Staying Motivated for Diet and Exercise

The biggest problem that you will face on your journey to a healthier body through diet and exercise will likely be to stay motivated. It can be difficult to continue with your journey at times but it is essential for a better life. Staying motivated is vital if you want to stick to your plans.

The following chapter will provide you with some helpful idea on how to stay motivated and to continue with your diet and exercise routine.

Keep it Going!

One thing that will surely help to keep you motivated is to think of all the hard effort and time you have spent on getting as far as you have with your diet and exercise routine. You do not want to throw it all away do you? Of course not! You need to give yourself credit for the accomplishments you have made so far as well as your progress towards your future goals.

Another good idea is to use your family and friends as a way to keep you motivated. It can be difficult to hold yourself accountable at time because your mind naturally likes to minimize things. Your family and friends can be a good source of honest feedback. Your loved ones and friends will also have a large impact on your thinking if they think that you are starting to lose your motivation. In some cases other people can actually motivate you more than yourself. This is especially true if your health is at risk if you do not continue your diet. Your loved ones should remind you of how much they love you and how much they want you to be healthy. This will make you feel selfish if you start to slack on your diet or exercise and this will likely make you want to get back on track.

Some things in this life cannot be accomplished by you on your own and it is ok to reach out for help. Remember, you do not want to go back to square one so catch yourself quickly if you slip so you do not have to climb all the way back up again.

Determine Your Exercise Routine

Once you have decided to begin exercising it is important to set up a exercise routine for yourself. This will allow you to make sure that you are getting proper amounts of exercise while exercising different muscle groups and giving you a schedule to stick to.

You need to remember that nobody is going to hold you accountable for bot sticking to that routine but yourself. Slacking off or procrastinating when it comes to your exercise routine will do nothing but slow down the progress of your results which will likely suck your motivation to continue dry.

The following chapter will give you some helpful hints about how to set up a beneficial exercise routine and some important points to consider while doing so.

Create a Beneficial Routine

It is important that you do not try to start your journey to a healthier body and exercise blindly. You need to know some important facts so that you do not injure yourself while trying to better yourself. After all, you do not want to take one step forward and two steps back, do you? I didn’t think so. It is always a good idea to consult a trained professional when developing an effective workout routine. These professionals will know the exact routine that will work best with the time you have available, your body type, and the goals that you have in mind.

For those who decide not to use a professional to build their exercise routine, you need to make sure you create a well-balanced exercise routine. You do not want to focus on one muscle group and work on it every day. This can damage muscles over time as they do not have enough time to heal properly. You need to work on different muscle groups on different days of the week. For example, one day you may work on biceps and then the next you work on legs.

If you are exercising for dieting purposes you may want to stick to exercises that focus more on the cardio aspect of things. Treadmills and step climbers can be great ways of burning off carbs and calories. The only problem is the fact that they take up so much space. Most people will not have room in their house for a treadmill so they may have to buy a gym membership. Stationary cycles are also another form of healthy cardio exercises. This type of cardio can be great for older people or those with arthritis as it allows the person working out to sit and take things at their own pace.

There are classes that even incorporate dancing into the cycling to provide an intense workout that is also fun.

If you find yourself having a hard time with sticking to your exercise routine you may want to try adding in some classes that you find fun. The dance exercise craze is exploding and you can find classes for this type of exercise almost anywhere. Programs like Zumba Dance can be quite fun so they hold you attention and bring you back for more and more. During these classes you will have so much fun that you do not even realize you are sweating and burning fat and calories.

Some older individuals may have a hard time bearing weight on their joints. There are special exercise routines that these people can utilize. One example of a form of exercise these older people can still participate in is water aerobics. These water aerobics usually take place in a swimming pool and allow people to exercise without bearing too much weight on their joints. You would be surprised by how well this form of exercise actually works. There is also the option of using workout equipment with counter weights on it. This option is used many times for physical rehabilitation from injuries. It allows the muscles to be strained enough to get exercise but not enough force to damage the persons joints or muscles.

No matter what your exercise goals are, they are accomplishable. All you need to do is find something that you enjoy doing as exercise and before you know it, you will begin to see positive results.

Exercise Basics

A healthy diet is not the only thing that is important in having a healthier body and mind. It is also important to make sure that you are also getting the right amount of exercise.

At first it may be difficult to get yourself in the routine of exercising on a regular basis. With practice and determination you will find yourself doing it in no time. You will be amazed by how much better you feel every day when you exercise on a regular basis.

Exercise will not only provide you with a healthy body and mind; it will also increase the span of your life. This will give you many extra years to spend with your loved ones.

