Fitness Together - Grand Haven

Seven Diet Sins

Mon, 11 Apr 2011 14:17:00 -0500

You read all the books; buy all the right vitamins; you know the buzzwords to look for on food labels. By all standards, you're certain your nutrition report card should be filled with straight A's.

But before you start pasting gold stars onto your refrigerator door, take heed: Nutrition experts say most of us think we are eating a lot better than we actually are.

"It's easy to buy into some pretty popular nutrition misconceptions -- myths and half-truths that ultimately find us making far fewer healthier food choices than we realize," says New York University nutritionist Samantha Heller, MS, RD.

To set the record straight, Heller and two colleagues from the American Dietetic Association gave us the dish on seven nutrition mistakes you probably don't know you're making -- along with sure-fire ways to avoid them.

Mistake No. 1: Assuming your choices are better than they actually are.

From fruit juices to canned vegetable soup, breakfast muffins to seven-grain bread, it's easier to think your food choices are healthier than they really are, experts tell WebMD.

"If a label says 'Seven-Grain Bread,' it sounds pretty healthy, right? But unless that label also says 'whole grains' it's not necessarily going to be the healthiest bread choice you could make,".

Likewise, she says many folks think that eating a can of vegetable soup is as nutritious as downing a plateful of veggies -- not realizing how few vegetables are inside, and how much of the nutrients are lost in processing.

Another common mistake: Substituting fruit juices for whole fruits.

"Are fruit juices healthier than soda? Yes. But they are also concentrated sources of sugar that don't give you anywhere near the same level of nutrients you get from whole fruits," says Bonnie Taub-Dix, MA, RD. What's more, says Taub-Dix, if you're trying to lose weight, you won't get the same sense of fullness from a glass of juice that you will from a piece of fruit.

"Instead, you'll just take in a whole lot of calories -- and still feel hungry," Taub-Dix says.

The solution: Whenever possible, eat whole, fresh, and unprocessed foods. Even when you eat them in smaller amounts, you're likely to get a well-rounded group of nutrients. When buying packaged foods, put in at least as much time into reading labels and selecting products as you do when choosing a shower gel or shampoo.

"Don't just assume a product is healthy -- even if it's in the health food section of the supermarket," says Heller. "You've got to read the labels."

Mistake No. 2: Being confused about carbs.

A national fascination with low-carb diets has many Americans eliminating carbohydrates from their eating plans in record "grams." But before you reconstruct your personal nutrition pyramid, there's something you should know.

"There are carbs that are very, very good, and some that are less good, but your brain and body must have some carbohydrates every day," says Heller.

Moreover, because complex carbohydrates (those rich in whole grains and fiber) keep you feeling full longer, they also help you to eat less -- and lose more!

But eliminating this important food group isn't our only carb-related mistake. According to dietician Rachel Brandeis, MS, RD, just as troublesome is the belief that all no-carb or low-carb foods are healthy, or that you can eat them in any amount.

"Much like the low-fat diet craze, where everyone thought that if a meal had no fat, it had no calories, similarly people have come to believe that if it has low carbs you can eat as much as you want and not gain weight," says Brandeis. "And that is simply not true." Eat enough of anything, she says, and you'll gain weight.

The solution: Experts say you should never cut any food group out of your diet -- including carbohydrates. Equally important, says Heller, is to learn which carbohydrates give you the biggest bang for your nutritional buck.

"It's a lot harder to run amuck when you are including carbohydrates like fresh fruits and vegetables and whole grains in your diet," says Heller.

Mistake No. 3: Eating too much.

Whether you're filling your plate with low-fat, low-carb, or even healthy, nutritionally balanced foods, overestimating how much food your body needs is among the most common mistakes, experts say.

"Many people believe they should feel not just satisfied after a meal, but stuffed," says Heller. "I think many of us have lost touch with the sensation of having had enough food."

Adds Taub-Dix: "People also tend to believe that they can eat larger portions if all the food on their plate meets the guidelines of their current diet -- such as low-carb or low-fat -- and that, of course, is also not true."

The solution: Remain conscious of portion sizes. Weigh and measure standard portions, at least at first, so you'll know what the amounts should look like. And, says Brandeis, "never use restaurant portions as your guide -- they super-size everything."

Mistake No. 4: Not eating enough -- or often enough.

While overeating and undereating may seem like contradictory nutrition mistakes, they are related.

"If you don't eat at regular intervals throughout the day, you risk disrupting your blood sugar and insulin levels, which in the end can promote fat storage and lower your metabolism -- both of which lead to weight gain," Brandeis says.

The solution: Eat something every four hours and never let yourself "starve" from one meal to the next, Brandeis says.

Mistake No. 5: Taking too many supplements.

"People tend to forget that a vitamin pill is a supplement -- it's meant to complement your diet, not act as a stand-in for the foods you don't eat," says Heller. What's more, she says, taking too many vitamins can end up sabotaging your good health.

"Every vitamin and mineral and phytochemical in our body works in concert with one another, and it's easy to knock that balance off if you are taking concentrated doses of single nutrients, or even groups of nutrients," says Heller.

Bradeis cautions that any diet plan that claims you must take a high-potency supplement to meet your nutritional needs should send up a red flag.

"It means that eating plan is not healthy," says Brandeis, "and it also means you are going to miss out on the synergistic health effects that can only come from whole foods -- including not only helping you to feel fuller longer, but also preventing cellular breakdowns important to preventing disease."

The solution: Both experts recommend taking no more than one all-purpose multivitamin daily. Don't supplement your diet with individual nutrients without the guidance of your doctor, nutritionist, or other health expert. Keep in mind that the sales clerk in the health food store is usually not a health expert.

Mistake No. 6: Excluding exercise.

While most folks believe nutrition is all about food, Brandeis says it's also about how your body uses food -- and that's where regular exercise comes in.

"Without adequate exercise, you cannot maintain a high enough metabolic rate to burn your food efficiently," says Brandeis. "A pill can't do that for you; foods alone can't do that for you. Exercise is the only way to achieve it."

The solution: Make exercise a regular part of your life. And don't get hung up if you can't do it at the same time every day. If you miss your routine in the morning, don't wait until the next day and try to do twice as much. Instead, try to fit in some exercise -- even if it's just a little bit -- every day, says Taub-Dix.

Mistake No. 7: Believing everything you read about nutrition and weight loss.

"Just because someone writes a diet book or a nutrition guide does not mean they are an expert," cautions Brandeis.

If you're turning to a book for guidance, she says, "look to the author's credentials and ask yourself: Is this person a dietician; do they have an advanced degree in nutrition? Or are you buying this book because it's written by a celebrity who you think looks good?"

Even if an "expert" is behind your nutrition or diet plan, Brandeis says, it's important to make sure the plan is based on solid research.

"Has the plan been tried on 20 people or 200 people? Have the results been published in a peer-reviewed medical journal -- or is it based solely on anecdotal reports? These are things that I fear many people don't pay attention to before paying attention to what is being said -- and that is a huge mistake," says Brandeis.

Perhaps even more important: Experts say there is no one diet or nutrition plan that is right for every person.

Brandeis tells WebMD that dieters need to stop blaming themselves when a plan doesn't work for them. It's not them, she says. It may not even be the plan. "It's just not the correct match," she says.

The solution: Before following a particular diet or nutrition plan, check the credentials of the author or creator. Look for plans that are backed up by published medical data, and supported by the opinions of many experts in the field.

Super Food: Salmon

Tue, 12 Apr 2011 12:17:00 -0500

Wild-caught Alaskan salmon is one of my favorite foods. It is an excellent source of high-quality protein and essential omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3s offer protection against:

Heart attack and stroke
Cancer
Inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis
Mental and emotional problems

Wild salmon is available fresh, frozen and canned, making it a versatile choice; however, how you store and cook salmon can affect these essential nutrients. Avoid cooking methods such as deep-frying, blackening or sautéing at high temperatures.

According to the National Fisheries Institute, freezing fish and other seafood will cause minimal loss of the health-protective omega-3 fatty acids they contain. I suggest you preserve omega-3s in salmon by baking, broiling, poaching, steaming or grilling salmon just to the point of doneness that you prefer. Aim for two to six servings of salmon per week, and enjoy!

Add Muscle, Not Fat

Mon, 11 Apr 2011 14:53:00 -0500

Goals of Building Muscle Mass
1. Most people think that the more protein they eat the more muscles they will build but excess protein intake does not store as bulging muscles.
2. What you need in order to add muscle is extra calories and those extra calories should mostly come from carbohydrates. Carbohydrates fuel your muscles so they can perform intense muscle-building exercises.
3. To gain one pound of muscle you need to intake an extra 3500 calories and 100 grams of protein in addition to overloading your muscles with weightlifting and other resistance exercises.
4. Start by adding an additional 500 calories per day with carbohydrates making up 55-65% of your diet.
5. Eat larger-than-normal healthful portions consistently for 3 meals per day and 1 or 2 snacks.

Easy and Portable Snack Ideas to Build Muscle
Peanut butter on crackers, bread, etc
Granola or Grape-Nuts cereal with milk
Walnuts and almonds
Trail-mix with dried fruit and nuts
Nutritional supplement drinks and bars
Fruit yogurt
Low-fat cheese and crackers
Cottage cheese and fruit

Tips to Take With You
1. Fuel up before you strength-train with a carbohydrate-protein snack.
2. The snack will give you fuel for the workout and help protect your muscles.
3. Refuel within 30-45 minutes after workout with more protein to repair and rebuild muscles and more carbohydrates to refuel depleted glycogen stores.
4. Eat at least every 4 hours. If you go for long periods without eating, your body will break down muscle for fuel.

Strength Training: Key to Building Muscle & Losing Fat

Mon, 11 Apr 2011 14:29:00 -0500

Strength training is one of the oldest disciplines. Legend has it Milo of Croton trained for strength in Ancient Greece by carrying a newborn calf on his back daily until it was fully grown.

Today we don’t use a calf anymore to build physical strength. However we still use the same approach Milo used. This article will give you more info on what strength training is, its benefits & how to get started.

What is Strength Training? Strength training is exercising with the goal of increasing your physical strength. There are two kinds of strength:

Relative Strength. Gymnasts or rock climbers need strength, but not at the expense of an increased body-weight: it makes their sport harder. Relative strength is building maximal strength while controlling calorie intake and/or adding cardio so you don’t increase your body-weight.
Absolute Strength. Strongman or Olympic Lifters in the heaviest classes easily weigh 130kg. More body-weight means bigger muscles & thus more strength. Absolute strength is about becoming the strongest person regardless of body-weight.

Benefits of Strength Training. 2-3 generations ago, physical jobs kept you in shape. Nowadays sedentary lifestyles are common: desk jobs, watching tv, driving car all day. Here’s what strength training can do for you:

Builds Muscle. Strength training builds muscle: the stronger you are, the more muscles you’ll have. Strength training is not bodybuilding however: building muscle is a byproduct of exercising, not its goal.
Burns Fat. Strength training burn calories, keeps your metabolic rate high under strict dieting and tends to make you stick to your diet better.
Increases Health. Strength training increases endurance, bone density & testosterone levels. Strength training strengthens your joints, lowers cholesterol & improves your sleep. You’ll notice nutrition is important to get results in strength training. All leads to a healthier body & lifestyle.
Forges Character. Strength training teaches you persistence, sacrifice, self-control, responsibility & builds self-confidence. You’ll get out of strength training what you put into it.

