Stay Positive About Your Body and Embrace It!

While you might think being nice to others and remembering to say thank you when someone says something nice or does something for you, it is equally important – if not more important to show yourself the same gratitude and compliment yourself on your body.

Really take a minute to think about when the last time you thanked your body for all that it does for you. Find a few quiet moments everyday to thank every part of your body from your hair to your toes. Thank it for doing it what it does and then take a few minutes to realize what your favorite parts of your body are and really embrace them.

In order to fully accept your body and embrace it, you must first realize that what you see in advertisements, movies and TV is not realistic. Not all women are born with body types that will allow them to be stick-thin. Remember that being healthy doesn’t necessarily mean you will be skinny, and the same goes the other way around.

There are three main body types: ectomorphs, mesomorphs and endomorphs. Understanding which one you are is the first step to fully accepting and loving your body. Ectomorphs in general have small frames with narrow hips and shoulders and are usually tall and thin. Mesomorphs have broad shoulders and carry most of their weight in the upper part of the body and endomorphs generally have more rounded shoulders and have a round appearance overall, and are more likely to be overweight. Genetics and predisposed body types cannot be changed, but they can be accepted and loved because they are what make you the wonderful woman that you are!

The following tips are positive ways to begin appreciating your body and embracing it.

• Exercise! Keeping active requires your body to be in motion and accomplish tasks, not only does this increase your positive energy, it also helps keep you and shape and helps you appreciate all that your body can do for you. Studies have found that engaging in exercise naturally increases the pride you have for your body.
• Compliment others. Complimenting other people has been shown in studies to help you see the good in yourself. Once you begin to compliment others regularly, you might see that you are more likely to start complimenting yourself!
• Gossip! And no talking badly about others is not what this means. It simply means when talking with your gal pals try avoiding talking about your bodies because this generally means talking about your body in a negative way –“I don’t like my hips, I don’t look good in such and such.” Find more fun topics to talk about.
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  From SkinnyMom.com
  
  
  
  

TOASTED ALMOND AND BROCCOLI SOUP

2/3 cup Almonds

3 cups Vegetable Broth

4 Cups broccoli florets, steamed

2 zucchini, sliced and steamed

1/4 tsp Pink Himalayan salt

black pepper (to taste preference)

Preheat oven to 350. Add almonds to blender and grind to a meal. Spread course almond meal on cookie sheet and toast in preheated oven for 5-8 minutes, until toasted and aromatic. Set aside 3 Tbsp almonds for garnish. Add remaining ingredients to Blender, including toasted almonds, and blend until creamy. Serve and garnish with 1/2 Tbsp toasted almond meal.

Servings: 6- 1 cup servings

Calories: 140Fat: 8g

Sodium: 400mg

Carbs: 15g

Fiber 4g

Sugar 4g

Protein: 6g

Get a flat tummy without doing a single crunch!

I'm about to give you something you really want. I know you want it. It doesn't matter if you're a guy or a girl. As long as you're reading this, as long as you're interested in losing weight, there's one goal that we all want to achieve: A flat stomach.

It's the one thing that makes all great bodies look great. It allows you to look

and feel healthy and confident in anything you're wearing, whether it's a t-shirt

and jeans, a tight dress, or a swimsuit at the beach. Want to know the secret to a flat belly--no crunches required? Read on!

For years, I struggled with belly fat. But then I stumbled onto a secret that allowed

me to drop 55 pounds in just 90 days, and finally reveal that flat tummy of my dreams. And in this article, I'm going to show you some very effective exercises you can use to get that tight, washboard stomach.

I'm not talking about just the normal boring sit-ups or crunches, but very effective exercises you probably haven't seen before. Simple movements that will help you get that flat tummy of your dreams in a short period of time.

The first exercise is the lying bicycle: Lie on your back, with your hands behind your head. Lean forward, bringing your shoulders off the floor. Then, begin to lift your knees up off the ground. Begin cycling your legs as if you're pedaling a bicycle, going very slowly at first. As your left knee comes up, twist to try and touch it with your right elbow.  As your right knee comes up, try and touch it with your left elbow. That is one complete rep.  

Start out by doing three sets of 12-15 reps. As the exercise becomes easier, add more reps over time.

This is, in my opinion, one of the best stomach exercises in the world, as it tones both your abs and oblique muscles in one movement.

But you don't always have to train your abs directly to see results. Your abs are stabilizer muscles, used to help you balance yourself and stay upright. So you can train them indirectly by doing simple body weight squats. In fact, squats are one of the most effective exercises you can do if you want to get a flat stomach.

