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40 Jennifer Aniston-Approved Diet And Fitness Habits You Should Try – Women’s Health
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Fact: Jennifer Aniston has looked jaw-droppingly fit and healthy for decades. But, TBH, shes really hit her stride these days. At 50, Jen has ridiculous abs, glowy skin, and legs even Rachel Green would die for. But while Jen works hard, she also seems to be pretty chill about her approach to health. Here are the health and wellness habits she swears by to capture that truly JA vibe.
1 Get into planking
To challenge her, Jennifers trainer Leyon Azubuike told Womens Health that he has Jen do plank flow, where she starts in a standard plank, then moves to a side plank, then moves to plank with shoulder taps, and so forth.
2Don't take your fitness too seriously
"I went from being a crazy workout girl to sort of saying, 'My body wants a little bit of a break,'" Jen told Women's Health. "So I kind of stay with more simple stuff and taking walks and not being neurotic about working out and eating right. I started to enjoy life a little bit more. The only downside to that is theres that couple extra pounds and about 4,000 pregnancy rumors, but you know, other than that, it feels great."
3Stretch your core
"We do a lot of things that stretch the core, so well do things where shes hanging on a pullup bar, then she pulls her knees up and brings them back down, Azubuike told Womens Health.
4Think outside the sit-ups
Jennifer loves doing V-ups and using an ab wheel, Azubuike told Womens Health. "Well use a sit-up to shock the body occasionally, but its not a major part of our core regimen, he said.
5Don't rush your workouts if you have the time
Jen doesnt pop in and out of the gymshe spends up to an hour and a half working out during each exercise session, Azubuike told Womens Health.
6Be flexible with your workouts
Everybody has someplace they need to be, and Jennifer is no exception. Azubuike told Womens Health that he uses a training technique called "periodization" with Jen, which adjusts things based on her schedule. "Depending on where we are in that cycle dictates the duration and intensity of Jens workout," he says.
"If I know Jen isnt filming anything, its a different phase than if I know she has something coming up tomorrow. If shes going to be walking up to receive an award, Im not going to destroy her legs in the gym the day before."
7Read up on intermittent fasting
"I do intermittent fasting, so no food in the morning," Jennifer told UK outlet Radio Times. "I noticed a big difference in going without solid food for 16 hours."
8Find time to sweat, no excuses
Sometimes Jen will work out in the middle of the night when shes shooting. "She has to respond when I say go," Azubuike told Womens Health. "If she has a shoot at 3 a.m. and we need to work out before that, lets go...we respect each other in that regard, so its a constant back and forth with mutual respect and understanding."
9Find your beast mode once in a while
Azubuike made it clear to Womens Health that he doesnt go easy on his famous client. She definitely should be commended, because when I get into go-mode, Im in go-mode, he said.
10Eat nutrient-rich foods
Azubuike told Women's Health that hes big on his clients (including Jennifer) eating nutrient-rich foods, like mix of healthy carbs, protein, leafy greens, and bright, colorful veggies.
11Get. Some. Sleep.
You wont find Jen up at the crack of dawn. She told Radio Times that she usually wakes up at 9 a.m.
12Try resistance bands
They factor big-time into Jens workouts. "We box, we jump rope, we do strength training, we do a lot of work with resistance bandswere big on resistance bands," Azubuike told Womens Health.
13Mix up your workouts
Azubuike told Womens Health that hes constantly rotating Jens workouts. Its always hard, shes consistently being challengedIm a big fan of switching things up, so the body reacts in a positive way and changes, he said.
14Try boxing
"Its the longest workout Ive actually stayed with consistently other than yoga," Jen told InStyle. Theres something about the mental aspect of boxingthe drills, your brain has to work, youre not just sitting on a bike. Its amazing.
15Don't be bullied into weight loss
According to the book, Generation Friends: An Inside Look at the Show That Defined a Television Era, which celebrates the 25th anniversary of Friends, author Saul Austerlitz said that Jen faced a lot of pressure over her weight and looks during her time on the show. She had to lose thirty pounds if she wanted to stay in Hollywood, he wrote.
Jen previously addressed this in the 90s. "The disgusting thing of HollywoodI wasn't getting lots of jobs 'cause I was too heavy," she told Rolling Stone in 1996, as reported by Harper's Bazaar UK. "I was like, 'What?!'"
16Make exercise a consistent habit
Making exercise a regular part of your day is clutch. Jennifer told Radio Times that she tries to do five workouts a week.
