Health Nut - Keep Moving

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I am quite unfortunate when it comes to being active the whole day. My work is a desk-job kind of thing so I only get to enjoy walking or other strenuous activities when I have to go to other buildings in the compound. So, burning calories is quite difficult to achieve. However, studies show that even the slightest movement or activity can trigger calorie-burning action. For example, using the stairs instead of the lift, running or sprinting towards the restroom or walking to another room where your colleagues are instead of calling them. These are little things which can also add up on your weight loss goals.

Keep moving! If you cannot do an hour stretch of intensive exercise due to lack of time, try squeezing 10-20 minutes of running, brisk-walking, jogging, aerobics or any exercise routine that you do. Try to include 2-3 minutes of sprint as intervals and you'll be surprised to know that these little things will add up to something in the long run.

Health Nut - Avoid The Bad Snacks

Two of the worst snacks in the world are chips and soda or those fizzy drinks. They are very high in sodium and sugar which are bad for one's health and weight.

If you are craving for sugary food and empty-nutrient chips, instead, snack on crunchy baby carrots, cucumber slices or throw in some celery sticks for good measure.

Drink green tea instead and enjoy it hot or cold. If you want to add a bit of sweetness to your beverage, just add a teaspoon of honey.

Low Salt Intake and a Healthy Heart

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The body can only take so much sodium in the system. Too much of the salty, processed and sodium-laden food is very detrimental to one's health.

A human can only consume around 1,500 mg of sodium to be in the normal level. When the consumption is beyond that, there will be health risks involve like hypertension. Hypertension, when not treated and controlled, will lead to heart diseases and stroke.

One way of regulating the intake of sodium is to read labels when buying food in the grocery. Avoid putting too much salt while cooking. Use herbs to spice up your food instead. Avoid processed and canned goods because they are high in sodium. Eat plenty of vegetables and fruits rich in fibre and potassium.

Health Nut - Food for the Heart

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Eating green salad with a healthy drizzle of olive oil is a good lunch meal for the heart. Aside from the green salad, here are more food to consider adding in your palate for a healthy heart:

1. Fruits like strawberries, cranberries, red grapes, oranges and plums (among a few)

These fruits are rich in flavonoids which is are great antioxidants in helping minimize inflammation. Inflammation is one of the bad processes that can happen to your heart. To avoid that, have a hearty-full serving of colorful fruits.

2. Avocado

Although is also a fruit, it is rich in fats that are helpful in lessening the bad cholesterol. Have this though in moderation as you would taking fats.

3. Rye, Wheat, Multi-Grain breads

These breads are rich in fiber and magnesium. Fiber aids in lessening hypertension.

4. Salmon

This deep-sea fish is a good source of omega fatty acids which help lower bad cholesterol and keep blood pressure within range. It is also a healthy source of protein.

5. Nuts

Nuts such as almonds, pistachios and walnuts are loaded with heart-friendly fats. Substitute your chips with a palm-sized serving of these nuts instead.

Health Nut - Healthy Snacks

I love eating snack. Sometimes, I even eat the wrong ones like chips and cakes. However, most of the time, I try my best to stick with healthy and filling snacks.

If you are like me who loves to snack but would like to stick with the healthy variety, try to choose snacks that will work wonders for your health. Examples of healthy snacks are:

baby carrots or carrot sticks
cucumber slices
Digestive crackers/biscuits
almonds, sunflower seeds, cashew (unsalted)
cut apples with skin, banana, pineapple cubes, melon
steamed veggies like broccoli and cauliflower
pita crackers
unsalted popcorn and pretzels

Health Nut - Cutting Calories with Ziplock Bags

Who would have thought that a simple Ziplock bag can actually help you cut back on your calorie intake? How? Continue reading...

Those sandwich bags (the normal size though) can help you with portioning your food. You can portion nuts, pretzels, cut veggies for snacks and even bite-size brownies and cake. The concept of this ziplock bag portioning is that, a small sandwich bag can hold up to 100 calories of food serving. As long as you stick with the small size, you'll be able to track your munching habit.

It is normally difficult to say when if a large serving is given. At least with the ziplock bags, you can gauge your intake and watch those calories.

Health Nut - Safflower Oil

It is very beneficial to eat salad because of the loaded fiber and vitamins and nutrients. Salad is packed with good nutrients as long as we do not use dressings which are high in sodium, fat and sugar.

Safflower oil mixed with vinegar is a great combination to aid your weight loss. In a study, a small amount of safflower oil everyday had a stomach fat trimming effect on a population of women with diabetes.

