e that you are taking in a sufficient amount of calories each day and you are not cutting out fats all together. There are good fats and bad fats. The three types of fats are:

• Saturated
• Poly-unsaturated
• Unsaturated

Saturated fat comes from animal sources. It is the kind of fat that gets hard and white at room temperature such as lard, butter, margarine, etc. hence BAD FATS. Saturated and poly-unsaturated come from plants. It's considered more of a vegetable fat that stays the consistency of oil at room temperature - GOOD FATS.

Eat Your Fruits And Veggies

Your parents didn't tell you that when you were growing up for nothing. There's a good reason. Fruits and vegetable have all of your essential nutrients. Eating vegetables raw will supply you with many of the vitamins, minerals, enzymes and fiber that are needed each day. Eating them cooked is good too but they do lose a lot of the nutrients. Fruits and vegetables also raise your energy levels. They help lower cholesterol and regulate blood sugar. In some journals it is said that they help control high blood pressure. Scientists now agree that fruits and vegetables should be the foundation of a healthy diet. If you really want to get the benefits from fruits and vegetables purchase a juice extractor. What a juice extractor does is it gives you all of the vitamins, minerals, enzymes, and sometimes even protein and fats (depending on what you include in your drink) that you need to cleanse the body.

Are you ready to feel and look the great this season and for the rest of your life?

Here are some great tips that you could start participating in today to jump-start you on your way to looking and feeling more vibrant, younger and leaner for the summer through eternity. Here are some great tips.

#1 Drink Water, Water, Water...

Water is an essential part of weight loss. Most people do not drink enough water, so don't worry, it's not just you. You can lose a few pounds just by increasing your water intake. The reason water helps to aid in weight loss is because your kidneys need a lot of water to function properly and it is your liver's job to help the kidneys when they are not working to full capacity. Once the liver kicks in to help the kidneys, it can no longer metabolize stored fat into energy as quickly, which is one of its primary functions. If it is metabolizing less fat, then the fat is remaining in your body, which does not allow for fat loss/weight loss. My best description would be - when the body doesn't get enough food it is said that it goes into starvation mode. Starvation mode is described by the Net Wellness Consumer Health Organization as:

"The body responds by using its own reserves to provide energy, and these reserves are not just the body`s extra fat. Initially, glycogen stores are broken down for energy. Glycogen is the storage form of carbohydrate in our body. There is little glycogen available so this energy source is depleted during the first hours of starvation. When glycogen is used, water is released which is noticed as a drop in weight on the scale. These labile stores are quickly replenished when feeding is resumed which is noticed by an increase in weight". When the body does not get enough water it goes into survival mode, so that it could hold onto every drop of water that is stored.

Also, your muscles need water to function properly. Did you know that our body is made up of 55% - 78% water? This varies depending upon which article, book, or research that you read. Everyone is different. They say that newborns have about 74 % - 78% water. Women and men have different amounts of water in their body due to the body fat that women carry for childbearing years. Women are made up of about 55% and men about 60%. It is also said that obese people have less water than thinner people. A person's water count is primarily due to the fat content in their body, and fat has lower water, this is why overweight people have a lower amount of water in their bodies.

The amount of water that you should consume is 8 glasses of 8 oz. servings per day. In my studies, I've read time and time again that in order to lose weight the amount of water you must be taking in is ? of your body weight in ounces. In other words, if you are 150 lbs. you should be taking in 75 ounces per day. If you are extremely over weight, your body has larger metabolic loads so you need even more water. When an overweight person drinks the sufficient amount of water while losing weight he/she will decrease the amount of sagging skin once they lose the weight (so it is said).

Spread out your drinking through out your day. I find that it's easiest for me when I'm exercising. Carrying your bottle with you also makes a difference. If you work out a lot or are very active, drink even more water. Do not wait until you are thirsty because by then you are already dehydrated.

