If your stomach isn’t as flat as you’d like it to be then you have come to the right place. Exercise alone will not get you a toned stomach – diet is a huge part of the equation. Below are 5 very easy tweaks to your eating habits that will dramatically flatten your abs.

Diet Tweak #1: Don’t eat after 6pm
This is such a simple and effective way to lose fat. Late night eating is the most damaging to your waistline, so cut it out completely.

Brush your teeth immediately following dinner. Once your teeth are brushed, you’ve put a period to the end of your consumption for the day.
Change your evening routine. If you’ve always ended your day watching your favorite shows with your hand in the snack bowl, then now is the time to change things up. Find activities that don’t revolve around food and stick with those.
Make it a habit. The first few weeks will be the hardest, but soon your new no-food-after-6pm routine will feel normal.

Diet Tweak #2: Cut back on carbs
Notice I didn’t say to cut out all carbs, but rather to cut back on carbs. These diet tweaks are meant as lifestyle changes that you stick with long term. Cutting back on carbs is a realistic and very effective way to lose weight.

Always choose whole grain bread and pasta over white. Whole grains are less likely to be stored as fat than processed grains.
Eat half of the carbs you normally do. Eat your sandwich open-faced and reduce the size of your pasta serving.
Avoid carb-filled snacks between meals. Instead of crackers or chips, have fresh fruit and veggies.

Diet Tweak #3: Eat more fiber
Most people simply do not get enough fiber in their diets. Fiber is essential when it comes to getting lean since it is low calorie while filling you up.

Instead of seeing salad just as a side item, make salads into meals. Add protein to a large pile of greens for a guiltless meal. *Try the recipe for Grilled Salmon and Peach Salad below.
Make veggies a part of every meal. The benefits of eating more vegetables are too numerous to list, just know that your body will become healthier and leaner with each fibrous bite.
Fruits are a delicious source of fiber. Incorporate fresh, seasonal fruits into your daily diet.

Diet Tweak #4: Drink tons of water
Drinking plenty of water is another extremely simple way to promote weight loss. Chronic dehydration leads to false hunger signals and unnecessary calorie consumption.

Drink a large glass of water before each meal. This will prevent overeating.
Choose water instead of sugar-filled sodas and juices. Sugar-filled drinks are a huge weight-gain trap.
Carry a water bottle with you throughout your day. Keep water in the car and at your desk for constant hydration.

Diet Tweak #5: Enjoy natural sweets
Traditional sugar-filled sweets will quickly add up around your waistline. Instead of going for sugary sweets, enjoy natural sweets.

Fruit is nature’s candy. Reach for sweet, seasonal fruit for dessert.
Avoid foods that contain white sugar or high fructose corn syrup. Consider these items ‘anti-flat-abs’.
Use wholesome sweeteners such as pure maple syrup, brown rice syrup or dates in your recipes instead of white sugar. Eliminate white sugar from your kitchen.
Eating right, coupled with challenging exercise, is the formula for a toned, lean body.

When you’re working out regularly, it’s important to eat the right foods. Protein is an important part of a balanced diet, but you should choose quality over quantity. Choose Lean ProteinAccording to the USDA’s Dietary Guidelines for Americans, you should “go lean with protein.” That is, you should choose leaner cuts of meats with fewer calories and artery-clogging fats. Healthy meats include:

•chicken or turkey: white meat without the skin
•beef: tenderloin, porterhouse, top loin, flank steak, 90 percent lean ground beef
•pork: tenderloin or chop
•veal: any cut
•lamb: look for the term “loin”
•game: bison, rabbit, buffalo
•other healthy protein choices: fish, nuts, tofu, lentils, beans
Aim for three- to four-ounce portions, and complement the meal with whole grains, fruits and veggies.

Here are five ideas for protein-rich, healthy meals to get you started:

Idea #1: HamburgerUse 90 percent lean ground beef to create portion-controlled, three- to four-ounce patties. Serve on a whole wheat bun or pita, and pile the burgers high with veggies like lettuce, tomatoes and onions. Watch those condiments — you don’t want to overload on calories, sugar or sodium. Serve with a side of steamed broccoli and cauliflower.

