Allow Yourself to Be Blessed

  I woke up this morning feeling sincerely grateful for something that happened to me two years ago, that I believed was a great misfortune at the time. I decided to make a major career and life change back then, and I was extremely excited about doing so. I was truly hopeful that the change I was planning would provide me with greater financial independence and a bit of adventure, too.

Despite my best efforts and having made a significant investment of hope, time and money in pursuit of my new endeavor, things just didn’t work out. Needless to say, I was very disappointed that something that I wanted so much and had done all that I could to prepare myself for just wasn’t meant to be. It was a setback that could’ve been extremely difficult to recover from had I allowed it to be.

It would be untrue for me to say that letting go of my dream was easy to do. After trying for a while and failing to salvage my plan, I made a conscious decision to come to terms with the fact that what I’d hoped for wasn’t meant to be and to let go.  In doing so, I also decided to give myself a short period in which to grieve the loss of something that I had earnestly invested myself in preparing to do.

After a few days of allowing myself to experience the disappointment that I was feeling, I began making a plan to move forward. With the support of my family and a very dear friend, I hardened my resolve to push myself in the direction of optimism by trying something new.

The first step I took toward providing myself reason to be optimistic wasn’t anything major. It was a very small step in fact. I began working a few hours several days a week at my friend’s law office as his Administrative Assistant. More important than the job itself was the fact that it gave me a focus other than the disappointment that would surely have been much more difficult to shake if I had chosen to sit around and stew on it.

I’ve learned from experience that optimism doesn’t happen by accident. It’s a choice we can make each time we encounter difficulty in life. In many instances, we can choose to be optimistic or pessimistic about the possibilities that lie ahead when we’re down and out.

Often the key to allowing optimism to lift us out of dark times is as simple as doing something simple. That first small step away from disappoint that I took, by working for my friend, was ultimately the key to putting me on a path that I wouldn’t be on if my dream hadn’t fallen apart and if I had just given up after it did.

As it turns out, the small step of working for my friend was the catalyst for major, positive change in my life.  One day while working at his office, a mutual friend stop by and told us that he had become that Recruiter for the company in North Dakota that he went to work for several years earlier. That conversation is how I ultimately wound up in North Dakota.

I’ve been in North Dakota for almost a year, and I can’t tell you how thankful I am now that my dream didn’t pan out. Since coming here, I’ve had two promotions, the second of which came with a very nice raise and happened by complete surprise several days ago. Not only am I earning substantially more that I would’ve been but I’m working substantially less as well.

I decided to share my experience in the hope that it will encourage anyone who happens to read this and is facing the disappointment of something they’ve hoped for not working out.  I also hope it will demonstrate for anyone who needs encouragement that sometimes when things don’t work out how we’d like them to, it’s not always because we’ve somehow failed.

Sometimes things don’t work out because there is something altogether better for us than what we want. But if we allow pessimism to make us give up, we can miss out on a greater blessing than we can imagine or hope for.

If you’re facing a difficult time or circumstance, shift the paradigm and allow yourself to be blessed by doing something to take a small step toward optimism. And if you don’t know what the first step is; your first step is to figure it out. Grace & peace to all…

-By Scott Hinds Lambeth

How to Beat Cellulite

  Cellulite is a dreaded word among women and, unfortunately, it’s something that most women will grapple with somewhere on their bodies at some point in their lives.  In fact, it’s believed that up to 90 percent of women are eventually affected by cellulite.  With that many women affected by it, you would think that how to best combat cellulite wouldn’t be shrouded in such mystery.

The majority of my clients have been women during my years as a Personal Trainer and Fitness Instructor.  That being the case, it strikes me as peculiar that few of the women that I’ve trained actually knew what cellulite is.  With so many dealing with it, you’d think more women would better understand what cellulite is, what causes it – and how best to combat it.

As best I can reason, the societal pressure on women to live up to what truly is an unrealistic standard of beauty prevents many from admitting to being afflicted with something that’s considered as unattractive as cellulite is.  Obviously, my puny, little man brain is incapable of fully grasping what cellulite can do to a woman’s self-image, but from my experiences with some of the women I’ve trained, I know the psychologic effect of it can be almost crippling for some.

In order to begin dropping the veil on the mystery that is cellulite, let’s look at what cellulite isn’t.  It isn’t a skin condition like some believe.  With that in mind, there’s no need to blow your money on some pricey topical cream that won’t work.  Topical creams are effective at reducing the appearance of conditions above the skin’s surface which isn’t what cellulite is.

