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Bridget Benelam of the British Nutrition Foundation offers some nutritional advice for Muslims during the holy month of Ramadan, and looks at whether fasting is actually good for your body.

On Monday 12 April, Muslims around the world, including myself, began celebrating the holy month of Ramadan. During the month, many Muslims fast throughout daylight hours, only eating one meal (the suhoor or sehri) just before dawn, and another (the iftar) after sunset. While enjoying the celebrations, due to the impact of the fast, it is very important that health stays front of mind; my three main pieces of advice are to hydrate, replenish nutrients, and avoid overindulgence.

At both suhoor and iftar, hydration is key. Unsurprisingly, water is usually the best option. Juices and smoothies which contain natural sugars can provide some energy as well as hydration, however, to avoid excess sugar consumption its best to have these in moderation. Low-fat, water-rich foods, including soup or yoghurt, are also good options for hydrating and fuelling while breaking the fast.

Fresh fruit is a traditional way to break the fast in many South Asian cultures and this is a good, healthy option as fruit provides fibre, natural sugars, fluids and some vitamins and minerals. Dates, which are an integral part of Ramadan, also contain fibre, natural sugars and minerals like potassium, copper and manganese. They are another nutrient-rich, delicious way to start or end the fasting day you could also try other dried fruits like prunes, raisins or apricots.

When we are celebrating, and after fasting for a long period, its natural to want to treat yourself with some delicious foods. But, while enjoying this time with your family is important, you should also remember to keep a sense of balance. During non-fasting hours we need to focus on the quality of our diets, eating a balance of foods to keep our bodies healthy. Once the fast has been broken and you have rehydrated, it is time to prioritise the key foods and nutrients that are going to allow you to lead your life healthily and support your efforts throughout the month.

Wholegrains, fruit and vegetables, dairy foods and protein-rich foods, like lean meat, fish, eggs and beans, should all form a part of the diet. As a meal idea, you could have a range of fish, meat or pulse-based curries including plenty of vegetables, served with rice, chapattis and yogurt. Although meat is typically found in the cuisines of many Muslim countries, dishes with more plant-based sources of protein, like beans and lentils, add extra fibre and are naturally lower in fat.

At the beginning of the day, as well as prioritising hydration, eating starchy foods and those that are high in fibre, such as oats, wholegrain breads and wholegrain breakfast cereals (ideally lower sugar options), will help provide you with energy for the day. Try to avoid anything too salty, like processed meat, olives and pickles, as these could leave you with a long day of feeling thirsty!

This time of year often sparks a conversation around the benefits of fasting generally for health and weight loss. When it comes to Ramadan fasting, there are some studies that suggest it may have benefits in terms of weight loss and metabolic health, although we need more research to confirm these. There have also been studies on intermittent fasting as a weight loss strategy and popular methods include the 5:2 diet, where calories are heavily restricted on two days of the week. Research suggests that this approach can be effective for some people and, although intermittent fasting isnt superior to other kinds of weight loss diet, it may suit certain individuals who dont want to restrict their food intake all the time.

Provided you are generally in good health, Ramadan fasting isnt harmful to health, but it is important that we eat a balance of healthy foods and keep hydrated. It is a time to celebrate with loved ones and, while COVID-19 restrictions mean we cannot enjoy the large celebrations we would in a normal year, we hope everyone has a happy and healthy Ramadan at home or out in your local area.

If you would like more information on eating well during seasonal celebrations like Ramadan, visit the British Nutritional Foundations (BNF) website.

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Nutritional tips to stay fit and healthy during Ramadan - New Food

By Viwe Ndongeni-Ntlebi May 5, 2021

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Intermittent fasting (IF) is a term people use to describe patterns of eating that include regular periods of fasting in which they consume very few or no calories.

This has been a popular trend for many of the health conscious and some people are using it to lose weight, improve their health and simplify their lifestyles.

Registered Dietician and founder of Newtricion Wellness Dieticians, Omy Naidoo, says fasting has been around for decades and many different religions practice some sort of fasting during holy periods.

Intermittent fasting is a type of weight-loss strategy in which the person undergoes a voluntary fast for a specific period of time. The benefit of this fasting is that after 12 hours your body starts to break down fat through a process called lipolysis; as opposed to storing fat, which is typically seen after eating a meal. Scientists refer to this process as a way to flip your metabolisms switch.

So far, the research studies evaluating intermittent fasting have been relatively short and have enrolled only a limited number of participants. In one, published July 1, 2017, in JAMA Internal Medicine, 100 overweight people were assigned to one of three eating plans: restricting daily calorie intake by the same amount every day (similar to a traditional diet plan); fasting on alternate days; and continuing with normal eating habits. At the end of the 12-month study, both diet groups had lost weight compared with the normal eaters. However, the fasters didn't fare any better than the conventional calorie cutters.

Naidoo says: The benefits of IF include weight loss, some improvements in blood glucose levels, anti-ageing effects, reduction in cardiovascular risk, as well as cancer.

