What is Green Tea and How Can It Help You Lose Weight?

By on August 25, 2012

According to the book Green Tea: The Natural Secret for a Healthier Life by Nadine Taylor, green tea has been used by ancient Chinese people for at least 4,000 years to cure various health problems ranging from mild headaches to severe depression.

Having originated from China and is still closely associated with various cultures found in Asia, green tea today has become more widespread in the West (where black tea is traditionally consumed).

There has been enough evidence presented by scientific studies conducted in Asia and the West to prove that green tea benefits go way beyond helping relieve mild bodily pains, but symptoms of serious medical conditions as well, including rheumatoid arthritis, cardiovascular diseases, infection, impaired immune functions, and even cancer.

Green tea, however, is not only for those who are suffering certain illnesses, but for individuals who want to lose weight as well. If you are trying to shed excess pounds, drinking green tea can make the whole process a whole lot easier.

What exactly is green tea and how can it help you lose weight?

Green Tea for Weight LossGreen tea is a type of tea made solely from unfermented leaves of Camellia sinensis. Because it undergoes only minimal oxidation during the processing, much of its natural components are preserved, especially catechin polyphenols. Green tea is rich in polyphenols, particularly epigallocatechin gallate or EGCG, which is a powerful anti-oxidant that inhibits the growth of harmful cells in the body.

These same catechins plus caffeine found in green tea will force your body into thermogenesis, a biological process involved in burning fat for energy.  They not only increase your metabolism, they are also known to be mild appetite suppressants.  Moreover, components of green tea stops the movement of sugar into your fat cells.

A Japanese research shows that if you consume 5 cups of green tea a day, you can effortlessly burn 70-80 calories as a result of thermogenesis. It is said that drinking 5 cups of green tea without making changes to your eating habits, you can lose 1 pound over the course of 43 days or 8 pounds in one year.

Eight pounds in a year is definitely not much, but if you combine a healthy diet and a regular exercise regimen with green tea consumption, then you can count on not only losing extra pounds, but keeping them off!

Five cups of coffee may seem a bit overboard to some, especially to those who do not like the bitter taste of green tea and to those who are afraid of negative side effects it may bring.  You can always add lemon juice or honey to add flavor to it. Know that green tea is an acquired taste and after a while, you won’t need much sweetener to enjoy it. As for the negative side effects, they do not usually come up if you limit your consumption to 5 cups a day. If you go beyond that, you may experience insomnia, headache, nervousness, and irregular heartbeat.

Just remember to not go beyond the suggested number of cups to drink in a day and you will experience the many benefits of green tea, especially weight loss.

 

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Jump Rope To Lose Weight As Well As Improve Cardiovascular Fitness And Muscle Tone

By on August 5, 2012

Rare are those people who claim they haven’t enjoyed or even tried jumping ropes back when they were still kids. If you were like most kids, you’d had a blast skipping ropes with friends during afternoon recess at school.

As an adult, however, you will have a hard time finding friends your age to skip ropes with. But that doesn’t mean that you can no longer enjoy the sport. In fact, now that you’re older and staying in shape is getting more and more challenging, it’s the best time to start doing what you loved to do back when you were a healthy and active little kid.

Perfect For Those Who Want To Lose Weight

Do you know that jumping rope is an excellent calorie-burner? On average, it burns around 11  calories per minute! That’s 330 calories in just 30 minutes! If you weigh more than the average person your age, then you’ll lose more.

If you’re not impressed yet, note what Mayo Clinic reports on the number of calories a 200-lb person normally burns in one hour of jumping rope compared to when he or she is running on a treadmill. A person jumping rope can lose about 910 calories in an hour, while running on a treadmill for the same length of time will burn just around 820.

Great For Improving Cardiovascular Fitness

Aside from being a great calorie-buster, jumping rope is also good for the cardiovascular system, most especially the heart. It improves the efficiency of arteries and veins to transport blood and  oxygen to and from the heart as well as the other parts of the body.

A well-functioning cardiovascular system is essential to fight off life-threatening illnesses such as heart diseases and strokes

A Fun Way To Improve Muscle Tone

If you want a no-weights approach to improving muscle tone in your body, jumping rope is the way to go. Even though the calves are usually the hardest at work when doing this activity, other parts of the body will get a pretty good workout too, including your hamstrings, quads, shoulders, and abs.

