Sometimes the road to fitness is a difficult path when you are attempting to initiate and exercise program and eat healthier alone. Attempting to exercise daily, watching your nutrition, and making healthy lifestyle changes are often overshadowed by boredom or a too busy lifestyle. At one time or another, most women have had trouble starting or sticking with a fitness or exercise program.

Being a fit woman does not have to mean a solo journey. If you have ever had trouble initiating a fitness program or sticking with the exercise program you have started, a fitness partner may be the solution. A fitness partner is a powerful motivator. Being accountable to a fitness partner can help you start a new exercise program or stick with the exercise program over time as you continue on your road to fitness.

The right fitness partner can motivate you to achieve your fitness goals. Your fitness partner should be positive and supportive as she encourages and supports you. In choosing a fitness partner, look for someone whose fitness level is close to yours. As you become fit together, you can progress at a similar pace, and encourage each other to climb to new levels of fitness. Having similar fitness goals will allow you and your fitness partner to share triumphs and encourage you to accomplish individual fitness goals.

Keep lines of communication open with your fitness partner. A good fitness partner is honest and sensitive. Cheer each other on in your fitness successes and avoid being critical.

In addition to a fitness partner, the right fitness program is also important to achieve health. Sisters in Sneakers provides a complete home fitness program and exercise program designed especially for the fitness needs of women. Sisters in Sneakers includes color coded exercise cards for flexibility, strengthening, and cardiovascular exercises so you can vary your exercise routine day to day. Since exercise alone is not enough for a healthy lifestyle, Sisters in Sneakers includes nutritional information including fat and calorie awareness to get your eating on the right track.

Motivation is important for fitness, and Sisters in Sneakers includes inspirations and nutrition tips as well. An exercise band is a great tool for resistance exercise and is also a part of the Sisters in Sneakers complete fitness program.

Look no further for your new fitness partner. Sisters in Sneakers will connect you with a fitness partner just for asking. You and your new Sisters in Sneakers fitness partner can motivate each other on the way to fitness and health, as you work out in the privacy of your own home.

It is time to get serious about starting to exercise and becoming involved in a fitness program. Your health is important. You do not need to be an athlete to be fit. The first step is the hardest.

Grab your sneakers, your new Sisters in Sneakers Home Fitness Program, connect with your Sisters in Sneakers fitness partner, and start on the path to better health with Sisters in Sneakers today.To begin your journey to a healthier lifestyle with a complete women’s home fitness and exercise program visit www.sistersinsneakers.com

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Office Fitness: On-your-computer exercise reminder, specific exercises
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Weight Loss is 20% exercise and 80% proper diet. Even vigorous exercise alone is not sufficient for healthy, effective weight loss. A nutritious, balanced diet is the major player in attaining a healthy weight, safely.

1. Plan a nutritious diet, with the right-sized portions. A proper diet consists of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. Each meal should have a mix of It’s a common myth that eliminating fat entirely means losing weight. In fact, fat plays an essential role in skin suppleness and elasticity. Without fat-intake, your body cannot absorb essential vitamins and minerals. Good fats are considered mono-unsaturated fats, which the body can break down easily. A few examples are olive oil, avocados, nuts, and fish-which contain omega-3s. Bad fats are trans-fat or saturated fat, and easily noted on all nutrition labels. Another word for this is partially hydrogenated oil.

2. Take a multi-vitamin, and drink about 8 glasses of water a day. A multi-vitamin is essential to ensuring that you are getting a complete dose of vitamins and minerals-especially during hectic wedding planning. Your body needs water to effectively flush out the waste and your skin will glow! Also, drinking water before meals will slow your appetite and food intake, aiding your weight loss goals safely.

3. Be sure to eat plenty of fruits and veggies (the greener the better), along with your meals. While meals should be portioned appropriately, fruits and veggies can be consumed anytime you are hungry! If you want to maintain your current body weight, and there are days when you are not able to exercise because of time-constraints, simply eating healthy should keep your body status quo. However, try to work in even 15 minutes of exercise and toning, as it’s a great stress releaser and mood-booster!

4. Exercise for weightloss and other benefits
Exercise is important for weightloss, but beyond weight loss, the benefits are endless! Exercise reduces heart disease, cholesterol, and helps prevent against a variety of diseases. Exercise releases endorphins-or mood boosting chemicals in your brain. Exercises helps your body’s strength, stamina, and aging process.

