I’ve written before about how I lost 42 pounds in a bit over 7 months, and have kept it off since then.  So I’m often asked for weight loss tips to help make the transition to a healthy lifestyle.  I’m happy to oblige, and have boiled my advice down to five tips to lose weight. My top 5 tips to lose weight Here they are, in priority order. Change your mindset. You’re not going on a “diet,” which would be a great way to lose a few pounds temporarily, then become fatter than ever after you fall off the wagon.  You’re embarking on a lifestyle change.  To be healthy, the rest of your life is going to be different.  Reconcile to that fact, and you’ll be set up for success.  On the other hand, if you begin with the idea of enduring discomfort long enough to lose some fat, you’re never going to get or stay healthy. Change what you eat, but don’t be afraid. Healthy food is delicious.  Check out our posts on fat burning foods and clean eating.  You’ll be surprised at how simple – and delicious – healthy eating really is.  Warning:  leave your preconceptions at the door. Enjoy your exercise. I do functional fitness (check out crossfit.com and militaryathlete.com) because it’s always challenging and it’s never the same thing from one day to the next.  I’m never bored, I always have fun competing against myself, and there’s always a new skill to learn.  If you get in an exercise rut doing the same thing over and over, odds are that you won’t last. Sleep. A healthy lifestyle requires sleep, period.  Every mammal must sleep, which is amazing when you consider that sleep is a dangerous activity when other animals are anxious to gobble you for dinner!  That’s evidence that sleep is exceptionally important, and it turns out that it’s necessary for the proper function of every single cell in your body. Relax. Reduce stress in your life.  Cortisol, the primary stress hormone, has been shown to cause additional midsection fat.  Meditation is a terrific method to reduce stress and improve your quality of life, and there are easy methods to learn how to meditate for beginners. It may sound a little bit daunting, but once you start following those five tips to lose weight and improve your overall health and fitness, I think you’ll find that a healthy lifestyle is an addicting proposition. Health and wellness resources: Diets that work – Clean eating – Fat burning foods – Weight loss tips – How to lose belly fat – Reduce weight naturally – Quickest way to lose weight – Low calorie recipes – Lose weight in 2 weeks – Best exercise to lose weight – Tips to lose weight Business and insurance resources: Over 50 life insurance – Commercial insurance – Redundancy insurance – Building insurance – No exam life insurance – Life insurance over 50 Private medical insurance Travel resources: A2B transfers – Cancellation holidays – Vacation packages – Broadway travel – Travel insurance over 70 – Global late deals – Holiday insurance – Holiday villas – Travel insurance for pre existing medical ... Read More

What is the best exercise to lose weight? It’s a loaded question, one that presumes that there actually is a single “best” exercise to help you drop those unwanted pounds.  The truth is, while there are some exercises that absolutely won’t help you lose any weight whatsoever (abdominal crunches, for example), there isn’t a single, best exercise to help you drop excess fat. But there is an exercising approach that will help you maximize your body’s efficiency in all three major energy pathways, and help you lose weight by creating an efficient physical and biochemical system. Sound complicated?  It isn’t, really, though it’s helpful to go through a few metabolic basics. The best exercise to lose weight isn’t just one exercise There are three major energy conversion mechanisms that your body uses to transform chemical energy to mechanical (motion) energy. Very short burst. Your muscles use a chemical called ATP to generate motion.  There is some ATP already stored in your muscle cells, enough for about 10 seconds of energy.  Get good at this region by running sprints (just run as fast as you can run for 5″ to 10″, and repeat five to ten times.  Trust me, it’s plenty of exercise!) Medium burst. This is otherwise known as “anaerobic metabolism” because it doesn’t require oxygen.  In this pathway, your body converts carbohydrates to ATP, with lactic acid as a byproduct.  Lactic acid is what makes your muscles sore.  Target this metabolic region through strength training with moderate weight and high repetitions. Endurance, or aerobic activity. This is the energy pathway that uses oxygen, and is the endurance pathway that distance runners use.  You can tap into this as well by jogging a few miles, rowing a few thousand meters, etc. Vary your exercise routine so that you get work in each of the three major energy pathways, and you will find that your body responds to your demands with relatively rapid weight loss. Health and wellness resources: Diets that work – Clean eating – Fat burning foods – Weight loss tips – How to lose belly fat – Reduce weight naturally – Quickest way to lose weight – Low calorie recipes – Lose weight in 2 weeks – Best exercise to lose weight – Tips to lose weight Business and insurance resources: Over 50 life insurance – Commercial insurance – Redundancy insurance – Building insurance – No exam life insurance – Life insurance over 50 Private medical insurance Travel resources: A2B transfers – Cancellation holidays – Vacation packages – Broadway travel – Travel insurance over 70 – Global late deals – Holiday insurance – Holiday villas – Travel insurance for pre existing medical ... Read More

