This you can say is the most important training principle as the body adapts to stress in a highly specific way. The best way to improve your performance in a sport is to practice that sport. Improvement will only occur when you practice the skill correctly and incorporate new fitness gains into it.

The principle of specificity should be the central consideration in any training program designed to improve skilled performance.

So when it comes to your goals and what you want to achieve depends on the way you train. If you want to achieve weight loss than do more cardio, if you want to build muscle than lift more weights. It is pretty simple when you learn the basic principles of program developing and weight training.

Eat A Well-Balanced, High Performance Diet.

If you want to create a “great body” the thing you need to focus on the most is your nutrition. Making sure that you are eating a sensible and nutritionist diet that gives you enough protein to build muscle you less calories to help lose weight.

Your diet depending on your goals should most consist of fruits, vegetables, fish, and whole grains. Foods that we need to eat but in moderation are monounsaturated fats like olive oil, nuts, and avocados.

Establish Realistic Goals.

The goals you set should reflect factors such as capability and motivation in your training program. Make sure you set achievable short-term goals so you can motivate your to reach each one of these short-term goals that will lead you to achieving your long-term goals. After achieving your goals, reevaluate your training program and set you goals. Always shoot higher and higher but make sure the goals are reachable.

Have A Workout Plan.

Writing things down in a journal or any kind of planner your goals and how you are going to achieve them is one of the keys to success. If someone wants to lose 20 pounds than they should right down how many pounds they want to lose each week and what exercise and nutrition program they will use to reach that goals. The exercise program should include weight training, cardio, and flexibility for a well-rounded fitness program. It is just a great way to stay organized and will help you still to your workouts and eating plans.

Train All Year Round.

Establishing a year-round program with specific goals and variation to the stage or season you are in. It is best if you change up your training once in awhile to keep your body new and fresh. If you miss workouts or take an extended break than all your gains will slowly disappear right before your eyes.

These tips may seem very simple and basic because they are but most people can’t even follow these tips. Before going any further in your fitness and weight loss program make sure you accomplished these five basic tips that will make you or break you.

Have a great day and God bless!

This one simple rule can keep you from incredible weight loss, decreasing hunger cravings, and can have you feeling great and energized all day long. You don’t want to forget this one simple that can change everything you are striving to achieve.

So, what is the one simple rule you must never forget?

Never forget about eating a healthy and well balanced breakfast to jumpstart your metabolism and your day. This is the foundation for losing weight, having more energy, and not overeating later in the day when not needed. Many things have been brought up like skipping meals, only eating fruit, and stacking up on carbohydrates for an early morning fat burn but this is absolutely wrong.

Studies after studies show that people usually stay slimmer when they eat breakfast on a daily basis. Eating breakfast shows that people consume less calories, less fats, and eat healthier throughout the day (National Weight Control Registry). On an average, men weigh six pounds lighter when eating breakfast and women weigh 9 pounds lighter when eating breakfast.

Why does breakfast add in weight loss?

Breakfast has several factors that help you stay slim and guide you towards weight loss. One factor is when you skip breakfast your metabolic rate slows down and your blood sugar drops that cause you to become hunger and having less energy. After sleeping for 7 to 9 hours, denying food to your body is just an invitation for burning out, exhaustion, and gorging late in the day. Breakfast helps your body feel nourished and satisfied that keeps you from overeating the rest of the day.

Another great thing to realize is that breakfast can easily determine your entire day with the energy you have and the control of appetite during the times that count. When striving to achieve certain goals like weight loss, improve fitness level, eating healthier, etc. breakfast is the foundation to every else you implement for achieving your goals.

It has been shown that people who don’t eat breakfast burn two thirds less calories than what they could of if they ate breakfast. It is one of the simplest things to understand as you are coming from a 7 to 9 hours fast and eating a healthy breakfast in the morning ignites your body into a fat burning machine throughout the entire day. So, if you skip breakfast you are just giving your body the signal to be slow and sluggish during the rest of your day.