#2 Exercise Or Get Active

If you haven't started an exercise program yet, then get yourself into a gym, health club or on an exercise regimen. What are you waiting for? Always check with your physician first before embarking on any healthy lifestyle change, whether it be a new diet or and exercise program. Start an exercise program immediately after checking with your physician. You don't have to start BIG. Get started by either going to a gym, going outdoors, or doing exercise DVD's. Start with 2 days per week then work your way up to 3 days, until you work up to 5 or 6 days per week to achieve weight loss. Have fun with it. Perhaps find a place that has racquetball, tennis, and a swimming pool also so that you could also partake in fun activities. You want your routine to stay fresh so you want to add in as many fun activities as possible. Make exercise the exciting part of your day. Remember, change makes change so keep on doing different types of routines. Cardiovascular exercise/Aerobic exercise is great for burning calories. Weight lifting, which is also known as resistance training, plays a big part in maximizing fat loss. For weight loss you need to use light weights so that you could do higher "reps" (repetitions = the amount of times you perform the exercise). You should be able to perform 15 - 25 reps. On the last couple of reps there should be some difficulty. You will want to do 3 - 4 sets. If your goal is to add muscle mass then you want to perform 6 - 12 reps and use heavier weights. Also experiencing difficulty during the last 2 reps. Again, you will want to do 2 - 4 sets. You cannot get the same effect using any other method of activity. Lifting weights/Resistance training is the way to go for body fat reduction. There's so much more that I'm not including but this article could go on and on.

#3 Eating Healthy

The most important way to change your body, your health, and your mental alertness is to change your eating habits. If you still have that little tummy and you are doing everything else right, you probably haven't changed your eating habits.

To lose weight you could do a couple of different things. One would be to cut down and eat in moderation. Eat half of your normal serving of food and if you must eat dessert, share it with a friend.

Another way would be to cut down on your simple carbohydrates. Some of the simple carbohydrates include: pasta, white bread, white rice, cookies, cakes and candies. This means any food with simple sugars. In place of these foods you would eat either whole grain foods or you would eat more vegetables. You will also want to make sure that you are taking in a sufficient amount of calories each day and you are not cutting out fats all together. There are good fats and bad fats. The three types of fats are:

• Saturated
• Poly-unsaturated
• Unsaturated

Saturated fat comes from animal sources. It is the kind of fat that gets hard and white at room temperature such as lard, butter, margarine, etc. hence BAD FATS. Saturated and poly-unsaturated come from plants. It's considered more of a vegetable fat that stays the consistency of oil at room temperature - GOOD FATS.

Eat Your Fruits And Veggies

Your parents didn't tell you that when you were growing up for nothing. There's a good reason. Fruits and vegetable have all of your essential nutrients. Eating vegetables raw will supply you with many of the vitamins, minerals, enzymes and fiber that are needed each day. Eating them cooked is good too but they do lose a lot of the nutrients. Fruits and vegetables also raise your energy levels. They help lower cholesterol and regulate blood sugar. In some journals it is said that they help control high blood pressure. Scientists now agree that fruits and vegetables should be the foundation of a healthy diet. If you really want to get the benefits from fruits and vegetables purchase a juice extractor. What a juice extractor does is it gives you all of the vitamins, minerals, enzymes, and sometimes even protein and fats (depending on what you include in your drink) that you need to cleanse the body.

so this energy source is depleted during the first hours of starvation. When glycogen is used, water is released which is noticed as a drop in weight on the scale. These labile stores are quickly replenished when feeding is resumed which is noticed by an increase in weight". When the body does not get enough water it goes into survival mode, so that it could hold onto every drop of water that is stored.

Also, your muscles need water to function properly. Did you know that our body is made up of 55% - 78% water? This varies depending upon which article, book, or research that you read. Everyone is different. They say that newborns have about 74 % - 78% water. Women and men have different amounts of water in their body due to the body fat that women carry for childbearing years. Women are made up of about 55% and men about 60%. It is also said that obese people have less water than thinner people. A person's water count is primarily due to the fat content in their body, and fat has lower water, this is why overweight people have a lower amount of water in their bodies.

