Lose weight with a right daily schedule

6:30 AM: Get Some Early Exercise
"Studies show that most people who wear pedometers clock up more steps before lunch compared to after lunch," says accredited dietitian Kate Di Prima. "Morning exercise raises your heart rate and metabolism early to give you physical energy for hours, so from that perspective it also helps burn more calories throughout the day." Depending on where you live, there are also generally lower pollution levels in the morning.

7:15 AM: Have Breakfast
"Eating breakfast kick-starts your metabolism -- especially since we don't eat for around ten hours overnight," says Di Prima. "Eggs are a high-satiety food and good to begin the day with."

Keep your carbohydrate intake light at breakfast if you're trying to lose weight; think one slice of wholegrain toast instead of two, and include beans or spinach rather than the empty calories of white bread, jam and butter.

"Aim to get 25 percent of your total day's calories at breakfast, with five other small meals throughout the day. Think breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, dinner like a pauper -- and two dainty snacks -- like a princess!"

9:15 AM: Skip the Morning Latte
Forgo the large, full-fat latte in favor of a small, skim latte, or better still, try tea. "This will save a lot of calories," says naturopath Kevin Griffiths. "It will also help keep sugar cravings in check, and blood sugar levels on an even keel."

11:00 AM: Ditch the Juice
Have an apple instead. "A glass of apple juice has the calories of almost three apples," says Di Prima. Studies also show that regular fruit juice intake may increase diabetes risk by 50% due to massive sugar hits. "Also, the fiber -- which is what helps you fill up faster -- is left out of the juice. By making this one swap you'll save calories every day."

12:30 PM: Love Your Lunch
"Don't eat at your desk. Get outside, go for a walk and be conscious when you do eat of what's going into your mouth," says Di Prima. "If you want to cut carbs, have a stir-fry with extra sprouts and vegies, but ask for fewer noodles. Eat fish with salad instead of fries, and if you must have bread, ditch the top of the sandwich and have it open." Plus: What's for Dinner? Try a Quick Stir-Fry Recipe!

3:30 PM: Avoid the Afternoon Sugar Slump
If you don't want to look like the Michelin Man, drink water and avoid soft drinks. A Harvard study of 6000 people found that drinking just one soft drink a day (diet or standard) increased the risk of obesity by 31%. And now there's more evidence that diet drinks are as bad as normal ones; one university study found that rats fed artificially sweetened drinks for ten days gained more weight than those fed sugar-sweetened drinks. Researchers theorize that when you eat artificial sweeteners, your body prepares for a large intake of calories. When these fail to materialize, your body demands food by making you feel hungry. Di Prima agrees. "Soft drinks are liquid candy. Aim to make water the main drink that passes your lips, outside of a daily coffee and a glass or two of skim or low-fat milk. And aim for a maximum three or four glasses of wine or beer per week. "Beat sugar and salt slumps by having solid food snacks at your desk, such as low-fat yogurt or fresh fruit."


4:30 PM: Breathe Easier
Although morning exercise suits many people, for athletes looking for that extra endurance -- or for those who are asthmatic or easily exhausted -- working out between 4pm and 5pm may be best. One study of 4800 people by the American College of Chest Physicians found that lung function peaks (at about 20% higher) during this period, with midday exercise returning the lowest lung function.

"The main thing is to exercise at a time that's best for you," says Rob Daly, an exercise physiologist from the University of Melbourne. "For people with depression, sunlight on the eyeballs in the morning is good. For others, afternoon works better. The main thing is to do it -- not just think about it."

6:30 PM: Enjoy a Drink
There have been countless studies trumpeting the health benefits of moderate daily alcohol intake (emphasis on "moderate"), with wines -- especially the newer organic breeds – linked to reductions in arterial and cardiovascular diseases. So go ahead, we're not saints or robots.

But try to aim for low-alcohol (and therefore low-calorie) varieties, and don't be fooled by the latest low-carb beers; it's the calories that count, and there's actually little difference in calories content between standard beer and the low-carb varieties.



