Low Fat Diet

First I would like to provide a basic understanding of what a low fat diet is and why a low fat diet or even a no-fat diet might be considered. A healthy diet consists of 30% calories from fat, so a low fat diet would be less than that. Generally I would provide a baseline of 20% calories from fat to be considered a low fat diet. This is still sufficient fat to ensure normal functions for most people. There are however, medical and health reasons that make fat dangerous for some people. In that case a no-fat diet is the only real option. I am not a dietician and cannot make recommendations for specific medical conditions. If you are looking for a no-fat diet, then please speak to your doctor or a dietician to provide a specific diet based on your medical condition.

What I will provide here is some general rules about implementing a low fat diet. Remember that growing children need more fat in their diet and they should be provided with more fat than what is recommended on a low fat diet. It should be easy to provide the additional fat without making it difficult for everybody in the household.

Types Of Fat

There are three fats that we need to consider when talking about a low fat diet.

• Saturated Fat: fat from animal sources
• Polyunsaturated Fat
• Monounsaturated Fat

Saturated fat from animal sources is normally solid at room temperature, while vegetable fat is normally fluid at room temperature. One of the primary reasons to consider a low fat diet is to decrease cholesterol problems. In the fight against cholesterol it is important to note that polyunsaturated will reduce both good and bad cholesterol while monounsaturated fat will reduce bad cholesterol while increasing good cholesterol. So the list above is in the order that you would try to avoid fat. Reduce consumption of saturated fat the most, and then try to reduce polyunsaturated fat and finally control the intake of monounsaturated fat.

Low Fat Living and Cooking

A low fat diet require that we make small adjustments over time to reduce the calories we consume from fat by replacing high fat food with lower fat alternatives. Probably the easiest categories to focus on would be to reduce high fat red meat sources with poultry or fish and cut down on high fat milk and other dairy products. Just making these easy substitutes will still provide you with a healthy diet while reducing the consumption of calories from fat significantly. Even on a low fat diet I would suggest that you reduce the fat over time and not try to make all the changes immediately.

Another simple change to make would be to reevaluate food preparation methods. Try to completely stop deep frying any food and cut down on frying in oil or butter. Try to use alternatives like non-stick pans and oil-free cooking spray. Invest in a grill that allows the fat to drip off rather than grilling meat in its own fat. Cut away excess fat and remove chicken skin to reduce the overall consumption of fat. Try to adjust stews and baked dishes that include high fat meat. These fats are typically trapped in the fluid and can easily add a significant amount of fat that should be avoided on a low fat diet.

When buying products, carefully read the nutritional label and buy products that has a lower percentage of fat compared to other choices. Be careful, since many manufacturers will try to slip things through unnoticed by using smaller serving sizes. Don’t look at the total grams of fat in a serving; rather calculate the total percentage of fat in each serving. Let me explain by using these two examples so that you can see the difference.

Example 1: Total Calories 110; Calories from fat 60; Total Fat 7g

Example 2: Total Calories 70; Calories from fat 40; Total Fat 4g

Here it would seem that 4g of fat is a better choice than 7g of fat, but the percentage of fat in example 2 is 57% while example 1 contains only 54% fat. If both of these servings contained the same amount of calories, then the amount of fat would be a good indicator. In many cases different manufacturers would provide different serving sizes and the best way to evaluate them would be to calculate percentage of fat. The difference in this example is not that much, but I’m sure as you shop you will soon be able to spot the difference and notice that it can be quite misleading at times. Both of these are high fat content food and not the correct choice for a low fat diet. I would recommend only buying food that is 30% fat or less. That way it is easy to create a daily diet that only includes 20% fat when adding fresh fruit and vegetables.

Low Fat Food Choices

I’ve already provided some alternatives for a low fat diet, but let’s look into more detail about some other healthy choices that may not be that obvious. Since red meat is one of the big culprits in our fight against fat, it might be good to look at vegetarian meals as an alternative. I would not recommend a vegetarian lifestyle, unless that is your choice, but replacing one regular meal per week with a vegetarian dish could be a way to significantly reduce fat in your diet. Looking for a well balanced vegetarian diet with many recipes, then look no further than the Vegetarian Meals provided by Kardena.

Other things to avoid would include avocadoes, creamy soups, white bread and other processed wheat products, cheese spreads, and dairy products like ice cream and chocolate. You will find that making these small adjustments is not that difficult, but some complain that the dishes become bland and tasteless. I’ve always been an adventurous cook, so my recommendation would be to branch out and add other spices and herbs to provide extra flavor. Cutting out fat to live with a low fat diet does not mean living with tasteless food.

There may be healthy reasons for some to consider a no-fat diet, but most of us can live on a healthy low fat diet without making severe changes. A low fat diet is beneficial to your heart health and a must if you struggle with cholesterol problems. Implement these guidelines in your daily life and you will find that a low fat diet can soon become your regular diet.

Remember you can read this Low Fat Diet article and many other articles on my Fitness and Health website.

Your friend in Fitness and Health,

Kobus

How To Lose Weight?

