People always say that laughter is the best medicine, but medicine for what exactly? As it turns out laughter is the best medicine to keep your heart and body healthy, according to a recent study in the American Journal of Health Promotion.

{These 2 funny guys laughed themselves thin…with the right diet too, of course!}

It’s not just laughter that makes you healthy but it’s what laughing means that’s so compelling. Keep reading to find out how laughter can improve your health and your finances!

Stress & Weight Gain

It’s no secret how stress can negatively impact your ability to lose weight and can in fact lead to weight gain. When we feel stressed out we tend to make decisions based on instant gratification—whatever will alleviate the stress NOW is what we do, regardless of how it impacts our ability to lose weight.

The behaviors we exhibit when stressed are more responsible for weight gain than any physiological factors. Whether it’s poor food choices or making the decision to skip a workout, these are the actions that can contribute to weight gain and sabotage your weight loss efforts.

Unfortunately it isn’t just the numbers on the scale that increase with stress; it’s also the numbers in your bank account. According to the same study in the American Journal of Health Promotion, the subjects who practiced Transcendental Meditation had lower health care bills than the subjects who did not use meditation to deal with stress.

Fewer visits to the doctor means an overall healthy you, and more money in your pocket means more money to spend on clothes to match your thinner, less stressed body!

Identifying Stress

One of the keys to dealing with stress so that it doesn’t affect your ability to lose weight, is recognizing the symptoms of stress when they arise. By recognizing the symptoms you’re in a better position to cope with stress in a healthy way.

Some of the symptoms of stress can be confused with other symptoms so it is up to you to identify which of these you feel when you’re stressed;

• Anxiety
• Headache
• Irritability
• Anger
• Change in sex drive
• Fatigue
• Insomnia
• Overeating
• Inability to focus
• Lack of motivation
• Sadness
• Excessive alcohol consumption
• Under-eating

These are just some of symptoms, which can also be found in a host of other health problems. But by identifying which of these behaviors you exhibit when stressed can help you figure out how to deal with the inevitable stressors in life.

One of the best ways to cope with stress isn’t to vegetate in front of the television, it is to actually get up and get moving about! Take a run in the park, spend an hour boxing or hop in the pool for an hour of laps. In fact exercising the stress away is a great way to stay in shape while you alleviate stress.

Happiness & Weight Loss

Just like stress can have a negative impact on your weight, being happy can have a very positive impact. You see when you’re happy you feel more motivated to accomplish goals, like weight loss goals, which can help you achieve those goals.

Unlike stress, which sucks the motivation out of you and makes you sad, happiness gives you a sense of hope that you can do the impossible. When you feel like you can do what needs to be done to lose weight, you can do it.

{Ever notice how you forget what’s bothering you when you’re laughing?}

This doesn’t mean that you need to walk around smiling weirdly like you’re on happy pills; it just means that you need to develop a happier attitude about life in general and weight loss specifically. When we’re stressed we tend to bottle up those negative emotions and let them fester rather than do things to tackle that stress. When you’re happy you’re less likely to sit in front of the television depressed about your inability to lose weight or find a job or land the perfect mate.

Feeling happy makes you want to go out and try to make those things happen for you, which usually has the consequence of helping you lose weight, get the job and land the guy or girl of your dreams!

Laughter for Fat Loss?

Does being happy mean that the very act of laughing can help you lose weight? Well the science is still out on this specific fact, but what we do know is that a good sense of humor and a positive outlook can positively affect your weight loss efforts. Just think about how you felt after a good bout of laughter.

Your muscles stretch, you breathe faster and your blood pressure goes up which gives you the same sensation as a mild workout, only slightly more fun. And what’s best of all according to Maciej Buchowski from Vanderbilt University, 10 to 15 minutes of laughter can burn as many as 50 calories. It isn’t a massive amount of calories, but the effects of laughter mimic those of exercise which we know improves heart health and reduces the risk of heart disease.

Whether or not laughter can actually help you drop a pound, it does have many positive attributes that make it ideal for weight loss. You feel better when you laugh, which makes you feel better about the things you don’t like about yourself like your weight. The more you take a positive attitude about your weight loss the more likely you are to achieve your weight loss goals.

What It Means

Simply being happy and having a positive attitude isn’t a guaranteed path to quick and easy weight loss, but it does give you a greater chance of success. Having a positive attitude makes goals seem more attainable, which makes you likelier to stick to your healthy eating plan and weight loss regimen.

Sometimes you just need help controlling your appetite during stressful situations and intermittent fasting can help. Read our Eat Stop Eat review to find out how intermittent fasting can help you stop over-eating.

When it comes to losing weight, stress can often have a negative impact. When we’re stressed we tend to seek out things that comfort us; chocolate, booze, cigarettes or television. Unfortunately many of these comfort devices don’t help with weight loss.

{If this is how you handle stress, keep reading for a healthier solution!}

Exercise however, is a great way to relieve stress and burn fat at the same time. In fact some exercises are so hardcore that they are go-to exercises to alleviate stress in a positive way. So rather than buying a pack of smokes or indulging in chocolate-chocolate chip ice cream, keep reading for ways to exercise your stress away!

Stress & Fat

Our bodies react to stress in a multitude of ways, including weight gain. Sometimes the weight gain is due to the ways in which we respond to stress including to overeating and excessive drinking. At other times, the hormone cortisol can be to blame.

Cortisol does more than contribute to weight gain, however. It is also involved in regulating your blood pressure and glucose metabolism, as well as immune functions and inflammatory responses. But we do call cortisol the stress hormone because when we’re in “flight or fight” mode this hormone is secreted at higher levels than when we are not stressed.

When stress is chronic, which basically means you are always in stress mode, this hormone is secreted more often which can lead to weight gain. So, one important key to weight loss and weight maintenance is to keep stress at a minimum. If that isn’t possible, find ways to alleviate the daily stressors in your life.

If you’re thinking of an extreme low-calorie diet to lose weight, beware: a May 2010 study found that restricting calories can increase your cortisol output. So rather than extreme diets, adopt a well-balanced diet and try a few stress-busting exercises below.

Running

When the stress of daily life gets in the way, make room for a run in your schedule to clear your mind or help you deal with it. In addition to the known benefits of exercise—reduce risk of heart disease and high blood pressure and weight loss—running helps release endorphins that can help give your mood a lift.

Running can help you forget if that’s your goal, but the focus required to run properly may actually help you find a way to deal with the problems causing you stress.

In addition to reducing the symptoms of depression an anxiety, running can help you forget the day’s stress while you burn some serious calories. Losing weight can give you a confidence boost, which may help make you feel less stressed about the thing in life you can’t control.

Kickboxing

In addition to burning more than 900 calories per hour, kickboxing is an incredible way to get rid of stress. Before you roll your eyes, consider what stress relief you’ll get from kicking and punching someone while imagining the source of your stress! Whether you need basic self defense or a good way to stay in shape, kickboxing is a calorie burning wonder than can help you accomplish both!

If you’re not ready to kick box with a human partner, many gyms offer bags so you can practice kicking and punching…and stress relieving!

Kickboxing may not be the most mature way to deal with stress, but it works and it burns plenty of calories…what other reasons do you need?

Yoga

It is a well established fact that yoga is a great way to alleviate stress. In fact the goal of yoga is to promote tranquility, so you can’t really find a more soothing way to burn calories while forgetting about life’s stressors.

Because of the intense focus on breathing and postures, the nature of yoga really trends toward relieving stress. And if you’ve ever tried yoga before, the soothing voice of the instructor, the comfy yoga pants and the silence in the room all lend themselves to helping you forget about what’s stressing you.

{What could more soothing than yoga…on the beach?}

If you have yet to hop on the ‘yoga train’ then you should start with a simple, less intense type of yoga like Hatha, suggests the Mayo Clinic. When you’re looking for a way to unwind after a long stressful day, yoga can help you make sure you don’t spend the rest of your day stressed.

Tennis

What better way to alleviate stress than smashing a ball with all of your might across the net? Tennis (or racquetball) gives you a clear method of finding an outlet for your stress (hitting the ball), while burning as much as 745 calories per hour!

In addition to its ability to help you exercise the stress away, tennis is a full body workout that works legs, arms, shoulders and core muscles. The aggression required in the game of tennis also allows you to feel in control of something, which will help you stress less about the things you are unable to control.

Grab a friend and smash a few dozen tennis balls so you can deal with the stress and keep your cortisol levels even.

Boxing

Although you would think boxing might be a stressful way to exercise—it could be if you’re terrified of getting hit—it is actually an effective way to help you deal with stress. Obviously the punching gives you an outlet to deal with any unresolved aggression you may have about stress, but the movements also burn fat and build muscle.

The amount of calories you burn boxing should also help alleviate any stress you feel about reaching your weight loss goal. An hour of boxing with a partner can help you burn more than 1,100 calories, while sparring will still burn more than 830 calories.

{This handy little piece of equipment is great for boxing & kickboxing!}

With numbers like that you might just start hoping for stress just so you can hit the ring! Don’t do that though, haven’t you heard; stress can lead to weight gain!

Hiking

What could get rid of stress more than being out in the vast beauty of nature? Beautiful green trees, tons of oxygen, a bright blue sky, tons of oxygen and a kick-ass pair of running shoes could be the way to keep the stress in your life to a minimum.

Whether you sit in traffic all day, have a micromanaging boss or coworker who drives you crazy, an hour in nature will release feel-good endorphins to keep fat at bay. Sometimes you just need to clear your head and slow things down a little just to see the big picture. When you do this, you can separate stressful from annoying and deal with them accordingly.

Remember that it’s not just fat that you’re helping get rid of by exercising the stress away. Too much stress can lead to many other health problems that include high blood pressure, compromised immunity and decreased bone density & muscle tissue. So keeping stress, especially chronic stress, at a minimum isn’t just about weight loss; it could be a matter of life and death.

Emotional eating is a common way in which many of us deal with stress, but it is hardly a productive way to manage stress. Intermittent fasting may be just what you need to stop stressful snacking. Read our Eat Stop Eat review to learn more about intermittent fasting.

It took you a long time to find or create the perfect workout routine. You’ve finally got the perfect amount of cardio and strength training for your fat loss goals. Your workout is now perfectly tailored to help your weight loss succeed.

{It’s time to refresh your workout if you start multitasking during your session!}

The only problem is that now you’re sick and tired of that perfectly tailored routine. Starting the same workout routine every other day for the last few months has gotten boring, and what’s worse is that you’re not even sure that it’s working anymore. What to do?

Keep reading for tips on how to refresh a boring workout routine!

Take A Class

If your regular routine of weights and machines is making your workout routines less than memorable then it’s time for you switch it up. Take a yoga or dance class, or any other exercise class that piques your curiosity. Even one class can go a long way to reinvigorate your current workout routine.

