Michael Pollan has written a reflective and thought-provoking article about food that is entitled ‘Rules to Eat By’. It seems buying foodstuff nowadays becomes a complicated task if you are conscious with your health.

Have you tried buying groceries and ended up confused? It is the same item but different brands with different nutrition facts. You only want to buy a box of milk but your option ranges from non-fat milk, low-fat milk, and so on. Eventually you will pick each brand of low-fat milk, read its nutrition fact and evaluate which one is superior?

It is indeed quite a common scenario for us, right? But Michael Pollan raises an insightful question as how did humans manage to choose food and stay healthy and fit before? It is true. We have all the experts nowadays that can guide us through in choosing the right and proper foods which deem to be good for our health. Nonetheless, in this era we struggle to keep ourselves healthy and fit.

So does the nutrition fact in your sandwich spread still affect you? Michael Pollan’s article reminds us that we should be smart in our food choices as we cannot entirely rely on the nutritional facts that we read in the food labels.

You can read the full article from NYTimes.com - The Food Issue ‘Rules to Eat By‘

Are there really foods that keep you from gaining weight? It is inevitable for us to be caught in disbelief to know that such foods exist because we always associate eating with gaining weight. We have the notion that eating though depends on the quality and quantity of food can lead us to adding extra kilos in our body.

Well, not anymore! Lucy Danziger has given us hope in her article ‘8 Foods That Fight Fat’.  We can eat without feeling any guilt and fear of gaining weight by choosing the fat-fighting foods. All we need is to identify these eight foods that can make us slimmer as we munch.

According to Lucy Danziger, these eight fat-fighting foods include almonds, berries, cinnamon, mustard, oranges, soy beans, sweet potatoes and Swiss cheese. An excellent tip to incorporate one of these fat-fighting foods in our daily routine is by adding ¼ teaspoon of cinnamon in our morning coffee or cereals.

However, the Swiss cheese is quite the most interesting in the eight fat-fighting foods. How can a cheese be considered as fat fighting food? As explained in ‘8 Foods That Fight Fat’, taking a calcium rich foods can lead to reduction of fat producing enzymes while it increases the level of fat breakdown. More so, Swiss cheese is believed to have the richest calcium content among the cheese family but remember to still opt for the low fat version of it.

So are you interested to know the reasons behind why the rest of the eight foods can fight fat in your body? You can read the full article from Yahoo! Health ‘8 Foods That Fight Fat‘.

Not all of us possess an innate virtue of patience. On the contrary, we anticipate immediate results and quick-fix method. This is particularly true when it comes to weight loss. We gain that extra pounds for weeks or months of indulgence and we aim to lose the extra weight in a matter of days only. If there is an overnight solution the better it is, right?

The article of Carey Rossi, ‘One Week to a Slimmer You: Focus on the Little Things’, outlines strategies that we can do to shed our weight in a period of one week. You can start your week with recording your food intake but this is a new concept of food tracking.

Forget about jotting down everything you chew today. Instead Carey Rossi suggested keeping a virtual diary of your meals or food. Therefore, a handy camera will be a great help. This method will help you lose 5% of your weight.
Another strategy to consider is tripling your vitamin C intake to burn more fats. So make sure to include citrus fruits and other vitamin C rich foods in your meal. You will burn 30% more fat during your workout.
There is also the Yogic breathing, a strategy that makes you relax. It is believed that people who are in the relaxed state choose better food than people who are under stressed.

Indeed the strategies in ‘One Week to a Slimmer You: Focus on the Little Things’ is really interesting and easy to do. So what you are waiting for? Start your week now with these strategies for a slimmer you.

Read the full article, ‘One Week to a Slimmer You: Focus on the Little Things‘ from CNN.com - Health

By Linda Schnable

In a quest for a healthier lifestyle, women know that fitness and exercise are important. Exercise can improve your health, increase your energy level, relieve stress, and help you to sleep better. A fit woman will remain stronger and more independent as she ages.

Sometimes the road to fitness is a difficult path when you are attempting to initiate and exercise program and eat healthier alone. Attempting to exercise daily, watching your nutrition, and making healthy lifestyle changes are often overshadowed by boredom or a too busy lifestyle. At one time or another, most women have had trouble starting or sticking with a fitness or exercise program.

Being a fit woman does not have to mean a solo journey. If you have ever had trouble initiating a fitness program or sticking with the exercise program you have started, a fitness partner may be the solution. A fitness partner is a powerful motivator. Being accountable to a fitness partner can help you start a new exercise program or stick with the exercise program over time as you continue on your road to fitness.

