Drink Green Tea To Increase Metabolism

Green tea has been clinically proven to increase metabolism, but did you know that green tea also is a detoxifier? A detoxifyier's main role is to remove all the "bad" chemicals in your body including those leading to dull skin, pimples in the face or back, and it improves the toning and elasticity of the skin. To learn more about green tea, log on www.edajtea.com

3 Reasons Why You Are Not Loosing Weight

That Darn Pina Colada
It's ok to indulge if you like the occasional drink, but drinks pack on the calories, lower your bodies immunity, and lower your inhibitions so that you eat the "whole darn thing" of pizza, tray of fried stuff, or whatever is left over. Ohh, and that pina colada packs on 245 calories!If you must indulge, make sure to pick lighter on the waistline options:

-Merlot - 5 ounces equals 123 calories
-Champagne - 4 ounces equals 88 calories
-Vodka mixed with diet tonic - 100 calories

Your Early Morning Workout
"What's wrong with that?" - you ask. Well, if you are skipping some zzz's for a run with the treadmill then medical studies state that you may be doing more harm than good. Less sleep (less than 7 hours per night) is linked to increased weight gain

Drinking Enough Water, But Not Enough Veggies and Fruits
No matter how many trips to the water cooler, you still should strive for more water coming from the food you eat instead of your glass. Shoot for water filled veggies such as cucumbers and leafy lettuce or fruits such as grapes or watermelon. Of course there are more items that can help you drop the pounds, but these are a great start!! To learn more, join our bellydance classes and enjoy our "Five Minute Bellydance Diet Presentation!"

Body Fat Percentage - The Key To Weight Loss

Although the number on the scale has long been known as "king" in the world of health and weight loss, the truth is that this number is not the "end all be all" in deciding if you are healthy or if you are on your way to weight loss. The real number that everyone should be REALLY concerned about is their body fat percentage.

What's The Benefit Of Knowing Your Body Fat Percentage?
It will help you understand if your weight loss goals are reasonable. For example, if your body fat percentage is less than 20% and you want to loose 20lbs, this may not be the best approach because you would loose muscle. It also keeps you from "jumping off of a cliff" when the number on the scale begins to rise. Since most body fat scales also measure the percentage of water in your body, it will help you understand when the increased weight on the scale is due to water weight gain instead of fat.

Ideal Body Fat Percentages
For women, the average body fat percentage is no higher than 25% although some would say 31%. Men have an average of 5% less body fat than women. See body fat chart.



Next Step: Buy A Body Fat Monitor Scale
Body fat monitor scales range in price from $40 - $200, but even the cheapest body fat monitor scale is better than no scale at all. Weigh yourself daily for at least 3 weeks when you first bring your scale home. The best time to weigh is in the morning after your first bowel movement, immediately after exiting the shower. Because your feet will be moist at this time, the electrodes on the scale will provide a more accurate reading.

Thank you for taking the time to read this post. Feel free to leave comments below!

3 Rules Of Weight Loss

Recently one of my Twitter buddies (Twitter ID: EnzymaticThrpy) provided a great article on the "10 Rules of Weight Loss." After reviewing the article, I'm parring it down to 3 just because 3 things are a lot easier for most of us to remember and we at Jade Fitness & Entertainment feel the most passionate about these 3 because they will really help you loose weight.

Rule #1: Don't Count Calories
Unless you like math, don't count calories. Why? Because there are a lot of ways to consume 2,000 calories a day - not all of them good. A 2,000 calorie a day goal can be reached with great things such as salads, fresh fish, fresh fruits, fresh veggies, and tea, but it can also be reached with 3 cans of soda, slices of pizza, and trips to the "greasy spoon" for lunch. Point is, it's the food quality that counts - not the calories.

Rule #2: Artificial Sweeteners Cause Weight Gain
Put the diet soda down. It's not helping you win the battle against fat. Clinical studies show that artificial sweeteners such as aspartame cause other harmful health problems - and weight gain.

Rule #3: Snacks Are Good!
There's nothing wrong with a small (healthy) snack in between meals. It allows you to think more clearly and keeps you from devouring the first thing you get your hands on when you get home.

The original article that was the source of our inspiration - CLICK HERE.

Many thanks again to our Twitter buddy, EnzymaticThrpy for "Tweeting" this article!

Thanks for taking time to read this blog posting. Feel free to comment or ask any questions below.

Health Tip: Go A Little "Nuts"

Well, score one for one of the alkaline members of the food pyramid-the almond!! This tasty nut is being acknowledged by the scientific community for role in weight control (think slimmer), antioxidants (think disease prevention), and intestinal flora balance (think good digestion and absorption of crucial nutrients that keep you healthy). So, grab a handful of almonds the next time you need to crunch on something or need a quick snack. They will satisfy you much better than a bag of potato chips or Cheetos from the vending machine!!

Don't care for almonds? Go "nuts" with chestnuts instead.

Bellydance Tip & How To: Choo Choo Shimmy

It's our very best friend! It's our saving grace! When we can't believe we ate the whole "Ben and Jerry's" ice cream pint (but know it was us because we were the only one's home) and want to burn off all the calories and fat in a jiffy - it's the "Choo Choo Shimmy" to the rescue!!

Choo Choo Shimmies are the biggest calorie burning and fat burning move in our bellydance arsenal and for this reason - we will always love this move!

So here's the "how to".... Stand with your feet together underneath you and your knees slightly bent. Shuffle your feet across the floor allowing the hips to go along for the ride. Your weight should be placed equally on both feet.

Special Note: If you want to really work your waistline - then you will want to add a "twist" by twisting your hips from side to side periodically while choo choo shimmying from one side to the other.

Need help learning more about the choo choo shimmy? Feel free to come to class and we'll show you how! For class locations - CLICK HERE!!

Why You Should Be On Twitter....

Twitter....

By now, you are familiar with the term or have heard it around - somewhere. Maybe you tried it and just didn't get this "Twitter Thing." Well, I'm here to help you connect the dots - from a health perspective.

Twitter is a mini - blog. The key is to post your post (also known as a "Tweet") in less than 140 words.

The key is to find your "niche." If you are into health - or interested in health, then you will want to use the "Search" function at the bottom of Twitter's page. This is different than the "Find People" tab.

Once you are on the search page, type in "health" or "bellydance" or whatever moves you.

When you find someone that you like (or who's posts you would like to know more about), you will want to "Follow" that person by hitting the "Follow" button under the person's profile photo. To see the person's whole Twitter profile in the search results, just click on the person's name and read their posts/Tweets.

But How Can This Help Me With My Health?
By "Following" people with like interests, this creates a virtual "support group" for where you are in life. If your goal is to loose weight or stay in the know about healthy "stuff", then "Follow" someone that posts great information pertaining to this subject. Converse with that person via Twitter to learn new "cool stuff"

You can always follow us (we'd like to think we are "cool" enough to follow): JadeBellydancer is Jade Fitness & Entertainment's Twitter ID

Other Cool People To Follow:
Twitterbo
Vegan_diet
HolisticMama

This list is to just get you started and is not an exhastive list of people that post great health information by any means. Check out JadeBellydancer under Twitter to see who we're following and vice versa for an idea.

Feel free to leave a comment if you have any questions!