Cut Back on TV Time and the Sitting-Down Time for a Longer Life

Wondering how long you’ll live? Well, healthy living will certainly affect the estimated number of years you’ll have left. In fact, according to a recent study published online in the journal BMJ Open, you could extend your lifespan by two years if you reduce the amount of time you spend sitting to less than three hours a day, and you may live 1.38 years longer (about a year and four and a half months) if you cut your TV time to less than two hours a day. 

The study involved the analysis of data from the US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, which helped the researchers figure out how much time American adults generally spent sitting down and in front of the television each day—they determined that the survey participants spent around 55 percent of the day in sedentary pursuits. The researchers also analyzed existing studies that looked into the relationship between mortality and sitting down and watching TV.

Study authors Dr. Peter T. Katzmarzyk from the Pennington Biomedical Research Center at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge and Dr. I-Min Lee from the Division of Preventive Medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston were hoping to find out just how big an impact these types of sedentary behavior would have on the life expectancy of the average American. 

Drs. Katzmarzyk and Lee advise, “A significant shift in behaviour change at the population level is required to make demonstrable improvements in life expectancy.”

So what can you do to reduce your own sedentary pursuits? For one thing, standing desks are becoming increasingly popular. Another popular tactic is using an exercise ball in place of an office chair. Some people even affix a laptop stand to the treadmill so they can walk while doing business. But if you find these measures a bit too extreme, why not start with doing exercises right at your office desk? And if you love the boob tube too much to stick to under two hours a day, why not at least try exercising, doing housework, or doing some other physical activity during your TV time?

source: femalenetwork

FACT

30 minutes of daily exercise is just as effective -- if not more -- than working out for a full hour.

Here's my 7 Quick Tips To a Healthy Diet...

1. To maximize fat loss, you need to eat every 2-3 hours and aim to eat 5-6 meals a day.

2. Eat a portion of lean protein with each meal.

3. Eat a portion of fruit and/or vegetables with each meal.

4. Ensure your carbohydrate intake consists mainly of fruit and vegetables.

5. Ensure that 25% of your diet consists of fat, with your fat intake being split equally between saturated fats (eg animal fat), monosaturated fat (eg olive oil) and polyunsaturated fat (eg fish oil or flax seed oil).

6. Consume sufficient fluids every day. The best sources are water and green tea.

7. Eat whole natural foods as much as possible and avoid processed foods

How many of these seven tips do you manage each day? Let me know by posting here.

7 Ways to Change Your Luck with Weight Loss

Down on your weight-loss luck? Turn that luck around with seven lessons that really work!

1. Eat the rainbow: Not to be confused with taste the rainbow, which will result in a serious sugar crash, eating a rainbow of fresh produce comes with a wealth of health benefits and can help you lose weight. A new study from Florida State University found that women who incorporated apples into their daily diet lost more weight than their non-apple-eating counterparts. Make a goal to pick up one new fruit or vegetable every week-and actually eat it. Mixing up a smoothie is a simple way to work some new flavors into your diet.

2. Lift some heavy metal: As amazing as it would be if there were random pots of gold around town for the taking, stick with iron for guaranteed results. New to weight lifting? Try working in a total-body strength routine twice a week (This effective plan hits every major muscle group). A more seasoned lifter? Try pushing yourself to go as heavy as you can safely lift. Lifting heavy will skyrocket your human growth hormone and torch more fat faster.

3. Make green your favorite color: Salads get a bad rap as "diet food," but leafy greens pack a powerful nutritional punch. And with so many different healthy toppings to choose from (think lean protein, nuts, seeds, and fresh veggies), you're sure to find one you like. To make it easy to pack more greens into your diet, buy a bag of lettuce and fill a large container full of chopped vegetables at the beginning of the week. That way, all you need to do is mix, dress, and enjoy!

4. Do a jig: Mixing up your workout routine can shock your body, helping you break through a weight-loss plateau. If folk dancing isn't your thing (but how will you know if you don't try it?), check out a new class with a friend. You'll be less intimidated by kettlebells, TRX, Zumba, or aerial yoga if you've got a buddy to laugh with.

5. Pucker up: You don't have to be forward to say "Kiss me!" but finding someone to snuggle up with is important. Studies show that an active sex life helps reduce stress and lessen depression-both factors that can be involved in sneaky weight gain.

