The commencement of the New Year is marked by a new resolution that you would get enrolled in a gym, follow a fitness routine with renewed vigor and go all out to be in shape. Now it is almost a month since you took that vow. Are you still following it?

You are up to your neck with the children homework, pressure of work at the office; with no time to exercise. As expected, for Mike Littrel, president and CEO of X3 Sports gyms in Atlanta, the workload is at its maximum in the first month of every New Year.

“The month of January is a time when people start things afresh. After the end of the holidays, they plan and reset their affairs,” he said. And for many people, joining a gym is part of their new goal.
“But their enthusiasm tapers off in between twenty-one days,” Littrel revealed. “It normally takes four weeks to make it a way of life. But people’s motivation wanes before that.”

So, why is that people are unable to sustain their fitness routine? “Can’t see any appreciable result,’’ – is the common explanation.

We inquired fitness experts about the possible causes behind this and the ways to make fitness routine sustainable.

You follow the fitness routine but don’t change your dietary regimen

“Although many people join the gym, they do not change their diet,” said Jordan Yuan, trainer of ‘Twilight’ actor Taylor Launter. When they do not see any appreciable result in twenty days, their enthusiasm drops. “Diet plays an important role in any exercise regimen,” Yuan said.

So, take only low-calorie, nutritious diets like cottage cheese or apple. The market is flooded with junk food, advertised to be health-foods. Yuan also advises to keep away from processed foods.

Eat moderately

Eating fads are of no help. More so, when they totally exclude a particular food groups like fat or carbs. The diet should be such that it can be adopted regularly. You don’t have to shun foods of your choice altogether and can enjoy your favorite pizza or the tasty food from a Chinese restaurant sometimes. You have to enjoy fitness routine and don’t confine yourself to aerobics only.

Enjoy your fitness routine

“You have to enjoy your workouts,” said Tracie Rogers, a spokeswoman for the American Council on Exercise. “If you find it boring, insipid or even scaring, then you should try different types of workouts and settle for the one that you enjoy most.” A lot of workout options are available at gyms. You may inquire friends or try different options like spin, kickboxing, sports league and Zumba.

“You need not join a big gym. Many people believe it is not their cup of tea and are scared of joining. Boutique and small joints can also do your job,” Rogers advised.

Don’t be conscious of the time you are spending in the gym. If you are, then it seems you are not motivated enough. “The one hour you spend in the gym should be viewed as something that is exclusively meant for you. The rest of your time in the day is for other commitments.

The place of your workouts can also be an occasion of social gathering, where you interact with your friends. “So, try to be in a group of friends who have the same goal. Their support and guidance often is the key to success.”

According to Yuan, a fitness trainer, who owns Jordan’s Virtual Fit Club in Valencia, California people often report that all their workouts on the tread mill or elliptical machines are of no use. “People just go through the motion while doing their workouts in an exercise machine. It doesn’t produce any discernible result and no wonder they discontinue it,” he said.

“People, especially women concentrate too much on cardio and do not give importance to building up the muscle strength,” he further elaborated. He advises his client to undergo resistance trainings thrice in a week.

In fact, the 2008 Activity Guidelines for Americans published by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recommends that children should do exercises to strengthen their muscles thrice in a week while grown-up people can do it at least twice in a week. Strength training promotes the building up of muscle mass while burning up the calories and decreases fat.

You aim to achieve too much from your fitness routine

A change in the fitness routine doesn’t mean exercising everyday. “You need not have to overwhelm yourself with too stiff a goal.” Following a rigorous exercise routine, along with a disciplined diet is simply not possible for everybody. Before long, the pressure of work and other affairs take hold you and you are back to your old ways.

“Try to exercise in moderate doses – may be couple of days in a week, instead of being a couch potato,” Littrel said. You should aim for what you are capable. Monitoring your progress is very important. So, take your pictures at periodic intervals to assess your progress.

