Proven Natural Supplements for Weight Loss

By Timothy Hardy 

Looking for natural supplements for weight loss? Here are some of the popular natural supplements that are cheap and readily available in the market which are proven effective in shedding unwanted weight as well. You might have been eating these for a long time but never really had the idea that eating them in the right amount can make you lose weight. Check them out below.

Green Tea - This is a very common beverage nowadays and buying some is fairly easy. It is one of the proven and cheapest natural supplements for weight loss. Green tea stimulates thermogenesis and inhibit hepatic and body fat accumulation. It also assists in decreasing blood sugar levels. It also contains theanine which improves metabolism and suppresses appetite. All of these amazing fat burning benefits in a simple bag of green tea.

Capsaicin - This is the chemical compound found in chili peppers that give it the hot and burning sensation when eaten. This too boost metabolism just like green tea and also increase thermogenic activity of the body.
Caffeine - Caffeine when taken in the right amounts can help burn fats. This chemical compound belongs to a group called methylxanthines which is a cardiac stimulant, smooth muscle relaxants and diuretics. Hence, this is said to increase energy use and assist weight loss.

Coconut Oil - This is probably one of the recent additions of available natural supplements for weight loss today. This amazing oil promotes the reduction of body fat as well as increased metabolism. Aside from assisting weight loss, there are also other health benefits coconut oil can provide which includes improved blood pressure and cholesterol levels, better digestion, improved skin and hair health, improved immunity, natural antibacterial and antiviral properties and so much more. All of those in one natural supplement.

Vitamin D - Another common and effective natural supplements to fight weight is vitamin D. Studies at the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition show that vitamin D helps in reducing cholesterol levels thus improving overall health and help you get back in shape. Hence, researchers are still to determine if it was done by vitamin D alone or with the help of Calcium intake. But since we are likely to intake Calcium anyway, having vitamin D a part of your daily diet is an easy way of losing weight.

There are so many other fat burning ingredients from Glucomannan to Chitosan. Researching for more of these would reveal other options available. Hence, it is important to seek professional advice before incorporating any natural supplements for weight loss in your diet to ensure health and safety.

Tim Hardy nearly died from being overweight. Read his story how he discovered a natural supplement for weight loss that saved his life. Visit his website at http://www.capsiplex-dietpill.com for more information.

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What Difference Does Mindset Make to Your Weight Loss Success

By Victoria C S Wills 

One of the things that people tend not to consider with weight loss is mindset; the fabulous benefits that positive thinking can have on your success.
Simply put, if you think negative thoughts you will find that they lead to negative behaviours and in turn reduce motivation. On the other hand, positive thoughts will increase
your motivation and energy levels and also help you reach your goal more easily.

Focusing on what you can do and the positive is the best way to succeed in reaching your goals. Simply, positive thoughts empower you. Negative thoughts don't do you any favours at all.

Difficult Success
Taking a downtrodden or negative attitude makes success all the more difficult. If you berate yourself for eating the wrong food, or spend your time constantly focusing on the foods you can't eat and the exercise you 'have' to do you will damage your efforts. Negative energy is still energy and takes from your reserves, makes you feel powerless and reduces motivation.

When we feel down many of us focus on the negative and skip our workout or eat that bag of crisps. However, if we are aware of our feelings and recognize them, we can take a positive action to transform them into something good.

Approaches to Positive Thinking
Many of us respond with helplessness when we feel down and claim we can't help how we feel. However, to think positively, we also have to believe in what we want in the first place. Saying we feel fine about the way we look or feel, but not truly believing it creates internal conflict.

One way around this is a daily journal. Here you can write down how you truly feel and acknowledge any negative feelings or emotions. When we write things down we often find that we have more power over them and the mere act of writing your thoughts and feelings down acts as a catharsis.

It's important to be aware of how you are making these positive changes as it is these little victories that will help you reach your goal. Focus on your moments of triumph and give attention to the positives. For example if you said no to seconds, when you usually would have some, or walked an extra mile, then give yourself some credit focus on these achievements.

The Goals
Realistic goals are there to prevent you feeling negative about not achieving unrealistic results. If you set yourself an impractical target and fail, then you will beat yourself up over it needlessly. Reasonable goals are achieved with realistic measures and perpetuate the positive mind-set that aids success. In turn, they create more positivity and more success - so best foot forward and turn that frown upside down;)

About the Author:
Victoria C S Wills is a world famous expert in Weight Loss and she works with you to ensure your success. If you would like your FREE personal weight loss report from Victoria please come to http://www.nubeginnings.co.uk and tell Victoria a little about yourself.

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Your Healthy Weight Is 80% NUTRITION and 20% Exercise - You Cannot Out-Train a Bad Diet

By Melanie Milletics 

Most Americans know that a healthy diet and exercise are the ideal combination for weight loss and lowers risk of chronic diseases. Knowledge without action is futile - and America is encountering a major health crisis as a result of our complacency. According to a recent study by the Centers of Disease Control (CDC), only one in seven American adults gets regular physical activity and consumes five servings of fruits and vegetables every day. Rates of obesity, diabetes, heart disease and other health problems are at an all-time high because so few of us incorporate both a healthy diet AND exercise into our lifestyles.


So why do so few take the action to live a lifestyle that would allow them to live in full VITALITY?
Perhaps it's because they see it as an overwhelming task to change their lifestyle overnight. What is the solution to the overwhelm? Start with small changes to your diet and physical activity, and increase them gradually.

You will get the best results by combining a healthy weight loss diet plan with regular, moderate exercise that includes cardio and strength training. You don't have to become a total health nut or live on salads and Jello. In fact, a very low calorie diet can do more harm than good, depleting your muscle and leaving your metabolism worse off than before. Instead, choose a nutrient and protein dense, yet lower calorie, fat, sugar and sodium diet program that fits your lifestyle. Make those healthy changes to your diet, and incorporate exercise into your week. Be careful and start slow - no need to be an athlete; walking, biking or gym cardio machines are fine, combined with muscle strengthening activities a couple of days a week. Start slowly and gradually increase to 45 minutes of activity a day, more if you are able.

A slimmer, healthy body is the result of a healthy diet and regular exercise - but it can also improve your mood, boost energy, promote better sleep and enhance your sex life. The Journal of the Association of Medicine and Psychiatry reports that exercise can also improve mental health by reducing anxiety, depression, and negative moods and by improving self-esteem and cognitive function.

Dieting alone may provide short-term weight-loss results. Exercising without supporting your body with a healthy diet can lead to health problems. For a winning combination, incorporate a healthy weight loss diet with regular physical activity. Make these two vital components a permanent part of your lifestyle, and watch every aspect of your life improve!

Melanie Milletics is a Promoter of the #1 Health and Weight Loss Platform in North America, the Body By Vi Challenge. Learn more about the Challenge and get a free sample when you call 727-565-2053 or visit http://www.My-Body-By-Vi.com

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Fat Burning Workouts: The Answer to Quick Weight Loss

By Ram Gupta 

Fat burning workouts are an integral part of any fitness program if you are aiming at quick weight loss. You'll be hard pressed to find one that doesn't focus on it. After all, in order to get slim, you do need to target melting all that excess fat you've managed to accumulate in your body. A fat burning workout does more than burn all your body fat; it uses this very same fat as fuel to run your body.
 What are fat burning workouts?
A series of slow and aerobic exercises that extend for a long duration
of time is considered to be a workout that burns fats. These workouts target the major muscle groups in the body and use the fat stored in the body as primary fuel source, thereby helping you lose weight.

