Twitter topic of the day: Do you take daily steps in your weight loss journey towards your goals?

This post is my twitter daily tips / topic of the day. Follow me on Twitter @ezhomefitness

My #questionoftheday is: do you take daily steps in your weight loss journey towards your goals?

Losing weight (and gaining weight as well) is a consistent, daily pursuit. For most it's a struggle especially following through on a daily basis. But it must be a daily habit, a daily struggle. You have to attack it every day through diet & exercise. One day of regression or inaction is a day where your body will try to regain its' weight. The body has a mechanism that once it is at a weight for a while, (a mean weight), then it will resist change. This means that for you to break out of that weight zone, you will have to force the body to do so through diet & exercise. You can't slack off either because the body will try to get it back to the mean weight if you let it. This is why people fail at diets. They slack off and the body goes back into trying to get back to its mean weight. The body will also over-compensate in trying to regain its men weight. This is why a lot of people regain their weight after stopping a diet and also wind up gaining more pounds. So, how to combat this vicious cycle? First off, be consistent once you begin your diet & exercise program. Then once you get to the weight you wish to be, you must go into dieting & exercise maintenance mode. This will avoid the body trying to regain its former mean weight while you establish a new mean weight. Remember, the body must be in this new mean weight for a while before it sets it as the new mean weight. It's up to you and how consistent you can be. You have to be in it DAILY to achieve what you want. You CAN do it.

#Quote of the day: Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined. - Henry David Thoreau

Twitter topic of the day: Do you know someone who has let their health get away from them?

This post is my twitter daily tips / topic of the day. Follow me on Twitter @ezhomefitness

My #questionoftheday is: do you know someone who has let their health get away from them?

Consider yourself lucky if you haven't seen a loved one lose their health. Most of us though have or are going through it or unfortunately will. Diabetes, heart disease, cancer, etc. - so many diseases that can be prevented with proper attention to exercise and diet. Of course, it can still happen to someone doing that but that would be mostly due to genetic factors. The fact is you can prevent this from happening to you. You can be your own doctor. You can be your own preventative medicine. Think of the time and money you can save from your future by investing in some sweat now. Your sweat equity will pay off in healthy dividends for your future. If you've seen someone lose their health, you know it is something that usually happens over time. The toxicity builds up in the body until it finally shows itself. By then though, sometimes its too late to do something about it! So why not do the best thing you can do for yourself now and for the future and get to exercising & dieting? A lifetime of healthy habits sure beats a shortened lifetime of bad habits and regrets, doesn't it? Don't wait until disease takes hold to decide to do something about it because by then it may be too late. Fighting disease and trying to exercise is much harder than just exercising now without it. The choice is easy. Get active. Get fit. Improve your health now.

#Quote of the day: Health is like money,we never have a true idea of its value until we lose it. - Josh Billings

Twitter topic of the day: Do you get sick easily or often?

My #questionoftheday is do you get sick easily or often?

With cold & flu season already underway, learning how to prevent sickness is probably something you should learn. Of course, there is the flu shot for those that need that extra protection. I myself have never had a flu shot and rarely get sick. I was a very sickly child and was always sick all winter long. As I got older my immune system built up and got stronger but I also helped it through exercise. Yes, exercise can build your immune system as you make your body stronger and more efficient. Your body will be more resistant to disease and quicker to recover and recuperate when you do get sick. As an adult, I rarely get sick and if I do it only lasts a day or so. I attack any cold or flu symptoms with Vitamin C and make sure to rest to not overtax your system. Overtaxing your nervous system while you're sick is the worst thing you can do as your body is already being hit hard. So make sure you take it easy when you do get sick. Does this mean lay off exercise? Yes, especially if your energy levels are low. Exercising is excellent preventative medicine. But after you are sick you want to lay off hard exercise. At that point, you need to use your diet to help you recover. Vitamin C is a great anti-oxidant to take while you are sick. Vitamin D3 and Zinc are good supplements to take all the time to prevent getting sick. You can be the doctor to your body's ills with just some time investment in your diet & exercise program. The time you invest in your health is a better time investment than the time you will lose being sick, no? Take the time to take care of yourself now so a doctor doesn't have to do it for you later.

#Quote of the day: Those who do not find time for exercise will have to find time for illness. - Earl of Derby

Twitter Q&A

This post is my twitter daily tips / topic of the day. Follow me on Twitter @ezhomefitness

Today is Q&A Friday! So ask me your #diet & #exercise questions!

Q: Jogging hurts my knees, what other cardio can I do? A: Do low impact cardio such as stationary bicycle, swimming, elliptical, etc.

