Color Your Diet

The consumption of brightly colored fruits and veggies is a fundamental part of a healthy diet. It is recommended that we consume at least five servings of fruits and vegetables everyday.This will help to promote the heath of certain parts of our bodies and the color of the fruit or vegetable indicates the kinds of Phytonutrients present in the food and its corresponding health benefit.

What's Your Exercise Program?

If you’ve never followed an exercise plan before, it's best to start slowly but surely. If you have any medical issues or physical disabilities, or if you are significantly overweight, you should talk to your doctor first. It's vital to figure out what type of program is best for you before you get started.

If you can manage to pay for a personal trainer, this expert can present many advantages, like helping you define your fitness goals, designing a tailored exercise program to facilitate you in achieving them, and keeping you motivated.

All Worked Up

If you can't make it to the nearest whutewater rapids on your lunch break, you can give yourself a shot of adrenaline at the local gym. Engaging in super-strenuous exercise the same type of stress.

DO IT. Complete the circuit training twice, progressing immediately from one move to the next. Rest 30 to 60 seconds between circuts.

Drink CLEAN Water

This summer, it is important to always stay hydrated by drinking down more water throughout the day. Water has zero calories, so it doesn't add to your waistline. Plus, do you know that iy aids in just about every bodily function, including fat burning and energy production.

Eating Apricots

Apricots are fruits which are sweet, delicious, rich in beta-carotene, potassium, and fiber. For your own convenience, there are also dried apricots which are readily available in the market. However, limit yourself to 7 halves because they are higher in concentrated sugar.

There are many interesting, healthy, and delicious ways to incorporate apricots in your meals.

1. Create a tasty marinade for lean meats, chicken, or fish. Puree apricots and blend with mustard and lime juice for a luscious dipping sauce or marinade.

2. Chop fresh apricots into a whole-wheat or whole-grain pasta dish, or add them to a brown rice or couscous side dish. You can add fresh vegetables such as zucchini, red bell peppers, and herbs like basil or thyme to any of these dishes as well.

3. Grill fresh apricots along with other fruits, such as nectarines or peaches. Top with nonfat Greek yogurt or part-skim ricotta, a little sugar substitute, and slivered almonds for a light and healthy dessert.

How to Review The Labels

1. CARBOHYDRATE CONTENT . Low in sugar for snacks and sweets; high in sugar for complex carbs such as pasta, breads, crackers.
TIP: Choose snacks with less than 10grams (g) of sugar per serving. Remember that you also get sugar content from your vital, daily intake of fruits (2-3 fruits/day).

2. PROTEIN CONTENT. The higher the protein content, the better the building or repair of muscle tissue.
TIP: 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 choose, look for at least 6g of protein per serving.

3. FAT CONTENT. We chose products less in saturated fat, and as much as possible, less than 5g of fat per serving.
TIP: If a product contains more than 5g per serving, don’t eat too much of it. 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-less than 500mg per serving so as not to exceed more than the recommended 2,000 mg per day.
TIP: Stay away from foods high in sodium, especially if it’s also high in fat content.

5. FIBER CONTENT. The more grams of fiber per serving, the better.
TIP: Eat 25 to 35g of fiber per day. You can get significant amounts of these from vegetables and whole wheat grains.

Burn More Calories in Walking

Interval Walking is the type of exercise wherein you alternate bursts of fast, intense walking with periods of slower and less-intense walking, which allows your body to recover. If you are doing interval walking every other day in 20 minutes, you can shift your metabolism into high gear so that you burn more calories and fat in less time than if you were working out at a steady pace.

With interval walking, the higher the concentration of the exercise, the longer the afterburn; that is, you will continue to burn more fat and calories even after you stop exercising! Amazing, right.

All you need to do is wear your shoes that will give you proper support, such as walking shoes, cross-training shoes, or running shoes.

On Weight Loss Drugs

A large number of weight-loss supplements don't appear to work any better than placebos (or fake supplements) at helping people shed pounds, a new study has found.

German researchers tested placebos against weight-loss supplements that are popular in Europe. The supplements were touted as having these ingredients: L-Carnitine, polyglucosamine, cabbage powder, guarana seed powder, bean extract, Konjac extract, fiber, sodium alginate and certain plant extracts.

"We found that not a single product was any more effective than placebo pills in producing weight loss over the two months of the study, regardless of how it claims to work," said researcher Thomas Ellrott, head of the Institute for Nutrition and Psychology at the University of Gottingen Medical School in Germany, in a news release from the International Congress on Obesity in Stockholm, Sweden.

