Posts Tagged “Body Fat Percentage”

Proper weight management includes not only focusing on your weight but also keeping in mind other important objectives like BMI, body fat percentage, muscle-to-fat ratio and waist circumference in order to achieve the desired results.

Weight management should be an attempt towards looking fit and optimizing ones health rather than giving importance only to reducing weight.

The only way to achieve these twin goals is by realizing that there are no short cuts or miracle cures. It requires dedicated time and effort on ones part. There are however, nutritional and exercise science aids that one can take advantage of while striving towards these goals.

Along with taking nutritional supplements and appetite suppressants, one should also get adequate age appropriate exercise and have a nutritionally well balanced diet. Certain appetite suppressants that are prescribed by qualified doctors can be helpful in the overall weight management program but the effects are only temporary.

Once you stop taking them, the weight will quickly return unless you follow a strict regime of exercise and a proper nutritious diet.

‘Fad Diets’ have become quite a rage these days. The latest in this line of diets includes the ‘Low carb and High Protein’ diet. People who follow this may experience rapid weight loss initially but in the long term there are very few benefits and these diets are quite expensive too.

In some cases these ‘Low carb’ diets can often lead to muscle loss along with fat reduction. This is because Carbohydrates are the chief source of energy for the body so when there is a shortage of this food group (especially glucose), the body turns to other sources to produce energy.

These low carb diets tend to reduce the amounts of glucose available in the muscles and liver which result in fatigue and the muscles feel less toned. Reduced glucose levels make exercise more difficult and also leads to a lower metabolic rate. This means that the number of calories burnt per hour will be much lower than what is normally burnt if one consumes a well balanced diet instead.

This in the long run is not very effective especially if one wants to lose and maintain their weight.

The key here is for one to be committed towards making certain lifestyle changes. People should make an effort to learn more about nutrition and be careful of the kinds of the food they eat. For example, substituting brown rice for potatoes and fruits for ice cream and candy will help reduce body fat while looking healthy at the same time.

Another important factor that is essential to proper weight management is to follow a regular exercise regime appropriate to ones age but this requires great will power on ones part.

It isn’t necessary to become a fitness fanatic but one should do some form of vigorous exercise such as cardiovascular exercises or weight training depending on ones age. Most of the time, people give up too soon because they try to hard initially.This often results in injury and them abandoning any fitness plans.

One should think long term and make changes to their diet and lifestyle gradually. This is the secret to proper weight management and you will find that your general health and appearance will soon improve.

Tired of reading outdated fitness and health articles on the web? Well, wait no longer, check out http://www.1-stop-fitness.com/ for up-to-date information on the healthy eating proper balanced diet plan and cheap vitamins.

Article Source: Proper Weight Management – Isn't This The Same As Weight Loss?

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Christmas dinner
Image via Wikipedia

Tis the season to be jolly – jolly stuffed-full-of-turkey, jolly tired, and jolly hung over. If only there was a way to enjoy Christmas without these seemingly inevitable feelings -and without being accused of being a party-pooper.

Christmas may not be the time of year to lose body fat, but it does not have to be the time of year to lose your health and fitness, and all the hard work you’ve been putting into it.

This article has been written to help you make better choices at Christmas and still eat what you fancy, and above all – enjoy yourself!

Our festive diets see a huge increase in protein, saturated fat and sugar intakes. At Christmas and New Year, GPs’ surgeries are packed with people who have learned that these massive changes in eating and drinking habits lead to heartburn, sickness, diarrhoea or constipation, abdominal pain and bloating.

On the “average” Christmas Day, the average person consumes a whopping 7,000 calories! That’s almost FOUR TIMES what most people should be eating a day! My personal favourite, Christmas pudding and brandy butter, is about 1,200 calories per portion!

