No matter what your fitness goals — whether it’s to lose fat and reshape your body or pack on some serious muscle — you’ll need proper nutrition to get you there.

In fact, I’d say that 90% of your success is going depend on what you put in your mouth.

That’s right… Nutrition is the number one deciding factor of whether or not you’re going to achieve your goals this year.

That said, there are a few “rules” you can follow that can make things a bit easier and make your diet easier to stick to over the course of this new year.

Tip #1 – It’s all about calories

When it comes to fat loss, the success formula is pretty simple.

Eat less. Move more.

Put differently, you need to burn more calories than you take in.

One great tip to make sure you’re creating a calorie deficit is to weight everything.

If a meal calls for 4 ounces of chicken, then grab a food scale and weigh it. You’d be surprised at the difference between what you think 4 ounces should look like and what it really is.

Tip #2 – Focus on protein at each meal

Whether you’re eating 3 times a day or 6 times a day — each of your meals should be centered around a lean meat.

Great choices are chicken, fish and turkey.

Eggs are good too, despite all the negative things you hear about them.

Having protein with each meal will leave you feeling fuller, boost your metabolism to burn more fat, and help keep your blood sugar and insulin levels from spiking too much at any given meal.

Tip #3 – Drink water or unsweetened tea

One of the easiest ways to get way too many calories in a single day is through liquids.

Sodas, juices and softdrinks are chock-full of a calories.

The best alternative is to steer clear of all those empty calories and instead drink water or unsweetened tea.

I know the thought of just drinking water or tea isn’t too exciting but believe me — your waistline will thank you.

Tip #4 -Avoid packaged foods

Stay clear of foods that come in a bag or box. These are things like donuts, chips, cookies, etc.

All these are incredibly high in calories and are devoid of any worthwhile nutrients.

Tip #5 -Reward yourself once a week

Once  you’re eating healthy on a regular basis, it’s important you reward yourself with a “cheat” meal once a week.

This is a meal where you can have ANYTHING you want.

Having this once-a-week break from your diet helps you stay on track, keep you sane, and let you indulge in any cravings you may have had throughout the course of the week.

In all it’s a crucial part to being able to “stick” to a healthy nutrition plan long-term.

So there you have it. Follow these 5 food tips and you’ll be in good shape for the rest of 2011.

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Try something new. Now that the weather is warmer and the days are longer, why not add an exciting new outdoor activity or sport, such as inline skating, mountain biking, tennis, basketball, surfing, or climbing to your exercise program?  With all of the options available, there is no excuse for allowing yourself to become stuck in a comfortable rut this summer.  Use your imagination.  Buy a new pair of walking shoes or dust off your bike and explore uncharted territory.  Join a softball team or running club.  If there is no club in your area, start one.

Engaging in several different types of sports, exercises, and activities on a regular basis (sometimes defined as cross training) can add excitement and variety to your exercise program.  Cross training also increases the odds that you will be working different muscle groups and varying the amount of aerobic and anaerobic exercise that you obtain on a regular basis.  Significantly increasing your level of physical activity not only improves the efficiency of your cardiovascular system, but also increases muscle tone and metabolic rate, making it easier for your body to burn fat, even while you sleep!

Clean up your diet and clean out your pantry. Start taking time to read food labels and increase your nutritional awareness by becoming better informed.  Throw away the items that you instinctively know are your biggest downfall and start with a fresh, clean slate.  Cutting out junk food, fried foods, and simple sugars can make a considerable difference in your energy level and in the way that you feel about your body at the beach this summer.  Be especially cautious of products that are high in trans fats and saturated fat.  Not only do saturated fats raise your total blood cholesterol, but there is also a link between diets high in saturated fat and the incidence of certain types of cancer, most notably colon, breast, and prostate cancers.

Eat higher quality foods. Concentrate on eating food for the nutritional value and not simply for the taste.  Take a trip to the health food store and try something different.  Experiment with new healthy recipes and ask friends for fat reducing tips.  Increase your consumption of antioxidant-rich vegetables, legumes, and whole grains by frequently cooking a big pot of healthy vegetable soup.  Get a vegetable steamer and put it to good use.  Put your fresh fruits and veggies out where you can see them.  Cut up raw, nutrient filled foods such as carrots, cauliflower, broccoli, and celery and snack on them during the day or take them to work with you.

Make it a high priority to drink at least eight glasses of water a day in order to provide your body with a clean internal environment and prevent dehydration.  This is especially important during the hot summer months.  Don’t wait until you are thirsty to drink water because thirst is your body’s way of letting you know that you are already starting to dehydrate.  Be aware that caffeine and alcohol can also have a dehydrating effect on your body as well.

Pair strength training with cardiovascular exercise. Combining weight training with aerobic exercise doubles the chances that you will lose bodyfat and gain more lean muscle mass this summer.  Try to really concentrate and focus on using correct form while strength training with weights.  It’s much more important to use proper, safe form than it is to try to lift as much weight as possible.  If your goal is to add more muscle mass, use heavier weight and fewer repetitions (around 8 reps).  To increase definition of the muscles, use lighter weight and higher reps (10-12). Also, keep in mind that at least 20 minutes of uninterrupted cardiovascular exercise is necessary to begin burning fat as your primary source of fuel.

Go for it! Push your exercise and athletic boundaries further by signing up for an event or race that you have never participated in before.  So what if you don’t finish first or if your time is slow?  Setting a new goal for yourself gives you something specific to work toward and leaves you with a lasting sense of accomplishment.  You might be surprised by just how much you can achieve when you set your mind to it.

