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 Some resolutions for fitness work better than others. This is because they must match your lifestyle. When you have New Years resolutions for fitness you tend to have to go crazy with it and ultimately fail. This is normal and this is yearly for most. there are reasons for this which we will get into right here and then show you some better resolutions you would be more apt to keep and by the time we get there you will know exactly why.
Why new years resolutions for fitness fail:
What happens is that we hit this imaginary wall of a date and take it way too seriously. It means that there is an illusory excitement that we have to live up to in order to fulfill what we think we need to do. So, the pressure mounts and we hit the bricks. Sales for gym clothes and sneakers skyrocket between Christmas and New Years and we spend a bloody fortune on a gym or gym equipment. Then as we get back to work and get back to normal–our old routine sets in. We don’t go to the gym and our home gym equipment gets to be a hanger in the garage.
So, what do we do to keep this from repeating itself? Well first we have to understand one last thing and the “aha” moment will catch on.
Never do anything that you don’t want to do at a time that you don’t want to do it or you won’t have any success doing it!
Aha! Yep this is the number one way to get disciplined and start carrying out those resolutions for fitness. Figure out what you like and do that! Walk, swim, play tennis and then once you are enjoying it–you’ll prosper!
New resolutions for fitness that work:
Lose two pounds a week until you are satisfied you’ve gotten to your target weight. Don’t limit yourself with a specific time period and don’t give yourself an impossible weight loss number. Stay away from anything that will sabotage your efforts and cause frustration.
Exercise in what ever way suits you. Choose one or two cardio exercises like tennis or walking. Figure out whether you like doing this on your own or in a group or with a partner. Choose two resistance exercises like walking with hand weights or one machine you want to invest in that you know you will always use. Just as side note though–this usually doesn’t work as well as free weights.
Change your diet gradually. Empty the pantry of what you have and make sure you exchange one bad thing for two good things until you have a well thought out plan of eating healthier with a menu and all. We find that just dumping bad for good never works long term because you end up losing interest in what you are eating. Take your time and read labels. Research the calorie content and the nutrition of what you like and see if it meets a healthier standard. There is nothing worse than having to choke down food that you are tolerating just for health.
 This weekly strength training routine gives your muscles time to recover and grow as you lose weight. If you are looking for a new weekly strength training routine, or you’re just ready to take on some strength training it is possible to get even stronger in just 15 minutes a day. The key is to utilize each day of the week to target a different muscle group. By doing this you are allowing your muscles enough time to recover, rebuild, and in turn become stronger. Just make sure you incorporate plenty of stretching, warm-up time, and cooldown time to your routine.
Strength Training Routine: Monday and Thursday-Arms and Shoulders
There are many great arm exercises. You can do either push-ups, dumbbell curls, forearm plank, chair dips, or the balance course strengthener. A one arm strengthening favorite is the Plank Press. Get into full push-up position with arms shoulder-width apart and hands directly under shoulders. Dumbbells are optional, if you choose to use them you will need 3 to 5 pounds. Keep your hips level, lift right hand and pick up one dumbbell; bring right elbow backward at shoulder level, keep your arm close to your side and your palm facing down. Then extend your right arm forward, turn right elbow to bent position and repeat. Do 10 reps then switch sides and repeat, doing two sets.
Strength Training Routine: Tuesday and Friday-Core
core exercises are essential for a well-rounded fitness program. Core exercises help to improve your balance and stability. Core exercises help your pelvis, lower back, abdomen, and hips to work in sync with each other, leading to better balance and stability. Core exercises are convenient and they don’t require any special equipment. A common and effective core workout is a bridge. Lay down on your back and bend your knees. Keep your back relaxed in initial position. Tighten your abdomen and raise your hips off the floor until they are aligned with your knees and shoulders. Hold this position for as long as you can. Other great core exercises include sit ups, push-ups, and air bike crunches.
Strength Training Routine: Wednesday and Saturday-Legs and Butt
There’s nothing worse than cellulite, which is common in both men and women. Including legs and butt into your weekly strength training routine is ideal to banish cellulite and have lean toned legs. People say that cellulite is hereditary, and there’s nothing you can do about it. However, incorporating these leg and but workouts into your routine will prove people wrong. Exercises such as single leg hip raises, reverse lunges, and step ups will have that cellulite gone in no time. When doing reverse lunges grab a pair of dumbbells and hold them at arms length next to your sides with your palms facing each other. Step backward with your right leg and lower your body until your left knee is bent at least 90° and your right knee nearly touches the floor. Hold for 10 seconds and push yourself back into starting position, that’s one rep. No matter which exercise you choose make sure you do 10 to 15 reps of each in 3 to 5 sets. You can switch at the sets between all three exercises.
