Question: I keep losing weight due to stress?

Q

"iv broke up with my boyfriend and it seems every time we row and break up weight falls off me :(. i don't have much of an appetite because im upset but im still making myself eat, but the weight will still fall off so im guessing its through stress. i love to exercise and i feel happier after a workout but i feel like im wasting away so i don't want to go burning too many calories. anyone got any good advice to help me feel better?" - P.

A

Most people who are overweight would consider that to be a blessing in disguise.

Nevertheless here is some helpful advice:

1. Stop stressing over lost boyfriends. They're a dime a dozen as you will eventually discover.

#2. Focus on your routine and hanging out with friends after break ups. You will eat socially and follow your natural habits when doing that.

#3. Were you going out to eat a lot while you were dating? You were probably eating fattening foods on the dates. Most restaurant foods are pretty fattening. That might explain your "Lost Boyfriend Yo-yo Diet".

#4. Don't date anyone for awhile and wait for your weight to stabilize.

#5. Get a hobby/sport or take up a cause, perhaps something stressful in a different way, and watch what happens to your diet. You will feel less stressed about idiot boyfriends and more worried about global warming (or whatever the cause is that you pick).

#6. Learn to cook. Nothing packs on the pounds like perfecting your pancake recipe. (I can't believe I am advising someone on weight gain... so please try to make more healthy pancakes, okay?)

#7. Don't forget to exercise! Go jogging every morning and eat a big breakfast afterwards.

Question: Left Leg lagging behind?

Q

"I have always just done running, jogging, cycling etc on legs. While working out upper body. Now I am trying to gain mass on my legs. I'm 77kg and I can do 15 single leg squats on my right leg with an additional 20kg. I don't have the balance to do the added weight with my left leg, I just tip over. Help?" - Joe.

A

This is actually normal.

Everyone has dominant arms, eyes and legs. Even dominant ears that you hear better out of.

BUT if you really want to try and correct the problem there is a solution.

#1. When exercising do DOUBLE whatever you are doing on the left leg compared to the right. So if doing single leg squats do 15 on your right leg and 30 on your left. If you are falling over use a wall or friend for support.

#2. Whenever you get the chance to do something with one leg over the other, use the left leg in your daily routine. This will require some memory to do so.

#3. Do yoga to improve your overall strength and balance.

#4. Attach a small leg weight to your left ankle and wear it 8 hours each day for a week. After the week is over do a series of strength and balance tests to see improvement.

#5. Consult a professional bodybuilder who has encountered the same problem and find out how they fixed it. Always handy for extra advice.

Exercises for Preventing Dance Injuries

There is actually quite a few "Exercises for Preventing Dance Injuries"... And this blog post will only cover a few of them.

For a more complete list I recommend reading the book "Conditioning with Imagery for Dancers" by Donna Krasnow + Jordana Deveau.

Now understanding of course that this book is written for dancers (ballet, etc) it does have a fair amount of dancing jargon and lingo in it. But that doesn't mean the book isn't useful for other things too. Yoga, aerobics, gymnastics and preventing general sports injuries by increasing strength and flexibility in joints.

Within the book the chapters are broken down into parts covering everything from warm up, legwork, flexibility, "Developpe and Rond de Jambe", turnout, extensions, strength and stretches. Plus of course the introduction and appendix.

The good news is that even though I don't know what "Developpe and Rond de Jambe" is, the book is highly illustrated with multiple photos on every page. Not kidding. The book is 158 pages long and has (I am estimating) about 400 photographs in it showing all the poses. The images shown here is just a tiny sampling of what is inside the book.

That said, trying to review this book accurately is a bit like trying to review the bible or bhagavad gita. Nevertheless I will try to summarize ONE section of the book.

WARM-UP.

90% of the exercises in this book takes place on your back so you will probably want a yoga mat if your floor is dirty. "Warm-Up" begins with a Neutral Pelvis Lesson:

"Start by lying on the back (supine) with the arms and legs extended, arms at the sides of the body. Focus on allowing the breath to be natural and the body segments to lie easefully with as little tension as possible. While inhaling, imagine the breath filling the body, and sense how it releases tension in the muscles on the exhale. Image the pubic bone directly above the tailbone (coccyx), and the back of the head, rib cage, and sacrum heavy and in contact with the floor. there will be spaces under the neck (cervical spine) and low back (lumbar spine), due to the natural curves of the spine. This organization of the pelvis is neutral pelvis in the supine position."

