How Much Water Do You Really Need?

The world of weight loss can be a confusing place, but one thing all experts -- including myself -- seem to agree on is that drinking water is essential for losing weight. Really, though, how much water do you need? Do you have to drink eight glasses of water every single day? And if that much water helps you lose weight, wouldn’t drinking even more stimulate fast weight loss?

There are just as many myths surrounding the water-to-weight-loss corollary as there are facts. Sorting them out is your key to effective water consumption when you’re dieting. First, the bad news is that you really do have to drink that much water, eight 8-oz glasses, for a total of 64 ounces every day. Some experts put forth the idea that any fluid is interchangeable, or that you can use sodas, milk or any fluid. However, if you really want an effective diet plan and fast weight loss, you have to drink plain water -- no substitutions.

Another point to consider is that when you drink the water is just as important as how much you drink. Drinking eight glasses of water all at once is not only an unpleasant proposition, it’s ineffective. Your body can only digest 32 ounces (1 quart) of water every hour, or 8 ounces every fifteen minutes. Most people don’t realize it, but water is a food and must be digested, just like everything else you take in to your body. The best time to drink your daily water is between meals, rather than with meals, so that you feel full when you aren’t eating, and so the water doesn’t interfere with your digestion.

When should you drink more than eight glasses of water? If you need to lose a massive amount of weight (generally, if your current weight is over 300 pounds), if you work outside, or if you exercise frequently, you’ll need to increase your fluid intake. Keep in mind that whenever you exercise, you’re going to sweat, and that equates to water loss. You’ll need to drink more water to make up for the loss.

A successful diet must include proper water intake. Finding out exactly how much water you should drink can be a process of trial and error. Too much fluid intake can interfere with weight loss, so you should experiment to find the right level for you.

By: Dr. Donald Fox -

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Dr. Donald Fox dropped 70 pounds in five months using the diet plan he developed. Visit www.dietofthefuture.com, where you can read more about Dr. Fox’s Diet of the Future, sign up for his free newsletter and special report, and order the book.

Are you ready to drop those extra pounds you've been carrying around?

The following article is one of a series of articles which focus on Self Improvement, Motivation and Empowerment. It is based on research done over twenty years as a personal and business coach. This self improvement article was written in response to questions which have been asked on losing weight and long term weight loss as well as address common challenges that people have with this subject. I sincerely hope that you find the following
information of value.

Natural Weight Loss - Eat Right, Keep Moving

You just have read all that you need to know about how to prevent being overweight. That simple set of instructions should be easy to follow, but not for 35% of Americans who are unable to prevent being overweight.

Of course, once we are overweight, we usually want to trim down for a whole lot of reasons, some related to health, others having to do with looks.

In addition, it is never too late to lose weight. But the fact is, it is a whole lot easier to prevent putting on pounds than to try losing them later on. And if there is one thing we all know, it is that weight gain is likely to happen if we do not take forward-looking steps to stop it.

Health experts say that most people who are into losing weight usually stray. They tend to go back to their old eating habits even after they learn to enjoy low-fat eating. They tend to return to sedentary ways even though they enjoy exercising.

But despite the momentum toward weight gain, you can stop it from happening, experts say. And there are plenty of good reasons to avoid excess pounds, reasons that go beyond vanity or social acceptance.

In fact, some health experts contend that the significance of excess weight is more than cosmetic. They say that it takes a huge toll on people's physical health.

The Way to Losing Weight...Naturally

The nuts and bolts of eating right maintaining a healthy weight is not all that complicated. In fact, it is a good bet that most people know pretty well what is best. Hence, losing weight the natural way should not be a problem at all.

Consequently, a reasonable approach for losing weight naturally is to stick to a diet that is high in complex carbohydrates, high in fiber, moderate in protein, and low in fat.

A complex carbohydrate is a baked potato. Fat is the sour cream and butter you should not put on it. Fiber is vegetables. Fat is the oil you should not fry them in. Protein is a lean cut of meat. Fat is the gravy you should not pour over it.

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When it comes to the subject of self improvement, I fully understand (through my own experiences) that it is a lot easier said than done. However, you are here, right now, because you have a desire to improve your self or you are at least interested in this subject. Perhaps you are reading this to help a friend or colleague - great. If this article helps you or you help a friend, paying it forward is what lif'e all about so we all win.

