Herbs For Weight Loss – Boost Metabolism

by Weight Loss - December 21, 2011

Herbs For Weight Loss

Before considering herbs for weight loss be extremely careful and read all about them..

Bad reactions and even fatalities have occurred when people used herbs for weight loss. This information however, has not been evaluated by a medical professional.

Ephedra, for example, was touted as a weight loss drug. Also known as Ma Huang, it is natural and sourced from nature.

It has been used for generations for multiple health purposes.

In 2004, the FDA banned selling it in supplements due to numerous Ephedra deaths. Especially by those trying to use it for weight loss.

Caution is vital, do research on all herbs for weight loss you are considering.

Herbs That Could Help To Boost Your Metabolism

Cayenne – This burns fat and boosts your metabolism.

Ginseng – Ginseng is often touted for its many anti aging and anti cancer benefits. Great for increasing energy (excellent for endurance) and metabolism.

White, Wulong / Oolong, and Green Teas – Teas are great for digestion, fat burning, and metabolism and have a number of other health benefits as well.

Aloe Vera – Aloe Vera is recognized as a weight loss herb. Aloe is great for the skin and building up weight loss vitamins in your body. It helps proteins and amino acids, with digestion, boosting your immune system, and regulates appetite.

Seaweed – Seaweed blocks fat. Research into this area is increasing all the time.

The great thing about many of the herbs mentioned here is that they’re not just good herbs for weight loss but many have other health and nutrition benefits as well. There isn’t a magic weight loss pill (not one that’s safe, anyway) but adding herbs to your efforts when trying to lose weight will definitely help.

Again, do your due diligence in researching herbs for weight loss before taking them.

Remember: Use caution when embarking on any new diet or health regimen.

Vegetarian Diet Plan – Useful Tips for Success

by Weight Loss - December 19, 2011

Vegetarian Diet Plan – Useful Tips

If you’re interested in being a vegetarian, you need a vegetarian diet plan that will work. You need a vegetarian diet plan that will help you get the right mix of carbohydrates, fats, and proteins. It’s not enough to simply exclude meat from your foods. You need to make sure you’re getting enough nutrition.. and nutrition you’d normally get from meat must come from elsewhere.

Simply eliminating meat from your diet could cause problems for you if you’re not careful about what you do eat. If you’re willing to eat eggs and dairy products it is a bit easier to get your required protein and other nutrients. If not, you’ll have to make even more of an effort to be careful with your diet.

Track your food intake so you can keep an eye on your mixture of carbs, fat, and protein. This can help you make sure the ratios are healthy. A good ratio, depending on you, could be 45% carbs, 30% protein, and 25% fat.

Depending on your size, you’ll need between 40-60 grams of protein every day. That’s not always easy when you don’t eat meat. And make sure your vegetarian diet plan takes this into consideration. Here are some good food choices to sprinkle into your diet to keep things moving in the right direction: beans, peas, lentils, quinoa, tofu, whole grains, nuts and seeds, nut butters, milk and cheese.

Many vegetables contain incomplete proteins but when combined with other veggies, can become complete proteins so a good vegetarian diet plan will have a wide variety of foods. You might opt for a protein supplement as well. Hence, a good vegetarian diet plan should have several servings of various foods per day.

Vegetarian Diet Plan An example is:

6 servings of whole grains
5 servings of food that have high protein levels
5 servings of food that have high protein levels
4 servings of vegetables
2 or 3 servings of fruits
About 2 serving equivalents of fat (25% or less of your calorie ratio is ideal)

There is a false rumour that vegetarians are not typically overweight. On the contrary, many vegetarians struggle with waist circumference due to too many carbs (for help with this, read our article on vegan weight loss). Make sure your carbs are complex and that you keep an eye on your food ratio so you can be a healthy vegetarian with a healthy body mass index. If you’re not following a good vegetarian diet plan, consider making a plan that starts with a weekly menu to help you stay on track.

