Even Matthew McConaughey's Body Fades
celebrity fitness, matthew mcconaughey
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For those who are struggling to keep up with their beach body, don't think you're the only one with the problem. Even celebrities like Matthew McConaughey, who have no responsibilities other than doing a movie every few years, have trouble sticking to their beach body.
Matthew McConaughey, who is well known for running around on the beach with his shirt off and thinking he's cool, was recently photographed not looking all that great. He seems to have lost his six pack (side note, his hair looks all kinds of messed) and although his body isn't terrible, it's not how it used to be.
Here's a picture of what Matthew McConaughey looks like now:
Here's an older picture of Matthew McConaughey:
So if you're getting all depressed because your belly isn't looking as great as it used to, just know that Matthew McConaughey's having the same problems.
Now we have to find out what Diet and workout Matthew McConaughey is on so that we can know what NOT to do to achieve our fitness goals.
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on 5/31/2008
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0 |
133.5
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First Look at Getting in Shape with Nintendo Wii
nintendo wii, wii fitness, wii fit
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Finally got ahold of a Nintendo Wii and I’m anxious to see how they can assist you in your fitness and weight loss goals. I bought the Wii Fit as well – which gives your fitness a boost – but I haven’t had time to get that set up yet.
For now, I just checked out the basic Wii System
I played the Wii Sports game that accompanied the console, and “simple, but fun” is the best way to describe it. The graphics are poor but the idea behind the gameplay is very fun – and very active.
Since boxing is my favorite sport ever, I tried out the boxing mini-game. Although it was a little too easy to just keep punching away at the guy, it gives you a great cardio workout. It’s fun too. I tried out several of the other games, like tennis, golf, and baseball, and they were also pretty entertaining.
The Baseball and Golf games only provided a small workout, but the tennis was pretty active. I found myself jumping back and forth, back handing and mixing up how hard I would hit the ball – it was a fun way to mix in a workout.
Overall, I think the Wii is great for people who get bored with cardio workouts. The boxing will give you just as good of a workout as using an elliptical – and it’s a lot more entertaining.
I’ll be setting up the Wii Fit and purchasing more games soon. Expect more Wii Fitness posts in the near future.
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on 5/28/2008
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0 |
23.1
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Resistance Training and Pain Killers - Could this Mix Help You Bulk Up?
pain killers, wacky finds, ibuprofen, muscle mass, resistance training
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A new study shows that taking pain killers with resistance training can help you build muscle.
The study was performed over 12 weeks with all elderly subjects, so it may not have much effect on younger people (but they have not ruled that out). Each person was either given a ibuprofen, acetaminophen, or a placebo and worked out 3 times a week.
"We used 1200 milligrams a day for ibuprofen and 4000 milligrams per day of acetaminophen, which is the maximum over-the-counter daily dose," Dr. Trappe explained told Reuters.
He also stated that subjects taking ibuprofen experienced 40 to 60 percent more growth than those taking the placebo. The scientists were shocked by the results because they had expected the opposite, negative reaction from the pain killers.
Should we take pain killers before we workout?
If you're older than 60, I'd say definitely give it a try. The study showed big time improvement from taking pain killers before resistance training. If you're younger than that, you might want to try it, but they haven't proven any increase in muscle size with younger adults.
I'd use caution when taking too many substances which can damage the liver. I assume most serious bodybuilders are already hopped up on 50 different supplements before hitting the gym.
Here's more info about pain killers affecting muscle growth.
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on 5/27/2008
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0 |
26.4
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Catch up on Fitness this Memorial Day Weekend
holiday fitness, goals, fitness goals, fitness planning
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Memorial Day Weekend is finally here and we can all enjoy a three day weekend. Most of us are looking forward to some boozing and hanging out with friends - and traveling if you're not phased by the screwy gas prices.
You could use this extra day off to jump-start your fitness goals!
If you don't have much planned this weekend, definitely spend time planning out your health and fitness goals (if it's important to you... I imagine it is because you're on this site). This vacation is an excellent way to get back on track and really gear up for bathing suit weather. By the way, if you're just starting to think about getting a bathing suit bod now, you're a little behind schedule... but it's not too late.
Am I saying you should spend all weekend on a treadmill?
No... In fact, maybe just throw one or two workouts in this holiday weekend. But, there's several things you can do to get your health life back on track.
1. Take advantage of the extra time and get in a solid workout - it'll feel good. A lot of times we're squeezing our workouts in between work and dinner time. This weekend gives a great opportunity to get every last set in.