Easy to understand and you probably just learned some new words for various body parts. It helps that the authors used both the layman's terminology and technical jargon.

In the following paragraphs on Parallel Legs Sliding, Side to Side Rolling and 3 more warm-up exercises the authors are very detailed about exactly how to do each exercise so that anyone with a firm grasp of English will understand it even if they aren't experts at the lingo.

On the sides of the paragraphs there are also helpful tips for how to visualize what you are doing so you understand it more perfectly. (Kudos on the attention to detail!)

The end result in the book is a series of very pricise exercises designed to increase flexibility and muscles in various areas of the body, especially those which dancers often develop injuries. If I was a professional ballet dancer I would consider this book and its exercises to be a regular part of my exercise routine.

I will be posting more exercise book reviews in the future. Please subscribe / follow this blog and return for more. :)

The 8 Benefits of Lemon Water in your Diet

There are lots of so-called "miracle" detox/weight loss/energy supplements and strategies out there. But very few of them are as cheap, easy to use and commonplace as the ordinary lemon.

I am not going to try to convince you that lemon water is the ultimate solution for all of your health and wellness desires and needs. It isn't and neither is anything else. There is no one shot "miracle fruit" and anyone trying to sell you "snake oil" is in the wrong century.

However, for such a simple solution, lemon water does have some amazing benefits. Best of all, it's natural and really inexpensive to try and test it out.

8 Benefits of Lemon Water

1. Lemon water will assist weight loss. It is a no-calorie drink. With it's presence of pectin fiber, hunger can be controlled while offering the body a flavorful drink that provides many other benefits for the body.
2. A good source of citric acid, potassium, calcium, phosphorus and magnesium
3. Helps dissolve uric acid, which causes inflammation in the joints
4. Assists digestion and elimination
5. Naturally strengthens the liver
6. Has antibacterial properties and Vitamin C. Great for colds and flues
7. Lowers blood pressure
8. Reduces symptoms of asthma and allergies

How to Use Lemon Water

Lemons are best at room temperature. The thinner the skin, the more the juice. Roll the lemon a few times on the counter to break up the fruit inside.

After juicing the lemon they store in the fridge for about a week.

Tips when using Lemon Water

1. If using the peel (zesting the lemon) buy organic or scrub. Pesticides (and who knows what else) can be absorbed into the peel.
2. In any case, it's probably not a good idea to keep the peel in the glass all day.

Tada! How hard is that?

How to Trick Yourself into Eating Healthy

You should already know some of these tips. Some of them are pretty well known.

#1. Eat before you go out so you aren't starving later.

#2. Sample your faves instead of pigging out.

#3. Split dessert with a friend or lover.

But I also want to share a few reverse psychology tricks that will help you eat healthier.

If you go through a long period of eating healthy foods you will start to want the junk food simply because you want a break and want something sweet. Part of it is simply wanting something that you can't have because it is Forbidden Fruit.

There are three solutions to the dealing forbidden sweets and junk food however:

1. Eat junk food more often.

This really seems counter-intuitive but this strategy works for a lot of people because indulging regularly takes away the need to gorge on a grand scale when your willpower completely collapses. And after enough time goes by, where you're fighting between a controlled and crazy appetite, something has to give. It's usually willpower. So what you do is have small amounts, small measured amounts, just to take the edge off.

2. Don't think of it as junk food.

Another tip is to stop thinking about food as good and bad. People always want what they can't have. Although it would be a stretch to ever try to convince yourself that celery sticks are the new chocolate bars it's easy to pull some reverse psychology on your psyche and convince your brain that the chocolate is not all that it's cracked up to be and opting for the real food is just as satisfying, if not more.

3. Focus on Socialization

You're at a party/holiday gathering to be with your friends and family so do just that. The food isn't the main reason why you're visiting. Catch up on stories, reminisce about the past and enjoy the company of loved ones that you don't normally see all in the same room at once. If you forget the food is there then it is time well spent.

Use these tips to change the way you think about eating and keep your balanced diet on track!