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| Past Tips of the Week |
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| Watch Your Posture at Work |
| Did you realize bad posture alone can give your brain up to 30% less blood and oxygen? Along with good posture, the most effective way to fight energy lulls is with heavy doses of good stretching and good breathing. Shoot for five minutes of mental or physical activity per hour, every hour at the computer. |
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| Exercising with Arthritis |
| Begin with easy, range-of-motion exercises and low-impact aerobics. As you become more comfortable with a low-level program, it is possible to progress to more advanced exercises. For example, you might start with water exercise (easiest on the joints) and progress to walking and/or biking or sports. Check with your doctor to learn which sports and exercises would be safe for you to try. |
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| Say Yes to Flexibility |
| Consistent stretching of various muscles will improve your flexibility. Most of these type workouts involve very focused stretching routines with lots of breathing exercises to enhance the movements. However, the key to flexibility is consistency. Muscles need to be properly warmed up and stretched regularly to maintain and enhance a joint’s range of motion. |
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| Whenever Possible, Walk |
| Increase the amount of time you can walk, versus sit or drive. It doesn’t take that much extra time to park a bit farther from the store entrance, or to make a personal visit to a colleague rather than phoning, instant messaging or e-mailing. |
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| Too Many Calories From Sodas, Sweets and Desserts |
| In a recent study that surveyed 4,700 people, soft drinks were the number one source of calories. They accounted for 7.1 percent of the calories the people in this study consumed. Altogether, the categories of soft drinks, sweets and desserts, and alcoholic beverages made up 23.8 percent of total calorie intake. Salty snacks and fruit-flavored drinks added another five percent of calories. Since all of these foods are relatively concentrated in calories, you don’t have to eat a lot of them to increase your daily calorie total. |
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| The Key to Weight Loss Success |
| Studies show that people who keep food journals lose more weight and keep more of that weight off in the long run. The National Weight Control Registry-– an ongoing research project tracking more than 3,000 people who’ve lost an average of 66 pounds and kept it off for five years– found that keeping a food journal is the one strategy used by the majority of successful dieters. |
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| Don't Over Do It! |
| Try doing too much at once and you’ll burn out swiftly. Slowly increase the intensity of your workouts. Diversify your workout routine. If you do the same exercises day after day, you’ll quickly tire and are more likely to skip workouts. |
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| Get Enough Sleep |
| Even if you gain more time
in your day by cutting back on sleep, you will be less effective
throughout the day, as your energy level and cognitive functioning
will be reduced. Insufficient sleep also makes you more susceptible
to illness. By getting enough sleep, you become more efficient
during the time you are awake. |
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| Include
Protein for Sustained Energy |
| Besides lean meats, good protein
sources include nuts, cheese, and beans. Some easy-to-pack
examples include cheese cubes, almond butter (like peanut butter,
but made with almonds instead), trail mix, hummus, and soy “deli” slices
(found in the natural foods section of your local grocery). |
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| Choose
Olive Oil as a Health Alternative |
| Olive oil is rich in essential
vitamins such as vitamins A, B-1, B-2, C, D, E, and K, as well
as iron. Its high content of antioxidant substances not only
discourages artery clogging and chronic disease, it also prevents
damage to blood vessels and cells by attacking free radicals.
This effect may also play a role in slowing down the aging
process of cells and tissue. The “beauty oil,” as
it’s been called, can also claim to soften and firm skin
tissue, giving it more luster. |
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| Learn
to Love Morning Exercise |
| Exercising early in the morning "jump
starts" your metabolism, keeping it elevated for hours,
sometimes for up to 24 hours! As a result, you’ll be
burning more calories all day long—just because you exercised
in the morning. |
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| Drink Water |
| Even when you are actually
done exercising, you need to keep replenishing your fluid levels.
