Keys to a Healthy Diet

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A healthy diet is one that helps maintain or improve health. It is important for the prevention of many chronic health risks such as: obesity, heart disease, diabetes, and cancer.

Developing healthy eating habits isn't as confusing or as restrictive as many people imagine. The first principle of a healthy diet is simply to eat a wide variety of foods. This is important because different foods make different nutritional contributions. 

Secondly, fruits, vegetables, grains, and legumes—foods high in complex carbohydrates, fiber, vitamins, and minerals, low in fat, and free of cholesterol—should make up the bulk of the calories you consume. The rest should come from low-fat dairy products, lean meat and poultry, and fish.

You should also try to maintain a balance between calorie intake and calorie expenditure—that is, don't eat more food than your body can utilize. Otherwise, you will gain weight. The more active you are, therefore, the more you can eat and still maintain this balance.

Following these three basic steps doesn't mean that you have to give up your favorite foods. As long as your overall diet is balanced and rich in nutrients and fiber, there is nothing wrong with an occasional cheeseburger. Just be sure to limit how frequently you eat such foods, and try to eat small portions of them.

You can also view healthy eating as an opportunity to expand your range of choices by trying foods—especially vegetables, whole grains, or fruits—that you don't normally eat. A healthy diet doesn't have to mean eating foods that are bland or unappealing.

13 Keys to a Healthy Diet

1 Eat plenty of high-fiber foods

 —that is, fruits, vegetables, beans, and whole grains. These are the "good" carbohydrates—nutritious, filling, and relatively low in calories. They should supply the 20 to 30 grams of dietary fiber you need each day, which slows the absorption of carbohydrates, so there’s less effect on insulin and blood sugar, and provides other health benefits as well. Such foods also provide important vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals (plant chemicals essential to good health).

2 Make sure to include green, orange, and yellow fruits and vegetables 

—such as broccoli, carrots, cantaloupe, and citrus fruits. The antioxidants and other nutrients in these foods may help protect against developing certain types of cancer and other diseases. Eat five or more servings a day.

3 Limit your food  intake 

 —such as of sugary foods, refined-grain products such as white bread, and salty snack foods. Sugar, our No.1 additive, is added to a vast array of foods. Just one daily 12-ounce can of soda (160 calories) can add up to 16 pounds over the course of a year. Many sugary foods are also high in fat, so they’re calorie-dense. 

4 Cut down on animal fat. 

It’s rich in saturated fat, which boosts blood cholesterol levels and has other adverse health effects. Choose lean meats, skinless poultry, and nonfat or low-fat or nonfat dairy products.

5 Cut way down on trans fats

 —supplied by hydrogenated vegetable oils used in most processed foods in the supermarket and in many fast foods.

6 Eat more fish and nuts, which contain healthy unsaturated fats. 

Substitute olive or canola oil for butter or stick margarine.

7 Keep portions moderate, especially of high-calorie foods. 

In recent years serving sizes have ballooned, particularly in restaurants. Choose a starter instead of an entrée, split a dish with a friend, and don’t order supersized anything.

8 Keep your cholesterol intake below 300 milligrams per day. 

Cholesterol is found only in animal products, such as meats, poultry, dairy products, and egg yolks.

9 Eat a variety of foods. 

Don't try to fill your nutrient requirements by eating the same foods day in, day out. It is possible that not every essential nutrient has been identified, and so eating a wide assortment of foods helps to ensure that you will get all the necessary nutrients. In addition, this will limit your exposure to any pesticides or toxic substances that may be present in one particular food.

10 Maintain an adequate calcium intake. 

Calcium is essential for strong bones and teeth. Get your calcium from low-fat sources, such as skim milk and low-fat yogurt. If you can't get the optimal amount from foods, take supplements.

11 Try to get your vitamins and minerals 

—from foods, not from supplements. Supplements cannot substitute for a healthy diet, which supplies nutrients and other compounds besides vitamins and minerals. Foods also provide the "synergy" that many nutrients require to be efficiently used in the body.

12 Maintain a desirable weight. 

Balance energy (calorie) intake with energy output. Exercise and other physical activity are essential.

13 If you drink alcohol, do so in moderation. 

That is one drink a day for women, two a day for men. A drink is defined as 12 ounces of beer, 4 ounces of wine, or 1.5 ounces of 80-proof spirits. Excess alcohol consumption leads to a variety of health problems. And alcoholic beverages can add many calories to your diet without supplying nutrients.

Source: http://www.wellnessletter.com/html/fw/fwNut01HealthyDiet.html

Abs Exercises: Lose Stomach Fats

Exercises make your abdominal muscles bigger.

Adding more muscle to the body causes us to burn more calories, and this helps to increase our metabolism.

It takes more energy to maintain bigger muscles so you are burning more calories and losing more fat while you rest after the exercises.

Don't forget to combine stomach exercises with correct eating habits to get the best results in the shortest time.

Effective Abs Exercises

Best Upper Abs Exercise : The Basic Crunch

 

Lie on your back on the floor or on an exercise mat with your hands to the side of your head or crossed on your chest. Keep your knees bent at a 90 degree angle with your feet resting on the floor.