How do You Build Strength? Strength takes time to build. Here’s how strength training programs work:

Stress. Exercising stresses your body. Your body doesn’t like stress & adapts by getting stronger & building muscle.
Progressive Loading. Your body quickly adapts to stress. Increase the resistance systematically to avoid plateaus.
1 Step Back, 2 Steps Forward. Eventually you’ll stall. You can’t increase the resistance forever. Decrease the resistance for a while, then increase it again bursting through your plateau.
Speed. The faster you move, the stronger you’ll be. You’re using more muscle fibers & can use momentum.
Power. Power is the ability to acclerate: going from a dead stop to fast. The quicker you can achieve top speeds, the stronger you’ll be. Olympic lifts like Power Cleans build power.

Types of Strength Training. You have different methods available to build strength. Here’s a non definite list:

Weight Lifting. Barbells are the easiest method to build strength. Start light, focus on technique & add weight systematically. The more weight on the bar, the stronger you get. Example of weight lifting exercises are the Squat, Bench Press, Overhead Press, Barbell Row & Deadlift.
Body-weight Exercises. Force you to use your own body-weight as resistance. Can be hard at first if you lack sufficient strength. Examples of body-weight exercises: Pull-ups, Chin-ups, Dips, Pistols & Push-ups.
Machines. Machines balance the weight for you. This makes them easier & less effective than free weights or body-weight exercises. Machines also force your body into a fixed movement pattern. Position yourself wrong using a lot of weight & you risk injuries.

To get started on a strength training program, contact Fitness Together Grand Haven at (616) 296-0100.

101 Nutrition Tips for a Longer, Better Life

Tue, 11 Jan 2011 12:11:00 -0600

Scientific and technological advances have made it so that people are living longer than ever. Unfortunately, advancements have also made it much easier to eat unhealthy foods that can have a pretty negative impact on your overall health and well being. Here are some tips to help you embrace good nutrition and eating habits so you can live longer and look good well into old age.

General

Check out these basic tips to get started on improving your diet and your overall well-being.

Use common sense. You know what’s good to eat and what’s not, so use your common sense when it comes to nutrition. You might enjoy eating fast food every day, but you know when enough is enough.
Listen to your body. If you’re feeling run down and less than healthy, take a look at what you’re eating. It may be that you’re not getting the foods you need to feel your best.
Get enough water. Getting enough water can help ensure you stay hydrated and healthy as well as helping you feel fuller faster.
Eat fresh. While you don’t need to avoid all processed foods (we all have our lazy days) you’ll get a lot more out of fresh, unprocessed foods.
Think before you eat. Don’t just eat blindly. Take time to consider whether or not you’re really hungry or are just eating because you’re bored.
Fix meal times. One way to help yourself eat healthier is to have set meal times and stick to them so your body will have a schedule and you’ll know when you’ll be getting hungry.
Don’t skip meals. Skipping meals can cause your blood sugar to drop and cause you to get extremely hungry and willing to eat anything, however unhealthy, in sight.
Learn the food pyramid. If you want a guide for your food choices, check out the guidelines set out by the government.
Eat for your needs. Not everyone has the same nutritional needs. Those who are more active need more calories, those less active need fewer. Find out where you fall.
Work together. Eating well shouldn’t be an individual effort. Involve your whole household in your healthy food choices. It’ll be beneficial and help you all stay on track.

Avoiding the Bad Stuff

Those empty calories may taste good but they could be clogging your arteries and setting you up for health problems down the road. Try out these tips to keep the indulgences to a minimum.

Eat fruit rather than fruit drinks. While you might think you’re being healthy by consuming fruit drinks, these concoctions usually have more sugar and less nutrients than the real deal.
Don’t avoid things you crave. If you totally banish those sweet and fatty foods from your life you may be doing more harm than good and end up binging on them in the end. Having a little bit won’t kill you.
Try dark chocolate. Those who have a serious chocolate addiction can have a sweet treat and still be (semi) healthy by having dark chocolate full of antioxidants.
Don’t buy it. One way to keep those pesky unhealthy foods out of mind is to keep them out of sight. Don’t buy them when you’re at the store. If it’s a pain to get them, you’re much less likely to eat them.
Keep treats a luxury, not a routine. Having a piece of cake or some french fries now and again won’t doom you to an unhealthy life. Just make sure these treats are occasional instead of regular.
Eat good fats. Not all fats are bad fats, so choose yours carefully. Avocados are chock full of fats–the unsaturated variety–giving you the fats you need to be healthy without the unhealthy side effects.
Turn off the TV. Ads are designed to get you to buy products, which very often are unhealthy fast foods, sweets and processed, salty, pre-packaged concoctions. Turn off the TV and cut out the chance to get those foods in your mind.
Fill up on good food first. If you’re craving unhealthy foods, try eating something healthy like veggies or fruit first. If you’re still hungry after the healthy snack then consider those other foods.
Be honest. Many times we crave bad foods not because we need them but because we had a bad day, are lonely, bored or some other emotional issue. Learn to recognize when you’re using food to fill a void rather than satisfy a nutritional need.
Find healthy alternatives. Just because you’re eating healthier doesn’t mean you have to give up desserts. Fruit with yogurt can be a satisfying alternative to more calorie-laden and unhealthy options.

Eating out

It’s easy to know what goes into your food at home but it becomes much more complicated when you go out. Here are some tips to help you eat healthy no matter where you’re at.

Choose healthy establishments. Usually you know going into a restaurant what kind of foods they offer. If you don’t want to eat fried chicken, don’t head into a place where you know that’s the main offering. Instead, choose a location you know has healthy options.
Eat half. Restaurant portions are notorious for being too large for one person to consume. Solve this problem by halving your food and only eating that one part and having the rest boxed up to take home.
Research ahead of time. The vast majority of restaurants have online menus and nutrition facts available, and if not, you can usually get a close approximation. Use this information to educate yourself on the healthiest choices at each establishment before you go. It can also help you choose a restaurant that will offer you the most choices for your healthy eating.
Share. If you don’t want to bring restaurant food home with you, you can always share with a friend, and that way you can eat what you’d like without having to worry about overdoing it.
Look at the nutrition facts. It’s not hard to find out the nutritional information for most restaurant offerings these days, letting you know if your choices are truly healthy or if they just appear to be that way.
Get sauces and dressings on the side. Many times it can be better to control just how much of those calorie- and fat-laden dressings and sauces you get on your dish. Simply ask if you can get yours on the side instead.
Ask for healthier sides. While french fries might come with your meal, many places are more than happy to accommodate a request for a side salad or grilled veggies instead. Don’t be afraid to ask.
Limit fried foods and sweets. It might seem obvious, but it’s much easier to fall into the trap of eating unhealthy foods when they are readily available in a restaurant. Avoid them or share them if you must indulge.
Ask about healthy options. Not everything a restaurant offers is always on the menu. You may be able to have your food prepared in a healthier manner or get it with different ingredients. It never hurts to ask.
Investigate the menu. Many menus offer a wealth of health advice if you’re willing to look for it. Most chain restaurants label what dishes are on the lighter side helping you narrow down your choices.

Losing Weight

While having a little extra weight might not kill you, having a lot greatly increases your chances of developing chronic and potentially fatal diseases. These tips are designed to help you shed those pounds and live healthier.

Drink water before you eat. Having a full glass of water before you eat can help you feel more full when you sit down to eat your meal.
Consider smaller, more frequent meals. Because your body doesn’t have a chance to get super hungry, eating smaller meals may help you eat less over the course of a day.
Don’t eat out of boredom. At work or at home, eating because you don’t have anything else to do isn’t uncommon. Remind yourself that eating isn’t a pastime.
Limit snacks. While having snacks in between meals can be good, try to limit it to one or two a day or eating super healthy snacks so you’re not sneaking in loads of extra calories between meals.
Take a hard look at your beverages. Many beverages are packed with calories, sugar and other substances that can contribute to weight gain. Try to stick with water or, if you must, diet or low-cal options.
Keep track of what you’re eating. It can be a big help in weight loss to know just how much you’re taking in on a daily basis. Use an online tracker to monitor your daily intake and track it over time.
Avoid crash diets. There are few things less helpful to long term weight loss than crash diets. Make a real change in your lifestyle if you want to see sustainable change.
Enjoy your meals. When you sit down to eat, it shouldn’t be a race to see how fast you can polish off your food. Give yourself time to slow down and really enjoy what you’re eating. You’ll eat less and have more fun while doing it.
Eat appropriate portions. Many people eat far more than they really should when it comes to portion size. Check with nutritional guidelines to see how much you should be eating of each part of your meal.
Plan your meals. One thing that can be a big help in keeping you on track is planning out your meals for the week. It will help you balance your nutrition and ensure you have a set plan for eating right.
Bring healthy food with you. If you have to run errands or are just stuck at your desk all day, make sure you have at least one healthy snack with you so you won’t be tempted to consume the less healthy options from a vending machine.

Eating Right

These tips will help you learn the basic principles of maintaining a nutritious and healthy diet.

Stay away from sweetened drinks. Sodas, fruit drinks and even juices aren’t doing you any favors. Cut back on the sugar-laden beverages if you want to cut out a major calorie source.
Aim for a balance. Despite what some diets might say, eating all of one thing or another isn’t good for your overall nutrition. Try to maintain a balance of proteins and carbs and vitamins and minerals.
Eat less meat. While lean meats are a great addition to the diet, try to eat less meat and have at least one veggie meal a week to cut back on fat and cholesterol.
Go for whole grains. Eating whole grain breads and pastas can give your body the nutrition it needs and keep you fuller for longer.
Limit the salt you eat. There is no doubt that salt is tasty, but it can have some pretty negative effects on the body if not eaten in moderation.
Cook with care. Just because you’re not frying foods doesn’t mean you’re cooking them in a healthy way. Stick to steaming or sauteing in olive oil.
Carry water with you. Often people eat when they are thirsty, not hungry, so carry a bottle of water with you everywhere to stay hydrated and on track.
Try something new. You may have been a veggie hater your whole life, but the reality is that tastes change and evolve over time and some healthy foods you think you hate might taste different to you now. Try something new to expand your palate.
Make eating right fun. Eating right doesn’t have to be a chore. Make it fun and get your family and friends involved as well.
If you must, hide healthy foods. If you can’t bear to eat a piece of broccoli or a carrot, you can always chop it up super fine and hide it in a sauce so you’re getting your nutrition without the taste.
Eat the rainbow. When you want to eat healthy, it’s best to eat a wide variety of colors of foods, from leafy greens to bright red tomatoes.
Go lean. If you do want to indulge in some beef, choose the most lean and healthy cuts available.

Shopping

Good nutrition starts when you choose what foods to buy. These tips will help you shop smarter.

Look at serving sizes. Sometimes labels will trick you with abnormally small serving sizes. Make sure to check these to see the real nutritional value of a food.
Check out the ingredients. You want to look for foods with healthy ingredients listed first and few preservatives and chemicals.
Watch out for tricky advertising. Some foods aren’t exactly truthful in their advertising and it’s up to you to find out what is truly healthy and what’s just hype.
Shop the perimeter. The perimeter of the store is usually home to fresh baked goods, meats, and produce–foods you should be concentrating on the most.
Avoid pre-packaged and prepared foods. While you can indulge in these now and again, you’ll be much better off eating more fresh food instead.
Have a list and stick to it. Going to the store without a list can result in you buying things you don’t need or shouldn’t be eating, so make a list ahead of time.
Look for fewer ingredients. The ideal foods will have few ingredients or just contain the basic components without much added.
Go to a local market. If you want to find fresh, local and seasonal food, go to a farmer’s market in your area.
Buy organics. While you don’t need to buy everything organic, many people believe avoiding foods sprayed with chemicals can be a great health boon.