However, if you want to achieve weight loss, it is important to maintain the correct intensity of these workouts. This is because at low intensity, the body uses fat as fuel. However, when you graduate to a high intensity workout, your body switches to burning the body's reserve of carbohydrates. That pretty much defeats the entire purpose of the workout, doesn't it?

What Exercises Help to Burn Fat?
There are several exercises that will help to burn fat and lose weight. These are:
Aerobic Dance - If you dance for an hour, you can burn up to 330 calories! And when combined with a weight loss diet, you can burn the fat in your body and get the additional benefit of strong leg muscles.
Aerobic Exercises - These exercises target the area around the midriff and burn fat from this region. It also helps to tone the muscles of the lower and upper body.

Biking - Biking is considered to be one of the best fat burning workouts.It develops the thigh muscles, making them stronger, and re-shapes your body. One hour of cycling can burn close to 350 calories. In addition to this, it targets your abs, and maintains your blood pressure and cholesterol levels.
Walking - Walking is excellent for people who've been leading a sedentary life and would like to get back in shape.

Other Benefits for the Body
First and foremost these workouts help to regulate your appetite, increase your metabolism and the levels of fat burning enzymes in your body. That way, your body becomes one huge fat-pulverizing machine, leading to more efficient burning of fat. They also make your muscles stronger and more powerful, and maintain the balance of hormones in the body. In many cases, these workouts have been known to mitigate stress and relieve digestive disorders. With so many apparent benefits of these fat burning workouts,you can see how it can change your life for the better.

A Word of Advice
If you haven't been exercising in a while, or you are planning to start exercising to get slim, it's best to consult a professional trainer. Do not attempt to chalk out a routine for yourself by just reading a few random articles on websites. Seek guidance from a person who's knowledgeable and can suggest various options. In your attempt to achieve quick weight loss you shouldn't behave in a foolhardy manner.

You are free to publish this article without any change in the content electronically, in print, in your e-book, or on your web site, free of charge, as long as the author resource details are included.

JOIN NOW - GLOBAL WELLNESS CLUB and receive your FREE joining GIFT e-book, "Losing Weight Without Starving Yourself". Learn more about diet programs, body building techniques, slimming and weight loss secrets, To join CLICK HERE or GO TO http://manyweightlosstips.com/

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Fast and Easy Weight Loss Solutions

By Jason K Ramirez 

Obesity has become one of the biggest banes of modern times. If it's not unhealthy junk food and sugary drinks tempting you, it's 24-hour programming that has you glued to the TV set and fixed on the couch. Add to that sedentary jobs, video games and general lack of physical activity and you have a recipe for disaster!
But if you're determined to cut excess fat out of your life, let me tell you it's easier than you think. All you need to do is put your mind to it and make a few simple lifestyle changes.
To get you started on the path to weight loss, I'll let you in on some slimming secrets that have worked for me:

Lose weight naturally
The first and most important decree of weight loss is to focus on finding healthy and natural weight loss solutions. Popping slimming pills or starting a crash diet in a desperate attempt to lose weight can cause serious health problems. But at times, restricting the consumption of certain food groups becomes necessary to lose body fat. If you find yourself in such a situation, look for diet programs that are wholesome, healthy and provide you adequate nutrition.

Increase water intake
Water intake plays a crucial role in losing weight. Water is believed to quicken the weight loss process as it boosts metabolism and flushes out toxins from the body. So, drinking plenty of water every day is a non-negotiable rule of weight loss. Consume at least 8-10 large glasses of water every day, if not more. Have a water bottle at hand all the time and keep sipping from it every few minutes. You can squeeze a bit of lemon or dip some herbal/green tea bags in lukewarm water for variation.

Eat healthy
It doesn't take rocket science to understand that permanent weight loss is impossible without eating healthy. How does one maintain a healthy, nutritious diet? Here are some simple dos and don'ts:

• Say no to junk, fried and sugar-loaded foods as well as colas.
• Include lots of vegetables, fruit and legumes in your diet.
• Have small, frequent meals and never skip breakfast.
• Avoid late dinners and mid-night snacking.
• As far as possible, prepare your own meals.
• If you socialize regularly, eat before you leave.
• Avoid pre-prepared or packaged meals, bars and shakes.
• Choose whole grains instead of refined; lean meat in place of regular; substitute full-fat dairy with low-fat.

If you are on a structured weight loss program, it will have its own set of eating regulations. Make sure you follow the instructions of the program to the letter if you want to reach your goal.

Exercise regularly
You can try as many weight loss solutions as you want, but nothing will work unless you make regular exercise an integral part of your life. Most weight loss and fitness experts agree 30 minutes of exercise is necessary to not just lose weight, but also to maintain optimal body weight. Thirty minutes of jogging, cycling, yoga, Pilates, aerobics, or whichever form of exercise you find interesting and stimulating can do wonders for your body. Exercise also releases the "feel good" hormone endorphin into the blood stream, making one feel energized and happy. Additionally, make it a habit to take stairs instead of elevators and escalators and walk wherever possible.

Sleep Well
Sleeping is believed to be associated with the production of appetite inducing and repressing hormones. Inadequate sleep elevates the level of appetite stimulating hormone. At the same time, it lowers the level of appetite repressing hormone leading to pangs of hunger in people who don't get enough sleep. Sleeping is also the time when your body rejuvenates and repairs. A good night's sleep prepares your body for the challenges of the next day!

None of the slimming secrets I shared above can be termed "secret" in the strictest sense of the term. These are things we are all well aware of, but choose to overlook for various reasons. It just takes a little bit of grit and determination to make these practices a part of your life. The result, I promise, will show for itself!

Jason is a self-proclaimed fitness freak. He has made the journey from an out of shape 180-pounder to a 155-pound lean machine. The transformation was made possible by the weight loss program he started a few years ago and ever since then, he doesn't spare any opportunity to spread the good word around for these structured weight loss plans.

He lives in New York with his wife of two years. His other interests include traveling and painting. He has painted over 50 beautiful landscapes while visiting foreign countries and he plans on opening an art gallery in New York at the end of the year to display his artwork.

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How to Make 2013 the Best Year Ever

By Mark W Coziahr 

If you are reading this article than most likely you are looking to make some changes or improvements to your life during 2013. So let's fast forward to the end of 2013 for a second. I want you to think to yourself and finish the following sentence, "2013 has been the best year of my life because..." I am guessing that whatever you completed that sentence with is going to be your main goal of focus for the upcoming year. If you are having a difficult time answering why 2013 will be your best year ever, don't fret. Simply grab a piece of paper and a pencil and in 30 seconds or less write down your 3 top goals. According to entrepreneur and success expert Brian Tracy, it doesn't matter if you have 3 hours or 30 seconds to do this exercise. Your mind will guide you to your top three priorities or goals.

Now chances are that you wrote down a health or fitness goal, a financial goal, and a relationship goal. Or you wrote down some combination of the three. Maybe two goals were health related and one was financial. OK, so this is the easy part. While most people don't have a problem making goals, they do have a problem keeping them. In fact it's estimated that only 12% of New Year's resolutions are kept. That means a whopping 88% are broken. I would love to help shift the balance of those numbers and get more people to realize that they can achieve their goals.