2. Sit down and re-plan you goals - Now that you're aware that it's finally beach weather, analyze if your body is where you want it to be. Either way, whether you're happy with the bod or not - set new goals on maintenance or improvement.
3. Catch up on Life - I mentioned earlier that you're probably squeezing in your workouts. Mainly because we still have lots of tasks on our "To Do" list that we don't have time to do. Get them done this weekend and they won't take away from your workout time next week.
That being said... Also do your best to have fun - cause that's probably important for mental health and stuff.
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on 5/23/2008
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0 |
8
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Should You Alternate Arms with your Front Deltoid Raise?
deltoid raise
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Most people use the Front deltoid Raise in their shoulder workouts - but I've noticed that some people alternate arms while others raise both arms at once.
By the way, I'm talking about when using dumbbells (obviously you can't alternate arms when using a barbell).
I've always alternated arms when doing front deltoid raises with dumbbells, but I do see a lot of people doing it differently at the gym.
Obviously it's not a huge deal which way you chose, but I was wondering if there's a proven (or strongly opinionated) way of doing it.
So what is everyone else doing? Hopefully no matter what you're doing your not using your body to throw the weights up - I snicker when I see people do that at my gym.
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on 5/22/2008
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0 |
20.9
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Alli Side Effects that Wouldn't be Worth the Weight Loss
dietary supplements, supplements, alli, side effects
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I was looking a little into the Alli dietary supplement, which I'm sure does not work, and noticed that it has some very unpleasant side effects.
The label states that "you may experience bowel changes when taking Alli. Ads and marketing materials refer to these changes as "treatment effects." These side effects can include:
- Gas with an oily anal discharge
- Loose stools or diarrhea
- More frequent bowel movements
- Hard-to-control bowel movements
Seems quite unpleasant! And a good reason to leave this dietary supplement sitting on the shelf.
First off, I'm pretty sure that the Alli supplement does not work. It claims to be your "ally" in drastic weight loss, but I have yet to hear any success stories. And from those side effects, it seems like the supplement joins Mexican Food as your Enemy.
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on 5/21/2008
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0 |
77.9
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The Coconut Diet: Similar to Atkins Diet
dietings, diets, coconut diet, weight loss
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Some people are willing to sell anything and this is why some bad ideas are actually launched on the market, much to the dismay of unsuspecting customers who are duped by the hype and advertising. One such bad idea is the Coconut Diet, which is yet another of those diets that add some kind of miracle ingredient to a strict eating program and hope that everything turns out great. The magic ingredient in this case is the coconut oil and its metabolism boosting capacity. It seems that coconut oil can be rapidly burnt by the body, despite the fact that it is rich in saturated fats.
This diet is in fact a regular low-carb diet, very similar to Atkins. During the first stage of the diet, users are not allowed to eat any kind of carbohydrates and must do with lean foods, such as eggs, nuts, cheese, fish, chicken, turkey and up to 10 glasses of water per day. They also have to swallow 2-3 tablespoons of coconut oil per day. The first stage lasts for three weeks, only to be followed by an optional detox stage. This stage lasts for 4 weeks and focuses on cleansing the liver, kidneys, gallbladder and colon through certain interesting means (such as drinking water mixed with lemon juice and olive oil).
The third stage of the diet is the reintroduction of carbohydrates in the daily eating plan. Starting with fruit, wholegrains and potatoes, the dieter is once more allowed to eat carbs. It is assumed that the dieter has lost more than 10 pounds by this point and still maintaining a weight loss pace of 1-2 pounds per week. The fourth stage of the diet means that even more carbohydrates are added to the eating plan, while still drinking coconut oil.
Unfortunately, the person behind this diet provides no sound explanation for the alleged positive influence of coconut oil on weight loss. While it’s true that coconut oil helps regulate the thyroid gland, it has far too much saturated fat to be healthy. Furthermore, it’s not very clear whether the... read entire entry
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on 5/19/2008
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0 |
11
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iPhone Fitness Blogging
iphone fitness, iphone blogging
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Smartphones like the iPhone have been revolutionizing the Internet and have the potential to do the same for the health and fitness industry. While some suggest that tracking workouts at the gym is useful with the iPhone, I'm hesitant to get into that because think my workouts would take double the time if I had to type after each set. For those interested - fitconnect will soon have this feature.
But I'll try fitness iPhone blogging
I recently bought an iPhone an the web browse feature is great. I'm testing right now by writing this blog via iPhone. Maybe now I'll be able to share fitness advice on the go or while I'm sitting on the train.
