Fitness Mantras You Would Do Well To Remember – Part 2

Here are some more fitness mantras that one would do well to heed:

1. It is possible to Speed up the metabolism: There are foods and certain beverages that can actually help to speed up the metabolism; noteworthy among them being certain spices (like peppers) and certain herbal teas.
2. Water, Water, Water: Water can help you control your food intake and is useful for the body in more ways than one can count.
3. Fiber: Fiber sourced from plants and fruits are rich in nutrients, it helps speed up digestion, keeps you regular and may even reduce absorption of fats by the digestive system.
4. Fast Foods are a No-No: For a number of reasons. They are made by refining the food and robbing it of its nutritional value. They are cooked in unhealthy trans fats and pumped with preservatives to increase shelf life. They are just no good for you.
5. Inches not pounds may be a better indicator of fitness: How do you reliably gauge your fitness levels? We have seen how the weighing scale could be misleading; inches are the best way to figure fitness.  In particular, the fit of the trousers are a good indication; they are what tell you what you measure at the waist, which is such a vital indicator of fitness.

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Fitness Mantras You Would Do Well To Remember – Part 1

Those of us who aim either for weight loss, fitness or quite simply good health would do well to keep in mind the following fitness mantras:

1. That weighing scale can lie to you: Many fitness experts will swear that the only way to keep track of your fitness is to weigh yourself periodically. However, this can actually be quite discouraging. You may have lost inches but no pounds; you may have a lot of muscle mass that weighs more than fat; putting your BMI off kilter. This is why the weighing scale may sometimes lie to you.
2. Starvation is Never any good: When you starve yourself, the body signals famine to itself, slows down metabolism and starts to horde fat deposits. It will sacrifice the lean muscle but hold on to the fat. Also starvation deprives body of vital nutrients, so it is always going to be bad for you to curtail calories too drastically.
3. Slow and Steady is best: Aim for slow and steady weight loss rather than sudden loss. Aim to build muscle not suddenly but over a period of time so that it is sustained.
4. Exercise is necessary for fitness: There is getting around the fact that in order to stay healthy and fit you have to have an active life or at least one in which there is place for regular exercise.
5. Some Diet Pills and fitness supplements can do more harm than good: While some may be effective and some ineffective, there are those that may be downright dangerous; watch out for those.

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Floor Scale Wars

It happens every morning when you mosey out of bed, somewhere between the time you take off that robe and the instant you step into the shower. For others, it happens immediately after a workout, as soon as you peel off those sweaty clothes and stand aimlessly in your birthday suit. Then, the big moment arrives. The excitement, the tension, it all forms a giant knot in your throat. This experience is a lot like playing the roulette wheel and you know you have plenty riding on this one. Hence, the numbers that come up can spree a variety of reactions.

You step onto the floor scale in your bathroom and peek through your fingers at the fate staring back at you. To some, you jump up and down like you just hit the jackpot. Others shriek as if they’d just crapped out. The scale is indeed a useful tool to monitor your weight-loss developments. Is it showing easy weight loss, or perhaps no weight sled? Is it accurate? What other method is there to track specifically how much you’ve progressed in your endeavors to lose weight?

The truth is, the scale can be like a lousy personal trainer. It can be giving you bad information. In other words, do not become too dependent on this devilish, little device sitting on your bathroom floor. Here are two reasons why:

1.) Scales are not perfect; especially floor scales. At any given moment, it can go from being your best friend to your worst enemy. If the scale isn’t tipping your way, it can throw your entire mental state off the mark. Scales can often deceive you into thinking you’re heavier – or lighter – than you actually are. In more case, it’s the latter. And by thinking that you’re that far ahead of the game, the only one you’ll be fooling is yourself. Instead, try going by how your clothes fit on your body or how you feel internally than relying on some imperfect machine. Take a picture of yourself at the beginning of the month and then at the end of the month to evaluate the progress. Obsession with the scale is not unlike other fixations – it’s certainly not healthy.

2.) Scales tend to dictate. Too many people are consumed with the numbers on their bathroom’s floor scale. It’s not unlike the scenario of a baseball player who is completely engrossed in his batters’ average. The average is just a number. He should be more concerned with winning the game. The same goes with the battle against weight loss. The goal should never be a number. If you become too concerned with reaching a specific number, by a certain time, it can lead to starvation, bulimia, malnutrition, many conditions that are not beneficial to your body or you’re health.

Remember, the best scale you can have is your mind. If it’s telling you that the unwanted fat is disappearing from your figure like a dress on prom night, chances are that you’re right.