10 Ways To Get More Antioxidants Into Your Diet

It’s not a secret that antioxidants are incredibly beneficial to good health. It’s believed the antioxidants in food can help prevent cancer, reverse or slow aging, enhance your immune system, increase your energy and improve heart and other organ health.

Given all we know about antioxidants and their beneficial properties, it’s amazing more people don’t get enough fruits and vegetables, the primary sources of antioxidants. Experts recommend a minimum of 5 servings of fruits and vegetables daily, but say getting 7-10 servings is best.

There are 10 steps to getting more antioxidants into your diet.

1. Breakfast

Breakfast doesn’t have to be only bread. Throw some strawberries, 100% juice and yogurt into a blender; pour your delicious mixture into a cup and head out the door. You’ve just added one to three servings of fruits to your daily intake. Or throw some berries onto your cold or hot cereal.

Say you really have no time in the morning and usually grab something on the run. Even the Golden Arches can be some help here. Order a fruit and yogurt parfait and some apple slices. For about $2, you have a breakfast providing one to two servings of fruit.

2. Snacks

Here’s an easy way to get more antioxidants in your diet. How about a handful of raisins for a snack, or some fresh red grapes? Dip some strawberries in yogurt. You’ll feel decadent, but the berries provide the color you’re looking for.

Need crunch? How about some baby carrots dipped in hummus? Consider a handful of pecans for crunch and a nice antioxidant boost.

3. Lunch and dinner

It might sound trite, but adding a salad to each of your main daily meals can add loads to your overall health and well-being. They don’t have to be boring, and they don’t have to be just salad greens. If you’re going classic, add some red pepper slices to your green salad, some tomatoes to the Greek salad, or tart cranberries to your field greens.

Whip up a broccoli salad for lunch, or be adventurous and mix up a rice salad with a m้lange of fresh vegetables like string beans, tomatoes, peppers and red onions.

4. Dessert

Berries, with or without whipped cream or chocolate are a wonderful way to end your day of healthy, antioxidant-rich eating.

5. Beverages

Replace your soda with tea or coffee, both of which boast antioxidant compounds. Have a glass of wine with dinner, or for a real change of pace, pour a glass of China tea.

6. Think out of the box

We know that we can get our antioxidant fix from berries, salads and the like, but researchers say powerful antioxidants can also be found in a variety of unexpected foods, like russet potatoes, artichokes, and small red beans.

The beans, in fact, may have more antioxidant power than blueberries, experts say. So to your rice salad full of vegetables, add some beans for even more antioxidants.

7. Cook lightly

You think you’re being good, preparing vegetables each night for your family’s dinner. But if you’re overcooking the vegetables, you’re cooking out a lot of the beneficial properties of the antioxidants. Steam (don’t boil) vegetables, and stop cooking them when they will have all of their bright color and most of their bite.

8. Plant a garden

Experts believe that people who plant and harvest vegetables from their own yards are far more likely to eat more vegetables and fruits than people who buy their produce from the store. So plant a garden, watch it grow and eat the fruits (literally) of your labor.

9. Take your healthy diet on vacation

Too many of us consider going on vacation an opportunity to take a vacation from everything, including healthy eating.

Think of vacation as a way to be introduced to new foods. Order an interesting vegetable dish in a restaurant and then pay attention to how the chef prepared the dish.

10. Learn to cook

If you’re cooking, you’re not opening bags and boxes. Cooking involves scrubbing and peeling vegetables, preparing whole foods and paying attention to how things are cooked. If you’re ordering out every night, you’re far less likely to be eating the whole foods and natural fruits and vegetables that provide the base for our antioxidant intake.

Benefits From Using Home Gym Equipment

Today everyone has been educated on the benefits of getting regular exercise. Yet still there are an average of sixty percent of American adults not getting enough exercise, while twenty-five percent of the population isn’t active at all. Whether this comes in the form of housecleaning for an hour or strength training at the gym--exercise keeps your muscles strong, your heart strong, and your body in shape. You may find that having home gym equipment to exercise on is a great way of staying active so that you can stay healthy.

Doctors have found that the more active you are the healthier you are in many studies. There is a direct correlation between physical activity on that home gym equipment and a lowered risk of diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, colon cancer, and muscle, bone and joint problems. Also if this wasn’t all ready enough to have you looking up home gym equipment reviews on the internet, exercise can literally make you feel better mentally and emotionally.

Plus you don’t have to exercise for hours a day every day of the week to receive these benefits. Most doctors suggest that you exercise three to five times a week for about a half an hour each time to remain happy and healthy. On a piece of your home gym equipment that’s only one and a half to two and a half hours of exercise each week. More than likely you’ll get addicted to the exercise once you get into a routine and end up exercising more than that on a weekly basis.

Anyone can benefit from the exercise that they get from using home gym equipment. As mentioned previously there are many home gym equipment reviews available online for you to look at in order to get an understanding of the wide variety and availability of home gym equipment on the market.

Do we get enough nutrients from our diets?

To answer that question, first of all, let’s have a look at what ‘enough’ is. Everyone has heard of the Recommended Daily Allowance or RDA. You find these listed as percent RDA on the back of all foods that you buy. What does that mean? The RDA was developed in the 1920’s as a minimum requirement to avoid malnutrition. It was later improved in the 1950’s to include the amounts of vitamins and minerals needed for ‘normal growth’. Today’s scientific studies show that this is very different than the amounts that are probably needed to reduce the risk of chronic illnesses.

The amounts of many vitamins (not all) that are needed for most people to stay healthy in their adult years are likely to be much higher than the RDA. The fact is, we don’t really know what the exact optimal amounts of nutrients are and they certainly vary for different people. But the bottom line is that the vast majority of us don’t get enough from our food. Studies have shown that most people who think they are eating a healthy diet are not even meeting the RDA levels for all nutrients and most people are deficient in at least one if not several key vitamins.