The researchers tested the products and placebos on 189 obese or overweight people, of whom 74 percent finished the eight-week study. While some participants lost weight, there wasn't a significant difference between those who took the placebos and those who took the real supplements, they reported.

At least some of the supplements are available in the United States. "L-Carnitine is in U.S. supplements, polyglucosamide is found in chitosan, which is still in some weight-loss supplements, and guarana was ordered removed from weight-loss supplements, but it has slowly worked its way back into some products," said Connie Diekman, director of university nutrition at Washington University in St. Louis and former president of the American Dietetic Association.

"The main message here that I would encourage people to hear is that medications aren't the magic answer to weight loss. Changes in eating and activity behaviors are the route to long-term changes in weight," Diekman added.

"For those who are extremely overweight, or those whose health is at risk, a conversation with their physician about some of the prescription drugs is advisable, but even then changes in behavior are key to maintenance of a healthier weight," she said.

source: http://www.everydayhealth.com

Making Half The Servings In A Recipe

Cutting a recipe in half won't affect the product. It might affect the cooking time though. Take note that exact measurements need in baking, but not usually in cooking. With cakes, you can shorten the time if placed in a smaller pan. A loaf that takes an hour may just take 10-15 mins if baked muffin tins. It's the same thing with roasting half a chicken instead of a whole one. Heat will penetrate a smaller product faster so it will cook faster. It might take a bit of trial and error to get the right time. If the recipe calls for less than 1 large egg, just beat the egg until it's well mixed. Let the bubbles settle and measure two tablespoons.

Vegetarian Diet

Eating out and sticking to your vegetarian diet can be a challenge. Here are some tips to help you:

Plan in advance. Think about what kind of restaurant you want to go to. International restaurants such as Italian, Chinese, Mexican, Thai, and Japanese tend to have more vegetarian diet selections. There are also restaurants that serve only vegetarian food.

Call ahead. Inquire about the menu when you make reservations.

Talk to your server. Don't assume that your server knows that food prepared in chicken stock is not vegetarian or that lard and gelatin are animal products. Be specific about your dietary requirements.

Ask for a substitution. Many restaurants will gladly substitute meatless pasta or exchange a baked potato for a fried side order. You can request that your meal be prepared from unsaturated oil.

Join My Bootcamp Activities

Enjoy working out that is super fun, yet challenging at the same time in my Bootcamp activities.

It is a completely new way of training that and you'll definitely feel different after each session.

Have a great day!

Use Stress To Fight Stress

Intense exercise releases stress hormones, including adrenaline, and the resulting buzz can buffer you from future stress in other domains.

You’re going to think we’ve been smoking a different kind of drug when you hear this, but the truth is that all stress isn’t necessarily bad for you. As with food, sex, and shoes, it’s quality, not quantity, that plays a major role in whether stress helps or hurts. Beneficial stress comes in the form of an acute, stimulating surge, like when your kayak rounds a bend in the river and you suddenly catch sight of some seriously churning rapids.

A single adrenaline burst that comes and goes very quickly is a good thing because it gives you energy and gets you ready to mobilize for immediate action. Whether you’re jumping off a canyon wall strapped into a hang glider or rushing in to a rescue a child who’s about to toddle into oncoming traffic, adrenaline created by an abrupt blast of stress sends a flood of oxygen-rich red blood cells through your body, boosts your immune system, and signals your brain to start releasing painkilling endorphins.

Bad stress, on the other hand, is intense and drags on and on. That kind of constant grind can cause your adrenal glands to leak a slow, steady stream of another stress hormone: cortisol. Unlike adrenaline, which tends to hit your system in a flash and then dissipate, cortisol often wears out its welcome by hanging around in your blood-stream, driving up your blood pressure, suppressing your immune system, and making you more susceptible to a slew of stress-related ailments, including colds, irritable bowel syndrome, migraines, and even heart disease and stroke.

There are three ways to boost your buzz.

1. Push your limits. Workout-wise, it’s not enough just to take your Schwinn out for a spin around the park. The track has to be unpredictable and even slightly dangerous. Putting yourself through the paces of mentally challenging situations – like give an important speech while gazing out over a sea of strange faces, or tackling an intimidating new project at work – can also trigger the same stress response and protect your brain against future freak-outs.