The amount of water that you should consume is 8 glasses of 8 oz. servings per day. In my studies, I've read time and time again that in order to lose weight the amount of water you must be taking in is ? of your body weight in ounces. In other words, if you are 150 lbs. you should be taking in 75 ounces per day. If you are extremely over weight, your body has larger metabolic loads so you need even more water. When an overweight person drinks the sufficient amount of water while losing weight he/she will decrease the amount of sagging skin once they lose the weight (so it is said).

Spread out your drinking through out your day. I find that it's easiest for me when I'm exercising. Carrying your bottle with you also makes a difference. If you work out a lot or are very active, drink even more water. Do not wait until you are thirsty because by then you are already dehydrated.

#2 Exercise Or Get Active

If you haven't started an exercise program yet, then get yourself into a gym, health club or on an exercise regimen. What are you waiting for? Always check with your physician first before embarking on any healthy lifestyle change, whether it be a new diet or and exercise program. Start an exercise program immediately after checking with your physician. You don't have to start BIG. Get started by either going to a gym, going outdoors, or doing exercise DVD's. Start with 2 days per week then work your way up to 3 days, until you work up to 5 or 6 days per week to achieve weight loss. Have fun with it. Perhaps find a place that has racquetball, tennis, and a swimming pool also so that you could also partake in fun activities. You want your routine to stay fresh so you want to add in as many fun activities as possible. Make exercise the exciting part of your day. Remember, change makes change so keep on doing different types of routines. Cardiovascular exercise/Aerobic exercise is great for burning calories. Weight lifting, which is also known as resistance training, plays a big part in maximizing fat loss. For weight loss you need to use light weights so that you could do higher "reps" (repetitions = the amount of times you perform the exercise). You should be able to perform 15 - 25 reps. On the last couple of reps there should be some difficulty. You will want to do 3 - 4 sets. If your goal is to add muscle mass then you want to perform 6 - 12 reps and use heavier weights. Also experiencing difficulty during the last 2 reps. Again, you will want to do 2 - 4 sets. You cannot get the same effect using any other method of activity. Lifting weights/Resistance training is the way to go for body fat reduction. There's so much more that I'm not including but this article could go on and on.

#3 Eating Healthy

The most important way to change your body, your health, and your mental alertness is to change your eating habits. If you still have that little tummy and you are doing everything else right, you probably haven't changed your eating habits.

To lose weight you could do a couple of different things. One would be to cut down and eat in moderation. Eat half of your normal serving of food and if you must eat dessert, share it with a friend.

Another way would be to cut down on your simple carbohydrates. Some of the simple carbohydrates include: pasta, white bread, white rice, cookies, cakes and candies. This means any food with simple sugars. In place of these foods you would eat either whole grain foods or you would eat more vegetables. You will also want to make sure that you are taking in a sufficient amount of calories each day and you are not cutting out fats all together. There are good fats and bad fats. The three types of fats are:

• Saturated
• Poly-unsaturated
• Unsaturated

Saturated fat comes from animal sources. It is the kind of fat that gets hard and white at room temperature such as lard, butter, margarine, etc. hence BAD FATS. Saturated and poly-unsaturated come from plants. It's considered more of a vegetable fat that stays the consistency of oil at room temperature - GOOD FATS.

Eat Your Fruits And Veggies

Your parents didn't tell you that when you were growing up for nothing. There's a good reason. Fruits and vegetable have all of your essential nutrients. Eating vegetables raw will supply you with many of the vitamins, minerals, enzymes and fiber that are needed each day. Eating them cooked is good too but they do lose a lot of the nutrients. Fruits and vegetables also raise your energy levels. They help lower cholesterol and regulate blood sugar. In some journals it is said that they help control high blood pressure. Scientists now agree that fruits and vegetables should be the foundation of a healthy diet. If you really want to get the benefits from fruits and vegetables purchase a juice extractor. What a juice extractor does is it gives you all of the vitamins, minerals, enzymes, and sometimes even protein and fats (depending on what you include in your drink) that you need to cleanse the body.

water while losing weight he/she will decrease the amount of sagging skin once they lose the weight (so it is said).