So what does that mean? Think about it like driving down the freeway with no seat belts, no airbags, and old tires that could blow at any time. You might be fine. But if a tire blows and you get in a wreck what are your chances of coming out of it unscathed with no safety equipment. Proper nutrition works the same way in the body. It allows us to function optimally to fight off infections and common colds and to deal with the common physical and mental stress that we face all the time. A minor deficiency in a key vitamin, mineral or other micro nutrient shows up in the short term as lethargy, impatience and general fatigue and in the long term can increase your risk for cancer, heart disease, diabetes, depression and a large number of other chronic illnesses.

Where can you get good advice? How about your physician, are they qualified to give you advise on optimal health and nutrition? Well, maybe. Ask your doctor if they have had any formal training in nutrition. It may surprise you to know that less that 10% of medical doctors get any formal training in nutrition in medical school. A doctor’s profession is really to help people that are sick get better. Doctors are trained to diagnose and treat, and after medical school a large part of their training comes from pharmaceutical representatives that visit their office. They are not usually trained to give advice on optimal healthy living. Most doctors are very reputable practitioners and adhere to high standards of patient care – but their customers are sick people trying to recover, not people trying to achieve optimal health.

So what should you do? Your homework! Would you go and buy a car or a house without doing some homework first? Would you trust all of your money to a financial advisor without checking them out first? So why would you treat an investment into your health any differently? The fact is that the nutrition industry is regulated by the FDA as a food and to the same standards as frozen pizza. Many of the products on the market use cheap ingredients in sub-optimal amounts and in forms that are not easily utilized by the body. It is outside the scope of this article to give a detailed account of all of the products available but one source is a book called “The Comparative Guide to Nutritional Supplements” by Lyle McWilliam. This provides a background into how nutritional work in your body and also a detailed ranking of many of the products on the market.

In summary, nutrition is key for life-long health and disease prevention. Do some homework and find high quality nutrition products that meet your needs.

Dairy: Diet Boost or Boomerang?

Adequate calcium intake has long been recommended for stronger bones. But lately, calcium has been scoring headlines for its possible link with weight loss. While I hope this news will be a boon to dieters, I'm afraid it could also boomerang.

Why? It panders to the fantasy that eating certain foods will make you lose weight. Wrong. Eating fewer calories than you burn will make you lose weight. And while studies suggest that high-calcium diets, especially high dairy diets, could enhance weight loss for those people already following a low-calorie regime, I'm worried that the last part of this story will be ignored by those who want to believe that ice cream, milkshakes and mozzarella are actually diet foods.

Dieters who disregard the fat and calorie content of their calcium sources may find their bodies looking more bovine than buff. So before you overdo it, make sure you understand calcium's role in weight loss.

Here's the skinny: A low-calcium diet increases blood levels of calcitriol, the active form of vitamin D. Calcitriol stimulates calcium influx into your fat cells, which, in turn, activates lipogenic or fat creating gene expression, thereby generating excess fat. In other words, if you're calcium deficient, your body is more disposed to creating fat cells than when you're getting adequate calcium.

Most of the recent research has focused on either dairy or supplementation, not fruits and vegetables, as a source of calcium. Furthermore, studies have looked at only one parameter - weight loss - without taking into account what other risk factors might be in play.

For example, we ought to be mindful of what else we might be getting from the calcium sources we choose, such as artery-clogging saturated fat and hidden sugars, as well as the dioxins found in full-fat foods, which pose a particular risk to women and girls.

The good news is that there are plenty of healthy ways to get your recommended 1,000 milligrams to 1,200 milligrams of calcium per day. For example, one cup of cooked spinach, one cup of nonfat plain yogurt, one cup of cooked black-eyed peas, a kiwi and a handful of blackberries add up to 1,046 milligrams of calcium for only 450 calories - far fewer than if you tried to meet the same requirement from full-fat dairy sources.

Keep in mind, too, that high-protein diets may cause loss of calcium, leading to osteoporosis and kidney stones. On the other hand, a diet rich in fruits and vegetables tends to inhibit urinary excretion of calcium.

So, be smart about how you incorporate calcium-rich foods into your weight-loss regime. Read labels, avoid saturated fat and added sugars, keep track of calories, and make sure your body retains the calcium you consume by including plenty of healthy, low-calorie, high-fiber fruits and vegetables. And don't fall for high-fat foods being marketed as diet wonders. Otherwise, the only thing you'll lose is further ground in the battle of the bulge.

A Healthy Guide to Good Nutrition

Whether you are at your ideal weight or striving to reach your weight goal is it simply a matter of burning more calories than you take in? The answer, I suggest, is no! Overall body health improvement as well as weight gain or loss must be factored in to the equation or you could be heading for problems. Correct nutrition can help to reduce the risk of a myriad of health-related problems, the most frightening of which are surely heart disease and cancer. Proper nutrition, however, entails eating many different foods, monitoring your consumption of some food and beverage items, and counting calories. Good diets offer balanced nutrition that reduces cholesterol, blood pressure, and helps with weight control.

To function properly, your body must have the correct combination of nutrients:
Carbohydrates. They are the primary source of ammunition in your diet. The body uses carbohydrates to build glucose which can be used immediately or stored in your body for later. Too much glucose, however, is stored as fat. There are two types of carbohydrates - simple and complex. Sugars are simple carbohydrates. Starches and fibers are complex carbohydrates.

Proteins. Proteins help your body build and maintain muscles and other tissues. They also function in the creation of hormones. Like carbohydrates, excess protein is stored as fat.

Animal and vegetable are the two major types of proteins. Too much animal protein can cause high cholesterol, as it is high in saturated fat.

