learn from The Dedicated and Committed Losing Weight Successfully

If you're trying to lose weight or stick to a consistent exercise program, what you may notice is how many things stand in the way of your goals.


How are you supposed to exercise when you have to meet with a client, run the kids to the dentist, cut the grass, watch your favorite TV show and take out the trash?

What you may not realize is that fitting in exercise is a matter of how you think and not what’s on your schedule. Thinking like an exerciser can increase your odds of success and put you in the right frame of mind for making the choice to exercise.

1. Look for opportunities, not excuses. While a non-exerciser may look at situations like traveling or working late as reasons to skip their workouts, exercisers actually seek out ways to exercise, even if it seems impossible.

Imagine a non-exerciser and an exerciser on a business trip:

The Non-Exerciser packs his workout clothes, thinking, "Maybe if I get a break, I’ll squeeze in a workout." Translation: "I’m bringing my workout clothes so I’ll feel good about myself, but I’ll never actually wear them."

The Exerciser packs his workout clothes, thinking, "I have meetings all day, so I’ll get up extra early and get in a short workout beforehand." There’s no ‘maybe’ about it, even if it means working out at a time that isn’t comfortable.

What the exerciser knows is that they have to commit to their workouts, even if their schedule works against them. They're willing to make the effort, even if it means a workout session that isn’t ideal.

How to Think Like an Exerciser:

Act as if exercise is a priority. Is exercise an afterthought? Something you only do when everything goes as planned? If so, practice putting it at the top of your to-do list. How would you plan your day if you knew you had to work everything else around your workouts? Just changing how you think about exercise can change whether you actually do it.

Act as if everything counts. New or non-exercisers often think they have to do a certain type of workout (e.g., lung-busting workouts that last for three hours) for it to ‘count.’ Exercisers count everything, whether it’s a few jumping jacks or pushups in a hotel room or taking a brisk walk during a lunch break.

Plan ahead. Rather than waiting for the perfect time to exercise, work with the schedule you already have. Even if you can only find 10 minutes, you’ll burn calories and improve your health much more than if you didn’t move at all.

2. View exercise as a necessity rather than an indulgence. Another difference between how exercisers and non-exercisers think is how they perceive exercise. A non-exerciser may see it as a chore, something that takes away from the rest of her day. An exerciser, on the other hand, looks at her workouts as a necessity – something that she needs to make her day better.

Imagine an exerciser and a non-exerciser facing an unexpected visit from a mother-in-law:

The Non-Exerciser panics and thinks, "There’s no way I can exercise if she’s coming. How will I have the time to iron the sheets, drink a bottle of wine and scrub the floors with a toothbrush?"

The Exerciser panics and thinks, "I will never get my guilt-deflectors working if I don’t exercise. I better squeeze in a quick run and, if the house isn’t clean enough, I’ll just start a small fire to distract her."

How to Think Like an Exerciser:

Think of exercise as your energy source. Believe it or not, taking time out to exercise can actually give you more energy and focus for your day.

Take advantage of your workout time. When you have a busy day or an unexpected visitor, your workout time may be the only quiet time you get. Taking a walk or run will give your mind, and stress levels, a break and you’ll be better prepared for what’s to come.

Learn how to motivate yourself. Exercisers find motivation rather than waiting for it to happen. If you've got a lot to do, use that as an impetus to get moving. The stronger you are and the more endurance you have, the more you can get done.

3. Find ways to move all day long. Non-exercisers and exercisers alike tend to spend a lot of time sitting each day, but many exercisers find ways to be active above and beyond their regular exercise routines. Whether it's taking more walks, parking at the end of the parking lot or taking the stairs at work, exercisers know that any movement can generate more energy and momentum.

Imagine an exerciser and a non-exerciser facing a flight delay:

The Non-Exerciser stays at the gate, thinking, "I better save my strength to fight the other passengers for overhead bin space. I already have my eye on that woman and her giant suitcase."
The Exerciser grabs her bag and starts walking, thinking, "I'm going to be on that plane for at least two hours and probably squished in the middle seat between two linebackers. Better get a walk in while I can."
How to Think Like an Exerciser:

Stand up. Sitting can actually shut down your metabolism. Stand up whenever you can – while on the phone, watching TV, opening your mail or taking a break from work.

Invent reasons to move. Leave something in your car and take the stairs to get it. Make a rule that you have to walk around the parking lot at work three times before you can go in. Sit on an exercise ball when you're at the computer or watching TV. Eventually, these movements become habits and, before you know it, you're moving more than you're sitting.

4. Look at Exercise as a tool for getting what you want. Exercisers know that working out isn't just for weight loss, but a tool they can use to find balance, more time for the things they enjoy and a way to keep up with life with fewer injuries, illnesses and other things that keep them from functioning at their best.

