Fight Back During Cold Season With Exercise

You already know that exercise can help you prevent diseases like heart disease, diabetes and cancer.  But did you know it can battle the common cold, too?

Winter’s ailment–the cold–brings sniffles, sneezing, congestion and coughs.  But researchers recently discovered that long-term moderate exercise can help prevent this annoying illness, according to an article at MSNBC.com.

The subjects in the study who exercised regularly experienced about half the colds of the non-exercisers over a year.  "Regular" exercise was defined as 45 minutes of moderate exercise, five times a week.

Forty-five minutes may seem like a lot, but it’s likely you’ll get the same cold-fighting power from three 15-minute exercise sessions, too.

And if you’re still not convinced, consider these other benefits of exercise:

•    Improved cardiovascular endurance
•    More muscle strength
•    Better flexibility
•    Lower total cholesterol
•    Increased "good" cholesterol
•    Stress relief
•    Reduced risk of heart disease
•    Reduced risk of diabetes
•    Lower blood pressure
•    And more!

If you’re an exercise beginner, there’s still time to give your immune system a boost before the cold weather really strikes.  Just remember to start easy!  Too much exercise at once–especially for beginners–can actually harm your immune system.  Stick with easy-to-moderate workouts if you’re a former coach potato.  Some suggestions:

•    Brisk walking
•    Moderate dancing
•    Beginner’s kickboxing class
•    Moderate cycling
•    Beginner’s step aerobics
•    Easy jogging

Drinking Water Really Will Help You Lose Weight

Diet books, health magazines and exercise gurus have long claimed that drinking water can help boost weight loss.  And now science has proved it.

According to a USA Today article, researchers found that people who drink a lot of water–particularly if they drink water instead of sugary beverages–are more likely to lose weight than those who don’t.

So how much water do you need to drink?  The subjects in the study lost about five pounds more in a year by replacing all their sweetened beverages with water (an average of two glasses a day).  Subjects who drank more than 4 additional cups of water lost two more pounds.

Based on this research, a minimum of two glasses of water a day (instead of sugary beverages like soda, sweet tea or fruit juice) may be enough to help you lose a few extra pounds.  But boost your intake to six glasses a day, and you get even more results.

If you’re looking for ways to drink more water, try these tips:

•    Switch to seltzer water.  If you like carbonated beverages, flavored seltzer water offers a non-calorie way for you to get some fizz.

•    Make it your wake-up call. Keep a glass by the bed and drink it immediately upon waking.  Prefer it cold?  Drink a glass before consuming any other beverages, like coffee or tea.

•    Break for the fountain.  Make an effort to drink from every water fountain or cooler you pass in your office building.  Every hour, get up from your desk and walk to the cooler for a drink.  (Bonus:  You get a little exercise, too!)

•    Make it convenient.  Always carry a bottle of water with you so it’s handy when you’re driving, running errands or socializing.

•    Choose it at restaurants.  Commit to ordering water for your beverage whenever you eat at restaurants.  You’ll save calories and money.

•    Exercise with it.  Going for a walk?  Heading to the gym?  Always bring water with you.  It’s important to stay hydrated during exercise, plus all the sweating and heat will boost your thirst.

•    Flavor it.  If you dislike the taste of water, try flavoring it with a squeeze of lemon, orange or lime.

The Weekly Tip

(Our new series here at RefrigeratorRaid.com is "The Weekly Tip," presented every Sunday.  These practical tips are designed to help you lose weight, get fit and live healthy without making dramatic changes in your life.  Try each tip for the week.  If it works for you, you’ve just made one healthy change!  Make one change a week, and you’ll be healthier and thinner in no time at all!)

Workout during commercials.  The average person watches about four hours of TV a day, which means you’re watching about 48 minutes of commercials.  Use commercial time to do exercises that are simple enough for the space in your living room, like push-ups, crunches, jumping jacks, tricep dips, jogging in place and leg lifts.

