Fiber-rich food is the best nutrition for dieting

In this article I will reveal some little known facts about the fibers and the beneficial effect they have over your body.

First of all let me explain what fiber is…                          

Fiber is an indigestible part of all plant foods. It is found in fruits, vegetables, grains and beans. Your digestive system cannot stomach fiber, so it is excreted undigested. Well, you may think you don’t need fiber, because it’s excreted undigested, but that’s not true.

Let's imagine the following picture:

You overeat at least once or twice a week, more often at weekends, and your regular menu doesn't include much fiber. Well, this might be your life style; however you should consider that it may cause you lots of health problems like:

 - indigestion
- discomfort stomach aches
- gases in the digestive tract
- constipation
- hemorrhoids
- you got tired faster
- can't concentrate on what you're doing

I mean you become less productive at work and more irritable at home. Besides all this, you gain weight and that’s the moment when you realize you have a problem.

In order to solve a problem, you should first find the reason for it. In this case it’s the lowered intake of fiber-rich foods and respectively - the higher intake of foods containing no fiber (like meat). The average amount of fiber intake is about 25-30 grams per day. Unfortunately most people regular diets include less than 10-15 grams daily.

You should start consuming more fiber-rich foods:

- all bran cereal
- beans
- peas
- spinach
- sweet corn 
- wholemeal brown bread
- red cabbage
- carrots
- baked potato with skin
- apples, bananas, oranges and all fruits
                           
There are two types of fiber - soluble and insoluble. If you start eating more food rich in fiber, you’ll be amazed of its beneficial effects over your body, health and way of life.

Soluble fiber forms glue like gel in the intestinal tract. The gel softens stools (no more constipation) and improves your digestion (no more indigestion).

Fiber slows down stomach emptying and you feel fuller longer. This effect helps you eat less, your body burns additional calories to digest fiber and you can lose weight.

Insoluble fiber is an excellent natural laxative, because of its abilities to hold onto water and to push waste faster along the intestines - this way fiber decreases the risk of colon cancer.

In conclusion I'd like to tell you that you won't be sorry if you start eating more fiber-rich foods. Like many other people I used to take not enough fiber, and I suffered stomach aches. Then I started to eat more fruits and fiber-rich foods in my daily menu. I must admit that it really worked for me, and now fiber-rich food is the most important nutritious part of my regular diet.

For more information visit
 http://www.amway.com/toilucky

Benefits Of Weight Training

Weight training isn’t just for Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone anymore. It’s really a system of exercise and health benefits that are available to everyone. If you go to a local gym and observe, you can find everyone from teenagers to great-grandmas exercising and strength training.

Weight training doesn’t mean just using barbells – it involves much more than that and is most often combined with aerobic activity during the “circuit.”

The natural benefits of weight training include:

- Slowing down bone loss
- Making your bones stronger
- Toning and firm up your body
- Increasing your muscle strength

Most people will tell you that strength training and using weights makes them more energized and happier, along with reducing stress. It’s amazing how much better you’ll feel when working out after a hard day at the office! The endorphins your body creates in response to exercise like this is very much “addictive,” and you’ll find that beyond being less-stressed, you’ll actually “crave” your workouts and look forward to them!

One of the benefits I have personally found in strength training is that it’s made my back stronger. Prior to beginning my workout, if I had to lift a lot of boxes or move heavy things, I really felt it the rest of the day, and sometimes the rest of the week. However after just a month of weight training, I found that I didn’t need to take an anti-inflammatory medication every time I moved some boxes around.

Of course, all professionals will tell you to consult a doctor before beginning your workout habit; you’ll want to make sure that there are no impediments to beginning this new part of your daily routine. Most doctors will tell you to use caution and listen to the trainers, but nearly none will eliminate exercise altogether for their patients—there are simply too many benefits from the exertion.

If you go to a chiropractor, ask him or her how strength training and weight lifting can help you and what specific exercises would benefit your back and joints. Again, s/he will probably have some specific suggestions for your body and spinal ‘issues,’ but generally, a chiropractor will tell you that strengthening back and abdominal muscles will benefit you greatly.