8:00 PM: Stop Eating
"Unless you are an insulin-dependent diabetic, it's better not to eat two to three hours before bed," says Di Prima. "If you are tempted, give your body an 'automatic' brain signal that eating is over for the night. This might include washing the dishes, putting away all the leftovers and flossing and cleaning your teeth thoroughly. If you've done this, you're less likely to be tempted to put anything but herbal tea past your lips late at night."

By Jane Washington from HealthSmart

Understand the things impact you belly fat

Belly fat is worst fat on your body.

Excess accumulation of belly fat is more dangerous than any other fat around your hips and thighs. Belly fat is very common to associated with serious health problems, such as high blood pressure, stroke, heart disease, and type 2 diabetes. Your genes could be one reason that contribute to overweight and accumulate belly fat, but poor lifestyle are most likely to cause the issue. Belly fat appears to be especially bad for the heart. Studies have linked belly fat to heart failure, atherosclerosis, and other cardiovascular problems. It also has been associated with osteoporosis, dementia, Alzheimer's disease, diabetes, colorectal cancer, metabolic syndrome, high blood pressure, and other health problems.

Common misunderstanding: High-fat foods are the biggest cause of belly fat.

Eating fatty foods such as butter, cheese and fatty meats a lot does excess calories, increase waistline and contribute to your belly fat. Still, there is no single factor of belly fat. It could be your genetics, diet, age, lifestyle and most likely the combination of them.  Changing dietary habits can help you fight the battle of the bulge and fight belly fat: Read nutrition labels, reduce trans fats and saturated fats, increase the amount of fruits and veggies you eat, and control and reduce your portions.

Calories from drinks are worse than others for belly fat.

Excess calories from sweetened beverages, alcohol, or oversized portions of food can increase belly fat. Especially the alcohol, it has almost as many calories as fat. And because when you drink alcohol, your liver is too busy burning off alcohol to burn off fat, leaving you with a beer belly. Studies show that alcohol can also make you feel hungry by affecting hormones and blood sugar that regulate a sense of satiety.

Remember, you should always avoid Trans fat.

Modern researchers found that trans fats which are created by partially hydrogenated oil not only will cause heart disease, alzhimer's disease, diabetes, etc. but also increase the amount of fat around the belly and move fat from other parts of the body to you belly. Trans fats may be found in such foods as margarine, pastries, cookies and crackers, and fried and convenience foods. Training yourself to read product labels or looking zero trans fat mark when you buy the food is a good practise to avoid trans fat.

Drink green tea to fight belly fat.

Green tea could be the best drink to help you fight belly fat, it contains salubrious polyphenols, in particular catechins, the most abundant of which is epigallocatechin gallate. Green tea also contains carotenoids, tocopherols, ascorbic acid (vitamin C), minerals such as chromium, manganese, selenium or zinc, and certain phytochemical compounds. Green tea consumption has been associated with several health benefits, such as hydration, cardiovascular health, cognition, and weight management. These different health-related benefits have been attributed to specific dietary compounds found in tea, such as flavonoids (including catechins), theanine and caffeine. Drink green tea daily can help you lose weight as a lot of researchers have demonstrated substances in green tea such as catechins stimulate the body to burn calories and lead to loss of belly fat.

Avoid fast food as much as you can.

Almost all the fast food are typically high-fat, calorie-dense foods with a large portions, make it becomes the worst combination that contributes to excess calories, gain the weight, and add the fat on your belly. It becomes more and more common to check the nutrition labels when people pick their meals in the fast food restaurants, but my suggestion is skip it when you can choose anything else, that more healthy the food more help to fight your belly fat.

Avoid sugar-sweetened soft drink as much as you can.

According to a study from the American Heart Association, “soft drinks and other sugar-sweetened beverages are the No. 1 source of added sugars in the American diet.” Added sugars mean added calories, a regular 355ml can of coke contains 39 grams of sugar and about 140 calories. And those calories are something that you want to avoid to loss weight and reduce your belly fat. Even more, high-fructose corn syrup has gradually replaced refined sugar as the main sweetener in soft drinks and has been approved as the main cause to the obesity epidemic.
 
Does switching to diet sodas help? Although some research has suggested that people who drink artificially sweetened sodas as part of a calorie-restricted diet do lose weight, other studies have suggested that diet soft drinks could even lead to weight gain since new studies show in some conditions the sweetener in diet sodas will decrease the ability of human body to convert the fat to the blood suger as known as burn fat which is only way to lose your belly fat.