In conclusion, creating an effective and nutritious vegetarian diet plan requires planning. Do it now!

Calories Burned Walking Can Differ With Each Individual

by Weight Loss - December 12, 2011

Calories Burned Walking Change with Every Person’s Activity Level

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Your calories burned walking differ from other people’s. For instance, how much you weigh is a primary factor. How fast and how far you walk will influence the caloric burn rate.

Basically, it is the balance of calories – how much you consume each day versus how many you burn through activity.

Calories Burned Walking In order to lose weight, you need to burn more calories than you consume. Fewer caloric intake and high activity levels lead to weight loss.

Therefore, the best scenario is to stick to a healthy low-calorie diet and boost your activity levels.

Understanding Calories and Weight Loss

In order to understand the calories burned walking, you must understand calories themselves. Did you know that 3,500 calories equals one pound of fat? This can bode bad news for you if you decide to indulge in a juicy, thick steak in addition to a plate of Fettuccine Alfredo, a Caesar salad and a decadent dessert. Just one meal could ultimately add a pound of fat to your body – yikes!

Setting a realistic goal of losing one pound a week means that you will need to burn 3,500 more calories than you eat during that week. This could be increasing your walking intensity and distance, eating fewer calories or both. You can safely lose one to two pounds of weight with a combination of increased walking and decreased calories consumed. Counting calories to lose weight can be an effective weight loss method.

How Calories Burned Walking Is Determined

The formula is simple. The distance you walk multiplied by your body weight equals the energy you expend walking. Time is but a minor factor as distance is more important. In addition, the faster you walk the more calories you will burn per mile. If you are new to the “walking to lose weight�? scene, focus more on distance than on speed in the beginning. As the miles become easier, then you can focus on speed. The basic rule of thumb though is walking at an average speed of 3.5 miles per hour, a 140 pound person will burn between 70 to 75 calories. Power walking at a speed of 5 miles per hour, the same size person can burn about 100 calories.

There are several ways you can burn more calories while walking. You can boost the intensity of your walk by using walking poles, wearing a weighted backpack or add movements such as arm pumping or marching. In addition, if you build muscle through weight training, you will lose more weight as muscle tends to burn more calories. Of course, eating a balanced diet with the best nutrition possible benefits you with the calories burned walking too.

Does Walking Help You Lose Weight?

by Weight Loss - December 9, 2011

Does Walking Help You Lose Weight?

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There is one fitness question that is often asked: does walking help you lose weight? The answer is an unequivocal yes! However, you cannot simply take a leisurely stroll and expect to lose weight. You have to go the distance and incorporate other elements to make walking work for you in the weight loss department.

The good news is that walking is cheap! All you need is a good pair of socks and comfortable, supportive walking shoes.

The 10,000 Step Rule Of Thumb

Does Walking Help You Lose Weight You have probably heard that if you can incorporate 10,000 steps into your day, you will be able to lose weight. It seems like an awful lot, but really, it translates into about four to five miles or at least one hour of power walking. You can do this all at once or break it up throughout your day.

Walk before breakfast and dinner; walk during your lunch hour at work. Bypass your car and walk on foot to do your errands. Park at the far end of the parking lot of a store or take the stairs instead of the elevator. There are a myriad of ways to answer that question “does walking help you lose weight?”

Add Intensity To Your Walk

Walking on the treadmill or even around your block will help, but adding intensity will really boost your fat burning powers. Start with a slightly faster than average stroll for approximately five minutes and then add a two minute burst of power walking as fast as you can. Decrease your speed to a brisk walk until you recover your breath, typically about five minutes. Next, add another intense burst of speed of up to a minute, decrease your speed for another few minutes and then add on the power walking speed again. Doing this at odd intervals during your walk will boost your metabolism and increase fat burning.

Another answer to the “does walking help you lose weight” question is incorporating some elements such as hills or stairs during your walk. Inclines boost your heart rate which, in turn, keeps your internal engine revved up to burn more calories. Ankle weights, a weighted belt or even carrying a weighted backpack are additional ways to add intensity.

