by Jim O’Neill
As everyone knows, exercise is good for you. It helps to keep your weight down, helps to keep you toned up, and helps to make you feel good. So then, if getting a little exercise is good for you, then it must be better to get even more and if getting more indeed is better, then it stands to reason that getting a lot would be even better. Sounds logical, doesn’t it? However, this is not always the case.
When you exercise with fairly high intensity, and you exercise that way often, there will come a time at some point when your body will begin to slowly start to shut down. People will get to this point at different times, depending on their fitness levels and exercise intensity and frequency. If after exercise you tend to feel more wore out than worked out, you may already be a victim of overtraining.
There are some signs that your body will give you both physically and mentally that will let you know that you are overtraining. It is wise to recognize these signs and act accordingly, before the problem gets to the point of causing you possible serious injury. Some of the major signs to be aware of are:
Decreased performance
Lack of motivation
Poor coordination
Loss of appetite
Chronic muscle soreness
Chronic stiffness at the joints
Chronic headaches
Longer recovery times
Loss of concentration
Reduced self esteem
Depression
You need to understand that whatever your exercise goals are, your body needs ample time to recover and adjust to the demanding loads you placed on it. Sometimes people who are newcomers to the world of exercise will try to do too much too soon, and may ignore their body when it’s trying to tell them to take a break.
In the case of some who have been into exercise for a while, they will often view these signs as an obstacle and feel the best way to deal with it is to "work through it" or "tough it out". For some others, the problems causing them to overtrain may be more psychological. Excessive exercise is now recognized as a legitimate problem, much like anorexia nervosa or bulimia.
For most, the solution to the problem is simply to exercise in moderation or cut back on the intensity from time to time. Use periodization in your routines. When you feel the signs of overtraining coming on, reduce the intensity of your workouts for a while. When you are ready to increase the intensity again (your body will let you know), then gradually start to pick it up again.
Know your limitations, and never try to compare yourself to anyone else as this is asking for problems. There are some times when you should even just take a whole week completely off and do no exercise at all. This is like taking a vacation from work, it gives you body and your mind a chance to relax and rejuvenate so you can start again a week later nice and fresh.
Remember, if you exercise to the point of overtraining it is almost as bad as not exercising at all. Overtraining will only impede your progress, not help it and in the long run, if you let yourself overtrain, you may be headed for some very unwanted side effects.
Jim O’Neill gives you tons of valuable information on the subjects of weight loss, fitness, and nutrition to make it easy for you to live a healthy lifestyle. Sign up now for his free 7 part mini e-course at: http://www.mrgymfitness.com/minicourse.php
by Thomas Kersting
When Jean came for her first weight-loss session, we talked at length about her eating habits. We talked about how she ate, what she ate and when she ate. Breadís and pastaís were Jeans biggest concern. When I asked her about exercise, she explained to me that although she wants to exercise, she just doesnít have the time to do it. Danís appointment was later that day. He was also a self-proclaimed ìcarb addictî and believed that avoiding them was the ticket to losing weight. Dan didnít ìhave timeî to exercise either. He didnít ìhave timeî to eat breakfast. He didnít ìhave timeî to prepare lunch. He didnít ìhave timeî for anything. Now, both Jean and Dan did have the time to watch 20 hours of television per week, on average. Hmm, I wondered. Were carbohydrates really the problem here or were there minds just loaded with excuses?
Just about every person I see for weight-loss is on the low-carb bandwagon. They are convinced that carbohydrates are the cause to their weight problem. But when I bring-up the evil ìexerciseî word the antennas go up and the excuses start coming. This frenzy over carbohydrates has gotten so out of hand that it has me deeply concerned because I know that a low-carb diet is not the ìlife longî answer to easy weight loss. And itís certainly not the answer to healthy weight loss.
Then what is the answer to healthy weight loss and keeping it off? Well, you already know it, we all doóEATING LESS AND EXERCISING MORE. Say it with me nowÖÖ.EATING LESS AND EXERCISING MORE. Itís not rocket science folks but thereís a stubborn part of us, a lazy part, that doesnít want to accept this. Our mind is in denial mode because we keep waiting for that quick fix, that miracle weight-loss solution. But Iíve got news for you. There is no miracle solution to weight loss; there never has been and there never will be. The real issue is this: we need to break-down our denials and start taking control of our eating and exercise habits? And thereís only one way to do that and it is the only source to natural weight loss. We need to learn how to use our mental resources.