While there is growing evidence that IF has its benefits, it is crucial to remember it may not be an approach that works for everyone. It is important to work with an expert such as a registered dietician, to determine which strategy would be the best for you. This could be IF, low carb diets, Keto Diet, Calorie Restriction, Very Low-Calorie Diets (800kcal), etc. Remember, it is not a one-size-fits-all approach.

He says that the best approach for IF would be the 16/8 whereby you consume all your calories in an 8-hour window. This would mean having supper at 6pm and then your next meal at 10am the next morning. The best results have been seen when you combine IF and a calorie restriction; this means one should still be mindful of the types of foods being eaten in the 8-hour window.

Some research shows that IF actually helps with fat loss, as well as fat redistribution whereby the fat around the tummy is redistributed in the body, thereby reducing the risk of cardiac disease, he says.

Naidoo further suggests that intermittent fasting is not for everyone, since it does not always yield positive results and can cause hypoglycemia for diabetic people and low blood sugar levels in pregnant women.

Although intermittent fasting can seem convenient to do, it is advisable that you consult your medical practitioner before implementing it, especially if you have a medical condition, concludes Naidoo.

More here:
How to do intermittent fasting the right way - IOL

Starting out your morning with a well-balanced and nutrient dense meal is one of the best ways to ensure healthy weight loss while feeling great in your body. Choosing a breakfast that incorporates some form of protein, healthy carbs and fat can help to increase satiety and even speed up your metabolism so youre burning more fat at rest, making it easier to maintain a calorie deficit. However, opting for a breakfast that offers little to no nutritional value can have the opposite effect, dragging down your metabolism and leaving you hungry and energy deficient shortly after eating.

While its important to note that most foods can comfortably fit into any diet even if you are trying to lose weight, its when those foods become mainstays in your routine that things can take a turn for the worse and you may notice weight gain instead. This spring if youre hoping to improve your eating habits so you can feel your best, theres one breakfast foods that registered dietitians warn should be left on the shelf in order to ensure your metabolism runs smoothly for effortless weight loss.

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If you often find yourself in a hurry in the mornings then you may be tempted to simply grab a muffin and run out the door. While this could provide you with a temporary boost of energy as well as being undeniably delicious, muffins do very little to satiate your appetite, making you instead more likely to overeat throughout the day.Not all muffins are created equal and most are just chock full of refined carbohydrates, sugar, and fat. While there are some versions of muffins that can help you in your health goals this is unfortunately not the case for the most popular, warns registered dietitian Trista Best.

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Although there are some variations that may be good for you such as a bran or oat muffin, the really tasty ones are likely loaded with refined carbs and sugar, making it difficult for them to actually nourish your body or provide any real benefit to your health.The ingredients list for a muffin typically includes flour, water, eggs, butter, and sugar along with chocolate chips and maybe blueberries. Eggs and blueberries are the two healthiest ingredients, but when paired with the other calorie dense foods on the list their nutrient quality is essentially negated, explains Best.

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Carbohydrates are actually a necessary addition to your diet, but much like other food groups, there are good and bad options. Carbs in their most basic forms are going to provide you with the most nutritional benefits, but unfortunately muffins are much more processed. Refined carbs, also known as simple or processed carbs, are grains that have been stripped of their beneficial nutrients like fiber, B vitamins, and iron making them empty calories. They are quickly processed by the body which raises blood glucose and insulin rapidly after meals, says Best.

With this, the refined carbs that muffins provide you with are devoid of all nutrients, leaving your metabolism at risk and putting you in a position to overeat throughout the day to compensate for your breakfast. These characteristics all lead to a slow metabolism and weight gain. As the body is not obtaining beneficial nutrients from the refined carb muffins, but rather inflammatory and gut damaging nutrients, explains Best.

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Instead of turning to muffins for a quick breakfast each morning, youll be far better served cooking up a bowl of oatmeal to provide your body with a simple carb which will offer you plenty of energy throughout the day. You can still flavor your oatmeal with natural sweeteners to satisfy your sweet tooth, and topping your breakfast with fresh fruit is a great way to infuse your morning with more vitamins and minerals so you can feel your best from the inside out. While there is a place for muffins in your diet occasionally, its generally best to leave refined carbs out of your staple meals if youre hoping to lose weight and improve your health.

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The One Food Registered Dietitians NEVER Eat In The Morning Because It Slows Your Metabolism - SheFinds

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There are many different approaches to losing weight, including countless diets, exercise programs, and meal plans. But for many, learning how to track calories is the most effective option. This is where a fitness tracker becomes extremely useful: they allow you to monitor the number of calories coming in and going out to ensure you maintain a deficit.

If you dont know how to track calories, though, you may find the idea a little daunting. How do you keep track of everything you eat? How do you know how many calories you should be burning? What is a good deficit? Read on, and all will be explained about calorie tracking.

See also:The best fitness apps to get into shape and stay there

In theory, losing weight is a simple equation. If you eat more calories than you burn, you will have a surplus. Those calories will then be stored around the body as fat. But if you burn more calories than you consume, your body will need to look for extra energy. That energy will come from fat stores, which will be burned for energy.