Eat a diet high in fiber.

Add whole grains to your diet to trim your waistline. Such as, choose wild or brown instead of white rice. Refined and other highly processed foods have less fiber within them and can lead to weight gain and interfere with weight loss. A recent study showed that a calorie-controlled diet rich in whole grains can trim extra fat from the waistline of obese subjects.

Choose right exercises.

Doing sit-ups, crunches, or other abdominal exercises are not specifically designed for reduce the belly fat, although they will strengthen your core muscles and help you lose a little fat on your body. You need understand that spot exercise won’t decrease belly fat and remember the only way to lose belly fat (or fat on any part of your body) is through dieting and exercises that keep your heart rate at your "fat burning zone" which is about 60% to 70% of your maximum heart rate. Aerobic exercises, such as walking, running, jugging, swimming and bicycling are some of the best exercises to help reduce body fat, include belly fat. Weight control experts recommend a combination of a calorie-controlled diet and with 30 to 60 minutes of exercise at least three times per week could be your best choose to reduce your belly fat.

A daily food guide to keep you body healthy and slim

Thanks Health Canada publishes those information on their web site. I am using it here for the reference to demonstrate the food need for a normal people on a daily basis. This is definitely not a list for you guys that who are trying to get six packs back on your stomach. Even for everybody else with normal daily activities, the list is only tell you the amount of the food you can or shall have per day, but there's at least one more thing you need to know to use this list effectively, which is when you shall have these food on the list during the a day? I will explain that to you in another article in a near future.

The Recommended Number of Food Guide Servings chart shows how much food you need from each of the four food groups every day.

Find your age and sex in this chart to see how much food you need.

A Food Guide Serving is simply a reference amount. It helps you understand how much food is recommended every day from each of the four food groups. In some cases, a Food Guide Serving may be close to what you eat, such as an apple. In other cases, such as rice or pasta, you may serve yourself more than one Food Guide Serving.

Look at the examples below to find out how much food is equal to one Food Guide Serving.

Examples of one Food Guide Serving are:

Vegetables and Fruit

• 125 mL (½ cup) fresh, frozen or canned
  vegetable or fruit or 100% juice
• 250 mL (1 cup) leafy raw vegetables or
  salad
• 1 piece of fruit

Grain Products

• 1 slice (35 g) bread or ½ bagel (45 g)
• ½ pita (35 g) or ½ tortilla (35 g)
• 125 mL (½ cup) cooked rice, pasta, or couscous
• 30 g cold cereal or 175 mL (¾ cup) hot cereal

Milk and Alternatives

• 250 mL (1 cup) milk or fortified soy beverage
• 175 g (¾ cup) yogurt
• 50 g (1 ½ oz.) cheese

Meat and Alternatives

• 75 g (2 ½ oz.)/125 mL (½ cup) cooked fish, shellfish, poultry or lean meat
• 175 mL (¾ cup) cooked beans
• 2 eggs
• 30 mL (2 Tbsp) peanut butter

Canada's Food Guide provides ideas and tips to help you make wise and healthy food choices.

Make each Food Guide Serving count …
wherever you are - at home, at school, at work, or when eating out!

Vegetables and Fruit

Eat at least one dark green and one orange vegetable each day
• Go for dark green vegetables such as broccoli, romaine lettuce, and spinach.
• Go for orange vegetables such as carrots, sweet potatoes, and winter squash.

Enjoy vegetables and fruit prepared with little or no added fat, sugar or salt
• Have vegetables steamed, baked or stir-fried instead of deep fried.

Have vegetables and fruit more often than juice

Learn more about vegetables and fruit  

Grain Products

Make at least half of your grain products whole grain each day
• Eat a variety of whole grains such as barley, brown rice, oats, quinoa and wild rice.
• Enjoy whole grain breads, oatmeal or whole wheat pasta.

Choose grain products that are low in fat, sugar or salt
• Compare the Nutrition Facts table on labels to make wise choices.
• Enjoy the true taste of grain products. When adding sauces or spreads, use small amounts.