The best thing about taking a class is that they generally change every season, so there’s always something new to try. Sign up for one day, a week or even a month, so your body feels like it has been challenged and you’ll have a new love for your old workout routine.

Besides, giving your muscles something new to do will require them work hard, in a way that’s completely different way than your humdrum workout routine!

Change Locations

Another way to refresh a boring workout routine is to change where you complete your workout. If your typical workout spot is in front of the television—at home or at the gym—consider working up a sweat in a different location.

A simple change of scenery can go a long way in giving your workout routine new energy. If you do the same workout routine over and over again, make a mental note of your exercises and take it outside. Getting fresh air while you burn fat will quickly put you in a better mood and give your workout a little extra boost.

In fact a recent study revealed that those who participate in outdoor physical activities feel more revitalized and less tense, not to mention are more likely to repeat that physical activity.

Runners, consider hopping off the treadmill and go for an actual run in the outdoors! Running and exercising in general in fresh air allows you to breath cleaner air into your lungs, not that nasty old gym air.

Circuit Training

Most of us are pretty loyal to our chosen method of exercise. Whether is weights, classes, machines or whatever, circuit training is another great way to refresh a boring workout routine. Circuit training is really the perfect way to breathe new life in your workout routine while also getting cardio and strength training exercises. What’s so good about circuit training is that you can never get into that comfortable lull of just lifting weights or just pounding away on the elliptical.

Circuit training workouts keep you focused on your workout routine to maximize the benefits of exercise. You take short but frequent breaks between each exercise so you’re always focused in breathing and form, not your weekend plans.

Try Something New

Pick an activity, a physical activity that you’ve always wanted to try but have been to afraid because of your weight or the simple adventurous nature of it. Now, find a way to try that activity at least once. This will liven up your workout routine, even if for just one day, and give you a renewed interest in your weight loss efforts.

In addition to giving you more confidence to continue on your weight loss quest, learning how to refresh a boring workout routine through a new activity will show you just how strong you really are! Store that feeling and recall it whenever you start to doubt your ability to reach your weight loss goals.

{This awesome activity is a major calorie burner at 1117 calories per hour…and it’s anything but boring!}

One other great bonus to trying something new? Some of these activities are serious fat burners! These are just a few examples:

• Surfing – 279 calories per hour
• Skydiving – 279 calories hour
• Snorkeling – 465 calories per hour
• SCUBA diving – 1117 calories per hour
• Hiking – 651 calories per hour
• Whitewater rafting – 465 calories per hour
• Rock climbing – 1024 calories per hour

So you see, conquering your physical fears is another great way to try something new and refresh a boring workout routine!

Get New Gear

As shallow as it sounds, something as simple as getting new workout gear can help breathe new life into a repetitive workout routine. If you’ve been hiding beneath baggy sweats until you reach your goal weight, use this time to get something a little more flattering that also makes you feel better about yourself. Those baggy clothes are just reminding you of who you used to be…not who you’re becoming!

In addition to reminding you of the progress you’ve made so far in your weight loss quest, a new workout wardrobe will give you greater incentive to reach the next benchmark; another new set of workout gear!

Get Competitive

A surefire way you can learn how to refresh boring workout routines is by enlisting a buddy for a competitive game of basketball or tennis or running. Competitive sports allow you to workout in a way that’s much different from your traditional solo workout routines, and it gives you a better incentive to push harder—winning!

The harder you push yourself to win a game of racquetball for example, the more calories you’ll burn. Plus, unlike that treadmill you spend hours on, you won’t stop playing a competitive sport until you’ve won or lost, rather than stopping when the monitor indicates you’ve burned 700 calories.

{Your winning attitude can make working out more fun than ever before!}

Because you’re enjoying yourself, you are more likely to continue to play and reap additional health benefits. If you make this competition a regular activity, you’re more likely to eat better and focus more on your mundane workout just to give yourself the competitive edge over your opponent!

There are plenty of ways in which you can learn how to refresh boring workout routines. Simply identify why you’re getting bored and do something to change it. Sometimes all it takes is a class, while other times you may need 2 or 3 workout routines to keep your workouts interesting.

Go HERE for a few tips on creating your own weight training program.

Many dieters are turning to intermittent fasting to help them control their food issues. If you’re one of those people, read our Eat Stop Eat review to see if it can help you enjoy more effective weight loss!

Cellulite, it is unsightly, ruins confidence and is actually quite treatable! So much focus has been on how to prevent cellulite that those already suffering from it feel completely left out of the conversation. Until today, that is.

{Cellulite is a byproduct of unhealthy living, which doesn’t always mean being overweight.}

What many cellulite cream peddlers fail to disclose is that cellulite occurs in 4 stages, which means that it is possible to diminish and even get rid of cellulite on your thighs among other places. Keep reading to find out what you can do to get rid of cellulite!

What is Cellulite?

Put simply, cellulite is fat cells that have protruded through the surface of the skin. It is these pockets of fat that have no place to go, that gives cellulite its dimply appearance.

Now that you know what cellulite is, let’s talk about how to get rid of cellulite!

Can I Get Rid of Cellulite?

Yes, cellulite does not have to be something you suffer in silence. The stage of your cellulite will determine how effective efforts are to get rid of cellulite. During phase one, cellulite is not visible and it is this stage that it is easiest to get rid of cellulite on your thighs, butt, belly and anywhere else that causes you worry.

The remaining three phases are when cellulite becomes visible, but in phase two it is only visible when the skin is pinched together. The final 2 phases are when cellulite is most visible and very difficult, if not impossible to treat.

The most important stages in getting rid of cellulite are the stages in which you have little, if any, visible symptoms. That is why we’ve compiled a list of ways you can get rid of cellulite on your thighs, hips, belly and butt!

Popular Cellulite “Cures”

There are many products on the market that claim to help rid your body of cellulite, however the effectiveness of many of these products seems to be anecdotal at best.

Many cellulite creams may work depending on which phase your cellulite appearance is, but most of them are costly and provide little if any relief from the appearance of cellulite. These creams promise to show you how to get rid of cellulite, but mostly they help you get rid of your money.

Cellulite pills have not been proven to work either, and many contain ingredients like iodine that can lead to other health problems. Many of these studies for these pills have produced no noticeable results among test and placebo groups.

Some may resort to liposuction as a means of getting rid of cellulite but this is the worst possible cellulite cure. Liposuction rids problem areas of fat that is deep down, and we know that cellulite is a surface skin fat problem. While many of these cellulite treatments have gotten plenty of publicity none have the effectiveness of basic lifestyle changes to stop the progress, and therefore the appearance of cellulite.

Keep reading for realistic and inexpensive ways to get rid of cellulite!

Avoid Toxins

Toxins, whether in our food or the environment play a large roll in breaking down healthy skin cells. When you want to learn how to get rid of cellulite, the first thing you should do is cut back on your nights of binge drinking because alcohol is a toxin.

Stop smoking altogether if you want to get rid of cellulite on your thighs or anywhere else because cigarettes are just toxin sticks, helping your fat bunch up and up until it’s is visible and more difficult to treat.

{Ridding your body of cellulite is another reason to eat more fruits & veggies!}

Eat Fresh Foods

Add more fresh produce to your diet, and make it organic produce when you can. A lot of processed, pre-packaged and fast food is packed with toxins (food coloring, saturated fat & artificial flavors to name a few) to make it more convenient to eat. Many so-called experts recommend a home detox diet, but simply adding more fresh fruits and vegetables to your diet will go a long way to teach you how to get rid of cellulite.

Many fresh fruits and vegetables are powerful antioxidants that protect against toxins…in case you needed another reason to eat your produce!

Another great benefit of fresh produce is that fruits and vegetables are packed with water, which is an essential part of any healthy diet.

Drink More Water

Whether your goal is to lose weight or simply get rid of cellulite, drinking more water is good advice. In terms of getting rid of cellulite though, water plays an important role in keeping your skin hydrated and moist.

More importantly however, drinking enough water will make it easier to flush out unavoidable toxins in the environment, also known as free radicals.

Maintain A Healthy Weight

This probably goes without saying, but even if the beautiful people do have cellulite, your chances of needing to get rid of cellulite are increased by excess body fat. Maintain a healthy body weight by enjoying a well-balanced diet and getting regular physical activity, and you can start to worry less and less about cellulite rearing its ugly head.

Adding more physical activity to your life will also help get rid of cellulite on your thighs by helping you maintain healthy blood circulation, which is one of the worst side effects of cellulite.

Don’t wait until you don’t have to pinch your skin to spot cellulite to get rid of it; by then your chances of success diminish greatly. Get rid of all the junk that you shouldn’t be eating (or drinking) anyway and follow these tips to get rid of cellulite on your thighs!

Eliminating the toxic food you consume may be difficult for some. Consider intermittent fasting to help you break away from those foods so you can start getting rid of cellulite. Read our Eat Stop Eat review to learn more about intermittent fasting.

Cottage cheese, orange peel, dimples. These are just some of the names used to describe the physical appearance of cellulite.

{Thin? Definitely! But also a few dimples in one of the problem areas.}

Most commonly found in women, cellulite is not an unknown concept to some men as well. So no matter who you are, keep reading to find out what cellulite is and what symptoms to look for!

What Is Cellulite?

The simplest way to understand what cellulite is, is to have a basic understanding of what’s hiding underneath the skin. In particular, subcutaneous fat is hiding just underneath the skin, but this “fat” isn’t all bad. In fact subcutaneous fat serves as a shock absorber, protecting your skin against trauma and storing reserve energy in case you need it later.

Cellulite occurs when those subcutaneous fat cells are pushed up toward the surface of the skin. The connective tissue—known as septae—are pushed down away from the skin’s surface which causes the fat cells to get pushed into little pockets that appear as dimply, uneven and sometimes bulging skin that we know as cellulite.

Cellulite: Boys vs. Girls

The make up of the septae is why women more frequently have cellulite than men. The structure of male septae differs slightly from women, which is why even overweight and obese men very rarely have cellulite.

Symptoms of Cellulite

Cellulite most often occurs on the thighs, hips, butt and abdominal area, but how do you know you’re at risk of getting cellulite? Keep reading to find out the symptoms of cellulite.

The most common symptom of cellulite is the way it presents itself physically. In general cellulite is identifiable by the rubbery, cottage cheese-like dimples found in the affected areas. A poor diet that’s high in fat is one of the main causes of cellulite, and while cellulite is not considered a medical problem, it is unsightly and can cause embarrassment.

Another physical symptom of cellulite can be tenderness of the skin. In some instances, even before the dimples appear, the soon-to-be affected areas will be tender pushed or massaged with force.

Coldness of the skin is yet another physical symptom of cellulite and this is mostly caused by the lack of [blood] circulation flowing through the affected skin area. This lack of circulation may also delay normal healing of cuts, scrapes and bruises, which is another indicator that cellulite may be making its way to the surface of the skin!