First, when you squat, your abs automatically engage to keep you from falling over. So each

time you squat down (especially if you squat as low as possible), you're stimulating your abs

in a way that's new to them.

Second, squatting works your leg muscles. Your legs are the largest muscle group in your body, so by working them, you burn a lot of calories, which helps get rid of the fat that may be covering your stomach. After all, you can have the strongest stomach muscles in the world, but if they're covered by a layer of fat, nobody will be able to see them! So by training your legs, you're getting the best of both worlds: You're training your abs while burning the fat that covers them!

Another way to accomplish this one-two punch is by walking, but with one very special twist. With every step you take, make sure to tighten your stomach muscles… and hold them tight for as long as you can. By contracting these muscles while you're moving, you're able to really engage them and get them working!

Use these unique exercises and you'll get results much faster than if you stuck to the same boring sit-up routine. It allows you to keep your body confused and get a flat tummy fast. Use these tips. And be sure to share this article with your friends, because once they see your new flat tummy, they're going to beg you to share your secrets with them.

Ways to cut out calories to help you lose weight.

Cut 100 Calories at Breakfast

• Use skim milk in place of flavored Coffee-mate in your two morning mugs.
• Eat a bowl of high-fiber cereal and you'll consume fewer calories all day.
• Order bacon, not sausage, with your eggs.
• Choose a yeast doughnut instead of a denser cake one.

Cut 100 Calories at Lunch

• Use 1 tablespoon of mayo and 1 tablespoon of low-fat cottage cheese to make tuna salad.
• Put barbecue sauce, not honey mustard, on your chicken sandwich at Wendy's.
• Top your burger with onions, lettuce, and tomato and skip the cheese.
• Ask for water or unsweet tea instead of soda
• Slim down your sandwich by using 100% Whole Wheat Sandwich Thins instead of whole wheat bread.
• Toss your salad with 1 tablespoon of dressing until every lettuce leaf is coated. You'll get away with using half the usual serving size. Try this trick at dinner too.
• Skip the crackers and shredded cheese on your chili.

Cut 100 Calories at Dinner

• Trade butter for a flavorful spread made with garlic, fresh rosemary, and light, trans fat-free margarine.
• Making meatballs? Mix half the amount of ground beef the recipe calls for with half as much cooked brown rice or use ground turkey.
• Instead of two slices of medium pepperoni pan pizza, choose thin-crust.
• When munching on chicken wings, don't toss the bones midway through. Seeing the evidence of your feast may help you eat less, studies show.

Cut 100 Calories from a Snack

• Trade 1/2 cup of premium vanilla ice cream for 1/2 cup of Breyers Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough ice cream.
• Ordering a cone? Make it the sugar, not the waffle, kind.
• Grab a Dannon Light & Fit yogurt, not a low-fat fruit blend or opt for Greek Yogurt.
• Replace half the butter in cake, muffin, and brownie recipes with an equal amount of applesauce or mashed bananas. You'll save about 100 calories for every tablespoon you swap.
• Indulge in a slice of angel food cake drizzled with chocolate syrup rather than three cookies.

Cut 250 Calories at Breakfast

• Trade a reduced-fat blueberry muffin for instant oatmeal topped with 1/4 cup of fresh blueberries. Bonus: You'll stay satisfied all morning.
• Measure out your breakfast cereal; overestimating by just 1/3 cup can add 100 calories.
• Enjoy it with a 16-ounce chai latte with skim milk rather than a green tea latte with 2 percent.

Cut 250 Calories at Lunch

• Pick turkey over tuna in your 6-inch sub.
• At the salad bar, reach for shredded Parmesan instead of cheddar and skip the bread.
• Nuke a Lean Cuisine chicken parm instead of having one delivered.

Cut 250 Calories at Dinner

• Make your own salad dressing using low-sodium, fat-free broth in place of 2 tablespoons of oil.
• Having fajitas? Fill up one tortilla rather than three, then eat the rest of your fixings with a fork.
• Sub black beans for refried and hold the side of Mexican rice.
• Order filet mignon instead of a New York strip steak.
• Opt for broccoli chicken over sweet-and-sour, and for steamed brown rice, not fried.

