Sunday, October 28, 2012

Anti Aging Foods to Boost Your Health and Fitness

We are all living longer than ever before and our expectations about how we want to look and feel are higher than ever. Anti Aging foods can help us stay agile, fit, healthy, more creative, happier and more youthful!
The secret to staying healthy has always been a good diet but we can do more?
By avoiding processed foods, sugar, salt and fats and limiting alcohol we can begin to reduce the risk of disease and weight gain. But what about maintaining energy levels and feeling fit and active? We want to have good eyesight, healthy skin and hair and a better memory. The good news is that by choosing anti aging foods we can almost turn back the clock to make us look better and feel younger!
Anti aging foods are fresh and natural and are best eaten raw or cooked in a way that will preserve their life enhancing nutrients. We have to begin taking notice of our body's signals. How do we feel after a 4 course meal with fatty sauces and lots of carbohydrates followed by a sticky dessert and a couple of glasses of wine? The answer is probably tired and looking for a place to have a little snooze. We have to wake up and realize that eating nature's super foods can keep us younger and more energetic for longer! Some fun exercise every day and a diet planned around the super foods below will stave off, heart disease, osteoporosis, diabetes and arthritis. Anti aging foods boost energy, improve skin and hair and enhance mental performance.
Begin right now with..
Fruits: In every color and shape with amazing tastes and aromas. They are packed full of vitamins, antioxidants and nutrients to protect skin, eyes, bones and the immune system.
Vegetables and Salad: From dark green broccoli to delicate salad leaves these are powerful antioxidants with a host of vitamins and minerals. The best insurance against heart disease and a mighty boost for the immune system. May even help ward off cancer.
Pulses, Peas, Beans and Lentils: A perfect balance of proteins and complex carbohydrates loaded with fibre which lowers cholesterol plus B vitamins, Magnesium, Zinc and Iron.
Nuts and Seeds: Fabulous Omega-3 and Omega-6 oils protect your heart and improve immunity. Great for the skin too! If you don't like fish eat nuts and seeds instead.
Whole Grains: Brown rice and pasta, rye bread and oats are delicious and loaded with fiber. Who would want to eat a fluffy white bread when you can have a whole grain bread with crunchy seeds on the top?
Good Fats and Oil: Olive oil and other cold pressed oils provide essential antioxidant protection.
Fish: All fish but especially the oily kind are perfect anti aging foods. Salmon, sardines, tuna and herring are rich in omega-3 oils. Essential fatty acids that boost the immune system and are often called brain foods!
Lean meat: Chicken, turkey and game are perfect low-fat proteins essential for cell repair.
Cheese and Milk: These are proteins with a higher fat content and should be kept to a minimum. Natural yogurt is a good choice.
Is it time to change the way you think about food?
We cannot stay young forever but we can make 70 the new 50 and enjoy every minute of our healthy, active lifestyle! Don't wait too long. Begin eating anti aging foods today and feel more active and more attractive than ever before. Maintain a healthy weight, boost your energy and invest in your good health!
Carol Engelmann is 62 and passionate about everything anti aging.

Sunday, October 14, 2012

Improve Your Health and Fitness

Many people look in the mirror and are dismayed at the bulge that they see. For some people it is unsightly and unwanted. The good news is that improvements to your mid section can be made if you make the effort to get rid of belly fat. It is not an easy accomplishment but with a plan and motivation it can be done. Weight loss can make a dramatic improvement in your life.
Why should you care about your excess weight? For starters it is unhealthy. Perhaps the biggest issue is that there is a link between belly fat and diabetes. Having excess weight and size can cause your body to become resistant to insulin which helps to regulate blood sugar. When this happens the possibility of becoming diabetic becomes a real concern. Patients with diabetes find that their blood sugar and circulation are affected. This is a lifetime condition that in many cases can be avoided.
Other health issue resulting in too much belly fat are higher cholesterol, higher blood sugar, and higher blood pressure. These are all serious problems which can effect those that leave their belly fat, and weight, unchecked.
Secondly, and superficially, people want to get lose pounds simply because it is not considered attractive by many. Folks today are trying to get in shape and live more healthy lives. Many are trying to exercise more and get slim. People with belly fat may strive to meet these ideals as well. There are many positives about belly fat loss. You will find clothes fit better. You will look better. You will feel better. All of these positives will lead you to become more confident with yourself. While you continue to lose the weight you will become more and more active and involved in potentially more activities. This type of weight loss and body shaping leads to a cascading effect of healthy goodness.
How does one get rid of a large stomach? Through diet and exercise. All the things you do not want to hear is required. You need a plan. Focus and determination. You have to put in the hard work. You have to modify your lifestyle. It's simple, but not easy.
For starters you have to watch what you eat. All those sugary drinks and fattening foods you munch on while watching TV have to be curtailed. You have no doubt heard of "beer bellies". Many alcoholic beverages have tons of calories that we tend to consume too much of. Remember "all things in moderation". Instead of eating a whole bag of potato chips while you watch the game, have a few and put the bag away. Eat grilled chicken instead of a greasy hamburger. Think healthy foods.
The second part of reducing your mid section is to exercise. Get moving. You need to do two things: strength training and cardiovascular exercises. You should run, walk, bicycle, row, swim, cross-country ski. Anything to get your heart rate up vigorously. No, bowling or a lazy round of golf is not going to cut it. Additionally, full body strength training with weights, resistance bands or weight machines is necessary to both burn calories and firm up your muscles.
Get rid of belly fat and you will lead a more healthy and productive life. You will feel better and look better. All it takes is effort and determination. Once it is gone you will be glad you accomplished it.