Frozen Yoghurt

Question #1

Is frozen yogurt healthy when compared to ice cream?

The obvious answer is (as you guessed) yogurt will be the healthier alternative, although you’ll need to read labels carefully to avoid surprises. But be careful! Be sure to real their nutrition facts. Some “healthy frozen yogurt” can have a fat content of up to 15 grams per cup which exceeds that of many ice creams. If choosing between a low fat ice cream and yogurt, the low fat ice cream could actually still win out, depending upon the brand and the nutritional facts.

Question #2

Is frozen yogurt healthy when compared to regular yogurt?

When it comes to nutrition, standard yogurt is more wholesome compared to frozen yogurt. Frozen yogurt, as a generalization, is lower in calcium and protein than yogurt found in the dairy case. In fact, the calcium content of regular yogurt is almost twice that of the frozen variety. Both standard and frozen yogurt can be quite high in carbohydrates since companies use sugar to add taste appeal. If you’re concerned about the sugar content, look for brands of frozen yogurt without added sugar or brands that are sweetened with Splenda.

Question #3

Are there any additional health benefits of frozen yogurt?

Healthy frozen yogurt contains probiotic. These probiotic, by generating good bacteria, help to promote better digestion. It appears that these friendly bacteria are able to survive the freezing process required to make healthy frozen yogurt and still retain their ability to positively affect your gut. Look for a brand that advertises that it contains live cultures.

The Conclusion

The conclusion? Although frozen yogurt may not be as healthy as standard yogurt in terms of protein and calcium content, it does have some advantages over ice cream including greater digestibility and the presence of probiotic cultures in some brands. In terms of fat and sugar content, it pays to read labels closely.

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Cortisol is a hormone the body produces under stress. Lots of fitness books have pointed out about a potential link between high levels of cortisol and excess abdominal fat.

The idea is that dieting - which produces stress for most of us - increases cortisol levels. And for women who have dieted on and off again throughout life, they may end up looking more like “apples” than “pears” because of bigger waistlines that may be associated with high cortisol levels. The negative effect of stress caused by isn’t all what meets the eye either. Real health risks accompany excess fat in the abdomen - like increased chances of developing diabetes and even heart disease.

A study published last year have demonstrated that women who constantly restrict food (that is, who constantly forced themselves to diet) have higher levels of cortisol. Researchers speculate that this high cortisol level may cause bone illness. Other studies suggest cortisol levels may be a predictor of fractures for older adults.

Well forgot about the stress hormones, only stress itself makes it harder for women to put their good intentions into action. It puts us on edge, sometimes making the least challenge something that causes us to mindlessly revert back to old, unhealthy habits.

So How Do We Reduce Stress?

In order to reduce stress we need to live a healthy lifestyle such as:

1. Feed yourself well.
Forget calories and fat grams. Instead, focus on feeding yourself balanced meals and snacks when you’re hungry and stopping when you’re satisfied. Most of us get hungry about every 3-5 hours, but if you’re not sure when you’re hungry and when you’re not, try putting yourself on a schedule that starts with breakfast and includes lunch and dinner and 2-3 snacks, if hungry. Also be sure to eat balanced meals that include Grains/Starchy Vegetables, Protein Foods and Fruits &/or Vegetables. If you’re particularly hungry between meals, make sure your snacks include Protein Foods, which may help you be better satisfied. For a list of the types of foods that qualify as Grains/Starchy Vegetables, Protein Foods and Fruits &/or Vegetables, see our healthy eating recipes section.

2. Flush away the term “good,” “bad,” and “forbidden” foods.
Bottom line: If we forbid a food, it often makes us want it more. So learn to eat all foods, and learn to tune in to what you really want, not just what you think you want because you “shouldn’t” have it.

3 . Move and exercise your body regularly.
There’s much more to physical activity than burning calories. It’s a tremendous stress reducer, and its feel-good benefits kick in almost immediately! Make your regular physical activity something you look forward to by coming up with fun ways to move your body. Try dancing, skiing, snowshoeing, gardening, playing catch with the kids. And, remember, you don’t need to devote long periods every day to physical activity. If your day is already too busy, you can work your activity in to your daily routine and still get important benefits.

4. Think positively about yourself and your body.
Just imagine that you’ve been eating well, you’ve been moving your body regularly, and you’re feeling great. You have been wanting to get fitter for some time now, and you feel like you’ve gotten off to a great start. Then you happen to glance over in the store window and see your reflection. How do you feel now?

5. Take time for yourself every day.
Whether it’s 10 minutes to reflect and relax, or whether it’s some fun activity that will revitalize you. You need to pamper your own body! Make a list of activities that you really like and try to find time for at least one every day. Here are a few activities to get you thinking about what you can do to help yourself to regular “time-outs.”

