Burn Calories While Watching TV

If you are a TV magnet , babysitter, or just always looking to stay active—There are ways you can stay fit while not moving far from your couch—and  definitely without missing your favorite television show. 

Taking a few extra minutes during your favorite show to do simple exercises that will make you feel better about yourself and relieve any guilt you were having about being a couch potato. Try the simple exercises listed below.

Crunch Crunch Crunch—these are easy to do and show great results if you maintain a routine in doing them on a regular basis. Why not take one of your favorite shows that’s on a few times a week, and make it your new workout habit to do sets of crunches during commercials. *hey ‘look on the bright side...it will speed up the break and before you know it your show will be back on! Crunches are great for toning tummies.

Fidget—move around while your favorite show is on. Move you’re remote, or rotate your arms and legs. As long as you’re moving you’re on the right track. Research has shown that those who fidget while sitting can burn up to 350 more calories per day.

Push-ups—another exercise to do during commercials that will leave you feeling the burn.  Unless listening to your favorite reality singing show, this will have to wait for a TV break because push-ups require you to face the ground. Push-ups are great for toning your arms and strengthening your upper body and chest.

Ball Balances—Seated balances work with your abs. First get a ball and sit in front of your TV. Make sure you ware next to your coffee table, to use as an aid. Sit on the ball and have your feet on the ground. Grab hold of the table with one hand and slowly lift your right foot of the floor—next do the same with your left. Slowly remove your hand from the table. For safety reasons, make sure your hand is always close enough to the table. Keep repeating this process with the goal to maintain balance without touching the table. Once you get super comfortable see if you can last through an entire TV show. 

Chicken And Dumplings Recipe with Iron Chef Winner Chris Hastings

Kurriosity Chef Chris Hastings stopped by the Southern Living Test Kitchen to showcase his family's favorite Chicken and Dumplings recipe taking it to new heights by building fresh and unexpected flavors in the classic Southern dish.

5 Unusual Foods that Will Boost Your Immune System

                These foods may not even come up on your radar as part of a healthy lifestyle, but they are easy to include in your diet, and they a loaded with vitamins and minerals.

1.       Prunes – It’s time to rethink prunes. No longer are they just for your grandparents. They have a high concentration of the antioxidant potassium which helps to maintain healthy blood pressure. What’s even better is that they can help promote bone density in women. A recent study shows that consuming prunes reduces the likelihood of bone fractures.

2.       Beets – Give them a try, they are actually quite sweet and refreshing. Not only that, but they are loaded with vitamins and minerals including, magnesium, calcium, phosphorous, niacin, vitamins A and C, and iron. If that wasn’t enough, they also have fiber and folic acid, which is necessary for cell growth and repair.

3.       Sweet Potatoes – Sweet potatoes have more than 300% of the daily value of vitamin A and C, which has a powerful anti-cancer effect on the body. They also have plenty of manganese, copper, and potassium.

4.       Black Beans – They contain eight flavonoid antioxidants, which help to fight cancer. Studies have shown black beans are particularly good at fighting colon cancer. The abundance of vitamin B6 also known as folate, is essential in creating the amino acids that help fuel the brain. The high fiber content of black beans aids in digestion and cardiovascular health as well.

5.       Quinoa – If you want a new source of protein, look no further. A cup of quinoa has 9 grams of protein and no cholesterol, compared to an egg which has six grams of protein and 195 mg of cholesterol. Quinoa also boosts brain power, because it contains 15 percent of the daily value of iron, which helps carry oxygen through the body to the brain, increasing alertness and stabilizing mood.

So eat outside the box and try these unusual yet powerful foods to boost health.

Melamine

 The poison in your home Melamine is approved for use in the United States. You will find this chemical in many household items; the use varies from more of an industrial application to basic items we all use every day. 

The chemical combines with other products to form a very strong resin, the resin is used to coat items, making them durable. This is fine for things like laminate flooring, or cleaning products, however recent studies have shown that household items like dishes and cooking utensils may not be the best application.

 Research continues, however preliminary results have shown that the melamine in our basic dishes (like a bowl) can leak into our food and damage our health. This chemical has been linked to kidney malfunction and kidney stones. I have never had a kidney stone, but from what I hear, they are best avoided.

