How To Make An Effective Diet Plan Work For You?

Dieting is not only about our will power to stay away from food but it is all about taking balanced nutritional diet so that the body doesn't store food without having to suffer on account of malnutrition.

The most often repeated complaint about weight loss diet plan is that it doesn't work as much as was expected. We relate intake and output very closely. Therefore, to our mind if we eat more we grow bulkier, so we should shrink like a washerman's thumb when we cut down on eating. But that doesn't seem to happen.
We cut down our eating by kilos and the reduction is in millimeters. Quite discouraging it is, but there is a valid reason behind it. The equation is not as easy as it seems on the surface. Dieting is not only about our will power to stay away from food but it is all about taking balanced nutritional diet so that the body doesn't store food without having to suffer on account of malnutrition.

Here are a few points that you must keep in mind when you start dieting for weigth loss.

1.Your diet must provide enough nourishment to your body without causing any deficiency of any kind.
2.You should not feel tasteless or else you'll be way too sickened with your food to go ahead with your dieting plan. So craft your plan carefully and try to eat what is nutritious and delicious in equal measure. There is no dearth of such food items.
3.You must adhere to your diet program religiously otherwise it is bound to fail which can be extremely frustrating and may deter you from making another attempt for a long time. So back it up with healthy nutrition, motivation, positive attitude and regular workout.
Another important thing is that you must not be too conscious of the fact that you are making an effort to lose weight because if you do that you will end up looking at yourself in the mirror each day and this can be discouraging because you'll always find yourself unchanged. After all, it is not possible for your body to change and shape up on daily basis. Stick to your schedule and commitment and forget about losing weight for a while. If you are determined and consistent, sooner or later, results will follow. So just keep doing it. Don't look for changes and don't be discouraged by the lack of them and changes will surely come by for better and for good.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
The auther writes articles on different topics. To get more weight loss articles visit http://www.thelosspill.com/

Use It or Lose It !

Who has not heard "Use It or Lose It". Now, what is "It"? How do we best exercise it and help maintain it sharp? In this article we will give you a fun overview of how the brain works and 5 Tips to Exercise Your Brain.

Who has not heard "Use It or Lose It". Now, what is "It"? Last week I gave a talk at the Italian Consulate in San Francisco, and one of the areas attendants seemed to enjoy the most was learning what our brains are and how they work, peaking into the "black box" of our minds. Without understanding at least the basics, how can we make good decisions about our own brain health and fitness?
Let's review at a glance:

The brain is composed of 3 "brains" or main sub-systems, each named after the evolutionary moment in which the sub-system is believed to have appeared.

1) Neocortex, or Human Brain, is the most recent area, where we perform high-level thinking and complex integrative tasks. Other mammals do have this part too, but in smaller proportion of the whole brain volume. This is where we have our right and left hemispheres.

The Neocortex is composed of
-Frontal Lobes: or the CEO of the Brain, for sophisticated brain functions such as planning and conceptualizing.
-Parietal lobes: dealing with movement, the senses, and some forms of recognition
-Temporal lobes: auditory processes and language
-Occipital: visual processing center (credit: Morphonix)

B) Limbic System, or Mammalian Brain, critical for emotions and for memory,
Emotions are generated here, as well as the appetites and urges that help us survive. For instance, the amygdala gets triggered to prepare us to deal with a threatening situation, resulting in our feeling of fear. The hippocampus is key in the formation of memory.

C) Cerebellum and Stem, or Reptilian Brain, that regulates basic vital variables such as breathing, heartbeat and motor coordination.
When we exercise our brains, we put our Neurons and connections between neurons in action.
Given the diversity of functions outlined above, it is clear that different activities are going to activate different brain areas, which scientists now know thanks to neuroimaging techniques. There is no one magic bullet that is best (either crosswords puzzles, or computer-based programs, or physical exercise): we do need a variety of mental stimulation or "brain exercises".
"Cells that fire together wire together" means that synapses-unions between neurons- get solidified the more often the respective neurons "talk" to each other.

Here you have some tips that can help you put all this theory into practice:

- Be curious! Get to know your local library and community college, look for local organizations or churches that offer classes or workshops
- Do a variety of things, including things you aren't good at (if you like to sing, try painting too)
- Work puzzles like crosswords and sudoku or play games like chess and bridge
- Try a computerized brain fitness program for a customized workout
- If you can only do one thing, learn something new every day!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Copyright (c) 2007 SharpBrains
Alvaro Fernandez is the CEO and Co-Founder of SharpBrains.com, which provides the latest science-based information for Brain and Cognitive Fitness and Cognitive Training, and has been recognized by Scientific American Mind, MarketWatch, Forbes, and more. Alvaro holds MA in Education and MBA from Stanford University, and teaches The Science of Brain Health at UC-Berkeley Lifelong Learning Institute. You can learn more at http://www.sharpbrains.com/