Losing weight is a simple equation.

Thus, if you want to lose weight, all you need to (theoretically) do is calculate the number of calories you burn on a typical day and make sure to eat less than that.

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This is where things get a little complicated. Of course, there is no way to know with absolute certainty how many calories you burn on any given day. Therefore, you will need to make do with a rough estimate.

So, how can you track calories burned? One way to calculate this is by working out your Active Metabolic Rate (AMR). The AMR is comprised of your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) plus your activity.

BMR represents the number of calories you will likely burn while at rest. Even if you dont move, youll still burn calories because youll be breathing, maintaining slight tension in the muscles, digesting food, healing wounds, etc. This BMR is calculated based on your weight, height, age, and gender.

For women, it looks like this:

BMR = 655.1 + (9.563 x weight in kg) + (1.850 x height in cm) (4.676 x age in years)

For men, it is as follows:

BMR = 66.47 + (13.75 x weight in kg) + (5.003 x height in cm) (6.755 x age in years)

To get an AMR from this, we then need to multiply the result by a set amount. For example:

The resulting number is your AMR. This is roughly how many calories you burn in a day.

If you get a score of 2,500, you should aim to eat anything less than that to keep losing weight. The difference between your AMR and your target caloric intake is known as the deficit. A good deficit for most people is around 500 calories. Dont go too much higher than that, or you are likely to feel tired and hungry and fall off the wagon. Dont go too much lower, or your progress will be slow.

Conversely, if you eat more than you burn, this is called a surplus.

And to answer the question of how many calories do I burn in a day? the answer is roughly 1,600-2,400 for women and 2,000-3,000 for men.

Left to right: Xiaomi Mi Band 6, Huawei Band 6

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The astute of you might have already noticed that there are some issues here. What if, for example, you have a day where you are particularly active, and you burn a lot more calories? What if you have a few sick days and you stay in bed all day? What if your activity is so varied that you cant accurately make a prediction?

Note that a higher BMR will actually lead to a higher calorie burn during exercise so making a flat multiplication like this is actually very simplistic.

See also:The best running watches you can buy

Thats where your fitness tracker can come in handy. Fitness trackers from the likes of Fitbit, Garmin, and Samsung can actively track your activity using their various sensors, thereby creating a much more accurate final estimate of total calorie burn.

Most fitness trackers will ask for your age, sex, weight, and height when you set them up for the first time (and you should be sure to update your weight as this changes). They will then monitor your activity levels throughout the day to adjust that number accordingly. They can tell you the calories burned walking, the calories burned sitting, and the calories burned during that impromptu play-time with the kids. All that, plus your calories burned during exercise. The result is something that should be much more accurate and dynamic.

Moreover, fitness trackers can be a great form of encouragement because they show you how many calories you have left to burn, right there on your wrist!

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Now you know how many you should be consuming and burning. The next question is how to track calories coming in and out.

As far as counting calories goes, the easiest method is to use another app such as MyFitnessPal. Other options include Noom, Nutracheck, Lost It, and others. These should integrate with most good fitness trackers, allowing you to see your current deficit or surplus.

See also:The best health apps for Android

MyFitnessPal allows you to scan food items and log them that way easily. Scan the barcode, and you can quickly get the total calories that food contains, along with other nutritional information. If you are cooking, you can scan the individual ingredients.

MyFitnessPal allows you to easily scan food items and log them.

Once an item is scanned, it will be saved for easy access. You can likewise store and retrieve common recipes. You can also look up countless items that the community has scanned. Type in Heinz baked beans, and you will quickly get those details; no scanning necessary.

Of course, you can manually enter calories if you want to guestimate, too.

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All this makes the busy work of calorie tracking far less time-consuming, especially as many of us will repeatedly eat the same items. In fact, sticking to a fairly consistent meal plan for at least some meals of the day is a great way to easily reduce calories without putting too much thought into it.

This process can also be eye-opening. You will quickly learn that you consume many invisible calories from sources such as cooking oil, butter, soda drinks, and coffee. Cut these out of your diet, and you will immediately make progress.

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You can lose weight simply by cutting your calories, but adding exercise is highly advisable. This will allow you to eat more while staying in a deficit and will accelerate your progress. More to the point, when you exercise, you actually increase your metabolic rate so that you burn more calories even at rest. In short, you increase your BMR because muscle is more metabolically active.

And once you know how to track calories with your fitness wearable, youll be able to see the immediate results of that training.

See also: The best pedometer apps and step counter apps for Android

Again, the key is in the dosage: find a form of exercise that you enjoy and stick with consistently. You dont need to go to the gym or perform intense HIIT sessions: you can do something fun and simple, like going for walks or even playing a bit of Beat Saber instead.

The key is in the dosage.

And its not just about working out, either; its also about being more active throughout the day. That means walking more often (calories burned while walking account for a lot of energy expenditure during the day).

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You may notice that your tracker provides two numbers after a walk: your total calorie burn and your active calorie burn. What does this mean? Simple: the active calories are what you burned by moving, whereas the total calorie count includes your BMR.

