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Found 26 results

  1. How to work out your lower back with a yoga stretch   [YOUTUBE]http://youtu.be/9wask0oOLfw[/YOUTUBE]   Hi, I'm Samantha Clayton, fitness expert and former competitive sprinter. I'm working with Herbalife to help you achieve a healthy, active life. I love practicing yoga because it's great for relaxation and calming the mind, or it can be an intense strength workout. Today, I want to focus on two moves that stretch out the lower back and calm the mind with focused breathing. I especially love yoga moves that focus on the lower back area because throughout the day, I often get very tight lower back muscles. This simple combination move called 'cat cow' can be done at any time of the day to provide you with a good stretch. Let's do one move at a time first. Cat We are going to start with "cat". Start on your hands and knees in a "tabletop" position. Make sure your knees are set directly below your hips and that your wrists, elbows and shoulders are in line and perpendicular to the floor. Center your head in a neutral position, with your eyes looking at the floor. Now as you exhale, round your spine toward the ceiling, making sure to keep your shoulders and neck in a neutral in position. Come back to table top. Now as you release your head toward the floor don't force your chin to your chest. Come up into cat and come back into table top Now let's go into cow move. Cow Again we are going to start in "tabletop" position and this time as you inhale, lift your sitting bones and chest toward the ceiling, so tabletop and we are going to lift our chest and tailbone and we are going to lift the eyes in front of you. Looking straight in front and then exhale, coming back to the "tabletop" neutral position. Let's do that again and come back to the center. Now let's go on to the combination move and combine the cat and cow move together. Combo This time we are going to focus on your breath and posture for 10- 20 reps. Into cat, straight down into cow, coming back through and back you go. This simple yoga move may help to relieve lower back discomfort caused from sitting for prolonged periods of time. I love this move and I know you will enjoy it as well.   Like our tips? Subscribe at http://eepurl.com/rOCF5 Posted by: Herbalife Independent Distributor Kelly Yew M: +6017-270 6899 E: kellyyew.workfromhome@gmail.com W: Why Herbalife? Why Now?
  2. How to do a perfect burpee   [YOUTUBE]http://youtu.be/RJ05CIrF-xA[/YOUTUBE]   Hi, I'm Samantha Clayton, fitness expert and former competitive sprinter. I'm working with Herbalife to help you achieve a healthy, active life. Today, I want to show you a few variations of a popular athletic move known as burpees. It is another one of those total body moves that requires only a small space and it's my favorite move to add to any circuit. If you have ever taken a boot camp class or attended a Cross Fit session I'm pretty sure you have tried this intense exercise. If you approach this move with sheer dread, stop! Let me convince you that burpees really are good for you! They work your shoulders, chest, abs, glutes, legs, ankles and are great for hip mobility. You can also use burpees to improve your cardio endurance, stamina, strength and power! Come on, let's do it together. We'll start out easy and work your way up to a pro power move. Now a burpee is a mixture of squat, a step back, a plank, a push-up and then a jump up. Follow me as I break the move down: Squat down and place both hands on the floor, step back one foot back at a time into the plank position, then step your feet back and return to standing. This time let's squat down, place both hands on the floor and jump both feet back into plank, jump your feet back and come up to standing. Now we are going to add in a push up after the plank. So down we go jump back push up and back to standing. And it's time to add a simple jump at the end. For our final athletic power move jump up high with a tuck jump. Squat hand to the floor, jump back, push up, jump and add that jump to the end. I hope can find a way to incorporate your favorite version of a burpee into your current workout and find out for yourself how a simple burpee can help improve your fitness level. Tell me how many full burpees you can do in 60 seconds in the comments section.   Like our tips? Subscribe at http://eepurl.com/rOCF5   Posted by: Herbalife Independent Distributor Kelly Yew M: +6017-270 6899 E: kellyyew.workfromhome@gmail.com W: Why Herbalife? Why Now?
  3. How to make a delicious cucumber salad   [YOUTUBE]http://youtu.be/YeUNxxvbcGI[/YOUTUBE]   I'm Susan Bowerman, registered dietician. If you've never had a cucumber salad, you may be surprised at how good it can be. Today, I'm going to show you how to make a quick and delicious cucumber salad with just a few ingredients. Not only does it taste great, but this cucumber salad is practically calorie-free and it stays nice and crispy for a few days in the refrigerator if you don't eat it all up the first day. So let's show you how to do it. What I'm going to do is I'm going to start with 4 large fresh cucumbers. I'm using regular cucumber if you want to you can use the Persian variety. These are smaller and don't usually require pealing. Because the peals are kind of thin but I'm going to go ahead and peal mine. So to get started I'm going to cut the end off my cucumber and instead of pealing all of it I'm going to peal it in little stripes and the reason I do that is because there is some flavor in the skin and also it makes your salad kind of pretty when you are done. Now the next thing I'm going to do is I'm going to slice my cucumber thinly. Now you have a couple choices here you can do it with a knife if you want to but it's kind of tedious because you want to get it real thin so you can see if your box grater that you have at home has one of these handy slicing tools on the side which is great. And I'm just going to put it right here into the bowl and I'm just going to go ahead and start slicing my cucumbers. And if you look at it you can see I'm getting some nice thin slices. So I'm going to go ahead and peel and slice my 4 cucumbers. Ok so now I got all my cucumbers sliced and at this point we are going to add some veggies and some herbs now the main thing here is that if you are going to add additional vegetables to your cucumber salad you want to make sure you cut them just as thinly as the cucumber that way they'll all have the same texture. So what I'm going to add here is just some very thinly sliced red onions. I like the combination of the red onion with the cucumber it's pretty. And then for my herb I'm going to go ahead and use some cilantro. And then the next thing we are going to do is we are going to put on the dressing on the salad. And this is really easy because the dressing doesn't have to be mixed ahead of time you can just put all the ingredients on top and toss it because it's going to go in the refrigerator. So there's basically 4 parts to my dressing. I'm going to use something acid I'm going to use something sweet I'm going to use something salty and I'm going to use something a little bit peppery. That's one of the reasons why this salad is so good because you are stimulating all of your taste buds with all of these flavors. So what I'm going to do is I'm going to add for my sour or my tart is I'm going to use lemon juice. And by the way if you want to see this entire recipe you can go to discovergoodnutrition.com and we will post the amounts on there and then for my sweet I'm going to use agave syrup for my salt I'm just using regular old table salt. And for my heat I'm going to add some red pepper flakes these are just some dried red pepper flakes. You can use as much or as little as you want but I'll just caution you these things are pretty hot so I'm going to go a little bit easy if you like things a little spicy you can put some more on there. And that's it and now what I'm going to do is I'm just going to toss this gently together just to kind of get the flavors to blend before I put it in the refrigerator. And what you are going to see is when it sits in the refrigerator for 30 minutes or so not only is this going to allow the flavors to blend but it's going to give up a little bit of liquid and it will be a little easier to toss before you serve it. So I'm just going to cover up my cucumber salad and I'm going to put it in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. If it stays longer that's fine. And this is going to give the flavors a chance to blend and you're also going to see that the cucumbers are going to give up quite a bit of liquid. So here's my salad I made this one previously and if you take a look at it you can see there's quite a bit of liquid in the bowl and the cucumbers themselves there still crispy they've gotten a little bit softer and everything's blended up pretty nicely but they still have a nice crunch to them and they are going to be so good and they can stay like this in the refrigerator for a few days which is great.   Like our tips? Subscribe at http://eepurl.com/rAjkr   Posted by: Herbalife Independent Distributor Kelly Yew M: +6017-270 6899 E: kellyyew.workfromhome@gmail.com W: Why Herbalife? Why Now?
  4. 5 delicious foods you should eat more often By Susan Bowerman, MS, RD, CSSD, May 9, 2013     There are plenty of healthy foods that don’t get the attention they deserve. Here are five under-appreciated foods that deserve another look.   Why are some foods popular and others aren’t? I’m not talking about foods that taste better than others, or are more fun to eat – I get that. But I do wonder why certain foods are trendy, while others just aren’t eaten all that much. It’s hard to find a restaurant in Los Angeles these days that doesn’t feature kale salad. Not that there’s anything wrong with that – kale salad is delicious, and kale is jam-packed with nutrients. But why is it that certain foods gain superstar status while others – equally healthy and equally delicious – get the short shrift?   There’s no question that food trends come and go (oat bran, anyone?) – it’s just a matter of time before our current enthusiasm for kale and quinoa starts to wane. I can’t say what the next trend will be, but I think it’s time to give a few under-appreciated foods their due. Here are five not-so-popular foods that are worthy of your attention.   Five delicious foods that deserve more attention  Millet While quinoa seems to be the grain that’s getting all the attention these days, millet has its own nutrition virtues, yet it’s sadly overlooked. A cup of cooked millet offers up more than 6 grams of protein, nearly 3 grams of fiber, about a quarter of your daily magnesium needs – it’s also a good source of thiamin, niacin and zinc.   Like quinoa, millet is technically a seed, but it’s cooked and eaten like a grain. And it cooks just as quickly – in about 15 minutes or so – and has a deliciously sweet, nutty flavor. Oh, and did I mention that it’s gluten-free?    Kohlrabi To me, kohlrabi looks like a turnip from Mars. It’s large, round and green – and it’s usually sold with all the leaves trimmed off, so it has these short little stems that stick out every which way.   As a member of the cabbage family (just like kale!) this funny-looking vegetable has plenty to boast about. A cup of cooked kohlrabi provides more than 100% of your daily vitamin C, and it’s a good source of potassium, too.   Kohlrabi is milder and sweeter than many of its cabbage cousins, and can be eaten raw or cooked. If you can find kohlrabi leaves, you can prepare them the same way you’d prepare kale – and maybe even start a new food trend.   Kiwifruit Many of the kiwifruit I find at the supermarket are hard as rocks, and have about as much flavor. Too bad, too, because when they’re picked at their peak, they’re absolutely delicious, and so good for you.   A single kiwifruit gives you enough vitamin C for two days, has more potassium than a banana, and gets its lovely green color from lutein – an antioxidant pigment that supports eye health.   Kiwifruit are easy to eat, too. Just cut in half and scoop out the edible flesh and seeds with a spoon. If you’re really brave, you’ll eat the whole thing – the skin is edible, too    Salmon in cans or pouches Chances are, you’ve got some canned tuna in your pantry – it’s one of those staples that most people keep around the house. Many people aren’t even aware that you can buy salmon in cans or shelf-stable pouches – but it’s widely available and so handy.   Most brands are wild-caught, and canned salmon has up to four times more omega-3 fatty acids and five times more vitamin D than light tuna. Try it in any dishes that call for tuna.    Butternut squash Sweet potatoes get plenty of attention for their nutritional content and are often touted as a ‘superfood’ – which may help explain the sudden popularity of sweet potato fries (not a superfood). But big, beautiful butternut squash is a nutritional powerhouse, too – and deserves some recognition.   Portion for portion, butternut squash has more fiber, calcium, magnesium, potassium, vitamin C and folate than sweet potatoes, with about half the calories. And a typical serving will give you enough vitamin A to last you more than four days.   Written by Susan Bowerman, MS, RD, CSSD. Susan is a paid consultant for Herbalife.   Like our tips? Subscribe at http://eepurl.com/rAjkr   Posted by: Herbalife Indpendent Distributor Kelly Yew M: +6017-270 6899 E: kellyyew.workfromhome@gmail.com W: Why Herbalife? Why Now?
