The Single Most Important Nutritional Factor for Fat Loss

     Fat loss is probably the most common health and fitness goal today and there are so many different products and programs designed to make people lose fat that it is virtually impossible to keep track of them all. Having different options for achieving fat loss is important, because no single approach will work for everyone, although some fat loss strategies definitely work better than others.

The 3 Things Needed for a Comprehensive Warm-up

     Everyone agrees that it is important to warm up before exercise, but there has been a lot of disagreement about what should be included in a warm-up. Many of these disagreements are the result of research done over the last 10 to 15 years, which has provided new insight into many of the old assumptions about warming up. At this point, the specific physiological effects of different types of warm-ups are becoming clear and I want to summarize recent findings and explain what you need to include if you want to experience all the benefits associated with warming up.

My Favorites: Quick and Easy Nutritious Meal

     This meal is a personal creation and it is one of my favorites because it has everything I look for in a meal. It only has 4 ingredients, requires almost no preparation or cooking, and is very good for your body. It is also inexpensive and makes a great meal for anyone trying to eat healthy on a budget. It contains high quality protein, healthy Omega-3 fat, and some of the best carbohydrates available. It would typically be considered a breakfast meal, but I actually eat it any time of the day.

My Favorites: Introduction to my New Series of Posts

     This post is not designed to explain a specific health or fitness topic, but rather to introduce a new ongoing series that will be incorporated into my blog. I am calling this series “My Favorites” and I will use these posts to discuss a variety of health and fitness related things that I believe can be useful to help you reach your goals and improve your quality of life.

     Upcoming favorites could be a specific item such as a piece of exercise equipment or supplement, but it could also be any number of other things including an exercise/workout, food/meal, health and fitness website, etc. I also encourage you to send me suggestions about specific things you are interested in. For example, if you want to know about portable exercise equipment to take on a trip or a quick and nutritious breakfast meal, ask me for my favorite.

     Of course I will do more than just tell you what my favorites are. When I discuss a favorite, I will point out the positive features and include practical information to help you benefit from it, such as how you can use it in your routine. My favorites will often involve things that are easy to use, effective, and a great value (when applicable), because those are all characteristics I look for in anything related to health and fitness.

     Finally, if you have a health and fitness product or service that is a favorite of yours, tell me about it and I may write about it in the future. Also, if there is something you want my opinion on, let me know and I can write a review about it or I could even make it one of my future favorites.

Fact or Fiction: Lifting Weights will Decrease Your Flexibility

     Most people realize that flexibility is an important physical attribute and any good health and fitness program should help you improve or at least maintain your existing level of flexibility. Poor flexibility causes numerous problems including pain and injury, so it is important to avoid doing things that decrease your flexibility. Lifting weights is an activity that is acknowledged to have benefits for virtually everyone, yet some people avoid it, because they don’t want to lose flexibility.

The Problem with “Losing Weight”

     People are more concerned about their health and fitness than ever before and when asked about their goals, losing weight is typically at or near the top of the list. Since so many people are concerned with their health and actively trying to lose weight, you would think the percentage of overweight people would be decreasing, but the rate of obesity is still as high as ever. There are many reasons for this, but one problem is people generally focus on losing weight, when they should be focused on losing fat.

Tips to Improve the Effectiveness of Walking Routines

     Walking is one of the most popular forms of exercise today, especially for people just beginning to workout. Walking has many positive features, such as being inexpensive, easy to perform, able to be done almost anywhere, and the only equipment you really need is a decent pair of shoes. Of course walking also has health benefits, such as improving cardiovascular health, lower body muscular endurance, fat loss, and more. However, most people don’t get the maximum benefits from their walking routine, so I wanted to provide some tips to help you improve your results.

Food Label Terms (Grains): Multi-Grain, Whole Grain, and Organic

     In a previous 4-part series, I discussed a number of tips to help you understand the complexities and misleading information found on food labels (click here for part 1). Unfortunately there is a lot more to understand about food label terminology than what I covered in my previous posts, so today I will cover some additional food label terms that are commonly misunderstood. Today’s terms are multi-grain, whole grain, and organic and I chose to cover them together, because they are related and they can all apply to the same product.

Dieting is Not the Answer for Long-Term Fat Loss

     If you have poor eating habits and want to lose fat, then you need to improve your nutrition to make significant progress. When people think about losing fat, the first thing that often comes to mind is dieting, but going on a diet is probably not your best course of action. Instead of dieting, you should work on improving your everyday eating habits (nutritional program), which will lead to better long-term results.

Don’t Hold Yourself Back by Using the Wrong Equipment

     If you are starting a new exercise program or just changing your existing workout routine, an important decision is what equipment you will use to reach your health and fitness goals. Depending on your fitness level, you may be able to do a number of exercises with just your bodyweight, but chances are you will want at least some equipment to increase the variety and challenge of your workouts.