Disease Prevention

Learn how eating right can help reduce your risk of developing potentially deadly conditions in these tips.

Eat nuts. While some nuts are better than others, all contain substances that will help you improve your heart heath.
Cut back on the cholesterol. Eating lots of red meat, eggs, butter and other cholesterol rich foods isn’t good for your body, so limit your intake and monitor your levels carefully.
Get folate and B6. These two substances, found in supplements and foods like orange juice, leafy green veggies and broccoli, were found to significantly reduce heart disease risk.
Consume the suggested levels of fruits and veggies. Eating right doesn’t just help you lose weight–these healthy foods are full of nutrients that help your body stave off everything from the common cold to cancer.
Up your vitamin D intake. Many people aren’t getting the levels of vitamin D that they should be, increasing their risk of osteoporosis. Vitamin D can also protect against cancer, autoimmune diseases, arthritis and diabetes.
Watch your calories. Studies have shown that people who eat a low calorie diet actually live longer than those who consume more calories.
Consider a multi-vitamin. While you should be getting your vitamins from the foods you eat, if you’re worried you’re not getting enough, consider taking a supplement.
Eat complex foods. Preprocessed foods contain more vitamins and minerals as well as antioxidants that can help you stay looking and feeling young.
Visit your doctor. Making regular visits to your doctor to check your levels and make sure you’re healthy can help you tailor your diet to your needs.
Try soy. Some doctors believe that getting more soy may help lower your cholesterol.

Superfoods to Try

There’s a lot of news out there about superfoods, named because they offer numerous health benefits. Here are a few you can add into your diet.

Plain yogurt. With potassium, protein and calcium this super food is great on its own or can be enriched with other healthy foods for a balanced snack.
Eggs. The protein in eggs has been shown to go a long way, and people who eat them at breakfast often eat less throughout the rest of the day.
Nuts. Nuts may contain a good amount of fat but they also contain protein, heart-healthy fats, high fiber, and antioxidants.
Kiwi. Get your daily requirement of vitamin C from this super food as well as potassium, fiber, vitamin A and vitamin E.
Quinoa. This whole grain may not be part of many diets but it should be with loads of protein, vitamins and minerals. If you don’t like this grain, try oats, wild rice or barley instead.
Beans. Beans come in numerous varieties to suit different taste buds but all offer fiber, protein, magnesium and potassium.
Salmon. Fish that are rich in Omega-3s like salmon offer many benefits from lowering the risk of heart disease to fighting depression.
Broccoli. Try steaming some broccoli with your dinner to get ample servings of vitamin A, vitamin C, and bone-building vitamin K.
Sweet Potatoes. These tasty foods are full of vitamin A and are a great source of other vitamins as well. If you don’t like these root veggies consider pumpkin or carrots instead.
Berries. Foods like blueberries are packed with antioxidants and phytoflavinoids as well as potassium and vitamin C, lowering your risk of heart disease and cancer and reducing inflammation.
Tea. Teas, both black and green, offer loads of antioxidants helping lower cancer risk and reducing cholesterol.

Looking and Feeling Good

Make sure your added years are good ones with these tips to keep you looking good and feeling great.

Get enough antioxidants. Antioxidants help rid your body of damaging free radicals, so getting enough will not only help you feel better but look younger as well.
Keep skin and hair looking good with protein. Your body needs protein to keep your skin looking supple and your hair looking lustrous.
Have enough calcium. No one wants to be hunched over with osteoporosis in their old age. That’s why getting enough calcium is essential.
Find foods that are anti-inflammatory. Inflammation in the body, not the visible kind, is the cause of many illnesses and premature aging. Eating foods that reduce this inflammation can be a big help.
Cut back on sugars. Sugars may taste yummy but studies have shown that they also age your skin.
Switch to tea. While the caffeine in coffee may not hurt you, it also contains organic acids that cause cortisol, the natural stress hormone in your body, to skyrocket.
Make your carbs count. Good carbs will give your body enough of an insulin response to have an anabolic effect on the muscles without storing excess body fat.
Use healthy oils. Using olive oil, a monounsaturated fat, instead of vegetable oil, which is a polyunsaturated fat that can make your body more susceptible to free-radical damage.
Get your Omega 3’s. These much touted substances have been found to help keep skin looking young and help reduce inflammation in the body.

Striking a Balance

It’s important to maintain a balance of foods in your diet, and these tips explain how to do it.

Veggies and legumes should take up most of your plate. Try planning the rest of your meal around these all important, nutrient rich foods.
Eat a small serving of lean proteins. You don’t need much meat to get the benefits, so choose small, lean servings at your meals.
Make sure to eat whole grains. Grains are an important part of a healthy diet, but you should make sure you’re choosing those that are whole and not heavily processed.
Mix it up. Perhaps one of the most important things to do, however, is to make sure to eat a wide range of foods.
Ensure you’re getting enough fiber. Keeping your digestion going smoothly and your body happy means getting fiber which can be found in veggie and fruit skins, beans, brans, and oats.
Look at food pyramids. The food pyramid was designed to help you balance what you’re eating and get the right amounts of each thing. Consult it if you don’t know how to construct balanced meals.
Look to cultures with long life spans. If you want to create a diet that lengthens your life, look at what cultures with especially long life spans eat and use it as a model.
Keep alcohol consumption to a minimum. The occasional glass of red wine won’t hurt you, but drinking a large amount of alcohol can pack in calories and hurt your body.
Have a plan. Don’t just go at nutrition willy-nilly. Come at what you eat with a plan of what you need, where you want to be, and a map of how to get there. If you need help, try consulting a nutritionist.

2011 fitness resolutions

Tue, 11 Jan 2011 11:34:00 -0600

Have you written down and begun acting on your New Year Resolutions? Becoming more fit is always one of the top New Year’s Resolutions and a recent online survey rated fitness as number two this year right behind spending more time with family and friends. It makes sense that this choice is a high priority for people as the benefits of exercise and fitness are heavily supported by research. The Mayo Clinic lists seven benefits of regular physical exercise as

1) Improves mood.

2) Combats chronic disease.

3) Helps manage weight.

4) Boosts energy level.

5) Promotes better sleep.

6) Can put the spark back into your sex life.

7) A way to have fun.

Many people who wrote “better fitness” as a resolution for the New Year are probably already aware of the benefits of fitness and exercise. Heading into the second week of January there are a group of people hot in their pursuit of their commitment to succeed in becoming more fit. Another group may have already slipped back into their pre-resolution habits and routines, meaning they thought about beginning a fitness routine but haven’t begun. Another group may have begun and is now starting to feel the pull of life distractions that can hijack their efforts to integrate fitness into their daily lives.

Here are six ideas for supporting your New Years fitness resolutions.

1) Create variety in your routines. Frequently people join a gym and within a few weeks become bored with the routine. When you join a gym find one that compliments your schedule and interests. Most gyms offer a large array of fitness equipment and free classes ranging from, aerobic and step classes, cycling, kick boxing, Zumba, water exercises and more. A gym or work-out facility that offers both, variety in fitness programs and provide peer camaraderie is a good way to stay physically and mentally committed to your fitness routine.

2) Engage your friends. Find friends who will join you for a day of kayaking, hiking, bicycling, jogging or even dance lessons. A base cardio work out routine is useful but unless you are training for a specific race or event in which you need specific weight, speed or agility training, there is no need to go to the gym for all your fitness work outs. In the bay area there are ample opportunities to join social/recreational league teams. These league teams typically offer a selection of several skill level categories, beginner, intermediate, advanced. There are basketball leagues, tennis leagues, ultimate frisbee leagues, soccer leagues and many other sports. If you prefer to keep your fitness non-competitive there are social bicycling, hiking, walking and running clubs.

3) Join or start a healthy cooking class or group. People often begin an exercise program and neglect to alter their diets. Fitness and diet are best in combination. Taking a health conscious cooking class can enlighten and empower your nutritional choices and creativity. If taking a class doesn’t fit your schedule think about starting a group with friends. One format could be each month pick whose home will host and what the recipe theme will be for that meeting.

4) Know your distractions. Take a piece of paper and draw a line down the center of the page. On the left side of the page write down a list of past distractions that have drawn you away from your previous resolutions to become more fit. On the same side of the page continue your list of additional distractions that could emerge during the days, weeks ahead. Examples of this could be, couldn’t get to the gym because of work, family commitments, too tired etc. On the right side of the page write down solutions to the distractions that you wrote from the left side of the page. If you can’t think of a solution, ask friends or family for solutions to help you think of new ways to keep to your goals. The answers needn’t be perfect. The idea is to help you think of these problems in new ways.

5) There will be bumps in the road. Avoid minimizing your progress or giving up your goals on the days and weeks you fall short. For example if the plan is to exercise three times a week and for whatever reason you only exercise two times that week, move onto the next week with the same goal. Trying to make up for the lost day by adding an extra exercise day the following week may become a recipe for failure. If it works out great do it. But avoid the mentality of trying to catch up on lost days. Let it go and move on. When people begin to fall behind and the list of things they need to catch up keeps growing the goal becomes unobtainable and typically they quit.

6) Have fun! There is no reason a fitness program needs to drudgery.

Understand that change occurs gradually and it is easy to become discouraged particularly in the early stages of beginning a new behavior. To improve your odds of succeeding stay proactive in combating the discouraging stages. Create variety in your routines, participate in activities that are fun, be flexible, engage in new activities, know your distractions, and build a support group of people to participate along with you as you to continue taking action towards achieving your New Year resolution of fitness.

Make Your New Year Fitness Plan Stick

Tue, 11 Jan 2011 11:30:00 -0600

While you can't wave a magic wand and make your resolution come true, there are some easy steps to take that will make it easier to fulfill your promise to yourself.

Choose an attainable goal. Resolving to look like a male-model is not realistic for most of us, but promising to include daily physical activity in our lives is very possible.

Avoid choosing a resolution that you've been unsuccessful at achieving year after year. This will only set you up for failure, frustration and disappointment. If you are still tempted to make a promise that you've made before, then try altering it. For example, instead of stating that you are going to lose 30 pounds, try promising to eat healthier and increase your weekly exercise.

Create a game plan. At the beginning of January, write a comprehensive plan. All successful businesses start with a business plan that describes their mission and specifics on how they will achieve it. Write your own personal plan and you'll be more likely to succeed as well.

Break it down and make it less intimidating. Rather than one big end goal, dissect it into smaller pieces. Set several smaller goals to achieve throughout the year that will help you to reach the ultimate goal. Then, even if you aren't able to reach your final goal, you will have many smaller, but still significant, achievements along the way. For example, if your goal is to complete a 10K race, your smaller goals could be running a 5K in less than 30 minutes, adding upper and lower body strength training to increase your muscular endurance, and running 2 miles with a personal best completion time.

Make contingency plans: don't assume sticking to your plan will be smooth sailing. Plan on hitting bumps along the resolution road and be prepared with specific ways to overcome them. What will keep you from skipping your workout or stop you from having a cigarette? This may mean seeking help from family or a professional, writing in a journal, etc.

Give it time: most experts agree that it takes about 21 days to create a habit and six months for it to actually become a part of your daily life.

Reward yourself with each milestone. If you've stuck with your resolution for 2 months, treat yourself to something special. But, be careful of your reward type. If you've lost 5 pounds, don't give yourself a piece of cake as a reward. Instead, treat yourself to something non-food related, like a professional massage.

Ask friends and family members to help you so you have someone to be accountable to. Just be sure to set limits so that this doesn't backfire and become more irritating than helpful. For example, if you resolve to be more positive ask them to gently remind you when you start talking negatively.