Should you try to lose weight in 2 weeks? If your long-term physical fitness plans have gone by the wayside, and you find yourself within a couple of weeks of an event for which you’d like to put your best self forward, you might be tempted to undertake a crash diet in an attempt to shrink down a couple of sizes for the big event. Be careful. While there are a number of diets that work temporarily to lose water weight, you’ll often end up worse off than you started, particularly if you drastically reduce caloric intake.  Food isn’t your enemy – it’s necessary for life, for energy, even for thought. The safest way to lose weight in 2 weeks By far, the safest way to lose weight in 2 weeks is simply to undertake the lifestyle changes required for long-term fitness and health.  Don’t to anything crazy for two weeks that you wouldn’t want to do for the rest of your life.  Don’t follow any bizarre weight loss tips, and don’t begin with the idea that you’re going to lose 20 pounds in 2 weeks.  You’re not going to accomplish this, nor would you want to.  You’d exit that grueling two-week period haggard, exhausted, and feeling anything but healthy no matter how baggy your pants might be – temporarily. How does a healthy lifestyle look?  Here are five tips. Exercise. Four to five times per week is best.  Vary your exercise routine so it’s never actually routine.  Mix in endurance training (run a couple of miles), strength training, short-burst high-intensity workouts (see crossfit.com), flexibility exercises (stretching and yoga), and new sports. Cut out sugar. It’s the single biggest cause of obesity in America today.  The term “white death” isn’t an exaggeration. Reduce processed carbohydrates and starches. Breads really aren’t that healthy for you.  They contain gluten, a natural defense mechanism employed by wheat, oats, and other grains used in breads.  Also reduce your potato and rice intake. Sleep. Your body craves sleep, and cannot function properly without it.  It’s a useful mechanism for stress reduction, and it’s been demonstrated that cortisol (the primary stress hormone) is a cause of excess midsection fat. Reduce stress. Guided imagery meditation techniques for beginners is a terrific way to enjoy a more relaxed mental state.  Stress reduction sounds unrelated to weight loss, but the two are inextricably linked. It’s best not to try to lose all your weight in 2 weeks.  Instead, focus on generating healthy habits for life. Health and wellness resources: Diets that work – Clean eating – Fat burning foods – Weight loss tips – How to lose belly fat – Reduce weight naturally – Quickest way to lose weight – Low calorie recipes – Lose weight in 2 weeks – Best exercise to lose weight – Tips to lose weight Business and insurance resources: Over 50 life insurance – Commercial insurance – Redundancy insurance – Building insurance – No exam life insurance – Life insurance over 50 Private medical insurance Travel resources: A2B transfers – Cancellation holidays – Vacation packages – Broadway travel – Travel insurance over 70 – Global late deals – Holiday insurance – Holiday villas – Travel insurance for pre existing medical ... Read More

What are cancellation holidays? If you’re not yet a Vacation Wellness member (call us, and we’ll set you up), and you’re looking for ways to save money on your upcoming holiday, cancellation holidays can be a terrific savings vehicle.  Also known as “global late deals,” cancellation holidays are inexpensive accommodations the arise when other travelers cancel their holiday reservations at the last minute. Because of the short notice, you can enjoy substantial savings on your bookings, but you should keep a few points in mind before you plan to travel using cancellation holidays. Tips for an enjoyable cancellation holidays experience Stay flexible. Because you’ll receive notice of accommodation availability only weeks or days in advance of the reservation dates, you’ll need to have a flexible time off schedule at work.  This isn’t always possible, and is actually the reason that travel providers make cancellation holidays available for such low prices – not everyone can pick up and go at the drop of a hat. Don’t get your heart set on just one destination. Because cancellation holidays are unpredictable, it’s best not to form too much of an attachment with any particular destination.  