Fitness & Wellness

Tone Your Legs

Published by superadmin on March 14, 2018 | Leave a response

Workouts that are good for overall conditioning will tone your legs, but if you want to focus specific muscle groups there are great exercises to help you do it. You’ll be ready for shorts and swimsuit weather before you know it. As your legs get into condition, you should increase the intensity or number of repetitions to get the fastest results.

What exercises to avoid and why that donut jumps out of your hand and directly onto your thigh.

When women store fat, it’s normally on the thigh and buttocks area. Sadly, when they lose it, it’s also the last place they lose fat. Steer clear of the leg extension and leg press machine if you don’t know how to adjust them for your body size or know the right amount of weight to use. Without proper instruction, they can cause injury. There machines are effective, but in untrained hands, potentially harmful.

What to use in place of the leg extension and leg press machines.

Try the body weight exercise, the single leg squat instead. Lift one foot off the ground or with the toe barely touching if you need more balance and do a squat to replace the leg press. Then do the other side. You’ll get great results without the need for equipment. One and a half squats—doing a full squat, followed by only squatting half way, can substitute for a leg extension machine. You don’t need any machinery, just motivation and you can do them anywhere. You’ll be working the quadriceps—the front of the thigh, the soleus and gastrocnemius—the calves, the glutes, hamstrings and hip adductors.

Step ups are great for the leg muscles and can be adjusted for all levels of fitness.

One of the simplest exercises to do is the step up. It’s just as the name sounds, you step up onto a platform that’s anywhere between the height half way up the shin, to one that’s high enough to make your thigh parallel to the floor when the foot is on the platform. The higher the platform, the more challenging it can be. If you want an even bigger challenge, hold weights in your hand while doing the exercise.

Remember, there are no spot exercises that take off fat just from the leg area. To reduce the amount of fat from the legs, you have to have a program for overall weight loss.
There are a number of different types of lunges that help tone the leg muscles. You can do them to the front, back and side. The walking lunge is one of my favorite leg toners.
Doing combinations like the weighted step ups followed by Romanian deadlifts use a push, then pull action. It lets the quads rest while it trains the hamstrings.
When you first start toning, learn the basics and learn them well. As you get more proficient, start switching your routine to ensure you avoid plateauing and work all muscles.

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Delicious Low Calorie Foods

Published by superadmin on March 3, 2018 | Leave a response

If you want a taste treat, you don’t have to turn to high calorie foods. You’ll find many delicious low calorie foods that are sure to hit the spot and will even make guests ask for more. There’s nothing better tasting than the sweetness of fresh fruit, especially when it’s still fresh out of the garden. Not everyone has the luxury of opening their back door and picking fruit themselves, so here are a few tips that you’re sure to appreciate when you get your next attack of the munchies.

Keep a bowl of cut up cantaloupe available or fresh berries.

It doesn’t matter whether you buy a cantaloupe and have it sitting in the kitchen, you won’t snack on it because it takes too much work. As soon as you get home from the grocery store, slice and peel the cantaloupe and cut it into bite size squares. Keep those in the refrigerator for snacking. A whole medium size cantaloupe is only 186 calories, so grabbing a few pieces throughout the day won’t add pounds, but will satisfy the urge for something sweet. The same is true for berries or other fresh fruit. If it’s ready to pop in your mouth, it’s a great snack or dessert that tastes fantastic.

Stuffed red peppers that can be vegetarian or beefed up, taste delicious without being high in calories.

Remove the tops and seeds of 6 medium sweet red peppers and par boil them. Cook a pound of lean ground beef and drain. Use or chopped eggplant and/or mushrooms for the vegetarian version. Saute in a tablespoon of olive oil; one medium chopped zucchini, one medium chopped yellow squash, one finely chopped medium onion and 1/3rd cup of finely chopped green pepper for about 4-5 minutes. When those ingredients are tender, add 2 cups rough cut spinach and two to four cloves of minced garlic. The spinach should wilt in about one minute and it’s ready to mix with the beef, an 8-oz can of tomato sauce, a dash or two of salt, ½ cup shredded part skim mozzarella cheese and a cup of wild rice. Stuff the peppers with the mixture, place them in a greased baking dish, cover and bake at 350 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes. Take out and top with a half slice of low fat provolone cheese. Each stuffed pepper is 286 calories, lower with the vegetarian option.

