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.

Sugar Substitutes ~ Are They for Real?

Sugar-free foods and drinks are lower in calories than their full sugar alternatives, but are they good options for weight loss? While sugar substitutes are generally safe, the debate about how they should be used continues.

Other sugar substitutes are being developed, and many products contain a mix of sugar substitutes to enhance flavor. Each sugar substitute is several thousand times sweeter than sugar, but has a slightly different flavor. Whether you reach for the pink, blue, or yellow packet to sweeten your coffee is a matter of personal taste. Sugar substitutes are now so common that many people use them without consciously considering their use as a weight-loss strategy.

As part of an overall healthy diet, sugar substitutes are believed to reduce calories and the risk of cavities. Interestingly, controlled studies that compare weight loss between people who use sugar substitutes and those who consume sugar show very little difference in weight loss between the two groups, although over the long term, sugar substitutes can help maintain weight loss.

Conscious calorie-cutting strategies can include sugar-free products. Replacing a sugary drink with a sugar-free drink will reduce your calorie intake, and cutting back by just one full sugar soda a day could result in losing over 1.4 pounds in 18 months. The key to losing weight using sugar-free products is to use them strategically.

Sugar Substitutes: How Much Can You Have?

A big question surrounding sugar substitutes is how much diet soda is safe to drink. Though you might never consider consuming this much in a day, the FDA says these are the maximum amounts allowable for daily consumption, listed by type of sugar substitute:

* Aspartame: 18 to 19 cans of diet soda
* Saccharin: 9 to 12 packets
* Acesulfame-K: 30 to 32 cans of diet soda
* Sucralose: 6 cans of diet soda

Bad Health Habits You Should Drop ASAP

Still struggling to keep up with your health resolutions? Read on and see how you could be slipping.

By now, you’re aware of at least some of the bad health habits that can shorten your life. Still, here are some more that you should drop in 2011—not just to keep a resolution, but also to stay in tip-top shape and help you weather the summer sicknesses that could well be rolling in during the coming months.

1. HITTING THE SNOOZE BUTTON. It may be tempting to hit the snooze button and ask for 10 more minutes of shut eye, but remember that every minute is valuable. And those 10 extra minutes you ask for could translate into 30 minutes of being stuck in traffic. "No matter what you feel, get up, dress up, and show up!" Not only is being late unprofessional, it’s also being inconsiderate. You’ve got to be respectful of other people’s time too, you know!

2. NOT GETTING ENOUGH SLEEP. Grade school science taught us that we need eight hours of sleep at night. Lack of sleep causes a myriad of health problems--while you’ve probably experienced the difficulty in focusing and thinking when you’re deprived of sleep, for example, did you know that this can eventually lead to colon cancer? So, forgo your unnecessary nocturnal activities and hop onto bed early! Besides, this would most likely solve bad habit no. 1!

3. POOR EATING HABITS. Whether it’s eating on the go or neglecting the food pyramid entirely, poor eating habits have serious negative consequences on our bodies. Remember that this doesn’t just mean missing out on meals; it also means eating too much salty or greasy food. Wrong nutrition can cause obesity and digestive disorders, and it may even contribute to diabetes.

4. PROCRASTINATING. Procrastination is the counterpart of the snooze button when you’re awake. We all know that "five more minutes" can extend indefinitely, so save the chats with your co-workers and checking on your social network feeds on for free time!

5. NOT EXERCISING. Not having a gym membership is not an excuse to forgo physical activity. Exercising even for only 30 minutes a day can do your immediate and future health a world of good. Aside from reducing the risk for diseases, exercise has also been proven to be an effective way to counter anxiety and depression. Exercise gives you endorphins, and endorphins make you happy!

Improve Your Cholesterol

Whole foods and great recipes for a healthy heart. The best meal for anyone worried about their cholesterol is a meal low in saturated fat and abundant in fruits and vegetables. And although there are no magic bullets beyond that healthy prescription, certain foods have been shown to give cholesterol levels an extra nudge in the right direction.

Alcohol. Drinking a glass of wine with dinner—any alcoholic beverage, in fact—has been shown to raise good-cholesterol levels and lower the risk of a heart attack. (Excessive drinking, however, raises heart-disease danger.

Almonds. Substances in almond skins help prevent LDL “bad” cholesterol from being oxidized, a process that can otherwise damage the lining of blood vessels and increase cardiovascular risk.

• Sprinkle almonds on cereals and salads, nibble on a handful for an afternoon snack.