Spread out your drinking through out your day. I find that it's easiest for me when I'm exercising. Carrying your bottle with you also makes a difference. If you work out a lot or are very active, drink even more water. Do not wait until you are thirsty because by then you are already dehydrated.

#2 Exercise Or Get Active

If you haven't started an exercise program yet, then get yourself into a gym, health club or on an exercise regimen. What are you waiting for? Always check with your physician first before embarking on any healthy lifestyle change, whether it be a new diet or and exercise program. Start an exercise program immediately after checking with your physician. You don't have to start BIG. Get started by either going to a gym, going outdoors, or doing exercise DVD's. Start with 2 days per week then work your way up to 3 days, until you work up to 5 or 6 days per week to achieve weight loss. Have fun with it. Perhaps find a place that has racquetball, tennis, and a swimming pool also so that you could also partake in fun activities. You want your routine to stay fresh so you want to add in as many fun activities as possible. Make exercise the exciting part of your day. Remember, change makes change so keep on doing different types of routines. Cardiovascular exercise/Aerobic exercise is great for burning calories. Weight lifting, which is also known as resistance training, plays a big part in maximizing fat loss. For weight loss you need to use light weights so that you could do higher "reps" (repetitions = the amount of times you perform the exercise). You should be able to perform 15 - 25 reps. On the last couple of reps there should be some difficulty. You will want to do 3 - 4 sets. If your goal is to add muscle mass then you want to perform 6 - 12 reps and use heavier weights. Also experiencing difficulty during the last 2 reps. Again, you will want to do 2 - 4 sets. You cannot get the same effect using any other method of activity. Lifting weights/Resistance training is the way to go for body fat reduction. There's so much more that I'm not including but this article could go on and on.

#3 Eating Healthy

The most important way to change your body, your health, and your mental alertness is to change your eating habits. If you still have that little tummy and you are doing everything else right, you probably haven't changed your eating habits.

To lose weight you could do a couple of different things. One would be to cut down and eat in moderation. Eat half of your normal serving of food and if you must eat dessert, share it with a friend.

Another way would be to cut down on your simple carbohydrates. Some of the simple carbohydrates include: pasta, white bread, white rice, cookies, cakes and candies. This means any food with simple sugars. In place of these foods you would eat either whole grain foods or you would eat more vegetables. You will also want to make sure that you are taking in a sufficient amount of calories each day and you are not cutting out fats all together. There are good fats and bad fats. The three types of fats are:

• Saturated
• Poly-unsaturated
• Unsaturated

Saturated fat comes from animal sources. It is the kind of fat that gets hard and white at room temperature such as lard, butter, margarine, etc. hence BAD FATS. Saturated and poly-unsaturated come from plants. It's considered more of a vegetable fat that stays the consistency of oil at room temperature - GOOD FATS.

Eat Your Fruits And Veggies

Your parents didn't tell you that when you were growing up for nothing. There's a good reason. Fruits and vegetable have all of your essential nutrients. Eating vegetables raw will supply you with many of the vitamins, minerals, enzymes and fiber that are needed each day. Eating them cooked is good too but they do lose a lot of the nutrients. Fruits and vegetables also raise your energy levels. They help lower cholesterol and regulate blood sugar. In some journals it is said that they help control high blood pressure. Scientists now agree that fruits and vegetables should be the foundation of a healthy diet. If you really want to get the benefits from fruits and vegetables purchase a juice extractor. What a juice extractor does is it gives you all of the vitamins, minerals, enzymes, and sometimes even protein and fats (depending on what you include in your drink) that you need to cleanse the body.

s a big part in maximizing fat loss. For weight loss you need to use light weights so that you could do higher "reps" (repetitions = the amount of times you perform the exercise). You should be able to perform 15 - 25 reps. On the last couple of reps there should be some difficulty. You will want to do 3 - 4 sets. If your goal is to add muscle mass then you want to perform 6 - 12 reps and use heavier weights. Also experiencing difficulty during the last 2 reps. Again, you will want to do 2 - 4 sets. You cannot get the same effect using any other method of activity. Lifting weights/Resistance training is the way to go for body fat reduction. There's so much more that I'm not including but this article could go on and on.

