Successful Weight Loss Workouts

 

 

Successful Weight Loss Workouts

By Jenny Banks

 

 

Not so long ago, famine and starvation are major problems faced by the world population. However, it may seem ironic that one of the greatest problems faced in the modern 21st century society is that of obesity. This problem is especially evident in developed and rich countries such as USA, United Kingdom, France, Australia, etc.

It has been established that weight loss and subsequently weight maintenance is only truly effective through the combination of exercise and healthy diet. Highlighted here are several successful weight loss workouts for overweight individuals.

Jogging is very effective and safe exercise for weight loss. Jogging has little risk to all individuals, it can be practiced almost everywhere, at any time convenient. One do not need to invest much in this exercise, only a pair of comfortable running shoes are required.

Sit-up exercises are recommended for people who are busy and have little time to workout. Sit-up can be performed from the comfort of one's home. If necessary, a weight can be used to help an individual perform sit-ups. Sit-up exercise is extremely effective to lose belly fat quickly. This exercise is also recommended to men and women who want to have good-looking toned-up abdominal muscles.

Gym workouts are also recommended for weight loss and body building. Usually an instructor will be present to help gym members achieve their personal goals. Gym workout will not only help an individual to lose weight, it can also help to tone and build up one's muscles for better figure and fitness.

 

Do You Have A Healthy Brain? The Secret to Mental Agility

 

 

 

Do You Have A Healthy Brain? The Secret to Mental Agility

By Catherine Calder

 

 

We all know to exercise our bodies to keep fit, but how often do you think about exercising your brain???? And what type of exercise does it need anyway??? What are the facts?? What is the secret to mental agility?

 

Keeping mentally active will keep your brain in good shape. Getting older does not mean that you have to be forgetful!

 

Recent research into Alzheimer's disease found that people who were less active between the ages of 20 and 60 years are almost 4 times more likely to develop the disease. The brain, like the rest of the body, needs to be kept active to keep healthy.

You exercise your body to keep it in shape. Now it has been shown that exercising your brain can keep it in shape too.

 

That leaves us with the question of what to do to keep our brains active. The research discovered that how you spend your leisure time can affect the health of your brain.

Leisure activities can be divided into -

Passive activities, which include watching TV, participating in social activities, and listening to music.

Intellectual activities are reading, painting, playing a musical instrument, woodworking.

Physical activities, for example, gardening, playing sport, working out at the gym, walking, jogging.

 

The only 'activity' that the Alzheimer's patients had performed more frequently than the control group was watching TV!

 

The research team was lead by Robert Friedland, professor of neurology, University Hospitals of Cleveland. He said "A relative increase in the amount of time devoted to intellectual activities from early adulthood (ages 20-39) to mid-adulthood (ages 40-60) was associated with a significant decrease in the probability of having Alzheimer's disease later in life."

An intellectual or physical hobby stimulates the brain and may reduce neuro-degeneration as seen in diseases such as Alzheimer's. So sitting watching the TV isn't enough for your brain, you need to keep it active. One way is by learning new things.

 

Many of the finalists in the Learning in Later Life Campaign 2000 to find England's oldest and most inspiring learners had art and painting as their hobby.

England's Oldest Learner was Fred Moore who was then aged 107 years. Fred continued with art classes until he died at the age of 109. The manager of his residential home said "Fred was a remarkable chap. He kept his memory, going back to the death of Queen Victoria, and always retained his great sense of humor."

 

So it's official then, learning a new hobby be it physical or intellectual is good for you. Fancy learning to paint or attend yoga classes? Painting can be done indoors and outdoors, as well as by yourself or in a group and similarly yoga or light aerobic exercises can be done with ease indoors or outdoors.

 

It is never too late to start. Local night classes offer a range of options. Have a look online too.

Remember you can have a healthy brain and enjoy a hobby too. Don't leave it until tomorrow, begin today!

 

How Can Office Work Place a Strain on Your Diet?

 

 

How Can Office Work Place a Strain on Your Diet?

By Lyla Feldman

 

Working in an office environment can often place a strain on our weight and sometimes even our health. Jobs which require little to no movement can easily impact our weight loss goals and our well being. Morning pastries, eating lunch at a desk, lack of physical activity, and fast food meals are just some of the problems we encounter when working in an office environment.

 

One of the major problems encountered by office employees is the absence of breakfast. A lot of people who work in a desk environment tend to skip breakfast because they know that the conference room will have morning pastries. This is something that occurs in numerous offices. By skipping breakfast you are setting yourself up for the consumption of sweet pastries which offer hundreds of calories and zero nutritional value. Eating lunch at ones desk is yet another mistake that people make. It is bad enough to sit eight motionless hours in front of a computer, why would you want to make it nine hours? If your goal is weight loss, try going for a walk during your lunch break. Even thirty minutes will make a lot of difference.

 

The third reason why office work is bad for your diet is referred to as the "dinner trap." Most people eat their lunch at noon or at one, this usually results in a late dinner. By the time we get home it can be as late as 7PM. What this means is that we have not eaten for the past seven hours and we will most likely overindulge at dinner time. Such large meals can surely have a negative impact on our diets. So as you can see weight loss can surely suffer when we work in an office environment; however, there are ways to approach this scenario with health and weight control in mind.