Fat. Strange as it may seem; fat is another nutrient your body requires. It comes in both saturated and unsaturated forms. Saturated fat puts you at risk of health problems. Unsaturated fat is healthy, but if it goes through any type of refinement process, it can become saturated fat.

Vitamins. These are also required nutrients. Different vitamins perform different tasks within the body. They can work with the metabolism to help with energy levels for any task you can think of that you need your body to perform. It has also been noted that certain vitamins can prevent disease.

For example, vitamins A, C, and E, also called antioxidants, can assist with the prevention of coronary artery disease by keeping build up from occurring on artery walls. Vitamin B-1 is needed for digestion and proper nervous system function. Vitamin B-2 is needed for normal cell growth. Vitamin B-3 helps to detoxify your body. Folic acid assists with production of red blood cells. Vitamin D assists with the absorption of calcium. Vitamin K helps your blood clot.

Minerals and trace elements. These are another nutrient your body requires. Both are used in many different body processes. Minerals like chlorine help make your digestive juices. Phosphorus helps build strong bones. Both can be found in the foods we consume, but with a trace element, your body just needs a tiny amount. Salt is one final nutrient your body requires. You should not consume more than 2400 milligrams per day, though, as it might raise your blood pressure.

You should follow several guidelines to create a well balanced, nutritional diet. First, try to consume two and one half cups of vegetables and two cups of fruit each day. When making your selections for each day, be sure to choose a good variety. A good rough guide is to eat as many different colors as possible, this will help you to select from all five vegetable subgroups at least four times per week.

You should eat at least three ounces of whole grain products each day. At least half of your grain intake should be whole grain based. Milk should also be part of a healthy diet. Consume at least forty-eight ounces of low fat milk or milk products on a daily basis. Your total fat intake should only be between ten and thirty percent of your calories. Most of the fats you consume should be in the form of unsaturated fats, as saturated fats can do much to damage your health. Meat, poultry, dry beans, and milk or milk products should all be lean, low-fat, or fat-free. Less than ten percent of your calories should come from saturated fats, and you should always try to avoid trans-fatty acid.

Fiber-rich fruits, vegetables and whole grains should be a regular part of your diet as should potassium rich foods. Alcoholic beverages should only be consumed in moderation.

Excellent nutrition is the basis of a healthy diet.

10 Diet Rules You Can Break

Are there actually diet rules out there that are meant to be broken? Yes, recently many dated diet guidelines and myths are up for speculation. You’ve probably heard all these silly rules before, but experts weigh-in on the worthiness of these supposed truisms - most of which won't help you lose weight or make dieting any easier.

10 Food Rules You Can Ignore:

1. Eating at night will pile on the pounds. The total calories you consume over a 24-hour period or over a week is what causes you to gain weight, and when you eat these calories doesn't matter.

2. It's best to eat at the same times every day. Eat when you're hungry, not when the clock says it's time to eat.

3. Dieting with a buddy always makes weight loss easier. Common goals may pay off but weight loss is a personal journey.

4. Dietary fat keeps you feeling full longer, so you'll eat less. Fat does take longer to digest, but it will not help you control your appetite. Foods likely to fight off hunger the longest are protein foods, followed by carbohydrates, then fats.

5. When you blow your diet, you might as well wait until the next day to get back on track. Nothing could be farther from the truth- always try to get right back on track with your next meal.

6. Refusing food at a party or when visiting is rude. Turning down food that you know will blow your diet is socially acceptable.

7. Skipping a meal every now and then will help you lose. Skipping a meal means you will be so hungry at the next meal that you are likely to overeat. This can also help lead to a slowdown of your metabolism.

8. Bread is fattening, nuts are fattening, pasta is fattening. Whole-wheat bread/pasta is a great source of nutrients, and it won't make you gain weight more than any other food with the same number of calories.

9. All calories are equal. This is somewhat true, however; you'll get more nutrients from a 100-calorie apple than from a 100-calorie portion of white bread. Choose healthier items if you are losing weight, or controlling your hunger.

10. If you don't clean your plate, you're wasting food. If you just don't feel right leaving the table until you've cleaned your plate, underestimate your hunger and put less food on your plate to begin with, or you may overeat.

Don’t believe everything you hear! Much of it is just superstition. Now you can tell your friends the real truth. In the end, nutrition experts say, many of the food and dieting rules we hold dear are meant to be broken - without guilt!

Raw Food Diet

Eating raw foods is natural. Our bodies thrive on all that is fresh and vital. A raw food diet (or increasing the amount of raw food that you eat) is bound to bring a feeling of increased well being.

Raw food diets are based on unprocessed and uncooked plant foods, preferably organic, such as a variety of fresh fruits and veggies, nuts, seeds, grains, dried fruit, fresh juices and purified water.

Why Raw Foods?

Basically a vegetarian diet, the raw food diet promotes eating and drinking ‘living’ foods. Living foods and juices contain the maximum amount of fiber found in raw produce, fiber that can be lost in processing. Such foods are easily metabolized and tend to be lower in calories than the average diet.

Heating food above 116^oF destroys enzymes in food that aid in digestion and in absorption of food, diminishing its nutritional value.

Benefits of a Raw Food Diet

A diet of at least 75% raw food offers numerous health benefits, such as increased energy, improved skin appearance, better digestion, weight loss and reduced risk of serious illnesses like heart disease, diabetes and cancer.

A raw food diet contains little or no saturated fats, is low in sodium, high in potassium, magnesium, folate and fiber.
Raw food diets are also excellent detox diets. Different combination of raw, living foods and juices can be used for colon cleansing, liver cleansing, kidney cleansing and skin cleansing.

