I myself had a hard time cutting Coke and Pepsi products out of my diet. I never was a big candy or chocolate fan but I loved my Pop. At the peak of my addiction I was up to drinking 2 to 3 44oz cups a day. To be honest it was not the caffeine withdrawal or sugar buzz that was the toughest to get over, although getting over those was still no walk in the park. It was how readily available pop was. It was EVERYWHERE. You go over to friends or families houses for dinner or parties and what do they have there to drink, Soda Pop. No juice, No tea, only Pop. Many times I would catch myself reaching for a Coke or Pepsi without even thinking about it as if it was a reflex action. Ii would hit me half way though the can of what I was drinking. Restaurants were the same way. I would order a Dr. Pepper and after taking a few drinks it would hit me. It took me a good 3 months to be rid of Soda and burn it into my head to ask for water. The only thing more readily available than Soda Pop is water, and even that is not always the case. Check out this article over at The Simple Dollar and it might provide you with some motivation to “kick the can”.
One of the toughest things for me when I started on my road to fitness was the physical act of getting up and out of bed in the morning. To be honest, it can still be quite a challenge every now and then. There are some good tricks you can try that might not work for everybody but are sure worth a shot. It can really suck when your whole day is derailed right at the beginning, simply because you slept in. Check out some of these tips/tricks over at todayisthatday.com
Those who do not find time for exercise will have to find time for illness.
This post is taken from an article over at Runners World.
Try these 20 simple swaps that will cut fat and calories from your diet while boosting nutrition.
1. SWAP IN: Omega-3 eggs SWAP OUT: Standard eggs
The Omega-3 fats in these enhanced eggs boost immunity, protect against Alzheimer’s disease, heart disease, and cancer, and may lessen symptoms of depression.
2. SWAP IN Dark beer SWAP OUT Light beer
Darker brews may have a few more calories per bottle than lighter versions, but in general they have far more antioxidants from the wheat and other grains used to make them. Limit your consumption to one or two servings per occasion.
3. SWAP IN: Olive-oil dressing SWAP OUT: Creamy dressing
Top your salad with an olive-oil dressing instead of creamy blue cheese or ranch and save about 90 calories per two tablespoons. A reduced-fat olive-oil dressing saves a whopping 120 calories per serving.
4. SWAP IN: Mustard, low-sodium soy sauce, salsa SWAP OUT: Ketchup and mayonnaise
Condiments like mayonnaise and ketchup add unwanted calories and sodium to your foods. Minimize calories while adding flavor and nutrition with mustard (ground style) and salsa, which contain antioxidants, and low-sodium soy sauce.
5. SWAP IN: Organic fat-free milk SWAP OUT: 2% milk
Eight ounces of fat-free milk saves you more than 30 calories and four grams of fat over two-percent milk. Organic milk can help you avoid trace amounts of chemicals and hormones.
6. SWAP IN: Kefir SWAP OUT: Yogurt
Yogurt is a great source of calcium but often comes with lots of sugar and without healthy live bacteria. Try Kefir, a low-fat liquid yogurt with extra live cultures to boost immunity.
7. SWAP IN: Pomegranate or cranberry juice and club soda SWAP OUT: Sugary fruit drinks
Try club soda mixed 1:1 with a 100-percent fruit juice like pomegranate or cranberry–both of which are loaded with the powerful cancer fighters anthocyanidins–to save 50 calories per serving over a sugary fruit drink.
8. SWAP IN: Natural peanut butter and fruit spread SWAP OUT: Standard peanut butter and jelly
Look for a “natural-style” peanut butter that has ground peanuts, salt, and nothing more. Pair it with a real fruit spread that lists fruit as the first ingredient with no added sugar (corn syrup, sucrose, or high-fructose corn syrup).
9. SWAP IN: Roasted chicken SWAP OUT: Deli meats
Buy a roasted chicken or turkey breast from the deli (without the skin) and use it instead of high-fat pastrami, salami, and other deli meats. If you store it in the meat/cheese drawer, it will stay fresh for one week.
10. SWAP IN: Part-skim mozzarella or feta cheese SWAP OUT: Brie or cheddar
Brie and cheddar are loaded with saturated fat and calories. Make the switch to feta cheese or part-skim mozzarella and save about 30 calories and five grams of fat per ounce.
11. SWAP IN: Trans-fat-free spread SWAP OUT: Butter
Butter has seven grams of saturated fat per tablespoon, while margarine contains trans fats. Still, use a trans-fat-free spread sparingly since it has some fat and calories.
12. SWAP IN: Sweet potatoes or red-skin potatoes SWAP OUT: White potatoes
Potatoes with colorful flesh and skins contain more antioxidants than their pale counterparts. Select small potatoes to control portion size, and eat the skin for extra fiber.
13. SWAP IN: Whole-grain pasta SWAP OUT: Refined pasta
Fresh whole-grain pasta contains more health-boosting antioxidants and fiber (to fill you up) than refined versions.
