Dieting to Speed Up Metabolism

June 14th, 2009 | No Comments | Posted in Family Health

Losing weight is simply the process of burning more calories than what you consume. A lot of weight loss plans fail to take note of this important, yet simple, detail. They usually focus more on the consumption part of dieting your way to a supposedly healthier and slimmer you.

A lot of people resort to skipping meals just to avoid consuming too many calories. Starving yourself is not the answer! This isn’t the wises thing to do because when trying to trim down, you shouldn’t deprive your body of nutrients. You starve your body when you do this and it actually slows down your metabolism or even stops it. This means you won’t be able to lose calories. The trick to this is coming up with a diet plan that speeds up your metabolism so you can burn calories faster.

When trying to speed up your metabolism, one of the most important steps is eating within half an hour after getting up in the morning. This jolts your metabolism into starting early. Having different kinds of foods that your body can burn throughout the rest of your day is also important. You should have at least a cup of complex carbs, 3 ounces of lean protein and of course, a glass of water.

You also have to remember to keep your metabolism going by munching on small meals every four hours. To maximize what you can burn it actually best to eat every couple of hours to three hours. This make you satisfy your hunger as soon as it sets in, which is a key trick to losing weight. Do no allow your body to feel starved or deprived of nutrition because it will slow your metabolism down - you don’t want to do that if you want to lose weight.

It also should be understood that the small meals you munch on through out the day should be healthy of course. The best forms of snacks are protein-filled snacks that force your metabolism to burn more than what you eat. You can also opt to eat granola bars and such, like healthy peanuts and different kinds of grains, that keep you energized for the rest of the time that you are up and about.

The main meals you have for the rest of your 24 hours should consist of a wide variety of healthy foods that can stimulate your metabolism to burn more and keep going at full speed. You can begin with at least 3 ounces of lean protein for every major meal. Eating one serving of a complex carb that takes longer to burn and leaves you satisfied longer is also a smart idea. You can use something like brown rice that is both delicious and healthy. You can also never go wrong with vegetables. Eat as much vegetables as you can. The upside to this is that you can pig out on vegetables and not gain weight at all.

This is basically all you have to do to lose weight. If you manage to “train” your metabolism to burn at full speed you will lose weight faster than you can notice. This will make your body burn at maximum efficiency and speed. You will be able to literally just feel and look leaner and lighter.

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Detox Supplements: The Vitamin and Mineral Food Counter by Annette B. Natow and Jo-Ann Heslin

June 10th, 2009 | No Comments | Posted in Nutritional Supplements Book Reviews

The Vitamin and Mineral Food Counter51DA50JRCSL._SL160_ Detox Supplements: The Vitamin and Mineral Food Counter by Annette B. Natow and Jo-Ann Heslin

This book shows you the easy way to get all your vitamins and minerals!

Learn the following:

  • How vitamins and minerals can help improve and maintain your health
  • Which dosages are right for you
  • Which foods provide the best sources of certain vitamins and minerals
  • The truth about raw vs. cooked
  • Food values for the eleven “marker” vitamins and minerals
  • Portion sizes and calories for every listed food
  • Information on drug interactions for both prescription and over-the-counter medications
  • A self-evaluation quiz to determine your nutrient needs

Authored by renowned nutritionists, this book is a complete guide to the vitamin and mineral content of a multitude of foods.  Get the most updated information on the eleven essential vitamins and minerals.

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Five Exciting Exercises

May 31st, 2009 | No Comments | Posted in Family Health

One of the most beneficial things you can do for yourself is exercising.  All it takes is to follow a fitness regimen and you’re on your way to keeping fit and healthy.  But not many people can stay loyal to their fitness regimen because of boredom.  This always happens especially if it begins to feel monotonous doing the same thing all the time.

Sometimes what you need is to change things up a bit to keep things exciting.  Here are five kinds of exercises you can do to perk up your fitness routine so you can continue to keep fit.

Bust a Groove with Belly Dancing

Dancing itself can burn up the calories.  A great dance that you can add to your fitness routine is belly dancing.  This kind of dancing is best if you want to focus on your abs because it uses a lot of your stomach muscles in making your moves.  Not only do you get a cardio workout with belly dancing, it also works out the stomach muscles you don’t usually use.

