Top #30 Greatest Ways 2 Lose Belly Fat ~ #17 "Age"

Top #30 Greatest Ways to Lose Belly Fat..

#17. Age 

Okay, so there is really nothing we can do about turning back the clock, but here are some things that happen with age that are inevitable. For example.. as we get older our muscle mass tends to decrease and body fat increases (in physically inactive people this starts after the age of 30) but this is from sitting more and moving less.  A full body resistance program will help prevent the loss of muscle. A important reminder to remember is that muscle helps increase metabolic rate, which means you burn more calories making it easier to lose weight or maintain a healthy weight. Incorporating weights in to your exercise program will be a huge benefit especially as we are getting older. If your a newbie to lifting weights don't worry as it's never too late to learn how. In fact my parents are in their early 70's are just now starting to add weight lifting to their working regime. It's unfortunate that they now live in California so I am unable to be their personal trainer, but when they joined the local gym where they live a personal trainer was part of the package for 10 sessions each. It would be to your benefit if you're new to lifting weights to get a personal trainer to instruct you in the beginning so you know you're doing it correctly and getting the maximum benefits from your weight lifting workouts. Plus it's as important to learn the correct way so you do get the most out of your weight training workouts. We may not be able to stop time or change the fact that we all are getting older, but we can do everything possible to not look like or feel like we are. A big plus is muscle is a sign of youth and it is vital in making the body fit, shapely and firm.

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Top #30 Greatest Ways 2 Lose Belly Fat ~ #16 "No Smoking"

Top #30 Greatest Ways to Lose Belly Fat..

#16. No Smoking

This is most likely going to be one of the hardest ones if you're a smoker, but it's important to know that nicotine will impede fat loss from the belly area. So if you're really serious of about obtaining flat abs, getting rid of the dreaded belly fat, and other health incentives of smoking cessation haven't given you enough incentives to stop. Perhaps this will be the one incentive what will give you the desire to quick smoking. Just knowing that smokers tend to have more belly fat than non-smokers will help make the positive life choice to stop smoking. Smoking may not only lead to increased amounts of belly fat but it also a reduction in lean muscle mass.

Smoking habit causes the risk of deadly conditions like heart disease, cancer, lighting up also increases the size of you midsection. People who smoke are more likely to accumulate fat in the stomach rather than other parts of the body. A plan to lose the fat is essential, since excess weight in your stomach triggers harmful reactions that.. much like smoking, can shorten your life. The immediate effects of smoking on your body are numerous and include stained teeth and unpleasant breath. Long-term damage from smoking represents a more harmful threat, as your likelihood is greater to fall victim to heart disease, wrinkles, ulcers and gum disease, as well as lung cancer. Some people my rely on smoking as a method to control weight, but Harvard Medical School reports that smokers are more likely to have large stomachs than people who remain smoke-free. Smoking triggers a reaction inside your body that diverts the fat from places like the thighs and hips and causes an unhealthy buildup inside your abdominal area. Hopefully now knowing all of this will give you the incentive to toss the smoking habit out of your life even if the main reason is because you want your stomach to be fit, lean, beautiful and look fab in a swimsuit again.

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Top #30 Greatest Ways 2 Lose Belly Fat ~ #15 "Pilates"

Top #30 Greatest Ways To Lose Belly Fat..

#15  Pilates

Pilates may not be the first thing that comes to mind when thinking about shrinking your belly fat, but it does and it will help towards shrinking your dreaded belly fat. Research has shown that Pilates will significantly improve posture. Having poor posture will give you a bigger belly than you have and give you a pooch even if you hardly have any body fat. So, if this describes you, consider taking some Pilates classes at your local gym or fitness center, or you also can follow a Pilates DVD at home.

Eliminating belly fat is one of the most common reasons why people are motivated to workout. Fat in the belly not only makes you feel self-conscious but can also contribute to such health problems as heart disease and poor posture. As you lose weight, your stomach is one of the first places to shed inches. However, once you are in a regular workout routine, you may find that your midsection still looks flabby. Core-related workouts, such as Pilates, are essential to strengthen your body and to help keep belly fat at bay. Pilates is designed to target your abdominal muscles and lower back, an area of the body also known as the core. This type of workout helps strengthen your stomach, back and pelvis. Although inner-strength training is the primary goal of Pilates, this type of workout is often sought by people who are looking to get rid of belly fat. 

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Top #30 Greatest Ways 2 Lose Belly Fat ~ #14 "Post-Workout Meal""

Top #30 Greatest Ways To Lose Belly Fat..