17Keep pushing through challenging exercises
Jennifer didnt love using a jump rope when Azubuike first tried her out on it because she thought it was challenging, her trainer told Womens Health. But she kept at it. "I just made her keep on doing it, and now shes great at it, he said.
18Have compassion for past relationships
Hating on exes never helped anyones mental health. Jen is friendly with both of her ex-husbands. Justin Theroux regularly slides into her Instagram comments and was even spotted at her Friendsgiving dinner this year. Ex-husband Brad Pitt was also spotted at Jens 50th birthday party, per People.
19Own your morning
When Jen wakes up, she takes a mindful approach to her day. She told Radio Times that she has a celery juice and meditates before jumping into a workout.
20Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate
Jennifer has inspired her own yoga instructor, Mandy Ingber, to stay well-hydrated. Jen is definitely somebody that has encouraged me to hydrate," Ingber told ABC News. "She is a hydrator from way back in the day."
21Set aside time to pamper yourself
Jen told Australia's Now to Love that she makes time to pamper herself one day a week. "Sunday is my spa day. I usually do a little mini facial time where I just give myself a good scrub, use a mask, and then the new Aveeno hydrating facial," she said. "I leave it on overnight and when I wake up I have that dewy, glowing, twinkling skin."
22Watch your water intake before a workout
It wont end well for you. If you pound water right before your workout, youll just feel heavy and full and sluggish the entire time, Azubuike told Womens Health.
23Get a little sunbut wear sunscreen
Jennifer is all about hanging out outside, but she wears sunscreen. I still sit in the sun...you need that vitamin D for a glow and your mood, Jennifer told Vogue.
24Find a puppy love
Jennifer's adorable dog Clyde is her BFFshe even takes him to work sometimes.
25Dont let yourself get thirsty
"The common misconception about hydration is that you should wait until youre thirsty, and then drink until youre full," Azubuike told Womens Health. Instead, he said, you shouldnt even let yourself get to that point.
Being hydrated all day is important for your energy, and in turn, your workouts. Just be careful about chugging RIGHT before.
26Eat healthy fats
As far as food goes, Azubuike told Womens Health that he encourages Jennifer to reach for healthy fats. "I love avocados, coconut oil, salmon, fish oilanything thats a good form of fat is great," he said.
27Experiment with pre-workout snacks
Something like peanut butter and banana can be a good pre-workout snack, Azubuike told Womens Health, but its not for everyone. "It takes trial and error to see what works best," he said.
28Keep a fitness journal
Azubuike recommends this. "Write down how certain foods you ate make you feel during a workout," he told Womens Health. "And also journal what days you mentally werent checked in as well, and why, in case that made an impact. Maybe its because you didnt sleep well, it was rainy outside, etc."
29Pencil in recovery days
Jennifer told People that she usually takes off on Sundays to give herself a little time to recover from all the badassery she drops at the gym the rest of the week.
30Bring a good attitude to every workout
Hey, Jen does. Shes very diligent. She is ready to work out hard, every single time she hits the gym, Azubuike told People. Whether it be a 45-minute session, whether it be a two-hour session, shes always ready to go.
31Be consistent
Azubuike told People that Jen is incredibly consistent and hardworking, and that makes my job a little bit easier. Shes a very good, natural athlete.
32Mix up your yoga
Jen told People that shes big into taking a spin-yoga class several times a week, which is 25 to 30 minutes of spinning and then 30 to 40 minutes of yoga.
33Learn to crave exercise
Of course I [get bored], Jen told People. Its when I take breaks and then I get back into it, thats when its hard. But once Im back into it, I love it and I crave it.
34Switch up your cardio
I usually do a trifecta of cardio, Jen told People. Fifteen minutes on the bike, 15 on the treadmill running and then 15 on the elliptical. You have to shake it up, you know, muscle confusion.
35Work out even when you dont feel like it
Jen has learned a little trick that works for her. Bite the bullet. Just bite the bullet and do it, she told People. Think of a wonderful pasta or Mexican meal that you want to have on the weekend and dangle that in front of you like a little carrot.
36Do body weight exercises
Jennifer told People that shes big on using her own body weight for workouts. Or, if shes at the gym, shell add a little weight. Grab little five-pound weights if you have nothing else, and just move them around, she said.
37Have a go-to smoothie
Jennifer is big into a fruit-filled smoothie made with bananas, cherries, blackberries, a greens powder, a collagen peptide, a little cacao powder, chocolate stevia drops, and chocolate almond milk, she told People. You can see I like chocolate-flavored. I don't like protein taste."
