From the True Story Files: Mrs. S has had a rough winter. She’s suffered from neck pain and back pain off and on for years due to degenerative disk disease, and has even had a few disks surgically fused. After taking a therapeutic soak in her whirlpool tub recently to get some relief for back pain, Mrs. S fell while stepping out of the bath and was surprised to find that she couldn’t get up off the floor. At only 64 years, she had never considered herself in the same league as the geriatrics on the much lampooned commercials. (“Help! I’ve fallen and can’t get up!”) After spending almost an hour shivering under a towel on the floor, Mrs. S finally mustered the strength to drag herself out of the bathroom door, across the hall and somehow pulled herself onto her bed. That unfortunate fall required multiple visits to the chiropractor — several times a week at first — and much time spent immobile in her recliner or in bed.

When her back pain finally subsided, and she’d been able to cut visits to the doctor down to one a week, her chiropractor had some grave news for her.

Resistance training won’t seem like such an inconvenience when you’ve fallen in the bathroom and can’t get up.

“I can keep putting your back and neck back into alignment, but your muscles aren’t strong enough to keep your bones in place,” he said. “Unless you start working on building muscle, your problem is only going to get worse.”

Cripes, there it was again. Someone else pushing the benefits of strength training on her. Like most people, Mrs. S had gone through phases of consistent exercise but hadn’t ever stuck with it. She didn’t really enjoy working out. Not with a partner, not in a class, and even when she endeavored to work out at home, it didn’t last long. Whenever she became concerned about her weight, she preferred trying to control it through diet rather than exercise. Now, however, Mrs. S was faced with making a decision, and there really wasn’t much of a choice. If she didn’t want to spend the rest of her life in pain and a constant state of declining mobility, she would finally have to start exercising.

A Common Problem

Sedentary lifestyles are creating adults who don’t have the muscle tone to walk around the block, let alone get up off the floor after a fall. Image by Steve Baker/Flickr

It’s not surprising if Mrs. S’s story sounds familiar to you. The President’s Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition reports that less than five percent of adults get 30 minutes or more of physical activity each day, and over 80 percent don’t get the recommended 2 days of strength training and 75 to 150 minutes of aerobic exercise each week. Considering that Mrs. S’s chiropractor was spot-on about spines needing strong back muscles to stabilize them, it’s also no surprise that she’s battled back pain and neck pain for decades, or that her condition has worsened as she’s gotten older. According to Medline Plus, muscles atrophy as people age, losing their tone. That means they’re no longer effective for supporting your spine and other bones that make up your frame, unless you work to keep them strong.

Recommended Resistance Training

Professionals recommend resistance training with bands to build muscle without aggravating back and neck conditions.

While there’s not much she could have done to prevent degenerative disc disease, Mrs. S could have been strength training all along, building muscle to support her spine and neck to provide some back and neck pain relief. Interestingly, the back pain exercises Mrs. S’s chiropractor recommended are rubber band resistance training exercises. Using bands for resistance builds strength without putting load or pressure on her spine, so her back and neck pain won’t be aggravated. Plus, since Mrs. S has a TargitFit Trainer, she can do her resistance training exercises at home. After just a couple of weeks, she is feeling better, getting neck and back pain relief after months of agony on top of years of frequent issues. Additionally, her strength training program has already increased Mrs. S’s strength enough that she’s adding more resistance bands to her workouts.

Benefits of Yoga for Back Pain

Yoga not only alleviates back and neck pain by stretching and strengthening muscles, but it also reduces stress.

This blog may regularly tout the benefits of strength training, specifically with use of a certain piece of ultra-effective equipment for building muscle, but the advice in this particular post would be incomplete if it didn’t mention the benefits of yoga exercises for back pain. Yoga is low-impact and builds strength, too, so it’s a valuable addition to resistance training at home or the gym for people of all ages and abilities. The element that enhances its value when you’re trying to control back and neck pain is that it lengthens and stretches your muscles, alleviating tension and pain as well as pressure on your spine, spinal cord, and nerves. According to Yoga Journal, performing yoga poses correctly aligns your skeletal structure, specifically your spine. Certain yoga poses also open your hips and chest, areas that can cause back pain if they become too tight and closed off. If you need the research to back it up, a study published in the health journal “Spine” showed that yoga improves mobility, decreases back pain and even has the added bonus of reducing depression.

As far as nasty habits go, smoking is diabolical. It not only shortens your life, but it affects how food tastes, dictates your daily schedule, and interferes with your ability to breathe. Yet, even with all the negative aspects, it’s a hard habit to break. Healthline reports that it takes an average of 2.7 tries for a person to quit smoking for good.

