3 Tips for a Flat Stomach by One Goal Fitness

A lot of people are under the impression that the best way to get a flat stomach is to do more and more sit-ups. Unfortunately, that is not how it works. Getting a flat stomach is as much about diet as it is about exercise. You can’t have one without the other. However, with the right combination of efforts, you can change that belly into a flat stomach in a fairly short time.
Follow these 3 tips and you will see results.

TIP #1 – Do Weight-Bearing Exercises
Do a full body workout, not just sit-ups. Strengthening your core & back muscles will improve your overall fitness level and work to keep your abdominal muscles strong and flat. Remember, muscle burns more calories than fat so focus on replacing your fat with muscle. Try to work out 3 times a week for the best results.

TIP #2 – Eat Healthy
You don’t have to be overweight to be flabby. If you are not working out and building muscle, then the majority of your body weight will consist of fat weight. To reduce body fat and get the flat stomach you desire, it is necessary to ditch the junk food and concentrate on healthy alternatives. Good carbs like fruit, vegetables, whole wheat, brown rice, sweet potatoes; protein found in eggs, chicken, fish and lean beef. Be sure to reduce your intake of refined sugar, pasta, bread, sugary sodas and eliminate all fried foods.

TIP #3 – Do Aerobic Exercises
To get a flat stomach, you need to remove belly fat and one of the best ways to do that is through an intensive cardiovascular exercise. I’m not talking ‘take the dog for a walk’. Do a cardio exercise that gets your heart and lungs working. Hi-low intensity workouts are the best for burning calories and reducing belly fat. Get out there and run, jog, swim, cycle (14 mph and higher). Take some classes – Zumba, spinning, step aerobics, kick boxing, etc. These are all fat burners that will get your heart pumping!

If you follow the 3 tips above, not only will you get a flatter stomach, but you will see a leaner, healthier body overall. You will have more energy, less stress and feel good about yourself.

One Goal Fitness, personal trainers McKinney Tx, is a boutique training studio offering a private fitness experience. If you would like more information about how you can build muscle & strength, lose weight and reshape your body, please call us at 972-540-7840. See the Difference at http://www.OneGoalFitness.com.

http://www.onegoalfitness.com/3-tips-for-a-flat-stomach/

Vegetarians Live Longer Than Meat-Eaters by Avery Johnson

Vegetarians live longer than meat-eaters, according to a study published Monday in JAMA Internal Medicine, a Journal of the American Medical Association.

The authors tracked 73,308 members of the Seventh-day Adventist Church for almost six years. The church is known for promoting a vegetarian diet, though not all of its followers adhere to that teaching. Researchers found out what type of diet participants ate, then followed up to find out how many of those participants had died and how.
Vegetarians in the study experienced 12% fewer deaths over the period. Dietary choices appeared to play a big role in protecting the participants from heart disease, from which vegetarians were 19% less likely to die than meat-eaters.

There also appeared to be fewer deaths in the vegetarian group from diabetes and kidney failure.

Caloric intake didn’t seem to matter. The different participant groups generally ate around the same amount of calories daily. Researchers found that the beneficial associations weren’t related to energy intake.

The advantage appeared stronger in men than women, whose diet didn’t seem to make as much of a difference. Eating plant foods didn’t seem to protect participants against cancer, which struck both the vegetarians and non-vegetarians in roughly equal measure.

The paper, written by researchers at Loma Linda University in Loma Linda, California, is larger and includes a more diverse population than previous research, says lead author Michael Orlich, director of the preventive medicine residency program there. “People are confronted with all sorts of nutritional information, but the bottom line is, ‘How will your diet pattern affect your risk of dying?”‘ he says.

Researchers don’t know why a plant-based diet seems to have a protective effect, but one likely reason is the nutrient profile of vegetarian diets, which tend to be higher in fiber and lower in saturated fat. Vegetarians tend to be thinner, another factor known to have an effect on health outcomes, Dr. Orlich says. He adds that the study benefited from examining a group whose rates of alcohol and tobacco use are low.

Of course, just eliminating meat from the plate doesn’t always equal a healthy meal. Vegetarian dishes—for example, a vegetable spring roll—still can be high in fats and calories. And certain meats are healthy.

Loma Linda University is a Seventh-day Adventist institution specializing in health care. The church recommends a diet with “generous use of whole-grain breads, cereals and pastas, a liberal use of fresh vegetables and fruits, a moderate use of legumes, nuts and seeds,” according to a statement on its website. The study published Monday was funded by the National Institutes of Health.

