Anonymous asked: Hii.. Im reducing carbs on my diet and is it ok to have half a protein bar (low carb) before working out?
Yes. It’s totally ok. Having a mixture of protein and carbs is good pre/post workout
The word “health” comes from the Anglo-Saxon term “hal” meaning “wholeness.” Additionally, “Nutrition” is derived from the Latin “nutrie,” meaning feed, nurse, preserve, or support.
America’s Hidden Obesity Epidemic
By Sean Williams
The United States is the fattest country in the world — and I’m not talking about our wallets, folks! According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a disheartening 35.7% of the population is considered obese. That’s considerably higher than the next closest countries, Mexico, New Zealand, and Australia, which have obesity rates ranging between 25% and 30%.
A huge, but largely preventable, problem
The sad part about obesity is that it’s preventable more often than not. Medical costs associated with obesity wereestimated by the CDC in 2008 at $147 billion annually, with obese people, on average, registering a cost premium of $1,429 as compared to someone of average weight. Obesity also brings on higher risks of hypertension, heart disease, stroke, Type 2 diabetes, and certain types of cancers.
And it isn’t just that being overweight has been shown to be poor for your long-term health; it’s that society has surrounded itself in a cocoon that frowns upon obesity from the magazines we read, to the commercials we watch, and the movies we see on the big screen. The push toward creating a healthier lifestyle has begun in our homes with the way we eat, exercise, and live our lives. Unfortunately, as the following U.S. obesity map shows, it’s not been nearly enough.
Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Obesity has also been a big research driver in the pharmaceutical sector as well where 13 years went by since the last chronic weight management drug was approved. That changed last year with the approval by the Food and Drug Administration of VIVUS’ (NASDAQ: VVUS ) Qsymia and Arena Pharmaceuticals‘ (NASDAQ: ARNA ) Belviq for the treatment of chronic weight management. Neither drug is a miracle cure, but an average weight loss of around 6% to 8% can be expected on either pill over a year’s time based on late-stage clinical trial results.
America’s hidden obesity epidemic
However, an even scarier obesity trend is likely rearing its head in another part of your household and you aren’t even aware of it. Close to one half of all families are oblivious to its existence, but contribute to it anyway. What I’m talking about is the rampant pet obesity epidemic in this country!
According to the latest study by the Association for Pet Obesity Prevention conducted in 2012 and released last month, a staggering 55% of household pets (52% of dogs and 58% of cats) are considered either overweight or obese. Furthermore, in APOP’s study, 45% of pet owners incorrectly identified their pet as being “normal weight” when the veterinarian identified the pet as either “overweight” or “obese.” That equates to just shy of 80 million animals in this country that are suffering from the same types of ailments as humans: mainly hypertension, osteoarthritis, and an increased risk of diabetes and certain types of cancers solely because of their weight.
Now, I have a confession to make — I am the proud owner of an overweight Dachshund. I had no problem in recognizing that he was overweight, yet, as a member of the family, I had no qualms about giving him an extra treat when he was younger. Having now reached middle age for his breed, I’m beginning to notice what those extra pounds are doing to him from a health perspective; and it’s not good. It’s definitely difficult saying “no” to my dog, but I’ve managed to work off 17% of his previous body weight in the past year through smaller food portions and more rigorous exercise.
The point is that just as we saw with many cases of human obesity, pet obesity can be mitigated with proper diet, exercise, and a want by owners to change the quality of life for their pets. I’m making that move, but far too many owners are simply complacent in doing nothing.
Ignore this trend at your own risk
If you choose to do nothing, then you’re playing right into the hands of pharmaceutical giantslike Zoetis (NYSE: ZTS ) , Merck (NYSE: MRK ) , and IDEXX Laboratories (NASDAQ:IDXX ) , which are counting on your indifference to drive their profits.
If you don’t believe that pet obesity is an epidemic, all you need to do is look toward Zoetis’ Slentrol, which is an anti-obesity pill approved by the Food and Drug Administration in early 2007 to treat dogs. That’s right; a chronic weight management pill to treat our pets came more than five years before big pharma introduced a new anti-obesity pill for humans — and yet, our pet obesity rate continues climb. In trials, Slentrol produced a mean weight loss of 11.8% in the 141 dogs tested, but it still requires the owner to stick to a dietary and exercise game plan to ensure the best chance of success.
If your faithful feline or pup should ever develop diabetes from being overweight, chances are they could be prescribed Vetsulin, an FDA-approved insulin injection to treat diabetes mellitus made by Merck Animal Health and targeted at hyperglycemia. Two injections a day and close monitoring of your pet are required to provide successful glycemic balance using this drug.