Cellulite only affects the appearance of skin.  It’s not an issue that’s directly related to the skin that it affects.  When fat forms beneath the skin’s surface, it pushes against connective tissue, causing the skin above to pucker.  The puckered or cottage cheese like skin is what’s referred to as cellulite, but, again, the cause of the skin appearance problem is the fat beneath it, not the skin itself.

So now that you know what cellulite is, the next step in demystifying it is explaining what causes it.  The fact is that there is no single cause of cellulite.  The list of causes includes genetics, poor diet, metabolic inefficiency, hormonal changes, body fat count, sedentariness, flaccid muscle tone, skin color and skin thickness.  Another thing to consider is that developing cellulite isn’t necessarily caused by being overweight.  Thin women often develop cellulite, too.

I bet now that you know what cellulite is and what can cause it, you’d like to know how to rid yourself of it.  The good news is that there are things you can do to reduce the appearance of cellulite, if not eliminate it entirely.  In conjunction with eating a healthy diet that consist of fruits, vegetable, fiber – and sufficient protein, doing aerobic exercises designed to reduce your overall body fat and resistance exercises designed to tone muscle in areas where cellulite exist is the key to reducing the appearance of it.

I’m sorry if you were hoping that I’d say there’s some magic cream that you can buy to help ride you of cellulite.  If only it was that simple, but it’s not.  To reduce or get rid of it, you’ll have to get off the part of your body that’s likely one of the areas where your cellulite is and get to work.  As I’ve said before on other issues, whether it’s weight loss or muscle development, the only way to achieve your goal is put in the necessary hard work. The fact is, I’ve never seen a woman who was in top shape suffer from severe cellulite.  There is no easy way out, ladies.  Now get to work!

-By Scott Hinds Lambeth

• This site does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Consult a physician before beginning any exercise program or dietary plan.

 

5 Foods that Make Losing Weight Nearly Impossible

  Those of you struggling to lose weight need to be aware of a truth that is extremely inconvenient for many of the world’s most successful food producer.  Rather than force you to read this entire article to uncover the truth of which I speak, I’ll just lay it out for you.  However, once the truth is revealed, if you’d like to find out what you can do to combat the many challenges to your attempts to lose weight, some of which are being intentionally placed before you by the aforementioned producers of food, I suggest you continue reading this piece.

The inconvenient truth that many food producers would prefer you never find out is that, for a very long time, they’ve been feeding you misinformation about many of the foods that are marketed and promoted as healthy food choices.  There are five foods in particular that are among those that have been intentionally misrepresented as being nutritionally sound that should be eliminated from your diet if you don’t want to spend the rest of your life struggling to lose weight.

The first food item on the list of those to eliminate is actually a beverage.  For years, we’ve all seen television commercials promoting the health benefits of juice from concentrate.  What’s wrong with this picture you’re likely asking now?  Well… The juice part of the equation isn’t the problem.  The concentrate part is where things go wrong.

Concentrated juice should more accurately be called processed juice.  Most any time the word processed is part of the food product equation that means trouble, most especially for folks who want to lose weight.  Processing/concentrating fruit juices turns even the healthiest of them into scale busters.

A prime example of how healthy fruit juices can become unhealthy through processing is orange and grapefruit juice from concentrate.  These once healthy fruit juices are anything but that when processed.  Once the fibrous pulp is eliminated from these juices during the concentrating process, what you’re left with is flavored sugar water full of chemical additives and preservatives.  The high sugar content in concentrated orange and grapefruit juice makes them weight loss nightmares, especially if you drink one or the other every day.

Fresh orange and grapefruit juice with pulp does contain sugar.  However, what the producers of juices from concentrate would rather you didn’t know is that, unlike their products, the fiber (pulp) content of fresh orange and grapefruit juice counteracts their sugar.  The fiber in fresh orange and grapefruit juice helps prevent your blood sugar from spiking when you drink them, thus preventing your body from over producing insulin and, consequently, storing their sugar as fat.

Number 2 in our countdown of the five foods you should eliminate from your diet is margarine containing trans fat.  For as long as I can remember, all margarine has been heralded as the healthy alternative to butter, which, depending on the type, is absolute nonsense.  Some margarine products contain loads of artery clogging trans fat, which is used as a hardening agent.