Avoiding Cellulite

Contrary to popular belief, it isn’t just overweight people at risk of getting cellulite. Women are much more susceptible to cellulite because they have less collagen than men, which just makes cellulite more visible, thus more annoying. In general women have more body fat (by percentage) than men, especially in those areas considered problematic. This is why even young and fit women sometimes have cellulite.

{Not to pick on Ms. Longoria but she proves that things other than obesity cause cellulite.}

You can avoid or decrease your chances of unsightly cellulite by utilizing the following tips:

• Exercise regularly. Although non-obsese individuals may develop cellulite, it is a form of fat so those with more fat are more susceptible. Regular exercise will help with fat loss and blood circulation, 2 causes of cellulite.
• De-stress. Find a way to alleviate daily stress by exercising, meditating or anything else that will clear your mind. Stress causes a surge in adrenaline, which can lead to additional fat storage.
• Stop smoking. In addition to a million other reasons to quit, smoking damages blood vessels, which can restrict blood circulation.
• Lose weight the right way. It’s just losing weight to reduce your percentage of body fat and therefore reducing the appearance of cellulite; it’s also doing it the right way. Improper diets like fad diets and yo-yo diets can also cause fat cells to store and expand fat, which leaves those fat cells with just one place to go: UP.

Keep in mind however, that these factors affect different people differently. However a healthy diet and regular physical activity will help reduce your risk of developing cellulite.

Looking for a way to effectively burn fat but have little time? Read our Fat Burning Furnace review and see how 3 days can transform your body!

Although technology has helped us all avoid close personal relationships, weight loss is one area where human contact is a good thing. Having someone to lean on is a great way to monitor and maintain your weight loss efforts.

{Everyone needs a little support once in awhile…weight loss is no exception.}

Most of us focus on eating healthier and leading more active lives for weight loss success, but a support system can be just as important to your success or failure. Keep reading to find out which method of weight loss support is best for you!

Weight Loss Buddy

A weight loss buddy can help your weight loss efforts in a wide variety of ways that include; reminding you not to overdo it on the  low calorie alcoholic drinks, motivating you to workout when you don’t feel like it and even emailing you low fat recipes! Between you and your weight loss buddy, it’ll be hard not to lose weight.

Weight loss buddies also come in handy when you’re having doubts about your ability to stick to a healthier lifestyle. We all go through those doubts, but your buddy will remind you that getting used to living healthier takes time. Before you know it, you’ll be putting fresh watermelon in your shopping cart without even thinking about it.

Many people find weight loss buddies helpful because you can be open and honest about your successes and failures with someone you already know. But for some more weight loss support is required.

Online Forums

Many weight loss programs—including Weight Watchers (review HERE)—offer online weight loss support to you help dieters through the ups and downs of long-term weight loss. Online weight loss support is perfect for those of you who don’t have a lot of time to attend meetings, or simply don’t like interacting with people!

In addition to well known weight loss programs, weight loss support is available through sites like TFLA and many user-generated weight loss support forums. You can choose between professional weight loss support, or talk to others just like you for tips and tricks to make it through a workout the day after Thanksgiving!

Weight Loss Journal

For you loners out there in search of a way to hold yourself accountable without incredibly chipper weight loss sponsors, consider a weight loss journal. Write down what you eat each day and what exercises you completed, if you completed them. Write down anything that happens related to your weight loss efforts, especially if it’s a cooking tip or workout advice.

{You use the internet for everything else, now let it help you lose weight!}

Weight loss journals are a great methods of individual weight loss support because eventually we’re all gonna have to make this weight loss thing work on our own…right?

Right!

Keeping a diet journal doesn’t mean you have to obsessively write in it all day long after every glass of white wine. The point is to help you keep track of what you eat, so if you’re eating things like fruits, vegetables, fiber and lean protein there shouldn’t be much to remember.

YOU

The best weight loss support you have is yourself. Of course the above-mentioned methods of weight loss support are great, but losing weight is about more than looking smokin’ hot. You are your best supporter because its your body and your life most affected by your decision to lose weight.

There will be setbacks and you have to deal with them, but as long as you deal with them there’s no reason to get down on yourself. The longer you live an overall healthy life…the easier it becomes.

It’s important to have supportive people around you as you attempt to change a lifetime of poor eating habits, but it is also important that you keep a positive attitude. Once you get your weight loss support system in order you should read our Fat Burning Furnace review to help you get your diet & exercise plans in order.

26 years ago I started running if an effort to prevent gaining weight after I had quit smoking. During the past 26 years, running has been the most notable staple in my life. It has not only kept my weight in check, but has provided me with more health benefits, body, mind and soul, than I could list.

{Running has so many health benefits that there’s no reason you shouldn’t give it a try!}

Like me, many people start out running for one or more of the recognized health benefits. But what makes them continue is the love of running. And it’s this love of running that builds the commitment to continue running and include it in their total lifestyle plan.

From a practicality standpoint, running is a very easy sport to get into. With few exceptions, you can almost run anywhere, anytime and all that is needed is a good pair of running shoes and some comfortable clothing. No gym, weights, mats or equipment needed.

What Makes Running So Special?

Running is a very liberating experience that improves one’s self-awareness. It takes a degree of self-discipline and personal commitment to find the time, to get your runners on and to start pounding the pavement. Even more so on bad weather days.

Then during the run, we are often humbled by our physical and mental limitations. These limitations ultimately give through to the determination to continue and improve. As a result, future runs will then build on the successes of past runs.

With all that in mind, the satisfaction that one achieves through this greater self-awareness is what makes running so special.

But let’s talk about some of the other aspects of running which make it important

Weight Loss or Maintenance (my personal favorite)

I mention weight loss first because losing weight is the key that unlocks the door to further health benefits. Losing weight can lower your risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, type 2 diabetes, breathing problems and more.

{Weight loss is the best, and most common reason many people take up running.}

Running provides one of the highest energy expenditures of any sport. Depending on the weight of the runner and the intensity in which they run, roughly 100 calories for every mile gets burned. Then, with a deficit of 3,500 calories, the body will lose a pound of body fat. A good calorie-reduced nutritious meal plan combined with running will help to shed pounds of unwanted body fat.

Mental Health

There are many studies and opinions on how running helps your mental health. What’s important to note is that they all conclude that running DOES help your mental health.

Along with improving one’s self-awareness, which was discussed earlier in the article, running is also great for one’s self-esteem. In running there are goals and milestones that most runners enjoy setting and achieving. The simple reason why we like to set goals is that the sensation of accomplishing these goals is immense. It’s a feather under the cap which is tickling one’s self-esteem.

Our self-esteem also soars as we feel our body changing. We lose weight and/or we gain muscle. We feel healthy, look healthy and it shows, inside and out.

And to top it off, runners get high. I’m talking about a “runner’s high”. During a run, endorphins get released, which causes a feeling of euphoria known as “runner’s high”. It’s difficult to feel stressed, worried, anxious or sad during a run. Whether it’s been runner’s high or not, I can honestly say that in 26 years of running, I have never felt any negative emotions during my run, and this feeling or mood usually carries with me throughout the day.

Blood Pressure and Heart Health

Think of your arteries contracting and expanding. Now think of how fast they contract and expand while you are running and your heart is pumping fast. All this contracting and expanding of your arteries helps maintain their elasticity. And those healthy arteries will help to ease the flow of blood, which not only reduces blood pressure, but also lowers the risk of heart attacks and strokes.

I should also mention that running has been proven to prevent type 2 diabetes, raise good cholesterol and boost the immune system.

Cancer

It has been agreed upon by most experts, that regular exercise reduces the risk of some cancers, including colon, endometrial, breast and lung cancer.

One study in particular published by the National Cancer Institute studied women who were of normal weight and participated in vigorous activities (which included running). The results concluded that they had a 30% lower risk of breast cancer than their less active counterparts.

Although it’s not my intention to discount the health benefits achieved through moderate exercise, the more vigorous and frequency the exercise, the more health benefits that will be reaped.

I could easily write more on the health benefits of running, but after composing this article, I now have a burning need to go for a run. There are countless more studies, which could be quoted from, on the benefits of running. But I think it is clear that choosing running as your exercise of choice will improve the health of both your mind and body.

Jacquie Cattanach is an enthusiastic runner and triathlete who uncovers her biggest achievements in every run she runs. Jacquie has learned and experienced many trials and tribulations along the way and enjoys expressing her views through writing running related stories and reviews on running products such as running sunglass reviews on her Running Gear Blog

We humans have become so obsessed with our physical appearance that we want some “expert” to tell us exactly what to do to get a flat stomach, round butt, or huge pecs. Unfortunately the best exercises for weight loss depend largely on you.

[This guy can shout you into a thinner body, but what will you do when he's not around?] 

The best exercises for weight loss have a little do with what works for weight loss, but most of it is what you’re willing to do and how frequently you’re willing to do it.

Keep reading to choose which 3 of the 5 best exercises for weight loss you’ll try this week!

Best Exercise #1: Any Exercise You’ll Do

I know it seems as though I’m being a smarty pants but the truth is that adding more physical activity into your life will help you meet your weight loss goals. This means that the best exercises for weight loss are the physical activities you either most enjoy or are most likely to do regularly.

There is no magic equation of exercises that’ll guarantee weight loss. But by eating less (pssst…calorie deficit info right here) AND adding more exercise to your life, weight loss will occur…trust us.

Best Exercise #2: Cardio

While some people prefer interval training to cardio, both are excellent for weight loss. Interval training includes some of the best exercises for weight loss because they keep you and your body interested in working out. Cardio is great because it burns fat and helps keep your heart healthy…an important factor for anyone overweight.

Cardio is one of the best exercises for weight loss however because so many sports are included in cardio. Playing sports–whether its tennis basketball or soccer–will keep your heart pumping as you play to win while you lose weight.

[There are so many cardio exercises to choose from that there really is no excuse NOT to get moving!]

Walking is a great cardio exercise for weight loss, especially for beginners. It lets you get out and stretch your legs while slowly getting your body in shape for the real workouts!

Best Exercise #3: Strength Training

Strength training exercises do just that, improve overall strength while also increasing your metabolism. Burning fat and building muscle at the same time is exactly why strength training is one of the best exercises for weight loss around.

The best thing about strength training is that you can choose which method will best help you achieve your goals. Weight training can help when your goal is to lose fat and build a lot of muscle, while resistance training focuses more on burning and sculpting. Isometric training helps joint angles become stronger, which we all need regardless of our weight loss goals.

Finding the right combination of the best strength training exercises for weight loss will be crucial in your ability to exercise regularly.

Best Exercise #4: Regular Exercise

Again this seems like a smarty pants response yet somehow it too is totally true! Whatever exercises you choose to perform for weight loss, you must perform them regularly to experience weight loss. Creating a calorie deficit requires diet and REGULAR exercise each week.

If you get bored with your current exercises for weight loss, try some different ones. If you’re tired of running, give tennis or racquetball a try…it gives you something to chase! If your weight lifting routine gets stale, consider circuit training for weight loss.

