Skip to content

10 Best Foods to Eat

Thursday, August 19, 2010

Few of us get the recommended number of servings of healthy foods experts suggest, though it’s hard to deny that eating right can do wonders for both body and mind. According to best selling author and board certified nutrition specialist Jonny Bowden, author of The Most Effective Ways to Live Longer, adding these ten best foods to eat to your diet is a simple way to be eating, and living, healthier.

Some of Bowden’s suggestions are familiar, others might surprise you… but all ten foods do stand up as a natural source of some pretty impressive nutrients. The ten are:

1. Cherries: loaded with anti-inflammatory properties as well as having antioxidants thought to protect against the damage of free radicals and fight chronic diseases linked to getting older.

2. Blueberries: also a great source of antioxidants that promote a healthy heart, research in animals has found that blueberries promoted the loss of belly fat, linked to both diabetes and heart disease.

3. Grass fed beef: these cows nibble grass while avoiding hormones, steroids and antibiotics, so they become a healthy source of omega-3 fats that are an essential building block for many key compounds in the body. Beef’s bad rap, according to Bowden, is the result of highly processed varieties like fast food burgers and ballpark franks.

4. Wild salmon: also loaded with omega-3 fatty acids that have been linked to both heart and brain health as well as reducing blood pressure and triglycerides.

5. Coconuts: a much-misunderstood fruit that’s a natural source of good fat, called MCT, that’s not stored but used for energy, like a carb. This fruit is also high in lauric acid, a fatty acid that is known to kill pathogens. The oil of the coconut has a very high smoke point, so its great for cooking.

6. Kiwi: so loaded with vitamin C it delivers 115% of our daily requirement in a single serving.

Continues below…

*Highly Recommended*

Weight Loss Expert Loses 70lbs of Ugly Fat…

Discover how this weight loss expert lost 70lbs Of Ugly Belly Fat after discovering 1 really old and kinda weird tip!

And even better than that, they ate all of the foods they enjoy, and still lost all the weight they wanted to.

No magic pills… no fad diets… no calorie-counting…

It’s the best tip for real-world weight loss and it can help you finally get that trim, toned body you’ve been looking for…

Discover more about this amazing method here…
*Disclosure: compensated affiliate*

Ten Foods To Add To Your Diet Now… Continued…

7. Whey powder: a run off of cheese making, the powder form is a fabulous source of protein according to Bowden. Whey has also been found to stimulate the immune system.

8. Flax seed: another great source of omega-3 fatty acids, this seed has also been found to have lignans, powerful anti cancer compounds. Flax is a fantastic source of fiber to support healthy digestion.

9. Kale: a veggie dubbed “royalty” by Bowden; Kale has indoles, a compound that’s been found to fight cancer, as well as being rich in antioxidants. Kale brings calcium, iron and vitamins A, C and K. It’s also full of sulforaphane, another cancer preventer. Two cups pack 3 grams of fiber.

10. Dark chocolate: is full of a phytochemical known as flavanol that has been found to improve cardiovascular health. Look for chocolate with at least 60% cocoa content.

Beyond these 10 best foods to eat, Bowden considers the Mediterranean style diet as one of the healthiest around. More of a lifestyle than an “eating plan”, meals include lots of fruits and veggies, whole grains, fish and plenty of olive and nut oils, along with a glass of red wine. It’s hard to ignore the fact that in study after study, the Mediterranean diet shows itself to be of real value to both body and mind, and that most (if not all) major scientific bodies encourage healthy people to eat as much like this as possible.

Share This

Filed in Diet, Eating Habits, General Health, Nutrition | Comments (0)

The Best Way to Lose Weight

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Mention the word “diet” and just about everyone cringes… the word conjures up all sorts of unpleasant associations – deprivation, endless effort and hard won victories. More than a few of us have been on many diets in our day, so we know, first hand, about the frustration. Yet modern medicine tells us that the best way to lose weight is following a sensible diet.

So rather than putting off to “tomorrow” what you can do now, set a date on the calendar when you will begin your diet and mark it for all to see. By doing this you’ll be making your plans more specific, yourself more accountable so when the date arrives, you’ll be ready, and motivated, to get going.

Another important part of starting any diet plan is to see where you stand now. That’s right, get on the scale and look at the number… hard. Or, you might prefer to use one of the many BMI calculators on the internet to see where you fall. Then define where you want to be, understanding that in the end what you weigh is just a number, and your body can be perfectly healthy a few pounds over this number.

Recognizing the struggle getting underway can be, here are a few other helpful tips from the experts on how to get your diet plan underway.

