6 Ways To Beat Your Post-Christmas Sugar And Junk Food Cravings

Hands up who has binged on every sweet treat, calorific pud and tin chocolate going?
Roughly over half of Brits would have piled on around half a stone due to our festive scoffing. But despite the main event being over, you might find that your body is still craving its sugar kicks and highs that it’s become accustomed to over the festive period.

Take a look at the author of Constant Cravings, Doreen Virtue's tips on how to beat the sugar cravings:

1. Stave Off Chocolate Pangs With...
"Ginger ale and soy milk are high in tyramine, which can help relieve chocolate cravings. Pekoe tea is high in chocolate's other stimulating ingredient. theobromine."

2. Eat A Satifying Sugar-Alternative
"One reason we shun fruit during our sweet cravings is that fruit seems like a deprivation alternative. We've got to dress fruit up! Put a little flavoured, fat-free yoghurt on top. Puree the fruit with an ice cube and some ginger ale. Microwave sliced apple for two minutes at high temperature with a little bit of cinnamon and you've got a quick, low calorie apple-pie type treat."

3. Understand The Reasons Behind Your Cravings
"If, after analysing your cravings, you discover any anger, frustration or stress, ask yourself how you might take even one step toward alleviating the source of these emotions. Is there someone you can talk to, or some changes that you can make in your life? If you reduce the source of your uncomfortable emotions, you won't need to crave sweet things anymore."

4. Beware Of 'All Or Nothing' Thinking
If we tell our bodies that this chocolate bar or hamburger will be our last treat ever, we're more likely to binge.
"It's like we're seeing a beloved person for the last time, so of course we want to spend as much time as possible with that object of affection." The key is eat all treats in moderation and if the craving gets too much seek healthier alternatives.

5. Fight Off Salty Cravings
"Crunch on crisp vegetables dipped in low calorie, fat-free salad dressing. Instead of potato chips and french fries, go for carrot and celery sticks. Broccoli and cauliflower florets are also tasty replacements. They may not seem as appealing as the fatty versions, but the crunch and flavour will soothe your craving."

6. Treat Yourself With Non-Food Rewards
"Sweet treats usually equal reward. We all need pats on the back and kudos for hard work. But instead of stopping at the cookie shop or take-out, why not treat yourself to a new book, item of clothing or shoes? This will feel just as satisfying and is much healthier than a fat-laden treat."

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2013/12/27/6-ways-to-beat-post-christmas-sugar-cravings_n_1174045.html?utm_hp_ref=uk-diet-and-fitness

How To Do Comfort Food The Easier Way

Comfort food is the ultimate antidote to longer nights and frankly miserable weather. Add in some very good telly, and we're helpless against the tide of sinking into the sofa with something hot and deliciously fatty.

But just as much as we love a good bowl of food (preferably with some form of potato), we also hate the panic that precedes the gamut of festive parties, where you then have to shoehorn your comfort food belly into a pair of Spanx.

So, is it time for a rethink?

We asked some of the top nutritionists for their advice and suggestions.



Sweet potatoes
"Fancy a warming mash? Then use sweet potatoes," says nutritionist Karen Poole."They will reduce the overall cooking time and have a lower glycemic load so they are a good slow release energy source to help keep blood glucose levels balanced throughout the day."

Expert Emily Maguire adds: "Sweet potatoes have a much lower GI and GL content meaning they will not spike your blood sugar which can result in hunger and cravings for foods high in sugar."


Dark chocolate
If you do end up craving chocolate, go for a 70% dark chocolate, melt it in the microwave and pour it over strawberries, says Emily. "These two ingredients are packed full of natural antioxidants that help protect the body from substances called free radicals which can attack healthy cells resulting in many conditions and also contribute to ageing."

The full English breakfast
How, you ask, is this healthy? Emily reveals that it's all in the ingredients. "The English breakfast has gotten a fair whack for being unhealthy, but choosing the correct quality ingredients (e.g. proper meat sausages) and method of cooking, makes this an ideal comfort breakfast."

Healthy meat alternatives
"Turkey is a great lean protein choice," says Karen, "and if you use it to make spag bol, will lower the fat content of the dish. It is a source of tryptophan to aid serotonin production the feel-good hormone to help us face the cold gray days of winter."

Similarly, she advises making a shepherd’s pie with a mixture of green lentils, tomato and dried wild mushrooms instead of minced lamb. "It can help you regulate your cortisol levels and reduce the overall impact of stress while also aiding liver function."



Go brown
"When you are making a risotto," says Karen, "choose brown risotto rice now available from most major supermarkets. This will increase the fibre content promoting gut function and efficiency to keep your bowel movements regular and aid digestion."

Use raw oats
"A comforting after dinner fruit crumble can work to lower your cholesterol level by simply adding raw oats into the crumble mix," says Karen, "as the beta glucan bind with cholesterol and carry it out of your body.
Breakfast time
Go for Greek yogurt, says Emily, as it's packed full of essential fatty acids needed for optimal health as well as being much lower in sugar than the fruit flavoured counter parts.

"At breakfast spread organic almond butter onto your brown toast instead of jam or honey," continues Karen. "This is a natural source of essential fats needed to boost positive mood and improve concentration."



When cooking a roast...
Karen says: "When you are cooking a Sunday dinner increase the vitamin, mineral and fibre content by roasting a mix of winter vegetables instead of just regular potatoes. Including squash, pumpkin, turnip and parsnip will provide a great mix of polyphenols to aid cardio vascular health, energy production and weight management.

"Make roasted vegetables more healthy by adding fresh lemon juice to the mix before they go into the oven. This will provide a liquid to aid cooking and means you can use less oil so reducing the overall fat and calorie intake."

Don't shy away from fresh herbs
"Fresh herbs will provide flavour and texture to most dishes and means you won't need to use as much salt therefore reducing the risk of high blood pressure and bloating," advises Karen.

"They are also a good source of antioxidants that can help combat the ravages of free radicals produced by everyday living. Growing your own is easy and will keep down the cost."

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2013/10/25/healthy-comfort-food-diet-winter-warmers_n_4163191.html?ir=UK+Lifestyle

Fat, Sugar Or Carbs: Which Is the Bad Guy?

You're in a supermarket holding a cereal packet. It says 'low-fat' and the traffic light label is green showing that there's very little saturated fat. So far so good - for your waistline and your heart, right?


