Introduction:

As we all know obesity and other health problems are a growing thing all over the world, but along with that the desire for people, not all people, but a lot of people to become healthier is growing. But the hardest part is starting, getting the motivation to do it, but once you get there, it only starts getting easier.

In this guide I will talk about workouts, diets, even little things you can do in your everyday life to lead a healthy lifestyle. So without waiting any longer, lets get started and move on to the first section.



The basics:

No matter what kind of shape your currently In, unless your already In pretty good shape, then the first thing you need to do Is get an image. Figure out what you want and what you want to eventually look, feel, be like. I say this because determination is a big part of exercise. There are always days where people will not want to go to the gym, go running, or even do a few push-ups and sit-ups on the floor. But If you get that image In your head of what you want. Then when your sitting at home thinking to yourself you don't want to workout, you'll think of your goal (image) and it'll give you that push to go to the gym, because you know you won't get there without going. Now I'm not saying you can't take breaks, but it has to be in moderation, you can't just take weeks off at a time just because you feel like it. But it also depends on what your fitness goals are.

Now I know not all of you can afford to go to the gym, It can be pretty costly. But no need to worry, I will include workouts that you can do at home, or anywhere you choose to. Which eliminates the excuse " I don't have time to go to the gym." or " I can't afford to go to the gym. "

Before going on the the next main point though I'm going to side track for a moment and go through the different fitness levels, because when I start getting into the workouts and diets, I'm going to categorize them by the different fitness levels, and you need to know what your in for.


Levels of Fitness:


Casual - People interested in a casual form of fitness want to lead a healthy lifestyle are not as interested in the 6 packs and the bulging muscles as the others.

Athletic - The athletic form of fitness usually includes people in sports, or training for sports, they're usually not bodybuilder big, but they are muscular, toned and in excellent shape.

Bodybuilders - The extreme level of fitness in muscle building terms, bodybuilders have the most strict diets and workout schedules, they look at weight training as more of a religion then anybody.

Now keep in mind that there are always people in between levels of fitness, like, just because you don't match the criteria for athletic or bodybuilding, doesn't mean your stuck at one or the other, you can always fall in between.

Now lets move on to dieting.




Dieting basics:

Dieting is looked upon as one of the hardest things but most important things of fitness. When a lot of people think of the word diet and the concept of it they think "Ugh, I don't want to do that." But really a lot of people all over the world have the wrong idea of dieting, and usually fail when they try it because they make their diet to strict, move into it to fast, or maybe a little bit of both. But when it comes to dieting and doing it the correct way, it means eating in moderation ( also depending on what your fitness goals are). Now, eating in moderation does not mean eating one double cheeseburger a day instead of two, it means eating healthier foods. If your truly interested in becoming healthier and getting in better shape I would highly reccomend you eliminate all junk foods and fast foods from your diet. Now, I know some of you are probably saying "This is really complicated, how am I suppose to know what foods I should eat and should not?" Well, I can show/tell you by giving you all this food list from the forums of muscleandfitness.com ..

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PROTEINS

Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breast
Tuna (water packed)
Fish (salmon, seabass, halibut)
Shrimp
Extra Lean Ground Beef or Ground Round (92-96%)
Venison
Buffalo
Ostrich
Protein Powder
Egg Whites or Eggs
Ribeye Steaks or Roast
Top Round Steaks or Roast (aka Stew Meat, London Broil, Stir Fry)
Top Sirloin (aka Sirloin Top Butt)
Beef Tenderloin (aka Filet, Filet Mignon)
Top Loin (NY Strip Steak)
Flank Steak (Sir Fry, Fajita)
Eye of Round (Cube Meat, Stew Meat, Bottom Round , 96% LeandGround Round)
Ground turkey, Turkey Breast Slices or cutlets (fresh meat, not deli cuts)

COMPLEX CARBS

Oatmeal (Old Fashioned or Quick Oats)
Sweet Potatoes
Yams
Beans (pinto, black, kidney)
Oat Bran Cereal
Rye Cereal
Brown Rice
Farina (Cream of Wheat)
Multigrain Hot Cereal
Whole wheat or Spinach Pasta
Rice (white, jasmine, basmati, Arborio, wild)
Potatoes (red, baking, new)

FIBROUS CARBS

Green Leafy Lettuce (Green Leaf, Red, Leaf, Romaine)
Broccoli
Asparagus
String Beans
Spinach
Bell Peppers
Brussels Sprouts
Cauliflower
Cabbage
Celery
Cucumber
Eggplant
Green or Red Pepper
Onions
Pumpkin
Garlic
Tomatoes
Zucchini

FRUIT

(if acceptable on diet): bananas, apples, grapefruit, peaches, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, lemons or limes