Shrimp is yummy and low in calories.

If you want a low calorie main course option, you might turn to a four ounce serving of chicken breast without the skin. You’d be better off munching on a few shrimp. In fact, you could eat as many as 16 large shrimp before you’d hit the calorie count of the chicken breast. At 90 calories for ¼ cup of cocktail sauce, a few shrimp could be a snack or a dinner. Make foil packs for the barbecue with corn on the cob cut in fourths or fifths and added lime and cilantro, create cajun shrimp kabobs or add it to zucchini noodles (zoodles) for primavara zoodles with shrimp.

Spinach salad made with low calorie dressing is delicious and won’t put on the pounds. You can even add a few sprinkles of bacon.
Get adventurous, try a star fruit as a quick treat or a dessert. It’s high in antioxidants and vitamin C, too.
Grilled asparagus with lemon juice, salt and pepper is delicious. It has 50 calories for a half pound serving, which may be far more than you eat. Drizzle with a ½ TBSP of melted butter (from grass fed cows) and you add another 50 calories.
A delicious treat that can be a quick lunch or snack is a sliced tomato, drizzled with vinaigrette and lightly sprinkled with feta cheese.

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Is Your Sugar Consumption Too High

Published by superadmin on February 24, 2018 | Leave a response

If you’ve ever worried about fat consumption, your focus may be on the wrong health enemy. Of course, transfats, once touted as healthy, have been found to be a leading cause of health issues, but other types of fat that have been villified are receiving a bum rap. It may be your sugar consumption that’s really the enemy of good health. Back in the 1950s, a professor of nutrition, John Yudkin, took a firm stand that it was sugar, not fat that caused chronic problems, which included heart disease. It was buried by a study from Harvard scientists that pointed to fat. Many years later, information showed that the study was paid for and deliberately engineered by the sugar industry to show those results—making fat the bad guy and letting sugar off the hook. Now that the truth is out, it’s time to take a look at your sugar consumption.

You’re eating too much sugar if you have insatiable hunger.

High fructose corn syrup—HFCS—is in everything. It’s a combination of one unit of fructose and one unit of glucose. The over consumption of fructose is the reason that HFCS increases the body’s potential for leptin resistance. Leptin is the hormone that tells the body it’s full. That leads to overeating, obesity and other metabolic problems. If you never really feel full, too much sugar might be the problem.

Do you have diabetes or insulin resistance—a precursor to diabetes?

A diet high in sugar will lead to insulin resistance. In fact, in many studies scientists do it in rats quickly with a diet that’s abnormally high. You’ll notice the effects of insulin resistance if you eat a high sugar diet. Not only will it put on weight around your middle it will lead to fatigue, insatiable hunger, high blood pressure and even brain fog. When you notice those symptoms, you’re on your way to full-blown diabetes, which is far more serious and life threatening.

Your sugar levels may be too high if you have non alcoholic fatty liver disease.

Even though your pancreas may be working hard creating insulin, there are other organs that make sugar work hard too. One is the liver. Metabolizing fructose can create inflammation and stress the liver. It causes fat to accumulate in the liver and is a key player in the creation of fatty liver disease. One of the studies on this condition showed that people with this condition drink two times more soft drinks than people without the condition. Soft drinks are a culprit that people often neglect to count as a source of sugar, even though it’s high.

High blood pressure may be an indication you’re consuming too much sugar. While salt is often called the culprit, many studies now show sugar may be the problem—or at least part of it.
Consider yourself addicted to sugar if you find you’re cranky when you don’t get a sugar fix. The sugar addiction shares similarities with drug addiction when you consider it has craving, bingeing and withdrawal behavior.
The American Heart Association states that the amount of extra added sugar (not considering natural sugar) should be no more than 9-tsp for men and 6-tsp for women.
Read all labels carefully and look for sugar, fructose or other sugar synonyms. Manufacturers even get creative like including words like maize sugar, another word for corn syrup.

