Health and Nutrition That Is AboveNBeyond

In addition to using Weight Watchers and Herbalife, my wife and I also make use of Lean Cuisine.  The coolest thing about Lean Cuisine in our opinion is that they have the weight watchers points right on the box.  Talk about another great option to use when using the Weight Watchers point system.  I just became a member of the Lean Cuisine website and it has a lot of neat features such as Meal planning, fitness planning and wellness planning.  Just more reasons to get on track to getting fit and lean.  When it comes to loosing weight, it’s not about starving yourself or doing with out eating lots of great food.  It’s about eating to  loose weight.  You have to learn to substitute what you eat with great alternatives or find ways to change recipes to bring about a healthier meal plan.  Don’t think of it as a diet, think of it as a change of lifestyle.  Diet is a bad 4 letter word that is sometimes misconstrued.  Try thinking of a diet in terms of a meal plan instead.  Lean Cuisine is a great way to adjust your meal plan to work on loosing those pounds.   My most favorite Lean Cuisine is the Chicken Club Panini.  Oh, by the way, Lean Cuisine makes for a good lunch to take to work, which is what I do.

See video #8 in our Video Vault on Lean Cuisine for a past commercial.

Back when I used to drink alcohol, one could say that I was that occasional weekend drinker.  There is research that indicates that alcohol does not contribute to weight gain.  There is also those who say that alcohol and weight loss are enemies.  So, let’s assume that alcohol doesn’t contribute to weight gain for argument sake.  Back at this time I was probably up around 200 pounds.  I drank and ate all the foods that one would eat when going to the bars.  So, one could say that your weight gain comes from the package that you consume over the weekend.  Now, granted, this is just my view.  If you take this package out of the picture, the you also take all those calories out too.  One time when I was a local bar one Saturday evening eating, someone there offered to buy me a drink and I just had finished my “limit”.  I declined and she said something like life is short, you gotta have fun or something like that.  I replied back something like But I am having a good time, I’m having great food, talking with people, I don’t need alcohol to have a good time. It was at that point the seed was planted to move me in the direction of cutting alcohol out of my life.

After taking alcohol out of the picture, my weight stopped rising.  It was at this point that I was a member of a local gym and I was starting to get involved with fitness and nutrition.  Also around this time, I started going to church and then stopped going to the bars.  A very good trade off if you ask me.  Lots of good people, and great food too!  A few months later, I found my future wife to be or should I say she found me and the rest is history.  Oh, I should point out that she would have never went with me if I drank.  It’s interesting how things can work out at times.

Should you eat today, but, of course, yes you should.  Never, and I mean never starve yourself.  Continuing from Part 1 and Part 2 on this subject, I should point out that I don’t like the word DIET.  A short term, temporary effort is implied by this word.  In other words, once one would achieve a desired goal, the diet would be over.  Replace the word DIET with the word LIFESTYLE and you got a whole different picture.  Do you like the idea of being a human yo yo?  That is what a diet is all about, the ups and downs of weight.  You’d reach a point where your weight is good and then you’d quit.  Later, you’d be up again and start the process all over again.  How crazy is that?  Wouldn’t a change in lifestyle seem better?  There are parts of this way of thinking that could seem as doing the same thing, but, actually it’s not.

Diets are only good if you like the idea of flying blindly through life eating what ever you want when you want and am willing to hit the brakes to cut off some pounds until you are happy again.  But, who wants to spend life like a yo yo when as you get older, it can get harder to get the weight off.  The best solution is a lifestyle change.  You can still eat all the foods and drinks you like, it’s just that you won’t be like a human vacuum cleaner thus inhaling everything in sight.  You’d be eating in moderation.  Granted, it would be a learning process, but, a process that is worth it.

So, in concluding if you would apply the following, you would create a whole new lifestyle that would rock your world:

Portion Control +  Getting Active + Good Nutrition = NEW YOU!

This formula really does work, but, it takes time and patients.  If I can do it, you can do it.  It’ s that simple.  So, now the question could be asked, if this formula works, then is it really necessary to purchase weight loss products?  The answer is that it depends upon how fast you want to get the weight off.

Running is the  easiest and accessible sport for everyone to take advantage of today.  Unfortunately, there are many who don’t take advantage of it.  In fact, many don’t get active at all with any kind of sport.  This is a shame too.  Chronic inactivity and obesity are known to yield many diseases, which could be avoided simply by getting active.  Getting away from being inactive can lead one into a fun and exciting new reality.  If you excuse the saying, “Just because you grow up, doesn’t mean you can’t have fun anymore”.

Let the little kid in you escape.

