My foot issue is no better, but I just made an appointment for the podiatrist. I haven’t as my fear is he will say “stop walking” which for me is NOT an option, but neither is the pain.

I WILL KEEP THIS UP!!! If anyone notices I’m MIA, feel free to PM me. or find me on FB.

Now, for the real thread post…..as usual, commit to as many or as few minutes you WILL exercise this month. ANYTHING you consider exercise counts! Please post here something like “I’m at 21/400″ or just 310/1000. That way I don’t have to search to add up all your numbers. I will update this periodically….hopefully frequently!

Now, GET MOVING!!

10% – Getting Started!
25% – On your way!
50% – Half-way there!
75% – You CAN do it!
90% – Just a little bit more!
100% – You DID it!
Over the top!

goldcupmom – 0/3500

View the original article here

2 Simple Steps To Ripped Summertime Muscles

Summer is on the horizon, and the time has come to kick back and relax under the sun. It’s time for beach days, barbecues and pool parties, and for any serious weightlifter these activities also mean one thing: it’s time for the shirts to come off and to showcase that rock-solid physique they’ve been working on all year. No one wants to be walking around with a soft, smooth and flabby body, and for the next month or two, all of those serious lifters will be shifting into “get ripped” mode.

How do they usually go about this?

They lighten up the weights and perform higher reps.

This has always been a widely accepted method of “cutting down” and if you ask most trainers in the gym they’ll tell you that “heavy weights bulk up the muscle and lighter weights define the muscle”.

Do you want to know the reality behind the “light weight and high reps” method of obtaining a ripped and defined physique?

It is completely, totally and utterly DEAD WRONG.

It couldn’t be farther from the truth. In fact, there is no logical basis for this way of training whatsoever, and whoever dreamt up this downright ridiculous way of thinking has caused the vast majority of lifters to waste their time and impede their progress in the gym.

Let me clear this up once and for all: you CANNOT spot reduce. In other words, it is physically impossible to target fat loss from a specific area on your body. Performing bench presses with light resistance and high repetitions will not magically burn fat off of your chest or cause it to appear harder and more defined.

Every single time you wrap your hands around a barbell, dumbbell or cable, your goal is to stimulate as much muscle growth as you possibly can. There are no special, secret weightlifting exercises that will “define” your muscles or cause them to become more “ripped”.

Training with weights builds muscle mass, end of story.

So how exactly do you “define” a muscle?

The only way to “define” a muscle is by lowering your body fat level in order to make your muscles more visible. Body fat reduction can be achieved in two ways:

1) Modify your diet.

You should lower your overall caloric intake to around 15x your bodyweight and focus on consuming smaller meals more frequently throughout the day. This will keep your metabolism naturally raised at all times and will keep your body in a constant fat burning state. Limit your intake of saturated fats and simple sugars, and focus instead on consuming lean sources of protein and low glycemic carbohydrates. It is also very important to keep your water intake high at a level of around 0.6 ounces per pound of bodyweight.

2) Perform proper cardio workouts.

Let go of the traditional method of moderate intensity cardio in 30-45 minute durations. If you want to maximize your body’s fat burning capacity and also minimize the muscle loss that inevitably accompanies a fat burning cycle, focus on shorter cardio workouts performed at a high level of intensity. These types of workouts will shoot your resting metabolism through the roof and will allow you to burn maximum amounts of fat even when you are at rest. I recommend 3-5 high intensity cardio sessions per week, spaced at least 8 hours away from your weight workouts.

That’s all there is to it, folks. Take the notion of “light weight and higher reps” and throw it right out the window, down the street and around the corner. Following this misguided method will only cause you to lose muscle mass and strength, and will not assist you in burning fat or defining your physique.

All you need to do to mold those rock-solid muscles for the summer time is this:

1) Train with heavy weights and low repetitions to build maximum muscle mass.

2) Modify your diet and implement cardio workouts to eliminate body fat and create visibly harder and more defined muscles.

End of story.

I’ll see you at the beach!

View the original article here

Today, obesity is a major cause of concern for people all around the world. Stressful lifestyle and unhealthy eating habits have made matters worst. Overweight people are more at risk to life long diseases like blood pressure, diabetes, hypertension, etc.

Trying to lose weight can be a frustrating experience. Sometimes it can be so upsetting that you just stop trying! However, ever since diet pills were introduced into the market, they have become the best companions of people who wished to shape up and lose weight.