The Basics of a Raw Food Diet

Any fresh fruits, vegetables, grains, seeds, beans, nuts, legumes, young coconut milk – even seaweed – can be menu items of a raw food diet. Your choice of foods may depend on your reasons for dieting, for example:

- sprouted brown rice slows glucose absorption and improves the metabolism

- cabbage supports healthy cellular function; radish leaves act as an anti-oxidant, as does Shitake mushroom

-carrots are a great source of vitamin A as well as encouraging healthy vision and a healthy cardio-vascular system

You can use a sprouter such as the Easy Green automatic sprouter to sprout seeds, grains, beans – even wheatgrass. Sprouts could be called a ‘super food’ – organic sprouts contain enormous levels of proteins, vitamins, minerals, trace minerals, chlorophyll pigments and enzymes, and are the ideal natural supplement.

Sprouts can be used in salads and soups, or can be juiced. Fresh juices are a great ready energy supply and a good quality juicer, such as the Kempo Greenpower juicer, produces living juices that are full of essential nutrients.

A great juicing recipe to complement a raw food diet is carrot juice with potato, fennel and apple. Simply juice 4 medium carrots, 2 apples, 1 small potato and 1 small stalk of fennel.

Fennel has been shown to reduce and control inflammation of arthritis, it evens mood fluctuation and depressive states and has the rare nutrient called manganese, plus zinc and vitamin B complex.

The nutritional value of grains and seeds is impressive. They contain most of the vitamins – particularly A, B, and E. They’re also fantastic natural sources of unsaturated fatty acids and lecithin, and an excellent source of proteins.

You can even use soy milk makers (such as SoyQuick) to make non-dairy drinks from different beans, rice, nuts, seeds and grains to have with breakfast. If you want something a little more substantial than soy milk you can make your tofu (or, of course, visit a good health food shop).

Essentially, the idea of a raw food diet is to eat unprocessed foods for at least 75% of the time. If the idea of raw food isn’t very appetising to you, you can warm the food a little as long as the food isn’t heated above 116ฐF.

Cautionary Note

As with any major change in diet, it’s wise idea to consult your doctor before beginning a special diet. This is especially true for children, pregnant women, anyone with anemia and anyone with a pre-existing medical condition.

Even natural foods can conflict with certain medications, so please ask your doctor or pharmacist if you’re taking any medication.

Because a raw food diet is detoxifying some people suffer a mild detox reaction including mild headaches, nausea and cravings. These symptoms may last for several days and you’ll get more enjoyment out of your raw food diet if you cut down on things like meat, sugar and caffeine a week or so before commencing the diet.

Last But Not Least…

A raw food diet is certainly a good way to improve your overall health and wellbeing. Like anything worthwhile it takes time, energy and commitment. Because many of the foods for this particular type of diet are made from scratch there is some preparation time involved. There are many great products on the market that can help you prepare your own living food and save you some time as well.

Combined with regular exercise, a raw food diet is also an excellent weight loss method. If you’ve been feeling ‘a little off’, or just need a pick-me-up and some extra energy, then a raw food diet is certainly a good way to go.

Don't Exceed Your Aerobic Limit

When you say "aerobics," people invariably picture themselves sweating up a storm or gasping for breath. The truth is, your metabolism is aerobic even while you're reading the book, reading this blog--though it would take years of aerobic couch-sitting to burn off unwanted fat and you would never condition your heart and lungs that way.

On the other hand, many so-called aerobics classes may actually be anaerobic (without oxygen, or too high-intensity) for you. When you can't easily catch your breath, you are approaching your aerobic limit. Exceed it, and your body must switch to glucose-predominant fuel while fat-burning metabolism comes to a screeching halt. Lactic acid starts to build up, and exhaustion may set in. People who are over-fat, out of shape, or who have non insulin-requiring diabetes may bump into this aerobic limit at a lower workout intensity than normal people.

So that you don't exceed your aerobic limit, make sure you can comfortably breathe and simultaneously carry on a conversation while you are working out. Or monitor your heart rate as follows:

• First, locate your pulse on the side of your neck below your ear, just under your jawbone.
• Second, determine your heart rate per minute while you are sitting and resting; count the number of beats in 6 seconds, count the first beat at zero, not after a second has passed, then add a zero to the total. For instance, if you count 13 beats in 6 seconds, your heart rate is 130 beats per minute.

If you stay within your conditioning zone, you can be confident that your heart and lungs are getting a productive workout and you are disposing of body fat at the same time.

At first, check your heart rate often---before you set out, after several minutes of brisk walking, at the halfway point, and at the end of your jaunt. Five minutes after the end of your workout, do a recovery heart rate check. It should be less than 120 or less than 100 if you're over 50. If it's not, you overdid it! As you become fit as a fiddle, your resting heart rate may slow down, saving your heart thousands of beats every day and adding years to your heart-life-expectancy.

Get Fit On Your Foot

There are several ways to get more of a walking workout with the same number of miles:

• Walk faster. This is the easiest way.
• Swing your arms vigorously or pump them, with elbows bent--you'll burn 5% to 10% more calories (much more effective than hand weights, which can throw you off balance).
• Walk or hike uphill, and give your thighs and buttocks a thorough workout; plus you'll burn twice as many calories on a 10-degree slope as on the flat-lands---even more with a really steep incline.
• Walk downhill; after every up comes a down, but you continue to burn more calories because you are braking. You'll feel that it's not that easy by just walking downhill !
• Walk carefully over an uneven surface, like a dirt trail, a soft sandy beach, or a dry creek bed.
• Instead of tiny mincing steps, as if you were still clipping around in uncomfortable dress shoes, try a longer stride, pushing off with your toes.
• Walk backward to warm up and cool down----it will stretch the opposite muscles and take stress off your knee joints.
• Forward or backward, walk tall and proud with your tail tucked under to strengthen flabby abdominal muscle.

Exercise on stationary bike

If you are shopping for a stationary bike, try it out for comfort at least 10 minutes straight before you sign on the buying document. Many people find a recumbent model more comfortable, but whatever your choice, be prepared to spend $200+ for a really good one. Always adjust the seat properly: when the pedal is nearest the floor, your foot should be flat and parallel to the floor, with your leg almost fully extended.

