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 Posted: Tue Jun 28, 2011 5:49 pm
Weight Loss
This is where you make comments of how you have lost weight as well as finding out ways to lose weight in a healthy way.
When I moved to Melbourne I weighed 120 kgs, and I wore size 22-24 clothes. In two years I have lost 16 kilos and kept it off.
Please tell me about your weight loss, weight gain, weight maintenance, how you've done it, what kind of help you need. we can be each other's inspiration or guide
Christmas is such a hard tome to lose weight, Suggestion: - eat lots of vegies, one serve of dessert and even eat something small before going to party, less likely to over eat, drink lots of water, go for walks in the morning, walks after meal, move around as much as possible.
1. Know how much weight to lose to be healthy I need to weigh 60 kgs to be healthy therefore 51 must go.
2. Whatever the weight loss required that is how many weeks MUST be given to achieve the final goal, you will surely fail if you attempt to lose it before this time period
3. Drink 2 litres of water a day, find a way to remind yourself as your body will send hunger signals when in fact your body is actually thirsty. An alarm clock on your mobile, an alarm on your computer whatever it is make the reminder work for you.
4. Exercise for no less than an hour a day break it up into whatever works. 2 - 30min blocks, 6 - 10 min blocks whatever. Make it work for you and your schedule.
5. Eat every two to three hours that way your body will never go into starvation mode and will never store any fat or sugar, it will process everything you need use what it needs and get rid of the waste.
6. Meditate when and where possible, our body pens up stress which can cause us to emotionally eat, be meditating we can relax the body and mind and look within ourselves to find the roots of our problems, by relaxing, we can focus moire on what is important and stop turning to food for comfort or reward.
7. Join a sports group indoor outdoor doesn't matter it just has to be something you like, contact your local sports teams, centres, groups see if they have sports that are targeted to your age group and play on days that fit into your schedule. The more muscles you move at the one time the more energy you use the more weight you lose.
8. Write a journal be accountable to something, write everything you eat everything you do, you can do it here, or on paper or in a blog, it is up to you, but by writing you will also discover yourself, what you are feeling, when you are feeling those feelings and be able to let go of some things that have held you back for however long they have held you back.
9. Be happy, find the joy in life and every situation, read a joke book, watch a comedy, go and see a live comedy show, have funny pictures on your work space area, or walls at home, whatever makes you laugh go to it every day and laugh and smile, the more endorphins in the body, the better your body will function and be able to process thoughts, stress and food, and the less susceptible illness you will be.
10. Become Managed and Organised in every part of your life – filing cabinets, sticky notes, dividers, portfolios, and email folders, whatever it takes.
Just try these tips they could work they might not, but try them be someone how does things not someone who wishes they did something. Good luck and let me know how you go.
Members Comment: - I want to lose about 15 kgs. I gave up coke, which I used to drink about 3 cans a day minimum. Now, I don't drink it at all. I haven't drunk coke for about 5 months. Best of all, I don't miss it either, even thought I continue to buy it for other family members who refuse to give it up!
Solution to Problem: Refuse to buy it for them, if it means so much to them, they can buy it and you save that money and invest it in pampering yourself for every goal you achieve. 15 kgs that can be achieved. And giving up Soft drinks is a huge step that is 5kgs over the course of a year gone, Congratulations!
Friday 3rd June 2011 - Weight Loss 2 kgs Chest Measurements- still the same, Hip Measurement minus 3 cms, Waist - not sure if changed or not, and now in size 18 clothes - no more size 20 for me Yay!
How are you going with your weight loss progress?
I'll update you in 4 weeks, when I see my GP again.
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Posted: Thu Jun 30, 2011 4:10 pm
Lose weight in a day
Two years ago a small but significant study was done. Forty people who had repeatedly tried and failed to lose weight did a day-long workshop on acceptance-commitment therapy (ACT) techniques. A second group of wannabe slimmers did a gym workout instead. Three months on, the workshop participants had lost more weight, were more active and said they were much happier, too. So what the hell did they learn in one day that was more successful than any weight loss program they’d tried? And how can we use it in our lives, please? Read on.
