Lean And Fit In 2019

In order to get Lean and Fit in 2019 (www.leann2019.com), it will require good nutrition, and the ability of the body to function with vigor and alertness.  Nutrition refers to the nurturing of our body, and our ability to keep it healthy and functioning as it is supposed to do, by providing the body with all the necessary food, vitamins, and minerals so that we continue to thrive in our daily life processes.

Do you know if you're really fit?

First, you might want to look at your exercise habits, if there are any. Everyone, no matter what their age, benefits from exercise.  It keeps our bodies conditioned, our mental sharpness working at top speed, and thanks to the physical aspect, we get a boost to our cardio health, extra calorie burn, and more oxygen to those cells!

Are you getting the needed vitamins and minerals your body needs?

Are you supplementing your food intake with the needed vitamins and minerals to make sure you are getting your recommended daily allowances?  If you're not making the most basic of efforts to take care of your nutritional needs, you may not be as fit as originally thought.  You may not look sick, you may not have any noticeable symptoms of ill-health, but you're not the lean, fit and toned individual you could be either.

What about the stress levels in your life?

Do you work in an environment with high levels of stress?  Is your personal life a source of comfort or does it add to your stress levels?  Do you engage in some form of stress-relieving activity?  Stress is the number on contributor to heart attacks and strokes, since they manage to speed up the affect of the real culprits.  Stress is basically an out of control situation for most adults today.  We manage to schedule every moment of our free time, and leave ourselves with no time for quiet moments to reflect on the good times, or time to deal with life's unexpected emergencies.

Fitness requires us to examine more than just our exercise routine.

The mere definition of fitness refers to the body's ability to meet physical stresses. That includes coping with our day to day life, starting from the beginning of the day to the end, without being worn completely out. In order to be truly fit, we need to find ways to rid ourselves of built up stress, the kind that begins to affect our muscles, muscle tone, and composition.  Massages are the best cure for ridding our bodies of the stress buildup that can occur, even with exercise regimens and detract from our overall fitness.

Exercises that demand total body involvement are the best for maintaining and improving your level of fitness most effectively.   Running, swimming, jogging, dancing, cycling, and very brisk walking are some of the more popular total body involvement exercises.

As humans, we have so many occasions to stop and question our efforts of maintaining optimal health, that we usually don't even take the time to begin the examination. But it is beneficial to our overall health, the quality and quantity of our life, to make every effort to be fit, healthy, individuals.  Read more health and fitness articles at www.1stnweightloss.com 


Written by,

Dwight Obey (Founder - 1st N Weight Loss), and AdvoCare Independent Distributor.

" I have found that AdvoCare has so many nutritional supplements that support overall wellness, weight management, energy, etc.."- Dwight Obey

Interested in Searching, and Learning more about AdvoCare Products, Click Here 

This article is intended to be used for informational purposes only. It is not to be used in place of, or in conjunction with, professional medical advice or any doctors recommendation. Prior to beginning any weight loss program, individuals must consult a physician for proper diagnosis and/or treatment.

Home Remedies For Detoxing Your Body

Accumulated toxins inside our bodies must be cleared in order for it to function well. Your body needs to be healed to regain it's energy. There is one effective way of clearing your body from these unwanted toxins and it is called body detox or body detoxification using natural herbs. However, it is not taken as a single step but a continued process so that the natural ability of your body is supported for the effective dispelling of toxins everyday.

Another process being incorporated in body detox together with using herbs is limiting the toxins which enter your body.  Eliminating or restricting the use of the usual culprits such as refined sugar, caffeine, alcohol, tobacco, drugs, household chemicals, and petroleum or synthetic-based body paraphernalia is a very good way of starting.

You should start eating organic natural diet foods, getting regular exercise, and drinking adequate amounts of water to facilitate your detoxification. Your body can adjust easily in a gradual change that is much better compared to other practices.

The following herbs below that have been known to be effective for many years can be used as a home remedy.

These are some of the more natural ways of body detoxification.

Psyllium seeds and husks contain high fiber which can gently act as a natural laxative. You can utilize it by soaking the seeds in water. Psyllium is generally considered as adaptogenic which supports the healthy function of your bowel. It is also useful in treating diarrhea and other irritable bowel diseases.  It is a very good choice for body detoxification since its gelatinous substance after soaking absorbs toxins.

Hydrangea root and the Joe pye weed (gravel root) helps in preventing, dissolving, and expelling stones and crystals in the bladder and kidneys. It is good to keep your kidneys free from any obstructions to stay in good working condition essential in effective elimination of toxins.

Cascara Sagrada is used also as natural laxatives. It could be safe even for a longer duration of usage where it strengthens your colon muscles.

Alder buckthorn barks are also used but it must first be dried and be stored for at least one year since its fresh barks are so strong which can be considered toxic.