- Know your goal: just how much do you want to lose? If you’ve got a lot, you’ll benefit best from a structured, supervised program according to Brian C. Jacobson, MD, MPH at Boston University Medical Center. If you’re only slightly or moderately overweight, think about controlling portion size, as this will cut calories. To get the latest on correct portion sizes, meet with a registered dietitian or review the new food pyramid.

- Know your weight loss personality: this has a role in our attitude to food according to Thomas R. Przybeck, PhD at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. He advises that you take the time to know your tendencies and create a weight loss plan that fights any unproductive inclinations you might have. Types to choose include Impulsive, Oblivious, Uptight, Tenacious and Sociable.

Continues below…

*Highly Recommended*

1 Quick Technique To Burn More Fat

Here’s Your Free Presentation To Discover:

The 1 sneaky technique to trick our bodies to burn more fat…

How a unique, simple and quick NEW way of moving eliminates fat – Hint: it’s the exact opposite of boring cardio, but with no cardio at all…

How a tasty little dish eaten late at night actually boosted the most powerful fat loss hormone in our bodies while you sleep…

Click through here now to discover how to burn more fat quicker today…
*Disclosure: compensated affiliate*

4 Simple Steps to Kickstart Your Diet… Continued…

- Do both diet and exercise: a combination of the two is most likely to lead to weight loss according to Lauren Gerson, MD, MSc, director of the Esophageal and Small Bowel Disorders Center at Stanford University School of Medicine.

- Make a commitment: but first, ask yourself some hard questions… Are you ready to do this? Is your motivation coming from inside yourself? Can you deal with occasional setbacks or a lack of progress? Can you fully focus on weight loss? You need to be losing weight for yourself, understand this may be a long term process and have the resources to focus all your efforts on your goal.

With some planning and careful preparation, the best way to lose weight is to make this diet your last diet. Once you get your momentum going, it will get easier to stay on track. You’ll be rewarded for your efforts by looking, and feeling, better. This in turn will have you making healthier decisions going forward.

Share This

Filed in Diet, Eating Habits, Exercise, Nutrition, Obesity, Weight Loss | Comments (0)

Anti Aging Tips for Staying Young

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

If you’re looking for anti aging tips for staying young, you’ll be surprised to find the latest weapon in that struggle is not a new procedure or injection… it’s a glass of red wine every day according to Richard A. Baxter, MD, a Seattle plastic surgeon and author of Age Gets Better With Wine. At the 2010 annual meeting of the American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery in Washington, D.C., Baxter hosted a talk on wine and beauty, recommending regular, moderate consumption of the delicious beverage as a way to deny the years.

There’s a lot of science behind the wine and anti aging connection, dating back to the early 1990s when researchers investigated what is known as the “French paradox”, the lack of heart disease in a nation famed for rich sauces and fattening, high cholesterol foods. Evidence was so convincing that the World Health Organization has come to recommend red wine drinking as a way to reduce the risk of heart disease.

Baxter insists that drinking a glass of red wine each day is the best thing you can do, after not smoking, in terms of protecting your skin from the signs of age. One glass a day will have your skin glowing, radiating health and vitality. Of course more than this will have the opposite effect on how you look and feel.

A single glass of rich, red wine brings a glowing complexion as well as fewer actinic keratoses (precancerous skin lesions). But that’s not all. Red wines also significantly lower risk (as much as 80% in one study) of Alzheimer’s disease, as well as the risk of cancer, diabetes and the many conditions thought to come with the years.

Experts aren’t sure yet why this is, but many believe what makes wine work so well is the antioxidants, a natural part of red wine, that absorb damaging free radicals that play a part in aging and age related diseases.

Wine has a much higher concentration of one type of powerful antioxidant known as polyphenols, likely because both the skin and seeds of the grape are part of the fermenting process. As an example, Oregon pinot noirs appear to have higher levels of polyphenols, with European wines having more, in general, than American varieties.

There may also be something to the idea that wine drinkers tend to have less stress in their lives than non-drinkers. Experts point out that wine is an integral part of the Mediterranean diet, a way of eating that is more of a lifestyle choice that includes enjoying wine as part of meal.

Continues below…

*Highly Recommended*

Announcing: Doctor Approved Store Cupboard Remedies that Really Work…

Do you buy over the counter drugs?

Stop right now and don’t waste any more money.

Did you know that you can easily treat illness without side effects, using only natural herbs, vitamins and nutrients?

Charles Silverman N.D. Certified Naturopathic and Herbalist Doctor has taken his 18 years research and experience and condensed it into a home remedy encyclopeida of the most powerful, and more importantly proven, home remedies.

