Health Tip: Exercising in Hot Weather

(HealthDay News) Heat injuries range from mild forms to more serious types, including heat exhaustion and heatstroke. Heatstroke; when the body's sweating mechanism quits, the skin become hot and dry, and the body loses most fluids; can be life-threatening. The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons offers these suggestions for exercising safely in hot weather: Drink plenty of fluids even when you're not thirsty, and take frequent breaks during exercise. Get your body in good shape before hot weather hits. Limit outdoor exercise to early in the morning or late in the evening, avoiding the midday hours. Exercise more slowly and less vigorously for longer periods. Wear lightweight clothing, and avoid heavy gear. If someone looks like they're having a heat injury, seek immediate medical attention.

Tips to Take Off Pounds

By Melissa Gotthardt, Prevention For more than 50 years, Prevention's been creating, collecting, and perfecting advice to help you slim down. That's because we want you to look and feel good about yourself. By achieving and maintaining a healthy weight, you can significantly reduce your risk of heart disease, diabetes, certain types of cancer, back pain, joint problems, and more. In other words, you can maximize all the goodies that life has to offer! Here's our best advice to get you where you want to be. 10 Reasons to Lose Weight 1. Live to see your grandchildren, great-grandchildren—even great-great-grandchildren 2. Be able to romp with all those kids 3. Keep your mind sharp 4. Increase your energy level 5. Protect your immunity 6. Reduce your risk of breast cancer, heart disease, and stroke 7. Manage menopause more easily 8. Reduce stress 9. Breathe easier 10. Feel fabulous! 10 Foods That Fill You Up These foods will fill you up with the fewest calories: Potatoes Fish Oatmeal Oranges Apples Whole wheat pasta Grapes Air-popped popcorn Bran cereal Soup 10 Fun Ways to Burn Calories Here's a list of activities with the calories you'll burn per hour doing them. Jumping rope, 544 Roller-skating, 476 Bicycling, 408 Swimming, 408 Hopscotching with the kids, 340 Ballroom dancing, 296 Coaching your kid's soccer team, 272 Paddling a canoe, 238 Walking in the woods, 238 Playing Frisbee, 204 (Calorie figures based on a 150-lb person) 10 Easy Ways to Flatten Your Belly 1. Eat a bowl of raspberries. Packed with fiber, they fight constipation (that can swell your midsection like a balloon). 2. Drink lots of water. It's filling, calorie-free, and keeps your metabolism running in high gear. 3. Skip the cocktails. Sure, alcohol may be fat-free, but it's loaded with calories. It can also raise your levels of cortisol, a stress hormone that helps your belly store fat. 4. Sit up straight. Hunching forward makes your belly look bigger. For a slimming effect that actually trains the stomach-supporting muscles to stay taut, sit with your shoulders back, chin up, and lower back supported against the chair. 5. Plant a garden. All the bending, lifting, and twisting help shape your middle, and you'll burn about 350 calories an hour. 6. Move your hips. Hula hooping works on the same calorie-burning, waist-whittling principle as gardening—but with less dirt. 7. Hit the greens. Ditching the golf cart earns you a walking workout; whacking the ball tones and tightens your midriff. 8. Get a leg up. Crunches with your legs off the floor tone the upper portion of your ab muscles. Lie on your back with your legs propped up on a bed or chair. Curl up slowly, raising your head, shoulders, and upper back off the floor, then slowly lower. Do 10 to 12 repetitions, two or three times a week. 9. Reverse that crunch. To tighten your tummy from a different angle, lie on the floor with your arms at your sides, feet off the floor, and your legs and knees bent at a 90-degree angle. Contract your abdominals and press your back into the floor, lifting your hips about 2 to 4 inches off the floor. Hold, then lower. Do 10 to 12 repetitions, two or three times a week. 10. Do crossover crunches. To work the muscles that define your waistline (the obliques), lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor. Place your right ankle on your left knee and your hands behind your head, elbows pointing out. Lifting your head and upper back off the floor, twist, and bring your left shoulder toward your right knee. Hold, then slowly lower. Do 10 to 12 repetitions, then repeat to the other side. Do two or three times a week. 10 Smartest Ways to Slim Down 1. Eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Skipping meals can set you up for bingeing. Studies show that people who spread their food intake throughout the day eat fewer calories. 2. Pack snacks. Whether you're at the mall, in the car, or at work, keep yourself armed with healthy snacks to help you resist fat-and-calorie-laden temptations from vending machines and fast-food joints. 3. Team up. Enlisting the help of a partner or friend can boost your motivation and help you stay on track. 4. Start writing. Keeping a food or exercise log not only helps chart your progress, but it's also a great way to spot minor slips in your routine before they become major problems. 