So, if you are one of those women and self confidence is something you are struggling with, I invite you to watch this video and learn about the foundation for self confidence and a simple exercise that will help you raise your level of confidence.

I really want you to believe in yourself. Once you do, I know that creating a healthy lifestyle will become so much easier. I am looking forward to taking the journey with you.

If you’d like to share any thoughts on the subject, I would love to hear from you in the comment section below.

And it’s not just about fighting stress. When you follow my advice, I promise you will enjoy life a lot more and be happier too.

So, sit back and play this short video now and then let me know what you think, how it’s working for you, or other tricks that you use successfully in the comments section below.

Here are additional resources for relieving stress:

• How to relieve stress in 5 minutes? (using-spiritual-energy.blogspot.com)
• 9 Tips on Handling and Eliminating Negative Stress (LearnThis.ca)
• Simple Stress Relievers (momblognetwork.com)
• How Owning a Dog or Cat Can Reduce Stress: The Health Benefits of Pet Ownership (seattlepi.com)

The last time I lost a lot of weight was after suffering from hypothyroidism for three years. Those were three miserable years of weight gain, fatigue and depression. After the doctor wanted to put me on anti-depressants, I said enough! I began cleaning up my diet and got on a regular exercise program. It always takes a lot of trial and error and tweaking at first, but eventually I had created a whole new lifestyle for myself. Just six months later I found myself in the best shape ever and with more energy than you can imagine. What’s interesting about that is that I had been bodybuilding since I was 18 years old, but now, at age 32 I was in the best shape of my life!

So here we are, nine years later. After I had struggled for a long time to overcome the economic crisis of 2000 / 2001, another crisis hit in 2008 / 2009. I found myself constantly worried, working all the time – how could I not, I had to pay the bills, and eating. Part of it was that I thought I might not have food tomorrow, so I better eat today, and part of it was that food was all I had, my comfort, my love. While a lot of what I ate was healthy food, I was definitely eating too much of it. Eating chocolate every day didn’t help either.

The unhealthy eating combined with the stress caused by worry and too much work made me literally gain weight every week. It was outright scary. Plus, now that I am over 40, my body has decided that my midsection is the best place to store fat, and we all know that this is the most dangerous fat to have. Before I knew what was happening to me, I was 30 pounds overweight.

Fear and the desire for a better life made me take control again, and just like before there was a period of trial and tweaking, but now I am on a weight loss journey. I have already lost 11 pounds and now it is time to share the system that I have developed with you. It turned out to be the same system I used successfully in 2001.

Over the next couple of weeks I will share with you step-by-step the system I use for losing 30 pounds, from nutrition to exercise to mindset and meditation, and even supplementation. I will reveal all of my best secrets, so that hopefully you will join me on this wonderful journey.

If you want to make sure you don’t miss a step, sign up to receive blog updates via e-mail on the right hand side. If you are already on my e-mail list, I will definitely let you know about the next installment of this series. I am looking forward to hearing from you. Feel free to leave your comments or questions below.

It appears to me that the obese people on the show are surprised and clueless about how they got to be this obese (and unhealthy). I get the feeling that they didn’t know there was actually effort involved in staying fit and healthy.

So, if you are one of those people that never thought about what it takes, no matter what your current weight or level of fitness is, I want you to wake up now!

Except for a tiny percentage of people that are genetically gifted, you have to take care of yourself in order to lead a long, healthy life.

Seriously, it is not enough that you work full-time, are raising your children, taking care of your husband and elderly mother, etc. You actually have to take care of yourself too.

There’s no question about it, exercise is a must. Particularly weight lifting is essential if you are not planning on having brittle bones and being too weak to carry your own grocery bag by the time you are 65.

There are no short cuts and no alternatives to the proper maintenance of your body (and mind).

Here are 5 simple rules you must follow in order to lead the quality of life that you deserve:

1. Work out (cardio and weights) on 3 – 5 days a week. Involve your family, they need it too.
2. Eat 3 – 5 small meals a day consisting of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean protein sources. If your great-grandmother wouldn’t know what it is, don’t eat it!
3. Get an adequate amount of sleep every night. Most people function best on 7.5 – 8 hours of sleep. For me personally it is more like 8 – 8.5 hours.
4. Fight stress with breathing, meditation, yoga, walking, etc. Nothing ages you faster or makes you gain weight faster than stress.
5. Study everything you can get your hands on about nutrition, exercise, and longevity. You are the master of your health, not your doctor.

So there you have it. For many the above might be common sense already, but I hope to reach the few (or many?) that needed a wake-up call.

What’s your opinion? Have you taken charge of your own health? What can I do to help you do that?

Technorati Tags: health – fitness – nutrition – longevity – motivation – women’s fitness

Last Christmas I gave myself the best gift ever, a fuzzy logic rice and slow cooker! Now, the really good news is that it hasn’t been collecting dust, but with the help of a great cookbook that I purchased at the same time, I am using the rice cooker regularly.