It is in your lower body, however, that you will see significant muscle tone. Your legs will experience

microtears from all that effort in defying gravity, but will soon heal after a few days. Healed muscles, as we all know, will result in a strong, lean, and toned body.

So you see, jumping rope is not only a fun activity reminiscent of your childhood, but it’s also a great exercise that can help you, along with proper diet, achieve a slimmer and healthier body.

 

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3 Yoga Poses For A Flatter Stomach

By on July 28, 2012

Yoga is a fitness activity that originated in ancient India but is now very popular in almost any part of the world because of the physical and mental benefits it provides.

Unlike traditional fitness programs, Yoga does not provide intense cardiovascular workout or body building exercises meant to lose a significant amount of weight or bulk up muscles. Rather, it focuses on uniting the body and mind to improve a person’s overall well-being.

Although it’s not necessarily the most efficient way to lose a significant amount of weight, Yoga can complement your daily exercise regimen to help you become as physically and mentally fit as you can be.

If you are on your way to having a smaller waistline because of cardio exercises, you may want to strengthen abdominal muscles by doing specific fun and exciting Yoga exercises, instead of neck breaking crunches.

Here are 3 Yoga poses for a flatter stomach:

1. The Bow

You start by lying face down on a mat. Curly your legs up and grab your feet a couple of inches below your toes. Keep your thighs about 5 inches apart and take a deep breath before you kick your legs up behind you, lift your torso and look up.

Stay in this position for about 10 seconds with your toes pointed up before you slowly lower down your feet and relax your hands on your side. Repeat 3-5 times.

 

2. The Cobra Pose

Lie on your belly with your legs aligned properly and all toes are touching the mat. Place your hands right under your shoulders with your palms down and your elbows up. Take a deep breath and lift your chest up and stretch all the way out as far as you can comfortably go.

Hold this position for 10 seconds before slowly bringing your upper body down. Repeat 3-5 times.

3. The Reclining Twist

Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. With your hands extended out to your side, inhale as you lift your feet off the floor and draw your knees towards your chest. Exhale as you drop both your bended knees towards your left. You can hold your knees down with your left hand and turn your head towards your right. Keep your knees at a 90 degree angle or less from your body.

Stay in this position for about 30 seconds before your lift your knees back to center and slowly bring them down towards your right side. Hold your knees down with your right hand and turn your head towards your left. Repeat 3-5 times.

These 3 are just some of the several Yoga poses for a flatter stomach. Make Yoga a part of your daily fitness routine and you will see and feel amazing results.

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How Do Your Sleeping Habits Affect Your Weight?

By on July 18, 2012

Adequate sleep is an important part of our overall health. A well-rested person not only thinks and feels better, but also lives a better lifestyle compared to another who is constantly sleep-deprived.

The benefits of getting the right amount of sleep, however, go beyond refreshing your mind, lifting your mood, or brandishing dark under eye circles. It also helps prevent unnecessary weight gain and the life-threatening health conditions that usually come with it such as diabetes, heart diseases, and respiratory problems.

Most, if not all, weight loss advice out there mention sleep as a significant weight loss factor. Significant as its role is, however, it is often undervalued. Many people fail to see the importance of getting adequate sleep as an important step to achieving a slimmer and healthier body.

The Effect of Too Little or Too Much Sleep

A study conducted by Wake Forest University researchers show that Inadequate amount of sleep is linked to fat gain. The subjects of the study were men and women between ages of 18 and 81. Those who reported that they typically slept for a maximum of 5 hours each night gained a hefty 32% in visceral fat, while those who slept more than 8 hours each night gained 13% abdominal fat.

As to why too little sleep affect one’s weight, researchers and experts have different theories.

The most common and logical is that those who are sleep-deprived do not have the energy to exercise. Worse, the need to grab a cup of coffee or a donut may become instinctive for that much-needed energy boost at work. The less hours of sleep you have, the more calories from comfort foods you’ll consume.

On the more scientific side, lack of sleep will affect the body’s production of hormones called ghrelins and leptins. When you are sleep-deprived, the body produces more ghrelins and less leptins.

Ghrelins tell you when to eat, so you can only imagine the vicious effect the abundance of supply of these hormones can do to your body.

Leptins, on the other hand, tell you when to stop eating. If there is less of these hormones than the normal amount in your body, then you could end up consuming more calories than you ought to.

If ghrelins and leptins will have their way, you could be eating non-stop!