It’s Time to Go for a Spin

When you attend a spin class you will see a roomful of stationary bikes.  But don’t be fooled because this is not going to be a place for just any bike ride.  It’s something else.  Participating in a spin class is bike riding in a different level.  You will leave the class beat but asking for more.

Glide through the Ice

Ice skating doesn’t seem like much of an exercise especially since it’s something most kids do.  And it is.  Skating in the ice with your skates on is an exercise of balance that burns up the calories.  A lot of muscles are used to stay upright with the blade of your ice skates.  It’s time to grab a pair and go.

Shape Up with Boxing

If you’ve ever watched a boxing match then you would have noticed how ripped these boxers are.  If you want to shape your upper body and legs, boxing is the way to go.  Moving your legs while you punch is what keeps you toned up.  Start by making some punches with a punching bag to get you warmed up.  You can move up to sparring with a partner once you’ve reached advanced levels.

Swim and Stay Slim

Swimmers have one the most toned and shapely bodies.  It’s the kind of exercise that uses all of your muscles as you do your laps.  Swimming can be done by anyone whether you’re a beginner or in the expert level.  Begin by jumping in a pool and start swimming your way to a hot body.

Exercising doesn’t have to be boring.  Spice up your workout routine by injecting some fun and excitement to it.  You can get ideas for your fitness routine from the everyday fun things that you do.  These five examples are just a few of the ideas you can do to perk up your routine and there’s more you can come up with.

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Making the Most of Your Exercise Routine

April 20th, 2009 | No Comments | Posted in Family Health

Exercising consistently is crucial if you want to start living healthy and start shedding the pounds. But not all exercises are made the same.  To make the most out of every second of your work out session, the key is to know the right exercise that will help you reach your fitness goal.

There is no such thing as one kind of exercise routine that will help keep you stay fit and lose weight.  The best solution is to mix different types of exercises to make the most out of your routine.

The first part of any effective exercise routine is t warm-up.  Always make the time to do stretching which benefits your muscles.  In this way you are allowing to let the blood flow throughout your muscles.  This also prevents you from having to suffer from pulled muscles as you go along your routine.

Every exercise routine should include an amount of cardio training.  One of the most popular ways to do this is by using the treadmill.  But there are other ways you can maximize the use of the treadmill and burn more calories by the spending the same time on it. Enter, interval training.

By using interval training you can intensify and reduce the intensity of your exercise in quick intervals.  You can start by walking slowly in the treadmill.  Stay in the same speed for 2 to 3 minutes.  The next step is to turn up the speed of your treadmill in such a way that you won’t be able to hold a conversation with the person beside you.  Stay in this setup for around 7 minutes to energize your heart rate.

The best method to maximize the use of the treadmill is to switch from a fast pace to a walking pace repeatedly, which will make your muscles to work more.  Just make sure to stay in the treadmill for a few minutes when you start ending your work out to let your body cool down.

Another important part to an exercise routine is resistance training, which will help you build muscle.  More calories are burned by muscles than fat.  The simplest way to perform resistance training is through a workout circuit.  Gyms have equipment dedicated to resistance training.  You will find these machines arranged in a circle and all you need to do is work them from one end to another.

You can do circuit training in half an hour.  A light signal will let you know if its time to go to the next workout station.  These stations switch from weight machines to walking in place or step up and down steps.  It’s a quick intense workout session all jam packed in half an hour.

Every exercise routine should end with a cool down.  This is required so that your heart rate slows down until it returns to normal.  Cool down exercises always include stretching of the muscles especially those you’ve been working on.  It’s best to do this slowly allowing your muscles to breathe and end your routine the proper way.

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Portion Control Over the Holidays

January 18th, 2009 | No Comments | Posted in Family Health

The holiday season is one of the toughest times to eat right. We all attend festive dinners and parties with a ton of great foods and drinks. It is hard not to overdo it when you are surrounded by so much delicious food, which explains why you tend to gain more weight in the last few months of the year. You can avoid holiday weight gain if you follow these simple tips.