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Moreover, health experts say that dietary fat promotes weight gain because it is a very dense source of calories. Also, when you consume excess calories from dietary fat, you store those calories as body fat more efficiently than excess calories from other sources.

On the other hand, it can also help you lose weight naturally if you will not fall into the so-called "fat-free" trap. Manufacturers keep coming out with low-fat or fat-free versions of their best-selling foods, but Americans keep getting fatter anyway.

One of the greatest delusions of the 1990s is that "no fat" means "non-fattening." The truth is, you are often getting just as many calories from the no-fat version, even if the calories are not coming from fat.

The term fat-free can be a trap if you start to believe that you can eat any amount of the foods that are advertised that way.

What's more, it is best to respond to hunger with healthy snacks. Health experts say it would be better to try eating every three to four hours, which may mean a nutritious low-fat snack between lunch and dinner.

When you feel the urge for food coming on, snacking on something healthy such as a slice of whole-grain toasted bread is a better alternative. Never skip a meal and eat snacks instead because that is the worst thing you can do if you are trying to control your eating habits and weight.

Remember, if you want to lose weight naturally, you have to keep track of every food you eat and of every activity that you do. When you say natural weight loss means that you do not have to use some accessories or helpful aids just to lose weight.

Losing weight naturally is a process and not a fad. Hence, it would take a lot of dogged determination, self-control, and discipline just to achieve your ideal weight.

NOW is the time!

O.K. you have read the article. Now is the time for action. Without action, this article adds no value whatsoever to your self improvement. But remember, without action, you cannot blame this self improvement article or any article for that matter. So, take action NOW.

Even if only one piece of advice, one piece of information, one tip makes a difference, then the whole article has been worth it for all of us.

NOW is the time!

Be the person you want to be, you deserve it!

By: Andrew Gee

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Are you ready to drop those extra pounds you've been carrying around? You don't need to jump on any current diet craze and you don't need to start exercising for hours each day. Just use our 101 'Everyday' Ways to Lose 10 Pounds or more and Keep it Off!

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Try A Common Sense Weight Loss Plan For Long Term Success

There seems to be as many ways to lose weight as there are stars in the sky but more times than not the results are temporary at best. To have long-term weight loss success you need to have a plan that you can live with for the long haul. Eating right and staying away from the latest diet craze is a good start. Most people find keeping a diary of what goes into their mouth will usually help. Even though most people do not enjoy working out, adding exercise to your daily routine usually helps the pounds go away.

Eating right needs to be the very first thing you look at if you are trying to lose weight. Eating all of the high fat junk you find everywhere you look will do nothing but add pounds to your body. Try to use a common sense approach in your eating habits and this should help with your weight loss goals. Eating a diet low in fat and low in sugar makes a lot of sense. Although it may be tempting it is usually wise to stay away from the new diet you read about in the supermarket checkout line.

In general I always tend to stay away from fad diets. Although some of these diets may be fine I choose to go with the more traditional approach with my weight loss plans. I would always discuss any diet plan with my doctor and listen to his advice before starting any diet that I would not consider mainstream. If the diet plan seems to be too good to be true and does not encourage healthy eating I would check it out before starting. One thing that has helped me stay true to my eating goals is to keep a food diary.

Keeping a food diary will keep you honest with your weight loss goals. Knowing I have to put down on paper that I ate that candy bar will often stop me. On weeks where you have lost a pound or two you can refer back to your food diary and see exactly which foods you ate that week. Your food diary may be the difference between success and failure in your weight loss goals. When you get your eating under control you may find you need to add exercise to your weight loss program to fully succeed

Many people cannot seem to lose enough weight without exercise. Weight loss always comes down to calories in and calories out. Exercising each day burns calories, which will help you lose weight. Start slow with any new exercise program and see your doctor before you get started.

Try common sense methods to lose weight. The results may not be as fast as that brand new diet but if you get in the habit of thinking long term the end result should please you.

By: Douglas Taylor

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For more diet tips try visiting www.lose-10-pounds.com where you will find tips, advice and resources about topics such as practical healthy eating advice

How to have the ultimate physique

The dream of every man is to have the ultimate physique. Yet few of the men make enough efforts to achieve a stunning physique that they have always desired. Whereas some other men have a nice body already and need a little fine tuning using muscle sculpting to get that perfect shape. One important fact should not escape our mind, if you need to get a physique you will be proud of, you will have to work hard for it. It is a goal easy to reach.

