I get so tired of people saying that it is so hard to eat in at home. Here are a few reasons why I beg to differ with that statement.
1: Eating in is cheaper.
Fast food is expensive. You can make the same thing at home for a fraction of the cost and make more of it for a family.
2. Eating in is healthier.
Fast food and restaurants are notorious for adding extra sugars, oils, and other fattening ingredients and you don't know what is added. At home you have more control of how something is prepared.
3. Eating in is more convenient.
There are a million recipes that you can prepare the day beforehand, you can utilize your freezer by making a lot one day and then freezing the rest.
4. Eating in is boring.
You can cook a wonderful meal with your family, have friends over, or just experiment with different types of food.
Yes it is alright to eat out on occasion, but it should not be the norm. Get the whole family involved and spend quality time together as a family. It is by far much healthier. As a nation, we need to be extremely careful about eating at fast food restaurants and teaching our children that it is the norm. Watch this video and learn why traditional fast food restaurants are making us more obese.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Making the Time
For all of you that are refusing to make the time for exercising let me just tell you this simple fact. When you make time for exercise you will have more energy and stanima to get through the rest of your day. In short that means that you will be more productive in other areas of your life, because you won't be as tired and stressed out from the events of your day.
Each day is just twenty four hours long. There is absolutely nothing we can do to add extra time so we must make the most of the time that we do have during our day. This is another reason why experts suggest exercising in the morning, because then you have more to give during the day. When you exercise at night, you do not have this luxuary to the full extent.
It is critical that you make time for yourself. Yes, while it is true that we are here to serve others, we are also to be good stewards over our own selves. If you don't take care of yourself, then you will not be able to take care of others that need you. Also keep in mind, that others who love you, want the best for you and for you take care of yourself.
Make the time for exercise and you will have more time. Your twenty four hours will seem that much longer because you won't have to drag through your day. So make the time.
Each day is just twenty four hours long. There is absolutely nothing we can do to add extra time so we must make the most of the time that we do have during our day. This is another reason why experts suggest exercising in the morning, because then you have more to give during the day. When you exercise at night, you do not have this luxuary to the full extent.
It is critical that you make time for yourself. Yes, while it is true that we are here to serve others, we are also to be good stewards over our own selves. If you don't take care of yourself, then you will not be able to take care of others that need you. Also keep in mind, that others who love you, want the best for you and for you take care of yourself.
Make the time for exercise and you will have more time. Your twenty four hours will seem that much longer because you won't have to drag through your day. So make the time.
Monday, June 8, 2009
10 Rules Unfit People Follow
Here are some basic rules that unfit people follow. There are many other rules that I am missing, but here are some of the big ones that is keeping us unfit.
1.) I eat whatever I want. These people do not pay any attention to what they eat. If they want it, then they eat it with absolutely no regard to its nutritional value. They do not believe in moderation.
2.) I do not exercise. These people believe that exercise is meant for someone else. They do not believe in it and will not do it under any circumstances. They feel that exercise is a waste of time.
3.) I can rely on my genetics to keep me in shape. Genetics only plays into effect for a limited time. Even a person with good genetics needs to exercise. Genetics will only carry you so far in terms of your body and the health of your organs.
4.)I can eat at any time. You should really stop eating about 2 to 2 1/2 hours before bed. Your metabolism slows when you sleep and unburned calories will turn into fat.
5.) They follow every fad diet. Fad diets are just that a fad. They come and they go, because they either don't work at all or if they do they are very limited. Most fad diets are very generic in what you can and can not consume. This poses a conflict, because every person is different and no two people can follow the same diet and get the same result.
6.) They lose weight too fast. These people do everything that they can to lose as much weight as they can as fast as they can. Then in return they gain back more than before they started. This is the yo-yo dieter.
7.) They take diet pills from infomercials. These don't work, they are quite dangerous and addictive. Unless you are severely obese and under a physians care you should not be taking any pills from informercials or over the counter.
8.) They compare themselves to others. God made you to be who you are. Psalms 139:14 says, "I will praise thee, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made." We are each unique and to want to be someone else is to say that God made a mistake.
9.) They eat one big meal a day. These people eat little to no breakfast, skip lunch, have a small snack and then a enornous dinner. You should eat several small meals through the day and eat breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, moderate dinner.
10.) They eat fast food all of the time. Fast food generally has a bunch of unnecessary and empty calories, high sodium, high cholesterol, and sugar. Eating at home is healthier and cheaper.
1.) I eat whatever I want. These people do not pay any attention to what they eat. If they want it, then they eat it with absolutely no regard to its nutritional value. They do not believe in moderation.
