So you think you don’t have time to exercise. Think again, studies have shown that just 30 minutes a day will give amazing health benefits. Including immune boosting fat reducing heart healthy benefits. So you don’t have 30 minutes a day you say.
Well 15 minutes in the morning and 15 minutes in the evening, it has an accumulative effect. Next excuse? No gym required. A simple piece of home gym equipment will do just fine. How about a rebounder (trampoline) they are cost effective and are inexpensive. There are lots of great exercise options out there and with a little bit of effort to find right option for you, could add years to your life and life to your years
When it comes to sugar Americans consume more sugar per day than any other country in the world.
At an average of 22.2 teaspoons per day caring about 355 extra calories it is nearly three times the recommended dietary amount based on the American Heart Assoc. guidelines. But wait it may not be the fault of the average consumer. Much of the sugar that shows up in our average daily food consumption comes from surprisingly unexpected places.
Take for example the health conscious buyer that shops for low fat products and buys “Reduced” fat salad dressings. Trying to cut down on saturated fats, one would think that this would be a good choice. However on a closer look we find that a one-cup serving of reduced-calorie French dressing heaps on 58 grams of added sugar, reduced-fat coleslaw dressing hits a home run with 103 grams of added sugar. Now we know that the average person does not use a whole cup of dressing on their salad but on average a quarter of a cup say 4 ounces. That will pour on 14 to 25 grams of sugar or 4 to 7 teaspoons. Over the course of a day these hidden sugars really add up. Hey how about some “healthy” dried cranberries? Commercial products are usually sweetened with sugar and on average a whopping 25 grams of sugar per cup of fruit another 7 teaspoons.
What’s the answer?
Along with good uncommon sense shopping such as buying fresh unprocessed foods READ THE INGREDIENT LABEL. Avoid being ripped off by miss leading labels, don’t rely on the sound bite on the front of the label. That’s why knowing what is really in the product and staying informed to understand what these ingredients are is so important. After all your health depends on it and it is not the marketing company’s priority. Look for healthy snacks and products that are sweetened with fruit juice or nothing at all including artificial sweeteners.
When it comes to weight management and the health risks of excessive body fat and obesity you would think in this day and age it would be a no Brainer. It is important to maintain proper lean mass to body fat ratio for optimal health. In a recent article in U.S. News & World Report new studies on obesity from UCLA have given a whole new meaning to the term No Brainer.
According to a study conducted by senior author Paul Thompson a UCLA neuroscientist, published online in Human Brain Mapping “The brains of obese people looked 16 years older than their healthier counterparts while [those of] overweight people looked 8 years older,” The Article goes on to say Clinically obese people had 8 percent less brain tissue, while the overweight had 4 percent less brain tissue compared to normal-weight individuals. “This is the first study to show physical evidence in the brain that connects overweight and obesity and cognitive decline,” said Thompson, who is professor of neurology at UCLA and a member of the UCLA Laboratory of Neuro Imaging. This study reaffirms the importance of healthy weight management.
“Obesity affects every system in your body. The body can’t be splintered. It’s completely linked. We are what we eat and we eat too much,” he said. “The bottom line is that an obese, sedentary person is going to have a breakdown of every organ system, and that includes a greater chance of impotence and infertility and other things that people don’t generally think are directly related to obesity.”
Just another reason to eat right, get you body off the sofa and get moving. Staying physically and mentally fit is so important to being able to live your life fully alive.
Those small and large size inflatable balls that can be found in gyms around the world are not just a fad; they’re here to stay. Exercise balls are great for several different activities, and are an important part of fitness. An exercise ball can be used for several fitness exercises including sit-ups, lunges, and stretching. Even sitting on an exercise ball instead of a standard chair can work out the abdominals and burn calories at a much faster rate. For people who are serious about getting in better shape or losing weight, an exercise ball is a solid investment for the home.
There are several guides online that teach how to use exercise balls in the most efficient manner. Engage in fitness activities, or just opt for sitting on the exercise ball when watching television or reading instead of a chair. It might not be as comfortable, but the results are quite spectacular, and are noticeable after just a short amount of time. In addition to fitness and weight loss benefits, exercise balls can even help to correct posture!