Avocados. The monounsaturated fats in avocados have been found to lower “bad” LDLs and raise “good” HDLs, especially in people with mildly elevated cholesterol.

• Slice avocados into sandwiches and salads or mash with garlic, lemon juice and salsa for a terrific guacamole.

Barley. When volunteers in a USDA study added barley to the standard American Heart Association diet, LDL “bad” cholesterol levels fell more than twice as far.

• Barley makes a great substitute for rice, adds depth to soups and is terrific combined with dried fruits, nuts and a little oil and vinegar for a hearty salad.

Beans & Lentils. From a recent study in the Annals of Internal Medicine, LDL “bad” cholesterol levels fell almost twice as far in those volunteers on a low-fat diet who added beans and lentils (along with more whole grains and vegetables) to the menu.

• Experiment with beans in soups, salads, and dips. Tuck them into burritos, lasagnas and casseroles.

Blueberries. Blueberries contain a powerful antioxidant called pterostilbene that may help lower LDL cholesterol.

• Toss a cup of frozen blueberries together with a half-cup of orange juice and vanilla-flavored yogurt into the blender for a healthy breakfast drink. Sprinkle fresh blueberries on cereals and eat them by the handfuls for snacks.

Oats. When women in a University of Toronto study added oat bran to an already heart-healthy diet, HDL-cholesterol levels—the beneficial kind—climbed more than 11 percent.

• Consider a daily bowl of oat bran hot cereal or old-fashioned oatmeal for breakfast. Oat bran muffins can also pack a tasty dose into your day.

Grocery Shopping Myths Busted

Food Myth #1: Eggs with brown shells are more nutritious than those with white shells.

The color of the eggshell does not affect nutrition, but indicates the color of the bird’s feathers and earlobes. White eggs come from white hens with white earlobes, brown eggs come from red hens with red earlobes. And since brown eggs often cost a bit more than white eggs, you can save a little money and not sacrifice nutrition.


Food Myth #2: A clear bottle is the best container for your milk.

Some people swear milk tastes better in pretty glass bottles, but actually it’s best stored in opaque containers to help prevent milk’s riboflavin—an extremely light-sensitive B vitamin—from breaking down.


Food Myth #3: Fresh vegetables are always a better choice over frozen.

Frozen vegetables may be even more healthful than some of the fresh produce sold in supermarkets. That’s because fruits and vegetables chosen for freezing tend to be processed at their peak ripeness, a time when—as a general rule—they are most nutrient-packed, while fruits and vegetables destined to be shipped to the fresh-produce aisles around the country typically are picked before they are ripe, which gives them less time to develop a full spectrum of vitamins and minerals. The first step of freezing vegetables—blanching them in hot water or steam to kill bacteria and arrest the action of food-degrading enzymes—causes some water-soluble nutrients to break down or leach out, but the subsequent flash-freeze locks the vegetables in a relatively nutrient-rich state. Plus, they’re relatively inexpensive, especially when compared with their “fresh” counterparts out of season.


Food Myth #4: Wheat bread is made with whole-wheat.

Appealingly brown-colored bread or crackers labeled “flour,” “multi-grain” or “cracked wheat” are sometimes made mostly from refined white flour. The only reliable guide to ensuring that your choice is a true whole grain is to check the ingredients list: the term “whole” or “whole-grain” should precede the grain’s name, such as “whole-grain rye” or “whole wheat.”


Food Myth #5: You should always pick the bag of spinach at the back of the produce case.

A study published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, revealed that spinach stored continuously under the light for as little as three days boasted higher levels of vitamin C and preserved levels of K, E, folate and the carotenoids lutein and zeaxanthin. The lights enhance nutrient levels by encouraging photosynthesis—the process by which plants use energy from the sun to create food and compounds that protect them. That means that the package of spinach at the front of the case could actually have more nutrients than the one in the dark at the back of the case in the dark.


source: eatingwell

Milk and Sugar ~ Culprit for Acne Breakout

A recent study says that dairy products and sugar cause acne. Studies have shown that the prevalence of diets that include a high intake of milk and sugar increase “both the number of people who got acne and its severity.” Apart from that, people who eat more refined carbs such as bread, rice, pasta, and flour products had significantly more acne.

