Tuesday, January 29, 2008

5 Foods for Instant Healthier Diet

Have you ever said to yourself that "I want to start eating healthy?" Then only to figure out you don't know where to start. The first idea is often fruits and vegetables which are important though there is more to eating healthy. Live Lean Today has listed 5 foods that will work perfect for any person to add to their diet and it will become instantly healthier. You can plug these foods and more into you own online diet plan.

Cranberries

They earn super status for their ability to help fight off nasty urinary tract infections. About 10 ounces of juice a day does the trick. Plus, recent research shows that cranberries might also help fend off colds and fight stomach bugs, gum disease, and certain types of cancer. Add a little unsweetened cranberry juice to smoothies, and sprinkle some dried berries into cereal and muffin mix. Cranberries are great to add to any weight management program.

Walnuts

These nuts are rich in omega-3s, which help reduce inflammation and increase good cholesterol. They may even help with depression and reduce your risk of Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases. Top your salad with 1/4 cup or try them in pesto.

Beans

The humble legume may prevent heart disease and help head off colon cancer. Rich in two heart-friendly phytochemicals, beans are packed with magnesium, potassium, folate, and fiber. Get a 1/2 cup five to six times per week by adding canned kidney and garbanzo beans (rinse and drain first) to salads, burritos, and dips.

Fish

Studies show that eating seafood rich in omega-3s at least twice a week could reduce your risk of heart disease. And the reports say women of childbearing age and nursing mothers can safely eat as much as 12 ounces of seafood a week if they avoid high-mercury swordfish, shark, tilefish, and king mackerel; albacore tuna should be limited to 6 ounces a week.

Tomatoes

Loaded with the antioxidant lycopene, tomatoes and cooked tomato products pack a big health punch (at 32 milligrams, 1 cup of spaghetti sauce serves up the day's recommended intake). Studies show that women with lycopene-rich diets can have as much as a 50 percent lower risk of developing breast cancer. The antioxidant can also lower your blood pressure and bad cholesterol, and may even reduce your risk of getting macular degeneration and a host of cancers.


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Friday, December 28, 2007

How to Eat for Health: Fats and Oils

Fats are an extremely important part of a healthy diet, and the essential fatty acids are named essential for a reason. They aid in just about every bodily function as they play a crucial role in cell wall function. Working as a transporter, they pass oxygen and nutrients through the cell wall and help to keep invaders and other foreign bodies out of the cell. Other functions performed include brain cell function, immune system, nervous system and hormone function.

So what is hydrogenation and what are the results of ingesting partially hydrogenated fats into your body? Well, hydrogenation is simply the process of heating an oil to the point where hydrogen bubbles enter, becomes attached to the fatty acids and form a solid in fully hydrogenated and more of a thick cream, or butter texture when partially hydrogenated. Hydrogenated oil has a high level of trans fats and these trans fats act within a cell in a confused manor and will keep nutrients out and let the foreign bodies in. Not only do these trans fats lead to obesity, but also are linked to disease such as diabetes and coronary disease (the leading killer in America).

Trans fats and partially hydrogenated oils can be found in a number of foods, and are used because they are a less expensive alternative to other cooking substitutes such as butter. Baked goods, potato chips, cookies, crackers, are just a few of the food categories that contain partially hydrogenated oils, the worst of which is partially hydrogenated soybean oil. This soybean oil is noted to negatively affect the thyroid function resulting in feeling sluggish, a decrease in energy and reluctance to want to exercise.

How much trans fat is bad? When you find out something can lead to heart disease and obesity, I wouldn’t take any chances and I would avoid any of it at all costs. Some reports have shown that .5g of trans fat is equal to approximately 1.5g of unsaturated fat in terms of how it affects your health. You won’t see this in the label of many products as .5 g can still be labeled as 0% trans fat due to federal law. But when you scroll down the ingredients, you might come across partially hydrogenated oil present in the first few lines.

