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.

That’s why if you haven’t already, I highly recommend you take advantage of your FREE Week of Personal Training .

During this week, you’ll receive detailed information on how to get fit and trim, execute an exercise program that’s tailored to YOUR body and experience our one-on-one personal training. You won’t be disappointed!

There’s no obligation and it’s totally and completely free. To get started, click here.

You already know that drinking sodas which are high in sugar (and high-fructose corn syrup) are bad for you.

But did you know that drinking the alternative (diet sodas and diet drinks) are just as bad for your health and body, if not worse?

Most folks think they’re doing good by drinking these zero-calorie drinks.

But the truth is they do way more harm than good.

For starters, there is no evidence that diet sodas or diet drinks actually help you lose weight.

In fact, they do the opposite. They make you fatter.

A study published in the journal “Obesity” came across a startling find …

It compared over 2,000 people. Those who drank diet sodas had a 47 percent higher body mass index (BMI) than those who didn’t.

What’s more, the diet soda drinkers were at twice the risk of becoming clinically obese!

But that’s not all.

An eight-year study done at the University of Texas found that there’s a 41 percent increase in risk of being overweight for every can or bottle of diet soda a person drinks each day.

Scary stuff, right!?

If that wasn’t bad enough, get this. A study published by the Public Library of Science found that the artificial sweeteners used in diet drinks can be just as addictive as cocaine (or more so!).

In this study, animals had two choices. Cocaine or saccharin (a common artificial sweetener). It turns out that 94 percent chose saccharin … even if they were already addicted to the cocaine!

Bottom line is this: Diet sodas or diet ANYTHING — isn’t good for your fat loss efforts or for your health.

Instead, stick with plain old H2o.

If the thought of drinking nothing but plain water makes you gag, add some flavor.

For example, you can add some fresh lemon or lime.

If you’re more adventurous, you can crush some mint leaves, and add ice too.

Finally, if you absolutey MUST have “sweet” in anything you drink, use Stevia.

It’s an all-natural sweetener that has no calories … and none of the side effects that comes with the artificial stuff.

This is just one example of the kinds of tips I give my personal training clients to stay healthy and fit year-round.

If you’re serious about taking control of your health and physique, then make sure you take advantage of your FREE Fitness Consultation (an $87 value).

During this consult, you’ll receive detailed information on how to get fit and trim that’s tailored to YOUR body.

There’s no obligation and it’s totally and completely free. To get started, click here.

For more information about  our 4 week FITT Camp check out our website at http://www.bootcampsintucson.com

If you suffer from back pain — or want to avoid it altogether, you’ll need to strengthen your core.

Strengthening your core is what allows you to do those everyday tasks (i.e. carrying the groceries, bending over to pick something you dropped, moving boxes, etc) and not get hurt doing them.

Plus, strengthening your core will give you better posture and keep you mobile well into your “Golden years.”

Here are three exercises you can do everyday (best of all, you can do them in as little as 12 minutes!):

Superman – Lie on your stomach. Stretch both your arms out in front of you. Make sure both your legs are straight behind you. To do a rep, lift your head, chest, arms and legs off the ground. You’ll feel your lower back tighten. When doing it correctly, you’ll look like Superman flying through the air. Hold this position for 3 – 5 seconds. Now go back to the starting position. Repeat 10 times.

Plank — Lie face down. Now get into a pushup position. Lower your forearms so that they are touching the floor. Keep your legs straight behind your. Only your forearms and toes should be touching the ground at this point. Now tense your abs and keep your back straight. Hold this position for 10 – 20 seconds. Repeat 5 – 10 times.

Side Plank- To do these, lie down on your right side. Now bend your right elbow, palm facing down. Put your left leg on top of your right and make sure they’re stretched out. Now lift your body (like you did in the plank) except this time, all that should be touching the floor is your right forearm and right toes. Stretch your left hand out towards the ceiling. Hold for 10 – 20 seconds. Repeat 5 times and then do the same on the left side.

Don’t worry if you can’t do all three exercises as outlined here at first. If all you can do is one rep, that’s fine.

Gradually build up. But most importantly, make sure you do these exercises every day to build a strong core that’ll help you relieve back pain, prevent future injuries and keep you walking taller.

Strengthening your core is just one of many things you should be doing to keep yourself fit and healthy.

