Vinegar- Great for Cleaning Vegetables

Did you know that vinegar, any kind, can be used to clean your vegetables?

Vinegar can be used to remove most pesticides and bacteria from your fresh produce and fruit. Any basic white vinegar will do. All you need is a solution of 10% vinegar to 90% water. Just briefly soak your produce  or fruit in the solution, swish it around, and rinse thoroughly.

Now this doesn't work so well on fragile fruits, like berries, as they can soak up the vinegar since their skin is porous. So rinsing berries in water is the more preferred method.

Vinegar comes in many types and each has its own set of benefits and uses. White distilled vinegar is useful for cleaning and horticultural purposes. Fruit vinegars such as apple cider vinegar has many reported health benefits when taken internally. 

20% vinegar is one that should be avoided. It is a petroleum derivative that is dangerous to breathe. It can be damaging to your eyes and skin.

The Amount of Sleep You Get Affects Your Weight & Health

If you are someone who is struggling with your weight, then sleep is important to you.  Getting the right amount of sleep each night is really important since it can increase the benefits of  a healthy lifestyle, such as diet and exercise. Getting the right amount of sleep each night can also diminishing the impact of those genetic predisposed factors. 

 

Did you know that even if you are genetically predisposed to being overweight, sleeping at least nine (9) hours, or more, each night can have a dramatic benefit for you.

  

Numerous studies have shown that people who sleep less than seven (7) hours a night tend to be heavier than people who get the amount of sleep they need. The biological mechanisms linking sleep deprivation to weight gain are numerous.  When you don't get enough sleep. your leptin (the hormone that signals satiety) level falls and your ghrelin (which signals hunger) actually rises. Sleep deprivation tends to lead to food cravings, particularly for sweet and starchy foods. With the lack of sleep, a persons brain searches or craves carbohydrates, for fuel. This leads to poor eating habits which then causes weight gain.

It has been shown that lack of sleep decreases the sensitivity of your insulin receptors. Thus causes your insulin levels to rise. This impairs your body's ability to burn fat which causes weight gain and increases the risk of diabetes.

So, with the information above, the natural question is, how much sleep does a person need?  As a general rule, adults need six (6)  to (8) eight hours of sleep every night. Now this is just a general rule. Some people may need more than nine (9) hours of sleep each night, especially those that are genetically predisposed to being overweight.

Pay attention to your body and how you feel when you wake up. Pay attention to your mind as well and consider your emotional state. If you feel tired upon once you wake up, chances are you need to sleep longer. If you are one who yawns throughout the day, that is a sign that you need more sleep.

As you can see, sleeping is extremely important. With everyone being so busy these days, its often thought that we can skimp on sleep on the weekdays and make up for it on the weekends. Unfortunately this recipe is not successful. Your sleeping habits need to be consistent, so you should be getting the same amount of sleep each night.

If you would like more information on this subject, you can check out this article 'Sleep curbs influence of obesity genes', on cnn.com

Incorporating Fitness In A Busy Lifestyle

A hectic lifestyle is usually the reason why most individuals cannot stay in shape consistently. A busy lifestyle is almost always given the blame when staying fit fails. Typically this results in an unhealthy lifestyle rather than a healthy one. Especially when ones career takes them away from home and from time to time. Finding and/or being able to stay on a fitness plan becomes very challenging when your life is ruled by limited time, stress or business meals tempt you to eat incorrectly. In this post we are going to look at some of the ways that you can stay fit even if you are extremely busy in your life and career.

Most people have goals for work and a very clear vision for their working life. Having goals is also a great idea whenever you start a new fitness plan. If you document your goals for your weight, the shape of your body and what transformations you want to make, you are more likely to find ways to make those happen. Monitor the gains or your achievements that you make towards the goals you have identified, it will help you to reinforce your commitment to your fitness program.Think of how achieving your goals this will make you feel and relate that to how it will improve your performance on your job. By doing this, fitness can become part of your lifestyle instead of something you don’t have any time for.

