The Uses Of Coconut Oil
Coconut oil has many uses. Not only is it good for you but it is also affordable. You can use it as lotion, hair treatment and you can even cook with it. It is available at most local grocers, walmarts, health food stores and even some pharmacies.
According to Dr. Oz “Studies have show that intake of coconut oil can help our bodies mount resistance to both viruses and bacteria that can cause illness. Even more, it also can help to fight off yeast, fungus and candida.” He goes on to say that “one 2009 study found that women who consumed 30 milliliters (about 2 tablespoons) of coconut oil daily for 12 weeks not only did not gain more weight, but actually had lowered amounts of abdominal fat, a type of fat that is difficult to lose.” These are all very good reasons as to why you should add coconut oil into your diet. The following are some of my favourite uses for coconut oil:
Lotion – Coconut oil is very moisturizing. It absorbs well and it also has anti-bacterial properties that are good for the skin.
Baking – Slight coconut taste but its not harsh. It is less fat and full of good omegas. That makes it better for your stomach.
Frying – Much healthier to fry foods with coconut oil. It works as a better medium than butter, and it has a higher smoke point than animal based fats.
Butter Replacement – It makes a great spread. Wherever you put butter you can put coconut oil. Eventually you won’t even notice the difference.
Infections – When applied directly to injury sites, it provides a barrier from additional debris/dust/jerms to aid healing.
Energy Booster – Coconut oils contain and excellent source of Omega-3 fatty acids which are great for boosting energy. Just put some on a table spoon and enjoy.
Hair Mask/Conditioner – Coconut oils can work as a great deep conditioner for the hair, and you can use it daily, as a rinse out; or weekly as a leave-in, under heat.
Sunscreen – Coconut oil actually contains roughly 5 SPF so if you don’t require a high SPF you can definitely lather on the coconut oil.
Base for Body Scrubs – If you mix coconut oil with sea salt it makes a great exfoliating scrub.
Toothpaste – Mix coconut oil, baking soda and mint extract together. Place a dab a little of the mix on your toothbrush and brush.
Deodorant - You can use coconut oil alone as a deodorant. However, it is more effective with combination of cornstarch/arrowroot powder and baking soda.
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The Benefits Of Exercising While Pregnant
Exercise has benefits for everyone. Age is not a factor, nor is ethnicity, height, or experience. Working out can also benefit expecting mothers. Most women benefit greatly from exercising throughout their pregnancy. According to an article by Zawadski the benefits of exercising when pregnant include:
Helping to relieve backaches
Improving posture by strengthening and toning muscles in the back, butt, and thighs
May help prevent or treat gestational diabetes
Increasing energy levels
Noticeable mood changes towards more positive
Reduction in constipation by accelerating movement in the intestine
Increasing the muscle tone, strength, and endurance
Improving in sleep and quality of sleep
Improving the ability to cope with the pain of labor
Helping women regain pre-pregnancy fitness and shape more quicklyAny pregnant woman wanting to exercise should always talk with their healthcare provider first. The personal trainer or instructor should make sure that it is known to the pregnant client’s medical doctor that she will be starting an exercise routine. This is to make sure that there are no complications with the pregnancy where the mother to be could endanger the baby. Usually there is no problems but occasionally there are extreme cases where the mother to be should be on bed rest. So it is important to check with your doctor first.
Why You Need To Hydrate More
Did you know that water makes up one half to two thirds of your body weight? That means someone who is approximately 150lbs has about 10 gallons of water in their body at any given time. Keep in mind that each and every day you lose several gallons of water in urine, sweat and breathing. You need to replace the water that you lose. However, who has the time to drink 8 to 10 glasses of water a day?
According to recent studies on average most people consume all of the water they need. Nutritionist, doctors and fitness experts recommend that you drink eight 8-ounce glasses of water a day. If you are more active you need to drink more. Soda and coffee etc do not count. Also keep in mind that if you eat a lot of vegetables or water based foods you don’t need quite as much water. This applies especially towards vegetables which are composed of a lot of water themselves. If you are wondering if you are properly hydrated keep an eye on your urine. If your urine is pale it indicates that you are properly hydrated. The darker it is the less hydrated you are. If you take vitamins it may darken or brighten your urine even if you are properly hydrated so don’t be alarmed. Another way to tell if you are properly hydrated is that you have to empty your full bladder at least once every 2 to 4 hours.