Cut 250 Calories from a Snack

• Bite into a chocolate-covered strawberry rather than a chocolate chip cookie.
• Switch from juice to lemon, cucumber, lime flavored water
• At the mall, curb a craving for a soft pretzel with a 100-calorie pretzel pack

Cut 500 Calories

• Eat fruit before every meal. In a Pennsylvania State University study, people who munched apples 15 minutes before lunch ate about 187 fewer calories.
• Order one brunch entree to share. Who can finish that giant omelet, anyway?
• When making mac and cheese, resist temptation and prep just half the box. Save the rest in a zip-top bag for next time.
• Use your grandmother's Joy of Cooking and you'll save an average of 506 calories over three meals, according to a recent Cornell University study. The secret: Smaller portionsizes and lower-calorie ingredients were called for back then.
• Instead of a Peppermint White Chocolate Mocha for your afternoon pick-me-up, order coffee with a little milk and a dusting of chocolate.
• At happy hour, drink two rum and diet colas and back away from the bowl of stale snack mix.

~Fitness Magazine

Shakeology Greenberry had a taste makeover

Try it today!

When and What To Eat Before Workouts?

If you are working out in the morning, noon or at night, you should always eat something. Some people think working out in the morning before you eat burns more fat, however that is not true. When you awake, your body has been on a long fast and has been burning energy all night. What your body needs are carbohydrates (energy) to help reduce the amount of glycogen you use during exercise and allow you to train longer. Also, lack of proper nutrition prior to working out puts your immune system in jeopardy.

What—Your pre workout meal should be comprised of about 250 calories. It doesn’t need to be very large but it needs to be enough to get you through your allotted workout. It should contain about 50 grams of carbohydrates and about 5-10 grams of protein.

When— A meal that is comprised of about 250 calories should be eaten between 1-2 hours prior to your workout. This will allow the food (energy) to burn throughout your workout. However, pre workout meals that are less than 150 calories can be eaten within 45 minutes of your workout. Here is a list of foods to try prior to workouts:

Chocolate milk

Yogurt

Oatmeal

Cereal

Nuts

Vegetables

Fruit

Fruit and vegetable juices

Peanut butter sandwich

Turkey sandwich

Hard boiled eggs

It is important to note that a consistent balanced diet is the absolute best way to approach daily workout nutrition. Your overall fitness will never hinge on one meal or workout. If you are eating properly, you will always have an efficient amount of fuel to burn.

Lose Belly Fat, The Honest Truth!

First of all, I think most people know what it takes to lose belly fat. However, they are still inclined to click the advertisements to the right of web pages that say, “Lose Belly Fat Tomorrow,” or “Amazing Fat Shedding Pill.”

Come on, be honest with yourself.

There is no way to Lose Belly Fat Tomorrow or by next week. No Way! Whatever you do to try and lose belly fat will take time. I tell my trainees that the time it took to gain the belly fat, it might take twice that time to lose it.

Amazing Fat Shedding Pills are not amazing at all. Each pill, drink, or serum you buy will include some version of the following statement, “this pill should be combined with a comprehensive diet and exercise routine.” So why do you need the pill? A pill’s very limited improvement will only treat the effects of poor nutrition but won’t remove the cause of the belly fat.

The Honest Truth is that losing belly fat will take dedication and a will to succeed. If losing belly fat were easy, everyone would have rock hard abs. Losing belly fat will take the entire family’s support and dedication as well. “Maybe this isn’t for you!” But honestly, you may not have what it takes to do it.

WARNING: THE FOLLOWING CONTAINS THE HONEST TRUTH AND MAY BE UNSUITABLE FOR PEOPLE WHO AREN’T TRULY DEDICATED TO LOSING BELLY FAT. READ AT YOUR OWN RISK!

First, in order to lose belly fat you will have to limit or rid your diet of the following: pastries, cakes, sodas, chips, ice creams, and other simple carbohydrates and sugars. Each of these are a waste of calories and should be considered belly fat friendly. Try to replace white breads with whole grain, sodas with water, and chips and ice creams with nuts, fruits, and yogurt.

Second, you will need to start an exercise program that allows you to reach your target heart rate and maintain it for 30-60 minutes per day. This means high intensity training (squat jumps, jumping jacks, running in place, box jumps, butt kickers, rope jumping, frog jumps, mountain climbers, and etc.) and cardio-vascular exercises (running, stair climbing, biking, swimming, brisk walking, elliptical training, soccer, basketball, dancing, zumba, and etc.). Whoever said losing belly fat would be easy and painless LIED! It will take very hard work and often times your mental toughness will be tested. However, the results are well worth the struggle.

The real secret to losing belly fat is to lose weight. Hundreds of crunches will strengthen the abdominals under the belly fat but will do little to shrink the belly fat. Losing weight requires a balanced diet and exercise program. There is no magic pill or machine. There is no ancient secret to losing it fast. There is no easy way out. The honest truth: prepare to work hard and be disciplined or prepare to have that belly fat forever.