With so many diet pills available in the market today, selecting the right diet pill can be a very difficult task. One product that has proven to be a big hit among people is Zotrim. Zotrim is manufactured by Natures Remedies, which is a UK based company, specializing in manufacturing novel products for weight management.

Zotrim was developed as a result of extensive research on three South American plant extracts. These plants have long standing ancient history of weight loss treatment, and the development of Zotrim is a breakthrough in Natural weight loss treatment. The ingredients used in Zotrim are Damiana, Guarana, and Yerba Mate. Yerba Mate produces invigorating and stimulating effects in the body. The ingredient Guarana contains three times more caffeine than coffee and its primary function is to increase the metabolism rate, improve mental awareness, and increase concentration. The ingredient Damiana is used mainly to energize and to invigorate the body.

Zotrim has been clinically tested and has been found to be a safe product. Zotrim acts by making you feel fuller, and you thus eat less and consume fewer calories. This in turn makes you lose weight naturally. Zotrim has experienced many media successes and has featured in the Daily Mail, the Daily Mirror and most recently on the BBC.

The official website of Zotrim provides detailed information about the product, and there are many customer testimonials also listed on the website. One pack of Zotrim comes at a reasonable price of $40.00, and if you are not satisfied with the product, you can claim your money back from the company.

Zotrim is currently one of the best weight loss pills available in the market. Grab one pack for yourself and see the change.

Learn more about Zotrim. Stop by Rachel Clark’s site where you can find out all about Zotrim Weight Loss Pill and what it can do for you.

View the original article here

Every bodybuilder has some concept of how you can build muscle, but few of them really know how to lose weight and build muscle. Bulking up may be the easy part, all you have to do is pump ever-increasing levels of iron.

The losing fat may be the hard part because that requires a lot of self-discipline and dedication.

It’s a proven fact that the greater muscle you build the more fat you burn. Muscle requires 3 times more energy to work than fat uses. The main solution to losing fat would be to develop muscle.

The other a part of losing weight is diet. This is the hard part since it requires that we shut off all desires for desserts, candy, soft drinks, bread created using any kind of flour and alcohol based drinks. No refined sugars or grains allowed on a bodybuilders diet.

A bodybuilder weight and resistance training program will include exercises for every muscle group in the body; chest, shoulders, back, arms, core and legs. You have to make five trips per week towards the fitness center for at least an hour or so or even more of pumping iron per session.

If you are an exercise novice, you will need to seek the advice of the expert about the best way to lose weight and develop muscle. The trainer at your local fitness centre is the logical person to visit. They will begin a program for you that actually works every muscle to total exhaustion at least once per week.

Here is what a weekly schedule of workouts along with other fitness activity will look like:

* Monday – Workout focus is on chest

o The bench press – 3 sets of 10 reps

o Dumbbell flies or Pec-Deck – 3 sets of 10 reps

o Incline The bench press – 3 sets of 10 reps

o Decline The bench press – 3 sets of 10 reps

o Push-Ups – 3 sets of 25 reps

o Core Exercises

? Sit-ups

? Crunches

? Leg Raises

? Dumbbell Side-bends

* Tuesday – Workout focus is on legs

o Squats – 3 sets of 10 reps

o Hack Squats – 3 sets of 10 reps

o Sissy Squats – 3 sets of 10 reps

o Leg Extensions – 3 sets of 10 reps

o Thigh Biceps Curls – 3 sets of 10 reps

o Calf Raises – 3 sets of 10 reps

o Donkey Calf Raises – 3 sets of 10 reps

o Lunges with Dumbbells – 3 sets of 25 reps

* Wednesday – Workout focus is on Shoulders

o Standing Barbell Press – 3 of 10

o Seated Dumbbell Press – 3 of 10

o Front Dumbbell Raises – 3 of 10

o Lateral Dumbbell Raises – 3 of 10

o Upright Barbell Rowing – 3 of 10

o Bent-Over Dumbbell Extension – 3 of 10

o Barbell Shrugs -3 of 10

o Core Exercises – 3 of 25

? Flat bench crunches

? Decline bench crunches

? Compound crunches on mat

* Thursday – Workout focus is on Back. Three sets of 10 reps on each.