5. Compliment yourself. Treat you as you treat those you love. Focus on your successes, not failures—and give yourself a pat on the back each day. 6. Get moving. Whether you walk, run, bike, or swim, aerobic exercise is key to weight loss success. Work up to doing at least 45 minutes, 5 or more days a week. 7. Be a little selfish. You need to make time for yourself if you want to achieve your goal. 8. Have two helpings. Filling your plate with two kinds of vegetables, not just one, ups your nutritional intake and leaves less room on your plate for fatty foods. 9. Take one bite at a time. "Mindful eating," which involves concentrating on taste and sensation to make each mouthful an event, maximizes your food satisfaction and minimizes the odds of overeating. 10. Lift weights. Resistance training builds muscles, which boost the number of calories that your body burns throughout the day—making weight loss easier. Aim for two or three workouts a week. I Can Do It! Instead of saying, "My weight loss efforts haven't worked before; they probably won't work now," tell yourself, "That's enough. I can do anything that I put my mind to." Create a new sound track in your head. Keep Low-Cal Cooking Quick & Easy Stock your kitchen with these low-fat, low-calorie staples, and eating right will be a cinch: Fresh garlic Butter-flavored cooking spray Canned beans: Kidney, black, and navy are stellar fiber sources; rinse first to remove some of the sodium. Fat-free chicken broth: Keep a can on hand to whip up an easy vegetable soup (add frozen veggies) or mashed potatoes so flavorful that you won't miss the butter. Water-packed tuna Grated low-fat cheese Instant grain dishes: Think couscous, tabbouleh, even boil-in-bag rice. Zesty spices: Chili powder, red-pepper flakes, and curry blends add salt-free zip to recipes. They're great as toppings for air-popped popcorn too. Canned mandarin oranges: They're a creative addition to salads and simple desserts, especially when your fresh fruit supply runs low or is out of season. A pack of pitas or tortillas: Use them as sandwich wraps, or cut them into wedges and bake to make your own low-fat chips. Don't Let Stress Make You Fat Next time you've had a bad day at work or a fight with your spouse, or are just being pulled in too many directions, try one of these stress busters instead of raiding the fridge: 1. Get out in nature. The gentle swaying of windblown trees or the meandering of a stream can slow body rhythms that have built to a stress-induced peak. 2. Take the slow road. Hopping in the car to run errands may seem practical, but traffic's another stressor. Bike or walk whenever you can. If you must drive, don't jockey for position. Chill out in the right-hand lane. 3. Turn on the stereo. Soothing music has been shown to ease anxiety and lower blood pressure and heart rate, even under superstressful conditions. 4. Get up and dance. Besides being great exercise, it releases endorphins, your body's mood-elevating chemicals that help erase stress. 5. Savor silence. Even a total of 10 to 15 minutes of quiet time per day helps you eliminate the buzz in your brain and experience some serenity. 6. Laugh out loud! Humor can actually inoculate against anxiety: One study found that people who watched an episode of Seinfeld before tackling a stressful task didn't show the spikes in blood pressure and heart rate that their humorless study counterparts did. Seven Ways to Break Up Exercise Boredom 1. Change your venue. Bored to tears by your treadmill workout? Take a walk outside instead. Your after work routine has become too routine? Get up earlier. Changing where or when you exercise, even if you're doing the same activity, is a great way to change your outlook. 2. Find fun exercise. Investigate sports and hobbies that enhance your activity level. Backpacking, mountain biking, kayaking, even bowling can all burn calories—but they don't feel like workouts. 3. Act their age. Join the kids for a game of backyard touch football or tag. Capitalize on their infectious energy. 4. Make a date. Treat exercise as social time by pairing up with a friend or your spouse. By committing to someone else, you'll be less likely to skip your workout. 5. Count backwards. Ever notice how your trip back from a great destination seems shorter than your trip there? Apply that principle to exercise by counting reps backwards—from 10 to 1, instead of 1 to 10. 6. Lend a hand. Support causes such as breast cancer, AIDS, or multiple sclerosis by doing fund-raising walks, bike rides, or runs. Beyond the exercise, you'll feel good about what you're doing, as well as fortunate to have a healthy body to do it. 7. Gear up. Add a new twist to your routine with equipment such as a heart rate monitor or pedometer. Tracking your workouts with these types of devices keeps things interesting. One Slip Up Won't Stop Me! If you've fallen off the weight loss wagon, stop feeling like a failure; focus on the challenge ahead. The sooner you climb back on, the sooner you'll see the results! There's No Magic Number - Don't measure your success solely by the number on the scale. Your weight will naturally fluctuate by a couple of pounds some days. Give yourself a weight range of 5 to 10 pounds to allow for these changes. Use other methods, such as your clothes or tape measurements, to track your progress.

