Read this on the importance.

How to Drink More Water Every Day

from wikiHow – The How to Manual That You Can Edit

There are a variety of reasons to drink plenty of water each day. Adequate water intake prevents dehydration, cleans out the body, and promotes healing processes. Substituting water for alcohol can also help control weight. Follow the steps below to make sure you’re getting enough of this most basic necessity.
Drink water before, with and after every meal; it will help you to prevent overeating and obesity. Eat slowly, drink water and you will get satisfied with less food. But as with everything, be careful and don’t overdo it. Drinking too much water can be toxic, so exercise moderation. Water is not a substitute for food, and you can indeed cause severe health issues if you drink too much water daily, including severe heart and endocrine system problems. And make sure that you consult your physician before you make any radical lifestyle changes!

Steps

1. Determine how many glasses/liters you need. You’ve probably heard the “8 by 8″ rule – drink eight 8-ounce glasses of water per day (2 quarts/1.8 liters) – but the amount of water a person needs varies depending on his or her weight, activity level and climate. Another way to determine your specific recommended water intake is to divide your weight (in pounds) by two. The resulting number is the number of ounces of water you need each day. For example, if you weigh 150 lbs., strive to drink 75 ounces of water daily. For those who use the Metric system, divide your weight (in kilograms) by 30 (ex. somebody weighing 70 kg is going to need 2.3 liters per day). Keep in mind that these recommended intake numbers are controversial and some experts believe they are a gross exaggeration. See “warnings” below for more information.
2. Measure your daily intake of water. Do this for a few days. If you find that you’re drinking less than the recommended quantity, try some of the following tips:
   • Learn to acquire a taste for water.
   • Carry water with you everywhere; put it in a bottle or other container.
   • Keep a glass or cup of water next to you whenever you’ll be sitting down for a long time, such as when you’re at your desk at work. Drink from it regularly as you’re working.
3. Try wearing a digital watch that beeps at the beginning of each hour. Use that as a reminder to pour yourself a glass of water. Vow to drink that water before the next beep. If you drink only one small (6 ounce or 180 ml) cup per hour, you’ll have consumed 48 ounces (1.4 liters) by the end of an 8-hour workday.
4. Get a water purification system. Purified water tastes very good and may help make drinking water more appealing to you. Be aware, though, that as you grow accustomed to purified water, you may find that tap water leaves a bad taste in your mouth, even though it may be better for your teeth.[1] Keep in mind that fluoride, found in small quantities in tap water, is necessary for strong, healthy teeth. [2] Fortunately, no water filter removes the fluoride. You’d have to use reverse osmosis, distillation, or an expensive filter specific to removing fluoride. But don’t do any of that. Fluoride in the saliva bathes the teeth and prevents dental decay!
5. Add lemons or limes to your water. This makes it taste better and makes you want to drink more of it. Be careful not to make it too sour; just a splash of sourness should do the trick. Cucumber slices can also be added to a glass of water. Some mint leaves can be added to a pitcher of water which should be allowed to sit overnight. These are cheap alternatives to the bottled flavored water. If you do choose bottled flavored water, check the ingredients, as these are likely closer in form to lemon- or limeade than they are to water.
6. Eat water rich foods, such as fruits like watermelon, which is 92% water by weight. Blend up some seedless fresh watermelon flesh with some ice and place a few sprigs of mint (optional) – one of the most refreshing drinks, especially for the summertime. Cranberry juice is also another option, and has a bitter taste. Patients suffering from urinary infection caused by insufficient intake of water should drink cranberry juice and eat watermelon if not plain water everyday. A tomato is 95% water. An egg is about 74% water.
7. Keep water cold if it tastes better for you. Keep a pitcher of water in the refrigerator at home. Add ice or freeze water in a sports bottle before taking it with you, it will eventually melt and stay cold. Bear in mind that cold water takes energy for your body to regulate the temperature, and does burn some calories. Room temperature water is better if you’re dehydrated. Your body can absorb the room temperature water immediately, instead of the body having to raise the temperature of the water first in order to process it.
8. Climate can drastically change how much water you need. On hot days that require you to be outside, you should drink more water to counteract the fluids you lose when you sweat. This not only keeps your body hydrated, it can prevent heat-related illness. Just as important (but often overlooked) is consuming enough fluids in cold & wet conditions. The human body works much more efficiently (including heating and cooling) when properly hydrated. Inadequate water intake affects the brain’s function first, which can become very dangerous (especially in extreme conditions).
9. Purchase a bottle the size of your water goal. Purchase a water bottle that holds the amount of water you wish to drink each day, or use a combination of 1-liter and half-liter bottles. Try to drink the water slowly throughout the day. This will allow you to easily see how much water you are consuming. However, cheating is not a helpful idea – if you don’t drink all the water you intended to, don’t try to chug it at the end of the day.

Video

Drink water is so important to your health for fatloss and keeping your energy up. It helps promote good sleep and great looking skin.

Tips

• Herbal tea, seltzer water and soup broth can count as part of the daily water intake.
• Make refreshing flavored water by filling a pitcher with filtered or tap water and then adding a few slices of citrus fruit, or a tea ball with herbs such as peppermint. In some places (eg India) you can buy small bundles of vetiver roots (called ‘khus’) to add to a large pot of stored water, to provide a lovely fragrance and flavor. Refrigerate for 4-8 hrs. Remove fruit slices or herbs/roots, so the flavor doesn’t get too strong.
• If your urine is clear, you’re drinking enough water. However, if your urine is strongly colored and/or has an offensive smell, you may not be drinking enough water. Just increase your water intake and see if that solves the problem. Ask your doctor’s advice if the situation does not improve in 4-5 days.
• Having a cool/cute cup or bottle can encourage you to drink out of it.
• If you sit in air-conditioned rooms most of the day, both your body and skin show the effects of dehydration. You need to drink more water, and use a moisturizer for your skin.

Warnings

• Increasing your water intake in the late evening may cause you to have to get up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom. To avoid this, you may want to stop drinking water a few hours before bedtime–or make sure you visit the toilet before bed!
• Remember, the inconvenience of an extra loo-visit in the night is better than the organ-damage caused by inadequate water intake.
• While adequate water is essential to health, it is possible to drink too much water or any other beverage, and there has been considerable scientific debate surrounding how much water a person really needs per day. According to Snopes – http://www.snopes.com/medical/myths/8glasses.asp – the Los Angeles Times has reported that “Kidney specialists do agree on one thing, however: that the 8-by-8 (2 L) rule is a gross overestimate of any required minimum. To replace daily losses of water, an average-sized adult with healthy kidneys sitting in a temperate climate needs no more than one liter of fluid…the equivalent of about four 8-ounce (250 ml) glasses.
• People with some heart conditions, high blood pressure or swelling of the lower legs (edema) need to avoid excess water. If you have a history of kidney problems, especially if you have had a transplant, consult your doctor before increasing your fluid intakes.
• You shouldn’t drink too much water while eating as it dilutes your stomach acid and can cause digestion problems.
• If you live in a place with a lot of heat (e.g., The Caribbean), you will have to drink extra water.
• It is possible to “overdose” on water. Water intoxication occurs when the electrolytes in the body are so diluted that they have trouble keeping the balance of water even inside and outside of individual cells. What that means is that drinking too much water (while not getting enough electrolytes) can cause your cells to burst. If you plan on doing heavy prolonged exercise, be sure to alternate sports drinks with regular water to keep your electrolytes in balance. Three glasses of water to one glass of typical sugary sports drink is ideal if you rely on sports drinks for electrolytes during very heavy prolonged exercise, such as a marathon.
• Gatorade and other sugary electrolyte drinks also contain acetic acid which can increase rates of tooth decay. There is no real reason to drink electrolyte drinks unless you are heavily exercising (see above).
• Be aware that some elderly individuals with difficulty walking may avoid drinking adequate amounts of water, as they have difficulty transferring/walking to the bathroom. In such cases, a bedside commode may be useful. If you are caring for such an individual, encourage them to drink the necessary amount of water and reassure him/her that you can help them with the transfer to the commode.
• It is not recommended that you reuse plastic water bottles that are intended for one time use, specifically ‘number one’ plastics. These bottles leach chemicals into your water after multiple uses. The bottle, if not properly cleaned, may harbor bacteria from your mouth. Such bottles deteriorate in sunlight and leach chemicals into the water even faster. NEVER store water in a car in the same disposable bottles in which you buy water. If you wish to always have water around, use a glass water bottle. Bottles like Sigg or other canteens are now more favorable due to the risk of chemical leaching when using plastic products. However, be aware that aluminum also leaches out into water, and can cause severe health problems in the long run.
• In some countries, tap water is dangerous and can cause illness. Make sure you know what’s safe and what isn’t.
• Water is NOT intended to replace food in your diet, as you need the nutrients from solid foods to survive. It would be rather pointless to drink more than an adequate amount to replace even a salad, or watermelon.

Related wikiHows

• How to Melt Glass Bottles
• How to Love the Taste of Water
• How to Eat Slowly to Avoid Overeating
• How to Lose Weight by Eating Slowly
• How to Eat Slowly
• How to Drink More Milk Every Day
• How to Get Your Eight Glasses of Water a Day
• How to Reuse Drink Bottles

Sources and Citations

• Water on Wikipedia
• Hydration Myths on Snopes.com
• Article in the American Journal of Physiology on the “8×8″ rule

1. ↑ http://www.usatoday.com/tech/columnist/aprilholladay/2004-05-07-wonderquest_x.htm
2. ↑ http://www.h2only.ca/about_water/fluoride/index.html

Article provided by wikiHow, a wiki how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Drink More Water Every Day. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

Thank you for dropping by.
your health & lifestyle coach,
Ervin Ruhe Jr

Good luck and sleep tight.
Your Health Coach,
Ervin Ruhe Jr

How to Fall Asleep

from wikiHow – The How to Manual That You Can Edit

Sleep is not a habit, and falling asleep can be easily impacted by the routines you have set in place (or not), as well as by physiological elements resulting from stress, anxiety, or depression. [1] Most of us experience a period when falling asleep is a challenge, for one reason or another, but it is possible to improve your chances of falling asleep with methods that range from improving your routine and eating well, to using relaxation and imagination techniques. This article will help you to learn what helps you to fall asleep, as well as offering particular techniques that you can try when you find it impossible to fall asleep on occasion.
Note that this article is focused on helping you to fall asleep now and again. If you are routinely unable to fall asleep over a long period of time, it is possible that you are suffering from a sleep disorder, and this should be diagnosed and treated by your doctor or other qualified health professional.