2.) I do not exercise. These people believe that exercise is meant for someone else. They do not believe in it and will not do it under any circumstances. They feel that exercise is a waste of time.
3.) I can rely on my genetics to keep me in shape. Genetics only plays into effect for a limited time. Even a person with good genetics needs to exercise. Genetics will only carry you so far in terms of your body and the health of your organs.
4.)I can eat at any time. You should really stop eating about 2 to 2 1/2 hours before bed. Your metabolism slows when you sleep and unburned calories will turn into fat.
5.) They follow every fad diet. Fad diets are just that a fad. They come and they go, because they either don't work at all or if they do they are very limited. Most fad diets are very generic in what you can and can not consume. This poses a conflict, because every person is different and no two people can follow the same diet and get the same result.
6.) They lose weight too fast. These people do everything that they can to lose as much weight as they can as fast as they can. Then in return they gain back more than before they started. This is the yo-yo dieter.
7.) They take diet pills from infomercials. These don't work, they are quite dangerous and addictive. Unless you are severely obese and under a physians care you should not be taking any pills from informercials or over the counter.
8.) They compare themselves to others. God made you to be who you are. Psalms 139:14 says, "I will praise thee, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made." We are each unique and to want to be someone else is to say that God made a mistake.
9.) They eat one big meal a day. These people eat little to no breakfast, skip lunch, have a small snack and then a enornous dinner. You should eat several small meals through the day and eat breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, moderate dinner.
10.) They eat fast food all of the time. Fast food generally has a bunch of unnecessary and empty calories, high sodium, high cholesterol, and sugar. Eating at home is healthier and cheaper.
It Has To Be For You
Exercising and eating right has to be decision that you have to make for yourself. It is something that needs to be a lifestyle change. As much as you love your spouse, children, and family if you attempt to do it for them you will eventually fail. Donna Richardson makes sure that you take care of yourself for you in Exercise Your WeightTo A Healthy Body
You may be successful in the beginning, but if it is not in your heart to make these changes then you will only succeed for a limited time. Before you begin, take it before God. Only God knows your heart and can give you strength. Matthew 7:7 says, " ASk, and it will be given to you, seek, and you will find, knock, and it will be opened to you."
Do not allow the negativity of other people influence you into not doing what is best for your health. Only God can judge you. There will be times when you will fall off, do not get discouraged. We are not perfect, just get back on course and start again. Be sure that you learn from your mistakes. Learning has not taken place until there has been a modification in behavoir.
Do this from the inside out from your heart and you will succeed. The trinity knows your heart and will give you the best if you give the trinity your best.
You may be successful in the beginning, but if it is not in your heart to make these changes then you will only succeed for a limited time. Before you begin, take it before God. Only God knows your heart and can give you strength. Matthew 7:7 says, " ASk, and it will be given to you, seek, and you will find, knock, and it will be opened to you."
Do not allow the negativity of other people influence you into not doing what is best for your health. Only God can judge you. There will be times when you will fall off, do not get discouraged. We are not perfect, just get back on course and start again. Be sure that you learn from your mistakes. Learning has not taken place until there has been a modification in behavoir.
Do this from the inside out from your heart and you will succeed. The trinity knows your heart and will give you the best if you give the trinity your best.
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Eating Healthy Does Taste Good
I always hear people say that they don't eat healthy because it doesn't taste good. I can tell you that this is just another excuse that people use. There are so many seasonings, herbs, spices etc that you can use to add flavor to your meals.
I have had so many meals that are completely healthy for you. Research various receipes that allow you to make subsitutions as a healthier alternative. Don't automatically assume that you have to use unhealthy ingredients to make your foods taste good.
Most things that you would normally fry can also be baked or grilled. Try it, it may take some practice but I promise you they will taste good. Somethings I think we fry for no other reason than that is how it was done by previous generations.
You will be surprised to how fast your taste buds will adjust and then you won't tell the difference. Here are a couple of suggestions.
1. Bake, grill, or poach
2. Use seasonings, herbs, spices
3. Steam veggies
4. Use honey rather than refined sugar.
5. Subsitute white grains for whole wheat grains
Just make small substitutes at a time and you will get to a point when you don't even miss the unhealthy alternative. Watch the following video so that you can teach your children that healthy eating can taste good.
I have had so many meals that are completely healthy for you. Research various receipes that allow you to make subsitutions as a healthier alternative. Don't automatically assume that you have to use unhealthy ingredients to make your foods taste good.
Most things that you would normally fry can also be baked or grilled. Try it, it may take some practice but I promise you they will taste good. Somethings I think we fry for no other reason than that is how it was done by previous generations.