Best Exercise #1: Exercises With A Buddy!

I received this advice way back in 4th grade gym class: always use the buddy system. Back then it gave me an excuse to sit next to Suzie, but now it helps get me motivated to workout when I’m feeling…less than motivated.

[Grab a buddy and get moving if weight loss is your goal. We can't do it all alone!]

The best exercises for weight loss are exercises that get done, plain and simple. If you need an uber-chipper friend to get you going in winter months when it’s still dark during early morning hours…get a workout buddy! Besides, working out with a friend gives you some much needed bonding time and something to look forward to a few days a week.

Let your competitive streak drive you to win when you challenge your buddy to a game or a race. Losers buy post-workout smoothies…or even better loser makes healthy smoothies at home!

The point I’m trying to make is that the best exercises for weight loss are the ones that you do regularly, which are probably the ones you enjoy most. Rather than getting discouraged by your boredom, simply change it up until you find workouts that work for your weight loss goals.

If you’re tired of trying to find exercises that work for weight loss AND healthy meals to create a calorie deficit, read our review of Eat Stop Eat and let your body take a vacation from eating for awhile.

Before you decide that Relacore is THE weight loss aid for you, read some interesting information we found about possible side effects. Although the makers of Relacore claim their ‘all natural’ drug has no side effects, many users have taken to the web to prove them wrong!

[When there's money to be made, people will say ANYTHING. Exhibit #1A]

The main goal of the supplement Relacore is to decrease the levels of cortisol in the body they believe is responsible for adding “stress related” belly fat. Check with your regular physician before you begin a regimen of Relacore due to an unusually high cortisol release, because it may be a sign that you’re suffering from something more serious than belly fat. High levels of cortisol could mean you have Cushing’s Syndrome.

Understanding Cortisol

The key to understanding possible Relacore side effects is understanding cortisol. Simply put cortisol is a hormone secreted when our bodies are feeling the physical symptoms of stress. Cortisol alone however, is not making you overweight as Relacore claims: your response to stress (i.e. overeating or emotional eating), is why you need to lose weight.

Relacore Ingredients

Relacore is a blend of vitamins and herbs that, more than anything else, acts as a stress reducer. The ingredients in Relacore are purported to be all natural, however there is no way to know exactly how much of each ingredient is in each tablet, just that there are 265 mg combined. Although Relacore acknowledges no adverse side effects from their product, many users have begun sharing their Relacore side effects with the world.

[Relacore labels give no hint of possible side effects, relying on it's "all-natural" marketing to indicate no side effects.]

The main ingredients in Relacore include magnolia (bark), passion flower, niacinamide, panax ginseng, and pinella. Each of these ingredients has what is called ‘antidepressant properties,’ meaning they help problems such as anxiety, insomnia, and depression. Just like many supplements intended to improve mood or burn fat, the devil is in the details that we aren’t privvy to!

Relacore Side Effects

Weight Gain is one of the most widely given Relacore side effects, but this probably has a lot to do with Relacore’s claims that stress is responsible for belly fat. Many takers of Relacore probably have not changed their eating habits, particularly when stressed, or added more physical exercise to their weekly regimen. Despite this, weight gain is a pretty serious Relacore side effect, especially when it should have the exact opposite effect.

Heart palpitations are not an uncommon side effect of Relacore, as reported by Relacore users on the internet. Again despite the lack of “adverse effects” reported by Relacore many users have experienced mild to severe heart palpitations after beginning a Relacore regimen. These heart palpitations are very likely caused by too much Magnolia (bark) and/or Panax ginseng, which helps Relacore give you that much needed energy boost.

Nausea is another Relacore side effect reported by current and former Relacore users. Nausea is most likely caused by ingesting unfamiliar herbs, or an exceptionally strong dosage. Allergies may also be responsible, which is why you should talk with your physician before taking Relacore.

Blood Pressure Problems have been commonly reported, which is to be expected with products targeting the overweight population. The problems Relacore users report however includes blood pressure readings that are too high and too low. Fluctuating blood pressure readings can be a serious indication of larger health problems, not to mention that high or low blood pressure can be dangerous.

Irregular Menstrual Cycle has been reported by women taking Relacore. Women have reported that Relacore side effects include severe cramping where none existed before, irregular periods, heavy flows, and extended bleeding.

Other side effects of Relacore that have been reported include insomnia, drowsiness & dizziness, headaches or migraines, and even acne. However, due to Relacore’s refusal to acknowledge any possibly negative side effects of their product, only anecdotal evidence is available. The only information available about any side effects of Relacore have come from former users, but since the company inaccurately markets itself as a weight loss supplement when it really is an over the counter mood enhancer I’d say it’s safe to assume they’re well aware of the reported Relacore side effects.

Get real information on how to lose weight and keep it off by reading our review of Eat Stop Eat. You’ll learn something you didn’t know about weight loss, that’s actually true! Imagine that…

All weight loss pills are not created equal. Some make you dizzy and give you a headache, while others simply make you regret spending hard earned cash on another failed weight loss attempt. It’s up to you to determine which side effects you can live with, and those you can’t.

[No matter how good you look, there's some embarrassment you just can't live down!]

Alli weight loss pill has been linked with moderate weight loss, which is a breath of fresh air. Unfortunately weight loss with Alli comes with lots of gross and scary side effects of which you may not be aware. Keep reading to find out what else you might get with Alli.

What You Should Know

Before taking Alli it’s important to know what impact it may have on any other medical conditions for which you are being treated. It is recommended that you talk to your doctor before taking Alli if you take any medicine to suppress your immune system because an Alli regimen will change when you take those pills. Other medical treatments and conditions your doctor should know about before beginning an Alli treatment program include:

• Blood thinners
• Diabetic medications
• Blood Pressure medications
• Thyroid medicine
• Other weight loss supplements
• Treatment for eating disorders
• Pregnancy
• Organ transplant

Any or all of these medications may cause harmful or unexpected interactions with Alli. Even though it is available over the counter, you should make an effort to speak with a doctor about health concerns prior to taking Alli.

[Cute packaging and celebrity endorsements don't change the potentially harmful and undoubtedly disgusting side effects of Alli.]

Alli Side Effects You Can Expect

Alli’s claim to fame is that it prevents your body from absorbing 25% of the fat you consume from food, which means your body is consuming less calories and less fat. That unabsorbed fat exits your body when you go take care of business on the toilet, and therein lies many of Alli’s most common side effects.

You may experience one or more side effects relating to changes in your bowel movement after beginning an Alli regimen. If any of these problems persist or have persisted for more than a day and get worse, call a doctor right away. You may have bowel movements more frequently on Alli, or have trouble controlling when you release your movements. Some Alli users have experienced an increased urgency to have a bowel movement in the first weeks of the Alli program.

Common Alli side effects experienced by at least 10% of users, include:

• Loose stools
• Oil or fat in the stool
• Diarrhea
• Gas accompanied by oily spots
• Gas with small amounts of stool
• Oil discharge on underwear or outer clothes
• Abdominal pain
• Sinus infection

Many of these common Alli side effects can be reduced (according to the manufacturer) by cutting down the amount of fat in your diet. When you eat a meal that is high in fat while on Alli, more of that fat remains in your digestive tract, which causes oily discharge and basic inability to control bowel movements. Each meal should contain less than 15 grams of fat in order to avoid the common side effects, however that is no guarantee these side effects won’t occur.

Serious Alli Side Effects

• Headaches or dizziness
• Jaundice skin or eyes
• Stomach pain
• Very dark urine or very light colored stool
• Irregular periods including cycle and flow
• Pain or distress in the rectum
• Kidney stones
• Gall bladder disease
• Allergic reactions such as a rash or hives, itching, swelling, and difficulty breathing or swallowing

Since Alli endorses a low calorie and low fat diet that includes regular exercise, weight loss will occur, but at what cost to your dignity? There are easier and cleaner ways to lose weight without wrecking your clothes and embarrassing yourself at work. There are too many embarrassing and potentially dangerous side effects to taking Alli for weight loss. Too many side effects for TFLA to recommend to anyone.

There are plenty of ways to lose weight, but they all include a healthy diet (with a calorie deficit) and regular exercise. Find out what your weight loss regimen is missing when you read our review of Eat Stop Eat.

Whether you’re male or female, losing weight or just toning muscle, it’s important that you have a few upper body workouts on which you can rely. A well rounded upper body workout–which should work the chest, shoulders, back and arms–will give your body sleek lines and a healthy physique worth the effort. You don’t want tiny arms, huge pecs and a four-pack, do you?

[He taught us the importance of spinach, but Popeye is proof of what happens when you don't balance your upper body workouts!]

To make sure your upper body is getting a proper workout, it’s important that all upper body muscles get worked consistently. Keep reading to find out how you can get the upper body you’ve always wanted!

1. Integrity

The most vital aspect of any workout is maintaining the integrity of each exercise you perform. This is especially true when it comes to upper body workouts because there are so many different muscles to pull or strain…mainly the back. A well-rounded upper body workout will include exercises that work the arms. chest, back, and shoulders, and you should make sure you perform each one properly to avoid physical injury.

If you find an upper body exercise that you aren’t familiar with, ask someone at your local gym or find a resource you trust that demonstrates the movement. It’s better to admit that you don’t know how to perform an exercise rather than attempt it and injure yourself. Injuries can sideline your efforts to burn fat and build or tone muscles effectively.

[Push ups like these will do one thing to your upper body: make it hurt!]

2. United or Divided?

When it comes to resistance training like upper body workouts, you have to be honest about how often you will work out. Whether you hit the gym regularly (3 days or more per week) or infrequently (2 or fewer times each week), you must choose how to complete your upper body workouts. You have the choice of floor exercises like push ups, machines, free weights and even resistance bands for the shoulders and back.

Now the important decision is to unite those upper body workouts or divide them? If you workout regularly you can maximize your upper body workouts by dividing them into two days. The first upper body day can be devoted to working the chest and arm muscles thoroughly. After a day of resistance training rest, you can resume your upper body workout by working the shoulders and back.

The great thing is that many upper body exercises work more than one muscle, allowing you to work your problem areas (triceps, anyone?) a little more than the rest!

If you don’t work out as frequently as you know you should, your best option is to complete your upper body workout in one day. By working all upper body muscles, you make sure each part gets a balanced workout…just in case you don’t come back this week. If you happen to work out more regularly one week, you can get two full upper body workouts rather than one and still have time for cardio!

3. Divide & Conquer

Whether you complete your upper body workouts in one day or two, it’s important that you alternate exercises. Your muscles need recovery time in order to have success so you should pick an upper body rotation for your workout. If you begin with a chest exercise, move on to the back then shoulders, biceps and triceps, before returning to do perform another set of chest exercises.

[Follow these 4 steps to maximize your upper body workouts and you'll be dancing shirtless in NO time!]