Steps

Sleep Hygiene Preparation

1. There are a number of things you can do to help yourself sleep better, just by focusing on what you’re eating and doing during the day.
2. Pay attention to what you’re eating. Some foods are known to aid sleep – eat carbohydrates, bananas, peanuts, and figs, and have milk-based drinks. These contain tryptophans, a precursor for creating melatonin.[2] Some snacks to consider include: cookies and milk, sliced banana with chopped dates, and wholegrain bread with lettuce.[3]
   • Avoid foods high in protein prior to bedtime. These can keep you awake because they contain elevated levels of tyrosine. Also avoid hot curries and other very spicy foods prior to bed time. [4]
   • Do not go to bed hungry – this will make it harder to fall asleep.
   • Avoid having a large meal close to bedtime.[5] This can result in indigestion, reflux, or heartburn.
   • Reduce your intake of alcohol, nicotine, sugar, and caffeine.[6][7]
3. Don’t exercise in the three hours leading up to bedtime. Exercise awakens you, with the impact lasting for up to three hours after you’ve completed the exercise, as well as decreasing the secretion of melatonin (needed to help you sleep).[8] Instead, exercise during the day or late afternoon. Exercise is ideal first thing in the morning, as it helps you to wake up and stay metabolized throughout the day.
4. Avoid taking naps during the daytime. Limit naps.[9] If you need a nap, nap no more than 15 minutes (a power nap). Anything longer can make it much harder to fall asleep in the evenings.
5. Reduce your stress levels. Stress, anxiety, worry, and depression can all contribute to an inability to fall asleep. Seek help for stress management, including finding positive techniques to handle stress such as yoga, relaxation, cognitive behavioral therapy, self-hypnosis, assertiveness training, meditation, exercise, visualization, etc.[10] Psychotherapy can be helpful if you have underlying anxiety, trauma, or depression issues.[11]
6. Have a warm bath before bedtime. This can help to relax you, helping you to unwind.[12]
7. Establish a bedtime routine. Try to develop a pattern of doing the same things prior to bed each night, for example, having a warm drink, a bath, a short read, etc.[13]
8. Keep to an established sleeping routine. Train your mind to accept a set bedtime every night, and the same waking up time every day (with a little leeway for seasonal changes).[14] [15]Go to bed at the same time every night and wake up at the same time, even on weekends. If the problem still persists, just keep repeating until you create a new habit.
9. Wear comfortable clothing. Clothes for sleeping are best when loose, comfortable and not restrictive. Avoid wearing anything too hot, or that leaves you feeling chilly. Shorts or light pajamas are often the most comfortable. Sleeping in the nude works well for many people, provided you feel comfortable and warm.
10. Choose a comfortable position. Position yourself comfortably in bed. Always choose the position that works best for you, whether you’re a side, back, or stomach sleeper. Trying to force yourself to sleep in a position that feels unnatural will prevent you from falling asleep. If you’re uncomfortable, correct your position immediately, for example, your body’s weight on your arm is too strong, or your hip feels awkward – change position until you’re comfortable. Especially make sure your pillow is neither too flat nor too high because this may put strain on your neck.
11. Use aromatherapy and scent solutions. There are a number of aromatherapy suggestions that might help you to fall asleep. For example, lemon balm oil, chamomile oil, lavender oil, and marjoram can be used singly or in combination for the bath, a massage, or as an air or pillow spray.[16]
    • A sleep-promoting bath can be made from 6 drops chamomile oil, 2 drops lovage oil, and 2 drops lime flower oil, added to a warm to hot bath.[17]
    • A massage blend can be made from 4 drops lavender oil, 4 drops mandarin oil, 3 drops nutmeg oil, 2 drops lemon oil, 2 drops dill oil, 1 tablespoon (15 ml) carrier oil such as almond oil. Mix together and massage into your upper chest, back of the neck, shoulders and down your back.[18] Do not use this blend if you’re about to drive!

Preparing Your Sleeping Space

1. The state of your room impacts your ability to fall asleep easily.
2. Check the comfort level of your bed. If it feels too hard, soft, lumpy, etc., or the mattress is older than 10 years, then it is time to upgrade.[19] This is a health investment, so don’t skimp on this important piece of furniture![20] Memory Foam products can greatly improve sleep, too. A Memory Foam mattress cover can be very helpful, but without the expense of a new mattress.
3. Set the ideal temperature for your room. An ideal room temperature for sleeping is 60.8ºF – 64.4ºF/16ºC – 18ºC.[21] Temperatures that are higher or lower can impact your ability to fall asleep. Use natural fibers where possible, as these wick away sweat, as well as retaining warmth or keeping you cooler, as needed.[22]
   • When it is too hot, remove bed covers until you feel comfortable. Set a fan at the end of the bed. Place your pillow in the refrigerator or freezer for a half hour before sleeping. The chilled pillow can help cool you down enough to induce sleep.
   • When it is too cold, add more bed covers. This is often better than over-dressing yourself. Hot water bottles can also help.
4. Reduce noise. Noise can be a major reason for preventing sleep, especially if you start to focus on it to the exclusion of everything else. Consider soundproofing the room if necessary, or use double glazing or shutters to keep out street noise. Ask other family members to reduce their own levels of noise after a set time.
   • If the noise is a nightly disruption, for example, neighboring activities or building work, contact those responsible to sort out something quickly. Focusing on continuous noise can leave you irritable and cause you to develop a poor sleep habit.
   • A white noise machine might help block out noise that you cannot do anything about. These are relatively cheap and produce a neutral sound that can drone out other noises and still let you go to sleep.[23]. The constant noise of a fan might work for you too.
   • Having a music system in your room can be a source of interfering with your ability to fall asleep if you’re sensitive to it.[24] This needs to be balanced with the benefits of using music or sound to help you to fall asleep.
5. Fix the lighting in your bedroom. A low level of light prior to sleep is ideal (such as lamps or dimmer switches), followed by making your room as dark as you possibly can make it. Use blinds or blackout curtains to keep out light. Switch off or cover anything that emits light, such as an alarm clock. Use a towel or similar item for covering but be careful of fire hazards. Eye covers such as a sleeping mask can be beneficial too.
6. Remove all mind-stimulating electronic devices from your bedroom. It can be tempting to take the laptop, MP3 player, TV, or game player to bed with you but it’s not a good idea. Allowing electronic items into your bedroom trains your mind to see the bedroom as something more than a place of rest and peace.[25] Avoid having bright clocks because this could be a temptation to stare at the passage of time and fret about it! Make a decisive change to ensure that your bedroom is for sleeping and relaxing only. This means not using it for electronic devices, not taking phone calls in the room, and not bringing tons of work to the bed to read through.
7. Keep your bed made up. Every morning, get into a habit of making up the bed. Hopping into a fully made up bed is much more inviting than finding a disheveled mess! Keep the bed clothes well laundered regularly, as clean sheets make a world of difference.

