Healthy Fitness and Diet

Archive for August, 2009

#1 Don’t Skip Breakfast

The morning meal jump starts your metabolism and helps to prevent bingeing later in the day.  A cup of coffee does not count – the caffeine and added sugar may give you a bit of energy and suppress your appetite for a little while it is sure to back fire into severe hunger and you will be more likely to overeat later.  Breakfast should include complex carbohydrates like whole grain (granola or oatmeal), along with some protein and fat (low-fat yogurt or milk), will keep your energy levels even and hunger in check.

#2 Eat more often

Get into the habit of eating every three to four hours or at least four times a day.  Eating frequently stabilizes blood sugar, when blood sugar drops too low you want to eat…a lot.  By keeping your blood sugar stable you can control your appetite and keep you metabolic rate high.  When you go many hours without eating your body will compensate by slowing down to conserve energy…this effect hurts your weight loss efforts.

#3 Eat protein at every meal

Protein will help to reduce your appetite, it takes more energy and time to digest, in effect you feel full longer than eating carbohydrates alone.  Research shows that eating more protein can help you lose weight without cutting calories.  Try these protein possibilities: turkey on whole wheat; hummus and pita; vegetarian chili; fruit and nuts; or protein snack bars that contain 12 or more grams of protein.

#4 Hold off on snacking

Many of us grab a snack for quick energy when we are feeling tired.  But do not confuse true hunger with fatigue.  If you are feeling tired go for a 15-20 minute brisk walk.  This will raise your heart rate and give you a boost of energy.  Follow it up with a large glass of cool water.  If you are truly hungry have a protein and complex carbohydrate rich snack like; whole wheat crackers and peanut butter or cheese.

#5 Consume enough for your body’s needs

Eating too little slows your body’s metabolism the same way eating to infrequently does.  If you want to lose weight, do not slash your calories too drastically.  Instead, cut out some of the extras in your diet – things like soda, juice, packaged goods or candy.  Processed foods tend to be high in fat and calories and low in vitamins, minerals and fiber.

A treadmill reader rack is a generic term for the basket which holds the varying amounts of instruments that the modern day treadmill offers the consumer as part of accessory pack that comes with your treadmill.

Bearing in mind the cost of a new treadmill, the quality of the machine itself should not surpass the quality needed, and expected, of the read out equipment that will come with it. In addition to the durability that one expects from a treadmill, the reader rack should be easy to use and give you the information that you require to complete your work out with the optimum effect. You really don’t want to be worrying about the onboard computers when you are doing a 20k run on your treadmill!

The treadmill reader rack should offer good ergonomic designs, as well as an ease of use. They should supply the information that you require on a wide range of relevant statistics, such as calories used up, speed, miles (or kilometres) run and heart rate amongst other things.

In addition to statistics on your own personal well being during your work out, a treadmill should also offer lots of practical functionality. By that I mean the means to control the type of workout that you are experiencing, by altering the speed at which you can run, or the incline of the slope. In an ideal world, a good treadmill should also let you vary both of these factors during the course of a workout, to give you precisely the type of exercise that you are looking for. Read the rest of this entry »

For most women, part of the morning and evening routines involve a skincare regimen of applying creams, moisturizers, tonics, lotions, and the like. Why do women put themselves through this? They do it primarily to combat the signs of aging, and to maintain youthful looks and beautiful skin! It is a safe bet, however, that most women haven’t put much thought into what is in the products that they are using.

Some women probably do not realize that what they are putting on their skin may actually be undermining what they are trying to prevent to begin with. In fact the average woman puts twelve products on her skin daily, most of which contain harmful chemical preservatives. Dr. Myron Wentz, founder and chairperson of USANA Health Sciences, has this to say about beauty in the company magazine’s June/July 2005 issue: “Some say that beauty is only skin deep. Nonsense! I believe that true beauty is a reflection of true health, and true health begins deep inside each and every cell in the body. But true health and true beauty have an outer component, which is why we require protection from environmental insults such as solar radiation, pollutants in our environment and the drying effects of air. . . The fact is you simply cannot contain a healthy body if your skin isn’t healthy. And your skin can’t be healthy if your are subjecting it to toxic substances that are ultimately absorbed into your body.”

So, what can women do? How can they combat environmental pollutants, the affect of solar radiation, and the drying effects of air? How can they be sure they are using the very best products on their skin so they can be healthy inside and out? Here are 7 tips to assist in this process:

1. Be very aware of what is in skincare products. Use products that are all natural as much as possible.

2. Look for products that contain Dermal Surface Renewal Technology. DSR smoothes away existing signs of aging such as laugh lines, crows feet, and dullness.
Read the rest of this entry »