IDEXX Labs is also counting on your overweight or obese pet to drive its small animal health products that range from in-home and veterinary office diagnostic and imaging tests, to software designed to optimize veterinarians’ bottom lines. IDEXX’s I-Vision Direct Capture system, for instance, could be called upon for its quick and crisp imaging capabilities to help diagnose osteoarthritis and other bone-related diseases in pets caused by being overweight. As obesity trends have risen so have IDEXX’s sales, which are up by an average of 10.5% each year over the past decade.
How can we fix this?
The point here is simple — we can choose to kill two birds with one stone by simply choosing to exercise with our pets. Instead of watching TV in the house, take your dog for a walk. Instead of playing video games, grab a toy for your feline friend and entertain them. The thing about health-consciousness is that it’s incredibly contagious. Having your pet eating better and exercising more is likely to, in turn, get you eating better and exercising more as well. It’s a vicious (but fantastic) cycle that will have you and your pet feeling better and living happier, healthier lives.
Another key takeaway is that, when push comes to shove, we will do just about anything to ensure the health of our pets, as they’ve crossed that barrier — at least in America — from being just a pet to becoming part of the family. This means that animal-focused pharmaceuticals like Zoetis, Merck, and IDEXX stand to benefit whether obesity trends continue to rise, and they could make for some of the smartest and safest investment on Wall Street.
10 Things Coke, Pepsi, and Soda Industry Won’t Say - Yahoo! Finance
10 reasons why you should stay away from Soda…
Anonymous asked: is 1 hour of cardio 5 days a week too much? i also lift but some people are telling me cardio makes you loose muscle and idk...
well just make sure you do your cardio AFTER you lift weights. The amount amount of cardio you are doing is not bad. Judging your training can only be done, when someone knows what your individual goals are…so don’t just listen to anyone out there.
20 THINGS THAT ARE KEEPING YOU OVERWEIGHT
Even if you’ve kicked off a fitness routine and you’re choosing healthier food, you may not be seeing the weight come off the way you’d hoped. While there are plenty of other healthy accomplishments to celebrate, you’re probably wondering what’s not working. One or a few of these 20 weight-loss culprits may be all that’s standing in the way of your weight-loss goals.
You Overeat Healthy Foods
Nuts, avocados, whole wheat pasta, olive oil, and dark chocolate are all natural and healthy, but they aren’t void of calories. You still need to watch how much you eat of the good stuff. For example, avocado offers a ton of health benefits, but an entire fruit is over 200 calories. Find out what the serving sizes of your other favorite healthy foods are here.
You Don’t Eat Breakfast
Skipping breakfast may seem like a great way to save calories, but your body will actually hold onto fat because it thinks it’s being starved. Keep in mind that people who eat breakfast regularly lose more weight, so make sure to eat breakfast each morning to jump-start your metabolism. Don’t just grab anything; include protein to give yourself sustainable energy and fiber to fill you up for hours.
You Don’t Practice Portion Control
When it comes to a balanced diet, we know that portion control is one of the keys to success. Keep measuring cups and spoons on hand to make sure your serving sizes are appropriate, and learn how to give your body the “I’m full” signal in order to help you drop the fork when the time is right and move on with your day.
You Eat While Standing Up
Standing at the fridge or the counter to chow down isn’t saving time or energy and can lead to mindless eating. It’s best to designate time for snacking and meals that’s set apart from other activities.
You Don’t Sleep Enough
Making time for your workouts can mean less time for sleep, but it’s important to get enough Z’s if you’re trying to lose weight. You need extra energy to keep up with your exercise routine, and skimping on sleep can affect your body’s ability to control its appetite: not enough shut-eye increases appetite-stimulating hormones.
You Overindulge in Low-Fat Foods
Going for foods with a lower calorie count can be deceiving, since many times they’re filled with extra sodium, sugar, or chemical additives to make up for the ingredients the company has removed or decreased. Not only are these light versions less nutritious, but they also end up tasting “lighter,” leading you to eat more. You’ll probably end up consuming more calories than you would if you just ate a regular-sized portion of the real thing.
You Don’t Get Enough Veggies
Eating five to seven servings of fruits and veggies a day is important for everyone, but dieters who go heavy on the produce are more likely to lose and keep the weight off, since a diet full of plant-based foods offers a greater variety of nutrients with fewer calories — and all that fiber keeps the body feeling fuller longer.
You Think Walking Your Dog Is Enough
A 15-minute stroll is better than nothing, but don’t expect to see dramatic weight-loss results. You’ve got to kick it up a notch — big time — and do at least 30 minutes a day of heart-pumping exercise. Big calorie and fat burners include running, spin class, interval training, hiking, and circuit training.