Q: How can I get rid of my post-pregnancy fat? A: The usual way - strict diet, cardio & weights. Work hard and be consistent.

Q: I get winded just going up stairs, how can I do cardio? A: By starting slow, start with 15 minutes/slow pace & slowly add time/intensity

Q: Do I need to do weights to exercise? A: If you want to firm & tone your muscles then you need to add resistance to your exercises. It doesn't have to be dumbbells & barbells. You can also use bands, ankle weights, hand weights, pilates balls, kettlebells, medicine balls.

Q: How long should I exercise each day? A: At least 30 min 4-5 days a week will give you benefits. Adjust your training to your goals.

Q: Is dancing cardio? A: If depends - if you do it for at least 30 minutes, it makes you sweat and breathe hard, then yes! ;)

Q: How much carbs should be taken on 1700cal diet if trying to lose weight? A: Depends on the diet & what stage of it you are on. For this 1700 cal example I will use a starting diet of 50%Carbs/30%protein/20%fat so carb calories would be 850 which = 212.5gms of carbs

Q: My diet worked at first but then I stopped having results, what happened? A: A diet needs constant adjustment as your weight changes.

#Quote of the day: Luck is what you have left over after you give 100 percent. - unknown

Twitter topic of the day: What is your worst diet & exercise habit?

My #questionoftheday is: what is your worst diet & exercise habit?

I'm sure there are a ton of answers for this one. Eating too much. Eating late. Exercise here & there. Making excuses. Yup, those are all bad habits all right! BUT there are two bad dieting & exercise habits that are the worst! How can there be two that are the worst? Because the first is procrastinating so much that you never get started and the second is just as bad if you do get started and that's quitting! You've heard the phrase "quitters never win and winners never quit", right? There is profound truth to that. You have to go at your diet and exercise with a winner's mindset if you want to succeed! You have to want it, feel it, be it. You have to visualize what you want and then go do it. Starting and stopping because you don't see results fast enough is foolish & counter-productive. You have to invest the time and work to see the results. Are you truly giving it 100%? If not, then how are you expecting 100% results? You get what you put into it. Give your diet & exercise a half-assed try and expect half-assed results, if any. #realtalk Do not be a quitter and DO NOT quit on yourself! Quitting on yourself, that doesn't even sound right, does it? The good thing is that it's all within your control. So what are you going to do about it? GO GET IT and don't stop till you do.

#Quote of the day: Once you learn to quit, it becomes a habit. - Vince Lombardi

Twitter topic of the day: Why are you waiting to start with your diet & exercise?

My #questionoftheday is why are you waiting to start with your diet & exercise?

I'll start my diet tomorrow! I'll start exercising next week! Sound familiar? Tomorrow never actually comes because you're too busy putting it off! Why wait to get started? There are very few valid reasons! At this time of year it's even more important to get going with your diet & exercise. Once the holidays hit and the holiday food gets on your plate... all you will have is extra pounds with no dieting or exercising. AND the next thing you know it will be 2012 and you'll have lots more work to do! But you'll fix it, right? You'll make some new year's resolutions that you once again won't do. #realtalk It's a cycle that you have to break. You have to get on it before the food temptations of the holiday begin. Give yourself a fighting chance to succeed and get through the holidays with minimal damage & maybe even some progress. You CAN get through the holidays with minimal weight gain and even some positive steps forward. But you have to begin NOW. Don't wait on tomorrows that never come! Change your mindset now. Go after that body you want NOW. Don't leave for tomorrow what you can do today. There is plenty you can do today. Here. Now. Do it. Get started today. Eliminate "I'll start tomorrow" from your mindset. Carpe diem!

#Quote of the day: Don't let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do. - John Wooden

Twitter topic of the day: Don't procrastinate... motivate!

My #questionoftheday is do you procrastinate so much that you never do anything?

Unfortunately that is exactly what A LOT of people do! Are you one of them? I myself suffered from this with things not related to exercise. How did I get past it? I decided to stop procrastinating and started motivating myself instead! Instad of thinking of all you need to do or what plans you want to make, instead just jump into action and get it done! Even if you're winging it a bit at first, eventually your goals will become more defined as you see what you can do. The fear of what you can't do will fall away as you prove to yourself the things you can do. Stop wasting time procrastinating and take action. Put that time to good use with action and you'll be ahead of that old you that would've spent that time procrastinating. What's better? The satisfaction of doing something towards your goals or the frustration of figuring out when to start? Get motivated! Get going! Today! Now! Stop waiting. Your new midnset awaits!

#Quote of the day: Do not wait to strike till the iron is hot; but make it hot by striking. - William B. Sprague