Why raw?

Eating as little as one cup of raw vegetables daily can add two years to your life.

Cooking can deplete upto 30 percent of the antioxidants in vegetables. To eat your quota, fill a ziplock sandwich with a chopped red and green peppers, brocolli, and carrots. Toss the bag into your briefcase, along with a packet of dressing-the fat will boost your body's absorption of certain nutrients.

My Shoulders & Neck Hurt A Lot. What Medicine or Exercise Can Relieve Them?

Shoulder and neck pain is usually related to office work. Poor ergonomics and body posturing are the common culprits. This may also be aggravated by poor aerobic conditioning and might even lead to a condition called myofacial pain syndrome. If you start to feel neck and shoulder pain that interfere with your daily function, it's time to consult with your doctor.

In order to relieve the pain, dDo a regular 30-60 minute aerobic exercises to improve circulation to all of your muscle groups. You may also take a muscle relaxant combination 2-3 times a day for 5 days.

Walk Off The Weight

If you're a heavy guy, you can reduce stress on your knees-and your risk of injury-by going for a walk instead of a joint-pounding jog.Walking 5kmh on a treadmill set an incline can be as challenging as running on a flat surface.

Are You A Speed Eater?

Make sure you come up for air between bites: Fast eating may lead to diabetes and weight gain. People who wolfed down their food were more likely to be overweight and insulin resistant-both early signs of future diabetes-than those who ate at a slower pace.

So do you need to slow down at the dinner table? Be your own judge.

Give Your Muscles A Rest

Taking time off between workout doesn't make you lazy- it makes you smart. The muscle damage caused by pumping iron saps your strength for up to two days. In fact, lifters who didn't wait at least 48 hours between bench-press workouts saw a significant drop in the number of reps they could perform. Resting a muscle group properly allows it to heal completely, which is part of the growth process. And strength is a great gauge: If you're weaker from one workout to the next, you need more recovery time. Of course, you can still train on back-to-back days, as long as you're working different muscles-upper body one day and lower body the next, for example.

More Muscle, Less Fat

To take off the pounds, pack on the plates. Heavy low-rep lifting burns more calories than doing higher reps with less weight. Those who hoist the largest loads may also burn more fat after their workouts. With a heavier resistance, you're producing more muscle damage and your body has to work harder to repair it, which elevates your metabolism.

So if you have a strong motivation: Lift big to lose big.

Try Mushrooms

Who needs beef if you can substitute it with mushrooms?

Replace your meaty dishes with mushrooms for one week and you will lose 420 fewer calories on average at each shroomy meal. Mushrooms are just as filling as meat but they contain fewer calories.

Keep It Flowing

Excess pounds can increase your risk of developing recurrent blood clots. According to a study, compared with normal-weight people, those who are overweight and have already had a clot are 30 percent more likely to develop a second one; obese patients are 60 percent more likely. Inactivity and extra poundage may cause blood to stagnate and form a clot, which, if it dislodges and travels to the lungs, can cause breathing problems. Even modest weight loss reduces your risk.

Control Your Portion Sizes

Here are 10 simple ways to keep your portions a healthy size:

1. Measure accurately. For foods and beverages, use gadgets like a measuring cup, tablespoon, teaspoon, or food scale.

2. Learn how to estimate serving sizes. “‘Ballpark’ food portion sizes by estimating serving sizes in comparison to known objects”. For example, three ounces of cooked meat, fish, or poultry is about the size of a deck of cards. Other easy measurements to eyeball include:
½ cup is the size of an ice cream scoop
1 cup is the size of a tennis ball
1 ounce of cheese is the size of a domino

3. Use portion control dishware. Pick out smaller plates, bowls, cups, and glassware in your kitchen and measure what they hold. You might find that a bowl you thought held 8 ounces of soup actually holds 16, meaning you’ve been eating twice what you planned.

4. Dish out your servings separately. Serve food from the stove onto plates rather than family-style at the table, which encourages seconds.

5. Make your own single-serving packs. “Re-portion bulk quantities of favorite foods such as pasta, rice, and cereal into individual portions in zipper bags so that when you’re in the mood for some food you’ll instantly see the number of portions you’re preparing.

6. Add the milk before the coffee. When possible, put your (fat-free) milk into the cup before adding the hot beverage to better gauge the amount used.

7. Measure oil carefully. This is especially important because oil (even the healthful kinds like olive and safflower) have so many calories; don’t pour it directly into your cooking pan or over food.

8. Control portions when eating out. Eat half or share the meal with a friend. If eating a salad, ask for dressing on the side. Dip your fork into the dressing and then into the salad.

9. Add vegetables. Eat a cup of low-calorie vegetable soup prior to eating a meal, or add vegetables to casseroles and sandwiches to add volume without a lot of calories.