One of the easiest things you can do is to prepare yourself for a dinner or a party is to have a small healthy snack and eat it before you go. You don’t want to ruin your appetite and offend your hostess, but you also don’t want to overeat. Having a small snack will help you make better food choices, and eat less, at the dinner or party.

When you attend a party at someone else’s house, you have no choice but to eat what the host has prepared. If you are trying to watch what you eat, consider hosting the party yourself so you can control the food. At your party, you can serve a variety of healthy but still tasty foods for your guests to enjoy. You can even make some of the classics but just lighter versions. If you go to parties, see if the host is OK with you bringing a dish with you (healthy, of course!) to add to her menu. This way you’ll have something to eat.

It is hard to avoid unhealthy holiday food at work. Everyone wants to share some of their treats with their co-workers so there is always temptation. Keep your own stash of healthy snacks so you won’t eat the treats others bring in. Another idea is to bring in a snack to share but make it a healthy one.

It may seem like a good idea to taste a little of everything if there is a selection of goodies. Actually, this is worse for you because you end up eating more than you planned. Instead, decide which one you really want to eat and take a few of that goodie and avoid the rest. You’ll still get your sweets but with less calories.

Around the holidays, the advertisements for weight loss products seem to be everywhere because they know people, especially women, are worried about weight gain. If you stress out too much about weight gain and worry about losing weight during the holiday season, it is likely to backfire on you. Just focus on maintaining your current weight through the holiday season. You don’t want to frustrate yourself by limiting your sweet intake so much that you give into temptation.

One of the most common New Year’s resolutions is to lose weight. If you go into the holiday season with the plan to start a diet after the holidays are over, you may end up gaining more weight. You will be less vigilant about what you eat because you figure you’ll just lose it after New Year’s. Don’t plan too far ahead; just stay in the moment and try to eat as healthy as possible every day.

Weight loss is never easy but these tips might help you get through the holiday season.

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Understanding Your Food Cravings

January 17th, 2009 | No Comments | Posted in Family Health

We all start a diet with the best intentions. Unfortunately, our plans are often derailed by our cravings. We start longing for a salty or sweet snack that we know isn’t good for us and eventually, we just give in to the cravings and eat that fattening food. If you understand your food cravings, you can resist them so that you’ll finally be on your way to losing those unwanted pounds and becoming  the healthy person you’ve always wanted to be.

Sometimes, your food cravings is your body’s way of telling you that it needs a nutrient that it is lacking. You can give your body the nutrients it is craving for in a healthy form or in an unhealthy for full of fat and calories. It is important to give your body the best foods and these are not always the ones that taste the best and that we crave. Understanding what nutrients your body is missing can help you replace them in the best way possible. You can take a supplement or you can made some changes in your diet.

You can often figure out for yourself what nutrients your body is missing. It doesn’t hurt, though, to see your doctor for regular check ups and blood work. Your doctor can tell you what nutrients you might need more of and how you can best replenish them. Your doctor can also make sure you don’t have any underlying health problems.

Sometimes when you think you are hungry, you are actually thirsty and your body is getting dehydrated. It is easy to mistake the craving for hydration for a craving for food. Before you give into that craving, try hydrating yourself with a glass of water and see if the hunger feeling goes away.

You shouldn’t have too many cravings if you eat good, healthy food everyday. Sometimes, your cravings might be all in your head, not your stomach. Sometimes you crave food not because you don’t have enough nutrients but because of psychological or emotional triggers. Maybe being around a certain group of people or in a certain place or just being in a bad mood is causing your cravings. You need to figure out in what situations your cravings occur to help you resist them. Avoiding situations or people that trigger cravings will help you lose weight since you can make more sound decisions.

It may be helpful to write down where you are when your cravings occur, what you are doing and who is around you. This way you can look for patterns that stand out and will help you recognize triggers. If you are going into a situation where you know you will have cravings, prepare ahead of time by having a small, healthy snack. It’s hard, but you can resist your cravings. You can also give in once in awhile to give your self a treat, just not too often.

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Have a Healthy Thanksgiving Dinner

January 7th, 2009 | No Comments | Posted in Family Health

We all love the big Thanksgiving dinner but we don’t love the extra weight we put on from all the fattening foods. You can have a great, tasty Thanksgiving dinner as you serve the healthy food for your friends and family members. Here are some small changes to help you do just that.