Why is it that so many people ask “how to lose weight” when it is such a simple solution? I think part of the problem is that it is hard to achieve and therefore many expect the solution to be difficult and complicated. The truth is that losing weight is actually a very simple solution. If you ask anybody how to lose weight then the answer will be to consume fewer calories than your daily need. The problem with this simple solution is that it takes more effort than just popping a pill or consuming 5 readymade drinks a day. So often the expensive solution is followed when the simple solution is free.

If you want to know how to lose weight then you will have to establish a plan like any other structured approach that is implemented in business or on a personal level. First we have to understand the current situation and paint a picture of the situation as it is today. The next step is to determine the ultimate goal and what that state should look like. Yes, it is not always possible to reach the ultimate goal, but we change and adapt over time as necessary. The key is to create a goal and then adjust as we implement our plan. The third step is mostly the difficult one and where people tend to falter. In the third step we create and follow the plan that will take us from the current situation to the desired, future situation. So let’s try to break this question of how to lose weight down into three easy steps and then I will provide some additional ideas of making a success of the critical third part in this journey.

Understanding My Current Situation

The better I understand my current situation, the easier it would be to evaluate if I have reached my goal. And my goal here is not to understand how to lose weight, but to make sure that I have lost the weight and can keep it off. I want to go beyond just the basic idea of I am 20 pounds overweight and no I want to lose 20 pounds. This to me is not a strong enough incentive to lose weight and actually make the effort to lose weight. No, there are multiple other reasons why I want to lose weight so I try to list all of them and this list helps me to evaluate my success. What the particular reason might be that you want to lose weight can and most probably will be different from mine, but here are just a few suggestions to understand what I mean.

• I want to lose weight for health reasons (list specific condition)
• My waistline is too big and I want to reduce it
• My underarms are flabby and I want to tone my arms
• My stomach is hidden beneath layers of fat and I want to uncover my abs
• My level of fitness is low and I need to increase that so I can stay active

The key I want to make is that it is not just about how to lose weight but more importantly why to lose weight. These emotional drivers will be much stronger and will help to keep you on track. Right down why you want to lose weight and then take the measurement to establish the baseline for today. That means write down your weight, take some key measurements of your waistline, arms, legs, etc. and then even do a basic fitness test to determine where you are today. Take a picture if that is even more powerful. The key is to take notes about your current situation and write explicit reasons why you want to change that situation.

Write Down Your Weight Loss Goals

And the weight loss goal is not to lose 2 pounds of weight per week. No, that is more the execution of the plan than the ultimate goal. The ultimate goal is tied to the reason(s) why you want to lose weight. In my case there I had more than one reason why I wanted to lose weight and not all of them were tied to the same goal. So I had multiple goals. One was purely a weight goal, but I also wanted to increase my fitness and increase my muscular strength. So I wrote down specific targets for each of these. Again, similar to the reasons why you are trying to lose weight, the more specific the better. Here are a few examples.

• I want to weigh 150 lbs
• I want to have less than 12% body fat
• I want to bench press 200 lbs
• I want to run 8 miles per hour when jogging

Not all of these goals are necessarily tied to weight loss only, but they are tied to why you want to lose weight and what you want to achieve at the end of it. It is not just weight; it is so much more than it. If that picture you took was a great motivator, then why don’t you go photoshop an ideal picture as well? Make it personal and make it explicit. These are the things that will help us when we are on the journey of weight loss and better health.

Execute The Weight Loss Plan

To execute the weight loss plan successfully, we need to understand the three basic ingredients that combine to form our daily routine. If we want to understand how to lose weight, then we have to understand the following three things:

1. Base Metabolic Rate (BMR)
2. Calories burned by exercise and activities
3. Calories consumed during meals, snacks, and drinks

There are calculators available to calculate your BMR, but just remember that the formula is an estimate and can never be absolutely accurate. Remember that your BMR will change as you lose weight so recalculate at least monthly.

Next you need to know how many calories you burn during exercise and other daily activities. Some gym and cardio equipment will provide the number of calories burned while others can be calculated online. Again, these are just estimates but will give you a good indication. I normally reduce the number of calories by 10% since most of these provide a more positive result than what it really should be.

The third and final part is to know how many calories you consume during the day. Most food packages come with nutritional labels with all the information and that makes it easier. If you are like me then you will probably also consume more raw food and vegetables that don’t always come with a nutritional label. There are various places online that you can find the detail. I like those where I can input everything that I put into the dish and then it gives me the overall nutritional label similar to a packaged meal. The benefit is that I see the ratio between macro nutrients and that makes it easier for me to adjust carbohydrates, protein, and fat to my liking.

Put it all together and the ideal should be that your daily intake of calories is less than your daily expenditure. You want this deficit to be between 500 to a thousand calories a day for a healthy 1 to 2 pounds of weight loss per week. If that is not the case, then adjust accordingly. There is not much you can do about the BMR, but you can then either increase activity level or decrease calories consumed during the day. Strike a healthy balance and this could easily be maintained for the rest of your life.

How Do I Keep On Track?