You can eliminate the Flu virus, boost your immune system, and recover faster from colds using these doctor-approved home remedies…

As well as sleep better, look younger and treat any skin problem with your own skin care home remedies and recipes.

Click through now to discover the “hidden” kitchen cupboard cures – proven by clinical trials.
*Disclosure: compensated affiliate*

Defying the Years: The Secret to Anti-Aging Continued…

Studies have also found that the Mediterranean diet is linked to longer, healthier lives. Currently supplements containing the antioxidant resveratrol, despite endorsement by some very prominent physicians, have yet to show the benefits that come by the glass.

If red wine just isn’t your thing, you can choose other whole foods that are known to have polyphenols such as blueberries and pomegranates.

Dark chocolate is another antioxidant-loaded choice that’s fine in moderation, and like red wine, has been shown to protect the skin from sun damage that can make you look years older.

You may also soon see skin care products that contain resveratrol, allowing for the substance to be applied directly to the skin.

It’s also important to understand that when it comes to anti aging tips, the benefits of red wine aren’t likely to show up if you’re living an otherwise unhealthy, overindulgent lifestyle. Getting enough rest, eating a fruit and veggie filled diet, being active, spending time outdoors and drinking plenty of water are also important when it comes to staying young and keeping your skin looking fresh.

Share This

Filed in Alcohol, Anti Aging, Nutrition, Skin Care | Comments (0)

Why Its Important to Start Exercise

Monday, August 16, 2010

Everyone knows how important it is to exercise, the thing is, most of us still aren’t making activity a regular part of our daily routine, leaving experts worried about our prospects for long term health. Finding motivation to start exercise programs can be the hardest part, so internet health and wellness resource WebMD asked two experts to offer up some specific strategies we can all use to get, and keep, motivated.

Research backs up this approach. A study published in 2008 out of the University of Missouri-Columbia found that when adults with chronic conditions were given strategies to change behavior, they increased their activity levels significantly. Information intended to change knowledge and beliefs about exercise didn’t have the same effect.

It’s simple, action focused strategies are the way to go according to Vicki Conn, a professor and associate dean of research at the Missouri University Sinclair School of Nursing. That means you need to write things on paper, keep track of your activity over time and you’ll be more aware of your progress and stay motivated.

Some other suggestions from personal trainer Tonya Gutch of Dallas’ Cooper Fitness Center are ones you’ve heard before, but that’s because they work, especially if applied over time.

1) Set specific goals you can reach – workouts of 20 minutes, 3 times a week is fine to start. Increase your time and intensity slowly.

2) Use reminders - schedule exercise like you would anything else, and keep that appointment. Be sure to have your gym bag in the car, the shoes handy, MP3 player charged so you’re ready to go.

3) No food rewards - when you reach your fitness goal, reward yourself with something that’s not edible, but still enjoyable… a treat that’s just for you. Things like a movie, a pedicure, a shopping trip or a massage are great choices.

4) Invest in quality workout shoes - you want ones that feel so good that you look forward to putting them on. Avoid high top styles and opt for good cushioning and arch support. Since you should replace workout shoes when they start to lose support, as soon as every 3 to 6 months, you may want to buy two pairs to start and alternate between them.

5) Find a buddy or class - when someone is depending on you, and you’re working toward the same goal, that’s a powerful motivator. It also makes the workout that much more fun.

6) Start slow – you can still get big benefits by breaking exercise into segments all through the day. Start with 10-15 minutes of activity, a few times a day whenever you can fit it in. This really does add up.

Continues below…

*Highly Recommended*

Overweight? Shocking Proof that it may not be your fault

99% of the “professional” weight loss techniques are wrong – ending up with you actually putting on weight rather than losing it.

Find out why counting calories is bad for you and can sabotage your dieting efforts.

Discover a new way to effortlessly shed unwanted pounds and drop 9 lbs. every 11 days.

This diet is called the “Idiot Proof Diet” because it’s all worked out for you and there’s no need for calorie counting or label reading.

Click through to find out how you can be slimmer with this innovative new weight loss system…

Click through now to discover how to drop 9lbs every 11 days…
*Disclosure: compensated affiliate*

10 Tips To Start And Stick With Exercise… Continued…

7) Walk - its one of the easiest ways for most of us to get more exercise. By wearing a pedometer you keep track of how far you’ve gone toward a daily goal. This is especially good for those who have a desk job; you might aim for 5,000 steps a day to start, working up to 10-15,000 steps a day over time.

8) Basics are best - you don’t need fancy equipment to get a great workout. Think instead of medicine balls, free weights, Swiss balls and kettle bells. Enjoy nature – hike or run on the beach. And there’s no better workout than a game of basketball or baseball with the kids.