USE SPICES! Spices give food more flavor without the fat or calories contained in butter and can help you avoid that fattening gravy. The spicier your food is, the less you will probably eat as well. Just make sure you don’t overuse the spices by tasting as you cook.

Instead of cream or milk, use evaporated milk which is much healthier in your desserts and even in your gravy. Look for one with skim milk in it to avoid the most fat and calories.

MAKE YOUR TURKEY HEALTHIER by draining all the grease off it that you can. Use a drip pan to catch the grease as it drains. Take the skin off the turkey before serving it because this is the greasiest, most fattening part of the turkey.

DON’T PUT THAT STUFFING IN THE TURKEY. This is because stuffing cooked inside the turkey also absorbs grease and fat from the cooking process. Cooking your stuffing in a dish on or in the stove instead will be much healthier, and less fattening, for you and the rest of your family. Also make sure you put as little grease as possible in the gravy from the turkey and add chicken broth to the gravy.

WATCH OUT FOR BUTTER. Butter is one of the most fattening foods you can use in cooking or on cooked food. Try cooking with chicken broth or evaporated milk to make delicious potatoes without a ton of fat.

Don’t drink too much. It is easy to get carried away with the eggnog, soda or cocktails but the calories in these add up fast. It’s much better to have water or juice with your dinner.

Try new healthier side dishes like green salads. If you have alternatives like a salad, you will be less likely to go for the fattening but delicious side dishes like stuffing, rolls and potatoes. Just make sure you make a healthy salad because some salads can be just as bad as those other dishes if you add the wrong ingredients. Try eating a salad or other healthy dish first then seeing how hungry you really are for the bad for you stuff.

And of course, try not to use too much dressing in your salad; your salad greens hardly have any calories in them, but adding ranch dressing or thousand islands dressing can shoot your salad’s calorie count through the roof!

You may think it won’t matter what you eat on this one day but you can be eating thousands of calories in one sitting. You can make a delicious dinner and avoid all those calories with a few simple changes.

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How to Avoid Thanksgiving Weight Gain

January 7th, 2009 | No Comments | Posted in Family Health

Thanksgiving means hanging out with your loved ones and having a great meal (or two) together. If you aren’t careful, though, that Thanksgiving meal can mean gaining weight. You can enjoy the Thanksgiving meal without overdoing it and packing on the pounds. The following are some suggestions to help you do this.

A lot of us eat when we are stressed. Getting ready for Thanksgiving can be stressful with all the travel plans you have to make, the food you have to cook, and the family gatherings you have to plan. This can make you want to pig out the whole month long. Take time to relax and rest so that you won’t be tempted to overeat before Thanksgiving even gets here. This advice can apply to the Christmas holiday as well.

You can make that Thanksgiving dinner your family loves a little healthier without losing any of its flavor by substituting some healthier ingredients for the unhealthy ones. One thing you can do is use more spices for flavoring instead of butter and gravy. Low fat evaporated milk can be used in desserts. You can use low fat chicken broth to flavor potatoes and gravy. Changing the way you cook the meal by using a steamer for vegetables or removing the fatty drippings from the turkey can help too. Your family won’t even notice the difference.

Don’t miss lunch Thanksgiving Day thinking you’ll make up for the calories you are going to eat at dinner. Having a small meal or snack before your big dinner will help you with portion control. You don’t want to be starving when dinner arrives and eat way more than you planned. Also, try to fill up on healthier foods like green salads before the main part of the big meal. A caution about the salads: veggies are low in calories, but that salad can contribute to your weight gain if you don’t lay off the dressing!

Portion control is the key at Thanksgiving dinner. Often, though, there are so many different foods to chose from that if you eat even a little of all of them you’ll be going over your calorie goals. Decide which foods you really want the most and eat a little of all of those instead of trying everything on the table. You’ll still be full and feel like you got to eat what you wanted.

A great way to work off some of those calories from the big dinner is to go outside and get some exercise. You could go for a walk, play a game like touch football or run around with the kids. You could also play a fun game of charades which is good for ages and gets everyone up and moving. You don’t have to gain weight this year at Thanksgiving if you make good food choices and plan ahead.

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