One of the biggest problems I normally see is that people don’t adjust over time. Now that you know how to lose weight, it is important to keep adjusting for the weight already lost. With weight loss your BMR will change and that will mean that you need to adjust calories consumed and the level of activity as well. If you find that you are always hungry, then try to increase the calories consumed, but still maintaining a deficit. It is more important to lose some weight than it is to starve. Stay consistent and make small adjustments rather than expecting to lose all the weight in one week.

Remember the reason(s) why you wanted to lose weight in the first place. Read through them again. Make sure they are still relevant and make adjustments as necessary. Maybe you have reached one of your goals already. Maybe you have identified new goals. The key is to keep a list of reasons and a list of goals that you review monthly. Keep key statistics to measure progress and then make small adjustments. Yes, it might be more effort than just popping a pill once a day, but this is the key to losing weight permanently.

The answer to “how to lose weight” is not difficult. It really is an easy answer. The difficult part is finding the motivation and determination to keep on track. The more specific you are in your reasons and goals, the easier it will be to keep motivated and following the plan. So next time do not ask “how to lose weight”, but rather “how I’ve lost weight”. I can tell you I have popped a few pills in my time and have followed a few diets. In the end I always came back to a simple plan that is easy to follow and that guarantees success. And that guarantee is in myself. My ability to keep myself motivated and following a sensible, healthy approach. How to lose weight is about a few basic principles and just making it a daily task to take responsibility for your own success. How to lose weight is about knowing which changes to make so that you can reach your weight loss goals.

There are easier ways, but this is the best way to lose weight permanently. How to lose weight is not a difficult thing to answer. What you will find is that once you have the answer it is much more difficult to follow a structured plan that will keep the weight off permanently. Don’t give up and always look for additional ideas of how to lose weight and keeping it off.

You can also read this How To Lose Weight article and other articles on my Fitness and Health website.

Your friend in Fitness and Health,

Kobus

Quick Weight Loss

Quick weight loss has never appealed to me. To me quick weight loss has become big weight loss. It is no longer about losing a healthy amount of weight or fat quickly, but rather losing an unhealthy amount of weight in a very short duration of time. As much as I would try and persuade anybody against quick weight loss as a permanent way of living, I also understand that there may be times when following a quick weight loss program for a short duration of time might be beneficial.

But before you jump onto the quick weight loss band wagon, I want you to carefully consider the following and make sure you are not doing more harm than good. With the desire to find quick weight loss ideas, we normally start to look in the diet and weight loss isle at the pharmacy for pills that will magically melt the fat off in the shortest amount of time. Whatever the reason for the desire to obtain quick weight loss, we should still follow guidelines that are sound and healthy.

There are many quick weight loss programs being offered that can help you to achieve the weight loss goals that you desire. However, it is essential that you consult with a health expert or dietician to ensure it is safe and healthy. Staying healthy is still more important than quick weight loss at the expense of your health. Here are my 4 keys to evaluate any quick weight loss program.

Your Body Needs Healthy Foods

Quick weight loss is not found in some magic pill and it surely is not found by eating unhealthy foods with high caloric content. The first thing to do is to clean your refrigerator and pantry of foods that are high in calories but low in nutrition. Next, make sure your new quick weight loss program does not recommend eating foods low in nutritional value. Make sure you stock up on fresh fruits and vegetables and stay clear of packaged foods with high sodium or salt content when you visit the grocery store.

Starving Is Not Quick Weight Loss

It is never a good idea to skip meals. Even when you are following a quick weight loss program, it is still better to eat frequent, healthy meals to keep your metabolism running. On any diet your body is getting fewer nutrients than what it is used to and putting it into starvation mode will be counterproductive. Make sure that each meal is healthy and eat smaller meals more often to keep your metabolism running while reducing overall calorie consumption. A quick weight loss program can leave you thin and unhealthy, so be careful not to starve your body.

Increase Water Consumption

Water has many benefits and can be very important when trying to stay on a quick weight loss program. Water helps to purify the body and get rid of toxins. It is also commonly agreed that water helps you to feel fuller, lessening the desire to eat big meals. Consuming eight or more glasses of water during the day will help to control your appetite and lessen cravings. Many people confuse thirst with hunger and eat when the body is asking for fluid. Drinking more water on a quick weight loss program will help you to stay hydrated and healthy.

Exercise More

Taking in fewer calories can help to obtain quick weight loss, but increasing the calories burned during a day is equally important. Try to do more cardiovascular exercises to help you burn more calories each and every day. Doing some additional mild activities will help, but the real benefit comes from moderate to high intensity cardio exercises. If you can combine high intensity workouts with reduced calorie intake then your quick weight loss ideals will be much more achievable.

Conclusion

These 4 keys to quick weight loss might seem over simplified, but it will help you to evaluate any diet. If you find a diet that does not include these 4 keys, then stay away. I will stick to my 2 or 3 pounds of weight loss per week because that suits my goals. If your goal is to obtain quick weight loss, then don’t fall into the trap of doing more harm than good with the latest fad. Think before you jump and make sure you still follow healthy guidelines on your quick weight loss program.

You can also read the Quick Weight Loss article on my Fitness and Health website.

