Jenn's Losing It

Is your kitchen filled with more restaurant menus than actual food? Welcome to the club:  The average American orders takeout three days a week, according to a recent survey conducted by CouponCodes4U.com. For the online poll, researchers asked 2,503 participants about their takeout habits. Most of the people surveyed said they didn’t have time to prepare entire meals from scratch, while others said they had no interest in cooking (a few said they didn’t even know how to cook). So it’s no surprise that people ordered out so often—but indulging in takeout too frequently can wreak havoc on your waistline. Previous research has found that restaurant meals typically contain two to three times the calories  you  should be taking in at each meal—which may be why 72 percent of people in the survey said they were overweight. Many restaurants serve huge portions, says Brooke Alpert, RD, founder of B Nutritious, who was not part of the survey. That means you end up consuming more s...

The post-workout snack is important not only to help pick your energy level back up, but it also has a role in how your body recovers from a workout. Everyone is different in what they crave and can tolerate after a workout but, in general, each working body needs a mix of both carbohydrates and proteins to refuel properly. Carbohydrates are essential to boost energy levels and help the protein to be taken up into the body, which assists in muscle recovery. Aim to have your snack as soon as possible after you’re done with your activity. The first 15 minutes after exercise is when your muscles are most receptive to taking in nutrients to replenish energy stores and help muscles recover. These post-workout snacks are healthy and portable, and offer both protein and carbohydrates. Medium Banana + 1 Tablespoon Nut Butter Bananas are a dense source of carbohydrates, which helps you refuel necessary energy in a smaller portion. Plus, they're rich in potassium, which may help alleviate mu...

You know you should exercise and eat healthfully to keep your weight in check. The thing is,  research suggests that when people devote time to one healthy habit, they spend less time on the other . So which is more important if you’re worried about your waistline: your workout or your diet? Turns out,  people who think that diet is the most important factor in weight control tend to have a lower body mass index (BMI) than those who believe that exercise is the key , according to six new studies published in the journal Psychological Science. In the studies, researchers asked a total of more than 1,200 people in the U.S., Canada, China, France, and South Korea about the main factor that makes people overweight. They also took participants’ height and weight measurements to calculate their BMIs. Interestingly, those who said it’s most important to stay active to prevent obesity had higher BMIs than the people who said eating right is the key to weight control. As you might expe...

Actress  Kerry Washington 's Pilates instructor Nonna Gleyzer--who's also worked with Madonna and Sting--designed this workout to make the most of her clients' core and gluteus muscles. "The first two moves are great for your lower abdominals, which can be difficult to reach," says Gleyzer. Pilates exercises three and four? Butt-tastic. "They're better than squats!" Roll-Back Sit with your legs in front of you, knees bent. Place a Pilates ball at the base of your spine. Lean back and extend your arms out in front of you, palms facing down, and tighten your core  (a) . Open your arms out to the side and inhale  (b) ; as you bring them back together, exhale. Do five to 15 reps. Double-Leg Extension Lie on your back and place a yoga block under your tailbone. Bend your knees toward your chest and lay your arms at your sides  (a) . On the inhale, extend your legs up on a diagonal  (b) . Exhale, bringing your knees back toward your chest. Do five to 15 re...

You know that eating breakfast is key for keeping your appetite under control throughout the day. But  what  you eat in the a.m. may be just as important as whether you eat at all:  Adding peanuts or peanut butter to your breakfast can help control cravings for up to 12 hours afterward , according to a study published recently in the  British Journal of Nutrition . For the study, researchers from Purdue University and the Federal University of Vicosa in Brazil put 15 obese women through three experiments: In the first, they ate 1.5 ounces of peanuts with orange juice and Cream of Wheat cereal. In the second, the same women swapped the peanuts out for 3 tablespoons of peanut butter. Finally, in the last experiment, they had only the juice and cereal (researchers adjusted the portion sizes so that calorie counts remained the same throughout all three phases). After each experiment, researchers took participants’ blood samples and asked them to rate their appetite level...

Dustin Hoffman’s  Tootsie  interview isn’t the only thing going viral right now. Exercise is trending across the U.S. , according to new research published in the journal  Population Health Metrics . For the study, the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) tracked the exercise habits of 3.7 million adults across the country for more than 10 years. Researchers found that the number of women who met the recommended exercise guidelines (150 minutes per week) rose by four percent nationwide—compared to the one percent increase for men. The West, Midwest, and South—which had low exercise rates early in the experiment—showed the most improvement. The results suggest that public health initiatives effectively encouraged more people to exercise in these areas, says lead study author Christopher Murray, MD, director of IHME. Ready for the bad news? Despite the fact that many counties reported higher exercise rates by the end of the study, Murray says obesity rates did...

It begins today for me. Now that James is settled in at home and I'm starting to feel like myself again, it's time to get back on Weight Watchers and get back to lifetime status! During my pregnancy I learned I had hypothyroidism. Which explains the weight gain I was noticing prior to finding out I was pregnant.  Now they seem to have that straightened out for me and that should be one less hurdle in my newest weight loss journey.  I have 58 pounds to lose in order to be back at my "lifetime" weight with weight watchers. I'll be posting my weight loss journey, workouts I've done for the day and my progress on my Facebook page www.facebook.com/lilyboxing. I can't wait to share my journey back to "being me"! Here's a picture from about 2 weeks before having James and then this morning: I'll take the one+ week transformation! I'll also post weekly photo updates, this will help me feel accountable that I'm working back to my goal.  Th...

Timing is everything—even when it comes to keeping your bones healthy. That’s the takeaway from a new study that finds  taking calcium supplements before working out helps minimize exercise-induced calcium loss . Athletes who train intensely can lose substantial amounts of calcium when they sweat, leading to decreased bone density. So authors of the study, which was presented recently at the annual meeting of the Endocrine Society, set out to see if taking calcium supplements pre- or post-workout would help fix the problem. They divided 52 male cyclists into two groups. One group took 1,000 mg of calcium along with 1,000 iu of vitamin D (which helps the body absorb calcium) 30 minutes before training. The other group took the same calcium-vitamin D combo an hour after training. The result: Though both groups showed decreased blood-calcium levels, the cyclists who popped the supplements before breaking a sweat had much less calcium loss, said Vanessa Sherk, PhD, lead author of the s...

Today's post is very different than any other~last night our newest edition joined us rather quickly and we are over the moon.  James Ryan, born 8/2/2013 @ 6:18pm He is 8lbs, 12oz and 20.5in long.  We are both doing wonderful and can't wait to go home!

By  Dave Camire  • For Active.com Training in hot weather can be challenging, and without the proper precautions it can be dangerous. But a few easy guidelines can help you beat the heat. Before stepping out on a hot day, make sure to check the heat index. The heat index combines air temperature and relative humidity to determine how hot it feels.  The National Weather Service  offers heat index alerts when it becomes dangerous to exercise outdoors. Your body cools itself with perspiration which evaporates and carries heat away. When the relative humidity is high, the evaporation rate is reduced and heat is removed from the body at a slower rate. One way to get through those hot and humid days is to avoid them. When the heat index reaches dangerous levels consider taking that well deserved day off. If avoidance is not an option for you, try running in the early morning or early evening when the heat index is typically lower. Another option is to do your workout indoo...