The Proof Is In!
Haven’t we been hearing how drinking more water helps with weight loss? Scientists have now done official studies on this, and it is TRUE! Nothing is simpler to do that drink water. The study involved having people drinking 2 glasses of water before they sat down to eat. This makes your stomach feel more full, and eat a little less, 75-90 calories worth of food.
This doesn’t work with diet drinks, which trick your mind into wanting to consume more sweets!
See this segment on The Today Show: http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/26184891/vp/38829351#38829351
Can You Reduce Cellulite?
Didn’t we think cellulite is some horrible thing that happens to us without our permission? Of course, it is just fat! It forms when you lose muscle mass in certain areas mostly due to lack of using those muscles. Your thighs have lost muscle mass and you have an overlying layer of fat that then has no foundation of muscle under it so it becomes dimpled.
If you start a regimen of strength training, you can build the muscle mass in your hips, thighs and legs so that cellulite in those areas are reduced. Of course, some cardio work out, even just getting out for walks, helps too. Strength training doesn’t require any expensive, or even inexpensive equipment!
From Yahoo Health – http://health.yahoo.net/rodale/WH/fitness-fact-or-fiction
Strength Training Burns Calories Too
New studies have shown that strength training actually burns MORE calories per minute than garden variety cardio training on a treadmill, elliptical trainer or bike. To burn the same number of calories as weight lifting, you would have to run at a six minute per mile pace. That’s a lot faster than I go when I power walk.
Of course weight lifting offers bonuses beyond burning more calories. Muscle requires energy even when at rest, so the more you have, the more calories you burn. And after strength training, you continue to burn more calories for up to 36 hours!
From Yahoo Health – http://health.yahoo.net/rodale/WH/fitness-fact-or-fiction
Does Going Gluten-Free Help You Diet?
This morning the Today Show did a segment on the latest in celebrity eating habits, because inquiring minds want to know that Gwyneth Paltrow and Anne Hathaway have gone gluten free. Celebrity endorsements extend beyond Boniva ads by Sally Fields! Has a male celebrity ever endorsed Viagra? I doubt it, but enough celebrity nonsense.
I recently went gluten free after my daughter was diagnosed with Celiac. By the way, the medical doctor, Roshini Raj, interviewed on this segment says that Celiac is a “true allergy”, which is not true, and she must know this. It is an autoimmune disease, with much harsher implications on health and well being. Anyway, I was sure I didn’t have celiac, but I stopped eating gluten because I wanted to see how hard it is to do and let me tell you, it’s HARD to do. I noticed as time went by that the arthritis I had had for decades was lessening, and my very itchy skin stopped being so dry and itchy. I now can’t be tested unless I went back on wheat products, but I don’t want to, so I will just take it on faith that I have a problem with gluten.
Roshini Raj, the medical advisor for Health Magazine, (see her bio on this page, halfway down) seemed to poo-poo eliminating gluten as a stupid fad and not a way to lose weight. But let me tell you, I can no longer mindlessly eat the bread served to me at restaurants, or the chocolate chip cookies served at parties, and hundreds of other foods. So it does keep me on the straight and narrow to some extent!
Most flour in foods in the United States, is bleached, and no one has ever studied the effects of bleached flour on our bodies. I think it probably has some bad effects, evidenced by this trend to eliminate it. Maybe you should try it!
See the video segment here: http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/26184891/vp/38656063#38656063
The Science of Sedentary Behavior
Studies show that sitting endangers your health. It reduces your circulation and your metabolism starts to shut down. I don’t like that I am sitting here writing this post! However, no consensus has been reached on exactly how much sitting is bad for you. We all have to sit, whether on a train, bus or car to get to work, or while working in an office.
Make sure you get up and regular intervals, even if you just walk around your desk a few times. Or get yourself a glass of water, drinking enough water is a whole health topic by itself.
From The Stanford Center on Longevity: http://longevity.stanford.edu/
Meaure How Many Calories You Burn
A new gadget was featured in an article in the July 2010 Wired magazine. It straps onto your upper arm kind of like a watch and it “captures your calorie burn with an astonishing 90% accuracy” according to the website for this gadget. The device is part of their holistic weight management system.
I wonder how this works. Do you watch the monitor to see how many calories you have burned so far and then get up and run around if you haven’t burned enough? I should watch their video, but I am running off to a meeting, maybe later!
Here’s the learn more page on their website: http://www.bodymedia.com/Shop/Learn-More/What-is-BodyMedia-FIT
Do Toning Shoes Work?
One of the biggest crazes at the moment is toning shoes, shoes which create instability when you walk and therefore cause your leg muscles to work harder to maintain your balance, among other things. The American Council On Exercise has found that these claims -burning more calories, building leg muscles, reducing joint stress and improving posture by SOME of the shoe manufacturers are not true! Reebok and New Balance have created a better design, and have done more testing, and some consumers swear by their toning shoes. The answer to this question is that it depends on the brand. Do some research before you buy.
Have You Heard Of Hungry Girl?
Hungry girl, also known as Lisa Lillien, has developed quite a following for her daily email newsletter. I just signed up myself. She gives tips and tricks for hungry chicks. She spends time finding the most fun meals for the fewest amount of calories. I am looking forward to reading her advice and food suggestions.
You can find her at: http://www.hungry-girl.com
Eat More Fiber
Apparently the experts are telling us now that increasing our fiber intake helps us keep off unwanted extra calories and perhaps even helps with weight loss. Over the course of the two-year study, the researchers found that boosting fiber by 8 grams for every 1,000 calories resulted in about 4 ½ pounds of weight lost. This is not impossible to do!
Here are some excellent sources of fiber:
- Apples
- Chickpeas
- Pumpkin
- Green beans
- Sweet potatoes
The Scoop On Coconut
For a long time, I have thought that I needed to stay away from coconuts, because of the fat content, but it turns out that some culture in the world have used coconuts for food AND medicine. It has some fairly incredible healing properties and helps you use the essential fatty acids in your food. We should be adding coconuts to our health food list because, among other things:
- Coconut oil is the lowest calorie fat source
- It softens your skin and helps prevent wrinkles
- It is good for your hair
- It has antioxidants
And there are so many other benefits, which you can see here: http://www.coconutresearchcenter.org/