The Advantages Of Playing Tennis For Weight Loss

By Dr. Ashraf Hanafy Mahmoud Mohammed

Playing tennis is a great way to lose a few pounds but there are many other benefits too. Tennis is a terrific and fun way to improve fitness and build co-ordination whilst opening up a whole new fun social scene. Tennis helps you to lose weight, to get fit and to make friends - what could be better than that?

The closest that many of us get to playing tennis is watching one of the Grand Slams on the television. Tennis club membership fees often see an increase immediately following a Grand Slam, particularly if one of the favorites has put up a good showing - unfortunately for many people paying their membership fees is as far as they get and that's won't help you to lose pounds, it'll only help you to lose bucks.

Many people shy away from tennis as part of their fitness program because it looks too darned difficult and they're worried that they'll spend the majority of their court time fetching wayward tennis balls from around the court. The thing to remember is that tennis of any standard is good for you and enjoyable - it really can be as relaxing or as strenuous as you want. The game of tennis requires a combination of physical and mental demands which help to build fitness, lose weight and improve co-ordination.

So how much weight will you lose when playing tennis? Well, that all depends on you and how hard you play. The weight and exertion level is a big factor when you're looking at weight loss and calorie burning on the tennis court but the extra calories burned in a half hour tennis session could be anywhere between 100 and 150 - not counting the fun factor.

The key to really enjoying tennis as part of your weight loss program is to find other players who are of a similar level to yours. Even the most uncompetitive people will soon get fed up of playing someone who is much better at the sport than they are. If you spend the entire half hour collecting balls which have whizzed across the court and past you at an alarming rate it soon gets boring.

Start off slowly with people of a similar standard and just play for twenty minutes or so three times per week until your fitness level improves. If you gradually build up your tennis time to a couple of hours each week you'll be amazed at how much your game can improve and your weight will fall off.

Don't worry about buying the most expensive tennis gear and kit bag. Unless you plan to keep it up and play regularly there really is no need to spend a lot of money on your tennis gear.

Shoes are important, they must cradle your feet and provide adequate support.

Tennis rackets cost as much or as little as you are prepared to spend - your local sports store should be able to tell you which rackets offer the best value for money.

Tennis and weight loss really is a great combination. You can get fit, lose weight and make a bunch of new friends all at the same time, perfect.

Role Of Swimming In Weight Loss

By Dr. Ashraf Hanafy Mahmoud Mohammed

It really doesn't matter whether you are a competitive swimmer or just enjoy doing a few lengths of the local pool a couple of times each week - swimming is good for you. You can set your own pace, swim at your own speed and at the distance you can manage. The distance you can swim will naturally increase as you do the exercise more.

There are also lots of swimming pool exercise programs which are great fun and can help you to lose weight. Many swimming pools hold aqua aerobics sessions which are a fabulous way to lose weight, tone up and make friends in the water.

The Benefits of Swimming for Weight Loss

You will turn calories while you swim which is basically how it can help with any weight loss program. Swimming also has many cardiovascular benefits and is especially great for older people who may not be able to take part in other types of cardiovascular exercise.

Swimming also uses just about the entire major muscle groups in the body which really gets the heart and lungs working to provide sufficient oxygen to the muscles. As far as cardiovascular workouts go swimming is hard to beat.

If you get a little out of breath on your swim then don't worry, that's a good thing. Any exercise which makes your breathing heavier is great - it simply means that you and your body are working hard. As your lungs and heart get stronger you will be able to swim further without needing to rest which will help to increase your heart rate whilst resting and lower your blood pressure.

Other Benefits of Swimming

Helping with weight loss is just one of the many benefits of swimming. It is also great for other things;

- Swimming is used by athletes as a means to aid recovery after injury. It is a low impact exercise but is terrific for working the muscles and building endurance. Athletes who have had some sort of accident or become injured in some way can turn to swimming as the first part of the rehabilitation program.