Too much sleep also has the same adverse effect on your body, though not necessarily on the same level. Weight gain due to oversleeping can be attributed to the fact that you spend less time being active.

If you are serious in losing unwanted fat – especially in your abdominal area – then you’d want to get rid of bad sleeping habits.

If you normally sleep 5 hours or less each night, strive to meet the 7-hour mark. If you sleep more than 7-8 hours a night, make it a habit to start waking early.

You’ll be amazed how minor changes in your daily habits can result in significant improvements in your weight.

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2 Lifestyle Changes You Have To Make To Lose Weight and Keep It Off

By on June 21, 2012

Remember the time when you were younger? Back in those years when you felt stronger and looked better? Think back and try to recall the younger and healthier you. No, you are not just trying to reminisce happier days. You are looking back to recognize the difference between the lifestyle you had back then and the lifestyle you are living right now.

Do you realize that it’s not just the years that have taken their toll on your body? Though it is true that it gets harder to lose weight as one gets older, you cannot entirely blame the passage of time for excessive weight gain. In fact, the major reason why you have packed on extra pounds is that you have gone from living a healthy lifestyle to an unhealthy one.

A study conducted by Berkeley Lab shows that although weight gain is one of the normal consequences of growing older, you can still fight off extra pounds by making simple (or significant, if you are obese) yet extremely helpful lifestyle changes.

  • Re-instill good eating habits

When at school where you spent most of your younger years, your eating habits were restricted. You basically got to eat only 3 full meals a day: before going to school, during lunch break, and dinner time. Now that there’s only YOU to restrict your meal times, a good rule to follow is to eat only when you’re hungry and stop when you are full. Stick by this rule and you will never be out of shape even as you age.

When you feel hungry an hour after a full meal, drink a glass of water. Water is not only great for keeping your energy levels high, but it also serves as a natural appetite suppressant. Som

etimes, a lot of people mistake thirst for hunger. Don’t. Keep in mind that extra meals will mean extra calories, which of course, turn into extra pounds.

  • Remain active

Gym class was a requirement, and you probably pursued extra curricular sports activities back when you were still a student. Long hours spent sitting behind an office desk and watching television to de-stress are a far cry from the active lifestyle you used to live when you were younger. A sufficient amount of daily exercise compliments a healthy diet in losing weight naturally and keeping it off. Sign up for a gym membership to keep you motivated. If going to the gym is not an option, set time aside for jogging, bicycle, or power walking – anything just to get your body moving. A little effort, so long as done consistently, can go a long way.

The more you think about it, the more it will make sense to you that the key to losing weight is to reverse bad habits that made you gain those extra pounds in the first place. Live younger and you will feel and look younger.

 

 

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5 Habits That You Don’t Know Are Making You Fat

By on June 13, 2012

You’ve been eating only healthy food and exercising religiously, yet you just can’t seem to shed those extra pounds you’ve been trying really hard to lose. What’s keeping you from getting that slimmer and healthier body you want?

It may be one or all of these 5 habits that you don’t know are making you fat:

1. Sleeping too much

While it is known to many that too little sleep increases the risk of weight gain, few realize that too much sleep can also prevent them from losing those extra pounds. In fact, a Wake Forest research shows that while people who sleep less than the recommended 7-8 hours are likely to put on 2 1/2 times more belly fat, those who oversleep can easily gain weight just slightly less than that.

Getting adequate amount of rest does not only apply to nighttime sleep, however, but afternoon naps as well. Keep power naps to a maximum of 30 minutes – just enough time to revitalize your mind and body. Otherwise, you will wake up groggy, disoriented, and still sleepy, which can result to slow fat burn throughout the rest of the day.

2. Eating too quickly

Do you know that it takes about 20 minutes for the stomach to send the brain a message to stop eating? This means that by eating too quickly, you are likely to take in more calories before your brain realizes that the body has had enough. What’s ironic is that even though eating too quickly can result to overeating, those who eat at a normal pace feel more satiated compared to those who gobble down food.

Take slower and smaller bites as it not only allows you to savor your meals, but it also provides your stomach ample time to tell your brain that you are already full.

3. Eating too late

If there’s one thing you can be thankful for, it’s that your body continues to burn fat even while asleep. But not when it’s busy processing a full stomach! For a slimmer waistline, eat your dinner between 6 and 8 o’clock.

