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.

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.

It’s bad enough that you need to lose weight and you feel self-conscious about it all the time, but expecting you to go to the gym and let everyone see you struggle through a workout? I think not!

[It may feel like it, but everyone isn't staring at you when you go to the gym! Promise.]

If this kind of sentiment is keeping you at home and afraid to exercise in front of others, it’s probably preventing you from achieving your weight loss goals. By the time this article is over, you’ll have 5 circuit training exercises you can do in the comfort of your own home.

What IS Circuit Training?

Simply put, circuit training is an intense workout featuring both cardio and strength training. The exercises are completed back to back in quick bursts, alternating between aerobic and strength training to target different muscle groups.

Circuit training works because you need to stop for breaks because you aren’t simply tiring one muscle group out and moving on to the next. One “circuit” is completed when you have completed all exercises in your circuit training workout.

What You’ll Need

The convenient part about a gym workout is that all you need to bring is water and a towel. At home however, you’ll need to channel your inner McGuyver to get a full circuit training workout. Set up each exercise in a different spot around a circle so that you can have an effective workout right at home.

[This is a good idea for how to set up your circuit training area in the living room, basement or backyard.]

1. You’ll need 2 free weights or dumbbells for some of the resistance exercises.
2. A weight bench or sturdy table should be handy in the “circuit training area” of your home.
3. An exercise bike or jump rope for aerobic training.

Get It Done!!!

Now that you have everything you need, including water and a towel, it’s time to run through the circuit exercises to get you started. One full circuit consists of completing each of the following exercises. Remember, this isn’t a race. Take the time to do the movements correctly and breathe while you workout.

Begin with small weights that you can complete the circuit with. Don’t allow your ego to force you to use weights that are too heavy and quit before you’ve finished one circuit. Slow and steady still gets the job done!

1. Squats (10-15 reps)
2. Jump rope or jog in place (60 seconds)
3. Lunges (10-12 reps) Weights are optional for a more productive workout.
4. Jump rope or jog in place (60 seconds)
5. Chess presses on a weight bench (10 reps)
6. Jump rope or jog in place (60 seconds)
7. Bent over rows using weight bench or table (10-15 reps)

It doesn’t look like much on paper, but these circuit training exercises will help you burn fat and build muscle for a healthy new you.

[Be sure to inhale as you go up and exhale as you push through the squat. Breathing is key in circuit training.]

It’s important for beginners to take a few seconds, as much as 30 seconds if needed in between each different exercise. If you don’t feel as though you need a break in between exercises, be sure to take a 2 minute break between circuits.

[Grab a picnic or work bench and do 10-15 repetitions on each arm. Done and DONE!]

If this seems too easy for you, think again. These circuit training exercises will help you lose fat and tone muscle, but only if you do them enough. A complete workout should consist of about 2 circuits for beginners who are out of shape.

For those of you who do get some form of exercise on a regular basis, you should do 4 or more circuits so that you get at least 20-30 minutes of physical activity. As you get more comfortable with this circuit you can increase the number of exercises you complete or add additional weight to your strength training exercises.

After a few weeks of circuit training at home, you may feel adventurous and ready to hit the gym. If so, you should read our review of Turbulence Training to help you get the most effective workout imaginable!

As I am sure you know, the weight loss industy is made up primarily of half-truths and people claiming to have the next weight loss breakthrough.  Nonsense.

[ Just because something seems to be a good idea, doesn't mean that it is.  Take G.I. Britney Spears for example. ]

There’s so much misinformation out there that even “health care professionals” and people you would assume can help you, just end up sending you for a ride on the yo-yo diet train. Or even worse, that train never even leaves the station but you end up losing a lot of $$$ and precious time.

It’s not that every product out there is a scam,  but even the products that do produce results are shrouded in lies and marketing hype instead of the bare bones truth.  And that equals rebound weight gain. Now, perhaps these businesses are low lifes, but I think its more likely that they don’t have a clue either.

I’ve seen a lot “diet experts” that are either overweight, or have no idea how to manage their own weight without copious amounts of exercise and ridiculous diet schedules.

That’s not a solution, that’s a personal prison.

Here’s my list of what I consider ridiculous (and some dangerous) paths to weight loss, and my take on them.

#1. Surgery

By now, we all know that any sort of surgery is dangerous. Even those surgeries that are necessary can produce long term complications from scar tissue or medical malpractice.   Also, any elective surgeries that are successful for weight loss over the long-term aim to suppress appetite (stomach stapling, slim band, etc.), which is just further proof that a reduction in calories is the ultimate answer… PLUS no one gets to carve you up like a Thanksgiving day turkey.  Win/Win.

Bottom line: Any chance of long-term benefits are totally cancelled out by the possibility of long-term consequences. (see: death).

#2  PILLS!

Let me make this perfectly clear, any pill that’s main selling feature is weight loss is an out and out lie. Fat burners may have a slight affect on your metabolism, but nothing significant enough to put you into a caloric deficit to trigger any real weight loss on its own.