Juniper berries also promote the urinary system's overall health. It detoxifies and strengthens your urinary tract, bladder, and kidneys. It is excellent for cleaning purposes but prolonged usage is not recommended because it can cause some overtaxing in your kidneys.

Nettles also have detoxifying properties which can be extended not just in your urinary system. Nevertheless overusing it can display similar effects as the juniper berries.

Burdock seeds and roots are similar to nettles. It has mild and cleansing diuretic action but has stronger effects. Heavy metals inside your body can be removed by using burdock.

Basil, cypress, celery, grapefruit, lemon, fennel, rosemary, thyme, and patchouli contains essential oils effective for flushing out toxins underneath your skin and stimulating circulation of your lymph. 

Dandelion root and milk thistle help in cleansing and strengthening your liver. Milk thistle has silymarin which does not only protect your liver but helps in regenerating itself. Dandelion root helps in removing waste products from your gallbladder and kidneys.

So remember, if your body needs detoxification, you can do it from home. Utilizing some of these wonderful herbs to obtain their natural remedies, may help in rejuvenating yourself and feeling good about it.

Written by,

Dwight Obey (Founder - 1st N Weight Loss), and AdvoCare Independent Distributor.

" I have found that AdvoCare has so many nutritional supplements that support overall wellness, weight management, energy, etc.."- Dwight Obey

Interested in Searching, and Learning more about AdvoCare Products, Click Here 

This article is intended to be used for informational purposes only. It is not to be used in place of, or in conjunction with, professional medical advice or any doctors recommendation. Prior to beginning any weight loss program, individuals must consult a physician for proper diagnosis and/or treatment.

Two Main Causes Of Stretch Marks For Women

Initially stretch marks have the appearance of purple or red looking lines. In time Stretch Marks can fade to a white or off white color.

Stretch Marks are a VERY common condition. Just think of all the people who are either pregnant or overweight!

Stretch Marks, known in the medical community as erythrocyanosis are a form of scarring that can occur when a person's skin is overstretched.

The Two Main Stretch Mark Causes For Women Are:

• Pregnancy
• Obesity

Appearance:

Stretch marks have the initial appearance of purple or red looking lines. In time Stretch Marks can fade to a white or off white color.

Stretch Marks are a VERY common condition. Just think of all the people who are either pregnant or overweight!

Stretch Marks are not just confined to the female population either. Did you know that few people realize that this is a common complaint of male body builders?

Three Possible Stretch Mark Solutions

Three of the most common are:

DERMABRASION. This is a serious medical procedure that takes place under a general anesthetic. Dermabrasion is definitely not for the faint of heart.

In Dermabrasion the surface of the skin is literally removed by a process of sanding. The aim of dermabrasion is to remove (or at least lessen) the appearance of scars, damage from the sun or dark spots.

The procedure is obviously very painful (hence the general anesthetic) and the healing process can take several months. However, the results can be quite spectacular.

Dermabrasion works best when the scar or mark being treated is above the surface of the skin and is generally much less effective when used to treat sunken scars.

Be Warned: Having a general anesthetic is NOT something to be taken lightly; it carries inherent risks and can be life-threatening. Always seek a second medical opinion (speak to more than one doctor).

MICRODERMABRASION. Often referred to as Microderm, is a far less invasive procedure that has become very popular throughout the Day Spa and cosmetic industries.

In Microdermabrasion the surface layer of the skin is removed by using a special wand with a roughened surface that lightly sands the skin. The shed skin particles are removed via a suction device attached to the wand.

People like Microdermabrasion because it has a reputation of being a safe, painless procedure that does not require an anesthetic.

SKIN TREATMENT CREAMS. This is one of those areas where you are most likely to encounter wild claims and the general rule of thumb here is that if something sounds too good to be true, then it probably is.

That said, there are literally tens of thousands of people who swear by such things as Vitamin A Cream, Cocoa Butter and a whole raft of different specially formulated cosmetic creams.

One thing you can do is ask the people trying to sell you any Stretch Mark Removal treatment to show you before and after photographs of their last 50 clients.

Also, ask for written testimonials.

Skin care experts also say that the correct diet, nutritional supplements, rest and common sense (avoiding excessive sun exposure) can have a big impact on the skin's ability to heal and its general appearance.

This article is intended to be used for informational purposes only. It is not to be used in place of, or in conjunction with, professional medical advice or any doctors recommendation. Prior to beginning any weight loss program, individuals must consult a physician for proper diagnosis and/or treatment. Results may vary by each individual while working out, or utilizing any of the products mentioned in this article.

Calorie Burning Tips For Weight Loss

These are all small habits that can contribute to a big difference and increase your metabolism over time.  You can achieve your weight loss goals quicker and easier by increasing your metabolic rate and burning more calories.

These few habits are to be embraced to start revving your metabolism right away. You may have heard stories about people who have lost dozens of pounds simply switching to diet soda or walking a few minutes each day. These are all small habits that contribute to a big difference and increases your metabolism over time.