38Lean into that endorphins high
You know what, there are days I go I cant and I dont want to, and I think you just have to listen to your body, Jen told Womens Healthand she'll take those days as rest days.
And then there are times when you go, 'Really? Do you really not want to?' And then if you just say, OK, Im going to get on some machine for 10 minutes, you just start to get the endorphins going. Then you feel great, and you just keep going. So sometimes you can actually override the I dont want to work out.
39Freeze some fruit for a snack
Jennifer told Womens Health that she loves to nosh on frozen grapes. I like the red onestheyre really easy and delicious, she said. They give you that frozen crunch. I was at a spa one time, and they gave me a little cup of frozen grapes after my mud bath soak or whatever. It was sort of like, This is genius.
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40 Jennifer Aniston-Approved Diet And Fitness Habits You Should Try - Women's Health
In the battle of fitness trackers, the most steps might not win – Oklahoman.com
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'The first step'
It might also help her live longer, according to a recent Harvard University study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
The study concluded that among older women, as few as 4,400 steps per day helped to lower mortality rates.
With more steps per day, mortality rates decreased before leveling off at 7,500 steps, the study found. In other words, the magic marketing number of 10,000 daily steps embraced by so many wearers of these devices may be about 2,500 steps more than necessary.
Truth be told, even the woman behind the study who concedes that she, too, is enamored of her step tracker cant say how many steps are the right number for each walker.
No one size fits all, said I-Min Lee, an associate epidemiologist at Brigham and Womens Hospital in Boston and a professor at Harvard Medical School.
But no matter how many steps you take, merely wearing and using a fitness tracker particularly for older women, older men and other people who tend to be somewhat inactive can be beneficial not only to your health but to your quality of life, Lee said.
Studies show that 150 minutes a week of moderate activity, such as walking, can lower the risk of heart disease and stroke, improve sleep, help reduce weight gain and improve bone health.
(Story continued below...)
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In the battle of fitness trackers, the most steps might not win - Oklahoman.com
A Realme fitness tracker could launch relatively soon – Android Authority
Fitness Comments Off on A Realme fitness tracker could launch relatively soon – Android Authority
Realme CEO Madhav Sheth just confirmed something quite exciting during yesterdays episode of #AskMadhav on YouTube. According to Sheth, Realme should be releasing a fitness tracker relatively soon as the company continues to expand its portfolio.
We aim to become Indias largest tech lifestyle brand, Sheth said. Talking about the fitness band, I will definitely say it is in the works, and you might see one in the first half of 2020.
These words are far from a promise, but since they come directly from the mouth of the boss, we expect Realme is pretty close to having a finished product.
Related: The best fitness trackers
Right now, the Xiaomi Mi Band 4 is pretty much in a class of its own. Its definitely the best cheap fitness tracker you can pick up today, and in Xiaomis case, cheap doesnt mean bad. Though there are other cheap competitors out there, like the Fitbit Inspire HR and the Samsung Galaxy Fit, none of them are quite as cheap or as good as the Mi Band 4.
Can Realmes upcoming fitness tracker bring some honest, compelling competition to the Xiaomi in this sector? Hopefully we will find out next year.
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A Realme fitness tracker could launch relatively soon - Android Authority
Smartphones blamed as children’s fitness takes nosedive in Japan – The Japan Times
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The physical performance of children in Japan deteriorated dramatically in fiscal 2019 from the previous year, a survey by the Sports Agency showed Monday.
The overall performance score for boys in the fifth year of elementary school was the lowest since the survey started in fiscal 2008, and that for boys in the second year of junior high school was the worst in the past five years.
The physical performance scores had been on an upward trend for girls and had gradually improved for boys since the survey was launched.
According to the agency, the latest results reflected a drop in time spent on exercise, excluding physical education at schools, growth in time spent using smartphones and rising obesity rates.
Agency officials said they will promote steps to allow students to make exercise a habit, and to have more time for physical activities.
The fiscal 2019 survey was conducted between April and July, covering some 2.01 million students or almost all children in the two grades across the country.
Their physical performance was evaluated across eight categories, including grip strength and 50-meter sprint time.
With a maximum of 80 points, the total physical performance scores for boys and girls in the fifth grade at elementary schools stood at 53.61 and 55.59, respectively, and those for boys and girls in the second grade at junior high schools were 41.56 and 50.03, respectively.
