mardi 29 septembre 2015

How to Avoid Gaining Weight in College

Worried about the "Freshman 15"? The goods news is that college weight gain usually isn't that bad, around 5 pounds on average. Still, watch this Cooking Light video for helpful ways to eat healthy and stay slim while furthering your eduction.

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lundi 21 septembre 2015

9 Best Workouts to Do When You Have Your Period

Soothe period pain with these cramp-crushing exercises.

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mercredi 16 septembre 2015

8 Best Foam Rollers to Ease Your Aches

Not on the foam rolling bandwagon yet? This is a fitness trend that's here to stay. Here's how to buy the best one for you.

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4 Exercises to Lose Your Gut and Boost Your Butt

Protruding stomachs and saggy tushes will be a thing of the past, thanks to this power workout.

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Pin It: The Jillian Michaels Circuit Workout

It's not much of a stretch to say that nobody knows how to build power, speed, strength, and flexibility better than Jillian Michaels. This comprehensive workout, which she created for Health, trains the muscles in a way that will bust through even the most persistent plateau. Do it four times a week, paired with 20 minutes of high-intensity interval training, and watch your body be transformed.

Go back to the full workout


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How to Burn Off 24 Holiday Foods

Try these inventive (and fun!) ways to work off that sweet potato casserole.

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Weight-Loss Success Story: From Couch Potato to Pro Bodybuilder

Jasmine Pitts
26, 5'10"
Indianapolis
Before: 185 lb.
Dress size: 12/14
After: 145 lb.

Dress size: 4
Total pounds lost: 40 lb.
Sizes lost: 5

At age 10, I had a 15-year plan: play basketball every day, join a college team and make the WNBA. But a year into undergrad, I was still just a walk-on, and I realized that my WNBA dreams were unrealistic (and my engineering degree would earn me more money). So I quit to focus on my studies. At the same time, I was doing what most college kids do—partying—and lost the motivation to work out. I graduated in December 2011 weighing 185 pounds.

Facebook wake-up call
Diploma in hand, I moved to Indianapolis. Lonely in my new apartment and flipping through my tagged Facebook photos, I suddenly saw how big I'd become. I was confused: Why didn't anyone tell me? I needed to make a change. I got the Insanity DVDs and followed the program every night after work for 90 days. Then I'd cook a dinner that was much healthier than the dining hall food of the previous four years. Eating clean and another cycle of Insanity got me to 135 pounds by September 2012.

RELATED: 8 Great Workout DVDs to Try Now

A new lift
I had already hit my weight goal, but I wanted to get stronger. I started lifting and quickly developed some definition. But it was my aunt—who went from being overweight to a world-champion bodybuilder—who inspired me to take it seriously. In June 2014, I entered my first bodybuilding competition, and I placed in the top five! I've since competed three more times. While I'm still an engineer by day, I've discovered a way to live out my dreams of going pro—as a bodybuilder.

Jasmine's Journey to Fit
Jasmine relied on a winning combo of exercise and better eating. Steal her tricks, and get even more at http://ift.tt/1EzX92l.

Just add color
I buy workout clothes in crazy colors—they give me energy.

Switch up your push-ups
Create a diamond shape with your forefingers and thumbs to really target your triceps.

RELATED: 11 Best Exercises to Get Strong, Toned Arms

Find instant motivation
I started listening to motivational speeches on YouTube during workouts. My favorite: "I Am a Champion" by Coach Flowers.

DIY protein bars
I make my own protein bars by mixing oats with nuts or dried fruit—whatever sounds good—then adding a bit of heated unsweetened almond milk to bind the dough before pressing it into a sheet pan (no baking needed).



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5 Diet Fails You're Probably Making

If the pounds won't come off, you're not alone. According to a survey by Marketdata Enterprises, the average American dieter makes four or five attempts to lose weight each year. It's a vicious cycle: "After a while, you feel discouraged when you don't get results, and that can wear away at your motivation," says Dawn Jackson Blatner, RD, author of The Flexitarian Diet. These dieting upgrades should do the trick once and for all.

RELATED: 13 Best (and Worst) Ways to Measure Body Fat

Diet fail #1: Counting every single calorie
Don't get us wrong—plenty of research has shown that we routinely underestimate the number of calories in our food. But when you're trying to lose weight, diet quality matters more than calorie count. A 2012 study in JAMA found that people on a low-carb, low-glycemic diet burned more calories than those who followed a low-fat, high-carb diet. "Foods that are high in carbs slow metabolic rates compared with diets higher in fat and protein," says David Ludwig, MD, director of the New Balance Foundation Obesity Prevention Center at Boston Children's Hospital. What's more, high-glycemic foods (sugar, bread, potatoes) spike blood sugar and stimulate cravings.

Diet redo
Focus on foods that are low in junky carbs and rich in protein. Just choose your protein carefully. A 2015 study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that folks who upped their intake of yogurt, seafood, skinless chicken and nuts lost the most weight; those who increased their consumption of red and processed meat put on pounds—particularly when it was paired with high-carb foods. (But swapping the carbs for low-glycemic foods, like veggies, helped lower weight gain.)

