Summer Reassess: 3 Ways to Get Back on Track

Has your enthusiastic Spring shape-up waned into just the occasional Summer workout? It's time to reassess your habits. Here are some quick steps that can help you get back on track with your routine.

Make a plan: It's hard enough to stick to a workout routine even without the craziness of Summer plans, so it's especially important to get your workouts on the books if you've succumbed to the "too-busy" excuse one too many times. Make sure you add your workout to your phone's calendar or pencil them into your daily planner at the start of each week. Scheduling when you'll actually exercise will help ensure you plan around your workouts, not skip them.
Stop the sabotage: Relaxing Summer days can mean you're finding it easier to give into high-calorie indulgences, and while it's important to give your diet wiggle room, being too lenient when it comes to Summer treats can cause major damage. All those barbecues and happy hours aren't helping either, so make sure you choose wisely at your next social gathering with these simple Summer swaps.
Up the intensity: Showing up is half the battle, but if you want to see major changes, then you've got to keep your workout's intensity high. That's easier said than done, of course, when days are hot and humid. But don't let the weather get the best of all the work you've put in so far. Make sure your workouts are still high-intensity enough to rev up your metabolism and up your calorie burn. Trade your regular workout for a cool swim, or wake up earlier to fit in a workout when it's too hot; these tips for exercising in the heat will help too.


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All-Natural Post-Workout Snack Ideas

You're famished after a tough, heart-pumping, muscle-burning workout and you're ready to grab a snack. It's important to choose a healthy pick-me-up to refuel your body as well as repair and build your muscles — so no, a doughnut isn't the best choice. Aim for a snack that contains more carbs than protein and a little bit of fat. A rough ratio could be 25 percent protein, 60 percent carbs, and 15 percent fats. Be sure to eat your around 150-calorie snack within 30 minutes of completing your workout. Here are a few you can try.
Vanilla Banana Protein Smoothie

Photo: Leta Shy
Calories: 169
Carbs: 25 grams
Fat: 1 gram
Protein: 16 grams
Honey Cinnamon Chickpeas

Calories: 146
Carbs: 23 grams
Protein: 6.2 grams
Fat: 2.6
Creamy Peanut Buttery Apples With Grapes

Calories: 151
Carbs: 21.5 grams
Protein: 8.4 grams
Fat: 4.2
Keep reading for two more post-workout snack ideas.
Vegan Banana Peanut Butter Ice Cream

Calories: 152
Carbs: 28.5 grams
Protein: 3.3 grams
Fat: 4.4
Frozen Nutty Banana Nibblers

Calories: 166
Carbs: 35.7 grams
Protein: 3.7 grams
Fat: 4.4

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5 Ways Going Green Can Help You Lose Weight

Inside this Article

1. Go Vegetarian/Vegan

2. Bike/Walk to Work 

3. Pedal-Power Your TV

4. Use Old-School Implements 

5. Gardening

 

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It's been a couple months since the new year began. How are your resolutions holding up? Did you manage to lose that last ten pounds or decrease the size of your carbon footprint? Are you drinking less, saving money, finally asking that person out on a date? Even if you've fallen off the wagon, you may be able to combine a couple of your resolutions. You can lose weight by going green.
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Is Losing Weight Healthy?

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When it comes down to losing weight,there are generally two aspects involved: health and appearance. Many people assume that skinny is what is healthy and that being anything other than skinny is unhealthy. Not only is this not the case, but also being skinny can actually be quite unhealthy-depending on the person and the diet. There is nothing particularly green about an unbalanced diet or starvation. There's nothing green about not exercising at all or using chemicals to replace meals. As crazy as all of these things may sound, they are still very common conditions for those aiming to lose weight; desperately doing whatever it takes.
So the question I ask of you today is this: do you really need to lose weight? Are you thinking about your health or are you thinking about your appearance? A good way to know for sure is to answer this question:
Would you go to unhealthy extremes in order to lose weight?
If the answer is yes, then you can know for sure that you're concerning yourself with appearance and not health. If this is you, start over fresh. Start thinking about your health instead of the way people on magazine covers look. There's no sense in greening up every aspect of your life around you if you can't make sure that you are totally healthy first...and that may not require losing weight.

http://health.howstuffworks.com/wellness/diet-fitness/weight-loss/losing-weight-healthy.htm

How to Lose Weight as a Senior

Seniors may find it tough to lose weight and easier to gain because they burn fewer calories the young.  more pictures of senior health.

