16 Tips to Looking + Feeling Great

Do you want to improve the quality of your life? Do you want to look and feel better than you have in years ? maybe better than you ever have before? Do you want to protect yourself from disease and injury? And do you want to live a longer, more vital life?

I?m confident that you answered YES! to each of those questions, just as the hundreds of individuals I?ve counseled, coached, and trained in my career as a Certified Personal Fitness Trainer and Rehabilitation Specialist.

I?m now going to reveal to you the 16 essential strategies that have enabled my clients to achieve the health and fitness goals they always wanted!

16 Essential Weight Loss and Fitness Strategies

1. In the beginning, your fitness program should not be overly aggressive. One of the biggest problems people encounter when starting a fitness program is rapidly depleted motivation after only a few weeks due to an overly ambitious fitness program. Attempting to do too much too fast is worse than doing nothing at all! Because then you feel like exercise is too hard and it?s just not for you.

Start out slow, maybe just shooting for 1 or 2 workouts a week. Once you have successfully added that to your normal routine, then attempt to slowly add to your fitness program. Plus, most people don?t need to exercise more than 3-4 times a week. That doesn?t mean you can?t exercise more; it?s just not necessary.

2. Always have a detailed plan! In order to reach your health and fitness goals, you must have a road map to follow. I can?t stress this enough. If you are unsure of how to put together a fitness plan, or if you?re uncertain of the effectiveness of the one you have, I highly recommend you consult a professional fitness trainer. With a well thought out plan you are much more likely to be successful!

3. Set realistic, attainable goals. You must have tangible, quantifiable, short and long-term goals so you can measure and assess your progress. Too many people have totally unrealistic expectations of what to expect from an exercise and nutrition program. The best way for you to understand what is realistic and attainable is to talk with a fitness professional ? not to buy into the ?hype? of infomercials and diet and fitness products that are blatantly misleading.

Obesity raises risk of cancer-related lymphedema

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Painful swelling of the arm or shoulder area following treatment for breast cancer -- a condition called lymphedema - is more common in women who are overweight or obese than in women of normal weight, researchers have found.

Lymphedema is a common, chronic condition that often develops after breast surgery involving the removal or damage to the lymph nodes in the armpit. Radiation therapy, post-operative infection and age have also been implicated. The condition occurs when excess fluid accumulates, leading to swelling, rash, redness and blistering that causes tenderness, numbness, or aching in the arm, chest wall and breast.

In their study of 193 breast cancer survivors, Dr. Jane M. Armer and colleagues at the University of Missouri-Columbia found that the risk of lymphedema was 40 to 60 percent higher in women who are overweight or obese compared to normal-weight women.

The risk of lymphedema is especially high in overweight or obese women who have cancer treatment to the dominant side or experience post-operation swelling, the researchers report. Post-operative swelling significantly increased the risk of lymphedema regardless of a woman's body weight.

Based on their analysis, roughly two thirds of breast cancer survivors are at risk of developing lymphedema within 30 months after surgery, Armer and colleagues report in the current issue of the Journal of Lymphoedema.

"Diagnosing post-breast cancer lymphedema can be difficult," Armer noted. She recommends increased health education for both breast cancer survivors and health care providers.

"Lymphedema has a profound impact on health and well-being, but often goes undiagnosed and untreated by physicians and patients," she said.

In a previous study, Armer and colleagues found that many women who experience lymphedema after breast cancer treatment suffer in silence. Others don't follow the treatment advice of their doctor or use "alternative" treatments, which they may not discuss with their doctors.

Diet - 'The Biggest Loser'

What It Is
You, too, can be The Biggest Loser by following a diet and fitness program similar to that used by contestants on the NBC TV show of the same name. There are no televised temptations of cheesy pasta or gooey brownies for home dieters, no diet pills or personal trainers -- just a healthy diet and plenty of exercise.

This is a low-calorie diet based on the Biggest Loser pyramid of 4-3-2-1 (four servings of fruits and veggies; three of lean protein; two of whole grains; and one "extra"), along with good old-fashioned exercise. Eat a diet based largely on fruits, vegetables and lean protein, add a heavy dose of physical activity and you will lose weight, lower cholesterol, decrease blood pressure, and become stronger and more energized.

Tufts University obesity clinician and researcher Michael Dansinger, MD, developed the weight loss program accompanied by dietitian and chef Cheryl Forberg, RD, and trainers Bob Harper and Jillian Michaels, working with writer Maggie Greenwood-Robinson, PhD.

Over the course of the 12-week program, you can expect to eat small, frequent meals containing plenty of fiber and protein, for fullness without too many calories.

"We emphasize the quality of the calories so you can meet your nutritional needs [and] enjoy more natural, healthy whole foods and lean proteins that will help you deal with hunger before it happens," says Forberg.

And you won't be eating any "appetite stimulating" white foods like bread, pasta, or potatoes. Keeping daily food logs, watching portion sizes, and drinking 48-64 ounces of water each day round out the basic plan.

You can also count on daily workouts, starting at 30 minutes and increasing to an hour. The book contains a detailed cardio and strength-training program that increases in intensity for a "fat-busting boost." You'll also find plenty of tips and inspiration from former contestants throughout the book.

Sounds simple enough, but when you don't have a personal trainer pushing you, as the TV contestants have, how do you stay motivated? You can join The Biggest Loser club for online support, meal plans, recipes, customized fitness information, a journal, and more for about $5 per week.

What You Can Eat
The book includes one-week sample meal plans for 1,200-, 1,500- and 1,800-calorie diets, along with some recipes. Forty-five percent of the total calories come from carbohydrates, 30% from protein, and 25% from fat.

The 4-3-2-1 Biggest Loser Pyramid sets the stage for number of servings from each of the food groups:

* 4 servings of fruits and vegetables
* 3 servings of protein -- lean, vegetarian, or low-fat dairy
* 2 servings of whole grains
* 1 extra of fats, oils, sweets, alcohol, or your choice, equivalent to 200 calories

Here's a sample meal daily plan:

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