Spending a few days sat on the sofa, eating excessive amounts of food causes the average person to put on 7-9 lbs of body fat, and to lose 3-5 lbs of muscle – leaving your body composition less than optimal. My previous articles in Monocle have discussed the importance of body composition in maintaining a healthy body; if you have an increased mass of muscle, your body will use more fat to ‘maintain’ the muscle, and hence your body fat percentage will lower, and your body composition will be better.

If you eat excess sugar, protein and saturated fat, a lot of it will be stored on your body as fat; when you couple that with sitting and doing very little for a few days, causing your muscle mass to diminish (and therefore require less fat for maintenance) – the problem becomes clear.

It’s no wonder there are so many people rushing to the gym and putting themselves on “detox diets” in January!

Follow these tips for a healthier festive season this year. With a little extra forward planning, you can avoid falling into many of the traps that seem unavoidable at Christmas.

Pre-Christmas Parties!

• It’s difficult to avoid chocolate at Christmas so don’t deprive yourself; enjoy the treats in moderation. A couple of chocolates is ok, whereas eating the whole box is overdoing it!

• At the office Christmas party (and any others you might be invited to) head for the crudités but go steady on the dips. Have a light snack before you go and you’ll be less tempted towards the junky fatty vol au vents

• The food at office parties rarely seems as good as your ‘real’ Christmas dinner -so don’t keep eating just for the sake of it!

Preparing for the day itself!

• The key is in the planning. Write a list of all the food shopping you need, then review it. You’ll be able to control your sugar, saturated fat and salt intake much better – and it’s much more fun to enjoy your Christmas food shopping rather than rushing round with the kids in tow on the morning all your relatives are arriving!

• Instead of buying pre-packaged greasy rubbish to nibble on mid-morning, why not have vegetable crudités and a small selection of dips instead? And do you really need brandy butter AND brandy cream for the Christmas pud?

• Leave the fresh produce until as late as possible so it won’t go off. You don’t want to find your carrots have gone a bit mushy when you go to cut them up on Christmas morning!

• Christmas can be a stressful, tiring time. We often eat as a result of these types of emotions. Make sure you take time out to relax and do a little exercise and you’ll feel better for the break, and for not eating excessively

The Day Itself

• If you are the chef of the day, try not to pick all day – all those little bits do add up!

Breakfast

• Don’t skip breakfast because you have a big lunch coming up. If your body is not desperate for food at lunch time you will be able to make much better choices

• Make up a healthy seasonal fruit platter for breakfast. Try apple, orange, pineapple and pear. Passion fruits and pomegranate will add variety and sweetness, and if you don’t like the seeds you could blend them into a sauce for the fruit. Serve with natural yoghurt, some chopped walnuts and a drizzle of honey

Lunch

• Make cranberry sauce – it gives everything a festive feel and is full of antioxidants

• Make your stuffing with wholegrain breadcrumbs instead of white breadcrumbs, to give it a little more nutrition value

• Steam your veg instead of boiling it – it preserves the nutrients

• Remember that portion control is key. Have what you fancy, but not to excess. Try filling your plate with lots of veg and other good options then enjoy your favourites. Not only will you feel great for eating what you fancy in controlled amounts, but the fresh foods will power you up with nutrients to help boost your immune system after the partying has finished!

• Turkey is one of the leanest meats going, but did you know that anything over about 20g of protein in any 4 or so hours is likely to be stored as fat? Your body is unable to deal with any more so stores it to deal with at another time. Of course, with all the excess consumed over the festive period – your body doesn’t need to get round to dealing with any of the stores!

Pudding

• If you’ve succeeded at dinner, you won’t be feeling deprived, and you probably won’t really have space for a pudding. But it’s Christmas! Try to have only a small portion of pudding – it is really all you need and want; and there is always some left at the end of the day, that you can have tomorrow as well!

• Maybe Christmas pudding isn’t your thing but everyone else round the table is having a bit. Pears poached in spices and red wine are lovely. There’s a great recipe on the Times website (www.timesonline.co.uk). I promise you won’t feel deprived after it!

