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General Weight Loss Tips

Predictable

I’ve written this sort of post before, but I just haven’t had a lot to say this week. So I’m posting to say that I’ve been exercising every day as well as counting calories (staying around 1,600 a day) and things are going well.

I’m in a groove. My food posts wouldn’t be very interesting because I’m eating the same meals over and over again right now. It’s just comforting to eat 1/2 c meusli with 1/2 C of milk and know that it will be good and keep me full for hours with only 255 calories.

For lunch, I am eating a hot sandwich using my panini press. Usually chicken and muenster on whole wheat. Maybe a side of spinach or carrots.

And for dinner you will find us eating rice with either a lentil/onion indian dish or thai red or green curry with shrimp or chicken and vegetables. Coconut milk and basmati rice are in regular rotation around here.

After my workout, I break out the food processor for a frozen fruit smoothie. One banana, one cup strawberries, one cup blue berries, juice of one tangerine and one cup milk. If I have it I’ll add mango, or vanilla almond milk.

Sometimes it varies, but right now, this is good, healthful, comforting food for me. It’s predictable. Something I usually hate. I love variety and I’m sure next week I’ll switch to eating something else every single day. But this week, I know what I’m probably going to eat. And I know that I am most definitely going to exercise and push myself.

I feel good. I feel a vibration of health running through me. I don’t even know what that means, but I was at the grocery story last week, several hours after yoga and I just felt whole and balanced. Standing there in the aisle, I unexpectedly felt whole. Things are happening, and I feel like I’m on my path.

I realized in an almost alarming way that I am content right now. Not settled, not stunted or too comfortable, but content. I don’t want for anything at the moment. I don’t feel a push to be more than who I am being right now. I know it’s because of exercise and eating well. I know it’s because I have 10 bags of stuff to donate to goodwill today. I know it’s because I’ve hit a balance that I am pleased with.

I feel good.

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General Weight Loss Tips

What I Couldn’t Do Two Weeks Ago

There is something to be said about trying something you know you can’t do.  Every time I go to the gym I stare down the hanging leg raise. Have you seen it?

Basically you have to hold your body up while pulling your legs up to your chest. For those that can do it, they make it look easy. For the rest of us, well, it’s kind of sad (and kind of funny) to watch. I decided I was okay with making a fool of myself January 20th and get on.

I couldn’t even hold myself up to hang. It was truly painful, so I got off and decided that this would be a progress point for me.

Two weeks later, back at the gym I decided to get on again. I knew in my mind that holding my weight up with my arms would be hard, but I wanted to try again. This time, not only could I support my weight, I was able to lift my knees up to my chest not once, not twice, not three times…but four times.

I was so shocked that I stopped. Am I really doing this? I couldn’t even hold myself up two weeks ago! And sure enough I think I could have done a couple more had I not been so freakin’ excited.

So that is real progress that I can see. It’s not a lower number on the scale, or looser fitting jeans- it was proof that I’m getting in better shape.

Today begins week four of the Insanity workout training and I have to say that working out every day has gotten easier mentally. I know what to expect and I’ve accepted that 45 minutes of my day will be spent exercising. I’ve never worked out this hard in my life on a consistent basis. Not even during couch to 5k training. It’s hard for me to believe that I’ve exercised all but three (I take sundays off) days in the past three weeks.

We’ve got more plans. As the weather gets warmer and our stamina increases, we’re going to add running back to our schedule three days a week.

Right now the exercise schedule looks like this:

Monday-Wednesday : Insanity workout

Thursday: yoga and strength training

Friday- Saturday: Insanity workout

Sunday: Off

In about a month it will look like this:

Monday, Wednesday, Friday: Insanity workout + running

Tuesday, Saturday: Insanity workout

Thursday: yoga and strength

Sunday: Off day

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Weight Loss Exercise

Health Risks of Obesity

Health Risks of Obesity

Health Risks of Obesity

One of the issues I deal with every day on this blog are the effects of obesity and I tried to help everyone by giving the fixes. Eat better, exercise, make sure you rest but also live an active lifestyle. The trouble is that I sometimes feel like the problems fall on deaf ears and people just think that tomorrow they will start working on making themselves look better.