For more Calorie Burning Tips see below:

Move More

Sedentary people burn about one-third less calories per day.  By simply taking every opportunity to move can make quite a dramatic difference to the amount of calories you burn in one day. Small movements will add up over time to lots of calories.  The trick is to keep moving throughout your day. Write the word move on a post-it note and put it in places you'll notice, when you're sitting still. Then, take every opportunity to move.

Check out these ideas for burning even more calories:

• Tap your feet
• Swing your legs
• Stand up and stretch
• Move your head from side to side
• Change position
• Wriggle and fidget
• Pace up and down
• Use the restroom upstairs
• Park in the furthest corner of the parking lot
• Stand up when you're on the phone and step from side to side
• Clench and release your muscles

Eat Little and More Often

Evidence suggests that eating small meals every 2-4 hours will keep your metabolism burning faster than larger, less frequent meals. When you eat small amounts often your body is constantly working to digest and absorb food which requires energy.

Eat Some Fat

If you want to feel really good and keep the fat off you need to first put it in.  Fat not only tastes good our bodies need it to work efficiently.  By consuming several servings of healthy fats every day you will actually increase your calorie burning potential.  Try incorporating fats like Flaxseed oil, hempseed oil, olive oil, avocados, salmon, albacore tuna, nuts and seeds into your diet daily.

Drink Cold Water

Evidence shows that your body might expend more calories trying to raise cold water to the temperature of your body then hot beverages. And overall being well hydrated will help your body metabolic processes burn quicker.

Exercise With Weights

Training with weights boosts your metabolism in a number of ways. By lifting weights you will build muscle tissue. And muscle tissue is metabolically active, so it requires calories even when at rest and so it helps to increase fat-burning enzymes in your body.

Spice Up

Eating hot spices might speed up your metabolism.  Just half a teaspoon of cinnamon per day can help boost metabolism and keep blood sugar levels in check. Can't stand the thought of cinnamon in your morning cup of coffee? Spice up with cayenne, crushed red pepper or wasabi.

Eat More Protein

Protein requires a more complex chemical breakdown by your body in order to be digested and used as fuel. For example, 100 calories of protein may take up to 30 calories to process.   Protein also takes longer to digest and helps to stabilize blood sugar for longer periods of time  and this can help you to not overeat later in the day.  Eat a portion of protein at every meal and as part of your snacks and you will increase the total number of calories you burn each day.


This article is intended to be used for informational purposes only. It is not to be used in place of, or in conjunction with, professional medical advice or any doctors recommendation. Prior to beginning any weight loss program, individuals must consult a physician for proper diagnosis and/or treatment.

Five Simple Weight Loss Tips You Can Bank On!

Here are five simple steps to stopping the madness and finally getting on track to consistent weight loss. Get the full picture of the path you will take and build your accountability team to make sure you get there.

If you are one of the millions who are carrying around a few extra pounds like most of us are, you all know the reasons why we should take the weight off. It can reduce stress on our heart, reducing the chance of heart disease, cancer, possibility of diabetes; feeling better, and looking more attractive, etc.

There are hundreds of reasons why, but it can be a real pain to finally get that weight off. You push really hard, make a little progress, get side tracked, and bam you are heavier then you started.

It's maddening.  Enough with that hassle, I have put together 5 simple steps to actually losing weight and keeping it off. These steps can be applied to anything, but we are focusing on weight loss here.

• Know What You Want
• Know Where You Are
• Track Your Results
• Make Course Corrections
• Being held Accountable

Now all your extra weight will effortlessly melt off.  Yeah right! A simple list of 5 items is not going to do it, so let me explain the intricacies of the 5 items and where the hang up normally occurs when applied to losing weight.

Know What You Want 

This one is really simple. Most people that want to lose weight have an idea of how many pounds they would like to lose or how they would like their body to look.

I think we can safely say if your body started looking the way you wanted it, you would know, even if you didn't have it completely mapped out and detailed.

Know Where You Are

This is the big trip up. It is almost always overlooked and is the number one reason for the up and down Yo Yo effect we experience with losing weight. We are unhappy with how our body feels and how it looks and it is painful to zoom in and get an accurate picture of where we are. Unfortunately, we have to know where we are, to be able to accurately judge the results we are getting.

Look at it like this: You are on a trip to San Diego, California. You would like to start your trip from Phoenix, Arizona, but you really don't know where you are. No problem.  You get an Arizona/California map and find that a simple 6 hours trip west on interstate 8 will get you to San Diego.

6 hours later, you have no clue where you are and it is definitely not sunny San Diego.  You feel defeated and you want to give up!  Do you blame the car? The stupid maps? San Diego? Yourself?

Now what if I told you, you were actually in New Your City, not Phoenix, Arizona. A 6 hour car ride west from New York City will never get you to San Diego.

If you took the time to accurately find out where you were, you would have been able to choose the appropriate means to get to San Diego and have an expectation as to how long it would take.