Body fat comes in two varieties. There’s subcutaneous fat, a noticeable layer of fat that lies just below the skin, and then there’s visceral fat, which is buried beneath the muscles. Visceral fat is the more worrisome variety because it surrounds vital organs and is metabolized by the liver, which turns it into blood cholesterol.
Visceral fat can go largely unnoticed because it’s not visible to the naked eye. In fact, the only effective way researchers can locate visceral fat is by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), which uses magnetic waves to take a picture of the inside of the abdomen. Researchers can use this picture to estimate the amount of visceral fat a person is carrying.
What Causes Visceral Fat?
Your genetic makeup is between 30% and 60% responsible for the amount of visceral fat you carry. Nevertheless, research shows that both your diet and your level of physical activity contribute to your level of visceral fat. People who consume large amounts of saturated fat and people who perform little or no physical activity are likely to have high stores of visceral fat.
Short of talking a physician into performing an MRI on your abdomen, how do you know how much of this unhealthy fat you have? Check your waistline. A trim waistline is a good indicator that you don’t have a large buildup of visceral fat.
Getting Rid of Visceral Fat
Research shows that people whose diets contain polyunsaturated fats in place of saturated fats have less visceral fat. Polyunsaturated fats are found in high concentrations in sunflower, corn, and soybean oils, as well as in fish. Also, just exercising moderately—doing things such as walking, swimming, or playing tennis—on most days of the week will help you prevent visceral fat from accumulating. What’s even better is that doing regular bouts of vigorous exercise can markedly reduce the amount of visceral fat you already have.
Building muscle—through weight lifting or other resistance exercises—will help, too. Muscle burns calories and helps you maintain your metabolic rate. The more muscle you have, the bigger your body’s engine, and the more likely you will be to burn fat
Once adipocytes get the signal from hormones and release fat into the bloodstream, they shrink just like a balloon that you let air out of. When they shrink, so does your body fat. But if you eat excess fat once you’ve shrunk your adipocytes, chances are it will find its way right back to the adipocyte, and once again you’ll gain fat.
No matter how much physical activity you do, adipocytes never shrink so much that they disappear entirely. Like a balloon that you let all the air out of, you’re always left with some remnant. The only way to totally remove adipocytes from your body is with a surgical procedure such as liposuction or excision. But even with these procedures, if you go back to eating excess fat, you’ll put all the fat back on.
The physical activity recommendation for improving health is to accumulate 30 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity on most, if not all, days of the week.

Article was taken from http://www.womenfitness.net/visceral_fat.htm

By now, you should know that exercise does your body good. But did you also know that virtually any form of exercise can decrease the production of stress hormones and counteract your body’s natural stress response? It’s true. The same regular exercise routine that helps prevent disease and builds muscle can also help you better manage stress.

How does exercise reduce stress?

Exercise increases your overall health and your sense of well-being, which puts more pep in your steps every day. But exercise also has some direct stress-busting benefits.

• It pumps up your endorphins. Physical activity helps to bump up the production of your brain’s feel-good neurotransmitters, called endorphins. Although this function is often referred to as a runner’s high, a rousing game of tennis or a nature hike also can contribute to this same feeling.
• It’s meditation in movement. After a fast-paced game of racquetball or several laps in the pool, you’ll often find that you’ve forgotten the day’s dilemmas and irritations and concentrated only on your body’s movements. As you begin to regularly shed your daily tensions through movement and physical activity, you may find that this focus on a single task, and the resulting energy and optimism, can help you remain calm and clear in everything that you do.
• It improves your mood. Regular exercise can increase self-confidence and lower the symptoms associated with mild depression and anxiety. This can ease your stress levels and give you a sense of command over your body and your life.

How to get started

Every successful exercise program begins with a few simple steps.

• Consult with your doctor. Begin any new fitness program by consulting with your health care provider, especially if you have a history of heart disease or other risk factors.
• Walk before you run. Build up your fitness level gradually. Excitement about a new program can lead to overdoing it and possibly even injury. Plus, if you begin your program slowly, chances are better you’ll stick with it.
• Do what you love. Don’t train for a marathon if you dislike running. All forms of movement — from horseback riding to swimming — can increase your fitness level while decreasing your stress. The most important thing is to pick an activity that you enjoy.
• Pick a time and stick to it. Although your schedule may necessitate morning workouts some days and evening activities the next, carving out some time to move every day helps you make your exercise program an ongoing priority.