When adopting a vegetarian lifestyle, nutritionists recommend watching closely to make sure the intake of key nutrients is sufficient. These include iron and zinc, frequently found in meat, and calcium and vitamin B12. Roughly 5% of Americans consider themselves to be vegetarians, according to a survey published last year by Gallup.
The Loma Linda researchers used a questionnaire to categorize participants into groups based on their diets.
The categories include nonvegetarians and people considered semi-vegetarians, who eat meat more than once a month but less than once a week. In addition to meat, vegans eliminate dairy and eggs from their diets.

Others eat fish, in addition to the cohort that eats no meat but consumes dairy and eggs. For many of the analyses, the researchers lumped all of these subsets of people together as simply “vegetarians.

Write to Avery Johnson at avery.johnson@WSJ.com

http://m.us.wsj.com/articles/a/SB10001424127887324423904578523190441042514?mg=reno64-wsj#

Steaming Vegetables Recipe

May 14, 2013|4 Comments
Simple steamed vegetables are one of the reasons I love eating in Japan. I mean, let’s be honest, I probably like steamed vegetables more than most, but I enjoy them exponentially more in Japan. Somehow, many of the things I love about traveling there are summed up in this simple preparation. I’d often receive a sampling of seasonal produce as part of a combination lunch, the vegetables arriving at the table beautifully arranged in the bamboo basket they were steamed in. I’d work my way through a rainbow of vibrant, tender potatoes, squash, mushrooms, broccoli rabe, and the like, sometimes adding a pinch of zesty shichimi togarashi, but more often than not, a casual toss of a few grains of salt would be all. Each time, a vibrant, satisfying reminder of just how good vegetables can be when prepared simply with care and intent. After this past trip, my cheap, tri-level bamboo steamer was promptly dusted upon my arrival home, and put into proper rotation. The thing that never ceases to surprise me is the speed even the most hearty chunks of root vegetables or squash become tender – ten minutes, often less.

Bamboo steamers are easy to come by, and relatively inexpensive. The one downside is they take up a good amount of storage space, not much more than a big pot, but still. The steamers are available in a range of diameters, and are made of interlocking trays intended for stacking on atop of the other. Placed above simmering water, the steam from the water rises through the trays and cooks the food. It’s a simple premise that works astoundingly well. I use three trays, but you can certainly go up or down a level.

A few things I’ve learned:

- While steaming with water is most common, I’ve also played around using miso broth, vegetable broth, vegetable dashi, or tea in place of water. Each imparts a different scent and flavor to the vegetables. More times than not though, I use water.

- Arrange your slowest cooking vegetables in the bottom basket, working up to the quickest. Another time saver is to get your densest, slowest cooking vegetables started in in the bottom tray, while you prep the quicker cooking vegetables for the mid and top baskets. Place the lid on whatever basket is on top at the time.

- Some people line their steamers with cabbage leaves or parchment. I don’t bother, placing the vegetables directly on the steamer instead. I like how it seems to keep the steam circulating. A quick scrub with hot water and the rough side of a sponge makes clean-up simple.

So, less of a recipe, and more of a reminder today of how good the most basic preparations can be. -h

Steaming Vegetables
HS: This is how I put together a sample of steamed vegetables. I use a three-tiered bamboo steamer, the sort that is available in most culinary shops.

a sampling of seasonal vegetables
flaky sea salt

to finish: good olive oil, a few drops of toasted sesame oil, or shallot oil

equipment: a bamboo basket steamer, preferably three levels. And, your steamer needs to fit inside your cooking skillet.

Wash your vegetables well, and cut them into bite-sized pieces. I tend to leave peels on, but it is a personal preference. Arrange them, in a single layer, in steamer trays according to needed cooking time. For example:

Bottom tray: equal-sized chunks of slower-cooking vegetables. For example: sweet potato, potato, winter squash, beets. These usually cook through in about ten minutes.

Middle-tray: equal sized pieces of broccoli, cauliflower

Top-tray/last minute: asparagus, fava beans (inner pods), snap peas

Bring an inch of water to a simmer in a skillet large enough to accommodate the diameter of your steamer. The water should not be so high that it makes contact with the vegetables when the steamer is placed in the skillet – do a quick test if needed, and remove some water if needed.

The goal here is to have your vegetables perfectly cooked and ready to serve just before you sit down. And, ideally, all of the vegetables finish cooking at the same time. Here’s how you do it. Roughly ten minutes before you’re ready to serve, place the slow-cooking, bottom tray vegetables over the simmering water, covered. Let them steam there until they’re about 2/3 cooked, about 6-7 minutes. Test, and cut into any root vegetables toward the end to make sure they’re going to be cooked through. The mid tray only needs 3-4 minutes, so add that next, moving the lid up a level. And the top tray vegetables, like snap peas and asparagus, just need a kiss of steam to brighten, barely a minute. Add that last. Or if you only have two baskets, add these to the broccoli/cauliflower basket to finish. You’ll have to make slight adjustments based on the sizes of your vegetables, but this is the general idea. Cook them until they’re bright, just tender, and taste good to you.