Relaxation and distraction techniques

1. Out of the following techniques, try what seems best for you and eliminate what doesn’t work, or combine things that do.
2. Read. Reading is a fantastic first approach. Reading can help by focusing your mind on only one thing, instead of racing through the day’s activities. Read something calming or perhaps dull; for example, if you’re studying, the textbook is fairly guaranteed to send you nodding off!
   • If you wake up and need to fall back to sleep, use a book light to avoid having to turn on brighter lights which can awaken you too much.
3. Try music or audio. There are a number of musical or audio techniques that can help you to fall asleep, depending on how much you enjoy sound as you’re falling asleep.
   • Compile a playlist. If you have an iPod, compile a playlist of relaxing and soothing songs. Avoid songs that you enjoy singing along to, however. Turn the volume down as low as possible but make sure the music is still audible.
   • Listen to water sounds. The sounds of a fountain or a stream bubbling can be very soothing, as can the sound of waves coming in to the shore. There are many CDs or music downloads with ambient music of this type, including water, space, and nature sounds.
   • Sing to yourself. Sing a song in your mind to help remove challenging thoughts. A lullaby might be a soothing choice.
   • Listen to a podcast on an MP3 Player (like an iPod) for a few minutes before trying to sleep. A podcast that focuses on an interesting topic can take your mind off worries.
   • Listen to whisper videos. There is a YouTube community of people who make videos of themselves whispering, to lull you into a state of relaxation. Some good whisperers on YouTube are: WhisperCrystal, StrawberryWhisperer, WanderingWhisper, DanishVlog, and SnarkyWhispers.
4. Relax to shift your attention away from the concerns keeping you awake. Some techniques include:
   • Muscle loosening: Lie on your back. Starting from the very tips of your toes, gradually loosen all of your muscles one by one. Move to your ankles, then calves, knees, and upward. If your mind wanders, return to the last part of the body loosened and keep working up until you reach your head. (Another way of approaching this is to see it as “erasing” your body. Start with your toes and work your way up; the torso and head are the hardest to “erase”!) Staying on your back, aim to sink loosely into the mattress until you feel it is time to roll into your desired position.
   • Acknowledging: In your mind, “acknowledge” everything around you that all your senses are experiencing. For example: Tell yourself “I don’t care that I hear the clock ticking; I smell the lotion I just applied to my hands; I feel my legs’ weight on the bed. I hear my spouse/partner breathing. I see different shades of black. I hear the dog barking in the distance. I hear myself in my own mind talking.”, etc. Doing this can help to clear your mind of exciting thoughts by slowly acknowledging everything and subsequently dismissing it.
   • Stretching: Stretch while lying on your back. Stretching can help to relieve tension in your lower back, legs and up to the back of your neck. While on your back, raise up one leg at a time and attempt to bring your knee to your chin. Once raised as close to your chin as possible, hold your leg with your arms close to you until you feel your lower back and the hamstring of your leg begin to stretch. Do this for the leg and repeat until the tension begins to subside. The looser your muscles become, the more your body is beginning to relax. This stretching method should help you refocus your mind on resting.
   • Meditating: Along with the muscle loosening sensation of trying to settle into your mattress, use meditation to visualize yourself addressing your thoughts and resolving them. Or, meditate on a calming word or phrase. Keep still and relaxed to maximize the state of restfulness.[26] As you do so, it helps you to lower your heart rate and relax your muscles, making it easier for you to fall asleep.
5. Use breathing techniques. Deep breathing can help you relax enough to fall asleep. Lie on your back in bed, watching or feeling your stomach rise, and then breathe. Your goal is to breath in and out about six times per minute, as per this exercise:
   • Breathe in deeply for four counts.
   • Take a deep breath out for four counts.
   • Repeat. Concentrate on your breath. Remaining focused on your breath to the exclusion of all else.
   • Do this for 60 breaths (at least 10 minutes) and you will feel very relaxed.
6. Use your imagination. The time between laying your head on the pillow and falling asleep can be a time to plan a lucid dream, or just to let your mind wander and be as imaginative as you like. Lost in the world of imagination, you may just be lucky enough not to notice you’ve drifted off into dreamland. Here are some ideas:
   • Think of something very calming. Picturing something calming such as a waterfall, a pool of clear water underneath falls, a green field under a rainbow, etc., can be ways of calming yourself. Picture yourself doing pleasurable things, such as floating down the river, gliding over clouds, seeing blue sky on a perfect day, smelling roses, anything at all that reflects your ideal fantasy. Explore the place if you like, discovering what else is in this imaginary realm.
   • Build your perfect house or room in your mind. Anything goes. How magnificent a house can you make in your mind? What colors do you want to use? Let yourself get lost in the details of your dream house as you relax.
   • Try storytelling. Stories can be a good way to wind down. Create an ongoing storyline carried over each night, or start a completely new one as needed. Ideally, keep the story light and happy, picturing it in your mind. Thinking of favorite movie scenes and putting yourself into them can be another fun imagination exercise, such as a kissing scene, or a daring rescue.
   • Imagine being with someone you care about, doing something that you both enjoy. For example, imagine yourself and your spouse, girlfriend/boyfriend, lover, etc., maybe walking on a prairie peacefully. Or, if you’re feeling lonely, perhaps imagine a special friend (imaginary) who is listening to your feelings and troubles.
   • Think up the strangest, most impossible things as fast as you can and don’t stop. For example, imagine purple Twinkies™ walking on walls, growing red wings with yellow fishhooks dangling from them, and chasing after bankers, etc.
   • Close your eyes and imagine a swinging pendulum. If you’re relaxed, you should feel the sensation of “falling into the mattress”.
   • Imagine you’re a computer. Think about the process your computer goes through when it shuts down: “I am shutting down, falling asleep. All excess functions are being shut down. I’m only breathing, my heart’s beating…”.
7. Don’t think of something you can’t change I.E a project you need to do or problems. Imagine your crush/lover/spouse on a date or maybe kissing or something like that. You will get distracted and go to sleep happy
8. Play a game. Sometimes a game can distract you enough to get you to the land of nod. Either real games or mind games can work; if you’re playing a real game, keep the game material at your bedside and a book light to keep the light level low.
   • Play solitaire. Undemanding, repetitive, and requiring concentration but little mental effort, this card game will soon lull you.
   • Do a crossword puzzle or a sudoku.
   • Play the mind game “Return” or “Associations”. Think of a word and the first thing that comes to your mind from that word is your new word. For example: “Dog” reminds you of “cat”, “cat” reminds you of “fur”, “fur” reminds you of “bear”, etc. This game settles your mind and calms you down.
   • Count sheep, or count anything. The rhythm and monotony of counting can send your mind into a sleepy state. This doesn’t work for everyone though –for some, the level of concentration required to maintain sheep jumping a fence, for example, might create too much stimulation!
9. Try self-hypnosis. If you know how to hypnotize yourself, this technique might be a useful one, using the “Best Me” technique of self-hypnosis. Use this to involve your whole person in the process of going to sleep. With or without an actual hypnotic induction (but preferably after one), slowly repeat the following suggestions to yourself. When you get to the last two steps, repeat them over and over like a mantra, as long as necessary until you drift off. (By this time, you should be quite relaxed and the entire experience should be a very pleasant one.) You don’t have to use these exact words, of course – just use whatever words are most meaningful to you, as long as you cover all of the steps. With each step beginning with one of the letters of the words, “Best Me,” they’re easy to remember. Believe it will happen, expect it to happen, and feel it happening.
   • (Belief systems) – Imagine, or picture in your mind, that you are reaching down into the depths of your unconscious potential for feeling drowsiness and sleep.
   • (Emotions) – These feelings of drowsiness and sleep are flowing out from innermost depths of your unconscious potential like water from a hundred secret springs.
   • (Sensations and physical perceptions) – Feel this drowsiness and sleep flowing into every muscle, and nerve, and fiber of your body, growing stronger and stronger with every breath you take.
   • (Thoughts and images) – Sinking down, and shutting down, and sinking down, and shutting down. Sinking down, and shutting down. Shutting down completely.
   • (Motives) – Think these last two steps to yourself, matching your thoughts to your breathing, until you fall asleep, “And the deeper I go, the deeper I want to go.”
   • (Expectations) – “And the deeper I go, the sleepier I will become.”
   • If you prefer, you can have someone else whom you trust hypnotize you and give you the suggestions just described, substituting the following suggestions for the last two steps: Motives: “And now you will just keep on going deeper by yourself, until you fall into a deep, peaceful sleep. Expectations: You will awaken naturally at the proper time, feeling completely refreshed.”
   • If you should feel yourself starting to wake up during the night, keep silently repeating the Thoughts and Images step to yourself over and over like a mantra, over and over until it takes on a life of its own. As long as you don’t try too hard, this will help you get back to sleep.
10. Get out of bed and distract yourself temporarily. If things are so bad that you’re tossing, turning, and kicking your partner, it might be best to get out of bed and do something for a while to wear yourself out properly. Some ideas of what to do once you’ve got out of bed include:
    • Do something dull. Read a boring book, a work paper, or watch something mindless on TV. Do something you’ve been putting off for a while because you’re afraid it will be too boring!
    • Watch a movie. Rather than watching the whole film, fast forward to a part that you really like and watch it. Don’t choose scary, edgy movies. This will only “work” if it’s a film you love and are very familiar with. It might just be enough to help your mind clear of racing thoughts.
    • Simply sit. Find a comfortable chair in the house, keep it dark or rely on street lights, and sit, contemplating the thoughts that are keeping you awake. It will start to seem less pressing when you’re in a chair surrounded by familiar objects. Stare out of the window and relax.
    • Try yoga, stretching, or pilates.
    • Whenever you experience “eye fatigue”, stop doing the out-of-bed activity and return to bed. It will usually be a fast falling to sleep for you.
11. It may sound crazy, but if nothing else has worked for you, try this. If you find it hard to sleep, you’ll notice that you try to tell your body to fall asleep. You try and try, but it doesn’t work. Try this is a simple trick. When you close your eyes and attempt to fall asleep, stop. Do this instead. Close your eyes and try your hardest to stay awake with your eyes closed. It may take a few minutes, but before you know it, you’ll be waking up to a new morning.

Video

Sleep is very important to our health. Follow these tips to sleep well and wake up refreshed with great energy for the day.

Tips

• For people who own an iPod Touch or an iPhone: There are many apps which can play calming noises (like quiet rainfall, wind, etc.) to help you go to sleep. Another option is to listen to guided sleep soundtracks – a meditation to help you relax and fall asleep.
• Avoid falling asleep somewhere else in the house, such as in front of the TV. If you feel this happening, get up and prepare for bed and get yourself into bed quickly.
• Use warmth. If you’re feeling cold, fix this quickly. Put on socks or a warmer layer on the bed. Fill a hot water bottle or microwave a wheat-bag. Put a warm towel over your eyes: Put a washcloth in the dryer and lay it over your eyes. It will relax your eyes as well as warming you a little.
• Know yourself. Only you can know what does and does not keep you awake at night. If reading sends you to sleep, by all means use it but if it’s revving you up, avoid it!
• Make use of a journal by your bedside. Instead of lying there worrying, write in your journal and leave the thoughts for dealing with during daytime.[27] Use a book light to avoid disturbing others and to avoid putting on too much light. A page or two of thoughts written down can calm you enough to restore the need for sleep.
• It is very important to see your doctor or qualified health professional if you are at your wit’s end about not sleeping properly. Note the signs of when it is important to seek advice. The following symptoms are a sign that you need to seek your doctor’s advice: your insomnia is stretching out over a period of months; you constantly feel tired during the daytime, rarely refreshed; pain or a need to visit the toilet are regularly waking you up; your relationships with other people are suffering because you’re feeling tired, irritable, and snap easily; you’re taking prescription drugs and have noticed the sleep problems since starting them.[28]
• Abandon thoughts about “being a wreck tomorrow”. This self-fulfilling thinking will cause less sleep. Think of other things immediately and forgive yourself for feeling worried. If nothing else works, tell yourself that it is better to lie there with your eyes shut and not sleeping than to be getting up and activating your mind without energy to drive it. Just lying there with closed eyes will often result in you drifting off to sleep – you will drift in-and-out of sleep even if you do not realize it. As a result, you will be more relaxed in the long run. Of course, if about 15 minutes pass and you are still not asleep you should get up and do something not too physically or mentally demanding (read, do a puzzle, write in a journal, etc). Then go back to bed.
• If someone else sharing the bed is the cause of your not falling asleep, discuss the problem together. Perhaps it’s a case of spending a night in the guest bed when your bed partner is ill or stressed about a deadline, etc. There is no sense in two people missing out on sleep, and this can impact your relationship negatively if you both have a poor night’s sleep.
• Try sleeping with a pet; this can be very calming knowing that there is a living being with you. If your pet moves a lot, however, this can backfire on you!
• Find something that makes a very quiet, steady sound. A small fan on a low setting or a real, non-electric, ticking watch or clock are ideal. For some the sound could make sleep harder, but for others, the steady beat of the ticking, or the quiet hum of an electric motor in a fan can be very peaceful.
• Playing an instrument before sleeping can help to soothe you, calm your mind and force you to focus and concentrate on a task. Make sure it’s classical music!
• Tell yourself you are tired; start saying this before you go to bed and as you are settling in bed.
• Having sex or masturbating promotes your ability to sleep.[29]
• Make a conscious effort to relax your tongue, jaw, and face along with the rest of your body.
• Try warm water, or warm milk with nutmeg as a drink before sleep.
• If you are wake up or can’t sleep for worry or other thoughts, take them out of the bedroom so that where you sleep is not where you think about these things. Find a chair in a different room for about 15-20mins to leave the thoughts there. You could even write them in a journal.
• Try to have a good few minutes of sunlight during the day.