I've noticed some disadvantages of iPhone blogging - as I write this.
1. The iPhone keypad is great - especially if you use horizontal screen - but it still is way slower than typing.
2. I cant upload images via browser FTP. Thus, I'll have to add images later when I get home.
3. It's harder to research topics in separate browsers because switching browsers is more tedious with the iPhone.
4. Can't copy and paste - or if you can, I haven't figured out how to do it.
iPhone blogging still has its perks
1. Convenient to kill time if you're bored somewhere.
2. You can blog about fitness thoughts before you forget them. Example: if you go to the gym in the morning, think of some exercise advice, you can type up a tip or blog on your iPhone at work- if your work blocks your internet or you dont work by a computer.
3. When your done blogging your fitness thoughts on an iPhone you feel much prouder of your iPhone keying abilities. And you'll now be a faster text messager - which can really help when you get a text message from your girlfriend saying "who is Bambi and why is she calling for you?"
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on 5/16/2008
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0 |
19.9
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The Healthy and Unhealthy Way of Drinking Diet Soda
dieting, diet coke, diet soda
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Diet Soda can be your best friend or your hidden worst enemy. The zero calorie beverage that imitates it's high calorie twin is very popular for those watching their weight. But can drinking diet soda actually be a secret obstacle in achieving your weight loss goals?
I've analyzed the situation and I've realized that there's a right and wrong way of drinking diet soda. Sorry, I can't cite any grandiose double blind study - but they're usually fabricated anyway.
The Right Way of Drinking Diet Soda
Let's start with an example. Your friends are sitting down for dinner and everyone's ordering soda, beers, and you don't like the taste of just water - order a diet coke. The key here is that you're already committed to eating and if you're like most people, you need liquid to go with the food. We're used to mixing food and drinks. If you don't like drinking water, definitely ordering a diet soda is smarter than ordering a calorie containing beverage. Basically, if you are choosing between one or the other - regular soda vs diet soda - choosing diet is utilizing the right way of drinking diet soda. The "right way" is pretty simple.
But What about the Wrong Way of Drinking Diet Soda?
Many people fall victim to the diet soda death trap without even knowing it. Many people start off with good intentions and utilize the right way of drinking diet soda. Why drink something with calories if I could drink something without calories that tastes the same? But then they don't realize the implications of drinking diet soda when the decision isn't between regular soda or diet soda.
Many people get in the habit of drinking diet soda almost constantly. Since it's zero calories, they can drink as much as they like without breaking their diet. But there's other effects of drinking diet soda.
As I mentioned earlier, we're used to mixing food and drinks. When you sit down to drink some diet soda, the drink you're u... read entire entry
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on 5/14/2008
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0 |
22.6
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Exercise Making You Tired? Think Again
fatigue, tiredness, energy
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Unless you hit powerball or are really ridiculously good looking, you probably have a job - which is tiring. This leads many people to skip their workouts because they think they're too tired or that they'll be too tired later in the day.
Wrong... When you exercise, endorphins enter your bloodstream which has a lasting energizing affect on your body. Meaning a morning workout will actually give you an energy boost throughout your day.
Still think you're feeling tired after working out?
Unless you're running a marathon or swimming tons of laps - you're probably not tired. It's actually just fatigue - which is a part of all everyday tasks. The tiredness is an illusion, wake up from it, and you'll wake up throughout the day.
Increase Your Energy Supply
I previously mentioned how your body won't be tired, but it will feel fatigued. This fatigue actually wears off as your body gets used to the extra activity your involved in throughout the day. The energy gained from the exercising stays - thus increasing your energy supply and warding off fatigue.
It doesn't take much, I recommend doing something simple like Air Squats in the morning or my personal favorite is hitting the heavy bag for a few rounds.
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on 5/13/2008
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0 |
26.2
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Save the Boozing for After your Workouts
alcohol and fitness, pre-workout
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If you're reading this, you probably have an interest in working out - and most likely, you do some boozing in your free time as well. Unless you were born yesterday, you understand that it's not smart to mix the two (exercising and getting drunk). We're all aware that drinking messes with your motor skills and will decrease performance and possibly lead to injury.
What if I just have one drink and then wait a few hours?
While it's obviously stupid to exercise while drunk, something not as obvious is dehydration. A typical drinker can have a beer or two and a few hours later they're perfectly fine to drive or anything else. But, the dehydration effect from drinking still lasts. Dehydration can have a negative impact on your workouts performance and productivity.