  5. Heart health: 3 reasons why you should love a cardio workout By Samantha Clayton, AFAA, ISSA, May 28, 2013     Cardio exercise is good for your health. Let’s talk about why your fitness routine needs to include cardio and why I’m sure my top three cardio benefits will convince you to add an extra cardio workout session to your week!   Fitness is central to my outlook and, although I know about the benefits of cardiovascular exercise, it was still motivating to read Louis Ignarro’s Heart Health post last week.   It’s so common to think about what being fit looks like on the outside of your body. The external changes that come as a result of increased physical activity are often the greatest motivational factor that gets people moving. People want to see the results of their hard work on the scale and in the mirror. The thought of a slimmer waist or leaner legs will often get people up off the couch and into the gym, but what if I told you that the true beauty and benefits that fitness provides lie far beneath the surface?   I have a new favorite saying; “get fit from the inside out”. I have said before that external changes in the body happen slowly, while internal changes start happening as soon as you begin effectively exercising. Once you understand that the internal impact of exercise is far more important than any external satisfaction, you will never skip your workout again.     What happens on the inside when you exercise?   Cardiorespiratory exercise (also known as “cardio”) is simply the term used to describe exercise that works your heart and circulatory system. This system has to work all day every day in order to keep us alive. I describe cardio exercise simply as movement that makes this system work harder. Exercises like running, cycling, and swimming are all great examples of cardio exercises.   In my opinion, cardio should be re-named ‘heart strength training’ because your heart is a muscle (cardiac) and exercise helps to improve your heart’s blood pumping capabilities. Your heart beats on average 100,000 times a day sending over 2,000 gallons of blood around your body. Every time you increase your heart rate during prolonged cardio exercise your heart has to pump blood at a faster rate.   Let me share with you a few of the great internal benefits that cardio exercise provides.   Three incredible benefits of cardio training Cardio training benefit 1: Lower resting heart rate Your heart has to work harder during exercise and pump blood around your body at a faster rate, so your heart becomes increasingly efficient at pumping blood. This can make your everyday activities seem easier over time. Essentially your heart has to work less to sustain your everyday activities. You can often see this change as a reduced resting heart rate.   Cardio training benefit 2: Weight loss When you increase your activity level with cardio exercise your body has to burn extra fuel in order to meet this increased need for energy. Stored fat is the primary fuel source for prolonged cardio exercise. This increased energy expenditure combined with a reduced caloric intake can lead to significant weight loss.   Cardio training benefit 3: Reduced stress Cardio exercise promotes the production of your brain’s feel-good neurotransmitters, called endorphins. This function is often referred to as a ‘runner’s high’ but playing tennis or a simple walk can contribute to this same feeling.   ***   I view cardio exercise as meditation in motion. I often find that once I get moving I forget about the day’s irritations and concentrate instead on my body’s movements. If you aren’t quite convinced that you can make time for a cardio workout – despite the health benefits – then find out how to keep cardio interesting in my 3 surefire cardio-workout boredom busters article.   There are so many reasons you should add a little cardio into your current routine, the most important one being that it’s good for your heart! If you love someone consider inviting him or her to do some cardio with you so they can experience the great heart health benefits too.   Written by Samantha Clayton, AFAA, ISSA. Samantha is Director of Fitness Education at Herbalife.   Like our tips? Subscribe at http://eepurl.com/rAjkr Posted by: Herbalife Independent Distributor Kelly Yew M: +6017-270 6899 E: kellyyew.workfromhome@gmail.com W: Why Herbalife? Why Now?
  6. How to do a dumbbell bench press   [YOUTUBE]http://youtu.be/8bhdqot_RX8[/YOUTUBE]   Hi, I'm Samantha Clayton, fitness expert and former competitive sprinter. I'm working with Herbalife to help you achieve a healthy, active life. Today, I want to talk about building perfectly sculpted chest muscles with a dumbbell chest press exercise. Many of you may be thinking that you can lift more weight when you're using a traditional bar bell but dumbbells offer a few extra benefits you may not have realized. Balance and symmetry is really important; one side cannot compensate for the other when you have a weight in each hand. And, my main reason for choosing dumbbells is because I love that you can change your hand position at the top of the move and get a slightly deeper contraction from an increased range of motion. Let me talk you through this sculpting move while demonstrating. Lie down on the bench and let's talk about your foot position. You can keep your feet flat on the floor like so or place them up on the bench. Choose your foot position based on the comfort and ease of keeping your back flat on the bench to avoid using your lumbar muscles. Hold the dumbbells in line with your chest - palms facing forward, press the weights up and lower back down like this. To increase the focus on the inner pec muscles try rotating your palms inward at the top of the move. You can perform a chest press at varied speeds. Remember a key to muscle building is the time your muscles are under tension so a slow and controlled movement is great for keeping your muscles working for a slightly longer time. I find that three sets of 8-10 reps is good starting point. Have fun and always be aware of your body position and breathing. Make sure the weights you choose are right for your level and take a slow-and-steady approach because good form will help you achieve great results!   Like our tips? Subscribe at http://eepurl.com/rOCF5 Posted by: Herbalife Independent Distributor Kelly Yew M: +6017-270 6899 E: kellyyew.workfromhome@gmail.com W: Why Herbalife? Why Now?
  7. What does 100 calories look like?   [YOUTUBE]http://youtu.be/hNBPa-7Hhk8[/YOUTUBE]   Do you know what 100 calories looks like? Hi, I'm Susan Bowerman, Registered Dietician and today we're going to look at 100 calorie portions of different foods. What makes a food high or low in calories? High fat foods have a lot of calories per bite, while watery foods, like vegetables, have the fewest, which may help you see why some foods rack up calories so fast, and why 100 calories' worth of healthy fruits and veggies can be so filling. We're going to start at this end of the table and move from the smallest servings over to the largest. Oil is pure fat, which is why you only get 2 teaspoons for 100 calories. Mayonnaise and butter each contain a bit of water, so the calories get slightly diluted, but 100 calories still only buys you 1 tablespoon of butter of mayonnaise. Nut butters are pretty rich, too for 100 calories you also only get about 1 Tablespoon. Most cheese is high in fat, so for 100 calories you get barely a bite. Sugar in any form white, brown, honey, maple syrup, and agave can add up quickly if you don't use it sparingly. For 100 calories, you get about 2 tablespoons of any of these sugars. Your typical cookie gives you a dose of fat and sugar, which is why the calories can add up before you know it. Just two little cookies have 100 calories. If chips are your thing, know that the average potato chip has about 10 calories. That means that just 10 chips will cost you 100 calories and most people eat a lot more than that at a sitting. An average slice of whole grain bread is about 100 calories, which isn't bad, considering the vitamins, minerals and fiber you'll be picking up. But a bagel is heavy and dense. A typical bagel is equivalent to about 4 slices of bread, which is why for 100 calories you can only eat about ¼ of this bagel. Moving on to proteins, the amount of fat they contain makes a big difference in calories. 100 calories of steak is just a few bites, but for the same calories you get a larger amount of turkey since it's so low in fat. Most fish is very low in fat, too, which is why you get 20 large shrimp for 100 calories. Fruits and vegetables are generally your best calorie bargains, since they're full of calorie-free water and fiber. But dried fruits can add up quickly since they've had most of the water removed. 100 calories' worth of raisins is only ¼ cup, which is why you get 4 times the amount when you eat them as fresh grapes. Since they naturally contain sugar, 100 calorie servings of fruit are a little smaller than 100 calorie servings of vegetables, but they're still a bargain. For 100 calories, you can eat 1 ½ grapefruit, 2 cups of strawberries, or a large apple. But vegetables are where you really get the most for your calories. Since they're full of water and fiber, look at what you can get. For 100 calories, you can eat 2 stalks of broccoli, 3 cucumbers, 4 carrots or two entire heads of lettuce!    Like our tips? Subscribe at http://eepurl.com/rAjkr   Posted by: Herbalife Independent Distributor Kelly Yew M: +6017-270 6899 E: kellyyew.workfromhome@gmail.com W: Why Herbalife? Why Now?