Your friend in Fitness and Health,

Kobus

www.fitnessandhealthpitstop.com

Weight Loss Diet

A well balanced weight loss diet is exactly the opposite of fad diets that are getting as common as weeds in an unmaintained lawn. If your weight loss diet resembles hopping from one chemical solution to the next to rid the lawn of weeds, then do read further. Here I present a natural, healthy way to structure a weight loss diet that will be something that you can implement today and follow for the rest of your life. Here you will find all the information needed. This is not about providing just more useless information to spread confusion. No, my weight loss diet is not a diet in that sense; it is a structured approach to healthy living.

I’m not sure if everybody is as fed up with this overload of fad diet information and the one diet program after another trying to get every consumer to jump onboard and lose weight at an alarming rate. Yes, I know it is nice to see evidence that other people were able to lose weight rapidly and that the latest fad diet will be the last diet ever needed. The truth is that I’ve been around the block a few times and these wild claims are no longer making any impact on me. I know what really works is a weight loss diet that are based on sound principles and a solid foundation. Further to that I would like to share my success with others without a need for monetary compensation. This is not about creating yet another diet plan or making money on unsuspecting consumers. This is my way of providing free, relevant information about what constitutes a healthy weight loss diet and what everybody can do to lose weight successfully.

At first the weight loss diet equation seems very simple. Just count the calories in your current daily diet, and then reduce the amount of calories consumed and you will lose weight. That is not bad guidance, but a healthy weight loss diet needs to go further than just that. Any weight loss diet is about changing behavior so that it is more than just another fad diet, but becomes a healthy lifestyle that can be followed for the rest of your life. So, before we continue, let’s look at what a fad is. My approach is to pull out Webster’s dictionary and get their expert opinion.

Fad: “a practice or interest followed for a time with exaggerated zeal” (craze)

If that is a fad, then a well structured and balanced weight loss diet should be one that is not just the latest craze, but something that results in permanent change. And that is my goal with the information in these pages. I’ll teach you what are the basic cornerstones of a well balanced weight loss diet. I’ll provide free information so that you can structure your own diet based on your own individual needs and I will never ask you to pay for any of this. I’m unemployed at the moment and know how difficult it is to find real information that you can trust without the need to pay upfront. So this is my way of giving back. Here is free information that you can use however you like to. And if I missed something, feel free to drop me an email and I’ll be more than welcome to answer your questions directly.

As I warned you, a well structured weight loss diet is about behavioral changes. What are these behavioral changes?

• Slowly reducing calories over time to support your ideal weight
• Slowly increasing exercise and overall level of activity
• Adjusting the specific food that is consumed to more healthy habits

Let me tell you just upfront that this is not information for specific health related problems. I make no claim that I am the authority on a diet related to diabetes, various allergies, or other specific medical or health problems. The weight loss diet contained here is best for those that are healthy and are able to consume most products. If you are unsure that this is fit for you, please consult your doctor or a dietician to assist you in creating a specific weight loss diet for your dietary needs.

A Balanced Weight Loss Diet is About Reducing Calories

If you are overweight today, then it is probably correct to assume that at some point you consumed more calories that what your body needed. You may already have started to reduce the calories, or you may just be looking for a way to calculate how many calories should be included in a weight loss diet. There are quite a number of factors to consider when determining the healthy caloric need for an individual. First and foremost we must understand where we are today before we can determine the end goal and then create a plan to reach that end goal.

From the research I’ve done, the best calculator to determine Resting Energy Expenditure (REE) was formulated by MD Mifflin and published in the American Journal of clinical Nutrition. I’m not going to bore you with the detail of this study. Just be aware that not all calorie calculators are created equally. If you want the boring detail, email me for a copy of the report as a PDF file. Here is also an online calculator that is base on this formula: http://www.ahealthyme.com/topic/calneed

It will provide your REE as well as the total calories used in a day based on your selected activity level. I would recommend to use the “very light” setting. This will provide you with your individual REE and then just adjust your caloric need for exercise and other activities you perform on a daily basis.

The goal in any balanced weight loss diet is to structure it in such a way that you lose 2 lbs of weight during a week. I don’t fall into the group that try to weigh myself each day or at the beginning of the week. What I do is weigh myself each Wednesday in the middle of the day at least 2 hours after lunch and before dinner. This gives me a good indication of my general weight and I don’t get distracted by natural, daily fluctuations in weight.

So how do I lose weight? My weight loss diet is structured on losing weight by reducing calorie consumption and combining it with an increase in exercise and activities. You will have to cut 500 calories per day to lose 1 pound of fat per week. That means if your current REE is 2000, then consuming 1500 will result in a daily caloric deficit of 500 calories. This will help you to lose 1 lbs of fat weekly. Do not exceed this caloric deficit. If you’re not going to include exercise, then just adjust your consumption by 500 calories per day in your weight loss diet.

A Balanced Weight Loss Diet is About Increasing Activity

My balanced weight loss diet is based on losing 2 lbs of fat each week. One pound is based on a calorie deficit and the other pound is based on an increase in activity. The same holds true that a pound of fat contains approximately 3500 calories, so the goal is to “burn” 3500 calories per week as a result of exercise. Again, there are many calculators to estimate how many calories are burned during exercise and most cardio equipment will provide an estimate as well. My target is to train on moderate to high intensity for 30 to 60 minutes each day.