Simple Ways to Suppress Your Appetite

Check out these practical, everyday ways to keep your appetite under control; from Joy's Healthy Bite.

Get Enough ZZZZZ - Sleep deprivation causes an imbalance in certain hormones, including ghrelin (which increases appetite) and leptin (which decreases appetite). When we don’t get enough sleep, our levels of ghrelin go up (weight gain) and levels of leptin go down (so we are hungrier). That said, adults should aim for at least seven hours of shuteye each night.

Eat Protein and Fiber at Meals - Compared to carbohydrate and fat, protein takes more time to digest and therefore keeps you full longer. Fiber helps by absorbing water, and then expanding in your stomach – literally creating bulk to make you feel fuller and have less room for more.

Less Variety, More Satisfaction - Keep less variety of snacks foods in the house and you’ll be much better off. Research has shown the greater your options, the greater your appetite.

Don’t Be Left in the Dark - When you go out to dinner, sit in a well-lit part of the restaurant. That’s because when you’re eating in a well-lit area, you’re more likely to consume fewer calories. You are more self conscious and feel others can see what you’re eating, so you’re likely to curb your appetite accordingly. In a dim corner of the room… well, anything goes.

Play Mind Games - Serve up your food on small plates and smaller food portions will look more volumous. Be sure to keep your snacks out of sight at home and at work (out of sight, out of mind). Also, wear great smelling perfume or cologne and light scented candles when you have the opportunity. Interesting smells can often take your mind off of food.

Fat Ticker Friday - Weigh In Number Two

Today marks the second weigh in day for Fat Ticker Friday and I'm here to announce that I only lost ONE pound since last week. ONE. That's it. But it's okay, I know weight loss for me at this point in my journey is going to be slow. I just hope I keep my chin up and continually move forward with the same motivation / dedication and outlook on things as I have had over the last three weeks. And I hope that the loss each week is consistent. Yes, I said loss - because there WILL be a loss. And can I just say that last week was tough for me regarding WILLPOWER? I did awesome though (if I may say so myself). Things I was tempted with but nicely passed on? 1. Dunkin Donuts: I sat through an entire 1 hour meeting at work earlier this week with 2 dozen donuts displayed nicely right underneath my nose. And I didn't have one. 2. Dunkin Donuts / Breakfast Sandwiches: Just today as a matter of fact my workplace provided breakfast for everyone. Again with the donuts and to boot, bacon, egg & cheese sandwiches from Burger King. And hashbrowns. 3. Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream, Snicker Doodles, Mini Brownie Bites: Last night I went to a 'Mother and Daughter Tea' with my Mom and they served a variety of 'finger-foods'. I passed on a lot of things which was okay, but the desert tray was the hardest. I'm a sucker for junk food. 4. Birthday Cake Yeah, I'm weeping a little bit just thinking about it. But I know in the end it'll pay off. I just have to keep my eye on the prize. Oh! And another thing. So far this week I've exercised which means I met my goal that I set for myself. Next week I plan to do the same thing. I really need to focus on the exercise at this point. Have a great weekend everybody! And keep burning off those pounds!

A Personal Tip

Want to know a good way to limit your intake of coffee? You know say if you are actually trying to cut back on how much you consume in a day? Whiten your teeth. IT WORKS.