For your weekly strength training routine you should make sure you have a rest day, possibly Sunday. Make sure in addition to your strength training routine you are also cutting out as much processed foods as possible. Eliminate refined carbohydrates such as white bread, white pasta, and white rice. Make sure that you’re having as much whole foods as possible. If you adjust your diet in accordance to your strength training routine you will see results in as little as two weeks.
 Not all cardio exercises are equal. Things such as biking on uneven terrain are highly effective for burning maximum fat. It’s common knowledge that cardio burns fat. The big question is which cardio exercises burn fat faster. The answer is not only the kind of cardio, but the conditions under which you also do the cardio exercises. Factors such as timing, food, and customization will also make a significant difference in how much that is actually burned.
Morning cardio training on an empty stomach is a common and effective practice. By keeping the body drained of its stored form of glucose it’s then forced to burn fat or protein. This means first thing in the morning your cortisol hormone is hot and is going to break down the appropriate tissues based on the hormones that are around. When you eat, insulin is elevated and then the cortisone will attack your muscles. However if you do not eat prior to cardio, your body will then go after your body fat. This is a way to make your cardio burn fat faster, no matter what the cardio is.
High intensity interval training is the superior of cardio exercises. Not only does it burn more calories, but it also tends to burn more fat as well. High intensity interval training really does burn fat fast so you can get the same result in the 15 to 20 minute session that you can get in a 30 to 45 minute session of any other exercise. An example of high intensity interval training would be if you were to go jogging for two minutes Sprint for one minute then go back to jogging for two minutes repeating the sequence for 15 to 20 minutes. This can be applied to anything including cycling, elliptical, and swimming.
However if high intensity interval training is not for you, you can choose to do low to moderate intensity steady-state cardio. This can be consistent training sessions of cycling, walking, jogging, swimming, elliptical, or any other cardio exercise. In order to get the same fat burning results as the high intensity interval training you would have to do 30 to 45 minutes of any of these activities. Walking burns 300 to 400 calories per hour; Running burns about 600 calories per hour; Cycling burns around 600 calories per hour; Swimming turns around 600 calories per hour.
When trying to get the best results from your cardio, it is important to start gradually. During the initial stages of training it is important not to overdo it and to take it very slow. Training too hard too soon could result in injury or burnout not to mention many other health risks. Drinking water before during and after training is imperative. In addition to all the fluid loss during your workout, water also lubricates the muscles. Drinking water will help your cardio exercises burn the most amount of fat faster.
 When it comes to achieving a healthy weight you might as well commit to an entire life of healthy habits in order to keep the weight off permanently. You probably think that achieving a healthy weight is something that you work at and then enjoy moving forward. So many people have the very common misconception that once they work to lose the weight, then their work is over. This can be frustrating once they figure out that there is a maintenance step to the equation. The problem is that if you give up on your healthy habits after you lose the weight, you may very well end up gaining the weight all back. This can be a very frustrating and undesirable outcome indeed! So being proactive and understanding that this is a lifelong commitment is important to the process.
Start by thinking about what you are doing to towards achieving a healthy weight. More than likely it’s not some crazy fad or trend, but rather about maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Eating the right foods, exercising regularly, and truly taking care of yourself is how you tend to lose the weight the most efficiently. When you do lose the weight and get to your desired weight range, then abandoning these habits would be pure sabotage. Not only will you be hurting your health, but you will also be working against the progress that you made.
Learning Habits That Will Help You Now and Well Into the Future
If you learned to practice proper portion control as so many people do when they work towards achieving a healthy weight, then this is not something that you can just turn away from. You always must keep a watchful eye on portions. When you turn away from this and just start eating whatever you want in whatever amount, the weight will always creep back on. So achieving a healthy weight is great by using portion control, but this is a healthy habit that you must stick with. You have really trained your system to a certain type of eating and turning away from that can really hurt any progress that you have made.
A final reason to work at things after you are done achieving a healthy weight is that it puts you at your very best. You have learned healthy habits and found ways to take the weight off for good, and now you need to keep at it. Being proactive enough to recognize the need for a maintenance stage will really help you from the beginning. You are learning and training your body how to be your best, and now you need to carry all of this with you as you move forward in your life.
 Yoga is an excellent compliment to any weight loss program. Yoga was always thought of as a way to relax and rejuvenate spiritually. It is an age old method of doing this and much, much more. Most of the poses we use for weight loss are simple and yet powerful. It is confusing to some that have a certain definition of what yoga is so we will touch on it here.