If you do find that you ‘overdo it’ initially, scale it back just a bit until you’re ready to move on. You can use cold and heat to minister to the aching muscle(s), and take an anti-inflammatory agent to help in the recovery. But if you do ache a bit, don’t take it as your body’s way of saying that you ‘shouldn’t workout.’ What your body is telling you is that you haven’t worked out enough and that it’s not used to the exertion!

If you plan your workout well, you will find that weight training machines can be a great part of your exercise plan and your health will improve greatly in very short order.

For more information visit
http://www.shapeupshop.com/cgi-bin/affiliates/clickthru.cgi/Toilucky
http://www.amway.com/toilucky

Beat the Carb Cravings

Anyone who’s been on a low carb diet will tell you that the first week is the hardest. Some report actual physical symptoms of carb withdrawal, like irritability, headaches, and lack of energy. Others say it’s the emotional struggle to stay away from rice, bread, pasta, potatoes the staples that they’ve grown used to serving with every meal.

These carb cravings can easily tempt you into giving up on your diet altogether. Don’t. You have so much to gain (or in this case, lose): think 10 pounds in the first two weeks, as some diets claim, and a visible reduction of tummy handles. (Hey, you’ll be able to fit in a smaller size of jeans!) So how do you survive the battle against bread? Here are some tips:

Indulge in the right food

One of the advantages of low carb diets is that you don’t starve yourself. You can eat very well, just stay away from certain types of food. How does help beat the carb cravings? If you’re not ravenous, you’re less likely to raid the fridge in a mad fit of hunger. You can also replace a high-carb snack (like a chocolate bar) with an equally tasty bag of peanuts, and not feel deprived.

Veteran low carb dieters actually advise keeping stashes of low-carb diets in their desk drawers, or by the television the places where most people get the desire to munch on something. Keep the portions small, just enough to make you feel that you’ve had a treat, without actually turning into a binge. You’ll need a lot of small plastic bags, or tiny plastic containers. Another tip: prepare
the individual servings beforehand, preferably after eating a meal so you’re not tempted to put more than you should.

Keep yourself busy

Most of us eat not out of hunger but habit. You’re bored, stressed, or you’re killing time before you take on the next item on your to-do list. Avoid temptation by keeping your mind on something you enjoy. Some dieters carry a book around, others start a hobby like scrapbooking which will let them pass long hours without even thinking about food. For those who work at the office, and need something to keep them away from the vendo machine, bookmark a website that you can browse until the snack attack passes.

Look for other forms of recreation

It’s become customary to make meals the center of any recreational activity: eating chips while watching a movie, going out to dinner with friends. While you’re still getting used to the low-carb regimen, pass up the invitation to have drinks after work and invite everyone to watch a play, hit the badminton courts, or attend a museum opening.

Get a diet buddy

Dieting becomes more fun when you have a diet partner to give encouragement, praise you for every lost pound, and even help you scout for the low-carb friendly restaurants in your area. Don’t know anyone? Go online and join a dieter’s forum. Exchange recipes, share thoughts, and hey, even make new friends. You’ll still feel the carb cravings, but somehow, saying no is a little easier.

For more information visit
 http://www.amway.com/toilucky

Avoid Holiday Weight Gain

As the holidays approach, a feeling of dread creeps in. Not only is money getting tighter, but your pants are, too. It's the same old story. Colder weather keeps you stuck indoors, while the yummy holiday cooking fattens you up. Not this year. Not me! I refuse to gain those holiday pounds and you can, too. No, you don't have to sign any contracts at an expensive gym. You can get the body you want on a limited budget.

You may not realize it, but workout videos are more fun and exciting than they used to be.

Workout videos are also much less expensive than a gym membership or buying home workout equipment like a treadmill or elliptical trainer.

If the thought of buying workout videos reminds you of leg warmers and striped leotards, you've got some catching up to do. You're not stuck with the boring workout videos of the 80s and 90s anymore. Believe it or not, the same sought-after trainers who get paid the big bucks to train celebrities can be on call to train you in your own home for pennies a day.

Some of the newest fitness trends are available on video.

Ballet:

Have you always envied a ballet dancer's lean and graceful body? Several ballet videos are now available as workout videos. One of the most popular choices right now was created by the famous New York City Ballet. Although you won't learn to be the next prima ballerina training with exercise video at home, you will shape and lengthen your muscles for a graceful body.