One of the things that makes it so difficult to quit is that there is no one perfect method to stop smoking. Some people can go cold-turkey. Others have successfully quit using  nicotine patches or gum. It gets discouraging to go through trial and error looking for the approach that will work for you. If you’ve already taken 2.7 stabs (or more) at quitting and haven’t been successful, there’s one more thing you can try.

Exercise Makes Quitting Easier

Exercise has been shown to reduce the severity of headaches, dizziness, fatigue, and other nicotine withdrawal symptoms.

Withdrawal symptoms smokers experience and the craving for nicotine are usually the smoker’s downfall. The craving will start nagging at you within hours. Then, in about a day or two, you’ll start to experience physical symptoms such as headaches, dizziness, and fatigue. Smokers trying to quit also report feeling depressed, anxious, and irritable.

That’s when you could use a good workout. You might not feel like putting on your sweats and getting physical, but a study conducted at the University of St. George’s London found that exercise provides a sort of protective effect against nicotine withdrawal horrors. One notable effect was that physical activity activated a receptor in the brain that nicotine typically targets. In general, workouts reduced withdrawal severity, making it easier for quitters to stay off the cancer sticks.

Oh, and the really, really good news? It doesn’t take a super-vigorous workout to affect symptom severity. The study found that even moderate exercise, such as a brisk walk or short bike ride, was enough to keep withdrawal manageable.

When Should You Start?

Quit right now!

There’s no better time than now to get moving and give up smoking. No matter how long you’ve smoked, you likely feel the effects in the form of reduced lung capacity and stamina. The good news is that once you no longer smoke, your body starts healing immediately. WebMD reports that after only 20 minutes, your blood pressure, pulse, and circulation begin returning to normal. After 8 hours, the carbon monoxide and nicotine levels in your blood will be down to half. That also means your oxygen levels will be up and your heart won’t have to work as hard. Within 3 days, your lungs will begin recovering, so it will be easier to breathe—and it will just keep getting easier.

The sooner you quit, the sooner you’ll start getting healthy. Your body and your loved ones will thank you for it.

The point is, you should start working out the same day you give up smoking. Your body will be on board right away. It will continue to improve the longer you stay smoke-free, and the exercise will help. Naturally, you should always consult your doctor before starting any workout program, even if you aren’t a smoker. If you do smoke and want to exercise as part of your quitting strategy, your doctor will help you formulate a plan that will give your body the breathing space it needs, so to speak, so that you don’t overdo it too soon and undermine your health along with your goal.

Your bank account will also get healthier after you quit smoking.

One last thing: if your argument against using exercise to quit smoking is that you can’t afford to join a gym, that’s a lame cop-out. First, there are a million ways you can workout for free, from jogging in the park to performing bodyweight exercises in your living room. However, there are a gajillion things you’ll be able to afford once you give up smoking. According to smokefree.org, smoking a pack of cigarettes a day costs about $9,200/year. That will more than pay for a gym membership complete with a personal trainer, and you’ll even have an impressive chunk of change left over.

Sports drinks are an expensive habit that aren’t all that healthy.

If you down energy drinks like they’re water, you’ve probably developed a spendy little habit. At nearly $3 per 250 ml can and almost $5 for a 500 ml can, it’s estimated that your sports drink habit could easily cost you close to $3,000 a year, depending on how many you down in a day.

You may be willing to overlook the cost if those drinks truly give you the boost you need to get through the day and get through your workout, but what if there’s an alternative that’s not only better at providing energy but is also better for your health? As it turns out, there is just such a wonder-snack, and you might even have it sitting in your kitchen right now.

Nanas Have Superior Nutrients

Researchers in North Carolina came up with the idea of comparing bananas to sports drinks as an energy source and found some surprising results. Their study not only showed that bananas gave energy drinks a run for their money when it came to delivering energy and nutrients during a workout, but bananas also offered better anti-inflammatory benefits. That element alone is worth its weight in Ibuprofen, as it means less fatigue during the workout and quicker muscle recovery afterward.

Bananas During Your Workout

You may have an open mind and be willing to ditch the energy drinks, but maybe you’ve been told you shouldn’t eat during a workout. Muscle and Fitness points out that, for workouts 60 minutes or longer, it’s actually a good idea to eat during the first part of your workout to ensure you have what it takes to get to the end of it. However, it all depends on how empty or full your stomach is before you hit the gym. If you just ate—let’s say 30 minutes or less—before your workout, then, yeah, it’s probably best to save the snacking for after exercising. On the other hand, if your stomach is relatively empty, you’re gonna need that nana, and it will be a better choice than an energy drink.