If you strongly prefer to visit a certain region, cancellation holidays may not be the best way to travel.  On the other hand, if you can “go with the flow,” you’ll be open to a wide variety of experiences. Don’t forget A2B transfers. If you’re traveling on short notice, it’s easy to forget the leg of your journey between the airport and your hotel or resort location.  Booking in advance can save significant amounts of time, money, and hassle. Budget year-round for your holiday experience. For many, saving up for a particular vacation experience is a year-round affair.  But it can be more difficult to prepare financially for a cancellation holiday deal that only appears on short notice.  Successful holiday fund savers create an account for vacation funds, and contribute year-round to their vacation account. It’s an amazing world.  Get out there! Health and wellness resources: Diets that work – Clean eating – Fat burning foods – Weight loss tips – How to lose belly fat – Reduce weight naturally – Quickest way to lose weight – Low calorie recipes – Lose weight in 2 weeks – Best exercise to lose weight – Tips to lose weight Business and insurance resources: Over 50 life insurance – Commercial insurance – Redundancy insurance – Building insurance – No exam life insurance – Life insurance over 50 Private medical insurance Travel resources: A2B transfers – Cancellation holidays – Vacation packages – Broadway travel – Travel insurance over 70 – Global late deals – Holiday insurance – Holiday villas – Travel insurance for pre existing medical ... Read More

Low calorie recipes for weight loss? If you’re battling a bit of extra bulge, it’s difficult to sort reality from the sea of “conventional weight loss wisdom.”  Most weight loss information is completely incorrect, and perhaps the most prolific and proliferated bit of misinformation relates to the relationship between calories and weight. Conventional wisdom says this:  Calories in – Calories burned = FAT.  Therefore, popular myth holds, losing weight is just a matter of “burning” more calories than you consume.  You “burn” calories through the activities of daily living as well as by exercising. There’s only one problem with this equation:  it’s flat wrong.  They types of calories you consume bear far more heavily on your heaviness than the pure number of calories you take in. We know this intuitively; nobody would argue that 100 calories worth of broccoli is metabolically identical to 100 calories of jelly donut (that would be about five bites, by the way). It’s all about what you eat. The right kind of low calorie recipes There is a kernel of truth in the movement toward controlling the number of calories you consume.  You shouldn’t overeat.  Consuming large quantities per sitting can induce excess insulin, which has a host of negative side effects, not the least of which is systemic inflammation and excess fat storage. That said, the calorie quotient takes care of itself when you choose the right kinds of foods.  There simply isn’t enough stomach space to grossly overeat when you’re eating the right kinds of foods in your low calorie recipes. The right foods for your low calorie recipes What foods should you eat?  Following this simple dietary prescription will help generate the metabolic conditions necessary to consume fat for metabolic energy, rather than just blood sugars.  This will be a far more effective weight loss strategy than merely counting calories.  You won’t need to count calories, because eating the right foods will automatically generate effective low calorie recipes. Here they are (also see our post on fat burning foods and weight loss tips): Eat sufficient proteins. Contrary to popular myth, meat isn’t evil. Eat vegetables. If in doubt, eat more vegetables.  Eat the ones you love, but be sure to sample a wide variety in your diet. Eat seeds and nuts. Another completely false dietary belief is that eating fats makes you fat.  Your body is designed to consume fat for energy.  Moderation applies, of course, but nuts are completely OK. Enjoy fruit in moderation. Not fruit juice, which is all sugar and no fiber; eat raw, natural fruit. Cut down on starches. Drop breads from your diet.  Enjoy potatoes and rice in moderation. Cut out sugar. This is the most important step in regaining control of your waist line.  You can enjoy an occasional dessert (once per week or so), but you need to get sugar out of your world otherwise.  It’s the leading cause of obesity in America. There you have it.  Everything you need to create healthy low calorie recipes for sustainable good health. Health and wellness resources: Diets that work – Clean eating – Fat burning foods – Weight loss tips – How to lose belly fat – Reduce weight naturally – Quickest way to lose weight – Low calorie recipes – Lose weight in 2 weeks – Best exercise to lose weight – Tips to lose weight Business and insurance resources: Over 50 life insurance – Commercial insurance – Redundancy insurance – Building insurance – No exam life insurance – Life insurance over 50 Private medical insurance Travel resources: A2B transfers – Cancellation holidays – Vacation packages – Broadway travel – Travel insurance over 70 – Global late deals – Holiday insurance – Holiday villas – Travel insurance for pre existing medical ... Read More

