We always hear about how we need to eat healthy, maintain a good body weight, and get a little exercise everyday.  The most important reason to do all these things will become more prevalent as we get older.  Why?  Quality of life that’s why.  You may have unhealthy habits that don’t affect your life right now so you see no reason to make any changes.  By the time you’ve realized that you need to make a change it will probably be too little too late.  I work in orthopedic/cardiac rehab unit where I’ve heard many say, “If I’d only adopted  healthy habits sooner…”  Getting a little exercise is as simple as taking a brisk walk in your neighborhood.  You can supplement a healthy diet with supplements like orovo products, or eat a daily serving of fruits and vegetables.  Cut back on sweets and reduce your caloric intake to help maintain a good body weight.      

My sister-in-law is a personal trainer in a swanky suburb of Atlanta, GA so I’m always bugging her about the latest fitness craze or weight loss tips.  Yesterday I sent her an email about what supplements I could be taking to increase lean muscle and burn more body fat.  She recommends Amino Acids, Flax Oil, and CLA (Conjugated Linoleic Acid) and says not to take diet pills because they can screw up your metabolism.  She also recommends The Maker’s Diet as an eating plan to help lose extra pounds.  And exercise consisting of weight-training and aerobics 6 days per week.  I started taking the CLA so we’ll see how it works.         

I’ve never tried a weight loss cream but I’m always willing to try just about anything.  From what I’ve read the cream can be applied to trouble spots like the tummy, hips, thighs, and the back of the arms.  The creams have skin conditioners, wrinkle reducing compounds, and toners that help reduce the appearance of cellulite.  With bathing suit season coming better looking skin on trouble zones can make all the difference in the world.  If anyone has tried weight loss cream let me know how it worked.

Whatever happenend to medical insurance?   I know that those of us who have it are lucky but the cost of it is making me wonder if its all worth it.  For many workers you pay high monthly premiums out of every paycheck only to get bills in the mail from your doctors on the huge amounts that insurance hasn’t covered.  It is really easy for me to understand why so many just can’t afford it and elect to go without it.  I think medical insurance is one of the biggest and most expensive burdens that Americans are facing right now.  I’ve really been watching what the presidential hopefuls are planning to do about it.   

I could really use a new yoga dvd.  I bought one a Wal-mart a few years back and I think its really cheesy.  I know that yoga is supposed to help you relax, improve flexibility, and decrease stress but the woman’s voice on my dvd just drives me crazy.  Of course I could just be making up excuses not to do yoga but I guess if I don’t like the dvd I have then I won’t be motivated to exercise.  Also, some of the moves were simple and did help me stretch but other moves I just couldn’t pull off.  Some of it was so hard I wanted to cry like a baby.  I don’t know when or if I’ll try yoga again but I think I’ll stick to weights and cardio for now. 

I am so proud of my sister because she is finally out of plus size clothing.  About 1 year ago she elected to have gastric bypass surgery in order to lose weight and regain her health.  Before her surgery she was dangerously overweight and contracted a life-threatening infection which then caused her heart to fail.  She was in the hospital for nearly 3 weeks on the strongest antibiotics in order to beat the infection.  Once she was well again, her doctor recommended she have the surgery.  She has lost over 120 lbs. and can’t believe how great she feels.  Gastric bypass surgery does have its risks but the reward for my sister has been a completely new life.

I can’t believe how rotten a horrible sinus infection can make you feel.  I’ve missed 2 and a half days at work and I have a headache that just won’t quit.  Unfortunately, for us in the midwest, allergies and sinus problems are just part of living here.  I’ve learned to accept the fact that as long as I stay in Indiana I will always have Zyrtec, Tylenol sinus, Claritin, and various assortments of Benadryl stashed in my medicine cabinet in case of an allergic meltdown.  I even tried the sterile saline mist for nasal irrigation and my mom has one of those netti pots she wants to give me.  My good friends mother had allergies so bad she ended up moving to the Outer Banks of North Carolina.  After only a few months there, relatives say she looked 10 years younger.   

