Mar 8th
Find More Energy, Every Day
All-natural ways to put pep in your step
Do you wake up bleary-eyed? Fuel up on coffee just to stay alert? Crash as soon as you hit the couch? You’re not alone. Here’s how to tap into natural energy sources and get the most out of your day.
Add more steps. Lace up your sneakers and kick-start your metabolism with a quick 10-minute morning walk. Squeeze in another brisk walk after lunch. And in the evenings, skip TV, put on headphones, and take one last 10-minute walk. Surprise! You’ve just logged the half hour of cardiovascular exercise that experts recommend you get several times a week.
Dress to impress. Give yourself a performance boost with a polished look. Whether you’re heading to an important meeting at work, preparing for an interview or shuttling the little ones around town, a comfortable, stylish outfit will put more confidence — and energy — into your stride. Remember: How you dress affects how you feel and how others view you. So dust off a sleek power suit, a favorite pair of jeans or stop-’em-in-their-tracks pumps, and you’ll be ready to take charge throughout the day.
Don’t overexert. Take time to relax. Soothe hands and arms with a scented lotion — the fresh fragrance will engage your senses. Or give yourself a “stealth massage” by rubbing the lobes and tips of your ears. Still feeling sluggish? Step outside. The fresh air will invigorate you and help clear your mind.
Eat power foods. Protein and fiber-rich meals will help you stay energized all day. For breakfast, try hard-boiled eggs with fruit, or peanut butter with banana slices on whole-grain bread. A chicken-topped salad with light dressing fits the bill for lunch. For dinner, add avocado and tomato slices to grilled salmon.
Worry less, sleep more. There’s nothing more rejuvenating than a good night’s sleep. Before you snooze, write a list of the things that are nagging you and save it for the next day. Move your alarm clock so you can’t see the minutes pass by. To minimize tossing and turning, go to bed and get up at approximately the same time every day. When you’re rested, you think more clearly, work more efficiently and perform your best.
What is my ideal weight? 5 tips for finding your happy weight
Mar 1st
If you’re trying to lose weight, you probably have a goal, your ideal weight, in mind. A good question to ask yourself is, “Where did I get this number?”
Is it what you weighed in high school? Is it what health experts suggest you should weigh, based on your age, body frame and body type?
While weight loss is an admirable goal for a woman who is truly overweight, many women who want to lose weight don’t need to. In study after study, researchers have found that the majority of normal weight women think they need to lose 10 or 15 pounds: what I call vanity pounds.
Why is this a problem? More >
Feb 28th
The Hunger Scale
By Bob Greene, bestselling author of The Best Life Diet.
When you’re hungry, you need a strategy in place to help you handle your appetite. That’s why I recommend the hunger scale. This tool for gauging how hungry you feel is going to help you set some limits and avoid eating mindlessly. When you use it properly, the scale allows you to get feedback from your body so that you know when to stop eating.
The hunger scale is a 10-point scale based on the different stages of physical fullness (or emptiness.) The beauty of the scale is that it gives you guidelines and lets you see that hunger isn’t just hunger — there are times when you do need to eat and times when you can get by without eating.
More than anything, the scale will help you avoid the peaks and valleys of hunger; you’re not going to feel stuffed, and you’re not going to be ravenous. That, in turn, is going to lead to smarter, more mindful eating, and as a result less body fat. It may feel awkward to use the scale at first, but after a while you’re not even going to have to think about it; cutting off your eating at the appropriate time will just come naturally.
The scale below helps you answer two questions: ”Do I need to eat?“ and, when you’re already eating, ”Should I eat more?“
10 Stuffed: You are so full, you feel nauseous.
9 Very uncomfortably full: You need to loosen your clothes.
8 Uncomfortably full: You feel bloated.
7 Full: You feel a bit uncomfortable.
6 Perfectly comfortable: You feel satisfied.
5 Comfortable: You’re more or less satisfied but could eat a little more.
4 Slightly uncomfortable: You’re just beginning to feel signs of hunger.
3 Uncomfortable: Your stomach is rumbling.
2 Very uncomfortable: You feel irritable and unable to concentrate.
1 Weak and light-headed: Your stomach acid is churning.
When you begin eating, your hunger level should be at 3 or 4. But keep in mind, don’t skip meals if you’re not at 3; it’s important to adhere to the three-meals-a-day guideline.
What you don’t want to do at any time of the day is fall below a 3 or 4, because that means you’ve waited too long to eat, making you vulnerable to overeating. When you’re feeling starved, you want to eat anything and everything in sight.
You should stop eating when you get to 5 on the hunger scale. That’s the point at which you can be confident that you are eating a little less than what your body is burning. You’re not really hungry, but you’re not really full either, an indication that you are just slightly undereating.
You don’t ever want to hit the point where you feel even a tiny bit uncomfortable: satisfied, yes; uncomfortable, no.
The great thing about the hunger scale is that after you’ve used it for a while, knowing when to stop eating is going to become almost like second nature. It will still be a conscious act, but not one you have to think much about.
Low-carb? Low-fat? Study finds calories count more
Feb 26th
By ALICIA CHANG, AP Science Writer
AP – Debbie Mayer, who was part of the clinical trial, poses at her home in Brockton, Mass.