Since that 2008 study, other researchers have had similar results with ACT-based weight-loss programs. Last year Dr Katy Tapper, who researches mindfulness-based approaches to eating behaviour at Swansea University in Wales, gave participants four two-hour workshops in ACT principles. Six months later they’d significantly increased their physical activity, and reduced their BMIs and episodes of binge eating compared to controls. In short, there’s mounting research that acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), one of psychology’s so-called “third-wave” mindfulness-based approaches, is helping people bulldoze unbending weight-loss barriers.
Dr Jason Lillis, a psychologist at the University of Nevada-Reno in the US, who ran that first study, isn’t surprised. “People trying to lose weight are fairly burnt out on the process,” he says, acknowledging that most dieters have tried many methods from counting kjs to food diaries to daily weigh-ins. “The ACT approach is a bit different. We said right from the start we didn’t care if people [in the study] lost weight. What we focus on is that people have a life that’s worth living; that feels important and vital to them. We want you to live well as defined by you, and the rest doesn’t matter.” Turns out, living well tends to translate into numbers dropping on the scale.
What you already know about exercise and nutrition is important, but it can take a mental makeover to put that knowledge into practice. Here’s how Dr Lillis and his peers have coached people to approach several too-familiar weight-loss challenges with an ACT sensibility.
CHALLENGE ONE: FOOD IS EVERYWHERE
People know they want to lose weight, yet continue to make choices inconsistent with their goals, says Dr Evan Forman of Drexel University in the US, who’s currently running the longest term study on ACT for weight loss to date. He blames the Western way of life, where food is available from pretty much anywhere. “Knowing that and because of the way we’re biologically wired, we’re constantly thinking about food,” he says. “Very, very often it’s going to occur to us that we want to eat something. Every minute we’re not eating we have to put up with that demand in our mind to find that doughnut.”
Losing strategy: eat less you know how it goes: by trying to limit what you eat, you see food everywhere. Psychologists call this “attentional bias”, says Dr Tapper. And it’s why she advises against old-school “dieting”: “You try not to eat too much, but you’re more likely to notice food, which in turn makes it more difficult for you to resist eating and so on.”
ACTion plan: eat (and live) mindfully ACT takes a different approach. Rather than imposing strict limitations on what you eat, changing how you eat by cultivating mindfulness may work better. “That means paying attention to your thoughts, bodily sensations, and the activity you’re doing,” says Dr Lillis. Research published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association found people who’ve developed this skill lose weight or avoid putting it on by learning the distinctions between hunger, cravings, fullness and satiety.
Dr Tapper’s program taught participants to eat more mindfully. Here’s how: as you place food in your mouth and chew it, think about the flavours and texture of the food. Don’t get hung up in judging it – just notice it. Eating with a friend or partner? Try watching your mind as you interact with the people you eat with versus eating alone. Notice anything interesting? Write it down.
CHALLENGE TWO: SLAMMED CONFIDENCE
Angela Buntic, WH weight-loss expert and dietitian, believes it’s often poor self-esteem that holds people back from their goals. “They believe they can’t do it due to so many years of dieting and no success,” she says. But of course – “diets don’t work”. And there’s nothing like a can’t-do attitude to scupper a goal.
Losing strategy: thought correction some surprising news: challenging and changing your negative thoughts isn’t as effective as you’d assume. Dr Forman compared a traditional cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) approach to weight loss with ACT methods. “Basic CBT is supposed to help people by getting them to realise their thinking is unreasonable, irrational or distorted,” he explains. “By appreciating that, you recognise and correct your thinking, and as you’re thinking changes, your emotions change and so do your behaviours.” But psychologists have known for 20 years that attempting to control unwanted thoughts and emotions doesn’t work for everyone. In fact it can even increase the frequency and duration – and make things worse. A 2005 study by Hamilton College in New York found participants who suppressed negative thoughts about themselves ended up feeling more anxious, depressed, and having lower self-esteem. That sounds like the makings of a chocolate binge to us.
ACTion plan: create diffusion ACT doesn’t ask you to change your thinking, just to become more aware that you’re thinking, to help separate thoughts from reality. It also helps to label your thoughts, says Dr Tapper. She teaches this strategy: as feelings, bodily sensations or thoughts arise, mindfully note which category they fall into. Don’t focus on content or description, just the category. For example, ‘emotion’, ‘urge’, ‘bodily sensation’, ‘judgement’, ‘memory’. “Noticing that is a powerful habit of mind,” says Dr Tapper. Try this for a few minutes. If you find yourself in long periods of silence, see if you’ve been hooked by a thought or feeling you’ve been following. Then come back to the exercise.