- Swimming is great fun. It isn't only about swimming lengths; there are other ways to lose weight whilst swimming. Treading water is exercise too and can help to burn calories - swimming is great fun for the whole family.

- Swimming is also a terrific way to relax, if you need a little "me time" then go for a swim - the calories burned are just an extra bonus.

A half hour session of swimming will burn anywhere between 100 and 500 extra calories depending upon your weight and how much effort you put into it. Why not make the effort to visit your local pool at least once a week with your family or friends to start you on your way.

Great Tips To Help With Weight Loss

By Dr. Ashraf Hanafy Mahmoud Mohammed

When trying to lose weight, people often concentrate on the same tried and true weight loss trick over and over again. These tips which include eating fruits and vegetables, exercising, and understanding the underlying causes of the weight gain to plan against them all do work, but there are a few more which can also help as well. Another thing that is important to remember is that the weight did not appear overnight and it will not disappear overnight. It will take time to lose the weight desired and it will take work to keep it off. Here are a few tips that can help do that.

Stay away from the liquid calories. Drinking soda or a hot chocolate will take in calories that are wasted. These are empty calories, almost 600 before any food has been consumed. Instead of drinking beverages like these, stick to water or tea with calorie free sweetener. If drinking something sweet is a must, drink the smallest size possible with fat-free milk.

Do not try to go too fast. Trying crash diets is a mistake. Drastically limiting calories or only eating a certain group of foods may cause a weight loss in the short- term, but the weight will come back and probably more. If the weight loss is to last for life, then the changes need to be permanent and need to become habits that can be sustained for life.

Be smart about daily calorie intake. Eat enough to keep the metabolism going. This keeps the body burning calories throughout the day and prevents hunger from getting so bad the dieter is ready to eat everything in sight by the end of the day. If calorie intake is restricted, it's very likely that the dieter will be so hungry by the end of the day that they will want to eat much more.

Know the calorie count. Keep track of what you're eating and the calorie count for each item. Research shows that those who track their calorie intake keep their weight off more successfully than those who don't. To track calories, it helps to measure portions which also helps with weight loss.

Weight alone is not the only thing. As a person becomes more fit, their weight may not shift much because muscle weighs more than fat. Also, depending upon the time of day, how hydrated they are, and various other factors, the number on the scale may not be their accurate weight. Success cannot be measured by the scale alone. That number should be a part of a bigger picture. How are their clothes fitting? Getting looser? How are the health indicators such as cholesterol and blood pressure? Do they have more energy?

These are all measurements of success, each one a part and each one important. One last thing - there should be no guilt if a dieter falls off the rails once in a while. It happens and when it does, just get back on track and start over again.

Losing Weight Fast in Today's Modern Times

By Sam Paul Edelman

Millions of people today are going in for starvation diets, or extreme ways to lose fat. They are not seeing the bigger picture, the natural one, the one that requires real life change. Only when you change your lifestyle will you see a better overall life. These changes can be drastic, and for some will not sit well at first, but it's guaranteed to change the way you look at weight loss forever. Don't assume that you can't do this or that you've tried and fail, because you may not know some insider secrets that the diet companies don't want you to know. The biggest lie that they are perpetuating is simple, diets work. Diets do not work and if you really want to learn about losing weight fast, you will need to change your opinion on the matter. Cast aside the notion of starvation diets and spending all your time in the gym, because there is a better way.

First and foremost, you'll need to eat better. This call to action is something that many people are finding out to be true the hard way. Eating whole foods, fruits, vegetables, and grains that are not processed into pulp, will definitely be a good start. Before you think that this is complicated, start with an easy thing. Start with only changing a few items in your diet, and build up towards a point where you're only eating whole foods that are derived of natural and organic ingredients. A good rule of thumb is to define the ingredients in your favorite foods. If you can't define them or explain what they are off the top of your head, you should not be eating it. If the items contain hydrogenated oils, fats, and other bad things, walk away from them.