Besides offering a gentle alternative to the pounding of jogging, biking is fun and an efficient means of transportation. With a bike rack on your car, you can take aerobic fitness with you.

The key to most of these aerobic sports, though, is an excess of initiative, plus recreational togs to start, and then a shower to finish. That's why the sport ranked number five is also the number one all-around lean-builder and fat-burner: walking.

The first time you did it, Mom and Dad squealed with delight and took your picture. And you've been doing it ever since, because walking is a natural. Most anyone can walk--anytime, anywhere--sans special equipment outside of a sturdy pair of walking shoes. You can sneak off for a walk when you need it most, without telltale perspiration and gym shorts to give you away. And whether your goal is getting lean or just getting from here to there, you'll find aerobic walking is easy to weave into your daily routine. It's also simple to pick up again after a layoff--another reason walking is the most popular recreational activity.

Walking is a sociable sport; you can have a heart-to-heart conversation right in the middle of a workout. Plus it's one of the few aerobic activities men and women with varying fitness levels can do together. Create a rendezvous time and place for neighborhood walkers, and you'll rarely walk alone. If you're feeling a bit contemplative, on the other hand, walking by yourself allows you to enjoy rare solitude. It's easier to control the intensity of a walk than a run, which helps you stay within your aerobic limit and avoid injuries. Walking also allows you to maintain your workout longer without getting out of breath or pooping out; and a long, slow calorie-burn is the optimum way to dig into body fat stores. Three miles an hour, or 20 minutes per mile, is a good pace for long walks. If it still feels too tame, try race-walking to add some spice to the sport. True to its label, you can fan the ompetitive flame and burn major-league calories without the physical impact and joint stress of jogging.

"Of all exercise---walking is the best."

But what if your sole goal is to metabolize body fat? Is walking worth the effort? You better believe it is. During a landmark year-and-a-half study, one group of women walkers shed an average of 22 (and as many as 38) scale-pounds---without cutting back on food at all. In fact, most of the women claimed to be eating more. After years of losing and regaining the same pounds, they found they could maintain or increase these results simply by adjusting their time spent walking.

A study suggests fitness even beats out dieting. Participants who were instructed in "diet" techniques lost 16 scale-pounds, while those given exercise instruction without any mention of food restriction lost only 10. A three-year follow-up found the "dieters" right back where they had started, however, while the original exercise group had regained little of their lost fat. Results like these could put us nutritionists right out of business! Interestingly, the "dieters" lost a pound of lean for each 4 pounds of fat, while the exercisers kept their lean.

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Swimming, bicycling and trim

Here are some suggestions to help you get in the swim---and stay there.

• Protect your coiffure with a shower cap, then grab a kickboard and splash your calories away. If you need them, get a snorkel for breathing, a wet suit for warmth, or goggles to guard against chlorine.
• Even a flounderer will burn calories, but don't hesitate to sign up for a swimming skills class --- it's really fun.
• When you get tired of traditional swim strokes, try aqua exercises . In chest-deep water, you can jog or do continuous calisthenics like bobbing and stretching.
• Another idea: strap on a pair of fins, hook your toes over a rope, and swim in place; or grab the rope and practice your kick; or simply tread water.

Bicycling is another great nonimpact sport, so it ranks fourth on the list. True aerobic cycling in downtown Manhattan may kill you before it conditions you (wear a helmet, please), but an indoor stationary bicycle offers all-weather access plus safety and privacy. Even though you can read, watch

Out on the streets you may have to put in a bit more time, though---say a ride of 50 minutes to an hour---to get the same fat-burning advantage of a half-hour jog. (That's because you spend some of your time coasting.) On a stationary bike, however, the tension knob allows you to select the intensity of the ride and thereby pedal away your calories faster.

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Aerobic Alternatives

Aerobic sport like skiing burns an awesome number of calories. Between seasons you might investigate sports equipment that simulates cross-country skiing. For this demanding sport, it pays to get in shape ahead of time.

Then there's rated second, swimming, but often the first step for those who are over fat. It allows a whole-body workout without the danger of overheating (this is a significant problem for fat-insulated people), and those with injuries can move in most any direction with water serving as a protective cushion. Underwater even heavyweight landlubbers are light as a feather, and the feeling is pleasantly addicting. Once you see how swimming tones and firms your chest and shoulders, you may have to be coaxed out of the water rather than into it.

Running is the third best aerobic choice, but it will always be number one in the hearts and soles of the runners, jogging is a good option for busy people; you can accomplish a lot of aerobic calorie-burning with a minimal time investment. Occasional joggers quickly find themselves addicted to the peace, the pace, and the power of running, and find it's fairly easy to stick to it.

When you get tired of the same old sights,simply vary the route. In fact, you can run away to just about anywhere in the world with only your passport and running shoes for companions. And if you need extra incentive now and then, you can find it in a competitive runners' club or a free-spirited run-for-fun event.

No strain, no pain

"Keep going--twenty-three, twenty-four---make it burn!" barks the exercise drill sergeant. But according to the guy, whose aerobic programs are among the oldest and safest, overworked muscles are especially vulnerable to fatigue, cramping, and injury. To enjoy the fitness gain without the muscle strain, shop carefully before you pay your fee.

• An aerobics class should be fun and challenging, never boring, and music is a must--the Lamaze method of physical conditioning.
• Quality aerobics shoes and a wood floor or other resilient surface help prevent common impact injuries, as do routines without repetitive movements.
• Calisthenics like leg lifts, which concentrate on certain body parts, will tone the muscle under the fat but will not reduce the fat over the muscle; whole-body aerobics are best for decreasing body fat, and 30 to 45 non-stop minutes are a recommended minimum.
• Your pulse should climb neither too high (above 75% to 85% of your maximum heart rate) during routines nor fall too low between routines.
• A low-impact or low-level class is probably most productive for initially out-of-shape and over-fat folks.
• An aerobics class should meet two to three times a week but never more than four; hiking, biking, and swimming can round out your fitness week.
  