The next step after deciding what your goals are going to be is to identify the top 3-5 actions that are going to be needed to accomplish your goals. For example, one of my goals in 2012 was to get my body fat down below 10%. I was able to reach this goal by last summer by making it a priority to complete a few specific actions that I repeated daily. First, I made an effort to work out daily for 45 minutes or more. Some days it was weights. Some days it was cardio. Other days it was yoga. But I made an effort to exercise daily.

Second, I made 2 of my meals shakes so that it was easier to get the nutrients my body needed without all of the calories of a large meal. My third step was the hardest for me and that was to quit eating after 6 pm. I found that I am a late night eater and all of the effort I put in during the day was being lost by eating extra food because I was tired or bored.

The third step is to be consistent. In his bestselling book, The Compound Effect, Daren Hardy explains how momentum toward your goals is gained by repeating a few key actions daily. If you are serious about making 2013 the best year ever, your actions cannot be a "sometimes thing." There needs to be a focus that is guiding your actions. And when you repeat the actions over and over again you will begin to see positive changes.

Unfortunately, too many people give up on themselves way too soon. They have convinced themselves that there must be a quick fix solution or a magic pill out there that will get them to where they want to be. The truth is that this is not the case. As I once heard Nick Sarnicola say, "Your beliefs determine your actions.

And your actions determine your results." So believe you can make 2013 the best year ever. Next take the daily actions to make 2013 the best year ever. And in 12 months look back at the year that was and enjoy the success you have achieved!

Mark Coziahr has been educating and motivating others for the past 13 years. As an independent distributor with Visalus Sciences, Mark has been able to help others lose weight, get fit, and obtain better overall health. Visit http://www.yourvisalustransformation.com to receive more information about how Mark can help lose weight through the Body by Vi 90 Day Challenge. It's the # 1 health and fitness challenge in North America!

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What Protein Shakes Have the Best Foods for Energy?

By Jim A Nash 

When you look to find a protein shake that is going to give you results, you will need to consider which ones contain the best foods for energy. There are so many protein shakes for sale that it can be difficult to figure out which one is the highest quality. So, the question is, what is it that you should look for in a protein shake?
First, you will want to find a product that is made completely of whole foods from around the world. The reason for this is because there are many "superfoods"
or nutrient packed foods that do not grow in the United States, that are found all over the planet. These are the best foods for energy because they not only give you protein, but a wide variety of all the essential nutrients that come from fruits and vegetables. Most people don't get many of these nutrients in their daily diets due to foods being processed, chemicals and other reasons.

Your protein shake should also include ingredients that have scientific research that backs them up. Many of the foods that come from other countries have so many benefits that we don't find in our average diet. In addition, they should be grown organically, or without chemicals so that you are eating clean. When you combine these qualities, you will get a protein shake that hs ingredients with potency and bioavailability, (the ability for the body to absorb the nutrients it needs efficiently).
Here are four key groups of nutrients that you want to find in your shake.

• Protein and Essential Amino Acids reduce your cravings and help the body build muscle
• Prebiotics and Digestive Enzymes, allow your body to absorb nutrients and help in digestion
• Antioxidants and Phytonutrients reduce free radicals which decreases cellular damage in your body
• Vitamins and Minerals keep your body running in tip top shape

Protein and essential amino acids are vital in building and repairing lean muscle as well as keeping your blood sugars level. Prebiotics help in digestion and the absorption of minerals. Antioxidants help to prevent cell damage by removing free radicals while phytochemicals have been shown in studies to be better than supplements when mixed together. Another thing you want to look for is as many of the essential vitamins and minerals as possible.

This may sound like a daunting task, but a little research will go a long way. The best foods for energy are what you want in a protein shake if you are going to get quality. Stay away from chemicals and sugars, and search out whole food ingredients. If you do this, you will get a great quality shake.

A protein shake should not be a crazy diet or something where you starve yourself to death. I'm Jim Nash, and I'm here to provide you with knowledge that will last a lifetime so you can lose weight and keep it off for good. Take my free 12 part mini-course at http://www.losethepoundssite.com/index.html. You'll be glad you did.

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Will Weight Loss Bring Happiness?

By Theresa Coligan 

Do you think losing weight will bring you happiness?
I'm guessing you do, as pretty much every one of my clients says they want to lose weight:-
"Because it will make me happy"
Well, I've got news for you. It won't.
Why am I telling you this? Because you will find out for yourself soon enough and I want to manage your expectations. I don't want you to be disappointed and give up on your weight loss programme, because losing weight isn't delivering everything that you expected it to.


Now, don't get me wrong. Losing weight will undoubtedly make you happier than you are right now.
It will:

• Give you greater confidence
• Boost your self-esteem
• Make you feel better about yourself
• Improve your quality of life
• Give you more energy........

Loads and loads of really positive benefits, but it won't make you happy.
You see, losing weight is not the key to eternal happiness.

The fact is that nothing external makes you happy. Happiness comes from within.
The wonderful news, however, is that happiness is available to us at any time. It is like a spring inside our body; there is an eternal source of happiness we can tap into whenever we want.
Don't believe me?

Think about the way you feel when you listen to a really uplifting piece of music. Think about the way you feel when you see something really beautiful. Think about how you felt the last time you laughed until you cried. Instant, unadulterated happiness.

The only thing stopping us from being happy all the time are our thoughts.
Our thoughts create our reality - our personal experiences - in any given moment.

The way we respond to a given situation or a certain person or the way we perceive things can make us feel positive or negative, happy or sad, optimistic or pessimistic.

Unfortunately we very often opt for the latter, because we have programmed ourselves to do so.
Happiness comes from being in the moment - not having angry or resentful thoughts about the past; not worrying unnecessarily about the future.

It comes from being in the now - living, fully experiencing and enjoying this very moment that you are in RIGHT NOW.

It comes when your mind is still, when you're fully present, when you're totally engaged in a project or a hobby or with a person - when time flies and you're 'in flow.'

It comes from knowing that you are more than you think you are; that you are a wonderfully unique human being with so much to offer the world.

It comes from knowing that you are OK and that you'll be OK no matter what:-
"I am me - and I am OK"
as the wonderful piece of writing from Virgina Satir goes.

It comes from knowing that you have all the internal resources you need to deal with any situation and, last but not least, it comes from living your life with passion and purpose.

So, when a client comes to me to lose weight, I help them lose weight - I'm a weight loss coach after all - and it is a very important goal.

But my ultimate goal is your ultimate goal - to help you find happiness, peace and inner security - and when you do, that's when I know that our paths crossing have been a true blessing.

Theresa Coligan created http://thinkingthin.co.uk/ to help people solve one of the biggest and most challenging issues in their lives - how to lose weight and keep it off. Thinking Thin focusses on the missing link in weight loss - mindset change. Change your mindset and you easily change your behaviour; change your behaviour and you easily lose weight.

If you want to lose weight easily and enjoyably, sign up for our FREE weekly newsletter at http://thinkingthin.co.uk/register.php and get our e-book 'Insider Secrets To Simple, Sustainable Weight Loss' absolutely FREE as well.

(C) Copyright - Theresa Coligan. All worldwide rights reserved.

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What Are Fat Burning Foods and How Do They Burn Fat?

