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eDiets.com - News - tip of the day: "Health and Diet Need to go easy on the salt? Remove the saltshaker from the table while you’re eating. Or fill it with your own personal blend of garlic powder, onion powder, parsley flakes or other spices to add zest to your meals. Try lemon juice, pepper, vinegar, herbs and spices as salt substitutes in recipes. Use fewer processed foods, and look for low-salt, low-sodium products. Fitness Each of your cardio sessions can have a different goal. One session can be shorter and faster. Another can be longer and at a moderate pace. A third session could incorporate intervals of acceleration with active recovery. Yet another session could be less formal and more fun like dancing, skating or hiking. If there is variety and purpose to each session, you are more likely to enjoy your workouts and stay motivated."
eDiets.com - News - tip of the day: "Health and Diet Everyone overindulges from time to time, but emotional eating triggered by stressful situations leads you away from healthy eating habits. If a stressful work day has you reaching into the cupboard, go for a brisk walk, call a friend, journal, or take a long hot bath. Find an alternate behavior that works for you and practice, practice, practice. Fitness Stretch the mind and the body will follow. Your emotional state can affect your flexibility. If your body is relaxed, it will be more responsive to flexibility training. Listening to music and focusing on your breath can help you relax as you stretch. You may also want to explore yoga or Pilates. In addition to stretching, classes in these disciplines may include relaxation, visualization and other mind-body techniques designed to reduce stress and increase mindfulness."
eDiets.com - News - tip of the day: "Health and Diet Get baseline readings on your blood cholesterol. Total cholesterol should be below 200; your HDL should be 35 or more. High cholesterol is a risk factor for heart disease. The good news is you can get a handle on your cholesterol. Be proactive! Achieve a healthy weight for your height, stay physically active and have your cholesterol level checked regularly. Fitness Exercise on an empty stomach. You will burn more calories from fat if you exercise on an empty stomach first thing in the morning. And there is more to it. At the end of 24 hours, you still have to create a negative caloric deficit. The bottom line is that you should exercise when it works best for your body and your schedule. If you don’t have the energy to exercise in the morning because your stomach is empty, you are better off having a light meal and then exercising."
eDiets.com - News - tip of the day: "Health and Diet Osteoporosis affects both men and women. You're at higher risk if you smoke, drink excessively, don’t exercise, and lack calcium. Doing weight-bearing exercises and adding calcium to your diet can reduce your risk. If you don’t eat dairy products, enjoy calcium-fortified soy products, calcium-fortified orange juice and calcium-fortified cereals. Fitness Don’t stress out. Overtraining can lead to suppressed immune function and exposure to infections. Trying too many things at once or attempting new or harder activities can lead to physical stress and therefore failure. Such stress may influence your immune system. Choosing activities you enjoy and can do consistently can improve your exercise adherence and immune function."
eDiets.com - News - tip of the day: "Health and Diet Osteoporosis affects both men and women. You're at higher risk if you smoke, drink excessively, don’t exercise, and lack calcium. Doing weight-bearing exercises and adding calcium to your diet can reduce your risk. If you don’t eat dairy products, enjoy calcium-fortified soy products, calcium-fortified orange juice and calcium-fortified cereals. Fitness Don’t stress out. Overtraining can lead to suppressed immune function and exposure to infections. Trying too many things at once or attempting new or harder activities can lead to physical stress and therefore failure. Such stress may influence your immune system. Choosing activities you enjoy and can do consistently can improve your exercise adherence and immune function."
eDiets.com - News - tip of the day: "Health and Diet How much water do you really need? If you're active, even mild dehydration can hinder your workout performance. Compute your daily water needs by multiplying your weight in pounds by .08. For example, a 150-pound person would multiply their weight times .08, which equals 12. This person’s water needs are 12 cups per day. Fitness Multitask at your desk. Spend 5 minutes of every hour performing stretches at your desk. Reach your arms up over your head and alternate stretching towards the sky to get a long lateral stretch. Then clasp both hands out in front of you as you round your back into a “C” shape. Try clasping your hands behind your back and opening up the muscles across your shoulders and upper chest. Finally let the weight of your head drop to the back for 10 seconds. Guaranteed you will feel rejuvenated, de-stressed and your posture will be improved."
eDiets.com - News - tip of the day: "Health and Diet The minimum body fat percentage considered safe is five percent for males and twelve percent for females. The average adult body fat considered healthy is 15-18 percent for men and 22-25 percent for women. To measure your body fat, divide waist circumference by hip circumference. A ratio greater than 0.8 for women and .95 for men is considered to be a health risk. Fitness Make it your business to burn more calories. If you are spending most of your day at a desk, take three 10-minute walks throughout the day. If you get the blood pumping every two hours, you will improve your circulation; reduce stiffness and burn more calories than you would if you were sitting. Take every opportunity to walk errands, even standing when talking on the phone will burn 30 percent more calories than sitting."