9) Work multiple muscle groups - when you work more than one group of muscles at a time, using full body movements it takes less time to do a thorough weight training workout and burns tons of calories too. Try squats (lower body) with dumbbell shoulder presses for the upper body to start and see how you feel.

10) Use technology - look to your MP3 player, iPod, books on tape or even the television for companionship during your exercise session and you’ll be amazed at the difference this can make… distracting you from lazy impulses, and increasing your intensity level.

Being more active does wonders for your body and your mind. It builds strength, helps your heart, gives you more energy and even cuts stress. Best of all it can benefit nearly everyone… so what are you waiting for? Remember, if you haven’t been active for a while or are wanting to start exercise plans it’s best to check with your doctor first to ensure you get off to a good start.

Share This

Filed in Exercise | Comments (0)

5 Healthy Fast Food Choices

Sunday, August 15, 2010

Hard to imagine fast food being any part of a healthy diet plan, but the good news is that you can enjoy healthy fast food choices without sabotaging your weight loss efforts. Estimates have one in four American’s eating out daily, and since fast foods offer an affordable, mobile meal, it’s no wonder so many of us are choosing them. Trouble is, most fast foods bring you almost an entire day’s worth of calories, sodium and fat in a handy package you can eat on the go. A typical fast food meal can come in at over 1700 calories.

Fortunately many fast food chains, as well as more traditional restaurants, are getting the message and offering foods that look more like what we’d cook at home, if we had the time. There are now soups and salads as well as veggies and fruits. Fast food icon McDonald’s even offers a surprisingly tasty yogurt and granola parfait.

If fast food places are an unavoidable part of your routine, here are five smart ways to make healthier, less diet defeating choices when you pull up to the window.

1) Keep portion sizes in line - always get the smallest size of a sandwich or side you can and you’ll save calories and fat. Often single portions in these restaurants are enough for two meals.

2) Choose a healthy side – now more than ever, there are healthy options on those fast food menus. Opt for a side salad with low fat dressing, a baked potato, apple or orange slices, corn on the cob, steamed rice or baked potato chips.

3) Add greens - get a salad for the entrée and add grilled chicken, shrimp or veggies and have the dressing on the side. Consider McDonald’s Southwest Salad, Burger King’s Chicken Garden Salad and Wendy’s Chicken Caesar Salad. Avoid breaded or fried toppings, as well as extras like bacon bits, croutons or cheese.

4) Go for grilled – fried and breaded foods are loaded with calories and fat. Avoid anything labeled deep-fried, pan-fried, basted, batter-dipped, breaded, creamy, crispy, scalloped, Alfredo, au gratin or in cream sauce. Your best bets are turkey or chicken breast, lean ham or roast beef.

Continues below…

*Highly Recommended*

The Biggest Loser’s Twins Proven Weight Loss Techniques

For the first time ever…

Bill and Jim Germanakos (The Weight Loss Twins) are publicly revealing the secrets of their fat burning techniques…

Which allowed them to shoot past the competition and win The Biggest Loser, Season 4!

Between them they lost 350lbs, and learnt how to boost their metabolism and burn fat even while they slept

Click Through Now To Discover The Exact Fat Loss Program they Used to Lose 10 Pounds Every 14 Days!
*Disclosure: compensated affiliate*

Five Steps to Healthier Fast Food… Continued…

5) Choose drinks wisely - a surprising source of calories, the beverage you choose to go with your meal can make a difference. Regular soda is loaded with calories, while diet soda, unsweetened ice tea, sparkling or mineral water are low calorie, thirst quenching choices. Skip the shakes, as you can imagine, they’re loaded with calories and your saturated fat allotment for an entire day.

Keep in mind that you don’t need to settle for what’s regularly offered with a sandwich. Ask for alternatives like low fat mayo or mustard, dressing served on the side or salsa instead of cheesy, calorie-laden sauce. Or order your sandwich without its usual toppings and add your own ketchup or mustard instead.

In the end, if you know you’ll be tempted after a late meeting or on the way home from soccer practice make sure you chose healthy fast food choices and that what you eat before and after is super healthy. It won’t hurt on days like this to make an extra effort to get your workout in as well.

Share This

Filed in Diet, Eating Habits, Nutrition, Weight Loss | Comments (0)

New Insights Into Preventing Heart Disease

Thursday, August 12, 2010

New research suggests that those of us who drink a lot of tea, or coffee in moderation, are less likely to die from heart disease than those who don’t drink these beverages. This finding adds to a growing body of evidence that suggests tea and coffee can help with preventing heart disease, but not stroke. Studies on coffee consumption and green tea have shown a reduced risk of death due to heart disease, evidence on stroke risk, and the risk of dying from heart disease were not conclusive.