But then you notice that the sugar content is pretty high. So is a low-fat label really that healthy? The question has been going round in my head since reading an editorial in the BMJ this week that claims that saturated fat may not be the enemy it's been made out to be.

The editorial has stirred up one of the hottest topics about dietary advice this year. It asserts the opinion that saturated fat hasn't shown a risk to heart disease in several studies and may even be protective against some conditions. But recommendations about the amount of fat we should have in our diets haven't come out of thin air. The science behind them comes from a landmark study published in 1970. Researchers found that diets high in saturated fat were linked to higher levels of 'bad' cholesterol (low-density lipoprotein), which is a key risk factor for heart disease.

So, when it comes to protecting our health, which foods do we need to cut out or even eliminate? If saturated fat isn't the villain in our diets, what is? The editorial goes on to suggest that sugar and carbohydrates could be the key suspects.

The debate surrounding fats and sugars is fascinating and certainly food for thought. And it's sugar I want to focus on. It's been linked to weight gain, tooth decay and poor nutrition. That's nothing new. But in the last few years alone, evidence has been emerging to suggest sugar consumption is a key contributor to one of the biggest disease burdens of our modern world - type two diabetes.

In particular, there is mounting evidence to suggest that sugary drinks significantly increase the risk of this condition. The problem with a spoonful of sugar (or several in most fizzy drinks) is that it adds up to a lot of empty calories that can lead to weight gain. Furthermore, there's evidence to suggest that excessive amounts of sugar causes insulin resistance, which leads to type two diabetes.

To pull a few key stats, in a recent study, researchers found that drinking a can of sugar-sweetened soft drink increased the risk of type two diabetes in European men and women by 22%. Another piece of research found a 26% increased risk when people drank one or more sugary drinks per day compared with those who drank none or less than one a month. It seems sugary drinks have a lot to answer for.

Returning to the issue of weight loss, this leads me on to another key component of diet - carbohydrates. This energy-rich source of fuel has also been regarded as a culprit for weight gain in recent years. You only need to google 'low-carb diets' to be presented with over 17,000 results for ways you can jump start weight loss, curb cravings and burn more fat.

But thousands of results can't be wrong, can they? The effect of low carbs in your diet means that once your body uses up your stored glucose it then starts to burn stored fat instead. The concept of using fat for fuel has made these types of diets so appealing for people wanting to shift a few pounds.

The diet has divided opinion across the board, but for me there is definitely something in this sugary hypothesis. However, it isn't sustainable or healthy in the long term to substantially reduce carbs. Carbohydrates are vital for energy - they prevent protein being used for energy (as it's needed elsewhere), and helps keep your blood sugar levels on an even keel. These are the 'good' carbs.

So perhaps it's more to do with a re-education about carbohydrates - because some carbs can be bad for you. Refined, processed carbs, such as white bread, fast food burgers and white pasta contain sugars that are easy to digest and strip away beneficial fibre. And it's these 'sugar' carbs that can lead to weight gain. Found in thousands of food products - it's no wonder they've been touted as 'fat foods'.

So where does this leave us? The food fight against long-term conditions such as obesity, cardiovascular disease and type two diabetes is an absolutely crucial one - one we are currently losing.

When it comes to reducing the risk of these conditions, the food we put into our bodies is something each and every one of us is responsible for. Yet individual responsibility is not enough: indeed there is some evidence that obesity is partly mediated through an addictive process. It's therefore imperative that scientists, policy makers and governments also empower individuals to make behavioural changes happen on a large scale. The advice we give about food and diet is as powerful as any medicine - it can do significant harm if we don't get it right.

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/dr-paul-zollingerread/sugar-fat-carbs_b_4161529.html?utm_hp_ref=uk-diet-and-fitness

 

11 Must-Try Moves To Get Started With Tabata

Illustrations by Printable Workouts for Greatist


After 10 seconds, I was gasping for breath, sweaty, and definitely convinced that four minutes of Tabata intervals counts as a real workout. Greatist’s Chief Research Officer David Tao was helping me “research” Tabata protocol, and after a round each of burpees, medicine ball clean and presses, and squats, I was feeling the burn (and then some, given how sore I was for the next three days).

TA-BAT-ER UP — THE NEED-TO-KNOW
Tabata Protocol is a system of short, high-intensity intervals developed by Japanese professor Dr. Izumi Tabata to train Olympic speed skaters. Grab a stopwatch, because this workout method is all about timing. The basic formula for Tabata training is 20 seconds of work followed by 10 seconds of rest, repeated between six and eight times (between three and four minutes, total). No cheating — the 20/10 ratio has been shown to work both aerobic and anaerobic metabolic pathways harder and more effectively than longer bouts of exercise.

TABATA BING, TABATA BOOM! — YOUR ACTION PLAN
Because this exercise strategy is more of a formula than a specific workout, the possibilities for Tabata are pretty darn flexible. Love bodyweight exercises? Do a set of push-ups. Feeling a dip in the pool? Pull on that swim cap and do some freestyle intervals. As with any workout regimen (and especially a high-intensity one like Tabata intervals), consult with a trainer beforehand to learn the correct technique. When going all-out, proper form can be the difference between a ticket to the gun show and a ticket to the physical therapist’s office.

Greatist Experts Ilen Bell and Kelvin Gary each picked one or two of the best moves for each area of the body, with added weights and using bodyweight alone. Each of these four-minute wonders packs a serious punch (just ask my quads after a round of squats), so start with just one or two exercises per workout. Feel free to rest for a few minutes in between the 4-minute bouts, or go back-to-back for an added challenge.

THE MOVESFull Body

1. Burpee: Start standing, then crouch to a low squat position with the hands on the floor. Then, kick feet back to a plank, then down into the bottom of a push-up. Push off the ground and quickly return to the squat position. Last step? Jump up as high as possible before squatting down again and jumping back into the next push-up.


Lower Body
2. Jump squat: Stand with the feet hip-width apart, toes pointing forward. Sit back into a squat (hips below parallel, please!) then drive the whole body up through the heels, shifting weight onto the balls of the feet as you lift off. Be sure to land on the balls of the feet and immediately bend the knees into a full squat. Make sure the knees aren’t wobbling side to side while squatting or landing from a jump.