By Elaine Woosey 

Fat burning foods have been around for centuries and there is nothing mysterious or magical about them. If you want to lose weight naturally then choosing foods that burn fat for you seems the obvious solution but you cannot just add fat burning foods to a bad diet and expect to see natural weight loss.
When used properly as part of a balanced diet fat burning foods become extremely powerful indeed.

Fat Burning Foods help you lose weight in 3 ways:
1. They contain very few calories but at the same time
they are nutrient dense which means they deliver the most nutrition for your body without increasing your calorie intake or your weight.

2. They are difficult for your body to digest and process into the nutrients your body requires for energy and for carrying out repairs, so your body has to work hard and this forces your metabolism to use up stored energy just to digest them.

3. They are more satisfying and keep you feeling fuller for longer so you won't feel hungry or suffer from cravings. This will stop you snacking in between meals or craving sugary treats.

To get the most benefit from fat burning foods you must make them the mainstay of your diet so that every mouthful you eat contributes towards burning fat for you.

Fat Burning Foods and the Thermic Effect
When you eat food that is difficult to digest your body has to use stored energy to process it, the more difficult the food is to digest the more energy is burned in the digestion process. This is known as the Thermic Effect of Food or TEF.

The thermic effect of food has been scientifically proven to help your body burn fat and fat burning foods have earned their name from their high thermogenic value.

Therefore, foods that burn fat the best are lean proteins such as lean chicken breast, turkey breast, lean beef, all fish, shellfish, and eggs. Lean protein has the highest thermogenic value of all food and it will make your body burn 30% of the calories it contains just to digest it.

Unfortunately you cannot just eat lean proteins because your body also needs a variety of vitamins and minerals to keep you healthy.

So the next best fat burning foods are fruits and vegetables which should make up the bulk of your diet and they can burn 10% of the calories they contain when your body digests them. This might not sound as good as the lean proteins but fruits and vegetables are extremely low in calories anyway so the fact that you can burn off more calories by just eating them is a bonus that should not be overlooked if you want to lose weight naturally.

There is an abundance of fruit and vegetables for you to choose from, in particular berries are exceptionally high in anti-oxidants which help to repair and protect your cells from damage and citrus fruits contain high levels of vitamin C which is a necessary component for breaking down fat stores.

Choose fibrous vegetables and green leafy vegetables which are packed with vitamins and minerals. These vegetables will make your metabolism burn fat in the digestion process and because they are low in calories you can eat plenty of them which will help to keep you feeling fuller for longer.

Now you know what fat burning foods are and how they help your body burn fat it's time for you to plan every meal around these powerful foods so you can lose weight naturally and easily without feeling hungry or fighting off cravings.

Find out more about how to use Fat Burning Foods for natural weight loss and download your free fat loss report (includes meal plans, menus and recipes designed to give your metabolism a kick start).

Copyright http://beauty-secrets4u.com
You have permission to re-print this article provided the resource box and links are kept intact.

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Prepare to Thrive in 2013!

By Valerie Remy-Milora 

Christmas is a week away and most of us are busy with last minute shopping and all sorts of preparations. It's also a time of reflection and celebration. Celebrate the year that is coming to a close and what you have accomplished. Rejoice in the people that surround you and that fill your life with beauty.

In just a few weeks the New Year will be upon us. And the time to plan is NOW! Not at the stroke of midnight on New Year's Eve. As you look back on the things that have marked this year in a special way, look ahead to this time next year, and some of the things you'd like to be celebrating then.


New year is a special time in so many ways. It's a clean slate, a chance to start over and take that leap of faith that you've been wanting to take for much too long. There's a special energy in the air and you know that this is the year! This New Year is going to be the one where you actually follow through with your New Year's Resolution. This is the year you're going to get healthy, or start your own business... You're going to lose weight and start exercising more... or you're going to take that exotic vacation you've longed for and planned for for much too long.

But if you're like most of my clients, as the excitement of the New Year fades away and your head clears from all the champagne, you face the reality that this is just another day. Then mid January comes along and you're still looking at your list saying "I'll start tomorrow". Another week goes by, then another and you just fall right back into the routine you've had for years and no real change takes place. And as you put your list away, and give it just another side way glance, you realize that the things that are on that list are mostly the same ones you that were on it last year, and the year before that.. But why is that?

Many of us crave change and a more meaningful life but somehow let things get in the way. There's always tomorrow and we're just too busy to tackle something new. Yet deep down it's what we want more than anything, and we know we deserve it. So what is stopping us?

Year after year, the same things make it to the "Top Ten" on our New Year's Resolution list. Do any of these look familiar to you?

1. Get healthy
2. Make more money
3. Get out of Debt
4. Get Fit
5. Spend more time with my Family
6. Lose weight
7. Quit smoking
8. Get a new Job

All of these are facets of the same thing: we want to feel great and live live life more fully! We seek financial freedom and time to share deep and memorable experiences with the people we love.

So why not? Why not make this year the one where everything changes and you finally take action.
If you're ready to make those dreams come true, here are seven simple steps that I use myself, and share with my clients, to help you start the New Year on the right foot, ready to leap and dance and take control of your life!

Step 1 - Be specific
If you look at the list above you'll notice that it is very broad and unspecific. How can you achieve such a broad goal?

The first step to success is to define as specifically as possible what you are going to achieve. So if "lose weight" is one of your goals, then how much weight? In how many months? If you want to "Get Healthy" what does that mean for you? Will you make specific changes to your diet? Add a certain amount of exercise to your weekly schedule? What type of exercise?

The more specific your goals are the more likely you will be to achieve them. Be as specific as you can and be realistic! Don't try to lose 100 pounds in 3 months. That is not healthy and you will not succeed. Instead start with a smaller goal - aim for 20 pounds in 4 months. That's 5 pounds a month and a lot more attainable.

Step 2 - Know your WHY!
Having a clear and meaningful WHY is key to your success! All of us long for something more, whether it is more time with our families, more energy to do the things we want to do, or complete freedom to live on our terms. Those are the things that truly motivate us to set goals and achieve them.

If you want to start a new job, then what is your dream job and why is that the right job for you? What are the benefits that you hope to gain from this new job? Is it to have a job you truly relish and look forward to?

Is is to earn a better salary? If so, then what will that increase in salary bring you? More freedom with your time and more time with your family? The ability to buy a new home or take a year off and travel the world?

 Peace of mind for your retirement?

Do you want to lose weight to avoid being sick? To have more energy and play vigorously with your kids?

The more meaningful that WHY is, the more you will be able to define your goal with absolute clarify and stay on course.

Step 3 - Define your Action Steps
Once you've defined your goal as specifically as possible and know why it is imperative that you follow through, you'll need to write down the steps you need to get there. A goal is just a goal, an idea or dream of something more or less tangible. You have a vision of what your new life will be once you get there but HOW will you get there? Without the roadmap, no matter how specific and determined you are, it's going to be hard to get there.

So take some time to write down your roadmap, list the steps you are going to need to take to reach your goal and give each step a time frame or target date.

Are you going to get healthier by adding more fruits and vegetables to your diet? Which foods you will need to avoid? Will exercise be part of your plan? How much and when? What type?

Step 4 - Schedule it
OK, now you have absolute clarity, and a step-by-step action guide... It's time to pull out your calendar and schedule it! Start by writing down everything that currently fills your day.

