Diet and Nutrition

6 Weight Loss Excuses that Aren’t Cutting it

Excuses are all too common to the process of getting into shape. (And, no, round is not a shape!) Some of them are legitimate: time is short for all of us, work and family responsibilities pile higher and higher, and exercise is often seen as an expensive, unnecessary burden. Let’s take a look at the most common excuses that are used and blow them out of the water. Your best body is right around the corner!

1. I don’t have time. Make time. Take a good, solid look at your schedule. Do you watch television? Maybe during a never-missed show you can add treadmill time. Or do squats, sit-ups and lunges during commercial breaks. Walk during your lunch hour. Run the stairs at your house for ten minutes three times a day. Wake an hour earlier. Somewhere in your schedule there is a chunk of time hiding. Find it. (more…)

Posted on December 14, 2023 by Carmen

Vitamin Guide A to Zinc: Vitamin C

orange This week the Vitamin Guide continues through vitamins A to Zinc with vitamin C. Click here to read about last weeks topic of vitamin B12. Vitamin C is essential for our bodies as it helps with the formation of our bones, muscle, teeth and skin. It is also important to note that unlike most animals, we as humans do not have the ability to make our own vitamin C, and therefore must get it through our diet. Vitamin C helps with resistance to infection and with healing wounds, and in most recent research it has shown that vitamin C is useful in lowering cholesterol and fat levels in blood. (more…)

Posted on December 12, 2023 by Amy

Tracking Progress Essential for Weight Loss and Depression

Recent research suggests that those dealing with depression also have difficulty distinguishing fine detail visually, although they are able to make interpretations on a larger scale. This may be linked to a shortage of the neurotransmitter GABA, which has been linked to one’s ability to suppress part of a visual field and focus on a single part. It is unclear if this correlation is another symptom of depression or a genetic trait that contributes to depression.

It is common for depression to accompany the need to lose weight. Thus you may be less likely to notice the improvements that you are making day by day on your journey to weight loss and/or health. If you are working towards a goal and not noticing progress, it can get pretty frustrating, which can make depression worse.

Another danger is that depression often includes apathy and low energy, all factors that could lead someone to give up, so it is important to find a way to notice the results of your hard work. (more…)

Posted on December 12, 2023 by Brooke Randolph

What You Need to Know to Complete a 50 Mile Race

Marathon schmarathon. When 26.2 becomes routine, one goes searching for a distance that appears more challenging. So how about a 50 mile foot race? The JFK 50 is America’s oldest 50 miler. At 5:00 a.m. on November 21 I started my journey in the dark somewhere in Maryland. At 4:30 p.m. that day, somewhere 50 miles further away, I collected my medal for completing the ultra endurance race. It was amazing.

Wondering if a 50 miler is in your future? Read on to find out more what it’s all about and decide if you’d like to add it to your bucket list. (more…)

Posted on December 11, 2023 by Rebecca

Surrounded by Food, Professional Chefs are Losing Weight

Have you taken a good look at yourself recently? Have you allowed yourself to be in the public eye? Apparently doing so has had a profound impact on some chefs. Time Magazine recently published an article about chefs who have changed their personal habits and how they teach others to cook after seeing themselves appear on television.

Alton Brown, Mario Batali, Michael Psilakis, Alex Stratta, Rocco DiSpirito (of Dancing with the Stars and Biggest Loser), Tyler Florence, Michael Lomonaco, and Jacques Torres are all mentioned in the article. Each has made a change in weight and eating habits. Even spending several hours each day surrounded by amazing food creations, being required to taste said creations, and having to think about food and flavor all day, they were all able to make some notable changes. That’s determination and inspiration! (more…)

Posted on December 11, 2023 by Brooke Randolph

Deepak Chopra Aims to Make You “Stress Free” with New iPhone App

Fans of Deepak Chopra will be excited to hear about his new “Stress Free” iPhone App, brought to you by Signal Patters (the creator of the Live Happy app). In “Stress Free,” traditional Vedic principles are combined with evidence-based psychology research to create a program that guides users through practices that reduce stress. Dr. Chopra has contributed videos, meditations, and narration throughout the app.