This is the same with weight loss and our personal physical condition. In our minds, we think we are starting in a different physical condition then we really are. When the results don't follow the illusion in your mind, we get upset.

Track Your Results

This is conceptually simple. If we have no clue as to WHAT we are doing, how do we know what is working? It might be a simple to do, but it is also simple not to do. In the end, most people never track their results.

Make Course Corrections

We love to do this one. We have it hands down. It is like step 1 of knowing what you want. We try the new food diet, the super sit up machine, and the cardio hip hop power energy yoga fat burner class.

We might be great at switching it up, but without knowing where we are starting from and a history of tracked results, we have no clue as to what we should change or even which direction we should go.

Being held Accountable

No, not accountability! That is an evil word. I don't want someone to know what I am doing, or more importantly what I am not doing.

So, why do we resist accountability, your secret weapon to weight loss?  Because it works!  If you know someone is going to be watching, you would follow through or at least feel very uncomfortable not following through.

Accountability when used wisely is the ultimate turbo booster to your weight loss. Since you are going to be accountable anyway, you might as well get something out of it.

Using accountability up front, you can achieve the body of your dreams. If you let your body hold you accountable, it will throw on fat in places you don't want it to be.

The biggest obstacle to weight loss is not taking any action. It doesn't matter how good the plan is, it is worthless if you don't follow it. So what do I do now?

First and foremost get Accountable.

Forward this article to someone you respect and care about and tell them I want to be accountable to finally taking off my extra pounds. When they agree to support you, start working through the five steps above.

This article is intended to be used for informational purposes only. It is not to be used in place of, or in conjunction with, professional medical advice or any doctors recommendation. Prior to beginning any weight loss program, individuals must consult a physician for proper diagnosis and/or treatment.

Fad Weight Loss

Obesity is a physical state that refers to excessive body fat. Chances are you might have experienced the frustrations of dieting at least once in your life time if you have problems with your weight.

Over a hundred million Americans go on a weight loss diet in any given year and up to ninety-five percent of them regain the weight they lose within five years. But wait, it get worse, a third will gain back more weight than they lost, in danger of "yo-yoing" from one popular diet to another.

The conventional approach to weight problems, focusing on fad weight loss diets or weight loss drugs, may leave you with just as much weight and the additional burden of ill health.

Today, an estimated sixty-five percent of all American adults are obese or overweight. Our culture obsesses about staying thin even as we grow fatter, but this is not about appearances. Obesity is known to be a precursor to many debilitating health conditions such as cancer, heart disease, diabetes, hypertension, osteoarthritis, and gallbladder disease.

Did you know that obesity contributes to as many as 375,000 deaths every year. In addition, the public health costs for obesity are alarming. According to my research, obesity is a factor in 19% of all cases of heart disease with annual health costs estimated at 30 billion dollars or more; it's also a factor in 57% of diabetes cases, with health costs of $9 billion per year.

Here are some tips, to lower your chances of becoming a statistic.

Set Realistic Goals:

No doubt you have fallen for one or more of the weight loss diet schemes over the years, promising quick and painless weight loss. Many of these quick weight loss diet programs undermine your health, cause physical discomfort, flatulence, and ultimately lead to disappointment when you start regaining weight, shortly after losing it. Fad or quick weight loss diet programs generally over stress one type of food.

They contravene the fundamental principle of good nutrition - to remain healthy one must consume a balanced diet, which includes a variety of foods. Safe, healthy, and permanent weight reduction is what is truly lost among the thousands of popular diet schemes.

Some of the weight loss diet schemes reign supreme briefly, only to fade out. While some wane from popularity due to being unproductive or unsafe, some simply lose the public's curiosity. Examples of such fad diets include the South Beach Diet, Atkins diet, the Grapefruit diet, Cabbage Soup diet, the Rotation diet, Beverly Hills diet, Breatharian, Ornish Plan and the list goes on and on.

These fad diets advocate a specific technique (such as eliminating a certain food, or eating only certain combinations of foods) in conjunction with the basic idea that the body makes up the difference in energy by breaking down and utilizing some part of itself, essentially converting matter into energy. This self-cannibalism, or catabolism as it is referred, typically starts with the breakdown of stored body fat.

I get it...sometimes we need a little help in ensuring that we eat a well rounded meal, or controlling our calories, and getting the right amount of vitamins and supplements. When this happens we look for alternate means to get what our body needs to assist us with our weight loss journey.

If you are like me, and have to result to this, be sure to do your research in selecting the right company. To see the company which has helped me, and continues to do so with my weight loss journey, go here NOW .

This article is intended to be used for informational purposes only. It is not to be used in place of, or in conjunction with, professional medical advice or any doctors recommendation. Prior to beginning any weight loss program, individuals must consult a physician for proper diagnosis and/or treatment.

Women And Weight Gain After 40 - Part 4 - Final Part

The following post is the 4th in a 4-part series about hormones and weight gain after age 40. Parts one, two and three can be read by clicking on the links below. 