You discover healthy weight loss by using the most overlooked weight-loss weapon of allóthe mind. Taking control of your mind means taking control of your eating and exercise habits. When re-programming your mind for weight loss, the first thing you will rekindle is your motivation. Weíve all experienced motivation before. Itís a mysterious sort of thing, like a phantom that comes and goes without warning. Whenever we experience high levels of motivation it seems that nothing can get in our wayóand it canít. Not even food cravings or that early morning ìget up and exerciseî alarm. But, motivation always seems to slip-away, and for good reasons. But when you learn how to re-program your mind, motivation stays put and doesnít disappear.
Think for a moment why motivation comes and goes. First of all, everything in this generation is about convenience and simplicity. With the click a button we can get what we want when we want it, and our minds get used to this. We then naturally take the path of least resistance in whatever it is weíre doing. Letís face it, all of these low-carb diets have everything to do with convenience and simplicity. Eating eggs and bacon while avoiding bread sounds a heck of lot easierr than climbing out of a warm, cozy bed at 6:00 A.M and going for a 30-minute jog.
So how do we flip the switch so that eating less and exercising more becomes desirable? How do we develop these natural weight loss strategies? Both Jean and Dan did, as have countless other clients of mine. The only way to do this, of triggering motivation and self-control, is with the mindóthe subconscious mind that is. Here are some brief power programming exercises you can begin doing right away.
1. Find a comfortable quiet place to lie down where there are no distractions. Close your eyes and begin taking several deep breaths. As you breathe, scan your body from head to toe and imagine relaxing every body part. It should take you about ten minutes and after you reach your toes, begin counting from 10 to 1 and imagine drifting more deeply with each count. When you have finished counting, your mind will be in a much more relaxed trance-like state. This means that your subconscious is awake and alert. This is important because the subconscious is uncritical and open to fresh ideas, which is how we create change.
2. At this point you can start using the power of imagery. Begin by imagining yourself doing a physical exercise you feel comfortable with (running, biking, walking). Make your image as vivid as possible; this makes it more real to your subconscious. Imagine yourself with a smile on your face feeling wonderful, completely motivated and in control. You can use any images you want. Make sure you feel that motivational feeling as you do your imagery.
3. . Reinforce the imagery with suggestions. Suggestions like, ìnothing gets in the way of exerciseî or ìI am more disciplined than ever beforeî are some examples. Use as many suggestions and images as youíd like.
4. When you have completed your mental session make sure to say daily affirmations to yourself. A common affirmation is ìevery day in every way I feel better and better.î
Now that you know a little bit about how your mind works, it is time to stop searching for miracles, to stop following the media driven hype about carbohydrates and to start facing reality. Once you come back to earth and start using your mind the way you are capable of using it, then youíll start losing weight and keeping it off.
Thomas J. Kersting, LPC, Ph.D is the author of FAT PROOF: Power Programming Your Bodies Weight-Loss Computer (Harbor Press, coming in Winter 2006). Natural weight loss, healthy weight loss and easy weight loss is what Dr. Tom’s power programming method creates. Please visit his website to sign up for his free e-newsletter or to receive a copy of his Power Programming Weight-Loss CD and a special free offer. http://www.fatproof.net
by Dana Goldberg
Diets have appeared in many different forms, especially fad diets. Among the problems with these fad diets is that as well as often leaving you feeling very hungry they can also be unhealthy and only work for a short space of time. Research has indicated that the most effective diets are those that can be adhered to over long periods of time. In the case of fad diets, weight tends to be very erratic and while you may lose weight initially it is not unusual to put that weight back on and eventually increase your weight.
One of the huge benefits of a low carb diet is that you do not need to feel hungry. This may seem like it avoids the point of a diet, but it doesnít. The aim of dieting is not to eat less but to lose weight or eat more healthily. The most famous of all low carb diets is the Atkins diet and this remains popular because it allows you to eat good-sized meals and is proven to help you lose weight.
The basics of a low carb diet are that you can eat as much food as you like until you are full, as long as you only eat the allowed foods. Generally speaking, this includes meat, cheese, fish, eggs and poultry. You are also allowed a certain amount of green vegetables each day. As well as being a healthy way to lose weight, a low carb diet will give you a sustained weight loss meaning you can continue to lose weight even after the initial push and you will keep the weight off once it is gone.
It will also lower your cholesterol and blood pressure as well as stabilize your blood sugar level. You should supplement a low carb diet with multi vitamins because your body will become partially starved of these essential vitamins.
About The Author
Dana Goldberg is owner of Lose Fat Advisory, Diet and fitness tips, information, support, and advice for all ages. http://www.losefatadvisory.info
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