Drinking water also suppresses your appetite and burns calories. Studies have shown that drinking cold water temporarily burns more calories because your body has to warm it up once it is ingested. It also may facilitate weight loss because it helps people feel full. So drink up!!!!
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Sugar - Why You Should Cut It Out Of Your Diet
What a great topic to discuss on Valentines Day. A staple of the day: SUGAR.
Did you know that today’s 12-ounce soda can contain up to ten teaspoons of sugar and that the average American eats 22.7 teaspoons of sugar a day (National Geographic, 2013). The reason the consumption is so high is because sugar is added to processed food to enhance both the flavour and texture. I suggest staying away from processed sugary foods all together, but often times this is hard to do. When you grocery shop the best way to avoid processed foods is to stick to the outside of the store and stay away from the aisles.
According to Phycology Today sugar can be addictive and have severe effects on the brain and body. “Sugar leads to dopamine release in the nucleus accumbens – an area associated with motivation, novelty, and reward. This is the same brain region implicated in response to cocaine and heroin.” How ridiculous is it to think that eating sugar stimulates the same response as an illegal drug does.
Fructose and sugars are also bad for you because they are processed in the liver and turned into fats. These fats can build up and also enter the blood stream. This can cause health risks that include obesity, hypertension and diabetes. According to AMA Wire these are all prevalent problems affecting the greater part of the American population. “Obesity impacts one in three Americans and is a major contributor to cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes,” said AMA President .
If you are addicted to sugar there are a lot of affordable alternatives to sugar that are readily available and that I use regularly. These alternatives are available at grocery stores, health food stores, specialty food shops or even some corner stores. These alternatives include; Stevia, Xylitol, Coconut Sugar, Maple Syrup, Natural Honey and Brown Rice Syrup. Some times they can be an adjustment and when used in recipes and drinks you may not even notice the difference.
Do your body a favour and try to cut out as much processed and refined sugars that you can. Start by slowly replacing refined sugars and sweeteners and eventually your sweet tooth won’t even notice the difference.
What Are The Best Foods For Digestion?
Do you suffer from indigestion, heart burn, bloating or gas? You are not alone. According to Yahoo around 70 million of American’s suffer from different types of digestive problems each year.
It is important to your overall health to maintain a healthy digestive system. GESA reports that “Although the digestive system can withstand a lot of stress (from the foods you eat to emotional stresses), it can only do so for a limited period. Over time, the negative effects will accumulate and create health problems in the long-term.” Therefore you should watch your diet and take preventative measures to limit the risk of problematic situations occurring.
Although the best way to diagnose and take care of digestive problems is to promptly report any that appear to your doctor, research on nutrition has found that certain foods effect your digestion positively than others. According to Inside Fitness some of these foods include the following five:
Apples: This tasty fruit has a magic combination of both soluble and insoluble fibre helps you eat and digest quickly and easily.
Tumeric: Has been known to help with inflammation which can help smooth out the digestion process as your food travels through your system.
Almonds: These little nuts are filled with digestion enhancing fibre and calcium which also supports many functions in the body.
Peppermint Tea: Is known to calm the stomach muscles and improve the flow of your bile. Try to refrain from the use sweetener or milk.
Coconut Oil: This natural oil is made up of medium chain fatty acids that can help with digestion. You can take it as a supplement, cook with it, add it to smoothies or even use it as a replacement for butter.
For more tips on fitness and healthy eating check out
Alicia Bell is a Toronto based Personal Trainer
www.twitter.com/trainitright
wwww.trainitright.com
Sex Boosts Your Immune System. Yep you read that right!
According to WebMd having sex often actually increases your immune system and “Sexually active people take fewer sick days,” says Yvonne K. Fulbright, PhD a sexual health expert. People who have sex have a higher immune system. This system protects us from germs and viruses. According to the article, researchers at Wilkes University found that college students who had sex once or twice a week had higher levels of the a certain antibody compared to students who had sex less often. So you should hit the sheets and not only make time for your relationship but tell your partner that it is flu and cold season and that this will help keep you healthy all winter long! It also burns calories so add it in for your workout routine!