CHALLENGE THREE: CONSTANT CRAVINGS
In the battle of a Violet Crumble versus your willpower, its odds-on choc will win – especially if you’re having a tough arvo. Emma Gallagher, who is running a study on ACT and weight loss as a doctoral candidate in psychology at Monash University, Vic, says, “Humans do things to avoid experiencing unpleasant emotions [like emotional eating], which appear to work in the short-term, but don’t in the long run... The long-term consequences most likely include weight gain and the persistence of the root cause of the emotion they’re trying to escape.” Sad but true. So what’s a better way to deal with a bad day or a random ice-cream craving?
Losing strategy: distract yourself unfortunately – and unsurprisingly – a lot of research shows that the harder you try not to think about something the more you’ll end up thinking about it.
“People’s natural reaction is either ‘I have to eat’ or ‘I have to get rid of this craving’,” Dr Forman says. “‘Those are my two choices.’ That’s unfortunate because you can’t really get rid of a craving without eating, and the more you try to, the bigger it looms in your life.”
ACTion plan: be willing to accept here’s where the A in ACT comes in. The goal is to recognise and accept unwanted or unpleasant thoughts and feelings. “If people can be OK with the experience of, say, anxiety or sadness, they don’t have to eat to get rid of it,” says Dr Forman. “The craving won’t disappear, but it may be less troublesome than if you were to say ‘I’ve got to completely suppress the thought’.” His study revealed that the people who ate more in response to emotions benefited most from this strategy. How to make use of it? Try Dr Forman’s ocean metaphor: he likens cravings to waves, which swell and recede, then return. “If you say to yourself that at some point the water’s going to rise up and I’m going to accept that, rise up with it and ride it out, you’ll be in much better shape,” he says. Surf that craving wave, baby. Yeah!
CHALLENGE FOUR: SUSTAINING MOTIVATION
anyone can start a regular gym class. But not everyone is still going after three months. Or years, never mind decades. “There are challenges associated with losing and keeping off weight,” Dr Lillis says. “It’s a life.” So the big question: how can you maintain momentum – and a smaller dress size?
Losing strategy: peer pressure there’s a lot of pressure on us to look a certain way. And weight-loss programs that hold people socially accountable for their progress – ie those with support groups or online chat rooms, have proven effective. But in the long-term, research shows people end up gaining back the weight – possibly when their peers stop checking on them.
ACTion plan: Commit to your values ACT suggests you ask yourself why you even care about losing weight, then zero in on what’s really important in your life. “It’s one thing to say, ‘yes, I can put up with this urge I have a hundred times a day’. But why is it worth it to you?” Dr Forman asks. “You’re going to be accepting things that are difficult. Something’s got to keep you committed to doing that day after day.” Buntic agrees, “A focus on weight does not create long-term healthy habits. Instead, set non-weight-related goals, like having more energy, jogging 4km, living a longer life – whatever it may be.”
To figure out what matters most to you, try this exercise from Dr Tapper: Imagine you’re in your twilight years reminiscing about life – which has turned out exactly as you wanted it (handy!). Close your eyes, take a few deep breaths, then recount this ideal life. What did you achieve? What did you work towards? How did others see you? What did you stand for? Jot down what you come up with. Areas that could be important include relationships, parenting, career, social life, pastimes, health, personal development or community involvement. Hey presto – there’s the priorities that’ll help you stick to your weight-loss goals. And a perfect life, on paper at least. What’s not to love about that?
Courtesy of Yahoo! Lifestyle
http://au.lifestyle.yahoo.com/womens-health/weight-loss/article/-/8161330/lose-weight-in-one-day/
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Posted: Sun Jul 03, 2011 5:47 pm
Dark chocolate
when only dark chocolate will do, pick the best chocolate you can find.
Lindt 70%-cocoa dark chocolate, 80 g
418 cal / 1,756 kJ (6 g protein, 26 g carbs, N/A fibre, 32 g fat (19 g sat fat), 48 mg sodium)
Crunchy yoghurt parfait
for a parfait look, use half the yoghurt, crumbled muesli bar and banana for the first layers and repeat.