#14 Post Workout Meal

Cortisol levels in your body are elevated after you exercise, so you need to get those levels low as possible and maximize recovery after your workouts. To lower the cortisol levels after you have just completed a workout of any kind you need to consume a meal or drink immediately after you've just exercised. A combination of protein and carbohydrates consumed within 30 minuets after you've completed a workout will feed your muscles immediately and also lower the elevated cortisol in your body. When it comes to maximizing the results you get from your training sessions, the nutrients and supplements that you consume after you get finished could have a huge impact on how you'll be rewarded for the work you did while you were there.  

The goal with your post-workout nutrition is to return your body to an anabolic state as soon as you can once your training sessions is complete. Doing this will help you recover from the training session so you can be ready for the next one, which will both cut down your risk of injury and allow you to improve your skills and conditioning at a faster rate. One of the best and fastest ways to get your post-workout meal in your body is to drink a nutritious shake. A lot of fitness gyms will have a juice bar inside or close by for you to have a protein shake made for you within the 30 minuets after your workout, or you can bring your own and just add water and consume immediately after your workout. Bringing your own would be the best option so you know you're body will get what it needs right after your workout. So much can happen after you do your workout and if you wait till you get home or back to your office you may get side tracked by other activities and forget. So make this ritual, habit and part of your workout to have your post-workout meal.

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Top #30 Greatest Ways 2 Lose Belly Fat ~ #13 "Sleep"

Top #30 Greatest Ways To Lose Belly Fat..

#13 Sleep

To lose belly fat you might be surprised to know that getting plenty of quality sleep is very important and lack there of causes stress on the body. Sleep deprivation stresses the body and can raise fat-storage hormone cortisol. Research has shown that women who get only five hours of sleep a night are almost twice as likely to be obese then women who get seven hours of sleep at night. The hormones leptin and ghrelin that control hunger are also thought to play a role, and as insufficient sleep increases appetite while reducing the feeling of satiety. A combination of fatigue, insomnia, and irregular hours contribute to weight gain in the stomach area.. Some people misinterpret body signals from elevated cortisol, with its increased blood sugar and insulin release, and eat when tired. This combination of increased cortisol, inactivity, lack of sleep, and eating, increases deposits of fat around the middle or on the abdomen.

  

Reduce your levels of stress (Cortisol) to improve sleep..

1. Mediation, yoga

2. Making lists of things that need to be done and crossing each one off as it's accomplished.

3. Relaxing in warm water

4. Watching funny movies, comedy, laughter

5. Healthy diet and exercise 

6. Vitamin C has been noted to reduce cortisol

7. Recognizing and removing any source of stress, when possible and when in one's locus of control.

8. Medication if needed. Cortislim, Cortiburn, and Relacore to name a few.

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Top #30 Greatest Ways 2 Lose Belly Fat ~ #12 "Relax"

Top #30 Greatest Ways 2 Lose Belly Fat..

#12 Relax

Research has shown that women with the biggest bellies also suffer with the most amount of stress, which is thought to be due with chronically elevated levels of fat-storage hormone cortisol. Try to adopt some stress reduction techniques to reduce any negative emotions which increase cortisol levels, such as anxiety, anger, fear and stress. Also learning how to nip stress in the bud before it causes damage by engaging in some stress free activities. Knowing yourself, and your body will help when you feel this stress coming on. Knowing when you're stressed you will be able to nip it in the bud by relaxing and not letting the stress take over, which causes your cortisol levels to sky rocket. Stress at times is okay, and most of us thrive on it, but only for a very short time. Allowing the stress to be drawn out and continuous in your daily life is very damaging and extremely unhealthy for your body and for you. Plus it's one of the main culprits which causes that ugly belly fat we all want to get rid of, but seem to have trouble doing so. So add relaxing to your daily to do list and know when you're stressed out so you can relax, de-stress and work towards getting rid of that belly fat. It's all part of loving and taking care of your body.

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Top #30 Greatest Ways 2 Lose Belly Fat ~ #11 "No Crash Diets"

Top #30 Greatest Ways To lose Belly Fat..

#11 No Crash Diets

Try your very best to avoid crash diets and very low calorie diets as well. Don't be tempted by the quick fix for a 48 hour lose 10 pounds fast advertizement, or any quick fix to lose weight the easy way. There are NO easy, quick fixes or magic ways to losing weight or belly fat. If you do these quick fix diets or lower your calorie intake for long lengths of time you will only stress your body and increase cortisol. Also very low calorie diets will trigger the bodies starvation response which therefore slows down your metabolism which causes the body to hold on to body fat reserves more tightly. In doing these quick fix diets or lowering your calories in order to lose weight you only have a back fire effect and come out worse off in the long run. You don't have to starve to lose belly fat, in fact you need to feed your body and make sure your body knows it's being feed. This way your body can let go of that dreaded body fat it holds on to while in fight or flight mode when calories are restricted or you're crash dieting. Doing this is not treating you body good at all. Remember if you want to lose belly fat, body fat you need to treat your body good by feeding it clean, healthy food within 3-4 hours for each meal. Exercise daily, drink lots of water and sleep enough. This is loving your body and in turn your body will love you back!