Yes, both bananas and energy drinks contain sugars, vitamins, and other nutrients. Even the protein in both are comparable, but energy drinks have long been a concern for health professionals. According to a study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association, excessive energy drink consumption was found to be related to high blood pressure and altering the electrical activity of the heart. On the other hand, Medical News Today pronounced bananas to be a heart-healthy food filled with safe, natural amounts of vitamins and minerals.

The Best Way to Incorporate Bananas for Energy

Bananas, chocolate, and a few other energy-boosting foods mix together well to create a satisfying and healthy energy drink you can down during a workout.

Consider this: if you sip on an energy drink while exercising for the energy boost, there is a way to incorporate bananas into a healthy drink that will serve the same purpose. Concoct a shake from a banana, skim milk and/or Greek yogurt, a dollop of almond or sunflower butter, and a dash of dark chocolate. Heck, even add a splash of cold coffee left over from breakfast if you need a little extra caffeine kick. They’re all energy-boosting foods that are healthy and, served in liquid form, will be as satisfying for your thirst as for your energy levels.

This week, Targitfit is pleased to bring you a feature by James Rackliffe:

Cycling is a sport that I started as a side-effect of beginning to do Triathlons. Little did I know all the health benefits that would come out of it! Thanks to bad allergies, when I started my cycling journey, I used to get winded doing a 5-mile ride around a park near my house. Now, several years later, I am busy training to compete in my first Ironman and at the age of 35 have never been healthier. This led me to look into the changes I had experienced in weight, well-being, and vast improvements in other aspects of my health. When I started putting together all the results, these were the top 25 benefits I found for cycling:

This infographic first appeared on DocTriathalon.com.

James is a 35 year old Triathlete and owner of DocTriathlon. He started his site to help people get into the sport of triathlon and to help spread the benefits associated with the sports involved.

This week, TargitFit is pleased to post an article by Jessica:

When it comes to diet, even smart women make mistakes. No matter how smart you think you are, there are some diet mistakes you will be making without even realizing it. These mistakes may be the reason why you are not seeing the results you want despite spending so many hours in the gym.

Regrettably, most women get their diet instruction from less than reliable sources.  When you are taking nutrition advice from a non-professional, you may be making mistakes that will affect your weight goal negatively. If you have been trying to lose weight but have not seen the result you are looking for, it may be time to revise your diet. Some unknown mistakes may be hindering your chances of achieving your objective.

In this article, you will learn about top dieting mistakes that you may be making without realizing it:

Top Diet Mistakes Most Women Are Making

1. Cutting Out Too Many Calories

Unfortunately, most women are waging a war against calories. You have heard that the reason you are obese or overweight is because you are eating too many calories. You then may have taken this personal and started a war against calories.

The fact is that you need calories for your muscles. When you avoid calories but continue doing cardio, you will lose more muscle and gain fat. When you are losing muscle, it slows down your rate of metabolism and makes it even harder to lose belly fat, firm-up your arms, and shrink your thighs.

Everyone’s caloric needs are different but, in general, you need to eat up to 1400 calories per day to make sure that you are not losing muscle.

2. Relying Too Much on Packaged Foods

Nowadays, there are tons of diet and weight loss programs that recommend their own pre-packaged meals and snacks. It is sad to see that most women in the United States now depend completely on these diet programs for their daily meals.

While these pre-packaged foods may be great for knowing how much you are eating, they are not the same as eating fresh foods and may not give you the right portion size you need.

Moreover, most of these pre-packaged foods contain added sodium and preservatives which may affect your health in one way or another. It is better than you get most of your daily nutrients from fresh foods than from pre-packaged meals.

3. Ditching Carbs for Protein

It looks like the modern weight-loss industry has succeeded in turning women against carbs. While some carbs are not necessarily good, most women who are on vegan and gluten-free diets have completely abandoned carbs because they want to lose weight fast. If you replace carbs entirely with protein, your gluten-free diet can lead to fatigue, weight gain, digestive problems, and irritability, too.

A good way to fix this is to adopt Goldilocks approach which recommends that you don’t take in too little or too much macronutrients.

4. Not Paying Attention to Exercise

Most women are too busy nowadays. In fact, many modern women who work in the corporate business environment have little or no time for exercise. Thus, they think they can lose weight relying on diet alone.

