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It was only a few years ago that the modern VR revolution officially began. Palmer Luckey, the founder of Oculus, personally delivered the first pre-ordered Rift to an ecstatic customer in early 2016.

At that moment, the sci-fi dream of transporting yourself from your dull Earthly surroundings into a vast metaverse of unlimited experiences and connections became a reality.

Well, kind of.

The Oculus Rift CV1 was a marvel of modern technology, but it was missing some key pieces of functionality that would be needed before we permanently jacked ourselves into the matrix.

For one, it was missing any type of hand tracking or 6DoF controllers. It shipped with an Xbox controller. The external tracking sensors could only track you if you were facing them, which made 360-degree experiences frustratingly difficult. The long wire reminded you that you were connected by a leash to a very expensive gaming computer. And finally, the list of games and experiences was very small and limited to mainly tech demos that werent worth more than an hour of your time.

The idea of using the first version of the Rift for fitness was not feasible with these limitations, but it wouldnt be long before Oculus and many other VR companies began to release the needed improvements.

In 2016, mentioning the word fitness together with VR would bring quite a few snarky laughs from any forum or subreddit. VR was meant for gaming and entertainment and the idea of working out with it was inconceivable to most.

Luckily, a few visionary companies and individuals could see, even in those early days, that the beginning of the next health and fitness revolution had just started. The technology wasnt quite there yet, but over the next few years, it would improve to a point that would make it usable for many other applications.

Economic studies show that more money is spent on fitness products, memberships, and services than ever before. People of all ages are joining boutique gyms, buying yoga apparel, paying for fitness apps, and buying expensive spin bikes to help them drop belly fat and tone their bikini body. The wealth of workout, nutrition, and motivational content is overloading our feeds.

So why do studies show we are fatter, more depressed, and more out of shape than ever before?

The truth is that most people know what to do, but they dont do it consistently over a long period of time. New Years Revolutionaries join the gym in droves only to drop out weeks later. Diet plans come and go faster than you can say UberEats.

We wish we could get addicted to lifting weights and eating broccoli, but we actually end up addicted to the screens around us. Video games, streaming movies, and social media have taken up our days and we struggle to get off the couch.

Virtual Reality will turn out to be vastly more addictive than any small screen that you hold in your hands. Youll feel like you are emotionally and physically there with others instead of just looking at flat pictures of your friends or pancake videos of your favorite celebrities. Youll live in the Fortnite world instead of visiting from a 3rd person view.

For some, this could be a recipe for disaster for their health and fitness as they shun the outside world.

But for many others, if we build it correctly, this could be the solution that turns them into warriors and athletes.

In VR, you use your real body and real movements to interact with the world. You dont just sit still and press buttons. You can swipe and jump and parry and duck through environments that engage all of your senses. Even just a few hours a week of intense VR gaming can be enough to transform your health and fitness.

Its a revolution that will be looked at as obvious in retrospect.

Well, of course, people would exercise more if they could play Call of Duty with their real body, harvest their Farmville farm in VR, or compete in awe-inspiring sporting events with huge audiences right from their home?

Truly addictive gamification (not just basic tracking, leaderboards, and point generation) that can really immerse you in the experience is coming to the mainstream fitness industry over the next few years!

It will take quite a bit of focused effort by many people to create the technology and experiences that will make it possible. Our goal at VR Fitness Insider is to help create this new category with you so we all get there as soon as possible.

Fast forward a few years since the launch of the Oculus Rift CV1 and the landscape looks quite different! An unbelievable number of advances has brought us to the point where large numbers of people now exclusively workout inside virtual reality. Lets take a look at where we are now.

Some of the largest companies in the world (like Microsoft, Samsung, Qualcomm, and Google) have invested billions into virtual reality research. Today we have high-end headsets like the Valve Index and HTC Vive Pro that are more comfortable, easier-to-use, and much higher quality than anything before.

Oculus released the Quest this year which made it possible to experience great VR without wires or even a separate computer. Their inside-out tracking allows you to move around in a virtual environment with more freedom than ever before. The quality of the visuals is reduced because its a completely mobile device, but the ease-of-use and easy setup more than make up for it.

The Oculus Quest is possibly the best thing to happen to VR fitness, so far. Its more affordable and anybody can understand how to use it. The installed base of Quest users is huge and growing daily which makes it possible for fitness game developers profit from their investment.

Game developers have created amazing fitness-based VR experiences like BoxVR and Viro Move that are specifically geared towards working out. Other games give you an awesome workout just due to the nature of what they are imitating, especially boxing games like Creed and Thrill of the Fight. We also now have hundreds of experiences that might not burn a thousand calories per hour, but they get you moving, like Echo VR, In Death, and Racket Fury.

A surprising hit for fitness that everybody knows and loves is Beat Saber. Beat Saber can be a very low-intensity experience if you stay in easy levels and just wave your wrists around. But once you get to Expert and Expert+ and focus on moving your whole body, you may never want to do cardio the traditional way ever again!

The number of Steam or Oculus games that you can use at home for fitness is huge and growing daily.

Treadmills and dumbbells are outdated torture devices that millions of people dread using. Luckily, innovative companies are turning them into something youll love.

KatVR is a 360-degree treadmill that allows you to walk, run, and move in your favorite VR game instead of just pointing and clicking.

VirZoom and VZFit takes the boring exercise bike experience to whole new levels of immersion with fun games, competitions, and events.

If rowing machines are more your thing, youll love Holodias addictive fitness experience. Aim for your best time or simply take a vacation to another universe while burning calories and building biceps.

The machine that Icaros created isnt like anything weve seen before. After youve worked your legs on a VirZoom bike and smashed your arms and back on a Holodia rowing machine, jump over to the other corner of your gym and get that core that youve been dreaming about while flying through the air.