o Pull-Ups on chinning bar

o Front Levers on chinning bar

o Lat Machine Pull-Downs

o Seated Rowing with cable-and-pulley

o Bent Over Rowing with barbell

o Bent Over Rowing with dumbbell, one arm at a time

o Core Exercises – 3 of 25

? Flat bench leg raises

? Compound sit-ups on mat

? Dip bar leg raises

? Upright twists

* Friday – Workout focus is on Arms. Three sets of 10 reps

o Biceps Barbell curls

o Triceps Press Down, cable-and-pulley (lat) machine

o Biceps Dumbbell Curls on incline bench

o French Presses on flat bench

o PreacherBench curls with easy-curl-bar

o Bent Over Dumbbell Extensions

o Concentration Curls with single dumbbell

o Dumbbell Presses from behind the neck

o Core Exercises

? Decline Sit-Ups

? Compound Decline Sit-Ups

? Compound Leg Raises

Diet – The truly hard part

Protein – 25% of calories from eggs, organ meats, red meat, poultry and fish Carbohydrates – 40% of calories from fresh fruits and vegetables. No potatoes or rice. Fats and Fibers – 35% of calories from natural fats, soluble oils and fibrous vegetables and fruit.

Supplements – Protein powder, proteins and vitamins.

Learn more about how to get six packs. Stop by Annette Lode’s site where you can find out all about how to get six packs and what it can do for you.

View the original article here

Stevia is an herb and it’s a very important one these days because the sweeteners that we have, the man-made sweeteners, are not very healthy for us. Stevia is grown primarily in South America in the area of Paraguay and parts of Brazil used by the local Guarani Indians as a sweetening agent.

We will demonstrate a way to lose weight by incorporating stevia into your diet when a sweetener is desired.

Stevia is a genus of about 240 species of herbs and shrubs in the sunflower family ,native to subtropical and tropical regions from western North America to South America. The species Stevia rebaudiana, commonly known as sweet leaf, sugar leaf, or stevia is widely grown for its sweet leaves. When used as a sweetener , stevia’s taste has a slower onset and longer duration than that of sucrose.

The plant’s interest today, and for the last 30 or 40 years, is that it has an unusually high sweetening capacity. Stevia leaf is about 50 times sweeter than sugar, maybe more, and the compounds in stevia could be up to 300 or 400 times sweeter than sucrose (table sugar). So, the individual compounds in the leaf that convey its sweetening activity or flavor are highly concentrated sweetening agents with no caloric value whatsoever. The beneficial thing about stevia is that you can flavor coffee or tea or drinks or cook with it without adding calories. In modern times where obesity is considered by public health officials at epidemic levels, and the problems that are associated with obesity, like diabetes, metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular disease are also prevalent, we need to find ways to sweeten and flavor our foods and at the same time reduce caloric intake. Particularly with all the high calorie drinks consumed by children that are most commonly sweetened with high fructose corn syrup.

The availability of stevia varies from nation to nation. In a few countries, it has been available as a sweetener for decades or centuries; as an example, stevia is widely used as a sweetener in Japan where it has been available for decades. In some countries, stevia is restricted or banned. In other countries, health concerns and political controversies have limited its availability; for example, the United States banned stevia in the early 1990s unless labeled as a supplement, but in 2008 approved rebaudioside-A extract as a food additive. Over time, the number of countries in which stevia is available as a sweetener has been on the increase.

In 2006, the World Health Organization (WHO) performed a thorough evaluation of recent experimental studies of stevioside and steviols conducted on animals and humans, and concluded that “stevioside and rebaudioside A are not genotoxic in vivo or in vitro. In addition the report found no evidence of carcinogenic activity. In addition, the report found that “stevioside has shown some evidence of pharmacological effects in patients with hypertension or with type-2 diabetes but concluded that further study was required to determine proper dosage. The WHO’s Joint Experts Committee on Food Additives has approved, based on long-term studies, an acceptable daily intake of steviol glycoside of up to 4 milligrams per kg of bodyweight.

The alternatives to stevia most frequently are chemical sweeteners, in most cases, and many individuals have safety concerns with them. The thing about stevia is that repeatedly, the data illustrate that stevia is safe. As a matter of fact, just this last June of 2008, the Joint Expert Committee for Food Additives, a special expert committee of the World Health Organization and United Nations, after a three year review of all the chemistry, toxicology, pharmacology and clinical trials on stevia have concluded that stevia is a extremely safe plant extract. On the basis of this report Australia has approved stevia as a food additive in Australia. It’s already being used extensively, for the past 30 years, in Japan and Korea.