Protein alternatives: ground turkey, ostrich, salmon

Idea #2: Chicken ChiliChili is a hearty favorite that can be modified into a healthy dinner. Use skinless chicken pieces. Experiment with different types of beans, such as kidney, black and pinto. Toss in delicious veggies like peppers, mushrooms, onions and peas.

Protein alternatives: Diced lean steak, 90-95 percent lean ground beef, turkey breast

Idea #3: Fish TacosFor a fun alternative, make it a fish taco night. Shrimp, tilapia, and mahi mahi are low in calories and make a delicious taco. Add grilled vegetables such as peppers and onions. Top with salsa (1/2 cup for 30 calories) and two tablespoons of one high-fat topper like guacamole, reduced-fat sour cream or grated cheese.

Protein alternatives: chicken breast, strips of lean steak, rice and beans

Idea #4: Pork TenderloinUse fruits such as plums, pears, apples or mangoes to create a mouth-watering marinade or chutney for pork tenderloin. Serve with a side of green beans and baked new potatoes.

Protein alternatives: chicken breast, mahi-mahi, tilapia

Idea #5: Tofu Stir-FryFor a meatless alternative, cook up a quick and easy stir-fry. Heat a teaspoon or two of oil in a wok; toss in cubes of marinated firm tofu; add vegetables such as broccoli, onions, peppers and carrots; serve over 3/4 to 1 cup of cooked brown rice.

Protein alternatives: skinless chicken, turkey, shrimp, pork tenderloin

It’s here—whether you’re ready or not. Retailers like to call it the ‘holiday season’ but let’s be honest its Weight Gain season and it runs straight through New Year’s. The next two months will bring ample opportunity for you to expand your waistline. Of course the choice is yours. Why discuss it now and not mid way through December? Because now is your opportunity to plan for the weeks ahead. Once the craziness begins, you’ll be too busy to put a plan into action. So let’s take this moment of clarity, this calm before the storm, to outline a two-part plan that will save your waist from unwanted holiday inches.

1) Part One: Your Exercise Plan. Exercise is the first thing people cut when they get busy, and the holiday season is notorious for empty gyms. This year do something different—obligate yourself to exercise. Promising to yourself won’t do it, you need to promise to others so that you won’t drop the ball.

Sign up to work with a Personal Trainer.
Join a class – You won’t be as effective exercising on your own during the busy holiday season, so join a class for accountability. Find something challenging that gets your heart rate elevated and uses strength training.
Get a serious exercise buddy – Some friends can be an awesome help while others end up pulling you down. When looking for an exercise buddy consider the following questions:
- Do they share your fitness goals?
- Are they fairly encouraging?
- Do they give up easily?
- Are they at your fitness level?
2) Part Two: Your Diet Plan.The holidays offer ample opportunities to indulge, so you need to hammer down some guidelines before hitting that buffet line. We’re not saying that you shouldn’t indulge in any seasonal treats, but use moderation. Don’t use the holidays as an excuse to eat until the point of being uncomfortable – will you really miss that bloated feeling? Decide which treats to cut out this year.

Don’t bring edible treats to the office or to parties. You know that the leftovers will come home and you’ll end up eating far more than your share. This year do everyone a favor by not gifting fattening treats.
When faced with a buffet line, load your plate first with greens, vegetables and lean meats before breads and heavier foods. Also drink water with your meal and keep alcoholic beverages to a 2-drink maximum.
Beware of holiday drinks – most are brimming with calories. Hot drinks from coffee shops, cocktails at parties and creamy eggnog are all very enjoyable and all filled with empty calories. Stick with hot tea or unsweetened coffee.
Everywhere you go during the holiday season brings you face-to-face with a plate of sweets. To avoid being a bore but without adding inches to your waist, try the one treat rule. Each time you’re in a social situation that involves sweets just eat one, and enjoy your treat slowly.
You don’t have to gain weight this holiday season. The key is your mindset. If you approach the holidays with the mindset of, ‘I deserve to indulge and I shouldn’t have to exercise’ then you’ll enter 2012 a few pounds heavier, a little less healthy, and with lower energy than ever before. We believe that you should enter 2012 in better shape than you are today, healthier than you’ve been in a long time, and with more energy than you thought possible.

