Daily Tips: Thursday June 30, 2005
Health and Diet
There is a difference in sweeteners. Sweeteners can be nutritive and nonnutritive. Nutritive sweeteners have calories (such as sugar and honey). Nonnutritive sweeteners are not a source of calories (like aspartame or saccharin). It all depends on your tastes. The American Dietetic Association position states that nonnutritive sweeteners can be safely enjoyed when consumed in moderation.
Fitness
Remember, this is about you! Not your trainer, your spouse or your friends. Your effort and the results you receive will directly affect you -- both in the way you feel about yourself and the way your body functions. Youll look and feel great!
Daily Tips: Wednesday June 29, 2005
Health and Diet
Chinese food can be healthy if you avoid those deep fat fried foods. Sample some Chinese cooking the low-fat way. Try steamed spring rolls, steamed dumplings, chicken, fish or beef and vegetables with steamed rice. These dishes can fit into a healthy meal plan. Dont forget to ask for soy sauce on the side and omit MSG to reduce your sodium intake.
Fitness
Hot weather is no reason to skip your workout. If you feel it's too hot to head outside, bring your workout indoors. Consider a treadmill or other piece of exercise equipment. Circuit training in the gym or using dumbbells at home is another great way to get an aerobic workout without having to step foot outside.
Daily Tips: Tuesday June 28, 2005
Health and Diet
Low fat equals low calorie? Not always. Fat lends flavor to food, so many low fat foods are often replaced with sugar to improve the taste. Excess calories mean excess weight. Take a look at the ingredient list on a fat free salad dressing. These are often laden with sugar. Read labels and ingredient lists carefully!
Fitness
Regardless of your experience level, anyone can use perceived exertion to effectively gauge exercise intensity. Whether youre new to aerobic exercise or a fitness enthusiast, use the RPE scale to become familiar with your perception and description of exercise effort. By using RPE, your exercise sessions will be more effective and more enjoyable.
Daily Tips: Monday June 27, 2005
Health and Diet
Cherries are full of nutrition and flavor. One cup of cherries provides ten percent of the daily value for vitamin C and three grams of fiber. Rich in antioxidants, cherries also contain phytochemicals that can lower cholesterol levels. Summer cherries are a sweet and tasty addition to any fruit bowl!
Fitness
What to wear when spinning? Don't make the dreaded mistake of showing up in your usual boxers or running shorts. There's no better way to make your ride unbearable. Opt instead for bike shorts, preferably padded like most outdoor cyclists wear.
Daily Tips: Sunday June 26, 2005
Health and Diet
Can't fall asleep? Try a morning walk! You may fall asleep faster at night by taking a 45-minute walk outdoors in the morning. Studies show that this healthy habit may not only benefit your waistline, but it may also improve the quality and duration of your sleep. Exercise also signals to the body that more and deeper sleep at night is needed.
Fitness
Resistance bands or pieces of tubing are great alternatives that can be used at home or thrown in a suitcase. They are available with variable resistance and most exercises can be adapted with a little creativity. If you add wall and door connections to resistance tubing, youll have enough exercises for a full-body workout.
Daily Tips: Saturday June 25, 2005
Health and Diet
Are your bones strong? According to current research findings, weight bearing exercises can reduce the risk of osteoporosis and delay the onset of decreased bone mineral density. Incorporating regular weight bearing exercise will help preserve your bones and keep you strong!
Fitness
When building a home gym, try to get the most "bang for your buck." Include equipment that is flexible and can grow with you. Dont forget the old stand-by exercises (push-ups, pull-ups, jump rope, walking, etc.). They require limited equipment but are great for building and maintaining muscles and burning calories.
Daily Tips: Friday June 24, 2005
Health and Diet
Some experts say that putting tight dietary restrictions on yourself can make you even more prone to overeating or stress-related eating. Instead of focusing on diet as a temporary solution, consider it a permanent lifestyle change. Escape the restricted eating mentality by considering your eDiets meal plan as an opportunity to explore new foods and learn healthy habits.
