Monday, 3 June 2013
Thursday, 21 February 2013
5 surprising secrets for a flatter stomach
1. Stop doing so many crunches
Most people think that to achieve a flat, toned stomach you need to do a thousand crunches every morning before work, but that’s just not true. The surprising secret is that doing lots of ab specific exercises will only help you tone that area on a short-term basis, if at all.
To get the flat stomach you want, you have to work your entire core, building up its strength and flexibility. Doing exercises like Pilates or stability ball work will help you do this. Working your core is the key to achieving a flat stomach because it works all of the muscles in your stomach area, such as the rectus abdominis, your internal and external obliques and your transversus abdominis.
2. Stock up on whole grains
A study that was published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition discovered a surprising secret for a flatter stomach. The study gave participants a healthy diet to eat, consisting of fruit, vegetables, low-fat dairy products, meat and fish. However, they gave one set of participants wholegrain foods to eat and the other set of participants refined grain foods.
At the end of the study those participants who had eaten the wholegrain foods had lost more weight from their stomachs than those who ate the refined grain foods. The researchers believe that the participants who ate more whole grains and ate less refined carbs lost more from their waistlines because this change in diet mobilised people’s fat stores because of a shift in their glucose and insulin response. If you want to swap refined grains for whole grains, eat less yeast-based breads, pasta and cakes or cookies and eat more foods such as oats (which contains as many antioxidants as broccoli and spinach), brown rice and wheat berries.
3. Get some sleep
It may seem as though sleep has nothing to do with your dream of having a flat stomach, but it does. If you don’t get enough sleep then your hormone levels change, which can make you feel hungry and can also make you feel less satisfied once you have eaten. This can lead to overeating. Plus those late nights watching TV or going out with friends gives you more time to snack and reach for unhealthy foods.
So, how much sleep should you be getting? ISAAC advises adults that they should sleep for no less than seven hours a night. If you struggle to get this much sleep make sure you are exercising regularly, that you don’t nap during the day and that you eat foods that contain tryptophan (an amino acid that helps you sleep), such as chicken, milk and yoghurt.
4. Time your meals
If you eat food quickly then you might find that you are eating more than you actually need to. Slowing down the pace you eat meals at will help you to achieve a flatter stomach because you will eat smaller portions. Also a study published in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism found that eating quickly did not allow the hormone that makes you feel full to kick in. Therefore when eating quickly you are far more likely to eat more than is necessary.
To stop eating so quickly you should make sure you eat at your dining table and do not eat in front of the TV. Concentrating and savouring what you are tucking into will help slow down the rate you eat at. You could also set a timer and try to consciously slow down so that you eat the last bites of your food when the timer goes off. Also, a study found that soft lighting and gentle music helped participants eat less quickly so you could always dim the lights and put on some Enya too.
5. Tuck into some enzymes
An enzyme that will help you achieve a flatter stomach is called bromelain and it can be found in pineapples. The bromelain enzyme digests protein and is called a proteolytic enzyme. It is useful for those who want a flatter stomach because it aids the digestion of foods that are high in fibre, such as beans or vegetables. By aiding the digestion of these foods this enzyme eases bloating, which is a major obstacle that stands between many people and their flat stomachs.
If you want to get a flat stomach and think the bromelain enzyme might help you to achieve this then you should eat some fresh pineapple before a meal to aid your digestion. The enzyme can also be taken as a supplement.
Most people think that to achieve a flat, toned stomach you need to do a thousand crunches every morning before work, but that’s just not true. The surprising secret is that doing lots of ab specific exercises will only help you tone that area on a short-term basis, if at all.
To get the flat stomach you want, you have to work your entire core, building up its strength and flexibility. Doing exercises like Pilates or stability ball work will help you do this. Working your core is the key to achieving a flat stomach because it works all of the muscles in your stomach area, such as the rectus abdominis, your internal and external obliques and your transversus abdominis.