Don’t treat your fitness routine like chores, you have to enjoy it to stay on it so you can see the results.

Home treatments for lower back pain is popular as this pain is something every one of us encounters some time or other. It can be a sudden pain that shoots up from the lower back almost taking the air out of your lungs or a constant niggling pain troubling you all the time. Unfortunately, 25 percent of Americans complain of lower back pain.

The lower back pain can be due to various reasons. It may be due to an inherent arthritic condition or can result during lifting of some heavy thing.

While you have to consult your physician if the pain is due to some injury or other serious condition like numbness or tingling sensation in the legs, the following tips would help you get relief from mild low back pain.

Different home treatments for lower back pain

Apply ice-pack

“In case your pain is due to some injury or stress, apply ice-pack within the first 24 to 48 hours to stop inflammation,” advises E. Anne Reicherter, PT, DPT, PhD, associate professor of Physical Therapy at the University Of Maryland School Of Medicine. Do not apply heat as although it provides relief from the pain and relaxes the muscles, it can accentuate the inflammation. You may apply heat after two days to the affected part if you feel like it. But either way, you should stop it after twenty minutes to allow the skin to rest.

Be mobile

Move around and go through your household works without straining yourself too much. Do your cooking, prepare the dining table and even attend to your office work. You can revert back to more physically demanding activities like swimming, jogging or bicycling when your body fully permits. But don’t over strain yourself lest the pain would relapse.

Strengthening your muscles is one of the good treatments for lower back pain

“When you recover from the pain, you should work towards strengthening your supporting muscles of the lower back to prevent the recurrence of the pain. Strong back muscles help to maintain a proper posture,” says Reicherter. You should also try to strengthen your pelvic, hip and abdominal muscles as they provide support to your lower back. But keep away from abdominal crunches as it can be counter-productive.

Stretching and bending

“If you spend larger part of your working time sitting on the chair, it is important to take time off to stand and stretch your limbs twice or thrice in an hour,” advises Reicherter. Doing yoga exercises involving stretching is also one of the home treatments for lower back pain.

Rearrange your working place suitably

Rearrange or renovate your immediate working environment like the computer monitor, keyboard and mouse in such way that you don’t have to bend forward too much to look into the monitor or to use the key board or mouse. Your lower back should rest firmly on the chair.

Maintain an erect but comfortable posture

Avoid slouching or drooping of shoulders. When lifting any heavy thing, bend your body from the knee in stead of the waist.

Wear shoes with low heels

Wearing high-heeled shoes and sandals can lead to lower back pain. In fact, 60 percent of women who regularly wear high-heeled shoes complain of lower back pain.

Quit smoking

Smoking is known to contribute towards the development of osteoporosis, which can cause compression fracture in the spine. Studies show that the risk of lower back pain increases by about 33 percent in case of smokers compared to others.

Fight obesity

The lower back portion takes much of the weight of the body. Overweight persons put excess load on their spine and lower back. So, reduce your body weight by doing necessary readjustment in your lifestyle.

Use analgesic

Take drugs like naproxen (Naproxyn, Aleve), ibuprofen (Motrin, Advil) and acetaminophen (Tylenol) to alleviate the pain. But always consult your physician or chemist about its possible side-effects. People with ulcer or lever and kidney related ailments shouldn’t take these drugs.

Consult your physician if:

• The pain persists after few days and you feel it even in a resting position.
• You find it difficult to stand and walk or have the feeling of numbness in the legs.
• You can’t control your bladder and bowel movements.

These symptoms point to some neurological problem or other serious medical problems necessitating medical advice.

If you are still experiencing lots of pain and discomfort after trying the above treatments for lower back pain, immediately consult your physician.

1. Whey

Without shadow of a doubt, the king of all protein sources. In terms of quality and biological value, whey protein is definitely way ahead (pun intended) of other protein sources. We’re talking about a top quality, complete protein source which has significantly faster absorption rate compared to other high protein foods, and includes every essential amino acid for increase strength and quicker muscle growth.

