7 Foods that Burn Fat
These foods will help you burn fat.With rising temps come rising hemlines, bare shoulders… and eventually, bikini season. Add these metabolism-boosting foods and drinks to your shopping list, and you’ll score a leaner and sexier bod.
By Carolyn Kylstra
Chicken Breast
Meet the ultimate wonder food. Chicken is packed with protein, which is essential for maintaining muscle mass-and the more muscle mass you have, the more efficient you are at burning calories. Even better, protein takes more time to digest than carbohydrates, so you’ll feel full longer than if you ate the same number of calories in a carb-or fat-heavy meal. An ideal serving: the size of a computer mouse or a deck of cards. (more…)
5 silly things we do that derail our diets
Columnist Carrie Dennett provides five easy tips for controlling our diets.
If the road to success is paved with good intentions, I’ll wager that a good 75 percent of that pavement is poured from the intent to eat right and get in shape.
While people don’t set out to purposefully sabotage their efforts, an awful lot of derailment goes on, nonetheless. Sometimes it’s because we’re just not thinking; sometimes it’s because we’re overthinking.
I’ve made every one of the following mistakes at some point. What about you?
• Failing to plan. Rome wasn’t built in a day, and those sketchy eating habits you’d like to change weren’t either. Changing habits can be hard work, so thinking you can turn yourself into a healthier eater without a game plan is guaranteed to leave you spinning your wheels. If you don’t have a plan, you will slip into “default mode” (aka your old habits) time and time again. (more…)
20 Ways to Speed Up Your Metabolism
By Heather Bauer, RD,CDN, REDBOOK
Whether you’re trying to shed some lbs or just stay fit, these tricks to increase your metabolism from nutritionist Heather Bauer, RD,CDN, will help you reach the finish line even faster.
1. Keep Hydrated I’m sure the general population thinks dieticians sound like a broken record when it comes to the whole water thing, but it really is important. Drinking the recommended eight cups of water a day will help your body function at peak performance levels. (more…)
Fuel your moving body
Eat right, all the time. There’s no better way to maximize the benefits of physical activity.
McClatchy-Tribune
There’s no shortage of information out there about what to eat to maximize the benefits of your workout.
Open a fitness magazine or ask your buddies at the gym, and you’re sure to get enough tips and tricks to make your head spin. Your brother swears by his protein shakes, while your co-worker loads up on coffee before a workout. Your best friend eats a solid breakfast before her spin class, but the guy on the StairMaster next to you claims it’s a sin to eat a single bite before you sweat.
But ask an expert, someone who really understands the relationship between what we put in our bodies and what we get out of a workout, and the answer is simple: Eat right, all the time. There’s no better way to maximize the benefits of physical activity, period. (more…)
Eight ways to lose weight and gain money
A better body and more cash can come hand in hand
By Erin Hicks
Want to lose weight and save money? Is that a dumb question?
The key to feeling lean in the waist and heavy in the wallet is to budget both your calorie intake and spending habits with the same philosophy, says Vivien Schapera, author of “How to Lose Weight and Gain Money: A Program for Putting Your Life in Order.”
“Some people are good with money and they budget their calories the same way. But some people will budget tightly with money and they’ll do the opposite with food, and vice versa,” says Schapera. “It’s not about being thin and rich. It’s about having a healthy mind and healthy body. If you take care of your weight, you will see other benefits to your whole life.”
Here are eight tips on how you can cut back the calories and subsequently see a little more green in your wallet.
Reserve half the food you cook for later
You save: Lunch money
Everyone knows to box up half their meal at the restaurant to save for the next day, but what about boxing up half of the meal you make at home?
“Every night you cook, half of the food you make should go into a container to be taken to work the next day for lunch, says Schapera. The key is to make sure you cook a little extra to account for lunch the next day.”
If you figure the average lunch you’d buy costs $8 to $12, and the average lunch you bring from home costs around $2 (either by packing leftovers or bringing a sandwich) you can save a minimum of $30 per week. That’s $120 a month!
Walk more
Food swaps that fight belly fat: Don’t eat less eat smarter
Try these ridiculously easy food trade-offs to banish your gut for good.
You can beat belly fat on a full stomach — as long as you choose the right foods. Making simple substitutions, such as the greens you use in your salads and the snacks you munch come midafternoon, can help blast away excess chub. Here are some simple swaps for a flat belly and strategies for cutting calories while keeping hunger at bay. Dropping weight has never been this satisfying.
Rolled Oats or Bran Cereal for Breadcrumbs
You traded Wonder Bread for wheat and nixed white rice in favor of brown, but there are plenty of other, less obvious, swaps you can make to increase your intake of whole grains. Try substituting rolled oats or crushed bran cereal for breadcrumbs in meatballs, or slip barley into your chicken noodle soup. A 2008 study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that people who loaded their diets with whole grains were more likely to lose fat from their guts than those who noshed on the enriched kind. Whole grains are higher in fiber than refined starches, so you’ll feel fuller eating less.