As we pass through the “summer midpoint”, I figured some vacation tips might be in order.

Does your upcoming vacation have you worried about your waistline? You should be. The average person gains almost a pound a day while on vacation. (Admittedly, I’m more like 2-3 per day.)
But that doesn’t have to be you. Most of the time extra pounds sneak up on you when you least expect it, so decide right here and now that your vacation will leave you slimmer than when you left. As you embark on your next vacation adventure, use these 7 tips to come home fitter than when you left.

Trick #1: Cut Your Carbs
Vacation days are notorious for carbohydrate rich meals, and it’s a well-known fact that too many carbohydrates will quickly add up to unwanted pounds. Combat this fat-trap by choosing one meal per day to go carb-less.

Breakfast: This may be the most effective meal to use the carb-less trick, since breakfast often involves breads, pastries or pancakes. Skip the toast and fill up on egg whites and lean breakfast meats.
Lunch: A great carb-less lunch is a salad with lean meat. It’s so filling and satisfying that you won’t even miss the bread.
Dinner: Since you’re on vacation, you don’t want to feel deprived, so dinner is the hardest meal to go carb-less. But if you’ve indulged at breakfast and lunch then make it a point to cut the carbs at dinner. Stick with veggies and lean meats.

Trick #2: Be Active
If your travels keep you too busy for a workout, or if your hotel does not have an exercise room, make a conscious effort to be active everyday. Go on a brisk walk after your day’s activities. This is a great way to see a new city, and also a great way to burn off extra calories. Take the stairs instead of elevator in your hotel and any other buildings you visit. Go on a short jog in the mornings or evenings of your stay. If your hotel has a pool, swim a few laps each morning or evening.

Trick #3: Indulge with Control
Eating out is a must while on vacation. Whether you’re visiting 5 star restaurants or fast food diners, you are faced with the same problem: large portions. While the easiest thing to do with a large portioned meal is to simply eat it all – you are on vacation after all…right? – that isn’t the best for your waist.

When you order your meal ask the waiter or waitress to bring you a to-go box. Take half of your meal and place it safely into the box before you even begin to eat. This gives you no choice but to eat a healthy portion. If you would rather not carry around a to-go box then ask that your entrée be made into a smaller portion. If it is dinnertime ask for the lunch-sized entrée.

Trick #4: Don’t Eat Late
One of the easiest tricks for preventing weight loss is to simply stop eating 3 hours before you go to bed. This is especially effective while on vacation. So skip that late night indulgence and wake up looking and feeling great.

Trick #5: Snack Healthy
Have you ever noticed how travel days create the perfect opportunity for snacking? A coffee and muffin before your flight, a snack on the plane and then before you know it – it’s lunch time! Taking a road trip? This opens up even more opportunities for regrettable snacking…rest stop vending machines, gas station quickie marts and of course the never ending string of fast food restaurants along the highway.

This summer cut unhealthy snacking off at the pass by brining along your own healthy options. Dried or fresh fruit, unsalted nuts, health bars, cut veggies and low fat crackers are a good start. By filling up on these healthy snacks between meals you will end up eating less when presented with a less-than-healthy meal.

Trick #6: Avoid Fried Foods
While fast food restaurants are definitely convenient, with their low prices and quick service, this convenience is not worth the additional pounds brought on by chips and fries. As you enjoy your vacation keep this in mind: avoid fried foods. While this is always good advice to follow, it is even more important to abide by while traveling.