Fitness
Compete against yourself. Having a mini contest with yourself may be enough to keep your interest and help the six pack shine through. Each workout should be a mini victory, moving you closer to your goal for a lean mid section.
Daily Tips: Thursday June 23, 2005
Health and Diet
Can fiber help decrease your risk of a heart attack? Studies have shown that high fiber diets can reduce your chance of having a heart attack. So, increase your fiber intake daily. Fiber is found in whole grain products, such as oatmeal, bran and whole wheat. Beans contain about eight grams of fiber per serving! The recommended five servings of fruits and vegetables each day assures you will boost your fiber intake as well.
Fitness
Exercise is an important aid in creating caloric balance. The focus should not necessarily be on the fat you burn during your exercise session, but the amount of fat burned throughout the day.
Daily Tips: Wednesday June 22, 2005
Health and Diet
Bored with the gym? Venture out and enjoy the beach! Walking on the beach is a great workout for the legs and calves. The sand provides resistance, increasing the work performance of the muscles in the legs and feet. This strengthens them and improves overall balance, giving legs a shapely look. Dont forget to stretch!
Fitness
If possible, begin a swim program where you walk, jog or kick your legs using a kickboard in the pool. Start out small and make small increases. This is for your health and you should begin to take small steps towards improving your functionality and quality of life. Exercise can do that for you in as little as 20 minutes a day, most days a week.
Daily Tips: Tuesday June 21, 2005
Health and Diet
Did you know that too little potassium in the diet can lead to high blood pressure? Good sources are fruits (such as bananas, watermelon and raisins), veggies (such as potatoes, spinach and broccoli), legumes, milk and yogurt. The Nutrition Board of the National Academy of Sciences has estimated the minimum requirements for potassium for men and women over 18 years of age to be 2,000 milligrams per day.
Fitness
Cardiovascular conditioning can help burn additional fat. Although we cant control where the fat cells swell and shrink, ultimately the fat cells in the abdominal region will begin to decrease in size when a caloric deficit is created through a combination of eating a little less and burning additional calories with cardio.
Daily Tips: Monday June 20, 2005
Health and Diet
Did you know that too little potassium in the diet can lead to high blood pressure? Good sources are fruits such as banana, watermelon, and raisins, veggies such as potatoes, spinach, and broccoli, legumes, milk, and yogurt.
Fitness
Take the time to help, whether its a stranger who needs directions, a child who needs extra attention learning to read or your persistently pesky aging neighbor who cant carry his own groceries to the third floor anymore. Unless you are in the middle of delivering a baby, find the time to lend a head, an ear or a moment. It not only will help to strengthen your body, but also your mind and soul.
Daily Tips: Sunday June 19, 2005
Health and Diet
Most studies show that people who consume at least five servings of vegetables and fruit daily lower their risk for diseases including heart disease, and cancer. According to a recent study, women who consumed at least six servings per week of spinach, kale and other green, leafy vegetables decreased their risk of ovarian cancer by 50 percent over women who consumed less than two servings a week.
Fitness
Why not be optimistic? People around you will be suspicious and assume youve got the inside scoop on the winning lottery numbers. Youll be surprised how much your attitude will impact your overall health and motivate others.
Daily Tips: Saturday June 18, 2005
Health and Diet
Headed to the supermarket? Eat before you go! Often, when you go food shopping on an empty stomach, you tend to select more food items than you normally would if you werent hungry. Prepare a food list when you arent hungry and stick with it. Once you are there, use this time to brush up on label reading.
Fitness
Pedal your way to a healthier body. Biking is a safe and effective way to burn calories, improve your health and get your exercise. Picking the right bike is the key. Decide how much time you will be spending on your bike and what you are using it for. Pick from Mountain Bikes, Road Bikes, Cross Country Bikes, Trail Bikes and Recreational Bikes. After that, get a helmet, a water bottle and hit the road.