So if you know you're going to the gym later in the day, maybe you should skip out on those happy hour drinks. Or possibly just go for the nachos and have a glass of water - not as fun, but at least you'll still perform well in the gym.
Can't live without happy hour drinks?
I recommend switching your gym schedule so that you workout in the morning. If you exercise in the morning (you can do without the morning bloody mary) you'll have time to rehydrate yourself throughout the day. Then you can drink yourself silly at happy hour without having to worry about a gym visit until the next morning - which should give you sufficient time to rehydrate.
I like fitness and drinking - let's try to make them work together.
Similar Posts
Exercise causing Heartburn? Try this
Lack of Sleep Linked to Smoking, Heavy Drinking, Inactivity
Drink Beer, Have Fun, Enjoy Life, and Still Have a Rockin Bod!
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on 5/12/2008
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0 |
13.6
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Walk for Life... Your own Life
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Walking, a very simple exercise, has many health benefits. In fact, it is proven to increase your life span - more legitimately proven than that exercise gizmo you ordered off of late night tv.
A study conducted over 8 years, with 13,000 people, showed significant decrease in premature death with subjects who walked 30 minutes a day when compared to those who were mostly inactive. It's pretty crazy to think that every step your take your somewhat buying yourself another millisecond of time on earth.
How does Walking Increase Longevity?
Walking does many things to increase both longevity and quality of life. Walking can help you live longer by lowering your blood pressure, reducing blood cholesterol, and improving your cardiovascular system. It also improves how well you live the rest of your life by maintaining the youth of your body. Walking assists maintenance of bone strength and burns calories to avoid weight gain.
Want to live longer and healthier?
I do - life's pretty fun. So I try to walk more and sit less. If you go to the gym and run, you probably don't have to focus on walking - but it can't hurt to get a few more steps in. If you're not active, and you are not the type to hit the gym, you need to focus on stepping. The weather has been great recently (by me at least), go out walking. You don't even need to break a sweat (if you're not the sweating type). Check out my walking tips before you get started.
But seriously, start walking - your life might depend on it.
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on 5/9/2008
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1 |
10.6
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Exercise Causing Heartburn? Try This
heart burn, pre-workout
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Many people report suffering from heartburn when being physically active. In fact, it causes some people to suspect they're having a heart attack.
Strenuous Exercise + Burning in Chest = Wait, am I having a heart attack?
Well, hopefully not. And if it's just heart burn, here's some tips to sooth and avoid the burning.
Tips to Avoid Heart Burn During Exercise
1. Avoid spicy and hot foods, and highly caffeinated beverages before your workout. This means you might have to cut out the energy drinks or coffee that gives you an extra boost.
2. Possibly tone down the intensity of your workout. Maybe your body doesn't react well to certain exercises at certain levels of intensity. Test out which ones are heart friendly and which ones have you ducking out early due to chest pain.
3. Try taking Prilosec on a regular basis. This must be taken every day, but it prevents getting heart burn from starting, unlike most antacids that fight the burn once it starts.
4. Snack on a dairy product before workout out. Drink a small glass of milk or have some yogurt. Avoid an all out dairy meal, however, or you might get sick during your workout.
5. Plan meals at least 2 hours before your workout. This will allow your body to digest the food instead of burping it back up as you workout.
Get instant fitness advice, Subscribe to my Fitness Blog RSS Feed.
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on 5/7/2008
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0 |
33.2
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Anorexia Causes People Magazine to Bypass Mary-Kate Olson in Most Beautiful People List
eating disorders, celebrity fitness
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People Magazine recently released their list of the most beautiful people and Ashley Olson was featured toward the top. Mary-Kate, her younger sister (by 2 hours), did not make the list.
But they look identical
Although Mary-Kate and Ashley were able to fool us all into thinking Michelle Tanner was played by one person, they're "identicalness" has slightly faded. While Ashley is really skinny, Mary-Kate is downright skin and bones.
Over-doing the Skinniness
In my opinion, the primary reason that Ashley graced the charts and Mary-Kate took a beating is due to Mary-Kate's anorexic binges which climaxed in 2005. Her face looks bony and frail. She almost looks like she has a disease. I feel bad being so critical, but she's ruined her look (she made the choice).
Skinnier isn't always better
This silent statement by People magazine shows that skinnier is not always more attractive. When looking to lose weight, be sure that your weight loss goals have an ending point. Getting caught up with being skinnier and skinnier can become an obsession, a sickness. Once you reach your weight loss goal, set a different goal toward maintaining your new body.