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Top #30 Greatest Ways 2 Burn Belly Fat ~ #10 "Don't Exercsie Too Much"

Top #30 Greatest Ways To Lose Belly Fat...

#10 Don't exercise too much!         Do not exercise too much! More in this case is not better and can and will most definitely hinder your progress, muscle growth if you over train your body.  A lot of people don't release this and when just starting out you may have to learn the hard way. I always thought more exercise was better in my first year of lifting weights and I over trained my body big time. My brother made me rest a whole week without entering our gym to workout. It was tough for me to do because I was so used to training and loved it so much, but when I returned after a week of full rest my body was full, recovered, muscular and ready to hit the weights again. This time I kept the intensity, but kept it to an hour to 45 minuets. Plus I made sure to take my rest days and rest my muscles.

Over training stresses the body and is more common in weight lifting. After about 45 - 60 minuets of weight training cortisol levels dramatically.  Weight sessions should be intense but brief.  To avoid over training you should match your intensity and length or your weight training sessions to your ability to recover. Some people are able to recover faster than others so listen to your body as it doesn't lie. Mesomorphs tend to recover faster from their workouts verses ectomorphs require a much longer recovery time. So it's very important to know your body and know what your body can handle. Just remember you will not get to your goal faster because you workout 3 hours at a time. Being consistent with your workouts, resting when your suppose to and eating clean will get you to your fit goals.

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Top #30 Greatest Ways 2 Lose Belly Fat ~ #9 "Do Enough Exercise"

Top #30 Greatest Ways To Lose Belly Fat..

#9 Do Enough Exercise

 Don't do as little exercise as possible and think that any exercise is better than no exercise. While this is true with in reason to improve our overall healthy, but you do need to exercise sufficiently to burn fat off your body. Studies have shown and proven that people who ran 12 miles a week did enough to keep the belly fat off, but it wasn't enough to lose any existing belly fat. So basically this means running the 12 miles a week is just maintaining what you currently have now. This may be fine for those who are in top shape and don't need to lose any body fat, or belly fat. Now for those who do need to lose fat then they will have to go much further and exercise much harder to hit that stored fat on their body. Studies also showed people who ran at least 20 miles a week did reach the stored fat on their bodies and were able to lose belly fat. So while you're trying to lose belly fat and overall fat on your body you'll need to do at least 30 minuets of cardio training 5-6 days a week to hit the stored fat on your body. Be consistent and dedicated to this task and you will start to see the fat whittling off your tummy each week. #Exercise

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Top #30 Greatest Ways 2 Lose Belly Fat ~ #8 "Try Boxing"

Top #30 Greatest Ways To Lose Belly Fat..

#8 Try Boxing

Boxing is a great sport and great exercise to work your core and build those abs. In order to throw a punch and twist your torso, you need to engage your core muscles. This will work your ab muscles and burn and trim that belly fat around your middle. Not only does it engage your core muscles while your boxing, it is a great cardio workout for your whole body. Burning fat from your entire body is how we get to those hard to reach stubborn places like that dreaded belly fat around our middle. Incorporating some new and different exercises, and sport activities to your regular workout training will help keep your body guessing and keep your fat burning. Having a variety of exercises and sport activities will keep you and your body from ever getting bored. Try some good old fashioned boxing, bag punching for a awesome fat burning cardio workout and keep trimming down that belly fat.

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Top #30 Greatest Ways 2 Lose Belly Fat ~ #7 "Exercise"

Top #30 Greatest Ways To Lose Belly Fat...

#7 Exercise

It has been proven in research that women who don't exercise gain a whopping 12% deep belly fat just over 8 months time. In other words, you're not just exercising to lose belly fat.. you have to exercise to prevent GAINING belly fat. It is a known fact that you cannot spot reduce and the parts of your body with the most fat are usually the last to go when you're trying losing weight. So you do need to exercise and commit to exercising on a regular daily basis to get to those hard to get fatty parts of your body. We all have our body parts where we gain more weight and men and women will lose differently. Men will lose weight faster than women do, but both men and women will lose in less fatty places first before hitting the more fattier parts of the body. So you do need to continue exercising and not give in after a few weeks, or a months time because you're not seeing results in the places you want to. If you commit and stay consistent over time you will start seeing it trim off your whole body. It's true it takes about 4 weeks for you to see a difference, 8 weeks for others to see a difference and 12 weeks for the world to see. So stick with it and commit to exercising your whole body and you will get to those dreaded fatty places and whittle down that belly fat sooner than you think. Plus you will feel feel good all over being fit, strong, sexy and healthy!