My exercise program consists of a full body weight training program that I perform 3 times a week on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. This program takes between 45 to 60 minutes to complete, but there are programs that provide similar results by exercising anything from 15 minutes to 90 minutes. It is all about the combination of intensity and duration. I find that 45 minutes to 60 minutes is a healthy guideline and allow me sufficient time to recover between different exercises.

On alternate days I perform a cardio routine that lasts approximately 30 to 40 minutes and “burns” about 500 to 600 calories. Take into account that my activity level is based on the fact that I’ve exercised regularly for a number of years and starting out you would not need to exercise at this level. Start out with a core weight lifting routine 3 times a week. On alternate days include a cardio program of 20 to 30 minutes and then take a resting day on Sunday. I know my weight loss diet sound like too much. Please don’t be fooled by programs that offer more results on less work. Combining weight training with cardio will provide the best results. And if you’ve read this far then you will understand that you need to burn at least 500 calories per day through exercise to lose 1 lbs of fat per week. This is a healthy weight loss diet approach and will not result in poor diet choices and extreme behavior that is not recommended for permanent weight loss.

A Balanced Weight Loss Diet is About Healthy Food Choices

There are many guidelines for specific nutritional guides, but this guide is about healthy choices for the general consumer. That means putting together a weight loss diet that combines food from all major food groups and ensure sufficient variety so that there is no risk of insufficient vitamins and minerals. This mean eating carbohydrates, protein and fat from meat, dairy and grain products combined with fresh fruit and vegetables. My goal is to consume carbohydrates/protein/fat in a ratio of 40/30/30 by calories in each meal. That means that I have to calculate overall calories consumed in a meal, then calculate how many comes from carbohydrates, protein, and fat.

It is not that difficult. Yes, you can probably buy into some diet that will do all the calculating and measuring for you. On the other hand, if you’re like me, then taking control of your own diet and being able to structure your own diet is worth the effort. As I said earlier, this is free information that everybody can use to put together a balanced weight loss diet. After a while you will be able to do the calculations by just quickly looking at the nutritional label. In general, each gram of carbohydrate and protein provides 4 calories and each gram of fat provides 9 calories.

In my case then I will take my overall consumption of calories for the day: 2400 (after adjusting for exercise and caloric deficit) and divide it by the number of meals. That can be anything from 3 to 6 meals per day, depending on your preference. Let’s take the more general case of 3 meals per day. That means I need to consume 800 calories in each meal. That means 320/240/240 calories from carbs, protein, and fat respectively. And that means 80/60/26 grams of carbs, protein, and fat respectively.

See, that was not so difficult. Most nutritional labels have all the details necessary to quickly calculate these values. Just make sure you combine the total calories from all the food and make sure you include fresh fruit and vegetables with each meal. Walk past the frozen meals and buy fresh, healthy alternatives. Your body will thank you and you will reap the benefits for the rest of your life.

There you have more than enough to put together a weight loss diet that you can follow for the rest of your life. Stay tuned for more free information and guidelines. Feel free to browse around and drop me an email with any questions.

You can also read this Weight Loss Diet article on my Fitness and Health website.

Your friend in Fitness and Health,

Kobus

October Is Veggie Month

Let me just say upfront that I am not a vegetarian. But one of the great advantages of vegetarian meals is that it is usually much more flavorful than the bland steamed veggies that I usually combine with my meals. I’m always looking for some new ideas ti include more fresh fruit and vegetables in my diet and vegetarian meals seems to be a great source of inspiration for me. It is not always easy to make each meal perfect, but with some valuable resources it can become an easy task.

Benefits of Vegetarian Diet

There are many benefits to a vegetarian diet. If your goal is to live a healthy lifestyle then a vegetarian diet fits right in. There are numerous studies that conclude that people on a vegetarian diet benefit from reduced cancer risk, reduce heart attack risk, to longer life expectancy and a healthy colon. These are all great reasons to jump on board, but for me a good tasting salad or flavorful vegetarian dish is reward itself. There are a few types of vegetarian diets, each with their own unique pros and cons. I’m not going to explain any of that here, just keep in mind that not all vegetarian meals that you find will fit into all of the available vegetarian diet categories.

Drawbacks of Vegetarian Diet

There are probably more benefits to a vegetarian diet than drawbacks, but it is just good practice to look at these things with an open mind. One of the biggest problems is protein and the related deficiency in vitamins and minerals that you would normally get from meat. There are alternative sources and there is always supplements and multivitamins that can help to reduce the deficiency. Low levels of Vitamin B12, Vitamin D, calcium, and iron are common problems on a vegetarian diet. Be aware of this and plan accordingly.

For me the greatest drawback is just that I like meat too much. I know it may sound silly, but for me the taste and flavor from meat just cannot be replaced. I prefer a healthy diet that is balanced and include a good portion of all the nutrient. At the end of the day my fresh grilled steak or salmon swings the pendulum to the other side.

