How to Stay Fit and Healthy at Any Age 18 - 99 and Have Fun Doing it! by Terry Clark - HTML preview

 

Try the following tips for healthy food preparation options that guarantee great taste:

 

1. Abandon the frying pan. Deep fried food can be really tasty, but unfortunately far from healthy. However, you can easily replace the deep frying process with baking or grilling. In fact, you'll end up with juicier vegetables and fish by baking or grilling properly.

 

2. Use fresh herbs and spices. Instead of using powdered seasons with additives, why not consider substituting those with fresh herbs and spices? They're definitely more natural, which is a plus. But they also have much more powerful flavors than any store-bought powdered variety you may use.

 

3. Replace unhealthy sides with tasty salads. As much as you love to indulge in a serving of macaroni and cheese or potato salad, you're doing damage to your body each time you do. So why not replace them with delicious raw and living foods and salads, to which you can add healthy raw dressings, and still end up consuming fewer calories than the unhealthy alternatives?  Plus, you’ll be getting living food into your living body, a key ingredient to a radiant and healthy life.

 

4. Replace simple carbs with complex carbs. Simple carbs are simply bad for you! White breads, cakes, and white rice have very little nutritional value. Instead, try complex carbs like whole grains, legumes, and sweet potatoes. By consulting your trusty recipe books, you can turn those healthy carbs into explosions of flavor!

 

5. Eat organic, clean meats. If you have to eat meat, eat grass-fed, organic and clean!  If you’re a person who is never going to consider going vegan, at least make sure you buy clean meat.  Instead of grilling burgers and hot dogs on Super Bowl Sunday,  treat your body to a grass-fed, organic piece of steak. Just make sure you include a live, luscious, green salad with it so you’ll be feeding your body living enzymes which complement the body’s self-healing capabilities.

 

6. Make your own sauces. Sauces and dressings don't have to be scratched off your healthy foods list entirely. However, the store-bought ones do! Replace those with homemade dressings and sauces that allow you to control which ingredients you put in. There are many quick and easy raw food dressing and marinate recipes out there  - that’s why they invented Google!

 

7. Substitute store-bought fruit juices with real fruit or freshly extracted juices. There's that sweetness about fruit juices that makes them appealing to kids and adults alike. However, you should avoid the excess sugars found in store-bought juices at all costs. InsteadComputer Technology Articles, have some whole fruit or freshly extracted fruit and veggie juice - these choices are  just as enjoyable but much better for your body.

 

Following these tips will help you let go of the mindset that processed and chemically-laden infused foods are the only ones that are pleasing to the palate. Healthy options definitely exist if you're interested in treating your body right.

 

All your meals can be tasty and healthy at the same time. There's just no way you can beat having food with good flavor and great health properties. That's the perfect combination!

 

 

#42. Staying Fit While Pregnant

 

The importance of been fit and healthy during pregnancy is so crucial. Some women have difficulty maintain a healthy regime. But this does not have to be the case. Staying fit is not all about running and jumping around like a lunatic. Here are 3 simple ways to exercise and keep fit without breaking your back or your bank balance.

Example:

1.Walking

Walking is such a simple but effective exercise. Keep good posture when you’re walking. Stand tall and don’t hunch your shoulders. Try to keep your arms relaxed and swing them forwards and backwards.

Be careful to avoid walking outdoors when it is very hot and always carry a bottle of water with you. You want to avoid your heart-rate souring, so keep away from steep hills and make sure you’re wearing comfortable shoes which offer good support. If the weather does not permit, you can use a treadmill indoors, but remember to keep your balance!

 

2. Swimming.

Swimming is a great overall form of exercise and particularly during the later stages of pregnancy, as walking can become a bit uncomfortable. Being in the water is great because it supports your weight and helps take the pressure of your lower back.

Water is wonderful because the effects of gravity are lessened and therefore there’s much less pressure put on your joints. If has also been found that swelling can be reduced through regular swimming and of course it has a calming effect on the body which is of great benefit.

 

3. Yoga and Low-impact Aerobics.

Nowadays, a lot of hospitals and health clubs offer pre-natal exercise classes.

Because of the limitations put on a pregnant body such as loss of balance and reduced energy --  the routines involved are designed to allow women to exercise safely. Don’t forget to exercise in a room that is well-ventilated and wear comfortable and breathable clothes and ALWAYS have your bottle of water on hand.

 

 

#43.  Staying Healthy on a Low Carbohydrate Diet

 

It is estimated that about 32 million Americans are following some type of low carbohydrate diet. This is the result of fad diet authors claiming that carbohydrates are the cause for America’s rising obesity problems. The backlash against carbohydrates is a result of the low fat craze that started in the 80’s.When consumers started cutting down their fat intake, manufacturers figured out that they could create low fat processed food products that the public would buy. Because these products claimed to be ‘fat free’, Americans didn’t pay attention to the fact that they were not also ‘calorie free’, and as a result, the total amount of daily calories has slowly been increasing. In fact, although the total percentage of calories from fat has decreased, the actual amount of fat intake has increased by 10# per year since 1975! The increase of carbohydrate has also increased, at a rate of 20# per year, mostly as a result of highly processed foods.