 It may sound elementary, but let’s keep the high-grade industrial resin away from your food.

5 Foods to Avoid

We all know it’s important to read our food labels but how many of us really do?  Especially, when it comes to makers that we’ve grown to trust like Campbells.  But just because something is familiar, doesn’t mean it is healthy.  In order to maintain a healthy body we need to be aware of what goes into it.  Read below for a list of foods you should avoid. 

Campbells Chicken Noodle Soup is packed with sodium.  Half of a cup contains 890 mg of sodium.  You would almost be better off eating a large order of fries at McDonalds, which has 350 mg! 

Frozen “Diet” Meals contain a variety of preservatives that spell out trouble for your body.  Most frozen meals include BHT (Butulated Hydroxytoluene) to keep the food from going bad.  BHT may contain cancer-causing agents and has been linked to kidney damage.  Make fresh food and take the leftovers for lunch instead. 

Canned or Packaged Fruits can contain up to 26 grams of sugar. A can of Red Bull contains 27 grams of sugar.  The fructose syrup the fruit marinates in may impose dangerous side effects on your body such as Type 2 Diabetes, Weight Gain, and Hypertension.  Eating fresh fruits will reduce these side effects and is a natural, healthy way to get sugar. 

Chicken Pot Pies are deceptive, containing vegetables and white meat chicken but most pies have on average 1000 calories and 18 grams of fat, not to mention the preservatives.  Chicken breast and steamed vegetables are a much healthier and nutritious meal. 

Doughnuts are made with trans fats, which have been banned by some governments.  Trans fats increase your bad or LDL cholesterol and at the same time lower your body’s good or HDL cholesterol.  This increases your risk of heart disease.  “Partially hydrogenated” vegetable oil is another name for trans fats so be sure to inspect your food labels!  

Bigorexia

(HealthDay News) -- Men obsessed with muscle-building lean toward traditional ideas of masculinity, while men fixated on being thin likely associate with more feminine stereotypes, according to new research. Guys consumed by the idea that they are not muscular enough have a disorder called muscle dysmorphia, popularly known as "bigorexia."

It had been believed that sexuality was one of the main factors behind muscle dysmorphia in men, but this study suggests that how men view themselves is more important, according to the Australian researchers, whose study results are published in the March 27 issue of the Journal of Eating Disorders. The researchers had a group of men complete a questionnaire designed to find out how they viewed themselves in comparison to common stereotypes of masculine thoughts and behaviors.

Men with a strong desire for being muscular had a greater preference for traditional masculinity, while those with a high drive for thinness (as in anorexia nervosa) leaned more toward feminine roles, the study found. "This does not mean that that the men with anorexia were any less masculine, nor that the men with muscle dysmorphia were less feminine than the control subjects we recruited," study leader Stuart Murray, a clinical psychologist, said in a journal news release. "It is, however, an indication of the increasing pressures men are under to define their masculinity in the modern world."

He and his colleagues noted that research over the past several decades has shown that a growing number of men say they are unhappy with their body image. This may show itself in either a desire to lose weight and become thinner or to gain weight and build muscle. This can lead to problems if a person abuses steroids or adopts unhealthy eating habits, or if the compulsion to exercise overwhelms normal life and leads to loss of sleep, reduced quality of life or even an inability to hold a normal job, the researchers said.

More information

The National Eating Disorders Association has more about body image.

Foods that Fight Aging

             

  The principles of eating for longevity are useful at any age. Whether you are young or old, you can take preventative measures in order to safeguard your health for the future. The key is a healthy diet and lifestyle full of foods that promote your health rather than detract from it. Avoid foods heavy in saturated fat and trans fat. Eat foods with a wide variety of vitamins, minerals, and protein. Here are some foods that will help you age gracefully.

·         Legumes – Chock full of complex carbohydrates and fiber, legumes help keep a stable blood insulin level. They have no cholesterol, and are packed with antioxidants and protein.

·         Watermelon – The antioxidants found in watermelon help repair the sun damage in skin cells.

·         Tomatoes – Tomatoes contain the antioxidant lycopene, which can reduce the risk of some cancers, and keep the skin looking youthful.

·         Cucumber – The skin of a cucumber is made from silica, which helps to build collagen in the skin.