• Part 1: Women And Weight Gain After 40 - Part 1
• Part 2: Women And Weight Gain After 40 - Part 2
• Part 3: Women And Weight Gain After 40 - Part 3

Part 4: Weight gain and sleep

After hot flashes and night sweats, what are the two most common complaints of peri-menopausal women? (other than husbands who can’t seem to clean up the counter or put the toilet seats down after themselves…)

I’ll give you a hint; one tends to go up and the other, down.

Weight gain (especially around-the-belly poundage) and sleep (or lack thereof).

Did you answer correctly? And did you know that the two might be related?

Study after study of sleep duration and body mass index show an inverse relationship between the two; people that get less sleep also tend to be overweight.

When we eliminate the participants whose disordered sleeping is a consequence of being overweight (recall that correlation can’t, by itself be used to infer causation; check out my post on understanding the results of human health studies if you’re unclear on the concept), we find that moderate sleep deprivation disrupts a number of hormonal systems, several of which are involved in appetite, carbohydrate metabolism and fat storage.

• Cortisol. Production of cortisol varies rhythmically throughout the day, being highest upon waking and declining to its lowest levels of the day at the time you typically go to sleep. Chronic, moderate sleep deprivation interrupts this diurnal cycle, causing end-of-the-day cortisol levels to remain high. Over time, elevated cortisol levels can lead to insulin resistance (the body’s inability to respond to insulin’s message to store nutrients), obesity and diabetes. Elevated cortisol levels are of particular concern to menopausal and peri-menopausal women, as the combination of high cortisol and low estrogen contributes to middle-of-the-body weight gain (aka the “muffin top”).
• 
  
• Leptin. Secreted by fat cells, leptin is the satiety hormone, telling your brain when you’ve consumed enough calories and reducing appetite to prevent overeating. Leptin regulation is markedly affected by sleep duration. Chronic sleep deprivation results in lower circulating levels of leptin, increased appetite and higher caloric intake, even in the absence of increased physical activity (i.e., short duration sleepers have potentially more wakeful hours to be physically active; in the studies cited above, they weren’t, either because they chose not to be or their activity was restricted by the researcher). Given that many menopausal and premenopausal women experience insomnia and middle-of-the-night awakening, even those that attempt to get an adequate number of hours of sleep each night may not.
• 
  
• Ghrelin. Working in opposition to leptin, ghrelin is secreted by the stomach and stimulates appetite. Short sleep duration is associated with elevated ghrelin production and increased hunger and appetite, in particular an appetite for foods high in carbohydrates (hello chocolate!). Similarly, declining estrogen levels (both during the period leading up to menopause and during the second half of the menstrual cycle in regularly cycling women) also trigger an increased appetite for sweet and starchy foods.
• 
  
• Glucose tolerance. The sweet and starchy carbohydrates you consume are broken down, by the gut, into smaller, glucose molecules, to be used as fuel by our muscles and brain. Excess glucose is stored as fat, a process triggered by the release of insulin by the pancreas. Chronic short sleep duration results in a marked reduction in acute insulin response; glucose remains in the blood stream for a much longer period of time after consumption leading to a pre-diabetic state after as little as a week of sleep restriction.

So ‘yes’, in answer to the question posed in the title of this post, sleep does play a role in weight gain after 40. In particular when short sleep duration is frequent, consumption of starchy carbohydrates is chronic and estrogen levels are in decline.

The bottom line? In addition to paying attention to nutrition (less processed please) and adding strength training to your fitness schedule (build muscle to burn fat), developing good sleep habits appears to be key to long term health, happiness and quality of life during the midlife years. How are you going to improve yours?

Women And Weight Gain After 40 - Part 3

Way back on May 21st I started a 4-part series about Women and weight gain after 40.

In that post, I highlighted the physical changes that many women experience during pre-menopause and the menopause transition itself. The picture I painted wasn’t pretty and many of you wrote to say that you’ve experienced the changes I described, including muscle loss, weight gain, insatiable food cravings and a belly or ‘muffin top’ that won’t go away

I outlined what I believe (based on research, my experience training many 40+ female clients and what I know works ) to be the four most effective strategies for dealing with hormonally-induced mid-life weight gain; (1) nutrition, (2) exercise, (3) sleep and (4) stress management and promised to write a post about each, in turn.

Exercise for hormonal balance

We all know that exercise is good for us.

It strengthens our heart, our lungs and our muscles. It helps to regulate blood sugars and fat storage. It improves bone density and stimulates the production of ‘feel good’ hormones. It’s essential for weight loss and weight maintenance.

Indeed, many women experiencing premenopausal weight gain increase their frequency and duration of exercise in an attempt to ‘out run’ middle-age spread.

The thing is, exercise also creates stress on the body. Not just mechanical (wear and tear on the joints) and muscular stress (aches and pains as muscles repair the micro tears created by exercise), but hormonal stress as the adrenals increase their production of cortisol to keep energy levels high and the body’s various systems running effectively.