Chances are you'll find it's already pretty full and it's going to be hard to fit your new activity. You'll probably need to take some things off of your schedule to add the new ones.

So take some time to assess the things that are essential and the ones that take your time but don't enrich you in any way and prioritize. Remember you have a bigger goal in mind, your WHY! Get rid of the things that distract you and replace them with the items on your roadmap.

Writing it down will reinforce your commitment and give you a clear picture of what your days will be like so you can start visualizing, which is a huge part of your success.

Step 5 - Post it!
Now that you have your schedule post it! Place it on your fridge or your bathroom mirror or both! By making it public you're reinforcing your commitment and letting your loved ones know you intentions. You are much more likely to follow through if you share your dreams and the steps you're going to take to get there.

You may also start a special Facebook Page or blog dedicated to your New Year's resolution. There you'll share your successes and your struggles and invite your loved ones to celebrate with you and keep pushing you!

Step 6 - Enlist Your Support Team (Grab a Friend)
Despite the best of intentions, it's never easy to go it alone. Asking a friend to join you and hold you accountable is the best way to stay the course.

A few years ago I decided to run my first half marathon. I asked a friend if she would enter the race with me. She said yes! It was such an amazing experience. We met three times a week to run. Both of us have crazy busy schedules but we stayed committed to every one of our training runs. We live about an hour apart from one another so we picked a place in between to meet twice a week. On weekends we'd run at the beach which was wonderful! Not only did my partner keep me from skipping a practise but she kept me motivated as we ran. I'd usually start out strong, and as I would begin to tire, she'd pick up the pace and become the leader. We found ourselves surprised at how easy it was to add the miles. It was also a beautiul time of sharing... ! We talked about so much as we ran it was truly beautiful. I never would have reached my goal without her!

Whether it's your husband, a friend or your children, choose someone to share the journey with. It makes the celebration that much more meaningful when you reach your goal!

Step 7 - Assess and Redefine
Alright so you've put everything in place and you're off to a good start, now what?
About mid-January is when people start to loose steam and start to veer off course. This is the time to take a look at the progress you've made so far and re-assess. Are the goals you've set and all the pieces you've put in place the right ones?

If not, then make some adjustments. If you decided to add an hour a day of exercise but find you're coming up with excuses twice a week, then either switch to 3 times a week or a half hour 5 times a week. Until this become part of your routine, you may need to pull back a little. Or perhaps you were not bold enough with the goal you set and realize you can actually accomplish more.

Make sure to celebrate whatever you have already accomplished. Then take an honest look at what works and what doesn't and adjust accordigly.

Life is precious and we never know what tomorrow will bring so make today the day that counts. There is no reason whatsoever to delay. Take whatever steps you need to to live the life you truly want, a life filled with beauty and love. A life that is vibrant and passionate. I have complete faith in you. And I am always there if you need me!

Have a splendid and awe inspiring New Year!

Valerie Remy-Milora's passion is to help moms thrive and build harmonious and happy lives for themselves and their children. She helps hundreds of women each day, put the "me" back into mom and reclaim their sense of self, sanity and serenity to enjoy a truly fulfilling life with their loved ones. Moms who want to feel beautiful and vibrantly healthy love the advice she shares through her magazine Scrumptious Moms at http://scrumptiousmoms.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Valerie_Remy-Milora

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How Acupuncture Can Be Used As An Aid To Beauty And Weight Loss

By Mike F Gill 

Acupuncture as an aid to Beauty
Most of us are used to the picture of someone receiving acupuncture treatment. We also know that acupuncture is widely used to eliminate pain. But not many people realise that acupuncture can also be a marvelous aid for a beauty routine.

Look at ourselves carefully before any makeup is applied. What would we like to get rid of? Are there too many fine lines, are the dark circles under the eyes attractive, and are large pores really gone? Maybe a small hint of a double chin, and maybe the complexion has age spots which can't be compared with a younger face! Things like this take a lot of makeup, and even perhaps a little plastic surgery.


Plastic surgery is much more drastic than a few needles from acupuncture treatment which is much easier to think about. Tiny needles inserted into areas of the face by an acupuncturist stimulate the production of collagen in the area. The skin becomes supported and nourished by the body instead of some external products. Collagen thus produced will firm the skin and stretch the skin removing fine lines.

Many women who undergo this procedure notice results with only one or perhaps a few treatments. The complexion becomes more clear and even, wrinkles become less noticeable, and a general glow to the face becomes apparent. The treatment simply brings back the natural energy of the face and so every woman looks more beautiful in a natural way. When our faces become more beautiful, we can then look at the rest of our bodies.

Acupuncture and Weight Loss

Many of us have tried to trim off the extra pounds, often with little or no success. When many of us see the wrinkles and dark circles already mentioned, any visit to a gym produces very little noticeable difference.
Any successful long term weight loss is often extremely difficult so that many of us do not achieve any worthwhile results. Many people have tried all sorts of diets, which just turned into a 'lose some and gain some' weight cycle. The achievement of permanent weight loss and maintaining a healthy and attractive appearance does not seem possible. Acupuncture holds out some promise for people with weight problems.

Yes, acupuncture weight loss treatment is also done by the use of needles but they are not inserted into the face. This time hair-thin needles are inserted into certain spots on the body which causes vital energy to be redirected to help the proper body function. Sometimes the acupuncturist may also suggest some herbs or even herbal tea. When each treatment session is over, most patients feel very good. Scientists in the Western world have discovered that one reason this treatment is successful is that endorphins are released. These constitute one body chemical that induces weight loss. Patients continue with a series of treatments, after which a maintenance treatment plan is scheduled. Healthy people would also benefit from a periodic visit to an acupuncturist to restore their energy to optimal levels. Such visits would not only keep us beautiful, but certainly healthy as well!

Do yourself a favour and find out more on how acupuncture can be of help to you. At [http://www.mikesvideosonline.com/Acupuncture] you can watch many videos on cases and results of people who have used acupuncture to improve their health.

This website also has videos on cancer and other subjects, the home page gives links to these other subjects and more are being added fairly often.
© Copyright 2008 - Mike F Gill

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mike_F_Gill

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Weight Loss and Beauty Through a Raw Food Food Diet

By Susan Schenck 

Raw diet promotes beauty. To begin with, one reaches his or her ideal weight more readily and maintains it with much less effort than on a cooked diet. Many people lose 15 pounds in a month or two with no feeling of deprivation whatsoever. Obese people lose much more than that while eating raw fats all they want, including raw "ice cream," avocados, nuts and olives. Raw fats (from avocados, olives, nuts, seeds, coconut butter et al.) are actually needed by the body to maintain youthful skin, hair and glands. They are rich in the essential fatty acids linolenic acid and linoleic acid that are denatured by heat.


Raw food pioneer Dr. Ann Wigmore wrote, "The effectiveness of live foods and fresh juices, especially wheatgrass juice, has bankrupted many complex theories about why we become fat and how to reduce quickly ... Among our guests at the [Hippocrates Health] Institute, the average weight loss per week is between four and fifteen pounds" (The Wheatgrass Book, p. 59).

Studies have shown that raw food is less fattening than the same food cooked. According to Dr. Edward Howell, raw fats are not fattening and seem to belong in "a special pigeonhole in nutritional speculations" (Enzyme Nutrition, p.109). While cooked fats accumulate in the body and become very detrimental to our health, raw fats contain lipase (deficient in many obese people), the enzyme involved in metabolizing fat properly.

