Many people believe that you need certain machines or diets in order to lose weight. Yes every person is different and has different needs but that doesn’t mean that every machine or diet will work for you. The fundamental reason they fail is because they are sustainable whereas diet and proper exercise are.


Personal trainers are always trying to push different workout equipment on their clients and this shows they are traitors. Truth be told, proper daily exercise is the key to success, no one piece of equipment can help make you achieve every single weight loss goal. The body is a machine and every single part of it needs to be moved, that’s the way we were designed, to be in constant motion. This is why it is so hard to lose weight because the body is extremely efficient when using energy, and when this energy isn’t used it’s stored on the body as fat. Understanding this concept can help you see why controlling portions and maintaining a proper exercise routine is vital.


Please remember how you go into the shape you were in. It wasn’t from being responsible for the food you were eating or thinking of how to include more exercise into your daily routine. So you will need to make changes that affect your daily habits. Remember you didn’t get out of shape overweight, and the same for getting back into shape, it will take time. Stay motivated and keep on track, what you know about basic health such as diet and exercise are the most essentials parts to changing your lifestyle.


The three basics are:


1. Eating foods from all the food groups and watching portions
2. Getting some sort of physical activity for 30 minutes three times a week
3. Getting between 7 to 8 hours of sleep or to the point you feel rested


These basics will help you stay on track and avoid trying some fade diet or workout machine. As well in the next 4 to 6 months you will see drastic changes to your body, inches lost, pounds dropped, and explosive energy levels, all the benefits of a regular fitness routine.

1. Watch the Sugar

Sugar from such things as fruit juices and fruit snacks may seem low in fat but once ingested the sugar turns to extra calories and finally more body fat. These fruit juices and fruit juice snacks can have more sugar then a typical soda.
Reduction of sugar is important to good health; therefore always check out the sugar content of anything you put in your mouth, even if it appears to be healthy.

2. Throw out the Scales

People often get obsessed with their weight and not losing weight, when in reality you should be more concerned with the loss of body fat. This is because weight doesn’t accurately reflect the level of your fitness, so make sure your losing inches, the weight will come later.

3. Tight Muscles

Just like aerobic exercise is necessary to get back into shape, strength training can be to. It’s essential for people in any age group to add extra muscle to their bodies, this muscle burns calories and is necessary for overall good health. As well
Strength training should help you achieve your fitness goals faster and help you to maintain them.

4. Increased Protein

So many diets today stress the fact to eat more or less protein, in reality though the body needs protein to rebuild muscle and tissues that it broken down during exercise. If you are exerting yourself more then you once did adding protein to your diet will only help to build that lean muscle you will need to burn calories.

You will need at least 30% to 50% of your diet dedicated to carbohydrates, 20% to 30%protein and 20% or 30% from fat. If you stick with this equation, you will benefit.

5. Be Realistic

Wouldn’t it be nice to just run a mile and not feel tired or be in pain days later and see instant results.

However, it is important to be realistic about several things. First, you need to understand that you more than likely will not (or should not) start out with a hard work out if you have not been in a regular exercise routine. Start out slow and do not set yourself up for failure by expecting miracles overnight.

Getting fit takes time and with commitment, you will reach your goals.

6. Track Progress

Sometimes when trying to get in shape, you will be sweating and out of breath and not seeing any results. This isn’t true, a lot is going on within the body, sometimes it takes time for the body to begin to use fat for energy and this switch takes some time.

Keep track of two things in particular. First, track your measurements, this is important by knowing where you began, you can then begin to gauge your success. It’s like anything without measurements change may not always be visible even though a change has been made, remember you do see yourself every day; it’s hard to see a difference sometimes. Second, track your routines so you can determine what is working for you and what is not. This is key in adjusting your routines accordingly; with a few simple changes a lot of progress can be achieved.

Write it down! it doesn’t matter where just keep track and in no time you will begin to see results.

Most exercises are safe to perform during pregnancy, as long as you exercise with caution and do not overdo it.

The safest and most productive activities are swimming, brisk walking, indoor stationary cycling, step or elliptical machines, and low-impact aerobics (taught by a certified aerobics instructor). These activities carry little risk of injury, benefit your entire body, and can be continued until birth.