Avocado for Butter
Mental Toughness for Weight Loss
Mental Toughness for Weight LossOverview
Mental toughness, according to military fitness trainer and former Navy SEAL Stew Smith, may be inherent in the personalities of some people. For the rest of us, it is a skill that can be developed. Mental toughness is the result of belief in your ability to reach your goal, your determination to persist despite difficulty and your willingness to endure discomfort along the way. Building mental toughness can help you reach your weight loss goals and will translate to other endeavors in life, too.
Motivation
Why do you want to lose weight? It has to be your own desire, not because someone else wants you to do it. JoAnn Dahlkoetter, Ph.D., a sports psychologist and author of the book “Your Performing Edge,” explains motivation must be intrinsic. “The goals must be ones that you have chosen because that’s exactly what you want to be doing,” she says.
Desire
Any endeavor begins with a vision that sparks your desire and enthusiasm. “The more clearly you can see that picture in your mind,” Dahlkoetter says, “the more likely it is to become reality. Staying mentally tough during weight loss requires using your desire to propel you through the rough spots and keep you working toward your goal.
Commitment
Mental toughness is largely the ability to make a decision and make it a priority. Once the commitment is made, you have to stand strong against anything that distracts you from the goal. “To notice significant growth, you must live this commitment and regularly stretch what you perceive to be your current limits,” Dahlkoetter says.
Focus on Results
Slow progress, temptation and temporary setbacks can be discouraging, but mental toughness means focusing on the results, not the obstacles, according to certified fitness coach Garrett J. Braunreiter. “Winners dwell on the rewards of success,” he says. “Do what’s necessary now.”
Determination
There will be days when you’d rather sleep in than run your 2 miles in the rain, when double chocolate cake seems to be calling your name, when you forget how much your goals mean to you and you want to chuck the whole idea. These emotional dips are temporary; your mind and your will are the tools that get you past the hump.
Positive Attitude
Mental toughness is built on confidence and self-esteem, according to Smith, who said he became even more resilient during the course of his challenging Navy SEAL training. The willingness to endure discomfort in pursuit of your goal, the knowledge that you have what it takes, and the satisfaction that comes from accomplishing each small step create a positive mindset.
Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/135294-mental-toughness-weight-loss/#ixzz1ReAXWKEP
Salt diet dangers may be influenced by potassium
ATLANTA (AP) — The debate about the dangers of eating too much salt has gained a new wrinkle: A federal study suggests that the people most at risk are those who also get too little potassium.
Potassium-rich foods, including fruits and vegetables, have long been recommended as a dietary defense against heart disease and other chronic illnesses. The new research is one of the first and largest U.S. studies to look at the relationship of salt, potassium and heart disease deaths.
“If you have too much sodium and too little potassium, it’s worse than either one on its own,” said Dr. Thomas Farley, New York City’s health commissioner, who has led efforts to get the public to eat less salt. He co-wrote a commentary published with the study in Monday’s Archives of Internal Medicine.
Potassium may neutralize the heart-damaging effects of salt, said Dr. Elena Kuklina, one of the study’s authors at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Sodium increases the risk of high blood pressure, a major cause of heart disease and stroke. Salt — or sodium chloride — is the main source of sodium for most people.
The research found people who eat a lot of salt and very little potassium were more than twice as likely to die from a heart attack as those who ate about equal amounts of both nutrients. Such a dietary imbalance posed a greater risk than simply eating too much salt, according to the study.
How to Lose 40 Pounds in Two Weeks
Losing 40 pounds in two weeks is extremely difficult for the average overweight individual. Anyone who has not been medically diagnosed as obese should not attempt to lose such a large amount of weight in such a short period of time. However, for individuals who are very overweight, 40 pounds is not as dramatic in relation to their overall weight. This can be done healthily and safely, although results are not guaranteed. Individual body chemistry and metabolism play large roles in weight loss.
- Difficulty: Challenging
Instructions
Too busy to workout while away on business? Think again.
By john Hanc
New York Times
Pierre Rougier, a publicist in Manhattan, is known as one of the fashion’s industry’s most powerful behind-the-scenes players.
But during his monthly trips to Paris or Milan, the source of Rougier’s power derives not only from his media contacts and his shrewd handling of designers and their latest apparel lines, but also from the way he starts his morning: with an intense, 15-minute exercise regimen done in his hotel room, his apartment in Paris or even, on warm days, outdoors at the nearby Jardin des Tuileries.
“These workouts are quick, explosive and intense,” said Rougier, who is president of an agency called PR Consulting. “I feel totally energized when they’re done.”
There are no weights, machines, kettle bells, treadmills or any of the other popular gym accessories in this exercise repertoire. Using his 195 pounds of body weight as resistance, the fit, 6-foot 3-inch Rougier moves rapidly through a series of exercises that would be recognizable to any World War II-era GI as the kind of calisthenics performed in basic training.
