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Tips to Looking + Feeling Great
by Erin James
Flaxseed, called linseed in some countries, is a good source
of dietary fiber, omega-3 fatty acids, and lignans.
The best manner of extracting the oil while maintaining all
the health benefits of the omega-3 fatty acids is by cold
pressing the seed. In this form of oil extraction the flax
seed oil is pressed out of the seed and not exposed to heat.
But now let¡¯s talk about the nutritional values
of flax seed. They are the best source for Omega 3 fatty acids,
which is great for the brain and concentration. Adding flax
seeds to your diet can increase your ability to concentrate
better and think faster. The types of fats present in the
brain influence its structure and function. How well your
mind works depends, in the long run, on what you eat.
Like olive, canola, and most other plant oils, flax seed
oil is highly unsaturated and heart-healthy.
16 Tips to Looking + Feeling Great
Do you want to improve the quality of your life? Do you want
to look and feel better than you have in years ¨C maybe
better than you ever have before? Do you want to protect yourself
from disease and injury? And do you want to live a longer,
more vital life?
I¡¯m confident that you answered YES! to each
of those questions, just as the hundreds of individuals I¡¯ve
counseled, coached, and trained in my career as a Certified
Personal Fitness Trainer and Rehabilitation Specialist.
I¡¯m now going to reveal to you the 16 essential
strategies that have enabled my clients to achieve the health
and fitness goals they always wanted! 16 Essential Weight
Loss and Fitness Strategies
1. In the beginning, your fitness program should not be overly
aggressive. One of the biggest problems people encounter when
starting a fitness program is rapidly depleted motivation
after only a few weeks due to an overly ambitious fitness
program. Attempting to do too much too fast is worse than
doing nothing at all! Because then you feel like exercise
is too hard and it¡¯s just not for you.
Start out slow, maybe just shooting for 1 or 2 workouts a
week. Once you have successfully added that to your normal
routine, then attempt to slowly add to your fitness program.
Plus, most people don¡¯t need to exercise more
than 3-4 times a week. That doesn¡¯t mean you can¡¯t
exercise more; it¡¯s just not necessary.
2. Always have a detailed plan! In order to reach your health
and fitness goals, you must have a road map to follow. I can¡¯t
stress this enough. If you are unsure of how to put together
a fitness plan, or if you¡¯re uncertain of the
effectiveness of the one you have, I highly recommend you
consult a professional fitness trainer. With a well thought
out plan you are much more likely to be successful!
3. Set realistic, attainable goals. You must have tangible,
quantifiable, short and long-term goals so you can measure
and assess your progress. Too many people have totally unrealistic
expectations of what to expect from an exercise and nutrition
program. The best way for you to understand what is realistic
and attainable is to talk with a fitness professional ¨C
not to buy into the ¡°hype¡± of infomercials
and diet and fitness products that are blatantly misleading.
4. Keep a journal! This is one of the most important things
you can do. If you¡¯re not tracking what you¡¯re
doing, how will you know what worked? There are quite a few
great exercise and nutrition logs I¡¯ve come across.
You should keep track of all your exercise and also each day¡¯s
food intake.
There¡¯s a company called NutraBiotics that makes
a great 90-day journal that can be used to track strength
training, cardiovascular exercise, and daily nutrition. If
you would like more information on this journal, please feel
free to call me at 240-731-3724.
5. You must be accountable! Set exercise appointments with
yourself if you¡¯re not working with a personal
fitness trainer. Use your appointment book to set aside times
for exercise, just like you do for meetings or events. Don¡¯t
let things get in the way. Nothing is more important than
your health! If you don¡¯t have your health you
can¡¯t effectively do anything. I often have mothers
tell me that they can¡¯t find time to exercise
because they have to take care of their children. I have 4
daughters myself, and a baby on the way, so I know exactly
how hard it is. Whatever your situation is, making the commitment
to exercise and your health IS possible, and very important.
Plus, it sets a great example for the children!
6. Remember the benefits of exercise. Being physically fit
affects every aspect of your life: you sleep better, eat better,
love better, overcome stress better, work better, communicate
better, and live better! Remember how good it feels to finish
a workout, and how great it feels to meet your goals!
7. Exercise safely and correctly. So much time is wasted
doing, at best, unproductive exercise, or at worst, dangerous
exercise. Educate yourself on how to exercise correctly. The
best way to do that is to hire a personal fitness trainer.
It could be for just a few sessions to learn the basics, or
it could be for a few months to learn everything. It¡¯s
completely up to you. But statistics prove that those who
understand how to exercise correctly get better, faster results.
And that¡¯s what you want, right?
8. Enjoy your exercise! For example, if you hate doing strength
training, try to find ways to make it more enjoyable. Circuit
training might be a more fun and exciting way to fit this
important part of fitness into your program. The key is you
should enjoy it, and if you don¡¯t you need to
look for other exercises or activities to replace whatever
it is you don¡¯t enjoy.
One of the EFAs in flaxseed oil--alpha-linolenic acid--is
known as an omega- 3 fatty acid.
Human studies have shown that flaxseed can modestly reduce
serum total and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol concentrations,
reduce postprandial glucose absorption, decrease some markers
of inflammation, and raise serum levels of the omega-3 fatty
acids, ALA and eicosapentaenoic acid.