If you are walking in your neighbourhood around the blocks, make your walking routine into a game. From one corner to another, do a high step march or even lunges. Skipping, taking exaggerated big steps or even walking backward (keep an eye out for hazards in your path) can increase walking intensity too.

Benefits Of Walking

In just one hour of brisk walking, you can burn up to 500 calories, depending on your body weight. Walking every day of the week like this can help you lose almost half a kilogram of fat – and this is with your normal diet! Just imagine what you could lose if you revamped your diet, bypassing trans fats, sodas, candy and fried foods. Does walking help you lose weight? Absolutely! And if you develop a plan for your walking endeavors, you will experience great success in the weight loss department.

Follow these suggestions and the answer to Does Walking Help You Lose Weight will be: Of Course it Does!

Tips For Making A Dairy Free Diet Work

by Weight Loss - December 9, 2011

Dairy Free Diet – A Solution for Lactose Intolerance

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If you are thinking that dairy is the cause of your health problems, learn how to make a dairy free diet work. Whether you are lactose intolerant or simply want to eliminate dairy from your diet to overcome health issues that might be related to it, read on for some information to help you make a dairy free diet work.

It’s important to consider how you will get the right level of vitamins and nutrition and get around recipes that call for milk, butter, cream, and cheese. Read on for some tips for your dairy free diet:

Be sure that you take multivitamins. Make sure you get an adequate amount of calcium, magnesium, and other nutrients that you’d normally get from dairy products. Most people aren’t able to follow a picture perfect diet, a good multivitamin is always smart.

Look for a milk alternative. You may want it in your coffee, cereal, or for recipes that call for milk. Try soy or almond milk, for example. Almond milk often works great in baking recipes. If you’re highly allergic, you may find rice milk more agreeable.

If you have small children, talk to your pediatrician to make sure that you know what’s required for them. Small children need much more dairy in their daily diet than adults. It will take a concerted effort to make things work in a dairy free household when kids are involved.
Look for alternative diets such as vegetarian or meat based diets for valuable sources of protein and vitamins.

You can find dairy free cheese and ice cream, too. If needed, you can check your local health store for some alternatives and suggestions on dairy free diet products to try.

Consider consuming extra calcium rich foods, such as calcium enriched orange juice and increasing your intake of salmon, sardines, and tofu. Many dark green leafy veggies also have a lot of milk-like nutrition qualities.

There will be a period of adjustment as you navigate through this unfamiliar territory but whether you’re doing it for an experiment or because you need to do it, there are a lot of available products to help make a dairy free diet much easier.

Finding a Dairy Free Diet that offers nutrition is difficult, however there are good options out there.

Workout Programs For Men

by Weight Loss - December 8, 2011

Workout Programs For Men

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Time is the single biggest problem when creating workout programs for men. There is never enough of it! Luckily, you do not need hours at a time for exercise but you do need to carve out at least 30 to 45 minutes a day to achieve respectable results, depending on your fitness goals. Getting up a little earlier than normal or bumping back bed time are great options to squeeze in a workout in your busy schedule.

A Three Day Per Week Fitness Program

If you follow an exercise routine based on a Monday, Wednesday, Friday schedule, you will be able to keep your weekends free for friends and family time. Plus, a three day routine adheres to some trainers’ advice of one day on and one day off. Workout programs for men that are based on three days will incorporate cardio exercises in addition to strength training using weights or resistance machines.

Each day starts with about 20 minutes of cardio exercise such as the treadmill, elliptical, stationary bike or even jumping rope or marching in place. Anything that will warm up your body and get your heart rate up will work. Just be sure you alternate your cardio options each day.

After cardio each day, you can concentrate on core muscle groups, alternating each day. You might spend 20 to 25 minutes on three or four core exercises working on your arms, chest, and shoulders on Monday whereas on Wednesday it might be your back and legs. Friday could be a combination of the entire body. On all 3 days, abdominal exercises should be added to complete the workout.