The following chapter will touch base on the basics of exercise and why exercise is so important while dieting.

The Basics on Exercise

Many people make the error of thinking that a proper diet alone is enough to achieve full body health. This is not the case! A well balanced diet also needs to include regular exercise as this is vital for a person to be healthy.

Exercising will also give you the added benefit of being able to eat more food on a daily basis. While you exercise you burn off fat and calories. The more calories you burn the more you will be able to eat. As well, it will be more acceptable for you to step outside of your diet plan on occasion when you are exercising. After all, you deserve the occasional treat.

Exercise will not only get your body to a better physical state, it will also make you feel better mentally as well. Did you know that your brain naturally releases endorphins while you exercise? When your brain is full of endorphins you will achieve a state of euphoria or a type of high that will make you feel good.

You will feel great about yourself as you begin to see the results from all the effort you have out into your exercise routine. It will make you a more confident person and it will improve your self-worth and self-respect. This will lead to many new great doors opening in your life and ample opportunities. The first thing you need in order to have a happy successful life is a healthy body, spirit, and mind. Exercise can greatly help to improve the state of each one of these.

There is always time to exercise so do not give yourself any excuses. You do not need to do a hour long routine. Doing what you can with the time you have will help. Any effort is still effort.

Healthy Recipes

This chapter is meant to provide you with some valuable information on healthy recipes. We will go over a few examples of popular healthy recipes. This should give you an idea of what type of meals you will need to add to your diet to begin feeling healthier and to have a healthier mind, body, and spirit.

Keep in mind, eating healthy does not necessarily mean eating food that is tasteless or food that you do not like. There are many different types of meals that you can make that if prepared the right way can be very nutritious and healthy. You would likely be surprised by the countless number of options that are available. Many people think that going on a diet means that you have to give up all good food, this is not true! It simply means that you need to find more healthy alternatives for your current eating habits, you can find other things you like.

The following chapter contains recipes that you should not only find tasty but helpful for your diet as well.

Ideas for Healthy Recipes

It order for a meal to be considered healthy it generally needs to consist of 350 or less calories for the main portion of the dish. It should also contain 20 grams or less of fat and 5 grams or less of saturated fat. This is a general rule and can change from person to person depending on their body type and current health condition. Also, if your doctor sets a different diet for you it is important that you listen to what they say as they are trained professionals.

The following are some examples of some meals that follow the above guidelines:

Green Bean and Paprika Shrimp Sauté:

This is a delicious dish that bursts with flavor. It is sure to be a favorite for the whole family. The best part about this meal is that you will not even realize that you are eating diet friendly food. The dish is simple to prepare and the green beans add a snap and a bit of crunch to spruce the dish up. This is a Spanish inspired dish so it should be served with brown rice. You want this dish to be somewhat garlicky for best results, It may also be served with quinoa. You may want to consider purchasing pre-peeled shrimp. They may be more expensive but they do come with the convenience of saving a lot of time.

Chopped Salad al Tonno:

If you are looking for something light that won’t drag you down for the rest of the day, chopped salad al tonno is perfect for you. This salad is much better than a boring tuna sandwich and also gets rid of the problem of carbs from bread. It is not difficult to make and does not take many ingredients. The total prep time is about 15 minutes so it is quick to prepare as well. All you need to do is stir together some lemon, salt and pepper, garlic, and oil in a large bowl. Once everything is mixed together add olives, romaine lettuce, tomatoes and olives and then toss to coat. Once you have done this you add tuna and toss again. This salad makes an awesome lunch but can be good for a snack as well.

Grilled Egg Plant Panini:

This is another great treat this is very healthy and can be enjoyed by the whole family. Presentation is important with this dish because you do not want it to look sloppy. Once again this is not a complicated dish to complete and only takes about 35 minutes.

It is important while shopping for your egg plants to look for ones that do not have mushy spots. They also need to be nice and purple and be medium in size. The best time to find egg plants like this is toward the end of summer. To prepare this dish you simply combine a small amount of mayonnaise and basil in a bowl.

Then you lightly brush each side of the eggplant of one tablespoon of oil as well as one side of each piece of bread. You then need to grill the eggplant on medium high for approximately 6 minutes. Flip the eggplant and top with cheese. Grill for approximately four more minutes or until cheese is melted and the eggplant is tender. After that you need to grill toast the bread by grilling it about one to two minutes. All that is left now is to put your sandwiches together! Simply place the eggplant on the toasted bread,

cheesy side up, and top with red peppers, some onion, and the other piece of bread. Enjoy!