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Get A Health Strategy

Published by superadmin on February 13, 2018 | Leave a response

How you live your life can make a difference between staying healthy and spending your more limited time in the care of a doctor. Luckily, you control that. It’s important to get a health strategy that suits your personal lifestyle and start making changes that will keep you active and viable for years to come. While almost everyone has heard of the ravages that drugs play on the body and the horrible price to pay for addiction, most people can’t relate that to legal addictions like caffeine, sugar and tobacco. Start looking for factors that you can change and identifying those that will be difficult to eliminate.

Exercise should be on your list of things to do for good health.

A sedentary lifestyle is one of the factors that send people running to the doctor. It can be as simple as it causing back problems to obesity, which is now the leading cause of preventable deaths. Osteoporosis, dementia, depression and anxiety can all be helped with more activity. Exercise also extends the telomeres that protect the cells and keeps you younger longer. It boosts the immune system as well. The next time you jump in your car, see if walking to your destination is feasible. Take the stairs instead of the elevator and get off the computer and enjoy some physical activity.

Eat healthy!

It seems simple enough but we’re a country of fast, premade foods that often aren’t the healthiest to consume. Sugary treats lurk close to every checkout counter and hidden sugar is in all our foods. Start eating more whole foods and eliminating sugar from your diet. You’ll still get some, since it’s in almost everything we eat that’s not a whole food. You’ll find your taste buds return and you’ll start to appreciate the taste of fresh vegetables and wholesome foods.

Get plenty of sleep.

As a nation, we are often shorting ourselves on hours of restful sleep. During sleep, the body not only repairs itself, it also uses fat exclusively as energy. If you’re trying to lose weight, getting a good night’s sleep can mean you’ll burn off more fat than muscle tissue. Sleep is important to heart health. It also helps regulate your mood, curbs inflammation, improves your memory and lowers levels of stress.

Find the substances or outlets that feel like an addiction, because they probably are. Wean yourself off them. Cigarettes, sugar, computer time, alcohol and even television can be offenders.
Get regular checkups and discuss your health plan with your primary health care professional. That can help ensure you’re healthy enough for exercise and may also bring up other changes you might make.
Be aware of all the over-the-counter medications you take and find if you can relieve the problem in other ways. If you’re taking ibuprofen or other pain relievers daily, it can create a health issue.
Get a social life. Studies show that people who have a healthy social life tend to live longer and healthier. You can learn something new by taking classes to provide it or join a group involved in something that interests you. It doesn’t have to be socially significant, such as saving the rain forest, just something that peaks your interest.

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Balance Your Hormones Naturally

Published by superadmin on February 3, 2018 | Leave a response

Hormones are the little messangers that control the functions of the body. Too little of one hormone or too much of another can lead to many health issues or conditions that cause problems. Hormones are part of the endocrine system and do everything from regulating heart rate to influencing behavior. If your body has even a small problem with hormone levels, it can cause a huge disturbance. To help maintain good health and keep your body functioning at top level, you can balance your hormones naturally.

Hormone imbalance shows up in a myriad of ways.

Some of the most obvious ways that hormonal imbalances show are in weight gain, irregular periods, infertility, low libido and insomnia. However, depression, anxiety, change in appetite, digestive problems, thinning hair and hair loss and fatigue are also signs of hormonal imbalance. The first thing you have to do is get on a road to healthy eating and good health. Start by including healthy fat in your diet. Healthy fat should replace carbohydrates. You’ll find healthy fat in avocados, coconut oil, butter from grass fed cows and wild salmon,just to name a few, but important source. Steer clear of foods containing omega-6 fatty acids, such as safflower, corn and canola oil.

Include adaptogen plant based foods.

Adaptogens help boost the immune system and protect the body from stressors. They also aid in balancing hormones. Holy basil, medicinal mushrooms, rhodiola and ashwangandha or a few adaptogens. Holy basil, which is different from sweet basil, protect the body from chemical and heavy metal stress caused by pollutants. Medicinal mushrooms include cordyceps, lion’s mane, coriolus, chaga, maitake, reishi, shiitake and agaricus blazei. Maitake may be one of those best known that provide the most benefit for balancing hormones. Ashwagandha, also known as Indian Gensing, helps balance the thyroid hormones.

Exercise your way to a healthy hormone balance.