5) The Right Mix of Exercise – most exercise routines should consist of aerobic (anything that increases the target heart rate, i.e. running, cycling, dancing, etc)and anaerobic ( weight lifting, stretching, calisthenics). There’s also plenty of fun ways to get that exercise in by dancing or playing sports or even walking your dogs!

6) Allot the right amount of time depending on your weight loss! Don’t be too focused on the scale. Remember, are doing a wonderful thing for yourself just by eating right & exercising at a rate that works for you.

If you follow above tips, you will surely see quick weightloss results – but remember weightloss requires consistency in diet and exercise. Above all regardless of what diet plan or weightloss technique you chose, make sure you are not sacrificing your health for it. Remember, if being overweight is bad for health, so is being anorexic, or losing weight overnight.

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When you are faced with the daily challenge of trying to lose weight, you will need to find ways to stay motivated every day. The factors that keep weight loss motivation high include your specific goals, your ability to envision what you want to achieve, and the degree of success you have in the beginning.

Daily motivation requires a special, concerted effort, and it is not always easy. One great way to keep weight loss motivation high is to find an Internet support group to check in with every day. There are many such chat groups and forums on the web.

Another idea is to keep a daily journal of your progress, struggles and success. You can keep a record of your daily diet or write in your journal about the journey and challenge of losing weight and the emotions connected to it.   Weight loss motivation will stay fresh with something tangible that you can look at to remind you of your goals. For example, you can tape a picture of yourself when you were at a more ideal weight to your refrigerator door. You can buy an outfit in your ideal size and hang it in your closet where you will see it every day.

There are many books filled with affirmations and inspiration for dieters. Buy one, and read a bit of it every day.  The motivation to lose weight may not come from the same place every day. If you can develop some strategies for keeping your daily motivation high, you are much more likely to be successful and bounce back quickly if you have any setbacks. Whatever you ultimately see as your motivation for losing weight, you do not have to face the challenge alone.

There are resources and people available for anyone who takes the time to seek them. Make a daily commitment to do at least one thing in support of your goal, and you may soon find that the behaviors that support weight loss have become second nature to you!

About the Author

Ben Sather is the publisher of www.a2-weight-loss.com. You can publish this article if the author’s byline is included and all links are hyperlinked.

If you enjoyed above article, here is another motivation article for you:

Daily Motivation for Successful Weight Loss

Why do you want to lose weight? Is it to have less fat on your body? Or is it because of the well being you think you will feel without your extra pounds? Do you think that you will acquire more vitality, be more seducing, which will boost your confidence and self-esteem?

Almost everything that we do aim to modify the way we feel. We really determine our future the moment we take a firm decision. For me, everything changed the day that I’ve decided that I was engaging myself to become and obtain what I would like in life. Think about it. There is a difference between being interested in something and engage yourself towards it. Often, people say: “Oh! I would like to lose some weight.” But these kinds of declarations are not an engagement. We are simply enouncing one of our preferences such as: “It interests me, as long as I don’t have to lift a finger.”

This is not power.

Unfortunately, people don’t take action, because they are to occupied to invent themselves some excuses. If they didn’t reach their goal or if they don’t live their dream life, they put forward the way they were raise, the absence of choice when they were young, the lack of instruction or the fact that they are to old. All these excuses are insignificant. They are not only restrictive, but also destructive. If you don’t fix yourself some basic rules that you are ready to accept in your life, you’ll see that it is very easy to slip into unhealthy behavior or attitude.

If you take the firm decision to lose weight, you can do it. Your life will change the moment you take a firm decision. Will you finally decide today that you are more than what you’ve shown so far? Is it today that you will decide once and for all to harmonize your life saying: “This is who I am. Here is my life and here is what I do. Nothing will prevent me to accomplish my destiny. I won’t accept that we deny what I am.” To take a real decision, is to engage yourself to obtain a precise result and to refuse any other possibility. Understand that what is most difficult, when we want to accomplish something, is to take a firm engagement, a real decision.

