Putting Sports To The Test

When it comes to regular exercise, being able to chart your progress is essential – tracking improvements in your fitness can make a massive difference in staying motivated and achieving your goals. But losing sight of how much – or little – you’re doing is all too easy.That’s where the Nike+ FuelBand comes in, monitoring your every move and the rate of activity to see how many calories you’ve burned, how far you’ve travelled and how much NikeFuel (a universal metric of activity) you’ve earned. And like a personal trainer, it tells you when to make that extra bit of effort and when to celebrate your achieved goals.

Simple insights

I’ve often been put off by the sea of fitness apps and gadgets out there that overload you with stats, facts and data without ever really offering much insight into what you’re doing, and how well you’re doing it. Thankfully, the Nike + FuelBand keeps things simple but informative, breaking down your daily activity into digestible bits of data while showing how close you are to achieving set goals via a coloured bar that builds from red to green.

And because the Nike+ FuelBand measures all types of exercise in the same way, it’s easy and accurate to compare the sports and activities you’re doing, from running and rowing to basketball and tennis.

Running still streets ahead

Out of all the various sports and activities I dabble in, I’ve always assumed running to be miles ahead in terms of calorie-busting exercise as it requires continuous movement for long periods of time. The Nike+ FuelBand certainly backed this up - a 25-minute, five kilometre run burned over 300 calories more than nearly 4,000 steps, generating just under 900 NikeFuel points.

When comparing this with a game of basketball, for instance, I had to spend nearly an hour on the court to achieve similar results. No real surprises here, perhaps, but just wearing the Nike+ FuelBand during the game proved it wasn’t only a great piece of technology but a fantastic motivator too, spurring me on to work that little bit harder to meet my NikeFuel goal.

Surprise calorie-burner

The biggest surprise came when I picked up a tennis racquet. I didn’t believe that knocking a ball around for an hour could really stand up to running’s impressive stats but after just 25 minutes I’d burned over 200 calories, amassed close to 750 NikeFuel points and clocked up nearly 1,000 steps, giving time on the treadmill a real run for its money. Not bad when you consider how small the playing surface of a tennis court is.

The verdict

While running is clearly king when it comes to getting the most amount of exercise in the shortest possible time, using the Nike+ FuelBand has definitely made me reconsider the importance I place on it over other sports and activities. An hour of tennis, for instance, not only offers a similarly impressive workout but it’s a much more social activity and one I’ll be looking to do more of.

Even over the course of a few days the Nike+ FuelBand has proved to be something of a lifestyle-changer as well as a smart exercise tool. Just having something telling me how active I am each day is a surprisingly effective motivator, helping me to not only have a better handle on my fitness but to make concerted changes to boost my daily count of NikeFuel points.

Source: http://dld.bz/cFGdY

The 4 BEST Foods to Eat Before Bed (And The 5 WORST)

When it comes to eating before bed, it's pretty simple:
 Eat the perfect night-time fat-burning foods and AVOID disastrous night-time fat-storing foods.

FREE REPORT that reveals which foods to eat and those you MUST avoid.

Download it for FREE in 2 seconds here: http://dld.bz/cFnuB
 

27-Stone Mother Who Was Terrified of Going Abroad in Case She Got Stuck in a Plane Seat Loses 16 STONE And Ten Dress Sizes

• Sue Thompson, 40, dropped from an obese 27 stone, to a healthy 11 stone.
• She shrank from a size 32 to a size 12 by adopting a healthy eating regime.
• She was motivated by the fear that she was an embarrassment to husband, Shaun, and daughter, Jessica-Ray.

A mother-of-one who was terrified of getting stuck in an aeroplane seat has been crowned this year’s Slimming World Slimmer of the Year after losing 16 stone.

Sue Thompson, 40, was so afraid of getting her 27-stone frame stuck in an aeroplane seat that she spent years avoiding her family’s requests for a foreign holiday.

However, Mrs Thompson, who dropped ten dress sizes to weigh a healthy 11 stone, can now jet off on her first holiday with husband, Shaun, and daughter, Jessica-Ray, 15.

Sue Thompson, 40, shrank from an obese 27 stone to a healthy 11 stone. She also dropped ten dress sizes to go from a size 32 to a size 12. She has been crowned Slimming World's Slimmer of the Year

She was so heavy (left) that she once cracked a sunbed but she says that when she was younger she was not worried about her weight and that embarrassing events like this did not motivate her to lose weight (right)

 

Mrs Thompson, who left her job to work for Slimming World as a regional advisor, said that she had lived with being large her whole life but had never felt any worse for it, despite her weight often leading to some embarrassing situations.