While vacationing you will likely burn fewer calories each day than you would burn at home, and you are consuming more calories due to your schedule of eating out. You are walking a fine line, and eating fried foods would throw you right over the edge. A gram of fat contains 9 calories as compared to the 4 calories that proteins and carbohydrates carry – so you can see that consuming fried foods will drastically increase your caloric intake.

Now that you’ve heard about all the benefits of exercise as you age, you’re ready to hit the gym or at least go for a daily walk. There’s only one problem: Your joints don’t seem to want to cooperate. Is it too late to limber up? For most people, the answer is NO!  Flexibility decreases with age and physical inactivity, and this can cause your muscles, tendons and ligaments to grow shorter over time. But regardless of your age, you can increase your flexibility by incorporating stretching into your daily routine. Remember, though, that aerobic fitness and strengthening are also very important for older adults. And exercise can improve your well-being and reduce your risk of falling.

Note: Always consult your doctor before starting a new exercise or stretching routine.

A daily stretching routine can improve the following:

Physical performance. Increased flexibility makes it easier and less tiring to perform daily tasks such as lifting, bending, turning and engaging in other repetitive movements.

Circulation. Stretching raises the temperature of your muscles, increasing the circulation in that area – which helps keep your tissues healthy.

Posture. Short, frequent stretches throughout the day can keep your muscles from getting tight. This helps you maintain proper posture and reduces aches and pains.

• Stretch lightly before engaging in strength and endurance activities, then stretch more thoroughly after your workout.
• If you’re unable to perform strength or endurance exercises but able to do stretching exercises, do them at least three times per week for at least 20 minutes per session.
• Do each stretching exercise three to four times during each session.
• Stretch slowly and as far as possible without pain. Hold the stretch for 10 to 30 seconds. Relax, and then try to stretch further with each repetition.

• Talk to your doctor before engaging in a new exercise program.
• Warm up before you stretch. A little bit of easy walking or arm pumping should be sufficient.
• Mild discomfort or a mild pulling sensation is normal during stretching, but you should never stretch until you feel pain, especially joint pain. If you feel pain, reduce the stretch so that it doesn’t hurt.
• Ease slowly into a stretch – don’t bounce. Jerking into a stretch can cause muscle tightening and increase your risk of injury.
• Don’t lock your joints into place when you straighten them during a stretch. Your arms and legs should be straight when you stretch them, but not tightly so. You should maintain a very small amount of bending in your joints.
• If you’ve had a hip replacement, talk to your surgeon before doing lower-body exercises. When stretching, you shouldn’t cross your legs or bend your hips past a 90-degree angle.

It’s that time of year. High School Seniors are getting or have gotten their college acceptance letters. There are several reasons to be excited, after all, college should be some of the best years of our life. But when you finally get there, but careful not to fall into one of several nutrition traps. The foods you choose affect your energy, concentration and memory. Fortunately, most college dining halls provide plenty of nutritious options, and you can stock your dorm room with good choices too. This guide will help you to incorporate nutritious choices into your busy schedule.

6 Tips To Making Good Food Choices:

1. Don’t skip breakfast. Studies have shown that skipping breakfast can hurt your performance in school. When there isn’t time to sit down to a morning meal, at least make sure you have a bagel or other source of grain, a piece of fruit and some juice.

2. Make time for meals. Eating three meals per day will give you enough energy to last all day and keep your metabolism active. In addition, pack healthy snacks such as fruit or a granola bar.

3. Don’t confuse hunger with thirst. You may think you’re hungry when your body actually needs more liquid. Be sure to stay hydrated throughout the day. Having several cups of coffee or cans of soda doesn’t count, however. The caffeine in coffee and sodas is a diuretic, and sodas, juice drinks and sports drinks are loaded with sugar, which can make you gain weight. Instead, drink plenty of water.

4. Don’t eat the same foods all the time. Make sure you eat a variety of fruits, vegetables, proteins, carbohydrates and fats. A salad of raw vegetables, dark leafy greens, and beans, topped with some nuts and fruit, will give you a variety of important nutrients.

5. Stop eating when you start feeling full. Our bodies don’t always tell us when enough is enough. One study found that people given larger portions tend to eat more food, no matter how hungry they are.

