About 95% of people who start an exercise program need support to stick to it. Support can take many different forms. It can be a supportive spouse, an exercise partner, a group exercise class, or it can mean hiring a fitness coach. Although all of these types of support are important and beneficial, it is important to look at what the best type of support would be to help you reach your health and fitness goals.

The most important factors influencing the success of individuals sticking to an exercise program are: accountability; objective and personalized expert focus and direction; convenience and flexibility; social support; and a non-intimidating atmosphere.

While having the support of your spouse is a definite plus, research shows that people don't always listen to their spouses because they aren't seen as experts in the field. This doesn't mean that spousal or family support isn't beneficial. It is just not enough.

Having an exercise partner is fun, but not only are you missing the expert focus and direction, but now you are depending on their schedule. It is also rare that two people have the identical fitness levels and goals. So, while one or two workouts a week with an exercise partner could be a great addition to an overall program, your fitness progress may be limited.

Group exercise classes are also great accessories to a good exercise program but should not be the primary source of motivation and direction. The accountability of group exercise classes is minimal. What if something came up in your schedule preventing you from exercising precisely at the time of class? Chances are you wouldn't exercise that day, right?

Fitness Coaching empowers individuals to take full responsibility for their results without depending on a particular person, place or time for their exercise, yet provides them with access to expert focus, direction and accountability every day of the week. This doesn't mean you can't exercise with someone; you just aren't dependent on them.

To find out more about Fitness Coaching visit our website: www.healthybalancefitness.com.

What kind of support do YOU need
to reach your health and fitness goals?

There is no authoritative definition for the terms "snack" and "snacking," many people consider snacks to be the food that they eat between meals. Clearly there is a difference between snacking to curb the appetite between meals and eating mindlessly without hunger, for example, out of emotion (e.g. stress or boredom).

Snacking can have many benefits, especially when keeping healthy ingredients, portion sizes and personal caloric needs in mind. Healthy snacking is useful for people interested in managing their weight, losing weight, sustaining energy throughout the day and especially for those with medical conditions such as diabetes.

• Weight Management - Snacking provides structure and creates an opportunity to include healthy nutrients to your daily eating plan.
• Weight Loss - Snacking prevents overeating at meals.
• Sustained Energy - Snacking fuels the body to prepare for exercise and physical activity. It also helps to prevent the mid-afternoon slump.
• Blood Sugar Control - Snacking improves blood sugar control by providing consistent source of carbohydrates.
  

Healthy Snack Options

Fresh fruit and string cheese

Sliced tomatoes & cucumbers with tuna salad

Snap peas & baby carrots with a hardboiled egg

Whole wheat pita stuffed with humus & cucumbers

Brown rice cake with natural peanut butter & sliced apple

Stacey Whittle, RD, CPT and Dorothy Bernet, MS, RD, CPT are Co-Founders of Healthy By Design Nutrition Specialists in Santa Monica, CA. For more information visit their website at:www.HealthyByDesignNutrition.com

Keep in mind that getting great abs takes more than just ab exercises; you need proper nutrition and a well-balanced exercise routine to go with the crunches.

Here is one of the top rated abdominal exercises to help strengthen your core:

Starting Position

Lie on your back on an exercise ball with your hands behind your head, your legs at a 90-degree angle, and your feet flat on the floor. Inhale to start.

How many of you made a New Year's Resolution to lose weight? How did you do? By now most of those that resolved to lose weight in January have given up. It happens each and every year. Why?

Diets don't work! Weight loss has more to do with psychology than physiology. As humans, we don't cope well with restriction. Whether it takes 2 days, 2 months or 2 years, chances are, most of us will not be able to maintain the restriction that diets require. Reports from the National Institutes of Health show that at least 95% of the weight loss methods people use fail.

People often think they must take drastic measures to lose weight. Deprivation diets usually don't provide enough fuel for the body and may slow the metabolism. You might lose weight initially but what about keeping it off? With dieting you are only concentrating on ½ of the equation. Both watching what you eat and moving more will help you lose weight and maintain the lean muscle mass you need to boost your metabolism.

100 extra calories a day is 10 extra pounds per year. Weight loss or weight gain, it is that simple. 100 calories can come from your latte, a pat of butter on your toast, or your salad dressing. Try to find ways to cut 100 calories from your daily intake and increase your physical activity to burn an extra 100 calories each day. How do you burn the 100 calories? Get up and move, take a brisk walk, clean the house, etc.

In the long term, increasing your daily activity together with healthful eating is the best way to lose weight and keep it off.