While diet is good, you also need to take exercise into account. You need to do cardio at least 2 to 3 times every week. Create an exercise plan and make sure that you follow it strictly. Avoid paying attention to diet only.

5. Falling For Fad Diets

Unfortunately, there are just too many fad diets on the market nowadays. Millions of people are looking for a way to lose weight. New statistics show that this is a multi-billion dollar industry and has attracted a lot of attention from people that just want to take your money and run away.

There are many diets you can see on the internet today. Some of these diets are created with fake testimonials and will never work for you no matter how closely you follow them. Instead of depending on fad diets, eat natural foods that are healthy for you in moderate amounts.

Conclusion

It is normal to make mistakes when you are choosing a diet. While some mistakes are costly, others may have little or no effect. However, the important thing is to find out the mistakes that may be hindering your weight and health objectives and stop them as soon as possible.

Jessica is a former competitive fitness athlete and now owner/operator of her own gym in sunny Southern California. Her website, GottaHaveFit.com, is a resource dedicated to the latest in science-backed nutrition, supplementation, and today’s hottest home fitness equipment and training regimens.

When it comes to self-improvement, many people don’t get the connection between the physical body (the outer self) and the spirit (the inner self). If you have trouble losing weight and keeping it off or getting into shape and staying that way, it may be because you’re focusing everything on your outer self and neglecting your inner self. The concept may sound new-agey, but suspend skepticism and judgment for just a moment. Remember that you really do consist of the “inner” and the “outer.” If you want to get into the physics of it all, the inner you is really more you than the outer you. Give your spirit equal time to finally get your fitness and weight loss plan off that plateau.

Meditation and/or prayer, yoga and journaling are the main contemplative practices the University of Minnesota lists as ones that are important for health. While it can be argued that people who engage in regular spiritual practices tend to make healthier choices and, therefore, are healthier, it’s not just about the choices. Including practices in your lifestyle that strengthen the inner you will improve your life and health in other, surprising ways.

Meditate On It

Don’t scoff at the thought of meditation improving your physical health. According to the U.S. News and World Report Health section, meditating can improve your blood pressure significantly enough to actually get you off blood pressure meds. That alone will enhance your cardiovascular health, but you want to know how meditation can help you lose weight. Human Kinetics shines a light on that issue by pointing out that meditating improves athletic performance allowing you to work out more effectively and focus on your goal.

Meditation is just as beneficial for physical health as it is for mental and emotional well-being.

Further, meditating promotes cell repair by stimulating your parasympathetic nervous system. That helps recovery and muscle building, and we all know that muscle burns fat. Another way meditation supports recovery is by clearing your mind so you can sleep better. It’s during quality sleep that your body produces human growth hormone, a vital component of muscle building and cell regeneration. Possibly the most important benefit of meditation when it comes to weight loss is that it reduces the production of cortisol, the pesky stress hormone that encourages your body to hold onto belly fat.

You don’t need to find a solitary mountaintop for effective meditation. The privacy of your own home works as well.

Don’t buy into the myth that you have to sit lotus position for hours on end and completely master emptying your mind. You’ll benefit from just 10 minutes at a time of deep, mindful breathing. Set a timer to eliminate the need for frequent interrupting peeks at the clock. Headspace.com has a terrific free program that explains meditation in unique, understandable terms and guides you through getting into the practice on a daily basis. Alternatively, there are numerous guided meditations available on the internet, MP3 and CD. Some are free, some are not, but you’ll have scores to choose from with any theme you’re looking for, including weight loss. Go ahead and start out at only 10 minutes, then build up as you get better at it, and your schedule allows. Setting aside the same time each day, such as every morning or every evening, will make it part of your routine so you’re less likely to skip it, and fall out of the habit. Some days you may only have 10 minutes to spare, and that’s OK. Do what you can when you can, and you’ll see a huge difference.

Journal Yourself Fit

If the journaling part of a health and fitness spiritual practice seems unlikely to be of any help with a weight loss plan, consider Charmaine Jackson’s story. CNN reveals that she accomplished weight loss success, dropping half of her body weight and she credits journaling with helping her reach her goal. The journal provided her with an outlet to write down her feelings and emotions and figure out that she was an emotional eater who relieved stress with food. Journaling helped Jackson realize that crunchy chips and pretzels were her go-to comfort foods and that she could get the same satisfaction from munching on crunchy fruits and vegetables that she grew in her own garden.

Handwrite your journal or type it on your computer — whatever works for you is the right way to do it.