For example, your calories burned walking a mile might be somewhere in the region of 120. However, seeing as you would typically burn about 20 calories in the 15 minutes it takes you, only 100 of those calories were active calories. This is useful to keep in mind if you want to know how to track calories accurately.

The average for calories burned walking is indeed about 100 per mile, but it depends on weight and other factors. Try wearing a weight vest to burn around 12% more!

Calorie tracking is a great way to lose weight, and its always the first place to start if youre looking for predictable results.

However, this doesnt immediately work for everyone. There is a very passionate crowd of people who will tell you that calorie tracking is simple math: the law of conservation. They say that if you arent losing weight with this method, you simply arent trying hard enough. I find this attitude to be unhelpful and unsympathetic.

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One open-ended variable is BMR. Your resting metabolic rate is dependent on countless factors that arent accounted for in this calculation and that not even a fitness tracker can help with. One of the biggest factors is hormones. If you have a slow metabolism due to hypothyroidism, low testosterone, or anything else, you wont burn as many calories as other people. This wont be reflected in your BMR or AMR, meaning that you wont see results by sticking purely to that method.

Medication can also play a huge role here. If youre on testosterone replacement therapy (TRT), youll burn through calories in no time. The oral contraceptive pill can cause weight gain in many women. Antidepressants, anticonvulsants, and countless other medications have similar effects. Gut health plays a role, as do nutrient deficiencies, genetics, and much more.

Remember, calorie tracking is never a precise art

Cutting calories isnt the problem, per se. The issue is that calorie tracking is never a precise art. You can always try cutting back your caloric intake further, but there comes a point where this becomes untenable. Better would be to see your doctor, try a different diet (this is why things like intermittent fasting or keto can be effective for some people), or increase your exercise.

A final word of caution is not to consider calorie tracking as the be-all and end-all of health. Theoretically, you can lose weight by eating only donuts and never exercising, as long as you kept your deficit at a certain number.

Hopefully, you dont need me to tell you that this is not a good idea. Food is not just fuel; it also provides the very building blocks that your body uses to build tissue, create enzymes, and fight infections. Therefore, a proper, balanced diet is key. Likewise, the benefits of exercise go far beyond weight loss.

Learning how to track calories is one thing, but consider it just another tool in your arsenal. Although, with the right tracker and the right strategy, it can be an extremely effective one.

Read the rest here:
Calorie tracking: How to track calories with a fitness tracker - Android Authority

Mega-popular social media app TikTok has become a treasure trove for pretty much every single hobby or niche interest you could possibly have. Whether you love art, thrifting, recipes, or exercise, there is a corner of TikTok dedicated to people curating their profiles specifically to that, and sometimes, that content goes viral.

Not only have health experts debunked Jannys claims that her dance workout will burn stomach fat, but they have also called into question her claims about diet. Janny claims multiple times that you will see results no matter what you eat as long as you do her dance every day for five minutes.

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"This person is promoting this exercise as what do if you want to get skinny. She also has other posts where she says multiple times, 'Exercise for an hour a day and eat whatever you want,' which of course is completely incorrect and this kind of advice is exactly what gets people into a lot of trouble where they go for a run then eat their faces off and end up gaining a bunch of weight," Sohee Lee told Insider.

"No matter how much exercise you're doing, if your nutrition is not dialed in, if you're not eating in a calorie deficit, you're not going to shed the body fat," she said. "Exercise should come secondary to that.

Link:
Will the New TikTok Weight Loss Dance Help You Lose Weight? - Distractify

Walking isn't just a great way to improve your blood flow, feel better, and burn a few extra calories every day. If you're making the right decisions when you go outyou're walking faster, you're changing your terrain, you're mixing up your routes, and you're striving to walk farther and improve each and every timewalking is a wonderful low-impact and moderate-intensity exercise activity that comes with a range of benefits to your body. (For more on what those are, see here for What Happens to Your Body When You Walk More.)

But if there's any downside to walking for fitness, it's that it can become repetitiveand a bit stalefairly quickly. You can rectify this by mixing into your walks a bunch of really great tips and tricks that can elevate the overall experience of walking and make it not only more productive but also more enjoyable. With that in mind, we asked several top trainers and walking experts for their tips on walking better for exercise, and here are there answers. And if you're a dedicated fitness walker, make sure you're up to speed on The Single Worst Shoes for Walking Every Day, According to a New Study.

Regular walkingor "steady-state" walkingcan feel repetitive, especially if you're constantly walking the same routes. One way to keep your walks fresh and burn a lot more fat in the process is to incorporate interval walks into your routine. Interval walking is a form of high-intensity interval training that requires you to vary the pace of your walks by working in shorter bursts of really intense walking.

"By varying the speed of your walk, especially adding in some faster pace interval work, you will raise your heart rate and increase your caloric expenditure, helping you lose more weight over time," says Tom Holland, MS, CSCS, CISSN, an exercise physiologist and author ofThe Micro-Workout Plan: Get the Body You Want without the Gym in 15 Minutes or Less a Day.