3. Lunge jump: Start standing with the feet together and lunge the right foot forward, bending the knee about 90-degrees and keeping the torso vertical. Then,jump straight up, and while in the air, switch legs and land in a lunge with the left foot forward.

4. Dumbbell front squat: Hold a dumbbell at the sternum (the center of the chest) and do a basic front squat. Place feet a little wider than shoulder-width apart, hips stacked over knees, knees over ankles. Inhale and unlock the hips, bringing them back as the knees begin to bend. Keep the chest and shoulders upright, and continue until the hips are slightly less than 90 degrees from the ground. On the way back up, engage the core and drive through the heels to return to standing.




5. Kettlebell swing: Stand up straight, with feet a bit wider than hip-distance apart. Grab hold of the kettlebell with both hands, keeping the palms face down and arms in front of the body. Keep the knees slightly bent and drive the hips and bell back (it’s not a squat, so the knees shouldn’t have to bend that much), lowering the body just a bit to an athletic stance. In one fluid motion, explosively drive the hips forward while swinging the kettlebell, engaging the glutes and core. 

Upper Body
6. Push-up: Get into a plank position with hands planted a little bit wider than shoulder width apart. Keep the elbows close to the body throughout the movement. Ground the toes into the floor and engage the abs and back so the body is neutral.Lower the body in one straight line until the chest touches the floor. Keeping the core engaged, exhale, and push back to the start position.

7. Overhead neutral grip press: Stand with the feet shoulder-width apart core tight. Raise the dumbbell, kettlebell, or barbell up to the shoulders with palms facing each other and the elbows below the wrists. Press the weights upward until the arms are fully extended overhead, and then lower back to the shoulders.
Cardio

8. Sprints: To get extra speedy, make sure form fits function. Hold the correct posture, with eyes up, chest tall, shoulders relaxed, and arms swinging up and down with the elbows at 45-degree angles.

9. Stationary bike or rower: Hopping on the bike for a quick spin is pretty self-explanatory, but the indoor rower is a bit trickier. First, strap feet into the foot stretchers, sit up tall, and grab the handle. Roll forward until legs are completely bent and arms are reaching forward. From this starting position (called the “catch”), explosively drive the legs back. When the legs are nearly extended, swing the torso back and pull the arms in so the handle is almost touching the rib cage. From here (aka the “finish”) recover by stretching the arms straight out, returning the upper body to a straight, vertical position, and bending the legs back to the catch.Core




10. Russian twist: Sit on the floor with the knees bent and feet together and lifted a few inches off the floor. With the back at a 45-degree angle from the ground, move the arms from one side to another in a twisting motion. Go super slow, twisting the shoulders completely from side to side.

11. Ski abs: Start in pushup position with hands under the shoulders and core engaged. Jump the feet to the left side of the body, as close to the upper torso as possible. Jump the legs back to a straight plank position and repeat on the right side.


With the exception of the weighted movements, most of these can be performed anywhere, any time. All you need is a set of comfy clothes and a serious work ethic. To make keeping track of the time easier, consider downloading a Tabata timer app. Again, consider meeting with a trainer to go over correct form (even if you’ve previously done these moves) before starting a Tabata fitness regimen to prevent injury. 
http://greatist.com/fitness/best-tabata-moves

5 Steps Towards Resilience

The opposite of depression is not happiness, according to Peter Kramer, author of "Against Depression" and "Listening to Prozac," it is resilience: the ability to cope with life’s frustrations without falling apart. Proper treatment doesn’t suppress emotions or dull a person’s ability to feel things deeply. It builds a protective layer -- an emotional resilience -- to safeguard a depressive from becoming overwhelmed and disabled by the difficulties of daily life. Here, then, are five steps toward resilience.


1. Sleep
Sleep is crucial to sanity because sleep disturbances can contribute to, aggravate, and even cause mood disorders and a host of other illnesses. The link between sleep deprivation and psychosis was documented in a 2007 study at Harvard Medical School and the University of California at Berkeley. Using MRI scans, they found that sleep deprivation causes a person to become irrational because the brain can’t put an emotional event in proper perspective and is incapable of making an appropriate response.

2. Diet
My diet has always been an important part of my recovery from depression, but two years ago -- after working with the naturopath and reading Kathleen DesMaison’s "Potatoes Not Prozac" -- I could more competently trace the path from my stomach to my limbic system. Moreover, I recognized with new clarity how directly everything that I put in my mouth affects my mood.

Here are the bad boys: nicotine, caffeine, alcohol, sugar, white flour, and processed food -- you know, what you live on. Here are the good guys: protein; complex starches (whole grains, beans, potatoes); vegetables; vitamins (vitamin B-complex, vitamins C, D, and E, and a multivitamin); minerals (magnesium, calcium, and zinc); and omega-3 fatty acids. I’m religious about stocking up on Omega-3 capsules because leading physicians at Harvard Medical School confirmed the positive effects of this natural, anti-inflammatory molecule on emotional health.

3. Exercise
Studies showed that the depressives who improved with exercise were less likely to relapse after 10 months than those treated successfully with antidepressants, and the participants who continued to exercise beyond four months were half as likely to relapse months later compared to those who did not exercise. Even as little as 20 minutes a week of physical activity can boost mental health. In a new Scottish study, reported in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, 20,000 people were asked about their state of mind and how much physical activity they do in a week. 

Exercise relieves depression in several ways. First, cardiovascular workouts stimulate brain chemicals that foster growth of nerve cells. Second, exercise increases the activity of serotonin and/or norepinephrine. Third, a raised heart rate releases endorphins and a hormone known as ANP, which reduces pain, induces euphoria, and helps control the brain’s response to stress and anxiety. Other added benefits include improved sleep patterns, exposure to natural daylight (if you’re exercising outside), weight loss or maintenance, and psychological aids.

4. Relationships And Community
We are social creatures and are happiest when we are in relationship. One of the clearest findings among happiness research is that we need each other in order to thrive and be happy, that loving relationships are crucial to our well-being. Relationships create a space of safety where we can learn and explore. Belonging to a group or a community gives people a sense of identity. Studies indicate that social involvement can promote health, contribute toward faster recovery from trauma and illness, and lower risk of stress-related health problems and mental illness.