2. Eggs

Never forget to add this natural food source to your muscle building diet as they are jam packed with protein, vitamins, and other essential minerals. Eggs are regarded as the standard food for developing an impressive muscular physique and have long been treated as a bodybuilding staple. One whole egg contains approximately 6 grams of high biological value protein. Eggs are also easy to prepare and simply delicious to eat.

3. Fish

Another great high protein food. A can of tuna in water for example, provides about 30 grams of protein and here’s the kicker; it has absolutely zero carbohydrates and fat! If tuna is not your thing (I don’t really fancy it either), you may try other types of fish such as Spanish mackerel, cod, or salmon fillets. Most fish fillets have approximately 22 grams of protein per 3.5 oz serving. Apart from being an excellent source of protein, fish also contains a high amount of omega-3 fatty acids, essential for proper functioning of the body and brain.

4. Chicken or turkey breast

A list of high protein foods that build muscle is incomplete without this excellent protein source. Chicken breast is considered among the best sources of protein available because it comprises of mostly lean white chicken meat that contains minimal fat, and loaded with vitamin B6 for optimal heart protection. Best of all, this portion of the meat is extremely high in protein. How much protein you ask? Well, a staggering 30 grams of protein per 3.5 oz serving! Consuming 7 oz of chicken breast nets you about 60 grams of protein which is almost half of your daily mass building requirement if you weigh 150 pounds.

5. Red meat

An extremely tasty protein source which has all the trimmings of a great muscle building food. A large 6 oz steak provides about 40 grams of high quality protein. Beef is rich in B-complex vitamins and also loaded with creatine to help you hit the weights aggressively by boosting your cellular energy through the roof.

6. Milk

This beverage serves as a decent muscle building source due to its high protein content including a large array of amino acids for promoting muscle growth. If that’s not enough, this highly nutritious beverage also offers many health benefits by providing a respectable amount of vitamins, mineral, and calcium. Drinking milk is a great way to achieve your daily protein target. Have a 6 oz serving of steak plus 375ml glass of milk which supplies approximately 11 grams of protein. That’s a total of 51 grams of muscle building protein in just one single meal!

7. Tofu

I included tofu among the list of high protein foods that build muscle largely because a lot of vegetarians who are into bodybuilding consume tofu almost exclusively in order to meet their daily protein requirement. I’m not a vegetarian but I do eat some tofu every now and again because they are a good low-calorie protein source, perfect for adding mass and getting lean. Aside from its high protein content, tofu is also cholesterol free and contains calcium, B-vitamins, and isoflavones making it one of the most nutritious high protein foods available. Half a cup of Tofu can supply your body with about 20 grams of protein.

This article is brought to you by our contributor.

The desire to have a well structured body makes people look for options that will help them build 6 pack abs. If you search the internet in this regard, the millions of results that pop up are not anywhere close to reality.

There are a very few solutions that actually work and here, we talk about 10 wrong notions with regard to 6 pack abs:

6 pack abs demands heavy abdominal exercises

1. As a matter of fact, the people who have lot of fat around their stomach region need to exercise in such a way that the whole body gets exercise and thus the BMR of the body gets increased. Resorting to bodyweight exercises is the best option, as this greatly helps you in getting rid of abdominal fat. Merely exercising only for the abdomen does no good in this regard.
2. Complete absence of muscles in the belly region.
   Some people are under the false notion that if they manage to get rid of the muscles in their stomach, the 6 pack abs can be seen. The reality is that everybody has a well structured abs region that is covered by muscles and merely doing crunches won’t help in losing the fat.
3. Diet pills will get you 6 pack abs.
   Though such methods might prove helpful for a short period of time, they can cause a lot of damage to your body. Since they contain caffeine, your body becomes excessively dependent on these pills and irregularities in health like deficiencies can be caused.