By dividing up your upper body workout and conquering each muscle, you allow each muscle to get an effective workout without getting fatigued. No matter how frequently you workout, you should always create a ‘playlist’ of sorts for your upper body workout.

4. Rest

No matter how serious you are about losing weight and getting in shape, you must take at least one full day off from working out each week. The muscles that you work so hard to tone all week need to rest and recover for next week’s workout. This is especially crucial for those of you who workout regularly. Your results will begin to stagnate if you continue to overwork yourself. One day of rest is required to maximize your upper body workouts.

Maximize your entire weight loss program by reading our review of the Fat Burning Furnace. Let Rob help you create a winning program that helps you eat and exercise to burn fat and build muscle.

The most problematic area of the body for dieters is the midsection. The belly seems to retain fat like nobody’s business and it is usually the last place to get back to normal after a weight loss regimen. Relacore is a “belly fat” pill that claims to help eliminate that unsightly belly bulge caused by stress.

[If you believe the claims, this little bottle will solve all of your belly fat problems.]

Let’s take a look at some of the claims made by Relacore and see how they stack up to actual weight loss facts.

The Claim

The major area of focus for Relacore is that stress is a main factor in one’s inability to lose fat from the stomach area. Relacore claims that stress is why the midsection isn’t shrinking despite a healthy diet and regular exercise. The major selling point made by Relacore is that the pill is not a “diet pill” per se, but the pill controls stress and anxiety related to dieting.

The problem with this claim is that it takes the responsibility for weight gain OUT of the hands of the dieter, and if it’s not your fault that you’ve gained weight then maybe you’re just one of those people meant to be fat…right? Wrong, and that is just one of the problems with Relacore’s claims.

[No one is more stressed than leaders of a nation, and by Relacore's logic both of these guys should've finished their terms morbidly obese instead of slim and grey!]

Yes cortisol (the main stress hormone in the body) can contribute to weight gain when the body is stressed, but it would take Presidential level stress for cortisol to make you overweight on its own. The truth is that stress is just one factor related to weight gain. If you are creating the proper calorie deficit for weight loss AND getting regular aerobic and resistance exercise then you will lose weight–stressed or not.

The Good

The claims made about Relacore are intriguing to anyone who believes (mistakenly or otherwise) they have a muffin top, but a closer inspection reveals there are very few things ‘good’ about this product. A bottle of Relacore is readily available to anyone with access to the internet for just $29.99. Like most diet supplements, Relacore does offer a money back guarantee if you aren’t satisfied with the results within the first 30 days.

Some Relacore users have reported satisfaction with the product as a mood enhancer or regulator, but those same customers have yet to see any reduction in “belly fat” as promised.

The Bad

You should know that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not evaluated the claims made by Relacore for accuracy. This doesn’t change whether or not Relacore works, I just thought it was important that you know these claims are unsupported. In addition, the Relacore website does not offer a list of ingredients in these pills yet it claims to be “all natural”.

[You shouldn't have to purchase Relacore just to find out what's in it!]

What relacore doesn’t address is HOW stress leads to weight gain. When people are stressed they turn to what comforts them–usually food or alcohol–which is a recipe for weight gain. Stress alone is not responsible for weight gain, your response to stress is more likely the culprit.

Weight gain is most often caused by two factors: excessive calorie intake and a sedentary lifestyle, which the makers of Relacore appear reluctant to address. The main claim is simply that fat loss can be achieved by combining Relacore with a healthy diet and exercise, which at best is an oversimplification of how weight loss works. At worst, it leads millions of people to believe that their weight gain has nothing to do with their actions, perpetuating the stereotype that people have “fat genes.”

Verdict

Relacore is not recommended by The Fat Loss Authority as an effective means of weight loss. Without an accurate list of ingredients, none of the claims made by the company can be verified. It could be free of stimulants and made with all natural ingredients, but where’s the proof? And if it is ‘all natural’ why isn’t it safe for pregnant women? These inconsistent claims make me uncomfortable endorsing this product to anyone. In addition, without a list of ingredients in Relacore it is virtually impossible to determine how your body will react.

Furthermore countless studies indicate that cortisol release DECREASES with weight loss, suggesting that the so-called stress causing belly fat occurs because the excess fat is stressing the body…not the other way around. The best method of weight loss and stress reduction is a healthy diet (say it with me, “caloric deficit!”) and regular aerobic and strength training exercises.

Besides, working out is a great way to reduce stress! And even if you don’t like to exercise, that’s fine, even an extra 30-60min a day going for a leisurely walk around the neighbourhood will help. Do as little or as much as you can to move your body more, it doesn’t have to be in a gym or doing pushups.  Just anymore movement will help.

Forget the weight loss gimmicks. Get the real skinny on how to get skinny by reading our review of The Diet Solution Program.

This program will help you get yourself into a caloric deficit by eating healthier foods, with a higher water content ratio which will make you feel full faster and for longer.  But be careful, even some things like nuts that the Diet Solution Program endorses are packed with calories, so overeating these “healthy” foods can stop you from losing weight.

Once you’ve made the decision to start eating healthy and exercising regularly, you have to come up with a plan. Getting on the right track is a lot easier than deciding to get on that track, but doing so isn’t impossible. Before you start the latest fad diet promising to burn unwanted fat, keep reading to find the truth about the colon detox diet.

[Feeling relaxed and balanced in life is a natural byproduct of healthy weight loss, not a colon detox diet.]

The colon detox diet is supposed to rid your body (specifically your colon) of the dozens of toxins we humans consume on a daily basis. If you think you’re one of the privileged few that are toxin free, you’re not but the good news is that those so-called toxins are really just foods you probably shouldn’t be eating. Much of the food we eat on a daily basis has hormones and preservatives in them, not to mention cleaning and beauty products that contain even more chemicals, but that’s why we have kidneys and livers…right? 

But if any of that stuff was bad to the point of being toxic there would be more fat people or more dead people. And I’ll bet that using chicken as bread is more responsible for obesity than toxins!

Your Body

Your body has several organs that act as an internal filtration system. The kidneys, liver, and colon work as a team to rid the body of as many toxins as they can. Depending on your diet, however, your body may not be getting rid of substances (i.e. dairy, wheat, gluten etc…) it has trouble processing, which can lead to a myriad of health problems. The colon detox diet claims that it is the answer, but a safer option would be a 12-hour fast, or longer.

Psssst! Go here for more information on why fasting works for weight loss.

The Colon Detox Diet

The colon detox diet promises to help you eliminate some of the excess toxins your body carries around. The colon detox diet is recommended for as few as 3 days or as long as 30 days depending on your detoxification needs.Prior to the start of your colon detox diet you are required to fast for about 72 hours. Fasting for 24 to 36 hours is a better option than a colon detox, because it does something important that no detox can: break your mental addiction to food that causes you to eat even though your belly is screaming “Stop! Please, for the love of god!”

Get more information on how to properly begin your fast by reading our review of Eat Stop Eat, here!

Another claim made by colon detox diet proponents is that it rids the body of excess waste, which is something all bodies need. Regular bowel movements (yep we’re going there!) are important to weight loss and overall good health, but intermittent fasting is a better option if you have problems in that department.

The Food

The colon detox diet does recommend a list of foods you can eat that aren’t nearly as restrictive as other “diets” on the market. These foods are one of the major reasons I’m reluctant to endorse the colon detox diet. The foods recommended–fruits, vegetables, lean proteins and grains–are part of a healthy and balanced diet already. Anyone beginning a diet such as this will help rid their body of waste and lose weight, especially if that waste is what’s making it difficult to lose weight. This is a healthy eating plan disguised as a new fix to a very old problem.

Fruits and vegetables should be a major component of any food plan calling itself a diet, and the colon detox diet requires consumption of fresh or frozen fruit, as long as you eat it. Fresh vegetables are also highly recommended, particularly the so-called “detoxifying super foods” like garlic, onion, artichokes, beets, broccoli, and cauliflower. Again, the “diet” aspect of the colon detox diet is responsible for any weight loss results more than the “detox”.

[Fresh fruits and vegetables, along with other non-processed foods make up the colon detox diet.]

The colon detox diet may appeal to some because you don’t have to limit all grains. Brown rice is recommended along with other common diet foods like rice cakes and rice crackers. If you’re feeling particularly adventurous (or have a wicked carb craving), the colon detox diet allows rice pasta. The colon detox diet also recommends other healthy grains that many people shy away from like quinoa and buckwheat. Millet and amaranth can also be substituted for other grains if you don’t mind finding a health food store that sells these items.

The Drinks

Obviously you should stop drinking soda and alcohol if you’re trying to lose weight, and the colon detox diet does provide some nice beverage alternatives if you can’t survive on water. Herbal and green teas are recommended to replace that early morning cup of joe until your body has been properly detoxified, but why not reach for a tea instead of that late morning diet coke? Other drinks the colon detox diet recommends include water (8 glasses a day!), lemon water, rice milk, and vegetable juices. Fruit juices are fine too, just make sure they have not been sweetened.

Sugar should be avoided as much as possible for any weight loss efforts, unless you’re getting it naturally through fruit. Any “foods” that have sugar in them or the sneaky sugars like sucrose, corn syrup, dextrose and turbinado are forbidden by the colon detox diet, but also by pretty much every other diet as well. Sugar does nothing to help your body cleanse itself or shed fat so its no friend to any of us who need to shed a few.

[The colon detox diet requires minimizing your meat consumption, but its a good idea for weight loss since most of us eat way too much anyway!]

The colon detox diet is popular because it scares you into thinking about the dire consequences of obesity by using scary words like “toxins” and “poison”. The human body has an internal filtration system that gets rid of waste and has been doing so since man has been breathing, so if your body is having problems it’s probably the food.

Too much cheese and other dairy products has been known to impede a bowel movement or two, so has consuming too much red meat. There are plenty of reasons to take up a better diet, least of all your fat loss, but fad diets tend to have results that last about as long as their popularity.

Read our review of The Diet Solution Program to find out what foods are keeping you overweight. The more you know about food and how if affects your body, the more prepared you’ll be next time someone suggests a colon detox diet!

There’s one fact on which we can all agree: it gets more difficult to lose weight the older we get. Despite this, many of us putting off getting healthy or losing weight until we reach the dreaded old age of 30. Regardless of how you feel (or don’t feel) about getting older, you cannot deny the importance of being healthy and losing weight for those over 30 years of age.

[You don't have to be a kid to enjoy the (many) benefits of a good night's sleep.]

It’s harder to lose weight as we age because the metabolism–along with lots of other things–slows down. You tend to work out less frequently and pay less attention to eating healthy as you get older and your body pays the price. Luckily for all of us there are things you can do to keep losing weight over 30 and beyond.

Eat Less

The body uses food calories as energy, so when we’re younger our bodies need more food. As we get older however, our bodies need fewer calories because we don’t have quite as much muscle mass as we used to, and because we (probably) aren’t getting as much exercise as the doctor recommends.