  8. Great grain salads   [YOUTUBE]http://youtu.be/l3gUgsfuvng[/YOUTUBE]   I'm Susan Bowerman, Herbalife nutritionist. If you're trying to get more whole grains into your diet but you're not sure how, today's video is for you. If you're not used to eating whole grains, it's sometimes a bit of a challenge trying to figure out how to work them into your diet. Switching from white bread to whole wheat, or from white rice to brown is pretty easy, but beyond that, many people seem a little baffled by whole grains. And, even though you can just cook them up and serve them as a side dish, they're a little more interesting when you turn them into something more -- like a salad. There are a couple of good reasons to try a grain salad. For one thing, if you are cooking up some whole grains for dinner, you can easily cook up extra, pop it in the refrigerator to cool, and you've got the start of a quick and hearty salad the next day. The other thing is that although whole grains are healthy, the calories can add up pretty quickly if you eat them on their own. But if you mix your grains with a lot of low calorie veggies, it's not only healthier and tastier - the calories per serving can go down dramatically, too. Here's how to do it. You might want to pick a grain you haven't had before and cook up a batch. Here I've got a few unusual ones. There's quinoa, which is technically a seed, and buckwheat -- which is also a seed and, despite its name, isn't related to wheat, and I've also got some wild rice which is a grain. And, by the way, they're all gluten-free. What you add to your grain salad is really up to your imagination. I like to add a variety of colors and flavors to mine. For my wild rice salad, I like to include tomato in my grain salads because it adds a lot of moisture, which means you can get by with a lot less dressing. I'm going to add some diced carrots, this is going to be so colorful by the time I'm done. Some parsley and some cucumber. And we are just going to mix that all together and it's going to look like we have more veggies than grains. And the other thing I am going to stir in here is some parsley just to give it some color. And you'll see that when I mix it up we have a beautiful salad with lots of color. What the vegetables are doing is they are moistening up the grains in our salad. Since the veggies add so much flavor, you can dress these salads really lightly. A tiny bit of olive oil and lemon, some salt and fresh pepper, you really don't need to add much because the vegetables are going to flavor up this salad. And this is just delicious and you're done. You can get more assertive with your flavors if you want to -- you can add stronger herbs like basil or cilantro, change up the dressing with citrus juice or vinegar or you can add some garlic or mustard. Curried grains are great. Here, I've seasoned my quinoa with curry powder, rice vinegar and salt and pepper, and I added celery, green onions, carrots and dried cranberries which give it a beautiful color. Red grapes would be good in this one, too, or a handful of raisins. The other nice thing about these grain salads is that since you've already got your whole grain and veggies, all you need to add is some protein to make this a quick, easy one-dish meal. Some grilled tofu, chicken, fish, or shrimp would be great on top.   Like our tips? Subscribe at http://eepurl.com/rAjkr   Posted by: Herbalife Independent Distributor Kelly Yew M: +6017-270 6899 E: kellyyew.workfromhome@gmail.com W: Why Herbalife? Why Now?
  9. How to do a bridge with leg lift   [YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YE4j48B4ug8&feature=share&list=PLONw6cRjzoQELAyy8A6oNXl2au7r6Biok[/YOUTUBE]   Hi, I'm Samantha Clayton, fitness expert and former competitive sprinter. I'm working with Herbalife to help you achieve a healthy, active life.   Life can be hectic and sometimes your workout routine may seem rushed and hectic too. It's important to occasionally slow down and work the small muscles in the body by performing exercises that work on control and stability.   Today, I want to talk you through a simple bridge exercise. A bridge is an excellent Pilates-style torso stability exercise. This means that one of your goals is to keep your torso really still during the exercise. Done correctly, a bridge strengthens your butt and the back of the legs while teaching core stability.   I think that this exercise is especially beneficial after having a baby because it forces you to connect with your weak core muscles.   Let's start out by lying on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor, approximately hip distance apart. Your feet should be in a comfortable position - not too close to your butt and not too far away. Experiment with different placements of your feet to find the perfect angle for your body.   Take a deep breath in, being conscious to expand your chest with the inhale.   Keeping your torso in one flat piece, press your feet into the mat and squeeze your butt as you lift your hips up off the mat. Come up high enough that your body makes a straight line from your shoulders to your knees. Don't press up so high that you can't see your knees.   Now as you exhale and maintain a neutral spine as you come back down to the mat.   If you want to add an extra challenge, try to lift into the bridge position and extend one leg out in front keeping it at the height of your stationary knee. Come back down and lift up and lift the other side. Try to hold five 10-second holds before switching to the other leg.   You shouldn't feel stress in your neck and shoulder area during this exercise! If you do; return to the starting position, adjust your feet and find the position that allows your body to maintain the straight line from shoulder to the knees.   Like our tips? Subscribe at http://eepurl.com/rOCF5   Posted by: Herbalife Independent Distributor Kelly Yew M: +6017-270 6899 E: kellyyew.workfromhome@gmail.com W: Why Herbalife? Why Now?
  10. Smart ordering: low(er) calorie menu ideas   By Susan Bowerman, MS, RD, CSSD, May 23, 2013         Dining in ethnic restaurants can be tricky – many dishes have so many ingredients, that it’s hard to figure out how many calories you’re eating.   Some people eat in restaurants a few times a week or more – and if that group includes you then that’s often enough to wreck your diet if you’re not careful. That’s one reason I’ve written about smart ordering in restaurants and how to order what you really want. But choosing food in ethnic restaurants deserves some special attention, because the dishes are often a lot more complicated – so it’s not only harder to know what to choose, it’s also tough to figure out exactly what you’re eating. It’s relatively easy to “guesstimate” the calories in a piece of grilled fish and a pile of veggies, but trying to estimate the calories in mixed dishes – like lasagna or Thai green curry – is even harder, since there are so many ingredients.   It would be nice if more restaurants posted the calorie counts for their dishes, but most don’t. Large chain restaurants are more likely to have that information, but if you like to seek out less common dishes at your neighborhood independent restaurants, you’re on your own.   Here in the US, new Federal guidelines – which aren’t in effect yet, but will be soon – require that any restaurant chain with 20 or more locations will need to post the calorie content of their menu items (similar rules are already in effect in some states). But about half of all US restaurants are independent – so they won’t have to comply – which means we’ll probably never know exactly how much we’re eating when we visit our neighborhood “hole in the wall”.   A study led by Jean Mayer and published this week1, did attempt to shed a little light on the subject. The researchers reported that a typical meal purchased from a ‘mom and pop’ restaurant (an array of the most popular items from Mexican, Chinese, Italian, Thai, Indian, Greek, Vietnamese and American restaurants in Boston) averaged more than 1300 calories – about two-thirds of an average adult’s calorie needs for the whole day. And, interestingly, the meals averaged 18% more calories than equivalent dishes from chain restaurants that are required to post their calorie information.     Whether the same holds true world-wide is yet to be seen, but the tips below may at least help you to make the best choices. Take some time to get familiar with popular offerings in ethnic restaurants so you know what ingredients they might contain. Keep in mind, though, that portion control is key, even if you choose wisely because yes, you can eat too much of a good thing.   Tips for making the best choices in ethnic restaurants Here are some pointers for the best choices from some of the most popular ethnic cuisines:   Mexican Food: Say yes to: grilled seafood and poultry; soft tacos; salads; salsas. Have less of: chips, quesadillas, chorizo, sour cream, cheese.   Chinese Food: Say yes to: veggies, tofu, seafood, poultry; stir-fried, steamed, simmered, braised dishes; oyster, black bean, lobster sauce; soups; green tea. Have less of: white rice, noodles, fried appetizers or meats, sweet and sour sauce.   Italian Food: Say yes to: green salads, broth-based soups, grilled meats and fish; marinara, wine or clam sauce. Have less of: fatty meats, cheese, cheese-filled pasta; cream sauces.   Japanese Food: Say yes to: miso soup; yakitori, sukiyaki, sushi, sashimi; vinegar, teriyaki, soy sauces; green tea. Have less of: white rice, katsu (fried dishes), tempura, udon.   Thai and Vietnamese Food: Say yes to: fresh spring rolls; broth-based soups; stir-fried or grilled dishes. Have less of: fried appetizers; heavy coconut curries; peanut sauces; mee-krob; sweet sauces.   Indian Food: Say yes to: most bean and lentil dishes; tandoori, tikka; paneer; yogurt sauces; chutney, pickles; raita. Have less of: fried appetizers or entrees; korma; creamy curries.   Middle-Eastern Food: Say yes to: salads, grilled fish and poultry; dolmas; hummus; baba ghanoush. Have less of: falafel; spanakopita; baklava.   *** 1Urban L et al. Published Online May 13, 2013. doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2013.6163. Written by Susan Bowerman, MS, RD, CSSD. Susan is a paid consultant for Herbalife.   Like our tips? Subscribe at http://eepurl.com/rOCF5   Posted by: Herbalife Independent Distributor Kelly Yew M:+6017-270 6899 E: kellyyew.workfromhome@gmail.com W: Why Herbalife? Why Now?
  11. Exclusive interview with Louis Ignarro, PhD   By Discover Good Nutrition & Fitness, May 18, 2013     Heart health expert Louis Ignarro, PhD has a tremendous amount of practical advice about how each of us can look after our hearts, so we’ve invited him to share some of his knowledge with us over the next few weeks. If you have any questions then let us know in the comments section below and we’ll make sure to pass them on.   Hi Louis, thanks for joining us today. It’s a pleasure and an honor to welcome you to our Herbalife offices. We all know you as an eminent heart health expert but can you tell us a little about your background?   Louis Ignarro: Of course. I grew up in Long Beach, NY and was always active. I enjoyed swimming in the ocean and one-on-one stickball but I always had an interest in understanding how things worked and delighted in constructing and deconstructing things – if I could get them to work again then even better!   In time, I turned to chemistry and, eventually, pharmacology and earned my PhD from the University of Minnesota. I focused on how neurons of the sympathetic nervous system innervate the heart and produce and release norepinephrine and my investigations brushed on physiology, biochemistry and anatomy.   Wow. What first interested you about heart health?     Louis Ignarro: In Medical/Graduate School, the physiology of the cardiovascular system fascinated me more than anything else. I decided to specialize my studies in this field: my curiosity and passion were riveted.   And that led to your greatest achievement?   Louis Ignarro: Yes, the discovery of the presence, production and cardiovascular protective actions of nitric oxide (NO) in the body. My research was the first to show that nitric oxide regulates blood pressure, blood flow and blood coagulation.   You made it your mission to promote endothelial wellness around the globe. Can you tell us about that?   Louis Ignarro: My mission is to promote endothelial wellness. The endothelium is the only cellular network in the entire cardiovascular system that is capable of producing nitric oxide, and so it is essential to maintain a healthy endothelium. It’s a no-brainer.   Just in case not everyone knows, what is ‘endothelial wellness’ – and why is it important?   Louis Ignarro: Endothelial wellness signifies keeping your vascular endothelial cells healthy and active at all times; every second of every minute of every hour of every day of every week of every month of every year until you have completed your long and healthy life. The endothelium is a single layer of cells that line the inner surface of all arteries and veins (so they’re in contact with the blood). These endothelial cells are the “only” cells in the cardiovascular system capable of producing nitric oxide. The nitric oxide is absolutely required to maintain normal blood pressure, blood flow and blood coagulation on a second-by-second basis.   Can you give us advice on how to look after our hearts – for instance what do you do?   Louis Ignarro: I look after my heart by adopting the lifestyle that best suits the function and longevity of my heart. These include a healthy diet and a structured aerobic exercise program with specific nutrients that promote heart health.   That sounds like something we can all do. If you could only pass on one tip what would it be?   Louis Ignarro: Take good care of your heart, you have only one and it will determine how long you live.   A healthy lifestyle is the message of this blog – how do you implement that concept in your day-to-day life?   Louis Ignarro: A healthy, active lifestyle is my key to longevity. I have learned to take care of me first, and my work second. I practice healthy living while at home and during my busy travels for work. Each morning is started by a healthy and nutritious breakfast plus engaging in exercise whether it be running, fast walking, cycling or at the gym.   Do you have a role model who epitomizes a healthy, active life?   Louis Ignarro: My role model is my father. He was very active and a hard working carpenter, who worked 6 long days a week. He always followed a strict healthy diet, and exercise was built into his profession.   One more question, what do you wish you had known sooner?   Louis Ignarro: If I could do it all over again, I would do it all the same way EXCEPT that I would have started to advocate healthy lifestyle publicly much earlier in my career…   Thanks Louis. Talking with you is always informative and we love hearing that you walk the walk and live with such an awareness of heart health in everything you do.     Like our tips? Subscribe at http://eepurl.com/rAjkr   Posted by: Herbalife Independent Distributor Kelly Yew M: +6017-270 6899 E: kellyyew.workfromhome@gmail.com W: Why Herbalife? Why Now?