Having a healthy diversion is good for everyone.  Getting active yields many benefits, such as, mental clarity, weight management, & muscle tone.

What’s a matter?  Are you afraid someone will see you out on the road running when you could be on the couch all comfy?  When I started running, it was right smack in the middle of when I was depressed.  Talk about being very hard to get out there, but, I did! Got sneakers? Can Run!

Now, if weight is not an issue for you, sure, you’re lucky, but, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be active.  You don’t want to fall under the realm of chronic inactivity.  Ironically, there is some truth to the saying “All work and no play, makes {you} a dull person”.

There are some videos in the video vault regarding running.

If you are not sure what you want to do, you can check out NEWU or refer to other posts on running.

For years, I never really paid to much attention to the nutrition labels on any products out there.  Truth is, I should have taken them more seriously like I do now. Nutrition labels are an important tool in one’s weight loss efforts.  They contain vital information that can help in determining not only if a product is good for you, but also how much of something you should eat for a given portion.

When it comes to weight loss, the most important information to keep an eye on is Calories, Fat, Dietary Fiber as well as Sugars.  If you are following the Weight Watchers plan utilizing their point system then the first 3 mentioned above are most important.  You can click on the image at the right and it will take you to Diabetes America website for more information on reading nutrition labels.

It doesn’t matter where you are health wise, making use of a nutrition label is important for everyone.  It helps one connect the dots to better health.

Without using a nutrition label,you are eating or drinking blindly.

There are times you may need to know specific information about what is in a given product.  Without a nutrition label, it would be hard to find this information.  This goes beyond the simple ingredients that each product has.  What if you are counting carbs or watching how much sodium is in a specific item?  You need nutrition labels to assist you in making the right choices.  What if you were allergic to a specific ingredient in something you were going to buy?  If you were not able to see for yourself what was listed on a nutrition label, you’d be taking a risk, thus gambling with your health as to the outcome from consuming that product.

See also – related posts on nutrition labels

Wow, this week we hit the ground running with 2 great posts on How To Start Running.  I’ve been running since April 1997 and haven’t considered quitting anytime soon.  With this being February, I thought this would be a great time to devote some articles on the sport of running.  Especially since, if one would get started now, by the time Summer would get here, the newbie runner would have some time invested in the sport and would be able to start  having a summer filled with running.

I know when I haven’t been running in a while.  My attitude changes, as well as my outlook.  Running changes everything for me and I  end up paying for it if I am not running.  Running is my outlet and there are those times where tuns of frustrations get dealt with during a good run.  I run any distances ranging from 2 miles up through and including 8 to 10 miles depending upon my motivation.  My favorite distance has to be 4 miles.  It’s just that I am the most satisfied after returning from a run after doing this distance.  If I do any distance shorter than 4 miles, than it’s like I missed something or was short changed.  Though, there are times I have no choice and don’t have the time to run longer runs.

For those who are a bit aggressive, be warned, there have been times that my focus changed to the point where running wasn’t fun, that I was only training to do races and it became like a job after a while.  So drops the motivation when this happens.  But, it’s what you want out of running that matters.

Ok, you completed your check list to get ready to start running.  You are or should be starting out slow for now.  We’ll now look at another list of things to be working on.  Remember, you are a beginner and not an elite marathoner.

1. A really good resource to make use of:
Check out Newrunner.com, a really good resource for new runners starting out.  Newrunner.com is a Runners World website for beginners.  It’s good to have the right resources at your finger tips to get the information you need as a beginner.  And remember again, you are a new runner, so, take it slow and work on building yourself up.

2.  What do you want out of running?
Do you just want to run for the fun or fitness of it?  Or, do you want something more out of the sport?  It’s all up to you.  You don’t have to decide right now.  You may discover something about it later.  For those who want to be more aggressive, why not a 5k race.  But, do this after you’ve been running for a short while.  This is something you want to prepare for.  Check out this article about preparing for your first 5k race training tips.

3.  Don’t copy, be happy
Don’t worry about what others are wearing and doing.  Rely on reliable resources for the information you need.  Do what works for you based on what you read and learn about.  Someone maybe doing something that may look good, but, it may be something that you are not quite yet ready for.

4. Find your way.
Just like starting out slow, find your way.  This is about you and not someone else.  If racing isn’t for you, then so be it!  Everyone gets something different from the sport.  It’s what you want that matters.  Once you discover your way, you’ll begin to rock! I found my way, you can find yours!

5.  Age is a number and nothing more.
As long as you are healthy enough and your doctor doesn’t mind, age is only a number and if you want to lace up your sneakers and hit the road, go for it!  Don’t let the thief in your mind rob you of something you want and can do.  If you can and want to, the road awaits.

