:BodyFitnessInfo.com BLOG

I just came across a really interesting video/chart on MSN Health that shows the increase in obesity rates in the US over the last 20 years or so. Talk about an eye opener! We all know that obesity has been an increasing problem in the US, but it’s very interesting to watch how different states increased the rate quicker than others and also how this epidemic has really affected each state.

The beginning of the movie states that obesity is measured by having a BMI of 30 or more. Now we all know that there are problems with the whole BMI scale which may explain why the numbers seem to be higher than what they might really be. (If you want to read more about some of the problems with the BMI scale, see this post: The BMI Myth)

Even if there are problems with the BMI scale, obesity and being overweight in general is a growing concern that people should take more seriously. We only hope that some of the information on this site and the others that we refer to can help with the overall problem.

Here’s the link to the video/chart from MSN: Obesity in America

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Have you ever wondered what happens to fat when you actually ‘lose fat’? Well, we’re sure that some of you out there may be surprised about what really happens to fat. Tom Venuto wrote a great article about this on his blog, here’s a link to the post:

The Incredible Shrinking Fat Cell

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It seems that the work environment is the one that most people have a hard time with when it comes to eating properly. This is where meal planning and scheduling will become vital if you are going to reach your goals. Keep healthy snacks with you at work, and avoid the vending machine! Also, rather than always going out with co-workers to lunch bring your own lunch to make sure that you are getting the right foods at the right times.

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Most would agree that a cheat meal here and there is not a bad thing. But if you’re going out to a fast-food or even regular restaurant several times a week you won’t reach your goals any time soon. Restaurant portions are not even close to the portion size that you should probably be eating, so keep eating out to a minimum. When you do eat out, maybe try sharing a plate with someone else or just plan on having leftovers. This takes some discipline and planning, but you’ll be setting yourself up to win.

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A basic rule you should incorporate into your life is never go shopping with an empty stomach! Shopping when you’re hungry is a very easy way to set yourself up to lose. I know that every time I shop when I’m hungry I am much more likely to buy a lot of food that really should not be part of my menu. When you shop hungry just about anything sounds good, even though you know you shouldn’t buy it. Make it a very firm rule and stick with it: Don’t Shop When Hungry!

Its also a good idea to make sure that if you shop with someone else that they aren’t hungry either. When two people go shopping hungry, you’re just asking for a junk food festival. We hope this tip helps!

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In order to reach your fitness goals you have to set yourself up to win. One way to set yourself up to win is to learn how to control your surroundings. In other words control the things that are holding you back from reaching your goals and become a master of your own environment. Here are a few things that you must learn to control if you’re going to reach your goals:

Control Your Home Environment

Are your cupboards full of junk foods that you’re always snacking on, even when you know you shouldn’t? Let’s face it, if you’re trying to lose weight you have to eat right. Also, if you’re trying to gain muscle you have to eat right. While your methods and meals may vary a bit, you still have to eat the right stuff! So set yourself up to win and remove anything from your cupboards, fridge, and freezer that are not helping you reach your goals.

You may consider keeping a few things around for a cheat meal or two, but I still recommend removing everything from the house that shouldn’t be part of your meal plan. This is another way to control your home environment. Think about it: if you have to go out and buy the cheat you may decide that you don’t want that cheat meal so bad after all.

Use these tips for controlling your home environment and you’ll be one step closer to really reaching your goals!

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One of the big questions out there is how do I get a six-pack. Simply put, you could have the most developed, best looking abs in the world but if you have too much fat covering them up you won’t know it (and neither will anyone else!). So the key to having a great six-pack is losing enough of your body fat percentage that your abs are actually visible. You’ll probably have to be at least in the single digits (under 10%) for your abs to actually be visible, but this varies a bit per person. So keep training, lost that body fat and start to look ripped!

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Simply put, your body is like a machine. If you keep it in good condition, properly oiled and maintained it just tends to function better. Let ‘rust’ or other pollutants clog up the gears and you’ve got a real mess on your hands.

So for running an effective machine and getting rid of the pollutants, you’ve got to build some muscle. Having muscle is part of keeping the body machine well-oiled and functioning properly. Below is a link to an article that we found the other day that goes over the concept of building muscle to get rid of fat and why that’s important. Check it out!

How to Turn Your Body Into a Fat Burning Furnace

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<!–adsense–>Being overweight can cause more than just health problems, you could also be at risk of discrimination at work. If you’ve been looking for another reason to really start to lose weight, this could be a very good reason - the security of your job!

Of course, we don’t support any type of discrimination, whether at work or anywhere else. But this is definitely something to consider if you find yourself in an interview or promotion situation. There have also been studies done that show that an athletic/fit looking candidate is often favored over a candidate who isn’t. Fair? Definitely not. But that isn’t the point. For your own well-being (health, employment, etc.) there are plenty of reasons to get in shape and be healthy.

read more | digg story

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Its funny how we all will start a new workout or weight loss program with a lot of excitement and high expectations, but then after about a month or so a lot of people will be back to their same old routine. So what happened? Where did they lose the motivation? There isn’t a universal answer to that question, but you have to find a way to keep yourself going. Here are a couple of ideas:

- Take a “before” picture and look at it constantly. The whole point of doing this is to motivate yourself to change the way you are. Keep reminding yourself that you don’t want to stay this way and that you’ll do what it takes to change.

- Have pictures of “role models”. This helps you to keep your goal in mind. Go find a picture of someone that has your same body type and has a body that you think you could believably achieve and look at it constantly as well.

- Watch the health news. this one may sound a little weird, but its a really good idea to become conscious of why you might need to make some changes. If you keep yourself up to date on the growing concerns out there associated with obesity and take a “I won’t be part of the problem” attitude, it can really be motivating.

- Have a support group. Its very important to take note of who you hang out with or who is in your social circle. Make sure that you are around people that support what you’re doing. Eventually you might get to the point where you honestly don’t care what others think and you really are just doing it for yourself, but at the beginning your motivation is very fragile. Protect it and be careful who you share it with.

While this is not an all encompassing list, we hope that it will at least help you to maintain a high level of motivation for a longer period of time. A lot of what you will achieve in your goals will be determined by your attitude towards what you’re doing.

Related Articles:

Identity and Your Figure - Jade Bradbury

The Company You Keep - Jason Ferruggia

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