2. Stock up on whole grains
A study that was published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition discovered a surprising secret for a flatter stomach. The study gave participants a healthy diet to eat, consisting of fruit, vegetables, low-fat dairy products, meat and fish. However, they gave one set of participants wholegrain foods to eat and the other set of participants refined grain foods.
At the end of the study those participants who had eaten the wholegrain foods had lost more weight from their stomachs than those who ate the refined grain foods. The researchers believe that the participants who ate more whole grains and ate less refined carbs lost more from their waistlines because this change in diet mobilised people’s fat stores because of a shift in their glucose and insulin response. If you want to swap refined grains for whole grains, eat less yeast-based breads, pasta and cakes or cookies and eat more foods such as oats (which contains as many antioxidants as broccoli and spinach), brown rice and wheat berries.
3. Get some sleep
It may seem as though sleep has nothing to do with your dream of having a flat stomach, but it does. If you don’t get enough sleep then your hormone levels change, which can make you feel hungry and can also make you feel less satisfied once you have eaten. This can lead to overeating. Plus those late nights watching TV or going out with friends gives you more time to snack and reach for unhealthy foods.
So, how much sleep should you be getting? ISAAC advises adults that they should sleep for no less than seven hours a night. If you struggle to get this much sleep make sure you are exercising regularly, that you don’t nap during the day and that you eat foods that contain tryptophan (an amino acid that helps you sleep), such as chicken, milk and yoghurt.
4. Time your meals
If you eat food quickly then you might find that you are eating more than you actually need to. Slowing down the pace you eat meals at will help you to achieve a flatter stomach because you will eat smaller portions. Also a study published in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism found that eating quickly did not allow the hormone that makes you feel full to kick in. Therefore when eating quickly you are far more likely to eat more than is necessary.
To stop eating so quickly you should make sure you eat at your dining table and do not eat in front of the TV. Concentrating and savouring what you are tucking into will help slow down the rate you eat at. You could also set a timer and try to consciously slow down so that you eat the last bites of your food when the timer goes off. Also, a study found that soft lighting and gentle music helped participants eat less quickly so you could always dim the lights and put on some Enya too.
5. Tuck into some enzymes
An enzyme that will help you achieve a flatter stomach is called bromelain and it can be found in pineapples. The bromelain enzyme digests protein and is called a proteolytic enzyme. It is useful for those who want a flatter stomach because it aids the digestion of foods that are high in fibre, such as beans or vegetables. By aiding the digestion of these foods this enzyme eases bloating, which is a major obstacle that stands between many people and their flat stomachs.
If you want to get a flat stomach and think the bromelain enzyme might help you to achieve this then you should eat some fresh pineapple before a meal to aid your digestion. The enzyme can also be taken as a supplement.
Saturday, 16 February 2013
6 drinks to fight ageing
Water
When to Drink: At the Alarm Guzzle water, Dr. Geetika suggests. Hydrating will help beat that groggy feeling and make your skin look its glowy best (both now and later in life), says Dr. Geetika Mittal Gupta, M.D., a dermatologist at ISAAC, New Delhi
When to Drink: At the Alarm Guzzle water, Dr. Geetika suggests. Hydrating will help beat that groggy feeling and make your skin look its glowy best (both now and later in life), says Dr. Geetika Mittal Gupta, M.D., a dermatologist at ISAAC, New Delhi
Coffee
When to Drink: At Breakfast Coffee may help your heart and (if you take it black) metabolism, and it reduces risk for some types of cancer, studies show.
When to Drink: At Breakfast Coffee may help your heart and (if you take it black) metabolism, and it reduces risk for some types of cancer, studies show.
Green tea
When to Drink: At Lunch Sip tea. Green kick-starts metabolism and can help fend off breast cancer. Black may lower blood pressure, research from the University of Western Australia suggests.