Imagine an exerciser and a non-exerciser with a tight, aching back after a long day at work:

The Non-Exerciser is exhausted and decides to skip her planned workout, thinking, "My back hurts, so I probably shouldn't exercise. I'll just go home and put my feet up, which will allow my husband to attend to my needs more easily."

The Exerciser is exhausted, but decides to go through with his workout, thinking, "My back hurts from sitting for too many hours and my butt is starting to look a lot like my office chair. A workout will loosen things up and keep me from completely falling apart."

How to Think Like an Exerciser

View exercise as a timesaver. While you may see exercise as something that takes away from your time, it can actually save you time in the long run. A little exercise every day can help manage aches and pain, fatigue and offer protection from more serious illnesses like diabetes and cancer. If your schedule is overloaded, wouldn't you rather spend a little time each day exercising rather than hours in a doctor's waiting room, a hospital or in line for a prescription you might be able to avoid?

View exercise as a sanity-saver. Exercise is one of the few activities you can do that can increase your confidence, boost your mood and make you feel good about yourself all at the same time. It can also help manage symptoms of depression and anxiety. If you have trouble getting started, think about how you'll feel at the end of your workout.

View exercise as a body-saver. If you have an aching back or tight shoulder muscles, you may mistakenly think you need more rest, when what your body craves is movement. In fact, exercise is a great way to manage and prevent back pain along with the other aches and pains that happen when we sit for hours at a time.

Shifting your thinking from a non-exerciser's point of view to an exerciser's point of view isn't easy. That's where Personal Best can help. Not only do we teach you what exercises are best for your lifestyle, we help you look at your daily tasks and choices with a different attitude and an eye toward your overall goals in life -- feeling good, having more energy and getting satisfaction out of your accomplishments.

Fitting in exercise isn't just a function of weight loss, but a way to improve your overall quality of life. Changing how you think may be your first step in changing how to live for the better.  Don't forget, think like an exerciser!

You've Been Lied about Those Weight Loss Gimmicks and What to Do about It

Do you believe it's simple to lose weight? If you listen to the weight loss industry, you've been told over and over how easy it is--just take this pill, follow that diet or buy this piece of equipment and everything will melt away in a flash.

In fact, we spend over billions each year on weight loss products and services and yet we're still overweight. In light of this, is weight loss really that simple?

Complex Problems, Simple Solutions

The idea behind weight loss is simple--burn more calories than you eat. This can be accomplished by replacing a couple of sodas with water and adding 20 minutes of walking each day. Sounds simple. If it's that simple, why can't we seem to do it?

There are a number of factors that contribute to our weight gain that you already know. But it's not just about finding time to exercise or choosing the salad over the burger--it's about genuine commitment to make healthy decisions every day....REGARDLESS of what's happening in your life.

If you're not ready to make some changes, losing weight will be hard. Below are 10 things you'll need to look at in order to get yourself on a healthy track.

1. Your Attitude. If you're only on a health kick to lose weight or look a certain way, it will be hard to lose weight permanently. Why? Because, what happens if you don't see results quickly enough? You give up.

Weight loss is a great goal, but unless you have something else to motivate you, what's to keep you going if the scale doesn't budge? It takes time to lose weight--how will you motivate yourself in the meantime?

Find more reasons to be healthy--having more energy, dealing with health problems or wanting to live longer to be around for your kids. Those are some darned good reasons, if you ask me.

2. Your Workouts. If you don't workout consistently enough, it's hard to lose weight. Yes, it's possible to lose weight through diet alone, but you'll likely hit a plateau. You don't need to spend hours in the gym, you only need to set up a reasonable workout schedule that you can follow each week.

It's not about killing yourself with workouts--it's about finding something you like and that you'll continue with for the rest of your life. You have to be willing to be more active on a regular basis--not just for a week here and there. Let Personal Best show you just how fun and effective your workouts can be.

3. Your Eating. Changing the way you eat is another thing you're going to have to do for long-lasting weight loss. You need to be willing to replace unhealthy foods with healthier choices--every single day. This might mean:

Keeping a food journal

Spending more time in the grocery store reading food labels

Spending more time preparing meals

Saying no to extra portions

Making conscious choices about what you put in your mouth.

For permanent weight loss, you need to pay attention to what you eat and make good choices more often than not. Maybe a structured diet eventually ends, but healthy eating never stops...there will never be a time when you're done eating healthy.

Are you ready to make these changes? Are you ready to stop giving your body the most convenient thing available (and often the most fatty) and, instead, spend time planning what and when you'll eat? Because that's what it takes to get healthy...permanently. Let Personal Best help you start off your healthy eating habits using practical 'tricks of the trade' and great tasting, high quality nutritional supplements.