What’s amazing is that from the very first dish on, every meal has turned out perfect. So far, I’ve been using the rice cooker to make steel-cut oats, several types of risotto, jook – a type of rice soup, and quinoa. And I know I’ve only scratched the surface of what this rice cooker is capable of. I still haven’t tried making a soup or stew using the slow cooker function, and I am planning on using it to cook other types of grains and beans as well.

Oh, and did I mention clean-up is a snap too? I know you’ll love this rice cooker.

Without this rice cooker, I would have never even thought of trying to cook steel-cut oats. Way too much work! Now I can enjoy this delicious breakfast, which I know is much healthier than the quick oats I used to eat. If you think this is pretty cool, it gets even better! Not only can it cook those steel-cut oats for me without much fuzz, I can actually throw in the oats, water, and a little salt before going to bed, set the timer, and wake up to the wonderful smell of freshly cooked oats.

After I get up, the rice cooker is automatically set to keep the oats warm. I open up the lid, give the oats a good stir and add some agave syrup and frozen blueberries. Then I close the lid again and leave the cooker on the keep warm setting. Ten to fifteen minutes later the blueberries have thawed and I ladle the oats into a bowl. Quick, simple, and delicious!

I am planning on sharing some more of the recipes I use, modify, or invent in some upcoming posts.

Bottom line, I highly recommend you add a rice cooker to your kitchen now. The one I got is a very advanced rice cooker, yet the reasonable price really surprised me. You can check out the current price and availability here:

Sanyo ECJ-D100S 10-Cup Micro-Computerized Rice Cooker/Steamer, White with Stainless Accent

And here’s also the link to the cook book that makes the use of the rice cooker insanely simple:

The Ultimate Rice Cooker Cookbook : 250 No-Fail Recipes for Pilafs, Risottos, Polenta, Chilis, Soups, Porridges, Puddings and More, from Start to Finish in Your Rice Cooker

Do you have any tricks to simplify cooking for you and your family? Please share them with me and the other readers in the comments section.

Technorati Tags: cooking – rice cooker – breakfast – cookbook – steel-cut oats – recipe

The way you feel on the inside is mirrored by your facial expression and posture. The way you feel about yourself shows in the way you act and speak.

Motivation

What does this have to do with fitness, you wonder. Well, in order to change the outside of your body, you have to change the inside first.

You need to become aware of the reason you want to change and also find out what has kept you from changing in the past. Awareness is the first step.

You are important, you are worth it, and you deserve to be your best. It’s so easy to feel that way about someone else, like your children for example, but for some reason it is difficult for most people to think like that about themselves.

The fact is, however, that it is true. And if you feel like your children deserve the best, that means that you have to be the best you can be. Makes sense?

And now hold on to that belief. Don’t just read it and forget it. Think about it and remind yourself every day. This will motivate you.

Obstacles

Change takes energy; not changing is easy. I think that’s one of the reasons we give up on our fitness goals so quickly. It’s easier. The problem is, that it is only easier in the moment. In the future, when you get sick and have to take lots of prescription medication, you will realize that good nutrition and exercise are the easy part.

You might feel like you don’t have the energy to work out. The secret is, that energy comes from exercising. Get started, get the ball rolling, and before you know it will keep on rolling almost all by itself.

Time – Time is like money. We always have enough time and money for what is really important to us. Remember what I said earlier? You are important! You can make the time to exercise, just start with 10 – 15 minutes a day.

Share your goals with friends or family members. Engage them in your physical activities. Teach them what you are learning about nutrition. Try to make it fun. Before you know it, you will be setting an example for everyone.

The New You

So there she is, the new you. How do you feel? You now love and respect yourself. You feel healthy and full of vitality. Your entire family seems to be not only healthier, but also happier. You have common goals. You are walking and playing together. I think even the dog has lost some weight.

This really is how good life can be in 2010. Make yourself, your health, and your family a priority. You deserve it!

Technorati Tags: women’s fitness – health – healthy aging – motivation – obstacles – self-improvement

You might have grown up the same way and it is now really hard for you to form the habit of drinking water.

Well, first off you might wonder why you should care. Why would you want to drink water? It’s no secret that a large part of our body is made up of water. So obviously, if the body consists of water, it needs water, just like it needs all the other nutrients it consists of or needs for energy production.

Most people that don’t drink enough water are in a constant state of being dehydrated. Did you know that thirst can easily be confused with hunger? Dehydration can also cause headaches and take away your energy.

If you are interested in losing weight, drinking water has its advantages. First, if you replace high calorie / high sugar sodas with water, you just reduced your calorie intake significantly without having to diet.

Also, what happens when you lose weight, as the fat practically melts away, lots of toxins are set free that were stored in your fat cells. You need to drink plenty of water to flush out those toxins from your body.

If you exercise and sweat, you need to drink even more water to replace the fluids lost.

Water also serves for transporting nutrients throughout the body. A large part of vitamins are water-soluble. So if you take your multi-vitamin, but don’t drink enough water, you will not get the desired benefits.