She said: ‘I knew I wasn’t one of the skinny girls at school but it never affected me when it came to friends or boyfriends and I wasn’t bullied or anything like that.

‘As I got older I started to gain more weight but even embarrassing situations, like the time I cracked a sunbed at a tanning salon, didn’t motivate me to lose weight. 

 

‘It changed when I had Jess, I hated the idea that I might be an embarrassment to her or Shaun.

 

‘They never said anything and I know they loved me whatever my size but I always worried about how my weight impacted on them.’

Mrs Thompson, from Durham, spent years making excuses not to attend social occasions because she was afraid of embarrassing her husband, and avoided parents' evenings in case other mothers thought she was a bad parent.

Mrs Thompson says she was motivated to lose weight by the birth of her daughter, Jessica Ray, 15. She was so embarrassed by her weight that she avoided parents' evenings for fear people would think her a bad mother

 

Mrs Thompson says that she does not consider herself to be on a diet now - she just ditched the takeaways and only eats fresh, home-cooked food

 

A turning point came when she realised her size also had implications for her long-term health and dying prematurely became a real concern.

She said: ‘I’d sort of accepted that being overweight was my fate. I genuinely believed that my weight would be what killed me – which is scary looking back now because I was only 37.

‘I used to go to bed at night and wonder if that might be the night I didn’t wake up.’

As a result, Mrs Thompson joined a slimming club in March 2010 in a bid to lose weight and save her life.

She said: ‘I was totally embarrassed. I was terrified I’d be too big for the scales and even made my friend check with the consultant first, and I worried I’d be the biggest person there.

‘I probably was the biggest but it didn’t matter, everyone was different shapes and sizes but we were all in the same boat and in it together.’

Mrs Thompson used to be too afraid of getting stuck in an aeroplane seat to go on foreign holidays. She is now looking forward to taking her daughter, Jessica-Ray (left), on the family's first trip abroad

 

Mrs Thompson was worried that her weight would eventually kill her. She feared that one night she would go to sleep and not wake up so she felt that she needed to join a slimming club to save her own life
 

Mrs Thompson ditched the takeaways and ate only fresh food cooked at home. She said: ‘I always say I’m not on a diet, I just eat healthily now.

‘I’ve got a completely different relationship with food. It used to be a battle, but now I know how to eat healthily and that I can still have treats if I want them so there’s nothing to fight anymore.

‘If I want a treat I have it, but I’ve found that a lot of the time you only want it because you think you can’t or shouldn’t have it.’

Mrs Thompson lost 10st in 12 months and was 15st lighter by the time her 40th birthday came around in October 2012.

Her weight fell from 27st 8lb to 11st 5½lb and her dress size shrank from 32 to a 12.

 

Mrs Thompson says that when she attended her first Slimming World Class she was terrified she would be the heaviest person there and that she would break the scales

She said that losing the weight has completely changed her life.

‘People often don’t recognise me and say that I look like a new person, I feel like one too. At T in the Park someone even described me as a cougar, I couldn’t believe they meant me!

‘Three years ago I never dreamed that I’d be able to lose the weight, so it’s hard to believe I’m not only half the size I was but that I have a whole new career and so much to look forward to.

‘Life really has begun at 40 for me and I can’t wait to get stuck in! When I went to bed I used to worry whether I’d wake up or not, now I find it hard to sleep because I’m thinking about all of the exciting things I’ve got planned.

‘And winning Consultant Slimmer of the Year 2013 is just the icing on the cake!’

Source: http://dld.bz/cE6yw

 

4 Key Strategies For Killing Food Cravings

When you're constantly hungry, it makes choosing the right foods at the right times really challenging.

Staying full and energized while eating fewer calories—that’s the secret to long-term fat loss success.

Here are 4 key strategies for feeling satisfied after a healthy meal and staying full longer. You'll not only have a lot more energy, you'll crave (and eat) less later. . .

1. Eat your water. Yes, eat. Drinking water is great, and you should throughout the day, but it doesn't provide the same level of feeling satisfied as when you eat foods high in water.

There is a separate mechanism in the brain that controls hunger and thirst. If the food you eat contains water, it will stay in the stomach longer while it's being digested.

PLUS, foods high in water are naturally very low in calories – making them ideal for fat loss.

Many fruits and vegetables contain 90 – 98 percent water! The following are some of the most hydrating foods. . .