  12. Heart health: 5 ways healthy living impacts your heart   By Louis Ignarro, PhD, May 21, 2013     Eat well. Exercise. Get enough omega-3s. Chances are, you’ve heard tips on making heart-healthy choices before. But how do your good decisions affect heart function? Read on to discover how common advice has an extraordinary impact on heart health.   I’m Dr. Louis Ignarro, a research pharmacologist and Nobel Laureate* in medicine for my research into Nitric Oxide, an important molecule Susan Bowerman described in detail in a recent article about heart health. I’ve spent the last decade focusing on educating others about the impact of nutrition and lifestyle on the heart, and you know what I’ve found? Many people don’t understand how their good decisions affect heart health and overall bodily wellness. And for good decisions to have staying power, it’s important to understand the impact they’re having.   When you lose weight, you can see the difference. But the results of a healthier heart are more difficult to measure. Let’s take a look at five healthy choices and how they impact your heart.     Heart healthy choice: Exercise   Impacts: Blood flow We all know activities like running, cycling, and swimming are good for you, but why are they heart-healthy choices? Along with improving overall bodily health, exercise helps blood vessels relax and widen, or dilate. Relaxed blood vessels allow blood to flow efficiently and nourish the heart, which it stimulates Nitric Oxide (NO) production in the body. Since Nitric Oxide controls, regulates, and protects the cardiovascular system, the result is clear: more exercise equals more Nitric Oxide, which results in a healthier heart.   Heart healthy choice: Eating a balanced diet – especially omega-3s   Impacts: Cholesterol and overall health A healthy diet is as good for your heart as it is for your taste buds. Fresh fruits, vegetables, proteins, and whole grains give your body the energy and nutrients it needs to maintain overall health. Foods like fatty fish (salmon, mackerel, and tuna), flaxseeds, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, and soybeans are jam-packed with omega-3 fatty acids, and consumption of EPA (eicosapantaenoic acid) and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) omega-3 fatty acids, which may reduce the risk of heart disease. Not only is fish a great substitute for foods like beef, which is high in saturated fats, but the omega-3s help to support a healthy cardiovascular system by maintaining cholesterol and triglyceride levels already within the normal range.     Heart healthy choice: Lowering stress   Impacts: Blood pressure and cholesterol levels If you think activities like yoga, meditation, and deep breathing aren’t for you, think again. Doing stress-relieving activities can do more for your body than you might think. A recent study found that chronic stress is linked to coronary heart disease and that stress management is an important part of heart health.   While there are a lot of theories on how lowering stress can help keep the heart healthy, many researchers believe that increased stress levels can worsen other states in the body. For example, if you have high blood pressure or cholesterol, stress can cause these levels to rise even further. Stress may also impact the way blood clots, which may increase the risk of a heart attack. People with lower stress levels may be more likely to exercise and eat well, both of which are important for a healthy heart. So, lowering stress not only helps you feel better, italso keeps your body balanced and supports healthy blood pressure and cholesterol levels.   Heart healthy choice: Losing weight   Impacts: Blood circulation andoverall heart health Did you know that even moderate weight loss can have a huge impact on the health of your heart? A healthy weight lowers the risk of heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, and diabetes—not to mention positively impacts overall physical health. But how does it do this?   While there are lots of benefits of weight loss, it especially impacts blood circulation. One study found that when body weight—especially belly fat—is within healthy range, arteries are better able to expand, which results in better blood flow. And since optimal blood flow is one of the keys to a healthy cardiovascular system, weight loss (or maintenance, if you’re at a healthy weight), can be one of the most important steps toward supporting a healthy heart.   Heart healthy choice: Supporting the endothelium   Impacts: Nitric Oxide production, blood flow, and blood pressure Many people are taking steps to support the endothelium but don’t even realize it. In fact, you may have never even heard of this important organ before. Our bodies contain 6 trillion endothelial cells, which line 60,000 miles of blood vessels in a single layer; together, those 6 trillion cells make up an organ known as the endothelium.   As I found in my research, Nitric Oxide is one of the most important molecules in the cardiovascular system. Increased Nitric Oxide results in increased blood flow to the organs, which supports healthy blood pressure and a healthy cardiovascular system. But for all this to happen, the “production house” of Nitric Oxide – the endothelium – needs to be supported.   Doing the things we’ve already discussed – exercising, eating a healthy diet, lowering stress, and losing weight – all contribute to endothelial health. Supplementing with targeted nutrients like omega-3 fatty acids, CoQ10, krill, garlic, andgreen tea also help keep your endothelium healthy by providing the nutrients it needs to function at its best. And a healthy endothelium results in healthyNitric Oxide levels, which impacts blood flow and blood pressure – not to mention the functioning of the entire body.   Keep Up the Heart-Smart Lifestyle You can’t always see the results of your hard work, but now you know the impact your heart-smart decisions are having on your cardiovascular system. So, keep making healthy choices, and remember that each good decision you make does take you one step closer to a healthier heart.   Written by Louis Ignarro, Ph.D. Dr. Ignarro is a member of both the Editorial and Nutrition Advisory Boards of the Herbalife Nutrition Institute and receives compensation for his endorsement of Herbalife® products. *The Nobel Foundation has no affiliation with Herbalife and does not review, approve or endorse Herbalife products. Herbalife markets an omega-3 supplement: Herbalifeline.     Like our tips? Subscribe at http://eepurl.com/rAjkr   Posted by: Herbalife Independent Distributor Kelly Yew M: +6017-270 6899 E: kellyyew.workfromhome@gmail.com W: Why Herbalife? Why Now?  
  13. How to cut calories & keep the nutrition   [YOUTUBE]http://youtu.be/J0_cAATQfGg[/YOUTUBE]   When you're cutting calories, do you know how to make sure you're getting all the nutrients you need? I'm Susan Bowerman, Registered Dietician, and today we're going to talk about how to build a healthy, low-calorie diet. If losing weight were simply a matter of eating fewer calories than you burn every day, you could lose weight eating nothing but ice cream as long as you kept your calorie intake down. But that's no way to take weight off obviously; you'd be missing out on plenty of vital nutrients. And while cutting calories is certainly key when it comes to weight loss you have to do it wisely. Smart weight loss is a lot like smart shopping with the calories you have to spend, you want to get the best nutritional value you can. And that means that when you have nutrient needs to fill and fewer calories to work with every bite needs to be nutrition packed. A well designed weight loss plan emphasizes nutrient-dense foods like vegetables and fruits, lean proteins, whole grains and low-fat dairy products that deliver the best nutritional value for the calories you're eating. But it takes a lot of careful planning and there's not a lot of room for extras especially if you're trying to keep you calories in the range of 1200-1500 per day. Build your diet by starting with healthy fruits and veggies first. Bite for bite, these are the lowest calorie foods in your diet, and they provide plenty of fiber, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. And, they can go a long way toward meeting your carbohydrate needs. Next, add in your healthy proteins fish, poultry breast, low-fat dairy products, eggs or egg whites, beans, or soy products, and protein powders that you can use for your shakes. Protein foods help keep you full and satisfied, but you need to choose carefully. A small steak could have twice the calories as the same size piece of fish, and easily cost you 400 calories or more. From there, you'll want to add whole grains as your calories allow. At roughly 100 calories for a typical serving, larger people and those who are more active can afford to eat more of these foods than smaller people or those who don't get much activity. Whole grains do provide you with fiber, vitamins and minerals, and are more healthy than refined grains like white rice, white bread, regular pasta so opt for the whole grains whenever you can. Lastly, keeping your fat intake on the low side is one of the best ways to curb calories, since high fat foods add up so quickly. You get fat naturally from many foods that you eat, so you don't really need to add it to your food at all. Of course, fats add flavor which is why we like them so choose wisely, and focus on eating small amounts of healthy and flavorful fats like nuts, seeds, avocado and olive oil. Many sugary foods, like dessert, are high in fat, too so save those for special occasions. If you really crave something sweet at the end of a meal, get in the habit of having some fresh fruit instead of a rich pastry or ice cream.   Like our tips? Subscribe at http://eepurl.com/rAjkr Posted by: Herbalife Independent Distributor Kelly Yew M: +6017-270 6899 E: kellyyew.workfromhome@gmail.com W: Why Herbalife? Why Now?
