Category: EXERCISE

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Why eating dark chocolate is good for you

Eating moderate amounts of dark chocolate may positively affect your health and well being…

It is Easter time and we all enjoy indulging ourselves. Lucky for us, dark chocolate is the food to do just that without all the negative effect of other sweet foods. It sounds like a dieters nightmare but eating moderate amounts of dark chocolate (minimum 85% cocoa) will actually positively affect your health.

Dark chocolate contains flavanols such as Theobromine which make arteries produce Nitric Oxide that helps improve blood flow to the heart and reduce the calcification of arteries thus lowering blood pressure and reducing the risk of blood clots and other cardiovascular diseases.

Dark chocolate contains Phenylalanine which encourages the release of endorphins creating feelings of happiness. It can also improve cognitive function by increasing the blood flow to the brain. Dark chocolate also contains small amounts of caffeine which has been shown to help with concentration and energy levels making you feel more alert and focused.

Dark chocolate is packed with anti oxidants. Anti oxidants help combat free radicals which are reactive molecules in our bodies that cause damage to surrounding cells. It is believed that free radicals may cause certain cancers and speed up the ageing process. Eating dark chocolate may slow down ageing as well as reduce the risk of cancer.

Dark chocolate is rich in vitamins and minerals. It contains high concentrations of Potassium, Magnesium, Iron, Copper and Manganese. It is also an excellent source of fiber which makes it great for the digestive system and feeling full thus assisting weight loss efforts.

It should be noted that dark chocolate also contains plenty of calories and sugar therefore it is best to keep to one bar a week for maximum benefits.

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Tips to help your weight loss diet

Find out how to boost your weight loss efforts when dieting just isn’t enough. Read more…

Our weight loss supplements can markedly increase your metabolic rate. However, the only permanent way to increase your metabolism so you burn more calories is to decrease fat content in your body and increase the proportion of muscle. Every pound of muscle added to the body burns an additional 35 to 50 calories per day.

Power training or even light weight bearing exercise is essential to muscle gain, which over time will help strip away fat by burning extra calories.

Other tried and tested methods include:

Chewing gum – On a recent study it was discovered that chewing a sugar free gum during the day can increase the daily energy consumption resulting in a weight drop of around 10 lbs over one year. For even better results try a 5-HTP gum which will help keep the serotonin levels boosted and experience well being while the caloric intake is reduced.

Eating spicy foods – Hot dishes such as curries will temporarily increase the body temperature and make the heart beat faster. The results are increased metabolism and sweating which will both contribute towards weight loss. Taking supplements containing chilli or pepper extracts will provide similar effects.

Drinking green tea – There have been several studies on the effect of green tea for weight loss. In experiments, a green tea extract taken with caffeine appeared to raise thermogenesis (the rate at which calories are burned off as heat) whereas caffeine alone didn’t have the same effects. The researchers believe a substance called catechin in green tea may be what causes the positive effect.

Eating little and often – Splitting the total daily calorie intake into 5 smaller meals may help burn more calories than eating 3 bigger meals. Every time we eat, the digestion process uses energy. Repeating this process 5 times a day rather than 3  will result in more calories being burned. An important point to note is that the total calorie intake must be the same for regardless of how many meals are consumed.

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How will Green Coffee accelerate weight loss?

It’s being hailed as a revolutionary weight-loss product that can melt pounds without the need for diet or exercise.

It’s no coincidence green coffee bean extract surged in popularity since being mentioned on The Dr. Oz Show. After being scrutinised by critics for calling green coffee bean extract a “miracle” product, Dr. Mehmet Oz conducted his own experiment on the supplement. Using 100 female volunteers, Oz said he found women who took the extract lost an average of two pounds in two weeks. Women who took a placebo lost an average of one pound during those two weeks.

What is it?

Green coffee beans are ones that haven’t been roasted. Green coffee beans are rich in chlorogenic acid, which studies claim slows the release of glucose into the body after a meal, thereby promoting weight loss. When coffee beans are roasted, most of the chlorogenic acid is lost. The unroasted extract with chlorogenic acid, is converted into a capsule form before being sold as a weight loss supplement.

The claims

Just type “green coffee bean extract” into an Internet search and you’ll be bombarded with companies advertising its ability to help you lose weight. Most of these products are unregulated and contain little to no chlorogenic acid. Our Green Coffee contains a genuine 20% chlorogenic acid as well as a helping of Green Tea which has been studied extensively for promoting weight loss.

A particular study, published in the journal Diabetes, Metabolic Syndrome and Obesity, was conducted on eight men and eight women. They were each given a high dose and a low dose of green coffee bean extract, as well as a placebo, in three separate six-week-long experiments. Participants were provided a similar number of calories each day during the course of the experiment.

After 22 weeks, or about five months, the researchers found that, on average, participants lost more than 17 pounds.

The catch

Although results have been very positive, studies have shown that taking Green Coffee or indeed any other supplements will not work unless a change in diet and lifestyle is made. There simply are no magic pills that will melt fat without any effort. Granted there are prescription weight loss pills that will make you lose weight. These however come with many side effects and once a course is finished, you are almost guaranteed to pile the pounds back on.

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Juice It!