4. Your Lifestyle. If you want a healthy life, you have to be willing to change how you live. It doesn't mean changing everything overnight, but simply being open to new ways of doing things. Some things you might need to change for a healthy life are:

Daily Routines. You may need to get up earlier to prepare your lunch or squeeze in a workout, use your lunch hour for exercise or go for a walk after work instead of watching TV. Are you willing to do this?

Limits. You might need to set new rules for yourself limiting how much TV you watch or how long you sit at the computer. You'll need to pay attention to how you spend your time and where you're out of balance so you can add more movement.

Your Pantry. I'm the kind of person who will eat an entire bag of Doritoes if they're in the house. That means I don't keep them in the house and if someone brings them home, they must immediately re-locate them elsewhere. If you want to be healthy, you may need to get rid of those foods you just can't resist.

Your Schedule. If you're not willing to sit down and change the way you live each day to include exercise, time to prepare meals and time to nurture yourself with sleep, it's hard to lose weight. People use busy schedules as an 'all out' excuse not to be healthy...are you one of them? If you're not ready to take responsibility for the schedule you've created, it will be hard to lose weight.

5. Your Surroundings. Sometimes, you can't control the things around you. At work, you may be surrounded by temptations--donuts, vending machines and the like. That's just one thing you have to deal with...but what about your home?

Surround yourself with things that will support you in your efforts to get healthy. That might mean spending some money on home workout equipment, setting up a corner of the house for your gear or commandeering the TV a few nights a week to do an exercise video. Set up an environment that encourages those healthy choices and reminds you of them--just walking into a kitchen and seeing that bowl of fresh fruit is often enough to remind us of all the healthy choices we need to make that day.

6. Your Support System. While getting healthy may be something you're doing on your own, it's a big help to have a support system. At the very least, family members who understand what you're doing and are either willing to participate or help.

If you have a spouse who wants to continue eating the kinds of foods that tempt you, you need a plan to deal with that so you can still reach your goals and keep your relationship together. Try to surround yourself with people who support what you're doing and avoid those people (like that co-worker who always offers you a donut even though you refuse on a daily basis) who don't. A workout buddy is also an excellent idea for support.

7. Your Spiritual and Mental Health. If you have other reasons for being overweight--past hurts that you've used food to deal with, depression or other problems, it's hard to lose weight. For many of us, food is a comfort and something we've relied on all of our lives to help us deal with emotional problems. If that's the case for you, pinpointing those behaviors and what drives them is important for becoming aware of what you're doing and why.

8. Your Goals. If you've set impossible goals, you are guaranteed to fail. Weight loss becomes hard to achieve if you feel like a constant failure...who wants to feel like that?

If that's how your weight loss experience is, it's no wonder you keep quitting. The key is to set reasonable goals. So what is reasonable? That's going to be different for each person depending on your genetics, eating habits, exercise, and metabolism to name a few.

You're better off setting a long-term goal (whether it's to lose weight or compete in a race) and then focusing your attention on daily or weekly goals. Your weekly goal might be to get in 3 cardio workouts, minimum. Pick things you KNOW you'll achieve so you're always successful. It can be as small as you like, as long as it's reachable.

9. Your Flexibility. You hear a lot about lifestyle changes, but it's daily choices that really test you. What happens if you have to work late and you can't get to the gym? Or what if you get stuck in traffic and miss your fitness class?

Any number of things can happen in a day that may throw you off track. The trick is to be flexible. It helps if you're always prepared--keep some workout shoes in the car so you can stop off at the park for a quick walk. Keep some food handy so if you get stuck in traffic, you get a snack in before your workout.

Often people skip workouts because something comes up and they simply aren't ready for it or they aren't willing to give themselves other options--can't do 45 minutes? Why not just do 10? Something is always better than nothing.

10. Your Willingness to Fail. You will not be perfect every day. On the good days, you'll eat all your fruits and veggies, say no to that pizza and do your workout even though you're tired. On the bad days, you'll wake up late, forget to bring your lunch, have an extra piece of cake at your friend's birthday party and skip your workout.

The bad days will happen if you're a human being. The trick is to never give up, even when you mess up. You're not a loser just because you make some mistakes...you're simply a person trying his or her best to make good decisions.

Celebrity Personal Trainer Carey Yang Exposes 9 Simple Calorie-Blasting, Fat-Burning Strategies to Get Your Body Beach-Ready

Morris County celebrity personal trainer, leading nutrition and fitness expert Carey Yang reveals nine simple quick-fixes to burn extra 500 calories a day and help you slim down and shape up your beach-ready body.

DENVILLE, NJ – May 1, 2011 – Small changes in your daily activites, diet and workout can make a big difference in your metabolism to blast calories and burn fat. With summer season just around the corner, it’s still not too late to clean up your diet, ditch your bad nutrition habits, kick up your workout plan, slim down, and shape up to your beach-ready body.