While chronically high cortisol levels are never desirable (resulting in extreme fatigue, reduced immune response and low blood pressure, among others), they’re even less welcome in a premenopausal body whose production of progesterone is at an all-time low.

Why? The adrenals cannot make cortisol without progesterone. The more cortisol they’re required to make to offset stress, the less progesterone will be available to balance estrogen and testosterone. Without the balancing effects of progesterone, excess estrogen often leads to weight gain, in particular, an increase in the body’s central fat stores. Hello muffin-top.

Clearly we need to balance the benefits of exercise with the potential costs of elevated stress. I call this ‘exercise for hormonal balance’ and suggest the following:

• Lose the ‘more is better’ mindset. Shorter, more intense workouts will stimulate cortisol production less than longer, less intense workouts. Think cardio intervals rather than long, slow runs. If you’re having a hard time letting go of this mindset, think of how many over-40 women you know who’ve trained for a half- or full-marathon and failed to lose or maintain weight despite the volume of their training.
• Practice efficiency in exercise. Choose compound, whole body movements rather than isolation exercises. Involving more muscles in your workout not only burns more calories (both during the workout and later), it also reduces the length of your training session. I prefer metabolic circuits over body-part splits for myself and my 40+ female clients.
• Add more non-exercise movement to your day. As cliche as it sounds, taking the stairs, parking farther from the mall, carrying your groceries rather than pushing a cart, hanging the laundry to dry and washing floors all help to increase your metabolism without causing hormonal stress on your body.
• Engage in formal exercise 4 or 5 days per week. For best results, alternate strength and cardiovascular training days, keeping each workout between 30 and 45 minutes in length.

So what might this look like in practice?

(Recall that although I am a certified personal trainer, the following program is a general one, and may not be appropriate for all individuals depending on their fitness goals, current fitness level and physical abilities).

Monday: Cardio intervals on the elliptical. 30:60 s work:recovery intervals for a total of 20 minutes. Cool down and stretch.

Tuesday: Metabolic strength circuit. 12-15 repetitions of each of the following exercises, in rapid succession, 2-3 times through. Dumbbell squats, pushups, walking lunges, TRX inverted rows, barbell dead lifts and Russian twists on the stability ball

Wednesday: Active recovery. 60 minute leisurely walk and chat with a friend.

Thursday: Cardio intervals on the treadmill. 60:60 s work:recovery intervals for a total of 20 minutes. Cool down and stretch.

Friday: Metabolic strength circuit. 12-15 repetitions of each of the following exercises, in rapid succession, 2- 3 times through. Weighted squat jumps, chest press on the ball, alternating lateral lunges, assisted pull ups, single leg straight leg dead lifts and Bosu abdominal curls.

Saturday and Sunday: Active time spent with family and friends. Perhaps a yoga class for relaxation and meditation.

To read the first part in this series go here >>> Woman and Weight Gain After 40

Written by,

Dwight Obey, Independent AdvoCare Distributor

Women And Weight Gain After 40 - Part 2

Several weeks ago, I initiated a conversation about hormones and weight gain after 40.

In that post, I highlighted the physical changes women can typically expect to face during peri-menopause and the menopause transition itself. The picture I painted wasn’t pretty and many of you wrote to say that you’ve experienced the changes I described, including muscle loss, weight gain, insatiable food cravings and a belly or ‘muffin top’ that won’t go away.

I promised to do some research and come back and share what I discovered about the effects of exercise, nutrition and overall lifestyle on the challenges we’re all facing.

Today’s post will focus on nutrition, which means we’ll be once again talking about the hormones estrogen and insulin. (And just a head’s up, they’re just as important to the upcoming posts on exercise and lifestyle change, so pay attention  ).

Many (if not all) of my 40+ female clients lament the fact that they can no longer eat the way they did in their 20’s and 30’s and zip up their favorite jeans. Gone are the days when a weekend of pizza, chips and beer had no effect on your body come Monday morning.

We’ve already touched on the primary reasons why people (both men and women) tend to gain weight as they age, but decreased physical activity and loss of muscle mass are only part of the story.

For women entering their peri-menopausal years, the frequently-observed increase in ‘middle of the body adiposity’ is directly tied to lower estrogen levels.

Estrogen is a most interesting hormone. In the reproductive years of women, it initiates breast development and helps to maintain pregnancy and kickstart the development of fetal organs.

Evidence from animal models tells us that estrogen also plays a role in the following:

• feeding behavior (estrogen-depleted mice consume significantly more food than their ‘normal estrogen profile’ counterparts)
• the uptake of lipids from the circulation (lower estrogen levels result in greater lipid uptake and ‘middle of the body’ fat storage)
• the development of insulin resistance (recall that insulin’s function is to remove excess sugar from the blood; when you become resistant to the effects of insulin, your body stores that excess sugar as fat)
• physical activity and energy expenditure during physical activity (estrogen-depleted mice move less and burn fewer calories while engaged in ‘exercise’ than ‘normal estrogen profile’ mice)

“Eat more, move less” is almost always a recipe for weight gain, regardless of whether you’re a mice or woman”!

