7 Fitness Lessons We Can Learn

1. Commit to doing some kind of physical activity for 30 minutes a day at least five times a week. Remember, athletes go at it 6 or 7 days a week for 3 to 7 hours a day.
   
2. Be disciplined at what you are eating at your training table. I'm not talking about committing for the next year (or even six months). I'm asking you to be diligent for one month, 80% of the time. Watch your portions and try to eat real food. If you want to have a little food fun, go ahead; just make sure the balance comes out to doing the right thing 80% of the time. And remember to hydrate with lots of water.
   
3. Keep a positive mental attitude. These athletes believe they will win and can achieve whatever goal they set forth. What's keeping you from your goals? Eliminate doubt and focus with all of your mental energy on your goal. Whether it's to lose weight, get connected to your body, create more energy, or all of the above, just get out there and do it.
   
4. Be a good teammate and surround yourself with great coaches. Find someone to do the task with you, and if you need help, talk to someone who is knowledgeable or get info from a source that is reputable.
   
5. Have some fun. If you hate every minute of moving and eating, how can you be successful? Believe me, even though the athletes are in a daily grind, deep down in their hearts they believe in what they are doing and enjoy it.
   
6. Judge yourself on how hard you try. As an athlete some days you win and some days you get beaten because someone was just better. Don't just pay attention to the fact that you lost those desired ten pounds. Judge yourself on the fact that you are giving it your all and making an honest effort.
   
7. Love yourself and feel proud for just being out there. I always used to tell young girls to play sports not to be a college athlete or pro, but to just get out there and feel great about getting in the game.

Basic Weight Loss Mistakes

A lot of us are out there watching what we eat and exercising, but still not making a dent in our bellies and body weight. There are a few things we are probably not doing, or doing too much of, that would mean major improvements in our health.

Get more sleep. After a very short period of time (about 6 nights), studies show that your glucose levels can rise if you get only 4 to 7 hours of sleep each night. New parents are excluded, but everyone else should try to hit the 8 hour mark as often as you can and get to bed BEFORE midnight. Every hour of rest before 12 a.m. is twice as valuable as the hours after midnight: Our cortisol levels are lowest before midnight therefore our recovery is the highest.

Eating fewer refined and processed foods. Avoid fast and fried food and try to consume as many real foods as you can. It's also imperative to get enough fiber (helps with elimination); fruits and veggies are a great way to fill up.

Avoid sugary drinks and reach for more water. Water is great for so many things like digestion, eliminating toxins in the body, and transporting important nutrients to our cells which need energy to burn calories. Americans drink 20% of their calories, so be careful of that silent pitfall.

Get to know your kitchen. I realize it takes more work, but the simple truth is we eat out or order in too often. There is a greater opportunity to control what is in your food if you cook it yourself.

Slow down. When you do sit down to a meal, don't wolf it down. Our culture encourages eating while driving or sitting at our desks. The only time we seem to sit down and enjoy our food is at Thanksgiving. The monks chew each bite of food 100 times (which is excessive), but they also eat only until they are full. They recognize that chewing their food more makes it easier for the body to digest.

Breathe. There are so many days that I don't breathe deeply. In the morning, mid-afternoon, and at the end of the day take a 10 conscious, belly-deep breaths. Close your eyes, pull that air deep into your stomach via your nose and let all the junk out through your mouth. Whether its a stressful day, or you just want to start and end your day on the right foot, breathing is important.

Don't starve yourself. Oddly enough some of you may not be eating enough, and the lack of calories is putting your body into save mode. Our bodies are so brilliant, and if they aren't getting enough food, your metabolism will tell your body to store each and every calorie it receives or to make energy from whatever muscle tissue you have. Not good. Oh and by the way, don't skip breakfast. People who skip breakfast are over 4 times more likely to be overweight.

Do more than exercise. Even if you are working out, you can't eat and drink whatever you want. It really is a three sided puzzle: balancing exercise, food, and (oh yes) the spirit (which stress and happiness play into).

Essential Weight Loss Foods

There are many fad diets that promise to help you lose weight in almost no time at all. After two or three weeks on the diet you find yourself losing enough to be able to brag to your family and friends about it, and you're so optimistic that this new lifestyle will be your ticket to a smaller waistline that you start to browse the stores for new clothes.

You continue to lose weight for another couple of weeks, and then something happens: you start to feel sluggish, you begin craving something that your diet absolutely forbids you to have, or the general sense of optimism begins to transform itself into a feeling of constriction, frustration, and even dietary imprisonment.