Today 26.6 million (12%) of American adults have heart disease. There’s usually a gradual progression of symptoms over time, until they come so frequently or so severely that you must seek medical attention. Stroke is the third leading cause of death in this country and is the leading cause of serious, lasting disability. On average every 40 seconds someone in the U.S. has a stroke.

The latest research involved more than 37,000 people in the Netherlands who were followed for 13 years, making this one of the largest, and longest, studies to examine the impact of coffee and tea drinking on the health of the heart. The team used a questionnaire to get an idea of how much coffee or tea a subject drank, and at the end of the study they found that:

- Drinking 3-6 cups of tea a day brought a 45% lower risk of death from heart disease.

- Drinking more than 6 cups of tea a day was linked to a 36% lower risk of heart disease.

- Drinking as few as 2 but no more than 4 cups of coffee a day had a 20% lower risk of heart disease.

- Moderate coffee drinking was associated with a slight, but still not statistically significant, drop in death from heart disease.

- Neither coffee nor tea affected stroke risk.

While the amount of tea drunk sounds like a lot, a large glass of iced tea may have two to three cups of liquid. Try not to load up on the sugar, instead see if you can acquire a taste for the beverage in its natural state, or with a bit of lemon.

In case you’re wondering what type of tea… this is the first work to find benefits to drinking black tea, the variety more popular in the United States as well as in the Netherlands where the work was conducted.

Even more interesting, the association between tea and coffee drinking held up even when the researchers accounted for other factors usually tied to heart disease, things like smoking and lack of exercise. So if you’re healthy, and you enjoy tea or coffee, this study suggests drinking them brings no harm and might possibly do you some good.

Continues below…

*Highly Recommended*

Professional Trainer (CPT) Reveals Truth About Quick Fat Loss…

Have you ever dreamt about hiring a personal trainer? Just think of the results you’d achieve! Well, now you can have access to your own PT at no cost.

Mike Geary, a Certified Nutrition Specialist and Certified Personal Trainer(CPT), has blown the lid off the ‘Professional’ health industry and released a no-cost “no-gimick”insiders report which reveals the explosive truth about fat loss…

And he’s giving his insider report away today – you can get your copy here at Lean Body Fitness Secret
*Disclosure: compensated affiliate*

Drinking This Leads to Lower Heart Disease Risk… Continued…

Experts believe that the powerful antioxidants and flavonoids in both back tea and coffee may be the reason for the protective effect of these beverages. Other foods that have flavonoids include red grapes, red wine, dark chocolate, blueberries and red beans.

Since the study used only healthy volunteers, no one can say for sure if drinking these beverages will help existing disease. Relying on self reported data, and not getting specifics on which type of tea the subjects drank are all limitations of the work. You can read more about the study in the August 2010 online issue of Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology, a publication of the American Heart Association.

If you’re interested in preventing heart disease or reducing stroke risk, do everything you can to help yourself. Don’t smoke. Control any symptoms, like high blood pressure or high cholesterol that you have. Work closely with your doctor. Follow your treatment plan. Be as active as is safe for you and eat a healthy diet, and enjoy a guilt free cup or two of coffee or tea anytime you like.

Share This

Filed in Eating Habits, Heart Disease, Hypertension, Nutrition | Comments (0)

Being Safe in the Sun Avoids Skin Damage

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

A national survey conducted by the American Academy of Dermatology finds that a good number of people don’t know enough about being safe in the sun to be able to protect themselves from the dangers of skin damage. Even with all the warnings, many people could not answer basic true/false statements on skin cancer as part of the “Suntilligence: How Sun Smart Is Your City?” survey.

The good news is that the majority of those polled were worried about skin cancer, and were aware of the need for good sun protection. Of course what we say, and what we do are often two different things.

The concern for doctors and specialists is that while skin cancer is treatable if detected early, if the disease has progressed too far, there is not much hope to be offered.

Another bright spot in the survey of adults in 26 cities across the U.S. is that 63% of respondents knew about the dangers of tanning indoors, but confusion remains about sunscreens. Only one in five people understood that wearing a sunscreen with SPF (sun protection factor) of 30 is not double the protection of an SPF 15 product. You still need to apply enough (about the size of a full shot glass) of a broad spectrum, water resistant product a half hour before you go out. You then need to reapply every two hours while out, or after swimming or sweating in order to get the full protective benefit.

When choosing your sunscreen, look for a product that offers both UVA and UVB protection, and check those expiration dates before you buy – sunscreen is usually good for no longer than three years, though its shelf life it cut shorter if the product has been exposed to high temperatures.