  14. How to cut calories & keep the nutrition   [YOUTUBE]http://youtu.be/J0_cAATQfGg[/YOUTUBE]   When you're cutting calories, do you know how to make sure you're getting all the nutrients you need? I'm Susan Bowerman, Registered Dietician, and today we're going to talk about how to build a healthy, low-calorie diet. If losing weight were simply a matter of eating fewer calories than you burn every day, you could lose weight eating nothing but ice cream as long as you kept your calorie intake down. But that's no way to take weight off obviously; you'd be missing out on plenty of vital nutrients. And while cutting calories is certainly key when it comes to weight loss you have to do it wisely. Smart weight loss is a lot like smart shopping with the calories you have to spend, you want to get the best nutritional value you can. And that means that when you have nutrient needs to fill and fewer calories to work with every bite needs to be nutrition packed. A well designed weight loss plan emphasizes nutrient-dense foods like vegetables and fruits, lean proteins, whole grains and low-fat dairy products that deliver the best nutritional value for the calories you're eating. But it takes a lot of careful planning and there's not a lot of room for extras especially if you're trying to keep you calories in the range of 1200-1500 per day. Build your diet by starting with healthy fruits and veggies first. Bite for bite, these are the lowest calorie foods in your diet, and they provide plenty of fiber, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. And, they can go a long way toward meeting your carbohydrate needs. Next, add in your healthy proteins fish, poultry breast, low-fat dairy products, eggs or egg whites, beans, or soy products, and protein powders that you can use for your shakes. Protein foods help keep you full and satisfied, but you need to choose carefully. A small steak could have twice the calories as the same size piece of fish, and easily cost you 400 calories or more. From there, you'll want to add whole grains as your calories allow. At roughly 100 calories for a typical serving, larger people and those who are more active can afford to eat more of these foods than smaller people or those who don't get much activity. Whole grains do provide you with fiber, vitamins and minerals, and are more healthy than refined grains like white rice, white bread, regular pasta so opt for the whole grains whenever you can. Lastly, keeping your fat intake on the low side is one of the best ways to curb calories, since high fat foods add up so quickly. You get fat naturally from many foods that you eat, so you don't really need to add it to your food at all. Of course, fats add flavor which is why we like them so choose wisely, and focus on eating small amounts of healthy and flavorful fats like nuts, seeds, avocado and olive oil. Many sugary foods, like dessert, are high in fat, too so save those for special occasions. If you really crave something sweet at the end of a meal, get in the habit of having some fresh fruit instead of a rich pastry or ice cream.   Like our tips? Subscribe at http://eepurl.com/rAjkr Posted by: Herbalife Independent Distributor Kelly Yew M: +6017-270 6899 E: kellyyew.workfromhome@gmail.com W: Why Herbalife? Why Now?
  15. Heart healthy – how to fine tune your diet in 5 easy steps   By Susan Bowerman, MS, RD, CSSD, May 16, 2013     Samantha and I are in privileged company this week – we’re looking forward to a guest post from Louis Ignarro Ph.D, Nobel Laureate*, consultant to Herbalife and member of the Herbalife Nutrition Institute Nutrition Advisory Board, in which he’ll describe the impact of a healthy, active lifestyle on heart health. A healthy diet is, as Dr. Ignarro says, “as good for your heart as it is for your taste buds.”   I couldn’t have said it better. But what I often run into with my patients is that it’s one thing to know what to eat – and why (okay, that’s two things…) – but they often get hung up figuring out how to incorporate more healthy foods into their diet. So let’s take a good look at the key “whats”, “whys” and – more importantly – the “how tos” of a heart healthy diet.   What: Eat an abundance of fruits and veggies Why it’s heart healthy: Aside from being low in calories, high in fiber and chock full of vitamins and minerals, fruits and vegetables provide the body with antioxidants. As part of everyday metabolism, the body produces something called oxygen free radicals – highly reactive molecules that can negatively affect cells and tissues in the body. It’s important to keep their formation in check, since free radicals can damage the lining of blood vessels, and may encourage the so-called “bad cholesterol” to get trapped in the lining of arteries. Antioxidants offer protection by helping to keep the production of free radicals to a minimum.   How to: Eat a fruit or veggie at every meal or snack. Add fruit to your breakfast protein shake, yogurt or cereal; have a salad and/or steamed veggies at lunch and dinner, and snack on fresh whole fruits and vegetables. When you make a point to have a fruit or vegetable every time you eat, it’s easy to get all your servings in for the day.   What: Choose heart-healthy proteins Why it’s heart healthy: Protein is important for taming hunger, but your protein sources should be low in fat. Since saturated fats can raise cholesterol levels in the blood, choosing the lowest fat protein sources is the way to go. Meats naturally contain more saturated fat and cholesterol than poultry, and poultry has more fat than seafood. If you eat dairy products, it’s best to choose fat-free or low fat. Plant proteins – like soy proteins, beans and lentils – are naturally cholesterol-free, and low in saturated fat. And fish is a good source of heart-healthy omega-3 fats DHA and EPA.   How to: Aim for a few fish meals per week. For convenience, you can’t beat canned tuna, salmon and beans – any of which can be tossed into a salad for a quick, balanced meal. Use non fat or low fat milk in cooking and in your smoothies and non fat yogurt or cottage cheese at meals or snacks. If you eat red meat, choose the leanest cuts and trim visible fat. Replace high fat ground meats with ground poultry breast.   What: Eat plenty of fiber, especially soluble fiber Why it’s heart healthy: There are two main types of fiber – known as “soluble” and “insoluble”. Both are important, but they each have different effects on the body. Insoluble fiber is found primarily in vegetables and whole grains, and it speeds the rate at which food passes through the digestive tract, so it’s helpful in promoting regularity. But the soluble fiber (found in apples, oranges, carrots, oats, barley, and beans) traps water as well as cholesterol in the digestive tract. In doing so, it promotes fullness – which helps with weight management   How to: Snack on apples and carrots; add beans to soups and salads, or blend smooth into a dip. Aside from oatmeal, rolled oats can be added to protein shakes, or you can whirl rolled oats in the blender into a flour, and use to partially replace wheat flour when you cook or bake at home.   What: Choose heart-healthy fats Why it’s heart healthy: Foods like fish, tree nuts, avocados and olive oil are considered some of the most heart-healthy fats because they contain very little saturated fat and are good sources of polyunsaturated fats which can help keep blood cholesterol levels in a healthy range.   How to: Reduce the total amount of fat you use in cooking and at the table, and use heart-healthy olive oil as much as possible when you cook. Sprinkle nuts and seeds on salads, yogurt and cooked veggies. Try using avocado to replace other fats – instead of mayonnaise in your tuna salad or to replace the spread on your whole grain toast. Aim for a few fish meals a week; if that doesn’t work for you, consider an omega-3 supplement.   What: Find and stay at a healthy weight Why it’s heart healthy: I listed this one last, because if you follow the other “whats” of a heart-healthy diet – and include regular exercise – chances are good that you’ll find and maintain your healthy weight. But I could have listed this one first, however, since maintaining a healthy body weight is one of the key factors in maintaining a healthy heart.   How to: In addition to following the heart healthy guidelines above and getting plenty of exercise, another key issue to weight management is portion control. Plenty of people eat very well – but they still eat too much and carry too much weight. By keeping your portions moderate, you’ll control your overall calorie intake as well as the total amount of fat that you eat. Make sure to eat at regular intervals, and have some protein every time you eat, too, to help keep blood sugar levels steady and to control hunger.     Written by Susan Bowerman, MS, RD, CSSD. Susan is a paid consultant for Herbalife. Herbalife markets products containing soy proteins and dietary supplements containing omega-3 fatty acids. *The Nobel Foundation has no affiliation with Herbalife and does not review, approve or endorse Herbalife® products.   Like our tips? Subscribe at http://eepurl.com/rAjkr   Posted by: Herbalife Independent Distributor Kelly Yew M: +6017-270 6899 E: kellyyew.workfromhome@gmail.com W: Why Herbalife? Why Now?
  16. How to get up and get fit with stairs By Samantha Clayton, AFAA, ISSA, March 19, 2013       Stairs are one of my favorite pieces of exercise equipment. Most people have access to stairs and, this week, I’m going to help you incorporate stairs in your exercise routine for fat-burning and strength-building results.   Training ‘up steps’ is a staple part of almost all athlete training plans. We call it ‘up steps’ because we put in the power going up and then take our time coming down. If you have ever visited a U.S. high school or college I’m pretty sure you will have witnessed athletes quick stepping up the bleachers or maybe you’ll have heard the thunderous sound in the distance as they run up followed by a slower thudding sound as they make their way down.   How to train on the stairs with the best fat-burning results Running up stairs gives great results and there are so many benefits such as; fat-burning cardio, cardiovascular conditioning, strength, power and co-ordination.   If using stairs as an exercise aid is a new idea for you then let me walk you though how to train effectively and safely so you can confidently take on the stairs to help you get strong and shed fat.   Before trying any new exercise you must ask yourself “is this right for me?” Be sensible, listen to your body and know your limitations. Exercise safety is always important but especially when climbing stairs as the risk of falling and causing a mechanical injury is heightened. You won’t gain any extra benefits from running down stairs but there is an increased risk of falling and increased pressure is placed on your joints.   Up-steps beginner level – moving into your fat-burning zone The body burns fat for fuel when you are doing steady prolonged aerobic exercise. Keeping your exercise intensity at a moderate level requires discipline (especially for me, as I always want to sprint up). Using a heart rate monitor is helpful or simply appraise your intensity level on a scale of 1-10 and try to stay in your 6-8 range.   A basic walk up/walk down is a perfect introduction to stair training. Stepping for 20-30 minutes is ideal but there is no reason not to squeeze in stair training even if you only have 10 minutes (you know I always say that any exercise is better than no exercise!).   Adjust your walking speed to keep your heart rate in the targeted zone and increase/decrease your speed to make sure you continue to push yourself and keep burning fat.   Up-steps intermediate level – let’s start building your strength I have talked before about the benefits of running up hill and running up stairs is very similar in that it uses the posterior chain muscles (butt, hamstrings and calves). The gradient forces your body to work harder compared to exercising on a flat surface. This increased workload burns extra calories and the high-impact nature of running up steps promotes muscle building.   Sprint to the top of the stairs and slowly walk back down. Force yourself to take your time going down and concentrate on your movements. Doing timed intervals is a great way to enjoy sprint stair training. Try completing as many flights as you can in three minutes followed by a 90 second rest. Do this for 5-8 rounds for a great strength training session.   Up-steps advanced level – push your power and co-ordination This style of stair training is considered advanced and is not recommended for beginner or intermediate exercisers. To effectively train to improve power try bounding up the stairs while skipping steps. This advanced approach is an effective power-builder and used a lot in athletic training. You can perform this as single leg hops or double leg jumps; it requires balance, concentration and co-ordination.   Try high-performance hops or jumps up 10 steps, then return to your starting point aiming for a maximum of 10 total sets. The high impact nature of this type of exercise means that I recommend working for a maximum of 20 minutes per session. If you want to challenge your upper body for the remaining workout time do push-ups. The bleachers are perfect for doing modified and advanced push-ups.   How to speed up your efforts to achieve advanced level Many people want to push themselves to the next level quickly and there is a way to prepare yourself for the advanced level while you work on the beginner and intermediate exercises. Before attempting the advanced up-steps routine, try using a low box or practice hopping and jumping on the flat. Do 10 jumps, rest then repeat for 5-8 sets.   ***   Exercise should be fun, so try and set yourself a challenge to keep your motivation high. A time challenge of how many stairs or reps you can complete in a set amount of time is adds an extra element of challenge and you can try to beat your record each week. You could also set a ‘no elevator rule’ at the office to encourage others to take the stairs too. Whatever you need to do in order to stay motivated and have fun is worthwhile it because every stepcounts when it comes to getting fit and shedding fat.   Written by Samantha Clayton, AFAA, ISSA. Samantha is Director of Fitness Education at Herbalife.   Like our tips? Subscribe at http://eepurl.com/rOCF5   Posted by: Herbalife Independent Distributor Kelly Yew M: +6017-270 6899 E: kellyyew.workfromhome@gmail.com W: Why Herbalife? Why Now?