14. SWAP IN: Berries, kiwi, melon SWAP OUT: Green grapes
All fruits are great, but when you’re watching your weight it pays to eat fruits that are lower in calories and higher in fiber.
15. SWAP IN: Canadian bacon SWAP OUT: Bacon
Compared with traditional bacon, Canadian bacon has twice the protein and half the fat per serving.
16. SWAP IN: Ground turkey SWAP OUT: Ground beef
Cut 10 to 20 grams of fat per three-ounce serving by substituting ground turkey (white meat) for ground beef.
17. SWAP IN: Baby romaine lettuce and spinach SWAP OUT: Iceberg lettuce
Iceberg lettuce offers little nutrition, while young romaine and spinach leaves are rich in carotenes and other phytochemicals.
18. SWAP IN: Snow peas, peppers, radishes SWAP OUT: Carrots and celery
Carrots and celery are a good start, but add peppers for vitamin C, snow peas for the electrolyte potassium, and radishes, which contain compounds that protect muscles.
19. SWAP IN: Whole-grain bread SWAP OUT: White bread
Whole-grain has more antioxidants and fiber (three to four grams per one-ounce slice) than its white counterpart.
20. SWAP IN: Low-carb tortillas SWAP OUT: White-flour tortillas
White-flour tortillas pack 150 calories and zero fiber. Low-carb versions offer eight grams of fiber for just 90 calories.
After the holiday meals and rich foods we all ate over Christmas I though I would share this post I found on cholesterol and some of the best foods to help combat it.
1.) Oatmeal and oat bran
2.) Walnuts, almonds and more
3.) Fish and omega-3 fatty acids
4.) Foods fortified with plant sterols or stanols
5.) Soy
6.) Cut fats first
Check out the full post at http://www.revolutionhealth.com/ for more details on each of these.
I found this post of the “Top 15 healthiest fruits” I thought I would share. Regardless of where any fruit falls on this list I say eat up. The more fresh fruits and veggies in our diet the better we are for it. The post is over at http://dietmotion.com/top-15-healthiest-fruits.html and they give you the serving size, amount of calories and the reason for its placement on the list.
1.) Apples
2.) Apricots
3.) Bananas
4.) Blackberries
5.) Blueberries
6.) Cherries
7.) Grapefruits
8.) Kiwi
9.) Mangoes
10.) Oranges
11.) Papayas
12.) Purple grapes
13.) Prunes
14.) Raspberries
15.) Strawberries
One thing common in most fitness, men’s, or women’s magazines is the big bold letters on the front cover saying something about how to get “6 pack abs”. You also see it all over the TV in commercials or infomercials. I would say its pretty universal for both men and women that at some point we all would like a 6 pack. Thus all the marketing for it. Although the magazines and TV spots want to make you think that following this _____ (fill in the blank) plan, or buying this _____ (fill in the blank) product will produce a 6 pack for you quick and easy, Its not that simple. The only easy way to get a 6 pack is to go to the store and by a 6 pack of beer.
Let me first say I don’t have 6 pack abs. I would love to obtain that, and I am working toward that goal. But I know the route to get the “6 pack abs” is through hard work and discipline. You basically have to loose your belly, and you cant just decide to isolate your mid section and only loose the fat there. You can do crunches till you are blue in the face, but any fat you loose due to the calories burned will not be selective to your mid section.
Think about it. When someone looses weight buy jogging they don’t get skinny legs and the top of their body stays pudgy. No, the weight comes off from everywhere. The face, the arms, chest, legs, and yes the gut. So your main objective in your goal to get a 6 pack is to loose weight in general. As we all know that is allot easier said than done. All the ab routines that are sold which do work are the ones where you end up getting a cardio workout in of some form. And what is one of the best ways to loose weight? A cardio workout. You tell me what sells/markets better.
A.) Cardio workout.
B.) 6 pack Abs
A 6 pack is just a perk of a fit body. If you eat healthy and exercise to obtain that fit body, you could have a 6 pack. Check out “6 steps to lose the Buddha” over at zenhabits.net. Its a great post touching on this very subject.
Since your stress level can effect your health in many ways I thought it was important to post this. Over at The American Lung Association they posted 52 proven stress reducers. Some of them are obvious, some are good reminders, and some are new ideas (at least for me) that I plan on trying out. Lets face it, all of us could use less stress in our lives.
Click here to view the list: http://www.lungusa.org/site/pp.asp?c=dvLUK9O0E&b=40327
It was brought to my attention that nobody has been able to post comments. After digging into the site a bit I now have it resolved. If you would like to leave comments please do. I look forward to reading them
I will also be setting up a feedback form that will e-mail me directly in case something else pops up that needs my attention. In the mean time you could always post something on the Forums and I will see it there.
Being that this is NON-FICTION fitness, I am all about help brining myths (or fiction) to light. Here are 14 of them that we all should know.
To read detail on each one of these please visit because you value your body (http://odyb.net)
AdvertisingDonations |
Categories
ArchivesLinks |