The best way to avoid trans fat is to read your labels thoroughly. Avoid grocery shopping in the middle aisles for food and stay on the outskirts of the store where the fresh produce, dairy and meat are located. When cooking, choose to cook with virgin coconut oil, although high in saturated fat, and low on many health food lists, it is unaffected by heat, and it is metabolized differently than other oils as it will be burned as fuel and not stored into the fat cells. Fats are extremely important to our diet, but you can make healthy choices about fats by reading labels and learning about the different types of fats and how they affect the body.


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Tuesday, December 4, 2007

Achieve a Movie Star Body

We watch TV and we see these amazing movie or music star bodies, and we are like how do I get a bod like that. Most people dismiss that they could never look like a movie star. Though very few people are blessed with the looks and body of Halle Berry, learning what it takes to have a movie star body will give you a hot body as well. Live Lean Today looks at the fitness and diet plans that create sexy bodies.

No matter whom you are if you want to look like a movie star than you have to exercise and eat healthy. If you want the magic pill; exercise and diet are it. Exercise builds the sexy tone lean muscles we like and your diet trains your body to burn fat and lose those love handles.

The movie star plan combines cardio and strength training with a balanced 5 small meals a day diet. What works for movie stars is exactly how Live Lean Today set up their fitness and diet plans. You don’t need expensive equipment or a lot of time. A few hours a day and some dumbbells and a stability ball will have you on your way to the new hot sexy movie star you.

Cardio Training has two major goals. The first goal is to train your body to use fat effectively as a fuel source. This allows your body to adequately burn fat on a daily basis. The second goal is to increase your metabolism so you burn more energy on a daily basis. Studies have demonstrated that people who do interval cardio training burn more fat while not exercising that doing other forms of cardio. Live Lean Today customizes your personal cardio program to optimize these results.

The best bodies have slender tone lean muscles and this is what strength training provides. The key to movie star looks from your strength training is to incorporate core training. Core training engages your abdominal muscles throughout the movements which burns more energy and develops nice looking abs.

lea newmanFive small meals may seem like a lot though it doesn’t have to be. Most people when switching from their current diet to 5 small meals eat fewer calories. When you eat throughout the day your cravings go away and your body starts to burn more fat that ever before. You know this is working because you will have more energy than ever before.

The last step to creating a movie star body is a personal trainer. Always on the news we here what the next celebrity trainer is talking about. You probably can’t afford your own celebrity trainer though with Live Lean Today you get all the benefits of a personal trainer and dietician for less than a gym membership. Live Lean Today is the only personal training website that allows you talk in real time to your own online personal trainer and dietician. Professional support is the key to overcome the weight loss and fitness challenges and personal trainers are the difference for movie stars to create their amazing bodies.


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Monday, November 19, 2007

Urban Health and Fitness Myths

Go to any gym or to your last social party and some person with spit out some urban legend as it relates to health, fitness, or weight loss. So many wise tales have been passed down from generations and especially on college campuses that we start to take them as fact. So, we have list 5 of the top urban myths around health and dieting to see do they tread water or not. Who hasn't thought that alcohol kills brain cells?

Urban Health and Fitness Myth or Fact

1. Inactivity turns muscle into fat: Almost Fact

a. The reality is that muscle and fat are two very different tissues with in the body. No, muscle can't turn into the fat though a sedentary lifestyle will cause your muscles to burn less calories. The fewer calories your muscles burn the greater amounts of fat a person will store. The correct statement is with inactivity fat replaces muscle. This is another way of saying you have a slow metabolism.

2. Women are going to get drunk quicker than Men: Fact

a. The key difference is body weight. The average male has more weight than the average female. The extra weight results in greater amounts of water in male bodies. The extra water lower the concentration of alcohol for men allowing them to stave off impairment longer. Another key difference is men has high amounts of gastric alcohol dehydrogenase, which breaks down alcohol is the liver. This allows men to break down more alcohol leaving less in the blood stream.

3. Drinking Alcohol Loses Brain Cells: Myth

a. Alcohol won't make you dumber though you may act dumber. Even binge drinkers are not going to kill brain cells. Studies have shown that heavy drinkers have the same amount of brain cells as the non drinker. Alcohol can kill brain cells though the amounts are too high to consume. You won't pass out or stop breathing before you would kill any cells.