Health Tidbits

•    The government plans to release exercise guidelines in 2008.  Link 

•    ICE your cell phone for emergencies.  Link 

•    Obesity pill may help with diabetes.  Link 

•    Extra weight means extra costs at the gas station.  Link 

•    Fight cancer with food pairs.  Link 

•    Help your kids stay at a healthy weight.  Link 

•    Exercise can help you kick the habit.  Link 

•    Vitamins don’t help heart disease.  Link 

Easy Ways To Add Minutes To Your Walk

Middle-aged folks who walk on a regular basis are more likely to lose weight over time, whereas their sedentary counterparts are more likely to gain weight, according to research by University of Pittsburgh scientists as reported by a USA Today article.

Another study, also mentioned in the USA Today article, tracked young adults over fifteen years.  Those who frequently walked–at least 4 hours a week–were the least likely to pack on the pounds as the years passed.

Research has consistently demonstrated that regular exercise is one of the best ways to avoid gaining excess–and unhealthy–weight.  And walking is one of the easiest forms of exercise!

So why don’t more people strap on their walking shoes and pound the pavement?

Lack of time is an often cited reason for avoiding or neglecting exercise.  However, there are some simple ways to find some extra minutes for your daily walk.  Breaking your exercise into smaller time segments–such as 3 ten minute sessions instead of 1 thirty minute session–is just as beneficial to your fitness levels and overall health.  So follow just a few of these tips, and you’ll get an extra 30 minutes or more of walking time in your day:

10 Minutes - Skip the snooze.  If you already hit the snooze button, you’re sleeping about ten minutes longer than you plan.  Get up as soon as the alarm sounds, and use those extra minutes to take a brisk walk around the block, jog on the treadmill, or walk up and down your driveway.

10 Minutes - Reassess chores.  What’s the one chore you can let go each day?  Maybe you can serve reheated leftovers for dinner, or have the kids wash the dishes.  Delegate or skip one daily chore to find a few extra minutes for walking.

5 Minutes – Simplify your routine.  Rearrange your wardrobe so that you have plenty of coordinates, like basic black pants, that make dressing easier.  Switch to a combination moisturizer/foundation so you can skip part of your cosmetics routine.  Find a way to streamline some of your daily activities and you can add five minutes to your walk.

10 Minutes – Buy prepared foods.  If you’re responsible for the cooking in your home, consider buying some convenience foods like pre-bagged salad, pre-washed vegetables and pre-cut fruit.  It may cost more, but you’ll easily save almost ten minutes when you don’t have to wash, dice and slice before dinner.

20-30 Minutes – Multitask.  Hop on the treadmill while you watch your favorite sitcom.  Listen to books on tape while you walk around the block.  Ask a friend to join you on a walk so you can socialize and exercise at the same time (or chat with a long-distance friend on your cell phone).  For busy folks, multi-tasking your walk with other obligations may be the only way you find time for exercise.

10 Minutes – Give up one small time-waster.  Do you read the Lifestyle section of the newspaper even though there’s never anything that interests you in it?  Do you watch the weather segment of your local news–and then watch the Weather Channel, too?  Odds are you have at least one unnecessary time-waster in your life, so why not replace it with walking?

Low-Fat Shouldn’t Mean All-You-Can-Eat

When it comes to processed foods, people actually consume more when they eat the low-fat version, according to a USA Today article.  And that’s not good news for our waistlines, since low-fat versions aren’t necessarily low-calorie.

In many cases, the fat in the food is replaced by ingredients like sugar to ensure the item stays tasty.  The result?  Most low-fat foods have only 15% fewer calories than the full-fat versions, according to the article.

Researchers from Cornell University found that people regularly take larger helpings or consume bigger portions when they’re offered the low-fat version of a food.  We tend to perceive low-fat foods as "healthy" and "low-calorie," so we don’t use as much self-control when presented with them.

Low-fat processed foods, like candies and treats, seem to especially be trouble zones for dieters.

So what can you do to avoid overeating low-fat foods?

Read the entire nutrition label.  Get familiar with the nutrition labels on packages.  Read the entire thing–not just the fat content–when you’re choosing foods.  (See Uncover The Secrets Of Food Labels.) 

Know a portion.  Check the label for portion sizes, so you always know exactly how much equals one serving.  Whether the food is low-fat or not, many of us have a habit of serving too-large portions.

Remove temptation. Rather than dipping your hand into the bag of candies, place a serving on a plate or napkin.  Return the package to the cabinet or fridge so you’ll be less tempted to eat multiple portions.