Lift your shoulder blades of the ground as if you are trying to touch your knees with your chest but do not move the legs. Concentrate on lifting using your stomach muscles only.

At the top of the movement contract your ab muscles intensely and then slowly lower your body down. Lightly touch the floor with your shoulder blades and repeat.

Repeat 15-30 times. Breathe out on the way up, in on the way down. Rest a few minutes and do another set of 15-30 repetitions. Try to do 3-4 sets.

If you are a beginner or if this is hard for you, do 10 repetitions for one set and gradually work your way to the recommended amount of repetitions. The same is true for the rest of the exercises on this list

When doing this ab exercise it is important that you don't actually sit up all the way. When you sit up your hip flexors do most of the work and it can be bad for your back.

Best Lower Abs Exercise : The Reverse Crunch

 

Lie on your back on the floor with your hands behind your head or on the floor by your hips, with your knees bent and your feet lifted six inches above the ground.

Slowly bring your knees toward your chest and lift your butt of the ground. Concentrate on contracting your abs, you should feel your lower abs working after a few repetitions.

Use your abs do not swing your legs to create momentum. slowly lower your legs to the starting position, six inches of the floor.

Repeat 15-30 times. Breathe out on the way up, in on the way down. Rest a few minutes and do another set. Try to do 3-4 sets.

Best Obliques Exercise : The Oblique Crunch

 

Lie on your back, knees bent, so your left foot is resting flat on the floor. With your right knee bent, place your right foot across your left knee.

Place your left hand at the side of your head and your right hand on the left side of your abdominals or on the floor next to your thigh.

Curl your body up with a twisting movement, bringing your left shoulder toward your right knee. slowly lower your body to the ground.

Repeat 15-30 times. Breathe out on the way up, in on the way down. Rest a few minutes and do another set. Try to do 3-4 sets.

Don't forget to do the same for the other side as well.

Bonus : The Bicycle Exercise

 

This is a simple and very effective exercise that works all three areas of your stomach simultaneously.

Lie on your back on the floor with your hands behind your head. Slightly bend your knees and bring them in towards the chest and lift the shoulder blades off the ground.

Straighten the left leg out to about a 45-degree angle while simultaneously turning the upper body to the right, bringing the left elbow towards the right knee.

Switch sides, bringing the right elbow towards the left knee. Continue alternating sides in a 'pedaling' motion for 15-30 reps. Rest a few minutes and do another set. Try to do 3-4 sets.

Source: http://www.flatstomachtips.com/flat-stomach-exercises.html

The Best & Practical Exercise: Walking

Walking is said to be one of the best exercises for losing weight. The percentage of fat burning is around the 55% mark, however as with all exercises it really depends on the intensity of effort.

 

Walking not only burns a good proportion of stored fat, it can also burn a large amount of calories especially performed for longer durations and at a brisk pace. Sustained walking sessions for a minimum period of thirty to sixty minutes a day, five days a week, with the correct walking posture, reduces health risks and has various overall health benefits.

Health Benefits of Walking

Walking prevents type 2 diabetes. 

The Diabetes Prevention Program showed that walking 150 minutes per week and losing 12-15 pounds of your body weight can reduce your risk of diabetes.

Walking strengthens your heart if you're male. 

In one study, mortality rates among retired men who walked less than 1 mile per day were nearly twice that among those who walked more than 2 miles per day.

Walking strengthens your heart if you're female. 

Women in the Nurse's Health Study (72,488 female nurses) who walked 3 hours or more per week reduced their risk of a heart attack or other coronary event compared with women who did not walk.

Walking is good for your brain. 

In a study on walking and cognitive function, researchers found that women who walked the equivalent of an easy pace at least 1.5 hours per week had significantly better cognitive function and less cognitive decline than women who walked less than 40 minutes per week. 

Walking is good for your bones. 

Research shows that postmenopausal women who walk approximately 1 mile each day have higher whole-body bone density than women who walk shorter distances, and walking is also effective in slowing the rate of bone loss from the legs.

Walking helps alleviate symptoms of depression. Walking for 30 minutes, 3 to 5 times per week for 12 weeks reduced symptoms of depression.

Walking reduces the risk of cancers. 

Women who performed the equivalent of one hour and 15 minutes to two and a half hours per week of brisk walking had a decreased risk of breast cancer, colon cancer, and even if an individual person develops colon cancer, the benefits of exercise appear to continue both by increasing quality of life and reducing mortality.
 
Walking improves fitness. 

Walking just 3 times a week for 30 minutes can significantly increase cardiorespiratory fitness.

Walking in short bouts improves fitness, too! 

A study of sedentary women showed that short bouts of brisk walking (three 10-minute walks per day) resulted in similar improvements in fitness and were at least as effective in decreasing body fatness as long bouts (one 30-minute walk per day).

Walking improves physical function. 

Research shows that walking improves fitness and physical function and prevents physical disability in older persons.