Remember, Runners World is a very good resource for runners and anything about running can be found there.  Good luck with your efforts and enjoy the sport!

No matter the person, we all need nutrition. It doesn’t matter who you are. The athlete, stay at home mom, the acute-work-a-holic husband, you, me, we all need good nutrition. Without it, everything else is pointless. What happens if you put the wrong fuel in a sports car? Put put put put phhhssss ……. We all need good fuel to keep us going and sustain us throughout each day. In previous posts, I discussed the importance of both getting active as well as portion control. Nutrition is another slice of the pie we need to be concerned with. To some, this is a no brain er, others, either didn’t get it (yet) or don’t care.

If one of your goals is to loose weight, you need good nutrition to help you loose weight. Good nutrition helps keep your body in top running order to help you do all the things you need to do in a day. How could you expect a world class athlete to accomplish Olympic gold without good nutrition?
It just won’t happen!

You should first determine if your diet is a healthy one. Take this test, it’s free and very informative.  You need to figure out how many calories your body needs on a daily basis. The human body is remarkable. Even if you spent years not getting good nutrition, your body will say “ahhhhhhh” when you change your diet for the better.

Imagine how good you’ll start feeling when the body starts getting the right stuff.

Getting good nutrition doesn’t mean you have to stop eating some of those other foods. Eating those other foods in moderation is the key. Those other foods should be like a treat and not an everyday part of your diet.

As is our slogan “Make life better one choice at at time”, try to make small changes in your diet each day. This is better than attempting to jump on one of those trendy fad diets which may not be safe for you anyway.

How do you know if your diet is healthy? You need to take a look at the USDA’s Food Guide to see if you are getting the recommended number of servings of various food groups.

Consider your choices, do you want to be like that sports car, revved and ready to race down the road, or do you want to be like an old heap ready for the junk yard? This is how important good nutrition is. It can make a real difference in your life. You may not notice much in your younger years, but, as you start to get older, the body changes. Getting good nutrition is an important part of everyone’s life no matter the age.

If you are a very active person, such as a runner, marathoner, biker, or other types of sports, then your need for good nutrition can be even grater.  Consult your specific sports type website for more information on nutritional needs.  For runners, I highly recommend Runner’s World.

See also:

1. More Nutrition related articles.
2. Food Pyramid

Back when I was an Herbalife Distributor, I started to see that what works for one person doesn’t necessarily work for another person. One person told me over the phone that she does not like powdered drink mixes. Well, regardless how good a product is, if someone doesn’t like the type of product, then it will NOT work for that individual despite the reason. This is one of the fundamental factors that AboveNBeyond4u.com is all about. About finding what bests work for you. Liking a type of product is half the battle regardless of it’s usage. However, until you try something, it’s hard to tell if you’ll like it or if it will work for you. We all want to look and feel good. Getting good nutrition, striving for good fitness, and loosing and/or maintaining weight is important. For it all works together to get the results we are all looking for.

Sometimes you can’t do it alone, in other words, there are products available that can help you further your goals if used right. With a little patients, research and effort, you can get more results when you use products that are effective in achieving your goals, whatever they may be. Isn’t it time to start conquering your goals?  Go  for it!

See also the following:

I recently found something and am recommending that you check this out – click here and see what you think regarding fat loss and your abs.

See other posts for burn fat, weight loss and supplements.

In recent articles, I talked about the importance of getting active. Ok, now I am going to put you on the spot here.
Are you one that goes to work every day, come home, watch TV and/or go out with the guys/girls now and then? Is that kind of what describes your week? You can still do that, but, why not change your activity? Getting active can be even more intense if you do it with a group of people. There is more to activity than just the hand and elbow coordination at your local bar or where ever. I’m not suggesting to stop certain activities, though that would be a bonus.

Regardless what you are doing each week, there are many ways to get active and have a great time. Wouldn’t it be neat to find an activity that you have fun doing and burn calories at the same time especially if it is with a group of friends? Not to say that you can’t do something by yourself, but with some friends it only magnifies it’s effectiveness. This is one of the reasons why I like running in races. I run with lots of people and it’s competitive too.

If you are able to get active with friends, you are even more likely to continue getting active then if you are doing it alone. Though, that never stopped me. Think of the calories you’ll burn off during your activities.

So, regardless of your activity, doing it solo or with friends, getting active can really aide in loosing those pounds thus helping with weight management. Best of all, some activities don’t cost a thing to do. It doesn’t cost me anything to go for a run except the time it takes to do it.

So, what’s your next move?