Mineral type sunscreens (zinc oxide and titanium dioxide) are considered by some to be better than the chemical ones, lotions and creams are far more effective than the spray variety.

When it comes to the ultraviolet rays of the sun, only about a third of the 7,000 people surveyed knew that both UVA and UVB rays are not safe for your skin.

Ultraviolet A (UVA) rays are the ones mostly responsible for early aging, wrinkles, and tanning; ultraviolet B (UVB) rays are known as the “burning” ones that bring sunburn. Any UV exposure, whether from the sun or a tanning bed is unsafe. This is the number one avoidable risk for skin cancers according to dermatologist Dr. Zoe D. Draelos at Duke University School of Medicine.

Continues below…

*Highly Recommended*

Weight Loss Expert Loses 70lbs of Ugly Fat…

Discover how this weight loss expert lost 70lbs Of Ugly Belly Fat after discovering 1 really old and kinda weird tip!

And even better than that, they ate all of the foods they enjoy, and still lost all the weight they wanted to.

No magic pills… no fad diets… no calorie-counting…

It’s the best tip for real-world weight loss and it can help you finally get that trim, toned body you’ve been looking for…

Discover more about this amazing method here…
*Disclosure: compensated affiliate*

Warning: Don’t Fall into the Sun Damage Trap… Continued…

About half of survey respondents thought that getting a base tan was a healthy way to protect the skin from damage. Dermatologists insist that a base tan is still evidence of harm to the skin, and it will not protect you from future sunburn.

The trouble is, despite what common sense tells us, images of tanned and toned celebrities are everywhere and a tan is still considered fashionable… a healthy glow. Even though many of these looks come from cosmetics, spray tanners or Photoshop, the image that tanned skin is attractive is still out there. Until that changes, it will be tough to get people to heed the warnings.

You may remember that the Environmental Working Group has released its annual report on sunscreens and being safe in the sun, and recommends that you not rely on any product as a single defense against skin damage. The only real protection you have from getting burned is to use sunscreen properly, but also to seek shade, wear protective clothing (and a hat) and avoid exposure during peak hours of the day.

Share This

Filed in Cancer, Skin Care | Comments (0)

Cycling to Lose Weight

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Get this… just five minutes a day on a bike can help a woman minimize her weight gain as she enters middle age according to new research appearing in the June 28, 2010 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine. This is especially true if you’re already carrying more weight than you should. And while there’s been lots of work on the benefits to weight of daily walking, there have been few studies on cycling to lose weight, and not one has compared biking to walking.

The current study included more than 18,000 pre-menopausal female nurses (part of the Nurses’ Health Study II) between the ages of 25 and 42 who were followed for a total of 16 years, staring in 1989. The authors looked at medical history, body weight patterns, exercise habits and lifestyle data for the subjects.

During the study, the participants gained an average of 20.5 pounds each. At the start of the research, half the subjects reported walking slowly; 39% said they walked briskly; 48% said they biked, including doing a workout on a stationary bike. By 2005 the subjects had significantly decreased the amount of time they were active each day.

The team found that women who started biking (a great, non impact exercise) for just 5 minutes each day gained about 1.5 fewer pounds over the course of the study than those who didn’t bike. Those who biked up to 30 minutes kept even more weight off, gaining about 3.5 fewer pounds than those whose activities didn’t include biking on a regular basis.

Dr. Anne Lusk, Ph.D. out of the Harvard School of Public Health believes biking is one answer to controlling your weight. Walking, unless it’s truly brisk enough, isn’t going to do it. In fact, women who increased the time they spent at a brisk (3.0 miles or more per hour) walk gained about 4 pounds less than those who didn’t up their walking. If they walked slowly, subjects didn’t prevent the weight gain.

Subjects who were considered overweight or obese at the start of the study got far better results than normal weight women when they were more physically active. An overweight woman who biked 30 minutes a day gained about 7 pounds less than those who didn’t. So while women of normal weight certainly get something from activities like biking or brisk walking, a woman who’s carrying extra weight will really see a benefit in terms of her weight.

The take home message – don’t give up on exercise, no matter what your weight or fitness level today.

Biking just two to three hours a week is all it takes to keep the weight at bay. Biking is not expensive, and is easy for almost anyone, at any fitness level, to engage in. What’s more, if you make fitness and maintaining your weight a priority you’ll find you do have the time to fit it into your daily routine. After all, if you don’t take care of yourself… who will?

Continues below…

*Highly Recommended*

Professional Trainer (CPT) Reveals Truth About Quick Fat Loss…

Have you ever dreamt about hiring a personal trainer? Just think of the results you’d achieve! Well, now you can have access to your own PT at no cost.