What does yoga do for the practitioner?
Yoga, to the western world is a way to calm the mind and stretch the body. In the eastern world it is much more than that. The movements are connected to the meridians of the body that carry energy to the organs of the body which will balance them. If you aren’t a great believer in that part of it—there is a science-based affect that yoga has as well and that is the movements also gently squeeze and drain lymph nodes and glands that release waste and then shower the body and mind with great feeling chemicals. It will boost the immune system and also—you guessed it, lose the weight you need by boosting metabolism and burning more calories as you would in a weightlifting session.
Simple weight loss yoga routine
These simple moves are guaranteed to also stimulate the part of the brain and release the good mood chemicals. This weight loss yoga routine can be done every day.
Wind release pose: lay flat on back. Bring knees to chest and hug knees. Breathe in deeply and as you let go to move back to a flat position—breath out. You can repeat this as many times as you like. This works abs and burns calories.
Cobra: Lay in a prone position. Keep toes pointed and flatten body hard and flat against the floor. Place hands in pushup position under your shoulders. Press against the floor and raise your shoulders and chest up to the ceiling. Stare hard at the ceiling. Take several deep breaths and then while breathing out hard—return to prone position.
Bow Pose: Lay flat on tummy and knees bent with feet toward ceiling. Reach around and grab ankles pulling your ankles as far against your buttocks as you can without pain. Take several deep and slow but hard breaths and release feet. Repeat as many times as you like.
You are guaranteed to burn several hundred calories because of the oxygen intake and the manipulation of large muscles during this weight loss yoga routine.
 These weight loss crock pot dinners taste amazing and will help you keep warm during weight loss in winter. This is the time of year for some good comfort food, and so you may want to think through some weight loss crock pot dinners. Many people think that comfort food, particularly the type made in a crock pot, can’t possibly be healthy—but this is a wrong assumption!
Using fresh and natural ingredients and making healthy substitutions can ensure that you get the ease of a crock pot meal, and yet not the usual fat that this sort of comfort food can bring. So if you’re wondering what to make tonight, try looking into one of these easy weight loss crock pot dinners that will wow any crowd!
Spicy Black Bean Soup
This is one of the easiest weight loss crock pot dinners out there, and yet it’s so substantial. You won’t believe how quickly you can make it, and it’s sure to please the most discerning taste.
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 medium-size red onions, chopped
- 1 medium-size red bell pepper, chopped
- 1 medium-size green bell pepper, chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 4 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 16-ounce package dried black beans
- 1 tablespoon chopped chipotle chiles from a can (use less if you prefer less heat)
- 7 cups hot water (tap water is fine)
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- Optional toppings:
- sour cream
- Greek yogurt
- crema or creme fraiche
- avocado
Directions:
Heat olive oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and both bell peppers and sauté until beginning to brown, about eight minutes. Add garlic and cumin; stir one minute. Transfer mixture to 6-quart slow cooker. Add beans and chipotles, then 7 cups hot water. Cover and cook on high until beans are very tender, about 3 hours, but longer if necessary.
Transfer four cups bean mixture to blender; puree until smooth. Return puree to remaining soup in slow cooker. Stir in lime juice, salt, and pepper. Adjust seasonings to taste. Ladle soup into bowls. Serve with desired toppings.
Sesame Chicken
When you think of weight loss crock pot dinners, you don’t necessarily think of international cuisine. This is as good as you would get at a restaurant, and yet it’s so super easy to make. You’ll come home to the smell of something delicious, and it won’t kill your calorie count!
- 6 skinless chicken thighs, bone-in
- 1/2 an onion, finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1/2 cup low-sodium soy sauce
- 4 tbs tomato puree/paste
- 2 tsp sesame oil
- 3 tsp cornflour/cornstarch
- 1/4 cup water
- 2 cups broccoli florets, chopped into bite sized peices + 1tsp sesame oil for frying
- Rice or quinoa, to serve
- Toasted sesame seeds, to serve
Directions:
Place the thighs in the bowl of a slow cooker.
Combine the onion, garlic, honey, soy sauce, tomato puree and oil in a bowl, and pour over the chicken. Cook on low for at least four hours, preferably six, turning occasionally to ensure the thighs cook evenly.
20 mins before you want to serve, prepare the rice according to packet instructions, and remove the chicken from the slow cooker.