Jalna Premium Creamy Blend Yoghurt, 150 g
Chocolate-coated muesli bar, 1
Banana, 1/2 medium
383 cal / 1,608 kJ (20 g protein, 66 g carbs, 5 g fibre, 7 g fat (2 g sat fat), 205 mg sodium)
Raisin-bran muffin
Spread jam on a toasted fruit muffin or mix it into the combo of yoghurt, chai and berries.
English muffin with fruit, 1
All-fruit strawberry jam, 2 tsp
Plain low-fat yoghurt, 3/4 cup
Chai seeds, 1 tbs
Mixed berries, 1 cup
400 cal / 1,680 kJ (22 g protein, 60 g carbs, 11 g fibre, 7 g fat (1 g sat fat), 454 mg sodium)
Frozen-yoghurt sundae
Premium brands of frozen yoghurt are sometimes worth the extra calories because they come in so many fun flavours!
Premium frozen yoghurt, 1/2 cup
Strawberries, 1/2 cup
Slivered almonds, 2 tbs
Mini chocolate chips, 5 g
399 cal / 1,676 kJ (12 g protein, 44 g carbs, 3 g fibre, 17 g fat (7 g sat fat), 60 mg sodium)
Peanut-butter-&-banana caramel cakes
Spread the rice cakes with peanut butter (for long-term energy) and pile on the banana slices. SunRice caramel rice cakes, 4
Peanut butter, 4 tsp
Banana, 1 medium
388 cal / 1,630 kJ (10 g protein, 50 g carbs, 6 g fibre, 15 g fat (3 g sat fat), 58 mg sodium)
Popcorn trail mix
Toss this together right before you’re ready to serve it, so the moisture of the raisins doesn’t make the popcorn soggy. Quench your thirst with a beer.
Fat-free microwave popcorn, 3 cups
Grated parmesan, 1 tbs
Raisins, 2 tbs
Cashews, 10 Beer, 1 small
392 cal / 1,646 kJ (10 g protein, 42 g carbs, 5 g fibre, 11 g fat (3 g sat fat), 140 mg sodium)
Chocolate-Vanilla Ice-Cream
Order 1 cup soft-serve light chocolate-vanilla twist ice-cream (243 cal, or 1,017 kJ) in a plain cone (17 cal, or 71 kJ)
Ask for a topping of 2 tbs chocolate or rainbow sprinkles (120 cal or 502 kJ)
Serves: 1
Total energy: 380 cal (1,591 kJ)
Party-Perfect Cheese Plate
Preheat oven to 180°C. Meanwhile, toast 1 tbs sliced almonds (33 cal, or 138 kJ) in frypan over low heat until brown
Place 55 g wedge of brie (189 cal, or 791 kJ) on baking sheet and top with 1 1/2 tsp apricot jam (24 cal, or 100 kJ); sprinkle with the almonds. Bake for about 10 minutes.
Thinly slice 1/2 pear (43 cal, or 180 kJ)
Serve the brie and pear with 6 plain Melba toasts (117 cal or 490 kJ)
Serves: 1
Total energy: 406 cal (1,700 kJ)
Beer and Nuts
Order one 340 ml bottle of light beer (100 cal, or 419 kJ)
Munch on 1/4 cup dry-roasted peanuts (210 cal, or 879 kJ)
Enjoy with 16 small pretzels (100 cal, or 419 kJ), or skip those and have another light beer (100 cal or 419 kJ)
Serves: 1
Total energy: 410 cal (1,722 kJ)
Chips and Quick Guacamole Dip
Mix 1/4 cup salsa (20 cal, or 84 kJ) with 1/4 cup mashed avocado (100 cal, or 419 kJ)
Serve with 55 g (about 20) tortilla chips (280 cal or 1,172 kJ)
Serves: 1
Total energy: 400 cal (1,680 kJ)
Mediterranean Munchies
Spoon 1/2 cup store-bought hummus (208 cal, or 871 kJ) into a bowl
Add 1 cup carrot sticks (45 cal, or 188 kJ) and 1 cup capsicum strips (39 cal, or 163 kJ)
Serve with 6 wholemeal crackers (113 cal, or 473 kJ)
Serves: 1
Total energy: 405 cal (1,696 kJ)
Blueberry Muffin at the cafe
Order one large blueberry muffin
ask the waiter to spread half the muffin (295 cal, or 1,235 kJ) with 1 tbs butter (100 cal, or 419 kJ)
save the other muffin half for later
Serves: 1
Total energy: 395 cal (1,653 kJ)
Peanut Butter Break
Slice up 1 medium apple (72 cal, or 301 kJ)
Serve with 1/2 tbs peanut butter (141 cal, or 590 kJ)
Add 5 wholemeal crackers (95 cal, or 398 kJ)
Wash it down with 1 cup of skim milk (83 cal or 348 kJ)
Serves: 1
Total energy: 391 cal (1,642 kJ)
Wine and Pretzels at a social gathering
Enjoy two 150 ml glasses of red or white wine (240 cal, or 1,005 kJ)
Eat 25 small pretzels (160 cal or 670 kJ)
