19 Fat Burning Foods

May 29, 2009 by  
Filed under Diet & Nutrition

How many time did You look for the miracle food for weight loss? Maybe with exotic name and fancy look? Well, maybe you’re forgetting those commonly available foods, often undervalued but second to none in terms of detox and metabolism booster qualities. here’s a list of 19 of them!

1. Garlic. Lots of minerals, enzymes and amino acids; Vitamins A,B1,B2,B6,B12,C,D. Only 41 KCAL per 100 grams. Helps reactivate Your metabolism while keeping the cholesterol to rock low levels.

2. Banana. Sugars with little fats. Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Potassium, Vitamins: A,C, Tannin and Serotonin. Only 66 Kcal per 100 grams. A great appetite suppressant snack .

3. Onion. Rich of Vitamins A,C,E, and of B group of vitamins. Also Potassium, Calcium, Sodium; help diuretic activity and a great cellulite fighter. Helps to keep blood sugars stables.

4. Med grass. Not much used in today’s nutrition, but a great friend of weight loss. Helps curbing fats intake.

5. Strawberry. Low Sugars, Minerals and Vitamin C rich. Only 27 KCAL per 100 grams.

6. Corn Flakes. Cereals, Legumes mixed though. Helps a lot Your metabolism and only 14 KCAL per 100 grams.

7. Kiwi. Potassium rich and Calcium, Iron, Zinc too. great source of Vitamin C, lots of fibers, very helpful to stimulate diuretic functions.

8. Salad. Rich of fibers and very poor in calories (only 14 KCAL per 100 grams); diuretic functions and appetite suppressant, thanks to big volume / low KCAL ratio. Lot of minerals too.

9. Lemon. Lowest sugar content for the same fruit family (only 2,3%), rich in Vitamins and only 11 KCAL per 100 grams. Helps blood circulation and fights cellulites.

10. Apple. Vitamin C and E, Potassium, Magnesium, rich inn Tannin, great high cholesterol fighter.

11. Nut. Rich in Fats, Proteins, Sugars and Vitamins. Helps Fat Burning thanks to good Calcium+Magnesium contents.

12. Wheat. Only 319 KCAL per 100 grams and very rich in Proteins, Amino acids, Iron, Calcium, Potassium and Magnesium. but also good content of Vitamins B. Helps diuretic functions and fights emotional eating.

13. Chicken. White meat, low fat content, limits intake of fats, sodium and cholesterol.

14. Rucola Salad. Great content of Vitamin A and C, and great Metabolism booster. Only 16 KCAL per 100 grams.

15. Soy. Rich in Proteins and Folic Acid. Fights Weight gaining and helps rebalancing metabolism.

16. Tea. contains fat burning caffeine, minerals and B group Vitamins. Stimulate Metabolism and has a 0 Calories intake.

17. Egg. Hyperproteic food. Lots of Minerals and Enzymes, helps groom non fat mass which is crucial to increase body’ fat burning.

18. Wine. Contains antioxidants substances that help protect the heart and fight aging.

19. Pumpkin. Rich in B,C,E Vitamins, minerals and only 18 KCAL per 100 grams. Helpd diuretic functions.

18 Ways To Lose Weight Without Going On A Diet

May 28, 2009 by  
Filed under Featured

To lose one pound of body weight in a week, a person must consume about 500 fewer calories than he or she burns each day. Here are 18 ways to lose weight without going on a diet.

1. Instead of drinking orange juice at breakfast, eat a whole orange. You’ll save about 45 calories.

2. Make your breakfast omelette with four egg whites plus 1/4 cup egg substitute. Replace regular bacon with Canadian bacon to save even more calories.

3. Switch from whole milk to nonfat or lowfat milk. Use sugar substitute instead of sugar in your morning coffee or latte.

4. At lunch, use mustard instead of mayonnaise on your sandwich to save 100 calories (per tablespoon) . Eliminate the cheese and save 100 more calories.

5. Instead of a Big Mac and large fries, go for a plain hamburger and a small french fry and save a whopping 590 calories!

6. Don’t eat potato chips at snack time. Have an apple instead for less calories plus the added benefit of more fiber.

7. Substitute diet cola or iced tea for your usual soda. You’ll save 150-200 calories per drink.

8. Eat every two to three hours with smaller portions. Don’t skip breakfast! Eating small, frequent meals keeps blood glucose levels stable and minimizes the impulse to overeat.

9. Eat more healthy snacks like dried fruits and nuts, fresh fruits, cut up veggies or yogurt.

10. Substitute whole grain foods for white bread, rice and cereals. You will not only cut fat and calories, but whole grains have been proven to reduce the risk of colon cancer by increasing the fiber that your body needs.

11. Saute meat, chicken and vegetables in broth instead of butter. And speaking of butter: replace it with nonfat sour cream on baked potatoes.

12. Instead of Caesar salad, substitute a dinner sald with nonfat salad dressing.

13. Do you love pasta? Have spaghetti with marinara sauce instead of fettuccini with Alfredo sauce. You’ll save at least 500 calories!

