Many people do not understand the body’s metabolism and think it is this complicated process that you are either lucky to have a good one or not so lucky to have a bad one. This; however, is very far from the truth. They body’s metabolism is like a well-oiled machine; it knows what it has to do and functions efficiently when given the right tools. Okay, so that doesn’t tell you what it is; your metabolism is the part of your body that turns calories (fuel) into energy. The rate at which your metabolism functions is very important to your overall physique and can even act as an anti-aging agent later in life.It is natural, as we get older, that our metabolism begins to slow; in fact, it tends to slow a little each year unless you do something to prevent it. See, the more you slow down the more your metabolism slows down. If you stay active – physically active – your metabolism will too; which is where the anti-aging agent comes into play.You can help the rate at which your metabolism processes calories by building muscle. Muscle burns fat – a lot of fat – even during resting periods like when you’re asleep. One of the main reasons for this is that muscles need a lot of energy in order to maintain their “shape” and strength. (Remember, metabolism creates energy output.) Therefore, the more muscle you have the faster your metabolism will be and the more efficient your body will be at the anti-aging process.Muscle is not something that you are either lucky to have or not; you have to work at it. Even if you have muscle in your younger years, you will have to work to maintain it as you age. Just like your metabolism, muscle begins to depreciate around the age of 30 and slowly depreciates every year after that. Muscle depreciate can actually be fairly significant when you hit your 50s when it is depreciated at a 15% and increases to 30% after the age of 70. While you may not realize the risks involved, yet, this is not a risk you want to take.Okay, so we know that a slow metabolism and the loss of muscle mass will happen as we get older, yet we want to avoid it. If you maintain both of these aspects of your body you will have given your body its very own anti-aging agent. We already know the why; metabolism burns calories which help to keep the fat off; muscle needs these calories (also helping to keep the fat off) but also provides a firm look to your body that typically only comes with youth. The question, now, is how do you attain this anti-aging agent?We all know we need to eat a well-balanced diet in order to stay fit and healthy, so we won’t even discuss that here – just remember it. The key to anti-aging is strength training. A proper strength training routine should only require you to work out 2-3 times a week for about 30 minutes per session. You have three options here:• Work out in a gym on your own• Work out with a personal trainer• Work out at home on your ownWhichever approach you take, you need to make sure that you are challenging your muscles to the point that you feel it. If you do not challenge and push your muscles you will be wasting your time. If; however, you do challenge your muscles and “feel the burn” you will be well on your way to the solution to anti-aging.This anti-aging process may sound a bit unattainable and impossible, but it is not. Remember, building and maintaining healthy muscle mass and keeping your metabolism running at optimal speeds will give you the ability to look and feel younger than you are. You will still get older; this is not an anti-aging myth like the fountain of youth, but a real anti-aging solution to keep you active as you reach you elder years – even into your 50s, 60s, and 70s.
Lose Weight Naturally – Healthy Eating Strategies That Will Improve Your Nutrition and Your Life
One of the things that I commonly encounter when I speak with other women about weight loss is their utter frustration with where they are compared with where they were when they were younger. It seems we all have these memories of ourselves in our more slender days branded on our brains and we can’t seem to get rid of those more physically flattering images of us in those cute designer jeans and form-fitting mini skirts. Yes, we all have these desires and plans to lose that weight that has mercilessly crept…no…jumped up on us and threaten to overtake us if we don’t fight back. Many women really do have the desire to do something to lose those unwanted pounds, but just can’t seem to put things together to see results they want…at least not for very long and without major struggle.Often times there are legitimate efforts to lose weight, but there seems to be some poor nutritional habits that have crept in and sabotaged their weight loss efforts. Our discussion tends to come back to one central issue…their snack habits. I might ask them a question about the types of foods they eat and the types of responses I receive indicate that they’ve been a little naughty when it comes to indulging their guilty pleasures. I will then talk to them more about what they can do to improve their nutrition and their chances of successful weight loss. The one big issue that tends to trip them up, and which I will center the rest of this article around is why they would have trouble making healthier choices when it comes to making the wise decision day after day. Why do they tend to repeatedly trip over the junk food pile when working toward their weight loss goal? Is it because they don’t have any self-control? Are they weak-minded, or without any will power?Why Is It So Hard For Americans To Adopt Healthy Eating Strategies?There are so many reasons that I can think of, but one that comes to mind is that our busy lifestyles keep us focused on everything else except healthy nutrition. It just seems that we’ve always got something going on in