6. Don't deny yourself a little butter: Upping your intake of healthy fats like coconut, olive oil, and, yes, even a little butter, can help you feel satiated longer and keep cravings away. You may have heard that saturated fats are bad for you, but the latest research shows that as long as they come from natural sources-like organic butter from grass-fed cows-you can enjoy them guilt-free.

7. Kick back and enjoy the festivities: Sometimes being too focused on losing weight can work against you. Everyone needs a break now and again. Plus, your muscles grow during the repair and recovery phase so take a look at your workout schedule and make sure you're not overdoing it. Weight gain or a weight-loss plateau is one of the signs of overtraining. Others include exhaustion, depression, lethargy, and catching every cold going around. You don't need to work out every single day to be fit and healthy!


source: Yahoo!

Tips for Dealing with Leg Muscle Cramps

1. DON’T FORGET TO STRETCH.

Stretch your calf muscles by standing on the edge of a thick telephone book, making sure that only the front half of your feet rests on the book and the back of half is suspended over the edge. Rock your feet up and down 10 times, rest for 10 seconds, then repeat. Do 3 to 5 sets of this exercise.

2. USE YOUR FOOTBOARD.

If you have a footboard on your bed, keep both feet flat against the board while sleeping. In an article for The Manila Bulletin, Dr. Eduardo Gonzales shares that using a footboard while sleeping "simulates walking" and "prevents awkward positioning of the feet during sleep."

3. GET YOUR DAILY DOSE OF MINERALS.

Make sure you’re getting your daily requirement of minerals like calcium, magnesium, potassium, and sodium. Muscles will move only when ordered to by the brain, which sends electrical messages to the muscle telling it when and how to contract. Minerals, which are also electrolytes, help get the message through. If you are not getting enough of these minerals or losing a lot through vigorous exercise, you're setting yourself up for a painful muscle cramp.

4. CONSULT YOUR DOCTOR.

Leg cramps may also indicate some deeper problem, such as an inflammation or clotting of deep leg veins (especially if you’re taking oral contraceptives). If your leg cramps persist or even get worse, see your doctor as soon as possible.

source: femalenetwork

How Health Savvy Are You?

Getting all your info from the Internet is like playing poker. You could be falling for a bluff or lapping up bogus data because a glitzy website purports to hold the truth, just like the cocky player opposite you who raised the stakes. Sixty percent of people said their online research influenced how they dealt with their condition, according to a 2009 Social Life of Health Information report by the US non-profit think tank Pew Research Center. Googling health and fitness information is such a phenomenon that it has its own name: “cyberchondria,” in which the patients believe they’re sick from what they’ve read on the net. Sometimes it’s difficult to separate the truth from the lies.



source: femalenetwork

Read the Label: 5 Things to Check When Picking Healthy Packaged Food

1. CARBOHYDRATE CONTENT
Snacks and sweets should be low in sugar, while complex carbs such as pasta, breads, and crackers should be high in sugar. Choose snacks with less than 10 grams (g) of sugar per serving. Remember that you also get sugar content from your vital daily intake of fruits (2 to 3 fruits per day).

2. PROTEIN CONTENT
The higher the protein content, the better for building or repair of muscle tissue. Make sure to get at least 15g of protein (from fish, chicken, or meat) in each meal to meet your daily protein requirement. For carb products like bread or snacks like crackers and bars, look for at least 3g of protein per serving. For dairy items such as milk or cheese, look for at least 6g of protein per serving.

3. FAT CONTENT
Go for products less saturated in fat and, as much as possible, with less than 5g of fat per serving. If a product contains more than 5g per serving, don't eat too much of it. The rule of thumb is no more than 50g of fat per serving (a tablespoon of oil already contains 15g of fat).

4. SODIUM CONTENT
The lower, the better-try to go for less than 500mg per serving so as not to exceed more than the recommended 2,000mg per day. Stay away from food that's high in sodium, especially if it's also high in fat and content.

5. FIBER CONTENT
The more grams of fiber per serving, the better. Eat 25 to 25g of fiber per day. You can get significant amounts of these from vegetables and whole wheat grains.


source: femalenetwork