Monday, February 18, 2013

Romantic, Healthier Valentine's Day Drink

martiniHave you planned your Valentine's Day dinner?  If you're staying home to cook an intimate meal, think about starting the night with a romantic lower-calorie cocktail. But, remember to drink in moderation.  Not only can booze lower your inhibitions and cause you to eat more, but the calories in each drink ...

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Source: http://weightloss.about.com/b/2013/02/14/romantic-healthier-valentines-day-drink.htm

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Work out wiser: How to avoid stress fractures

Heading to an exercise class? Don't ignore the importance of protecting your ankles and feet while doing so. Little things like a warm-up are essential to avoiding nasty problems like stress fractures.

Woman in exercise class

Heading to an exercise class? Don't ignore the importance of protecting your ankles and feet while doing so. Little things like a warm-up are essential to avoiding nasty problems like stress fractures.

Protect your Feet

Before you get sweaty in Zumba or do one more kick-kick-punch combo in cardio kickboxing, there are important parts of your body that needs a little attention: your ankles and feet.

Get warmed up

Warm-ups might seem tedious, but they are absolutely essential to your health during workouts. "Concentrate on warming up the muscle groups you're planning to hit in the workout through a full range of motion. Static stretches won't do the trick here; you want moves that bring blood into your muscles and increase flexibility to keep yourself safe while you sweat," says Amy Clover, CPT, CES PN1, of Four Leaf Fitness.

Take it slow

Haven't exercised in a while? Then you'll want to take a lesson from the tortoise — as in "The Tortoise and the Hare": Slow and steady wins this race.

This technique will help you develop the right form while building some stamina.

"You'll teach your body how to do it correctly and gain strength faster than you would if you sped through your workout. Give your muscles the chance to learn; you can speed it up for more of a cardio effect as soon as you feel strong enough to do it with good form," says Clover.

Build your core

Your core muscles are incredibly important — they help you balance and sit up. The strength of your core is really important.

"In almost all movements, keeping your core tight throughout will help correct imbalances and keep you from injuring your lower back. To correctly tighten your core, pull in that area right under your belly button , then think about reaching both sets of obliques toward each other ," says Clover. "This will activate all your stabilizing core muscles, helping to protect you from an unstable spine."

Concentrate

While you are doing the slow and deliberate motions to learn the moves well, also focus on the motions to ensure that you're performing the exercises correctly. "For example, if you're doing seated cable rows, concentrate on pulling those shoulder blades together, shoulders down away from your ears and the muscles down your back engaging to bring those handles toward your sides. You'll work out safer and smarter ," says Clover.

Wipe down

OK, this may not have much to do with protecting your bones, but everything to do with protecting your health. Be sure to always wipe down the equipment as you work out. "Nasty bacteria live on sweaty benches and cardio machines," says Clover. "Make sure they don't make your skin their new home by wiping down equipment with antibacterial wipes and use a towel to cover shared surfaces when you work out ."

More on health

How hormones affect your dental health
Sarah's Slim-Down: Week one of Inferno
Red-carpet results: Denise Austin's celebrity diet and fitness tips

Source: http://www.sheknows.com/health-and-wellness/articles/984779/how-to-avoid-stress-fractures

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Alcohol Saved My Marriage

Alcohol Saved My Marriage
“Alcohol saved my marriage” — said no one ever. Alcohol was actually a contributing factor to my parents’ divorce. That being said there’s a new study out that basically says the couple that drinks together stays together.  The study says couples who drink the same amounts of alcohol are less likely to divorce than couples [...]

Source: http://sean.b1057.com/2013/02/18/alcohol-saved-my-marriage/

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Sunday, February 17, 2013

Blast through extra pounds with the SHRED diet

Once of the most common concerns for people trying to lose weight is hitting a plateau. You get close to your goal — and then the scale stops budging. No. 1 New York Times bestseller and Dr. Oz-approved, SHRED: The Revolutionary Diet is helping people push past that problem, jump-start weight loss and meet their fitness goals faster than ever.
Shred Diet

Get ready to shred extra weight

Once of the most common concerns for people trying to lose weight is hitting a plateau. You get close to your goal — and then the scale stops budging.

No. 1 New York Times bestseller and Dr. Oz-approved, SHRED: The Revolutionary Diet is helping people push past that problem, jump-start weight loss and meet their fitness goals faster than ever.

We asked Dr. Ian Smith, creator of SHRED, to let us in on what makes his plan so effective at blasting fat. In addition to Dr. Oz, Smith and his weight loss plan have been featured on various TV and radio shows — with good reason: The plan works. Even Steve Harvey and Sunny Anderson have started the diet. Four inches and two sizes in six weeks? Sign us up!

