Food and Fitness Guide

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People are looking for the magic solution to improve their health and life.
Unfortunately, life does not work that way. In order to improve our health and our life we have to take steps into our own hands and make decisions that are healthy and safe.

Exercise is among the most important things we can do for our health. Moving our bodies for at least 30 minutes a day will help to keep our heart strong, keep our weight stable, fight against certain diseases and help us to live a long prosperous life. Adding weight training to our routine will help build and maintain muscle tone keeping our metabolism at an optimal level to burn calories. Eating a healthy diet of fruit, vegetables, lean protein, and whole grains is also a very important. Eating several small meals a day will help keep the energy levels on an even keel throughout the day.
Another important factor to consider and which seems to get overlooked the most is to keep stress at bay. Take time for yourself to relax and refocus and just enjoy your life.

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Over the years, fast food vendors have been criticized for contributing to the so-called obesity epidemic. Serving cut cost foods which are often high in fat, salt, and sugar. It is no surprise that takeaway foods are cause for concern nowadays.
Subway has responded by branding themselves as a healthier choice for take out foods. Nutritional information is abundant and with Subway it is easy to make healthier choices (however some Subway rolls are much higher in calories than others). The good news is that by making yourself knowledgeable and choosing carefully at chain restaurants you can maintain your healthy diet goals when eating out!
Parallel to fast foods our life is busy and always on the go too. There are less daunting and practical ways to stay fit. For a working people, going up 3 floors instead of using the elevator or walking a block or two can burn calories without even noticing it. For moms at home playing touch and go with your kids will give you a sweat like running in a treadmill for 10 minutes while having quality time with them. For those who love going to the mall, walking around for an hour keeps your body up and about.
Being fit need not to be expensive and boring, sometimes we just need to be creative in any given situation.

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A teenager’s body needs 8 to 9 hours of sleep. But they are often up to stay awake late at night. This results to oversleeping for class and sometimes, sleeping during class. Researchers say that the adolescent sleeping patterns differ from kids and adults.
The research said that during the adolescent years our body’s internal biological clock is temporarily reset. This is due to the release of melatonin, a hormone, by our brain. This hormone tells teenagers to fall asleep later and wake up later. And it makes falling asleep early hard for teens.
The changes in our body’s biological clock coincide with the time of our lives when we are busier than ever. During high school and college years, teens get too much pressure to do well in school than they were kids and this requires them to study hard. Aside from that, teens are also starting to do things that they want like sports and other part-time job to save money.

Obesity, or the state of being extremely overweight, is on the rise for children in the United States. According to the Center for Disease Control, “the number of children who are obese has more than tripled in the last 30 years”. Here are some additional facts from the Center for Disease Control:

* 1 out of every 5 children is overweight.
* Obesity can lead to serious health problems, including: Type 2 diabetes, heart disease (high cholesterol and high blood pressure), sleeping problems, asthma, and low self-esteem leading to depression.
* Once a child is obese, the chances are they will stay obese. Prevention is the key.
* Overeating is only one reason for weight gain; the most likely reason is inactivity or not moving enough. Activity is critical!
* All children 2 and older should participate in at least 30 minutes of fun, heart pumping activity every day.
* If your child is already overweight, seek the help of your family pediatrician who can determine the best weight for your child and provide guidance on nutrition and weight goals. Support your child by teaching him or her how to choose better foods and following healthy eating and physical activities at home.

Yes, you are convinced you need to lose weight. Yes, you know those love handles have got to go. Yes, you realize you can�t keep up with your toddler�s pace anymore. Yes, you finally recognize you have to get fit.

But how do you start? It seems like an insurmountable task, an impossible mission. Take heart. Many have been where you are now, and did it! I myself have lost 25 pounds, and managed to keep them off. Here are some tips that worked for me:

1. Start now. Do not procrastinate any longer. Start eating better today. Take the stairs on the way home today.

2. Start young. If you have children, or if you are young yourself, get started on being fit early on. Making healthy living a habit will make it less of a struggle.

3. Start slow. The change does not have to be monumental. It can be as simple as skipping dessert at dinner tonight, or walking instead of taking that 5-minute ride home. The important thing is to finally get started.

Continue to Part 2.

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A mother in South Florida is challenging the idea that healthy food maybe too expensive by putting up a group that helps other members in buying food straight from the organic produce farmers. Donna Kass is the Organic Produce Buying Club of South Florida’s Pinecrest group’s host.

The members think it’s a great deal because it’s cheaper than Whole Foods, Wild Oats, even Publix. The group was originally put up by Jayme Rosenbaum because a lot of people were unable to buy organic produce due to high prices. Since they ‘ve cut the middleman, and bought food from the source, it’s cheaper.

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Mixing different food groups during breakfast may make you smarter, according to a research study done by Telethon Institute for Child Health Research in Perth, Australia.

The main researcher, Dietitian Therese O’Sullivan said,

“For each additional food group that teenagers consumed for breakfast, there was an incremental increase in mental health,” she said.

The research says that the this may be because of the brain’s absorption of different nutrients, including calcium, iron and B group vitamins. It also says that kids who do take breakfast pay more attention and retain more of what they learned compared to those who don’t take any breakfast.

This applies to both kids and adults, so start mix and matching your breakfast.

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As we mentioned a few days ago, schools were having problems in financing healthy food options in the cafeteria. The best way that your children can help them and themselves is by packing lunch. How does this serve the school? It allows them to buy less food if they notice that fewer people were buying from the them.

If you can’t afford it, at least pack your kids’ lunch twice a week. Here are 5 reasons why you should (from Kid’s Health):

Control: A healthy packed lunch lets you avoid the lunch line (and any temptations).

Variety: A packed lunch a couple of times a week means you can enjoy some favorites that you might not find at every school.

Energy: If you have a big game or activity after school, plan a lunch and snacks that combine lean proteins with carbohydrates to give you lasting energy and keep you going through the late afternoon.

Cold Hard Cash: Pack healthy snacks so you don’t feel tempted to step off campus for a fast-food lunch.

That warm and fuzzy feeling: Pack yourself a retro lunch featuring healthy versions of your old faves

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School owners are now in a quandary: do they serve the more expensive healthy food or the less expensive not-so healthy ones? It’s economics vs. nutrition now as educators are stuck between a rock and a hard place.

One school official said, “We do not want to serve our students highly refined sugar and flour products, which are more affordable, but we are continually being pushed down this path.”

If they continue serving non-fat foods, they will definitely lose profit as the students will be forced to either pack lunch or buy the less healthy bu cheaper foods.

Many schools are still trying to keep up with food prices while still offering healthy food, but there are concerns. “We’re having to be creative, but we’re worried it’s not sustainable,” said Eric Goldstein, chief executive for school support services in New York.

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Too much of a good thing is bad.

There’s a fine line line between eating health and obsessing over the matter. Add to this the “paranoia” regarding eating particular foods and advising them to totally deleting them out of the kitchen for good, and you have orthorexia. No, it’s not yet part of the manual for psychiatrists, but an alternative physician, Dr. Steven Bratman, phrased it in one of his books.

“Once you’ve reached a certain point, the rigidity demanded by orthorexia makes it truly difficult for you to eat anywhere but at home,” Dr. Bratman writes. “Most restaurants won’t serve the right foods. … Even your friends inexplicably fail to cater to your personal preferences (or, as you see it, they willfully choose to ignore the one right way of eating).”

It’s a condition when people focus too much of their time thinking about the virtue of what they eat rather than if it tastes good or not. Not only can they be irritating to the people around them, but also they pose a danger to themselves by pushing themselves to disordered eating.

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