Circuit training, short cardio, heavy lifting and even just plain walking can help realign your hormones and even help you produce more of those lacking. One study showed that lifting heavier weights with fewer reps helped boost HGH in women. HGH is the youth hormone. Circuit training helped raise testosterone and HGH, while boosting insulin response. Walking it off, particularly in a natural stress free setting, can eliminate stress and help balance hormones.

Learn meditation techniques and relaxation techniques. Stress can cause hormonal imbalances.
Get adequate sleep and make sure the room is dark. A dark room boosts melatonin production. Extra sleep reduces cortisol.
Supplement your nutritional needs naturally. Bone broth, probiotic foods and vitamin D from the sun help regulate hormones. Be careful to time sun exposure, as too much can cause skin damage. If getting out in the sun isn’t possible, supplement with vitamin D.
Check with your doctor to see if any medications, birth control or other prescription drugs could be the cause and see if there’s an alternative to use.

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Strength Training Benefits For Aging Bodies

Published by superadmin on January 24, 2018 | Leave a response

If you’re getting older and notice that it’s tougher to do the things you used to do, you’re not alone. The body starts losing muscle mass at about age thirty. The condition called sarcopenia causes muscle mass to disappear at about three to five percent each decade. That’s why people tend to look frail as they get old. It doesn’t have to occur. One study showed that a man in his 70s who has maintained a regimen of weight lifting for at least 15 to 20 years will have the same muscle mass as a man in his 20s. Best of all, it’s never too late to start. There are strength training benefits for aging bodies.

You might not have the beach bully body, but you will gain strength.

The older you get, the less likely you will be to build ripply muscle tissue. Even when you do, your skin may not fit it as well as it does the young lifeguard. What really counts, however, is not the bulging of the muscles, but the strength. Getting stronger is important at all ages. It makes the difference in some cases of living on your own and needing help to survive. It definitely makes a difference in the quality of life you live and that’s what’s most important.

Resistance training helps prevent or slow the progress of osteoporosis.

Many studies show that resistance or strength training can slow or stop bone loss. Some studies show that it can actually reverse it. There are also studies that show it’s better or at least equal to the results received from prescription drugs for osteoporosis. Best of all, the only side effects are a healthier body, more energy and a fitter appearance. Consider exercise as part of your medical care program as you age and you won’t be seeing the doctor nearly as frequently.

Building muscle tissue and strength helps you even when you walk.

One study showed that people who had a faster gait when they walked, lived longer. While it makes sense that someone who is feeble would walk slower than someone who is fit, walking faster may actually make you more fit. One way to improve that speed and gait is through high intensity resistance exercises. You’ll walk safer and faster, avoiding many of the pitfalls of aging.

Lower limb strength is just as important as upper body strength. It’s not all about lifting with the arms, it’s about total body strength.
Improved lower body strength can help prevent falls.
Resistance bands are an inexpensive method of building strength and can be used in the home if you’re unable to make it to the gym.
Maintaining a program of strength training also can help turn back the clock and make you look and feel years younger.

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Burn Fat And Keep It Off

Published by superadmin on January 13, 2018 | Leave a response

You can burn fat and keep it off permanently when you add a few steps to your daily routine. No, none of those steps involve dieting for the rest of your life, but they do include eating healthy. Opt for healthier options, whether it’s at regular meals or for snacks takes some effort and planning. Plan for those times when you know you’re going to be hungry and be prepared with healthy snacks, such as apples, nuts or even air popped popcorn that are lower in calories but have beneficial nutrient…or in the case of the pop corn, fiber.

Exercise builds muscles, burns fat and does one more thing.

You’ve probably seen white fat if you’ve ever prepared food or watched the Dr. Oz show. (Every time I’ve tuned in he’s had something representing fat or actual fat in one segment.) Did you know there are two kinds of fat? There’s the lumpy white fat nobody wants and brown fat. Brown fat is a calorie burner. It’s loaded with mitichondria that is the body’s mini furnaces and can burn up to 20 percent of the body’s calories. A study at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute at Harvard showed that exercising causes irisin to release. Irisin changes the white fat to brown fat and helps you shed pounds. Workout at least a half hour a day five days a week to get results and keep fat from returning.

Make sure you have adequate nutrition.