eDiets.com - News - tip of the day: "Health and Diet Take 10 to 15 minutes a day to focus on breathing. Our energy level depends on oxygenation (getting plenty of oxygen to the body). The more oxygen we take in, the more energy is created within the body. Take deep breaths and expand the lungs and abdomen. Also, practice proper breathing techniques while exercising. Breathing properly prevents you from fainting and increases your strength. Fitness When getting undressed and dressed, do so without holding on to anything or sitting down. Spend a few seconds balancing on one leg as you put on your socks, pants and shoes. Try focusing on an object on the wall to enhance your focus. The few minutes a day you work on this can help you to improve your balance which will be ever important as we age."
eDiets.com - News - tip of the day: "Health and Diet When your goal is weight loss, it helps to eat more often! Consuming frequent mini-meals throughout the day not only keeps your blood sugar levels stable and your metabolism revved, but helps you avoid excessive hunger. Hunger often leads to impulsive eating of unhealthy foods. Use your eDiets menus to plan for snacks. Take something from each meal and eat it 2 to 3 hours later. Fitness When is the right time to stretch? Static stretching where you hold a position for 10 to 30 seconds should be done at the end of your workout. If you prefer to do some stretching at the beginning of your workout, it should be done following the warm-up and should be dynamic stretching using large rhythmic movements rather than static holds."
eDiets.com - News - tip of the day: "Health and Diet Here’s the first step toward a healthy heart. Lose just five percent of your excess body weight and reduce your risk of deadly diseases. Excess weight puts strain on your heart, raises blood pressure and blood cholesterol and increases your risk for diabetes. Losing weight is one of the best ways to reduce your risk for heart disease and other health-related issues. Fitness Why warm up? One of the purposes of a warm-up is to increase the temperature of the working muscles. A warm-up should be cardiovascular using dynamic or rhythmic movements at a slower pace than you would do during your activity phase. For example, walking or biking at a slow pace. The warm-up should be done for 5 to 10 minutes to prepare the body for the activities coming up. This will help reduce the risk of injuries."
eDiets.com - News - tip of the day: "Health and Diet Food intolerance is a milder condition than a food allergy. Lactose intolerance affects people who lack the digestive enzyme lactase. Substitutes for milk and dairy include soymilk, rice milk, soy yogurt and soy cheese. If you have a true milk allergy, read the label and make sure that the product does not contain casein, a milk protein that will cause allergic symptoms. Fitness Steer clear of a strength plateau. If you have reached the dreaded plateau, subtle changes in your strength training routine can be just the thing to move you over the hump. You can move slower through the range of motion, add more exercises to your routine, pause and hold at the peak of the contraction or perform a second or third set. Changing the order in which you do the exercises can also help. Another option is to make the exercises harder by adding more weight."
eDiets.com - News - tip of the day: "Health and Diet Restaurants generally use unhealthy trans fat to fry foods. Trans fat, or hydrogenated fat, contributes to high cholesterol and increases your risk for heart disease. Be a proactive consumer by ordering your food grilled, baked, broiled, or stir-fried. Don’t snack on chips and bread. Or you’ll end up spending all your calories before your entrée even arrives. Fitness Update your video library. If your workout videos are more than 10 years old it may be time to treat yourself to some new ones. Some older exercises are found to be too strenuous on the lower back or may have you using light weights with high repetitions which is not the best use of your time. One way to tell if your toning video is outdated is to see if they are using more than 20 repetitions per exercise. At that point you are no longer strength training. "
eDiets.com - News - tip of the day: "Health and Diet Research shows that high blood pressure, stroke, heart disease, kidney disease and some forms of cancer are all linked to a high sodium diet. Did you know that a high sodium diet may also contribute to osteoporosis? To limit sodium, avoid fast food and canned foods, and use spices and flavors instead of salt. Fitness Training for a marathon? Strength training is very beneficial to endurance athletes. If you look at today’s Olympic marathoners compared to those 20 and 30 years ago, you will notice today’s runners are much more muscular. Strength training should be done in cycles with the heaviest resistance training coming after the marathon season and then tapering off as the season approaches."
eDiets.com - News - tip of the day: "Health and Diet If you’re feeling stressed this week, make a point of lightening your load of social engagements. If you’re playing host, let others help. Make it a potluck dinner, and enjoy everyone’s participation. You’ll have an interesting menu without having to take full responsibility for shopping, cooking and cleaning. Another valuable tip: use paper plates and make clean-up a group effort. Fitness It’s not just for wimps. Forget the idea that stretching is just for elderly, injured or unconditioned people. Many Olympic and professional athletes rely on flexibility training for peak performance. Being flexible reduces your chances of injury and promotes good posture."
eDiets.com - News - tip of the day: "Health and Diet Think color! Eat a rainbow of nutrients. Red, orange, deep yellow, and dark green leafy veggies and or fruits are great sources of carotenoids. These mighty plant pigments function as antioxidants, protecting your body against some forms of disease. Choose spinach, red bell pepper, okra, leafy greens like kale, collard greens, and romaine lettuce, apricots, cantaloupes, mangos, and sweet potatoes. Fitness Optimize your workout time. Get more results in less time by working the upper and lower body concurrently or by combining mind and body exercises. You can also try interval training to crank up the intensity. Remember that time and intensity are inversely proportional. If necessary multitask by catching up on reading while doing your cardio."