4. For 6 pack abs, carbohydrates should be completely avoided

   One should note that carbohydrates are the main source of energy for your body. To eradicate fat, you need to increase your BMR, by exercising more and that will happen only when you have enough energy. Avoiding processed food and taking in decent quantities of carbohydrates helps the body.

5. For 6 pack abs, long hours of exercise is required
   Short periods of intense exercise are enough to make sure that you burn down fats effectively. As a matter of fact, this causes you to burn down fat hours after exercising too, without losing out on the muscle mass of your body.
6. Intense exercise for hours together is required
   In case you decide to stick to a good diet and avoid all the junk, short periods of exercise can help you gain the 6 pack abs you have been looking for. Choosing an exercise which you enjoy doing, will make you reach your goal at the earliest.
7. Use of steroids will help get 6 pack abs.
   Use of steroids is the worst thing a person can ever do, as it is harmful for the body and an artificial method of building body mass. Thus, to get 6 pack abs, there is no requirement of steroid.
8. The products on TV seem to be effective and easy to use
   This is the worst thing in which a person who wants 6 pack abs can invest his money in. These are just business tactics that aim your wallet and are no good in the results they produce to help you gain 6 pack abs. Thus, it would be advisable to stay away from such gimmicks.
9. Poor genetics prevent ‘6 pack abs dream’ of yours.
   Please understand the fact that genetics has got nothing to do with 6 pack abs. Everyone has 6 pack abs which is hidden below the muscles of the abdomen.
10. Having a trainer monitor your daily exercising routine does the job

While it’s true that it’s great to have a personal trainer, more important is the fact that exercising under his supervision 5 times a week can help you get the 6 pack abs you have been looking for.

Confused about exactly how much to eat of which foods? The Biggest Loser experts lay it out for you.

The Biggest Loser Diet is a calorie-controlled, carbohydrate-modified, fat-reduced, weight-loss diet geared to help you burn pound after pound of pure fat–and to do so without deprivation or loss of energy. What’s more, the diet is high in lean protein. Protein has a hunger-controlling effect on the body–which is why higher-protein diets are so effective for weight loss and fat burning.

In this overview, excerpted from The Biggest Loser: The Weight- Loss Program to Transform Your Body, Health, and Life (Rodale), we’ll take a more detailed look at what you should be eating, and how much, in order to promote weight loss while following the Biggest Loser Diet.

Fruits and Vegetables

While on The Biggest Loser Diet, you should eat a minimum of 4 servings daily. At least half of your servings should be from vegetables; the other half from fruits. Don’t have more fruit servings than vegetable servings.

Fruit Serving Size: 1 cup, 1 medium piece, or 8 ounces

Choose These to Lose: Apple, apricot, banana, blackberries, blueberries, cherries, cranberries, grapefruit, grapes, guava, kiwifruit, mango, melon (all varieties), nectarine, orange, papaya, peach, pear, persimmons, pineapple, plantain, plum, pomegranate, raspberries, rhubarb, strawberries, tangerine, and watermelon.

Vegetable Serving Size: 1 cup or 8 ounces

Choose These to Lose: Artichoke, asparagus, bamboo shoots, beans (green, yellow), beet greens, beets, bell peppers, broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celery, collard greens, cucumbers, eggplant, kale, kohlrabi, leeks, lettuce (all varieties), mushrooms, mustard greens, okra, onions, palm hearts, parsley, peas, peppers (all varieties), pumpkin, radishes, shallots, spinach, sprouts, summer squash, sweet potatoes, Swiss chard, tomatillos, tomatoes, turnip greens, turnips, water chestnuts, watercress, winter squash, yams, and zucchini

Biggest Loser Food Pyramid Pointers

Here’s the good news: You can eat more than four servings a day of most fruits and vegetables if you wish. At the base of our Biggest Loser Diet pyramid, fruits and vegetables supply the most nutrients in the form of vitamins, minerals,”phytochemicals” (protective plant chemicals), and fiber, relative to the low number of calories they contain. In other words, you get the most nutrient bang for your caloric buck from fruits and vegetables.