The word "Eskimo" means "raw eater," as the Eskimos traditionally ate nothing cooked but subsisted chiefly on raw meat and blubber. Dr. V. E. Levine examined 3,000 primitive Eskimos during three trips to the Arctic and found only one person who was overweight.

Cooked starches are also very fattening. Farmers have even learned that it is necessary to feed their animals cooked food to fatten them up for maximal profit. Hogs do not get fat on raw potatoes, but cooking the potatoes makes them gain weight.

In addition to reaching your body's ideal weight, many other beauty factors blossom on a raw diet. Cellulite, which is thought to result from eating heated fats, gradually disappears with the consumption of freshly squeezed grapefruit juice. On a raw diet, elimination of cellular waste and increased lymphatic drainage helps remove cellulite.

As the body's old cells are replaced with new, healthy cells through proper nutrition that only a raw diet provides, your hair grows in thicker and at times wilder. It may even regain color after having been gray, as did Ann Wigmore's. Your skin may become as soft and smooth as it was in your youth. Your nails will be strong, clear and shiny. Facial lines may fade or disappear; the face's pasty, white complexion becomes ruddy or rosy. People may remark on how much younger you look. Your eyes will sparkle.

The Hippocrates Health Institute, one of the places where people have gone to learn about the raw food diet, was once described by Cosmopolitan magazine as the "well-kept secret" of beauty and rejuvenation of various famous Hollywood movie stars and celebrities. Now the news media are letting the secret out.
When Demi Moore appeared in a bikini in the Charlie's Angels movie Full Throttle and looked every bit as great as the women younger than her, the word went out that the secret was her raw food diet. Other celebrities who have caught the wave include Alicia Silverstone and Woody Harrelson.

Model Carol Alt wrote in her book Eating in the Raw that the raw diet helps her stay beautiful, slim and young-looking. She attributes her current youthfulness and stamina to having eaten primarily raw food for eight years. She explains that in her thirties she had to starve herself and exercise a lot to stay trim. But as a raw fooder she is able to eat anything she wants, as long as it's raw, and she maintains her weight effortlessly, without ever feeling excess hunger. In addition, she claims she has better abdominal definition without exercising than she did as a cooked fooder who exercised regularly. She also has fewer wrinkles.

Health and beauty are intertwined. Dr. Herbert Shelton wrote, "The woman who maintains her health and youthfulness will retain her attractiveness. If she permits her health to slip away from her, if she values indulgences and frivolities more than she does health and impairs her health in the pursuit of false pleasure, she will lose her BEAUTY; and no art of the cosmetician and dressmaker will be able to preserve it for her."

Researcher Arnold De Vries writes, "In the final analysis, we must regard beauty, health and youth as intimately related. To the extent that you preserve one in your physical being, you also preserve the others. The uncooked fruit and vegetable diet, pure water, sleep and rest, sunshine, strong relationships, exercise, fresh air, fasting if necessary, and abstinence from drugs, vaccines, serums and other toxins are the prime requirements in your attempt to preserve your youth, health and beauty as long as you can" (The Fountain of Youth).

The face becomes more beautiful with a raw diet. "Skin loses its slackness and puffiness and clings to the bones better," write Susannah and Leslie Kenton (Raw Energy, p. 90). "The true shape of the face emerges where once it was obscured by excess water retention and poor circulation. Lines become softer. Eyes take on the clarity and brightness one usually associates with children or with super-fit athletes."

Nutritionist Natalia Rose, author of The Raw Food Detox Diet, profoundly praises the raw food diet as being the key to permanent weight loss. It's a lifestyle in which a woman can even attain her perfect shape without formal exercise or counting calories or grams of fat or carbohydrates and regardless of having had several children. The skin tone improves as cells become healthier and tighter. One dares to go out without make-up.

Tonya Zavasta describes her lifelong obsession with attaining beauty, which she finally discovered in her 40s through a 100% raw food diet. In her book Your Right to Be Beautiful, she explains how each of us can fulfill our full beauty potential, which is robbed by the toxic accumulation of cooked foods, dairy, wheat, salt and drugs. "Beauty lies latent under cushions of retained fluids, deposits of fat and sick tissues. Your beauty is buried alive" (p. 134).

She goes on to explain that on a diet of uncooked foods, "The landscape of the body will change. Fat that has accumulated in pockets under the eyes and at the jaw will melt away. The lumpy potato look of one's face will give way to sleek and smooth contours. The surface of the skin will become soft and smooth but still firm and supple. Visible pores will diminish. A sallow skin with a yellow pallor will turn into a porcelain-like complexion" (p. 137).

She furthermore describes the radiance and glow produced internally when there is "an abundance of clear, pink, almost transparent cells that light up the face," which is produced by superior blood circulation. Even the most beautiful supermodel would be enhanced by a raw food diet. She notes that the modern-day version of beauty is more in harmony with health than perhaps ever before, hence "the quest for beauty, instead of a narcissistic preoccupation, becomes a noble pursuit."

Tonya came across many women who would not eat a raw diet for their health, preferring just to take medications. However, they would go raw for beauty, as there is no pill for beauty. In her book Beautiful on Raw, ten women contributed their own experiences of how raw diets added to their beauty.

Various observations were that hair grew out with color instead of gray, sometimes with natural waves or curls, and fingernails grew strong, long and shapely. Cellulite vanished effortlessly. Puffiness in the body and face disappeared, and the skin cleared up. These women often get complimented on the "glow" of their faces. They feel confident without make-up. Their inner beauty and confidence also radiate. They look younger than ever and have no fear whatsoever of getting old. One of the women is 64 and still gets checked out by "the young whippersnappers" when she is at the gym!

Interestingly, many of them, before eating raw, had never been called "beautiful" by anyone, even when they were much younger. One of the women wrote about suddenly becoming aware of the benefits of being attractive, benefits which one who had always been beautiful would take for granted. People were nicer to her, cops didn't give her tickets, and salespeople waited on her first.

The authors of Raw Food/Real World explain, "People who eat only raw, plant-based foods have an unmistakable shine, like a pregnant woman in her second trimester or someone newly in love. They have a radiant positive energy."

You haven't reached your beauty potential until you've tried a raw food diet.

Susan Schenck, LAc, MTOM, is a raw food coach, lecturer, and author of The Live Food Factor, The Comprehensive Guide to the Ultimate Diet for Body, Mind, Spirit & Planet, known as the encyclopedia of the raw food diet. Go to http://www.livefoodfactor.com to get a free chapter from her book.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Susan_Schenck

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Top Ten Superfoods for Perfect Abs

By Martina Mercer 

By just incorporating the following foods into your diet, you could lower cholesterol, fight cancer, increase your heart health and boost brain power and to top it all they taste great too!

1) Brazil Nuts - All nuts are a great source of fibre and protein, especially on a vegan or vegetarian diet, but Brazil nuts are also a great source of selenium which has been proven to fight Alzheimer's!

2) Olive Oil - There's a reason the Italians live long healthy lives,
olive oil is full of antioxidants and is proven to lower cholesterol but be careful of the calories!

3) Salmon - Oily fish is full of Omega 3 and 6, excellent for eyes, bones, skin and the brain!