  17. Cellulite: how to get rid of thigh dimples   By Samantha Clayton, AFAA, ISSA, May 7, 2013     Do you ever think about cellulite? Do you have cellulite? Cellulite is the dimple effect seen on thighs up and down the land. And if you’re thinking, “what an earth could she possibly know about having cellulite?” Let me fill you in on a little secret: I have never trained with a woman who doesn’t have it and, yes, I too am guilty of owning a little cellulite of my own!   With the warmer months fast approaching, the dread of revealing all in a bathing suit or shorts has many men and women frantically dieting and exercising in an attempt to shape up. If you read my summer countdown post, you know that getting active today means you may see some improvement in your external appearance just in time for beach season!   What is cellulite? Many people have heard of the ‘cottage cheese effect’ but let me explain what cellulite really is: it’s simply subcutaneous fat. Fat squished under the surface of your skin. It has a dimpled appearance because bands of collagen fibrous connective tissue sometimes push outwards as fat cells expand. Males and females can suffer cellulite on their buttocks, thighs, and tummy – although more women experience the phenomenon. And, no, having cellulite is not a sign that you are necessarily unhealthily fat – most people now recognize that cellulite is caused by genetics (and bad luck) and can appear regardless of weight, age or fitness level.   One of the things that I think makes people horrified by the thought of cellulite is the range of unfortunate names that describe the bumpy appearance: cottage cheese thighs, orange peel skin, chicken skin and bubble legs. It’s hard to embrace body confidence when you have these descriptive terms running through your mind so, from now on, let’s just accept cellulite as a reality and choose to find the names amusing rather than hurtful.   What’s the best way get rid of cellulite?   This is a hot topic question and, sadly, if you ask most doctors or read the medical research, you will see that it is not possible to get rid of cellulite altogether. A healthy, active lifestyle is your best bet to reduce the appearance of cellulite and, if you couple regular exercise with a good dose of confidence, then you can banish cellulite worries! After all, there’s more to life, right? Having cellulite does not mean you are unhealthy or overweight or undesirable – it means you are human and many humans get cellulite!   My secret weapon against cellulite Self-confidence and feeling beautiful regardless of what you can see in the mirror is the perfect fix for cellulite because confidence is beautiful! The way you carry yourself through life; your posture and your attitude is ultimately what others around you can see.   To help build your confidence, try improving muscle tone in your legs and glutes by following a resistance-training program combined with quality daily nutrition. Personally, being active and healthy makes me feel more positive, and the internal and external benefits of being fit make me feel more confident.   *** While I’m busy baring all of my secrets today here’s one more; after having my triplets I cried when I looked at myself in the mirror. I mourned the loss of my previously un-scarred and powerful athletic physique. I swore I would never wear a swimsuit again! My husband asked me – quietly, over the sound of snuffling babies – “why would you be so upset about something you wear only a few times a year and, anyway, what makes you think you have time for the beach?!” I had to laugh at his question as visions of trying to prevent four kids from eating sand came to mind.   I have since proudly built sandcastles and chased my kids around at the beach – while wearing a swimsuit. Cellulite was a reality as an professional sprinter and it’s still a reality as a mom, only now I’ve added the extra beauty of a few scars to the mix. I’m confident that if you see me at the beach, you will only notice my energy, smile and love of life because a healthy, active life combined with self-confidence has gotten rid of my cellulite and scars forever, metaphorically speaking anyway.   Written by Samantha Clayton, AFAA, ISSA. Samantha is Director of Fitness Education at Herbalife.   Like our tips? Subscribe at http://eepurl.com/rOCF5   Posted by: Herbalife Independent Distributor Kelly Yew M: +6017-270 6899 E: kellyyew.workfromhome@gmail.com W: Why Herbalife? Why Now?  
  18. The best, fastest & easiest way to cut a pineapple   [YOUTUBE]http://youtu.be/AlgRKbG62zs[/YOUTUBE]   I'm Susan Bowerman, registered dietician and today we are talking fresh pineapple. You know a lot of people rely on frozen pineapple or maybe juice-packed canned pineapple - which is fine. But part of the reason why many people don't tackle fresh pineapple is because they just don't know how to cut them. So, today I'm going to show you a quick way to get all of the delicious flesh from a fresh pineapple. You know pineapples are a good source of vitamin C like strawberries and oranges and if you are used to having those fruits in the morning you may want to switch it up sometime with some fresh pineapple. Let's talk first about how to select a pineapple when you're at the grocery store. What I usually look for first is to look at the color a little bit of green color on what they call the shoulders of the pineapple is a good sign. Look at the bottom make sure there isn't any mold on the bottom of your pineapple and I usually give it a little bit of a sniff if it smells like a good pineapple it's usually good. Sometimes they smell really sweet and syrupy and if they do they might be over ripe so I kind of steer clear of those. Once you buy your pineapple and you are ready to take it home you are going to store it in the refrigerator with the crown on you don't want to take the crown off. Once you are ready to cut you're going to remove it from the fridge because it's usually better when it's cold. And the easiest way to take the crown off is to just twist it off it just comes right off and you can toss that away. And the way that I'm going to cut my pineapple were not going to prepare rings because most people are just looking for chunks of pineapple to put into a fruit salad. And I'm using a serrated knife you want to use a heavy knife and one that can cut through the Rhine. And all you are going to do is simply cut off the top and I can already see this is a beautiful pineapple and then cut off the bottom. Now what some people do if they do want rings is they will go through this tedious process of cutting the outside and cutting rings. But we are just going to do this simple cut. And I'm just going to cut my pineapple in half we are going to cut a half at a time and if you look at the pineapple you can very easily see that there's a core in the middle that's kind of the tough fibrous part of the pineapple that you usually don't want to eat. So what I do is I'm just going to make a cut all the way down to the Rhine not all the way through but just all the way down to the Rhine on either side of this core. And when you do that you can kind of open it up and you can see all the pieces that you are now going remove from the pineapple. Then what I do is I put my knife about 3 quarters of an inch down and just cut through and just take out that fibrous core. Now when my kids were little and they were teething I used to give this to them so if you have any kids in the house that are teething it's a great teether because its sweet and its juicy but it's so fibrous that they can't really break it up so just a little tip. Ok so now we have 3 nice what I would call filets to our pineapple and you're just going to take your knife and you're going to cut right against the Rhine on either side. And I'm just able to lift out this beautiful chunk of pineapple and I'm going to do the same thing on the other side there's my second filet and then finally that tenderloin that we got in the middle. If you have any brown spots like this you can simply shave those off. And now depending on how you want to use it if you're just going to make fruit salad you can very easily cube it up like that. If you want to for instance put in on a platter more like a fruit display and you want longer spears you can just cut this up like this and that's another way that some people like to do it because it's very attractive that way. The other thing that is nice with these longer pieces is that if you've never had pineapple on the grill its delicious if you're grilling fish or you're grilling chicken you can just take these fresh pineapple spears and just throw them on the grill for a little bit and just let it get brown and the sugar kind of caramelizes. And you can either serve it with your fish or with your poultry or you can just serve it as a nice dessert. It's really easy so you can see how simple that was it just took me a minute to cut that up. So if you're intimidated by fresh pineapple, no longer. So give it a try at home in place of that frozen pineapple or that canned pineapple that you've been eating.   Like our tips? Subscribe at http://eepurl.com/rAjkr   Posted by: Herbalife Independent Distributor Kelly Yew M: +6017-270 6899 E: kellyyew.workfromhome@gmail.com W: Why Herbalife? Why Now?