6. If you must eat fast foods, choose wisely. Limit your intake of high-fat foods like French fries. Choose pizza with half the cheese, for example. Or try a green salad with reduced-calorie dressing, or a baked potato.

Slip an apple or orange into your bag. Most dining halls will let you take fruit or other healthy snacks when you leave. Do this to help you resist the lure of the vending machine later on. Keep healthful snacks on hand. Possibilities include fresh or dried fruit, pretzels, unbuttered popcorn, rice cakes and whole-wheat crackers. If you have a refrigerator, consider raw vegetables with low-fat yogurt or cottage cheese dip.

As you educate yourself about nutrition, making smart choices in the dining hall will become second nature. Here’s advice on 4 situations you might encounter:

1. I can’t find any food I like. Be creative. If you don’t like the entree offered, try combining foods from different areas of the dining hall. For example, add a grilled chicken breast to a salad or vegetables from the salad bar to make a sandwich or a wrap.

2. I’m a vegetarian. Most colleges offer vegetarian entrees at all meals, such as veggie burgers, stir fries and pasta dishes. Or you can create your own meal at the salad or sandwich bar by adding protein-rich ingredients like cheese, eggs, hummus, beans or peanut butter.

3. I have special dietary needs. Students with food allergies, medical conditions like diabetes or special religious requirements may find it harder to get by in a dining hall, but most schools make an effort to meet their needs. The vegetarian meals offered by dining halls often help meet the needs of students with religious requirements. If you have special dietary needs — especially medical ones — you may need to talk to the dining hall manager or to someone in student services.

4. I have class during mealtime. You need food to think properly, so make time to eat. If you skip a meal, you may have trouble concentrating or get a headache. If you can’t sit down for a full meal, pack a healthy snack.

When you’ve been up for hours studying, you might look to sugar, fried food or caffeine to provide a boost. But healthier alternatives can give you more energy with fewer negative consequences. Keep your room stocked with healthy snacks like the following:

• Animal crackers
• Canned fruit
• Crackers
• Energy bars
• Fresh fruit
• Granola bars
• High-fiber cereal
• Nuts
• Pita bread
• Popcorn
• Pudding
• Soup
• Trail mix
• Tuna fish
• Baby carrots
• Celery
• Low-fat yogurt or smoothies
• Low-fat milk

In the end, it’s not hard to eat healthfully at college. Just keep these tips in mind, and use common sense, and you’ll take excellent care of both your body and your mind.

If you work in an office, you probably sit for about six hours per day. That’s a lot of down time! But even if you’re quite busy at work, it’s still possible to find time to exercise. And to avoid gaining weight, you should strive to make good food choices as well.  Each time you eat, think lean and green. If a food contains lean protein and comes from the earth, you’re very likely on the right track (unless the food is fried). Contrary to what some people believe, you should eat breakfast, lunch and dinner every day, as this will stabilize your energy levels and keep your metabolism running high.  When you can’t make it to a gym, don’t let that sideline your exercise. Try these simple techniques while at work:

• Walk during conference calls. Use a cell phone or headset, and get up and pace around. Hold your notes in your hands and keep moving.
• Exercise in your chair. If your chair is wheeled, you can push and pull yourself around. Push away from your desk to increase your upper-body strength. Then walk with your heels toward your desk to work your hamstrings and thighs.
• Stretch. While seated, twist from your waist and reach around the back of your chair. Return to your original position, and then perform the same motion on the other side. You can work your core by holding a laptop or heavy water bottle when you reach back.
• Breathe between e-mails. For every three e-mails that you send, stand up and take three deep breaths. This will reduce stress and work your lower body as well.

You want to be fit. You know how much you should weigh. You know your ideal pant size. You can even picture how great those skinny jeans will look. So why aren’t you living life in your ideal body?
There are many reasons that make weight loss a challenge, reasons that go deeper than simply calories-in versus calories-out. We’re talking about the life issues that get in the way of your success.

