Archive for August 2010

Making Healthy Food Choices In Our Busy Lives

William Drapcho asked:


You already know how important it is to make healthy food choices for you and your family. But how can you fit the best choices into your busy life?

You’ll be pleased to discover that a hectic life doesn’t mean that every meal has to be fast food on the run! Sometimes it’s difficult to make healthy changes, but with a little planning and know-how, it can be done.

Here are some strategies to help you and your family make healthy choices:

1. Avoid temptation. It’s so easy to walk into the store with good intent, but walk out with bags full of unhealthy foods. Unfortunately, our wills are weak, especially if we’ve trained ourselves over the years to buy junk foods.

* Never shop when you’re hungry. This way you won’t pick out unhealthy choices because they look good at the moment.?

* Get rid of the unhealthy foods in your home. If they aren’t around, you won’t be tempted to eat them.

* Think of healthier alternatives to your family’s favorite unhealthy foods. Rather than high calorie chips, try trail mixes or rice cakes. Low calorie puddings or frozen yogurts are better alternatives to higher fat ice creams.

2. Eat fast and healthy meals at home. When you’re tired at the end of the day and you realize you still have to feed the family, it’s easy to go to a fast food chain and throw fast food on the table. It may save some time, but it won’t save your health – or your pocket book!

* The great thing is that there are many easy, fast, and healthy foods you can make at home. This takes some planning, but you’ll be more satisfied, save money, and be healthier as well.

* Look online for quick and easy recipes made with all natural ingredients. Many recipes can be made in 30 minutes or less and only have 5 ingredients. Taking the time to do some recipe research will save your sanity in the long run. Then once you find a “hit” with the family, store the recipe in a book or on your computer.?

* When you cook, make large batches and freeze the leftovers. This way, you’ll already have meals in the freezer that you can just thaw, heat, and serve. No muss, no fuss! This is the opportune way to enjoy “fast” food at home.

3. Eat Slower. Since the brain takes about 20 minutes to get the signal that the stomach is full, if you eat too fast you’ll pack in a lot more food than you need. When you’re still thinking you’re hungry, it’s easy to make the wrong choices about food. If you slow down while you’re eating, you’ll eat less and you’ll still feel full.

* Set a calming mood before sitting down for a meal. Avoid having the television on or eating as you’re rushing the kids out the door to another activity. Sitting calmly at the table will allow everyone to relax and enjoy their meal.

4. Make dinner time a social experience. Dinner should be about enjoying your company and taking pleasure in the foods you’re eating.

When you begin to look at mealtime as a social experience, it becomes easier to make the right choices about healthy foods. Suddenly you aren’t so worried about rushing through and making it quick.

Dinner becomes a great experience when you’re able to enjoy healthy foods together. Take time to eat as a family and enjoy a real conversation with each other. Talking will naturally slow down your eating pace, while also reconnecting you with your family members.

Using these techniques will bring all kinds of healthy benefits to your family and teach your children a healthy lifestyle. Healthy food choices are a possibility in your busy life if you take the time to plan ahead and make dinner time a priority in your home.

 



The Fat Loss Secret

Hassle-free Dieting

Diets In Review asked:


The Nutrisystem diet is created to take the guesswork out of dieting, eliminate time consuming shopping and preparation, and allows for convenient weight loss. Based on the Glycemic Index, which measures the quality of carbohydrates and their impact on blood sugar levels, this program creates delicious, prepackaged, and ready to eat meals that are delivered right to your doorstep. No more grocery lists, pre-planning, and stressing over what to eat. Nutrisystem takes the hassle away from dieting and allows you to focus on reaching your weight loss target.

For many dieters, stress and busy schedules often get in the way of successful weight loss. When we are pressed for time or faced with too many choices, we often make poor eating decisions. Nutrisystem offers a list of prepackaged foods for breakfast, lunch, snack, dinner, and desert. Simply click on what foods on the list appeal to you and Nutrisystem brings the meals to you. No more counting calories, weighing, or measuring what you eat. Just click and enjoy.

The meal plan is based on low-fat foods and a balanced diet from the Food Guide Pyramid. Whether you enjoy pastas, sweets, salads, rice, or meats, Nutrisystem includes a wide variety of meals for whatever you crave. Combined with an exercise plan, this program provides optimum weight loss results while relieving the stress of dieting.

For those that choose not to eat the prepackaged foods for every meal, Nutrisystem provides healthy guidelines for grocery shopping and food preparation. No matter what you choose, by following the Nutrisystem program, you will be on your way to making healthy eating choices and losing weight.