Don't go it alone! Get professional assistance. Everyone needs help and sometimes a friend just isn't enough. Sometimes you need the help of a trained professional. Don't feel that seeking help is a way of copping out. Especially when it comes to fitness, research studies have shown that assistance from a fitness professional greatly improves people's success rate.

Limit your number of promises. You'll spread yourself too thin trying to make multiple changes in your life. This will just lead to failure of all of the resolutions.

Test your flexibility: realize that things change frequently. Your goals and needs may be very different in April then they were when you made your resolution in January. Embrace change, even if that means that your resolution is altered.

Keep a journal: A journal helps you recognize your positive steps and makes it harder to go back to the same old habits.

On average only about 20% of us keep our New Year's resolutions. Unfortunately, some of the biggest failures are found in fitness resolutions. But don't let the statistics get you down. By following the tips above you'll be better equipped to fall into the successful 20% category.

5 Fitness Excuses to Give Up

Wed, 05 Jan 2011 11:36:00 -0600

It’s 2011. Your old excuses for not getting in shape won’t work. As Dr. Evil (Austin Powers) said, ZIP IT! I don’t want to hear them anymore! Read em’, then haul your excuseless butt to the gym!

Fitness Excuse – I have no time

According to a story in a recent issue of Men’s Health magazine, Barack Obama works out for 45 minutes a day, 6 days a week. Obama doesn’t just play basketball either.

Our new president stays fit to lead with cardio and weight lifting. He also says he wishes he could train 90 minutes a day. Have you ever seen what the daily schedule of a U.S. president looks like? If the busiest man in the world can train every day for 45 minutes a day, then what’s your excuse? ZIP IT! You ain’t got one!

Fitness Excuse – It’s too expensive

Getting in shape certainly is expensive… if you keep wasting hundreds of dollars, month after month on worthless “miracle” weight loss pills, internal cleansing gimmicks and “magic” potions that all claim to make you slim. Deceptive advertising and slick marketing for bogus diet aids is more rampant than ever. 2010 was the year of thewu-long tea scam, the acai berry scam, and, of course, the ubiquitous “cleansing” and “detox” gimmicks .

Unless you put on your critical thinking cap and learn to investigate before you invest, then you’ll get scammed by 2011’s flavor of the year as well. Your quest for those elusive “6-pack” abs will not only continue to be expensive, you’ll go broke. Walking, jogging, calisthenics and body weight exercises are FREE.

If you want to know what’s really expensive, tally up the cost of legitimate expenses like natural food, gym memberships, fitness education, dumbbells and so on, and compare that to your doctor’s bill when you’re sick.

Fitness Excuse – No one will support me

Experts on social influence say your income will be approximately equal to the average of your 5 closest friends. Not only do I think that’s pretty darn accurate, I also believe that your health is your greatest wealth, and your physical condition will be about equal to the average of your 5 closest friends.

It’s a real challenge to stay positive, focused and active when you’re surrounded by critical people and negative influences. However, in 2011, lack of support is no longer a valid excuse. Online social networking is exploding (check out Twitter and Facebook ) and more IN PERSON friendships and associations are being made from an internet connection than ever before.

Training buddies can be found online. Connect with them. Mentors and coaches are easily found online. Hire them. Support forums have been around for years. Use them. No support from your current friends? Stop whining, start reaching out and go make new ones. In 2011, support partners and new friends are just a click away.

Fitness Excuse – I can’t lose weight because of my genetics

The marvels of modern medical and biological research are astonishing. Our top scientists have mapped the human genome! In the past few years, numerous genes linked to obesity have been discovered. However, the obesity epidemic we’re facing today has only developed over the past 50 years and genetic mutations that lead to serious obesity are extremely rare.

Genetic predisposition only means that you have a tendency. It’s when the genetics meet lifestyle and environment that the genes express themselves. If you have a family history of heart disease, is it smart to smoke, eat junk, be a stressed-out, type-A maniac and a couch potato? Well of course not, and it’s the same with obesity. If you have a tendency predisposing you towards obesity, you’d better be the person doing the MOST exercise, not the least. You’d better be the person paying the MOST attention to your nutrition.

You’d better be the person with the healthiest lifestyle. But unfortunately, it’s usually the opposite. Most people throw up their arms in frustration saying, “what’s the use, I was dealt a bad hand.” Sorry. That won’t fly in 2011. The latest research says genetics are a factor, but a tendency is not a destiny!

Fitness Excuse – I don’t know how

The lamest excuse of them all in 2011 is “I don’t know how.” NO ONE KNOWS HOW TO DO ANYTHING UNTIL AFTER THEY HAVE ACTUALLY DONE IT! Ponder that for a while. You don’t need to know how at first. To get started, you only need to know WHAT… what is the goal?

Setting well-formed goals is the master skill of success. Not wishy-washy resolutions that have no resolve behind them, but real goals. In writing. With emotional ooompf! As you continue to affirm, visualize and focus on your goal with clarity, belief, and expectation, your new goal or intention will be received by your subconscious.

Once a goal is accepted into your subconscious mind, your brain, being a goal-seeking mechanism, will turn on your attention filters to seek out all the information you will ever need to reach your goal. It will also turn on an infallible navigation system to guide you to your goal like a torpedo to its target. As your brain guides your attention, your direction and your behavior, you will discover that today, in 2011, there is more good information, coaching and instruction available than ever before.

And when you’ve activated that “success radar” in your brain by setting goals effectively, it’s not as hard to find honest, accurate and helpful HOW-TO advice as you might think. In fact, you found this webpage, so you’re doing pretty good right now, aren’t you?

No more fitness excuses. In 2011, remember my Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle Creed: You can either make fitness excuses or get results, but you can’t do both!

Does Chocolate Addiction Exist?

Tue, 04 Jan 2011 15:29:00 -0600

Chocolate craving is very common, but can we actually be addicted to it? Can these powerful urges to eat truly be classed as an addiction?

We generally crave foods due to external prompts and our emotional state, rather than actual hunger. We tend to be bored, anxious, or depressed immediately before experiencing cravings, so one way of explaining cravings is self-medication for feeling miserable.

Chocolate is the most frequently craved food in women, and many women describe themselves as 'chocoholics.' Chocoholics insist that it is habit-forming, that it produces an instant feeling of well-being, and even that abstinence leads to withdrawal symptoms.

When we eat sweet and high-fat foods, including chocolate, serotonin is released, making us feel happier. This partly explains the cravings common in seasonal affective disorder (SAD) and pre-menstrual syndrome.

In many women, the craving occurs on a monthly cycle, which suggests a hormonal basis. A recent report in the New Scientist magazine suggests people can become overly dependent on the sugar and fat in fast food. Princeton University researcher Dr. John Hoebel found that rats fed on sugar became anxious when the sugar was removed. Their symptoms included chattering teeth and the shakes - similar to those seen in people withdrawing from nicotine or morphine. Dr. Hoebel believes high-fat foods stimulate opioids or "pleasure chemicals" in the brain. This theory is backed up by many other studies.

Chocolate contains several biologically active ingredients, all of which can cause abnormal behaviors and psychological sensations like those of other addictive substances. Researchers at the University of Tampere in Finland found that self-proclaimed chocolate "addicts" salivated more in the presence of chocolate, and showed a more negative mood and higher anxiety. The researchers state that chocolate addicts show traits of regular addiction, because they exhibit craving for chocolate, irregular eating behavior, and abnormal moods.

Although there are similarities between eating chocolate and drug use, generally researchers believe that chocolate "addiction" is not a true addiction. While chocolate does contain potentially mood-altering substances, these are all found in higher concentrations in other less appealing foods such as broccoli. A combination of chocolate's sensory characteristics — sweetness, texture and aroma — nutrients, and chemicals, together with hormonal and mood swings, largely explains chocolate cravings.

Chocolate is seen as "naughty but nice" - tasty, but something which should be resisted. This suggests that the desire is more likely a cultural phenomenon than a physical one. The inability to control eating may be a result of inborn traits and today's environment. "Humans used to have to search for food," according to Baylor College of Medicine researcher Dr. Ken Goodrick. "Now food searches us out."

We are overwhelmed with advertising, large-scale grocery displays, plenty of high-calorie foods, and an obsession with thinness. The stress of modern living often makes us turn to food for comfort, then return to a restrictive diet. The attempt to restrain ourselves before we are satisfied increases the desire for chocolate.

8 Healthy Habits for Weight Loss

Tue, 04 Jan 2011 15:22:00 -0600

Losing weight and keeping it off is a matter of cutting back what you eat and increasing your amount of exercise. "The simplest equation in the world, calories in and calories out, determines your weight loss," says Christine Gerbstadt, MD, RD, of Sarasota, Fla., spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association.

But if that's all you do, you may find yourself ultimately regaining the weight you worked so hard to lose. The reason: Weight loss is a matter of lifestyle and, if you don't adopt the healthy habits necessary to sustain your weight loss, you could backslide into overweight and obesity.

Here are some tips aimed at helping you create a healthy lifestyle that will improve your chances for successful weight loss. They might seem like common sense, but many people committed to losing weight neglect these healthy habits and end up struggling to succeed.

1. Watch Your Portions

Portion control is a key challenge to Americans pursuing weight loss. "The best way to control the calories is to go with portion control," says Dr. Gerbstadt. Piling food onto your plate can make you feel pressured to eat it all. Start with small portions, and go back for (a little) more if you're still hungry. Keep in mind that your stomach will grumble early on, until it has shrunk to adapt to the smaller meals you're now eating.

Portion control is doubly important when eating out. "Most people are catching on to the fact that when you eat out at a restaurant, the calories are two to three times what you really need for that meal," says Gerbstadt. "You might get a salad and an appetizer and call it a meal, rather than get a salad and an entrée."

2. Eat Slowly

It takes a little while for your body to realize that you've eaten and to stop sending signals of hunger. If you slow down and savor your food, you probably will eat less before your body acknowledges that you're full.

3. Eat Your Vegetables First

Vegetables contain plenty of fiber and bulk but few calories. By eating them first, you might eat less of any fatty or high-calorie items on your plate.

4. Don't Skip Meals

Skipping meals sounds like a good idea, but it actually undermines your weight-loss plan. Your body thinks it is being starved and starts building body fat in an attempt to store energy away for later. On top of that, you're likely to be even hungrier for your next meal and eat far more than you would have otherwise. The best course is to eat three small meals, with two or three small snacks in between.

5. Drink Plenty of Water

Water helps you feel full throughout your day, aiding your weight-loss efforts. Water also provides innumerable health benefits to your skin and your digestive and circulatory systems.

6. Switch to Healthy Snacks

Swap out the high-calorie or high-fat snacks in your diet for healthier alternatives. Fruits, low-fat string cheese, peanut butter, and whole-grain crackers are some good options. Create snacks that combine carbohydrates and proteins, like peanut butter on apple slices, as they will make you feel full longer.

7. Exercise as Often as You Can

Burning calories through physical activity is essential to weight loss. If you don't burn more calories than you eat, you won't lose weight. "People think they're too busy to walk 20 minutes a day or do a little weight training or ride a bike, and then they wonder why they can't lose weight," Gerbstadt says. "If you try to diet without exercise, it just takes that much more effort." Any physical activity, even long walks, will help.

8. Keep a Record

Food diaries are a proven aid to people pursing weight loss. Keep track of what you've eaten and how many calories the food contained. If you also keep a record of your exercise, you can compare how many calories you're burning to how many calories you're consuming.

Healthy and sustainable weight loss does not occur overnight, despite the promises of fad diets. Losing a pound or two a week is normal, and shows that you are adopting weight-loss habits as a part of your lifestyle.