Trans fat not only hardens arteries; it increases LDL cholesterol and decreases HDL cholesterol.  HDL cholesterol is the good stuff that supports heart health.  LDL cholesterol, as you may already have figured out, is the bad stuff that can make you heart sick.  A good rule of thumb to use when selecting margarine is the harder it is the more trans fat it contains.  That’s why tub margarine is preferable to the stick variety.

The third healthy food myth that’s well worth dispelling is that whole wheat is the wisest of bread choices.  When a product is labeled whole wheat that means it’s made from milled wheat flour that’s missing an essential part of the grain kernel from which it was made.  By removing the part of the grain kernel known as the germ to make whole wheat flour, many of the vital nutrients are lost, making whole wheat food products nutritionally deficient and limited in their ability to help with weight loss.

At the top of the bread food chain are those labeled whole grain.  By having all three parts of the grain kernel intact (bran, endosperm & germ), whole grain breads and food products are the kings of healthy eating.  By choosing whole grain breads and products over others, you’ll ensure that you’re providing yourself with foods that are optimum in nutritional value and defense against an ever increasing waistline.

Moving along to the number four food product on our elimination list, let’s talk about processed soy.  There’s that word processed again, which when used in the context of food always means trouble.  The trouble with processed soy is that it’s stripped of 90% of the health benefitting phytonutrients that are naturally occurring in soybeans.  It’s another example of how something that starts out loaded with nutritional value becomes just another health food sham by the time it makes into your shopping cart.

Because they’re nutrient deficient, soy and other processed foods do a poor job of filling you up at chow time.  Additionally, eating processed soy and other processed foods increases the body’s production of ghrelin, the hormone that triggers hunger.  This means that instead of filling you up, processed foods often do the exact opposite, causing you to eat more than you might otherwise.  Eating something that isn’t designed to prevent hunger is obviously a horrendous food option for losing weight loss.

Finally, this brings us to the last food on our elimination list which is genetically modified corn.  If you think corn is just corn, you’re wrong!  Most of the corn that’s sold in super markets, whether it’s on the cob or canned, is genetically modified.  That means it’s been scientifically enhance to make livestock gain lots of weight really fast.  Now, if it’s been engineered to fatten up cows and pigs, what might it do to you?  Eureka!  If you’re serious about eating to lose weight, organically grown corn is the way to go.

And there you have it… the five foods that you should absolutely eliminate from your diet if you want to lose weight and eat to support good health.  By removing these five foods from your pantry, cupboard or refrigerator, you’ll be taking a major step toward ridding yourself of some of the most unhealthy food products that you probably consume all the time.  Sacrifice these five food items for the good of your health, and you’ll be glad you did.

-By Scott Hinds Lambeth

• This site does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Consult a physician before beginning any exercise program or dietary plan.

What I Ate for Lunch (Bread-less Sandwiches)

This low calorie, high energy lunch is perfect for keeping you energized through the second half of the work day. It requires no cooking and limited preparation, making it perfect for anyone who’s too busy to spend a lot of time figuring out what to have for and preparing lunch.  Pick these items up in the evening on your way home from work, then spend maybe 10 minutes before bedtime putting it together for the next day.  This bread-less sandwich lunch is guaranteed to fill you up, boost your energy and taste delicious, all without increasing your waistline or decreasing your bottom-line.  Try it tomorrow. You’ll be glad you did!

Main course:

1 slice of cheddar cheese & 1 thin slice of deli ham wrapped in 2 leaves of romaine Lettuce

1 slice of Swiss cheese & 1 thin slice of deli ham wrapped in 2 leaves of romaine lettuce

Side items:

baby carrots, green olives, sliced red & green peppers, peppered sliced tomato & raw broccoli florets

The 5 Principles of Effective Exercise

   Even as fitness professional, it’s a chore for me to separate idle chatter from sound advice when it comes to knowing exactly what it takes to get in top shape.  With all the different workout programs to choose from, P90X to Insanity and so on, choosing a workout program that’s just right for you can be pretty challenging.  With that in mind, I’m going to give you what may well be the most important information you can have when deciding how to go about getting and staying in shape.

There are some basic principles that apply to everyone when it comes to effective exercise.  The first principle of effective exercise is that there is no “One Size Fits All” approach.  What works for your husband or best friend may not be ideal for you.  Just because P90X is the greatest thing since sliced bread to the 23-year-old intern at work, that doesn’t mean you’d be wise to try it.