Those figures were lower by between 0.31 and 0.62 point than the previous fiscal year.
The survey found that male junior high school second graders took 6.31 seconds longer on average to run 1,500 meters. Female junior high school second graders took 3.02 seconds longer to run 1,000 meters.
The average time for a 50-meter run for both boys and girls in the two grades rose by between 0.03 and 0.05 second.
Boys grip strength was the weakest ever. Boys in the two grades and female fifth graders at elementary schools logged the poorest performance in ball throwing.
The survey saw a drop in the proportion of both elementary and junior high school students who spend 420 minutes or more on exercise per week, excluding physical education at schools. The size of the declines was bigger for boys than girls.
Students who use smartphones for three hours or more per day logged physical performance scores lower than average.
Agency officials said they were concerned about a possible further deterioration in childrens physical strength due mainly to the growing use of smartphones.
According to the agency, the share of elementary school fifth graders who use smartphones, game consoles or personal computers for one hour or more per day on weekdays stood at 83.3 percent for boys and 73.1 percent for girls.
The share of such male and female second graders at junior high schools came in at 90.3 percent and 87.6 percent, respectively.
The agency said that the share was higher in all grades than in fiscal 2016.
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Smartphones blamed as children's fitness takes nosedive in Japan - The Japan Times
Want To Start The Decade With A Fitter Body? These Fitness Bands Will Help You Keep Your Resolution – ScoopWhoop
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It is that time of the year when we start thinking about our New Year's resolution. But what's better than taking a pledge to stay fit.
Every year a ton of people take this resolution but there are only few who stick to it throughout the year.
A common reason whypeople join a gym in the first week of the year but fail to visit regularly is the lack of motivation.
If it sounds familiar, don't worry we have got you covered. Here's a list of best fitness bands that will keep a track of all your activities and motivate you to do better than yesterday.
1. Huawei Band 4 Pro (Not yet launched in India)
Starting with the latest launch, Huawei Band 4 Pro is a feature pack fitness band that comes with an in-built GPS tracker which will motivate you to run a bit longer every day by measuring the distance of your run.
Coming to the technical specifications, the band features a 0.95-inch colour AMOLED display, Bluetooth 4.2, swim stroke recognition, sleep and activity tracker, a PPG heart rate sensor and call/messages notifications alert.
Though the band is not available in India as of now, it is expected to enter the market soon.
2. Honor Band 5
Price:2,599
If you can't wait till the Huawei band enters that market, you may want to spend your money on Honor Band 5. The band comes with a 0.95-inch AMOLED colour panel.
Other features of the band include a heart-rate monitor, a sleep tracker with over 200 personalised sleep suggestions, water-resistance rating and a sensor to recognise four main swim strokes.
The step tracker feature of the band lets you set a goal and motivates you to achieve it every day.
3. Mi Band 3iPrice:1,299
Being the cheapest fitness band on our list, Mi Band 3i lacks the heart-rate sensor. But apart from that, it comes with every other feature that one needs to stay fit.
The band comes with sensors that can monitor sleep, remind you about an event, track all your activity in the real-time and reminds you to take a walk if you are sitting idle for a long period of time. It can also notify you for incoming calls and messages.
4. Mi Band 4
Price:2,299
If you are looking for an alternative to Honor Band 5, you might want to choose the Mi Band 4. The band comes with a 0.95-inch colour AMOLED display, a heart rate sensor and a calorie tracker.
The band is equipped with three different sensors that can track your activities likecycling, power walking, sleeping and five different types of swimming.
The band can connect to a smartphone via Bluetooth and transfer all the vital data to the MiFit app so you can track and compare stats from your smartphone anytime.
5. GOQii Vital ECG
Price:2,999
While every other fitness tracker on our list claims to give you the vital stats about your day to day activity, GOQii says that their band comes with a feature to detect heart problems likeatrial fibrillation.
The band is waterproof and cantrack your exercise duration, pace and heart rate. It also notifies you about calls and messages.To avoid heart problems, you need to stay fit and this band helps you in achieving it.
6. Samsung Galaxy Fit E
Price:2,490
The newest fitness band from Samsung comes with a 0.74-inch mono PMOLED display.
It packs an accelerometer and a heart rate sensor which can track your activities like running, walking and dynamic workout. The band supports Bluetooth 5.0 and a 70 mAh battery.
The band displays the step count right on the home screen, so it's always there to tell you how many steps you need to complete your daily goal.