What does this mean? Well for my fellow dieters aged 30 and older, it means that we need to cut back on how much we consume. If you continue to eat the way you did before your 30th birthday, chances are you’ll double in size by the time you start sending out invites for your 40th. When you start eating the right amount of food for your age, you’ll begin to notice your frame slimming down.

Be Active!

We live in a youthful society. Even if you aren’t young, you feel pressure to be and act young. Unfortunately for many of us at or above 30 years old, we tend head straight for the other end of the spectrum and spend large amounts of time sitting on our butts. Despite how sedentary we tend to become as our age increases, studies show that a proper diet and regular exercise can help you get back on the weight loss train!

[With age comes slightly more money...to do the crazy weight loss things you've always wanted like kickboxing or mixed martial arts! Think about it...]

Just because the world is telling you you’re old doesn’t mean that you have to let those aches & pains stop you from getting physical. Aches and pains are part of the aging process, but regular cardio and resistance training can reduce the pain and stretching can reduce the aching. If hitting the gym for an hour on the treadmill sounds awful, consider workout alternatives. Martial arts, dancing, yoga, or a community center sports team are all great ways to improve your physical activity for weight loss at 30 years and older.

Being active doesn’t mean grinding it out at the gym all evening to lose weight. Being over 30 just means that you have to make yourself be more active for the sake of your health. Getting older is already difficult enough on the body without the additional pressures of getting older and being overweight.

De-Stress

Your 20′s were when you ate like crap, had lots of energy and never exercised, yet somehow still managed to stay fit. Now that your 30′s have arrived your eating habits haven’t changed much and you still never exercise. On top of those pesky habits, life has gotten more complicated which has given you another added weight loss obstacle: stress.

[When life gets too stressful, pick up a new hobby to help you de-stress. Your body will Thank You for it.]

Stress has a way of draining you of energy, which often leads to bad decision-making at the wrong time. Low energy means you won’t push yourself to workout when you know you should, and you’ll make poor food decisions just to temporarily take away the stress.

Let’s not forget that stress leads to other problems that tend to affect weight loss, such as high blood pressure and heart disease. Make your workouts less stressful by doing something fun with your friends like frisbee in the park. Find a way to alleviate the stress in your life so you can stay on track with your weight loss. Losing weight at 30 and older can be hard, but you can decide how hard it is.

Sleep

The busier our lives get, the less we take care of ourselves in our 30′s. Instead of taking time to eat a healthy lunch, you eat at your desk and your body pays the price. Life gets more worrisome in the 30′s, which often means sleepless nights and visions of mortgages and braces dancing in your head.

Sleep is just as important to weight loss as it is to your ability to function each day. A 2008 study revealed that individuals who sleep 6 hours or less each night are more likely to gain weight than those who slept 7 or 8 hours a night. Before you grab your favorite body pillow however, this same study revealed that those who slept 9 or 10 hours a night also gain more weight than those who slept an average of 7 or 8 hours per night.

Lack of sleep also leads to bad decision making, something that becomes more treacherous with age. Juggling a career and family is already stressful without the added stress and danger of operating on insufficient sleep. When you don’t sleep enough, your hormonal signals get crossed making you feel more hungry and less satisfied–a bad combination for a person of any age trying to lose weight.

Remember that losing weight at 30 and older requires a few small adjustments to your everyday habits. Success depends on your ability to put yourself first once in awhile so you don’t have bigger problems than weight loss. Watch what you eat, get more physical activity, don’t less stress prevent you from getting a good night’s sleep and you’ll just how good 30 and older can look!

Read our review of the Fat Burning Furnace and find out how to stay fit at any age.

You don’t have to be a super-buff gym junkie to enjoy the benefits of strength training. Because muscle mass diminishes as we grow older, an exercise routine without strength training will still cause an increase in the percentage of fat all over your body. Ladies, it is totally possible to add regular strength training to your workout regimen without getting 22-inch guns!

[Strong but ladylike guns like Sam's requires a well-rounded strength training exercise regimen.]

Strength training increases your bone density which reduces your risk of getting osteoporosis. Adding strength training exercises to your exercise routine will help avoid injury. Building up your muscles protects the joints from injury so you don’t have long breaks between your workouts due to injuries.

We know that strength training improves other chronic conditions that may be contributing to your weight gain or providing other obstacles to your weight loss struggle. If you suffer from back pain, diabetes, obesity or depression, regular strength training can decrease the symptoms of these conditions. Do you really need another reason?

Well we here at The Fat Loss Authority of come up with 4 strength training exercises to target those areas that women often complain about. Whether your problem area is your belly, butt, abs, arms, shoulders or thighs, we’ve got a variety of strength training exercises to help you achieve your fat loss goals.

Ball Crunch

The ball crunch allows you the space to do crunches the right way–without an awfully sore neck. In addition, the ball crunch allows several variations for a complete ab strengthening workout!

To begin this strength training exercise, sit on the stability ball so your knees are aligned with your ankles. Your knees should be about hip width apart. Lean back so your upper body is lined up with your knees. As you exhale, bring your upper body up to a 45 degree angle, hold it, and exhale as you return to the lying position.

[Take the ball crunch to the next level and twist to strengthen & tone the obliques.]

Remember to exhale up and inhale down to get the most effective ab strengthening workout. Another important point to remember is keeping those stomach muscles tight as you exercise.

Get more out of your stability ball by trying the oblique crunch and the reverse crunch!

Dumbbell Curls

Dumbbell curls are effective strength training exercises for women who need toned arms without the size. Keep your weights small and do about 15-20 repetitions per set if your goal is smaller arms that don’t jiggle. Curls will help tone and tighten the biceps so you can feel confident in tank tops and the ever popular strapless dress!

Grab your dumbbells (10 lbs. or less) in your hand and at your sides with your palms facing forward. Keep your feet right under your hips with your knees slightly bent and shoulder width apart. Exhale as you lift both weights up toward your shoulders. Hold for a second and inhale as you lower the weights back to starting position. Do 3 sets of curls, using enough weight to do as close to 20 reps as you can.

[Dumbbell curls--nature's answer to jiggly tank top-phobic arms!]

Keep your back straight and use ONLY your biceps to lift the weights. Using momentum to lift the weights won’t allow you to improve your strength or enjoy any other benefits of strength training for women.

Tip: Add a bit of variety to your strength training workout by doing hammer curls, or grab your stability ball and do preacher curls or concentration curls. Take those dumbbells in the backyard and get a dose of sun with your workout!

Lateral Raise

Women tend to shy away from exercising parts of the body considered ‘manly’ or ‘masculine’, and they do so at their own peril. There isn’t one particular exercise that’s designed for men or women, it’s all about the size of the weight and the number of repetitions you do, combined with a proper diet. Well-defined shoulder muscles will make your waist look smaller and improve your posture for an overall better appearance.

Holding dumbbells in your hand with palms facing your side, stand with feet shoulder width apart so your feet and aligned with your hips. Lift weights at the elbow up to your shoulder, pause for a moment, and inhale as you lower the weights back to your sides. Your shoulder should be doing the lifting if you perform this strength training exercise correctly.

[Well-rounded strength training focuses even on muscles you've forgotten about!]

Other shoulder strength training exercises include the upright row and shoulder press. And the good news is that you can choose where to do them; park, backyard, beach or gym! It’s up to you.

Leg Curls

Every woman I know is on a quest to get her thighs as slim as can be and her butt as round and irresistible as J-Lo’s. Leg curls are the perfect strength training exercise to get you there! Leg curls allow you to focus on strengthening and toning while also improving your overall balance.

Start with your forearms and left knee on the floor. Make sure your knees are directly below your hips and that your head & neck are lined up with your spine. Your right leg should be outstretched. Take your right leg and bend it naturally as you exhale. Hold position for a moment and inhale as you straighten your leg out to starting position.

[Increase your workout intensity by adding dumbbells to your leg curls. Look as good going as you do coming!]

Do 3 sets of 15 repetitions on each leg and you’ll be sporting your favorite mini skirt just as the snow melts! Increase the burn with the bridge pose. On the floor or on a stability ball the bridge pose is an effective alternative to tone the butt & thighs.

What’s great about strength training for women is that your goals allow you to perform exercises anywhere! Grab your workout buddy and head to your favorite outdoor location to motivate you through your workout. If strength training at the gym makes you anxious and embarrassed, grab your dumbbells and stability ball and find your happy place to burn the fat away.

Help get your body in the shape you want by adding a healthy diet to your weight loss program. Read our review of The Diet Solution Program to find out how to shop effectively and avoid the biggest food blunders!

It’s that time of year again. You know, when all the men dress up as their favorite not-so-secret superhero while women don their best slutty cop uniform, or slutty firefighter, or slutty secret service agent. Well what better way to celebrate Halloween than with a few tasty and healthy meal recipes for Halloween that won’t undo all your hardwork?

[Eat healthy and still have fun with our healthy meal recipes for Halloween!]

Holidays make losing weight feel like an virtual impossibility. Halloween in particular is all about candy, but now that you’re all grown up you can make a Halloween that fits in with your new way of eating and living. To help, we’ve come up with some terrifyingly tasty Halloween treats you’re sure to enjoy!

Perfect Pumpkin Pizza

Everyone loves pizza and this healthy Halloween take on our favorite dish will have you hoping that everyday is Halloween!

1 pound of Whole Wheat Pizza Dough
1/2 cup salt-free Tomato Sauce
1 cup Pumpkin puree
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 cup shredded mozzarella
1/2 cup turkey sausage
1 onion, chopped
2 tbsp. olive oil

Directions: Prepare and heat pizza dough as instructions indicate. Heat oil over medium-high heat and cook onion until transparent, about 8 minutes. Add garlic and cook 2 minutes. Add in sausage and cook until warmed. Remove from heat. Mix tomato sauce and pumpkin puree until blended and spread over pizza dough. Top pumpkin-tomato mixture with onion, sausage, and garlic mixture, then sprinkle shredded cheese on top. Bake until cheese is melted and crust is crispy, about 8-10 minutes.

Nutrition: 6 servings, 280 calories per serving. Excellent source of fiber and beta carotene!

Candy Corn Cocktail

What’s Halloween with a crazy cocktail to have your friends talking about? Try this twist on an old-school classic!

1 cup candy corn
1.5 cups vodka
2 oz. orange liqueur
1 lemon, juiced
1 egg white, large

[Leave the candy for the kiddies and find a grown up way to enjoy Halloween without all the candy!]

Directions: Mix 1/2 cup candy corn with vodka in air-tight jar and let sit for a minimum of 3 hours. (Hint: Do this in the morning for truly candy corn infused vodka.) Strain candy corn from vodka. Add 4 oz. of vodka, orange liqueur, egg white and lemon juice to a drink shaker filled with ice. Shake fast for about 20 seconds and serve in martini glasses. Toss in a few candy corn for your Halloween candy corn-tini!

