Tuesday, June 23, 2009
By David Zinczenko, with Matt Goulding -
QUINOA
Per ¼ cup:
170 calories
2.5 g fat
7 g protein
3 g fiber
For starters, anytime you choose a whole-grain product over one made from nutrient-stripped white flour, you wage war against belly fat. Penn State researchers found that dieters who ate whole-grains lost twice as much belly fat as those who stuck to white-flour products—even though they'd consumed the same number of calories. What's more, quinoa contains twice the belly-filling protein as regular cereal grains, fewer glucose-raising carbohydrates, and even a handful of healthy fats. So start your day off with a cup of cooked quinoa combined with a ½ cup of milk and ½ cup of blueberries—microwave for 60 seconds, and you have a delicious (and slimming) alternative to your traditional oatmeal. Bob's Red Mill Organic Quinoa won "Best Grain" in Men's Health's Best Foods Awards 2009.
KEFIR
Per cup:
174 calories
2 g fat
14 g protein
3 g fiber
Think of kefir as drinkable yogurt, or an extra-thick, protein-packed smoothie. In either case, this delicious dairy product is a belly-blasting essential. Beyond the satiety-inducing protein, the probiotics in kefir may also speed weight loss. British scientists found that these active organisms boosted the breakdown of fat molecules in mice, preventing the rodents from gaining weight. The researchers still need to prove the finding in humans, but there's no danger in downing probiotic-packed products. We like Lifeway Lowfat Blueberry Kefir—it contains L. casei, the same probiotic used in the study.
AVOCADO
Per avocado:
322 calories
29 g fat (4 g saturated, 20 g monounsaturated)
13 g fiber
4 g protein
Never fear this full-fat Mediterranean-diet staple: It's teeming with healthy monounsaturated fats (also found in olive oil), which have been linked to lowered LDL cholesterol levels and weight loss. In fact, a recent longitudinal study published in The New England Journal of Medicine found that the healthy-fat Mediterranean diet was more effective than a diet that avoided fats altogether—so go ahead and indulge!
EGGS
Per 1 large scrambled egg:
102 calories
7 g fat (2 g saturated)
7 g protein
A British study found that people who increased the percentage of protein-based calories in their diet burned 71 more calories a day (that's 7.4 pounds a year!). Jumpstart your metabolism as soon as you wake up with a protein-rich breakfast of scrambled eggs. (Go to eatthis.com for other great no-diet weight-loss secrets.)
* We used to have chickens that laid brown eggs. We sold them. There were people that refused to eat them stating that they weren't "real" eggs. Odd. Taste real to me, and the chicken coop they came from smelled "real".
GRAPEFRUIT
Per grapefruit:
104 calories
4 g fiber
2 g protein
A grapefruit a day in addition to your regular meals can speed weight loss. The fruit's acidity slows digestion, meaning it takes longer to move through your system, and you'll end up feeling fuller, and more satisfied, for longer. And the vitamin C-packed grapefruit works to lower cholesterol and decrease risk of stroke, heart disease, and some types of cancer.
*I'm always on the fence about Avacados and Eggs. One minute you hear they're bad, the next minute you hear they're great for you. I eat them. Natural stuff can't be bad for you right?
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Believe it or not…
Laughing for better health is no joke. In fact, laughter is being used in the medical community as a coping aid for stress, therapy in pain relief, recovery from illness and even to help boost immunity. Have you had a hearty laugh lately? If you have, you know how good it can feel.
Good Reasons for Laughter
· It helps strengthen blood vessels and improves blood flow.
· It exercises the muscles in your chest neck and face.
· It relieves physical tension.
· It helps swing a negative perspective toward the positive.
· It reduces anxiety and reverses pent-up anger and frustration.
How to shape up your sense of humor:
1. Find humor in silly goings-on.
2. Look at the world through the eyes of children. The simplest things make them laugh.
3. Enjoy comedies– joke books, sitcoms, funny movies or cartoons.
Humor may not cure an illness on its own, but medical professionals believe in its therapeutic benefits. Surround yourself with light-hearted, positive people often, and explore activities and entertainment that make you laugh out loud and feel joy.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
SELF.comBy Lucy Danziger,
Renee my workout partner sent me yet another GREAT article- Enjoy! (I'll comment in Blue)
Shoehorning your workout into a few days a week is challenging enough—don't make it tougher by buying into those nagging exercise misconceptions that may divert your attention from pursuing your better body goals. SELF went to the pros to poke holes in these popular fitness myths that pervade gyms, pools and exercise classes. Arm yourself with the facts to keep you slim, strong and even smarter.