Aerobic - Move it to lose it

To be totally fit, you can pursue activities that make you stronger such as to lift your single suitcase aboard on your international flight, faster such as to chase down the last bus home, more flexible such as to fold yourself, yoga-style, into a super compact car, more agile such as to keep up with a four-year-old child at the playground, and provide endurance as you can hit every store at the shopping mall. Only sustained activities provide what you need most, however: whole-body fat-burning and aerobic heart-and-lung conditioning.

Activities that accomplish this are as close as the nearest fitness class. People who would never routinely climb on a bike or jump in a pool are easily lured into a gym after work to sweat and sing along with their favorite singer. With a quality videotaped program, you can burn calories in the comfort and privacy of your own living room, at any hour of the day or night.

Don't overlook the rewards a group has to offer, however. You will make new friends, and in a semi-crowded class you will also discover there is no such thing as an average body, much less an ideal one. Instead, you see infinite variety in size and shape--from gazelles to gorillas. (It is interesting that gazelles can be awkward and clumsy while gorillas can be delicately graceful, and both can become aerobically fit.) When you unconditionally accept everyone else's shape and fitness level in a relaxed sociable setting, it helps you accept your own luck-of-the-draw as well. If you are intimidated by muscle-and-fashion-show aerobics, keep hunting until you find a program that allows for, and encourages, individuality. Somewhere there is a class that is exactly right you.

Snappy Snacks

Whoever told you to avoid snacking was way off target.
Post this list on the back of a kitchen cupboard door and go for good snacks. When you try a new idea, check it off; then add your own inventions to the list.

• Fresh pear with "light" cream cheese
• Half hard-cooked egg with bran crackers; low-sodium tomato juice with no-salt seasoning or a dash of hot pepper sauce
• Frozen yogurt: stir 1 cup plain, low-fat yogurt into a cup of commercial fruit yogurt and freeze
• Toasted, unsalted soybeans
• Unsweetened applesauce with cinnamon and nuts or a spoonful of granola
• Whole wheat blueberry muffin with a cup of skim milk
• Tart or sweet lemonade: juice of 1/2 lemon, 1 cup sparkling water; 1 teaspoon honey or to taste
• Carob cocoa: heat 1 cup low-fat milk, 1 to 1/2 tablespoons carob powder, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla, pinch of cinnamon, 1 teaspoon honey or to taste
• Plain yogurt mixed with a spoonful of frozen orange juice concentrate, topped with fresh orange slices
• Blender gazpacho: 1 cup tomato juice, 1/2 stalk celery, 1/2 green onion, 1/4 to 1/2 cucumber, 1 to 2 teaspoons lime juice, sprinkle of garlic, few drops of hot pepper sauce
• Fresh peach with low-fat cottage cheese and graham cracker
• Trail mix: salt-free sunflower or pumpkin seeds, almonds, raisins, dried apricots
• Main-dish leftovers or soup with a salad and a cup of low-fat milk
• Fruit juice soda: mix equal parts cranberry-apple juice, orange juice, or another fruit juice with plain carbonated water (Nature's answer to soft drinks)
• Fresh apple with part-skim mozzarella cheese
• Club soda with grapefruit juice; a handful of granola
• Tomato-buttermilk cocktail: combine 1/2 cup tomato juice, 1/2 cup buttermilk, and a dash of no-salt herb seasoning
• Summer punch: 1 cup orange juice, 1/3 cup pineapple juice (unsweetened), 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice, 1 cup plain carbonated water, ice cubes
• Hot chicken stock or broth, fat-free; whole wheat low-salt pretzels
• Plain low-fat yogurt with a handful of fresh blueberries; raisin-oat bran muffin
• Whole grain rye crackers with part-skim mozzarella cheese
• Apple tea: combine equal parts apple juice and herbal tea, such as peppermint; serve iced with lemon
• Frozen grapes, frozen banana slices (dipped in lemon juice before freezing)
• Raw veggies--carrot sticks, celery sticks, cucumber chips, cherry tomatoes-- and powdered dip mix prepared with plain low-fat yogurt and blended cottage cheese in place of sour cream
• Popcorn Parmesan: sprinkle 1 to 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese over air-popped popcorn
• Peanut butter spread thin over brown rice cakes, topped with raisins
• Potato crisps: slice raw or lightly steamed new potatoes into 1/4-inch rounds; bake at 350 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes (or until crisp and golden), turning once
  

Fast Diet - Eat often and you'll eat less

How do you make a fat rat? You have to tell him the kitchen is closed until dinner time so he can't nibble all day and spoil his appetite. After a week of frustration, he learns to eat a lot of rat chow at his one big meal, and he ends up gaining 30 percent more fat weight as a result. This could be bad news for those of the human species who alternately stuff and starve themselves because they don't have time (or so they say) to eat on a regular schedule. A different study found rats deprived of food all but one hour a day are more likely to choose sugar water than nutritious rat chow when they do eat. If this translates to soda pop instead of bagels for over-hungry people, skipping meals and snacks could do double damage.

If you're a confirmed member of Over-eaters Unanimous, set the Timing now for Quantity (and perhaps Quality) Control. Though it sounds crazy at first, you will not only be less hungry, you will probably eat less (and store less surplus body fat) if you eat more often--every three to four hours if possible. In other words, if you graze, you'll be less likely to gorge. Just choose what you graze on carefully.