Don't starve yourself, the worst thing that you can adhere to is another starvation diet that has you weak willed and tired. Instead of focusing on the issue there, change your lifestyle to fit better overall foods and you will gain benefits faster than ever. Take time to read the packaging, and then incorporate the next step for the purpose of losing weight fast.

The next thing that you need to do is to start exercising, but not in the traditional sense. You don't need to join a gym, you can start today by walking. Walk at least 30 minutes around your area until you have the strength to do more. Once you are building enough power to run, do that, and eventually you can move to another option. The point here is to build your strength to where you are enjoying the process of exercising. If that doesn't sound fun, find a sport that you can join at your local recreation center and meet some new friends. You'll find that there are a lot of great options to get out in the sun and meet others that you may have missed out on beforehand. A little sports outing can really deliver greatness for you, it's just a matter of investing in what works towards losing weight fast.

Losing Belly Fat Right Now

By Sam Paul Edelman

When you first start to look at all the options that exist in terms of losing belly fat, you will find that there are a lot of different ways that people say that you can attack the problem. The most common option that you'll find is easy, don't eat a lot. Starvation diets seem to proliferate the market in a variety of ways, causing serious issue for anyone that is looking to fight back against the battle of the bulge, and that's never a fun thing to do. Even though there are legitimate ways to lose weight, people still assume the problem is eating. While this may be an issue, it's not the entire issue, and for that reason it becomes imperative to look into a better way of getting this job done.

First and foremost, you'll need to stop eating certain foods. Don't get this twisted, this is not a call to stop eating everything you love. Instead, focus on the things that are in the home right now. Open up and ask yourself real questions about what you're putting into your mouth and you'll start to realize that there are some things that are highly processed. Highly processed items that are not whole in nature, are not going to help you at all. This includes boxed meals, frozen dinners, and anything that you have to microwave to eat. If it's pre-made and the ingredients list is a paragraph long, you are not giving your body what it needs. Replace these things slowly with good stuff, things that will taste good and are derived from whole grains, and ingredients that you can pronounce.

The second thing that you need to look out for is not going to be fun at first, and that's exercise. This component of losing belly fat has a lot of people upset or throwing in the towel before they even try. To change things up and to look at this in a whole new way you will need to think of it in different terms. Think about it in a way that you never have before, and that's fun. The best advice is to go outside and start walking, then from there start to play and participate in "games" that you liked as a kid. Buy a Frisbee, a volleyball, soccer ball, or just about any recreational tool and commit to using it for only 30 minutes a day. It's that simple, 30 minutes of fun will give you some serious thrills.

Aside from the above things, you should always look at losing weight as a good thing for life, and not in a negative light. Most people give up on the notion of getting rid of fat because it's hard, or that it takes a lot of time, and the truth of the matter is that neither are true. These things can start to manifest if you change the way you eat, and the way you view exercise. Test the waters, look at the options you have and you will be able to pick up and gain a great deal of your life back, if you just take the advice above.

Get Rid of Cellulite and You'll Improve Your Body And Your Life

By Beth Cunningham

Cellulite is not just ugly, it's unhealthy. In fact, it's more than just unhealthy, it's lethal. Cellulite is fat cells that are full of toxic poison. You're body can't get rid of them because you are causing it by the food you're eating.

And not only that but there are other issues associated with cellulite too, because whether you realize it or not, your cellulite is stopping you from living your life the way you want to.

Don't believe me? Well let me explain.

Cellulite doesn't just happen over night. It takes a long time to evolve. It takes years.

It takes years and years of you living a sedentary lifestyle, getting very little, or no exercise while at the same time gorging down lots of food that is fat laden, chemical filled and all round bad for you.

But you cannot change this. It is a lifetime of habit that is hard to change. And you cannot change it because you don't want to. Not really. You just want the cellulite to disappear on it's own without you having to change a thing. Or you want a magic pill that will make the cellulite vanish while you continue to sit around scoffing more pies, pizzas, chips and anything else that is stodgy and unhealthy.

Cellulite removal doesn't happen like that. You cannot make it go away unless you want to do something about it. Not just want it to go away, but you are prepared to make it happen.