- Watermelon contains 92% water and electrolytes, such as calcium, magnesium, potassium, and sodium – all of which (positively) influence your metabolism!

- Grapefruit contains only 30 calories and is comprised of 90% water!

- Cucumbers are 96% water and contain just 14 calories in an entire cup!

- Cantaloupe is 89% water and contains only 27 calories per 1/2 cup!

- Strawberries contain just 23 calories per 1/2 cup and are made up of approximately 92% water. Plus, strawberries rank as the 4th strongest antioxidant-rich fruit!

- Broccoli contains 90% water and anti-cancer nutrients that help to detoxify the vast number of potential toxins that we encounter each day. Plus, it's a great source of fiber!

You may have noticed that these water-dense foods are all carbs. Because they’re natural (and not processed), I’d suggest the portion being about the size of your fist. So, a small grapefruit or a cup of
sliced strawberries, for example, would work well.

2. Fill up on fiber. Fiber is critical to fat loss in several ways: first, fiber contains only 1.5 to 2.5 calories per gram, while other carbs contain 4 calories per gram (fat contains 9 calories per gram).
Essentially, you can pile your plate with plenty of high-fiber foods without worrying about caloric-overload.

In addition to being low-calorie, high-fiber foods are more filling. Fiber is absorbed by our bodies more slowly than other foods, which means we feel full longer.

Foods high in fiber are fruits and vegetables, beans, lentils, legumes, and natural whole grains. Aim for at least 25-35 grams each day to help reduce your caloric intake and keep you feeling full and
energized longer.
3. Include protein at every meal. A meal with carbs alone causes blood sugar spikes and crashes, which leave you feeling tired, hungry, and weak. Protein helps slow this from happening, so that the carbs you eat aren’t converted to body fat, and allows for energy to be released slowly.

Great protein sources are lean meats, fish, lowfat dairy, legumes, and unprocessed soy products.

Your choice of protein should be approximately the size of your palm. For example, a medium-sized chicken breast.

4. Don't leave out healthy fat. Since fat is so calorie-dense, it's important that you eat it in moderation . . . BUT in small amounts, it provides flavor and has a positive impact on slowing insulin
response, like protein.

My favorite healthy fat source are nuts and seeds because they are also a great source of protein and fiber. Other excellent fat sources are avocados, olives, and fatty fish (e.g., salmon).

The fat source you choose should be about the size of your thumb. This is about 5 almonds for the average-sized woman or 7 almonds for the average man.

Putting this into Action

 Now that you know which foods keep you feeling full and satisfied throughout the day, here are some great ideas that combine them all together for one super fat-burning snack or meal:

1. Stir in a little peanut butter (healthy fat) and protein powder (protein) into oatmeal (fiber), topped with strawberries (water).

2. Dip cucumbers (water) in hummus (fiber and healthy fat) and cottage cheese (protein).

3. Marinate broccoli (water and fiber) and boneless, skinless chicken breast (protein) in a little olive oil (healthy fat) and balsamic vinegar and wrap it in aluminum foil on the BBQ.

4. A bowl of Greek yogurt (protein) with pieces of watermelon (water), topped with flaxseeds (fiber and healthy fat). These meals will make you FEEL completely different.

Your mood and energy will stabilize. You won't have that gnawing, dissatisfied feeling anymore.

You'll feel a lot more self-control when it comes to what you eat and when you eat it.

How To Lose Stomach Fat in 10 Days With Ab Exercises (NO Equipment Needed)...!

Why not try this and see if it can help you get a flatter belly...

 

 

Lots of other people have seen great results with this.

 

STOP Eating These Foods (Eat THESE Instead)!

If you ever want to get a flat belly fast, then you must STOP eating fat-storing foods, and replace them with fat-burning foods.

The problem is, many "healthy" foods are anything but and are a total scam...and there's also a TON of misinformation about which foods are truly unhealthy and which foods actually BURN fat.

For example, saturated fat can be a HUGE fat burner, and many foods marketed as healthy are some of the WORST foods for your waistline.

My buddy Nick P. just wrote an extremely REVEALING article about all this, and I'm strongly encouraging all of my subscribers to read it immediately:
STOP eating these foods (eat THESE instead)

In the article he reveals the truth about which foods truly burn fat, which "unhealthy" foods are actually HUGE fat burners, and which so-called "healthy" foods you absolutely must avoid to get a flat belly fast.

Read the article here right now: STOP eating these foods (eat THESE instead)