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Showing posts from January, 2012

Measure Up For Your Heart

Think twice before having that second helping of pie.  New research in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology reveals that people that gained as little as 9 pounds in 2 months experienced a drop in blood vessel function, which is a precursor for heart disease. If you notice your pants are feeling a little snug, take action.  The study's authors found that once people shed the pounds they gained, their blood flow returned to normal.  That's news worth taking to heart. Shape Magazine November 2010

Healthy Fast Food

When life dishes you insane work deadlines, long road trips or back to back appointments with the kids, fast food becomes a fact of life.  You can do major nutritional damage in the drive thru, so Family Circle Magazine scoured the menu at some popular fast food restaurants to make a list of the top picks. Healthiest picks from the menu: McDonalds : Honey Mustard Grilled Snack Wrap and Snack Size Fruit and Walnut Salad (470 cal, 17g Fat)  Burger King:  Hamburger and Value Sized Unsalted French Fries (480 cal, 21g fat)  Hold BK to the motto "Have it your way", order a basic burger without mayo and extra lettuce and tomato to boost your veggies, ask for those fries without salt and you save 100 mg of sodium Wendys :  Large Chili with a side of Mandarin Oranges (420 cal, 10g fat, 9g fiber)  KFC : Honey BBQ sandwich and Large Corn on the Cob (460 cal, 4.5g fat, ) Panera : Cup of Vegetable Soup with Pesto and Half a Smoked Turkey Sandwich (380 cal, 5g fat)

Portion Control Tricks

In a five week study of college freshman eating at a dining hall, the portion sizes of French Fries were gradually decreased by 15% each week for three weeks.  The smaller portion sizes eventually resulted in significant decreases in intake of that food, despite the fact that it took place in an all you can eat dining hall. How you can use this news?  Start serving yourself smaller portions of foods little by little.  Buy a medium fry instead of a large, remove a tablespoon or two of pasta, rice or cereal, buy loaves if bread with smaller slices.  Serve your meals on smaller plates, you'll trick yourself into eating less. Weight Watchers Weekly; weightwatchers.com; Maria Kinirons, RD

Believe It to Achieve It

Set a big resolution? Keep up your can do attitude for three weeks and you could see it thru!  Researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign found that among former couch potatoes who consistently worked out three times per week, those who scored high on their scale of confidence in their capabilities on day 21 stuck to their new regimen for the rest of the year. So basically you've now developed a "habit" and your motivation is simply auto-pilot.  Now going to the gym seems like a cinch rather than a chore.  Here are three strategies to keep your motivation strong all year long! Keep Track : Log your healthy meals and daily workouts.  When you do this you are keeping yourself accountable and seeing how much progress you've made Take on a Challenge : Train for a triathlon, run your first or fastest race or join a bike competition. Try Something New : Switch up your workout with a boot camp, a dance class or kickboxing routine. Fitness Magazin