GOALS

I set a goal for myself last week that I was going to work out at least three times this week. I figured that was a start. On Monday I did Pilates. On Tuesday I walked. Today is Wednesday and I think I just might meet my goal. Heck, I might even surpass it. I'm motivated, I have energy and I'm feeling good. That's what it's all about, isn't it?!

Fat Ticker Friday - It's Weigh In Time

Today is weigh in day. As a matter of fact it's 'Fat Ticker Friday'. I like how that rolls off the tongue. So anyway..... Two weeks ago I weighed 179. Last week the scale said 178. Today the scale said 174. I've made some progress, and will take it but man - talk about being frustrated. I've endured two weeks now of total focus and dedication and all it got me was 4 pounds? I don't understand why weight loss is such a major struggle for me. But it is what it is I suppose. And because I didn't meet my personal goal of working out 3 times this past week, I'm setting that goal again for next week. I can work out more than once. I know I can. Next week will be different. I can only hope. A big 'thanks' to Baby Tea Leaves and her Spring into Summer Slimdown 2008 Challenge. I'm on board with a new sense of motivation because of this challenge. And because of that? I thank you!

4 Tips to Quell Any Craving

When a craving hits, use these tips to avoid giving in to temptation. Eat what you love. Outlawing a food makes you more likely to want it. Don’t declare all foods off-limits—just keep portions reasonable. Eat just one cookie (or if they’re tiny—two, max.) Or one scoop is fine—but not three! Just tell yourself, “it’s OK” and not “I’ve blown it, might as well keep eating.” One scoop is easy to walk off—three is a major sweat session! Redirect your appetite. Replacing one mental image with another will help curb the munchies, says Lisa Dorfman, R.D., of Miami. One fast way to distract your brain is with scent. Catching a whiff of peppermint or eucalyptus stimulates thoughts of being light and healthy, so pop a sugar-free mint, smooth on a scented lotion or light a fragrant candle. Engage your brain. Read a great book, write in a journal or even play a game such as solitaire or Minesweeper on your cell phone or computer to increase activity in the same areas of your brain that light up when you think about eating, so you can take your mind off food. Make a deal with yourself. I try to keep my treats portion controlled and have them just once a day. If I have a cookie after lunch, I skip dessert after dinner. It makes it easier to give up my evening bowl of ice cream when I know I can have it tomorrow! Courtesy of Yahoo, Happier, Healthier You

A New Day. A New Challenge

Today was weigh in day number one for me and I was hugely disappointed when I stepped on the scale and saw: 177. Crap. I've only lost one pound. Despite my disappointment, I'm moving forward just the same. And besides, it takes time, right? I found a blog that's doing a Spring / Summer challenge, and I'm joining up. Won't you do the same? Here is some information regarding the "Find Our Happy Place Spring Into Summer Slimdown 2008" Challenge. In short, here are the rules: -Grab a ticker and stick it on your blog. You don't have to proudly display your weight. Instead, your weight loss goal. -Every Friday will be "Fat Ticker Friday" where we weigh in and update our tickers with our weight loss. Again, you don't have to announce to the world your current weight, just how much you lost for that week. The first one will be next Friday, April 11th. -Link back to here on Fridays and leave a comment, and here's the good part! There will be raffle prizes drawn at random! -You can track your progress in your posts, post low-cal recipes you ran across, tips, or vent about how sucky your lack of motivation is, whatever. Let's be each other's rock! -Final weigh-in is Friday, June 6th. That's two months! Let's do this! (Cue up the motivational music!) Grand prize for the most weight lost! I went out and got my ticker (scroll to the bottom of my page to view it!) and I've added the button to my sidebar. Now I just have to stay on track! WISH ME LUCK!

Tips & Tricks From Hungry Girl

*Don't starve yourself before a big meal out. You'll only wind up ravenous and less likely to make smart decisions when ordering (not to mention more likely to inhale the bread basket!). * Look for entrées that are full of lean protein and veggies. They'll fill you up more than a starchy meal, like a bowl of pasta. * Don't go cuckoo with the cocktails. Not only are they full of empty calories, but also it's much harder to turn down that triple chocolate cake when you're tipsy. * Don't be afraid to special order (for example, requesting the grilled salmon minus the creamy sauce). Just ask nicely! * If the restaurant can't accommodate your requests and the entrées on the dinner menu aren't diet-friendly, get creative! Order an appetizer of shrimp cocktail with a big dinner salad (instant seafood salad with spicy cocktail dressing!). Or order a side of stea med broccoli, a small baked potato with salsa, and a chicken skewer appetizer (that's a full meal right there, and totally guilt-free).