Plenty of evidence indicates that support groups aid the recovery of person struggling with depression and decrease rates of relapse. Another study in 2002, published in the American Journal of Psychiatry, followed a group of more than 100 persons with severe depression who joined online depression support groups. More than 95 percent of them said that their participation in the online support groups helped their symptoms. The Depression Center here at Everyday Health are a great resource.

5. Purpose
The father of positive psychology, Martin Seligman, explains in his book, "Authentic Happiness," that a critical element to happiness exists in using your signature strengths in the service of something you believe is larger than you. After collecting exhaustive questionnaires he found that the most satisfied people were those that had found a way to use their unique combination of strengths and talents to make a difference. Dan Baker, Ph.D., director of the Life Enhancement Program at Canyon Ranch, believes that a sense of purpose -- committing oneself to a noble mission -- and acts of altruism are strong antidotes to depression. And then there’s Gandhi, who wrote: "the best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/11/how-to-be-resilient_n_4065246.html?utm_hp_ref=gps-for-the-soul&ir=GPS%20for%20the%20Soul

7 Pieces of Fitness Advice We Actually Want to Follow

There are a lot of voices shouting fitness tips from the rooftops, but not a lot of it is advice that we actually want to follow. Take, for example, the popular slogan among some fitness fanatics that says, "Unless you puke, faint, or die, keep going." If one more person tries to tell us we just have to run a marathon or try their favorite CrossFit box or take up barre classes, maybe we will just puke, faint, or die.
And while fitness (and diet, nutrition, sleep—heck, health, for that matter) is incredibly personal, and definitely not "one-size-fits-all," there are some pieces of advice that really might work for most of us (and certainly won't result in blood loss). Here are seven recommendations we find pretty easy to accept.

1. Just Do 20 Minutes
You don't have to be a marathon runner—and thank goodness. Just 20 minutes of daily activity, while not as effective as 40 minutes of exercise, has been shown to lower body weight and fat, increase fitness, and lower potential markers for type 2 diabetes risk.

2. Take Days Off
We're not saying slack off, but... yeah, okay, every once in a while, slack off! There are very good—and very scientific—reasons to take time off from training. Over-exercising can mess with everything from your muscles and joints to your menstrual and sleep cycles. Not to mention you could end up totally burnt out, seriously injured, or frustratingly stalled in your weight-loss efforts.

3. Find A Workout You Love
We repeat: You don't have to be a marathon runner! If there's one surefire way to continue dreading exercise, it's to force yourself to be active in a way that you don't enjoy. If you hate running or swimming or barre class or yoga, stop doing it! Shoparound until you find something you truly enjoy, whether it's CrossFit or Zumba or Pilates or softball or gardening, and then make it a habit.

4. Stop Doing Crunches
Let's settle this one once and for all: Crunches are not the path to six-pack abs. Research shows that we cannot spot reduce fat in the precise areas we'd like to (in this case, the stomach), no matter how many thousands of crunches we do. Not to mention, crunches are unnecessarily taxing on the spine. That doesn't mean ignore your abs: Core strength is essential to balance, stability, and power in your arms and legs. Just try something safer and more efficient, like a plank

5. Caffeinate
If you've been torn by debates over the health effects of caffeine, consider this: That jolt can give your stamina and endurance a boost, "making a long run or ride feel easier," sports dietitian Molly Kimball told SHAPE in an earlier post. Whether you prefer coffee or tea is up to you. Just go easy on the sweeteners, as sugar may negate the pick-me-up from the caffeine.

6. Sleep InIt's a classic conundrum: Both exercise and sleep are crucial, but if you get a lousy night's rest, do you still get up for that a.m. workout you had planned? Research is on our (sleepy) side here: Skimping on sleep to exercise may actually put your health at risk. "If you're short on sleep, you experience higher levels of inflammation and a decrease in the hormones that help you lose fat and stabilize your appetite," Ben Greenfield told HuffPost in February.

Plus, we know from daylight saving time research that losing just one hour of sleep increases your likelihood of dangerous side effects like car accidents, heart attacks, and workplace injuries. Permission granted to stay under the covers and feel good about it

7. Drink Chocolate MilkWe couldn't help but rejoice when we first heard the news that chocolate milk is a pretty solid combination of the carbs and protein your body needs while recovering from a workout. The sweet sip was long maligned for being high in sugar and fat, but recent research gives us permission to feel like a kid again. (In moderation, of course!)

http://www.shape.com/fitness/workouts/7-pieces-fitness-advice-we-actually-want-follow

Diet vs. Exercise: Which Is Better?

Diet or exercise...which one is more important is an age-old debate that just keeps going on and on and on.



If you're trying to get healthy, tackling both diet and exercise is better than trying to improve one lifestyle habit at a time, new research suggests. 

But...the researchers did add that if you need to start with just one lifestyle change, choose exercise. They found that changing your diet first may interfere with attempts to establish a regular exercise routine.

The study included 200 people, aged 45 and older, who were inactive and had poor diets. They were split into four groups: new diet and exercise habits at the same time; diet changes first and starting exercise a few months later; starting exercise first and making diet changes a few months later; and no diet or exercise changes.

The groups received telephone coaching and were tracked for a year. Those who made diet and exercise changes at the same time were most likely to meet U.S. guidelines for exercise (150 minutes per week) and nutrition (5 to 9 servings of fruit and vegetables per day), and to keep calories from saturated fat at less than 10 percent of their total intake of calories.

The people who started with exercise first and diet changes a few months later also did a good job of meeting both the exercise and diet goals, but not quite as good as those who made exercise and diet changes at the same time, the Stanford University School of Medicine researchers said in a news release from Stanford.

The participants who made diet changes first and started exercise later did a good job of meeting the dietary goals but didn't meet their exercise targets. This may be because each type of change has unique characteristics, explained study author Abby King, a professor of health research and policy and of medicine.

"With dietary habits, you have no choice; you have to eat. You don't have to find extra time to eat because it's already in your schedule. So the focus is more on substituting the right kinds of food to eat," she said in the news release.

However, people with busy schedules may have difficulty finding time for exercise. King noted that even the people in the most successful group (diet and exercise changes at the same time) initially had trouble meeting their exercise goal, but did achieve it by the end of the study.