You will be surprised to how fast your taste buds will adjust and then you won't tell the difference. Here are a couple of suggestions.
1. Bake, grill, or poach
2. Use seasonings, herbs, spices
3. Steam veggies
4. Use honey rather than refined sugar.
5. Subsitute white grains for whole wheat grains
Just make small substitutes at a time and you will get to a point when you don't even miss the unhealthy alternative. Watch the following video so that you can teach your children that healthy eating can taste good.
Eating Healthy Is About Moderation
I hear so many people saying the number one reason they don't eat healthy is because it doesn't taste good or they don't want to give up everything that they love. All I have to say is, that is nothing more than another excuse.
There is nothing that says that you can't have your favorite foods that are not healthy for you ever again. If you have a piece of desert or something fried every once in a while, it isn't going to have any affect on you. The problem comes when it is the norm and you eat more unhealthy food than you do healthy food.
It never fails, we always want to do or crave what we are told that we can't have or do. For example, if someone says don't look, the first thing we want to do is to look. This is true even if we had zero desire to look prior to them saying something.
That is why it is so important to replace most of the unhealthy food, you will never hear me say replace it all. Not only is it completely unrealistic, it is deprevation. Although I will never tell you to replace it, I will tell you to have it only in small moderations. Believe it or not you will gradually lose your cravings and understand that you are not missing anything when you don't have it.
So go ahead and treat yourself, just don't let it be the norm. It doesn't even have to be a treat, eat it and enjoy it.
There is nothing that says that you can't have your favorite foods that are not healthy for you ever again. If you have a piece of desert or something fried every once in a while, it isn't going to have any affect on you. The problem comes when it is the norm and you eat more unhealthy food than you do healthy food.
It never fails, we always want to do or crave what we are told that we can't have or do. For example, if someone says don't look, the first thing we want to do is to look. This is true even if we had zero desire to look prior to them saying something.
That is why it is so important to replace most of the unhealthy food, you will never hear me say replace it all. Not only is it completely unrealistic, it is deprevation. Although I will never tell you to replace it, I will tell you to have it only in small moderations. Believe it or not you will gradually lose your cravings and understand that you are not missing anything when you don't have it.
So go ahead and treat yourself, just don't let it be the norm. It doesn't even have to be a treat, eat it and enjoy it.
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Arm Exercises
Arms are also very important in the fact that you use them for so much that you do in your daily life. Once again there are several different exercises that you can use to work the different muscles in your arms. Here are some weights that you can use for your arm exercises dumbbells or you can use the rubber version
Your arm is made up of your tricep, bicep, and forearm. You must work all areas of your arm to remain balanced although the tricep seems to take the mosst work from my personal experience.
Triceps
1.)French press.
-Sit in a chair bench.
-Flat palm one dumbbell with both hands.
-Keep your elbows as close to your ears as possible.
-Drop the weight behind your head down as far as you can.
-Press the weight up towards the ceiling, squeezing at the top.
2.Close in grip.
-Lay down on a flat bench press machine.
-Extend your thumbs so that they are touching each other. Grip the bar.
-Bring down the bar, pointing your elbows out.
-Push up the bar.
3.)Tricep push down. This is a cable exercise.
-Determine the bar. Either the "w" or the "v"
-Stand with your feet together about 6 inches from where the bar falls.
-Grab the bar and extend down to your thighs.
-Be sure to squeeze every time you go down.
-Go back up.
Biceps
1.)Curls. Can be done with bar, dumbbells, barbells, cable, and machine.
There are a million different curls that you can perform, so ask questions.
- Stand or sit depending on what you are using.
- Curl up, keeping your elbows close to your body.
-Release.
Your elbow position will vary, so it is critical to pay close attention to form.
When I say there are a million different curls that is what I mean so try several out to determine what works for you.
Forearms.
1. Forearm curl.
-Lean over a bench so your forearms are half way on the bench.
-Hold dumbbell or bar in your fingertips and curl up.
-Squeeze every time you come up.
You can also do these by standing up with dumbbells at your sides.
Experiment with the different arm exercises to determine what works best for you.
Your arm is made up of your tricep, bicep, and forearm. You must work all areas of your arm to remain balanced although the tricep seems to take the mosst work from my personal experience.
Triceps
1.)French press.
-Sit in a chair bench.
-Flat palm one dumbbell with both hands.
-Keep your elbows as close to your ears as possible.
-Drop the weight behind your head down as far as you can.
-Press the weight up towards the ceiling, squeezing at the top.
2.Close in grip.
-Lay down on a flat bench press machine.
-Extend your thumbs so that they are touching each other. Grip the bar.
-Bring down the bar, pointing your elbows out.