• If you have a cheese board after your pudding, remember what is noted above about protein!

• Mince pies are so much nicer if you make them yourself. It could be great fun to make them with the kids at the start of the Christmas holidays. Try making mince pies without the tops on, to cut down on the unnecessary pastry

General Tips

• Remember that it takes about 20 minutes for the hormone that communicates you are full to reach your brain – so bide your time before deciding whether you want seconds

• If you are full, stop eating! It’s a skill we are all pretty much able to do most of the year, but something we seem to forget at Christmas

• Don’t throw in the towel if you don’t succeed at first. Don’t assume that because you had a bit of cake there is no hope – accept you had the cake, be pleased that you enjoyed it; then move on

• Keep drinking water. It’s too easy to forget with all the alcohol going round, but water is key to maintaining your energy levels and mood, and we often mistake signs of thirst for signs of hunger

• Alcohol wise, mulled wine is a better choice calorie wise than gin and tonic etc

• On Boxing Day, when you are trying to eat up the rest of the cold turkey, serve it up with lots of fresh salad (tomatoes, avocados, peppers, cucumber, carrots etc), wholegrain pitta breads and some hummus

• Try to go for a walk before and after your Christmas lunch. It will boost your metabolism, meaning your body will need to use a lot of what you have eaten, and doing a little more exercise will cause your desire for junky foods to decrease

• The best cure for a hangover is some fresh air and movement! A power walk for about 20 minutes will clear your head and get you ready for the day

Finally, remember that it is Christmas and it is supposed to be fun! If you overdo it and feel guilty just look forward to New Year and getting back on track – just don’t become one of the people who join the gym in January for the year and visit only a couple of times! Take advantage of all the free motivational things my company can offer – my monthly newsletter provides exercise and eating tips; the reference section of my website has lots of free to download articles, and I’m available for a chat whenever you fancy!

Remember the key: Moderation, not Deprivation! You can enjoy Christmas without eating to excess!

Heather Gillam Fitbiz Training

“Your personal trainer. Your way.”

http://www.fitbiztraining.co.uk

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BMI chart
Image by Peter Forret via Flickr

Women are always conscious about the way they look. In order to keep fit and maintain the ideal body weight you need to check the BMI ratio. Once you know these things it becomes easier for you to calculate the exact amount of extra pounds that you need to lose.

Ideal weight charts for women

You can get this many weight and height chart for women online quite easily. But remember, in some conditions this chart does not apply. These timings include when the woman is pregnant, when you are going through your menstrual cycle, the menopause phase, etc. these charts work on the BMI or the Body Mass Index. Ideally BMI ranges between 19 and 24.9. On an average a woman with a height of 5 feet should weigh 97 to 127 pounds. Now with every one inch you can add 3 pounds to this range.

You must also know the average fat percentage in the body. Bringing that to the ideal value is the best means of maintaining the right figure. Body fat percentage determines how over weight you are. 15% to 25 % fat is normal. 25% to 30% fat shows that you are overweight. Above 30% the person becomes obese.

In order to maintain a healthy weight and become fit, you should consider following points in your day to day life:

· Having a balanced diet is a must. You must have fiber rich food.
· Avoid oily foods, junk foods, processed items, sugary foods, etc.
· Avoid smoking & drinking alcohol.
· Have at least 12 glasses of water daily.
· Take a natural detox drink every morning like lemon & honey, maple syrup & cayenne pepper, etc.
· Have natural diet suppressants like Acai berry. It is a superfood that is very rich in the nutrients and plays a vital role in retaining healthy weight. It is also an effective colon cleanser and an anti aging agent as well.

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Easily the best way to Lose Weight Fast and to look trim, taut and terrific is to learn these strategies.

It’s time to be bold and beautiful. Shed those pounds quickly. See more now:

Strategies To Lose Weight Fast

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