The future for Mary-Kate
Hopefully this public diss by People Magazine will cause Mary-Kate to wake up and realize that if she puts on a few pounds she'd be a lot more attractive.
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on 5/7/2008
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0 |
19.4
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Air Squats - It's Not Always About Weight
air squats, squats, quick workouts
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Squatting is one of the best exercises out there. Perhaps the king of the leg exercises, squats work your entire lower half - which results in building and toning your biggest mucles.
"How much can you squat" - Commonly heard in the gym. Have you ever heard someone ask "how many?"
How many wouldn't be a proper question if we were talking about weighted squats, where resistance is the almighty judge of performance. But have you ever tried Air Squats?
Air Squats are just like the barbell squats you're used to - minus the barbell and weight. These are based strictly on body weight, and they're highly underestimated. Utilizing air squats can help burn calories, tone your butt and legs, and confuse your muscles with high rep volume.
Benefits of Air Squats
1. You can do them anywhere and don't have to work up a sweat.
2. No equipment needed
3. Can be done while watching television
4. People of all fitness levels can benefit from air squats
5. Minimal injury risk
6. Ability to do higher reps than weighted squats
7. Absence of weight let's you develop good form
I recommend trying a few 50 rep sets of air squats in the morning before you head off to work, or class, or whatever you do. They take minimal time, effort, and if you're good you can avoid breaking a sweat. They still give you a good calories burn and are useful for toning up your legs.
Like my writing? Subscribe to my Fitness RSS feed.
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on 5/5/2008
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0 |
27.4
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Losing Weight Means Believing You Can
attitude, self esteem
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A recent study shows that believing you will be able to lose weight makes a big difference on whether you'll be able to lose the weight or not. Feel like you can't drop the weight no matter what you do? Maybe that feeling is your biggest obstacle.
The study was performed by Queensland University of Technology and headed by Rhonda Anderson. She claims that self-efficacy plays a role in whether people actually lose weight or not. The survey was performed with more thatn 560 subjects, who were surveyed on their diet and exercise habits. Although the exact numbers were not available, the results showed that a significant number of those who believed they could lose weight, lost it.
So what does this mean?
Think positive. You have to really set your goals and believe you can achieve them - or at least come close. Even if you initially don't think you can do it, lie to yourself. There's nothing to lose if you're wrong... right? So no matter what you think at the moment, tell yourself that you can do it, and you're chances of "doing it" will greatly increase.
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on 5/4/2008
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0 |
21
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Halle Berry Burns Pregnancy Fat in 6 Weeks with the 5 Factor Diet
celebrity fitness, dieting
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It has only been six weeks since Halle gave birth to a little berry and she's already slimmed down to her old body. At the age of 41, she's managed to change herself from a Pregnant Bohemith, to a Hot Mom - in just six weeks.
How did Halle slim down?
First off, while she was pregnant, she didn't let herself become a whale. She obviously wasn't going crazy at the gym, but she still managed to keep up with some of her fitness routines. She stayed active with yoga, swimming, and lifting light weights - along with a healthy diet. She had a cool fitness plan too.
The 5-Factor Fitness Plan
The plan was developed by Harley Pasternak and involves both exercise and dieting. Although I don't know all the secrets of the 5-factor fitness plan, I've heard it's a very easy plan to follow - I would have expected Halle to do something more difficult, but whatever. The 5-Factor Fitness Plan involves a 25 minute exercise program that should be performed 5 times a week. That's only a little more thatn 2 hours of exercise a week - but it worked for her.
For dieting, the 5-Factor Fitness Plan involves 5 meals per day (Harley's favorite number must have been 5). One cool thing about the plan is that there's no carb counting, point tracking, or crazy tracking that gets you all flustered. Some people like diets like that, but some don't. This is for someone who doesn't like tracking. Most the meals involve healthy proteins, low glycemic carbs, fiber, and omega 3s.
Recommend the 5-Factor Fitness Plan?
I'm undecided. I haven't tried the plan, so I won't give it my recommendation, but it could work for some people. It's best to read up on tons of fitness and diet plans and find one that you could easily fit into your lifestyle.
If you want to try it out, you can go to 5factordiet.com - It's not a commission link and I don't have any deal with the creator, but I figured it'd be dumb to explain the ... read entire entry
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on 5/1/2008
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0 |
47.6
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