We are a people of quick fixes and magic bullets. We want what we want, and we want it now. The same can be said when it comes to achieving health improvements. We expect fast results with minimum effort. Weight-loss diets are a great example. Who hasnt heard of or tried the grapefruit diet, the cabbage soup diet, Keto, Biggest Loser and various cleanses? And thats just the tip of the quick-fix iceberg. These fads are designed to promote fast weight-loss, but most of the weight lost is water. Once a person returns to regular eating habits, the weight quickly returns and often brings added pounds. In fact, studies show that frequent yo-yo dieting can actually cause weight gain and poorer overall health, including potential damage to the cardiovascular system. In short, a quick-fix approach to losing weight or improving ones health can lead to a vicious cycle that lasts a lifetime.

The Missing LinkWhen individuals hit the easy button, theyre missing out on the benefits of taking it slow and having a coach for personal accountability and, ultimately, success. And without motivation and accountability, any efforts to change their liveswhether its enhancing their health, improving their finances, changing habits, or even learning new skillswill likely fall short. Think of professional athletes. A cross-country runner cant train for a couple of days, then compete in a national competition. Not only is she likely to drop out of the race, but shes also at high risk of injury. Likewise, a concert pianist cant take months off and expect to maintain the same level of playing as he did previously. It takes ongoing motivation, effort and regular practice.

Personal motivation and accountability is especially critical in achieving and maintaining optimal health. In some ways, the journey is even more complex than other endeavors as each person has a unique physical, mental, and genetic makeup. Someone predisposed to diabetes needs to be diligent about avoiding sugar and simple carbohydrates. Someone without this predisposition may be able to indulge more often without a significant impact. Genetic makeup can also make one more prone to certain cravings and may cause a person to metabolize fat in different ways. The environment also impacts a persons health status. For example, studies show that unhealthy habits can run in families. A person who grows up in a household with a supply of chips, cookies, ice cream, and other unhealthy snacks always available is more likely to adopt that lifestyle as they grow older.

Maintaining personal motivation and accountability for changing habits is essential to success. But what is the best way to develop personal accountability? Personal accountability is not to be confused with willpower. Personal accountability is a mindset and learned behavior that improves over time. Willpower is emotion-based and difficult to maintain over the long-term.

The Role of Coaching in Motivating and Creating Personal AccountabilityWell-known motivational speaker Tony Robbins believes that high achievers often embrace coaching and mentorship as part of their strategy to achieve personal growth and accountability. He explains that coaches help in many different ways. First, they are unbiased so they speak the truth about a persons situation and opportunities for improvement. Second, a coach can identify an individuals true potential, which helps them build on their strengths and develop new skills. Third, a coach can help an individual develop an action plan and then provides guidance and encouragement along the journey. While Robbins isnt speaking specifically about health improvement, the same benefits apply. According to the American Psychological Association, Having someone with whom to share your struggles and successes makes the work easier and the mission less intimidating.

Coaching for sustainable habit change starts with small changes and continues over numerous months, even years. One challenge for weight loss is that many regain the lost weight and more. However, if the weight loss can be maintained for more than 2 years, it becomes more permanent. One study showed that individuals who had kept their weight off for 2 years or more had markedly increased odds of continuing to maintain their weight over the following year. Effective coaching programs that can deliver long-term results are focused on sustainable changes and an ongoing relationship with the coach.

An Effective Approach to CoachingMany people confuse coaching with teaching. And while teaching may be a part of it, coaching goes much farther. Teachers typically present a pre-established curriculum for individuals to follow. This is especially the case for some health and wellness programs offered by employers to their employees. Everyone is given the same information in hopes that something will resonate with the employee and facilitate action and change. But this type of one-size-fits-all approach doesnt take into account each persons unique personality, genetics, and health goals. Try to think of a course you took in school that changed the course of each of your daily activities I cant think of one either.

Some health and wellness programs try to encourage personal accountability through team challenges, group discussions, and educational webinars. But these cannot match the effectiveness of a dedicated coachone thats been matched to the individual based on personality and preferences working on an individualized habit change plan.

Best Practices for Creating Motivation and Personal Accountability for Health ImprovementThe best health and wellness programs are those that include motivation and personal accountability as an essential component on the path to disease prevention and habit change. This includes the proven elements listed below.

The Bottom LineTraditional programs are based on a one-size-fits-all approach where every participant is given the same information in a limited number of formats. Theyre designed like a lesson plan or class youd have in school, not around the individual. Its normal for employees to jump on board when a new health and well-being program is offered, but participation often falls off after a few months. Part of this could be due to quick fix expectations. Or they may just get bored and lose motivation. The bottom line is that any program that places a curriculum first is likely to fail without the participants ability to become motivated and develop and embrace personal accountability. Leveraging dedicated personal coaches and individualized content are the key ingredients.

