Showing posts with label Weight Loss!. Show all posts

LIFE HACKS TO LOSE WEIGHT

LIFE HACKS TO LOSE WEIGHT FAST

1. EAT SMALL MEALS, MORE OFTEN

It’s seems counter-intuitive, that eating more often would help you lose weight, but it’s true for two reasons. First, if you’re eating smaller meals more often, you won’t be hungry, which means you won’t be as tempted to binge on less-than-healthy foods or to stuff yourself at your next meal. Second, eating more often keeps your metabolism chugging away in high gear, which means your body will burn more calories more efficiently, even when you’re at rest.

2. DITCH THE DIET SODA

People who drink diet soda are actually more likely to GAIN weight, than dieters who don’t drink soda at all. Diet soda is marketed as a smart choice for dieters, but it’s been proven to sabotage your diet, which makes you diet longer, which means you buy more diet soda… it’s a vicious circle! That’s why this tip is the top of my list of weight loss hacks. Avoid diet soda as much as you avoid regular soda, and you’re much more likely to lose weight.

3. FILL UP ON FIBER

This is what makes the “no carb” diets so ridiculous: fiber is a carb, and fiber is also a dieter’s best friend. That’s why this weight loss hack is kind of a secret. But getting your recommended fill-up of fiber (about 25 grams per day) will help you lose weight, because it will keep you feeling fuller, longer, and it will keep your digestive system working properly. No carbs… ha! That’s so silly!

4. COLOR YOUR MEAL

Here’s a good rule of thumb: the more colorful your meal, the healthier it probably is. A colorful meal is healthy, since it’s probably loaded with rainbow-hues of fruits and veggies, from bold red tomatoes to deep purple eggplants and leafy greens in between.

5. SWAP YOUR PLATES

If you have a tendency to overeat, try this simple but effective weight loss hack: eat off smaller plates. I’m serious! This will trick your brain and tummy into thinking your portions are bigger, even if they’re actually smaller than the ones you’ve eaten on your larger plates.

6. TAKE YOUR TIME

Did you know it takes your body about ten minutes to register the fact that you’re full? That’s why you ought to eat slowly, savoring each bite, putting your fork down between bites while you chew. Eating slowly and taking small breaks between bites gives your brain time to realize your body is full.

7. KEEP HYDRATED

One of the most common symptoms of dehydration is… hunger! So often, when you’re feeling peckish, you might actually be thirsty, not hungry. So before you grab a snack (even a healthy snack!), try sipping a little water first, to see if that satisfies you. Keeping well-hydrated can help with weight loss, too, by keeping your digestive system functioning properly.

8. ADD A WORkout

A girl can’t lose weight by dieting alone. Well, she COULD, but then she’d be the skinniest flabby girl ever, and who wants that? Adding a workout plan to your healthy diet plan will help you lose weight faster, and keep it off. Don’t be the skinny flabby girl; be the toned, fit girl!

HOW TO GET THIN ARMS AND LOSE WEIGHT!

Your body composition is determined by genetics and general physical activity. If you feel you have too much arm flab, you can aim to lose total body weight and build muscles in your arms. Strength training with low weights, body weight exercises and cardiovascular fat burning can help you get skinny arms

Part 1 of 4: Interval Training

Do fat-burning cardiovascular exercise 4 to 5 days per week. The best way to start getting skinny arms is to lose total body fat.

Do at least 30 minutes of cardio at one time. For people who are trying to lose a lot of body fat, this should be 45 to 60 minutes at a time.

Adopt an interval training routine. In this routine, you should be working out at medium-intensity with short bursts of high-intensity training.

If you are not ready to learn a new interval training routine, choose an interval program on your elliptical, treadmill, stair stepper or bike. You can also incorporate 1 minute sprints into swimming and running workouts.

Part 2 of 4: Body Weight Exercises

Consider doing body weight exercises that tone and burn fat at the same time. Intervals with dynamic exercises that work your entire body can reduce inches on arms, waist, hips, legs and more. The following are good exercises to do in intervals of 1 to 2 minutes with 15 to 30 seconds of rest in between.

Jump rope. High impact exercise like jumping and using your arms to turn the jump rope mean that this exercise burns a large amount of fat. Start with 20 seconds and work your way up to 1 minute or more. Rest and repeat 3 times.
Do burpees. Stand with your arms high in the air. Place your arms by your feet and jump back into a plank position. Jump back to a squat and stand, raising your arms. Do this for 30 seconds, rest and repeat 3 times. For added benefit, do a push up when you land in the plank position.
Do jumping jacks. Reach arms and legs wide for 1 minute. Rest and repeat 1 to 2 sets. Limit your resting period for even more burning potential.

Do mountain climbers. Get in a plank position and run your legs toward your chest.

