More Good News for Eating Dark Chocolate

Most of us already know that eating small amounts of dark chocolate contain nutrients that help reduce the risk of heart disease, not to mention that it just tastes so darn good!

But now another study from the Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology indicates it can also protect our skin from sun damage and wrinkling. Researchers say you need the least processed and the darkest chocolate for the best protection. Once again it has to do with the rich flavonoids and antioxidants that protect us, just like what we also find in our fruits and vegetables, so don't forget those! ( maybe not as tasty as chocolate but they have a lot less calories. (It's all about balance and moderation.)

Firm up in Ten Minutes?

Yes you can firm up in ten short minutes a day, a fitness trainer friend of mine says. I'm talking about weight training here. Apparently all you have to do is work a  little mini workout sometime throughout your day targeting just a few muscle groups at a time. (It would probably work best if you had a professional trainer first to show you proper form and how to combine the muscle groups.)

The idea here is intensity, not duration so you have to really work hard in those few ten minutes. So go for the biggest weights (but work up to them of course), and get to the point where you can choose a weight you can do only about six to eight times. Perform at least two sets of ten.  And do them s-l-o-w-l-y for real strength benefits.

You can also check out some videos of this nature at 10 Minute Solution: Fitness Ball Workouts. There are many others  too. Check the reviews and see which ones appeal to you. Now all you have to do is get your cardio in!

(FYI, no one has won the free $25 give away for coming up with the most fun way to exercise. I know some of you must exercise so give us some good ideas and win this!)

Tired of Drinking Plain Water?

I have to say even I get tired of drinking plain water all the time so I have some alternatives.  But you still have to drink the original eight too. Nothing replaces pure water which detoxifies like this elixir.

Sparkling and flavored waters are a bit different and a nice treat now and then, but do check the calorie count and watch for artificial sweeteners (they can actually make you crave sweets more). I know "Vitamin' waters are popular, but honestly they are just hyped up drinks. They just don't have enough vitamins to do you much good and they frequently have added sugar. "Smart Water" is truly a clean water with added minerals which everyone needs more of anyway and gives it a nice fresh taste. Diet sodas....no. There is absolutely nothing good about them although in moderation its fine. There is just nothing in them that gives you any health benefit at all.

Personally I love all the flavored green teas out there, hot or cold. And no calories! There are so many great flavors and they offer nutrients that actually benefit your health, keep your sweet tooth at bay and make you feel like you are getting a treat. Green teas have a bit of a thermogenic (fat burning) effect so they actually help you burn up a few extra calories too, great for us waist watchers!

Are you Stuck in your Comfort Zone?

Some people can not lose weight because they are stuck in a comfort zone of doing things their old familiar ways.  Some just resist change which would be perfectly normal considering how challenging weight loss is. Here's a verse that sums it up well but will hopefully get you to accept change in order to succeed at losing weight.


"Comfort Zone"


I use to have a Comfort Zone
Where I knew I couldn't fail
The same four walls of busy work
Were really more like jail.

I longed so much to do the things
I'd never done before,
But I stayed inside my Comfort Zone
And paced the same old floor

I claimed to be so busy
With the things inside my zone,
But deep inside I longed for
Something special of my own.

I couldn't let my life go by,
Just watching others win.
I held my breath and stepped outside
And let the change begin.

I took a step and with new strength
I'd never felt before,
I kissed my Comfort Zone 'goodbye'
And closed and locked the door.

If you are in a Comfort Zone,
Afraid to venture out,
Remember that all winners were
At one time filled with doubt.

A step or two and words of praise,
Can make your dreams come true.
Greet your future with a smile,
Success is there for you!
Author Unknown

A Multi for Weight Loss

 In a small study with women in China, those who took a multi while on a normal diet actually lost about four pounds after six months. Another study found similar results. Apparently women taking the supplements felt less hungry. Weight loss has already already been linked with calcium intake, increasing weight loss by 60%.  Although, this seems to work best by women who weren't getting enough of the mineral in the first place.  

Angelo Trembly, an obesity researcher from Laval University of Quebec City suggests you need a vitamin because when the body is low on specific nutrients it turns up the appetite, making you want to eat more to get the nutrients you may be missing. We ideally want to get our nutrients from real whole fresh food as much as possible but when you are dieting you may get short chained, so it’s especially important to take a multi-vitamin then. I also suggest purchasing a high quality one from a reputable health food store, not your grocery store or pharmacy. Generic vitamins frequently contain supplements with a lot of binders, fillers, food colorings and other additives that make it harder for your body to assimilate. 

  

Can Thin People become Diabetics?

Lately we have been hearing a lot more about how sugar is dangerous to our health. Let me clarify though, it’s the excessive sugar (and processed carbs) in our day to day consumption which leads to being unhealthy. One issue of course is that too many sweets lead to being overweight. While this is certainly true, some people can get away with eating a lot of sugary items and still not be overweight. While they may appear healthy this does not mean they will remain that way forever (unless of course they just have great genes).

New research from JAMA suggests too much sugar can still cause diabetes even if a person does not have excess weight. Sugar is playing havoc with the pancreatic cells that secrete insulin. Our pancreas is not made to handle large amounts of concentrated amounts of refined sugar on an ongoing basis. Eventually the body rebels and we develop diabetes, overweight or not!

New Thoughts on Fiber

A few weeks ago I wrote some thoughts on psyllium seed husks and their benefits as a fiber supplement.  It's still a better fiber as far as a fiber supplement goes. But there’s still more to come on the topic. Ideally we should be getting our fiber from whole food sources for our digestive tract to run smoothly.

The problem is many manufacturers are adding in extra fiber to entice the public to buy their products. While this may offer some benefits, these are what we call “functional foods.”

The problem is they may not always offer you the benefits you really need. Sources of fiber are ground very fine to be put in a food, reducing some of their ability to act like real fiber found in fresh foods. According to the Center for Science in the Public Interest, this fiber doesn’t exactly slow digestion, lower cholesterol or even improve regularity compared to actual high fiber whole foods. Best sources of course are fruits (especially berries and anything with seeds), vegetables, and whole grain foods that you actually cook (not instant forms) and leafy greens. Most Americans are only getting about 12-15 grams of fiber when we should be getting closer to 25-30 grams a day. Some health authorities suggest colon cancer may be reduced by obtaining 35 grams of fiber daily.