By now you are getting a better idea of how important it is to drink water. Now the question is: How do you get started?

What you need to do is form a habit of drinking water. It’s a good idea to drink a glass of water first thing in the morning, since you haven’t had any water for many hours by then and are dehydrated.

You might also consider drinking 1 glass of water before each meal. This way, you will know whether your hunger feeling was actually thirst, and you will slightly fill your stomach, so that you will eat less, which again comes in handy if you are trying to lose weight.

As mentioned above, water consumption is really important when you exercise. Have water before, during, and after exercise.

If you’ve ever met me, you have also met my water bottle. I don’t go anywhere without it. I even keep a bottle of water in my car at all times. You can’t drink water if you don’t have access to it. I’ve installed an under the sink water filter in my kitchen, so that it is easy to refill my water bottles while saving money and preserving the environment.

When I finally started drinking water over 10 years ago, I basically did it by making the decision to do so. It’s like every other decision you make about your health. Commit to it!

And one last note… When I first started drinking water, I did end up going to the bathroom more often. I thought that eventually my bladder will get used to it, but that doesn’t seem to be true. Today I drink lots of water, and I go to the bathroom plenty. Unless you don’t have access to a bathroom, this really isn’t a bad thing!

Technorati Tags: drink water – exercise – weight loss – health

You can get leaner and fitter by doing intense cardio workouts, which in turn will burn fat off and at the same time improve your cardiovascular fitness.

This type of workout will also increase your metabolism, and not just when working out, but for a long time after as well.

To maximize your metabolism (and everyone is able to increase their current metabolism) combine your cardio efforts with weight training and good nutrition that includes 3 – 5 small meals throughout the day.

Every time you eat one of those small meals, your metabolism increases in order to digest your meal. So, when eating several small meals a day, you get those bumps in your metabolism just as many times.

Unless you are completely out of shape, walking will not increase your heart rate enough to increase your metabolism. When was the last time you worked up a sweat when walking? Okay, once in a while I do get sweaty walking, but not because I am working so hard, but because it is too hot outside.

If you are just starting an exercise program, walking is certainly okay to easy yourself back into a routine. But do keep in mind that probably within a month, it will just not be enough to continue making any progress.

So what are you waiting for? Put on some workout clothes and let’s work up a sweat!

Technorati Tags: cardio – aerobics – metabolism – endurance – sweat

Crunches are designed to tone, shape, and strengthen your abdominal muscles, however, they don’t necessarily help getting rid of the layer of fat on top. So, to get your toned abs to actually show, you need to combine your strength training with high intensity cardio intervals. I recommend you do no less than 30 minutes of aerobic exercise 3 – 4 times a week. This can include jogging, cycling, or taking a kick-boxing class at your local gym.

While you will burn fat during strength and cardio training, the combination of the two will also maximize your metabolism, so that you will burn fat long after you stop exercising.

2) Crunches are Not Enough

Crunches mostly strengthen and tone the area of the abdominals that we typically refer to as a six-pack. When we only do crunches we end up neglecting the obliques, running along the sides of the six-pack. These muscles are targeted when we twist and bend as in an oblique crunch for example.

The most important layer of our abdominal muscles is the layer we never see. It’s the underlying layer that gives our torso stability and together with other core muscles let’s us walk upright. One way to address that layer is with static exercises like a plank. Strengthening this layer of muscles will give you a flatter stomach because it draws in your midsection similar to when you hold your breath.

Working all of your abdominal muscles is as good for your health as it is for your looks.

3) Speed Up Your Metabolism

As we age our metabolism naturally slows down. That’s one reason that after the age of 30, a woman typically gains half a pound per year, which is actually comprised of a 1/2 pound of loss in muscle mass and a 1 pound gain in fat. While your calorie intake has not changed – you eat just the way you always have – you end up burning fewer calories causing you to put on the pounds.

At first most of that extra weight ends up on your hips and thighs, but by the time you reach your late 30s, your hormone levels change, and most of it ends up in your mid section.

There’s just one remedy for this problem. You have to eat less and exercise more. With only 200 calories less consumed and about 250 calories burned during exercise every day, you can counteract age related decrease in your metabolism.

To learn more about increasing your metabolism read my article What Is The Best Way To Increase My Metabolism?

For one of the best manuals on getting a flatter stomach check out the best selling Truth About Abs.

Are you looking to get more fiber into your diet? Think it has to taste awful? Think again!
Here’s a quick meal I put together that’s bursting with fiber, protein, and good taste.

All it takes is three simple ingredients:

• 2 high-fiber, low-carb tortillas (found at Walmart),
• About half a can of black beans and brown rice (found at the local health-food store),
• And a couple of tablespoons of hardwood smoked pulled pork (found at Costco).

No cooking involved (pork came cooked and was prepared in microwave). Just pop into your microwave, roll up, and Voila!

A quick, delicious and wholesome meal. Enjoy!