The tough part with exercise is getting out there and doing it. Exercise has to become one of your priorities. You have to make time for it. You have to find a passion. If you don’t like what you’re doing, you won’t do it. Set a goal. Try to improve your times or lift more weight. Put on more muscle through resistance training. The muscle burns more calories around the clock. Eventually, the workouts that once invigorated you now leave you feeling blah! You have to reinvent yourself and change the way you do things.

These tips will help you stay motivated. Train for an event, or pretend you are Split your routine up so that you work your upper body and lower body on different days. Hit the hills, you’ll burn almost 25% more calories. Try a different exercise for every muscle group. Hire a personal trainer. Change the number of sets you are doing, every 2 to 4 weeks, increasing the weight as you decrease the repetitions. Use a heart rate monitor and gauge you progress. Add intervals to your cardio. Alternate 2 minutes of high intensity exercise with 1 minute of lower intensity. Use heavier weights. You need to get to the point where you can absolutely not do another repetition. Try a new routine. Have someone help you in the gym. Join a team. Count to 10 when you lift the weight, and to 5 when you lower it again. It can increase your strength by almost 50%. Try Yoga or Pilates.

These disciplines force you to move your body in a different way, which also build stronger abdominals and back muscle. Exercise should be a part of your life, like eating, drinking and breathing. You should aim to make your daily exercise routine a normal daily occurrence. 5 ways to fight plateaus Vary your weights Change the order of your exercises Vary the angles of your lunges Add cardio to your weight workouts Instead of a circuit, do a series of supersets. Perform each move back-to-back with a move that emphasizes the same muscles.

About the Author: Isabelle Berard has lost 52 ponds in 5 months, 10 years ago. She has created www. nutrition-fitness-guide.com specifically to help others lose weight and achieve lifetime fitness. You will find precious information and different resources on beauty, fitness, weight loss programs, healthy eating habits, exercise and how to stay motivated.

Know What You Are Giving Up. Carbohydrates are typically found in fruits, vegetables, beans and whole grains (whole wheat breads, pasta and brown rice).

These carbohydrates help to reduce the risk of heart disease, hypertension, cancer, diabetes and gastrointestinal disorders. To date, there is no evidence that high saturated fat, high protein, low-carb diets are healthy if consumed over a lifetime. Why Low-Carb Diets Work So Well. Low-carb diets, as with all diets, work because people eat fewer calories while following them. On the low-carb diet, calories are lower because you are reducing or eliminating sugars, sweets, starches, fruits and vegetables. If at the same time, you substitute high protein and fat foods, which are filling, you will feel fuller and eat less. On any low-carb diet a considerable amount of the weight lost is water weight. Here’s how it happens. Your body stores carbohydrates in muscles and the liver. Carbs are stored with 3 parts water to 1 part carbohydrate. If you stop eating carbohydrates the body uses up its existing carbohydrate reserve to maintain your blood sugar. This releases lots of water. That is the initial “weight loss” that you experience on a low-carb diet.

What Are Some Benefits of Low Carb Dieting? Weight loss for the overweight helps to improve overall health in many ways. It can reduce blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar levels. It can have positive effects on self-esteem and body image. It can be a great motivator for anyone who has had difficulty losing weight following other diets.

The Low-Carb Food Craze: Pay More – Lose More? Don’t be fooled. These foods can have plenty of calories and are expensive too. In the last few years, more than 1,000 products labeled “low-carb” have made their way to grocery shelves. To reduce the carbs, most products substitute soy flour or cellulose (not unlike wood pulp) for refined flour. They add artificial sweeteners and sugar alcohols, which have half to one-third the calories of sugar, instead of sugar… And taste is definitely not their biggest selling point. Low-Carb Dieting Drawbacks. Most people can only follow a low-carb diet for so long before they start craving some sweets or starches. The problem is that when you start eating these foods again you will begin to retain water and this will appears on the scale as “weight gain.” If you have been on a low-carb diet and want to work back to a diet that includes complex carbohydrate begin by slowly adding small portions of grains into your diet. (A slice of bread or ½ cup rice or potatoes.) Expect to see a few pounds of water weight gain but remember – it’s not fat weight!