  19. How to order in a restaurant – and get what you want By Susan Bowerman, MS, RD, CSSD, May 2, 2013     Eating out doesn’t have to be a diet disaster. Here are six tips to help you navigate a menu and ask for what you want in a restaurant.   It’s Thursday, but I’m still thinking about a ridiculous experience I had at a restaurant last weekend. We were at a new trendy – but casual – neighborhood place for dinner. I scanned the salad offerings – dismissing the vinaigrette-dressed roasted beets (not my favorite) and the “southwest” (loaded with refried beans and cheese) – and zeroed in on the mixed baby greens with creamy buttermilk dressing. I asked my server (“Mike, I’m happy to be taking care of you tonight”) if I could please have the mixed baby greens with the vinaigrette instead of the buttermilk dressing. “I’ll need to check with the chef,” he told me. “Our menu clearly states, ‘no modifications’.” Huh? After a few minutes he came back – with attitude. “The chef said he’ll make an exception.” Looking down his nose at me, I half expected him to add, “… just this once.”   Now let’s be clear. I wasn’t asking for something not on the menu. And I wasn’t messing with what could possibly be thought of as a ‘signature dish’. And, I was pretty sure the greens hadn’t been tossed in buttermilk dressing ahead of time – no restaurant would do that unless they wanted to serve a soggy mess. I just wanted my salad with a different dressing.   Before you even walk into a restaurant, you probably have a pretty good idea of what’s going to be on the menu – you might even have some idea of what you’d like to order. And if you sharpen your menu reading skills – and know what adjustments you can reasonably ask for – it shouldn’t be a struggle to get what you want in a restaurant.   Restaurant dining: 6 tips to help you get what you want   Keep your usual pattern in mind If your usual dinner is protein and veggies, don’t bother looking at the sandwich or pasta offerings. You should be focusing on the entrees (mains), the salads, the soups and the sides.   Look at how the item is prepared Once you’ve narrowed things down to your protein entrée and some form of vegetable, look at how the items are prepared. When meat, fish or poultry is described as “crispy”, “breaded”, “crusted” or “golden brown”, that’s just a nice way of saying, “fried”, “greasy” and “fatty”. Look for baked, broiled and grilled instead.   Next, look to see what it’s served with Are there sauces on the entrees or the veggies? Are they heavy gravies, or butter sauces? Is there a light tomato sauce or wine sauce? Even if the sauce sounds light, ask for it on the side so you can control how much you eat. Same goes for salad dressings.   What side dishes come with it? Many restaurants offer the standard “meat, starch and vegetable” meal. If that’s the case, ask if you can skip the starch and have double the vegetables. I’ve noticed that more restaurants are offering everything a la carte, which makes the process a lot easier. You can pick your entrée and then order a few vegetable dishes on the side.   How large are the portions? Many in the restaurant business know that their customers want value – in other words, a lot of food at a reasonable price. Keep in mind that portions are often larger than what you might want – or need. If you’re not sure how much you’ll be getting, ask your server. If it sounds like more than you want, you can either split your meal with a dining companion or plan to take some home. You can also look to the appetizer (starter) section of the menu – a lot of times you can put together a satisfying meal from a few small appetizer offerings.   Ask nicely and be reasonable I did, and I was. But I think my recent restaurant experience was unusual – and I did get what I asked for (although it came with side of snide). You don’t want to ask that a menu item be completely revamped, but reasonable requests - a sauce on the side, a vegetable instead of a potato or … yes, even a different salad dressing … isn’t asking too much.   Still hungry for more? See my smart ordering in restaurants article for more tips on how to keep your diet in check when you’re eating out.   Written by Susan Bowerman, MS, RD, CSSD. Susan is a paid consultant for Herbalife.   Like our tips? Subscribe at http://eepurl.com/rAjkr   Posted by: Herbalife Independent Distributor Kelly Yew M: +6017-270 6899 E: kellyyew.workfromhome@gmail.com W: Why Herbalife? Why Now?
  20. How to do a perfect curtsy lunge (for a better butt)   [YOUTUBE]http://youtu.be/b1aJYjGFlrw[/YOUTUBE]   Hi, I'm Samantha Clayton, fitness expert and former competitive sprinter. I'm working with Herbalife to help you achieve a healthy, active life. Today, I want to show you how to do a curtsy lunge so that you can effectively work the muscles in your glutes and improve your balance. As always, I have broken the exercise down into a few variations so everyone can give it a try and work towards getting a firm and lifted butt! - Let's start out with our beginner option, using a chair for support. - Stand up tall with your feet hip distance apart, place one hand on the chair and one hand on your hip. - Take a big step back with one leg, crossing it behind the other. - Bend your knees and lower your hips until your front thigh is parallel with the ground. - Be sure to keep your torso upright and your hips, shoulders and front foot facing forward, hold for two seconds, and then lift back to standing. Do 5 lunges on each leg before switching to do the other. Switch hand, hand on hip and switch to the other side. Keeping your back nice and straight. - If you are ready to progress this move, try to do it without the chair and raise your arms out to the side as you lower your body. This adds in the element of balance and coordination. Let me show you stand with your feet hip distance apart take your arms out to the side as you step back. Keep that back nice and tall and come back to standing. Focus on keeping your core nice and tight and making sure you are lower feet to the floor. Switching sides, when you are doing these moves remember to breathe. Just two more. - To further increase the challenge, add weight to this exercise with some dumbbells turning it into what I call a triple-threat-move! It works your butt, your balance and your upper-body! Let me show you. Standing tall core tight stepping back lifting the weights up and coming back down. Keep your upper body relaxed as you lift the weight you don't want to hunch your shoulders just stay nice and relaxed again 5 on one side 5 on the other. Last one. A stepped approach is the best way to try out a new exercise, always start out with the easiest option and when you have mastered the basics, progress to the next level.   Like our tips? Subscribe at http://eepurl.com/rOCF5   Posted by: Herbalife Independent Distributor Kelly Yew M: +6017-270 6899 E: kellyyew.workfromhome@gmail.com W: Why Herbalife? Why Now?
  21. Fighting fit: beyond 6-packs & skinny thighs By Samantha Clayton, AFAA, ISSA, April 30, 2013     Getting fit today is more serious than six packs and skinny thighs. When you hear the term “fighting fit” does it bring to mind thoughts of kickboxing classes and sweaty boxing gyms? Or, are you like me and see that it can have a far more serious meaning?   I have a saying ‘get fit from the inside out’ and to me, it means that instead of being motivated by the external rewards that we associate with fitness it’s important to exercise for internal reasons. I thought about this when my dear friend told me that her doctor insisted she start a fitness program in order to strengthen her body after a life-altering diagnosis.   This is one of my best friends in life; she happens to be a beautiful model who has been blessed with the genetics of a long lean frame that, even without a rigorous exercise regime, has graced the covers of magazines and catalogues worldwide. She learned that she had to change her approach.   It had always been a joke that instead of meeting up for drinks on a Friday night as many friends do, we would meet up at the gym and train together during the week. As we swapped free training for free fashion advice, laughing and sweating together was our connection. Her workout motivation was losing a few extra baby-weight pounds to get back on the runway and fit back into her amazing wardrobe of high fashion clothing. This external motivation was not always enough to keep our fitness journey consistent but we would run through a simple exercise routine whenever we found time, and always catch up on family gossip as we worked out.   My friend always disliked working out but, when you are busy catching-up and laughing, an hour of fitness torture is always over in no time!   Our first workout together after she was diagnosed with cancer started with a slightly more serious tone. I felt the need for her to understand the importance of the fitness journey ahead, I wanted to share every ounce of knowledge I have on fitness and I regretted the fact that, during previous sessions together, our workout style was more about spending time together as friends and discussing celebrity gossip, rather than me teaching her the importance of getting fit from the inside out.     On this day, there was no talk about six packs and skinny thighs because now the external was the last thing on our minds. Getting strong muscles and improving cardiovascular fitness was at the top of my priority list for her. As this exercise session progressed – through our tears, laughs, crunches and squats – it hit me that nothing had changed; we are two friends bonding through activity. Our workouts are about nourishing our minds while strengthening our bodies and renewing our spirit.   Fighting fit – make exercise a core part of your healthy, active life   The doctors are right; it is important to get strong to help with the recovery process and this reinforces my mission that is important to make being healthy and active part of your everyday life and not a passing fashion trend. This difficult journey made me understand that the external motivation we so desperately seek should always be second on the list of priorities. I encourage everyone to get fighting fit and I encourage you to inspire a friend to fight with you.   Written by Samantha Clayton, AFAA, ISSA. Samantha is Director of Fitness Education at Herbalife.   Like our tips? Subscribe at http://eepurl.com/rOCF5   Posted by: Herbalife Independent Distributor Kelly Yew M: +6017-270 6899 E: kellyyew.workfromhome@gmail.com W: Why Herbalife? Why Now?
  22. How to prepare an avocado   [YOUTUBE]http://youtu.be/Lgbfy8F1yvY[/YOUTUBE]   Hi I'm Susan Bowerman, registered dietician. And todays how to video is all about avocados how to select them how to store them and most importantly how to cut them. When you go to the market and you are looking for an avocado what you want to do is just press very gently Around the stem end. It should yield a little bit if it's really soft it's probably over ripe. When you get your avocado home if it still feels a little bit firm to you go and put it in a brown paper bag and just leave it on the counter for a day or two. And just check it until it feels like it's the right degree of ripeness for you. When you get ready to prepare your avocado a lot of times there is this stem left, you can just pop that out with your finger. And to slice your avocado just hold it in your hand and I'm going to slice it all the way around very simple just bring my knife back to where I started and you should be able to just twist the two halves apart. Now in order to get the pit out you are going to take your knife and strike your pit with it. Place it down on your cutting board don't put it in your hand. Because you might miss and we don't want you to hurt yourself. And you are just going to take your knife and give it a nice whack. And twist a little bit and your pit just comes right out. Now that you got your pit removed just take a spoon and scoop all the way around your avocado and what you are trying to do it you want to get as close to the peal as you can and there're a reason for that. If you look at the color of the avocado here on the outside you can see how much darker that is than the inside. That pigment is something called lutein it's a phyto-nutrient and you get more lutein the closer you get to the peal so always try to get as much of it out and I got a pretty clean sweep there. And then your avocado is basically ready to slice. So you can just slice it into some nice slices that you can just put on top of a salad you can add it to a sandwich. Put in on top of some grilled fish if you want to. You know we talk about using avocado as a healthy fat and that's because it's delicious and it's very versatile. If you want to mash this avocado you can try it on a sandwich instead of mayonnaise as a spread. Mashed avocado of course is guacamole we know with chips but it's also delicious with fresh vegetables. The other thing I like to do with it is I like to make my tune salad with it. Just take some canned tune mix some vegetables in there and hold the whole thing together with some mashed avocado and it makes a really tasty lunch   Like our tips? Subscribe at http://eepurl.com/rAjkr   Posted by: Herbalife Independent Distributor Kelly Yew M: +6017-270 6899 E: kellyyew.workfromhome@gmail.com W: Why Herbalife? Why Now?
