5 Exercises to Add to Your Routine to Look Your Best

Six months ago, you came to the conclusion that it was time to take better care of yourself. You threw out the cookies and chips, headed to the Farmers Market and drafted a work-out routine to rival that of even the most energetic exercise zealot. You wake up every morning and jog with your pup around the block. You take the stairs at work and you make an effort to park your car farther from the door when you are running errands. Evenings are dedicated to an hour of Yoga or a kick-boxing class. You feel so healthy and energized but suddenly you realize that your routine is no longer working for you. That pooch around your belly is still there no matter how far you park your car away from the door; so what gives? This is what experts call a plateau. Your muscles have become accustomed to the exercises you have been diligently practicing and they are no longer being pushed and stretched to their limit. Work a couple of these moves in your next work-out to break out of your routine and keep your muscles surprised.

Basic Ab Work

1. Crunches are only effective at eliminating that bottom stomach pooch when used in the correct form. This can be difficult to do for beginners but guaranteed you will see results if push yourself. When laying on your back, pull your belly button into your spine as if someone has a string and is pulling your center through your back. Keep your core engaged as you crunch up. Hold for 3 seconds and slowly release back to the ground, keeping your core stabilized.

2. Bridge Pose in Yoga is great for working the lower abs as well as strengthening the back and buttocks. Lay on your back with your arms resting to your sides and your knees bent; feet hip width apart. Keeping your core engaged and tightened-remember the string- lift up with your hips pressing into your heels. Hold for ten seconds and release gently back to your starting position.

3. Wall Holds are tough but fantastic at erasing the flab. Sit with your tailbone against a wall and your legs bent at the knees, resting on the floor in front of you. Put your hands on the floor between your knees and lift your feet off the ground, keeping your core engaged and buttocks on the floor. Start with a one minute hold and work your way up from there.

Cardio Booster
4. Jumping Jacks are a fantastic go-to if you just don't feel like leaving the house or are short on time. 45 jumping jacks followed by one minute of light jogging in place repeated three times is a good start.

5. Yoga when done a certain way can be beneficial as a cardio exercise as well. This kind of Yoga is called Vinyasa or "Flow" Yoga. Sun Salutations are meant to get your blood pumping and increase heart rate while aiding in digestion. Start standing with your back straight and your arms at your side pointing to the ground. Inhale and swan-dive touching your toes with your fingers. Place your hands on the ground and step back into a plank. Push forward with your feet and bring yourself into a push-up until your hips are against the ground and your chest is toward the sky. Push back with your hips into an inverted triangle position-downward facing dog- and remember to breath. Bring your feet back to your hands and slowly stand up to your starting position. Repeat this series of poses as many times as you feel comfortable but remember to breath and take a break if you begin to feel dizzy.

Add any of these exercises every time you feel your routine has gotten stagnant or you just aren't seeing results anymore and you are sure to not only feel your best, but look your best as well.

7 Things You Can Do Everyday to Stay Slim

Some people are blessed with the metabolism of a hummingbird. If you're like me, you happen to not be one of them. They can eat an entire pizza and bag of cookies in one sitting and still confidently throw on a bikini, and you seem to gain 10 pounds just thinking about it...which is why you don't think about it. You don't eat pizza or cookies, your fridge is stocked to the brim with greens and low-fat yogurt. You are, by all definitions, a slim and healthy person. But to get your body in top form, you have had to work your butt off -literally- for it. You still keep your fat jeans hidden in the back of your closet because someday you might need them again. Well throw those jeans away because these daily tips will ensure that you keep that body that you worked so hard for.

Re-think Your Nutrition
1. You need to be in a constant state of hydration. Constant means you should always have a water bottle in your hand. Water keeps the bloat away and aids in digestion. Keeping hydrated will keep you from eating out of boredom or because you mistakenly thought you were hungry when you were really just thirsty.

2. Cut out salt. Salt makes you retain all that water you just drank so instead of flushing through and cleansing your system ,it is sticking around and making you bloat.

3. Ditch the carbonated drinks and do not use straws. Carbonated drinks and straws do the same thing. They trap air bubbles in your stomach causing you to bloat. Looking and feeling bloated is completely counterproductive if you are spending all your free time doing crunches.