RELATED: 17 High-Protein Snacks You Can Eat On the Go

Diet fail #2: Limiting yourself to mini meals
You've heard it a million times: Small, frequent meals help you lose weight by revving your metabolism and controlling your appetite. But dividing a 1,200-calorie-per-day plan into six meals can leave you with a growling stomach and short-circuit your diet. "You need protein, fiber and carbs in each meal to feel full, and it's tough to get that in just 200 calories," explains Blatner. In most cases, people end up overeating at their small meals—it's easy for a teaspoon of almond butter to unintentionally become three. Plus, says Blatner, "because you're faced with more food decisions, you're constantly taxing your willpower."

RELATED: 20 Best Foods for Fiber

Diet redo
Think three solid meals a day. "You're a lot more likely to stick to a diet that's simple—planning six healthy meals is overwhelming," says Blatner. While you're at it, front-load calories. A 2013 study in Obesity found that people who made breakfast their biggest meal were at least twice as likely to lose weight and trim their waistlines as those who "saved" calories for dinner.

Diet fail #3: Always eating the same foods
This tip gained popularity after a 2011 study showed that women who ate mac and cheese daily for a week took in around 100 fewer calories each day than they normally did. But a recent study conducted by Hollie Raynor, PhD, associate professor of nutrition at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, revealed that when people on a calorie-restricted diet were limited to two types of junk food, they didn't lose more weight than dieters who could eat any kind they wanted.

Diet redo
Branch out. As Raynor says, "Experimenting with different fruits and vegetables could prompt you to eat more of them." Vary your protein, too—a lot of us skimp on superstars like fish and beans.

RELATED: 12 Weight-Loss Secrets From Celebrity Chefs

Diet fail #4: Doing daily weigh-ins
Regular scale checks have been linked to better weight-loss maintenance, but you can overdo it. One Journal of Obesity study found that women benefited less from daily weigh-ins than men. "Hormonal fluctuations can cause water retention, making it harder to get an accurate reading," says Liz Weinandy, RD, of the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. "Plus, weight is more likely to be an emotional issue for women. Someone who gets a bad reading can think, 'What's the use of trying?'"

Diet redo
Hop on the scale about once a week—enough to sanely stay on track, according to a Plos One study. Wednesday is good, say Finnish researchers, since most of us get heavier on weekends and then drop the weight during the week.



Diet fail #5: Trying to work off the pounds
Eat less, move more: It's the most basic advice, and yet the two strategies aren't equally effective. "Weight loss is 80 percent diet, 20 percent exercise," says Craig Primack, MD, an obesity medicine specialist at the Scottsdale Weight Loss Center in Arizona. Calorie burn from exercise is too minimal to compensate for subpar food choices. The average person would have to walk 35 miles to burn the 3,500 calories it takes to lose just 1 pound.

RELATED: 12 Mental Tricks to Beat Cravings and Lose Weight

Diet redo
Keep active and clean up your diet. In fact, women who did both lost more weight than those who did only one or the other, showed a study in Obesity. "Exercise also makes people feel better about their bodies and themselves," notes Dr. Primack, "and that makes it easier to stay with a diet and workout plan."

Unexpected Ways to Eat Less
Distract yourself
In a study in the journal Appetite, people who played Tetris for three minutes found that their desire to nosh diminished faster than those who weren't distracted. We tend to visualize cravings; mind-stimulating activities stop us from picturing that brownie.

Go to sleep earlier
Lack of shut-eye can add flab, says a Mayo Clinic study that found that sleep-deprived people consumed an extra 549 calories per day, compared with those who were well-rested. Try to follow the National Sleep Foundation's guidelines and get seven to nine hours a night.

RELATED: A Sleep Meditation for a Restful Night

Eat more vivid foods
When food contrasts with the color of a plate, you tend to eat less, per research from the Cornell University Food and Brand Lab. People devoured more spaghetti and sauce when it was served on a red plate versus a white one; portion size wasn't obvious, so they OD'd.

Turn off the TV
Seeing commercials for food while watching television can trigger people to snack, according to a study published in the journal Health Psychology. That sounds like the perfect excuse to settle in for an (ad-free) Netflix binge instead. Or just pick up a good book.



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Pin It: Tracy Anderson Butt Workout

"When women come to see me, the two places they want to tackle first are the core and glutes," says Tracy Anderson, Health's contributing fitness editor. Lose your gut and boost your but with this four-move workout routine. Go back to the full workout



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mardi 15 septembre 2015

4 Fast Booty and Ab Exercises

Protruding stomachs and saggy butts will be a thing of the past, thanks to this power workout. In this video, Health contributor Tracy Anderson shows you how to get maximum fitness impact with minimal time spent at the gym. Do the sequence six times a week for results you'll love.

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jeudi 3 septembre 2015

13 Best (and Worst) Ways to Measure Body Fat

What's the best way to calculate your body fat? Experts separate the legit from the ridiculous.

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