Showing posts with label fitness. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fitness. Show all posts

Saturday, March 15, 2008

5 Foods that Get you Tummy Flatter- Ab Friendly Foods


(a great article from Prevention- with bathing suit season here or just around the corner- ab diets and ab friendly foods are a hot topic for spring breakers and beach goers)


These ingredients hold the power to truly transform your body, not to mention lengthen your life. The secret is their magical "MUFA" (Aka good fat!)

To the ancient Greeks, olive oil was liquid gold. For the Aztecs, chocolate was sacred. Almonds were prized by Egypt's pharaohs, and avocados have symbolized fertility for centuries. These can't-live-without-'em foods share more than history; they also share unique health properties. They're packed with monounsaturated fatty acids (also known as MUFAs, pronounced MOO-fahs), those good-for-you fats that protect you from chronic disease and, according to new research, can help you lose fat, specifically around your middle. That's why they're at the heart of the Flat Belly Diet.

There are five major categories of MUFAs: (1) oils, (2) nuts and seeds, (3) avocado, (4) olives, and (5) chocolate. Eating one serving of any of these foods at every meal will help reduce your accumulation of dangerous belly fat; control your calorie intake and you'll lose inches and pounds, too--especially around your waistline. These mouth-watering recipes make it easy. Each portion contains high levels of MUFA, plus serving suggestions that allow you to create a meal that contains around 400 calories--enough to control your hunger and boost your energy without exceeding your daily needs. You can easily fit these meals into the Flat Belly Diet menu plans, but even if you're not following the diet, you can still enjoy the rich flavor of MUFAs and their numerous health benefits. For centuries, these foods and fats have been hard to resist

1. Oils

Pick your MUFA: Canola oil, flaxseed oil, olive oil, peanut oil, pesto sauce, safflower oil, sesame oil, soybean oil, sunflower oil, walnut oil

Use them like this: Stir-fry with sesame, peanut, or canola oil; pan-fry in walnut or olive oil; spread pesto on a sandwich, drizzle it over soups or grilled foods, or toss it with rice or pasta; add walnut, sesame, or olive oil to marinades; cook with safflower, soybean, or sunflower oil; use flaxseed oil in salad dressings (flaxseed oil cannot be used for cooking)

A serving equals: 1 tablespoon

2. Nuts & Seeds

Pick your MUFA: Almonds, almond butter, Brazil nuts, cashew butter, chunky natural peanut butter, dry-roasted cashews, dry-roasted peanuts, dry-roasted sunflower seeds, hazelnuts, macadamia nuts, pecans, pine nuts, pistachios, roasted pumpkin seeds, smooth natural peanut butter, sunflower seeds, sunflower seed butter, tahini (sesame seed paste), walnuts.

Use them like this: Eat these foods as a snack; sprinkle on a salad; crush and use as a crunchy topping for fish and chicken (dip fish or chicken in lightly beaten egg white to help nuts adhere); spread nut butters on crackers, bread, or fruit; stir nut butters into soups and sauces to add body and flavor

A serving equals: 2 tablespoons

3. Avocado

Pick your MUFA: Florida avocado, Hass avocado

Use them like this: Slice and serve with a salad or any entrée; mash with lime juice, salt, and pepper and serve with chips; chop and fold into store-bought salsa

A serving equals: 1/4 cup

4. Olives

Pick your MUFA: Black olives, black olive tapenade, green olives, green olive tapenade

Use them like this: Serve olives as a snack; sprinkle sliced olives on pizzas, salads, or pastas; spread tapenade on crackers or sandwiches; stuff tapenade into chicken breasts or fish fillets

A serving equals: 10 large olives or 2 tablespoons of tapenade

5. Chocolate

Pick your MUFA: Dark or semisweet chocolate chips, shavings, or chunks

Use them like this: Any way you crave!

A serving equals: 1/4 cup

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Have a question about getting an ab diet shopping list?


For a free health consultation feel free to email (wellness@healthybeingproducts.com) or call
Melissa Gallagher at 727-954-8968.

