Water Miracle

Drinking water is absolutely one of the most important things you can do for your health, for most importantly to control appetite. Water can help you lose weight, speed up your metabolism, nurture your skin, protect your organs and eliminate harmful toxins. Although you do get some water from foods and other fluids, drinking at least eight glasses (8 oz. each) of water every single day is a must. You should also be sure to drink water before, during and after each exercise session so you don't get dehydrated. And for me, getting enough water before each meal can satisfy hunger easily and make you eat slower. Slow eater usually can control their food intake better as the brain has enough time to transmit the "FULL" signal.

Pear Or Apple

From a glance, people will be able to determine whether you are apple or pear shaped. The most precise way to determine your shape is by using a tape measure.

 

Get the tape measure and measure your waist and your hips, then come up with the ratio. If you are a pear, then it's your thighs, butt and hips that show the extra cushion. The more apple shaped you are the larger your waist size is going to be relative to your hips, and the much greater your health risks are when it comes to chronic inflammation, heart disease, diabetes and cancer.

 

The critical difference between the two shapes lies in the type of fat you have and where it's stored. Pear-zone fat is passive and actually protects against heart disease, the smaller your waist and the bigger your hips, the smaller your risk of heart disease. Apple-zone fat, on the other hand, is harmful. Apple shaped women have visceral fat, the very active fat. This type of fat is an actual gland that releases chemicals and hormones right to the liver. If too much starts to get stored in the liver and in excess in the abdomen, then their waist size gets larger, their insulin level goes up and inflammation occurs.

 

While apple-shaped women need to be very careful and alert about the many health risks associated with their body shape, they are not alone. Pear-shaped women also face serious concerns of their own. Osteoporosis, eating disorders, varicose veins and cellulite are all great health concerns for pears. Although pear-zone fat is actually healthy, once it's there it's extremely hard to get rid of. The good news for apples is their fat comes off much faster and easier.

 

Whether you are an apple or pear the best solution to taking control of your health is to follow a nutritious diet, exercise and minimize large amounts of stress.

 

Women need to throw away the scales and use the tape measure to measure their health. The key is to think about long-term health. This means eating healthy foods. These foods will protect you from heart disease, diabetes, cancer and osteoporosis and that's what you want."

Protein is the KING

You should be getting about 25 percent of your daily calories from protein but you should make sure to choose lean sources like low-fat yogurt, fat-free milk, fish and poultry to keep calories down. Nuts are also high in protein, but can also be high in calories, so eat them in moderation. A handful a day is recommended.

Protein helps to keep you feeling full and boost your energy -- aiding in your weight loss efforts. Eating additional protein is especially helpful for those over 40 in reducing abdominal fat.

Citrus Fruits to trim waist line

One the best way to whittle down your waist is to replace carbohydrates from sugar and refined grains (like white bread) with carbs from fruits and vegetables. Orange-hued foods were found to be the most effective substitutes.

Since fruits and vegetables are high in fiber, they keep you feeling full longer and researchers believe the high levels of antioxidants like vitamin C and beta-carotene fend off the belly fat. Get a good dose of beta-carotene from carrots, cantaloupe, squash and peaches. You can get your vitamin C from oranges and berries, but remember that fruit juice is not a good substitute for the real thing and you need fibre to fill you up. So go RAW!!

 

Selenium- Best bet to reduce abdominal obesity

This cancer-fighting mineral also seemed to lower rates of abdominal obesity, reporting that those with lower levels of selenium had larger waistlines.

Several foods contain selenium, such as whole grains, nuts (especially Brazil nuts), poultry, red meat and seafood and it is recommended 55 mcg per day. Foods rich in vitamin E, such as nuts and seeds, will increase the effectiveness of selenium in the body. Your best bet to get enough selenium is to eat a varied, balanced diet or try a supplement containing the mineral.

Chocolates for 100 calories or less

I always try to justify my indulgence of this sinful desserts based on those antioxidants we've heard so much about. While chocolate and wine do contain phenols, which may help reduce the risk of heart disease, these antioxidants can also be abtained from plenty of less-fattening sources, like fruits and vegetables.