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Top #30 Greatest Ways 2 Lose Belly Fat ~ #6 "Know Your Body Type"

Top #30 Greatest Ways To Lose Belly Fat...

#6 Know Your Body Type

There are three body types, #1 Ectopmorphs ~who are naturally skinny with a fast metabolism.They are light muscled with low body fat. #2 Mesomorph ~who have a athletic build, are well muscled and can lose weight easily. #3 Endomorphs ~who have a sluggish metabolism, higher levels of body fat, gain weight easily and have to work harder than other body types to lose weight.

It's important to have the knowledge of your own body type. Each body type responds differently to training and diet so knowing your own body type and how it reacts will only benefit you and help you in reaching your goals more efficiently. Example: Endomorphs tend to respond and do better with low-carb diet and have to work on losing weight without slowing their already slow metabolic rate. Plus in knowing your body type it will help you make realistic goals. Another example: Ectopmorphs will struggle to boast the ribbed abs of a mesomporph. This is because ectopmorphs gain muscle with great difficulty. While endomorphs can have a flat, toned stomach, it will be more difficult for them. Meaning, endomorphs require a lot more training and clean eating. For a endomorph to achieve 6-pack abs would be much hard and require more training, eating clean than it will for a mesomorph body type. This is because having 6-pack abs requires more muscle and low body fat percentage.

It might not always seem fair and hard to understand for some, but it will benefit you greatly to learn about your own body type so you can work with the body God gave you. We all have our strong parts and our weak parts. Working with them and being able to create and prevail against any odds is what makes it worth while in the long run. It's maybe easier for some that are genetically gifted, but again the ones who are not genetically gifted with more obstacles to work around always work harder and seem to be the best fighters. So whatever body type you are learn about it and how to make it work for you in your life style. Each body type can obtain the fit, sexy, healthy body it was meant to be. It's just all up to you and how hard you're will to work for it?

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Top #30 Greatest Ways 2 Lose Belly Fat ~ #5 Type of Exercise Matters

Top #30 Greatest Ways To Lose Belly Fat

#5 Type of exercise matters...

According to researchers the more weight-bearing exercises you do, the more fat you will burn in your tummy area. Weight- bearing exercise is any type of exercise you do on your feet and legs and that works your muscles and bone against gravity. Not only does it burn more belly fat, but it's essential for building and maintaining healthy bones. Example of weight-bearing exercises are... walking, running, using the elliptical machine, dancing and basketball just to name a very few. Example of non-weight bearing exercises are... swimming, bicycling, floor exercises. 

Weight-bearing exercise and weightlifting exercise might sound similar, but they are done for different healthy benefits. Resistance training mainly focuses on strengthening muscles while the main focus of weight-bearing activity is strengthening bone mass. While most resistance-training exercises do not fall into the weight-bearing category, it is possible to combine the two types of exercise into one. A comprehensive exercise plan should include both modes of fitness.  

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Top #30 Greatest Ways 2 Lose Belly Fat ~ #4 "Exercise @High Intensity"

 Top #30 Greatest Ways To Lose Belly Fat..

#4 Exercise @ High Intensity 

I think the tortoise got it wrong as slow and steady doesn't always win the race. Forget about the "Fat Burning Zone" which is basically exercising at moderately low intensity.  Many studies have shown and proven that exercising at high intensity burns a lot more calories because it can boost metabolism for up to two days after your workout. Another plus is it burns more belly fat and overall fat from your entire body. An Australian study showed that women who did 20 minuets of interval training 3x a week burned more belly fat than women who exercised at moderate intensity for 40 minuets 3x a week. High intensity workouts should be done 2-3 x weekly on no consecutive days. Depending on your condition and what your training for, maintenance, weight loss or competing you can do more high intensity training. If you're just starting out and haven't done any high intensity training you'll want to start slow and work up to doing 2-3 days a week.  If you are in top shape and maintaining or working towards competing you will be able to do more high intensity workouts without any trouble. It is always best to incorporate these high intensity workouts on nonconsecutive days. This way your body can rest and recuperate between your high intensity workouts. Rest is just as important for your body to heal, grow and recuperate before hitting the next high intensity workout.