Aside from sugar, milk, and refined carbohydrates, inflammatory fats (saturated fat, trans fat, and processed vegetable oils like soy and corn) can also cause hormonal imbalances, which, in turn, promote acne. Certain foods have been linked to improvements in many of the underlying causes of acne and can help correct it. These include fish oil, turmeric, ginger, green tea, nuts, dark purple and red foods such as berries, green foods like dark green leafy vegetables, and omega 3-eggs.

source: femalenetwork

Yogurt Fix

Your yogurt fix is either a smart way to satisfy your sweet tooth or a diet disaster - it all depends on the toppings you choose.

A small, unadorned serving of frozen yogurt has 150 calories, but pile on the extras and you could be digging into a 500-calorie sugar bomb.

Here are some calories per serving so you'll know exactly what you're getting in your cup if you decide to indulge:

42% Fresh fruit ~ 40 calories

24% Hot caramel ~ 160 calories

14% Granola ~ 280 calories

13% Chocolate chips ~ 360 calories

7% Cookie crumble ~ 200 calories

5 Things To Do for Your Heart Right Now

Fish Oil
Loaded with the omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA, fish oil helps to maintain healthy triglyceride levels and reduce your risk of heart-related concerns.

Follow a Heart Healthy Diet
Include heart healthy foods in your diet, including soy, garlic, grapes and red wine, and tea. Also, use margarine and supplements with plant stanols and sterols that have been shown to effectively reduce total and LDL cholesterol.

Consume Adequate Fiber
Studies suggest that 25 to 35 grams per day of dietary fiber may provide a primary preventive effect against heart disease.

Exercise Regularly
Physical activity has been examined as primary therapy for improving blood sugar control and deterring the complications of abnormal glucose levels — great news for those managing diabetes. Furthermore, regular exercise can help increase desirable HDL "good" cholesterol levels and reduce undesirable LDL "bad" cholesterol levels.

Get a Good Night's Sleep
Several serious sleep disorders are associated with hypertension, higher stress levels and irregular heartbeat.

The list doesn't stop there, as there are many more things you can do — including taking supplements — that can also help with heart health.

Going Meatless

These days, health and fitness seems to be at the top of everyone’s priorities. And with everyone concerned about doing what is best for their bodies, doing an overhaul on eating habits frequently tops the list of health-living agendas. While some start by cutting out excess salt and fat, there are those who prefer to go for a totally different dietary orientation. Some cut out red or fatty meat; some cut out meat and poultry altogether; and others go one step further and go vegetarian.

After all, a vegetarian diet “can be very healthy”. According to studies, a vegetarian diet can meet all your nutritional needs, provided that you consume a “variety of foods and the right amount of foods to meet your calorie needs.” Aside from the health perks, a vegetarian diet can also lead to possible weight loss, according to this MayoClinic.com article.

Adopting a vegetarian diet is also an eco-friendly initiative; if more people went vegetarian, it would help mitigate global warming, according to the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). PETA shares that turkeys, cows, chickens, and pigs in factories release “enormous amounts” of methane, which “is more than 20 times as effective as carbon dioxide is at trapping heat in our atmosphere.”


The articles also adds that the meat, dairy, and egg industries are responsible for 65 percent of nitrous oxide emissions worldwide. Nitrous oxide is said to be 300 times more potent than carbon dioxide.

Despite its perks, though, converting from omnivore to herbivore can be difficult. If you’ve been a meat eater all your life, you might have to deal with the cravings that come from such a drastic lifestyle change. But if you’re determined to go green when it comes to your diet, read on for five tips on overcoming these challenges.

Tips for Women Who Want to Switch to a Vegetarian Diet

1. RESEARCH. There are many kinds of vegetarian diets, so hit the books or go online before deciding on which one is right for you. For example, vegans shy away from all animal products, including dairy and honey. Lacto-ovo vegetarians include eggs and milk in their diets; lacto-vegetarians will eat dairy products, but not eggs. You also need to know what meat substitutes (like veggie meat or tofu) are good swap-outs for the real stuff and their availability in the local market, as well as recipes that you can easily cook at home.

2. START SLOW. While you may want to skip that transition phase by dumping your meat-filled diet entirely and switching over to the green side overnight, it’s better to start out slow. Such a drastic change will just lead you to crash and burn and may cause stress, which in turn can lead you to abandon the vegetarian diet before you really get a chance to see whether or not it works for you. Start out with small, doable changes such as breakfasting on cereals and oatmeal instead of tapsilog. Cut back on meat gradually, but don’t punish yourself if a slice of lechon “accidentally” lands on your plate at a party or if you sneak a strip of bacon off hubby’s plate during your Sunday morning brunch.