LOS ANGELES – Low-fat, low-carb or high-protein? The kind of diet doesn’t matter, scientists say. All that really counts is cutting calories and sticking with it, according to a federal study that followed people for two years. However, participants had trouble staying with a single approach that long and the weight loss was modest for most.
As the world grapples with rising obesity, millions have turned to popular diets like Atkins, Zone and Ornish that tout the benefits of one nutrient over another.
Want To Lose Weight? Relax
Feb 18th
By Martha Edwards
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Meditation and yoga may not burn as many calories as a tough session on the treadmill, but they might be the most effective activity you can do if you want to lose weight, according to recent studies. Experts believe that relaxing might be the key to successfully battling the bulge because it can help eliminate your cravings for fatty and sugary foods.
The reason why is pretty simple: “By learning and practising relaxation techniques as part of a wider lifestyle change programme, women have effective tools to manage stress and emotions without resorting to unhealthy eating,” says Dr. Caroline Horwath of the University of Otago in New Zealand. And, according to the findings, weight loss achieved through relaxation was maintained in the long run — which is not true of most dieting approaches.
So relax! Of course, by that, we mean take some time to yourself to do something healthy. Relaxing in front of the TV with a jumbo-sized bag of chips doesn’t count.
Lose Fat Without Changing Your Diet
Feb 7th
Mike Roussell PhD(c)
Strategies on how to lose fat normally centers on specific dietary approaches. However, there are many factors aside from controlling how many grams of fat you consume each day that can help accelerate your fat loss. In this article we will look at two different nutrition research studies that reveal key strategies for effective and permanent weight loss.
Weight Gaining Behavior – A 2004 study published by Dr. David Levitsky examined the eating behaviors of college freshman at Cornell University. He found that the students whom gained the most weight had 3 common characteristics:
1. “All You Can Eat” Dining
2. Snacking On High Fat Junk Foods
3. Increased Frequency of Snacking on Junk Foods
ABC's of Slim
Feb 1st
Ready to ditch some pounds? Start with the right vocabulary
by: Amy Paturel
A is for Alcohol
You booze, you lose: A daily serving of hooch may be better for keeping off weight than abstaining. Alcohol may increase leptin, a hormone that curbs your appetite for sweets. To get the perks with minimal calories, order a glass of sauvignon blanc (119 calories per 5 ounces). See WH’s Top Wine Recommendations.
B is for Buddies
Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine compared solo dieters to teams of dieters. After 10 months, the latter were likelier to have maintained their loss (66 percent versus 24 percent). Find a bud 24/7 at weightlossbuddy.com.
C is for Cortisol
Your adrenal glands secrete this stress hormone to help you handle threats, but too much can be bad news. Last year, researchers at the University of Leeds in the U.K. linked high levels of cortisol to increased snacking on junk food. Spend the cash you’d pay for a big dinner on a stress-reducing massage. And take a bite out of WH’s Stress-Reducing Foods.
D is for Density
A yearlong study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found women eating water-rich foods low in calories but high in nutrients (like veggies) as part of a low-fat diet lost more weight than those who only cut back on fat. They were less hungry than the low-fat-only bunch, too, most likely because they ate 25 percent more food by weight. Go for grub with an energy density (calories per serving ÷ weight in grams of serving) of 2 or less. Or snag ideas from Barbara Rolls’ The Volumetrics Eating Plan, which lists the energy densities of dozens of foods. Get mouth-watering, easy vegetable recipes from WH’s Recipes Page.
More >
Quick workout for Moms
Jan 27th
For women with babies or small kids, finding time to exercise can be challenging. With the sleep-deprivation factor, minimal personal time, and the priority changes that babies and small children bring—are there any fitness options for busy moms? The fact is, the more you take of yourself, the better you will feel…and thus the stronger you will be both physically and emotionally to face the day with the “little ones,” as well as deal with all of life’s challenges.
Mini-circuit training routine
This short mini-circuit is the perfect daily routine to help you burn a few extra calories and tighten up some common problem areas (i.e. the hips, thighs, buns, upper body and abdomen). It moves from one exercise to the next without a break in-between each exercise. The goal with this type of routine is to keep your heart rate elevated, which helps burn more calories and tones the whole body.
The busy mom routine consists of 4 exercises
More >
Want to lose weight? Don't count on pills
Jan 24th
CHICAGO, Jan 22 (Reuters) – Users of Alli, the first weight-loss drug approved for sale over-the-counter in the United States, are finding what they likely suspected all along: pills are no magic substitute for diet and exercise.
Yet as Americans engage in the New Year’s tradition of resolving to shed pounds, the market for diet aids is expected to remain firm, even as the economy is mired in recession.
Americans spend $30 billion a year on weight-loss products and services, and two-thirds of the population is overweight or obese.
GlaxoSmithKline’s Alli, a lower-strength version of Roche’s prescription-only Xenical, created’ a stir when it was approved 18 months ago. More >
Nine lessons we can learn from Oprah's weight-loss battle
Jan 19th
By now, everyone knows that Oprah Winfrey is displeased with her current weight and is seeking to turn things around in 2009. Here are some practical lessons culled from Winfrey’s experience that you can apply to your attitudes about diet, exercise, and weight: More >