4) Broccoli - Is quite simply amazing, it contains so much in one floret it can boost immune systems, fight blindness, heart disease, muscle wasting illnesses and a host of other age related illness. If you didn't like it as a child, it may be time to think again!

5) Tea - In any form is full of antioxidants. It has actually been proven to prevent damage to artery walls thus reducing the risk of heart disease. Go on, put the kettle on!

6) Yogurt - we've all heard the benefits of friendly bacteria; well plain old simple yogurt fights bad bacteria and fills you up with good bacteria. Any flavour, any form, a yogurt a day will keep your intestines tip top!

7) Garlic - A wonderful way to flavour food, especially if you are cutting back on salt. Garlic helps cleanse the blood keeping all of your major organs working at their best.

8) Acai Berry - Not widely available, and best eaten straight from the bush in the middle of Brazil, however this little berry holds so much goodness even in its freeze dried form you'll still benefit. It has the highest concentration of antioxidants compared to other fruits, it's known for its cell regeneration properties and if eaten with a good oily fish it aids the absorption of Omega 3.

9) Barley - Barley is one food that when digested by the stomach it is made into energy by the small intestine. This helps prevent the risk of colon cancer.

10) Red Wine - A little of what you fancy? A glass, not a bottle a day can protect capillaries.
See, looking after your abs has never seemed so super and to top it all now you can gain the perfect six pack from the comfort of your own living room, without the need for expensive equipment.

For perfect abs to get you noticed without the expense of silly equipment visit Adrian James at http://www.sixpackproductions.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Martina_Mercer

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Easy Weight Loss With Green Tea

By Katie Pax 

All varieties of tea contain catechins but green tea, which is less processed than oolong or types of black tea, contains more catechins. There have been many studies involving the benefits of using tea as a diet aid and demonstrating its fat burning properties. In one study men who drank green tea in their diets lost nearly double the weight of men who drank none as part of their diet programmes. It was also reported that the men who drank green tea with 660 mg of catechins also experienced greater reductions in waist size as compared with men who drank black tea containing just 22 mg of catechins.


Wouldn't you just like to forget all the latest diet and exercise fads? According to recent studies it seems you can have easy weight loss with tea and that losing those extra pounds may be as easy as relaxing with a cuppa. It sounds like a perfect solution especially for the UK who have a passion already for the teapot. However, make sure that it is green and not any other type of tea such as black tea that you consume in order to get the health benefits.

How much should I drink for weight loss?
To achieve the health benefits, you should drink two to three cups each day. It is recommended to drink caffeine-free tea, however, as numerous cups of caffeinated green will result in a high of caffeine intake and may then cause side effects such as headaches, heart palpitations and irritability. Also be warned that it is claimed that in excess of five cups of caffeinated tea each day is too much and that if you have more than 10g of caffeine a day it can actually cause death with lower amounts causing toxicity. Tea may interfere with some medications, so it may be wise to seek medical advice about any interactions.

Boost Metabolism
The claim for weight loss with green tea is that drinking it boosts your metabolism, which has the weight loss benefits of both burning calories and booting your energy drive. As well as boosting metabolism this tea is also claimed reduce blood fats and cholesterol, reduce that bloated feeling, help with detoxing the body and suppresses your appetite. Some also say that it contains weight loss properties that will block fat absorption into the body. Also the caffeine in tea may also have a positive effect on weight loss as it acts as a stimulant. These benefits make for a lot of big promises for easy weight loss.

So is it that easy to lose weight with tea?
It sounds like a dieter's dream and too good to be true, but according to claims it really does appear to be that simple. All you have to do is drink plenty and enjoy the weight loss benefits that follow. There is actually scientific evidence confirming that slimming teas actually do work to shift those pounds.

Calorie Counting
Even with this easy weight loss with tea drinking, it could be argued that the weight loss benefits of drinking this tea are due to the calorie savings made by swapping a milky, sugary cup of usual tea to a calorie-free cup of the green stuff. However a regular cup of tea with semi skimmed milk and one spoon of sugar contains 38 calories so not a great saving of calories even at four cups a day totalling 152 calories. However, if you look at it as over a year saving a massive 55,480 calories this does look quite substantial. So, however, it is rationalised if you do drink milky tea with sugar just switching your normal cuppa of black tea to green you will ultimately lose weight through having the green instead.

Whichever way you look at it, it seems green tea is healthy and proven aid to weight loss.

What Diet administrator and author http://www.what-diet.co.uk

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Katie_Pax

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The Best 8 Fat Burning Foods For Women

By Steven R Robison 

Best Fat Burners
Foods that increase metabolism are the best fat burners. It's important to note that no appreciable fat burning will take place unless the eating of these foods is combined with a simple weight training program. Here's the reason: to burn fat, you must build lean muscle tissue. It's the building of lean muscle tissue that fires the fat burning process.
This weight training program does not need to be full-fledged body building program, it can be accomplished with surprisingly light weights.
However, it needs to be a routine program worked on a regular consistent basis.

What Are These Foods That Increase Metabolism?
1 - Salmon
Salmon is perhaps the best overall meat we can consume. And, most people are fond of the flavor. Salmon comes packed with protein and Omega-3 fatty acids, both are critical fuels for increasing metabolism and the creation of lean muscle tissue. These fatty acids also enhance your cardiovascular system, and are a tremendous factor in reducing your risk of heart disease.

2 - Turkey
Turkey is another fantastic fat burner. Turkey is packed with protein for building lean muscle tissue, and is lower in fat than chicken. However be careful, many turkeys for the holiday season are injected with butter and other fatty substances.

3 - Lean Beef
Beef is popular and readily available throughout most of the world. Lean beef is an excellent source of protein for the creation of muscle tissue. It is also loaded with iron which is instrumental in fortifying your blood supply with red blood cells.

4 - Green Tea

For centuries the Japanese have known the health benefits of green tea. Over the last few years this knowledge has started spreading throughout the world. Green tea is packed with epigallocatechin gallate (EcGC). EcGC stimulates the brain and nervous system, thus increasing metabolism and the burning of fat. EcGC offers many other health benefits including reduced antioxidant activity in the blood, the lowering of cholesterol levels, and the improvement in the ratio between HDL (bad cholesterol) and LDL (good cholesterol). It has even been shown to reduce the risk of some cancers.

5 - Skim Milk
Skim milk is an excellent source of calcium, which helps to increase metabolism. Numerous studies show that those who drink moderate amounts of low-fat dairy products daily have lower body fat ratios than whose who do not drink dairy products.

6 - Broccoli
Broccoli is one of those rare super foods you can really not eat too much of. It is loaded with calcium, vitamin A, vitamin C, folic acid, and fiber. Calcium, Vitamin A, and fiber all contribute to increasing your metabolism and fat burning. In addition, Broccoli is full of antioxidants that provide a multitude of health benefits including reduction in the chances of heart disease and certain cancers.

7 - Oats
Oats are loaded with fiber and are an excellent source of selenium which boosts your immune system by producing antibodies.

8 - Edamame
A great Japanese, fat burning snack food. Edamame is essentially soy beans that have been lightly broiled and salted. Edamame is full of calcium, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, folic acid, and fiber.

The Best Fat Burners and Exercise
For lasting, permanent, healthy results, follow a fat burning program that combines natural fat burning foods with exercise. Most quick fixes, crash diets, or dangerous pills simply do not work. You can only achieve true, lasting results by changing your eating habits and in no other way.