World Vegetarian Day

Yes, today is World Vegetarian Day. It’s the perfect time to try out a day of vegetarian eating, and to help you with that, my friend Kardena Pauza has put together a complete set of Vegetarian Meal Plans for you.

Plus, to celebrate, she is having a Limited Time 50% Off Sale for her Easy Veggie Meal Plans.

Click here for the veggie sale:

=> Easy Veggie Meal Plans

For the next 48 hours you’ll get 50% off the Easy Veggie Meal Plans to celebrate World Vegetarian Day and the start of Vegetarian Month.

I look forward to hearing about how you improve your health and energy, and dramatically transform your body with the Easy Veggie Meal Plans System today! If you do make use of her offer, then please add a comment with your favorite veggie meal. Make sure you visit again as I will publish my favorite veggie meal on a weekly basis.

Happy Vegetarian Day,

Your friend in Fitness and Health,

Kobus

www.fitnessandhealthpitstop.com

4 Fitness Tips for Improving your Health

Fitness allows you to combat stress and health challenges. In addition to that, the real definition of fitness is when you can do a lot of things may it be simple or strenuous. After spending a day at work, you should still have enough energy to do worthwhile activities with your family. This is one of the many benefits of being physically fit. You get to do anything and enjoy more activities. You have more energy that can keep you going. Nonetheless, if you have poor overall fitness, by the time that you take your lunch at work, you would already feel exhausted. This is the reason why it is important to pay attention to your health and make sure that you are physically fit.

Physical fitness pertains to the wellness of the body which can be achieved in so many ways. Aside from regular exercise and physical activity, it is also important to have sufficient rest and relaxation. In addition to that, you also need to have adequate diet and nutritious food intake. Here are 4 fitness tips that will help you in achieving overall wellness.

• The food that you eat has an effect on your body. It nourishes you and gives you enough strength to face the challenges of the day. In the morning when you failed to eat your breakfast, you will feel weak and sleepy. However, eating is not enough. You have to eat the right food in order to achieve good health and fitness. Avoid eating too much fatty meat because excessive fat consumption is bad for the health. It would be best to always include fruits and vegetables in your diet. These will give you vitamins and minerals for proper mind and body function.
• Exercising everyday would be best to help you burn fats and calories. Keep in mind that getting cardio exercise is also good for the heart and blood circulation. If you are the type of person who always forgets to exercise, it would be better to have an exercise partner. That way you will be reminded to do your daily exercises. Apart from that, you will also enjoy exercising because you are doing it with someone.
• Track your progress. It is imperative to know what you have accomplished so that you will know how far you are from your goal. Monitoring the results will help you determine if you need to exert more effort or not.
• Allow yourself to recover from the stress that you experience everyday. Engaging in worthwhile activities will help relieve stress and promote fitness.

If you are not fit, you will never enjoy life to the fullest. There are certain things that can only be done by a physically fit individual. If simple tasks make you feel tired and aching, it is time for you to look for ways on how you can improve your health and fitness. Always keep in mind that there is no easy way to achieve physical fitness. You have to work hard for it simply because you cannot achieve fitness and wellness overnight or with just a wink of an eye. Nevertheless, with the discipline and will power, you will definitely be satisfied with the results of your hard work.

Your friend in Fitness and Health,

Kobus

www.fitnessandhealthpitstop.com

Whey Protein

When I talk to fitness and health enthusiasts as well as experts, then one of the products that seem to be on everybody’s shopping list is Whey Protein. To be hones, I’ve used my fair share of whey protein in the past but I am always striving for a more natural diet. Whey protein certainly has its benefits and can be a great supplement to make a delicious protein smoothie. On the other hand it is still a supplement and as such the benefits can vary widely from one product to another. Not all supplements are created equal and not every supplement manufacturer has the same idea of quality and research.

As we are all aware by now, there is always one research study or another to support whatever claims accompany the product. If it is a company saying that whey protein is not important, then they have a few studies to support that argument. There are also many studies to the contrary that provide prove that whey protein is a valuable supplement to add to your diet and achieve the desired goal.

Purpose of Whey Protein

We add whey protein to our diet in order to supplement our intake of protein. This means that whey protein should only be a consideration if you struggle to obtain sufficient protein by following a structured diet. I have the believe that it should not be difficult to obtain 30% of calories from natural sources of protein. So why add protein if we can get sufficient supply?

Some do it for convenience and some do it because they don’t track their intake of protein and just blindly follow the recommendation to add protein. Before you go out to buy whey protein, make sure that you have a protein deficit, or change your diet to account for the extra protein from a whey protein supplement.

One of the reasons I keep whey protein on hand is to add it to my protein shakes and smoothies that I enjoy. There are few sources of protein that can be added this easily to shakes and smoothies.

But before you just blindly add whey protein, make sure you really need it.

Benefits of Whey Protein

Whey Protein is usually available in a wide range of flavors like: vanilla, strawberry, chocolate, and many more to satisfy almost any taste. There are also some taste less (or flavorless) varieties that are made for baking, but even these tend to be more vanilla taste than tasteless. Whey Protein can be mixed with water, fruit juice, or milk. Each supplier should provide detail of what is considered to be one serving and make sure that the calories is not too high for your diet program. Whey Protein is typically glutamine enriched, and look for products that are lactose free, and aspartame free.