Holland advises a walking interval workout that goes like this: 1) Walk at an easy pace for 10 minutes to get warm, 2) Then, for 30 seconds, do a power walk in which you walk as fast as you can, after which you slow back down for an easy walk (repeat at least 9 times), and 3) a 10-minute easy-walk cool down. And for more on the benefits of walking, learn What Walking for Just 20 Minutes a Day Does to Your Body, According to Science.

Nordic walking, founded by Finnish skiers who wanted to stay fit during the off-season, is a more intense version of walking in which the person uses specially-designed walking poles to propel them along. Nordic walkers will tell you that it's a better workoutand more fun because it takes you deeper into nature.

Research conducted by Bristol Nordic Walking in the UK found that Nordic walking burned 45% more calories than regular walking. "Nordic walking brings many more muscles into play than ordinary walkingyour chest, arms, shoulders, abs and other core muscles are all involved as well as your legs," say the experts at Bristol Nordic Walking. "Plus, the poles propel you forwards helping you walk faster, raising your heart rate and expending energy."

If you're doing interval walksor any form of fitness walking in which you increase your paceit's crucial to get your heart rate up to the optimal zone to maximize your fitness gains. "Interval walking will provide a better calorie burn than steady-state, or casual, walking because it will elevate the heart rate into the proper zone," says Timothy Lyman, CPT, NASM-PES, the director of training programs for Fleet Feet.

Here's his advice for finding the right zone: "There is no perfect pace for interval walking. The effort level simply needs to feel hard or about 70-80% of what an individual is capable of. What should the steady part feel like and what should the speedy part feel like? I go back to push pace and recovery pace here. The speedy part should feel like you're working towards being out of breath, while the relaxed part should feel easy enough that your heart rate drops."

If you're new to interval walking, Lyman says that a good walking interval workout would be two minutes of intense walking followed by one minute of slower walking, and "consistently for 30 minutes."

One lesser-used tactic for increasing the intensity of your walks is to wear a weighted backpack, otherwise known as "rucking." "It's based on the loaded march exercise activity in the military, and it's a great way to make walking more challenging when it's too easy," says Josh Schlottman, C.S.C.S. "You can start with just putting some light weights in a backpack and gradually build up your strength from there. You can always pick up a ruck sack that's designed to hold more weight."

Schlottman also advises his clients take their walks away from flat ground. "I'll have them walking up hills to increase the intensity and achieve a higher heart rate," he says. "Ideally, they'll wear a heart rate monitor so they can measure how much the intensity of the hill walking is having. I'll calculate their ideal heart rate zones and have them focus on walking up the hill until they get their heart rate in this zone." And for more on walking for better health, make sure you're aware of The One Major Side Effect of Going on Single 1-Hour Walk, Say Experts.

One way to ensure your walks feel fresh and less boring is to add in music or podcasts. But the key is to ensure they're the right songs or podcast-speeds so you're teasing yourself to walk faster. "If you want to do an endurance steady-paced run, you must find a steady beat as the faster tempo makes you pick up your pace without even noticing," says Samantha Clayton, a former Olympic sprinter who is the VP of sports performance and fitness at Herbalife.

According to walking researcher and professorMarie Murphy, the dean of postgraduate research and director of the Ulster Doctoral College at Ulster University in the UK, the song "I've Gotta Feeling" by the Black Eyed Peas is the perfect walking workout with a BPM of 128.

For her part, Andy Hoffer, CPT, a trainer, yoga instructor, and bodybuilder, says you can't go wrong with any songs you like that have a BPM of 135 to 140. If you prefer to listen to a podcast, she advises you not to listen to it at normal speeds. Rather, ramp it up to speeds of "x1.35" or "x1.5."

Though he's not a credential fitness expert of any stripe, motivational speaker Shawn Anderson is something of a self-styled walking expert, having personally walked thousands of miles across at least seven countries over the last few years. His fastest walk was 550 miles in 27 days across the whole of Spain.

Here are his biggest tips for improving your walks. "1) I walk multiple and different routes, as this takes away from potential boredom. 2) To challenge myself, I have a timed record for each of the loops I do so I can measure my sharpness and improvement. 3) I always carry a water bottle with me to avoid dehydration. 4) If I am doing a 10+ miler, I take my iPod with me as the songs always help me find a second and a third wind with tired legs. And 5) I keep a small snack in my pocket in case I need extra energy."

Also, consider adding in some strength training. According to Garret Seacat, C.S.C.S., performing aerobic exercise is better for losing weight than strength trainingbut combined you'll lose even more. "If your goal is weight loss, aerobic exercise (walking or running) burns a statistically significant more amount of fat than weight lifting," he says. "However, when combining both aerobic exercise and lifting weights for a total of 30 minutes a day, 5 times a week, people lose significantly more."

He goes on: "Keeping yourself [brisk!] walking 3-5 times a week can help you reach your weight loss goals when you keep in mind every 45 minute walk will burn 250-500 calories. While that doesn't sound like much, five walks a week will net you a negative 1250-2500 calories! With a well balanced diet you will be on your way to reaching your weight loss goals in a safe and effective manner!"

