LEAN UP NATURALLY

The best part about getting healthy and achieving a lean body is that each of us already have what it takes to make that happen.  Also, it does not cost lots of money nor does it require anything special, not even a gym membership.  We can achieve a lean body naturally and that happens with how we live.  Our lifestyle determines what are body will look and feel like.





Being consistent with eating healthy, exercise, staying hydrated and getting plenty of rest will create a lean physique naturally.  It starts with our shopping lists and the foods we are buying to maintain the body we have.  If we are buying crap then we will create a body of crap.  I know that sounds bluntly harsh, but the truth can sting when it hits us between the eyes.  The same goes for exercise and guaranteed if you are not moving and taking care of that body with a regular fitness program, it will let you know through injury or stiffness.

We can lean up naturally by purchasing healthy foods and eating at home most of the time.  Nothing special about that and no extra dollars except our normal grocery bill filled with healthy food instead of fake food.  This way we know what and how much we are eating and at a cost saving.  Eating healthy even 80% of the time will result in weight loss and an overall leaner look.  Also, reducing alcohol consumption to no more than 1 to 2 times per week will make this happen even faster.  Drinking plenty of water and considering that an essential nutrient will also hasten the lean up process.

Get up and move that body!  No gym membership required and much can be accomplished with a brisk walk for at least 30 minutes several times per week. Add in a few push ups, squats, crunches and stretching and you have a complete at home program that will yield a tone physique.  Achieving a lean body is not complicated or expensive and I challenge anyone on that statement.  It is in our daily choices, will power and the want to be our best healthy self that controls what we are in the physical sense.  We all have the ability, but the choice is always up to each of us.

Exciting news!  I am the new Sports Nutrition Expert and freelance writer on the subject for About.com.  My page is dedicated to the newbie exerciser, fitness enthusiast, or seasoned athlete wanting all the current information on nutrition as it relates to health and fitness. Come by for even more great reads by yours truly and I look forward to hearing from you here on Stay Healthy Fitness.

As always, thanks for stopping by my Blog and I look forward to reading and responding to your comments.  Do not forget to subscribe to get all my free updates!

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Stay Healthy!
Darla

Sports Nutrition Expert and Writer

MAKE IT HAPPEN

How simple that sounds but it really is a choice.  The weekend is upon us and all the excitement of what that means to each of us: a break from work, social drinking, parties, indulgence in unhealthy foods, and plain slacking off from our goals of living a healthy lifestyle.  It is almost as if the weekend turns us into different people ... the "Jekyll and Hyde" of fitness and health exposed.







I admit to letting my hair down a bit on the weekend, and especially a little more this Sunday and Monday to celebrate Mother's Day and my Fabulous 51 Birthday.  However, I do not agree with plunging completely into the dark side of forgetfulness of living a healthy life, and not being able to exemplify what that means not only to me but those I teach and motivate on the daily. Moderation is knowing how to moderate.  A treat day does not need to turn into a cheat weekend because I guarantee that guilt and feeling like crap will come knocking at the door.

It is really OK to enjoy indulgences in life and that is called living and being realistic.  It is a wise healthy person that knows how to do so in moderation, without guilt, and getting right back on healthy track the next meal, or next day. Studies have actually shown that mixing up the nutrition and throwing in an occasional quality splurge day can benefit the body similar to muscle confusion when the exercise program is changed.  If you have been hardcore depleting your body of much needed nutrients and your muscles are screaming for some glycogen or blood sugar, a cheat meal or day can benefit both physiologically and psychologically. When you shock your system with a high influx of calories at one time, the body's metabolism will show an increase and you'll kick start your 'furnace' into high gear once again.

Wherever you are in your fitness program and especially with eating healthy, learning how to moderate splurges will make or break the success of reaching goals.  How you think about what you are eating is important because eating healthy should be a lifestyle and not looked upon as a punishment or burden. This type of thinking will lead to resentment of adopting a healthy lifestyle and the rebel within will eventually revolt and return to those foods that created the state of un-health in the first place.

YOUR CHOICE

Healthy foods not only taste good but are great for you.  Gravitate towards foods in their rawest forms, especially produce.  Enjoy the textures and tastes of vegetables, fruits, and raw nuts.  Indulge in lean proteins on the grill like salmon and chicken breast.  Stay away from processed junk, soda and basically those foods that do not support a healthy lifestyle.  Alcohol should be kept to a minimum or eliminated altogether.  Drink water over soda or sugared processed juices. Don't allow this fast paced society and marketing of "fake foods" pull you down a road of illness and obesity.  Enjoy those things minimally and in moderation and get back on track with what eating is really supposed to be ... HEALTHY!

MAKE IT HAPPEN AND STAY HEALTHY!

I dedicate this Blog to my beautiful Mother and friend.  Thank you Mom for blessing me with your love and support.  I love you dearly and wish you a very Happy Mother's Day.

Every Day is Mother's Day

Darla Leal, Fitness Expert and Fit at 50

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