? HEALTH<http://reachhealth.blogspot.com/> <http://fusion.google.com/add?source=atgs&feedurl=http://feeds.feedburner.com/blogspot/healthandmedicine> <http://reachhealth.blogspot.com/> * Four Healthy Flat Stomach Snack Options<outbind://482/#1> * Causes of Weight Gain<outbind://482/#2> * Simple Carbohydrates vs. Complex Carbohydrates<outbind://482/#3> * Four Healthy Foods to Help You Beat Stress<outbind://482/#4> Four Healthy Flat Stomach Snack Options<http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/healthandmedicine/~3/t8tJYO3O230/click.phdo?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email> Posted: 21 Feb 2010 05:52 AM PST A new week of working towards your fitness goals and flat stomach is about to begin. It doesn't matteranymore if you didn't stick to your diet last week or missed a few workouts. Its a new week and now is the time to plan and make sure you don't make the same mistakes as last week. Or if you had a perfect week last week ? ate every meal you had to and had some AWESOME workouts, its time to make sure that this week is perfect yet again. In order to ensure a successful week I've created a list of four of my favorite healthy snack options that are quick and easy to put together, plus GOOD for you. In order to ensure maximum fat loss and great results, its better to eat 5 to 6 smaller meals a day, two of them (between breakfast and lunch then between lunch and dinner) can be what I like to call 'snacks'. Adding these snacks into your flat stomach diet is going to help you keep your metabolism going and burning fat all day long, even when you're at work sitting in front of the computer. Most importantly, they're tasty. Many people think that the term 'healthy' means 'no flavor' or 'tastes like cardboard' ? no ma'am! I'm personally not a fan of cardboard ? SO I'm not going to share anything with you that tastes that bad! Now that I have your mouth watering?here we go! Yogurt ? Yogurt is simple and easy to pack, especially if you're on the go. Yogurt is a great source of protein and healthy fat. Add some fresh fruit or some granola (depending on your carb intake) and you'll have a tasty sweet treat to keep you going until lunch. Natural Peanut Butter ? Easily my favorite flat stomach diet staple. Put a tablespoon of peanut butter on some celery, an apple, or a low fat rice cake for a quick snack that will fill you up. Sometimes, I forget the vegetable or fruit and just eat peanut butter right out of the jar! Its SO tasty and a great source of natural healthy fat that will help keep your burning the 'bad' fat. Almonds ? Almonds are an AWESOME snack time option, not only because they are tasty but they are SO good for you! Almonds are a great source of fiber, Vitamin E, and magnesium (that's just on top of the usual protein and healthy fat). Almonds help lower blood pressure, fight heart disease and help you build muscle. Next time your hungry, have a few almonds and let the fighting of fat and high blood pressure begin. Blueberries - Instead of reaching for the bowl of M&M's on your desk ? next time reach for a handful of blueberries. This delicious sweet snack have loads of benefits, as research has recently discovered. Blueberries have the highest levels of antioxidants, which will help fight disease, and they are a great source of fiber, which helps prevent the absorption of some fat. Add your blueberries to your yogurt or cottage cheese, or even eat them by yourself and you'll be satisfied until your next meal. There are so many healthy snack options, these are just a few of my favorite to get you through this week. Another quick tip for successful weight loss this week ? make sure to add these delicious treats to your grocery list and buy your food for the week before the week starts. Knowing what you are going to eat all week only helps to set you up for weight loss success ? ensuring that you have all the food you need all week long. Then pack up your meals the night before and your ready to go!A new week of working towards your fitness goals and flat stomach is about to begin. It doesn't matter anymore if you didn't stick to your diet last week or missed a few workouts. Its a new week and now is the time to plan and make sure you don't make the same mistakes as last week. Or if you had a perfect week last week ? ate every meal you had to and had some AWESOME workouts, its time to make sure that this week is perfect yet again. Causes of Weight Gain<http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/healthandmedicine/~3/fkCY4oYVuZ0/click.phdo?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email> Posted: 21 Feb 2010 05:54 AM PST Unfortunately, the thought of gaining weight is one that we all despise. Some weight gains can be positive, when done for specific reasons, such as trying to gain more muscle or if you are recovering from an illness in which you lost excessive weight. However, a rapid increase in weight, can be extremely unhealthy, and something that can lead to serious health risks and problems in the future, such as diabetes, heart disease, or other such issues. The only way to avoid excessive weight gain is to be aware of how excessive rapid weight gain happens in order to avoid it from occurring while we are on our flat stomach diet. So what causes rapid weight gain? - Serious Health or Medical Condition: Studies have shown that rapid weight gain that is not caused because of pregnancy can be the sign of a serious illness that involves the endocrine systems as well as the hearts and lungs. - Retention of Fluids: Not drinking enough water or not drinking enough fluids may require your body to hold fluids, causing weight gain. - Imbalance of Nutrients: Changes in eating patterns, the type of food that is being eaten or the amount of food eaten can change the types of nutrients in the body. The imbalance of nutrients in the body may cause rapid weight gain as your body is not quite sure how to respond to these quick changes. - Food Allergies: When your body is allergic to something there are various ways your body will react to the problem. Some people develop rashes, or irregular breathing patterns when they smell or eat a particular type of food. In some rare cases some people have even been shown to gain excessive amounts of weight due to the allergy of a particular food.. Simple Carbohydrates vs. Complex Carbohydrates<http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/healthandmedicine/~3/EJIxD8ZzmBY/click.phdo?