The muscles is made up of joints, tissues, bones, and fibers, and so on. That of fibers comprise of the fast twitch (FT) fibers, and the (slow twitch) ST fibers. We all have these fibers irrespective of our body types. Exercise and diet are the two most important aspects of muscle building and this help in building the muscle fibers making it possible to achieve balance and help in increasing peak performance during workouts. Milder forms of exercise include running, jogging, and walking fast. All these help in building the muscle fibers. This in turn promotes stimulus and contraction of the muscles.

Other exercises that can help in builder the muscle fibers are football, basketball, handball, volleyball and so on. These exercises enhances the muscle fibers because it is a power, stop and go reactions exercises. Though this form of exercises only build the FT fibers. If you want to build the ST fibers you will need a milder exercise which will reduce the speed of contractions here. Once you build the ST, an increase in the blood flow is noticed. The type of exercise ideal for building the ST fibers is a moderate form of aerobics.

The nervous system is very important in the functioning and movement of the body parts. Therefore when we are planing on body building, we should include exercise that takes care of the nervous areas. Such as the lower and upper back and so on.

Diet and good exercise gives staying power and energy to every muscle builder. Therefore your diets should include all the necessary food contents such as proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals, and so on. Additionally, other workouts such as resistance, endurance, cardio workouts, and others should also be in your program.

In choosing workouts, try including strength training as this helps in building muscle mass and strength. Other micro components of the muscles that strength training accomplishes are building of sarcomere, myofibrils, myosin, and actin. In case you do not understand these terms let me explain:

Myosin part of the muscle fibers is responsible for muscle contraction and regulation of the cells. It is also called the muscle protein.

Myofibrils is a threadlike structure found in muscles. It also aids muscle contraction.

It is always recommended that at every particular point in time that you should build your muscles to include all parts of your body as building specific parts will only amount to problems you will not want to deal with later in life such as obesity and others.

By: bigjonny

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Joe Okoro writes about Muscle Sculpting, fitness and Body building in his free reports. You can sign up for his courses and get additional information by visiting: musclesculptingonline.com

diet pills are not the answer to weight loss

I am asked by my readers almost everyday if I believe diet pills are the answer to weight loss. Honestly, no diet pills are not the answer to weight loss. There are three essential elements you must put in place when trying to lose weight. You must be able to commit yourself to follow your diet, exercise at least three times a week, and take some type of supplement such as a diet pill. The pill alone is not going to miraculous make you go from 250 to 200. Actually, that would be extremely unhealthy.

I have been experimenting with different programs and weight loss pills for over ten years and I can tell you with confidence that you need more then a diet pill to succeed. You have to develop habits that will follow you for years to come. Too many people look at a quick fix to lose weight. They will either deprive themselves of carbohydrates or try to buy anything that promises they will lose weight. Do you know what happens to these people? Yes, they lose their weight but within 3-6 months they gain it ALL back, sometimes more.

Do not become one of these fools. Take your time. Make a plan and stick to it.
I battled weight loss for years but I can tell you at age 34 I will NEVER go back to how I was. I no longer take diet pills because I achieved my goal and no longer need to use them. I follow my diet and exercise to maintain myself.

I do recommend that once you find a diet to follow along with an exercise program that you do choose a SAFE diet pill to get started.

Good luck and remember weight loss always starts with YOU!

By: Sean Morganse

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Sean Morganse is a weight loss expert that has been experimenting with different weight loss pills for over ten years. You can visit his informative webpage on weight loss pills/diets/exercises at www.weight-solutions.net

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Finding the best yoga videos

Finding the best yoga videos is not as easy to walking down to your local video store and wandering over to the exercise aisle. Not all such videos on the market are ideal for effective home practice. In order to make sure you get the best yoga videos for your home, consider a few things you should really look for.

Easy To Understand

First of all, a quality yoga video will be easy for you to follow. You should be able to understand what is being done, how the positions are achieved, how long you should hold each one, and how often you should do it. It should also be easy to follow into each subsequent move. If you cannot understand the video, then it has failed on its most basic level.

Secondly, videos should provide not only easy to follow instructions, but also easy to understand demonstrations. You should be able to, by watching, understand the basics of achieving each pose and each transition. You should also understand, from watching, the breathing patterns and focus. If you can understand the verbal instructions, but the demonstrations are unclear then your video is no better than a book on yoga.