So, what does this all have to do with nutrition? How can you take this information about hormones and turn it into a plan for counteracting their effects on mid-life weight gain?

It’s based on the premise of clean eating. With a little tough love. If you’re serious about losing or maintaining weight through the menopause years you can’t keep eating the way you have been and expect to see any changes in your body.

• eliminate processed foods and added sugar. Without estrogen around to help you out, excess dietary sugar will be transformed into fat, in particular, belly fat. The high sodium count in most processed foods will also lead to water retention which only contributes to that puffy look.
• pay attention to serving size. Educate yourself about what a serving of lean protein looks like. Do the same for grains and healthy fats. Weigh or measure portions until you can do it on your own. Given that energy expenditure during exercise can decline with estrogen levels, keeping your calorie count in check is more important now than ever.
• notice how you feel before, during and after a meal. Keeping a food journal is always helpful when trying to lose weight, but even more helpful when you’re experiencing food craving and lack-of-estrogen feedback about satiation. Pay attention to your trigger foods and learn about your body’s response to carbohydrates.
• re-think that drink. Alcohol is a sugar and your body metabolizes it as such. Still can’t give up your weekend wine binge? Don’t expect to lose your belly bulge.
• experiment with reducing grains and dairy. I’m not suggesting that you ‘go paleo‘ here or jump on the gluten free bandwagon. However, many women find that reducing their consumption of these two food groups helps with both overall weight loss and abdominal fat loss. Grains, in particular, will raise blood sugars and trigger an insulin response. Remember to journal your ‘experiment’; it’s the only true way you’ll have of knowing whether this strategy works for you.
• embrace vegetables. They’ll fill you up (dietary fiber for the win!) and help ensure that you get the calcium and magnesium you need to help offset age-related losses in bone density. In order to meet your daily requirement of 7 to 10 servings, make sure you’re adding a veggie or two to every single meal.

[Here’s where I remind you that I’m NOT a registered dietician or nutritionist, so my suggestions are based on MY OWN research and the strategies that I’ve found to work for MY clients. Remember that there is no single diet that is better than all others for losing weight or maintaining weight loss; finding something that works for you and sticking with it over the long haul is key.]

To read the first part in this series go here >>> Woman and Weight Gain After 40  to go to Part 3, Go Here....

Written by,
Dwight Obey, Independent AdvoCare Distributor

Women And Weight Gain After 40

Why is it so much harder for women to lose weight and make gains in the gym after age 40? 

Im married to a 46-year old woman who’s most definitely smack dab in the middle of peri-menopause AND as the personal trainer of dozens of women who are about to face similar challenges, this is a subject that’s NEAR and DEAR to my heart!

There’s SO much to say about hormones and weight gain after 40 for women that I can’t possibly cover it all in a single blog post.

Instead, I thought that we might explore the topic together, over a series of posts, guided by my research but also fueled by my clients questions to this topic.

I’d like to start the series by painting a picture of what naturally  happens to a woman's body as they age, in particular, from the mid-30’s to the late 50’s; the twenty year period during which hormones gradually change and menopause is typically reached (a woman is said to have reached menopause twelve months after the cessation of menstruation).

As you read through this list, don’t despair; there are lots of things you can do on the exercise and nutrition front to offset, slow down and in some cases REVERSE the normal trend!

• From about age 35 onwards, your body start to lose lean tissue. Organs (including your liver and kidneys) lose cells and muscles begin to shrink (or ‘atrophy’). Because muscle is metabolically active (meaning that it burns calories, even at rest), reduced muscle mass often results in a reduced metabolic rate.
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• Peak bone mass and bone density are reached by approximately age 30. Both decline by a percent or so each year up until the point menopause is reached, at which annual rates of bone density loss increase to 2-3%. For the average woman, this translates into a loss of about 53% of their peak bone density by the time they reach their 80th birthday.
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• Body fat increases steadily after age 30 and may increase by as much as 30% by the time menopause is attained. The distribution of body fat shifts from subcutaneous (under the skin, evenly over the body) to visceral (around the internal organs). Visceral fat is known to raise your risk of heart disease, stroke and cancer.
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• During the menopause transition, the ovaries gradually stop making the hormone estrogen. Estrogen is responsible for making your breasts grow at puberty and maintaining pregnancy by regulating the levels of another sex hormone, progesterone. When estrogen declines, cortisol and insulin production increase. Both contribute to fat gain, in particular, fat around the midsection.
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• Peri-menopausal and menopausal women frequently report changes in their sleep patterns. Difficulty falling asleep, middle of the night waking and insomnia all contribute to lower energy levels and feelings of fatigue. Chronic sleep deprivation is also linked to elevated cortisol levels.
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• On average, women tend to continue gaining weight until about age 65, at which time weight loss occurs due primarily to muscular atrophy (as opposed to fat loss).