With features like idle alert and step counter, these bands will help you get fit in no time. Get Set Go!
Read More..New year, new diet? Not so fast. Instead, heed this big-picture eating advice for 2020. – Seattle Times
Diet Comments Off on New year, new diet? Not so fast. Instead, heed this big-picture eating advice for 2020. – Seattle Times
I recently surveyed some of my readers on what they would like me to write about in 2020, and one of the responses was, If you could give everyone no matter our body shape or current health three pieces of nutrition advice, what would those things be and why? Excellent question!
I could trot out the typical Eat more vegetables, eat fewer highly processed foods, and get enough protein response, but I wont, even though those are solid nuggets of advice and ones Ive previously given. Instead, Im offering some big-picture advice for the New Year that I hope will help make you more confident eaters.
1. Theres more than one way to eat for health. Dont believe anyone who tells you that there is only one right diet especially if they use the language like the secret they dont want you to know. First, if the secret advice was actually valuable, it wouldnt be a secret. Second, nutrition research demonstrates that there are a number of nutritious ways to eat that can support good health and reduce risk of chronic disease. Third, look around you. If you discovered the eating habits of everyone around you who is currently healthy with low disease risk, I guarantee you would get a mix of answers. Some would eat vegan or vegetarian, while others would include meat in their meals. Some would eat low-fat, while others would eat low-carb. Some would say something like I dont know everything in moderation? And honestly, some healthy people dont even have a healthy diet because, like it or not, they won the genetic lottery.
2. Food isnt the monster under the bed. I have an entire article planned on food fears, but for now, suffice it to say that food has nourished and sustained you for your entire life thus far its not out to kill you. There are no foods or food groups that will destroy health in the context of a balanced diet (anything could be harmful in severe excess, even water). Wheat, meat, eggs, dairy, nightshade vegetables, fruit, nonorganic produce none of these are the dietary devils they are often made out to be. It should go without saying that if you have a food allergy or intolerance (hopefully diagnosed by a medical professional please dont self-diagnose), then you need to avoid that specific food.
3. If the way you eat makes you unhappy, its not the right way for you. Unhappiness cuts a few ways. For example, if following the healthiest diet in the world makes it impossible to socialize with friends over food because theres nothing you can eat, and requires you to cook everything from scratch even though it stresses you out, then thats not the right diet for you. Conversely, if the way you eat leaves you perpetually hungry, tired and cranky, or perhaps overfull, lethargic and uncomfortable, those are clues that something needs to change. Feeling like you would kill for a cracker or might fall into a food coma promotes neither health nor happiness.
A final bit of advice that relates to all of the above: Please stop looking for silver bullets. They dont exist. Health is so multifaceted that it would be impossible for any one food, one supplement or one diet to have an impact that even resembles magical status. Small steps, taken consistently and turned into healthy habits, are what make a difference. Not dramatic, and certainly not sexy but true. Happy New Year!
Read More..Tom Brady Cheats on His Diet in the Sweetest Way During the Holidays – Showbiz Cheat Sheet
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Tom Brady is one of the greatest athletes of all time and certainly one of the most famous. The quarterback for the New England Patriots has maintained a thriving career at an age when many football players have already retired or moved on to become sports announcers or commentators.
Still, all of that success doesnt come easy. Brady follows a notoriously strict diet and exercise routine, one that he is willing to break only on the most special occasions.
Read on to learn about Bradys insane diet plan, whether or not he ever has cheat days and the unique ways that he and his family celebrate the holiday season.
At the age of 42, Brady has honed his dietary needs to an exact science. Brady has claimed that his unique eating plan, known as The TB12 Method is a mixture of Eastern and Western philosophies and that, to him, it feels unnatural to eat many of the processed foods that have become very common in American society, like fried foods and white bread.
Instead, his diet is full of fresh fruits and vegetables that give him steady energy all day.
Brady starts an average day with electrolyte-infused water and a blueberry-banana smoothie that could also have nuts and seeds. Following his morning workout, Brady drinks even more electrolyte water, and possibly some eggs and avocado for a nutritious, hearty breakfast.
For lunch, Brady packs in the vegetables: usually a salad with nuts and fish. For dinner, although Brady doesnt eat a ton of meat, he will usually fuel up with some lean protein such as roasted chicken and even more vegetables.
Brady does snack throughout the day, though not on processed things such as candy or chips. Instead, he reaches for protein-packed hummus or savory guacamole.