The exception to this would be the starchier vegetables such as pumpkin, winter squash, sweet potatoes, and yams. These veggies are higher in calories and carbs, so you want to eat just a few servings a week for optimum weight loss results.

• Fresh fruits and vegetables are always best, but when you can’t get them that way, feel free to choose frozen or canned, as long as they are not packed with sugar or in syrup. Cooking and canning destroy some nutrients; however, the best food companies can their foods right after they’re harvested, when they’re the most fresh anyway.
• Eat a vegetable salad most days of the week.
• Cook your vegetables for the shortest amount of time possible in order to preserve nutrients.
• Keep a container of cut-up vegetables like broccoli and red or green peppers in your refrigerator for easy snacking.
• One vegetable to avoid during your weight loss is white potatoes. Though nutritious, white potatoes send your blood sugar soaring. When it drops, you’ll get hungry and be tempted to overeat at your next meal.
• Try a new fruit or vegetable every week to build some variety into your diet.
• Through the week, choose fruits and vegetables from the six key color groups: red, orange, yellow, light green, dark green, and purple. This is a great way to make sure you’re getting a variety of nutrients in your Biggest Loser Diet.
• Try to eat at least one fruit and one vegetable raw each day.
• Avoid dried fruits, including raisins, craisins, dried cherries, and dried blueberries. Dried fruits are often treated with additives, and they are overly concentrated in calories and fruit sugar, which can play havoc with your blood sugar. Further, they’re not as filling as raw fruits, so they do little to help curb hunger. Consider this: Two tablespoons of raisins have as many calories as a whole cupful of grapes. Wouldn’t you much rather eat a whole cup of grapes than a little bit of raisins?
• Choose whole fruits over fruit juices. Fruit juice contains no fiber and therefore does little to help you control your appetite or make you feel full.

What’s more, fruit juice is a concentrated source of fruit sugar and is thus liable to send your blood sugar soaring, followed by a decline. These ups and downs can lead to food cravings.

Protein Foods

The Biggest Loser Diet Food Pyramid recommends three daily servings of protein foods each day (8-ounce or 1-cup portions), regardless of your daily caloric limit or target. For flexibility, you can choose from three different types of protein: animal protein, vegetarian protein, and low-fat dairy protein. You can divide your protein up into any size portion you want through the day. For example, you can have half a portion at breakfast, lunch, and dinner and for snacks, as long as you fulfill your protein allotment for the day. Protein is best eaten in smaller quantities anyway, so your body can use it throughout the day. So make sure you have some protein at each meal. Here is a closer look at your many protein choices.

Animal Protein Serving Size: 1 cup or 8 ounces

Choose These to Lose: Any type of beef, pork, or veal labeled as 95 percent lean; white meat chicken; white meat turkey; egg whites; fish (any type); and shellfish (any type).

Try to choose fish that is rich in heart-protective fats calledomega-3 fatty acids. These fish include salmon, sardines (water-packed), herring, mackerel, trout, and tuna.

Vegetarian Protein Serving Size: 1 cup or 8 ounces

Choose These to Lose: Beans and legumes (black beans, broad beans, chickpeas, edamame, great Northern beans, kidney beans, lentils, lima beans, navy beans, pinto beans, split peas, white beans, and so forth); miso; soybeans, soy bacon, soy or veggie burgers, soy hot dogs, and other natural (meaning not the powders or pills) soy products; tempeh; and tofu

Low-Fat Dairy Serving Size: 1 cup or 8 ounces

Choose These to Lose: Buttermilk, low-fat milk (1 percent), skim or fat-free milk, soy milk, yogurt (plain), yogurt (no sugar added, fruit flavored), and reduced-fat cottage cheese

Biggest Loser Food Pyramid Pointers

Ideally, try to choose a variety of proteins each day, as noted above in order to meet your calorie target and help with weight loss. For example, with breakfast, you might have a cup of yogurt; with lunch, a cup of kidney beans as part of a vegetarian chili; as part of a snack, 1?2 cup of cottage cheese and with dinner, 4 ounces of grilled salmon.