Our team at Black Box VR has created the worlds first virtual reality resistance workout experience. The cable strength machine integrates into a VR Esports game that will truly test your power, endurance, and mobility. You can get a full-body, high-intensity workout based on the latest in exercise science that is fully tracked and analyzed.

Right now Black Box VR gyms are open in San Francisco and Boise, and soon to open in Washington DC. Next up: worldwide rollout inside existing gym chains.

We have to also mention this little beauty: the HTC Vive Tracker. Its not directly a fitness device, but innovative companies are connecting it to sports equipment, fitness hardware, and random body parts to create exciting experiences that otherwise wouldnt be possible. We hope that HTC and others continue to create open software and hardware that give the power to the community to innovate on top of the VR ecosystem.

Not a day goes by that somebody in a VR group or subreddit doesnt mention the great exercise they are getting from VR. It used to be very rare and the idea of VR + fitness was shunned, but now the comments that you see are very supportive. People share their fat loss stories, create lists of games to try, and give tips for improving the experience.

Weve featured just a few of the many astounding physical transformations that people are sharing on social media. Of course, the real number of people that are seeing fitness results will always be way higher than the number that go out and post about it online. A movement has begun!

Even the mainstream media is starting to see the value of virtual reality for fitness with dozens of mentions in stories about the future of fitness. The health club industrys leading trade publications continually feature VR fitness companies and technologies in their pages to help their readers understand the coming trends.

The Showtime hit show Billions had a scene where the lead actors were in a modern gym with virtual reality workout experiences all around them.

A year or so ago, one of our colleagues mentioned to John Carmack (creator of many pioneering video games and VR technologies) that one of VRs killer apps will be exercise. He wasnt so sure and said he didnt think that people would want to be overly active in most experiences. Fast forward a year later and during an interview on the Joe Rogan podcast, he said he finds himself playing games like Beat Saber for part of his exercise routine!

Many scientific studies have been released over the last year that proves what weve already known: virtual reality helps people get fit! Researchers are finding that people that workout in VR enjoy the experience more, are able to workout harder and longer, and perceive the difficulty to be less than traditional methods.

The VR Health Institute, based on the Kinesiology labs at SFSU in California, tested some of the top VR experiences to see how they compared to other fitness activities like tennis, jogging, and more. Their scientific methodologies helped to prove to naysayers that you can play exciting video games and burn thousands of calories and rev up your heart rate to improve your overall health.

Speaking of the VR Health Institute, this year they released a VR Exercise app to help you track your workouts and choose the best games for your goals.

A company named YUR received significant venture funding and released their VR calorie and heart rate tracking application. Their technology is being integrated directly into the top-selling games to make the experience seamless for end-users.

This year VR competitions were held all across the country. Whether its a Racket:NX tournament at your local VR arcade, a Beat Saber competition at your university, or an Onward VRespawn tournament for cash prizes, weve seen the power of Esports extend to VR in a big way.

It wont be long before stadiums (real or virtual) are being filled to watch true athletes wage war against each other in the metaverse.

Although its not quite virtual reality, exergaming and connected fitness continue to gain traction. It doesnt take a lot of imagination to see how these eventually morph into full VR experiences as the technology improves. A few of note:

VR is set to make a big leap forward in 2020. The Oculus Quest was one of the most sought after gifts for 2019s holiday season and sold out at nearly every retailer. The demand is starting to ramp up and that means that the pace of VR innovation will increase in response.

Here are a few predictions for the next few years

I remember when the year 2000 seemed like the future. Now its 2020 and the sci-fi world we imagined is beginning to become a reality in most areas of our life with self-driving cars, delivery drones, and video calls on our watches.

Now its time for the old school world of barbells and treadmills to get that same type of upgrade. The old model was never effective for the average person. The secret to fitness success is consistency and counting minutes during your stair-stepper session is a torture that most of us cant stick to for long.

Jumping inside a virtual world to play addictive sports and games with connected equipment, machine learning data trackers, and communities of friends built around an entire fantasy world will make us more fit than we ever imagined.

Welcome to the VR fitness revolution.

Disclosure: VR Fitness Insider is owned and operated by Strive VR LLC which is the parent company to Black Box VR.

This article may contain affiliate links. If you click an affiliate link and buy a product we may receive a small commission which helps support the publication. More information here.

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REPORT: The State of VR Fitness in 2019 - VR Fitness Insider

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When you reach for a cookie, youre probably super aware that well, its a cookie. And that means its not the healthiest snack, which is why you indulge only once in a while (we hope). If so, then were proud of you and your progress since its never too late to start looking after your health.

However, what can be tricky are snacks or food that you might think aren't as unhealthy. And thats because unlike a cookie, which just screams sugar theyre often not as sweet. But make no mistake, they are, and these sneaky foods are most likely whats ruining your health and diet, and why you find it so hard to lose weight these days. In fact, a quick snooping here and there will show you that food scientists make this food just sweet enough for you to crave more, starting a vicious unhealthy cycle.

But the decade is just about done (and so are we, with unhealthy foods), and we decided that if were going to march into 2020 with a healthier mindset, well do so with less baggage than before. And that means leaving some unhealthy foods behind this 2019. Here are what to let go:

Bottled Salad Dressing

Did you know that a few tablespoons of these already have more than 5 grams of sugar? Now do you really want that?

Pasta Sauce

They taste savory, serves as the perfect pairing for the pasta you just made and have around 10 grams or more of sugar per half a cup. Yikes.

Granola Bars

Even granola bars? Well, yes. While theyre usually praised for packing a lot of vitamins and minerals, most are just packaged with high-fructose corn syrup. Thats a lot of bad, bad sugar. Say goodbye.

Yogurt

Sure it contains protein and calcium that naturally occurs from the milk in it. However, the fruit varieties that it comes with also have a lot of sugar as well. Stick to regular milk.