Even though your body makes Vitamin D from the rays of the sun, sunblock and cloudy days can lower the amount of Vitamin D you get daily. There are a number of studies that show Americans have a shortage of vitamin D3, which is important for a number of functions, including boosting leptin levels. Leptin tells your brain that you’re full, without it, you keep eating. A study completed at the University of Minnesota should that people who went on a weight loss program fared better if they had higher levels of vitamin D. It also helps you keep weight off once you lost it.

Get more active.

Even if you’re going to the gym three times a week and sticking to a strict workout regimen, if you’re lounging on the couch or sitting at a desk the rest of the time, your body has a chance to pile on the pounds. Consider a standing desk, or at least take a break and stand up frequently, moving around a bit. Take the stairs and not the elevator and plan some activities that involve moving more during leisure times, such as hiking or biking. You’ll actually find you feel better as an additional benefit when you do.

Stay hydrated. Too often people think they’re hungry when they’re actually thirsty. Don’t go for a soft drink, but drink plain old water instead. Aim for eight glasses a day.
Get plenty of sleep. Studies show that adequate sleep can help you shed pounds faster. You not only have more energy, you’re also less likely to crave sugary snacks.
Add green tea to your favorite drink list. There are volumes of research that tell about the benefits of green tea for health, including weight loss.
Remember portion control, particularly with higher calorie foods. Super-sizing is the best way to super-size your waistline. Use a smaller plate to make you think you’re eating more.

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Are You Wasting Time With Daily Cardio

Published by superadmin on January 3, 2018 | Leave a response

Are you wasting time with daily cardio? The answer could be yes…and no. It all depends on whether you’re just doing cardio or have other types of fitness workouts in the mix. If cardio is your only workout, you might want to reconsider. The body has four different types of fitness; endurance (cardio), strength, flexibility and balance. Cardio only aids in one area. While you’ll be breathing great while others are huffing and puffing up a stairs, you could injure yourself lifting a small box or moving just the wrong way if you don’t have flexibility and strength. Falls can take their toll without adequate balance. That’s just the tip of the iceberg. Knowing your fitness goals fills in the rest of the picture.

Is weight loss a primary goal?

If it is, you’re focusing on the wrong area. Sure some distance runners are slim and sinewy, but it’s not the fastest way to a thin body or a muscular one. When you do more than forty five minutes of moderate cardio, your body starts to use muscle tissue for fuel, not fat tissues. The best way to shed pounds and keep your metabolism going is with strength building exercises, like weight lifting or kettlebells. Kettlebells provide a total body workout and hits all areas of fitness, including cardio and burns more calories per half hour than almost all other types of exercise. (Cross country skiing uphill burns more…but seriously?? How often do you do that?)

Resistance training burns more calories than cardio does.

Even if you aren’t running or doing cardio more than a half hour a day, you still should consider resistance training (strength training) to shed pounds. When you end your cardio session, you don’t burn many more calories. When you end a resistance or strength training session, your body has to repair the muscle tissue and that takes extra calories to do. In fact, you’ll still be burning calories for hours after you workout.

Sticking with a workout program is tough until you get results.

There are so many reasons not to exercise that seem to pop up when you don’t feel like going to the gym, especially when you’re first starting out and haven’t seen any results. Resistance exercises will give you those results faster and help boost your resolve to stick with the program. When you workout with weights, it burns more calories and builds muscle tissue faster. The more muscle tissue you have, the harder your body works to maintain it. That means you’ll boost your metabolism.

I love kettlebells because they’re fun and also because they work the whole body in all areas. For people that have a crowded schedule, you can get better results in half the time using resistance workouts with kettlebells.
Trying to boost your cardio workout to match results with resistance training, you could end up overtraining. That can lead to injury.
If you’re doing more than a half hour of cardio a day and find you’re feeling dragged out or getting sick easily, you might be doing too much and actually stressing your body.
Just because cardio isn’t the most efficient for weight loss and shouldn’t be the only type of workout you do, it does have a place in your workout program. Just don’t make it the only part of your fitness program.

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Start Today – Don’t Wait For New Year’s

Published by superadmin on December 29, 2017 | Leave a response

You may think it’s smart to create a New Year’s resolution to lose those extra pounds, but the best time to begin is now. You should start today – don’t wait for New Year’s Day or you’ll lose the momentum you already have. If you sincerely wish to shed pounds, ringing the new year in weighing less would be an amazing accomplishment and also have you starting the year out right, with more self-confidence.

