Stages of Change in Weight Loss

Stages of Change in Weight Loss

Harry Mills, Ph.D.

Sustained weight loss is difficult to achieve. It requires discipline, perserverence and a willingness to make lifestyle changes. Such changes do not occur overnight. Rather, most people pass through a series of predictable stages of motivation and action en route to weight loss.

Challenge

Successful programs for weight loss usually start with a challenge. Perhaps you try on a favorite skirt or pair of pants and find that you can no longer fit into them comfortably. Perhaps your high school reunion is in a few months and you compare yourself today with the pictures from your yearbook. These or similar events get you thinking about weight loss and challenge you to make it happen. A challenge can be the first step in your successful journey, but only when you chose to take that challenge seriously.

Awareness

Taking a weight loss challenge seriously means devoting time to learning about ways to successfully accomplish weight loss. Awareness means learning about nutrition and the realities of weight loss. Numerous resources including books, magazine articles and websites are available to help you gain this necessary knowledge. While you need not become an expert, you do have to learn enough to figure out which of the many weight loss programs and strategies will likely work best for you. All too often this important “awareness” stage gets skipped and people end up sabotage their chances for real weight loss by choosing unworkable programs or by setting impossible goals.

Preparation

Proper preparation is often key to success. Preparing a weight loss program means setting up the conditions that will make it most easily possible for you to sustain your weight loss program. Preparation tasks may include getting kitchen supplies in order, deciding on what kind of dietary and weight records to keep, and setting a date to begin your diet. If your house is full of food temptations, you’ll want to throw them away or find them a new home. It’s important that you tailor your approach to your lifestyle and needs. The diet your neighbor used might not work for you.

Most importantly, you must break your ultimate weight loss goal down into little, achievable mini-goals so that you won’t easily become discouraged during your diet. You may want to lose 100 pounds or more, but you should not delay rewarding yourself for progress towards this goal until all 100 pounds have been shed. Instead, you should reward yourself for each several pounds lost along the way. Reward opportunities should be frequent and the distance from mini-goal to mini-goal should never be too long. Your larger weight loss goal will stand a far better chance of being achieved if you take the time to break it down into small, achievable sub-goals versus if you try to meet it all at once.

Action

Action means actually getting started with your weight loss program. The effort you previously put into identifying, preparing and tailoring your weight loss program and breaking down your program goals into manageable chunks pays off now in the form of your greater likelihood of sticking with your program over time. Be sure to keep records of your weight and diet so that you can actually chart your progress over time. If you’re exercising too, keep records of your exercise sessions.

Maintaining your goals

If nothing else, your efforts at weight reduction will likely teach you the virtues of humility and patience. It’s somewhat likely that your first efforts at dieting will be unsuccessful, or will produce only partial success that gets erased as you gain back the weight you’ve managed to lose. When a lapse from your program occurs, keep in mind that change is more of a spiral than a straight line. You will lapse from time to time. You may gain a pound or two. Everyone does. Lapses become become failures only when they successfully intimidate you into stopping your weight reduction program. Those who are ultimately most successful in sustaining weight loss learn from their lapses instead of being intimidated by them. The best thing to do when lapses occur is to go to sleep that night and wake up the next day recommitted to following your weight loss program. Or, in other words, “if you fall off the horse, get right back on.” Failure is an opportunity for you to reflect on why you have failed to maintain your goals, and to make adjustments to your goals or your resolve so as to more successfully meet your goals in the future. You may need to increase your awareness in a specific area or prepare more before getting back into the action stage.

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Seven Important Foods for Muscle Recovery by Carey Dodson

Seven Important Foods for Muscle Recovery by Carey Dodson

Nutrition can play a vital role in how our bodies respond to inflammation and soreness following workouts or strenuous exercise. Common sense says that if we eat foods that are high in carbohydrates and saturated fat that our bodies over time will begin to break down and the onset of disease will be brought on prematurely. Conversely, if we take care of our bodies, exercise and eat the right foods we can delay the onset of disease. There are certain “must haves” if you want to stay healthy: vitamins, minerals, amino acids, essential fatty acids, glyconutrients and phytonutrients.  But which foods contain the nutrients that are best for reducing inflammation and soreness following strenuous activity? Here is a list of seven “must haves”:

1. Salmon

This is a great source of Omega-3 fatty acids and protein. Omega-3s are a terrific way to fight inflammation and soreness. Studies are showing that Omega-3 fatty acids can decrease inflammation and reduce the activity of enzymes that cause cartilage loss. It is recommended that a healthy diet contain two servings of fish weekly. If you can, buy salmon that is caught wild; farm raised salmon can be deficient in Omega-3s.