Part 3 of 4: Strength Training

Sign up for intro to weight lifting classes, personal trainer sessions or group fitness classes that include work with weight machines or free weights.

Learning proper form is essential to lifting weights without hurting your back.

Do at least 30 minutes of arm-focused weight lifting every other day.Dedication to lifting will speed up your metabolism, burn more fat and build muscles.

Choose your stance for free weights by how advanced your workout should be. The following are good choices, from beginner to advanced.

Do many of the exercises with your back flat on the floor and your knees up. Most bicep, tricep, shoulder and chest weight lifting can be adjusted for the lowest impact while laying down. If you have back or joint problems, you will want to use weights at this level.
Sit on an exercise ball while you lift weights. An exercise ball requires you to do "active sitting" and engage your core, burning more fat.
Do weight lifting standing up with your legs hip width apart. Put a little bend in your knees to cushion your joints. Keeping your body standing in good form will work your legs, core and upper body. Better yet, take a squat or lunge position to burn more fat as you lift.
Stand on your tip toes in first position. Put your feet together. Turn them at the hip, so that your heels are together and your toes are apart. Then, raise up on your toes and walk your heels together. Lift weights while trying to hold this stance. Take an even more advanced position by holding the pose as you do bicep curls.

Part 4 of 4: Muscle Targeting

Work your biceps. This is the 2-part muscle at the top of your upper arm. Start with 4 to 5 lb. (1.8 to 2.2 kg) weights and work up to an amount that triggers muscle fatigue in 2 to 3 sets of 10 repetitions.

Do 10-10-10s. In this exercise, you do bicep curls with your palms facing up, facing sideways and at a 45 degree angle. Do not stop for long in between sets.
Do bicep curls halfway up and halfway down, with 10 repetitions each. Start at the bottom and go halfway up for 10, then start at the top and go halfway down for 10. This will improve your short muscle fibers.
Do push ups. Place your hands a little further than shoulder width across. Do 10 slow as far down as you can go, then do 10 fast going halfway down.
Grab your free weights. Place your hand by your shoulders. Punch up in the air, alternating hands, and keeping your body from rocking back and forth. Do this for 30 seconds to 1 minute. Repeat by punch forward, straight out from your shoulders.

Work on your triceps. This 3-part muscle at the back of your upper arm. The following are good exercises to try.

Do tricep push ups. Place your arms so they are just below your shoulders. As you lower yourself down in plank position, try to graze the back of your arms with the sides of your chest. Do 10 slow, and as far down as you can go. Do 10 quick, moving half way down.
Try tricep dips. Find a bench. Place your hands on the bench with your legs bent in front of you. Lift your hips up off the bench. Drop your body down off the bench and lift it back up using your arm muscle. Do 2 to 3 sets of 10 repetitions. Alternate lifting 1 leg and keeping your hips straight, for a more advanced move.
Do 10-10-10 tricep extensions. Go into a lunge position. Place your hands by your sides while holding weights. Lift them backward. Do 10 lifts. Then hold them back as far as you can go and press them inward toward each other. Keep your elbows back and up as far as they can go and bring your lower arms forward to meet your biceps. Push back.

Exercise your shoulders. These important arm muscles are often overlooked. Try these exercises.

Hold weights and reach your arms straight in front of you. Turn your arms like you are opening a door knob. Repeat 10 to 20 times slowly.
Do flys. Stand with feet hip width apart. Go into a squat. Bring your weights to meet in front, then lift them back, as if you are trying to touch your shoulder blades together. Return and repeat 10 times. Change your hands so that they turn down, instead of toward each other, and repeat 10 times. Do 2 sets of each.

Work your chest. Doing plenty of push ups and planks can do wonders for the area near your underarms next to your chest. For an added boost, use chest press machines.

SOURCE- WIKIHOW

13 Simple Food Swaps That Could Change Your Life

This list makes it almost too easy for you to get healthier!

Whole grains for white, quality for quantity, just one smart swap can pave the way to a healthier and happier life. So we decided to go all out and provide 13 "this for that's." Now there are no excuses when it comes to making healthier food choices!

1. Cook instead of eating out. Even if you try to eat healthy at a restaurant, that pesky bread bowl or sneaky salad may pack more calories than you planned for. Trust your inner Top Chef skills, and turn on the (skillet) heat. Cooking at home will more likely result in a healthier meal, not to mention a happier wallet.

2. Eat whole fruit instead of drinking fruit juice. A glass of O.J. contains very little of the pulp or skin from an orange—and none of the fiber content. Skip the glass, and go with the whole piece of fruit to reap the full nutritional benefits of this sweet, healthy snack (and save some calories while you’re at it).

3. Pan-fry food instead of deep-frying it. Obvious news flash: Deep-fried food is unhealthy. Keep things crispy by pan-frying lean protein or veggies in the skillet with some cooking oil. We promise it'll be just as tasty!

