Sleeping your way to weight loss sounds like a gimmick, but there is a correlation between how much sleep you get and how lean you are. One study shows that lack of sleep disturbs metabolic and hormonal process, increasing hunger and making it harder to drop those extra pounds. Lack…
When you attend a theme park or a ball game, it’s easy to fall prey to concession stands offering hot dogs, sodas, cheese nachos and other high-calorie favorites. Instead of buying into fattening fare, pack your own cooler. Bring along bottled water, cold cuts, fresh fruit, pretzels and other convenient…
Want the best fitness investment money can buy? Spring for a set of light weights. There’s no denying the benefits of strength training. Too many women base their entire regimen of physical activity on cardio exercise. While running, jogging, walking and doing aerobics are all beneficial to the body, they…
Come mealtime, you can’t lose by going green. We’re talking about stocking up on green fruits and vegetables that are chock-full of vitamins and nutrients. Getting your fill of those leafy greens is a good place to start. Leafy vegetables fit well with any healthy meal plan because they’re low…
Make stretching a mandatory part of every workout. When muscles perform any exercise, they tighten and shorten as a result. Stretching can help maximize your range of motion. A simple warm-up walk while moving your arms in a circular motion is sufficient. When doing strength training, you could stretch each…
So many drinks, so many calories. Beverages seem so innocuous. But like anything else that goes into your mouth, they can quickly become a major diet trap. Take soda for instance. One cup of cola has 136 calories and 9 teaspoons of sugar. An eight ounce serving of Mountain Dew…
Develop coping mechanisms for cravings. When your stomach starts churning for a Snickers bar, do you have a plan? Or do you simply cave in and suffer from a heavy dose of remorse for the remainder of the day? Devise a list of activities that will provide a distraction from…
Low-fat diets were all the rage in the ’90s, and people still seem to want to adhere to the all-or-nothing philosophy of dieting. But moderation pays off when you’re devising a healthy plan for eating. Too little fat can be detrimental to many healthful goals. So how little is too…
It’s a major challenge for many of us to limit the sugar in our diets, mainly because the white stuff is everywhere, especially in processed foods. Take a look at your diet and the sneaky ways sugar makes its way in there, even in seemingly healthful foods. Many fruit juices…
Detox diets seem to be all the rage in the diet and celebrity worlds. But many of them are dangerously low in calories, incorporate suspect supplements or are simply too expensive. A detox diet is too low in calories to maintain for an extended period of time, but it can…