Paleo Diet - 7 Day Sample Paleo Meal Plan For Improved Health and Weight Loss

For those who don't know, the Paleo way of eating is biologically the most appropriate diet for us humans and has therefore gained a lot of notoriety due to the success people have had with following a Paleo eating plan.

So whilst the benefits of following this diet are well documented, preparing meals & knowing what to eat can be difficult which is where these paleo diet sample meal plans will help you.

Furthermore, it may be easy enough to eat a healthy Paleo breakfast & lunch dish but when it comes to preparing an evening meal you may have run out of ideas & you're just too tired to research a supper Paleo dish that you end up settling for something less healthy to the detriment of your body & health.

So to stick to the diet it is advisable to be prepared in advance & to help you here is a great paleo diet sample meal plan for you to get going with...




7-Day Sample Paleo Diet Meal Plan

Monday

Breakfast - A bowl of berries with coconut milk or have a Paleo omelet
Lunch - Big salad with your favorite protein (chicken, steak, etc.)
Snack - Apple slices with almond butter
Dinner - Slow cooker pulled pork

Tuesday

Breakfast - Paleo banana bread or have bacon & eggs with a portion of fruit
Lunch - Blanched/sauteed veggies (pre-made and reheated)
Snack - Can of tuna
Dinner - Taco pie

Wednesday

Breakfast - Coconut milk smoothie or have banana pancakes
Lunch - Soup (reheated or in a thermos)
Snack - Paleo trail mix
Dinner - Stuffed bell peppers

Thursday

Breakfast - Paleo cereal (mixed nuts & berries) with coconut milk or have Paleo muffins
Lunch - BLT wrap with lettuce instead of bread wrap
Snack - Hard boiled eggs
Dinner - Fajitas

Friday

Breakfast - Steak and eggs
Lunch - Cold cut meats and veggies (snack-like but filling)
Snack - Avocado
Dinner - Paleo fried chicken fingers

Saturday

Breakfast - Eggs and sweet potato hash browns
Lunch - Sandwich with bell pepper slices instead of bread
Snack - Almonds
Dinner - Sundried tomato bacon wrapped meatloaf

Sunday

Breakfast - Egg/veggie/meat scramble
Lunch - Dinner leftovers
Snack - Paleo trail mix
Dinner - Meat and veggie stir fry

This 1-Week Paleo Sample eating Plan provides you with a good idea of how to structure your Paleo diet.

Paleo Food List

If you want to structure your own eating plans it is worth noting the food groups that make up this healthy way of eating;

• Meat
• Fish
• Vegetables
• Fruit
• Roots
• Nuts

Finally eating like a caveman on the Paleolithic (Paleo) Diet will not only improve your health, but an important side effect of this dietary plan is dramatic weight loss.




Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Mike_Bravo/340302

5 Great Cardio Exercises That Don't Need The Gym

If the cost of a gym membership is too expensive and stopping you from getting fit and into shape there are effective cardio exercises that you can do that don't need the gym. Cardiovascular exercise is regarded one of the most important components in any fitness program because it helps to improve energy, enhance muscle tone and aid better sleep.

1. Cycling.

Cycling is a great cardio exercise and it's an excellent way of getting out and about. You can usually buy a second-hand bike at a good price. Start by scheduling a specific time of the day to go cycling or combine the exercise into your daily routine like riding to and from work. When you cycle regularly, it will help you burn calories, improve leg strength and tone your leg muscles.

2. Jump Rope.




A jump rope, or skipping rope, is a great way to exercise at home. This workout focuses on a broad range of muscles in both your upper and lower body. Using a jump rope for at least half an hour each day will strengthen and tone the muscles in your shoulders, core, arms, chest, thighs, back and legs. Also, it will develop your cardiovascular health, burn loads of calories and improve your coordination.

3. Walking.

Walking is a safe way to exercise and is even more enjoyable when you go with a friend. Whilst chatting to your friend as you walk, walking strengthens your leg muscles, lowers your blood pressure, helps with weight reduction and improves heart fitness. The best way to perform this cardio exercise is to walk daily at moderate intensity for 30 minutes or more.

4. Running And Jogging

Running and jogging are high-impact cardio exercises that you can do away from the gym. When done daily for about 30 to 60 minutes running helps maintain a healthy weight as it burns a lot of calories. It also improves heart health, adds years to your life, improves brain health, elevates your mood and strengthens your bones, joints and muscles.