What is redundancy insurance? Also known as redundancy cover or unemployment insurance, redundancy insurance provides income for a short period of time should you be made redundant at work. What types of redundancy insurance are available? There are two main types of redundancy insurance available. Mortgage or other loan redundancy insurance. You may insure up to a maximum of around 90% of your salary, depending on your carrier.  The percentage is capped at a pound figure for most policies.  The benefit payment begins after between 30 and 90 days of consecutive unemployment, depending on your policy provisions, and ends after a specified number of payments. Salary insurance. You may insure up around 90% of your total monthly income amount.  Again, after 30 to 90 days of consecutive unemployment, the benefit payment commences.  Here again, the policy payments discontinue after a specified number of months or payments, depending upon your policy particulars. You may also purchase redundancy or involuntary unemployment insurance in conjunction with accident and sickness insurance, if your insurance carrier offers all three options (most do). What are common redundancy insurance exclusions? There are several common exclusions that apply to most redundancy insurance policies.  Insurers place these limitations in effect in order to prevent abuse, and to keep their risk index relatively low. Common situations not covered by redundancy insurance: Back pain or backache Elective surgery or optional procedure Dismissal HIV or Post-Viral situations Initial redundancy insurance exclusionary period If you’re commencing redundancy insurance coverage, be aware that there is a 90- to 120-day initial moratorium period during which your policy will not pay the benefit should you become redundant or lose your position. Redundancy insurance can be an effective way to protect yourself in uncertain economic times. Health and wellness resources: Diets that work – Clean eating – Fat burning foods – Weight loss tips – How to lose belly fat – Reduce weight naturally – Quickest way to lose weight – Low calorie recipes – Lose weight in 2 weeks – Best exercise to lose weight – Tips to lose weight Business and insurance resources: Over 50 life insurance – Commercial insurance – Redundancy insurance – Building insurance – No exam life insurance – Life insurance over 50 Private medical insurance Travel resources: A2B transfers – Cancellation holidays – Vacation packages – Broadway travel – Travel insurance over 70 – Global late deals – Holiday insurance – Holiday villas – Travel insurance for pre existing medical ... Read More

What is building insurance? Building insurance covers owners of physical structures, including office buildings, retail buildings, and residential properties for lease, from damage and destruction due to fire, flood, earthquake, and other forms of natural and man-made disasters.  As the specific policy options vary with each specific situation, you should pay careful attention to the policy particulars as you begin the building insurance comparison process. Two types of building insurance coverage There are two main categories of building insurance policy options. Replacement value building insurance. In this policy option, you are insured for the amount of money the insurance company estimates to be the replacement cost of your building or other property.  This option accounts for the cost of demolishing and removing the wreckage from your property after a disaster, then constructing a similar structure from the ground up. Cash value building insurance. A cash value policy pays you the approximate market value your structure would have been appraised at in the current market. Which of these options is best for you?  It depends on a number of factors.  While cash value may be a bit cheaper coverage in some circumstances, it may not provide sufficient funds to replace your structure in the event of a catastrophe.  Likewise, if you’re insured for replacement cost in a market with a high cash value compared to construction costs, you might be leaving money on the table. Unfortunately, it’s impossible to predict how the real estate and construction markets will move in relation to each other in any given year, so it’s best to assess the long-term trends in your particular market.  Understand that construction costs and real estate cash valuations go hand-in-hand.  When the market is up, construction companies can charge more, and vice versa. A simple building insurance approach If you don’t want to continuously assess the real estate and construction markets in your area, and you don’t want the hassle of adjusting your policy type to reflect current conditions, a reasonable and conservative approach is to choose replacement value building insurance.  