The lignan constituents of flaxseed (not flaxseed oil) possesses
in vitro anti-oxidant and possible estrogen receptor agonist/antagonist
properties, prompting theories of efficacy for the treatment
of breast cancer. Lignan are molecules with anti-cancer, anti-viral,
and anti-bacterial properties. Flax seeds are the richest
source of lignans. Diets high in lignans can lead to a lower
chance of getting colon, prostate, and breast cancer.
There are many benefits to adding flax seeds to your diet.
Well for instance they can get rid of your constipation problem.
If you don¡¯t enjoy it, how do you expect to stick
with it?
9. Make time to stretch! It has so much benefit and takes
very little time. So many people suffer from various aches
and pains of which most can be eliminated by basic stretches!
Try to spend at least 5 minutes after each workout stretching.
For more information on stretching and how it eliminates aches
and pains, please call 240-731-3724 to request a FREE copy
of my special report ¡°No More Back Pain¡±.
10. Don¡¯t think you need to exercise 5 days a
week! I touched on this earlier. Many people feel they¡¯re
getting fat because they¡¯re not exercising. Totally
not the case! Exercise is not the answer! It¡¯s
all in your eating habits. However, exercise can aid in burning
body fat, plus there are numerous health benefits. Think of
exercise as a bonus.
How many people do you know who exercise 3-5 times per week,
but still fail to meet their weight loss and fitness goals?
I¡¯ve met hundreds! First look at your eating habits,
such as: when you eat, what you eat, how much you eat, where
you eat, and how often you eat.
11. Never skip breakfast, or any meal! If you want to maximize
your fitness or fat-loss efforts you¡¯ve got to
eat breakfast! So many people skip breakfast, and it¡¯s
the worst thing you could ever do when it comes to fat-loss.
Skipping meals throws your blood sugar all out of whack and
it sets you up to store your next meal as fat, almost guaranteed!
12. Eat fat to lose fat. Healthy fats are necessary to your
body for numerous reasons: regulating hormonal production,
improving immune function, lowering total cholesterol, and
providing the basics for healthy hair, nails, and skin.
The key is to eat the right types of fats. The ¡°good¡¯
fats are monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats like olive
oil, canola oil, sunflower oil, safflower oil, and avocados,
to name a few. The ¡°bad¡± fats are
partially hydrogenated oils, and trans fats. Most processed
foods contain large amounts of these bad fats. For more information
on the different types of fats, please call 240-731-3724 to
request a FREE copy of my Healthy Eating Guidelines.
13. Drink plenty of fresh, clean water. Yes, I know that
you have probably heard this one over and over again. But
there¡¯s a reason for that ¨C it¡¯s
that important! The recommended daily intake of water is 8
glasses, or 64 oz. You should even be drinking even more if
you are active or exercise regularly.
And no, soda, juice, coffee, and tea DON¡¯T count!
Nearly every chemical process place in your body, takes place
in water! Proper blood flow and digestion are both affected
by how much water you drink, and poor blood flow and digestion
can be linked to numerous health conditions.
14. Stabilize your blood sugar! If you want to burn fat and
prevent your body from putting it back on, you must stabilize
your blood sugar. In order to do this you need to eat small,
balanced meals or snacks every 2-3 hours.
Fasting, skipping meals, and overly restrictive diets will
enable you to lose weight ¨C in the short run. The weight
you lose is primarily water weight and muscle tissue, and
in the long run has opposite effect of what you want. When
you restrict your diet, your body instinctively thinks it¡¯s
being starved and shifts into a protective mode by slowing
down the metabolism and storing nearly all calories as body
fat. Plus, losing muscle tissue is the last thing you want
to do. Muscle burns calories, even while you sleep. You should
be focused on increasing, or at least maintaining muscle tissue.
15. Focus on increasing muscle tissue. As I mentioned previously,
muscle burns calories, so if you want to increase your metabolism,
you have to increase your muscle. The best way to do that
is with progressive strength training. That doesn¡¯t
mean you have to join a gym, buy expensive fitness equipment,
or follow some bodybuilding workout program; it simply means
you need to challenge your muscles! You can do that at home
in just 15-20 minutes, 2-3 times a week.
16. Get the help of an expert! Obviously, meeting your health
and fitness goals is important to you, so why not eliminate
the guesswork and start seeing the results you have always
wanted? With the help of a qualified professional you can!
If your car breaks down, where do you take it? Mechanic,
right? How about if you have a cavity? Dentist. So why is
it that so many people attempt to solve their health and fitness
problems without consulting an expert? I don¡¯t
know exactly, but I encourage you to make the investment in
yourself- in your life- by hiring a professional to educate
you and help you meet your goals.
So there you have it. The 16 essential strategies for an
effective weight loss and fitness program that will have you
looking and feeling great!
Heart disease is by far the #1 killer in the U. S., although
1/3 of those deaths could be prevented if people exercised
more and followed better diets, the American Heart Association
said in an annual report. Men who eat fish frequently have
a lower risk of prostate cancer. Stomach and intestinal cancers
also appear to be less common in fish eaters. Among the women
given flaxseed, blood levels of total cholesterol dropped
6%! Find out more!
These beneficial fats play important roles in brain, nerve,
glandular, and eye functions. In addition, they are involved
in the transport and metabolism of cholesterol and triglycerides.
You want to increase your overall health and energy level.
You want to prevent heart disease, cancer, depression and
Alzheimer's. I don¡¯t recommend you buy ground
up flax seeds as found on websites or in health food stores.
Once you grind your flax seeds, you need to use them in your
drinks or food soon after grinding so they don¡¯t
lose their nutritive value.
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