This is your summer to feel healthier, happier, and stronger.  Go for it!

This article was written by Dr. Suzy, chiropractor and Health and Fitness Educator

http://www.pure-life.com/pages/5tips.htm

“Junk food” generally refers to foods that contribute lots of calories but little nutritional value. Of course, what’s considered “junk food” depends on whom you ask. Some might say pizza is junk food, for example. But I personally don’t think so, since it contributes real food with nutrients, like cheese and tomato sauce. Add whole-wheat or part whole-wheat crust, plus veggies as a topping, and I’d say pizza completely exits the junk food category.

One problem with junk foods is that they’re low in satiation value — that is, people don’t tend to feel as full when they eat them — which can lead to overeating. Another problem is that junk food tends to replace other, more nutritious foods. When people drink lots of soda, for example, they are usually not getting plenty of low-fat dairy or other healthful beverages like green tea or orange juice. When they’re snacking on chips and cookies, they’re usually not loading up on fruits and vegetables.

Most “junk food” falls into the categories of either “snack food” or “fast food.” And then there are things like breakfast cereals. They seem innocent enough, but some of them could definitely be considered “junk food,” as they mostly contain sugar or high-fructose corn syrup and white flour or milled corn.

Calories From Snack Foods

Popular snack foods are usually commercially prepared and packaged, like chips, cheese puffs, candy bars, snack cakes, and cookies.

The contribution of snack food to the calories we eat should not be underestimated. Between 1977 and 1996, the contribution of snack calories to total calories for American children between 2 and 5 years old increased by 30%, according to an article published in the Chilean medical journal, Revista Medica de Chile.

Fast Food and Overeating

Of course, junk food is also readily available at restaurant chains across the country in the form of French fries, chicken nuggets, shakes, soda, etc. Not only are most fast foods not terribly healthy, one study indicates that there may be something about fast food that actually encourages gorging.

In the study, from the Children’s Hospital in Boston, teens age 13-17 were given three types of fast-food meals (all including chicken nuggets, French fries, and cola). In one meal, the teens were served a lot of food at once. In another, a lot of food was served at the same time, but in smaller portions. And in the third test meal, a lot of food was served, but in smaller portions over 15-minute intervals.

The researchers found that it didn’t seem to matter how much food was served — the teens still took in about half of their daily calorie needs in that one meal. The researchers suggested that certain factors inherent to fast food might promote overeating:

• It’s low in fiber.
• It’s high in palatability (that is, it tastes good).
• It offers a high number of calories in a small volume.
• It’s high in fat.
• It’s high in sugar in liquid form.

Junk Food and TV

As we all know, many of the food commercials aimed at children are for foods high in fat, sugar, and/or salt, and low in nutritional value. And some research suggests that watching ads for processed foods encourages children to eat more.

Researchers from the University of Liverpool in the United Kingdom exposed 60 children, ages 9 to 11, to both food advertisements and toy advertisements, followed by a cartoon and free food.

The children ate more after the food advertisements than after the commercials for toys, the study found. The obese children in the study increased their consumption of food the most (134%) after watching the food ads, compared to overweight children (101%) and normal-weight children (84%).

Taking the ‘Junk’ out of Junk Food

Now that you’ve got the facts about junk food, how can you try to eat more healthfully in our junk- food-filled world? Here are three tips:

• Choose fast-food restaurants that offer healthier choices. And no matter where you are, opt for food and beverages that are made up mostly of ingredients that offer nutrients along with calories. Enjoy freshly squeezed orange juice or a whole-wheat bagel instead of soda or donuts. Buy a bean burrito, pizza topped with vegetables, or a grilled chicken sandwich on a whole-grain bun instead of tortilla chips with processed cheese sauce; frozen pizza rolls; or fried chicken pieces and French fries. Avoid sweetened beverages.
• Look for products low in sugar, high-fructose corn syrup, milled grains, and partially hydrogenated oils. Choose a 100% whole-wheat cracker made with canola oil, for example, or snack on a cheese and fruit plate instead of a bowl of cheese puffs.
• Limit TV viewing, for yourself and your kids. Certain TV shows seem to attract more junk food commercials more than others, so parents might want to discourage kids from watching these shows. Or try TIVO (where you can fast-forward through commercials) or watch DVDs.

Article by Elaine Magee, MPH, RD, is the “Recipe Doctor” for the WebMD Weight Loss Clinic and the author of numerous books on nutrition and health. Her opinions and conclusions are her own.

http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=56170&page=2

Experts have recommended high-impact aerobic exercise as a means for increasing bone mass, but a review of 24 studies on aerobic exercise and bone mineral density in women suggests that walking just 30 minutes per day a few days a week is enough to moderately increase overall bone density.A team of researchers from the Massachusetts General Hospital Institute of Health Professions in Boston analyzed studies that followed predominantly sedentary women assigned to aerobic exercise programs lasting 16 weeks or more.Walking was the preferred form of exercise by most participants. Compared to non-exercisers, the regular exercisers increased their bone mass by about two percent.Exercise helps strengthen bones because it forces them to bear weight, which is why high-impact exercise elicits even greater gains in bone density.The fact that walking and other low-impact activities are also beneficial, however, is particularly encouraging given that many women find high-impact exercise painful or difficult to master.Experts recommend women follow a program that combines both aerobic activity and weight training, which also increases bone mass, to lower their risk of developing osteoporosis.

Source: Annual meeting of the American Public Health Association, October 24, 2001.

http://www.acefitness.org/healthandfitnesstips/healthandfitnesstips_display.aspx?itemid=201