our lives. If you’ve got small children at home like I do, then it becomes even more challenging to eat well. With more people working longer hours at the office or working two or more jobs, the ability of millions of Americans to get quality nutrition will be even further compromised in the years to come. Unfortunately, this will pose a huge problem for us all.Another reason why it’s so difficult for us to adopt healthy eating strategies is that over the years of our lives, we’ve adopted and have mastered some very poor eating habits. Many of us grew up in families where high fat, high sodium, and fiber-deficient meals were the norm, rather than the exception. Some families had traditions that included large family gatherings with tons of food on a weekly basis. Talk about unhealthy choices. For many Americans, the habits that have been formed and “cemented” in our brains from all of the years of poor nutritional choices can seem almost impossible to break.Additionally, I believe that most people, when asked will tell you that they would love to eat better than they currently do. For many of them, however, the major issue is support and accountability. I know of so many people, myself included, who would start a new eating plan and then after a few weeks, would find themselves back at square one wondering what happened to all of that excitement and hope. What is important to understand when a new eating plan is started is that there has to be an appropriate support system in place, and there must be someone else available for accountability since we are prone to travel down the wrong path, especially when we’ve grown so accustomed to a particular pattern of eating that included certain foods that we are now trying to de-emphasize in our daily eating plans.How Can Poor Nutritional Habits Sabotage Your HealthWith the massive health-care problems that we currently face, and with the majority of Americans moving into the golden years of their lives, there is a great need for us to re-evaluate our eating habits and take action right now to change them. We all know about the impact of poor nutrition on our health, but many of us tend to believe that we’re somehow immune to it. It’s amazing how much differently I view life now than I did when I was in my teens. Back then, I felt I could eat everything my little heart desired because I was young and I didn’t really care about healthy eating or about my figure. Fast forward to today…now, I can feel the effects of poor eating on my body almost instantly. When I find myself eating out more than usual due to a busy week, my body now “speaks” to me in ways that let me know that my diet is not what it should be. I’m glad for those signals because it then gives me the opportunity to get my eating back on track.What I have found as I have counseled other women is that their lives tend to be perpetually busy, and they can’t seem to truly commit themselves to healthy eating during this season of their lives. I totally understand them, however, I can’t seem to shake the thought that today may be all that we have and we’re not promised tomorrow. I know of so many people my age who are already dealing with difficult health conditions and diseases due to poor eating habits. Thus, we really owe it to ourselves to begin adopting healthy eating strategies today. If we take the mindset that we’ll do it tomorrow, we might end up acting too little too late. Though it may be difficult to commit to healthy eating, I think it’s critical to a long and healthy life to take some small yet progressive steps to improve your nutrition. It will make a world of difference, and when you do, you’ll find that it’s not as difficult as you thought it would be, and you’ll wonder why you didn’t start sooner. So, what can you do today to help yourself?How You Can Improve Your Nutrition and Accelerate Your Weight Loss Results!For starters, I would recommend talking to your spouse and/or a trusted friend about your desire to make some changes in your nutritional habits. It’s important that you not overload them with all your history of frustration with your past eating failures, but I do suggest that you tell them how you’ve been feeling lately about how you’ve been eating, and share with them about your need to make some changes in your lifestyle that will help you make a step toward better health. Share with them why you sense a need to make these changes, and let them know that their help and support will be instrumental in your eventual success. Another important recommendation here is to make sure you do not cast blame or talk about them in any way. You want to own your own struggles and take responsibility for all of your actions. I also believe it is important that they know that though this may affect them, you plan to take the slow and progressive path toward their goals, not the quick “all-or-nothing” approach that you might have utilized with little to no success before. This approach will communicate to them that you need them, and it will motivate them to do whatever they can do to assist you on your journey. Who knows, they might also be encouraged and motivated to make some changes along with you (a nice perk).As far as working to improve your nutrition, the first place to start is to take a look at your current eating habits. Are you eating the right foods? What do you snack on? Do you skip meals? When do you eat your meals? Other considerations include whether you’re eating too much food when you sit down for meals, and whether you’re drinking enough water? Something that has helped me was to begin an educational process so that I made myself knowledgeable about what good nutrition actually was. Many Americans have no clue about good nutrition which makes all of their efforts to eat well and lose weight a no-win proposition. Don’t