Your age, fitness level, state of health and weight are important factors to consider before trying exercise of any kind.  A middle-aged person who’s been on the sidelines of the exercise game for a long time would be foolish to try keeping up with the 23-year-old intern from work.

That said, it’s important to make a realistic assessment of your physical condition and abilities before beginning exercise of any kind.  Once armed with a general assessment of where you stand physically, then you’ll be ready to give some serious thought to your exercise options.   If you’ve been inactive for a long time, I highly suggest consulting your physician before boarding the treadmill for the first time.

In my opinion, if you haven’t exercised since the days when you packed away your headbands and Jane Fonda Workout tapes, walking is the most realistic starting point for you.  You may be ready to begin your quest for physical fitness with something more intense than walking if your lifestyle is active. Consulting a Personal Trainer is good way to figure out how to get started exercising, and many trainers offer free first-time consultations.

The second principle of effective exercise is “More is More.”  There are four basic types of exercise (Endurance, Strength, Balance & Flexibility), and each type includes a number of different exercises and subcategories.  Incorporating as many exercises as possible from each of the four basic types into your workouts is the most effective way to reach your goals. A list of exercises from each category is included below.

“The Five Movement Doctrine” is effective exercise principle no. 3.  Five basic exercise movements are all you’ll ever need to get and stay in the best shape of your life.  You’ll never have to spend countless hours in the gym to get results by including the five basic exercise movements in your workouts.  Being able to perform the basic exercise movements (Push, Pull, Bend, Squat & Plank) should be the goal of anyone who’s serious about developing a healthy and fit body.

Depending on your physical condition, some of the basic movements may be beyond your ability initially.  However, you can eventually employ the full spectrum of exercise styles and movements, at any age, given time and consistent effort.

The five basic movements are part of the strength training exercise category.  People generally think of strength training as lifting weights, which is just one aspect of it.  Weight lifting alone is an extremely inefficient way of developing physical fitness and overall strength.   Many weight lifting exercises are limited to engaging one muscle per exercise, which is a highly inefficient form of training for most people.

Engaging one muscle at a time means taking a very long time to sculpt and strengthen your body… It’s also limited in its ability to increase your endurance.  To get more bang for you buck from working out, it’s important to engage as many muscles as possible with each exercise, and the five basic movements are pivotal to doing just that.

Furthermore, you can dramatically increase the results of exercise by combining weight lifting and the five basic movements.  A list of exercises employing the five basic movements with or without weights is included below.

The fourth and, perhaps, most important principle of effective exercise is “Setting Your Own Standard.”  Your exercise results and goals must make sense relative to your body’s type and structure.  Keep in mind that not everyone is meant to be Super Model thin nor is it healthy for everyone to be.  The fact that we don’t all have the same size bones means that we’re not all supposed to weigh the same either; the bigger your bones the more you should weigh.  You can be healthy and fit at size 3 or 13.

Now that you know four of the most important principles of effective exercise, you can make an informed decision about choosing the right exercise program.

The fifth and final effective exercise principle is “Make it Count.”  Each time you exercise, make it as challenging as your fitness level will allow.  Remember that when it comes to exercise, the greater the challenge the greater the result.  Learn proper form and technique for each exercise that you perform.  Work hard and, most importantly, make the process of becoming healthy and fit joyful, not stressful.

(see below for a list of exercises from the 5 categories of movement with instructions and more)

-By Scott Hinds Lambeth

• This site does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Consult a physician before beginning any exercise program or dietary plan.

Endurance Exercises

Brisk Walking

Jogging

Strengthen Training Exercises

*Push*

Push-ups (targets triceps, chest, shoulders and abs)

• When down on the ground, set your hands at a distance that is slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. Your feet should also be about shoulder width apart.  Your body should be in straight line from the top of your head down through your heels.  Make sure your spine is in a neutral position so that your butt isn’t sticking up toward the ceiling or your crotch isn’t sagging toward the floor.  During each repetition, your butt should be clenched and your abs should be sucked in toward your spine.  Your head should be positioned so that you’re looking slightly ahead, not straight down.  At the top of the push up, your arms should be straight and supporting your weight.  By bending your arms, slowly move your body downward until just before your chin and chest touch the floor then push your body back up into the starting position and repeats the entire range of motion.