6. Get a massage or foot reflexy.

7. Listen to a relaxation music.

8. Take a long, relaxing bubble bath.

9. Take a yoga class.

Above activities will certainly help you relieve tension and stress from your mind. Remember the motto, in the healthy body lives a healthy mind. If you think positively, positive stuff will come to you. And without realizing, you’d be 7 kg lighter when you keep thinking positively.

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The fat in the abdominal area functions differently than any other fat elsewhere in the body. Abdominal fat has greater blood supply as well as more receptors for cortisol, a stress hormone. Cortisol levels rise and fall throughout the day, but when you’re under constant stress, the amount of the hormone you produce remains elevated.
High stress will result in high cortisol levels, and high cortisol levels will encourage more fat to be deposited in the abdominal area.

Therefore: If stress levels are high, abdominal fat will increase
These exercises can help yoga people to get rid of that intra-abdominal fat and in the process reduce their risk for some chronic illnesses.

Pavan-Muktasan

Pavan-Muktasan pose

Time: 1/2 minutes each leg.

Method: Lie down on your back. Breath in. Then fold the left leg from the knees. Hold the fingers together and bring the folded leg to touch the stomach. Lift the head and touch the nose to the knee. The other leg remains straight. Hold the breath. Come to original position and leave the breath. Follow the same for the other leg.

This pose will remove gas from the abdomen and reduces abdominal fat. It will also increase the flexibility of the knees and hips.

Bhujangasan

Bhujangasan (cobra)

Time: 1/2 minutes.

Method: Lie on your stomach, forehead on the ground, hands under shoulders. Raise your upper body by the strength of the back muscles, head up. Don’t take help of the hands, they may remain on the ground or held on the back over the hips.

This pose will help in keeping the dorsal spine elastic and strong. Good for people with backache. Helps considerably in reducing abdominal fat.

Dhanurasan- the bow

the bow

Time: 1/2 minute

Method: Lie on your stomach. Bend knees, hold the ankles. Pull your hands and push with your legs, knees together, till the trunk forms an arch with only the stomach on the ground. Look up. After releasing the posture lie for a while in Shavasan.

This pose reduces abdominal fat. The compressing of the spinal column, pressing the nerves with the scapulae minimizes blood circulation while in the asana. But when the pose is released a greater supply of blood is endured to those very regions increasing spinal flexibility and definitely raising the vitality.

So those are some yoga poses you can do to reduce abdominal fat. I would say that it is less painful than sit ups, but of course sit ups work faster and better. Good luck!! NAMASTE!

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Emma Bunton's Diet and Exercise

Emma Bunton’s Diet

Emma practises portion control to stay in shape, she dislikes strict diet. “I’m careful. I don’t have carbs for dinner, but I love crisps and Coke and great wine and Chinese food. “I could never be one of those people who thinks about their figure 24/7.”

She always makes sure that she consumes the right nutrients but in smaller portions. And when she’s feeling hungry in between meals, she snacks on fruit.

“A diet without chocolate was never going to work “It takes a while to lose the baby weight, but I didn’t feel I had to starve myself. There are some things you can’t deny yourself. As much chocolate as possible, please! And obviously, going straight on tour hurried things along a bit!”

Emma Bunton’s Workout

Emma hit the gym to get back in shape after delivering her son. She also danced to get rid of her post-baby weight.
“I always say dancing is the very best way to lose weight.” “I didn’t feel any great pressure. I breastfed for four months, which helped. I did everything in moderation. I went to the gym three times a week, not seven – being stuck on a running machine for hours on end is so dull.”

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1. Menopause

Ok while this does not hold for men, this kind of holds true for women. After menopause, fat begins to store itself in different places and often times focuses around the tummy.

2. Genetics

While this is not entirely true (Jessica Alba’s parents are both huge and fat), scientists suggest that there is a link between big belly and genetics.
There are two common body types: apple and pear. If you gain and store fat in lower parts of your body then you would be considered pear-shaped.
If you’re the kind of person that stores more fat in your stomach and middle section than anywhere else then you would be considered apple-shaped.

3. Stress

When you are under stress, your body releases the hormone called cortisol. This hormone causes your liver to make excess sugar that your body doesn’t really need. As a result, you begin to feel hungrier and begin to eat more. Most of those calories that you consume go straight to your stomach!

4. Improper Digestion

Improper digestion due to stress may cause several kinds of gastrointestinal problems leaving you gassy and bloated. Many people who complain about persistent belly fat often times have gas which causes the bloating effect.

5. Slow Metabolism

As we get older, our metabolism tends to slow down. That means you don’t burn calories as fast or as easily as you did when you were younger. A slower metabolism can also result in extra storage of fat and yes…particularly around the middle.

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Now fortunately, experts find the myth to be wrong. Judy L. Cameron, PhD, senior scientist at the Oregon National Primate Research Center conducted research to 20 monkeys to see if eating before sleep does increase body fat.
For anyone trying to lose weight, believing this myth is a no brainer. Eat an early dinner and leave time for your body to digest the food before you go to sleep, and PRESTO, your on the track to losing weight.