4. Not drinking water before every meal

It is no secret that drinking water can help you lose weight. Drinking at least 8 glasses of water at any time during the day has been proven to be a viable weight loss strategy. What some people do not know is that drinking 2 glasses of water before every meal will boost a dieter’s weight loss efforts.

Drinking water before eating can give you a feeling of fullness, which can help you refuse the temptation of drinking sugar-filled beverages after a meal.

5. Watching too much TV

Too much TV viewing is not only detrimental to your eyesight, it can lead to weight gain too! Aside from the fact that it does not require you to do anything except sit for long hours, TV viewing is something people like to do while snacking. Combine calorie-intake with sedentary activity and you are sure to gain unwanted pounds.

Limit time spent in front of the television to an hour a day, if possible. If you find it hard to cut down on TV time, try exercising while watching your favorite shows. Get on your exercise bike or do some push ups – anything just get your body moving while watching television.

Remember, no matter how hard you exercise or how strictly you follow your diet, your efforts will prove useless if you don’t get rid of these 5 mindless habits that are keeping you from getting the slim and healthy body you want.


Filed Under: diet, Fitness and Exercise, Health Lifestyle Tagged With: ,

Does Caffeine Help you Lose Weight and Belly Fat?

By on May 28, 2012

Losing weight always seems to be on everyone’s mind, especially when it is close to bikini season. Many people try to do everything they can to lose the extra few pounds they gained during the winter. They want to look good in their bathing suits and shorts during the summertime.

If you are having trouble dropping the weight for summer, you might be at a loss of what to do. One thing you can do is include more coffee in your diet. This caffeinated beverage is great to drink in the morning because it does not contain any calories as long as you do not add sugar, cream or milk to it.

Coffee is considered a great appetite suppressant. When your appetite is suppressed, you will be less likely to overeat, which will help you lose weight.

Another way coffee helps with weight loss is that it helps you burn more fat. The thermogenic properties found in coffee will boost your metabolism, helping you burn more calories throughout the day.

A third way coffee helps you lose weight is that it gets rid of water weight. This is because coffee contains diuretic properties, which make you go to the bathroom more often. The loss of water will make you drop weight, but that does not mean you should stop dieting and exercising.

Drinking coffee can also be dangerous if you are not careful. If you drink several cups of coffee a day, you can suffer from a few side effects including insomnia, high blood pressure, nausea and irritability. It is best to just drink one cup of coffee in the morning.

Coffee can help with weight loss if you drink it in moderation. Drinking a cup of coffee in the morning can help you burn more fat, lose water and suppress your appetite. The benefits of drinking coffee for weight loss are not so significant that you should forgo a balanced diet and exercise routine. Additionally, avoid drinking specialty coffees because many of them contain a lot of calories and fat, which can cause you to put on weight.

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Is it Easier for Men to Lose Weight than Women? True or Myth?

By on May 10, 2012

Man eating a saladA man curtails his calorie intake a little, beefs up his exercise routine by taking a quick jog around the block and drops pounds effortlessly, while a woman seems to pack on pounds by just looking at a piece of chocolate cake. Women extensively cut back on the amount of food they eat, do tons of cardio throughout the week and at most are only able to shed a couple of pounds. It can be discouraging for a woman to think that men lose weight easier than she does, but just how true is that?

Scientifically, there is no real difference between the sexes since all fat loss is driven by the same principles. Weight loss requires that you burn more calories than you take in. Biologically, however, there are differences between men and women that result in weight loss being easier for men.

Women lean towards eating more carbohydrates and enjoy doing cardio, while men lean towards eating more meat and enjoy doing heavy lifting. This tendency towards a higher-meat diet coupled with a larger bone structure gives men the added advantage of having extra muscle. Since muscle burns more calories and glycogen during activity than other body tissues, men can drop weight much quicker than women can.

In addition, men’s bodies are more prone to respond to a workout quicker than women’s bodies do. While some of that has to do with hormonal differences, there are also metabolic variations in the way individual bodies store or shed excess body fat.

Much of that comes from a woman’s smaller size. Overall, a woman needs fewer calories than a man does to support her basic body functions. When ideal weight differs by as much as a hundred pounds or more, a woman can’t help but feel slighted.

While that doesn’t seem fair, women can improve their rate of loss by increasing their lean body mass, doing more heavy lifting than cardio and increasing the intensity of their workouts. Cardio burns calories during the exercise period, but strength training improves your overall metabolic rate during the hours you are not exercising. For that reason, it’s a good idea to refrain from falling into the trap of comparisons, especially if you’re trying to lose weight together as a couple.

