Tone Muscles using Resistance Training

While you can’t target fat loss in trouble spots, you can tone muscles in those areas for a more defined look.

You can’t spot-reduce the parts of your body you don’t like (your body decides where the weight comes off first). But that doesn’t mean you can’t target the muscles in your trouble areas. But how? Incorporate resistance training into your workout. The best way to tone your muscles: Do each exercise with a higher number of repetitions (about 15 to 20) and a lighter weight than you could lift just eight to 10 times. You can also get a leaner look by lengthening your muscles through stretching and yoga.

source: the Cleveland Clinic Wellness site

 

Eating Breakfast May Help you Lose Weight

Feel full and get your weight down: Eat your biggest meal at breakfast. Consuming more calories in the morning may increase weight loss.

You nibble at breakfast or run out the door without eating anything at all, eat a good-size lunch, and then stuff yourself at dinner. Sound familiar? You’re not alone. It is, after all, the way most of us were brought up to eat. (Remember the clean plate club?) But provocative new research suggests that the way to feel fuller throughout the day, and even lose weight, is to eat your largest meal in the morning, then progressively less throughout the day. To test this theory, researchers placed two groups of dieters on the same 1,400-calorie meal plan for 12 weeks. One group ate 700 calories at breakfast, 500 at lunch, and 200 during dinner. The second group’s calories were distributed in exactly the opposite way (200 calories at breakfast and 700 for dinner). Those in the big-breakfast group shed 17.8 pounds, while those in the big-dinner group lost only 7.3. The big-breakfast group also displayed significantly lower levels of insulin, glucose and triglycerides throughout the day, which translates into a lower risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, hypertension and elevated LDL (lousy) cholesterol levels.

 

Fit but Overweight…

Fit but overweight? Take a look at your plate. Protein is important, but complex carbs like veggies and beans are key to shedding pounds.

Sometimes we think that, because we work out, we can eat whatever we want. But research shows that more athletes are overweight than ever before. “One of the potential causes of extra weight among athletes may be the ‘healthy halo’ that athletes tend to put on their food and beverage intake when they are active,” says Amy Jamieson-Petonic, MEd, RD, CSSD, LD, director of wellness coaching at the Cleveland Clinic’s Wellness Institute. “For example, some runners I know feel that they can load up on foods high in sugars, fats and salt because they are running a few miles. Unfortunately, it doesn’t work like that.” Here are Jamieson-Petonic’s tips for staying fit and trim while working out:
• Focus on slow-digesting, or complex carbs like legumes, fruits and vegetables, and 100 percent whole grains. These foods will provide longer-lasting energy, are rich in nutrients, and tend to be lower in calories than stripped carbs, so they’ll help you reach or maintain a healthy weight.
• Load up on fruits and veggies. These foods offer a multitude of vitamins and minerals, plus plenty of fiber for staying power.
• Hydrate. Even slight dehydration (approximately 2 percent) can hinder performance and weight loss. Keep in mind that your body is 60 to 70 percent water, and keep your tanks full for optimum functioning.

source: Cleveland Clinic Wellness

 

Walking Can Help Prevent Negativity & Stress

To protect against bad moods and stress, exercise regularly. A 30-minute walk most days of the week can help prevent negativity and stress.

Picture this: You had a long day, but now, as you’re grooving to your music and breathing in the smell of fresh-cut grass as you walk through the park, you feel your stress (and that afternoon cookie) melt away. “Exercise is not only for losing weight and looking better. It helps you feel better mentally,” says Melissa Hendricks, M.Ed, manager of the Cleveland Clinic Fitness Centers. “People who exercise moderately for at least 30 minutes a day tend to have more overall energy throughout the day, handle stressful situations better, and sleep more restfully. Combined, all of these can help you perform your daily tasks more efficiently and with better results,” she says. The fact that physical activity fends off stress is nothing new. But newer research suggests that exercise also stimulates the creation of new brain connections that help induce calm even in the face of stress. Since motivating yourself to exercise during a period of high stress or anxiety can be a challenge, says Hendricks, try using exercise as a way to calm your mind and body. “Walking, yoga and tai chi are all great physical activities that can help you feel more calm and less anxious.”

 

Keep Muscle in tact with Protein-packed Foods

Keep muscle mass intact! Protein-packed foods like fish, chicken, tofu and egg whites help stave off age- or diet-related muscle loss.
Dieting can make you lose muscle as well as fat. To help prevent muscle loss, fill your plate with leucine-rich protein. Leucine is an essential amino acid that can help you burn fat while maintaining lean muscle tissue. Because the human body cannot manufacture leucine, you must get it in your diet. Great sources of leucine are fish, tofu, egg whites fish and chicken.