Next, there should be easy modifications offered in the best yoga videos. Yoga can be difficult, so beginners to it may frequently need modifications to their practice so that they can understand even that which they cannot complete. No matter what your ability level may be, you want your video to be able to apply to you. Once you buy a video, it should be of use to you at every stage as you progress further into yoga. Choose a video that will grow with you.

Teaching Qualilty

In a quality video, the yoga should be taught in a student centered manner. Though that seems like it should go without saying, you will see a number of yoga videos that are just a fancy way of showing off the instructor’s ability in yoga. Such videos do little if any good and in many cases may even be counterproductive for you. The idea of having the yoga video is to help your development, not to put you in awe of someone else’s level of flexibility or fitness.

Finally, high quality yoga videos should feature prominent and well qualified instructors. They should not only be practicing instructors, but should probably have achieved great success in their yoga education. You always want to learn from someone at as high a level as possible. By simply reading the back of the box, you will often get an overview of the teacher’s qualifications so that you can make an intelligent decision as to whether or not you want this person to help you practice yoga in your home.

Finding the best yoga videos really isn’t easy. However, when armed with the tools above, you can more accurately assess a video’s value. Look for something you understand visually and orally, that you can use at any level, and that features a successful teacher while staying student centered. When you find that you will have found the best of the best yoga videos for use at home and between private sessions or classes.

By: Rebecca Prescott

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Rebecca Prescott presents more information on the best power yoga videos, and a hatha yoga DVD guide here. Her yoga tips site presents articles on yoga poses, types of yoga, breathing, and more.

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Learn your muscles to find out the right range for you

After you have figured out your form and become more than a beginner, it’s time to re-vamp your routine. The number of sets and repetitions (reps) may be considered more important than the exercises being performed. In the avenue of bodybuilding there is a variety of routines that can be effective. Effectiveness of a routine usually lies in the ability of your workout to put as much strain on a muscle without over working it. This is done much easier when keeping most of the factors in a workout constant and only making one change. This leads to the explanation on how to choose the number of sets and reps to do and how it affects your muscles.

The goal of bodybuilding is to increase size and mass of a muscle. This means every set is going to be to what is called muscle failure (except the warm up). Muscle failure being the point at which you can’t move the weight anymore. Having a spotter is essential for this type of workout. For the most part the reps are going to stay consistent, meaning the variable is the number of sets. The ideal number of times your muscle needs to go to failure per exercise is four. Meaning four sets per exercise. For the purpose of this article it’s assumed that there is a proper warm up and stretching before the first four sets.

The next step is to determine the number of reps per set. Each set will be to failure so technically you don’t need a number of reps to do because you are going to push the weight until you can’t anymore. This means the proper amount of weight is more important. Rather than trying to complete a certain number of reps, use an amount t of weight to hit a target range of reps. The first set’s range is 10-12. This means you want to stack enough a weight so that your muscles need to stop at 10 or 11 reps. If you can do 12 that’s ok. If you can do more than 12 you need to increase the weight. If you can’t do 10, you need to decrease the weight. The second set’s range is 8-10. The third and fourth set’s range is 6-8.

The only factor left is the number of sets to do per exercise. You want to do between 12 and 20 sets per muscle. This is 3-5 exercises per muscle. In all honestly doing less than 4 exercises (16 sets) will be significantly less effective. At first glance it looks like 3 muscles would be 60 sets, which would take hours. Remember though some exercises use more than one muscle. For example 4 sets of chest press would go toward your chest sets and your triceps sets. You still want to isolate muscles when possibly. This helps track muscles so you don’t overwork them. Certain muscles can be worked as secondary muscles and primary muscles on different days. For example the biceps have a fast recovery. A lot of back exercises involve the biceps. You can work back on one day and then isolate biceps on the next day and that muscle should be able to take the extra strain.

Learn your muscles to find out the right range for you. Find your body type and work with it to build massive lean muscle. Use the range suggestions for sets to fit a number of sets to each of your muscles. Because of the way your muscles are used in your body, you shouldn’t need to change the number of reps or sets you do unless your goals change. For the most part once your body adjusts to your new workout you will only need to change the actually exercises you do. This will work the muscles from different angles activating dormant muscle fiber, while still pushing them to failure so that you can gain the maximum amount of muscle.

By: Tom Bishop

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Tom Bishop - Founder and Co-Operator of Nutrition Edge Online; A site made by bodybuilders for bodybuilders. www.NutritionEdgeOnline.com Customerservice@nutritionedgeonline.com