Beverages

What you may not know is that teas and energy drinks also come with sugar or artificial sweeteners. This 2020, stick to plain water and stay hydrated.

Strawberries are some of the sweet and filling fruits that people can eat while on the keto diet. Pixabay

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Lose Weight Fast By Avoiding These Foods This 2020 - Medical Daily

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Eggs are good for you. Eggs are bad for you. Avoid red meat. Enjoy red meat in moderation. Butter is out. Butter is back. If your head is spinning, youre not alone. According to a recent International Food Information Council Foundation survey, 80 percent of people feel confused about nutrition. Of course, headlines are partly to blame, but disinformation on social networks along with food marketing makes matters worse.

Yet despite the seemingly always changing nutrition landscape and turnabouts in opinion and setting aside tribalistic views theres actually a lot of agreement in the nutrition world. In other words, these headline shifts are actually at odds with what we know. Heres a look at where there is consensus, along with a look at some areas where even the scientists are still a bit unclear.

Research consistently shows that when you eat mostly plant foods, markers of health improve. Benefits include lower blood pressure, triglyceride levels, glucose and waist circumference, which can translate to a lower risk of a number of different diseases, including heart disease and diabetes.

An interesting, recent study looked at different patterns of plant-based eating, from a strict vegan diet to a more flexible semi-vegetarian approach to a non-vegetarian diet, examining how each dietary pattern impacts different predictors of health. What was notable about this study is it investigated a spectrum of plant-based eating styles. It turns out, a strict vegan diet produced the highest levels of healthy biomarkers and the lowest levels of unhealthy markers. Vegetarians who include eggs, dairy and/or fish scored next best. The non-vegetarian group had the least favorable health markers in their blood, urine and tissue samples.

Plant-based eating isnt a new concept. Its been studied for decades and research repeatedly shows that a plant-focused plan can help offset a lot of the health challenges that develop over time. No matter what type of dietary pattern you follow, you should be eating mostly plant-based foots. That means 75 percent of your plate should include some mix of veggies, fruits, nuts, seeds, pulse and whole grains.

Though headlines this fall claimed otherwise, the majority of scientific evidence is on the side of limiting or avoiding these foods. In fact, the study from which these headlines arose was massively criticized and disputed. If you like red meat, but you also want to reduce your chances of dying prematurely from any number of causes, including heart disease and cancer, consider how you might cut back. Maybe that means eating a smaller portion of red meat on the occasions youre enjoying it, or maybe it means having it a little less often. Also consider what else youre eating alongside your steak dinner or at other eating occasions. A little red meat can be fine if your diet is rich in plant foods (see above).

The case against processed meat is a little more concerning. Earlier this year, Frank B. Hu, MD, Professor and Chair, Department of Nutrition, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, told me, The current evidence suggests the higher intake of processed meat, the higher the risk of chronic diseases and mortality. When pressed on what amount might be safe, he explained that we dont have evidence to suggest a safe amount, but that eating a small amount of processed meat on occasion (which he defined as once or twice a month) is unlikely to have a considerable impact on your health. If youre currently eating above this amount, it makes good health sense to cut back.

In the fat vs. carbs war, healthy wins. In other words, you can eat a low-fat, high-carb diet healthfully just as you can eat a high-fat, low-carb diet healthfully. The main thing is choosing your fat or carb options wisely. Were crystal clear on the fact that carbs from foods like veggies, starchy veggies (such as potatoes), fruits and pulses, all of which supply antioxidants, vitamins, minerals and fiber, are quite different from overly processed carbs, which supply few, if any, whole food nutrition.

There is also considerable agreement that fat is not the enemy and that fats from plant and fish sources provide anti-inflammatory health benefits. Inflammation within the body may not cause obvious symptoms, but when it persists, its thought to be involved in a number of disease processes, from mood disorders like depression, to heart disease, diabetes and Alzheimers disease. Though butter and other saturated fats may not be as unfavorable as we once thought, anti-inflammatory fats when eaten along with other foods that lower the inflammatory process may help you live and age more healthfully. In fact, even if youre following a high-fat keto diet, health experts recommend focusing on these fats over others.

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I struggle to think of any dietary advice that has more unanimous agreement than to reduce your intake of hyper-processed foods and to favor whole or minimally processed foods instead. Weve discovered that heavily processed foods, which include processed meats, refined grains and many snacks and sweets, drive the inflammatory process that promotes disease, and diets high in heavily processed foods are associated with higher body weights and poorer health.

For the most part, choose whole or minimally processed foods whenever you can. That means looking at ingredient lists and trying to make healthier swaps for foods that are high in sodium, sugar, artificial sweeteners, colors and preservatives, which often signal that a product is heavily processed. This doesnt mean giving up convenience, though. Theres a wide range of minimally processed foods that make meal prep saner and get the green light from nutritionists.

Any one person can benefit from any number of eating patterns if focused on the above factors. Eating is a highly personal experience and it involves more than just fueling your body or sitting down to nutrients on a plate. Food can be nostalgic, part of social and religious events, and it can elicit an emotional response, providing a sense of comfort, stress reduction or joy. A meal is hardly ever just one thing and understanding all of the things it is to you, along with your personal non-negotiables (what you wont give up), can help guide you toward a dietary approach that you can live with.

Your neighbor might be successful on a keto plan and your co-worker may love being a pescatarian, but if youre a kosher vegetarian, these plans pose too many challenges. This may be an extreme example, but its meant to illustrate how important it is to understand your unique needs and then identify an eating pattern that suits you best. Its now widely recognized that different eating patterns can be appropriate for different situations, but thats only if you can stick with the advice. There are people who thrive on an intermittent fasting protocol while others cant put up with the hunger or limitations of restricting eating to certain time windows each day. Nourishing your body is a commitment not a passing fling so determine what type of eating pattern sounds most doable to you and then try to adhere to it in the healthiest way possible. That means something different to everyone, so just do you.