Tennis and racquetball are generally safe activities, but changes in balance during pregnancy may affect rapid movements. Other activities such as jogging can be done in moderation, especially if you were doing them before your pregnancy. You may want to choose exercises or activities that do not require great balance or coordination, especially later in pregnancy.

What Exercises Should Be Avoided During Pregnancy?

There are certain exercises and activities that can be harmful if performed during pregnancy. They include:

Holding your breath during any activity.
Activities where falling is likely (such as skiing and horseback riding).
Contact sports such as softball, football, basketball, and volleyball.
Any exercise that may cause even mild abdominal trauma such as activities that include jarring motions or rapid changes in direction.
Activities that require extensive jumping, hopping, skipping, bouncing, or running.
Deep knee bends, full sit-ups, double leg raises, and straight-leg toe touches.
Bouncing while stretching.
Waist-twisting movements while standing.
Heavy exercise spurts followed by long periods of no activity.
Exercise in hot, humid weather.

Pregnancy is a great time in a womens life and she should not have to stop everything she is doing just because she is pregnant, all she has to do is be more careful.

Creatine is a naturally occurring compound derived from glycine and arginine and found primarily in the heart, brain, and skeletal muscle. It plays a key role in the body's energy system, and has many secondary roles. The average American gets about one gram of creatine per day from their diet, and one gram is produced in the body. Herring, salmon, tuna, and beef are all high in creatine, but you would have to eat very large amounts of these foods to get the benefits achieved through supplementation. Creatine is used primarily to increase athletic performance, but may also be useful in preventing various conditions affecting the brain, heart, and musculature.


Creatine is used mainly in strength training in athletes. Supplementing with 5 grams a day is recommended as the safe amount to take it. This would be done once a day for 30 days and then a month off would be required which then one can supplement again for a full month. Professional weight lifters have been known to supplement with upwards of 15 to 30 grams of creatine a day for 30 days. This is very hard on the bodies organs especially the liver and kidneys.


After being ingested, creatine is absorbed into the bloodstream, most likely by the amino acid transporter , and usually reaches a maximum plasma concentration in less than two hours . While blood levels are elevated, the creatine transporter (CreaT) actively transports creatine into skeletal muscle, cardiac muscle, and the brain . At this point, there are a variety of mechanisms by which creatine may exert its ergogenic effects.


• Modulation of energy metabolism - Creatine operates as an energy and pH buffer during exercise. Creatine kinase catalyzes a reaction between free creatine and phosphor ions (from the breakdown of ATP to ADP), resulting in phosphocreatine (PCr), which is locked into the muscle cell due to its strong negative charge. The PCr can then react with ADP to form ATP during exercise, and during rest periods more PCr is generated. All of this equates to more energy during sets and faster recovery between sets .


• Increased protein synthesis - Supplementing with creatine has been shown to increase intracellular water retention . Not only does this have the benefit of making the muscles appear larger, it may have an anabolic effect as well. Hyperhydration stimulates protein synthesis and inhibits protein breakdown, and cell volume has a correlation with catabolism in a variety of ailments . Numerous studies have confirmed that creatine supplementation prevents protein catabolism . There is also evidence that creatine increases satellite cell mitotic activity .


• Reduced oxidative stress - In addition to direct effects on energy metabolism and protein synthesis, creatine also has indirect effects on them because it protects against tissue damage, thus increasing the body's ability to regenerate ATP and synthesize protein and protecting against a variety of other harms caused by exercise-induced oxidation. Creatine primarily protects against the peroxynitrite and superoxide free radicals .


There are very few side effects associated with creatine use . Gastrointestinal discomfort is experienced by some, but generally goes away when dosage is lowered. Weight gain is also a common side effect, however this is mostly water weight (from muscle cell volumization). There are two case reports in the literature of creatine exacerbating renal dysfunction, but multiple studies have shown it to have no impact on healthy individuals. You should consult a doctor before using creatine if you have a kidney disorder.


Creatine can help repair tissues faster and allow for beginners to work out regularly without a lot of time off due to pain and recovery. I would suggest trying to supplement some into a regular strength training routine because the benefits due of creatine are great.