Journaling can do the same for anyone, and Discover Good Nutrition points out that many coaches require athletes to keep one. It keeps you accountable for your diet and workout plan; it helps you prioritize your health, fitness and weight loss; and it’s the perfect tool to monitor your progress. The beauty of a journal is the versatility and flexibility — there’s no right or wrong way to do it. If you love to handwrite and want to keep a leather-bound food and workout diary, do it. If you prefer typing, make a file on your computer and use Word to create an entry each day. You could even opt for software that’s designed specifically with journaling in mind. If you have the time and inclination to go into detail about your food, feelings and fitness regimen, by all means, do it. On the other hand, if you have minimal time and don’t aspire to any level of creative writing, keep it simple. Use a fresh page for each day and include

• the day and date
• your feelings — basic one-word descriptions are acceptable!
• exercise — include type, intensity, time of day and duration
• physical evaluation — note any pain, how tired or energized, strong or weak you feel
• diet

For the diet part, you can simply rate your overall eating and nutrition for the day using a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 meaning you didn’t exceed your caloric intake and only ate healthy nutritious foods. Take note, however, that the more detailed the food part of your journal is, the more likely you are to lose weight. Web MD reports on a study in which participants who kept detailed food records at least six days a week enjoyed double the weight loss of those who only sporadically journaled about their diet. That may mean keeping notes throughout the day so that you can include everything later in your journal but, if it results in twice the weight loss, it’s worth the effort.

We have an odd, unfortunate relationship with food. It is necessary for keeping bodies healthy and alive, but food gets cast as the villain in the weight loss struggle nearly 160 million Americans face, according to the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation. It is those pesky calories that interfere with the love affair your palate has with tasty, yummy fare. If only food worked to make you lose weight instead of gain it…

Don’t waste your time wishing for calorie-free cuisine. There are a number of delicious things you can eat and drink that will kick your metabolism into gear to actually burn calories.

Bring the Heat

The capsaicin in spices such as cinnamon and chili peppers kick-starts your metabolism.

One of the top ways to switch on the fat-burning signal in your brain is to eat warming, spicy foods. The element that flips that switch is capsaicin, and many foods that contain it are probably already on your favorites list. Of course, hot peppers are the first food to come to mind when you want to bring the heat to boost your metabolism but, according to Prevention, there are so many others including

• bay leaves
• cinnamon
• cloves
• garlic
• ginger
• mustard

Even vinegar is listed as a warming food that helps increase metabolism. If you are waiting for the catch, here it is: you do need to ingest quite a bit of capsaicin to raise your body temperature enough to increase your metabolism. The solution is to eat something spicy several times a day instead of trying to cram it all into one meal to ensure you benefit.

Foods With Substance

Muesli contains several foods with substance to get your metabolism going: whole grains, nuts and dried fruit.

High-fiber foods are filling, so they can help you eat less. However, they also have a thermic effect on your metabolism. That is because your body has to expend extra energy to digest foods such as barley, brown rice, oats, quinoa and other whole grains. Almonds, Brazils and other nuts are healthy foods that burn calories to digest, and the same goes for vegetables, but specifically cruciferous veggies such as broccoli, Brussels sprouts and cauliflower.

Berry Fast Metabolism

Dark berries contain metabolism-boosting antioxidants.

Raspberries, blackberries, blueberries and the like have been touted as superfoods lately, and with good reason: their edible seeds and skin contribute fiber to your diet, so they have a similar effect on your metabolism as whole grains and vegetables do. However, berries are high in antioxidants. A specific antioxidant — catechins — is especially helpful for weight loss because it raises your resting metabolism, according to Prevention.

The Protein Bonus

You’ll burn over 30 percent of the calories in a steak just to chew and digest it.

Bodybuilders eat a high-protein diet to help them build muscle, but also to kick their metabolism into high gear for cutting body fat. LIVESTRONG reveals that your body burns over 25 percent of the calories in the protein you eat just to digest it. Whey protein is often recommended as the best quality and form of protein, but you should mix it up a little and get your protein from a variety of sources. One reason is that chewing up a piece of steak or chicken breast burns more calories than drinking down a protein shake, meaning you can take even more than 1/4 of the calories right off the top.

The Caffeine Advantage

Partaking of dark chocolate and coffee is a yummy way to rev your metabolism.