Nutrition isnt a perfect science in fact, far from it and we dont have everything sorted out. Heres where were not as buttoned up.

Many of our health recommendations boil down to reducing certain nutrients and emphasizing others but you dont eat a nutrient say fiber in isolation. Health recommendations based on these reductionist principles can be very misleading. Sticking with the fiber example, theres a tremendous difference between a fiber-rich quinoa and vegetable nourish bowl and a fiber-enhanced powdered supplement drink taken with a fast-food meal. Both meals might provide the same amount of an individual nutrient (fiber), but other than that, these two meals arent comparable.

In 2015, our Dietary Guidelines started talking about eating patterns, but it still called out individual nutrients, including saturated fat and sodium. And the following example highlights why this approach needs to be reassessed.

Under the suggestion to limit saturated fat, which has been linked to an increased risk of heart disease, you might cut full-fat milk, yogurt and cheese (all notoriously high in saturated fat) from your diet. But studies have shown that the saturated fats from these foods dont deserve the bad rap.

A recent, large meta-analysis involving 29 studies and more than 900,000 participants found that neither total dairy consumption nor milk consumption was linked with an increased risk of death and more notably, death from heart disease. To the contrary, in fact. Cheese, which is especially high in saturated fat (and also high in sodium), was associated with a slightly lower risk of stroke and coronary artery disease. An earlier study involving more than 5,000 participants reached similar conclusions that high-fat dairy foods arent as risky as we once thought.

There are many theories about why the saturated fats in dairy foods dont seem to promote cardiovascular diseases, but its a solid example of why we cant reduce our dietary advice to single nutrients.

Plus, the advice to remove something from your diet doesnt clearly address what to replace it with, which is a big deal. Looking back, when we cut fat from our diet, we replaced it with high-sugar carbs (Snackwells, anyone?), which set off a cascade of health problems. In this case, replacing a bit of cheese with potato chips isnt the same as replacing it with olives.

Instead of worrying about each individual nutrient, you can begin to make healthier shifts to your diet by following the advice described above (what weve gotten right), which are broader, health promoting eating patterns.

While Harvard researchers now predict that close to 50 percent of the population will be obese by 2030 and 25 percent will have severe obesity, we havent figured out how to tailor dietary advice to help people successfully lose weight for the long term. In fact, one study by Stanford University researchers attempted to determine whether people with certain genetic traits would lose weight better with either a low-fat or low-carb diet. Results were all over the map. After a year, people had lost an average of 13 pounds, but weight loss varied widely (some lost much more and others gained weight) and the study offered no clues as to which genotype might be predictive of weight loss success with either menu.

What this tells us is that neither eating pattern is superior, something weve seen repeatedly when pitting one diet against another. So again, do you. In this case, the study also underscores much of what I said earlier. Because eaters in both arms of the study were offered similar advice to include more veggies, emphasize whole foods and to limit junk food it validates that you can lose weight by following these three pillars of healthy eating.

Marketing is way ahead of science here and while you may be able to send off a stool sample in order to reveal information about your microbiome, we dont yet know how to reconfigure your microbiome or influence your weight based on this, your genetics or your metabolism.

In terms of your microbiome, heres what we do know. You can alter your microbiome in response to altering your diet, but other factors, including age, sex, ethnicity, environmental factors, lifestyle factors and medications can also influence the microbiome, making it difficult to create a personalized nutrition plan. Plus, even among food patterns we know to cause favorable shifts in the microbiome, like eating a fiber-rich diet that includes diverse food sources, there are individual responses that we cant yet predict and address. According to a recent review study, a tailored nutritional approach is in its infancy, and more feasible, sustainable personalized nutritional strategies need to be developed to optimize ones gut microbiome and improve host responsiveness. A new survey among physicians finds that 53 percent of doctors think this technology needs five or ten more years before its standard practice.

If youre curious about your genetics or your microbiome and you want to get tested, do so knowing that theres a lot we still dont know about how to personalize an eating approach based on those results.

Want more tips like these? NBC News BETTER is obsessed with finding easier, healthier and smarter ways to live. Sign up for our newsletter and follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

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What science says about the best way to eat (and what we're still figuring out) - NBC News

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WITH the new year upon us, most of us are making resolutions to adopt a healthier lifestyle, lose weight or hit the gym more regularly.

However, as research has shown, New Year's resolutions are even easier to break than they are to make.

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In fact, only a quarter of us who make resolutions keep them for the full year, with 22 per cent ditching theirs just six days into January.

However, top personal trainer Harry Thomas has revealed that you can easily stick to your 2020 fitness and weight loss goals if you follow some simple steps.

In particular, he emphasises the need to set an achievable goal, measure progress and stay committed.

Here, Harry, owner of No1 Fitness, takes us through the main ways everyone can stay on track with their New Year's fitness resolutions in 2020...

With New Year's resolutions you need to focus on the bigger picture and work towards something that runs throughout the year.

The first mistake is that New Year's resolutions in most people's minds usually means a January resolution, and getting back to feeling healthy again.

However, health and fitness goes far beyond what happens in a month, and to get the weight loss that you want, it's going to take much longer than 30 days.

But dont worry, you will see results all the way through, you just need to look out for them that's all.

Focus on what you really want to achieve and why you want to lose weight, how much you want to lose and what it would do for your life if you did this.

Write down a number of goals that you want to achieve, and ask yourself why for each one of them.

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A great question to ask yourself is, 'in the next six months if you were at your best version of yourself, what' s changed from today?'

The answers will usually have many of your goals and wants in there and having a strong goal is what keeps you going.

This is a must and for me the main reason people fail.

Every year so many people start with great intentions - they are now training four to five times per week, eating healthy, removing alcohol and junk food.

But by the time it gets to the end of the month they have fallen off the wagon.

When I ask why, the same answer usually appears - 'I wasnt seeing any results'.