Mike Geary, a Certified Nutrition Specialist and Certified Personal Trainer(CPT), has blown the lid off the ‘Professional’ health industry and released a no-cost “no-gimick”insiders report which reveals the explosive truth about fat loss…

And he’s giving his insider report away today – you can get your copy here at Lean Body Fitness Secret
*Disclosure: compensated affiliate*

Women: Ward Off Weight Gain With This… Continued…

The current guidelines for exercise from both the CDC and the American College of Sports Medicine call for adults to get at least 30 minutes of moderate intensity exercise on most days of the week. Many women in the study fell far below this. The exercise regularly message has also likely been missed by the two thirds of American adults and 16% of children who are overweight or obese today.

Of course the U.S. is also basically a car-centric nation. Our distances are so vast that walking or biking isn’t always practical. Only 9% of U.S. commuters walk to work, and just 0.5% bike to the office. In the Netherlands where the roads are more bike friendly, and the distances smaller, 22% of commuters walk to work, another 27% use pedal power to get there. Lusk is hoping that someday this country makes biking to work more accessible for more of us, using the Netherlands as a model.

Even if you can’t bike or walk to work, make an effort to get cycling (to lose weight) or brisk walking into your routine. Don’t worry about your heart rate… your clothing or the distance you go. Just do it.

Share This

Filed in Exercise, Weight Loss, Womens Health | Comments (0)

New Way of Measuring Body Fat

Monday, August 9, 2010

The measurement most often quoted in terms of overweight and obesity is body mass index, though taking a BMI measurement is inexpensive and easy, it has been widely criticized for not being an accurate way of measuring body fat… a flawed, limited measurement. Still many doctors use this ratio of weight to height to gauge your weight. Trouble is, if you’re an athlete, or very muscular your BMI might fall into an unhealthy category. For older adults BMI is likely to underestimate your total body fat.

One of the biggest shortcomings to BMI is that it doesn’t give an accurate measure of central body fatness. And since the pounds that come from excess body fat (not the larger muscles) are the trouble, experts have been looking for more precise and practical ways to measure levels of fat in the body.

Measurements of the neck can do this.

A new study appearing in a recent issue of the journal Pediatrics examined the idea that measuring neck circumference might have value in screening youngsters for extra pounds. Earlier studies have focused on exploring the connection between the neck circumference and potential obesity as well as heart problems in adults.

In this latest work, study lead Dr. Olubukola Nafiu and his team assessed a group of 1,102 children and teens who were undergoing surgery at their center, recording standard measures like height, weight and neck circumference in an effort to see if this measurement could be a way to determine obesity in the young.

They saw that neck circumference correlated with BMI and waist size in both sexes and all age groups from 6 to 18. As an example, a 6 year old boy with a neck measurement over 11.2 inches was 3.6 times more likely to be either overweight or obese using BMI than a child of the same age who had a smaller neck circumference. Using these measurements the researchers pinpointed optimal cutoff points at which children could be considered at risk for added weight.

Neck circumference was also found to be helpful in identifying kids at risk for sleep apnea. Obesity, and particularly weight in the upper body, are risks for this condition.

Continues below…

*Highly Recommended*

Overweight? Shocking Proof that it may not be your fault

99% of the “professional” weight loss techniques are wrong – ending up with you actually putting on weight rather than losing it.

Find out why counting calories is bad for you and can sabotage your dieting efforts.

Discover a new way to effortlessly shed unwanted pounds and drop 9 lbs. every 11 days.

This diet is called the “Idiot Proof Diet” because it’s all worked out for you and there’s no need for calorie counting or label reading.

Click through to find out how you can be slimmer with this innovative new weight loss system…

Click through now to discover how to drop 9lbs every 11 days…
*Disclosure: compensated affiliate*

BMI Accuracy Questioned… Continued…

Research has found that regional adiposity, also known as fat around the middle, is a solid indicator of the risk for obesity related complications like high blood pressure, heart disease and diabetes. The correlation between this type of fat deposit and neck circumference is strong according to Nafiu who is an assistant professor of pediatric anesthesia at the University of Michigan School of Medicine Health System. Used with BMI, it gives a doctor good clues about a child’s fat deposits. What’s more, the measurement is quick, easy and comfortable for the patient.

Patient comfort is one of this method’s of measuring body fat strongest points. Unlike the waist-to-hip ratio, there’s no question where to put the tape, no awkwardness for the patient and no variation in readings. For these reasons, plus the invaluable information on fat placement in the body, neck circumference is likely to become another initial screening tool, alongside BMI and waist-to-hip ratio, that can give a medical professional a more accurate picture of weight and the location of fat in the body. It’s important to remember that like obesity itself, a wider neck measurement is associated with things like sleep apnea, hypertension and diabetes. All unpleasant, life-altering conditions best prevented.