My dreaded insomnia has been rearing its ugly head again.  Ever since I can remember I’ve always had trouble getting my preciously needed sleep.  Unfortunately, life doesn’t stop when you’ve been awake staring at the clock all night because you simply can’t shut down.  The crazy thing is, I can actually function pretty well after one night of no sleep.  When the nights start adding up to 2 or 3 then we start to have problems.  I feel like I’m sleep walking and I get this horrible headache that won’t go away.  As I walked in a fatigued stupor the other day a co-worker behind the reception desk startled me when she asked me what was wrong.  It’s the same answer every time.  ”I’m tired, I couldn’t sleep last night…again.”     

Fat Loss 4 Idiots is an online dieting handbook that generates a diet specifically for your caloric needs. The diet they provide for you is based on “calorie shifting” which means to trick your metabolism into burning more fuel from body fat stores on days that you consume less calories.

This concept is actually not a new one and has been used by body-building enthusiasts for years. I had heard of calorie shifting when I was a personal trainer almost 13 years ago. Even the “low carb” diet that has caught on in recent years was being used by body-builders to get lean way before Atkins published his first book.

So does the calorie shifting Fat Loss 4 Idiots Diet work? I completely agree with their pitch to stop using low carb, low calorie, and low fat diets for long term weight loss. Those fad diets they mention just didn’t work for me in the long run. I was successful the first 2 weeks after phase 1 of the South Beach Diet and lost 10 lbs in the 2 week time frame but I couldn’t keep it off. Once I went to the more liberal portion of the diet the weight slowly came back.

The Fat Loss 4 Idiots diet has you eating more that 3 times per day and involves the proper timing of meals, as well as selecting the proper types of calories at each meal. So the concept behind their eating plan is eating the right foods at the right times.

The calorie shifting theory:

“Your metabolism doesn’t know how much food you’ll eat tomorrow or the next day because those days have not happened yet. Therefore, your metabolism always burns calories based on your eating habits during the past few days — because it assumes that you’ll continue to eat in the same general way.

Guess what? You’re about to shock your metabolism by doing something you’ve never tried before — you’re going to do the OPPOSITE of what it expects you to do. You’re going to NOT continue eating the same types of calories and meals for more than a couple days at a time, and you’re going to lose a lot of weight by doing this.

To make this work you need to SHIFT the types of calories eaten as shown in our diet on the next page, and if you do this then your metabolism will burn all of the calories eaten. Then, when it finishes burning those calories it will find the nearest available fat tissue on your body and burn that too…” 

I used something similiar to the theory of calorie shifting along with strength training at least 3 days per week for nearly 10 years.  I was in the best shape of my life and felt the best I had ever felt.  The only reason I lost track the last several years was because of some tragic events that have happenend in my life.  Using calorie shifting and strength training worked as long as I was committed to doing both on a daily basis and making it apart of my life. 

Therefore, I would highly recommend the Fat Loss 4 Idiots download because it takes care of the meal planning for you.  Once you download the 11 day meal plan all you need to do is add strength training or body toning exercises at least 3 days per week.  Remember this is a long term plan for managing your weight, looking fit, and feeling healthy.  Realistically, you have to allow at least 4-6 weeks to start seeing changes in the mirror.  But once you start seeing your body change for the better it is so motivating!  Once you start losing weight and body toning your clothes will fit better, you’ll have more energy, and you feel healthier.  

To download Fat Loss 4 Idiots Click Here:  Fat Loss 4 Idiots

I just read an article on About.com that some physical therapists at Ohio State University Medical Center’s Dodd Hall Rehab hospital have been prescribing some Wii time to help improve balance, coordination, and endurance.  My husband plays Wii almost everyday down at his friends house and says it is actually quite a workout, especially the boxing game.  Lately I’ve been trying to figure out how to incorporate more time for exercise into my life and still spend quality time with my husband.  I think the Wii could be my new favorite thing if I could just get my hands on one!