Best breakfast choices for weight loss!

You do not have to eat breakfast the second you get up though but try to at least consume something before an hour after you wake up. It can be as easy as a bowl of oatmeal, fruit, eggs and any kind of meat or just a healthy bowl of cereal that does not have too much sugar. Lunch and dinner leftovers can also be a good choice of fuel early in the morning. I like to treat myself to some pizza from the night before that I did not eat as eating pizza in the morning is much better than eating it at night.

If you are not a big breakfast person and chosen to have only a cup of coffee in the morning than you are taking a difficult road to achieving your goals. To can still reach your goals but it will be harder and your freedom will be limited as your metabolism is not as fast as it could be. Whether choice you make is your decision but breakfast is the absolute best and easiest way for reaching your goals you so desire.

Have a great day and God bless!

Water is the central foundation to every health and fitness goal. You probably know that without water living would be impossible but why is it so important for losing weight?

Not drinking enough water could be the reason you are not losing weight.

Water is the most valuable substance you consume and has a wide variety of essential functions that are the source of life. Let’s take a look at a few of the functions water performs in your body and the reasons why it is so important to drink enough water.

• Water makes up 60-70% of your body.
• It assists in digestion, absorption and assimilation which gives you the complete vitamins, minerals, and nutrients from the foods you eat
• Water helps with the excretion of waste from the bowels and kidneys. It will help you to avoid constipation and will relieve stress on your kidneys.
• Controlling your body temperature and keeping your body regulating in different situations and actions is another task water performs in your body
• Reduced head aches and stomach bloating are a result of increased water intake
• Water also makes up 92% of your blood that helps with nutrient distribution.
• Proper hydration will help keep your skin smoother and healthier
• It also Lubricates and heals the joints and muscles.

These are just a few of the important things water accomplishes in your system.

But why is water so important for weight loss?

Many people search for appetite suppressants to curve their hunger when the best way to feel fuller is to drink more water. Your brain treats hunger and thirst the same so when you think you are hungry, your brain could actually be signaling you that you are thirsty. People who do not consume enough water throughout the day usually develop hunger pains more than those who drink enough water. Drinking cold water is the best choice. It not only quenches your thirst but can actually boost your metabolism as the water has to be warmed up, burning calories.

Another thing that you should know is that drinking water consistently throughout the day will keep you from over eating, having cravings for sweets and can accelerate your energy levels the natural way. There are many other benefits as well; these are just a few select ones.

Try it! When you feel hungry drink a big glass of water and wait five minutes to see if you are still hungry. Try always having a bottle of water with you, taking sips every so often and see the affects it has on your appetite.

You could also try drinking a large glass of water before eating breakfast to accelerate your metabolism, preparing your body to be a fat burning machine the rest of the day.

Are you drinking enough during the day to keep yourself hydrated?

The average person needs about 6-8 large glasses of water every day. You must also take in to consideration how much you sweat, your caffeine consumption, and amount of daily exercise as these are indicators that you will need to increase your water intake.

If you are not a huge fan of water, eating fruit with high water content is another great way to increase your water consumption without drinking plain water. Fruit with high water content will also fill up your stomach with fewer calories and tons of vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients for a healthy body. There are other foods that have a high content of water and most can be easily recognized like some fruits and vegetables but certain diets may limit foods with high water content. In this case you will simply have to drink more water.

Diuretics like coffee, pop, and caffeinated drinks cause the body to lose water and dehydrate the body. By cutting back on these drinks, you will decrease the amount of water you need to consume and your body’s absorption of vitamins and minerals will be greater.

Try to always have a bottle of water with you to take sips every so often and see the affects it has on your appetite.

It is one of the most depressing set backs anyone could ever have.

Without the right motivation and the right knowledge on taking action you are just going to struggle with your weight for the rest of your life. There is hope though if you have time to learn a new concept of nutrition.

