Fitnesspros Bodybuilding and Fitness blog

Vegetables are the most nutritious food group, it is also the group with less calories per gram. Make sure you include a great variety of veggies in your diet. Plan your meals around vegetables rather than think of them as optional side dishes.

Eat 2 to 3 servings of fruit a day. Most people are scared of fruit because of the high sugar content. The reality is that fruits are a rich source of nutrients and eaten in moderate quantities are an essential component of any diet.

Not all carbs are the same. We have heard this jingle before but it is true: refined carbs are all calories and very few nutrients. Eat whole grains and avoid anything with the word “enriched” it actually means that nutrients have been taken away from the grain. Avoid white bread, white rice, white pasta and other refined sugars, eat 100% whole grains and get the nutrients your body needs rather than diminished products.

Reduce the amount of saturated and polysaturated fats in your diet. They are much harder to burn.

Reduce your red meat intake to avoid excess cholesterol and saturated fats.

Fish is an important component of a healthy diet for weight loss. Make fish you primary source of animal products, it is leaner has healthy omega-3 fatty acids and it is a great source of protein.

Reduce alcohol intake.

Alcohol has a similar structure as a carbohydrate but it metabolizes like a fat (twice as slow). Alcohol in very small quantities can be good for the heart but even in moderate amounts can be detrimental to your organs, slows down your metabolism and makes you gain weight.

Drink plenty of water. Water helps with circulation, metabolic processes and has zero calories.

Reduce meal portions, especially if you are eating foods that are large in calories. Weight loss is about calories in vs. calories out. You won’t loss weight if you eat more calories than the ones you burn. This doesn’t mean you should starve yourself to lose weight. If you are are exercising you will naturally feel more hungry. Just don’t go overboard with food and eat healthy.

Avoid hydrogenated fats. This chemical will not just make you gain weight it could also contribute to cancer development.

Exercise regularly. This can’t be stressed enough. If you think diet alone will make you lose weight then you are right. However, the weight you lose will include large quantities of muscle and eventually halt progress as your body adapts to eating less calories. The only way to successfully lose weight, keep it off and live a healthy life is to eat a healthy diet and have an active lifestyle.

Don’t be a prisoner of the scale. While the number of the scale can measure progress, sometimes when you exercise the gain in lean muscle will make that number stay the same or even go up. Do not get discouraged as this is a desirable effect that will pay off in pounds lost in the near future. Your body fat percentage is what you want to keep an eye on and is a better gauge of how you are progressing.

Many people make New Year’s Resolutions to live a healthier lifestyle. The problem is, most people break those resolutions by March. But it is easy to form new habits if the steps are small enough to be accomplished without too many major changes all at once. Getting healthy is a function of dedication, motivation, and having the right tools to help keep on track. One major habit most people want to engage in is getting fit and in shape.

1. Exercise.
While most people don’t think of running a 5K marathon, training to run a 5K is not as difficult as it seems. One of the best exercises that is easy to begin is walking. If it is too cold to walk outside, walking on a treadmill provides the same benefits. Walking is a good way to get a good cardio workout without a lot of equipment to purchase, or waiting to take scheduled classes at a gym.
Walking can build up to running a short marathon easily. Once you can walk for 20 to 30 minutes at a brisk pace you can start interval training, which is the best way to get an excellent workout in as little as 20 minutes. Here’s how it works. After a three minute warm-up, walk at a brisk pace for 90 seconds, and then jog slowly for 30 seconds. The goal is to complete eight repetitions of each interval. In the beginning you will be lucky to complete two or three, so give yourself time to work up to the goal. Before you know it, you will be jogging longer and walking for shorter times. It is realistic to be able to jog a little over three miles needed to complete a 5K marathon in six months. The objective is not to win but to finish, so go at your own pace.
Working on treadmills to reach this goal is easy. Just set the walking pace, and increase the jogging pace to the high threes, low fours for an effective workout.

2. Lose Weight.
If getting the extra weight off is the goal, by completing goal number one, it will be easy. Getting on the treadmill four times a week to complete the running workout will help drop the weight easily. Of course, watching what you eat and cutting out one bad eating habit a week will increase the weight loss. One week cut out all but one soda per week; next week cut out the potato chips; the next week, eliminate fast foods. Soon, all the bad eating habits will be replaced by good ones without feeling like you are deprived. Start with baby steps.

3. Eat Healthy.
Segue to the healthy eating goal from goal number two. Eat the right foods and eliminate the heart-unhealthy foods from the diet. Eat dark colored foods; greens, fruits, vegetables, and drink plenty of water and non-sweetened drinks. If you crave sugar in your drinks, use a natural sweetener, not an artificial one. Remember, working towards the 5K means increasing cardio exercise weekly and eating right. Your body will start to crave heart-healthy foods.

4. Reduce Stress.
As with the other goals, reducing stress will come naturally now that you are exercising, training and running every week, and taking care of what you put in your body. Work off the stress with cardio exercise on the treadmill or outdoors if the weather is nice. While you are exercising, mentally solve the problems that are bothersome. The mind is clearer when the body is lighter and the heart is healthier. Problem solving and letting go of the small stuff will suddenly get easier. Stress is a major contributor to heart problems and high blood pressure. Eliminate as man stressful things (and people) as you can in 2011 and your heart will thank you for it.

5. Be Happy.
Strange as it seems, some people have to work at being happy. They see only sadness and negative things in their life and forget to focus on the positive. The fact of the matter is, most people are genuinely good by nature and realizing that is an incredibly uplifting feeling. By embracing healthy habits one through four, then this goal will happen on its own. If you can’t find people to run with and keep you motivated, don’t stress. Once you start, you will meet like-minded people and running will become less of a chore and transform into something social. Find a 5K-marathon club and join it. They start with interval training just like you will be doing. All this social interaction, lack of stress, and plenty of exercise will release plenty of endorphins and keep you happy as long as you keep up with these new habits you’ve formed.

This article is written by John who has been a runner all of his life. John has tried most treadmill models and can almost be considered an expert. During the winter he does two treadmill workouts a day to keep him motivated and in shape.