Avoid processed foods.  Processed foods are often loaded with sugar, sodium, trans fat, and other unhealthy additions.  Stick with naturally low-fat whole foods like fresh fruit and vegetables.  Even if you do eat a larger-than-average portion, you’ll at least be getting plenty of vitamins and minerals.

Eat the full-fat versions.  If the calorie content is the same or very similar, you may be better off with the full-fat versions of your favorite food.  Why sacrifice taste–and possibly end up eating more than you should–when it won’t make a difference to your waistline?  (The only folks who may want to always choose the low-fat version are people who are specifically watching their fat intake for medical reasons.)

Vegetables May Keep Your Brain Healthy, Too

You already know that vegetables can help keep your body healthy and slim.  But did you know that they have a positive impact on your brain, too?

According to an AP news article, researchers at the Rush Institute for Health Aging found evidence that suggests eating plenty of vegetables may help keep us mentally sharp as we age.  The scientists studied a group of almost 2,000 people over about a six year period.  During that time, the study participants answered questions about their eating habits and performed various mental tests.  The researchers found that folks who ate more than two servings of vegetables a day had less mental decline than people who ate fewer servings of veggies.

Eating lots of vegetables can also help keep your body healthy, too!  They’ve been linked to lower rates of cancer, heart disease and diabetes.  Moreover, since they’re usually low in calories and full of fiber, they can also help you trim your waistline!

One of the reasons people seem to neglect eating their veggies is because of the time and preparation required.  It’s much easier to nuke a frozen dinner (which includes a tablespoon of vegetables) than it is to clean, cook and serve vegetables.  However, there are some ways to make eating your veggies easy!  Try these tips:

Buy it bagged.  Buying convenience produce–like pre-chopped veggies or bagged salad–may be more expensive, but it’s worth the price if it means you actually eat more vegetables.  For snacks, consider baby carrots and sugar snap peas.  They’re perfect for dipping and ready-to-eat!

Just heat ‘em up. No need to get fancy with your vegetables.  Just heat them up!  Canned or frozen versions have just as many nutrients as fresh–sometimes more, since they’re preserved at the height of freshness.  Just dump them in a pan and heat them up for instant cooked vegetables.

Double your serving. Whenever you make a vegetable dish, cook twice as much as you need.  The leftovers can be served again at lunch or dinner the next day.

Hit the bar.  The salad bar!  It’s full of an array of veggies that are already prepped, like chopped broccoli, diced carrots and green pepper slices.  Just load up one of those little plastic containers with the veggie you want.  Or go the traditional route and eat a salad!

Start With Diet, End With Exercise

Ready to drop a few pounds?  Jumping on the treadmill can burn calories, improve your cardiovascular health and boost your level of fitness.  But will it really help you lose weight?

The debate continues to rage.  But most studies report that exercise won’t contribute significantly to weight loss.  It is diet that plays a key role in losing extra pounds.

If you’d like to read more, check out HealthDay’s recent article here.  You can also find more information in our articles The Different Results Of Exercise And Diet and Diet Or Exercise: Which Is Better For Weight Loss? 

Research–including data from the National Weight Control Registry–does suggest that exercise is a key component in the lifestyles of folks who keep the weight off once they’ve lost it, so it’s always a good idea to include fitness in any weight loss program.

In general, the best choice for losing weight is a combination of diet and exercise.  For many folks, the exercise is the easy part (once you get over your body’s initial resistance).  Becoming more physically active is a simple matter of taking a brisk walk, jumping on the stationary bike, or watching an exercise video.  Diet, on the other hand, can be confusing.  Aside from the assortment of fad diets that pervade the market, there are also the well-known standards–Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig, etc.  And then there’s the age-old adage: Just eat less.  So what should you do?

Start slowly.  Making dramatic, overnight changes to your diet are going to be almost impossible to maintain for the long term.  Instead, make one small change a day (or week!) and you’ll be well on your way to losing weight for good.