The result: There was no difference in weight gain between monkeys that are fed during the day and those that are fed during the night.

The truth is “weight gain depends on how many calories we eat, not what time or when we eat them”

As much as we want it to, our bodies do not have a mind of their own. They cannot tell time and shut down production because we are sleep. In fact, our bodies were made to do four things: breathe, swallow food, digest food into energy, and dispose of the trash that is left. Our body does not have break time. Whether it be day or night, asleep or awake, our body keeps working.

More importantly, the body does not recognize time. The idea of losing the calories before they are turned into fat is not based on logic. Realistically, the body is constantly converting food into energy. No matter when you work out, you burn energy. So again, WEIGHT GAIN is really is CALORIE INTAKE - CALORIE OUTTAKE, and does not depend on time of calorie intake. However, it is still best not to eat right before you sleep. Your digestive organs need some help from gravity to do its work. If you are sleeping, then the food will get slower to be digested.

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1. Drink Tea Everyday

Kate Beckinsale is a big fan of green tea, and as she drinks it everyday she has stunning body. Research shows that people who drink tea at once a day lose up to ten percent more calories than people who do not drink tea. So what makes tea so special? Well, tea contains catechins which help give metabolisms an extra push throughout the day. Add a little honey and apple cider vinegar to tea and get an even better metabolism boost.

2. Drinking ice cold water instead of soda

Some research proved that people who drink four to five glasses of ice water each day burn off extra calories. This is because the body burns off calories by having to work harder to reduce the temperature of cold beverages.

3. Drink a High Protein Shake

Many experts agree that a high-protein breakfast increases metabolism all throughout the day. Protein requires more energy to digest and high-protein shakes help bodies preserve lean muscle while burning fat. High-protein shakes are one the best ways to get the day started out right for weight loss with beverages.

4. Drink less alcohol

Alcohol is calories without any nutrition. Drinking alcohol also makes people retain water and makes it harder to lose fat. Even low calorie alcohol are still a barrier to weight loss due to their concentration of calories per gram and the body’s need to burn alcohol first before burning food.

So those are some tips for losing weight by drinking right. Hope that helps!!

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1. Get a full night’s sleep. Getting enough sleep may help prevent winter weight gain. According to a USAToday.com article, “too little sleep can make you fat.” When you don’t get enough sleep, the hormone levels related to hunger cues increase while those related to satiation decrease. When you’re sleepy, you eat more and gain more weight.

2. Keep eating breakfast. Breakfast is definitely the most important meal of the day. According to Kathleen M. Zelman, a registered dietician, breakfast eaters weigh less than breakfast skippers. Get to bed in time enough to get your day off to a good start with a healthy breakfast.

3. Limit your holiday food intake. Turkeys, banana cake, christmas cake, they all are tasty, but remember to limit consuming them. You can eat all of them but in little portion.

4. Eat regularly. Skipping meals can lead to weight gain.

5. Mind what you drink. Don’t drink extra calories like juice, eggnog, soda and holiday cocktails. Be sure to drink plenty of water. Also, consider adding club soda to wine or liquor to reduce caloric intake.

6. Do indoor exercises. Here are some samples of exercises you can do at home:
* Skipping rope in the garage.
* Climb up and down the stairs of your home.
* Do chores such as sweeping, mopping or shoveling.
* Dance around the house.
* Jog in place 30 -40 minutes, 4 times each week (you can break it up to fit your schedule).

So those are some tips. Good luck and stay slim!

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• January 30, 2010 — Why people tend to gain weight during winter.. (0)

The fact is that YES, our body must generate internal heat to maintain a constant average temperature (98 F). To do this the body will convert available and stored energy into body heat. As the result, our body burns more calories creating heat to maintain warmth and create perspiration. This perspiration will show immediate weight loss, but then will be restored again once you consume liquid.

However, cold weather tend to make us lazy to go out and exercise. On holiday season, we tend to gather with families in our home, eating together. Moreover, during winter there are two festives that will make us eat a lot: Thanksgiving and Christmas. Unfortunately, the fat we gain from :Laziness of going outside + holiday food” is much greater than “calories burnt due to cold weather.” As the result, we tend to gain weight during winter season.

So, stay slim during this winter by keep doing exercise despite the 10 inch snow outside, and also…watch your Thanksgiving diet!

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Kelly Hu diet and exercise

Kelly Hu’s Diet

Kelly watches her fat intake, and eats lots of fruits and vegetables. She tries to get a lot of live enzymes avoiding all processed foods and sodas, and alcohol. She enjoys things in moderation.

Kelly Hu’s Exercise

For exercise Kelly does 3-4 days of hard workouts, from Kickboxing, and Karate to yoga. Her fitness goals center around building strength not bulking up. Isometrics rather than free weights.

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