Share This

Filed in Obesity, Weight Loss | Comments (0)

More Adults Developing Hayfever Symptoms

Sunday, August 8, 2010

Surprising news on allergies. Hay fever is a modern disease, virtually unknown before 1800 and becoming common only during the last century. Many had believed that this condition developed during childhood, and yet more and more adults are experiencing hayfever symptoms – the constant sneezing, running eyes and nose, itching, sometimes even headaches and fatigue for the first time in their lives.

Hay fever is an allergy to pollens (the male reproductive part of the plant) from either grasses or trees. A person can be allergic to a single pollen, or more than one. When these particles come into contact with the tissue in the nose or eyes, they set off an immune reaction in your own body that brings the symptoms of congestion, sneezing, itching and runny nose. As you know if you have it, it’s hard to treat because the way an allergy affects the body is quite complex, and different in each of us.

With all it can tell us, medicine still cannot predict when people who are atopic (genetically predisposed to allergies) will start to experience symptoms according to Beverley Adams-Groom of the National Pollen and Aerobiology Unit at the University of Worcester. While this organization is best known in the UK as the place to get the latest pollen counts, its work also involves testing anti allergy products and doing clinical trials of hay fever remedies.

One theory on the timing of allergies holds that it may be something around you that triggers allergies in those who have the genetics for it. What that something is, experts still cannot say. Some believe that sufferers may in fact experience symptoms in childhood, but they are so mild that they go unnoticed. Even in the teen years, things aren’t so bothersome that treatment is needed.

There is also no shortage of blame cast toward pollution somehow contributing to the mix, or the more sanitized environments we’ve created for ourselves that keep our children from being exposed to, and developing defenses against, infections. Interesting that researchers in Austria found that young children in regular contact with farm animals are less likely to have allergies later in life. They are also three times less sensitive to hay fever, four times less likely to have asthma than those living in a non-rural environment.

The best the experts can say on what causes allergies is that we cannot say for sure why this troublesome condition develops. More work needs to be done.

Hay fever in the U.S. affects more than 35 million Americans, and in the U.K. between 15% and 20% of the population is thought to be dealing with the discomforts that come with the warmer weather. The numbers are higher amongst teens, with the symptoms typically peaking in the 20s. But not everyone follows this pattern. Stephen Durham, an allergy specialist, estimates that the number of allergy sufferers has doubled in a 20-year period.

What can you do to help yourself be more comfortable?

- Find out what type of pollen causes your allergy so you can minimize your exposure, and start treating yourself at the right time. April symptoms are typically from tree pollen. Symptoms in May, June and July suggest grasses as the culprit. If your symptoms hold off until late summer, it’s likely weed pollen and mold spores as the allergen.

- Avoid activity outdoors in the early morning, when pollen counts are at their highest. Stay inside on dry, windy days.

Continues below…

*Highly Recommended*

Announcing: Doctor Approved Store Cupboard Remedies that Really Work…

Do you buy over the counter drugs?

Stop right now and don’t waste any more money.

Did you know that you can easily treat illness without side effects, using only natural herbs, vitamins and nutrients?

Charles Silverman N.D. Certified Naturopathic and Herbalist Doctor has taken his 18 years research and experience and condensed it into a home remedy encyclopeida of the most powerful, and more importantly proven, home remedies.

You can eliminate the Flu virus, boost your immune system, and recover faster from colds using these doctor-approved home remedies…

As well as sleep better, look younger and treat any skin problem with your own skin care home remedies and recipes.

Click through now to discover the “hidden” kitchen cupboard cures – proven by clinical trials.
*Disclosure: compensated affiliate*

Curse of Hay Fever Explained… Continued…

- Use a high efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter in your bedroom, and an allergy grade filter on any ventilation system.

- Shower and wash your hair when you get home, and keep windows closed, especially in bedrooms. Use air-conditioning whenever possible. Bring in washing hung outside before nightfall, as pollen levels go up at night.

- Try wrap around sunglasses to protect your eyes when outside, and wear a dust mask if you need to do yard work.

- Avoid mowing the lawn or raking leaves, as this stirs up pollen.

- Talk with your doctor about treatment. Antihistamine pills, eye drops and nasal sprays work to calm the body’s allergic reaction, but do have some side effects. You’ll want to start using your treatment two weeks before you expect your hayfever symptoms to start.

Share This

Filed in Allergies, Environmental Issues, Immune System | Comments (0)
Close
E-mail It