Serves: 1
Total energy: 400 cal (1,680 kJ)
Sweet Yoghurt Treat
Place 150 g of fat-free Greek-style yoghurt (92 cal, or 385 kJ) in a bowl
Add 1 cup blueberries (84 cal, or 352 kJ)
Top with 1/2 cup low-fat store-bought granola (188 cal, or 787 kJ)
Drizzle with 2 tsp honey (42 cal or 176 kJ)
Serves: 1
Total energy: 406 cal (1,700 kJ)
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Posted: Sun Jul 03, 2011 5:51 pm
1.Think positive. See it as an opportunity, not a chore.
2.Ask someone like a friend, family member or trainer to exercise with you to keep you motivated. The activity will be more enjoyable and you commit to a session that you otherwise may find too easy to get out of.
3.Join a local club. This can be an effective way to schedule regular activity and gain a support team of people with the same goals and interests who can provide encouragement and support.
4.Get involved in your neighbourhood. Your local community probably has lots of opportunities to be active – from leisure centres and sports clubs to parks, trails, swimming pools and classes.
5.Increase activity time and intensity gradually. If you push too hard or too fast, you may burn out. Try not to be impatient – the results will come. Taking shortcuts will defeat your efforts.
6.Set yourself a challenge by trying a new activity or entering a community fun run.
7.Include a mix of activities to prevent boredom and work those muscles you didn’t even know you had!
8.Be realistic. Set short-term goals that are achievable and that you can measure, as well as longer-term goals.
9.Review your progress regularly and focus on what you have achieved.
10.Reward yourself. Celebrate your efforts and achievements to give you some impetus to keep on going. Treat yourself to something you enjoy, but make sure your rewards match your healthy lifestyle!
Wall scissor Tones bum & backs of thighs Return to the Windscreen Wipers starting position (p. 84); bend knees to plant feet on wall. Peel back off floor (keep shoulder blades down), and step feet up wall so body forms a diagonal line from feet to chest. Bend elbows and support lower back with hands. Lower right leg towards head as far as you can; keep legs straight and abs tight. Return to wall; lower left leg. Alternate until you’ve completed all reps.
MAKE IT HARDER: As you lower leg, pause and pulse 2 or 3 times, moving it up and down a few centimetres before returning it to wall. Repeat with other leg.
MAKE IT EASIER: Gently scoot body 10 to 15 cm away from wall, so wall supports more weight
Windscreen Wipers Tones inner & outer thighs From the Wall Bridge starting position (p. 83), extend legs straight up against wall so body forms an L. Inhale and slowly lower left leg down the wall like a clock hand towards 9 o’clock; exhale and return to starting position. Repeat with right leg, sweeping towards 3 o’clock. Continue to alternate legs until you’ve completed all reps.
MAKE IT HARDER: Wrap a resistance band around left foot and hold both ends beside opposite hip for added resistance as you sweep left foot down the wall. Do all reps; switch legs and repeat.
MAKE IT EASIER: Move 10 to 15 cm away from wall, so torso and legs form a wider angle.
Knee Press: Tones bum, fronts & backs of thighs Lie on back with bum against wall, knees bent and feet planted about 1 m up wall. Peel lower back and mid-back off floor; cross left ankle over right knee. Squeeze bum and front of thigh to press left knee towards wall. Do 20 pulses; lower body and repeat on other side.
MAKE IT HARDER As knee presses, engage your core to lift and lower hips by a few centimetres with each repetition.
MAKE IT EASIER: Do the move with feet and back on floor.