2. Go for active relaxation. No, that’s not an oxymoron. The traditional approaches to winding down- meditation, deep breathing, a round of tequila shots- can certainly take the edge of stress. But getting your adrenaline pumping is going to require a little more action than that. Consider weight lifting: Even though it’s low impact, if you give it 120 percent and continue working toward improving your bench press, you’ll get a jolt of your power hormone.

3. Buddy up. Maintaining the flow of dopamine and endorphins is what keeps your stress response in check during pressure-cooker situations. Research shows that working out with pal helps distract you from negative cues and keeps you focused on the fact that what you’re doing is insanely fun.

Yellow Veggies

A poor diet was linked to 20 percent of all cases of heart disease in women. Factor in diet’s effect on other chronic diseases like diabetes and osteoporosis, and it’s obvious that good nutrition has huge women's health benefits. One way to immediately turn your health situation around is through the foods you choose to eat.

Aside from green vegetables, it is also recommended in choosing a rainbow of fruits and vegetables because each one provides a unique blend of nutrients. Within the color spectrum, yellow or orange veggies are great sources of vitamin A for skin and eye health and better immunity against infection. At the top of the list are carrots, sweet potatoes, pumpkin, and the many types of squash. While it takes just one whole carrot or six baby carrots to make one serving (one-half cup), you’ll need only half a starchy sweet potato.

Reward Yourself!

It's time to give yourself a reward after that intense workout or after joining my Bootcamp activities.

* Why not treat yourself to a day at the salon or spa. A pedicure, facial, or massage can really keep your spirits high. Or better yet, treat yourself to a high-end haircut or new color to accentuate your newfound confidence. Afterall, you deserve to be pampered with all these treatments.

* Hit the stores and purchase something you’ve been eyeing, like an outfit, a new book, or a piece of jewelry. Or invest in something that will help you reach your goals, such as walking sneakers, a new workout apparel, or renew your Bootcamp membership.

* Have a "night out" that doesn't revolve around dinner. Instead, after a simple meal at home, go out to a movie or play. Another idea is to spend a day doing something active: Sign up for tennis lessons, try rock climbing, walk around a museum, or rent a bike and explore a new neighborhood. I bet you'll have a great adventure.

* Buy yourself some fresh-cut flowers to decorate your home or office. It’ll brighten up your day and serve as a reminder of your weight loss success.

* Take a bubble bath and enjoy some quiet "me" time to help you focus and stay on track.

Remember, these simple rewards is a MUST at least a month. These are good motivations as well so you could exert more effort in losing some pounds.

Portion Control Tricks

Watching your weight and what you eat is a good start. Whenever we sit down to munch, the last thing we want to think about is portion control. But for someone who is on a fasting or just looking to sustain their recent figure, that’s exactly what they should be doing.

Gone are the days of eating a bagel or muffin and feeling safe about its calories. In fact, researchers measured typical servings from takeout restaurants, fast food chains, and family-style eateries and found that bagels were 195 percent larger, muffins were 333 percent bigger and cooked pasta exceeded the standard by 480 percent.

Portion Control and Diet: How It Works

The first step in winning portion control is learning the correct serving size — the amount of food recommended based on Food Pyramid. The serving size can usually be found by reading nutritional labels. But the portion is the quantity of food or drink a person chooses to eat. In many cases, the portion eaten is larger than the serving size simply because we don’t know any better.

Portion control is limiting what you eat. We have to be aware of how much food you are actually eating and what calories are in that serving. The good news is with a little practice, portion control is easy to accomplish and can facilitate people be successful in reaching and then maintaining a suitable body mass.

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. According to studies, having a food scale at home will help you in achieving your desired weight in no time.

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 calculate 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. It is important to 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 munching, you’ll right away 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; Do not dispense it directly into your cooking pan or over food unless you are very sure how much you need to put.

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. If you are ordering for a dessert, you can split it with someone so at least you won’t feel guilty afterwards. Less the guilt, the better.

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. It is important to include vegetables (raw or cooked) in your meal to balance everything.

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. There will be more food at the next meal or snack!


They say an apple a day keeps the doctor away, but eating just apples for an entire month is a different matter. Not only is it unhealthy, it’s painfully dull too. Your body needs a smorgasbord of nutrients that are gained from various sources, so try looking for a diet that will provide you just that. You can change things up once you do a little research to find out which foods cooked which ways can give you the same benefits as other foods that are less exciting or interesting. You should also experiment in the kitchen—this will also help you become a better cook while you’re at it.