Cut The “Junk Foods” And Drop The Weight! You don’t have to follow a special low-carb diet to lose weight. Eating fewer high calorie and high fat foods and increasing your exercise can also result in successful weight loss. I know, you’ve heard that before, but it really is true. The average man eats about 2600 calories a day, the average women about 1900. A pound of fat a week can be lost by reducing your intake by 500 calories a day. One 20 ounce can of regular Coke contains 250 calories and a Snickers candy bar contains 280 calories. Cutting down on sweets can produce weight loss without sacrificing overall nutrition. Add a mile or two walk, or jog, several days a week (100-200 calories burned) and you are well on your way to weight loss. Cutting the “junk foods” can be a strategy in itself. At the same time, eat more fruits, vegetables and salads. Try filling up without “junking up” and your chances of successful weight loss will increase dramatically.

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Joey Atlas, MS – Exercise Physiology, is considered one of the top personal trainers in the US. He is the author of the best selling audio CD “Controversial Secrets of a Personal Trainer”, www.ControversialSecrets.com. Joey is a co-owner of GAC Personal Training, www.GACtraining.com, where he continues to guide people toward a better quality of life through proper exercise programming and nutritional guidance.

The little things that you do throughout the day, the way you feel about things and the way you see yourself all determine your weight. The following questionnaire will help you point out your strengths and weaknesses, possibly shedding some light on your lifestyle. Whether you’re trying to lose weight or maintain your current weight, behavior modification is vital.

Answer each of the questions to the right “true” or “false” honestly. Wherever you answer “false,” you may have a weakness that’s holding you back in your quest for weight management. Remember to be completely honest with yourself.

In general, I have a positive outlook. You will get nowhere if you don’t. If you’re a “the cup is half empty” person, you probably don’t realize it. Do you like most of the people you encounter? Do you usually go to bed at night with a positive feeling about your day? Do people turn to you when they’re down? If not, you may need to work on your attitude before you can go any further.

I exercise at least three days a week. Your diet isn’t the only thing you should work on. Exercise changes your body, to make it more efficient at burning fat. If you don’t do this, the weight you lose will primarily be muscle and bone mass – things you can’t afford to lose. If you exercise, the weight you lose will be fat, and you’ll look and feel much better.

I set goals that are realistic and attainable. Unfortunately, many companies bank on convincing consumers that losing ten pounds by Saturday can rally happen. You can realistically lose a pound or two per week, on the average. If you want to lose twenty pounds, give yourself three or four months, and monitor it weekly. Remember that the more gradual the weight loss is, the more likely it is to stay off.
I follow a healthy, balanced diet. Don’t be fooled by the notion that avoiding one type of food or gorging on another will help you along the path to weight loss. Your diet should contain a bit of everything nutritious. About two thirds of your diet should come from complex carbohydrates (whole grain breads, cereals, rice, fruits and vegetables). You also need two or three servings each of calcium-rich dairy foods and protein items like meat, fish and nuts.

I set “mini-goals” to avoid being overwhelmed by large ones. To a child in September, the school year will never end, but holidays and birthdays along the way make it much easier to understand how long nine months is. The same way, assign yourself weekly goals and assess your progress that way while working toward the biggie.

I am always aware of how much fat and calories are in the food I eat. Keep in mind that each gram of fat has nine calories. Fat should make up no more than twenty percent of your total calories. This means that something with “only” 100 calories is fattening if it has eight grams of fat, since 72 of its 100 calories comes from fat. Being mindful of this is a powerful tool.

When I have a craving, I can handle it without eating. We all have our methods. Chewing gum can sometimes ward off cravings, as can drinking a glass of water. Some people even find that keeping their hands busy helps. If you feel compelled to quench that craving, you need a way to handle it.
I reward myself for overcoming obstacles. You are much more advanced than Fido, but isn’t it easier to shape his behavior using biscuits as rewards? This works with people, too, and not just children. When you’ve lost that first five pounds, do something for yourself, even if it’s just saying, “Yeah, I’m good!”
I don’t eat anything unnecessary. When you have pancakes, do you have to slap more butter on them before smothering them in maple syrup? Do you put mayonnaise or oil on your sandwiches? These things aren’t necessary. They’re just examples, but many people make simple foods very fattening by adding the extras. Learn to eat things without all the frills and you’ll avoid a lot of unwanted fat and calories.
I spend less than one hour per day watching television. It’s definitely addictive, especially when a great deal is going on in the world and the news is intriguing. Keeping busy is probably the best habit you can adapt, though. If you have three or four hours of television to watch every day, you’re depriving your body of activity.