Finally you can eat enjoyably without starving all the time and still eat fewer calories than you would on a diet.

Are negative calories foods real?

Is this possible? Do negative calorie foods actually have no calories, and might even be negative calories? What effect does this have on digesting negative calories

really have? Don’t all foods have energy content to our bodies? Can these foods help eat our way towards weight loss...meaning the more we eat these foods, the greater amount of weight loss we will achieve?

The down side to this topic is the digestion of “negative calories” could potentially have an affect with our “positive calorie” reserves in our bodies. For our bodies to functions we need a certain amount of calories to manufacture energy for a balanced amount of micro and macro nutrients to keep us healthy.

The first time this topic was brought to my attention, believing it seriously did not happen as it seemed to be a fairytale wish. After several weeks of research and study, I have come to the conclusion that the truth about “negative calorie foods” might be possible.

If this is true than I bet you are wondering that weight loss is possible as long as I eat these foods. So is this “negative calorie” true or false?

Negative Calorie Food List

Vegetables

Fruits

The truth of Negative Calories

All right, the concept of “negative calorie foods is true and false. The truth is that these are some of the best foods to eat for weight loss and healthy living but they are only negative calories it eaten in certain amounts and at certain times. Certain foods speed up and slow down your metabolism but to be certain, besides a slight chance that it takes up more calories to burn your food than it is to eat it, these foods can only be proven to be healthy and nutritionist.

We all must remember a couple things before moving on. All foods have a caloric (calories), nutrient (carbohydrate, fat, protein), and vitamin & mineral (enzyme producing) content.

The list of foods I have put together for you have little energy content after digestion that means our body uses up more energy to digest and absorb the energy and nutrients leaving less in our body’s energy reserves.

So how can “negative calories” be true? Let me give you an example.

Eating a meal with just salad or celery could take more calories digesting it than the actual calories consumed in the salad and celery. Celery is an excellent snack for the negative calorie affect as its energy is condense and compacted.

I must say as a final noted that the complete argument of negative calories being fact or fiction makes further research needed to support this theory.

All foods have calories but determining if these foods take more calories to digest than they actually have is what needs to be continually looked at for the final conclusion to this mystery.

Have a great day and God bless!

Boy are they being fed by lies.

Being updated and educated on about every aspect in the health and fitness realm has myself noticing the confusion people have when deciding how they will lose weight and take that step towards better health. You may begin to believe that you have to spend all that money on different weight loss supplements, programs, and home gyms before you find what works for you.

This is absolutely wrong.

There is one home gym that has been around longer than the majority of workout machine hypes and is still giving the same incredible results it promise years ago. So which one am I talking about that is for real and can make the difference towards that deciding factor of achieving phenomenal results.

The one and only “Bowflex” is the absolute best home gym ever design for toning your body, firing up your metabolism, and making weight loss easier than ever. I have experience bowflex hands on with other home gyms and fitness equipment but nothing compares to bowflex.

Some of the best things about this piece of equipment are that it gives results, it’s easy and not time consuming, and the power rod resistance makes it a favor for thousands. Bowflex Power Rods give you resistance, or weight, that feels as good as or better than free weights – but without the inertia or risk of joint pain usually associated with free weights. The workouts will never be the same again.

They have several models like Bowflex Ultimate 2, Bowflex Ultimate, Bowflex Xtreme 2, Bowflex Xtreme SE, Bowflex Blaze , and Bowflex Versatrainer. My own opinion is that Bowflex Ultimate 2 is #1 in my book.

I just want to say last that I had to quite my gym membership as bowflex even cost less than most gym membership including mine. I was paying about $39 a month with a $50 equipment maintenance fee, and as always a start up fee. My gym membership cost me around $700 for the year and traveling there made me spend more money on gas.

With the bowflex I paid $34 a month and they shipped it to me for absolutely nothing. I come out to only paying about $400, plus the money on gas and time I wasted traveling to the gym.