Food is one of our basic necessities, and a good diet regimen doesn’t erase that from your daily activities. Going on a diet should never be equated to starving yourself. A healthy diet should always be coupled with regular exercise. True, exercise can do you good, but it will never compensate for bad eating habits.

The Organic Solution

Chemical lawn fertilizers, herbicides, and pesticides used at home are just as dangerous, toxic, and threatening to our health and environment as chemicals used on farms. The choice to eliminate chemicals from your home and life is a powerful and important act that will benefit your family’s health immediately.

Synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, and genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are a substitute for thinking, understanding, and effort. They are necessary only to generate large profits for businesses and for disposing of our toxic industrial wastes. Virtually every food in the world has been successfully grown and made organically in modern, productive, and regenerative ways- from fine wine to white flour, apples, cherries, the most delicious gourmet beef, and olive oil.

Studies have shown that some organic foods are higher in antioxidants and powerful cancer-fighting nutrients such as conjugated linoleic acid.. They’re safer because they’re produced without dangerous chemicals, antibiotics, and risky and cheap practices like feeding dead cows to living cows, or putting contaminated sewage onto farm fields.

Choosing to eat organic foods does not condemn you to a diet of nuts, berries, and tofu. Today, you can find organic versions of the most popular foods.

STOP Making Excuses Part I

Falling off your diet—no matter how good your intentions, it's likely that you've faced this problem at one point in your life. Giving in to the urge to cheat (just this once!) happens to the best of us. So what exactly makes us lose the battle of the bulge?

EXCUSE #1: “I don’t think I can do it.”
NO EXCUSES! No doubt about it, a diet may seem daunting… at first. After all, it requires change in your eating habits, and change from something you’ve always been used to takes a lot of willpower. But you’ll never know until you try, right? You can start off just with the little things, like minimizing dessert to just a slice of cake instead of two, and a thin slice at that. Change need not be too drastic while you’re starting out. Eventually, those little sacrifices will become a habit. Psyche yourself up with the right mindset, and you’ll be surprised how much you can accomplish.

EXCUSE #2: “That chocolate cake / brownie / etc. is calling out to me!”.
NO EXCUSES! This classic excuse has put many diets on hold—especially in this country, where eating is as much a pastime as it is a nutritional necessity. Well, contrary to popular belief, diets are actually all about moderation, not deprivation. Restricting yourself too much will only lead you to bingeing and feeling guilty, or worse, giving up on a diet altogether. Don’t punish yourself by not touching the food on your plate during your own celebratory dinner. Learn to draw the line between moderation and excess, and you’re good to go.

EXCUSE #3: “I’m too busy!”
NO EXCUSES! Going on a diet takes resolve, and all the planning may seem scary for some people. But the thing is, as clichéd as it may sound, it’s all about priorities. Eating right is good for the body, and there’s no better way to start setting things straight than now. However, going on a diet shouldn’t be stressful. Adding a fruit or two to your baon or choosing healthier options to fast food chains are quick and easy ways to kick off a diet that won't add to your busy schedule.

Your Most Precious Parts ~ The Heart

Though it won't turn heads at the beach, your heart is the main muscle you must keep in top shape. Heart disease is the leading cause of death among women, according to a study.

First step: Shrink your muffin top. Fat in the belly, more than any other area, to hardening of the arteries, which can lead to heart disease. Thin your middle by avoiding processed foods - the transfats they contain create more belly blubber than other forms of dietary fat.

It is also recommended getting blood pressure and cholesterol checked at least once during your twenties- more often if you have a family history of heart disease or if your numbers are high (your BP shoudn't top 120/80, and your total cholesterol should be under 200). Left unchecked, high cholesterol and blood pressure can clog your arteries and increase your risk for a heart attack later on.

Manage Your Diabetes

STICK TO A BALANCED DIET. If you feel you’re on a trajectory to becoming diabetic, then now is the time to cut out sugary stuff from your diet. The greens and lean proteins now top your list. High-fiber and low-sugar vegetables like carrots, green leafy vegetables, and lean sources of white meat should be included in your nutrition.

Stay away from nuts and seeds due to their high-fat nutritional profile and to limit fruits due to their high-sugar content. Let me correct about the fruits ~ fruits are not bad. It is the excessive intake of fruits per eating time that makes it bad. It is recommended to eat one fruit serving after each meal such as 8 pieces of grapes. One 6-inch banana, half an apple, or 2 segments of pomelo.