There’s more room in the gym before the holidays.

While one of the busiest times at most gyms is after New Year’s day, it’s often a lot quieter and emptier as Christmas and New Year’s on the horizon. If you’re working out on your own, you’ll have more time to learn to use the equipment and get a jump start on your fitness program. If you’re working with a personal trainer, you’re more likely to be able to schedule your workout at a coveted time. .

If you don’t think you can make it to a gym, try an online option.

It seems like you can do everything online today and fitness is one of those things. If one of the excuses you make to yourself is that you have no time to run to the gym, don’t let that stop you from starting a workout program. We have an online program you can start today and workout in the privacy of your home. You’ll even learn how to cook healthier and create healthy dishes that taste delicious but are lower in calories and higher in nutrition. Some of these save time, so you can eat healthier without spending more time than you would waiting in the drive-through line.

You can help keep the holiday stress at a minimum with a program of regular exercise.

Exercise is a stress buster and the holiday times that’s a great tool to have at hand. While weight loss and fitness may be the ultimate goal, eliminating that sick feeling from stress is a great side effect. Stress can ruin your mood and put your holiday plans out of kilter. You’ll feel better after a workout and beat the holiday blues.

Starting a program now often saves money. You’ll find great bargains at most gyms with introductory offers you’re sure to appreciate.
Starting out with a New Year’s resolution is like starting tomorrow. It never comes.
Even though it’s rough to start when the tables are filled with delicious food, starting now tests your resolution when it’s the strongest, making it more likely that you’ll succeed.
You don’t have to give up all those holiday foods, just take extra precautions to eat less and eat healthier. You’ll feel better about how you look at holiday time.

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How To Stay On Track At Christmas

Published by superadmin on December 18, 2017 | Leave a response

The holidays bring both joy and stress. It’s a two edge sword. If you’re trying to make lifestyle changes, it can be even worse. There are traditions that aren’t always healthy—like the gluttony that often accompanies the holidays. That often occurs because so many of your childhood favorites are only made at Christmas time. You can stay on track at Christmas with a little planning and enjoy the holidays to their fullest.

Plan, plan and plan some more, then make it a group project.

Create a list of all the holiday tasks you have to do, then look for ways to narrow the list. Some of the special things you do may not be as special as you think. Check with the family to see if they want your holiday puff pastry, Baklava or homemade kieflies. If the answer is no, you can scratch it off your list, but if it’s a resounding yes, get the gang to help. With any labor intensive cooking, sometimes more hands can help. Getting one or two people to roll the kieflies dough in little circles and another to fill and roll them, with the third minding the oven and putting them into the powdered sugar when they’re done, the task is cut in half. You don’t have to do it all alone. Teamwork takes the stress out and can make it fun.

Start a new tradition.

Okay, making delectable sweets that you’re sure to eat, may not have been a good example. How about changing that to healthier sweets or snacks. Even if it’s a holiday tradition to create thousands of calories in the name of the holidays, try switching it up a bit and try out new lower calorie, healthier recipes. Experiment with new healthier treats for the holidays.

Take time for yourself.

Yes, the holidays are for sharing with others you care about, but you still deserve to be on that list. Carve out an hour or two a day just for you. Make it your early Christmas gift to yourself. Exercise, take a bubble bath, or sit quietly. Whatever helps you to relax and feel refreshed.

If you’re under a lot of stress that you can’t seem to shake, go to the gym and work your hardest. Exercise is the best stress buster around.
Stick to a schedule. Eat at a specific time every day, workout regularly and get to bed on time at night. Sticking with a schedule makes it far easier and uncomfortable when you change that schedule.
Eat before you go to parties. Often the food they have are more snack foods and high calorie foods. Even if they’re the most delicious in town, if you’ve already eaten, you’ll only be tempted to nibble a bit.
Give yourself a pass for one day. Choose the holiday meal where you’ll eat that slice of pumpkin pie and a helping of the creamiest mashed potatoes in town. You aren’t falling off the wagon if you intend to make a stop. Still keep portion size in mind, eat slowly and don’t eat until you’re sick…just enjoy every bite.

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