However, if the added energy in one of these pills motivates you to live a more active lifestyle and somehow eat less, that’s great, but get real, the pill itself is not “burning the fat off your body”.  And anyone that tells you differently should be off your advice list.

Now let’s take a look at a popular pill that drives me crazy, its called Orlistat (sold as Alli). If you go to their site, it looks really fancy and helpful, but the pill (which is approved by the FDA I believe) is ultimately useless.    The company sells you their pill and then puts you on a reduced calorie diet and “prescribes” exercise.  Wow.  Revolutionary.

Take a look at this regarding their “proven studies” except from Wikipedia:

The effectiveness of orlistat in promoting weight loss is definite, though modest. Pooled data from clinical trials suggest that people given orlistat in addition to lifestyle modifications, such as diet and exercise, lose about 2–3 kilograms (4.4–6.6 lb) more than those not taking the drug over the course of a year.^[6]

4-6 pounds more over the course of a YEAR! Not much of a benefit considering some people have experienced liver failure and have to suffer through OrliStat’s awful “treatment effects” of loose stools and a steady case of Superbowl type flatulence.  Sexy, I know.

I could go on for another post altogether regarding the harmful uselessness of this drug, but I’ll stop here to be kind to you.

Bottom Line: Pills DO NOT equal fat loss.

#3 Exercise Alone

Exercise is great for a lot of things. It helps us move easier, slows aging, prevents disease, and not to mention muscle attracts the opposite (or same) sex.   Exercise clearly has a lot going for it.  But what exercise can’t do on its own… is help you lose weight.

I know that is going to be tough for a lot of people to swallow, but its time to suck it up and accept the truth.

My favorite saying is, “You can’t out run/train a bad diet.”  Allow me to put that in perspective.

Tomorrow morning I could bike to the gym, swim for two hours, lift weights for an hour, and then bike home. On the high side, maybe I’ve burned away 1000 calories (realistically its probably less).  Now, from that start of a champion morning, we would all feel like we deserve a reward. A lunch at Pizza Hut or any McDonald’s combo will easily flush two of those fat burning workouts down the tube.

Bottom Line: To lose weight, you need to create a caloric deficit of 3500 calories to lose one pound of fat. I am a firm advocate of regular and fun exercise but we should all know its role and function so not to mislead ourselves.

Sometimes avoiding these mistakes are just as important as making good dieting decisions.

If you want to check out the final 3 Worst Ways to Lose Weight to save yourself some time and money
click here —–>> PART 2

Smoothies have their own little groupies. There are people who swear by them.

Although I don’t think that smoothies are the best thing besides indoor plumbing, a good strawberry smoothie recipe can be a good addition to any calorie restricted diet.

[There is nothing more refreshing than fresh fruit on a hot summer day! Fruit can provide your body with lots of filling fiber and natural sugar.]

Read more to learn how to make delicious strawberry smoothie recipes for your diet…

Now I know that a plain old strawberry smoothie probably doesn’t get your mouth watering but I’m about to open up a whole other smoothie world for you that you may not have been aware of.

Smoothies are so versatile. They are portable, drinkable, and quick to prepare. All you need is a good blender and you are set!

Before I tell you about all the tasty things you can add to your strawberry smoothie recipe, I want to tell you first of all, why you should be interested in making a smoothie in the first place.

Why Smoothies Can Help you Achieve Your Weight Loss Goals

Whenever I make a smoothie my eyes are bigger than  my stomach. I take a tall glass and fill it to the brim with sweet smoothieness and everytime I’m drinking and about half way down the glass I get full.

Why?

Well, fruit is a naturally filling food. Depending on which you choose to blend together, you can have soluble and insoluble fiber that will make you feel full quicker and keep you feeling full for quite some time.

Also, once you really get good at smoothing (is that what you call it?) you can experiment with all sorts of good flavors, including nuts, extracts, and vegetables.

Smoothies provide a good amount of water for your hydration levels. Another important point about why smoothies are good for your diet is that they provide you with plenty of natural vitamins and minerals. These three together guarantee you a full tank of energy for the day, which is why I like to have a smoothie for breakfast but it is a good choice for any time of day.

Smoothies, when done right, can be a low calorie meal that will help you control cravings and reduce your appetite through the fiber and sugars that you are giving your body.

In Thailand, smoothies are available at marketplaces and street corners. Doesn't this look delicious?

Great Additions to Your Strawberry Smoothie Recipe

So let’s take that plain old boring strawberry smoothie and give it pizzazz.

The Creamy

To make your smoothie creamy you can add low fat yogurt, skim milk, or even an ounce of neufchatel cheese. Be careful with your servings here, you want to keep the calories to a minimum.

Good Choices of Fruit

Strawberries, of course, are a great choice, as well as other berries because they have a high amount of pectin and antioxidants.

Bananas can also make your smoothie less acidic and are a great source of potassium.

Kiwi, mango, guava, and other exotic fruits add a good flavor and keep things interesting.

