Showing posts with label Starting. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Starting. Show all posts

Friday, December 30, 2016

Starting A Weight Loss Diet Program


By Brian Garcia


Most people are well aware that there are several different diet plans available on the market. As with anything, there are many systems, some of which work much better than others. Discontinuing any diet program too early without giving an honest effort is the primary reason why people fail in their weight loss endeavor.

Those who do not jump from program to program and stick to one will ultimately succeed. So if you're looking for a diet plan that can work for you, here are some tips and strategies you can follow.

A popular diet plan is called the 1500 Calorie Diet that teaches you to keep an account of daily calorie intake. The best thing about this particular program is that it does not limit you in regard to what you eat as long as you stay within the recommended range of calories each day. This particular system has a certain formula that you must follow which tells you to eat foods that include 30% carbohydrates, 30% fat, and 40% protein to make it a balanced meal.

Simply stated, by counting the total calories in every snack and meal that you eat every day, you will at some point reach your goals. The only possible disadvantage of choosing a program like this is that it limits the amount of calories, which can be unhealthy to your body. If you are not the type of person who is fond of cooking but still want to lose weight, then diet programs with prepackaged meals may be ideal for you.

If you don't want to worry about cooking meals, or if you are wondering if you are eating the right food types and in right quantities, then Atkins Low-carb Pack program could be the best bet for you. While this makes the diet very clear cut, it can get very boring.

For people who do not have a problem eating packaged meals day in and day out, this might be a type of program you may want to consider. If you are happy with programs where you don't have to think about choices of prepackaged, you may want to try this program and see if it works for you.

There are some weight loss programs, for instance, the Ice Cream Diet is a classic example of a diet program that draws your attention immediately by the name itself. Although these methods are geared to grab your attention, the buyer soon finds out that the allowable portions are small, and furthermore, the rest of the meals are also restricted, making you dissatisfied.

These diets should be approached with caution, as you may not be getting all of the nutrients you need if the recommended number of calories per day is too low. When they claim you will be able to eat cookies and ice cream, the portions are obviously tiny, and this wouldn't be your choice under normal circumstances. You're better off sticking to a sensible and healthy diet that gives you a little room to "cheat" once in a while with a real treat.

To summarize, you can get lost in all the information about diet plans, so it's best to pick one that's based on sound principles and try it for a while. If you follow a diet that has you eating healthy foods and also getting regular exercise, you should be able to succeed sooner or later. The mindset with which this is accepted should be a devotion to healthier living the rest of your life.




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Wednesday, December 14, 2016

Starting to Move Again


by Nina
Recently Shari and I wrote a post recommending a sequence to someone who had lost confidence in her body after a fall (see Regaining Stability—for Free!) Another reader left a comment on that post that made me realize what an important topic this was:

Omgosh. I ....this took my breath away. This is exactly what happened to me! I was this vibrant, moving being....then a stupid, nasty fall (via a piece of gravel on the sidewalk) ended all that. And my subsequent life mirrors your friend's. Thank you SO much for giving us hope!

It seems that after experiencing a fall, many middle-aged and older people may become fearful, which can lead to inactivity. That inactivity in turn leads to stiffness, weakness, loss of balance and/or loss of agility. So I decided to learn a bit more about the woman who left this comment, and to see if there was something we could do to help her regain her confidence and start to move again. Everyone has different issues, so before making recommendations, I asked her to fill me in on any physical problems she had. Here’s a condensed version of her reply:

My sacrum got cocked (like it often does) and that triggered a bout of sciatica - the two sent me to the ER. The cocked sacrum was the result of some incorrectly done crunches plus my bete-noire, a fibroid that spans the entire back of my uterine wall.

I've had two motorcycle accidents (about 20 yrs apart) and now just have that North Dallas Forty thing going  (the opening scene, with Nick Nolte in the bathtub - painful).  Also, I have had shoulder surgery (torn rotor cuff with a bone spur sticking through it)— that one is healed.

Last thing that happened was about 18 mos. Ago—striding down the street, I twisted my ankle on a piece of gravel and went down like a sack of potatoes.  Banged up my left knee and hip (that poor hip gets so much grief), wrenched my back, and damaged the OTHER shoulder in the fall, which is why I have no flexibility or confidence whatsoever. So I can’t extend my right shoulder much. I also have two discs in my neck that are bone on bone, though I keep those pretty limber, most days.

So that's the litany of ick.  Other than that stupid fibroid and the post-injuries I’m actually pretty healthy and very strong (except for that shoulder – but I can still lift between 50-100lbs with my arms at my sides – just not extended).  Mostly I'm just stiff and achy and need to get back to moving around - your post on 'regaining stability' resonated so deeply, Nina.  


After learning about our reader’s situation, I decided to take her case to Baxter, who pointed out to me that certain physical problems, such as the fibroid and the new shoulder injury, needed to be addressed by a medical professional. He agreed that while our reader was seeking medical help, she would also benefit from a gentle yoga practice that allowed her to start moving again. A short, daily, gentle yoga practice would be helpful to her allover physical health and would allow her to start increasing her flexibility, as well as her confidence.

In her case, because she has a history of low back and other problems, he recommended that instead of having a single sequence, she should alternate between three different sequences. I was happy to find that two of the sequences were already on the blog! (So if you’re a new reader and want to start practicing some short sequences on your own, be sure to poke around through our archives to see the various sequences we’ve been posting.)

The three sequences are:

1. Baxter’s classic Low Back Care Practice (see Low Back Care Practice). Because hip openers are helpful for low back problems, this sequence includes stretches for leg and hip flexibility.

2. Baxter’s classic Mini Restorative Practice (see Mini Restorative Practice). A restorative practice will help reduce stress. Long-held passive poses also gently stretch your muscles.

3. Our new Gentle All-Around Practice (see Gentle All-Around Practice), which I'm just posting today. This practice includes shoulder stretches to increase upper body flexibility and standing poses to improve balance and stability.

My hope is that practicing these sequences on a regular basis will, over time, restore her flexibility, balance, and feelings of self confidence, and allow her to be a “vibrant, moving being” once again.

And although we came up with this set of sequences for a particular person, all of them would be suitable for just about anyone who is starting a home practice. And it just so happens we’re in the first week of the new year! So if any of you have made resolutions to start practicing yoga at home, give any or all of these sequences a try and let us know how it goes.

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