HEALTHY FATS

Natural Style Peanut Butter
Olive Oil or Safflower Oil
Nuts (peanuts, almonds
Flaxseed Oil

DAIRY AND EGGS

Low-fat cottage cheese
Eggs
Low or Non-Fat Milk
Bottled Water


CONDIMENTS & SPICES

Diet Soda
Crystal Light
Fat Free Mayonnaise
Reduced Sodium Soy Sauce
Reduced Sodium Teriyaki Sauce
Balsamic Vinegar
Salsa
Hot Peppers and Hot Sauce
Chili powder
Mrs. Dash
Steak Sauce
Sugar Free Maple Syrup
Chili Paste
Mustard
Extracts (vanilla, almond, etc )
Low Sodium beef or chicken broth
Plain or reduced sodium tomatoes sauce, puree, paste)

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( Keep in mind for the above food list, there are a lot of other great food choices out there for you, this is just an example of a few. For more information I suggest you go to menshealth.com, go under nutrition and check out the 131 best grocery foods, men and women can check this out, though it will be called 131 best grocery foods for men, it's not only for men )


So, how about it? A little less confused now? I hope so, I know this is all still a little confusing to most of you, but don't worry, I'll explain everything. Lets start with all the different categories from the food list above.

Proteins - Protein is the main building block of your body, It helps everything from hair, skin, nails and of course muscle growth along with other things. Protein is made up of amino acids that in turn break down once inside are body and go to where they are needed (In simple terms). Without protein building muscle and losing fat would be virtually impossible. They say people trying to build muscle mass should consume at least 1.5g of protein per pound of lean body mass. Though people not trying to gain muscle, should not eat this much protein, for the excess can be stored as fat.

Fats - This is a big one, when most people think of fat they think of bad stuff, stuff that you don't want, but actually you do want quite a bit of it in your diet, but you want healthy fats. Lets talk a little more about what fats do for your body. It's said that fats are responsible for lubricating your joints. In addition, hormones are manufactured from fats. Also, from completely eliminating fats from your diet you'll actually gain more body fat then usual to keep your body functioning, because your testosterone production is halted. So in order to keep our bodies functioning we need small amounts of certain fats, and I'll talk about the different kinds of those fats now.

+ Saturated fats - Saturated fats are associated with heart disease and high cholesterol levels. Forms of saturated fats can be used in packaged foods for it extends the shelf life of the food item, that fat is called Hydrogenated vegetable oil, and If you see " partially hydrogenated (name of oil) on the back of your food , don't buy it, find something else. Consider that, and saturated fat in general poison to your body. Also avoid using Coconut oil, Palm oil and Palm Kernel oil.

+ Polyunsaturated fats - The name says it all, PolyUNSATURATED. This fat is much, much better for you then Saturated Fats. Polyunsaturated fats make up most of the fats in veggie oils, such as corn, cottonseed, safflower, soybean and sunflower oil. This fat, and the next one I'll post are usually high in the essential fatty acids (EFAs).

+Monounsaturated fats - These fats have a positive effect on good cholestorol levels. Sources of these fats are virgin olive oil, conola oil and peanut oil.

Basically, in a good nutrition plan, 20% of your diet should be made up of these good fats ( Poly and Mono ), any less then 20% will drop your hormonal production, and we don't want that, do we?

Complex Carbs + Starchy + Fibrous Carbs - Complex carbs is one name for two different things really, those two things are Starchy carbs, which include oatmeal, grits, brown rice, lentils, sweet potatoes and cream of wheat. Starchy carbs are a good source of raw energy for your body. Fibrous carbs which you'll see above cannot be absorbed by the body, but are a good source of vitamins and minerals for your body and should be eaten. In addition, fiber helps clean your intestins, which allows for better absortion of nutrients that you'll get from digestable foods ( Everything else pretty much besides Fibrous Carbs.

I'm not going to go into any of the other categories though because I think the Fruit, Condiments, and Dairy and Eggs are self explanitory. But if they're not then feel free to ask me about them, I'll be glad to help.

( Skip if you already have the diet you want, Read if you don't or just feel like reading it for the info )

Now, most of you havn't been following a strict diet for very long, at least that's what I'm guessing, forgive me If I'm wrong. But in case you havn't, then shooting straight into a strict dieting routine will be hard, If not impossible, It was hard for me to do when I tried it. So, you'll have to slowly move in to the diet. So, just as a guideline, I'll give you the following..

+ Weeks 1-2 * Cut the Fat *
+ Weeks 3-4 * Cut Refined Sugars *
- Which contain sodas, table sugars, and consumption of sweets
+ Weeks 5-6 * Flood yourself with water *
- Start drinking alot of water, you should drink at least a gallon a day for your bodies to function the way they should, give or take some though of course depending on your body wieght.
+Weeks 7-8 * Calorie Control and nutrient management *

If you chose to follow this then congratulations!! You can start following your diet!!