MYTH: Muscle turns into fat
REALITY: Muscle and fat are two completely different tissues that have different functions, so it's physiologically impossible to turn one into the other. If you stop exercising, your muscles atrophy, so you lose the tone you worked so hard to create. And if you eat more calories than you burn, you'll gain fat.
MYTH: You need to exercise 30 minutes straight to get fit.
REALITY: Three 10-minute cardio stints offer the same healthy payback as a single 30-minute one. If you are trying to peel off pounds, of course, the more you do, the faster you'll succeed. But don't feel guilty if all you can squeeze in is a few minutes here and a few minutes there—it all adds up. Short on time? Ratchet up the intensity of your workout: Go hard for 30 seconds on the elliptical or jog for a minute in the middle of your walk to maintain your fitness level and your habit. And remember, anything you do—whether it's a brisk 5-minute walk or carrying heavy groceries to your car—for any period of time, provides some benefit.
Phew. I don't know about you but It's hard for me to carve out 1/2 hour for a single activity no matter how good my intentions are. But while doing school work I can take 3- 10 minute breaks, or walk puppy in the morning for 10 then afterwork walk him to the dumpster for another 10 (see I'm a total multi tasker- exercise for me, puppy, and house cleaning of some sort! Wahoo!) and go on a walk to get the food moving after dinner. Great tip! Baby Steps I tell you Baby steps (Not the What about Bob kind of Baby steps)
MYTH: Overweight people have a sluggish metabolism.
REALITY: Though some folks do have metabolic disorders that slow their metabolism, fewer than 10 percent of overweight people suffer from them. In fact, the more you weigh, the more calories you'll burn during exercise at the same relative workload as a slimmer person. If you notice the scale climbing higher, worry about your activity level, not your metabolism.
Don't worry chubbies, this is NOT your metabolism.
MYTH: Lifting heavy weights make women bulk up.
REALITY: Women don't have enough of the muscle-building hormone testosterone to get bulky, even using heavy weights. The truth is, some people will gain muscle faster than they lose fat, so they may look bigger until they shed some of the flab and reveal the slim, toned muscles underneath.
Refreshing, I think about this everytime I am choosing how much weight and the reps. I'm the type I like to lift heavier weights so I feel the muscle really burning. Makes me feel tough and like i'm more likely to get results- I know its all in the brain, but now I dont have the little voice in my head saying, "less weight you don't want to look like a musclehead" (like you can see the muscles under the chub but i'm getting there!!)
MYTH: You can't lose any weight by swimming.
REALITY: OK, it's true that long-distance swimmers who navigate colder waters tend to retain body fat for insulation. But ask anyone who laps it up while training for a triathlon: You will sizzle off pounds in the pool, since swimming burns 450 to 700 calories an hour! One reason you might not shed flab doing freestyle? If you throw in the towel and cut your workout short.
HOLY MOLY look at the amount of calories!! but it's true. Swimming laps for a half hour is a LONG time-an hour is even longer. The Olymp Mike Phelps swims i dont know 6+ hours a day. That is awesome...Is that human?
Can't loose weight by swimming? BAH! See pic of Phelps below... then repeat that statement. Makes me want to be a swimmer. Could I live with having those abs? Um... YEAH!
MYTH: Stretching before exercise prevents injuries and enhances performance.
REALITY: Researchers are still scratching their head over this one, since studies have yet to show conclusively that limbering up has any effect on staving off strains and other injuries. But they do know that stretching regularly can make bending, reaching, twisting and lifting easier. Best move: Save your stretching for post-exercise, when muscles are warm.
I find if I do a warm up- (Bruiser says a proper warm up is 8 minutes and you shouldn't gyp the time on the warm up) then My muscles seem limber and ready to go. No stretch required, or I stretch in between sets to ease the burning...burn baby burn!
MYTH: You burn more calories exercising in chilly weather.