Spooky Brain Fruit

When you’re low on time with guests on the way, nothing says healthy and delicious like fruit…with a twist!

1 seedless watermelon

Directions: Remove the green rind from the watermelon until only the white rind is visible. Slice the bottom of the watermelon so it has a flat surface to stand on. Using a toothpick or butter knife, outline the squiggly maze that is the human brain. Now, carve that maze with a paring knife so that pink portions of the watermelon are visible.

[Scare your friends with this eerily delicious "brain" food.]

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

Pumpkin seeds aren’t very glamorous but they are an insanely healthy snack food for your Halloween shindig!

2 cups pumpkin seeds
3 tsp. extra virgin olive oil
salt & pepper to taste
1 tsp. ground cumin

Directions: Pre-heat oven to 300 degrees. Remove seeds from pumpkin and clean, removing attached pulp and strings. Toss the seeds in oil, salt, pepper, and cumin. Spread in an even layer on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Baking for 40-45 minutes, turning on occasion until golden brown. Remove to paper towels to remove excess oil and Enjoy!

Nutrition: Makes 16 one-ounce servings. 146 calories per serving but cholesterol free with 4 grams of carbohydrates and 9 grams of protein.

Hearty Halloween Risotto

Ok, so risotto isn’t at the top of anyone’s list of healthiest foods, but miniature servings are healthy and elegant for a Halloween pot luck or dinner party.

2 cups arborio rice
6 cups sodium-free vegetable broth
1 onion, chopped
10 oz. frozen butternut squash (fresh works too, just roast 1 hour before you make risotto)
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
Parmigiano-Reggiano for sprinkling
2 tbsp. olive oil
salt and pepper

Directions: Warm vegetable broth in sauce pot. Defrost butternut squash. Heat oil over medium heat and add onion. Cook 3-5 minutes until onions become transparent. Add arborio and cook about 3 minutes. Add in 1-2 ladles of broth and stir arborio. Continue to add stock in intervals when liquid begins to evaporate. Total cooking time should be 18-20 minutes. Stir in butternut squash, nutmeg, salt and pepper during the last 5 minutes of cooking.

Serve in hollowed out baby pumpkins or small oranges and sprinkle with Parmigiano-Reggiano so your guests can eat and mingle!

Nutrition: Recipes makes 16 four-ounce servings. 100 calories per serving and 10 grams of protein.

Don’t let this be another cheerless holiday that you sit at home for fear of wrecking your diet. Eat smart and exercise regularly so you can celebrate any holiday that comes your way.

Find a way to enjoy the holiday while you lose weight by reading our review of The Diet Solution Program. A few steps before the party and you can actually have fun! Imagine that….

[Have a fat free Halloween!]

Yes, being thinner will improve your sex life. This doesn’t mean you have to be ‘skinny’ to have a good time in bed–it means that losing that extra fat that’s weighing you down will make your sex life more enjoyable…and adventurous!

[Lose the fat that's weighing you down so you can have more fun in bed!]

Whether you like it kinky or plain ol’ vanilla, you can’t discount the benefits of a proper diet on your desire to have sex and your performance while you do! Improving the moves is up to you, but helping you get there…well that’s something we can help you achieve.

More Confident

Dropping even a few of those extra pounds will revive your libido, giving you a renewed desire to get frisky which honestly is half the battle. Losing 5 pounds will make you feel proud of your accomplishment and confident in your body. When we feel more confident about how we look, it makes us want to have sex more.

Simply wanting to have more sex will put your partner in the mood more frequently. It doesn’t matter if it’s the first 5 pounds you need to lose or the only 5. The confidence that comes with losing weight will put you back in the mood for lovin’!

More Adventurous

Another added benefit of losing those unnecessary pounds? Exercising and losing weight helps you maintain muscle flexibility, which is useful when you want to try different positions. Losing any amount of weight will put less strain on your muscles, allowing them to move more freely.

[Losing weight will rekindle your interest in acting out sexual fantasies. Mr. & Mrs. Smith, perhaps?]

Greater muscle flexibility means that you can now try all those pretzel-like positions in your girlfriend’s latest issue of Cosmo! If your sex life has been mundane, make it more exciting by getting more aerobic exercise. Thirty minutes of volleyball, swimming, or roller skating will help you burn as much as 400 calories!

More Stamina

In addition to making you an overall healthier person, losing weight through exercise and a healthy diet gives you more energy. Eating lean proteins along with fresh fruits and vegetables makes you feel energetic, compared to your old mid-afternoon snack of greasy foods and sugary drinks.

More energy means you have more to give in the bedroom. Having more energy is a double bonus. First, more energy means you can have sex for longer periods of time. Second, sex is aerobic exercise! Just 30 minutes of doin’ the deed burns about 150 calories and longer sex means more calories burned. Sex shouldn’t be your only exercise, but I think its awesome something as fun as sex also burns extra fat!

It’s a sex cycle that’ll spin you into the you you’ve always wanted to be!

Better Performance

Losing weight is a great cure for obesity related illnesses like high cholesterol, diabetes, and high blood pressure. These conditions can cause physical sexual dysfunction in men and women. In men, high blood pressure and diabetes can shut down the arteries–which control the blood flow–in the penis which you kinda need for an awesome performance between the sheets.

Overweight women can experience the same problem with blockage in the blood vessels in the clitoris. Problems such as these make it difficult for men to perform well during sex and it makes it difficult for women to enjoy sex and often, difficult to climax as well. Bummer, right?

By adopting a healthy diet where you eat less and move more, you can reverse these problems that aren’t allowing you to enjoy having sex. A thinner you will have proper circulation so that all your sexy bits work as they should, and that means a more enjoyable Friday night for everyone involved!

Greater Arousal

When our bodies stray from what doctors consider a healthy body weight our hormones tend to get ‘out of whack’. Unbalanced hormones can make you feel depressed or anxious, but more importantly they affect your desire to become aroused.

[Balance your hormones naturally with a healthy diet & exercise and you'll be a horny lil' devil in NO time!]

A healthy diet with regular physical activity will help you lose weight and it’ll balance out your hormones, making you feel happier and hornier! By adopting a lifestyle that will help you burn fat, you’ll want to have sex more and when the time comes for you to actually have sex…it will be easier for you to become aroused.

Arousal is the first step for a fun night of sex!

Attitude is EVERYTHING!

When you take the first step to leading a healthier life you will, without a doubt, feel better about yourself and life in general. This means that you won’t worry as much about how you look in this position or from that angle, because you are a ‘work in progress’ and you’ll be more likely to go with the flow.

Having a ‘go with the flow’ attitude in bed will allow you to relax and simply enjoy yourself. It’s a known fact that its much sexier to have a little fun in the sack than have mediocre self-conscious sex. Forget what the scale says when it’s time to get down. Studies show that about 30% of overweight people experience sexual difficulties. The good news is that means that about 70% of overweight folks are doing alright in the sex department.

That’s good news for all of us. Have a positive attitude about your weight loss progress NOW. Are you gonna wait until you reach your weight loss goal before you start enjoying sex again? I don’t think so.

More Sex

I think we can all agree that having more sex is a good thing, right? Well losing weight can help you achieve just that. You’ll want to have more sex when you have less weight on your knees and hips. You can diminish or eliminate that pain by shedding the extra fat.

When you can have sex on a whim, you’ll want to and guess what? You will!

Just imagine all the time you’ll have to actually have sex rather than make sure you’ve got your blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes or heart medication. Imagine all the sexual fantasies you can act out if you just do these things:

1. Eat smaller portions.
2. Eat lean proteins and lots of fruits and vegetables.
3. Exercise regularly.

Looking for the right solution to your weight loss problems? Read our review of Eat Stop Eat and find out the facts and benefits of fasting for weight loss.

Sex. It’s the unspoken reason why we’re all here. In the most direct way, we know that being fit and attractive gives us the best opportunity of attracting a high quality mate, so we work like hell to burn fat and tone the right muscles. Indirectly, we all know that shedding those pounds will help improve our existing sex life.

[One reason to lose weight? To have what she's having!]

Despite this knowledge all of us, including ultra-rich celebrity yo-yo dieters, struggle to lose weight. Struggle no more! We’ve got 5 naughty reasons that will inspire, induce, and maybe even downright bribe you into shedding those pesky pounds!

Reason #5: Endorphins

Endorphins are hormone-like substances that the brain produces. Endorphins act kind of like nature’s painkillers, and when you exercise the release of endorphins make you feel good, really good. So, why are endorphins, “naughty”?

Exercise, in addition to helping you burn fat, will make you feel better in general. When you feel less stressed you are less likely to self-medicate with food. Regular exercise, at least 4 days a week, produces endorphins that will have 2 positive effects. First, you’ll begin to equate feeling good with exercise, which means you’ll learn to enjoy physical activity.

Second, with regular exercise you’ll begin to look great, which will make you feel even better. And when you hit the town with newfound confidence and a much healthier body, watch those offers start pouring in.

Reason #4: Sex Hormones

When you have more body fat than you need, certain parts of your body responsible for your sexual response are negatively impacted. A chemical in the body called sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG) binds to testosterone (which is a sex hormone). The more body fat you have, the higher your SHBG levels will be. The bad news is that the more testosterone being bound to SHBG means that you have less available for sex.

Shedding stubborn fat will “make room” so that you can use that testosterone for what it was intended! Even dropping a few pounds will increase your desire to do the deed. All you have to do is make a few changes to your diet and add more physical activity to your days and you can rekindle your passion for action!

Reason #3: Improved Sexual Performance

I know, I know sexual performance isn’t something we’re supposed to talk about. Unfortunately these things we aren’t supposed to talk about are the exact things everyone wants to know.

[The "Sex" kept these girls fit more than the "City" did!]

Overweight people often report problems with their desire to have sex, their sex drive, and of course performance. It’s no surprise that these complaints often come from the overweight and obese because conditions that include high cholesterol and a resistance to insulin often negatively impact sex drive and performance.

According to a 2006 study, individuals with a higher body mass index experienced more sexual dysfunction than those with a BMI within the normal range. Even more stunning is that this study also found that obese women experienced more sexual dissatisfaction than obese men.

The lesson here is that dropping as little as 10 pounds will give men and women an improved performance in the bedroom. Less weight means more energy and stamina to enjoy sex, and who doesn’t want to have better sex?

Reason #2: Sex is Cardio

What better reason to lose weight than the process of losing weight? That’s right, having sex is effective exercise that everyone can enjoy! A 30-minute session in the sack (or the shower, the dinner table, or the pool) can burn anywhere from 150 to 250 calories. That’s not much, but it’ll be the best 200 calories you ever burned.

Even if you aren’t exploring the complicated yoga-like positions in the Kama Sutra, sex gets your heart rate going–really going–which is an important factor in fat loss. Being aroused for sex increases your heart rate, which is why people with weak hearts are cautioned against sex. Your heart rate speeds up even more in those moments surrounding climax, which spells maximum calorie burning for weight loss. That’s something I like to call a win-win situation.

Reason #1: Exercise Makes You Horny

[Maybe the workouts for her action movies are why Angelina seems to oooze sex? What do YOU think?]

As unlikely as it sounds, a sedentary lifestyle with minimal physical activity can affect the circulation in your nether regions, which also controls your desire to have sex and your ability to enjoy it. According to Dr. Susan Kellogg Spadt, director of sexual medicine for the Pelvic and Sexual Health Institute, activities that improve blood flow to big muscles like the butt and thighs also have the effect of providing the genitals with better circulation.

With more blood flowing to the right places, you get the benefit of easier arousal, more lubrication, and improved orgasms. Simply put, 20 minutes of yoga, bicycling, or speed walking just 3 days a week can mean a pretty quick return of your want, will and desire to have sex.

Despite what the movies tell us, you don’t have to have big bulging muscles or be a diminutive damsel to have a rocking sex life. Small steps that include eating more fruits and vegetables and eliminating bad fats will go a long way to help you get your groove back.

Just as important as what you do to improve your health, is how you perceive yourself. Even if you exercise regularly and have a healthy diet, it doesn’t matter if you hate what you see when you look in the mirror. That’s why your friend who could stand to lose 30 pounds has an amazing sex life, while your super hot but self-conscious best friend has trouble closing the deal. The more you work toward losing weight, the happier you will be with your body–regardless of the results.

Wanna look sexy before sex without sucking in your belly? Read our review of The Truth About Six Pack Abs and see if Mike Geary can help you lose that pesky fat that’s hiding your rock hard abs!

So much has been written about green tea and oolong tea that its tough to know what’s true and what’s web garbage. Based on logic alone, both teas couldn’t possibly offer help losing weight and improving overall healthy…could they?

In this battle of the weight loss teas, sifting through the information and misinformation may just be your most difficult task. By the end of this article you’ll know which tea is best to achieve your fat burning goals.

[Drinking green or oolong tea for weight loss would be a cinch if tea cups were this big!]

Round 1: Weight Loss

Green Tea vs. Oolong Tea

Both oolong and green tea come from the same plant, Camellia sinesis. The major difference, aside from taste, is the length of time it takes to process and ferment the tea. Green tea is the least processed, while oolong tea takes a little bit longer, although not quite as long as black tea.

The processing time of green tea gives it the weight loss edge over oolong tea. The fermentation process breaks down polyphenols in tea, which are a great source of antioxidants for the body. Because green tea has been fermented the least, it retains more polyphenols than oolong tea and gives you a greater weight loss edge.

Studies have found green tea very successful for weight loss, however in amounts too high to believe any person will ever consume that much. However more studies confirm successful weight loss through drinking green tea than oolong tea.

WINNER: Green Tea

[CLICK THE BOX ABOVE FOR MORE INFO.]

Round 2: Side Effects Green Tea vs. Oolong Tea 

Oolong and green tea both contain caffeine, so you should expect similar symptoms to arise if you drink too much of either. Too much caffeine can cause dehydration, muscle cramping, and headaches, regardless of tea type.

The amount of caffeine in each tea varies by how it is prepared as well as the method by which its consumed. Because green tea has been on the market longer you can get your green tea fix through pills, lotions, air diffusers, candles and soaps. Oolong tea is unfortunately still only available in water plus leaf combination.

[D0es green tea ice cream mean you really can eat ice cream and still lose weight?]

Since oolong tea is processed longer and more polyphenols are destroyed, oolong has slightly more caffeine than green tea and more likely to cause caffeine-related side effects.

WINNER: Green Tea

Tea Round 3: Taste

Green Tea vs. Oolong

Okay so when it comes to weight loss, taste is usually one of the first things to hit the road and the sad truth is that it’s no different with oolong and green tea.

Because green tea has been processed the least, it tastes most natural and earthy. Unfortunately most people find the taste in green tea lacking, with a flavor commonly described as “grassy”. Even with lemon and honey I find the flavor to be less than appealing.

[Japanese tea makers are adding flavors to make this healthy drink more appealing to our taste buds!]

Oolong tea has a variety of different flavors along with an enticing aroma, due to its longer fermentation process. Oolong tea also tastes earthy, but with hints of wood and citrus for a well-rounded flavor that doesn’t make you sick to your stomach at the smell.

Because taste is essential to something you have to drink for weight loss an a regular basis, the taste edge is given to oolong tea. However tasty is on the taste buds of the beholder, so you may feel differently.

WINNER: Oolong Tea

Round 4: Health Benefits

Green Tea vs. Oolong Tea

The health benefits of oolong tea have been proven to lower sugar levels in diabetics, reduce blood pressure and lower cholesterol. It’s heart smart and provides drinkers with a ton of energy without the twitchy side effects. In addition, oolong tea also gives your metabolism a kick in the pants so you can burn fat quickly.

Green tea has been applauded all over the world for its health benefits, which include lowering cholesterol and decreasing instances of bladder cancer in women. Some green tea studies have shown that women with ovarian cancer on a steady diet of green tea lived longer than women with ovarian cancer who didn’t drink green tea regularly.

Both green and oolong tea have been used to aid digestion, fatigue, and stress. More studies exist citing the advantages of green tea, but with such similar effects I have to say both provide equal health benefits.

WINNER: Draw

As you can see for yourself, the hype behind green tea and oolong tea for weight loss is justified. The problem is that there’s just so much information that it’s difficult to discern what’s credible and what isn’t.

If you’re looking to lose weight and improve your overall health, you’ll do fine with either tea honestly. But for those of you making decisions based on scientific evidence, most of the science is on the side of green tea. That doesn’t mean there’s anything wrong with oolong tea–it certainly tastes better–it just means that some monk gave green tea the edge a long long time ago.

Try green tea for a week and then oolong tea, a cup in the morning and a cup before bed. See which tea fills you with more energy to work out, which makes you feel less stressed and healthier. Despite green tea’s “wins” over oolong, I still prefer the taste of oolong.

Keep in mind however that using tea for weight loss is only meant to supplement weight loss from a proper diet and exercise. If you’re getting regular physical activity and eating right, you can choose which tea you’d like to use to as your weight loss assistant.

Get more information on how to add healthy foods to your green tea or oolong tea regimen by reading our review of The Diet Solution Program, created by Isabel De Los Rios. The program comes with a food shopping report to make sure you’re getting everything you need with every bite!

When you think of drinking tea does the Queen Mum sipping in white gloves immediately pop into mind? Or do you instantly think of grandma and the girls playing bridge all afternoon? Well push those old memories aside because Oolong tea is good for your body, good for your looks and not just for old people and the British anymore!

[You don't have to be crazy to join the Oolong Tea Party!]

Taken from the Chinese, “wu long” translates literally as black dragon. Oolong is a semi-fermented tea, giving it a flavor very different from green and black teas. Despite what you may have heard, oolong can help make you healthier while you lose fat!

Oolong Health Benefit #1

Replacing your morning coffee with a cup of oolong tea will help reduce high blood pressure. Whether you need to lose 10 pounds or 50 pounds, you’ll need a normal blood pressure to get there. When you suffer from prolonged high blood pressure your heart is working too darned hard, and no tick tock, no you.

If you already suffer from high blood pressure or if it runs in your family (ask grandma, mine is always telling me about her ailments), the National Institute of Health recommends moderate exercise for weight loss while you work on getting it back to normal.

Drinking oolong tea isn’t a magic solution to lower your blood pressure, but replacing it with something you drink on a daily basis (like coffee) will make a difference. A 2004 study found that people who drink 1.5 to 2 cups of oolong tea each day were 46% less likely to develop hypertension! Bring on the oolong!

[It's not that herb! Oolong tea helps keep the parts of your body healthy that you need to get fit and trim the fat!]

Oolong Health Benefit #2

I conducted an informal study of a few of my friends and found that emotional eating is the #1 reason we gain fat. When things go wrong we indulge in chocolate and ice cream and beer. When things go well we celebrate with an expensive steak and lots of champagne (which actually isn’t too bad for fat loss, read here!). So in addition to eating for nourishment, we eat to feel or drink to feel.

If you’re going to drink your problems away, start with oolong. A study conducted on mice at a Japanese Health Institute found that the natural polyphenols in oolong act as a de-stressor. Imagine just sipping a nice warm cup of oolong tea while the rest of your colleagues run around as though the building was on fire!

[CLICK THE BOX ABOVE FOR MORE INFO.]

Besides, when you’re not so stressed its easier for you to make smart healthy decisions. When you’re stressed you want to rant on the phone, meet your friends at the bar or plop down in front of the television…everything under the sun except workout. When your mind is calm and you feel relaxed, you’ll realize that you need to workout, want to work out, should work out. Next thing you know, you’ll be workin’ out!

Oolong Health Benefit #3

The number one leading cause of death among Americans is heart disease. Drinking oolong tea is good for your heart. Adding a cup of oolong tea to your diet is heart smart because in can help reduce cholesterol and the concentration of fat in the body. Even more amazing, oolong tea increases the levels of the plasma responsible for obesity and type 2 diabetes.

When your heart feels good, you feel good and more importantly, you’ll want to feel good. A big steaming cup of oolong tea along with regular physical activity and you can feel good about taking control of your health and fitness!

Oolong Health Benefit #4

Energy is incredibly important to weight loss. You’ll need it to get through your day without feeling fatigued and you’ll need it to make it through your exercise regimen without pulling a muscle. Drinking oolong tea on a regular basis is a great way to burn a few extra calories here and there. It’s not much, I know, but what is that big cup of coffee doing for you?

The point is that you get good energy from oolong tea, you know, the kind that doesn’t make you yawn an hour later and sneak out to get another cup? No jitters, no headaches…just a little more energy.

[Strong bones don't break easily, drinking oolong will make sure you don't hurt yourself during exercise.]

Oolong Health Benefit #5

The antioxidants present in oolong tea protects and strengthens teeth and bones. You’re probably thinking that your teeth have nothing to do with your fat loss goals, but healthy teeth are as important as any other part of your body. Sick teeth can lead to plenty of health issues, but that is for another day…

Drinking oolong tea can strengthen your bones, which you need to stay strong and injury-free so you can whip your body into shape. Even if the tea only helps in the smallest amount, every little bit helps.

Of course this doesn’t mean that oolong tea is some magic weight loss potion, but I hope it has provided you with helpful information on how to aid your weight loss efforts. It’s not just about the food you eat and the exercises you perform, fat loss success depends on how you live your life.

[Drink oolong tea to aid in fat loss...it's not your grandmother's tea!]

Drink oolong tea for 30 days and see if you feel just a little bit better than you did the month before. If you don’t like it switch back to your way too big caffeinated drink, and check out our review of The Diet Solution Program for other ways to lose weight.