5. Swimming.

Most people enjoy a dip in the pool, so why not turn that dip into some laps as a form of exercise? The great thing about swimming is that everybody can do it and enjoy it. It's suitable for every age group and fitness level. Swimming works your whole body but mostly targets your back, shoulder and arm muscles. Swimming also improves your flexibility, builds endurance, keeps your heart rate up and helps you maintain a healthy weight.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Jon_Allo/1079948

How to Properly Use Cardio to Burn Fat

Cardio. Everybody's heard of it. Not everybody does it. People want to lose weight, so they pick what sounds the best, and looks the easiest, even if it's time consuming. They will walk four hours, or run on a tread mill, or do simple laps in the pool. Once they're done with that, they'll stop (often times without even having been tired), and probably eat something. Chances are, when they eat, they eat as many or even more calories than they just burned!

This is the common cardio we hear about. It is not real cardio.

First, let me explain what cardio is. Cardio is a name for Aerobic Exercise. And Aerobic Exercise is simply doing something that makes your heart and lungs work harder than normal. The word cardio actually means "Heart"!

Cardio, or Aerobic Exercise, is improperly used these days. It can apply to running for hours, or swimming, cycling, jogging, or things like that, but it applies to so much more! It is one of the two most effective ways to lose fat (and build muscle at the same time), your diet being the first. I'll leave diet to another article though. Oh, and did I mention that you can actually build lean, strong, and usable muscle while you use cardio to burn fat? "They" don't like to tell you that. Where would they get "their" money from?




Not only can Cardio be applied to the things stated above, but so much more. It also applies to sprinting, a hard days labor (labor is good), playing (how do you think kids stay so thin?), and different types of exercise that are designed to build muscle but burn fat at the same time! The best part, they can be done in as little as twenty minutes, sometimes as little as five or less! Another good thing about "real" cardio, it leaves your metabolism at a high for up to three days after your workout (depending on what you did and how hard you did it)! That means you can take twenty minutes and do some simple exercises, and have your body in a fat burning furnace state for days after! All the while you're sitting on your couch, sleeping, eating a donut (though it would work better if you didn't), or, better yet, doing more exercises!

But here's the trick. In order for this to work, in order for you to become a fat burning furnace that works well you sleep, you've gotta work. You have to work hard! Even if you're not doing something intense, you have to do it a rate that makes it intense. You're body has to work, and work hard! That way, you're body will be in a state of shock (don't get scared off, this is good). You're muscles (including heart and lungs), use up so much oxygen and energy in such a short amount of time, your body is trying to recover for days. And in this time, your metabolism is higher. You're burning fat while you sleep!

If you've read this far, you probably want to know what these exercises are. Well, I'm not able to show you. But I can give you a head start in finding them. Some programs I found that are good include Double Edge Fat Loss, TacFit Commando, and the Adonis Index.

You can easily find other exercises online (you found this, didn't you?). The secret to burning fat is so simple. If the word got out and everyone followed the simple ways, those big companies telling us and selling us crap would be out of business. Every person who learns the truth counts.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Murry_Folt/774357

4 Bodyweight Exercises for Cardio

Many people underestimate the effective of bodyweight exercises as a cardio training technique. These exercises help increase full body strength, and decrease unwanted fat. The key is to develop a regime that is actually effective, and will continue to be challenging.

One of the biggest issues with bodyweight exercises is that your body will adapt after a certain amount of time. This is why you must vary up your routine, and continue to increase the difficulty.

You could use bodyweight workouts as your only means of working out, but the exercises are much more effective when used in combination with weightlifting.

Below, I will explain a few bodyweight exercises that you can implement into your cardio routine as soon as possible.




1. Deep Squats

Some people fear deep squats because of the misconception that it can be damaging on the knees. Yes, if you have knee issues I would probably avoid this exercise. However, if your knees are in good condition, deep squats will only strengthen your legs even further.

The difficulty level of this exercise is much higher than the traditional variation. The key to performing a proper deep squat is to push your hips back as you squat, keep your weight on your heels, and try to keep your back straight. Perform each repetition nice and slow.

2. Plyometric Push-Ups

This exercise is designed to not only build pure strength, but explosiveness as well. I recommend starting out with the traditional push-up before advancing onto this exercise.

Start in the traditional push-up position, lower your body to the ground, and as you push up, explode off the ground, landing softly on your lands. Explosive push-up will increase the strength of fast twitch muscle fibers, and are a great form of anaerobic training.

3. Bear Crawls

Bear crawls are popular among athletes because of the high level of difficulty. For this exercise, you will need an open space. You then crawl on all fours as fast as you can for about 40 to 60 yards.

Your triceps, shoulder, and quads will be on fire towards the end of the exercise and you will need to push yourself. Bear crawls are excellent for developing full body strength and anaerobic endurance.

4. Explosive Squats

The explosive squat will increase your fast twitch muscle fiber strength, and allow you to be more explosive.

Start in the traditional squat position, squat to 90 degrees, explode off the ground, and land softly.
Explosive squats will directly target the quads and glutes.

These are only four of the hundreds of different bodyweight exercises you can use in your cardio routine. But this is a great starting point!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Nathan_E_Gotch/1205679