I am so excited to include the followings in my blog as my daily if not weekly reminder everytime I feel like 'chocolating'.

Top 10 Chocolate Treats (for 100 calories or less)
1. 4 Hershey's Kisses (100 calories)
2. 1 cup diet hot cocoa and 1 chocolate graham cracker (80 calories)
3. 1 JELL-O fat-free chocolate pudding snack (100 calories)
4. 1 Quaker Chocolate Crunch popcorn cake (60 calories)
5. 1 cup strawberries drizzled with1 Tbsp. fat-free hot fudge (100 calories)
6. 1/2 cup fat-free chocolate frozen yogurt (100 calories)
7. 20 chocolate-covered raisins (80 calories)
8. 1/2 cup General Mills Cocoa Puffs cereal (60 calories)
9. 2 Snackwell's Devil's Food Cookie Cakes (100 calories)
10. 2 bite-size York Peppermint Patties (100 calories)

By eDiets Staff
Extracted from eDiet's site

No Pain No Gain

We go back to the gym after a long holiday or break, or when we decided to start on a new fitness regime, our body usually will give us a signal the following day or days…… PAIN or SORENESS.

The next day, we can't walk, we can't sit, we can’t move or sometimes even turn our heads! We start telling ourselves that these are good signs as the signs show we have worked out really hard.

Although it comes with the greatest intentions, one of the most common mistakes people make is to push themselves too hard the very first time back. Not only can this lead to soreness, but it can also cause injury, delaying your fitness goals further.

Serious injuries aside, muscle soreness after a workout can have two common causes — stored lactic acid in your muscles, or microscopic tears in your muscle tissue. In both of these cases, allowing yourself time to recover is the best solution. But there are a few ways to reduce the soreness:

Massage
After an intense workout out, go and have a massage. Go for aromatherapy massage or like me, Thai Massage as this is also an opportunity for the massage therapist to push the lactic acid out of your muscle tissues, preventing soreness.

Work Out To get more of your lactic acid out from your muscle tissue, follow up with a low intensity workout the following day, and be sure to stretch. Many individuals make the mistake of simply not moving when sore, when these movements can actually activate the muscles, and help recovery.

Baking Soda
Basic chemistry: what happens if you put an alkaline solution into an acid solution? It neutralizes itself, depending on the pH levels of both solutions. Lactic acid, as the name implies, is acidic. Baking soda is alkaline. Your skin is the largest organ that has absorption capabilities. So, try a bath with one-half cup baking soda dissolved in the water, and see how you feel afterward. For me, I will usually soak myself in bath salt which is easily available too.
In short, the worst thing you can do is not to move for two weeks at all after that initial workout pain. It is the continuation of this fitness plan that will bring you the results.
Acute injuries that cause intense pain need a different kind of treatment. And there is a simple formula to it, which is best remembered using a convenient acronym — RICE.

Rest: A torn muscle, ligament, tendon or bone needs rest to heal. Leave it alone. Unlike with muscle soreness, it is inadvisable that you keep moving your injury the day after it has happened.

Ice: One of my clients swears by it. After a workout, when she experiences pain, she fills up her bath one-quarter full with water and ice cubes, and relaxes for 10 to 15 minutes in it. Do the same after an acute injury when swelling occurs.

Compression: When an injury occurs, white blood cells and fluids rush to the injured site, causing swelling. This is a mechanism, not only to start the healing process, but also to make the injured site immobile. An elastic bandage can help to prevent or reduce excessive swelling.
There is another form of compression that I would like to mention here. Some of you suffer from arthritis and other forms of pains, and your doctor prescribes swimming. Besides improving joint mobility during water exercises, water acts like compression on your body. Hence, being emerged in water might ease your aches and pains.

Elevation: To help reduce swelling, elevate the injured site so it remains 12 inches above the heart. Use some common sense when doing this, to avoid further pain.

Extracted from an article contributed by: Eunice, DTR, CPT-ACE
Nutrition Specialist