Baby Tiramisu:

If you are like most people, even though you are dieting you still want the occasional treat of some sweets. A baby tiramisu is a perfect solution for this problem. To create this splendid dish you will need to combine a half cup of non-fat ricotta cheese and two tablespoons of confectioners’ sugar in a bowl. You will then need to add a half of a teaspoon of vanilla extract. Also mix in an eight teaspoon of ground cinnamon.

All you need to do then is place your lady fingers in an appropriate sized baking dish and drizzle two tablespoons of expresso over them. Then you spread your ricotta mixture over the lady fingers. After you have done this you need to place another lady finger on top of the ricotta mixture and pour another two tablespoons of expresso evenly over them. You then need to drizzle with two tablespoons of melted chocolate, bittersweet chocolate chips are recommended.

Healthy Eating Means a Healthy Body

Are you tired of feeling sluggish or as if your body is just not up to par? Do you lack energy that you used to have? Do you find yourself tired and irritable more often than not? Do you have dark circles under your eyes? If you answered yes to any of these questions it is time for you to start eating a more healthy diet.

You need to have a diet consisting of well-balanced healthy foods and not a bunch of junk food garbage. The saying goes “you are what you eat” so therefore if you eat a bunch of crap food you are going to feel like crap. The same goes for healthy food. If you consume healthy foods on a regular basis as part of a healthy diet you will surely feel great and not have to deal with the side effects that unhealthy eating cause.

The following chapter will go a little further into detail about healthy eating and how it is related to a healthy body. Be sure to pay close attention and retain all information as it will surely be helpful for you.

Feel Better Through Dieting

If you are a person who has not felt quite like themselves for some time now and are not sure what is going on with your body, have you ever considered that it may be your diet? The food you consume determines the health of your body. If you constantly eat junk food your body will likely be in a low state of health. It will be easier for you to get sick and fight of illnesses, you will feel sick, low on energy, and sometimes even irritable. These are normal side effects of a poor diet. It only makes sense as our body needs certain nutrients to be able to function properly. If you rob your body of these essential nutrients it will do what it has to in order to make sure it makes it so see another day. In many cases, the body will cause undesirable side effects to itself in order to try to give you a hint that you need to start eating better.

Dieting can also be very beneficial for people facing certain mental strains in their current life. A proper diet can be very beneficial for the mental health of a person. Just like the rest of the human body, the brain needs certain essential nutrients in order to function properly. Not consuming a proper diet you will likely become easily stressed or overwhelmed as your brain will be deprived of the nutrients it needs to function.

It is your body and you only get one so you really need to take care of it. You need to remember that your body should be thought of as a temple and not a place that should be filled with bad things. Only let the best things in your body and keep the bad stuff away. I know this is easier said than done but with effort and determination it is possible.

Figure Out How Many Calories You Need

There are a few things that determine how many calories a person needs in order to maintain a healthy body. The number of calories that you should consume depends on your age, gender, height, and weight. The number of calories that a person needs to consume on a daily basis varies from person to person. Other factors need to be taken in to consideration while determining as well such as your level of daily activity. It is important that when you determine your number of allowed calories that you are sure that the calories you have consumed will be burned off during the day.

The following chapter will go further into detail about how many calories you should take in on a daily basis while dieting. Pay close information because the information provided will surely be helpful for you with your questions about calorie consumption.

Calorie Consumption While Dieting

There are several things to consider when designing a diet to limit calorie consumption. One of the most important is your level of activity. You do not want to deprive yourself of needed nutrients but at the same time you do not want to flood your body with calories that you cannot burn off. The best way to avoid this is do some basic math.

You must first figure out how many calories you currently burn per day. There are calculators on many health websites that are designed to help you with this process and make it much easier for you. Once you have determined how many calories you burn a day you begin the rest of the process of setting your calorie intake guidelines.

The next step is to figure out how many calories you need to consume regarding your current weight. If you are larger you need to consume fewer calories. Calories can easily turn into fat if not burned off during the day.so that is why it is important to limit them, especially if you are above average weight. At the same time, you cannot cut down your calorie intake too much because this will not have positive results.

If you are burning more than you are consuming your body will begin to burn muscle instead of fat. This is because fat cells serve as emergency reserves for your body so your body naturally tries to burn that last if it thinks it is malnourished.

After you have determined how many calories you need with your weight for your diet it is time to add in the age factor. Most adults need fewer calories than they did in their younger years. This is because most older adults are much less active than they were in their earlier years which leads to less calories being burned. As stated before, you do not want calories being left unburned in your body, they turn to fat. So if you are younger and active you will likely need to consume more calories but if you are older and less active less calories is the way to go.