10. Listen to your hunger cues. Eat when hungry and stop when satisfied or comfortably full. “Try to gauge when you are 80 percent full and stop there,” says Clifford. “There will be more food at the next meal or snack!”

source: everydayhealth.com

Comfort Foods for Exercise

It is a fact that it you include more of these stuffs (onions, apples, grapes, berries, cabbage and broccoli) in your eating plan you could boost your exercise endurance.

An antioxidant in these foods—quercetin—when taken in supplement form, helped people exercise or workout longer. Researchers think the quercetin makes oxygen more available to the lungs.

NonWheat Pasta

Pasta made withnonwheat grains, such as corn and brown or white rice, are usually gluten-free. That's good news for those sensitive to the wheat protein, which (for a small number of people) causes serious digestive-health issues. These grains can add new flavors and textures to your diet. And corn and rice pastas generally have more carbs (about 43 to 46 grams) and less protein (three to four grams) than traditional pasta.

Get Faster

Once per week, work out with someone who's a bit quicker than you. It's like a tempo run, only with more motivation to stay on pace. Run more with the person once you can easily sustain their pace. While it's good to challenge yourself, pushing every time can lead to overtraining.

Weight Loss Strategy

Weight loss is a simple equation of energy. Calories in versus calories out. In other words, make sure that on a daily basis, you monitor your diet strictly and compare it side by side with the amount of calories you’ve burned on the same day through exercise. Burn more calories than you eat, therefore creating deficit that will help you lose weight. Also, it’s not just about exercise. Losing weight is all about proper nutrition and diet. It is something that is very hard to learn at start, but once you realized that it is works best with you, stick to the plan.

Ultimately, the choice is yours: adopting good eating habits and regular exercise and making a point to take care of your body and to treat it right. Make sure also that you take multi-vitamins everyday and to stretch out properly during training, and to have ample sleep to make the body strong for the days ahead.

Your Condiments: Salt

Salt can be a hard habit to quit, but not impossible. Instead of relying on sodium, use the following seasonings to flavor food and avoid contributing to high blood pressure:

* Basil (fresh or dried) can be used with fish, lean meats, and in soups and sauces.

* Thyme gives an earthy taste to sauces and soups.

* Caraway seeds lend a nutty taste to breads, steamed cabbage, and noodles. Chives add bite to salads and vegetables.

* Rosemary works well in hearty dishes like meatloaf, potatoes, and beans. Cider vinegar provides tang to sauces and vegetables.

* Turmeric is great on rice with a flavor and color similar to saffron. Cinnamon is tasty on many fruits.

* Curry powder gives lean meats, particularly lamb, an exotic taste. Dill is great in sauces or tossed on just about any vegetable.

* Garlic adds another dimension of flavor to just about any savory food — be sure not to use garlic salt.

* Bay leaves work well with soups and stews. Lemon juice enhances the flavor of salads, vegetables, and fish.

* Paprika gives a spicy kick to roasted meats and vegetables. Sage can be a savory addition to stews, biscuits, and lean pork.

* Peppermint and other extracts lend extra flavor to fruit and pudding.

source: everydayhealth.com

Is There A Dieter's Discipline?

Fitness buffs don't rely on self-control so much as make sure their home environment supports healthy choices.It's more likely that weight maintainers work out, plan nutritional diets, and monitor their food intake. But there's also a greater possibility that they have more exercise equioment at home, fewer televisions, and less high-fat food in the fridge. The bottomline: See no evil, eat no evil.

Your Condiments: Tartar and Cocktail Sauces

Cocktail sauce is made with high fructose corn syrup; tartar is high in fat and sugar. Instead, go for a simple squeeze of fresh lemon juice and some garlic powder. It's easy, tasty, and won't go straight to your hips-everything you're looking for in a summer sauce.

Your Condiments: Mayonnaise

Regular mayo is around 100 calories per tablespoon, and low-fat versions are poor substitutes. That doesn't mean you have to choke on a dry bun. Mix a half teaspoon of mayo with mustard and spread it thinly. Another option: Skip the spread and pile on a third cup to a half cup of coleslaw made with vinaigrette. It adds a lot of flavor, texture and satisfaction.

Your Weight Loss Weapon

..... F I B E R.

Embrace your barn flakes because FIBER is the next diet craze.

Fiber blocks calorie absorption by keeping the intestines from breaking down the caloric parts of your food. According to study, women who doubled fiber intake from 12 to 24g per day absorbed 90 fewer calories- that could add up to 10 pounds lost in a year.

To get your roughage requirement, check food labels for the word "whole", as in whole wheat or whole grain; eat the skin on your veggies; get your fruit from fresh or frozen, but not juive, which is virtually fiber-free; and eat a bowl of fiber-rich cereal.