  23. How to do side plank crunches (Advanced core move)   [YOUTUBE]http://youtu.be/1UZGX54_e1A[/YOUTUBE]   Hi, I'm Samantha Clayton, fitness expert and former competitive sprinter. I'm working with Herbalife to help you achieve a healthy, active life. Have you tried my basic side plank exercise? And, are you trying to get increased core strength and perfect your balance? If the answer is yes, then this move is for you!   Get into the perfect side plank position by laying on your right side keep your legs straight and this time stagger your feet. This will ensure you remain balanced. Prop your upper body up on your right elbow and forearm ensuring your shoulder is directly in line with your elbow. Raise your hips until your body forms a nice straight line from your ankles all the way up to your shoulders, and place your left hand behind your head. Now move your left elbow toward your right hand and then come back up and you open up your chest come down and then open up to the starting position. Try to keep your hips stacked for the entire move. Now if you want to increase the intensity and really challenge your abs - give this oblique crunch a try! We are going to go up into side plank on your hand like so, now lift one leg up and place your hand out to the side. Now we are going to do side crunches by bringing your knee up to meet your elbow like this. Elbow to knee maintain a nice straight line. Now this variation works your oblique muscles and will work your hip flexors and shoulders too. As you can see, this move does not require a large space making it a great strength move to do when traveling or in the comfort of your own home. Pick the exercise that feels right for you and always remember to focus on your spinal and neck alignment.   Like our tips? Subscribe at http://eepurl.com/rOCF5   Posted by: Herbalife Independent Distributor M: +6017-270 6899 E: kellyyew.workfromhome@gmail.com W: Why Herbalife? Why Now?
  24. How to eat less overall … by eating more protein   By Susan Bowerman, MS, RD, CSSD, April 25, 2013     Another reason to eat protein at breakfast. Protein helps keep you full and satisfied until lunch – and a new study suggests it might even help curb snacking at night.   If you keep up with the latest in dietary advice, you can probably list a few reasons why protein is such an important nutrient. It’s necessary, of course, to help you build and maintain your muscle mass, and it’s also known to be a much better at filling you up than either fat or carbohydrate – which is why we suggest that people aim to have a good source of protein at each meal or snack. The idea is simply this: high carb meals don’t stay with you, while higher protein meals can help control hunger from one meal to the next. But here’s something else… a recent study by Heather Leidy1 suggests that a high protein breakfast not only helps control your appetite until the next meal, it might reduce unhealthy snacking in the evening.   Recognizing that adolescents are notorious breakfast-skippers – and that breakfast skipping is associated with weight gain – researchers at the University of Missouri studied the effects of different breakfast meals in 20 overweight teenaged girls (who typically ate breakfast no more than twice a week).   The girls were asked to do the following – in no particular order. One week, they skipped breakfast each day, one week they had a high protein breakfast every day (35 grams of protein) and one week they had a lower protein breakfast every day (13 grams of protein). What the researchers wanted to know was how the different meals (or no meal) affected their appetite, hunger levels between meals, food cravings and evening snacking.   To measure all these things, the girls completed questionnaires about their level of hunger and satisfaction during the day, and they had brain scans done just before dinner. The scans allowed the researchers to see how certain areas of the brain – in particular, those that are involved in food cravings – responded when the girls were shown pictures of appealing foods. Then, the girls went home with a cooler full of goodies – a huge assortment of salty snacks, candy, ice cream, fruit, pizza, macaroni and cheese – and told they could eat as much as they wanted during the evening.   When all was said and done, the high protein breakfast had several advantages over the low protein one (and certainly, over no breakfast at all). For one thing, the girls said the high protein breakfast was more filling – no surprise there. But during the week they ate the high protein breakfast, their brain activity was different, too – there was less “activity” in the areas of the brain responsible for food cravings – and the girls ate less high-fat, high-sugar foods after dinner.   This is an interesting twist on the protein story – suggesting that a high protein breakfast not only helps keep you full until lunch, but may even help curb your intake over the course of the day. Getting in 35 grams of protein at one time – as they did in the study – might be a bit of a challenge, but you can get close – 25 grams is actually fairly easy to do.   Want to up your protein at breakfast? Here are some meals to try – all of which will give you about 25 grams of protein. A protein shake with nonfat milk. A portion of milk provides about 10 grams of protein, and you can adjust the protein powder in your shake to boost the protein up A portion of plain nonfat cottage cheese with fruit and a handful of almonds An omelet made with 2 whole eggs or 4 egg whites, filled with veggies and an ounce of low fat mozzarella cheese Cook rolled oats in nonfat milk then top then stir in protein powder after it’s cooked. Top with a dab of almond butter Spread some nonfat cream cheese on 100% whole grain toast and top with 3 ounces smoked salmon 1Leidy et al. Am J Clin Nutr 2013;97:677-88.   Written by Susan Bowerman, MS, RD, CSSD. Susan is a paid consultant for Herbalife. Herbalife markets protein-based food products.   Like our tips? Subscribe at http://eepurl.com/rAjkr   Posted by: Herbalife Independent Distributor Kelly Yew M: +6017-270 6899 E: kellyyew.workfromhome@gmail.com W: Why Herbalife? Why Now?  
  25. Summer countdown: get fit & tone up in 6 weeks   By Samantha Clayton, AFAA, ISSA, April 23, 2013     There are about six weeks left before summer is here! For many people that’s a cause for celebration but others may be concerned about shedding their cold weather clothing and revealing a body that’s gained a few pounds over winter. But, if you act now, you can start work on attaining the body you want.   Today, I’m going to share three dos and three don’ts to help you reach your body beautiful goals. Let’s start by setting some realistic expectations. With the summer months fast approaching, many people feel pressured to shift extra pounds quickly. Unfortunately, many people also then become despondent because extra weight doesn’t magically disappear as fast as they would want. The ‘get thin quick’ frenzy is often started with great intentions, but if it isn’t accompanied by realistic goals then it doesn’t have much chance of success.   As a personal trainer this ‘get thin quick’ frenzy brings mixed emotions. Part of me is excited to help people jump on the path to a healthy, active lifestyle. The other part of me feels concern about how misunderstood nutrition and fitness are by the general population. I hate to see people begin a new routine with enthusiasm only to abandon it before they see results, so let’s make sure everyone understands what an achievable ‘get thin quick’ plan could look like.   Everyone should feel body confident and with six weeks until summer there is plenty of time for you to make a few lifestyle changes that will deliver visible results. Let me help you by giving you three simple dos and don’ts to help you start achieving your summer fitness goals.   DO start now There is no better time than today to get started with a positive approach to fitness and nutrition. Of course, you need to check with your medical provider to ensure you are healthy enough to participate in increased physical activity.   Once you get the all clear, you should get started immediately because wishing and daydreaming about having a perfect body in time for summer isn’t going to get you any closer to your goal! A simple walk or bike ride is a perfect place to start. And then make sure you’re at least a little bit active the next day and the day after next too.   Do take a slow and progressive approach Jumping into a fitness routine that is too difficult may achieve two things; you may either quit because your body is sore from the sudden increase in activity or you could sustain an injury that derails your carefully laid fitness plans. So, take it one day at a time and choose activities that you enjoy.   Aiming to complete at least 30 minutes of activity each day is a great starting point and the great news is that almost every exercise can be modified to fit your current fitness level.   DO set realistic goals and develop a long-term plan If you want to get thin and show off ‘6 pack abs’ by summer then you need to already have a reasonably low body-fat percentage. Starting a consistent exercise routine will help you firm up all over and work towards a ‘6 pack’ one day even if you don’t manage washboard abs by this June!   Setting an achievable goal will help you stick with your fitness plan, so work towards bringing your body fat down by a percentage point or two and then keep up momentum. And remember; feeling active and healthy is a far more satisfying goal than just aiming for a tummy that ripples with muscles.   Healthy weight-loss per week is about 1-2lbs and, although there are no set guidelines for body-fat loss, a 1% loss per month is considered safe according to the American Council on Exercise.   I believe that the key to success with fitness is making exercise fun and achievable. It’s also important to avoid the pitfall of doing too much too soon so let’s look at my top three don’ts that could block your summer body success:   DON’T opt for a radical diet or crazed fitness routine The promise of rapid weight-loss and an incredibly toned physique will tempt many people to try an extreme diet or go from the couch straight into a high-impact fitness routine. In my opinion, this approach is one of the main causes of the yo-yo effect in diet and exercise and often leads to weight-gain rather than weight-loss.   People may experience initial rapid weight-loss but because they can’t possibly sustain extreme plans for a prolonged period, many people find themselves overeating and slumping back on the couch in a short amount of time.   DON’T weigh yourself every day Weight alone is not a true indicator of a successful training program. Jumping on the scale too often may make you feel disappointed and tempted to quit. Instead of focusing on exact weight-loss, consider measuring other success factors. It’s often rewarding to aim for improved heart rate at a set intensity level or increased strength – judged by lifting an increased amount of weight. Measuring body fat and body measurements such as waist, hip and arm inches may provide you with a little extra motivation that your hard work really is paying off.   DON’T workout without a plan If you are setting your own workouts without the help of a trainer, you should still attempt to make a fitness plan. In order for your body to change, your workout must change too as you adapt to your new increased activity. In simple terms: as you get fitter and your workout seems easier, you should increase your intensity or duration as this will push your body to improve. This approach follows the simple principle of adaptation and a fitness journal will help you track your progress..   ***   The truth is that there are no shortcuts when it comes to weight-loss and an improved fitness level because a slow and steady approach is always the most successful route to long term results. But in just six short weeks, it is possible to see your body adapting to positive changes – and that means it’s definitely worth getting started today! Even if you don’t manage a ‘6 pack’ this summer, you might be well on your way by next summer and by the time the holiday season rolls around maybe you might be shopping for that perfect party outfit in a smaller size.   Written by Samantha Clayton, AFAA, ISSA. Samantha is Director of Fitness Education at Herbalife.   Like our tips? Subscribe at http://eepurl.com/rAjkr   Posted by: Herbalife Independent Distributor Kelly Yew M: +6017-270 6899 E: kellyyew.workfromhome@gmail.com W: Why Herbalife? Why Now?  
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