Eating Clean – The Lifestyle for Your Health!

You may have heard of the concept of eating clean but be unsure as to what exactly this process involves.  To put it simply, clean eating is when you eat food that is as close as possible to its natural state.  Of course this isn’t always possible, but the core idea behind it is to consume natural and wholesome foods.  While there is certainly a lot of talk of the Eat Clean Diet, it is important to understand that it is not intended to be a diet per say.  Rather, eating clean is a lifestyle that should never end.

A key component to this idea is to eat five or six times each day.  Lean protein foods, fruit, vegetables, whole grains, seeds and nuts are the core of a clean diet.  Balance is important and each time you have a meal or snack both protein and carbohydrates should be present.  Water is key, and you should drink at least two liters daily.

In order to be successful, you will need to take the time to learn how to read labels.  Ingredient lists should be as short as possible and you should avoid anything that has ingredients that you don’t recognize.  Avoid white flour, sugar, white bread and white pasta.  Instead, choose whole wheat or whole grain versions.  Quinoa pasta and rice pasta are delicious healthy alternatives to highly refined options.  You will also want to stay away from foods that are high in saturated fats and trans fats.

You may think that fat is something you will have to stay away from but actually you will want to make sure you get enough of the right kinds of fats each day.  Essential fatty acids are a key component to your health, as are fats from sources like avocados, olives and nuts.

The Best Teas for Weight Loss

The health benefits of consuming tea have been known for decades. Many Asian countries have been using tea for their health and wellness benefits for much longer. Green tea in particular has been getting a lot of attention and many people are calling it the best weight loss tea.

From reduced risk of cardiovascular disease to lower chances of getting cancer, consuming upwards of 2 cups of tea a day can do much more for you than shed unwanted pounds. Here are a few of the more popular teas use for weight loss:

Black tea

Black tea is by far the most popular tea consumed in North America. Although this tea does not have all of the other health benefits that green tea boasts, is much higher in caffeine content. This high caffeine content, makes black tea a great alternative to drinking coffee and helps increase mental awareness and metabolism.

Green tea

Green tea has been made famous with the green tea diet and is extremely beneficial not only to weight loss, but your overall health. Green tea contains flavonoids which give it its anti-oxidative properties. It is these properties that make green tea so popular and so beneficial to losing weight.

To get the most weight loss benefit from green tea, consider combining it with a little bit of black tea. This way, you have the benefits of the increased caffeine that black tea provides, with all of the greatness of green tea. This is commonly done in weight loss pills and supplements by combining green tea extract with caffeine.

Yellow tea

The yellow tea leaf is very similar to green tea and comes from the same plant. However, yellow tea is left to dry longer which gives it a more yellow color and a bit extra caffeine. It has all the anti-oxidative benefits of green tea.

The Drawbacks of Meal Replacement Shakes for Weight Loss

Almost everyone I know is in search for a quick and permanent solution to lose weight. But what you have to remember is that losing weight does not happen overnight. It takes time and you need to be really disciplined to stay on track with a diet plan. The newest trend in the diet industry these days is called the liquid diet weight loss program. You can guess from its name that it involves replacing your meals with liquids such as soups and shakes. Although this diet plan aims to provide you with all the essential nutrients, nothing beats the good health that real food can provide. The lack of solid food in the body will weaken your immune system and make you prone to illnesses.

Meal replacement shakes for weight loss might perfectly fit your busy schedule, but are they really the ideal way to shed off some pounds? You should think it over and over again before deciding to use the liquid diet. Although it is generally marketed to be a safe and convenient way to lose weight, it does not mean that it will work for everyone. Studies even show that people who used this diet plan regain up to 75 percent of the weight they lost in only a short period of two to three years.

One of the disadvantages of this program is that it often fails to educate people as to how it really works. In a nutshell, it is replacing two of your regular meals in a day with liquids. But you are still advised to eat at least one real meal to keep your body’s well-being. You should also know that this one real meal should be composed of healthy foods only. Some people fail when they try out this diet plan because they still fall into their habit of unhealthy eating during their one real meal. Just remember this, the best combination to lose weight is to have a healthy lifestyle, proper diet and regular exercise.

Exercise Bike Reviews and the York C102 Cycle – Great for Helping With a Weight Loss Program

I recently decided to buy an exercise bike to help me lose weight and burn the extra calories I seemed to have accumulated around the Christmas period.  All that good food and sitting around had taken its toll!  The reason I decided to use an exercise bike was because I have joined gyms in the past, and have usually ended up wasting my monthly membership fees as I struggle to motivate myself to actually go.