If your stress comes from a time crunch or desire for control, some of the narrations may be a practice in stress management in themselves. Although, Dr. Chopra has a soothing voice, I am able to read more quickly than he speaks. Perhaps, I am just not used to my iPhone talking to me. On the other hand, when in the right mindset, the guided meditations can be very helpful. (more…)

Posted on December 8, 2023 by Brooke Randolph

Cranberries are Winter’s Super Food: Nutrition Facts and Recipes

In general, consuming a diet rich in fresh fruits and vegetables in one of the healthiest things you can do for your body. However, as with most things, some stand out more than others. And in the food world, one of the winter season’s most nutritional and dynamic options is the cranberry.

Not only are cranberries a sweet, tart little berry that brighten the flavor of anything they are added to, they boast a wealth of benefits that everyone should take advantage of.

Cranberry Health and Nutrition Facts

Some of the many benefits this tiny red fruit offers include:

Heart Health: Cranberries are good for the heart! With all the antioxidants, resveratrol, anti-inflammatories and anti-clotting agents, fat and cholesterol have a hard time sticking to the arteries. This lowers LDL and raises HDL cholesterols.
Oral Health: Each sip of 100%, no-sugar-added cranberry juice makes your mouth a healthier place, too. The juice has compounds that reduce bacteria that cause decay and rid your mouth of germs.
Cancer Protection: Again, the antioxidants and resveratrol make this a positive force in your fight to reduce certain cancers. (more…)

Posted on December 7, 2023 by Natalie K

Create a Mantra to Keep Focused

Whenever I find myself dreading a workout or trying to give myself a reason to take a day off or not finish for the day, I remind myself of my mantra and repeat it until I am finished.

A mantra is a simple word or phrase that is easily repeatable. A mantra can be a something that defines you or words to live by, a statement that motivates you to a goal, a self-affirmation or reassurance (think Stuart Smalley), or a mix of all of the above.

Some of the mantras of my friends include “This is Great PR,” business-oriented words by which to live; “Just breath through it,” a statement of self-motivation; “I have everything I need right now and am filled with peace, joy and gratitude,” an affirmation; and “Whatever it takes,” a statement of goal-commitment. Although they are all very different, each can powerfully shape one’s life. (more…)

Posted on December 6, 2023 by Brooke Randolph

Vitamin Guide from A to Zinc: Vitamin B12

Last week the vitamin guide series kicked off with vitamin A. This week I focus on Vitamin B12 an essential vitamin needed for healthy nerve and blood cells as well as the production of DNA. A lack of B12 in the diet can cause anemia, which prevents the body from making normal red blood cells that carry oxygen in the blood. Anemia can leave you feeling tired and weak, if you have been feeling this way you should visit your doctor and have your B12 sections checked.

Vitamin B12 is a water–soluble vitamin, so you don’t have to worry about having too much in your system or risk of toxicity. Any amount of the vitamin your body does not need will be rid of through urine, unlike vitamin A as reviewed last week. The recommended daily allowance (RDA) for the average adult is 2.4 micrograms per day. Women who are pregnant or breastfeeding should increase their daily allowance to 2.6-2.8 micrograms. (more…)

Posted on December 5, 2023 by Amy

Sara Rue is Jenny Craig’s New Celebrity Endorser [UPDATED]

UPDATE: Sara Rue had major success on Jenny Craig, dropping 50 pounds. She will also be the host on a new reality TV show, Shedding for the Wedding. (8/6/10)

Celebrities are particularly effective in marketing diets. It’s not just that people look up to them, but people see that the beautiful entertainers are not always perfect, that they struggle with many of the same things that we “normal folks” do.

Jenny Craig rules the roost of celebrity endorsements. Sure, NutriSystem has a stranglehold on the male celebrity diet endorsers. But, from a business perspective, women are the backbone of the diet industry, and Jenny Craig has made celebrities the centerpiece of their marketing efforts. (more…)

Posted on December 4, 2023 by Jason

Low-Carb, High-Carb: Both Diets Do the Trick

The key to successful weight loss is making it last. According to Australian researchers, both low-carb and high-carb diets work equally well for maintaining weight loss.

The researchers also pointed out that some studies have suggested that high protein diets (low-carb) may be more effective in losing weight short-term than high carbohydrate diets. However, there is less evidence regarding which approach would be better for helping people to keep the weight off.

The study, led by Dr. Elizabeth A. Delbridge of the Heidelberg Repatriation Hospital in Victoria Australia, divided 141 participants into groups of high protein and high carbohydrate diets for a year. The participants lost 36.4 pounds on average, and only regained about four pounds, over the following year. (more…)

Posted on December 1, 2023 by Jason

Diet and Nutrition

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