Here are a few ideas to get you started:

•    Replace your mid-morning candy bar with a piece of fruit and a few almonds
•    Trade one regular soda each day for no-calorie flavored sparkling water
•    Use mustard instead of mayo on your sandwich
•    Choose a low-calorie dressing for your salad, or opt for a spray of olive oil and some balsamic vinegar
•    Cut your meat portion in half and double your vegetable portion
•    Eat a baked potato instead of French fries
•    Switch from 2% milk to 1%
•    Pick whole grain toast for breakfast instead of a doughnut or pastry
•    Serve your ice cream in a small bowl, and eat it with a smaller spoon
•    Make an effort to drink 8 large glasses of water each day
•    Savor a small piece of rich chocolate instead of a big chocolate brownie
•    Air-pop popcorn instead of popping it in oil (or eating the extra-butter microwave style)
•    Replace regular potato chips with baked chips (or soy crisps)
•    Switch from sugary cereal to a whole grain brand
•    Always choose the smaller serving when ordering ice cream, frozen yogurt or other desserts at restaurants

Smart Halloween Candy Choices

It’s that time of year.  The young (and the young-at-heart) dress up as ghouls, ghosts and goblins in an effort to obtain sweet treats from strangers.  Maybe you’ve got young ones that will soon be bringing home a pile of tasty loot.  Or perhaps you plan to dole out treats to the local kiddies.  Whatever your reason, odds are good that you’re planning to have some extra sugar in your home for the next few weeks.

Fortunately, Women’s Health magazine recently wrote an article about choosing the healthiest Halloween candy.  Their article gives you insight into which candy is the best choice, whether your urge is chewy, chocolatey, fruity, minty, nutty or sour.  To find out which treat will do the least damage to your diet, read their article here.

But what if you find yourself tempted by every sugary tidbit that enters your home?  In that case, you need to employ a few techniques to keep those tempting treats out of sight and out of mind.

•    Hide them. You’re more likely to overindulge if the object of your desire–in this case, Halloween candy–is right in front of your eyes.  Stash them in a cabinet or closet so you don’t see them every time you pass the kitchen counter.

•    Wait to shop.  Passing out treats to the neighborhood goblins?  Wait until the evening of "Trick or Treat" to actually buy the candy.  The shorter amount of time it’s in the house, the less time you’ll have to be tempted.

•    Be generous. If "Trick or Treat" is drawing to a close and you still have a big bowl of candy, start passing out two or three pieces instead of one–or big handfuls–to the last-minute stragglers.

•    Be forgiving.  To yourself, that is.  There’s nothing wrong with having a few treats–as long as it doesn’t turn into a week-long sugary dream.  One candy bar won’t totally derail your diet or fitness plan.  Just remember to continue to eat healthy meals and snacks for the rest of the day.

•    Share.  Still have too much candy in the house?  Bring it to work and pass it out to co-workers.  Donate it to a food pantry.  Offer it up to the kids in a low-income neighborhood. 

Give Your Metabolism A Calorie-Burning Boost

You’ve heard it before: Metabolism.

I can’t lose weight, I have a slow metabolism.

She eats everything she wants and never gains an ounce!  She must have a fast metabolism.

But what does it really mean?

According to an article at MSNBC.com, your metabolism is "the amount of energy you use each day."  In more technical terms, it is the sum of all the physical and chemical changes in our body.

The article goes on to suggest ways that we can boost our metabolism.  Their top suggestions:

•    Strength train: Muscle burns more calories at rest than fat, so adding muscle to our bodies should increase our resting metabolism.

•    Eat 5-6 meals: Eating small meals at regular intervals will keep your metabolism revved.  Fueling often means you keep your furnace (the one that burns calories) hot.

•    Eat healthy: Unhealthy foods–like sugar-laden cookies or fatty cuts of meat–will slow your body down, making it sluggish.  Stick with healthy choices–lean proteins, veggies and whole grains–to keep things moving.

Other suggestions for boosting your metabolism include:

•    Drink water! Your body needs water to burn energy, so being even a little bit dehydrated can affect your metabolism.  If you wait until you’re thirsty to drink water, you’ve waited too long.

•    Exercise!  Strength training is important, as we mentioned, but so is aerobic exercise.  Aside from being good for your heart, it also boosts your metabolism for a short period of time.

•    Eat more! Dropping your calories significantly–less than 1,200 for women–leads to what some experts call "starvation mode."  Since your body thinks it’s starving, it clings to every calorie by slowing your metabolism.