Very important - water is your best friend. Drink plenty of good, clear water. Liquids like fruit juices (unless they are freshly squeezed with nothing added), soda, or coffee do not count. The so-called 'fruit juices' and soda are filled with sugar, flavorings, and preservatives. None of these ingredients are healthy. Coffee is nothing more than a habit-forming drug. In fact, drinking coffee is the most wide-spread drug addiction in the world. Coffee actually dehydrates your body, has no healthy properties, and causes numerous long-term problems inside your body.

Your digestive system needs plenty of water to complete its task efficiently and your other body organs also need adequate water to function at top efficiency. When you supply your body with sufficient water (about 64 oz. per day) all body functions can perform as they should. Your heart and lungs are able to deliver life-giving oxygen to all parts of your body and your brain and nervous system perform at their peak.

Conclusion
When you combine fat burning foods with healthy exercise, your body will move quite naturally to its optimum, healthy weight. And, it will stay there as long as you continue the program. You'll suffer no hunger pangs or feelings of food deprivation because you're not starving your body, you're giving your body what it loves, foods that increase metabolism.

What if you simply can't control your body weight, no matter how hard you try?
I know how hard it is to try a new program, lose a few pounds, only to gain it all back again and again. The depression and discouragement that comes from failing time after time, no matter how hard you try, is truly devastating.

There is a solution. It's simple and easy, no dangerous pills, no expensive foods, no hunger pangs, and your body will naturally gravitate to your perfect, optimum weight.

You can learn more in my free video/report by clicking here: Your Perfect Body [http://www.healthynutritiondotinfo.com/]
Don't give up hope, it's NOT impossible. Learn how to Eat Healthy Nutritious Foods [http://www.healthynutritiondotinfo.com/] by clicking the link.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Steven_R_Robison

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6 Secrets To Making A Diet Work

By Donovan Baldwin 

First of all, I always have a problem with the word "diet". Most people equate any diet with the words "fad diet".
Can't say that I blame them. After all, even though there are some good diet plans out there, most diets that we hear of are generally pretty screwy, based on poor or incomplete science, and don't work. I've covered all that elsewhere many times, so let's move on.
 For the moment, for the sake of this article, we will return some dignity to the word "diet" and use it to mean a list of the foods we eat, along
with instructions on preparation, meals, when to eat, how to eat, and so on.
My own favorite diet is simple, filling, enjoyable, and so easy to follow that I don't have to count calories, go out of my way to plan, worry about eating out, keep track of what I eat, or get tired of eating the same thing. Heck, I don't even go "on" it or have to worry about falling "off" it!

However, that's another article that I haven't written yet. For the moment, I'll just tell you that you might want that I eat all the meat, fish, cheese, eggs, and milk I want, and the rest of my meals and snacks revolve around fresh fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. I have also done away with as much sugar as possible... which seems hard to do at first because it is in so many food products. But, it can be done and I have lost a lot of excess weight eating that way, my blood pressure has gone down, and I feel a whole lot better than before I changed my eating habits. And I have exercised regularly for years!

Once you decide to eat in some manner good for your health, probably because you have not been doing so, here's a few tips to help you be successful.

1. Do not make huge, sudden changes: For one thing, doing so CAN make you feel worse, not better! For example, you should have about 25 - 30 grams of fiber in your diet each day. Most of us are not getting that much. If you suddenly introduce that much fiber into your diet...
Well, just trust me that you won't like the results!

Also, suddenly changing a lifestyle in many different ways becomes a chore. You have to keep track of so many things and even if you are successful at that, you are still going to feel that all those changes are taking up all your attention and time. Add in the fact that no new diet is going to make you look and feel great right away, and you will find that there are plenty of excuses to throw in the towel.

2. Do not cut calories drastically: It seems wrong to hear me say that cutting calories to the bone can actually result in you gaining weight, but that's what can happen. Your body has some built-in mechanisms for survival, and one of them is sometimes called "the starvation response". When you cut calories deeply, not only do YOU feel bad (in more ways than one as you feel you are somehow being punished for being overweight), but the body begins to make adjustments in its needs which can result in you actually gaining weight eventually... especially when you go back off the diet.

Another point, by the way, is that your body needs many nutrients, and it normally gets them from the food you eat. Suddenly eating a whole lot less may mean that you do not get the nutrients you need.

3. Enjoy what you eat, or eat what you enjoy. If all you can eat is cabbage soup, or some such nonsense, you are going to get fed up... but not the way you want! You will give up sooner or later, probably sooner, and join the ranks of those who have tried a diet and "failed". You won't fail, really. You'll just come to your senses.

There are plenty of delicious, nutritious foods out there, and if you cannot find them, you just aren't trying. Even the "bad" ones are not really going to hurt your diet if taken occasionally in moderation. As long as your overall eating choices are the good ones, the occasional piece of pie or bowl of ice cream won't derail your weight loss train.

4. In fact, you should reward yourself for good behavior: Knowing that you do not have to totally divorce yourself from all the foods you know and love so well will make it easier to try new foods and stay with them. When I changed my eating habits, I learned that sweet potatoes were better for me than regular potatoes. I had never liked sweet potatoes, and, in fact, had avoided them because they were "sweet". They actually have more fiber and a lower glycemic index (a good thing usually) than regular potatoes. Now I eat them regularly and have a hard time deciding if they are part of the meal or dessert!

5. Understand what's happening: You don't have to take a course in nutrition to figure out what you are supposed to do, but it helps to have some real facts to go on. Learn a little bit about "good carbs" and "bad carbs". Get the facts about, and learn the difference between, dietary fat, body fat, and visceral (abdominal) fat. Bone up on vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients. Above all, don't look for the quick fix, and don't think just because you saw it on the cover of a magazine, or even on the Internet where ALL things are true, that some magic way to lose weight, get six inches taller, and win the lottery is indeed a fact.

Heck, doubt this article! Do some reasearch. Read! Learn! I mentioned some "facts" about potatoes and sweet potatoes. Is that true? Look it up! How about the strange words I used earlier, "glycemic index"? What is that? Does it work? Can you use it? I do.

6. Exercise: If you ever read any of my articles, you knew that would be here somewhere. What good is losing weight if you cannot hold a book to read or play with the kids, or, in my case, grandkids, because you are too weak or have no energy. Exercise makes you stronger, improves your attitude, helps strengthen your immune system, delays and minimizes many of the conditions that come with age. On top of that, it helps you find, no, create the energy to do more including fun things... and it burns fat.
There you go. Six secrets of making a diet work... if you want it to.

Donovan Baldwin is a 67-year-old exerciser, freelance writer, certified optician, and Internet marketer currently living in the Dallas - Fort Worth area. A University Of West Florida alumnus (1973) with a BA in accounting, he has been a member of Mensa and has been a Program Accountant for the Florida State Department of Education, the Business Manager of a community mental health center, and a multi-county Fiscal Consultant for an educational field office. He has also been a trainer for a major international corporation, and has managed various small businesses, including his own. After retiring from the U. S. Army in 1995, with 21 years of service, he became interested in Internet marketing and developed various online businesses. He has been writing poetry, articles, and essays for over 40 years, and now frequently publishes original articles on his own websites and for use by other webmasters.

 To learn more about diets and weight loss, read his report, Why Diets Don't Work at http://nodiet4me.com.

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