The study was published online April 21 in the journal Annals of Behavioral Medicine.

http://www.chicagodefender.com/index.php/health/23719-diet-exercise-better

How Yoga Can Help Cure Thyroid Imbalance

Hypothyroidism is a condition that can impact anything from your weight to your fertility. What’s unfortunate is that a large chunk of the population has been diagnosed with under-active thyroid (hypothyroidism) and yet there’s few options out there for treatment aside for taking medication. What many people don’t know is that yoga can have quite the impact on the way your thyroid performs. Here’s how yoga can help to improve thyroid imbalance.


Shoulder stand

Also known as Sarvangasana pose, this is the most recommended posture for hypothyroidism. Not only does this position stimulate the thyroid gland to function properly due to the pressure effect, but it also helps stimulate a variety of other glands in the head region, such as pituitary and pineal glands, which also have an additional way of controlling the functioning of the thyroid gland.
Bow pose

This pose is known to stimulate the glands in your neck and throat and it’s also a great movement for strengthening and stretching your thighs, groin, belly, chest, spine and shoulders. To perform the bow pose, lie on your stomach with your arms at your sides. Bend your legs and grab your ankles with your hands. Then inhale and lift you feet away from your hips while also bringing your thighs off the mat. By doing this pose, you should have your head and upper torso pulled off the floor for 20 to 30 seconds.
Fish pose

The fish pose requires you to lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor. As you inhale, lift your pelvis slightly off the floor and slide your hands underneath your butt. Then tuck your elbows and forearms close against your body and place your elbows on the mat. Inhale and arch your back to lift your torso off the floor. This pose helps to stretch and stimulate the glands in the neck and throat.
Camel pose

This stretch works the entire front of your body, including the important areas for your thyroid including your neck and throat. A backbend like pose, this is known to help stimulate the glands in your neck especially. To do this stretch, kneel on your mat so your knees are directly under your hips. Then arch your back and plant your hands on your feet. Push your tailbone a little more forward and let your head fall back with no strain.
Child pose

The pose known as child pose is a great position for relaxation and increased energy. The pose itself stretches your knees and lower back, and is a great pose to help blood flow to the brain. To do this pose, kneel down and rest your butt on your heels. Stretch your arms over and reach them forward.

http://www.hivehealthmedia.com/how-yoga-can-help-cure-thyroid-imbalance/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=how-yoga-can-help-cure-thyroid-imbalance&utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=facebook

The Worst Weight Loss Mistakes

Weight loss may seem like a simple formula of eating less and working out more; however, you may be unintentionally making mistakes that will hinder your weight loss success. To avoid common slip-ups and makeover your diet, check out these seven worst weight loss mistakes.

Relying on exercise
While exercise is essential for a healthy lifestyle and for keeping off those extra pounds, research has found that, when not combined with any dietary changes, exercise does very little in respect to losing weight. Experts believe that many new exercisers even gain weight by overcompensating for their workouts. This is because many of us overestimate the calories burned through exercise and overly increase our calorie intake to fuel or reward our workouts. For maximum weight loss benefits, try to incorporate both exercise and dietary changes into your day.

Going fat-free
Many of us are in the habit of obsessively checking the fat content of products and looking out for 'low fat' labels before deciding if a food is diet friendly. However, opting for low fat products can be a huge dieting mistake as many low fat meals are packed with sugar to compensate. Also, 'reduced fat' labels only indicate that the food is lower in fat than the original product, which may not mean it is low fat at all. It is important to also remember that not all fats are bad for you. Rather than avoiding fat, try to lower your intake of saturated fats and eat more monounsaturated fats (found in avocados, olive oil and nuts) as studies have found that this can help to promote weight loss.

Switching to diet drinks
Just as low fat foods are not always the best choice for weight loss, switching to diet drinks can also inhibit weight loss, or even cause you to gain weight. Research by the Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio found that those who consumed diet drinks daily experienced a 70 per cent greater increase in waist circumference than those who drank none, while a previous study showed that obesity risk increased by 41 per cent for each diet drink consumed. It is thought this may be because artificial sweeteners trigger appetite, and they may also inhibit the brain cells that make you feel full.

Getting hung up on your body weight
Many dieters become fixated on the number on the scales; however, this can actually be counterproductive. Not only is your body weight not an accurate reflection of how well you are doing (after all, how do you know how much of that weight is muscle, water or undigested food and how much is fat?), failing to see the results you want can also affect your motivation, lead to emotional eating, or cause you stress which can lead to weight gain. Rather than getting hung up on your weight, learn to relax and enjoy your healthy eating plan, and look out for other positive effects of your diet such as glowing skin, increased energy levels and your clothes starting to fit better.

Being too restrictive
While eating too much food will inevitably cause you to gain weight, eating too little can also be a big dieting mistake. Firstly, not giving your body an adequate amount of food will make it go into starvation mode, causing the metabolism to slow down and the body to hoard fat and calories. Furthermore, making your diet too restrictive and cutting out all the foods you like is unrealistic and will mean you are more likely to give in. It is also pointless to give up these foods unless you plan on giving them up forever, as the pounds will just pile on again once your reintroduce them into your diet.

Giving up at the first hurdle
Many of us take an all or nothing approach to dieting, meaning one small wobble can lead to us ruining our diets and giving up entirely. After all, if you've already broken your diet and eaten a cookie, you may as well eat the whole packet, right? Wrong! If you're serious about losing weight, it's important not to let lapses (big or small) get you down. So, you caved in and ate your body weight in chocolate? Don't dwell on it. Just because you have given into temptation once it doesn't mean that you will again, and it doesn't mean that you have failed. Simply put the past behind you, pick yourself up and carry on.

Overestimating your self controlAlthough it is great to embark on your diet with a positive and determined mindset, being too confident - and failing to prepare for those moments of weakness - could be your biggest mistake. Don't rely on being too disciplined to fail; instead accept that we all lack willpower at times and try removing temptation to prepare for those weak moments. Clear the cupboards of chocolate, ignore the urge to purchase your favourite treats (even if you claim they are for guests and you are sure you will be able to resist them) and stay away from places and situations that will tempt you to indulge. Make it as difficult for yourself to break your diet as you can.

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/realbuzzcom/the-worst-weight-loss-mistakes_b_3639434.html

Best Food For Weight Loss

For a healthy and balanced diet include in your meals foods listed below, which also contain little fat and are relatively low in calories.