4. Pack your fridge with proteins and fiber. Apples, salmon, chicken, eggs and almonds are all great sources of protein and fiber and are well known at satiating your appetite.

Calm Your Mind

5. Stress can cause you to pack on the pounds so make it a daily practice to meditate. Ten minutes is all you need to slow your breathing and lower your stress levels.
Listen to music that you love or take time out of your day to work on a fun hobby or project. When you are happy, you release endorphins and endorphins KEEP you happy, thus leading to a more stable frame of mind and calmer nerves.
Envision your life exactly how you want it to be. Studies have shown that the mind has a very powerful influence on the events in our life. Have a stressful day at work? Imagine yourself home with a glass of wine and a favorite book.

Change Your Habits

6. Staying thin does not have to be a chore or something to endure. If you crave a slice of pumpkin pie, have a slice! It doesn't do your body or your mind any good to deny yourself things that make you happy. Just remember to moderate. You don't have to eat the whole pie in one sitting.

7. Eat more often. Slim people don't diet. Healthy people don't even diet so why should you? Strive for five small meals a day and have healthy snacks between meal times. This way of eating keeps your metabolism working efficiently and constantly. Never skip breakfast either. Breakfast is in fact the most important meal of your day because it gives your metabolism a jump start in the morning when it's been resting all night.

Staying slim once you've worked so hard to get there can seem like an arduous task, but with these tips it doesn't have to be.

Finding a Real Weight Loss Program in a Sea of Fad Diets

Finding a Real Weight Loss Program in a Sea of Fad Diets

If you’re overweight and serious about taking action, it’s important that you choose the right diet for your needs. Choosing the wrong diet can not only hinder your ability to get the weight off, but it can also make it near impossible to keep it off. The fastest fat burning diets are not necessary the best. Studies show that the most effective and long-term weight loss programs are actually the ones that cause you to lose weight more slowly. The long-term results are the most important when it comes to your health and well-being. While it can often be difficult to stay motivated when only losing one or two pounds per week, this is the number one way to get the weight off, keep it off, and adopt a healthy lifestyle. Consider these three diet programs when choosing your method of weight loss.

Weight Watchers
Weight Watchers works on a points system. While you are allowed enough points to stay full throughout the day, this program focuses on what you’re putting into your body, rather than how much. Food items are awarded a certain amount of points based on factors such as protein, carbohydrate, fat, fiber, calories, and the amount of time it will take to burn. Generally, the lowest costing products will be more nutrient rich and fill you up for longer. This system owes its success in part to the accountability aspect. While participating in the Weight Watchers program, dieters are regularly weighed in and attend meetings with other dieters. This aspect of the program offers an incentive to stick to the program and strive for results before the next weigh-in.

The Biggest Loser Diet
The Biggest Loser Diet is a weight loss program series of books that are associated with “The Biggest Loser” TV show. The idea behind this diet is simple; reduce your caloric intake and be physically active. It doesn’t take a weight loss professional to know that you will lose weight if you consume less calories than you burn. The downside to this diet is that average Joes like you and I don’t have the motivation and incentives that the contestants on the show have. Cameras, monetary incentives and an array of experts coaching them through the process might give them a leg up on us. However, if you can keep yourself motivated, the idea behind this weight loss program is about as basic as it gets, and it will work if you put the effort into it.

Raw Foods Diet
The Raw Foods Diet requires a disciplined individual in order to be successful. Dieters are required to cut out foods that have been processed, cooked, irradiated, microwaved, or genetically engineered. This diet works on the knowledge that cooking destroys the vitamin and nutrient content in foods. By committing yourself to eating only fruits, vegetables, sprouts, nuts, seeds, unpasteurized milk, raw fish, and other qualifying raw foods, you will consume a considerably small amount of calories and almost certainly lose weight. However, you will also have to learn how to prepare your foods and drinks in order to adhere to the diet’s strict guidelines.

No matter how much weight you would like to lose, there is a diet out there for you. While fad diets are often a waste of time and money, some diets seek to simply provide guidelines for what and how much you should eat in order to gain their benefits. No matter which diet you choose, reducing portion sizes, reducing calorie intake, and maintaining an active lifestyle is the number one way to live a healthier, longer life.