Healthy Attitude

Healthy weight loss starts with healthy thinking. No matter what your current weight, you can begin to think and live like a thinner person. You don't need to wait until you reach your weight-loss goals before you start to update your image. Many weight-loss tips are about how to exercise and count calories, but nutrition experts know that healthy weight loss is also about attitude. By creating the right attitude and approaching healthy weight loss strategically, you can start to think your way thin.

* Make a commitment not only to lose weight, but also to change your lifestyle. To solidify what you’re doing, write up a contract. Include the weight you want to lose and the changes you want to make to get there. Sign it and post it where you can see it.

* Get professional advice. Consider finding a coach or motivator to help you. For some people, working with an exercise or a diet counselor can be one of the best ways to lose weight. This extra motivation and encouragement can make a positive difference in your success.

* Break down weight loss into achievable goals. Healthy weight loss comes slowly and regularly, not quickly. Setting unrealistic goals just leads to frustration and failure.

* Keep a food diary. By writing down what you eat, when you eat, and how you feel when you eat, you can begin to be aware of your personal eating behaviors and start to avoid mindless eating that comes from stress or boredom.

* Monitor your health. Have your blood pressure read on a weekly basis. Is it improving? Or monitor other health factors. When you walk up the stairs on your way to bed each night, do you breathe more easily? Do you feel less tired at the end of a long day?"

* Accept the ups and downs. Expect some setbacks along the way and, instead of giving up, think through weight-loss obstacles to overcome them. There are no perfect plans to lose weight. You can fall off the wagon occasionally without giving up the journey.

* Plate size makes a difference and resize your portions. Another trick for portion control is knowing that a healthy portion of meat is about the size of a deck of cards, and a healthy portion of starch is about the size of a tennis ball. You can fill in all the empty areas of your plate with plenty of fruits or vegetables and still expect healthy weight loss.

* Reward yourself when you reach your goals. At the end of the month, reward yourself with a gift or activity — other than eating — that you enjoy.

Healthy weight loss is hard work and that you don't have to pursue it alone. Seek support from your friends and family. Let them know how important your weight-loss goals are. The lifestyle changes you make now can serve as a powerful example for your loved ones.


source: everydayhealth

Hold Steady Before You Get Going

Stretching is a good way to start whether you're warming up for a workout routine or getting ready for your day. Not only does stretching improve your posture, it keeps you incurring injuries when you do repetitive movements, and ultimately helps you become flexible and agile, allowing you to perform better.

Obsessed About Your Weight?

Many women (and men!) today find themselves applying the “less is more” philosophy to their bodies and how they see themselves—sometimes without even realizing it. This means that some have started focusing on calories over nutritional value, even on dress size over the enjoyment of a food experience! “Fat” is the new evil, “thin” the new ideal, and dieting a sort of unofficial religious activity.

Find out just how much fat talk (and fat thoughts) have seeped into your everyday life by taking the quiz below!

1 .) When trying on a new outfit, what’s the first question you ask yourself?
* Does it flatter my figure and complexion?
* Does it make me look fat?
* Does it fit my budget?

2 .) So you gained a few pounds over your last vacation. What thought runs through your head?
* Ohmigod, I’m so fat! Got to go on a diet and call my trainer stat!
* This isn’t good for me. I’d better make sure I exercise and eat healthier from now on.
* So what? I had a few days of great eating! That’s what vacations are for!

3 .) Which star do you think has the sexiest body?
* Cameron Diaz
* Paris Hilton
* Scarlett Johansson

4 .) A sexy woman . . .
* Is slim and svelte
* Has attitude

5 .) When ordering at a restaurant, your main concern is:
* Healthiness
* Flavor
* Calorie count

6 .) A little black dress is a fashion essential because:
* It hides all the little bulges
* It flatters any figure
* It works for any occasion

7 .) The most unattractive feature a woman can have is:
* An unhealthy lifestyle—if we don’t take care of our bodies and minds, who will?
* I don’t know; it depends on the person. Bad teeth, maybe?
* Thunder thighs and tummy flab

8 .) Have you ever considered going on a starvation diet or engaging in other radical strategies for weight loss?
* Of course not, I love food too much!
* Once or twice, but never seriously
* Yes, in an emergency—like a sudden trip to Bora!

9 .) Why do you diet?
* To lose weight!
* To introduce better nutrition into my lifestyle.
* What diet?

10 .) The foods you try to avoid as much as possible are:
* Processed foods or food with a lot of synthetic flavor, preservatives, etc.
* Carbs, sweets, and just about anything fattening
* Why deprive myself of anything I’m not allergic to?

Let me know your answers!

On Dark Chocolates

Choose the dark variety and benefit from:

* Lower blood pressure. Just balance the extra calories by eating less of other things.

* Antioxidants. They neutralize free radicals, destructive molecules that may cause heart disease and other ailments.