( Start reading again now for those who skipped this section )

Okay, now I realize that not all of you are going to have the same diet plan, or the same amount of calorie intake or anything of that matter, so I'm not going to post a diet plan on here because it would be one of mine and it's set up for a 190-200 pound male. So if I posted it it would only confuse all of you.

HOWEVER..

If any of you want a diet plan ask me and I will help set you one up, private message me or post on here.

Now lets quickly go over everything we just went over and maybe add a few things in.

1. Always try and use natural foods.
2. Always choose low fat protein sources.
3. Try to include Fibrous Carbs in at least two meals.
4. Most importantly when it comes to dieting correctly, try to eat at least 5 smaller sized meals throughout the day, for it keeps your bodies matabolism running throughout the day, which in turn keeps you burning calories all day.
5. Avoid bad fats
6. Plenty of water daily, the recommended water intake is 0.66 x body weight.
7. Absolutely avoid sodas, and fruit juices ( Fruit juices depending on your fitness goals, all sodas and fruit juices are packed with sugar ). Crystal light beverages and decaffeinated tea/coffee are OK as long as they are used in moderation.
8. Avoid alcohol completely!! Only thing that is somewhat acceptable is an occasional glass of red wine.

If you want to know more ask me questions on:
- Protein shake recipes
- Specific personalized diet plans
- Cooking tips
- Anything! Ask me and I can tell you what I know

Now moving on to what I'm sure a lot of you have been waiting for, the workout portion.



Working out

Well, some of us go to the gym and some of us. But the problem is that some of us who don't just skip working out completely, and that's a huge problem. Because you can get great body weight workouts at homes, and be in excellent shape without every stepping in to the gym. But I'm going to start out with the gym basics, and then I'll move on to the body weight basics.

+ The Gym: Basics

- A good workout routine should be no more then 60 minutes long. After 60 minutes of being in the gym and lifting weights your muscle and fat building hormones begin to drop, in addition the stored carbohydrates in your body begin to deplete, which is the fuel your muscles use to contract. So basically, if your spending more then 60 minutes in the gym, your wasting your time, all the energy and muscle building hormones your body was using are now depleted, and your just moving iron. So, if you have a routine more then an hour, take a few things out and maybe do them another day where you have a short workout.

- To keep your workout intense and short, the rest time between your sets should be 90 seconds or less. Keeping your rest time shorts help you develop a good cardiovascular system because your almost constantly lifting something, it also maximizes the output of growth hormone, a powerful fat burning/muscle building one. So keeping the rest time short gives you better results quicker, and makes your workouts better and more intense.

- Training must be progressive. This means one more rep then the last time, or increasing the weight from the last time.

- Training must be varied, this is a vital thing to insure muscle gain, and also to prevent boredom in the gym. After a while of doing the same routine in the gym your body becomes use to doing those same movements time and time again week after week. Which in turn will limit your muscle growth, you'll still gain muscle but not as good as you could be. So, If you've been following the same workout routine for anything longer then two weeks, then change it up. Also, changing it up does not mean switching out every exercise with something else, it can simply mean changing the reps or the sets you do, even changing the technique of the exercise, for example, if your doing incline DB press, try switching it up with Incline DB press with your palms facing each other.

- Training must primarily consist of free weights. Free weights generally isolate the muscles, such as the DB shoulder press or DB chest press. These free weight exercises will give you the fast results your looking for, and I'm not saying machines won't do anything, I'm just saying free weights are much, much better to use.

- Aerobic training should always be used with a workout program. Aerobic training contains running, fast walking, bike riding, yoga pretty much everything that comes in contact with your cardiovascular system. In order for these aerobic exercises to be effective they need to be performed within the fat burning zone. The fat burning zone is where you are doing just the right amount of work to burn fat. To figure out what your fat burning zone is put together this formula.

Fat burning zone = ( 220-Your Age ) x (.75 )

I know some of you are probably saying, how am I suppose to know If I'm within my Fat burning zone If I'm not in the gym ( since most treadmills and things have a thing on them that will tell you ). But the truth is, you can't really know really, though I think pedometers might have an option on them which tells you, but I'm not sure.

Also, they say that the best time to perform Aerobic activity is first thing in the morning or immediatly after you workout. Though everybody has a different view on what the best time to do it is, so I am going to lean that up to you. This also applies to the best time to workout, everyone will take a different view on this and it can sometimes escalate into an arguement. Though some people say It's best to workout first thing in the morning and have your first meal of the day be your post workout meal, others say it's good to workout in the evening. But I'll say It's best to workout whatever time works best for you. Also, another common arguement is, eating before you workout, nobody thinks it's good for you to eat a huge meal right before you workout, but some people think you shouldn't eat 3 hours before you workout, some people think you should have a scoop of whey protein a half hour before you workout and others say you should have a small meal. So again, I'm leaving that up to you, whatever works best for you, but I'm getting in to nutrition again, so I need to get back on topic.