Well tomorrow never comes, you have to work at improving your health today.

There are far bigger problems than simply your appearance. Being obese leads to lots of other health problems and this article is about these health risks of obesity. If you want to be scared into change these 10 health risks should do it to you.

There are many health risks of obesity. The Body Mass Index (BMI) is a clear definition of obesity. A high BMI is bad for the health of an individual. It shows that the person has a poor, unhealthy diet and lack of physical activity in their life. Obesity makes you weak and slows down your physiological functions. It can even lead to a very serious illness.

There are various diseases that are connected to obesity and they are:

Cardiovascular Problems due to obesity

Obese people develop congestible heart failure. This is a condition in which the individual’s heart is not capable of pumping enough blood to the different body organs. In turn, they cannot carry on with their normal physiological functions.

Some people also get an enlarged heart which is usually caused by the thickening of the heart muscle. This happens because of the increased workload of the heart which further increases its size. And this is all because of the excess fat in your body.

Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome due to obesity

Women who are obese have the tendency to develop Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome. The ovaries develop cysts due to high levels of the male hormone Androgen which is secreted in high amounts. The women end up missing their periods and suffering from menstrual disorders. Some females also develop fibroids, benign growths, in the muscles of the uterus. This disturbs their menstrual cycle, causing pain and heavy bleeding. At times most women also turn infertile due to obesity and this may end up ruining their life. That is why you should try to follow an active lifestyle to stay fit and in good shape.

Gastro Esophageal Reflux Disease due to obesity

Obese people develop gastro intestinal problems. They may have growths that act as a valve between the esophagus and stomach. Sometimes they open up spontaneously and cause the stomach contents of the stomach, including its digestive juices, to rise up. The people end up feeling severe heart burn. This medical condition may cause more serious medical complications.

Fatty Liver Diseases due to obesity

The accumulation of fat can cause liver damage, inflammation and the formation of fibrous tissue in this vital organ. This can cause cirrhosis, which is irreversible liver scaring. This condition may also lead to cancer in the end.

It is always best for you to eat healthy food, drink adequate amounts of water and be physically active. In this way, all your body organs will perform their regular functions perfectly.

Choleithiasis due to obesity

This is the term used for development of gall stones. These usually form when the cholesterol levels in the body increase. The gall stones are formed by the hardening of the bile. This hinders the digestion of body fat.

Colorectal Cancer due to obesity

Obesity leads to colorectal cancer. It may promote the development of cancerous growths in the colon, appendix and rectum. This is the second most common type of cancer in the world and obese people fall victim to it mostly.

Chronic Renal Failure due to obesity

Obesity is the leading cause of many illnesses, as it weakens the organs of the body and their functioning and lowers immunity. Obese people may suffer from chronic renal failure. This condition is characterized by the gradual and progressive loss of the kidneys’ ability to filter the waste material in the body. This can lead to life threatening situations, if the condition is not treated in due time.

Urinary Incontinence due to obesity

Women usually end up with this problem, as obesity causes loss of bladder control. This lack of control results in mild urine leakages, but it can also turn into uncontrollable wetting. This surely causes great embarrassment. When you are unable to control your bladder, you might suffer from urinary tract infections too. For all these reasons, it’s best to do pelvic exercises that will help you improve your bladder control. These should be accompanied by a weight loss diet as well.

Stretch Marks due to obesity

Obesity causes stretch marks that make your skin look ugly and rough. That is why you should try to lose weight in a healthy way by adopting good eating habits and a regular exercise program. This will help you to stay fit and elegant.

Respiratory Disorders due to obesity

Many obese people also have difficulty breathing. Some suffer from sleep apnea. This is a sleep disorder in which the patients stop breathing for short durations of time while asleep and end up with an oxygen deficiency. In extreme obesity cases, patients also end up with Hypoventilation Syndrome. They can’t breathe normal levels of oxygen.

In order to avoid all these diseases caused by obesity, you need a healthy diet and exercise.

James has been writing articles about health issues for over 5 years. Please visit his latest website about Obesity at Obesity Articles, with information relating to Health Risks of Obesity, and with ideas and discussions that anyone suffering from this condition would be interested in.

I hope that these Health Risks of Obesity are a good warning sign to you