Especially in their menopausal years, women require ample calcium, available from low-fat dairy proteins. For that reason, women at this age may want to select two servings of protein from the low-fat dairy category, and the other serving from either animal proteins or vegetarian protein. Here are some other pointers:

• For variety, consider soy foods such as soy hot dogs, soy sausage, and even soy pastrami because they contain no saturated fat. You can find them at your local natural food store and in many mainstream grocery stores.
• Before cooking poultry, remove the skin. This greatly reduces the fat and calorie content.
• Fish is an excellent source of low-calorie protein, heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin E, and selenium. Farm-raised seafood tends to be high in toxins called PCBs and other chemicals, although recent advancements in fish farming have led to reduced levels of these toxins. If you are concerned about this issue, you may want to purchase wild fish. It is usually more expensive, however.
• Consider replacing conventionally raised meat or poultry with free-range or grass-fed meat or poultry. These foods contain more healthy fats and less saturated fat than conventionally raised meats and are free of antibiotics and growth hormone.
• Go easy on red meat. Limit your servings to twice a week, since red meat tends to be high in saturated fat.
• Avoid processed meats, such as bologna, hot dogs, salami, and so forth. Not only are they generally high in fat, these foods contain sodium nitrites, which react with foods in your stomach to form highly carcinogenic (potentially cancer-causing) compounds.

Whole Grains

You should have 2 servings of whole grains daily.

Bread Serving Size: 2 slices of bread, preferably “light,” 1 whole-grain bun or roll, 2 light Wasa flatbreads, 1 whole-wheat flour tortilla

Choose These to Lose: Whole grain bread, high-fiber bread (choose brands with around 45 calories per slice); Ezekiel bread; Wasa bread; whole wheat buns, whole wheat pitas, whole wheat tortillas, and whole wheat dinner rolls

Whole Grain Serving Size: 1 cup cooked

Choose These to Lose: Barley, brown rice, bulgur, corn grits, couscous, cream of rice, cream of wheat, millet, oat bran, quinoa, rolled oats, whole wheat cereal, whole wheat pasta, and wild rice

Biggest Loser Food Pyramid Pointers

For maximum nutrition, always lean toward the most nutritious grains–those that have undergone the least processing, such as those listed above. Brown rice, for example, is higher in vitamins and fiber than white rice. That’s because white rice has been stripped of its husk, germ, and bran layers during processing.

Similarly, rolled oats are more nutritious than instant oats. When grains are put through the process of refinement, the important nutrients are taken out. All that’s usually left is the starchy interior, which is loaded with carbohydrates and not much else.

Here are some other Biggest Loser Diet pointers:

• To purchase the most nutritious bread products, read labels. Make sure thefirst ingredient listed is “whole” wheat or “whole grain.” If “wheat flour” is the first ingredient, this doesn’t mean whole wheat. It usually means enriched flour with some whole wheat added.
• Choose breads with 2 or more grams of fiber per serving.
• Again, watch out for the term “enriched” on the label when buying bread or pasta. It’s usually a sign that a food is made with processed white flour, meaning that it’s low in fiber. Usually, the nutrients have been stripped and then replaced synthetically.
• Avoid most packaged ready-to-eat breakfast cereals. These tend to be highly processed and loaded with added sugar. Some exceptions are low-carb cereals (a favorite among cast members) and high-fiber cereals such as Kashi Go Lean, Fiber One, and All-Bran. Packaged cereals containing 5 grams of fiber or more per serving are generally considered to be high-fiber cereals.

This article is brought to you by The Biggest Loser Book (Rodale).