The right fitness partner can motivate you to achieve your fitness goals. Your fitness partner should be positive and supportive as she encourages and supports you. In choosing a fitness partner, look for someone whose fitness level is close to yours. As you become fit together, you can progress at a similar pace, and encourage each other to climb to new levels of fitness. Having similar fitness goals will allow you and your fitness partner to share triumphs and encourage you to accomplish individual fitness goals.

Keep lines of communication open with your fitness partner. A good fitness partner is honest and sensitive. Cheer each other on in your fitness successes and avoid being critical.

Read more…

By: Eric Wise

Health and fitness starts with a conscious choice, and the best place to start is…well, at the beginning!

In our aging society physical fitness is playing a major role in keeping people healthy. There are numerous fitness programs that are available to people. The main thing to consider with any program is to have a balance between nutrition and exercise.

Each physical fitness program claims to be the best. Not all programs are right for everyone. You do need to check with your physician to see which fitness program is best for you and your goals. Each person should develop goals that they want to achieve and review them with their physician. Keep your goals in mind as you are joining a fitness program.

Getting involved in a fitness routine does not mean that you need to spend money by joining a gym or purchasing equipment. There are many pieces of equipment that will improve your physical well being, but you can also achieve this without making purchases. Some people do find that purchasing equipment or fitness tapes are a way to motivate them to start using muscles that may need extra conditioning or to get started exercising. A variety of activities help keep you motivated with your quest for getting into shape. A variety of different exercises also help to condition all muscle groups. It is important to start out any exercise routine by stretching. This will help to avoid muscle strain and injury. A physical activity can be as simple as walking around the neighborhood, or biking on your favorite trail. By choosing to walk to do some of your errands or by parking further away from the door you can incorporate exercise into your routine without adding extra time.

Read more…

Walking is a great start off to weight loss and fitness. On top of that, it is free and does not require any special gears. So why not take advantage of walking workout now? Let’s get rid of our endless excuses – expensive gym membership, hectic schedule, and so forth - for not exercising.

Sarah Bowen Shea has written a very helpful article entitled ‘Plan Your Ideal Walking Workout’. She outlines the ideal plan for three categories – an occasional walker, everyday walker and the athletic walker.
She also suggests walking tips that will help you to carry out the walking workout effectively. Goals such as adding 5 minutes every week or becoming a hiker to heighten your walking workout benefits are set too for every level as it aims to improve your fitness level.

The steps in ‘Plan Your Ideal Walking Workout’ are actually easy to follow and this is ideal for those who want to seriously consider walking workout for fitness and for beginners who wish to gradually progress to athletic walker.
So are you thinking now of how to plan your walking workout?

Read the full article, ‘Plan Your Ideal Walking Workout’ from CNN.com - Diet & Fitness.

by: Matt Helphrey

by: Judi LaPoint

Judi LaPoint has studied health and fitness for more than 3 decades. She works to educate others about nutrition, healthy life-styles, and fitness.

http://www.jumpropeworkoutfun.com/

Have you been struck with boredom in your exercise regime? Running alone in the neighborhood park can be a solitary experience and there is a risk that your motivation level to get up and to continue jogging will plummet.

In The New York Times article ‘To Train Harder, Consider a Crowd’, writer Gina Kolata discovers that group training can be an enormous motivating factor that leads runners to perform better.

Though there is still a lack of solid scientific explanation that backs up this theory, it is evidently effective to the marathon runners that had been featured in the article. More athletes nowadays are considering to train with the group as it is deemed to help them tremendously.

If you are struggling to keep your morning exercise, try to exercise with your buddies. Experiment it in yourself. Look for an exercise buddy or group in your local community and after a month, evaluate how it affected you? Are you more motivated since you join the group? Are you exercising now with fun and anticipate your exercise time with more enthusiasm because exercising with your buddies now becomes a socialization activity.

Sometimes thinking out of the box keeps us sane and motivated in our pursuit in life such as aiming to live a healthy lifestyle. It is always great to hang out with people who share the same values as you do and start it by keeping an exercise buddy.

Read the full article, ‘To Train Harder, Consider a Crowd‘ from NY Times -Fitness & Nutrition.

by: Emma Arsanti

We know how important breakfast is for a good start to the day but healthy breakfast foods are a great way to get started each day on the right food so you don’t have to keep eating sugar and fat to keep yourself feeling awake.

After an 8 hour sleep you have likely gone without eating for 8 - 14 hours. This means that your body and brain are running on empty in the morning.

People also should know the importance of breakfast and how it helps in losing weight in a healthier way.

About Healthy Breakfast Foods

Healthy breakfast foods are generally low in calories, low in fat and are filling because of high fiber and/or protein. . When it comes to eating smarter to lose weight you do not always have to go to extremes in changing your diet. If you are thinking about devising a healthy weight loss plan of action, think breakfast!

Read more…