To get results and to stay motivated you must see changes, which means we need to become more aware of them and start looking.

I recommend taking photos of your progress - even if you dont like the way you look.

Take photos of your progress - even if you dont like the way you look

Get your belly out and legs out if you want them areas to change and after a few weeks comparing you will be surprised what you can see.

Use scales, people say these are bad and we should focus on other things, but if your goal is weight loss, this is the BEST way to see progress.

Clothes are a great way to see changes - that dress that's sitting in your wardrobe, or your old jeans you want to get back into, the clothes dont lie and will quickly show change.

Circumference measurements, body fat machines are two other ways.

Be consistent measuring, I recommend once per week, same day, same time, make testing fair.

Then look for the other wins like energy and sleep, youll soon start seeing changes all the time.

You must start exercising and you need to pay attention to food.

You can still have a life, you can still eat carbs, you can still enjoy the progress.

One thing that some do which is wrong, is completely remove everything out of their diet and it's just not sustainable.

You will just get cravings or become a recluse stuck in your bedroom saying no to social nights out.

NHS advice on calorie intake

As a guide, an average man needs around 2,500kcal (10,500kJ) a day to maintain a healthy body weight.

For an average woman, that figure is around 2,000kcal (8,400kJ) a day.

These values can vary depending on age, size and levels of physical activity, among other factors.

Our bodies need energy to keep us alive and our organs functioning normally.

When we eat and drink, we put energy into our bodies. Our bodies use up that energy through everyday movement, which includes everything from breathing to running.

To maintain a stable weight, the energy we put into our bodies must be the same as the energy we use through normal bodily functions and physical activity.

An important part of a healthy diet is balancing the energy you put into your bodies with the energy you use.

For example, the more physical activity we do, the more energy we use.

If you consume too much energy on one day, do not worry. Just try to take in less energy on the following days.

Source: NHS

Be mindful of what you are eating, maybe set yourself a weekly goal, i.e. no drinking, no chocolate and work on one thing at time.

Training sessions should be at least four times per week or more in my option to get best results.

This could be a combination of cardio and weights, just make sure you get something in.

If you struggle for motivation, get yourself signed up to some group training.

Classes are very popular and a great way to be more accountable and get extra motivation from others.

This is key. Many people want to get results, but are not prepared to make any changes to get them.

If you do the same things as what you've always done, you'll never get anywhere.

Ask yourself out of ten, how much am I willing to score myself on what I am going to put in.

If you say five, that's no problem, but be prepared that results will still come, but just a little longer. Keep at it.

Results never happen over night, it takes time

Results NEVER happen over night, it takes time, but once you get in the flow and your mojo has reappeared results keep coming.

I suggest to set your first check point for 12 weeks.

Be prepared to stick it out and be consistent and all the hard work and sacrifices made will be worth it.

Your thoughts are always going to be throwing curve balls at you.

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Telling you to stay in bed when the alarm goes off, talking you out of going after work due to a long stressful day, or finding any excuse to get out of it.

Be strong and committed to the goal you want to achieve.

Let's make 2020 a year where results keep coming. Congratulate yourself when you make achievements and keep reminding yourself that more will follow if you keep it going.

You can sign up for personal training sessions with Harry at his gym No1 Fitness here.

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New Years resolutions five simple ways to stick to your 2020 fitness goals and lose weight fast - The Sun

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Most dieting trends require a person to revise their shopping list and re-stock their kitchen with special new products. But the latest trend doesn't require one to buy or eat literally anything at all (at least for a day or two each week).

In 2018, intermittent fasting became the most popular diet in the country, according to a survey conducted by the International Food Information Council. Dozens of celebrities, including Hugh Jackman, Jennifer Lopez and Nicole Kidman, have endorsed the diet, and #intermittentfasting now has more than 3 million mentions on Instagram.

But fad diets are never one-size-fits-all, says local licensed and registered dietitian Pamela Kelle, who has been practicing for 25 years.

"Some people, by the habits of their normal lifestyle, do eat in a manner that lends itself to intermittent fasting," Kelle says. But IF is not everybody, she stresses.

Here, Kelle helps us better digest the intermittent fasting fad.

Intermittent fasting comes in three flavors:

* The 16/8 diet involves fasting for 16 hours each day and eating only within an eight-hour window.

* The 5/2 diet involves consuming just 500 calories on two non-consecutive days each week.

* The 24-hour fast involves consuming no calories one day each week.

Is one version better than the others?

When determining which if any fasting diet is best, one must examine his or her goal. If the goal is weight loss, Kelle would not recommend the 5/2 or the 24-hour fast.

"Very low calorie diets are a setup for a binge," she says, explaining that those non-restricted days often become a free-for-all.

And there's reason for that.

During a fast, the body switches from using carbohydrates as fuel to using fat for fuel. But as it adjusts, it is common for the body to crave sugary, fatty foods, which provide quick energy.

"Many find [those cravings] a real challenge if they were fasting just to lose weight," says Kelle.

The 16/8 diet, however, can be sustainable, and it can help achieve weight loss, she says. That's contingent, of course, on how a person eats within that eight-hour window. A pattern of healthy eating must be established, and calories must be reduced in order to lose weight.

Staples of a balanced diet, says Kelle, include lots of vegetables, potassium- and fiber-rich fruits like apples, bananas and oranges, and high-fiber whole grains like quinoa, oats and rice.

Other than weight loss, what are the benefits to fasting?

Purported benefits of fasting range from weight loss to lower cholesterol to improved sleep, which is one claim that Kelle supports. "The less calories that have to be processed means that nocturnal cellular repair work is more efficient and effective," she says.

However, she adds, "Remember there are blogs, Instagram posts and anecdotal accounts of success, but more long-term studies need to be conducted."

Here are a couple findings from early studies.