On the other hand, there are a few people who really need to batten down the cupboards, This girl's one-day Eating Diary had 40 entries. Each time she would pass out peanut butter graham crackers or fruit juice to one of her three preschoolers, she'd have a bite, too, often with a cheese and Frito chaser. There was nothing that looked like a real breakfast or lunch anywhere on her diary, and not a veggie in sight.

And that's the main problem with quick foods and no prepared meals: the vegetables, especially cooked veggies, seem to disappear. If you have unlimited access to food during the day, designate a definite time for meals, and schedule a reasonable number of fillers in between them. If you have to, leave a note on the fridge that says, "Safe Deposit Box: Only open for snacks at 10, 2, and 4."

HUNGER BUSTERS

• Eat breakfast, or a more substantial breakfast, with a little protein or fat, especially if you're plagued with afternoon hungry.
• Eat a snack or meal every three or four hours during the day; it doesn't have to be much, sometimes a blite or two will do.
• Eat a real snack, while sitting down, before you start dinner or while it's cooking; gry to keep your paws off the dinner foods until dinner, when you can be conscious of what and how much you're eating.
• Eat something before you go, whether it's a late dinner out, a beer and chips party, or a long meeting with only coffee for refreshment.
• Take something with you when you go to the movie, the beach, or the park; otherwise, the concession will probably snatch your small change.
• Keep a list of good and easy snack ideas handy, and add a few of them to your grocery list each week.
• Some of the most popular snacks can provoke hunger rather than satisfy it; take it especially easy on the Spoilers, sugar, salt, caffeine, and alcohol.
• Eat mostly fiber foods, and you won't have to deal with going hungry at all.
  

Tame Your Appetite / Set the timing

You got hungry. It happened yesterday, today, and will happen again tomorrow. Though it happens every day, you still forgot to stuff your pockets with fruit, or to make a sandwich for lunch when you left home this morning. A breakfast pastry and coffee obligingly shuts down stomach grumbling for a while, but by one o'clock the pangs are ordering "Eat something or die". All that's in sight or smell is the crispy chicken shack, the pretzel, the quick-dip ice cream cart, and the trusty vending machine. You feel compelled to gorge but settle for a hot dog instead though you're on diet!

Never a stranger, though, Hunger is back again, double strength this time, by 4 o'clock, and no wonder. Thus far, the most intense part of your day has been fueled by a sugar-coated roll, a hot dog, and two "diet" sodas. You're still short 60 percent of your daily calorie quota.

5:30 pm finds you desperately ransacking the ice box. The verdict: nothing quick and nutritious, so the candy bar hidden in the freezer will have to do. "I'll just diet tonight", you decide righteously while crumpling the wrapper. But your body has other ideas. By the time dinner is on the table, you're over-hungry. The unfed animal appetite orders "Eat, eat" and you obey, gobbling too much, too fast, hardly able to taste or enjoy the food going down the hatch. You never intended to finish the day in this ravenous condition. How did it happen?

If you're hungry all the time, or over-hungry at the wrong times, your timing may be off. The obvious antidote for hunger is to eat, and eat often. The best way to do this is to add between-meal snacks while cutting the size of main meals. In other words, graze, don't gorge. Think in terms of 6 small, equal-spaced meals instead of 1 or 2 big ones. Living Lean students who adopt this schedule rarely complain about being hungry that is, unless they graze on all the wrong things.

"But eating during the day makes me feel sluggish." Maybe you're eating too much at a sitting and then sitting some more. You're an even better candidate for between-meal snacks; they help sustain your energy and allow you to feel satisfied with smaller meals. Also make sure your lunch includes a protein source. Too much carbohydrate,and you're likely to feel drowsy instead of energized afterward.

"But we've always been told not to eat until we're hungry." If you skip or skimp on perfectly good meals, you're likely to get hungry later when there's nothing nutritious for miles around. As you tumble into bed tonight, resolve to try a new tack tomorrow: plan to get hungry because you will eventually, and then eat before you do.

Take a look at your Eating Diary once more. Do you see clusters and holes in your eating routine? If so, distribute the same number of calories more evenly.

Fiber is good for you

Dietary fiber is good for you. It speeds up elimination and adds bulk, helping prevent constipation, varicose vain, hemorrhoids, diverticulitis, irritable colon, appendicitis, gall bladder disease, and even colon cancer. Wheat bran isn't habit-forming like some laxatives. Water-soluble fibers, on the other han, bind with fats like cholesterol and carry them out of the body along with nasty carcinogens, reducing your risk of heart disease and colon cancer. High-fiber diets have also been used in the treatment of diabetes and hypertension. Oat bran, dried beans, and apple pectin are especially effective.

But that's not all. Fiber holds food in your stomach longer, preventing a rapid rise in blood sugar, slowing down calorie absorption, and staving off hunger a little longer. Dried beans are also good, especially if they are presoaked and well cooked to release the soluble fiber. But there are other excellent choices, including oats, buckwheat, pasta, peas, sweet potatoes, corn, apples, orange, and wheat bran.

The Fiber Connection: Filling, Not Fattening

There is no arguing with your appetite after a long day of hiking the nature trails or cleaning out the attic. You will be hungry and it appears very easy to overeat.

But exactly how much food is too much food? A small slice of strawberry pie is more than a gallon of salad if calories are the yardstick. And if you crowd the dinner table or fill your stomach, it does not necessarily mean you have abandoned quantity control because dietary fiber casts the deciding vote. For example, an apple may seem like a lot of food and a more satisfying snack when compared with a half cup of apple juice. But the calories are just the same, the only difference is fiber. And eating more high-fiber, high-volume, low-fat foods is a slick trick because it could cut your calories in half.

From the study, a low-to-high-fiber switch slashed participants' calories from 2,000 to 1,500 a day, even when they ate all they wanted. The fiber-full meals were rated just as tasty and filling, and did not trigger extra nibbling to replace the saved calories. On the other hnad, the low-fiber meals tended to induce overeating: participants failed to stop eating when they were pleasantly full.