If your career has you working away from home, plan ahead to make sure you maintain your fitness routine. One example of this is to find and stay in a hotel with amenities like gym and a pool area, or something that allows you to keep up with your fitness routine. If the hotel doesn't offer anything, there may be a gym in the neighborhood of your hotel. Now, if these options are not possible, you can always exercise in your hotel room. There are plenty of exercises that can be done in your room.

You would make things much easier for yourself if you spelled out your fitness goals to business colleagues and associates, and let them understand the importance of healthy eating and drinking habits in your personal setup.

Effective time-management is really all that is needed to find those periods of time where fitness activities can be done. Example- Suppose you plan on going to the gym right after getting home from working all day. Finding the motivation to stick with going to gym you are home is probably going to be difficult, since you are tired and most likely will start to get comfortable and relax. So, it's a better idea of heading to gym before you head home.

Lets face it, everyone is busy. However, there are many ways you can make time for incorporating fitness into your life. In doing so, you are going to find many benefits, including being healthy and even raising your energy level which will help with your hectic life.

Omega 3's Are Important In Your Diet

The adverts always hear important food for the body of Omega 3 fatty acids. Attention given to these substances is due to numerous benefits for cardiovascular health especially about diminishing blood triglycerides, blood clot prevention and anti-inflammatory effects. So, where to hide these omega 3?

Why The fatty acids are important for the body?

Cell membrane allows the body is designed to feed nutrients to cells and facilitate cellular waste disposal. It is composed of essential fatty acids which protect it from free radical attack. Given that the cell membrane is damaged, cells can suffer and thus appear malignancy.
Although they have an important role, especially at the cellular level, omega-3 fatty acids can be produced by the body. Thus, nutrition is the only way you can ensure your intake of essential fatty acids.
Besides the special food in the process of making enriched with omega 3 fatty acids there are foods that naturally contain these fatty acids. Here are some of these foods:
 
Fish rich in fat
Surely you heard that fat-rich fish (salmon, herring, trout, tuna, mackerel and sardines) are healthy for the body, regardless of the version that I eat: fresh, frozen or canned. They are a great source of omega 3 fatty acids of animal origin, with particularly important role in maintaining heart health. It is therefore recommended to eat fish, two to three times a week.
 
Flax seeds
Flax seeds are products enjoying the highest content of Omega 3 essential fatty acids. One tablespoon of flaxseed is enough to cover the daily needs of plant origin in Omega 3. These seeds should be prepared for our bodies to benefit from these valuable fats. They can stimulate the immune system, can improve brain function, can promote healthy skin and can help stabilize blood cholesterol levels.

Spirulina
Spirulina, the algae known as blue-green, is a nutritional product with a great wealth and many therapeutic properties. It is a great source of omega 3 fatty acids (omega-6 fatty acids along with form about 10% of the nutritional value) which plays a major role in the body: help function of cell membranes, is involved in cholesterol metabolism or energy intakes.

Soy
Both the oil and soybean seeds are known for the role of effective antioxidants. These foods act on the body benefit sufferers of cardiovascular disease or depression. It is better to eat soy at every meal with vegetables and fruits rich in vitamin C (kiwi, citrus, peppers, broccoli, cabbage, etc.) to promote absorption of iron and omega 3.

Beans
Beans are a vegetable full of vitamins, carotene and fiber. Green beans is considered one of the symbols of vegetables weight loss diet as it contains the elements necessary for the functioning of a healthy body without bringing harmful fat intake. Omega 3 fatty acids contained in bean pods contributes to lower “bad” cholesterol, preventing its submission on the blood vessels.

Walnuts
Walnuts are dried fruit important for their nutritional quality, because they are rich in unsaturated fats and Omega 3 fatty acids. Also, walnuts make an important contribution magnesium, vitamin B6, vitamin E and iron. Two tablespoons walnut oil or nuts daily consumption of 3-4 allow them to meet needs in Omega 3.