14. When you’re going out with friends, watch your alcohol intake. Instead of using Coke or Seven-Up with your drinks, choose tonic water or seltzer.

15. Restaurants are notorious for their huge serving sizes. Eat only half of your dinner and save the rest for lunch tomorrow. Or simply share the meal with a friend.

16. Get moving. Walk to the store instead of driving. Walking is the best exercise you can do to lose weight.

17. Get more walking time by replacing coffee breaks with exercise breaks. Also use half of your lunch break to take a brisk walk with a co-worker.

18. Swim, swim, swim. By swimming for just an hour you can burn 500 calories. You’ll also end up with a firmer, more toned body.

You don’t have to go on a strict diet to lose weight. Change to more sensible eating habits and start moving your body by walking, swimming or bicycle riding. You’ll be rewarded by good health and a fit body.

Which The Best Fitness Exercise Bike For You?

May 24, 2009 by  
Filed under Fitness & Excercise

There are a wide range of fitness exercise bikes on the market today, offering the perfect workout for literally everyone who with fitness goals. From someone looking to drop a few extra pounds to those just looking to tone up or maintain their current weight, an exercise bike is the perfect home tool to help achieve these goals.

You probably know by now that the only formula for real weight loss or maintenance is calories in versus calories out. You have to burn more than you eat to lose weight or balance it nicely to keep at your current weight. Try going in the other direction and you will find your need for a home exercise bike even more urgent as you pick up more weight.

No matter which version you prefer, there are many features that you will find on all the exercise bikes in the Life Fitness range.

  • Self powered. All Life Cycles are self-powered which means no power cords to fall over, and no need for a power point. You can set up anywhere from the basement to the shed to the courtyard. The only trick to this is that your bike won’t light up until you start pedaling.
  • LifePulse Digital Heart Rate is a great system featured on the Life Cycles. Once you enter your age, and the sort of workout you are after, these bikes will set their own resistance to keep your heart rate in the target zone. What’s more, if you don’t pedal hard enough, the console will tell you that you need to work harder, or lower your ideal heart rate figure. This is a great benefit for those who want to workout in their ideal zones. All the guesswork is removed leaving you to just focus on pedaling and sweating.
  • Comfort Curve Plus Seats. The generous sized seats are made with extra padding so you won’t be suffering from a sore butt when you have finished your workout. Anyone who has spent many uncomfortable hours on an exercise bike will appreciate this design.
  • Plenty of programs to select from to keep the boredom away including Hills Plus, Personal Trainer, Random, Quick Start, Customized Workouts, Interactive Heart Rate Workouts, and Customized Cool Downs. 25 levels of resistance will offer a great workout from the beginner to those just about ready for the Tour de France.
  • Recumbent bikes, including the Life Cycle 9500HR recumbent exercise bikes are great selections for those who suffer from lower back problems. Looking more like an armchair than an exercise bike, these offer a lot of ergonomic lumbar (lower back) support.). This allows you to pedal for miles without having your back hunched up over the handlebars. You still get the workout benefits without your spine being strained.
  • Upright bikes include the Life Cycle 9500HR exercise bike. These stationary exercise bikes are the traditional design appearing more like a standard bike. These have been ergonomically designed to ensure the hip knee placement is correct, and the handle bars have been aligned to encourage ideal posture.

The Life Cycle range of exercise bikes offer a wide range of programs and resistance levels suited for those of all fitness standards. The interactive heart rate programs are especially useful for those who like to stay in their target heart rate zones. These bikes are extremely hardy and are made to last. Life Cycles would be well suited to those seeking a gym quality exercise bike for their home.

Learn How To Quit Smoking With Ease

May 21, 2009 by  
Filed under Health & Wellness

Nicotine is the chemical in cigarettes that makes them addictive. Higher levels of nicotine in a cigarette can make it harder to quit smoking. A report by the Massachusetts Department of Health found that the amount of nicotine in cigarettes has steadily increased over the last 6 years. Higher nicotine levels were found in all cigarette categories, including “light” brands.

Some researchers feel nicotine is as addictive as heroin. In fact, nicotine has actions similar to heroin and cocaine, and the chemical affects the same area of the brain.

Despite the warning printed on many cigarette packets; many people across the globe are becoming regular addicts to smoking and once you start smoking then it becomes a mountainous task to quit.

The Benefits

First of all there are many benefits to quitting. Many people who smoke do not really care about the health benefits of quitting especially if there are no signs or symptoms of feeling ill. But the truth is that quitting smoking is one of the best things that can ever be done; the benefits are not only health related. Other great benefits include:

  • A great way to save money, a pack a day smoker spends about $1200 per year

  • Food will taste better

  • Clothes, hair and breath will smell better

  • Having more control of your own life without being dependent on cigarettes

And with all that goes the health benefits that will come from quitting smoking, such as lowering your risk of a heart attack, stroke, cancer and being able to breathe better.

