This blog is for interesting pictures and articles about health and fitness that I find.

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Easy Hair Ideas

Here are some easy and simple hairstyle ideas. If the text is too small and you can't see it well, just download the pictures.





Saturday, August 22, 2009

10 Tips On How To Maintain A Healthy Weight

You don't have to be smarter than a quiz show fifth-grader to learn how to control the urge to eat. Just follow these ingenious tips:

1. Feed it protein for breakfast. You'll be less hungry later on and end up eating 267 fewer calories during the day. At least that's what happened on days when St. Louis University researchers gave overweight women two scrambled eggs and two slices of jelly-topped toast for breakfast rather than about half that protein.

2. Make it climb a flight of stairs. At home, store the foods that tempt you most way out of reach. For instance, Cornell University food psychologist Brian Wansink, PhD, keeps his favorite soda in a basement fridge. "Half the time I'm too lazy to run down there to get it, so I drink the water in the kitchen."

3. Sleep on it. People who don't get their eight hours of zzz's experience hormonal fluctuations that increase appetite, report researchers.

4. Give it something else to think about. When scientists scanned the brains of people eating different foods, they found that the brain reacts to fat in the mouth in much the same way that the nose responds to a pleasant aroma. So if you feel a craving coming on, apply your favorite scent.

5. Never let it see a heaping plate. The more food that's in front of you, the more you'll eat. So at a restaurant, ask your waiter to pack up half of your meal before serving it to you, then eat the extras for lunch the next day.

6. Put it under the lights. You consume fewer calories at a well-lit restaurant table than you do dining in a dark corner. "In the light, you're more self-conscious and worry that other patrons are watching what you eat," explains Wansink.

7. Talk it down. Entertaining friends with a great story doesn't give you much time to eat up, so you'll probably still have food on your plate when they're done. Once they're finished, call it quits too.

8. Offer it a seat. If you sit down to snack -- and use utensils and a plate -- you'll eat fewer calories at subsequent meals.

9. Satisfy it with soup. Start lunch with about 130 calories worth of vegetable soup and you'll eat 20 percent fewer calories during lunch overall, say Penn State experts.

10. Give it little choice. Packages that contain assorted varieties of cookies, candy, dips, cheese, etc., make you want to try all the flavors. The effect is so powerful, says Wansink, that when people are given 10 colors of M&Ms to munch on, not seven, they eat 30 percent more!

Monday, August 3, 2009

The Health Benefits of Apples


Compiled from online articles by Stella Walsh and Lisa Carattini

"An apple a day keeps the doctor away" This old adage may be truer than you think. Recent studies have suggested that the consumption of apples can help control weight gain, lower the risk of heart and fight cancer. Though most people think the flesh of the apple is the most delicious part, the skin is definitely the most nutritious.

The apple skin contains 4 milligrams of quercetin, an anti-oxidant compound preventing oxygen molecules from damaging individual cells. This can prevent cell changes that can lead to cancer. A Finnish study concluded that men who had the highest intake of quercetin lowered their risk of heart disease by 20%. This compound has also been shown to inhibit the growth of tumors and keep cancer cells from spreading.

The insoluble fiber found in apples is responsible for a host of other benefits. The apple skin is considered roughage and is a great remedy for constipation. Insoluble fiber also helps the digestive tract run smoothly, helping to prevent diverticulosis, a condition which can lead to colon cancer. Another benefit of insoluble fiber is its "filling" effect, this being an effective appetite suppressant.

Apples also contain soluble fiber, which has the opposite affect of insoluble fiber, forming a gel-like material in the digestive tract that can help lower cholesterol, as well as, the risk of stroke and heart disease. One of the soluble fibers found in apples is called pectin. Pectin reduces the amount of cholesterol produced in the liver, slows digestion and and the rise of blood sugar making it ideal for diabetes patients.

To get the maximum amount of benefit from your apple, be sure to choose a variety that browns easily, like Granny Smith. Finally, don't substitute apple juice for an apples. Though it contains some iron and potassium, apple juice contains little of the beneficial compounds quertecin and fiber.

An apple may have caused problems in The Garden of Eden, but it is a "good guy" when it comes to nutrition. It is also a very portable and easy-to-consume snack.

Health Benefits of Apples

The variety of health benefits supplied by apples is huge and very encouraging. This fist-sized snack that needs little preparation - unless they are being cooked - is packed with health-boosting properties:

  • Help protect bone health
  • Help prevent asthma, heart disease, and cancers such as lung, breast, colon, and liver
  • Pectin in apples can help to lower LDL cholesterol
  • Good for diabetes and weight management
  • Good source of vitamin C
  • Good source of soluble and insoluble fiber
  • Excellent source of flavanoids and antioxidants

It is important to keep in mind that a lot of the goodness of apples is contained in the skin. If eaten whole, they need to be washed carefully - right before being consumed.

On the tree, apples have their own natural waxy coating to protect them. This is removed when they are cleaned for production, and a new artificial coating is applied for shipping them. This artificial coating can be washed off using warm water and a fruit and vegetable cleaner.

Organic apples don't always look as good as other apples, but they are the safest choice if there is concern about pesticides and preservatives.