There is a good reason that most thermogenic supplements contain caffeine. The Huffington Post reveals that research has shown that drinking just one cup of coffee can increase your metabolism up to 15 percent. Additionally, a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that drinking coffee increased fat oxidation. Chocolate lovers will appreciate the really good news. Dark chocolate not only contains caffeine, but it also has catechins, the same antioxidant that abounds in berries. Imagine the weight loss boost your metabolism will get when you snack on a few blueberries dipped in dark chocolate and wash them down with a cup of quality coffee.

Cool Down

Drink water on the rocks — the colder it is, the more calories your body will burn heating it up.

You should be drinking plenty of water every day anyway. Drinking water can help you eat less by making you feel full, and it flushes toxins from your body. However, water on the rocks can help with speeding up the metabolism for weight loss. Web MD reports on a German study that found that men and women’s metabolisms increased 30 percent after drinking water. Some of the increase was attributed to the energy the body has to expend to heat the water once it hits your stomach. It’s estimated that you could improve your calorie burn by 17,400 calories a year just by upping your cold water intake by 1.5 liters per day.

How many times have you pledged to go on a diet? “I’ve got to do something!” It might surprise you to know you’re not the only one uttering those words – personal trainers, doctors, and health club personnel hear them multiple times a day. Unfortunately, starting a diet and sticking with a diet are two different things. That’s because there are so many issues that can derail your resolve and kick you off the course to a slimmer physique.

There isn’t a sure-fire, magical way to ensure you’ll stick to your diet long enough to reach your goal. What works for one person might not work for someone else. However, you can take advantage of others’ experiences. You can try any or all of these 11 tricks for sticking with your diet. Keep the ones that work best for you and use them to build a personalized diet regimen that you’ll not only stick with but will deliver the results you want.

1. Change your attitude toward food. When it comes to diets, most of the battle is in your head. Psychology Today advises changing your mindset about eating and dieting before you even start. Don’t stop at accepting that you can either be thinner OR you can eat whatever you want anytime you want to. Also recognize that food is fuel, not a delicious, comforting solution when you’re feeling lonely, bored, or stressed.

2. Don’t go on a “diet.” Instead, develop an “eating plan.” The difference is mostly in the mental perception you have. There’s a reason they say, “DIET is a four-letter word.” Everyone loathes what the word “diet” represents, but an eating plan has a positive connotation and isn’t as overwhelming.

While you’re at it, don’t hop on board with the latest diet fad just because everyone and    their unfortunate dogs are doing it. The better option is to start by making healthier choices and allowing yourself to eat from all of the four food groups instead of cutting out all fat, all sugar, all wheat products, or all red meat. Unless you have a health concern that requires you avoid certain foods, you really do need to eat everything, but in moderation.

3. List your reasons for going on a diet. Actually write them down and then read over them every morning, every evening, and every time you are tempted to chuck the whole plan and go back to eating everything you get a craving for. Whether you’re dieting for health reasons or to lose weight—or both—it helps to be reminded of why you’re doing it.

4. Set realistic goals. Healthline points out that setting the bar too high when embarking on a diet—losing 15 pounds in two weeks, for example—will sabotage your plans, guaranteed. It’s another mind trick, of sorts. A study published by Obesity Research showed that subjects who expected to drop a lot of weight fast tended to give up on a diet more easily and earlier than those who set realistic goals.

So, what’s reasonable? LIVESTRONG says that, because everyone’s bodies and metabolisms are different, it can vary from ½ to 2 pounds a week. If you stay conservative and expect the lower end of the scale, then any weight loss more than that is a bonus. Also, divide up your overall goal into short-term, mini goals. You’ll reach them faster, and the satisfaction and excitement of that will bolster your confidence and build momentum to stick with your diet for the long haul.

5. Get rid of temptations. Clearing out all of the junk food and other items that aren’t on your diet is one of the best ways to ensure you won’t cheat. If those three pints of Ben and Jerry’s aren’t calling to you from the freezer, you won’t be likely to go on a midnight binge.

6. Buy a cookbook. Or search the Internet for new, healthier recipes and build your own cookbook. According to MSN, having a variety of healthy meal options on hand not only adds an element of fun to a diet, but it also keeps you from getting bored from eating the same, bland foods. Look for healthier versions of things you love to eat, snacks and meals like Rosie Dailey developed for Oprah, or keep an eye out for recipes that use herbs and spices to make them flavorful and satisfying.

7. Eat more often. No, that’s not a typo. It’s good diet advice. Spread your allotted calories out over the day instead of stuffing yourself full of them in three meals. If you’re eating five or six times a day, you won’t feel deprived. It will seem like you’re always eating instead of never eating, and it won’t even feel like you’re on a diet.