Warnings

• There are many possible reasons for having a sleeping disorder – the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of the American Psychiatric Association, for example, has an entire chapter devoted to the topic of sleep disorders, some of which can be quite complex. If you have any questions or concerns, contact a physician or other health care professional before engaging in any activity related to health and diet.
• Be responsible for your kids’ nighttime habits. Watching exciting TV or playing stimulating video games right before bedtime will keep them more alert and awake. Move such viewing to earlier in the evening. And if you need to watch a movie before bed, watch a comedy movie or TV show.
• Be careful if you’re wearing earbuds! If you roll in your sleep, the cord can be a hazard. Try a ‘radio pillow’, where you can plug in an MP3 player and sound comes out softly through the pillow. If you use earbuds, ensure that the wire goes around the back instead of the front.
• Always check the contra-indications of essential oils as some cannot be used during pregnancy, by lactating mothers, people who are immuno-suppressed, etc.
• Avoid self-diagnosing your sleep problem. Talk to your doctor about any problems you’re experiencing with insomnia or other sleeping problems. It is important to identify the source of the problems and get a proper remedy. Ask your doctor about routine changing suggestions (i.e., tips for breaking a poor habit), what non-addictive sleeping aids are available, if there are any possible herbal remedies before having to tackle the heavier medications (for example, valerian), and whether there are any suitable nutritional and exercise options.[30] Since prescription medications can bring about addiction or drowsiness, exploring all the possible options is prudent.
• Avoid taking over-the-counter remedies. These can lead to their own set of problems, or can mask the symptom of something more serious. Be careful with herbal remedies that are swallowed – follow the instructions of your health professional with care and be sure to detail any other medical conditions.
• If you have problems such as snoring, sleep apnea, etc., seek medical assistance as quickly as possible. These can be either dangerous or can harm your health-restoring sleep, impairing your performance during the daytime. They are trained professionals and are there to help.

Things You’ll Need

• Comfortable mattress, decent pillows, good bed covers
• A sleeping mask (optional)
• Comfortable sleepwear
• Good curtains/blinds and soundproofing (optional)

Related wikiHows

• How to Calm Your Imagination Before Sleep
• How to Know if You Have a Sleep Apnea
• How to Fall Asleep when You Are Worried About Not Falling Asleep
• How to Sleep Better
• How to Wake Up Without an Alarm Clock
• How to Sleep Comfortably on a Hot Night
• How to Hypnotize Yourself Using the Best Me Technique
• How to Cope With Sleep Paralysis
• How to Treat Insomnia
• How to Use Relaxation Techniques Before Bed As a Way to Nod off Naturally
• How to Wake up Without Falling Back Asleep

Sources and Citations

• American Psychiatric Association (1994). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, DSM-IV-TR, 4th ed. Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association.

1. ↑ Dr Pamela Stephenson Connolly, Head case: treat yourself to better mental health, p. 358, (2007), ISBN 978-0-7553-1721-9
2. ↑ Virtual Medical Centre, Sleep physiology, http://www.virtualmedicalcentre.com/anatomy.asp?sid=62&title=Sleep-Physiology
3. ↑ Reader’s Digest, Curing everyday ailments the natural way, p. 335, (2000), ISBN 1-876689-78-1
4. ↑ Virtual Medical Centre, Sleep physiology, http://www.virtualmedicalcentre.com/anatomy.asp?sid=62&title=Sleep-Physiology
5. ↑ Dr. Mosaraf Ali, Dr. Ali’s Nutrition Bible, p. 205, (2004), ISBN 0-09188-949-9
6. ↑ My Dr.com.au, Sleeping difficulties, http://www.mydr.com.au/first-aid-self-care/sleeping-difficulties
7. ↑ Dr. Mosaraf Ali, Dr. Ali’s Nutrition Bible, p. 205, (2004), ISBN 0-09188-949-9
8. ↑ Virtual Medical Centre, Sleep physiology, http://www.virtualmedicalcentre.com/anatomy.asp?sid=62&title=Sleep-Physiology
9. ↑ My Dr.com.au, Sleeping difficulties, http://www.mydr.com.au/first-aid-self-care/sleeping-difficulties
10. ↑ Reader’s Digest, Curing everyday ailments the natural way, p. 337, (2000), ISBN 1-876689-78-1
11. ↑ Dr Pamela Stephenson Connolly, Head case: treat yourself to better mental health, p. 361, (2007), ISBN 978-0-7553-1721-9
12. ↑ Shneerson JM. Sleep Medicine: A guide to sleep and its disorders (2nd edition). Oxford: Blackwell Publishing Ltd; 2005
13. ↑ Dr Pamela Stephenson Connolly, Head case: treat yourself to better mental health, p. 361, (2007), ISBN 978-0-7553-1721-9
14. ↑ Shneerson JM. Sleep Medicine: A guide to sleep and its disorders (2nd edition). Oxford: Blackwell Publishing Ltd; 2005
15. ↑ Dr Pamela Stephenson Connolly, Head case: treat yourself to better mental health, p. 361, (2007), ISBN 978-0-7553-1721-9
16. ↑ Nerys Purchon, Aromatherapy, p. 74, (1996), ISBN 0-7336-0436-6
17. ↑ Alan Hays, Bath Scents, p. 24, (1994), ISBN 0-207-18230-2
18. ↑ Carol Schiller and David Schiller, 500 Formulas for aromatherapy: Mixing oils for every use, p. 77, (1994), ISBN0-8069-0584-0
19. ↑ Reader’s Digest, Curing everyday ailments the natural way, p. 334, (2000), ISBN 1-876689-78-1
20. ↑ Shneerson JM. Sleep Medicine: A guide to sleep and its disorders (2nd edition). Oxford: Blackwell Publishing Ltd; 2005
21. ↑ Virtual Medical Centre, Sleep physiology, http://www.virtualmedicalcentre.com/anatomy.asp?sid=62&title=Sleep-Physiology
22. ↑ Reader’s Digest, Curing everyday ailments the natural way, p. 334, (2000), ISBN 1-876689-78-1
23. ↑ Ideal sleep environment, http://sleepfixes.com/ideal-room-sleep-environment Ideal Room Sleep Environment
24. ↑ Dr. Mosaraf Ali, Dr. Ali’s Nutrition Bible, p. 205, (2004), ISBN 0-09188-949-9
25. ↑ Dr Pamela Stephenson Connolly, Head case: treat yourself to better mental health, p. 358, (2007), ISBN 978-0-7553-1721-9
26. ↑ Christopher Titmuss, The Power of Meditation, p. 35, (1999), ISBN 0-8069-2693-7
27. ↑ Dr Pamela Stephenson Connolly, Head case: treat yourself to better mental health, p. 362, (2007), ISBN 978-0-7553-1721-9
28. ↑ My Dr.com.au, Sleeping difficulties, http://www.mydr.com.au/first-aid-self-care/sleeping-difficulties
29. ↑ Virtual Medical Centre, Sleep physiology, http://www.virtualmedicalcentre.com/anatomy.asp?sid=62&title=Sleep-Physiology
30. ↑ Dr Pamela Stephenson Connolly, Head case: treat yourself to better mental health, pp. 360-361, (2007), ISBN 978-0-7553-1721-9

Article provided by wikiHow, a wiki how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Fall Asleep. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

How to Eat and Lose Weight

from wikiHow – The How to Manual That You Can Edit

Did you know that you can eat a lot and still lose weight? It sounds too good to be true, right? Here are some ways to make it happen.

Steps

1. Eat more fresh food! Choose fresh, nutrient-rich, healthy, low-fat foods rather than junk food. Junk food can range from burgers to those cookies that you always bought! Adding a lot of vegetables and fruits to your diet will help you, they keep you feeling full for longer than processed food so you won’t even feel the need to eat loads. Also, drinking bouillon, a Haitian soup, made with filtered water will help you feel full.
2. Exercise every day! This could be the most difficult step to follow. But what you can do is actually start slowly then steady increase the amount of exercise. For example, today you will walk for 10 minutes, repeat this for the whole week. For the next week, double your workload. You may get leaner that way! The important thing is to get your heart rate up and start, now!
3. Feed your temptations once in a while. Go ahead and have that doughnut or slice of pizza, but before you do, drink 8 glasses water and eat a bowl of raw veggies such as cucumbers, celery, carrots, and tomatoes. They will fill you up and you will have very little room to eat the “junk” food.
4. Consume things that have no calories. There are two things you eat and drink that contain no calories: water and fiber. The more of these you get into your diet, the better off you will be. For example, you can eat a pound of mixed salad greens with assorted raw vegetables (carrots, red cabbage, celery, broccoli, onion, etc.) with a low or no-calorie salad dressing and only have eaten 100-150 calories. This is because of the high water and fiber content of the salad and low calorie dressing. Also, eat lots of celery. It has only 8 calories, but amazingly, it takes more than 8 calories to digest it. So, you actually BURN calories by eating celery! It’s not much, about 2 calories per 8 inch stalk, but it sure doesn’t hurt.
   • Avoid sodas as much as possible. Instead, drink flavored water or unsweetened iced tea. Caffeine, when placed in a low-calorie beverage like black coffee or unsweetened tea, raises your metabolism and causes you to burn more calories. Too much caffeine has harmful health effects, though, so be reasonable in your consumption if you choose to have caffeine.
5. Include foods which burn fat for you. By choosing your foods carefully, you can drop the pounds without going hungry. There are many foods out there that are proven to help you to lose weight, foods such as chilli, green tea, berries and whole grain, can do various things to help you to drop the pounds, by avoiding insulin spikes and keeping your metabolic rate going. Click here to find out how to fit them into your everyday diet.
6. Have broth-based soups. They are relatively low in calories. A commercially-available ready to eat “chicken and stars” soup may only have 80 calories for 1 serving, much less than diet “meal shakes” or nutrition bars.
7. Practice good eating habits. Always use utensils and sit at the table. This stops you from eating precariously. Eating with your hands will mean that you take in more food in one scoop. Don’t forget to eat slowly and stop when you’re full. Similar to the above step, if you can’t stop, drink up! Maybe your body is thirsty and hungry no more! Also, you can do any other chores (other than eating). For instance, go shopping, or play badminton with your friend, or play games on the computer!
8. Drink more water. Often we mistake thirst for hunger which means we eat when it’s not necessary. By keeping yourself well hydrated you’ll feel hungry less as well as getting a clearer complextion and shinier hair.
9. Spread out your diet! Eat more small chunks of meals, rather than 3 big meals. If you eat 100-150 calories or so every two hours, your body stays in a higher-metabolism digesting mode. This allows you to burn more calories than eating just 3 meals a day.[1]
10. Record what you eat! This is a simple yet very powerful exercise to open your eyes to see whether you are keeping up with the dieting plan. Often, we tend to overlook those snacking we do between meals and really think that our diet is failing us. But the truth is there can be many petty things that we do that really affect our dieting plan. For example, one might skip breakfast 3 times a week without being conscious about it. Studies have shown that if you eat breakfast, you tend to eat proportionally fewer calories the rest of the day. Without a record, it might seem like you are doing all the right thing, yet fail miserably in your dieting plan.[2]
11. Make vegetables a major part of your diet plan! If vegetables are not a major part of your diet, it is time to reconsider. Studies have shown that vegetables can play an important loss in losing weight. This is because vegetables are high in water and fiber and low in energy density.