Seacat advises you to use the "talk test" to ensure that you're walking fast enough: "Walk at an intensity that makes it hard for you to complete more than two sentences without having to catch your breath," he says. "Can't say more than a couple words? Chances are you are going too hard to keep going. If you feel like you could tell a friend an entire story? You are walking too easy." Find the Goldilocks zone, and you'll be walking just right!

"No walking program is going to be successful unless you stick to it, and the best way to stick to a walking program is to make it fun," says Jeanette DePatie, CPT, author of The Fat Chick Works Out! and founder of Everybody Can Exercise. "Love talking with people? Walk with somebody else. Love quiet meditation? Find a nice place to walk that makes you feel at peace. Love tunes? Make a playlist and pack some jams. BPM (the speed of the music in beats per minute) can be a great tool to keep you on track. But more important than that is staying inspired and having a good time."

"I recommend morning and evening walks, ideally when the sun rises and just before the sun sets," advises health and fitness coach Chad Walding, DPT, co-founder NativePath, you'd be wise to schedule them at exactly two times per day.. "You want to expose your eyes and skin to the sun to help align your body with its natural circadian rhythms. This helps the body naturally produce cortisol (a stress hormone) in the morning and allows it to taper off in the afternoon and evening. Lower cortisol has been proven to help people keep weight off." And for more great healthy living advice, see here for the Secret Exercise Tricks for Keeping Your Weight Down for Good.

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Experts Reveal the Secret Tricks for Walking for Exercise | Eat This Not That - Eat This, Not That

Makhana is a type of seed derived from the Euryale ferox plant. Theyre also sometimes referred to as fox nuts or lotus seeds.

Makhanas are widely cultivated throughout Asia and often used in traditional forms of medicine to treat various conditions (1).

Theyre also sometimes roasted and enjoyed as a savory snack or added to curries, side dishes, or desserts.

Here are 6 of the top benefits of makhana.

Makhana is an excellent source of several important nutrients and makes a great addition to a healthy, well-rounded diet.

It contains a good amount of carbs in each serving and is also rich in several micronutrients, including calcium, magnesium, iron, and phosphorus (2).

Calcium, in particular, has been shown to support bone health, help reduce blood pressure, and decrease cholesterol levels (3).

Meanwhile, magnesium is necessary for a wide range of metabolic reactions in the body and involved in protein synthesis, muscle contractions, nerve function, and more (4).

Makhana is a good source of protein and fiber, along with micronutrients like calcium, magnesium, iron, and phosphorus.

Makhana is rich in various antioxidants, which are compounds that help neutralize harmful free radicals and prevent oxidative stress (5).

In particular, makhana contains specific antioxidants like gallic acid, chlorogenic acid, and epicatechin (6, 7).

Research shows that antioxidants play a key role in several aspects of health and may help protect against chronic conditions like heart disease, cancer, and type 2 diabetes (8).

Antioxidants can also reduce inflammation, which could be beneficial for inflammatory conditions like rheumatoid arthritis, gout, psoriasis, and inflammatory bowel disease (9).

Makhana is rich in antioxidants, which could protect against inflammation and chronic disease.

Some research suggests that makhana could help support better blood sugar management.

For example, one animal study showed that administering a supplement containing makhana extract to rats with diabetes helped improve blood sugar regulation and increased several antioxidant enzymes (10).

Another animal study found that a specific compound isolated from makhana seeds improved blood sugar and insulin levels in rats with diabetes (11).

Several other animal studies have observed similar findings, noting that makhana extract could enhance blood sugar management (12, 13).

That said, keep in mind that these studies used highly concentrated amounts of makhana extract in animals.

Therefore, more research is needed to determine how makhana may affect blood sugar levels in humans when consumed in typical amounts.

Several animal studies show that makhana extract could help improve blood sugar management, but more human research is needed.

Adding makhana seeds to your diet is a great way to boost your intake of protein and fiber two key nutrients that may benefit weight loss.

Protein, in particular, has been shown to reduce food cravings and help regulate your appetite (14).

Meanwhile, fiber moves slowly through your digestive tract to keep you feeling full during the day (15).

Some studies show that consuming a higher amount of fiber could be linked to reductions in belly fat, as well as increased weight loss (16, 17).

Still, additional studies are needed to evaluate the effects of makhana specifically on weight loss.

Makhana is rich in protein and fiber, which may be beneficial for weight loss and fat loss.

Some studies suggest that certain compounds found in makhana could possess powerful anti-aging properties.

In fact, according to one review, makhana contains several amino acids that are known for their anti-aging properties, including glutamine, cystine, arginine, and methionine (18).

Glutamine, for instance, is used to produce proline, which is an amino acid found in collagen, a compound that supports skin hydration and elasticity (19, 20).

Methionine and arginine are also involved in the production of creatine, another compound that has been shown to have anti-aging effects in several older studies (21, 22, 23, 24).

