The Daily Gain - WeightLossWars.com

9 Weight Loss Myths

Mon, 25 Aug 2008

By Kate Hampton

There are so many different diets out there, so many different ways of eating and they all seem to promise the same thing. You want to lose weight and get healthy but everywhere you turn something new is on the forbidden list and something else that you used to think was good is now bad. So what can you believe? There are some basic scientific truths about nutrition and weight loss and no matter how much you hear that “this is the one that works” there is a good chance that it is just an empty promise. Here are the facts. They come from doctors, dieticians, scientists and personal trainers. Hopefully, these will help clear some confusion.

Myth#1: Skipping meals is a good way to cut calories and lose weight

Fact: Your body needs food to function properly. If you skip meals during the day you are more likely to snack at night just making up for those calories. Studies show that people who skip breakfast tend to be more...

Exercise With Your Kids

Mon, 18 Aug 2008

Making exercise a priority is a challenge for everyone. And for parents it can be especially difficult to find time to workout because of the full plates that they often juggle. When summer arrives the juggling act becomes even more tricky with kids home from school and involved in extracurricular activities.

But, finding time for regular physical activity is so important that it should be a priority placed on your calendar, just like your kids' softball game. A parent needs to exercise not only for themselves, but also for their kids benefit. It's important to set a good example. If your children never see you engage in fitness or if they hear you complain about working out, then they are going to have a negative image of exercise. Let them know that you workout to stay healthy, to be strong and to have more energy and stamina (so you can keep up with them)!

The big question is how to make it a priority that fits in your schedule. Well, it's actually easier than you may think...

Take a Hike

Mon, 11 Aug 2008

Hiking is a popular, inexpensive way to get out and take a break from daily life. The health benefits of hiking are both mental and physical.

Health Benefits of Hiking

Saying that there are health benefits associated with hiking may sound a bit obvious. Getting out and walking is a pretty obvious way to get some exercise. That being said, burning a few calories is not really the point.

If you are looking for a workout, hiking offers an opportunity to break a sweat. The level of excursion, however, is not as high as most other exercises. As a result, there are two ways to get the cardio health benefits of hiking.

The first is to walk for more than 20 minutes. This consistently keeps your heart rate up and starts to burn calories. 20 minutes, however, isn’t really going to cut it unless you do it every day. To really break a sweat and build stamina, you want to hike at least an hour. If it sounds like a lot, keep in mind you are going 30 minutes in one ...

Increase Your Metabolism

Mon, 04 Aug 2008

If you're trying to lose weight and think your metabolism might be the culprit, there are changes you can make to improve it. But with the commercialism surrounding "metabolism-enhancing" products, it can be hard to separate fact from fiction (or advertising) and pin down techniques that are scientifically proven to change one's metabolism.

1. Understand what metabolism is. 
In the simplest terms, metabolism is the rate at which your body burns calories. The rate differs significantly from person to person. You and your friend can have the same activity level, diet, and weight but still gain or lose weight at different rates based on differences in metabolism.

2. Determine what is influencing your metabolism. There are some factors that you can change, and some factors that you can't.

* Age - metabolism slows 5% per decade after age 40
* Sex - men generally burn calories faster than women
* Heredity - you can i...

Exercising on Vacation

Mon, 28 Jul 2008

Although the purpose of a vacation is to take a break from the stressors of real life, it is still very important to maintain a weekly exercise routine. According to About.com Health and Fitness, if you choose to skip your usual workout while on vacation, your aerobic power may decline about five percent after one week, 15 percent after two weeks, and up to 25 percent after three weeks of inactivity. The longer you skip your workout, the harder it will be to get back into your routine – and all of your gains could potentially be gone after about two months of inactivity. Moreover, the more fit you are, the faster you lose your fitness.

You may wonder how you could possibly get in a normal workout without the equipment you normally use, not to mention scheduling exercise on a day that’s already full with activities. You don’t have to sacrifice fun on your vacation to take time to exercise – simply learn to incorporate your vacation activities into an exercise routine!

...

The Wonders of Watermelon

Mon, 21 Jul 2008

from RealAge.com 

A cool wedge of watermelon on a hot summer day? Refreshing, for sure.