On December 19, 2008. the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the herb stevia (Stevia rebaudiana) as a safe food additive. Before this official approval from the FDA, several companies, including food giants Cargill and Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, and Wisdom Natural Brands, performed reviews self-affirming GRAS (generally recognized as safe) status of stevia as a natural, no-calorie sweetener. The good news is some major cultural and food-based companies in the United States, multibillion dollar companies, are putting resources into stevia, putting money into science confirming the safety of stevia. The resultant will be that the consumer, in the United States, possibly within the next few years, are going to have access to sweeteners and products sweetened with stevia, and that would have nothing but a positive effect on public health.

To see more about a how to lose weight fast and keep it off permanently visit us at: way to lose weight Also published at Stevia For Weight Loss.

View the original article here

When we first begin a weight loss diet our motivation tends to be at its highest, but this initial momentum can be hard to maintain weeks, or even months, into our eating program.

One tip you may find useful in maintaining your motivation to lose weight is to simply take action, rather than over-thinking everything.  If you have a lot of weight to lose it is very likely that you will feel overwhelmed at the thought of having to lose so much weight and this can often cause you to self-sabotage and give up too soon.  By taking action – even the smallest effort such as getting out of your chair during the TV adverts and walking on the spot – will all add up and make a difference.  If you set yourself smaller interim goals rather than focusing on the ultimate weight loss goal you will get results.  Set these interim goals at 2lbs (1Kg) and reward yourself with a non-edible treat each time you reach your mini-goal.  Your motivation will be maintained as you succeed in reaching each goal that you set yourself.

If goal-setting is not for you, how about asking yourself  ”what can I do right this minute to be healthier?”  Small changes such as going for a walk, doing some sit-ups, drinking more water, choosing a salad for lunch instead of a less healthy option, can all make a difference.  If you make enough of these healthy decisions in a day…..in a week….in a month, imagine how quickly you will start to see some positive changes.   See how far out of your comfort zone you can go and stick to it for a day, then a week, and then continue for months.  Focus on getting healthy rather than just losing weight and you will find that weight loss comes more naturally as a result of your healthy lifestyle and attitude.  Every little step you take towards better health counts in the long run. Every biscuit you don’t eat is one that’s not settling on your hips or clogging your arteries. Every step you take towards 10,000/day is setting you up for good health.

You can also try some affirmations or self-talk whenever you are tempted to eat something you shouldn’t.  Next time you reach for the biscuits or a bar of chocolate, say to yourself “nothing will EVER taste as good as what looking and being healthy will feel”.  Try reversing your thinking and instead of telling yourself that you ‘deserve to eat this treat’, or ‘I deserve to have another helping’, say to yourself “I deserve to be the best I can be” and “I deserve to be healthy, fit and happy”.

Without a reason to lose weight it is hard to stay on track. With a really good reason you can do great things.  You have to find what ‘rocks your boat’.    The fact is that you have to WANT to do it and WANT to do it for yourself. Not “my husband wants me to lose weight” or “my kids NEED me to lose weight”.  Reverse  your thinking to “I WANT to lose weight so I can enjoy my family, run around with my kids etc…”

No matter how strong your motivation is, there will still be times when you ‘cheat’.  The thing to remember is that your weight loss will not be completely sabotaged by a bar of chocolate, or a cream cake.  What will sabotage your diet is if you then go on an all-out binge simply because you have ‘ruined’ your diet.  If you do slip up and eat something you shouldn’t, immediately get back on track right NOW – don’t leave it until the next day otherwise you will feel guilty, less determined and more likely to give up completely.

A good way of maintaining your motivation to lose weight is to measure your progress regularly.  Choose a day and time to measure your waist and weigh yourself and record the results.  Each loss – whether on the tape measure or scales – will encourage you to keep going and stay on track.  Keep a graph of your weight and measurements taken each week and challenge yourself to get that line tilting downwards. A visual tool is good for a lot of people’s motivation and even a little loss can be seen this way.

There are other visualization methods which you can use as motivation to lose weight, and they can help to keep you on the right track.  If you have a photograph of yourself looking less than your best – perhaps the least flattering photo you can find – you could stick this up on the fridge or pantry as a deterrent to pigging out.  Alternatively, you could cut out a picture of someone with a great body and use it to inspire you to be the best you can be.

The aim of the 15 Day Weight Loss Cleanse and Flush supplement is to help the body to eliminate as many toxins and waste products as possible, in order to cleanse the body.  The manufacturer also

15 Day Weight Loss Cleanse & Flush

claims that the product will help to stimulate your digestion, allowing your body to absorb nutrients and energy from your food more efficiently which will give you more energy and better health.