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Miranda Kerr and Nicole Ritchie swear by the health benefits of the juice diets…

The western world has been encouraged, with key celebrity names at the forefront, to try juice diets. With many variations and the health benefits going through the roof, it’s the easiet way to get your 5-a-day fix! In times when sitting down for a long dinner seems like a luxury, a tall glass of juice tends to make up for time as well as nourishment.

All you need is a selection of fresh fruit and vegtables in rainbow colours and a hard working blender to kick start the benefits.. The blender will slowly crush the fruit or vegetables; ending up with healthy and highly-enriched juice, with preserved colour and nutrients.

You absorb all the goodness – Cooking and boiling the ingredients, lead to the destruction of a majority of the vital anti-oxidants. Juicing helps prevent this loss and fortifies your dietary intake with a well rounded ingestion of all necessary nutrients.

More Is More – Carrots, Spinach, Kale and Brocolli; all in one sitting? All you got to do is throw together all of the infamous leafy veggies into the blender and you won’t even recognize them anymore. Try it today!

Drink Up Quick! – Juice only what you need. Under highly monitored conditions, vegetable juice can stay fresh for a maximum of 24 hours due to its unpasteurized nature. After this time span, the nutritional value declines steadily and the taste will also suffer.

Try our favourite juice recipe below:

The ABC juice
1 apple
2 beets
3 large carrots
1 (1-inch) piece of ginger
Spinach or kale (optional)

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WBP: Steps to a Healthy 2014 – Start Today!

Explore our top tips and achieve the body you’ve always wanted! Read more…

STEP  1   

Take your time and eat slowly. Check your watch. Start eating. When you’re done, check your watch again. How long did it take? Your goal is at least 15 to 20 minutes per meal. You need that long in order to let your body tell your brain that you’re full. Spend time enjoying what you’re eating. You’ll enjoy food more, and get lean too.

 

STEP  2 

Eat yourself till “80% full”. It means you eat until you’re just satisfied. Don’t get hung up on exactly what “80% full” is, shoot for the general idea and feel satisfied with your meal. Remember: eat slow and be patience. But once you get the hang of learning your physical cues, this one will be a breeze and trust us it WORKS!

 

STEP  3

Eat and Drink Healthy. Water has zero calories and carbs and little to no sodium, making it the perfect slim-down drink. And strangely, it actually helps flush out excess water weight as well as jump-starts your metabolism. If it’s just too boring, add lemon wedges or mint leaves. Cutting out all white grain products — such as white rice, spaghetti, sandwich rolls — will instantly slim you down because the simple carbs in these foods cause bloating, especially around your belly. Try replacing these with vegetables. The complex carbs from vegetables are digested more slowly, so you remain full for longer. Eat salmon every other lunch. It is packed with nutrients that build muscle tone and give your skin a healthy glow. Some nutritionists claim that consuming a portion (doesn’t matter how it’s cooked) may immediately make your face look a bit more contoured.

 

Step  4

Shrink your portions! A portion of food on a smaller plate appears relatively large so you will end up putting less of it on. Studies have shown that changing from a 10” plate to an 8” causes people to eat on average 20% less. Try switching your plate sizes and see if it works for you. Don’t pile your plate up high and remember to eat SLOWLY. Taking time to eat your food will encourage you to enjoy each meal.

 

STEP  5  

Make One Food Sacrifice. Cutting out one indulgence — such as the chips you have with lunch or the chocolate dessert you eat after dinner — can subtract a few hundred calories from your diet, which translates into less flab.

 

STEP  6    

A small change can make a big difference! We have heard it countless times but little changes to your daily routine truly can make a huge difference to the way you look and feel. If you take the bus to work, get off one stop earlier than usual then walk the rest of the way. Or if you are presented with the option of taking the stairs or the escalator, go for the stairs. Same goes to eating healthy, try to use skimmed or semi skimmed milk rather than full fat, grilled food rather than fried, etc.

 

STEP  7    

Get some Zzzz! Sleep helps your recovery ability and how your body responds to nutrients, exercise, and stress. The more sleep you get, the leaner you are. At least 1-2 hours before bed, turn off the TV, computer, and cell phone. Prepare yourself for sleep and get into the forty-wink mindset. Try to sleep at regular times. Studies have shown that an erratic sleep routine leads to weight gain.

 

STEP  8    

You can get great results with about 3 hours of exercise per week. Make those hours count. We suggest:

1. Do cardio 30 Minutes a day for at least 5 days a week. Any workout that gets your heart rate up will burn calories. But you’ll use more calories if you pick a cardio routine that engages multiple muscles simultaneously, such as rowing or spinning. The best way to get maximum benefit from these 30 minute workouts is to do them on an empty stomach in the morning. By having no food in the system at this time, the body will automatically burn calories stored in fat reserves for energy.

2. Two days a week, do sprint intervals for about 15 minutes.

3. Do about 10 minutes of warmup each day. Ensure to spend time doing moderate movement such as walking, swimming, yoga etc.

 

STEP  9

Get social support! Willpower is a very limited thing so never count on it. Instead, build a support network that helps you get to your goals. Make key aspects of your healthy lifestyle convenient: Keep good foods in your house and ensure your gym location works within your lifestyle. Surround yourself with people who support your goals; take a class, join a group and build a strong social support network of fit and healthy people.