Tag: Fitness

Make Little Bets, Failing Fast

Post author By admin
Post date June 5, 2013
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If you have followed me for any length of time you will know that I am always experimenting. I find that the best way to learn how to get healthier and to live a better life is to be always changing and trying new things. I heard a couple of weeks ago about a concept that was explained to me as making little bets.

What Are Little Bets?

The idea of little bets is that we can take small chances that are a bit of an experiment every time. Most of the time we don’t like to make huge changes in our lives because normally we are worried about change, and we also don’t want to look foolish if we fail.

So a little bet is just a way to make a small change, or a change that is not too significant, just as a test. This opens up the idea of making changes in our life very often and to see what works for us and what doesn’t

Lets take running for an example. If running was the perfect pastime for everyone then we would all be running to work everyday. As we all know this is not the norm. If you have never been a runner you would be expected to go all in, buy expensive shoes, take a class, run everyday, maybe twice everyday. Of course you would also be reading books and watching documentaries about running and would have the perfect app for tracking your training schedule.

I don’t know about you but that sounds super unrealistic to me.

What you can do instead is decide that every morning you will get up 5 minutes early, get some shorts and a tshirt on and run around the block one time. Then you will come in and have your shower and get to work. Maybe this works out, maybe it doesn’t but the idea is that there is not much commitment and you don’t have to worry about the big lifestyle change. You are just trying it out.

Living a Lifestyle Of Little Bets

I didn’t really think of this myself but I have been trying these little bets for years. Just in the last year I have changed my sleeping times and patterns a few times, tried drinking apple cider vinegar in the morning, drinking lemon juice in the morning, taking Chlorella supplements right now, walking as a regular exercise, 5 different workout plans, changed my eating a dozen times.

I think my wife thinks of all the little changes that I make as being flighty but to me I know where I am today and how I want to be more healthy tomorrow. I know that as I learn more about diet, exercise, and psychology that I can get better and better at living a more fulfilled life and to this end these little bets have always been paying off for me. I have learned lots of things that work for me and just as many things that don’t. This does not take much of a commitment at anytime but just testing things out is a great way to make real and lasting change in your life.

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Tags Apple Cider Vinegar, Apple Vinegar, Bet, Bets, Better Life, Buy Shoes, Documentaries, Drinking Apple Cider Vinegar, Expensive Shoes, Fitness, Length Of Time, Lifestyle Change, Norm, Pastime, Reading Books, Running, TShirt

Weight Loss Exercise

Top 4 iPhone Apps for Tracking Calories and Exercise

Post author By admin
Post date May 30, 2013
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It’s a pretty well-known fact by now that counting calories is probably the most systematic and effective way for most people to lose weight. However, for those who are constantly busy and on-the-go, using a computer to track calories online or writing down what they have eaten in a book and manually calculating calories may not be possible.

No worries though; you have the option of downloading useful iPhone apps for tracking calories using your smartphone. Finding something that you’ll be able to update easily at any time increases the chances that you’ll actually use it.

IPhone Apps for Tracking Calories and Exercise

1) Lose It! – This app doesn’t just let you key in what you’ve eaten so you know how many calories you’ve eaten, it also lets you track your exercise as well. You can also scan the barcodes of most foods to instantly pull information regarding that food item from a massive online database, helping to save you time. This app is available for the iPhone and Android.

2) My Fitness Pal – This nutrition and fitness app will help you set a proper weight loss goal, and then let you track the calories you eat so that you will not overeat. You can also track your exercise using this app. There’s an online version of My Fitness Pal available too, so you can also opt to key in your calories there if you want to. A great tool to have when on a diet, and it is available for Apple and Android.

3) Calorie Tracker by Livestrong – The Livestrong brand is one of the top names in weight loss, fitness, and nutrition, so it’s not a surprise that they have an app to complement their online calorie tracker. However, the app itself is not free, costing $2.99 to purchase. Nevertheless, if you love all things Livestrong, then it is certainly worth it to purchase this calorie-tracking app, which is available for Apple, Blackberry, and Windows Mobile.

4) CountEat. Calories – This app costs 99 cents and is slightly different than the other three apps above in that it allows you to estimate the calorie count of your entire meal, rather than count exactly the number of calories for each item you’ve eaten. This can save you some time, especially if you are busy. However, this app does not help you track exercise.

There are other apps as well that can help you in your weight loss journey, either by helping you track your calories or improve your knowledge of nutrition and fitness. Keep these iPhone apps for tracking calories and then just browse around and see which ones suit your needs the best.

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Weight Loss Exercise

Where to Find Weight Loss Support

Post author By admin
Post date May 30, 2013
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Losing weight is not an easy thing to do, especially when you’re tackling it by yourself. Weight loss support is really important. With some support from people around you, you’ll be more likely to help yourself to get through the tough points, and you’ll have someone else to show you how far you’ve come.

Humans are naturally social and generally rely on each other for their wellbeing, whether it’s completing a task together or just giving emotional support to one another. This applies even more when you’re trying to lose weight. It’s not easy at the best of times, let alone when you’re trying to do it alone. So where are the best places to find support?

Weight Loss Support From Friends And Family

Weight Loss Support

Friends and family are the best people to get support from when you embark on your weight loss journey. After all, they’re the closest people to you and can understand you the best. You may also feel more comfortable sharing your weight loss experience with them.

Make sure you look for someone you trust and are close to when you ask for their support. This can be anyone, for example your best friend or a sibling. You can tell them about your goals and plans for your weight loss efforts so that they can keep you on track. You can also share your difficulties with them when you bump into a wall during your efforts.

If you are not content with just telling your family or friends about your weight goals, you can also get them to actively participate in your efforts. You can ask them to play some sports with you on the weekends, or join you when you go for a jog. Having an exercise buddy is always a good motivation!

Whatever you do, don’t ask someone who doesn’t believe in you and tells you that you can’t do it. Although some people are motivated by negativity, you’ll be far more likely to succeed if you have some positive encouragement from those you know and love.

Weight Loss Support From Weight Loss Programs

If you’re not very comfortable getting support from your friends and family, you can always join a weight loss program or fitness club. By joining a club like this, you can meet others with goals similar to yours. You can befriend many people who go through the same experiences you do, and all of you can encourage each other on your weight loss journeys. It can also be fun to share experiences and ideas on how to lose weight.

Besides getting support from diet plan members or club members, you can also get to know the gym instructors and ask them for guidance on effective weight loss.

The most important point is that you get health and motivation from somewhere. Numerous studies have shown that people are more likely to see success in their weight loss efforts when they track their progress and take advantage of the support of others.