*Pull*

Pull-ups (targets upper back, shoulders and arms)

• Start from a hanging position on a pull Up Bar. Your hands should be shoulder-width apart with your arms fully extended.  Pull yourself up by dropping your elbows to the floor. Pull until your chin is above the bar.  Lower yourself back down until your arms are fully extended then repeat the full range of motion.

*Bend*

Bending Overhead Press (targets hamstrings, glutes, lower-back, abs, shoulders & chest)

• While holding a single dumbbell with one bell in each hand and your arms bent so they’re parallel with the ground, stand with your feet just beyond the width of your shoulders. From the upright position, bend at your waist so that your torso is at a 45 degree angle to the ground while keeping your arms in the locked/bent position.  Now you’re in the starting position for this exercise.  Raise your torso away from the ground, moving back to the upright position while raising the dumbbell up to your forehead while keeping your arms bent.  Move the dumbbell upward using your shoulders, not triceps.  Once you’re in the upright position, press the dumbbell above your head by extending your arms.  Bring the dumbbell back to forehead level by bending your arms back to the position that you started in.  Resist against the momentum of the weight, lowering it as slowly as possible.  Bend at your waist until your torso is back to the starting position while returning the dumbbell to its original position.  Both the up and down movements of the exercise should be performed in one continuous motion while completing the desired number of repetitions.  Perform both parts of the exercise in a steady, controlled motion, not a quick, jerking motion.

Toe Touches (targets hamstrings, glutes, lower-back & abs)

• With your feet shoulder width apart, place your hands above your head with your arms fully extended and your palms facing the wall in front of you. Bend at the waist taking your right hand down to touch your left foot while keeping your arms extended.  Return to the starting position and repeat the exercise by taking your opposite hand to your other foot.  Alternate the exercise from left to right while performing the desired number of repetitions.

(hold dumbbells in each hand to add resistance)

 *Squat*

Deep Squat (targets quads, glutes, hamstrings & calves)

• Stand with your feet slightly beyond the width of your shoulders and turned outward slightly. Your knees should be slightly bent.  Shift your body weight backwards to your heals while shifting your buttocks as though you’re sitting.  As if attempting to sit, bend your knees while dropping your buttocks toward the floor and raising your arms upward from your sides until they’re parallel to the ground.  Bend your arms to help keep you balanced as you squat.  Perform the downward motion of the exercise in a slow, purposeful manner.  The full range of motion requires squatting downward until your thighs are parallel with the ground.  Inhale before beginning the squatting motion and exhale as you’re moving back to the starting position.  Until you’re able to perform the full squatting motion, don’t squat to the point of discomfort.  Your range of motion will improve with time and practice.  From the squatted position, in an explosive, controlled manner, push your buttocks away from the floor by standing with your weight on your heels and returning to the starting position.  The entire range of motion should be performed with your weight on your heels.  Your body should be aligned so that you have a sense of pushing your chest toward the ceiling, not the top of your head.

(hold dumbbells in each hand to add resistance)

Plie Squat (targets quads, inner-thighs & hamstrings)

• Perform that same as the Deep Squat but turn your feet outward as if doing a ballet Plie.

(hold a single dumbbell in each hand to add resistance)

 *Plank*

Standard Plank (targets abs, buttocks, back & shoulders)

• Begin by lying on your stomach with your forearms on the floor pointing straight forward, your feet together and your spine in a neutral position. Your feet should be touching or no more than an inch apart.  Lift your body up on your forearms and toes, keeping your body as straight as possible.  Maintain this position for as long as possible.  Make it your initial goal to hold the position for 60 seconds. Once you’ve reached the initial goal of 60 seconds.  Keep increasing your duration by 30 seconds until you can hold the position for 3 to 4 minutes.

Side Plank (targets, abs, hips, pelvis, shoulders, biceps & triceps)

• Lie on your left side, legs together, feet stacked right on top of left. Wrap your right arm around your waist while keeping your head and neck aligned with your spine.  Prop your upper body up on your left forearm while keeping it bent.  Your elbow should be directly below your shoulder while performing the exercise.  Press your hips toward the ceiling, using your abs to stabilize your torso.  Make it your initial goal to hold the position for 30 seconds.  Keep increasing your duration by 15 seconds until you can hold the position for 3 minutes.

