Simple steps to increase metabolism

July 31st, 2010 bulbul, the bird speaks

Here are few simple steps that will help you increase your metabolism. Increased metabolism means weight loss and good health.

1. Maximize your muscle.

Muscles are fat-burning furnaces, so be sure to do enough resistance training to build and maintain them and follow your workouts with a snack or meal balanced in protein, carbohydrates and fat.

2. Stretch

Don’t forget to stretch for warm up. It can help your muscles work better so you can more effectively isolate your problem areas.

3. Don’t ever skip the cardio workout regimes.

It improves definition and blasts the fat that covers your muscles. Combining regular aerobic exercise with strength training will give you the slimming effect you’ve been looking for. After all, toning up without cardio is like building a house on a weak foundation.

4. Focus on your assets.

Playing up your favorite body parts can boost your confidence and draw attention away from spots you want to minimize. Sculpting your shoulders, arms, chest, and back, for example, can help balance heavier hips so you look more proportionate. Plus, you’ll be firmer all over.

5. Don’t starve yourself.

Under eating causes your metabolic rate to drop and your body to hold onto fat. It is recommended that the average, active woman should consume at least 1,800 calories daily and women with sedentary lifestyle should consume 1,500 calories a day.

6. Graze-y.

Eat 6 small meals a day to avoid blood-sugar spikes and minimize urges to binge.

7. Get real food.

Fuel your body with wholesome, nutritious foods, and limit your intake of refined carbs (anything sugary or white-flour based). Include a handful of nuts to your diet that will help lose weight.

8. Drink more water.

Staying hydrated will help you feel full longer and keep you healthy.

9. Sleep well.

Get minimum 7-8 hours of sleep a night. Studies found that women who did not get enough sleep ten to put on faster.

10. Control stress

Keep stress levels in check by managing your time, focusing on the present and not over-committing. Often stress makes you over-eat so control whatever you can.

Bulgur

July 30th, 2010 bulbul, the bird speaks

Simple steps to get rid of belly fat

July 29th, 2010 bulbul, the bird speaks

The secret to cut that flab from your waistline is nothing but three ingredients that help you slim down. Although these might be high in calories, they work miracle for the flab around your waist.

Whole Grain
Replacing refined grains with whole grains can do the miracle. Research says that whole grains may help reduce total body fat and abdominal fat. . In the study, adults who ate about 3 servings of whole grains a day had about 2.4 percent less body fat and 3.6 percent less abdominal fat than those who ate less than a quarter of a serving. Researchers speculate that the fiber from whole grains may help you feel full with less food—and possibly fuller than fiber from other sources, such as fruit and vegetables. Aim for at least three servings of whole grains daily (one serving equals 1 cup of whole-grain cereal or a slice of whole-wheat bread). You can try various whole grain salads or variety of non-fried whole grain snacks from the market.

Nuts
As we have discussed earlier and researchers in Harvard study found that amongst fifty thousand women studied those who consumes nuts at least twice a week gained less weight than women who did not eat nuts at all. Although nuts are high in calories and fat, researchers think that the combination of protein, fiber and healthy fats (mono- and polyunsaturated) help keep you feeling full. One should include an ounce of nuts (about 14 walnut halves, 20 to 24 almonds and 2 tablespoons of peanut butter), a few times a week to make a balanced diet. It is said that handful of nuts a day makes world beautiful.

Vinegar or Acetic acid

One of the Japanese studies found that adding 2 tablespoons of acetic acid (active ingredient of vinegar) a day to your regular diets for 3 months made obese people gain 4 times less weight, 5 percent less belly fat and 3.5 percent less total body fat. The acetic acid ramps up the enzymes that oxidize fat, so lesser fat would accumulate around your waist lineflat-belly.

So, to lose that extra flab around your waist, add at least one tablespoon of any type of vinegar to your daily diet.

Pregnancy and Garlic

July 22nd, 2010 bulbul, the bird speaks

Pre-eclampsia
Pre-eclampsia is a condition when your blood pressure increases, and your body retains excessive protein in the urine. Taking garlic during pregnancy reduces the risk of developing pre-eclampsia.