It’s recommended that you drink another 2-3 cups within
two hours after you have finished. Then, drink water regularly
afterwards. You may not feel thirsty anymore, but you still
need to replenish yourself to avoid getting dehydrated. |
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| The Skinny
on Vegetables |
| It’s true that vitamins
break down in heat and air. The longer and hotter you cook
something, the more nutrients you lose. But there are simple,
easy ways to avoid major vitamin loss when preparing fruits
and vegetables. The most obvious, of course, is to eat raw
fruits and vegetables whenever possible. |
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| Jump
on the Scale |
When you weigh
yourself regularly, you’re more likely to catch weight
gain early on—and do something about it. Give yourself
about a 5-pound range to stay within, and continue to watch
your calories and get plenty of exercise after you meet your
goal. While daily weigh-ins might not be necessarily for
everyone, you can still keep yourself in check with consistent,
weekly weigh-ins, body fat tests, or other measurements (such
as waist, hips, etc.). |
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| Steps
to Reduce Your Sodium |
Limit your use
of the salt shaker. Try a shaker with smaller holes.
Substitute salt seasoning with
other flavorings, such as onion,
garlic, lemon, vinegar, black pepper,
or parsley.
Choose fresh, frozen or canned
vegetables without added salt.
Cook fresh or frozen fish, poultry
and meat more often than canned or
processed forms.
Rinse canned beans and vegetables
to remove added salt before cooking.
Make smart substitutions.
Why not try mustard (11 calories) instead of mayonnaise (99 calories) on
that deli sandwich? Who knows, you might even like it better. |
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Fit
in Exercise Whenever You Can
Experts recommend that adults exercise a minimum
of 30 minutes three times per week. Aim for this amount, but
don’t kick yourself if you can’t meet this goal.
Any amount of exercise is better than none. |
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Choose
Whole Wheat Bread Instead of White
Whole grains are loaded with nutrients and fiber,
while their refined counterparts are lacking. To make sure your
bread is whole wheat, check the label. The first ingredient should
be whole wheat, not just wheat flour. If your child is used to
the refined version, try switching to a hybrid variety first,
which contains some whole grains mixed with refined flour. |
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Use
Herbs and Spices to "Spark-Up" your Food
Wake up your taste buds! Cooking with herbs
and spices will enhance the flavor of healthy foods without
adding fat, salt, sugar, or calories. Herbs and spices contribute
bright color, savory taste and sensational aroma. |
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Squeeze
in An Extra Calorie Burn
How about purposely making extra trips from
the car to the house with the grocery bags? Rather than load
up on as many bags as you possibly can, carry just one in
each hand, briskly walking to and from the house. |
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New
to Exercise? Things to Think About
Warm up with a low impact exercise, such as biking,
an elliptical machine, walking, or rowing. These exercises allow
your body to warm up with limited stress to your joints. |
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Add
Snacks to Subtract Pounds
Munching between meals can actually reduce your overall caloric intake by curbing
overeating at your next meal. By controlling later binging, snacking can help
you stay on track. You can actually use this to your advantage. If you know you
are going out to a big dinner with friends later, for example, make sure you
have a healthy snack before you head out so you’re less likely to order
(and finish) a large entrée. |
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Start Small
Quite possibly
the biggest mistake dieters make is pushing the accelerator
too soon. You can’t lose 20 pounds in a week. But
you can lose 2. Taking small bites and chewing slowly
have as much to do with goal achievement as they do with
your mom’s dinner table scolding. |
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Skip Rope, Not Meals
Next time you’re tempted to blow
off breakfast (or lunch or dinner), don’t. By under eating,
your body shifts into “emergency” mode, thinking
that starvation is sure to follow. Fat storage-related enzymes
are triggered, waiting for the next food to come down the pike
so they can pack the nutrition away for later use. New studies
have also shown that people who skip meals tend to be more
inclined to crave both salty and sugary foods. |
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Flaxseed is the best plant source
of
omega-3 fatty acids.
Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of ground flaxseed to
your diet each day for health benefits. |
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Eat your
breakfast!
Eating breakfast revvs your metabolism early so you burn more calories
all day. |
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Nuts are
high in protein, vitamins, minerals and fiber.
Eating nuts
could actually lower the risk of heart disease, particularly
for women. |
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Green Tea
Green tea
is loaded with antioxidants helping to fight against free
radicals that cause "bad" cholesterol. |
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Apples
are filled with disease-fighting properties.
They can help
lower blood cholesterol and reduce your risk of stroke, cancer
and diabetes. |
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