Daily Tips: Friday June 17,2005
Health and Diet
Food poisoning can be downright deadly. Before handling raw poultry, seafood, meat or eggs, always wash your hands in hot, soapy water. Check to see that your refrigerators thermostat is set to 40 degrees or below. Do not thaw foods at room temperature, but rather defrost them in the refrigerator. Wash the cutting board with hot, soapy water when using it for a variety of foods.
Fitness
You can build the body you've always wanted when you harness the power of mind and muscle. Just as you train your muscles by lifting weights, you can develop mental skills by practicing them diligently and consistently.
Daily Tips: Thursday June 16, 2005
Health and Diet
Dont just count on the scale to determine the state of your health. Ask yourself these questions: Do my clothes fit better? Are my body measurements the same? Do I have more energy? Have my eating habits changed? The answers to these questions all factor into the big picture. Remember, every step toward your goals is a step toward a healthy lifestyle. Enjoy your success!
Fitness
A pound of fat burns about 2 calories a day. A pound of muscle burns approximately 35 to 50 calories a day! So get rid of the fat and increase your muscle through exercise.
Daily Tips: Wednesday June 15, 2005
Health and Diet
Having a senior moment? It happens at any age! Maybe youre misplaced your keys. Perhaps an appointment slipped your mind. Unfortunately, these forgetful moments are a part of the aging process. Healthy living can help keep your mind sharp. Eat a balanced diet, get plenty of sleep, control your blood pressure, keep active and exercise your mind by reading or solving puzzles.
Fitness
Relieve neck pain through stretching. The next exercise resembles the neck movements of a turtle. You should literally stick your neck out and then draw it back again. In doing so, you will make a gliding movement forward with your chin, as if trying to reach far out with it and thus to lengthen the neck. The pull will be felt in the back of the neck on both sides between the ears as well as in the middle. Repeat this exercise four times.
Yoga Break: How Healthy Is Your Breathing?
How Healthy Is Your Breathing?
Poor breathng habits are easy to spot. Here are a number of self-administered tests to help determine if you can benefit from breath-retraining exercises.
By Barbara Benagh
Upper-Chest Breathing: Lie on your back, placing one hand on your upper chest and the other on your abdomen. If the hand on your chest moves as you breathe but the one on the abdomen does not, you're definitely a chest-breather. Anything more than slight movement in the chest is a sign of inefficient breathing.
Shallow Breathing: Lie on your back and place your hands around your lower ribs. You should feel an effortless expansion of the lower ribs on the breath in and a slow recoil on the breath out. If your ribs remain motionless, your breathing is too shallow, even if your belly moves.
Overbreathing: Lie down and take a few minutes to let your body establish its relaxed breathing rate. Then count the length of your next exhalation and compare it to the length of the following inhalation. The exhalation should be slightly longer. If not, you are an overbreather. As a second test, try to shorten your inhalation. If that causes distress you are probably an overbreather. Because it is easy to manipulate the outcome of these two tests, you may want someone else to count for you at a time when you are not paying attention to your breath.
Breath Holding: Holding one's breath after inhaling may be the most common poor breathing habit. To determine if you do this, pay attention to the transition from inhalation to exhalation. A breath-holder usually feels a "catch" and may actually struggle to initiate the exhalation. This tendency is particularly noticeable during exercise. You can reduce the holding by consciously relaxing your abdomen just as an inhalation ends.
Reverse Breathing: Reverse breathing happens when the diaphragm is pulled into the chest upon inhalation and drops into the abdomen on exhalation. Lie on your back and place your hands on your abdomen. The abdomen should slowly flatten as you exhale and rise gently as you inhale. If the opposite occurs you are a reverse breather. Since reverse breathing may only occur during exertion, this test is not completely reliable.
Mouth Breathing: It's fairly easy to notice if you're a mouth-breather; if you're not sure, ask your friends or try to catch yourself at unguarded moments.