8. Recruit a diet buddy. Going on a diet with your spouse or a friend can help make it easier to stick with it. You can support each other when things get tough, and you’ll both have someone to be accountable to, as well. Weigh in together, plan meals together, and be sure to check in with each other at least once a day to report on your progress.

9. Consult a professional. A dietician, your family doctor, a counselor at your health club—any one of those fits the description and will be able to help you come up with a healthy, doable eating plan. Don’t stop with just one visit, either. Check in every few months to report your progress and get help tweaking the plan to make sure it keeps working for you.

10. Incorporate exercise with changing your eating habits. Supplementing a diet with exercise is an ultra-effective way to kickstart weight loss. Plus, studies have shown that when people start working out in conjunction with a change in eating habits, they’re more likely to stick with both than people who start one or the other.

11. Go easy on yourself. Recognize that it took you a long time to put the weight on and that it will take some time to get it off. Celebrate the little victories and don’t beat yourself up over the small slip-ups and plateaus. Every morning offers a new opportunity to do things differently, so take advantage of that.

P.S. Celebrating the little victories can and probably should take the form of a cheat day, or at least a cheat meal. It gives you something to look forward to and you won’t feel so deprived. Plus, a frozen yogurt or other treat will taste that much sweeter when it’s a reward for sticking to your diet and reaching a goal.

This week, TargitFit is pleased to bring you a post by John Hawthorne:

While many people enjoy the solitude of living alone, others, who unexpectedly find themselves in an empty home, can face a difficult transition period. Aside from simply missing the company of another human being, living alone means you don’t have another person to help with certain chores.

Tasks that you used to do with another person, such as folding bed sheets, you now have to tackle on your own. This can be a particularly tough challenge for older individuals who may not have the strength to complete certain routine tasks. For example, routine tasks such as carrying out the trash or dusting high places can be an extreme challenge for some older adults.

Surviving alone takes a lot of independence, but it also takes some ingenuity. Being able to solve problems on your own and overcome the challenges that come with living alone is crucial.

To help with some of the obstacles of living alone, here is a list of 10 helpful survival tips. Many of these tricks require very little energy or effort, yet they can make your solo life worlds better and even keep you safe.

Your Dishwasher Can Wash More Than Dirty Dishes

A dishwasher is a big help when it comes time to clean up after a meal, but it can also be a huge help in other aspects of cleaning.

Rather than climbing up on a ladder or chair to clean your fan blades, you can just remove them and wash them in the dishwasher. They’ll come out cleaner, and you won’t be risking a bad fall. Most hard plastics are entirely fine to wash in the dishwasher.

Other handy things to clean in a dishwasher include lamp shades, broom and mop heads, dust pans, gardening tools, pet toys, plastic combs/brushes, sink sponges and many more items that would otherwise be hard to clean.

By giving your dishwasher this double duty, you’ll have a much cleaner home, and you won’t spend a ton of time keeping it clean.

Use Peppermint Oil To Ward Off Mice

Musophobia (the fear of mice and rodents) is one of the more common phobias out there. Not everyone can handle trapping and removing mice from his/her home.

If you’re one of these people, there’s a very inexpensive fix that doesn’t force you to interact with the mice at all: peppermint oil. Mice hate this stuff and will steer clear of it. By mixing some peppermint oil with water in a spray bottle, you can give a quick spritz to any area with mice activity.

You never have to remove the mice yourself; they’ll get one whiff of the peppermint and move on. Plus, it is a very humane way of dealing with a small mice problem (if you have a large infestation, you may want to seek out more extreme measures of removing the mice).

Peppermint oil has a lot of uses. Even when the mice leave, you can still find ways to use it. Peppermint oil can be found at many pharmacies and large box stores. You can also buy it online.

Open Stubborn Jars With A Rubber Kitchen Glove

Nothing is worse than a jar that you just cannot open. Even after banging it on the side of a counter, turning it until your face turns red and soaking it in warm water, you still cannot get it to open.

There are tons of products out there that are designed specifically for opening stubborn jars. One easy trick, which doesn’t require you buying some As Seen On TV product, is to use a rubber glove. You probably already have a pair under your sink, and the rubber of the glove will give your hand much better traction and grip on the lid.

Another trick is to put one rubber band around the lid and another around the jar, wherever your hand is going to hold it. The concept is the same, the rubber of the bands helps provide much-needed traction, and you can pop the lid quickly.