Combine the cornflour and water in a cup or small bowl to create a slurry, and add it to the remaining sauce in the slow cooker, turning the temperature up to high to allow the sauce to thicken. While it thickens up, shred the chicken with a fork and discard the bones.
Add the shredded chicken back to the thickening sauce, turning the mixture occasionally.
In a skillet or fry pan, heat 1 tsp of sesame oil over a medium-high heat. Stir fry the broccoli pieces, until they turn a fresh rich green color and their outsides look moist, but they’re still fairly firm to bite (no mushy broccoli here, thanks!)
Lay the broccoli over the rice, and top with a good dollop of the chicken/sauce mixture, then sprinkle with sesame seeds. Couldn’t be easier.
For more great meal ideas, check out our Healthy Recipes section.
 Consuming sugar should be drastically reduced in order to achieve weight loss. Consuming sugar is a bad habit that we do because it is a craving and an emotionally-driven thing. Sugar gives us a rush of good feeling—it is in most of our comfort food and will be what sabotages most diets and exercise as well.
Why consuming sugar makes weight loss so tough?
When we want to lose weight, we immediately take away all the sugar we have been eating all this time. This is a counteractive thing to do because it is going to bring on cravings. In this case you are more apt to reach out for even more foods that contain sugar. This is counterproductive to weight loss. This goes back to mind set and changing your habits and not just diet.
Why “dieting” doesn’t work and how sugar fits in:
When you diet you are essentially starving your body of calories by way of elimination or limitation of certain foods. What this does is throw your body into a tailspin of compensation. Your brain thinks it’s starving and will essentially hold on to what you eat and you will lose water weight and then wonder why you peak so quickly.
When you want to lose weight, yes, you should cut out sugar but you need to do it slowly and wean yourself off of the stuff—this takes a change in mindset. You need to take stock in what you eat each day and what the foods are that make you gain the weight the most. If it is soda, or cake or sweets or fats you need to list those. Then set the stage for success and begin to slowly and permanently substitute these foods. You will see that you will feel better and won’t be craving things because you won’t be depriving yourself. Consuming sugar will not be so high on your craving list.
This will make the process a bit longer—but—you won’t have the weight fly off—get the sugar cravings and put it right back on again. This is what “diet” mindset does and why consuming sugar makes weight loss so tough.
If you want permanent weight loss success, especially when you are dealing with sugar and sugar addiction—then a slow and steady process is what’s needed. When you substitute the processed sugar with the natural sugar you won’t want the processed sugar anymore—in fact you’ll notice a marked difference in how you feel when you do!
 Sprinkling Sensa on your food has been shown to help promote weight loss. You’ve probably heard about it and been tempted to try it so it leads you to wonder can Sensa really help with weight loss? There are so many diets out there and they all offer a different platform or approach for weight loss. The reality of the situation is that they all work differently but they are all trying to get you to do the same thing in the end—and that is to eat less. Ultimately Sensa is like so many products or diets out there that use a slightly different method to help you to eat less, feel satisfied, and ultimately take the weight off in this way. So though Sensa is a newer product, you want to be sure you know what you are getting.
As you ask yourself, “Can Sensa really help with weight loss?”, first understand how it works. These are crystals that you sprinkle onto your food right before you eat. They appeal to your sense of smell and even taste. They even come in different scents to give you the illusion of food, though you really aren’t getting anything more in the way of food out of it. These are no calorie and no fat crystals that are supposed to give you the illusion of feeling full faster. The smell and the makeup of the crystals is intended to help you to eat less and feel full, pulling you into change your mind set. So the idea is good, but can it really work?
You May Learn Better Portion Control and Eating Habits
Many experts will tell you that if you are asking, “Can Sensa really help?” then you should try it out. Another great approach to answering this question is to read Sensa reviews you can easily find online. There is not much to lose, but a monetary investment, and even at that you can try an introductory period. They are made up of a list of chemicals which makes them less than appealing to some, but the choice is ultimately yours. You may find that smelling these savory or sweet smells is enough to appeal to your senses and help you to eat less. You may find that it’s even more of a mental thing and that you eat less because you believe that these crystals will help you in your quest. This is all about how much you can use the power of mind over matter!
The claims in determining the answer to the question, “Can Sensa really help?” may be a bit over the top and perhaps that’s the biggest part of this question. Don’t expect to lose crazy amounts of weight quickly, but it may help to give you a jumpstart. For many people it’s really more about managing their portions and learning to eat less. If you can use Sensa in this way for a shorter period of time to help teach you the right way to eat, then they may be worth the try. This is not a product, like any other, that you should stick with for an extended period of time. Try it and see if it works, but take this as a way of teaching yourself about portion control. Like any other product if you can use it as a way of getting into good habits, then it’s worth the try!