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Having a healthy weight reduces half of the health-related problems. Besides, who wont like to flaunt the sexy curves in a fitted bodycon dress? The answer is everyone will. But not everyone has their desired body weight and shape. Undoubtedly lifestyle and exercise play a massive role in keeping in form. But not always. Some people may have type 2 Diabetes Mellitus or recently had a cesarian section operation. Putting on ten to eleven kg weight during the pregnancy period is expected. The problem starts when it doesnt go off after the delivery. Because the mother needs extra food for the breast milk, they cant do vigorous exercise with a stitch on the lower abdomen. Son, its clear that excessive eating is not the only reason for being overweight.

The most prominent reason nowadays is junk and processed food eating. Tinned foods contain unhealthy chemicals and saturated Trans fats. It does not break down easily in our bodies. The sedentary lifestyle compliments the situation. There are genetic conditions of excess weight. In patients with hypothyroidism and type 2 diabetes, obesity is a common problem. In such cases, patients need a massive weight loss. Otherwise, the risk of stroke, atherosclerosis, and other cardiovascular diseases increases alarmingly. Regular exercise and diet help little in such cases. Here people need doctor-led weight solutions.

When you consult the doctor regarding your obesity, at first, they will take a brief history of your condition. Then they will run some tests and measure the BMI to calculate how much weight you need to reduce. After that, they will prescribe a medicine that goes best with your condition. The best clinically proven weight loss medicine nowadays is saxenda. It is the brand name of the drug liraglutide. In the market, saxenda injections are available as an injectable form of three mg per dose. But the route of administration is subcutaneous. That means you have to push the drug just below the skin, never directly in the veins or muscles. Thats why regular syringes wont work here. It would be best if you had special skinny pens that only penetrates the skins. Its like insulin pens and very easy to use. Once your doctor shows you the usage procedure, you can follow it at home for the rest of the treatment time. But never share your saxenda pens with anybody. It can spread diseases like hepatitis B, HIV, STD, and many more. Discard the middle after you finish the dose formulation.

Saxenda is a very effective drug for people over the BMI of 27. With decreasing weight, some other conditions like diabetes and high uncontrolled blood pressure also seem to control. But remember, Ruxandra is not a medicine for diabetes or such syndrome. It shows some intersection with gliptins and insulins used to treat diabetes. So, make sure your bariatric expert knows your full medical history before starting any therapy. Prolonged use of saxenda may lead to thyroid cancer or such. So, it would be best if you never overused it without a doctors prescription.

Nowadays, there is another popular weight loss procedure named sculpt. In this process, the trainers use vibration and heat to melt the extra fat and excrete through sweating. As a nonmedicinal process, it relatively safer and less expensive solution. But it doesnt work well in patients with medical issues.

Obesity brings a hundred more complications with it. With proper medical care and a balanced low carb diet, you can quickly burn out the extra calories. Make sure to get the diet chart from a certified nutritionist to get all the essential elements without consuming much.

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The Best Weight loss Guide To Reduce Weight Fast - IMC Grupo

Trying to lose weight can be one of the most difficult things to do as it can take a lot of hard work, dedication and will power. Many people try various different diet plans or exercise regimes but give up before they have even properly started.

Its important for both males and females to keep their body fat percentage to a healthy level and you can achieve this by both eating healthy and undertaking regular exercise. So lets take a look through some basic tips to help bring down your body fat percentage.

There is a misconception that to lose weight easily you should skip out on eating breakfast. This is completely untrue, it is important to eat at regular meal times and the most important meal of the day is breakfast.

Breakfast will help set you up for the rest of your day and if you skip it then you are more likely to want to snack on unhealthy foods throughout the day.

Instead of skipping breakfast its more important to choose a healthy but filling option. Avoid sugary cereals and swap them for slow release foods such as porridge or eggs, both of which will keep your filled up for longer, so you wont need that mid morning snack to keep you going.

Also try to drink a pint of water before eating anything in the morning as this will also help with any hunger pains you may have.

While its important to know how much you weigh so that you can set yourself targets to reach and understand your progress, try not to get too focused on the numbers on your scales.

Weight loss is a marathon not a sprint so while you obviously will want to see progress quickly it can take longer than you realise to see the weight dropping off.