You see, your cellulite is not only sitting there and making you look ugly, it's also making you feel lethargic which means you can't be bothered to get rid of it. But if you make the effort (and it doesn't have to be much) you'll not only get rid of your cellulite, you'll feel great and have more energy than you've had in years.

Can you imagine getting up every morning and feeling good? How long is it since you did that?

So how can you get rid of your cellulite and improve your life?

It starts with your diet. You need to change what you eat. But don't go on a fad diet. You don't want to starve yourself and then go back to your old way of eating. You need to change the way you eat forever. But that's not a bad thing and you don't have to starve yourself.

If you like to eat chocolate, eat chocolate. If you like to eat pizza, eat pizza. But from now on they are a treat that you have once in a while, not a daily diet.

Start a new eating regime today.

You can eat what you want but make sure that the biggest thing on your plate is vegetables. Eat more vegetables, beans and lentils with every meal. Even if you haven't eaten much of them before, start now. Boil them up and serve them with your meal. Vegetables, beans and lentils have zero fat, are full of fiber and are filling.

Eating more of these foods means having less of the other foods (like steak and fries) on your plate. Fill up on the good stuff instead.

You also need to up your exercise. But that doesn't mean going to the gym and working out like a bat out of hell. Make exercise fun and you won't notice your doing it. Try going to the beach and swimming in the surf at the weekend. Or go to your local pool and swim. Or go for a walk in a rainforest, or visit a museum or walk around the city where you live. Anything that gets you moving is good.

Remember that cupboard that you keep promising yourself you'll clean out? Do it. That's exercise too. Or wash the car or sweep the patio or clean your windows. All these things are not only a form of exercise but are useful to because they get things done. Remember the movie the Karate Kid and how he trained for his karate moves by cleaning and polishing things ("wipe on, wipe off)? It can work for you too.

Just try these simple changes for 2 weeks and see the difference in how you look and how you feel. If you're overweight, you'll find that the kilos/pounds start melting away and you won't feel hungry from your change in diet or tired from your extra exercise.

So start making these changes right now and you'll immediately be on your way to looking and feeling better. It will change your whole outlook on life.

No more hiding yourself away and feeling low. Instead you'll be able to wake up happy and fresh and feeling great to start each day.

You'll no longer be suffering from a sluggish body, mind or system.

You'll get back to who you really are; your best self ever.

Want To Know Why Diets Don't Work?

By Kate Cameron 

You've heard it a hundred times before, and you probably even know this from your own experience that diets don't work. Most diets fail because diets are based on deprivation. And after several days or weeks of depriving yourself, you eventually give yourself a little reward. And this "little" reward usually starts you back to the path of how you ate before, and sometimes with a little extra indulgence. And during this time you typically gain the weight back, and then some. Dieting statistics are depressing. Over 96 percent of people who go on diets end up gaining back all the weight they lost.

So, what are we doing wrong? Simple, it has to do with our metabolism. And what does our metabolism do exactly: it is the rate at which our bodies burn calories to give us the energy and fuel we need to function. There are some lucky people who have naturally high metabolisms and can pretty much eat whatever they want and still stay slender, while the rest of the world can eat nothing but salads and still gain weight. Just like your Mama told you, "Life isn't always fair." But is it possible for you to change your metabolism? You bet! In fact, you likely already have, but for the worse. Going on and off of diets, aka yo-yo dieting, you are actually dangerously disrupting your body and LOWERING your metabolism.

Think back to your last diet (or the one you are on right now), where you did lose weight, well, temporarily at least. This is because the human body is so amazing. It responds to getting fewer calories by taking from your fat reserves, so you lose weight, but this only works for a short while. Then your body SLOWS DOWN your metabolism to stop you from starving yourself. It is at this point that people usually experience a plateau, even though they are sticking to their diet. And after a few days of depriving yourself and not seeing the number on the scale budge, you give up and give in. Not only does the weight come back, but now because you have lowered your metabolism, your body actually needs less calories than it did before you went on the diet. Great, so now if you eat the way you did before, with the same amounts, as before, you will gain weight even more quickly because you have changed your metabolism.