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Top #30 Greatest Ways 2 Lose Belly Fat ~ #3 "Add Muscle"

Top #30 Greatest Ways To Lose Belly Fat..

 #3 Adding Muscle 

It's no secret that you cannot just spot reduce a specific body part. So getting rid of that dreaded belly fat will take much more than just doing abdominal exercises. You will benefit greatly from a regular full body strength training program. Work out your abs along with your other body parts, one or two each training session. It's best to break your body parts up...Example: Chest/Triceps, Back/Biceps, Legs, Shoulders. Muscle combinations can and should be change to keep your body from adapting. Example: Next time you train your chest combined with your shoulders, triceps/biceps, back/hamstrings and then do your quads/calfs. Adding in your ab exercises either after you train or before, but do not be lazy and promise yourself you'll do them next workout because you're too tired.  Abs are one muscle you can work more often than the other muscle groups which need a day or two between workouts, so you can add them in each workout and rest them on your total rest day. It's true you cannot spot reduce but doing your abs along with strength training and cardio will be the best way to get rid of and keep your belly fat away. Just dieting alone will not do the trick, nor will just exercising alone get rid of that ugly belly fat. You need all three components to get the true benefits in obtaining the fit body and abs you're striving for.

Adding strength training into your workout routine when your trying to lose weight will minimize the loss of muscle. As your losing weight and trimming down your belly fat a lot of muscle can be lost if your not careful. It is inevitable to lose some muscle if your going for weight loss, but adding strength training to your workout routine will help control and minimize your muscle loss. Plus the great benefit of gaining muscle will help you lose more fat even after your workout is done. The more muscle you have the more fat you're able to burn during and after working out. Studies have shown and proven women who do strength training lose more body fat than if they didn't. Plus strength training will also help you keep body fat off.  Strength training along with regular cardio, eating clean and healthy will get rid of that stubborn body fat all over.  Making it part of your everyday life will keep that unwanted, ugly body fat, belly fat  under control and off your beautiful, fit body.

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Top #30 Ways To Lose Belly Fat ~ #2 "Don't Just Diet"

Top #30 Greatest Ways To Lose Belly Fat..

#2 Don't Just Diet... Women who control their calorie intake and exercise regularly lose more belly fat than women who only diet. We need to remember that cutting your calories down to low slows down your metabolism. It also makes your body go into starvation mode and will hang on to your fat as a way of survival. It's important to get enough calories to keep your body fueled and burning. Feed your body 5-6 small meals through out the day, never allowing more than 3-4 hours pass without feeding your body. This will assure that your body will not think it's starving and go into survival mode and hold on to that dreaded belly fat. Keeping your body fueled through out the day along with regular exercise will keep your metabolism burning. Never just diet and restrict calories, starving yourself thinking you'll lose weight or your belly fat. Going that route as many women seem to do will only make your body worse and set you back emotionally as well. You will feel as if you're restricting yourself without any payoff and think why bother? Do it the right way and you'll find you can eat and not starve or restrict yourself so drastically to obtain the goal your striving for... losing belly fat and also being the fit, strong, healthy person you are meant to be.  

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Top #30 Greatest Ways 2 Lose Belly Fat ~ #1 "Cortisol"

Top #30 Greatest Ways To Lose Belly Fat..

#1 Cortisol

Our stomach area ranks among one of the top body parts that both men and women want to slim down. Not all of us want a rock hard wash board stomach or even have the will power or discipline to keep our stomach in that type of condition all the time. Most are able to shed the belly fat and work on their ab muscles to make a difference. There are both hard and easy ways to shed that stubborn belly fat around our mid-section.  There is no such thing as spot reducing a specific area to loose fat, but you do need to exercise your stomach to make it easier to loose fat from that specific area. Overall exercise and doing fat burning cardio will make your stomach area smaller as well as your entire body. There might be things that you're doing in your everyday life that are hindering you from loosing belly fat your stomach area. If you're exercising and doing cardio along with specific ab exercises and your still finding little or no change then we know your diet is the culprit in this case.

#1 Keep this belly fat hormone low "Cortisol"

Cortisol is a fat storage hormone that is released by the body in response to stress in your life. Cortisol isn't a bad hormone as it does have it's specific job to do for our bodies. However, cortisol increases appetite, sugar cravings, causes general weight gain and increases belly fat in stressed individuals.  While cortisol is an important and helpful part of the body’s response to stress, it’s important that the body’s relaxation responses to be activated so the body’s functions can return to normal following a stressful event. Unfortunately, in our current high-stress culture and life situations these days the body’s stress response is activated so often that the body doesn’t always have a chance to return to normal, resulting in a state of chronic stress. This is what causes that awful dreaded belly fat around our mid-section.