In general, Brady will allow himself to have a small treat such as bacon or a single slice of pizza if he really wants one. However, during the holidays, he goes all-out and indulges in one particular holiday treat that holds special meaning for him and his family.
Recently, Bradys wife, Gisele Bundchen, shared a video on social media that showed Brady pulling a massive tray of biscuits out of the oven. The quarterback glazed the biscuits with butter as his wife laughingly looked on.
The biscuits are from a treasured recipe that Bradys grandmother passed down. He has admitted that his favorite part of every holiday was eating those biscuits. Now that his grandmother is no longer alive, he keeps the tradition going by making them every holiday season and then coating them in butter and syrup.
Brady even brings a couple of trays of the biscuits to treat his team members during special occasions.
In addition to the famous biscuits, Brady has a few other holiday traditions that he and his family look forward to all year long. Recently, Brady opened up about a few of his favorite parts of Christmas, which include colored lights rather than the white variety, and chocolate chip cookies he doesnt like gingerbread.
In spite of the inevitable craziness that comes with the holiday season, the decorated football player revealed that he feels very blessed. He also admitted that he loves listening to Christmas music on the radio and that he gifts his teammates with comfortable Ugg shoes, thanks to his modeling contract with the shoe company.
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Tom Brady Cheats on His Diet in the Sweetest Way During the Holidays - Showbiz Cheat Sheet
Try this New Year’s resolution: ditch the diet – Jackson Hole News&Guide
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This is the season when holiday festivities and diet talk are in full swing.
Just skip lunch so you can indulge tonight.
Ill burn 500 calories at the gym to earn my food.
Im bringing the gluten-free, dairy-free, refined-sugar-free cheesecake ... despite having no medical reason to and, if were honest, you really prefer the real thing.
And the most common diet talk: Oh, screw it, Im going to eat whatever I want. Ive already lost control over my holiday eating. Ill just be good on Whole 30, Paleo, Keto (whatever) beginning next week.
The language we use transitions from indulging in December to restricting in January.
Even though weve heard that diets dont work, we continue to pursue them year after year.
Why? Because diets do work, just not long term.
We continue to be enticed by diet culture promises because most of us do lose weight, experience health improvements and feel better on a diet, albeit, more often than not, temporarily.
Thus, for many of us, dieting could be part of the health epidemic problem instead of the solution.
This obsession with thinness is driving us crazy, said Glenn Mackintosh, principle psychologist at Weight Management Psychology. And the only tangible result most of us see from endlessly battling our bodies is the number on the scales rising over time. Even the few who achieve the ideal arent immune to the madness and live in fear of weight gain.
And dont be fooled into thinking your next food plan or watching what you eat in the name of health isnt just a diet in disguise. To diet, according to the Oxford Dictionary, is to restrict oneself to small amounts or special kinds of food in order to lose weight.
As we start a new decade, give yourself a long-lasting gift: a way out of diet culture and its defining, controlling characteristics of willpower and restriction. Reliance on these strategies is why diets dont really work.
Willpower is not the problem
Do you rely on willpower to be good and avoid the refined sugar dessert but end up sneaking back into the kitchen for a slice?
Do you opt for a healthified version of dessert but find yourself full but still dissatisfied?
Or do you white-knuckle it to avoid carbohydrates all day and then crave them and feel out of control to the point where you overeat them at night?
Resisting your favorite foods lasts only so long. Why?
First, its not because you are a willpower weakling.
We dont have an endless supply of willpower, defined as restraint or self-control. Its limited. We start with a full tank of willpower in the morning and then use it up throughout the day making decisions and choices. Notice when we usually give in: later in the afternoon and evening, or on the weekends after a week of being good.
And what are you using willpower for? To restrict forbidden foods.
Nothing amplifies a craving like restriction.
Its human nature to want something even more when were told we cant have it, said Barbara J. Rolls, Guthrie chair of nutrition at Pennsylvania State University, in a 2018 article in Shape magazine.
It feels like self-punishment. Restriction just says No, you cant have it, or just one.
Perhaps you label yourself addicted to sugar but wonder why the plate of holiday cookies on the kitchen counter just isnt a big deal for your husband?
He eats some. And moves on. It seems unfair.
Little evidence is found to support sugar addiction in humans, researchers Westwater, Fletcher and Ziauddeens found in their study Sugar Addiction: The State of the Science. It appears that the bingeing, the addictive-like behavior, occurred due to intermittent access to sugar.
Restriction breeds obsession
Still not convinced that restriction isnt the way to wellness?