Learn more about grain products  

Milk and Alternatives

Drink skim, 1% or 2% milk each day
• Have 500 mL (2 cups) of milk everyday for
  adequate vitamin D.
• Drink fortified soy beverages if you do not drink milk.

Select lower fat milk alternatives
• Compare the Nutrition Facts table on yogurts or cheeses to make wise choices.

Learn more about milk and alternatives  

Meat and Alternatives

Have meat alternatives such as beans, lentils and tofu often

Eat at least two Food Guide Servings of fish each week
• Choose fish such as char, herring, mackerel, salmon, sardines and trout.
  * Health Canada provides advice for limiting exposure to mercury from certain types of fish.

Select lean meat and alternatives prepared with little or no added fat or salt
• Trim the visible fat from meats. Remove the skin from poultry.
• Use cooking methods such as roasting, baking or poaching that require little or no added fat.
• If you eat luncheon meats, sausages or prepackaged meats, choose those lower in salt (sodium) and fat.

  

Enjoy a variety of foods from the four food groups.

Men's Top 7 Abdominal Training Mistakes

You exercise extra hard for “six-pack” abs, but no matter how much sweat you produce, you are not seeing the outcome that you are after. It’s hard to lose abdominal fat, if you are not exercising correctly.

Men store most of their fat around the waist. Unfortunately, this is the type of fat that is linked to chronic disorders, such as heart disease, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, and colon cancer. 

Exercise is a great way to improve your mid-section, but it must be performed properly. The following includes 7 common abdominal training mistakes most men make.

Learn More About The Truth About Six Pack Abs

1. Only Performing Crunches and Sit-ups

These exercises are probably the most commonly performed for abdominal training. And for good reason - they work! However, your muscles quickly adapt to certain exercises. If this happens, they may stop responding. Changing your workout every few weeks will ensure the results keep coming. 

Also, your midsection is actually composed of more muscle groups than just the “six-pack” -- or, better stated, the rectus abdominus. Other muscles include the external and internal obliques, which are located on the side of the trunk. It is important to perform a variety of movements to fully target all of the muscles within the trunk region. 

Side bridges, prone planks, hip-ups, bicycles, and Pilates are other great exercises that should be included in your abdominal workout. Incorporating stability devices can also add variation. Try performing crunches on a Swiss ball for an advanced alternative to a traditional exercise.

2. Exercising Abs Every Day

If you’re working your midsection on a daily basis, you are probably overdoing it. The muscles in the abdominal wall are like all other muscles in the body, they need rest to fully recover and repair from a strenuous workout. A good abdominal workout should only be performed on two to three nonconsecutive days per week. 

When it comes to training your abs, the more you do does not mean the more results you will get. As a matter of fact, doing too much can actually increase the risk of injury to the lower back.

3. Avoiding Cardio

Avoiding cardiovascular exercise is the biggest mistake men make when attempting to lose belly fat. No matter how hard you try, you can’t spot-reduce. You must expend stored calories. If a layer of fat is covering your abs, then there isn’t any abdominal-specific workout that will show results, without the assistance of cardio training.

Twenty to 60 minutes of aerobic exercise at a moderately strenuous intensity performed three to six days per week will expend stored calories. This will trim fat from the midsection to reveal your hidden six-pack abs. What’s more, these are the same research-supported guidelines for improving your cardiovascular fitness.

4. Avoiding Resistance Training

You need to train your midsection, but other muscle groups are just as important, for a couple of reasons. 

First, your midsection actually contains parts of muscles from other areas of the body. Tendons from other muscle groups (such as the latissimus dorsi and trapezius in the back, and the hamstrings in legs) extend into and across the trunk area. Actually, the rectus abdominus is one long muscle rather than six individual muscles. What gives it the “six-pack” appearance are tendons that extend from other muscle groups and intertwine in this area. Training other muscles is important for strengthening your abs.

Second, the muscles that reside around your waist help to stabilize the body. Anytime you exercise with weights, your abdomen must activate to stabilize the body. Research studies have shown that trunk muscles are highly stimulated during traditional strength-training exercises.

Third, total body resistance training workouts will burn more calories compared to just abdominal-only exercise. Weight training can expend about 6 to 10 calories for every minute you exercise. A 30-minute strength workout can burn fat that is stored around the waist.