I rarely eat at restaurants or buffets. When I do, I’m careful. It’s a well-accepted fact that fat makes things taste better. Restaurants want their food to taste good, so they use a lot of fat. Even things that seem low in fat probably have plenty of it. A good example of this is fish served in a lemon-butter sauce. A good salad can be ruined by ranch dressing. It’s really better to plan your meals ahead of time and eat at home.
I eat small amounts of food several times a day, instead of two or three big meals. Doing this gives your metabolism a big kick-start. When you eat a large meal, then fast for several hours, your body tends to hold onto the calories from that meal, in case it has to wait a long time for more nourishment. If you get your body accustomed to eating in smaller intervals, you burn calories much faster. This is a pretty neat little phenomenon.

I serve myself reasonable portions. One good way to assure that you do this is by using a smaller plate than usual. The appetite is rather dependent on the mindset of the person eating. If you’re used to having huge portions of each item at dinner, you’ll want huge portions, no matter how hungry you are. Train yourself to be mentally satisfied with average-sized portions.

I drink at least two liters of water every day. Water curbs cravings, decreases bloating and water retention and enhances your liver’s fat burning capability. You should never allow yourself to get thirsty. Two liters of water isn’t that much. Just get into the habit of sipping it all day long, and soon, you won’t be able to live without it. Visit www.inch-aweigh.com/water.html for more info on drinking water for weight loss.
I manage my stress productively (without using food). Many people eat when they encounter stress. They tend to look for “comfort foods” that remind them of a much easier, stress-free childhood, opting for ice cream, meatloaf and cookies. If this is you, find other, less destructive ways to deal with stress. If you begin an exercise program, this will help tremendously.

I eat slowly. Your body doesn’t realize that you’ve had enough to eat until several minutes after you’ve had it. If you eat too hastily, you’ll fill yourself up and possibly eat more on top of that. Studies have also indicated that the body is accustomed to an average numbers of chews per mouthful. If you chew your food more than usual, not only will you eat more slowly, but also you’ll trick your body into thinking it’s had more to eat.
I recognize my faults and take responsibility for them. Some overeaters are like alcoholics, in that they don’t realize that they are abusing food. A woman might get into a fight with her husband, gorge on a half-gallon of ice cream and the blame him for it. This is dangerous behavior. Don’t let anyone or anything distract you from your goals. If you do, you must recognize that you are the one at fault.

I only eat at the table. Sitting on the sofa with munchies is a bad idea for those who want to lose weight, because it encourages passive eating. When you confine yourself to the table for meals, you won’t be doing anything but eating, and therefore, you won’t eat quite as much.

I don’t indulge myself at social affairs. This is terribly difficult for a lot of people. Stuffed mushrooms and cocktail wieners seem so small and harmless, but they contain more calories and fat than they should. Birthday cake is great, and a little piece probably won’t hurt you, but where do you draw the line? One key to weight management is learning (or forcing yourself) to control yourself in such a situation.
I never eat anything within three hours of my bedtime. Your metabolism slows down at night, so if you go to bed with a full stomach, your body won’t deal with the calories as efficiently as it would during the day. If you’re used to munching on chips or sweets during prime time, you’re putting weight on yourself. After dinner, eat nothing else. Even if you think it will kill you.

I have made a real commitment to achieving or maintaining a healthy weight. If you truly believe that you will lose weight, you will. Unfortunately, it’s hard for overweight people to do that. They often cannot picture themselves any thinner than they are. Even if you can’t picture it, commit yourself to it wholeheartedly. Recognize that your belief in yourself is the number one ingredient to leading a healthy, happy life.
Nobody can lose weight for you. No bars, shakes or exercise gadgets can do it for you, either. Only you can determine what happens to your body. If you want to make an improvement, start today, just by knowing in your heart that you want to make an improvement. Go through this list once a week until you can answer “true” to everything. It’s not impossible.

If you’re committed, you’re there.
About the Author
Maia Appleby is a certified personal trainer and weight loss consultant at a fitness center in south Florida. For more of her articles, along with weight loss and fitness tips, news and resources, visit her websites: Shape Up Shop – http://www.shapeupshop.com