Use Windex To Move Heavy Furniture And Appliances

Moving heavy furniture and appliances is typically a two-person job, no matter what age you are. But, for older individuals, the challenge of moving something heavy on your own is much more difficult.

Luckily, there is a solution. By spraying Windex at the feet of an appliance and in a track of where you’re moving it, the item will slide with ease. Thus, you won’t have to strain yourself pushing and pulling it. Plus, it should protect some floors from marks, as you move the furniture.

Scotch Tape, Safety Pins, and String Are Your Friend For Dressing Up

“Can you zip me up?” A small request for a quick and easy task, if there’s another person around. When you are living alone, however, even getting dressed and wearing certain garments or jewelry can be a minor annoyance.

There are a few small things you can do to make life a little easier when you are trying to dress up for a night out. A string and a safety pin attached to the zipper of a dress makes it a breeze to zip up while using scotch tape on your wrist to hold a bracelet in place while you secure it means you can accessorize with one hand!

Put Your Mind At Ease With An Alarm System

When others are around, you don’t feel vulnerable and alone. You have someone else around to put your mind at ease when you feel uncomfortable or insecure. That isn’t the case when you are living alone.

Maintaining a sense of security can be hard, especially if you have an active mind that often creates added fear or anxiety. A medical alert system may seem like a significant, unnecessary investment, but the cost of having a mind that feels secure and at ease is priceless.

Plus, many modern systems are extra affordable. You shouldn’t be afraid of living alone or have your mind racing at every small bump in the night.

Invest in a Silicone Microwave Lid

Transitioning into living alone means adjusting how much you spend on groceries and how much food to cook and prepare. You’re probably used to feeding others (or being fed by someone), but now you are just cooking for yourself.

This might mean you need to take some rudimentary cooking lessons and it means getting used to eating leftovers and reheating food in a microwave more often. Reheating rice, pasta and other similar dishes can be a real pain in the microwave.

There are some tips and tricks associated with microwaving food and an even greater number of gadgets, but the only one you need is a silicone microwave lid. This product traps in steam and heat to provide a more thorough cook. No more cold spots or mushy leftovers.

Budget and Shopping For One

Aside from adjusting how much you need to cook, you also have to learn how to manage your finances. The good news is that budgeting for one is a lot easier than learning how to budget and spend with a significant other or a roommate.

Nonetheless, it may take some getting used to, as you no longer have someone to split costs with and have to buy everything on your own. Groceries are going to be one of the areas that take a lot of adapting. You have to transition to buying smaller quantities, instead of in bulk. This is also going to be your biggest area of savings, which you’ll probably need to cover your payments and utilities.

In any scenario, budgeting takes some careful planning and smart innovating. You should track all of your spendings. Then, once you have a good amount of data, you can begin to see where you are spending money, how much you need each month and where spending can be cut.

Schedule A Daily Phone Call Or “Check In”

This tip serves two purposes. First, regular communication is important because for your mental health. Just because you live alone doesn’t mean you have to live without social interactions. People often underestimate how impactful a little chatting can be; a daily phone call can help in lifting your spirits up to get through the rest of the day or give you an ear to complain to and get some things off your mind to de-stress.

For retired individuals, this daily call can also be a lifesaver, if you’ve fallen and didn’t have a way to notify anyone. Your loved one will be expecting the call, and when it doesn’t come, they will know you are in trouble and send help.

Get To Know Your Neighbors

One of the best resources you can have when living alone are the people living around you. Not everyone likes meeting neighbors, and there are certainly neighbors you should avoid, but don’t let a little social awkwardness deter you from establishing connections in your neighborhood.

Not only are these valuable sources of social interactions, but you never know whom you might be living next to. You may come to find out that your next door neighbor is a handyman or a plumber, which is valuable knowledge if you have repairs or plumbing issues. Also, you may be able to call upon them to help with some tasks that are simply too difficult to do alone.

Final Advice

The last thing you need to remember to survive living alone is to have fun. Sure, it can be a scary, hectic transition that makes you have to alter your lifestyle and how you spend your money and live your life.

However, it’s also an excellent opportunity to learn things about yourself that you didn’t already know, explore new things and do things in your way. You no longer have to worry about the needs of another, so make bold decorating choices. Start a new hobby that takes up way too much space. Be messy for a week. Budget for the vacations and things that you want. Entertain guests and dazzle them with your newfound cooking skills.

There’s so much potential growth to be experienced from living alone, so shed the fear and anxiety and enjoy it!

This article was originally published on BayAlarmMedical.com.