There are many exercise bike reviews on the web that pointed me towards using an upright stationary exercise bike.  Upright versions tend to help you not only do your lower half, but also works your upper body a lot better than recumbent exercise bikes do.

Why I chose the York Fitness C102 cycle

I ended up choosing a York C102 exercise bike as it was affordable and very compact.  I don’t have huge amounts of room at home as I live in an apartment.  I have managed to store it in a cupboard so it doesn’t get in the way.  As far as cheap spinning bikes go this has really good reviews and feedback online which helped me to select it.

I love using it though, and one of the best features is the LCD Computer display over the handlebars.  This lets me see how many calories I have burnt off plus the distance and speed I have travelled.

Helps me to motivate myself to lose weight

For someone not great at motivating myself, having this data at my fingertip has helped as I now set myself daily targets to beat, which encourages me to get back in the saddle. I am now managing to churn out 10 miles a day on my York C102 cycle.

You might think this would be boring, but York Fitness put a small magazine holder above the handlebars.  I tend to cycle when I get home from work and either watch television as I go or put my latest book in the holder and read that instead.  I now know that exercise doesn’t have to be boring.

In terms of resistance – in other words how hard you have to pedal – there are eight difficulty levels.  So I can start off with a leisurely cycle, and then after a bit of time pretend I am attacking a steep hill.  It’s really painful – but they do say “no pain no gain” and using my exercise bike is proof of that!

Have I managed to lose any weight?

It’s taken me two months, but in that time I’ve lost nearly twelve pounds.  The great thing is, it has been fun doing it and I’ve been able to use my exercise bike in the privacy of my own home and at my own pace.  There’s not much effective exercise that tends to be that straight forward so I would thoroughly recommend you do the same.  Try out an exercise bike and see if it can help you.

Weight Loss Strategies For Young And Old

People of all ages try to lose weight.  Overweight youngsters will consider weight loss in Nashville, TN, to be able to compete with their skinny peers, while their grandparents seriously think about shedding a few pounds to improve their health. The reasons to lose weight are plentiful and so are the techniques dieters use to reach their goal.

Weight loss in Nashville can be quite challenging unless you are familiar with all your options.  You can try losing weight on your own, or you can consult with a center specializing in comprehensive medically supervised weight loss solutions. Either way, be prepared to change your eating habits and increase physical activity.

  1. Doctors, nurse practitioners, registered nurses, counselors and dieticians will all urge you to set realistic goals. Do not lose 20 pounds at once, but start with five. Once you have lost that weight, you can continue on… slowly.
  2. Realize that losing weight and keeping it off is not just about dieting. It is about creating a sustainable, healthy lifestyle.
  3. Create an exercise plan you feel comfortable with. Do not try to become a weightlifter when you prefer riding a bike – no matter what your best friend says. Start your exercise regime and stick with it. Take it slow and work your way up. Try to incorporate exercise any time you can. Use the stairs instead of the elevator and park your car at the far edge of the shopping mall parking lot instead of at the entrance doors.
  4. Learn about the different food groups and what they can do for you. Dieting does not always mean that you have to give up your favorite foods. Sometimes adjusting the portions is enough. Some ingredients can often be substituted by less calorie-rich foods.
  5. You can also improve weight loss in Nashville by consulting with weight loss specialists. By determining and eliminating the cause for your overeating, it will be a lot easier to regain a slim and trim figure.

Fruit Detoxing for Weight Loss

If you feel overweight, bloated, or constipated, it may be a sign you need a fruit detox diet. Detoxing the body is a great way to get rid of fat and improve your digestive system simultaneously. However, crash dieting can be dangerous, especially if it does not give your body enough nutrients to function properly. If you follow a moderate detox diet, it will be easier to keep your healthy eating habits once the diet is over.

Many of the best acne face wash products contain fruit vitamins and extracts. These cleansers are also essential if you detoxify the body, since they help to kill bacteria in your digestive system and process wastes though your body. A fruit detox diet contains enough nutrients to give your body energy to go about its day-to-day tasks. For extreme diets like the water detox, patients will need to rest for most of the day to conserve energy.

During a fruit detox, it is important to drink plenty of water to increase blood flow and encourage regular elimination. Drinking extra water will also help your stomach to feel full and reduce the hunger craving effects of the diet. Whenever you start to feel hungry, just drink a 1 or 2 cups of water.

Fruit is healthy and full of nutrients, but it often is not enough to fill up the stomach. Diets that last for more than one week often use small quantities of protein or carbohydrate sources to fill the stomach. Boiled chicken breasts are a good example of a protein source with very low fat, so it will not hamper the success of your diet. If you follow a detox diet all the way through, you can lose several pounds in a short period of time. People have reported excellent weight loss results after 3-7 days of detoxing.