The Link Between Stress and Obesity

Tue, 04 Jan 2011 15:20:00 -0600

For years, many people have suspected that stress and obesity are linked — and now scientific research has found evidence to support this connection. Specific biochemical reactions appear to help explain this link and, as doctors better understand these reasons, they may be better able to address the obesity epidemic facing the United States.

The most insidious aspect of the link between stress and obesity is that it tends to be self-reinforcing, notes Bonnie Taub-Dix, RD, of New York City, a weight-loss expert and spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association. "Very often, when people are stressed they may eat inappropriately," Taub-Dix says. "If that causes them to gain weight, that can cause even more stress. You wind up causing exactly what you're trying to alleviate."

Stress and Obesity: The Biological Connection

Ever notice that when you're really stressed, you tend to crave comfort foods that are high in fat or sugar? Researchers have found that specific hormones may play a role in this process.

Serotonin. When we reach for fattening comfort foods during stressful times, it may be an attempt to self-medicate. "When you eat carbohydrates, it raises the body's serotonin level," Taub-Dix says. “Serotonin is the body's feel-good chemical. It makes you feel [better]." Not surprisingly, people under stress don't tend to make smart food choices. "Very often the carbohydrates that people go for are laden with fat, like muffins, pastries, doughnuts, and cookies," Taub-Dix observes. "It's not like they're going for whole-wheat pasta."
Cortisol. Researchers have also discovered that chronic stress can cause the body to release excess cortisol, a hormone critical in managing fat storage and energy use in the human body. Cortisol is known to increase appetite and may encourage cravings for sugary or fatty foods.
Neuropeptide Y. More recent studies also suggest that our bodies may process food differently when we're under stress. One study found that lab mice fed a diet high in fat and sugar gained significant amounts of body fat when placed under stressful conditions. Mice fed a normal diet, however, didn't gain as much weight despite stress. Researchers linked that phenomenon to a molecule called neuropeptide Y that is released from nerve cells during stress and encourages fat accumulation. A diet high in fat and sugar appears to further promote the release of neuropeptide Y.

Stress and Obesity: Break the Cycle

So if we're wired to seek out unhealthy foods when we are under stress, how do we avoid gaining weight when times get tough?

Don't allow yourself to become too hungry. "When you get hungry and you go too long without eating, you get a drop in your blood sugar. It's very hard to think rationally when your blood sugar levels are that low. You'll eat anything," Taub-Dix explains. To avoid this scenario, be sure you're not skipping meals, she advises.
Keep portion size in mind. "When people are stressed out, there's a tendency not to think about what they're eating and how much they're eating," observes Taub-Dix. Smaller portions can help keep your total calorie intake under control.
Eat healthy snacks. Taub-Dix recommends snacks that combine protein and carbohydrates. The body digests them more slowly, allowing you to feel fuller longer. "An example might be almond butter and whole-grain crackers, or cheese and a piece of whole-grain bread," she says. Avoid snacks high in fat and sugar.
Think about what you're eating. "When people are really stressed, they think that paying attention to their diet will cause more stress," Taub-Dix notes. "Actually, it's just the opposite. Don't forget that food is fuel for your body and your brain. When you eat properly, you're fueling your body to fight stress."
Deal with your stress. This may be easier said than done, but finding ways to manage your stress is essential to your overall health. Try yoga, tai chi, or meditation. Exercise regularly. Spend time with friends. Seek counseling. Reduce the number of stressors in your life.

If you find yourself reaching for high-fat, sugary snacks when you're feeling stressed, know that you're not alone. Fortunately though, you can break this cycle. Find ways to minimize stress in your life and focus on making better food choices. Stress may be a part of life, but it doesn't have to lead to weight gain.

Your Diet, Your Health

Tue, 04 Jan 2011 15:16:00 -0600

We've all heard the old saying “you are what you eat.” And it's still true. If you stick to a healthy diet full of vitamins and minerals, your body reflects it. You feel healthy, energized, and just all-around great. However, people who limit their diet to junk foods will undoubtedly suffer the consequences of not giving their bodies what they need to thrive. The result is not only fatigue and low energy, but poor health as well. Understanding this clear connection between your health and your diet may spur you to make better dietary choices.

Your Diet and Your Health: What Your Body Needs

"Food is essential. People take it for granted, but we need nutrients," says Anne Wolf, RD, a researcher at the University of Virginia School of Medicine. Wolf cites as one example the old days when sailors crossed the ocean for months without proper nutrition. As a result, they ended up with scurvy because of a lack of vitamin C from citrus fruits. Vitamin C and other vitamins and minerals are necessary to keep all the different parts of the body healthy and functioning — otherwise, we get sick.

Every little thing that you do happens because of the nutrients that you give your body. Says Wolf, "Food gives us the fuel to think and the energy to move our muscles. The micronutrients, the vitamins, the minerals are there so that our bodies can function. You need food not just to sustain health, but to feel better."

And the only way the body will get the many nutrients needed to stay healthy and function is by eating a wide variety of healthy foods.

Your Diet and Your Health: The Guidelines

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's food pyramid and the daily food recommendations were established after extensive research and continue to be updated as more is learned about the role of nutrition in good health. Their goal is to make sure that people understand all the different nutrients their bodies need to stay healthy.

Food went from being a necessity to simply function to being the key to enabling the body to be at its functional best, says Wolf. Research shows that the right nutrition optimizes health and that getting enough of certain vitamins and minerals can also lower disease risk.

Your Diet and Your Health: Poor Diet, Poor Health

Many foods have a huge impact on heart health. Research has long shown that fruits and vegetables and a diet rich in whole grains and low in saturated fats can help protect the body from heart disease and high blood pressure, while a diet high in saturated and trans fats without enough fruits and vegetables can actually cause those diseases.

Even small diet deficiencies can have an enormously negative impact on your health. The most common health problem due to a lack of nutrients in the United States is iron deficiency, says Wolf. Menstruating women and girls need plenty of iron in their diets to replace what they lose each month during their periods. Iron is also an essential nutrient for infants, children, and growing teens.

Another example is calcium, needed to keep bones strong and healthy, says Wolf. Without it, the body can develop osteoporosis, a health condition characterized by weak and brittle bones.

Eating a well-rounded and varied diet will go a long way toward making sure you have all the nutrients you need. Remember that our body uses everything we put into it, and what we give it determines how it's used — for good health, or for bad.

Is It Hunger or Stress?

Thu, 23 Sep 2010 00:00:00 -0500

Have you ever noticed that when you get stressed about work or family, you find yourself reaching for the nearest chocolate candy? While some people lose their appetite (and may even feel sick to their stomach) over stress, you might be conditioned to soothe yourself with food, and end up taking in more calories than you want. Continual stress eating can start packing on the pounds.

Stress Eating: Real or Imagined Hunger?

"There are different layers to this; some we understand more than others. People have learned to cope with negative emotions and make themselves feel better with food," says Martin Binks, PhD, director of behavioral health research at the Duke Diet and Fitness Center and assistant professor at the Duke University Medical Center in Durham, N.C. Stress is a learned response — and so is eating under stress.

If you grew up in an environment where food was used to manage emotions, you're more likely to stress-eat, explains Binks. If you learned healthy stress management techniques growing up, you probably turn to something other than food when you're stressed.

Stress eating also occurs because stress triggers hormones that can cause hunger. "There is evidence that there are complex hormonal symptoms involved in hunger and fullness and appetite that are influenced by stress and by sleep," says Binks. This combination of coping mechanism and biology is why some people automatically turn to food to ease stress, while other people find different solutions.

Stress Eating: Breaking the Habit

Stress eating is an emotional response that over time becomes automatic, says Anne Wolf, RD, a registered dietitian and researcher at the University of Virginia School of Medicine. "Every time we engage in a behavior, the more we do it, the more it becomes a pattern, then it becomes a habit," says Wolf. "To tackle that habit you're going to have to learn a new habit.”

So the next time stress threatens to send you to the kitchen or nearest vending machine, fight the urge. "First feel the sensation of stress. Stop, sit down, do some deep breathing, feel it, then just see what happens," says Wolf.

It's important to stop and think about that: Are you actually hungry, or just craving food in response to stress? "What typically will happen is that the feeling will dissipate and then you realize you can let go and you don't feel that hunger any more," says Wolf. This is the pattern you have to follow and repeat until it becomes the new habit.

Stress Eating: Finding Food Alternatives

Managing your stress in healthier ways can also help keep you from responding to it by eating. Try these ideas:

Exercise. Regular exercise can help prevent stress, and exercising when you are stressed can help manage the emotion and burn calories, not pack them in. Instead of running to the kitchen, lace up your shoes and head for a run, or walk, outside.
Give yourself a break. Whatever you're doing that's causing you stress, just step away from it for a while. If you're thinking about a situation that's creating anxiety, distract yourself with a more pleasant topic.
Think positive. Come up with a plan to resolve the situation that's bothering you. Nothing beats stress more than solving the problem that's causing it.
Relax. Meditate, visualize a peaceful place, or listen to some music to calm yourself down.
Do something fun. Take an impromptu shopping trip, play a game of golf or tennis, call a friend, or watch a movie that you enjoy.

It may take some time, but you can retrain yourself to eat when you're hungry, not stressed. Learning to tell the difference between the two is your first step. Then, find another outlet instead of using food to satisfy your emotional hunger.

Drinking Green Tea Can Help You Lose Weight

Thu, 23 Sep 2010 00:00:00 -0500

Green tea is an ancient Chinese tea that has become very popular in the last few years. It is made from the Camellia sinensis plant. Black tea and oolong tea are made from the same plant. However, unlike the the black and oolong varieties which are fermented, green tea is made by steaming young, fresh leaves. This causes it to retain more antioxidants and nutrients than other teas, and is why green tea offers so many health benefits.

It is claimed that green tea can help treat a large number of ailments including headaches, depression, high cholesterol, heart disease, arthritis, infections and even cancer. A study by Purdue University concludes that a component of green tea actually hinders the growth of cancer cells! Because of all these health benefits, green tea has become a phenomenon that has reached around the world.

The reason green tea is so effective in aiding weight loss is due to the powerful antioxidants it contains, called catechin polyphenols. One of these antioxidants in particular, epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) has the ability to stimulate the metabolism and help the body burn more fat. This is a huge benefit for anyone trying to lose weight. One recent study shows that drinking green tea can boost the metabolism by up to 4% overnight.

Green Tea ingredients

Although green tea contains caffeine, it has about one-fifth the amount of coffee. This lower amount of caffeine, when combined with the other ingredients of green tea, produces great weight loss benefits without the negative side effects that can be caused by too much caffeine.

Another benefit green tea provides for those trying to lose weight is that is slows the rise of blood sugar in the body. This helps regulate glucose levels and makes it harder for the body to store fat. Green tea is also an effective appetite suppressant and helps lower stress.

But the benefits of green tea don’t end there. Several studies have shown that green tea can boost your energy and increase endurance by up to 24%! This means green tea can provide the energy to help you exercise longer. The ability to exercise more leads to building more muscles, which boosts your metabolism even higher! The end result is more calories burned which translates into greater weight loss!

How to take Green Tea

So, how do you get these great results for yourself? Studies reveal that regularly drinking four to five cups of green tea every day can produce excellent results. In fact, this can help your body burn an extra 70-80 calories per day (or about seven pounds a year), without exercise. Now, you certainly can’t depend on green tea, alone, for all your weight loss, but it can provide a significant boost to your efforts.

Although green tea provides a wealth of great benefits, it certainly isn’t a magical drink! However, with consistent use, a healthy diet and a good exercise program, green tea can definitely help you achieve your weight loss goals.