* Improved immune system. Flavanoids called catechins protect against various chronic conditions.

* Improved brain function. Increased blood flow to the brain can help protect against dementia and stroke.

Chocolate is Healthy!

Vegetable Roasting 101

You can roast just about anything, but vegetables especially benefit from the high, dry heat of the oven. Their flavor becomes concentrated and their natural sugars carmelize, transforming them into richly satisfying sides. For every kilo of vegetables, toss with 1 teasponn olive oil prior to roasting. Spread in a single layer, with space in between pieces, if possible, or they'll steam instead. You can roast different veggies together if their cookinng times are similar. Try different kinds of seasoning for easy-dinner-party-worthy dishes.

Wiimote Your Way to Weight Loss

Researchers measured that acute exercise responses (oxygen uptake, heart rate, and rate of perceived exertion (RPE) in 32 young men who were randomly assigned to play video games either a full-body isometric muscle resistance controller or a standard hand-manipulated controller. No differences were noted for heart rate or RPE, but energy expenditure was significantly higher with the whole-body controler than with the hand-held controller. Quit playing Tekken and play Wii Tennis instead.

Quit Calling Quits

You won't get anywhere if you quit. Quitting shouldn't be an option,or at least, your last resort. When going gets tough, you should toughen up too. Nobody says everything will go smooth and easy. There will always be reasons and excuses for you not to stick to your training routine, eating right, or changing your bad habits. But doing so meant making a fool out of yourself. So before you set goals, commit to finishing off what you've started.

Read The Fine Print

People who read food labels when deciding whether or not to put an item in their carts have healthier diets. Over 5, 500 users were defined as those who always, most of time and sometimes used the food label. Women, or people with higher education and people with higher income were more likely to read food labels, and consumed fewer calories. Be curious about what goes into your food. Think of it as calorie prevention being better than calorie cure.

How To Curb a Cramp

Drink Up
Dehydration messes with your electrolyte balance, causing cramps. Down 20 ounces of water three hours before working out (if possible), and drink up to eight ounces every 15 minutes during exercise.

Stretch
Stop and gently stretch the sore spot for 20 to 45 seconds or until the pain goes away. A cramp is a muscle spasm, so stretching the muscle counters its tightening.

Add Tension
Flexing a camping muscle may make it release. This action triggers a safety switch (called the Golgi tendon organ) that relaxes a muscle when it's too strained.

Massage
Rub the muscle vigorously, as if you're kneading dough. This combines the previous two methods by stretching and compressing the muscle, helping to release the cramp.

Ice, Ice Baby

Sip on this: People who drank water with finely crushed ice before running 32-degree heat ran 10 minutes longer than those who drank cold water, according to a new report.

If your core temperature becomes too hot, it can slow you down, but when your body uses its heat to melt the ice, your muscles can stay active longer.

Drink 16 ounces of water with crushed ice 30 minutes before your next hot-day sweat session.

What to Eat for a Healthy Heart

There’s no better time than now to learn more about heart-disease prevention. Heart disease is the leading cause of death in men and women in the world— but steps can be taken to reverse this dangerous trend, starting with eating heart-healthy foods, exercising, and partnering with your doctor for early detection.

The good news is that due to recent advances in understanding, detecting, and treating heart disease, the great majority of heart attacks and strokes can be prevented. One of the most important things you can do to prevent heart disease is to practice heart-healthy eating. Enjoy eating a wide range of nutrient-dense, fiber-rich foods to help in reducing your risk of heart attack and stroke.

Basic guidelines for heart-healthy eating:

* Eat good carbohydrates. Good carbs include high-fiber, nutrient-dense fruits, vegetables, legumes, and whole grains.

* Eat good fats. Choose good fats from extra-virgin olive oil, canola oil, peanut oil, flaxseed oil, walnut oil, avocados, nuts, and fish. Omega-3 (fish oil) supplements are also fine.

* Eat lean protein. The best sources include skinless white-meat poultry, fish and shellfish, lean cuts of meat, and soy-based options such as tofu, as well as legumes, eggs, low-fat dairy foods, nuts, and seeds.

If you follow these guidelines, you can put together delicious, satisfying, and healthy meals and snacks — and take the first step toward a healthier life.

Lick Fat For Good

The key to dropping stubborn pounds may be right on the tip of your tongue. New research shows that our taste buds can distinguish not only how salty, sweet, savory, bitter, or sour food is but also how fatty it is and the ability may influence how much we weigh.

Studies shows that people whose tongues were more sensitive to fat had lower BMIs and consumed less fat in their diets than those with not-as-sensitive tongues. If you consume a high fat diet, your sensitivity may decrease over time, " so people who eat a lot of fat need more of it to feel satisfied". Future research could possibly lead to the development of foods that satiate our taste for fat while packing less of it.

Get Tipsy!

