Showing posts with label Tips. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tips. Show all posts

Reduce Cancer Risk-Tips

Thursday, November 13, 2008

Still, when I heard that being at a healthy weight is a great way to lower your cancer risk, I thought, "Nothin' to sneeze at there!" Perhaps it's more than just the vanity of fitting into smaller jeans or feeling more attractive that I am driven by. But losing weight can truly make you healthier, even if I did it for other reasons (to get faster and fitter and healthier all around). I wasn't thinking about cancer! I was thinking: Ever since college, I've been growing out, not up, and it's time to reverse the process!

According to a study in The Lancet, packing on excess pounds ups your odds of getting the disease. Of course, you've probably noticed, as I certainly have, that fighting fat seems to get more and more difficult with every passing year. Part of it is that, between our jobs and families, we're all a little busier.

The other (huge) part of it is biology, plain and simple. "Beginning in our mid-40s, we lose up to a third of a pound of muscle a year and gain it back as fat," says Miriam Nelson, Ph.D., director of Tufts University John Hancock Center for Physical Activity and Nutrition in Boston. And because fat burns fewer calories than muscle, your resting metabolism slows down, so after 40, every brownie, ice cream cone and bag of chips suddenly comes with greater consequences.

The good news -- and you knew there'd be some -- is that this gradual tipping of the scales (and the subsequent upping of your cancer risk) is completely preventable through (drum roll, please) a little exercise. Key word: Little! To reduce your risk of the disease, the American Cancer Society recommends just 30 minutes of physical activity, five days a week. That's walking briskly after dinner in your neighborhood.

A high-powered spin around the block every day not only slims and tones your body, it can cut your risk of breast cancer by 30 to 40 percent. Try meeting a pal after work at the gym, rather than at the bar. Or raking the leaves yourself rather than paying the kid next door to do it.

Yes, cancer is scary, but it becomes a lot less so when you understand that there's so much you can do right now to help lower your risk and take charge of your own health destiny. For starters: Slip on your sneakers and put one foot in front of the other. Taking that first big step will make you so proud!

Try this walking workout to help lower your cancer risk.

Get more tips on what to eat, do and not do to prevent cancer at Self.com.

Posted by Hesty at 01:48 0 comments  

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Lose Weight-Tips

I found this very interesting article on Yahoo!Health and you should find more usefull article like this in there..

I've never been a big fan of counting calories. In fact, in the past year, I have lost about 30 pounds without counting a single dietary digit. Sure, I know recording everything you put in your mouth can help peel off pounds, but I also know that obsessing over calories makes you more likely to eat lowfat, low-fiber foods that wouldn't satiate a starling.

Instead of crunching numbers, I munched on healthy food to become a weight loss success. If a food lover like me can do it, you can, too! Try these tips:

• Pick up produce. Have at least one fruit and veggie at every meal. On busy days when I know my lunch won't have a smidge of green in it, I have two fruits at breakfast; I toss berries or peaches into my nonfat Greek yogurt and sprinkle it with granola. I love asparagus, green pepper, sun-dried tomatoes, sprouts, endive and more. Fruits and veggies are high in fiber, which staves off hunger. Shoot for nine servings daily. It sounds like a lot, but if you don't have to be a rabbit to reach that goal. Eat a salad at lunch or dinner, and you're there.

• Snack smart. Add protein (such as a stick of lowfat string cheese or Parmesan) to your between-meal bites. Research suggests protein may enhance the effect of leptin, a hormone that reins in appetite. I love hummus and dip veggies into it instead of pita bread or crackers. Protein is also filling and can help curb cravings for chips, cookies and the like.

• Sip more water. Dieters who swapped sugary drinks for water lose weight, but those who gulped the most H20 peeled off the most pounds, according to a study at the meeting of Obesity Society in Boston. Don’t love agua? Try the flavored kind but check the label for sugar content (it should be below 8 grams per serving).

• Map out your meals. A little attention to portions can help you eat less and still stay satisfied. Start by using a salad dish (8 inches in diameter) and divide it into quarters to help keep helpings healthy. Half the plate should get veggies, top another quarter with lean protein (3 to 6 ounces of fish, chicken or tofu) and the last quarter with whole grains (1/2 to 1 cup of brown rice, sweet potatoes or whole wheat pasta).

• Eat every meal. When you wait longer than five hours between bites, your body may release extra cortisol, a hormone that can increase appetite. I call it "hangry." I get hungry and angry: My stomach starts to burn and my brain gets annoyed at every little thing. Then I eat whatever is in front of me, usually a cookie or other sweet, empty-calorie treat. I realize I'm putting out the "hangry" fires, but it is better not to get there in the first place!

For additional tips on eating healthy without hating it (and shedding pounds in the process), check out SELF's Eat Like Me blog, by Cristin Dillon, R.D.

Posted by Hesty at 01:36 1 comments  

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