Video

Try to eat more veggies, fruits, nuts & drink more water. Stay away from processed foods, packaged foods & sugar. Even juicing your vegetables will be a great way to get your nutrients you need. Eat the color of a rainbow with veggies each day & a lean protein with it. Drink plenty of water each day.

Tips

• Avoid calorie dense, unhealthy food. Unhealthy food is food which contains calories, but little nutritional value. These calories are called “empty calories.” You will probably be best served if you also avoid foods that would contain empty calories if they were not fortified with vitamin C (like some gummy bears) or calcium (like some cookies). Fortification with vitamins doesn’t always make unhealthy food healthy.
• Try to do a little bit at a time until you get used to it.
• Get a friend to follow the diet with you. Sometimes, when following a diet by yourself, you’ll break the rules because it’s just you. But following it with a friend, you have a partner who will help keep you on track and responsible.
• Expect to cheat or binge once in a while. (A word of caution: if you’re binging more than once or twice a month, consider a different approach to your weight loss goals.) Don’t despair when you realize you’ve strayed from your goals. It took you a lifetime to achieve your current weight, and it will take time to achieve your new weight and size goal.
• Grab a small snack before heading to restaurants. This will curb off your hunger and keep your head clear while you make healthy choices.
• Opt for chicken or fish instead of red meat, and baked potato or rice instead of fries. Choose foods that are steamed, grilled, broiled or baked instead of fried. Avoid dishes that are labeled as “breaded”, “crispy” or “battered” – those are the code words for “fried”.
• Ask for dressings and sauces on the side. Even a green salad can pack as many calories as a burger if it’s swimming in a fatty dressing.
• Pack away extra food. At the beginning of the meal, ask for a doggie bag, and put what you aren’t going to eat in the bag.
• If the restaurant is known for especially large portion sizes, you can share a portion with a friend.
• Add good fats to your diet. Monounsaturated fats have been clinically proven to help you burn fat, especially in your midsection. So, add foods like avocados, kalamata olives, walnuts, and flaxseed to your diet, and watch the weight fall right off you.
• You might also consider adding “superfoods” to your diet: superfood is a term sometimes used to describe food with high phytonutrient content that some may believe confers health benefits as a result. For example, blueberries are often considered a superfood (or superfruit) because they contain significant amounts of antioxidants, anthocyanins, vitamin C, manganese and dietary fiber.[3] But before doing that, you should definitely read some reviews and do some research. Yes, superfoods are recommended by people like Nicholas Perricone (featured on Oprah and on some PBS TV stations in the USA).
• Eat breakfast, and do not skip meals which could make you become ravenously hungry — if you don’t keep a level of satisfaction.
• A comedic approach towards burning excess fat may be helpful, you could start by reading a fun book about losing weight.[4] Maybe you can laugh while some of those pounds are being fought off.

Warnings

• You have to exercise and eat healthier, otherwise you may not notice any improvement and—even worse—you may gain weight.
• If you need to lose more than 10% of your body weight, consult with your primary-care physician before beginning any weight loss plan.
• Try to limit water consumption to 10 glasses per day. People can drink far more water than necessary while exercising, however, putting them at risk of water intoxication. (Water intoxication is incredibly rare, and easy to avoid by making sure to consume electrolytes along with the large amounts of water)
• Limit the following:
  • Soda: the average soda is full of calories, sugar, and other chemicals.
  • Too much bread/butter: A slice of bread with butter has around 170 calories (100 calories per medium sliced slice of bread and 70 calories per 10g of butter).
  • Large portions: You’ll end up eating much less and save a lot of money as a bonus!
  • Dressing: Salad dressing is the main source of calories and other things to avoid in salad, try vinegar or hummus as a low-cal dressing.

Related wikiHows

• How to Eat Healthy for Life
• How to Lose Weight Safely
• How to Diet Without the Myth of Fat Burning Foods
• How to Lose Pounds and Stay That Way
• How to Lose Weight in a Comfortable Way
• How to Incorporate Fat Burning Foods Into Your Diet

Sources and Citations

1. ↑ Fat Loss 4 Idiots
2. ↑ Tips to Improve your Diet!
3. ↑ Wikipedia Superfoods
4. ↑ “The Art of War Against Fat” available in Kindle and in Paperback

Article provided by wikiHow, a wiki how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Eat and Lose Weight. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

How to Stay Fit at Home

from wikiHow – The How to Manual That You Can Edit

No matter what you like to do, the possibilities for exercise at home are endless. You do not necessarily need to go to gyms or YMCAs for exercise, and by doing this, you can save quite a bit of money.

Steps

1. Look around and see all the exercise that we could be getting right at home. However, we first need to reset our minds, in to getting back to our daily lives – instead of focusing on going to the gym, or spending money on costly exercise equipment.
2. While we are working on changing the way that we think, it is important that we all realize the importance of how we eat. Although there are so many new studies that tell us something different everyday about food, we can figure some things out for ourselves, and find a plan that works for each of us as individuals.
3. Realize that it is crazy the way that TV portrays things, like someone that wears a size ten, gets down to a size one…like a size ten was too big, Not! Then to top it off shows us someone claiming to be in a size one, when it is obvious they are much bigger. But naturally, that will get blamed on saying TV adds (ten to fifteen) pounds on you; and if that’s the case, then some people on TV look like spaghetti noodles. Plus if that’s the case, well some of the Movie Stars that are claiming to be over weight aren’t, it’s just TV…if they stayed off TV (they would look thinner); therefore, they would lose weight automatically…and a career.
4. Now that we are done resetting our minds lets look at simple (good old fashion) home chores to stay fit; such as sweeping the porch, pulling weeds by hand, trimming hedges, wiping down the counter tops in the kitchen, taking down curtains and washing them, feather dusting the walls, dusting and polishing furniture. There is always something to do around the house that will keep you fit; thus you’ll have a clean environment in which to live… plus you’ll stay healthy and looking good.
5. Now since you are already working out, why not take time out from chores and hop on an exercise bike to take yourself for a ride; then later while relaxing (in front of the tube) do a few simple curls with a small dumb bell…while being proud of all that you accomplished in a days time.
6. If you’re video-game savvy and enjoy dance games, then why not buy DDR (Dance Dance Revolution) or purchase a Wii and Wii Fit? This method is one of the simplest ways to lose weight. Usually, most people tend to enjoy their weight loss experience instead of it being detrimental and periodic routine.
7. If you are hyper and bored and stuck at home, jump around the house. Literally hop. Anything that causes you to sweat will help you turn body fat into muscle or just burn it off.
8. Don’t forget, if hopping seems strange or boring, add a hula hoop or jump rope! The hula hoop will work your abs & hips, the jump rope is great for cardio. All you need is 15 minutes, but 20 to 30 minutes once a day will really get your heart rate up and those calories burning! After dont eat alot of food with calories

Video

How To Stay Home And Get Fit. Start Your Exercise Regimen and Lose Weight. Gain Energy and Build Muscle.

Tips

• Be sure to stay focused on that old saying that “you are what you eat” find a food plan that works for you…in time it will become a way of life for you…you’ll learn to love the self-control and improvements that you have made.
• You can spend a lot of money on staying fit or stay busy improving your living environment…while staying fit at the same time…it is up to you.
• Keep in mind that movement is exercising, such as when you are wiping down a counter top…your hand and arm should be moving in a circular directions…which helps to keep them arms in shape…add a few basic arm movements in with it, and you are on your way (to having toned arms).
• You have probably heard or may hear someone say that they walk a lot; then somebody else will come along and say that it is not the right type of walking that they are doing, in which don’t make a whole lot of sense…it is common knowledge that (walking is still putting one foot in front of the other) that is unless there is a new way of walking that just hasn’t been heard of yet.
• When away from home, park your car a distance from where that you need to go, such as the grocery store, etc., each step is in the right direction to staying fit.
• In this Huge World that we live in there is plenty of room for all shapes and sizes of people; but at the same time, living as healthy as we can will make our time here all the better.
• Try eating less fat and sugar & try running.
• listening to music will help exercise
• If you have a Wii, try to purchase the ‘my fitness coach’ game. It supplies you with a personal fitness coach and allows you to moniter how much calories you are burning while completing the cardio excersises. when exercising make sure you dont eat.