- The speed at which you lift weights is also a controversy topic but when it comes to this the majority of people say that lifting weights slow is for begginers who have never lifted before, and lifting weights faster, but with good form of course is the ideal way. But some bodybuilders will say that lifting weights slower and ' feeling the muscle ' is the best way to lift. Personally I go along with the lifting slow is the better way, because you feel more of a squeeze in your muscles, that is the bodybuilder way of lifiting. But yet again, it is up to you the way you lift. Though I will say that lifting fast is said to build more explosive power then lifiting slow, so I guess this again goes back into what your fitness goals are.

( Keep in mind before reading on that if you want to know more about any of this stuff that I keep saying its up to you on, just ask me, I can tell you more through this post or in private messaging, whichever you prefer. )

- Breathing right. The correct way to breahte when performing an exercise is to exhale while you are forcing the weight up and to inhale while you are lowering or ' releasing the weight. For example, doing a bench press, you exhale while you push the weight up and inhale as it's coming down.

Well, that's all I really have to say about the gym for now, but again, I would like to say to all of you that if you have any questions please ask me. Including questions on working out, work out plans, anything. Also, to refresh your memory if you have questions on dieting, please ask! I can give diet plans also, or at least help.


w o r k o u t
Weight free


This is actually my personal favorite form of working out and my workout routine is completely weight free. For anyone who loves the concept of walking out your front door, or even waking up in the morning and already being inside of your gym, this is for you. It gives you complete freedom over your workouts and eliminates the cost of the gym, the strenuous drives to the gym, all of that. All you need is a pair of feet and hands for this.

A lot of people out there have a thought in their heads ( not saying you guys do) but people think that without a gym you can't look like the big muscle, super toned people you see on the covers of magazines like muscle and fitness, and mens health. But that's not true, you can get great size, and great results from pure body weight exercises.

Now, I know a lot of you already know a lot of these exercises, but lets go over a few of the most common bodyweight exercises.

- Push-ups
+ Wide push-ups
+Close push-ups
+ Hand stand push-ups
+ Dive bomber push-ups
+ Yoga variation push-ups
- Pull-ups
+ Chin ups
+ Kipping pull-up ( common in the cross fit workout plans )
+ Neutral Grip pull-up
- Yoga
+ A lot of yoga is pure body weight and is a great toner/mild builder for muscles, it also greatly increases your flexibility
- Squats
+ Squat thrust
+ One legged Squat
- Sit-ups
- Leg Lifts
+ Hanging leg lifts
- Lunges
+ Chair Lunge ( One foot on a chair, one foot on the ground )
+ Walking lunge

I know I left out a few things, but a lot of other body weight exercises fall under the category of yoga, so if I missed any they should fall under the yoga category.

Now, there is not really much to say about working out weight-free, except to go over some common not to complicated workouts like I did above. But again, if anyone has questions, any questions on dieting or working out at all, ask me, I'll be more then happy to answer them for you. Also, if you would like a weight free workout program please let me know and i will help set you one up.


Conclusion

Well, I hoped this helped. Hopefully, this can answer most of your guys questions on health, fitness, weight loss, and other things. But again, if you want a workout plan, or a diet plan, then please let me know. Also, if you have any other questions please ask them. I'll be very glad to answer them.

Thanks for mentioning that S1, I forgot all about it.

I recommend reading the article that S1 posted, it's a good article explaining why to much water can be bad for you, even kill you.

I use the GNC brand, and I was using isolate for a while, because it digest faster, good for right after your workout, but I stopped taking that and now i'm just back to the regular whey protein. How about you?

Your right, eggs are poultry, but the category above that has eggs listed in it says 'Dairy and Eggs'. But the rest of that is not true, boiled eggs are technically the best for you, since there made with water and no kinds of oil, but the other eggs are not 'bad' for you, if you cook them with a healthy oil, like a few I listed above, the only way they would be bad for you is if you cooked them in a highly saturated oil such as veggie oil. Cook with unsaturated oils, that contain mono- or polyunsaturated fat.

I stopped using Isolate because it's more expensive, the container for it's smaller, and the calorie:protein ratio is not worth it. My regular whey protein has about 130 calories and 23 grams of protein, the isolate had about 200 calories and 28 grams of protein. So it just was not worth it to me. But I have not really tried any of the other protein powders out there, I usually only stick to the ones where I know whats in them, and I also try and stay away from the fancy, shiny can ones, because you can never really tell whats in them, but that's just my personal opinion. So like I said, I stick to the 100% whey protein GNC brand, only because I know I can trust it, though it is a bit more expensive.

*Update*