Apples and pears
Medium-sized pear contains about 6 grams (0.2 oz) of fiber, a medium-sized apple contains about 3 grams (0.1 oz) of fiber. Both contain pectin, which reduces blood sugar levels and thus helping you avoid snacks between meals.

Grapes
Instead of eating sweets, try grapes. Grapes contain a lot of sugar, so don’t eat it too much, but it does not contain fats. 100 g (3.5 oz) of grapes contains only 70 calories. Eating grapes will help you with your weight loss and will clean your body as this fruit is one of the most powerful antioxidants!

Salad
Control your appetite and eat a big salad bowl prior to meal (but don’t use creamy dressings as they are very caloric). Make a salad with carrot, cabbage, tomato, beetroot, lettuce or cucumber – all these kinds of vegetables are low in calories. For dressing you can use lemon juice or oil-based dressings. 

Potato
You might be surprised but potato itself is no problem, the problem is just how it is prepared. Fried potato is bad as it has a lot of calories and trans fat. Boiled or baked potato in the oven without adding any fat is actually very good for your diet. Potato only contain 97 calories per 100 grams.

Cereals
Grains contain fiber which will help make you feel full. Choose oats, barley, rye, roasted corn, rice, whole grain cereal with less sugar. Add them into your daily menu as such food will make you feel full for longer period of time.

Beans
You may have never heard of cholecystokinin, but for weight loss cholecystokinin is very important. This digestive hormone is a natural appetite suppressant. So enjoy beans often! Beans maintain blood sugar levels at normal level and help you to stay away from food for a longer period of time. Eating beans will also lower your level of cholesterol.

Curd
Cottage cheese made from skimmed cow’s milk contains only 56 calories and is low in fat (light). It is a good source of protein, calcium and vitamins. If you mix cottage cheese with fruits such as banana or strawberry you get a tasty dessert!

Green tea
Hidden ingredient that boosts up the metabolism and body fat loss in green tea is an antioxidant called catechin. Drink two cups of green tea a day to boosts your metabolism. Faster metabolism means faster weight loss. Read about metabolism here: Metabolism By drinking green tea you also lower your cholesterol level.

Dark chocolate
If you feel like your sugar is low have a bar of dark chocolate. Always chose dark chocolate that contains a high proportion of cocoa (at least 70%). Such chocolate contains many antioxidants, has beneficial effect against stress and has an overall positive impact on our health.

Water
And last but not least – not exactly food, but still. Studies have shown that you normally consume more food if you drink too little water. Water has no calories, but will fill your stomach. You can add lemon for taste, but you can also drink beverages with fewer calories, which consist mainly of water such as coconut water, watermelon juice or buttermilk. You can also enjoy vegetable soup (with no oil).

The rule of thumb is to drink 3 liters (12 US cups) of water per day for men and 2 liters (8 US cups) per day for women. Remember that you don’t actually need to drink that much water as water is also found in vegetables and fruits that you eat trough out the day. Drink water only when you’re thirsty.

http://healthiack.com/weight-loss/best-foods-for-weight-loss

Move Over 5:2 Diet, The Low-GL Diet Makes You Lose More Weight, Faster

The 5:2 diet is the darling of the diet world, but as we know, there's always a better diet waiting round the corner.

A new book called Burn Fat Fast: The Alternate Day Low-GL Diet Plan by Patrick Holford and Kate Staples (she used to be the gladiator Zodiac before she broke her neck), looks at the priniciples of fasting and food combining, as well as what exercise to do to complement the diet. In short, a full body plan.

What is striking about the diet is that even though it incorporates fasting, it's a good plan for people who like to eat, or more simply, don't like the hunger aspect that we associate with dieting. Better still the exercise plan involves - on certain days - only 8 minutes of working out.


Salmon and potatoes - mixing carbs with protein

So, first off, what is a 'low-GL diet plan?' GL stands for glycemic load, which measures the amount of sugar and starch in food and their impact on your body. Patrick says that a measure of glycemic load shows how much carbohydrate there is in each food and how fast the carbohydrate will break down into glucose (and therefore how quickly your blood sugar levels will rise).

The crux of the diet is about managing your insulin, or blood sugar levels. Insulin, says Patrick, is an ageing hormone, and also plays a key role in burning fat. So if you can control the levels of insulin, you can slow the ageing process and keep the weight off.

The idea of the diet is that you combine three fast days where you can eat a maximum of 800 calories, in low-GL foods. You can feast the other four days (on low-GL foods) and should implement the exercise plan during the week.

How does it work and what should I eat?
Since 2005 we've been studying and testing the GL diet – not by eliminating carbs but actually introducing the right kind of carbs alongside protein. Eaten together, protein takes longer to digest when you combine the two – for instance putting seeds on your cereal or almonds with apples. By doing so, you slow down release of sugars.

It's also about choosing the right kind of carbs, so oats are slow, cornflakes are fast. Berries are slow, bananas are fast.



How does regulating my insulin make me lose weight though?
With animal studies, it has been proved that if you eat low calories, you lose weight, but low calorie diets also seem to extend your life span and improve your health. It was then discovered that the reason for this is that a low calorie diet can switch on 'skinny genes'.

What are skinny genes?
When you eat a low-GL diet you don’t get blood sugar spikes, so your insulin goes down. It's clear that low levels of insulin switches on your skinny genes - it's called SIRT1. When you combine this with exercise, you burn fat much faster and more effectively. Conversely, we also know high insulin raises cholesterol, blood pressure, makes cancer cells grow faster and it makes you store fat faster. The secret to weight loss for me, is everything that keeps your insulin down.

The Three Golden Rules
1. Eat no more than 40 GLs a day
2. Eat protein with carbohydrate
3. Graze don't gorge

You recommend three fast days rather than two - why?
The 5:2 diet recommends you fast two days a week but the diets which are most effective are three days a week – I’ve gone with what the science supports. The 5:2 did have a clinical trial, but the scale of weight loss doesn’t excite me so much. They were seeing 3.7 kilograms of weight loss at its highest, over three months. We were seeing weight loss of 7.5kgs.

One stone, 14lbs is 6.4kgs so one stone is either over 6kgs of 6.5kgs if you want to round to nearest half.



But is fasting actually healthy?
Intermittent fasting can be healthy provided you are not sick. A lot of people find it changes their relationship to food. A common report is that on the feast days you have an allowance of food, a lot of people find they aren’t feeling as hungry.