Makhana is likewise a good source of antioxidants, which can help promote skin health and slow signs of aging (7, 25, 26).

Makhana is rich in antioxidants and contains several amino acids that may have anti-aging properties, such as helping promote skin elasticity and skin health.

Although research in humans is lacking, some animal studies have found that makhana seeds may benefit heart health.

One animal study found that administering makhana extract to rats with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease for 4 weeks significantly reduced high cholesterol and triglyceride levels, both of which are common risk factors for heart disease (27).

Another animal study observed similar findings, noting that makhana extract improved cholesterol and triglyceride levels in rats with diabetes (10).

Whats more, one older animal study found that makhana extract protected the heart against injury and helped neutralize harmful free radicals (28).

However, more studies are needed to determine how makhana may affect heart health in humans when enjoyed as part of a healthy diet.

Some animal studies have found that makhana extract could reduce cholesterol and triglyceride levels to improve heart health.

Although makhana isnt as widely available as other types of nuts and seeds, you can find it at many specialty stores or online retailers.

It has a mild, neutral flavor that works well in a variety of recipes.

One of the most popular ways to prepare makhana involves roasting the seeds and seasoning them with your choice of herbs and spices, such as sea salt, turmeric, chili powder, or black pepper.

It also makes a great addition to main courses, including curries or bhel puri, which is a dish made with puffed rice, peanuts, chutneys, and vegetables.

Alternatively, you can try mixing chopped and roasted makhana seeds into kheer, a type of rice pudding thats popular in India.

Makhana is available at many specialty stores and online retailers. It can be roasted and enjoyed as a savory snack or added to several entres and desserts.

Makhana is a type of seed commonly used throughout Asia.

Its rich in antioxidants and micronutrients and may help slow signs of aging and support heart health, blood sugar management, and weight loss.

Its also versatile and easy to enjoy in many different recipes, including snacks, main dishes, and desserts.

Read the original:
6 Impressive Benefits of Makhana (Lotus Seeds) - Healthline

Watching what you eat and making smart choices is a never-ending struggle for people looking to lose weight and adopt a healthy lifestyle. At least, for me it is.

While limiting my meals and snacks to only things that I make at home has worked wonders for getting me toward my weight loss goal and into the habit of healthier eating, once I am let loose on society its like the smart button in my brain turns off and Im shoving just about anything into my mouth with reckless abandon.

The desire not to stray from my eating plan is strong, but never eating out again just isnt realistic.

So what are some things people can do to prevent sabotaging the hard work theyve put in, but still enjoy outings with friends and family?

The key to smart eating, like so many things, begins with planning.

Whether you are going to a sit-down restaurant, meeting a friend for lunch at a diner or swinging through the drive-thru at a fast food chain, the following tips and tricks can help you make smart choices.

Many restaurants, fast food joints and cafes post their menus online, making it easier to choose a healthier option before you go. Look for items that are high in protein and fiber and on the low end when it comes to fat, sugar and sodium.

Once at the restaurant, dont be afraid to ask the server how certain items are cooked. Stick to meals that are steamed, baked, broiled, grilled or roasted. Fried or breaded food can rack up the calories quickly, so try to stay away from these options if possible.

UnlockFood.ca and Healthline.com, two websites dedicated to expert guidance on everyday eating, offer the following tips and tricks to help people be smart when eating out include:

With restaurant portions being twice, or sometimes three times, the size of what dietitians recommend, the one thing that I learned during my stints in Weight Watchers is to immediately ask for a to-go box or bag prior to my meal coming out.

This way I can immediately pack up half of my plate, enjoy the other half on site and the leftovers at home. If the entire serving isnt on my plate, I am much less likely to eat it all in one shot, blow my goal of smart eating and have to do the waddle of shame leaving the restaurant.

Ordering two appetizers instead of a regular-sized meal can help you keep calories in check, according to Healthline.com.

Avoid supersizing meals. While ordering the larger-sized options may seem like a good deal financially, they also come with supersized calories. Healthline.com also suggests avoiding all-you-can-eat buffets.

People are notoriously bad at estimating portions sizes, the website reports. So when you are faced with an unlimited supply of food at a buffet, eating the right amount can be challenging.

Say yes to dessert and extra spoons. Dont be afraid to enjoy some cake, pie or ice cream, but instead of eating it all yourself, split it with your party and enjoy a bite or two.

And if you do stray from your healthy eating plan, dont beat yourself up or feel guilty. Things happen, and sometimes you just need to enjoy some saucy wings and a beer while visiting and laughing with friends.

Being flexible about your diet and food choices is linked with better overall health and weight management, Healthline.com writes. If you are following healthy meal patterns most of the time, go ahead and treat yourself. An occasional indulgence can be good for the soul.

One thing I have done to change my mindset is to focus more on the action of going out as a way to visit with friends and family, taking the anticipation and focus off of the food.

Sure, I might have a really great meal, but what is really special and the thing that I am most likely to remember are the laughs and great conversation we all had.