As well as keeping an eye on your overall weight you should also be aware of what your body fat percentage is, you can do this by using a body fat percentage calculator which can help you to understand the numbers and be useful when setting yourself targets.

If you are trying to lose weight then one of the first things you should look at on your diet is how much sugary drinks you consume every day. So many soft drinks and alcoholic beverages contain a huge amount of sugar. For example one pint of hard cider contains the equivalent of one big sugary doughnut.

Avoid all fizzy sugary drinks and instead drink plenty of water. Water not only helps you quench your first but also can help keep you feeling filled up for longer.

We should all be drinking at least two litres of water every day but many people do not even drink one litre. Dehydration can often be mistaken for hunger. Many times when we may think that we are hungry and need food we are actually dehydrated, this confusion often leads us to eating more calories than we need which in turn means we gain weight. This can all be avoided by making sure we drink enough water every day.

One easy trick that seems to work well is to swap your large plates and stitches that you normally use for all your meals for smaller versions.

We often when disching u our food always look to fill the plate up which can often lead to us eating more food than we should or actually need. After eating meals we should feel pleasantly filled up not overly full up or even sick.

Once you get used to using smaller plates you should discover that you end up cooking a lot less food for meal times and in turn you will start to notice you didnt actually need all that extra food you were eating.

Losing weight takes a combination of not only eating healthy but also exercising more. Try and do some form of exercise at least once a day. This doesnt have to be over demanding exercise such as running or swimming it can be just going for a brisk walk. All exercise is good exercise.

Try to get into good habits with doing more exercise, for example instead of driving to your local shop walk there instead, as youre going to burn off more calories this way.

Not everyone enjoys exercises like going to the gym or running so you need to find what works best for you. If you are doing an exercise you enjoy then you are more likely to continue long term with it. Maybe you would enjoy swimming, riding a bike or taking an exercise class, try different forms of exercise to discover which you enjoy.

Losing weight is a process and not something that can happen overnight. You need to set yourself goals once you decide to try and lose weight but these goals need to be reasonable and achievable. There is no point in setting a goal to lose a certain amount of weight in an unreasonable amount of time.

Be realistic with your goals and you are much more likely to stick to your regime and reach them. Try to have an end goal target weight you would like to reach but do not set yourself a time limit to reach it. Instead make smaller targets to get to your final goal.

For example instead of having a target of ten kilos in ten months, break that down to losing a certain amount per month and per week. This makes it seem more achievable to spread out over the long term.

If you do not reach certain goals do not beat yourself up, weight loss is a hard thing to achieve so instead brush yourself off and go again.

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Looking To Lose Weight The Healthy Way? Tips To Bring Down Your Body Fat Percentage! - KHTS Radio

The New Year always brings with it, a lot of celebration and chances are you want to lose some weight before the end of December so that you can look good and feel great when 2021 arrives.

Choose the right meal plan in order to lose weight

The first thing that you have to consider is routine and rhythm. You might be following intermittent fasting and finding that it is causing you stress. You might be going the opposite route and eating every couple of hours and finding that this is also too challenging.

You have to consider your comfort levels when it comes to the right diet. If a diet allows you to feel calmer, feel more energetic, have better sleep and not have chronic symptoms of any kind, then it is probably supporting you.

The first thing that you have to do before you think of changing your meal plan, is to ensure optimal exercise. I dont mean that you have to over train for hours together. You just need consistent exercise for one hour, perhaps five days a week.

Raw foods and juices are good for health and weight loss

Swap out processed foods with home-cooked meals. If you can prepare your meals yourself, that is wonderful. Meals prepared by you at home, are going to be fresh, with the right amount of healthy fats and much easier on your digestion. All of this will create a foundation for you to lose weight.

Before I take you through a simple meal plan to lose weight, I must add that you should stay away from the chronic calculation of calories. Eat with your eyes and from your heart. Eat mindfully. You will never overeat if you eat while focusing on your food, rather than the television.

Eat five balanced meals a day instead of sugary and starchy foods

My suggestion to most people is to eat five balanced meals within a twelve-hour frame. This immediately ensures blood sugar balance and eating less at each meal. It is amazing when you see just this change shifting things for people. Within a day or two of doing this, your blood sugar will stabilise, and you will start needing less food.

Exercise is mandatory for weight loss

When it comes to the two snacks between breakfast and lunch, or lunch and dinner, eat a pear or an apple, two tablespoons of toasted seeds or makhana, a palmful of sand roasted peanuts, some vegetables with hummus, a smoothie or some sweet potato wedges with chaat. When you start eating a snack in between these meals and maintaining a twelve-hour framework, you will find yourself needing a lighter dinner.