Motivation to keep moving

Starting an exercise program is just the first step. Here are some tips for sticking with a new routine or reinvigorating a tired workout:

• Set some goals. It’s always a good idea to begin or modify a workout program with a goal in mind. If your primary goal is to reduce stress in your life and recharge your batteries, your specific goals might include committing to walking during your lunch hour three times a week or, if needed, finding a baby sitter to watch your children so that you can slip away to attend a spinning class.
• Find a friend. Knowing that someone is waiting for you to show up at the gym or the park can be a powerful incentive. Working out with a friend, co-worker or family member often brings a new level of motivation to your workouts.
• Change up your routine. If you’ve always been a competitive runner, take a look at other less competitive options that may help with stress reduction, such as Pilates classes or yoga. As an added bonus, these kinder, gentler workouts may enhance your running while also decreasing your stress.

Exercise = less stress

Whatever you do, don’t think of exercise as just one more thing on your to-do list. Find an activity you enjoy — whether it’s an active tennis match or a meditative meander down to a local park and back — and make it part of your regular routine. Any form of physical activity can help you unwind and become an important part of your approach to easing stress.

This article was taken from Mayoclinic.com

To learn more about stress management  click here

Balance is based in total wellness, and total wellness is more than just emotional health or physical fitness. The 7 Aspects—Emotional, Physical, Intellectual, Social, Environmental, Occupational and Spiritual—encompass every square inch of your life, and practicing positive habits in each of these areas will help you find total wellness.

Emotional Wellness is the life area that involves your internal landscape—your personal thoughts and feelings. How you cope with stress is a huge component of your Emotional Wellness and has a big effect on your sense of mental balance. As you explore your Emotional Wellness, you journey into self-discovery. This means getting comfortable with who you are by building positive self-esteem and learning about emotional self-care. Basically, when you’re comfortable in your own skin, you don’t get knocked down as easily by the frustrations of daily life.

Physical Wellness focuses on finding optimum physical fitness. When you hear the term “physical fitness,” you may envision hours spent working out and eating nothing but salad. That might be Physical Wellness for some, but it doesn’t have to mean that for you! While exercise and eating healthy foods are part of the Physical Wellness equation, so are adequate rest and hygiene. Physical Wellness isn’t about having the “perfect” body. In fact, at times the drive for physical perfection can create emotional and physical imbalance. Physical Wellness means living a lifestyle based on habits that support healthy bodily function and longevity.

Intellectual Wellness helps you fall back in love with life and sparks your imagination. It isn’t “school.” It’s learning for learning’s sake, about whatever you want to discover. Reading, visiting museums, watching television shows and movies on interesting topics, writing and creating your own art are all keys to balance in the aspect of Intellectual Wellness. From finding hobbies to learning new, practical skills, the words to keep in mind when working toward Intellectual Wellness include “exploration,” “wonder,” and “discovery.”

Social Wellness is about relationships. Friendships, family, romance, and how you treat the cashier at the grocery store are all aspects of your Social Wellness. Social Wellness involves your ability to foster intimacy in relationships while maintaining supportive boundaries; respecting the needs of others, as well as balancing a social life with personal responsibilities. When your Social Wellness is in order, you feel both supportive and supported. Social Wellness is about the give and take that occurs in healthy relationships so that everyone feels nurtured and loved.

Environmental Wellness is probably the most overlooked wellness aspect of the seven. You might not realize how much of an effect your environment plays in your sense of balance, but your mood is heavily influenced by the people, places, and things around you. When your space is clean and clutter free, you feel better. You also feel better when you connect with nature and care for your natural environment. Acts of caring, whether extended to your personal surroundings or the world at large, create simultaneous feelings of self-care.

Occupational Wellness is something we all deal with. Even if you’re in school or a stay-at-home mom, you have an occupation. Discovering Occupational Wellness means exploring our true purpose and calling in life, learning to cope with work stress, working toward our goals, and finding a career that lines up with our ultimate dreams. Your occupation is what you’ll spend most of your time doing, so you want it to feel meaningful. This requires taking directed steps to get in touch with who you are and what you want from your chosen career.

Spiritual Wellness has an enormously broad definition. We each have our own, individual spiritual journey, and Spiritual Wellness deals with how we seek meaning and purpose in life, our connection with the universe, and a relationship with a higher power, if we so choose. You can explore Spiritual Wellness as part of a faith-based community, but it’s not necessary. Spiritual Wellness means clarifying your beliefs and values so that you can truly live by them.

If you focus on each of the 7 Aspects of Wellness, you’ll find balance and feel better!

This information was taken from

http://www.selfgrowth.com/articles/Finding_Balance_With_The_7_Aspects_of_Wellness.html