let this happen to you. If you’re going to lose the battle, don’t let it be because you didn’t know the rules of engagement.Here are some guidelines that I hope you will find helpful when working to improve your nutrition. First, on the day you decide to begin your diet make-over, work to incorporate one new healthy food item into your daily diet right away! Notice that I said “one” new food item and not many new food items. Remember, the race is given to he who endures to the end, so don’t be like the hare…jumping out to the big lead only to be bypassed by the tortoise. As you incorporate one new item, then take a look at your current diet and see what you can take from your daily plan as well. So, in essence, you’re adding something healthy, and at the same time, taking something not-so-healthy away. Do this for a whole week in order to allow yourself to adjust to the new healthy food item, and/or the omission of the unhealthy food item. If you experience success with your first week, then look to do the same with another food choice that needs to be modified.There is one qualifier that I’d like to mention here. I don’t believe that we need to cut out foods completely from our diets, so if you make an exchange, make sure that you understand that it’s only for the purpose of helping you to succeed in emphasizing foods that you need to eat more of, and de-emphasizing those foods that you should eat less of. As you get good at making these adjustments to your weekly eating plan, then you can begin planning weekly menus that incorporate those foods you like, within a menu of foods that you need for good health. Now, you’ll be more comfortable eating those foods you like to eat in much more moderate and manageable ways. If you find that you still struggle with self-control, then you might need to take a more drastic step and eliminate that food or to permit it but with much more stringent guidelines (ie, your spouse is the only one who can give this particular food to you, and at only specially designated times). It may not sound like much, but just by making some small changes like this can mean a significant reduction in calories within a few weeks, which eventually turns into significant weight loss for anyone who also struggles to attain and/or maintain a healthy body weight. Many people also report feeling extremely more energetic when their eating habits change for the better…which often leads to increased productivity at work and in the home.I am convinced that lasting change for all of us, regardless of where we are, begins with one small and successful dietary change. From there, the sky is the limit to how far we can go. All it takes is a little effort and a lot of perseverance. Remember, the race is given to the one who endures to the end. I believe that can be you…but do you?By applying what you’ve read, I believe that you’ll start to understand why today has to be the day to start giving your body what it needs to thrive…not just survive! I hope that you’ll have some simple and practical strategies to combat poor eating in your life and start experiencing better health and vitality. Lastly, you will truly understand how improved nutrition will accelerate your weight loss results, improve your energy levels, and potentially change your life.
Fashion Designer – Do You Have What it Takes to Get Into Fashion?
For an artist, the world of fashion can seem more like a business than a world of creative fashion design. Aspiring fashion designers need to understand that this is all necessary. Business is the life blood of fashion and the fashion itself is only the soul. Fashion simply wouldn’t be able to see mass production if it were any other way. So you may be a ‘creative’ but as a fashion designer you must develop a passion for not only design but manufacturing challenges, the excitement of marketing and overcoming competition.In the professional world of fashion, you’ll spend less than 10 percent of your time designing your collections and the rest of the time working out money management issues, and executing marketing strategies. These are the only things that will give life to your creative work and allow you to survive as a fashion designer so your garment designs will hit the store shelves and not just remain the beautiful figments of your creative imagination.You want to become well acquainted with the business aspect of fashion. Don’t even think of starting out on you own. Work for any designer, design house or clothing manufacturer first so you can become well versed in how the fashion industry works on a daily basis and carefully climb up the ladder from there. Study how other fashion designers made their way to the top. Most of the biggest name designers worked under other designers for years before they started their own labels. They often worked for more than one fashion designer or fashion house. Having different positions and seeing different ways of how business was handled, they gained hands on knowledge, experience, confidence and acquired indispensable assets of credibility and reputation at the same time.So if you’re getting into fashion design you’ve got to plan on being a lifer if you’re going to one day own your own line. Here is a list of characteristics you need to either have already or acquire as you go along in order to become a successful fashion designer:- A hard edge against negative feedback and rejection.- You need a very competitive spirit.- You need the ability to be organized and be able to function under extreme stress of dealing with difficult people, multiple deadlines and responsibilities.- You need to love or learn to love the marketing, negotiating and networking game in the world of fashion.- And you need the willingness to keep your mind open to learning new things as a fashion designer.