You Don’t Cut Your Food
Something as simple as slicing up your dinner can be helpful for your overeating woes. Cutting food into tiny pieces may seem slightly childish, but studies show that humans find smaller portions more satisfying and, as a result, are satisfied with less.
You Still Drink Soda
Soda offers literally no nutritional benefits, and continuing to drink the beverage is sabotaging your weight-loss goals — even if you only drink diet. Studies have shown that individuals who drink two diet sodas a day or more had waistlines that were500 percent larger than the nondrinkers. Since quitting soda is no joke, check out this 28-day plan for breaking a cola habit.
You’re Addicted to Condiments and Toppings
A salad is one of the healthiest meals you can have, but when you top it with bacon bits, goat cheese, nuts, dried fruits, and ranch dressing, you can double the calorie amount in a flash. Be aware of how many calories your favorite salad extras add on. For instance, 10 croutons is an easy 100 calories.
You Don’t Drink Water
Besides keeping you hydrated, drinking water on the regular, according to recent studies, can aid with weight loss. Filling up on water before a meal helps encourage portion control, and eating foods that contain a lot of water (like fruits and veggies) will fill you up faster, causing you to eat less. A small study even found that drinking cool water can speed up metabolism and discourage cravings for sugary drinks like soda and juice. Now, that’s a reason to stay hydrated!
You Don’t Leave Time For Fun
Since stress is shown to cause weight gain by triggering the body to eat more — especially foods high in sugar and fat — make sure you give yourself time to relax and unwind. And it’s an added bonus that so many fun activities (like dancing, hiking, and shopping) are already natural calorie-burners!
You Exercise With an Empty Stomach
If you regularly exercise without eating first, you should reconsider: when you work out on an empty stomach, research shows that the calories burned come from muscle, not fat. Since muscle burns more calories than fat, the more muscle mass you have, the better it is for weight loss. Not only will fueling your body help you avoid losing muscle, but also, you’ll have more energy to push yourself through your workout.
You Only Do Cardio
If you live on the treadmill but never lift a pound, then you’re missing out on one of the most important pieces of the fitness puzzle. Not only does weight training prevent injury by strengthening the joints, but it also builds muscle mass and increases metabolic rate. Bonus: thanks to a revved-up metabolism, you’ll keep burning calories long after you’ve slipped off your sneakers.
You Eat Without Thinking
Aligning mealtime with a screen like your computer or the TV can be hurt your weight-loss goals. Designating a special time for meals without distractions will help you connect to your food and, as a result, eat less. Sometimes you don’t even realize how much you’re scarfing when your mind is somewhere else.
You Don’t Eat Enough
Don’t starve yourself to save calories for later. It’ll not only mess up your metabolism, and by dinnertime, that famished feeling will likely cause you to eat more than you would if you weren’t starving. Not only is starving yourself not sustainable for continued weight loss, but also, limiting yourself to too-small portions can lead to excess snacking between mealtimes.
You Leave Out Entire Food Groups
Giving up entire food groups can lead to a nutritional deficiency — not to mention trigger major cravings for whatever food has been cut. Rather than, say, eliminating all carbohydrates, focus on whole grains and remember to monitor portion control. Usually it’s the extra servings that add to your waistline, not the pasta itself.
You Never Indulge
In an otherwise healthy diet, eating a few french fries or a piece of chocolate cake isn’t going to ruin your weight-loss goals. A study found that it isn’t necessary to up workout intensity the day after a piece of cake and that a daily variance of as much as 600 calories won’t reflect on your waistline, as long as you maintain a healthy diet in the long run.
You Eat the Wrong Post-Workout Snacks
A post-workout snack is just that — a snack. And unless it’s mealtime, what you eat after an average workout should be around 150 calories. Since healthy foods like trail mix can be high in calories, measure out a serving instead of mindlessly chomping straight out of the bag. If you’re looking for some ideas, here are 10 post-workout snacks under 150 calories
Source: Fitsugar
10 Fat-Blasting Exercises You Can Do Almost Anywhere
Introducing my own personal secret weapons to maximum fat burning! These high intensity moves are guaranteed to get your heart pumping and extra fat melting, and all without using expensive equipment or a gym. You can do each exercise on it’s own for an extended period, or combine all of these in intervals for a killer workout!
Stadium Sprints
Stadiums are awesome for this but if you don’t have access to a stadium, any set of stairs or even a steep hill will do. Start at the bottom, and sprint as hard as you possibly can to the top, then walk back down to recover. Do this for 20 minutes or so. To ramp up your workout, try skipping a step at a time or hopping up the stairs.
Broad Jumps
Head outside, squat with arms back, and then propel your body in a forward jump as far as you can go, landing back in your squat. Continue this for about 50 yards or about a minute, rest for 30 seconds to a minute, then repeat.