·         Olive Oil – Olive oil is rich in monounsaturated fats (good fats) which actually lower your LDL cholesterol. It is high in antioxidants, which improves skin’s elasticity.

·         Nuts and seeds – Nuts and seeds are full of vitamin E, which helps to moisturize the skin by protecting cells against free radical attacks.

·         Broccoli – There is a compound in broccoli called sulforaphane that increases the activity of protective enzymes in our cells.

·         Salmon – The omega 3 fatty acids found in salmon help to reduce hypertension, lower triglycerides, and decrease your risk of heart attack.

·         Whole grains – Whole grains help reduce the risk of diabetes because of they take longer to digest and do not cause spikes in blood sugar.

·         Berries – Dark berries such as blueberries and raspberries are rich an antioxidants called anthocyanins which have been shown to slow the growth of certain cancers and improve brain function.

Eating Healthy On a Budget

               

 Have you ever thought that eating healthy is too expensive, and it’s more affordable to just eat fast food and other unhealthy convenience foods? It doesn't have to be that way. It’s true that healthy food tends to be more expensive than junk food, but it also goes further than junk food. It takes a little extra planning and preparation. 

Food that seems cheap, like fast food, actually adds up over time and takes a toll on your health. By adding a little more food preparation and planning to your day, you will save money on fast food that you end up buying out of convenience. 

Try to think of the days when fast food wasn't around every corner, and pretend like it’s not there.

1.       Start with your staples. Buy whole grain brown rice, 100% whole grain bread, oatmeal, lentils, beans, and whole grain pastas. If it is possible, buy these foods in bulk because they take much longer to spoil than produce. Buy dried beans and lentils, you get more for your money.

2.       Plan your meals a head of time. Cook a meal in a large quantity, say two or three servings, and save the left overs. This saves a ton of money on meals. Try cooking a stir fry of chicken, rice and vegetables on Sunday, so you have dinner for Monday and Tuesday.

3.       Eat more vegetarian meals. Not only will you save money, but will lower your intake of cholesterol and saturated fat. Eat beans, vegetables, and your choice of whole grain.

4.       Drink water. Filtered tap water does not raise your grocery bill like sodas and sugary juices do. If water is a little too plain, try making your own ice tea or lemon water.

5.       Eat eggs. These are one of the least expensive foods, but they are packed with protein, vitamins, and minerals.

6.       Make your own snacks. If you make your own granola bars, popcorn, or celery and peanut butter, you will find that a little bit of money goes a long way.

7.       Eat fresh produce that is in season, this usually means it is less expensive.

8.       If you cannot always afford fresh produce, frozen produce is the next best thing, and it is considerably less expensive.

9.       Use your freezer. Freeze bread, left overs, meats, and other things so you will not have to deal with food spoilage and wasting money. You can eat it whenever you are ready.

10.   Make small changes. Notice that instead of getting that four-dollar bag of cookies, you can use that money to buy a bag of apples or something healthy.

You will start to notice that junk food is expensive when you could be spending the money on real food. The least expensive produce tends to be carrots, celery, and spinach which are all great for snacking and lunch.

Is Your Partner Making You Fat?

Is your partner making you fat? A lot of us get comfortable in a relationship and can put on 10 to 15 lbs within the first 2 years. It’s easy to do so when you spend a lot of time together, go out to eat on the weekends, drink together, etc.

 Here are a few helpful tips to help save your weight before it breaks your relationship!

1.Try different foods together. Try cooking healthy meals together and experimenting with healthier options. Also, us women are generally shorter and weigh less than men which means we need to cut our portions way less than our significant other. 

2.You can be together but don’t always EAT together. Every time your partner eats or snacks, doesn’t mean you have to as well. Sometimes we eat if we see someone else eating and not because we are hungry. Eat when it is comfortable for you. 

3.Break out of the rut. It’s easy once you have been dating a while or married for some time to spend your free time going to the movies which means snacking extra, going out for ice cream, or having a late night snack. How about suggesting spending your alone time going for a walk, a bike ride, rock climbing, something active? 

4.Focus on your love life and ignore being tired! Your love life is so important and helps control your weight gain. It is actually proven, an active sex life leads to shedding those extra pounds.