The Truth About Abs

Building Muscle the Organic Way

Bernice Eker asked:


Organically or naturally building muscle means that you develop your musculature the old-fashioned way.

Although there are supposedly a lot of other options to creating the perfectly sculpted physique using “easier” methods (like drugs, supplements and surgeries,) these options are not particularly encouraged by health care providers, and certainly not favored among the lot of hard core body building enthusiasts. In fact, professional body builders who use these methods are eventually banned from the sport; and have to suffer the dire medical consequences of choosing the easy way out.

The old-fashioned and gradual way is always the best means to building muscle mass. However, this does not simply mean that you pump iron 24/7, and always pushing yourself to the brink of exhaustion.

Here are some tricks of the trade when it comes to organic muscle building.

1. Get enough nutrition. Despite its popularity, the misconception of living on protein shakes and eating nothing but protein based food can have devastating effects on your body when you are trying to build up your physique – and none of these effects can be rightfully called as positive. Yes, protein helps with building muscles, but you would need other nutrients to keep the rest of your internal organs in tiptop shape as well. Glucose in carbohydrates is essential in keeping the brain functioning and whole. Without glucose, all the normal functions of the body slow down, and that will eventually hamper daily activities and your more strenuous workouts.

Minerals and vitamins from vegetables and fruits are necessary in keeping up one’s resistances and strength. Lightly prepared or raw vegetables and fruits are also great in satisfying normal hunger pangs without putting on unwanted pounds. Small amounts of oil from food (e.g. olive oil, essential oils rich with Omega 3 compounds) are imperative in retaining the luster of hair and nails. Furthermore, too much protein in the system can negatively affect heart functions as well. It would be best to get a balanced meal that contains almost all food groups, during every meal. Know the exact portions you could take to keep the calories down.

2. Take it easy. Pumping iron is beneficial to any body building workout, but so is rest and sleep. The body can be trained to work longer hours and to accommodate the most demanding workouts; but internal organs, and muscles need their own time out as well. For starters, most workouts need to elevate the heart rate to make the blood pump fasters, which eventually supplies oxygen to all the muscles in the body. However, the heart needs a breather every once in a while, or it will start to strain causing palpitations or even painful heart attacks. This is the reason why you need to warm up and cool down before and after strenuous workout sessions. This gives the heart the time to speed up and slow down respectively.

At the same time, muscles that are worked continuously can be inadvertently strained causing minor or serious injuries. Minute tears in the musculature can lead to internal hemorrhaging, while major tears can take months and months of healing period and physical therapy.

Take the time to really rest your muscles. If you have a workout regimen, make sure that you have ample time to rest in between exercises, and that you get as much as eight to ten hours of uninterrupted sleep per day.



End Anxiety And Panic Attacks

How to Build Muscles

Peter sams asked:


Food

The most important aspect of food in relation to gaining lean muscle is in the timing of food intake. That comes in two parts. Firstly, to have enough energy for your workout, you would want to eat at least 1.5 hours before that workout. No sooner. Digestion is the most energy-consuming thing our bodies do. If we eat just before getting to the gym or starting our workout at home, our body is busy digesting. In order to get energy from the food we eat, it must first be digested. This takes at least 1.5 hours. Carbs are the primary source of energy. I suggest rice and vegetables, or some other grain. Secondly, during exercise, our body uses the glycogen stored in our muscles for energy.

Consume More Calories

Regardless of whether my new clients want to gain or lose weight, I have them first and foremost perform a 3 to 5-day food record. This is a tedious process and will take a few minutes after every meal or at the end of your day, but the information that it will give you will be crucial in meeting your weight gain goals.

The purpose of this is to give you an idea of how many calories, carbohydrate, fat, and protein you consume on average as well as to increase your awareness of the caloric content of different foods you eat. You can then take this information and build upon it.

Protein is important

Increase your protein intake. Your body needs a lot of protein to build new muscle. But since most of the calories for weight gain come from carbohydrates and fats, do not replace them with protein.

Weights are the way to go

Focus on free weight exercises (which do not require machinery) that target your large muscle groups. For example, you need dumbbells, not fancy gym machines. Free weights put the most stress on muscles and stimulate the maximum number of muscle fibers. The best weight training exercises for building muscle mass are free weight exercises like squats, dead lifts, bench presses, barbell rows, pull ups and bar dips. These exercises are best done under supervision, but they don’t need machinery.