REALITY: If you shiver through a long run in the frigid winter air simply to experience the extra calorie burn, you might want to come in from the cold: You do torch a few extra calories during the first few minutes, but once you get warmed up, the caloric expenditure is the same whether you're exercising in Siberia or the Sahara. Try a treadmill circuit workout with a great playlist to keep you going!
MYTH: When your body gets used to an exercise, you'll burn fewer calories doing it.
REALITY: Unless you've adjusted the intensity, you'll burn as much jogging or cycling today as you did last week, last month, even last year. Experts say that this principle only applies to exercises that we're naturally inefficient at, such as using the elliptical machine: After five to six sessions, you'll be smoother in your movements and expend fewer calories—but the difference is only about 2 to 5 percent.
MYTH: The calorie readout on machines is accurate.
REALITY: If only! Research has shown that some types of machines can be off by as much as 70 percent. The culprit? Contraptions such as the elliptical machine haven't been around long enough for exercise scientists to develop the appropriate calorie-burn equations. On the upside, stationary bikes and treadmills, the grandfathers of the gym, generally give a fairly precise reading, particularly if you enter your age and weight. Rather than swearing by what the machine says, use the calorie readout to monitor your progress. If the tally climbs during the same workout for the same duration, you're working harder and getting fitter. An online calorie calculator can give you a sense of which activities burn the most.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
I talked him down on a great price for a trainer once a week. I told him I want the best they had. The chub needs to go away.
If you tell someone you kickbox, you are automatically awesome because they are automatically impressed.
- Great workout
- It works a million muscles all at once
- After the workout I "feel" in shape and skinny cause I just kicked butt!
- Beating a bag lets out alot of stress and agresssion :)
- You learn fighting/self defense skills
- Trainer says the lowest burned calorie count he has heard of in his class (he puts heart monitors on people) is 400 calories. 400 Calories!!!
When I'm not embarassingly bad at kickboxing and I'm not so overweight so that it is believe able, I'm gonna get this shirt.
from Zazzle
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Sprint for 30 seconds at a level 8.Recover for 90 seconds at a level 4.
Sprint for 30 seconds at a level 9.Recover for 30 seconds at a level 4.
Sprint for 30 seconds at a level 7.Recover for 90 seconds at a level 4.
Sprint for 30 seconds at a level 8.Recover for 90 seconds at a level 4.
Sprint for 30 seconds at a level 9.Recover for 30 seconds at a level 4.
Sprint for 30 seconds at a level 7.Cool down for 3 minutes, 30 seconds at level 3.
________________________________________
Have fido do it with you-Ha Ha!
I like how this workout "switches it up" rather then jogging for 40 minutes straight. I don't know about you but I can push myself and sprint for 30 seconds knowing I can walk for 90 seconds afterwards. But a run for 40 minutes straight?! I'm bad- I just dont do it-Blah!!
Thanks Renee!!
DWG-Survive. Head cold. Bad enough to be chubby girl on the treadmill, but a hacking coughing chub? Out of respect for the spectators- I will take the day to recouperate :)
Thwart: Being Broke- Unhealthy food is cheap! Cheap I tell you! I didnt have time to pack a lunch and seing as how I'm plumb broke (Saving for a house)- I got a hot dog-yes a hot dog at 7-eleven. My sis who is getting healthy as well, said "how well does that fit into your diet?" yeah. It doesn't. but it was $1.75- including the ketchup mustard and onions!
Haters- Company lunch last week- Pizza. Mellow Mushroom. Amazing Pizza. Have I told you all that Pizza is one of my biggest food weaknesses? The word Pizza makes me drool. They ordered the Mystery Tour pizza. mmmmm.... THEY HATE ME.
Monday, February 2, 2009
The Prince and the Pauper
pic from here
Eat like a King For Breakfast
Friday, January 30, 2009
They Hate Me
Yeah, above... not me. From here
Thursday, January 29, 2009
The Body's Many Cries for Water
Water makes up, 60 percent of your body weight. Every system in your body depends on water.
P.s. you can run into kidney and bladder problems as well.
Confession: Although Water is my favorite drink (about 95% of what I drink), I get bored with it, while sitting at work, and i hate having to pee every 30 minutes. How do you make water less boring but still stay in the water family? One thing I've found: