Side effects of a balanced diet

Some of the wonderful things that happen to your body when you find a balanced and healthy diet is nice and shiny hair, a glowing skin and more energy. One of the most spoken about side effects of eating healthy is clear skin. Who would have thought that just eating a diet rich in vegetables and fruit would act as an acne treatment.

Along with a healthy diet make sure you get plenty of fresh air and sunshine. Pick a workout routine that gets you outside as much as possible.

Before and after photos

If you have ever lost even just one dress size you know the feeling of accomplishment. If you have lost more than 2 dress sizes and then found some old photos of yourself when you were heavier then you know you have come a long way.

Now if you are just starting out to lose weight and get into shape here is a tip to help you stay focused and lose even more weight:

• Take a "before" photo of yourself. One week later take another photo. Then 2 weeks later take another photo. After 4 weeks take your last photo. At no time should you look at the photos. Just keep them stored on your sd card in your digital camera. You should have 4 photos of yourself that span 7 weeks of your diet and exercise plan. On your 8th week you can then take a look at the photos. You will be shocked at the difference in your body. It will boost your will to keep on going with your plan to have a healthier and fit body.
  

Blame someone else for your weight problem

You are an adult and capable of making your own decisions in life, so why are we as a people always trying to blame someone else for our weight problem? I can understand someone having a parent that put soda into the baby bottle and teaching them unhealthy eating habits but as an adult you should know better by now. You are the only one responsible for your own body and how it functions.

Are we going to keep listen to the same lawyers that help people with law suits dealing with mesothelioma and turn around and sue McDonalds for being overweight? I think not.

You have to stand up for yourself and start making the right decisions and not excuses.

Lose weight and get in shape by jumping rope

I have a success story that I am always forgetting to tell you about. My own sister went from a size 18 to a size 8 in less than 6 weeks without dieting! How did she do it? By jumping rope.

Let me tell you a bit about her first. She was about 210 lbs when she started her weight loss goal. She is 5' 9" tall. That is about 50-60 lbs more than the recommended weight for her height. She was upset about how much she weighed and was not too fond of the idea of diets. She was also the type to come home from work and just sit. She was the not the active type.

I don't know where she got the idea of jumping rope to get fit but I do know that she hated the idea of jogging. She did not have the inclination to join a health club or get involved in any organized sport so jumping rope made sense.

She bought a nice top quality jumping rope from a sporting goods store. It was her only investment in her goal. The rope cost $9. She started jumping rope after work as a way to unwind from the stress of the day. She decided to jump 100 jumps each day no matter how long it took. At first the 100 jumps took 20 minutes or more since she was so out of shape. Soon she was able to jump 100 jumps in 15 minutes, then 10 minutes.

She did not notice any difference in her body until the 3rd week when her clothing were feeling looser. By the 4th week she was facing the delemia of not having clothes that fit her anymore. At 6 weeks she was a size 8 and she only found out that because she had to shop for new jeans to wear and they were a size 8.

After all of that she found out that the was weight kept off and she did not have to do the 100 jumps a day routine anymore. She just had to jump rope a few times a week. She kept off those extra pounds for years after the jumping rope routine.

I also tried the jumping rope thing but I failed to keep it up for the entire 6 weeks. My failing was that I was always getting interrupted during the time I set aside to jump rope. I was doing great for about 2 weeks and then the 3rd week was a disaster time wise. The 4th week came around and I just gave it up. If I had only kept it up I wonder what shape and size I would be in today?