High Fiber Diet

For people who are looking to start living a healthier life you’re going to find that one of the easiest things you can wind up changing is the kind of food you eat. For those of you who are wondering what kind of changes to your diet you need to be making, you need to be eating low fat high fiber foods each and every day. You’re going to discover that these types of foods will help you with shedding weight, improving your fitness level and offering you better overall health for your body. In this article we are going to be looking at a number of the benefits of eating high fiber and low fat foods and the positive effects it can have on your body.

The very first thing you should comprehend about a man or woman’s diet is the fact that they have no problems whatsoever eating an abundance of sugar, fat along with other unhealthy items which are bad for them. When it comes to all the healthy foods that people should be consuming more of, you are going to see that for one reason or another they stay away from fruits, vegetables along with whole grains. You will also find because these men and women are eating all the wrong foods they do not get enough fiber in their diet which can wind up causing many different health problems.
In relation to locating the proper of types of foods that you ought to be eating it is going to be extremely advisable to look into the nutritional labels that are located on all food products in grocery stores. Choosing foods that are high in fiber and low in fat will be a thing that can easily be done while you are actually reading the labels on the foods. You should also be aware that consuming the proper amount of calories every day is also important and this can also be determined by studying the nutritional labels.

If you’re the person who plans out the meals in your house it’s going to be really important to include plenty of fruits and veggies in every meal as these generally have plenty of fiber in them. Obviously foods that do not have any fiber and all are generally things like meats, fish along with other products that are created by animals. When you are planning out a meal include more fruits and vegetables and decrease the amount of animal products that you incorporate into your meals.

For many folks the snacks they eat throughout the day are some of the worst things that they can actually eat however there are healthy, high fiber snacks which are available that you might actually prefer. Dried fruits, nuts and sunflower seeds are just a few of the healthy options you are going to discover that you have when it comes to searching for a snack that’s high in fiber but low in fat. Obviously ultimately it is your decision on whether or not you want to begin living a healthier life on whether you eat these sorts of foods.

Healthier Eating Babits

Eating a healthier diet is fundamental to feeling better and reaching your ideal weight. When you treat it right your own body will do everything it can to keep you in great condition. It does need to be treated well to perform its natural functions, though, and this means eating a healthy diet. In this way, our body is similar to a complicated machine that must be maintained properly to ensure it works as it's been designed. If you need to lose any weight, eating a healthy diet is the best way to accomplish this in the long run. So let’s look at some ways you can transform your eating habits in a more positive direction.

Moderate Amounts-  Make sure your food portions are consumed in moderate amounts. Cutting back on your overall portions allows you to have more choice in what you eat. Many people’s main problem isn’t that they eat the wrong foods (though some do this). However. they eat larger  quantities. If you’re in the habit of ordering a super sized meal when you go out, you’re definitely a victim of this trend. You can see this mentality has spread to ordinary restaurants because so many serve huge meals. A plate that is literally piled high with food is not a moderate serving. Look at the portion size as most are based on the size of the average cup. So one cup is usually one portion and is really all you need.

Milk Products- I believe the sort of milk is organic low fat or skim milk that is purchasable at a store that has other high quality organic items. Typically, growth hormones and antibiotics can be found in milk that is obtained from a typical food market store.

Lean Meats-  Eating the various correct forms of animal flesh or meat can have a huge impact on your fat intake everyday. Choosing meat assortments that are lean make them healthier and a better choice. So that means beef round steaks and flank cut steaks for less fat.

Your Mindset- Try to gain a wider view and mindset as it concerns to the foods you and/or your family are eating. Keep in mind that when you don’t use all of your calories you can actually become heavier than you would like. This is because you tend to overeat on the foods that are otherwise considered good for you and still gain weight from it.

Conclusion
Examine what you and/or your family eat to get a good picture at your eating habits. With this you can survey the necessities for creating habits that are healthier for you and/or your family.  Medical professionals are in agreement that knowing your own eating habits and dietary preferences is key to making positive changes. That only makes good sense when you think about it.

The first step in embracing a healthier lifestyle is to evaluate what unhealthy foods are in your diet and how you can eat better. Once you achieve some success with initial efforts, then you will know that you can do it.