If this is the ‘normal path of aging’, is it any wonder that it becomes more challenging for women to maintain their physique of early adulthood into the 40’s and beyond?

Of course, many women give up. They read statistics like the ones I’ve shared above and decide that accepting the aging process is easier than fighting it. 

While I do believe that women need to be more compassionate with themselves as they age (i.e., stop comparing your current body to the one you had in your 20’s…), 

Stay tuned for Parts 2, 3 and 4, in which we’ll explore some exercise, nutrition and lifestyle tools for women who want to stay fit and fabulous into their 40’s!

Written by,

Dwight Obey, Independent AdvoCare Distributor

Do Weight Loss Supplements Work?

The supplement industry is a multi-billion dollar industry, and there are many weight loss supplements to choose from.  However, most weight loss supplements don’t stack up for long term, successful weight loss.

Sometimes researchers find a promising new compound that supplement companies jump onto as the new wonder fat loss pill.  However, before falling for any fat loss claims, it is important to look carefully at the research and results.

Here are some popular fat loss supplements and some of the research behind the fat loss claims.

Fiber Supplements

One of fiber’s many health benefits is that it delays gastric emptying.  It can help you feel fuller longer which can help regulate appetite through the day.  High fiber diets are usually encouraged for weight loss because of this.

Fiber supplements may help with weight loss.  According to a 2011 article from International Journal of Food Sciences and Nutrition, when a fiber supplement was given to overweight Chinese men, they lost significantly more weight and had less hunger compared to a control group.

A 2010 study using a fiber supplement concluded this supplement also significantly improved insulin resistance in overweight Chinese men compared to the placebo group.

A word of caution with fiber supplements: don’t overdo it.  You can get too much fiber which could cause cramping, diarrhea or an intestinal block.  Also, remember to increase your fluid intake whenever you increase fiber intake, whether from supplements or food.

Women under 50 years should aim for about 25 gm of fiber per day, and men under 50 years should aim for about 38 gm of fiber per day.

Will taking a fiber supplement help you lose weight?  Maybe, but so could eating a fiber rich diet.

Natural sources of fiber include fruit, vegetables, whole grains, legumes and nuts/seeds.

Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA)

CLA is a type of fat found in small amounts in dairy and grass fed beef.  Some recent research studies have shown that CLA given as a supplement can help mice shed fat.  Does this mean it does the same in humans?  Studies with CLA and humans have mixed results, and the exact mechanism for how CLA works is not clearly understood.

According to a 2012 review article in European Journal of Nutrition, researchers concluded that CLA as a supplement in humans did not have significant, meaningful effect on weight loss.  Some studies have indicated weight loss with CLA with high doses, around 3gm per day.  However, not all studies have shown a benefit with CLA.  If you take a weight loss supplement with CLA in it, it does not mean you will automatically lose weight.

Sometimes supplements will have CLA listed in the ingredients, but the amount is so small it will not have a noticeable effect.  Some people may have adverse effects from CLA supplement like diarrhea or constipation.

Green Tea

Green tea is a popular weight loss aid and can be found as an ingredient in weight loss supplements.  Green tea contains caffeine and catechins, both which may have a stimulating effect on metabolism.  Green tea as a supplement will usually have higher amounts of caffeine and catechins in it compared to drinking prepared green tea.

A meta-analysis review from TM Jurgens et al. in 2012 concluded that green tea supplements did not significantly impact weight loss efforts compared to those who did not take green tea weight loss supplements.

Researchers reviewed weight loss studies using green tea supplements and lasting at least 12 weeks in duration. 

Green Coffee Extract

Green coffee extract has recently gained popularity for being the new “it” weight loss supplement.  According to a 2012 research article from Diabetes, Metabolic Syndrome and Obesity, green coffee extract had a significant impact on lowering body weight, body mass index and percent body fat in obese subjects.

However, the dose of the green coffee extract ranged from 700-1050 mg of green coffee extract, and previous studies used a dose around 200 mg of green coffee extract.  Previous studies with green coffee extract have not shown as drastic weight loss, probably because of the discrepancy in dosage.

Subjects in this study were taking either a placebo, low dose or high dose of green coffee extract supplement for 6 weeks.  Then there was a 2 week washout period, followed by a repeat of either a placebo or dose of green coffee extract.  Subjects were randomized to the order of supplements and was a double blind controlled study.

More research needs to be done for varying dosages of green coffee extract and longevity of weight loss results.  Supplement companies may claim to use green coffee extract, but may only use a small dose or a different product than ones used in research studies.

Conclusion

Take caution whenever taking supplements, and research how much is needed for a weight loss effect.  Talk to a medical professional before taking a supplement, especially if you are on any medication.