Wall Bridge
Tones bum & thighs
Lie on back with bum against wall, arms at sides, knees bent, and feet planted about 1 m up wall. Exhale and peel lower back and mid-back off floor, keeping shoulderblades down, so body forms an almost straight line from chest to knees. Hold, inhale deeply, then exhale and slowly roll back down.
MAKE IT HARDER
Cross left ankle over right knee so only right foot is on wall; roll up, pause and lower. Do all repetitions; switch feet.
MAKE IT EASIER
Don’t use the wall. Keep feet flat on floor as you lift into a bridge; pause and slowly lower.
This winter, send the scale in the right direction! Cold weather is no excuse to skip workouts and rug up with a cup of hot chocolate instead (no matter how tempting it might be!). Here’s how to modify your routine to beat the chill and stay in shape.
1.Take to the slopes
Book a ski holiday this winter—and then adapt your workout routine to train for your trip. Strengthening your leg muscles is vital to preventing slope-side accidents. Try these moves
Knee-Loving Lunge
1. Place hands on hips; step backwards with your left foot, keeping your right shin perpendicular to your right foot.
2. Bend your right leg until your thigh is parallel to the floor. Hold for 2 seconds, and then slowly rise. Repeat 15 times, and then switch legs.
Added-Value Adduction
1. Lie on your left side with both legs extended. Support your head with your left hand, and place your right hand flat on the floor in front of you.
2. Lift your right leg about 30 cm from your left. Hold raised leg for 2 seconds, and then lower. Repeat 15 times, and then switch legs.
Ab-Fab Adduction
1. Lie on your left side with left leg extended. Bend your right knee at a 90° angle. Support head with left hand, and place right hand on the floor.
2. Lift your left leg 10 to 12 cm off the floor. Hold for 2 seconds, and then lower. Repeat 15 times, and then switch legs
3. Stock Up On Soup
Hearty, warm and super-low kJ—soup is a winter wonder-food (well, as long as it’s high on vegies and low on creamy additions). Try substituting soup for summer’s salads. See heart-smart soup recipes Hearty Bean Soup, Classic Minestrone, Mushroom-Barley Soup, Asian Pork Noodle Soup, and Yellow Split Pea-Cauliflower Soup
4. Stay Indoors
with a little imagination your living room can become your own gym. The coffee table is perfect for tricep dips. Your living room floor is great for tummy-toning planks and crunches. And that old treadmill in the corner, dust it off and work up a sweat with these treadmill workouts - Speed Play After warming up, walk at a moderate pace (4.5 to 5.5 km/h) for 5 minutes. Increase your speed to a fast walk (5.5 to 6.5 km/h for 1 minute), followed by 5 minutes at a moderate pace (4.5 to 5.5 km/h). Repeat the fast–moderate intervals three times. Finish with a cool down. To challenge yourself, make the fast walking bouts 2 minutes longer.
Hill Repeats After warming up, walk at 4.5 to 6.5 km/h for 5 minutes with your treadmill at an incline of 0 or 1. Next, increase the incline to 4 or 5 for 5 minutes. As you raise the incline, you may need to slow down to maintain good form. You’ll repeat the flat–incline sequence twice. Then walk at 0 or 1 for another 5 minutes before cooling down. As you become comfortable with the ‘hills’, increase the incline, first to 6 or 7, and then to 8 or 9 after two or three months.
Pyramid Power After warming up, start with a speed pyramid. Walk at 5.5 km/h for 30 seconds; increase to 7 km/h for 30 seconds. Bring it back down and walk at 5.5 km/h for 45 seconds; increase to 7 km/h for 45 seconds. Bring it back down and walk at 5.5 for 1 minute; increase to 7 km/h for 1 minute. Next, try a hill pyramid. Start at an incline of 4 and walk for 1 minute. Elevate to 5 for another minute. Continue to increase the incline every minute up to an incline of 8, and then decrease the incline every minute, back down to 4. Try to maintain 4.5 to 6.5 km/h throughout. Recover at 4.5 to 6.5 km/h (no incline) for 5 minutes. As you get fitter, start repeating parts of the program until you can do the entire workout twice in one go.