SHRED explained

SHRED consists of six easy-to-follow cycles that take the body through different routines from week to week. Both meals and exercise suggestions are provided for each cycle.

  1. Prime: This beginning cycle prepares you for the rest of the plan, focusing on meal spacing, proper snacking techniques and suppressing hunger without consuming too many calories.
  2. Challenge: This part of the plan is all about boosting your confidence and showing dieters that despite past failures or plans that didn't work, they actually have what it takes to succeed.
  3. Transformation: This is the toughest week, but also where most shredders start truly noticing a difference, many dropping a clothing size.
  4. Ascend: This week you'll be combining knowledge and skills learned in the first three weeks to keep you motivated and moving forward.
  5. Cleanse: The focus of this stage is to enhance your liver’s ability to detoxify your blood.
  6. Explode: This cycle is meant to take you into your new life with the knowledge and skills you’ve developed. The variety in the types and quantity of food and beverages keeps you moving along from one day to the next.

Many people will need to do more than one cycle of SHRED to achieve their goals, but Smith assures us that this is completely expected. Once you do the cycle once, you can customize it based on what you need. “In order to make SHRED work best for you, it’s important during the first cycle that you keep brief notes as you go through the weeks,” he advises. “You should be recording what you find difficult about the week, what you find easy and ultimately how much you lose during that seven-day period.”

If you haven’t reached your goal, Smith says you can simply start right back into another cycle doing the weeks in a different order than you did the first cycle.

Who is it for?

SHRED can work for anyone who wants to lose weight, no matter how much you want to lose. “It’s best suited for anyone who needs to lose weight and is serious about doing so. Whether you’re trying to lose 15 pounds or over 100 pounds, SHRED can work,” Smith tells us.

The program is also easy to follow, even for those with dietary restrictions such as diabetics, vegans, vegetarians and many others with medical conditions such as gluten allergy. “The program, while being specific in what you eat each meal, also gives you great flexibility to make substitutions that work for your dietary preference or medical restrictions,” explains Smith. “SHRED is also great for families, because the food is regular and inexpensive, and something that appeals to both children and adults.”

What you eat while you SHRED

First of all, you eat a lot while you SHRED: four meals and three snacks a day. But don't worry about buying pricey supplements or hard-to-find items. What you eat on the SHRED plan is affordable, regular food that can be purchased at any grocery store. The plan is also portable, says Smith, meaning you can follow the SHRED diet anywhere, whether it’s in an airport, at a ball game, in a restaurant or on vacation. “The way the meals are constructed and the substitutions that are allowed make it easy to stay on the plan when away from home,” he explains. “The other aspect of the program that people love is that they don’t go hungry. So many diets are restrictive, not just in food choices, but in quantities, but SHRED calls for four meals and three snacks, which means you can eat all day and there simply isn’t time to get hungry.”

Diet confusion

Varying your food choices, which Smith calls “diet confusion,” is another important aspect of the SHRED diet. Keeping your body guessing is thought to help increase your metabolism and keep your body off-kilter, Smith explains. “SHRED aims to introduce a variety of foods to your body in the hopes of decreasing your chances of food boredom and increasing your chances of increased metabolism.”

Meal spacing

Rather than just being concerned with what you put in your mouth, SHRED also puts the focus on when you’re eating, which Smith says is an important factor when it comes to weight loss. “Research has continuously shown that spacing out your meals and snacks in a regular manner can be extremely advantageous to weight loss,” he explains. “Many of us have extremely irregular and unhealthy eating schedules, but SHRED can get you on a routine that will not only help you lose weight, but prevent you from having those intense bouts of hunger between meals.”

Getting started with SHRED

Smith shares some tips to help those who are just starting SHRED.

Look at your week’s meal in advance:  Planning ahead will help you avoid the panic of figuring out what you want to eat and where you’re going to get it. Make a grocery list for each week so that you’re organized and not distracted.

Find a support network:  Find someone at home, work, church, wherever, who wants to SHRED with you. Being accountable to yourself and someone else can make a real difference.

Start slowly: If you’re someone who has been quite sedentary and not doing a lot of exercise, start the physical activity portion of the program in a gradual manner so you don't get overwhelmed. If a particular day calls for 30 minutes of physical activity, instead of doing it all at once, you can break it up into two 15-minute segments.

Keep a journal of what you eat: Though the book gives specific directions on what you should be eating, keeping a personal journal of the food you eat and the times you eat them can make a big difference.