Here are 5 obstacles and solutions to unlocking your best body!

1. You don’t want to be bothered.

It’s in your DNA to avoid pain and seek out pleasure. Unfortunately, this works against you when trying to get fit. In your mind, it’s painful (or at least uncomfortable) to deny yourself the tasty food that you crave and to exert yourself with exercise. There’s a simple way to work around this obstacle: Find something painful about being overweight to motivate yourself towards healthy eating and exercise. Focus on the negative impact your current weight has on your health, self-esteem and lifestyle. Convince yourself that the pain of being out of shape is much greater than the discomfort of losing weight.

2. You don’t want to wait for the good stuff.

Just as you wish to avoid pain, you are also an expert in seeking out pleasure – namely food. This served the cavemen well, but these days it ends up as extra pounds around your waist and thighs. There’s good news: extra calories are not your only option to stimulate the pleasure center of your brain. Find an activity or two that make you smile and indulge in those regularly.  You can also retrain your brain to crave the pleasure of exercise-induced endorphins.

• New diet
• New exercise routine
• New friends at the gym
• New clothes
• New self-image

Focus on all of the ways that losing weight will make your life better. Envision that better life everyday so that it goes from being new and scary to familiar and comfortable.

If you have a hard time getting motivated to exercise, enlisting a fitness partner can help. A partner can encourage, challenge and pace you and make working out more fun.

A recent study found that new mothers who had fitness partners got more exercise than mothers with no partner support. Another study found that just a phone call can help motivate people to exercise more. After three months, those who had received motivating phone calls were more likely to have increased their level of physical activity than those who hadn’t.  A fitness partner can motivate you to work out even when you don’t want to, simply because you know someone is counting on you. Exercising with a partner is also a great way to socialize. Instead of dreading your daily workout, you’ll find yourself looking forward to catching up with a friend.  In addition, a fitness partner can make it less intimidating to join a gym, try a new class or learn a new sport. Your friend can give you the courage to take that kickboxing class you’ve had your eye on or head to that hiking trail you’ve always wanted to try.  Finally, it’s safer to work out with someone. If you injure yourself on a run, for instance, your partner can find the help you need.

Choosing a Fitness Partner

While the right partner can motivate you to accomplish your fitness goals, the wrong one could squelch your efforts. When deciding on a fitness partner, keep these things in mind:

• Choose a partner with a fitness level similar to yours. If you haven’t exercised for years, don’t choose a partner who runs four miles a day. If you and your partner have similar fitness levels, you can progress at a similar pace and encourage each other as you improve.
• Find someone who shares your fitness goals. By working with someone with similar goals, you can help motivate each other and share your triumphs. If, on the other hand, you want to gain muscle and your partner is looking to slim down, you and your partner may quickly become frustrated.
• Make sure you have things in common other than exercise. If all you have in common with your fitness partner is working out, you may not find yourself looking forward to your next workout. Choose someone whose company you genuinely enjoy, so that your workouts are as socially fulfilling as they are physically challenging.

Working Out with a Fitness Partner

Once you’ve found the right fitness partner, it’s time to get moving. Get together with your partner – calendars in hand – and schedule when and where you’ll meet to regularly exercise. Then, set some ground rules and stick to them.  Agree upon a cancellation policy, just as you would for a doctor’s appointment or hotel reservation. If one of you can’t make it to a scheduled workout, select a time period (24 hours, for example) in which you must cancel in advance. Also, figure out how you’ll decide on your activities. For example, you could design this week’s exercise schedule, your partner could design next week’s, and so on.

Now it’s time to enjoy the benefits your partner brings. Besides being someone to chat with, a partner can encourage you to participate in workouts that you wouldn’t consider otherwise. You can also mix up your workout schedule by adding partner-focused activities such as tennis or basketball.  Ask your partner to teach you activities that he or she has mastered, and share your skills as well. With a fitness partner, you can quickly add variety to your fitness routine, which will go a long way toward keeping you motivated to become fit and stay that way.