 Culture affects obesity by changing the way a person eats and exercises. There is something to be said about how culture affects obesity rates.
When we are losing weight, we often don’t take into consideration our respective nationality which in-turn affects our genetics—which in turn affects our weight.
What to take into consideration and why:
Not to say that any one race is any better or worse for losing or gaining weight—but our heritage has a lot to do with gene pool and where we carry our weight the most.
It is a good thing to take into consideration three factors if you have trouble spots.
Examples of how culture affects obesity rates:
One disclaimer first here—there are cases of a person being of a certain nationality and having an easier or harder time with weight—simply because they live in the US and not on the original continent. This means that lifestyle and habits of the culture can take over.
For example—if you are of a Latin or Italian nationality you may have a bottom-heavy tendency. But, if you live in Italy—you may not have a weight problem. However if you are Italian-American and eat differently than those in the mother country—you may have a tougher time keeping it off your bottom half.
This is because people in Europe do not eat the portions we do and in a lot of places—they do not eat the three meals a day we do. On their homeland they are not eating a lot of the chemicals and preservatives that we do. This is also a factor in weight gain that is to be taken into consideration.
The Europeans also walk a lot more than we do just getting around from one place to another.
Is race, genes and nationality really an illusion?
The culture one lives in as in the aforementioned example is actually more of an influence than race, nationality or genetics.
These three things can be overcome to an extent apart from genetic because you are built as you are built according to genetic makeup—but even then—you can reshape a lot of your body with a lot of dedication and working out.
There is a lot you can do to combat what nature gave you just by doing what very few in America do—eat regularly and with balance as well as some kind of daily exercise. Though culture affects obesity rates you can carve your own path to a better body and healthier you.
 These fat burning smoothie recipes taste amazing while helping you lose the weight. You’ve heard all the hype about smoothies, but there are actually some really great fat burning smoothie recipes. Not only do they taste great, but they also help you to lose weight and burn fat in the process. The key is to focus in on ingredients that are high in fiber, low in fat, packed with protein, or full of nutrients.
These are the types of smoothies that go above and beyond the norm and really attack the fat. So you enjoy a delicious smoothie and all the while you are helping your ability to naturally lose weight as well. So though all smoothies may be great, these fat burning smoothie recipes will give you great value and help along your weight loss efforts—they really pack a nutritional punch!
Peanut Butter and Banana Smoothie:
This is one smoothie that you can really sink your teeth into. With the smooth delicious taste of peanut butter and the power of protein, you won’t realize that this is one of the most efficient fat burning smoothie recipes around. You will love the taste and get great value from it!
Half of one banana
1/2 cup smooth or crunchy low-fat peanut butter
1/2 cup of non-fat milk
6 ice cubes
1 tablespoon of chocolate whey protein powder
Place all of the ingredients into the blender and blend until smooth.
Watermelon Smoothie:
With a high water content, it’s no wonder that this is on the list. The watermelon taste is so good that you will want to have this one often.
6 cups of seedless watermelon, chopped
1 cup of lemon sherbet, non-fat milk, or low-fat vanilla yogurt
12 ice cubes
Put half the watermelon in the blender and blend until smooth, then add half of the ice and sherbet; blend until smooth. Repeat the process with the rest of the ingredients.
Blueberries and Flaxseed Smoothie:
This just so happens to be one of the very best fat burning smoothie recipes due in large part to the protein and the flaxseed oil. Since flaxseeds are a good fat and the other ingredients are full of fiber and excellent nutrients, you will be thrilled to have this recipe on rotation.
1/2 of a large banana
1/3 cup of soy protein
1/2 tablespoon of flaxseed oil
1/4 cup of frozen blueberries
1/2 tablespoon of apple juice concentrate or honey
1 teaspoon of psyllium seed husks
8 ounces of water
Break the banana into pieces, place all the ingredients into your blender, and blend until smooth.
Mango Smoothie:
Mango is such an underused fruit and in this smoothie it’s perfect with the nice blend of lime juice within. You can make this and take it with you on the go and enjoy a great nutritious treat or meal on the run.
1/4 cup of cubed mangoes
1/4 cup of ripe avocado, mashed
1/2 cup of mango juice
1/4 cup of fat-free vanilla yogurt
1 tablespoon of lime juice
1 tablespoon of sugar
6 ice cubes
Add all the ingredients into the blender and blend until smooth.
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