According to the Huffington Post most of use consume an excess of up to and beyond 500 extra calories of sugar per day. One pound weight gain is equivalent to approximately 3500 calories. This means that the average person is putting themselves at risk to gain a minimum of one extra pound a week.
Here are 10 more reasons to cut back on sugar:
Sugar sweetened beverages are related to obesity
Canadians are drinking roughly twice as many soft drinks now as they did in 1970. Sugary liquids may make us fatter because they don’t curb our appetite for more food.
Sugar enriched beverages are linked to diabetes
Sugar sweetened soft drinks might increase the risk of type 2 diabetes because they’re high in rapidly absorbable carbohydrates. Also, studies have shown that people who eat foods that raise blood sugar levels have a higher risk of diabetes.
Sugar contains empty calories
There’s no question that sugars are a major culprit in obesity, because they’re a source of empty calories that most people don’t need. Sugar has no nutritional benefits whatsoever. Added sugars crowd out healthy foods, or make you fat if eaten in addition to healthy foods.
Sugar-sweetened drinks can raise the risk of heart disease
Excess weight isn not good for the heart. A big belly is one part of the metabolic syndrome, which raises the risk of heart disease (and diabetes). But sugar-sweetened beverages may promote heart disease whether or not they make you gain weight.
Sugar raises triglycerides
When you consume a large dose of glucose, the liver doesn’t pull much of it in if you don’t need the calories. In contrast, fructose ends up in the liver whether you need the calories or not. What does the liver do with all that fructose? It converts some of the fructose into fat, which gets sent into the bloodstream, resulting in higher levels of triglycerides.
Sugar promotes belly fat
According to the Huffington Post A 2010 2010 study in children found "excess fructose intake (but not glucose intake) actually caused visceral fat cells to mature -- setting the stage for a big belly and even bigger future risk for heart disease and diabetes."
Sugar may be linked to cancer production and may effect cancer survival
According to research done by the Huffington Post. A 2013 study found that "sugars in the intestine triggered the formation of a hormone called GIP (it is completely dependant on sugar levels), that in turn, increases insulin released by the pancreas. Researchers found that β-catenin may in fact affect the cells susceptibility to cancer formation. They found an associations between high sugar and starch intake and survival rates in both breast cancer patients and colon patients." This link between sugar and higher cancer risks should make you wan't to cut back if nothing else does.
Sugar can cause over-eating
Leptin is a hormone made by fat cells. It’s supposed to make you stop eating. Over time a high sugar diet blocks the leptin signal in the brain. The result is that you keep eating and no longer know when you are full.
Minimizing added sugars has been known to keep blood pressure down
There’s a possibility that sugar raises blood pressure, but it is not definitive. It is clear that there’s little place for sugar in a diet that’s designed to lower blood pressure.
Most sugary foods are low in nutrients
When you consume high sugar foods from companies such as Coca-cola, Pepsi, Hostess, Dunkin Donuts, Krispy Kreme etc you are getting over fed and under nourished. These foods are high in sugars and low in nutrients. Many are also packed with white flour which does not contain much nutritional value.
Alicia Bell, BSc Kin, CPT, NCCP, CF-L1
For more info follow Alicia on twitter or check out her website
There are a lot of misconceptions about the foods that should be include on the dinner plate. The following are some healthy choices as to what you should include. Make sure it is well rounded and includes multiple food groups. The following foods should be considered as options for an "anytime plate" according to Precision Nutrition. The portions will vary depending on your goals (weight loss, weight gain etc), as well as timing (pre or post workout). More information can be found through the Precision Nutrition Plate Guide.
Drink: Choose water or tea instead of juice or soda as your main beverage.
Leafy Greens and Vegetables: You should choose steamed, raw or roast greens such as lettuce, spinach, cabbage, collards, kale, bok choy, chard, watercress, broccoli, brussel sprouts, asparagus, carrots, green beans, cauliflower, mushrooms, corn, onions, green peas, peppers, zucchini, tomatoes.
Healthy Fats: Seeds, nuts, olives, and avocados. Try to eliminate extracted oils and processed fats (example: margarine).
Whole Grains and Starch Based Vegetables: Some foods include rice, oats, Quinoa, buckwheat, millet, spelt, barley, whole grain pasta. This category also includes beets, parsnips, potatoes, sweet potatoes, and squash. Beans, lentils, soybeans, split peas and tofu are also included in this category.