Safflower oil is rich in essential omega-6 fatty acid called linoleic acid.

Health Nut - Quiz on Heart Health

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Ever wonder if your heart is healthy enough? Do you want to know what your risk for heart disease may be? If so, take this quiz from RealAge.com and the results will tell you what you have to know.

Click this to go to the quiz.

Health Nut - Zumba Time

I don't want to enroll in dance lessons nor workout sessions because they are very expensive here. I checked the internet for free dance workout and found several videos in You Tube for Zumba.

Zumba is a dance routine with elements of Salsa and Merengue beats. It was born out of serendipity by Alberto Perez of Cali, Colombia. He came to his aerobics class one day and forgot his music so he grabbed whatever was in his backpack at the time. He improvised the steps to follow the Salsa and Merengue and thus, the Zumba was born.

I tried doing this dance workout earlier and I was panting like a dog. I felt my flabs jiggle all over the place. It is a great workout because it involves a lot of body movements which is good if you want to lose weight and build up your stamina. This workout is also a good break from the monotonous routine in the gym. 

So, if you feel like throwing some bucks over gym memberships or dance classes, just check out free videos of Zumba in the internet and dance your flabs away!

Health Nut - Be Kind To Your Knees

As we age, our bones and muscles degenerate. It is very vital for us to eat healthy and keep fit to maintain proper well-being.

One part of our body which we need to keep healthy and well lubricated is our knees. We should eat green salads as part of our daily meal. Green vegetables like cabbage, spinach and swiss chard contains Vitamin K which is good for our joints. It also helps reduce the risk of joint damage.

It is good to have your Vitamin K fresh by having these green vegetables as part of your staple rather than taking supplements.

So, the next time you visit the grocery, head on to the fresh produce and do your joints and knees some good, loving favor.

Health Nut - Blast Fat while Walking

Climbing the steepest hill will not burn all your fats. it will certainly help but you do not have to climb the mountains or run a marathon to help boost your fat-burning mechanism while walking.

Here are ways to help you blast those flabs away effectively while walking:

1. Carry weights
The extra "burden" you carry can trigger more calorie burns from the walking workout because more muscles are involved.

2. Moderate your pace
You don't have to walk as fast as a speeding bullet. Just keep your pace to moderate where you can still talk and not pant.

3. Keep smaller steps
Don't think that longer strides can burn all those flabs quick. Although it can give earn your mileage but the smaller steps are the most effective ones.

4. Set goals
Look at markers at the park as your start and end point.

5. Stand straight
The body's alignment can make your back and glutes' muscles to work effectively making your walk burn more calories.

6. Buy a great walking/running shoes
Choose a rubber shoes which is flexible and have minimum cushion on the front part because this will help on your power to push-off as you start your workout.

Health Nut - Quick Heart Health Check

This measure won't take 5 seconds of your life. For only 2 seconds, you can find out if your heart (and even arteries) is healthy.

Try sitting down and legs stretched in front of you. Now, do this - touch your toes. Did you manage to reach your toes?

Well, you're lucky if you did because that means your vessels are still limber and elastic because if they are, it is better to maintain blood pressure at normal. However, if you can't even go past your legs then it's high time to hit the running tracks, exercise and proper and balanced nutrition eating habits.

Health Nut - Boost Immunity this Cold Season

Winter is upon us and not long from now, we will be experiencing seasonal changes that will affect our immunity.

People here always get sick when the seasons change because the wind coming from another region brings dusts, pollens, migrating birds and their bacterias and what-have-yous. The sudden change in the temperature also exposes people to other natural elements like extra moisture and cold draft. The human body have to adapt to all these and re-adjust to be able to battle the coming of the colder months.

So, even before the cold weather bites, try to follow these simple tips to boost immune system:

1. Eat apples - why you might ask? Well, apples contain pectins which are good in boosting the levels of immune-supportive proteins.

2. Get inoculated - I cannot stress this enough. Be prepared and have yourself and family vaccinated for influenza and other boosters which can aid immunity.

3. Wear warm clothing if the weather is cold and keep the head warm by wearing cap if you have to do a jog at the park early morning or in the evening because of the cold draft.

4. Exercise - a quick strut can boost one's immune system and the sweat helps in releasing toxins out of the body.

5. Have a good night's sleep - getting at least 8 hours of sleep a day will help stave off the sniffles during the cold season. Why not enjoy your comforter and bed a little longer?