This will help insure that your building can be restored to its full operating condition (or replaced entirely) after a disaster. Health and wellness resources: Diets that work – Clean eating – Fat burning foods – Weight loss tips – How to lose belly fat – Reduce weight naturally – Quickest way to lose weight – Low calorie recipes – Lose weight in 2 weeks – Best exercise to lose weight – Tips to lose weight Business and insurance resources: Over 50 life insurance – Commercial insurance – Redundancy insurance – Building insurance – No exam life insurance – Life insurance over 50 Private medical insurance Travel resources: A2B transfers – Cancellation holidays – Vacation packages – Broadway travel – Travel insurance over 70 – Global late deals – Holiday insurance – Holiday villas – Travel insurance for pre existing medical ... Read More

When should you consider no exam life insurance? No exam life insurance is a helpful option for people in one or more of the following circumstances: People who need life insurance right away, for various personal reasons. People who have an existing medical condition, and have trouble finding affordable traditional term or whole life insurance policies. The elderly, who may have similar difficulty finding other coverage. Those who wish to avoid laboratory tests and medical examinations. Those who lack the patience or time to fill out an extensive medical questionnaire. Before you begin your search for no exam life insurance, you should be aware that premium costs are significantly higher than for traditional life insurance policy types. What types of no exam life insurance are available? There are three main no-exam life insurance policy options from which to choose. Simplified issue life insurance.  This option entails no medical examination, but still requires applicants to provide medical background information to the insurance company.  It’s tempting to fudge on your answers to medical background questions.  Don’t do this – the insurance company will drop coverage in the event of a claim if their investigation turns up evidence that you provided incomplete or misleading information. Guaranteed issue life insurance. This option asks no medical questions, and you can’t be turned down.  In return, expect significantly higher premium amounts. Graduated benefit (also called “graded benefit”) life insurance. Like the guaranteed option, graduated benefit life insurance entails no medical questions or examinations.  However, the policy death benefit is significantly less than the face value for the first two to three years of policy life.  If the policyholder dies of natural causes during the probationary period, only the premium payments are refunded, plus interest.  If the policyholder dies in an accident, however, the policy pays the full face amount. Consider your options carefully! Health and wellness resources: Diets that work – Clean eating – Fat burning foods – Weight loss tips – How to lose belly fat – Reduce weight naturally – Quickest way to lose weight – Low calorie recipes – Lose weight in 2 weeks – Best exercise to lose weight – Tips to lose weight Business and insurance resources: Over 50 life insurance – Commercial insurance – Redundancy insurance – Building insurance – No exam life insurance – Life insurance over 50 Private medical insurance Travel resources: A2B transfers – Cancellation holidays – Vacation packages – Broadway travel – Travel insurance over 70 – Global late deals – Holiday insurance – Holiday villas – Travel insurance for pre existing medical ... Read More

Considerations for life insurance over 50 The half-century mark is a significant milestone in a number of life arenas, and the life insurance considerations are equally monumental. Unfortunately, turning the big five-oh has some deleterious consequences on your life insurance premium amount, if you’re not in an existing guaranteed premium arrangement. If you’re on the market for life insurance over 50, there are three main options you might explore to meet your life insurance needs. Traditional life insurance over 50 Just like your 49 and under counterparts, you might qualify for traditional term and/or whole life insurance policy after you turn 50.  You can expect the battery of health examinations and questionnaire items to be significantly more robust than that endured by younger life insurance customers.  That’s because the insurance companies want to precisely quantify any and all risk factors that insuring you might entail.  And even if you come up squeaky clean and virtually risk-free, you can expect your policy premium amount to be more expensive than you’ve paid in the past. Simplified life insurance over 50 This life insurance policy option is very similar to traditional term life insurance (and there are whole life insurance policy options in this arena as well), with a few significant variations.  