2. Mixed Nuts

Nuts also are a good source of Omega-3 fatty acids as well as protein, zinc, potassium, magnesium as well as other vitamins and minerals. A good mixture of nuts would include walnuts, brazil nuts, almonds, pumpkin and sunflower seeds.

3. Cherries

Cherries are high in Quercitin, an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory that provides cell protection. Cherries are also high in an anti-inflammatory phytochemical called anthocyanin. New research at the Unversity of Burlington has shown that cherries help reducing inflammation and also delaying the on onset of muscle soreness and speed up the recovery process after strenuous activity.

4. Pineapple

Pineapple contains an enzyme called Bromelain, which is responsible for digesting protein, reducing inflammation as well as joint pain. Bromelain also assists in wound healing and angina.

5. Ginger

Ginger is a wonderful food with a long standing reputation for reducing swelling and inflammation.  A very potent anti-inflammatory called gingerols is contained in Ginger. It is believed that these gingerols are the reason why people see relief from rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis.  In a recent double blind, crossover study, those that were given ginger experienced significantly less pain than those than the control group.

6. Turmeric

Turmeric contains a chemical called curcumin, a powerful anti- inflammatory. Curcumin also acts as an anti-cancer fighting compound as well as antioxidant, which are important for fighting inflammation, soreness and promoting muscle recovery. At the University of Arizona a study was performed by Dr. Clark Lantz that showed that the patients that were given turmeric before their arthritis began to flare up were able to inhibit and in some cases block the attack all together.

7. Berries

Berries contain polyphenols, antioxidants which protect cells from free radical damage. Antioxidants are responsible for neutralizing free radicals, which can cause inflammation, premature aging and speed up the onset of heart disease and cancer among other diseases. Blueberries are regarded among the best source of antioxidants that you can find but cranberries, raspberries and blackberries all contain high amounts of antioxidants.

Staying active is vitally important to maintain wellness for young and old. If you exercise or perform strenuous activity regularly, these foods should become part of your life!

Ready to find out how nutrition and intelligent supplementation can impact your health and enhance your muscle recovery? Come visit our site to learn more!

Article Source: http://physicalfitnessarticles.net

Boot Camp Kudos!

Hey guys!

Today I just wanted to let you know about todays boot camp and how hard everyone worked!

We did the 12 rounds of different tabata rounds that included some of the following:

Pushups
Pullovers
Burpees
Bear Crawl
Jump Ropes
Body Rows
Floor Press
KB Swing

Plus a few more! It was 48 minutes straight though without breaks. To finish them off, everyone ran a TIMED 5K!

Great work folks, I’m so proud of all of you.

Have a great weekend, enjoy the beautiful weather!

Dan

How Can You Burn Fat Faster? First You Must Know The 3 Vital Principles by Becky Long

How Can You Burn Fat Faster? First You Must Know The 3 Vital Principles by Becky Long

By now, most people realize that adding lean muscle mass to your body does wonders for your metabolism and fat loss, as well as a host of other benefits that allow you to live out your life as healthy as feasible.

Unfortunately, most people I see performing weight training or resistance training at the gym are spending too much time with the exercise and not working tough enough.  They are not going to burn very much fat this way.

The secret I have discovered is that training for lean muscle and strength needs the appropriate application of three vital elements that are habitually ignored by those who attempt it.  Those three elements are:

-Intensity

-Volume & Frequency

-Progression

The intensity is how difficult it is to perform for you, given your existing condition.  The volume and frequency are how much and how regularly you perform the exercise.  The progression is related to how much the demands accelerate from workout to workout.

The majority of times, weight training, is continued  on for too long and performed too many times each week.  It is regrettably treated much the equivalent way as so-called fat burning aerobic exercise.  However they are enormously different forms of exercise.  In reality, they are absolute opposites.