3. BE PREPARED. If you’re used to having meat with your meals, you’ll need a little more time to get used to a vegetarian diet. You may be tempted to binge at one of the many fast food chains in the city, but try to curb these cravings by opting for healthier alternatives. Swap out fries for trail mix or nuts, or order a fish burger instead of a beef one. Keep fruit or low-fat yogurt on hand at home (and at work, if possible) so you can snack on something without breaking your vegetarian vow.

4. ENJOY WHAT YOU EAT. You don’t need to eat every vegetable on the planet just because you’re on a green diet. Don’t feel pressured to like the vegetarian version of your favorite dish if it doesn’t tickle you fancy. It’s important to be happy with what you eat, so find food you really like, even if it doesn’t have a meat equivalent. Experiment, and don’t be afraid to try new things. Just because you’d never tried tofu steak or spinach lasagna before going veg doesn’t mean you won’t like it. In the same way, go for dishes that you like and just look for meat substitutes that you can include in the recipe.

5. SET GOALS FOR YOURSELF. It’s all too easy to stray from a vegetarian diet when there are so many carnivorous temptations around. Keep a food journal where you can write down your goals, such as limiting your red meat intake to only three times a week or substituting meat for tofu in the dishes you make. Writing it down will make you hold yourself accountable for too many lapses, and setting a timetable for each goal will also make it more specific and attainable, adding to your chances of success. And reward yourself for every major goal attained—you can splurge on that dress that you’ve been eyeing for weeks or get a massage at the spa you’ve been meaning to try out.

The Truth

Let’s face it. After being bombarded with “thin is in” messages everywhere from TV to the tabloids, we have become a society largely obsessed with our appearance — and our weight.
This can be a good thing if it encourages healthy eating habits and exercise. Often, however, it leads to negative and even dangerous behaviors that erode self-esteem. Like “fat talk.”
We all know people who do this. In fact, some of us are probably guilty of it ourselves — often without even realizing it — because it can seem so innocuous. After all, how bad can it be to make an offhand comment about how fat we look in a certain pair of jeans or how guilty we feel about eating a particular food?

Turns out, very bad.

source: everydayhealth

When Is the Best Time to Exercise?

You know that regular exercise (and interval exercise in particular) will help you lose weight and avoid weight-loss plateaus by revving up your metabolism. But does the time of day you choose to exercise make a difference in how much fat you burn?

Current research suggests that slightly more fat is burned when a person exercises directly following the overnight fast. However, exercise can usually be performed at a higher intensity in the late afternoon when the body’s temperature and hormone levels peak and muscles are more flexible.

What may be more important factors to consider are how consistent you are and what kind of exercise you do.

Work out first thing in the morning but recognizes that some people find it easier in the afternoon or early evening. Exercise when — and where — you will most enjoy it, which will help you remain faithful to your commitment to regular exercise.

What if you miss a workout? Don’t sweat it. Just as you shouldn’t feel that you’ve blown it if you have a bad day on the eating plan, you shouldn’t feel as if all is lost when you must skip a day or even a few days of exercise.

excerpt: SouthBeachDiet

Eat These 6 Purple Foods to Help Your Blood Pressure

Research shows that people who eat blue and purple fruits and vegetables—blueberries, plums, purple cabbage, black currants, eggplant and purple grapes—have a reduced risk for high blood pressure and low HDL cholesterol (that’s the good kind). Scientists believe that anthocyanins, the compounds that give purple foods their color, are responsible for these boons. Blue and purple foods make up only about 3 percent of the average fruit and veggie intake, so aim to eat more.

Why Chocolate is Good for Your Heart

Chocolate to cure a broken heart is a popular prescription, but it turns out chocolate’s heart-mending reputation might just be deserved. A few months ago, Harvard researchers reported that in a study of over 31,000 middle-aged and elderly Swedish women, those who consumed one or two ounces of chocolate a week had a 32 percent lower risk of heart failure than women who ate no chocolate. Similar large-scale studies have suggested that people who regularly eat moderate amounts of chocolate may have lower incidence of high blood pressure, hardened arteries and even strokes.

Researchers aren’t sure exactly how chocolate helps the heart, but a likely explanation is that compounds in cocoa called flavanols help activate enzymes that release nitric oxide—a substance that helps widen and relax blood vessels. That allows blood to flow through the vessels more freely, reducing blood pressure. Nitric oxide is also involved in thinning blood and reducing its tendency to clot—lowering, potentially, the risk of stroke.

