Returning the gift of holiday weight gain can be a true challenge for most of us. This is why it’s important to try to avoid getting a holiday weight package in the first place! There’s no benefit to approaching the New Year with a lot of extra weight that you have to lug around all year.

However, if you do gain a little weight, it’s a good idea to know and understand the measures that you can take to eliminate those extra pounds before they become a problem.

You can learn all about returning the gift of holiday weight gain in the tips below:

Get Moving

One of the best ways that you can maintain your current weight through the holidays, or shed those extra pounds from your holiday blessing, is to exercise! You should strive to get at least four hours of exercise weekly. This may sound like a lot, but there are many exciting physical activities that will enable you to lose those unwanted pounds.

* You can take a walk around the block to savor one last look at those Christmas decorations, go swimming in an indoor heated pool, or warm up in an aerobics or dance class.

* Go up and down the stairs a few times. When you’re done, your heart will surely be pumping!

* Learn some basic yoga moves and start or end your day with some deep stretching and relaxation.

Make Healthy Food Choices

During the holidays, fresh fruit assortments are a big hit and make eating healthy much easier. A good goal would be to eat five servings of fruits every day. When you snack on fruit, you’ll avoid the urge to sink your teeth into that hot apple pie and those other tempting desserts that tend to line tables and countertops when the holidays roll around.

In addition to fruits assortments, vegetable trays are a great, healthy choice as well.

* With fresh fruits and vegetables, not only will you be able to eat plenty of foods that taste great, but you’ll also get your daily dose of essential nutrients and vitamins that assist in the many functions of the body.

* It would be unreasonable to expect you to avoid all of the delightful foods that tempt you during the holidays. In fact, you shouldn’t deprive yourself at all! The key is to enjoy these sweet desserts in moderation.

* Fill up on the healthy fruits and vegetables first and then ask for a small serving of pie. You’ll get a sweet taste without the desire to devour the entire pie.

* Try to limit yourself to just one treat a day. Setting limits will allow you to enjoy all those seasonal foods that you love without causing holiday weight gain.

* Share your cookies and treats with those at your office, church, or homeless shelter. If the sweets tempt you too much at home, share them with others.

Party Etiquette

Prepare yourself for social gatherings, family dinners, and festive holiday parties. The foods and beverages that you find at these parties are generally loaded with fat and other unhealthy ingredients.

* Eat a healthy meal before going to holiday parties. If you’re not hungry, you’ll indulge in fewer unhealthy foods that can add pounds.

* Focus on enjoying the company rather than on the food. Engaging in conversation will allow you to forget (momentarily!) about the food buffet.

During the holidays we all want to indulge in traditional holiday treats. Being conscious of portion control will help you avoid gaining a significant amount of weight this holiday season.

Returning the gift of holiday weight gain is much easier when it does not involve too many pounds. Using these tips will keep the weight gain to a minimum and help you to shed those few extra pounds that do materialize.

Constantine George

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Any calf slimming exercise should aim to tone down excess fat in the calf muscles and shape up the calf.  The calf muscles essentially comprises the Gastrocnemius and the Soleus muscles.  Both these muscles needs to the well trained to shed the excess fat on your calves. 
Also Cardiovascular exercises like aerobics, walking, running, swimming etc. can produce amazing results in slimming down your calf muscles
The great thing about Cardiovascular exercises is that they also burn fat. For a cardio exercise to be effective it should be done at least 20 minutes in any workout day.
Stretching the Calves is also a good way to tone them up!
 If you can stretch the Calves between each calf exercise as well as after each calf exercise program you will get amazing results and prevent any kind of injury.  Perform minor calf stretching before and after you start your workouts. My favorite is toe stretches using a block or step.
If you already have big calves there is not much you can do to slim them down. Overall body weight loss would help. But if you calves are muscular already there is not much that can be done about that
It can only be compensated by proportionate development of other parts of the body. I.e. build up your leg, shoulder and back muscles to get a more v tapered look.
And design a training program that suits you the best, comprising exercises like military presses, squats and lat pull-downs with at least 10 reps per set.  You can train calves a maximum of twice per week. If calves area weak spot train them first thing during a workout to make sure you have the energy to train them correctly!
This rule applies for upper body workouts and not leg workouts. If you are training legs, perform your calves exercises after your leg workouts (that is your  thighs and hamstrings)
Another great exercise for toning up the calves is skipping. skipping is an effective  calf slimming exercise , it wont build bulk, it will tone your calf muscles up and might very well help to shed extra fat on your calves (provided you are on an overall fat loss diet).
The other Calf slimming exercise is Squats.  Calf raises helps to work the calves and shape it up.  For optimum results place the ball of your feet on a wooden block.  If the weights in the calf raises are kept light, the muscle will shape up quickly and will become leaner and harder.  Since the calves consist of two muscles, both of them should be shaped up.  Standing calf raises can also be performed with or without a barbell to effectively slim out your calves the standing calf raise shapes up your calves especially the Gastrocnemius muscle. 
Don’t forget to use the Sitting calf raises which is an excellent calf exercise which targets  and  shapes up your Soleus muscle- for the famous diamond shape calves look. 
Remember to always take your sets to positive muscular failure. You don’t need many sets so long as you train your calves hard. Two to three sets is all you need per exercise!  Use these simple tips and you might be surprised to see your calves tone up and take on that sexy slim well proportioned shape you want.

rob maraby

Technorati Tags: aerobics, beginner, cardio, diy, Exercise, how, Step, to, video, videos

You are more than likely sick of hearing about what will not work. You have heard all the reports on how fad diets will never help you lose weight. The problem then is what can you do to lose weight? Here are a few tips that will make it easier for you to lose weight and then keep off the fat.

Television

Unless you are following an aerobics instructor on the set, it is time to turn it off! Americans spend vast amounts of time sitting in front of their television sets. Research suggests that this act actually burns fewer calories than sleeping if you can imagine that! Turn off the TV and go for a short walk after dinner you will feel much better about the use of your time and burn some extra calories in the process.

Sleep

Sleeping is a key ingredient in weight loss. People who do not get a proper amount of rest are at a much higher risk for obesity. Several things contribute to this fact. Exhaustion makes you think you are hungry more often, plus you can become irritable and depressed which further aggravates the situation. The recommended amount of sleep you should get is at least eight hours.

Set a nightly routine to help you get in the swing of things. A scheduled time to go to bed results in your body naturally becoming sleepy around the same time each night.

Never Go Shopping Hungry

Have you ever gone to the grocery store when you were starving? Chances are you went home with everything you can imagine and a few things you can’t. You probably snacked on the way home as well. This is why you should never go shopping hungry, the tendency is to buy everything that looks good, and it all looks good when you are hungry. Instead make a shopping list and then fill it right after you have had a solid meal.

Make a Menu

When you eat on the spur of the moment, you are not truly focused on weight loss so much as fixing your hunger. Set aside time to plan your menu including snacks, this way you are prepared and have already considered the health impact of your food.

Take it Slow

It is not healthy or advisable to lose massive amounts of weight very quickly. If you drop more than a few pounds per week, you are putting your health at risk. A healthy goal is two to three pounds of weight loss per week. This is not only healthy it is sustainable for the long haul.

Forgive Yourself

For someone who has tried many fat loss diets and failed it can be hard to look at yourself in the mirror. The first thing you must do is forgive yourself for what you see as failures and realize that most of what you were being sold was doomed to fail in from the start. Liking yourself is the key to success in any venture be it weight loss or life in general.

Paul Matthew Moore
http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/fat-loss-for-idiots-6-tips-for-healthy-eating-712013.html

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