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General Weight Loss Tips

Hello Blue Skies

First week of eating better plan is down. Last week I ate really well, loosely tracked my calories, lost seven pounds, was incredibly productive, two days of Zumba and one day of strength training. I couldn’t have asked for a better week.

Here is a sampling of what I ate:

honey apples with raw almond butter and raw honey

sweet potato with sea salt, olive oil, cayenne pepper and garlic

peppers and steak with cauliflower “rice”

lots of local fruit

eggs with mushrooms and chevre

feta and local beef meatballs with homemade tomato and basil sauce over local zucchini

I also had ribs, chicken, kale, salads and some un-paleo rice and peanut butter. I only had a craving once for sugary/floury comfort food which was quickly put out of my mind when I knew how physically horrible I would feel. I feel good eating this way- clear, less moody, less depressed. Not up or down, just like a (relatively) normal person. I had one episode of feeling depressed and that was after eating way too much peanut butter  before realizing that it was made with sugar. I remember thinking “why do I feel so bad?”  It’s taken me a very long time to realize that my issues with depression are directly related to food and activity.

I don’t feel deprived, bloated or unsatisfied. I eat when I’m hungry. I’m not overly concerned about calories. I just feel a little more sane. And I’m losing weight.

I have three sessions of Zumba planned, the new Insanity workout DVD to try and another session of strength training.

Here’s to another successful week!

 

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Weight Loss Exercise

Exercise to Help Tone Your Arms



Do you avoid wearing sexy, sleeveless tops or dresses ? or refuse to take off your jacket to reveal a sleeveless shell — because of flabby and unsightly arms? Your arms may sag because you’ve recently lost weight. The fat cells may be gone, but the skin doesn’t know what to do with itself.

The arms are complicated areas to firm and tone, and it’s better to exercise them rather than attempt to target your arms for weight loss. The arm area tends to store fat cells than other parts of your body, so try aerobic exercises for overall fat loss and for toning your arms at the same time.

To achieve sexy, firm arms you’ll need to build up your biceps and triceps. Biceps are the muscles along the front of your arm, while triceps are muscles found in the back of your arms. When you tone and firm these muscles, you’ll be creating muscle where the sagging skin used to be.

All you’ll need to begin the quest for sleek and sexy arms are an exercise band and weights. Include the following exercises in your daily or weekly routine:

Exercise 1: Hold the middle of the exercise band with your feet. Holding one of the two ends of the band in each hand, bend the elbow on one arm from the waist, stretching the band forward and upward. You’ll feel your biceps muscles tensing as you raise the band. Be sure your elbow is always bent slightly. Take turns repeating this exercise on each arm for 8 to 10 times.

Exercise 2: Repeat the above exercise, except pull the band outward from the left and right sides of your body.

Exercise 3: Repeat the above exercise, except pull the band backward from the left and right sides of your body. This exercise will benefit the triceps of your arms.

Weights are also a great way to tone the arms. Lift the weights when sitting in a chair or lying on the floor. Be sure to begin with light weights and then graduate to heavier ones as you’re ready.

Basically, any exercise that causes resistance to your biceps and triceps can help tone your arms. Yoga and Pilates are also proven ways to firm up your arms. Online sites that tout yoga or Pilates will lead you to specific exercises for your arms.

Don’t pass up those sexy tank tops because of jiggly underarms. It won’t take long to see results ? and you won’t even have to adapt to a strenuous exercise routine.

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Weight Loss Exercise

The Basics of Healthy Detox



It’s easy to distinguish a healthy detox plan from an unhealthy one ? how it feels. And for each detox plan, there’s someone out there whose body will respond in a positive way and someone who will respond to the same plan in a negative way. Everyone’s body and lifestyle is different, so research carefully before you embark on the process.

The basics of a healthy detox plan mainly involve eating healthy foods to produce a healthy outcome. You should have an abundance of energy and never feel hungry. If you’ve been consuming an unhealthy diet, you may experience cravings or withdrawals, but those should pass in a short amount of time.

There are 3, 7 and 21-day detox plans and even 1 day plans, depending on your lifestyle. Some ask you to drink a liquid diet for at least one day and take a laxative to flush out the toxins. For some, this is too drastic — to ease into the plan is a much better option. And always check on your overall health before embracing any severe diet plan.

When you decide upon a healthy detox plan, it’s important that it’s at the right time in your life. You should plan to have as few distractions as possible during the beginning phase, so that means you should time it so that you can slow down, meditate and avoid the triggers (television and stress) that cause you to consume food mindlessly.

Among the basics of a healthy detox plan is to break away from unhealthy foods. You probably already know what they are:

· Alcohol and drugs ? Check with your doctor before you quit taking prescription drugs, but basically ? don’t drink alcohol or take over the counter drugs during the detoxification process.

· Don’t eat unhealthy foods ? Stay away from allergy-promoting foods, those that contain additives and unhealthy fats. Don’t eat meat during the detox plan. It can contain harmful hormones and other additives.

· Dairy and soy products ? Eggs and milk often contain antibiotics, causing digestive problems. Rather than soy, choose nuts and grains to get your protein requirements.

· Processed foods ? Products made with white flour and processed grains can cause an allergic reaction ? and they also contaminate your immune system.

· Don’t use saturated fats or hydrogenated oils in cooking ? Use healthy oils instead, such as olive and sesame oils.

· Avoid drinking carbonated beverages. Instead, drink pure, filtered water ? and plenty of it.

When you’re researching for a healthy detox plan, keep in mind the word, ‘natural.’ If you can’t say that a food is natural, don’t eat it.

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