Beer isn't all carbs and empty calories: It's also a rich source of silicon, a bone-building nutrient that can help ward off osteoporosis. But not all brews are created equal. Silicon levels vary depending on the brewing process.

Motivation to Keep Exercise Exciting

What makes fitness fun? What motivates you most and keeps you focused and centered on a workout?

* Find a buddy. Working out is often more enjoyable when you do it with someone else. Find a friend who will exercise with you, and won’t let you back out of your gym dates.

* Set goals and a schedule. If you don't plan time for exercise and dedicate yourself to it, it's hard to stay motivated. Schedule times and dates for workouts on your calendar, and jot down what you plan to do and goals you want to accomplish.

* Push yourself. Don't work out to the point of injury, but push yourself during exercise routines — don't give up because you don't feel like it or you're tired. Push yourself to go a little harder or a little longer, and you'll feel great afterward.

* Read or listen to music. If you're walking on a treadmill or using a stair-climbing machine, try reading so you lose track of the minutes while you're burning calories. Or pump yourself up with some favorite music: high-energy, fast-paced songs can give the boost you need to get through your exercise routine. Create a playlist or CD of songs that motivate you for a workout.

* Cut out the routine from your exercise routine. You're more likely to lose motivation if you stick to the same workout routine, so come up with options so that you don't get bored. Walk one day, run another, hop on a bike, and try different aerobic and weight machines.

* Where to work out. Your environment can have a big impact on how well you focus on your exercise routine. If you prefer being outside, schedule an exercise program around outdoor activities. If you get too distracted by other people in a health club, try investing in videos or exercise equipment and do your workout at home.

* Eat for exercise. Don't exercise on an empty stomach, but don't eat a huge meal right before exercising, either. Stick to a healthy, balanced diet for lots of energy, and have a light, healthy snack before a scheduled workout so that you don't feel hungry.

Apple and Water Intake

Both apple and water can do wonders for your skin. Pectin, a substance found mostly just beneath the skin of apples, helps get rid of toxins in the intestines. Thus, eating unpeeled apples can help improve your skin. But remember to wash your fruits under running water first to remove surface germs. The element of life, water, not only removes toxins from the body and digestive tract, it also hydrates your skin and your whole body, so get drink water as much as you can. It is essential for proper digestion, circulation and blood vessel flexibility as well. To get the full benefits of water, take at least seven to ten average sized glasses of water each day, but you can always take more than that amount! Carbonated drinks like sodas and some juices don’t count, since they contain carbon dioxide that the body considers a water product.

Don't Eat Like A Celebrity Chef

They're fun to watch on TV but they are not the best dietary models.

Some of the chef's recipes has butter and cream, some dishes delivered more than a day's worth (20 grams) of heart clogging saturated fat in one serving.

If you still want to try these recipes, replacing butter with a low-fat spread, for example can reduce the salt fat up to 90 percent without sacrificing the flavors.

Detox Diet

Starting a detox diet, or detox cleanse, is a great suggestion.

Detox diets are often very restraining diets. Most are meant for temporary use to flush or cleanse your system. Although there may be some abrupt weight loss connected with detoxing, losing weight is not the main reason for most of these diets. Detox diets may involve periods of fasting, drinking only fluids, eliminating certain foods, herbal supplements, or even the use of enemas to cleanse your colon.

Many detox diets get rid of processed foods and animal products while pointing out fresh fruits and vegetables. Other detox treatments increase the amount of water or juice that the individual consumes. Eating natural foods, eliminating processed foods, and increasing fruits and vegetables can be good for digestive health.

There are detox diets that last one day and detox diets that last four weeks. You can detox on raw foods or lemonade.

Here are a few of the claimed benefits you might experience from a detox cleanse:

* Improved function of your kidneys and liver
* Increased energy and vitality
* Arousing the mind and spirit
* Quick jump-start to a weight-loss program
* Improved ability to fight off various diseases

Push That Adrenalin

Sticking with a new exercise routine is not easy! Remember that getting up and doing your workout every day is an act of will. If you're having trouble staying motivated, jump-start yourself with these tips and wait for your endorphins to kick in and work their magic.

Take it easy. It takes 21 days to form a new habit. If you push too hard too early, you'll end up losing steam and wanting to quit. Instead, commit yourself to advancing at a steady pace.

Listen to music. Get yourself a music player and put together some cool tunes to inspire you while you work out.

Enlist a partner in crime. Invite your spouse or a friend, family member, co-worker, or even one of your online fitness buddies to pair up and work out with you. Exercising together will give you both more incentive to do it.

Get real. Sometimes life will get in the way of your workout. Don't give up just because you had to take time off.

Get some fun fitness DVDs. If working out on your own is getting a little old, pick up some fun DVDs.

Reward yourself. Come up with some appropriate (nonfood) rewards and enjoy them each time you achieve a new goal.