Train Intensely

You must work each set until you can’t do another repetition in good form. There is no point in stopping at a set number of reps (such as 8), if you are capable of doing 12. Your body needs to be challenged or it will not adapt by building new muscle or burning off body fat.

Train Infrequently

Your body needs time to recover from your weight training routine, so that in can adapt and grow. If you train with weights before your body is completely recovered, you won’t add new muscle and will eventually over train, a big no no

Carbohydrates

Many beginners or “hardgainers” get carried away with the importance of protein to gain muscle. Your focus should be on consuming complex carbohydrates to fuel your workouts. At least 60% of your total calories should be from carbohydrates.



The Fat Burning Furnace

Introducing Some Of The Best Simple Free Relaxation Techniques

Jason Archer asked:


Relaxation is nothing but taking care of your body both physically and psychologically. Often people experience condition where they can not think anymore or work anymore feeling exhausted and tired. Relaxation techniques are based on heeling mind and body from stressful strokes.

There is a list of benefits to relaxation techniques for those troubled with anxiety, strain or emotional disorders. Some of these benefits are reduced depression, decrease in panic attacks, capability of handling pain, reduced anxiety, control over stress, ability to fight pressure, improved breathing, decrease in emotional outburst, freedom from sleeplessness, emotionally stable mind and anger control.

Following are some of the best and free relaxation techniques you can use to free yourself from that exhaustion and anxiety:

Read what you like

Reading has always been considered as a good exercise for mind, thus reading a book of your taste can prove to be a great relaxation technique. So next time you find yourself tired of hectic day or a routine try picking up one of those books on your shelf. This is one of most simple, easy and free relaxation techniques that you can make use of

Dance to your favorite tune

You do not have to be a good dancer for this technique. Dancing is more or less like a form of exercise that helps to relax stiffness and loosening of an occupied mind. The purpose of this technique is to divert the mind from its stressful thoughts and to add energy to tired body, also dancing helps to rejuvenate the mood leading to complete mind and body relaxation. This is one of the most popular and free relaxation techniques as it is so much fun to do.

Aromatherapy

Aromatherapy need not be costly like you have seen in TV shows or spas. It is always possible to buy some exotic or essential oils and use them at home in your own bath tub. You can also make use of scented candles by lighting them around you and benefit from simple, easy and affordable aromatherapy to relive yourself from anxiety, stress and tiredness. The purpose of aromatherapy technique for relaxation is simple and based on the power of aroma in capturing the attention of diverted, lost or busy mind and soothing it down.

Take a hot bath

This is one of the best free relaxation techniques and most affective one too, as taking a hot bath always brings a whole new freshness to the body. This technique also does not requires any extra time or planning, as all you have to do is take a shower or bubble bath after your long tiring day and you are ready for a relax and calm evening or night. This technique also helps you think and assort your problems as you breathe easy and relaxed leaving your work, files, laptop and mobile outside.

Go out with friends or your partner

There is nothing relaxing than spending a good laughing moment with people you feel comfortable with and people you enjoy spending time with. Outing with friends or your partner always tends to give you chance of absorbing good and healthy vibes, which helps you in cutting down your stress or pressure. This also acts as a good source of entertainment for your anxiety, emotionally upset mindset and bad mood.

Take a nap

This is not just free but also all time favorite relaxation technique for many. The major cause of fatigue or tiring body is usually lack of sleep or lack of energy in the body. Taking a good nap always helps to refresh and rejuvenate the body as well as gives you a break from all that thinking and working. You can always take a 15 or 30 minutes break when you feel tired enough and are not able to concentrate anymore on anything. Its like restarting the body for effective working by it.

Eat what you love

Eating is a popular relaxation technique that does not just comes for free but also adds fun element to your moment. It is worldwide known fact that eating always works both physically and emotionally for a person, thus the best way to fight tiring day or preoccupied mind is to grab a ice-cream cone or soda can or one of those junkie food items you simply love to have. For those who are little too health conscious there is nothing to be worried of, eating for relaxation is a technique for everyone. If you want to be healthy then have salads or juice or anything which you feel will not add calories to your body. One of the best way is to relax is to prepare your own meal, this drives you away from your fatigue and keeps you self satisfied leading to a happy mood set.

Have a cup of tea or coffee

Working late or for hours can be exhausting and lead to mood change, drowsiness and anxiety. By having a hot cup of tea or coffee you can always fight these ill effects of fatigue, as a cup of tea or coffee acts more or less like body fuel.

These are some of the best, easy and definitely free relaxation techniques you can use for fighting your fatigue and exertion of the day.



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