Strength Training Exercise Subcategories

*Isometric Exercise* (example: Plank)

• These are exercises involving muscular contractions without movement of the involved parts of the body. Isometric exercise is one method of muscular exercise. In contrast, isotonic exercise occurs when a contracting muscle shortens against a constant load, as when lifting a weight.

*Calisthenic Exercise* (example: Jumping Jacks)

• These exercises consist of a variety of gross motor movements, often rhythmical, generally without using equipment or apparatus, thus in all essence body-weight training. They are intended to increase body strength, body fitness and flexibility through movements such as pulling or pushing yourself up, bending, jumping, or swinging, using only one’s body weight for resistance. They’re usually conducted in concert with stretches. When performed vigorously and with variety, calisthenics can provide the benefits of muscular and aerobic conditioning, in addition to improving psychomotor skills such as balance, agility and coordination.

*Plyometric Exercise* (example: Squat Jumps)

• Plyometrics is a type of training involving jumping, bounding and other high impact exercises that focus on maximizing the stretch reflex of the muscles. They’re purpose? To teach the muscles to produce maximum force faster, which enhances performance for athletes and exercisers alike.  Plyometics, also known as Jump Training, requires explosive motion performed in rapid succession to increase muscular strength and speed of muscular reaction/response time to load resistance.

Balance Exercise (recommended especially for the elderly)

Tai chi (classes available in some fitness centers)

One Leg Stand

• Raise one foot off the floor by bending your knee. Holding your legs apart in a natural, comfortable position, stand on the leg that is in contact with the floor for 30 to 60 seconds then repeat the exercise using the opposite leg.  Alternate the exercise between your left to right legs while completing the desired number of repetitions.

Weight Shifts

• With your feet shoulder width apart and your hands by your side, shift your weight from your to either leg while lifting the foot of the opposite leg off of the floor laterally, not forward. Stand on the leg upon which your weight is shifted for 30 seconds then shift your weight to the opposite leg using a rocking motion.  Repeat the exercise on each leg for the desired number of repetitions.

Single Leg Balance

• With your feet a few inches apart, stand on one leg, lifting the opposite foot off the floor by raising your leg forward while keeping it straight. Raise your leg until your heel is a few inches off the ground and hold as steady as possible for 30 seconds.  Extend your arms to help keep you balanced.  Repeat the exercise on each leg while completing the desired number of repetitions.

Why it’s Harder for Women than it is for Men to Lose Weight

  I’m counseling a woman who is attempting to lose weight but had been struggling to do so.  The woman, in her mid 40’s, told me what has become a familiar story to me in my work as a Personal Trainer and Fitness Instructor. Prior to contacting me, she had been dieting religiously and exercising regularly for several months.  To no avail, the poor woman resorted to some fairly hardcore extremes to decrease the numbers appearing on her scale when she weighed herself.

Adding insult to injury, she and her husband decided to make a team effort of becoming more healthy and fit.  The insult part of this husband/wife team effort is the fact that while she worked tirelessly for months to trim off unwanted pounds and inches with little result, her husband lost 12 pounds within the first 6 weeks of their tandem effort.  If you’re wondering why that is: There are a number of reasons why.

The hard, cold truth about why my client’s husband was able to realize the results of exercise and eating properly much sooner than she was is that women have a tougher row to hoe as it relates to weight loss and fat reduction, and for good reasons.  Relative to losing weight and inches, women, unlike men, don’t have the benefit of producing testosterone at high levels.  In fact, men produce testosterone at levels up to eight times higher than women on average.  More testosterone means being able to develop greater muscle mass, thus making weight loss far less challenging.

It’s true that muscle is the engine that drives the body’s ability to metabolize fat and lose weight.  Given that women naturally have far less lean muscle mass than men, comparing a woman’s ability to lose weight to a man’s is like comparing the performance of a gondola to that of a speedboat.  The disparity in lean muscle mass and testosterone production between men and women are two very important reasons why women find it more difficult than men to lose weight and fat, but they’re far from being the only reasons why this is so.

Adding further to the struggles of women who want to trim the fat and shave off the excess pounds is the fact that women’s bodies are genetically programmed to store and, even, hoard certain types of fat for reproductive purposes.  Through evolution, the female body has developed in a way that requires it to be resistant to relinquishing its fat stores for the sake of the developing lives they may someday carry.  The fat that is generally stored in women’s hips, buttocks and legs tends to hang on for dear life because it’s necessary for the production of Leptin and DHA, which are vital in female fertility and fetal brain development respectively.