Pick Petite Plates

Each your meal from a 17-ounce bowl rather than a 34-ouncer and you'll ingest 30 percent fewer calories.When it comes to plates, uses ones that are 18 inches instead of 12. And for flatware, swap your soupspoons for smaller dessert spoons-you'll slurp less.

My Diet Advice

As a personal trainer, I was able to experience the love and hate relationship that my clients have with regard to their scale. I’ve always told this and I guess I have to repeat it over and over again. You can achieve your ideal weight through proper exercise and nutrition. That’s the best advice I would love to share with you and that only!

I know that there are diet manuals and books all over the place but do you think it will be beneficial to your health after awhile? Think about it.

I’ve listed below the Best Diet Tips that will help you lose some extra pounds but be sure to have an active lifestyle to compliment with it.

• Don’t confuse thirst with hunger. If you feel hunger pangs, try drinking 1-2 glasses of water first and see if that’s what your body needs.

• Remember, do not based your diet on junk food and you’ll receive adequate nutrition.

• Bananas have been getting flack for having a lot of sugar so people don’t eat them as much. While this is true, limited amounts means “five servings a week” and that goes for watermelons, pineapples, and mangoes, which also have high sugar content.

• If you are dining out, ask the chef/waiter for his best recommendation on the menu that has is gluten free and less carbs so you can still stick with your diet.

• Organic soda is still soda and stop eating before you are full.

Getting Rid of the Muffin Top That Hangs Over My Jeans

The easy way out would be to buy a new pair of jeans in a bigger size. But save the money and invest in a lifetime of goodhabits: consistent exercise, good nutrition, enough rest and stress management. Your exercise program can be as simple as 30-minute brisk walk or jog four to five times a week, mixed in with some push-ups and crunches; or it can be as challenging as the boxer's training, as long as your doctor has given you permission to do so.

In the same way, your nutrition adjustment can be as easy as accepting that junk food is not a basic food group and water is the best no-cal drink.

Exercise = Magic Amount of Sleep

Exercise will help improve the quality of your sleep- if you time it right. Working out late in the day can actually leave you staring at the ceiling in bed, since it can take three to four hours for your body to cool itself afterward.

When your core body temperatureis too high and your heart rate is too fast, it can certainly keep you awake. It's better to exercise at least four hours before bedtime. Better yet, hit the gym in the morning or lunch and you will feel the energy-boosting effects for hours.

Combining Exercising on Weekend Happenings

If you'd rather be on a gimmick, make your workout something whole gang could do. Try rock climbing or hiking together. They might be cheaper than catching a movie and having dinner afterward. Hikes are free and some places offer group rates for rock climbing. You can check out some sites that offer this kind of activity. Also you and your buddy can get unlimited instruction about this thrilling workout. And the good thing is, you can bring your own snacks (healthy snacks are the best!), rather tahn paying for a meal.

Small Meals Everyday

Eating 5 to 6 small meals is a good strategy to avoid overeating, particularly at the end of the day when you crave for more high-calorie foods. The main objectives for distributing your total calorie intake for the day are to avoid hunger pangs and to modify your eating behavior. It is still recommended that you consume the calories during your three meals: breakfast, lunch, and dinner, preferably 400 to 500-calories for each. Try to limit your snacks in between meals to 150 calories only. Set a ceiling of 300 calories per snack (two to three times a day) so that you consume less than 2000 calories everyday.

On Lifting Weights

Lifting weights isn't going to turn you into a bulging muscle freak - unless you want it to. Remember, it's all in the approach. To get lean and strong with weights, work large muscle groups, such as the back, chest, and legs since they burn the most calories.

If you are tired of exercisng alone, join your partner on days when he's doing the following fat-obliterating exercises: squats, leg extensions, and leg curls for the lower body; chest presses, flies, lat pulldowns, and rows for the chest and back.

To tone up and kill calories, do one to three sets of 12 to 15 reps, using enough weight that your muscles are fatigued (but not completely spent) when you get to the last rep. To build mass, you should do three to five sets of 8 to 10 reps, using enough weight that by the end of the alst set, you can't do one more rep.

A Balance Diet

Moderation is key to satisfying both what your body needs and what you want. Try to sneak in more veggies in your diet wherever you can such as in your pasta sauce or sandwiches. Have more fruits by snacking them or adding them in your cereal and salads. Go for low fat dairy like skim milk or fat-free yoghurt. Cut your salt by using spices, herbs, lemon and lime instead. If you must drink, let it be about eight glasses of water or a cup or two of green tea. But if you really want to have some cocktails or drinks, limit at one drink per day.