When to Drink: At Lunch Sip tea. Green kick-starts metabolism and can help fend off breast cancer. Black may lower blood pressure, research from the University of Western Australia suggests.
Hot cocoa
When to Drink: P.M. Snack Hot cocoa (have it over ice if you can't take the heat) has more antioxidants than does coffee, red wine or green tea. Great for your heart and skin.
When to Drink: P.M. Snack Hot cocoa (have it over ice if you can't take the heat) has more antioxidants than does coffee, red wine or green tea. Great for your heart and skin.
Red Wine
When to Drink: At Dinner Enjoy a glass of red wine: Piceatannol, a compound your body makes when you drink vino, could stunt fat-cell growth (woot!),
When to Drink: At Dinner Enjoy a glass of red wine: Piceatannol, a compound your body makes when you drink vino, could stunt fat-cell growth (woot!),
Milk
When to Drink: Before Bed Grab milk—your skeleton will love the calcium, and your muscles will love the protein. You'll wake up even stronger.
When to Drink: Before Bed Grab milk—your skeleton will love the calcium, and your muscles will love the protein. You'll wake up even stronger.
Monday, 4 February 2013
Egg, Avocado & Mud Facial Mask Recipe
Clay is available in powder form at any health food store.
Mix 1 tablespoon dry clay with 1 egg yolk,
1/4 of a mashed avocado
and enough witch hazel to create a smooth mixture.
Mud dries excess sebum while the egg yolk and avocado replenish lost moisture.
1/4 of a mashed avocado
and enough witch hazel to create a smooth mixture.
Mud dries excess sebum while the egg yolk and avocado replenish lost moisture.
Thursday, 24 January 2013
What you eat show on your SKIN
Salmon to prevent
premature ageing
A healthy skin desires essential fatty acids and most kinds
of sea food have them in more or less amounts. As a premier source of omega-3 fatty
acids, cold-water, oily fishes are laden with anti-inflammatory
essential fatty acids. And salmon is an excellent example of that. People who
ate diets rich in such foods have shown late appearance of skin wrinkling, as
omega-3 fatty acids prevents the skin from drying out, keeping it supple and
elastic for a longer time.
If you don’t like fish, opt for fish oil capsules, at least.
Green tea for
acne-free skin
This wonder drink is full of antioxidants, which helps
reduce inflammation and protect cell membranes. Green tea, considerably
reduces damage caused by overexposure to ultraviolet light and sunburns.
Sipping on green tea can also help in fighting acne as it
lowers production of an acne producing hormone called dihydrotestosterone
(DHT). Brewing up three to five cups of green tea every day is recommended to
reap the full benefits for your skin.
Berries for
protection against the harmful UV rays
Deeply coloured berries such as blackberries, blueberries,
blackcurrant, raspberries, cranberries, strawberries and the likes are good
food for your skin. Berries help the body construct collagen which makes the
skin smooth and supple. Brimming with antioxidant, berries are effective in
neutralising damaging free radicals (a leading cause of premature skin aging
and cell damage) generated in the skin by excessive exposure to UV rays.
Brown rice for
well-hydrated skin
Brown is definitely better than white rice. The fiber-packed
brown rice and other whole grains work like a charm in getting blemish free and
firm skin. Whole grains contain ceramides, the lipid molecules which help your
skin maintain its moisture. Naturally occurring ceramides get incorporated into
the outer layer of skin and help in maintaining its hydration.
Eggs to help repair
skin cells
Crack open some eggs. Protein helps repair cells that have
suffered free radical damage. Eggs, a complete source of protein, also contain
biotin, an essential vitamin that protects against dry skin. Protein in eggs
helps repair cells that have suffered free radical damage. Eggs, being a
complete source of protein also score high on nutrients like biotin, an
essential vitamin that protects against skin drying. Egg-white protein provides
all of the twenty-two amino acids in balanced proportion with essential amino
acids. The good news is egg-white protein contains no cholesterol!
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