Lean Meats, Poultry and Fish: Lean ground turkey, lean ground beef, chicken, and fish are all included in this category.
Salt: You should minimize your salt intake by using products with no sodium or low in sodium ingredients. Use salt as a seasoning sparingly. Try and stay inspired and use herbs, spices, vinegars, lemons and limes for seasoning.
For more tips on fitness and healthy eating check out
Alicia Bell is a Toronto based Personal Trainer
www.twitter.com/trainitright
wwww.trainitright.com
One day I was browsing the web and came across a product that caught my attention. Oatworks. This product boasted that it was packed with as much soluble fiber as two bowls of oatmeal, gluten free, vegan friendly, dairy free, non gmo and no cholesterol.
The people over at Oatworks sent me a package of all three flavours to try! Lucky me! The three flavours were pomegranate blueberry, peach mango and strawberry banana.
Once I received the package I made sure to put them in the fridge. Accoring to oatworks "Like friends, Oatworks is best when chilled." Out of the three my favourite was strawberry banana followed by pomegranate blueberry and the peach mango. The ingredients in these drinks are packed full of nutrition. The one thing that I wish it had was more protein. Each flavour on average only has 1g of protein.
If you are looking for a quick on the go way to get a great tasting smoothie, nutrients and your daily fiber I highly recommend picking up Oatworks. These products are available in the USA and unfortunately they are not available in Canada yet. For more information on the product check them out at www.oatworks.com
Congrats to Snooki. She did an amazing transformation and she worked her butt off to do it. Yes it takes time and she did it gradually. Way to go girl! Check out her cover:
Okay, more than a few pounds. Waaay more than a few, actually: The four-foot-nine Jersey Shore personality and new mother shed 42 pounds in six months, and as she told Mehmet Oz, MD, yesterday on The Dr. Oz Show, she did it without starving herself or resorting to any other unhealthy tricks.
She just wants to be a good role model for Lorenzo, her seven-month-old baby, Snooki told Dr. Oz. Hey, she’s already a good role model for all of us who need to clean up a little, whether we’ve been acting out on TV or spending too much time in a seated position watching other people act out on TV. So here are Snooki’s rules for losing weight. The shorthand version: Don’t be like Snooki.
Anti-Snooki Rule #1: Be sensible. It was the first question Dr. Oz asked: How did you lose the weight? “You don't do anything crazy,” Snooki told him. “You just go to the gym. You work out.” She wasn't kidding about that: She goes to the gym five days a week or more. And no half-asleep trudging on a Stairmaster for her, either. Trainer Anthony Michael makes sure she keeps her heart rate up (she wears a monitor) and her core muscles working, with exercises like squats, plank jacks, mountain climbers and stars. She also eats right: lean protein and fruit and vegetables, and plenty of it. She sticks to 1300 calories a day, but with foods like those she can eat whenever she gets hungry. “I worked very hard to lose that weight,” Snooki told Dr. Oz. Sensible!
Anti-Snooki Rule #2: Be patient. Snooki lost a lot of weight fast, but she struggled for the first few weeks when she was doing everything right for no visible reward. “I went to the gym for probably, like, a month and a half and I didn't see any results,” she said. “I’m, like, what the hell’s going on here?” She kept at it, though, and soon enough the weight started to come off and the muscles started to show. Because that’s Snooki: She’s goal-oriented, deals well with frustration, and perseveres. Right? Well, that’s the new Snooki. The anti-Snooki.
Anti-Snooki Rule #3: Be centered. Snooki wanted to make a major change in her life and her body, but not because she hated herself. She was motivated by wanting to be a good role model for baby Lorenzo, and by wanting to be able to keep up with him when he starts to get mobile. “And also I want to look good,” she said (which she does). “I don't want to be skinny—I want to be strong.” Snooki’s bottom line for all of us trying to get from where we are to where we want to be: “You should feel great about yourself, because you're an awesome person.” Then she took a sip of a cocktail Dr. Oz mixed for her: grapefruit, lime juice, and tequila, in a portion-controlled 125-calorie cup. Snooki, here’s to you!
- See more at: http://blog.sharecare.com/2013/04/02/snookis-rules-for-weight-loss/#sthash.2PjsUIgj.dpuf