And as the pile on as to why many women struggle with weight loss continues, science has proven that women have a higher propensity than men for eating emotionally and being drawn to foods high in both fat and sugar.  It’s also believed by many fitness and nutrition experts that women are prone to eat more after exercise than men.  Furthermore, women differ from men in that the production of ghrelin, the hormone that tells us we’re hungry, increases in women after exercise, while the production of leptin, the hormone that tells us we’re full, is likely to decrease in women after intense workouts.

The fact is that women, in general, will always have more of an uphill struggle in losing weight and reducing fat than men.  However, when you think about the monumentally important reason why that’s so (child birth), perhaps it can help some women develop a healthier perspective on and greater patience in the endeavor of improving their health and fitness by losing weight and reducing fat.

With patience, persistent effort, it’s unnecessary to resort to the extremes that my client did, trying unrealistic diet plans or using unhealthy weight loss supplements, to improve your health and fitness.  There’s just one sure way to accomplish developing a healthier body and lifestyle.  Doing so doesn’t require taking extreme measures; it takes making a firm commitment to doing the intense and consistent work needed to break through the barriers that make it difficult for many women to lose weight and reduce fat.

-By Scott Hinds Lambeth

• This site does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Consult a physician before beginning any exercise program or dietary plan.

How Attraction Becomes Fixation

  I’m amazed by people who become romantically involved with someone and expect that their partner will never again be attracted to anyone else. It’s as if their coming into someone’s life means that, suddenly, the other person’s animal instincts just turn off, like at the flip of a switch.

Our intellect can cause us to lose sight of the fact that we humans are just another species who, like all animals, are driven by instinct.  You can’t control being instinctively attracted to whoever you naturally are any more than you can change the color of blood coursing through your veins. However, given our great intellect, we can control our base instincts and choose not to pursue an object of attraction.

Unless or until an attraction is acted on, there is no harm or foul in finding someone other than your partner attractive. Being attracted to someone other than your romantic partner isn’t a betrayal of them. Truthfully, being attracted to other people is as natural as breathing. In fact, attraction is a biological imperative that ensures the survival or our species, albeit one that also dooms many relationship.

People in healthy, loving, respectful relationships should be able to be open and honest about such things without it creating a rift between them. An innocent attraction can only threaten a healthy relationship if kept secret, allowing it to develop into a potentially harmful fixation.

The things that we hold secret can, in time, become those which we covet. The seeds of natural instinct are most likely to bear the fruits of indiscretion and betrayal when an attraction is held in secret long enough to become a covetous fixation.

If your partner’s insecurity won’t allow you to be honest about finding someone else attractive, essentially… they expect you to not be human… a task at which you will never succeed. On the other hand, if you’re partner claims never to be attracted to anyone but you, they aren’t being honest with you for some reason.

Attraction, as a natural byproduct of animal instinct, is far less likely to result in infidelity when those in healthy romantic relationships seek to understand their instinctive drives instead of being fearful of them.  Building a lasting, healthy relationship with your partner requires being honest with each other about the instincts that drive you. Failing to do so provides an outside attraction the best possibility of coming between you.

-By Scott Hinds Lambeth

The Real Secret to a Flat, Toned Belly

  There’s a lot of misinformation out there about weight loss, fitness and exercise as a whole, so you should expect that much of what you’ve heard about what it takes to develop a flat, toned belly is flawed, too.

Let’s start with exactly what we’re talking about when we discuss trimming your waistline.  Although most people identify trimming inches from around their midsection with weight loss, doing so actually means different things for different people.  For example, someone who has fat around the belly but is otherwise thin doesn’t necessarily need to lose weight to lose inches around their belly, whereas someone who is obese will need to lose both inches and weight.

Now, I really don’t like making sweeping indictments by saying things like: what most of you believe is the key to developing a trim, toned waistline is wrong but… yeah… it really is.  Losing weight and doing hundreds of crunches and sit ups each day is, for most of you, an utter waste of time when it comes to removing inches from your belly. Countless hours on your back doing crunches and sit ups is an especially monumental waste of precious time for most of you.

To put you on the right track to getting the firm, toned belly you want, we need to change your approach to accomplishing that goal. The first change needed to move you toward your desired outcome successfully is changing your mindset from one of weight loss to one of body fat reduction, which aren’t always one in the same.