eDiets.com - News - tip of the day: "Health and Diet Why do they call Vitamin D the sunshine vitamin? Because the body produces vitamin D when exposed to sunlight. Vitamin D is necessary for your body to absorb and utilize calcium, which keeps bones strong. Get 10 to 15 minutes of sunshine a few times a week. You can also get plenty of vitamin D from dairy products and fortified cereal. Fitness Walking off the weight. You burn approximately 100 calories for each mile you walk. Walking is a convenient way to begin exercising and you can even break your walks into several shorter sessions throughout the day. Remember that it takes 3,500 calories to burn one pound so combining regular walking with a healthy meal plan will get you to your goals much quicker."
eDiets.com - News - tip of the day: "Health and Diet Add some sprouts to your diet. All sprouts contain fiber, antioxidants and flavor. Broccoli sprouts, in particular, are a superfood because they contain a healthful nutrient called sulforaphan. Research shows this phytochemical to be a cancer-fighter. In addition to broccoli sprouts, alfalfa sprouts have good nutrition and are widely available. Throw some on your salad today. Fitness If you have osteoporosis you could use a lift, weight lifting that is. Weight-bearing strength training exercises like squats, lunges, standing bicep curls, and overhead presses, place necessary stress on the bones to promote growth and slow further degeneration. When possible, do your exercises in a standing position. Free weights are preferred over machines."
eDiets.com - News - tip of the day: "Health and Diet Sow your oats! Oats contain soluble fiber, known to help lower “bad” LDL cholesterol. Whole oats, quick-cooking oats, and steel cut oats are delicious breakfast cereals. Add oats to burgers, or top casseroles with a sprinkle of oats. Beware of sugared and brown-sugared instant oatmeals and cold cereals that have sugar in the first two ingredients. Even though they’re oats, the sugar content reduces their nutrition value. Fitness Swim yourself slim. Water provides a stress-free, non-impact environment for both cardiovascular and muscle endurance activity. If you are recovering from an orthopedic injury a water workout may be the way to rehabilitation. Swimming uses the entire body and is a great way to get your heart rate up. Incorporating props in the pool like kickboards, aqua bells and webbed gloves adds to the fun."
eDiets.com - News - tip of the day: "Health and Diet A good strategy for filling yourself up without filling yourself out is to enjoy a hot beverage with your snack. Try herbal tea, decaffeinated coffee or sugar-free hot chocolate with your fruit or yogurt. Avoid adding sugar or cream to your beverage. This will only turn a healthy drink into a high-calorie, high-fat treat. Instead use lemon, cinnamon or skim milk in your beverage of choice. Fitness Should you exercise when sick? Illness or fatigue can cause you to relax your diligence about using proper form when exercising. Fatigue can increase your level of clumsiness, potentially leading to muscle strains or other injuries. If you are experiencing aches, fever, cough, congestion, other debilitating symptoms, discontinue exercise until the symptoms subside. When you start to feel better and have more energy, resume your regular workout."
eDiets.com - News - tip of the day: "Health and Diet The Framingham Heart Study, an ongoing study of 5,000 people since 1948, found that losing just one pound a year for four years benefits people with high blood pressure. As their weight went down, so did their blood pressure. Keeping off the extra pounds is also crucial in preventing this condition. Losing weight reduces the risk of developing high blood pressure by 25%. Fitness Use your noodle! The Styrofoam water noodles that kids use in the pool are not just for play. These lightweight cylinders of foam can be used for an effective workout for everything ranging from cardio to resistance and what’s more they are affordable. You can find them for less than $3 at most stores. Using them as a flotation device can give you the opportunity to get in a great lower body workout."
eDiets.com - News - tip of the day: "Health and Diet Your body type can influence your risk for disease. People with apple-shaped bodies store more fat around the stomach and waist, while pear shapes store more fat in the hips, buttocks and thighs. Apple shapes are at higher risk for heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, and certain cancers. Regardless of your body type, lower your risk by following a healthy diet and exercise. Fitness Dancing in the streets! At least 45 minutes of club dancing can burn up to 250 calories. Consider that the next time you are in the mood to “shake your groove thang.” Once you get started you won’t even realize you are exercising! Dancing is a fun activity but can also give you an effective cardio workout. Before you know it, you have danced the night away, along with lots of calories"
eDiets.com - News - tip of the day: "Health and Diet Don’t think of your workout as work and you’ll be more likely to stick with it. Maybe you love the water. Well, swimming can be great exercise. Remember, exercise comes in many forms: yoga, line dancing, hiking, belly-dancing, spinning, step aerobics, volleyball, skiing. If you enjoy the activity, you’ll be apt to make exercise a regular part of your schedule. Fitness Bad back and weak abs, try Pilates! This workout will help to strengthen the muscles of the core which include every muscle below the neck and above the hips. Pilates exercises develop pelvic stability, abdominal control and help to reduce back pain. Added benefits include flexibility and joint mobility as well as enhanced total body muscle endurance."
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