4. Holiday 5 Pounds is a given: Myth

a. People don't gain an average of 5 pounds during the holidays. The average person gains about 1 pound over the 6 weeks from Thanksgiving to New Years. This isn't that different than the weight, from poor food diet and fitness choices that the average American gains at any point in time. The big reason we think about is that come January 1st we are making New Years resolutions and we are thinking about our weight more.

5. Drink green tea to lose weight: Myth

a. Many products and marketing are stating all the weight loss benefits of green tea. Green tea extract has been demonstrated to support weight loss and support increase in calorie burning from your metabolism. The amounts in the tea you drink are too low in concentration though to make much difference. You can still get the antioxidant properties of green tea in your drink though weight loss not much. If you want the benefits of green tea for weight loss you will have to go with nutritional supplements which deliver high concentrations.

Every myth or urban legend typically has some sort of truth to them. The issue it typically isn't exactly the way people think. The goal with any myth passed down is to do your homework.


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Wednesday, September 12, 2007

It’s a Resolution to Anti-aging

Five, four, three, two, one. Happy New Year! Whether you were dancing in the streets at midnight or sleeping beneath the sheets long before the ball dropped, the world rang in 2007, which means you will celebrate another birthday before 2008's big bash. However, while "Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve" countdown and the counting of candles on your birthday cake may be unavoidable year after year, the way you age is certainly in your control.

Aging gracefully and comfortably (without the aches and pains of arthritis and osteoporosis) can be as simple as choosing the right foods in your diet, as well as exercising regularly. Because even more than preventing wrinkles, anti-aging also means preventing memory loss, heart disease, cancer, and osteoporosis. For this reason, the anti-aging diet is receiving much attention and can certainly complement your everyday life.

The anti-aging diet is a combination of both nutrition and lifestyle factors. Not only is it important to pile your plate with healthy choices from the food pyramid, it is doubly important to keep your body fine-tuned by exercising, avoiding UV light and cigarettes, and even doing crossword puzzles. Yes, researchers have proven that mental activity forms a strong connection between your brain cells and the way your transmit thoughts, so as you age, you are less likely to develop Alzheimer's. Even more, according to the American Dietetic Association, not only can mental activity reverse damage to your cells, but also with adequate amounts of vegetables and fruits, including blueberries and spinach, age-related losses in motor function and cognition can be reduced.

If you want to see your age grow to high numbers, then you need to make sure the scale shows you the lower ones. From weight training to cardio to yoga, a fusion of activity will keep you feeling young at heart and looking ageless in your jeans. Weight training will help you build muscle, maintain strong bone density, and burn fat. That's right. The more muscle you have, the more fat you will burn. And while pumping weights will keep your muscles strong, cardio will help keep your heart pumping while yoga will keep your body stress-free.

Stress is one of many free radicals, which can cause damage to healthy cells, leading to internal aging as well as visible signs of external aging. Now, just as science has proven how dangerous free radicals are for our cells, antioxidants have proven to defend our cells by fighting against oxidation. Therefore, on the nutrition side of things, choosing antioxidant-rich foods, such as berries, may be one tasty way to living a longer, healthier life. According to the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, cranberries, blackberries and blueberries rank highest in antioxidant levels. In addition to berries, other anti-aging foods include garlic, fish, whole grains, cruciferous vegetables, nuts, soy, water and red wine.

Don't let time pass you by. To stay looking and feeling younger than ever, make sure to exercise regularly, challenge your mind, avoid harmful UV light, and enjoy a low-calorie diet full of anti-aging foods. Start today and by 2008, you'll be ringing in the New Year without having aged a day. Eat your heart out Dick Clark!