Trim and Tone
Strength-train on your treadmill! Perform the following exercises while walking at a very slow speed (about 1 to 1.5 km/h), then stop the treadmill for the squat. If time permits, repeat the exercise. Sidestep With the treadmill moving slowly and your right hand on the console, turn to the left so your right shoulder is facing forwards. As the belt moves your feet to the left, step your right foot to the right, and then step your left foot to the right. Continue sidestepping for 30 seconds. Repeat, facing the right side for 30 seconds more. (Sidestepping works your inner and outer thighs and hips.) Giant Strides Hold the front rail and let the belt take your feet back until your arms are extended, then take a big step forwards with your right leg. Bending your right knee, lower your left knee towards the belt, then press off with your left foot and stand back up. Continue by stepping forwards, alternating legs, for 30 seconds. (Giant Strides work your thighs and bottom.) Squats Stop the treadmill and straddle the belt so you’re standing on the treadmill frame. With your hands lightly resting on the front rail, sit back (as if to sit on a chair), but don’t extend your knees past your toes. Press into your heels and stand back up. Repeat 12 times. (Squats work your bottom and thighs.)
5. Boost Your Metabolism
Introduce strength and toning moves to your workout to increase lean muscle mass. Muscle burns up to seven times as many kilojoules at rest as fat does, so the more muscle you have, the higher your metabolism. Try this high metabolism workout - These five strength moves build firm, lean muscle—the key to a robust metabolism. Muscle burns up to seven times as many kilojoules at rest as fat does, so the more muscle you have, the higher your metabolism. What you need: an exercise mat and two sets of dumbbells—a heavy pair (about 5 to 7 kg) and a lighter pair (2 to 4 kg). How to do it: do 2 sets of each exercise. One day, use the heavier weights for 8 to 10 repetitions per set. The next day, do 12 to 14 reps per set with lighter dumbbells. When to do it: perform this workout on two or three non-consecutive days a week.
Pendulum Kickback Tones triceps, bottom and thighs
Holding a dumbbell in each hand, raise right leg 15 to 30 cm off floor straight in front of you, foot flexed and elbows bent 90 degrees so forearms are parallel to floor. Swing right leg behind you and squeeze glutes as you straighten arms. Return to starting position. Repeat for a full set; switch legs.
Crouch & Pull Tones shoulders, arms, bottom, thighs and obliques
Stand with your feet about shoulder-width apart and sit back into a partial squat. Hold a weight in each hand and hinge forwards from hips about 45 degrees, arms below shoulders, palms facing in. Keeping your lower body still, rotate torso to right, bend right arm and pull the dumbbell towards your chest, elbow pointing towards the sky. Return to starting position and repeat, alternating sides. (If you have back problems, use one weight at a time and place other hand on a chair for support.)
Knee-Hugger Chest Fly Tones chest and tummy
Holding dumbbells, lie face up with knees bent, shins parallel to floor, arms out to sides, elbows slightly bent and palms facing skywards. Contract tummy and lift hips about 8 cm off the floor. At the same time, squeeze chest muscles and raise arms, bringing dumbbells together over chest. Lower to starting position and repeat.
Squat Curl Tones biceps, bottom and thighs
Hold a dumbbell in right hand at side, palm forwards. Cross left ankle over right thigh (hold a chair if needed). Bend right knee and hips, sitting back (keep standing knee in line with toes) as you raise weight to right shoulder. Return to starting position. Repeat for a full set; switch sides.
Lift-Off Lunge Tones shoulders, triceps, bottom and thighs
Stand with feet hip-width apart, dumbbells at shoulders, palms forwards. Step right foot back about 60 cm, bend knees and lower until left thigh is roughly parallel to floor (keep knee over ankle, above). Press into left foot and stand up as you pull right knee forwards (so you’re balancing on left leg) and press weights overhead. Without touching floor, swing right leg back into lunge position as you lower weights. Repeat for a full set; switch legs.
6. Grab a Buddy
when motivation is low it helps to have a friend you can rely on to push you along. In fact, studies show you’ll lose more weight AND get fitter when you partner with a workout buddy. Or how about joining an outdoor fitness group or walking club? If you’ve got people relying on you to be there, you’re more likely to make the effort.
7. Try Something New
the colder months are the perfect time to take up a fun, new activity. Work up a sweat with a heated yoga class or start an indoor dance class. With all the fun you’re having, you’ll maintain motivation—and you’ll be ready to show off hot new muscles by the time summer comes around.
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