CHUMA SPIRIT Magazine

Bally's Fitness Tip: Two Best Kitchen Tools for Weight Loss

If you're serious about losing weight, here are two important tools you shouldn't do without: a food scale and measuring cups.

Why? One of the most common mistakes people make is eating portions that are much too large - while believing they're eating an appropriate amount of food. It's no wonder we have "portion distortion," given all of the super-sizing that's done in restaurants and food displays. But we can re-educate ourselves.

To get a true sense of portion sizes, use a food scale and measuring cups for two weeks whenever you're eating at home. After that, you'll be able to tell if a portion is too big just by looking at it.

Before beginning or engaging in any fitness or exercise program, consult with your physician and read the "Important Notice" on the subscription page at: Fitness Tip of the Day.

Bally's Fitness Tip: Two Ways to Strengthen Your Weaker Side

If you're like many people, one of your arms (or legs) is stronger than the other. To reduce the discrepancy, use dumbbells and choose exercises that allow you to work one limb at a time. This way, you can work your weaker side just a little harder than your predominant side. Here's how:

1. Do a few extra repetitions with the weaker side. With bicep curls, for example, you would use the same dumbbell for each arm, but you'd do 4 or 5 more repetitions with the weaker arm.

OR

2. Use a slightly heavier dumbbell with the weaker side. For example, you'd do the same number of lunges with each leg – but you'd hold different-weight dumbbells. Important: the second weight should be no more than 10 percent heavier.

Before beginning or engaging in any fitness or exercise program, consult with your physician and read the "Important Notice" on the subscription page at: Fitness Tip of the Day.