Warnings

• Don’t get too tied-up at staying home, get out and enjoy life too…keeping a balance will build a better happier you.
• People should not have to live thinking about exercising all the time, relax sometimes for that is a healthy thing to do…and you still burn calories…just at a slower pace.
• Stay active. Don’t just stay home all day eating fatty food, playing video games, and staying on the computer

Related wikiHows

• How to Evaluate Our Eating Habits
• How to Get Around Doing Basic Sit Ups
• How to Get in Shape
• How to Get Wider Shoulders
• How to Train Your Body

Article provided by wikiHow, a wiki how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Stay Fit at Home. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

How to Start Walking for Exercise

from wikiHow – The How to Manual That You Can Edit

Walking is a basic movement we use every day, but it can require discipline to walk enough to gain health benefits. It’s recommended that individuals take at least 10,000 steps each day for exercise, which can be easily measured by a pedometer. Read on for other tips on starting a walking regiment.

Steps

1. Set reasonable expectations for your progress. If you have been sedentary for a long period of time, you will want to start out slower and aim for shorter distances. Write these tangible goals down in a notebook or calendar so that you can keep yourself on track and monitor small successes.
   • Note, however, that walking is a fairly mild exercise that does not require vigorous physical exertion. Therefore, with the right equipment, you will likely be physically capable of walking for hours. You won’t meet the same fatigue that a more vigorous exercise, such as running or weightlifting, could lead to.
2. Find a good place to walk. Generally, the locations have a flat terrain, straight path, smooth surface and minimal traffic. The convenient choice would be the neighborhood around your block, but if the road is too steep, curvy or just not what you’re looking for, you might want to consider other areas around your town.
   • You can go to your nearest high school; many schools allow town residents to walk the track when not being used.
   • Take your car to a park if it’s too far away to walk; parks are often flat and very peaceful.
   • Some cities have bike boulevards (e.g., Bryant Street in Palo Alto, CA)or walking paths that are relatively flat and well-maintained. They also generally have less traffic from cars. These are good areas to pick for walking as well.
   • If you won’t be tempted by the stores, shopping malls are also good locations for walking around. They are flat, large, and probably contain many different paths so you won’t become bored.
   • If you live near a large body of water, the shoreline can be a nice, relaxing place to get some fresh air and to work in an early morning hike.
   • If indoor exercise is your thing, use a treadmill set to a slow speed for walking.
3. Make a exercise playlist. It may help to have music playing as you take your walk, especially if you are easily bored from low-key activities. Consider listening to music that also gives your mind room to wander and think about other parts of your life. You can also listen to music that is up beat that you know that will keep you modivatedon your walk. Walks are an excellent opportunity to reflect and plan for the future, although take care to avoid stressful topics. Your walk should definitely be a chance to unwind!
4. Develop a strong mental attitude for “slow but steady” exercise. This will be easier for some than for others. To borrow from a popular phrase, walking is definitely a marathon, not a sprint, so you need to get your mental endurance ready before you begin this trek.
   • Don’t expect to see fast results. Incorporating walking into your daily schedule is about making healthier choices towards a better lifestyle, and it’s a change that you should maintain indefinitely. Don’t use walking as a get-fit-quick scheme or as a quick, one-shot weight loss tool.
5. Hydrate well before you begin walking. Make sure you have consumed at least 8-16 ounces of water an hour before you are about to walk. Drink more water if you plan to walk for a longer time. You don’t want to become dehydrated while you are exercising, especially under a hot sun.
   • You may find it convenient to carry a metal water bottle with you as you walk, so you can stay hydrated throughout your trek.
   • Some people develop stomach cramps if they drink water right before or while they exercise, so be careful of that. Give your body time to process the water before diving into exercise.
6. Pick an easy first walk. Make sure that no matter how far you get from your starting point, you are able to get back there. Walking on an oval track no more than a quarter mile around should be perfect.
   • If you feel comfortable in extending the walk past what you initially set, go for it! As aforementioned, walking is less physically taxing than most activities, so don’t be afraid to exceed your goals.
7. Set a time. When you first start walking, decide how many minutes you will walk. Choose a length of time you know you can make. Do not worry about how short that period is. Just keep moving until you reach it. 2-5 minutes each day is a good start. That time will increase from week to week.
   • Pay no attention to how far you walk. It matters more that you walk for a longer period of time. Faster and farther walks will come with experience.
8. Increase your time. Each walk, increase your walking time by 30 seconds to 1 minute until you are able to sustain a 10-minute walk. Again, do not fret if you can’t go longer than the day before. Set the goal and keep at it and you will reach it faster than you think. After reaching 10 minutes, your rate of increasing may slow, but continue trying to increase your walking time by 5 minutes each week.
9. Work on speed and difficulty after you are able to walk for 45 minutes each day. Try moving off of the oval and onto the city streets; you will encounter hills and declines, and that will increase the difficulty of your walk.
   • Continue to find more difficult terrain to work with, eventually working up to hiking up hills and cliffs for the ultimate challenge.
10. Determine your target and maximum heart rate. You can also purchase a heart rate monitor and wear it during your exercise for increased accuracy and precision. If you are under your target heart rate (THR), you need to increase walking speed for it to be beneficial for your health.
    • Your body won’t burn fat unless you reach you THR for a sustained period of time.
    • When it comes to walking, weight loss and aerobic health will come through sustained effort, not through increased speed or distance.
11. After you’ve worked into a general routine, try switching things up with interval training. Walk at an increased rate for one to two minutes, then slow back to your normal rate for two minutes. Every day or two add an interval until you reach your desired total time, including rest periods. As you become more physically fit, reduce your rest periods until they are down to a minute or less.

Video

Great way to start an exercise regimen. Start with walking a few times a week. Vary the speed you walk and incline. Be consistent with your activity.

Tips

• Swing your arms as you walk.
• In the beginning it is not necessary to warm up, however once you really start to put stress on your legs, you should participate in some light stretching.
• Walk with a good posture. Stand completely straight, put your shoulders back, and take long strides.
• Try to walk no less than 3 times per week. Walking 7 days a week for more than a few miles is too much.
• On weekends or holidays, try to increase your walking time to an hour or more. On some walks, try interval training by walking much faster for 30 to 60 seconds, then going back to your normal speed.
• Be sure to make notes about your walk: note your route, the weather; homes you appreciated; animals, wildlife or plant life you observed; and the thoughts and feelings you experienced. Keep them in a log along with your maximum heart rate, target heart rate, and the most time you’ve spent on a walk.
• Try using an iPod or other MP3 player to add entertainment to the walk. Books on tape make the walk go by faster and you may want to walk longer. When doing this, however, be extra careful to look out for cars if you are walking on a street, since you may not be able to hear approaching vehicles over your audio device.
• When you are able to get, and stay, on your target heart rate, you will want to cool down a bit at the end of your walk. If you have been able to stay in the target rate for 20 minutes or so, spend about 5 minutes at the end of the walk trying to bring your heart rate back to where it was pre-walk. Slowing your pace down and doing some more light stretching can accomplish this. Do not stop walking to slow your heart rate in a cool down. It defeats the purpose of a cool down.
• You might find ways to incorporate walking into your daily routine if you can’t find the time to go walking for the sake of it: take the stairs instead of the escalator or the lift; walk to the shops if they’re close by; if you visit a friend who doesn’t live too far away, leave the car at home. It’s surprising how much difference it can make when you regularly climb a few flights of stairs and take frequent short walks.
• Remember that we live in an age that requires little physical activity. Now that we no longer toil in the fields or even (in most cases) factories, the avoidance of physical effort is not a gain, it’s a loss. We should take advantage of all the small opportunities we can use to keep our bodies in shape, such as using the stairs instead of the elevator or escalator.
• Many people recognize the local mall as an excellent place to walk for exercise — safe, fun and climate-controlled.
• Walking may cause cramps. If a cramp occurs, place your hands on your head and begin breathing through your nose and out your mouth at a slow steady rate. Be sure to bring a water bottle with you.
• If you drive, park your car a block or two away from where you live, that way you have to walk to or coming back.
• Wear comfortable clothing and sturdy, supportive athletic shoes.
• Walking is a very good stress management technique in addition to being good exercise. If you practice active abdominal breathing during each step, you will benefit even more.
• Learn how to race walk. It burns more calories, works more muscles and has better cardiovascular benefits. See sites like www.racewalk.com or www.racewalkclinic.com

Warnings

• Before undertaking this or any other exercise program, be sure to check with your doctor, especially if you haven’t been physically active in more than 6 months.
• Be prepared for your walk. Take water with you. Also take along a whistle in case you get into trouble with dogs or unsavory people. Carrying a cell phone is also a good idea.
• If you are walking and become short of breath, slow down or stop. Ask for help if you need it.
• Don’t carry weights with you as you walk. This extra weight throws your gait out of balance.
• Be sure to wear proper footwear. Sandals, flip-flops, and even fashion athletics do not support the various muscles, tendons, and joints in your foot and can therefore cause strain and injury.
• Although using an mp3 player or radio can make your walk more interesting, it also makes it difficult to hear things around you, including potential hazards such as oncoming traffic, would-be attackers, and animals. If you like to listen to music or books while you walk, keep the volume moderate and be aware of your surroundings.
• Wear white clothing and reflective fabrics if you will be walking at night. Don’t assume that drivers are paying attention or that they can see you after dark.

Things You’ll Need

• A water bottle – Drink water during walks of ten minutes or more whether you feel thirsty or not. (Yes, this applies to cold weather and warm weather.) Dehydration can lead to dizziness, blackouts, and even death.
• Good, comfortable walking shoes or sneakers and thick socks. If you have thin socks you may get blisters.
• A cellphone for emergencies.
• A whistle to call for help should you run into trouble of the criminal type.
• A hat and sunblock on sunny days.
• An mp3 or cd player so you can listen to music while walking.

Related wikiHows

• How to Start a Forum
• How to Do Nordic Walking
• How to Walk a Dog
• How to Tone the Butt With Walking
• How to Begin Running
• How to Lose 12 Pounds in 12 Weeks
• How to Enjoy Walking
• How to Be Amazing and Fit After 50

Sources and Citations

• If you will be walking in the USA, measure, map and rate your route with this handy USATF mapping tool or look for routes in your area which have already been created by your neighbors.
• Stress: Understanding and Management and Conceptual Stress: Understanding and Management: Dr. Shriniwas Kashalikar

Article provided by wikiHow, a wiki how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Start Walking for Exercise. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

How to Do Nothing

from wikiHow – The How to Manual That You Can Edit

For those of us who are non-stop workaholics, doing nothing can actually be pretty difficult! If you’re like the Energizer bunny in that you keep going, and going, and going, here’s how to stop once in a while, think pleasant thoughts, visit the beach, stare at the water, and just do nothing.