You decide to have just one snack, or spend just one day eating whatever you want with the intention of going back to the diet the following day. What happens then, is that you feel such satisfaction from that treat that the entire effort falls apart and you put the weight back on in practically no time at all.

Does this scenario sound at all familiar?

Diets are very hard, as is the feeling of being overweight. Many of these fad diets may promise instant and significant weight loss results, but most of them rely on depriving your body of certain nutrients and disrupting the natural function of your body's metabolism. Chinese medicine considers obesity to be partly the result of declining function of the metabolic fire of the kidney network and a diet that provides a well-balanced array of nutrients is the key to losing weight in a healthy way. What follows are five foods that will help you restore your body's ability to use energy and help you become your healthy weight.

1. Millet: A well-balanced diet should consist of whole grains instead of refined grains like white rice and pasta, and millet is a beneficial and delicious staple of this category of food. This non-glutinous grain is over 10-percent protein, has high amounts of fiber and B-complex vitamins, and because it isn't an acid forming food, is easy to digest.

2. Asparagus: When losing weight, it's important to favor chlorophyll-rich foods, including asparagus. Asparagus is a nutrient-rich vegetable packed with folate, vitamins A, C, and K, and fiber. Asparagus also contains a carbohydrate known as inulin (not to be confused with insulin) that promotes healthy bacteria in the large intestine - which in turn promotes a healthier digestive function.

3. Pomegranates: Eating a balanced diet to lose weight should include eating fresh fruits, and pomegranates are a wonderful example of a healthy, nutritious fruit that has antioxidant properties and will help prevent cancer. While the benefits of drinking pomegranate juice have gained a lot of attention recently, you will be more likely to lose weight by eating the fruit fresh to increase your fiber intake and keep the calories down.

4. Pine Nuts: Pine nuts are the edible seeds of pine trees and are considered an essential ingredient in the tasty Italian mixture pesto. Chinese medicine uses pine nuts to improve gastrointestinal tract and digestive functions, and pine nut oil is even used for appetite suppression. Pine nuts and other nuts are a tasty part of a well-balanced diet intended for weight loss.

5. Green Tea: It has been found that consuming large amounts of coffee and caffeine can lead to food cravings, increase one's appetite, and induce stress-related eating. Green tea is a wonderful alternative to coffee in that it does provide a little caffeine but also contains beneficial antioxidants. So drink up!

A healthy diet also includes lean proteins like chicken breast, legumes such as lentils, and other whole grains, fruits, and vegetables. While fad diets may promise a large amount of weight loss in a short period of time, there's almost a guarantee that you will put that weight back on-and then some!

Eat five smaller meals a day, avoid processed foods, chew more slowly, and incorporate more healthy foods into your diet-starting with these five. Also, click here to learn more about the Tao of Wellness B-Slim dietary supplement, which will help you lose weight naturally.

I hope this article helps you find foods that can aid in your weight loss goals! I invite you to visit often and share your own personal health and longevity tips with me.

May you live long, live strong, and live happy!

-Dr. Mao

Do you invest in your health ?

Here are 4 simple tips--things we can do now to prepare our bodies for the long, healthy haul!!

1. If You Can't Spell It, Don't Eat It! Processed foods age us fast! By overworking our pancreas and digestive system, fake foods just don't work well with our bodies. Stick with the basics by using fresh ingredients first. Eat whole grains, fruits, veggies, and high quality proteins and fats such as beans, nuts, salmon. Shop the perimeter of the food store, and when you absolutely have to buy food in a box, look at the ingredients list. If you can't pronounce the ingredients or have no clue what they are, skip it
2. Switch it Out! All foods are not created equal. For example, yogurt can be a healthy option, but if you're yogurt is filled with sugar or chemicals, you may as well eat a candy bar, right? We're lucky, though, because we have SO many choices. Switch to plain all-natural yogurt and add fresh fruit. Or, if you only eat white pasta or bread, try whole grain varieties instead. If you switch out your "staple" foods for higher quality options, your body will thank you in years to come!
3. Slip it In! Ok, so you may not be ready to do a 180 when it comes to food. I totally understand. But filling your body with antioxidants will make you glow from the inside-out! Trick yourself by "slipping in" healthy ingredients to your everyday choices. For example, flax is a powerful antioxidant that's so easy to add to almost anything! Use it when you're making chicken fingers, add it to your cereal, sneak it in to your morning muffins.
4. Muscle Matters! Strong muscles and healthy bones can add years of high energy, high quality living! Make sure to build your muscle and protect your bones by doing stretching, strength training, or even water exercises. And, if you're complaining about your metabolism slowing down as you age, don't worry- strength training can rev that up, too!! You'll become a strong, healthy, fat burning machine in no time!