Weight loss works according to calorie deficits and a woman doesn’t always have as large of a deficit as a man does. Even if you are eating exactly the same things and doing similar activities, men will lose weight more easily because of their stature, muscle mass, higher metabolism and greater calorie needs. The best strategy you can have is to celebrate your individual successes together and keep your variances in weight loss in perspective.

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5 Tips for Controlling Portion Sizes at Meal Time

By on May 5, 2012

proper portion sizesAchieving and then maintaining a healthy weight is a challenge to most people over the age of 35. As we all know, the challenge increases with each passing year. What many people don’t realize is that they don’t have to exercise more or put themselves on strict diets to meet these weight challenges.

Keeping a trim waistline is all about meal portion control. Although it may sound too simple to work, it is the number one reason those of us who are thin stay thin. Here are the five best ways to manage your portion controls to keep weight off:

1. Do Not Graze
Make food grazing a cardinal sin in your life and do not commit it. Grazing is one of the worst saboteurs of weight loss. Mindless munching can equal hundreds of extra calories at the end of the day. Most of these calories aren’t even really enjoyed. Make eating a special part of the day with a proper meal time and throw those chips in the trash.

2. No Buffet-Style Meals
This is a simple way to keep you from going back for seconds. Instead of setting the table with all the bowls and platters of food, prepare your plate of food in the kitchen and carry it to the table by itself. If you really want seconds of meatloaf, your stomach may tell you otherwise by the time you make it back to the kitchen.

3. Chew Each Bite Twenty Times
This may sound a little neurotic. However, you will only have to count your chews the first couple of times in order to get the feel for when you’ve chewed your food thoroughly. When you chew your food into the smallest particles possible, you are allowing efficient and speedy digestion to take place.

4. Eat With Your Eyes
When you place food on your plate, use your eyes as an indicator of portion control. When your plate looks appealing and elegant, you’ve mastered portion control. When your plate makes you feel stuffed from just looking at it, remove the excess food.

5. Use Portioning Plates
These plates are designed to help portion control. There are two small sections for side dishes and one larger section to hold the main course. Staying within these perimeters will inhibit the overindulgence of food.

Food is one of the greatest joys in life. All things are greater and more enjoyable in moderation. There’s no reason to give up the foods you love or spend three hours a day in the gym. Controlling your meal portions means you’ll never have to either again.

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5 Steps to Running Intervals to Burn Belly Fat

By on May 3, 2012

Studies show that belly fat is a risk factor for developing coronary artery disease. Central obesity doubles your risk of dying from a heart related illness. You can fight that statistic with regular exercise. Interval training can potentially target belly fat and lower your risk.

Stretch

Do lunges, swing your arms and legs, bend at the waist and rotate for up to 5 minutes to stretch your muscles. Make your movements fluid and controlled. Include arm crossovers, shoulder shrugs and toe touches to ensure you warm up all your limbs before you start the more intense portion of the routine.

Warm Up

The goal of cardiovascular exercise is to speed up your heart, warming up starts that process. Begin with a slow walk and slowly move up to a jog. Continue your warm up routine for up to 10 minutes.

Intervals

Intervals are exactly what they sound like, moving fast for a short period of time and then slowing down. Run at a moderate jog for five minutes, and then speed up. The intensity should be 75 to 80 percent of your maximum effort. Sprint for 20 seconds and then slow back down to the moderate pace.

Timing is vital with interval training; you want your heart rate to increase during the sprint. Your breathing will increase naturally as your heart beats faster. During the jogging portion of the run, you should be able to carrying on a conversation, but with a sprint, you will not be able to talk. During the slower moments, concentrate on taking deep breaths.

Slowing Down

After you hit the 30-minute mark, start jogging at a slower pace. Give your heart a chance to regulate and your breathing to return to normal. Cool down for approximately five minutes.

Consistency

One workout is not going to burn off the fat. It is process that requires a consistent effort. Schedule your interval training on alternating days. You can do stretching and muscle-building exercises on days you don’t run. You should jog at least three days a week.

It takes time to condition your body to run in intervals. At first, you may not be able to make a full 30 minutes. That is fine, work up to it. With time and practice, running sprints in intervals will be second nature to you and your belly will shrink to a healthy size.

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