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Pushups are one of those exercises most of us love to hate. Something about lifting your own body weight up and down from a horizontal position is just plain old hard, especially for women who often don’t have the same upper body strength that men do. Pushups are worth it, however, simply because they target so many different muscles – the chest, shoulders and triceps work together to move your body up and down, while the abs and legs work to stabilize your body.

Another great thing about pushups is that there are so many different ways to do them. If you want an easier version, you can try wall pushups or pushups on the knees. If you want something harder, you’ll love these staggered pushups. There are a number of ways to do them, but my favorite involves staggering the hands and taking one in front of you while the other is positioned directly under the shoulder. By staggering your hands, you increase the load on one arm, which adds intensity. This is also a great way to teach your body how to do one-armed pushups.

Do it right: In pushup position, on the knees or toes, walk the left hand forward while keeping the right hand directly under the right shoulder. Lower into a pushup, feeling the challenge in the right arm. Push back up and repeat for 4 reps before switching sides and taking the right arm forward. Continue alternating sides, completing 1-3 sets of 12-16 reps. You can also choose to complete all your reps on the same side before switching arms.

check out exercise.about.com for more sweet exercise tips

Hunger is unpleasant. In fact, it can be downright embarrassing when your tummy grumbles for your attention at the most inopportune times. When you’re watching your calorie intake to lose or manage your weight, there will be days when you might experience ongoing hunger, even when you’re eating at the top of your calorie range. It can be so distracting and debilitating that you’re ready to throw in the towel. If deprivation is what eating healthy is all about, then forget it!

Not so fast. Don’t give up on your new way of eating until you add what could be the missing ingredient back into your eating and weight loss program. What’s the elusive “secret” to feeling fuller, longer? “Satiety.”

What the hell is Satiety you ask, it’s that pleasant feeling of fullness you get as you eat, when you’re no longer hungry, but not overly stuffed. You are just satisfied beyond desire. The more satisfied you feel after a meal, the less you’ll eat later. So how do you increase “Satiety” without eating MORE…heres a couple tips from what I’ve collected around this “world wide web”:

Eat Low Density Foods

• Eat broth-based soups like chicken broth and vegetable broth.
• Eat leafy greens like lettuce, baby spinach and mixed salad greens with fat-free dressing.
• Eat fruits like apples, blueberries, cantaloupe, grapefruit, oranges, peaches, strawberries and watermelon.
• Eat non-starchy vegetables like asparagus, broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, celery, cucumbers, tomatoes and winter squash.
• Just a tip, start your meal with a bowl of broth-based soup or low-calorie leafy green salad to fill up on fewer calories.

Fill up on fiber

The fiber in carbohydrates helps prevent those peaks and valleys in blood sugar levels that can cause cravings and poor food choices. They also may stimulate a satiety hormone in the brain.

Protein, Protein, Protein!

Protein appears to help prolong satiety more than carbohydrates or fat can. Meeting your protein needs is important, but eating more protein than your body needs will NOT boost your metabolism. Eat more lean protein from meats, chicken, seafood, low-fat dairy, legumes, lentils and soy products. Prepare your meat using low-fat cooking methods like grilling and baking.

Drink Up!

Drinking water can help with your weight management program, especially if you are substituting calorie-containing beverages like regular soda, juice and sweetened coffee for water, which is healthy and calorie-free. For some people, drinking water throughout the day also keeps their hands busy so that they’re less likely to eat out of habit or boredom. I try to drink 8 glasses of water a day, but when your neck deep in work you tend to forget and then it times to clock out.

BUT FOLKS, DONT TAKE MY WORD FOR IT, GO HERE TO FIND OUT MORE

Although we live in the land of plenty — and for the most part overeat — there are some critical vitamins that people tend to be short on, especially women. These include calcium, folic acid, iron, and vitamin D. Despite trying to eat well, we may not get all the nutrients we need, so taking a daily multivitamin is a good idea. More difficult than the decision of whether to take a multivitamin, though, is which one to take. How do you make that decision? It can be difficult, given the aisles of choices that face us today. Here are some guidelines to help you find a good multivitamin that will provide you with the safety net you’re looking for:

Beware of hollow promises. Don’t make choices based on the claims on the label — words like “Energy Pak,” “Performance Enhancer,” and “Stress Control” have no science to back them up.

Search for a vitamin with most of your daily needs. Look for a vitamin with 100 percent of the daily value for the following vitamins: vitamins A, B1 (thiamin), B2 (riboflavin), B3 (niacin), B6, B12, C, D, E, and folic acid.

Take calcium separately. Because calcium is bulky, you can’t get the daily value in a single tablet or capsule. Take a calcium supplement if you’re not getting enough from your diet instead of trying to make up for it with two or more multivitamins a day.

Watch out for missing ingredients. Some multivitamins are short on some vitamins and minerals ‐ check for brands with at least some of the daily value amount of chromium, selenium, zinc, and vitamin K. Note however, if you take blood thinners, vitamin K could be a problem (which is why a lot of multivitamins don’t contain vitamin K); ask your doctor if you can take it and how much is optimum for you.

Remember that more is not better. Too much of a good thing can cause harm: High amounts of vitamins in supplements plus what you get in food can put you over the safe limit. There are several vitamins that you can go overboard on: vitamin A, vitamin B6, vitamin E, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, and zinc. Beware of mega-amounts — several fold beyond the daily value — in supplements.

Take your age and gender into account. The amount of iron you need depends on both. Men and postmenopausal women need only around 8 mg a day, while premenopausal women (who are still menstruating) need 18 mg a day. Going with one of the age formulas — under or over 50 — is a good idea.

Finally, don’t expect a multivitamin to be a miracle pill. Your daily diet should be the main source of your nutrients, including vitamins and minerals. Be sure to eat a wholesome diet of plenty of fruits, vegetables, legumes, whole grains, lean proteins, low-fat dairy products, and good fats (such as those found in olive oil, nuts, and cold-water fish like salmon and tuna).