Health Nut - Smart Treats

According to studies, these 3 treats can make you smart when you indulge on them regularly. The line up is as follows:

Wine, Chocolate and Tea - These trio are high in flavonoid which has a memory boosting punch, fights free radicals and enhance communication between brain cells.

Health Nut - Mulberry Tea

I just bought 2 boxes of Mulberry Tea from Bangkok. My friend has recommended it to me. She swears by its potent health benefits. I was a little dubious because I never heard of Mulberry tea before. I checked the Internet and found out that it is indeed very beneficial in one's health. The following are some of the benefits of drinking Mulberry tea:

1. Has the ability to block sugars. So, it is a good drinking option for diabetic people.

2. Helps in reducing hypertension

3. Aids in eliminating bad cholesterol

4. Serves as an anti-oxidant

5. Relieves constipation, cough, colds

6. Helps cure anemia

7. Acts as diuretic by flushing fluids and toxins from the body

8. Contains high levels of potassium, calcium, magnesium and phosporus

I should have bought the entire shelf of Mulberry tea while I was in Bangkok! It is so hard to find this kind of tea here in Dubai and even in the Philippines.

So, if you can find one, do try it for your health's sake.

Health Nut - Healthy Colon

I had honestly gone through an enema at one point in my life. I needed to detoxify and that was one of the natural ways of cleaning my colon. It sure is not one I will fancy discussing over a cup of coffee but with so many processed food these days and manic activities we all engage in, it is fitting to note that our colon needs TLC too.

Vitamin D will do wonders to our colon. Although it cannot afford the luxury of a good sunbath but a dose of Vitamin D will surely perk it up. This vitamin gets synthesized by our bodies when we soak up on good sun rays. After which, Vitamin D acts in making out-of-control cells go towards apoptosis which is a programmed cell death to eliminate possible problems.

So, soak up some good rays and give your colon a good break.

Health Nut - Good Ol' Orange Juice

10I wish I can drink gallons upon gallons of orange juice if it is not for my hyper-acidity. The good ol' orange juice is good for your joints, gives needed Vitamin C and aids in the prevention of our bodies' inflammatory processes when taking very heavy meals. Also, drinking orange juice which is rich in flavonoid gives our aging joints some lovin'.

So folks, drink up on your daily dosage of orange juice and be healthy.

Health Nut - Drink This to Burn More Calories

I have been reading this time and time again. Drinking tea is beneficial in burning extra calories even when you are not doing anything. Why you might ask? Here are the reasons why drinking tea is great in hiking the metabolism.

1. It has catechins which aids in the metabolism.
2. White Tea helps shrink fat cells.
3. Tea helps in curbing appetite and hunger.

If that does not convert you to become a tea-lover, I don't know what will :) Skip the soda vending machine and brew yourself a nice cup of tea instead.

Health Nut - No Aching Joints

I have reached that age (or must I say, I have reached the pinnacle of my weight dilemma!) where my joints are starting to ache a wee bit specially when it is cold or when I am on a stationary position for so long.

Back when I was slim, trim and very healthy, I did not feel any of these aching symptoms nora slight sensation. I noticed when I started piling the pounds, my joints started to ache and sometimes they ache so bad.

I went to the doctor to have my blood chem checked and it still registers as normal. However, the doc advised me to lose pounds because my weight is putting a burden on my joints. OK, simply put - I am fat!

Here is a juice which can give your joints certain comfort - Orange Juice. Yes, that OJ thing can give you the beta-cryptoxanthin which aids in reducing the risk of polyarthritis. Not only that, it is loaded with Vitamin C which is another important nutrient needed to have healthy joints.

So, get your juicers out and squeeze those oranges dry.

Health Nut - Great Breakfast Meals to Burn Fat

I am eager to weak skinny jeans once again. It will take time for me to lose the much needed weight so I have to incorporate a good exercise with my diet plan. When I say diet, that means eating properly and not skipping on any meals. And portion-controlled eating too.

Studies show that having these food as part of your breakfast can aid in burning fat. These food are: eggs, yogurt and cereals. Why does it have to be breakfast? Well, our morning meal is the most important meal of the day if you want to control your appetite and lose weight. Here are the reasons why these 3 food must be added in our breakfast meal:

Eggs: They contain protein which makes us full so it curbs our appetite.

Yogurt: Calcium-rich food which helps in inhibiting fat storage in our small intestines and aid in digestion.

Whole-grain Cereals: Rich in fibre. These cereals help control blood sugar level and lessen belly fat.

So, don't skip your breakfast! Eat healthy!