It appears that eating more dietary fiber is the easiest way to fight hunger and also maintain quantity control without the hassle of counting calories. And if you have been avoiding carbohydrates because they are fattening, please hear this: fiber foods are filling, not fattening!

Fast Diet - Eating Diary

Before choosing the appropriate route for a cross-country trip, you need to decide what your departure point will be and have your auto checked out for any problems that need attention. In the same way, to effect changes in what and how you eat, it's important to do some consciousness-raising about your current eating habits. Some practices may need only minor repairs, while others demand an extensive overhaul, but the mechanical work will facilitate the journey from where you are to where you want to be.

The best way to know exactly what you eat is to write it all down. Record right now regardless of whether it has been a good or bad day, whether it's morning or late at night - everything you have eaten or drunk so far today. Complete today's record. Then log your oral travels for two more days.

Use the eating diary form if you wish. It will provide extra information that could come in handy: why you eat, where you eat, and so on. In addition, you may want to record a weekend day, since your usual routine is often disrupted after the 5 O'clock whistle on Friday. Suggestion: don't plan ahead for this activity. You may be tempted to alter your accustomed eating pattern, and this is one diary that should tell it like it is.

What do you want to lose?

Everyone wants to lose weight these days. But losing weight is not necessarily a guarantee of losing body fat. It could be water. Since your body is about 60% water, fluctuations in body fluids can show up on the scale as a sizable number of pounds. Or it could be glycogen. This energy reserve - weighting more than a pound - will shrink over the course of a day if you fail to eat enough carbohydrate or if you forget to eat. It isn't only fat that has vanished. Glycogen and its associated water and even some body protein have disappeared as well.

The next day or so you experience an imperceptible increase in appetite as your body restores this naturally occurring fuel reserve, along with its accompanying water. You step on the scale again and a weight gain. Through all these dramatic weight changes there may be no substantial change in body fat.

Burning Real Fat is like burning a big oak log. It's slow going. It's difficult to ignite, but once it catches fire it provides steady heat for a long time. Thus, body fat is a key to endurance energy. Glycogen, a carbohydrate, provides a more immediate fuel source, as when you sprint to catch the bus. Like kindling twigs, it's easy to ignite but rather short-lived, providing a quick burst of energy. A combination of the two fuels is more effective than either one alone since they work as a team.

Weight loss, then, can be quick and easy. But Real Fat Loss must be slow. Except for a very large person or someone shedding a lot of water, 1 scale-pound a week is a maximum weight loss, and 1/2 pound a week may be an optimum - both to protect health and to ensure that positive changes in body composition and body image are permanent.

Body Fat - Friend and Foe

Have you ever wondered why your body goes to such extremes to store fat you don't want? One reason is that your body fat protects against mechanical injury. Another reason is that it acts as a heat insulator. Fat added during pregnancy us and energy reserve for the nursing mother, a reserve that may be depleted only with extended breastfeeding.

Even more important than these reasons is simple survival. Our ancestors' bodies were adept at storing fat in anticipation of constant famines. For them, it was survival of the fattest. Although this is still true for some people in some areas of the world, for most of us famine means "I didn't have time to eat today." When you reach the bottom line, your excess fat is more likely to be a health liability than survival insurance.

Medical exam and Personal health record

If you don't already have a physician who counsels you on the importance of eating healthy and staying physically active, then find one. In addition, keep a folder containing personal health records and medical history for each family member. You can assume this information is contained in your various physicians' files, but you can't be assured it will be readily available in an emergency. Know your usual blood pressure, blood lipids, medications - including how much you take and how often - immunizations, and any other vital statistics. Your health is your responsibility, not your physician's.

Advise your doctor that you will be increasing your physical activity and altering your diet to include more fiber and less fat. If you're more than 35 years old or in very poor physical condition, your doctor will probably suggest a physical and laboratory exam and possibly an exercise stress test before you begin the changes. Request a blood lipid profile, including HDL-cholesterol and relevant ratios. These provide valid information about your risk of cardiovascular disease and will help you plan your aerobic activities accordingly.

Fast Diet - Participation Agreement

Now, are you really ready to begin? Then read the following contract, print out and sign it. This is the binding contract, so consider it thoughtfully. Have a supportive person be your witness if possible.
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I really want to lose fat and become fit.

I am solely responsible for my self-improvement project and will enlist the support of others when necessary.

I acknowledge this ongoing project as a current priority in my life.

I am comfortable with realistic, long-term goals consisting of positive thoughts and constructive actions, since they will produce the most enduring benefits.

I will make changes for the better in my lifestyle and habits because my health and happiness are important to me


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Signature

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Date


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Witness

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Date

It's time to diet

Although there may be a more convenient time, there really is no perfect time to have a baby, move to another city, change jobs, or stop smoking. There is likewise no optimum time to begin making changes toward a healthier lifestyle unless you really want to change.

With each passing day, someone within earshot can be heard to say, "I need to get rid of some of this extra FAT!" or "I should get in shape, just look at me!". "Should" and "oughta" are not the same as "want to" which is still not the same as doing. Just compare the money spent on fitness togs, health clubs, and "diet" schemes with the number of people who are still overfat and out of shape.

Psychologists agree that continually complaining about one's health but not doing anything to improve it is unproductive; it fosters obsessive guilt while reinforcing a sense of powerlessness. This attitude can lead to compulsive eating, chronic "dieting" and serious damage to self-image.

If you're sincerely want to boost your health and appearance, on the other hand, nothing can stop you. Getting started is the toughest part - like pedaling a bicycle up a hill. Even a conditioned athlete would have to use the climbing gear at first, but the anticipation of the downhill ride helps top spur that initial push. If these lifestyle changes seem arduous right now, don't worry; very soon you get to learn back for the downhill coast.