Steps

1. Plan ahead. Whether it’s an hour, a day, a week, a month, or year of doing nothing, cancel all of your appointments for that block of time. Try to pick the most boring week or day, a day where you’ll most likely sleep most of the time.
2. Let people know. Tell everyone that you’re going to be “busy” and will be unavailable. Whether you choose to tell them that you’re actually setting aside some time to ‘do nothing’, or you just give them the vague explanation “I’m going to be busy” (busy doing nothing!), tell them not to call, visit, or interrupt unless it’s a real emergency.
3. Find a quiet, private place. Go somewhere you don’t feel pressured to do anything. This might be your bedroom, the backyard, or a local park. Find that place and go there.
4. Set your alarm. Set an alarm of some kind to go off when your “nothing” time is over, so that you don’t have to constantly look at the clock and count the minutes.
5. Turn off the phone. Turn off your cell phone, work phone, PDA, Blackberry, computer, radio, television, iPhone and any other means of sending or receiving calls or messages. These distractions will only keep you from enjoying the nothing.
6. Sit by yourself. Feel the wind, the sun on your face, the chair touching your bottom. Listen to the rustle of the trees, birds chirping, water flowing. Never think about the past or future. Avoid the temptation to turn on the TV, listen to music, write a note to yourself, get a bite to eat, or anything else. The only thing you should do is go to the bathroom (if needed).
7. Learn how to free your mind. Clear your mind of all thoughts of work, worries, family, etc. by simply letting them go. Doing this not only allows your body to do nothing, but your mind as well. However, do not be worried if you find yourself thinking of things. Freeing up one’s mind is actually very difficult to master, and often requires more discipline than some free time (Buddhist monks, for example, dedicate their entire lives to freeing their minds).
8. Enjoy doing nothing for as long as you would like now, because that is all you need to know in order to do nothing.

Video

Great way to relax after a day or weeks worth of hard work. Just go relax and meditate, forgot the days worries.

Tips

• Setting aside some free time to do nothing on a regular basis is very healthy for your mind, body, and emotional life, especially if you find that you’re really wearing yourself thin. Often times, we are encouraged by the actions of our fast-paced, high-information society to believe that staying busy is a normal and natural state of existence. Remember, there is no guilt in giving yourself some private downtime. How often you do nothing is up to you, but it should be a rejuvenating experience.
• Once you become good at doing nothing, you can use this new found time and energy to think of things, instead. This would not be doing “nothing,” but thinking while shutting out the world. Focusing on one thing this way will help you to concentrate better than having your mind zoom over a million thoughts a minute.
• If you live in a small apartment, set aside a corner of a larger room with floor pillows, a softly scented candle and maybe a cozy throw. If these things aren’t available, just find a quiet place for yourself.
• Another thing that helps is to ‘relax‘ your facial muscles, letting your shoulders relax then moving on to the rest of the body.
• Try to temporarily forget about that work you have to get done, that test you need to study for, or that place you need to be, and just relax. Eventually, you will learn to plan what you will think about and not think about while doing nothing.
• If you have an intimate companion, try doing nothing together.
• If your parent asks what you’re doing, and doesn’t believe you are doing nothing, say you’re daydreaming.
• This is not easy to do, so first start by doing a very small something in your “do nothing” time, like reading, and eventually you will be able to do nothing at all.
• Just remember, boredom is the first step to relaxation, so if you’re having trouble, keep trying you’ll get there eventually!

Warnings

• At first you may feel nervous, sad, and restless. Try to relax and understand that doing nothing does not mean that you’re being unproductive or irresponsible. Keep in mind that you are doing this in order to clear your mind and ultimately extend your life so that you will have even more time. Ultimately, setting time aside to recharge your batteries will make you more productive, creative, and more able to concentrate in the long run, and that’s very good for work, school, or other areas of your life.
• If you are exhausted while you try to do nothing, you may end up falling asleep. If this happens, consider adding more sleep to your daily routine.
• Remember not to do this for too long… eventually, you’ve got to do something!
• Do not invite someone else to “do nothing” with you. This is your special time, and you’re supposed to be clearing your mind.

Related wikiHows

• How to Call in Sick When You Just Need a Day Off
• How to Meditate
• How to Buy Nothing
• How to Become a Taoist
• How to Be a Lazy College Student
• How to Be Thankful
• How to Meditate Well
• How to Bear a Job That You Hate
• How to Be Lazy Around the House
• How to Create a Cozy Meditation Area in Your Bedroom
• How to Relax when Relaxation Techniques Don’t Work
• How to Be Busy

Article provided by wikiHow, a wiki how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Do Nothing. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

How to Breathe Like a Yoga Master

from wikiHow – The How to Manual That You Can Edit

You don’t have to vacation in the Himalayas to learn to breathe like a Buddha. From the Pranayama tradition of yoga comes the “Complete Breath,” which is a relaxing way to beat stress and improve your state of mind.

Steps

1. Lie flat while you are down on your back on the floor, a comfortable mat, or a firm mattress.
2. Place your hands on your abdomen an inch or two apart just below the navel, with your fingertips facing inward and your palms down.
3. Inhale through the nose and begin expanding the abdomen.
4. Continue inhaling. When the abdomen rises slightly, begin allowing the chest to expand and the abdomen to fall.
5. When the chest rises slightly, begin exhaling. Allow the abdomen to continue to fall.
6. Continue exhaling. As the chest empties, allow the abdomen to begin to rise again.
7. Repeat without pausing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rM_l971qKS0 Video

How To Breathe Like A Yoga Master helps you have energy, be relaxed, helps prevent your body from injuries.

Tips

• It can be tricky to get the hang of this at first, but it helps to imagine the breathing cycle as a circle. During each cycle, the chest and abdomen rise and fall in a smooth, uninterrupted manner.
• Each inhalation/exhalation cycle should require several seconds to complete. Use a pace that is comfortable for you, but the deeper and slower you are able to breathe, the better.

Warnings

• If you begin to feel light-headed or experience other unusual phenomena, discontinue the exercise.

Related wikiHows

• How to Breathe Deeply
• How to Meditate
• How to Get Started in Bikram Yoga

Article provided by wikiHow, a wiki how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Breathe Like a Yoga Master. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

How to Train Your Body

http://youtu.be/KvAf8Lq2W5k

from wikiHow – The How to Manual That You Can Edit

You want to train your body but you don’t have any idea of what to do, or you want some tips? Let me try to give you some basic tips and exercises you can try out.
(You may want to consult your doctor before you do any exercises.)

Steps

1. Make sure you have time to workout
2. Make sure to drink some water during the workout
3. Always warm up for 5-10 minutes with some light exercises, like “jumping jacks”. If you want to train outdoors, you can just take a jog. Jogging is THE most basic and probably best exercise you can do. It does not build muscles in the upper body, but it strengthen your legs, your stamina, and your overall health! So it’s a great idea for people who want to begin training, to just start with jogging for a week or two before starting to do any other exercises. You can either jog every day or less but to get some fast progress, you should jog at least 3 times a week. It costs no money to jog.
4. Do some push-ups. Push-ups are, (like jogging), a very simple and good exercise that require no equipment. It trains your chest, your arms, your abs and torso.
5. Add sit-ups to your regimen. Sit-up is a very basic abdominal exercise. It comes in many variation. doing 100 every day (not necessarily 100 sit-ups continuous) will give you some results, most likely.
6. your legs are the foundation of your body, so its important to train your legs properly. so the simplest option for training your legs is jogging. if you cant jog because there is traffic or something, you can just jump up and down. there is a good technique on youtube if you search for “monkey jump” (kung fu)if you have a stationary bike, it is a very good for your legs.
7. it is important to remember to train the back. the “superman” exercise is very good for your back. so is the “cat and camel” exercise.
8. Try “bicep curls” if you would like larger biceps. They are very effective for your arms.
9. Know what to train. Here are the main areas on the body to train: legs, abs, chest, back, shoulders and arms. You can use youtube to find some other exercises than mentioned above to train each area. (see Discuss)
10. Take a break. Resting is as important as training, in fact when you rest your muscles are growing.
11. remember to stretch your muscles after working out. hold for at least 15 seconds, and if you want to get more flexible hold for a minute and a half

Video

Try these workouts to Train Your Body.

Tips

• Be moderate at the start, get the techniques right first.
• Don’t compare yourself with others. everybody has been new beginners once!
• Train regularly. results don’t come over night, but over time.
• Train with others or with music, it is more motivating.
• To best burn fat, you should do a light exercises for a 15-30 minutes, that’s cardio workout.
• Eat healthy food like fish, fruits and vegetables. not pills or shakes. eat less candy and snacks.
• you can use “youtube” to find exercises that YOU like and are comfortable with. (see Discuss)
• find out if you want to get strong, be fast, have more endurance, if you are training for a specific sport or if you just want to get more slim and healthy, and set your goals after that.

Related wikiHows

• How to Burn Fat With Aerobics and Your Body
• How to Train to Fight
• How to Avoid Overtraining
• How to Build Muscle
• How to Eat to Gain Muscle
• How to Burn Fat and Stay Healthy
• How to Lose Stomach Fat With Cardio
• How to Run Faster
• How to Be a Fast Runner
• How to Stay Fit at Home
• How to Achieve Overall Fitness
• How to Get Six Pack Abs
• How to Build Lower Abs
• How to Eat Healthy

Article provided by wikiHow, a wiki how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Train Your Body. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

from wikiHow – The How to Manual That You Can Edit

You already know that to lose weight, you need to burn more calories than you consume. You’ve tried dieting, keeping a food diary, creating an exercise regimen, and perhaps even hypnosis. It’s now obvious that the problem isn’t with the technique, but with your willpower. Old habits die hard. If you’re having a hard time maintaining your efforts over time, here are some radical ways to break away from the routine.You need to eat lots of breads and carbs.