Aerobic exercise classically is characterized by low to moderate intensity, high level and frequency, and modest progression.  Anaerobic exercise, or weight training, ought to be performed at a high intensity, lower level and frequency, and with succession to be as efficient as possible.

No quantity of weight training performed at a low or moderate intensity will offer substantial muscle or strength building benefit past the first few weeks.  On a high level view, it is clearly the combination of sufficient intensity, united with attempting to highten moreover the number of repetitions of a weight training exercise or the amount of weight used each and every workout that will keep your body developing into the supreme fat burning machine!

You in addition have to pay awareness to other particulars when creating an effective and efficient routine to amplify your workout and decrease your time spent in the gym.  Why?  Because perhaps even more vital that the workout itself is the rest time that follows.  You’re not going to get stronger or more muscular if you do not break in between.

You see, when you strength train accurately, you are developing little injuries to your muscles.  You then have to let the body restore itself, and then overcompensate and build upon the previously existing quantity of muscle mass you have.  If you workout again before that procedure is concluded, you’ll experience lackluster, if any, muscle building or fat burning results.

Consequently make sure to acquire suitable rest between workouts, which normally means a minimum of 1 to 3 full days of rest between appropriately executed resistance workouts.

Now upon hearing the idea that your have got to add muscle to your body to ensure the utmost fat burning environment, a lot of people, ladies especially, start thinking, “But I do not want to get larger, I want to lose weight!”  However this is such a shame, because it’s very unlikely to take place, and numerous women are losing out on these fat burning benefits because of it.

You see, the majority of men and almost all women simply lack the essential genetic traits required to produce such muscle gains that would cause them to look bulky or overly-developed to a good number of  people.  These traits contain testosterone levels, muscle fiber makeup, muscle belly length, and others.

The competitive bodybuilders your have seen on TV and in the magazines are the inherited cream of the crop for muscle enhancement and they are typically on heavy doses of anabolic steroids, growth hormone, and other bodybuilding drugs.  Don’t be fooled by these images, or those that jolt you into thinking this way.  Also, lean muscle is more compact then fat, as it takes up s smaller amount of space in your body, so you will actually be getting smaller when replacing the fat on your body with lean muscle.

Please be aware that you’re putting yourself in the best position to succeed with your fat loss and fitness goals when you perform suitably conducted intense resistance training, no matter who you are.

However make sure you understand and apply the three crucial principles I discussed above.  If you don’t, you’ll ultimately be unhappy with your results, both in your capability to burn fat and grasp the lean, strong, and healthy body you deserve.

Article Source: http://physicalfitnessarticles.net

Quick Kudos!

Hey guys!

Just wanted to drop you a line real quick to let you know about a few noteable performances from clients of mine..

Amy PR’d in a 10K trail run over the weekend!  Nicely done, Amy.. I told you boot camp would help you with your running!  Philadelphia Marathon is about 2 months away.. good luck!

Kevin ran a 5K almost a minute faster than his goal time this past weekend.. and the best part?  He hasn’t been running!  Just doing boot camp.  Nice job Kevin, keep it up!

Pat took 1st place in his age group and 15th overall in this past weekends Duathlon at Codorus State Park.. not bad for a guy carrying around all that muscle 😉 – Good work Pat!

**One of the neatest things about the training at Next Level Fitness is that it is designed to help improve all of the below:

1. Strength
2. Cardiovascular Endurance
3. Muscular Endurance
4. Balance
5. Coordination
6. Speed
7. Agility
8. Flexiblity
9. Accuracy
10. Power

Not only did the people listed above improve their cardiovascular endurance dramatically, but they all have gotten much stronger and more muscular.

Thanks for telling me about your times, guys.. it made my weekend!

Committed to Your Success,

Dan

AWESOME Boot Camp Today! Over 80 TONS Lifted!

Major KUDO’s to my boot camp army!  We had our biggest Saturday Boot Camp ever, 20 people strong!

The workout was simple… pick from 10 exercises with fixed weights and lift.  The goal was to lift as much weight with proper technique as possible in our 2 hour boot camp.  I thought 100,000 pounds would be a nice round number to shoot for.. boy did I underestimate the aggressiveness and internal drive of my bunch!

177,675 pounds

Almost 89 tons!  Nicely done folks!