Conducted by the Laboratory of Physiological Hygiene at the University of Minnesota, the study illuminated the problem with restrictive eating.
Researchers selected 36 men who were deemed in good physical and mental health for a nearly yearlong study that was broken into four parts. The first three months the men were fed a normal diet of 3,200 calories, and the next six months they were fed a semistarvation diet of 1,570 calories; During the next three months, the rehabilitation phase, the men were fed between 2,000 and 3,200 calories, and in the last eight weeks they were given unrestricted access to food.
What did the researchers learn by measuring the physiological and psychological changes?
Mainly, the men became obsessed with food.
They fantasized about food and read cookbooks and looked up recipes. Their lives became food-centered. They reported feeling depressed, fatigued, irritable and apathetic on a 1,500-calorie diet. A few men sneaked food and were removed from the study ... because they failed.
Its how we feel and act after a few weeks on a diet, yet we still engage in restrictive eating 75 years later.
Upon Googling 1,500 calorie diets, I found a list of current nutritionist-designed programs touting the benefit of such a program, though we know that semi-starvation the class which this was labeled in the study doesnt work.
Food deprivation, no matter how diet culture labels it, is distressing. Period.
So when your friends, family members and social media influencers engage in diet talk, trying to convince you to jump on the latest healthy eating plan, my No. 1 tip is: Dont.
Tanya Mark is a mind-body nutritionist and body image movement global ambassador. Contact her via tanya@tanyamark.com; follow her on Facebook.com @TanyaMarkMindBodyNutrition or Instagram at @TanyaMark.
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Try this New Year's resolution: ditch the diet - Jackson Hole News&Guide
Healthy Diet: 7 Healthy Alternatives For Everyday Foods And Drinks That May Be Harmful – NDTV Food
Diet Comments Off on Healthy Diet: 7 Healthy Alternatives For Everyday Foods And Drinks That May Be Harmful – NDTV Food
Highlights
There are many foods in our diet that we consider as staple and consume them more often than we realise. Bread, soft drink, biscuit - convenient foods like these form a part of our everyday ritual. They seem to be completely harmless when we eat them in oblivion; but the fact is that many of such foods are not really good for our health. Fraught with improper nutrition from sugar, refined foods, saturated fats, preservatives, food additives etc; these so called 'everyday foods' may not be actually good for everyday consumption. But, how do we live without these foods that were not an occasional binge and have always been an intrinsic part of our diet?
Thankfully, many of these foods can be easily made at home with healthy substitutes. Yes, if we really look around, we can find genius alternatives to make the foods that we love in a healthier way. Here are some ideas to get you started.
(Also Read:5 Healthy Alternatives For Candies That Your Kids Will Love)
Brown bread can be used toreplace white bread.
If you are used to start your mornings with a hearty sandwich, we won't ask you to give up on your habit. Just discard white bread made of refined flour and opt for healthier versions of bread like whole-wheat bread or multi-grain bread. You can use healthy flours to make other foods like pancakes and desserts.
Milk creamer is a favourite with coffee lovers who like their drink creamy. They can opt for coconut milk, vanilla extract and maple syrup instead. And, if you can't do without carbonated drinks for that much-needed energy boost, try to drink green tea, kombucha or lemon tea instead. Homemade granola bars made with oats, nuts, seeds and dried fruits, are an excellent substitute for store-bought biscuits.
There are many other ways you can eliminate unhealthy foods from your everyday diet and replace them with healthier options.
About Neha GroverLove for reading roused her writing instincts. Neha is guilty of having a deep-set fixation with anything caffeinated. When she is not pouring out her nest of thoughts onto the screen, you can see her reading while sipping on coffee.
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Healthy Diet: 7 Healthy Alternatives For Everyday Foods And Drinks That May Be Harmful - NDTV Food
Epilepsy and the keto diet: Can diet help with seizures? – Medical News Today
Diet Comments Off on Epilepsy and the keto diet: Can diet help with seizures? – Medical News Today
The keto diet is low in carbohydrates and protein and very high in fat. Evidence suggests that it can reduce the frequency of seizures, and some people with epilepsy who follow the diet stop experiencing seizures altogether.
Typically, people who try the diet for this purpose are also taking antiepileptic medications.
However, the keto diet may be especially effective for children with refractory epilepsy, which does not respond to medical treatment. Modified versions of the diet may be more suitable for adolescents and adults.