Circuit Training Several Days a Week

Intense circuit training for three to four days a week can be an excellent addition to workout programs for men. It takes only 45 minutes at a time and combines a full body workout along with cardio. And because the exercise is intense, there is a lot of fat burning going on. The use of dumbbells adds better results. With circuit training, there are often seven to ten different exercises that are completed in succession, allowing only 10 to 15 seconds of rest in between each one and approximately two minutes between each completed circuit. You should repeat the circuit two or three times in a 45 minute session. Workout Programs for Men

A typical circuit training workout for men will include squats, with dumbbells optional. Mountain climbers, push-ups, ab crunches, dumbbell swings and split jumps are often a part of this routine. You might also include lunges with or without dumbbells, push-up rows, overhead dumbbell presses and front lateral dumbbell raises.

For an effective circuit training workout, you should switch out the exercises in your routine every three or four weeks as your body can become accustomed to them.

Creating workout programs for men based on just a few days a week can work with busy schedules. You can achieve results as long as you stick with your exercise routine regularly. Of course, you will boost your chances of developing a better body if you add a healthy, balanced diet into your fitness plan.

Ab Workouts For Women – No Equipment Needed!

by Weight Loss - December 7, 2011

Ab Workouts For Women – Simple and Effective Routines

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Effective ab workouts for women are an important focus when creating a fitness routine. A strong core or abdominal area is important for overall body stability, particularly spine protection. If you cannot maintain balance during exercise, you risk potential injury. Luckily, there are a number of ab exercises to try that require no special equipment beyond an exercise mat.

The Bicycle Crunch

The most effective ab workouts for women should always include the bicycle crunch. This exercise engages all of the muscles in the abdominal area, particularly the rectus abdominis and the obliques, otherwise known as the “six-pack” muscles and “waist” muscles.

To execute this exercise, lie down on the floor and place your hands behind your head for support. Press your lower back area into the floor and raise your knees to a 45 degree angle. Pump your legs slowly in a bicycling motion while twisting your torso up. Touch your left elbow to your right knee and then your right elbow to your left knee. Take care not to pull on your neck and breathe in and out evenly. Your goal is to do 10-15 crunches and repeat the set three times.

The Superman Exercise

For overall abdominal strength, the Superman exercise is quite effective. Lie down on the floor, face down and stretch your arms out over your head. (Picture Superman when he is flying!). Raise your left arm a few inches above the ground at the same time as your right leg. Hold this pose for up to five seconds and then repeat the process with the opposite leg and arm. You should work up to 10-15 poses per set and repeat the set three times.

The Long Arm Crunch

Traditional abdominal crunches can strengthen and tone your stomach area but a variation called the long armed crunch is actually more effective at toning your six-pack muscles.

Ab Workouts for Women To perform this exercise, you lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor, just like the traditional version. However, with this type of crunch, you will extend your arms over your head and clasp your hands together, keeping the arms tucked in by your ears. Engage your abs, pulling your navel in and elevate your shoulder blades off the floor. Lower this pose and repeat 10-15 times per set and repeat the set three times. Keep your neck steady during this exercise to avoid straining it.

If you have not engaged in a regular fitness program for a while, it may take some time to work up to multiple sets of these exercises. Also, keep in mind that ab workouts for women should not be the your only exercise to lose weight and define your stomach area. A healthy, balanced diet and an effective cardio workout are necessary to help melt away the fat in your stomach area so that your ab muscles can be seen to their best advantage.

Follow these Ab Workouts For Women Exercises. They work!

5 Yummy Low Calorie Chicken Recipes

by Weight Loss - December 6, 2011

Low Calorie Chicken Recipes that are Easy and Delicious.

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Chicken is a great food for those who want to watch their diet by reducing fat and increasing protein. It’s a versatile food as well. When it’s on sale, stock up in the freezer! There are a great deal of yummy low calorie chicken recipes.