It also makes you think about why you eat. We don’t eat just for hunger but for other reasons, and it helps you understand the reason between eating for hunger and being upset or tired.

How much weight can people lose on your diet?
We have lots of cases of people losing, on average, one stone a month which is roughly 6.5kgs. Our record to date is one person who lost 9 stone in 10 months. We did a trial on 22 people and the trial was just on diet, and the average weight loss was 14.5 pounds in 12 weeks.

How much exercise do you have to do on the diet?
There are two types - one is aerobic exercise and the other is resistance or muscle building. The combination of the two causes the bigger weight loss and best insulin control. You have to do three days where you do an eight-minute strength routine. Then spend three days of 30 minutes aerobic exercise that gets your heart rate up. It was devised by Kate who is a brilliant personal trainer and found that her clients were getting amazing results while following my diet.

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2013/07/24/gl-diet-52-diet-weightloss-burn-fat_n_3643199.html

How To Eat Less Without Feeling Deprived

Who says you have to deprive yourself in order to eat less? Follow these simple tricks to eat less without feeling hungry:





1. Serve food in smaller portions
Limit food intake by serving less food and serving on smaller plates or containers. Stash away leftovers for later and keep food away from sight especially sweets and junk foods.

2. Drink more water
Whenever you feel hungry or bored, drink a glass of water. Water will fill your stomach and curb your hunger pangs. Drinking more water is also laced with health benefits. Water helps bodily functions such as digestion, absorption, and creation of saliva. It also helps the kidneys and hydrates the skin for a healthy radiant glow.

3. Eat a salad
Eat a salad before lunch or dinner to help you curb your appetite and limit your fat intake. Toss lots of veggies in your salad and use oil-based dressing to make a healthier and more filling salad.

4. Learn to eat slowly
By eating fast, you are taking in too many calories before feeling full. Slow down and take the time to enjoy the taste of every meal and snack you eat. Mindful eating will not only help you eat less, importantly it will enhance your experience of eating.

5. Don’t deprive yourself
Depriving yourself to eat something you really liked can lead to overeating. You can take anything you like (dessert, anyone?) but you can only have a few bites.

6. Keep busy
Occupy yourself you will have less time to think about food. Get out of the house, get a hobby, exercise. Doing something may exhaust you, but it will definitely benefit you and your weight loss plan to get moving.

7. Brush your teeth after every meal
The minty taste of toothpaste and the idea of ruining the cleanliness of your teeth should be enough to make you think twice about eating

http://bodybydesignweightloss.com/how-to-eat-less-without-feeling-deprived/

Simple Ways To Prevent Dementia In Old Age

Currently, an estimated 5.3 million elderly Americans live with Alzheimer's dementia and many more live with other forms of dementia, impairing a person's physical and mental abilities, including Huntington's disease and vascular dementia. Cognitive functioning and behavioral development begin to falter as the damage to brain cells disrupts a person's psyche, says the Alzheimer's Association.

(Photo : Ian MacKenzie) Prevent the risk of developing dementia in old age with six easy ways that will improve your brain health.

According to Alzheimer's Society in the U.K., the number of people with dementia is expected to double because people are living longer. As one downside to having longer lifespans, women have a higher lifetime risk than men of developing Alzheimer's, which may be precipitated by a drop in estrogen, the primary female sex hormone, experienced during menopause.

Gains in average life expectancy are not the sole driver behind the increase in Americans with dementia; other illnesses have been shown to increase risk. If a person has diabetes before the age of 65, their risk for dementia doubles. In a study published in the issue of Neurology, researchers examined the relationship between diabetes as a risk factor for dementia in a group of 1,301 community dwellers 75 years and older in Stockholm, Sweden. They found that diabetes is indeed associated with an increased risk for dementia, especially vascular dementia — when the brain's blood supply is interrupted — in very old people.

Furthermore, the risk for dementia significantly increases when diabetes occurs simultaneously with severe systolic hypertension and cardiovascular disease. "People who know they are at risk of vascular dementia can act to help delay or even prevent symptoms if they eat well, take exercise and don't smoke," Dr. Charles Alessi, an adviser for Public Health England, told the BBC. While there is no known cure to dementia or specific treatment sufferers can follow, there are easy ways to prevent and alleviate symptoms of the disease in old age.

Eat A Mediterranean DietConsuming fruits, vegetables, lean protein, and healthy fats, such as omega-3 fatty acids, can help reduce inflammation of the brain. The rich fatty acid is seen as a dietary intervention to reduce the risk of dementia with regular consumption. In a study published in the journal of the American Academy of Neurology, researchers examined the relationship between the Mediterranean diet and the likelihood of incident cognitive impairment to evaluate race and vascular risk factors. A total of 17,478 individuals with an average age of 64 participated in the study. The study showed that higher consumption of the Mediterranean diet was associated with a lower likelihood of cognitive impairment.

Get 8 Hours Of Sleep
Dementia and sleep are closely associated with one another; the lack of sleep can increase your risk of dementia later in life. Sufferers of the disease tend to have a sleep pattern that is irregular, generally feeling sleepy during the day with difficulty falling asleep for long periods at night, reports the Sleep Health Foundation. The organization that raises awareness of sleep health suggests that dementia sufferers get into sleep and wake patterns that reflect sleep habits prior to diagnosis of the disease, with the help of their loved ones. To get people living with dementia to develop a healthy sleeping pattern, 45-minute naps can vastly improve memory, according to an article by Matthew A. Tucker, PhD and William Fishbein, PhD.

Get Out There and Socialize
Socialization has been been shown to help people sharpen their mental acuity. In a study published in the American Journal of Public Health, researchers followed women who were free of dementia symptoms and at least 78 years old. Over the course of five years of follow-up interviews, there were 268 new dementia cases out of the 2,249 women who began the study.

After analyzing the effects of socialization, researchers found that 80 out of 456 women who did not socialize much, or 18 percent, developed dementia. In contrast, 188 out of 1793 women who confided in a number of friends and family members, or 10 percent, developed dementia. Remaining as an active member in society and socializing with those around you can help improve your cognitive functioning and behavioral development to reduce the risk of dementia even at old age.

http://www.medicaldaily.com/articles/17469/20130716/dementia-alzheimers-prevent-old-age-memory.htm

21 One-Minute Weight Loss Tricks

If you've ever tried to lose weight (and who hasn't), you've got to be mindful of whose advice you take. Your colleague says you need to cut out carbs. Your gym buddy knows the secret is to stop eating after 7 p.m. Your Facebook friend swears she’ll be in swimsuit shape by March if she only eats once a day. Your husband, well, he sneezes and the weight seems to fall off.