Healthy Living

Wed, 08 Sep 2010 00:00:00 -0500

People are obsessed with diet and weight loss! Don’t believe me? Just settle into a source of advertising ... you’re instantly bombarded with the latest diet and nutrition Hollywood food DCP. Now a day’s many industry attempts to control our weight and treat the consequences of the most-indulgence. The cost of weight loss and obesity on health care is enormous ... peoples spend only about $ 114billion every year! And even with all this interest in losing weight, we continue to pack on the pounds as never before ...

- A huge 64 percent of adults are either overweight or obese ... up about eight percent from previous estimates. - Among children and adolescents 6-19 years, 15 percent or nearly nine million are overweight ... triple the rate in 1980! - Nearly one third of all adults are now classified as obese. Modern life in May becoming too easy. Our cushy lifestyle means we spend less energy and therefore need fewer calories to maintain our normal body weight.
Think about it for a moment ... Entertainment no longer requires the expenditure of energy. In fact, it is usually quite the contrary. We will now entertain in the comfort of our own home while watching television and eating our favorite snack. Whether it’s television, computers, remote controls, or automobiles, we are less and burning fewer calories. Common activities that were once part of our normal routine have disappeared ... activities like climbing stairs, pushing a lawn mower or walking to get something. And please do not misunderstand me ... I am a comfortable life as much as the next person. But here's the problem ...

With all our modern conveniences and cushy lifestyle, we have not adjusted our caloric intake to offset the decrease in our calorie consumption. We consume more calories and rich in nutrients from food deficient than ever. Consider some examples below comparing what we eat Today vs. the1970’s (U.S. Department of Agriculture survey): , Etc.).. - We're eating more grain products, but almost all of them are refined grains (white bread, etc.). Grain consumption increased by 45 per cent since the 1970’s, From 138 pounds of grain per person per year to 200 pounds! Only 2 percent of wheat flour is consumed as whole wheat.

- Our consumption of fruits and vegetables has increased, but only because French fries and potato chips are included as vegetables. Products potato nearly a third of our produce choice. - We's drinking less milk, but we've more than doubled our cheese for admission. Cheese now outranks meat as a primary source of saturated fats in our diet. - We’ve reduce red meat, but they were more than offset the loss by increasing our consumption of chicken (battered and fried), so that, overall, we're 13 books to eat more meat today, Today we made back in the 1970 's.

- We’re drinking three times more soft drinks than milk, compared to the 1970’s, when consumption of milk was twice that of pop. - We use less than 25 per cent of butter, but for twice as much vegetable oil in our food and salads, so our total added fat increased by 32 per cent. - The consumption of sugar has been another cause of our expanding waistlines. Sugar is simply off the charts. People consume about twice the amount of sugar they need each day, about 20 teaspoons of 2000 calories / day diet. The addition of sugar found in most junk food, such as pop, cake and cookies. In1978, the government found that sugars accounted for only 11percent of the average person’s calories. Now that number has swelled to 16 percent for the average American adult and up to 20 percent for teenagers!

Unfortunately, it seems that the days of wholesome and nutritious family dinners are replaced by fast food and eating on-the-run. We have gradually accepted the fact that it’s ok sacrifice to healthy food for reasons of convenience and service that large portions equate to better value. It 's time to recognize that we consume too many calories and time to start doing something! Each of us can decide today that healthy eating and exercise habits to become a normal part of our lives! We can begin by exploring our values, thoughts and habits ... slowly and deliberately weeds unhealthy habits and activities and begin a productive life and rewarding life. And remember, it took a long time to develop bad habits, so be patient while you work toward your goal!

Exercise and illness: Should you exercise when you're sick?

Wed, 08 Sep 2010 00:00:00 -0500

Mild to moderate physical activity is usually OK if you have a cold but no fever. Exercise may even help you feel better by temporarily relieving nasal congestion.

As a rule of thumb for exercise and illness:

Proceed with your workout if your signs and symptoms are "above the neck" — such as runny nose, nasal congestion, sneezing or sore throat. Be prepared to reduce the intensity of your workout if needed, however.
Postpone your workout if your signs and symptoms are "below the neck" — such as chest congestion, hacking cough or upset stomach. Likewise, don't exercise if you have a fever, fatigue or widespread muscle aches.

If you choose to exercise when you're sick, listen to your body. If your signs and symptoms get worse with physical activity, stop and rest. Resume your workout routine gradually as you begin to feel better.

Exercise: 7 benefits of regular physical activity

Wed, 08 Sep 2010 00:00:00 -0500

Want to feel better, have more energy and perhaps even live longer? Look no further than old-fashioned exercise.

The merits of regular physical activity — from preventing chronic health conditions to promoting weight loss and better sleep — are hard to ignore. And the benefits are yours for the taking, regardless of age, sex or physical ability. Need more convincing? Check out seven specific ways exercise can improve your life.

1. Exercise improves your mood.

Need to blow off some steam after a stressful day? A workout at the gym or a brisk 30-minute walk can help you calm down.

Physical activity stimulates various brain chemicals that may leave you feeling happier and more relaxed than you were before you worked out. You'll also look better and feel better when you exercise regularly, which can boost your confidence and improve your self-esteem. Regular physical activity can even help prevent depression.

2. Exercise combats chronic diseases.

Worried about heart disease? Hoping to prevent osteoporosis? Physical activity might be the ticket.

Regular physical activity can help you prevent — or manage — high blood pressure. Your cholesterol will benefit, too. Regular physical activity boosts high-density lipoprotein (HDL), or "good," cholesterol while decreasing triglycerides. This one-two punch keeps your blood flowing smoothly by lowering the buildup of plaques in your arteries.

And there's more. Regular physical activity can help you prevent type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis and certain types of cancer.

3. Exercise helps you manage your weight.

Want to drop those excess pounds? Trade some couch time for walking or other physical activities.

This one's a no-brainer. When you engage in physical activity, you burn calories. The more intense the activity, the more calories you burn — and the easier it is to keep your weight under control. You don't even need to set aside major chunks of time for working out. Take the stairs instead of the elevator. Walk during your lunch break. Do jumping jacks during commercials. Better yet, turn off the TV and take a brisk walk. Dedicated workouts are great, but physical activity you accumulate throughout the day helps you burn calories, too.

4. Exercise boosts your energy level.

Winded by grocery shopping or household chores? Don't throw in the towel. Regular physical activity can leave you breathing easier.

Physical activity delivers oxygen and nutrients to your tissues. In fact, regular physical activity helps your entire cardiovascular system — the circulation of blood through your heart and blood vessels — work more efficiently. Big deal? You bet! When your heart and lungs work more efficiently, you'll have more energy to do the things you enjoy.

5. Exercise promotes better sleep.

Struggling to fall asleep? Or stay asleep? It might help to boost your physical activity during the day.

A good night's sleep can improve your concentration, productivity and mood. And you guessed it — physical activity is sometimes the key to better sleep. Regular physical activity can help you fall asleep faster and deepen your sleep. There's a caveat, however. If you exercise too close to bedtime, you may be too energized to fall asleep. If you're having trouble sleeping, you might want to exercise earlier in the day.

6. Exercise can put the spark back into your sex life.

Are you too tired to have sex? Or feeling too out of shape to enjoy physical intimacy? Physical activity to the rescue.

Regular physical activity can leave you feeling energized and looking better, which may have a positive effect on your sex life. But there's more to it than that. Regular physical activity can lead to enhanced arousal for women, and men who exercise regularly are less likely to have problems with erectile dysfunction than are men who don't exercise — especially as they get older.

7. Exercise can be — gasp — fun!

Wondering what to do on a Saturday afternoon? Looking for an activity that suits the entire family? Get physical!

Physical activity doesn't have to be drudgery. Take a ballroom dancing class. Check out a local climbing wall or hiking trail. Push your kids on the swings or climb with them on the jungle gym. Plan a neighborhood kickball or touch football game. Find a physical activity you enjoy, and go for it. If you get bored, try something new. If you're moving, it counts!

Are you convinced? Good. Start reaping the benefits of regular physical activity today!

Fitness training: 5 elements of a rounded routine

Wed, 08 Sep 2010 00:00:00 -0500

Whether you're a novice taking the first steps toward fitness or an exercise fanatic hoping to optimize your results, a well-rounded fitness training program is essential. Use the five primary elements of fitness training to create a balanced routine.

1. Aerobic fitness

Aerobic exercise, also known as cardio or endurance activity, is the cornerstone of most fitness training programs. Aerobic exercise causes you to breathe faster and more deeply, which maximizes the amount of oxygen in your blood. The better your aerobic fitness, the more efficiently your heart, lungs and blood vessels transport oxygen throughout your body — and the easier it is to complete routine physical tasks and rise to unexpected challenges, such as running to your car in the pouring rain.

Aerobic exercise includes any physical activity that uses large muscle groups and increases your heart rate. Try walking, jogging, biking, swimming, dancing, water aerobics — even leaf raking, snow shoveling and vacuuming. Aim for at least two hours and 30 minutes a week of moderate aerobic activity or one hour and 15 minutes a week of vigorous aerobic activity — preferably spread throughout the week.

2. Muscular fitness

Muscular fitness is another key component of a fitness training program. Strength training at least twice a week can help you increase bone strength and muscular fitness. It can also help you maintain muscle mass during a weight-loss program.

Most fitness centers offer various resistance machines, free weights and other tools for strength training. But you don't need to invest in a gym membership or expensive equipment to reap the benefits of strength training. Hand-held weights or homemade weights — such as plastic soft drink bottles filled with water or sand — may work just as well. Resistance bands are another inexpensive option. Your own body weight counts, too. Try push-ups, abdominal crunches and leg squats.

3. Stretching

Most aerobic and strength training activities cause your muscles to contract and flex. For balance in your fitness training program, it's important to stretch those muscles, too. Stretching improves the range of motion of your joints and promotes better posture. Regular stretching can even help relieve stress.

Before you stretch, warm up by walking or doing a favorite exercise at low intensity for five to 10 minutes. Better yet, stretch after you exercise — when your muscles are warm and receptive to stretching. Ideally, you'll stretch whenever you exercise. If you don't exercise regularly, you might want to stretch at least three times a week after warming up to maintain flexibility. Activities such as yoga promote flexibility, too.

4. Core stability

The muscles in your abdomen, lower back and pelvis — known as your core muscles — help protect your back and connect upper and lower body movements. Core strength is a key element of a well-rounded fitness training program.

Core exercises help train your muscles to brace the spine and enable you to use your upper and lower body muscles more effectively. So what counts as a core exercise? Any exercise that uses the trunk of your body without support, including abdominal crunches. You can also try various core exercises with a fitness ball.

5. Balance training

You can be strong, flexible and aerobically fit, yet still have poor balance. Training can help you maintain and improve balance. This is important since balance tends to deteriorate with age, which can lead to falls and fractures. Try standing on one leg for increasing periods of time to improve your overall stability. Activities such as tai chi can promote balance, too.

Cover all five elements

Whether you create your own fitness training program or enlist the help of a personal trainer, make aerobic fitness, muscular fitness, stretching, core exercise and balance training part of your overall exercise plan. It isn't necessary to fit each of the five elements into every fitness session, but factoring them into your regular routine can help you promote fitness for life.

Drink Water to Curb Weight Gain? Clinical Trial Confirms Effectiveness of Simple Appetite Control Method

Thu, 26 Aug 2010 00:00:00 -0500

Has the long-sought magic potion in society's "battle with the bulge" finally arrived? An appetite-control agent that requires no prescription, has no common side effects, and costs almost nothing? Scientists report results of a new clinical trial confirming that just two 8-ounce glasses of the stuff, taken before meals, enables people to shed pounds. The weight-loss elixir, they told the 240th National Meeting of the American Chemical Society (ACS), is ordinary water.