Fasting and cancer

In 2012, a University of Southern California-led study found that fasting helped activate the immune system, while making some cancers more vulnerable to chemotherapy treatments. In fact, multiple cycles of two-day fasts combined with chemotherapy cured 20% of mice with advanced cancer and 40% of mice with a less advanced form of that same cancer.

No mice survived that were treated by chemotherapy alone.

Fasting and diabetes

In 2019, a researcher at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas, studied 14 people observing Ramadan, a spiritual practice that involves a strict 30-day fast from sunup to sundown. Blood samples taken before the fast, four weeks into the fast and one week following the fast revealed higher levels of protein known as TPM. This protein plays a key role in improving one's sensitivity to insulin, thus protecting against diseases such as diabetes.

Who should try it?

Kelle says she does not generally recommend the 5/2 or the 24-hour fast. Diets that involve periods of caloric restriction followed by periods of unchecked eating do not help change a person's relationship with food, she says. Moreover, "[they are] not supported by research, and could lead to binge behavior."

However, the 16/8 diet may work well for someone who enjoys a large breakfast and lunch and a small dinner, who isn't inclined to snack, and who doesn't eat before bedtime, Kelle says.

Who shouldn't try it?

A person who has a very active lifestyle, who works out intensely or who has blood sugar issues needs to eat at regular intervals in order to keep fuel available, says Kelle.

"Also, someone who gets hungry easily may be best eating on a schedule every four to five hours to keep them from overeating at the next meal," she says. "And, of course, children absolutely need to eat more frequently some even every three hours."

Can a person drink coffee or tea while fasting?

Yes. And some experts even suggest small amounts of protein could be consumed in the fasting period. Just not carbohydrates.

When coming off a fast, what should a person eat?

If it's a 24- or 48-hour fast (as in some religious fasting), easily digested foods, such as cooked vegetables or fruit, with rice or bland foods are the easiest reintroduction to a normal diet.

Is there anything first-time fasters should anticipate?

"[Clients have told me] they notice food thoughts and obsessions rise pretty quickly, and they need to have a plan in place of what and when they will eat," says Kelle. "They notice triggers of eating such as commercials and what stress does to their eating habits."

Any other considerations before trying IF?

Fasting can affect dining out and social eating patterns, so it means strategic planning on when and with whom you will eat. It can get complicated.

Read the rest here:
Intermittent fasting is touted by celebrities including Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman. But should you try it? - Chattanooga Times Free Press

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WALKING down the aisle in a size 26 wedding dress, Gemma Warne was plagued with insecurity and embarrassment about her weight.

She'd ballooned to just shy of 20 stone after years of gorging on takeaways and sweet treats and no longer "felt like herself".

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However, Gemma's wake-up call came when she was forced to ask for a seat belt extender on her return home from her honeymoon - and was completely mortified.

Determined to do something about her size, Gemma, from Chelmsford, set herself a New Year's resolution 12 months ago to lose weight and overhauled her diet.

She has since shed an impressive seven stone in just 11 months and has seen her confidence sky-rocket.

Gemma said: "I feel so happy and proud of my progress and now when I look at photos of myself, I actually feel like me again."

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Gemma piled on the pounds after she was forced to take steroids for an undiagnosed skin condition - which triggered weight gain.

And she was devastated at how big she had become when her wedding day to her husband Rob, 34, arrived.

She said: "Doctors had no idea why I'd developed a skin condition but I suffered with it terribly the entire year before my wedding on November 24 2018 and steroids had caused my weight to increase rapidly.

"I was the fat bride I never wanted to be and although being overweight didn't spoil my day with Rob I didn't look how I'd envisioned.

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"My dress would barely button up on the morning of our big day but I just told my mum to 'make it fit' as I was wearing my dream dress and had nothing else to wear."

And things took a turn for the worst when Gemma had to ask for seat belt extenders on her return from her honeymoon to St Lucia and New York - and was left feeling completely ashamed.

"I was mortified on the flight home from our honeymoon," she said.

I felt uncomfortable being so overweight but it was out of my control

"I had to get my husband to ask the air hostess for an extension belt for me because I couldn't bring myself to ask, I was so close to tears.

"She repeated my husband's request, so everyone around us heard and I felt my face go red, I couldn't speak or even look at my husband and just started to cry.

"I felt uncomfortable being so overweight but it was out of my control, my skin was burning, it was red and it was sore."

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As soon as Gemma landed back home in the UK she set herself a strict New Year's resolution to lose weight.

"After returning from our luxury honeymoon to St Lucia and New York, I decided to set myself a new target for 2019," she said.

"I couldn't allow myself to continue gaining weight and I was bigger than ever before."

Gemma decided to stop all medication for her skin including the contraceptive pill - against advice and joined The 1:1 Diet by Cambridge Weight Plan on January 4.

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And to ensure she stuck to her own pledge, Gemma decided to document her entire weight loss journey by taking weekly photos of her shrinking frame every month.

Within the first two months of her being on plan, the newlywed dropped two stone.

She added: "The transformation was amazing and it happened so quickly that I could tell a real difference each week.

"But the best thing was, my skin condition cleared up completely and I was free from all medication and steroids."

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Gemma has now been on the weight loss plan for 11 months and is "over the moon" to have dropped 7st 7lbs in 11 months.

And she has been left stunned by how much her weight loss has turned her life around.

"I can run up the stairs for the first time in about two years without getting out of breath and I go to the gym and swim up to five times per week," she said.

"If I compare my life now to how it was before setting my New Year's resolution, it is the complete opposite.

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"My confidence has come back which leads to constant photo opportunities, Rob is like another one!

"I drive him up the wall but he knows I'm happy and that's what matters."

Gemma is now hoping to inspire others to follow in her footsteps, saying: "If I can do it, anyone can".

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She has also become a 1:1 Diet Consultant by The Cambridge Weight Plan, and has credited the weight loss group for it's easy plan.