BE AN EXERCISE JUNKIE. Replace all forms of sugar with endorphin as a new high. Exercise is a must for diabetics. It is especially important for overweight and obese diabetics to lose weight and burn excess calories.

Exercise lowers high blood sugar by reducing insulin resistance and improving glucose utilization in the muscles and adipose tissues. Aerobic exercising such as brisk walking, stationary biking, cycling, or swimming will produce positive results if done for at least 30-45 minutes a day at least three times a week. Even household chores such as sweeping the front yard or washing your clothes will help normalize blood sugar levels and create enough calorie deficits for weight loss.

Invent Incentives

There's motivation, and then there's motivation. People whose employers paid them for every pound they lost dropped as much as 12 percent more weight than those who received no dough. What if your boss is not ready to fork over cash? Then, perhaps you need to make your own reward. Put aside cash for very pound you lose. Use it to treat yourself to a manicure or earmark it for a favorite charity. If moolah doesn't move you, buy a teeny bikini and hang it on your refrigerator, or put your photoshop skills to the test and print out a downsized photo of yourself for the inspiration.

Sipping News

Water intake used to be aquick and easy 8 glasses a day. But in reality, the required daily hydration depends on several things like intensity of physical activity, body weight, and overall body health, temperature and humidity. It is recommended to drink 1/2 to 3/4 cup every 15-20 minutes of moderate exercise. But drinking water is important pre-andpost-exercise too. A good rule of thumb is that water be at least one-half of all the fluids you have in a day.

Are You Chicken?

High blood pressure has reason to fear the traditional chicken soup. If you sip broth made of collagen-rich chicken feet and bones, you could have lower BP after two hours. After six hours, it could drop as much as 50 mmHg.

Natural Born Killers

Another reason to go green: Avocados may wipe out oral cancer.

Researchers applied an avocado extract to both normal and precancerous oral cells. The extract caused the precancerous cells to die but didn't harm the normal ones. Phytonutrients- the compunds that give fruits and veggies their color-may be responsible. For a sandwich spread that offers cancer-crushing benefits without blowing your diet: Mash half an avocado with low-fat cream cheese.

Dressing For Success

A spoonful of oil could make the scale go down. Adding about one tablespoon of safflower oil to your diet per day may shrink your belly and increase lean muscle mass. The high linoleic-acid content may encourage the body to store less fat.

How do you cope with cravings and urges?

The keys to coping with cravings and urges are time delay and distraction. One simple strategy is simply to postpone the decision. We recommend that people do something else first and make the decision about the food they crave afterward — and to keep doing that as often as they need to until the craving passes. It sounds straightforward, and it is, but sometimes it's hard to sustain the effort needed in the face of a craving. It's not about trying to make the perfect decision in the moment — it's about making the next decision. For example, if I tell someone to meditate instead of eating pizza, the pizza is going to win. But if I tell that person to do a three-minute deep-breathing exercise first and then make the decision about the pizza, he or she can probably do that. It's a matter of fighting one battle at a time. Who knows — after the relaxation exercise, the craving may have passed. If not, the person can do one more thing before reaching for the pizza.

Delay can come in many forms, including going for a walk, listening to music, taking a bath, and talking on the phone with a friend. Too often, people want an easy answer to the problem of cravings and urges. But the solution is to follow the whole healthy eating program, which reduces the likelihood of having those cravings in the first place. Keep in mind that a "whole" program includes eating well-spaced meals, managing stress, and developing coping strategies. It all comes together and chips away at the cravings, day by day.

source: everydayhealth.com

Is Food Diary Effective?

Well, it is up to you actually. If you would like to keep a food diary to keep track your calorie intake and if you believe you can religiously write down your eating habits, perhaps you could give it a try.

Generally, food diaries are meant to be kept for at least a week or two, but studies have shown that even keeping track of what we eat for a day or two can help us make positive changes to our diets.

Some people keep a food diary indefinitely to help them maintain a healthy weight range once it's helped them achieve their ideal weight.

How long we keep a food diary is going to be a matter of personal choice, the most important thing is to start using one and when we feel that we don't need to anymore, we can stop.

Cut calories inch by inch

Here are some ways to cut calories that won't leave you hungry:

* skim milk instead of creamer in your coffee (2 creamers = 45 calories; skim milk = negligible calories; plus, it adds calcium)

* butter spray instead of a pat of butter on your potato or bread (45 calories)

* 1% milk instead of whole (50 calories)

* low-cal wheat bread instead of regular (~ 40 calories)

Even these little calorie-cutting adjustments can add up a lot.