Bowflex in about every way is the best way to go if you want to improve your fitness level while not sacrificing time and money away from things you love to do and your family.

If you know of another home gym that you believe to be outstanding than contact me so I can put my two cents in.

Have a great day and God bless!

Healthy Breakfast Eating Tips:

Tip #1: Take your breakfast with you. Some good choices for breakfast it a whole-grain bagel, hard-boiled egg, low-fat yogurt or one of my favorites is a small cup of peanut butter with some fruit in a bag. Breakfast on the go can never be easier.

Tip #2: Grocery shopping in advance. Focus on buying whole-grain unsweetened cereal, eggs to hard-boil, and fresh fruit that will have your breakfasts ready in the morning and ready to eat in the car.

Tip #3: Be creative and spice up your breakfast choices with delicious foods that will satisfy your sweet tooth while being healthy.

Tip #4: Buy your breakfast on the way to work can also be a healthy option if time before work enables you to grab and go. Look for fresh fruit or low-fat cereal choices. Avoid buying sweet pastries and doughnuts that only give you empty calories and will mess with your energy levels.

Tip #5: The best choices are low-sugar, high-fiber and high-protein for a healthy breakfast. Whatever you choice to eat try to add variety to your meals to get the well-rounded nutrients you need.

Tip #6: Take a second and read labels on the popular breakfast and energy bars as many are high in sugar and healthy and nutritionist as they might appear.

Tip #7: Eat something in the morning even if you do not have the hunger to eat. A single banana or apple is a healthy choice or maybe a slice of whole-grain toast. These are both easy to eat at home and on the road to work.

Last Tip & Warning

Do your best at avoiding skipping breakfast if your goal is weight loss. Missing breakfast will not help you lose weight any faster, and in fact, it may hurt you at lunch time when you overeat. Skipping breakfast also puts your whole metabolism on hold that has your body burning fewer calories throughout the day.

Breakfast is the key to be healthy, energized, and having a fat burning metabolism. Don’t hurt your metabolism and eat a healthy breakfast.

Have a great day and God bless!

Taking a relaxing vacation on a cruise has tremendously changed with all the adjustments of entertainment, food choices, and physical fitness opportunities. Why is this?

Today health clubs, spas, and sports of all description are a part of the daily lives of millions that seek a healthier life. You're probably one, and like millions of others, you believe that a vacation include the opportunity to keep that level of fitness you've worked so hard to achieve. You can believe that the cruise lines have been listening and have made the changes necessary. Things aboard have changed extremely.

Everything you could ever want like huge halls full of exercise equipment of every shape and size that are top-of-the-line bran new. Floor-to-ceiling consist of glass walls that gives you a spectacular view of the ocean while you work out. Classes of all kinds (yoga, stretching, ab workouts, circuit training, and step aerobics are all most likely offer) take place in these palatial venues. Swimming pools have morphed from mere splash puddles to places where some serious workouts can be done, with artificial currents providing resistance for "endless laps." And that old favorite — jogging — is now given its own track on many liners.

For cardiovascular workouts in intriguing surroundings there's nothing like a luxurious cruise ship to take a vacation. By the way, some of the cruise ships are so large you might have to stick with one lap around as it can been quite a distance.

If you're the type who loves the competitive edge in exercise than you will enjoy sports of all kinds that are available everywhere you look. One cruise line even features rock climbing and in-line skating on its list of exercise activities. Sport areas on cruise ships aren't relegated to paltry little backwaters, either. Depending on the ship, they can cover tens of thousands of square feet of deck space.

Of course, you can get instruction in this health, fitness, and different types of activities area as well. There are also many shore excursions that are geared towards those who love to challenge their bodies as well as look at wonderful scenery — hiking, kayaking, river rafting, and rock climbing in some exotic port of call.

They are intense!