Recipes: Mediterranean Salad
Mediterranean Salad
Ingredients
½ cup artichoke hearts
2 tsp vinegar, balsamic
¼ cup bell pepper
2 oz chicken, broiled
¼ cup garbanzo beans
1 cup cucumber
3 tsp lemon juice
2 cups lettuce, romaine
½ tsp oil, olive
3 medium olives, black
¼ medium tomato
¼ oz cheese, non-fat
Spices / Flavoring
¼ tsp dried basil
½ tsp italian seasoning
1 tsp garlic
Preparation:
Make dressing by mixing oil, vinegar, garlic, spices, and lemon juice.
Chop vegetables and chicken and toss together with dressing and remaining ingredients.
Enjoy!
carbs 26 protein 28 fat 7 sat fat 0 fiber 10 sugar 7 calories 279
Rants & Rambles: Eat 2 Get FIT
Just let me say I love eDiets, but I've gotten kind of tired of the recipes. Soooo, I decided to try In 2 Nutrition's Eat 2 Get Fit site.
"Eat 2 Get FIT is a scientifically designed program that guarantees to naturally increase your energy, stabilize your blood sugar and burn stored body fat."
Best part is there are over 300 personalized recipes. The site is kinda cool, you can manually set your macronutrients which means I can set it for the Body for Life ratio of 40, 40, 20 (mine came out to 39,39,22) and it adjusts the recipes to match. I haven't had the chance to play around and check out the rest of the site but so far so good.
Daily Tips: Tuesday June 14, 2005
Health and Diet
Hold the MSG.
Monosodium glutamate, or MSG, is a flavor enhancer that adds a meaty or broth-like flavor to certain foods. Some individuals are sensitive to this enhancer. Limit your intake by asking for meals prepared without MSG and checking the ingredient list on food labels. MSG has less sodium than salt, but it should still be avoided.
Fitness
Athletes and individuals who engage in cross training experience less risk of injury because the muscles are not subjected to the same action and stress on the joints that occur from repetitive movements of a single activity. Cross training provides conditioning for core muscles and secondary muscles in different workouts. These workouts prevent injury because the body is able to respond to a variety of movements.
Daily Tips: Monday June 13, 2005
Health and Diet
Side dishes dont have to put a dent in your diet. Eliminate some of the fat from those side dishes. Use low fat mayo in potato salad or cole slaw. Mix some low fat yogurt with regular mayo to decrease the fat content. Add spices, tomatoes or vegetables to baked beans. Toss cole slaw with some shredded apples for a sweet taste and extra vitamin C.
Fitness
Continually rotate new ab exercises into your routine to keep your workout interesting. Choose an abdominal exercise, like the hanging knee raise, that you have not yet perfected. Set a goal to reach a certain number of reps by a certain date.
Daily Tips: Sunday June 12, 2005
Health and Diet
Mix it up! Have meals and snacks composed of protein, carbohydrate and fat to provide your body fuel. Balance is key. Avoid an afternoon energy slump caused by a dip in blood sugar levels by providing your body a combination of the three nutrient groups it requires -- just the way your eDiets plan is designed!
Fitness For inspiration, perform your ab exercises with a video ab class or partner. Gadgets are not necessary, but sometimes having a prop will remind you to do your ab work. They can make basic exercises a little more interesting.
Daily Tips: Saturday June 11, 2005
Health and Diet
Only you can make a change! That old motto rings true, If you want something done, do it yourself! Its you who has to take that first step. Dont worry about the past, look toward the future. Dont waste time fretting over things you cant change. Be proactive, think about your options and take action in making lifestyle changes for the better!
Fitness
Dont run out of gas. To make sure you dont run out of energy before the end of your workout; time your meals so that you have enough fuel to last an hour of intense strength training.
I don't know how many people know about SickOfBeingFat.net, it's a cool site that lets you track your daily intake, post measurements, keep an online fitness diary, put up progress photos and interact with an active, friendly community of other fitness-minded people. The site is still being finished so for the time you have to have an invite to signup and guess what......I GOT ONE!!!!! Maggie Wang who has a great site called Caustic Musings hooked me up. So this weekend I'll be setting up my profile and getting it going. Thanks Maggie! By the way be sure to check out Maggie's recipes, her and her sister have come up with some great ones.