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Sunday, March 9, 2008

Top 3 Fitness Tips: Get lean & mean for swim suit season



It's Spring Break season here in Florida and it's time to awaken the hybernating fitness god or goddess. So you may have packed on a few winter points- had too many deviled eggs or an extra bottle or two of champagne. It isn't hard to get your body into rock hard shape. It just takes an hour a day, a revised grocery shopping list and some mindfulness to get your body into a rockin' shape.


1. Cardio, Cardio, Cardio!!


Aim for an hour of cardio every day. It can be any form you want but it must be intense and sustained cardio that keeps your target heart rate up around 85 percent of your max. (A quick way to calculate your target heart rate is to take 220 minus your age and multiply by .85. This is not perfect but is a basic enough equation to get you in the ballpark. If you don’t have a heart rate monitor, you can determine your heart rate by counting your pulse for 6 seconds and multiplying that number by 10.)


2. Do Split Training

Try to do your exercise first thing in the morning. And -- if you can -- go for another round of cardio later in the day This is called split training and is another secret to dropping pounds.


If your main goal is to look slim and trim, stick with basic body-weight exercises such as crunches, planks, lunges and squats. Really put your focus on aerobic activity this week. It's all about sweating.


If, however, you’re a guy who wants to pump up his chest and arms, certainly go ahead and hit the iron, too. To get an extra bang for your buck, do circuit training and skip the rest breaks so you keep your heart rate up. For added oomph, do 50 push-ups every day (not necessarily all in a row).


3. Watch the calories


The wrong diet can easily undo the calorie burn from all that cardio. To see the quick results of your hard work eat a diet rich in veggies, veggies and more veggies, plus lean protein such as white fish or salmon.


Start out with a boiled egg, a glass of grapefruit juice and a bowl of high fiber cereal that is low in sugar. For lunch have veggie lasagna or grilled fish/chicken with veggies and a small side of brown rice. For dinner go light- eat a spinach salad with grilled fish/chicken and at least 5 colorful raw veggies and fruit (peppers, tomatoes, carrots, papaya, pears, apples).


*If you can wake up hungry- hit the gym and eat after- you'll have burnt calories while you were sleeping.


4. Visualize your inner fitness god or goddess.

Every other day you take 30 minutes or longer to sit still by yourself with zero interruptions. Simply stretch, breathe and be. Clear your mind of all current congestion and future fears and fill it with presence, strength, acceptance and grace.

Repeat in your mind words that represent the amazing person you are. This process is vital, so don't skip it. Leave the world alone for just 30 minutes and, trust me, this last one makes the other three work!!
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Have a question about your fitness regime?

Want to learn more about how to get into spring break shape?

For a free health consultation feel free to email (wellness@healthybeingproducts.com) or call
Melissa Gallagher at 727-954-8968.

Visit our On-Line Store to save over 65% and get free shipping on Pre & Post-Surgery Vitamins and Supplements at the Healthy Being Products Store


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Thursday, March 6, 2008

Top 10 Ways to Lower Blood Pressure Quickly and Easily


1. Watch Your Weight: In over weight people, a 10 percent reduction in total body weight will sometimes normalize blood pressure.

2. Get Physical: Go for a brisk 30-minute walk 6 days a week.

3. Meditate: A new study shows it works for teens too.

4. Try Yoga: It reduces stress and strengthens the mind and body.

5. Butt Out: All forms of tobacco dramatically raise blood pressure.

6. Shake Off Salt: And sodium-rich foods such as soy sauce and canned soups.

7. Leave the Bar: 1-2 drinks a day is OK–even stress-relieving- -but more can cause health problems.

8. Check Your Blood: Have Cholesterol and triglycerides checked regularly.

9. Reject Refined Foods: Shun the sally, sugary, pre-made, preserved, fried and fatty.

10. Swear Off Sodas: Soft drinks can deplete potassium (see No. 20).

About the author:

Art Ditmar “Get down: 68 natural ways to lower blood pressure”. Better Nutrition. July 2004. http://www.findarticles.com/

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Have a question about lowering blood pressure?