So whether you're the type that likes sweat in the eyes while you work your body, or one who'd rather have cool cucumber slices laid on them while you let your body wrap do its work, everything you could ever wish for is on today's cruise ships health spas. Fitness can still be maintained on vacation as impossible as it may seem.

Have a great day and God bless!

In most cases, the cost of food is included in your payment for the cruise, so you'll never see a price—essentially, the caviar is free! So is the chocolate croissant, and the filet mignon, and the fettuccine Alfredo, and the crème brulee, etc.

But you should enjoy yourself right?

So you see how easy it is to overeat on a cruise as food is everywhere. Even the best low-calorie, small-portion intentions can add up at 2 a.m. you're still encouraged to nibble on wedges of sea creature-shaped cheese and olives stuffed with lobster.

Don’t avoid everything but use these tips to help you enjoy on cruise without overeating completely.

Cruise Buffet Temptations

• Before going back for seconds give yourself a couple minutes to digest and rest as you might find yourself satisfied.
• Eat at a slow pace, enjoy the food and really emphasize chewing and all the taste of different foods.
• When you have your plate of food, sit in another room or far away from the buffet for a place to eat.
• Become a fan of fruit and vegetables as they will be a lot healthier for you.
• Choose foods you normally don’t get to eat so you will enjoy your meal more.
• Walk around the whole buffet before you load up your plate so you know exactly what you want.

Stay Active As Well

• Use the chances to go snorkeling, diving, or playing on the beach.
• When visiting different places walk instead of taking a bus or taxi as much as possible.
• Use the pool not just for relaxation but for enjoyable lap swim.
• Use the deck for a nice walk after a meal.
• Other activities are dancing, fitness facility, and running on the ship’s deck.

You must remember that you are on vacation though so have fun and enjoy it as much as possible and I guarantee you that eating healthy or just not gorging yourself will make the trip more forth wild.

Have a great day and God bless!

Over the years doughnuts have been given a bad name of being fattening and unhealthy but are bagels just as bad?

Know it is proven that doughnuts are better than bagels as you will see that over the past couple years bagels have super-sized to the extreme. Some bagels are three times larger than doughnuts not matter what the sugar content is.

Here is an example:

As you can see you can almost eat two glazed doughnuts to equal one dunkin plain doughnut in calories. Second thing is it’s amazing how much carbohydrates the people cram into one bagel.

Plus, with cream cheese on our bagel it is about another 200 calories making the bagel itself more breakfast than someone needs.

Knowing that a single small bagel yields approximately 40 grams of carbs and a large one can yield up to 75 grams – this is too many carbs for some fitness competitors in one sitting. Even though bagels are low in fat, the high carb content is something we need to consider when trying to limit carbs to 1.5-2 grams per pound of body weight daily.

Bagels are bigger than ever, with what was once a standard bagel, about 2 ounces, now labeled as a "mini." Supermarket bagels are nearly 4 to 6 ounces, and many bakery bagels are even larger to 12 ounces. Plus the cream cheese of course.

Is their any hope in eating bagels for a fast and healthy breakfast when time is short and making a delicious nutritionist breakfast out of the question?

Bagel Healthy Tips:

1) Choose whole wheat, oatmeal or rye – These bagels have the lowest glycemic rate for breads that will have them with you longer to avoid going to fat.

2) Low-fat cream cheese – By selecting a healthier cream cheese it will help keep the fat amount to a minimum.

3) Small or Medium – Bagels have been super sized so look for the bagels that are small or medium size. (Bagel = 4oz)

4) No added sugar – Bagels seem like the healthier choice but now they are coming out with bagels with added sugar. That’s mean even more calories.

5) Yes to protein – Mix some protein in with a bagel to slow the digestion process longer for more energy and longer satisfaction.

Last, I wanted to add really quick that bagels has made the list for “Top Ten Foods That Make You Fatter” that was created by some of the world’s greatest fitness professionals. But you must remember anything in moderation is ok, so be careful when you eat foods like bagels that are compacted carbs.