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Monday, August 27, 2007

Build Your Own Fitness Home Gym

f you are looking to build a home gym this year, there are some important criteria that should be taken into consideration. A good home gym offers versatility, the ability to have a few pieces of exercise equipment perform a wide variety of exercises. It must be durable and be able to handle the rigors of hard resistance training over a long period of time. Exercise equipment shouldn't take up a lot of space. There are many exercises you can do with your own body weight and a mat, so the home gym equipment shouldn't clutter up the workout space, nor be difficult to store. Finally it should be affordable. No one likes investing in a $1000 home gym just to use it as a coat rack or have it collecting dust in the corner within 3 months. This list of exercise equipment should offer solutions in each category listed above and it should provide a challenging and fun workout environment.

Exercise Ball

One of the most versatile pieces of exercise equipment, the exercise ball can be used in place of a bench for any supine or seated exercise. The exercise ball comes in a variety of sizes and depending on brand, is made of varying material. Because of the stress placed on a ball during a workout, it is important to look for a ball that is burst proof and it will not pop under you during a workout. To obtain the right size, a ball that sits with your hips and knees at 90 degrees is most likely what you should use for a majority of the exercises. For most, a 55cm or 65cm ball is sufficient. An exercise ball can be purchased for around $25-$60.

The exercise ball will provide an element of instability that cannot be duplicated by a bench; therefore you can improve core stability, and strengthen the integrity of your joints including shoulders, hips, knees, and ankles. The more stable you become, the stronger you will be and will drastically reduce the incidence of injury.

Dumbbells

A good home gym isn't complete without a few sets of dumbbells. 5-50lbs in increments of 5 will make a complete set for every type of exercise. Dumbbells are good for full body exercises that resist gravity. Exercises such as lunges, squats, shoulder press, bicep curl and chest press are just a few on the list of dumbbell exercises. They are durable, versatile, and a good set will last you a lifetime. A good set of dumbbells may cost $50-$100 for 3-4 sets of varying weight.

Foam Roll

A hard foam cylinder is used for self myfascial release, or self massage. A supplement to stretching, a foam roll can help to increase flexibility in a way that stretching cannot. In addition, it can help to relieve knots and adhesions within muscle tissue. If you don't like being sore after a workout, a foam roll can help to alleviate the soreness and therefore should be a staple item for your home gym. Invest $20 in a good foam roll that will take away your pain and soreness after a tough workout.

Xerdisc

The Xerdisc is an air filled rubber disc used for improving balance, and stability. The same exercises that you do while standing (ie..shoulder press, squat, bicep curl) can all be done while standing on an Exerdisc. Improving joint integrity and balance will allow you to become a more stable, stronger individual and the exercises are fun and challenging. It can also be used for ab exercises such as crunches, and anything you can do to make ab exercises harder has to be good! A quality Xerdisc may run about $40.

Xertube

Tubing comes in a variety of sizes based on the level of tension you want. Tubing can be used for most exercises in place of dumbbells and they will provide a variable tension. The plus side to using tubing is that you can gain resistance from a lateral position that dumbbells cannot provide. Exercises such as wood chops, torso twists, and pulling exercises like the bent row and lat pull are just a few that you can do with tubing that you can't get with other forms or resistance. Tubing is also safe for seniors looking to stay active as there is no risk of dropping the weight. Tubing is color coded in relation to the resistance it provides. I suggest 3-5 different tubes from thin to thick to give you opportunity to perform many exercises with small and large muscle groups. They are usually about $5-$8 a piece and can be used around doorknobs, in door jams and any other stationary post.

This exercise equipment should provide everyone from the novice to the advanced, a well rounded home gym that you can invest in for less than $200 total. The level of versatility, durability, and challenge that is provided by these pieces of equipment is unmatched by any single unit you can buy, and should give you years of workouts that can be changed and progressed as you continue to get into better and better shape. Consult with your personal trainer as to what exercise equipment may be best for your home gym.
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Tuesday, August 14, 2007

Food and Diet for More Energy

Do you find that you get fatigued during the afternoon? There are better choices than reaching for that candy bar, soda, or the latest energy drink. Food and diet is essential to giving your body more energy during the day. With making some easy diet choices you can have more energy and feel alive during those once sluggish hours.