But watermelon is more than just a seasonal treat. Here are three great health reasons to dig into this juicy fruit:

1. It's loaded with lycopene. Watermelon juice actually gave tomato juice a run for the money in a recent study of lycopene levels. That’s good news for your body, because early research suggests that lycopene may be a cancer crusher.

2. It can make your skin pretty. Watermelon is loaded with a key compound credited with helping skin's healing and regenerative processes. Say no more -- bring on the melon!

3. It's practically calorie-free. With fewer than 50 calories in every cup, watermelon is one smart way to satisfy a sweet tooth. And with a whopping 141 grams of water per cubed cup, watermelon will keep you hydrated, too.

Can Stress Cause Weight Gain?

Mon, 14 Jul 2008

from WebMd.com

Your job is hanging by a thread, and the credit-card bills are mounting. Your teenager wants to quit school and become a professional snowboarder. Or maybe it's the increasing tensions in the world, brought to you 24 hours a day on your TV screen, getting you down.

Regardless of the reason, stress is a way of life in the 21st century. And for some people, the effects go beyond feelings of anxiety and discomfort. For these people, stress can mean facing each day ravenously hungry -- and adding weight gain to their list of worries.

"While the immediate . . . response to acute stress can be a temporary loss of appetite, more and more we are coming to recognize that for some people, chronic stress can be tied to an increase in appetite -- and stress-induced weight gain," says Elissa Epel, PhD, an assistant professor in the department of psychiatry at the University of California at San Francisco.

The problem, she says, lie...

Do We Get Enough Exercise From Our Daily Activities?

Tue, 08 Jul 2008

Most Americans get little vigorous exercise at work or during leisure hours. Today, only a few jobs require vigorous physical activity. People usually ride in cars or buses and watch TV during their free time rather than do something active. Activities like golfing and bowling provide people with some benefit but they do not provide the same benefits as regular, more vigorous exercise.

Evidence suggests that even low to moderate intensity activities can have both short and long-term benefits. If done daily, they help lower your risk of heart disease. Such activities include pleasure walking, stair climbing, gardening, yardwork, moderate to heavy housework, dancing and home exercise. More vigorous exercise can help improve fitness of the heart and lungs, which can provide even more consistent benefits for lowering heart disease risk.

Today, many people are rediscovering the benefits of regular, vigorous exercise... activities like swimming, brisk walking, running, or jumping ro...

The Power of Pushups

Mon, 30 Jun 2008

by John Grube

Don't miss out on the benefits of pushups. When done correctly they can be a very brutal form of exercise. Pushups have been used for many,many years and they have stood the test of time.

Why ? Because they work, they have always worked and they will continue to work. You will get great benefits doing pushups not to mention a total body workout.

The great thing about the pushup is that they can be done anywhere, anytime and there are so many variations that you will always be in for a challenge.

Pushups will work:

forearms

biceps

triceps

shoulders

traps

upper back

lower back

abs

glutes

hamstrings

quads

calves



You can do them anyway you like slow, fast, explosive. You can make pushups as hard or as easy as you want them to be.

If you don't think pushups are worth doing - try this simple test, get into a pushup
position and hold the pushup position for five minutes an...

Preventing type 2 Diabetes

Mon, 23 Jun 2008

by the National Diabetes Education Program

More than 41 million Americans are well on their way to developing diabetes—and most don’t even know it. They have a condition called pre-diabetes, which means their blood glucose levels are higher than normal, but not yet high enough to be diagnosed as diabetes. People who are over 45 and overweight are at increased risk for pre-diabetes, and many ethnic minorities are at an even greater risk. But there is good news: Diabetes prevention is proven, possible, and powerful.

The Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP), a landmark study sponsored by the National Institutes of Health, found that people at increased risk for diabetes can prevent or delay the onset of the disease by losing 5 to 7 percent of their body weight through a low fat, low calorie eating plan and by getting 30 minutes of physical activity a day, five days a week.

To help people at risk lose weight to prevent or delay type 2 diabetes, NDEP created the Small Steps. Big Re...