Here are five easy low calorie chicken recipes for you to try out..

Low Calorie Roasted Chicken

Roast a chicken on a metal cage. These cages are available for, typically, under $10 and let you stand the chicken up in the oven. Because fat drips off. Cook according to package directions based on the size of chicken (typically 325F for a few hours). Just sprinkle with some BBQ chicken spice. Avoid eating the skin. In addition, serve with vegetables and/or salad.

Tip: Save the leftover roasted chicken and make some hearty and low calorie chicken vegetable soup (see next recipe!)

Chicken Vegetable Soup or Stew

Soup is a hearty meal with low calorie count. It’s also very budget and schedule friendly as you can make a batch easily and freeze some for later. Boil some leftover chicken to make a broth and strain out the chicken and bones. Re-deposit the meat and add some vegetables and spice to the mixture and cook until tender.

If you want to make it into stew, add a can of low fat cream of chicken soup and some thickened chicken broth to it.

Low Calorie Chicken Recipe – Mexican Chicken

Place boneless, skinless chicken breasts in a roasting pan and add a jar of salsa and half a jar of vegetable cocktail. Cook in roasting pan at (180 degrees or 325 – 350 Fahrenheit) until done. Serve with brown rice and your choice of vegetables. The sauce is low calorie and delicious!

Homemade Chicken Tenders

Chicken tenders are often heavily breaded and fried. They’re delicious but they’re off the charts on the caloric value scale. To cut the calorie count, consider baking them instead of frying them. Slice your chicken into strips and dip in flour, then an egg and milk mixture, and then breadcrumbs mixed with your favourite spices.

Also consider using whole wheat bread crumbs for better nutrition or for extra crunch, crush some cornflakes cereal. Bake these, flipping half way through. For extra crunch without loads of extra calories, spray them lightly with cooking spray half way through cooking. This is a pretty good alternative to deep frying.

Chicken Pasta Alfredo

5 Yummy Low Calorie Chicken Recipes Chicken in pasta Alfredo sounds decadent, doesn’t it? It probably doesn’t sound like one of the more figure friendly low calorie chicken recipes. But here’s a way you can get the decadence without eating a day’s worth of calories in one meal:

Whole wheat pasta (and only serve yourself a cup of it).

Saute or grill some boneless and skinless chicken breast with some vegetables (chicken and broccoli and a bit of spinach works great). Lots of veggies will fill you up, add flavour, and won’t leave you feeling robbed due to the smaller pasta portion.
Add a teaspoon of butter and a teaspoon of flower into a skillet. Make a roux and slowly add some chicken broth, skim milk, and low fat cream cheese and parmesan cheese until desired consistency. Add some salt, pepper, parsley and any other spice you like. Toss together and serve over hot whole wheat pasta.

*** Always be sure to cook chicken until it’s no longer pink in the middle!

Finally, these Low Calorie Chicken Recipes are easy and fast to prepare, Try Them Now!

Low Fat Diet Plan – Pros and Cons

by Weight Loss - December 1, 2011

Low Fat Diet Plan – Pros and Cons

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You’ll find low fat diet plan options out there that help you lower your fat intake through low fat and fat free foods. But is a low fat diet plan your best option for weight loss? Read on for some pros and cons of a low fat diet plan.

Low Fat Diet Plan Pros

Low fat diet plan foods tend to have lower calories than fat laden foods. If you’re counting calories to lose weight, you’ll find that low fat foods allow you to have more of a particular food, increasing your satiety level and helping you get to the next meal.

Beyond lower calorie counts, less fat is better for your body. This is better for your heart.

Low Fat Diet Plan Cons

The biggest con of a low fat diet plan is the belief that if you don’t eat fat, you won’t gain weight. If you eat a lot of sugar, for instance, and you don’t burn it off through exercise, it will cause weight gain. Many junk foods are a bit deceiving to dieters who read labels and see a zero fat content.