Tips to Stop Smoking

Most successful quitters all have the same advice which We must say are very similar in being successful in quitting smoking. We have interviewed several “successful quitters” and this is what they had to say in becoming a successful quitter:

  • Believe in yourself: As smoking is more psychological and less physical addiction you should first have to believe in yourself that you can definitely quit smoking if you want to. You should gather your keen determination and strong will power to start quitting smoking. This is the first very necessary step towards quitting smoking.

  • Write about the reasons of quitting your smoking: Believe us this is very important as when you write something which you want to really achieve in your life then it becomes somewhat easy for you to always remember your target or your goal in your life. So if you write down all the reasons of why you want to quit smoking then it will be very clear to your mind that how important it is for you to quit smoking. And it will also help you to expedite the process of minimizing the smoking habit.

  • Start practicing yoga and other exercises regularly: Yes this will definitely helps you to remove the excessive strains on your body and improve your overall metabolism and blood circulation. Thus it also helps to purify your blood and keeps you fresh and energetic all the time of the day and makes you highly positive which can bring you a surprisingly big change in your life. And there will be no need of cigarettes in your life any more. Only thing the types of yoga and other exercises should be performed with the consultation of your family doctor. Deep breathing for 5-7 minutes and 3-5 times of the day will also aid your process of quitting smoking.

  • Help your other friend or family member in quitting their smoking habit: If there is any of your friend or family member who is also a regular smoker and wants to quit smoking then you can help him or her in this process. Sharing your knowledge and methods to quit smoking with him or her will also encourage you to quit smoking as early as possible.

Other Quick Tips

  • Get rid of all cigarettes and ashtrays in the home and car.

  • Stay and hang around non-smoking designated areas to reduce the urges.

  • Ask for support from family and friends especially to refrain from smoking around you.

  • Keep busy with other tasks especially when urges start up.

  • Always have a nicotine replacement therapy (gum or patch) available for those “just in case times”.

  • Avoid alcohol or coffee as these were the most frequent causes to desire a cigarette.

  • Keep a separate bank to put aside the money saved from not buying cigarettes, and then reward yourself with something else with those savings either weekly or monthly.

All those tips are pretty good but remember that all of them are up to you. If you are not willing to stop smoking you just won’t… So keep in mind what you want and try to follow all this tips!

8 Steps Towards Long and Healthy Hair

May 21, 2009 by  
Filed under Health & Wellness

Every woman wants long and healthy hair. We desperately try various shampoos, conditioners and treatments in an effort to prevent hair thinning. However, healthy hair does not start from the outside, it starts from within. There are many ways to stimulate healthy hair growth from within. However, results are slow and minimal.

Healthy hair is a boon that few people get by birth and even fewer get to enjoy all their life. Hair is not a very vital organ in the body but receives a lot of importance because of the beauty it adds to the face of a person. Hair is generally considered to be dead but its health is determined by the skin on the scalp as well as the body’s internal functioning. Health of the hair sometimes indicates the internal body functioning also. For example, brittle hair is an indication of iron deficiency while prolonged and severe hair loss can mean inefficient functioning of the liver or the thyroid.

Using specially formulated shampoo and vitamins to make your hair grow faster can effectively combat slow growing and increase length. You shouldn’t expect to grow twice the volume just by following the following steps but what you can expect is a healthier head of hair.

  1. Eat plenty of protein. Foods such as eggs, poultry and fish are excellent sources of protein.
  2. Drink lots of milk. Milk contains many nutrients which are essential for hair growth.
  3. Increase your intake of fruit and vegetables. By consuming fresh produce your body is able to gain essential vitamins and minerals; one of the most important of these is iron.
  4. When taking a shower do not use extremely hot water. Hot water has a tendency to dry the scalp out and remove essential oils.
  5. Massage your scalp in order to improve circulation and increase hair growth. Try at least 10 minutes daily.
  6. Drink plenty of water. Water hydrates the body and improves blood circulation.
  7. Avoid bad habits, such as smoking and alcohol intake. When we drink alcohol our bodies dehydrate greatly and blood circulation slows down.
  8. Exercise regularly. Aerobic exercise gets your heart rate up and gets blood flowing to every organ in your body, including hair.

Also, avoid taking caffeine, smoking, or consuming alcohol. A protein rich diet is highly recommended. Foods like tofu or beans can contain high amounts of proteins, which can help hair to grow faster. Late nights are definitely not recommended. The point is clear – if you lead an unhealthy lifestyle, it’s going to be hard to create an environment that is conducive for your mob to grow.

You must bear in mind that hair grows slowly, at the rate of half an inch every month. For the ends to reach your shoulders, that takes roughly 2 years. So before you embark on your growth plan, be sure to take this into consideration. If your target is unrealistic, don’t try to force things. As mentioned earlier, use hair extensions. But if you the goals are realistic, and you have some time on your hands, you can always consider the tips above and try to grow your hair to the appropriate length.

EXTRA TIP

Shampoo and vitamins formulated to make hair grow faster can show positive results for many to address slow growth or to get longer locks fast. Used in a regimen to improve scalp and follicle health, you can add thickness, shine and acceleration of the Anagen growing phase.

Next Page »