Whey protein is unsurpassed as a source of the essential amino acids required in a healthy daily diet. Amino acids are the essential building blocks for healthy muscles, skin, nails and other body tissue and most of us simply do not get enough in the food we eat even those of us who strive to eat healthy and well balanced diets. I’ve been able to get sufficient protein in my diet, but I have noticed that it is one macro nutrient that is mostly lacking in the everyday diet.

Cons of Whey Protein

Please be aware that diet supplements, including whey protein, have not been evaluated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and they are provided to you as a resource only. This is true of most vitamin and supplement products. The Whey Protein product from most reputable companies seem to be very good, and will deliver what it promises but that is still a company promise and not a guarantee. Most companies do not offer any guarantee on products, but if you are unsatisfied the more reputable companies will refund the unused portion. Look around, ask your friends and even try before you buy. If you can, buy a small sample to taste before going for a big container that will last a year.

Is Whey Protein Worth The Money?

That you will have to decide for your self. I know I can obtain sufficient supply of protein without using a why protein supplement. On the other hand it is convenient to have some at hand for my protein shakes and smoothies. Overall I’ve been very satisfied with the whey protein products that I’ve bought and never had any need to return it for a refund. Companies like VitaminWorld, GNC, and BodyBuilding.com offer quality whey protein products.

Be on the lookout for sale prices and get them cheap if you can.

Your friend in Fitness and Health,

Kobus

www.fitnessandhealthpitstop.com

Bodyweight Workout – The Workout You Can Do Anywhere

So often we get into a routine with our workout schedule and then something happens and we don’t go to the gym. The reason for this change can be almost anything. Different working hours that means that the gym is closed when there is time for your workout. Or maybe the car is in the workshop and you just don’t have a means to get there for a few days. Or maybe like me, you went on vacation and just didn’t have the equipment at the gym in the hotel.

At times like this it is better to have a backup than completely skip your workouts. My preference is always to have a bodyweight workout available. I work it into my regular routine so that I keep my bodyweight workout in line with my progress at the gym. It is no different than any other workout that you put together. The key components is still to exercise all body parts and increase difficulty over time. Some exercises like pull ups need equipment to support your weight, but for most part a bodyweight routine can be created without any specialized equipment.

Bodyweight Exercises

Bodyweight exercises range from the obvious pushups and crunches to single leg squats and chin ups. A few accessories can be helpful to put some variety into a bodyweight workout, but even without that it is still possible to build a solid workout without spending a lot of money. Here is a list of exercises that should be easy enough for the beginner to start with.

• Calf Raises
• Crunches
• Dips
• Front Leg Lifts
• Handstand Push Ups
• Hanging Leg Raises
• Lunges
• One Leg Squats
• Push Ups
• Sit Ups

These are just a few to get you started and realize that a bodyweight workout might not be as easy as it sounds. Many exercises focus on increasing balance and stability while others is more for strength. Combining three or more exercises into a single exercise that you repeat can also become a very good cardio routine. It is not necessary to blindly just follow what everybody else is doing. There are many options available that can help you to achieve the body of your dreams without paying exorbitant fees for equipment or gym memberships.

The Bodyweight Workout

A workout is more than just adding a group of exercises together and hope for the best. Some planning and research is needed to put together a quality workout. Like any other workout we need to make sure that the basics are covered. That means that you need to combine warmup, stretch, main routine, cardio, and cool down into your workout. Warmup can be anything from jogging in place to a slow and steady jump rope for 5 minutes. Just work on putting together a few exercises to increase the core body temperature.

Next in line should be a good stretching program. The key to a stretching routine is to make sure you stretch the major muscles. Don’t spend too much time going through lots of stretches, just concentrate on five to seven core stretches that will help the muscles to relax. I like to do my stretches that formed part of my martial arts training, but some yoga poses will also serve this purpose.

The core bodyweight workout should focus on hitting all the major muscles – chest, back, legs, shoulders, arms, and abdominals. I like to do two exercises for muscles that are a bit behind in my development goals and then one each for the other muscles. Typically that would mean two exercises for 3 muscle groups and one for the other 3. I still do 3 sets with at least 12 to 15 repetitions. As your strength increase, start increasing the difficulty of the type of exercise (if possible). For instance change from a normal push up to incline push ups. Go from two legged balancing exercises to one legged exercises. Just like any other routine, make sure that your bodyweight routine increase in difficulty over time and stay fresh and exciting.

The final item is to combine some of the basic exercises into a single exercise and repeat at a  high speed to include some cardio work as well. If you already own a cardio machine at home, then by all means use that, or like me you can opt for the trusty jump rope to provide a good cardio exercise.

Special Report

For those who read this far, I have a special free report that you can download for the next 7 days. Until Sunday 4th October you can get this free PDF report right here. Be sure to download the Bodyweight Workout right now.