She added: "I still eat various Cambridge Weight Plan products such as their savoury meals and sweet bars which act as meal replacements."

Gemma is still hoping to reach her target weight of ten stone but says she feels more confident than ever in her skin.

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And she says she no longer feels embarrassed about getting on a plane.

"My goal weight is ten stone so I have another stone or so to go before I reach target but I now feel confident in how I look, I didn't think I'd be back in a size 12, half the person I was in the same year," she said.

"Looking back on my photos from last year really inspires me to carry on, I never want to feel shame like that again and now look forward to flying."

Original post:
Weight loss: New Years resolution helped obese bride lose 8 stone after her wedding - The Sun

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Jenna Jameson, now retired from her career as an adult film star, recently packed on 20 pounds.

A year and a half ago, she thought she had found the perfect solution to her keeping her weight down for good, but now it appears she may have fallen off the wagon.

Heres what she has to say about the weight gain and why others may be able to relate to it.

After giving birth to her daughter Batel in April of 2017, Jameson had 80 or so pounds to shed. Vocal about her weight loss struggles, she sang the praises of the ketogenic diet and how effective it had been for losing and maintaining weight.

The diet, which focuses on a low-carbohydrate, moderate protein, and high fat intake, enabled Jameson to lose those 80 pounds.

Feeling like her best self, Jameson reported that she felt happier, smarter, and much more confident. She even documented her transformation on Instagram sharing before and after shots with the world. Along the way, she shared diet tips and encouraging words surrounding inner beauty, mental health, and accepting yourself with her followers.

Ultimately, sticking to the diet and keeping the weight off proved to be somewhat difficult for Jameson. She revealed that after a year and a half she had taken a break from her new eating habits and gone carby.

As a result, she quickly put on 20 pounds.

Most people who have attempted the diet can totally relate to that. Although the diet can have brain health benefits and might help lower blood sugar in people with diabetes, it can be difficult to stick to it.

Not only does the diet ban junk foods like soda, candy, and cookies, but all grains, sweeteners like honey, and starch and sugary fruits and vegetables are also restricted.It also cuts out many healthy foods making it difficult to get needed vitamins without excessive supplementation.

Some experts suggest that the keto diet may not be safe to follow for long periods of time. Being high in saturated fat, it may not deliver adequate nutrients which raises heart health concerns and can lead to liver and kidney problems.

Also, low-carb diets can have a list of side effects including constipation, bad breath, and headaches.

Gwyneth Paltrow, as well as Kim and Kourtney Kardashian, have all reported success with the keto diet. Former NFL quarterback. Tim Tebow, not only follows the diet, but he and his wife formed a partnership with KetoLogic.com, a diet challenge program designed to kick off weight loss rapidly.

Other celebrity adherents include Halle Berry, Al Roker, Alicia Vikander, and Vinny Guadagnino.

Jillian Michaels called the plan a bad idea. Noting that our cells are made up of protein, carbohydrates, nucleic acids, and fats, she told Womens Health that when we dont get enough of those macronutrients, we are virtually starving ourselves.

She recommended instead using exercise and eating a balanced diet in combination with limiting processed sugars and grains.

Forty-five-year-old Jameson temporarily abandoned the diet when she moved to Hawaii in 2019. She admitted to losing control and eating like a crazed banshee.

Still, she felt she had the willpower to get back on track. Now, she may be done with the diet. Reporting that she is living her best carby life, she is now looking to other sustainable forms of eating like vegan, calorie counting, and avoiding sugar.

She suggests getting in touch with ones true hunger and practicing intuitive eating.

See more here:
Jenna Jameson is Embracing Her 20-Pound Weight Gain for This Totally Relatable Reason - Showbiz Cheat Sheet

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Jenny Craigs new advertising campaign promotes a DNA Decoder Plan that directs users toward the best food choices based on their genetic makeup.

The Carlsbad, Calif. weight-loss company will have dieters first swab their cheeks and send off their genetic material for analysis, before devising a meal and exercise plan. Jenny Craig follows other companies, like DNAfit, for example, which uses clients 23andMe data to unlock tailored diets.

"We know that in a recent survey nearly half of the weight-loss consumers we polled want to utilize their DNA to create a customized weight loss plan," said Monty Sharma, Jenny Craig chief executive officer and president, in an announcement.

As for the broadcast and digital campaign, it features real-people testimonials versus the celebrities dieters of yore, such as Kirstie Alley.

In one broadcast spot, a featured dieter explains that "getting your DNA tested gives you just that much of an extra advantage." Other campaign endorsers refer to the Jenny Craig microwave-and-munch, prepared-food plan as the "easy button" for weight loss.

Nutritionist and author, Marion Nestle, who writes the popular Food Politics blog and is the Paulette Goddard professor of nutrition, food studies and public health at New York University, has a more wary view of DNA-based dieting.

"I dont know of any better way to lose weight than to eat less and move more," she said. "How much less? Check a scale every day. If weight isnt budging, eat even less. This may go more quickly if you replace junk foods with plant foods.

"Beyond that, I cannot imagine that DNA testing will make this any easier unless paying a lot of money acts as an incentive. If having someone interpret your DNA to suggest what you should most cut down on--and you can afford it--go for it. But really, what matters to body weight is calorie balance and consuming fewer calories than you need--from any source--ought to work just fine."

Jenny Craigs campaign partners include the Denver advertising agency, LXRD and the Juice Group of Vancouver for branding.

In 2020, the company will expand its neighborhood footprint by opening Jenny Craig at Walgreens branches at 100 of the drugstore chains locations.

Original post:
New year, new you: Jenny Craig's new weight-loss tool - CampaignLive

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Are you pondering what kind of resolutions you can adopt to start this upcoming decade off on the right foot?