Normally, Cortisol is most present in the body at higher levels in the morning, and at its lowest at night. Although stress isn’t the only reason that cortisol is secreted into the bloodstream, it has been termed “the stress hormone” because it’s also secreted in higher levels during the body’s ‘fight or flight’ response to stress, and is responsible for several stress-related changes in the body. Small increases of cortisol have some positive effects:

1. A quick burst of energy for survival reasons

2. Heightened memory functions

3. A burst of increased immunity

4. Lower sensitivity to pain

5. Helps maintain homeostasis in the body

To keep the cortisol levels healthy and under control, the body’s relaxation response should be activated after the fight or flight response occurs. You can learn to relax your body with various stress management techniques, and you can make lifestyle changes in order to keep your body from reacting to stress in the first place. We are all different and will react differently to life's stressful situations. It's true that people with higher levels of cortisol in response to stress also tend to eat more food, and will eat food that is higher in carbohydrates which causes more belly fat. 

It's so important for us to listen and pay attention to our body and know when we are reacting to higher stress levels. If we do this we can do specific things to lower the cortisol levels in our bodies to a healthy level. This will prevent the dreaded fat storage that seems to happen when we just cannot get our stress level under control. Learn to know when this is happening and take daily steps to make time for some of the relaxing techniques. Keep your cortisol levels in check with some relaxing techniques and stress releasing that will keep your mid-section slim and beautiful. If your not sure what relaxing techniques to start doing? Try some of the ones I listed below and maybe from there you can find some good ones of your own that will work for you. "Relax" Chill and make that belly slim, fit and healthy!

1. Journaling

2. Exercise

3. Yoga

4. Listening to Music

5. Breathing Exercises

6. Sex

7. Meditation

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Inspire Me✿ "The Pain"

"Pain"
I can choose to let it define me

confine me

refine me

 outshine me,

or I can choose to move on 

and leave it behind me.

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"You Can't Jump To The Top"

When you set impossible fitness goals, you’re just setting yourself up for failure. You may be able to stick to a rigid exercise schedule in the beginning, but you won’t be able to sustain it over time. This is especially true if  you're not used to hard core training. It’s just too big of a goal! So put aside those sky-high unrealistic goals in the beginning and just focus on setting healthy, achievable ones instead. 

Approach each goal like you approach stairs – one step at a time. If you stood at the bottom of a tall staircase, could you jump from the very bottom to the very top? No, not even if you wish extra, EXTRA hard! But if you scale down the bigger picture, which is to get to the top, you may just be able to jump past a few steps on your way up. Getting to the top is always attainable if you set your mind and commit to it.  Just know it takes time to get to that place and you need to be patient. Let your desire and passion fuel you everyday as you take each step up that staircase to that goal. Believe me it's more worth it when you work hard for it.  If it was so easy as jumping to the top in anything in life we all would be there.

Remember, your body has physical and mental limitations. It can only do so much at a time. But if you take it slow and give your body the time it needs to adapt to your exercise goals, you will get what you want – a slimmer, fitter, healthier you! Always remember to go that extra mile when you're training. It's never as crowed on that road and will set you apart from the crowd.  

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Exercise of the Week✿ "Close-grip Bench Press

Close-grip Bench Press

If your looking to build well shaped and muscular triceps, you might want to thing about adding close grip bench press' to your regiment. This exercise is a pure triceps mass builder and will help add slabs of beef to the lower part of your arms.

This movement is considered a compound movement using triceps as the primary mover while the front shoulders and chest act as secondary muscle groups.

To get the most from this exercise, keep your feet firmly planted on the ground, dig your shoulder blades into the back of the bench, puff you chest out, and keep your head and butt on the bench. Remember, don't bounce the weight off your chest.

This was one of the first exercises I got used to when I first started weight training. I have lots of favorite exercises and this is another one of them. At that time I didn't know how important they are and how much muscle mass they built. It could be one of the reasons that the triceps became my favorite and most developed upper body part. My brother and trainer would have me do regular bench press with Olympic straight bar just as I would do regular bench press, yet he would have me do a real close-grip and pack heavy weight on it for me. He would also have me do them directly after "Skull Crusher" as a finish pump to my triceps. Sometimes I would get into them so much I would just keep pushing past 10-12 reps until I my triceps blew up and I couldn't push no more... To failure! Love that feeling.