-Push up the bar.
3.)Tricep push down. This is a cable exercise.
-Determine the bar. Either the "w" or the "v"
-Stand with your feet together about 6 inches from where the bar falls.
-Grab the bar and extend down to your thighs.
-Be sure to squeeze every time you go down.
-Go back up.
Biceps
1.)Curls. Can be done with bar, dumbbells, barbells, cable, and machine.
There are a million different curls that you can perform, so ask questions.
- Stand or sit depending on what you are using.
- Curl up, keeping your elbows close to your body.
-Release.
Your elbow position will vary, so it is critical to pay close attention to form.
When I say there are a million different curls that is what I mean so try several out to determine what works for you.
Forearms.
1. Forearm curl.
-Lean over a bench so your forearms are half way on the bench.
-Hold dumbbell or bar in your fingertips and curl up.
-Squeeze every time you come up.
You can also do these by standing up with dumbbells at your sides.
Experiment with the different arm exercises to determine what works best for you.
Back Exercises
Your back is also very important to work out. There are a million different exercises that will work the back. In order to get a full back workout, you must do several different variations and modifications of exercises. There are back exercises for free weights, barbells, dumbbells, and cables. It is up to you to become educated and familiar with the many different exercises and then you can switch up your back routine on a regular basis. You can also use dumbbells or you can use the rubber version
1.) Lateral pull. This is either on a machine or cable.
-First sit down and make sure the pad in snuggly against your thighs when you place your feet flat on the ground.
-Stand up and grab the bar or handles. There are a lot of different bars to choose from.
-As you pull the bar down, lean back slightly and push out your chest squeezing your back together.
-Release allowing the bar to stretch at the top of the exercise. Do not allow the weight to pull you from under the pad.
-Remember these may be a horizontal or vertical pull depending on the machine.
2.)Chainsaws. These are also quite common.
-Lean over the weight stack or on a bench. Support yourself with one hand.
-In the opposite hand, hold the weight at a slight angle and then pull back until your hand is by your armpit. Release
3.) T-bar pull. These are done with free weights.
-Place your feet on the platform and grab the handles.
-Pull back so your hands are by your armpits, release.
Your back requires a lot of work and will balance out your frame. When your back is strong, you are strong. It also improves your posture. As many of you know, when your back is weak, you have other problems. Strengthening your back is essential to your improvement in your overall health.
1.) Lateral pull. This is either on a machine or cable.
-First sit down and make sure the pad in snuggly against your thighs when you place your feet flat on the ground.
-Stand up and grab the bar or handles. There are a lot of different bars to choose from.
-As you pull the bar down, lean back slightly and push out your chest squeezing your back together.
-Release allowing the bar to stretch at the top of the exercise. Do not allow the weight to pull you from under the pad.
-Remember these may be a horizontal or vertical pull depending on the machine.
2.)Chainsaws. These are also quite common.
-Lean over the weight stack or on a bench. Support yourself with one hand.
-In the opposite hand, hold the weight at a slight angle and then pull back until your hand is by your armpit. Release
3.) T-bar pull. These are done with free weights.
-Place your feet on the platform and grab the handles.
-Pull back so your hands are by your armpits, release.
Your back requires a lot of work and will balance out your frame. When your back is strong, you are strong. It also improves your posture. As many of you know, when your back is weak, you have other problems. Strengthening your back is essential to your improvement in your overall health.
Friday, May 29, 2009
Calf Exercises
Your calves are also very important to keep you balanced. Some say that they are also a hard muscle to develop, but it can be done. Here are some suggestions.
1.Seated calf raise. Sit on the machine with the pad on your thighs and the balls of your feet on the foot rest. Release the handle and drop your heels to the floor, then raise to your tip toes. Repeat.
2. Standing calf raise. The same as the seated calf raise, except you are standing. Stand in the machine putting your shoulders under the pads.
3. Calf extensions. These can be done on either the leg press machine or on a separate calf machine. Put the balls of your feet on the foot pad and press with your toes.
4. Donkey raise. These are when you bend forward at the waist and place the pad on your hips and raise and lower with your toes.
1.Seated calf raise. Sit on the machine with the pad on your thighs and the balls of your feet on the foot rest. Release the handle and drop your heels to the floor, then raise to your tip toes. Repeat.
2. Standing calf raise. The same as the seated calf raise, except you are standing. Stand in the machine putting your shoulders under the pads.
3. Calf extensions. These can be done on either the leg press machine or on a separate calf machine. Put the balls of your feet on the foot pad and press with your toes.
4. Donkey raise. These are when you bend forward at the waist and place the pad on your hips and raise and lower with your toes.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)