eFitnessConnection.com - Blog

Harvard researchers found out that eating citrus fruit helps prevent oral cancer.  An orange a day might keep the oncologist away.  When scientists tracked the diets of 42,000 men for 16 years, they found that consuming one orange or half a grapefruit -equivalent to 6 ounces of either juice- a day lowered the risk of developing the disease by up to 40%. 

Vitamin C has many antioxidant properties that can help protect cells against malignant changes.  However, it remains unclear whether the preventive actions we observed were due to vitamin C itself, or if other components of citrus fruits were at work.

If you just cut calories, your body compensates by lowering its energy use.  Instead, increase the rate at which your body burns fat by replacing starchy carbs with good fat, fiber and protein. 

Carbs keep insulin levels high, and the more insulin, the more fat your body will make.  So, yes, cut those calories -1,000 calories roughly equals a bagel with cream cheese and a 16-ounce soda.  Then speed your fat burn by eating 8 to 10 ounces of protein (chicken, beef, or fish) and 4 to 5 cups of high-fiber vegetables or fruit a day.  Spice up your breakfast of eggs and fruit with vegetables.  Exercise, and after a couple of months, you will see your weight loss average out to 2 pounds per week.

Set a good example for your family:

Speak their language:  Tell children that real food comes from nature, while “fake” food -like potato chips and sugary drinks- comes from factory.  Kids get the concept that real is better than fake, so discuss what’s fake about your diets, and resolve to choose healthy alternatives together.

Redefine dessert:  Using sweets as a post-dinner bribe may devalue veggies and condition you both to expect a before-bed sugar-fest.  Instead, share yogurt or fruit in the evenings, and save the ice cream for special occasions.

Surround your family with healthy options:  Keeping your kitchen free of tempting junk will stop squabbles before they start.  You can bring home cookies and say no 20 times, or you can say no in the store once.

Excess weight increases risk factors for cardiovascular disease, and it’s a fact that people who eat diets rich in whole grain tend to weigh less than those who don’t.

So, start your day with a delicious whole grain cereal for breakfast. Eating whole grain cereals will also help increase your fiber intake. Diets rich in fiber may help fill you up with fewer calories and less fat.

Remember, you are what you eat, so fill your body with healthy foods that provide necessary vitamins, minerals and nutrients, and cut out the fat, sodium and bad-for-you foods.

1. Use flavorful herbs and spices instead of salt to add flavor to your favorite dishes
2. Choose canola or olive oil - which are loaded with good-for-you nutrients and fat - over butter, margarine or oils that are high in saturated fat like palm oil or coconut oil
3. Opt for whole grains, like brown rice and multigrain bread, which are packed with important nutrients and are full of fiber to make you feel fuller faster
4. Indulge in healthier, low-fat snacks, like nonfat frozen yogurt, sherbert or sorbet, fresh or dried fruit, low fat crackers, and hard candy, jelly beans, candy corn and gumdrops
5. Prepare food by steaming, roasting, poaching, baking or broiling instead of frying or sautéing

Do you have any other recommendations?  Feel free to post them for us to know!

Get a jump on healthy living by incorporating exercise into your everyday life. Staying active reduces your risk of heart disease and can also help prevent heart problems by controlling weight and high blood pressure, keeping cholesterol levels healthy, and preventing and controlling diabetes. You don’t have to run a marathon to get results.

Try:

- Taking the stairs instead of the elevator

- Parking a few blocks from the office and walking the rest of the way

- Committing to an exercise program with a friend

- Keeping active while watching TV - try lifting hand weights, stretching or riding a stationary bicycle

- Walking the dog for 30 minutes every morning

- Getting up from your desk and walking around in the middle of the day

- Breaking for a walk around the block instead of coffee in the mid-morning and mid-afternoon

- Taking time at the end of a busy day to stretch all major muscle groups for increased flexibility

 So, are you doing any of these??  Post a reply and let us know what are you actually doing to help yourself.

Maintaining a healthy weight is key to living well.  If you are overweight, a small weight loss - just 5 to 10% of your current weight - will help lower your risks of heart disease and other serious disorders.

It’s easier than you think to cut out extra calories:

- Be aware of serving sizes - they’re probably much smaller than you think.

- Read labels carefully to find out how much food makes up a serving, and how many fat grams each serving contains.

 Make smart substitutions to cut out calories, like choosing:

- 1% or nonfat milk over whole milk

- Water-packed tuna instead of oil-packed tuna

- Egg whites instead of whole eggs

- Light or fat-free salad dressings, mayonnaise, butter of margarine, and cookies instead of their full-fat counterparts.

If you don’t have time for a 30 minute workout, stop feeling guilty. In a recent study of former couch potatoes, ten minutes of exercise done three times a day lowered fat and triglyceride levels more effectively than the full half-hour blast.

Researchers aren’t sure why, but it may be that short sessions throughout the day keep metabolism slightly higher. Participants in the study ran on a treadmill, but fast walking around the mall for ten minutes should work, too, as long as you squeeze in the shorties several times a day.

A University of Helsinki study of 7,000 adults found that those who’d packed on pounds in the previous year were more likely to have logged overtime hours. Lack of time for diet and exercise is most likely the cause, but it’s also possible that work stress has a direct effect on weight gain through changes in hormones like cortisol. 

Set firm limits on your workday so that when you’re done, you still have the oomph to take a bike ride and broil fish for dinner. To help you stay productive enough to finish on time, set an hourly alarm; when it goes off; deal with your most pressing duties.

Weekly weigh-ins are a staple of many popular diet programs, but studies now show that daily weighing is the key to lasting weight loss.  When researchers at the University of Minnesota monitored the scale habits of 1,800 dieting adults, they found that those who stepped on every day lost an average of 12 pounds over 2 years (weekly scale watchers lost only 6) and were less likely to regain lost weight.  The reason: “The more often you monitor your results, the quicker you can catch the behavioral slip that causes weight gain”.

Step on the scale first thing every morning, when you weigh the least.  Expect small day-to-day fluctuations because of bloating or dehydration. 

Post a reply and let us know how often you actually weigh yourself.  We would like to know what the majority is doing!