Track Sprints
Sprinting means running as fast as you possibly can. For track sprints, I usually sprint the straight part and walk the curved part. I do this until I’ve completed about 10 sprints, you will tire very quickly.
Box Jumps
Using a shoulder-width stance, start in a quarter-squat position and explosively jump up onto a steady, firm surface, engaging your core to lift your legs as high as you can. Land on the surface in your squat position, stand up straight, then step or jump back to your starting position. You can use a box, a bench, stairs, a sturdy chair, as long as it can support not only your weight but the force of your jump without toppling. Repeat these jumps quickly in one minute intervals with 30 seconds of rest in between, or any intervals you want.
Burpees
Respected yet feared by many an athlete, the burpee is a total body exercise that will literally leave you breathless. Start in plank position, do a pushup, jump your feet in to your hands to a squat position, jump up with your arms in the air, land in squat and jump your feet back to plank.
Scissor Jumps or Jump Lunges
Start in a lunge position (make sure your knee alignment never goes past your toe), then jump up, switch legs in the air, and land in lunge position with your other leg forward this time. Repeat without stopping for 1 minute (or whatever interval you can handle), rest between intervals.
Bear Crawl
Pretty much exactly how it sounds, lean over and crawl, but with your knees up off the ground. Try to crawl 50 yards at a time before resting. This may sound silly, but it’s a killer workout.
Hurdle Jumps
You don’t have to be a limber track star to jump hurdles, just set some objects on the ground, like a water bottle or a bag of dog food (we use these inexpensive hurdles), and jump over them. You can pick one object and jump back and forth over it, alternating between front to back and side to side, or put several objects in a row and jump over each of them without stopping to rest. Repeat in intervals with rest in between.
Froggers
Start in plank position, then jump your feet in, landing to the outside of your hands, like a frog. Jump back to plank, repeat continuously for intervals with rest in between.
Heismans
The Heisman exercise has many variations, but basically you’re shuffling with high knees side to side and then stopping yourself suddenly with a high knee, like the Heisman trophy statue. It’s great for agility as well as fat-burning. Make sure you pump your arms as you move side to side.
Article from coachcalorie.com
7 Good Foods to Improve Moods
Stressed: Eat Chocolate (particularly dark chocolate)
the Journal of Proteome Research, found that eating just a smidge of dark chocolate (about 1.4 ounces) has the power to lower the stress hormones cortisol and catecholamines in the body, reducing your anxiety and giving you a better chance to get the job done
Sluggish: Have a Spinach Salad
Eat folate-rich foods like spinach and other leafy green vegetables as well as potatoes, fortified breads and cereals, beans, peas and mushrooms.
Cranky: Eat an Apple with Peanut Butter Crankiness can be a sign that your body needs fuel. Just be sure to refuel the right way: with foods that don’t leave you with a blood sugar crash an hour later, setting the crankiness cycle in motion all over again. Carbohydrates are a great source of energy that quickly burns out. Adding some fat or protein will slow the digestion process, causing your sugar and energy levels to remain stable for a longer amount of time
Anxious: Eat a Salmon Burger
Salmon is one of the richest sources of omega-3 fatty acids, a nutrient that may help tame your anxiety.
Dr. Ilardi says it’s best to stick with fish: “The specific form of omega-3 that most strongly boosts mood is found most abundantly in coldwater fish such as salmon, herring, sardines and mackerel.”
Angry: Sip Green Tea
Green tea contains theanine, which calms you and helps you maintain clear concentration and focus
Sad: Eat Whole Grain Cereal with Low fat Milk
Vitamin D helps in the production of serotonin. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter known as the “feel-good hormone”.
If you’re low on vitamin D, you may be affecting your body’s ability to stabilize your mood and reduce feelings of depression. To boost your intake of vitamin D, turn to lowfat fortified milk, fortified cereals or mushrooms.
PMS: Eat an Egg-Salad Sandwich
If your go-to PMS meal usually comes in the form of comfort food (mac ’n’ cheese, potato chips, ice cream) consider making an egg-salad sandwich instead. In the days before your period, it’s normal for women to begin craving carbohydrates. Carbs help your body boost its serotonin levels, in turn helping you improve your mood.
Opt for whole grains, such as whole-wheat bread, and for extra PMS-zapping strength, pair them with tryptophan-rich protein such as eggs, sunflower seeds or turkey, which may enhance the release of serotonin.
Tip: Cut the mayo and mix your diced hard-cooked eggs with a teaspoon of fat-free or lowfat plain Greek yogurt and half a teaspoon of whole-grain Dijon mustard.
Read more: Foods to Improve Moods - Healthy Living Tips at WomansDay.com - Woman’s Day