Come be a part of the excitement – http://www.hanoverbootcamp.com

Have an awesome weekend!

Dan

Emotional Resilience Training for Military?

Morning Folks!

I hope you all had a great labor day.. I know I did.  We kicked things off with a great open house boot camp.. saw a few new faces in there and got to put together several awesome workouts!  I’m so lucky to have the group of hard working fitness enthusiasts that I have!

(On a side note, one of my newest clients, Kevin, found out some great news yesterday.. after only 5 weeks of boot camp, he’s shed an amazing 5 percent bodyfat!  Nicely done, Kevin!)

Today I wanted to share an article I found on the New York Times website that I thought you might find interesting.. here’s the link:

Mental Stress Training is Planned for Many U.S. Soliders

Enjoy the article and have a great week!  Check back in a few days for some more hints about our major announcement that can help YOU lose weight and get in amazing shape!

Dan

It’s Party Time!

Hey Guys!

Just a heads up – September 19 at 7:30 (It’s a Saturday) Next Level Fitness will be having a party/open house.  More than anything it’ll be a great chance to come and get some food and drinks and spend time with friends.  If you wanna find out more information, click here:

http://danno1982.wufoo.com/forms/fight-for-your-right-to-party/

You can RSVP on that page.  It’s going to be a great time and we’re excited to have YOU! 

Have a great Thursday!

Dan

If you’re working hard at your desk…

Morning folks!

I’ve been typing for about an hour now and my hands are kinda stiff and my lower back is starting to hurt.. so I googled “stretching at your desk” and found a site that I thought might help you out if you sit behind a desk all day! 

Click here

Stretching can help you stay awake and focused during a long day at work.  Additionally, it can help prevent those “pins and needles” when you go to stand up to use the restroom, go chat around the water cooler, or go on your lunch break.

Enjoy!

Committed to your Health,

Dan

How to Increase Your Metabolism by Dr. James Pendergraft

How to Increase Your Metabolism

By: James Pendergraft

Metabolism refers to the rate and method in which your body processes the food that you eat. A person with fast metabolism tends to be slimmer because processed food does not remain inside the body. Instead of forming into fat cells, they are utilized and burned by the body accordingly.

A person with slower metabolic rate has the bigger problem. When his metabolism is slow, high are the chances that he’ll find it hard to lose weight. The only way to successfully cut inches around your belly and the rest of your body is to increase your metabolic rate.

Here are the suggested effective ways on how you can increase metabolism and facilitate weight loss:

1. Determine the problems that causes slow metabolism.

The most common reasons why a person suffers from slower metabolic rate are age, sex, heredity, and physical disorders. While you can’t do so much about the other factors, you can certainly do something about your disease. Make sure that you get the proper medications for it. As for the others, it is best that you consider your options very carefully when attempting to increase your body’s metabolic rate. Consult with a certified health expert to guide you through it.

2. Create a functional diet plan.

To increase your metabolism, it is necessary to eat decreased quantities of food several times throughout the day. Make sure that you take in 5 to 6 small meals daily. This way, you are forcing your body to process food during your waking hours. Over time, your body would get used to this process and keep on burning fats around the clock.

3. Drink water frequently.

Water can keep you filled. Besides, water forces your body to burn fats. On the other hand, if your body is deprived of water, it would save instead of burning calories. A person’s metabolic rate is greatly affected by the body’s water content. So be sure to drink more than enough water on a daily basis.

4. Do aerobic exercises.

When doing exercises, be sure to include aerobic workouts in your routine as well. This type of exercise increases heart rate. You are going to need the full functions of your heart to increase metabolism. Your heart will be able to efficiently pump blood throughout the body, decreasing instances of fat cells forming. Aerobic exercises are known to temporarily increase a person’s metabolic rate.

5. Weight training.

For a more long-term effect on speeding up your metabolism, try to do some weight training exercises. Improving your muscle tone would decrease your body’s calorie count. The more lean muscles built, the better your metabolic rate will be. This is when you can virtually say that you are burning fats even as you sleep.

Increase your metabolism by following these five easy steps. With regular practice, you’ll notice that your body is slowly getting back in shape and getting the form that you desire. Lose weight fast and easy. Make your body’s increased metabolic rate do wonders for you.

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