Daily Tips: Friday June 10, 2005
Health and Diet
Eat when you are physically hungry, not emotionally hungry. You may have developed the habit of turning to food in an attempt to fulfill your emotional needs. Write a list of alternate methods for coping with loneliness, anger, boredom, sadness or even joy. Use food to nourish your body, but nurture your mind and soul in other ways.
Fitness
Abdominal training should take 10 minutes, 2 to 3 times a week on alternating days. Your routine should include exercises for the entire abdominal region including the obliques.
Rosebuds
A teenage granddaughter comes downstairs for her date with a very sheer blouse on and no bra. Her grandmother just pitched a fit, telling her not to dare go out like that! The teenager tells her "Loosen up Grams. These are modern times. You gotta let your rosebuds show!" and out she goes.
The next day the teenager comes down stairs, and the grandmother is sitting there with no top on. The teenager wants to die.. She explains to her grandmother that she has friends coming over and that it is just not appropriate...
The grandmother says, "Loosen up, Sweetie. If you can show off your rosebuds, then I can display my hanging baskets."
Happy Gardening.
Thursday
I'm in a great mood today!
Thursdays usually stink cause it's update day at work and I don't know they just stink but for some reason today I'm in a great mood. Maybe it's because I've set some goals and feel like I'm moving back to being on track. I don't know and don't really care I'm just enjoying the day!!!!!!
Hope you are having a great Thursday!
Daily Tips: Thursday June 9, 2005
Health and Diet
Beans, beans, good for your heart... The Archives of Internal Medicine report that you are 22 percent less likely to get heart disease if your diet consists of beans, peas or legumes at least four times per week. An average serving of cooked dry beans contains about 10 grams of fiber. Eating a high-fiber diet can significantly lower our risk of heart attack, stroke and colon cancer.
Fitness
Interval training, rotating between a period of high and moderate intensity exercise, is recommended to facilitate fat burning and fuel your metabolism. If you can't work at higher intensities, work at lower intensities for 30 to 60 minutes, 3 to 5 times a week.
I've lost my motivation.
It's been almost a year since I started Eating for Life on eDiets. I started off great lost 30+ pounds and felt great. I was working out and building some serious muscle. Since December I've gained give or take 20 pounds and have pretty much stopped working out. Why?
How do I get motivated again? I've got to get motivated again....I feel like crap, I'm putting everything off cause I have NO energy, I'm bitchy as hell (poor Hubby) and my clothes are getting tight.
So here it goes.....time to set some new goals!
- Long Term Goals
- Increase cardio endurance - be able to run 2 miles
- Short Term Goals
- Week 1
- Lift weights 3 times this week
- Plan and cook meals at home
So I'll try this every week, setting and updating goals. Who knows maybe this will be the key!
Daily Tips: Wednesday June 8, 2005
Health and Diet
The benefits of water are crystal clear. H2O has no calories, fat or cholesterol. It is also low in sodium! You should consume 64 ounces a day. To liven up your water, add a slice of lemon or a few fresh berries. Remember, thirst may not be the only indication that your body needs more water. So, keep a water bottle with you and make a habit of staying hydrated.
Fitness
Weight training is the key to achieving muscular health. During your strength-training workout, microscopic tears occur within the myofibrils. As these tears repair, the number and size of myofibrils inside the muscle fibers increases. This is the reason that resting days between your workouts are so vital.
Daily Tips: Tuesday June 7, 2005
Health and Diet
It's a good idea to increase your fiber intake because high-fiber diets decrease your risk of heart disease. When you increase your fiber intake, increase your water intake as well. Consuming more fiber may cause you to feel constipated and/or bloated. Fiber absorbs water in your large intestine, so you need to drink more.
Fitness
Cardiovascular exercise will improve the efficiency of your heart and lungs. Your resting heart rate will be lower, while the amount of blood supplied to the rest of your body with each beat will increase. This increased blood flow supplies additional oxygen to the working muscles, which makes your muscles function more efficiently.