 

It is estimated that 3800 calories are now produced for every American man, woman and child. We have evolved from a world of feast or famine, but we’re in a state of perpetual feast, although our bodies have not changed. We have no defenses against excess calories: Every year, 300,000 to 400,000 deaths in the US are attributed to obesity.

 

Meanwhile, Asian and Middle Eastern populations consume 50-75% of their calories from rice and have some of the lowest rates of obesity and heart disease in the world. People living in the Mediterranean also have fewer health conditions commonly seen in the US. This diet consists of whole grains, vegetables, legumes, nuts and fruits. Their diets are rich in fish and low in meats and poultry. Although their fat intake is about the same as in America, the type of fat is primarily monounsaturated fats, such as olive oil, where Americans eat primarily saturated animal fats.

 

Regardless of the actual advantage or disadvange to following a low carbohydrate diet, there are three recommendations for maintaining good health while following such a diet. The first is to choose healthy fats over the unhealthy, saturated fats, when considering fat intake. Examples of healthy fats would be plant fats that have not been ‘hydrogenated’, which makes the fat more solid at room temperature. It is believed that hydrogenation is actually more harmful to health than saturated fats found naturally in animal products. Plant fats would include nuts, avocados, and olives. Oils such as olive oil, canola oil and peanut oil are better choices than fats that come from animal sources, such as butter, lard or bacon grease. Multiple studies over the years have shown that excess animal fats lead to higher risks of cancer, heart disease and other inflammatory disorders. Saturated fats have been linked to increased cholesterol, LDL (the ‘bad’) cholesterol as well as to increased LDL cholesterol oxidation. In fact, in January 2004, an Atkins representative put out a press release advising the public to decrease their amounts of steak, eggs, and saturated fast to less than 20% of their total fat intake.

 

The next recommendation to ensure good health is to eat plenty of fruits and vegetables. Although fruits and most vegetables are restricted in the initial phase of some low carbohydrate diets, they are then allowed back in limited amounts. The phytonutrients that come from a diet rich in fruits and vegetables have been shown to decrease blood pressure, as well as protect against cancer, heart disease, diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and obesity. It’s easy to add more fruits and vegetables to your diet, once you get in the habit. Examples are; add some berries to breakfast, eat a tomato at lunch, include broccoli with dinner, drink some vegetable juice with snacks, and have a large salad with your meal.

 

The final tip to ensure good health is to eat a diet of whole foods, rather than fall back on the ‘easy’ snack, convenience foods of today. If American’s had just cut down their amount of fat intake in the 80’s, without finding new ways to snack, we may not be seeing the epidemic of obesity we see, today.

 

When people started going on the low carbohydrate diets, they eliminated a large number of calories by eliminating snacking, especially at night, where common snacks are chips, crackers, and other high fat, high refined carbohydrate foods, such as ice cream. Today, though, much like in the 80’s, manufacturers are now developing ‘low carb’ and ‘low net carb’ snack foods. We can now find ‘low net carb’ chips, crackers, ice cream, popcorn, even low carb pizza! As Americans start to increase their intake of these foods, we will soon see a slowing of the weight loss many had seen initially.

 

In order to call themselves a ‘low net carb’ food, manufacturers subtract the fiber and sugar alcohols from the total carbohydrates in the product, rather than produce products without carbohydrate. There is no actual FDA standard for what a “low net carb” food is, yet, though, so right now it’s anything the manufacturer wants to say it is. These foods also are very high in fat and saturated fat, usually through hydrogenation. So, not only will calories be added back into the diet through resuming unhealthy snack habits, but they will be calories consisting of high amounts of the unhealthy fats.

 

So, while following a low carbohydrate diet, in order to ensure continued good health, follow these three recommendations: 1) Make most fats you eat the healthy, plant fats, rather than eating a diet high in animal or hydrogenated fats, 2) Eat plenty of nutrient rich fruits and vegetables, which are high in disease-fighting antioxidants, and 3) eat mostly whole, fresh foods and very little processed snack foods, even if they say ‘low carb’-- in order to avoid hidden and unnecessary fat and calories.

 

 

#44. Staying Slim For Spring

 

Okay so you’ve worked your butt of all winter long, putting in those grueling workout hours day in and day out. You’ve lost a few pounds and you even have some nice defined muscle on your body to show for all of your hard work. So you might think to yourself that since you worked so hard throughout the winter, you can “slack off” a bit and indulge in those “spring foods”.

 

What kinds of spring foods you ask?

 

Here’s a quick list:

Hamburgers

 

Hotdogs

 

Chocolates

 

Ice cream

 

Salads loaded with mayo

 

Spring beverages (ice cap, margaritas, iced coffee)

 

…those kinds of things

 

So of course there will be some challenges in terms of watching what you eat, but if you want to maintain the results you got or maybe want to see a bit more results then you still have to put in the effort to focus on your workouts and watching what you eat.

 

And as usual if you do this 80% of the time then you have that 20% to enjoy some ice cream, or have a burger at a family picnic – You have to enjoy your life too…right?!