If you want anymore information on weight loss, health or fitness than visit top weight loss site for some of the leading info online.

Have a good day and God bless!

Make sure that you get a variety of foods into your diet as these should only be a foundation of healthy eating foods. So here are the leading ten healthiest fat burning foods you can eat for weight loss.

1) Oatmeal

If you had to eat one and only one type of complex carbohydrate to burn fat than oatmeal should become your #1 choice for losing weight. Oatmeal is practically the only complex carbohydrate source bodybuilders and fitness professionals eat when they are burning fat for their competition.

Even though it is a starchy carbohydrate, oatmeal has an excellent balance of carbs, proteins, and fats in it as a half of cup has 3 grams of fats, 27 grams of carbs, and 5 grams of protein. With the combinations of macro nutrients, oatmeal is a healthy choice for its low glycemic rate for slow digestion.

2) Yams (or sweet potatoes)

The second best choice for eating healthy with starchy carbohydrates is yams and sweet potatoes. They are all-natural, low in calories, and with a high nutrient value, it has them being an excellent selection for a fat burning food.

With a low glycemic index having it keeping you fuller longer and digestion slower explains why fitness professionals recommend it for losing weight.

3) 100% Whole Wheat and Whole Grain Products

As it is recommended in all the food pyramids, breads and grains should be a huge part in eating healthy but the rule is they must be 100% whole grain and whole wheat. If you consume white bread then kiss your fat burning goals goodbye as white bread is one of the worst things you can put in your body.

When your goal is weight loss and burning fat keep the focus on breads and grains to a minimum while also only consuming only 100% whole grain and whole wheat.

4) Green Vegetables

Fibrous carbs are the #1 choice for burning fat with carbohydrates. Just think of green vegetables as having very little calories with a huge amount of nutritionist value. If you want to lose weight than focus on eating green vegetables with lean protein and your body will turn into a fat burning machine.

5) Fresh Fruit

Whole and fresh fruits are filled with vitamins that will keep you healthy, energized and burning fat all day long. Most fruits are low in calories, carbs, and high in fiber that makes them a fantastic choice for developing a lean and toned body.

6) Skin Milk and Nonfat Dairy Products

Dairy products are great for weight loss when they are nonfat or skin as others can be every dense in fat and calories. Dairy products have a combination of proteins and carbohydrates that makes them an excellent choice for implementing them into your weight loss eating program.

Stick with lean and nonfat products to keep the calories low and the nutrition value high making them a healthier choice for burning fat and eating healthy.

7) Chicken and Turkey Breast

Chicken and turkey I believe are the number one selection for protein in ones diet. By removing the skin and eating the white meat keeps it consisting of mostly protein for filling you up and eating less at the same time. Whatever way you cook them stay away from frying as that can turn an extremely healthy food into a dieter’s nightmare.

8) Eggs Whites

4 to 6 grams of protein, zero carbs, and zero fats makes egg whites a dieter’s life that much easier. Eggs whites are super-high quality protein but when eating the yoke becomes a habit, say hello to higher cholesterol levels and about 50 more calories that will just go to fat. Keep egg whites a healthy option for you by only eating the white part and putting the yokes in the trash.

9) Fish

Eating a variety of proteins is one of the things complained about the most as many bodybuilders and fitness professionals stick to only eggs, tune, and chicken. By implementing different kinds of fish you are giving yourself a variety of sources of protein to burn fat and lean out your body.

Also add in seafood like shrimp, crab, lobster, mussels, etc. as these all are great sources of protein that are low in fat.

10) Lean Red Meats

Finding good sources of lean red meats can become a struggle but they have many benefits like being high in protein, B-12. iron and creatine. By keeping our portion sizes small and choosing the leaner red meats it can also be a great food source for burning fat and weight loss.

These 10 fat burning foods are not the only foods good for healthy nutrition and weight loss but should help you start a foundation on what foods are good for eating healthy.

Have a great day and God bless!