4. Buy local produce instead of supermarket veggies. Take a trip to the farmer's market instead of Walmart's produce aisle. According to the USDA, locally produced fruits and veggies that are in-season may be more nutritious. And it supports local farmers, too!

5. Choose brown rice over white. White rice is stripped of many essential nutrients (like fiber).

6. Pack a lunch instead of eating out. Bonus: That vending machine will look far less appetizing after you eat the meal you pack.

7. Eat at least three times a day instead of skipping meals. When you don't make the time to squeeze in a midday meal, you end up feeling tired and grouchy—and you set yourself up for overeating later.

8. Chew slowly instead of quickly. What's the rush? Studies show people who eat faster consume more calories.

9. Eat at the table instead of in front of the TV. Dining in front of the television can lead to serious overeating.

10. Eat breakfast instead of sleeping in. It may be temping to hit the snooze button more than once in the morning, but allow some time for breakfast—it may help jumpstart your metabolism and wake you up before you head to work.

11. Order black coffee instead of a latte. If that caffeine fix is calling, order a simple black coffee. A soy-mocha-extra-shot-frappuccino extravaganza isn't worth the calories (or cash).

12. Use a medium plate instead of a large one. Smaller plates (about eight to 10 inches in diameter) can save you more than 20 percent of the calories you'd eat in a larger-plate-sized serving.

13. Nap instead of sipping on an energy drink. Energy drinks can pack as much sugar as six doughnuts, while catnaps are always calorie-free.

6 New Reasons to Eat Almonds And okay, #7: They taste amazing.

Nutritionists are having a love affair with almonds.

Check out these six new science-backed bennies of our favorite snack:

Less Belly Fat
Belly fat does more than look bad. It hangs around your organs and ups your risk of chronic disease. Luckily, a new Penn State study of 52 adults with elevated LDL (bad) cholesterol, people who ate 1.5 ounces a day of almonds for six weeks reduced their belly fat and waist circumference more than those had a high-carbohydrate, calorie-matched snack.

Lower Cholesterol
Lower LDL (bad) cholesterol, that is. People who eat almonds are 44 percent less likely to have elevated LDL compared to those who don't get their almonds on, according to a new Louisiana State University study of 24,808 adults.

Fewer Cravings
Snack on this: Eating 1.5 ounces of dry-roasted, lightly salted almonds daily helped curb participants' appetites and regulate their blood sugar, per a new Purdue University study of 137 adults.

Less Inflammation
In a new Chinese study, type 2 diabetics who ate 1.5 ounces of almonds each day for three months dramatically improved their bodies' levels of oxidative stress and inflammation.

Healthier Baby Bumps
More than half of women gain too much weight during pregnancy, increasing their odds of gestational diabetes, high blood pressure, and preeclampsia. But almonds might help. A new study of overweight and obese women by California researchers shows that eating 2 ounces of almonds improves satiety, reduces appetite, and may promote healthy weight gain during pregnancy.

source-women's health mag!

OATS IDLI/ DOSA

OATS IDLI/ DOSA

Oats Dosa/Idli is the most easiest way of getting oats into your daily diet. When served with some curry, oats dosa is so tasty that even those who do not like oats will enjoy it. You can make the dosa batter is the traditional way or just make instant oats dosa.

Ingredients

Oats (Quick/ Rolled) - 1 cup
Rice - 1 cup
Cooked rice(optional) - handful
urad dhal - 1/2 cup
fenugreek seeds - 1 tsp
salt - 2 tsp
oil - to grease the idli tray/ to make dosas

Method 1

1. Soak urad dal and rice separately for minimum 3 hours or overnight. Add the fenugreek seeds to the rice while soaking.
2. Soak the oats for just 5 minutes before grinding.
3. Grind the urad dal separately till it become fluffy.
4. Grind the rice, oats, fenugreek seeds together with a handful of cooked rice. Adding cooked rice makes the idlis very fluffy.
5. Finally mix everything together with required salt to make a nice batter.
6. Let it ferment overnight or until it doubles in volume.
7. Make idlis or dasas and serve with chutney, sambhar, some kurma or non veg curry.

Method 2

Most people do not want to go through the lengthy process of making traditional dosa and idlis. So here's a simpler method to make Instant Oats Dosa.

Soak the oats for 5 min in enough water.
Grind it to a smooth batter with some sour yogurt.
Flavour the batter with some cumin seeds, crushed pepper, chopped onions, grated ginger, curry leaves and chopped cilantro.
Make dosas immediately and serve with any chutney of your choice.
If you want to make the dosas crispy, add some rava to the batter.

Method 3

Most south indians have the normal dosa batter at home everyday.

Another variation is to mix 1 cups oats with 1 cups dosa batter and make Oats Uthappam.
You can also top the uthappams with chopped onions, green chillies and cilantro.