What’s more, some of the key flavanols in cocoa, catechins and epicatechins (also found in red wine and green tea) are known to have heart-healthy, antioxidant effects—such as helping to prevent artery-threatening LDL cholesterol from converting to a more lethal, oxidized form. (While cocoa butter, the fatty part of chocolate, contains some saturated fat, it’s mostly stearic acid, a more benign sat-fat that doesn’t appear to raise LDL levels.) Cocoa flavonols also have anti-inflammatory properties that could protect the heart and arteries, and thus might someday have a role in managing other diseases associated with inflammation and blood vessel damage, such as diabetes and Alzheimer’s disease.

If you’re keen to get the most flavanols from your chocolate fix, you might have to do some hunting, since most manufacturers don’t list flavanol content on their product labels. But since the compounds are found only in the cocoa component of chocolate, seeking out cocoa, or chocolate with a higher cocoa content, should theoretically send more flavanols your way. So can choosing dark rather than milk chocolate, which, because of the added milk, contains a lower percentage of cocoa solids. Opt for natural cocoa over dutched cocoa powder as well, since a substantial amount of flavanols are lost when cocoa is alkalized. Of course, all those steps are no guarantee of high flavanols, since manufacturing processes like roasting and fermenting cocoa beans can have a huge effect on flavanol content, too—and those vary widely from brand to brand. Your best bet is to contact the manufacturer and ask.

But of course, any positive effects of regular chocolate eating have to be tempered with the reality that it packs plenty of sugary, fatty calories (particularly those added if you’re dosing yourself with chocolate in the form of whoopee pies or Snickers bars). All those extra calories can quickly pile on extra pounds, easily undoing any good those flavanols might have wrought. It’s still better to keep on thinking of chocolate as a treat, not a treatment.

Is love making you fat?

There is a research conducted in 2002 cited two possible explanations for why couples gain weight: (1) romantic relationships increase cues and opportunities for eating, and, (2) as couples move out of the courtship phase, they feel less pressure to be physically attractive--specifically, being thin is less of a priority.

There are a lot of other reasons why couples gain weight. You might have a partner who enjoys good food, so you tend to create sumptuous meals that you two can share. Or maybe your man is a hearty eater and that has rubbed off on you. It might even be because you and your guy have simply indulged in spending too many nights in, eating take-out and watching television.

Whatever the reason, carrying around too much weight is unhealthy. If you think that you and your guy could do with a little trimming down, read our tips for how you and your man can start losing weight together:


1. MAKE IT A COUPLE’S GOAL.
Or a family goal, if you are living with your parents or in-laws. Encourage them to exercise and eat healthier. It’s easier to lose weight if everyone else in the household is doing it.


2. SUPPORT EACH OTHER.
Sometimes we’re not aware that we sabotage each other’s weight loss efforts by bringing certain “sinful” and calorie-laden foods home. One spouse’s laziness to exercise may also make the other junk exercising as well. So stop making excuses to avoid exercise or to break your diet--and don't accept them from him, either!

3. TALK WITH YOUR SPOUSE OR FAMILY.
Sit down and discuss why it’s important for you to keep fit. They don’t have to change their eating habits if they don’t want to, but they’ll have to support you as you try to reach your goals. If you can, establish your healthy couple's lifestyle early on, but even if you've been together (and eating unhealthily together) for a while now, remember that it's not too late to change. All you need is a little teamwork!

4. TAKE DIFFERENT MEALS IF YOU HAVE TO.
It’s not really essential that you and your partner eat the same food at each meal. He doesn’t have to eat only soup and salad if he prefers not to. In the same way, you don't have to maintain the same exercise regiment either. Just try to make sure that even if your tactics are different, your end goal--fitness--is the same.

5. BE AWARE OF YOUR FOOD CHOICES.
Make a conscious effort to eat low-calorie foods. Avoid eating fast food on a regular basis as its high fat content will only show up on your belly, hips, and butt--and it'll eventually put your heart in danger. Switch to high-fiber and whole grain foods—they keep you fuller for a longer period of time and are great at keeping your body in top shape.

10 Ways to Burn Calories From Guilty Pleasures

"Oops! I can’t believe I ate that!" Did you utter these words after finishing an entire slice of cheesecake?

Exercise is a great way to counter calories in food, although the math doesn’t work exactly the same for everybody. Exercise does not perfectly offset indulgences. Exercising regularly and seeing results may encourage you to eat healthier, however, and decrease the stress that often leads to emotional eating.” he number of exercise calories burned varies according to your weight, but the times listed are for someone weighing 140 pounds. So what about that 500-calorie slice of cheesecake? It will take jogging for one hour on a treadmill (at a five-mile-per-hour pace) to negate it. Ouch!