#3 Eating Healthy

The most important way to change your body, your health, and your mental alertness is to change your eating habits. If you still have that little tummy and you are doing everything else right, you probably haven't changed your eating habits.

To lose weight you could do a couple of different things. One would be to cut down and eat in moderation. Eat half of your normal serving of food and if you must eat dessert, share it with a friend.

Another way would be to cut down on your simple carbohydrates. Some of the simple carbohydrates include: pasta, white bread, white rice, cookies, cakes and candies. This means any food with simple sugars. In place of these foods you would eat either whole grain foods or you would eat more vegetables. You will also want to make sure that you are taking in a sufficient amount of calories each day and you are not cutting out fats all together. There are good fats and bad fats. The three types of fats are:

• Saturated
• Poly-unsaturated
• Unsaturated

Saturated fat comes from animal sources. It is the kind of fat that gets hard and white at room temperature such as lard, butter, margarine, etc. hence BAD FATS. Saturated and poly-unsaturated come from plants. It's considered more of a vegetable fat that stays the consistency of oil at room temperature - GOOD FATS.

Eat Your Fruits And Veggies

Your parents didn't tell you that when you were growing up for nothing. There's a good reason. Fruits and vegetable have all of your essential nutrients. Eating vegetables raw will supply you with many of the vitamins, minerals, enzymes and fiber that are needed each day. Eating them cooked is good too but they do lose a lot of the nutrients. Fruits and vegetables also raise your energy levels. They help lower cholesterol and regulate blood sugar. In some journals it is said that they help control high blood pressure. Scientists now agree that fruits and vegetables should be the foundation of a healthy diet. If you really want to get the benefits from fruits and vegetables purchase a juice extractor. What a juice extractor does is it gives you all of the vitamins, minerals, enzymes, and sometimes even protein and fats (depending on what you include in your drink) that you need to cleanse the body.

e that you are taking in a sufficient amount of calories each day and you are not cutting out fats all together. There are good fats and bad fats. The three types of fats are:

• Saturated
• Poly-unsaturated
• Unsaturated

Saturated fat comes from animal sources. It is the kind of fat that gets hard and white at room temperature such as lard, butter, margarine, etc. hence BAD FATS. Saturated and poly-unsaturated come from plants. It's considered more of a vegetable fat that stays the consistency of oil at room temperature - GOOD FATS.

Eat Your Fruits And Veggies

Your parents didn't tell you that when you were growing up for nothing. There's a good reason. Fruits and vegetable have all of your essential nutrients. Eating vegetables raw will supply you with many of the vitamins, minerals, enzymes and fiber that are needed each day. Eating them cooked is good too but they do lose a lot of the nutrients. Fruits and vegetables also raise your energy levels. They help lower cholesterol and regulate blood sugar. In some journals it is said that they help control high blood pressure. Scientists now agree that fruits and vegetables should be the foundation of a healthy diet. If you really want to get the benefits from fruits and vegetables purchase a juice extractor. What a juice extractor does is it gives you all of the vitamins, minerals, enzymes, and sometimes even protein and fats (depending on what you include in your drink) that you need to cleanse the body.

It really depends on how your body works as to which way you will want to take on the lifestyle change to get yourself looking and feeling better. If you incorporate all of these habits into your life you will be a healthier, more focused YOU! Focus on good health and fitness and you will get good health and fitness. Whatever you focus on is what you get!!! Good luck to you!

This article is the author's advice, opinion and research. Please always consult with a physician first before beginning any lifestyle change program.