Your friend in Fitness and Health,

Kobus

www.fitnessandhealthpitstop.com

Best Alternative to the Treadmill

Many of you are probably similar to me and just get bored with the treadmill and other cardio equipment at the gym. Yes, it is true that most gyms offer a selection of cardio equipment, but even just being in the gym every day can become boring. That is why I keep a set of dumbbells at home so that I can do a workout at my home if I want to. Having a good body weight workout available is also a good choice especially if you’re traveling and not sure that there will be a convenient gym available.

But one of my personal favorites have always been the jump rope. The jump rope was part of my fitness program from my very early youth that I got involved in amateur boxing and through my days as martial artist. These days I’m no longer actively involved in martial arts, but my jump rope is still being used often. Many friends have asked why I prefer the jump rope since it seems as boring as a treadmill. The truth is that the jump rope offers quite a wide variety of exercises and does not have to be the boring jump on every single rotation.

Quality Jump Rope

The first component to a jump rope workout is to realize that not all ropes are created equal. The heavy ropes might help with arm conditioning and endurance, but if overall fitness is your goal then try to stick to light weight, speed ropes. Most of the higher quality ropes will also offer replacement parts so that you can replace either a worn rope or bearings. It may seems like a lot for a rope, but a $40 jump rope is still a fraction of the price of alternative cardio equipment.

Building Basic Fitness With a Jump Rope

The next step is to build up basic fitness. My starting goal is normally around 120 jumps per minute for at least 5 minutes at a time. This may seem like an easy target to reach, but you’ll be surprised how difficult it can be when you are not used to a regular jump rope workout. Start slowly and steadily increase your tempo until you can comfortable jump for 120 jumps per minute and then start working on increasing the duration. The key here is to not make mistakes and just focus on increasing the duration.

Once you’ve reached the target of 120 jumps for 5 minutes, then I normally work on increasing tempo to 180 jumps per minute. That means 3 jumps every second. It is not that difficult to reach and before you know it you will be well on your way to reaching a new level of fitness.

Doing More Than Just Jumping

At this point you will be ready to tackle more complex things. This can range from double jumps to alternative footwork to help with agility and flexibility. There are some power jump rope routines that will have you sweating very quickly and provides an all over workout in mere minutes. You can easily exchange a 20 minute treadmill routine for a 5 minute jump rope routine and still have a more intensive cardio workout.

I don’t want to spill all the benefits and different training options here. If you are interested in taking your fitness to a new level, then don’t ignore this alternative.

Do yourself a favor and get Buddy Lee’s Jump Rope Training Book. I promise it is an easy read and a very cheap way to increase your fitness. We don’t need to spend a fortune to keep our bodies in shape. I might post my favorite jump rope routine in the near future, but for now read the book and spread the word that fitness can be fun and cheap.

Your friend in Fitness and Health,

Kobus

www.fitnessandhealthpitstop.com

Explode Your Muscle Gains With Kettlebell Exercises

Sometimes we fall into a rut and no matter what we do it just seems as if we are going through the motions and not really gaining any significant benefit from our weight training program. I’ve always had a good selection of dumbbells at home just so that I can play around and work on alternative exercises and see what can help to break through the plateau. Recently I’ve started to experiment incorporating kettlebells into my routine as well. With my background in martial arts and the knowledge that kettlebells are a favorite of martial artists and combat art experts it seemed a logical step for me.

Even if you have no interest in martial arts, it can still help a lot if you want to spice up your workout routine. These exercises will help you to build muscle and burn calories in a very short period of time. Typically kettlebell exercises are done is a cardio program so it benefits overall fitness and endurance while building muscular strength and muscular endurance. Lets look at the benefits for the martial artist:

• It forces the use of more stabilizer muscles that is essential to many punches and kicks as well
• It will help you to get used to absorbing shocks effectively
• It typically takes the target muscle through a bigger range of motion than usual dumbbell or barbell exercises
• It increases joint and ligament strength
• It develops explosive power and
• It helps to build a killer grip

Now you’ll begin to understand why this is a favorite of martial artists and other combat training. But don’t think that it is only limited to this group of people. No, many actors and celebrities is also using it, both men and women. These are versatile training accessories that will help anybody to reduce weight, increase fitness, and increase strength. But what are the specific benefits of kettlebell exercise for everyday use:

• Increase flexibility (a favorite of mine)
• Combine cardio and strength training into a single workout
• A whole body exercise that will strengthen your core and is known for helping with posture and back problems
• It builds greater mobility
• It is easy to learn, and most importantly fun

There are actually endless benefits to kettlebell exercises, but I don’t want to bore you with all the minor points. I think you get the idea by now that it is something that can easily transform a mundane workout routine or become your new favorite type of workout. If you are looking for a great way to burn fat and build muscle in one simple workout, then look no further than a good kettlebell workout.

If you want to learn more about kettlebell workouts then do some research online or be sure to subscribe to my newsletter or the RSS feed from this blog. I’ll have lots of updates in this block and some sample workouts and recommended combination programs in the future.

Lookout for my next post when I’ll be looking at one of my favorite cardio workouts: jump rope. I will tell you why you should try to include this as part of your program and how to gain countless benefits that you never knew about.

Until next time,

Kobus

www.fitnessandhealthpitstop.com