The fatigue and lack of energy you feel is associated with how you fuel your metabolism. Another way of looking at it is the food you eat or not eat is causing you have low energy and want to take a nap at work. If you are having any lack of energy throughout the day, now is a great time to start making better dietary choices.

The common diet programs that create this lack of energy are low calorie diets or eating 3 meals a day or less. Also, if your diet habits consist of fast food, candy, or soft drinks then your body is simply not getting the energy it needs and how it wants it was balanced energy levels. Another aspect that affects your energy with poor food choices is a lack of essential vitamins, minerals, complex carbs, and amino acids. All of these are building blocks for proper metabolism functioning.

The major issue with the ineffective diet programs of Americans is bad habits actually create more bad habits. Many people think that if they just had will power they won't succumb to food cravings that crush their diets. The reality is that poor choices create times when your body is in low blood sugar and that period is what causes your cravings. It is physiology that causes them not a lack of mental strength. Did you know that once you start eating 5 small meals during the day your cravings for sugar go away? Follow me on this person's day. We are starting with breakfast though they don't eat breakfast because they have noticed that if they skip breakfast they don't feel hungry till lunch. So at lunch they go out to dinner with their coworkers. Now, from a lack of energy they over eat more food than they should at any one meal. The problem is this doesn't feel or looks like too much food because this is what they are used to. How do I know this is too much food because at around 2 or 3 pm they are crashing. Their energy is low and they have become exceptionally irritable. Does this sound familiar?

So what are we supposed to eat? The goal is to eat 5 small meals throughout the day. For the average American this is cutting their normal meal in half and eating the other half as a snack. Breakfast starts the day either burning fat or storing fat. You know you had a proper breakfast because you are hungry 2-3 hours later, and it is time for another snack. You want to keep having small meals every two to three hours throughout the day. The reason this is good is because your body is burning calories and wants more fuel to keep burning. I know it seems logical if you don't eat you will lose weight. The problem is when you don't eat your body stores the food you eat as fat. When you fuel your body every 2-3 hours your body starts to burn more energy and will stop storing energy. This is the key to healthy losing weight.

Another key aspect to controlling your energy levels is the use of caffeine. Caffeine is a stimulant that supports your body to release adrenaline into your system. Caffeine in moderation, as in one cup of coffee doesn't throw your body out of balance. Having a multiple cups or some of the energy drinks and your body is running on artificial energy and then you crash. Once you crash you want that good feeling again, and so you are off on another Starbucks run. I know people who go to Starbucks every 2-3 hours or after each time their body crashes. One thing on energy drinks, Red Bull has less caffeine than a cup of coffee though I can't guarantee what is in the rest of the energy drinks.

Do you need more protein or more carbs in your meals? If you find that your meals are made of mostly carbs or simple sugars than eating protein with your meals with balance you out. Most Americans are over eating protein. If you are not getting a small amount of complex carbs in each meal, this is another reason why you are low on energy. Carbs are you body's fuel. Protein is designed to rebuild your muscle tissue and your body doesn't want to use it as energy.

Adding proper supplementation can make easy healthy and throughout the day easier. For most people getting that mid morning or mid afternoon snack can be a challenge. Having a meal replacement bar or shake can give you the healthy fuel you need. Also, most meal replacement supplements are fortified with vitamins and minerals which is a far cry from the candy bar. Supplements allow you to get exactly the right amount of calories in your meal as well. Especially, if you are going after a weight loss goal you don't need to eat any extra calories. What should I eat for my 5 small meals? The first answer is the same things you are eating now only cut them in half. You will find that the sugar cravings go away so we automatically start eating less sugar. The goal is to go to the super market thinking about what you want to eat for your meals. If you buy it at the grocery store than you will have it ready when it is time to eat? Liveleantoday.com's diet program creates weekly menus that print out grocery lists to make this process easy. Start eating every 2-3 hours and turn your metabolism into a fat burning machine. I know you might be laughing, not your metabolism. Today if you start eating 5 small meals your body will start to turn over. You will know this is working because you will have more energy than you have ever had before.


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