1. Slice of Pepperoni Pizza: 290 calories
The calories in pizza add up dramatically, especially if you have more than one slice. One way to feel full with fewer slices is to load up on veggie toppings. Think green peppers, onions, and black olives instead of meats or extra cheese. Meanwhile, if you want to undo the calories in a slice of pizza, plan on 60 minutes of fast-paced ballroom or swing dancing. Or you could try 90 minutes of walking around the shopping mall or tackling vigorous cleaning chores at home.

2. Can of Soda: 150 Calories
Desperately thirsty with no water in sight? You won’t be the first person to down a cold, 12-ounce can of sugary soda with your fingers crossed against the weight gain. Want an easy way to feel less guilty and nurture man’s best friend as well? Spend 40 minutes walking your dog (or a neighbor’s, if need be) at a moderate pace. Of course, it’s always best to choose a no- or low-calorie drink and avoid having to exercise calories away.

3. Caffe Latte: 260 Calories
As coffee-based pick-me-ups go, this one is tasty and perhaps not as indulgent as, say, the largest mocha with whipped cream on the menu. Still, a 16-ounce (medium) latte with sugary flavoring, even with nonfat milk, is still a bit of a guilty pleasure when it comes to calories in food. Exercise calories away with 30 minutes of biking. An hour of moderate weight training or resistance training will achieve close to the same result.

4. Chocolate Bar: 210 Calories
Can’t resist the treats in the checkout aisle? The average bar of chocolate will cost you. If you want to enjoy it, set aside your lunch break for a mini-workout to exercise calories away. Approximately 13 minutes of climbing up the stairs at work or on a machine will pay the piper. Depending on the bar, you may be faced with more calories (and stairs to climb). Read the label and adjust accordingly.

5. Glazed Doughnut: 260 Calories
Even if you ate breakfast, a fresh doughnut at a breakfast meeting or from a box passed out at your child’s soccer game may simply “disappear” before you know it. Now what? Even though a doughnut may not get you in the mood for swimsuit season, it’s time to hit the pool: Just 25 minutes of vigorous swimming will cure these excess calories in food. Of course, the exercise calories you burn will change with the intensity of your workout. Swimming lazily on your back burns fewer calories than energetic laps.

6. Small Slice of Birthday Cake: 312 calories
It’s a challenge to avoid a celebratory slice of cake with gooey icing. Your parents’ wedding anniversary, your toddler’s birthday party, your co-workers’ bridal shower — sooner or later this sugary confection will find its way onto your plate. Get rid of the calories in a 3-ounce slice of frosted cake by lacing up your hiking boots: About 50 minutes of hiking outdoors will counter the calories in this food. Alternatively, you could use a power mower to groom your yard for 45 minutes to an hour.

7. Small Hot Fudge Sundae: 392 calories
Hopefully you hit an ice cream parlor close to your favorite gym. It will take nearly 75 minutes in a spinning class to wipe out the calorie load of the small sundae that you probably ate in under 10 minutes. If you’d rather exercise calories away by making some home improvements, cleaning gutters around the house for the same amount of time will do the trick — and give you a great sense of accomplishment.

8. Large Bagel: 320 calories
Who doesn’t love a toasted bagel with their morning coffee? But the larger the bagel, the more calories you’re racking up. How to undo the damage? The calories burned jogging for 45 minutes at a good pace will counteract those in one large bagel. Of course, you’ll have to work harder and longer if you slathered on the cream cheese or any other topping.

9. Glass of Red Wine: 125 Calories
Whether with dinner, during the cocktail hour, or while socializing at an event, a 5-ounce glass of red wine may not be the worst diet offense you could commit. And this one is pretty easy to work off. Just spend 12 minutes jumping rope, and you’ve erased the dietary damage. While a small glass of wine is somewhat innocuous, a giant margarita can clock in 200 to 300 calories … and necessitate a marathon jump-rope session to exercise calories away.

10. A Single-Patty Fast-Food Cheeseburger: 313 Calories
When you’re on the road or just out and about, an irresistible craving may steer you toward a popular guilty pleasure, the fast-food drive-through. This tasty (and oh-so-bad-for-you) meal can be erased with exercise calories burned in about 30 minutes of kickboxing — a fabulous stress buster in addition to conquering calories in food. Keep in mind that you’ll have to double up your exercise effort if you had a medium side of fries with that burger.


source: everydayhealth