"We are presenting results of the first randomized controlled intervention trial demonstrating that increased water consumption is an effective weight loss strategy," said Brenda Davy, Ph.D., senior author on the study. "We found in earlier studies that middle aged and older people who drank two cups of water right before eating a meal ate between 75 and 90 fewer calories during that meal. In this recent study, we found that over the course of 12 weeks, dieters who drank water before meals, three times per day, lost about 5 pounds more than dieters who did not increase their water intake."

"People should drink more water and less sugary, high-calorie drinks. It's a simple way to facilitate weight management."

Davy pointed out that folklore and everyday experience long have suggested that water can help promote weight loss. But there has been surprisingly little scientific information on the topic. Previous studies hinted that drinking water before meals reduces intake of calories. Lacking until now, however, has been the "gold-standard" evidence from a randomized, controlled clinical trial that compares weight loss among dieters who drink water before meals with those who do not.

The study included 48 adults aged 55-75 years, divided into two groups. One group drank 2 cups of water prior to their meals and the other did not. All of the subjects ate a low-calorie diet during the study. Over the course of 12 weeks, water drinkers lost about 15.5 pounds, while the non-water drinkers lost about 11 pounds.

Davy said water may be so effective simply because it fills up the stomach with a substance that has zero calories. People feel fuller as a result, and eat less calorie-containing food during the meal. Increased water consumption may also help people lose weight if they drink it in place of sweetened calorie-containing beverages, said Davy, who is with Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Va.

Diet soda pop and other beverages with artificial sweeteners may also help people reduce their calorie intake and lose weight, Davy said. However, she advised against using beverages sweetened with sugar and high-fructose corn syrup because they are high in calories. A 12-ounce can of regular soda pop, for instance, contains about 10 teaspoons of sugar.

Davy noted that that nobody knows exactly how much water people should drink daily. The Institute of Medicine, an agency of The National Academies, which advises the Federal Government on science, says that most healthy people can simply let thirst be their guide. It does not specify exact requirements for water, but set general recommendations for women at about 9 cups of fluids -- from all beverages including water -- each day, and men at about 13 cups of fluids.

And it is possible to drink too much water, a situation that can lead to a rare, but serious, condition known as water intoxication, Davy pointed out.

After 10 minutes of exercise, hour-long boost

Thu, 26 Aug 2010 00:00:00 -0500

WASHINGTON — Ten minutes of brisk exercise triggers metabolic changes that last at least an hour. The unfair news for panting newbies: The more fit you are, the more benefits you just might be getting.

We all know that exercise and a good diet are important for health, protecting against heart disease and diabetes, among other conditions. But what exactly causes the health improvement from working up a sweat or from eating, say, more olive oil than saturated fat? And are some people biologically predisposed to get more benefit than others?

They're among questions that metabolic profiling, a new field called metabolomics, aims to answer in hopes of one day optimizing those benefits — or finding patterns that may signal risk for disease and new ways to treat it.

"We're only beginning to catalog the metabolic variability between people," says Dr. Robert Gerszten of Massachusetts General Hospital, whose team just took a step toward that goal.

The researchers measured biochemical changes in the blood of a variety of people: the healthy middle-aged, some who became short of breath with exertion, and marathon runners.

First, in 70 healthy people put on a treadmill, the team found more than 20 metabolites that change during exercise, naturally produced compounds involved in burning calories and fat and improving blood-sugar control. Some weren't known until now to be involved with exercise. Some revved up during exercise, like those involved in processing fat. Others involved with cellular stress decreased with exercise.

Those are pretty wonky findings, a first step in a complex field. But they back today's health advice that even brief bouts of activity are good.

Why we eat when we’re not hungry

Thu, 26 Aug 2010 00:00:00 -0500

A bell rings; a dog drools. This is the oldest trick in the Psychology 101 book: That’s all it takes for the pooch to expect something to eat. Dumb dogs! The poor suckers.... Oh, wait. We humans are just as nefariously conditioned to eat when we’re not hungry. Which might explain the staggering tally of calories you ingest some days but don’t especially remember (or savor). But scientists have been investigating common triggers that cause overeating and keep people from shedding the extra pounds that dog them — and their findings suggest how we can bring those urges to heel.

The ‘I’ll have what she’s having’ effect
Who doesn’t want to be just like her thinnest friend, with her XS shirts and size 26 jeans (a waist size last seen by most of us during sixth grade)? The problem is, though, that we tend to emulate her when she’s stuffing herself and trying to fill her hollow leg. In a joint study at Duke University, the University of British Columbia, and Arizona State University, an undercover researcher — a size 0 woman, either dressed normally or in a size 16 fat suit — ordered food in front of a study participant. In all cases, the participants made similar orders to the researcher’s. But she had the most influence when she looked thin: When she ate more, her companions ate more.

This study is the latest arrival at a crowded buffet table of research about peer-induced overeating. For instance, as your number of dining partners increases, so does your caloric intake; one study found that eating with eight others can prompt you to consume nearly double the calories you would when alone.

One mitigating factor is that women rein themselves in when a man dines with them, a 2009 study at McMaster University in Ontario, Canada, found. Notably, the men were unrelated to the women in the test: Once women get married or start living with a man, they tend to weigh more, research shows. Plus, the heavier one’s friends, the higher one’s own chances of becoming overweight, according to analysis by scientists at Harvard University and the University of San Diego. “When people around you gain weight, how is that transmitted to you? By sharing behavior,” says Nicholas Christakis, a physician and sociologist at Harvard who explores this phenomenon in “Connected” (Little, Brown and Company). “It’s either ‘Let’s go running’ or ‘Let’s share these muffins.’”

In the cinematic “Sex and the City 2” world, venues for female camaraderie might include a Bergdorf dressing room or a spalike desert oasis. In the real world, though, women’s friendships more often take place at restaurant tables, usually strewn with quarter-full wine glasses and the empty plates of multicourse meals. This ritual will likely never change (nor should it — even the most spirited Facebook comment threads can’t hold a candle), but it can be controlled. It may be as simple as everyone meeting for a drink after having had dinner separately. “If you’re already full when you walk into a restaurant, it’s much easier to avoid overeating,” says Susan Roberts, author of “The ‘I’ Diet” (Workman) and professor of nutrition at Tufts University in Boston. You could also just invite a cute single guy along, given that, as prefeminist as it is, women tend to eat fewer calories when they’re in the company of men, “even when it’s not a dating situation,” says Lauren Slayton, a nutritionist in New York City and founder of foodtrainers.net. “Also, women like to talk, and as long as there’s food in front of you, you’ll keep eating.” So ask the waiter to clear any plates — but leave the water glasses — as soon as possible.

The couch (sour cream-topped, butter-slathered) potato effect
This might seem as fresh and new as watching the same “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” episode for the millionth time, but bear with the repeat: TV viewing can make you fat. A recent study at Yale University found that TV viewers who saw snack commercials were inspired to eat — paging Don Draper! — just about anything, not just the brand advertised. Plus, the snacking was completely unrelated to feeling either hungry beforehand or full afterward.

When study subjects watched television for a half-hour, they consumed 36 percent more calories of pizza, or 71 percent more calories of macaroni and cheese, compared with people who listened to music for a half-hour, according to a 2006 article in Physiology and Behavior. (Listening to music has been linked with higher food intake in other research, so presumably all these study subjects ate more than they would have with no distractions at all.) Successful dieters, meanwhile, tend to watch far less television than the average adult’s four hours a day: The majority of people in the National Weight Control Registry, a group of about 5,000 people who’ve kept off at least 30 pounds, average fewer than ten hours of TV a week.

“If you separate eating from TV viewing, you will probably be thin,” Roberts says. But if you can’t resist snacking in front of the screen, have “vegetables and a yogurt-based dip, so you can put something in your mouth that doesn’t do damage.” Staring at a computer can present an overeating hazard as well, which is why Slayton advises against emailing during lunch at work. She also suggests a “TV diet” to go with your food diet: “If you keep track of how much you eat and how much you work out, you should also log how much time you spend watching TV, because it’s another variable,” she says. People who watched half as much TV as usual for three weeks burned an extra 119 calories per day — comparable to the effect of walking more than a mile, a recent study in Archives of Internal Medicine found. As a rule, Slayton tells her clients to watch just one hour a day. She does offer dispensation, though, for TV viewing while using cardio equipment: “I don’t care how many ‘Housewives’ episodes you watch as long as you’re on the treadmill.”

The Snackwell effect
So-called diet foods can sabotage the best weight-loss intentions — presumably because people think they’re free passes to indulge. For weight-conscious people, portion-controlled snack bags seem to fail miserably at actually controlling portions, a study at Tilburg University in the Netherlands found: Given the option of two large bags of chips or nine snack-size bags, 59 percent of the participants chose smaller bags — but ate twice as much as those who went for the large bags. Even the mention of salad on a menu, it turns out, can paradoxically inspire the least healthy meal choices among people who usually have the most self-control. A study at Duke University presented people with one menu that offered a buttered baked potato (considered the healthiest choice), chicken nuggets, or French fries. A second menu listed those items as well as a side salad. When that plate of greens was on offer, nearly three times as many people ordered the fries. Moreover, the participants who generally made a point of watching their intake were most likely to switch their order from the potato to the fries. The researchers theorize that the mere option of eating healthy makes diners feel as if they’ve achieved a goal, so they reward themselves for that with the indulgent choice.

Some diet foods are “truly self-limiting,” Roberts points out, “like Fiber One cereal.” Or kale. Or celery sticks. Or anything with a high water or fiber content, or both. With the stuff that actually tastes good, meanwhile, you still need to pay attention to portion size. “People fool themselves into thinking they’re having 50 calories when it’s really 200,” says Jennifer Warren of the Physicians Healthy Weight Center in North Hampton, New Hampshire. She points out that including lean protein, such as an egg or a piece of chicken, at breakfast and lunch can keep you from becoming ravenous between meals.

The surprising salad effect
As for fattening salads — and not just those that go by the names of Cobb or Caesar — there might also be some warped dieter’s psychology involved: If you always get a salad, and don’t give yourself the option of anything else, the caloric count will creep up as you try to sneak in an appetizing break from monotony. “Perpetual dieters need to learn how to waver from the plan,” Slayton says. “If you order the lentil soup and salad and end up eating the bread and crackers and getting fries ‘for the table,’ you’d be better off just ordering a sandwich to begin with.”

If you do get the salad, remember to exercise some restraint, especially at those you-boss-they-toss salad bars. “Try lots of dark greens; ample lean protein such as shrimp, plain tuna, or beans; three or four unadulterated vegetables; and one treat ingredient such as nuts, cheese, bacon, olives, avocado, croutons, or dried fruit,” Slayton says. Get the dressing on the side, too, since olive oil, healthy fat though it is, still has 120 calories per tablespoon.

The fattening room effect
You are what you eat — and you eat what you are seeing, smelling, or contemplating. “The sight, smell, and talk of food trigger real metabolic signals of hunger,” Roberts notes, “even when your stomach is full.” (In fact, proximity to fast-food outlets is linked with weight gain and obesity, according to a vast study of teenagers conducted by Columbia University and the University of California.) But the appetite is also influenced by more subliminal aspects of one’s surroundings. In a study at the University of Illinois in Champaign, people who were exposed to posters touting an exercise program ate 54 percent more calories than those exposed to posters without a workout theme; similarly, participants wanted to eat after reading sporty words like “active.” Moreover, settings with glaring light and those with soft candlelight can both contribute to overconsumption, since the former can prompt people to eat faster and the latter can cause them to linger and eat longer.