It is crucial to note that a medical professional should monitor anyone using a keto diet to help control epilepsy. This is to ensure that the person is dieting safely and getting the most benefits. Medical supervision is especially important for infants and other children.
In this article, we explore the potential benefits of the keto diet for adults and children with epilepsy.
According to a 2019 review, the keto diet appears to reduce or prevent seizures in children and adults with drug resistant or refractory epilepsy.
The Epilepsy Foundation recommend the diet as a potential treatment for refractory epilepsy.
They report that more than half of children with refractory epilepsy who follow a ketogenic diet experience at least a 50% reduction in the number of seizures. Moreover, according to the same source, about 1015% of these children stop experiencing seizures.
When a person is on the keto diet, their body does not receive enough carbohydrates to burn for energy, so it must use fat instead.
Burning fat for fuel causes acids called ketones to build up in the body. When this occurs, the body is in ketosis. To achieve this, a person must adhere to the diet for a significant period.
Ketosis also occurs during periods of fasting. As a 2013 study notes, people have used fasting as a seizure treatment for centuries, and scientists documented the effects of this approach into the 1920s. Even so, experts are still unsure how, precisely, ketosis or the keto diet helps people with epilepsy.
Epilepsy is a metabolic disease, and one theory is that the keto diet works by altering a person's metabolism.
Neurons, or hyperexcitable nerve cells, in the brain may contribute to the onset of seizures. The keto diet leads to metabolic changes in the blood and cerebrospinal fluid, and these changes, along with other factors, may decrease the excitability of neurons. This could have a stabilizing effect on seizures, according to experts.
The keto diet can take time to have an effect. In order to see the benefits, people should continue with it for at least 3 months after reaching ketosis.
It is very important that a healthcare professional monitors anyone using a keto diet for treatment. They can ensure that the diet is having safe effects and that the person's body is really going into ketosis.
Both children and adults with drug resistant epilepsy can benefit from a keto diet. It may be especially helpful for people with certain types of epilepsy, including:
The diet may also be effective for children with focal seizures.
Children of any age can follow a keto diet. Under the strict supervision of a doctor, a formula only keto diet may help control seizures in infants.
Parents and other caregivers should receive guidance on meal planning and cooking, and they should be aware of potential adverse reactions to the diet.
Doctors often do not recommend the classic keto diet to adolescents and adults because it can be difficult to maintain. They may instead recommend a modified keto diet that is more palatable and convenient.
Experts suggest that around 3040% of adults with epilepsy who follow a keto diet experience at least a 50% reduction in seizures.
However, fewer than 10% of these adults achieve a 90% reduction in seizures or stop experiencing them.
Anyone intending to use the keto diet to control epilepsy should be aware of the risks and possible additional benefits.
A modified keto diet may provide benefits beyond epilepsy management. Adults on the diet may experience improvements in:
Children and adults who follow keto diets must see their doctor or dietitian at least every 3 months. These regular visits are important for monitoring progress and growth and checking for any adverse effects of the diet.
Risks of a keto diet include:
Since the diet allows for few fruits, vegetables, grains, and other nutritious foods, supplementation with a carbohydrate-free multivitamin is essential.
Once a person has maintained control over their seizures for some time, their doctor may suggest coming off the diet. Doctors usually recommend doing so after a period of 2 years.
It is important to come off the diet gradually, over a period of several months or longer. Suddenly stopping the diet can cause seizures to get worse.
Some modified versions of the keto diet for epilepsy include:
At present, there is no evidence that any type of food generally triggers epilepsy seizures.
There is a rare type of epilepsy, called reflex epilepsy, in which certain foods can trigger seizures. These triggers vary from person to person.
Some people with epilepsy report that specific food additives can trigger seizures. Potential triggers include:
Some drinks can contribute to seizures or affect epilepsy medications.
These beverages may contain:
Anyone with concerns about how foods or drinks may be affecting their seizures or medications should speak to a doctor.
The keto diet may be an effective treatment for people with drug resistant epilepsy.
While the diet can be suitable for people of any age, children and infants may experience the greatest benefits because they can stick to the diet most easily.
Adolescents and adults may do better on a modified version of the keto diet, such as the modified Atkins diet or the low-glycemic index diet.
A healthcare provider should carefully monitor anyone using a keto diet as a treatment. This is especially crucial for children and particularly infants.
A doctor and dietitian can observe a person's progress, recommend supplements, and check for adverse effects.
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Epilepsy and the keto diet: Can diet help with seizures? - Medical News Today