Ready to SHRED? You can follow Dr. Ian Smith on Twitter@doctoriansmith or visit his website for more weight loss and healthy-living tips. To join SHREDDER Nation, go to facebook.com/ShredderNation.

More diet and weight loss tips

The only 6 sculpting moves you need for a hot body
Pre-workout foods that burn more fat
Sizzling fitness: The best workouts for winter

Source: http://www.sheknows.com/health-and-wellness/articles/983701/lose-weight-with-the-shred-diet

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Healthy Weight & Recommended Fruit Servings

Consuming recommended amounts of fruit servings on a daily basis can help you maintain a healthy body weight. According to Harvard School of Public Health, diets rich in fruits and vegetables can help reduce blood pressure and heart disease risks, and most people should consume at least 4 1/2 cups of a combination of fruits and vegetables each day. Your individualized fruit serving recommendation for healthy weight maintenance depends on your daily calorie needs.

Source: http://healthyeating.sfgate.com/healthy-weight-recommended-fruit-servings-3457.html

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Foods that sneak in the salt

If your New Year's resolution was to get healthy, you're probably looking to overhaul your diet. While foods high in fat and calories are obvious things to avoid, you may be eating "diet" foods that are sneaking in unhealthy amounts of salt.



salt
Sneaky salt

Salty ways
to ruin your
diet plan

If your New Year's resolution was to get healthy, you're probably looking to overhaul your diet. While foods high in fat and calories are obvious things to avoid, you may be eating "diet" foods that are sneaking in unhealthy amounts of salt.

Most Americans are consuming nearly 1,000 milligrams of sodium over the recommended daily amount. Not surprisingly, overly processed food is the main culprit; however, even foods that seem like healthy options can be sabotaging your get-healthy efforts. According to the Center for Disease Control, “Most of the salt in your diet comes from foods that might not even taste salty, such as breads, meats and dairy products.”

cottage cheeseCottage cheese

While highly processed cheese slices are a known salty snack, cottage cheese has been recommended for dieters as a high-protein, low-calorie option. Unfortunately, one serving of this favorite of many dieters can contain up to 15 percent of your daily sodium.

Frozen "diet" meals

There are many healthy meal options in the freezer section of the store. It's obvious you should avoid the pizza rolls if you are watching your waistline, but foods marketed as "diet-friendly" can fool you. Even though they are low-calorie, the sodium in one meal is commonly 20 to 30 percent of your daily intake. If you're eating three of these a day, plus two prepackaged snacks, you could easily exceed the daily recommendations.

"Light" breakfast sandwich

If you're watching your weight, a convenient and healthy breakfast may include a low-fat, low-calorie frozen egg and turkey sausage sandwich on a whole-wheat bagel. But, if you check the nutrition information, you might be shocked to see this sandwich contains nearly 30 percent of your daily sodium. Do your diet a favor and avoid the frozen breakfast sandwich.

GatoradeSports drinks

If exercise is part of your get-healthy plan, watch out for flavored sports drinks. Often touted as good for exercise recovery, these drinks can sneak in more salt than needed. While strenuous exercise may warrant salt replacement, often it is unnecessary. Make sure you talk to your trainer or physician about your specific needs.

Salty side: Be sure to check the sodium levels in items marked "less sodium" or "light sodium." They may still contain excessive levels of salt.

Enhanced frozen chicken

Chicken breast is a great, lean protein. However, what might surprise you is that many bags of frozen chicken are injected with a salt-water solution that dramatically increases the amount of sodium in the meat . This enhancement may mean a juicier meal, but the added salt may not be worth it.

What's the solution?

Your best bet for ensuring a successful diet according to Christina Servetas, registered dietician, is to “eat whole foods, cook for yourself and remove the salt shaker from your table.”

More diet tips

Tips to reduce your sodium intake and still keep foods flavorful
Diet changes that can save your life
How to lower your salt intake

Source: http://www.sheknows.com/health-and-wellness/articles/982473/foods-that-sneak-in-the-salt

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Getting Ripped Abs in 8 Minutes Ab Workout Routine – Ways to Get Ripped Abs Exercises – Ab Ripper X – Abdominal Work Out

Advanced Difficulty Getting ripped abs is within your reach with this 8 minutes abs workout. The HASfit ab ripper x work out is for advanced trainees. This abdominal exercise routine only requires a pair of dumbbells. The ab workouts at home and abdominal exercises are great for both men and women. Coach Kozak demonstrates the [...]

Source: http://hasfit.com/workouts/home/ab/ab-ripper-x/

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