 

But eating well is one part to staying slim this spring.

 

You also have to keep your workouts up to par buy working out at least 3 times a week.

 

With the warmer weather here this makes getting your daily does of exercise a lot easier than in the winter.

 

You’ve probably heard the same old generic stuff to being fit in the spring. Yeah you can do things like riding your bike, going for walks, and so on. But if you really want to spice things up then what you can try to do is bump up the intensity on your favorite exercises.

 

-For example, lets say you’re doing your workout outside. Instead of performing lunges on a flat surface, while not do it up a hill?

 

-Or if normal push-ups are too easy, lift one leg up to place more weight on your upper body.

 

So you see being active is one thing but changing the intensity level of your activities can really speed up your results and can result in you becoming more fit a lot faster.

 

Last, remember that “You Get What You Give”.

 

If you give 110% during all your workouts and have the discipline to stay away from foods that pack on the pounds then you’ll see 110% results. And at that point I don’t see why you can’t go out and buy yourself a nice new spring dress or jeans!

 

 

#45.  Kung Fu - A Great Way To Stay In Shape

 

Staying in shape with kung fu may seem obvious on the surface.

The physical demands that this activity places on the doer is enough to keep the blood pumping and the heart rate elevated. It challenges one's metabolism and pushes one to create a healthier lifestyle for themselves. But those are not the only ways that kung fu can help you to stay in excellent shape. There are other factors to consider that include the physical but go well beyond it as well. Even people who practice kung fu look past the mental, social, and spiritual advantages that it provides. Needless to say if staying in great shape in every aspect of your life is important to you, then kung fu is one of the best ways to do it.

 

Start with the physical. With heavy cardiovascular activities that are associated with the art form, you have the advantage of challenging your heart to grow stronger and, in turn, the rest of your body. Good circulation is essential to one's ability to perform on a physical level. By strengthening the heart, you are also building muscle and endurance, both essentials to living in a way that proves you are in great shape.

 

However, the physical is not enough. Luckily, kung fu has you covered there, too. By integrating the physical with memorization and concentration, it can also help one perform better in academic, social, or employee activities. By sharpening the mind, you have the chance to make a positive impact in more areas of your life than ever before. The self discipline that kung fu instills in you can help in areas of business, especially for those of you who are your own boss. After all, it takes discipline to be able to manage your daily activities and still maintain a productive routine without someone standing over your shoulder and forcing you to work all the time.

 

Concentration and memory also helps one in the practice of spiritual beliefs, whatever those beliefs may be. Whether your focus is on a higher power, a religious creed, or an ongoing yearning for knowledge, the skills this form of martial arts teaches puts one in a position to be the most effective within their system of values.

 

Kung fu is an art form that challenges you to become a better you. It opens a world of possibilities that you may not have been aware were there. While different students learn the discipline at different intervals, all stand to benefit as the days go by and new opportunities for improvement arise. But in order to make the most out of kung fu -- make sure that you learn from a master who can turn its mysteries into a practical study.

 

 

#46.  Shorter Workouts Are Better Workouts

 

The age-old theory of staying in the gym for 45 minutes or more is being challenged, with a new theory that suggests you get in and out of the gym in 30 minutes or less. This is an interesting and effective way to approach your fitness goals - less time spent exercising, but with a higher intensity.

 

To get results from exercise, intensity and frequency are more important than duration. In fact, intensity and duration are inversly related. In other words, if your exercise duration is shorter and your intensity higher, you get the same, if not more effects from exercise. If you are running short on time, like most individuals are, then exercise sessions of a shorter duration make sense.

 

Shorter, more intense sessions are fun and invigorating. When you spent 15-20 intense minutes pumping weights, your metabolic rate is stimulated more than languishing on the treadmill for 30-40 minutes while watching TV. It is more fun, stimulating and energizing and results can be magnified with a workout buddy.

 

Scientific experiments have proved that this is an effective strategy for weight loss:

 

• More Minutes. Overweight women who did three 10-minute workouts a day totaled an extra 35 minutes of exercise per week compared to a similar group who exercised 30 min a day. Ironically, breaking down the exercise frequency (training more than once a day, but for shorter periods) yields more results than if you were to do the exercise all at the same time. Short, intense sessions boost metabolic rate, which stays elevated longer as compared to low intensity, long duration sessions.

 

• More Miles. In a University of Nebraska-Kearney study, overweight walkers who did two 15-min bouts, 5x/wk, nearly doubled their weekly mileage compared with walkers who walked 30 min, 3x/wk.

 

• Less Dropout. Twice as many people stuck with more, short workouts as those who stuck with fewer long ones. Interesting, considering that the short workout group put in more days (5 vs. 3) and committed more time weekly to exercise (150 min. vs. 90 min).

 

• More Calorie Burn. Whether you do your workouts all in one shot or break them up, you burn about the same amount of calories. But what happens AFTER is a different story.

 

The calories you burn after a workout may be slightly higher if you break up your workouts.

 

• Better Recovery. A long, tedious, 60-90 minute workout will burn you out physically and mentally fast. Concentrating your workouts into 30-35 minutes allows your muscles to recover between workout