How to Look Young

1. Protect your skin from sun and dehydration. try to stick to natural and basics (don't use too many chemicals and fragrances on your skin)

2. Drink plenty of juices and water(but not with meals) and exercise. Detoxify, plenty of fresh seasonal vegetables and lots of sweet juicy fruits are excellent for the skin.

3. Eating habits are most important , try to loose extra weight , do not take lots of carbonated drinks.

4. Take plenty of quality rest. try avoid taking undue stress. make friends, use aromatherapy.

5. Basic steps of cleansing, toning, moisturize and nourishing should be added in your routine (please take some timeout for yourself too)

Lose Weight? Don't count calories

• Pick up produce. Have at least one fruit and veggie at every meal. On busy days when I know my lunch won't have a smidge of green in it, I have two fruits at breakfast; I toss berries or peaches into my nonfat Greek yogurt and sprinkle it with granola. I love asparagus, green pepper, sun-dried tomatoes, sprouts, endive and more. Fruits and veggies are high in fiber, which staves off hunger. Shoot for nine servings daily. It sounds like a lot, but if you don't have to be a rabbit to reach that goal. Eat a salad at lunch or dinner, and you're there.

• Snack smart. Add protein (such as a stick of lowfat string cheese or Parmesan) to your between-meal bites. Research suggests protein may enhance the effect of leptin, a hormone that reins in appetite. I love hummus and dip veggies into it instead of pita bread or crackers. Protein is also filling and can help curb cravings for chips, cookies and the like.

• Sip more water. Dieters who swapped sugary drinks for water lose weight, but those who gulped the most H20 peeled off the most pounds, according to a study at the meeting of Obesity Society in Boston. Don’t love agua? Try the flavored kind but check the label for sugar content (it should be below 8 grams per serving).

• Map out your meals. A little attention to portions can help you eat less and still stay satisfied. Start by using a salad dish (8 inches in diameter) and divide it into quarters to help keep helpings healthy. Half the plate should get veggies, top another quarter with lean protein (3 to 6 ounces of fish, chicken or tofu) and the last quarter with whole grains (1/2 to 1 cup of brown rice, sweet potatoes or whole wheat pasta).

• Eat every meal. When you wait longer than five hours between bites, your body may release extra cortisol, a hormone that can increase appetite. I call it "hangry." I get hungry and angry: My stomach starts to burn and my brain gets annoyed at every little thing. Then I eat whatever is in front of me, usually a cookie or other sweet, empty-calorie treat. I realize I'm putting out the "hangry" fires, but it is better not to get there in the first place!

Healthy Meals for Weight Loss

• Eat 5 or more fresh fruits and vegetables each day.
• Eat 6 or more servings of grains (preferably whole grains) each day.
• Eat fat-free and low-fat dairy, legumes, seafood, and lean meats.
• Avoid foods with more than 2 grams of saturated fat per serving.
• Balance your caloric intake with your energy expenditure.
• Limit junk food, which is high in simple carbohydrates and low in nutrition.
• Limit foods high in saturated fat and cholesterol. Eat less than 6 grams of salt each day.

General food preparation and meal planning tips: Try to eat servings of fruits and vegetables at every meal. Besides being delicious, they are full of nutrients and fiber. They may even help prevent certain cancers.

• Boil, steam, bake, roast, or broil foods rather than frying in fat.
• Use unsaturated fats, such as vegetable oils, rather than saturated fats such as butter, shortening, and lard.
• Use olive oil spray rather than cooking oils to prepare foods.
• Eat white meat chicken or turkey, lean meat, fish, or seafood. Trim the skin from poultry.
• Use low-fat or non-fat dairy products.
• To season foods, choose lemon or lime juice, vinegar, low-sodium soy sauce, plain tomato sauce, salsa and other sauces low in fat, or mustard. Use garlic, onions, ginger, and herbs and spices to flavor foods.
• Avoid high-fat and high-calorie condiments such as mayonnaise, oil, ketchup, salad dressing, or prepared sauces.
• Drink seltzer, water, caffeine-free soda, tea, or coffee with meals.