As the queen of bad dates, not once have I remembered the food I ate compared to the shenanigans that took place. The same is true for the fun gatherings Ive had with family and friends. Its always been about the interactions, not the food.

So dont pass on those outings and summer barbecues. Enjoy being alive and the amazing work youve put in. And dont forget to celebrate the changes you see in your body both big and small ones.

April was a pretty good month in my weight loss and exercise journey. Not only have I found that my stamina has improved, I am getting stronger.

I am excited to announce that I am down 21 pounds and a total of 17.5 inches.

While the weight is still coming off, it has slowed down, and I havent had a really big loss in a few weeks.

The body is a fickle beast so changing up your exercise routine is key, Trainer DAnn advised. That could mean upping the number of weight-focused exercises, adding in different activities such as swimming or biking, and increasing the amount of weight for each exercise.

One thing Trainer DAnn will be implementing over the summer is a high-intensity interval training, or HIIT. HIIT training sessions consist of a warm-up period followed by repetitions of high-intensity exercises like running in place, jumping jacks, squats and burpees followed by short periods of recovery.

HIIT sessions spike your heart rate, burning calories per minute, contributing to weight loss.

Check out this HIIT workout on YouTube that you can do at home: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mvo2snJGhtM.

Another thing Trainer DAnn wants to do to keep me on the path to my 60-pound weight loss goal is to increase my training days from twice a week to four times a week.

As we swing into summer and the weather gets warm, I am aiming to do more outdoor activities such as hiking and biking.

Adding those activities combined with the additional two days of training should (hopefully) help me avoid plateauing. Plus, I really want to focus on getting as much weight off as possible before the cold weather returns.

Check in with you next month. Until then, wishing you all the best on your own weight loss journey.

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A Year of Health: Eating out without pigging out - Greeley Tribune

WASHINGTON, DC - AUGUST 07: In this photo illustration, the TikTok app is displayed on an Apple iPhone on August 7, 2020 in Washington, DC. On Thursday evening, President Donald Trump signed an executive order that bans any transactions between the parent company of TikTok, ByteDance, and U.S. citizens due to national security reasons. The president signed a separate executive order banning transactions with China-based tech company Tencent, which owns the app WeChat. Both orders are set to take effect in 45 days. (Photo Illustration by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Theres an ab exercise thats all over TikTok and people are paying attention because it promises to reduce belly fat and give you a slimmer waist. The TikTok weight loss dance is going viral, but experts warn this is one trend you dont want to try at home.

The stomach workout made famous by user @Janny14906 has received millions of likes and follows as it claims to be the perfect ab routine. The idea is to move your chest and hips forward and then backwards really quickly while twisting, which makes it sort of a dance. The videos claim the exercise will reduce the abdomen by doing each movement for five minutes, but personal trainer Sohee Lee says, Its a myth that you can target fat loss from a specific body part. So specific exercises cant give you a flat stomach, even if they claim to.

And on top of that, doing one exercise to get a certain look isnt healthy if youre blowing off nutrition, sleep, drinking water and all the other things that are important to taking care of your health. So even though the post says you can exercise for an hour a day and eat whatever you want, Lee points out thats just not true and this kind of advice is what gets people into trouble. Psychologist irin Ateken also warns against the psychological dangers of fad diets and quick fixes that give us unrealistic expectations. So just like with any viral exercise that promises fast results, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

Read more from the original source:
Experts Warn Against TikTok's Weight Loss Dance Trend tiktok dance - kiss951.com

As a teenager, Jonny Valdez spent most of his time playing video games and watching TV, with little thought given to his health or personal fitness. "When my stomach told me it was time to eat, I would go to the kitchen or I'd go to the store, get something that would just fill me up quickly," he says in a recent episode of Truly's transformation series Brand New Me.

At just 17 years old, Jonny weighed 270 poundsthis was when he reached a turning point in his life.

"I was on the verge of not graduating from high school," he says. "Everything was all piling up. I was faced with a choice to either do something about it, or just watch everything fall apart. So one day I decided to just get up, go in the mirror, do what I've never done before, and take that first transformation photo. And there was no way I was going to leave a transformation photo just sitting in my phone and not do something about it."

Over the course of the next three years, Johnny lost a total of 120 pounds, and found a passion for working out and lifting weights that has led to him participating in physique shows. "I guess I see the gym as an escape for me," he says. "It'll always make my day better... I'm satisfied knowing that I'm building towards my body of my dreams, and I'm happy with everything right now."

Following his weight loss transformation, the last year has seen Jonny put on 30 pounds of mass in order to build strength and size for his next bodybuilding eventand at the time of filming, he has just achieved a deadlift PR of 400 pounds.

"The feeling of self-gratitude and being proud of myself is something I don't think I've ever felt in my life," he says. "I'm comfortable in my skin now... It doesn't matter how long it takes, anything is possible, whether it's weight loss or life journeys. Never give up on yourself, and I promise you'll see the outcome in the end."

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Original post:
This Guy Lost 120 Pounds, Got Fit, and Became a Competitive Bodybuilder - menshealth.com