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email> Posted: 21 Feb 2010 05:56 AM PST I'm sure you've probably heard the term 'good' carbohydrates and 'bad' carbohydrates or 'complex' carbohydrates vs. 'simple' carbohydrates, but what exactly does that all mean? Understanding the difference between these two types of carbohydrates is essential to any flat stomach diet. If you are not aware of good or bad carbohydrates you will continue down the same path, without seeing results. So without getting too technical we're going to explore the world of carbohydrates here. A carbohydrate is a macro-nutrient that provides calories and energies to our bodies on a daily basis. Carbohydrates provide the most energy, of the three major macro-nutrient sources (protein and fat are the other two) and are required for daily activities, as well as the daily function of your body (heartbeat, brain function, digestion). Simple Carbohydrates Simple carbohydrates are digested quickly because they are made up of individual sugar molecules. These carbohydrates are ready to be absorbed quickly into the body. The quick absorption of the sugar can either make it readily available as an energy source. However, when you ingest large amounts of simple carbohydrates, such as the sugar levels found in cookies or cakes, you are ingesting a large amount of energy or sugar. Your body does not need this massive amount of sugar at one time, so instead of using the energy immediately your body will then turn the sugar into glycogen (sugar storage in the cells) or turn it into fat. Your body does not need large amounts of glycogen, so the majority of the simple carbohydrate foods get stored as fat in your body. Many sources of simple carbohydrates are bad for you, as you can see from the list below. However, fruit contains simple carbohydrates as well as some fiber. The fiber in fruit and the low level of sugars in the fruit make it a good source of simple carbohydrates, because it won't get stored as quickly as fat. Fruit is a recommended source of carbohydrates when compared with the list below. Examples of Foods with Simple Carbohydrates: - Soda - Candy - Cake - Fruit Juice - Foods made with white flour - Corn Syrup - Table Sugar Complex Carbohydrates Complex carbohydrates, or starches, as the name suggests, are more complex than simple carbohydrates. To get momentarily scientific are sugar molecules that are bonded together into a chain. Since the chains of these carbohydrates are longer, it takes the digestive enzymes in your body longer to break them down into the usable energy of individual sugar molecules. The slow breakdown and absorption of the individual sugars into the intestines provides us with a steady supply of energy for a longer period of time. Since it takes longer to absorb the complex carbohydrates our body then uses the energy as needed, and less of the sugar is then stored as fat. Foods that are made up of complex carbohydrates are also made up with fiber, with also help with your digestion process. Examples of Complex Carbohydrates: - Green Vegetables (spinach, broccoli, asparagus) - Whole Wheat foods - Brown/Whole Grain Rice - Strawberries - Yams/Sweet Potatoes - Oatmeal - Beans (Lentils, Kidney, Soy, etc) - Muesli - Tomatoes - Eggplant In order to get the flat stomach of your dreams your flat stomach diet should consist of more complex carbohydrates then simple carbohydrates. This ensures that your body is constantly burning fat, instead of storing simple sugars as fat. Now that you know the difference between these two carbohydrates ? the good vs. the bad ? you can make the right decisions at meal time, to ensure you aren't making it harder for yourself to reach your flat stomach goals Four Healthy Foods to Help You Beat Stress<http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/healthandmedicine/~3/Qnfj2dd3FEw/click.phdo?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email> Posted: 21 Feb 2010 05:57 AM PST We all get a little bit stressed out?especially now with the holiday season fast approaching. When time is not on our side and things need to get done, our nerves begin to fray. But don't despair ? there are many ways to help calm your nerves and help you make it through this festive of seasons. For some of us working up a sweat at the gym, with our flat stomach workout, will bring back your sanity and for some of us food is the only answer. However, if done the wrong way calming our nerves with stress only leads to more frustration as we fall off of our flat stomach goals. Today I'm going to share with you four foods that can help you fight stress, without taking you off the path to your flat stomach. Fish - Studies have found that an increase of Omega-3 fatty acids in your diet can help calm your nerves and get rid of anxiety. So this season make sure to include an ample amount of healthy fat in your diet to help control your anxiety. Spinach ? The mineral, magnesium, found in spinach, helps to decrease the effects of stress on the body. Consuming about three cups of spinach daily, about 40% of your daily need of magnesium, will help to control your blood pressure during stressful events. Oatmeal ? Oatmeal is FULL of Vitamin B, which helps to produce serotonin in your body. Serotonin is an esential neurotransmitter that sends calming signals to your brain. Oatmeal is also a complex carbohydrate, thus the slow digestion of oatmeal provides for the steady production of serotonin in your body and the steady calming of your nerves. Chocolate ? Yes ? I'll let you have a small amount of chocolate this holiday season, especially since the cocao boosts the levels of neurochemicals in your body. These neurochemicals produced by chocolate help the brain produce the feelings of happiness and relaxation. Just what we all need during these times. However, don't over-indulge with the chocolate ? just a few squares of dark chocolate are all you need to relax and smile.. DISCLAIMER: Notice : This e-mail and any attachments may contain information which is confidential to the addressee and may also be privileged. If you are not the intended recipient of this e-mail, you may not copy, forward, disclose or otherwise use it in any way whatsoever. 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