Some fat is needed by the body. Cutting out fat entirely probably isn’t good for your health overall. So what’s the answer? Here are some tips:

Opt for good fats wherever possible. Fish, olive oil, avocados.. these contain good fat.

Count calories but make calories count. Look at nutritive value more than numbers.

Calculate your percentage of each area. What percentage of your low fat diet plan includes carbohydrates, protein, and fat? Chances are that you’re eating too much fat, too many carbs, and not enough protein. Try tipping the scales in a better direction.

Conclusions

Some people opt for low fat diet plans that are portion controlled. Some food plans provide you with prepared meals, which can make it easier for you to lose weight because you don’t have to think about what to eat. There are pros and cons with this way of dieting. Yes, it can work but it’s important to learn how to identify low fat diet plan and high yield nutritional foods on your own so that when the diet plan is over, you’ll be able to make healthy choices without having to rely on packaged foods.

However you choose to approach your diet, whether choosing a low fat diet plan or choosing a low carb plan, or something else altogether, learning as much about nutrition as possible will serve you well in your diet efforts and in terms of your overall health and wellness.. and longevity, too!

Choosing Healthy Snacks For Kids

by Weight Loss - November 30, 2011

Choosing Healthy Snacks For Kids

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Whether you’re looking into dieting, want to control your child’s calories, or are just looking to get some fresh after-school, movie night, or healthy snack ideas for the lunchbox.. here’s some information that can help you with choosing healthy snacks for kids as well as increasing the chance that your child will actually eat the snack.

First of all, choosing healthy snacks for kids will provide your children with nutrition and promote healthy eating habits that will last a lifetime.

The right snacking habits will help you with weight control, nutrition. Your child’s snack repertoire will change beyond cookies and candies.

Read on for some tips and some ideas for healthy snacks for kids.

Adopt Healthy Snacking Habits For The Whole Family

Kids and parents alike should choose healthy snacks. Many parents make the mistake of trying to stop the toddler from eating certain snacks in the house.

Why bring those snacks in at all? An occasional treat night is fine. Make the normal snacks consist of healthy choices and the whole family will be better off.

Therefore try to choose snacks with nutritive value.

Watch Sugar Content

Even fruits and juices contain sugar and while fine in small doses, should be carefully monitored for both health and nutrition as well as oral care. Many healthy snacks for kids are ok nutritionally (such as fruit leather, juice and raisins) but aren’t good for the teeth. Be extra careful with low fat or fat free snack foods as many do have high levels of sugar, which can turn to fat anyway.

Avoid Snacks With Artificial Sweeteners

It’s wise to keep things natural for kids. Many people believe that there can be negative health effects from aspartame, sucralose, and similar sweeteners so most nutrition experts suggest steering clear if possible.

Get Creative

Offer a variety of snacks to keep your kids interested and to expand their palate. When foods are offered in snack form, they often become favourites. For instance, your child may think he or she doesn’t love rainbow peppers on their dinner plate but dipping raw strips of colourful pepper strips into a healthy dip might get them trying the healthy food.

Get Your Child Involved

Helping with snack time can get them involved in eating healthier choices. Decorating muffins with healthy toppings instead of cupcakes, helping to arrange raw vegetables into a fun pattern on a platter, choosing to help prep and clean-up, and other involvement will encourage your child to want to eat the healthy snacks. For kids, choice is often important.

Here are some suggestions for healthy snacks for kids:

A fruit platter with yogurt dipping sauce.

Trail mix. Mix favourite things for your child, including: raisins, nuts, dried fruit, seeds, and granola. Be careful about allergies of course, and be sure to spend extra time on teeth brushing after trail mix.

Smoothies. A smoothie can be a filling and dessert-like snack. Combine yogurt, a banana, some milk, and other fruit combinations for a delicious and nutritious shake.

Veggies and dip.

Cheese and whole grain crackers.

Ants on a log (celery with peanut butter, topped with raisins)