If you want to lose weight before the New Year, it is best to increase the number of vegetables that you eat. If you consider swapping out processed foods with wholesome home-cooked meals, maintaining a plate framework and eating five meals in twelve hours, you will find yourself shedding water retention and excess weight, without affecting your health, sleep, energy or mood.

(Images credit: Shutterstock)

(Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of YourStory.)

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Meal plans and workouts: Heres how to lose weight before the New Year - YourStory

Conor Hegarty from Cork is in America with his friends and, as often happens when young lads travel together, they're running late for a plane.

As the gang dash through the airport, Conor's thoughts are not exclusively fixed on whether or not they make the flight. Struggling to keep up, he feels that familiar shortness of breath as makes his way through the terminal. This was what he called "a real eye-opener" as he sat down to have a chat with me about his amazing transformation in 2020.

Conor, who lost 10 stone in the space of 10 months this year, says that that day in the airport made him decide once and for all that he was "sick and tired" of feeling that way.

"I'd be in a dorm when I'd be traveling with and I'd be snoring like a train. I hadn't tied my shoes for two years. My friends would be pointing these things out to me but I wouldn't be taking their word for it," he tells me.

So what changed? "In the airport, it was the last straw, I feel. Just the thought of missing the flight made me realise that this was actually affecting my lifestyle. It was a real eye-opener and a bit of a shocker."

Conor took his realisation into 2020 and started to act upon it. He began his journey on January 6. Instead of staying in bed until the very last minute before work, he began to set his alarm early for daily 30 - 45 minute walks. He began to cook at home using low-calorie recipes from RTE's Operation Transformation app. He used an online calculator to track his Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) and his Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE). He started slowly with three gym sessions per week while making sure he accrued his 10,000 daily steps.

"Before I started, walking to work or to the Luas when I was living in Dublin was torture," Conor says. "But I could feel my mood getting better every day and I was starting to feel more confident."

Conor remembers February 26, 2020 as the day he almost gave up. In a post on his Instagram page, @HegoGetsHealthy, Conor wrote that 'I could feel myself about to give up, opening a pack of Doritos and forgetting about the weight loss until 2021. I went for a run, took this picture (below) and promised myself Id see this journey through to the end.

Not long after this, Ireland went into lockdown. For many people, the commute to work was put on hold and gyms across the country closed their doors. How did this affect Conor's progress?

"I was worried," he admits. "At the start I was worried that I wouldn't have a gym to go to and I wouldn't be able to meet up with my friends who were good at keeping me going." The moral support of Conor's friends is something that he mentions a lot throughout our conversation.

Eventually, Conor began to use the lockdown as the perfect opportunity to keep going. He invested in a yoga mat and took inspiration from The Body Coach, Joe Wicks. Workouts went 'back to basics with push-ups and sit-ups' and included '20/30 mins of a HIIT session which is probably more beneficial than my hour in the gym was anyway where my eyes would be glued to the phone 50% of the time.'

Conor's page is full of tips for anyone looking to embark on a similar journey. When I ask him what are the first steps people should take, he is adamant when he says "start small, with something that almost feels insignificant. Then you can build on it. I began by leaving my walking gear and my runners out before I went to bed. This was great for the discipline and really prevented me from hitting the snooze button."

"I used to hate mornings but now I enjoy them. Just little routine changes can go a long way, even switching from regular coffees to flat whites."

As someone who has come close to giving up when things got tough, Conor empathises with those who think they might fall off the wagon. "The thing is not to beat yourself up. You need to recognise that you've completely shifted your mindset. Remember how far you've come and how much progress you've made."

Speaking over the phone, Conor sounds every bit the confident 24-year-old. Chatty and energetic, he spoke with an infectious enthusiasm about everything he's learned this year. As he explains himself, he hasn't always been like this. "My mood has improved 100%," he says. "I'm more productive than ever and it just feels like I have so much extra time in the day. I've gotten an hour back each morning, I'm listening to podcasts and I find myself reading a lot more. I'm even getting a lot more sunlight and fresh air which is great for the mood."

Conor only set up the @HegoGetsHealthy page in October and it's already accumulated a decent following. He says himself that his motivation for starting the page was to 'hopefully help even just one person get out of a rut and get moving.' If you'd like to keep up with Conor's progress or feel like his regular snippets of advice might be helpful, you can follow him via this link.

It's been a busy 2020 for Conor and it's fair to say he'll be a lot more confident about making that plane the next time he's in an airport.

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24-year-old Corkman tells us about his incredible lockdown weight loss journey - Lovin.ie