Steps

1. Understand why do you need to lose weight. The stronger your motivation, the easier it will be to follow all steps.
2. Don’t neglect the tried and true. Ultimately, losing weight comes down to one key principle: Burn more calories than you consume. The steps that follow won’t work if you have a thousand more calories coming into your body on a daily basis than you have going out. Lay the foundation for weight loss with these practices:
   • Count calories and keep a food diary.
   • Go on a diet. Fat tissue contributes to your resting metabolism, so as you lose fat you will have to either reduce your caloric intake or increase your metabolism [1]. Understand and avoid yo-yo dieting and emotional eating.
   • Cut down on sugar, high fructose corn syrup, trans fats and saturated fats.
   • When possible eat food cold. If it’s reasonable, eat food cold or room-temperature as opposed to warm, examples include eating cold soup, leaving those hard-boiled eggs you had yesterday for dinner cold, and eating ice cream in stead of drinking overly-sweet fruit juices. Your body requires more calories to warm something up if it’s cold. There’s a very advanced formula to find out how many calories certain temperature water (yes water) will burn, which is another good example, when possible drink ice water instead of regular temperature tap. It takes about 25 calories to heat up just a liter of cold tap water to your body temperature, that adds up!
   • Burn more calories by exercising: Run, walk, even exercise at the computer you are sitting in front of now.
   • Raise your metabolism. Consider approaches that you think you can sustain as permanent lifestyle changes (e.g., biking to work, always taking the stairs, developing a passion for a social sport or dancing).
3. Downsize your kitchenware. The human mind works in mysterious ways. It turns out that using smaller bowls, plates, and containers can subconsciously influence how much you serve yourself. Even nutrition experts are victims of this phenomenon; when 85 of them were given a random mix of small and large bowls and scoops, those who got larger bowls served themselves 31% more ice cream, and added on another 14.5% if they had bigger scoops![2]
4. Put down the knife. By putting down whatever utensils you’re using between every bite, you can significantly slow down your eating time, leaving your stomach a chance to feel full and reducing the likelihood that you’ll go for seconds. Another technique that can have a similar effect is to take a sip between each bite. Numerous studies have shown that eating slowly results in eating less.[3] There’s even a device you can get from a dentist that you wear to make your oral cavity smaller so that you take smaller bites,[4] and “diet forks” that are so awkward to use that you’ll get less food per bite! There are even heat-retentive plates to keep your food warm as you eat at a snail’s pace.
5. Know the enemy! Make a list of the food items that are your weaknesses. These aren’t always unhealthy foods, either. Sometimes we fool ourselves into believing that as long as we avoid the “bad” foods, we’re making progress. At least, that’s what we like to think as we get up for our third serving of fruit salad, or finish a bag of pretzels in one sitting, saying that they’re healthier than chips. Remember that too much of anything is bad. You probably don’t need to keep a food diary to know your enemies. Common culprits include soda, bread, alcohol, and fast food. Whatever your weakness is, cut down on it. If you cut it out completely, you’re more likely to binge. Buy only small packages of it and have it only once in a while. If cutting down doesn’t work, you might need to go cold turkey.
   • Also seek out and reduce needless sedentary activities that burn few calories and can make you more susceptible to temptation to overeat.
6. Choose whole grains over a whole belly. If you switch out all of your refined grain food (white bread, food made with white flour) for whole-grain food (oatmeal, whole-grain cereal, whole-grain pasta, brown rice and barley) you won’t lose additional weight overall. However, you will lose more weight in the belly area, which will make you look thinner–at least, that’s what a Penn State study implies.[5] Not only will your slimmer profile make you feel better about your progress, but by losing the VAT (visceral adipose tissue) you’re also doing away with a risk factor for type 2 diabetes, coronary vascular disease, and some types of cancer.[6] Check those labels and make sure that any grain-based foods you buy are made up of at least fifty-one percent whole grain.[5]
7. Limit your spending. Some people have an easier time controlling their wallet than controlling their diet. Go ahead, cut up those credit cards, and build up your emergency fund, if you haven’t already (in its own account, and leave the bank card at home). Limit the amount of cash you have in your wallet, especially if you’re subject to spontaneous fast food indulgences. When you go grocery shopping, have a list prepared, and bring just enough money to cover those items (this might take a few dry runs). The embarrassment of not having enough money at the register will keep you from throwing a few extra items in the shopping cart. If you don’t do the grocery shopping, then offer to take on this monumental role. Your family or roommates might complain about the absence of junk food, but you’ll be doing them a favor by stocking the kitchen with healthy stuff. They’ll thank you…later…years later.
8. Set a digital watch to go off every two hours. Eat only when the watch tells you to. Spontaneous eating sessions (those times when you feel those hunger pangs, those cravings, and you scour the cabinets or the streets in search of satisfaction) are your weakest points. This is why all weight loss books tell you to avoid skipping meals. If you eat every two hours, you won’t get so hungry that you gorge yourself when you do eat. You know how it goes: “Oh…I’m so hungry…the brownies are right there…I’d have to walk all the way to the deli to get a sandwich, but my stomach’s churning….” Of course, if you eat the equivalent of a cheeseburger every two hours, that’s a recipe for obesity, but again, you’re more likely to retain self-control and stick to your diet when you don’t have hunger pangs to cloud your judgment. It wouldn’t hurt, however, to plan out what you’ll eat (smoothie at 10, chicken salad at 12, a single piece of leftover cherry pie at 2, a slice of bread with peanut butter at 4, and so on).
   • This has the added benefit of increasing your metabolism. Extending the time between meals makes your body go into “starvation mode,” which will slow down your metabolism in response to the perceived threat of starvation. This is why fasting and skipping meals will only make things worse. In addition to having four to six small meals per day,[7]
   • Another useful way to think about this is to use a “hunger scale.” Rate your hunger on a scale of 0 to 10, with 0 being so hungry that you feel weak and 10 being so full that you just want to curl up in bed and digest. Eat when you’re at about 3, which is when you’re just a little hungry, but not famished.[8]
9. Trade weight for cash. A 2007 study showed that the more you pay people to lose weight, the more pounds they drop over a three-month period.[9] If there’s someone who keeps nagging you to lose weight, ask that person about paying you for every pound you lose. If your employer is self-insured, he or she might consider enlisting the services of a company that develops reward programs to encourage employees to lose weight.[10] You can also sign a contract that forces you to pay up for every pound you don’t lose (or every pound you gain) and whatever money you pay (or gain) can be donated to charity.

Video

How To Steps To Lose Weight. Follow these steps are you will be on your way to a thinner you.

Tips

• Eat lots of soluble fiber, it soaks up fat and cholesterol from your body.
• Don’t cut fat completely from your diet. It’s important to recognize that fat is necessary for good health and sustainable weight loss. Remember that weight loss is about calories, and while fat does have more calories per gram than carbs or protein, foods like ground flax, nuts, and avocados are all high fat foods that are touted for their health benefits. Taking this approach will promote healthy weight loss by keeping you feeling full longer, and provide your body with the nutrition it needs to properly absorb and process nutrients.
• Keep a fitness log: Get a blank piece of paper and draw about forty small squares or print a spreadsheet from Microsoft Excel. Try to figure out your most common exercise-related activities and make two letter (or number) codes for them. Add a few more activities to get you moving. Set a date to complete all of your squares. Consider going over your log daily to fill in the squares, as you will not remember what activity you did three weeks from now. Make sure that your date goals are reasonable and timely.
• For physical activity, try something different. Maybe you’ve stopped going to the gym because it’s boring. Do something unique and preferably something that involves a long-term commitment and contract, such as swing or salsa dancing, swimming lessons, fencing, or martial arts. Choose a school or instructor you like–you’re more likely to show up, especially if there’s someone holding you accountable. The more expensive the contract, the more likely you are to stick with it…unless you’re filthy rich, in which case you can hire a personal trainer.
• Knowing your Basic Metabolic Rate (BMR) can help with this. Your BMR is the baseline number of calories your body needs to function of you were to just stay sedentary all day long. Consuming about 500 calories under this number is a way to boost your diet and ensure at least some weight loss.
• If you are having a hard time getting started or maintaining an exercise routine, use Monday as the day to recommit. Instead of making it a New Year’s Resolution or something you start doing on your birthday, using Monday gives you fifty-two chances to get on track!
• Boost metabolism temporarily with aerobic exercise. Different activities burn different quantities of calories, but the important thing is to raise your heart rate and sustain the activity for approximately thirty minutes.
• Boost metabolism in the long run with weight training. Muscle burns more calories than fat does–73 more calories per kilogram per day, to be exact.[1] Every muscle cell that you gain is like a little factory that constantly burns calories for you, even while you sleep, and revs up when you exercise.
• Drink lots of water
• Think long term. 100 calories per day equals 10 pounds of fat per year [11]

Warnings

• Don’t lose weight too quickly (more than one or two pounds a week). Losing weight quickly has its own health risks, as does being underweight. In addition, pushing yourself too hard can increase the likelihood of relapse. Slow and steady wins the race in this department.
• Consult your doctor before making any major changes to your lifestyle if you have a medical condition that could be affected. Consulting your doctor can also help you rule out medical conditions that could be contributing to your weight.
• Avoid “fad” diets such as the cabbage soup diet, “carb-loading,” boiled egg diet, etc.
• Avoid smoking as a weight-loss method. While nicotine is a metabolism booster and appetite suppressant, the health hazards far outweigh any benefits.
• Expect your metabolism to slow down as you lose weight. The more weight your body is carrying, the more calories your body has to burn in order to sustain itself, even at rest. When you begin restricting your calorie intake, you’ll lose weight relatively easily because your body’s high caloric needs are not being met. But after you begin to shed the weight, the body has less mass to carry and thus needs fewer calories. In order to continue losing weight, you will have to restrict your caloric intake even further in order to maintain a difference between what your body needs and what you are providing.[1]
• Remember that being healthy overall is more important than losing weight. Preventing obesity should be like preventing diabetes or cancer or hypertension; you are preventing a disease. Never do anything unhealthful to lose weight. You don’t want to substitute one disease for another.

Related wikiHows

• How to Reduce Your Overall Body Fat
• How to Increase Your Metabolism
• How to Eat Slowly
• How to Eat Healthy
• How to Stop Sweet Cravings
• How to Calculate Your Body Mass Index (BMI)
• How to Lose Weight Fast
• How to Raise the Metabolism

• How to Dieting for Weight Loss

Article provided by wikiHow, a wiki how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Lose Weight. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.