Well, this research from last year shows that taking part in Dry Januarya New Years challenge in which people abstain from drinking booze for a monthhelps people to regain control of their drinking, have more energy, improve their skin, quit smoking, lose weight, and drink less during the following months.

The research, led by University of Sussex psychologist Dr. Richard de Visser, was conducted with over 800 people who took part in Dry January back in 2018and the results show that the participants were still drinking less in August.

They reported that the average amount of participants drinking days fell from 4 to 3 per week; their average amount of drinks per drinking day fell from 8.6 to 7.1; and the average amount of times they reported being drunk dropped from 3 times per month to 2.

The simple act of taking a month off alcohol helps people drink less in the long term: by August, people are reporting one extra dry day per week, said Visser.

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There are also considerable immediate benefits: nine in ten people save money, seven in ten sleep better and three in five lose weight, he added. Interestingly, these changes in alcohol consumption have also been seen in the participants who didnt manage to stay alcohol-free for the whole monthalthough they are a bit smaller. This shows that there are real benefits to just trying to complete Dry January.

The University of Sussex research also showed that:

93% of participants had a sense of achievement;88% saved money;80% feel more in control of their drinking;76% learned more about when and why they drink;71% realized they dont need a drink to enjoy themselves;70% had generally improved health;71% slept better;67% had more energy;58% lost weight;57% had better concentration;54% had better skin.

Furthermore, if quitting smoking is one of your New Years resolutions, you might want to consider cutting back on your drinking, too.

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A separate study from Oregon State University found that heavy drinkers who are trying to stop smoking may find that reducing their alcohol use can also help them quit their daily smoking habit. Heavy drinkers nicotine metabolite ratioa biomarker that indicates how quickly a persons body metabolizes nicotinewas reduced as they cut back on their drinking.

Past research has suggested that people with higher nicotine metabolism ratios are likely to smoke more and that people with higher rates have a harder time quitting. Slowing a persons nicotine metabolism rate through reduced drinking could provide an edge when trying to stop smoking, which is known to be a difficult task, said Sarah Dermody, an assistant professor at Oregon State University and the studys lead author.

It takes a lot of determination to quit smoking, often several attempts, Dermody said. This research suggests that drinking is changing the nicotine metabolism as indexed by the nicotine metabolite ratio, and that daily smoking and heavy drinking may best be treated together.

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The study was just published in the journal Nicotine & Tobacco Research.

Use of both alcohol and cigarettes is widespread, with nearly 1 in 5 adults using both. Cigarette use is especially prevalent in heavy drinkers. Drinking is a well-established risk factor for smoking, and smoking is well-established risk factor for drinking.

Dermody and colleagues at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in Toronto, Canada, wanted to better understand the links between the two. They studied the nicotine metabolite ratio, an index of nicotine metabolism, in a group of 22 daily smokers who were seeking treatment for alcohol use disorderthe medical term for severe problem drinkingover several weeks.

Whats really interesting is that the nicotine metabolite ratio is clinically useful, Dermody said. People with a higher ratio have a harder time quitting smoking cold turkey. They are also less likely to successfully quit using nicotine replacement therapy products.

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However, they found that as the men in the study group reduced their drinking from an average of 29 drinks per week to 7, their nicotine metabolite rate also dropped.

The researchers findings for men replicated those of an earlier study that found similar effects and provide further evidence of the value of the nicotine metabolite ratio biomarker to inform treatment for smokers trying to quit, Dermody said.

The nicotine metabolite ratio was thought to be a stable index, but it may not be as stable as we thought, Dermody said. From a clinical standpoint, thats a positive thing, because if someone wants to stop smoking, we may want to encourage them to reduce their drinking to encourage their smoking cessation plan.

Be Sure And Pass This Intriguing News Forward By Sharing It With Your Friends On Social Media Photo byM_Shipp22, CC

More here:
Give Yourself a 'Dry January'You'll Sleep Better, Save Money, and Lose Weight - Good News Network

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The holidays have come and gone so it is time to look forward to 2020. With the incoming New Year comes resolutions. And every year, people love to make a resolution that they will live a healthier life. Trying to live a healthier life means changing up your diet. Changing up your diet isnt the easiest thing in the world, so a little help can be necessary. With the lifestyle app Noom, you will have all the help you can hope for.

Everything these days has an app, so it shouldnt be surprising that there is a lifestyle app like Noom. An app designed to make your journey to healthy living a lot easier. An app that has all the features you could possibly use that will make the transition to a new diet a smooth journey.

What makes Noom so great isnt just all the features that it has, which is plenty. But it is that all these features are there to work towards the goal that Noom wants you to achieve, which is to break out of bad habits. Bad habits are the main reason why changing a diet can be hard. Those mental blocks can be a real killer, so Noom has been designed from the bottom up to break those chains.

One of the best ways to break through the mental clutter is to have support. Having people cheer you on and pick up when you stumble is key. And with Noom, the community at your beck and call is huge. Post whatever you need and someone will be there to help you. Be it someone in the community or a personal trainer, which Noom has plenty of help, on-call at all times.

Changing a diet can be difficult because you may not know all the best meals that fit into that diet you can enjoy. With Noom, there are countless recipes on there to help you plan out your meals for the week. And more keep getting added every day because of the ever-growing community.

Getting set up with Noom is easy. All you have to do is sign up for a two-week trial and then you are given a highly detailed quiz that will allow Noom to personalize a plan for yourself. Its really simple and self-explanatory. If you wanna lose weight quickly or take your time, theres a plan for you. Wanna go on Keto or go straight vegetarian? Noom has a plan to make that change easy for you.

Every year, people make a resolution to live a healthier life. But the sad truth is plenty of people fall off after the first few weeks of the year. Well, if you get Noom you wont fall off. Youll get started on a healthier journey that will make life a lot more enjoyable.

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See more here:
Let Noom Help You With Your New Years Resolutions - Men's Journal

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