Here are nine smart ways to help you burn extra 500 calories offered by Morris County celebrity personal trainer and fitness expert Carey Yang. Follow these calorie-blasting, fat-burning strategies to help you burn fat, lose weight and get the beach-ready body you want just in time for summer.

Yang is the president and master trainer at Beyond Fitness Solutions, LLC -- a leading in-home fitness training and weight-loss management company based in Denville, Morris County in New Jersey.

1. Breakfast
Swap your bagel for an English muffin to slash 220 calories, a glass of whole milk for skim to save 70 calories, and a three-egg omelet for one egg and two egg whites, or pork sausage for turkey sausage to cut about 125 calories each.

2. Lunch
Try wearing a pedometer to measure out 10,000 steps a day or about 5 miles. You’ll automatically burn 500 calories without even hitting the gym.

3. Dinner
Rather than depriving yourself of food to drop pounds, simply use smaller plates. If you shrink the size of your dishes by a quarter, such as going from a 12-inch plate to a 9-inch plate, you’ll cut 500 calories without feeling deprived.

4. Dessert
Save up to 400 calories by making grilled fruit kebabs. Slice one peach and one small banana into quarters, thread four pieces fruit each onto two skewers, and brush with one tbsp honey each. Grill each side for about 4 minutes or until flesh is tender but still firm. Sprinkle on cinnamon. Or, if you want to have your cake, cut a thin slice of pound cake, layer on berries and top with light whipped cream for a decadent-tasting dessert for less than 150 calories.

5. Dining Out
Before you head to a chain restaurant, check out the nutrition information on its web site. You’ll be able to make smarter meal choices. Instead of having Chili’s Steak and Portobello Fajitas for 1130 calories, you can choose Chili’s Classic Chicken Fajitas for just 360 calories. That’s a savings of almost 800!

6. At Work
You can burn up to an extra 500 calories a day without doing a lot of activity simply by standing rather than sitting. It can make the difference between burning 120 calories an hour versus 60 calories. If you can’t get away from your desk, try standing to make a phone call or read a report. Even shutting your office door to squeeze in 5 minutes of pushups or jumping jacks can burn another 50 calories.

7. Watching TV
Do some exercise during commercial break such as jumping rope or jogging in place. It burns about 10 calories a minute. If you watch an hour of TV a night and add cardio moves during the 10 commercial breaks that typically air, you could blast up to 300 extra calories without missing your favorite shows.

8. On Weekends
It's good to sleep in on weekends. Studies show people who get less than 6 hours of sleep eat up to 300 calories more during the day because a lack of sleep triggers the production of the hunger hormone, grehlin. Each extra hour of sleep could save you 100 calories. So don’t set your alarm on Saturday, and if you snooze, you lose.

9. During Workout
You can burn up to an additional 250 calories in a half-hour, or 500 in an hour, by incorporating intervals versus exercising at the same pace whether you’re swimming laps, running, riding a stationary bike, or using the treadmill, you can increase the calorie burn by picking up the pace to the point where you are so out of breath that you can’t even talk for 30 seconds, then slow down for one and half minutes to recover.

“These are the nine most common occasions that people can find ways to burn more calories or cut unwanted excess calories,” Yang said. “We all have our weak points. We just have to know or even expect the trigger points and overcome them. Use them to help you slim down and shape up for the summer and all year round.”


About C. Carey Yang and Beyond Fitness Solutions, LLC

C. Carey Yang, Your Dream Body WorkoutXpertTM, is a certified personal trainer and fitness boot camp instructor based in Denville, New Jersey. He provides in-home personal fitness training, backyard boot camp, wellness and lifestyle coaching, and fitness and weight-management seminar. He specializes in helping busy, working professionals who want safe, effective workouts with maximum results in minimum time. Yang is the creator of the 6-Step Dream Body BlueprintTM Body Transformation System.

To learn more about lifestyle and wellness coaching, personal fitness training and nutritional counseling and to sign up for a free monthly e-zine, receive free fitness and fat loss e-books, and schedule a complimentary consultation, visit http://www.beyondfitnesssolutions.com/.

He is also available for media interviews, providing a list of tips and articles, and presenting wellness and fitness seminar. Call 973-303-2424 or email Carey at BeyondFitnessSolutions.com.

# # #

Contact Information:
C. Carey Yang
Phone: 973-303-2424
Email: Carey at BeyondFitnessSolutions.com
Web: http://www.beyondfitnesssolutions.com/

Source Link:
http://www.prlog.org/11466738-morris-county-celebrity-personal-trainer-carey-yang-exposes-strategies-to-get-your-body-beach-ready.html

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