It's time for some straight talk: You weigh more than you did ten years ago, or even five years ago. The extra pounds didn't arrive all at once but accumulated gradually before you even realized they were climbing on board. Now you're looking at some serious extra poundage. But that's to be expected as you get older, right? Wrong.
Putting on excess weight is very common for a number of reasons that we'll explain. But it's not an inevitable part of the aging process, and it could put your health at risk. If you understand why you tend to gain weight more easily as you get older, you can do something about it. And doing something about it is what this book is all about.
You can blame a lot of your weight gain on your metabolism. Beginning as early as your mid-twenties, body fat begins to increase while muscle mass decreases. And less muscle mass translates into a slower metabolic rate.
Muscle mass decreases from about 45 percent of your total body weight in your youth to about 27 percent by the time you reach age 70. And the drop in hormones that accompanies menopause also precipitates a decrease in muscle mass, triggering even more weight gain for women. Your body fat, meanwhile, can double, even if your weight remains the same.
The bottom line is that you burn fewer calories in your 50s, 60s, or 70s doing the same activities, and the same number of them, that you did in your 20s, 30s, or 40s. The key to preventing weight gain is to compensate by adjusting your food intake, exercising, and generally becoming more physically active.
Now that you have made the decision to lose weight, it's time to figure how much weight you need to lose. Continue to the next page to assess your weight as a senior.
To learn more about senior health, see:

• Senior Health
• How Nutrition for Seniors Works
• How to Eat Right as a Senior
• How to Choose a Weight-Loss Diet for Seniors

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Lose Weight

Most people who have type 2 diabetes are overweight or carry extra pounds around their middle. If this sounds like you, losing weight can help you manage your blood glucose levels. Changing your eating and exercise habits to lose weight can be a big challenge. Sometimes it helps just to know the facts about how to eat a healthy diet and go about exercising. Also, follow these tips for successful weight loss:

• Seek the help of a professional.
• Don't starve yourself.
• Be wary of fad diets.
• Examine the emotional issues that led to your weight gain.

Target Weight Loss Based on Body Mass Index (BMI)

If your BMI is 25 or higher, you can decrease your health risks by losing some weight. Losing even 5 to 10 percent can have a significant impact. The amount you need to lose to get your BMI below 25 depends on your height. Here are some examples:
If you are 5'5" and

• your BMI is 27, you need to lose 18 pounds to get your BMI below 25
• your BMI is 30, you need to lose 36 pounds to get your BMI below 25

If you are 6' and

• your BMI is 27, you need to lose 22 pounds to get your BMI below 25
• your BMI is 30, you need to lose 44 pounds to get your BMI below 25

Your dietitian can help you determine a healthy goal weight. Then you can make a food plan together that will help you achieve it.

To lose weight, you need to:

• follow a diet plan that is approved by your doctor emphasizes vegetables, whole grains and fruits limits sweets and high-fat foods includes moderate amounts of protein includes keeping a food diary

• follow an exercise plan that is approved by your doctor has attainable goals includes keeping an exercise diary

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Is Your Salad Really Healthy?

We have equated salads with healthy eating and weight loss. Because salads mostly contain vegetables and are easy to prepare, it's a fixture on most weight loss plans. However, there are some cases wherein going for the salad is not the healthier choice.
How can you go wrong with a bowl of vegetables, you ask? You can; apparently, with what you add to these vegetables are the ones sabotaging your weight loss efforts. Even at small amounts, the dressing, croutons, bacon bits and cheese count against the calories you give up in order to lose weight.
The fact that most of the salad dressings we tend to favour use mayonnaise should have us re-evaluate the steps we take towards a healthier lifestyle. While these salad dressings are indeed full of flavour, these dressings are also loaded on calories that put a dent on our calorie limit. Moreover, the preservatives in these dressings are can also have an effect on your health.
Apart from the dressing, the toppings we put on our salad can also make a difference. Sure, the greens are good for you, but if you keep on adding chicken crisps, croutons, cheese and the like, that just defeats the whole purpose of eating healthy. You may as well forget the salad and snack on chocolate bars instead. These toppings are high in calories and just off-set the multiple health benefits of the vegetables.
Basically, the fixings and the dressings are the key to keeping your salad healthy. Try out these tips on how you can make your salad really work for you and your weight loss goals:
1. Watch your portions. It's better if you make your own salads at home because you're in control of how much you eat. But if you're eating out, eat half an order.
2. Avoid calorie-rich creamy dressings. If you can, opt for dressings with olive oil or balsamic vinegar which are healthier but just as flavourful. When eating out, ask the staff to serve dressing on the side so you're in control of how much dressing goes in your salad. One trick you can try is dipping your fork into the dressing, then onto the salad with each bite. This way, your salad isn't swimming in high-calorie dressing.
3. Go for dark leafy greens like spinach and fresh herbs, which have more nutritional value.
4. Pick healthier proteins. Opt for grilled chicken, shrimp, tofu or a hard-boiled egg instead of meat and fried toppings.
5. Swap out croutons for more vegetables. If you're looking for more texture in your salad, toss in cherry tomatoes, olives, peanuts, carrots, corn, peppers, onions or cucumber.
6. Pick healthier cheese. For a big serving of salad, 1/4 cup of feta, blue, mozzarella, cheddar or goat cheese would suffice.
7. Add fruits. Why stop with vegetables when you can enjoy the health benefits of fruits in your salad to? Try orange slices, strawberries or cranberries to add a fruity twist to your dish.
The great thing about salads is that you can get creative with them. Just keep these tips in mind so you can make the most of your green, leafy meal.

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