5. Not Eating Properly

Let’s face it: It is almost impossible to expend the amount of calories in a triple cheeseburger and fries (more than 1,000 calories). Exercise will greatly improve your overall health, but you also have to pay attention to the food you eat if you really want to lose a significant amount of belly fat. 

One pound of fat contains about 3,500 calories. That means that if you want to lose 1 pound of fat per week, then you must burn or negate 500 calories each day. For example, if you replace a 20-ounce bottle of regular soda with water (saving 250 calories) and walk 2 to 3 miles (burning about 250 calories) everyday, then you could lose 1 pound of fat per week. 

For great information on how to eat properly, visit www.choosemyplate.gov, or ask your doctor to refer you to a registered dietitian, especially if you have a special need, such as having diabetes. Also, here is a link to a WebMD article that also offers dietary advice to men for losing belly fat. 

6. Only Dieting

Dieting without exercise is a recipe for disappointing results. When people only diet to lose body fat, they seldom succeed.

One reason they fail is because they rarely include an exercise component. Although one can lose a significant amount of weight by dieting alone, a large portion of the weight that is lost may be lean muscle and not fat.  

Exercise enhances healthy eating by expending additional stored calories. It will also ensure that most of the weight you lose will be primarily from fat. Precious lean muscle mass will be preserved or even enhanced. Exercise in addition to healthy eating is the best combination for optimal body fat loss.

7. Not Seeking Help

If you feel that you’ve tried everything but still don’t see the results you are after, then you may want to seek advice from a qualified personal trainer. A personal trainer is skilled in helping people achieve their fitness goals. 

But make sure you choose one who has a degree in exercise science or kinesiology and is certified by a respectable organization such as the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) or National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA).

And before you participate in any exercise program, it is important that you seek medical assessment and clearance, especially if you have a special need or are recovering from an injury. Not all exercise programs are suitable for everyone, and some could even cause harm. If you experience pain or discomfort while performing an exercise, you should discontinue participation and seek medical advice.  

Learn More About The Truth About Six Pack Abs

Michael R. Esco, PhD, CSCS, HFS is an Assistant Professor in The Department of Physical Education and Exercise Science and Co-Director of the Human Performance Laboratory at Auburn University Montgomery, in Montgomery, Ala. His opinions and conclusions are his own.

How to Get Six Pack Abs - step 2

Strengthen your abdominal core muscles and lose your body fat. The concept may sound simple, but putting it into action can be quite challenging. It will take dedication, time and patience to get a six pack; but in the end, the effort is well worth it. To get six pack abs you need to do two things: lose fat and build muscle . You get this by dieting and exercising daily. You can have the most toned and muscular abs, but it will not show if there is a layer of fat over them. This article will discuss ways in which you can accomplish both of these goals.

Build Muscle

1. 1
   
   

    Do crunches.
   Do crunches. Lie on the floor (with or without a mat) with your arms in front of your chest or with your hands lightly touching your temples (never behind your head). Bend your knees. Raise your shoulders (upper torso) towards your knees, using strictly your abdominal muscles. It is very important to not lift your entire back off the floor, as this can cause back strain, and the extended movement does not help you develop six pack abs any faster. The most important part of the crunch is the initial flexing of your abs as you lift your shoulders off the floor. As soon as you begin lifting off the floor exhale through your mouth, ending with a gasp once your shoulders are off the floor. Then pause for a second once you are at the top of the crunch and exhale the last bit of air from your diaphragm while flexing your abs. Now lower back down slowly and controlled while inhaling through your nose, just until your shoulder blades touch the ground. Do not let your head touch the ground.
2. 2
   
   

    Decline barbell sit ups (advanced)
   Do sit ups. Lie on the floor, feet on the floor, knees up and hands crossed on your chest. Have someone hold your feet down, or wedge them underneath something heavy. Sit all the way up, lifting your lower back off the floor along with your shoulder blades. Keep your back straight (no hunching). Lower yourself down. Repeat. Once this becomes relatively easy for you (i.e. you can do a quite a bit with ease) start adding more challenges. Find an incline bench. Do weighted sit ups. Hold a weight on your chest while you do these. As these become easier, hold heavier and heavier weights.
3. 3
   
   