First, you can expect the insurance company to ask for fewer health details, and you may not have to submit to a medical examination before receiving coverage.  In return for this lower level of due diligence, however, you can expect the total coverage amount (also called “death benefit” or “face value”) to be lower, and you can expect your premium amount to be somewhat higher than a traditional life insurance policy. Guaranteed life insurance over 50 As the name implies, this over-50 insurance option guarantees you coverage regardless of past medical history.  In fact, many guaranteed policies don’t even require a medical evaluation or questionnaire. As you might imagine, however, there are significant strings attached to this apparent altruism.  First, you can expect a probationary period of up to three to five years in length, during which your death benefit amount is only a fraction of the policy face value.  Second, the total coverage amount limit will be significantly less than you’re used to.  Finally, the premium amount will be noticeably higher than with other life insurance policy options. Health and wellness resources: Diets that work – Clean eating – Fat burning foods – Weight loss tips – How to lose belly fat – Reduce weight naturally – Quickest way to lose weight – Low calorie recipes – Lose weight in 2 weeks – Best exercise to lose weight – Tips to lose weight Business and insurance resources: Over 50 life insurance – Commercial insurance – Redundancy insurance – Building insurance – No exam life insurance – Life insurance over 50 Private medical insurance Travel resources: A2B transfers – Cancellation holidays – Vacation packages – Broadway travel – Travel insurance over 70 – Global late deals – Holiday insurance – Holiday villas – Travel insurance for pre existing medical ... Read More

What is over 50 life insurance? As the name implies, over 50 life insurance refers to whole or term life insurance policies for policyholders over 50 years of age.  This age group is put in a category of its own, because it signifies the “knee in the curve” of policy premium expenses for new life insurance policies taken out.  In other words, if you’re starting a life insurance policy and you’re over 50, you can expect to pay higher premium amounts than your 49 year-old counterparts. Over 50 life insurance policy options There are a number of available options for your over 50 life insurance needs.  As you consider the option best for you, keep in mind that policy face value (or death benefit), medical investigation detail, and premium cost all counterbalance each other.  Choose carefully. Normal whole or term life. If you’re in good shape, with no outstanding medical conditions and relatively few life insurance risk factors, you may qualify for a traditional whole or term life insurance policy.  Your cost per thousand dollars of face value will still be higher than younger customers, but less than the remaining options we’ll cover.  You can expect to undergo a thorough medical examination during the application process. Simplified life insurance policies. These are much like a traditional whole or term life insurance policy, with three important distinctions:  first, the medical qualification requirements are less stringent (ie, fewer physical exam items required), but the premium amount is higher, and the maximum death benefit amount is lower. Guaranteed over 50 life insurance. These policies guarantee coverage for you regardless of medical conditions.  They typically have a maturation period of up to several years, during which your death benefit amount remains a fraction of the policy’s face value.  After the probation period, your survivors will receive the full face amount.  Again, premiums are much higher than for traditional life insurance policy types. How to save on over 50 life insurance The most important way to keep your over 50 life insurance policy costs under control is to stay healthy and reduce your risk factors.  Yes, the following list will read like a list of things your mother told you to do.  But in addition to lower life insurance premiums, you’ll also enjoy higher quality of life. Don’t smoke Don’t drink Don’t engage in high-risk activities Exercise regularly Eat well Reduce stress factors Health and wellness resources: Diets that work – Clean eating – Fat burning foods – Weight loss tips – How to lose belly fat – Reduce weight naturally – Quickest way to lose weight – Low calorie recipes – Lose weight in 2 weeks – Best exercise to lose weight – Tips to lose weight Business and insurance resources: Over 50 life insurance – Commercial insurance – Redundancy insurance – Building insurance – No exam life insurance – Life insurance over 50 Private medical insurance Travel resources: A2B transfers – Cancellation holidays – Vacation packages – Broadway travel – Travel insurance over 70 – Global late deals – Holiday insurance – Holiday villas – Travel insurance for pre existing medical ... Read More