Grapes, apples, and oranges are good sources of juice and sweeten up your smoothie nicely.

Additional Nutrients

If you can think outside the box and try new mixtures, there is no limit to what you can get out of your smoothie.

For my strawberrie smoothie recipe I like to add ground flaxseed ( for healthy fats), oatmeal, and peppermint.

You can add vitamin dense green spinach, carrots, squash, avocado, ginger, protein powder, and natural almond butter.

For no additional calories, you can add vanilla, cinnamon, green tea, rosewater, and any dessert spice like nutmeg.

You can also use the fruit and vegetable juice mixtures to add veggies if you have a hard time finding out how to blend them.

Smoothies are pretty convenient overall. This strawberry smoothie recipe shouldn’t replace your diet but it can be a great addition to it.

Use them on days that you don’t have much time to cook or need to bring something with you. They are definitely a better choice than the rest of the convenience foods available.

Looking for a great way to make your body shed fat? Check out our review of Eat, Stop, Eat here.

I was sitting down with Vince DelMonte, author of Your Six Pack Quest and No Nonsense Muscle Building, over the weekend and he insisted that I pass along this incredible offer to the readers of The Fat Loss Authority. Vince, along with other fitness experts, are joining forces to produce what is one of the most valuable giveaways ever for a limited time only (48 Hours).

We are talking hundreds and hundreds of dollars in real value—stuff you can’t get ANYWHERE else and for FREE. Since it’s only 3-4 months away from beach season, Vince is giving his Razor-Sharp Abdominal Cardio workout book and online video — a real $57 value that you can only get by purchasing the full Six-pack Quest system.

Get your free gifts here:

==>http://www.FreeFitnessGiveaways.com

There are also some other cool gifts from Joel Marion and guys like Jon Benson and Jeff Anderson, so be sure to check out the site TODAY, as it’s being taken down in just a couple days (and it WILL be the last time Vince and company do this for a very long time).

Again, only download the gifts that you are most interested in and want to start using right away (don’t fall victim to information overload). You probably don’t need all the gifts so decide on which one you need the most right now.

Enjoy the workouts!

Waking up at 6:00am? Hitting the treadmill after work? Depriving myself of chocolate? Why the hell am I doing this again?

Maybe you’re trying lose weight, to keep your heart healthy and blood pressure down, to look better or fit into that wedding dress? There are lots of different reasons that push people to get up off the couch and exercise regularly. Regardless of your goal or reason, regular physical activity can also offer emotional and psychological benefits.

1. Fight Depression.

There is a considerable amount of research that suggests regular exercise is just as effective as prescription medication in battling mild to moderate depression. Why?  Exercise releases endorphins in the brain which can help numb the body’s pain perception. Take note of how you feel after a brisk walk or workout. If the activity was challenging enough, then you should feel more energy and optimism. The reason for this positive feeling is a result of endorphins being released during your exercise, which can result in a ‘natural high’. For a double dose of good stuff try exercising outdoors as Vitamin D from the sun’s rays has been noted to also positively affect your mood and help fight those winter blues caused by a reduction in exposure to sunlight.

2. Flex Your Mind.

Exercise can optimize your brain power by helping you stay more positive, focused, and alert. This creates an ideal environment for your mind to digest, process, and retain new information. After your next workout, take 5 minutes to concentrate on an issue or problem that you are currently dealing with. The ease of formulating solutions and the clarity of which you see these solutions is amazing. On top of all this, there is scientific evidence showing that regular physical activity can reduce your chances of getting Alzheimer’s and dementia.

3. Better Sleep.

Studies suggest that tiring your body out with a good workout in the morning or afternoon can also encourage a better snooze at night, helping you to fall asleep faster and more deeply. An evening workout doesn’t hurt either as long as you leave 60-90 minutes for your body and mind to settle down. A good night’s sleep not only allows your body to grow and repair itself from your workout but is also important in improving your immunity against common colds, the flu, and other illnesses.

4. Ramp Up Your Sex Life.

A number of studies indicate that exercise can actually improve activity in the bedroom for men and women alike. Since physical activity increases your self-esteem, people who work out feel more sexually desirable and satisfied. Research at the University of British Columbia also revealed that women who engaged in physical activity were more sexually responsive than those who did not exercise. While another study from the Harvard School of Public Health suggests that physically active men are 30 per cent less likely to suffer from erectile dysfunction than their physically inactive counterparts.

5. Kick Stress in the Butt.

When you’re moving, you’re releasing physical tensions that have built up over the course of the day. Many researchers believe that through exercise, you can also reduce the release of stress hormones, specifically cortisol, while increasing those mood-boosting endorphins. Running, team sports, swimming, biking, all shift your focus away from the daily grind and stresses of work, family, and personal life. For many people, exercise also offers the opportunity for social interaction which is important in making you feel more connected to others and also help reduce stress levels.

For more information on the benefits of exercise, check out Tom Venuto’s Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle. An important handbook for anyone who is serious about achieving their fat loss goals.