Information on Burst Training

A few years ago, researchers at the National Institute of Health and Nutrition in Japan put rats through a series of swim tests with surprising results. They had one group of rodents paddle in a small pool for six hours, this long workout broken into two sessions of three hours each. A second group of rats were made to stroke furiously through short, intense bouts of swimming, while carrying ballast to increase their workload. After 20 seconds, the weighted rats were scooped out of the water and allowed to rest for 10 seconds, before being placed back in the pool for another 20 seconds of exertion. The scientists had the rats repeat these brief, strenuous swims 14 times, for a total of about four-and-a-half minutes of swimming. Afterward, the researchers tested each rat’s muscle fibers and found that, as expected, the rats that had gone for the six-hour swim showed preliminary molecular changes that would increase endurance. But the second rodent group, which exercised for less than five minutes also showed the same molecular changes.

The potency of interval training is nothing new. Many athletes have been straining through interval sessions once or twice a week along with their regular workout for years. But what researchers have been looking at recently is whether humans, like that second group of rats, can increase endurance with only a few minutes of strenuous exercise, instead of hours? Could it be that most of us are spending more time than we need to trying to get fit?

The answer, a growing number of these sports scientists believe, may be yes.


“There was a time when the scientific literature suggested that the only way to achieve endurance was through endurance-type activities,” such as long runs or bike rides or, perhaps, six-hour swims, says Martin Gibala, PhD, chairman of the Department of Kinesiology at McMaster University in Ontario, Canada. But ongoing research from Gibala’s lab is turning that idea on its head. In one of the group’s recent studies, Gibala and his colleagues had a group of college students, who were healthy but not athletes, ride a stationary bike at a sustainable pace for between 90 and 120 minutes. Another set of students grunted through a series of short, strenuous intervals: 20 to 30 seconds of cycling at the highest intensity the riders could stand. After resting for four minutes, the students pedaled hard again for another 20 to 30 seconds, repeating the cycle four to six times (depending on how much each person could stand), “for a total of two to three minutes of very intense exercise per training session,” Gibala says.

Each of the two groups exercised three times a week. After two weeks, both groups showed almost identical increases in their endurance (as measured in a stationary bicycle time trial), even though the one group had exercised for six to nine minutes per week, and the other about five hours. Additionally, molecular changes that signal increased fitness were evident equally in both groups. “The number and size of the mitochondria within the muscles” of the students had increased significantly, Gibala says, a change that, before this work, had been associated almost exclusively with prolonged endurance training. Since mitochondria enable muscle cells to use oxygen to create energy, “changes in the volume of the mitochondria can have a big impact on endurance performance.” In other words, six minutes or so a week of hard exercise (plus the time spent warming up, cooling down, and resting between the bouts of intense work) had proven to be as good as multiple hours of working out for achieving fitness. The short, intense workouts aided in weight loss, too, although Gibala hadn’t been studying that effect. “The rate of energy expenditure remains higher longer into recovery” after brief, high-intensity exercise than after longer, easier workouts, Gibala says. Other researchers have found that similar, intense, brief sessions of exercise improve cardiac health, even among people with heart disease.

There’s a catch, though. Those six minutes, if they’re to be effective, must hurt. “We describe it as an ‘all-out’ effort,” Gibala says. You’ll be straying “well out of your comfort zone.” That level of discomfort makes some activities better-suited to intense training than others. “We haven’t studied runners,” Gibala says. The pounding involved in repeated sprinting could lead to injuries, depending on a runner’s experience and stride mechanics. But cycling and swimming work well. “I’m a terrible swimmer,” Gibala says, “so every session for me is intense, just because my technique is so awful.”
Meanwhile, his lab is studying whether people could telescope their workouts into even less time. Could a single, two- to three-minute bout of intense exercise confer the same endurance and health benefits as those six minutes of multiple intervals? Gibala is hopeful. “I’m 41, with two young children,” he says. “I don’t have time to go out and exercise for hours.” The results should be available this fall.