Position for the close grip bench press

1. Lie face up on a flat bench. Plant your feet firmly on the ground and keep your back flat against the bench.

2. Grasp a bar with a narrow grip so that your hands are about 2" to 3" (5 to 9 cm) apart.

3. Arms should be fully extended and palms should be facing forward.

Execution of the close grip bench press
1. Keeping your elbows close to your body, slowly lower the weight slowly to your chest. Lightly touch your chest and push upward. Do not bounce the weight. Repeat 3-4 sets.

 

Press play to view an instructional video on how to properly perform the close grip bench press.

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Daily Fit Tip✿ "Quicker isn't Better"

It’s no surprise that exercise is good for your heart, but research suggests that endurance training is the preferred form for better long-term heart health. Endurance training simply refers to low-intensity, high-duration exercises like walking or swimming. It differs from interval training, which is defined by short periods of high-intensity energy bursts followed by a period of rest.

Studies show that those who perform endurance activities regularly have a reduced chance of heart failure, because these activities can help prevent the heart muscle from stiffening. And as an added benefit, adding endurance activities to your workouts can help you burn more calories and lose weight, which also reduces your risk of heart disease.

Take a long walk in the morning or better yet and nice run to get your body burning right at the start of your day.  Even a morning swim is a good wake up call for your body. Gets your body moving, heart pumping and your metabolism burning throughout the rest of your day.  Also, make sure that you’re eating the right foods and feeding your body throughout the course of you day. It all goes hand in hand for a healthy heart and body! 

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Inspire Me✿ "It's A Way Of Life"

 

 Being fit is a way of life.. Not a destination. Fit4life!   ✿

A Dedication♡ "Rare and Special"

Dedicated to someone very Special♡ to me.. Let Your Inner Beast Shine Bright.. You are as Rare and Beautiful as this black lion. You will always be loved and adored inside and out as you are so very Special♡ and always will be. All of you will always shines bright in my eyes..

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12 Ways To A Better Diet ~ #12 "Set New Goals"

12. Measure Success and Set New Goals: Making successful changes means measuring your progress towards your goals and recognizing your accomplishments. All the goals you set and complete will go towards the big picture. The big pitcher is never ending as it's your fit and healthy lifestyle you're constantly working and striving toward. As you meet short-term goals, you can plan the next steps with more confidence. Constantly re-strategizing your goals takes long-term visualization. That long-term vision needs to be broken down into doable steps. These steps are your path way to being fit, healthy and happy each day living, breathing and being fit for life. Always remember it's the goals we make and accomplish that lead our way each day as we continue to live fit for a lifetime. 

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12 Ways To A Better Diet ~ #11 "Focus"

11. Focus on the journey and not the destination - To live a healthy lifestyle is never easy. It takes an enormous amount of dedication, sacrifice and drive to keep your focus on the big picture. The big picture of being fit and healthy and what it takes to keep yourself this way for the rest of your life.  In order to enjoy this lifestyle with all the ups and downs, we must enjoy the process and the journey on the way to our destination. Once we hit our destination we immediately look to the next mountain top and we either want more, or worst case scenario we think that we have accomplished all we need to and we relax on all of the things that got us there in the first place. Take pride in small victories along the way, they add up. Keep taking pride even when you've reach your destination. Don't ever take it for granted because it can disappear much faster than it took to get there. Embrace it and hold on to it by remembering this is a continued journey just as your life is. Keep growing, changing and keep allowing yourself to become and always be fit for life.

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12 Ways To A Better Diet ~ #10 "Don't Rush"

10. Don’t rush into this - People always start with the best of intentions and will try and do everything at once. They get overwhelmed and quit before they really even started. People also get so discouraged not seeing change right away they just figure what's the point. Starting out small and being consistent is the best way. Small changes add up and can make a huge difference over time. Work on one thing at a time and keep adding to it. Before you know it you will have many healthy habits that incorporate together to make a healthy lifestyle and a healthier and happier you. We all have an extraordinary force within us. Remember that always and know that you got this! #Nevergiveup

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Inspire Me✿ "You're Unstoppable"

The great battle is not physical, but psychological. Push yourself and keep going. Get your head in the right spot and you'll make yourself unstoppable in every endeavor you set out to conquer. Start by making your body unstoppable then keep going! #You'reUnstoppable

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12 Ways to A Better Diet ~ #9 "Give Yourself Praise"

9. Give yourself praise - You are not a dog so don’t reward yourself with treats. Realize that changing your eating habits can be a daunting task for anyone. Just think how long you have had your current habits and know that changing those habits will not happen overnight, but with time. Congratulate yourself on any healthy changes you make, you deserve the praise. Praise yourself each day when you finish your workout and have eaten healthy, you feel great and it shows. Praise builds confidence and makes you feel good about the healthy choices you are making, and in turn help keep you on your path to betterment.

