Monday, February 27, 2017

Lose Weight With A Ftbit Challenge

Indep. AdvoCare Distr.
Fitness trackers have become an “it” thing in the workout world, and also in everyday life. I had always considered myself pretty active, so for awhile, I didn’t think I needed a device on my wrist to motivate me to take 10,000 steps a day. It wasn’t until I received a FitBit for Christmas this past year that I really decided to drink the “I need to get more steps” koolaid and wear my FitBit daily.
Once I figured out how to use the thing and started setting my step goals each week, I decided why not take it up a notch and join a challenge with my wife and a few other friends that also have the device? And wow, did I learn some things about myself and my daily and weekly active (or not-so-active sometimes) lifestyle. Here’s what I learned during the challenge.
Turns out, I had some room for improvement. It really made me aware of how much I sit at work.
Forcing myself to be cognizant about getting up and out is good for physical and mental health.

A little fun competition never hurt anyone.
When I first started wearing my fitness tracker, I thought I was super active because 9 times out of 10 I’d hit the step goal that they recommend. No big deal, right? Well, once I started doing the workweek challenges with my friends (a Monday-Friday challenge), I realized that maybe 10,000 wasn’t the best I could be doing. If I’m able to hit that number by a daily workout of some kind, and the amount of activity I’m doing during my day job and a little bit of activeness in the evenings at home, why shouldn’t I kick it up a bit and strive for a little more? Sure, there will be days that life gets in the way of being as active as I’d like, but there are most definitely days where I have the opportunity of going for an additional walk at night after dinner, instead of those extra 30 minutes of reality TV time. Everyone’s goal is personal — it should be based on your own health and lifestyle, but it really was eye-opening for my goals once I saw what other friends were able to do.
This one was a big one! Having a 9-5 type day job in the corporate world doesn’t always allow for tons of walking around. Sitting in front of the computer all day every day does not help you get many steps! I realized that before I was tracking my daily steps, I didn’t think much about the inactivity that the workday can bring. It also makes me realize how other occupations, such as nurses, people who walk from place to place all day, people who travel on a weekly/daily basis, can get more steps just by default. So now I’m much more aware of how much I’m sitting and try to use little things like getting up for trips to the water fountain to fill up my water bottle, and taking the long way when walking to get my lunch, can help add a little activity to my desk job.
Especially during the work week, and long, busy days, it would be so easy to work through lunches or use free time for sitting and relaxing, rather than getting a few extra steps in where possible. Now, after I’ve started tracking my steps and participating in these fun challenges, 
The whole point of the challenge is to be a competition, and sometimes we all need that competitive fire in us to push us to the next level. My friends all compete in a very friendly manner, but I definitely know we all secretly want to win each week. So even if it’s a competitive kick in the butt, it’s still motivating me to be more active and more healthy, during those Monday-Friday challenges, and I have my wife and friends and my fitness tracker to thank for that.

Friday, February 17, 2017

Walk Your Belly Off

It is no secret that walking weight off is made possible by regular physical exercise. Besides helping you shed those unwanted pounds, walking boasts numerous health benefits that run the gamut from reducing your risk of getting cancer to increasing the strength of your bones. As such, walking is oftentimes recommended as part of weight-loss regimens. As a form of pure, physical exercise, walking is very easy to do since you need nothing except a good pair of athletic shoes to give you cushion and support. You don't need any fancy equipment or additional training before you can start. Walking is the natural way to lose weight. Take it from me. At the age of 53, I finally said enough was enough and set out placing one foot in front of the other, and within a little over a month after making a commitment  I lost over 35 pounds.
Walking as a Calorie Burner
One way that walking helps you shed those unwanted pounds in an effective manner is by helping you burn those equally unwanted calories. The whole concept of weight and, furthermore, weight gain is based on calorie intake. That means that you have to balance your calories if you at least want to maintain your weight, because weight is determined by how many calories you take in versus how many you burn off.
To lose weight, all you have to do is burn off more than you eat, or just reduce your calorie intake in the first place. To help manage my calorie intake, I utilized meal replacement protein powders The basic formula for walking off pounds is this: your weight multiplied by the distance you walk equals the energy used when walking, which is the energy used to burn off calories.
Speed of Walking
When you walk to lose weight, you are advised to begin your daily walk with a warm-up session of about 5 to 10 minutes that features an easy gait. This will inform your muscles that they need to use their fat reserves to provide the energy for the upcoming walk. During a weight-loss walk, the speed you should walk at is one called a "determined" pace. This pace is characterized by noticeable breathing, but in such a way that it does not interfere with carrying on a conversation. Also, at this pace, your heart rate should be beating at in between 60 percent to 70 percent of your maximum heart rate. You should keep this pace--the "determined" pace--for a total of 30 minutes per daily walking workout, especially if you have conditioned yourself to make it to that duration.
Length of Walking
You are recommended to walk at the "determined" pace rate for anywhere between 30 minutes to 60 minutes at 50 percent to 70 percent of your maximum heart rate. If your hectic work life or schedule n general does not permit this investment each day, then simply divide your walking workout into two or even three, daily sessions that are much shorter than the 30-minute to 60-minute recommendation. If you can really invest the time, you should slow down your 30- to 60-minute walking workout towards the end so that you can stretch it into a 90- to 120-minute workout.

Written by,


Dwight Obey, Independent AdvoCare Distributor


Thursday, February 16, 2017

All About Water

Dwight Obey, MBA,MSAJS
Most people have no idea how much water they should be drinking, and most people live from day to day in a dehydrated state.  Even mild dehydration has shown to slow your metabolism!

Do you drink enough water?  Most adults should be drinking at least 8-10 glasses of water per day.

Most adult bodies are made up of 50% – 70% of water.  If you don’t drink enough water, it will draw on sources from within the body and this can cause serious problems.

Is there is a difference between pure water and other beverages that contain water?   Obviously you get water by consuming fruit juice, soft drinks, coffee or tea. However, while such drinks contain water, they also may contain substances that are not healthy and actually contradict some of the positive effects of the added water.  Another problem with these beverages is that you lose your taste for water.

Why is drinking water important for weight loss?  One, it curbs hunger by making you feel full.  Additionally, it replaces sugary drinks helping you to consume less calories.  And even some studies show that water can boost your metabolism.


Set a goal to drink one extra glass of water today.  Or, get a water bottle to keep at your desk at work and make an effort to fill it a couple of times each day.  You may need to slowly increase the amount of water you drink by making small and manageable changes in your daily habits.