But do any of these tips really work? To help you shed those extra pounds—and keep them off—without starving yourself, ditching your social life, or eating only at odd times of the day, we talked to experienced nutritionists for real-world advice you can actually live with, day in and day out. We'll tell you how to focus on the delicious foods you can add to your diet, why you should be eating more often (yes!), the fat loss benefits of more sleep, and how even taking a few deep breaths can put you on a successful path to weight loss.

Here, the 25 best diet tips of all time. Say buh-bye to hunger and hello skinny jeans.


1. Never get too hungry - plan meals and snacks in advance

2. Be honest about your daily calorie allowance 

3. Eat right post-workout

4. Use the red, orange and green rule - By focusing on these foods, you'll be sure to get some produce on your plate and won't have space on your plate for higher-calorie fare.

5. Eat one less bite - Doing this at every meal could save about 75 calories a day which equates to nearly an 8-pound weight loss in one year!

6. Be a heavy drinker - Of Water! 

7. Kick the salt habit - Salt can also make you feel hungrier and thirstier.

8. Spice up your food - Adding hot spices to your meals can help curb hunger.

9. Don't think diet soda will help you lose weight

10. Focus on nutrient balance instead of calorie counting

11. Plate food away from where you're eating - By keeping food within eyesight as you are eating, you may find yourself reaching for a second helping even if you really aren't hungry. 

12. Keep a food record - tracking your mood and appetite can be helpful and insightful into learning about your eating patterns as well!

13. Start with soup - People who ate a low-calorie vegetable soup before a meal consumed 20% fewer calories at the meal, according to research from Penn State University.

14. Take your time - It takes 20 minutes for your stomach to send a message to your brain that you have eaten enough and are satisfied. 

15. Outsmart your hunger hormone - Our bodies secrete a hormone called ghrelin, which controls hunger and drives our appetite. Ghrelin will also spike if we're deprived of carbs, so it's important to give our bodies and brains the carb fuel they need. When we skip meals or avoid carbs, we're inviting ghrelin to spike, which increases and makes us feel emotionally hungry. It makes us crave sugar and can derail even the healthiest eating routine.

16. Dine anytime - It's a myth that you'll gain weight as a direct result of eating after 7 p.m. You should eat 70% of your calories before dinnertime and 30% at dinner, whatever time that may be. Just give yourself at least 90 minutes to end your meal before you plan to go to sleep. You need at least 90 minutes to digest so you can sleep comfortably. 

17. Set a date with your kitchen - when it comes to weight loss we need to devote 80% of our efforts to nutrition and 20% to exercise.

18. Breathe away cravings - Deep breaths of that kind take you out of your immersion in momentary stress, oxygenate your brain and tissues, and they help to reduce stress hormones. 

19. Eat before a party or event - Have a light snack before you go to an event so you don’t arrive ravenous.

20. Be adventurous with chopsticks - they can act as a reminder to slow down, savor and chew consciously which may help you realize you’re fuller sooner than you thought you’d be and then wind up eating less!

21. Wear fitted clothing - The elastic waistband is the dieter's fashion enemy number one. When you wear clothes that fit well and make you feel good, you have awareness gauges that give you clear signals to help you put on the brakes as you fill up. 

22. Celebrate healthy talk - Instead of using words like "fat," say "fit"; change "can't" to "can"; "weak" to "strong"; "unhealthy" to "healthy." It takes practice but it can start to rewire how you think about your health and weight goals.

23. Eat breakfast without fail Shoot for a minimum of 250 calories and aim to get a serving of protein in so you’ll feel fuller longer.

24. Take 10 minutes to eat a treat

25. Sleep away weight gain - Scientists asked participants to sleep about 10 hours a night for two days, followed by five nights of sleep restriction and four nights of recovery. After the 11 days, the sleep-deprived group gained almost 3 pounds, compared with a well-rested control group.

http://www.prevention.com/25-best-diet-tips-all-time?cm_mmc=Yahoo_Blog-_-PVN_Shine-_-21%20One%20Minute%20Weight%20Loss%20Tricks-_-25%20Best%20Diet%20Tips%20Of%20All%20Time

50 Million Diet Each Year But Only 5% Lose Weight - What's The Best Weight Loss Programs?

Out of the 50 million Americans who go on a diet every year, only five percent are successful in keeping the weight off. What this should tell us is that successful diet programs are those that teach us how to eat sensibly and healthy. Otherwise, the diet will not work. Losing weight the right way is really a matter of cutting the calories--eating fewer calories than you burn--and making a permanent change in eating habits.

Avoid "Miracle" PillsThe key to finding a program that will work is selecting one that is easy to maintain, does not require purchasing special foods, doesn't focus on miracle pills and other substances, but teaches healthy lifelong eating habits. Consumer Reports readers scored MyFitnessPal and Weight Watchers the highest because they encouraged calorie awareness, exercise, and consumption of fruits and vegetables. Jenny Craig was also rated highly. Although this program sells their preportioned foods, it also includes grocery store foods. These programs focus on sound weight-loss principles and weight management.

Beware of Diet Scams
Beware of "quick fix" diet products. Not only can they be harmful but they are not proven to be successful in long-term weight management. According to Dr. Oz, diet pills are some of the most dangerous products on the market. They are drugs and should be treated as such. They can increase your blood pressure enough to cause a stroke, and once you stop taking the pills, the weight piles back on. They are simply not worth the risk of taking a short cut to weight loss.

Eat Less, and Better
Any diet product or program that relies on a specific product does not teach healthy, lifelong eating habits. The only thing that works is eating less, eating more fruits and vegetables, whole grains and protein. Weight loss programs that focus on this are worth looking into. The bottom line on the best weight loss program is to satisfy your hunger with good foods that will not add weight and substituting high-calorie foods with those that contain fewer calories. It's not a diet. It's a lifestyle change.

http://www.newpittsburghcourieronline.com/index.php/health/14742-50-million-diet-every-year-but-only-5-percent-lose-weight-what-s-the-best-weight-loss-programs