So next time you hear about the latest and greatest diet fad, ask yourself if you want to slow down your metabolism.

Weight Loss Myth - Doing High Reps With Light Weights Will Burn More Fat and "Tone"

By Kate Cameron 

This has been drilled into our heads for years! Just pick up any magazine and you'll see a picture of an attractive, slender, lean female, holding super light weights, suggesting that she got her body by effortlessly curling 5 pound weights 20 to 25 times each arm. Yeah right. And this is transferred into the gym, where you'll find the majority of the women lifting light weights because they have been told that is how you lose weight and "tone" up. And you will find most of the men are lifting much heavier weights for much fewer reps to build muscle. But is this really the case?

At my gym the majority of the ladies who are lifting light weights a dozens of times in a row are also the ones who are on the cardio machines a lot (and I'm not talking about intense cardio queens who run for hours), these ladies can carry on a conversation and text at the same time. But these ladies are not slender or toned, in fact, most of them are the exact opposite, overweight and soft. While the men (and a few of the women) who are lifting heavier weights for lower reps have far less body fat on them and they have muscle. Now, don't go thinking what so many women fear, "I don't want to bulk up!" Ask any bodybuilder how "easy" it is to put on muscle, it's not, and this won't happen unless are on a crazy diet (eating TONS of bodybuilding foods) and lifting like a bodybuilder. So then, what is the solution to lifting weighs, cardio and losing weight?

INTENSITY! Intensity is key to getting results. You can lift both light and heavy weights and not see any change in your body, but add intensity to your workouts and keep your rest times short, and you'll get the best results. Really focus on your workouts, leave your phone behind and get your heart rate elevated and sweat. When our workouts are intensive and include some heavier lifting it helps speed up our metabolism and helps us burn energy throughout the day, even when you are sitting on the couch watching TV.
So, whether you decide to lift light weights or heavy weights, or a combination of both, make it intense and you will drop body fat and add lean muscle, which will mean a tighter, sexier you.

Fat Is Not The Villain

By Kate Cameron 

For the last two decades we have been told that fat is what is making us fat. It is the f-word that has lead to such poor health and obesity across the globe. But in North America we have cut our fat from 40-32 percent of our daily calories, but the average North American has been putting on almost 10 pounds a year! How can this be? Haven't they been telling us for years that a diet reduced in fat is supposed to help us lose weight? Doesn't fat in our bodies mean less fat on our bodies?

 

I ask many of my clients to keep a food journal, at least for a few days so I can get an idea of what their diet looks like. So many of them list foods like, fat-free cookies, fat-free cakes, fat-free licorice, and non-fat yogurt/sour cream. Many people believe that if a product says fat-free that makes it a "free" food and can be eaten as often as they like, in un-limited quantities. Whether it is fat-free or not, it's junk food! The main ingredient in these so-called healthy snacks is SUGAR, and sugar my friend is the real enemy. Sugar turns into pounds on your thighs and gut. And these products shouldn't even be called food because they often have contain mainly white flour, dangerous chemicals and dyes that your body doesn't even know what to do with, and it certainly doesn't need.

Your body needs healthy fats to work at it's best. I'm not saying that you can go and gorge on it and not gain weight, but not having enough good fats in our diets is more likely to put weight on you than help you lose it. Choose lean meats, olive oil, nuts, seeds and avocados for your diet. These choices are full of good nutrients like vitamins A, D and K. Remember that the culprit in your diet is what North American's have become accustomed to "wrapping" our so-called "fatty-foods" in, breads, buns, croissants etc. And where the empty foods like buns, breads, and croissants leave you feeling hungry in an hour, the "fattier" foods will leave you feeling full and satisfied and ward of the immediate hunger cravings you have likely come to know. You still need to make sure that you don't go over board though, because too much of anything isn't good either. But you already know that.