I like to quickly arrange the steamed vegetable, nested, in one basket to serve along with a drizzle of good oil – toasted sesame, shallot, olive oil, herb, etc. With a sprinkle of flaky sea salt.

Serves 4.

Prep time: 5 min – Cook time: 10 min

http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/steaming-vegetables-recipe.html

What Helps and Hurts Your Brain

The Cost of Feeding Your Family

RT @usatodaynews: Cost of feeding a family of four: $146 to $289 a week http://t.co/2jrOIk6A4S

High Blood Pressure Can be Avoided

Healthy Eating – Overview

How do you get started on healthy eating?

Healthy eating starts with learning new ways to eat, such as adding more fresh fruits, vegetables, and whole grains and cutting back on foods that have a lot of fat, salt, and sugar.

A change to healthier eating also includes learning about balance, variety, and moderation.

Aim for balance. Most days, eat from each food group-grains, protein foods, vegetable and fruit, and dairy. Listen to your body. Eat when you’re hungry. Stop when you feel satisfied. Look for variety. Be adventurous. Choose different foods in each food group. For example, don’t reach for an apple every time you choose a fruit. Eating a variety of foods each day will help you get all the nutrients you need. Practice moderation. Don’t have too much or too little of one thing. All foods, if eaten in moderation, can be part of healthy eating. Even sweets can be okay.

Why pay attention to what you eat?

Healthy eating will help you get the right balance of vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients. It will help you feel your best and have plenty of energy. It can help you handle stress better.

Healthy eating is one of the best things you can do to prevent and control many health problems, such as:

• Heart disease.
• High blood pressure.
• Type 2 diabetes.
• Some types of cancer.

Is healthy eating the same as going on a diet?

Healthy eating is not a diet. It means making changes you can live with and enjoy for the rest of your life.

Diets are temporary. Because you give up so much when you diet, you may be hungry and think about food all the time. And after you stop dieting, you also may overeat to make up for what you missed.

Eating a healthy, balanced variety of foods is far more satisfying. And if you match that with more physical activity, you are more likely to get to a healthy weight-and stay there-than if you diet.

How do you make healthy eating a habit?

First, think about your reasons for healthier eating. Do you want to improve your health? Do you want to feel better? Are you trying to set an example for your kids?

Next, think about some small changes you can make. Pick ones you can keep doing.

• Don’t try to change everything at once.
• Set an easy goal you can reach, like having a salad and a piece of fruit each day.
• Make a long-term goal too, such as having one vegetarian dinner a week.

Where can you get support?

Having support from others can be a huge help. The more support you have, the easier it will be to make changes. Ask family and friends to practice healthy eating with you. Have them help you make meals, and share healthy, delicious recipes and cooking tips.

If you need more help, talk to your doctor or a registered dietitian. Look online for groups that support healthy eating and share success stories.

http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/tc/healthy-eating-overview

 

Am I Going Back? And the Answer Is…

Now that the science fair project is officially over (except for her presentation at Regionals on March 23), people have asked me if I’m “going back”. Uh, no! I’ve lost 20 lbs in 90 days. I feel better. My blood pressure is normal. I’m sleeping better. Besides the pain in my back (I think it’s the new office chair I was given), I feel better than I have in years.

I get the “are you going back” question the most at lunch time at work. I’ve talked with a lot of my coworkers (who have noticed the weight loss). Many of the women have joined a Weight Watchers group. Some of the guys are doing it on their own. Some are taking a radical approach. Some are successful…others are not.

Again, I’m not following a “diet” or reading a fitness guru book. I know this is a repeat, but this is what I’m doing:

1. Planning/Goal setting – I use My Fitness Pal every day, every meal.
2. Healthy choices – I eat more vegetables and fresh fruit. I have really cut back on junk food. I’m even thinking of moving towards a more vegetarian lifestyle.
3. Portion control – I don’t eat for 3 anymore. This has been significant for me. I think it’s been key.
4. Exercise – I exercise at least 3 days/week for at least 1 hour. My routine for now consists of 50% strength training and 50% cardio. I need to make some changes and intensify my workouts.

After all of that, what’s for dinner tonight?

* Steamed broccoli
* Quinoa
* Fruit (perhaps an apple)

Keep Good Food

Fat Dad Fit Dad on TV

Sorry for the sound quality. If the station puts it on their site, I’ll share that link.