Given the relentlessness of findings that suggest that just about everything can lead to weight gain, it makes sense that your instinct might be to go bury your head in the sand (or a box of pecan sandies). Indeed, turning away from seductive images of food can help reduce hunger, Roberts says. If you live with people who insist on having junk food in the house, Warren advises keeping it on a high shelf. Double-bag ice cream in the freezer so you can’t see it when you open the door, and if you do feel its pull, you can keep your mouth busy with a Listerine breath strip or a sugar-free cough lozenge.

Maybe the most helpful adjustment, however, would be to your thinking. As Slayton says, “People don’t reach their weight-loss goals simply because they focus on what they eat. They also look at the external factors that make them overeat and use them to their favor.”

Your muffin top may kill you

Wed, 25 Aug 2010 00:00:00 -0500

CHICAGO — If your pants are feeling a bit tight around the waistline, take note: Belly bulge can be deadly for older adults, even those who aren't overweight or obese by other measures.

One of the largest studies to examine the dangers of abdominal fat suggests men and women with the biggest waistlines have twice the risk of dying over a decade compared to those with the smallest tummies.

Surprisingly, bigger waists carry a greater risk of death even for people whose weight is "normal" by the body mass index, or BMI, a standard measure based on weight and height.

"Even if you haven't had a noticeable weight gain, if you notice your waist size increasing that's an important sign," said lead author Eric Jacobs of the American Cancer Society, which funded the study. "It's time to eat better and start exercising more."

Other research has linked waist size to dementia, heart disease, asthma and breast cancer.

Bulging bellies are a problem for most Americans older than 50. It's estimated that more than half of older men and more than 70 percent of older women have bigger waistlines than recommended. And it's a growing problem: Average waistlines have expanded by about an inch per decade since the 1960s.

msnbc.com

To get rid of fat, don’t eat before workout

Wed, 25 Aug 2010 00:00:00 -0500

LONDON — Running on empty may not be such a bad idea after all.

Though many athletes eat before training, some scientists say that if you really want to get rid of more fat, you should skip the pre-workout snack.

Several studies suggest exercising while your body is low on food may be a good way to trim excess fat. In a recent paper, European researchers found that cyclists who trained without eating burned significantly more fat than their counterparts who ate.

Muscles usually get their energy from carbohydrates, which is why athletes like Lance Armstrong and Michael Phelps scarf down enormous amounts of food before a race. But if you haven't eaten before exercising, your body doesn't have many carbohydrates in reserve. That forces it to burn fat instead, scientists say.

"When you exercise (after fasting), your adrenaline is high and your insulin is low," said Peter Hespel, a professor of exercise physiology at the University of Leuven in Belgium. "That ratio is favorable for your muscles to oxidize (break down) more fatty acids." Hespel said that people who exercise without having eaten burn more fat than they would if they had grabbed a bite beforehand.

In a study published in April, researchers at the University of Birmingham and elsewhere assigned seven people to cycle three days a week, followed by an intense session an hour later without eating. Another seven people followed the same regimen, without the instruction to fast.

Though members of the group that didn't eat performed worse on the intensive training, they burned a higher proportion of fat to carbohydrates than the group that ate. The results were published by Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, the journal of the American College of Sports Medicine.

50 no-sweat ways to burn calories

Wed, 25 Aug 2010 00:00:00 -0500

Women with great bodies have a dirty little secret. Sure, they work out and eat well — but they also sneakily burn hundreds more calories than everyone else. From the outside, they don't seem to be doing anything particularly strenuous. "You wouldn't believe how many straightforward ways there are to burn calories," says Lauren Slayton, director of foodtrainers.net. "But it's easy to miss the opportunities if you're not looking for them."

Research has shown that swapping sedentary habits, such as watching television, for pretty much anything that doesn't involve sitting down can make a world of difference. "Most people don't realize that a little extra effort can yield great results," says Steven Wheelock, a trainer at Canyon Ranch in Lenox, Massachusetts.

The experts we consulted explain how to take every opportunity to flex your muscles, boost your heart rate, and eat foods that yield maximum fullness for minimal calories. Just don't tell anyone.

1. Take vitamin D
Women who were deficient in it lost weight more slowly in a study in the British Journal of Nutrition. Stephen Gullo, a weight-loss expert in New York City and author of "The Thin Commandments" (Rodale), recommends 2,000 milligrams daily.

2. Drink coffee
Studies have found that caffeine increases the rate at which you burn calories, according to Susan B. Roberts, author of "The 'I' Diet" (Workman) and a professor of nutrition and psychiatry at Tufts University in Boston.

3. Sleep more
Getting fewer than four hours of sleep over an extended period of time slows the metabolism. Experts recommend aiming for between seven and nine.

4. Do things by hand

Wash your dishes, vacuum, or cook dinner. "We consider it a luxury to have tasks done for us, but doing some of these for yourself takes considerable energy," says Slayton.

5. Wear a basic pedometer
"Every week, aim to take a few more steps than you did the last week," says Wheelock.

6. Eat lightly and often
"For most people, the body uses up more energy digesting smaller meals every few hours than by eating the same number of calories in two or three sittings," says Chrissy Wellington, a nutritionist at Canyon Ranch in Lenox, Massachusetts.

7. Move briskly
"Walk like you're late for a meeting," says Gunnar Peterson, who trains Jennifer Lopez in Los Angeles.

8. Laugh
"It burns up to 50 calories if you laugh for 10 to 15 minutes per day," says Adelino Da Costa, owner of Punch Fitness Center in New York City.

9. Eat breakfast
"You send your body a signal that you're not starving, so it starts burning fat — even when you're just doing normal activities," says Peterson. He suggests eating scrambled egg whites or oatmeal with fruit.

10. Time yourself
Spend the last five minutes of each hour (set your computer timer) up and moving around, says Kristin McGee, a New York City yoga and Pilates instructor.

11. Fill up on fiber
Low-carb, high-fiber foods take more time to digest than other foods, leaving you feeling fuller longer and less likely to snack, says Gullo. He suggests spinach, broccoli, asparagus, and cauliflower.

12. Go out of your way
At work, take the long way to the restroom — or even go up one flight of stairs.

13. Fidget
You can burn up to 350 more calories a day than someone who remains stationary, according to a study at the Mayo Clinic. The impulse to fidget may be hardwired, but nonfidgeters can imitate it: Tap your feet, pace, or move restlessly in your seat.

14. Stash flats in your bag
"My clients aren't going to slip on sneakers to go home, but there is a happy medium," says Slayton. "You might not run a marathon in ballet slippers, but at least you can move quickly."

15. Don't eat late at night
It can interrupt sleep, according to Wellington, and may induce you to skip breakfast — bad for your metabolism.

16. Straighten up
"Good posture not only makes you look taller and leaner, but it strengthens your abdominal muscles," says Brooklyn Decker, the model on the cover of this year's Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue.

17. Drink more
Dehydrated people experience a drop in their metabolic rate. Drinking water throughout the day caused metabolic rates to increase by about 30 percent in a German study. The goal: eight cups a day.

18. Beware of sugar
It triggers the body to release insulin, which then either transplants sugar to the cells to be used as energy — or stored as fat, according to Jorge Cruise, author of "The Belly Fat Cure" (Hay House).

19. Squat
When you pick up something from the floor, keep your back straight and bend at the knees, not the waist. "This protects your back and tones your legs," says Peterson.

20. Chew gum
It burns a few calories — and it keeps you from mindlessly grazing, especially when you're cooking, says McGee.

21. Sleep better
A poor night's sleep causes people to chose less-nutritious foods, according to a study at the University of Pennsylvania. Another study showed that sleep-deprived people simply move less.

22. Walk and talk
Don't sit still when you take a phone call. At work, wear a headset.

23. Switch sides
Whether you're carrying a heavy bag on your shoulder or a child on your hip, "swapping sides every five minutes works more muscles," says Peterson.

24. Pick up the pace
Listen to fast songs, such as "Closer" by Ne-Yo, says Ruth Zukerman, co-owner of Flywheel Sports, a cycling studio in New York City. "The beat forces you to keep a calorie-burning pace, especially when walking or taking stairs."

25. Cook your own food
"It's often healthier, and by the time you've made a meal and cleaned up, you've been on your feet a half-hour more than you would have waiting for takeout," says Slayton.

26. Go on a date.
Women tend to order foods with fewer calories when dining with a man (who's not a long-term significant other), compared with when they eat with other women, according to a study conducted at McMaster University in Hamilton, Canada.

27. Avoid eating lunch at your desk
If you must, have a quick bite, then go for a short walk.

28. Always carry a snack
Try nuts, low-calorie bars, or a piece of fruit. Eating frequently keeps your metabolism up (and reduces the odds that you'll wind up a victim of the vending machine).

29. Wear stilettos
"Every few days, I'll wear the highest heels I own," says Decker. "It helps tone my legs, because they work different muscles in my calves and thighs."

30. Relax
Stress causes the body to release cortisol, which causes more calories to be stored as fat, especially in your abdomen.

31. Watch less television
Adults who halved their television viewing time (by using an electronic lock-out system) not only burned an extra 119 calories per day, but did so without altering what they ate.

32. Lift up
Rise up on the balls of your feet and then lower yourself down again. "I do this little Pilates move everywhere," says McGee.

33. Build up your abs
Do intense bursts of engaging your abs tightly. If you think you can only do 30 seconds, push for 40, says Da Costa.

34. Drink a few cups of strong green tea every day
In addition to caffeine, green tea contains catechin polyphenols, plant chemicals that may also boost metabolism, according to a study from the University of Geneva in Switzerland.

35. Heat things up
"Some studies show that spicy food can temporarily increase metabolism," says Slayton. Try red pepper flakes on salad.

36. Work your legs a bit
"If I'm stuck in a seat, I do small knee lifts, almost like I'm marching in place," says McGee.

37. Eat salmon
Salmon eaters lost significantly more weight than beef eaters in a study, even though the calories consumed were equal.

38. Pop a pill
People taking supplements with glutamine after meals burned an average of 20 more calories than those taking a placebo in a study at Iowa State University in Ames.

39. Keep your blow-dryer at the health club
"I have a client who swears that this motivates her to work out," says Slayton.

40. Eat the peel
"It takes the body more energy to break down fiber-rich foods, like the skins of fruits and vegetables," says Wellington.

41. Get busy
Most couples burn an average of 300 calories an hour while they're having sex.

42. Go coconuts
People who replace oils and fats like animal fats and sunflower oil with those containing medium-chain fatty acids, such as coconut oil, lose more body fat.

43. Drink oolong tea
Gullo suggests this to his clients because some studies have shown it can increase metabolic activity by as much as 10 percent.

44. Don't snack in the car
Experts say it's a hotbed of mindless eating and excess calorie consumption.

45. Swing your arms
"The more parts of your body that you use simultaneously, the more you burn," says Zukerman.

46. Snack when you drink
Alcohol paves the way for overeating. Snack before you go out for drinks, says Slayton — or at least eat a few olives when you're at the bar.

47. Clean up
When you're wiping down the counter or washing the car, really stretch out, says Peterson. "Use both hands and make large circular motions, like you're the Karate Kid."

48. Buy some crackers
"High-fiber, low-starch foods, such as GG Crispbreads, create a film on the intestinal lining that blocks the absorption of other calories," says Gullo.

49. Sit up
When watching TV, "get in the habit of holding your body straight," says Slayton.

50. Don't forget dairy
Wellington says, "Researchers believe that low-fat dairy inhibits fats from being stored."