Gender:

It is believed that men seem to need more calories on a day to day basis than women. This is due to the fact that men and women’s bodies are different. We have different muscle structures from each other and therefore our bodies burn different amount of calories on a daily basis.

For example, an active male can require more than 3,000 calories a day when they are active. This means that they engage in sports or other activities which cause the body to work. The recommended intake for the average woman is 2,160 calories per day for an active woman. That is quite a big difference, isn’t it?.

Height:

This is pretty much common sense. If you are taller you are going to need more calories due to the fact that you have more body mass than shorter people. The more of you there is the more calories you need. Always remember, eating too many calories will lead to a gain in weight and setbacks in your diet. If you are trying to create a more healthy body and life for yourself then over indulging on calories is the last thing you want to do.

I hope that these tips on calorie consumption have been useful for you and have answered some of your questions. Keep in mind, diets need to be personalized to an individual’s needs so what another person needs in calories will likely be different than you needs.

Trying to copy somebody else’s diet because it works for them will likely have negative results for you since you will not be getting the balanced diet you need. There are also websites that have calorie calculators and these can help you greatly while you are trying to determine your number of needed daily calories.

Diet Basics

The idea of beginning a diet may seem like a daunting task. For most people it will be difficult to give up old easting habits and develop new ones. You need to keep in mind that not all diets are good diets.You can actually cause more harm than good while adhering to certain diets. It is important that you have well balanced meals and you do not try to cut out necessary nutrients. Also, another important thing to remember is that people will often times make mistakes while on a diet. We are humans and none of us are perfect so therefore expect to have some slip ups every now and then.If you are confused and do not know much about diets, do not worry, you are not alone. The following chapter will touch base on the basics of diets and provide you with helpful information that will put you off on a good start with your new diet.

The Basics

Eating a healthy diet is very important for the overall health and well-being of your body. Certain foods are packed with nutrients that are great for your body while others are packed with processed foods and sugars which are unhealthy for you.

For most people a serious diet will not be needed. The majority of people usually just need to cut a few things out of their current diet and replace them with a few new things. Some people may actually need intense diets with strict limits on carbs allowed per day as well as calories.

These types of foods should be limited with anybody, but those on strict diets can have almost none. There are many different diets and different diets work with different people. You just need to find the one that works for you and suits your needs.

The following are some examples of diets that can be dangerous and should be avoided:

Fad Diets:

It is important that you are aware of how dangerous fad diets can potentially be. In most cases these fad diets do more harm to the person than it does good. This is because fad diets usually involve nearly starving yourself. The amount of food a person is allowed to consume in these diets is usually quite minimal. Not only is it unhealthy to limit your food intake to ridiculous portions these fad diets also set many people up for failure.

This is because the person on the diet will likely continuously feel hungry. This will likely eventually lead to binge eating and eventually completely abandoning the diet. The problem with that is the fact that if you have been nearly starving yourself, your metabolism has greatly slowed down. Now you will notice that every little thing you eat packs more pounds on.

Many of these fad diets will also cause a person to feel weak and be more susceptible to certain illnesses. This is again due to the fact that most fad diets do not allow a person to consume all of the proper nutrients needed to produce energy throughout the day.

Tape Worms:

Can you believe that some people resort to eating tape worms to lose weight? Well you better start believing. This is actually starting to become quite a popular trend. This is probably due to the fact that people feel as if it is an easy way to diet. After all, they do not need to change their diet or limit their food consumption. Also, they will lose weight without exercising.

These seem like great benefits, right? Wrong! Consuming tape worms to lose weight is a terrible idea. It can be very damaging to a person’s body. Tape worms are parasites which feed off of their host, which would be you.

Eating tape worms can lead to bloating, severe weight loss, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and loss of appetite. In severe cases can cause seizures, confusion, headaches, and even death! That does not sound like a beneficial diet to me, more like a death wish. Do not fall victim to the tape worm diet.

Cotton Ball Diet:

The name of this diet sounds crazy right? That is because it is crazy. It is exactly what it sounds like. Some people thought it would be a good idea to consume cotton balls in order to diet because they would make them feel full. Apparently their reasoning comes from the fact that cotton balls are low in calories. Well they are also extremely high in fiber which will likely lead to intestinal blockage over time. Sure they may lose weight, but it will be because they are in excruciating abdominal pain because their intestines are about to burst. This diet is a terrible idea and you should never try it.

Those were just a few examples of the countless dangerous diets that exist. Do not fall into trends and cause harm to your body. It is best to find a healthy balanced diet that works for you. The following chapters in this book will begin to go over how you should set your diet up in order to make it work for you and help you reach you goals of having a healthy body and a better life.