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12 Ways To A Better Diet ~ #8 "Have Fun"

8. Have fun - Eating right takes dedication, commitment and sacrifice. Don’t stress yourself out over small bumps in the road. You have the power to change any negative into a positive, and you have the choice to have a positive outlook regarding any situation you find yourself in. You control exactly what you want to do, so why not have fun with your training and look forward to it rather then dreading it. Find fun ways to keep yourself motivated and inspired. Get friends and family involved. Set challenges at home, with friends, or at work to start eating healthier. Take the time to cook and try new and interesting recipes. You are making change for the better, so why not make it enjoyable.  #HaveFun  

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12 Ways To A Better Diet ~ #7 Stick 2 Your Plan

7. Stick with your plan - It takes time to develop healthy behaviors. After about a month of eating better consistently, you will have developed a habit. It is said that it takes at least 4 weeks, 30 days to develop a habit and to show progress in whatever you are setting out to do. This is where consistency is key in keeping with your set plan in play. Keeping to your plan without feeling discouraged or wanting progress too soon and just giving up. This happens in many cases as most want instant results and gratification with minimal work or being earned. You must put in the time, the work and be dedicated to your plan day in and day out to earn the the results you want.  Being consistent, patient and committed to your plan will bring you to the place you so desire and need to be. You will find that everything you initially may have had a hard time doing becomes more effortless and be a normal part of your day to day life.

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12 Way To A Better Diet ~ #6 "Don't be so hard on yourself"

6. Don’t be so hard on yourself - Nobody is perfect all the time. If you mess up, miss a few meals, or even have a bad couple of days, just pick yourself up and get back on track. Don't just give up because of one bad day or few days. You’re doing this for you, and the added stress of not living up to your own expectations can lead to a total diet derailment. Feeling bad and defeated about having a few bad days going off your scheduled diet plan can lead to more self doubt. Doubt may lead you in to self sabotage adding more bad days which can easily become bad weeks if you let it. Being healthy and eating healthy does not mean you can’t enjoy foods not on your meal plan. So don’t be so hard on yourself. Allow yourself a bad day or even two without feeling defeated or bad about yourself. Just realize it for what it is and know your in control and get yourself back on that right track again. YOU CAN DO IT!   

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12 Ways To A Better Diet ~ #5 "Be Flexible"

5. Be flexible - Of course, even the best plans fall short at times. Life can sometimes get the best of all of us. Sometimes your eating routines need to change to fit changes in your day. When you can, try to plan ahead for these events and have items on hand you can take with you when you’re in a rush or are eating out. Example might be... A bag of almonds, protein bars and shakes, fresh fruit, cut veggies. Also educate yourself on nutrition  through the internet, books, and magazines. You can use this knowledge to help you improvise and find foods that are compatible with your diet, for example if you are out with friends or stuck with no time to cook or  running late and haven't prepared food for the day. Find items that are less time consuming that you can take with you in a pinch. Keeping healthy foods and snacks on hand that need no preparation and easy to just grab and go. Being flexible in a crunch will allow you to stay on the fit and healthy path when life throws you a curve ball that changes your day. Being flexible and ready for any changes will keep your healthy eating schedule on track not matter what happens planned or not so planned. 

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Motivational Note✿ "Fighting 4 it"

Everything worth having is worth fighting for.. Your health, your body and your self worth is all worth the fight. Nothing good in life comes easy and if it did we all would have it. Obtaining that amazing feeling you get from being fit, strong and healthy comes from committing to it daily and keeping up the fight for it without ever giving up. If you're a true fighter and a winner in this life you'll never stop fighting for what you want or ever give it up. #Fight2BeFit  ✿

12 Ways To A Better Diet ~ #4 "Consistency is Key"

4. Consistency is key - Most people respond well to consistency. Make a plan and stick to it. Try to eat at around the same times daily and keep to the same portion size and caloric intake.. Your body will recognize this pattern and in turn keep your metabolism burning and your energy levels will stay high. You will feel better, and get in a healthy routine. It is easy to sabotage yourself by grabbing nasty snacks to meet uncontrolled cravings. If you do find yourself in that predicament of not preparing enough food to last throughout your day don't reach for the junk. There are better choices even in some fast food places so it's important that you keep your consistency on track and choose wisely. Don't go without food either because that's just as detrimental to you're system as eating poorly is. The time you spend on planning and consistency is a true investment that will benefit you for the rest of your life.

LoveYourBody♡