Belly Dancing:

Shimmy your way to a great waistline. Whether you want an instructional video to teach you proper belly dancing technique or you just want to exercise with belly dance moves, you'll find a wide variety of videos available.

Exotic Dancing:

You read that right. If you've ever thought it would be fun to learn sexy moves, then this is for you. In the privacy and safety of your own home, you can bump and gyrate to your heart's content. I have also heard that laughter is good for your abs, so you'll have that covered as well, especially if you have a mirror in your workout room.

Yoga or Pilates:

If you're looking for a sleek, lean body, firm core, or more flexibility, then there are hundreds of yoga and Pilates videos to choose from. You'll find yoga for adults as well as yoga for kids. Yes, kids get stressed, too. Yoga is a great way to teach them to relax.

Fitness videos for kids:

Oftentimes kids can be the best motivators. If you put in a Sesame Street dance video and your three year old asks you to dance with Elmo, you can hardly say "no".

Once you've chosen a trend or video you are interested in, set a specific time each day to "meet" with your personal trainer. It's best to rotate at least two different forms of exercise (or videos) to avoid repetitive use strains. You can do different videos each day, or alternate a walk, bike ride or other activity you enjoy on your non-video days. As long as you are moving, you're keeping those spare pounds from firmly attaching to your body.

So, don't sign that costly gym membership agreement just yet. Blow the dust off the exercise videos in your cabinet, get some good walking shoes, or check out the hottest trends at your favorite online store. It's the frugal way to go.

For more information visit



http://www.shapeupshop.com/cgi-bin/affiliates/clickthru.cgi/Toilucky

Nutrition And Running

Running is one of today’s healthiest ways to help maintain your body’s physical well-being. It is one good cardiovascular exercise that helps keep good circulation and a healthy heart.

Everybody needs proper nutrition and a healthy diet. This requirement becomes more vital for people who are into health activities like running. This is amplified further for runners who are also into competitions or have special dietary needs.

Normal diet

An average person’s diet normally consists of 40% carbohydrates, 30% protein, and 30% fats. They also include such healthy components as whole grains, fruits, vegetables, lean sources of protein and heart healthy fats.

The daily calorie consumption of runners can also be modified, depending on the individual’s needs – whether he is maintaining his weight, losing some or gaining some.
Combinations can be tweaked accordingly to suit the individual’s needs.

Runner’s diets

For instance, a distance runner preparing for a marathon may wish to increase the percentage of carbohydrates in his diet. This is during those periods of intense training where he covers long and grueling distances every week.

On the other hand, a sprinter who is working to improve his muscle mass by way of weight training and other equally intense exercises have to include additional amounts of protein into his diet. This is helpful because proteins can help stimulate muscle growth.

Calories

The next factor to consider with regards to people who are into running are calories. There are basic guidelines on the amount of calories an individual should consume regularly.

These are based on the person’s current weight and activity level. For runners who are into intense training, these might not be very accurate.

There are plenty of calorie calculators available online or you can get it from your doctor. Those are ballpark figures on the amount of individual needed calories. They can be good starting points for runners to find out if he is eating enough or not.

Sample scale

An example would be a runner regularly consuming 2500 calories a day and running around 7 to 8 miles daily. If he still feels tired, he may have to increase his calorie intake.

If the runner is already at an ideal weight, he should strive to consume enough calories to maintain his weight.

Lastly, the quality of the calories consumed should also be carefully considered. They have to come from quality sources such as whole grains carbohydrates, lean protein sources, and heart-healthy fats.

The runner could always obtain his calorie requirements from foods rich in sugar and fat. But these food groups are not quality calorie sources. More likely, the runner will get his same amount of calories but he will feel sluggish and may not be able to perform well.

A case in point is a piece of cake that has an equal amount of calories as a turkey sandwich on multi-grain bread. Eating the cake will give him enough calories. However, the sugar in it will trigger the insulin response from his body, which can make him sluggish and less energized.

Nutrition is a very important component in such an activity as running. It is not just a question of energy but also of health.

For more information visit
http://www.amway.com/toilucky
http://www.shapeupshop.com/cgi-bin/affiliates/clickthru.cgi/Toilucky