    Train your entire core.
   Train your entire core. To build really great abs it's important to first understand what abs do. Their full name is 'rectus abdominis'. The 'rectus' bit, is Latin for 'straight, proper, upright'. Contrary to popular opinion, the abs' primary job is not to curl you up into a ball, but they work together with the back muscles to maintain correct posture and stabilize the spine. These muscles are not just for show! So the best exercises for abs are ones that force your entire core to go into overdrive to support your spine. Some exercises that do this are squats and deadlifts. These exercises will train your entire core to work together to do what it is designed to do. At the same time they will also train a lot of other muscles (e.g. glutes and quads).
4. 4
   
   

    Do leg lifts.
   Do leg lifts. Lie on the floor, legs straight out, hands at your sides. Lift your legs straight up (not bending your knees at all) until they're at a 90 degree angle (or close). Lower your legs and repeat without letting your legs touch the floor. For more challenge there is equipment at most gyms that will allow you to raise yourself up using your arms as support and dangle your legs. If you're using this piece of equipment, you can make it easier by just raising your knees to your chest. It's more difficult to raise your legs to a horizontal position with your legs straight. This helps firm up the lower abdomen. If you're truly a monster, try doing leg lifts with a medicine ball hanging from your feet. Or, hang from a pull up bar and raise your legs in front of you all the way up to the bar.
5. 5
   Do jackknife sit ups. Lie down flat on the floor. Place your hands on the ground to your sides for balance; you can pick them up as you get used to the movement. Simultaneously raise your knees and torso so that your knees and face meet on an imaginary line extending from your pelvis to the ceiling. You should be able to Kiss your knees at the top of the motion. Your legs will naturally fold bringing your feet towards your hips, much like a jackknife. Lie back down (i.e. "spread out") and repeat. Place a weight between your feet when you think you can handle it.
6. 6
   
   

    Do static holds.
   Do static holds. Put your body into the push-up position but with your elbows on the floor, and your whole body flat. This position is known as the static hold position, or the plank, and it trains your core (including your abs) to hold the body in place which is the real purpose of your abs. Hold this position for as long as possible. Beginners should be aiming to start off with at least 45 seconds, while seasoned ab workers are known to achieve over 5 minute static holds. To perform the side static hold, roll onto one side of your body and lift into the same position as before, but this time only one arm will be on the ground with the other arm pointed straight up the air and your non weight bearing leg resting on your bottom leg. Once again, hold this for as long as possible.
7. 7
   Train your oblique muscles. It's not as important to work on your oblique muscles at first, but eventually you'll want to start working these too. These are the muscles to either side of your stomach. There are multiple ways to do this and anything that includes twisting your torso against a resistance counts. There are twisting machines at gyms, you can twist while you do sit-ups, you can do side bends, you can twist side to side with a medicine ball in hand, etc. Be aware though, that many beginners tend to have weak obliques compared to their abs (it simply isn't used as much in daily life) so go easy on the sides at first.
   • Do bicycle crunches. Lift your feet off the ground while doing the crunches by alternating each leg in the air. Bring your left knee up toward your right shoulder and then your right knee toward your left shoulder.
8. 8
   Find new ways to crunch, bend and twist in your daily life. Some possibilities include:
   
   
   • 
     

      Use a stability ball.
     Use a stability ball. Do your crunches on the ball to introduce instability to your workout, which will improve your balance too. There are also lots of core exercises that can be done with a stability ball. You can also use a small bubble used for physical therapy.
   • Duck and twist during your daily routine. Reach with your left hand to things on your right and vice versa. If you feel like turning around to face something, see if you can do it with keeping your hips in place and twisting at the waist. (This is awkward when talking to other people, use only against inanimate objects.) While walking or standing, pretend that something is coming toward you and you have to duck to get out of the way. Do this as often as you are comfortable or at times when it won't look weird. You can bend forward from the hips or, if you're really into it, bend at the knees too and really "sink" out of the way.
   • Add complex core-movements to your workout. That will boost your overall body constitution tremendously. For example, combine push-ups with rows. Go into a push-up position on two dumbbells. Now don't do a push-up, but instead start to row alternating dumbbells. See how much power you need only to hold balance? Combine exercises! Be creative. Tension is your friend.