Until you remove the layer of fat covering your abdominal muscles, you can lose all the weight you want and never see any sign of your waistline becoming trim and tone, and crunches and sit up won’t get you there. That’s because you need to take a very specific approach to trimming your midsection to succeed at it. The good news is: It really is possible to rid yourself of unwanted belly fat if you approach it the right way.

To remove that unwanted layer of fat that’s preventing your abdominal muscles from ever seeing the light of day, the most important thing you need to know is that a frim, toned belly is earned mostly in the kitchen, not the gym.  A diet consisting of lean meats (like chicken & fish), fruits & vegetables and fiber is essential to belly fat reduction.

The next step in the process of eliminating belly bulge is to rid yourself of the belief that long stints of cardio exercise (hours on the treadmill or elliptical machine) on a regular basis is the best way to lose weight and reduce body fat… It’s just not true, and there’s a good reason why.

Exercise is much like studying for a test. If when studying you keep reading the same paragraph over and over, eventually you absorb the information and it’s no longer beneficial to continue reading it. Exercise works the same way… If you exercise the same way all the time, like spending hours on the treadmill each time you work out, eventually your body acclimates to what you’re doing and you stop getting results.

A combination of cardio, strength training – and, eventually, short interval/high intensity, full body exercise is the perfect plan for reducing unwanted fat from your entire body, not just your belly. It’s also important to make sure your focusing on the right objective. Instead of focusing on reducing the numbers of the scale, shift your focus to reducing your body fat percentage. Furthermore, focus on how you feel, how your clothes fit and what you see when you look in the mirror.

As you begin exercising regularly, the numbers of the scale may not decrease as fast as you think they will, especially if you don’t have an excessive amount to lose in the first place. That’s why focusing on reducing body fat, through regular exercise and proper nutrition, is a much healthier approach to improving your overall health and fitness.

Remember, you didn’t get out of shape instantly, so it stands to reason that getting in shape will take time, too. With a positive attitude, a realistic mindset, a healthy diet, regular exercise and a willingness to work at it, you’ll have everything needed to develop a firm, toned belly and, more importantly, a healthier body and lifestyle overall!

-By Scott Hinds Lambeth

• This site does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Consult a physician before beginning any exercise program or dietary plan.

Words to Live By

  Since it’s impossible to know how much time you have left, why not be inspired by the possibilities and opportunities that each day of life presents? Investing the time you have today on anything other than doing and being your best is a monumental waste of the precious, little time you have. Be your own Superhero! Find your passion, and live a life inspired.

-S. Hinds Lambeth

Amino Acids Are the Keys to Good Health

  When it comes to maintaining overall good health, in every facet of the human body’s function and performance, there are few things, if any, which support doing so like amino acids.  Not only are amino acids needed for every single metabolic process, they’re the basis of all life processes.

Perhaps the most important functions of the mostly unheralded amino acids are transport and storage of all vital nutrients. Due to their critical importance to metabolic processes, the roles amino acids play in supporting good health are of such significance that most health issues are essentially tied to amino acid deficiencies.  The onset of obesity, high-cholesterol, diabetes, insomnia, erectile dysfunction, fibromyalgia, wrinkle formation- and most other health problems stem from deficiency of amino acids.

Just as the detriments of amino acid deficiencies are enumerable so too are the health benefits related to having them in the body at sufficient levels. Amino acids combat aging, arthritis, osteoporosis, high cholesterol, diabetes, obesity, hair-loss, symptoms of menopause, sleep & mood disorders, problems with virility & libido, and many other health problems.

Proper nutrition is an important part of maintaining sufficient amino acids levels in the body. However, because maintaining healthy eating habits is difficult for many, maintaining sufficient amino acid levels, through diet alone, is impossible for most. Fortunately, there are many products on the market that make consumption of amino acids (arginine, carnitine, glutamine, methionine, ornithine, and taurine) readily available in plentiful supply.

It’s important of remember that consumption of amino acids is one of the most important aspects of enjoying good health and a rich quality of life. You needn’t look any further than your local health food store to find amino acid supplements that can help put and keep you on the road to a lifetime of good health.

-By Scott Hinds Lambeth

For more detailed information on amino acids and how they support health and wellness, see the university studies available at this link www.aminoacid-studies.com.

• This site does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Consult a physician before beginning any dietary plan.