Each bottle contains 60 tablets, and as the recommended dose is just 2 tablets a day the bottle will in fact last you for a whole month and not just 15 days.  Nature’s Secret Cleanse & Flush programme is not intended as a long-term diet plan; it is a way of preparing your body for ongoing weight loss by cleansing it of built-up toxins and improving your body’s digestive function.

15 Day Weight Loss Ingredients

The 15 Day Weight Loss Cleanse & Flush tablets contain a bewildering number of ingredients, most of which we’ve never even heard of, but if you want to know what they are, here you go:-

Psyllium powder, Uva Ursi, Cascara Sagrada, Juniper Berry, Prune, Grapefruit, Oat Bran concentrate, Chickweed, Beet Root Fiber, Dandelion, Shattered Cell Wall Chlorella (alga-for nutrients), Echinacea Angustifolia, Ginger, Chamomile, Fenugreek, a blend of Fennel, Marshmallow, Fructooligosaccharides, Cayenne, and Bioperine black pepper extract.

Yummy – doesn’t that sound inviting?  But hey, the product is getting some good results for some people.  Check out the reviews below.

15 Day Weight Loss Cleanse & Flush – Genuine Customer Reviews

‘I purchased this product in a local health food store recently and figured i would give it a try. I was skeptical but willing to give it a shot. It was amazing. I found myself not being hungry when taking this product and it flushing out the harmful toxins in the body. After 1 week my coworkers started noticing my pants getting looser on my body and asked what i was taking. I started sharing this with a girl in my office now there are 3 of us taking it. I give it a great review and am purchasing my new bottle as we speak.’

‘This helped flatten my stomach and I am convinced helped me lose more weight even when I wasnt eating perfectly(stupid schwarma). Seven pounds in two weeks (tomorrow is my last day) is pretty darn good if you ask me. It’s inexpensive which is also a plus. Not everything you lose will be pure fat because thats not what this does it gets rid of the toxins,excess water and bloat and make your body run more efficiently which then makes it easier for to lose weight.I think I’m gonna try their ultimate weight loss cleanse next!’

‘this is working very well for me,there is no omg ive got to get to a bathroom lol, will use again and recomend to friends.’

‘…….it didn’t do what it claims for me. I have used this product several times and I really like it. I have never lost any weight, but it is a nice and gentle cleanser. I have used various things in the past to cleanse my system, such as Senna and Cascara Sagrada and they always made me feel ill and like I urgently had to go to the bathroom. This product, when taken with the proper dosage, has never made me feel like this. It is very gentle on my system. I know everyone responds differently to different products, so it may well not work the same for you! Looking at the reviews, it appears others did lose weight on this product, but I wonder what else they were doing, ie. exercise, low fat diet, etc. At best, I would think product would offer temporary weight loss because it cleans you out, but I would not think any weight loss would be sustained without a change to exercise and food relationship.’

‘I think I lost about 5 lbs in the 15 days that I used this cleanse. It was helpful in eliminating excess waste and not harsh to my system. When taken in conjunction with a reasonable diet and some exercise, I think it does assist in reduce bloating and accelerate weight loss.’

‘I had to stop after three days because of the splitting headaches and raging nausea this product caused in me’

‘This product made me constipated, I had violent and embarrassing gas, and I had a really uncomfortable distended stomach’

For more customer comments about the 15 day Weight Loss Cleanse & Flush product, click on the link here.

15 Day Weight Loss Cleanse & Flush – About the Manufacturer (Nature’s Secret)

Nature’s Secret prefers to develop products that address whole body wellness, rather than separating our body into ‘systems’.  Their products are made using mixtures of healing herbs and botanicals to treat the whole body’s imbalances, and not just the symptoms of imbalance.

15 Day Weight Loss Cleanse & Flush – Our Conclusion

Nature’s Secret is a well respected manufacturer of health supplements and vitamins.  From the customer comments above we can see that some people found very beneficial results from this product; the customers who experienced negative side-effects may well have been caused by the elimination of the toxins from their systems which is exactly what the product is trying to achieve.  There is no ‘one size fits all’ product which will suit everybody, but the general consensus of customers is that they did see some benefits from using the 15 Day Weight Loss Cleanse & Flush.

Click here to lock in the best price for the 15 Day Weight Loss Cleanse & Flush.