38 lbs in 3 months

Think I can do it? Today when I weighed myself I was at 178 pounds. Check back next Monday to see my progress. I can do this. I WILL do this.

Tasty Ttricks for Cutting Fat, Calories from Recipes

Mashed bananas or baby food prunes don't sound very appetizing on their own, but substitute one of those ingredients for the vegetable oil in a store-bought brownie mix and it will add moisture while cutting the fat and calories. "Certainly brownies will never be health food," said Colleen Doyle, registered dietician and co-author of "The Great American Eat Right Cookbook." "If you are pulling out some of the fat in a product and adding fruit you are getting more nutrition." Doyle, the director of Nutrition and Physical Activity for the American Cancer Society, said that there are dozens of ways to cut the fat and calories from recipes, but she agreed that if it doesn't taste good no one will eat it.

She recommended home chefs experiment with different fat replacements. "If people have never done any kind of substitutions like oil and applesauce, I tell them to do it half and half. Do half the amount of oil and half the amount of applesauce."

While mixing up a batch of brownies, Doyle swapped out an equal amount of applesauce for oil. She calculated, "That's going to save us overall in this recipe close to 900 calories and 100 grams of fat."

Doyle's brownies with applesauce add up to 124 calories each and 3 grams of fat compared with 174 calories for the regular brownies and about 9 grams of fat.

Doyle also used only the whites of two eggs, throwing out the yolks. "You're saving 60 calories and you won't even notice the difference," she said. Before baking, she topped the brownies with half the amount of walnuts. "I take the amount of nuts that are called for in a recipe, cut it in half and I toast those nuts," Doyle explained. "Toasting brings out a lot of flavor and a lot of crunch." She cautioned chefs that products with less fat tend to cook more quickly. "Look at the cooking time. Typically you want to start checking about five minutes ahead of the recommended time. Otherwise, you'll have a tough, chewy brownie or cookie." Doyle shared another idea for lowering calories: Replace vegetable oil with canned pumpkin. She said that with baked goods, cutting the sugar in half is also OK. In her book, Doyle suggested substituting evaporated milk for cream in sauces and soups. Adding a combination of pureed cooked potatoes, onion and celery is another, healthier alternative. For cutting back on fat and calories in meat, Doyle tells shoppers to choose cuts with the words "loin" or "round" on the package. When selecting ground beef, she buys only products that are at least 90 percent fat free or substitutesground turkey breast. She said it is alright to cook chicken or turkey with the skin on to keep it moist, but she always recommends pulling the skin off before eating to reduce the fat. Doyle offered up a recipe for a family favorite, homemade chicken nuggets. "Store-bought chicken nuggets have on average about 320 calories per serving and about 21 grams of fat," she said. "If you make the homemade version instead, you're going to save about 90 calories and about 13 grams of fat." She started by cutting boneless, skinless chicken breasts into two-inch pieces. She dipped the meat into an egg and herb mixture and rolled them in crushed pieces of Melba toast coated with canola oil. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 15 minutes. They taste great and kids don't even know that they're healthier for them," exclaimed Doyle. "You can substitute anything, but if it isn't tasty no one is going to eat it and you are not going to enjoy serving it." From CNN Health.

Food Labels, Decoded: What “Gluten-Free” Really Means

What It Means: The product contains no gluten, a protein found in wheat and other grains.

The Health Implications: Gluten (found in wheat, barley, rye, and their derivatives) can cause damage to the intestines of those with celiac disease, a digestive disorder. People who have wheat allergies may also seek gluten-free foods.

Keep in Mind: While “gluten-free” means there’s no wheat, items listed as “wheat-free” aren’t necessarily gluten-free. Look on the ingredient list for rye, barley, malt, malt syrup, malt extract, and malt vinegar, all of which can contain gluten.

Bottom Line: If you have celiac disease or wheat allergies, consider gluten-free products.