Want to recommend a great natural remedy?

For a free health consultation feel free to email (wellness@healthybeingproducts.com) or call
Melissa Gallagher at 727-954-8968.

Visit our On-Line Store to save over 65% and get free shipping on Blood Pressure Lowering Vitamins and Supplements at theHealthy Being Products Store


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Thursday, February 28, 2008

Pool Exercise & Fibromyalgia: Relief from Pain & Severe Symptoms of Fibromyalgia

(Bio Med Central) Researchers in Europe report an exercise regimen that includes regular workouts in a heated pool provided significant relief from pain and associated symptoms for patients suffering from fibromyalgia. The randomized controlled study involved 33 female patients, 17 of whom took part in the exercise regimen and 16 who did not.pool exercises for fibromyalgiaThe patients who partook of the aquatic workouts did one hour of supervised exercise three times a week for 8 months. They reported a reduction in pain and improved quality of life in general over the group which did not exercise.

Fibromyalgia is a common chronic disorder which causes extreme pain and tenderness in a patient’s muscles, tendons, and ligaments. No specific cause of the disorder has been identified and there is no known cure at this time. Ninety percent of all fibromyalgia patients are female.

Often debilitating, pain is usually located in the shoulders and the neck area and is often accompanied by feelings of depression and anxiety. Fibromyalgia patients frequently report problems sleeping as well.

Standard treatment to date has included painkillers and sometimes a low-dosage antidepressant. Relaxation techniques and exercise are also often prescribed for the disorder, too, but symptoms often return once the exercise program is stopped.

Researchers Narcis Gusi, faculty member of the University of Extremadura’s Sports Sciences department in Caceres, Spain, and Pablo Tomas-Carus, of the Department of Sport and Health at the University of Evora, Portugal, consider exercise to be a readily accessible and cost-effective form of treatment for fibromyalgia but have not compared the aquatic exercise program against other less expensive exercise alternatives such as walking, tai-chi, and low-impact aerobics.




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Do you suffer from Pain from Arthritis or Fibromyalgia?

Have a question about your health or exercise routine?

For a free health consultation feel free to email (wellness@healthybeingproducts.com) or call Meliss Gallagher at 727-954-8968.

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Tuesday, February 26, 2008

Anatomy of a heart-healthy food: Five Heart Healing Foods


(www.naturalhealthmag.com) Food has many healing properties and can be used to promote heart health. Colorful vegetables and fruits, fatty fish, nuts, seeds, and spices offer combinations of these five cardio-boosting properties.

Anti-Inflammatory
Working similarly to the way aspirin does to reduce inflammation of tissues, natural anti-inflammatories like folate and vitamins C and D are vital to heart health because low-grade inflammation of the arteries has been identified as a significant factor in degeneration of the cardiovascular system.

Anitoxidants
Vitamins C and E and carotenoids such as vitamin A inhibit the oxidation of blood cells and the creation of damaging free radicals.

Omega-3 Fatty Acids
This family of polyunsaturated fats such as ALA, EPA, and DHA has been shown in recent studies to decrease triglyceride levels and the growth rate of atherosclerotic plaque and lower the risk of arrhythmia. The FDA has given "qualified" support to their ability to fight heart disease and prevent heart attack.

Potassium
This alkali metal is critical to maintaining smooth-muscle contraction such as a regular heartbeat.

Soluble Fiber
Gel-like soluble fiber binds with liver bile and cholesterol, carrying them both out of the body

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Have a question about your cardiovascular health?

Concerned about your diet and your health?

For a free health consultation feel free to email (wellness@healthybeingproducts.com) or call Meliss Gallagher at 727-954-8968.

Visit our On-Line Store to save over 65% and get free shipping on Vitamins and Supplements at theHealthy Being Products Store

Sign up to receive our daily tips via email:



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