Lose Weight, Gain Control

Being overweight is hazardous to health. It can lead to diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure and increase the risk of cancer. Yet, conventional wisdom says that, “Losing weight is a nothing more than eating smart and exercising more.”

However, with all of the weight loss supplements and products on the market today, most people probably weigh more than they did five years ago.
For those who are finding it difficult to make the “eat smart, exercise more” guideline part of their daily routine, Erin Holland, I want to provide the following tips to help you succeed with your weight loss goals.

Remember that calories count: A calorie is a unit of energy. The energy contained in the food eaten is converted chemically into a form of energy that can be used to fuel daily activities. Calories become a concern when the extra energy in the calories eaten is stored in the body as body fat.

To lose one pound per week, you need to burn 3500 calories. Through a combination of exercise and nutrition, create a caloric deficit of 3500 calories, or 500 calories per day. Do this by tracking the food calories coming in and calories (burned by exercise) going out.

Get enough sleep: Recent studies indicate a strong link between the amount of sleep and the risk of becoming obese. Now there is a new suggestion for people who want to lose weight: Get more sleep. It may seem surprising that sleeping more would prevent obesity because fewer calories are used when resting. However, the effect of chronic tiredness on increased feelings of hunger may be making the difference in obesity risks.

In the study, those who got less than four hours of sleep a night were 73 percent more likely to be overweight than those who got the recommended seven to nine hours of rest. Those who averaged six hours had 23 percent greater risk of being overweight.

Those who average 8 to 9 hours of sleep a day not only reduce the number of hours they are tempted to eat high calorie foods; they also will have the energy to exercise more.

Get enough exercise: A well-rounded fitness program combines cardio-vascular exercise with flexibility and strength training.

To enhance cardio-respiratory endurance, the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), suggests aerobic activities three to five times each week for 20–60 minutes.

Each workout should include a warm up for 5 to 10 minutes and a stretch to cool down during the last 5 to 10 minutes.

The hottest fitness trend today is Kettlebell Training. Kettlebell training is a combination of strength and cardio training. The benefits of a good Kettlbell workout include:

• Build strength.
• Slash and burn fat quickly.
• Increase flexibility, agility, mobility, and improve athletic performance.
• Add tone and definition to the body.
• Boost energy levels.
• Reduce stress and tension
• Get results fast for optimum fitness.

Be a coach: Eating smart and getting regular exercise is a commitment of time and energy that pays off in weight control, muscle strength and lower blood pressure. It also helps to prevent and control many other lifestyle related conditions.

To stay motivated, develop positive self-talk to help ensure compliance with newly developed eating and exercise habits. Repeat motivating phrases such as, “Every day that I work out is one day closer to my goal,’” and “I make time for my health; my health is important,’” or “I am a healthy person who eats right and exercises daily.”

Army Plans to Update Fitness Test

WASHINGTON, DC -- The Army is planning to update its physical fitness test (APFT) for the first time in 30 years, and early indications suggest the new test could include more functional fitness aspects, similar to those included in the Navy’s Operational Fitness and Fueling Series program.

The Army’s Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) is reportedly working on a more combat-focused physical training doctrine, which would be rolled out no earlier than 2011 as part of a multi-phase effort, the Army Times reports. An Army spokeswoman told the Times that a new test probably would not be rolled out until late winter or early spring.

Last year, when Deputy Commanding General Mark Hertling took command of Initial Military Training, he told the Army Times that he intended to re-evaluate the APFT, as well as basic training, which already is being updated.

Currently, soldiers take the APFT twice a year and receive scores for the number of sit-ups and push-ups they can do in two minutes as well as for a timed two-mile run.

“The PT assessment right now—sit-ups, push-ups and running for two miles—that isn’t a real assessment of what soldiers will be doing in theater,” 1st Lt. Anthony L. Baiocco, a company executive officer with the 1-24 Engineer Battalion, Fort Jackson, SC, told the Army Times. “The basic principle is ‘train as you fight, fight as you train,’ but PT-ing alone won’t affect our ability to handle the rigors of the combat environment.”

Officials with the Army’s Physical Fitness School acknowledge that improvements could be made to the APFT, and suggest it will be reformatted to include more functional training aspects.

“That’s kind of a flaw with the system right now because the test is driving everything,” Frank Palkoska, director of the U.S. Army Physical Fitness School at Fort Jackson, SC, told the Army Times. “We primarily train for the assessment. That’s the future. We have to align the assessment with the tasks that soldiers have to perform so that the commander has a better tool in preparation and planning of their unit programs.”

THE APFT 60 SECOND PERFECT PUSH UP WORKOUT

A slightly different hand position can greatly make a difference in your push up count. For example, a wider hand placement puts most of the emphasis on the chest muscle. A closer hand placement works the triceps as much as the chest. Regular stance push ups tone up the front and side deltoids, upper abs, pectorals, some part of lats, triceps and even short head of biceps. Test yourself and discover which position allows you to do the most repetitions. Once you discover this, practice doing that type of pushup in training.

Another tip is to practice your push ups by using an exercise gadget called the Perfect Push Up. The Perfect Push up will dramatically improve your form for pushups. When you begin to use the proper form, you can really have a full body workout which will improve your strength in your shoulders, triceps, biceps, abs, and chest

You can incorporate the Improve Your APFT Workout Plan into your normal work out, or do it as a standalone workout plan. The key to excelling in pushups is repetition. The more daily push ups you can do the better.

Do the Improve Your APFT pushup workouts after you get up, at work, while watching TV or before bed.

Copy and paste the link below and try the APFT 60 second Perfect Push up workout.

PART 1 OF THE APFT TABATA 4 MINUTE AB WORKOUT

Initially most soldiers don't have the strength and power of their abdominals built up. Meaning they can do a lot of sit-ups, but not do them quickly and without resting.

The secret method I suggest is to train you abdominal muscles by using the Tabata method. Tabata is training your abs in four minute cycle, doing an ab exercise for twenty seconds followed by a 10 second rest. Tabata training has a number of benefits. First of all, this type of training is far superior to steady-state exercises when it comes to increasing your sit up count, Secondly, you will quickly discover that you'll be in much better shape when it comes time to perform the sit up test.

Copy and paste the link below to your web browser for my 4-minute Abs from Hell workout.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bYHeIlbVye8