Improve baby’s weight before birth
Taking garlic boosts the weight of babies inside the mother’s womb. Thus, when they are born, they are heavier than they would have been if you hadn’t taken garlic. Some babies are born too small, so garlic is a great help in such cases.

Garlic

July 7th, 2010 bulbul, the bird speaks

garlic

Garlic can be made a part of healthy lifestyle and can work wonders when consumed in moderation.

Allergies

Garlic is known to have antiviral, antibacterial and antifungal properties, which helps the body fight against allergies. You can avoid allergies by taking one tablet of garlic supplement each day for 2 to 3 weeks before the usual allergy season begins. Alternatively you can try some garlic recipes or recipes that have garlic as one of its ingredients.

Coughing and respiratory ailments

Garlic and Ginger go hand in hand in lot of Indian recipes and both are very useful to fight the cough and cold. Garlic’s antibacterial properties make it very useful to treat cough and other throat or respiratory tract infections. Garlic is an excellent remedy for whooping cough. You can use garlic syrup in doses of five drops to a teaspoonful two or three times a day to cure whooping cough.

Few drops of garlic juice when taken with 2 teaspoon of honey, acts as natural remedy for asthma.

Hence by including Garlic in your daily food will work wonders to your health.

Diabetes

Garlic tends to increase the release of insulin in your body and that’s why it is very useful to diabetic people. Either you can take one capsule of garlic every day or you can try some recipes that have garlic in it and that will keep your diabetes and other problems causes by diabetes at bay. In Indian recipes garlic is used in such a way that it gives a good taste and aroma to the food.

Blood Pressure

Regularly eating garlic lowers the blood pressure. A suggested dosage is 600-900mg garlic capsules once daily.

Cholesterol

Studies have shown that taking 600-900mg of garlic everyday lowers cholesterol levels and reduces arterial plaque formation by 5–18%. Therefore, an effective natural remedy is to take one garlic tablet or capsule (600-900mg) once per day.

Toothaches

Garlic’s antibacterial, analgesic, and anesthetizing properties can help cure severe toothaches. Simply put some garlic oil or a piece of crushed garlic clove directly onto the affected tooth and the gum for instant relief.

Cancer

Garlic’s anti-carcinogenic properties inhibit the growth of cancer cells and helps prevent and fight cancer and tumors. It also helps reduces already formed tumors by 50 to 70 percent on increase on garlic intake.

Digestive Enzymes

It helps in secretions of digestive enzymes.
Garlic also promotes increased bile production in the body which helps in reducing fat levels in your liver. Swallowing a garlic clove with water in the morning (empty stomach) is also reduces bloating and constipation. By doing this it also makes your immune system strong and stable.

Nutrition
Garlic is very rich in vitamins and minerals, it contains vitamins A, B, C, B2, and amongst minerals it is rich in Zinc and Calcium.

Impotence:

Garlic aids in blood circulation and keeps veins and arteries youthful, but that is only one way it helps with impotence. According to researchers, to obtain an erection an enzyme is required called nitric oxide, and compounds in garlic stimulate the production of this enzyme in people who suffer from low levels of it.

Skin Disorders:

The external use of garlic helps to clear the skin of spots, acne, and boils. The process is further helped by taking the garlic orally also, to cleanse the blood-stream so as to secure a long term clearance of the skin. A regular course of three garlic capsules per day should help to clear minor skin infections quickly.

Garlic’s anti-biotic ability to fight infections and bacteria makes it an effective cure for warts and other skin problems too.

  • Take a fresh clove of garlic and cut its tip off.
  • Rub the cut area of the clove directly onto the wart for a few seconds.
  • Repeat this each night before going to bed until the wart disappears.

If you feel any kind of irritation or strong burning sensation, simply rinse the area with water. Besides warts and acne it helps in reducing infections on open and bleeding wounds and also promotes healing.

Pregnancy

Garlic supplementation may help weight-gain for babies that may be at risk for low birth weight. Garlic is also useful for other at-birth risk factors, such as pre-eclampsia, which is associated with hypertension.

Garlic is very useful in various ways if you are pregnant. To know more read “Pregnancy and garlic”.

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